World Cup 64 RP Thread

[Cassadaigua]

Meaghan Bateman’s Statement to International Community:

Let me start by saying how happy I am to be serving as the President of CASE. (Cassadagan Association for Soccer Excellence). While I have given a few speeches at soccer fields across Cassadaigua, I feel it is also important for me to address the international community, to touch on a few topics that are relevant to all nations. Here are several points of my agenda which I am open to sharing with all of you.

1) First and foremost, beginning with World Cup 65 qualifying, I have made the conscious decision to spread our home qualifying games throughout Cassadaigua. There is a lot of history within Concord Heights Stadium, and we often get a lot of remarks from traveling fans or media members about the unique features of the stadium. Because of that we have adopted it as our home throughout the qualifiers, save the couple tournaments where we split the games between Concord Heights and Grande Mountain. What I went is for the entire country to experience qualifying. We have rarely had international games in places like Winchester, or Rutland, or Brattleboro, and these places deserve them too, as cities. We’re a large country after all, and this is best for our people. CASE will inform you, well in advance of the location of your match, if it is not in Concord Heights, so that you have plenty of time to prepare for it. Those of you have been to Winchester Stadium, don’t worry, we’re planning a major renovation to the facility, which will be ready within four years. It’ll look great!

2) We will begin to further acknowledge our history by naming stadiums after former players. This is going to be a long process, and there are a lot of deserving people of this honor. While us soccer people may want them all to be named after soccer players, we are also going to consider players from all of our sports teams.

3) We are going to retire some more kit numbers. We have not retired the number of any player from the post World Cup-win era, and I think that we may have raised the bar a little too high as far as the criteria because of that. What we will be doing is looking for post-Cup era players, and there is a few names that will probably immediately come to your mind. I don’t want to mention any names right now, but we will make these announcements prior to the end of qualifying for World Cup 64, so you will want to stay tuned for that. There had been some concern that if we retired too many numbers, that we would end up with no one wearing a number under twenty. This is a tough decision, and we’re not just going to retire a bunch more, but there’s a few out there that are ready to be honored. Monument Wall is a special place, and there is room for a couple more. However, we will make sure to keep it a special place to where there is not too many.

4) Eventually, Cassadaigua may bid to host more international tournaments. Right now, however, we do not feel as though we are ready to host the “big three” tournaments of the World Cup. As some of you are aware, we are going to have the final four of the NSCAA basketball tournament in Cassadaigua, but that will be it for now. The near future probably will feature more of the smaller tournaments, though there have been some rumors that we could bid to host the next World Cup of Hockey. You’d have to ask the hockey people for more about that.

5) Brittany Lawton is not a “stop gap” as the current coach of the World Cup team. I don’t know where that has come from, but Brittany has the complete support of everyone at CASE. Not only is Brittany a great coach, she is also someone that I consider a close friend, and I would never put her in a bad situation. There is no expectation on her to have to qualify for World Cup 64. What we expect is a strong showing, ans we have seen that so far, with the team 5-3-2 following the 1-0 win over Bergnovinaia. We’re in contention, and while still an underdog, I remind you of World Cup 49, where it seemed as though qualification would be impossible and we ended up having an unbeaten second half, and had a couple other results go in our favor. There is no reason that cannot happen again. CASE also fully supports the players on the team.

6) The makeup of Cassadagan rosters is not going to change. By that, I mean we will continue to be an all-female team. The Swamp Soccer World Cup was announced to take place again this year, and that will again be the opportunity for us to send our male all-stars. This does not make Male Equality Now happy, but that’s just the way it’s going to be. We need to send our best soccer players out there to the World Cup, and there’s no room for a sideshow that would inevitably take place because there was a man on the team.

[Sargossa]

It was, Emparán had to admit, an awful lot of ships. Glowing icons represented Sargossan vessels on the strategic display but such was the concentration of forces in certain areas that they were instead marked by a sickly green smear.

“As you can see Presidenté.” A staff officer indicated one of the larger green smudges. “We have the majority of our forces deployed across the northern sector, between Kűlmsaar and the rest of the Federation. With a further concentration along the eastern seaboard of the island. The western and southern approaches are more sparsely occupied but we have heavy satellite and radar coverage in those areas, along with regular surveillance flights. If anything moves down there we have reserve forces ready to intercept.”

“Excellent.” Emparán nodded his approval. “Send Admiral Almeyda my compliments.”

“I will, thank you sir.”

He continued to view the display, almost mesmerised by it. Eventually he noticed the presence at his side. “Something bothering you Lucas?”

“In truth?” The Defence Minister finally spoke up. “Yes, there is.”

“Well, let it out.”

“This is an awful lot of time, effort and resources. Resources that are being stretched by recent foreign ventures.”

“Ah yes.” The president smiled. “If I read that last report from Mytannion correctly it would appear we’ve been supplying both sides.”

The Minister shrugged. “Would you like me to investigate?”

“No. Why bother? It may even benefit us in the long run. Today’s rebels could well be tomorrow’s government. Particularly in the Mytanar case.”

“And Kűlmsaar? Who long will this action actually continue?”

“As long as necessary. Trust me Lucas, there’s much more than political point scoring at stake here. Kűlmsaar is ours, by right. It was ours when the Baltic flag flew their and it’s ours now. There was a plan, years ago, to bring it back into the fold. After Qasarian fell and before the Polarians raised their banner sleeper cells were established all across the island. Their mission was to stir up discontent, to set the island on the path towards chaos. At which point the civic leaders would be quietly steered towards requesting assistance from the nearest foreign power. That plan has been dusted off and modified slightly. The end result will remain the same.”

“Invasion?” Lucas couldn’t keep the shock from his voice.

“Pfft, no. Peacekeeping. But who can say what the future might being?” Emparán turned as an aide nervously cleared his throat. “Yes?”

“Presidenté, the Sports Minister is upstairs.”

“Ah yes. I’ve sent my message to the Polarians, now i’ve got one for Señor Tejera . . .”

* * * * * * * * * *

SSM | Sargossan State Media
International Edition - Sport


Tejera In Trouble?


Gonzalo Pereira reports from Soluca;

It is a moment that every football coach dreads, and now Martín Tejera has received the kiss of death. “Obviously this campaign has not gone the way we had expected thus far.” Football Federation president Rafael Santana told the media, “but the current coaching staff have our full and complete confidence.” So there it was, the ‘vote of confidence’. An occurrence that only seems to happen when everything starts to go pear shaped. Santana’s announcement came after a high profile meeting at the Sports Ministry which in turn was called after Sports Minister Orbina was rumoured to have been summoned to the Presidential Palace itself.

Not that Tejera can be especially shocked at the turn of events. After a successful campaign two years ago confidence was high coming in to these qualifiers. A draw in lowly Mitumba, followed by a home defeat to Osarius was not the start anyone had predicted and the side hasn’t really recovered from it. Ten games down and the Corsairs languish in third place, six points off the playoff place and seven behind the group leaders. Which, for Group Six’s top seeds, is somewhat unacceptable. Two years ago we should have reached the World Cup quarter finals. This time the Cup of Harmony is looming large.

So a lot now hinges on the upcoming trip to Osarius. A win there and the gap between third and second will halve. Anything less and the Corsairs can probably kiss a World Cup place goodbye. And Tejera will likely do something similar to his current employment.

[Mangolana]

Mangolana Gazzette

Mangolana Government Elections Upcoming, War in Rushmore possible?

The elections for the Mangolana Government are upcoming with many seats up for grabs. The government is now facing a major over hall as many citizens of Mangolana are looking for new leadership in the National Government. Another factor that could determine the elections outcome is the fact of a possible war in Rushmore for a piece of land thought to contain billions of gallons of oil. With Current president Muse supporting going to war for the land, the landscape of Mangolana for the rest of time could quickly be in for a massive change. Their are currently three major parties running not only for the presidency, but also for seats in the Mangolana Senate and House of Representatives. With this the most influential election in Mangolana history, lets take a look at the three major parties running for offices in Mangolana.

Mango Party (Liberal)
Current party that holds control in the Mangolana Government as they control both the Senate and HoR with 64% and 46% of the seats respectively. Many of the Mango Party's regulations have had an overall increase in taxes for the rich and higher tax breaks for the poor, though their regulations have resulted in an almost all depletion of the Middle Class. They have also increased many regulations on businesses in Mangolana which has led to better environmental standards, but overall lower wages for workers and more money for the rich. The Mango party also opposes letting Mangolana go to war as they wish to conserve money and not step on the toes of other nations in the World. The Mango party is also most notable for opposing Mangolana's end of isolation and re-emergence in the world of sports.

Glad Party (Conservative)
The current holder of the Mangolana presidency with president Muse, the Glad party has the second most seats in the Mangolana Senate and third most in the HoR. The glad party is looking to create more jobs through lower taxes on companies and less tax breaks for the poor and middle class. The Glad party also is looking to be the first party in Mangolana to win two straight presidencies with Muse and their new Candidate, Wisen Maner, former Senator in Mangolana. The Glad party also supports going to war in Rushmore as it would give Mangolana more land and create more of an opportunity for job expansion in the new land. The Glad Party is also the oldest political party in Mangolana having been around since the countries inception.

Geese Party
Party that started out of Rushmore centered Mangolanians that want Mangolana as the center of regional politics. The Geese party view it as Mangolana's responsobilty to the region for Mangolana to run the region. The Geese party is very outspoken against the idea of Rushmore war and wishes that should the Geese party win control that all of Rushmore sit down and have a nice Duck stew in Mangolana and talk things out over a cup of tee.

Other parties running

Goon Party (Warlike tribal people)
Smile Party (Happy Happy Joy Joy Party)
GDFDFSDFDFDVDFDGVR Party (Leftover zombies from the Zombie Apocalypse)

Let us also take a look at the Procedural notes for the voting.

1. All Mangolana elections are open to the voting public of NS and its countries.
2. Seats in the Senate and the HoR are proportional. All % are rounded to the nearest tenth of a vote.
3. Their are 100 seats in the Senate and 500 seats in the House of Representatives.

And with that the elections are underway. All Votes should be TGed to Mangolana

[Mytannion]

Rebels raise red flag over Thessia!
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 | NEWS | by Tamila Panova

After nearly four months of fierce fighting, rebels finally lifted their flag over Mytannion's most populous city.

After Ebor was seized by the rebels in late August, the MB's eyes turned south and they slowly mounted a large ground offensive which was geared towards taking control of the most populous city in Mytannion (which isn't the capital city, Esca, contradicting common belief), Thessia.

The Mytanar Befreiungsarmee were led by their commander-in-chief on the offensive, Patrick Zweig taking an active part in the fighting for the first time in about a year, when he was involved in the small scale sabotage that preceded recent events. Also believed to take part in the fighting was the Mytanar Government's enemy #1, young Elita Ryzaev, the woman that has caused the government so many problems over the past few months and the one that Premier Kalinina was rumoured to want to execute herself.

Ryzaev was a part of the cell that gained control and influence in Snezhnaya, Kiznhiy-Grod Neputsk and played a pivotal part in the fall of Ebor too - and is apparently responsible for killing over 100 members of the Mytanar military.

It has to be remembered that at this time, the Befreiungsarmee has a large support network across Mytannion especially in the north of the country where it is okay to demonstrate public support for the rebel group - but also in the south, where they operate in secret, helping the Befreiungsarmee to cause damage to the government.

It was only last week when what has been described as a 'possibly fatal attack, if it had been carried through fully', was thwarted at the last second by the Premier's personal security group. A protester who had clearly had enough had attempted to break through a police cordon to reach the Premier's car in a procession through the centre of Esca which was meant to show off the strength that the dictator had brought to the nation. There were tanks, soldiers marching and a wide-range of military vehicles involved and it was only a shot by one of the men walking right alongside the Premier's car which prevented the assailant from shooting the dictator.

The man had simply muscled his way past the police and then had managed to evade two soldiers who had broke rank to try and secure him - but to no avail. He then took the gun out, pointing it at the window where the Premier was sat before one of the highly-trained secret policemen that was walking next to the car reacted quickly, shooting the man dead with his own pistol.

This drew public attention to the regime's sometimes brutal tactics - although in this case it can easily be explained away as use of fatal force against someone who was attempting to use fatal force against the nation's leader. It still does not distract from the scenes following the procession, where riot police were called-in to disperse a crowd which had actually just been trying to watch the procession (although it's doubtful they were there out of their own volition, the whole thing seemed very staged from an outsiders standpoint), of course in this modern day of video cameras and mobile phones, everything can be captured and though both are very rare in Mytannion due to the nation being relatively poor - some in the crowd did have them an the images of police brutality were instantly beamed all over the world thanks to the internet.

Patrick Zweig spoke to some AP journalists that were visiting Ebor, "It cannot go on any longer, people are not being given the freedom to decide who rules the country and apart from anything else, the workers of our nation are being exploited. We have fought against this for years, the 1st Mytanar Civil War was a fight against state capitalism and now we've returned to it in an even more fascistic way that before! It is evil and something that cannot go on."

When asked about some of the dubious tactics the Mytanar Befreiungsarmee have used in areas, including the killing of all government troops based in the small town of Vysoki. It wasn't exactly a massacre or systematic execution or anything like that, that much is true, but it still was a massive act of brutality and one which the government itself hasn't let go unnoticed. In a moment of dark irony the Mytanar Premier, Natella Kalinina brought attention to events in Vysoki.

"What happened in Vysoki is exactly why we cannot let these so called 'rebels' have their way, I refuse to recognise the 'Mytanar Befreiungsarmee' as a legitimate group, they are not and they are breaking Mytanar law and that is why we have to deal with them in the first place." She continued, "Given their list of offences - which we believe cover murder, robbery, terrorism and much more - they have to be brought to justice and currently the highest form of punishment for this list of crimes in execution and that is what is being recommended by various judges should major members of this group be brought to justice."

Kalinina was giving the speech from Esca in response to calls from members of the international community trying to plead with her and the rest of the Mytanar government to holds talks with the rebel faction and try to find a solution that would suit all members. Kalinina commented:

"It is regrettable that this cannot be the case, but these members of the international community are not in our situation, they do not understand how difficult it is to deal with these groups that are committing such heinous crimes day-to-day, that are committing acts of terrorism that make your stomach curdle. I wish we could hold reasonable talks with the Befreiungsarmee and I wish we could meet their key members, but they are just not the sort of people who can be reasoned with."

It is debatable whether Kalinina would want to meet the major members of the MB for talks or whether she would just like to meet them and then kill them herself, which is reportedly the tactic she has employed various times in recent years to deal with anyone who has dared to question the government's authority.

When Patrick Zweig was asked about whether he believed talks would ever be possible with the government, he replied with an answer which was surprisingly similar to the regime's own line (perhaps the only thing the two parties actually do agree on?).

"We cannot reason with the government, Ms. Kalinina would not allow us to it is as simple as that. In the past it has always been her way or you are met with a gun to the head, or a truncheon to the back or whatever else. She has always used force to deal with any form of protest, however peaceful, it should be remembered that the student protests of a year ago resulted in the death of 50 students who were just trying to make a change for the better. Any peaceful protest has been met with gunfire, if that's the only language she understands we're going to have to use it too."

It should be remembered that there is no concrete factual evidence of this occurrence, but eyewitness accounts are reliable as ever and it is widely believed that this was not the only atrocity committed by the government last year or in the early parts of this year. Everything points towards this regime being one which violates human rights regularly and commits atrocities which would result in them being hauled before the international courts if they were given concrete proof of what was going on.

The real question for the Mytanar Befreiungsarmee is what now? Thessia was always going to be a crucial city to capture given its massive population (relative to the rest of Mytannion), of 6 million. It also has always had a fierce passion for civil rights as a whole city and is a place that was always considered to hold its right to vote dear to its collective heart. When that was taken away from the populace at-large, Thessia was the first place to react with massive protests in the Zenit Toranj and Sankt Pauli neighbourhoods.

Thessia has never been home to any military base at all, which is something that will give the government a tiny little crumb of consolation. However, the loss of the factories and the loss of control in the city are huge and it is expected now that the rebels should have a fairly easy job of controlling anything north of Ozero Lisica.

The rebels have always had clear objectives up until this point, when they had moved all their major forces up to the far north it had been to capture Snezhnaya and then the other medium-sized towns up there with the end goal being to capture Ebor. That has all been completed. Then it was simply to move south and take hold of Ibon and then finally, Thessia. It is the biggest city in Mytannion after all. What do they do now?

It's a bit of a cross-roads in terms of the continuation of the rebellion (by the way we're not even sure if we can call this a revolution yet, it's more of a civil war, the 3rd such that Mytannion has had), if they decide to push south they could incur huge losses but it could be the more shocking tactic. But if they continue their policy of building slowly and maybe moving east while still supporting the MB cells working in the south it will be a slower process but one which could benefit them more in the long run.

There is certainly trouble brewing in Cassia and then further south in the small town of Zolota, which is on the other side of the Schmetterlin River. If the MB tried to wage a more traditional, set-piece battle there it would indeed be a bold move. The Government-Sameban coalition retreated to just on the other side of the Schmetterlin in the east of the country and then just on the other side of the Babochka in the west (the river that runs through Thessia), in the small town of Thyssia - which is known as Thessia's little sister to many. A government resurgence there could deal a fatal blow to the rebels, but it is doubtful that will occur with the MGA being depleted and Sameban support slowing down slightly.

The Befreiungsarmee seems to be achieving their aims at the moment, but for how much longer will it continue?

[Hyskigland]

Di Hārold
Di Furš ænt End Āŋlɨš Tɨndiŋ av di Komunwelþ av Hískɨglænd

Sumir: Di Blʉ-Svards farlar dār mač kontra Silar i en slagfest 5-4.

---

The Herald
The First and Only English Newspaper of the Commonwealth of Hyskigland

In what was the most exciting match of this World Cup qualifying campaign to date, the Blue-Blacks fell to Silar 5-4 in a wholly offensive contest which saw several great plays by both squads.

Despite the loss, the Hyskiglandic national team returns to Svardanʉl in good spirits, having put up an excellent show against a higher-seeded team on the road. After falling behind two goals to nil early in the first half, the Blue-Blacks would rally with three unanswered goals—the first in the twenty-ninth minute by Bror Helmensun, and the next two by Adam Ráten in the fortieth and forty-fourth minutes—to take a 3-2 lead into the half. The beginning of the second half would see the Hyskiglandic defense hold up against a withering assault by the Silar offense, before finally buckling in the sixtieth minute and allowing the home team their third goal of the match, putting the two squads level at 3-3.

Action would be largely restricted to the midfield until the last ten minutes of the match, during which three goals were scored in an incredible display of offensive prowess. Silar would jump out to a 4-3 lead in the eighty-second minute, before captain Arn Tensmed was able to equalize for the Blue-Blacks in the eighty-seventh minute. It would seem that the two teams were destined for another draw, but, three minutes into stoppage time, the home team would score the decisive goal, disappointing the Blue-Blacks but providing an exciting end to a well-fought game.

“It is unfortunate that we couldn’t get even a point out of a game like this,” head coach Everett Lang said after the match. “We scored four goals, which is more than enough to get the full three points in most football matches. But that’s just what happens, sometimes.”

Hyskigland will next play home to the squad from Nethertopia. A win would allow the Blue-Blacks to leapfrog into sixth place in the group.

---

Better Know a Hyskigland: Top Five Best-Selling Books in Hyskiglandic History
1. Epɨk av Alsker ænt Blɨntzɨn (first published 133 BKE/402 BNKE): approx. 11 million copies

The Epic of Thunder and Lightning, a collection of tales about the old Hyskiglandic gods, first gained popularity as a religious text. Over the centuries, the number of people who believed in the literal truth of the story took a precipitous fall, but its popularity as a work of fiction has kept it in the top spot.

2. Di Hel Bíbel (first published 283 KE/4 NKE): approx. 6 million copies

The Holy Bible is the central sacred text of the Christian faith, and is often said to be the best-selling book of all time worldwide. As Christianity only reached Hyskigland a millennium ago, the book has not had the time or influence to claim the top spot.

3. Rat av Tim (first published 1224 KE/955 NKE): 4.8 million copies

Rot of Time, named after a phrase found in the preamble to the Compact of the Eight Hundred Families, is a novel of historical fiction chronicling the rise of the fascist coalition which controlled Hyskigland for nearly a decade early in the last century. It was the first published novel of famous Hyskiglandic author Ketɨl Kraftssun.

4. Skɨgs (first published 1204 KE/935 NKE): 4.1 million copies

Shadows, a work of transcendentalist horror written by author Ron Poltrʉn, chronicles the journey to the North Pole of the fictitious HS Kapɨtal and the evil which it discovers lurking at that icy latitude.

5. Di Hel Komunwelþ (first publish 1227 KE/958 NKE): 3.9 million copies

The Divine Commonwealth, Ketɨl Kraftssun’s third published work, fictionalizes the rise of the Nikɨrk branch of Christianity in Hyskigland in the first century following its establishment.

[Alexanderburn]

Alexanderburn 1-3 Bears Armed
Fiedler (33')
Alexanderburn closes goal difference in defeat against Bears Armed by 2: from 4-0 to 3-1

At least the team did not suffer as badly as in the last match against Bears Armed! We here at the reporting centre do not yet know whether or not that reflects a better team though..

This time, Alexanderburn and its football team made sure it did not fall to the seventh-highest ranked team as horribly as before. The match last night featured only four goals compared to the six that were seen about a week and a half ago against these two nations, and though the local fans were hoping for a draw, they do recognize that their competitors were some of the best in the world.

"It is no feat to have lost to a superior team," noted Amelia Barnes, "but it is no surprise either. Could we have won the match? Possibly with the right coaching staff, tactics, and players, but unfortunately the connection between all three of those factors have been lacking in this World Cup experience. We're losing in the qualifiers, so what makes the nation and its supporters think that we can deal with the actual [WC]?" Others acknowledge that the defeat of Alexanderburn could have been more easily avoided.

"We d--n lost to those ba---rds AGAIN!" retorted one anonymous fan to our question. "What the f--k do you think we did in the last qualifiers that the team entered in. We f--king took Akbarabad and made them say uncle by drawing with 'em. It doesn't sound like too much of a glory, but those f--kers were the eleventh best team in the whole g-d--n world!"

Meanwhile, the nation of Alexanderburn is in a frenzy with unemployment rates soaring to 13.6% according to latest reports from the past week. This represents an increase of 17.2% from last week's 11.6%, which many already touted as being "absurdly high". Conservatives have began to take swings at the coalition in power, and the party has twisted the Progressive Party's arm into enacting many reforms that would not be possible without the current economic crisis. The contraction in GDP and output may cause the nation to re-enter recession as it did in 2008, and many do not know when the hurting will stop.

Nevertheless, tonight's game will be played near downtown Portsmouth in Harbourside Arena, where many protests against "ridiculous government spending" and "selfish politicians" have recently taken place. Many believe that these activists will make themselves visible again tonight in anticipation for the match. Here is the latest line-up that has been released by coach Kingsley.

STARTING LINE-UP (Alexanderburn vs. Ancharmunn)

van der Pol / Massie
Frederiksen / Schroeder (c) / Austerlitz
Holierhoek / Fiedler
Doyle / Rittenhouse / Ebersberger
Nordaglio

Modification: -1

Good luck Alexanderburn!

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

Hello!

I am naming Radvn, and I am being catpipes player for Sbrskj Krk Trkrj (or, as you are saying in your language, "Let Us All Rejoice in Harmonious Melodies of Glorious Motherland").

Some are asking me 'Radvn, is not catpipes being cruel instrument?' And I am replying by saying 'is not cruel to be blowing air up anus of live cat!' Cats are being bred specially to be catpipes cat from being little kittens of cute fur balls, and it be would be cruel not to let them feel light breeze of catpipe reed up anus when this is being all the life they are knowing.

Of course, it is being difficult to breed special soprano, alto, tenor, and bass catpipe kittens so that catpipe player is having full set of cats for catpipes, but that is why catpipe breeder is being amongst most honoured of workers and peasants in Slobbodovania. It is surely only because of knowledge that I am having tippy-top high-class set of cats for catpipes that I am scoring winning goal against Victorious Islands of Mitonesia; but then it is saddening for team that we are not doing the winning by more than one goal, for Victorious Islands of Mitonesia are - how are you saying in your language - "shite".

But then "shite", or 'night soil' as we are calling it in Slobbodovanian, is magnificent fertiliser, no? This is why I am writing song about shite!

Shite, shite, shite, shite, shite
Is being magnificent fertiliser
Shite, shite, shite, shite, shite
It help both the beets and turnips grow
Shite, shite, shite, shite, shite
Goats are not fussy - they will eat it
Shite, shite, shite, shite, shite
My cousin Zlda is coprophiliac, and she like to....

<remainder of song censored by the Imperial Secretariat of the Purple Inkwell due to the probability of strongly offending mundy tastes>

Competition
Let Us All Rejoice in Harmonious Melodies of Glorious Motherland wish to be pleasuring you! Commission them to write new famous song for your nation! After each matchday, you may suggest topic for new song by Let Us All Rejoice in Harmonious Melodies of Glorious Motherland!

You set theme for song, and band write song for best idea each matchday - which will also include the result of your nation's most recent match. You can suggest song as many times as you like. Song theme need not be about beets. Let Us All Rejoice in Harmonious Melodies of Glorious Motherland look forward to pleasuring you!

[Vilita and Turori]

For Years they've Battled the World. Now they Battle Each Other.

Vilita Retakes the Cup at the Tivali Ring

As the World Cup 64 Qualifying commenced and the first ever International showdown between Vilita & Turori loomed, the Vilitan League was undergoing change of its own as Turorian clubs held possession of both the Tropical Trophy and Vilitan Cup for the first time in history.

This made the battle for the cup's that much more important during Season 37.


When defending champions Mliona-Lpaka got eliminated in the opening stage by Turorian non-leaguers Cednia Rovers, many felt that the Island Emirate's chance of retaining the Vilitan Cup was down to nothing. However, Cednia Beach AFC and the Kionao Locals stepped up and clashed in the Quarter Finals ensuring at least one would advance to the semi-final. After the Locals won that match and a Semi-Final over Colonial Sile, they set up another historic Vilita v. Turori title match at the Tivali Ring Stadium against Turoki United who had upset Tropical Trophy champions Jungle Strike FC in the semi-final.

It was set up to be a match for the ages at the Tivali-Ring Stadium in Alikki-Corra as it was Vilita v. Turori for the second consecutive season with the Vilitan Cup title on the line.

Even still, it was the Island of Turori vs. the Island of Turoki as well for the second straight season, squaring off on the main island in a true full-circle sporting event.

For Turori, it was the Kionao Locals flying the flag looking to defend the title for the Island Emirate that was won for them the previous season by Mliona-Lpaka. It was the second appearance in the Vilitan Cup final for the Locals who were finalists during Season 12, ages prior.

That season, the Locals had squared off against Arcticala Inlet in a tense matchup that included such great names as Vilita's Jimmy Kater, Rejistania's Kadu Hsen, German Salomon, Jonathon Stott and Starblaydia's Giannis Berisha in addition to Turorian star Loala Saenu.

That match was agonizing for the entire Island Emirate, as the Locals had the lead twice in the match but each time the Electricians responded as the match proceeded into Extra Time and then Penalty Kicks. When Jonathon Stott missed his kick, the Locals had a 3-2 lead with Loala Saenu stepping up to bring the Cup trophy to Turori for the first time in its history and a lifetime of legacy in sight. The great Jimmy Kater had other ideas, however, stopping Saenu's weak effort and setting up a further 25 seasons of misery for the Turorian's with Vilitan strike German Salomon recovering for the Electricians to keep the title in Vilita. Saenu's legacy, perhaps not tarnished by that kick, but certainly forgotten about. So close, yet so far.

Now that the curse had been lifted the previous season by Mliona-Lpaka, the Locals were back looking to redeem themselves and lift their first top-level domestic silverware. Lorenzo Borromeo would lead them out of the tunnel as captain with The Babbage Island's Maria Carrizales right behind with the gloves. The Gibbons brothers and the rest of the team followed with a bit of dedication in their eyes that they knew what they had to do. Playing with huge amounts of confidence, the locals were riding an 8 match unbeaten run and had no intention of seeing that end now.

In fact, it would be the first time that a Turorian side had entered the Vilitan Cup Final as the favorites. The Vilitan opposition, Turoki United, were without starting goalkeeper Mumau Atla-Siioai and had won just one of their previous 7 matches in the Stellar Division.

The match kicked off and it was Turoki United who had the first chance, Carrizales needing to stretch to push the ball around the post for a corner kick that led to nothing. Both sides started a little shaky, neither having the experience of a Cup final behind them with the exception of Borromeo, a veteran of the Locals UICA Campaigns.

Against the run of play, however, it was Turoki United who got on the scoreboard first 20 minutes into the match. It was Zeke Solowaia, the local player who never really got much consideration at the National Team level, who put United ahead on a header that Carrizoles could do nothing about. The play was formed from the back with a 60 yard heave to the corner and a quick cross-in that left the Locals defense in pieces.

In his frustration, the Locals Jake Gibbons was booked for dissent. It was the only booking of the half.

Despite the form books, Turoki United appeared to be the better side for large stretches of the match and the slightly pro-Vilitan crowd at the Tivali Ring was getting behind the Turoki side as if they were wearing the Navy, Orange and Teal colors of the Jungle Cats.

In fact, unlike previous Vilita v. Turori domestic matchups, this one perhaps visually looked the most like one, with the Kionao Locals playing in Eel's brown with gold highlights while Turoki United had deep blue kits with Eel's blue highlights.

The Vilitan side doubled their advantage just past the hour mark and the stadium broke out in Vilitan National cheers and anthems in response. The Locals winning streak, and Turorian Pride, was definately at risk of being undone at the Tivali-Ring.

The Locals started pouring all bodies forward but couldn't seem to get the ball on net, Jake Gibbons missing a glorious chance to pull one back as stoppage time began, deflating the locals and seeming to concede the title to the Vilitan side.

Just minutes later, Vilitan referee Sakm Sovdat put whistle to mouth and the match was over. The Vilitan's had re-taken the Cup and, perhaps, another 25 seasons of misery lay ahead for the Kionao Locals, missing yet another chance to bring themselves into the upper echelon of Vilitan sport.

More importantly, however, Vilita - albeit through the Island of Turoki, had gotten its Cup's back, in possession of both the Tropical Trophy and the Vilitan Cup once again, one season removed from losing possession of both in one swoop after 35 prior seasons of dominance.


...to be continued...

Vilita v. Turori ::
1: An Overview
2: Cednia Beach Fly the Flag
3: Domestic Rivalries
4: World Cup Titles
5: Domestic Cups
6: Cup Title's Change Hands

[Equestrian States]

How Ponies Play: Hoofball

Author's Note
Enduring Qualities
Wonderful Wings
Problems in Front

There are many natural advantages that ponies have when playing hoofball against non-equines, most relating to speed and endurance, as well as leg strength in general. However, there are also a number of key physical disadvantages faced by ponies. The most noticeable of these pertains to eyesight. A quick glance at a picture of a sapient pony (the difference between non-sentient and sapient ponies is key here), will show one that the natural position of and the direction the eyes face is more towards the sides than in front like humans. This positioning can be attributed to the fact that humans are omnivores, and have evolved to have their eyes in front (which is better for activities such as hunting). Ponies, however, are herbivores and although they are no longer susceptible to being hunted as prey by carnivores, they have yet to evolve fully forward-facing eyes.

In sapient ponies, the eyes face the front more than in non-sentient equines, but still have to cope somewhat with a usually minor natural disadvantage. So, although there is a less-than-perfectly-clear area directly in front of a pony, the problem is normally dealt with by focusing on that area. However, when in a competitive area (such as in an international hoofball match), there is a higher probability that coping in the normal way might not be adequate for players.

But, as many scholars have pointed out, this natural tendency of equine eyes to face the sides makes them more capable of sighting an opposing player making a run in the periphery than a human. For defenders, this is a considerable advantage, allowing them to effectively keep a better eye on the pitch as a whole than their human opponents.

As an example, in the Equestrian States’ last match (WC64 Qualifying MD10: @ The Gypsies), the Ponies were able to hold off a number of determined flanking attacks from the sides, but allowed two of their three goals conceded on direct frontal attacks. This is the case in many games, where the Ponies regularly hold off attacks from the sides better than frontal attacks. On the offense, the Ponies are typically devastating on flanking attacks to hit their opponents from the side, particularly when utilizing their naturally superior speed to complement.

[The Archregimancy]

THE MONASTIC TIMES

SYNOD CALLS COUNCIL TO SETTLE NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM CONTROVERSY
Judgement Expected Around World Cup 73

By Fr. Nicholas the Scribe

The Holy Synod today called a council of the autonomous synod of the Archregimancy independently from the autocephalous Orthodox Church of the Holy Empire in order to settle the ongoing controversy over the status of the national football team.

"You'd think that they'd have managed to sort this out after 40 World Cups" said a senior archimandrite, speaking on condition of anonymity "but clearly not".

Another source close to the Monastic Football Association noted that "this is Orthodoxy - if there's anything we like better than a good jurisdictional dispute, it's arcane quibbling over an obscure point of order; don't expect us to settle this one before World Cup 73".

When contacted for a statement, a spokesman for his All-Holiness the Patriach of the Holy Empire agreed that this was an "entirely internal dispute" that was appropriately dealt with at the autonomous Archregimancy level rather than by the OCHE as a whole.

Partisans of Fr. Silouan the Strict are said to be gearing up for arguing that football should be completely banned from the Archregimancy, as none of the canons of the Seven Ecumenical Councils deal with football in any shape or form. Fr. Silouan himself is said to be urging caution, not that the national football team's 3-1 away win over Secundus Kasius - which leaves the squad fairly handily placed at the top of the group - perhaps demonstrates that God does not want the team to actively fail, but that he remains unconvinced that their success is worth publicly celebrating, particularly during Great Lent.

National team manager Fr. Basil the Fool for Christ was unavailable for comment.

[New Montreal States]

Matchday 11 scores are up!

---

BREVITY-ESQUE CREATIVE CHALLENGES
Just for fun or inspiration, there is no disadvantage if you choose to ignore them.

Word of the day (NMS's choice): Pharisaical

Quote of the Day: "You can only predict things after they've happened. " - Eugene Ionesco

Insult of the Day: "Why was I born with such contemporaries?" - Oscar Wilde

Drink of the Day: Gimlet (NMS recommends gin and half a lime's worth of juice, with no sugar)

[The Sova Empire]

OOC: Just missed the cutoff -_-

"Nekoni has the ball, their captain Escobar takes it and FIRES...CD blocks! Richards takes it back, shoots again and CD blocks it again! Escobar takes it again, the shot IS SAVED!!!! CD WITH A GREAT SAVE! CD passes it to BP and TSE has ball possession once again."

The announcer's voice boomed in the ears of the TSE goaltender CD. She had been doing relatively well in this tournament, and her great goaltending was making headlines across TSE. She also was great on the defensive end, with plenty of steals, especially in the Powersith upset. She had to have signed 50 autographs after that match. Her bestfriend ZP was also a celebrity after only allowing 1 goal in that match. But he had been put on Midfield for this match, so she didn't see much of him from the goal. Did opposing strikers make her nervous? She'd be lying if she said no. But that's what post-match meals with bestfriends were for.

MB was a little preoccupied. TSE leader Greg Sova had asked her out, and she certainly didn't refuse. Nevertheless, she still had a job to do, boyfriend or not. She had been shooting a lot, and it was only a matter of time that she believed one could go in. She was especially motivated by the menacing glares that goaltender Brandon Calderon gave her. No doubt, all the goaltenders in Group 8 knew her name, as it was no secret that the team had to get the ball to her. After every shot of hers, she repeated to herself, "It's only a matter of time...", and waited for someone to get the ball to her.

Coach LK loved her job. Whether it was a heart-crushing 0-4 loss to Taeshan or a 3-1 upset against Powersith, she really loved guiding these soccer singers through the World Cup. Before each game, LK made her players do harmony within their own groups. Unusual? Yes. Effective? Maybe. It was her style, and no one had complained yet. The teamwork inspired by the vocal warmups was totally worth it.

"BP takes it back. Passed to AS. AS to ZP. ZP to MB. Here she goes! She winds up, and she shoots...AND SHE SCORES!! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The unmistakable sound of the announcer's bellowing voice made adrenalin flow through the veins of MB, as she helped Calderon up. "Nice try, maybe a little bit of respect might help." She laughed as she sprinted away. An 80th minute goal ended up being the only goal of the game, as TSE triumphed over Nekoni, 1-0.

[Kalumba]

Wilson groaned as he dragged himself out of his bed, he now regretted last night's excess. And as it all came back, he remembeed why he had got so drunk. 6-2. What an embarrasment, finally Kalumba had folded to a greater side and were shown what a real footballing team could do against second string opponents. They did score two goals however, and technically won the second half. Wilson grinned at this thought. 5-0 down at half time and conceding another just seconds after the restart Saugeais relaxed and the Kalumban Tortoise finally roared.

Abouto had suddenley come to life and started to dominate the left wing, and the crowd had taken up the song Wilson and the lad had been singing throughout the match. "Your name sounds like a string of sausages, string of sauseges, a string of sauseges" and with 15,000 voices mocking the team that led them by six whole goals, the Kalumban Eleven started to come into their own. After Cheeter and Roberts had both struck the woodwork and Davis had worked tthe keeper with a header, we had got the breakthrough.

Wilson and the lads had roared as Abouto went past three men, more in hope than expectation, but Abouto proved why he was being our man of the tournament. He cut inside onto his unfavoured right foot and struck the sweetest of efforts, the ball curling up and over the keeper in to the far corner of the net. The crowd burst into applause and manager Davies sensed the chance to score a psycological victory. He brought on Rowlatt and Grezlak and the team continued to attack with fervour.

But our opponents were good and we reached the end of normal time still 6-1 down. But then Grezlak muscled himself into space on the right wing and drove towards the corner flag and there he was scythed down on the edge of the box and as the referee signalled a free kick a huge roar of protest erupted from Wilson and the lads, and the linesman cracked and signalled a penalty instead. Now the crowd stood with baited breath and up stepped Kevin Davis.

Well Wilson barely remembered the following moments, in a dreamlike fashion he had seen Davis step up, then everything was just a blur. The ball hit the net and the final whistle went. Then he was on the pitch a police officers helmet in his hand, then the lads were all around him and then the whole crowd surged forwards and filled the pitch. The whole team were carried off on the shoulders of the fans, honour restored.

In the cold light of the morning after Wilson realised they had celebrated nothing but a severe defeat, but still they had won the second half. He flicked on the television set in his hotel room and saw the news, and there he was. Alone leaping over the advertising hoarding, pushing a police constable away and grabbing his helmet. He began to turn red as he realised that he, a government employee, had caused the pitch invasion and was glad his job was so far from the public eye. He dressed quickly and called a taxi, hoping to be out of the city before the proverbial excrement hit the fan.

[Darmen]

Day Three of Commonwealth Summit Over, Delegates head into final day

All 112 delegates met for the final time in Scott City for Day Three of the Commonwealth Summit. Two votes were taken during the evening, one on a unified currency to be used throughout the commonwealth, and the other on the conflict brewing between Sargossa and Polar Islandstates over the island of Külmsaar.

Delegates for the most part supported further discussion of a single currency to be used throughout the Commonwealth at the upcoming Commonwealth Trade Summit. Elder Yanni Kappel, of the Sportocracy, made an early call for a single currency to be adopted straight away, but this motion was rejected even by his fellow Sportocratic delegates.

Chief Elder Tyson Guerrero had the following to say about Kappel's proposal, "It's nuts, I think most of the delegates here can agree that a single currency for all Commonwealth Nations needs to be something that is discussed and researched in depth. Not to mention that the Sportocracy's current currency, the Poker Chip, is pretty (expletive) awesome, and the country doesn't want to change it at all."

Debate on the conflict between Sargossa and Polar Islandstates was heated but short, as Prime Minister Peari called for the Commonwealth, and Darmen in particular, to give support to Polar Islandstates. He did however stop short of pledging troops to the conflict, and instead opted only for arms shipments and monetary aid.

"Our military is stretched pretty thin right now," said Peari. "We're watching the former Pays de Horreur pretty closely, we've been watching the Valladar actions in the Westlands closely, and we're running routine naval maneuvers all across Rushmore. We simply can't pledge any naval or troop support. Not to mention that no shots have been fired so far, and a diplomatic solution is still possible.

Fourteen delegates, all eight from the Holy Forden Church and six from Earo returned to their respective countries for Sunday services. That leaves 98 delegates for the final day. However, with no further debate scheduled to take place, and no votes to be taken, it should be a pretty short day. Chief Elder Guerrero and Duke Francisco Lyons the XXth will each give speeches, and the entire summit will come to a close with the crowning of a Beer Pong tournament Champion.

Voting Session #3
No motions voted on

Debate Session #8-Motion submitted by Delegate Kappel (The Sportocracy) to call for a single currency to be used throughout the Commonwealth
                  Motion submitted by Delegate Peari (Darmen) to call for the topic to be discussed at the Commonwealth Trade Summit
Debate Session #9-Motion submitted by Delegate Hofstadter (Rigerata) to ignore the situation
                  Motion submitted by Delegate Peari (Darmen) to send arms and money to Polar Islandstates
Debate Session #10-No Motions submitted

Voting Session #4
Decision on which Motion to accept regarding the issue of a single Commonwealth currency                                                           KAPPEL MOTION-26     PEARI MOTION-86
-Motion submitted by Delegate Peari (Darmen) to call upon the Delegates at the Commonwealth Trade Summit to discuss a single Commonwealth Currency FOR-98               AGAINST-14
Decision on which Motion to accept regarding the conflict between Sargossa and Polar Islandstates                                                  HOFSTADTER MOTION-49 PEARI MOTION-63
-Motion submitted by Delegate Peari (Darmen) regarding the issue of sending air to Polar Islandstates                                              FOR-61               AGAINST-51

[Kinzar]

Kinzar Baptizes Sideburns

Wasn’t that exciting? Well, we hoped you watched the game because if you did you saw a truly entertaining soccer match. Unfortunately, the announced attendance in St. Petersburg was only 28,883, so may decided to stay away. Kevin Albersen, of nearby Ocala stated, “I came here with a bus group and we played that squares thing. Naturally everyone wanted 1-0 or 2-1 or something like that. I won the pool with the 5-4 score, I am so excited, I didn’t think it was possible for so many goals to be scored in a single soccer game!” Steve Glenn attended the game to get his mind off the Baptism of Iron debacle, “I thought we got screwed in that, but it turned out we didn’t get screwed at all. Still, I was pretty pissed with how we lost out in a real football Baptismal event, that I decided to go to the soccer game. I played some soccer in school so I have always kinda liked it.”

It was an exciting game. Grant Beardsley and Cheney Rosewood gave the Sideburn nation a quick 2-0 lead just twenty minutes in the game, but Kinzar showed some character in this game that they never had before, rallying to tie the game before intermission on goals by Daniel Larsen and Michael Sanders. Those goals got the fans excited, although the defending Baptism of Fire champions quickly went back up 4-2 by the 65th minute. Then somehow, strangely, this Kinzar team refused to give in, and tied the game at 4 by the 85th minute. Sanders got his second, and Kevin Parker scored on a corner to set the stadium in a frenzy! As if that wasn’t dramatic enough, as New Sideburn pushed to get the go ahead goal in something referred to as “injury time”, Parker intercepted a pass and sent a long ball (a really long kick) forward. It connected with Thomas Bradford beautifully, and he had Sanders running aside him with only one defender for New Sideburn back (this was good actually because in soccer if it wasn’t for that this may have been whistled down for being offsides). Bradford used Sanders very effectively as a decoy, and roofed the shot himself, to give Kinzar a shocking win.

Kinzar is still far behind in the table, but this effort was pretty amazing. Michael Sanders, named man of the match (player of the game), “They can celebrate their Baptism of Fire championship all the want. All I know is New Sideburn 1, Kinzar 1, when this is all said and done.”

[Socialist States Owen]

The Annex
Command Centre Briefing Room
ENS Myrmidon

"Officer on deck!" A row of junior officers aboard the General Hartson class aircraft carrier took note and saluted as the Fleet Admiral, William Bridges, entered the room. He sat down in his dress uniform, at the head of a long table. With him were numerous senior officers; Admiral James Ashton, commanding ENS Lord Baker, Vice Admiral Deborah Collins - the highest ranking female in the Euran Navy and commander of ENS Bastion, and General Brian Mandelion, commander of the 3rd Euran Marine Corps and its 210,000 personnel. Bridges gave a warm welcome to those aboard his ship. "Officers, welcome to this briefing. Today we will be discussing the details of Operation 'Deliverance', which will begin when the Mytanar rebel army crosses this point." He pointed to the map behind him at a red line, which had been drawn just below a large body of water near Thessia. "When the rebels cross the Babochka and Schmetterlin rivers, we shall castrate the Mytanar government's choices other than ground operations with one fell swoop."

Bridges stood up, and pointed at a number of symbols and numbers that were stuck on the board over the Modraine Sea, directly east of Forsyn and far out to sea. "We are currently positioned here awaiting this advance by the rebels. For those of you who are not informed of the wider scale of our operation, we have deployed three carriers; Myrmidon, Lord Baker, Bastion. With each of these carriers is of course three 45B Destroyers, three 50A destroyers, two GMC-19 cruisers and two 26A frigates. As soon as the rebels cross the border, our aircraft and missiles from our ships will launch attacks deep into Mytanar territory. We will begin by targeting several forward operating bases set up south of Thessia to counter rebel advances and smaller military airfields around the country. Then we shall target the larger airfields and attempt to destroy the governments air capability while it remains on the ground. The primary targets shall be the airfields at Zaochnyi, Bedzin and Kitzbuhel."

The Fleet Admiral then turned his attention to the port cities of Trunca and Uchenik. "In Trunca they have the Modraine Fleet, the largest contingent of the Mytanar navy - and it remains in port. They have a handful of submarines, diesel electric and currently in dry dock. Sixty ships are there in all, many of which are under equipped and will not be expecting an attack. The main target is this..." A picture of a small non-nuclear aircraft carrier came up on screen. "This is the MOS Slavni, their flagship. At the very least I expect to see its flight deck disabled so it cannot attempt a counterattack, even if we could repel said counterattack with ease. They have three of these carriers in Trunca overall. At Uchenik they have forty ships, only one of which is one of these small carriers and it is not our main target. MOS Osa, a large big gun battleship, is our primary target. It is not their most strategically important ship, but it's ability to employ coastal bombardment against rebels near the coastline is very dangerous. Moreover, this ship is a symbol of the prowess of the regime - by turning it into a burning hulk, we may deliver a massive blow to the morale of government troops."

"We shall destroy their fleet much in the same way that we will eliminate land targets, however as we must attack the land targets first I will be redirecting our SSN-60 attack submarines, of which there are ten available, to attack both ports simultaneously. To our knowledge, the government have not yet prepared anti-submarine defences. When the ships are sunk, we will move in a handful of our own heavy tonnage battleships against each port to bombard port facilities. Hopefully, civilian casualties will be minimal." At this point Bridges paused to take a look at his notes. "I am aware that many of you are concerned about the location of Sameba's naval presence. Our intelligence, while not totally conclusive, suggests it is minimal and not located in either of these ports, therefore we can attack them without fear of further repercussions. As for any other Mytanar vessels, there is a group of ten aging destroyers and frigates fleeing the northern ports and we don't know where they are going. Our intelligence presumes they will be heading to the aforementioned ports at Trunca and Uchenik. If so, we can mop them up there."

Bridges took a seat. "Now until we launch this assault, I want the entire fleet to be ready to go at a moments notice. 24/7 carrier air patrol, subs watching those ports, the works. Not a single lapse of concentration will suffice. On a final note, I am afraid we have still not located their chemical weapons depots. While they are little threat to us, the Mytanar rebels and the civilians supporting them could be decimated by their deployment. For that reason, the moment we find them I will give the order to employ all force available against any chemical weapons deployment." Bridges now got up in unison with everyone else seated. "The motherland expects, ladies and gentlemen. Do not fail it."

[New Sideburn]

We Should, Like, Stop Conceding Goals
Gethin Ramsey considered his options, as his players wallowed in despair before him.
"I think," he said at last, "I'm going to shoot every last one of you. Then I'm going to shoot Jessica, my girlfriend and finally myself. And then I'm going to come back from the grave and haunt you," he indicated Portia, "for the rest of my undeath."
The unfortunate goalkeeper cowered.
"What the fuck was that performance?" Gethin roared. "Do you just like high scorelines? Because you fucking haemorrhaged goals out there tonight. Asger, you're my only goalkeeper left who hasn't betrayed me. Olga, you aren't Rook. Both of you start next week. Now get out of my sight, all of you!"
The team fled.

Redemption
A week had passed. Gethin's threat against Rook had borne out, though he had relented and called up Portia for the game once again - her confidence was shot, and she'd have to regain her form somewhere, preferably with some leeway. At least, that was what he told himself; in reality it was forced by a hamstring strain in training. At any rate, this was a must-win, admittedly against the weakest opposition in the group at home. But they'd underestimated Kinzar, and just look what happened there.
People had questioned where the iron resolve of the New Sideburn defence had gone, because shipping 26 goals in 11 games wasn't exactly what they were expected to achieve. Well... there was no more time to question. To the surprise of many, Shrike and Corvette still started; Shrike more a surprise than Corvette.
And people were starting to question Gethin's abilities... he was stubborn and reluctant to use substitutes or change formation, only doing so at overwhelmingly clear opportunities.
But feeling the pressure more than anyone else was Anna Shrike, the short, stocky right-back whose most recent defensive blunder was playing Kinzar's last man onside. So she'd refocused her efforts, trained twice as hard, and stopped drinking and smoking. She knew she had the most complex dual-role on the pitch... Beardsley's right boot could only be described as 'anemic', so crosses from the right were... seldom, without Wingett on the pitch. But she also had to clean up the gaps from their left wing. And so she did something simple. She talked to Maria Stout, the aging, stalwart right-back, for how better to play defensively.
And she walked into this match knowing it was her duty to atone for her mistakes.
She was young; early twenties. She would be the best right-back in the country. She just had to blossom.

[Super-Llamaland]

Group 17
Mashiki 3–1 Super-Llamaland
Astograth 1–1 The Babbage Islands
Geisenfried 2–0 Kialga
The Alphabet Letters 2–0 Arcquest
Melbergia 0–1 Branta Island

Group 17 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 The Babbage Islands 10 8 2 0 24 9 +15 26
2 Mashiki 10 8 1 1 35 22 +13 25
3 Geisenfried 10 8 1 1 19 7 +12 25
4 Astograth 10 6 1 3 11 9 +2 19
5 Branta Island 10 6 0 4 15 11 +4 18
6 Melbergia 10 3 1 6 15 17 −2 10
7 The Alphabet Letters 10 3 0 7 12 25 −13 9
8 Super-Llamaland 10 2 2 6 12 17 −5 8
9 Kialga 10 1 2 7 10 16 −6 5
10 Arcquest 10 0 0 10 5 25 −20 0


We give up.

With 8 games to go, Llamas 17 points from the playoffs.

GOOD NEWS! Our soccer team is no longer in the drearyness of seventh!
BAD NEWS. They're in eighth. After a 3-1 win to Mashiki where our goalie Tyson Richards played like he was still injured, we'd be last if it weren't for Kialga, owner of one win, and win-less and draw-less Arcquest, who has given up 25 goals in 10 games.

We polled our five experts on where the Llamas would finish.

TOM MOORE: Sixth. We're two points off of sixth now and the Llamas are hopefully warming up. You have Richards back, and Mendoza coming back today after missing two cups. The boost should be immediate. Sixth it is!

RICHARD MENDAYLIN: Eighth. I know it isn't optimistic, but after Tyson Richard's debut for this cup, I'm not looking forwards to Jon Mendoza's. And without Mendoza and Richard playing like they should, who are we going to, our current team? That's not working out, is it?

SAMANTHA DRELLI: Seventh. We can overtake The Alphabet Letters and forget Jon Mendoza and Tyson Richards, I'm looking for Rick Ventnor's comeback, projected for Game 15! Ventnor's D with Mendoza's O should get the Llamas back in sixth, but they'll slip. Like last Cup.

MARC JONES: Ninth. The Llamas' only hope is that Ventnor (projected for game 15), Mendoza (projected for game 14), and Richards (reinjured and projected to miss the rest of the season) come back earlier. Which they won't.

MICK MARTINEZ: Fifth! I'm being wildly optimistic! Like always! Go Llamas! Yippee!

Our fan poll says:

Fifth: 3%
Sixth: 37%
Seventh: 35%
Eighth: 17%
Ninth: 8%

[Cassadaigua]

Queen Endorses Sicoutimont Candidate; Dagans win another
by Kristen Sharper, Concord Heights Times- senior Sports Editor


Since moving to Rushmore from One Big Island, Queen Cassie has generally kept her opinions to herself of the political climate in other nations in contrast to being open minded on affairs that went on in OBI. However a very close election in neighboring Sicoutimont, has led the Queen to give her opinion on the race. For those not familiar with Rushmori geography, the Cassadaigua-Sicoutimont border is pretty significant with Concord Heights very close to the border. Here was her statement on the matter:

“There is no questioning that a strong economic relationship between us and Sicoutimont is beneficial to both of our nations. Under Niles Coaches, I have seen a nation to our east grow and grow to become the economic powerhouse that they are today. That is no accident and is a product of effective leadership. While there are many differences between our nations, there is no denying the potential that can come about with two powerful economies in South Central Rushmore. The other candidates suggest at policies that can hinder further growth. Sicoutimont has a great leader right now in Mr. Coaches, and I can only hope that the people of Sicoutimont re-elect him for another term, not only for the benefit of their nation, but for all of us in South Central Rushmore.”

Whether or not this has any impact on the results remains to be seen. One possible factor of the endorsement is that Sicoutians could feel comfortable enough with Coaches and The Queen working together, to where they would not need the extra military spending that Charles-Jean Roberval wants, given that Cassadaigua has Rushmore’s 16th-largest military (much to the surprise of some foreigners, maybe), and that Sicoutimont could improve their military simply through trade agreements at the border.


So let’s move on to soccer, now shall we?

In our last article, we mentioned World Cup 49, where Cassadaigua qualified based on their own unbeaten second half, and getting some good breaks with other results. Suddenly, Qazox has dropped to 6-3-2, following an upset, and now Cassadaigua has qualification in their own destiny. Leorudo, of course, is also in the mix, but the Dagans are yet to play them a second time, and the one point that separates us and them means that we also control our own destiny against them. We may not talk about Leorudo all that much, but we really don’t know much about them given the lack of anything from that nation during this qualifying campaign. So, it is indeed very World Cup 49-ish, isn’t it? In order for that trend to continue, Cassadaigua is going to have to win some tough games, with the most difficult one being the next one on the road against Polar Islandstates. The Terns sit atop the Group 16 table, and have played smothering defensive soccer, only allowing three goals in their 11 games played. That brand of “football” would definitely make people from the former Rejistania very happy. The Dagans were not able to score against their regionmates, but held them tough in the 1-0 final. An argument can be made that Cassadaigua doesn’t HAVE to win, but they need to at least draw. Make sure you watch this game, because the Terns cannot just sit on their laurels as the group picture is close enough for them to not squander points, either.

Unfortunately, there are some reports that there is going to be a MEN (Male Equality Now) protest at Concord Heights Stadium during the game. So all of you that are planning to watch the game at the stadium on the many different television monitors or large scoreboard will have to put up with this. Preston I. Grant, the civil rights’ activist states that he was disgusted with Meaghan Bateman’s recent declaration that, “We (CASE) need to send our best soccer players out there to the World Cup, and there’s no room for a sideshow that would inevitably take place because there was a man on the team.”. This didn’t sit well with Grant for obvious reasons, although he deferred any comment about the statement to his protest coming up, claiming that his organization has been permitted “field usage” while fans just try to enjoy the road game together. Coach Brittany Lawton has suggested that fans go to the University of Concord Heights football field instead to watch the game. UCH officials say that they will show the game if at least 20,000 people show up.

[Lymantatia]

Since I missed the previous matchday, chapters10 and 11 will be combined.

Life About Charles Garcia - Chapter 10-11 - 9th and 10th Grade (1997-1999)
He was now in high school, still had Marina Renault. Alexander O'Connor, Mary Albert and Jennifer Lawrence as his best friends, and was a master computer programmer. His older brother graduate high school. His siblings John, Mary and William were in the 6th, 4th grade an 1st grade, respectively. During the summer Elizabethville Junior United won their 108th and 109th championship.
Chapters
Chapter 1 - Kindergarten (1988-1989)
Chapter 2 - 1st Grade (1989-1990)
Chapter 3 - 2nd Grade (1990-1991)
Chapter 4 - 3rd Grade (1991-1992)
Chapter 5 - 4th Grade (1992-1993)
Chapter 6 - 5th Grade (1993-1994)
Chapter 7 - 6th Grade (1994-1995)
Chapter 8 - 7th Grade (1995-1996)
Chapter 9 - 8th Grade (1996-1997)
Chapter 10-11 - 9th and 10th Grade (1997-1999)
Chapter 12 - 11th Grade (1999-2000)
Chapter 13 - 12th Grade (2000-2001)
Chapter 14 - Freshman-Sophomore College (2001-2003)
Chapter 15 - Junior-Senior College (2003-2005)
Chapter 16 - Coaching a Children's Football Team (2005-2007)
Chapter 17 - The Prestigious Children's Football Team (2007-2010)
Chapter 18 - Marriage (2010-)
Lymantatia 1–4 Osarius and Lymantatia 3–0 Cowardly Pacifists
[/size]
We lost to Osarius. But luckily, we defeated Cowardly Pacifists with no opposition goals.
Goalscorers (Matchday 10)
17 mins - Ezio Grassi (Osarius)
23 mins - Ezio Grassi (Osarius)
35 mins - Jacques Bressler (Lymantatia)
41 mins - Ezio Grassi (Osarius)
Goalscorers (Matchday 11)
1 mins - Jacques Bressler (Lymantatia)
11 mins - Sylvius Johnson (Lymantatia)
35 mins - Jacques Bressler (Lymantatia)
Current Statistics
Average number of time of goals: 40 minutes
Average number of time of goals by other teams: 34 minutes
Most goals by person on Lymantatia's team: Jacques Bressler (16)

[Antoletia]

"Well that win gets us back on track."

"Yeah, but still 6 points out of qualifying, still playing two of the three ahead of us, and really no chance to qualify unless we pull a miracle."

"Well both Saugeais and Sylvanaes have to come to Antoleita..."

"Yeah, but...."

"So we still have hope."

"But hope is a feeble thing."

"Yep."

"We really can not hope to qualify."

"Feeble may it be, it still is necessary."

"A necessary evil?"

"Perhaps."

"But we can still do it."

"Perhaps."

"At least we can try."

Goalscorers
Filip Constantinescu - 6
Hiarchratez - 4
Anton Gregovich - 2
Raphael - 2
Mathew Cannibus - 1
Clyde Dickens - 1
Gabriel Mohammed - 1
Preya Pavelski - 1
Stefan Sala - 1
Gheorghe von Leeweonheouck - 1

[Taeshan]

Another win, and the Purple Knights continue to barnstorm the qualifiers now pulling 8 points ahead of the Hutt River, currently in second. Now the Knights have all but mathematically and periodically ensured their qualification, with just a few matches to get through to officially decide their fate. The game last night was another good offensive affair for the Purple Knights as they got the lead early and held the lead until the termination of the evenings affair. The end result proved to never be in doubt as the young men from the opposition team were steadfastly torn apart and shown a good display of what soccer really is. At least they might learn something from it.


The first goal, as mentioned earlier came quite early in the match. Ender Wiggin, who had been on a tare, coming into the game, with 9 goals, and 4 assists, got his fifth assist with a nice through ball, in the eight minute to striker Kyle Laravy, starting for a bedridden Brian Ibrahim, who knocked the ball quietly into the back of the net. Then the stadium arose in uproar, as the Knights fans stood for the beautiful game. Now sadly, Ender would not get his tenth goal of the campaign, but he sure as heck helped on all three. The second goal would take a little longer, not coming until a short period after halftime as midfielder Aaron Conrad scored on an assist from Xavier Ptolemy. The final goal would come from substitute striker Brian Kljestan with a spot kick after Laravy was tackled badly late into the affair.


Goalscorers
Ender Wiggin - 9
Brian Ibrahim - 3
Gwyn Juniper - 2
Brian Kljestan - 2
Aaron Conrad
Seth Clapton - 1
Tyler Icicle - 1
Jeremy Jaffacake - 1
Kyle Laravy - 1
Xavier Ptolemy - 1

[Filopines]

Smart, Dumb and Funny
Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 6Part 7Part 8

*continued from last scene in Part 8*
Kate: Why do you need to learn it anyway?
Aaron: I lied. I know Spanish. I just want to be closer with Rebecca.
Mark: Nice. Go ask her out now.
Aaron: No. It's too early.

*at Kate and Rachel's apartment*
Rachel: We should have a costume party in celebration of the new relationships!
Luis: Yeah, that would be great.
Aaron: Can I invite Rebecca?
Julie: Who's Rebecca?
Mark: She's that crazy handout lady at the shops.
Julie: Which shops?
Mark: ShopWorld.
Julie: NO! NO! NO!
Aaron: What's wrong with her? She's not crazy!
Julie: Yes she is! Please don't invite her.
Rachel: Yes. You can invite her! She's the best!
Kate: She's crazy, but I don't care. Go ahead and invite her.
Julie: Ugh, I hate my life.
Luis: Don't worry, honey.
Aaron: Nawwww.
Julie: (angrily to Aaron) You're lucky.
Aaron: Yeah.. well, you know.
Rachel: Okay, now for the rest of the guest list. Wait, where's it gonna be?
Aaron: It's in your hand. Come on, Rachel.
Rachel: No.......where is the party gonna be.
Aaron: Oh.

*the party at Kate and Rachel's apartment*
(Mark walks through door)
Kate: What are you dressed as?
Mark: I'm a spaceship!
Kate: A spaceship?
Mark: Yeah, a space ship!
(different conversation)
Aaron: So, Rebecca, how's life?
Rebecca: Uh, good.
Aaron: So, uh, you like football.
Rebecca: OH YEAH! FOOTBALL IS GREAT! I LOVE FOOTBALL!
Aaron: Oh, that's pretty nice! I play football!
Rebecca: YEAH! I KNOW! YOU PLAY FOR DARLINGTON DOCKERS!
Aaron: Yeah..well, you know.
Rebecca: WILL YOU GO OUT WITH ME?! YOU'RE CUTE AND RICH!
Aaron: Yes! YES! I WILL!
Rebecca: YES!
Aaron: One problem though. My friends don't like you. Well, except for Rachel Giroux.
Rebecca: Oh, yeah, Rachel Giroux. How do you spell Giroux?
Aaron: G-I-R-O-U-X
Rebecca: That's weird.
(Mark walks past Aaron)
Mark: (whispers to Aaron) Just like her.
Aaron: Hey!
(Mark walks away)
Rebecca: Does he not like me?
Aaron: (pause) .......... (quietly) No.
Rebecca: Why was I born with such contemporaries?
Aaron: It's ok. Now we've got each other.
Rebecca: Thanks.
(Aaron and Rebecca hug)

[Alexanderburn]

Alexanderburn 3-4 Ancharmunn
Fiedler (22'); Rittenhouse (64'); Doyle (90+1')
Alexanderburn gets more competitive, but does not claim a win

I nearly thought van der Pol and Rittenhouse were going to bag that one, but there you have it folks, another close game for an improving Alexanderburn!

The match against Ancharmunn, just like the game against Bears Armed, was a very close call - in fact, Alexanderburn nearly tied the match outright after scoring a goal in injury time and another offside goal right before the whistle blew. The team looked healthy and stealthy today as they managed to keep their midfielders' stamina up and create cohesion amongst all of the players throughout the field.

Much criticism has fallen on Alexander Nordaglio, who is rumored to have formerly been one of the top underrated goalkeepers in the world. However, a number of professionals have cited the recent "aggressive" attitude of the national team to new training staff, who are encouraging more goals to be scored at the price of more goals conceded. So far, Alexanderburn has conceded goals in all eleven games in the qualifiers and have scored in all but two of them.

"I think that the team may be starting to go for a turnaround, a comeback if you will," noted coach William Kingsley, who had come under fire just a week ago for a crumbling defense and a tired offense. "In the last World Cup qualifiers, we began to see that the [team] scored far more goals in the second leg [than in the first leg of qualifiers]." The game was fast, action-packed, and fun to watch up until the end, and Ancharmunn were indeed leading 4-2 until the home nation nearly tied it up at 4-4; however, van der Pol's last minute goal was ruled offside by the referees on the field, leading to a booing, yet excited crowd in Portsmouth this evening.

Meanwhile, coach Kingsley is implementing a totally unique line-up in the match tomorrow night at Runimia's home stadium. This is definitely the match that the Alexanderburnese fans and team alike have been looking for not only because of the win that the ANFT bagged in the previous round of the qualifications, but also because of the connections and friendships that have been made by these two neighbors of the Coalition of Catholic States.

STARTING LINE-UP (Alexanderburn @ Runimia)

Kidane / Cremonesi
Frederiksen / Holierhoek (c) / Walker
Fiedler / Collett
Doyle / Rittenhouse / Beller
Moulton

Modification: -1

Good luck Alexanderburn!

[Branta Island]

"Buon giorno, signore Gaspari. A draw was in the cards today against Alphabet Letters. Any cause for alarm now that you are 9 points clear of a potential playoffs spot?"

"It's certainly not the place we'd like to be at this point in the qualifying stages. Everyone has worked their butts off to reach this level, and to only come up with a draw at home to a team we defeated away is a tad bit disappointing."

"How do you like the development of Aureliano Sebastiani, and has Orsino Rocca been a part of that development?"

"Actually, I think it's the other way around. Sebastiani is such a naturally talented athlete, I've never seen anyone like him come up through the Brantolano ranks before. Rocca has said to me on numerous occasions that while he was there first, Sebastiani is definitely pushing him to do better every game. So I think it is Rocca that has been benefiting his development from playing alongside Sebastiani."

"While the front line hasn't had too many problems recently, the back line and it's fitness issues continue to be your downfall. What do you say to that, and how have you been trying to correct that issue?"

"Yes, this is not a new issue, and you've brought it up so vehemently in the past. Yes, the staff and I are in constant training to get their stamina up, and yes, it seems that our efforts have been falling on deaf ears. I'd love to have a top notch physio staff at the national levels, but sadly, that isn't the case, as most doctors wish to stay at their own clubs and focus on those players. It is up to myself and my assistants to determine if they can play or not, but in a situation such as this where every game matters, I have no choice but to play my best players, tired or not.

I really wish for you all to understand that. And that will be all for today, thank you all for coming out."