Independents Cup III [Everything Thread]

by **Spaam** » Wed Aug 09, 2017 1:29 pm

Group A (Marandet)
 Kel Assuk 8–2  Petroslovania
 HUElavia 1–2  Britonisea

  Group A (Marandet)    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1  Kel Assuk            1   1  0  0    8   2  +6    3
2  Britonisea           1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3  HUElavia             1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4  Petroslovania        1   0  0  1    2   8  −6    0

Group B (Araouane)
 Drawkland 2–0  Bojikstan
 Kalumba 3–0  Kecrazia

  Group B (Araouane)    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1  Kalumba              1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3
2  Drawkland            1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
3  Bojikstan            1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
4  Kecrazia             1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0

Group C (Abalessa)
 Bonesea 3–1  The Warbler
 Alpine Union 4–1  Rhineland Sued

  Group C (Abalessa)    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1  Alpine Union         1   1  0  0    4   1  +3    3
2  Bonesea              1   1  0  0    3   1  +2    3
3  The Warbler          1   0  0  1    1   3  −2    0
4  Rhineland Sued       1   0  0  1    1   4  −3    0

Group D (Adel Bagrou)
 Mercedini 2–0  Mampris
 U.S. of Devonta 2–0  N.S. and H.

  Group D (Adel Bagrou) Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1  Mercedini            1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
   U.S. of Devonta      1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
3  Mampris              1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
   N.S. and H.          1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0

by **Omerica** » Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:26 pm

Commonwealth Soccer Federation
6 Jacques la Rouge Road
Port Alexandre, AM 18-A40
COMMONWEALTH OF OMERICA
Staff
Coach: Ryan Pritchard
The last permanent manager of the Omerican Football Federation team, Pritchard came to prominence as the deputy of James-Alexandre Christopherson and rose to the top after the death of Jean-Baptiste Archambualt. Leading Omerica to a World Cup finals as interim manager, Pritchard created a defensive strategy that shook Commonwealth football to its core, propelling Omerica to a perfect nine-game streak in World Cup 74 qualifying before a loss in Nephara brought the eventual champions back into the race. Breaking off relations with the defunct OFF in the wake of the organisation’s numerous corruption scandals, Pritchard led the efforts to bring Omerican football back from the grave, which were successfully achieved with the formation of the Commonwealth Soccer Federation three years ago.

Assistant Manager: Christine Salmond
The first woman to take the post of assistant manager of Omerica’s flagship sports team, Salmond got her start at United Philibiscostal and Royal Martecabras. Her relationship with Jean-Baptiste Archambault made her the front-runner to become his assistant after James-Alexandre Christopherson’s dismissal as manager, though it was not until Archambault’s death and Ryan Pritchard’s hiring that Salmond finally got the nod. Noted for her love of flowing football, Salmond provides a strategic counterbalance to the nigh-defensive Pritchard and a critical voice that are considered to be of paramount importance in the Omerican offices.

Strength and Fitness Coach: Jean-Marie Bertrand
Equipment Manager: Lucas Shipley
Medical Lead: Annemarie Cartier
Physical Trainer: Georges-Marie Bernand
Physical Therapist: Eileen Pope-Langley and Stephen King
Players
Starting eleven
№1—GK Frédérique Acardi (F, age 24; United Philibiscostal)
№2—LD Skye Ecclestone (F, age 23; AFC Georgetown)
№3—CD Ernest Masson (M, age 19; AS Républicains)
№4—CD Charity Kayode (F, age 20; FC Nassau)
№5—CD Jesús Cruz (M, age 22; Corona Christiana)
№6—RD Fernand Michelakakis (M, age 23; Sassari Trailblazers)
№7—LM Clemente Affini (M, age 22; Inter Bayoneta)
№8—CM John Soares (M, age 22; FC Kingsmouth)
№9—CM Red Bolton (M, age 23; FC Londonderry)
№10—RM Krysten Speight (F, age 23; Cathair Dhoire)
№11—ST Morgan Barzetti (F, age 24; Corona Christiana)

Substitutes
№12—ST Lucky Ashworth (F, age 21; Ashley Mariners)
№13—GK Valentine Augustin (F, age 20; Saint-Georges Uni)
№14—LD Julie Boulos (F, age 23; Corona Christiana)
№15—CD Emily Michelakis (F, age 21; AFC Georgetown)
№16—CD Drew Montgomery (M, age 19; FC Roscommon)
№17—CD Aristide de Felice (M, age 20; Olympique Provençal)
№18—RD Marine Roldan (F, age 22; AS Républicains)
№19—LM George Palmeiro (M, age 18; Northport Naval)
№20—CM Alex Rodrigues (M, age 18; Phoenix Carlisle)
№21—CM Elise Bianchi (F, age 23; Ville-du-Nord)
№22—RM Christine Riva (F, age 23; Tyrone Athletic)
№23—GK Will Rake (M, age 19; Plymouth Rock)
№24—ST Éduoard Bouchard (M, age 20; Malavan Romainbourg)
Formation (5–4–1)
Barzetti
Affini — Soares — Bolton — Speight
Ecclestone — Masson — Kayode — Cruz — Michelakakis
Acardi
Conformément à la loi fédérale, ce document est disponible en français sur demande. — In accordance with federal law, this document is available in French upon request.

by **Bojikstan** » Wed Aug 09, 2017 2:28 pm

The Rookies

Part Two. In which Anton and Mara are kept awake by their demons.

One second. Two second. Three seconds. Four seconds. Five seconds. Six seconds. Seven seconds. Artem counts every second of time that passes by, as he and the others crouch with their backs to the rubble and hold their makeshift weapons tight in hand. Eight seconds. Nine seconds. Ten seconds. They’re all holding their breath, waiting for the enemy to get into range. Some of them have done this before, but some of them, like Artem, are no older than fifteen. For some of them, it’s the first time they’ll experience a battle up close.

Eleven seconds. Twelve seconds. Thirteen seconds. The smell of exhaust is blowing towards them, and the ground is rumbling slightly from the diesel engine of the truck. Fourteen seconds. Fifteen seconds. Sixteen seconds. The footsteps and voices of the soldiers, from the Bojikstan Worker’s Front, are now clearly heard by the hiding paramilitary members. Seventeen seconds. Eighteen seconds. Artem feels someone hit him on the arm, and looks next to him and sees the unit leader holding up four fingers.

Nineteen seconds. The four fingers turn from three to one, and then none, as the leader closes his hand in a fist. Twenty seconds. Time for action. Artem stands - they all do - and lights the cloth at the top of the molotov cocktail, lobbing it forward and towards the incoming convoy. For a brief moment, it looks like the world is on fire. The bottles explode and spread across the ground and engulf the targets, and Artem wants to stand and watch the people that invaded his home burn.

But that’s not an option. It’s only a second or two when the shout comes from the unit leader. “RUN!” he commands, and the group obeys. They run as fast as they can, Artem included. They’re not thinking about how kids like them don’t belong on a battlefield, or how this one victory isn’t going to stop the Siege of Odena, or how at this time it seems like every enemy officer taken down is replaced by two more. The only things on their mind are getting away, and the adrenaline that’s coursing through their bodies as they do it.

In a way, this is the day that some of them become men.

***

Artem wakes up in a cold sweat, with a racing heart. “Fuck’s sake,” he mutters, rolling out of bed and getting dressed in his usual fashion of black with more black, even though it’s the early hours of the morning. They don’t have to go out to play Drawkland until much later, but going back to sleep is pointless. He knows that if his dreams, if they can even be called that instead of flashbacks, are like this now, they aren’t just going to change because he went back to bed. Instead, he steps out of the hotel room and starts walking the halls while texting to see who else is up.

Eventually, he ends up outside the hotel, leaning against the wall and waiting for Mara Mandaric to show up. Of his friends, she was the one that was awake, and she shows up wearing a similar attire. “I see I’m not the only one that likes black. When did we become the emo clique?” Artem asks, with a smile.

“I was always a rebel. Emo, not that much,” remarks Mara, leaning next to Artem and staring absentmindedly down the street. “Why are you up so late? Couldn’t sleep?”

“No shit.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“Might as well. I couldn’t sleep because of fucking flashbacks, of all things. Was like I was back there in Odena during the Siege, throwing molotovs at the other side and thinking it would change the outcome. Once I have those kinds of dreams, I can’t get back to sleep most of the time.”

“You fought in the war.”

“Yeah. With one of the paramilitaries. We were young and stupid. Thought we could turn around the siege if we took up the arms the army was losing track of.”

“You still had one victory. Imagine what would have happened if the east rolled over. It didn’t, and we have a democracy still. You never do what you do, and we probably would have lost all our representation.”

Artem shrugs, looking at the ground. “I wish it didn’t follow me wherever I go.”

“We all have our demons.”

“What’s yours, then?”

“Among other things, I only have about three more years of playing before I get to retire and live in pain. With all due respect, I’d take the flashbacks.”

“Aren’t you twenty-three?”

“Twenty-three, and my knee is already fucked. It’s a miracle if I can scam Morievo into extending my contract before it completely turns to dust.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t play so rough.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have joined a paramilitary.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be.”

“Can you, like, fix it? Your knee?”

“Sure, if I get a payday that isn’t coming. Not like I can ask the club to pay for it, either. I go out because of my knee, I might never get into the first team again. I’m taking my chances.”

“Fuck, there has to be something you can do to make it better, some experimental treatment or some foreign thing or-”

“Can someone fix your PTSD? I doubt it. Fixing this thing is the last thing on my mind. I’m just thinking about getting paid and finding out what the next thing I’m going to do is.”

Artem studies Mara’s face and isn’t able to tell if she’s telling the truth or masking how much she cares about her career, but he just shrugs again and looks back at the ground, his flowing light brown hair falling over his eyes and face. “Another reason to enjoy every moment that you’re with this team. One thing that the war did teach me? Your life can change drastically at any time. Enjoy it when you’re on top.”

B.S NETWORK: YOUR TRUSTWORTHY SOURCE
ANGRY ANTON'S RECAPS: DRAWKLAND VS BOJIKSTAN, INDEPENDENTS CUP
Posted by AngryAnton

This newly formed national team played in their first competitive match at the beginning of the Independents Cup, and the result was exactly what we should have expected when the BFF sent a bunch of youngsters and second rate vets because the stars wouldn’t accept their callups! It was a 2-0 final score, and obviously, the attack didn’t show up despite the defense making some big plays. I’m going to get to the positives first, but there’s not that many positives. You don’t have to be as angry as me to see that!

The Azules played a physical game and our midfield was very aggressive in our own end, picking up two cards. It doesn’t sound like a good thing, but the strategy kept the back four from getting sliced open on at least three different occasions. Eric Dern received the first yellow of the game when he hit a Drawk player with a high shin, and Mara Mandaric received the second one when she went airborne and had a collision while preventing a through ball from getting to the Drawk attack. Chico Suarez also had a second half yellow, when he prevented a goal by cutting the striker down a few yards outside of the box.

Our midfield was doing the defending, though, and not our defenders! Javier Velazquez got roasted on the counter attack and we gave up the first goal, and the second goal came in the second half and was a direct result of Chico trying to intercept a long ball instead of getting back to defend it. Somehow, we were still in the match in the middle and later stages, regardless of this. Rain Delacruz launched a long through ball over most of the Drawk defense, but Alexy Hesse had an awful first touch and nearly ran out of bounds before chipping the ball over the net at a bad angle.

We had one more chance, about eighty minutes in, to get a goal and make this a close match. I was apparently expecting to much when I thought it would result in anything, though. Eric Dern found Niko Komarov on the end of a cross, but his header fell wide and we wouldn’t get a better chance to score. I suppose it was what we should have expected considering the state of this roster, but that doesn’t mean we’re happy about it, as the fans that have to watch crap performances like this! Get it together, BFF! Or you’re going to hurt our sport more than you grow it!

by **Omerica** » Wed Aug 09, 2017 3:06 pm

iac³: a chance at redemption for the incorrigible nation
a new frontier in an ancient nation and three punishing losses await a new and improved football federation

Skaganes, Spaam — Let’s be honest: the collapse of the Omerican Football Federation was a bloody embarrassment. A humiliation, really.

Supporters who would find any excuse to riot certainly didn’t help, nor did the structure of the former OFF. It is frankly a wonder that the World Cup Committee and Esportivan Football Confederation put up with us for as long as they did and a miracle that the OFF did not collapse under its own weight sooner.

But now with the twenty-four cantonal football associations banding together to form a new Commonwealth Soccer Federation as the governing body of Omerican association football, the Commonwealth is in for a revival of international football, this time in the form of the recently-established Independent Associations Championship. The competition was founded four years ago as a means for teams based outside the regions of Rushmore, Esportiva and Atlantian Oceania to play in a tournament similar to the Copa Rushmori, Campionato Esportiva and AOCAF Cup and will now feature the former Esportivans for the first time.

“Our decision to wait until our KPB ranking ran out was deliberate,” CSF General Secretary and former Football Reicastelais leader Jean-André Simonetti told UCN Sport. “We believed that we needed a cooling-off period to get heads back in order and make the real reforms needed to ensure the integrity of Omerican sport. The IAC will hopefully be the first step in our rehabilitation and the revitalisation of Commonwealth football.”

When asked about the CSF’s decision not to pursue re-entry into the Campionato Esportiva, Simonetti remarked that “[m]oving to this new competition is a symbolic change for us. Rekindling the old rivalries we had in Esportiva would be the wrong decision at the wrong time. Let’s focus on taking our first steps and then we can move forward from there.”

Though completely refreshed with new faces, the Incorrigibles—as social media have disparagingly come to call the newly re-established team—will be led by an experienced management team, including Ryan Pritchard, the man who managed the former national team to their only World Cup finals appearance. Other faces on the staff—assistant manager Christine Salmond and fitness coach Jean-Marie Bertrand, among others—will also look familiar as Pritchard attempts to bridge old and new.

And speaking of old, given that Omerica failed to be selected as one of the lucky unranked teams to move to Pot 3 and drew some of the highest-ranked teams in each pot, Omerica appears to be on course to revive an old tradition: flopping out in the group stage.

“We hardly could have got a worse draw if we had cut off a witch doctor on a Reicastelais motorway,” newly re-hired Omerica manager Ryan Pritchard told UCN Sport. “If we make it out of the groups, I will eat my shirt.”

Omerica will start off their début Independents Cup campaign against Flardania, the only team in Group G that the former national team had previously played. In the last meeting between the two nations at the World Cup 74 finals, Omerica upset the Kitsunes, winning 2–0 in San José Guayabal’s Estadio Oscar Alberto Quiteño. However, the expected match result in Skaganes is expected to be much different, given Flardania’s meteoric rise and Omerica’s humbling fall since the World Cup in Valladares and San José Guayabal.

Omerica’s next match will be against fellow IAC débutantes Cosneolta, who débuted in the 64th Baptism of Fire in Bonesea and Mercedini. After an undefeated run in the group stage, Cosneolta went out in the Round of 16 against Nordernious. Though their BoF campaign proved disappointing, two semi-solid qualification campaigns give Cosneolta favour against an inexperienced Omerican side.

The final match will be against another small microstate: Tinhampton, who will be coming off a disappointing Cup of Harmony campaign. But despite their small size, they will be a force to be reckoned with. Ranked 48th, quite near Omerica’s historic high KPB before the OFF’s collapse, Tinhampton are decisive favourites to advance to the knockout stage and will likely seal Omerica’s goose egg.

But the real test, according to Pritchard, is how Omericans conduct themselves in Spaam.

“All of us in the CSF arel hoping for Omerica supporters to carry themselves with dignity and grace,” Pritchard said. “We’re all expect a brutal campaign, but it’s how we carry ourselves once we’re done that will decide whether or not this tournament has been a success for us. It’s all in the hands of the fans.”

The new Omerica make their début in the Independents Cup against Flardania in the Skaganes Stadium in Spaam at 15:00 CST live on UCN2.

for your reading pleasure
▶ EDITORIAL: Where does the Commonwealth Soccer Federation go after the Independents Cup?
▶ Three Avonian constables arrested in an unusual urination scandal
▶ Basketball Omerica will not enter the IBC until the rankings “unless and until the rankings are fixed”
▶ Cardiganshire and Orangeshire to go to the polls in simultaneous snap elections

by **Kel Assuk** » Wed Aug 09, 2017 3:42 pm

Do you know where you're going in this Cup, or is your Destination Unknown? This is your first cutoff. Results to be edited into this post shortly.

Group E
 Spaam 5–0 Margonda 
 Scottopian Isles 2–1 Makongo 

Group F
 Abanhfleft 2–0 the Selkie  
 Aggrey-Fynn Land 4–0 San Regada 

Group G
 Flardania 1–0 Omerica 
 Tinhampton 1–0 Cosneolta  

Group H
 Schottia 3–0 Space 
 Savalen 0–2 New Danican

by **San Regada** » Wed Aug 09, 2017 6:54 pm

Regadan National Football Team

Starting XI

Nickname: Súper Águilas/Las Águilas (Super Eagles/The Eagles).
Style Modifier: +2
Rank: 103rd
KPB: (I dont know tbh)
Formation: 5-3-2 Box Overload.
Playing Style: Players 2 and 6 drop back on the defensive to form a solid 5 man defensive wall, but on the offensive they push up towards the half way line to supports 7, 8 and 9. Players 9 and 7 generally push to the left or right quarters of the box to either shoot or pass it or onto the wings to deliver a cross in which 10 and 11 would receive due to their high press. Player 8 can be considered the third man in the offensive line as they push up high and often towards the middle of the box. This allows for a defensive formation such as the 5-3-2 to be played with a more aggressive manner in the upper midfield and forward areas of the pitch without compromising the defensive security of the back 5 or the rest of midfield.

DF - Joselito Callejón
DF - Óscar Martínez
DF - Cristopher Zapata
DF - Arturo Toselli
DF - Gerard Monreal

MF - David Santos Borré
MF - Marvin Bejarano
MF - James Torres

FW - Christian Saavedra
FW - Franco Hernández

GK - David López

Reserves

DF - Cristopher Zapata
DF - Leonel Sánchez
DF - Wálter Uribe
DF - Eduardo Aguilar

MF - Santiago Vizcarra
MF - Daniel Cuadrado
MF - Miguel Zenteno
MF - Duván Lampe

FW - Adrián Muriel
FW - Sebastián Pérez
FW - José Valencia
FW - Juan Sagredo

GK - Paco Aspas
GK - Denis Herrera

Kits

I Give My Opponent Permission To:
Choose My Goalscorers: Yes
Godmod Goalscoring Events: No
Injure Players: Yes (Minor)
Godmod Injury Events: No
Red Card Players: No
Yellow Card Players: Yes (2 max per game)
Godmod Other Events: No

by **New Danican** » Thu Aug 10, 2017 7:16 am

Grand Danican Post

Sports, Weather, News, and More

Lions Win First Match

New Danican 2-0 Savalen

[Spaam] The 3rd Independents Cup is underway, and the New Danican Lions are off to a roaring start. New Danican(1-0-0, 3pts.) beat the team from Savalen(0-0-1) 2-0, in the team's first match of the cup. New Danican played exceptional defense, limiting the Savalen players to only 5 shots, and were able to play strong offensively, taking 12 shots(8 on goal), with captain Chance Morris scoring both of the teams goals. The game was pretty clean, with neither team receiving a red or yellow card. After the game we talked to team manager, Phil Johnson, about the game, "We have played a lot of football this year, the Baptism of Fire, WC, the Cup of Harmony, all have been disapointments with us going out in the group stage, this tournament we plan to change all of that, this win is the first on that journey, we win the next game and we are in a very good position to advance, hopefully we can carry this success over to the next game against Space(0-0-1)." In other news in New Danican's group, group H, Schottia beat Space 3-0, putting New Danican and Schottia(1-0-0) into a tie for first in the group, while Savalen, and Space are tied for 3rd. New Danican's next game will be tomorrow against Space, if they win, they need either a Schottia win tomorow, or at least a draw in the final match, in order to clinch a spot in the knock out rounds. We wish our team the best of luck, may they bring glory to New Danican!

by **Union of Socialist Alpine Republics** » Thu Aug 10, 2017 3:47 pm

The Alpine Union beat Rhineland Sued!

Abalessa, Kel Assuk - (NAP) In the opening game of the 3rd Independents Cup, the Alpine Union beat Rhineland Sued 4-1! The Alpines attacked at the 14th minute when Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz passed the ball to Sarah Schroffenegger who dribbled and passed to Jean-François Kleineheismann who made a cross to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots and scores! 1-0 Bisons! The Reprezentacja Alpejski attacked again at the 33rd minute when Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz made a cross to Jean-François Kleineheismann who shoots. Goalkeeper #1 touches the ball and it goes over the net, it's a corner kick! Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz kicks the ball and Amelia Zalwowska heads it into the net, 2-0 Green & White! 10 minutes later, Rhineland Sued attacked when Player #7 passed to Player #9 who dribbled and made a header pass to Player #10 who heads the ball right into the net and the Alpines lead is cut to 2-1.

Rhineland Sued attacked again at the 74th minute when Player #8 passed to Player #11 who dribbles but Krzysztof Januszkiewicz steals him the ball and passes to Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz who dribbles and passes to Amelia Zalwowska who shoots! The ball hits the cross bar and Cristiano Fernando gets the loose ball and shoots right into the net and the Reprezentacja Alpejski is leading 3-1! At the 77th minute, Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz passed to Amelia Zalwowska who dribbles and passed to Sarah Schroffenegger who made a cross to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots and scores 4-1 Alpine Union and this is the final scores!

The Alpine Union won 4-1 and Bonesea won 3-1, both teams are in 1st place in group C and will play each other on matchday 2.

Boxscore

14th minute: Zbigniew Zajaczkowski assisted by Jean-François Kleineheismann
33rd minute: Amelia Zalwowska unassisted
43rd minute: Player #10 assisted by Player #9
74th minute: Cristiano Fernando unassisted
77th minute: Zbigniew Zajaczkowski assisted by Sarah Schroffenegger

Yellow Cards

Alpine Union: Bartosz Strzyzowski and Sarah Schroffenegger
Rhineland Sued: Player #2 and Player #7

Red cards

Alpine Union: None
Rhineland Sued: None

by **Kel Assuk** » Thu Aug 10, 2017 8:15 pm

At Home, At Last
Chapter One: Coming Back (or, Those Harebrained Idiots at KABS)

Eric was exhausted. Several months of travelling really had taken a lot of energy out of him; first crisscrossing the globe in the country's first attempt to qualify for the World Cup in which the team managed to place fourth after sixteen weeks worth of competition, sixteen grueling weeks of going back and forth again, and then back and forth another time. The team could at least say that they crushed Lopstegl and Huelavia, getting revenge on two teams that had beat them, unfortunately. At least the Cup of Harmony was in one country, but of course there was travelling involved in that. The team placed third in an extremely tight group (as the second seed, as fortune had it), but beat Abanhfleft for the first time after a long spell of draws and defeats against their bogeyman team. When he got back to Kel Assuk after all that traveling and all that work, he caught up on his sleep, almost sleeping for an entire day before groggily dragging himself out of bed. The team would have work to do; they would always have work to do.

He knew that the team was probably as exhausted as he was, so he gave them a couple of days off to return to their families, their friends, their uncles and aunts and cousins and kinsmen and others. They needed the R&R as much as he needed it, and he didn't want to be the team's killjoy. So, the team members rested, the team members played, the team members reminded themselves of where they came from and where they represented. They probably weren't as used to the life of the travelling footballer as he was; after all, Kel Assuk's league was only semi-professional; most of the team members were not used to receiving a full-time paycheck from a national team or a club, and the league kinda sucked. There was practically no way to develop the players in such a bad league, with only a couple of teams and infrequent matches, owing to the desert heat, in decrepit stadiums. The National Stadium at the Queen Dihya Sports Complex was the exception to the rule, as was a stadium across town in Araouane, but Eric thought that anyone who suggested that Kel Assuk might ever host an international tournament was out of their mind. What a crazy idea! People from other countries running around for ninety minutes in the heat of the desert? It was madness with only Amalen doing it (hence the league's partial failure), and they were used to the heat. Foreign players, and fans, would probably collapse the moment they stepped out of the plane at the Marandet airport.

Eric concluded that the KABS was crazy, then, when the Independents Association announced that Kel Assuk, along with Spaam, had won the rights to host the third Independents Cup. The Board for Sport had trumpeted the move, claiming it would help increase the country's prominence on the international stage and that it would help promote football in the nation. Rubbish, Eric thought. He knew that none of the Amalen were going to turn out in dusty old stadiums, hardly maintained in the slightest, to watch foreigners kick a ball around. Although football was somewhat popular in the nation, traditional Amalen sports and their modern equivalents, like wrestling, camel racing, and athletics, were much more popular, and the sport was regarded by many, still, as the white man's sport. It was partially true - after all, Eric, a white Schottian, was leading the national team. Kel Assuk's own side consumed the bulk of the interest in the sport, but of course, nobody traveled to Kel Assuk's away games, and home games, even at the new National Stadium, were sparsely attended. Eric had seen no advertisements on the streets, and Amalen probably wouldn't even show up to matches in large numbers even if the KABS paid them to do so.

No foreigners would turn up to the dusty old stadiums, either; the KABS said that they were going to use old stadiums in Abalessa and Adel Bagrou, which, in Eric's opinion, was utter fantasy on their part. Those stadiums were falling apart at the seams; Eric thought that a fan would be lucky if his seat didn't fall out from underneath him. If anyone found out about the stadiums' decrepitude, then the tourists entering the country for the tournament would be a trickle at best, nonexistent at worst. The stadiums' capacities were less than half that of advertised, anyway. If the KABS had wanted to fit in 20,000 human sized dummies into the Adel Bagrou Stadium, they probably couldn't have.

So, with the tournament failing to make economic sense and most definitely not going to increase the profile of the sport in the nation, Eric was left to thinking that the KABS was a bunch of idiots. Whatever the mental state of the country's sport governance, though, Eric was happy that, for once, his team didn't have to do that much traveling. He could sleep at night in a familiar bed, one without bedbugs or weird hairs or gross stains in a place he was beginning to call his second home; his team could sleep in their real beds with their families in their first, and only, homes. That was sure to perk up the team - no more traveling for a while! Eric sighed and sat down; he needed to plan for the Independents Cup. After all, they didn't want to embarrass themselves in front of a home "crowd", did they? But before he could do anything, Eric needed a cup of coffee. He grabbed it and began to work, scribbling down ideas here and there. He wanted his team to be ready, and ready they would be.

by **Schottia** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 5:27 am

Up.

You load a vinyl record onto the turntable and lower the arm into position. As Evangeline MacDowell's Night Creatures crackles into life, you are distracted from wondering why you ever bought this fucking thing in the first place. Of course you have to buy the most expensive sound system you could find, because why not. Why the fuck not! At least you could look at it and be glad that you hadn't spent it on drugs, or something even worse.

You go to the fridge and grab a beer. The way it froths over your hand as you open it suggests that it mightn't be sufficiently chilled - a sip confirms your suspicions. You bob along to the music as you move a couple of the bottles to the freezer, there's plenty of room alongside the open bag of frozen peas, the empty ice cube trays, and the companionless potato waffle.

First game back from suspension, and you've beaten the team at the top of the fucking league. It is Saturday night, and it seems like as good an excuse as any to start drinking. Start drinking early. You'll head out later, and if no one wants to meet up then fuck it, you'll go out alone. It's better than staying in, right?

You use a box full of magazines to replicate this afternoon's goal, smashing it into the remnants of the bookshelves. You can't quite remember how the selves collapsed, but it's a pain in the arse, as you now need to sift through the mountain of crap whenever you want to find anything. It's the closest the box - which as been here since you moved in - is going to get to being unpacked. You've never been very good at unpaking, but maybe that's becuase you've never felt at home. What's the point in unpacking, if you're going to be off again in twelve months? Maybe you'll tidy up this weekend though, if this mood continues, you might even get round to it. Wouldn't that be nice, living in an uncluttered, tidy home?

You smile as you flick through another match report on your phone, still swaying from side to side in time with the music. It's funny how when you win, even staring at the score line gives you the feeling of an endorphin overdose.

The empty bottle goes beside the countless other bottles stood next to the sink, and you remove another one from the freezer. It's still not quite chilled enough, but with any luck the next one will be. You read the next article; the TL's official news feed is talking about your temper tantrums. That's fair enough, what's life without the odd emotional breakdown. Besides, you can handle a gentle ribbing; criticism is all part and parcel of being a public figure these days. It's all-good, you could take it on the chin.

Beer number three, starting to get a bit colder - actually it's probability acceptable. You place the on the floor beside you and stand to attention in front of the full-length mirror. Not great, but at least you're freshly showered. A little bit of make up, a dress perhaps, you'll be passable as a human life-form. Maybe even a night for a new tattoo, you think, while inspecting a spot of bare skin on your left arm. You were turning over a new leaf, and this time you meant it. With a flick of your head, a swish of your hair, and a bounce in your step, you get back to the important business of getting drunk.

An exert from the transcripts of my appointment with Corinne Martel-Burns: 18/01/2023. Dr Elena Durí BSc MSc MSc PhD
...
ED: So why don't you tell me a bit more about the video.
CMB: What video?
ED: Oh I think you know?
CMB: [Patient laughs out loud]
ED: So would I be correct in assuming you find it funny?
CMB: Do you mean the snowman video?
ED: Unless you've posted anything else on your youtube channel since the start of the Cup of Harmony.
CMB: Did you not find it at least a wee bit funny?
ED: [I shrug my shoulders] What made you decide to make it?
CMB: People need to be taught a lesson.
ED: Who?
CMB: I can't remember his name. A politician.
ED: A politician?
CMB: Yeah, he made comments about women covering up. [The patient seems unable to sit still.]
ED: So you thought you'd do the opposite; make a statement?
CMB: Yup! Well[...] No actually, first I took my top off during the Tomikosan match, but they weren't happy about the nudity and the political message I'd scrolled on my chest. Then I like, wasn't happy about them not being happy, know what I mean? So I
ED: So you though the next reasonable step was to go outside, build a snowman, and clothe it with your own garments, while disrobing in subzero temperatures? Do you enjoy the kind of negative attention that these actions bring? Do you think any of your teammates would have been impressed by this?
CMB: Some of the ones back Quebec, no doubt. McNair and Park, would have been impressed.
ED: You seem very sure of yourself.
CMB: Aye. Well I thought it was really really really funny.
ED: Do you ever think the inconsistencies in your behaviour might follow certain patterns?
CMB: Nah.
ED: I'm just wondering, and stop me if I'm wrong, but I can't imagine you finding that amusing - say - if you hadn't won the game. If you hadn't scored, for example.
CMB: That's pish.
ED: Just something for you to think about, between now and our next session.
CMB: Fuck off! Has that been an hour already?
ED: I'm afraid so. As they say, time flies when your having fun.

CMB

Fucking stupid.

'Yeah don't worry, you'll get used to it.' Connie answered, still as of yet, unable to sake Ross Renshaw. It was hard to work out whether his surprise at facing one of the Multiverse's more unusual teams was genuine, or whether it was just the only conversation topic he could think of. Either way, she was currently enjoying the attention, and whatever his motives were; the feeling of being wanted was an unusual one for her. Connie couldn't blame him for being star struck, as far as she was concerned, she was the best striker in the world now. The thought of this gave her an extra spring in her step as they marched through the hotel

Ross was the very embodiment of the over exuberance of youth, always striving for praise and acceptance. He'd been in the squad for much of the last eighteen months, but the eagerness to impress had never really gone away. Maybe it was the fact that he played in Port Christopher, he felt like an outsider. To be sure, at first, he had generally stuck pretty close to Evelyn. The first time Connie clocked them back in the Fiddlers' Bar, she had wondered if they were an item, but it was clearly more of a sibling relationship. Ross had scored first international goal today, and it wouldn't surprise Connie if he'd planed to get a picture of it printed on a t-shirt. He'd already asked her twice what she thought of it -- it was hard to give constructive feedback on an opportunistic tap-in.

'Did you see one of their players was called The Protector of Polaris' Ross added excitedly. 'I thought that was you! hahahahahaha.' Jesus Christ! Was this guy for real?

He was kind of unbearable, but at the same time Connie really didn't want to lose his attention. 'No, I'm the attacker of Polaris.' Possibly as bad a joke as she had ever told, even followed up by a trite wink of her eye for good measure.

Both Connie's eye flew wide open, as without warning Ross turned and kissed her. It took her a couple seconds to formulate a response, which was inevitably a knee in his midriff. 'What the fuck are you fucking doing you... fucking twat!' Connie dusted herself down, as she looked on, concerned for a second that she might have done more damage than she had intended. 'Dude, seriously..?'

'I... I'm...' Ross replied through a painful wheezing fit, as he lay bent double. 'I didn't mean to cause any offence... I was only...'

'You didn't mean to cause any fucking offence?' Connie almost laughed at the ridiculousness of this statement. 'How could you possibly think that kissing me... Oh for fucksake.' She grabbed him by the arm and helped him to his feet, perhaps a little earlier than he would have liked. Ross didn't seem quite ready to stand straight, but she couldn't go on watching him huddled there like in injured shrew.

'Thank you.'

'You're welcome.' She replied with a scowl. 'Just don't do anything so fucking stupid again.' They walked/hobbled along the hotel lobby, stopping outside Connie's hotel room door.

'I won't.' Ross Renshaw seemed horrified and embarrassed in equal measures by what had just happened. 'I won't ever do that again, and you're right, it was really offences. A really offensive thing to do.' He was back grovelling again, that was good.

'Look, it's okay.' Connie retrieved her keys from her pocket. 'And I'm sorry for the, you know...' She nodded in the direction of his abdomen. 'Let's say we are just about even.' She pulled the door open. 'Okay, see you in a bit. Okay?'

'Okay.' Ross was still standing there for some reason, looking rather lost. His eyes were still a little red and weepy from the winding he had just received.

'You're not coming in; just to be fucking clear...'

'Yesyesyesyses, of course,' Ross flapped about forgetting the way to his own room several times before settling on the correct direction. 'Yes yes, eh, good night, see you tomorrow.' He managed to add, before nearly breaking into a run as he scampered down the corridor.

Back behind the closed door, Connie let out a shaky breath. 'Fucking hell.' She mouthed, before shaking her head.

Schottia 3–0 Space
Line-up: Gould, Abner, Killanen, Souter, Ünterhausen, Conjure, Bánach (Dornenberger), James, Rexmont (Kella), Soria-Luna, Martel-Burns (Renshaw)
Goals: Rexmont, Martel-Burns, Renshaw

Schottia kicked off their bid to regain the Independents Cup with a pretty straightforward win over Space. Schottia The Next Generation as they have been branded by, well... me, would have been under a fair bit of pressure to prove themselves, and avoid any slip-ups at the Nilmenas Football Stadium. However, any concerns that this young side wouldn't have been up to the task were quickly put to one side, as Chenoworth Harriers star, Steven Rexmont, opened the scoring after nine minutes. The former Dundee and Porty winger gave the poetically named, The Defender of Orion's Belt, the slip before finishing with a powerful lef- footed strike at the near post. Schottia doubled their lead ten minutes later, and again Rexmont was heavily involved, as the 25-year-old finally looks to be living up to his early promise. After receiving an inch perfect pass from Camlia Luna, Rexmont was able to drive the ball across the face of goal for the ever-alert Corinne Martel-Burns to turn in at the far post. Aside from Rexmont, there were several good performances to note, with Conjure, Souter, and Luna all playing especially well. Schottia rounded off the scoring in the eightieth minute, when a cross-field ball from Nick James sent substitute Liusaidh Kella free, who in turn squared it for Ross Renshaw to tap in the easiest of goals.

by **Spaam** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 6:34 am

"BEL-MORE! BEL-MORE! BEL-MORE!"

The Spaamanian crowd was pumped as the legendary and possibly immortal Alan Belmore dribbled the ball around the Margondan players. The scene brought back memories of centuries past, when Spaam was one of the top teams in the world, and the original Belmore set the multiverse on fire with his almost impossible skills. Since then, everything had changed, of course. Alan Belmore was a young 20-something football star then; now he was reportedly 300 years old and much more measured in his playing. The once great empire of Spaam had been all-but destroyed and had since risen from the dead, though a fraction of a percent of its former might. Audioslavia had even won a World Cup. And there hadn't been any competition like the Independent's Cup, when even Rushmore and Esportiva were unknown regions. But some former glory had returned to the football pitch, with Spaam one of the favourites for the competition it was now hosting and a Sehelin, or two, leading them to victory.

Belmore finished playing with the hapless Margondan defender and crossed over to Merlara Sehelin, who was magnetically drawn to the right spot, yet again, to bicycle kick the ball into the nets.

"ROTH RUM SPAAM! ROTH RUM SPAAM!"

The Spaamanian chant went up amongst the legion of Orange and Black fans in the Paatukar Football Stadium, celebrating the first blood that had been drawn in this opening match of the Independents Cup. The spiritual home of football in the nation, Paatukar City had won twenty one championships in this stadium, more than any other team in the league. There had been some famous international victories here in recent years: Gregoryisgodistan, Quakmybush and, possibly most sweet of all, Krytenia. The almost impossible run that had seen Spaam qualify at the top of their group, evidence of divine intervention from Margaret if ever there was. Queen Oruzaadov had sat here watching her subjects defeat Nagore in their first home win in almost two centuries, before she was cruelly assassinated. King Thalaasmus had sat here with the mighty Lord Gregory, calmly attempting to not cause an international incident as Alan Belmore himself scored the upset goal.

Liltora Sehelin, little sister of a much more famous team-mate, stole the ball from her opposite number, and the team changed to direction to move towards the goal. She passed it up to her sister, but the Magondans converged on Merlara to block her way. However, this left Belmore free to get outrun his mark, and he made the most of the pass, with the keeper's fingertips not enough to stop the goal.

"ERAA! ERAA, ERAA, ERAA, ERAA! ERAAAAA! ERAAAAA!"

The scenes were becoming jubilant as the crowd sensed this would be a solid win to the Spaamanian team. Magonda were an unknown quantity, a small nation without much of a history playing the gentlepersons's game. It might be easy to take an unranked team like that for granted, but Spaam had proven to the multiverse that was a foolish thing to do eight years ago, when they qualified for the World Cup ahead of many more fancied opponents. But this didn't seem to be the case here, as the younger squad fell into defensive formations in the face of the onslaught of Orange jerseys. With a two goal lead, Hewelan Faaberos, the celebrated coach of the Spaamanians, had the opportunity to try some of his less experienced players and exercise some different strategies. One of the three teenage players was already on the field in the form of the younger Sehelin, but she was quickly joined by her Under-21 teammates Trisrym Payarus and Milsula Shagwyn. The youth quickly stepped up, with Merlara Sehelin racking up another assist to give Shagwyn her first international goal in just her tenth minute playing for her country.

"SHAAAAAAGWYN! SHAAAAAAGWYN!"

The crowd loved it, but they were loving everything at this point, turning everything into a chant. Somewhere in the middle of this game, the referee blew the whistle for half-time, and the players went back to their rooms, but it was almost as if they fans didn't notice. True, there was the usual movement to the bathrooms or the taps of beer, but the noise was still deafening as the half-time entertainment took the field. It had taken years for them to convince the conservative powers-that-be to let cheerleaders take the field, but the religious and moralistic government had finally relented, with state-approved costumes, or course. There would naturally be the usual complaints in the comment sections of the newspapers tomorrow, but the modestly dressed dancers entertained everyone, and even His Majesty, King Thalaasmus seemed to enjoy himself. But the level of cheering did eventually rise as the team took the field to extend their three goal lead.

Whatever the Magondan coach had said during the break seemed to work as they pressed from the get-go. It didn't seem to bother the home team though, as they returned to their more familiar defensive midfield positions. The only people that didn't seem happy were the fans as they chances dried up for a period, and they chants got sillier.

"HOLAHOLAMORA! HOLAMORAMORA! HOLAMORAHOLRAMORAHORAMOLAROLAHOMAROLAMORA..."

Vilsalu vetaran defender Rawesin Holamora smiled as he heard the chant making fun of his name, especially as he hadn't had to stretch himself in this match. He had been a spectator for the majority of the game, mostly content to catch a back pass from one of the Ralora twins and move it to Romenor on the other wing, or vice versa. He did get a great view of the rarer sight of Thalia Fenzana getting the last touch of a goal, as Spaam claimed their fourth goal. It had been three years since the Spaamanian captain had score and international goal, but with the forwards clearing a path for her, she was well placed to head it in. Now the team sniffed something new. They had managed score four goals on a number of occasions, but never in modern times had they scored five. This could be history in the making, and with the clock hitting the ninety minute mark, time was running out. Margonda was eager to spoil the party and salvage something from the game, but the forwards kept probing, kept pushing.

In the end it was mere seconds before the final whistle:

"SEHELIN! SKA ETH BLAAS! SEHELIN! SKA ETH BLAAS!"

by **Kecrazia** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 8:08 am

KECRAZIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM

Coach: Charles Grevfrehn
Assistant coach: Jeked Oldrejik
Captain: Aleksandr Chovaluch
Vice-captain: Thiago Luiz

FIRST TEAM

No.	Name		        	Age	Position
1	Philip Jonas       		25	GK
4	Aleksandr Chovaluch		27	LB
5	Robert Sousa     		23	CB
7	Marko Sela         		27	CAM
8	Abu Zuzeth         		26	LM
10	Naven Xelafen	                23   	CF
12	Zernbafex Walej    		28	LCB
14	Kasper Mhentazec		25	CDM
16	Stefan Grebinguch            	26	LM
18	Robin de Valenfil		22	RM
19	Ithimian Klevan			23	RB

SUBS                     

No.	Name				Age	Pos
2	George Velenaz 	         	28	RCB/RB
3	Viktor Kalez       		29	RB
6	Michael Gerfenjel		28	RM/CDM
9	Dennis Vagfak   	       	25	ST/LW
11	Thiago Luiz        	      	28      RW
13	Ermir Delanzel			24	GK
15	Bernard Valenan  		25	LM	
17	Cuevan Jolavic           	21	CF
20	Zedelan Hurthe    		25	CB
21	Pithenret Krache    		28	GK
22	Ethan Vexezej    		25	RB

Formation: 4-2-3-1
Style Modifier: -4

PERMISSIONS

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers:                    Yes
Godmod scoring events:                    No
RP injuries to my players:                Yes, but no career ending ones etc, and 1 per game at maximum please
Godmod injuries to my players:            No
Hand out yellow cards to my players:      Yes, 3 per game at maximum please
Hand out red cards to my players:         Yes, 1 per game at maximum please
Godmod other events:                      No

by **Britonisea** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 8:22 am

BRTIONISEA AT THE INDEPENDENTS CUP III

BRITONISEA
Skill Modifier: +2

Despite being considered one of the best nations for football in it's region, Britonisea has not tried to make itself a global football nation. With over 200 nations ranked above Britonisea in its rankings, the Sports Ministry has asked for the nation's increased participation in international events.

GK - North Quinton     - Aysean Campifut, Eaux                      -   22
LB - Lucas Jérémie     - Norwaege Campifut, Junterapten             -   26
CB - Ron Xander        - Norwaege Campifut, JUnterapten             -   18
RB - Jake Blake        - Doporlions, Doportedas                     -   29
LM - Adrian King       - Doporlions, Doportedas                     -   24
CM - Jourdain Amédée   - Sports Football Club, Luton                -   21
DM - Erwin Large       - Alshkan Futballen, Alshkan, Estogium       -   30
RM - Alton Mleczko     - Alshkan Futballen, Alshkan, Estogium       -   28
LW - Lukas Amédée      - Sports Football Club, Luton                -   24
RW - Palmer Criswell   - Darlington Shire, Darlington, Estogium     -   27
SS - Forrest Manhandle - Aysean Campifut, Eaux                      -   25

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my Scorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: Yes
RP Injuries to my Players: Yes (but not death)
Godmod Injuries to my Players: Yes
Yellow Card my Players: Yes
Red Card my Players: Yes
Godmod Other Events: Yes (but not death)

Thanks.

by **Bonesea** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 11:40 am

by **Spaam** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 1:16 pm

by **Mercedini** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 1:19 pm

Independents' Cup MD1 LIVE
Mercedini vs. Mampris
@ Adel Bagrou Stadium - Adel Bagrou, Kel Assuk

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to sunny Kel Assuk. Today, Mercedini will be starting their third IAC campaign and their first with their new manager Elidyr Lyndainium. It's a very warm afternoon with the sun beating down on the fans and the players who are currently making their final preparations before the start of the match. Mercedini will kick off the group against a Mampris side who are looking to enact revenge on their opponents after this tie was won 2-0 by the team in blue and black in the last edition of the Independent's Cup. All eyes will be on the new players in the team including Markus and Toivonen who will all make their senior international debut in just a couple of minutes time, but there will also be anticipation for the well known players such as Dostlok who has been making waves in Schottia along with Alotic who starts the season in Cosumar's second-tier after being relegated with West Gundar last season. So, enough of the anticiaption, the teams are coming out of the tunnel now to the excitement of the fans

0' - The teams exchange gifts as usual and both teams are eager to get this match underway. Mercedini look to have occupied most of the seats in the stadium and even looked to have nabbed some on the 'neutral' seats in the centre of the stadium. Mampris have filled most of their seats but there are definitely some empty gaps on their part, meaning it's advantage to the Golden Eagles when it comes to crowd support. Dostalok will kick us off on this boiling afternoon in Adel Bagrou, the mercury is hitting well above thirty degrees, we hope the players and the fans have put on plenty of sunscreen.

6' - (MRC 0-0 MAM) - It looks as if the heat will be the biggest variable in this match, neither team really performing well at the moment although Mercedini are on top at the moment and are pressing Mampris back in their own final third. Dostalok and Nymark are the standout performers at the moment and are linking up well at the start of this match. No big chance to speak of yet, although the Golden Eagles are on top in this opening match.

13' - (MRC 0-0 MAM) - Both the United States of Devonta and New Scaiva & Horshenwurst are waiting in the wings while Mercedini and Mampris are on the pitch working hard in this sweltering heat, both teams have drawn the short straw when playing in the afternoon match rather than the cooler evening match. Although the fitness of the Mercedinians looks like it is coming through at the moment, Mampris haven't had a chance to push forward as of yet. Mercedini are in a commanding position at the moment but they need to score a goal in order to follow through on their dominance.

19' - (MRC 0-0 MAM) - Mampris beginning to get a foothold in this game and are having a dangerous period of posession, their first of the game. Mercedini still look comfortable and the new additions to the squad are performing well in their debut, the fans are fanning themselves and drinking alot of water but the players dont have that privilige and there are plenty of sweaty bodies out there at the moment. Still 0-0 with plenty of time left in the first half, I dont think many people are willing to bet where this match will go due to the sheer amount of variables present in this match.

25' - (MRC 0-0 MAM) - We're overlooking the town of Adel Bagrou with the small white and sand coloured buildings littering the skyline over the opposite stand to where we currently are in the gantry. Mercedini passing the ball around and alternating between the wings to give all the players a good workout, they havent fashined a chance through to Alotic or Dostalok just yet, although Alotic did curl a well worked shot just wide a couple of minutes ago. Mercedini are knocking on the door, they will need to get one in sooner or later in order to settle any nerves that are lingering and to put distance between themselves and their opponents.

32' - (MRC 1-0 MAM) -

GOAL! and Mercedini finally find the breakthrough they so desperately needed to get themselves up and running for the tournament. Charlie Alotic scores with an opportunistic move which he really couldnt miss. Nymark fed Dostalok into the box with only a couple of poeple to beat but lashed a shot at the goalkeeper which was parried onto the bar. The dramatic richochet bought it into the path of the arriving Alotic who sidefooted the ball into the open net for the first goal of the game. It's been coming, 1-0 Mercedini!

38' - (MRC 1-0 MAM) - The first half looks to be coming to an end with Mercedini one goal up and looking comfortable in this sweltering Assukian sun. I know I am saying that it's how out there but it's thrirty degrees in the shade so goodness knows how hot it is on the pitch and on the uncovered stand opposite us. The Mercedinians in the stand are enjoying themselves but the limited crowd doesnt really make it feel like an international match, more like a mid-table clash between two second-tier domestic teams. Anyway, Mercedini need to hang on for another ten minutes and then they can go in for some drinks. Still 1-0.

42' - (MRC 1-0 MAM) - Play is beginning to slow down as Mampris attempt to string a couple of passes together. They seem a bit swollowed up by the occasion but this is at least their second appearance in a major tournament, they have played the Golden Eagles before and were lacking a bit there, whether Mampris have gone backwards or Mercedini have advanced somewhat since their last meeting. Another 2-0 or more could be on the cards, with Mercedini looking strong as Devonta and New Scaiva are waiting to play after this match.

45+1' - (MRC 1-0 MAM) - The referee blows his whistle for the end of the first half and muted applause rings round the stadium, Mercedini have given a good show of themselves in this game so far with the front two plus the new arrivals all adopting the attacking style of their new manager meaning the chemstry is already there from the players. Mampris, in contrast, have been relatively absent from the match as their oppponent have either held the ball or stopped them from advancing with the ball, meaning it's been a rather successul half for Lyndainium in his first competitive match, it's the end product thats missing from their game if anything, even if plenty of big hitters are missing from this tournament's roster. At the end of the first half, it's Mercedini 1, Mampris 0

HALF TIME
Mercedini 1 - 0 Mampris
Alotic 32'

Welcome back to our coverage of Mercedini's first match of the Independant's Cup where Mercedini are a goal to the good thanks to a parried shot which fell into Alotic's lap which he easily converted to open the scoring. The teams have gone in and the fans in the stands are enjoying their half-time refreshments. There are plenty of sweaty pits in the stand we are in along with friendly ladies walking around and offering water to those spectataing the match. We have the fan on full blast on the gantry with the rest of the international media having theirs on aswell. The teams are out for the second half and look adequately refreshed as they come back onto the pitch. Lyndainium looks on and folds his arms, it doesnt look like he has made any substitutes just yet so we are as we were regrading the teams as we prepare ourselves for the second half

48' - (MRC 1-0 MAM) - Only three minutes into this match and it's Mampris who are taking the surpirse initiaitive in this game, they have pressed forward and had a couple of half chances outside the box but none of the shots they have let loose havent bothered Polasic in the Mercedinian goal as of yet. Still 1-0 to Mercedini, with Mampris coming more into this game making the crowd more uncertain as to who will get the next goal. It will be crucial who does, so it's beginnin to entre crunch time in the match already.

56' - (MRC 2-0 MAM) -

GOAL and that may be the knockout blow from Mercedini's perspective and it's the ever reliable Dostalok with a beautifully worked goal which ended in a nicely curled shot just inside the box. It was Markus who found himself in space, he worked it to Vaselko whose early cross beat the defence and found Dostalok. He pulled inside and curled a shot low into the far corner which beat the desparing dive of the Mampris goalkeeper and nestled in the net for his first and Mercedini's second of the game. He has been nurtured by the Handon United team in Schottia and has been performing well for his domestic team, and that seems to have rubbed off on the national team. 20 goals in 20 games for the young lad from Shebchetsik makes for very good reading if you're a Golden Eagles supporter. 2-0 Mercedini.

68' - (MRC 2-0 MAM) - Mampris have just had a golden chance to get a goal back but they havent taken it which means Mercedini stays two goal ahead at this point. A fizzing cross was laced into the box and flashed across the face of goal with two Mampris players approaching the ball, both being hounded by the two central defenders. The goalkeeper couldnt commit should someone get a touch on the ball before he gets there. Noone managed to get a touch and the ball rolled harmlessly out of the box and out for a Mercedinian throw in. Mampris could be rueing that come the end of the game, but as it stands Mercedini are looking comfortable at this game, they maintain their 2-0 lead.

74' - (MRC 2-0 MAM) - Mercedini would have had a third but the offside flag. Dostalok was put through o goal with only the goalkeeper to beat. He lobbed the ball over the keeper with a delightful little chip but that was when the flag was raised and the whistle went. The ball rolled into the net but it was already dead as replays showed that Dostalok just strayed offside while making his run. It remains 2-0 with Mercedini in cruise control for this match. We have about fifteen minutes plus stoppage time until Lyndainium can claim his first competitive victory at the first time of asking

80' - (MRC 2-0 MAM) - Ten minutes to in the match and Mercedini are maintaining possession by passing it between the defense and attack, frustrating the Mampris team but I guess this is how you win games. It's got a bit cooler since the start of the second half with the sun going down and the wind picking up a bit which means the conditions are a bit better for football even if the ball is swirling about a bit in the air. Dostalok and Alotic have both fallen back to have more of a defensive role in order to see the match through. Lyndainium's tactics have worked out well so far and, barring a collapse, should get an opening win in this tournament.

88' - (MRC 2-0 MAM) - The Mercedinains are looking comfortable in this match and that has given some of the fans a signal to make a departure to beat the traffic and try and get back to their hotels before melting in the heat. The players look exhausting and we have had a couple of interruptions due to cramp which may be a concern for the physios for future matches. Mercedini look to be sailing through this game so fitness will be a priority for the rest of the match. It remains 2-0.

90+5' - (MRC 2-0 MAM) - After what felt like an eternity of added on time, the referee finally blows his whistle for the end of that match which sees Mercedini go top of their group for the moment with a comfortable 2-0 win against unranked Mampris. It was the same scoreline last time and many of the same Mampris floors have reared their head once again. Goals from the two strikers, Alotic and Dostalok did the job for the Golden Eagles whose main opponent was the scorching heat in this desert bowl of a nation. United States of Devonta and New Scaiva & Horshenwurst will be next on this pitch and both teams will have their eyes firmly on Mercedini as the team to beat. Here in Kel Assuk, it's finished Mercedini 2, Mampris 0.

FULL TIME
Mercedini 2 - 0 Mampris
Alotic 32', Dostalok 56'

So a good start for Mercedini in the IAC and a good start for Lyndanium in competitive action as Mercedinian manager. The United States of Devonta and New Scaiva & Horshenwurst await in the next two matches with the hope that the Golden Eagles can continue their good form and work their way to a second successive knockout phase. With Mercedini putting distance between themselves and the rest of the group for now, the team cannot afford to let up and let what happened to them in World Cup Qualification happen to them here as that would be a disaster for the confidence of the players and the fans towards the MFA. We leave it here for today, we hope the weather is a bit cooler in Mercedini. From Kel Assuk, goodnight.

by **Spaam** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 1:44 pm

Group A (Marandet)
 Petroslovania 1–1  Britonisea
 Kel Assuk 4–1  HUElavia

  Group A (Marandet)   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1  Kel Assuk           2   2  0  0   12   3  +9    6
2  Britonisea          2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3  Petroslovania       2   0  1  1    3   9  −6    1
4  HUElavia            2   0  0  2    2   6  −4    0

Group B (Araouane)
 Bojikstan 2–0  Kecrazia
 Drawkland 2–0  Kalumba

  Group B (Araouane)   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1  Drawkland           2   2  0  0    4   0  +4    6
2  Kalumba             2   1  0  1    3   2  +1    3
3  Bojikstan           2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4  Kecrazia            2   0  0  2    0   5  −5    0

Group C (Abalessa)
 The Warbler 1–1  Rhineland Sued
 Bonesea 0–1  Alpine Union

  Group C (Abalessa)   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1  Alpine Union        2   2  0  0    5   1  +4    6
2  Bonesea             2   1  0  1    3   2  +1    3
3  The Warbler         2   0  1  1    2   4  −2    1
4  Rhineland Sued      2   0  1  1    2   5  −3    1

Group D (Adel Bagrou)
 Mampris 2–1  N.S. and H.
 Mercedini 2–0  U.S. of Devonta

 Group D (Adel Bagrou) Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1  Mercedini           2   2  0  0    4   0  +4    6
2  U.S. of Devonta     2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
3  Mampris             2   1  0  1    2   3  −1    3
4  N.S. and H.         2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

by **Omerica** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 2:54 pm

flardania 1–0 omerica: a great keeper denied a clean sheet by a better team
goalkeeper frédérique acardi shines in omerica’s independents cup début, takes player of the match award

Skaganes, Spaam — Despite suffering a loss at the hands of one of the world’s top twenty sides, Romainbourg native and Omerica captain Frédérique Acardi stood out on the first matchday of the Independents Cup, keeping an unranked nation afloat for longer than most outside observers were expecting.

In a match largely dominated by top seeds Flardania, one of the favourites to win the tournament, Acardi was instrumental in keeping the Kitsunes scoreless for more than an hour. The first half produced little of note in terms of chances, with Omerica adequately shutting down avenue after avenue of attack for the Kitsunes, but failing to create anything meaningful on the other side of the pitch. Flardania looked to have outwitted Omerica after twenty minutes, but Joseph Yabuta’s shot landed safely in a ready Acardi’s arms. Acardi notched another save within ten minutes, after Josuke Ichikawa faked out Fernand Michelakakis, but could not find an angle at which he could avoid the United Philibiscostal keeper.

With Flardania’s other shots either off target or safely dealt with by Acardi and the Omerica back five, the match would remain scoreless throughout the first half. The situation changed little in the early minutes of the second half, with an attempt by Renée Guidice hitting the crossbar. Acardi would go on to save another two shots by Flardanian strikers before Ichikawa’s shot on target in the 64th minute was deflected and intercepted by Yabuta, who slotted the ball past an off-guard Acardi to put Flardania on the board.

Omerica’s Morgan Barzetti would challenge Miyoko Hōjō with a shot after receiving a long pass from Krysten Speight, leaving Hōjō to notch her only save of the match and Flardania firmly in the lead. Ryan Pritchard substituted defender Charity Kayode for striker Lucky Ashworth in an attempt to strengthen Omerica’s attack and reclaim a draw, but could not break Flardania’s domineering hold on possession, leaving Flardania to claim all three points in the Group G opener.

“I think it would’ve been a fool’s errand to try and mount an all-out attack against Flardania,” manager Ryan Pritchard told press after the match. “We did the best we could and it wasn’t quite good enough. Flardania were simply the better team today and the score reflects that. There will be other matches against other teams and we’re still in the tournament with a chance, so we refocus, regroup and go at Cosneolta with everything we have.”

“You try to go out and win, but you can’t always be successful in doing that,” Pritchard said in response to domestic critics of the new national team. “It’s all about what you make of it. The last Baptism of Fire winners lost their opening match, but kept on fighting. In the end, it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

“We did well to keep Flardania scoreless for as long as we did,” Acardi said in the post-match press conference. “This was our first big test and I think we could have done better, but it could have been much worse. We have to stay positive, learn from our mistakes and focus on the next match.”

When asked about Flardania’s goal, Acardi simply stated “I am not going to let silly mistakes bring me down. Flardania won and we did not, so I congratulate them and wish them luck in the rest of the tournament.”

Omerica are currently level with Cosneolta after the latter’s 1–0 defeat against Tinhampton. The two will face off in a match which is considered to be Omerica’s best chance at winning points at the Independents Cup. Flardania and Tinhampton jointly lead the group and face each other after Omerica v Cosneolta in a match that pundits are calling the likely group decider.

Omerica face Cosneolta in their next Independents Cup match in Skaganes Stadium at 15:00 CST live on UCN2.

for your reading pleasure
▶ EDITORIAL: Where does the Commonwealth Soccer Federation go after the Independents Cup?
▶ Three Avonian constables arrested in an unusual urination scandal
▶ Basketball Omerica will not enter the IBC until the rankings “unless and until the rankings are fixed”
▶ Cardiganshire and Orangeshire to go to the polls in simultaneous snap elections

by **Flardania** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 3:00 pm

Skaganes Stadium
Skaganes|Spaam

Ladies and gentleman the final score in this match, Flardania 1, Omerica 0. Joseph Yabuta scored the sole goal for the Kitsunes in the 64' minute. Thank you for coming this evening and please drive home safely. The P.A announced as the Kitsunes headed over to their supporters section and bowed. The section was much more empty than usual but it had nothing to do with lack of support or anything like that. In fact, the national team was loved more now than ever before due to the Kitsunes emerging out of the Group stages for the first time in World Cup 78. The only problem was that the very important lust infused religious holiday of Rasuto festival just recently ended and many supporters either could get any more vacation days or in the most likely scenario of the Rasuto festival ending the day before and many supporters have yet to arrive in Spaam. At least the Kitsunes didn't need them today as they defeated Omerica. Joseph Yabuta was nearly off the pitch when he felt two arms around his neck.

"Guess who?" Claire asked.

"Obviously it's you Claire and the other person must be Aya-...me......huh?" Yabuta stated as he opened his eyes and was filled with confusion.

"Nope it's not your old friends, it's me, Renée!" Renée exclaimed while laughing. "Geez, you would think you would know what I feel like by now after Rasuto festival."
Renée added as Joseph looked over to see the other arm belonging to Rin Mizoguchi.

"Woah way to go Jo-Kun can't even recognize when it's not your teammates, guess the Wolfpack means nothing now...." Claire teased with a grin. "Hey Ayame, guess we should tell Tomoyo about this when we get back to Akihabara." Claire added.

"Don't give me any of that, it wasn't fair that you used your voice, Claire." Joseph fired back

"Woah you hear that Ayame, apparently voice can interrupt the recognition of bonds. Guess we were never close after all!" Claire replied.

"No Way" Ayame added

"Renée maybe we should reconsider being friends with this guy, looks like he is a fake," Rin added with a Cheshire grin.

"Or maybe you're the fakes?" Koharu Miyamoto interrupted before giving Yabuta a pat on the back.

"Y-Yeah because that just means more time for us!" Ako added as she was with Koharu.

Before Joseph could jump in thanks to the back up he received, the seven starters had reached the locker room and were interrupted by the manager, Seong Mi-Soo. "My aren't you the popular one Yabuta-san. However, Rasuto festival is over so have your flirtatious teasings for another time." While it wasn't the case neither of the seven could protest due to the rest of the team laughing at their expense with Miguel Tamayo and the team doctor Myeong Hyeon Yi simply giving looks of sympathy while stifling their giggles.

After everyone had settled down, Seong Mi-Soo was ready. "Team we had a good match, do not let the scoreline tell you otherwise. We were recovering from a busy week back home but we were able to get the job done and focus. As a result we have added three points to our name. Yes we are amoung the favorites in this comeptition but we have to play like it. Yes I'm glad we got out of the Group stages in World Cup 78 but we need to put that behind us. We have finally cracked the top 20. Now we not only need to play in a way our new rank place us but our objectives in tournament have changed as well. We need to start winning smaller tournaments like these and don't let a number one rank scare you. We can go far in this tournament if we stay focused and win like we did tonight. Once again great job. Dismissed!"

by **Kel Assuk** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 3:46 pm

Don't Stop trying to win! This is your Matchday 2 cutoff.

Group E
 Margonda 1–3 Makongo 
 Spaam 3–3 Scottopian Isles 

   Group E              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Spaam                  2   1  1  0    8   3  +5    4
2 Scottopian Isles       2   1  1  0    5   4  +1    4
3 Makongo                2   1  0  1    4   3  +1    3
4 Margonda               2   0  0  2    1   8  −7    0

Group F
 the Selkie 0–0 San Regada 
 Abanhfleft 4–3 Aggrey-Fynn Land 

   Group F              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft             2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
2 Aggrey-Fynn Land       2   1  0  1    7   4  +3    3
3 the Selkie             2   0  1  1    0   2  −2    1
4 San Regada             2   0  1  1    0   4  −4    1

Group G
 Omerica 1–0 Cosneolta 
 Flardania 2–3 Tinhampton 

   Group G              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tinhampton             2   2  0  0    4   2  +2    6
2 Flardania              2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
3 Omerica                2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
4 Cosneolta              2   0  0  2    0   2  −2    0

Group H
 Space 2–2 New Danican 
 Schottia 2–0 Savalen 

   Group H              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Schottia               2   2  0  0    5   0  +5    6
2 New Danican            2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Space                  2   0  1  1    2   5  −3    1
4 Savalen                2   0  0  2    0   4  −4    0

EDIT: Formatting

by **Bojikstan** » Fri Aug 11, 2017 4:13 pm

The Rookies

Part Three. In which emotions flare, and old ghosts resurface.

After their second match, the training atmosphere was still tense for the Bojikstani team. They wore the same uniform, sure, but saying that they were a truly unified team would be a blind statement. Everyone still classed everyone else into one of two groups. The easterners, and the westerners. There were various things that could decide what group you were with. Your religious beliefs, your hometown, where you currently played. Sometimes it was who your family was, or who your friends were. Everyone had their own way of judging it, but two distinct groups had still formed and there was nothing that Marco Christensen could do about it.

Even in team activities, there’s a divide. The westerners, they’re sociable and friendly, and they are sometimes considered hedonists. They party when they can, and they aren’t averse to going drinking as long as they’re sober enough to take the field the next day for training or a match. The easterners, though, are a rougher group. Some of them are more stoic, which could either be considered a result of the recent fighting that went on in their backyards, and they’re a group of fighters. Most of the western players hadn’t been exposed to the civil war directly, but there’s more than one easterner on the national team that’s fought and killed for the eastern dream. Many of those eastern players prefer to fight on their days off, training in boxing or Bojikstani street fighting, the latter of which is a code that was born on the streets of Odena and Morievo.

The difference is apparent at the end of training, when the westerners start walking off and talking casually with each other, at the same time as every easterner gathers by the opposite goal for a team prayer. It’s something that the other half of the team would never consider, not with the Strasburg based government doing everything they can since the civil war to increase secularism and put the focus on science over traditions. And during the war, faith had become more polarizing than it has ever been in the past. It became something that allows everyone else to quickly judge where you stand, the new version of asking someone what city they’re from. Though of course, Eastern Bojikstani Christianity was a bit different from the traditional kind. It was more about courage and the like, and not love and peace.

“Never saw you as the type to pray,” Mara Mandaric remarks, when the easterners finished, and began watching their counterparts at the other goal with a certain unease. “Thought you were cooler than that, to be honest,” she adds. She’s speaking to Artem, who was the one that said the actual prayer, and she’s looking at him with a near glare.

“Why wouldn’t I? It’s our culture, Mar,” Artem shrugs, not meeting her eye and doing everything in his power to avoid the hard stare. “You know I’m not one of those uptight Christians, anyway. I can party just like the westerners, if I feel like it.”

“Your culture. I guess I still haven’t adapted completely to living and playing over in Morievo.”

“What’s wrong with wearing a cross and praying before games? It bothers you that much?”

“I think it oppresses people,” Mara mutters, before noticing the rest of the group staring at her, and turning to go. “Sorry,” she adds quickly, and then she starts towards the opposite end of the pitch, where some of the other western born players are still hanging out.

“With opinions like that, you’ll fit right in with the Strasburg boys!” Niko Komarov shouts after her.

“You’re one to mock someone’s beliefs,” replies Rain Delacruz. “You’re, like, the least serious Christian on the team.”

“But at least I don’t repeat the same shit that the government has been pushing hard for the last five years. I’m not asking her to be the Virgin Mary, just to not rubbish our culture.”

“Fair enough,” Artem says, staying neutral in the whole thing and avoiding any real statements.

“Oh, and Artem. Come talk to me when you get the chance. I want to set up a meeting between you and someone that I know. Someone that can help this career of yours.”

“An agent?”

“Sort of.”

“I make no promises, but we’ll see.”

***

“Sometimes I feel like I’m destined for bigger and better things, you know? We have this four man midfield, and Marco is rating these other four players over me. Mara is playing in the back, because of how aggressive she is, I guess, and we have Eric and you in the middle, no offense, and Alexey up front. What I’m trying to say is, am I really only the fifth best midfielder on this squad?” asks Ricardo Hale, as he finishes up a jog through the city with Rain Delacruz. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you play for a team that almost got relegated. I play for Morievo, and I still can’t get game time.”

“Sometimes, the relegation team is the one that shows the talents of its players better,” shrugged Rain, not taking offense at Ricardo’s confidence in his own ability. She looked sympathetic to his case, and when the two sat down outside of the bazaar that they had heard so much about, she squeezed his shoulder. “Not saying Selta is the best team, but it was easier getting a major role with them.”

“Mara is the same age as me, and she hasn’t had trouble getting a big role with Morievo.”

“Yeah, but she’s a DM and you’re a center mid. She’s so valuable because nobody does what she does… How many other short and agile defensive mids have you seen like her? She can run someone down from long range and then send them airborne with the saving tackle. It’s a unique set of skills. Or, look at Lucas Alberg. He’s starting in goal because he’s more athletic than any of the other keepers and it lets him do things that they can’t.”

“I can do things that others can’t, too. Who have you seen with my passing range?”

“Eric Dern,” chuckles Rain, and Ricardo sighs.

“My point exactly. No way does he have my range, but you wouldn’t know it, because Marco won’t let me play. I can set up a goal from our own box if the circumstances are right, and what can Eric do? Play pretty through balls from a few feet away? Pass accurately from short range? I deserve this spot as much as him.”

“You’re younger than him. You’ll get your shot-”

“Years later? Who knows if this damn team will even be around by then?”

Rain shrugs again, making a ‘who knows?’ face and leaning closer to him, staring with her deep brown eyes that sometimes appear closer to black. “If nobody else appreciates you, at least you can know that I appreciate you,” she says, her heart racing and her cheeks going a little bit red.

Ricardo doesn’t need any more hints to know what Rain wants. He leans in and closes his eyes, kissing her and wrapping his arm around her… It’s a release for both of them, and Ricardo assumes that he’s doing well, and moves to put his other arm around her, but the moment ends as soon as it began. Rain pushes him away, in a way that’s almost a harsh shove, and she’s no longer focusing on him. “Let’s go. We need to head back. Right now,” she explains, her voice hurried and shaky.

“What, I did something wrong?” Ricardo asks, looking at her like she’s gone crazy. “Rain, talk to me! What did I do? I thought you wanted this!”

“It’s not you… It’s something I saw, behind you,” Rain says, and she stands and darts off into the bazaar and the crowd that’s within it, leaving Ricardo to hang around and wonder what or who it is that she saw behind him while they were kissing.

“Fuck’s sake. Why can’t anything go right on this trip?”

B.S NETWORK: YOUR TRUSTWORTHY SOURCE
ANGRY ANTON'S RECAPS: BOJIKSTAN VS KECRAZIA, INDEPENDENTS CUP
Posted by AngryAnton

It’s overdue, but this team of youngsters and rejects finally managed a win! It took them two matches. The first was a friendly that we dropped at home in Strasburg, and the second was a 2-0 loss in the opening Independents Cup game. Our outlook wasn’t good, but we put ourselves in position to control our own destiny going into the finale of the group stage, which will be played against Kalumba. “The boys play well with their backs against the wall,” said manager Marco Christensen. “We have an underrated squad, but these players know that they might not be back if they fail here.”

Alexy Hesse and Artem Delacruz were the two on the scoresheet for the Azules, with Hesse opening scoring in the 32nd minute. Eric Dern intercepted a pass in the midfield and sent it in the other direction, and Hesse played a one two with Niko Komarov to get open and shoot past Philip Jonas. Delacruz doubled the lead one minute into the second half, taking on Robert Sousa one on one and targeting the middle of the box after feinting to the left to create space. It was a solo goal, with no assist from the midfield, and Delacruz celebrated by running to the stand where the Horda Azul ultras were standing.

The game nearly got closer in the second half when Naven Xelafen and Robin de Valenfil had a string of three chances, but Lucas Alberg was able to make two saves and Chico Suarez had a crucial block. This time, the defenders were playing in actual defensive positions and weren’t trying to jump to intercept every pass that came within ten yards of them! Chico led the team in tackles and made up for his past performance, and Alberg was clutch for once between the sticks.

The midfield was pretty decent, too, even though Artem made the second goal without their help, and Niko Komarov can be credited with the first assist. The ball ran through Eric Dern and Rain Delacruz, which was the game plan, and Mara Mandaric brought her usual physicality to the back of the midfield. Alexy Hesse flashed his on ball skill a few times, but he should have focused on getting more plays like the one where he scored. Not on flicking the ball over the heads of the opponents, and breaking ankles out wide.

Bojikstan plays its last group stage match against Kalumba, and as both teams have three points, the winner will move on to the next round. If it’s a draw, the Azules will have to rely on tiebreakers to get through. They currently have a GD of 0, compared to the +1 of Kalumba, though. It means that they better get the win and clinch their place in the round of sixteen, instead of relying on this inconsistent offense to save them! But for some reason, I don’t have a very good feeling about our odds.

by **New Danican** » Sat Aug 12, 2017 11:33 am

Grand Danican Post

Sports, Weather, News, and More

Lions Draw With Space

New Danican 2-2 Space

[Spaam] New Danican has completed their second game of the Independent's cup, drawing with Space. The match was even the whole way through, with both teams scoring one after the other. Both goals from New Danican(1-1-0, 4pts.) were scored by Grayson Barnes, one at 18 minutes to tie the game up, and another at 48 minutes to tie once more. Space(0-1-1) saw both its goals scored by different people, the first at 15 minutes was scored by Saturnia, and the second at 46 minutes by The Transporter of Pluto. The draw gave New Danican 4 total points in the group, second only to Schottia(2-0-0, 6pts) who they will play next game. Space managed to keep its hopes alive, but just barley. New Danican needs at least a draw in their next game in order to advance, they also can advance with a Space loss, or draw. After the match I team captain Chance Morris had this to say. "We put ourselves in a great position to advance, I would have liked to see us have clinched a spot in the knock out round today, but we couldn't we just need to look to the next game, we aren't going to worry about the other game, we are just going to focus on winning, or even drawing if necessary, so we can advance." Well we here at the Grand Danican Post wish them the best of luck and hope we can continue covering them in this tournament.

by **Schottia** » Sun Aug 13, 2017 6:37 am

OOC:Thanks to RKQ for the permission to feature his citizens.

Down.
You make sure the bandana is tightly pulled up over your nose, and your hood is as far forward as it can be. You’re near the front of the group, but not in the vanguard. It's not because you don't want to be, you're itching to sink your nails into to something, but you're worried about being identified. No sane person would have any idea why you were here - but you know.

The Bubonic Plague swarmed round the corner of the Duke's Road, deep inside enemy territory. There is a nervous energy - a fear even - but you, along with the sixty or seventy Quebecois are feeding off it; it keeps you sharp. Football hooligans will go to great lengths to meet up, and the ringleaders have already made it clear that they will be here. The Swan and the Kelpie are two bars facing each other across the road, the lights come into focus. They are the favourite haunts of Handon North's band of not-so-merry men. The absolute barrel scrapings of Schottic society. Vile, intolerant, scum. They had targeted the Bubonic Plague for their tirade against Gary Corsie. Not because they had any love for him, he'd played for their hated rivals Port Sebastian, but he was one of their own. Where you came from mattered to these knuckle draggers, and it was an excuse they needed for a call to arms. Numbers had been exchanged, and a battle line had been drawn.

You've walked through a maze of council estates to reach the Duke's Road, all the time curtains are drawn across tenement windows as you pass, and children as young as five and six spit at you from overgrown front gardens, using language that even you wouldn't have known at that age.

It's dark, but the Lammerton Lager sign outside the Swan guides the way, there is no sign of the North fans yet but...

Out of nowhere there is a scream. An ambush. The man in front of you collapses in a heap. You turn your head but your vision is impaired by your hood. You finally focus, but it is only to see a topless skinhead, who is swinging a cricket bat manically. You brace for impact, but glass bottle collides with the side of his head, and splinters of glass and blood fly thought the air. It's like a medieval battle, with bodies colliding this way and that, fists swing, bottles smash bats crunch into bone. You're frozen for a second. You pull your bandanna down for some oxygen, and the frosty night's air floods in, mixed with the smell of petrol fumes, cigarette smoke, and sweat. It's hit or be hit, but you've still not moved. You pick one. Just one. His back is turned to you. You ball your fist, can you do this? Hit him in the back? But then it arrives; a fist straight in the jaw, a follow-up knee in the ribs drains the blood from your face. This had the required affect though; you fly for him, tackling him to the ground. Your straddled him, a lad no older than you. With your left hand you pin him to the tarmac, with the right you strike him in the face. The pain shoots up your wrist; you hit him harder. This time thick, dark red blood trickles onto the road. You're thrown to the ground, the blow comes from you left. It's a heavy hit. You pull your arm back for one last hit, but there's crack. The last thing you see is the orange lights form the streetlamps, as you drift out of consciousness.

Transcripts from my appointment with Corinne Martel-Burns: 05/4/2027. Dr Elena Durí BSc MSc MSc PhD

ED: Well I think that in your situation we need to try and separate what makes sense for your career, and what makes sense for your wellbeing. I don't think those are one and the same.
CMB: Well fuck it, I'm handing in a transfer request.
ED: I don't know a massive amount about football [...]
CMB: Then shut your face.
ED: We're going to have to end this session if that's how it's going to be.
CMB: Sorry.
ED: Corinne..?
CMB: I'm Sorry. I'm sorry
ED: Okay. I don't know a massive amount about football, that's not my job; but I do take an interest, in particular where my patients are concerned. Now, I know that in football there can be a tendency for players to be moved around a fair bit, but what do you think you will gain from it personally?
CMB: Champions' Cup football.
ED: But you said you were starting to feel settled in Whitehaven. Corinne, is that worth throwing away?
CMB: Yes.
ED: I'd noticed your mood improving as the season had gone on.
CMB: Had you?
ED: Yes.
CMB: I hadn't
ED: Well I had. Who's that friend you'd made. The young footballer you'd met in a drinking establishment.
CMB: Andrew Liver Salts.
ED: I'm being serious.
CMB: So am I.
ED: What was his name?
CMB: Andrew Arrowsword.
ED: Okay I can see you don't want to be serious. If you're just going to make a fool of me with silly names..?
CMB: That's his fucking name!
ED: Do you really expect me to believe he is named after a laxative antacid powder?
CMB: No! Arrowsword is his name. [My emphasis]
ED: Okay, well lets call him Andrew for arguments sake.
CMB: Fucksake.
ED: Corinne.
CMB: Sorry.
ED: Does Champions' Cup football mean that much to you?
CMB: Yes.
ED: How about if you some of this energy into getting Polaris there next year, or winning the Globe Cup. I know you were unlucky in the last game of the season, as I say, I follow your results.
CMB: What more can I do than score a shit-tonne of goals? It's not fucking fair. [Patient begins to cry.]
ED: You're passion is one of your biggest strengths Corinne, but you need to try and get a handle on it. I'm not saying you wouldn't have success at another club, and get that Champions' Cup success you seem to crave. I just want to make sure that you think about the bigger picture before making any big moves. You always find uprooting stressful, and while I can help you deal with that, you need to remember how it plays on your anxiety. Corinne, can I get you a tea or coffee?
CMB: No. It's not fucking fair. I try so hard and I come away with nothing. [The patient is now struggling to speak through her tears]
ED: I don't think you've come away with nothing, what makes you say that?
CMB: I'm the best striker in the world. I can't believe this is happening to me. It's not fair. It's not fucking fair. This cannot be happening to me. Useless cunts, all of them. Our manager should be sacked, he should be hanged. I put in all this effort and I never win a fucking thing.

[At this point I brought the formal session to a close, and endeavoured to comfort the patient who had began striking herself again. I'm going to make the recommendation to the FA that the player be reassessed prior to the IAC in the summer, with a decision made as to whether or not she should be rested. Someone will also check in on her in Whitehaven to ensure that she is getting the support she needs. I will continue to attempt to dissuade the player from handing in a transfer request, as I believe she needs this period of stability.]

NB. I've noticed how these mood swings have been becoming more and more extreme over the last five years. While there has been some marked improvement in the patient's symptoms since moving to Whitehaven, the lows are getting more severe. Should she continue to pose a threat to herself and others, a period of hospitalisation may have to be considered.

CMB

Capture.

'Corinne!' Coach, Judy Scott, had a hold of both Connie's wrists, trying desperately to keep a hold of them. 'Corinne, listen to me, please.'

The young striker hadn't taken well to the news that the she wasn't going back out for the second half, and the management team were now in containment mode. Lionel Mah and Colin Donaldson looked on from the far end of the corridor, as they hoped Judy and Claire Hanson-Conavacio might have been able to prevent her from leaving the stadium. In addition to their concern for her wellbeing (which was genuine) they were also desperate to avoid the headlines it could bring.

'Fuck off.' Connie was fighting hard, but Judy Scott was a strong and wiry old lady, and she was holding on for dear life.

'Connie it's a tactical change, you're on a yellow card, and we can't afford to lose you.' If truth were told, she was externally lucky to have only received a yellow for what was a hideous tackle. 'Just come and sit in the dressing room, we'll have a cup of tea and chat about it.' The answer to every problem in Schottia was to brew some tea.

'Just let me... GO!' Judy's grip failed her, and Claire missed with a rugby tackle allowing the player to turn and put some distance between her and the coaching staff. Could she make it out the stadium without being caught..? Well it would have been close race between her and Claire, but Connie would have had doors to open en route.

'Connie, it's alright.' Claire did her best to reassure her, edging towards her like a stray animal they were trying to corral. 'We can call Dr Durí, or someone else, would you like to speak to someone?' The two women were close enough again to make a grab for the player, should she try to do anything stupid.

'NOOOOO!!!' At that Connie made a dash to go past, but between them, Claire and Judy and a hold of her again. Only the quick reactions of Claire Hanson prevented the player from spitting her skull open, as she swung her head for the corner of the door frame. They were so far out of their depth here, no one it the coaching team had the training to deal with an individual like this.

Schottia 2–0 Savalen
Line-up: Gould, Hordern, Killanen, Souter, Ünterhausen, Conjure, Morham (Bánach), James (Dajani), Rexmont, Soria-Luna, Martel-Burns (Glendening)
Goals: Luna, Glendening

Schottia could have secured qualification with a game to spare, but they'd needed to get past Savalen in order to do it. The nation from the International Northwestern Union had been ranked higher than Schottia as recently as post World Cup-76, so it was a match that Lionel Mah's players could ill afford to treat lightly. However, following a 2-0 defeat to New Danican in the opening match, it was clear that this wasn't quite same calibre of side as the one that reached back-to-back WCs in 75 and 76.

Schottia handed a start to AFC Corvistone's Krista Morham who came in to replace Dilon Bánach, Louis Hordern was another player to earn his first cap after Esther Abner picked up a knock. Schottia started the match slowly, and while they looked solid enough at the back, they seemed to lack the cut and thrust they had shown in the final third against Space. With the match still goalless at half time, it would have come as little surprise that the somewhat off-colour Corinne Martel-Burns failed to emerge for the second half. Her only real contribution was a reckless challenge on a Savalen defender, which earned her a yellow card. Elspeth Glendening was her replacement, but unfortunately, Schottia always seem to lack a bit of bite when the Polaris striker is off the pitch. That said, the IAC-1 champions made their superior possession count, and on 57 minutes, Camila Luna opened the scoring. The Port Christopher born playmaker timed her run perfectly, staying on side, before converting an equally well timed through ball from Evelyn Conjure. Schottia closed out what was a decent enough performance with fifteen minutes to go, as a Steven Rexmont cross found Glendening in space at the back post. The Port James Athletic striker fluffed her shot a little, but got enough on it in to take the ball past the keeper.

Again the defence looked very polished in this match, with Holdern proving to be a valuable understudy as the side kept another clean sheet. Morham was fairly quiet on her debut, but didn't really do much wrong during the hour she was on the pitch. We also got a first look at Enaas Dajani who replaced Nick James with twenty minutes to go, and the Metropolon Lights winger showed what she is capable of in a few flashes. While this tournament has been mostly focused on the new recruits, it was largely the seasoned pros who got Schottia over the line, with Conjure, Rexmont, and Luna all having excellent games.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Sun Aug 13, 2017 9:19 am

Chelsea Stuart knew that she had only one chance at this.

The path to the quarterfinals of the 70th Cup of Harmony in Eshan and Drawkland had been fraught with many obstacles. When all was said and done, it could be said that Abanhfleft's journey to the Cup of Harmony was actually an unintended side trip after Abanhfleft had been all but knocked out of contention for a spot in the World Cup finals in Bonesea and Cosumar after that heartbreaking loss against Bongo Johnson away during the qualifiers. It was heartbreaking both in the sense that Abanhfleft lost to a team of players from a country where the other kind of football (the hard-tackling, armored playing and egg-shaped ball-throwing kind of football) and the fact that Abanhfleft lost to Bongo Johnson despite the other team not scoring any goal for themselves. For the fact of the matter was that Abanhfleft lost to Bongo Johnson courtesy of three own goals from Lea Choi, Patricia Foulke and Amanda Warren. It wasn't a good day to be a five-foot-seven woman with black hair named Amanda Warren. That own goal was very much the low point of her international career with Abanhfleft (the handball incident against Pasarga doesn't count because while she may have considered her actions very embarrassing, Amanda didn't hesitate to say that she wouldn't do it again if given the chance); Amanda had confided in Chelsea that she had gotten death threats mere hours after that fateful game against Bongo Johnson. Arsenal de Releinthi and Godric Wexler tried to downplay the news as much as possible by referring to it as "just rumors" but the added security around both the Monsanto Stadium, the Arsenal training grounds, and Amanda's own apartment were proof of how seriously the club had taken these death threats. Thankfully for Amanda though, she survived all the way to the Lady Revolutionaries' next World Cup qualifying match to become a hero for Abanhfleft once again as she played a part in Miriam Hannibal's game-winning goal against Kel Assuk.

And so Holly Jonasson's last year as manager of the Fleftic women's national football team would be capped off by a participation in the Cup of Harmony. Abanhfleft were one of the outside favorites to winning the Cup of Harmony because the team had not fared very well in the competition, coming as far as one quarterfinals appearance in which they were eventually dispatched of by the edition's eventual runners-up Brenecia, and it almost looked as if Abanhfleft wouldn't even be able to go that far in this tournament because of poor results in the team's first two games, a 3-3 draw against Elgenstad and then a shock defeat against their qualifying group-mates Kel Assuk. Everyone from Holly Jonasson down the staff to the players themselves saw little chance of them advancing out of the group stage with such a poor record to their name; they didn't fancy themselves topping their last group stage opponent Yesopalitha for even a shot at the knockout stage.

But it was then that the pieces started falling into place. First Abanhfleft handily disposed of Yesopalitha by a scoreline of 7-2 to pip top spot from their opponents and advance to the knockout stage. Abanhfleft then survived an early second-half lead from their round of 16 opponents Savojarna to eventually beat the Savojars 4-3 and move on to the quarterfinals, where they faced Soltsteed, champions of the most recent edition of the Baptism of Fire, the curtain-raiser to every World Cup cycle.

120 minutes of game time had elapsed and both Abanhfleft and Soltsteed were still deadlocked at nil-all, meaning that the only way to get a winner out of this contest was by a penalty shootout. The kicks would be taken at the goal nearest to the body of Fleftic fans who had come out in droves to Drawkland to watch their team (hopefully) lift that Cup of Harmony trophy, and Abanhfleft had chosen to kick first. Chelsea, being the Fleftic women's highest goalscorer with between forty and fifty goals to her name, had been chosen to take the first spot kick.

Chelsea had scored her fair share of penalty kicks, that was for sure. As a striker, it seemed almost impossible for a player in her position not to have scored from a penalty kick at least once in their whole playing careers. Everyone had their strategies with scoring penalties. Some always went to the right every odd-numbered penalty they took and then to the left for every even-numbered penalty while others just went in a preferred direction. Others just went in whatever direction their bodies told them to take. Chelsea was, admittedly, one of the latter people. Chelsea used to alternate the direction of her kicks until goalkeepers finally cottoned on to the fact and began saving more and more of her penalties. It got to the point that Chelsea just decided to switch it up to "come what may" to make her less predictable. Still, she noticed that she went top right corner a little more than all the rest of the directions combined.

The fans were loud, very loud, more to distract the Soltsteed goalkeeper but also somewhat to cheer Chelsea on. It was all part of the game though; Chelsea had learned to tune everything out in such a way that she had tunnel vision so that she could only see the goalkeeper and the net. Anything more and she would just be distracting herself. Chelsea placed the ball on the white spot in the middle of the box and walked back as far as her legs would take her. She then turned around to look at the narrow cone of vision which she had concentrated on. Top right corner, she decided immediately. Imagine that, she said to herself. As soon as I began thinking about which direction I took more often, I decide to take that direction right now. Oh, well... Chelsea jumped around for a little bit and then she made a long run-up towards the spot and then she struck the ball strongly with the inside with her right boot.

"Stuart goes for power. She kicks it strongly. And... OH! What a save by Emmet Ferdinand! Chelsea Stuart goes for power but Emmet Ferdinand is more than equal to the effort! Oh, this does not bode well for Abanhfleft if they wish to advance to the semifinals..."

A collective groan rose up from the Fleftic half of Drawk City's Lookout Stadium while cheers came in droves from the Soltsteed half of the ground when Ferdinand palmed away Chelsea's penalty kick almost with contemptuous ease. And when Emma Gryndhout did almost the same thing against Abanhfleft's Victoria Carter (with the all-important distinction that Gryndhout scored her penalty while Chelsea had hers saved), Fleftic fans were already holding their heads in their hands. Some even looked ready to weep into their flags or tear them apart. Meanwhile, the Soltsteed fans were beside themselves with glee. Perhaps there was such a thing as miracles after all.

Zsofia Dolan could feel the weight of the world (or maybe at least just the weight of the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft) on her shoulders right now.

Everyone always said that the greatest pressure was laid on the person who would take the first penalty kick in a penalty shootout, but Sofie had a sinking feeling, a feeling which created a big wide pit in her stomach at this very moment, that that was not true. Sometimes, when the first penalty kick taker missed their penalty and the second one successfully scored theirs, the pressure then piles up on the third taker. And when the first taker is a player who has scored more than her fair share of penalties (like Chelsea Stuart), it didn't inspire a lot of confidence on those who came after. Not that Sofie Dolan hadn't scored from the penalty spot as well. It was just there was a certain amount of pressure that she could handle. Once the pressure got past a certain point (but what that "certain point" was, Sofie didn't know; it changed every game and sometimes every few minutes), Sofie knew that there was a fifty-fifty chance that she could miss. And the possibility of going two-zero down on penalties was not really something to be relished.

Sofie laid down the ball on the spot. The fans were shouting at the top of their lungs, cheering for their player and trying to distract the opposing keeper as much as possible. Sofie then considered all the possible directions in which she could send her penalty kick. Top right corner, top left corner, bottom left, bottom right? Whatever. If she made it, she made it. If she didn't... Well, she had never received a death threat before. It probably wouldn't be a good experience but it was the only thing left for her when she missed her penalty.

"Dolan will take Abanhfleft's second kick. She will take a shorter run-up this time but we all know how strongly she can hit the ball... and the ball's found the back of the net! Abanhfleft are still in this game after all."

Victoria Carter knew that there were only two ways in which this contest could end: either every Soltsteed player would score past her and cause an upset or she could save at least one penalty and give her team a fighting chance to win the game on penalties.

Goalkeepers were rarely either the heroes or the villains in a penalty shootout. Only when a goalkeeper either saved a vital penalty from the opposing team or completely missed their own penalty kick did goalkeepers become the center of attention of penalty shootouts. Vicky Carter was an average goalkeeper when it came to saving penalties; she saved some and more often than not she got scored on. It was the way of the game; there was nothing much she could do about it. Just like how Vicky was unable to do anything about the penalty from Emma Gryndhout and the other Soltsteed player, Clement Kolen or something like it. Vicky couldn't remember his first name right now; not that she was in any hurry to try to recall it anyway.

Vicky watched as the third Soltsteed player rolled the ball around a little before finally settling it in the middle of the penalty spot. Out of the corner of her eye, she also saw the referee give the signal for the kicker to take the kick. She only had one chance to get this right.

"Here is Brygge for Soltsteed's third penalty. He aims for the bottom right corner... and the ball meets the hands of Victoria Carter! Abanhfleft and Soltsteed are now both on two penalties each! Now this game really has opened up..."

....

"Now it's Crabshaas who will take the penalty for Soltsteed. At first it looked as if Soltsteed would have the advantage after Chelsea Stuart's penalty was saved but now with Victoria Carter having made a save of her own, this game is now wide open. Crabshaas has a litte stare-down with Carter while she prepares for the spot kick. Crabshaas shoots... and Carter goes the right way once again and slaps the ball away! Now Abanhfleft look like they could win this game and advance to the semis! Just like that, the tables have been turned. Now it's Soltsteed's turn to try to force a mistake from the Lady Revolutionaries."

Miriam Hannibal had just become Abanhfleft's best hope at potentially winning the Cup of Harmony.

Miriam's path to the starting lineup of the women's national team was a bit of a twisted and winding one. She didn't start off as a center back; truth be told, Miriam Hannibal used to be a forward player. But Miriam was just so energetic in tracking back for the defense every time the ball was not at her feet or at the feet of a teammate that it soon made sense for Godric Wexler (remember that Miriam was a product of Arsenal de Releinthi Ladies before she moved to Marinos Thimpodopoulos Women) to move her further back the pitch from the attack to the defense. This wasn't to say that Miriam had lost her goalscoring touch; on the contrary, Marinos fans could count on Miriam Hannibal popping up for the odd goal or two. Heck, sometimes Miriam even took Marinos' penalties even though Marinos now had two good strikers in the form of Brenecia's Desdemona Bittencourt and Schottia's Estelle Conway. Sometimes Fleftic talent was still the best talent, especially in Abanhfleft. Now the responsibility of taking the decisive penalty kick for Abanhfleft was resting squarely on Miriam's shoulders.

Who really had it bad in a penalty shootout? The first taker, the third taker, or the potential last taker? Usually the last taker was the tenth taker but because of Vicky Carter saving two of Soltsteed's penalties, Miriam need only convert hers to send Abanhfleft through to the semifinals and set up a meeting with their perennial tormentors Nephara. Part of Miriam wondered whether she should actually make an effort to score this. Nephara would probably end up defeating Abanhfleft anyway. Still, at least whatever happened in the semifinals, Abanhfleft had a chance of winning something but of course the Cup of Harmony was the shiniest prize of all....

"Well, this is a strange choice for a penalty taker. Then again, Miriam Hannibal used to be a striker before Godric Wexler converted her into a center back during her years with Arsenal de Releinthi. And she has converted a penalty or two for her current club, Marinos Thimpodopoulos Women. It looks like Hannibal will go for power and speed as well. She makes the run-up... And that's it! Miriam Hannibal sends Abanhfleft through to the semifinals of the 70th Cup of Harmony! Abanhfleft may be going up against Nephara in the semifinals but right now, it doesn't matter to them! What matters is that they made it all the way to the semifinals, where Holly Jonasson has said on record that any given team has a seventy-five percent chance of winning something meaningful. Full time at the Lookout Stadium in Drawk City, Drawkland, and Abanhfleft advances to the semifinals of the 70th Cup of Harmony 4-2 on penalties. Chelsea Stuart may have missed the first penalty but Victoria Carter's double save at the end helped save Abanhfleft's chances of making it through."

History, Fleftic history, had just been made. Everyone could feel it in their bones. And no matter what happened in the semifinal, more history will be made. They were all sure of it.

CRESCENT NEWS NETWORK
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ABANHFLEFT • PRIDNESTROVIA • OONTAZ DERT LI NG • COPPER CUPRUM • TRENDSTART • FHULGHAMOUS PENINSULA

INDEPENDENTS CUP 3: ABANHFLEFT VS THE SELKIE
By Malik Qazizadah

Abanhfleft's Tracy Rivera in action against The Selkie. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

TAABEKA, SPAAM - Abanhfleft's third Independents Cup campaign started off with a bang and three points as goals from Arkady Rozier and Garrett Krantz secured victory for what manager Ranulph Bustamante had termed the "New Revolutionaries" against their opponents The Selkie.

This tournament marks the first time that the official national football team of Abanhfleft represented the Democratic Republic in the competition; in the past two editions, two different teams created by Heinrich Wurzmann, founder of the vaunted Alternative Football Program represented the country and won the bronze medal in the Independents Cup's first edition. This was also the competition that launched the international careers of Daisuke Ogigayatsu, Toumain Vincelot, and Vitaly Zima.

This team, assembled by Ranulph Bustamante from members of Abanhfleft's youth squads with an eye to potentially integrating them into the senior setup for the next World Cup cycle, also contained a few veterans to supply leadership and experience into the team in the form of Valery Zolnerov, Rory Edwards, and the aforementioned Vitaly Zima, and while the team didn't come out hot right at the gates, they came and accomplished the task they had been ordered to do; namely, securing victory in the Independents Cup.

Arkady Rozier, the half-Pridnestrovian winger who caused a bit of a stir in the last transfer window after he refused a new contract with The Redvale's Maris Rovers in favor of a return to Abanhfleft with Admiral Porcusces, opened the scoring for the New Revolutionaries five minutes past the half-hour mark after he executed marvelous control over Mauro Magnanelli's diagonal pass.

Prince William Luckless could have and should have doubled Abanhfleft's lead later into the half when Garrett Krantz's cross fell kindly to him, but perhaps the arrival of the ball in front of him was so unexpected that Luckless could only make a wild stab at the ball which saw it fly into the proverbial Row G in the stands.

In the second half, Abanhfleft continued their assault on The Selkie's defense but their opponents held firm until sixty minutes into the game when Krantz gratefully received the square pass from Luckless, who had gone through on goal, and finished the play with the easiest of tap-ins.

Substitute Andor Gaál could very well have made it 3-0 had his header from Mauro Magnanelli's free kick not smashed against the crossbar.

Abanhfleft national team manager Ranulph Bustamante: Not an easy win but the boys did what they came to do

Abanhfleft national team manager Ranulph Bustamante: "I wouldn't call it an easy win but in all honesty though, this is one of those games which you use to ease your players back into the hustle and bustle of international competitions. Nevertheless, the boys came out and did what they were asked to perform and there's no fault that I can find in them or their performances."

Abanhfleft will play against Aggrey-Fynn Land in the second match day of the group stage of the 3rd Independents Cup. The match will be held at the Taabeka Stadium in Taabeka, Spaam once again.

  ABANHFLEFT 2 - 0 THE SELKIE
ROZIER (35')
KRANTZ (60')

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 1 Cohen
RB: 2 Popov (Afolayan █ - 75')
RCB: 4 Khaled
LCB: 5 Gibson
LB: 3 Wayne █
RM: 6 Pearson
CM: 7 Kleinmann (Gaál █- 59')
LM: 8 Magnanelli
RW: 11 Rozier
ST: 9 Luckless (Rivera - 69')
LW: 10 Krantz

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 59%
The Selkie: 41%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 9 (5 on target)
The Selkie: 4 (1 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 6
The Selkie: 2
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 19
The Selkie: 15

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

INDEPENDENTS CUP 3: ABANHFLEFT VS AGGREY-FYNN LAND
By Malik Qazizadah

Abanhfleft's Andor Gaál celebrates his goal against Aggrey-Fynn Land in the 3rd Independents Cup. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

TAABEKA, SPAAM - Abanhfleft booked their ticket to their third straight Independents Cup knockout stage appearance after a dramatic and goal-filled affair of a game against Aggrey-Fynn Land.

Abanhfleft are essentially unchanged in this game from the last meeting against The Selkie, the only exception being Guildenstern Cardew who starts in place of Carlos Cohen as part of Ranulph Bustamante's goalkeeper rotation plan. But Cardew's dream debut in the Independents Cup turned swiftly into a nightmare as the hapless Fhulghamous Peninsula-based goalkeeper bounced the ball right into the path of a waiting Gordon Whitlick, who took the ball away from Cardew without so much as a thank you and smashed it into the roof of the net to give Aggrey-Fynn Land a surprise advantage over the New Revolutionaries.

Prince William Luckless was able to level the affairs once again with a calm and composed finish inside the box only four minutes after Whitlick's goal but with two minutes left to play in the first half, Guildenstern Cardew was helpless to stop Jones Strong's shot from outside the box, and the 17-year-old was reduced to picking up the ball from the back of his own net for the second time in the game.

Aggrey-Fynn Land picked up where they left off and looked to have sealed the deal when their center back Renato Milan nodded home his country's third to potentially secure a historic upset over their higher-ranked opponents. However, Ranulph Bustamante must have failed to read that particular script as he shouted new instructions from the touchline, and when Mauro Magnanelli's free kick found the back of the net after twisting past the Aggrey-Fynn Landers' defensive wall, it looked as if the fight-back was on.

In the end it was two substitutes, Andor Gaál and Tracy Rivera, who would become the heroes of the New Revolutionaries as first Gaál leaped highest over everyone else to head home another Magnanelli free kick, and then Rivera was put through one-on-one by a threaded through-ball from Arkady Rozier before the Sporting Ceneisis midfielder slotted into the bottom right corner to complete the Fleftic turnaround and eventually seal both victory and passage to the knockout stage for the New Revolutionaries.

Abanhfleft national team manager Ranulph Bustamante: It's up to the boys to keep this momentum going

Abanhfleft national team manager Ranulph Bustamante: "That was a fantastic win. It was a fantastic fight-back from an ugly position to a better one. Credit where credit is due, though; Aggrey-Fynn Land really gave us a run for our money there. More of these performances from them and they might just make it as a top player in the big leagues alongside the likes of us, Schottia, Flardania, and Omerica. On the topic of the boys though, it's up to them as the players and up to us as the staff to help keep this team's momentum going. It's what we need to sustain us throughout the rest of this campaign. It's a vital component to our charge at the Independents Cup title."

Abanhfleft is already assured a spot in the knockout stage of the Independents Cup with the win against Aggrey-Fynn Land. Abanhfleft will play their final group stage game of the 3rd Independents Cup against San Regada at the Taabeka Stadium in Taabeka, Spaam yet again.

      ABANHFLEFT 4 - 3 AGGREY-FYNN LAND
  LUCKLESS (13')       WHITLICK (9')
MAGNANELLI (53')       STRONG (43')
      GAÁL (64')       MILAN (47')
    RIVERA (79')

AGGREY-FYNN LAND
GK: 1 Twins █
RB: 14 Tracy (Nicholas - 68')
RCB: 23 Milan
LCB: 2 Green
LB: 46 Francisco
RM: 22 Johnson (Rowland - 50')
RCM: 4 Strong (Hanes - 89')
LCM: 38 Kendrick
LM: 16 Duval
CAM: 7 Grammy
ST: 10 Whitlick █

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 13 Cardew █
RB: 2 Popov
RCB: 4 Khaled █
LCB: 5 Gibson
LB: 3 Wayne (Feltner - 83')
RM: 6 Pearson
CM: 7 Kleinmann (Gaál- 62')
LM: 8 Magnanelli
RW: 11 Rozier
ST: 9 Luckless (Rivera █ - 62')
LW: 10 Krantz

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 53%
Aggrey-Fynn Land: 47%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 11 (6 on target)
Aggrey-Fynn Land: 9 (5 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 4
Aggrey-Fynn Land: 4
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 20
Aggrey-Fynn Land: 18

by **Bonesea** » Sun Aug 13, 2017 10:40 am

Independents Cup III [Everything Thread]

Matchday 1 (Spaam)

BRITONISEA AT THE INDEPENDENTS CUP III

IAC-3 The What The Who 1/4

Matchday 2 (Spaam)

IAC-3 MD-2 The What The Who 2/4

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