Di Bradini Cup 29/U21WC50 RP/Roster/Results Thread

[The Licentian Isles]

I’m back, bitches !!

Yes, after quite a fun time in Wight, when we won the World Cup (I’ll explain that one another time), I’m now flying off with the lads, and a couple that we met in the Penchant Street Nick, who despite being from a country I’ve never heard of, are actually alright, to the Equestrian States, where this year’s Di Bradini Cup is.

So yeah, ponies.

This is going to be fun.

They’ve always confused me a bit. I wouldn’t call myself racist, or speciesist, or whatever the word is, but it does mess with my head when I see a talking pony. I mean, I’m sure they’re great lads (and lasses), and I’d be quite happy to have a pint with them (if ponies drink), but it freaks me out a little to see them. If there are any ponies out there willing to explain how all that works to me over a pint in Manechester during the Cup, give me a shout. I can explain how we work, if you’d like.

Anyway, Starblaydia.

Yeah, them.

That was a fun game. We’d made up some chants for singing at them in advance, mostly insulting Di Bradini; that was quite a lot of fun, especially at a tournament named for him. We were stood right next to the Starblaydi crowd too, so there was a lot of stick going back and forth. I mean, they’re a fairly tame lot, more friendly than anything else, and the chants were mostly joking. Well, from them, anyway. We were too busy insulting the best they ever had, and ever will have, as far as I can tell from their performance against us.

Because we were right next to their fans, we were in the perfect place to do something we’d been planning to do since before we flew out here. We nicked their flag.

It’s a Mytanar thing, originally. You nick the opposition’s flag, and take it to your next game, where you turn it upside down, and burn it, almost as a sign of superiority. Now, since those Mytanar twats beat up a load of Licentians in Wight, we decided we would try and show them up. So we’ll be taking as many flags as we can, and beating up as many as we can, to show we’re the best casuals out there.

So, the Starblaydis have, well, had, a flag that they passed around their end of the stadium at the beginning of the game. When they passed it ‘round to the section near us at the start, a few of us climbed over the barriers, grabbed it, and just passed it over to the other side, climbing back over before the stewards could prove anything. We had their flag. We’ll be taking that to the Filopines game, along with quite a few lighters.

It’s a bloody big flag.

The game itself ?? Mediocre. Ruben Munro got a goal around twenty minutes in to put us in the lead, which had us setting off the flares, and half the Manehattan Industrial Park filled with cyan smoke, which might have pissed off the Starblaydis more than we thought, what with that being the Krytenian colour.

We’re the better cyan anyway.

Then they got one after the break, with Ffion McAllister scoring a goalmouth scramble to equalise. And that was the game. One-one with the Starblaydis.

Quite pleased with that.

And we got a massive flag to burn.

Bring on Filopines.

[Farfadillis]

Phew

Maybe I was too quick to say Patistan was maybe the only granted win. I mean, sure, I was right, but that match was closer than I thought. It was a rather late goal that saved us in the end.

The goalkeeper was not in a great day and, while the scoreline may indicate otherwise, neither were the strikers. The midfield and defense were pretty good, maybe the former being a bit better.

In just fifteen minutes, Umar and Akbar scored a goal each. The scored by beating Santic to a header, while the latter managed to dribble Cervántez and pull off a strong shot which Lastá somehow could not stop. Granted, it was really strong, but it was still pretty easy to save.

In the twentieth minute, however, Terán pulled one back. Fôx got the ball on the right flank, dribbled Usman and entered the box. He then dribbled the centre back. However, before completely dribbling him, he confused pretty much every Patistani player, as he heeled the ball back. Terán, who had already shown he had an eye for those kinds of quirks, was sprinting towards where the ball was heading, and no sooner the ball had arrived than it was hit powerfully by his right foot. The shot went straight to the lower-left corner, leaving the rather amateur goalkeeper perplexed. However, Farfadillis was, obviously, still losing.

And, in fact, Patistan would manage to score once again before half time. Gulbaz's long range effort hit Mata who was not to blame, and left Lastá in a rather uncomfortable. He then attempted to save the shot, but it avoided his hands by a few centimetres. I still think he could've saved it.

If we had lost or tied, you'd probably see me ranting about Lastá's performances, but I'm gonna go ahead and try to ignore it to highlight the awesome second half we had. I hope the real Farfadillis is the one that played the second half, not the first. What was the most surprising was that Rossizzo did not replace a single player.

Fôx after scoring the winning goal. Note how the
Patistanis didn't seem to get their heads around it.
One of them is shouting. The other is... smiling.

And it took us just ten minutes to pull one back. It was Kâí this time. The Rulandese winger managed to surprise me once more with another wonderful goal. He got the ball on the left flank, dribbled a Patistani midfielder and cut in. Fuego then ran to the flank, so he feinted a pass to him, which left Zahid confused. He then saw a hole in the Patistani defense and like a scared horse he ran towards the box. By virtue of physical prowess, though he's no big guy, he managed to get rid of Kerai. Then, he just chipped the ball over Shazib, who was already on the floor, ready to take the ball from him.

But the Greenflies were still down! Not for that long, mind you. They managed to equalized ten minutes later, with another goal ny Terán. Terán got the ball from Hussain, and swiftly passed the ball to Dragãozý. The Rulandese striker ran towards the ball while all the Patistani were still somewhat surprised by how they had lost possession when trying to get out of their side of the pitch. He got to the ball first, but the fast goalkeeper also got to the ball rather quickly. Dragãozý seemed to know what to do, however. He managed to touch the ball just slightly before Patistan's goalkeeper, and started running towards the ball. It seemed like an obvious goal kick but the striker got to the ball really fast, and managed to pull off a creeping cross to the penalty spot. Terán, who was running towards there, met the ball with his feet and once again one-touch shot to the lower-left corner, barely avoiding Kerai's right foot. But we still had to win!

And win we would. With just five minutes to go before injury time, Terán would be fouled nine dot fifteen metres outside the box. The very centre. To put it simply, a perfect chance for Fôx, the youngest starter who takes free kicks like a beast. He would not disappoint. He shot to the upper-left corner, avoiding the wall by centimetres, even though it jumped, and avoiding the crossbar by centimetres too. The goalkeeper did not even try to save that. It was impossible.

After that, Farfadillis did managed to keep things calm, and imposed themselves over Patistan. Maybe a bit late, but a win is a win. Now, after a good rest, we will be facing San José Guayabal on matchday three. Here hoping for the best...

[Blouman Empire]

THE EMPIRE TIMES

Decisive Win For Eaglets

A Brad Hunter hat-trick helped the Eaglets to victory over Sangti in a convincing win as they start their cup campaign on the right foot. A Sangti forward put through a strong header in just before half time opened the scoring but Hunter hit back just after the start of the second half knocking in two goals within a minute. Paul Credab chipped the Sangti keeper in the 70th minute to make it 3-1. It only took another 5 minutes for Hunter to score his third putting the game out of reach, despite this Sangti managed to claw one back just before the final whistle to end the game 4-2.
It was the Eaglets that that posed the early threats pressuring the Sangti defence and put their keeper on edge with a number of shots, however, the Sangti keeper was able to block them. Down at the other end Sangti weren’t able to put on the same pressure with their shots being dragged wide. Despite their inaccurate shooting it was Sangti scoring first when their blasted in the ball with a towering header from a corner ending the first half in the lead much to the despair of the Blouman side.

The deficit failed to stop the Blouman spirit and they came out charging and it was Hunter whom inspired the comeback when he knocked the ball in after a deep cross from John Miller in the 46th minute. It only took a 40 seconds for Hunter to score again when he found himself open at the top of the box, a quick back pass from Credab gave him the opportunity to bury the ball in the bottom right corner. With the Eaglets now in the lead and their confidence regained the Sangti defence crumbled and was now struggling to hold back the onslaught. The Sangti keeper continued his hard work blocking shots from Hunter and Credab as he desperately sought to keep the game within reach, however, a through ball from Ty Freltron to Credab allowed him to move towards the goal with the keeper charging out he chipped the ball over the keeper and it bounced past the goal line. Freltron managed to send another through ball this time to Hunter whom was able to curl the ball into the back of the net giving him his third goal and the win. Sangti now 3 goals down and little time on the clock continued to fight back but the Blouman defence wasn’t going to let them have a chance at coming back, but a quick one two between the Sangti forwards allowed them to slip one past the keeper in the 89th minute making the loss a bit more respectable.

The win puts the Eaglets on top of the ladder after a scoreless draw occurred between Dutzenderland and Nassau Hessen putting the team into a strong lead to progress past the group stage. Manager Lewis Helstrom spoke to the media praising his team for their efforts “They played well today, a resounding victory for us and if they can continue to play like that then there is no doubt that we can progress into the knockout rounds”. The team next play Nassau Hessen at Diamond Park and will be a game that they will want to win to further cement their place at the top of the table.

[Felix]

A little back story on Luca Esser for the curious and is recommended if you want a backstory on the relationship Luca has with his mum.

Luca Esser's Journal

So mum just died 6 days ago, got murdered by a robber... I don't know what to say about this... Pretty shitty stuff I guess... Anyways, my girlfriend, Marina Collier, told me to write for therapy. Not sure if it is working or not, still feel terrible. I honestly don't even know why I made the trip here anyways I need to be home with my grandmother, she would know what to do. But alas I am here in the Equestrian States, a nation with "immense diversity in culture and race". Which is true I guess, due to the amount of anthro animals and other types of humans I saw but whatever.

I guess everyone knows why I am here, it's the U-21 World Cup. I was selected as "usual" due to my "talents", I honestly don't see myself as any better as anyone else, especially when I am compared to Noé. He is just fantastic. He should be starting, not me... But I am starting and I will try my best to help out the team, but I honestly don't see how I can be so effective if I am all sad and stuff... Whatever, coach is always right, correct? Ugh. Sometimes I just wish this coach was replaced. I wonder why that Vaian didn't stay, he just came and left, leaving us with that guy...


Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky, a nation from the same region as us, Esportiva. Not sure what I think about them, just another nation I guess. Although I do remember them being mentioned in AP Felixian History. Something about Felix helping them in some war, I dunno. Going back to football, this team lost in their first match against Filopines, 2-3 in a seemingly tough match between the two. Kinda wish I watched it so I could study, but I wasn't in the mood. Oddly enough, the Česky team hasn't released a roster, so I don't know who they are and what potential they have and stuff. I hope the fans wish us luck for that match.

Well that's all I got from my head of mine, I guess I will write out (or type out) my next journal entry next week or something. I really hope I win, my girlfriend will be watching me and I hope I don't disappoint her or lose her. Or something, I dunno. Well bye then.

(Sorta developing something here, if there is anything I can work on for this mini-story I have here send me a TG. c:)

[Dutzenderland]

Information regarding Dutzenderland's DBCXIX team
Nickname: Dragons
Style Modifier: +5
Roster of Dutzenderland's DBCXIX team
MANAGER
Teruyuki Kawasaki (川崎 照幸) - 10/2/1977

CAPTAIN
Masao Akama (赤間 正夫) - 10/2/1995

GOALKEEPER
#1 = Haruo Yamada (山田 春夫) - 6/11/1998

FAR LEFT DEFENSIVE
#2 = Masayuki Minami (南 将之) - 4/16/1997

LEFT DEFENSIVE
#3 = Fumihiko Hanasaki (花咲 文彦) - 6/11/1999

RIGHT DEFENSIVE
#4 = Masao Akama (赤間 正夫) - 10/2/1995

FAR RIGHT DEFENSIVE
#5 = Kenta Sonoda (園田 健太) - 6/11/1994

FAR LEFT MIDFIELDER
#6 = Nobuyuki Muranaka (村中 信之) - 11/26/1997

LEFT MIDFIELDER
#7 = Isao Hōjō (北条 功) - 8/2/1994

RIGHT MIDFIELDER
#8 = Tōru Matsumoto (松本 亨) - 6/11/1998

FAR RIGHT MIDFIELDER
#9 = Naoaki Mitsuba (三葉直明) - 3/4/1993

LEFT FORWARDER
#10 = Tomokazu Nishimura (西村 智一) - 6/3/1995

RIGHT FORWARDER
#11 = Keisuke Higashibayashi (東林 圭佑)) - 12/9/1999

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

Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y (as long it is not bizarre)
RP injuries to my players: Y (as long it is not dangerous)
Godmod injuries to my players: Y (as long it is not 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)

[Dutzenderland]

Dutzenderlandisch Sportnews - Di Bradini Cup XIX Matchday 1
October 29, 2013 at Elements Stadium in Ponyville, Equestrian States - Well, the team didn't score anything, and the other team didn't score anything, so it is a tie.
Score: Dutzenderland 0-0 Nassau Hessen
Goalscorers
Dutzenderland: None
Current Goalscorer Statistics
Not available yet.

[Free Republics]

Sporting World

Rule Theriault missed his deadline for his "Et tu, Sanctusterra?" article (OOC: Translation: I don't have enough time to do that tonight before the cutoff.), so instead the leading sports magazine in the Greatest Country in the Multiverse brings you the return of:

Letters to the Editor

Free Republics 3-5 Welsh Cowboy

What is it about Massimiliano Abdullahi that always brings out the worst in our National Teams. The defense was atrocious against Welsh Cowboy. Marius [Christofferson] never stood a chance against the Cowboys. It absolutely couldn't have been the absence of [Kieran] Hancock because Volodymyr [Vernekar] isn't that much worse. The problem is Abdullahi's horrible defense. When will [Rule] Theriault come to his senses and fire his incompetent Assistant.

Archer Best
Republic of Nejax

This was a pathetic performance. Why are we losing to the likes of Welsh Cowboy, a nation famous mainly for their complete ineptitude at baseball? It is a disgrace that our only National Team is in the sport of soccer. Why can't we enter the World Bowl and show the world just how great we are at football? Why didn't we compete at the last WBC and why haven't we signed up yet for the upcoming WBC? Soccer sucks and it is sad that we only have a National Soccer Team that can't even beat a joke of a country like Welsh Cowboy

Maarten Besemer
Republic of Amolotopia

Has anybody ever considered that maybe Welsh Cowboy beat our National Team because they're a great team from a great soccer country? Let's face facts. Welsh Cowboy won the Baptism of Fire last year. Putting all of Rule Theriault's silly complaints about the Casaran format aside, we simply weren't good enough to win the BoF. Aels won the BoF and the Trolls finished second that year. Welsh Cowboy came alot closer to qualifying for the World Cup, in their first try no less, than we ever have. They also did just as well, if not better, than we did in the Cup of Harmony, even though we had the home turf advantage. Yes, they haven't played in a Di Bradini Cup before, but is it really all that surprising that Welsh Cowboy beat us?

Charles Thompson
Republic of Roxawa

So, the Republican U-21s lose a DBC match prior to the final for the first time ever and everybody starts panicking. Really? There are still 3 more matches and we're still the favorites to repeat as DBC champions. Nobody ever said we'd be undefeated again.

Jorg Beich
Republic of Malonato

Everybody wants to blame Massimiliano Abdullahi, the defense or Welsh Cowboy's undeniable talent for the FFR U-21 defeat. I strongly disagree with this. The real cause of the problem are those corrupt officials from Talking Animal Land. They're part of a vast conspiracy to hold down the Greatest Nation in the Multiverse, but as we all know When War Wings its Wide Desolation and Threatens our Land to Deform, The Ark then of Freedom's Foundation, Republica rides safe through the Storm. Our Banners will make Animal Tyranny Tremble When Borne by the Blue and the White!

Saul Cunningham
Republic of Vorita

Saintland/Legalese World Cup Bid

Call me crazy, but I kind of like their proposed qualifying format. So what if King Paulus XV went on national television and made a complete ass of himself. Who really cares if the Sanctii want to capture more footage so they can sell better DLC for their soccer game? There's still a kind of beauty to the format and I, for one, look forward to finding out who is on this World Cup Seeding Committee of theirs. It should be fun, just to watch the Sanctii screw around with everybody. That ought to serve those dumb foreigners right.

Emilio Pinto
Republic of Plymouth

Am I the only one that was disturbed to read a translated transcript of the things that a drunk King Paulus XV said to his country on national television? This proves once and for all, beyond all doubt, that Sister Polus really is saying what the people that run Saintland actually think. If so, that is downright frightening and I think we really ought to put aside the principled non-interventionism of Consul Piazza and just turn that worthless island at the North Pole into another of our colonies.

Nahum Vasiliev
Republic of Jolarus

Am I the only one who is disturbed that a nation that subjugates half of its population and advocates such a state of affairs for every nation in the Multiverse is permitted to participate in the World Cup, let alone bid for it? Why can't the World Cup Committee just pass a rule requiring every team to play at least 5 women at all times and an average of at least 5.5 women? That would end sexism in the World Cup once and for all and would secure unto women the same rights that men take for granted. If we could convince the WCC to do that, is there any doubt that Saintland would stop competing in WCC events and then we'd finally be rid of those nasty male chauvinist pigs once and for all.

Wilma Eklund
Republic of Kantata

I am disturbed that a nation that deprives its population of the fundamental right to freedom of religion and, most importantly, freedom from religion is permitted to bid for the World Cup? Are we really going to allow a bunch of Bible-thumping zealots to host a World Cup? Can you imagine what's going to happen when some women refuse to wear those humiliating head coverings and the Sanctii decide to shave their heads bald in public? Can you imagine if Gregoryisgodistan or Liventia or Vaugania or Cassidaigua qualified for the World Cup? Those nations are every bit as stubborn as those damned Sanctii, so they'll probably start a world war.

Karina Pawlak
Republic of Keronama

As a member of the Albertope branch of the True Church, I want to set the record straight. Contrary to the feminist propaganda you may have heard, the True Church is not hostile to women. In the True Church, women are not just permitted to be women, but actually encouraged to be women. I don't want to compete with men and I certainly don't think I should have to work. That's my husband's responsibility. The True Church teaches that men have a responsibility to provide for their wives and provide us with the guidance we all need from time to time. In exchange, we are expected to take proper care of our homes and be good mothers to our many children. If you think we're all brainwashed or being controlled by abusive husbands, please visit your local True Church so we can set the record straight regarding the treatment of women by our Church. While I'm not much of a sports fan, my husband is very excited about the Saintland/Legalese bid to host the World Cup and I have to agree with him. It is unfortunate that we do not have enough money to move to Saintland because I fear for the eternal souls of my children in this wicked nation.

Holly Deziel
Republic of Roxawa

[Welsh Cowboy]

The Sports Register

---

Junior Dragons Impress in Opening Match

"We walked off the field as victors," said Adam Thompson, manager of the Welsh Cowboy U-21 national football team, following his squad's 5-3 victory over the youth from defending DBC champions Free Republics , "And at this point, that is all that matters to me."

It was a solid result for the WC team, commonly known as the Junior Dragons, which was forced to make its international debut against the Di Bradini Cup 28 champions. The squad was formed just several weeks before the Cup, and to many analysts, it had appeared to be a makeshift squad which had little chances of advancing from the group, termed by some as the Group of Death. The Jr. Dragons will face World Cup 65 champions Wight, dangerous newcomers Tynewear, and potential spoiler Bloodbath Generation, in addition to the opening day opponent from the region of World Changers.

Without a doubt, some of these players will be forming the future of the Welsh Cowboy senior national team (although many players on the senior NT are comparatively young themselves); a few appeared, at least in this initial match, prepared to play in World Cup 67, which is not too far in the future to ignore; in three years, Welsh Cowboy must try to continue the incredible success it experienced in the WC66 cycle, and fresh faces will be needed. Manager George Pingrell of the senior squad commented just a few days before the tournament that "I'll be watching closely; these will soon be my players."

Thus, it was encouraging that the Jr. Dragons had such a successful debut. And it was successful from the start, as the team, which plays a more conservative and defensive brand of football than the senior squad, began to grind away at the Free Republics defense from the beginning. In the 4th minute, a mistake from FR winger Ayub Sandstrom on a back pass to his goalie almost gave WC striker Josiah Richardi an early goal, although his awkward attempt was retrieved by a retreating Christoffersen on the line.

The attacks would only continue, though, and the Jr. Dragons struck in just the 13th minute, on a free kick from left winger Henry Stenhouse. He lined up for the kick just outside the right corner of the box and proceeded to drop the ball perfectly underneath the crossbar, leaving Christoffersen helpless and giving Welsh Cowboy a 1-0 lead. Stenhouse was mobbed by his teammates, although manager Adam Thompson hurried to the corner spot to hurry them back onto the field, wary of anyone receiving a card for time wasting.

The scoreline would expand to 2-0 just before halftime, as in the 39th minute, with Free Republics experiencing one of its most positive spurts of ball control thus far, WC right back Andrew Gerstadt stole a pass to Kyle Bolton and played the ball up to attacking midfielder Felipe Josar. Josar dodged a sliding defender, leaving he and Richardi with one defender between them and the goalie. After working the ball to Richardi, Josar continued his run to the back post, and tapped home a 2-yard shot into the open net.

The Jr. Dragons exited the tunnel after halftime appearing to have as much vigor and passion as before, expanding their lead yet again in the 48th minute, off the head of 18-year old Alex Ming, who rose up and headed home a Zachary Hughes corner to make the Free Republics' deficit three. The goal sent the already exuberant Welsh Cowboy contingent into a frenzy as they began to sense that victory was theirs.

There was more cheering for the Dragons' supporters after another 20 minutes, when another Free Republics defensive error left the ball at the feet of Richardi, just 10 yards out, and only a useless Christoffersen to beat, which Richardi was only to happy to do, bringing yet another dogpile at the corner flag for the Jr. Dragons.

The lead expanded to 5 in the 76th, with another Richardi strike, this a beautifully curling shot from 25 yards out, after which Richardi was pulled in favor of Victor Kriegerharden, earning himself a standing ovation from the WC fans. Free Republics pulled back three in the closing minutes, but these simply lessened the goal difference, and although manager Thompson expressed unhappiness with his squad's performance in the closing minutes, the goals were meaningless in the final result.

So onward it is for Welsh Cowboy, having dealt another nation its first loss outside of a DBC final. Advancement is far from secure, but this result will help.

[95X]

Joey met Floyd Commando at an autograph-signing session one afternoon, and was obviously bummed when the 95X network 5ive (yes, pronounced "five") ran the the first Di Bradini Cup game live, well after his bedtime.

Waking up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed the next morning, he looked online hoping to see the headline he'd dreamed of the preceding night:
Commando Hat Trick Leads 95X to Victory

Instead, a different headline tops the page:

sports.5ive.co.95x
Cody Jasper Unlikely Scorer in 95X U21 Win
SALT LICK CITY, EQUESTRIAN STATES—In the first international sporting match televised on 5ive, Floyd Commando found himself double- and even triple-teamed throughout much of the match.

No problem! Commando made a surprise away from the goal air pass to his four-legged midfielder teammate, who dribbles the ball up the midfield, spins out his immediate defender, shoots and scores in the 57th minute! 1-0, 95X!

Another sticky situation later on, where a corner kick gone wrong gave Nouvel Ecosse a good sporting chance to tie in the 66th minute, when the ball said hello to 95X goalkeeper Sabrina Fessenden! Goodbye ball!

Commando would have his chance to drive the nail in the coffin, but a quick read of the field saw four defenders waiting for him. Could he really pull the same scheme twice? Of course he could! Jasper's second goal of the game in the 80th minute ensured the 95X shutout, 2-0!

5ive is your coast-to-coast, in all four directions, home of Soccer League X, the Soccer League X Playoffs, and the Di Bradini Cup! Make sure to catch all the action live on 5ive, and the daily wrap-up every night with Mica Mallon, only on 5ive!

"Can I stay up late to watch the next game, dad?" Joey pleads. "Pleeeze?"

"Eat your vegetables, and we'll see," the father of the precocious ten-year-old grudgingly replies.
95X 2, Nouvel Ecosse 0
(Jasper :57, :80)

[Equestrian States]

Pristina Shine Leads Little Ponies to Victory
by Steve McNotapony

Equestrian States 5-2 San José Guayabal
at Royal Equestria Stadium in Canterlot, Equestrian States
Attendance: 102,364

Match Day 1 Results:
Equestrian States 5, San José Guayabal 2
Farfadillis 4, Patistan 3

CANTERLOT - The Little Ponies' Di Bradini Cup couldn't have gotten off to a better start. In front of over one hundred thousand supporters at Canterlot's Royal Equestria Stadium the Equestrian U-21s easily defeated the squad from San José Guayabal by a score of 5-2, thanks largely to a hat trick by the team's star striker, Pristina Shine. Even though the visitors managed to fire in a couple of lucky goals, the Equestrian States was simply too good for them to beat, and the Little Ponies took home the points.

Pristina Shine opened the scoring in the fifth minute, heading the ball home off a corner kick. Just under 11 minutes later it was Stardust expanding the Little Ponies' lead with a bullet through the gloves of Jeremías Laguna. Then, at the half-hour mark, Pristina Shine fired home another goal from just outside the box. It seemed the Equestrians would run away with the match, but the Guayabalians were still determined to get something from the night.

With just a few minutes left in the half, Jairo Henríquez ended Golden Glove's bid for a clean sheet and gave San José Guayabal hope for the second half. Jeremías Castro doubled these hopes a little over ten minutes into the next half with a blast that brought the visitors within a goal of equalizing. But four minutes later, Pristina Shine brought the Guayabalian hopes to an end with a decisive shot from a dozen yards out. The Equestrians continued their dominance through the remainder of the match, and Krystal put the nail in the coffin with just six minutes left.

  Group A                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Equestrian States       1   1  0  0    5   2  +3    3
2  Farfadillis             1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
3  Quebec                  0   0  0  0    0   0   0    0
4  Patistan                1   0  0  1    3   4  -1    0
5  San José Guayabal       1   0  0  1    2   5  -3    0

The win against San José Guayabal has the Little Ponies off to an excellent start, but the Equestrian States cannot afford to relax. There are still three matches left to be played and the Equestrians need to win at least two of them to realistically clinch a spot in the knockout rounds.

Equestrian Player of the Match

FW - #9 - Pristina Shine
6 shots | 4 on target | 3 goals
Species: Unicorn | Gender: Female | Age: 20
Club: Iturributa United (Iturributan Premier Division)

---

Match Report :: Match Day 1

EQUESTRIAN STATES 5-2 SAN JOSÉ GUAYABAL
Royal Equestria Stadium (cap. 98,625) in Canterlot, Equestrian States

Scoring:
 Pristina Shine '5 (Krystal)
 Stardust '16 (Apple Cobbler)
 Pristina Shine '30 (Stardust)
 Jairo Henríquez '42 (J. Castro)
 Jeremías Castro '57 (A. Segovia)
 Pristina Shine '61 (Krystal)
 Krystal '84 (Stardust)

Starting XI:
GK - Golden Glove
DF - Rainboom Flyer
DF - Redtooth
DF - Krysia Bailey
MF - Krystal
MF - Stardust
MF - Apple Cobbler
MF - Nightwing
FW - Pristina Shine
FW - Farsight
FW - Rosewing

Substitutions:
 Sunlight in for Redtooth '45
 Rosie Tyler in for Nightwing '69

[Equestrian States]

Match Day 2 Results

Group A

San José Guayabal 0–2 Patistan
at Royal Equestria Stadium in Canterlot

The Royal Kingdom of Quebec 0-3 Equestrian States
at Star Stadium in Canterlot

  Group A                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Equestrian States       2   2  0  0    8   2  +6    6
2  Farfadillis             1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
3  Patistan                2   1  0  1    5   4  +1    3
4  Quebec                  1   0  0  1    0   3  -3    0
5  San José Guayabal       2   0  0  2    2   7  -5    0

Group B

Filopines 0–1 The Licentian Isles
at Derby Field in Manehattan

Felix 4–3 Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky
at Manehattan Industrial Park in Manehattan

  Group B                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  The Licentian Isles            2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
2  Felix                          1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
3  Filopines                      2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4  Starblaydia                    1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
5  Åsløtten-Bëðerbørg så Česky    2   0  0  2    5   7  -2    0

Group C

Nassau Hessen 2–4 Blouman Empire
at Elements Stadium in Ponyville

Northern Sunrise Islands 3–3 Dutzenderland
at Sky-High Coliseum in Cloudsdale

  Group C                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Blouman Empire              2   2  0  0    8   4  +4    6
2  Dutzenderland               2   0  2  0    3   3   0    2
3  Northern Sunrise Islands    1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
4  Nassau Hessen               2   0  1  1    2   4  -2    1
5  Sangti                      1   0  0  1    2   4  -2    0

Group D

Eura 1–1 Thatius
at Diamond Park in Stalliongrad

Ko-oren 1–0 New Sideburn
at the Maple Bowl in Trottawa

  Group D                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Ko-oren                 1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
2  Mizuyuki                1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
3  New Sideburn            2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
4  Eura                    2   0  1  1    1   2  -1    1
5  Thatius                 2   0  1  1    2   4  -2    1

Group E

Welsh Cowboy 1–2 Tynewear
at Wild Grounds in Everfree

Bloodbath Generation 2–4 Free Republics
at Shady Grove in Whitetail

  Group E                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Wight                   1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
2  Tynewear                2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
3  Welsh Cowboy            2   1  0  1    6   5  +1    3
4  Free Republics          2   1  0  1    7   7   0    3
5  Bloodbath Generation    1   0  0  1    2   4  -2    0

Group F

German American States 1–2 Albaie
at HarmonyLink Field in Seaddle

Polar Islandstates 1–0 Saugeais
at Pony Lands Park in Manechester

  Group F                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Furellum                  1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
2  Polar Islandstates        1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3  Saugeais                  2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4  Albaie                    2   1  0  1    3   4  -1    3
5  German American States    2   0  0  2    3   5  -2    0

Group G

Nouvel Ecosse 1–0 Bears Armed
at Salt Lick Stadium in Salt Lick City

Darmen 1–2 95X
at Estadio Poco Caballo in Maredrid

  Group G                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  95X                     2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
2  Taeshan                 1   1  0  0    5   3  +2    3
3  Nouvel Ecosse           2   1  0  1    1   2  -1    3
4  Darmen                  1   0  0  1    1   2  -1    0
5  Bears Armed             2   0  0  2    3   6  -3    0

Group H

Mytannion 1–0 Sicoutimont
at Thunder Palace in Oatlahoma City

Uitbregen 1–0 The Inevitable Syndicate
at Point Stadium in Hoofston

  Group H                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Uitbregen                   1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
2  The Inevitable Syndicate    2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
3  Mytannion                   2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
4  Sicoutimont                 2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
5  Iseteskog                   1   0  0  1    1   2  -1    0

[Taeshan]

http://chirb.it/w7IaaM

[Starblaydia]

OOC: The following takes place during the Nationstates Z event, currently ongoing.

Very little attention was being paid to the first game of the 29th edition of the Di Bradini Cup. Though Starblaydia were under a new manager, with a new outlook and prospects going into this round of tournaments, almost nobody was watching. Ffion McAllister scoring early in the second half to cancel out Ruben Munro's opener went almost unnoticed. Every eye was glued to the TV, certainly, but no-one was tuned to SCB:Sports - SCB:News was where it was at.

No-one wanted to mention the 'Z-word.

They were known as Infected, Walkers, Biters, Lurkers, Creepers, Roamers, the Herd, Floaters and Monsters.

But they were not called Zombies. Never called zombies. Because zombies weren't real.

Estimates varied wildly, but anything up to a quarter of the population of Starblaydia was said to be infected with the disease, the disease that turned people into mindless killers, slobbering and hungering for the flesh of others, infecting them in turn. At points the Army was said to be shooting them by the hundreds, thousands even, to try and turn the tide. What little research that could be done in the short space of time since the outbreak was proving fruitless. Every Starblaydi agency was totally devoting all its time to solve the problem. It seemed unsolvable, even with Atlantian Oceania's greatest minds working on the problem. Where did it come from? How did it start? Could it be cured? Was this the end of global civilisation? Esportiva was having an appalling time of it, Rushmore looked just as bad - if not worse.

Julius Starblayde, the Lord-Protector of Starblaydia, was an old man by any standards now. The blood of the First Men still ran through his veins, however, and despite being well over a hundred years old, he looked like a fit and healthy man in his fifties. Today, however, he looked particularly haggard.

"Current status," he said. He hadn't slept in a while.

"Anything up to," the Colonel checked his figures, "five billion currently infected. More, perhaps."

"What can we do?" Julius shouted, completely out of ideas and options.

"Mass execute anyone showing symptoms, my Lord," the Colonel said, "it's the only way. Research isn't going quick enough to cure this thing, even if that's possible."

"I will not be responsible for the murder of billions of Starblaydi citizens!' Julius could barely even believe that he needed to say it.

"If we don't eradicate these things, Sir," the Colonel said, stony-faced, "you'll be responsible for the deaths of us all."

That hung in the air between them like the sword of Damocles. More accurately, perhaps, it hung like Starblaydia's Damocles orbital artillery station, silently in space. Both men stared deep into the cold, hard eyes of the other. Neither would give ground, by birth, rank or training. Other people and officials in the room thought that blows were about to be struck. There was a commotion outside that broke the tension. Whoever it was, they weren't going to be stopped by any officials outside the door. If they were this far inside the Lord-Protector's command bunker, deep underground, they might as well have got through all the guards and soliders in the Protectorate. Julius just hoped they weren't them.

As the doors swung open, the men and women entering looked nothing like the walking dead, which was a relief. In fact, they gave off a religious vibe to those who knew what to look for. Julius Starblayde wasn't sure which would have been worse.

"Who the hell are you people?" Julius demanded.

"That's not important now," said a tall and thin man with short, receeding red hair who had stepped forward to identify himself as the leader of the group, "what is important, is, we have a cure."

[Albaie]

The final whistle blew and the stadium erupted. Yeah sure the Albaie fans did it after most games but today the game was special. It was the Starters Derby between Albaie and German American States and all derived from when the two nations burst onto the international scene they played a series of friendlies but now this was the first ever competitive game between the two teams. With this victory it carried on the Albaieien tradition of beating German American States but despite often being the winner in the Starters Derby they knew danger lurked in the higher ranked team who had unlike Albaie reached the top 100 ranked teams in the last cycle a fact that the Albaieien fans and officials found very shameful. IT had been Robert Tererent that stole the show as he used his explosive pace to just run onto balls played over the tops of the defenders then he used his muscular form to beat the goalkeeper than just slide it into the back of the net. Tererent opened the scoring after 17 minutes but the GAS quickly returned with a undeniably great long shot. Tererent quickly set back into getting the lead and he scored a magnificent volley from the edge of the box from a corner but almost straight away the GAS strikers tore through the Albaieien defense and lodged a stunning shot top corner that Turntern had no hope of stopping and he floundered to the ground as Tererent gave him a mouthful for throwing away his hard work. The game fell into a stagnant match but the songs and chants of both sets of fans kept some excitement in the match until the 83 minute when Tererent picked the ball up at the halfway line beat three defenders and lodged the ball top corner. The fans were going crazy as Tererent gave his usual celebration of a back flip and none could deny that he was the outstanding player of the match and among this game of future stars the one that shined the brightest.

Though despite the great game on the pitch it was mired during and afterwards by some die hard Albaie fans who took the Starters Derby to far as they chanted racist chants and tried to attack the fans of the German American States only for the stewards to stop them. After the match though despite Sir Mark Deberen telling the fans to stay safe and not to cause or get into any trouble following the exciting match a group of Albaie fans went around terrorizing German American States fans and the up until now friendly derby may have just taken a ugly stance.

[Ko-oren]

U-21 team stole a win, Thatius up next

After the second match day in the Di Bradini Cup, Ko-oren somehow leads the group, followed by Mizuyuki and New Sideburn (all 3 points), and Eura and Thatius in joint last place (1 point each). Needless to say, with no teams left on zero points, this group is close. And actually, the two teams that have had their bye day (Ko-oren and Mizuyuki) are in first place as they both won their only game. Thatius is the second most scoring team (2 goals) and the most conceding team (4 goals) in the group, with Mizuyuki scoring 3 and the rest all on one goal. Yes, that is eight goals in four games, so an average of two goals per game. Looking at other groups... there is some bus parking going on in Group D. That is, until you come across the curious case of Group H (6 goals in four matches, so 1,5 per match). Anyhow, our group seems to favor the defensive over the offensive. Or the offensive teams just create many chances, but fail to convert two into a goal.

At the Maple Bowl, in Equestrian States, the Litegreens faced New Sideburn, the team that has beaten Eura in the Group D openers. With an amazingly defensive mindset, the Liteblues were purely there to stop any attackers, in which they succeeded. A lousy free kick, fired poorly into the New Sideburn wall, fell in front of the only striker Ko-oren sent up front and walked it in: 1-0. This was after 83 minutes, after a true bombardment on our poor goalkeeper. New Sideburn, with two strikers, came close to Byrne more than once, but each and every attempt by the duo came too short. Especially Kite, who fired an amazing 10 shots on the Ko-orenite goal, must feel bad about the many misses (though it has to be said that most of these shots came from outside of the box, for no player really even made it into the box at all. Such is the power of Ko-orenite defending). Cathar came to 7 shots on goal, and offensive mid Christon had 5 before being subbed off after sixty minutes. He came closest of them all, with a shot bouncing off of the woodwork. Clarion and Penrith got a few crosses near our goal, but none of them could be tapped in by any striker (including Linen, who replaced Christon). A number of offensive substitutions looked to give New Sideburn the edge late in the game, but alas: if you don't score yourself, your opponent will. Even though the entire Greenblue team came to 3 shots on goal during all 90 minutes, one poor attempt was enough to steal the win from a much more talented side. For the free kick that opened the score, only Zhukov and Sisribun were anywhere near Ballard's goal (the other 9 players awaiting a counter). Sisribun took the free kick, Zhukov scored.

After the 83rd minute, the coach replaced both strikers with Liu and Pergaluithen in order to stop the late game offensive, and it worked. A few fouls were needed, but luckily there were no bookings for this game.

The other game in the group featured Eura and Thatius, balancing each other out (1-1). With Thatius as the next opponent, will Ko-oren keep their defensive stance? A popular opinion with the players is that "We've caused enough problems for ourselves in previous DBC's. Everytime we thought we could make it to the second round, but in the end, we've always ended up in last place of the group. We're just going to defend ourselves through this one, which is the ony mature way to play this game". Needless to say, we expect the team to go into the next game (against the slightly more-offensive-than-New-Sideburn Thatius) much like this game.

[Mizuyuki]

---

Di Bradini Joy for Kamioka
But 3-1 win for Mizuyuki merely papers over the cracks of youthful team

---

Wang Jiangshu, sports correspondent

3-1 wins are not enough to appease some people, it seems. Leastways not the deities that oversee international football.

We get a solid victory, and then? We end up with no less than two of our starting XI struggling for fitness ahead of a momentous clash with the youth team of reigning World Cup champions Eura.

Many of you will be aware of the fact that the junior football squad, known as the Aurorae (not to be confused with the similar aurorae, which is the nation's currency) are currently participating in this cycle's edition of the prestigious Di Bradini Cup, which is the rebranded U21 World Cup.

In all respects, the opening 3-1 victory over Thatius was a satisfying one. We had gotten the better of them several times over the last cycle or two in a variety of competitions, and it was once again hugely enjoyable to see the Aurorae go about their systematic demolition of a hapless Thatius outfit. In a refreshing change of pace from Shirakiin's all action approach to attacking football (not that we don't enjoy seeing the Nova win, mind you!), we got to see one of our more talented coaches, Kamioka Ryoichi, showcase his tactical nous in this game, albeit with a slight change of approach.

Did I say slight change in approach? I retract my statement. Shirakiin's and Kamioka's approaches to the beautiful game were as far apart on the tactical spectrum as humanly possible; whereas Shirakiin goes for the jugular, Kamioka is content to sit deep and defend; allowing the opposition to grab the lion's share of possession, then rapidly countering with lightning pace down the flanks.

And boy, did Kamioka's astute judgement pay dividends against Thatius. At the Maple Bowl in Trottawa, Kamioka appreciated the fact that he was going up against an offensively oriented team, and duly made adjustments to fit the situation. As it was, he decided to delay Zhao Jinlin's debut for the national U21's - no doubt Zhao would have loved the opportunity to get herself into the manager's good books with a sparkling performance, and she will be understandably shattered at being dropped from the starting XI despite having performed superbly during the trials for the U21's - but the vastly more experienced Kurugaya Miki came on to play her first match for the national teams this cycle. Despite being only 15 years of age, Shirakiin's policy, in line with the FA's wish to nourish youth talent for the national ranks, have seen her participate in the first successful qualifying campaign for the senior national team - one that saw plenty of playing time for her, often as an impact sub on for first-choice Izawa Airi, while a couple of brilliant performances prompted Shirakiin to afford her a starting position in no less than 4 matches out of the entire 10-match qualifying campaign. She went on to play a part in 2 of Mizuyuki's Finals matches, most notably coming close to securing a first win for the Nova against the Archregimancy with a thumping shot - virtually the last kick of the match - that cannoned off Fr. Eusthatius the Ruthless's shins and onto the post after Fr. Hypathius the Fierce secured a last-gasp equaliser for the monks.

But let's not allow ourselves to dwell on past glories. Kurugaya was undeniably a better choice against the inexperienced Thatians, and her big-game experience showed as she tore the Thatians' defence to shreds. More than once she left Altanović and Panagakos flat on the ground with hefty challenges, and indeed, her persistence in closing down the jittery Thatian defenders ensured that she profited - Kurugaya managed to score a flawless hat-trick, which, in all honesty, owed more to the ridiculously amateurish defending of the Thatians than her own talent and ability. Nonetheless, a top-class forward like Kurugaya will always snap up these chances - she doesn't need a second invitation - and in the end, Thatius might as well have wrapped those goals up in fancy wrapping paper and sent them to Kurugaya's house as an early Christmas gift.

In the first minutes of the match, Kamioka's team sat deep and defended against the waves of attack, knowing only too well that cracks would soon show up. Sure enough, a lapse of concentration by Artymiak allowed the excellent Natsume to receive the ball from the covering Mu and set off on a lung-busting run down the left flank, dancing past a host of midfielders before spinning in a pacy cross into the area. Panagakos, who was subject to some pressure from the far more physical Kurugaya, went down under her challenge and Kurugaya was left to gobble up a pristine chance handed to her on a silver platter, calmly sending an instinctive snapshot into the bottom right corner past Tijomolović's dive. Replays showed that there was substantial contact between Panagakos and Kurugaya, but nonetheless it appeared the correct decision to award the goal.

After the restart, it was once again all Thatius, as Kamioka ordered the team to shut up shop and resort to catching the Thatians on the break, a strategy that had proved to be successful so far. Content to absorb pressure and soak up the attacks, the well-organised Aurorae were solid in defence, only allowing Thatius a few sights of goal. On the rare occasion that Thatius did manage to fabricate a chance of some potential, the impressive Haruto was there to deny them, though in all fairness he had little to do beyond catching the ball, such was the rarity of a Thatius shot.

The Aurorae's second, well-deserved goal arrived on the stroke of the hour, as once again a slip by a Thatius player allowed them to get in behind the defence. Seedorf, who had scored against Mizuyuki before, was guilty of losing possession in the middle of the park - throwing caution to the wind, Rin Qinghua steamrollered past him and into acres of space down the right. However, she opted for the less orthodox route - Rin cut infield and tried to curl a beauty of a shot inside Tijomolović's far post. However, it looked to be missing the target - heading well wide, in fact, when the energetic Kurugaya popped up in the area, evaded the challenge of Panagakos, and bulleted a powerful header into the net.

With 60 minutes gone, and 2-0 up, Mizuyuki would have been forgiven for relaxing their iron grip on the game somewhat, in the interest of conserving energy for their next matches. However, Kamioka evidently thought differently, electing to bring one of the team's senior stars, Tsukuyomi Akira, who had missed out on a place in Shirakiin's senior squad due to an ACL injury, into the fray for the underperforming Kuramochi. Tsukuyomi immediately made an impact, as his cute delivery picked out Kurugaya in the area, and allowed her to slot home beneath the 'keeper.

Despite the impressive nature of the win, Kamioka will not be best pleased with the way that the Aurorae conceded a consolation goal to the Thatians, although it was ultimately not of detriment to the massive effort that the team had already put in. As the game ticked into the final 5 minutes, a hopeful long ball into the Mizuyuki area by Karahalios caused some havoc in defence, with both Mu and Shibue making a hash of clearing what seemed to be a simple enough ball. As it was, the successive mistakes allowed Seedorf, who arrived late in the area, to make amends for his earlier clanger by firing a well-placed shot past Haruto, who will be disappointed not to record a clean sheet after facing only a total of 4 shots on his goal.

As an oft-quoted line goes - "There are no free lunches in the universe" - it held true for the Aurorae. After supplying the assist for Kurugaya's 3rd goal, Tsukuyomi had his ankles taken out by a crashing challenge and had to be substituted. Initial screenings reveal that he has suffered a dead leg, and he is currently battling to regain fitness against Eura. On the other hand, our outstanding wingback, Rin Qinghua suffered concussion after a clash of heads with Christensen in the penalty area, and had to be taken off as a precaution. Indeed, both players are a doubt for next matchday, when we play against a strong Eura team who will be looking to get their DBC challenge on track after suffering the ignominy of securing only a point from their first two matches.

Don't get me wrong - Kamioka certainly has other options available to him. They're just nowhere near as good as Tsukuyomi and Rin.

[Patistan]

PNT NEWS

PATISTAN NATIONAL TELELVISION NEWS

And those are the headlines wait wait we have got another update for you and football fans will be happy to hear this Patistan U-21 team has won there second match against San jose Guayabal with the score off 2-0!

The match happened at Royal Equestria Stadium in Canterlot and after a first loss for patistan against Farfadillis which was a close match.

Todays mtach had gone like this at the first half only 3 minutes after the kickoff zahid got the ball and travelled across the whole pitch and from the corner shot the ball which the goalkeeper truly misundestanded and the ball went through his hands at the back of then net and even Zahid himself was astonished at what he did and was just standing there with his mouth opened as patistani player jumped on him with screams and cheering after that much of the first half was a bore with patistan defending al the shots San Jose Guyabal shot at them.

The second half was the most intresting at the start kerai the defender came up and got a pass from usman kerai then shot the ball with only one touch but it clipped the crossbar and went outside after that in injury time at a goal kick shaheer the captian and the goalkepper passed to an defender and without saying anything shot across the field with the patistan goal being ungarded he called for a pass and suprisingly got it he went up with dodging every player he did a one two with zahid and only the goalkeeper blocking him from the goal he suprisingly just stood there with the ball and the goalkepper rushed up to him he dribbled around the goalkepper and walked in the goal with the ball Shaheer has been the first patistanian to play for the international at the age of twenty while also the youngest everr patistanian goalkepper to shoot a goal

When asked from him why did you do it he said

"Farfadillis called me a ametur and San jose Guyabayal thought our defense was weak so i just wanted to show them that i mean things"

[Furellum]

Player Reviewwith Jan Sorensen

Mihails Gavrilovic

Mihails watches intently during a
match for Upton-on-Rode Juniors

Originally the back-up keeper for the most recent U-15 WOrld Cup campaign, Gavrilovic was called up in the final matches due to an injury to Boris Mihajlovic. His athleticism and bravery impressed during those matches, and he was rewarded with the number 1 jersey for the new U-21 team. Mihails has a natural agility, and will often bounce around the goalmouth, stopping shot after shot with his excellent reach. Mihails isn't afraid to charge an oncoming player, and has the presence to intimidate and the skill to react. He has also been known to swing on the frame of the goal in order to punt the ball further up field.

Sorin Vladimirescu
More correctly referred to as Lord Montalban, Sorin is a member of the ruling Maalvian royal family. he is also an excellent left back, and is part of the full national team as well as the U-21 squad. Sorin grew up playing in Maalvia, and had a short stint at the Ralitzburg Royals before moving to Furellum. SInce then, he's been an integral part of White Market's defensive strategy, which has paid off for them in recent years.

[Starblaydia]

Part One: The Outbreak.

Fredricum Montfort, modern day Daii.
Not relevant to football, really.

"I said, who the hell are you people," Julius demanded, glossing over the fact they promised a cure for the global crisis, "and how did you get in here?"

The man, tall and slim but looking about as non-athletic as one could imagine, simply sighed. He thrust his hands into the pockets of his sharply-tailored suit and took a deep breath.

"Lord-Protector," he said in bored voice, unsure why he should be playing this particular game, "we are the Daii. The Daii. Before Starblaydia was, we were. We were patriots before patriotism, fought alongside King Oberyn Starblayde in days of yore and, ever since, have protected Starblaydia from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Usually the utmost secrecy is required for our goals, but in this case, this particular pathogen and your insistence have forced our hand and necessitated our presence here. I am, if names you have never heard of are so important to you, Fredricum Montfort."

Julius Starblayde brought his hands up to cover his face, closed his eyes and breathed out deeply.

"You're a looney," the Colonel said derisively, "arrest these people!"

"Quiet, Colonel." Julius said, muffled by his hands. He planted his hands firmly on his hips and looked to the ceiling, perhaps for divine guidance. "The hispter illuminati are here to save us, apparently."

Montfort seemed to appreciate that remark, "Now," the Daii said, "will you accept our aid or are we all going to die here like slathering beasts the next time a horde of those things comes wandering by?"

There are times when a world leader make an individual decision that changes the course of history. Julius Starblayde was, at that precise moment, at one of those times. Dancing upon the edge of a knife, he would either fall one way, the other, or stay where he was and eventually be sliced in half. Three thing raced around in his brain at that moment, competing for the dominant thought process. The first was whether this man before him was really a Daii. They were the equivalent to Arthurian knights of Starblaydi legend, brave and bold warriors of the utmost chivalry. Other than his upper-class bearing and manner of speech, this Fredericum Montfort before him was certainly no acquaintance with lance and shield. Could their order have survived in secret for thousands of years without the government knowing? Were they perhaps pulling the strings of Starblaydi government at a level even higher than Julius himself was? Were they the real power in the land, one that he, his brother, father and grandfather had never even dreamed of? This was a line of thinking that he couldn't possibly solve with what was in front of him.

Second-most in his mind was the cure. Did they really have a cure? Could it be replicated, mass-produced? How was it deployed and did it come with any side effects? How did they get it so quickly, did they always have it just in case? The science, if it was science and not magic, of the virus infecting the globe was beyond him, so any cure would be equally so. He had to decide whether he could trust this man, this Fredericum Montfort, and subsequently if he could trust his so-called cure. What was the worst that could happen, they'd all be turned into mindless flesh-eating creatures if he didn't find a real, working cure anyway, so any supposed cure was better than no cure.

Finally there was Chorus. She had been advising him for close to fifty years now. She was the voice in his head, a distinct personality that guided him and had helped him become the man he was. Lord-Protector of Starblaydia, beloved by the people, World Cup Hall of Famer, among others. Since this outbreak began, he hadn't heard her soft, beautiful and compelling voice in his mind once. Was she pushed out somehow, or was she gone forever?

Julius looked Montfort straight in the eyes. "If you have a cure for this disease, one that works, then I will gladly do everything in my power to distribute it across the nation, the region and even the planet."

"Excellent," Montfort said, looking genuinely pleased and relieved, "if your labs can get it mass-produced and weaponised fast enough, we may even be able to all sit down together and watch the Filopines match in the Di Bradini Cup. Why aren't we hosting it again, perchance did we run out of money again?"

Julius stared, open-mouthed, at Montfort's now offhand and cheery demeanor. "You really are a looney."

"No, my dear Lord-Protector," Montfort replied, "simply looking on the bright side, and all that. My associates have all the details your scientists and technologists need. Now, I imagine you fancy a little chat about... us?"

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

As the team returned to the hotel separated from their coach, as his condition only allowed his transport to be made by ambulances; the players were pretty much silent after the draw. Not a huge surprise behind their silence, drawing with a team they never heard off and by a huge number of goals. It seemed like a good proof that most of the picks weren't really wise, specially against such a small team. But, could you blame them? The offensive football that the unknown land of Dutzenderland played against the Vaporeons was pretty impressive, regardless of their considerable lack of hope at that match. Not to mention, the Sunrise's new squad really seemed to do what the Under-21 side of the last edition, the one who got a third place, wouldn't do, screwing up at most of those attacks from their opponents. On paper, the Vaporeons would be blamed for letting that much go past them while on the field, it seemed like it was the other team that couldn't nail more goals in as the Sunrise let them do as such.

Not that the team itself was that terrible, though. The offense did a very nice job and you must give credit to James Byrd Jr. for somehow controlling the team, since the coach is... well, you know who, and for someone who was just a mere player on the reserves, he did well. Not to mention, picking Cervantes, Marticrant and Negolossauro Rex were all good picks in the end. The first goal was a good proof of that, with Negolossauro Rex shooting one of the strongest kicks ever, beating Yamada from having any chance of a save. Cervantes did well too, forcing his way through the defense of the Dragons quite often, finding himself a way to score on the second half, getting the score to a tie, 2-2, that goal from Negolossauro and the two goals from the other team having happened before that.

And with Marticrant, it seemed like the Sunrise would get the win. Almost flying over the field, appropriated enough for the stadium where they were playing the match, she dribbled the opponents without any bit of difficulty, only to find the net goalie-less, as she also dribbled the goalkeeper on her way there. Could it be? The team leaving their first match with Kirola kits on a high note? Of course not, someone had to screw it. The Kinsington brothers left Higashibayashi free of any marking to score easily on the back of the net of Filipe.

The silence on the bus was rather justified. Trick or Treat? Screw that, we need points.

[The Inevitable Syndicate]

OOC: This RP series takes place during Nationstates Z, which for the Syndicate was a terrible pandemic that ravaged most of the region. It's up to you if you consider this one canon.

The health service had known about the disease for a few months, but simply thought it to be dormant. It wasn't like the "All Fools Influenza" that had ravaged the nation four years ago, sending 99.99% of the population into a deep sleep for two days. This one was different. Lying in approximately 10% of Syndicatians for months now was a harmless virus that simply did nothing. That was enough for the UHS to ignore it completely.

On the day of the event, however, it couldn't be ignored at all.

It properly kicked in around 13:00. That was when the police service was flooded with reports of maniac killers rampaging the streets - all with a dead look in their eyes and a gait that made the average man look like Friekder Dandalleion. These people were classed as "infected". All over the nation, people were being chased in the streets by these infected, and were being attacked left right and centre. That was enough for the police to get involved.

At 16:00, the infected population had risen by quite a bit. Numbers varied depending on the source, but the official figure at the time was cited as 15 million individuals - 25% of the population. This was enough to get the army involved. And if the army were involved, The Forum was involved. And if The Forum was involved, then someone else was involved too...

For 17 year-old Jim Bezzlesby, it was his first day at his new apprenticeship - at Atomia Engineering Systems, one of the Syndicate's primary nuclear decommissioning companies.

Or so everyone thought.

The actual truth was a little more sinister. Jim hadn't even known it himself until he'd gotten into the final stages of his interview process, in which he was made to sign the Official Obfuscation Charter, and the Mysteries Act. It was only after this that he was told what the industrial complex at Atomia actually held.

Atomia Business Park in the Webster Crater was actually the launchpoint for the Syndicate's main missile program, controlled by a number of government departments all stepping on each others toes. It hadn't been used in years, of course, even with the war in Ahlenfi (which was over now, but more on that later). Jim was rather suprised that his job wasn't going to be what he thought at all. He wasn't going to be helping to oversee the database for the company after all - he was going to be overseeing the main computer system, along with a few colleagues.

The first day at work is often the most stressful one, but nobody could have had a worse day than Jim.

"... And this is the main launch room!" Dr. Riley said, as he gestured to the empty room with hundreds of computers and what looked like a million monitors on the wall. "Unfortunately, it's a bit empty, as a load of people have called in sick. I'd teach you the ins and outs of the whole thing, but that's probably best left to Dr. Ulric - he's our chief launch operator."

"And where's he?" Jim asked.

"Sick as well." said Dr. Riley. "Well, that conludes everything - I now need you to do some work. Monitors 10 and 93 need a fix, and I've got a note on my EyeGlass that claims that Monitor 10 needs a clean as well. Someone went and spilt that bloody Endure stuff down it."

"The Ensadrink stuff? I'm not a member of the cleaning staff. Where are they?"

"Gerald, our janitor, is sick. I guess there's something nasty going round. Lucky you're here, eh?"

Jim sighed as he made his way over to Monitor 10 with a roll of blue tissue and a bottle of cleaning fluid. This was going to be a long day at the empty office. He didn't quite know just how long though...

Dr. Riley called out to him across the floor. "Oh, Jim! You can watch the TV on the big screens if you want. There's a display program on the monitors. Password is 'showmeshowyou'!"

That makes things a little better... Jim thought, as he logged into Monitor 9 with his brand new IT admin account, and decided to put the news on. It was only 10:00, and he hadn't watched it during breakfast. Plus, it made him look like a more cultured human being.

Fixing Monitor 10 took a while longer than he thought, as it needed some new RAM and a complete motherboard replacement. The last guy to use it had fried the damn thing spilling that toxic drink over it. It was a mircale there still was a Monitor 10.

BREAKING NEWS: Members of the public urged to 'avoid contact' with 'infected individuals'. Up to 5% of Syndicatians are believed to be infected with a highly contagious disease that shares traits with the "All Fools Influenza" that shook the nation four years ago. More on the story as it develops.

"Crikey!" Dr. Riley exclaimed. "All Fools Influenza! I had that when it hit us all those years ago. Didn't get us as bad as the Septentrionians, though. They actually died. I think it was a different strain or something."

"Well, we shouldn't be too worried, should we?" Jim asked.

"Not unless we need to nuke anything, no..."

[Uitbregen]

"...leaving hundreds injured in the aftermath. But thankfully, Snuffles the bunny rabbit made it home to little Jimmy after a few hours. That's the news at 8. But now, it's time for Denvargen's favourite football phone-in, it's...

S: Hello hello Denvargen and yes, it's me, Stevin Kurner and my long suffering co-presenter Dirk Hummels...

D: Please help me, he's held me captive here against my will for 13 years...please...

*Laughter*

S: No but in all seriousness, if you can call this serious, this is the first show in our new 9:30 to 10pm slot, and we've had to clear out all the junk from Racing Hour, or should I say half hour, and we've found some pretty cool stuff.

D: None more so than this amazing bobbing head donkey, which when you pressss down on it's head, it bobs forever!

S: God, those racing nuts... But on a more important matter, Uitbregen won today. we actually one?

D: Can you believe it? Yep, you heard it right. We beat hotly favourited Inevitable Syndicate one to nil. The goal came in the 76th minute from right back Jozef de Haven off a Ben Aarden corner. The game had been pretty close through the whole encounter, how do you think it went Stevin?

S: Against an opposition of the quality that the Syndicate possess, I reckon the team can be really proud of their performance. The defence gelled well, especially during the opening spell when they were really under the cosh from the Syndicate. Willem Romeijnsen had a great game between the sticks, making a fair few good saves, namely the one in the 34rd minute after the defence had a rare slip and Spencer Fox skipped in and tried to power it low, only for Willem to scurry across and launch himself to poke the ball out.

D: And the goal?

S: I think it might have been a set-piece move, I'll have to see. But when you look at the movement of the three outer players, drawing out two Syndicate defenders to leave a big open space which de Haven could rush into a slam in a low header.

D: Okay, we've got our first caller on the line. It's Daniel from Vodeler, Hey Daniel, you saw the game on tele, what did you think.

Daniel: err, *coughs furiously*, I thought we were a good unit today, with *more coughing* the forwards *coughs some more* moving well in amongst the Syndicate defenders. But one thing I would bring up *more coughing* is that we are left a bit exposed on the counter-attack, because the two wingers, Heiman and Schriij...Schreij...

S: Schrijenmakkers

Daniel: Schrijenmakkers, that's it. They almost scored after we were attacking in the last 10 minutes *coughs aggressively*, using our own flash flood tactics against us.

S: I think you're right Daniel, we were a bit exposed. But a good game overall?

Daniel: Oh yes, very impressive overa...*coughs heavily, phone disconnects*

D: Umm, well, that was our first call, now we move to Kirt, he's in South Denvargen, Kirt?

Kirt: Hi. One thing tha' really bothered me was 've birds on the pitch.

D: err, birds? Like geese?

Kirt: Nah bruv, chicks, women. Playin' against a team with girls on it seems a bit weird. I don't understand why 'vere aren't any separate women's competitions if 'vere's so much quality at 've highest level. They probably spend all their time doing make-up rather than training, amirite *laughs*

S: Does seem strange to me too, well, thanks for ringing Dirk

Kirt: But I'm Kirt, and anyway....*phone disconnects*

[Tynewear]

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Analysis: The Fullback Conundrum
By Nick Weatherspoon

As a Sundetland fan, it's natural for me to try and put a negative spin on things even though the general mood is one that is cheerful and excited. Tynewear just beat Welsh Cowboy 2-1. Well that's fine and dandy, but despite what seemed like a pretty convincing victory thanks to two goals from Joel Hunt, the fact is that both Harry Bridger, and to a far lesser extent William Fry (more on this later) were our weakest links (although in this game, that means a 6-7 star performance). It's a problem that had been singled out by the Tynewear media from the start, and Alex Valrey has an issue on his hands. What does he do about his nagging fullback problem?

Let's rewind back to the Di Bradini Cup opener against Wight. In this match, our fullback deficiencies were clear for all to see, with no sort of balance between the actions of Harry Bridger on the right side and James Downing on the other. On the one hand, Bridger wasn't making the overlaps you'd want from a modern-day attacking fullback. On the other, Downing was making himself available as an attacking outlet as much as possible, but his tracking back was at times 'sloppy', while the majority of his tackles were hopelessly mistimed. Had Tynewear continued to dominate proceedings as they had in the first half, Downing would have been given a 7-8 star performance. Unfortunately, Tynewear's collapse merely highlighted the issues with his game, being turned inside out on at least a dozen occasions by Osprey Hart and a drifting Eneko McBride.

Downing's defensive display could probably have been somewhat forgiven, keeping in mind his questionable defensive showings in league play. However, what was very disappointing was Harry Bridger's completely disastrous 90 minutes at rightback, showing no sort of cohesion between his partners in the back four, and also no sort of chemistry whatsoever with Jacob Fairman, who shared the right flank with him. In the first half, Bridger was by far Tynewear's weakest pawn. He wasn't making many runs forward, and when he did, he was usually positioned so badly that there was no chance in hell that whoever had the ball could make a pass or cross. This is, again, somewhat understandable. Bridger does not play this way for his club. However, when the game changed, Bridger did too. And I don't mean it in a good way.

I don't know if he was simply nervous and scared beyond belief, or really just had no idea what he was doing. As Wight began piling on the pressure, Bridger was seen dropping further inside the pitch, so much so that at one point he was seemingly playing a double pivot with Alfie Whitehead. With Jacob Fairman completely inept at defending, Tynewear's right wing was left completely exposed, and the Wightlings complied with this opportunity, pushing men through this inherent weakness. As Alfie Whitehead struggled to try and cover, Bridger continued wandering aimlessly in the middle of Tynewear's half. By the hour mark, Alfie and Bridger had basically swapped positions, but whereas the captain had gotten the situation more or less under control, Bridger was busy being completely unhelpful, getting in the way of a few Wightlings but doing very little else. As Redman and Whitehead departed the field, the inevitable happened. What's been said has been said, so we shall move on to the next game.

A few hours ago we witnessed our very first victory, against Welsh Cowboy. Now this match saw several changes made to the backline. Valrey opted to play Jackson Naylor and Ben Leston as the two centrebacks in his 4-3-3, with Charlie Chilton relegated to the bench. On the left, Downing made way for William Fry, a centre midfielder by trade, but also a player with previous experience at left back. For me, Valrey was trying to do the obvious. Naylor and Leston were probably the more balanced defensive pairing anyway, but Fry's selection invoked a lot of thought. Clearly, the senior tactician had gone back to the training ground to analyze the loss against Wight with Jamie Downtree and Aaron Maxley. They would have come to some clear conclusions that probably weren't too hard to make. James Downing was superb going forward, but hopeless at the back, while Harry Bridger was the opposite. With John Brown unavailable due to injury, the management eventually decided to go with Fry on the left, in hopes of tightening the defence and lowering Alfie Whitehead's enforced workrate.

In many ways, Fry did what was asked of him. He was defensively very very solid, rarely allowing Karl Niedenburg through, and always opting to make the quick short pass to whoever was closest to him. However, somewhat akin to Bridger in the first match, Fry was somewhat lacking when it came to the attacking department, although the runs he did make were well-timed and contributed to the overall flow of the attack. It's clear however that fullback isn't something he wants to try and make his permanent position, and the strengths and weaknesses of doing so were there for all to see. Strengths? He was a lesser Alfie Whitehead, with concentration, determination and tackling excellent throughout. Weaknesses? Although he did run a lot, those runs were mostly in his own half, and usually involved running to make an interception or tackle, not a forward-run to support his winger. His overall attacking play was average, but ultimately did exactly what Valrey wanted. In my eyes, Valrey was probably taking cues from the first half performance against Wight, where, despite Harry Bridger's offensive ineffectiveness, Tynewear still managed to control proceedings for long stretches. William Fry was to be a better Harry Bridger on the left side, and he was.

As for Bridger, he put in a very decent performance, if anything. He was slightly more adventurous in bombing forward, and as opposed to his geriatric game against Wight, did work well with Jacob Fairman on several occasions. His defensive play also improved greatly, showing perhaps what he's truly made of. He kept the width on the right side, and all in all looked completely different. With John Brown unlikely to make a recovery before the end of the tournament, it looks as though Bridger will have the right back spot all to himself, and so long as he keeps playing as he did today, I'm all for it. He will have to show some more improvement in the attacking department against Bloodbath Generation, a side which we are now expected (yes oddly enough) to beat. Complacency would be the biggest potential problem here, but knowing Aaron Maxley's love for a good talk, and Alex Valrey's whacky and odd selections at time (Ethan Spence at centre back? lolwut?), everything should hopefully be alright.

Finally, to end the piece, we look at Alex Valrey's options at left-back. Now that we've seen William Fry fill in once, I could see it happen again, and with all due respect to James Downing, Fry is probably, with all matters considered, our best option. Against slightly more defensive teams, I could see Downing play, therefore don't be surprised to see him retake his place against Bloodbath Generation, who have lost each of their two games so far and are expected to park the bus. In our last group game against Free Republics, it is more likely that we'll see Fry begin. Fry does have the potential to become a very good left-back, but whether the desire is there to recreate his game is another thing. I'd love to see it happen, but judging by his comments in another game (check out Simon Clark's article), he's probably unlikely to ever play there again unless he really has to. Of course, there is another 'proper' fullback on the side, and that is Matt Smith. Quite frankly, he really probably isn't in contention for anything in this tournament, and to ever see him start a game will be shocking and pretty darn tensing. However, if we're in desperate need of width, we'll probably see him come on at some late stage of a game.

[Nouvel Ecosse]

HANNIBAL STANDARD
BEARS DISARMED IN NOUVEL ECOSSE VICTORY

---

NOUVEL ECOSSE 1 - 0 BEARS ARMED
Curt LaFleur 26'

---

Nouvel Ecosse recorded their first victory in their first Di Bradini Cup against a physically strong Bears Armed side at the Salt Lick Stadium in the Equestrian States. The Bears were left licking their wounds after a spirited performance from the Ecossians, who were fresh from a 2-0 defeat to group leaders 95X. Curt LaFleur, captain of the U-21 Side, was the hero of the day, scoring the necessary goal and making the necessary slide-tackle (no mean feat when your opponent is a full-size bear) to keep the side one goal up.

First Team
Pos Name                  Rating 
GK  Olen Alger            8
CB  Doran Milosevici      8
CB  Lando Giacherrini     7
CB  Richard Fast          6
RM  Anton Escamilla       7
DM  Daren Espinoza        6  Sub for Reiter   73'
AM  Jorge Sanchez         7       
AM  Curt LaFleur          9  Alhambra Man of the Match 
LM  Chase Maupin          6
CF  Cristopher Montoya    6  Sub for Hereida  62'
CF  Vito Giacherrini      7

Substitutes
GK  Karl Jaegar           X
LB  Leif Overstreet       X
RB  Edward Tozier         X
CM  Josef Reiter          3  Sub for Espinoza 73'
LM  James Morrisoni       X
CF  Luther Maldonado      X 
ST  Blair Hereida         4  Sub for Montoya  62'

[Farfadillis]

Mâás Fôx and his way here

I think pretty much everybody knows who is the most exciting prospect in this Di Bradini squad who has not yet represented the national team. I mean, sure, the likes of Terán, Alaminos, Kâí and Mata are all very, very exciting, but they're hardly new faces. However, the most promising guy out there right now is no other than Mâás Fôx, who might have found all these giant leaps a bit too much. He started playing for Dí Maozöxê's youth teams when he was six, and slowly started progressing after that. The team even turned professional when he was eleven. He then continued playing, being the star of whatever youth team he played in. He even managed to turn the Rulandese team into champions of the youth cup, even though the main team was decidedly mediocre. And even then, to think that not so long ago he was playing his first match for Dí Maozöxê is insane.

About that match, it was no other match than the derby between Mâ Âlâmëómë and Dí Maozöxê. The former team would go on to win the league the following matchday. On the first match, Mâ Âlâmëómë had managed to win in a match full of goals, which ended seven-three. The big team was looking to secure the league title, while the small team was just looking for some honour, as they were already relegated by then. However, a derby is a derby, and little did it matter that the sky-navy blues had nothing to win or lose.

The first time he set foot on a football pitch professionally. The guy
replaced is needless to say doomed to being forever forgotten. Does
anyone remember who was replaced by Laborious Hawk in the legend's
debút? Thought so. Poor Ôbá-Hän, though. I blame the manager.

The match itself was always dominated by the ones wearing green and black. Einarsson was constantly hammering them, while Fôx (Hân Fôx, not the one in this squad) was tearing up the defense. He found a goal early in the game, when just ten minutes had passed. He dribbled the goalkeeper after a great assist by the Polarian Einarsson, who was, as said, pretty much too much for the defense of the rather mediocre team. At half time, the scoreline was one-nil. Not much to say other than that Mâ Âlâmëómë deserved to score more.

However, on the second half, just ten minutes into it, this young player only sixteen, entered the pitch, replacing Ôbá-Hän, Dí Maozöxê's best striker (this does not mean much, however). Little did we know that these would be the first minutes on the pitch of our Di Bradini Cup captain. He'd tear apart the opposing "defense". Even though Mâ Âlâmëómë had dominated the whole game, this young player turned things around with his thirst and passion for glory. As soon as he got the ball, he dribbled a player, then dribbled Einarsson, renowned by many as the best player of the Farf league, with a nutmeg. He then went on to dribbled Millson, the Euran defender who entered the ideal eleven at the end of the season, and headed for the goal, with Climo Coss, the world cup champion, and Anna Shrike, the Sideburnese international, still in his way. When he reached the semicircle, he managed to dribble Coss, though not really by virtue of skill, but just by having slightly better reflexes. After that, he saw the goalkeeper running towards him. He chipped the ball from the edge of the box. The goalkeeper ran like crazy to avoid the goal, but it was fruitless in the end. Shrike had managed to kick the ball, but it had already gone in. A wonderful goal.

However, there were many minutes to go, and he obviously wasn't going to be satisfied with a mere tie. No, he wanted to win, even if it was just going to be irrelevant for his team's destiny. The ball came and went, with the sky-navy blues actually getting to the opposing goal. And it was right before the referee's watch hit the ninety-minutes mark that Fôx got the ball. He dribbled Dârmö, then Einarsson once again, and found himself with some space. As said, he's always had an eye for thatn impossible shot that could turn things around. And shoot he did. Just before Coss could get to him, he freed a wonderful goal off his right foot. The ball flew just like the inverse of a parabola and avoided both the crossbar and the left post by a few centimetres. He could not believe it, neither could anyone else in the pitch. Indeed a wonderful debút. He'd be a sterter the following match, which Dí Maozöxê won against Tympú comfortably - and Tympú is no easy team. He'd assist Ôbá-Hän and Nonhagatte in that match. However, little after his team got relegated, the renowned Euran team purchased him for the insane fee of ten million. Ten. Million.

Nowadays, he obviously does not get playing time at the nowadays land of the best in the world. Directus is too big of a team for seventeen-year-old player, no matter who he is. However, nobody knows if he could get playing time the upcoming season, and chances are he just might. I really doubt the Eurans would sign a player for that sum and not let him play. However, the morale boost is most likely the best thing for this guy. It shows when he plays for Farfadillis. Rossizzo now has a hard decision to face. Should he call up this incredibly young player? I mean, it would certainly not be the first time a very young player is called up - it's even somewhat of a routine - but he would still be risking himself a bit. Having him as a substitute can't hurt, however. The upcoming AOCAF Cup looks tough, this guy might help us get the elusive trophy. Or get past the semifinals. Anything goes. Actually, scrap that being third is better than second in football.