Di Bradini Cup 28/U21WC49 RP/Roster/Results Thread

by **New Sideburn** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 3:25 pm

NEW SIDEBURN U-21s
Preferred Formation: 4-4-2 diamond
Style Modifier: 0
Playstyle: Low on possession, but high on pressure, with fast play and short passing. Generally reliant on a stereotypical 'big guy/fast guy' strike partnership. Very physical, quite pacy.
Kit Supplier: Cloaker
Nickname: The Hatchlings

New Sideburn has never had a youth team, as such. It... shows, with most of the side playing for a smattering of teams, many of them quite modest, and most of them not starters at that. Nevertheless, they have a relatively strong squad of 23, though the quality is decidedly patchy.
Given the recent founding of the U-21 team as an official... thing, they are not subject to any loopholes allowing 21-year olds to be selected.

First Team
GK - 1 - Daniel CROMWELL
RB - 2 - Rhys BERGMAN
CB - 5 - Tosca MARLOWE (c)
CB - 3 - Hadrian BELFAST
LB - 4 - Amanda CLOUGH
DM - 6 - Elaine CANDELL
RM - 8 - Kylie PENRITH
LM - 11 - Eloise PARRISH
AM - 10 - Chris CHRISTON
RS - 7 - Rook CATHAR
LS - 9 - Cheney BITTENCOURT

My opponent MAY
Choose my goalscorers (Oakwood takes penalties, corners and direct free-kicks)
RP injuries to my players (maximum one, and I'll determine the exact severity)
Hand out yellow and red cards to my players (maximum one red every two games, unlimited cautions within reason)

My opponent MAY NOT
Godmod scoring events
Godmod injuries
Godmod other events

by **The Licentian Isles** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 4:19 pm

Whey !! I'm back wankers !! You missed me ?? Did you think a stab wound was going to stop me doing this again ?? Hell no !!

Since we're bored of punch-ups in Garton, and we've managed to avoid being banned from football matches for another season, we all agreed that we should head abroad again, and since my scar's healing up quite nicely, I gave the idea that we'd head out to the Di Bradini Cup once again. The guys all agreed, so we're on a flight to Spit right now, pumped and ready to have a fight.

Apparently, some kind of Wight Constabulary, which sounds like some kind of pisstake, to be honest, won't be too pleased once we start punching people and messing up their cities with the blood of foreigners. Actually, that sounds a little bit too posh for my likely; we're going to fuck up anybody not from the Isles who comes near us. That sounds better, doesn't it ?? Anyway, this Constabulary thing won't have anything on us. When they meet us, they won't know what's hit 'em. Well, apart from a Licentian's hard fists in their jaw.

Charles Gray has picked quite a good squad for the Young Cyan going into this Di Bradini Cup. He's put senior squad players like Aran Miller and Roddy Dickson alongside young talents like, well, I can't remember all of their names (I'm a little bit pissed, to be honest), but they seem alright. There's one lad that plays for the Pirates as well; Archie Gibson. He's a fucking fantastic player, well, at least he is for us. We'll be cheering for him especially when we head to the games in Spit.

We're hoping to go on another good run, like the one we had to the quarter finals last time in Saugeais. It was disappointing when we went out, even though the Free Republics were obviously the better side on the day, so this time, I'm hoping we get all the way to the final. Unfortunately, first we have to get through the group stage. I mean, it guarantees we can watch three games over here, but I'd still rather just go into knockout rounds straight away.

We're in Group C, based in Spit for all three games. We'll be taking on the Serbian Empire, Cassadaigua and Mangolana. The Serbian Empire are a fairly new team, that went out in the group stage at the last Di Bradini Cup. Mangolana are quite a good team, but they went out in the Round of 16 last time, so they shouldn't be too much of a threat. The fourth side in our group is Cassadaigua; they're a legendary squad, but Rachel Sharper allegedly reflected the views of her nation when she said that the Di Bradini Cup is only about "player development", so we shouldn't be too worried.

Overall, I reckon we can call ourselves the favourites in our group. Even if we don't do as well as we want, we can still have a laugh, can't we ?? Let's go out there and fuck this up lads !!

by **Thatius** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 5:14 pm

John Karahalios looked out the window of the plane. The sun slowly set behind the skyscraper city of Starfall and darkness descended. They had been sitting on the plane for the past hour, delayed by the unusual amount of traffic at the Starfall International Airport. No airplane with the Thatian National Soccer Team would be getting any special treatment, apparently. To pass the time, John pulled out his headphones and listened to his music, singing along in a whisper to one of his favorite songs.

"With all the blood I lost with you-oo-ooo. It drowns the love I thought I knew!"

One of his teammates, Connor Artymiak, saw him singing to himself and laughed. "John, I didn't know you were such a great singer!"

"What??" he asked Connor, his aisle mate, as he took off his headphones. "You say something Connor?"

Connor chuckled. "Nah, buddy. Just making a joke. You keep rocking on to...whatever you were singing."

John Karahalios

Eventually the plane ascended after the pilot was given the o.k. sign to go. It was a lengthy flight to Spit, Wight. The Thatian U-21 team would be playing in Wight for the annual Di Bradini Cup, competing against the top soccer nations in the world. Thatius managed to grab a place for its U-21 team, thus enabling John and twenty-one other players plus coaching staff to enjoy a time in the capita of Wight. But John was ready to go back home to Starfall, and they had barely been in the air for one hour. He tried sleeping on the plane, but to no avail. It was a privately charted plane, but it was just as uncomfortable as the standard passenger liners. At least he didn't have a fear of flying like Derek Christensen. The guy was half-scared to death while in the air.

"Just breath, dude," said Luke Krychowski a few rows up from John.

"I am, will you shut up? I just don't want to even think or talk or do anything. Leave me be." shot back Derek.

John had scoffed at the motion that someone could be afraid of flying as much as Derek. The man was eighteen years old, hardly a child. But he insisted that it was his only fear and that nothing would calm him down except maybe chocolate. So of course the team manager had on hand a vast supply of famous Thatian chocolates. They worked, partially. Now Derek didn't want to be bothered and his low tolerance level was showing. John thanked his stars he didn't have as many problems as other people on this plane. A fear of flying like Derek. An addiction for getting around like Kevin Seedorf. Or family problems like Milos Altonovic. Everything in his life was just plain and simple. Normal. The way he liked it.

Even with that thought, John was homesick. He loved soccer and couldn't wait to play in the Di Bradini Cup, but home was Starfall and Spit, Wight was nowhere near that. Well, it was in Atlantian Oceania just north of the main Thatian islands, but still a good distance away.

The sound of the plane droning on in the night as he thought of home made John doze off. They would be landing in Wight in just a few hours, but no matter. John enjoyed his sleep because it allowed him to get away from all of his problems and loneliness. As much as he was blessed to have this soccer talent, he only wished he could fall in love with a beautiful woman and live happily in Starfall. He had only pursued soccer because it was the only talent he had. John had been average in school, but one of Thatius' rising stars in soccer. After trying out at the National Team Camp in Varael, he had been immediately signed on to the reserve squad of the U-21 team. Spring training rolled around and he was named to the official U-21 team and placed as a starter. Now John was flying off to his first international competition in Wight. Maybe he was a little unprepared. But in any case, he was ready to show the rest of Group E why Thatius was playing in the infamous Di Bradini Cup.

by **Sangti** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 8:07 pm

Sangti National Football Team
AGILANG DILAW
Under-21 National Team for the Di Bradini Cup 28

The young guns of Agilang Dilaw football are at it again, this time going to Wight to take part in their second Di Bradini Cup campaign. Last tme Sangti entered was last edition held in Saugeais, where they fell out of a group involving Thatius, Sicoutimont and the eventual champions Equestrian States in Group H. This season, Sangti and Equestrian States were drawn together, again, this time in Group D, along with regional rivals Felix and Kriegiersien. The pressure is on for U21 manager Alberto Atayde, as Sangtian media reports rumored that his managing days are well numbered.

The Agilang Dilaw will look to exceed expectations and move on to the knockout round, or else, Atayde's fate might be sealed. As such, he persuaded the FAS to call-up the strongest U21 team ever assembled in Sangtian football history. And that includes overseas players playing in Felix.

GOALKEEPERS

No	Name			Age	Club			Notes
1	Marty Balido		21	Real Tiagosan		Starter
13	Marion Celebrado	19	Ryne Savio		Sub
23	Lezfer Yago		19	Altomare B (Felix)	Reserve

Marty Balido returns for his final appearance as a member of the U21 team. He will keep his starting position for the matches, and the experience he gained in the DBC last year might prove the stability that Atayde needed for this side to prosper. Marion Celebrado and Lezfer Yago will be Balido's new backup keepers. Celebrado transfers from Rosavilla Atletico to Ryne Savio, while Yago is a foreign based player playing in the B team of on of the big four there, the Altomare B.

DEFENDERS

No	Name			Age	Club			Notes
2	Joed Apuntar		21	Real Cintore		Starter/Right
3	Elmerei Prudente	18	Sporting Volker (Felix)	Starter/Left
4	Mari Arceo		20	Real Tiagosan		Starter/Vice-captain/Center
5	Roman Ang		21	Carbonel Nuelma		Starter/Captain/Center
16	Wenefrido Oliva		19	Carrubonieta Il Gueti	Sub/Center
17	Albino Rostata		19	Junfan (Felix)		Sub/Left
19	Darrell Ortiz		19	Racing Xinghua Baoyam	Reserve/Center-Right
22	Dio Casicas		18	Athletico Vigo (Felix)	Reserve/Right-Left

Roman Ang and Mari Arceo will lead the Aglang Dilaw U21 in defense. Elmerei Prudente, a promising player playing for Sporting Volker in Felix will start at left-back. Joed Apuntar returns to his right back starting role. Besides Prudente, two more Sangtian players in Felixian clubs will be included: Albino Rostata and Dio Casicas.

MIDFIELDERS

No	Name			Age	Club			Notes
6	Samuel Magsombol	19	Carbonel Nuelma		Starter/Center/Defensive
7	Keith Khan		21	Carrubonieta Il Gueti	Starter/Left
8	Robin Linsangan		21	Olympique Leonde	Starter/Center/Attacking
11	Erick Khan		20	Wanko Nocoru		Starter/Right
12	Joed Pasamonte		20	Deportivo Nespa		Sub/Center/Defensive
14	Gabriel Cablayan	20	Wanko Nocoru		Sub/Right
18	Gerald Barongan		20	Real Tadofal		Sub/Left
20	Brent Maminta		21	Real Baoyam		Sub/Center

Erick Khan and Robin Linsangan will spearhead the midfield. The Khan brothers (Erick and Keith) are playing in the wings, while Sam Magsombol will play as DM. only Linsangan and Barongan are in the roster last DBC 27.

FORWARDS

No	Name			Age	Club			Notes
15	Rhomuell Villejo	21	Rosavilla Atletico	Starter/Support
9	Tristan Isip		20	Real Rosavilla		Starter/Attack/Target Man
22	Marco Escuro		18	Athletico Vigo (Felix)	Sub/Support
10	Elden Castro		19	Balompie Mogya		Sub/Attack

Isip and Castro retain their places in the team, but Castro will be dropped down to the subs after a dismal campaign for Balompie Mogya. Rhomuell Villejo seems to attract interest from top filght Sangtian clubs. Marco Escuro will be debuting in this tournament as a player playing for Athletico Vigo.

MANAGER
Name: Alberto ATAYDE
Age: 43
Tactical Style: +4.77, Overload / Highly attacking
Formations usually used: 4-4-2 diamond, shifting to offensive 4-3-3 or offensive 4-5-1
Explanation: Linsangan will support the two attacker, whose roles will now be shifted to attacking forwards, Linsangan may feed the ball to Khan wings, or a direct pass to either striker. Escuro and Villejo can also play attacking midfielders, and Linsangan can play defensive midfield, hence the 4-5-1 shift. Alternatively, Linsangan can also be a support striker, feeding Isip the ball.

STAFF
Assistant manager: Kerwin Gana
Coaches: Levin Miclat, Sedrick Paz
Physio: Nissi Liu

KITS (by Kirola Sports), keeper kits c/o Sangti Sports (rival of Libertad Sportswear) to follow

Red and blue hoops (first), Yellow w/black trim (second)

RP PERMISSIONS
Let your creativity run, except for some restrictions:
NO career ending injury/death
NO red cards exceeding 2 cards greater than your team
NO yellow cards exceeding 4 cards greater than your team
Other else, go crazy.

by **Sangti** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 8:37 pm

On the Group of Death and a rematch with Equestrian States
Edric Conciso

"Can someone explain to me why Sangti had to be in the group of Death?"

These were the words I uttered In the office of the Diario when I saw the group draw of the DI Bradini Cup 28 at Wight. The opponents of Sangti in Group D are the Defending Champions Equestrian States, regional rivals Felix, who took fourth placed last edition and a somewhat unknown Kriegiersien side, who took 3rd place in Group H. This group is an outright group of death for Sangti, who drew the in-form U21 sides at the wrongest possible time. If they can manage somehow an upset, they have to do it now.

Last edition, the Batang Agilang Dilaw pushed the Equestrian States into a 2-2 draw.The then third placed team at DBC 26 had a coming of sorts with their opening half atrocity, only for them to get 2 goals back to deny Sangti the upset. However, Sangti was the only side Equestrian States failed to beat in their quest for the Di Bradini Cup title. There is hope for Alberto Atayde's side, however, after assembling the strongest lineup possible for the Agilang Dilaw, sacrificing the strength of the Olympic and Campionato Esportiva squads.

Media reports however show that Atayde could be shown the door if Sangti fail to progress beyond the group stages of the competition. Last season, Sangti the debutants placed third in a group that also contained Sicoutimont and Thatius. The offensive firepower of Sangti was evident, scoring 7 goals, however, they conceded 9 goals, only Starblaydia U21 conceding more. So the focus for Atayde is to contain offensive threats efficiently without sacrificing their attack plan.

The media also question the number of Sangtian players in Felixian clubs, Atayde explained that this is to familiarize the nationals with foreign base with the locals. Media however speculate that this is for the best mitigation possible for the Felix match. And some namesakes of Simone di Bradini in the Kriegiersien roster amazes Alberto. However he told the press that the Agilang Dilaw can beat any squad at any given time, clones included.

Sangtian fans worldwide hope that Sangti improves its performance in the Di Bradini Cup. The Equestrian States match is live on TiViSangti.

This is Edric Conciso, signing off.

by **Filopines** » Sat Jul 27, 2013 11:33 pm

FILOPINES UNDER-21 FOOTBALL TEAM
Eww, young'uns!

Tactics
Formation - 4-2-2-2
Style - +3.5

Manager
James Brackett

Key
M - Male | F - Female | (18) - Age

Goalkeepers
GK - Colin Madden (19) - M
GK - Jake Tuohy (18) - M
GK - Sylvia Cornell (20) - F

Defenders
LB - Lucy Marsh (20) - F
LB - David Crowley (21) - M
CB - Amanda Rojas (18) - F
CB - Kevin Francis (19) - M
CB - George Connolly (20) - M
RB - Louis Tenner (21) - M
RB - Tara Nash (21) - F

Midfielders
LM - Kane Martens (17) - M
LM - Jai Gomez (18) - M
RM - Lane Henderson (20) - M
RM - Kate Quirino (17) - F
LW - Antonio Espinoza (20) - M
LW - Jane Peters (19) - F
RW - Tori Lamane (20) - F
RW - Justin Crane (21) - M

Strikers
LS - Damian Westhoff (19) - M
LS - Carrie Hood (20) - F
CF - Alex Crogien (17) - F
RS - Darren LeForge (18) - M
RS - Simeone DuPont (17) - M

RP Permissions
Anything except for serious injuries or deaths.

by **Mizuyuki** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 2:21 am

The Mizuyuki Chronicle

The Shirakiin Conundrum
Issue blown out of all proportions by irresponsible journalism

Shirakiin has travelled with the U21s to Wight

The Auroral Union’s best and brightest have just set off to bring prestige and glory to their nation. According to reports from our on site journalist, Takamichi Shota, the team, along with the recalcitrant Shirakiin Kurumi, who backed down on her threat to quit as coach of the Under 21 team, jetted off to Wight for the start of the Di Bradini Cup campaign this Sunday.

Reported discontent among the Auroral Union’s lads first surfaced three days previously, when Shirakiin told a press conference that she “had her hand forced in first team affairs”. In addition, she also appeared to briefly drop a clue that she was prepared to give up on the honour of guiding the Mizuyuki Under 21s in the DBC.

Immediately afterwards, various reports began to assault the mass media, with diverse sources variously claiming that Shirakiin was set to resign from her post due to her unhappiness at interference from the FA. A journalist from the renowned Sekai Shinbun also voiced her displeasure at the FA’s alleged intervention, even going so far as to compare the FA’s top brass to “evil draconian imbeciles who rule with an iron fist” over all aspects of the beautiful game of football in Mizuyuki.

The journalist in question, Terauchi Kanami, also cast the national team’s manager Ishikawa Haruka as the villain in this increasingly drawn out drama. Doubts were cast over Ishikawa’s ability to lead the national team to even greater heights in the future, while Terauchi freely expressed her views that Ishikawa could be a major factor in the FA’s decision to assume control of the U21’s first team affairs.

Her flimsy accusations are easily rebutted because there is no solid evidence to back her statements up. For example, why would the FA go to such great lengths to wrest control from Shirakiin? It would be a counterproductive move with respect to the team’s performances under Shirakiin’s leadership while at the same time undermining Shirakiin’s ability to cooperate with the supporting cast in the FA. I simply cannot comprehend the FA’s motive in doing so, if indeed the allegations levelled against them are true.

Terauchi’s second assertion that Ishikawa was involved in influencing the FA against Shirakiin is even more ridiculous. In fact, it is so illogical that I do not see a need to rip it to shreds, for surely any football fan worth his salt will be able to see past Terauchi’s façade and see that it is merely bluster, an accusation with no substance whatsoever. However, I will still endeavour to correct the staunch anti-Ishikawa people who may have been influenced by Terauchi’s defamatory writing.

First of all, why on earth would Ishikawa feel a need to weaken Shirakiin’s hold over the Under 21 team? Shirakiin, who cut her teeth during the early 90s at the famed Okinawa Breeze treble winning team, has enjoyed a fruitful partnership with Ishikawa ever since their playing days, when Shirakiin served as understudy to the more illustrious Ishikawa in midfield. This fine working relationship has apparently continued until very recently, with Ishikawa quoted as saying : “I’m very happy with Shirakiin’s contribution to national football, and I will be recommending that the FA promote her from reserve coach to the manager of our under 21 team.

Sure enough, Shirakiin was duly promoted to the post a few days later. Since then, the duo have worked in tandem for the good of the Auroral Union’s football teams, with nary a sign to show that their relationship was broken beyond repair, as Terauchi implied in her piece.

There is clearly zero proof to support these baseless claims that have been fabricated on a whim by Terauchi and her cohorts at Sekai Shinbun, seemingly aimed at stirring up public sentiment against the FA as well as instigate discontent against the capable Ishikawa, not to mention generating sales from their peddling of rumours.

by **New Sideburn** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 3:01 am

Most managers start their careers as players.
The curious thing is, when you look at many of the best managers, it turns out that they had been very mediocre players indeed.
Darryl Boyden had been a very mediocre player, which is why he felt it was unfair that he'd turned out to be an equally unremarkable manager. Boyden, who had been a striker in the lower echolons of the league for seventeen distinctly average years, was a short, lean man with greying chestnut hair, a widows peak and omnipresent five o'clock shadow. His slate grey eyes were rarely more than half-open, giving the impression that he was permanently asleep on his feet.
He didn't quite know why he'd been selected for the post of U-21 manager. He'd spent the painfully recent 329 season in an agonising downward spiral with the Chenoworth Harriers before being sacked, then brought onto the catastrophically imploding Vermillion Rage as the final of five different managers. Both had been relegated. He'd spent the last two years chasing promotion with a team that, according to NSFA ruling, could not be promoted. His team, consisting of underpaid youths and past-it veterans, had actually (entirely pointlessly) managed second this year. When Boyden had been offered an opportunity to escape, he'd grasped it by both hands.
Actually, New Sideburn had never sent a youth team into competition before. Sourly, Boyden noted with a glance at the training, it wasn't hard to see why. But Escher Speare (who Boyden understood was responsible for hiring him) had been very convincing when it had come to 'modernising the Sideburn game'. She'd only spoken to Boyden once, and had mentioned statistics a lot. She'd left frustrated, and Boyden left perplexed; either way, he felt she was obsessed.
He'd been given a list of eligible names, with which he'd been expected to find 23 fine specimens of talented youth. He'd managed about eight. The rest... well.
They plied their trades in a variety of clubs and leagues, most of them quite modest. Those with marquee clubs were generally third- or fourth-choice. He'd only worked with one of them before; he'd muttered vague approval at Belfast once back at the Harriers.
The problem was a cultural one, Boyden reckoned. The Sideburnese primarily respected strength, experience and maturity. These are not qualities your average nineteen-year old possesses. And why play some tiny youth when you had a six foot seven veteran to fit the role? If Rook Harm could break someone's shins with a stare, when would bright-eyed, rat-faced Hadi Belfast get a look in?
Didn't help that Brenecia had gone for youth last year, and spent the entire cycle getting utterly jobbed up and down the world.
Still. There was some source of hope.
Daniel Cromwell, for one. One of precious few players with real, first-team experience at a top level. Sure, the Rangers had been immediately relegated and he'd been snapped up at Crisisbless as a backup, but for someone trying to be Portia Thrift's successor at both club and country, you could do worse. Cromwell was a strapping blond lad, fast on his feet and firm with his grip.
He wasn't the only one, either. Tosca Marlowe, who Boyden had decided should captain, played in the first team for AFC Shale. She'd never played in the Premiership in her life, but she HAD been a fixture in a side good enough to get there. Hadrian Belfast would pair her in central defence, and he was apparently one of the best centrebacks in the Premiership. Elaine Candell held the midfield, and Eloise Parrish anchored the left - completing the Dubstep Rangers graduates, though only Parrish was with the club now. Chris Christon was a good, decisive player, too - he'd impressed in the Brinemouth reserves and now sat their bench. In attack, Rook Cathar, tall, handsome and permanently smirking, partnered Cheney Bittencourt, who had scored the third-most goals in the First Division last year and earnt a transfer to Raven River.
And the rest...
Well.
Things were going to be interesting for Darryl Boyden, that was for certain.

by **Free Republics** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 10:36 am

OOC: I think I should probably start my election story arc with Lonely Multiverse's guide to the parties and the political system. Where bias creeps in, this is due to the regional headquarters of Lonely Multiverse being located in the Free Republics.

Political System & Parties

In the Federation of Free Republics, most of the Federation-level "parties" are actually coalitions of parties that have a similar ideological perspective. There are 10 parties or coalitions that are considered "major," based on past performance and are given automatic spots in the nationally televised debates. Unless a minor party or their candidate is polling at least 10%, they will be excluded from the debate because it simply isn't possible to include the hundreds of thousands of minor parties and still have a manageable debate that doesn't last for 6 weeks.

The FFR has a federal system designed with numerous checks and balances to prevent the government from becoming too powerful. Each Republic is mostly autonomous and the government of that Republic has the power to pass legislation, provided that their legislation does not conflict with the Federation Constitution. In the interest of brevity, we will not go into the political system of each individual Republic. However, one should keep in mind that different Republics have vastly different laws. They have vastly different ages of majority, vastly different regulations and even vastly different laws regarding voter eligibility. Theoretically, a Republic can pass any restrictions on voting that it wishes and "reasonable restrictions" on voting are common in most Republics.

The Federation of Free Republics has a bicameral legislature. The Federation Assembly is an elected body. Members of the Assembly are elected under proportional representation. Each eligible voter in the Federation of Free Republics has a single vote for the Assembly. They can vote for any party or coalition of parties. Parties or coalitions that collect a million signatures from eligible voters are placed on the ballot for Assembly elections. Other parties are included as write-in votes. Under Federation election law, being a registered member of a party is considered an automatic signature. Given the size of the Free Republics, dozens of parties have over a million members. Smaller parties can secure a list of registered independent voters from the government in most Republics and independent voters are permitted to sign ballot access forms for an unlimited number of parties. Thus, it is not unheard of for supporters of the major parties to register "independent" and sign ballot access petitions for minor parties, in order to dilute the vote for rival parties.

Every 2 years, an election to the Federation Assembly is held. The parties that get at least 2% of the vote get representation in the Assembly. They also obtain an automatic spot in future debates, so long as they continue to be represented in the Assembly. Therefore, the top priority of every minor party in the Free Republics is to get 2% of the vote for the Assembly. That is considered a prerequisite for any party before they can seriously contend in Consul elections.

The upper house of the legislative branch is the Federation Senate. The Federation Senate is an appointed body. Every former Consul is automatically a Senator. Additionally, each Republic is permitted to appoint a Senator every 2 years. By custom, the governments of the individual Republics appoint their Senators shortly prior to the Assembly election, but they are permitted to appoint a Senator at any point between January 1st and December 31st of that year. Senators are appointed for life. They are not permitted to refuse their appointment. They are not permitted to resign from the Senate. Their fellow Senators are also not permitted to remove them from the Senate. Once appointed a Senator, one remains a Senator for life. Senators are permitted to be elected to another office and hold that office, while still a Senator.

The executive branch consists of 2 Consuls, who have the power to veto any decision made by the other consul. They are elected to 8-year terms. Every 4 years, the term of one of the Consuls expires and a replacement is elected. Each person may be elected to only 1 term as Consul. Re-electing the current Consul or a former Consul is strictly prohibited by the Federation Constitution. If a Consul is killed or incapacitated, the other Consul serves as the sole consul until the end of the term. If both Consuls have been killed or incapacitated, both the Assembly and the Senate may each elect an interim Consul to serve the remainder of the respective terms. Serving as an interim Consul does not count as a term as Consul, so interim Consuls may run for election to a full term as Consul and former Consuls may be named as an interim Consul.

Judges are appointed by the consuls. To be confirmed as a Judge, the nominee must also be approved by the non-nominating consul and the Senate. Senate approval of a judicial or cabinet nominee requires a 3/4ths vote. Judges are appointed for life terms. However, a Judge can be removed by a 3/5ths vote of either the Assembly or the Senate. A Judge who engages in misconduct, such as "creative interpretation" of the law or the Constitution is very likely to be removed. Neither the Assembly nor the Senate appreciate activist judges.

The Federation Constitution is designed to produce gridlock. This is seen as a vital bulwark against undesirable changes. The Republics value their autonomy and fear an activist Federation Government. Therefore, they appoint Senators that share their views. In the Assembly, legislation passes by majority vote. However, the Senate requires a 3/5ths vote to pass legislation. If the legislation is filibustered, a 3/4ths vote is required to end debate. Filibusters are rare, but provide what most Republicans would consider a vital check on the ability of the majority to impose its will upon the minority.

At the time of publication, there were 10 major Federation-level political parties or coalitions in the Free Republics. They were the Liberal Coalition, Coalition of Moderates, Conservative Coalition, Progressive Coalition, Christian Coalition, Radical Alliance, Communist Party FFR, Party for National Greatness, Green Coalition and the Holy Party. All 10 of these parties were eligible for automatic inclusion in the Consul debates. They also had the option, if they so chose, of holding their own Federation Government-funded primary elections to choose their nominee.

The Liberal Coalition is traditionally the largest coalition of political parties in the Federation of Free Republics. They are commonly considered to be centrists. The Liberals favor free market capitalism with a minimal safety net. They are culturally tolerant and oppose the cultural extremism of both left and right. On foreign policy issues, they tend to be split between their expansionist wing that wishes to expand the reach of freedom around the world and their non-interventionist wing, which is skeptical of foreign entanglements. They are widely regarded in the FFR as the coalition of the status quo.

The Coalition of Moderates is the center-left coalition. They favor a slight expansion of the safety net. However, they are most prominently known for their desire to have the Federation Government enter some industries and compete against the private sector. The Moderates believe that the private sector has not efficiently operated those industries and they believe that the government can out-compete the private sector. They tend to be culturally tolerant, just like the Liberals. On foreign policy, their views are largely similar to those of the non-interventionist Liberals.

The Conservative Coalition is a coalition of center-right parties. They favor slightly freer markets, slightly lower taxes, slightly less regulation and a slightly reduced safety net. They are mildly socially conservative, often pushing for more regulation of abortion providers. In terms of foreign policy, the Conservatives tend to be expansionists. They wish to expand the reach of freedom, which effectively means colonizing foreign lands for the Federation of Free Republics. The Liberals, Moderates and Conservatives are considered the 3 mainstream parties by most Republicans.

The most notorious of the non-mainstream parties is the Progressive Coalition. The Progressives were once a mainstream party. However, they have become a total laughing stock in the Free Republics, due to their own mistakes and a hostile media. They favor a much larger government. They want massive tax increases on the wealthy that would exceed the Constitution's 10% cap on taxes and to get those tax increases, they are campaigning for the repeal of that cap. Contrary to the beliefs of most Republicans that their nation is a tolerant nation where everybody has equal rights, the Progressives believe that the FFR is dominated by white males who oppress everybody else. They are constantly proposing laws to counter this alleged discrimination. They are closely linked with feminism, a movement which is considered politically toxic in the Free Republics because women already have equal rights under the law.

The Progressives regularly talk about how the Federation Constitution is an "archaic piece of paper" that holds back progress. They advocate "humanitarian interventions," which are considered pointless boondoggles by most Republicans, who believe that the military exists to defend the Free Republics. To the Progressives, the military exists to promote their view of "human rights" around the world, a view that is heavily influenced by the WA's opinions regarding the matter. The Progressives are probably most prominently known for their obsession with rape. They are constantly pushing laws that would require every accusation of rape to go to trial, based on some conspiracy theory about how the Republicans police are supposedly covering up for rapists. Another frequent Progressive proposal is the Rape Shield Act, which would take away the right of the accused to confront his accuser and thus violate the Federation Constitution's guarantees of due process. Yet another Progressive proposal regarding rape would repeal the Ending False Accusations Act, a law which provides stronger protections for the wrongly accused and mandates prosecution of false accusers. They have struggled to find much support for these proposals from other parties and these proposals have contributed to the coalition's image problems. Progressives are routinely mocked by the media as the party of militant ethnic minorities, bitter women and indoctrinated college students. The Progressives have virtually no support besides those 3 constituencies, but even among them there is a stigma against being a Progressive.

The Christian Coalition is a right-wing coalition that primarily focuses on legislating their morality into law. They heavily campaign on being the party of family values. They view abortion as a great moral evil and are constantly trying to ban or restrict it. They believe that divorce harms children and therefore favor laws restricting divorce by married couples that have underage children. They push for strict Federation-level laws against recreational drugs to protect children and are also advocates of strengthening parental controls over entertainment. While the Progressives favor restricting how women can be portrayed in video games, the Christians want to restrict violent and/or sexual content in video games. The Christian Coalition parties take it for granted that minors have obtained too many rights and wish to restrict their rights while expanding the rights of parents. In most Republics, they are campaigning to raise the age of majority and the age of consent. Their support in the polls tends to increase whenever juvenile crime features prominently in the news. When it comes to economics and foreign policy, they agree on very little. Some of them favor capitalism, while others believe that capitalism promotes immorality and wish for a more government-dominated system. Some of them are pacifists, while others favor Crusades to spread Christianity. Effectively, both the Crusaders and the pacifists are anti-war votes at the present time, since any war at this point in time would not be fought to spread Christianity.

The Radical Party is a nationally-organized political party of the radical center. With a platform based heavily on the book Social Statics by Herbert Spencer, the Radicals consider the law of equal liberty to be their foundational principle. They favor amendments to the Federation Constitution to expand rights and seek to completely abolish the social safety net. They are firmly committed to equal rights for all, including equal rights for minors. They favor a foreign policy that unconditionally rejects all wars that are not fought for solely defensive reasons. They also strongly oppose entangling alliances.

The Communist Party FFR (CPFFR) is a Marxist-Leninist organization that favors a revolution of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie. They wish to seize the "means of production" for the benefit of the working class. They tend to regard cultural issues as a distraction and oppose all "capitalistic" wars. According to the Republican media, they are a protest vote for individuals that are frustrated with their boss, but few people actually want the CPFFR to take power.

The Party for National Greatness is a self-described "Republican Nationalist" party that claims to be neither left nor right, but Republican. They are widely considered to be fascists. They openly favor an authoritarian society and a much more powerful Federation Government. They are not a racist organization and have elected numerous ethnic minorities to the Assembly. However, they are in favor of abolishing gender equality and restoring traditional gender roles. They also wish to outlaw homosexuality. They favor a heavily regulated economy that is privately owned in theory, but government controlled in fact. Businesses would operate to promote the national interest, rather than making profits. They tend to be extremely xenophobic and favor a ban on immigration. They also favor a vast expansion of the military, including the introduction of conscription, in order to go abroad to conquer and annex other nations.

The Green Coalition is a coalition of parties that favor stronger environmental protection laws. They favor similar cultural policies to those of the Progressives and are therefore often the only other party to vote with the Progressives on those matters, but primarily emphasize environmental issues. They want the economy to be heavily regulated and favor a massive safety net. The Greens also policies to promote a lower birth rate, such as free birth control, free sterilization and tax penalties for individuals that have more than 1 child. They also support immigration restrictions and often join with the Party for National Greatness to vote for such restrictions. In terms of foreign policy, the Greens tend to be pacifists. On the rare occasions when the media gets tired of mocking the Progressives, they mock the Greens instead.

Lastly, the Holy Party is a radical Christianist party that wishes to remake the Federation of Free Republics into a Christian theocracy. While their members come from a number of different factions within radical Christianity, the Church of Saintland, which is officially known as the "True Church," is widely believed to be the main source behind their funding. The Holy Party strongly favors replacing Republican law with a legal system based on Biblical law. They also wish to greatly increase regulation of the economy and greatly expand the safety net.

Most of the power in the Free Republics is held by the Liberals, Moderates and Conservatives. The other 7 parties hold a handful of seats each in the Assembly. The Speaker of the Assembly is traditionally a member of the largest party, although he is required to work with the other parties to get legislation passed. The Consuls are always members of one of the 3 large parties. The candidates of the 7 extreme parties tend to be eliminated during the first 2 rounds of voting, although it is not unheard of for an extremist candidate to make it to the final 2. When that happens, such candidates inevitably get crushed in the 3rd and final round of voting. Such is the way things go in Republican politics.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 10:43 am

Does only winning develop players?
by Rachel Sharper- Concord Heights Times

Rule Theriault, the manager of the Free Republics U-21 Team replied to my previous article by saying that only winning can probably develop a player. His team was successful in the last Di Bradini Cup, advancing to the final, before losing out to our Cup of Harmony co-hosts. This raises a good discussion point. Do you have to win in order to properly develop players? Can a young player not learn how the adversity at a young age by first experiencing defeat? When these kids were growing up, they were all the best players on their neighborhood playgrounds, and growing up in school. They have done nothing but win, win, and win again on an individual level. The transition from being a great youth player to being a successful professional needs more then just winning. Take that star quarterback for example. As a kid, parents and coaches would first rave about her arm, and then she would take it to the pee-wee level and annihilate the competition with it. Then comes school play, and she still dominates, and then continues to do so in high school. Because she has that gift, she is never being challenged. What is she gaining from winning her high school games 56-0 over and over again, other then an ego. See, it’s that ego that needs to be put in check, and the first test can be in college. Some high school stars transition well, but for the first time that star is playing against people who were also stars. The competition level increases. This is when you need to develop your player. For the first time, she needs that offensive line to block properly for her. She needs her receivers to run the proper routes, because at this level she can’t just make up for things with individual skill. The same thing happens on the soccer field. These young kids, who have been superstars of their age group, now meet their equivalent on the other side of the pitch. Now, they need more then their individual skill, they need to learn the fundamentals truly and properly, and how to work with their teammates, or else they will go no further. They aren’t used to losing. Therefore, they aren’t used to handling adversity. The ability to handle adversity is crucial for being successful at the professional level. This is the age in which a player learns how handle adversity. Of course, there has to be successes because you have to keep individual morale high, that goes without saying. Cassadagan players who went on to win the World Cup were able to achieve this in the Di Bradini Cup. Cassadaigua has always done decently and generally has advanced to the knockout stages each time, so there’s been enough winning. It just doesn’t have to be the only thing.

I’m sure that Theriault, deep down, knows this. He has a soccer team to coach, and one that is coming off a runner up finish in the last Di Bradini Cup, so he has set his expectations high. Still it is not wins that Free Republics needs, it is proper teaching that Theriault needs to provide. I think he does this, because his team was also pretty successful in their World Cup qualifying effort. I hope, though, that is things do not go there way, that Theriault is able to take a step back from his hardline approach and realize that his ultimate goal should be developing those players to become long term stars, not just have a “flash in the pan” success. Winning is important, but experiencing triumph and defeat isn’t a bad thing for the long run, either.

by **The Serbian Empire** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 11:14 am

The Serbian Empire has assembled a team made of many young players with none of them being 21 and thus capable of returning for the Di Bradini Cup 29. That being said, the Serbian Empire doesn't have the youngest team nor the experience necessary to be much more than a mediocre to good team for this competition on paper. However, there is one component that allows the Serbian Empire to contend which is the superior goalkeeping abilities of Andrej Mirkovic. Without the goalkeeping, the Serbian Empire is a mediocre offensive team in a sea of powerhouse offenses. Veljko Crnagorac says this team is statistically the most average in offensive ability of any team in the DBC29 competition, but he might be keeping the truth hidden in hopes of lulling opponents into a sense of false security.

by **Vilita** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 12:45 pm

U21 World Cup 7 Champions

GOALKEEPERS:

[ ] CorsiBot [ - Lake Bekk Robotics - ]
------- GK ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 15 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Lake Bekk's featured goalkeeper-bot modeled after Vilitan goalkeeper Massimo Corsi. Corsi played much of his career in Giant Zucchini but left after the widely publicized downfall of the nation. Corsi had been an important part of Arkanoid FC's GZPL performances. CorsiBot played all of the Robothings matches during the Worlds Fair Play tournament, sharing time with Citizen Jungrii Canopii

[ ] IssahBot [ - Crosaibi Robotics - ]
------- GK ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 3 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
The IssahBot, designed by Crosaibi Robotics, is modeled after former Vilita National Team and Marine Coast United goalkeeper Rory Issah.

[ ] SlietahBot [ - Turori Robotics - ]
------- GK ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
The star creation of the Turori Robotics camp, SlietahBot is modeled after Milauo Slietah, perhaps the most-famous of all Turorian goalies. Along with fellow Turorian National team star Marlian Hunial, Slietah helped to start up Cednia Beach AFC. Slietah famously scored a hat-trick in a Cup of Harmony world World Cup 16 against Starblaydia, ensuring himself a place in football folklore.

DEFENDERS:

[ ] AhatBot [ - Crosaibi Robotics - ]
------- D RC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 15 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
AhatBot, like its namesake, former Vilitan defender Enzo Ahat, is a Textbook Central Defender.

[ ] AlianaBot [ - Alikki-Corra Robotics - ]
------- D RLC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 14 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Despite being modeled after Esemar Aliana who spent much of his career in Yeaddin, the AlianaBot was developed by Alikki-Corra Robotics. Aliana was a promising young utility defender at Alikki-Corra FC who made his first appeances for The U21 side during the successful Runner-Up finish to Jeruselem. He then became a regular on the Subs bench during World Cup 15, the first edition that saw Vilita qualify for the finals. Esemar Aliana would become one of the top defenders in Vilita, and his move to Yeaddin Owls AFC resulted in a plethora of Stellar Division championship medals.

[ ] AfrikkaBot [ - Jlinal Robotics - ]
------- D LC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 10 :: GOALS::SR: 2 )
AfrikkaBot produced by Jlinal Robotics highlights the qualities of former Vilitan defender Jaloey Afrikka who was always one of the quiet talents in the Vilita lineup. A regular in the team since graduating from the Under-21 side, Jaloey was always in the roster somewhere, either starting or on the bench, when the Vilitan teamsheet was announced. With the retirement of Vilitan defensive legends Giacomo Adika and Enzo Ahat, Afrikka found himself as first-choice Central Defender for the World Cup 19 Finals. Afrikka was an easy choice for Jlinal Robotics as the memorable defender both started and ended his career with Jlinal Cove FC. In between stints at Jlinal Cove, the well travelled Afrikka was one of few players known to have featured for the Vilitan Trio, after signing with Yeaddin Owls, Afrikka featured for Strike FC and Marine Coast United in addition to a host of other teams throughout his career. Afrikka retired from the Vilitan National Team following World Cup 22.

[ ] AdikaBot [ - Jlinal Robotics - ]
------- D/DM LC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 6 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Jlinal Robotics created AdikaBot in coordination with Crosaibi Robotics production of AhatBot in a share agreement. The qualities of Enzo Ahat and Giacomo Adika were always complimentary, and AdikaBot is expected to feature on the left back position whenever AhatBot is in the center of the defense.

[ ] OllirgBot [ - Yeaddin Robotics - ]
------- D C (SW) ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 3 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
OllirgBot is modeled after former Yeaddin Owls defender Matteo Ollirg who made sporatic appearances at Centre-Back for the Vilitan National team while also being an Influencial Club Team player

[ ] HunialBot [ - Turori Robotics - ]
------- D RLC ( AGE: 2 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Modeled after famed Turorian defender Marlian Hunial, one of the creators of Cednia Beach AFC, HunialBot had setbacks in testing and it is not clear whether all the bugs have yet been worked out.

[ ] SurfBot [ - Yeaddin Robotics - ]
------- D C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Yeaddin Robotics created SurfBot to pay homage to long-time Yeaddin Owls head coach Kenter Surf who was also a defender from time to time in the days prior to his coaching career.

DEFENSIVE MID:

[ ] RamziBot [ - Crosaibi Robotics - ]
------- DM C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 8 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
When Crosaibi Robotics first announced their foray into the world of Robotic Athletics, everyone knew what Bot would be their star. RamziBot is of course modeled after Defensive Midfielder Jurgen Ramzi. Ramzi took up a role behind the central midfielders in a strong debutant World Cup 14 Qualifying showing by the Jungle Cats after missing out on the entirety of the World Cup 13 campaign. Ramzi assumed Captaincy of Marine Coast United following the departure of Santo Kecker to Barcoenfuego in Kingsford, and played many successful seasons in Crosaibi. With the lack of a suitable Defensive Midfield replacement, Ramzi was urged by Vilitan head coach Helmut Vilkaus to stay on the international scene well into his 30's. Ramzi agreed, while taking up a new job, as coach of Jlinal Cove FC, where he has begun a transformation which made Jlinal Cove FC look more like a Defensive Midfield training academy.

[ ] RatuvaBot [ - Jlinal Robotics - ]
------- D DM RC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 6 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Jlinal Robotics designed RatuvaBot after Vilitan defensive midfielder Antonis Ratuva who was first Called to the U21 side for Defensive Midfield cover in U21WCIV, Ratuva had an impressive debut season in Central Defense for Jlinal Wanderers in the Vilitan Lower Leagues, and was first noticed as a National Team candidate when Baron O'Toole attended the Jlinal Wanderers v. Turoki Isle Vilitan Cup match, deciding that he would potentially be best utilized sitting between the midfielders and the defense.

[ ] OtienoBot [ - Lake Bekk Robotics - ]
------- DM C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
OtienoBot was created by LakeBekk Robotics

MIDFIELDERS:

[ ] KeckerBot [ - Lonngeylin Robotics - ]
------- M LC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 15 :: GOALS::SR: 4 )
The pride and joy of Lonngeylin Robotics, KeckerBot is a spitting image of Santo Kecker, the long time Captain of Vilitan National Team - that is with a few extra nuts and bolts. Kecker transferred from Marine Coast United to Barcoenfuego of Kingsford for 6.2m Following World Cup 14. Kecker, a free kick specialist, was left homeless when the Kingsford Pillar League dissolved and decided the time was right for a return to the Vilitan League. While he had originally planned to rejoin Marine Coast United, Kecker ended up at Jungle Strike FC. Kecker, Strike or Marine Coast never revealed any of the reasons behind this decision. Whatever the reason, the effect was clear, with Strike stepping up as the main challenger to Yeaddin Owls in the seasonal challenge for the Stellar Division title, as well as counting up a handful of Vilitan Cup and Tropical Trophy victories along the way.

[ ] BaledrokadrokaBot [ - Crosaibi Robotics - ]
------- M RC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 16 :: GOALS::SR: 2 )
BaledrokadrokaBot, also known simply as "BaleBot" or "BalayBot" was designed by Crosaibi Robotics in a mold similar to that of former Marine Coast United and Vilita midfielder Jonathan Baldrokadroka

[ ] NerniBot [ - Yeaddin Robotics - ]
------- M RC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 11 :: GOALS::SR: 4 )
NerniBot was created by Yeaddin Robotics as tribute to one of the most Famous players in Yeaddin and Vilitan history, Tanner Nerni. The Impressive Wing Midifleder, born & raised in Turori by Vilitan parents, saw his first international action in the Atlantian Oceania Cup of Association Football. Nerni's performances at a young age in the AOCAF Cup and for Cednia Beach AFC in Turori earned him what was a then-record transfer to high-flying Yeaddin Owls AFC in Vilitan Season 10. Nerni, however, seemed to have never made the impact on the National Stage, as was the case with many of the Owls stars, who seemed at that time to save their best performances for the league and never walk too far from the bench when the Teal, Orange and Navy are in action. That is, until the World Cup 20 final. It was Nerni's penetrating runs down the right flank that eventually earned Vilita the World Cup for the first time, Nerni scoring the winning goal and becoming the hottest commodity in sport. Eventually, Eastal Lunar tendered an offer no club could refuse, and Nerni was off to his new club for an all-time record Vilitan transfer. Nerni's impact at Eastal Lunar was nothing of what was expected of a World Cup hero, and Nerni made a less than blockbuster move back home to Cednia Beach AFC. However, looking to bolster their Season 17 squad, the Owls came calling once again for their former superstar winger. Nerni helpd the Owls record another Vilitan Cup title, but failed in their goal of a third straight champions league title. Nerni returned to Cednia Beach by request, for a sizable fee, during Season 18. Nerni spent his twilight playing years home at the Beach, before retiring and accepting an offer to coach the Jlinal Wanderers upon their return to the Declasse division in season 22.

[ ] StottBott [ - Crosaibi Robotics - ]
------- M RC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 10 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
StottBott was modeled by Crosaibi Robotics after Jonathon Stott, the respected utility midfielder who featured greating in the Vilita Roster during World Cup 14 with many productive performances on the Right Wing.

[ ] MitarokaBot [ - Yeaddin Robotics - ]
------- M RLC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 10 :: GOALS::SR: 1 )
It was no surprised when Yeaddin Robotics decided to model a bot after former Yeaddin Owls midfielder Calaesa Mitaroka. Mitaroka's Performances for Yeaddin in Season One earned him Youth Player of the Year Honors along with Yeaddin's Stellar Division Championship in the Inagural Vilitan season. Mitaroka never developed into the powerhouse force that was expected from his early performances, but was always expected to make a great coach one day do to his leadership both on and off the field at Yeaddin Owls AFC. Mitaroka has since taken charge of the Vilitan National Team, leading them to the World Cup Finals, proving the validity of the prophecy made many years prior.

[ ] DogbéBot [ - Arcticala Robotics - ]
------- M LC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 10 :: GOALS::SR: 1 )
DogbeBot was developed by Arcticala Robotics as a tribute to Cristian Dogbe, Vilitan midfielder during their debut campaign in World Cup 13 Qualifying.

[ ] ChapmanBot [ - Yeaddin Robotics - ]
------- M LC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 4 :: GOALS::SR: 2 )
Yeaddin Robotics developed ChapmanBot in the mold of Nigel Chapman who was the Vilitan National Team Captain prior to their entry into the WCC and World Cup Qualifying campaigns prior to World Cup 13. Chapman, who was in the twilight of his career at the time, never featured largely for the National Team after this point.

[ ] TuirmaBot [ - Turori Robotics - ]
------- M LC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 2 :: GOALS::SR: 1 )
TurimaBot is the most well rounded player to come out of the Turori Robotics stable, modeled after long time Turorian National Team and FC Almintora midfielder Cuolia Tuirma

[ ] ÖstlingBot [ - Arcticala Robotics - ]
------- M LC ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 2 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
ÖstlingBot was modeled by Arcticala Robotics after the Inconsistent but Talented Attacking Midfielder Alexander Östling who was especially reknowned for having the potential to make or break a game by coming on as a sub.

[ ] MelliBot [ - Lonngeylin Robotics - ]
------- M C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 0 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Lonngeylin Robotics modeled MelliBot after exciting Central Midfielder Umberto Melli whose brilliant performances in the historical Vilitan Under-21 World Cup 3 team earned him his first call up to the National Team during World Cup 15. Melli was widely considered as one of the most reliable midfielders in all of Vilita.

FORWARDS:

[ ] BandaBot [ - Arcticala Robotics - ]
------- F C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 15 :: GOALS::SR: 6 )
Arcticala Robotics created one of the single most anticipated beings in BandaBot. Obviously catered to represent the sensational striker Callum Banda who first appeared for the National team in World Cup 13 and scored the Jungle Cats first ever goal in Inter-NationStatal Competition in the 2-1 over Compound Interest. Banda set a Vilitan record by scoring 10 times during World Cup 19 Qualifying, including his 50th career goal, both in all international competitions, and his 50th Senior-National tally with the equalizer against Tadjikistan. Banda capped off a sensational season by winning his first Vilitan Most Valuable Player award. Banda netted his 196th career Domestic goal for Marine Coast United as he helped return his long-time club to the top of the Stellar Division in Season 15. In Season 16, Banda netted his 200th career goal for Marine Coast United, then shocked the world by announcing he would be leaving the club he had played for his entire career, midway through Season 16. Banda was offerred the job of saving Arcticala Inlet from the threat of relegation, not only as a Striker, but also, as team manager. Banda accepted the job, and not only fired the goals that kept Arcticala Inlet safe, but coached the club to victory in the Vilitan Cup for the 5th time in club history.

[ ] MbidzoBot [ - Lake Bekk Robotics - ]
------- F C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 14 :: GOALS::SR: 4 )
MbidzoBot was developed by Lake Bekk Robotics after famed Vilitan striker Carmine Mbidzo. Mbidzo learned from the best as the former Understudy to the inseperable strike partnership of Callum Banda and Jim Vella at Marine Coast United. He transferred to Cednia Beach after Requesting First-Team Football and recorded 25 goals in 32 games in all competitions, breaking all related club records for Cednia at just 16 years old. He led the team to the Vilitan Cup final, only to be defeated by none other than Marine Coast, a goal from friend of the family Baron O'Toole ending Cednia Beach's Cup dream. At seasons end, Mbidzo became the youngest ever recipient of the Vilitan Stellar Division top goalscorer award, and earned a call to the Vilitan National Under-21 team. Mbidzo found life rocky from that point on, however, and decided to try and re-vitalise his career by transferring out of Vilita and into Starblaydia. The gambit obviously worked, and he smashed in 22 goals in in his first season at the Daii, earning himself the plaudits of the Starblaydi fans as well as the scoring the Goal of the Season for Season 1. Regional coach Santo Kecker invited Mbidzo to his squad for AOCAF IX in Cockbill Street, and Mbidzo responded in great form, smashing home 8 goals in 6 games, including the lone goal in both the Semi Finals over Nedalia and the Final against Hypocria to lead the Regional cats to their second Regional Title. MbidzoBot scored twice during the Robothings appearance in the Worlds Fair Play tournament.

[ ] DuPontBot [ - Lonngeylin Robotics - ]
------- F C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 8 :: GOALS::SR: 1 )
Lonngeylin Robotics developed DuPontBot after former Academy player Serge DuPont who graduated to the senior squad prior to V-League Season Two. DuPont quickly made his International Senior Debut in World Cup XV Qualfiying against the East Asian Empire and has was favored on the senior bench over veteran Lorenzo Mumamba. DuPont was one of Vilita's top all-time goalscorers at the regional level within Atlantian Oceania. DuPont got his domestic career started with Strike FC, where he went on to score not only a personal record, but the all time Vilitan Domestic record for individual goals in a season, netting 42 times in just 35 matches during Season 5. DuPont spent 5 seasons with Arcticala Inlet and helped transform the club from a mid table side, to a 5-Time Vilitan Cup champion, continuing his prolific scoring form before returning to Strike FC in Season 12. Throughout his domestic career, DuPont netted over 300 goals, and is believed to be the top all-time scorer in the Vilitan League.

[ ] IobabaoBot [ - Turori Robotics - ]
------- F C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 2 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
IobabaoBot is the first attempt from Turori Robotics at an attack minded player. IobabaoBot is modeled after long time Mliona-Lpaka striker Kaboafo Iobabao.

[ ] MumambaBot [ - Alikki-Corra Robotics - ]
------- F C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 4 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Alikki-Corra Robotics chose to mold their attacking creation around Lorenzo Mumamba who famously scored the Winning Goal in the Cup of Tardy vs. The Weegies.

[ ] SalomónBot [ - Yeaddin Robotics - ]
------- F C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 1 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Yeaddin Robotics created SalomonBot after German Salomon who helped the Yeaddin Owls to their first Stellar Division Championship in Season One, Leading the Vilitan League in scoring, before transferring to Elders in Kingsford.

[ ] VellaBot [ - Crosaibi Robotics - ]
------- F C ( AGE: 4 CAPS: 1 :: GOALS::SR: 0 )
Crosaibi chose the Impressive, Undervalued strike partner of Callum Banda at Marine Coast United, Jim Vella, as the mold for their most attack-minded creation.

I Give My Opponent Permission To:	
	====================	
	Choose Scorers: Y	
	GodMod Goalscoring Events: Y	
		
	Injure Players: Y (Limited to Duration of Competition)	
	GodMod Injury Events Y (Limited to Duration of Competition)	
		
	Red Card Players: Y	
	Yellow Card Players: Y	
	GodMod Other Events: Y	
	===================

by **Wight** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 12:55 pm

Di Bradini Cup 28 U-21 World Cup

It seems only fit & proper to begin any article about Wightling football by reminding the readership that the Sondry Folk are newly-crowned champions of the world. The Golden Generation have borne fruit, and of the richest kind. All eyes now shift to the junior teams to assess the Wightling's chance of turning this period into a dynasty. The under-21 Apprentices come into this edition of the Di Bradini Cup with a little pedigree themselves, as former World Champions at this level, and consecutive finalists, disappointingly passing up the opportunity to make it a rare two-in-row with defeat to The Blouman Empire in the DBC-26 final. Last time out a disappointing exit at the Round of 16 following defeat to friendly rivals Licentiapacisterra (unconfirmed rumours suggest the Licanthropicflamingopacibonbonterrierists will be shortening their name for future tournaments) was prelude to the seniors rise - an AOCAF final and the world title were to follow, with a strong contingent of former under-21 stars including no less than 13 players from the DBC-25 winning squad earning World Cup winners medals. Former international Lucifer Jones continues as manager of the team for his third tournament and will want to improve on his last showing. He has some relatively experienced heads in the team, with nine players appearing in previous Di Bradini tournaments. Making the step up from the under-15s is another exciting talent in the form of Osprey Hart, who at 16 is the youngster of the team. He will take inspiration from Israel Falcon, who shot through the ranks after appearing at the third under-15 World Championships and DBC-28, to make his full debut in the AOCAF-40 finalist squad, and win a starting place in the World Cup team: he opened the scoring in the World Cup Final in Pasarga to cap a memorable three years. Whilst also eligible for this tournament, Falcon has been given a well-deserved break following his World Cup exploits. The manager's son, Lucifer Jones II, also wins his first under-21 selection.

Kits courtesy of Kirola Sports, Audioslavia
Home: All Reaper Black, shirts with blue & gold fractal trim. Change: All Plundered Gold, shirts with black & blue Spit city skyline trim.
The Miskatonic FA have opted not to debut the brand new Champions kit until AOCAF-41, saving its launch for the Seniors next appearance.

Tactics

Modifier: Rather buccaneering +2.333r

WIGHT

Country Code: WGT
Team Nickname: The Apprentices
Style Modifier: +2.333r

Manager: Lucifer Jones
Assistant: Richal Azer-Baloo
Captain: Jonas Rollins
Vice Captain: Vepus Vingo

Artist: Sequoia Lennox
Dynamo: Eneko McBride
Stormtrooper: Ludan Tippett
Comedian: Austen Scantlebury
Promising Debutant: Osprey Hart

Most likely to get...

Tap-In: Aramis Reynard
Scorcher: Ravi St. Pinnock
Red Card: Devarsi Phillips
Stretcher: Aramis Reynard

The lads of The Apprentices are all too old to have been born in the broken islands of Wight, which emerged into AO about eleven years ago. Rather they come from Old Wight and arrived on the island archipelago as part of the migration known as The Great Remove, an attempt to populate the broken islands quickly in order to lay claim to it - a move which has worked. Thus these boys, being residents of the old reality bubble, are of mixed origin since, in the old country, reproduction is quite unheard of, and children are either grown in laboratories or come through the Small Door: that is to say, they come as the youngling dead from other multiverses; victims of disease, famine, maltreatment or unfortunate accidents. Through the Small Door each finds a happy ending in the pungent kind of paradise called Wight. This team is made up mostly of the many young people who subsequently migrated to the broken islands. Inevitably they will return to Old Wight when their lives are done and death takes them, where they will enjoy ageing either forwards or backwards (depending upon their age at their death) to the permanent age of 44 that all souls remain for the foreseeable eternities. A few have never moved out of Old Wight and will age very slowly towards 44 unless they spend time out of the Old Country, in which case they will proceed with the usual ageing process. As football is an amateur sport in Wight, those players not at school or college will also be holding down jobs in their spare time.

Goalkeepers

Jonas Rollins - (Age: 21) Club in Wight: AFC Portsmouth Captain
Competed as the first choice stopper in the second Under-15 World Championships in Vettrera, where the Smallfolk disappointingly went out to Maklohi Vai in the Round of 16, and was a reserve keeper as The Apprentices reached the DBC-26 final. Described as an intense loner, he is a highly motivated and ambitious youngster from the well-regarded AFC Portsmouth youth development squad, and now their first-choice starter. Promoted to captain of this team for his rounded experience. He is an apprentice at the Oroboros Heavy Products plant in Pompeii, where he his learning to lathe small parts for big machines.

Reserve

Nordlander - (20) Quab City
Full name Erginus Erginus Meriones Erginus Tresavean-Wake, he is one of two players in the squad who have never appeared for the national squad at any level. Something of a surprise call-up, he is considered a future talent at Haphazard Foundation top flight side Quab City. He is the genetically splice-cloned son of Miskatonic University classics professors Tuquaroy Tresavean and Yasha Wake, and shows every sign of following his parents into academia, with a particular interest in quantum architecture. He is also an obsessive reader of geofiction and acquired the nickname Nordlander for his other interest, a slightly concerning preoccupation with polar island states, and Polar Islandstates in particular.

Barney Whitaker - (18) FC Berserkr
The second debutant at any level, young Whitaker is the understudy to national number 1 and world cup winner Antrim Quentine at FC Berserkr. Spent last season on loan at third division side Royal Turquoise where he was a popular figure for the play-off team. Is expected to return for another season of league experience. When not playing football, he works as a mobile heavy equipment service technician with his uncle, Chiverton 'Chivvers' Whitaker, whose company, Chivvers Mechanical, are proud contractors to Shakerssen Removals and their famous Scammell 6x6 Ballast Tractor, St. Blazey, the Scammell of The Void.

Defenders

Vepus Vingo - (20) Young Horses of The Apocalypse - Left Fullback – Vice-Captain
The baby of the AOCAF-39 squad, if he'd made his debut at the tournament he would've broken Marriner Friend-Forsaken's record as youngest international player for Wight. He's used to that sort of thing - at 20 he is already a PhD student of Armageddon College, in the Miskatonic University, where he is doing sickeningly well in his research after a first class honours BSc and MSc in Apocalyptic Mechanics. Although he did not win a cap to break the record, he was subsequently selected for the World Cup 65 'B' squad, appearing three times and showing considerable promise. He also plays for Armageddon College's famous junior football team, the Young Horses, although there is plenty of interest from senior teams: expect him to make the switch right after this tournament...

Austen Scantlebury - (20) AFC Portsmouth - Right Fullback
Appearing as a reserve in the Under-15s second World Championship and DBC-27squad, Scantlebury has spent his youth as back-up to Etienne Gynn both at international and club level - yet another product of the impressive Beggars Lane Youth Club team, going on to apprentice at AFC Portsmouth. With Gynn too old to turn out for the Under 21s, Scantlebury finally gets his time in the sun and is expected to impress. A bricklayer in his working day, and admirer of concrete.

Ludan Tippett - (21) Spit City - Centre Half
2.4 metres tall and proportionately wide, Tippett is already regarded as a giant among men. Started his career as a keeper and won an Under-15 championship medal as third choice stopper in the squad, but having bulked out considerably, his former club Arnold Vale converted him to centre-half. He returned for a second Under-15 championship for Wight and makes his second appearance here at Under-21 level. Has also appeared at full 'B' level. Ludan cites his origin as a genetic experiment in the Miskatonic University, where for many years scientists were clone-building from Operation Flake, an audacious strategy of collecting human DNA from various countries around AO to make genetically-pure Atlantians ahead of the Great Remove.

Rumon Skewes - (21) Ouistreham Rouge - Centre Half
Undoubtedly the most experienced player in the squad, Skewes competed in two Under-15 championships, winning a title medal in the first, and now making his thirdd appearance at Under-21 level. He has also been capped at full 'B' level. Younger brother of Argon, who has won world title medals at Under-15, Under-21 and now as a full international. Skewes had been in Old Wight for some hundreds of years fixed at the age of 8, having died of a rat pox in Myddle, in old West Mercia, England. Deciding to take a shot at growing up, he came to the broken islands in the migration with Aschylus Skewes and Donna Maw and their adopted family of twelve. Original name Rumon de Myddle.

Reserve

Solomon Nevan - (20) Brigand Cove Albion - Left Fullback
Appeared in the second Under-15 World Championship in Vettrera as a starter alongside Ludan Tippett and Rumon Skewes, whilst a trainee at Iskander Town, or Turkish Memorial as they were known then. One of the players who failed to impress at the disappointing tournament, Nevan looked set for obscurity, especially with his team relegated to the second tier of the Broken Islands Association. But a move to the Albion has put him back on the map, and he was a back-up at the last Di Bradini. As a sewer pipe cleaner, he struggles to get a willing roommate for tournaments and will relish the opportunity for football on home soil, as will his team-mates.

Titus Sillitoe - (17) Tundra Axle FC - Right Fullback
Appeared in the third World under-15s Championships. A resident of the old country, Sillitoe came through the Small Door from a dark place in the long Scandinavian winter, and was adopted by the literary Sillitoes of Snotting, a hamlet of renowned cultural curiosities. Perhaps the most well read of all The Apprentices (apart from Nordlander) and an emerging writer with ambitions to succeed as a professional liar – the highest of all callings in the dead realms of Wight. He can play a bit of football too, though he has no ambition to make a big deal of it. That said, he has signed for one of the top teams in the old country, passing up the opportunity to play for his local village team, Snotting Ham Forest.

Rod Colijns - (20) Arnold Bedsit Rovers - Centre Half
Reserve in the second Under-15s squad and the last Di Bradini tournament, Colijns is beginning to emerge at top Broken Islands side ABR, where he is now getting regular league games already at the top level, alongside vastly experienced internationals Marriner Friend-Forsaken and M.V. Cabel. May struggle to get past Ludan Tippett in the under-21s, both literally and figuratively, but will do a competent job when called upon.

Kleisthenes Kestle - (19) Azerbaycan - Centre Half
Was a young reserve at the second World under-15s Championship, and reported as something of a loner, with a vicious streak on the field of play. Kestle did not play a minute of football in the tournament, managed by Lucifer Jones, and it was considered the boy couldn't fit into the pack mentality of squad football. Was largely a forgotten man until Jones surprisingly called him up again for this tournament - he at least must see something he likes in Kestle, even if most others don't. A trainee chef at the famous Starblaydi takeaway in Despite, Kebabylon's Burning.

Midfielders

Ravi St. Pinnock - (17) Ouistreham Rouge - Left Midfielder
Understudy to both adoptive-brothers Argon Skewes and Ludo Negus at the Rouge, St. Pinnock impressed at the Under 15s third World Championships tournament where the Nippers reached the semi-finals, and is one of two players, with Israel Falcon, to make the step up to the Under-21s in Di Bradini Cup 27. The rest is history for Falcon, but St. Pinnock is at least progressing steadily at his own pace and will feature as the youngest of the starters in this tournament.

Sequoia Lennox - (20) Arnold Bedsit Rovers - Right Midfielder
Another of the second Under-15s squad, highly thought of in Broken Islands football, and made his breakthrough in the last Di Bradini even with Bookworm Wilburn Lee ahead of him. There is no denying he strikes an air of future star when he struts his stuff, usually for the Bedsit Rovers reserves. "Successor to World Cup winner Zachary Fosse-Gordon" is already being mentioned in some circles, even though Fosse-Gordon is only 26 himself and improving all the time: but he'll be watching Lennox in this tournament with interest. Lennox presently works as a concierge at the Snakéd Cross Hotel, in Arnold, but imagines a career in the mountains of the Wight Peaks as a ranger once his footballing days are behind him.

Devarsi Phillips - (20) Stockett Brigade - Defensive Central Midfielder
After two previous Di Bradini tournaments and full 'B' caps, according to the team coach Lucifer Jones, Devarsi has a bright future in the game. Presently turning out for The Brigade, he has recently broken into the first team squad and is impressing in the Haphazard Foundation. He comes from a long line of depressed hill farmers, and rumour has it Jones has brings him on every tour just to cheer him up.

Eneko McBride - (18) Spit City - Attacking Central Midfielder
With W.J Puckett and Israel Falcon, one of the stars of the third under-15 World Championship team. Though he makes only occasional senior appearance for his home club, pundits are predicting McBride could join that small band of elite youngsters who make debuts for the national team before the age of 20. He will be in the admirable company of Piran MacKenzie and Marriner Friend-Forsaken if he does, and that would come as no surprise to anyone who has seen him play. With a test-tube conception at the Dolly Ovis Aries Genetics Foundation, and a mixed Atlantian Oceanic heritage from DNA stolen across the region in Operation Flake, he’s clearly got the blood of champions coursing through his veins. A useful poet, practised archer, and allegedly an athletic proponent of Greasy Churning, the ancient art the Wightling wrestle, McBride is a multi-talented fellow who grew up in a house opposite the Skewes clan, and as such, plied his early trade as a kidling street footballer with older friends and emerging stars of Wight football Argon and Rumon Skewes.

Reserve

Tarun Poundstock - (16) Partisan Split - Left Midfielder
Appeared in the third and fourth under15 World Championships, and makes an early step up to the under-21s as one of the youngest team members.Despite a football education at the famous feeder club, Poundstock stunned everybody by rejecting a full contract at AFC Portsmouth, and despite alleged offers from several top clubs, signed for almost unheard of Partisan Spit. Rumour has it the AFC were attracted mostly by his surname, because if there is one thing the club needs even more than an unending supply of decent young prospects, it’s a stock of pounds, shillings and pence. But the left winger had other ideas. A young man who knows his own mind and is not afraid to speak it.

Osprey Hart - (16) Spit City - Right Midfielder
The young right-sided fullback/winger is highly thought-of at his domestic team Spit City, one of the big five or six clubs in Wight and with a growing reputation for bringing through young talent. Still officially in their junior teams, Hart has already turned out several times for the reserves and starred in the fourth under-15 tournament in Farfadillis, where Wight reached the quarter finals. A 'lab-rat' grown in a cloning tank as part of the genetic research project 'Operation Flake', after adoption by the ornithological Hart family Osprey was quickly identified as a talent and signed at an early age to Spit City, where he has developed perfectly - a quick, intelligent full-back, eager to get forward, but strong in the tackle. Since football is strictly amateur in Wight, the chances are Hart will follow his father into the Parks Service in order to earn a living.

Avilés Cotto - (20) Tamarindo FC - Midfielder
A Tamarindian immigrant, Cotto came to attention following his selection for the national 'B' team, and has impressed in club football for his team of exiles. An all-rounder who can play any position in the midfield comfortably, he was encouraged by national hero Masvidal, Tamarindian saint and now king of Wightling football, to try out for his adoptive country: though the nation is well stocked with talented young midfielders, Masvidal clearly believes he can match the best of them. Certainly his flexibility will be an asset. This tournament will be an interesting test of Cotto's place in Wightling football, but if his league performances are anything to go by, he will be a challenger.

Jolyon Shard - (20) Despite Palace – Attacking Central Midfielder
A surprise selection by Lucifer Jones, he is another one who played for the manager in the second under-15 championships, and clearly has done enough to impress his former boss to make recruitment again. Now a regular for his club, Shard is a postal worker and any team of amateurs must have at least one postie in the team to be respectable. Shard fits that bill, and his ability on the field is certainly promising.

Forwards

Aramis Reynard - (21) Combiné Septentrionalis - Striker
Making his third appearance at Under-21 level after appearing in both the first two Under-15 world championships, Reynard is another of the more experienced internationals making steady if not blazing progress. A skilled and delicate striker. Hugely talented but notoriously frail, Aramis is of French origin and came through The Small Door by way of disease and malnutrition, and unlike most who come to Wight, he has never really recovered from it. Nicknamed 'Sicknote' for obvious reasons, he is also a bit of a journeyman, on his fourth club already. Released by his first club Arnold Vale, he resurrected his career at Lepe Cargo, played top flight football in the Haphazard Foundation for Treverva Male Voice Choir before opting to join the Septen Islands project with Combiné, for whom he has immediately impressed. Can be kicked into giving up, but you have to catch him first - fast, tricky and, thanks to his general cowardice, good at avoiding being marked.

Florent Gáspár Daniël - (20) AFC Portsmouth
Nicknamed the Clever Fox, the energetic and slight striker is not afraid to mix it with much larger defenders and has a terrier-like spirit, much admired at his home club where he came through the ranks. After appearing in the second under-15 championships, he had largely been forgotten by international managers until Lucifer Jones, who selected him last time, returned to call on him again as starter for this tournament. A native Septentrionax, he migrated with his parents to the Broken Islands like many with the decline of his homeland and a new neighbour fixing things up on the Koseli landmass that became Wight. His entrepreneurial family has established a small chain of gyms in which he works as a manager and programme adviser.

Reserves

Cornelius Van Daal - (21) Sympathetico
One of Lucifer Jones' under 15 proteges from the second World Championship, Van Daal has established himself as an impressive goalscorer at the Broken Islands first division team, already managing over a one-in-three games ratio despite only recently establishing himself in his team starting eleven. Expected to make a move to one of the bigger clubs any time soon, he is considered hot property in Wight although his progress has recently been eclipsed by the stunning wonderkid Israel Falcon.

Sjaak Akash - (21) Spit City
A surprise inclusion as Lucifer Jones keeps everyone guessing, Akash is allegedly very good but has yet to make a single senior appearance for his club, and so is something of an unknown prospect. Like many in the team his association with Jones goes back to the Under-15 World Championships 2, although he only featured rarely in the tournament and has not been seen or heard of since.

Lucifer Jones II - (16) AFC Portsmouth
With Tarun Poundstock, Lucifer Junior is a recent students of Isabella de Llanura at the famous youth club, Beggars Lane YFC, and looks set to step up to the parent team at AFC Portsmouth any time soon. The son of popular ex-international winger Lucifer Jones, word has it he is not just trading on the family name – however remarkable. Lucifer Junior is, according to Isabella at least, a demon in the box, a beast for defenders to cope with, has a devil of a left foot for dead ball situations, and a fiendish sense of humour, as this line of puns clearly demonstrates.

RP Permissions & Other Notes

All is permitted; do anything, absolutely anything, within and without reason, there are no rules whatsoever. Interesting collaborations always welcome, by TG or just by shouting out ICly and laying down a challenge (but TG is better to ensure I see it). Amusement is the name of the game.
I Give My Opponent Permission To:
====================
Do Absolutely Anything: Y
===================
A note on Old Wight and new Wight: As described in AOCAF 36, and the preceding Cup of Harmony 52, Búa King of Uncertain Dimensions wished to have a copy of his Wight in Enness, and he selected Atlantian Oceania for reasons which remain opaque. In the Great Remove, as the story was called, the great storyteller and weaver of universes Ronny Tolkien was commissioned to sing the copy into existence, but as he was singing, a discordant note was struck up by Malcolm MacLaren, and the resulting mess was the Wight Catastrophe, in which the island appeared suddenly in a storm of volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis in the place where the Köselî landmass had stood. Today, the broken islands of new Wight are full of generally normal humans (with the odd clone and a few anthropomorphic pigs) while the more metaphysical beings have withdrawn back into Old Wight, which is a pungent kind of nirvana.

More RP Pointers
For any background on Wight, please feel free to TG me, or check the slowly developing factbook, especially with questions regarding the reality or otherwise of the nation. A more sports related summary of how things are in the Wightling nation can be mined from the Sporting Journal

Style Modifier +2.333r

by **The Inevitable Syndicate** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 1:37 pm

GhoulBlasters
When there's something strange, in our neighbourhood... It's probably just Wight.

Fligsive University. While not as grand and awe inspiring as the Miskatonic University that plays hosts to the Syndicatian Youth Team in the latest Di Bradini Cup, this beacon of Syndicatian excellence is home to many weird and wonderful types. Ranging from Politics to Physics, through Art to Accounting, any course you may wish to study is available here. Including, for those that want an easy degree that doesn’t hold any weight in the working world of the Syndicate, “Studies of the Paranormal and Unnatural Sciences”.

Dr. Steven Benson was just one of the professors that worked in this department, and he was beginning to grow tired of the whole thing. Truth be told, he’d only got into the job because he knew that Syndicatian educators often make a packet, and Fligsive was paying him to run a course that had, at most, fifteen students in. Life was good, but very, very boring.

It was five in the afternoon when his colleague, Dr. Dexter Clayton, burst into the room.
“Steve, we’ve got a case! I just got off the phone with a guy at the National Library, and they claim to have seen a ghost! He took down half the servers!”

“A ghost, Dex? I mean, I’m supposed to have as much of a vested interest as you, but really?” Benson sighed. “I guess I have to keep up appearances... They might cut our funding otherwise!” He laughed.

“Glad to have you on board!” Dexter smiled. “I’ll grab Busby, and we’ll be off!” And with that, the two grabbed their coats and sped off to the National Library.

The National Library, as you may have guessed, was not a library in the traditional context - this being the Syndicate, the building was home to a multitude of knowledge, all stored in the various servers underground, and accessible by anyone for free from the comfort of their own home. For those unable to reach a computer, however, there are several available, and even with the threat of a spectral entity on the loose, many enjoyed the studious atmosphere the building bought. The three men, Benson, Clayton, and Busby, arrived at the library and were greeted by an interesting sight.

Servers were toppled, cables strewn over the place, and sparks flew as the main hub was terrorised by this thing. Busby took an odd device out of his pocket, and began to scour the room. Clayton looked around in amazement, whereas Benson decided to investigate the main hub.

“Any EEK readings on the device, Mike?” Steven asked, looking into the broken machine that lay at his feet. “Jeez, I hope these guys have backups...”

“Nothing huge yet, Steve! I’ve got some small readings, but nothing really out of the ordina-” He was cut off as the device emitted a shrill beeping noise. “Woah, I think I’ve got something! Guys, it looks like it’s this way!” Busby pointed at the managers office.
The trio walked into the office, and to their surprise, they saw nothing there. Benson waltzed in, and looked at the other two. “Great! Nothing here, as always! I guess it’s time to go home!”

“Not so fast, buddy...” Dexter said, slowly looking up towards the ceiling. Clinging to the top of the room was the ghostly apparition of a man, wearing a dapper suit and a top hat. The top hat fell off of his head, and Benson went to catch it, but it fell through the floor.

“Run out screaming?”
“Run out screaming.”

The library manager was rather confused as the three professors from the university ran out screaming, and he didn’t even have time to ask them what they’d seen as they sprinted back to safety...

by **Farfadillis** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 3:11 pm

- So, basically, there's a few genes you'd like to replace?
- Yes, that's a very basic outline of my intentions for this creation. Let's face it, with all the random goverment funding we've got, this would become the only remotely serious thing we've developed.
- Yes, yes, but it sounds like something that would only happen in a movie or something.
- Uhmm... well, to be fair, these few genes are very easy to change when compared to big gene-replacements, it's just that we've already found the bgenes needed to achieve the desired changes on the creature.
- Yes, I'm aware, but it still sounds like something dangerous and quite out of this reality. Besides... what exactly is our objective?
- Objective? To adapt this creature even more and make it an ultimate biological weapon, a food chain collapser. Can you even imagine what the government will commend us with? Ever heard of those green pieces of paper that people exchange for goods?
- Well, sounds convincing enough for me as long as we get the money. So, why don't we start examiningg the creature once again to make one last check foro possible errors we may make?
- You shouldn't be expecting to get a perfect new specimen just that easily, it will probably take us a few shots before we get a male and a female up and running... and breeding, obviously. And for them to be fertile, well, I'm clueless, but we'll find our way I hope.
- So this is pretty much a... new beginning?
- You could pretty much say that, but we've already found the key genes that we need to change, it's pretty much trial and error from now on.
- Let's get to analyzing once again then, and remembering what we wanted to change.

Both scientists walked their way to another room, that had many different species from previous "for the fun of it" experiments. After a few metres walk, they arrived at where the specimen was. A very interesting breed of the Gregorian Lizard, a rather large one as well. The lizard looked at them expectantly, maybe foreseeing its bleak future. Its large, green and black eyes looked a bit larger than usual, darker as well. Its long, thin tail didn't move, contrary to what it usually does. Its mouth, full of very dangerous teeth, was closed, but it looked like it cuold open up any time to defend itself. Its legs, slightly shuddering, were somewhat thick, as they had to put up with quite a lot of weight coming from the big torso. The metre and a half long lizard looked like the graphic description of impotence. It just knew its deplorable future.

One of them took the formalin and put it into the glass cage. The lizard tried to bite him as quick as it could, but the scientist was quick to react. It didn't take much for the lizard to be put to sleep. After that, Ian and Howard took it out of the cage and, with a lot of effort due to the specimen's mass, put it in the experimentation table. Quickly, they analyzed it once again. The skin, the tale, the mouth, the eyes, the abdomen, the everything. They didn't go as far as opening it because it was their last specimen and they had already studied the internal organs thoroughly anyway. They were going to remain untouched after the experiment as well, because of how the species is known for having very resistant organs all around, being able to eat many kinds of food and quickly digest them, for example, or living up to a hundred years due to the chemicals that allowed its heart to pump very quickly and still last a lot or the many "extra" organs that allowed it to be warm-blooded as well as resist impressive temperatures too. It was a fantastic species, capable of surviving in any environment, but there were a few key things that these two mad scientists wanted to change.

First off, the neck. They wanted to make it larger. This, Howards argued, would make it capable of eating fish from the shore, allowing it to generate an even bigger impact in another environment. After that, there was the tail. It was capable of moving at big speeds, bit it had nothing to damage anything with, and adding a few spikes to it would make up for an incredibly versatile weapon for both defense and offense. After that, they wanted to add more muscles to the feet and make the torso weight less. One problem with the Gregorian Lizard was that it couldn't move too fast because of its weight and muscles. With this fixed, and with a bit of joint-tweaking, it was expected to be capable of outrunning many species that it would normally not be able to hunt. Its stomach was capable of digesting very quickly, and so it would get a lot of energy constantly as well, without mentioning it would now be capable of hunting and eating a lot and strengthening itself even more, leaving only destruction in its path. They'd also change a few hormones that would allow it to breed throughout the year and edit a few genes that would make the egg develop at stunning rates so that it'd quickly hatch. Gregorian Lizards would quickly become a swarm that destroys every other co-existing animal. The hardest part was making it able of photosynthesysing as well, but just enough to avoid dying of hunger, so that the extinction of a few key animals wouldn't cause its extinction before cuasing another animal's. The last detail was making ti resistant to as many poisons as possible, so that killing them became incredibly difficult. They were already resistant to bullets, and to some toxins as well, but not to the most common ones. They achieved all of them by taking genes from other compatible animals and modifying them slightly for them to fit. But the one that'd allow it to photosynthesize had been somewhat elusive. After a lot of hard work, they had finally achieved to create it from scratch, a biological engineering milestone. Now they just had to keep many copies of all the genes, change a few eggs and close their fingers.

Ian brought the eggs, Howard brought the genes. After an exhausting hour long process, they finished editing the eggs, so to speak. They now had to wait a week and try again if it hadn't hatched, as the fast-hatching gene should have had an effect by then on at least one of the eggs.

by **Saugeais** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 4:40 pm

Saugeais U21 football Team
"The Foxes"

Style: +3
Kits designed by Kirola Sportwear, Audioslavia

Manager: Harrison Pinchot - Age 59

Lineup (Starters in bold):
GK - Lou Deniaud - Age 21
GK - Franklin Gholet - Age 18

LB - Hercule Lavoie - Age 21
LCB – Stéfan LeBlanc - Age 19
RCB - Donald Dresden - Age 19
RB - Bruno Hollande - Age 18
B – Victor Sauvage - Age 19
B – Thierry Lamm - Age 18
B - Édgar Blanche - Age 17

LCM - Marius Hébert - Age 21
RCM - Davide Vincent - Age 18
M – Nero Roche - Age 19
M – Noël Quinlan - Age 19
M - Norbert Addison - Age 17

LAM - Terrence Gautier - Age 19
CAM – Maximilien Fabian - Age 21
RAM - Richard Gentile - Age 18
AM - Gustave LeMond - Age 17
AM - François Laciter - Age 18

ST - Jean Totte - Age 19
ST - Shawn Regent - Age 18

Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players Yes (1 per match max)
Godmod other events No

by **Groteberg** » Sun Jul 28, 2013 6:59 pm

Information about Groteberg's DBC28 team
Nickname: The Princes
Style Modifier: +4
Roster of Grandterre's DBCXVI team
MANAGER
Kentaro Yamada - Born 4/14/1973

CAPTAIN
Hiroshi De La Fontaine - Born 5/11/1997

GOALKEEPER
#1 - Alexander Bentley - Born 7/26/1996

FAR LEFT DEFENSIVE
#2 - Timothy Ninomiya - Born 6/9/1997

LEFT DEFENSIVE
#3 - Ryota Maruyama - Born 1/7/1994

RIGHT DEFENSIVE
#4 - Kyousuke Hoshino - Born 9/16/1996

FAR RIGHT DEFENSIVE
#5 - Daigorou Godai - Born 8/25/1996

FAR LEFT MIDFIELDER
#6 - Daisuke Higashiyama - Born 6/5/1995

LEFT MIDFIELDER
#7 - Hiroshi De La Fontaine - Born 1/13/1997

RIGHT MIDFIELDER
#8 - Hayato Wada - Born 2/14/1994

FAR RIGHT MIDFIELDER
#9 - Noriyuki Hirayama - Born 7/29/1995

LEFT FORWARDER
#10 - Jonathan Igarashi - Born 7/4/1996

RIGHT FORWARDER
#11 - Ichiro Matsuyama - Born 3/16/1995

PREDICTION
Darmen vs. Groteberg: Lose
Groteberg vs. Mytannion: Win
Pasarga vs. Groteberg: Win

RP PERMISSIONS
Should my opponent RP first, he/she/it may do the following:

Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y (unless weird)
RP injuries to my players: Y (unless dangerous)
Godmod injuries to my players: Y (unless dangerous)
Hand out yellow cards to my players: N
Hand out red cards to my players: N
Godmod other events Y (as long it is not bizarre)

by **Mizuyuki** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 12:02 am

"Those idiots from the Chronicle really have it in for me, huh?"

I sighed heavily and took a small sip of the energy drink sitting beside me on a coffee table. Any fool would have known that I was telling the gospel truth; heck, even a blind man should have been able to see the deceptions and lies that were being perpetrated by the FA.

But no. I should have expected them to dismiss all my arguments without a single thought.

I swept my glance over to the shreds of newspaper that were strewn all over my cubicle. It was a copy of the Chronicle's football special - the very edition in which they had published the story slamming me and the company for irresponsible reporting. Behind the strips of paper lying haphazardly all around the place like Christmas streamers, I could still see Shirakiin's face plastered on the page, underneath the title "The Shirakiin Conundrum".

It was hardly a surprise. Being as pro-government as they were, the Chronicle was always going to defend the FA, which is technically a government department under the Ministry of Sports anyway. The author was my arch rival in journalism, Iseki Shiori. Even though her name wasn't published, I knew her style. I could see her laconic choice of words peeking at me, trying to catch a weakness in my pieces so that it could attack me with venom.

"Terauchi-san! Soro soro jikan da! You'd better get going already if you don't want to miss your flight to Wight!"

I lazily swirled my energy drink around in its bottle.

"Eh... what if I don't want to go now? Can I get the people over at Finance to authorise another ticket for me later? I think I just might have a score to settle with the fine chaps over at the Chronicle."

As soon as the words left me, I heard a clattering of files and binders from the office right behind me. Thundering footsteps soon followed until I was confronted by a thin, yet well-built man wearing a suit that hung lightly off his frame.

Damn. I could only marvel at the fabulous specimen standing before me, looking like a distinguished ambassador without any effort on his part.

Komiya Kyousuke. My immediate superior at Sekai Shinbun and incidentally, my crush. He doesn't know the affections I hold for him though.

"Oi. You can't go around blowing the company's money on tickets if you're going to miss your flight anyway."

He patted my head, all the while speaking in that cool voice of his.

"And that's not even considering what Finance will have to say about all this. Remember how we had to pay a fortune in legal fees for your defamation case against the Chronicle? They'll probably have stocked up on rotten vegetables to hurl at you if you go and make another silly budget request. Well, I suppose the damages you won more than covered what we had to fork out in the first place..."

"Boo... then why can't I have the extra ticket? They'd begrudge me even that?" I puffed up my cheeks and stared at Komiya. Or Kyousuke-chan, as I liked to call him in my head.

"Why don't you requisition a ticket from those codgers as well? If you go along with me I'll rush home and pack now."

Kyousuke laughed. "What, you haven't even packed yet? Well... that's classic Terauchi, I suppose. Still, I do believe I have some free time on my schedule for the next couple of weeks, and I can always work from Wight for what I need to do. It's not a huge load, though I do hope the Internet over there is first class."

"Ooh, really?

"Sure. Now go and get me a ticket for the flight before we both miss it and get our brown envelopes from the HR guys!"

by **Mizuyuki** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 12:44 am

2059 hours
Kikaijima Training Retreat, 50 kilometres off the coast of Kirayuki

"Hey girls, the draw for the DBC's starting! Get the hell in here and see which of those buggers we'll get!"

The team, who were doing their evening drills in the artificial pitch, immediately bailed for the lounge, where the huge 90 inch LED television was located.

"Whew, that was quite a workout. Thanks, Tomoe-chan, Airi-chan!"

I could only throw my arms up to the heavens. "Well, I guess we have to make up for arriving late at training today, though we did suffer from jetlag after jaunting all the way back to the Auroral Union from Saintland."

"That's the spirit, Tomoe-chan!" Our captain, Tsuchimikado Mikoto, clapped me on the shoulder as she made her way into the lounge at a leisurely pace while gulping down her energy drink.

"Seriously though, couldn't we have made up for our tardiness by training like hell for today? That would've been a better way for sure, and we could've got to know the team's style more intimately before we kick off the DBC."

"Lighten up, Airi. It's not like we don't have more time before we play at Wight. Hey, I had a look at the schedule earlier, and we've got like 5 more sessions before we even leave for the place!"

"Ugh... now that's not a pleasant thought. No sirree, not nice at all. I wasn't expecting this much work when I said what I said just now..."

I laughed. It was always great fun being around Airi, and that was the main reason why we developed an impregnable friendship, not to mention partnership on the football pitch.

"I'll go and get drinks for us. What do you want, Tomoe?"

"Uhh... you know that they have nothing but energy drinks and healthy juices around the place, don't you?"

"Just joking! Hahaha... so I'll get you your usual guava juice, 'kay?

"Yup, thanks, Airi! I'm counting on you! Remember to get back here in time for the draw!" I shouted after her as she disappeared, running at top speed to the kitchen, where all our drinks and beverages were kept.

"Hey."

"Huh? Whose voice was that?"

I spun around to see a gangly lad looking at me. Judging from his gear, I assumed that he was a goalkeeper.

"Umm... Is there anything you need?"

He stared at me for a couple of seconds before breaking into a laugh.

"No, it's nothing much. Just wanted to remind you of something. You know, the Auroral Union's team isn't composed solely of girls..."

I clapped a hand to my mouth. "Oh...! Sorry, erm..."

"It's Tsutaya. Tsutaya Shuichi. You can just call me anything you want." Saying so, he passed me by, heading for the showers.

I called after him. "Aren't you going to watch the draw for the Di Bradini too? Tsutaya-san?"

"Nah, it doesn't really matter to me who we play. I believe that if we just go all out against every opponent we face, we'll have no regrets, even if we lose. I'll catch you lot later."

He spun around, walking backwards while waving to me. "And by the way, there's another guy in the team. He's not in the first eleven either, just like me, but he's more of the strong, silent type. Just make sure not to lump him together with the girls! Name's Kanagawa Riki!"

"And... the first team to be drawn into Group E is... Mizuyuki!"

"HUZZAH!" I shouted. "WE'VE GOT GROUP E!"

The rest of the team stared at me with baleful eyes. I shivered at the cold glances that seemed to pierce me in the heart.

"Okay, that probably wasn't the best way to celebrate." My shoulders slumped in dejection.

Mikoto sighed, still sipping from her bottle of energy drink.

"Just keep calm and watch the draw, will you? You've been jumping all around the place ever since the draw started. Heck, we couldn't even hear the announcer say anything over you!"

"Hai, taichou." Resigning myself to keeping quiet for the rest of the draw, I slumped down into a comfy couch and moodily pulled on my ice cold guava juice.

"Ooh, there goes Kiryu-shi and Starblaydia. Lucky we didn't get lumped with them."

"Wait, there's still plenty of strong teams yet to be drawn. Don't get your hopes up yet."

"And it's Farfadillis who join Bloodbath Generation in Group A. Following up is Northern Sunrise Islands, who will have to contend with Sicoutimont!"

"Wait, NSI is gone already! Damn, I wanted to play them... I heard that they have a boatload of handsome dudes in their first XI."

"Really? Zannen datta ne... Shame we didn't get them then..."

Mikoto sweatdropped.

"You're sad that we avoided one of the best teams in the tournament? That's defeatism if I ever saw it, Midori and Mana."

"Well... they're cool guys, anyhow. It's just sad that we won't get to play against them unless we both get into the knockout rounds!"

"Have it your way then." Mikoto sighed and returned to nursing her energy drink.

by **Tatras** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 7:33 am

TATRAS roster for the 28th Di Bradini Cup

Formation: 4-2-3-1
Style Modifier: +2,5

Manager: Ladislav Revús

Starting Lineup

GK: Radovan Duplinský, 18 (MSK Spišská Nová Ves)
DF: Vladimír Karatník, 20 (Inter Poprad)
DF: Ján Kvašnica, 21 (Gerlach Poprad)
DF: Valentín Hirjak, 18 (STC Poprad)
DF: Filip Semeniak, 20 (Fatra Martin)
MD: Dušan Korbulec, 21 (FK Považská Bystrica)
MD: Jakub Roško, 17 (Artmedia Pieštany)
MD: Lukáš Priecel, 18 (FC Žilina)
MD: Kazimír Granát, 16 (FC Liptovský Mikuláš)
MD: Eduard Kotúľ, 21 (MSK Zvolen)
FW: Eduard Radosa, 17 (Inter Poprad)

Bench

GK: Miroslav Pelko, 16 (FC Prešov)
GK: Ondrej Delej, 20 (Artmedia Pieštany)
DF: Peter Borej, 17 (MFK Trenčín)
DF: Branislav Okrucký, 18 (Inter Poprad)
DF: Eduard Kopanec, 20 (Inter Poprad)
DF: Ivan Jonáta, 19 (Spartak Trnava)
MD: Dusan Olsinar, 19 (Slovan Bratislava)
MD: Adam Molec, 19 (Tauris Rimavská Sobota)
MD: Marek Pindruch, 19 (MFK Trenčín)
FW: Michal Klabník,20 (FK Považská Bystrica)
FW: Marián Ridaj, 21 (LAFC Lučenec)
FW: Marek Mušuka, 18 (FC Liptovský Mikuláš)

RP Permissions

I give my opponent permission to:
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
Give my players yellow cards: Y
Give my players red cards: Y (max.1 per match)
Give injuries to my players: N
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Godmod other events: Y

by **Pasarga** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 11:17 am

Torgos Tribune ~ A Whole New Idea

As part of her continuing efforts to completely revitalize the Pasargan way of football, Aidé Hernádez has even extended her influence into the DBC selection despite not being the manager of the squad. The Wanderers manager instructed the Young Wanderers manager to only call up those players who showed promise but were currently without a club. It is Hernádez' belief that Pasarga needs to get more of the players going abroad and playing outside of the Liga, which has dropped off in quality as off the last few years. With the DBC as a perfect showcase for international scouts, this has obviously influenced the selection process.

Furthermore, because of the failure to even enter the last DBC two years ago, dozens or more young Pasarga footballers missed their chance at showcasing their abilities for both foreign and domestic sides. This is a mistake that Hernádez has sworn never to let happen again so long as she is in charge and Pasarga plans to pursue international football. It can truly be said that the young woman who has been handed the reigns of the program is out to set her mark on it, in any and every way imaginable.

To what end though will her heavy handed involvement with all aspects of the program come? Sure enough the Wanderers managed to advance to the knockout rounds in the recently completed World Cup, having no shame in being dispatched by Valanora. Yet what is the goal of it all? Is it to pursue winning the World Cup itself, something that even despite Wight's win in this edition still seems like a goal only allowed to a select few? Maybe become an "elite" power within the footballing community? We've been there before and sunk down because of the inability to win the clutch matches.

Whatever the goal is, it starts now and with this DBC, getting these players scouted and signed on to teams, even if it a domestic side. Turkish, CAP, and Tani are always looking for new and upcoming talent to keep their edge on the rest of the Pasargan clubs if these players can't find a home abroad. For now, they set their eyes forward on the most immediate goal, finding ways to get points from their group stage matches, starting with fellow Rushmori regional power Mytannion.

OOC: This basically means that if you're interested in any Pasargan players for your domestic leagues, shoot me a TG.

by **Wight** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 3:17 pm

Matchday 1

Group A
Bloodbath Generation 0–1 Polar Islandstates
Farfadillis 1–0 Tatras

Group B
Sicoutimont 0–4 Wight
Northern Sunrise Islands 3–1 Saugeais

Group C
The Serbian Empire 0–2 The Licentian Isles
Cassadaigua 3–0 Mangolana

Group D
Sangti 3–1 Equestrian States
Felix 1–1 Kriegiersien

Group E
Mizuyuki 5–1 Thatius
The Inevitable Syndicate 6–1 Callumackbar

Group F
Kiryu-shi 0–1 Albaie
Free Republics 6–3 Taeshan

Group G
Starblaydia 0–1 New Sideburn
Filopines 1–2 Vilita

Group H
Darmen 0–1 Groteberg
Pasarga 2–0 Mytannion

by **The Serbian Empire** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 4:38 pm

Serbian Empire Loses 2-0, Crnogorac's Debut Disappoints

The Serbian Empire U-21 team lost the first game of the tournament and was an inauspicious start to Veljko Crnogorac's career as manager of the U-21 program at the Di Bradini Cup 28. Certainly, the team is not exactly the most offensive team in the tournament, but only yielding four shots on goal brings questions that the managerial method of Crnogorac is too conservative for the otherwise offensive formation.

The lack of offense produced led to The Licentian Isles team having produced two goals on 15 shots as the Serbian Empire team rarely had possession of the ball and worse yet particularly unable to take away the ball. Certainly Andrej Mirkovic was good considering how many shots were taken, but a defensive team shooting that many shots on goal has to either be playing against weak defense or has lost their bearings on what a defensive team is. Most would actually point to Crnogorac's coaching style creating a slow moving offense and worse yet, a poor defense at least on paper.

Two things that would allow even the worst offensive teams to produce a goal or two let alone an offensive powerhouse. Unfortunately, a much better offensive team is the Serbian Empire's opponent for the next game and thus bookies are putting the over-under on shots on goal against Mirkovic at 25. Thus the image of a good goalkeeper as he makes tons of saves, but the problem is that the defense isn't good enough to even slow a defensive team let alone some offensive juggernaut.

by **Taeshan** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 7:08 pm

"Well it was to be expected."

"Yes, with all three players with more than 10 caps moving on to bigger things the U21 team really was not expected to start off that well."

"Yeah, their biggest opponents Free Republics came out and although they played a nice offensive game themselves, managed to defeat our favorite team with rather easy access."

"Yeah, but overall we learned some stuff about the team and thats what u21 tournaments are really about."

"Yeah, cool to see a Ying Uing finally back on the pitch in the purple."

"Yeah definitely."

"can't wait to see if he can do as his father, or perhaps do better."

"yeah."

"Excited for it."

by **New Sideburn** » Mon Jul 29, 2013 9:52 pm

THE BRINEMOUTH HERALD
NESTLINGS OUTSHINE STARBLAYDIA IN CLOSE CONTEST
by Paige Galleon

Starblaydia: 0
New Sideburn: 1 (Bittencourt 74')

In an intensely tight fixture between Simeone di Bradini's homeland and Darryl Boyden's plucky mongrels, it was Starblaydia who were the clear favourites. They had the pedigree, the precedent, and the genuine world power in the here-and-now. Sideburn, by contrast, faced some long odds as the patchwork squad looked a sure bet to lose...

Boyden cleared his throat, and 23 pairs of keen, bright young eyes stared at him. He tried to find the right words to start... catchy, enthusiastic and optimistic words.
After seven awkward seconds, he gave up, muttered "Ah, hell," and lit a cigarette.
The players were fascinated. They'd never seen anyone so middle-aged before.
"Lads, lasses," said the gaffer at last. "Now we're gonna be facing some hard lads out there. That's Starblaydia," he added helpfully, "di Bradini's lot. Looks like we're the scrappy underdogs again. But that's a'right. I can live with that."
Pausing to reflect, Boyden sat down heavily on the bench and blew a ragged smoke-ring. "See, they got something we don't. Pressure. If we lose, well, everyone thinks we're kind of shit anyway. If they lose, well..."
Boyden leaned back, grinning viciously. "Let's give the press a bloody headline. Go out there, and give 'em hell!"

Starblaydia had the best of the first half, dominating midfield and possession. But they struggled to find a way past captain Tosca Marlowe or her partner, Sabrefell Athletic defender Hadrian Belfast. The pair consistently shut down attacks, forcing Starblaydia's forwards to waste chances on long balls that were no challenge for Crisisbless stopped Daniel Cromwell.

But the Nestlings were unable to mount many chances themselves, the best opportunity being a Christon shot just inside the area that skimmed over the bar. Just two shots on target were mustered, both easily saved. The half ended nervily, a Starblaydi corner cleared poorly by Rhys Bergman, allowing their no. 10 to hammer a shot through on goal - Cromwell parried it at full stretch, and Elaine Candell's hefty clearance ended the half at nil all.

"That Bergman lad's a bit shit," observed Vance Brighton from the stands, at the half-time whistle.
His wife, Eleanor, took a more philosophical approach. "So's half the squad, mate, you just gotta run with it."
"And Bittencore's well gash, gotta wonder why we signed him at River."
"The tee's not silent," pointed out a nearby man with a pint in each hand.
"Eh?"
"The tee's not silent. He ain't French. It's BittenCOURT, like, English court, yeah? Cheney Q. Bittencourt."
"Q? What the hell's a Q stand for?"
"Dun't think it stands for anything," said the helpful alcoholic. "I'm a Martella fan, me, I should know. He's a well legend."
"Yeah, well..." Vance waved an arm vaguely. "You just enjoy the game and the drinks, mate, I'm off for a slash."

The second half began with a far more pressing approach from Boyden's team, the side being almost bullish in midfield to attempt to stem the flow of play. It worked, with almost immediate effect. Their first decisive attack of the game started when right midfielder Kylie Penrith took possession, almost unchallenged by any opposing players. When she encountered the Starblaydi left-back, she laid it across the wing to substitute Brady Monroe, who was in fine form. While Monroe is a traditional defensive right-back, he'd adapted well to the forward runs expected of him in Boyden's tactics, and the cross he lifted into the area was slightly ragged but effective. Rook Cathar attempted to get a head to it, but it came just a fraction too close to the goalkeeper, who got to it first and punched it away with both hands.

More attacks followed in quick succession, though Starblaydia gradually took control of possession again. It didn't seem to matter, however, as the momentum was still strong with the Nestlings. It all came to a head, however, when Dubstep Rangers midfielder Parrish slid a direct free kick subtly past the four-man wall and neatly to Cheney Bittencourt's feet. At twenty yards, Bittencourt made no mistake, and planted the ball firmly in the back of the net past a stationary keeper.

Spurred on by desperation, Starblaydia switched to full-on attack, and Boyden sacrificed style for pragmatism by bringing on another centre-back, Lucas Hoffer, for Bittencourt. Despite many assaults, the 10-men-behind-the-ball tactics won the day, grinding out the 1-0 victory for Boyden's unfancied lads.

Our next opponent is Vilita, who claim to have mastered robotics to the extent where they can have a competitive mechanical team. On the whole, Sideburnese fans mostly just seem resigned to facing yet another abnormal team. "'Least they aren't bloody horses," grumbled one supporter as he left the stadium.

Di Bradini Cup 28/U21WC49 RP/Roster/Results Thread

Di Bradini Cup 28 Synaxarion

Di Bradini Cup 28 MD-1 Scores

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