World Cup 62 - The RP thread

[The Holy Temple of Bacon Strips]

Appeasing the God of Bacon:

October 10th 2012:- After a strange round of beating everyone with a team of Pigs. No one considered that it may have been an act of God that saw them do so well. Upon arrival to the Slaughterhouse in Mid-Aguazul to receive their extended execution (for the hungry folk back home), the Slaughterhouse Exploded. A voice boomed down from above,
"I AM SQWEEL, GOD OF BACON AND IT IS ABOUT TIME WE RECEIVE REVENGE FOR OUR SLAUGHTER!!!" The Pigs shone a Dark Purple color and slowly began to morph into a more human shape. A Pigman as it were. "MY PIGS!!! DESTROY HUMANITY AND REPLACE IT YOURSELVES!!!"

The Pigs ran off sqweeling, most tripping over unsure of how to use their new legs.

"HUMAN!!!"
"Y...Y...Yes..." Kenwyn Griffiths, Manager of both the company and the football team of Pigs
"I WILL ALLOW YOU ONE CHANCE, PROVE TO ME THAT PIGS ARE JUST AS GREAT AS HUMANS AND WE WILL FORGET THIS WHOLE SCENARIO! AGREED?"
"U...Uh...How?"
"EASY, PLAY FOOTBALL AGAIN?!? THEY TRUST YOU, RIGHT?"

And so the quest began, to appease the God of Bacon.

[Charruterra]

Fajú had become the new charruterran manager after the BoF fail of losing in the quarter finals against Kintratar, a team certainly not prepared, or at least that's what they thought at the time.

Fajú decided to keep the same basis, but change some things, like not always giving Dioí the ball or ignoring Cloyan sometimes, and not mentioning Sharuujpán. Ever. he sad it brought bad luck.

Cloyan was obviously upset by this, he thought of Fajú as a heretic who didn't deserve to live. The thing is, little did it matter then. However, Fajú wasn't aware of what would happen the following day after the match against West Angola....

[Michael VII]

Third time lucky?
Kicked out in the playoffs twice, could third time be lucky? The Blog of Michael VII Football.

Football in Michael VII, well, that real football game, you know, the one where the ball is kicked with the foot game of football, is a funny sport here. It seems that Michaeleans really only do it because everyone else does it. It's the biggest single sport event in the world, and to qualify for it would just make us seem even more dominant, so football got pretty popular here.

If the World Bowl was the tournament to play for though, we're sure the Gridiron would be the only thing we give half a damn about, but since it's THE World Cup, emphasis on the definite article 'the', we've just got to take it seriously. Good thing too, because the Frbibans can have their damn Gridiron fake football, we Jagozans are a classy bunch and play only the best sports, and as such, we hold a much better record in REAL Football than those pesky Frbibans.

(Let's just not admit that we only give so much of a damn because they've beaten us for 20 years in the FSU/Jagoza University Gridiron game!)

So yeah, essentially we're sheep, only following sporting trends as they come and go. For example, the nation was hockey mad just a month ago because we hosted the World Cup of Hockey, but since when did teams like Atlancia, (bloody surfers) ever sell out their arenas? Just following a trend. We sucked in the WBC and so no one cared about our PBL, we hosted the World Bowl and won the NSCF so we got big gridiron crowds, like usual. But nonetheless, we follow the trends of the time, and as such, we suck at pretty much every tournament, and we're bracing ourselves for another non-qualification in WC 62. Never have we before qualified...Tis a shame.

But we haven't been so bad in recent times, only reasonably mediocre...

In WC60 and WC61, we actually came second in our group and were close to qualifying. And we made the playoffs matches to see if we can hang with the big boys and go 0-0-3 in our first WC Finals! But alas, no, WC60 left us being thrashed by Top team The Holy Empire, (The Holy Empire of WHAT exactly? Arrogant much?), and WC61 got us so close. So, so, close, being eliminated in a heartbreaking penalty shootout by Kiryu-shi, just when it looked like the stars were going to align for us.

Hence why our blog is third time lucky! Because we're hoping, faintly and stupidly, that we can qualify on our third time being slightly decent. You know we're in the Top 50 now? Yeah, we're pretty good. The World Bowl team can't claim to be at that percentile! They also copied our blue and gold colours, WE DID THAT FIRST!

(Okay, maybe I'm taking the Gridiron thing a bit harshly...But to be fair, blue and gold are Jagoza U and Jagoza State colours. No Red anwhere, take that Frbiba State!)

But yeah, we're a fun team to support, because no matter what happens, we'll disappoint you, whether that's losing to an unranked team, tying after being up 4-0 to an unranked team, or just failing to even turn up. So, take your antidepressants, like starting defender Steven Mcswain!, and go out there in blue and gold to throw things at opponents and Frbibans! Have fun watching us lose!

Third time lucky? What a joke. Maybe by WC 162. Amirite? Yeah, I'm right.

[Yesopalitha]

Another Go? Sparky's Corner 2nd Edition!
By: Sparky

Hey football fans, it's your loyal sportswriter Sparky, here again for another cycle of coverage for the Yesopalithan football team. Do y'all remember how last cycle ended? How we were so close to the automatic qualification berth, but Astograth prevailed and in the end we lost to a very good side in Taeshan in the playoff match, and got put into the Cup of Harmony instead?

Well, it's that time of year again, folks. And guess what? Astograth is actually one of the hosts this time. At least we won't have to run into them again this qualifying cycle. Instead, we have to deal with...

Krytenia? Are you serious? This squad is full of history, usually of losing in heartbreaking fashion in the finals of the World Cup, but have qualified for as many world cups as one can remember. Krytenia will be the top dog in this group, and the Flames need to play well to have any chance of catching them.

Looking at the rest of the opponents, Kinitaria will be a side to watch out for, as well as West Zirconia. Other than those two teams, the Flames should be able to eliminate the other opposition without a problem.

A quick look at the schedule:

1, vs. Krytenia
2. @ West Zirconia
3. vs. The Javahe Islands
4. vs. Kinitaria
5. @ Cambirano
6. vs. Filopines
7. @ The Naughty Monks
8-14 Reversed.

The Flames will start off with a bang, hosting Krytenia at The Sacred Heart. The team this year remains unchanged from the last, except the players have gained a bit more experience and the retirement of Quincy Demitrius-Adams. Instead, young Victoria Hellion will join the national squad and hopefully add a little more spark and fresh legs to this team, whose core is getting advanced in age.

Hilary Vander Rox and Ivan Dostoevich may call it quits after this cup, although both players have not said a word about retirement. At thirty and thirty-one years of age, respectively, the players do have only a limited number of cycles left.

The Flames will try to qualify for the first time in five tries now, and if they do - and I think they have a great chance - I will finally let you know whom I, Sparky, am.

I plan on giving you readers the match report in three sections:

A. The Summary of the Game. Who scored, what happened, key moments, etc. What you would expect from a standard match report, told from a factual standpoint.

B. Sparky's Star and Un-Star of the Game. I will give you the MVP and LVP for each team in the game, and reasons why.

C. Spotlight on a Flame. I will give you a spotlight on one of the national team players whose play mattered in the game. Every starter will be mentioned once, as well three of the reserves.

I am also accepting questions from the leaders about everything Flame football. So, start sending them in!

Pack The Sacred Heart full for the opener against Krytenia! And if you can't make it there, watch it on TV!

Faithfully yours,
Sparky

[Unified Falcon]

Newson Returns

Imara Newson is one tough woman.

After being stabbed by an unknown assailant at the conclusion of the last World Cup Qualifying Cycle at the helm of the Peregrine Falcons, which ended with a horrible record, Newson has returned to coaching.

Last season was a season of disaster for the Falcons. Falconear and Falconfar were having issues existing together. The players hated each other. The results weren't good at all.

This cycle, however, there is hope in the air. After Iona's winning of the Handball World Cup, the hosting of the recent Copa Rushmori, and Newson's recovery, the nation, as a unified nation, is willing to go at it again.

And, Newson will be there to lead them.

"It feels like a completely different squad," commented Jacqued Didier, "We are supportive of each other and want to make our coach and our nation proud."

The Falcons may not win as many games as they wish to this cycle, but one thing remains true: They will go through it together as a team.

[Geisenfried]

As the light filtered in through the window, Jake could see why a century and a half prior, Karl Fischer had chosen this of all places to be his study. As the day dragged on, the rays of the sun would break into through the window just the right way, basking the room in a calming orange glow that radiated an idyllic charm and an uplifting tone. In his day, Karl Fischer had been one of the leading - perhaps even the best - financiers during the seemingly exponential growth of the economy in the later 19th century, as the industrial revolution kicked into high gear. Though born and raised in Heimüller, his immense wealth and constant need to travel from city to city to pursue capital investments led to his ownership of a smattering of residences throughout the country, including this villa just outside of Darnesmark, just beyond the northern slopes of the Aldereich mountains, and close to the University of Darnesmark, one of the oldest higher level institutions in the entirety of Geisenfried. Fischer's name still adorned one of the major financial institutions of the country - Karl Fischer AG - and despite the splitting of his fortune among descendents, several branches of the family remained immensely wealthy. Though most of the residences he acquired over his lifetime either remained in the hands of said descendents or were sold or transferred later on by those same descendents, this little manse in particular had been bequeathed directly to the university upon his death. At first the building had served an administrative center and library, but as the university grew rapidly over the 20th century, administration moved into an entirely new building, and 'Fischer Hall' had since served as the headquarters of the Department of History & Classics.

It had intended to be only a temporary measure, while the ancient buildings the history department had once called their own were renovated, and then the business school would take over - after all, Fischer was at heart a businessman. But the business school got its own new building thanks to a generous endowment, and the history department found itself quite comfortable in its new locale. And so it stayed over the decades. The once opulent main bedrooms became large lecture halls, the giant dining room a new auditorium, the smaller guest bedrooms became the dean's and tenured professors' offices, the servant quarters became graduate student TA offices (which the grad students still jokingly referred to as 'the history department's commitment to preserving the house.') The already large library found even more books on its shelves from the department's own impressive collection, the billiard room had turned into a student lounge (and still had a billards table in it), the parlor had become a computer lab, and this, the private study, had turned into a faculty lounge. A few things remained that Karl would have been familiar with - the furniture, which had been reupholstered several times but was still 'original', a smattering of books on a number of shelves - though several of these had been written much after his time, by some of the professors working in the department over the years, but much of the room had been updated with modern amenities, like a television, a refrigerator and a coffee machine, among others.

Here, after the bulk of their class load had ended, a small clique of professors gathered to socialize and blow off some steam for a while before heading back to their own offices to try and finish up some of their work. The topic of the hour was the upcoming World Cup, instigated by two of the 'younger' male professors, Joachim, or 'Jake' and Martin. Of the remaining three, the oldest male professor - 'Gusty' Gustav, as his students had long ago nicknamed him for his seemingly unending lectures - insisted his disinterest in such athletic competitions (yet kept piping up with comments only someone who was up to date with information would think to make), one of the female professors, Erika, knew something of what was going on thanks to her husband, and the other female professor, Sofie, was clueless on the topic of choice, but didn't wanted to be excluded from the conversation.

"So they booted Büchner, aye? Even after 3 group wins at AOCAF?"

"Yeah, looks the FV wanted to make noise in the knockouts, and we didn't advance at all there, even being at home."

"But they lost to the eventual runners-up. Why the rush to change?"

"I dunno, delusions of days of glory long past? Anyways, Gryphons' Gault is in charge now."

"I saw. And did you see the roster he picked out? Moving Schenze back to CAM and bringing in two young guys at striker? Schenze was our best scorer, why would you take him out of the frontline?"

"That frontline got 4th in the Di Bradini, and - if you looked at our competition in the qualifying group - we're probably looking at something long term anyway. Might as well get them some time."

"Gerhardt's so... raw though. And he was part of Gault's old club. Isn't that a little bit of favoritism?"

"Well, if they work well together, why not? By the way, when are they playing at Rohm?"

"Not till the latter half. Against the Archregimancy. First match is away at Equatorial Sarmen, the first home being the match after against Ko-oren. I think it's at Greifeläs?"

"How fitting, his own stomping grounds to start off."

"I saw the new kits. They looked... pretty?"

"From a foreign company, no less. I'm amazed they were willing to sign up outside domestic athletic companies."

"I guess things are changing, little by little."

The room quieted down a bit, until Jake broke the silence again, this time with a new subject.

"By the way... I know this is out of the blue, but I've been working on a few manuscripts for a new history book. You guys mind if I start bringing them in here to get some advice on what I've written?"

"But of course! Are you looking for peer review or..."

"No, not that far along. Just advice as I go through the drafts."

"What period are you focusing on?"

"Nothing in particular, just general national history. It's not intended to be heavy reading, something lighter, quicker."

"That broad? If you don't mind me saying, there are plenty of general history textbooks out there, why bother?"

"They're still textbooks, though, intended for an academic audience, and what's more a domestic academic audience. I was looking for something that maybe... that maybe people from abroad, if they're interested, could just pick up, quickly read, and get a better idea of our country from."

"An interesting target audience. Think it'll sell?"

"Got my doubts, but money isn't the end-all object. Just hope it looks good enough to get published. Not that I'll complain if it does go big."

"Ha! You better share in that case. Got a name in mind?"

"Yeah... the Chronicles of the Kings of Geisenfried."

[Turori]

The Cocoabo Trainer with a Whistle

The Cocoabo has long been a part of Turorian culture. In fact, for a time, the Cocoabo itself as a species represented the Island Emirate in sporting competition. One such example was World Cup 31, hosted at home in Atlantian Oceania, in Vilita and The Lowland Clans.

It was by no means a bright spot in Turorian World Cup history, but then again, nothing really was. The Eels have made more Quarter Final appearances, without ever advancing beyond that stage, than any team in the history of the World Cup. World Cup 31 was that much sadder. After suffering just one defeat throughout the Qualifying campaign a rambunctious bunch of Cocoabo's, led by head coach Jualiar Vumaou, - affectionately known as "Vumaou's Flock" - looked at a promising group with upstart Geisenfried and on-again off-again Squornshelous the likely candidates to fall before the Eels.

It wasn't to be however, despite dealing easily with the upstarts, the Cocoabo's could not do anything with Squornshelous, losing the decisive match three goals to two as Squornshelous would head off to their first and only World Cup title. Oh what a difference a goal makes. A single goal in that match could have changed the course of history, indeed. Turori, not Squornshelous, would be sitting in the second spot in Group F, the very position that Squornshelous would then ride as the pathway to World Cup glory. If it were Turori, and not Squornshelous, in that position, then surely Nations the World over would begin to breed Cocoabo's purely to have them participate in major international sporting events on their nations behalf.

But it was not to be. The Cocoabo's had lost. Now, exactly 31 Cups later, the plight of the Cocoabo is very different. The Cocoabo Preservation Society, a UICA Partner, strives daily just to ensure the Cocoabo's remain in existence. World support is tough to come by. Sometimes, even local support has been thin.

But one family has never forgotten. The Vumaou family.

Tuaoko Vumaou trains Cocoabo's at the family property on the outskirts of Kionao. In his free time, Vumaou also serves as a referee in the Vilitan League often being assigned to matches at the Kionao Minor Stadium or throughout the region. His compassionate and forgiving nature, likely bred from his patience with his flock of Cocoabo, spills over onto the pitch, as Vumaou is known to have long conversations with players who have done something stupid, in the middle of the match, opposed to simply flashing a card at them and moving on like most officials might do.

Vumaou is a different breed. A lost breed. Vumaou still has hope, and he hopes to share his hope for the world with the competitors of World Cup 62, as well as the plight of the Cocoabo, with his mid-match life-lessons as Turori's representative to the refereeing pool for the World Cup 62 Qualifiers.

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

[Carpathia and Ruthenia]

RP CUTOFF FOR MATCHDAY ONE

Scores for the day can be found here

[Iturributa]

(Warning: tabloids)

FIF: "WE'LL HOST OUR OWN WORLD CUP! WITH BLACKJACK AND HOOKERS!"
"IN FACT, FORGET THE WORLD CUP"

Today, the national football federation gathered for an emergency meeting at their headquarters in the capital of the Free Republic. The reason: the Futbol Astograthiko Federazioa's continued replies that there was no such thing as a "Futbol Iturributako Federazioa" (nor a "Free Republic of Iturributa" for that matter) when asked what would happen if Iturributa qualified for World Cup 62. In response to this shocking display of Astograthian pigdog imperialism, the FIF has announced that it will not be boycotting the entire tournament or quitting the World Cup Committee - as that would be playing right into the hands of Eneko Gandiaga and his cronies - but instead refusing to participate in the qualifiers and hosting its very own Cup of the World™ that grants automatic qualification to the WCC-sanctioned World Cup. And in case Iturributa wins it, which will be a difficult task considering the quality of the invitees, the FIF will demand to play in Carpathia and Ruthenia, making a lot of noise to hopefully make Astograth look bad. Genius.

Who will take part in the inaugural Cup of the World™? Besides Iturributa, there will be seven invitee nations competing, all hand-picked by the FIF authorities: The Babbage Islands, Smernof, Akbarabad, 19th Century Beards, Swyftlandre, Camwood and Lewisland. A nice, varied group of trusted nations. The format? Why, a marathonic series of home and away games, as the FIF has indicated that having it all in Iturributa would be grossly unfair for the football fans of the other nations. In total, each side will play 14 matches - certainly enough to decide who the champion of the world is! The winner will also immediately qualify for the upcoming World Cup 62, bypassing any pesky "World Cup qualifying groups", and will receive a beautiful hand-crafted silver trophy that is eerily reminiscent of the old Iturributa Province Division One cup but definitely can't be the exact same, as that one is safely kept under lock and key in the FIF headquarters. When asked as to how the actual overseas organisation of the Cup of the World™ would occur and whether the invitee nations were also quitting the qualifiers to take part in it, FIF officials refused to comment.

The same evening, the Iturributan squad under manager Bayardo Morriyas was announced, as was the schedule. Albatroseka will play its inaugural Cup of the World™ game later this week, in Smernof.

[Qazox]

An impressive 3-1 over Mapletish in the opening round of the Zion Financial Challenge Cup, a tourney that Qaxox entered to gain more internation experience for their new coach, Thomas Carpenter. After allowing Mapletish the 1st goal, a pair of goals from Daniel Spaatz and the clincher by Harley Rose, sent the Eagles soaring into a 2nd round match-up with Kinitaria, 3-2 winners over Backyard Sports. A win by Qazox in the next round could send them into the championship round against the possible winner of Darmen and Free South Califas.

[Bongo Johnson]

BongoBeat.net - Sports for the 21st Century

ALRIGHT, LET'S CALL IT A DRAW

Free Swiss States 1 - 1 Bongo Johnson

[Lymantatia]

http://thefootballguy.bloghost.co.lym
Lymantatians lose first match for WC62
The Lymantatian football team has lost their first match for WC62 to Kulverint. Jacques DeLamielleure didn't see the goal from Kulverint coming, as he was tying his shoe!
Who could possibly be first place for each group (after survey by 750,000,000 people)?
Babbage Islands, Wight, Michael VII, Liventia, FSSO, Carmadin, Audioslavia, Bears Armed, Darmen, Yesopalitha, Valanora, Lymantatia, Holy Empire, Andossa Se Mitrin Vega, Aguazul, Gaveo, Chenkorya, Farfadillis, Vilita, Polar Islandstates

[Qazox]

(ooc to my opponent: If there is anything here that you disagree with, TG me before the next cutoff, and I will change it)

Hello once again NSverse 1.0 (if you are not currently located within NSverse 1.0, please insert the correct NSverse version as appropriate for your local spatial-linear time frame), I'm Dr. John Laeter of the University of Qazox (Qazox City). As stated before, I am allowing unprecedented access to historical spatial-linear time frames other than the main one your specific nation resides in currently for research in historical and/or sociological differences between different spatial-linear time frames of your nation. While many might dismiss this as nonsense, I will offer up an alternate version of Qazox for all to peruse at their leisure. I will post the NSVerse 1.0 version of an important historical event then at random find another version. Today, the Qazox national football team defeated The Scandinavian Islands by the combined average score of 6-2, with an acceptable 0.0001% margin of error. Before the sports people break down the game, Here is one of the alternate versions of The Scandinavian Islands, an alternate which has been frought with numerous religous clashes.

NSVerse 1.0: The Scandinavian Islands April 18, 1094 ACE
Eric Leifssen leads the warriors of the Sorselands into Vineland, founding the city of Aux le Mans.
RESULT: Within 200 years, given favorable conditions in Vineland, the Sorsemen's colony at Aux le Mans stands at over 15,000 people. Trade between Vineland and Europe remains profitable, despite the so-called Dark Ages. Revolution in 1350 ACE leaves Vineland and The Scandinavian Islands independent from Danish/Swedish Union of Kalmar. By 1700, The Scandinavian Islands is main force behind abolition of slavery. During American Revolutionary War, The Scandinavian Islands help the 13 Colonies become independent, along with English Canada. During War of 1822, The Scandinavian Islands, Canada and US defeat joint British-Prussian coalition. During US Civil war of 1866-67, The Scandinavian Islands blockade the Southern states, freeing the US to consentrate on putting down rebellion. WWI ends in 1916 after The Scandinavian Islands navy defeats German naval forces in the Battle of Svalbard, helping free the British navy to blockade the German coast. During WWII, The Scandinavian Islands remain neutral until the sinking of the Lusitania in 1940, convince US to enter war on England's side. After the end of WWII in 1943; The Scandinavian Islands' Capital becomes location of the UN. In 2012, The Scandinavian Islands have the 4th largest economy in the World (behind only US, Germany and China) and are considered one of the best countries in the world to live.


NSVerse 4.61: The Scandinavian Islands April 18, 1094 ACE
Eric Leifssen leads the warriors of the Sorselands into Vineland, but is slaughtered by local natives.
RESULT: With the western expansion plans of the Sorsemen halted by the slaughter of Liefssen, the Sorse turn their attention south towards England and France. By 1250 ACE, the British Isles, the low Countries, northern France and western Germany (using universe 1.0 terminology) are part of a greater Kalmar Union. In 1314, Islamic forces and Kalmarian forces fight near Nice with the Kalmarians earning a tough victory. But after years of war between the two nations, the 125 year war (1295-1418) ends without any clearcut winner. The lands south of the Pyrannes remain in Islamic control until World War I in 1902. The Union of Kalmar expands east towards Russia and is defeated by Peter the Great in 1564. In 1603, Kalmar refocuses its' efforts on America, but finds that the Islamic Kingodom of Grenada has beaten them there and controls most of America south of the St. Laurence River. Three separate wars between Grenada and Kalmar (1638-45; 1704-11 and 1756-62) prove too much for the Union to bear. In 1776, England, Germany and France declare independence, backed by a strong Grenada. By 1784, Kalmar has been beaten enough that They lose all lands west of the Rhine to England and France, which become Islamic Repulbics. In 1845, France and England fight a war over the Channel Islands, with Kalmar siding with England, and Grenada backing France. The Kalmarian-English side wins, and Kalmar re-rakes the low countries. In 1895, Russia, Grenada, the Ottoman Empire and Italy forge the Quadruple-Alliance against Kalmar, England, Austria-Hungary and the Serbian Republic. An assassination attempt on Zsar Nicholas I of Russia sets of a World War. The Kalmarian alliance wins when an revolt by Indian and Persian forces takes the Ottoman Empire out of the war. By 1945, an uneasy agreement between all European nations leads to a fractured EU with the East and South, solid islamic and Orthodox nations one one side (Grenada, Italy, Russia, France, Greece and Cyprus) and a marginaly Catholic North and West (England, Sorse Netherlands, Kalmar, Germany, Serbia, Austria-Hungary) on the. In 1978, a 2nd war breaks out over the dispute over control of the Adriatic Sea.

QAZOX SPORTS
Eagles dominate Qualifying Opener.

Behind the solid play of Qazox' front line, The Scandinavian Islands didn't have much of a chance, as the Eagles lead 4-1 at the half. Goals from Juila McDaniels (16'), Daniel Spaatz (26' PK), Quentin Rashaad (34') and Brooke Chen (41') sparked the team after Eve Wallace let in a TSI chipshot in the 3rd minute, giving the hometeam an early lead. The homeside would cut the lead down to two in the 58th minute, when Juila McDaniels(D) and Shuna Griffin collided while chasing down a loose ball, freeing up a 2-on-0 oppertunity for TSI. But the Eagles quickly stifled any comeback attempts with two more goals just 3 minutes apart. Brooke Chen was left unchecked on a Juila McDaniels(M) corner kick in the 73rd minute. in the 76th, Alberto Esperanza, coming in for a winded Spaatz, scored just 1 minute into his first shift with the team. Up next, Qazox will travel to East Shippensburg who lost at United Gordontopia 5-nil yesterday.

[Gaveo]

Gaveo [5] - [2] Kaldorium!
*Trance music w/ logo of show*
"HELLO! GAVEO!"
*cheers*
"This is a special live edition of Football Report hosted by..."
(Fans) "Jose Vasconcellos!"
"Thank you, thank you... We won our first WC game!"
*roaring cheers*
"Right now as I speak Gaveoans every where are partying all in their local city squares. A historic 5-2 victory..."
*cheers*
"Okay lets get to the highlights."
*logo moving w/ House music*
(5th minute)
"Sebastian to Cesar, Cesar to, no he kicks GOL! GOLAZO! GOLAZO! AZO AZO! That was the most beautiful goal I have every seen! The way he curved it, no way could the goalie block it!"
(14th minute)
"Bru Yo Chan from the corner... Kicks, Sebastian with the header! GOL! GOL DE GAVEO! HE TAKES HIS SHIRT OFF AND GETS A YELLOW CARD BUT HEADS TO THE STANDS! MY OH MY!
(28th minute)
*Goal for Kaldorium*
(44th minute)
*Goal for Kaldorium*
(45+ minute)
"Halftime is almost here, Sebastian Cadiz kicks from 38 meters... GOL! OH MY what a goal! And the referee blows the whistle! 3-2 Gaveo.
(67th minute)
"Cesar is dodging all the players he shoots! GOAL! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL AZO! What a goal from Cesar! 4-2! 4-2!
(87th minute)
Cadiz crosses to Bru he is running, goalie charges, Bru passes! Sebastian with the diving header! GOAL! 5-2 What a goal, what a goal!
*returns to show*
"Good stuff huh?"
*cheers*
"Well guess what? I have a special host for you guys! He is the hat tricker, the legendary Sebastian Cadiz!!!"
*roaring cheers*
"Welcome oh great hero!"
"Hello Senor Vasconcellos."
*shakes hands*
"So I must ask, how does it feel to win your first WC game?"
"Oh it feels-"
*jumps on couch*
"GREAT!"
*cheers*
"Woah, you sure are happy..."
"Of course I am. We lads put a historic mark on Gaveoan futbol today."
"Agreed. Now here is your second question... This time don't jump on the couch..."
*laughter*
"I'll try."
*more laughter*
"Haha, okay. How did you coordinate your amazing hat trick with Bru?"
"Well, I we practiced, we had an idea where who ever has the ball last and is near the goalie, we pass it to our teammate."
"And it worked!"
"Hell yeah it did!"
*laughter*
"Last question, how do you feel about the next game?"
"Oh, I don't know. Hopefully we get the same result, but this is the WC and each game is different from the other one. So we must focus despite whether we win or lose."
"Good very good. Okay seems we are out of time. Thank you Sebastian Cadiz."
"Thanks Jose."
*applause*
"Okay, from Cadiz, Gaveo this was Jose Vasconcellos at Football Report, chao."
*outro techno music with logo*

[Bordurian]

BORDURIAN LOSS IN OPENER

The Dowek Mail reports that the Bordurian squad loses their opener vs the Holy Empire. The score, was 2-0. The Holy Empire scored their first in the 33rd minute after a shot from the edge of the 18 yard box by Carlos Stilbes. The Bordurian squad put up a good fight shutting down several attempts to score. At the start of the second half, Bordurian had a few shots that almost gave the fans heart attacks, hitting the bar no less than 3 times. The Holy Empire scored their next goal off aheader by Stilbes again from a corner in the 77th minute to seal the Bordurian squad's fate. We hope to do better next match! Good luck and may God be with you!

[Jeruselem]

Princess Melody Song Dallas and player Park Jae Sang after 0-0 draw at Turori

Melody: So what you think of the big time Park?
Park: It's all very exciting.
Melody: Why aren't you doing music instead of playing football?
Park: There's not much money in music in Jeruselem
Melody: What you mean. I'm doing well.
Park: You have famous name. I not famous.

Melody: Well, I guess that's true.
Park: We not play too well.
Melody: Hey, it's only the first game. Better than losing.
Park: You bad tempered?
Melody: Well yes. It's not my fault, I blame Mum.
Park: We must play a lot better.

Melody: Yes, we sure do.
Park: You a very good dancer
Melody: Thanks Park, how do you know that?
Park: I watch your videos.
Melody: Well, you like my style then.
Park: You can speak Korean?

Melody: Sadly no. Only French, Qazian, English and pigeon Arabic.
Park: I can teach you Korean.
Melody: I guess it wouldn't hurt but it sounds way too complicated for little old me.
Park: It's not that hard.
Melody: One can only try
Park: You clever woman. Not hard.

Melody: Hey maybe you can teach me a few dance moves.
Park: Sure
Melody: I love them K-Pop videos and them sexy girls. I want do one.
Park: I'm sure you could.
Melody: Pity I can't now. We have football to play.
Park: Yes

Melody: Don't worry, I have plenty of dancing girls if you need them.
Park: We could make a video still
Melody: I guess so. But we need a song.
Park: Melody Song Style
Melody: Nah sounds stupid
Park: Dallas Style

Melody: That works for me. We have our own style.
Park: Oppa Dallas Style !!!
Melody: Yeah
Park: Eh- Sexy Lady
Melody: Oppan gangnamseutail, gangnamseutail
Park: You said you didn't know Korean.

Melody: Well, I don't.

[Karditan]

"What in the goddamn hell is the ref doing?" Sucker Punch wasn't too pleased with what he was seeing. "He's signing autographs for fans in the front row! Who didn't ask for them! While the game is still going! That midfielder just caught the ball and chucked it at our goal! Thank god Manny knows what he's doing, caught that quick... goddamn, what is he doing now?"

Sucker watched as Mr. Ludo Hotten broke into a dead run even with Lightning Heart as the buffalo made a charge down the field. The Nethertopians scattered before Lightning, understandably, but one of them accidentally ran out of bounds and collided with Mr. Hotten. The irritated referee, apparently upset at the inference to his race, gave the offending defender a red card and gave him a strong kick in the buttocks to hasten his departure. In the meantime Lightning had realized his course had been slightly off and ended up crashing into the right post of the Nethertopian goal, sending it skewed at roughly a 30 degree angle and skittering the ball away. When they tried to straighten the goal, Mr. Hotten told them not to, because it would "make things more interesting."

"Oh come fucking on!" Sucker was still not pleased. "So now we can't take a shot from the left side of the field. Fucking great. Just pigeon hole us like that, fucking great." He waited for Mr. Hotten to turn and race the Nethertopian forward to Magik the goal back straight. The Wightling referee quickly took notice when his racing partner was downed; we're not sure if he was still upset at his races being ruined, or if he actually knew that Dorian Berard had slid high and spiked the Nethertopian on the upper shin, but Dorian was sent off regardless. "Well... I suppose that wasn't a bad call. But I don't see how we're supposed to score anything while this guy keeps his antics up."

Sucker's query (as it wasn't posed a question, per-say) was answered when Korzado headed a long, arcing kick from Dust Pan into the Nethertopian goal 35 minutes in. The Zebra (who's black fur was starting to turn gray-ish) simply gave a malicious little grin at the keeper before turning and trotting back to position. Shockingly, Mr. Hotten did nothing out of the ordinary on the play. After play restarted, he did eject a blind man's signer for describing his calls as "bullshit," the signer not expecting this weirdo to understand sign language--but that didn't have much effect on the game itself. Afterward, the Karditanis pulled Korzado and Cansetta further back on the field and just sat on the 1-0 lead. Mr. Hotten's antics made holding the lead a bit more difficult, and entertaining, than it probably should have been, but the score nevertheless remained unchanged for the remaining 50 or so minutes.

[Aguazul]

La Verdad

Homegrown side eases to victory

There's Celia Rimoldi, a winger almost as liable to snap at the ref as to score a match's only goal. There's Merlín Salomón, who might not be related to the Vilitan Germán. And there's Lita Jaramillo, the new captain of Bloomfield National.

Congratulations, you're now caught up on the contingent of team Aguazul based abroad. All three of them. Excluding the first Brevity Challenge Cup team, which wasn't a full strength side, these are the most players based in Aguazul since our second cycle, that of World Cup 49. On that team, Peyo Alarcón, Sergio Bustamante, and Rubén Saavedra were based in Cafundéu. But despite rumors that Paco León Nolasco could return to the team eventually, for now we're left with twenty familiar faces.

It's led to an interesting balancing act among domestic clubs; four of our teams (league powers Unión de Ciudagua and much less probable CF Clan Tropa, recent Globe Cup winners Alianza Ciruelas, and cup mavens CA Condadore) have three players represented. Slightly less recent champions Blén CA and Universidad de Dénprade contribute a starter and a backup each, while ICD Villago and Deportivo Peralta both yield a pair of benchwarmers. Ines Rebuelta admits it's been delicate. "Obviously with the last Brevity Cup I was hoping to have an opportunity to see who fit in well, but even I hadn't expected that there'd be so many [five] brand new faces. So while it might take us a while to try new combinations of players of course I expect to be competitive from the start."

So it proved today, with two defenders (Sandro Moreira and Consuelo Rincón) making their first caps ever as nominal starting forwards Arturo Benavides and Juan Mario Pedroso both scored. They are both new to the starting eleven, Benavides as of the Brevity and Pedroso as of now. Rebuelta promises more of the same, at least in terms of lineups, during our next game in Svengarda, recent champions of the Baptism of Fire just held here.

As for the long term, who knows? Whether these players' agents are motivated enough to pursue foreign contracts might not be the real question, in the end; cynics would note that the bulk of the associations our players have signed in no longer seem to be active, at least not as they were. Say what you will about the Liga Aguazuleña's size, bouncing place in the UICA coëfficients, or bizarre scheduling; for better and for worse, it's ours.

[Zandistan]

COASTAL ZANDAR, ZANDISTAN

The crowd had just watched a wildly thrilling home match against world number 80, Liventia, Zandar Park at its finest. 65,000 Zandistani fans rocking the stadium, chanting patriotically and cheering every home goal, lustily booing every Liventian goal. As expected, the inexperienced Zandistani defense suffered troubles, as Ing Steen and Tony-mo Kalamazoo seemed lost and without structure or communication in their first international starts. Up front, the absence of striker Domingo was a main worry heading into the game, but the grizzled veteran Yuri Radonezh-Muratovich stepped up to the challenge, with a header goal off a corner and a blast by the keeper from twelve yards, both times equalizing after Liventia had taken the lead. 2-2 at the break, but Zandistan were lucky to not have conceded two more. Desperate for defensive changes and eager to please the Zandistani crowd, subbed in at right back the young Cameron Wills. Unfortunately, it was Wills who stumbled early in the second half as Liventia again pulled in front. But Zandistan refused to lose on their opening night of qualifying, as a late goal by McRae from van Oolsjoy sealed a home draw, a welcome result against a higher-skilled side, though that didn’t stop Vilisević from being angry with himself. He whispered to Rommendell, “I should know better. Cam was the wrong sub, I just wanted to avoid Zandito controversy. We could have won that game.”

An eavesdropping Jacques Coleman noted that statement, scribbling wildly on his notepad. Later that night he would finalize his news article, highlighting the conflict between Zandistanis and Zanditos, that not only were they causing great damage to industrial Krumping Bay and northwest Zandistan, but were also damaging the nation’s play on the pitch. Yes, Coleman had been hired by the ZNFA to help make the nation’s team seem more functional, unaffected by the turmoil. He was supposed to smooth over the rough patches, create a positive impression. But Coleman was looking for a bigger job with a top newspaper; he had to report what could make him known…

Vilisević continued to Rommendell, “And in our next match…yes, Estope is low-ranked, but it’s hard to ignore a team that won a 4-0 beatdown. With our shaky defense, and without our fans…they could easily do that to us in a week.”
“Drago, no worries, I will have them prepared. We will be fit to play.”
“No no no, I have full confidence in you. But can Yuri keep up the scoring? I don’t want to depend on him. And when we concede too many goals…”
“I will prepare them, offense and defense. We have Jimmy-Phil, Tango and Niko. We can handle Estope, I give you my word.”
“Y…yes. I agree. But what of the lost Flavio?”
Rommendell had no answer, and neither did anyone. The question was hanging over the team, and despite the euphoric evening, it could not be ignored. Flavio Domingo, captain, star striker, maybe the only one who could unite this warring country. And he was missing.

~~~

Domingo, not known to the team, had been in Coastal Zandar that evening. He watched the game, but he couldn’t bring himself to cheer. He wanted Liventia to win, he wanted to be needed, but he wanted Zandistan to win, he wanted his country to be proud. And it was the worst possible result. A 3-all draw. Neither team won. And Zandistan’s offense, of which he was the key, had kept clicking the whole time. Yuri can do just as well as me, they don’t need me there. This thought should have been reassuring, as he would not have the burden of his team’s offensive struggles on his shoulders while he was away, but his only feeling was that of rejection. A they-don’t-want-me-they-don’t-need-me feeling. If they were fine without him, he had no incentive to return, to do what he felt necessary. Why don’t I just go home, just stay away from everything.

Flavio was alone; he didn’t know where to go. His Zandito relatives had shunned him because of his Zandistani upbringing, and his Zandistani friends had waved goodbye the instant they found he was of Zandito blood. He was stuck in the middle of two sides, rejected by both. And until he, or anyone else, made them see alike, Domingo would be an outcast. Why can’t these people understand each other? Who is stopping them from getting along?

So Flavio had traveled to Coastal Zandar. To speak with the government. Tomorrow, we will talk, they will see what they have caused. He didn’t know how he would get there; he didn’t even know where the government offices were located. Flavio had barely seen the city except for the occasional soccer match there. And now he doubted himself, doubted the purpose of his plan. But all he wanted was for the leaders to notice what was going on. If they negotiated with the Zanditos, if they changed some of their policies, would there be hope of ending this conflict? Flavio hoped so. He had no other hope.

~~~

Thankfully for the city of Krumping Bay, the conflict had ceased as all the rebels paused to watch the soccer match. The night was more peaceful. Not a single sound of a bomb exploding, screams as fire broke out or someone was mugged in the street. Eerily quiet, almost. But the citizens surely were not thinking of that. They aimed to enjoy the one night of peace they had had, the first in eons. And one citizen, Signora Bellucci, Travestino’s hardworking and loving mother, took the time to call her son.
“Ciao, Tino! I saw your game tonight! Fantastic play, I love it. I love the team!”
“Mami! Hello! You’re okay! Oh, thank goodness, I was so worried. What happened, Mami?”
“Oh forget that, it is every day. Every day. I didn’t mean to startle you, cariño. The power went and it was black. I was sure someone had come in, but no. We were okay.”
“Mami, it isn’t okay, I thought you had been hurt! I didn’t know if I would ever see you!”
“Tino, I know, and it pains me, but we live okay. Your father is very strong, he will keep us safe, he will.”
“But…what of the bombs and explosions and factory fires?”
“I do not know of these; I do not want to know. I just want to live peacefully. But you are right, this conflict must stop.”
“Yes, Mami, it must.”
“But why be sad? Talk soccer with me! I saw your assist, what a brilliant pass to Domingo!”
“That wasn’t Flavio, Mami.”
“What? I thought he was your star striker!”
“He is, Mami. He’s not here.”
“What do you mean? And then who scored that goal?”
“Yuri did. Yuri Radonezh-Muratovich. And Flavio isn’t here. We don’t know where he went.”
“Do you think it has to do with the conflict? As long as it doesn’t hurt the team…”
“I…can’t say, Mami. I’m tired and I want you to be okay and I want Flavio back and I just hate all of this for happening in the first place.”
“Oh, Tino, it is okay, you can go to bed, I don’t want to stress you. You need to play well in the next game!”
“Yes, Mami, I hope I will.”
“And Tino…”
“Yes, Mami?”
“Thank you for playing tonight. The bad things, the noise…it stopped today, because of your game. You make your Mami happy.”
Travestino smiled, and lay back on his bed, “Love you, Mami. Goodnight. Say to Papi too.”
“Papi says goodnight. Sleep well, my son.”

MATCH REPORT

Zandistan 3 - 3 Liventia

Events
14’ Liventia GOAL
22’ Zandistan GOAL, Yuri Radonezh-Muratovich, ASSIST by Jimmy-Phillip McRae
29’ Liventia GOAL
34’ Zandistan GOAL, Yuri Radonezh-Muratovich, ASSIST by Travestino Bellucci
HALFTIME
Half - Zandistan SUBSTITUTION, Cameron Wills IN, Scratch Tzingotürk OUT
49’ Liventia GOAL
83’ Zandistan GOAL, Jimmy-Phillip McRae, ASSIST by Nikolaas van Oolsjoy

UPCOMING MATCH
At Estope (ranked 252nd, 1-0-0, 4 GF, +4 GD) at Pythagorean Stadium

[Blouman Empire]

THE DAILY REVIEW

OWN GOAL SEE EAGLES LOSE

The Golden Eagles started on the wrong foot this qualification campagin with a 2-1 loss against the New Montreal States. While the team played well agaisnt the squad and showed marked improvement against them then the last time the two sides met in the 37th AOCAF, while the scoreline looked better then the 2-0 loss in the last encounter against New Montreal in their last clash the way the game was played showed the world the the Eagles had improved considerably and were able to go the full 90 minutes against New Montreal.

The Eagles managed to maintain possession in the first half and placed pressure on New Montreal early on having a shot on goal within the first 3 minutes, a series of corners kept the home team on edge but ensured that the Eagles couldn't penetrate their defenses .The Eageles continued their relentless attack on goal having 12 shots at goal in the first half but none were able to get past Edgar Thibault. At the other end a corner kick saw Eamon Williams attempt a defensive header but glancing off his head at the wrong angle saw it go into the net to but the Eagles down a goal just before the first whistle.

The second half saw a resurgent New Montreal and punished the Eagles quickly when a shot from 20 yards by Hugo Leclercq gracefully sailed through the hands of James Solomon putting the score at 2-0. The Eagles responded by taking control of the game and were able to shut down attacks from New Montreal limiting them to only one more shot at goal. While the Eagles continued to push forward the experience of Thibault kept his sheet clean. The break came in the 88th minute from substitue Nathan Starling to claw back a goal with the match finishing 2-1.

Harry Malsomp spoke quickly after the game stating "Everynow and then an own goal is scored we just need to move on. The players played well today, we only failed to bring home points because of one error. That's the nature of football." The team travel to the floating city, Qumadosfan for the next match where they will be looking to come home with a win.

[Slembana]

DBK Sports - Football - Nopspri 0-2 Slembana

Written by Aaron Dartmouth

How sweet a win like this tastes. We have started our qualifying campaign for World Cup 62 excellently, thanks to a 2-0 away win over the unranked Nopspri. This win is our first in six games - it's also the first win for manager Gavin Stockwell, meaning the monkey's been lifted off his back.

We took the lead in the 2nd minute, when the brilliant Val Kylx, who's our star striker, smashing a volley past the Nopsprian goalkeeper from 25 yards. Nopspri tried to equalized 3 minutes later, only for their star striker to see a great drilled shot palmed away by our goalkeeper, Toby Gapman. 3 minutes later, our other striker, Eddie Barlow, saw a lobbed shot saved by Nopspri's goalie.

The Nopsprian goalkeeper was in fine form, denying all our players with numerous fine saves. One of the best of these came in the 17th minute, when Finlay Yalnif, our right-winger, saw a great thunderbolt of a shot brilliantly palmed away by the 'keeper. The 'keeper also denied a Kylx header with another great save.

We were getting frustrated while searching for goal number two. We were having loads of shots, yes, but none of them seemed to be going in. Barlow had a great header flashed away by the Nopsprian goalkeeper, Jyvx Dagens, our attacking midfield player, saw one of his trademark free-kicks tipped onto the crossbar, and a low shot from Kylx was gobbled up by the goalie.

In the 29th minute, Nopspri had a great chance of their own. Don Adobe, our captain, brought down a Nopsprian striker in the penalty box, giving Nopspri a penalty! Their star striker chipped it towards goal...only to see Gapman palm it away for a corner, making the striker look like a total numpty.

Half-time came with us 1-0 up. The second half started almost brilliantly for us, when Kylx saw a great header, which was from a Follin Maxet ball that was lobbed down the field, hit the post. Barlow then shot just wide from 10 yards, before Yuppë Tárnix, our left-winger, hit the crossbar with a fantastic shot from 25 yards.

In the 64th minute, Kinitarian referee Roman Finoev awarded us a 25-yard free-kick. This meant this was a great chance for Dagens to score one of his trademark free-kicks. Sadly, the ball hit the crossbar, and went out for a goal-kick to Nopspri.

The more time we went without scoring again, the more likelier the chances Nopspri had of equalizing grew (even though they had very few chances of their own). Kylx hit the bar with a great header, Tárnix fired over the crossbar from 6 yards, Yalnif saw a great long-range effort saved by the goalkeeper, Barlow hit the post with a bicycle kick, and Dagens curled wide with another one of his trademark free-kicks. In addition, Kylx was being booed by the Nopsprian fans the whole match. Expect sets of fans from other countries to do the same when they play us.

Despite the fact that we were only leading 1-0 (and that Kylx was being booed), our luck changed for the better in the 86th minute, when referee Finoev sent a Nopsprian defender off for a dangerous tackle on Kylx. And then, in the last minute, we finally got a second goal, when Barlow cheekily dinked over the 'keeper to give us a 2-0 win. We expected a bigger win before the match, but that's just life.

Match stats:
Nopspri
0 goals
3 shots
2 on target
1 corner
8 fouls
37% possession
Slembana
2 goals: Kylx 2, Barlow 90+5
45 shots
42 on target
6 corners
2 fouls
63% possession

[Jeru FC]

Jeru FC's player Felicia Day and assisant Melody Pond (aka "Pondy") after their 1-0 win

Pondy: I got an email from my Princess friend but it's got some funny text at the bottom
Felicia: What text?
Pondy: Well, it's like 맬로디 성 달라스 공주
Felicia: Some Asian language.
Pondy: I know but I got no idea.
Felicia: Well, I know less.

Pondy: Of course, it's Korean!
Felicia: Why would it be that?
Pondy: The Princess has been looking at K-Pop videos
Felicia: AH HA, must be her name in Korean.
Pondy: Silly me.
Felicia: We're just not thinking.

Pondy: I wonder why she's doing that?
Felicia: Maybe she's branching out?
Pondy: Well, she's always experimenting
Felicia: Reckon looking for a wider audience for her music
Pondy: I guess she ain't dumb
Felicia: But she's not exactly Asian.

Pondy: Yeah but she's small cute with longish legs.
Felicia: I guess that's how Koreans like their pop girls.
Pondy: That rules me out.
Felicia: Oh yes, you can't sing anyway.
Pondy: That too
Felicia: You can't dance either.

Pondy: I can
Felicia: Only when you're drunk
Pondy: That's different.
Felicia: We like you drunk.
Pondy: Well, not that it happens a lot
Felicia: You just don't remember

[Azox]

Lac-Drouin Sicoutimont:

John Holsten: That went better than I expected, especially after the first 20 minutes.

Abby Dearborne: That Girard Giroux is better than the scouts say.

John Holsten: I'm just glad that after his two goals (14' and 20'); that the defense played better. Heck, a couple of better bounces for us, we could've gotten a draw.

Abby Dearborne: Yes, sir. That shot by Lilia Lasky in the 37th minute, if it bounced just another couple inches higher...

John Holsten: But hey, giving up just 2 goals on the road in our non-BoF debut match? Weren't there like 5 or 6 teams that gave up like 5 or 6 goals this weekend?

Abby Dearborne: At least that many. I do have news about the home opener, sir.

John Holsten: Please tell me that my sister fell down an elevator shaft or got hit by a crane or something that'll keep her away from the stadium.

Abby Dearborne: The news is not that good, sir. As of 5:00pm this afternoon, the game is sold-out. 47,387 seats plus an additional 2,700 standing room only seats along the southwest river slope.

John Holsten: 50,000 for the home opener? Damn that's about 10% of the country!

Abby Dearborne: Well, about 17,000 of those seats were sold to Free Swiss States and about 3,500 were sold to various other nations from within our group. So only about 60% of the stadium will be filled with our fans.

John Holsten: I just hope the weather holds up. it's be a shame to have to deal with lousy weather in our first home match.

(ooc: ICly Azox only has about 500,000 people)

[United Gordonopia]

"...And it's Norm Bates for the hat trick! What a magnificent head-"

*click

"...Norm Bates for the hat trick! What a-"

*click

"...The hat trick-"

Another step forward.

Norm Bates was practically glued to the single piece of video footage he was streaming on his laptop. For the past hour on the flight from Gordonopia City to Tolten, Norm had watched himself over and over. The day before, he had been on the pitch for the National Team, opening Gordonopia's qualification attempt at home. Gordonopia had entered the match anticipating a victory, but had expected the final result. Even though East Shippensburg was only the world's 276th ranked side, a 5-0 blowout was an uncharacteristic victory for Gordonopia. Not only did the team's defensive heavy playstyle typically prevent such huge scorelines, the fact that Gordonopia had never even scored more than three goals meant that the thought hadn't crossed anyone's mind.

But it was certainly another step forward. Norm had hoped that the experience gained over the last two cycles would translate into success. This was an early glimmer of hope that gave credence to his desire to lead Gordonopia into the World Cup proper during his time as a captain. Norm would likely become the most capped Gordonopian ever this cycle; why not strive to add what would certainly be the greatest accolade in Gordonopia history to his legacy? Nearly two years ago, he had thought that his untouchable 31 single-season assists would be his greatest mark. Or perhaps his rise from the slums of Tolten to the highest stage in Gordonopian football fit the bill. Would any of that matter, though, if he could accomplish this?

What had stunned Norm more than anything else in this game, though, had been his own performance in the game. He could scarcely remember a game, if ever there had been one, where he had felt so in tune. It had seemed as if on every pass and every shot, the ball was simply an extension of him. His first national team hat trick, with an assist to boot, had been the ultimate result.

As Norm watched the match footage over and over, he was surprised to find that he was not playing any further forward than usual. As the team's loan attacking midfielder, he certainly did not play the role of a back, but he was no deep striker either. Instead, he watched himself play much like he always had, but on another level. Everything seemed so tight, so refined. A shot from 20 out slipping past the keeper; a magnificent recovery of a deflection turned into a perfect tap-in; an impeccably precise cross to Jere Tobias; a stunning header off of a pass; every mechanical pass in between falling together like clockwork. Somehow he had played the perfect game, and to make things even better, the entire team had been at the top of its form. A goal each from Jere and Vonn Keller had shown magnificent improvement over last year's front line, while the Deskan-anchored back line had shown why their team was nicknamed The Northern Wall.

As Norm finally grew satisfied that there was nothing more to learn from methodically moving back and forth in the footage, his thoughts began to turn slowly forward. This was one perfect performance; an untouchable start to a qualifying campaign. From now on, it would be a matter of doing it again.

---

Norm Bates will be my entrant into the World XI. I am picking up from the development of his back story from World Cup 61 and will focus this time on his journey throughout this qualifying campaign.

[Mapletish]

Following the Lions' Den; The World Cup LXII Qualification Journey

Jedi8246 2 - 2 Mapletish
Mapletish held Jedi to an important draw as the campaign kick starts.

Jedi8246 2
Nicolas Hem 31'
Nicolas Hem 61'

Mapletish 2
Alero Junio 23'
Alero Junio 66'

Jedi8246 2 - 2 Mapletish: Nicolas Hem and Alero Junio exchange strikes as both sides played up an exciting World Cup qualifying opener.

Nothing could separate the both sides as the Lions looked to have secured an important point against former footballing powerhouses Jedi8246, to start the World Cup 62 qualifying campaign on the right track. Are the Lions coming back on again?

Nicolas Hem and Alero Junio were both in scintillating form as Jedi8246 and Mapletish played out an enthralling 2-2 draw at the Jedi Stadium in the first World Cup 62 qualification match for the both sides.

Despite the large rank difference between the both sides, there was nothing in particular that could separate the both sides were matched on quality of play. Having not win for the past few matches with the latest being a 3-1 defeat to Qazox, the Mapletish side is looking desperate for a victory to take home with.

Junio got the Lions into the perfect start as he silenced the home crowd with a stunning first goal but a double from Hem, including a sumptuous second half free kick, put the home side back onto the driving seat of the match. However the last had neither been seen or heard of Junio and he capitalised on a disorganised defence to equalise 25 minutes from time.

After a rather intense build up, the surprises of the match sprung up as news filtered through that Junio was still suffering from his previous stomach discomfort as he looked not to be in his best from in training a few days ago. However minutes later, he was confirmed to be in the starting line up for the game. Enkainia who injected new bursts of energy to the midfield in the previous game against Qazox came down with a slide ankle injury in training a few days ago and was still confirmed to be on the starting lineup despite the risk involved as it would hinder her recovery in time for the second match-up.

The teams were greeted on the pitch by a cacophony of noise and a sea of Wyverns fans sprung up the home atmosphere to set the match right. At the other side of the stadium, came the sea of red as the Lions' fans sprung their side up with loud drumming and chants to keep the atmosphere into a hectic downtown local derby.

The Lions sprung into the match with adventurous tendencies when in procession and saw them gradually take hold of the game. After Teófilo's amazing volley in the 13th minute, the Wyverns' defensive frailties began to show six minutes later as Jaimie Lim rose, unmarked to meet Peres De Oliver's corner. Her header had pace and Dan Triboult who was rooted to the spot, heaved a huge sigh of relief when it shaded the outside of his post.

Despite enjoying a lion share of procession, the Wyverns drop deeper and invite the Lions to pounce onto them. It proved to be a wrong decision as they were punished in the 23rd minute. A brilliant flowing move, initiated by Enkainia on the right, ended with Di Natile slipping the ball to Junio who thumped a low shot past Triboult at his near post.

Mapletish continued to slice the defences of the host with ease and they should have doubled their lead in the 25th minute. DI Natile once more found space for a show towards the goal but his shot cannoned back off the post and Enkainia was unable to convert the rebound to her frustration.

Yet the Wyverns show that experience proved to be useful as they were unperturbed at the other end of the pitch and secured an equaliser when Manny Hem's cross looped into the air following a pair of deflections. In his eagerness to head the ball away, Davis misjudged the flight of the ball and Nicolas who just lurking in the box, beat Kahner as it dropped behind the defender and fired into the back of the net.

The Wyverns started to draw confidence from that goal and after being denied a penalty early in the second half, they took the lead for the first time on the night with a moment of sheer unadulterated class from Nicolas Hem. The deadly player shot a beautifully struck 30 yard free kick over the wall and into the top corner with 61 minutes on the clock.

Not tot be outdone though by his rival counterpart, Junio notched his second of the night in just five minutes. After being jeered by the home crowd for missing a bicycle kick, the tailsman caught the home defences completely off guard to slot home from Jaimie's through ball.

The game remained on a 50-50 scale, as the home side started to do in counter attacking moves to keep the Lions on their toes as they threw some men forward in search of a winner, however not many, keeping the defence intact to prevent sudden outbursts of energy from players like Mei Kei, Enkaninia and Junio from giving the defences problems.

The final minutes saw Enkainia pushing through the host's defences and bursting into the penalty box with a rocket strike towards the goal but saw her strike come back off the crossbar in the 89th minute only to see Mei Kei drilling a low shot that went wide in stoppage time.

In sharing the spoils of the match, the Lions squeezed a point out of footballing powerhouse Jedi 8246 as the Lions go on beat the losing streak and bringing a valuable point home for the Lions ahead of their second match.