Baptism of Fire LXVII(IC, Everything)

by **Banija** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 11:34 am

Baptism of Fire LXVII

Welcome to the Principality of Qasden and the Kingdom of Banija for the 67th Baptism of Fire! We are excited to host the first foray into international football(soccer!) for 36 nations. May you enjoy your stay in the Glorious Southwest.

Helpful Baptism of Fire Links
Guide to Sports Roleplaying || General Sports Roleplaying Questions || OOC Discussion Thread || World Cup FAQs

Format
We have 36 teams! We will have 6 groups of 6, and the group stages will be a single Round Robin where everybody plays each other once. The top two in each group will advance to the knockout stages, alongside the four best teams who are not top two(regardless of place within group). The group winners will be seeded 1-6, the group runner-ups 7-12, and the top four non top-two sides, 13-16. The bracket will be drawn at that point for the knockout stages.

Group A
American Eastern States
Competitive Solitaire
North Prarie
The Frozen Forest
Euran Oceania Territories
North New South Wales

Group B
The Fourth Northern Federation
Nacaltora
Valborne
Molonia
The Sherpa Empire
The Liamese Empire

Group C
Yezur
Tomure
Beepee
Sevmenika
Silver Beach
Wolves Clans

Group D
Great Chota
Lazhal
Austenesia
Spaceania
Humaliwo
Crystalline Caverns

Group E
The Cereal Isle
Stegosauristan
North Dajao
Tzerinn
Lionsguard
Siovanija and Teusland

Group F
Free Territory of Makhnovia
Colunberra
Commonwealth of Baker Park
Norcambria
Greater Toyland and Mordovia
Dalmat

Calendar - Qasden's Cutoffs(Groups A-C) will be between 8 and 9 PM CST. Banija's(Groups D-F) will be between 10:30 and 11:30 PM EST.
Live Group Draw- Tuesday, March 27th.
Group Stage, Matchday 1- Thursday, March 29th.
Group Stage, Matchday 2- Friday, March 30th.
Group Stage, Matchday 3- Sunday, April 1st/Monday April 2nd.
Group Stage, Matchday 4- Tuesday, April 3rd.
Group Stage, Matchday 5- Wednesday, April 4th
Knockouts
Round of 16- Friday, April8th.
Quarterfinals- Sunday, April 8th.
Semifinals- Tuesday, April 10th.
Third Place Match- Wednesday, April 11th.
Final- Thursday, April 12th.

Group Stage Match Schedule - Teams are in the order they are listed on the groups list. The team listed first in the group is team 1, the team listed second is team 2, and so on.
Matchday 1
1 v 6
2 v 5
3 v 4
Matchday 2
6 v 4
5 v 3
1 v 2
Matchday 3
2 v 6
3 v 1
4 v 5
Matchday 4
6 v 5
1 v 4
2 v 3
Matchday 5
3 v 6
4 v 2
5 v 1

RP Permissions
Please post this either with your roster or your first RP with a yes or a no(with any qualifiers) for each question. These are all permissions to help facilitate an acceptable RP to you if somebody else RPs your match first, and vice versa.

Code: Select all: [u]RP Permissions[/u] [b]Choose my scorers:[/b] [b]Choose my scoring events:[/b] [b]Godmod scoring events:[/b] [b]RP injuries to my players:[/b] [b]Godmod Injuries to my players:[/b] [b]Give Yellow Cards to my players:[/b] [b]Give Red Cards to my players[/b]: [b]Godmod other events:[/b]

Group Stage Tiebreakers
1) H-2-H Goal Difference
2) Goal Difference
3) Goals For
4) Wins

by **Banija** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 11:34 am

National Information

The Kingdom of Banija is a country that classifies itself as a semi-constitutional monarchy. A nation that is freshly a member of Atlantian Oceania, it is led by the Kabaka(which translates to King), and the current monarch is Kabaka Albert III. The Kabaka, alongside with the Waziri(translates to Foreign Minister), whom he picks and dismisses solely at his pleasure, is the Head of State and responsible for the country's foreign affairs.

The Lukiiko(translates to Parliament) is a democratically-elected, constituency-based, first past the post, legislature that has the power of the purse and controls all legislative affairs for the country. The Lukiiko, every term, elects the Katikkiro(Prime Minister), who picks a cabinet and leads the government. Racially, the nation is 93.2% black. This is a very religious based Christian nation, as 87% of Banijans are affiliated with the state church, the Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, whose followers are called Puritan Mormons. Shia Islam is the next largest religious community at 9% of the national population. The Guardian Council, a council of 6 members, with 3 picked by the Kabaka from the House of Katende(the royal house), and 3 picked by the Church, has the ability to oppose laws based on religious grounds. It takes a 5-1 majority on the Guardian Council to reject any bill passed by the Lukiiko.

Due to the massive influence of Puritan Mormonism in this nation, they are relatively socially conservative. Abortion in this country is outlawed unless the mother's life is in danger, and the church's Universal Call to Motherhood, which teaches that the destiny of each and every woman is to give birth to children and raise faithful Puritan Mormons, has heavily shaped the nation's view on the role of women in society. Therefore, it is against the law for any professional sports teams based in Banija to have men and women on the team. However, this law only applies to teams based in Banija, which is why it is perfectly legal when foreign-based teams, either for away games or when Banija hosts tournaments, to have people of any gender. Meaning that the ban on co-ed sports does not apply at this tournament, except for the Banijan team itself. Consumption of alcohol and the recreational use of marijuana in Banija is legal.

Of course, Banija is a 3rd world country by modern economic standards. A general lack of development in Banija, we are a country with excellent sporting infrastructure, but little else. Most roads are dirt, and public transit within cities is via the boda boda, though each team will have two 45 passenger busses to transport players, coaches, staff, family, etc... To and from the hotel to the games and practices. The climate of Banija has a lot of natural rainforest and jungle, which means that there is no winter, only wet season and dry season. Temperatures generally range at their coldest around 60 degrees farenheit, and at their hottest around 110 degrees farenheit. For the duration of the tournament, average high temperatures will range from 60 to 85 degrees farenheit.

The two international airports within Banija are Istria International and Busukuma International, for the largest city and capitol city, respectively. All the cities hosting games have their own airport, but teams/fans will have to fly in via the two international airports, and then take a connecting flight to their eventual destinations. One controversial decision is the non-use of stadiums on the Busoga Islands for the tournament, following the non-use of Busoga Islands stadiums for the 24th International Basketball Championships.

The most recent government elected is a nationalist, right wing government. They have recently passed a law, in line with church beliefs, banning the sale of both tea and coffee products within the Kingdom of Banija- with the exemption of the Busoga Islands(who are not hosting any games). However, the consumption and possession of coffee products are not banned- but teams and visiting fans will not be able to purchase it within Banija, meaning they will have to bring their own.

Stadia

Eastern Stadium

Capacity of 37,000, located in Rukunbi District, Istria, Moravica

The home of Istria's other club- Rukunbi FC, who do not have the tradition, talent, or money of Istria City FC- will be hosting games in the Baptism of Fire. Originally, the larger Kabonero III Field, in Downtown Istria, was supposed to host games- however, the RBSA and Istria City FC failed to reach a deal to allow the use of their stadium during the tournament. So, in a shocking move, the other club in Banija's biggest city- Istria, a city of 3 million- reached a deal with the RBSA, and Rukunbi District, a district known for its slums rather than the glitz and glamour of downtwon, will be hosting games at the Baptism of Fire. Fans can fly directly into Istria via Istria International Airport.

Matches Held Here
Group E Matchdays 1 and 2
Group D Matchday 5: Austenesia vs. Crystalline Caverns
Group F Matchday 5: Norcambria vs. Colunberra
One Round of 16 Match

The Wolf's Den

Capacity of 44,000, located in Busembe, Kitara

The Wolf's Den is the home of the Busembe Timberwolves, a club in the Banijan Soccer League. It is one of the newer stadiums in Banija. Busembe is the Eastern most city in Banija to host a game, and it is located in a very mountainous region of Banija. It is easily the highest altitude stadium in Banija, located one mile above sea level, which means that it is far more likely to wear opponents down over the course of a game. To get to the city, you fly to Istria International Airport, and then take a 3.5 hour flight East to Busembe.

Matches Held Here
Group D Matchdays 3 and 4
Group F Matchday 5: Greater Toyland and Mordovia vs. Free Territory of Makhnovia
One Round of 16 Match

Bwubanza City Park

Capacity of 40,000, located in Bwubanza City, in the Bunyoro Region

This is the stadium of relative BSL newcomers Bwubanza City, in central Banija. One of Banija's larger stadiums, seating 40,000, it is also the smallest stadium being used in the tournament. It is the one city that teams want to avoid, as heavy rains seem to hit the area, alongside plenty of humidity. It is hard to keep your energy up here, but as Banija wanted to 'spread the wealth' geographically, this stadium was chosen to host group stage matches. To get to Bwubanza City, you must fly to Busukuma International Airport, and then take a 1 hour train ride North(or a 2 hour drive) to Bwubanza City. It is the only city hosting matches that does not have its own airport.

Matches Held Here
Group F Matchdays 3 and 4
Group D Matchday 5: Humaliwo vs. Great Chota
One Round of 16 Match

Star Field

Capacity of 62,000, located in Herzegovina City, Moravica

The Banijan Soccer League's largest stadium used during league play, this is the home of the Season 3 and Season 4 Banijan Soccer League Champions Herzegovina City FC. Herzegovina City is the oldest city in the country, and is the regional capitol city of Moravica. It is the historical capitol of the Kasanke tribe, Banija's majority and dominant ethnic group. It is the traditional site of Banijan royal weddings, of those who are either monarch or directly in the line of succession to the throne. It is the location of the Latter-Day Grand Puritan Temple, the largest Puritan Mormon temple in the multiverse, and the international headquarters of the Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Banija's dominant faith. To get to this stadium, you fly into Istria International Airport and take a 45 minute train ride North.

Matches Held Here
Group E Matchdays 3 and 4
Group E Matchday 5: North Dajao vs. Siovanija and Teusland
Group D Matchday 5: Spaceania vs. Lazhal
One Quarterfinal

BCEL Stadium

Capacity of 52,400, located in Jinja City, Hangaza

The New BCEL Stadium is located in Banija's second largest city, Jinja City- which has a population of 2.5 million people. It is Banija's largest non-coastal city, as Herzegovina City, Busukuma, and Istria are all on the coast. BCEL Stadium, sponsored by the BCEL beverage company natie to Baker Park, is brand new, built by Cityscapes Architecture and Construction of Ceni to the tune of $305 million NSDs, specifically in time so that Jinja City could host games during the Baptism of Fire. Jinja City FC and Jinja City City Council split the cost, 50/50. Also, so they can attract games and events in general. It's full-time tenant will be Jinja City FC, one of the 'Super 5' clubs in the Banijan Soccer League. To get to Jinja City, you fly into Busukuma International and then take a two hour flight Northeast to reach the city's airport.

Matches Held Here
Group D Matchdays 1 and 2
Group E Matchday 5: Tzerinn vs. Stegosauristan
Group F Matchday 5: Commonwealth of Baker Park vs. Dalmat
One Round of 16
One Semifinal

Stadium of the Restoration

Capacity of 69,000, located in Busukuma, National Capitol Region

This is the national stadium. Multiple national teams, including gridiron football and the national soccer team, make their regular home at this stadium. It has hosted the NSCF 18 Title Game, the World Bowl XXXIV Final, the 67th UICA Globe Cup Final, as well as a host of domestic championship games. No Banijan club team, in any sport, at any level, claims this as their home stadium, as it is the only stadium in the country directly owned and operated by the RBSA. This is the traditional location of all of Banija's home World Cup qualifiers, and is easily the largest outdoor stadium in the country. Busukuma has an international airport, so you can fly directly into the city.

Matches Held Here
Group F Matchdays 1 and 2
Group E Matchday 5: Lionsguard vs. The Cereal Isle
One Quarterfinal
67th Baptism of Fire Final

by **Qasden** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 11:35 am

This post is reserved for the IC Information from Qasden. You may post your RPs below

.

by **The Free Territory of Makhnovia** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 12:01 pm

Is there a form I can use to post a roster? How big of a team can I bring with and what info to include?

by **The Cereal Isle** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 12:18 pm

About The Cereal Isle

The Cereal Isle is an island made entirely out of cereal, located somewhere in the seas of Esportiva. Everything there is made of cereal - the buildings, the roads, the cars, the plants, even the animals. In the oceans, lakes, and streams of The Cereal Isle, cereal fish for many a lonely day sail across the milky seas. Of course, The Cereal Isle’s sapient inhabitants are also cereal. They look like people, except they are made entirely out of cereal. And now, they are forming a soccer team.

Style modifier: +5

Lineup:

GK: Coco Crispies
LD: Rice Krispies
CD: Reese’s Puffs
RD: Plain Cheerios
DMC: Honey Nut Cheerios
LMC: Frosted Flakes
MC: Raisin Bran
RC: Fruit Loops
OMC: Cap’n Crunch (Captain)
STL: Cream of Wheat
STC: Plain Oatmeal
STR: Wheaties

Bench:

GK: Frosted Cheerios
GK: Total
LD/CD: Multi-Grain Cheerios
CD/RD: Apple Cinnamon Cheerios
DC/DMC: Twix
LC/DC/RD: Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal
DMC/ML/MC/MR: Apple Jacks
MC/OMC: Chex
MC/OMC: Kix
DMC/MC/OMC: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
OMC/ST: Cocoa Puffs
OMC/ST: Grape-Nuts

FAQ:

What do the cereal players look like?

They look like normal people, except they are made entirely out of cereal.

So are they each one giant piece of cereal, or a bunch of smaller pieces?

They are several smaller pieces, though they cannot be broken up unless you are trying to eat them. (See below)

But what about the goopy cereals, like oatmeal?

They’re just a person made of oatmeal, like giant goop person as you say.

So how do you eat them?

If you take some milk and pour it on them, then they will fall apart and die, and the pieces will fall into the milk, which will then fall into a bowl that will appear out of nowhere. (OOC: But see my RP Permissions below)

How does the bowl appear out of nowhere?

It’s the magic of cereal.

”The magic of cereal”? How the hell does that work?

We’ve got an entire nation where everything is made out of cereal and that’s what you’re questioning?

Is it murder to eat the cereal people?

That is left up to the jurisdiction of each nation. However, in The Cereal Isle, eating cereal is not murder nor cannibalism since everything is made out of cereal. However, eating sapient cereal is generally frowned upon to say the least. If you find yourself in The Cereal Isle, it is perfectly acceptable to eat cereal animals, plants, etc.

RP Permissions:

Choose my Goalscorers: Yes
God-mod scoring events: Yes
Injure my players: No, since cereal cannot be injured as stated above. However, you may eat one player per game using the above method (killing them in the process) provided you TG me to give me a heads up so I can replace them, and provided any players who do so are given red cards.
Godmod injuries: See above. Feel free to godmod a crazy way to eat them using the above method if you can figure out some way to make that happen but the method seems pretty straightforward. You must follow the above method in some form, though.
Yellow Card my players: Yes
Red Card my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes, but see above FAQ.

by **The Free Territory of Makhnovia** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 1:40 pm

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: No
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Give Yellow Cards to my players: No
Give Red Cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: Yes

Free Territories: Free Territories of Makhnovia are one of the rare countries built on the principles of direct democracy and platformist anarchism. Their citizens are now technologically savy, militant and generally politically active. Football is very popular sport in their nation, although their matches often descent into fan-brawls. Their fans are considered one of the unruliest.

Style modifier: +1

Team (player age in brackets)

12 GK Dimitry Vasin (19) Club: Football Club Metalurh Donetsk
1 GK Yuri Alexandrenko (33) Club: Tottenham Hotspurs
2 DC Mehmed Ashtouni (30) Club: Villareal
3 DC Yaroslav Pogodin (22) Club: Real Betis
14 DL Marcon (21) Club: Ferencvaros
17 DRC Yevgeny Prathin (18) Club: Athletico Madrid
21 DRL Sabakhudin Al-Ossamy (34) Club: Yuzhny Metallist (Sevastopol)
4 DRLC Josef Kirilenko (29) Club: Metalurh Donetsk
28 DC Sokol Jazhnik (30) Club: Red Star Belgrade
6 DMC Ruslan Iokaterov (35) Club: Lyon
10 MC Lev Shkorpenko (Captain) (29) Club: Avangard Makhno
8 MC Taras Rodenko (24) Club: Red Star Belgrade
24 MRC Dimitry Shebukin (30) Club: Metalurh Donetsk
19 MR Yan Yaroslavov (24) Club: Wolverhampton
20 MLC Pyotr Denisov (22) Club: Vojvodina Novi Sad
34 MC Alexandar Katyushenko (25) Club: NEC Nijmegen
7 AMRC Nestor Yagoda (28) Club: Hannover FC
29 AML/SC Hektor Yazi (25) Club: Metalurh Donetsk
9 SC Nikholai Vitalyenko (20) Club: Demokrat
11 SC Denis Gurov (32) Club: Boca Juniors
29 SC Hassan Yuhemy (18) Club: Metalurh Donetsk

Manager: Viktor Kavlik-Merigold (40)
Assistant Manager: Yusuf Ahlmadany (32)
GK Coach: Anthony Rikov (35)
Physio: Svetlana Romkin (45)

President of the People's Association of Football Fans: Sergei Zima (28)

by **Sevmenika** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 2:55 pm

Sevmenika - The Home of Nature

Siba, a popular touristic area of Sevmenika with a population of 40 thousand

Beautiful scenery, a captivating and long history, delicious food, and great culture; all of these have one thing in common, the Federal Republic of Sevmenika - an ancient nation that enters the modern world with one goal; to impress!

Here are some quick facts about Sevmenika:

Population: 11,763,000
Land mass: 47,363 km2
Modern republic founded in: 1972

The Team

The Sevmen National Football Team, or affectionately referred to as the Senfa by local football fans, is an old part of Sevmenika's history.

The first national football team in Sevmenika was founded back in 1967, but for patriotic reasons never participated in international tournaments.

Provided by the Tourism and Cultural MInistry of Sevmenika.

Style modifier: -3.0

by **Austenesia** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 3:53 pm

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 4:37 pm

The Cereal Isle wrote:So how do you eat them?

If you take some milk and pour it on them, then they will fall apart and die, and the pieces will fall into the milk, which will then fall into a bowl that will appear out of nowhere. (OOC: But see my RP Permissions below)

I am so disappointed that a majority of my nation's population is lactose-intolerant.

Anyway, here's my RP permissions:

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes for minor injuries, TG for permission if you want to do an RP where one of my players is seriously injured
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Yes
Give Red Cards to my players: TG for permission
Godmod other events: No

And here's a roster, or at least a roster-like wodge of text:

Starters:

GK: Sarang Lotsawa
LB: Jai Mauryan
CB: Ruixiong Yu
RB: Jigme Sherpa
DM: Ashok Walia
LM: Zorawar Varman
CM: Ilyas Song
RM: Jamling Durrani
LW: Namri Ngedup
CF: Shubhashish Srihatta
RW: Sangay Gyatso

Bench:

GK: Ahmad Mukherjee
LB: Ji Dong
CB: Lakpa Rahman
RB: Drokmi Gupta
AM: Fareed Aziz
LM: Pasang Chandra
CM: Faisal Singh
RM: Brian Jones-Dan
LW: Nawang Bao
CF: Ding Zhang
RW: Tenzing Bhasham

by **North Prarie** » Sun Mar 25, 2018 8:29 pm

North Prarie National Soccer
Brought to you by the North Prarie Sports Commission

The Loons Senior Team faces their first major competition. After a quick exit in the STIC, what can we expect from the Prarieans as they play in one of the biggest tournaments of the Multiverse?

Coaches
NP SOCCER. ALL TOGETHER
Head Coach: Allan Willis
Assistant Coach: Ginny Katesmar
Bench Coach: Salvatore Medina
Goalkeepers Coach: Jonathan Goodwin

Roster
NP SOCCER. ALL TOGETHER

Name	Number	Position	Team
Gio Manuel	1	GK	Hastingside United
Noe Soares	66	GK	Highland Saints FC
James Griffith	21	LB	Durham City FC
Todd Olson	4	CB	Durham City FC
Jon May	3	CB	Capitol Heights FC
Jon Rose	5	CB	Loon City Rising FC
Luke Mack	27	RB	Brockton Club
Everett Elliott	17	LB	Loon City Rising FC
Stephen Bennett	40	LB	Luna Consu CF
Astor Kerry	47	RB	Central Plains Galaxy
Chris Rios	10	LM	Durham City FC
Philip Tran	9	CM	Durham City FC
Kyle Schmitz	8	CDM	Petroslovania United
Tyr Patrickson	99	CM	Woodstown
Erick Amerigo	13	RM	Wescott City
Fred Goldberg	7	CDM	Petroslovania United
Ferdinand Noel	30	CAM	Charmcenter Hotspur
Nick James	81	RM	Leaf Crossing United
Loic Niles	39	CM	Military Island MUC
Gerben Samson	19	CM	Hastingside United
Terell Miller	11	ST	Pinewood Promenade
Bradley Francis	12	CB	Carville High School
Todd Ibott	2	ST	CLC FC
Matthew Oliver	6	ST	CLC FC

Petroslovania United are a club in Petroslovania. They have a scouting office in Dover, North Prarie.

Formation
NP SOCCER. ALL TOGETHER

North Prarie is playing in a 4-1-3-2 formation.

Kits
NP SOCCER. ALL TOGETHER
North Prarie is getting kits from Flindostani provider No Nonsense Sportswear. These jerseys will be used until the WC83 cycle. NNS has routinely been the provider of choice for the NPSC.
The blue home kits will be used for most of the matches, but should there be any color clashes we will switch to the silver and blue away number.

Style Modifiers and RP Permissions
NP SOCCER. ALL TOGETHER
Style mod is +3. North Prarie plays high-speed, attacking style football, and likes to go on counter-attacks and breaks. We have good shooters who can curl the ball into corners of the net.
For RP Permissions, just don't kill anyone. Here's some more details:
RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Just as long as it isn't too crazy. Someone can score from the center line or something like that.
RP injuries to my players: TG me first for the severity
Godmod Injuries to my players:No
Give Yellow Cards to my players:If no suspension, then yes.
Give Red Cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: No killing.

Sponsors
NP SOCCER. ALL TOGETHER.
Premier Sponsors

Other Sponsors
Phoenix Suites and Hotels
North Prarie Rail Network
Familysave Stores
No Nonsense Sportswear
Abbey Community Insurance
Bank of the Prarie

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Football Association of the Commonwealth of Baker Park

National Team

The Commonwealth of Baker Park National Soccer Team will make their first senior level event debut at the 67th Baptism of Fire in Banija and Qasden. They will attempt to build upon the results of the youth teams that have competed at the DiBradini Cup 42 and the Sporting World Cup 5. The squad includes an interesting mix of experienced multi-capped players and several newcomers to senior level competition. The BP side is being led by veteran Women's National Team Manager Pamela Scott, herself a former 20 cap winner for the Black & Gold.

Nickname--since the end of the 1960's the National Team has been known as "The Bees", a period when the team's
uniforms had alternating black and gold hoops. The bee is an element on the coat of arms of the Commonwealth,
but the association was actually a reference made in an Italian newspaper game story when the senior team was
wearing the hooped shirts. Can also be referred to as the Parkers, BP, or whatever else you can manage to come up with.

Colors--Black & Gold (while they are just 2 of the 5 main colors on the flag of Baker Park--Blue, Red and White are
the others--black & gold have been closely associated in the nation's consciousness as representative of the
country since its founding.)

style--+2.10
Formation--3-4-1-2

Commonwealth National Team (BOF)
Manager—Pamela Scott (age 49, 7th year as National Women's Team manager and FAC Associate Director of Technical Development)
Coaches—Michael Haddad (age 51, 5th year as FAC Coordinator of Training and Sport Science)
	     Kate DiMarini (age 38, 3rd year as National Women's Team AM)
	     Darren Kirby (age 39, 2nd season as Men's Under 17 manager and FAC Coordinator of Scouting)
Physio—David Hulme (age 54, 11th year as FAC Director of Physiotherapy and Conditioning)

Goalkeepers		age	club
1 Kyle Moyer	        25      Newmarket Saxons FC
20 Jared Wyatt	        21 	Fairport City FC

Defenders	        age     club
2 Derrick Briggs	26	Shirley Metros FC
4 Faith Enzikomibo	29	Greenlea United Ladies FC  Co-Captain
5 Eric Herrara		25	Southend AC
14 Devin McMahon	24	Ezriquay United FC
16 Leslie Monaghan	21	Brentford Ladies FC
19 Brandon Poncsak	21	Haskins Blues AFC
23 Terrence Stephens	21	North Royalton Town FC
3 Tracey Vasillias	25	Middletown City Women FC

Midfielders	        age     club
17 Jamari Bozeman	21	Brentwood Borough FC
11 Nick Haller		26      Marshallton Athletic SC
12 Declan Mason		23	Newport City FC
24 Veronica Navarro	21	University of Ezriquay
6 Nathan Ohler		28	Dalton Town   Co-Captain
8 Erica Shaw	        28      Shirley Metros Women FC
22 Lorenzo Taborn	21	Westwood Sprites FC
7 Brianne Whitestone	26	Ravens Ladies FC
15 Trent Yeomans	21	Victoria & Albert FC

Forwards	        age     club
18 Valerie Agahambri	25	Jamestown City Ladies FC
10 Evan Ashcroft	28	Sanborn Borough FC
21 Tyrek Jones		21	St Warren City FC
13 Alex Sandoval	25	Ezriquay United FC
9 Jackie Thomas		28	Ridge Raiders Ladies FC
25 Angelique Underwood	21	Shiloh Ladies FC

by **Beepee** » Mon Mar 26, 2018 5:03 am

PLAYING WITH FIRE

Head of the Beepeean Football Association, Ms Dakota Secret, is delighted to announce the squad for the Baptism of Fire Tournament.

Following a successful South Toronto Invitational Cup run, which saw the 'Bulldozers' win the Final. Ms Secret confirmed the same 23 man squad as follows:

Coach
Michael Forsberg

Goal-Keepers
GK Francois Shep
S1 Markus Doulton
- Jerome Moullet

Defenders
DL Anders Bucke
DC Jason Baker
DC Claude Boles
DR Davide Michelle
S2 Jerome Sohn (DCR)
S3 Jared Forli (DL)
- Iain Hutt (DC)

Midfielders
ML Dirk Bolt
MC Max Christian
MC Niklaus Malade
MR Chris Patterson (Captain)
S3 Scott Kirk (MLR)
S4 Aaron St. Pier (MC)
- Derek Barbour (MC)

Attackers
ST Sam Veera
ST Carlo Bannan
S5 Liam Chang
- Andreas Poje
- Anders Jung
- Evan Friberg

The preferred starting line up and 5 substitutes indicated. (Substitutes are indicated as S#)

Beepee play a traditional 4-4-2 formation, with a slight defensive leaning, which can be seen here.
https://www.buildlineup.com/shared/5ab8c4e5138c092e24ab06a7

As a special treat, each player has also been awared a litre of milk, a bowl and a spoon in advance of the tournament. It is, as yet, unclear why.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:

RP Permissions
Choose my lineup: Yes - preferred shown
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes but no deaths please
Godmod Injuries to my players: Yes but no deaths please
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Yes
Give Red Cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

Style Modifier: -1.2

Kit

Home

Away/Second

Mascot
The Mascot, WILBUR THE WOMBAT, named after Beepee's most famous Wombat has been chosen as the Beepeean mascot for this event.

Theme Song
In an attempt to inspire a generation and promote inclusiveness within the population, a suitable childlike anthemic song has also been chosen as the official Beepeean Song for the competition.
https://youtu.be/jb_graS-Kug

For history on the Beepeean Team see
https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=979042

by **Dalmat** » Mon Mar 26, 2018 12:46 pm

OOC : Here are my RP permissions and my roster! This is also a small WIP.

The Dalmatian team is very versatile and can adapt to many playstiles. Their game is balanced, dependant on the string midfield. The midfield is occupied by Dalmat's finest players from Platz City FC and Zarat Sportivo - Kajor, Glutić and Baleta. Kajor and Baleta both keep the flow of the game from the left and right sides of the pitch while Glutić plays both a defensive and an offensive role, being capable to penetrate the opposing midfield and keeping the role of CDM, assisting the back. Their playstyle is vastly different from other midfielder playstyles because of the many positions they take during the duration of the game. The fact that these three key players back both ends of the pitch is am example of Đevad's brilliant tactics. The goalkeeper, Igor Nikašin is a tall player, his strong suit being defending long balls. He also has a tendancy to run to the field when in a 1on1 situation. The defence is solid, made up of 4 mediocre defenders coming from various clubs that hold the middle positions in the table in Dalmat's domestic league. They usually spread when the opponent gets the ball close to the goal so the three midfielders can cover the space between them. The attack is efficiant enough to get the job done after getting the ball from the midfield. Between Beriloy, Franks and Dinor, Dinor is the star that stands out. He's a capable goalgetter who likes to preform various dribbles and skills.

HOME KIT

AWAY KIT

THIRD KIT

STADIUM

Rally Stadium, home of Platz FC

by **Norcambria** » Mon Mar 26, 2018 3:02 pm

NsCode: NOR
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Style Modifier: +1

N°   Position       Name               Age          Club
1       GK      Nicolás Ramírez         31        Deportivo
2       CB      Elías Berisiartua       24        Wanderers
3       CB      Damían Gerez-Bosco      18        Wanderers
4       LB      Joaquin Barsotti        19        Rangers
5       CDM     Alejandro Maglietti     20        Deportivo
6       MF      Adrían Bocchio          25        Wanderers
7       MF      Valentín Franco         21        Social
8       FW      Augusto Acquafredda     22        Rangers
9       FW      Ivan Palliotti          21        Wanderers
10      FW      Nicolás Etxeberria      19        Rangers
11      FW      Exequiel De Luca        22        Wanderers
12      GK      Rodrigo Fernández       26        Wanderers
13      CB      Emilio Narváez          31        Rangers
14      AMF     Gabriel Rey             18        Defensores
15      MF      Alexander Moschella     20        Rangers
16      RB      Camilo del Bianco       27        Talleres
17      CDM     Daniel Costantini       30        Rangers
18      AMF     Martín Bengoetxea       17        Albión
19      LB      Samuel Rojas            27        Rangers
20      RB      Mariano Leone           29        Estudiantes
21      FW      David Van Der Venne     21        Wanderers
22      CB      Bautista D'Angelo       25        Deportivo
23      GK      Daniel Roig             23        Rangers

Staff

Name                  Role                   Age
Eduardo Werner        Manager                67
Gabriel Paul          Assistant Coach        65
Agustin Herrera       Assistant Coach        53
Esteban  Di Antonio   Assistant Coach        48
Roberto Pavlović      Goalkeeping Coach      46
Raul Puig             Doctor                 51
Matias Sanchez        Doctor                 56
Oscar Pérez           Fitness Coach          39
Marcos Benítez        Physiotherapist        48
Andres Ferreira       Video analyst          39

Starting XI

Norcambria country profile

Its citizens affirm that social democracy was born in Norcambria. The country established a welfare state in the first decades of the XX century, maintained through relatively high taxes. Its long democratic tradition was only interrumped in the 1930s, when a fascist coup overtrown the government and led to a military rule until 1957.

Since the restoration of democratic government, successive governments liberalised both economy and society. Its economy is based in the export of agricultural commodities, a developed financial sector and its beach resorts, small towns and mild climate have contributed to a growing tourist industry.

FACTS
Population: 3,2 million
Area: 210.500 km2
Government: Unitary presidential constitutional republic
President: Ricardo Muggia
Major language: Spanish
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 80 years (men), 83 years (women)
Currency: Norcambrian Peso (N$)

Society

Social interactions in Norcambria trends to be very informal and relaxed. It's very common to address someone with his/her first name, regardless of his/her title or charge. Handshakes are almost non-existent, as both men and women greet each other with cheek kisses and/or a hugs. Trust and sincerity have a lot of importance for Norcambrians, who express their opinions directly and without hesitation and who barely offends. Open arguments without taboos are an important element in the education of Norcambrians, both at home and school. Its common to talk about any topic and they don't hide their critic opinions. Political correction is almost unknown, although friendliness (but not in excess) its a typical value of the society. Norcambrian humor trends to be ironic, sarcastic, informal and somethimes dark and its used in any kind of conversation as a way to show confidence and build bonds. Some cultures might find this humor rude or offensive. In general, they are well-educated and well-intentioned people, with huge social awareness. Punctuality is not a very Norcambrian trait, as their laid-back lifestyle makes them take everything in stride.

Norcambrians love sports. Football is the most popular and near 96% of the population supports a team and attend games weekly. Other popular sports include tennis, field hockey (especially among women), auto racing and polo.

by **The Frozen Forest** » Mon Mar 26, 2018 4:07 pm

by **Competitive Solitaire** » Tue Mar 27, 2018 6:24 pm

Competitive Solitaire National Football Association
The Competitive Solitaire FA plays a 4-3-3 Narrow formation which consists of two wingers, a striker, an attacking midfielder, two center midfielders, two center backs, and two fullbacks. The team is trained to counterattack and commit to one of the three channels. Crossing and threading through balls are valued higher than dribbling for a goal, encouraging teamwork.

Style Modifier: +3

Starting XI
*Each player hold their jersey number within the parenthesis to the right of their name

Head Coach
Marten Van Wegberg

Forwards
Filipp Strobel (9) - Striker
Francesco Di Pietro (11) - Left Wing
Raffael Brinkerhoff (26) - Right Wing

Midfielders
Karp Stueck (21) - Attacking Midfield
Koloman Alscher (15) - Left Center Midfield
Wolfram Kappel (17) - Right Center Midfield

Defense
Joep Jansink (4) - Leftback
Linus Papp (C) (3) - Left Center Back
Leo Sokolov (13) - Right Center Back
Rumen Popov (6) - Rightback
Nestor Jäger (1) - Goalkeeper

Bench
Isay Hüber (20) - Striker
Gerald Stumpf (32) - Winger
Jannick Vinter (29) - Midfielder
Leonardo Vilar (23) - Midfielder
Mathis Kassmeyer (30) - Midfielder
Niven Brody (5) - Defender
Miłosz Sokół (31) - Defender
Rikard Lindberg (40) - Defender
Hans Sonnen (12) - Goalkeeper
Vlas Paul (33) - Goalkeeper

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes (sure, bruise up my guys but please telegram me if you want to make it a serious injury rendering a player unusable)
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Yes
Give Red Cards to my players: No
Godmod other events: Yes (make me laugh, please

)

by **Lionsguard (Ancient)** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 3:26 am

Lionsguard National Team

Manager: Jacobus Ledger



Starting 11
N  Position  Name                       Age
1  GK        Waynard Stonnell           20
2  RB        Matthios Moronie           18
3  CB        Garrison Gregory           18
4  CB        Daan Atkins                20
5  CB        Kal Findi                  19
6  LB        Paulus Stedman             17
7  RM        Petros Lane                19     (Captain)
8  CM        Daan Wildy                 18
9  CM        Scoti Grant                17
10 CM        Neel Parker                20
11 ST        Rorik Hursey               16

Substitutes
N  Position  Name                       Age
12  GK       Andreios Skilton           20
13  CB       Darrah Price               19
13  CM       Stephanos Ware             20
15  ST       Mikhael Molocco            19

Main and Alternate Kits

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod Injuries to my players: Yes
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Yes
Give Red Cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

Style Mod: -5

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 5:06 am

SIOVANIJA AND TEUSLAND NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM: BAPTISM OF FIRE 67

FACTS

Nation Name: United Republics of Siovanija and Teusland
Short Names: Siovanija and Teusland, the United Republics
Demonyms: Siovanijan, Teuslander/Teus
FA: United Football Association of Siovanija and Teusland (UFAST)
Colours: Blue, gold, white, black
Anthem: ‘High Mountain Skies’
Highest Domestic League: Republikaliga
Nicknames: The Goldhorns
Style Modifier: +3.5
Captain: Miroslav Dinev

23 MAN ROSTER

Coaching Staff

Manager: Apostol Manevski, Energija Chernovets
Manevski was appointed the manager of the national team for the Baptism of Fire and the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers after his stellar performance in the first season of the Republikaliga, taking Chernovets to the title and also being named Manager of the Year. He’ll balance the club and national team duties for the current period, but the UFAST is likely to want to appoint a permanent manager in the future. Manevski most famously deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation in the league last season, and linking back up with star striker Miro Dinev should be good for this team. For the national side, however, he will be using a more familiar 4-2-3-1. It still retains, however, his classic offensive philosophies, and Manevski’s side will play quite similar to the Chernovets champions.

Assistant Managers: Kasper Knauer (FC Teussen Stelburg), Alan Dzekov (Unattached)

Starting XI

GK -- Viktor VENEV -- FK Metropola Borograd -- #1 -- 29 y.o
Venev gets the starting job as keeper for the national side, after a great season for Metropola. Venev’s side conceded 52 goals over the season, the lowest of all top 5 sides and the second lowest in the league, behind only the famously defensive club Vrnovo Mesto. Venev earned a name for himself with cool, commanding play from the net, and received the Golden Glove as best keeper in the Republikaliga last season. He also finished third in the League MVP voting.

LB -- Dietmar KLEINMANN -- FC Teussen Stelburg -- #2 -- 24 y.o
Kleinmann, Teussen’s big man at left back, lines up for the national side as well. He had 3 goals last season, but is most known for his pace, allowing him to make moves up and down his side of the field on both offense and defence. His combination of a strong ability to cross the ball alongside his defending skills earned him a nomination to the Republikaliga Best XI last season, and certainly makes him the number one LB in the national setup.

CB -- Stefan LICHT -- FC St. Jakob -- #4 -- 24 y.o
Stefan Licht is one of the leaders of this team, already considered one of the best centre backs in the Republikaliga and leading FC St. Jakob’s backline. His strong skills heading the ball, combined with strong positional awareness, earned him the Best Defender award, as well as a spot in the Best XI. He hopes to continue with these great performances for the national team.

CB -- Raphael KLOPFER -- 1912 Stelburg -- #5 -- 24 y.o
Klopfer and his CB partner Licht have a lot in common, both being 24 year old defenders on this team. Klopfer also cracked the Republikaliga Best XI. That’s a common theme throughout this starting lineup, but Klopfer’s main attribute is his ability to make great passes from anywhere on the park, great for a team that will play from the back end.

RB -- Lutz DASCHNER -- 1912 Stelburg -- #3 -- 27 y.o
The oldest out of the back four, Daschner is a defender with a great ability to organize the players around him. He made a name for himself at 1912 with speedy, dashing runs down up his side of the pitch, and has incredible timing on crosses. His focus on offensive duties and ability to shoot the ball saw him have 6 goals to his name in the Republikaliga last season.

CM -- Thorsten KRAMER -- FC Teussen Stelburg -- #6 -- 18 y.o
Fans in Siovanija and Teusland have been hearing this name for a long time, as Kramer is one of the most highly-touted prospects in the country. He cracks this squad at just 18 years old, one of FC Teussen’s best performers as they came second in the league. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he could become a legend of football in this country. Kramer can play as both a CM and in a more advanced role as an attacking midfielder, and both his free kick abilities and playmaking abilities have been widely praised.

CM -- Dennis BROTZMANN -- FC St. Jakob -- #8 -- 24 y.o
Brotzmann will be Kramer’s partner in the midfield, and while Kramer is more of a risk taker, Brotzmann anchors the play in the midfield. He’s a useful link between the back line and the front line, and those talents made him very valuable to FCSJ last season. He is extremely strong on the ball and can protect it from almost any challenger, and his passes can often be turned into good offensive chances.

AML -- Paulus LEISTNER -- FC Kaiserhaven -- #7 -- 25 y.o
Paulus Leistner is a perfect choice as a winger on this national squad, and he made a huge contribution to his club side which had some struggles in the season, Leistner being the lone bright spot. He was recognized for that play though, and is known as a winger that can beat defenders on the ball with a large bag of tricks. He can go one way and score, or go the other and make a brilliant pass for the assist.

AMC -- Viktor DIMITROV -- Energija Chernovets -- #10 -- 23 y.o
Dimitrov was really considered the engine of Energija last season, as his incredible performance included 17 goals and culminated in a league title. He was nominated for League MVP, but lost out to teammate Miroslav Dinev, settling instead for the award of Best Midfielder. Dimitrov is known as a creative playmaker, capable of perfectly placing his passes. He also has an instinct to shoot from time to time, and when he does it usually results in a goal. Dimitrov will be a key performer on the national side.

AMR -- Ivo ROMANOV -- Olympia Borograd -- #11 -- 23 y.o
Romanov is a player who didn’t have too many expectations on him before the Republikaliga season, playing on a squad filled to the brim with bright young talents. Romanov outshone them all, however, really finding his boots and scoring 15 goals while remaining a consistent performer. This guy can shoot the ball, and is good at finding his way into dangerous areas.

CF -- Miroslav DINEV -- Energija Chernovets -- #9 -- 28y.o
Dinev is the undisputed leader of this team, having won the Golden Boot and League MVP titles in the first Republikaliga season. He’s a great scorer, always knowing what to do with the ball on his boot. Dinev is currently at the top of the heap in terms of strikers in this country, but he faces a lot of competition in the future as many young players seek to make a claim to that title. For now, Dinev is the best of the best.

Remaining Squad
GK -- Ole SAUER -- FC St. Jakob -- #12 -- 34 y.o
GK -- Yanko ZHELYASKOV -- Olympia Borograd -- #23 -- 19 y.o
LB -- Lyubomir DIMITROV -- FK Orlovska Bistrica -- #13 -- 21 y.o
CB -- Krum KYNEV -- FK Metropola Borograd -- #15 -- 25 y.o
CB -- Detimar TSVETKOV -- Energija Chernovets -- #16 -- 27 y.o
RB -- Thorsten HELMKE -- FC Felsenkirchen 1879 -- #14 -- 22 y.o
CM -- Evgeni ANTONOV -- Energija Chernovets -- #17 -- 23 y.o
AML -- Georgi LUKONOV -- Olympia Borograd -- #21 -- 26 y.o
AMC -- Jurgen STERN -- FC Felsenkirchen 1879 -- #20 -- 26 y.o
AMR -- Rupert HOLTZ -- FC Teussen Stelburg -- #22 -- 29 y.o
CF -- Anton DIMITROV -- FK Metropola Borograd -- #18 -- 21 y.o
CF -- Theodor ABERBACH -- FC Teussen Stelburg -- #19 -- 31 y.o

These players are also on the 23-man squad for the Baptism of Fire, and include some names to watch. Ole Sauer is a great keeper who could see playing time, while Yanko Zhelyaskov has been brought along largely to gain experience as he is considered one for the future. Krum Kynev and Detimar Tsvetkov bring more talent to the back line, and Tsvetkov will link up with his club manager Manevski at this tournament. Through the midfield, Evgeni Antonov of Energija brings a speedy spark, while the attacking midfield includes several experienced players who hope to bring that extremely valuable asset to the team. Up front, Anton Dimitrov finished second in the Golden Boot race last season and is known for scoring in bunches, he could be expected to start some matches, while Theodor Aberbach is a great target man who can be brought on late in a match if the team needs a goal.

Set Pieces
Left Corners: Dietmar Kleinmann
Right Corners: Lutz Daschner
Free Kicks: Thorsten Kramer, Viktor Dimitrov
Penalties: Miroslav Dinev, Anton Dimitrov, Ivo Romanov

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose my scoring events: Y
Godmod scoring events: N
RP injuries to my players: Y, I determine length and severity
Godmod Injuries to my players: N
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Y
Give Red Cards to my players: Only as a second yellow
Godmod other events: N

Group and Schedule
The Goldhorns have been drawn into Group E at the Baptism of Fire, hosted in the nations of Banija and Qasden. Group E’s matches will take place in the nation of Banija, which fans of the national hockey team should be familiar with: the Goldhorns met Banija twice at the World Cup of Hockey, losing both matches. The teams of Group E also include:

The schedule for the Goldhorns at the upcoming tournament has also been released, and is as follows:

MD1: The Cereal Isle vs Siovanija and Teusland
MD2: Siovanija and Teusland vs Tzerinn
MD3: Stegosauristan vs Siovanija and Teusland
MD4: Siovanija and Teusland vs Lionsguard
MD5: North Dajao vs Siovanija and Teusland

The matches are quite difficult to predict, as in the Baptism of Fire, each team enters unranked. This should make the games quite exciting, as each team has something to prove. The entire nation will be waiting, as Siovanija and Teusland makes its international football debut at the Baptism of Fire from Banija.

by **North Prarie** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 7:10 am

North Prariean players on the plane heading to T.V. City
A true Baptism of Fire? | North Prarieans arrive in Qasden for BoF 67
By Liz Carlson, head of Sports Publishing | @lizsbt

(TURKISH VAN CITY, QASDEN) Will it truly be a Baptism of Fire? Or will it be more of a Baptism of.....Sparks? The North Prarieans have high expectations heading in to the tournament. Experts think that North Prarie got an easy draw. But the thing about the Baptism of Fire is that it's unpredictable. 95% of these teams have never played each other head to head. The STIC was maybe a good example of how the tournament will go, but only 4 of the teams in the STIC are heading into the tournament. Okay, now for the actual info about the national team. They were drawn into Group A, which consists of the following nations (besides NP):
American Eastern States
Competitive Solitaire
The Frozen Forest
Euran Oceania Territories
North New South Wales
2 of these teams we know. The Frozen Forest went to the STIC Final, where they were downed by Beepee (AUGHH! Still can't wrap my head around the fact that BEEPEE won the tournament and that we didn't make it out of the group stage. Maybe we can get revenge this time...) The other nation that we know is North New South Wales, NNSW faced our team back in the horrid mess that was the De Costa International Football Tournament. The only game we played there was against North New South Wales. In that game, the Prarieans had the advantage the whole time, but couldn't manage to get any past the North New South Wales defense. Until Kyle Schmitz, in his first senior team cap, scored a wondrous goal in the 89th minute that gave our boys the W and the 1104 something to celebrate about. Schmitz will be the player to watch in this tournament, along with Philip Tran, who was recently placed up for transfer by Durham City FC. Tran could prove to DCFC that he is worth their time here. Some changes to the roster include 2 call-ups from the U21 team and 1 call-up from the U18 team. Left back Everett Elliott and center back Jon Rose are being called up from the U21s, while striker Bradley Francis, a 17 year old high schooler will play for the Senior team this campaign. It is unknown whether they will play for the senior team in World Cup qualifiers, or if they will even play in this tournament at all. However, most are expecting that the call-ups, particularly Francis, will get some playing time in the games against lesser sides, at least if the Loons are sitting pretty.
Another thing to know about is the 1104. If you read my STIC preview article, Navy and Gold smoke bombs; don't be alarmed because of Prariean ultras in South Toronto, you'll know that the 1104, the Prariean ultras group, does not pose a threat and are fun and nice people with a sense of national pride. The 1104 has stated on their website and social media accounts that they will be out in force in Qasden. Expect to see 1104 members from divisions around North Prarie, and expect their march to the stadium in Qasden as well.
That's your BoF preview, everyone. Stay cool, stay nice, and stay Prarie. Come on you Loons!

by **The Free Territory of Makhnovia** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:44 pm

Free Territory's Football review

This year's Baptism of Fire Tournament had pitted National selection of The Free Territory against some prime teams. Group draw has put our boys in the group F alongside Colunberra, Commonwealth of Baker Park, Norcambria, Greater Toyland and Mordovia and Dalmat. Since this is the first time Free Territory is taking part in this tournament every game can be a potential surprise, however manager of Makhnovian selection Viktor Kavlik-Merigold claims he had studied the strategy of the opponents well enough:

"We have studied hours of tapes of our opponents and we are ready tactically. Also, the squad is injury free for now, and several younger players had been brought in. Some of them we will have the opportunity to see in action in our first leg against Dalmat this Friday."

Manager Viktor Kavlik Merigold claims he has the BoF opposition figured out

Our analyst Julyia Lisenko claims Kalvik-Merigold's focus will be on strong midfield:

"Since Dalmat usually plays a strong 4-3-3 formation, I believe Kavlik- Merigold's answer to this will be taking full advantage in Makhnovia's midfield potential. A formation of 4-5-1 with two attacking wingers will give players like Yazi and Yagoda opportunity to shine by going forward to help the attack. Also, young debutantes like Rodenko and Denisov will get their opportunity to shine. Also, Kavlik-Merigold will probably want to make our most experienced striker Gurov the focus of our attack."

Our selection had traveled off to Banija and is now under strict regime of preparations. Together with them a group of 20 000 fans traveled too. Although neither Kavlik-Merigold or players are speaking anything about the formation they will run in on Friday, most analysts familiar with style of play of Boys in Black are assuming following line-up:

Whether our manager sticks to the predictions or chooses to pack a surprise remains to be seen. In the meantime, support our boys in front of your TV screens.

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Wed Mar 28, 2018 2:02 pm

~~~~~~֎--An Interview with Shubhashish Srihatta‭--֎~~~~~~

Interviewer: So you're going to be playing for the Sherpa national team in the Baptism of Fire. How do you feel about that?

Srihatta: I'm stoked. It's been exciting to watch our teams compete on the international stage in the World Baseball Classic and the World Cup of Hockey, and it's an honor for me to be able to represent the Sherpa Empire playing football.

Interviewer: We've had some tough competition in baseball and hockey, and our national teams didn't make the playoffs. Do you think you can do better in the World Cup?

Srihatta: Well, I don't take anything for granted, but I'm going to try my best, and I think we have a chance to win. But you know, everybody is trying to win, and everybody is going to send their best players, so I don't take anything for granted.

Interviewer: Are you doing anything special to get ready for your first game?

Srihatta: Not really. We've done some training to get used to playing together as a team, and I've packed my bags for the trip to Qasden, but nothing unusual. We're playing Nacaltora our first game, and we don't know much about them, so we're just going to go out there and play some good football and hope for the best.

Interviewer: Sounds good. It looks like you're going to be playing a lot of countries we've never competed against before and don't know much about.

Srihatta: Yeah, it'll be interesting to see what they can do. I'm really looking forward to it. You know, I've never been outside the Empire, so this is a great chance to broaden my horizons.

Interviewer: I bet there are a lot of people who would love to be in your shoes right now.

Srihatta: Absolutely, and I'm very cognizant of that.

Interviewer: Now I gotta ask... Your ex-wife Hua Hu recently came out with an autobiographical book that's been getting a lot of publicity, and she's been talking a lot about her marriage with you. Is there anything you'd like to say about that?

Srihatta: Honestly, I'd rather not talk about it. You know, she's said a lot of things that aren't true, and when we were together, and I shared my private life with her, I never meant for that stuff to end up all over TV, and I don't think it's appropriate the way she's spreading it around.

In professional sports, there's already an element of athletes being treated as a commodity and being used for your body. I'd rather not take it to that next level where I'm being judged as a sex-object and I've got people speculating about every inch of my anatomy. You know, I want to be known for what I do out there on the field, not what Hua Hu says about my sex life. If you're going to ask me about Jamling Ihawa or Shuang Gao or Ashok Liu, we should be talking about baseball and hockey. I don't want to waste my time arguing with those guys about who's the biggest man.

Interviewer: OK. Is there anything you'd like to say about baseball or hockey?

Srihatta: Yeah. LET'S GO GREEN SOX!

Interviewer: Well, let's hope you and the Green Sox can both rack up some wins. Good luck and thanks for your time.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Preview: Baptism of Fire 67--Commonwealth v Norcambria

Frank Armitage
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

Reporting from Herzegovina City, Moravica, Kingdom of Banija:

The final preparations for the National Team's first match in the BoF tournament wrapped up with a 60 minute closed door friendly against a lower-division Banjian side--Tripoli Foresters--here at the training complex of Herzegovina City FC, where the Baker Park side have been preparing since their arrival 5 days ago; it might be the last low profile event the squad will encounter for the next several days.

Local media interest has been focused on the Commonwealth's team--and anyone with even the slightest connection to it--since their arrival here; there is still a bit of a respectful awe for anyone wearing black & gold as the memory of the University of the Commonwealth's victory over the hometown Northern Moravica University football team is still fresh in the minds here. There are daily updates on the search for a new coach for the NMU gridders, and the connections being suggested that the choice of HCFC by the Baker Park FA will be soon followed by a secret visit by UC football coach Scott Newell to be interviewed for the job are rampant.

All that would be enough of a distraction, but the nightly TV business report will not do anything to quell the media noise--the government here making an announcement that the newest stadium built specifically for this tournament will carry the name of the Commonwealth's own BCEL Beverage Corp. in a 10 year, £100 million (NS$88 million) deal (see Page D-1 for more).

Meanwhile, back to the soccer; National Team Manager Pam Scott said she was "extremely encouraged" with the way the squad has come together since the initial camp in Belle Haven and now that they have gotten several sessions under their belt here in Banija. "I was probably the least worried person about how the whole process of gender integration was going to work out. I guess that's because I know the players I've coached, and my experiences with the guys from the senior men's side made me believe that they are all true professionals. Pros have respect for other pros, no matter their sex. And the new players, I don't think they've been so conditioned to not have an ability to adapt."

And what has she been most encouraged by? "Just what I said, the professionalism and the understanding among themselves that players who can play are just that--players. We had a secret ballot for captain after we checked into the hotel here, and I told the rest of the staff exactly how I thought the vote would shake out. You'll notice we have co-Captains, and I had the third placed finisher on the money, too. (smiles) They all made me stay up way past my bedtime--and their curfew as well--to watch the 18's match (the SWC match in which the Commonwealth U18 team eliminated the defending champions from Mercedini following extra time) but I don't think I've had as much fun in the middle of the night for some time." (laughter)

The squad left from Herzegovina City after a late afternoon meeting to travel to Busukuma, the capital city where the Commonwealth will play their first two Group F matches at the 69,000 capacity Stadium of the Restoration, the national stadium of Banija.

by **Beepee** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 12:07 am

PLAYING WITH FIRE

BAPTISM OF FIRE DRAW

The draw for the group stage of the Baptism of Fire competition has been made. The live draw was attended by BFA chief Ms Dakota Secret and squad Head Coach, Michael Forsberg.

The draw includes much stronger opposition in :
Yezur
Tomure
Sevmenika
Silver Beach
Wolves Clans

The glory ties of the group stages will be against Wolves Clans and Sevmenika.

Indeed, Beepee will play Sevmenika will be the opening group match whilst the final group match will be against Wolves Clan.

Ms Secret put on a brave face when discussing the draw. "We have an excellent opportunity here to represent the best of Beepee and I feel we have an outside chance of being in the mix come the end of the group stage". However, Beepeean bookmakers are offering odds of 25 to 1 that Beepee will qualify from the group, highlighting the general pessimistic mood in the nation following the draw.

In order to maintain public interest, the BFA has announced that the travelling support of approximately 6,500 Beepeeans will be informally known as the "Bush Fires" for this tournament only. The genial bunch enjoy early morning strolls along the beach and cheering on the underdogs.

The Bush Fires have also announced their intention to support the North Prarian side of Group A as a second team. The rivals were the surprise but overwhelming choice of the travelling fans for second team with almost 60% of the fans choosing North Prarie ahead of Group A challengers The Frozen Forest, who polled 25%.

The squad itself has now landed in Qasden and is preparing for the their first training session. It is also understood Head Coach Michael Forsberg has employed scouts to check out the competition and will be receiving reports back shortly.

---

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Tiffany Sweeney: "Welcome back to the final hour of National Radio Overnight, from Belle Haven. 25 minutes past the hour and now over to Kevin Ellis at the Sports Desk. Kevin, what are we looking ahead to later today?"
KE: "Tiffany, we'll get to the main story in a minute, but last night Oceana Zephyrs cliched the overall CHA regular season championship without actually taking the ice as the Middletown Riverhawks beat the Lima Chargers 4-2 in Lima, ending the Chargers slim hopes of overtaking Oceana in the final week of the season. The Zephyrs will now have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs starting on April 6th.
The Commonwealth National soccer team is in Busukuma, in the national capital region of Banija for their opening match in the 67th Baptism of Fire tournament later today against Norcambria, and Leanne King is live to give us the details--Leanne, how are you?"
LK: "Hello Kevin, I'm feeling great. It's looking like a it will be ideal conditions at kickoff for the squad when they close out the first day of competition in Group F in just about 12 hours from now. All three matches will be played here at the Stadium of the Restoration in Busukuma, with the opening match between Makhnovia and Dalmat scheduled for 12:30 and the Colunberra versus Greater Toyland & Mordovia kickoff set for 16:00 local time. The Commonwealth will face Norcambria at 19:45 and you'll be able to hear the match live here on National Radio from 19:30."
KE: "Leanne, can you give us a sense of mood of the squad as they prepare to face uncharted territory against an opponent they know little about with a team that is facing their first opportunity to compete with a mixed-gender lineup?"
LK: "Kevin, from what we've observed since we arrived here in Banija, the squad are really not affected at all by the gender issue. We've seen nothing but close knit team spirit, there is a real sense of purpose among the players who are really excited about the chance to perform on a big stage. National Team manager Pamela Scott is optimistic about the lineup she's chosen for the first match, and everyone seems comfortable with the way training has gone and the roles they have been given."
KE: "Thanks Leanne, we're looking forward to hearing from you after the match tonight."
LK: "I'm looking forward to it as well."
KE: "that's sport for this hour, back to you Tiffany"
TS: "Kevin and Leanne, thank you. We'll be back with the weather in 90 seconds. This is the National Radio".

by **Lionsguard (Ancient)** » Thu Mar 29, 2018 4:24 pm

Baptism of Fire LXVII(IC, Everything)

Baptism of Fire LXVII(IC, Everything)

Dalmat Football Representation

WIP Post

Lionsguard Roster

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