Independents Cup 4 [Everything Thread]

[Free Republics]

News Magazine

East Saintland: King Paulus XVI Coronated
By: Gustavo Li Fonti

Once again, East Saintland has a king. Today, Patriarch Nicolaus VI placed the Crown on the head of King Paulus XVI and the King gave a speech to celebrate the occasion. Translated highlights of this speech follow, along with my commentary (in italics).

My Royal Subjects, I wish to thank God and his worldly representative Patriarch Nicolaus VI for anointing me as the new King of Saintland. Today marks the beginning of a New Era for our Kingdom, an Era where We will restore this Kingdom to its former glory. Today marks the beginning of an Era which will see our Kingdom reunited and our fallen relatives on the other side of that Wall return to the Faith of Our Ancestors. Today, the Kingdom of Saintland is reborn as a United, Indivisible Kingdom ruled by a King who holds all of the power and following the True Church of our Creator and His Only Son Iesus Christus, not some twisted mockery of the Word and Church of God. King Paulus XVI began his Coronation Speech with some especially aggressive language toward West Saintland. This would only escalate as his speech continued.

...

Let us address the question of feminism, which has plagued our Kingdom for several generations. Feminism is an ideology which is committed to the same rotten principles that motivated Eva to listen to Satanas, eat the Apple and lead her husband Adam down the path of sin. This evil belief system is something that all of mankind is especially susceptible to. However, in the end, it always bears the same rotten fruit. Today, we need only look to the western half of our Kingdom's complete inability to reproduce themselves to see that feminism leads to the destruction of societies. In fact, even secular psychologists have acknowledged that both men and women alike are uniquely susceptible to this rotten ideology. Women are frequently driven by something called by the animus, which gives them an irrational desire to reverse nature and attempt to dominate men. Likewise, men have something deep inside their psyches called the anima, which is the source of the irrational desire that many men have to relinquish their control and submit to women. Secular psychology teaches us that both of these instincts lead to one's self-destruction and that the only possible way to become a functioning, psychologically healthy human being is to consciously reject these wicked urges and embrace the gender roles ordained by God. Here we see evidence of the new King's intellectual background. He has a doctorate in PPE from the University of St. Augustinus, which makes him the most educated King in the history of Saintland. While these views regarding psychology are controversial outside of East Saintland, the East Sanctii Church portrays these ideas as the consensus of academic psychologists.

...

Today, I call upon all of my subjects to bring about a Spirit of Revival in my Kingdom. For far too long, we have taken our faith and our way of life for granted. Furthermore, we have not done enough to spread the Gospel of Iesus Christus in accordance with our Divine Mission. That changes right now. I call upon all my subjects to make a new commitment from this day forward to attend mass every single day instead of just on Sundays. However, it is also important that we keep the Sabbath in accordance with God's Commandment so I will be instituting a new decree prohibiting all non-essential work on Sundays. Exceptions can only be made to this rule when there is significant, clear and convincing evidence that granting an exception will save souls. We need to raise our standards. It is time for all of us to make an effort to become more Godly. It is time for all of us to repent of our many sins. It is time to start taking our faith seriously again. This is rather unexpected and signals that the new King may be a true believer in his nation's Church and its teachings.

...

Let me conclude this speech with a message to my subjects on the other side of the Wall: I ask for your support and for your recognition that I am your True King, not my heretical uncle who abdicated his throne by turning away from the True Church. I ask that you assist me in my efforts to restore the unity of the Kingdom for, if enough of you side with me, we may be able to peacefully reunify the Kingdom. I thank you. May the Kingdom of Saintland be united again. God Wills It! King Paulus XVI's desire to reunite Saintland peacefully will likely prove to be good news for the economy. As events develop further, I may lay out more of my thoughts regarding Sanctii society.

Gustavo Li Fonti is a 20-year veteran reporter, who specializes in foreign news. He has worked for many newspapers over his career including the Republica Post, the New City Times and the Petrograd Tribune. He is a well-known and widely respected journalist who was recruited by Admiral Theriault to be our lead foreign correspondent.

---

[Abanhfleft]

After making waves all throughout the Fleftic footballing world with the revelation that Britt Hanokssen and Erin Jensdottir had faked their deaths in Anglatia and gone to Abanhfleft to play for FC United of Riuwiee as Britt Hanks and Erin Jennings respectively, Britt and Erin disappeared from the limelight as quickly as they had appeared in it. Part of it was by choice; both of them didn't really want to talk about it with the Fleftics, whom they felt would misunderstand the situation and end up adding all sorts of spin to it. Part of it was because the primary instigator of their fake deaths and flight to Abanhfleft, the Huesca Cartel led by Amelia Pena, had urged the both of them to keep their heads low.

The effects of Britt and Erin's revelation were sort of far-reaching. FC United of Riuwiee, the club for which they had played as Britt Hanks and Erin Jennings, were deducted all the points it had earned with either of them in the lineup. That turned out to be almost all of United's points so United of Riuwiee went from champions-elect of the seventh tier of Fleftic football to immediate relegation fodder. United of Riuwiee were also required to pay compensation to Hunsen Loggers, the Anglatian club to which both Erin and Britt had been attached before the Huesca Cartel faked their deaths and whisked them off to Abanhfleft. The compensation package, estimated at between 20 and 30 million NS dollars, was given to Hunsen after the team's owner Casper Raptis demanded it from United of Riuwiee's owners, one of which happened to be Amy Pena, as part of his personal valuation of Erin and Britt (with over 98 percent of the compensation reportedly just for Raptis' valuation of Erin). United of Riuwiee were eventually and inevitably relegated after losing all of the points it had accrued up to the point in the season when Britt and Erin decided to come clean about their actual status. After that, Rosenpfelblatz City Ladies, one of the top women's football sides in Abanhfleft, signed Erin and Britt on the recommendation of their chief scout-cum-youth academy manager Matthew Cave, who has also publicly admitted that he had been biased when he scouted Britt and Erin for the first time but had actually recommended them for transfer to Rosen City when they were playing under the names Britt Hanks and Erin Jennings.

Britt and Erin had lived a quiet life after the numerous events that had led them from Hunsen to Riuwiee and ended with the death of one of Britt's closest friends. Britt had grown to resent Amy Pena and her fellow Huesca Cartel members because of that, but Erin tolerated them because they had given her a way of continuing to play football while maintaining what was for all intents and purposes a nasty drug habit. It was all but an open secret back in Hunsen that Erin was taking drugs and was practically a junkie, someone who would miss days of training because she was nursing a high from the night before. Because Abanhfleft had a much more stringent drug testing policy though, Erin "needed" a way to keep getting high while at the same time dodging the drug tests, so the Huesca Cartel's solution was to give her an experimental new drug developed by Helvetica Pharmaceuticals, part of the legal side of Guillermo Huesca's business empire, that gave a person all of the effects of any narcotic of their choice without showing up on even the most stringent of drug tests. Britt didn't mind Erin's habit, but she was a little afraid that the Huesca Cartel was using Erin's drug habit to keep a leash on both of them.

Britt and Erin's citizenship status in Abanhfleft then became a legal gray area after Anglatia decided to revert to its old isolationist policies with little regard for its citizens living in other countries. For two years or so, Britt Hanokssen and Erin Jensdottir were technically "stateless persons", people without a nationality of their own. This tricky legal matter hadn't stopped Rosenpfelblatz City Ladies from playing them in the Ladies' Premier League, but words were whispered into the ears of the powerful that a quick resolution to this particularly sticky matter was in order, and said resolution was to give the two of them Fleftic citizenship. One of the most vocal supporters of the ideas to give Erin and Britt Fleftic citizenship was none other than Heinrich Wurzmann, founder of the Alternative Football Program and the man responsible for elevating some of the biggest names in Fleftic football to the international level (players such as Daisuke Ogigayatsu, Toumain Vincelot, and Vitaly Zima). Abanhfleft was being presented with a unique opportunity to secure two players to her national team for the foreseeable future and beyond, so the congressmen should quickly submit private bills for the naturalization of Britt and Erin as soon as possible. The congressmen agreed with Wurzmann with regards to Erin; it was Britt with which the lawmakers were less sure. Eventually though, Representative Matthias Green of the 15th District of the City of Riuwiee saw two private bills for the naturalization of Erin Jensdottir and Britt Hanokssen passed by Congress.

Britt and Erin learned of the news after a Ladies' Premier League game between Rosenpfelblatz City Ladies and the defending champions Sporting Ceneisis Women. It came to them from Amelia Pena herself, who had gone to Rosenpfelblatz specifically to tell them that their naturalization processes had finally gone through. "It's official, ladies," Amy told them as she went into Britt and Erin's house accompanied by her brother Mateo and her bodyguards Justin and Nicolai. "You two are now officially citizens of the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft."

"Is it all because of that old Pridnestrovian guy who said that we'd make good players for your national team?" Britt asked.

"Verily," Pena replied. "There's just one catch, though. Or two, if you wanna look at it that way. I pulled some favors so that all of our efforts wouldn't go to waste, and your Fleftic names are now legally Brittany Hanks and Erin Jennings."

"Wait, seriously? Are you for real with that?" Erin asked her.

"Of course I'm serious," Amy replied. "When have you known me to be not serious? Anyway, here are your passports from before; they're your Fleftic passports now, and they're why your surnames are now Hanks and Jennings."

"And why exactly is that?" Britt asked.

"Those passports are real legitimate passports printed from the official press of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," Amy replied. "I thought why make the Foreign Ministry print two new passports for you girls when you've already got two legit passports?"

"Gee, thanks," Britt said, more than a hint of uncertainty creeping into her voice.

"Well, I guess that settles it," Amy said. "Welcome to Abanhfleft, officially! And welcome to the women's national team."

"Wait, that was actually serious?" Erin asked her. "That man Wurzmann seriously wants up to play for Abanhfleft's national team?"

"Of course he does," Amy said. "Heinrich Wurzmann has a proven track record of bringing up players from obscurity to the big stage. Ogigayatsu, Vincelot, Vitaly Zima, they're all products of his Alternative Football Program. And while you two aren't exactly as unknown as those other guys were before Wurzmann called them up to the alternative team in the Independents Cup and showcased them to the actual national team, Heino Wurzmann believes that both of you can bring something different to the women's team. A lot of the girls are nearing retirement; they say the coming World Cup cycle is the last that they'll play together as a team. The women's team needs new blood, and Heino Wurzmann believes that you two can add that something special to the women's team."

"Well, gee, thanks for the vote of confidence, I guess," Britt replied. "But I thought that people didn't want neither of us near your national team."

"It's our national team now, Britt," Amy said. "And besides, what do those people know? They're not the manager, Wurzmann is. And only his opinion should count. And his opinion is that you two girls are the players of Abanhfleft's future."

---

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

INDEPENDENTS CUP 4: EAST VORMSI VS ABANHFLEFT
By Malik Qazizadah


The Fleftic women's national football team steps out onto the pitch for their first outing in the Independents Cup. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

MARIONVILLE, SCHOTTIA - Abanhfleft played out a goalless draw against East Vormsi in the women's national team's first outing in the Independents Cup, with new manager Miriam Whitaker taking a page out of Ranulph Bustamante's book and calling up a number of former youth players as well as a number of newly naturalized players for the Independents Cup.

Both teams had an equal share of chances to score goals and win the game, the most notable being East Vormsi's Kaija Koppel, one of only two fully professional players in the East Vormsi national team, sending her shot just wide of the far post after she had been played through onside by an out-of-sorts Miranda Sullins.

Abanhfleft also had their chances to open the scoring with Kelly McGinnis sending the ball into the proverbial Row Z on the very first notable attack of the game, and substitute Britt Hanokssen-Hanks had a shot to win the game with three minutes left to go only to see her header cleared off the line by Lena Grabuste.

The match was far from boring, though, and it was also not without some controversy of its own. Trinidad Kleist was lucky to get away with only a yellow card after she clattered into the back of the knees of East Vormsi teenager Inga Oòlansa, who had to be carried off of the field after the tackle.

Cecily Segovia also went into the referee's notebook for her high challenge on Benkè Oulonogawi after her left boot looked to have grazed the West Holbrookdale striker's left temple.

East Vormsi also had a probable penalty call declined when Oulonogawi went down inside the penatly area but the referee had decided that Erin Jensdottir-Jennings had made a fair tackle before Oulonogawi had gone down.

Abanhfleft women's national team manager Miriam Whitaker: "It was a very interesting game to say the least. These girls have not yet played together for a long time so it's expected that there's some rustiness involved in all of the girls. But we'll get them gelling together into a unit. This is why we're already testing them on the field. They're the next generation of Lady Revolutionaries, and they need to show that they can cut it out on the pitch with the best the multiverse has to offer."

Abanhfleft will next face Vakolicci Haven and Celeria at the Lochend Stadium in Lochend, Schottia.

EAST VORMSI 0 - 0 ABANHFLEFT

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 1 Qatintiki
RB: 2 Baum
RCB: 4 Soler
LCB: 5 Sullins
LB: 3 Roos
RM: 6 Kleist █ (Erin - 65')
LM: 8 Segovia █
RW: 7 Magomedova (Woodward - 71')
CAM: 10 Pratt (Britt - 80')
LW: 11 Rusev
ST: 9 McGinnis

EAST VORMSI
GK: 1 Grabuste
RB: 2 Ozoliņš
RCB: 3 Järvinen
LCB: 4 Balodis
LB: 5 Hillar (Christiansen - 87')
RM: 7 Oòlansa (Lochburn - 51')
DM: 11 Hemnes
CM: 6 Kölversen
LM: 8 Ozols-Rogers
RS: 9 Koppel
LS: 10 Oulonagawi (Wardenborg - 77')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
East Vormsi: 47%
Abanhfleft: 53%
Shots
East Vormsi: 9 (3 on target)
Abanhfleft: 12 (4 on target)
Corners
East Vormsi: 5
Abanhfleft: 4
Fouls
East Vormsi: 15
Abanhfleft: 22

[Karditan]

The Karditan Bruisers

For the first time in just about two decades, a team will be donning the black & blue to represent Karditan in international sport once again. Following the most recent--and severe--government collapse into anarchic mayhem that severed the nation off from the rest of Rushmore, the nation was finally made whole again by the return of ancient ruler Grand Duchess Luna, who had been serving a self-imposed exile in the Alliance of Dictators (where she commanded a small splinter state by the name of Steinbock, and ran into her old lover and their lovechild. It's a long story.) Tired of the fierce economic competition from Sargossa and Olastor driving corporations to even more depraved means, and the apocalyptically stupid cultural division the legal status of soccer caused--a counter-culture movement alledgedly brought to a head by the popularity of the sport elsewhere in Rushmore--she harnessed all her power to transport the entire nation back to its roots, in the fabled land of Equestria.

Things have been quiet since the move, but more importantly, it's been stable. Stable enough that sports leagues started to crop up again, and with the old bias against soccer long lost to the bloody mist of memory, the kicking of round balls made a triumphant return to the nation. There are few left who remember the glory days of Karditani football, that one qualification for World Cup 63, where they had one of the worst group stage showings in history; even less care to remember the abject failure the mid-60s brought to the team, nor the narrow misses of 69 and 70. Miraculously, three players from that last team have found their way back, two of them maintaining their youth playing in the pleasant pastures of Equestrian States--and another that survived the home front.

Those without a [Species] are human.

Manager- Xi Mørátüabáterían. Slated to be the next great thing in Karditani soccer once upon a time, the half-Farf kid from the Nozaman barrios never got the support any quality young talent needs to flourish. And with the market for Karditani players seemingly exclusive to ponies getting hired by the Equestrians, he could never book his ticket out and properly further his career--meaning he was stranded in the northern Rushmori ocean as chaos descended around him, making of life of lying low for years on end, forcing difficult sacrifices of both his physical and mental health. After the reunification, the return to normalcy was a strange process for everyone--but Xi found his way teaching the game to kids who'd grown up not too much unlike himself, knowing only strife and delinquency. Giving them another purpose in life gave him a new purpose in life. But... he has his misgivings that he was the correct choice for this new team. Sure, he'd mentored a few of the kids playing, and there wasn't much at stake with a comparatively amateur squad, but he'd never been a tactics guy. Technique and athleticism was his bread and butter; a coaching position would suit him much better, but just by virtue of his recognizable name he was given the nod.

Keeper- Zrana. [Zebra] Known as the "Liberator of Moscolt", Zrana single-hoofedly broke up the hippy communist commune that had the gall to form during the sorrowful absence of glorious capitalism. Legend says she defeated former Karditani NTer and infamous demagogue Red Trotski with just a glare, the same glare she uses to petrify opposing strikers.

Leftback- Enos Harlaugh. A former disciple of the Bashtun Bashers--not a baseball team, but an unruly mob that controlled the city for much of the Dark Times. And actually kept it one of the more stable cities in the country, funnily enough. Well, not really funnily, more brutally, and Enos was good at that bit. Of course he's dialed it back with the return of civilization, but he still very much enjoys bullying opposing players.

Leftcenterback- Dust Pan. [Unicorn] A friendly face from ages ago, Dust Pan was one of the lucky Karditani players to land a sweet deal playing in Equestrian States. He spent a career with the Whitetail Foresters as a role player, specializing in coming in late to shut down problematic strikers looking to make a big play. He's getting on in years, but one last hurrah on the international stage seemed like an excellent way to hang up his hat--and he's got a friendly enough face that no-one wanted to start shit with him for being a deserter.

Centerback- Lana Shannon. A fairly unremarkable survivalist from the outskirts of Saxet, Lana simply leverages good spacial awareness and high endurance to the useful ends they can provide on defense.

Rightcenterback- Quentin Rosario. One of Xi's protegés, Quentin was a curious lad that wasn't selfish, per say, but rather seemed to have an urge to see others have less. Likely an odd artifact of his distorted upbringing, Xi managed to get him to channel those feelings into soccer--so now he sates himself with removing balls from opposing players' feet.

Rightback- Cloudy Jade. [Pegasus] A grey-green colt hailing from Neighpon, which was largely isolated from the rest of the country's strife being off on their island (and thanks to Fillydelphia's docks getting set ablaze in record time). Known locally as a quality track runner, he's been putting time into figuring out this 'wingback' nonsense, presenting a potent threat down the line.

Leftmid- Janine Moller. Part of a society of scavengers that roamed between Sinsinatti and Kornsas City, Janine has a head start on most modern Karditanis when it comes to the concepts of teamwork. She's an agile presence on the field, focusing on constantly being in the right place to support her teammates and tax her opponents, even if she never so much as touches the ball. She has a solid cross but her attempts on goal leave much to be desired.

Centermid- Primrose Evergreen. [Pegasus] The other former player to escape to Equestrian States, still featuring as a key part of the Canterlot Stars' midfield. Her unparalleled connection with nature, medical knowledge, and the slow-going Equestrian atmosphere has kept her astonishingly youthful. Still in her athletic prime she hopes to be the anchor point of the team, both distributing and converting the ball as necessary.

Rightmid- Swifthoof. [Earth Pony] Former employee of the shoddy Wasteland Courier service that kept some semblance of news running across the nation, Swifthoof runs fast and for a long time. Not a revelation on the ball, but his wasteland wiles still prove useful from time to time--playing dead to survive a manticore encounter is wonderful practice for faking a fall.

Leftwing- Hsad Wobniar. Xi's second pupil to make the team, Hsad was actually taken in by a group of pegasi that had established a secretive cloud commune above Nozama, one sentimental member unable to stand by when he saw a wee babe left alone in a field starting to burn. While he didn't stay with them long--at about the age of three everyone had gotten tired of giving him rides, what with humans not being able to stand on clouds and whatnot--it seems like Pegasi society had a strong effect on him, with a very sunny disposition even in the face extreme adversity. Xi attributes Hsad's current level a skill to that optimism, finding the motivation to keep training whenever and wherever.

Rightwing- Ashavara. [Impala] A mysterious immigrant, believed to have come from the former renegade state of Ibex after their own societal collapse (surprisingly the result of a misfiring ancient superweapon, rather than their litany of internal issues). She doesn't speak much publicly, and the professors at the newly-reminted Fillydelphia Interntional University she frequents are tight-lipped about her involvement. Her incredibly graceful stride is probably the highlight of watching this squad play.

Style Mod: -4

RPing preferences:
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
Roleplay injuries to my players: Y
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Y
Hand out red cards to my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y

[Schottia]

Something to listen to while you wait.

---

-MATCHDAY TWO-

Group A
South Toronto 2–1 Spaam
Karditan 2–0 Kel Assuk

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 South Toronto                 2   2  0  0    3   1  +2    6
2 Karditan                      2   1  0  1    2   1  +1    3
3 Spaam                         2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4 Kel Assuk                     2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0

Group B
New Doltania 1–2 Abanhfleft
Vakolicci Haven and Celeria 0–1 East Vormsi

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                    2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
  East Vormsi                   2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
3 New Doltania                  2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
  Vakolicci Haven and Celeria   2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

Group C
Amazonesta 0–1 Space
Juvencus 5–1 Alpine Union

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Juvencus                      2   1  1  0    7   3  +4    4
2 Alpine Union                  2   1  0  1    7   8  −1    3
3 Space                         2   1  0  1    4   6  −2    3
4 Amazonesta                    2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1

Group D
New Gazi 1–0 Gangnam
Funky Fresh Beats 1–0 Aggrey-Fynn Land

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 New Gazi                      2   2  0  0    6   2  +4    6 Q
2 Funky Fresh Beats             2   1  0  1    3   5  −2    3
3 Aggrey-Fynn Land              2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
  Gangnam                       2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1

Group E
Mercedini 0–1 Otakuverse
Fungsland 2–0 Tinhampton

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mercedini                     2   1  0  1    5   2  +3    3
2 Otakuverse                    2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
3 Tinhampton                    2   1  0  1    1   2  −1    3
4 Fungsland                     2   1  0  1    3   5  −2    3

Group F
Drawkland 2–0 Omerica
Mareibat 3–2 United States of Devonta

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mareibat                      2   2  0  0    7   5  +2    6 Q
2 Drawkland                     2   1  0  1    5   4  +1    3
3 United States of Devonta      2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
4 Omerica                       2   0  1  1    0   2  −2    1

Group G
Free Republics 1–1 Northwest Kalactin
Schottia 1–0 Sorrentopia

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Schottia                      2   2  0  0    5   3  +2    6 Q
2 Northwest Kalactin            2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
3 Free Republics                2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1
4 Sorrentopia                   2   0  0  2    0   2  −2    0

[Omerica]

blogdefootball.co.om
All the football news that's fit to print!

---

The Independents Cup: What’s the point?
By Rokus Sneyders

United States of Devonta 0–0 Omerica
that’s bullshit.

Funky Fresh Beats 2–5 New Gazi
Aggrey-Fynn Land 1–1 Gangnam
this whole thing is bullshit.

East Vormsi 0–0 Abanhfleft
Juvencus 2–2 Amazonesta
that’s a scam.

Mareibat 4–3 Drawkland
Sorrentopia 0–1 Northwest Kalactin
fuck the church.

Matchday one of the Independents Cup was awful. Sure, it could have been much worse for Omerica, but when half of the results are headscratchers or outright nonsensical or undeserved, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Both Devontans and Omericans walk away from their opening match with legitimate grievances to be had. Frédérique Acardi was called up to (successfully) defend against a penalty wrongly awarded to Devonta in the dying minutes of the first half, while Devonta saw a narrow offside call nullify a goal they had rightfully scored. When push came to shove, Devonta were admittedly better on both attack and defence, but the margin was so close that the score did not reflect that fact—and arguably should not have reflected it.

But this begs the question: why do we care so much about this tournament and why do we look like we’re going to put up with it every other year? Is the kind of tournament where we get knocked about by a small city called Tinhampton (no offence, mates) and grind out a scoreless draw thanks to refereeing mistakes really something we want to take pride in?

The Independent Associations Championship is great in theory, terrible in practice. Tournaments like AOCAF, Copa Rushmori and the Campionato Esportiva work because of geography: the nations that participate in these tournaments are closer together and thus more likely to share some common history. But decades—and, in some cases, more than a century—of competition in the World Cup is plenty of time to cultivate deep and profound interregional rivalries that can stand the test of time and geographic distance.

Right?

The Independents Cup is no AOCAF or Copa or Campionato. It is fuelled not by the strength of historic rivalries and a desire to crown the best of a small slice of a fluid and ever-shifting multiverse, but out of a sense of discontent that other regions couldn’t develop the kind of football tradition that these three had. By their powers combined, the other regions could easily summon a superhero to wipe out all of the superior regions stage a tournament that could rival the Big Three, but it suffers from one small problem...

The Independents Cup is lopsided. Barring the miracle run of Veldgouwen to the inaugural final—where they were promptly, predictably and lamentably curb-stomped—the finalists are hardly unpredictable: Mercedini were runners-up in the last tournament in what was only a minor surprise, Bonesea were unsurprising champions of the second edition and Schottia have played in every single championship game thus far. The biggest competition this time around will likely be to win the honour of losing to the hosts, holders and reigning world champions, who are indisputable favourites with the absence of Bonesea. The second-biggest and less embarrassing battle will be for third place.

Maybe it is just the age talking? The IAC is less than a decade old, while AOCAF has more than a century of history. The Campionato Esportiva, the youngest regional tournament, has had more than five times the number of contests and the Copa Rushmori more than seven. With more time to mature, the IAC can build its own history and lore, more nations outside the Schottia-Bonesea axis can have a chance to shine and the tournament will be taken more seriously by virtue of its staying power.

Or is it the lack of a distinctive ranking system? The seeding system is built entirely on the back of the World Cup rankings, reinforcing the dominant position of nations at the top of the world and giving nations little chance to establish a foothold in the Independents Cup without having a World Cup record to build off of.

None of this is to disparage Schottia or Bonesea, who definitely increase the prestige of the Independents Cup with their accomplishments on the World Cup stage. But winning has to get boring at some point.

Right?

[New Gazi]

New Gazi entered Independents Cup 4 ranked 33rd in the world. The Cannoneers are fresh off the heels of a 3rd place finish at Cup of Harmony 71. The Gazilians saw the finish as average in a year when they may have qualified for the World Cup.

"It's a double-edged sword", said Coach Oliver Hausta. "In some ways, it may have been better for us to participate in the last Cup of Harmony. Even if we did qualify for the World Cup, it would have made for a tough road. Now we have the points from a third place finish, just a few points under that tournament's winner."

"Next year we have to go for the World Cup. We have a lot more experience. We'll have to come out motivated from the start. We're not an established team, so we have to keep fighting", said Uffe Diya, left winger.

Diya is leading the Cannoneers in scoring during Independents Cup 4 so far. He's had a lot of success on his side of the field. The team plays with a lot of cuts and movement off the ball. The team also pushes an aggressive pace forward.

Mix in the Gazilian flair for freestyle football and we have the sort of score line we saw in Game 1.

"It was a win that represents our years of hard work in the World Cup stage", Diya said after the game. Despite those years, the Gazilians have failed to qualify, even though finally ranking in the top 50. It is their fighting spirit which says something about the Gazilians and multiverse sports in general.

Diya came close to scoring a hat trick against the team from Funky Fresh Beats. He would have to settle for two after missing a beautiful 1 on 1 chance against a keeper. Diya found himself in space on a fast break, pulling away from a defender for a through ball. But he was going too fast and didn't have the control. The shot was too strong and sailed up and to the side of the goal.

Diya's scored opportunities came from a cross and a corner. Contee, Lefisse and Carmen Jarlsdottir each scored a goal. Carmen, one of the team's two female players, established herself as a part of the offense at the Cup of Harmony. She is also one of only a couple players from Vangaziland, utilizing a dual citizenship granted to nations close to the Vannish Empire.

Although the name makes New Gazi sound like a former Vannish colony, it is instead the birthplace of the original Trans-Oceanic Empire. When the Scandinavian Territories of the Vannishlands and the African Kingdom of Gazi decided to unify, the African lands changed their name to New Gazi. As time went on, the independent Vannishlands became the unified and multicultural Vangaziland.

Fast forward to today and players like Imari Lefisse and Jarlsdottir fly overseas to play for a Gazilian team which is slowly building steam.

"This should be a big year in the World Cup for us", said Coach Hausta. "We're working on things. Our run at Harmony shows what's in store for the future."

Vangaziland is only ranked 108th in the multiverse. With such low rankings, the Vangazi do not even sign up for the Campionato Esportiva. They plan to develop their program over time and enter into the CE after an extensive rebuild.

In some ways, Gazilian football is a satellite of Vannish football. Jarlsdottir or Lefisse could easily play for Vangaziland in a few years. In that sense, Esportiva IS represented at Independents Cup 4. Other nations also most likely have ties to the big sporting areas of the globe. Would those teams want Esportivans to walkaway with the Cup? Maybe. Rivalry is also present in this year's Independents Cup on a national level.

At CoH 71, New Gazi was defeated by a red hot team from Juvencus. Now both teams are leading their group at IC 4. A rematch would make for a very interesting (and marketable) sporting event. The games hadn't been getting much coverage throughout the Vannish Empire, though the Gazilians were tuned in. The games were telecast across Africa, with Gazilian companies offering great rates for broadcast rights. A New Gazi-Juvencus game would be picked up by Vannish sports and broadcast around the globe.

Obasea Kofrey was subbed in for Ifeatu Jamuike with 20 minutes to go in game 2. The coach made the switch at striker with his team tied nil-nil. Kofrey would score the game winning goal off of a speedy one touch pass from Carmen Jarlsdottir. It made for a quick highlight between the Scandinavian and African, a graceful one-two punch. Obasea's fresh legs off the bench made a difference against a defense worn tired.

Kofrey celebrated by running with his arms up stretched out like an airplane's wings. In the end, he rescued the Gazilians from a tightly contested, sloppy game. Defense did well to keep Gangnam from scoring, but they still gave up a few attempts at goal. Talib Mensah stopped a shot which was very nearly the game's tying goal with 5 minutes to go. He had to leap up and to the left with all his might, diving like a squirrel with his ribcage outstretched. His arm reached up to slap it up and over the goal as the keeper fell to the ground.

The Gazilians also had to button things down for a very tense corner, where the ball was again knocked behind the goal, this time by a defender stopping the play. Many thought the Gazilians should be playing a much more dominant form of keep-away, especially after such a strong first game.

"Nothing is predictable in sports", Amare Contee said on the sidelines at the half. "These guys are fighting hard. One should never take their opponents for granted."

[Juvencus]

Juvencus 5-1 Alpine Union

Gli attaccanti nets 5 in an extravagant fashion over the Alpine Union


Players celebrating their first Independents Cup victory

Juvencus XI:
GK:Taddeo Bulgari
CB:Dudu Madeiros
CB:Amaury Félix
CB:Valerio Scarpa
CDM:Filipe Rodrigues(Subbed for Elio Provenzano, 66')
CDM:Nino Russo
RM:Hugo Grec(Assist 37')
LM:Angelino Alberighi
RF:Oriol Vives(Assist 58')
LF:Joaquim Martell(Goal 58')(Assists 22', 73', 86')
CF:Santo Silvestri(Goals 22', 37')(Subbed for Antonio Campana, 70', goals 73', 86')

Alpine Union XI:
GK:Zofia Kwietniewska
RB:Przemyslaw Zawistowski
LB:Bartosz Strzyzowski(Subbed for Weronika Kaczorowska 61')
CB:Krzysztof Januszkiewicz
CM:Sascha Welzmüller
CM:Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz
RM:Sarah Schroffenegger
LM:Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz(Assist 45+2)
CAM:Amelia Zalwowska(Subbed for Cristiano Fernando, 59')
CF:Zbigniew Zajaczkowski
CF:Jean-François Kleineheismann(Goal 45+2)

Last matchday was an incredible showcase of Juven might, put to its limits against an up-and-coming, steamy red Alpine Union squad, which had previously won the team of Space with a 6-3 scoreline. A brace from Silvestri, later Campana with a finishing touch from Martell surely showed the Alpine Union last night.

The first half saw the hungry gli attaccanti going all in, instantly pressing forwards with a Silvestri shot going wide in the first few minute of the game. Later, a nice combo from Martell and Vives saw the latter one-on-one with the Alpine Union's keeper, however she managed to save his shot. Finally, the Juven squad managed to open up the scorecard with Silvestri scoring his first one on the competition, a nice through-ball from Martell saw Silvestri chipping the ball over Kwietniewska's head. A few minutes later,
in the 37th minute, a Hugo Grec cross was capitalised once more by a Silvestri header. The next few minutes that followed saw the Alpine Union trying to counter-attack after the shock they had taken. A nice Wawrzynkiewicz cross saw Kleinheismann put the volley in at 45+2 minutes, giving the Alpine Union some space to work with, maybe making sure that they'll qualify for the next round.

In the second half, the gli attaccanti got inside the field with even more aggression, missing a barrage of opportunities during the first few minutes. However, the loose that kept the gli attaccanti from scoring its 3rd goal was cut when an incredible Martell shot from the 25 meter area saw the ball hitting the top right corner of the Alpine Union's goals. The Alpine Union immediately counter-attacked, with a Zajaczkowski shot being saved by Bulgari. The next few minute saw a calm, balanced play from both sides,
focusing mostly on possession. However, Antonio Campana was subbed in the 70th minute, to let Silvestri get some rest as well as himself getting some playtime on the pitch.
That's when Juven aggression got back on track, 3 minutes later, Martell assisted for the second time this game, a through-ball saw Campana scoring a lightning bolt of a shot.
A little bit after that goal, Campana would try to score his second one for the night, however the Alpine Union's goalkeeper leaped to get it wide. In the 86th minute, and while victory was certain, Martell made a cross in and Campana scored his second one, with another header, making the final scoreline, 5-1. This pushes the gli attaccanti up there, in the first place, with 4 points, followed by the Alpine Union and Space, both of which have 3 points after Space's 0-1 victory over Amazonesta, which sits last, with 1 point. Next matchday is matchday 3 of the group stages, against Space, which sees Juvencus in a do or die situation which they must win in order to get through.

[Mercedini]

Taking my RPs in a different direction for this tournament. If you have any feedback or pointers, do let me know!

High On Life
Chapter II
Chapter I

"Excuse me, sir. Are you Ben Chillotov?" Ben was caught daydreaming out the window as a small boy approached his seat, Ben perked up as the child approached and as the train departed Wilton Barrow.

"Yeah I am, little man. What's your name?" Ben said as he leaned forward to shake his hand.

"Anders, I'm a big fan of yours. Can you sign my shirt before you go?" The boy lifted his white and sky-blue Hoventon shirt up to the table for Ben to sign, with the now Azoth striker catching a glimpse of his name on the back, which caused his heart to drop as he thought of the fans and the team community he was leaving behind. Never the less, he signed his shirt and posed for a picture with the young boy in possibly one of his last actions towards the fans of his former club.

The young lad went back to his seat smiling and showed his newly signed shirt to his mother and father who looked interested in the shirt and the picture, although it was obvious that they weren't completely invested in the whole football biz.

For a midday train on a weekday, the train was fairly empty with the vast majority of the seats in his carriage empty save for the odd business traveller and the aforementioned family. The stop at Stonbridge was fairly run-of-the-mill with Ben being slightly disturbed by the cold air leaking into the heated carriage from outside as the train doors opened to let the odd passenger or two on. Time was dragging on this train journey with Ben running out of things to amuse him. Social media, music playlists and Cenian language classes had all run dry already, so Ben turned to the rolling Mercedinian countryside outside the window to entertain himself.

His departure from Hoventon came without too much hype as he didn't plan anything fancy to attract attention to himself, although that didn't stop some people recognising him at the station and on the train, of course. Ben was on his own and making a permanent departure for the first time following his loan spell to Azoth during the previous season. Still a teenager, he had received plenty of support from both Azoth and Hoventon, so all Ben had to do was connect the dots and be at the right place time to complete his move.

Rygge Central, the penultimate stop in his journey to Onnoni and the airport, and a chance to catch a breather. The train was held at the platform in Rygge for a couple of minutes as Ben stepped out of train to breathe in the cold fresh air, messages from former club mates as well as current national team players were coming in now as his flight was less than an hour and a half away from take off. He stepped back onto to the train just as the refreshments cart was rolling down the aisle.

"Hiya love, d'ya want anything." Said the middle aged woman wearing the signature SDF grey uniform. She gave a beaming smile to Ben as he sat up to take it wallet out of his pocket.

Ben looked up at the selection of drinks and snacks on the cart. "Uhh yes. I'll have a tea and a banana if you have any." The refreshments cart gave Ben the chance to get rid of any loose Mercedinian change before switching to his second wallet containing his Cenian currency he had already exchanged before his journey.

"Of course, sweetheart. I know you've probably heard it a lot but I hope you go to 1680 Azooz and absolutely smash it. My son told me you won the title and young player of the year, we just hope that rubs off onto the national team so we could get back to the World Cup!" It was clear that the refreshments lady was overcome with excitement as she fumbled over her words as she served Ben his tea and took a banana from the fruit bowl. "There's your change, sugar plum. Remember me when you're famous!"

"Will do!" Ben toasted his tea to the lady as she bumbled down the aisle with a beaming smile on her face.

At this point, the train was making ample progress towards Acoflosa, so Ben made his final preparations before he departed the train. He zipped up his tracksuit jacket and stuffed his remaining possessions into his rucksack, before exiting the cubicle and checking on his suitcase.

The train rolled into a bustling Onnoni Station as the train reached in final stop in it's journey. The remaining passengers made a formal queue down the aisle as Ben waited for the button to flash up, giving him the go ahead to open the door. Ben lifted his suitcase onto the platform and rolled it down towards the ticket barriers. He fumbled with his wallet before finally plucking his orange ticket from the leather interior and placing it in the ticket barrier, with one of the barrier minders aiding in getting Ben's suitcase through the barriers before it closed.

There he was free to explore the station, but there was only one thought on his mind. He looked for and found the airport sign and entered the moving walkway which would take the Mercedinian footballer towards the airport departure terminal. Ben Chillotov was well on his way to a new beginning in Ceni.

---

~~~

---

Independents Cup 4 Group Stage MD2
Mercedini 0-1 Otakuverse @ Gauld Park - South Berwick, Schottia

Starting XI: Poyek • Kuznetsov - Ytandev - Toivonen - Di Sansev • Vaselko - Markus - Karlovic - Pujanic • Mossec - Spartoni

Mercedini's IAC4 campaign hangs in the balance following a surprise 1-0 defeat at the hands of Otakuverse in their second group match. Despite the loss, the Golden Eagles remain top of the group with one match to how, meaning they only have to earn a point against Tinhampton in their third and final group game to secure a third consecutive knockout phase. Any slip up against Tinhampton could be fatal to their knockout chances.

Eyebrows were raised before a ball had even been kicked following the release of the Mercedinian team sheet, with a number of youth players and second choices being listed to start the match, giving the bigger names such as Dostalok and Billic the chance to have valuable rest days as the youthful energy and enthusiasm had a chance to be released for the first time in this tournament. As the match started, it was the energy and technique of the Mercedinian which outshone the fight and unpredictability of Otakuverse, with the pace of Spartoni carving through the Otakuverse defence and setting up chances for his teammates, which couldn't be converted (to the frustration of the travelling Mercedinian fans). The best chance of the half came when a Pujanic cross fell to Spartoni on the edge of the six-yard box, however the ball got caught between his legs and the ball was cleared before the Rozzy North End striker could get the shot away. Otakuverse were kept well at bay in the first half and didn't register a shot on target in he first half. A near complete performance from the Golden Eagles, all they were missing was a goal.

The teams came out of the Gauld Park changing rooms refreshed with no changes coming from the Mercedinian camp. A light shower began to emerge from the Schottic clouds which added a mellow dew and allowed the ball to skid along the field with a lot more freedom, which the Otakuverse players used brilliantly to their advantage. Long balls forward gave the Otaku forwards something to chase. The second half was a lot more even as the neutral crowd willed on the two teams to open the scoring, and with ten minutes left, their call was heard as the crowd erupted. Otakuverse scored their first goal of the tournament following a defensive error and a well worked goal from their forwards. Di Sansev lost the ball in corner which was crossed in by the Otaku winger and pounced upon with an easy tap-in from their central forward.

It was a crushing blow for the young players in the Mercedinian side, and with the clock ticking down, tey couldn't muster up the key chances they needed when under pressure. Otakuverse may have started slow in the game, but they were well worth the admission fee as they defended heroically against the Mercedinian proverbial kitchen sink. The referee blew his final whistle with the Mercedinian section of the crowd looking bewildered as to what they just watched. However, the score line stood with Otakuverse claiming the in by one goal to nil.

[Schottia]

SBCNEWS Online...
World Cup special - What next for the IAC.
by Larry Watt, former Schottia captain, and Champions' Cup winner.
Larry currently plays for 1860 Azoth, and lives in Ceni with his wife and daughters.

---

On those rare occasions SBCSport throws a scrap of work my way, it's always a time of mixed emotions. As a 35-year-old footballer, who's currently staring down the long and daunting tunnel after the sport, it's reassuring that there is at least someone who still requires my services. At some point in the next twelve months, no matter how much I'm dreading it, I'm going to need to sit down a decide what to do next. I've never much fancied coaching, and to be honest, a little bit of sports journalism would at least be something to keep me busy while the twins are in school. The down side of being handed these semi-regular articles, however, it the fact that I never have a clue what to write. I'm pretty good at babbling; like you can see in this paragraph you're currently reading. I could easily take up five-thousand words just describing - in great detail - the funny clicking noise my knee makes after I've been on the pitch for ninety minutes, but I reckon it would make mind numbing reading. This is why I normally find myself staring at the computer screen scratching my head, or my beard, or the cat - or anything within scratching range really - and waiting for inspiration to strike.

It was during one of those scratch-fuelled inspiration searches, that I happened across an article by Omerican blogger, Rokus Sneyders. Let me say at this point, while there are parts of the article I disagree with, it's actually a really interesting read; I'll post a link to the page at the bottom of the page and I recommend giving it a once over.
In the article Sneyders asks the very pertinent question: What is the point in the Independents Cup. This really got me thinking, and I've got to be honest, when I started writing this 'response-of-sorts,' I really wasn't sure which way my axe was going to fall. So I've decided to take a little bit of time here to talk this one through, look at some of the authors main arguments, and try to come to my own conclusion.

Now... If someone had asked me two years ago, whether the IAC was in jeopardy I would have laughed. We had just seen a well-hosted tournament in Kel Assuk and Spaam, ending in a very competitive final, in which Schottia edged Mercedini by a single goal. I'd go on to say that all of the IAC finals have been entertaining for that matter (although maybe as a Schottian I'm biased) not least the climax of IAC-II where we fell foul to our old rivals, Bonesea. The problem is, however, a lot has happened over the last cycle.

There are clearly issues in Spittalsea right now, and Bonesea's absence in has been keenly felt. From an organisational point, the energy Professor Kett has put into tournament going cannot be undervalued, and in terms of the competitive element the Sailors brought to the playing pitch, this makes it a double whammy. This has also perhaps exacerbated what Sneyders sees as a massive problem: the fact that the tournament too 'lopsided.'

While it's hard counter the fact that Schottia, and formerly Bonesea, are big chip leaders in terms of World ranking, it is worth noting however, that they are not the only IAC teams to have tasted success over the last cycle. Drawkland are currently ranked 20th, Abahnfleft 21st, and Juvencus are the reigning Cup of Harmony winners. When you throw Mercedini's U18s title into the mix, then the Multiverse's sports-regionally homeless actually hold as many international footballing titles than the big three put together. You could go on to add that the World Cup final was an all IAC affair, and New Gazi picked up the bronze medals at the CoH. I'm not saying that things aren't "lopsided" and I'm certainly not saying that there aren't problems caused by that, but there is no one who could say we have a lack of talent.

Another issue is notion of legacy, which is a complicated one, and even Sneyders ponders whether this is something that can be smoothed out with the passing of time. When I was growing up, even up until my late twenties, there was no such thing as the Independents Cup. While the regionals got underway, it was a time for most Schottians to pick a second team and tune their TVs into one of the Big Three's competitions. That's the thing, the IAC is not a regional and it never will be. While there are rivalries, and healthy competition, there aren't the same heated border disputes and feuds going back centuries. The IAC will never have that - that sense of place - or that feeling of competing to be the big fish in your own local pool. The IAC will only ever be as prestigious as the nations that sign up, and we are probably going to have to wait a few more years before it earns its place. That said, I'm pretty sure if you asked most Schottians what their titles meant to them, or how much the final defeat to the Sailors hurt, they would tell you it was a lot. Additionally the fact that the IAC-III winners were afforded an invite to the Eagles Cup shows that international recognition is slowly coming.

I think the two most important things to remember are, firstly, the fact that while the IAC may be like a regional, it is never going to be the same thing. It's always going to have limitations and drawbacks, which will need to be embraced rather than overcome. The second point is to do with the with fact that we are only entering our fourth edition, and I think it will be more pertinent to judge where we are in another ten years time.

As both Sneyders and I have pointed out, there are challenges right now, and it's by no means going to be plain sailing. As I mentioned earlier, the tournament is only going to be as good as the teams that enter, and that is what gives me hope for the time being. With a lot of successful teams in the completion and signups healthy and on a par with the Big Three, there is probably a little bit of life in the old dog yet.

blogdefootball.co.om article

Schottia 1–0 Sorrentopia @ City of Port James Stadium
Line-up: Gould, Hordern, D.Morham, Campbell, M.Ünterhausen, Bronte, K.Morham (Ümann), Alan, Vaught, Coultan (Soria Luna), Renshaw (Lennox)
Goals: K.Morham

[Abanhfleft]

Matthew Cave considered himself to be a man of few secrets. He had few vices (he had smoked a little bit in his youth and didn't like the taste and the smell of the smoke, and besides, he had coffee for that now); had never cheated on his wife (although there were of course times when temptations were presented to him but he stood firm to his commitment to Veleda), and he had no weird fetishes or anything like it. But there was one secret which Matt had not shared with even his wife, and that was the fact that he had once lost a child due to his partner's miscarriage. That was the reason why Matt Cave had decided to grow a beard, but he had managed to move on once he met Veleda and they had gotten married. But Matt was about to be reminded of his lost child once again when her mother finally returned to Rosenpfelblatz.

She hadn't come back because of him; rather, she was there on completely unrelated business. With the 4th edition of the Independents Cup fast approaching, the Fleftic women's national football team had decided to take a page out of the men's team's book and blood in new and up-and-coming female players in the Independents Cup to see how they would hold up under the senior level of the competition. She had been named the new manager of the Fleftic women's national football team for the duration of the Independents Cup, and she was here to make official the call-up process for two of Rosenpfelblatz City Ladies' players, the newly naturalized Anglatians Britt Hanokssen and Erin Jensdottir. Matt was not involved in that part of the process so he had not joined Joseph Churchill in the meeting with Heinrich Wurzmann, so it was by complete surprise that he saw Miriam Whitaker walking around the Rosenpfelblatz City training grounds after the meeting had concluded. "Miriam," Matt said when he recognized her. "Fancy seeing you here."

"Hello, Matt," Miriam said back. "Long time no see. I see that you've still got the beard."

"Well, I had to remember our little girl in my own little way," Matt replied. His gaze then dropped down to Miriam's hand and saw that there was now a newer wedding ring on it. "And I see that you found someone new, too," he added.

"I could say the same about you," Miriam said, pointing at the ring on Matt's hand. "You got kids?"

"One boy and three girls," Matt replied. "Triplets, the girls are. You?"

"Two girls," Miriam said with a smile.

"Congratulations," Matt said. "Really, though. They're all that you deserve and more." There was an awkward pause between them, and then Matt sighed and he said, "So, how have you been? The last I heard, you were in Oontaz with Santos Ladies."

"Oh, yes, that." This time it was Miriam's turn to sigh. "I spent five, six years in General Santos. I managed to play for a few years there. I was still able to play for a few more years after I gave birth to Delilah but after I had to bring Leyla out by C-section, I just had to call it quits. How about your wife, though? How did she handle your triplets?"

"25 hours of labor. It was a legitimate sleepless night. Veleda could barely talk for three days after. She'd just nod or shake her head to say yes or no, and she would point with her lips if she wanted me to get her something."

"I was the same way when I gave birth to Delilah!" Miriam said. "Except it was just for 48 hours and Tommy didn't half complain about it all the time!" Miriam and Matt shared a laugh at that.

"So what are you doing now?" Matt asked her.

"I've been named the new manager of the women's national team," Miriam replied. "Haven't you heard?"

"Really? I thought they were going to make Heino Wurzmann the manager again for his third shot at the Indy Cup."

"Well, the SFA hadn't yet found a new manager for the women's national team in time for the Independents Cup. You'd have thought they'd have had at least a few candidates lined up when Holly Jonasson finally moved to La Presa. But I've been doing a good job with Santos Ladies, or at least that's what they told me when they offered me the job."

"Nice, nice, nice," Matt nodded.

"How about you, Matty?" Miriam asked. "What have you been doing all these years?"

"Mostly just scouting for Rosen," Matt replied. "Maybe a few managerial stints for the youth sides here and there. I've been studying for my coaching badges as well, you know. I might actually make the step up to an actual club once I get the full badges."

"Good for you!" Miriam said, nodding her head. "So, it was nice seeing you again, Matthew."

"Likewise, Miriam," Matt nodded. The two of them then stared awkwardly at each other before Miriam finally said, "Goodbye then."

"Goodbye," Matt said. It wouldn't be the last time that they would be seeing each other.

---

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

INDEPENDENTS CUP 4: NEW DOLTANIA VS ABANHFLEFT
By Malik Qazizadah


Abanhfleft's Annamarie Sabado takes a penalty against New Doltania. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

LOCHEND, SCHOTTIA - Abanhfleft overcame both an own goal and a saved penalty to secure victory over New Doltania and maintain the pace in Group B of the 4th Independents Cup.

Annamarie Sabado, making her first start for the senior team in place of an ill Kelly McGinnis, had an early chance to give Abanhfleft the lead when she was hauled down inside the box by a New Doltanian defender, but Sabado's penalty was easily saved by the Doltanian goalkeeper.

It then began to look like it wouldn't be the Lady Revolutionaries' day after Miranda Sullins turned into her own net what was New Doltania's only corner kick of the game, and her protestations also earned her a booking as well.

Abanhfleft's fortunes did start to turn in the second half, especially when Fleftic manager Miriam Whitaker brought on Kelly McGinnis, apparently recovered from her earlier illness, on for Sabado, and the general quality of Abanhfleft's play noticeably improved.

McGinnis finally converted on her third try, pushing the ball past the rushing Doltanian goalkeeper with her toes to score a very vital equalizer for the Lady Revolutionaries.

McGinnis' goal accomplished what Whitaker needed, turn the game on its head, and now Abanhfleft were on the offensive, peppering the Doltanian goal with shots and attempts, but for all of their dominance, the Lady Revolutionaries were finding it very hard to find that second potentially decisive goal.

But it did finally come for them, albeit in the first minute of stoppage time, and after a practical goalmouth scramble finally resulted in substitute Britt Hanokssen-Hanks hoofing the ball straight into the roof of the net.

Abanhfleft women's national team manager Miriam Whitaker: "It was a pretty tough game, I think, what with some of the chances we had not going our way. The own goal was bad as well, and we took a dent in our confidence after that. But I told the girls that we needed to win, and I must say that they fought really hard for it."

On her decision to bring on Kelly McGinnis: "[Kelly] told me that she was finally feeling well enough to play just before the second half, and I kept her ready and warming up until I finally made the call to bring her on. She wanted to play so I let her play. And as you can see, Kelly played really well for us even through the illness. She really is a player for the future. With that kind of fight and fire, she will become a natural leader on the pitch."

Abanhfleft will next face Vakolicci Haven and Celeria at the Allen Dixon Stadium in Marionville, Schottia.

    NEW DOLTANIA 1 - 2 ABANHFLEFT
SULLINS (31' og)       McGINNIS (69')
                       BRITT (90+1')

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 1 Qatintiki
RB: 2 Baum
RCB: 4 Soler
LCB: 5 Sullins █
LB: 3 Roos
RM: 6 Kleist
LM: 8 Segovia (Abigail - 74')
RW: 7 Magomedova █
CAM: 10 Pratt (Britt - 82')
LW: 11 Rusev
ST: 21 Sabado (McGinnis - 54')

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
New Doltania: 41%
Abanhfleft: 59%
Shots
New Doltania: 4 (2 on target)
Abanhfleft: 15 (9 on target)
Corners
New Doltania: 1
Abanhfleft: 5
Fouls
New Doltania: 14
Abanhfleft: 17

[Karditan]

On the night of the South Toronto match, at a seedy downtown Handon pub...

Xi propped his head up with his left hand, blankly staring at the muted television showing highlights of recent marquee soccer matches from the multiverse over. His right held a third dose of fine Schottic whiskey.

This was a mistake. He glances down at the glass. ...two mistakes. It shouldn't be me here. A hyper-cut of Pristina Shine's four goals plays. Sweet would know the plays to call. The elderly woman beside him smiled warmly as Jessica Lennox puts away the winner against Free Republics again. Emanuel could rally everyone with a grin. You can feel Pasarga's pain as Marcellinus Winton scores, completely unmarked. But neither of them wants fucking anything to do with this, apparently. The less-prominent matches start to roll, starting with Mercidini's evisceration of Fungsland. So it's just me, all by myself, left to make do with the dregs. His knuckles go white as Jozy Dembele walks past Enos Harlaugh for a goal. Again.

It took all his willpower to not smash the glass into the floor before stumbling out.

---

Hsad could tell Xi was in another of his moods. This is especially unnerving, he thought as the manager gloomed on the bench. I've never seen it grasp him for this long. Kel Assuk was warming up opposite them, a squad coming off an overachieving World Cup (qualifying). Sure, we lost the first game, but we were expecting that. And it wasn't even a blowout. Dust Pan tried to get Xi talking, but didn't get through. Something else has to be eating at him, but he'll never open up about it. Maybe I can force him to think about the game instead...

Xi couldn't help but a crack a smile when Hsad hugged him after the second goal.

[Schottia]

It comes with music.

---

MATCHDAY THREE CUT-OFF

Group A
Kel Assuk 2–5 South Toronto
Spaam 0–3 Karditan

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 South Toronto                 3   3  0  0    8   3  +5    9 Q
2 Karditan                      3   2  0  1    5   1  +4    6 Q 
3 Spaam                         3   1  0  2    2   5  −3    3
4 Kel Assuk                     3   0  0  3    2   8  −6    0

Group B
East Vormsi 2–1 New Doltania
Abanhfleft 2–1 Vakolicci Haven and Celeria

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft                    3   2  1  0    4   2  +2    7 Q
  East Vormsi                   3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7 Q 
3 New Doltania                  3   0  1  2    3   5  −2    1
  Vakolicci Haven and Celeria   3   0  1  2    2   4  −2    1

Abanhfelft ahead of East Vormsi on coin toss (OOC: RP Bonus).

Group C
Alpine Union 2–1 Amazonesta
Space 2–6 Juvencus

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Juvencus                      3   2  1  0   13   5  +8    7 Q
2 Alpine Union                  3   2  0  1    9   9   0    6 Q
3 Space                         3   1  0  2    6  12  −6    3
4 Amazonesta                    3   0  1  2    3   5  −2    1

Group D
Aggrey-Fynn Land 0–3 New Gazi
Gangnam 1–3 Funky Fresh Beats

.                              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 New Gazi                      3   3  0  0    9   2  +7    9 Q
2 Funky Fresh Beats             3   2  0  1    6   6   0    6 Q
3 Gangnam                       3   0  1  2    2   5  −3    1
4 Aggrey-Fynn Land              3   0  1  2    1   5  −4    1

Group E
Tinhampton 0–0 Mercedini
Otakuverse 1–0 Fungsland

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Otakuverse                    3   2  0  1    2   1  +1    6 Q
2 Mercedini                     3   1  1  1    5   2  +3    4 Q
3 Tinhampton                    3   1  1  1    1   2  −1    4 Q
4 Fungsland                     3   1  0  2    3   6  −3    3

Group F
United States of Devonta 1–2 Drawkland
Omerica 0–0 Mareibat

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mareibat                      3   2  1  0    7   5  +2    7 Q
2 Drawkland                     3   2  0  1    7   5  +2    6 Q
3 Omerica                       3   0  2  1    0   2  −2    2
4 United States of Devonta      3   0  1  2    3   5  −2    1

Group G
Sorrentopia 0–2 Free Republics
Northwest Kalactin 1–1 Schottia

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Schottia                      3   2  1  0    6   4  +2    7 Q
2 Northwest Kalactin            3   1  2  0    3   2  +1    5 Q
3 Free Republics                3   1  1  1    6   5  +1    4 Q
4 Sorrentopia                   3   0  0  3    0   4  −4    0

Re-seeding table

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 New Gazi                      3   3  0  0    9   2  +7    9
1 South Toronto                 3   3  0  0    8   3  +5    9 
1 Juvencus                      3   2  1  0   13   5  +8    7
1 Mareibat                      3   2  1  0    7   5  +2    7 
1 Schottia                      3   2  1  0    6   4  +2    7 
1 Abanhfleft                    3   2  1  0    4   2  +2    7
1 Otakuverse                    3   2  0  1    2   1  +1    6
-------------------------------------------------------------
2 East Vormsi                   3   2  1  0    3   1  +2    7
2 Karditan                      3   2  0  1    5   1  +4    6
2 Drawkland                     3   2  0  1    7   5  +2    6   
2 Alpine Union                  3   2  0  1    9   9   0    6
2 Funky Fresh Beats             3   2  0  1    6   6   0    6
2 Northwest Kalactin            3   1  2  0    3   2  +1    5 
2 Mercedini                     3   1  1  1    5   2  +3    4
-------------------------------------------------------------
3 Free Republics                3   1  1  1    6   5  +1    4 
3 Tinhampton                    3   1  1  1    1   2  −1    4

-Last Sixteen Draw-

New Gazi v Tinhampton @ Harbour Hill Stadium

South Toronto v Free Republics @ Duke Street Stadium

Juvencus v Mercedini @ Lochend Stadium

Mareibat v Northwest Kalacti @ Dyerton

Schottia v Funky Fresh Beats @ Gannon Park

Abanhfleft v Alpine Union @ Gauld Park

Otakuverse v Drawkland @ Ashley Road

East Vormsi v Karditan @ Lammerton City Ground

[Mareibat]

Sometimes you just get a feeling. Studio Marquis, one of the younger players on the squad, but still good enough to be one Bellight FC's expanding roster of professional players had sat through the unbelievable win against Drawkland. He'd also sat on the bench for the still unbelievable win against the United States of Devonta.

And he was still there, sitting on the bench, as the team faced Omerica, both sides holding each other to a complete stalemate so far. However, despite still in pole position to qualify first from their group, Brian Ashgrove didn't do playing it safe, otherwise he wouldn't have threatened to throttle the assistant referee after a denied "penalty" for Yorin Voeller, who had fallen over in the box, about a full metre away from Fernand Michelakakis, the closest defender.

And so he was sitting in the stands now, shouting angrily through a walkie-talkie to Ezekiel Charlestown, his assistant, who had taken over proceedings in the dugout. With a degree more calmness as well.

However, Yorin Voeller was deemed to be playing poorly and Studio was the one to be picked to find the breakthrough.
"No spectaculars, we're just trying to find a goal," Ezekiel whispered to him as the fourth official indicated the changes,
"Yes boss."
"And despite what the gaffer says, a point will do."

Before he could reply though, Yorin was here and he was off onto the pitch. Immediately the ball came to him and a loose pass to Arthur Jakkar only succeeded in going to Elise Bianchi, to a hard stare from Jakkar. Good start. He was nervous, it was his debut to be fair.

However, he played his way into the game and was feeling quite confident with 10 minutes to go. Corentin Jack St. John had sprung a ball, cross-pitch to Richard Sherman, who managed somehow to control it and take it past Skye Ecclestone. The ball was floating into the box, Studio lined up his header. He had a good shot on goal from here, the keeper was busy marking Richard Armada behind him,

"Studio, mine!" He heard from behind him, but it was already too late, he'd already done the header. Turns out, he wasn't lined up and it went flying over the bar.

"FUCK SAKE STUDIO" Richard Armada wasn't happy.

Not the most auspicious of debuts.

[Union of Socialist Alpine Republics]

The Alpine Union makes the round of 16!

Handon, Schottia - (NAP) After beating Space and losing against Juvencus, the Alpine Union won 2-1 against Amazonesta which was enough to finish 2nd in group C and made the round of 16! The Alpines attacked at the 13th minute when Krzysztof Januszkiewicz passed the ball to Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz who passed to Amelia Zalwowska who dribbled with the ball and made a header pass to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots on the post! Pawel Wawrzynkiewicz takes the loose ball and shoots over the net, still 0-0. At the 35th minute, Player #8 passed to Player #6 wo made a cross to Player #10 who shoots and scores. 1-0 Amazonesta and it's the half time.

At the 61st minute, Sascha Welzmüller passed to Amelia Zalwowska who passed to Sarah Schroffenegger who passed to Jean-François Kleineheismann who dribbled with the ball and he's tackled just outside the penalty area by Player #2. Player #2 gets a red card and Amazonesta will play with 10 men and women on the field. Sarah Schroffenegger takes the free kick, she shoots right into the net, the game is tied at 1-1! At the 90 + 2 minute, Player #9 makes a header pass to Player #7 who heads the ball right into Zofia Kwietniewska's hands. It's a goal kick! Zofia Kwietniewska kicks the ball, Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz heads to ball to Sarah Schroffenegger who dribbled and made a cross to Zbigniew Zajaczkowski who shoots and scores and the Bisons takes the lead! The referree blows the whistle and the Reprezentacja Alpejski wins 2-1!

The Alpine Union advances to the round of 16 and will face a familiar opponent, Abanhfleft, who won their group on a coin toss. Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz said the following about Abanhfleft: "I'm confident we're going to beat Abanhfleft, they will regret winning that coin toss lol"

BOXSCORE
35th minute: Player #10 assisted by Player #6
61st minute: Sarah Schroffenegger (free kick)
90 + 2 minute: Zbigniew Zajaczkowski assisted by Sarah Schroffenegger

YELLOW CARDS
Alpine Union: Przemyslaw Zawistowski and Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz
Amazonesta: Player #5 and Player #8

RED CARDS
Alpine Union: None
Amazonesta: Player #2

[Free Republics]

News Magazine

Consul Nicholls Calls for Action to Stop School Shootings
By: Matthew DeRose

Following the horrific drug-fueled shooting at Peace & Love High School in Smalltown, Plymouth, many in the press have called for action to prevent the drug industry from marketing dangerous psychotropic substances to children. Today, Consul Nicholls added his voice to NewsWars host Walter Snyder's viral campaign to protect children from mind-altering drugs. The Consul spoke to a joint session of the Assembly and the Senate urging them to "unite to pass legislation to protect children and prevent future shootings". This legislation, "would outlaw gun-free zones and prohibit parents, teachers, doctors or anybody else in a position of authority over a child from coercing or even encouraging a child to use mind-altering drugs of any kind". This call was met with a standing ovation from the assembled lawmakers. Following the speech, Speaker Patricia Genovese promised to personally see to it that such legislation was drafted and brought to vote within the next week.

Peace & Love High School is a private high school in Smalltown, Plymouth, which is fittingly a small town in the southern Republic of Plymouth. The school is known throughout rural Plymouth for banning guns on its property and for its controversial view that behavior problems can be solved with mind-altering drugs. The recent school shooter was a former student at the school who was reportedly using a drug that is called an "anti-depressant" which supposedly is supposed to make you happy. Studies have shown that such drugs can also cause thoughts of suicide and it also appears that they might cause thoughts of homicide in a few cases.

The Free Republics has long been one of the few nations in the multiverse that has no national drug laws whatsoever. Unfortunately, between the recent diamorphine epidemic and the mounting evidence that mass shootings are caused by mind-altering drugs, the public increasingly believes that there is a need for regulation. A recent News Magazine poll discovered that 74% of likely voters in next year's Consul elections favored Federation-level regulation of drugs and 61% were in favor of a hypothetical law that would make it a felony to give such drugs to children or to permit a child to consume such drugs. Now, it appears that such regulation is likely to come to pass very soon.

Matthew DeRose writes about the Federation Government. He is a recent graduate of the University of Republica with bachelors degrees in Journalism and Political Science. During his time in college, he interned with the Republica Post. Although the Post didn't have any openings for him upon his graduation, he had left an impression on their editor, who recommended him to Admiral Theriault.

---

Soccer General Rule Theriault locked his phone's screen. At that moment, Johnny Smith walked into his coach's office.

Johnny Smith - Coach, I'm worried.

Soccer General Rule Theriault - Why would you be worried about South Toronto, Johnny? Just focus on doing what you do best and we'll be fine.

Johnny Smith - I'm not worried about them, Coach. We're closer to Schottia in the KPB rankings than we are to them.

Soccer General Rule Theriault - Then what are you worried about?

Johnny Smith - I was watching the news tonight and I heard the government's planning to go after drugs. Does that mean we won't be able to use Methylphenidate any longer to improve our performances on the pitch?

Theriault thought about it for a moment and realized that the kid might actually be right. His dodgy effort to pay some quack to diagnose his players with an imaginary "disease" called "hyperactivity disorder" and prescribe them with performance-enhancing drugs for "medical" reasons might soon be made illegal.

Soccer General Rule Theriault - Don't worry about it, Johnny. I have political connections and they'll make sure I can continue to secure "medical" reasons for players to utilize performance-enhancing drugs.

Johnny Smith - OK Coach, I won't worry about it. But I am wondering something...

Soccer General Rule Theriault - Ask away. I'm not going to keep any secrets from you.

Johnny Smith - Did Consul Bolton and Sir Theodore's generation ever use performance-enhancing drugs?

Soccer General Rule Theriault - Yes, but only during World Cup 68. For whatever reason, those Legalites let us handle the PED-testing side of things inside our country and we made sure our players wouldn't be tested. This enabled everybody on our team to use lots of performance-enhancing drugs. Unfortunately, when those damn Legalites refused to move the final to the FFR, they also announced their plans to drug test our players prior to the match. That meant we had to do lots of tricks to bring everybody's testosterone level down, which left our team lethargic for the final against Vilita.

Johnny Smith - Why didn't you just bribe a doctor to prescribe those drugs to the players?

Soccer General Rule Theriault - Believe it or not, I hadn't thought of doing that! If I'd only done that, we could of won several World Cups and been recognized as a dynasty every bit as great as Aguazul or Bedistan. It was such a missed opportunity for us.

Johnny Smith - I can imagine. Well, at least we can use drugs to improve our performance. Hopefully, the government won't ruin that for us just to stop a few school shootings!

Soccer General Rule Theriault - That's not going to happen. Trust me. I'll call up Consul Bolton and I guarantee he'll veto unless a special exemption is carved out for sports coaches.

Johnny Smith - I guess its fortunate that we have friends in high places.
'
Soccer General Rule Theriault - Yes, it is...

[Juvencus]

Space 2-6 Juvencus

A JUVEN FORGETS MANY THINGS, EXCEPT SCORING!


Gli attaccanti players celebrate as Juvencus qualifies to the round of 16 of the Independents Cup

Space XI:
GK: The Keeper of the Milky Way
CB: The Defender of Orion's Belt
CB: The Defender of Outpost Beta
CB: The Defender of Mars
CB: The Defender of Alpha Centauri
CDM: The Protector of Polaris(Assist 52')
CDM: The Guardian of Ursa Minor
CM: The Transporter of Pluto
CAM: The Big Bang of Boötes(Assist 47')
CF: The Explosion of the Pinwheel Galaxy
CF: Saturnia(Goals 47', 52')

Juvencus XI:
GK:Taddeo Bulgari
CB:Dudu Madeiros(Goal 86')
CB:Nicolò Bassi
CB:Valerio Scarpa
CDM:Nino Russo
CDM:Filipe Rodrigues(Assist 81')
RM:Hugo Grec(Goal 81')
LM:Angelino Alberighi
LF:Joaquim Martell(Goal 42')(Assists 12', 23', 86')
RF:Oriol Vives
CF:Santo Silvestri(Goals 12', 23', 39')

The goalscoring performances continue for the gli attaccanti, which starts to live up to its name, scoring 6 against a tireless Space squad last night, which fought to the end,
but the first half's heroic appearance of the Juven players was enough to secure more than just a victory, a qualification to the round of 16 of the Independents Cup.

The first half was marked by Juven dominance, with the gli attaccanti immediately going on the offensive, with Silvestri losing the first opportunity of the game. Space wouldn't go past the half-way line before Rodrigues intercepting the ball, giving to to Martell who set up an easy goal for Silvestri. A few minutes later, at the 18th minute,
Silvestri would try scoring his second one of the night after Vives crossed the ball right at his left foot, however his shot was weak and easily saved by The Keeper of the Milky Way. Not long after though, another Martell through ball saw Silvestri chipping the ball over the afforementioned keeper to increase the goals difference by 2, making the scoreline 0-2. A small period of balanced play by both sides followed, however in the 39th minute, Silvestri scored a rocket against the opposing side, making the scoreline 0-3 in favor of the gli attaccanti. The first half's last chance was a Joaquim Martell solo opportunity, with him getting through 3 Space defenders before scoring the 4th one for Juvencus.

However, the second half didn't see Juvencus going in as strong as they finished the first half, with Space immediately catching the defenders off guard and with a great The Big Bang of Boötes through ball which was capitalised by Saturnia. Immediately after, another great through ball, this time from The Protector of Polaris was capitalised by Saturnia once more. However, all this mental boost of the Space players was immediately shut down as their next opportunities were more carefully watched over. A great opportunity in the 78th minute was missed by Silvestri, after another great Martell through ball, the ball went wide. Soon after, a Rodirgues cross to the right side of the field saw Grec scoring a goal from the 27 meter mark, making the scoreline 2-5. In the 85th minute, a Silvestri shot was saved into a corner kick. Martell's corner kick was capitalised by Madeiros, in the 86th minute, making the scoreline 2-6. With the victory already settled, the gli attaccanti decided to go into a heavily possessive game, so Space couldn't pressure them. Juvencus has qualified for the round of 16, drawn against Mercedini, in what is a Cup of Harmony rematch, now with more stakes up there for the two teams as they not only represent their nations, but their regions too.

[Abanhfleft]

Kelly McGinnis had never been afraid to step into the limelight. It just wasn't in her nature to shrink away from the opportunity when it was demanded of her. Well, that was what her mind thought, anyway. Her body was having completely different thoughts altogether.

Kelly had never felt sick right before a game. But as they say, there was always a first time for everything. And it looks like the Independents Cup game against New Doltania was the first time that Kelly McGinnis was going to become sick before a football game.

She couldn't explain the sensation, really, except that her stomach was feeling very, very queasy. It was like she wanted to throw up. These weren't just butterflies in her stomach; they were outright Atlas moths. She had told the team trainers about this but not even the most extensive test that they could do onsite could discover anything wrong with Kelly. She was just experiencing her first case of pre-game nerves, and it was practically debilitating at the moment. Kelly told the new manager, Miriam Whitaker, about this, and Miriam had agreed to bench Kelly for the moment and give Annamarie Sabado her first start for the senior women's team and her first Independents Cup start.

The butterflies didn't ease up during the first thirty minutes of the game, but at least they didn't get a bit friskier with their fluttering. Kelly felt like she could still handle this. The knot in her stomach tightened a little after Annamarie Sabado's penalty kick was saved early in the first half, but then Abanhfleft suddenly went behind on an own goal, and it was right at that moment that Kelly had to excuse herself and run for the nearest trash bin that she could see, and she barely made it there just in time before she retched. But nothing came out of her mouth; instead she dry-heaved and dry-heaved until her abdominal muscles and throat hurt. She dry-heaved one more time, and then Kelly wiped her mouth dry (even though she hadn't actually vomited or expelled anything) and she went back to the bench as if nothing had happened. "Hey, Kel," Prudence Woodward, Kelly's teammate with the under-18 Fleftic team, said to her. "You all right?"

"I'll live," Kelly replied as she retook her seat on the bench. The dry heaving experience may have been quite embarrassing for her, but if there was one positive that she could take out of it, it was the fact that the butterflies in her stomach seemed to have finally calmed down. Maybe that was all that there was to it, nerves, and Kelly had finally survived her first pre-game nerves. One thing that Kelly was absolutely sure of now was that she never wanted to feel it again.

"Hey, coach, I think I'm already feeling all right," Kelly said to Miriam Whitaker after the latter had finished her half-time talk with the rest of the team. It was a straight-up talk; "we had our chances and the other team had theirs, and it was just our damn luck that the other side scored an own goal so now we gotta get out there and score goals of our own or else we might not make it to the next stage of the Independents Cup" was the gist of the talk.

"You sure about that, Kelly?" Miriam had asked her.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Kelly replied. "You can bring me on in the second half if you think that's going to help us. I think I can help us win the game."

"All right, Kelly, I'll think about it," Miriam told her with an appreciative pat on her shoulder, and then Kelly went back to the bench for the first nine minutes of the second half, but she knew that she was about to be subbed on soon because Miriam had told her to start warming up on the side of the pitch as soon as the referee had blown the whistle for the start of the second half. And then, finally, in the 54th minute, Kelly McGinnis replaced Annamarie Sabado on the pitch for the Lady Revolutionaries, and as the news reports would later say, Abanhfleft noticeably improved after Kelly's introduction. But for Kelly, she was just doing what she always did whenever she was on the pitch, which was chasing after the ball and setting herself up in good positions whenever the team had the ball.

Kelly had two tries to get the ball past the New Doltanian goalkeeper, but it seemed as if the ball had a mind of its own and naturally gravitated towards the goalkeeper. But Kelly thought nothing of it. That always happened to even the best strikers more often than not. Sometimes it was just a matter of not letting people see that the ball had gotten away from them. But Kelly did finally get a good touch on the ball on the third time that her teammate passed it up to her inside the box. Once again, the goalkeeper came off of his line to scoop the ball away from Kelly's feet but this time Kelly reacted quicker. She kicked at the ball with her toes to send the ball past the goalkeeper's fingertips, and she was already wheeling away to celebrate before the ball had even found the back of the net. That was how sure Kelly was that she had actually scored the goal.

But that wasn't the end of it just yet. All Kelly had done was to score the equalizing goal. And Abanhfleft couldn't afford another draw, not after that goalless stalemate against East Vormsi. And that was a team of mostly semi-pros and amateurs! Abanhfleft absolutely needed to win against New Doltania if the Lady Revolutionaries wanted to stand a chance of making it further into the Independents Cup than just the group stage. So Miriam Whitaker did what many other managers searching for a second goal did and threw on more attacking players onto the pitch. Abigail Papadiamantopoulos, the freakishly tall naturalized Greek Anglatian playing for All-Inclusive Haranguer, was brought on to replace Cecily Segovia, who was good for defending and stopping a team from leaking goals but not so much for chasing goals. And seemingly as a last resort, Miriam also brought on another naturalized Anglatian, Britt Hanokssen-Hanks, to replace Kassandra Pratt in the central attacking midfield role. Britt's role in this game was similar to the one being played by Kelly: roam around the final third looking for spaces and opportunities and then hopefully the goals will come.

But it took until the first minute of stoppage time before Abanhfleft finally found the breakthrough. Abanhfleft had gotten a corner kick, and Amelie Rusev had smashed an inswinger right into the box. The Doltanian goalkeeper had made to punch the ball away but he made poor contact with the ball, which floated down to the ground waiting for someone to poke it into the net or clear it away, whichever came first. There followed a practical life-or-death struggle for the ball as New Doltania aimed to keep hold of the single point they currently had in their hands while Abanhfleft looked to snatch two more points than they already had. Finally, a boot made contact with the ball and struck it into the net. And who else would it be but Britt, the Anglatian who had faked her death and made a new identity just so she could keep playing football?

This was just the second game Abanhfleft had played in the Independents Cup, though. There was still more left to be played.

---

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

INDEPENDENTS CUP 4: VAKOLICCI HAVEN AND CELERIA VS ABANHFLEFT
By Malik Qazizadah


The Abanhfleft women's national football team in a huddle before the game against Vakolicci Haven and Celeria. (Courtesy of Crescent News Network Sports Channel/Andros Tasasa)

MARIONVILLE, SCHOTTIA - Abanhfleft advanced to the round of 16 of the 4th Independents Cup after a narrow victory over Vakolicci Haven and Celeria, overcoming yet another first half own goal to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Abanhfleft started off the match poorly following their last-gasp victory over New Doltania courtesy of a Britt Hanokssen-Hanks goal, and Vakolicci Haven and Celeria dominated the proceedings for the first twenty minutes of the game, registering just over four shots on goal (two on target) in that given timespan.

The Lady Revolutionaries finally found their feet in the next ten minutes, and Kelly McGinnis had a chance to open the scoring had her header from Amelie Rusev's cross not smacked right into the crossbar.

It then must have seemed like deja vu for Abanhfleft when Claudia Roos' attempt at a headed clearance looped over Ursula Qatintiki and went into the back of the net, resulting in Abanhfleft's second own goal in as many games.

Once again, Abanhfleft had to claw their way back into the game in the second quarter, and Claudia Roos made amends by providing the pass to Amelie Rusev that would eventually put the Ludogorets Markovsky Ladies winger through on goal, and Rusev scored her first goal of the tournament with a clever shot to the far post.

This time, the Lady Revolutionaries wouldn't have to wait too long for their second goal though as substitute Prudence Woodward broke through the Vakolicci defense to set herself up for a goal opportunity, and she shot the ball over the head of the goalkeeper and into the roof of the net.

And just four minutes later Sohaila Magomedova squandered a chance to put the game to bed when her first touch took the ball beyond her and straight into the grateful arms of the Vakolicci goalkeeper.

Abanhfleft women's national team manager Miriam Whitaker: "A win's a win, no matter how you get it. But I'm proud that once again the girls put in a very good fight to claw our way back into the game. But we really must work on stopping leaking own goals. Remember when we conceded a lot of own goals in the World Cup qualifiers and we barely scraped into the Cup of Harmony after that. We need to work on our defense, and we also need to work on our finishing. That's how we are going to keep winning games."

Abanhfleft have been drawn against the Alpine Union in the Round of 16 of the 4th Independents Cup at Gauld Park in South Berwick, New Island, Schottia.

    ABANHFLEFT 2 - 1 VAKOLICCI HAVEN AND CELERIA
   RUSEV (51')       ROOS (36' og)
WOODWARD (76')

ABANHFLEFT
GK: 1 Qatintiki
RB: 2 Baum █
RCB: 4 Soler
LCB: 5 Sullins (Shepley - 71')
LB: 3 Roos
RM: 6 Kleist
LM: 8 Segovia
RW: 7 Magomedova (Britt - 81')
CAM: 10 Pratt (Woodward - 57')
LW: 11 Rusev
ST: 9 McGinnis

MATCH STATISTICS
Possession
Abanhfleft: 56%
Vakolicci Haven and Celeria: 44%
Shots
Abanhfleft: 17 (9 on target)
Vakolicci Haven and Celeria: 9 (5 on target)
Corners
Abanhfleft: 6
Vakolicci Haven and Celeria: 2
Fouls
Abanhfleft: 21
Vakolicci Haven and Celeria: 25

[Mercedini]

Independents Cup 4 Group Stage MD3
Tinhampton 0-0 Mercedini @ Gauld Park - South Berwick, Schottia

Starting XI: Polasic • Kuznetsov - Ytandev - Ossun - Di Sansev • Vaselko - Jackic - Karlovic - Presic • Dostalok - Spartoni

With a less than convincing performance against Tinhampton, Mercedini qualified for their third successive IAC knockout phase following a goalless draw to round out their prolonged stay in South Berwick. The draw means Mercedini safely qualify for the knockout stage, however they will face one of the tournament's in-form teams since they could only muster a second place finish in the group. That in-form team will be Juvencus, which will be a repeat of the Cup of Harmony group stage where Juvencus won out to eventually knock the Golden Eagles out of the post World Cup tournament.

The match started with plenty of pressure on all four teams going into the final day with everyone still in contention with one match each to play. Mercedini held the ace up their sleeve with their superior goal difference over the rest of the group, meaning they only needed a point to qualify, but a point would almost certainly give them that crucial top spot going into the seeded round of sixteen. Lyndainium selected a mixed strength side, continuing the style and substance of the tournament by focusing on youth and incorporating those players into the squad which already had some experienced names in the world of the Mercedinian national teams.

As you may expect, the match was a damp squib with the Mercedinians making up the majority of the crowd in Gauld Park, with many of the Schottic locals not turning up to the stadium as it was an early afternoon kick off on a rather sunny but cold weekday in South Berwick. The Golden Eagles knew they held the upper hand in the match as the game kicked off thank to their higher placing and the fact that they only need a point to take out Tinhampton and progress to the knockouts themselves. Chances were few and far between in the opening half with both teams having a combined three shots on target, shared equally between the two nations with Mercedini edging ahead with an optimistic shot on the stroke of half time. As the referee blew his whistle, the teams went in with the first goal of the game eluding Gauld Park.

The expectant crowd welcomed the teams back out on the pitch with no changes from either manager, it was a straight duel between Mercedini and Tinhampton for a qualifying spot, while Otakuverse and Fungsland were fighting their own battle across the city of South Berwick. For now, the team had to focus on one thing, and that was keeping Tinhampton out of the Mercedinian goal throughout the next 45 minutes. Lyndainium was ordering the midfielders and even the wingers to move back to ensure that there wasn't a Mercedinian disaster for the second consecutive senior competitive tournament. The defenders did their job and looked comfortable in the end, with the strikers sacrificing their chance of a goal to keep possession and see out the match. Tactics were played to perfection, and even though Mercedini didn't carry forward an extra three points their fans would have liked, the point they did earn was enough in the end. A goalless draw rounding out the group stage for the Golden Eagles.

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Otakuverse                    3   2  0  1    2   1  +1    6 Q
2 Mercedini                     3   1  1  1    5   2  +3    4 Q
3 Tinhampton                    3   1  1  1    1   2  −1    4 Q
4 Fungsland                     3   1  0  2    3   6  −3    3

In the end, it's a second place finish in the group which is enough to see them comfortably through to the next round. The are seeded 14th as the lowest ranked second placer in the competition, which will see them play the tournament's 3rd seed which in this case is a familiar foe in Juvencus. Mercedini have had a rotten time in tournament competitions recently, so let's see if they can knock out the current Cup of Harmony Champions and stamp their ticket to the IAC quarters.

[Drawkland]

INDEPENDENTS CUP 4
Written By: Walker Sun and Ellen Bolabore

---

GROUP RESULTS
GROUP F:
Mareibat 4–3 Drawkland
United States of Devonta 0–0 Omerica
Drawkland 2–0 Omerica
Mareibat 3–2 United States of Devonta
United States of Devonta 1–2 Drawkland
Omerica 0–0 Mareibat

.                             Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mareibat                      3   2  1  0    7   5  +2    7 Q
2 Drawkland                     3   2  0  1    7   5  +2    6 Q
3 Omerica                       3   0  2  1    0   2  −2    2
4 United States of Devonta      3   0  1  2    3   5  −2    1

Woohoo, the Independents Cup!

*crickets chirp, wind gust, tumbleweed*

Alright, alright. It may be wedged between the U15 World Cup and the DE COSTA INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT in actual international relevance, but fuck it. We're in it, and so you better care about it. I mean, we participated in the Global Cup of Soccer before, so we're kinda used to playing in matches nobody cares about. Hell, I'm not even sure if our own team cares about it. You can tell by the way that they play like total garbage. I mean, come on. You haven't even heard of half of these damn nations and yet the best we've done is losing in the Quarterfinals. Every other time was a humiliating Round of 16 loss.

IC 1, we were shutout against Flardania, one of the few tournament matches where we've been completely shut out. One of the other times was Matchday 1 of that tournament where we lost 0-4 to Schottia, our worst loss ever. Not counting the time we lost 6-1 to Farfadillis in the actual World Cup. At least we actually scored. Honestly, losing by 5 goals but scoring is way better than losing by 4 in a shutout. This is the Drawkian psyche, indeed.

Our history in the Independents Cup simply isn't good. After losing to Flardania in the Round of 16 in the 1st Cup, we lost to Flardania in the Quarterfinals of the second cup. At least that one was only 2-1. The next cup, to the relief of everybody, Flardania was on the other side of the draw. And luckily for us, we were drawn against ... the tournament co-hosts. On their home field. We got blasted 1-3 to a roaring crowd. And now there's this Cup. How are we doing? Well let's go back to the beginning.

NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION MODIFICATIONS
Here's an idea. Let's change up the national team a little bit! For 4 full cycles, Michael Starre has pretty much refused to make any major modifications to the squad. He made this pretty clear when he accepted the job, that he wouldn't want to make many changes to the talent pool in order to keep some level of chemistry intact. But finally, he started calling and dismissing some players from the squad, and now we have some adjustments at hand! No longer will the same names dominate the pitch. Kinda.

First up, check out the goalkeeper for the starting squad. Lana Harmony, someone who achieved some new fame by being a key piece of the Zellbon Zeppelins' defense, was given the starting role over regular starting stalwart Savannah Everett. Everett, despite having great results at the Jaffro Storm in the past, was pretty useless this season. Harmony played for the divisional rival Zeppelins, who shocked the league by placing in the Top 10 and being the best team to miss the playoffs. Not only showing off her skills in 3 direct matchups against the more famed Everett, but Harmony stole the show at the DLK Pro Cup, allowing no goals out of all the Focal Conference goalkeepers (the other two allowed 3 between them). It was the DLK All-Star game, so it was more about allowing less goals than attempting in vain to block all incoming shots. The Pro Cup, to goalkeepers, is the match that turns them into handball goalies.

The biggest deal about the Pro Cup to Lana Harmony is that she was one of the 3 in the Focal Conference selected to play in the match. Savannah Everett was not even selected, much less did she have an opportunity to show herself off. Not only that, but Harmony won the goalkeeper skills conference, in which the keepers are subjected to an onslaught of shots over the course of 2 minutes. The Goalkeeper with the least goals allowed in that 120 second period wins the competition, and Harmony did just that. She was also second place in the Golden Gloves award, behind Cassandra Mendoza. Mendoza is a New Drawkia citizen anyway, so basically Harmony was the best Drawkian goalkeeper this year. In other words, the choice was obvious. It's a surprise Everett was even kept on the squad after her abysmal year, but Starre's trusty "chemistry" statement came through for her.

As far as the starting lineup goes, there was only one other major change. Stella Moore, who was previously on the starting striker lineup in the early days of the NT, was placed back on the starting lineup. After a fiery Baptism of Fire campaign, the youngster Cam Cross replaced Stella Moore on the starting line. Cam Cross herself has been an integral part of the Gelderlish side Lexington Victory, who after a Globe Cup victory a few cycles ago and other impressive finishes in UICA play, are now the 9th-ranked UICA club. Cam Cross herself has made the Galacticos Index shortlist (not the shortshort list, but the field of about 22 players), so she's definitely solidified herself as one of the best on the team. But this isn't about Cam Cross, is it?

No, it's about Stella Moore, who had her best season of play ever with the Drawk City Troopers this past season. Accounting for a whopping 50 of the squads' 90 total goals, she barely passed the threshold for averaging 1 goal per match in the DLK's 49-game season. Her stellar (aha) season earned her the league MVP award (known in most other countries as a Golden Ball award), and thrust her back into the spotlight. She was put on the lineup in place of Jackie Crawford. While Crawford is also a great player known for her quiet finesse and humble technical skills, her season at Eastern Stars in Avon was less than optimal for her usual level of play, and after Moore had such a great season, Crawford was the one being demoted to reserve. Now of course, Crawford is probably not leaving the national team soon, especially since she'll now be sharpening her skills in Brenecia at Rozelle, but she'll have to work her way back to the top of the heap.

The rest of the starting line remained pretty much intact, only the bench lineup featuring more changes now. The biggest bench changes have to be in the defense, with the aging Sonia Kirsten and Melitta Yanks hitting the curb, replaced by slightly-fresher Lorraine Collins and Bela Tracy. Ultimately, the two defenders who were shown the door this cycle were famous a decade ago for their skills, but now are clearly over the hill. Sonia Kirsten had a less-than-average season at the Owabrok Speed, despite their amazing season-long comeback from a horrible start. If anything, Kirsten underperforming was one of the reasons the Speed had to make the comeback in the first place. Meanwhile, Melitta Yanks clearly hit the wall this season. It happens to most star players, just like a quarterback, they can perform year in and year out no problem, and then one year they're suddenly completely cooked. Yanks hit the wall this season. She played mediocre at her very best, and the Bolabore Anvils around her just exuded shit all season. "Boasting" an uncannily awful home record and being unable to qualify for the playoffs in the worst division in the league this season was such a beautiful sight to behold. If you think tragic plane crashes or rockets going up in flames mid-ascent is beautiful, you goddamn masochist.

Anyway, Lorraine Collins and Bela Tracy both made the Pro Cup this season from Drawk Corps and Drawk City Troopers respectively. They both had solid seasons with solid teams, and were among the younger Drawkian defenders that made the Pro Cup rosters. They may not be young guns at 26 and 27, but are certainly a breath of fresh air from the 35 and 37 Kirsten and Yanks. All in all, they're still on the bench, so we'll see if they can overtake the more venerable Cynthia Pack and Nicole Warren. The two starting edge defenders may be the best in the business for the DRK, but they are starting to get up there in age. Sarah Arrowsword is definitely here to stay for a long time though, and if not for her, then Seon-Yann Slater would be a more regular starter on the lineup.

The rest of the lineup was more stagnant. The midfield stayed the same, but there was one change at striker on the bench (besides the Crawford-Moore switch). Mickey Watson, who'd been a key part of the initial Kick Corps lineup in the Global Cup of Soccer, was shown the door. She had been an integral part of the Raikennax Charge side who qualified for the Globe Cup out of the DLK this year, but her role was pretty downplayed. Taking her place is the 34-year-old Kazia Savage, who had her best season at the Zeppelins this time around. It's clear this isn't a long-term solution however, and it's likely Starre is just letting her onto the team for maybe a cycle, to give her one hurrah and a positive way to end her career. She's been a class act for her tenure in the league, and she'll retire, likely from the Zeppelins, as a well-remembered player. Okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves. She's still got an hourglass above her head, for the time being.

GROUP STAGE OVERVIEW
It's now playoff time in the Independents Cup, but let's see how the Corps fared in their matchups in this group stage. Drawkland was drawn up as 4th in the list of Group F, meaning they'd be playing all their matches at Ashley Road in New Belfast, Schottia. The 22,000 seat stadium in South Schottia was definitely a familiar sight for one of the national teamers. Iana Synder, bench striker for the Kick Corps, is a regular sight in town as she plays for the New Belfast Warriors during the domestic season. She's doing decently well there, one of the two starting forwards, but the Warriors themselves have struggled in the midtable as of late. But enough about here.

This first match was not exactly what the Corps were looking for. Well, it was half of what they were looking for. Michael Starre said in a pregame interview that he intended to have the team score as many goals as possible in the group stage against the weaker competition. While this was only the second time the Kick Corps were the top-pot team in their group, this is the first time they had a truly easy path against the competition. First up were Mareibat, a small archipelago whose closest relations are to Apox. A punching bag, really. The Corps did what they did best and scored goals, 3 to be exact. Stella Moore scored early, followed up later by Ellzidan around the 30 minute mark and Corrie Archer in the first half injury time. They did give up one goal to Richard Sherman in the 25th minute. All in all, leading 1-3 going into the half is the exact place the Corps wanted to be. Just keep the foot on the gas or at least coast and make it to the 3 points.

Unfortunately, the entire team collapsed in the second half. After the torrid start, the forward line was completely thwarted by the defense of Mareibat. Their goalkeeper, Thorgen Lillehammer, played with a new flame, saving 5 shots on target in the second half. The Drawkian defense, however, did the opposite, bending and breaking at all the worst times. Arthur Jakkar scored, followed soon after by fellow midfielder Corentin Jack St. John. All of a sudden, the match was in a tense 3-3 draw. The admittedly small crowd were on their feet for the last 5 minutes of the match, to see if the tiny islands could overcome the massive behemoth. It was Richard Armada, in the 4th minute of injury time, who miraculously scored and brought the stadium to an ovation. Well, half of it anyway. The Drawkian half was sure to shower him in a chorus of boos, but that's just the con to the pro.

Cynthia Pack was seen making conversation afterwards with her new teammates, Ambrósio Constantini and Hilda O’Hardlome, fellow defenders. Pack was recently signed by the Gwinevra Barbarians of Apox for a sum of 4 million. After the match Michael Starre seemed livid at the total failure of his team in the second half, which was understandable. Now after a scoreless draw between Omerica and the United States of Devonta, Drawkland was last in the group.

They were determined to make sure this never happened again, however. They scored 3 but couldn't come away with a win, which is annoying considering Drawkland manages to win a lot of matches by scoring 3 goals, which dwarfs most teams. Enough of the half-hearted analysis. Their next matchup was against Omerica, a squad which hadn't seen much success lately. To stay in the hunt for qualifying out the group stage, the Kick Corps needed a win, and a solid one. And they did just that, a goal apiece from Drawk Corps teammates Corrie Archer and Katie Madison to put Les Incorrigibles down easy. The first half had been rocky, both sides' defenses shutting down the strikers. With the score barren at halftime, Archer and Madison both managed to score late to put the game officially away and get Drawkland's first points of the Independents Cup.

By beating Omerica and having Devonta lose to Mareibat, Drawkland just needed to at least draw against the USD in order to make it to the playoffs. And that they did. Devonta's head striker was the first to score in the match, but he was answered 10 minutes later by Kazia Savage, the Zeppelins player scoring her first goal in her first cap at the international level. The score remained 1-1 for the next hour of play. Late in the game, it was Mandy Thompson who finally broke the net and scored the dagger to send Drawkland to the playoffs with a bang.

PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
With the rocky start of the group stage now a hopefully-distant memory, the Corps are looking to capitalize on what some would call an easy draw. Well really, the entire tournament is easy at this point. For whatever reasons exist, various high-level teams who are IC regulars aren't around this time. Bonesea, obviously, the biggest culprits of this. The most intimidating names to make the playoffs this time around are Schottia, Mercedini, Free Republics, and our Sonnelian friends of Juvencus. And of course, us. Most of these other teams were lucky to make it this far at all, and would likely be crushed if this were a real regional tournament. But let's look at us, shall we?

Our initial draw for the Round of 16 is against Otakuverse, who somehow fluked into a win against Mercedini and managed to take the top spot in that group. They're the worst first seed in the tournament, and would actually be ranked below Drawkland if group position weren't the first thing taken into account. Funny, isn't it? This is a gift from the divine powers, clearly, and we'd better not squander it. We can't even find a roster for the likely nobodies that populate this team's squad, and if we can't beat them, then it'll show we truly are cursed in the Independents Cup.

Assuming the not-worst, we'll easily advance over Otakuverse. Then we have a matchup against either East Vormsi or Karditan. So pick your poison. Would you rather face the pony-nation that hasn't played worthwhile international ball in literal decades, or the small cold nation who only has a handful of really genuine players (only 5 playing abroad and half of those in Schottia)? If we don't make it to the semifinals, we're in deep shit regarding next qualifying. These are the kinds of teams we eat up in qualifying and don't think twice about. So why am I nervous right now? Because it's choking time, baby. Corps in Cups = Choking Chances.

So then, assuming we aren't playing like we don't know what a ball is, there's 2 likely teams we'd be playing in the semifinal, barring unusual upsets earlier on. Either Abanhfleft or Schottia. So while Abanhfleft and Drawkland have been adjacent in the KPB rankings for over a cycle running now, and the latter playing pretty decently in this cup, we'd take them any day over Schottia. Schottia, who won a World Cup on our turf just last year. Schottia, who are first in the KPB by a mile. Schottia, who are hosting this tournament and are playing with home field advantage. Schottia, who are 2-time champions of the Independents Cup. Yeah, if we make it to the final of the Independents Cup we'd probably have gone through Schottia, and if we could pull that off, then there's no reason we can't make the World Cup knockouts this year. But I'm being hasty here. We're gonna get assblasted if we do our job and make it past the quarterfinals for once.

Hey, maybe that's why the Corps would always lose out early. Let's hope Schottia gets upset early.

So if we make the semifinals we have either the 3PPO or Final to look forward to. And by that I mean the 3PPO. The scariest-looking teams on the other side of the draw are New Gazi, Free Republics, Juvencus, and Mercedini. The latter two actually play each other in the first round, and without being too forward here, I think whichever team wins that one is a favorite to make the Final. If I had to guess with a little bias, I'd say New Gazi and Juvencus play in the other semifinal, the loser of which going to play us in the 3PPO. Personally I'm too bad at predicting to really guess who we'd be playing, but my gut feeling is an all-Sonnel 3PPO. Although an all-Sonnel Final would be way fucking cooler. Either way, we'll see how the chips fall.

And in any case, we need to start back at where we are now. The Round of 16, against Otakuverse. Baby steps. We can do this. On Corps!

[Karditan]

"I really just don't get it." Xi was joined at the dive this time, flanked by Hsad and Quentin, and surprisingly Ashavara had deigned them worthy of getting smashed with. Even if she wouldn't say why. Or, well, anything.

"What's there not to get?" asked Hsad, setting down the crappy Euran swill he always insists on getting. "Primrose was on point, and everything clicked just like we drew it up."

"Because this was Spaam! I did some reading, they're a good team and everything. Didn't qualify for the World Cup last cycle, sure, but they were close and made it the two before that. That's not a team we should be rolling over."

Quentin shook his head, gesturing wildly with his pint. "That wasn't Spaam we played against, Xi. I don't even know if they have an A team anymore, but if they do it was not those guys."

"Ugh... I guess that make senses." Xi had a firm grip on the bridge of his nose. "Fuck, whatever. Whatever we're doing worked against two real teams, it can work against some no-name piece of ice."

Hsad quietly tutted. "Come on, you know better than to start talking trash behind their back. That doesn't bring any good."

"Yeah," Quentin sneered, "best to shout it right at them!"

"Alright, you only want me to talk shit about current company? What the fuck is with you two drinking generic shit instead of this local whiskey? Can't get anything this good back home."

Quentin snorted at Xi's out-thrust glass. "You're not playing, you're free to try new things. I'm only going to fuck myself up in ways that I know how fucked up I'll be."

I seem to have made an error in judgement, Ashavara mused, sipping at her own whiskey--neat, of course.

[Schottia]

-ROUND OF SIXTEEN-


New Gazi 0–1 Tinhampton

South Toronto 1–2 Free Republics

Juvencus 3–3 Mercedini (3–3 AET) (4–5 pen.)

Mareibat 0–1 Northwest Kalactin

Schottia 5–0 Funky Fresh Beats*

Abanhfleft 2–3 Alpine Union

Otakuverse 1–1 Drawkland (1–2 AET)

East Vormsi 2–1 Karditan*
-----

Quarterfinals

Tinhampton v Free Republics @ Harbour Hill Stadium

Mercedini v Northwest Kalactin @ Duke Street Stadium

Schottia v Alpine Union @ Lochend Stadium

Drawkland v East Vormsi @ Dyerton

*Scored by Royal Quebec

[Schottia]

SBCNEWS Online...
Independents Cup special - IAC IV Schottia

Schottia 1–1 Northwest Kalactin @ City of Port James Stadium
Line-up: Lorrey, Johnson, Ingold, Carlin, M.Ünterhausen, Conjure, Bronte, (Bánach), Coultan, Vaught (Stenberg), Soria Luna, Lennox (Martel-Burns)
Goals: Vaught

They might have already been through, but there was much disgruntlement amongst the Schottia faithful following a poor one-all draw with Northwest Kalactin. It seemed neither Schottia nor their opponents have been keen to stick to the script in this IAC tournament so far, with two narrow wins and a draw all they had to show for their group-stage efforts. This was meant to be a straightforward march to the title on home soil, blooding a few new faces along the way - but one look at Lionel Mah's face after the final game, told you all you needed to know.

The Quebecois was reportedly furious with his players, who struggled to make any impact against the side from India. Despite their possession, Schottia failed to find the killer ball in the final third, and Jess Lennox was left increasing frustrated as she failed to get the better of Hue Grebv, and Matt Hall. Things went from bad to absolutely-fucking-shite on thirty-two minutes however, as Northwest Kalactin got their noses in front. Schottia had been looking nervous whenever the visitors broke forward, and on this occasion, they allowed Frank Owens to slide the ball through to Luke Dillan for the opener.

Schottia's response was panicked and ill organised, and they spent the last then minutes of the first half trying far too hard and rushing every attack. Mah no doubt had some words at half time, and the introduction of Dilon Bánach gave the side a more familiar shape. The Handon United girl made an impact, and with their tails up, Schottia quickly pulled level through Isaiah Vaught. There was plenty of time to find the winning goal, it just needed cool heads. However, Schottia simply couldn't make any of their second half chances count, as they failed to win a game for only the second time in nearly two years.

Schottia 5–0 Funky Fresh Beats @ Gannon Park
Line-up: Gould, Hordern, Ingold, Carlin, M.Ünterhausen, Conjure, Stenberg (Bánach), Coultan, Vaught, Soria Luna (K.Morham), Martel-Burns (Renshaw)
Goals: Vaught, Martel-Burns, Stenberg, Renshaw (2)

One simply cannot put into life how much funnier life would be, were you to live in a country called Funky Fresh Beats. Schottia just doesn't have the same ring to it, and no matter how hard you try, it's difficult to muster even a titter. One person who was tittering, however, was Lionel Mah, who saw his players put in their first assured performance of the tournament so far.

Martel-Burns was back in the starting line-up and it's kind of worrying how much better Schottia look with her leading the line. The volatile striker was all over the Beatian defence (Beatian..? Beatic..? Beatese..?) giving them not one second on the ball. There were also good performances from Vaught and Coultan in the wide areas, as they pressed high up the pitch and created a lot of problems for the visitors. A fifteen minute strike from Vaught, and a twenty-metre screamer from Martel Burns gave Schottia a handsome lead to take with them up the half-time tunnel.

It was more of the same in the second half, with Schottia recapturing some of their best form against the unranked nation. Louis Hordern was a constant menace, and the right-back had a direct hand in Line Stenberg's goal on the hour mark. A late double from substitute Ross Renshaw ensured that Schottia made their way comfortably through to the next stage.

[Mercedini]

What's Next For The Independents' Cup?
@ Lochend Stadium - Lochend, Schottia

Good evening and welcome to another edition of Mercedini Sports Daily where we will be running through all of the action regarding Mercedini's domestic and national teams. Today, we revert our attention back to football and, more specifically, the Independents Cup. The Golden Eagles have advanced to the quarter-finals of the contest, which has seen it's fair share of upsets and underdogs throughout the number of editions that contest has been active for, included the second edition which we hosted. The next question is 'Where is the tournament going?', publications from a number of competing nations have been commenting on the tournament, including the pros and cons of the tournament and potential ways of fixing those problems.

Independent Rankings

---

Since the IAC is a relatively young organisation, tournament organisers had to use World Cup rankings to seed teams into their respective pots, even if teams send their b-teams, which is something that is becoming increasingly common as of late. That means teams who do not participate are at an instinctive disadvantage as they are lumped in with teams who are known to have some of the multiverse's best sports networks, even if the team made a deep run in the previous couple of editions. Proposals have been laid on the table for an IAC ranking system which would take the previous tournaments into account, meaning perennial participants like Space and Kel Assuk who don't take part in official WCC events will be more incentivised to take the plunge and play in the multiverse's best non-region regional tournament.

Compeitiveness

---

As stated in previous articles, competitiveness has become something which is worth of mention, especially since we only needed three editions before we got our first two-time winner in current hosts Schottia, with now world number two Bonesea making up the other IAC champions. It does raise questions about whether or not the Independents Cup is a competitive tournament or whether the later stages of the tournaments is only really accessible to the select few who manage to pick up result after result in not only regional tournaments, but in official tournaments too. While the previously mentioned IAC ranking will help matters by giving teams two different variables to aim at, it might be long process to ensure those who earn advantage carry that forward, while also giving those up and coming nations incentive to work hard for their results. The best scenarios for all parties involved.

In the end, the IAC has a tournament to last with the monopoly of the big three rapidly diminishing cycle by cycle. Schottia and Bonesea, ever-present in the Independents Cup, sit first and second in the World Cup rankings. Juvencus won the most recent Cup of Harmony. Ourselves can contribute to the number of independent trophy winners with our U18 World Cup triumph, the balance seems to be shifting out of sporting regions and into individual nations with the players available to carry their team and their nation forward. It may not have the rivalries, but it definitely has the sport.

Independents Cup 4 Group Stage MD3
Juvencus 3-3 Mercedini (AET) @ Gauld Park - South Berwick, Schottia
Mercedini win 5-4 on penalties.

Starting XI: Polasic • Aznelik - Toivonen - Ossun - Catessic • Crasic - Kraljic - Karlovic - Presic • Dostalok - Billic
Goalscorers: Billic 79', Dostalok 86' (P), Aznelik 90+4'

How's your luck? Mercedini somehow find their way through to the quarter-finals following a remarkable comeback to force extra time in the choc-a-bloc Lochend Stadium. Three goals in the final eleven minutes capped off by a last gasp Aznelik header, sending the Mercedinian position of the crowd into ecstasy with the Juvencan fans stunned and the neutrals just happy to get an extra thirty minutes out of their ticket price. The Round of Sixteen draw produced plenty of meaty games but the Mercedini-Juvencus matchup was the pick of the bunch, being a repeat of the Cup of Harmony group stages where Juvencus ultimately won out.

The referee had just blown his whistle for half-time with Juvencus looking more that comfortable, 2-0 up thanks to goals from the familiar Grec and the dangerous Silvestri, a number of the Mercedinian looked frustrated with the referee following a number of blown calls for penalties and unnecessary yellow cards for harmless fouls from their perspective. Lyndainium looked disappointed as he went down the tunnel attempting to speak to the referee. It would be the second time in as many tournaments they would fall to Juvencus, completely wiping out their friendly victory when their opponents were debuting on the World Cup circuit.

Something had to change, however the strongest eleven were already on the pitch, with the Lochend Stadium getting behind the Juvencus team due to their underdog status and the fact that the antichrist a Handon United striker was on the pitch for Mercedini. The players came back out still talking to each other about potential tactics and ways to improve their play. A third goal early in the second half from Silvestri looked to have put the game away from the Cup of Harmony champions, their clinical finishing too much for Polasic in the Mercedinian goal.

A lifeline in the second came when Valerio Scarpa was sent off for a second bookable offence after a shirt-pull and late tackle on Crasic down the wing. That breathed new live into the Mercedinian team as they now had a man advantage, but a three goal deficit to pull back. The lead was cut to two as Billic found the net with a scuffed shot into the bottom corner of the net, the goalkeeper really should have done better, however the ball rolled over the line and tentatively into the net, there was still time.

The minutes ticked by with chance after chance going into the box, but a fortunate handful was spotted by the referee if not all the players., which gave Mercedini a second way into the match. The Lochend fans were giving Dostalok some stick as the naturalized Handonite placed the ball onto the slot, and subsequently rifled in the penalty. 2-3 with only a couple of minutes plus stoppage time remaining, it was bums on seats for all sides of the arena as the ball went in time and time again. A communication error led to a crucial corner in the fourth of six minutes of stoppage time.

There were to be Mercedinian heroics at the death as a Polasic cross found the head of Aznelik, a finger tip save was not enough as the ball bounced over the line and, with the referee and goal line technology indicting that the ball had crossed the line which was backed up by further video replays. Mercedini had got themselves over the line, with all frustrations of the first off now a rather distant memory.

Extra time came and went with no team able to force the initiative, and a perfect penalty run in the first nine penalties left it up to Hugo Grec, who had scored earlier in the match and had to net once again to keep his team alive in the match. A short run up and a well placed penalty was bettered by the hand of Polasic who guided the ball onto the post to save the final regulation penalty and take his team through to the quarter finals. Next is Northwest Kalactin, with plenty of pressure on the team from nations across the multiverse hoping the Golden Eagles can make their way to the semi-finals.

[Schottia]

-QUARTERFINAL-

Tinhampton 0–1 Free Republics

Mercedini 1–0 Northwest Kalactin

Schottia 1–1 Alpine Union (2–2 AET) (0–3 pen.)*

Drawkland 6–3 East Vormsi*

---

Semi-Finals

Free Republics - Mercedini @ Harbour Hill Stadium

Alpine Union - Drawkland @ Lochend Stadium

*Scored by Chromatika

[Mercedini]

What's Next For Zoloroni Sports City?
@ Zoloroni Sports City Stadium - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Good evening and welcome back to another edition of Mercedini Sports Daily where we will be running through all of the action regarding Mercedini's domestic and national teams. With national teams going well in a plethora of different sports including the Winter Olympics, the Independents Cup and upcoming tournaments which include the World Cup of Hockey and the U21 World Cup (otherwise known as the Di Bradini Cup which is the title used by cheeky scrubs and pensioners). So today, we will look at the sporting capital of the nation, Zoloroni Sports City as it's potential development as Mercedinian sports teams and athletes put themselves centre-stage at some of the multiverse's biggest sporting events.

Unnamed Hockey Arena

---

The sport of hockey has always been something that has captured the imagination of the general public, whether the domestic Mercedinian Super League at home or the Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey a bit further afield. Taking place during the off-season of the Mercedinian Premier League, the MSL has filled the sporting void and used it to their commercial success, with television viewership of the sport increasing 40% and stadia attendance nearly doubling in just the past two seasons alone, stating the case for a Sports City Hockey Arena in the nation's capital. As of now, the only arena which can be used as a hockey arena in any capacity is the MRC.CUBE which is marketed as a multi-purpose arena, hosting the Zoloroni City Icers in the MSL but also hosting a number of different events, the most recent being the Junior World Hit Festival and concerts featuring Mercedinian pop stars. The lack of a specific use for the arena has resulted in Icers fans and Mercedinian hockey fans in general petitioning the Sports City owners to build a specific hockey arena for the national team, potentially opening up a bid from the Mercedinian Hockey Association for the World Cup of Hockey or World Junior Hockey Championships, where we are currently defending champions. Whether a decision will be made quickly or kicked into the long grass, it will need to be thoroughly assessed to see whether the benefits outweigh the costs.

Unnamed Athletics Arena

---

In the minds of many, Zoloroni Sports City is the pinnacle on national sport, but despite all of the ammenites and infrastructure that ZSC has, it doesn't have a monopoly on every sport in the land. Currently, athletics has been noted to have been neglected by the metropolitan citizenship of the capital, with the nation's second city and cultural hub elected to host national athletics competitions. That's right, the Langtree Metropolitan Stadium is the largest stadium in the land which holds an athletics track, although it's primary user sees the outer ring as a hindrance rather than an added bonus. Primarily used for football by Langtree United, athletics fans have always complained that their sport has become essentially homeless due to the United fans not wanting them and no other major city wanting to put the costs in to build a brand new arena, save for a recently built athletics track outside of Acoflosa which holds a couple thousand at a push. While athletics championships are a rare breed in the international calendar, government funded campaigns to improve health and encourage an active lifestyle has seen recreational and competitive track and field participation rates increase ten-fold since national ad campaigns began promoting the scheme. Plans about a potential athletics track have been slow on the ground, with planning permission still to be granted following an environmental audit of the area.

In the end, debates about whether the Sports City needs anymore infrastructure has sparked a fiery debate from both sides of the argument, with petitions and protests becoming a regular occurrence as Mercedini continues to reap the benefits to the local economy and the nation's reputation on the world stage. With sporting fans otherwise occupied on the huge amounts of sport going on at the moment, it will be along process to see whether Sports City continues to develop or whether the current tenants stick with that they have.

Independents Cup 4 Quarter Final
Mercedini 1-0 Northwest Kalactin @ Duke Street Stadium - Handon, Schottia

Starting XI: Polasic • Aznelik - Patenkov - Ossun - Catessic • Kuznetsov - Kraljic - Jackic - Presic • Dostalok - Billic
Goalscorers: Kuznetsov 70'

Just like the rugby it hosts on a regular basis, the Duke Street Stadium saw a real scrap of a match between Mercedini and Northwest Kalactin in the quarter finals of the Independents Cup, which ultimately saw the Golden Eagles make it to their third consecutive semi-final, setting up an interesting match up against Free Republics in the final four. Despite knocking out the current Cup of Harmony champions, Lyndainium and co. were wary going into their match against Northwest Kalactin, as they were one of the team which contributed to their rather embarrassing Cup of Harmony campaign last time round, where they finished bottom of the group with only one point to their name (despite going into the tournament as one of the highest rated teams).

Lyndainium went into their quarter-final match optimistic that they can match their second place finish in Kel Assuk and Spaam, making only three changes to the team who went the distance against Juvencus just a couple of days before. Billic and Dostalok stayed up from while game changer Aznelik kept his spot at left-back following his late equaliser in the previous round. Not much was known about the Kalactin side who had got this far in the tournament, with midfielder Jack Dakota being the only player known by the scouting team prior to the match (Dakota currently playing for Mercedinan second-division outfit Alton Swifts.

The match opened up with Mercedini pressing forward with the ball, however it was clear from the beginning that Kalactin came with frustrating tactics to park the proverbial bus and the sneak a goal or two on the counter attack. Their tactics partnered with the hopeful local Handon crowd meant plenty of pressure was put on the shoulders of the Mercedinian attacking line as the clock ticked on. Kalactin had the first major chance of the game as a nicely put together counter attack came off in their favour which gave Luke Dillan the freedom of the box to shoot, but his curled shot went the wrong side of the post as Mercedini got away with another defensive lapse after pushing hard for a goal. Chances were few and far between for both teams given their tactics, with Mercedini putting four shots on target to the Kalactanians' lone shot on target. Dostalok looked to have put the Golden Eagles ahead when he tucked the ball into the net from a narrow angle, but celebrations were short-lived as the linesman raised his offside flag, much to the dismay of the Mercedinians in the stadium. The first half ending goalless, a near complete performance only lacked the finishing product

The teams came out for the second half with Handon local Daniel Dostalok receiving the biggest cheers when he stepped out of the tunnel for the second half, with the Handon crowd knowing the Mercedinian striker well following his successful transfer to Handon United. Kalactin kicked off in the second half knowing only a goal would take them through to the semi-finals on the tournament. Mercedini also knew that and were chasing a lead of their own, hoping a defensive slip-up would lead to the deadlock being broken in their favour. A close match between the two teams was underlined by the scrappy nature and rash tackles from both sets of players, yellow cards being dished out like candy as the referee attempted to restore order to the match. When the dust settled, neither team were ahead with the crowd expecting extra time, the second in as many matches for the Mercedinians.

Alas, the Kalactin resolve didn't as Mercedini needed three attempts one after the other to score through Kuznetsov to break the deadlock and put Mercedini one foot into the semi-finals. The goal came form a corner whipped in by Presic on the near side, with Ossun's subsequent header on target but well parried by the Kalactanian goalkeeper. The ball was picked up by Dostalok and sent back in by the striker, only for Billic's shot to be cleared off the line once again. Thankfully, Kuznetsov was there to poke home on the edge of the six-yard box for 1-0.

Unfortunately, Kalactin never got going after that and couldn't muster up any more chances to threaten the Mercedinian goal, with the final result being confirmed as the referee blew his whistle for the end of the match. 1-0 to Mercedini, well and truly writing the wrongs of the Cup of Harmony. Next up for the Golden Eagles is Free Republics, with the winner of that match going against the winner Drawkland vs. Alpine Union in the IAC final.