World Cup LXXV - AK75 - The RP Thread

[Abaja]

World Cup LXXV

Abaja draws another game 1-1

- By Amina Ogwu

ABAJA

Esé 61'

NORDEANA

Axelberg 25'

Abaja 1 - 1 Nordeana

---

GROUP 20

Chromatika 2–2 Anglatia
Shytysle 0–2 Flardania
Abaja 1–1 Nordeana

Group   20                               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Chromatika                               3    1   2   0     4    3   +1     5
2 Anglatia                                 2    1   1   0     3    2   +1     4
3 Flardania                                3    1   1   1     3    3    0     4
4 Ko-oren                                  2    1   0   1     2    1   +1     3
5 Abaja                                    2    0   2   0     4    4    0     2
6 Nordeana                                 3    0   2   1     3    4   −1     2
7 Shytysle                                 3    0   2   1     5    7   −2     2

The Abaja Lions have gotten another draw, this time against Nordeana Owls, a team who had lost their first game to Chromatika and drew against Shytysle. Now they are now #5 in their group. Considering the Abajans haven't lost yet, some people don't seem too stressed. However, Alulawe Ju said he wanted some wins. He thought draws were not enough, especially against non-threatening teams. "Honestly, we needed this win. Our schedule isn't gonna get any easier. I know that we are scoring goals, which is good, but we have to win our games too. We have many more games ahead of us, so I'm not too worried by just a couple draws, but we have to remember. Only thirty-two teams make it out of here. So that means we will have to play our hearts out each and every game. It will be worth it knowing that we were one of the thirty two teams to make it out of here, and we can possibly prove ourselves even further by winning games in the world cup group stages. But, let's not go too fast. Let's talk about this game. Our defense played pretty tight, only giving up a goal. My boy Joseph Amé saved 5 shots. Our offense, however, looked a little rough out there. We missed many shots. I got a header at around the seventieth minute but it was way off the mark. Flardania will be facing off against us tomorrow and they will definitely not be an easy opponent. Let's hope for the best."

Head coach, John Ndami, had other things to say. "Our defense played much better than yesterday. Only giving up one goal this time. Sure, our offense made mistakes, and was very unfortunate today, but hey, there are more games ahead, and you never know what could happen. Hell, we could win our next three games, if we give it all we got! Two draws? Not a problem for me. It's better than two losses. Just because we were unable to defeat a couple of non-threatening teams doesn't mean we won't go anywhere, but we do have to improve a bit. If we play twice a better like we are now, we might be able to get a victory tomorrow. Looking at Flardania, they just defeated a team two-nil that we couldn't even beat a couple days ago. They obviously won't be an easy match-up, but, can we beat them? Of course. I'll make sure the team gets some extra practice today, so we can be better prepared for our upcoming match-up."

Alulawe Ju and Alan Atsi struggled a lot on offense today. It began with good smart passes, which gave the two good opportunities to score, but they couldn't. About 15 minutes in, Alan Atsi tried to head in a cross from Dedena Ese, but it was far right. 22 minutes in, John Hanson (NOR) got a good pass from Erik Sigursson (NOR). Hanson took a shot, but it was batted away by Joseph Amé (ABJ). That was the first of five saves for him. 25 minutes in, the Nordeanans were attacking. John Hansen (NOR) shot a booming kick that was batted away from Joseph Amé (ABJ), but the ball was batted right to Sanders Axelberg (NOR). He shot it again and the ball made it to the back of the net. 1-0. Nordeana in the lead. Abaja's struggles continued throughout the rest of the first half. Alan Atsi (ABJ) then took a shot in the 34th minute. It was batted away by Nordeana's goalkeeper, Adam Gustafsson, who had a total of 4 saves that game. In the 41st minute, Christopher Anekwe (ABJ) stole a pass from Nordeana. Alulawe Ju (ABJ) was asking for the ball, but Christopher Anekwe wanted to get passed all the opposing players before kicking a slow-ish shot that was easily saved by Adam Gustafsson. Ju was upset at him for passing. "C'mon! Pass the ball! We could of had one!" He said angrily. Halftime soon came, and the Abajan were down 0-1. In the second half, however, things started turning around.

In the second half, Abaja started off with nice, smooth passes. Fabrosu Nyema (ABJ) squeezed a pass to Dedéna Esé (ABJ), who quickly passed to Alan Atsi. He shot it - off the crossbar. So close for Abaja.... So unfortunate.... Abajan fans were shaking their heads. The Lions did not give up, though. They tried their best to fight back into this game. They were not about to lose this game. In the 58th minute, Alan Atsi (ABJ) took a shot, but it was defected off of Matthias Holmstrom (NOR) and out. Corner kick for Abaja. The corner was soared into the box by Fabrosu Nyema (ABJ). The ball was punched away by the Nordeana goalkeeper Adam Gustafsson. In the 61st minute, that when it finally happened. Dedéna Esé scored an equalizer for Abaja. The Abajans cheered and cheered. The Lions celebrated. It was now 1-1. In the 74th minute, Sanders Axelberg (NOR) shot a booming kick. Joseph Amé (ABJ) snatched it in mid air. There, he found Eze Mbanefo, who passed it up to Ervin Jon-Mikel, who passed to Dedéna Esé. Abaja had a big chance here. Alulawe Ju then gets a sharp pass from him. He shoots! Too high. Time was running low. Abaja didn't have many chances left, but they just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. Many wasted opportunities for both teams. The 80th minute came, and Nordeana had a corner kick. Jacob Holtby (NOR) floated the kick to the box. Then came the header by John Hansen (NOR). Joseph Amé reacted fast enough to bat it away. Here came 90+2. Fabrosu Nyema (ABJ) was off running. he passed it up to Alan Atsi, but he was offsides. The final whistle blew, and the Abajans drew another game. On June 13, the Abajans will face off against the Kitsunes. Who will win?

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COMMENTS • 2,839

Smiley Guy - Joined March 25, 2008
June 12, 12:04 AM - These guys are horrible..
Reply • Like (23) • Dislike (91)

SmarterThanU - Joined October 20, 2012
June 11, 9:34 PM - Esé the life saver!
Reply • Like (103) • Dislike (21)

Thomas Stewart - Joined April 6, 2010
June 11, 10:55 PM - Lol Anekwe is an idiot
Reply • Like (151) • Dislike (52)

Jakob Usu - Joined March 17, 2014
June 12, 12:19 AM - Another draw
Reply • Like (9) • Dislike (3)

YaKYaK03 - Joined December 18, 2012
June 11, 11:09 PM - They hhad like a million chances to win this game.
Reply • Like (61) • Dislike (10)

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[The Sarian]

To: Albert Peters
Subject: Internal Polling

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Albert,

May I first offer my most sincere and heartfelt apologies for my absence from the campaign trail in the past few days. Since you hired me last year I feel that I’ve never left your side, yet now - when I am most needed with the election so close - I am ashamedly missing. I assure you, the second I can get out of bed, I’ll be right by your side again.

That is not to say, however, that I have been slacking in my duties. Despite my bedridden state I have been in constant contact with the regional field agents, and generally everyone who matters within the campaign.

As you know, the overlapping in duties between myself and Corey (Seriously man, what’s the difference between a Campaign Co-ordinator and a Campaign Manager, they are literally synonymous) has caused a bit a friction within the campaign. Don’t worry, this still isn’t any cause for concern - as you say, “the rivalry makes you both work harder.”

It does mean, however, that Corey isn’t fully filled in on all the details that he maybe needs to be. Before this bug, I took the liberty of enlisting Hugo Manning to conduct a few internal polls in a number of swing, narrow and bellwether constituencies. As you know, Manning and Spencer are one of the most respected polling firms in the country - and indeed, their polling is admired across Esportiva too. Naturally, this means they charge extraordinary fees for internal work, which was vetoed by Corey.

In the spirit of the rivalry making us work harder, I went behind his back, and I enclose in this email the results from the polling found. Unlike other internals (and indeed, externals) they do not make for good reading. As you’ll be aware, polling from the past month has seen a dramatic narrowing of the gap between us and they-who-must-not-be-named, especially in areas thought to be key such as Henrikson Island and the less affluent districts in Kensingtea. These polls cast a serious doubt on this.

It is the belief of Hugo Manning that other polls are failing to register (a) the number of people who are willing to support the Florican Party and (b) the influence of a greater turnout. He particularly highlights problems we may face with turnout, especially in urban areas where our current majorities are much lower than the national average. He cites research undertaken in other democracies which show weather conditions, populist enthusiasm amongst the WWC and closeness of the race to suggest a large influx in first time and returning voters amongst demographics that will not cast their ballot for us.

Additionally, he is found that amongst those demographics we are increasingly seen as the party of suburban, politically correct elites. Despite One Nation initially being launched in the hope of reaching ‘right-wing solutions to working class problems’, and your continued insistence that One Nation are the true party of working people - both through your actions in government and words on the campaign trail, our moves to soak up members of the Progressive Union after their collapse seems to have only damaged our brand amongst these people, and the likelihood of them switching to us this close to an election is very unlikely. By contrast, Manning found that our supporters are much less steadfast and willing to change ship to either they-who-must-not-be-named or even a smaller party.

I don’t need to inform you that this should sound alarm bells in the campaign. It goes without saying that we need to seriously re-evaluate both how we manage our resources in the most efficient manner going forward and how we chose to brand ourselves in the final part of the campaign.

The one bright footnote from the findings is that all is not lost; we need to work hard to make sure that is right.

Yours in sickness and in health,

Harvey Boxer
National Campaign Co-ordinator, One Nation

[Mapletish]

The Sour Kind
“Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.”

World Cup 75 | Timothy Jozua

Mapletish 0–3 Chiata: Dragons sink into despair as qualification hopes lays in tatters

Mapletish 0
Chiata 3 [Robert Curtis 34' 41' 57']

Robert Curtis scored after missing a penalty at Rosfield before downing another two goals against the Dragons as they marched on to take all three points for themselves, in the third match day of the World Cup 75 Qualification group stage. Coming in from a pathetic 0-0 Copa Rushmori finals replay, the Dragons take on Chiata who beat Chernordad, building on their undefeated start to the qualification campaign.

Curtis opened the scoring in the 34th minute, beating Ben Toon from distance with a hard low drive which the youngster failed to get his hands to. The on form Curtis then added a second goal, nine minutes before the interval. He ended the Dragons' struggle by sending a side footed effort past Toon after the interval from just inside the penalty area.

The defeat sees Bernard Aristi's side in last place with just a point from 3 matches, sharing the point with Chernordad and Hasznia, teams that the Dragons have never played before or even heard of by the Maplish public. This also means that Mapletish is behind Eshan, New-Gelderland and Chiata, teams that the Dragons have a faint memory of. The Dragons are now behind the top automatic qualification spot by six points, one of the largest margins in the qualification stages that the Dragons have faced in recent history.

The home side had their regular No 1, Kazimir Petya replaced with talented youngster Ben Toon, SC Galatasaray's exciting goalkeeping prospect as Petya called out with a stomach discomfort as Aristi made three changes with Diego Alvarez replacing Kimberly Aurora and Garic Jansen replacing Enkainia Lee. The Dragons were first to make an impact as Alero Junio tried to spark the contest into life, but his powerful 25 metre shot lacked accuracy as Mack Truex waved it wide. The miss was felt by the entire stadium as the home crowd sighed in dismay.

The home crowd had even more things to be sighing about as Junio who saw two jinking runs ended inside the box before he could get a shot away and was struggling to make an impact on the game. Robert Curtis showed the veteran the way in the 34th minute, collecting the ball 43 metres out before advancing towards goal and unleashing a low shot that skidded past Toon as the youngster dived to his left in an attempt to reach for the ball but that didn't happen and the ball went in for the first goal of the game.

Toon was beaten again before the interval when Curtis gathered Heidi Menke's pass and darted in to toe-poke a finish into the bottom right corner. Junio then saw a point blank header forced off the line by Jason Perez amid suspicions of handball as the visitors took the upper hand with a two goal advantage going into the break. Aristi looked worried as he walked off to the tunnel even before the first half end while writing notes on his trusty notebook. The usually positive man seemed drawn out from the unfortunate plays that got his team behind the visitors as he kept his head low throughout the walk back to the dressing rooms.

The Dragons having never met Chiata before had no where to hide their faces as the latter looked hungrier to grab a victory than the Dragons, something that the Dragons were guilty of as they became seemingly demotivated to create the momentum to propel themselves in this qualifying group stage.

The third goal of the match arrived when a mistake from Georg Ivar ultimately led to Jason Toler playing in Robert Curtis to prod the ball into the net.

Mapletish's frustration was evident as O' Vincent Rye went into the referee's notebook after a tangle with the impressive Curtis, it eventually led to a minor twist in Curtis' ankle but he played on.

The home team was now left without a win from three matches in the World Cup qualifiers, a terrible performance for the once above average Maplish side. It will be an early farewell to the Dragons' hopes for another World Cup qualification as they would have to wait for another cycle.

---

Mapletish 0-3 Chiata, Match Statistics

0 Goals 3
4 Total Shots 11
1 Shots on Target 7
1 Blocked Shots 2
2 Shots from outside the box 7
2 Shots from inside the box 4
33% Shot Accuracy (Excluding blocked shots) 70%
49.6% Possession (%) 50.4%
1 Offsides 4
2 Corners 3

---

Player Ratings
Mapletish Starting XI

#12 - GK - Ben Toon - Age 18 - SC Galatasaray ★★☆☆☆
The SC Galatasaray keeper was well beaten by Chiata's first and third goals after being let down by his defence but his acrobatic save attempt wasn't enough to keep out Curtis long range effort.

#2- RB - Georg Ivar - Age 29 - Club Atletico ★★☆☆☆
It was a poor evening for the Ateltico man, who often drifted out side and left far too much space available at the right flank, which was made full use of by the Chiata players, whilst an awful touch allowed the visitors to break forward quickly and find a third goal.

#3 - CB - Orla Fritjof - Age 31 - Golden Phoenix ★★☆☆☆
Arguably the best of the defenders but he was sloppy with his defending on a few occasions and offered very little going forward, not what was expected from him.

#4- CB - O' Vincent Rye - Age 28 - Celtics Rovers ★★☆☆☆
Looked relatively solid for most of the first half but committed himself far too early in the build up to Chiata's second goal and was made to pay but his aggressiveness and composure kept him in the defensive line.

#5 - LB - Alessendra Vito - Age 37 - Balmope Betis ★★☆☆☆
Lacked the attacking threat needed and was ineffective defensively, poor pacing is a major factors as it was taken advantage of by the Chiata front line.

#6 - DM - Aleksander Gustav - Age 27 - Golden Eagles ★★☆☆☆
As the only anchor man in the defensive midfield position, he was arguably the worst midfielder in the line up as he found himself out of position and chasing the shadows of his opponents inside his own half and slppily failed to track Curtis' run in the build up to the second goal for Chiata.

#7 - RCM - Di Natile - Age 35 - Golden Phoenix ★★☆☆☆
A miserable night for a hardworking man like Di Natile as he found himself time and time again closed down by the visitors' midfielders as he failed to ignite his spark of creativity.

#16 - CM - Diego Alvarez - Age 33 - Lumburg CV ★★☆☆☆
The veteran started the game well and was the better creative player in the game but the Lumburg midfielder quickly faded and made very little impact in the second half.

#17 - CM - Garic Jansen - Age 23 - Rosville Sunday League ★★☆☆☆
Made little impact today as he failed to control the engine room properly from the centre. He was arguably at fault for the second gal as he left far too much space available for Curtis in the middle of the field for him to perform.

#10 - LAM - Josef Gai - Age 22 - Home United ★☆☆☆☆
The worst performing player of the game was given to the Home United youngster as he made very little impact on the left flank and constantly found it difficult o find a way past Jason Toler and taking him head on. He was eventually substituted in the second half.

#11 - ST - Alero Junio - Age 36 - Facrabendo Kings ★★★☆☆
It was a tough night for the veteran who was arguably Mapletish's best player and kept fighting until the very end but found little joy against a well organised Chiata back line that gave him very little room to breathe.

Substitues
#15 - CB - Neringf Judocus - Age 23 - Moonchester United ★★☆☆☆
Failed to impress as he quickly faded into the game after he was added to add some firepower to the attack to replace what Orla Fritjof was missing.

#18 - ST - Krisztian Boni - Age 21 - Versatio Giants ★★☆☆☆
Replaced Gai to add some creativity and flair to the midfield but he found little joy up front and as a result was largely a spectator.

#19 - ST - Zsiga Szilveszter - Age 19 - Home United ★★☆☆☆
Like Bony, the Home United youngster was thrown on to help turn the game around but found little joy against the well organised visitors.

[Ceni]

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W

hile much of the international attention on Ceni’s election focuses on the more salient presidential race, in which the Congress for Democratic Socialism (CDS) and its incumbent president, Masnol Binnill, are trailing in the polls and attacked by big corporations as communistic, some of the local races feature candidates with a lot better chance of hanging onto their seats, with higher popularity ratings than the embattled president. In addition to being favored to win their seats, all three of these budding leaders of the party (Galen Sarn-Kestal in New Oxford, Kel Viridian in Cenial South, and Luke Talonspyre in New Oxford) have something else in common - they are the young standard-bearers of the CDS, and party brass hopes that they will pick up where Binnill left behind when he leaves office, whether now or in four years when his term limit expires.

Galen Sarn-Kestal was elected governor of City Centre South four years ago with the help of the unions, despite his lack of experience then. He had previously served as a public defender, and actually had a very good record - winning most of his cases on behalf of working-class clients. He would put in hours beyond his official hours researching, interviewing, and preparing briefs so that the justice system would not ensnare the most vulnerable of society and keep them trapped in the cycle. "I was never popular enough in school to win at Student Council elections," the 33-year-old said. "But I was always interested in government and history, and that's what drew me into running for the open governor's seat here in City Centre South." He says that his work with the poorest in society had changed his outlook on the world. "Before, I was concerned about big issues facing our world as a whole. But when I saw the poverty many people live in, I knew that we needed to get them the social services they need and the assistance they need in order for them to succeed in life." Although the Congress for Democratic Socialism is considered a far left-leaning party, Sarn-Kestal considers himself a center-left politician. Although he does advocate for a greater role of the state in the economy, most of his career as governor has focused on mobilizing the district's resources to more adequately administer and distrubute social services in his district. "We don't have too much power to involve the state more in the economy in this district per se, but we can still make a difference in people's lives using the resources we have." Openly gay, Sarn-Kestal also has fought to continue his district's strong record in supporting LGBTQ rights.

Kel Viridian had a very different career path than Sarn-Kestal but still managed to end up in a similar position. Viridian inherited the gift of affability, and he's a jovial person at heart, always great to talk to or go to a party with. That meshed very well with his affinity for politics, which he entered right after graduating college with a degree in political science. He started out interning for Kyn Tucin - then a Senator for Cenial South - at the age of 20 before striking out on his own for an elected position, running for, and winning, a spot on the Cenial South District Council. That was his springboard for the governorship eight years ago, and since then, he's proven an extremely popular leader of the district. Not only has he fought for increased public transportation in his district, leading efforts to improve the high-speed service that runs between Santiago and Dover and modernize the Cenial subway system. Despite being a democratic socialist, which he describes as meaning that he "works to improve the relationship between government and society," he worked during his tenure as governor to create public-private partnerships to turn Cenial South into a district of innovation, helping to set up numerous high-tech start-ups, as well as revitalizing and improving public housing during his term. All these efforts have paid off - he is now the most popular governor in Ceni. Asked about his plans after his current term expires, he says he intends to go into teaching for a couple of years before returning once again to the political scene. "Politics is a very rewarding job for me. I know some people only see the boring side of it, all the speeches and committees and fundraising, but when I look at all the things we've accomplished when I was governor, I feel very proud of our community and our country and the things that we can achieve when we all work together under a common goal." Despite his noncommittal feelings on whether he will seek the presidency, many party regulars think that Viridian is the new face of the party and a perfect choice to succeed Binnill as a presidential contender for the party.

A third young governor, Luke Talonspyre, also could take the mantle of the CDS leadership. In the heavily liberal New Oxford district, renowned for its nightlife and the University of New Oxford, Talonspyre has found success by helping to make tuition more affordable, working to increase the amount of public housing, and working with Viridian to improve public transportation throughout his district. He is also working to promote New Oxford as a hub for entrepreneurship and high tech, with the university providing a great staging ground for young entrepreneurs. His other measures include creating small business interest groups, promoting the involvement of students and young people in politics, and working with his gubernatorial rival Audrey Goleidas to draft legislation against involvement of big money in politics - partially to create countervailing power against the power of corporations and the rich in politics of his district. He grew intersted in politics only in college, where he was originally studying English and playing tennis, but his first taste of politics is when he organized a student group to protest against a large corporation cutting jons in the area. "And with that, I was hooked on politics, and I knew I had to get into it immediately." After his graduation, he got into working as a student organizer and counselor, working to get students involved with the school and the community. Some of his fellow students suggested that he make a run for elected office, and he challenged party regulars for the CDS nomination for the New Oxford governorship - and won, parlaying his skills organizing the young to have great turnout, both on primary day and on election day. "I do realize that I was jumping right into the deep end, so to speak, as I had no political experience and had no idea what I was doing. But I guess I worked a bit too hard, so I was as surprised as anyone when I won the position." He learned the ropes quickly and is now one of the CDS's leading figures.

T

hese leaders are perhaps part of a new wave in Cenian politics - a changing of the guard, so to speak. They represent a growing force of the young in politics and a growing force of moderation within the Congress of Democratic Socialism, one that is more focused on helping people through action rather than idealistic crusades against corporations and big money. Cenian Public Radio's Gil Korova says that they have lots of years left in their political careers, so there's a good likelihood that at least one of them will go on to serve as President, for several reasons. "These candidates, while they are pretty left-wing, are pretty moderate left-wingers, not as radical as, say, Masnol Binnill, who wants to drastically change a lot of the political landscape in Ceni. While I'm not saying that the Cenian people don't want a reworking of the landscape, these three young leaders provide a much more gradual slope for its introduction, rather than a full-fledged transition very sharply, which is what I think is driving a lot of people away from Masnol Binnill's candidacy right now in the presidential election."

Party regulars, including Binnill himself, also place lots of stock in their three young standard bearers. "These three young men have the power to change our country for the better," says Binnill in an interview that ranged from politics to sports to music. "They have the power to take our country in another direction and change the balance of power in Ceni away from the big corporations and big money and back towards the people. They have a lot of power to do good in them." Viridian probably speaks for the others when he says he's not too interested in seeking the presidency right at this moment. "I think we all are trying to serve our constituents as best we can right now. We're not thinking about what we can do to improve our party or our own political careers right now; we're thinking about how we can best serve the people that elected us. I think that's our first priority: the people first, ourselves second." Despite that statement, though, Binnill is holding his breath for an administration run by at least one of the three. "They may be reluctant now, but once they see the ways they can serve their country in the president's office, I think they'll come around eventually."

[Gregoryisgodistan]

Gregoryisgodistan 2-0 Taeshan

"Hello, and welcome to Lord Almighty Gregory National Staidum for today's game between the glorious and holy Foot Slaves of Gregoryisgodistan and the Blithering Idiots of Taeshan. We've got a good game for you today, so let's get started. Gregoryisgodistan looking for their second win of the tournament, against a Taeshan team that does not know how to spell or use grammar. Anyway, there are a bunch of Taeshan fans in the stand who are most certainly not slaves dressed in Taeshan jerseys, but real Taeshani fans who were stupid enough to make the trip. No, we would never lie to you like that. Has your government ever lied to you? I think not.

...

"9th minute, Slave Catcher I913AFBSBFI239 up to Prune Farmer 913881, who finds Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU. The elephant man shoots from distance but Troubador knocks it over the bar for a corner. It will be taken by Guy Who Cleans Up Behind The Elephant at the Circus P0120AZNNAU. He sends it into the box, Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy is there, GOAL GREGORYISGODISTAN! THE ENEMY CRUSHER HEADS IT IN! And now Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy is running into the stands and crushing 666 Taeshani fans who are most certainly real Taeshani fans and not Gregoryisgodistani slaves wearing Taeshani uniforms. Why would you think that? We don't lie to you. No, we most certainly don't. And now the Taeshanis are holding up signs saying "i is smaurret" as they are being crushed. Clearly they aren't. But now they're dead, which is what that heathen scum deserves. That's why they're on the Enemy List. And remember, people, these are most certainly not Gregoryisgodistani slaves dressed as Taeshan fans. We can't stress that enough. This is not a Suspiciously Specific Denial. Nor is that. Or that. Or that. And so on.

...

"19th minute, McMichael brings it forward and passes up to Vader. Vader finds Snavely in the box and he tries to head it in but it's over the bar. Gregoryisgodistan fans rejoice and start chanting "DEATH TO TAESHAN" and are burning Taeshani flags and setting Taeshani fans, who are most certainly not slaves in Taeshani uniforms, on fire with flamethrowers while throwing rocks and glass at them. This is quite a scene here as Gregoryisgodistani fans are literally destroing the heathen scum from Taeshan. What a match so far, and most importantly, Gregoryisgodistan is winning.

...

"31st minute, and Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal goes down in the box. THAT'S A PENALTY! And Gordon Bombay is going to get a red card. And now the Taeshani fans, who are, once again, most certainly not Gregoryisgodistani slaves, are spelling out "RED CARD" in a chant, only they're spelling it wrong. "W-R-E-D-D K-A-R-R-D-Q" they say. What's with the silent Q at the end? The rest is understandable given Taeshanis' intelligence, but a silent Q? What makes them think there's one of those? Anyway, Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Death to San Jose Guayabal is ready to take the penalty kick, AND HE SCORES! 2-0 GREGORYISGODISTAN! And now Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy is running into the stands again and crushing the 831 very real Taeshanis who misspelled Red Card, both for being heathen scum and for being idiots. And the fans are going wild and giving Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy a standing ovation, but the refs don't like it as much and give him a yellow card. But Enemy Crushe Fatty Footy is not happy with the card and is now crushing the whole officiating crew to death. And they're all dead, so we need an alternate crew.

...

"The alternate crew comes and immediately blows the whistle for the end of the half, here in the 46th minute. And that means it's time for the Slaves R Us Leaders Race. Let's send it up to the PA Booth for the call."

"Are you ready, folks? It's time for the Slaves R Us Leaders Race! And Lord Almighty Gregory is out first, before I can even read the rest of the introduction, he's all alone, and finally the others come out. And for the second match in a row, Shop Owner tries to cheat and cut across the field, and this time the others follow him. They all try to take out Lord Almighty Gregory at the same time as he rounds the corner, but they all miss and collide with each other. They're all down in the corner, all tangled up, and Lord Almighty Gregory could walk the rest of the way if he wants to, but he doesn't, he'll run it out and WIN! THE WINNER, ONCE AGAIN, IS LORD ALMIGHTY GREGORY! What a great race and win by God himself!"

"Back for the second half after this.

...

"61st minute, remember Taeshan is down to 10 men, Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Xylocrap Notatypo all alone dashing down the field, now he gets taken down from behind by Chesnut, which apparently is some clown who doesn't know how to spell Chestnut, and Gregoryisgodistan wants a penalty. The ref says it was outside the box, but will still red card Chesnut. Chesnut walks off the field as the Gregoryisgodistani fans throw spelling books and dictionaries at him with the word "Chestnut" highlighted so he knows how to spell it. He's lucky he hasn't been arrested and sent to a Spelling Reeducation Camp. Anyway, Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Xylocrap Notatypo will take the free kick against nine-man Taeshan, and it's over the bar for a goal kick. Wasted opportunity for the Foot Slaves.

...

"79th minute, Gregoryisgodistan with yet another opportunity, Loyal Friend of Lord Almighty Gregory Xylocrap Notatypo to take the corner kick again, it's into the box and Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy scores! Oh, but they're waving it off, saying he pushed off. And Enemy Crusher Fatty Footy is furious, and he's crushing all the officials again, but surprisingly does not get a card. Yet another alternate officiating crew will be summoned.

...

"The alternate officiating crew comes on three minutes into stoppage, and perhaps fearing for their lives, immediately blows the final whistle. Foot Slaves win! The fans are going wild. And now all the players and fans are burning Taeshani flags while chanting "DEATH TO TAESHAN" and throwing rocks, glass, and dictionaries at the Taeshani players as they leave the field. And they will receive Medals of Honor for it, I'm sure. So long for now, we'll see you later!"

[Jeruselem]

In the Confederate Islands of Paputu, where the locals lost to Jeruselem 4-1.

Princess Elsa and Cheryl Paris discussing all things non-football

Cheryl: Say, I heard your sister Anna is dating some famous guy from Quebec
Elsa: Yes, he's part of their national team
Cheryl: He's pretty hot
Elsa: Yes, I wouldn't say no to him either
Cheryl: No one like Xavier Hertel ever looks at me
Elsa: You're not exactly the prettiest girl in the team

Cheryl: Who would what be?
Elsa: Who do you think?
Cheryl: Of course, but I'm not ugly either
Elsa: But you know you got to put yourself out there to be noticed
Cheryl: So being on TV isn't enough
Elsa: No

Cheryl: So what's my problem?
Elsa: You're a bit boring and don't sound ... intelligent
Cheryl: I'm not stupid
Elsa: You still behave like a lower class girl
Cheryl: So these football players prefer more exotic women
Elsa: A princess is exotic as you get

Cheryl: So what should I do
Elsa: Maybe stop wearing old clothes ...
Cheryl: But I don't have money for fancy new clothes
Elsa: Hey if you're gonna attract a famous football player, you gotta be noticed girl
Cheryl: what about doing stuff like ... getting naked
Elsa: Well, that gets a lot of attention.

Cheryl: But I don't want attract perverts
Elsa: They won't be interested in you.
Cheryl: How would you know that?
Elsa: If your dad is a perv, you will know
Cheryl: Oh him, you don't look like him
Elsa: I'm more like Mum but my sister seems to be different. She's more like her Dad.

Cheryl: IS your brother single?
Elsa: Oh him. He's more more girlfriends than you pick a stick it.
Cheryl: what's he like?
Elsa: I wouldn't date him even if I wasn't his sister. Hopeless at football like his dad.
Cheryl: I thought your Dad was great football player.
Elsa: He was pretty crap but our standards

Cheryl: I'm too plain for him?
Elsa: He's a bit fussy about what girls he gets, you would be if you're royal
Cheryl: How am I supposed to marry a rich guy then?
Elsa: There's plenty of rich guys out there
Cheryl: I don't want to indecently expose myself
Elsa: Well, sometimes you have to do these things

[Mercedini]

Mercedini Sports Daily
Matchday 3: Vyshehradska vs. Mercedini
@ Vyshehradska National Stadium - Vyshehradska City, Vyshehradska

Hello there, folks! Welcome back to World Cup Qualification as we are broadcasting Mercedini's third qualification across the country. I am definitely racking up the air miles this week as we travel to Vyshehradska for the third game, and Mercedini's second away game. We are moments away from kick-off, but it doesn't feel like it. The Vyshehradska National Stadium is fairly quiet and empty, save for the large contingent of Mercedinian fans in the far corner. I'm being told that the stadium holds 10,000 people and the Mercedini have been given about 2,000 seats as an allocation (which they have filled), but the Vyshehradska fans are nowhere to be seen. I estimate about 200 fans have turned up, so Mercedini are playing with a smaller-than-usual audience, will that affect them today?
The teams come out of the tunnel to a large cheer from the Mercedinian fans, the Vyshehradskan fans that are dotted around the park are standing and applauding their team. The national anthems will play out and we will be underway shortly.

0' - So, kick-off is imminent. Both teams are considered minnows of the group but both have picked up points already from more experienced teams. Remember, Mercedini caused the shock of the round as they beat USI at Mercedini's home stadium. Vyshehradska managed to hold Lymantatia to a goalless draw, here on match day, another draw wouldn't be ideal for either teams, but it is important for Mercedini to come away with important away points while keeping their home stadium a fortress, Vyshehradska will be kicking off from left to right, they haven't submitted a roster nor a team kit, so there is a mysterious fog that is shrouding all the Vyshehradskan players so I cant see them, strange...

11' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - The opening ten minutes have been tentative from both teams, Mercedini have been passing the ball around the defence and midfield, while Vyshehradska have been effectively blocking all the chances that Mercedini have tried to create, neither team have started the game off very well.

20' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - I should mention that Mercedini did beat Vyshehradska 2-0 in their first ever competitive match in the Baptism of Fire Group Stage, Vyshehradska have been watching Mercedini train and play to try and combat the passing play of Mercedini, so that means that the defence should hold up better that last time. Eighteen minutes gone and it's 0-0.

29' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - The floodlights have just been switched on as we enter nightfall, here in Vyshehradska. The Mercedinian Big Bang are playing loud and clear as the Mercedinian corner of the stadium is making all the noise. The two hundred or so Vyshehradska fans are deadly silent as we approach the half-hour mark. Still 0-0!

33' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - We have passed the half hour mark and still no shots on target for either team. They are perfectly cancelling each other out as the defences rule the day in the first half. Both sets of players are illuminated by the floodlight, the shadows have been the most interesting part of the game. Still Goalless.

40' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - I have got out my Sudoku book to pass the time, nothing happening in this game. It's all focused around the midfield and defence, very bored. 0-0

45' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - Oh, turns our I've just had a snooze and it's half time! Don't know what happened in that last five minutes. The score still reads 0-0, somewhat disappointing performance from Mercedini, Billic and Mossec haven't really had a chance to attack the Vyshehradskan goal. At the break, it's Vyshehradska 0, Mercedini 0.

HALF TIME: Vyshehradska 0 - 0 Mercedini

Some traditional half-time music from the Vyshehradskan FA, lots of drum-banging and flutes. Very Nice, although I would recommend a few beers before experiencing that, it really enriches your cultural experience. The players are back out for the second half. Will we get a goal? Will we get a shot? Will I get through the second half without falling asleep? All those questions will be answered as we await the beginning of the second half.

48' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - Sometimes I really wonder why I became commentator, now is one of these moments. Mercedini have come close to a goal when Pujanic squared the ball to Mossec, who fired over from outside the box. Finally, Mercedini are showing their attacking prowess. How can you go from beating the group favourites to not being able to score against the group minnows? Hopefully, something will be able to kick this game into life. Still 0-0

52' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - I think both teams are playing for a draw now, Vyshehradska are holding back, while Mercedini playing it between the goalkeeper and the defence. The point would be good to get from an away game, but surely Mercedini could come away with all three if they tried. Probably not much action left in this game. 0-0.

80' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - Final ten minutes of the game. Benjamin Legge has come on for his World Cup debut, it seems as if the manager is resting his main players for a difficult run-in, which sees Mercedini play the other three top teams in the group. If Mercedini can snatch points of these games, they could see their chances of qualification increase dramatically. In the mean time, it looks as if Mercedini will take an away point away from Vyshehradska.

90+1' - (VYS 0-0 MRC) - This is the hardest Hosset has worked all match. He kicks the ball upfield, the referee blows his whistle for the end of the game. Another lacklustre performance from Mercedini. They have grabbed another point, but goodness knows what could have been if they forced the attack, Mercedini will end up third in the group on four points. Here in Mercedini, it's finished Vyshehradska 0, Mercedini 0.

FULL TIME: Vyshehradska 0 - 0 Mercedini

Mercedini will hope for a better performance as they head back to Zoloroni to host second-placed Lymantatia. A win for either team will send them into a very good position, at least second, but it could propel them to the top if USI drop points in their next match. Plenty to play for, join us as we continue our live coverage of Mercedini's qualifying campaign. Have a great evening!

[Tumbra]

Rankings of Prime Ministers (1872 - present)

In these few issues of The Observer we'll be taking a look at all the Prime Ministers that have taken office since 1872.

Part 1: 24 - 20

24. Edward Chamberlain (1960 - 1962)

Edward Chamberlain is the lowest-rated Prime Minister on this list for one reason - his failure to handle the 1962 Uprising. At a time when bombs planted by republican paramilitary forces were going off in urban areas on average every half an hour, and open war was being declared in certain cities, the Prime Minister decided not to send the army into the cities and instead allow the police to handle the uprising on their own. At the time, it was an unpopular decision and eventually resulted in him being replaced by Harold Kingsley - who had considerably more success in repelling the terrorists.

Throughout his premiership, there were constant rumours that Chamberlain was near madness. These rumours eventually were proved unfounded, however they also played a key part in Chamberlain's fall.

On hindsight, however, it may be unfair to drop Chamberlain at this low a position, for the decision to not send troops into the cities may have prevented a full-scale civil war. This resulted in a lot of sympathy for the third Chamberlain in the 1980s and 1990s, and quite a few autobiographies have come out in a more sympathetic view toward the once-disgraced Prime Minister.

23. Walter Johnson (1912 - 1914)

Walter Johnson has gone down in history as the last bastion of pacifism in the face of a war that was engulfing the continent. His attempts at reaching a peace with other nations did not go well and he got rejected by the voters in the 1914 election, which spelled the end of his premiership.

He was described by his predecessors as party leaders, most notably Jonathan Freemont, as "a simple man who is hopelessly complicated".

Most academia place him this low on the list because he simply did not do enough in a time of crisis - much like Edward Chamberlain.

22. Wilson Burke (1975 - 1976)

Wilson Burke came to power almost as a fluke - nobody expected him to win the 1975 election, and even up to polling day, polls had the ruling SDP to re-enter Parliament with a vastly increased majority. However, the results gave Burke and the Conservatives a small lead. He decided to govern alone, in a minority government, against the advice of the rest of his party.

When it came to Burke's first budget, presented by the Chancellor, it was overwhelmingly defeated and a motion of no confidence was quickly proposed by then-Opposition leader James Kenny. It was quickly passed, and in less than a year the people were voting once again - except they voted for James Kenny and the SDP once again.

21. Callum Harrison (1979 - 1983)

The previous three Prime Ministers had arguably spent too little time in the office to have any meaningful impact on the rankings, but Callum Harrison - Prime Minister from 1979 to 1983; spent one full term in office.

Harrison earns plaudits from certain corners because he held steadfast in the face of growing tensions, but those growing tensions were also the cause of his downfall - the 1982 Winter Strikes.

Following a promise in the 1980 election to stop inflation despite rising prices worldwide, industrial workers went on strike during the Winter of 1982, the coldest winter for nearly ten years. The workers were asking for higher pay - Harrison's government had simply failed to control inflation.

This matter came to a head nearly a year later, where the King excercised his sovereign rights and sacked Harrison just a few days after the Liberals left an alliance with the SDP.

20. Edward Freemont (1892 - 1899)

The first of the Freemont brothers to enter the post of Prime Minister, Edward Freemont was Prime Minister for seven years before being assassinated on the eve of a crucial debate.

Freemont's government was first elected in 1892, while subsequently defending their slim lead in Parliament in 1896. Elected on a progressive platform, he quickly gained much slack when the economy went into stagnation - thus gaining much flak from the Conservatives, who believed that a progressive platform would naturally include a progressive economy.

While most of this was due to the fact that Freemont did not possess a majority in Parliament at all, his premiership was largely ineffective and the one time when his government looked like it was going to make a real difference, Freemont was assassinated while sitting on a park bench.

[Barunia]

Two months after Liesel's sixteenth birthday, something happened that was to change everything. The newly-formed National Football League was designed as a bridge between the amateur regional leagues and the professional leagues. The South-East Football Association, formed a team from the best the region had to offer. Their uniforms were mostly white, with a blue bird flying across the heart, and they were called the Southern Bluebirds.

For Liesel, the Bluebirds gave her a reason for existence. Every home game she'd be at Bluebirds field, a park near her old primary school. When she went to high school, she used to cut across the field to get to the pick-up point for the school bus. She's played there too, on away games with Grovelands - it was the home of the Demons U-12 FC, as well as the senior team Waybridge Wanderers. Or had been the home, for the arrival of the Bluebirds changed that. Now the field was fenced off, and a grandstand was built, along the side of the ground opposite the clubhouse. The clubhouse soon disappeared, to be replaced by a new, more modern building, with a gym, media centre, and separate change rooms for each team. The Demons and Wanderers disappeared into obscurity, as the Bluebirds moved in, bringing with them money and attention. While some mourned the loss of the old clubs, for Liesel it was a revelation.

Here were rough men, workers from the car yards, the workshops, the harbour. Tradesmen, electricians, plumbers, and carpenters, plasterers and painters; they all had their jobs, their normal, everyday lives, yet they laid for the Bluebirds. They were not Castoloes or Marrises with multi-million dollar contracts: these were people who had come from the rough streets of Waybridge, just like Liesel. From their first game Liesel knew, her life's goal was to be a Bluebird.

[Schottia]

CMB

Part three

The case hit the wall with a heavy clatter, the contents scattering to all four corners of the hotel room for a second time. Corinne's brows gathered, she tucked her hair back behind her ears, and began collecting the items of clothing before starting once again.

What the hell was the problem? Everything had fit perfectly well on the way here; there was no way she was going to take another bag back to St Johns with her. Corinne stamped round the room collecting everything back together, stuffing and flinging them angrily back inside the case until it just was mound of odd socks, unwashed t-shirts, and folded-over books with crumpled pages. She threw the case back down on her bed with gritted teeth, snarling as she began sorting through the contents for a third time. Every t-shirt had to be folded in the correct way, every sock paired up and tucked inside one another using the same technique. Everything needed to be arranged in such a way that it minimised the amount of space needed to store it away - it was perfection, or it was unacceptable. On the way over here, everything had fit perfectly. When the last jumper had been folded and place on the top, the zipper hard ran round the edge with one firm but even pull. The case had closed, but with a satisfying turgidity. How come now the zipper kept catching half way round? If she couldn't pack a suitcase, then what else was she going to start failing at.

This just wasn't right! Corinne whipped her hoody off and threw it against the wall; it was too warm all of a sudden. There must have been something else in the case, something that hadn’t been there when she had left Quebec. What other explanation was there for her possessions having suddenly gained mass. Corinne opened the windows and pushed them wide, glad of the cool air rushing in at her as she returned to the case. She began going through the pockets of her trousers, removing a train ticket and a receipt from the airport cafe. Maybe that would be enough, it was probably coming down to half a millimetre.

Corinne began sorting once more, folding each item, flattening it with the palms of her hands against the bed, for want of an iron. For some reason she was sweating now, as she lifted the bottom of her top, billowing in some air. Corinne glanced at the clock: seven thirty. There was still plenty of time, even if it took her another couple or hours it would be fine, she would still get four or five hours of sleep before she headed back to Quebec.

At length she laid every item, immaculately folded, along the length and breadth of the room in neat orderly columns. Nowhere was there a blank square of floor, a table, or surface that didn't have something sat on it.

'Right Connie, c'mon.' She said to herself with a determined nod of the head, slapping herself hard on the cheek. She got up from the book she had been sitting on, trying to flatten it with her bottom - she gave it one last hard squeeze before dropping it square in the centre of the empty case.

There was a specific order to it, everything had its place within the suitcase, and Corinne made sure to flatten out the creases on the fabric between the nails of her thumb and forefinger to save as much room as possible. After twenty minutes of carefully placing t-shirts, jumpers, shorts, trousers, and underwear all into there allotted sections, she stood back and assessed the situation. The contents were all packed, and they currently sat between seven and eight centimetres above the horizon line of the case. Corinne put the steel-ruler back inside the pouch at the front; this was going to be close. With all the care she could muster, she lifted the case down from her bed and placed it on the floor. She then gently placed her weight on top of the clothes, pulling hard on either side of the case and pressing down with her knees as hard as she could, trying to force out any extra air. This was the pivotal moment coming up now, this was sink or swim.

Her hands were shaking now as she flipped the lid and placed it on top. Next, sitting back on top of the case, she grabbed the zipper, and with firm, even pulls, she worked it around the edge. First corner negotiated - second - along the long straight now, she bit hard on her bottom lip barely even taking a breath.

There was a knock at the door.

Corinne remained motionless, and in utter silence; this could ruin everything. Someone had entered the situation; it was a variable she couldn't easily account for. What was worse, she was caught off guards, she found herself stranded in a corner that she couldn't fight her way out of. The next few seconds felt like minutes.

'Eh, Connie! You there?' John McCormack, what in god's name did he want? 'Erm... a few of us were going out... Not sure when your flight leaves, if you are going home tonight or tomorrow...'

McCormack left regular pauses, giving Corinne the chance to say something. She stayed as quite as she could however, worried that even her breathing might give her away. The effort it was taking to stay balanced and still was remarkably exhausting, and her arm muscles shook with the effort.

'She's not there John, I told you.' Came another voce some way off, possibly Darren O'Brian. 'Thank god for that.'

Corinne waited until she heard the footsteps heading back down the corridor. Some of the players who were at Schottic clubs, and the ones who were flying back on tomorrows Air Terranea flight must have been heading out for a drink. Whatever it was about, she was just glad that they were gone.

Eventually she was able to loosen her pose, and recommence the procedure. - round the third corner, onto the home straight, and then... stuck fast!

The zip flew open as the case hit the wall with a heavy clatter, the contents scattering to all four corners of the hotel room for a third time.

[West Angola]

NAMIBE CHRONICLE

WEST ANGOLA DOWNS FALATULU IN HIGH-SCORING MATCH


Peter Simmons celebrates his second goal in the 88th minute

TOAKAMEAU- West Angola won its second match of qualifying last night, grabbing a 5-3 win over Rule Theriault’s side in front of a hostile crowd. Falatulu, which broke away from Free Republics recently, late in the reign of August II, poached their parent nation’s manager as well as its entire national side, meaning that West Angola would be facing a familiar opponent under a different name. The last match between West Angola and Free Republics came in the quarterfinals of the 59th Cup of Harmony, a match West Angola won on penalties en route to a fourth-place finish, but since that time Free Republics went on to host World Cup 68 (falling to Vilita in the final), finish third in World Cup 73, and win the 66th edition of the Cup of Harmony. Coming off these strong results, the same side playing for Falatulu was expected to easily handle the lower seeds in group thirteen and challenge Osarius for the top spot, but instead has disappointed thus far, falling to Legalese 7-3 after an opening win against Tobiasia, and last night taking a second loss at the hands of West Angola.

In contrast, West Angola’s fourth-place Cup of Harmony finish was the beginning of a decline for the national side, as soon afterwards came the Augustine coup. While the Exiles did field a side for a few years, they perpetually underperformed and finally faded away. Now attempting a comeback on the international stage, West Angola bounced back from a disappointing 0-0 draw against Herendon to open the campaign with a stunning 2-0 upset of Osarius last month, and then followed that up with a jubilant road victory over Falatulu to give them victories over both of group thirteen’s top two seeds and keep them in first place in the group through three matches. Coming into the match, the small contingent of West Angolan fans who made the trip were as optimistic as the team, which was summed up by manager Jan Pawel: “The win over Osarius was huge, for morale and as a statement that we can play world-class football. We need to bring that same intensity here tonight and try to get three more points.”

The match went back-and-forth for the first ten minutes with no clear advantage to either side, although EPSN announcer Alan Harrison did comment that West Angola was playing with a level of intensity reminiscent of their win over Osarius, and that holding Falatulu in check was an accomplishment in and of itself. Thirteen minutes in Paul Ramirez managed to get behind Arnou Labrecque on a long pass from Elsa Scott and fired the ball past a diving Levai Imre to put West Angola in front early. Falatulu responded well to the early deficit, however, and the home side increased the pressure against the visitors. Eight minutes after Ramirez’s goal Captain Kyle Bolton crossed over William Craig and scored the equalizer, and seven minutes later Connie Chase put the favorites in front with a spectacular header off of Bernard Lukic’s corner.

West Angola refused to yield to the pressure and managed to hold Falatulu out of the goal for the remainder of the first half. Jeremy Thomas pulled off an amazing save in the 41st minute to stop a shot by Bolton from putting his side in a 3-1 hole, and Peter Simmons advanced into the opposing zone off the clearance and found Nathan Gonzalez all alone on the wing. The 21-year old Youngstown midfielder wasted no time firing a shot on goal that Imre managed to save, but as he crashed to the ground the Falatulu keeper lost control of the ball and it rolled directly to Abraham Taylor in a golden opportunity, and the promising young player equalized on what was essentially an empty net. Even at the halftime whistle, Jan Pawel spoke glowingly of his team’s performance: “We’re playing very well and it’s showing. I like where we are going into the second half as long as we keep up the intensity and don’t let our guard down.”

In the second half, West Angola seized the initiative out of the gate, hammering away at Falatulu’s defense as they sought to move back in front. In the 57th minute they finally succeeded as Sophia Valdez, who has weathered accusations of dirty play following a controversial foul against Osarius curled in a free kick from twenty yards out to give her side the lead 3-2. With a chance for their side to carry away three points, the visiting fans grew louder and louder as the match went on and West Angola continued to deny Falatulu the equalizer. The home side broke through at last in the 80th minute, but Faredin Pozenel’s shot was tipped over the bar by Jeremy Thomas. Kyle Bolton seized the ball off the corner and scored his second goal of the match to knot the score at three and causing the gathered home fans to breathe a massive collective sigh of relief.

Unfortunately for Falatulu, there was still football to be played. West Angola played aggressively rather than protecting the draw, and in the 85th minute Patrick Werfel was booked in the box for excessive contact with Peter Simmons, drawing a deafening chorus of boos directed at the referee and Werfel. Simmons took the ensuing penalty coolly, fooling Imre and putting his team back in front with just five minutes and stoppage time left to play. Any hope the home fans had for a miracle was doused three minutes later when Peter Simmons scored his second goal of the match off a cross from Nathan Gonzalez to seal the win for the underdogs. After the match, Jan Pawel was exultant about his team’s chances going forward, “We showed today that we can play with the best the multiverse has to offer. We’re very excited to face Tobiasia, Legalese, Frenline Delpha, and all the others in the second leg, and as long as we keep playing like we have so far we’ll be able to find more success going forward.”

With the win, West Angola holds onto first place in group thirteen, one point ahead of unbeaten, untied Frenline Delpha, who has only played two matches so far. The national team next takes on Tobiasia in Namibe next week, tickets will be made available through the Sporting Ministry Ticket Office, which can be reached by phone at 22-81-1995 or online at http://www.football.wa/national/tickets.

West Angola (#120) at Falatulu (#23)
     West Angola            Falatulu   
13' Paul Ramirez   1-0
                   1-1 21' Kyle Bolton
                   1-2 28' Connie Chase
42' Abraham Taylor 2-2
57' Sophia Valdez  3-2
                   3-3 81' Kyle Bolton
85' Peter Simmons* 4-3
88' Peter Simmons  5-3

Yellow: Santos 37'     85' Patrick Werfel
        Taylor 76'
Red:    None

Group    13                               Pld   W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 West Angola                              2    1   1   0     2    0   +2     4
2 Osarius                                  2    1   0   1     3    2   +1     3
3 Frenline Delpha                          1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
  Legalese                                 2    1   0   1     7    6   +1     3
5 Falatulu                                 2    1   0   1     6    9   −3     3
6 Herendon                                 2    0   1   1     0    1   −1     1
7 Tobiasia                                 1    0   0   1     2    3   −1     0

---

Chronicle writers Christopher Lauren and Paul Wilson contributed to this report.

---

Continued from I-Day
Part One|Part Two|Part Three
Part Four: Stars
The canopy of his fighter had automatically dimming glass that kept the sun from blinding him, but Gavin was still glad to get it out of his eyes as the eight aircraft reached their turnaround point and swung back towards Benguela. Even now, the invasion fleet would be landing on the beach near the installation, and with any luck the defenders would not have been able to call for help from Luanda or Namibe. On their first run, Gavin and his wingman, Lt. Winslow, had taken down the facility's primary radar tower and downed one hostile fighter apiece. This time their primary targets would be the massive artillery emplacements that guarded the beach against ground assault. While they were too large and too slow to use against aircraft, they represented a formidable threat to infantry units trying to push inland. Even allowing them the opportunity to target the landing craft had been considered a dangerous risk, but the turrets were very well camouflaged for their size, and the time it would take to find them before they could begin firing would make the fighters vulnerable to anti-air defenses. As a result, it had been decided that the guns would be left to the second wave, when their active status would make them far more visible targets.

It didn't take long before Benguela came back into view, but the sounds of battle reached Gavin's ears well before then. Captain Thomas came over the radio, "Looks like our friends have arrived. Those deep thuds you hear are our targets. Intelligence indicates there are twelve, all arrayed in a line about ten miles behind the city, so we should be coming into range very soon. Split by flights and each take a half dozen. Seven leads two flight, take Eight, Ten, and Eleven."

Gavin acknowledged, "Yes sir," then switched over to the flight frequency that had been used to issue orders by Five before her death, "Keep the same wing pairs. We're taking the right six, so I want Ten and Eleven to hit the three closest to the far edge while Eight and I get the middle ones, got it?"

Ten and Eleven confirmed as the Exile fighters broke into two groups of four and approached the artillery in a flat line. Gavin watched the distance to range count down on his HUD, and centered his targeting reticle on the first gun as he counted down under his breath, "Three...two...one...locking on...now!" He squeezed the trigger and watched the missile streak away, "Falcon Seven, three away!" A moment later, Winslow's shot flew past his canopy, and not long after that both impacted their respective targets. Once again, Gavin whooped, "Direct hit! Just one to go, Eight!"

"Acknowle- whoa!" Winslow's characteristic reply was cut off as a surface-to-air missile blasted past his wing and detonated uncomfortably close. The mainland ground defenses opened up on the Exiles, SAM batteries and older outdated artillery pieces from the previous century filling the area. The first volley produced several near misses, but no hits, and the Exiles were able to eliminate half of the massive guns on their initial run. Gavin and Winslow flew over the smoldering remains left by their shots, then swung around to finish the last one in their group, "Eight, tuck in behind me. I'll shoot first and if I miss you take it out." Once again, Winslow delivered his one-word acknowledgement, but as they banked into the turn another attack from the ground forced them apart, Gavin diving and his wingman going high. The maneuver proved fatal for Winslow, as another SAM came in from his blind side and impacted just behind the cockpit. Twisting into a graceful, but macabre, dive, the burning plane broke apart and fell out of the sky.

Already trying to avoid fire from the ground, Gavin now also had to react quickly to avoid being swatted out of the sky by the wreckage. He was very nearly successful, but a missile detonated right next to his cockpit and the resulting shockwave sent him spiraling out of control. Locked into what was ultimately a straight line as he fought for control, the plane was all too easy for the ground batteries to track. A second SAM, then a third, slammed into Gavin's engines, mashing his face against the instrument panel, breaking his helmet and his nose, and sending what remained of his craft into a steep dive. Pressed back into his seat by the force of gravity and barely able to see from the trauma his face had sustained, Gavin groped blindly for the ejection lever and yanked it. Ripped from the cockpit as it disintegrated around him, he pulled his parachute ripcord and put his body through one last shock as the sudden stop nearly dislocated his shoulders. Nearly blacking out from the pain, he steeled his nerves and concentrated on staying awake by trying to take stock of the battle.

As best he could tell, five of his squadron mates were still in the air and three of the artillery emplacements were still active, but as he descended the mainland defenses managed to down another of his friends and one of the aircraft (probably Captain Thompson) wreck a gun with a well-placed shot. The Exiles' lack of experience was showing, only a handful of the squadron's pilots had flown in real combat before today, and even with total air superiority they were still taking heavy casualties. As he drifted down, the blood began to drain from Gavin's head and he was able to think more clearly. With a start, he realized the ground was rushing towards him rapidly, and he barely had time to bend his knees before he landed. As he hit, he rolled forward and unbuckled his parachute to avoid getting tangled, a certain death sentence at this point. Grounded and alone in hostile territory with precious little to work with, the prospects for survival were dim enough as it was.

No one was shooting at him, and he appeared to have escaped attention for the time being, so Gavin cautiously got to his feet and discarded his ruined flight helmet. A quick touch of his nose confirmed that it was indeed broken, but he had managed to avoid injuring his ankles in the landing, so he should still be able move if he needed to. To defend himself, he had only his sidearm (with precious little ammunition), a knife, and a pair of grenades, so it would be prudent to avoid a fight as he tried to slip back to his own people. A shout from nearby sent him diving back into the dirt, grateful for his flight suit sharing a color with the ground, and he crawled towards a ditch as three men in mainland uniforms came to search for him, "The parachute is right over there, he can't have gotten far. Spread out and be careful, we don't know what kind of condition he's in."

Moving slowly in his hiding place, Gavin slowly drew the pistol and aimed as well as he could for the leader, then thought better of it and drew the knife as well. A new plan was taking shape in his mind, and drawing their attention now would ruin it. Gavin lay still and silent in the ditch as one of the soldiers approached, trying to make his breathing as soft as possible, until the man was only a step away from noticing him. Exploding upwards, he kicked the handgun away from the mainlander and twisted the arm holding the knife around his throat, immobilizing him and putting him between Gavin and the other two. Unwillingness to shoot their comrade caused each one to hesitate, which gave Gavin all the time he needed to shoot them both. With the knife still pressed against the man's jugular, Gavin hissed in his ear, "What's the password at your camp?" Scared and shocked at the sudden turn of events, the soldier stammered out, "B...bo...bovine. The password is bovine. Please don't kill me."

Gavin didn't answer, instead he returned his gun to its holster and used the now-free hand to break his captive's neck. As he released the now-lifeless body of the man whose identity he would assume, the enormity of what he'd just done hit him. These three were the first he'd ever killed face-to-face, and as the adrenaline and training-induced action wore off, he suddenly felt sick and stumbled a few steps away to throw up. One of the things his instructors had drilled into him was that surviving on the ground as a pilot required nerves of steel, and right now his nerves more resembled frayed yarn than any kind of metal. He fell to his hands and knees as his stomach voided its contents, and it was several seconds before he finally managed to regain control of his body and stand again.

Once he was back on his feet, he returned to the body of the broken-necked soldier and quickly stripped off his flight suit. The dead man’s uniform was a tight fit, especially for someone used to baggy clothing, but Gavin managed to squeeze into it without major difficulty, and along with what he scrounged from the other two was able to add several more grenades and an automatic rifle to his arsenal. He had some reservations about robbing the dead, but the necessity of it overrode any moral concerns. Now convincingly disguised and far better armed, he made his way towards where the artillery emplacement was still raining fire down on his countrymen.

As expected, he was stopped near the gun by a sentry, “Halt! Password.” It was a demand, not a query, and Gavin was quick to respond, “Bovine.” The gun barrel didn’t move, “Where are the other members of your patrol?”

Gavin swallowed, “Dead. The pilot we were looking for killed them both before I could finish him. He was waiting to ambush us and he got both Billing and Watson (the names he had taken from their uniforms) before they knew he was there. I managed to dodge his first shot and sprayed down the area until he stopped screaming.”

The sentry nodded approvingly, “Better than the bastard deserved. I’ll pass the word along that we need to collect the bodies, you’d best go report in.”

Gavin held his breath as he passed, he could barely believe it had worked! He had no idea where he was supposed to go to report in, but since he had no intention of doing so that didn’t matter so long as he looked as though he did. As soon as he was out of sight of the sentry post he turned and made a beeline for the gun, trying to find the medium between speed and nonchalance as he navigated the camp. Once he was within throwing range of the gun, he slid behind the corner of the ammunition storage building and fished the grenades from his belt. Working quickly while keeping a sharp lookout, Gavin took off his belt and looped it through the hand grips. Even set off all at once, seven handheld grenades wouldn’t be nearly powerful enough to damage the gun, but if he could start a chain reaction with the stored ammunition, it would wreck the artillery and a lot more besides.

Since the gun was in service, the door was unlocked, and Gavin was about to push it open when a hand roughly grabbed his shoulder. Turning around, he saw one of the loaders, “What the hell are you doing?”

Gavin gave him a big grin, “Not a damn thing.” Then he knocked him down with a punch to the jaw and slammed the door open. With one fluid motion, he ripped the pins out of the grenades and flung the belt into the building. He only had a few seconds before everything blew up, and he sprinted away as the loader he’d coldcocked pointed and shouted, “Sabotage! Kill him!”

He heard the grenades go off behind him and knew he had only moments before the ammunition started going up as well and threw himself flat. The explosion picked him up all the same before hurling him roughly to the ground, breaking his leg and peppering his body with shrapnel. His ears ringing (and bleeding), Gavin was only dimly aware of the world as he pulled himself forward, knowing that he had to keep going. At last, having reached the end of his strength after only a few feet, he collapsed in the dirt at the feet of a mainland soldier who had responded to the shouts and had seen the Exile pilot go flying. With a contemptuous sneer, he pointed his pistol at Gavin’s head. The pilot knew his time had run out, I never stopped fighting, Dad. I never-

Emily closed the second notebook, “Lieutenant Commander Gavin Hodges, we honor you today as a martyr to the cause of freedom.”

[Ficiscia]

The Carinha Times International - Clashes Between Communists And Police In Carinha

A rally of Ficiscian communists, especially from Marinum, has ended in violent clashes near the Parliament Building. On the Forum Ficisciae, the majority of the almost 40'000 protestors from various Ficiscian coast cities has peacefully enjoyed speeches of movement leaders and a concert of the Antiquan alternative-rock band Disturbed Movement. However, radical groups have broken from the procession a few meters before the Forum and sneaked around the police units to block off roads leading to a smaller square in the city centre. On the blocked Forum Valeriam, they held their own rally. The police peacefully looked while radical communist leader Simonus Niratus held a speech, but tried to end the meeting when anonymous people inside the square called for an attempt to liberate a communist group who was incarcerated a few days earlier after a graffiti attack against Carinha's police headquarters. The group of roughly 700 to 1000 protestors attacked the police and built barricades on the road towards the square. Police used tear gas and pepper spray against protestors who threw fireworks, burning torches, stones and bottles towards the units.


Protestors in Forum Valeriam battle the police

The attempts of police to clear the square have not entirely succeeded and according to the police, 68 people have been sent off the square. It's reported that around 20 protestors and eight policemen were brought to the hospital, while multiple other people have been lightly injured and not needed medical treatment. In the rioting masses, transparents and flags of various communist and anarchist organizations could be found as well as flags of Antiqua, Carinha and Marinum football clubs. Niratus has been accused of proclaiming illegal actions, but has challenged that claim and stated he is not responsible for the actions of his comrades. Simonus Niratus stands for election in Ficiscia Ovestes and accuses the DF and PL-led local government of political action trying to keep him from running for one of FOV's 44 senate seats. The Forum Valeriam riots have been the first riots of similar size on the Coast for over 15 years, and with the upcoming elections, the far-left CF and other organizers of the rally have been accused of sympathizing and even organizing the riots. Facing these accusations, the responsible leaders all denied any connection to the riots, but have been variously willing to distance themselves from or condemn the violent actions in Carinha.

CF Domesticus Marius Decampus stated: "Communia Ficiscia has nothing to do with the rioters on the Forum Valeriam. We stand for revolution through peaceful means and the democratic institutions of our state, and we only see violence as an ultima ratio to defend the worker's interest against violent action. We deny the actions of the rioters as an unprovoked use of violence against the institutions of the Ficiscian people, and not as a way of achieveing communism in Ficiscia. In the regard of the upcoming elections, this casts a undemocratic light on the leftist movement that we deny and want to remind everyone that for the sake of workers and leftists, we shall remain inside the legal boundaries of this state. The state of Ficiscia is a state for the people, and unprovoked violence against it is violence against this nation's people."

Laurin Kesros, president of the Carinha Industrial Union who has been organizing the official demonstration in Carinha, criticized the actions taken by the protestors but failed to condemn leftist violence: "I understand the rage of the workers in this city after the suffering our Comrades have been put through. We share their goals of no more increasing of opening times, work times and liberalization of the market, and we support the claim for nationalizing key economies. But we deny the right to revolt against this nation's foundation and we don't agree with the use of force against the police these rioters have taken. We know that CIU workers have been in the riots and we do plan to have a serious talk with them, and then we will internally decide if it will have consequences within the CIU. However, I would like to point out that CIU members remain individuals with their own opinions and freedom to express them, and the CIU does not monitor its members 24/7. We ensure you that none of the actions in Forum Valeriam have been planned or approved by the CIU and were not done in the name of my organization."

Meanwhile, centrists and right wingers have been criticizing the CF and the unions for their standpoint and claimed that this reluctance to clearly distance themselves from the actions in the center of the nation's capital has shed a bad light on Ficiscia on the international scene. In the light of upcoming elections and the increasing tensions between communist groups and tensions inside the PSF, security measures have been increased. Especially the massive influx of foreigners for the World Cup Qualifications is seen as a risk, and the police of Antiqua, where the next game will be held, has announced a massive increase in police forces compared to the original security concept.

[Shmirnov]

Shmirnov 3 - 5 Red Blackiland

---

In a some-what high scoring game, the Shmirnov Kings have yet again lost, this time to Red Blackiland. They are now 0-0-2 and are last in their group, and have given up twice as many goals as they've scored. Looking at Samuel Rekentower's face, you an see he was angry about this match. After the game, he said, "Our defense was so trashy. We could have drawn the match, but the sloppy and careless play on defense just made the game slip away." After Shmirnov lost their first game 1-3 against the Asociated Godlands, they were looking to turn it around. They were going up against a very strong offensive team, in which the Shmirnish defense could not stop. Nicolás Ferreth and Gerard Béhckestander completely destroyed the Shmrnish defense with their sharp and crisp passing. Many problems on defense caused Shmirnov to lose this game. Shmirnov's manager, Jürgen Gunchester said it's still early, and his team can turn things around.

Red Blackiland came in town to play against Shmirnov in the sold out Maxwell Stadium. The Kings really wanted to win this one in front of their home crowd. They did not want to disappoint. Just before the match, manager Jürgen Gunchester told them to take this team very seriously. He also said that they really needed this win just to gain some momentum. The match started, and already the Red Blacklandian attackers were bringing pressure on Shmirnov. Within seven minutes, Red Blackiland was up one-nil. Gerard Béhckestander was the one that scored for the team. They scored another goal in the twenty-fourth minute, this one again by Gerard Béhckestander. Shmirnov responded eleven minutes later with a goal of their own. Samuel Rekentower got a cross from Vlắden Pedrič, and Rekentower got a header. It went to the back of the net. It was a goal for Shmirnov. The crowd roared and screamed. Shmirnov was still in this. In the thirty-ninth minute, Nicolás Ferreth had scored for Red Blackiland after a zooming shot that went in the top left corner of the net. It was now three to one. Red Blackiland with the lead. Neither team was able to score another goal before the half time whistle blew.

In the second half, Shmirnov's offense started to improve, but their defense did not. Just three minutes into the second half, the veteran striker Ớzilio Mürchuski took a shot. It was far right. About five minutes later, he tried again. This time, he did not miss. The shot went just past the Red Blackiland goalkeeper for the score. The score was now 3-2. In the fifty-second minute, Shmirnov started to show lots of team work. After a save by Ozker Ireijen, he threw it to Jakson Joachim, who passed to Vladimir Termič, who passed it up to Maks Yercič. He ran past a few defenders before passing it to Samuel Rekentower. Rekentower ran closer and closer. The Red Blackiland goalkeeper, Martín Hargreaves, came up, and tried to dive for the ball, but Rekentower quickly passed to Ớzilio Mürchuski for the easy goal. Martín Hargreaves was frustrated and angry at his team's defense. The Shmirs celebrated. The game was now tied 3-3. The Red Blackiland offense started stepping up in the sixty-fourth minute. Daniel Shacker passed it up to Felipinho. He ran to the box before being tackled by Egör Kiörsse, but was it clean? No! Kiörsse got a yellow card, and Felipinho was awarded a penalty kick, which resulted in a goal. Red Blackiland regained their lead. 4-3. In the seventy-fifth minute, Shmirnov's defense looked really sluggish. Felipinho easily got another goal after he chipped it over Ozker Ireijen. Ireijen was furious. The Shmirs watching the game were shocked, as well as upset. Shmirnov has failed to score again before the whistle blew. They lose another game. Their next game will be against Anthor, an easy team who they hope to beat.

---

Shmirnov
Rekentower 35'
Mürchuski 48'
Mürchuski 52'

Red Blackiland
Béhckestander 7'
Béhckestander 24'
Ferreth 39'
Felipinho 65'
Felipinho 75'

Schedule

Matchday 1: Shmirnov @ Associated Godlands (L 1-3)
Matchday 2: Bye
Matchday 3: Red Blackiland @ Shmirnov (L 3-5)
Matchday 4: Shmirnov @ Anthor
Matchday 5: Eastfield Lodge @ Shmirnov
Matchday 6: Shmirnov @ Valladares
Matchday 7: Rocesia @ Shmirnov
Matchday 8: Associated Godlands @ Shmirnov
Matchday 9: Bye
Matchday 10: Shmirnov @ Red Blackiland
Matchday 11: Anthor @ Shmirnov
Matchday 12: Shmirnov @ Eastfield Lodge
Matchday 13: Valladares @ Shmirnov
Matchday 14: Shmirnov @ Rocesia

[Pasarga]

To: Mansley Systems President
From: King Jakub Einar Havel-Oldenburg
Re: A Proposal

To our esteemed allies and friends in Eura, I write to you about a potential business matter of which I wish to discuss in more detail in person. Our governments enjoy friendly terms with one another and I am wishing to cultivate further ties and good relationships with one another. Both my stepmother/aunt and my older step brother, Carlton Shorley of Eura, had desires to bring the two nations closer together and foster good tidings. That has been kept with the establishment of our alliance in the prior years and it is enjoyed here in the dual islands. However such bonds can always be strengthened and reinforced, so that those who wish to break such bonds would find them nigh unbreakable and would be subject to a force of overwhelming power that they would think twice about such an attempt.

I believe that you and your company are a key part in that equation, as we Pasargans are simple, peaceful people for the most part. The average Pasargan care more about his or her next meal than the matters of international politics and policies, such as they are. It is not a bad existence, not at all, but it leaves people like you and I in positions of power and with the need to safeguard their continued way of life. I imagine things are quite the same in Eura, though with a few obvious differences. It is often quoted that those with great power have great responsibility and as the current leader of Pasarga it is upon me to exercise such, though young in years I am and was when I ascended to the throne.

As such, I wish to invite you to a meeting between the two of us in Torgos on the Monday after next in the Euran embassy here in the Pasargan capital. There we might be able to discuss the proposals that I have in mind more thoroughly and with fewer chances of being overheard or intercepted. I may be young but I have seen the news and how the world is in a very unstable way as of late and though Pasarga may not be a target, Eura however has made its fair share of enemies over the years. I hope you accept my invitation and understand the need for such precautions, given the state of the world and all that is going on in it. We are men of power good sir and it is in our hands to safeguard the world, one step at a time. Peace be with you, regardless of your choice.

[Confederate Islands Of Paputu]

PAPUTIAN SPORTS GAZETTE

HOME HUMILIATION FOR PAPUTU
Drama at the National Olympic Stadium in Paputu City. Jeruselem sweeps the islanders with a resounding 1-4. After 43 minutes the score was already 0-3, while the only paputian goal arrived at the 73' thanks to McKortney. At the 89' minute the result become 1-4. Delusion and depression for the 56.000 fans on the stands, who were hoping for, at least, an honorable defeat, and instead they have had to witness the defeat of the ugly copy of the paputian team.
Mark Landweeg seemed very sorry and surprised by the result, while Luke Filler, interviewed after the match, apologized for the bad performance.

Line-Up: Edmonton, Rigg, Potoremara, Matten, Kali, Jones (65' Nay-Liter), Watersen (45' Mawerta), Kawaturupuro, Bartlow, McKortney (Takela 77'), Filler
Yellow Cards: 27' Jones, 64' Mawerta.
Scorer: McKortney 73'

[Bonesea]

.

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

Nana kept silent, staring at the window as the night slowly rose.
"Are you okay, miss Nana?" Anna popped up, a doll on her hands. "You look upset..."
"Not really." she replied, still looking outside. "I am just thinking about something."
"About?" the young girl answered, trying to look over the window.
"You know how our neighbors were attacked, right?" Nana asked, sitting at her improvised bed. "I believe the new boy from that house might have something like your brother."
"A glowing arm?" She smiled. "But can't you have one of those by paying up?"
"Not like that, Anna." The kunoichi shook her head. "He might have powers just like your brother."
"That's weird." Anna replied.
"Are your legs working fine?" She looked at the young girl, who sported a decent smile.
"Yeah, they're OK." Noah's youngest sister quickly answered. "And here I thought you were upset about people not thinking you're dating Noah."
"...What did you just say?"

Noah had been complaining silently to himself as he saw the market on a distance. Lea, his sister, had been enlisted to buy bread, cheese, eggs and ham; but slipped under the radar to meet her date at the library again. Or at least that's what Noah though as he got closer and closer to his destination.
"Hey, Noah!" a voice yelled from behind him. As he looked to the other side of the street, he saw Vophybia, now on more casual clothes. "Are you going to the market?" she yelled.
He nodded and she thus crossed the road, greeting him. "Well, I wasn't supposed to go but my sister fled from doing the job."
"It happens, right?" She nodded. "Why don't we go together? We could help each other."
"If you say so." He shrugged, walking forward as she followed.
"So, what happened with the boy?" the magician brought up to pass the time as the market was still a bit far away.
"Neil is with Andy now." Noah replied. "There's something fishy about him. We only need to find it out."
"I felt he had a lot of power for a kid." Vophybia stated, raising a finger. "Even more than you."
"Maybe he's a prodigy on this." he shot back. "...Didn't know you could feel power, though."
"I'm a witch of sorts. I just know." she said as they finally reached the market, curiously named MeowthMarket.

CHAPTER XV - POTION

"Three sacks of rice, two packages of Cabbage, cheese... that's a pretty long list." Noah passed his eyes over the shopping list. "How many people do you live with?"
"None." she said, smiling. "I need ingredients for potions. After all, they're my job."
"I didn't know." he noted, catching a sack of rice and dropping it inside her cart. "Mother used to tell me I should get a job before I decided to enlist."
"Yeah?" Vophybia then placed a sack of flour inside her shopping cart. "What job?"
"Any legal job." Noah shrugged again. "I wasn't really talkative as of what, two weeks ago? Since I met you people, I've been talking much more."
"You don't need to call us "you people", by the way. We all have names." She noted, staring at him as he pushed the cart forward.
"O-Oh, don't get me wrong." He worriedly stated, trying to avoid anger. "I'm just..."
"Not used to it. I get it." She smiled as the Sunrisian looked to her, still a bit worried.

"Hope your mother doesn't mind the time you spent helping me out." Vophybia said as the two waited on a line.
"Think she won't really mind. Nana is there, I think she'll come up with something." He shrugged. "She always does."
"Speaking of her." Vophybia took out a vial with a deep-red liquid from her purse. "Deliver this to her."
"What is it?" Noah stared at the vial. "A potion?"
"Nope. It's cherry juice." She quickly answered. "Supposedly she was thinking of making a cake."
"A cake, eh?" He stared at the liquid, confused. "Maybe she's planning on making a cake to Neil."
"Or to Matt. His birthday's pretty soon." Vophybia replied, calm.

"It was a pleasure, Noah." Vophybia entered a cab after Noah was done shoving all the things she bought from the market. Left were him and his two bags with what his mother had ordered an hour ago.
"No problem. I'll try to get Matt a gift." He smiled as she waved and the cab left. Noah picked up his bags and walked back home. Though he was pretty curious about the vial, he decided not to bother himself much about it before arriving home, and after surviving the eventual yells his mother pronounced to him, he finally reached Nana.
"Ah, Noah." Nana was helping Anna with her homework, though it seemed like the young Sunrisian didn't need any help.
"Uh... Hi." Noah said, throwing himself on his very bed. "I've met Vophybia on the market."
Nana suddenly looked at him. "Y-yes?"
"I helped her out shopping. Sent me this thing." He took a vial from his pocket, handing it to her. "Dunno what is it. She told me you were going to bake a cake."
She carefully took the vial from his hands, her face slightly red. "T-thanks..."
"Uh." He crossed his arms, still laying on bed. "You're looking weird. Any reason for that?"
"N-n-nothing. Let me finish helping out your sister here, then." she rushed herself back to Anna, helping her out with the books. Noah eventually left the room to take a shower.
"You could just ask him out." Anna said, smiling. "He wouldn't refuse, y'know."
"...I can't." Nana said, dropping the usually formal speech she had. "We do not match."
"You should try..." she said again. "And that's my homework. Thankies."
"Not a problem, Anna." Nana sighed, looking at the vial. "Not a problem."

[Valanora]

General Employmnet

Cartographer for the region of Atlantian Oceania
Required Skills: Sufficient skill in mapping geographic entities and geologic obstructions. Ability to work well under pressure and meet deadlines is preferred. Must have good communication and customer service skills.
How to apply: Go online to www.Atlantian Oceania.org and look under Career, select Regional Cartographer, and submit your resume and application.
If you have any questions or concerns about the process, please contact the Valanora embassy or other Atlantian Oceanic embassy in your home nation.

"Do you think that we will get any response to the advertisement that we've put out? I mean, the map has not been updated in several years now and there have been numerous nations that have emerged from the Void and others that have seen their nation collapse and turn into dust. Though I hear that the map in Rushmore is also quite out of date as well, it seems like people just don't care much about the proper upkeep of maps and borders these days, tis a crying shame."

"I don't know but I hope that there is an applicant or two to correct this outrage, it really is in poor form for not only us but Rushmore to have such out of date maps when we're supposed to be some of the premier regions in all of the world. It's a sad day in history when we can say that Esportiva is doing things better and more professionaly than Atlantian Oceania, I mean that is what AO is known for across the world, our professional attitudes towards so many things."

"Cross your fingers and hold out hope then that the advert gets responses."

OOC: Both AO and Rushmore have maps that are very out of date and both regions are looking for someone to come in and update them as both of the regions mapmakers have been on hiatus for quite some time now.

[Britonisea]

World Cup nation migrants aren't being treated "like dirt" before and throughout the 75th cycle says Dré Liteno, the Migration Officer.

In a shocking statement today, the Migration Officer, Dré Liteno, described the treatment of migrants from the World Cup nations as “sad and abusive, with signs of hostility mixed in between.” However, the question which everyone is asking is why he decided to come out with this. Dré Liteno made this announcement at 9am today - once he had reached Doportedas’ Home Office. He made the daring speech in front of a crowd of the eager paparazzi, news agencies and fans of football - who obviously was waiting for Dré Liteno to speak poorly of the sport. People expected a speech to be made after he complained about a statement that was released by the Britonish Poll Organisation, Poll.Me who (in a recent mission) found some hostility against nations who usually qualify for the World Cups.

Dré Liteno is a migrant officer who deals with those who cross the border both regionally and internationally. Usually, there are the most problems with neighbours Estogium and Aurevbush, however it seems as if he has something else on his mind. Dré is apart of the labour party, but he does have patriotic views about migration and so, he was a perfect person to deal with this issue.

On Twitter, Dré Liteno did raise a few eyebrows when he disgraced Poll.Me, a company known for it’s very accurate and exposing detail, after it was said that around 51% of people who come from World Cup countries or people who travel to Britonisea for the week, or a match get either bullied by a Briton, looked down by a Briton or are ripped off by a Briton, which basically means that someone from a World Cup country would have to pay more for basic products that would cost someone from Britonisea virtually nothing. A civilised man like Mr Liteno said on twitter; “What an absolute lie. Bloody [expletive] lying about our country. Go [expletive] off. I’ll shut your company down.” And with that, 12K people retweeted (most of them were hate comments towards Mr Liteno) while he received 25K likes. People are calling for Mr Liteno to be sanctioned for being rude to mega-company Poll.Me

On the following day at 9am, Dré Liteno made a lengthy statement about what he said. Firstly, he started off with his personal views. “Right, I believe that Britonisea is a great country which boats one of the highest rates for compassion and love for people of a different background. Unlike other nations in our region, Britonisea harbours and welcome people not only of different ethnicity but people from different countries to come to our own and love our land as much as we do ourselves. Me, myself, loves Britonisea. I believe that Poll.Me’s 'facts’ are in actual fact false and I can't stress enough the lies hidden behind this shocking statement. How is it that World Cup nations get bullied by a nation which, they themselves have said, shows the most love towards nations which visit Britonisea? That doesn't add up - at all.”

He then continues to talk about the logic behind the poll and starts to think about the credibility of the poll. “Let's think about this. Looking at the recent resilts of the amount of people who watch the World Cup - quite a low percentage - how would a Britonish person known what country actually qualifies to the actual World Cup? I mean, honestly? I don't know whether Nation A or Nation B won Group B to qualify - I just don't know. I don't even know who is hosting the current World Cup, so I definitely don't think that this is the reason why the amount of World Cup nations get 'bullied’ by the Britonish. Secondly, for those who know what countries have qualified, how are you supposed to know what country they are from? When the World Cup happens, there are virtually none of these tourists here in Britonisea, so, I doubt that they will be bearing their flags down the streets of Britonisea chanting the names of their country’s name. I mean, please. We are smart, but we are don't have the ability for telepathy. This makes it seem as if we treat these people like nothing. These fans aren't treated like dirt and they shouldn't be made to look as if they are.”

Finally, he spoke about, if these results are true, what he would do about it. “Obviously, I would do something about it. Unlike the Doportedas Disaster - which happened against a nation which is very popular amongst the Britonish populace, Dreamplanet - there has not been any violence related back to football, so it is quite hard to combat something that isn't in front of our eyes. What we could do is educate the public about being less xenophobic towards a certain group of nations because they’ve qualified for something that we haven't qualified for before. We could maybe teach people to like the sport better instead of treating it with disrespect, which is something I do think that the Britonish do a lot. And finally, we could maybe broadcast messages that aim to the wider audience. When it comes to people not being able to enjoy the cheap luxuries of Britonisea, we should do a daily check on these shops accused to double check that this statement is indeed false and a lie. There isn't more I can say”

[Matthewsiania]

The Figs were already on the lead by 3-2.
But there was always Safadão.
Safadão doesn't forgive, Safadão doesn't forget.
He's tougher than leather, unlike others he doesn't chuckle unless needed, he prefers to score goals.
Safadão rushed past one defender, lights shining on the number 10.
Safadão belongs in a Pantheon, though Eastfield Lodge is good enough.
He leaped over an unwelcoming leg, trying to tackle him down, he still ran.
Uérdickley is a weird name, you can always just say Matador, he'll get it.
Safadão near the box, passing two defenders with a swift turn of legs.
The keeper already scared.
Safadão booted it hard to the top angle of the goal.
No answer from the goalkeeper.
Safadão scores the fourth goal.
And we're on our way.

[Chromatika]

Prelude, Book I Part I Part II

The Rainbow Revolution
Book I: The Sparks
Part III: The Exile

“Everyone must come out of his Exile in his own way.” ― Martin Buber

It was raining heavily as Luuk Demetriev Aart made his way off the pitch after the team's last practice before their game against Ko-oren in Klyde Sportsplex, Klyde City, North Klyde Fief, Cosumar. He still felt horrible about the fact that the squad had to practice in a stadium that was not their own, in a country that was not their own. Although they denied vehemently that no, it wasn't his fault, and yes, the government sucked, it still felt to him that he was causing a massive inconvenience to the other men and women in the squad. It was a defeatist attitude that would lead nowhere productive, he knew, but he still couldn't help himself. They should be in the home confines of the Capitalizt Dome, dodging the paparazzi and the rabid fans on the way to the stadium, safe and sound in the heart of Chromatik City in the center of their home nation. But here they were instead in their neighbor nation, paying rent on a field that was totally foreign to them, helping a different country's economy and practicing around people who couldn't give two cents about the welfare of the squad or how they were doing in the competition. It didn't help that it was the same nation that had defeated them in the last edition of the AOCAF, but hey, yesterday's enemy was today's friend and whatnot, especially when your own damn government was out to get you.

At least they were playing superb football, Luuk surmised. It seemed to be the only thing going well in his life at the moment, along with the fact that Kerri was safe, supposedly. The team had totally rallied behind him, and the three points from Nordeana, along with a tie apiece against Flardania and Anglatia, two teams that were seeded ahead of them, had given the Anomalies a solid five points out of nine in their first three matches; although Ko-oren loomed ahead in the horizon, games against Shystyle and Abaja should also yield wins, so the team was in a solid spot in their campaign.

Luuk couldn't help but be amazed by the reaction of his teammates. As soon as they were out of Chromatik airspace, Franscesca Cortes had declared that since they were not on Chromatik territory any longer, and since the CFF had disenfranchised themselves from the government, they were now free to act and say what they wished, but to be careful what they said on the internet or to the press as that could be traced by the government and in the case of players who were not exiled (as in everyone except Luuk) be used as leverage to kick them out of the nation as well. "Be expressive, be honest, but be smart," was the exact words that Cortes had spoken.

The next morning, Meagan Kelly had called a players' only meeting, attendance mandatory. She flat out asked any and all concerns about Luuk to be placed out into the open. His face had gone red, and he had stammered an apology of sorts, until Vitor Raoul, the team's mouthpiece, cut him off.

"It's total bullshit," Raoul had stated in his Deprí Sanar drawl, "The government trying to just make an example out of you, they are. It's all a farce! For a team called the Anomalies, they hate any of us that is truly an anomaly in our picture-perfect, normal society. How were you to know that you were born from a different class? And, if your story is correct, which it is as we all know that the papers have to write whatever the DG tells them, then to say that you should give up all the stuff you had in your life just because of some dirt that was found out about you? Utter stupidity. Makes me want to throw up and burn my passport and move to Vilita or Quebec or literally anywhere else in the world where you're innocent till proven guilty." Raoul's face was red, his voice was rising, and Luuk wondered just how he managed to contain all that in front of cameras at home. "If it wasn't for my mum and dad, I'd have called out the bullshit a long time ago and seen how they'd take care of me," Raoul continued, "Oh the things we do for our family, eh?"

No one spoke for a few minutes, and Luuk was genuinely surprised when it was Trenn Rien who spoke next. Trenn was the shy, quiet one, letting his flair and his dramatic play speak much louder than words ever could. "I think I speak for most of us here when I say that I believe you are innocent, Luuk. You never intended to be in the situation you are in, and the way you've been treated in all of this is very disgusting. We are all behind you, and still want you to be an integral part in the squad. We are glad that you don't have to quit the team, and that we as a team and the CFF as an organization can stand up against the tyranny of the government and start to make our voice heard."

That calmed Luuk greatly. Zlastica Ellen placed a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to look at her. "Don'tcha worry about a thing, Aart," she said pertly, "Errything is gonna be just fine. We're gonna take care of football, follow the damn rules that the gov'n'ment has placed on us, and play on. The best thing you - and we - can do in return is to play our heart out, and to do the best we can. Ev'ry point we earn, ev'ry victory that we score is an affront to the gov'n'ment, a statement from us that says that they can't control us, and that we will continue to support you."

"If I may," a singsong voice intervened, "I have something to say." The speaker was Andìsorì, who usually kept to herself as one of the younger ones of the group. "Our society isn't the greatest at accepting what they don't understand. I faced that, and now you are, too. The best way to get rid of ignorance is to throw aside the curtains altogether and to reveal the truth of what lies inside. What you're doing is causing the world to see Chromatika for what it truly is, and for Chromatik citizens themselves to start to question the beliefs that they have held for centuries. In order to contain and to control, the government will have no choice but to enforce more; which will only lead to more people seeing the truth, and start to take action. Our nation has started down a spiral that can only lead to utter control by the government who will rule by fear or to a revolution by the populace that will result in radical change."

There was a stunned silence in the room as they processed her words. They were clear, they were logical, and it seemed very pertinent at the time. Taking this as a cue to continue, Andìsorì said, "I doubt that the government doesn't know what a threat we pose to their standards. If we weren't such an integral part of Chromatik society, and if the cessation of existence of this squad wouldn't lead to outright riots, I doubt that they would let this team continue to exist. There may come a time in the not so faraway future when we will have to make a choice on whether we wish to be safe or whether we wish to stand up for what we believe. Now, I've always been a rebel. I will stand by Luuk's side through thick and thin, and fight this fight for true equality in Chromatika. It shouldn't matter what color your parents were when it comes to deciding your future. The only thing that should matter is whether you have the skills for what you wish to achieve, and also whether you've had the ample opportunity and time to develop the said skills that you wish to achieve. That is the only thing that should matter. This is what I believe, and I am willing to do whatever it takes for it. You have my support." Then, as if she had just stated "Good morning", Andìsorì sat down.

"Aye," said Nikolai Thorben, "Well said, lass. Luuk, we've been on the team together from the very getgo, and I've always respected ya. Yer demeanor in the midst of all this political brouhaha and the focus ye've shown to us and the sport in general is something else. My family always told me to follow my heart, and that they'd take care of themselves. I mean to do that now. Ye can lean on me to do my part when the time comes, as the lass has said. In the meanwhile, let's save some goals, na?" There was a grin on Nikolai's face, and Luuk couldn't help but smile.

One by one, the other members of the team spoke words of encouragement and commitment to Luuk, even Erika Morningstar, whose Uncle was part of the Chromatik Party. "Secretly, I know he questions things," she had told him, "It's just that it's even harder for them to speak their mind since every action is scrutinized. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people in the Party question the very things they practice. It's really hard for them to coordinate and to speak what they have in mind, that's the problem. So don't you worry about me."

"It is for this reason that we called the meeting today," Meagan spoke last, "And last night, I talked with Nikolai and a few others and we thought it would be best if we cemented our thoughts." She pulled out a piece of official looking document. "My dad is a lawyer," she explained, "And I asked him to make this... In a way that would be impossible to be traced back to him, of course. It's a legal statement that states that we are all behind you." Pulling out a pen, she signed her name at the top of the list, and added the word, "Captain".

The other players signed the document, every single last of them. There was one space left, under the word, "Benefactor". "Your turn," said Sandra Sybill, the last one to sign. Luuk took the paper, and with tears streaming down his face, signed it, making sure to not let his tears drip onto the paper. There it was, all of their names, but then he noticed one empty space.

"What goes there?" he asked. The paper was already taken by Meagan, so he couldn't read it in time.

"Oh, there's one more person here to sign," she said, smiling. The door opened and in stepped Franscesca Cortes.

"Now, the CFF couldn't be here today," the Manager of the Anomalies began, "But I represent them. The Federation has seen your skill, and its scouts have already made notes behind the scenes that there is so much talent out there in the lower echelons of our society that would prove to be wondrous athletes. They are prepared to walk this path with you, Luuk Aart. As am I, personally."

She signed the paper, and there was so much feeling of camaraderie and loyalty in the room that everyone was a little choked up to do or say anything.

"Now, to the field, everyone! We're going to do position-centered drills first today. Forwards, help the goalkeepers with the blocking drills! Midfielders, crossing first then dribbling! Move it!" Cortes called out, rapping her pen on the side of her infamous clipboard. With unity and a grin on their faces, the players strode out toward the Cosumarite stadium.

The memory still brought tears to Luuk's eyes every time he thought of it. They had chosen him instead of safety, and it made it bearable to play, even on home soil when he knew that an hour after the game, he had to be in the air.

"Hey, Aart!" called out a voice through the rain. It was Daniel Lucas, the early-thirties midfielder, lovingly called "Old Man" by his teammates for being the eldest on the team. "Franscesca wants to see ya," he said, jogging up to Luuk. "Good practice, eh? I think we'll give the Ko-orenites a run for their money. I mean, if Anglatia could upset them, why not us?" Daniel was unusually cheerful, then Luuk remembered that Lucas always had loved the rain.

After replying with a word of thanks, Luuk dried himself with a towel and headed to the room that served as Cortes's office. It wasn't too odd to have Franscesca call him after practice. He was a leader on the team, and she often wanted to know how the team was faring together as a unit. He had no idea for what was awaiting him there.

Opening the door slowly, he said, "You wanted to see-"

That was when a hysterical, crying, and laughing Kerri Wyse jumped into his arms, babbling incoherently and crying all over him. Franscesca was sitting there at her desk, a genuine smile on his face, handing him a note that simply read:

"My compliments. She is staying at Cosumar, and will be safe there."

- M

For the first time since his exile, Luuk Aart felt safe, hopeful, and at peace. End Part III

---

A late strike from Carlito Traoe proved to be the detriment for the Anomalies as the Anglatians equalized late to rob the Chromatik squad a key win on the road, with the final score being 2-2.

Carrol Liam's foray into the starting lineup has been absolutely brilliant, as the youngster contributed another assist in the eighth minute when Antonio scored on a diving header to put the Anomalies ahead; Anglatia's answer was Zahara Santana beating Thorben to the left post on the twenty-seventh.

Trenn Rien scored on a breakaway in the sixty-second that gave the Anomalies a lead they held until late, until Traoe's heroics gave Anglatia the draw.

The Anomalies will face Group Top Seed Ko-oren in a match where they will be severe underdogs. A draw would be amazing away, but is not expected. Go Anomalies!

[Cosumar]

All-Time Cosumar XI ::: Entry #3 ::: Rikki Varshney (ST)

180 caps (3rd)
87 goals (2nd)
Played WC 51-58

And so continues the string of entries from the first great Cosumarite teams. A defender (Riley) and a midfielder (Rincon) from Cosumar's ascendant "golden era" have already been voted in, so it comes as no surprise that now the top striker from those fondly-remembered early days is the next-most unanimous candidate. Along with Irvinn Rincon, he was one of a few key players from that original WC 51 squad that implanted themselves as Cosumarite legends forevermore. Varshney's immaculate nose for goal was the final and arguably most important ingredient to Cosumar's rise to prominence and run of consecutive qualifications beginning in WC 54. He finished his career as Cosumar's all-time goals leader, a record that stood for decades. Still today, he is in the top three in both goals and total caps. There is no version of a Cosumarite All-Time XI that doesn't have Rikki Varshney up top.

Personality: Rikki was always a mischievous and boyish character, even in the later stages of his career. His flippant personality occasionally gave off the aura that he didn't really care, but in the crucial moments his true heart always shined through when Cosumar needed it most. And you could always tell he was having fun playing, often grinning and chuckling during games for no apparent reason. Off the pitch, when not pulling shenanigans, he was the type of soft-spoken yet inherently warm person that everyone loved to be around.

Playing Style: Slightly sub-optimal height and strength, but otherwise a complete all-around striker. He had great pace, great technique and most of all a great finish from anywhere in the box. Could play narrow on the flanks as an inverted winger or centrally as a traditional forward. For both club and country, he really thrived with a strike partner to play off of. Not an extraordinary shooter from distance, but his clinical instinct from mid and close-range was in a league of its own.

Early Life: Rikki Pratibodh Varshney was born on May 24, 939 to Ashbohl & Anita Varshney in the posh Ramusok suburb of Joudton. The Varshneys had only recently arrived in Joudton from the mountainous region of southern Sindo Fief, known for being the ancestral epicenter of Cosumar's Indian-heritage subpopulation. Rikki, as well as his elder brother Sonny Varshney, was also one-fourth white due to his mother's mother being of English origin. Growing up, Rikki was constantly overshadowed academically, socially and even musically (his parents stressed achievement on an instrument) by Sonny. By his teenage years, Rikki realized he would never be able to live up to the wonderful Sonny in those pursuits and sought alternate means of defining himself and succeeding. Sport.

Early Career: In high school, Varshney took to soccer and was a good but not extraordinary player for local youth and amateur teams. He had amazing natural ability - everyone saw it - but Rikki didn't really believe in himself and thus didn't strive to push his game to new heights. At 17, his parents grew sick of his self-apathy and forced him to try out for Cedars FC, a professional club based in nearby Holmenkollen. Now-defunct Cedars FC was an indirect predecessor to modern-day AC Holmenkollen. He made the squad, but Varshney's underachieving tendencies continued in Holmenkollen. Rocky seasons at 18 and 19 marred by self-doubt (perceived as laziness by coaches) nearly saw him booted from the group. Only glimpses of his full potential convinced them to stick with him. Finally, Rikki had a turnaround year after turning 20. It's as if emerging from teenagerhood immediately erased the weight of years of family expectations, comparisons to Sonny and self-deprecation. He became an overnight sensation for the Cedars, averaging 1.34 goals per match for the year. That happened to be the same year the Fiefdom Soccer Federation was scrambling to cobble together a group for our first World Cup attempt. The established high-profile players in Cosumar didn't want to commit to the fledgling national team for WC51. Desperate for players who could score, the FSF turned to the young Varshney. Though no one took the "national team" seriously yet, he saw the potential that it could have for his career and jumped on it. When he surprised himself by shining on the international level, confidence now soaring, he forced others in Cosumar to really start taking the National Team seriously...and skyrocketed his own value in the process. Now one of the marquee domestic stars, Varshney spent four more prolific seasons with the Cedars. He is seen wearing the red, white and blue of Cedars FC above (a promo shot from his final season there).

Later Career: Then, the unthinkable happened. Varshney became the first Cosumarite to complete a transfer to a world-class foreign league. He was so impressive at World Cup 53 in Cafundeu that scouts in the host nation took notice. Cafundeu giants Athletico Jutense shelled out a massive fee for the 25-year-old Cosumarite. Varshney earned a starting spot at the UICA-caliber club right away and thrived, becoming the first Cosumarite recognized as world-class by the international community. Many point to that as the turning point for Cosumar's place in the world pecking order. In the next World Cup, improved by his time at an elite club, Varshney led us to our first World Cup Finals. The first domestic talent to seek glory abroad, he blazed the trail and paved the way for many that have since followed. After six successful seasons at Jutense, Varshney moved to rival Cafundeu side Eldorado, being the biggest transfer signing in the smaller club's history. After one decent season there at age 32, Varshney returned to Cosumar and closed his career with three seasons at Cassandra City, where he still performed decently well...despite enjoying the Cassandra party scene a little too much. In Varshney's final season at age 35, according to legend he scored a hat trick in a tournament semifinal while completely wasted.

International Highlights: Of his 87 goals in the Dragonshirt, many are worthy of mention. Many in high-pressure situations and big World Cup matches. But we'll bypass most of them (you can just search "Rikki Varshney best goals" online if you're curious) in favor of a story that has become a Cosumarite favorite, told by every parent to their children at bedtime. During World Cup 51 Qualifying, at a mere 20 years of age, Varshney received a life-changing phone call in the dressing room two hours before a match against the Top-60 ranked Ursine Northlands. Both of his parents and his brother Sonny had been killed by an intoxicated driver earlier that evening while on vacation in Na'Malsille. Tears were seen streaming down Rikki's face during the national anthems. He used the gut-wrenching agony as fuel on the pitch, playing like a man possessed all night. 90 minutes later, he had tallied an assist and 3 goals (including the last-minute winner) as Cosumar won 4-3 for the national team's first EVER win. Wow. Just wow. Varshney was immediately celebrated as a hero, and later that night, news broke of the burden he had played with. A legend was born.

Life After Football: After retiring from soccer, Varshney reflected on his own obstacles in life and founded a charity to help orphaned children as well as a program to travel to schools across Cosumar and teach kids how to find independent self-worth. He also became a successful businessman, earning a Master's in Finance from the prestigious Slivelle University and ended up making more millions with his various businesses than he did playing soccer. Suffice to say, now 68, he is an incredibly wealthy man. He never lost his taste for alcohol either, owning of the largest antique wine and liquor collections in Atlantian Oceania. Varshney was the first Indian-heritage Cosumarite to find such success in soccer, and he inspired a generation of Indian players who looked to him as a role model. Most prominent among these was fellow striker Sur Arora, now Cosumar's all-time leading scorer. The Aroras came from the very same Sindo Fief hometown as the Varshneys. Rikki took Sur under his wing and became his mentor over the years. Varshney never had any children of his own with wife Mira Varshney, but he came to view Sur like his own son. Sur credits Rikki with his own fantastic success on the pitch. The Indian subpopulation in Cosumar is relatively miniscule, but thanks to Varshney it has produced our top two goalscorers. Varshney continues to maintain an active presence in the Indian community in Sindo, as well in hometown Joudton.


And there you have it. Rikki Varshney as the first of three strikers for the All-Time Cosumarite Dream Team. Being right-footed and smaller than ideal for the middle man, he'll take the right-forward spot. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to let us know how you feel about the first selection in the comments section or on social media with the hashtag #CosumarXI. Be sure to stay tuned over the next few weeks as we continue to fill in that image below.

#1: LB William Riley | #2: CM Irvinn Rincon | #3: ST Rikki Varshney




In honor of Cosumar's 25th World Cup, The Cosumarite Courier is naming the best eleven Cosumarite players in history for the first time ever. If our scientists unlocked the secret of time travel and we could assemble any combination of Cosumarite players from the last 50 years, who should we select to win a World Cup? Well, you voted and we did our nifty research...so now we're unveiling the aggregate results. One by one. Each matchday. You can read the biography of each selection or simply check the updated version of the above image each day to quickly see who made it and continue on with your life. By the time World Cup 75 Qualifying is winding down, the countdown will be complete and a concrete Best XI finalized. We will be unveiling entries in order from most unanimous to most controversial, so the worst comment-section firestorms SHOULD be saved until the end!

---

MD3: "Cosumar latest casualty of 'crazy' start to Qualifying, draws against unranked Pridnestrovia"
Scorers: Worsaw 38', Engström 47'
Subs: Newman 46', Wittevrongel 62', Branch 87'

---

Cosumar Goal-Scorers Tally (17 GF)
Anders Engström (4)
Belarmin Worsaw (3)
Ole Öhman (2)
Peter Svensson (1)
Aziz Senturk (1)
Bacary Na'Kale (1)
Mauricio Sigler (1)
Sheldon Serra (1)
Ace Newman (1)
Matt Branch (1)
Frazan Va'Goshal (1)

Cosumar Assists Tally
Ole Öhman (4)
Anders Engström (2)
Augen Wittevrongel (1)
Vareza Na'Noni (1)
Sheldon Serra (1)
Tiffany Elam (1)
Mauricio Sigler (1)

Substitute Appearances Tally
Matt Branch (5)
Ace Newman (4)
Esteban Hernandez (3)
Tiffany Elam (3)
Jo de Marisco (2)
Deirdre McNessa (2)
Maynard Gorham (2)
Frazan Va'Goshal (2)
Augen Wittevrongel (2)
Tevin Lilley (1)

Cosumar's World Cup 75 Cycle
Four Corners Friendly Tour: Cosumar 1-0 Flardania (@ The Wormhole, Ashen Point)
Four Corners Friendly Tour: Cosumar 5-0 Azrea (@ Versiaville Pavilion, Versiaville)
Four Corners Friendly Tour: Cosumar 3-1 Super-Llamaland (@ Orangi Stadium, Crawford)
Four Corners Friendly Tour: Cosumar 3-1 Rotschwarzland (@ SweetHaven Stadium, Stoneshore)
Qualifying Matchday 1: Bye
Qualifying Matchday 2: Cosumar 4-2 Lons
Qualifying Matchday 3: Pridenestrovia 2-2 Cosumar (@ Sheriff Stadium, Tiraspol)
Qualifying Matchday 4: Cosumar vs. Acronius (@ Leviathan Arena, Kaldukosic)
Qualifying Matchday 5: Kaboomlandia vs. Cosumar (@ King Wulfric II Royal Stadium, Kolra)
Qualifying Matchday 6: Cosumar vs. Super-Llamaland (@ Leviathan Arena, Kaldukosic)
Qualifying Matchday 7: Nuevo Caracas vs. Cosumar
Mid-Qualifying Friendly TBD
Qualifying Matchday 8: Bye
Qualifying Matchday 9: Lons vs. Cosumar (@ Kêlik Den, Kêlik)
Qualifying Matchday 10: Cosumar vs. Pridestrovia (@ Leviathan Arena, Kaldukosic)
Qualifying Matchday 11: Acronius vs. Cosumar
Qualifying Matchday 12: Cosumar vs. Kaboomlandia (@ Leviathan Arena, Kaldukosic)
Qualifying Matchday 13: Super-Llamaland vs. Cosumar
Qualifying Matchday 14: Cosumar vs. Nuevo Caracas (@ Leviathan Arena, Kaldukosic)
Green: Victory
Blue: Draw
Red: Defeat
Home team listed first

[Ethane]

---

Part 2

Part 1

---

The PA system rang out, calling everyone’s attention. ‘’We are now preparing for the awarding of the trophy. Please all remain for this wondrous event.’’ The New Sarum Academy team all charged towards where the trophy would be handed to them, and where they would celebrate their momentous achievement. Stopping short, they gathered round the stand on which the trophy was placed, glistening at them like glitter. They were so ecstatic about the fact they were about to be presented the trophy, cheering in anticipation, acting like a child desperate to get into a chocolate bar their parents were about to buy from the shop for them.

The PA crackled into life again, and the person speaking, a man in his thirties, with dark hair, said that it was time for the trophy to be presented. The crowd became silent, and hundreds of pairs of eyes turned to face the team, and the stand, on which the trophy would be presented. ‘’I would like to congratulate both teams on such an exciting final, and an amazing run in this tournament. However, we all knew that there could only be one winner, and here they are. I would like to welcome the New Sarum Academy football team to the stage to be awarded their trophy.’’

The whole team climbed up on to the stage, making a noise much like constant drums, one by one up the stairs, and gathered together around Sam, who were centre-stage. The person speaking on the PA turned towards the trophy case, and, after lifting the glass cover off, picked the trophy up in his two hands. ‘’It is my honour, and my pleasure, to announce the winner of the 20th Schools Cup.’’ The dark-haired man lifted the trophy up in his hands, as if it were an angel, to be worshipped, shining brightly. He turned round to the winning team from New Sarum Academy once again. ‘’The winner of the 20th edition of the Schools Cup is the football team from New Sarum Academy!’’ The man holding the trophy took a step towards the young team and gave the trophy to Sam, who lifted it high up in the air in celebration. The crowd stood to their feet, applauding extremely loudly for the underdogs of the tournament. Sam placed the trophy on the stand once again, and the team linked arms on the stage and huddled around in a circle, to celebrate as a team. As Wilmer moved to join the circle, he looked over his shoulder to the car park, where two coaches stood - the coach for his team, and the coach for the LowesSports team, to take them home after the celebrations. He saw the headmaster of LowesSports Academy boarding the coach. The headmaster looked over at him, nodded, brandished a white piece of paper in his hand, then turned, and entered the coach, along with the rest of the team from Lowes.

‘’Wilmer, come on in, join the circle’’ Sam shouted over, obviously enjoying himself. Wilmer turned, seeing the coach begin to pull away, and formed himself into the circle, reluctantly jumping along with the team.


Just a few days after winning the match, after a weekend on which to rest from the exhuastion suffered during the game, they were all back to school. With only 4 weeks left until the exams which would dictate where they could go to college, it was full steam ahead with academic work, as many of them wanted to go on to study in further education at New Sarum Academy, which had a decent further education department, and allowed them to stay as part of the football team, just in the years 12+13 teams, rather than the ages below. They were on fully timetabled lessons, and were regarded by the teachers as nothing less than typical students. Some of them felt that their achievements had been neglected, with the pressure piled on them straight after they had won such an exhausting final.

However, that could not be further from the truth. Later that day, an assembly was taken out of the blue, with next to no warning for any of the staff, or students. Grumbling was heard between the staff, about how it was disturbing valuable exam preparation time, and potentially damaging their students grades. When they found out what the assembly was about though, they rapidly shut up.

The students all filed into the hall, quietly, with the teacher’s eyes darting around the room, looking for any prey who may step out of line, in order to pounce and serve out punishment. When murmuring could be heard from the students, the teachers quickly shushed it out, and silenced the disturbance of the peace. The door opened at the back of the hall. Footsteps could be heard down the side of the hall, as a man, in his forties, with dirty blonde hair walked towards the stage. He took one step, two steps, and three steps as he climbed up onto the stage, to the mass of students rising, to show respect to their headmaster. He moved in front of the stand, which had a thin, black microphone out the top of it, and cleared his breath, motioning for the students to sit down. “Good afternoon students.” he spoke into the microphone, silencing any remaining whispering that could still be heard in the hall. “We are here to celebrate a wonderful event that happened just this weekend.” Murmuring spread across the hall, as the students tried to figure out what event this could have been. “Silence please.” The hall immediately fell silent again. “Just this weekend, our football players participated in a monumental game against a school team that could be described as the nations best. They fought hard throughout the game, held on, and nabbed the game in the last minute, making history for our school. I wish to invite them all up onto stage.’’

The team shifted out of where they were sitting, and made their way to the front, with the eyes of every single student in the school upon them. They climbed up on the stage, and clustered in the middle, with Sam towards the back, and Wilmer up the front, but to the left of everyone. Shaking all their hands, the headteacher congratulated themselves on the win of the cup, brandishing the cup for the whole school to see. ‘’Congratulations on your win, you’ve done the whole school proud’’ the headmaster said into the microphone, as the whole school stood and clapped, celebrating the success they had.

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Match Review for Day 3

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The match proved to be a fairly boring state of affairs, with the Ethanian attack unable to break through the Boers defence, and vice versa. Samuel Mitchell proved to be alright up front, and certainly could be considered for playing again, as he is young, and did make some impressive runs, which could have been a goal if he was passed the ball more often, but the attitude from Thomas Peone, and his poor play, meant that the team had struggled against such an easy team to beat, as he blunted them up front.

More can be hoped for the next match, but one thing is for sure, and that is it will be unlikely that Thomas Peone, who proved to be more of a hinderance than help to the team, will play.

The other team offered nothing in credible for attack either, unable to make any decent attacking plays, and considering we have no idea of any of the names of players on their team, did a pretty good job at playing, and causing what could be described as an upset, just not as bad as their upset on the first day.

This is a damaging blow to 'explosive football' however.

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Starting Lineup vs Cruenatia

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GK: Nicholas Reed
LB: Bruce Washington
CB: Bruce Washington
CB: Darien Fear
RB: Joshua Cook
CDM: Gerald Coleman
LM: Grady Stevens
RM: Branden Veresoto
CAM (ST): Dewayne Boivin
ST: Jose Morgan
ST: Julian West

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Record

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MD1: Matthewsiania 1–2 Ethane

Top Scorers:
Julian Harrington - 1
John Campbell - 1

Assists
Dewayne Boivin - 1

Starts
Joe Henderson - 2
Daniel Moore - 2
John Campbell - 2
Merlin Midgley - 2
Edward Williamson - 2
Thomas Peone - 2
Rene Beckenhauer - 1
Cliff Driscol - 1
Archie Holmes - 1
George Smith - 1
Kevyn Stidolph - 1
Grady Stevens - 1
Jose Morgan - 1
Julian West - 1
Samuel Mitchell - 1
Dewayne Boivin - 1

MD2: BYE DAY
MD3: Ethane 0-0 Afrikaners and Boers
MD4: Cruenatia vs Ethane
MD5: Ethane vs Nassau-Hessen
MD6: New Gazi vs Ethane
MD7: Ethane vs The Holy Empire
MD8: Ethane vs Matthewsiania
MD9: BYE DAY
MD10: Afrikaners and Boers vs Ethane
MD11: Ethane vs Cruenatia
MD12: Nassau-Hessen vs Ethane
MD13: Ethane vs New Gazi
MD14: The Holy Empire va Ethane

[Savalen]

CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Washington, Greater Cascadia

0" - Well the teams kick off in glourious sunshine. The time difference may be large, but plenty of Savalen fans make the journey. Whilst all of the 100,000 seater stadium may not be filled up, there is certainly a sizable crowd, my guess would be in the 60,000. How are you feeling about the game, Magnus?

Well, from my point of view, it's interesting to see the young Sviták come in for Tobsakha, who we are told has a small niggle, which has been confirmed by the man himself. Sviták may be yound, but he's the same build, just younger. In terms of tactics though, he is slightly more forward-thinking, which might leave Liikanen to do the defensive-midfield duties on his own. The tactics from Greater Cascadia are very different - whilst we are prepared to control the tempo, but also ready to defend and sit out any storm of attacks that comes at them - they like to press high up the pitch and dominate possession and position on the pitch. This can lead to them dominating, as they did in the opening BoF game against us, or being left open at the back. I wonder which team will turn out tonight as they don't have a plan B. Could this hurt them as they tire?

20" - We're twenty minutes in and its gone just as expected. Greater Cascadia is dominating possession, but the solid defensive display from our lads has kept them at bay. I don't think that we can have too may complaints, however, because we've had the only shot on target, albeit a Temuge shot from 50 yards, as the Cyan haven't really been able to get in the box.

25" - Well they call it the commentator's curse, but with just their second shot, the Cyan have put in the back of the net. Lovely build-up on the left edge of the box ends up with Totterham having a free couple of yards and the striker calmly dispatches the shot into the bottom corner.

37" - Well our lads have been slowly but surely building themselves back up from that crushing goal and find themselves with a corner after some wonderful work from the captain once again. Norheim will take as he has a wonderful in-swinging corner which may pose a problem to the goalkeeper. Should he stay or go? And I'm bang on the money, it's an in-swinger. Keeper comes out..misses the ball, which ricochets off a Cyan defender and then off a white shirt and trickles into the back of the net. I think it's been given to Jorgensen, who certainly claims it as he runs over to the fans. Not the finest first goal, but it will do.

45" - What can I say? Jorgensen has gone from hero to villan after giving away a cheap penalty, calmly dispatched by the captain, Porter. I think that the lads will have to regroup and go again. There's still 45 minutes to go. See you after the break!

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46" - Oh my word fabulous goal! It's taken just 48 seconds for us to come back onto level terms and it's one of the two debutants, Molon, who somehow found himself in a forward position from left-back and shows why he sometimes plays in left-midfield. He recieves the ball just ouside the box and calmly curls it round the keeper after pressure from Endo. What a strike! two-all!

70" - For those of you who just joined us because your work alarm is on 6:30, the scores locked at 2-2 after an excellent first half from both sides. Since a magnificent Molon strike to make it 2-2 38 seconds after half time,the games been quiet, especially with the host of substitutions made by either side and after Molon's goal, there hasn't been much to talk about. Substitution of note from our side is Gur coming on the replace the tiring Lisov a few minutes ago.

86" - Molon comes striding down the left wing with ease as he seems to be a machine among mere mortals who are almost falling over after such a breathtaking game. He passes it to Gur, who chips it in and wins another corner, one of 17 overall in the match, thanks to a header away from the central defender. I think the only way that we could score now is with a bit of luck. Gur will take the corner. He runs up and passes it out to Sviták, who chips it up for himself, shoots from a mile away and SCORES!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

What a magnificent strike on his debut in the team and it reminds me of the one he did not so long ago against Cosumar in the U15 World Cup. Sure is a brilliant moment for him and it's nice that everyone has gone over to congratulate him, including the subs bench. And to think that before the game we had an interview with him and he was doing it for his little bro. That must make him happy.

90" - Five, five added minutes. What are the ref's thinking?

Well Jeff, I don't know, but it sure seems fishy. I would maybe give two minutes, but it might just be our bias. Not long now to get revenge on the Cyan!

90+2" Ooooof. Lucky there. A brilliant move, which has parallels with the first-half magic goal for the Cascadians, ends up with Mi hitting the bart with a brilliant shot which left Selberg stranded. That could have been 3-3!

90+5" And it's over Jeff! I've been Magnus and it's been a pleasure to commentate this great win along with my friend here, Jeff. We'd usually do a quick sum up before the studio analysis, but we don't have time today beacuse of the questionably long extra-time. Goodnight and I hope you join us next time for our match against Port Christopher!

*Some stupid music plays in the backround of a bleach advert.*

[The Saint James Islands]

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Arena la Rouge, Philibiscostal
Post-World Cup 74 group stage

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“Merde. Not this shit again.”

Well, to be fair, it wasn’t the same old shit: it was far worse. It wasn’t just flags burning in the streets; cars were set ablaze, buses were felled in the streets like rotten trees, the Metro had come to a complete standstill and chants of “off the reds” drowned the streets. This was a night that would live in infamy and there would be no end to the anger of the Omerican against the Barunian.

To be honest, no one seriously thought that Omerica would advance, but the perceived arrogance of the Barunian press had set the Commonwealth off and it wasn’t just Philibiscostal up in flames. Georgetown, Charlottetown, Port Michael, Sassari, Tagatori, Nassau, Londonderry, Derry, Fife, Ticomaça and all the others were diving deep into the madhouse and the Commonwealth authorities had no choice but to declare a state of emergency. Cantons up and down and left and right were imposing curfews to try to quell a nation that had spiralled out of control.

François was starting to lose his mind in all the madness. The Metropolitan Constabulary weren’t going to be able to contain this and everyone else had their hands full with their own problems. If I get out of this unscathed, it will be a fucking miracle.

Standing in formation to guard the national stadium, François had already nearly been hit by flares several times. Things had gone so bad that the bright lights were no longer fazing him.

The body count had already started. François was vaguely aware of a human stampede that had occurred in the capital and was trying to hold his ground with all of his willpower here. He had already used his mace several times and was beating back a young man. Or maybe it was a young woman. It was getting kind of hard to tell with all the calamity going on.

Dammit, Nephara. We gave you the chance. Why didn’t you take it?

It was true. Had the Cormorants not choked in that second-to-last qualifying group stage match, Omerica would have almost certainly been doomed to the play-offs and may have very well had their arses handed to them on a silver platter. A post-play-off riot might have been less trouble than this. Right? Not like it mattered, but still, maybe.

A story that doesn’t start at the Big Bang isn’t the whole story, though, François.

The night dragged on and on and the damages were approaching the trillion shilling mark and federal authorities had already confirmed a body count of four. About the only decent thing about the entire mess was that the Omericans at least had the courtesy to not riot in Guaya Bean Land.

Merde, was the recurring thought in François’s head throughout the night.

Then the rioters broke through the blockade.

François fell to the floor with a sweeping, instantaneous thud. The subsequent feeling of feet stomping over him was too much for him to bear. François’s luck was not having to bear it for long.

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Turanga ʻAhipula ʻo ʻOmerika
6 Jacques la Rouge Road
Port-Alexandre, PH C5A-A40
COMMONWEALTH OF OMERICA

Official Press Release — Tuku Katipa Hoi ʻe Pieti

Qualifiers for the Seventy-Fifth World Cup
Omerica national team line-up vs San José Guayabal (home)

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Starting eleven
GK—№ 1: Stéphane ROUSSEAU (vice-captain)
LD—№ 2: Red MILLHOUSE
CD—№ 3: Honoré LEFURGEY
CD—№ 4: Keone MAKAIO
CD—№ 5: Tre URISTSON
RD—№ 6: Ansel RYAN
LM—№ 7: Ryan ANDSEN
CM—№ 8: Tömas DE VRIKT (captain)
CM—№ 9: Arani IROHA
RM—№ 10: Casimir PAQUET
CF—№ 11: John PERCIVAL

Substitutes
GK—№ 13: John MARTIN
GK—№ 23: Ethan D’ARAMITZ
LD—№ 14: Martin PALL
CD—№ 15: Jean-Marie MOLINEAUX
CD—№ 16: Sejanus CHRISTOPHE
CD—№ 17: Makara ʻO TOA
RD—№ 18: Mikäel CHRISTOPHE
LM—№ 19: William PARNELL
CM—№ 20: Rangi AMANG
CM—№ 21: Kairo KAMARANI
RM—№ 22: Raia TURI
CF—№ 12: Red TYLER