Di Bradini Cup 35/U21WC56 (Everything Thread)

[Ceni]

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CENIAN ROSTER FOR DI BRADINI CUP 35 >>>

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OVERALL INFORMATION >>>

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Ceni's senior team has consistently gained the reputation of being a very attacking side - send the ball up the field and try to score on it. However, during the World Cup qualifying campaign, this strategy - which emphasized heading up to the goal, no matter what the cost - proved to be Ceni's undoing as lesser-rated sides took advantage of overextensions and lack of credible threats in the midfield. Manager Corran Artis has decided to, instead, look into developing more competent midfielders and defenders on the youth side of the coin in order to rectify this glaring problem. Indeed, during training camp, Artis has urged his team to be smart about their attacking play - go when there is an opportunity, not just when they have the ball. He has realized that opportunistic play would be the best way for Ceni's football to further develop, and he has taken that ideal to heart when training Ceni's first ever Di Bradini Cup team and selecting their formation. Many football observers have noted that this is among Ceni's best crop of youngsters, with several young and emerging talents present on this team. Because these players know each other - and, indeed, have played with each other, as part of the Pinnacle Project - they have developed strong bonds of friendship and teamwork. The Cenian Football Federation hopes that the combination of the talent and Artis's innovative football strategy will produce a good run for Ceni's team at the Di Bradini Cup.

As part of the new opportunistic strategy, Artis has chosen a classic 3-3-4 formation for the team. Turich-Albertson, Morroghany, and Torabi will anchor the defense; Swan, Valles, and Fierro will play in the midfield; and Koromin, del Olmo, Asturias, and Garcia will form a strike team in the opponents' half of the field. Because del Olmo, Asturias, and Garcia have all played together at the Pinnacle Project, they know each other's strengths and weaknesses and will be able to capitalize on opportunities for the other three, while Koromin will be able provide another option for the strike team. In the midfield, the team has more flexibility in both attacking and defending than the senior team has and can easily switch between the two realms, something that Artis has emphasized when training the team. In the defense, the team does suffer the weakness of having only three defenders, but it will hopefully make up for it with its increased ability to pass to the midfield as well as novel zonal defense strategies that try to force opponents towards the center.

Manager: Corran Artis
Style: +1.5

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GOALKEEPERS

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Ryan Navir GK (20) Renwyll
Ryan Navir started with the goalkeeper's gloves for the Cenian academy side for young talent, Pinnacle Project, for the last two seasons, where he guided the team to a seventh placed finish in the last season. After conceding 71 goals in his first season, he markedly improved his performance, conceding only 55 goals in 30 games. Because of his youth, Navir possesses some of the best goalkeeper's reflexes but sometimes indecision will rob his chances of blocking a goal, nothing more experience wouldn't fix. Overall, his experience in the high-scoring Cenian league should serve him well in this tournament.

Laura Oannes GK (19) University of Cenial
Laura Oannes has shown some good progress with the University of Cenial's university team, having some excellent saves, made possible by her tracking of the ball, good reflexes, and excellent knowledge of the minds of strikers, some of that made possible by her psychology major in college. This knowledge of psychology should help her to further develop her career as a goalkeeper, and reportedly, a Gelderlish side has its eye on her for the next season, depending on her performance during the next year. If she can survive as a goalkeeper in Ceni's high-scoring league, she can probably survive anywhere.

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DEFENDERS >>>

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Evan Turich-Albertson LB (19) Renwyll
Recuecn's side Renwyll, impressed between Turich-Albertson's chemistry with goalkeeper Ryan Navir, chose to bring Turich-Albertson over to its side this season. Turich-Albertson also impressed with his good teamwork, excellent passing and dribbling skills, and good eye for the big picture. He tends to get a little excited for the ball and might foul a little more, but in the big picture, Turich-Albertson succeeds in driving the ball away from the opponent a good portion of the time when he's in the right position, and he tends to be in the right position. Along with friend Justin Morroghany, Turich-Albertson chose to stay in Ceni after the dissolution of the former Western Borderlands. *

Justin Morroghany CB (19) Royal Queenstown
Justin Morroghany recently featured on the same Pinnacle Project team as Ryan Navir and was nominated the captain of that team in his second season. After the dissolution of his native country, Western Borderlands, Morroghany chose to become a Cenian citizen and play for the Cenian national U-21 team. During his tenure with Pinnacle Project, Morroghany developed both his footballing skills and his relationship with countryman and friend Evan Turich-Albertson. After being shortlisted for the Best Defender in the Cenian Premier League two times (unfortunately, he was not chosen for either), the Gelderlish side Royal Queenstown chose to take advantage of his good strategy and cunning mind. *

Nick Torabi RB (17) Pinnacle Project
Of Persian descent, Torabi immigrated to Ceni with his family when he was 12 after learning to play football on the streets of his native country. Torabi excels at marking and manager Artis’s new zonal defense, as well as providing a credible passing option for the center when it has successfully dispossessed the offense of the ball. Pinnacle Project has chosen to start Torabi this season due to his excellent agility with his feet and the ball as well as his overall strong build, which should make him a credible threat to any offensive-minded player wishing to score.

Astara Khan RB (17) Pinnacle Project
Liam Lorechian CB (17) Pinnacle Project
Chiara Kavos LB (17) Pinnacle Project

Astara Khan, a Pakistani daughter of a construction worker and a nanny, found herself playing football with her friends on the street while her parents were busy at work to pass the time, finding herself adept at football, especially the defense. Liam Lorechian has a balanced style of play and excels at agility, man-to-man marking, and dispossession, and he relishes the chance to take the ball into the midfield. Lastly, Chiara Kavos, while suffering from several drawbacks that plague the Cenian defense, manages to work together with her teammates to find the best place to put the ball.

* Yes, this was with the permission of Western Borderlands.

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MIDFIELDERS >>>

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Tomás Fierro MF (19) Ninon Beart
After Sunrisian club Ninon Beart was promoted from that league's second division, they immediately turned to Tomás Fierro, one of Pinnacle Project's top players, and Fierro was only too happy to accept after playing a season in Racao, where he proved to be one of the league's best midfielders. Fierro excels in the "build-up" plays of the midfield, working to both get the ball away from possible defense interference and to set up excellent goalscoring opportunities with his good passes and other ball-handling skills. Fierro, additionally, has good pace and the ability to read the ball's trajectory well.

Allison Swan MF (18) Cenial United
During her last season at Pinnacle Project, Swan won plaudits for her decisive style and good control of the midfield as she acted as a good pivot player as well as a true sportswoman. She enabled a lot of of Kira Koromin goals as well as helping to coordinate the defense. As a result, Swan found herself second on the list for the Cenian Premier League's best midfielder and third on the list for the league's best young player. A Sunrisian side tried to purchase her and her abilities, but Cenial United outbid the club for this promising youngster. Swan will almost certainly prove to be an excellent playmaker for Ceni's team.

Petro Valles MF (19) Lexington Victory
Petro Valles - one of the several excellent midfielders from Ceni's north side, in this case from the city of Nova Ascea - excels as more of a holding midfielder, and he does well to prevent opponents' attacking moves and regain the momentum for Ceni's offense. Valles works well with friend Tomás Fierro, and they complement each other's abilities. This makes them easily able to switch from offense to defense together in a quick manner, and quickly exploit any shift in momentum to Ceni's advantage. As such, Valles has a good grasp on short, simple passes to playmaker Swan or more offensive-minded midfielder Fierro.

Julian del Olmo LM (17) Pinnacle Project
Voren Reth MF (18) University of New Oxford
Jasper Valaran RM (17) Pinnacle Project

Julian del Olmo, part of the famous del Olmo clan, will feature in Pinnacle Project's starting eleven this next season; Jasper Valaran will probably feature in the next season as he continues to develop his box-to-box style of play in the midfield, excelling at both defensive and offensive aspects. Voren Reth prefers the attacking side of the midfield, and he excels at exploiting offensive opportunities and getting the ball to the offensive side of the pitch, including his friend and teammate Tyro Solaris in the striking zone. Reth has a good tactical and strategic grasp as well, some gained from his studies of Military History in college (he is a history major).

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FORWARDS

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Kira Koromin ST (18) Celtic Noviodunum
With a surfeit of exceptionally talented strikers in Ceni's league, one would expect any budding forwards to be snuffed out by the pressure of Ceni's high-scoring and aggressive league. Contrary to any expectations, however, Kira Koromin has stood out, not just because of her name. Born to the famed Cenian legend and current Cenian national team manager Kirk Koromin and brother of national team star Kel Koromin, Kira possesses her own creative playing style. She transcended all expectations during the last season with Pinnacle Project, scoring a whopping thirty-four goals, placing her at second on the list for the Golden Ball in the nascent Cenian Premier League. Her opportunistic and aggressive style of play has earned her a trip to the Gelderlish side Celtic Noviodunum.

Nico Asturias ST (18) Heldingen
Another one of Ceni's top players to come out of the Hispanic north and Pinnacle Project, Nico Asturias could have been one of Ceni's top young strikers had he come out at a better time - unfortunately, Kira Koromin and Javier del Olmo have outshone this rising star. However, Asturias has a number of good qualities that should help the Di Bradini Cup team: he is a fast player with good agility, good penalty skills, and good shooting skills with both feet. These qualities earned him a transfer to Recuecn’s side Heldingen last transfer window.

Javier del Olmo LW (20) Sporting Cenial
Javier del Olmo is part of the big del Olmo clan which includes the renowned Cenian attacking midfielder Jaime del Olmo, who plays for the Audioslavian giants 1830 Cathair and a younger midfielder, cousin Julian del Olmo. Del Olmo impressed in his first season at Pinnacle Project, scoring twenty-four goals; this good performance earned him a trip to Sporting Cenial, where he forged a good relationship with Gavin Reed, the side’s Darvalian striker. He scored twenty-nine goals at Sporting Cenial, only one less than his compatriot Eric Garcia, and helped to guide his team to its first ever Gold Cup spot at fourth place, a win ahead over deserving contenders Phalanx AF.

Eric Garcia RW (20) Longtails
Garcia, after a excellent (but overshadowed) season at Pinnacle Project with Javier del Olmo, earned a trip to the young (and mostly foreign) side Longtails, where he created several bonds with his teammates. These bonds helped his team to rise fourteen points over its previous standings, as Garcia scored thirty goals, placing him tied for fifth on the top goalscorers list for the Cenian Premier League. Garcia, having grown up in Ceni’s Hispanic north, moved to Cenial to pursue his footballing career at age 12, where the Pinnacle Project picked him up and trained him. Garcia’s specialty is dispossessing opposition defenders and immediately converting on the chances he has just picked up while the defense is still reeling.

Tyro Solaris LW (18) University of New Oxford
Tharan Kassal ST (18) University of Ceni
Corris Laval ST (18) University of Ceni
Auren Brahe-Antilles RW (17) Longtails

Tyro Solaris, who currently studies architecture at the University of New Oxford, has been tagged as one of Ceni's brightest young strikers. Intelligent, clear-headed, and decisive with the ball, Solaris also possesses excellent stamina and fitness. However, Solaris tends to make some mistakes because of his relative inexperience. Perhaps as Garcia, del Olmo, and Asturias age out, he will have his chance to make a mark on Ceni's Di Bradini Cup team. Tharan Kassal and Corris Laval are teammates at the University of Ceni, where they operate as a tag-team in the strikers' colors; Auren Brahe-Antilles outshone his peers at Pinnacle Project training, and Cenian side Longtails picked him up after the departure of one of their better players Kristoffer.

RP Permissions: No killing/severe injuries/excessive godmodding without TGing me. Thanks.

[Pasarga]

Choose my goalscorers Y
Godmod Scoring Events Y
RP injuries to my players N
Godmod injuries to my players N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out Red cards to my players Y
Godmod Other Events Y

Pasarga Roster
Nickname: Wanderers

Kits

Home Away
Modifier: +1

Manager: Jullian van Setten, age 58
Assistant: Viktoría Oddgeirsdóttir, age 49 (F)

GK: Patrik Horčička, age 20, Baskita FC
GK: Thorsten Gerber, age 18, CA Paulinthal
GK: Csikós Evelin, age 21, Club Stein-los (F)
LB: Dagbjört Baldursdóttir, age 20, Tanrısal (F)
LB: LB Daniela Fridrichová, age 20, Baskita FC (F)
CB: Jessica Weiss, age 21, FC Brimstone (Apox) (F)
CB: Þorvaldur Oddsson, age 19, Hellinic Rouge
CB: Christian Krüger, age 20, Stein-los Turkish
CB: Haylom Medhanie, age 19, Galatica
RB: Arnar Ívarsson, age 21, SC Troubalose
RB: Florian Neustadt, age 20, Sardin United
RW: Shimah Hameeda Seif, age 21, Stein-los Turkish (F)
RW: Angelique Chrétien, age 21, Lunas FC(F)
MC: Perpetuo Jiménez Amador, age 21, Santos Luega
MC: Roland Lebrun, age 21, Tanrısal
MC: Peter Farber, age 20, Paulinthal FC
MC: Charmaine Ménard, age 19, CA Paulinthal (F)
LW: Lavinia Araujo Pereira, age 21, Galatica (F)
LW: Brice Aubé, age 21, CA Paulinthal
ST: Štefica Zagorec, age 20, Paulinthal FC (F)
ST: Harcourt Émond, age 19, Tanrısal
ST: Lundy Lafrenière, age 20, Stein-los Turkish (F)
ST: Stanislav Pokrovski, age 21, Galatica

Evelin
Ívarsson                       Weiss        Krüger                 Baldursdóttir
Chrétien                  Lebrun        Ménard                      Pereira
     Zagorec      Pokrovski     

Captain: Jessica Weiss
Corner Taker: Lavinia Araujo Pereira
Set Pieces: Charmaine Ménard
Penalties: Stanislav Pokrovski

[Valanora]

Matchday 1

Group A
Kaboomlandia 3–5 Farfadillis
Abanhfleft 1–1 Armeia

Group B
Flardania 0–2 San Llera
Patistan 3–4 Krytenia

Group C
Ceni 5–4 Lymantatia
Zenic 0–2 Devonta

Group D
Albaie 1–4 Unified Sunrise Islands
Nassau-Hessen 1–2 Pasarga

Group E
Nova Anglicana 2–4 Taeshan
Semarland 4–3 Nephara

Group F
Valladares 2–4 Cosumar
Kernansquillec 2–3 Eura

Group G
Schottia 4–0 Kirisaki
Royal Kingdom of Quebec 1–2 Fluvique

Group H
San Jose Guayabal 2–1 Polar Islandstates
Lee Islands 3–2 The Sword Bloke

[Krytenia]

Krytenia: TNG
By Rami Niblick in Gladerial, Valanora

THE senior team, my senior team, may have grabbed all the headlines since the return to international football. The miracle run to the last sixteen at World Cup LXXII. The return to last four football (and, sadly, defeat in semi-finals) at last month's AOCAF tournament. The thing is, though, the destiny of Krytenian football does not lie with Ronnie van Rijn, Sam Alinas, Vinny Frenz, or even David Heaton. It lies instead with the players that will replace them; the next generation of Aces that will take Krytenia to World Cup LXXIV and beyond.

Which brings us back to the nation where Krytenia well and truly marked their return to the international stage; Valanora. The thirty-fifth edition of the Di Bradini Cup will showcase those who will, with good luck and a following wind, light up the scene of World Cups yet to come. It seems almost incongruous that such a tournament takes place in a nation where lifespans run into the millenia, and yet here we are. One match into the competition, and the Aces are already firing. Patistan were defeated after a ding-dong seven goal thriller, and now San Llera lie on the horizon with a place in the last sixteen almost certain for the winners. Already names are emerging, players clad in the pristine sky blue and white stripes the seniors will proudly wear for their World Cup LXXIII campaign.

Dario Navas, my second-in-command for the full side, leads from the technical area. His tactical nous, and excellent man-management, make it look like a job at the top table is almost a certainty when I call time on this interesting little experiment of "Rameses Niblick, Football Manager". Navas could well be the man to lead the Aces to a first major trophy, be it here in the DBC or down the line in The Big One. Hopefully both.

Alfie Xousa may only be twenty, but he already shows the grizzled determination of a man ten years older. It's like watching Vinny Frenz, if Frenz could actually run with anything approaching a sprinting pace. Leading the line like a cavalier general, Xousa may have been bitterly disappointed to have seen his side concede three, but he knows he and the team will have far better days ahead.

Alexander Sampson needs this tournament. He knows he's about to be thrown into the LigAnaia spotlight, what with his Ousevale team selling Valrauncion and failing to purchase a striker to replace him. He's answering the call in exemplary fashion, with two goals to his name in the competition already.

Finally, there's Armando Ortega. The word "wunderkind" seems to have been invented for him. Many in Krytenia talk of Kiefer Lloyd, the youngest to ever be capped by the Aces, the Showman, the enigmatic playmaker. Ortega might well be the man to erase Lloyd from the public consciousness. Like Lloyd, Ortega possesses a superb ability on the ball, making it look like it's attached to his boots; unlike Lloyd, however, he combines this with ice-cool concentration and the ability to find the perfect pass. He is the number ten's number ten, and at the tender age of sixteen, there are great things ahead for the Avidia United forward.

There is still, of course, plenty of time for other players, other names, to come forward; on this form, though, I could have a rather wonderful headache when it comes to picking my next squad. Onward!

[San Jose Guayabal]

OOC: Elemental Collapse is a Guayabalense football-orientated website where fans and professional sport journalists can post different news and editorials regarding Guayabalense football and the entire thing that revolves around it.

The Day When We Finally Beat Them

"There's always a first time" says the good old Guayabalense idiom regarding things that could be unprobable to happen, the Polarians were beaten by a young and promising Guayabalense squad.

By: Julián Pereira, another fan like you.
From Wexax, Valanora - DBC 35 Coverage.
Posted: November 25th, 2202 - 00:11 (Guayabalense Central Time - User's local time)

As the saying I mentioned earlier in the small sommelier of this editorial, there are other idioms that can be added to this time and its use would be completely legitimate, as the "third time lucky" or "there is no evil that lasts a hundred years nor person to handle it" everything has an end and this time to the footballing domain that Polar Islandstates exercised on our beloved Selecta finished, many would say that is not relevant to the fact that this took place in a youth tournament but the reality is very different, because in the youth field is very important to this type of achievements, it is precisely where it begins to forge a new generation of players, maybe more than any of them fails to play in national team but merely to accomplish this shows the level being acquired in terms of preparing future players, it's not a matter of presumption, it is a question of fact.

After two games that had not produced much fruit for the national team, both had been curiously played in San José Guayabal and where the elite could not score you a goal to the terns, now it's time to claim the part of our a good game and a deployment expected by Vaarisiemi were enough so we could impose on the Polarians in a game that started even but we knew solve effectively, a 2-1 victory, not much but at least it's a good way start a tournament with a team that looks very promising, from Schwidrowski to Vaarisiemi, all are very good at their work, function as a small cog in the machinery, a young equipment but that can bear fruit in the future if given the sports right track each.

It may not be a football expert but I'm thirty-two years of view, basically since I was 3 years I developed a passion for the game, so I sit on the ability to analyze the game from the perspective of an ordinary fan like me, one of the millions who support our Selecta to the end, unconditionally.

The first half was a kind of adaptation to the game, much panorama of game he had but enough is failed, this is where it should improve the aim when it comes to play, if not let's ask Vaarisiemi about the big play that had barely sixth minute, which shook off the mark Fellenbaum and Espeseth to be placed in a head to head against Strom, Vaarisiemi may well put that ball over Strom but what did? Sends to fly, this is the truest test we aim to improve during the first minutes, many opportunities that end up being wasted and that can easily be capitalized on our behalf. Apart from the catastrophic failure of Vaarisiemi, the defense of Selecta was strong, preventing the passage Zhameletdinov, the star of this team, who was found totally disconnected from the circuit passes where participates with Keskitalo, Voss and Martinson, a point for what was shown by the elite, in my opinion I feel that the defense has gone from being a slope to a kind of quasi strength subject to the national team, generating opportunities that are not so many rivals, it is something that it is improving as the years pass.

While in the second half, the improvement of the defense Polarian were a key factor that prevented San José Guayabal closer to the goal of Strom for a while, maybe fifteen or twenty minutes, but two plays to stopped ball is achieved, a free kick and corner kick, the first goal by a textbook example in free throw goal for Vaarisiemi who desire to score a goal in the game retaliated, while five minutes later, Fernandez used his stature, jumped and He beats Strom, two-nil up in the absence of fifteen minutes, in which he tried to keep pushing but there were no new interesting chances.

Nothing is perfect, and the error comes from Schwidrowski's work and a pathetic attempt at a clearance, seriously What perhaps the not paying attention to what the coach of the football school of his community told him to do? Perhaps something as basic as clear the ball from your area and send it away it's so hard? I doubt it is, but go and check on the football field of their colony, perhaps there find people who can clear better than Schwidrowski, it is simply a disaster, missing two minutes, you win by two goals, the opponent has not disturbed and troubled might not have a team of babies a lacking coordination team arrives in a play without much impact, where the ball could have grabbed it even up goalkeeper with just nine years old, rather than reaching for he stands and see how Zhameletdinov scores a goal, if you ask me how do I see that? My answer would be simple and straightforward, totally ridiculous, please send this kid to coach football academy of Barrio Santa Teresa in San Salvador or anywhere else in this country, there are lots of football academies that can make him learn how to do a fucking ball clearance, please teach to clear the ball and not call him to the national team until he learns how to clear the ball as any goalkeeper would have made.

Aside from that mistake, the game developed by the national team was a very smart game where able to impose variable strategy and coordination team against the bombastic name of Polar Islandstates, leaving us a just 2-1 and a good feeling about this team, of course, if the coach decides on a goalkeeper who can play in his OWN area in a better way, maybe this is the opportunity Sami Elkjaer or Renato Velasquez wish to take.

[Nephara]

One nil.
That was the most satisfying thing in the world.
It had been simple enough. Lienke Vesper out on the left wing rolled the ball forward to her clubmate Vyntra, outfoxing Semar rightback Yleqtiik. Vyntra hooked in a beauty of a cross, Voeller rose over Boateng and headed it back towards the lurking Amokachi, who ghosted forward and hit it first-time. Past Sinde, past Lindegaard, off the inside of the upright and into the net.
Fifteen minutes in.
"Good start, lads!" came Monroe's cautious words from the technical area as Amokachi made her celebration short but emphatic, a series of fistpumps and applause for the green-clad travelling fans behind the goal. "You know what to do next - turn the screw, keep tight at the back and hit 'em on the break!"

It didn't last. Mtiliga skipped past Lineker's challenge and struck hard and low past Thunder for the equaliser just four minutes later, and Barringham beat Thunder from range in the 26th. The Magpies fell back, but their opponents smelt blood and kept on forward. Jacobsen hit a post, then Lindstrom went one better, and even though two of the goals had been strikes from a decent distance the Semarlanders looked good value for their lead. They were dominating the centre of the park - the only real midfield destroyer was Beresford, and she was flooded in opponents. Clearly frustrated, she planted her studs in Barringham's thigh after an already late tackle. The unimpressed referee booked her.
Monroe licked her lips, trying to find a way back into the game. Already, she was beseeching her squad to start exploiting the wings as much as possible, but Voeller was being crowded out in high crosses. But when Vesper went low and hard, Amokachi ghosted past Sinde, slid in and tried to hook the ball past Lindegaard at his near post. It took the goalkeeper an impressive save to keep Semarland's two-goal lead intact.
Monroe was convinced. Voeller went for an early shower, Priest came into the midfield alongside Belgrave and Beresford sat behind them both. Szalai and Vesper pressed further up the pitch. Hopefully, the 4-3-3 would overturn the deficit.
They had their work cut out for them.

Amokachi was used to a 4-3-3, at least. It was what the Brinemouth reserves used, in line with the senior team. She knew to feed on the low crosses, to hang off the shoulder of the last man and occasionally drop deep to help feed balls to the wingers and make space. She wasn't the sort of lone striker who could sit up top and occupy space just by their presence - that was Voeller's job, and he was damn good at it. But she had a gift for being able to draw centre-halves towards her or ghost away from them seemingly at will.
She took the ball from Priest's pass, well aware of Boateng and Sinde on her back. She was... well, she was 5'6" and wiry, hardly about to overpower them. So why try? She skipped away, Sinde chasing and Sambu turning to converge on her as well. Sold Sambu short by skipping past him, feinting right then darting left. Glance over the shoulder. Yes, good. Vesper might be sort of quizzically standing along the edge of the box - she wasn't used to being this far forward - but Szalai had picked up on the space. Boateng was suddenly looking very isolated.
Amokachi whirled around, stumbled but kept her feet as Sinde clipped her heels, and blasted a forward pass for Szalai. Boateng, desperately, slid for it. He couldn't get far enough, and all that was left was for the Violence Chariot to poke the ball past Lindegaard.
The comeback was on. Amokachi pumped her fist.

Thirteen minutes later, the comeback was off. After a long, even passage of play, Thunder had ruined a night's good work by dropping Eriksen's cross. Sondersen, a fresh substitute, dashed forward and lumped the open ball into the net. Just eight minutes left to try and grab two goals.
Amokachi couldn't do it alone - though she could try. After missing from fifteen yards - she should in all honesty have done better - a masterful forward ball from Belgrave was just what she needed, skipping past Boateng and smashing the ball past Lindegaard. Five minutes left. She went to claim the ball from the net, but Sinde had claimed it first and was resolutely refusing to let go. The Brinemouth striker shoved him onto the ground (an impressive feat given their respective sides) and was booked for the trouble. Monroe in the technical area shook her head.
Three minutes left, Belgrave hits the upright with Lindegaard motionless. One minute left. An excellent reflex save from Thunder denies Mtiliga, another substitute. Stoppage time. 90+1. Yleqtiik booked for time-wasting. 90+2. Amokachi glanced nervously at the scoreboard. 4-3. 90+2.50. Out of three additional minutes.
She had the ball. She was twenty yards out. No pressure from the tiring defence. Fuck it.
She blasted it goalwards. Lindegaard dashed towards it, slowed and stopped as the ball sailed a foot high and two wide.
And Amokachi sank to the ground as the referee grasped for his whistle. Peep. Peep. Peeeeeeeeeep.

[Abanhfleft]

"Sir, you have a visitor."

"Military or civilian?" asked Major General Vasily Holden. Holden was, for lack of another term, the manager of the Fleftic Army football club. Football was a popular sport in Abanhfleft, and perhaps it was no surprise that the country's very own army had created its own football club for its members to play their favorite sport. What was surprising was the fact that Fleftic Army F.C. had managed, not only to reach the top tier of Fleftic football, but to stay in the Premier League despite being a "closed club," a club that doesn't buy or sell players. Of course, participation in the Premier League meant money for the clubs whatever their position in the table at the end of the season, but the Army just added the money earned from playing the league to their yearly budget.

Holden knew that their policy of not buying or selling players, and only playing players that were currently serving in the Army or were affiliated to it, had cost them any chance of ever challenging for the league, but cup competitions were another matter. Holden had also gotten used to visitors from clubs, most often those from foreign countries not within the Fleftic sphere of influence, coming to him and asking for this player or that player, whom they had seen play for the Army and they now want to play for their team. Holden had grown accustomed to telling these people, over and over again, that the players of the Fleftic Army are all serving members of the Armed Forces, and are therefore unavailable for a move abroad. The only way Army FC would release a player was if that player decided to leave the Army on his or her own volition. And that happened sometimes, but not a lot to be dependable for foreign scouts.

"Send him in," Holden ordered his aide.

"Her, actually, sir," Holden's aide corrected him.

"Oh, really?" Holden asked, his tone making it clear that despite his friendly appearance, he didn't like it if he was corrected by a subordinate. "Then send her in."

The door to Holden's office opened, and his aide entered, followed by the woman whom was to be the general's visitor for the afternoon. "Good afternoon," Holden said, extending his hand and exuding all the homely charm that he was known throughout the Armed Forces for. It wasn't hard to think of Holden as a jovial and friendly uncle, bearing a remarkable resemblance to Stephen Fry. "I am Major General Vasily Holden of the Fleftic Army," he continued.

"Good afternoon, General," the woman replied, taking his hand. Instead of shaking it, as she expected, Holden bent down and kissed her hand, like a gentleman of old. "With whom do I have the pleasure of meeting?" the general asked. "Oh, how rude of me to ask you your name when we haven't even settled down properly. Please, take a seat."

"Thank you, General," the woman said as she sat down. Holden offered her tea, but she politely declined. "I am Miranda Byquist," she said, "of Armeia's Cruz Blanca F.C. We are an expansion team set to begin play next season, and I have been hired by the club to recruit players for them."

"A recruiter, you say?" Holden said as he sipped his tea. "I used to be in much the same position myself, except of course I recruit for the Army and not a football club." He laughed at his own joke, and Byquist joined in with some dutiful laughter of her own.

"And Armeia, you say?" Holden said. "I think I've heard of that place before, although I can't be sure myself. I haven't served in any place called Armeia... have I?"

"I doubt it, General," Byquist said. "You may have heard of Armeia being the surprise third place winner of the Sporting World Cup in the Free Republics."

"Oh, yes, that," Holden said with a grin. "Of course."

"Now, General, let me get down to business," Byquist said, and she leaned forward on her seat to press home her point.

"Ooh, a woman who's to the point," Holden said. "I like that in a woman!"

"You flatter me, General," Byquist said. "Now let's get down to business. You have a player named Kristin Pittmann, do you not?"

"Yes, we do," Holden replied. "Pittmann's one of the fastest and bravest centerbacks I've ever seen. And that's saying something, if I may say so."

"Yes, indeed she is. General, let me tell you a little secret about Cruz Blanca. We have this thing called 'advanced statistics,' and the person in charge of advanced statistics for us tells me that Pittmann is a player in which we will get our money's worth building our back four around."

"Hang on a minute here, Miss Byquist," Holden said, holding up his hand. "I think I have heard this conversation a fair few times before. Is this a transfer offer?"

"Why, yes, General," Byquist replied. "Cruz Blanca FC is indeed interested in a transfer of Kristin Pittmann to our club."

The smile on Holden's lips faltered, but only a little. He took a deep breath to steady himself, and then he said, "I think it is time that I should tell you that the Fleftic Army football club is only a branch of the Army of the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft Army, and that any players registered with the Army club are all serving members of the Democratic Republic Army and-slash-or affiliated civilians."

"Yes, General, I've thought of that," Byquist said. "And that's why I've come prepared. We know that Pittmann is committed to the Army, but we were also thinking that maybe... a donation to you... would settle matters." Byquist then lifted up a heavy briefcase from behind her side of the table, unlocked it, and laid it down on Holden's desk. "Thirty million dollars," Byquist continued. "That is a substantial donation for your organization. And in exchange, we only ask the transfer of Kristin Pittmann from Fleftic Army to Cruz Blanca. I trust that that is enough?"

Holden's smile had now well and truly vanished, replaced by a scowl that was unreadable even to the best body language expert. He leaned forward, took hold of the briefcase and opened it wider. Byquist wasn't lying. There were a definite lot of NS dollars inside the case. When he looked up at her, she said, "Of course that's not all. You simply can't fit thirty million in one case. I've got the others in my car, if you'd like to take a look."

"No, no, that's all right," Holden managed to say. "This thirty million dollars... It's a donation, you say?" Byquist nodded her head serenely.

"Now you've made things really, really tough for me," Holden said. "I think I need a spot of tea while I ponder my decision."

"Take your time, General," Byquist said as she leaned back to her chair, confident that she had Pittmann in her hands now.

Holden poured himself a cup of tea and drank it down in one gulp. "I've made my decision," he said. "And that decision is no."

Holden's decision had not been the one that Byquist had expected. "What?" she asked.

"You heard me," Holden said, standing up to his ponderous six-foot-one, three-hundred-pound bulk. "I said no. No, you cannot have Kristin Pittmann."

"May I ask why, General? Was the donation not big enough for you?"

"You are correct in assuming that your donation to the Army is the reason for my decision, but I'll get to that later." Holden then slammed down the lid of the briefcase. "I think I should repeat myself in saying that all the players of the Fleftic Army football club are serving members of the Army of the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft and-slash-or affiliated civilians, and they are therefore all ineligible for transfer. This applies to Kristin Pittmann, no matter what your advanced statistics guy says.

"Now, as for this donation you have offered me... Let me tell you right here and right now, Miss Byquist, that the Army of the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft is a great and honored organization that has been in existence since 1818, back when Abanhfleft was still a Free Land. Throughout all that time, the Army has been an honest and upstanding organization, serving the nation and the government to the best of our ability and with no reservations. Now, I don't know how things work in Armeia, but for you to even think about giving a 'donation' to me just so you can get your hands on one of our players... I am offended, Miss Byquist! Offended, I say!

"May I also add, Miss Byquist," Holden plowed on, having gone on a roll now, "that I am a veteran of ten conflicts in which the Army of the Democratic Republic has participated, and in all of those conflicts, never have I been approached by a person which a bucketload of money to sell out one of my squadmates or subordinates. If you think soldiers like me can be easily bribed like you have just done, then I shudder for the armed forces and defense of Armeia. Now get out of here! Get out of here with your money before I make my MPs throw you out! Get out of my office now! OUT!!! NOW!!!"

There was a brief moment in which Holden thought that Byquist would hold her ground and stay in his office, thereby necessitating the use of his military policemen, but then Byquist gritted her teeth, took hold of the briefcase full of money, locked it, and walked out of the general's office with her head held high but her mind definitely smarting from the words that Holden had spat out at her. As Byquist went out of his office, Holden sat down, squeezed his temples and poured himself another cup of tea. "Oh, how I hate my job sometimes," he muttered to himself.

---

"Sir, Corporal Pittmann is here."

"Send her in," Holden told his aide. It was just a few hours after his meeting with the woman from that Armeian club, the woman that had had the gall to bribe him just to get a player out of the Army. He was still seething from the affront at his and the Army's honor.

Kristin Pittman, dressed in the olive green "daily uniform" of the Fleftic Army, entered Holden's office at the beckoning of his aide. Pittmann made the three steps from the door to the center of the room, stood ramrod straight and saluted. "Corporal Pittmann reporting to the General as ordered, sir!" she barked out.

Holden finished reading the document that he had picked up as soon as Pittmann had entered his office, and then he slowly laid the document down on the table and looked up at the corporal who played right center-back for the Army's football club. "At ease," he said. "So, Pittmann, off to Valanora for the country once again, eh?"

"Yes, sir," Pittmann replied, lowering her hands to the seams of her pants and assuming the "at-ease" stance.

"Now, there's a question that I have to ask you, Corporal, and right now I'm already giving you permission to speak freely. Are you going to stay in the Army or are you going to leave after you've served your time? Like I said before, Corporal, you have permission to speak freely."

Pittmann took her time before replying. "I wish to become an Army officer, General," she finally said. "There's nothing I would like more than to serve my country, both on the football field and the battlefield."

"Thank you for your answer, Corporal," Holden said. "You've set my mind at ease. Now I apologize for getting you out of your preparations for your departure to Valanora, so I would return you to your duties. Dismissed."

Pittmann saluted once again, made a crisp about-face, and then walked out of Holden's office, wondering just what the general had meant when he said that she had put his mind at ease.

[Fluvique]

Goldsan, Valanora. Special correspondents

Fluvique started his adventure in the thirty-fifth Di Brandini Cup with a valuable victory over the Royal Kingdom of Quebec this morning in Miner's Haven stadium, in Goldsan.

Before the match, an emotional atmosphere covered the big stadium. For the first time in history, the tricolor flag entered to the pitch, held up by four kids and, behind the referees, eleven young Fluviqueans with their dreams of glory. The words of the National Anthem almost make us cry and we joined the crowd in the roar of the last strophe, like a chant of battle: Or the grave for thousand heroes!. Perhaps the Fluviqueans fans in the stands not were thousands, but their chants was heard in all the corners of the stadium.

The first minutes show us a bad game, with a lot of mistakes, long balls to the forwards and several fouls. Both teams played in the midfield, with no emotions in the areas. The foxes were imprecise with the ball and the nerves started to play his role. Despite that, the possession was tricolour and slowly our team left behind the initial thoughts of the debut and started to be the team who make us dream with a future. Ted Apparicio leaded the fight in the midfield, taking the ball back, ending the Quebec attacks and making the first passes to the fast teammates.

At the 20 minutes of the first half, Ryan Koll made a great center to John Young, who headed, it but the ball exceeded the crossbar. Quebec made a couple of shots testing the goalkeeper Thomas Morris, who made a impressive actuation in the last ten minutes.

We were all waiting for the two stars of the country, who made a poor first half. But, in the only connection of the match, made us shout. Kaleshko recovered the ball near the line and touched to Apparicio. Then Koll started to run and surpass rivals, almost lost the ball but touched it to Ricky Bertens. The number ten crossed the pitch diagonally, with a couple of rivals chasing him. Quickly made an impressive pass between the defence line, leaving Bernard Pullian alone with the goalkeeper. The forward of Mevosa FC do not doubt and shot, the ball exceeded the goalkeeper and gave a kiss to the net, the first of Fluviquean football history.

The bench left his places and reunited in a pyramid of hugs near the corner. Martin Comezzi and Edward Wells shouted with joy the goal, but instantly started to say instructions to their team in order to keep the advantage.

Fluvique ended the first half touching the ball, with good football and with a shot of John Young, denied by the goalkeeper, not allowing to put the 2-0.

For the win.

The second half started with more emotions. Both teams left their fears and doubts in the restrooms and were decided to attack the opposite goal. Fluvique took more risk and both Morgan and Smith became midfielders and participated in every attack. But, without scoring, the things became bad. Quebec pressed Trills on a throw-in and took the ball. The poor Fluviquean defense were only covered by Dennis Castanginnet and Julien Kaleshko. With a quickly touch of the ball in all the attack front, Quebec reached 1-1 at 16 minutes of the second half.

Protests, grumbles and shouts among the players. All blame each other and the worst of Fluviquean game was shown. Quebec almost scored again, after a mistake of Apparicio and a shot, Morris had to appear to save the goal.

Fluvique lost the ball and started to make fouls in order to stop the rivals. At 22´ Cameron Morgan shown a yellow card and Ted Apparicio too at 26´. The coach made changes and Juan Martin Benchamp replaced Leander Smith and Bob Duncan replaced John Young.

The fresh men revitalized the tricolourand the game was an exchange of attacks. At 31 minutes, Ricky Bertens shot, but the ball deflected off a defense. Bertens made the corner kick and the ball fly on the sky, directly to the head of Dennis Castanginnet and then inside the goal. The players ran to the corner, where Bertens was and all jumped over each other, forming a pile, with the substitutes at top.

The last minutes were played with violence of both sides and the ball was far of the goal. The game was accompanied with the chants of the presents fans. Despite the shots and rebounds and attempts of Quebec, the final advantage was for Fluvique.

Both teams will continue the adventure the next September 14, when Fluvique will face Kirisaki and Quebec vs Schottia do the same.

Ricky Bertens was named Man of the Match and said: The debut is about winning and not more. Of course, we know our strengths and our weaknesses and that we need to improve our game if we want to make it to the next round. But winning give us the confidence to work for the upcoming matches.

The debut is over. The fans now are on Valanora's streets, drinking and singing. Fluvique clearly has the need to improve the game, the discipline and handle the nerves, and also the more participation of the central figures like Bertens, Apparicio, Pullian and Young. Without their skills and leadership, the team will face several problems to advance in the tournament.

But, for now, let enjoy the victory and have ad smile when we watch the name Fluvique at the top of his group.

[United States of Devonta]

A Splashing Start
_{Devontan team wins first game of U21 WC56}

United States of Devonta 2-0 Zenic

United States of Devonta (4-4-2 Diamond): Vanburen, Styles, Benton, Rice, Martin, Hernandez, Crox, Edwards, Tallahassee, Adams, Madrid


Quick Stats:
55% Possessions, 12 Shots, 7 on goal
45% Possessions, 7 Shots, 5 on goal

Goals: Adams (68'), Rice (88')

CAUTIONED: Benton (76')
EJECTED: --NONE--

Schedule:
MD1: United States of Devonta 3-3 Zenic
MD2: United States of Devonta Vs. Lymantatia
MD3: United States of Devonta Vs. Ceni

---

[Armeia]

Katarina Dana Bonner
The pitch after the match

Standing here afterwards, I'm amazed that we were able to come back in this one. We got dominated in half one, our midfield didn't keep possession, Pandora was too hungover to play at a decent level, and Isa Tangemen was trying to play sweeper but looked more like a scared child. That was how we conceded, Kareem Dagen had the ball on the wing and he cut past Marc-Andre, making Isa run out. Bad move. She got deked badly and he put it into the open net, in minute number 66.

We were all frustrated after that, but what happened in the third minute of extra time was a miracle and can only be described as that. Boom Redman caught a clearance on his chest from Valeriane Carin, and he took it down the wing, moving faster than I've ever seen someone move on a football pitch. He then whipped a perfect cross into the box, which was struck by Sam Leroux into the back of the net, who had came on for Draga Schraeder as a sub in the second half. The header was absolutely perfect, Leroux flew threw the air like she was a bird, and there was no way the keeper could get to it.

Then the fight broke out. I don't know what the hell started this, but apparently a Fleftic player made a remark to Redman, who threw a punch. He actually only threw one punch but the team enforcer, Pandora Reimfeller, ran in and started a full on brawl, and our sidelines cleared and got involved. I was on the bench, so I just watched and recorded as everyone else beat each other up. The fight ended when the match ended, after the extra time was up, and it looks like the Fleftic did my work for me... Pandora took a kick to the chest and won't be able to play next week, meaning I won't even have to get her kicked off the team to replace her in the lineup. Not that I didn't have a plan for that, of course I did.

But the match is over, and nobody will talk to me still, other than Augustus and Lenart, who are also from Redtown. "What a bunch of pricks..." I mutter to myself, as I go into the locker room and pull my shirt off, changing into the sweatshirt I'll wear for the press conference. I tried to congratulate Sam on her goal but it's not like she wants to say more than a couple words to me. Doesn't matter. Soon I'll be a star again, soon I'll prove everyone wrong and soon they'll be apologizing to me. First though, I should make sure I'll be starting next week. "Hey Pandora!" I call out, and she looks up from the other side of the room. "You want to go out to eat? Maybe we can grab some drinks afterwards?"

I almost feel bad for this. She's a nice girl, really nice actually, but she's so naive that it makes her borderline stupid. This is the same girl who accidentally signed for her club because she was too drunk to read the papers she was signing off on. I fully intend to exploit her weakness, alcohol, to get back into the lineup, because I know if she's too wasted for practice again, Brandon may finally boot her from the squad.

Surprisingly, she doesn't ignore me. "Uh yeah," she says. "You want to go now? I don't feel like doing a press conference."

"Sure," I reply smoothly. I'm smirking a bit, but I manage to look totally normal. Yes, Pandora Reimfeller has no idea what's coming for her, and I doubt she'll be able to figure out that I did this intentionally. All part of my plan.

___________

Armeian Team Hotel

Miranda Byquist's career can be summed up in one word: depressing. The former Royals FC defender was a wall in the back, the greatest player on a sometimes awful team, and her best ever finish was a mediocre 4th. Then after putting in so much time on the pitch with Royals, they had cut her as a surprise and she had to play four extra years in the street league just to pay her bills. Then she'd attempted to go into management, managing the Kyang Steelers and nearly getting the rising franchise relegated. She hoped the front office side of management would prove more successful but after the failed Pittman transfer, it probably wouldn't be.

Now she had gotten off of the phone with the man she knew as Tyrie, the advanced stats manager for Cruz Blanca. He was pretty secretive in his working method, but he told her to check out Annamarie Sabado. In his words, she was 'worth throwing the money at'. Cruz Blanca was actually the most valuable team in the league, but since they had no rep, they had the problem of needing to throw money at players to make them sign. Zsofia Dolan was the other player worth spending on according to Tyrie, and Miranda sighed and picked up her phone, beginning to make calls to see if she'd be able to secure either of them for ten million each.

[Valladares]

THE VALLADAR FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION

OFFICIAL ROSTER FOR THE 35^TH DI BRADINI CUP/56^TH UNDER-21 WORLD CUP

Coaching Staff:

Head coach: Claudio Londero
Assistant coach: Mario Marmolejo
Goalkeeping coach: Agustín Roncero
Fitness coach: Álvaro Rezende
Team doctor: Daniel Cooper
Physiotherapist: Benoît Lavigne
Video analyst: Elías Rocha

Squad:

GOALKEEPERS
1. Paulo Gaviria - GK - 21 - Nacional (Captain)
12. Freddy Lacouture - GK - 20 - AS Vaud
23. Andrés Ospina - GK - 20 - Étoile Verte

DEFENDERS
4. Luciano Santos - RB - 20 - Pumas Maldonado
15. Diego Peralta - RB - 19 - Marinos Metropolis
2. Anthony Mosquera - CB - 21 - Valencia FC (Vice-captain)
13. Maurice Rouzet - CB - 20 - Étoile Verte
6. Anthony Becker - CB - 20 - Canalave Dragons
17. Henry Marsh - CB - 19 - Eterna Stars
3. Nathan Freire - LB - 20 - Edmonton United
14. Jose Luis Vélez - LB - 20 - Pradera FC

MIDFIELDERS
8. Roger Milligan - RM - 20 - AC Tallin
19. Hubert Desjardins - RM - 19 - AS Bezieres
5. Faustino Andrade - CM - 21 - Real Campo Grande
16. Dennis Leon - CM - 19 - Ajax Carloburgo
11. Bruno Carbonneau - LM - 21 - RC Belfort
22. Nicolás Morán - LM - 20 - Patriotas FC
10. Cristian Arango - AM - 19 - Nacional
21. Rudy Chávez - AM - 19 - Metropolis Alligators
7. Pietro Sangiovanni - AM - 20 - Bohemians Metropolis
18. Adrián Bassa - AM - 18 - Fontvielle Impact

FORWARDS
9. Bryan Sánchez - CF - 20 - Slateport Bulls
20. Mauricio Salgado - CF - 19 - Deportivo Junín

Starting Lineup:

Style Modifier: +0.5

RP Permissions:

In the event my opponent RPs first, they may...
Choose my goalscorers YES
Godmod scoring events YES
RP injuries to my players NO without permission. I'll determine the severity if granted permission.
Godmod injuries to my players NO without permission.
Hand out yellow cards to my players YES
Hand out red cards to my players NO I'll determine whether my players are sent off or not.
Godmod other events YES only if they involve weather conditions.

Special requests:
1) Please no killings
2) Try to be as realistic as possible, and last but no least...
3) Have fun.

Kits (Brought to you by Kirola Sports):



The first kit (on the left) has white shorts and green socks, while the alternate one (on the right) has teal shorts and white socks.

[Abanhfleft]

CRESCENT NEWS NETWORK
SPORTS CHANNEL - OFFICIAL WEBSITE
ABANHFLEFT • PRIDNESTROVIA • OONTAZ DERT LI NG • COPPER CUPRUM • TRENDSTART • FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA

35TH DI BRADINI CUP: ABANHFLEFT VS ARMEIA
By Malik Qazizadah


Kareem Dagen runs past the Armeian defense. Dagen scored the opening goal for Abanhfleft in the country's first match of the 35th Di Bradini Cup. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

VALANORA - Abanhfleft and Armeia ended up sharing the points in a hard-fought match that ended in literal fighting between the players that almost led to the game being abandoned.

Kareem Dagen drew first blood in the second half with a composed finish past Isa Tangemen, who had gone out of her box in an attempt at emulating a sweeper keeper performance.

Samantha Leroux then equalized for the Nordiques with a header from Boom Redman's whipping cross.

Abanhfleft had the lion's share of possession in the first half, with the veteran trio of Cedric Pearson, Joe Warren and Sarita Cairo bossing the midfield and directing attacks down all sides of the Armeian side of the pitch and taking advantage of a generally disorganized opposing back four.

Yet the Young Young Revolutionaries were unable to capitalize on their dominance in the first half as the Fleftics wasted chances, with Dagen hoofing the ball into orbit from six yards, while Zsofia Dolan's header smashed into the post just before half-time.

It was more of the same wastefulness from the Fleftics in the second half, and Dagen found the side netting from a Dolan corner before finally hitting the mark three minutes later.

The woodwork denied Abanhfleft a second goal coming into the last ten minutes with substitute Annamarie Sabado finding the post from what should have been an easy scoring position.

Four minutes of added time were given for the second half, and in those four minutes, history could be said to have been made, as Redman ran down Abanhfleft's right flank with speed and pace unexpected by the defenders and made the telling cross to Leroux, who headed it past Ursula Qatintiki's outstretched hand.

And then, as Leroux and the other Armeian players were celebrating the goal, Redman was seen throwing a punch at Dagen, who appeared to have said something into Redman's ear just moments before. Dagen easily swept away the punch, but then Pandora Reimfeller added her fists into the altercation, and soon all the Armeian players, even those on the bench, were swinging away at any person wearing a white shirt. The Fleftic players also got in on the action, although more to protect each other than to actually get into fisticuffs with the Armeians. Once the dust had finally settled, Redman had been given a yellow card, along with Mabel Finnemark, who sent a studded boot right into Reimfeller's chest in still-unknown circumstances. After the bookings the referee blew for full time, and the Fleftics were glad to be able to get back to the locker rooms, and for good reason.

Abanhfleft will face Kaboomlandia next, while Armeia is set for a showdown with veteran footballing side Farfadillis.

 ABANHFLEFT 1 - 1 ARMEIA
DAGEN (66')       LEROUX (90+3)

ARMEIA
GK: 13 Tangemen
RB: 22 Redman █
RCB: 04 Zupan
LCB: 03 Borg
LB: 02 Carin
RM: 06 Ross
LM: 07 Falk
RW: 23 Reimfeller
CAM: 18 Halloway
LW: 10 Toure (Martin - 76')
CF: 11 D. Schraeder (Leroux - 46')

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 01 Qatintiki
RB: 02 Afolayan █
RCB: 03 Pittmann (Soler - 82')
LCB: 04 Gibson
LB: 05 Fuller
RDM: 07 Pearson
CDM: 06 Warren (Kleinmann - 50')
LDM: 08 Cairo
CAM: 09 Finnemark █
RS: 10 Dagen
LS: 11 Dolan (Sabado - 65')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 60%
Armeia: 40%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 15 (6 on target)
Armeia: 6 (3 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 12
Armeia: 3
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 4
Armeia: 10

---

"All right, everyone, let's take this from the top," Celerino delos Reyes told his players as they cooled off in their locker room following the 1-1 draw with Armeia and the fight that ensued. Delos Reyes wasn't particularly worried about the result of the game right now--he could deal with it later--but the fight that occurred between his players and the Armeians had to be addressed as soon as possible. "Kareem, I saw you say something to that Redman fellow before he tried to punch you," he said. "What did you say?"

"Nothing much really, boss," replied Kareem Dagen, the seventeen-year-old Myleikaf native who used to play for Rosenpfelblatz City before being transferred to Semarland's Eikborg Club following his stellar performances in the Sporting World Cup last year. "I didn't say anything I thought was gonna make a guy try to punch me."

"But what did you say, exactly?" delos Reyes pressed. "You're playing international football now, Kareem. If you say the wrong word at the wrong time, then it will affect you for years to come. Now, tell me, what did you say to that Armeian?"

"To be honest, gaffer, I didn't say anything to him," Dagen replied. "I just said that the linesman's had a poor game, and their goal should've been offside."

"But what exactly were the words that you said before he tried to punch you?" delos Reyes asked, his patience beginning to wear thin. Sometimes getting the truth from these teenagers and young adults was harder than pulling teeth out.

"I don't know," Dagen said, tossing his hands up to the air and then slapping them down on his thighs. "Twas probably something like, 'That flagsman was poor. That's offside, surely.'"

Delos Reyes sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Dear God, Kareem, think before you speak next time, will you?" he finally managed to say.

"Why, boss? Why's that?" the forward asked.

"Let's just say that the Armeians don't like it if they think someone is insulting their flag, or if someone calls them poor."

"But I wasn't calling them poor! It was the linesman that was poor!"

"Still, who knows what that fellow Redman thought he heard you say when you said what you said. You know how the stadium can get really noisy with all the fans trying to out-chant each other. And as for you, Mabel, you have some explaining to do as well," delos Reyes said, turning to the central attacking midfielder from Rosenpfelblatz Ladies. "What was up with that kick!?"

"She started it," Mabel Finnemark protested. "She's the one that was going all Fists of Fury out there. You saw it too, gaffer!"

Delos Reyes sighed deeply once again. "Sometimes, I don't know why I even bother," he said. "All right. This isn't over yet. But we've still got Kaboomlandia and Farfadillis to consider in the coming week. We have to focus on them or miss out on the cup once again. We already missed out three times. Not anymore. Now all of you, get cleaned up, get back to the ground, and we'll start training at seven in the evening. Understood?"

[San Llera]

20 Best Di Bradini Cup Players

The players are sorted by how well they're RPed to be and how well they're RPed. Bias towards my player will likely occur. Also, I likely added information about your player, you can feel free to use it or RP it as being incorrect.

Also, apologies to anyone who RP'ed or posted their roster after I started this, as it took kind of a while. Those RP's were not factored in.

EDIT: Valladares posted their roster while I was writing this, so they, unfortunately, were not included.

Hello, I'm Marco Brelli of Viva Dicce and I would like to present my list of the top 20 players playing in this Di Bradini Cup. In an effort to get you, the reader, to better know to sometimes obscure youths of various nations, I have compiled a list of the top 20 to watch in this cup. And, in the interest of variety, there will only be one player included in this list per team. Enjoy!

20. ST Yeho'ash Ó Faoláin (Lee Islands)
First up, 20th on the list of the best Di Bradini Cup players, is explosive striker Yeho'ash Ó Faoláin of the Lee Islands. The well-named Faoláin is the firepower behind an explosive Lee Islands offense, and with his blazing speed, strength, and surprising finishing ability, he is a menace for any defender. But with great power comes great responsibility, and Faoláin certainly has both. With the poor defense of Lee Islands, he will be tasked with scoring as many goals as possible to keep them in games. The Ullapool United FC man certainly is capable of scoring buckets of goals, whether in the air or on 30-yard chips, but it is yet to be determined whether he can unlock his full potential.

19. CB Jessica Weiss (Pasarga)
The 19th best player currently in the Di Bradini Cup is the captain of the defending world champion's youth squad, and the anchor of their defense in Jessica Weiss. Weiss, currently playing for FC Brimstone in Apox, is a natural leader, and as vocal as they get. In fact, she can often be heard screaming instructions at the fellow members of her back line on TV broadcasts of games, even if the fans or commentators are making plenty of noise themselves. And she brings the same intensity with her feet as she does with her mouth. Weiss is a brick wall in the defense, one who wins any ball in the air and has never found a challenge she doesn't like. In fact, questions have arose over whether her dirtiness is detrimental to the team, especially as the captain, but with her leadership and soccer skills, she remains the best voice as not only the captain of the team but the best U-21 player in Pasarga, and 19th in the world.

18. GK Miyoko Hōjō (Flardania)
18th best in the Di Bradini Cup, and the only goalkeeper on this list, is Flardania's Miyoko Hōjō. Hōjō, a product of Olympique Imgeum-si, is the only piece keeping a frankly poor Flardanian defense together. On countless occasions, the patchy defense forces Hōjō to bail them out, which she usually does successfully. She is an impeccable shot stopper, with a long frame and incredibly quick reflexes. These traits let her make many acrobatic saves, including on penalties, when she uses an interesting strategy of waiting for the ball to be shot to jump in either direction. For most keepers, that would give them a zero percent chance of making a save, but Hōjō's athleticism and reflexes are so good that she is one of the best penalty-stoppers in the game. She is not without weaknesses, granted; Hōjō usually isn't very eager off her line, and can give away chances that way when she could have just rushed out and grabbed the ball. But on a good day, even the best chances won't go in her goal. The question is how many days like that Hōjō will have.

17. RM Lyyli Silven (Cosumar)
At number 17 is a true all-around player in Cosumarite right midfielder Lyyli Silven. Silven, who plies his trade domestically with Klyde, is a workhorse on both sides of the ball. Praised as being the "best mixture of hard-working and talented to grace the pitch for the Cosumar U-21 squad in a while", Silven has a high soccer IQ, is a precise passer, and, most of all, is a tireless defender. Silven never fails to get back on defense even after the farthest ventures forward, and he has not yet met an opposing left midfielder with a higher work ethic. His threat to opposition is simple: yes, he is very talented, but the bottom line is that he will outwork you. He will play with every fiber of his being pushing to give Cosumar just the slightest edge. Silven is known to make 80-yard runs down the field in the 89th minute, and he always manages to tire whoever is defending him. Hence, he dominates the late stages of a game and can sometimes use his speed, same as it was at the opening whistle, to run through defenses. And he is an incredibly consistent player putting out the same performance pretty much every game, so the questions about Cosumar surround his teammates, and not him.

16. ST William Killian (Zenic)
The first, and slightly worse, of two consecutive strikers on this list is William Killian of Zenic, who manages to be an offensive force despite his tender age. One of several Killian's to light up the pitch for Zenic, Willaim is shaping up to be the best. The 17-year-old is young, but certainly doesn't play that way, his maturity giving him the role of captain for the squad. He also happens to be the most talented player on the roster, what with his flashy dribbling, cleverness, and clinical finishing. An incredibly exciting prospect for Zenician fans, Killian is already scoring boatloads of goals for the U-21 team, and will likely continue to do so, for youth and senior teams, in the years to come. He isn't the most athletic player on the field, but Killian is so clever in his runs without the ball and his dribbling with it that he gets a lot of chances, most of which he converts. He is one of the better finishers in this cup, and Killian does his job very well, his job being to score a lot of goals.

15. ST Jacques Baptiste (Nova Anglicana)
The second consecutive striker, Jacques Baptiste perhaps does not have the raw talent of Killian, but he makes up for it in other ways. The Nova Anglican international, who plays in Zenic with FC Virtus, is simply too powerful for opposing defenses to handle. Latching on to most balls in the air and latching on to them very well, all Anglican corners are a danger because of his presence. Baptiste is huge, yet mobile, and he heads any balls within him, usually scoring. The 21-year-old is nearly impossible to defend, and, if he gets any service whatsoever, will certainly score goals. He is regarded as being one of the best header of the ball there is in the game, elite at both winning balls and the power and accuracy of his headers. Baptiste does lack a bit in several other areas - he can't shoot or do anything very well with his feet, but his sheer power makes him by far the most dangerous Nova Anglican, and the 15th best player in the Di Bradini Cup.

14. CB Eladio Pineda (San Jose Guayabal)
San Jose Guayabal's defense is not particularly good, but it would be an absolute disaster without the presence of CD FAS's center back Eladio Pineda. The heart, soul, and rock in the center of the Guayabalense defense, Pineda is all over the field, tackling attackers, clearing the ball, winning headers. Partnered by three players who are often outmatched by faster, more talented attackers, Pineda often takes it upon himself to stop opposing attacks, something he does very well. And the 20-year-old plays more like a 40-year-old, with an excellent eye for reading the game. Pineda is especially adept at reading the attacker's eyes and cutting across a passing lane, or lunging to block a shot. And with his smarts come a crunching tackle and a height of 6'4", with incredibly long legs. Pineda will have a huge task of stopping many attacks on his own this Di Bradini Cup, but if there is any player up to that task, it is him.

13. LM Dominick M'Bia (Semarland)
Likely the most underrated player participating in the Di Bradini Cup is Semarland and Hastmead Diamante's Dominick M'Bia. The speedy winger, who recently moved to the Osarius powerhouse, is the unsung hero of Semarland's U-21 squad. He is an incredible crosser, with nearly all of his crosses falling perfectly to its destination, usually the head of a Per Mtiliga or Abadayu Abwelange. M'Bia doesn't score often, but he certainly racks up assists with his crossing, and that isn't the only thing he can do. The 18-year-old is also known for his incredibly clever passes, slipping a striker in with a through ball or setting up space for Marc Lindstrom. And M'Bia, unlike many pacy wingers, is very disciplined defensively, working hard to get back on defense under any circumstance. Many Semars have sung M'Bia's praises about his work ethic, locker room presence, and kindness as well, and those Semars seem to be the only ones who understand just how good Dominick M'Bia is.

12. CB Robert Rivello (San Llera)
At 12th, unfortunately missing out on the top 10, we arrive at San Llera's very own Robert Rivello. Rivello, well-known to any domestic readers of this article, is a fiery, mean center back, one who attackers don't want to be nearby. Rivello is strong, and like many other center-halves on this list, he is the heart and soul of San Llera's defense. But what sets him apart from many others is the extra spice he throws into things. Rivello always manages to follow through a little extra on challenges, and get a little rough on corners and such. And he is clever about it - Rivello never does anything dirty while the referees are looking. But when they aren't, he will feel no shame about elbowing or pushing or kicking someone. This habit has in fact blossomed into the centerpiece of his game - using fear tactics to control attackers. And control them he does, either injuring strikers or making them fear injury. And, in addition to all this, Rivello is an excellent center back. He is much slicker with the ball than many central defenders, and is in fact a main distributor for the San Lleran team. And, of course, Rivello can do defensive stuff very well, but it's what he does beyond plain defense that makes him special.

11. ST Séraphin Török (Farfadillis)
At 11th, just peeking into the top 10, is Farf striker Séraphin Török. The primary forward in Farfadillis's odd 3-4-1-1-1 formation, Török is a pure striker, a threat from everywhere with a knack for scoring goals. Plain and simple, Séraphin Török can score goals, whether from his head or his feet. When he gains possession of the ball, Török is dangerous, using his polished dribbling skills to find space for a shot. Once he finds space, Török uses his shooting ability to blast the ball into the upper corner or something of the like. And, of course, the Utica United player can score in the air. Put all this on top of the cleverness and ability to be in the right place at the right time, Farfadillis have got a reliable goalscorer. There is no question whether he will score goals, only how many and if Farfadillis's other 10 players can support him.

10. ST Erik Zhamaletdinov (Polar Islandstates)
The Polarian striker Erik Zhamaletdinov, one of the oldest players playing in this competition, is also one of the best players, clocking in at number 10. Zhamaletdinov, of FC1. Surtsey Island Gulls, is experienced, and, most of all, really good at scoring. The captain of Polar Islandstates's U-21 squad is a big, powerful man, with the ability to hold the ball up. These hold-up skills help relieve the Chicks when they are being pressed, and Zhamaletdinov is perfectly adept at setting up teammates with chances. But what he is most adept at is scoring goals, using his monstrous frame to sometimes dribble right through defenders, and then show his finesse in a fine finish. For many defenders, the striker is just too big, too powerful, and too skilled to defend. It his role as the primary offensive option for Polar Islandstates which makes him their captain, and the player to perhaps lead them to Di Bradini glory.

9. CB Martin Paul Benton (United States of Devonta)
Several years ago, the Devontan center back Martin Paul Benton made an inexcusable slip-up in a huge league match, passing the ball to the wrong team, a mistake that led to the goal that prevented his team from winning the league. Since, he has blossomed to be one of the best all-around defenders at his age group. Benton has the innate ability of knowing exactly what is going on at all parts of the field, reading the game better than nearly anybody else participating in this competition. He is also an incredibly clean player, never giving away penalties despite dealing a lot in the penalty box, and rarely getting booked. And Benton's most valued quality is how he is seemingly everywhere at one time - clearing a dangerous ball at one side of the field then tackling an opposing striker at the other. Benton will be working his magic on a United States of Devonta squad without much depth, and he will have to be in even more places at once this tournament if he wants a berth in the knockout stages and beyond.

8. CM Denzel Falk (Armeia)
After a strong Sporting World Cup, Armeia will look to take their successes up another age level, and that starts and ends with the performances of Denzel Falk, their central midfielder. Falk is the key cog orchestrating Armeia's attack, and if the 18-year-old can rack up as many assists and start as many attacks in the Di Bradini Cup as he did in the Sporting World Cup, Armeia will be a major contender. Falk is a superb passer for his age, and he will be relied upon to set up chances for his strikers. Falk proved that he could set up a lot of chances with his excellent vision and passing ability, but can that transition to the Di Bradini level? Falk is the kind of player that will be a lot higher or a lot lower on this list by the time this tournament ends, and only time will tell.

7. RW Adnan Szalai (Nephara)
Adnan Szalai, currently playing for Violence Chariots in his home country of Nephara, is a very traditional and very good winger. Playing on the right side, due to his right-footedness, Szalai can cross, pass, shoot, dribble, defend, or pretty much do anything. Usually, his role is resigned to making runs down the right and sending in crosses, but sometimes he is allowed to cut inside and press further up the pitch, often using his right foot to shoot, always on target. Best described by a Nepharim, Szalai is an "orthodox winger polished to perfection". He is just so fluid, so precise, and so perfect in everything he does. Anything any player can do, Szalai can do at a high level, usually very methodically. It is with frightening efficiency that Szalai picks apart opposing defenses, or wins the ball in Nephara's defensive third. Adnan Szalai sometimes plays like a robot, with the utmost of calm and precision. If only all of his teammates played like that.

6. RM Caitlin L'Attue (Schottia)
A "force to be reckoned with", the star of Schottian U-21 soccer and the sixth best Di Bradini Cup player is right midfielder Caitlin L'Attue. L'Attue, a mature soccer player, plays the game with a calm and businesslike ambience, much like the player directly above her. Never getting frustrated, reckless, or panicky, L'Attue is flustered by no conditions and serves as a role model to her teammates. She is also an excellent soccer player. She is quick and relentless attacking, running directly at defenses without fear, with a rocket of a left foot for shooting and passing. L'Attue is an clinical offensive player, but most of her strengths lie in her discipline. It is nearly impossible for opponents of Schottia to do anything on the left side, as she takes the ball away from even the best dribblers, and she is also excellent in the air. L'Attue can control pretty much any ball thrown at her, with an excellent first touch. Overall, she is simply a technically blessed soccer player, one that won the Di Bradini Cup previously, and will try to do so again.

5. LB Paranawê (Unified Sunrise Islands)
João José Valder Baratim, also known as Paranawê, has gone from humble beginnings to now lighting up the Farf league, and, with luck, the Di Bradini Cup. Paranawê is the rare specimen of left back that manages to be a threat overlapping offensively while still not sacrificing defensive responsibilities. The left back loves to bomb forward, and does so successfully, getting a lot of assists for a defender and even a few goals. Then, he uses magnificent his recovery speed and remarkable endurance to get back in his proper position without missing a beat. And Paranawê is good at both offense and defense. When forward, he has speed and a box of tricks to get by defenders, and his crossing has improved monumentally over the last year or so, with him now finding the head of a teammate on nearly every cross. He is then an excellent defensive player, known for sacrificing his body in any way possible. He will throw himself at shots or crosses to block them, not even considering any pain in might cause. Paranawê is nearly impossible to get by for opposition; he isn't fooled by any ball tricks, nor can anybody dribble quickly enough to simply run by him, something he does often to opposing defenders. And he plays the game with such an intensity and vigor that few can outwork him, allowing him to maximize the dearth of talent he has. It is that trait which lifts him all the way to way to number 5 on this list.

4. CAM Armando Ortega (Krytenia)
At 16, Armando Ortega is the youngest player on this list, and also the best, which is why he is number 4. The wunderkind of Krytenian soccer, Ortega possesses all the skills necessary, and more, to play at the highest level. And, of course, he is just 16 years old. Ortega, a player that has gotten somewhat spoiled Krytenian fans incredibly excited, will outmatch nearly every player he faces in this Di Bradini Cup, even if he is five years their junior. His speed and control of the ball, like it is on string, is unmatched among players his age. To go along with that, Ortega has a remarkable calm and focus during the game which is frankly amazing for his age. And, finally, there is his capacity for the amazing. Whenever Ortega is around, he manages to make amazing plays, whether they are frozen rope 35-yard goals, cross field passes to the feet of his teammates, or fancy dribbling skills allowing him to weave his way through five, six, seven, eight defenders. Ortega is certainly going to score a lot of goals this tournament, and probably set up more for his teammates. An elite number 10, Ortega is number 4 on the list, and he is the savior of Krytenian soccer.

3. CAM Ricky Bertens (Fluvique)
An incredibly under-the-radar player in all areas of the multiverse except for Fluvique, Ricky Bertens is quietly one the best soccer players playing in this tournament. He is the second consecutive number 10 on this list, and cannot be described in any way other than "he is really good at everything". Shooting, passing, dribbling, heading, defending, even goalkeeping (he once came in for a red-carded keeper in a game, and ended up saving two penalties so his team could force penalties, of which he saved two more). Bertens is the hope of all of Fluvique, and Fluviqueans have reasons to be optimistic. Their player is a fantastic all-around player, the third best at his age group. Since he doesn't have any special talents besides being great at everything, the thing that stands out about Bertens is his consistency. He brings it, day in, day out. It is unappreciated, especially for someone his age, how rare it is for a player to put in a great performance every single day, which is what Bertens has done, and will do, for Fluvique. And if his teammates step their game up, they could lift the cup.

2. CB Kristin Pittman (Abanhfleft)
Abanhfleft's Kristin Pittman, the best defender at her age, is a constant in the Fleftic defense. The 21-year-old is a cold, determined, and unflinching center back. She will prevent a team from scoring at all costs, and she has both the talent and vigor to do that very well. Pittman has a great way of reading the game, and is never fooled by fakes, stopovers, or any of that nonsense. She is just always there, clearing the ball, stripping attackers of the ball, or tackling players with superb form. And she never tires, nor does she ever fail to give 100% to stop the ball from going into her net. Kristin Pittman is, quite simply, the literal definition of a brick wall in defense. Nothing further is necessary to describe her style of play.

1. ST Kira Koromin (Ceni)
Finally, at the number 1 player participating in the Di Bradini Cup, we have the dynamic Cenian striker Kira Koromin. She is the sister of a Cenian national team star and the daughter of the Cenian national team manager, so it is expected that she would be a good soccer player, but no one knew she would be this good. On the surface, Koromin doesn't seem that special - just another striker. But the genius that goes into her goalpoaching and the unmatched intensity with which she plays the game becomes apparent after awhile. Koromin is best without the ball, on offense and defense. One thing she does that sets her apart from other striker is tirelessly chase down defenders and the goalkeeper when they have the ball at their feet, which always leads to several turnovers and at least one chance per game. While these, in a vacuum, usually look like dumb plays by the defender, the number of them she causes is no coincidence. Then, there is her movement without the ball on offense. She is incredibly clever with her runs, slipping in behind the defense when they aren't looking, and finishing clinically every time. She is also the one most shot rebounds fall to, something most attribute to luck, but is more because of her ability to track the ball in the air. Koromin does all of this without tiring even in the slightest. And in the end, it leads to her scoring a lot of goals, which makes her the best player in the Di Bradini Cup.

Thank you for reading, and see you next time!
-Marco Brelli

[Ceni]

Whew.

The word drifted through Corran Artis's consciousness as he stepped into the warm shower. His team had survived one of the most hated - and feared - sporting teams in the multiverse, a team that frequently relies not upon sporting talent but on the intercession of the forces of nature. The team: Lymantatia, feared by Vilita and many other nations who have fallen to their style of play - or lack of it. For forty-five minutes of play, Lymantatia had disassembled Ceni's Di Bradini Cup team. For forty-five minutes of play, Lymantatia had totally dominated play - but not with talented youngsters or a new, brilliant formation.

They dominated with luck, and the timely intercession of nature. Although Ceni did not have to contend with Giant Birds or Nacho Man, they did have to contend with Aeolus.

Luckily there was none of the antics that had helped Lymantatia, or, er, the Giant Bird, win at their stadium. The referees were calm and professional, and Artis had them to thank. There were no hotly disputed penalties that the refs awarded to Lymantatia, no strange and obviously wrong calls against Ceni. Nobody could blame the referees in this instance.

First a shot that seemingly went above the goal nicked the crossbar and angled right into the goal, a fact that was confirmed by the referee with Hawk-Eye technology. One strike for Ceni.

Then a strange gust of wind stole the ball right from Evan Turich-Albertson's feet and into the feet of the Lymantatian shadow striker, who nudged the ball into the goal.

After that, Ryan Navir thought he had saved the ball - but he hadn't. A Lymantatian striker somehow nudged the ball into the top right corner of the goal. The score continued to further look hopeless in Artis's mind - it was already three to nil after thirty minutes, one goal for Lymantatia every eleven minutes.

Ceni thought it had an opportunity to strike back at Lymantatia when the fortieth minute ticked on the clock. Javier del Olmo had the ball set right on his foot, ready to strike - then the wind blew it away, and del Olmo missed the ball. Lymantatia then kicked the ball straight towards Ceni's half and scored on a bewildered Ryan Navir, with the help of the wind, of course.

The whistle blew. Everyone was furious.

Artis was furious, Navir was furious, del Olmo was furious.

Everyone.

Corran Artis decided to make some changes in the roster to help his team better cope with the unexpected deficit. Laura Oannes would replace Ryan Navir, by this time distraught, due to the fact that he had let in four goals. Tyro Solaris would replace Javier del Olmo in the front of the pitch.

By the time the whistle for the start of the next half had sounded, Ceni's team was afflicted by mental problems and self-doubt - would the young side fall victim to the same maladies that had afflicted them during the World Cup?

Artis did not think so. He urged his team to keep on fighting, to avenge the Cenian senior team's losses.

Suddenly, something snapped.

Something snapped in the wind god, for the wind had stopped blowing.

Something snapped in Lymantatia's juniors, for they were suddenly missing passes seemingly every few seconds.

Something snapped in Ceni's team, for they started to play well. They stopped doubting themselves. Every time Lymantatia made an attack, they blocked it, easily. They regained their confidence.

Tyro Solaris excelled when he first possessed the ball. He might have ran around Lymantatia's defenders in circles, such was the seeming ease and facileness of his play. After a pass from Kira Koromin found him right between two of Lymantatia's defenders, he managed to advance on the goal.

It was one on one, mano a mano. Solaris kept his cool and sent the ball flying into the opposition's goal.

The rest of the goals came easier than that. Solaris's poise under pressure seemed to crack Lymantatia and spur Ceni's team on.
Solaris led another intelligent drive through Lymantatia's midfield mere moments later, capitalizing on holes in the formation galore as he sped through. Kira Koromin followed. As Solaris passed back to her, she fooled Lymantatia's goalkeeper into thinking that she would send the ball to the right, when she tapped it to the left. The massive piece of innuendo was a big confidence builder, but Ceni was still down four to two. It would have to pick up the slack, and soon.

Suddenly, the wind picked up again. Lymantatia seemed on the verge of another shift in momentum. They marched right up to Ceni's goal; Turich-Albertson and Morroghany put up a great fight and succeeded in harrying Lymantatia's strikers, but Lymantatia got off a shot.

Laura Oannes saved the shot. It was a potential game changer for Ceni.

Box-to-box midfielder Swan was there to coordinate the attack; Valles was there to receive the ball. Receive it he did, sending the ball forward to Swan, who sent an incisive pass along the sideline to Kira Koromin. Koromin, who was recently declared by a San Lleran publication the best player in the Di Bradini Cup, angled the ball into the right corner of the goal right after receiving it.

The counterattack left Ceni in a better place than before, but Ceni still had to dig itself out of a two-goal hole if it wanted to win the match. And fast - there were only fifteen minutes left on the clock.

Allison Swan led the charge, sending a pass up the field to none other than Kira Koromin. After seeing that Nico Asturias was in a position to take the shot, she passed it to him, thinking he would shoot into the left corner of the goal.

Not so; he shot to the right and into the open net.

At this point, there were two options: satisfy themselves for a draw and one point or risk zero points in order to get the full three. Corran Artis told his team to wait for the opportunity - don't risk it all unnecessarily, but strike when the all-important opportunity arises.

The opportunity arose.

After Lymantatia sent a futile shot into the goal, saved by Laura Oannes, Petro Valles took the opportunity, passing to Tomás Fierro. Fierro continued to move up the field, juking and dodging Lymantatia's defense. He passed to Tyro Solaris, who was taking advantage of a perceived gap in the defensive formation. He attempted to shoot, but was blocked.

Then Eric Garcia came to the rescue.

He stole the ball from a botched pass and sent the ball into the upper left corner of the goal, with only two minutes left on the clock.

Ceni was ecstatic.

Ecstatic. Joyous. Overcome with that happy emotion like a waterfall crashing into earth.

When the final whistle blew, the team lifted Eric Garcia - their salvation - into the air in joy.

The team couldn't believe that they did it. They had come back from the jaws of defeat and snapped them open. They had not allowed those jaws to snap close.

So, after thinking about the entire, tense affair, Corran Artis breathed another sigh of relief.

Whew.

[Schottia]

SBCNEWS Online...
Sports special

Schottia 4 - 0 Kirisaki - Di Bradini Cup
Goals: 23" Rudden, 35" Hunt, 57" Curren, 62" McCormack - Schottia

Line-up: Torrance 7, Thompson 7, Holden 6, Soutar 7, Ross 8, Braden 7 (57-J.Ünterhausen 7), Hunt 8, L'Attue 9, Rudden 8, Akiko 6 (65-Cross 7), Curren 7 (57-McCormack 7)

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The excitement and clamour surrounding Schottia's first meeting with Kirisaki, following the Di Bradini Cup 33 final, was almost palpable in the build up to this match. Of course the personnel had changed dramatically in two years, but the match against the girls from the Pericles Region remained an enticing proposition nonetheless. Long held in Schottia as the benchmark for young female players on the world stage, it would be interesting for the Schottians to see just how far they had come as a side. Unfortunately this little known Kirisaki side were unable to put up the same spirited resistance they did in the final two years ago. In the end Schottia, continuing their good record in this tournament, were able to pill off a convincing win.

The new look Schottic side, playing under incoming manager Grant Nean, set out in determined fashion from the start. Caitlin L'Attue's cross field pass found Lucy Curren in an on side position, however, the Maximum Rovers striker was unable to get enough behind her shot to really trouble the keeper. Schottia didn't have to wait long for the breakthrough however, and got their reward on 22-minutes after a period of sustained pressure. L'Attue again was involved, this time picking up a clever Boris Hunt pass, before finding Chloe Rudden with thirty metre cross field ball. Ghosting inside the last defender, North Laithland wunderkid Rudden drilled a low shot into the back of the net, beating the keeper at their near post. The player began exactly where she left of last year, displaying a lethal pace and accuracy in front of goal.

At this point the match was a mighty contest, with Schottia having to battle hard for every ball. Nevertheless Nean's side shocked everyone, including their own fans, by following up quickly on the on that opening goal.

Schottia's youngsters certainly looked a different team under Grant Nean's stewardship, with L'Attue and Hunt, along with newcomer Erin Braden all seeing a lot of the ball in midfield. However, it was a high ball forward from team captain Ben Ross, who had been increasingly pressing forward into midfield, which brought about the next goal. The Stvozhaboythuow man found forward Lucy Curren on the edge of the box, who under pressure, managed to chest the ball into the path of Akiko. The maverick Kelsy Merchants teenager is capable of some fantastic footwork and this was no different, as her clever spin took her to the edge of the 18-yard-box. Going down under very little pressure, the entire stadium seemed surprised when the referee awarded a free kick. On closer inspection it seemed as though Akiko may have tripped over the ball, however there were no complaints Hunt, as the Laketown Rangers player curled the ball around the wall to double his sides lead before half time.

Schottia finished the second half strongly in the end, pushing hard for a decisive third goal. Only Curren will know how couldn't hit the target in the stroke of half time, with the goal at her mercy. The Rovers star is still looking for her first goal at this level, and despite doing well to get a Hunt pass under control, she got too much behind the ball, sending it straight over the bar.

Nean resisted the temptation to rest of legs at half time, opting instead to give the players more time to gel. The second half started brightly for the White and Greens, and after weathering an initial Kirisakian fight back, Lucy Curren finally got her account off the mark. After a passing exchange between Braden and L'Attue, the latter managed to force the ball through to Akiko. Turning sharply with the ball the Kelsy attacker opted for her usual shoot on sight approach, sending a stinging strike towards the Kirisaki goal. The keeper did well to get an initial hand to the ball, but only succeeded in directing it into the path of Curren, who was able to chip the ball high into the net.

The goal, which would no doubt be one for the Curren scrapbook, was to be the player's last action of the match as she was replaced shortly after in a double change by the manager. Off went Curren, and midfielder Erin Braden, with Lammerton's John McCormack and 16-year-old Johannas Ünterhausen coming on to make their first appearances at under-21 level.

The changes made a difference, and at a point in the game when Schottia could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the pedal, they use the injection fresh talent to press on. The fans must have been in a state of shock, having gone three goals up in a game which many would have predicted as their toughest match in here in Valanor. There was more to come however, as in what was almost his first touch of the game, McCormack surging in from the right picked up a L'Attue through ball. The Hornets player then used his strength to out muscle the last defender before dispatching a well-aimed strike into the top corner of the net.

There were other chances for Schottia in the dying stages, as the team continued to grow in confidence, but four was to be their lot. Rudden had a strike from the edge of the box saved after doing well to find space, and substitute Billy Cross was unlucky with a long-range effort late on. Although there was definitely an element of good fortune in the score line, there was no getting around the fact that it was a good opening performance for Grant Nean and Andy Ryden.

In the Di Bradini Cup it is never easy to tell exactly where the challenge will come from, with squads selected from such a narrow age band. With that in mind the Schottians will have to be on their guards in the next fixture with Québec. The side are one of the top sporting nations out there, and Schottia's players will need to be at their best yet again to progress.

Man of the match: Caitlin L'Attue

---

Post-match Interview
At the end of the match we were lucky enough to catch up with Lucy Curren and John McCormack, both of whom scoring their first under-21 goals tonight:

Reporter: So guys, excellent result tonight and a great start to the tournament. I can assure you there weren't any of us predicting that up in the media room. Did that surprise you Lucy, just how easy the goals seemed to come tonight?

LC: Eh, Aye. We knew exactly what Kirisaki were capable of, so we took nothing for granted out there. We set up expecting a tough technical battle in the centre of the park, with guys like Boris [Hunt] and Caitlin [L'Attue] in from the start to try and go toe-to-toe with them. We were just determined not to let that intensity drop, and not risk letting them get any sort of a foothold in the game. So yeah, I think reflecting on it now, it's a fantastic score line, but at the time, y'know, you just get on with it.

Reporter: And John, you were making your debut tonight, how special a moment was that for you? I read somewhere that it's the first time you've been capped at any level.

JMc: Aye, well, its such a special feeling to pull on the white and green jersey. I've been working really hard in training all week, just hoping that I might impress the Gaffer enough to get a bit of game time. There's like, so many good players in the squad, I'm just happy to be able to contribute in some way, to a result like this.

Reporter: Yes, because obviously you scored the fourth goal. Just minutes after coming on to the pitch, can you describe how you felt when you got through on goal?

JMc: Aw, a dunno. [laughs] I was just thinking about getting the shot away, I wasn't that nervous or anything, it was just a case of holding off the defender. To be honest it's kind of a bit of a blur...

Reporter: A nice blur?

JMc: Oh aye, definitely. Yeah.

Reporter: And Lucy it was a first goal for you tonight? You had a few good chances in the first half, but nothing would really sit right for you. Can you tell us how happy you were with your performance this evening?

LC: Yeah, I'm over the moon to be honest, when the goal went in it was a huge sense of relief. At 2-0 you always know that if your opponents score next you can be in a bit of trouble, but once the third goal went in, obviously you feel a bit better. ...Oh and yeah, I was a bit disappointed not to score in the first half, what with some of the chances I had, but all and all I thought it was a good team performance.

Reporter: Listen, I won't keep you long but finally in a nod towards the Quebec game, what are your thoughts? Lets start with you John.

JMc: Well we'll just go into it the same way we did tonight. The Gaffer sets the team up and whoever's playing, we all give 100%. We will just hope that it's enough.

Reporter: And you Lucy, any final words?

LC: Well just what John said. We take nothing for granted, we know exactly what Quebec are capable of, and we won't be treating it lightly. We've got enough in our locker to give them a fright, and that's what we'll try to do.

Reporter: Okay, well best of luck to both of you, and congratulations on a fantastic result.

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

DI BRADINI CUP 35 / UNDER-21 WORLD CUP 56
"Thank you for tuning in" says Pillgrim after leading USI to 4-1 win over Albaie

VALANORA - A nearly-filled Aranfield Bridge saw the Unified Sunrisian squad start their run over Albaie's squad at the first match of Group D for the edition thirty-five of the Di Bradini Cup, starting over after the last tournament not being able to finish itself due to political reasons. This also meant that the Sunrisian roster was heavily changed from what was signed up for the last edition hosted by Equestrian States towards what is now playing on the land of the ponies' neighbors. And the choices done by historied coach Lynette Bourbon haven't really done a lot of difference as the team once again starts at a Di Bradini Cup with a three-goal margin victory against a respectable opponent. While the Albaiean team certainly didn't seem all that ready (reports made that they only arrived at Valanora two days before the tournament), the Sunrisians made a big deal of starting this tournament with a key win, mostly to boost team and supporter morale and also on a hope that they could repeat the run at Di Bradini Cup 29. And among all the players, another important member made the best of this debut. Scott Pillgrim, ex-River City Bob-ombs player now assigned to the Centre for Excellence soon-to-be-opened Sunrisian branch, pulled a hat trick, pushing forward the score started by a greatly taken shot from Chi-chan. The play of the first goal was started by another ex-Street League rookie Dirt "Ol' Dirty Ash" Jones. Dirt's contribution was, however, the only contribution done by the ex-Wu World Order group of players that caused major hype about the team.

Speaking of players that had a lot of hype but didn't start on the right foot, "Lady" Garinotte Monnoyance has injured her left foot after a harsh tackle by Phillip Yerik, causing many of the Sunrisian players to argue with the referee after what they angrily thought to be a red card that wasn't rightfully given. It wasn't, however, the first player to get a yellow card on that match as most of the Albaiean team seemed hell bent on injuring a player. However, the star was Pillgrim, who walked out with three goals and if his performance against Albaie is repeated next match, Scott could be contesting for the Top Striker spot of this competition. The Sunrisians now travel to Capri for a match against last World Cup's winner Pasarga at the Hatire Memorial. This shall be the toughest match of the group round, according to most of the team's squad, but they seem more focused on what happened on their first match right now, specially Star of the Match Scott, whom simply said "Thank you, World, for tuning in. And now to more Hat Tricks."

UNIFIED SUNRISE ISLANDS 4
GK Fleu
LB Paranawê
CB tar Hakin 73'
CB van der Sivowske
RB Taki
DM Atari
CM "Chi-Chan" Sumitsu 36'
CM "Lady" Monnoyance 20'
OM "Ol' Dirty Ash" Jones
CF Blomqvist 73'
CF Pillgrim 46', 65', 79'
Substitutions
CM "Metal City Sniper" J. Detroit 20'
CF "Prince" Lawesson 73'
CB "Rebel" Deck 73'
Manager
Lynette Bourbon

ALBAIE¹ 1
GK Luten
LB Woerten 81'
CB Grant
CB Yerik 20' 42'
RB Foxhole
CM Wildecourt 42'
CM Francis 71' 73'
LM van Torshtein
RM Twente 61' 63'
OM Greybank
ST Utting 91'
Substitutions
CB Ereteon 42'
RM Williams 63'
CM Swynshore 73'
Manager
Robert von Blauhausen

¹ - OOC: Albaie's roster wasn't posted, therefore I'm assuming its' roster is the squad that played the Sporting World Cup 1.

OTHER NEWS
> Hatcher League's preseason: Tours around Emirates of Futurnia show promising quality
- New teams of the Class Red make an impression against other youth teams on trips to the Futurnian lands
> MMO ".invasion" hits 3 million players
- MINNA's newest project hits milestone at two weeks, record time among Sunrisian games
> New species spotted at Western Sunrise
- Religious figures speak that a new evil could be the justification of this new species
> Mardi is beerless
- Northern Sunrisian president Eric Fahrenheit could be the one responsible

[Valanora]

Group A
Farfadillis 1–4 Armeia
Kaboomlandia 1–2 Abanhfleft

P Group A                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Armeia                       2   1  1  0    5   2  +3    4
2 Abanhfleft                   2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3 Farfadillis                  2   1  0  1    6   7  −1    3
4 Kaboomlandia                 2   0  0  2    4   7  −3    0

Group B
San Llera 2–1 Krytenia
Flardania 1–1 Patistan

P Group B                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 San Llera                    2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
2 Krytenia                     2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
3 Patistan                     2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1
4 Flardania                    2   0  1  1    1   3  −2    1

Group C
Lymantatia 1–0 Devonta
Ceni 4–5 Zenic

P Group C                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Devonta                      2   1  0  1    2   1  +1    3
2 Ceni                         2   1  0  1    9   9   0    3
3 Lymantatia                   2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
4 Zenic                        2   1  0  1    5   6  −1    3

Group D
Unified Sunrise Islands 3–1 Pasarga
Albaie 0–0 Nassau-Hessen

P Group D                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Unified Sunrise Islands      2   2  0  0    7   2  +5    6
2 Pasarga                      2   1  0  1    3   4  −1    3
3 Nassau-Hessen                2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
4 Albaie                       2   0  1  1    1   4  −3    1

Group E
Taeshan 1–7 Nephara
Nova Anglicana 1–3 Semarland

P Group E                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Semarland                    2   2  0  0    7   4  +3    6
2 Nephara                      2   1  0  1   10   5  +5    3
3 Taeshan                      2   1  0  1    5   9  −4    3
4 Nova Anglicana               2   0  0  2    3   7  −4    0

Group F
Cosumar 2–1 Eura
Valladares 3–1 Kernansquillec

P Group F                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cosumar                      2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
2 Valladares                   2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
3 Eura                         2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
4 Kernansquillec               2   0  0  2    3   6  −3    0

Group G
Kirisaki 0–3 Fluvique
Schottia 1–0 Royal Kingdom of Quebec

P Group G                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Schottia                     2   2  0  0    5   0  +5    6
2 Fluvique                     2   2  0  0    5   1  +4    6
3 Royal Kingdom of Quebec      2   0  0  2    1   3  −2    0
4 Kirisaki                     2   0  0  2    0   7  −7    0

Group H
Polar Islandstates 1–1 The Sword Bloke
San Jose Guayabal 2–2 Lee Islands

P Group H                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Lee Islands                  2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
2 San Jose Guayabal            2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
3 The Sword Bloke              2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1
4 Polar Islandstates           2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1

[Cosumar]

Cosumar begins U21 tournament by defeating two footballing powers

VALANORA - Picking up where he left off after a promising Di Bradini Cup 34 was cancelled, Johannes Sulo has the latest crop of young Cosumarite talent looking especially sharp again in DBC 35 against their peers from around the world. In the first two games, the U21s have defeated Eura, the World Cup 72 runners-up, and Valladares, where the Champions' Cup currently resides.

In the group opener, the junior Vanquishers put a dent in the Valladar hopes of advancing from the group and adding a DBC to their trophy case that already includes Cup of Harmony and Copa Rushmori honors. Bookended by Matt Branch goals five minutes from kickoff and five minutes from full time, Cosumar put down Claudio Londero's squad 4-2.

There was a great deal of speculation leading up to the match about who Johannes Sulo would trot out for his starting eleven.

OAS Royal goalkeeper of the future Balbulus Grimwade and three-year Stoneshore United starter at full back Mabry Jean Lowry, both DBC veterans, were givens in the back, as was FC Jansberg standout Peter Svensson, who played for Gethin Ramsey's senior side in the AOCAF. The other two vacancies in the back of the 4-4-2 were filled a little more interestingly, however. With a deep and diverse talent pool to choose from, Sulo looked to last year's ascendant AC Holmenkollen squad for both spots, plugging in young Holmenkollen defenders Taddeo Loredan and Mortimer Chisenhall in lieu of the likes of Arkrau Club standout Markus Bekant and DBC 34 starter Nidia De Leon.

Mierton Manatees (TAE) youth player and former Ramusok Capital University star Ivo Jago featured up top in the strike partnership alongside Alistair Redalen, Morponte Fief's leading goalscorer last season. Two obvious choices there.

The starting midfield was spearheaded by a pair of graduates from Kernansquillec's Project X in central midfield: elusive dribbler Li H'Sen Lang and workhorse Tiffany Elam. Matt Branch out on the left side also raised some eyebrows. Not much is known about the Sporting Matrolvik prospect, and the FC Kal horde vocally wanted to see local boy Tamer Yilmaz. But Johannes Sulo is apparently very high on young Branch, applauding his "creativity, courage and composure". The selection was justified, as Branch got on the scoresheet twice against Valladares. On the opposite wing, the honor of first-choice status was a inscrutable toss-up between two of the best players on the entire roster, Lyyli Silvén and Kit Kvanderwyk. Shame they have to play the same position. Sulo ended up going with the pacier but less proven Silvén. Kvanderwyk's chagrin about losing the job to someone with only one season of top-level experience was thinly-veiled at best after the match.

Fortunately, any possible complaints about the chosen eleven were silenced by the final result.

It took only five minutes for the Dragons to roar in the face of those who expected Valladares and Eura to dominate the group. Branch was able to spring into the box and head a bullet past Paulo Gaviria off of Tiffany Elam's floated header. The match was free-flowing from end to end for the rest of the first half, Pietro Sangiovanni looking particularly dangerous for Valladares. But both goalkeepers were able to make some great saves to preserve a halftime 1-0 scoreline.

As soon as the two sides returned to the pitch, however, things got frantic. Three-goals-in-four-minutes frantic.

Cristian Arango headed home a Luciano Santos cross to equalize for Valladares in the 53rd minute. On Cosumar's immediately ensuing attack, Anthony Becker put another ball in the back of the net for Valladares - but unfortunately it was his own. He slid to break up Kit Kvanderwyk's low cross to the far post, but ended up poking it in. Right after the restart Becker's misery continued, as Redalen dispossessed him in the back and sauntered forward into space before firing a hard shot the careened off the left post and in. Two goals for Cosumar in less than a minute. Just when it seemed like things were starting to settle down, Arango pulled one back eight minutes later in the 63rd minute, combining with Santos once again, pulling down the pass the twirling off of Taddeo Loredan before curling the ball beautifully into open net.

With the lead trimmed to 3-2, things were tense for Cosumar for awhile - though a substitution to bring on a fifth defender held Valladares sufficiently at bay. The result was sealed with our fourth goal in the 85th minute. 18-year-old Ramusok United II striker Elena Culbreth placed a golden ball 24 yards down field at the feet of Matt Branch's sudden run. Branch was able to take the glorious pass in stride and chip it over a diving Gaviria with perfect timing.

The largely Vanorian crowd on hand was going ooh-and-ah at the display of skill from the Cosumarite teens. Now we know why Sulo was so high on these relatively unheralded prospects like Branch and Culbreth. Well, you can bet they'll get their share of hype from the press now!

Cosumar - 4
Scorers: Branch (5' + 85'), Becker (o.g. 55'), Redalen (56')
Stats: 17 shots (8 on goal), 56% Possession, 11 fouls for 1 yellow card (Chisenhall)
Subs: Kvanderwyk (46'), Culbreth (46'), Beredjiklian (83')

Valladares - 2
Scorers: Arango (53' + 63')
Stats: 7 shots (6 on goal), 44% Possession, 19 fouls for 4 yellow cards

In Game 2 against the Euran machine, the goals weren't quite as forthcoming, but with the same starting eleven Cosumar were able to sustain an effective attack throughout much of the match. The Dragons once again roared to life early and scored in the first five minutes, this time off a free kick from the far right. The set-piece was executed just as it was drawn up: from the foot of Silvén to the head of left back Mabry Jean Lowry to the back of the net over the incorrectly-positioned goalie.

Eura would silence the Cosumarite celebrations just a minute later with a beautiful left-footed strike from the top of the box, but the Dragons retook the lead just before the half-hour mark when Redalen's perfectly-waited through ball split the Euran defenders and found the boot of big, brawny forward Ivo Jago for a powerful first-time finish into the side-netting. 2-1 Cosumar.

The rest of the match would be a largely frustrating affair for Cosumarite fans, as the team constantly gave away possession and seemed to be begging for Eura to equalize. Only five second-half saves from Balbulus Grimwade kept the Eurans from turning the tide.

Cosumar - 2
Scorers: Lowry (5'), Jago (29')
Stats: 13 shots (5 on goal), 49% Possession, 10 fouls for 2 yellow cards (Branch, Elam)
Subs: Yilmaz (63'), Culbreth (70'), Na'Bengna (75')

Eura - 1
Scorers: 6'
Stats: 12 shots (3 on goal), 51% Possession, 12 fouls for 4 yellow cards

In the third and final group game, Johannes Sulo's merry band of kiddos will take on a very capable Kernansquillec team with group supremacy and knockout seedings potentially at stake. To add further intrigue to the fixture, two of Cosumar's top players currently play in Kernansquillec: Elam for first division power Guingamp and the younger Lang for the Project X academy. Perhaps the midfield duo will be able to provide key insight into some of the Kernansquillec players they are familiar with at the club level.

If Cosumar win, it will be their first time to ever finish a Di Bradini Cup group undefeated.

Thank you for reading our exclusive coverage of Cosumar's future stars in Di Bradini Cup 35. Matchday 3 against COUNTRY takes place tomorrow at 8 p.m. Cosumar-time on CSBN. Be sure to watch as our young Dragons fight for their chance to advance!

Follow us on Twitter @TheCourier or subscribe to our website (thecourier.cos) to receive daily updates and analysis on the Cosumar's progress in the tournament.

Courtney Wallace
Staff Writer

[Fluvique]

Miner's Haven is becoming in one of the most beautiful places in the world. The Fluviquean U-21 team achieved another victory and with six points over six possible, advances to the round of 16 in the Di Brandini Cup, for first time ever. Kirisaki faced Fluvique with a defeat in their shoulders and with the necessity of three points to keep alive in the tournament. The national team sniffed the weakness and desperation, and played with the fierceness of old times.

Both teams entered the pitch with the intentions of cancel each other, stop the attacks and play hard. After a series of fouls and kicks, Denis Castanginnet was the first to receive a yellow card.
Despite that, the first attempts were tricolours. Ryan Koll tested the goalkeeper with a longshot, who went near the post. Koll and Ted Apparicio started to take in control the midfield and quickly assists Ricky Bertens and the forwards.

Kirisaki accepted the domination and gave the ball possession to the little foxes. With that, and after Fluviquean defence lines left the back, Kirisaki gambled for the counter-attack. The shots of Morgan, Bertens and Pullian were all saved by the goalkeeper, the figure of the first half. The domination was total, but when the minutes started to pass and the situations was not translated into goals, a couple of mistakes forced Thomas Morris to work. First saved a header at 36´ and after a center deflected by Kaleshko.

Finally Fluvique reach the objective and broke the parity with a goal of futsal. Koll touched to Bertens, who quickly avoided the defenders and assisted Smith, who ran into the area. He passed to Pullian near the penalty point, who made a backheel to Cameron Morgan and the number 17 touched slowly the ball who reached the net with no obstacles. At 44´ minutes of the first half, Fluvique opened the score, with all justice because the whites were better. The first 45 minutes ended, and the smiles were in both players and fans faces.

The second half started with Fluvique keeping the ball and moving it with more patience and security. In the first offensive combination, Apparicio advanced with the ball, eluded two rivals and touched to Ryan Koll. The Betham FC player shot without hesitation and scored one of the most beautiful goals of the competition. The ball entered in the angle of Kirisaki goal, with the goalkeeper watching it with bitterness. The bench exploded with joy, and also the fans. Fluvique was 2-0 at 49´ minutes of the second half. The party was starting.

Fluvique showed the best moments of football in the tournament, touching, dribbling and making great combinations. Pullian missed a clear chance at 54´ minutes and Bertens placed a free kick in the middle of the crossbar and also missed another clear opportunity at 61´. The Fluviquean star ended another match without score, when he was replaced by Tyler Lafayette at 67´.The minutes passed and the foxes played with the advantage, lowering the effort and giving the ball to the rivals, awaiting to reach the third goal in counterattack. Emilien Boundary replaced Morgan at 75´ and Pierre Williams do the same with Bernard Pullian at 80´ minutes.

The match offered a last emotion. Thomas Morris saved three opportunities, making him one of the best players in the field, and a counterattack leaded by Tyler Lafayette, who touched to Ryan Koll. He eluded the defenders in the area line with a pirouette, made a diagonal near the penalty point and shot when the goalkeeper left the goal to block it. The ball touched the post, and finally entered.

The referee added two minutes and when the whistle rang, the substitutes entered the pitch and joined the eleven players in a round of happiness. Also the coaches joined in a hug with all the staff. The entire squad was jumping and singing with the fans on the stands behind the left goal, with their shirts waving over their heads and a big tricolour flag in front of them. If you're not jumping, you're going home!, sang the players. The jokes and mocks about the rivals caused some insults and attempts of fight between the players, with jostles and shouts, causing a stain over the victory and other episode of disrespect of this young team.

Ryan Koll was named man of the match, and was interviewed by the local television:

Reporter: Two goals, and amazing performance. How do you feel?
Ryan Koll: Very happy. For me and for my teammates. We do a very good job today, we deserve the victory and be in the second round is beautiful.
R: What was the key today?
Koll: Hum...we mix fight with game. When we had to play, we was aggressive and we created a lot of goal opportunities. And when we needed to fight, we ran and played every ball like it was the last.
R: Now you guys will play with the first of the group, in the battle for the first place. What do you think?
Koll: They are doing the things good, Hum...play hard and they like the possession, as us. Hum...Is gonna be a battle between the two best teams of the group, so it will be a good opportunity to show how good we are.

Fluvique reached the knockout stage, for first time. Now, the objective is to keep the unbeaten record and face a fierce rival, one of the best in the tournament and a real test to the team. However, is expected that players like Morgan, Apparicio,Castanginnet (three with yellow cards), Bertens and Pullian will wait in the bench, but all that will be a mistery until the match.


The line-ups of the match:

GK: Thomas,Morris (8)
DF: Leander,Smith (7)
DF: Dennis,Castanginnet (7)
DF: Jullien,Kaleshko (6)
DF: Cameron,Morgan (8) (Boundary 75´)
MF: Ted, Apparicio (6)
MF: Ben,Trills (6)
MF: Ryan,Koll (9)
MF: Ricky,Bertens (6) (Lafayette 67´)
FW: Bernard,Pullian (5) (Williams 80´)
FW:John,Young (5)

Yellow cards: Castanginnet (25´), Bertens (51´), Pullian (70´)
Goals: Morgan (44´), Koll (49´ and 88´)
Stadium: Miner's Haven
Attendance: 26.400

[Krytenia]

¡Mas Juventud!
By Rami Niblick in Everlin, Valanora

THERE'S an old saying that says the rich are born with a silver spoon in their mouth. If that's the case, I think it must also be true that Hispanics are born with a ball at their feet. So many great footballers - including Simeone di Bradini himself - have Latin blood coarsing through their veins; surely it's not a coincidence.

Take Krytenia's last game against San Llera. The Rushmori side are one that seem blessed with talented youngsters, and are surely one of the favourites to lift the trophy. They proved why that label is placed upon them against the Aces, as the likes of Adam Gasca and Franc Sires caused merry hell for the Krytenian defence. It's probably a testament to our team's potential in this tournament that the gap was kept down to one...after all, it could have been worse. We could have been Taeshan.

By the way, speaking of Taeshan, they've now won more major trophies than us (in the sense that the Copa Rushmori is a "major" trophy) and that makes me, and the world, sad.

I digress. Of course, Krytenia have had Hispanic stalwarts of their own, from Juan Garcia to Francisco Reyes - and let's not forget the founder of Fiesta Football, Francisco Vazquez García, either. There is another coming through the ranks, too. Step forward Armando Gabriel Ortega. He may be only sixteen, but there's already talk of whether he'll be replacing Darren Radcliffe in the seniors for the next World Cup campaign. It's a debate I'm staying away from - managerial neutrality and all that - but it's a happy headache for any manager to have. Ortega didn't see as much of the ball as he's like against the San Llerans, mainly due to their opponents dominance of play, but when he did get it he was always trying to push the play and the pressure through his fellow attackers. Only time will tell if he lives up to his potential, but the seeds are there and the shoots are growing.

Defeat does not mean the end of the road, either. Flardania are next, and a draw will probably be enough to see the Aces into the last sixteen. As far as the sky blue and white are concerned, the future is bright and Spanish-speaking. ¡Adelante!

[Armeia]

(Part 1 of my RP for this round)
Desmond "Boom" Washington Redman III

I feel like it's just me and the defender on the ball. I'm on the flank, and I do a shifty move to fake a pass and then sprint by, running at full speed and keeping the ball close to me as I reach the touchline and send a pass inside to Katarina, who shifted to striker as Draga moved out wide. She catches the pass on her weak foot and dishes it to Denzel, who chips the ball over the line as she chases it, and she takes a powerful shot that easily goes into the back of the net.

I notice that nobody is going to congratulate Katrina on scoring. Strange. She did something before I got onto the squad to make everyone hate her, and it's apparent now. That doesn't stop her from celebrating though, she runs over to our fans, pointing to one of the cameras and making a 1-0 gesture.

That was in minute forty two, but Farfadillis isn't going to be easy to put away. A Farf player who I can't pronounce the name of pulled some skillful moves in the midfield that shook Tyra away from him, and then passed to another player with an unpronounceable name, who used sheer force to push past Marc-Andre and get into the box. He still had the ball somehow and Isa ran out, sliding for the ball and taking what looked like a pretty nasty kick to the head by accident, as the Farf player wasn't expecting her to go to the ground.

We go into the half up 1-0, with Isa sacrificing her health to make the save that kept us up at the end.

Isa Tangemen

"Where the hell am I?" I ask, waking up from what seemed like a long nap. Bianka Schraeder is next to me, and she squeezes my hand softly.

"The match is still going, we're fifty nine minutes in and the Farfs scored," replies Bianka. I'm still not sure what's going on.

"No, really, where am I? We're playing a match?" I sigh, rubbing my head. "I don't recognize this stadium, where are we at?"

"You really are concussed," mutters Bianka. "The doctor was afraid this had happened... Basically you were sliding to make a save and you took a kick to the head, you should be fine in a few hours."

I nod and sit back, watching what's happening on the pitch. Our midfield play is better than last time and as much as I hate to say it, Katarina is a force to be reckoned with on the wing. She's better than Pandora, who was suspended for the rest of the group stage after missing another practice. Katarina catches a pass from Tyra with her left foot and takes control of the ball, passing to Denzel who sends it to the other wing to Reina Toure, who crosses it inside.

Draga Schraeder can't get to the ball through 'normal' methods but that doesn't stop her. She leaps into the air, striking the ball on a bicycle kick. It all happened so fast that I hardly realized that it happened, but everyone around me jumps up in celebration. "Wow," I gasp, as the players on the pitch crowd Draga and celebrate like we won the World Cup. She had a slow start in match one, and I'm surprised she was able to have a resurgence like this. All for the better I suppose, I just hope she can get back to the level she was on during the Sporting World Cup.

This goal gives us a lot of energy, and that's what pushed us to our third. In the seventieth minute, Reina went on the counter attack all alone on the wing. Normally our tactics would have a winger pass out of that situation, but Reina is skillful enough to handle it. She fakes a feint to the right before moving to the left, taking the ball to the outside of the box and dishing a pass back to Lenart, who had run from midfield to catch up with her. He strikes the ball while it's still in motion and sends a curving shot past the keeper, barely avoiding hitting the crossbar.

Again, I can feel the energy in the building rising again after we've scored, and it pushes everyone to go even harder. The goal that clinched things came in minute eighty one when Sam Leroux came on for Draga at false nine, and made a instant impact. It was a corner kick goal, Marc-Andre sent it wide and she took a long range strike from the top of the box, that went far right enough that the keeper couldn't make a save in time. The roar of the crowd was absolutely deafening, and it was a pretty emotional goal. Leroux had scored while being on the pitch with Reina and Tyra for the first time in forever, and the three embraced each other near the corner flag.

When the final whistle blew, we had won 4-1 and shocked everyone again, after the lines back home predicted a draw. "What a game," muttered Bianka as she started following me and the others to the locker room. But I can tell she's sad that Leroux is replacing her as the backup striker.

"Hey Bia, are you okay?" I ask, putting my arm around her shoulder.

"I'm fine," she says, and I don't believe that at all. But I don't have time to talk to her, the doctors are trying to get me to come with them for a concussion examination. I'll talk to her later... I've never seen her this sad before, I think, making a mental note.

[Schottia]

"CHANGE FOR SCHOTTIA" The announcers voice rung through the stadium as the players looked to the fourth official to see which of them had their number in lights. "NUMBER ELEVEN CHLOE RUDDEN, TO BE REPLACED BY NUMBER EIGHTEEN MELANIE ÜNTERHAUSEN"

Chloe inflated her rosy cheeks, mottled red from the energy she had expelled so far. She'd had the legs taken from her about a dozen times so far this evening, and her socks were half way towards her ankles, revealing a pair of muddy knees. She jogged towards the far touchline; it was always on the other side of the pitch, every time she was subbed, without fail. She had given it her best, but Quebec were tough nuts to crack. Schottia had their noses on front, but only just. Gareth Souter's header on the stroke of half time was all that separated the teams. Chloe had run for full on pretty much the whole game, and had only a smattering of half chances to show for it. It wasn't due to lack of effort, it had just been one of those games, the kind you new would be won by an odd goal.

'Well done Chlo!' Caitlin L'Attue gave her a pat on the shoulder as she walked past. Wow. Caitlin was some player now, Chloe thought while looking back at her teammate, and an all round "cool-cat" to boot. She just kind of exuded an effortless class when she was on the pitch, she had this kind of - I don't care attitude - and permanently stern look which was probably really hot!

Anyway just say 'thanks' and get off the pitch, before you start developing a girl-crush...

'Hey thanks Caitie!' Chloe gave her a smile and picked up the pace, heading towards where Melanie was standing, hand outstretched. Anyone would have been able to tell at a glace just how keen she was to make her under-twenty-ones debut, her body language said it all. Chloe wasn't the biggest fan of the Ünterhausen twins, Melanie and her brother Johannas, who were both now on the pitch. It wasn't them, it was her. She just never really liked that attitude, the old: Must win at all costs grrr! -kind of thing. Chloe preferred to go on to the pitch, give it your best, if you win great, if you lose then you'll get them next time.

'Give'em hell Melanie!' She winked as she accepted a rather robust, stinger of a high-five, from the athletic sixteen-year-old who towered above her. Her raven hair was tightly tied back, and her facial features were contorted into an expression that said she meant business. Chloe knew there was one thing on her teammate's mind right now, and that was getting a goal.

Chloe slung her arms at her sides, a little like a spoilt teenager, but it was only the fatigue from playing eighty minutes of football.

Grant Nean, was as always at the very edge of his technical area barking orders franticly. He was like this at the best of time, but during a close game, he sometimes looked as though he was standing on top of an ant's nest. 'Nice one Chloe, you battled hard.' Shouted his trusty assistant Andy Ryden looking back over his shoulder. 'We just hooked you to throw on a fresh pair of legs, have Ünterhausen run at them a bit.' Chloe smiled back at him and nodded.

She accepted the offer of a tracksuit top from Judy Scott, one of the coaches, whom she knew well from when she had worked with the Under-15s. Judy had this sort of strict yet lovable old aunty feel about her, which Chloe really responded to. The lean, grey-haired woman was sitting taking notes for Nean, watching the game out of one eye, the other fixed on her clipboard. 'Well done Miss Rudden.' She said in quite a motherly manner; all the time she continued with the task at hand.

'Aw thanks Judy.' Chloe answered and pulled on the bottle green tracksuit top, zipping it up to her neck. 'You enjoying the game?' That was a weird question to ask -- but it just sort of slipped out in want of something better to say. Chloe bit her bottom lip and cringed a little, she couldn't suck the words back in after all.

'I will...' Judy paused to finish writing the sentence she was on. 'I will enjoy it a lot more if we get through this with three points.' She said still fixed on the match. 'Go and take a seat, have something to drink.'

'Okay Judy, thanks.'

Chloe looked around for the most favourable place to pull up a pew. In the end she didn't have much option, and luckily it was next to Sarah Dennis, who was very much her cup of tea. 'Hey Sarah.' She slid into the plastic seat neat to her.

'Oh, hi Chloe.' She replied enthusiastically, if not seeming somewhat surprised. It was obvious she had been lost in watching what was a nervy finish to the game. 'Good game by the way, you played well.' Sarah was a mousy, blonde girl with curly hair, which she normally had braded into short pigtails. Off the pitch Chloe always thought that she dressed somewhat like a primary school teacher or perhaps the receptionist of some conservatively run institution, like a library. She was also never to far from a book, and had spent the whole flight to Valanor engrossed in some ponderous looking tome.

'Thanks Sarah, how’s it been looking from over here?' Chloe asked. 'Think we'll hold on?'

'Yeah I think so, mhm.' She nodded in her normal shy manner, followed by a nervous little laugh. 'We've looked the better team I would say, maybe... just.' She turned, bringing Mark Delueze into the conversation. 'We were just saying that Caitie and Boris are playing really well.'

Mark nodded and leaned in to look past Sarah. 'You too though Chloe, that looked a tough shift out there.' Mark was a very highly rated young player, who played for the South Island Development Side. He had a slightly olive complexion, and light brown hair, which he always had spiked up. 'Those two haven't given Quebec a sniff though. Really, like, impressive!'

'Aw, thank you Mark.' Chloe was never good with complements and always blushed, this was something she should really sort out, being a footballer. Post match interviews could be extremely awkward. 'Yeah yeah, they are both top class.' She nodded, short little nods, all the time looking impressed. 'Caity, just, like, looks so comfortable on the ball out there.' The others nodded too. Chloe had noticed that people listened to her more since she had been handed a senior cap, it was like it added weight to her opinions. 'I can't believe she still plays for D'Itille, she could play for a way better club. But then again she gets to live in Anacy, and if I lived there I'd be like, there is no way I'm moving!'

Sarah and Mark both smiled in agreement. 'You know it's actually two nil to Fluvique?' Mark said, realising that Chloe wouldn't have known about the second goal, as she had been on the pitch. They all knew that if the results stayed the same then Schottia had qualified with a game to spare.

'No freakin' way!' Remarked Chloe, genuinely shocked. 'I knew it was one nil, but oh my god! Who scored the goals for Fluvique, do either of you know?'

'I'm not sure who scored the first goal, but the second one was that Koll guy.' Said Mark accepting that he didn't know much either. 'By all accounts it was a bit of a screamer. He is meant to be really good.' Perhaps the Schottians didn't know much about their West Pacific based opponents, but that was all about to change when they took them on in their next match.

'Yeah, I think they are playing really well.' Sarah added. They've beaten Quebec and now Kirisaki, they'll be a tough test for sure.'

"THE REFEREE HAS INDICATED THAT THERE WILL BE A MINIMUM THREE MINUTES OF STOPPAGE TIME TO BE PLAYED"

The speakers sprung into life, with the entire bench looking to the clock. Eighty-nine minutes, just three more needed to hold on. After hearing the result in the other fixture, no one associated with the Schottia team wanted to go into the match with Fluvique needing a result.

"YEA - AWWW"

They turned their heads back quickly to see an Akiko shot whistle just wide, large sections of the crowd obviously thinking it was goal bound.

'She has some strike on her!' Said Sarah, eyes wide open. 'For such a wee person, she can really connect.' Akiko was one of those players who could somehow conjure something out of nothing, she was yet to do it for the national team however.

Hannah Russell, the young goal-keeping coach, turned round from where she was sitting near the front of the dugout. 'That's three nil to Fluvique by the way guys, just so you know.'

'Three nil!' Exclaimed Mark.

Chloe looked over at them nodding gravely. 'I know huh? It's going to be one heck of a game.'

The final whistle sounded soon after that and the players headed off up the tunnel. As news of the result in the other game started to drip-feed through, it took an enormous weight off the players’ shoulders. It was a strange feeling to have already qualified, with a game in hand. The year Schottia had won the competition the lost the first game in their group, drew the second, and needed to have results go their way to get through in the third. As it was now, they could relax and enjoy what was likely to be a completive fixture with Fluvique.

Chloe was in a surprisingly good mood (even by her standards) as she chatted to some of the Quebecoise on the way up the tunnel. It was rare for her to be this way inclined, but she was actually considering staying up and watching some of the World Bowl in bed. Her roommate Saskia Holden was a huge fan, although it had never really appealed to Chloe. Normally she would put the earplugs in and read a book. Hell, the mood she was in, she might even treat herself to a class of apple juice.

[United States of Devonta]

Bad Luck Strikes
_{Devontan team looses first game of U21 WC56}

United States of Devonta 0-1 Lymantatia

United States of Devonta (4-4-2 Diamond): Vanburen, Styles, Benton, Rice, Martin, Hernandez, Crox, Edwards, Tallahassee, Adams, Madrid


Quick Stats:
48% Possessions, 8 Shots, 6 on goal
52% Possessions, 7 Shots, 4 on goal

Goals:
----NONE----
Unknown (54')

CAUTIONED: Rice (24'), Madrid (88')
EJECTED: --NONE--

Table:

P Group C                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Devonta                      2   1  0  1    2   1  +1    3
2 Ceni                         2   1  0  1    9   9   0    3
3 Lymantatia                   2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
4 Zenic                        2   1  0  1    5   6  −1    3

Schedule:
MD1: United States of Devonta 3-3 Zenic
MD2: United States of Devonta 0-1 Lymantatia
MD3: United States of Devonta Vs. Ceni

Other Group Games:
Ceni 4-5 Zenic

---

[Armeia]

(Part 2 of my RP for this round)

Somewhere in the Armeian team hotel

The Armeian team this year was quite unusual in that the majority of the starting lineup is female, but that had its benefits. The guys and girls had sort of formed their own groups when they weren't on the pitch or practicing, and chemistry was high right now despite the conflict between Katarina Dana Bonner, Augustus Lenz and the rest of the squad, maybe because of how close certain players had became as friends. That was how Reina had found herself sitting in Isa's room with Val, Pandora, Sam, Tyra, and Draga Schraeder.

After the big win, Isa had decided to have some of the other girls head over to her room to celebrate, and Pandora had brought a bunch of drinks of varying strength with her, which led to everyone eventually starting a drunken game of truth or dare. Reina was the only one who wasn't at least a little drunk by now, but she stayed with the others even though it was very late because she wanted to be a good friend. She'd regret that after hearing this. It was Draga's turn and she decided to go for truth over dare, pointing to Tyra. "So... Which teammate is your secret crush?"

"That's Boom," laughed Tyra. "He's a complete stud, even if he plays for that club back home."

The others laughed, knowing the incredibly intense rivalry between Atlas and its affiliated clubs and Sporting Center City and its affiliated clubs. But Reina lowered her head, trying not to let the others see how upset she was. I know this shouldn't bother me... And I know she's probably not completely serious... But it still hurts to hear her say that, thought Reina.

"Hey Reina, who's your crush?" asked Tyra, and all eyes were on her now.

"Eh?" asked Reina, her face turning red. "Uh, what?"

"I said who's your crush," replied Tyra. "C'mon, you can tell us, we won't tell anyone."

"Uh, well, he's tall, he's a pretty good player and he played a bit for us before this tournament, he's super nice, and he played in the Regions Cup," said Reina, making this stuff up as she went along. "I'll let you figure out who I'm talking about."

"You have a crush on Lenart?" asked Tyra, sounding kind of shocked.

"NO!" replied Reina, probably too forcefully. "I mean, he's nice and all but we don't talk much... There's... Someone else... I have my eyes on," she said, her words getting choked up. "I have to go now, I just remembered I have a meeting with someone."

"At eleven thirty at night? Seems legit," chuckled Draga. Reina's face went redder and she got up as fast as she could and left. "What's up with her?"

"I dunno, I guess I should follow her," shrugged Tyra. "She acts weird these days when we talk about romance."

"This pings like crazy," muttered Sam and Tyra punched her in the arm before running out after Reina.

"Hey! Reina! Wait up!" said Tyra, as she caught up with her friend in the hallway. The two had been best friends since they had both signed for Hawks II as future youth prospects, so it was normal for them to talk about all their problems with each other. "What's wrong?"

Reina leaned against the wall, lowering her head and holding back tears. "Well... You asked me who I like. And I know I'm never going to be with them. I realized that at the end of last season, Tyra, there's no point in talking about it."

Tyra was silent for a minute before smiling empathetically. "If you tell me who it is you like, I'm sure I can help you out."

"You wouldn't understand, they're interested in someone else. I just need some time alone, I'll be fine," muttered Reina. Yes, some time alone... That will solve things. Telling her won't solve anything.

"But what did you mean at the end of last season? What happened then?"

Those games were still fresh on the minds of both players, as Reina and Tyra had both played for Hawks before the season finished and Reina was forced to go to rivals AFC CC. A bad coaching decision had cost Hawks United the title, and had indirectly forced Reina out of the club. "Talk to your manager if you really want to know what happened, she knows the full story and she sent me away anyway," answered Reina. "I'm going for a walk, don't bother joining me."

And with that, the young star left her best friend in the hall, contemplating what she could possibly mean and not figuring it out.

[Ceni]

"It' ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it..." rang through the mind of Corran Artis as he pondered the team's devastating loss to Zenic. He totally disagreed with that statement; what you do gets results. Of course, if you do something poorly, you won't get results.

"You can try hard, don't mean a thing, take it easy and then your jive will swing..." Artis's team had perhaps tried too hard. They had put too much pressure on themselves to achieve results; they had not taken the time to find out what had originally attracted each of the members of the team to the game, the ability to have fun, the ability to spend a lot of time with your friends, socializing. They hadn't signed up for football class to compete with others. For sure, the thrill of winning was excellent, but it wasn't what motivated his team. Or at least he though. For those who thought that winning was everything, they were going to have a hard night.

Of course, everyone was going to have a hard night. No matter why they had signed up for football, no matter what motivated them, the simple fact of the matter rang true like a clarion call: losing sucked. Losing to a team which had been a bogeyman for Ceni four years ago sucked even more. Losing when the team had been on the cusp of victory topped the pyramid of suckiness. It appeared that this team, one that had been touted so much, one that had prompted many parents to say, "Oh, they have so much potential!" would continue to fit Ceni's traditional aw-shucks-we-were-so-close model.

What the team needed, however, was to stop thinking about it. They needed to stop thinking about their defeats, they needed to stop thinking about what they did wrong, they needed to stop thinking for a while and just relax. They don't need exhortations of "Do your best", they don't need exhortations of "Here's what you did wrong," they don't need exhortations of "Pressure's on!" They need to relax and play the game. They need to play the game for it's own sake and not worry about anything. Above all, they need to play the game to have fun.

The pressure might be on, but who cares?

The pressure might be on, but why bother?

There's no control over the matter. The only thing that the team could control was themselves. The only thing that the team could control was their attitudes to the problem, their views on the problem. They could control whether they would walk away from the pitch high in confidence - or low in self esteem.

Ceni's teams need to stop thinking about what they've done wrong in the past. They need to stop thinking about their past failures. As any psychologist will tell you, everything comes from the mind. If you think something, you will believe it, and it will happen. Sometimes the mental game is more important than the physical game. Ceni's teams need to stop telling themselves they are doomed to failure - they are not. They will win this Di Bradini Cup, a loss to Zenic notwithstanding. Ceni will qualify for the World Cup 73. Ceni will do something great.

Ceni's greatness is not somewhere over the rainbow. Ceni's greatness is right here, right now. Nothing anyone can do will change that.

Ceni needs to stop putting pressure on themselves, Ceni needs to stop telling itself why it won't ever do something. It will.

This message of hope must ring out through the hills, through the countryside, through the city - Ceni will accomplish something. Ceni will accomplish something. Ceni will accomplish something.

This Di Bradini Cup is the time, it is the place.

Ceni will win it.