CoH 72 :: Cup of Harmony for World Cup 80 :: Rosters/RP

[Qusmo]

"Hey, everyone, welcome to the Results Room. We're getting live reactions about the Cup of Harmony Matchday 3 results, as well as our Round of Sixteen matchups, as they're coming in."

"We're getting the first results now, & they're from Group A. First up, Filindostan beat Acronius by a narrow 4-3 margin. They only needed a draw to guarantee qualification, but a win over Acronius won the group; Acronius will finish second. That eliminates Razenthuria, which lost to Northwest Kalactin, anyways, meaning Northwest Kalactin leapfrogs the Razen to finish third."

"Alright, next we have Group B. Ashkam & The Macabees is a blowout, with Ashkam winning handedly; we're just not sure how the other match will turn out. If it's a draw, we'll have a three-way tie for first place; one will win the group, another will qualify to the Round of Sixteen, & a third will not move on. And we're approaching the final whistle... & it indeed is a draw. We'll have to see what happens with the tiebreakers here."

"Now Group C. Cassadaigua wins against Mattijana to win the group outright, but because New Lusitana & the Algarves can only manage a draw - their third of the group stage - Mattijana keeps a spot in the next round."

"To round out the top half of the tables, we'll have Group D. Audioslavia has absolutely destroyed Devonta, meaning that Audioslavia will easily win the group. Following them will be Zwagzug, as they beat Newmanistan to hurdle both Devonta & Newmanistan in the standings to take a spot in the Round of Sixteen from the cellar of the group entering the final matchday."

"We've just received word from the World Cup Committee about that massive Group B tiebreaker. Ko-oren will win the group, followed by Ashkam, leaving Bostopia fans surely angry. However, they did have the worst goal differential. That said, the team with the best goal differential, Ashkam, did not win the group, as the Committee decided to award tiebreakers on more subjective criteria, which will surely be more open to critiism."

"That said, the top half of the Round of Sixteen bracket is set. First up, we have Filindostan against Ashkam. This'll be a battle of two prolific offenses, which both scored nine goals apiece during the group stage & yielded more than a goal a match. The fireworks should be sparkling here, but Filindostan will likely be just too much for Ashkam. Filindostan, with a Qusma assistant manager in Cralt-Nirlo Fox, is a top 50 side & a Baptism of Fire winner; meanwhile, Ashkam is a lowly 169th in the field, which we don't normally think of as exactly major senior tournament quarterfinalist material. We're picking Filindostan."

"Next, Cassadaigua & Zwangzug. This is another big rank difference, with 43 up against 117. It shows in the goal tallies in the group stages; both teams conceded five goals, but Cassadaigua was able to score eight, while Zwangzug managed only three. We have to hand it to the former World Cup champion's superior offense here."

"Now, Ko-oren against Acronius. This'll be a tight battle, as 56th-ranked Ko-oren's reward for winning Group B on a tiebreak is a date with 51st-ranked Aronius. Ultimately, though, Ko-oren conceded fewer goals in the entire group stage than Acronius let in during the final matchday alone; we've got to hand it to Ko-oren, then."

"Finally, Audioslavia-Mattijana. Mattijana's a recent side, ranked 71st, but Audioslavia is a top 30 team, a World Cup champion, & just taking out its frustrations that it lost its playoff for a spot in the World Cup. They may not be doing it at Equestar, but we think they'll be getting to the quarterfinals at the very least."

"Next, let's go to the bottom half of the tables. From Group H, Mercredini & North Prarie take care of business, meaning they'll both be advancing to the knockouts, with the former winning the group outright on a perfect nine points."

"In a tight Group G, Kita-Hinode got exactly what it wanted: it won, while the Alpine Union & Siovanija & Teusland drew, meaning Kita-Hinode got to leapfrog both those teams for the group win; meanwhile, Siovanija & Teusland needed a win, so their draw hands the second ticket in the knockouts to the Alpine Union."

"Next, in Group F, the fantasy of many extremely optimistic Qusma fans. Tobiasia is taking care of business against Soltsteed, but for the dream to become reality, Silver Beach needs to pull out a late win over Vietmihn. &... Silver Beach cannot pull it off. That means that Tobiasia wins Group F, awaiting the Group E runner-up, while the Group E winner will be treated to Soltsteed rather than Silver Beach."

"& let's get to that all-important Group E. Qasden is tearing up South Toronto, so Qusmo would need a win over Omerica & a tiebreaker win over Qasden to win the group. In any event, they need a draw to guarantee advancement; a draw would eliminate them. They're looking pretty good now, but can they pull it off? Can they win their third match in three meetings against Les Incorriibles? Oh! What a result! What a result! The final result is in, & -"

Unfortunately, the satellites carrying this signal have been blocked. We will try to reconnect you to this programme shortly We apologize for the inconvenience & thank you for your understanding & patience.

[Mattijana]

The Sea, Atlantian Oceania

It was a dark stormy night in the southern sea of Atlantian Oceania. A Mattijanan merchant ship had left the port of Revinka and was now halfway across the expanse of water on their way to Vilita, delivering what was a fairly important, but also quite secret cargo.

The weather now was becoming an issue however. The boat had already been driven off course and with no danger of the storm relenting, the crew would just have to stick it out and try and recover lost time tomorrow. It was really quite wild out there. A rythmic, but anxiety-inducing thump of hull on water was routinely followed by the hiss of spray on the window of the bridge.

That bridge was where captain Alex Junavić stood, trying to guide a steady path through the waves. That was becoming even more of a challenge however.

"We've lost another degree" he said, with a downcast look at the computer showing his direction. It's still too damned open though. We can't stop here."

The ship, named Ekatarina, ploughed on for another hour with no change in the bleakness. A few rumbles of thunder resounded down from the heavens. Frustration gripped the bridge whilst an awkward half hour passed.

The silence was broken by the ship's navigator. He was staring intently at a map in front of him showing the surrounding seas on which a blob had appeared in the top corner.

"Sir! Looks like there's an island of some kind in around 30 km, due North West. We might be able to find some shelter there until this storm passes."

In an ideal world, Alex wouldn't have wanted to stop, but this was far from ideal.

"Ah alright then. See if you can find a bay or harbour or anything. Do we know if its inhabited?"

"No sir. It's unclaimed by any nation currently and the nearest patch of mainland is also unclaimed. No-one really knows much and in good weather, it's usually out of the way of the shipping routes."

"At least we won't have to worry about treading in someone's territorial waters." Replied Alex. "See what you can find."

Around five minutes later, the navigator got back to him.

"Looks like there's a natural harbour around the South-West corner of the island. I'll set a course for there."
--------------------------------

The next morning, things seemed to have calmed down. Instead of lurching up and down in the rough sea outside, Ekatarina barely moved as some gentle waves lapped up against its steel hull. Adding to the tranquil scene were some forest-covered hills and in the distance, on the coast...houses.

Alex quickly woke from his storm-induced slumber. This place was supposed to be uninhabited. Nothing but some trees, some migrating birds and the odd visiting whale. There weren't supposed to be any...people.

Alex scrambled his way up out of his chair and went to wake the navigator.

"Jan, Jan!" He said in a panicked whisper. "Jan we're going, there's people here. We can't endanger the cargo."

Jan awoke, his bleary eyes adjusting to the morning sunlight just in time to see a figure clamber off a ladder onto the deck in front of the bridge.

"Alex," he said, nodding at the deck. "I think it's too bloody late."

The figure moved closer to the bridge. It was a female, fairly young and alone. God knows what she had done to get the job of going up here. She was dark-skinned, probably suited to the seemingly tropical climate and had no weapons, which also seemed like a bit of a risk when going to meet some unknown foreigners on a big metal boat.

The girl stopped about 10 metres from the front window. Up close she looked a little tentative. She looked up at the window as Alex began to move towards the door. Then she screamed.

Alex stopped in his tracks and looked back out of the window. The girl had backed away and looked like she wished she had something to poke at the Mattijanan. He opened the door, closely followed by Jan and took a few tentative steps forward.

The girl muttered a few words in a language that seemed to flow into one long consonant-less sound. She put her hand out in front of her, almost apologetically.

Alex tried speaking a few words in German, but more of the girl's own language followed. He turned to Jan.

"Ah. I forgot about the language barrier. It sounds like pretty tribal gibberish as well."

"That's not tribal gibberish" said Jan. "That's French!"

"Crap."


To be continued, (If we beat Audioslavia otherwise it'll happen somewhere else. Exciting announcement at the end).

[Cassadaigua]

Another day in Mrs. Bradford’s classroom...

“Good morning, class!” Mrs. Bradford said, as was the usual. “Before I begin, I wonder if Nathan would like to tell everyone about his time at the baseball game?”

“It was pretty cool. We got to see a lot of the players up close, and I got a couple autographs. It was a great time.” Nathan replied.

“I agree,” Mrs. Bradford, “Very special for you to be able to go to the game like that. Did anyone one else go the game, or have any other stories that they want to share?”

“My parents hate baseball, but they made me watch a Cup of Harmony marathon. A bunch of games between other nations, and not just Cassadaigua. Why aren’t we in the World Cup anyway?” a random male student answered.

“Because our coach sucks!” Taylor exclaimed. “She should get fired. When people don’t do well at their job they should be fired right away!”

“Taylor, that’s a little harsh,” the teacher replied, “If people do not do well at their job, they should get chances to do it better instead of just getting fired real quickly. A lot of people need their jobs. Who are we playing in the next round anyway? I read Zwangzug online, but that can’t be right, this is baseball. Only in baseball does Zwangzug eliminate Newmanistan and then face us.”

“It is Zwangzug!” A couple students replied.

“Oh, cool. Yeah, I actually knew that. So, does anything know anything about Zwangzug, other then sports?” the teacher asked. The kids all stood there with blank stares when she remembered she was teaching third graders.”

As much as the teacher wanted to change the topic about people getting fired, Taylor was quick to jump in, “Yeah, so like if people working on a spaceship made a mistake and it exploded when it tried to visit another planet or something, don’t you think they should be fired, or do you think they should get another chance to do a better job next time?”

“That’s scary.” another student said.

“There’s a big difference between what you described, and being a sports coach, Taylor. Now, let’s talk about other things.” (A normal day of school begins)

OOC: Not the greatest RP but won't have more time before the eventual cutoff.

[Vilita and Turori]

Presented By:

Having previously been referred to as a "highly advanced organisation that knows almost everything that is going on in Atlantian Oceania at any given time", the Vilitan Orbital Intelligence Agency (VOIA) gather intelligence for internal usage but have also been known to share information publicly to prevent or resolve conflict, in humanitarian situations and in support of direct requests. VOIA regularly pushes the space boundary with its technologies with small scale launch capabilities at VOIA Island and additional Space faring capabilities in cooperation with the Astronautical center in Seraai.

---

Round of 16: May the Rand( ) be with you!

Round of 16 Results
Filindostan [2] Ashkam [0]
Eels Park, Eelandii, Turori

Cassadaigua [0] Zwangzug [0][0-0] AET :: (4-3) on penalty kicks
Arcticala Electrical Stadium, Arcticala, Vilita

Audioslavia [3] Mattijana [1]
Turoki National Stadium, Turoki City, Vilita

Ko-oren [3] Acronius [3] [4-3] AET.
Lunar Park, Seraai, Vilita

Qusmo [0] Soltsteed [0][0-0] AET :: (2-4) on penalty kicks
National View Stadium, Morata Valley, Vilita

Kita-Hinode [1] North Prarie [0]
Malaveisa Stadium, Vilisorma, Vilita

Mercedini [2] Alpine Union [0]
Colonial Field, Sile, Vilita

Tobiasia [1] Qasden [1][1-1] AET :: (2-4) on penalty kicks
Lopinka National Stadium, Lopinka, Vilita

---

Quarter Final Fixtures

Filindostan [- v -] Cassadaigua
[- Select Stadium using Stadium Tool -]

Audioslavia [- v -] Ko-oren
[- Select Stadium using Stadium Tool -]

Soltsteed [- v -] Kita-Hinode
[- Select Stadium using Stadium Tool -]

Mercedini [- v -] Qasden
[- Select Stadium using Stadium Tool -]

Optional Pre-QF Challenge:
Do you have a connection to your Ro16 or QF opponent outside of the sports world? Is there an unknown connection between you in the corporate, political or social realms? Maybe a key figure in your Nations history had a little known Father or Sister from your opponents nation? Or maybe not, maybe this is the first time you've interacted in any stage and despite this you need to learn quickly to overcome their years of acquired strengths...

[Ko-oren]

Eight teams left in the Cup of Harmony.

What's interesting is that several of them can be characterised solely with a few colours. Let's see if you can guess the remaining national teams, purely based on colour scheme.

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

            

Got them all? Ok, some of these nations market their colours far more than others. Even non-fans should recognise at least half of these - if you sometimes follow the news or go on vacations outside of Ko-oren. It wouldn't surprise you, but most national teams put their national colours on their kits, and those national colours are also on their flags. The one that might surprise you is Soltsteed, whose flag colours and team colours are pretty far apart.

As distinctive as their colours are, the current rankings are very similar for this group of 8. Every nation is ranked between 25th and 56th, with four nations ranked between 30 and 43. The favourites on paper would be Qasden, ranked 25th, and Kita-Hinode, ranked 29th. But then again, even the latter aren't far ahead of Audioslavia (30th) and Soltsteed (31st). On the downside, we have Ko-oren (56th), and Filindostan (50th), who actually do come a little behind the other six (of which the lowest ranked squad are Cassadaigua, 43rd). Basically, these teams all have a shot at the next round, but there are some clear disadvantaged teams.

Now we've seen something distinct and something similar, let's hit the middle of the road, where there are some eyecatching teams and some average ones. I'm talking about the regions these nations are from. Novapax, not one of the three big sports regions, supply one: Mercedini. The only other regions are part of the big three, with Rushmore sending one (Cassadaigua), Esportiva, who've come a long way since being perennially the third out of three, represented by two teams (Kita-Hinode and Filindostan). The biggest of them all, asserting their dominance by hosting all World Cup-related tournaments this cycle, is Atlantian Oceania, with a massive four. If every team has an equal chance of winning the CoH, there is a 50% chance the champions will have won a home tournament. I'm talking about Audioslavia, Qasden, Ko-oren and Soltsteed.

The rankings may predict the rest of the tournament to a tiny extent, is there anything else we can look at to tell what kind of teams are left in the Cup? How much of their game is based around scoring goals versus not conceding goals, for instance?

It seems that only Mercedini is very concerned with forcing a lot of goals, featuring an excellent striking duo, possibly the best left in the Cup of Harmony. Filindostan are also primarily an attacking team, but never desert their defence entirely. The rest are balanced teams, with the notable exceptions of Ko-oren and Soltsteed, who park the bus every chance they get. And in both these cases, they aren't very preoccupied with a passing defence, aka, a 'if they don't have the ball, they can't score' tiki-taka defence. It turns out that tendencies to defend/attack don't completely tell the story - not that we expected that.

Now we're left with just four matches.
Filindostan versus Cassadaigua - Filindostan are the weaker team on paper, but they only played 90 minutes of football to get here. Cassadaigua needed 120 minutes and penalties, and conditioning might play a role in this game near the end or in hypothetical extra time. Predictions: 1-2 to Cassadaigua.

Audioslavia versus Ko-oren - Two nations that joined the World Cup system in the mid-to-late 50s. Where Ko-oren would go on to miss a lot of World Cups by the slightest of margins, never making it past the Round of 16 and having one Cup of Harmony trophy to boast about, the Audioslavians joined four cycles later to be immediately doomed for greatness by winning a Baptism of Fire and two World Cups, as well as three AOCAFs. Audioslavia have a little advantage, but Ko-oren's better when they're playing as underdogs. Ko-oren have already played a long game against Acronius, while Audioslavia coasted into the quarters. Predictions: 0-0 after 90 minutes, 1-0 after extra time.

Soltsteed versus Kita-Hinode - Kita-Hinode... now there's a team we go way back with, but you might still know them as the Northern Sunrise Islands. Now they're Kita-Hinode, who have won two World Cups, but remain one of our favourite rivals anyway, even if the sentiment goes one way. Soltsteed are a bit of an unknown to us, but they're in our region, we speak their language, they're defensive as hell, what's not to love? Wish we could take on both of these teams during this Cup, but alas, it's not to be. Soltsteed needed penalty kicks, so they can keep their cool. Kita-Hinode have been solid all Cup... Predictions: 0-1.

Mercedini versus Qasden - Mercedini was in our World Cup qualification group, wouldn't it be funny to play them again this cycle? Preferably not, those were some tough games. They had a fairly easy time dispatching Alpine Union, while Qasden was one of three teams to go on by penalties. Predictions: 0-1 to Qasden, given that they're the best team on paper left.

[Audioslavia]

Race 5: Quarter-Finals
Turoki National Stadium, Turoki City, Vilita

Conditions: Dry
Minutes: 90

Pos # Driver               	Team		Race Time	
  1 10 Roddy Fraser          Audioslavia	0:29:46.344	
  2  9 Desya Kuznetsov       Audioslavia	0:44:34.023	
  3 16 Sophia Velezia        Mattijana		0:63:35.299	
  4 20 Ryan Gordon           Audioslavia	0:83:51.719	
  5 42 Alexander Dimitrianov McPahan		Laps Down: 1
DNF 16 Alexander Lund	     McPahan		Ret: Lap 0

Championship Standings:

Team			Points
Audioslavia		3
Mattijana		1
Ethan Ellis		0

When talents from Audioslavia and Mattijana are meeting in Vilita, a casual observer could be forgiven for assuming there was a World Grand Prix Championship race occurring. Both Vilita and Turori would consider themselves frontrunners for any title of 'spiritual home' of automotive racing in the multiverse, while the most recent WGPC season saw Alexander Dimitrianov, of Mattijana, and Alexander Lund of Audioslavia (no relation; both countries take family names from the second listed name) finish in the top ten in the World Drivers' Championship in WGPC as team-mates in Oljestaden-based race team McPahan.

For the majority, most equate the Mattijana flag with reigning WGPC Constructors' Champions MRT, and may be surprised to note that the nation has a strong football team to boot. Most will probably be familiar with one Ethan Ellis, a sophomore driver who failed spectacularly in the most recent season. Audioslavia, on the other hand, are more known for unfurling their flags at football stadiums than anywhere else.

It's doubtful that this weight of expectation from the average neutral played any sort of part in yesterday's game, but Audioslavian striker Roddy Fraser certainly did, scoring yet another goal to add to his three against Devonta last week to open the scoring in the 30th minute, glancing a looping cross into the far corner. Desya Kuznetsov would make it two-nothing to Audioslavia a quarter-hour later, out-muscling Mattijana captain Katija Burnisevič in the penalty box to create enough space to launch a rocket past Lucija Handanovic to double Audioslavia's lead.

Mattijana fought back in the second half, bringing a sweaty performance out of Audioslavia's back five. Struna and Lekarisa both went close for the men (and women) in green, before Sophia Velezia reduced the deficit on 63 minutes with a precise finish, capitalising on a mistake from Robert Smith.

Smith, though previously solid at the back, made way for Ryan Gordon soon after, and it was Gordon who decided the game, rising at the far post to head in from 6 yards after Audioslavia had forced their first corner of the second half.

Mattijana, for all their dominance in the second period of the game, could not break the deadlock. Audioslavia march on to the quarter-finals.

Audioslavia face Ko-oren in the next stage of the competition. The Dragonflies have fought the Bulls on previous occaions, with Audioslavia holding a 3-0-1 record thus far.

Ko-oren made short work of Audioslavia in the two teams' first meeting, way back in the first round of the AOCAF Cup in cycle 67, with Ko-oren victorious by a goal to nil against the Bulls, but Audioslavia have come up trumps on each occasion since, beating the Dragonflies 1-0 in the second round of World Cup 69 before first round victories in World Cup 70 and 72, 2-0 and 1-0 respectively.

History suggests the winner, and there has to be a winner in this stage of the conversation, will do so by the skin of their teeth. A quick glance at the respective rankings of the two teams in context of the wider world suggests the same fate. Whoever comes out of the weekend's quarter-final on top will not only have done so with great difficulty, but may well become favourites to take the Cup of Harmony title itself.

[Mercedini]

Cup of Harmony Round of 16 LIVE
Mercedini vs. Alpine Union
@ Colonial Field - Sile, Vilita

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to Colonial Field located in Sile, Vilita. We have another match for you in the saga which is Mercedini's Cup of Hamorny journey. The Golden Eagles have made it all the way to the Round of 16 after they wrapped up the group in style wit a 3-1 victory against Beepee to seal their ticket to the final sixteen. Today, Mercedini face argubly their toughest opponents thus far in the completion in the Alpine Union. Mercedini have had a seamless run in the tournament so far, beating North Prarie, Taeshan and Beepee in the group before being drawn against the Alpine Union, who finished second in Group H, in the Round of 16. Two teams with big fan bases at this tournament who could definitely go on and win it all, it will be interesting to see how the match develops between these two teams.

---

0' - Here we go! The teams head out of the tunnel to greet the crowds in the stadium, the attendance looks to be a lot bigger than the couple of thousands seen in previous matches due to the obvious higher capacity in Colonial Field, as well as both nations sending large contingencies. The big match is certainly capturing the imagination of the locals here, meaning there's plenty of action happening in the stands. Mercedini are back to their full strength squad after resting some players in their match against Beepee, with Chollotov and Dostalok the ones to watch for the Golden Eagles, while Presic and Karlovic have put in tremendous individual performances in previous matches, with all eyes on the team in blue and black as they attempt to make it to where they have never gone before, the Cup of Harmony quarter finals. Meanwhile, Mercedinian league fans may be familiar with the team they are playing today in the Alpine Union, who have been on an upward tick in previous cycles, with Mercedini taking four points away from the Union a couple of cycles ago, beating them 4-0 on their way to qualification. Plenty of talent on the pitch for both sides, it's just the matter of who will be left standing once the dust has settled.

5' - (MRC 0-0 UAR) - It's a tale of two sets of tactics in this game thus far, with the Mercedinians attacking very strongly in the opening five minutes of the game, compared with the defensive stance of the Alpine Union who are playing in their recognisable green and white striped kits, contrasting the blue and black kits of the Mercedinians, with rumours that they could be phased out with a new brand at the end of this tournament. Chillotov and Dostalok haven't seem much of the ball lately, with the opposition defence doing well to isolate them up the pitch, Presic and Garzallo are making headway down the wings, they just lack that dangerous ball in which could prove to be the difference in the end. It remains goalless at this early stage, chances have been few and far between as these teams feel each other out.

12' - (MRC 0-0 UAR) - Wow! The Mercedinians are certainly not having it their own way in this match as the Bisons have the ball in the net for the first big chance of the game. It has been ruled for offside and a potential foul in the build-up, so the Golden Eagles have been let off very early on in this match. Kleineheismann stole the ball from behind Karlovic in the midfield, with the defence also pushing up the field to instigate an attack, which left the team exposed for a counter attack. Kleineheismann was held up as a number of players jostled for the ball, but they got the ball through to Zajaczkowski who was put through in acres of space. All of the defenders stopped and appeal for offside, but that didn't stop the Alpine striker from rounding the keeper and slotting the ball into the net. Tight margins already presenting themselves, Mercedini can regroup and reset themselves for the restart.

20' - (MRC 0-0 UAR) - Twenty minutes gone and chances have been in short supply since that ruled out goal about ten minutes ago. Chillotov and Dostalok have been forced to fall back and join the midfield battle to get a touch on the ball, disrupting their attacking play which has led them to this point. UAR has also been lacking upfront since their big chance earlier, the defenders seem to be doing a decent job so far in locking the opposition out of the box. Fans who were making all the noise have now gone silent as the nerves begin to set in, it's a big match for both teams, with one eye also on the match between Tobiasia and Qasden, with the winners of the two matches playing each other in the final eight. Nothing to really separate these two teams at the moment, still goalless in this very tight Round of 16 match.

27' - (MRC 0-0 UAR) - Mercedini get their first shot on target with an opportunistic shot from Chillotov on the edge of the box. In a match of few chances, that could have been the difference between going through and going home. Chillotov was found with a cross from Presic which was headed out of the box by the Alpine defence. The 1860 Azoth striker took a touch to control it before firing high towards the Alpine goal, but the shot lacked any venom and was safely caught by Kwietniewska in the Alpine goal. We're over half way through the first half, with only two chances worth of note in this match. It certainly hasn't been a classic in terms of exciting matches, but both teams have a stake in this match, although some of the locals may feel short-changed by the action in this match. Still 0-0.

37' - (MRC 0-0 UAR) - Less than ten minutes to go in this match, and both teams need to produce some magic if they are to come out on top and have a lead in this match. Both teams have had recent chances on goal, but neither were taken and remain at a stalemate in this match. The first came from Mercedini where a corner was sent in and was originally cleared, before Dostalok picked up the ball outside the box. A rush of blood to the head of the Handon United striker meant he hit the shot on the volley and sent the ball high and wide into the stands behind the goal, and receiving jeers from the Alpine fans for his troubles. At the other end, the Alpine Union went close with a good piece of passing play before Kleineheismann's low drive whistled just wide of the past. It coming to a head in this match, but time is running out if either team want to take an advantage into the first half.

44' - (MRC 0-0 UAR) - It was Mercedini's chance to go ahead in this match at the perfect time, but the linesman has now robbed the Golden Eagles a goal as they have the ball in the net, but Presic's run was just too early as another goal is chalked off. Presic dribbled past a number of players before passing back to Nymark who looked to release the winger down the right hand side. The Somer City and Surrounds player then sent an early cross and found Dostalok unmarked in the centre, and the Handon united made no mistake from six yard as he headed over the diving save of the Alpine goalkeeper. Fortunately for the team in green and white, it was Presic who made the error of not timing his run, as he was caught out by the offside trap which meant he was a couple of yards offside. A let off for the Bisons this time, we look to be heading to a goalless first half, just stoppage time to play.

45+4' - (MRC 0-0 UAR) - How intriguing! The referee blows his whistle for the end of the first half in what has been an eye opening first half to the match. Chances have been few and far between with both linesmen the biggest effect on the match, ruling out a combined two goals between them. The Mercedinians haven't had it their own way and it's the first time they haven't gone in at half-time with the lead in hand. These two teams are finely poised, at half time at the Colonial Field, it's Mercedini 0, Alpine Union 0.

HALF TIME
Mercedini 0 - 0 Alpine Union

Welcome back to Colonial Field, where we are embroiled in a fascinating match between Mercedini and Alpine Union for a spot in the quarter-finals of the 72nd Cup of Harmony hosted by Vilita and Turori. The Golden Eagles in black and clue are currently embroiled in a very tight match with the Alpine Union, which currently encompasses the likes of Prusy Krolewskie and the likes. It's tightly poised between the two teams, so let's see who will be left standing in this finally balanced match Karlovic OFF, Kraljic ON

49' - (MRC 0-0 UAR) - Slow start to this second half as Mercedini maintain control of the football in the opening minutes. Their tactics obviously aren't working as they face a very defence-minded team in the Alpine Union. One substitution has been made for the Mercedinians, with the more experienced Kraljic came on for the enthusiastic but visually tired Johan Karlovic. He has put in his shift for today, and makes way as Lyndainium attempts to guide his team to the nation's best ever performance at this tournament. Both teams need to find a goal if they want to put their name in the quarter-final draw with either Tobiasia or Qasden. Fourty minutes still to play and to get a goal, or else we will get another thirty and potentially more.

57' - (MRC 1-0 UAR) - GOAL! We said we needed a goal to ignite this game into life and that's exactly what we got. Ben Chillotov gives Mercedini the lead in this match and it's probably fair to say it's been coming. The Golden Eagles have had the vast majority of possession in this second half and they have made it count with a goal from a corner. It was whipped in with pace from Garzallo on the far side and was originally headed towards goal by Dosic, but parried well but the Alpine goalkeeper. The ball fell to Presic who kept the ball in play on the by-line, and drilled in a low cross inside the six yard box. Chillotov was arriving at this point and slid in to bundle the ball into the net. It was brave stuff from the Azoth striker with all of the players and legs around him, but he was rewarded by giving his team the lead. The fans are going mental in the far corner of the stadium with some of the locals celebrating and applauding as well. Mercedini lead, and it could be worth it's weight in gold come the end of the match.

65' - (MRC 1-0 UAR) - Mercedini have settled really well into this match following that opening goal. The roles seem to have been flipped in this match as it's UAR's turn to attack and Mercedini's turn to sit and hold their opponents back to hang onto their lead. Both managers are on the edge of their technical areas barking orders and tactics at their players on the field with the fans chanting their chants and banging their drums to drum up (pardon the pun) a spectacular atmosphere at Colonial Field here in Sile. Mercedinians have almost taken over Sile, with this being the second match held in the Vilitan city, meaning the fans have a purpose to stay and soak up the culture and the Vilitan sun. It remains 1-0, with every second benefitting the team in blue and black as the try to keep out the Bisons.

71' - (MRC 1-0 UAR) - Mercedini come close to a second goal in this match with Dostalok nearly getting on the scoresheet himself. The Handon United was isolated upfront with the ball, so decided to throw caution to the wind and dribble the ball past three players before firing low at the goal. The Alpine goalkeeper gathered the ball very well given the speed and spin of the ball as it flew through the air. The Golden Eagles are beginning to take control of the match after a shaky start to the match. Of the two teams, it looks as if the team that's already in the lead is taking the initiative. We could be on the cusp of something special if the score line stays as it is. Chillotov OFF, Alotic ON

75' - (MRC 2-0 UAR) - GOAL! That could be the goal which sends the Golden Eagles to the quarter finals in some style as super-sub Alotic comes on and scores within five minutes of his introduction to the match. It's another set piece which has undone the Alpine defence, this time a free kick. Garzallo stood over the ball with many expecting him to shoot from just outside the box, but the Zoloroni Met winger drilled the ball low into a very dangerous area, with any touch from one of the arriving players enough to send the ball into the net. Luckily, the outstretched foot from Pelethas striker Alotic was enough to deceive the goalkeeper, and the ball rolled slowly into the UAR net to double Mercedini's advantage. After a long wait, Mercedini look like they have made it to their first WCC quarter final since their Baptism of Fire debut, what a story. 2-0!

80' - (MRC 2-0 UAR) - Some of the UAR fans are beginning to file out of the stadium as their team looks at a second defeat to Mercedini square in the face. Mercedini could also be in line for a first clean sheet at this tournament this cycle, they need to hold out for another ten minutes to earn that. As we know at these types of tournaments, anything could happen, and with the Alpine Union still pressing for a way back into the game, the Golden Eagles need to make sure they have their guard up if they want to see this game out. It remains 2-0 to Mercedini, if the team can get hold of the ball and keep it, they can surely see this game out.

88' - (MRC 2-0 UAR) - Audible boos from the Mercedinian fans as the fourth official indicates four minutes of added time, but they are in a party mood as Aznelik controls the ball on the half way line. They now have their fate in their hands as they look to see this game out without any more mishaps, even Dostalok and Alotic have fallen back to help with the passing game, their job is now done. Lyndainium has a look of pride on his face as the second continue to tick on. It's been a rocky road to this point, with disappointing cycle after disappointing cycle finally leading them to this point and a formula that works. It almost looks inevitable at this point, only a couple of minutes to go now.

90+4' - (MRC 2-0 UAR) - There we have it, the referee blows his whistle for the end of what was a tight and entertaining affair in Sile. Mercedini were made to work for their win and the result may seem harsh from an Alpine point of view, but it is a testament to the quality and talent of both squads here today. Goals from Chillotov and substitute Alotic ultimately sealed a place in the quarter-finals for the team in blue and black, while the Alpine head home after a good run which saw them reach the knock out stages of an official WCC tournament. They will return to Prusy Krolewskie (or wherever they go) with their head held high. It's finished here in Sile; Mercedini 2, Alpine Union 0.

FULL TIME
Mercedini 2 - 0 Alpine Union
Chillotov 57', Alotic 75'

That's it from us, Mercedini are through to their first ever Cup of Harmony quarter-final where they will meet highest team left in the competition and two-time Harmony champions, Qasden. It will likely be a different environment for the lads as they look to overcome the odds and make it to their first ever World Cup Cycle completion semi-final. As ever, we will give you the run down of all the action including post match interviews and reactions. However, from us here in Colonial Field, goodnight!

[Kita-Hinode]

The number ten shirt.

Most football cultures know what a number ten is. The number 10 is the difference maker. The player with the flair, with the talent, with the dazzle and the razzle. A difference maker has to be the best player among them all. In a team of fantastic ten players, the number ten is a deity. The Hinodejin often looked at the number ten shirt with passion, the knowledge that the number ten was what the team would always rely on (and with good reason). Several Hinodejin out there were capable of being a number ten if given the chance.

And then there was Kyung-Ja, the Kanshiro native that remained resolute over her team, a player of the Kanshiro Lopunnies with no plans of trying the waves of international football. There was something unique about her, the ease she had of taking the ball all over the field, never really missing the object, choosing to instead lose markers in the pitch. She dribbled through the field, passing the ball every now and then to the options on the field, but nobody had yet managed to score.

She had the ball at the 77th. She brought the ball back, dragging her markers back to the Hinodejin defence. She then rolled the ball to Park Soo-Jin. The Miare CosmoStars defender chose to relay the ball to the right, where Juri Kisame darted, finding herself in the right corner. She crossed the ball high, a deadly move that the Hinodejin had been using ever since the start of the season. Kyung-Ja leaped after the ball. A loud thud could be heard. The number ten had been taken down. She crashed against Jon May. She didn't reply. She was silent, laying on the ground.

And then, she woke up. Kyung-Ja was shaken. She clearly took most of the impact. The Prarie team chose to kick the ball to their own corner, out of fair play. The Hinodejin star was taken on a stretcher, leaving the field for Eurynomile Kyunishakuga. Kisame took the corner, hitting a curve in an almost unnatural way. And out came Eurynomile... who booted the ball backwards, only for Kamalani Kanani to boot the ball in with all of her strength. The net almost found a hole in itself.

While the Hinodejin celebrated their goal, what put them through to the next round...

The number ten sat alone, staring at the field.
She smiled.

---

Current age
21:10 PM
Eswelle, Soltsteed

A teenager stood alone, near the edge of a building. She looked at the ground.
[????] Dus ... dus dit is het. (So... so this is it.)
Her feet got to the edge of the building, her toes hovering over the air.
[????] Mam ... pa ... ik ben je niets verschuldigd! (Mom... Dad... I owe you nothing!)
The brunette leaped off the building, awaiting the sweet release of... a cushy bed?
The girl was startled, looking around, failing to understand.
[????] Where's the... where's the floor? Where am I? W-What am I talking!?
She got up from the bed, looking around, confused. It seemed like a library.
The girl started to walk, every now and then asking if there was anyone there.
She stumbled upon a door, which she opened, without second thoughts.
She found a control chamber.
But more important, she noticed, among all the items in the chamber, a man.
She could tell he had brown hair and wore a sharp brown suit.
He grabbed a bottle of vodka, drinking it from the bottle straight away.
She tried to sneak around him... only for her to trip across a power cable.
She fell down, grumbling.
[????] Damnit...
She's offered a hand.
The man looks at her.
[Divine Comedy] I see I got a visitor... and here I thought Daisy 2.0 here would be able to keep me safe.
He helps her up, sighing.
She fails to notice any smell of vodka.
[????] Uh... why don't you smell like-
[Divine Comedy] Vodka? Yeah, we're in a time bubble, miss. Things just become more convenient here. I'm on the run from the Hinodejin Empire, you can call me Divine Comedy.
[????] Wait... we're playing those guys on the Cup of Harmony?
[Divine Comedy] And here I thought I'd have managed to travel in time as well. Guess we should just go find ourselves a safe place. How about... Allona Islands?
[????] W-what?
[Divine Comedy] Allona Islands. Futurnia. Sunny beaches, tropical weather. And it doesn't look like you had a lot here anyway. What's your name anyway, assistant?
She rose an eyebrow.
[Noëlle] I-I'm Noëlle. Why do we speak in...
[Divine Comedy] English. Convenience. Time Bubble. Get used to it.
[Noëlle] Get used to what?
[Divine Comedy] Get used to the shenanigans. They'll be fun. Way better than committing suicide, don'cha think?
[Noëlle] Y-You saw that?
[Divine Comedy] Yes. You shouldn't do that. Life is precious... and if you don't have anyone good to help you out, you can stay here.
She looked around, sitting on a couch.
[Divine Comedy] It's not much, but I could use a roommate.
[Noëlle] Running away from a gargantuan empire. Yeah, sounds like fun. I'm in.
As the two seemed to enjoy each other's company... their method of transportation continued on.
A blue telephone box.

[Cassadaigua]

The Wilson family makes it to Vilita for the game against Filindostan. They arrive a day early, and some interesting things happen.

“Thank you for taking me to Vilita, Mom. This seems like an interesting place.” Taylor began.

“My pleasure sweetheart. This is the hotel that the team will be staying at, so if we are lucky, maybe we can run into a player or two.” Mrs. Wilson replied.

“Wow, the team is staying here too. How do you know that?” Taylor said.

“I have sources,” Mrs. Wilson answered, “Everyone thinks the team stays at one of the two luxury brand hotels near the stadium, but the team knows better then that. They want to try and be away from most of the traveling fans. A friend at Pink Love Clothing informed me that they chose this hotel. Since they are such a major sponsor of the team, they know things like that.”

“What should I do if I run into a player?” Taylor asked.

“Well, you introduce yourself if they are not busy. If they look busy, then it is rude to bother them, but they will always stop for adorable little girls like you, probably who know their names. So, go for it!” Mrs. Wilson answered.

“But I won’t know who they are if they aren’t in their jersey!” Taylor pleaded in a concerned tone of voice.

“That’s another good thing for the team and why they don’t stay in the obvious hotels. But, don’t worry, I will let you know if I see anyone. Team should be back from practice in about 30 minutes, so let’s do some things in the room, and come back down then.”

“Ok!” Taylor answered.

After about an hour, the team arrives into the hotel. There are about a dozen Cassadagan fans in the lobby there to greet them, but for the most part, they are not bothered.

“I don’t know which one to say hi too!” Taylor said, concerned.

“Just stay there, by yourself. Say Go Cassadaigua a few times, and someone will stop to talk to you. I am going to go on the other side and see if I can meet up with a friend.”

Taylor stands there, gets a lot of high fives and hand shakes, but no one really stops; until starting midfielder, 23-year old Sierra Mattison, stops for her.

“Hey there, kid! You come from Cassadaigua to watch us play?” Sierra asked!

“Yeah, I hope you win!” Taylor replied.

“My name is Sierra, Sierra Mattison. I wear number 23. What’s your name?” Sierra asked.

“My name is Taylor. You are a great player, I am excited to meet you.” Taylor asked.

“Do you play soccer, too? Tell me about yourself? I liked to talk to my young fans, because I remember when I was girl, how much it meant to me to see the people who were playing then. You are really lucky to be able to come out to Vilita to watch us play.” Sierra replied.

“Thank you, Sierra. I liked to play it sometimes, its fun. So did you go to a lot of games when you were my age?” Taylor asked.

Sierra smiled, “Nope. My parents could never afford it. I could only watch on television.”

“Really, they couldn’t afford it? That’s not good.” Taylor replied, a little confused by that answer.

“My parents didn’t have great jobs. My father drove a school bus. My mother was a waitress. But they worked hard, went to work every day unless they were really sick to make us much as money as they could. We didn’t have a lot, but at home, it never mattered. My mother worked 80 hour weeks sometimes to put me through soccer camp.” Sierra smiled as she knew that a kid like Taylor, who’s parents would be able to take her to another region to watch a soccer game probably were wealthy, but she did not know how much her message was coming across.

“So it never really mattered? I mean, how much money you had, in order to be a famous soccer player?” Taylor asked.

“Money never matters. What we had was a dream. My parents knew how much I loved soccer and would do whatever they could, and then some, in order to give me a chance to play and get better. I wanted to do it for them. It was never easy and they made a lot of sacrifices. Now that I have money, I will never forget where I came from.” Sierra replied, sensing by Taylor’s body language that this might be something that was good for her to hear.

“That’s really cool. My mom says its, I probably shouldn’t say that.” Taylor said.

“You’re mom loves you very much. That’s why you are here, right?” Sierra asked.

“Yeah it is.” Taylor said.

“Let me sign that for you, and then I will have to get going, but just remember what I said. Most of us on this team have similar stories, we got to where we were by working hard even when people said it might not be possible. Sometimes, Taylor, the people who doubt you and judge you will be wrong.” Sierra said with a smile, signing her hat, and being on her way.

Mrs. Wilson was watching nearby, but did not interrupt as she did not want to intrude on the interaction and the moment for her daughter. Because of the volume of background noise, she could not hear much of what was said. “Looks like you two had a nice little chat, that’s amazing!” She began.

“Yeah, we did. I think, I think she’s my new favorite player.” Taylor said.

“Well that’s cool!” Mrs Wilson replied.

“Maybe I can be like her one day.” Taylor said as she smiled wide.

“Well, you will have to join soccer leagues and stuff if you want. Maybe we can find something for you.” Mrs Wilson replied.

“No. I will never be as good as her at soccer. But maybe, as a person, I could be.” Taylor answered.

Mrs. Wilson grinned, not really knowing what was meant by that.

“I can’t wait to go back to school and talk to people about it.” Taylor enthusiastically said.

“That’s right, let everyone know how special it was for you to be here and have the opportunity to talk to a player like that.” Mrs Wilson gloated.

Taylor didn’t respond to that directly, “Yeah. Or maybe I will just talk about what she told me about to certain people and maybe make new friends.”

Mrs. Wilson was confused by that remark, but didn’t pursue replying.

[Vilita and Turori]

Presented By:

---

Quarter Finals: The Empire Strikes Back (?)

Quarter Final Results
Filindostan [0] Cassadaigua [2]
Lirai Asku Castle, Yeaddin, Vilita

Audioslavia [1] Ko-oren [1][2-2] AET :: (8-7) on penalty kicks
Tivali Ring Stadium, Alikki-Corra, Vilita

Soltsteed [1] Kita-Hinode [1] [1-2] AET.
Marine World Park, Crosaibi, Vilita

Mercedini [2] Qasden [1]
Iobabao Legendary Park, Mliona, Turori

---

Semi Final Fixtures

Cassadaigua [- v -] Audioslavia
[- Select Stadium using Stadium Tool -]

Kita-Hinode [- v -] Mercedini
[- Select Stadium using Stadium Tool -]

Optional Pre-SF Challenge:
Which team in the other SF Matchup would your team rather play in the next round? Everyone has two matches left. 2 Teams will play for the Title and two for bragging rights. Your team should be focused on the match ahead of them... but can't help look over at the other fixture and see..

[Zwangzug]

Forty-five minutes, pushing back and forth. Hannah Ranucci had a solid chance that bounced off the crossbar. Spencer almost wiped out in making a shot that Hannah Shanley headed away. Zwangzug's midfield more or less crowded out the Fillies', but a few long clearances from Brittany Byers let her team's forwards stay in the game.

A quiet halftime. Tsereteli reviewed instructions, but nobody needed reminding. They were staying in the game against Cassadaigua, which was more than expected, but still a long way to go.

The place began to slow in the second half. Lucas had some long dribbles that went nowhere. Rachel Brenner's long passes were intercepted by Danilo. Keshav did begin to tire, and Corianne came on for him.

A signal from the sidelines, ignored by those on the field, stared at intently by the rest. Speculative crosses, to no avail. The whistle.

"Remember the Eagles' Cup," Kendra said. "We've trained at altitude, we have the endurance." In games that didn't matter. "We can do this."

More substitutions. Sierra Mattison intercepted Corianne's pass, but Franziska tackled her. Martin charged forward, only for Amy Romine to cut him off. Another whistle, each a quieter echo of the last.

"Cassadaigua scored eight in the group stages," muttered Desmond, as they regrouped on the bench. "What chance do we have?"

"What chance?" Kendra echoed. "The question is, what choice? The time to attack is now."

"Exactly," said Ricardo.

"Throw everyone forward. Play two forwards if we have to. We need to win this in extra time if we don't want to embarrass ourselves."

"You're asking us to play, what, hangila? Based on nothing but your formation bias?" asked Lucas, demonstrating an impressive grasp of Rejistanian slang.

"The original team was built on my formation bias!" Kendra snapped.

"Uh," said Martin. "Isn't it more like the other way around?"

Tsereteli interrupted. "Play our own game. That's what's gotten us this far."

They played their own game, eleven individuals not subsumed into an indistinct whole, yet working together nonetheless. Franziska passed up to Ramona to Spencer, intercepted. Martin to Danilo to Corianne, headed away. Shoshana, standing alone, eyes taking in the field in silence.

A whistle that cut through exhaustion, through time.

Tsereteli hurriedly flipped through her clipboard for a page some of the team wasn't sure was there. Shoshana gulped down one water bottle, reached for a second.

Kendra was there, handing it to her.

"What do you want?" Shoshana glared.

"Uh," said Kendra. "To go over Cassadaigua?"

"What about them?"

"So," Kendra gulped. "Mattison and Bradford have experience at the under-21 tournament, yeah? But they're a little young, and I think Sweeney would rather go with experience at this level. On the other hand, Enriquez has leadership ability, and she's a threat for a defender. Look for her to go left if it gets is her, she favors--"

"Why are you doing this?"

Kendra closed her eyes for a moment. The past was gone, a legacy nobody quite knew what to do with. The present was a diverse spectrum of clubs, from Zwischen to Guariday, not quite balanced but somehow, hanging together. The future, unwritten, patterns waiting to be rewritten or shattered. "Trust goes both ways."

Zwangzug were first. Spencer, gritting his teeth, trying to displace an earworm from his head. Shot high, but not too high, and it thundered into the net.

Taylor Campos for Cassadaigua. A long but speedy run, giving the ball momentum as it soared in on the left to equalize.

Ramona, heedless of the future, still trying to make a name for herself nevertheless. Short chip, nearly dropping too soon, but crossing the goal line.

Sarah Huff wore #37, smaller numbers having been set apart, consigned to history. No matter. She pounded the ball forward, tying it again.

Corianne, breathing slowly. Her run-up was slow, trying to deke, but Kristen Speller wasn't fooled. Diving low, she palmed it away.

Amy Romine shot high and direct. Down the center, but then Shoshana was leaping, rising, knocking it out of the sky. 2-2, still, and Arcticala Electrical Stadium was pulsing--not with anthems needed to distract, but the screaming of amazed fans who knew it was still anyone's game, half-game.

Martin, mind full as always. Technically, he mused, from a certain point of view, Zwangzug still will be undefeated in Cup of Harmony knockouts, whatever happens here. He wisely decided it was not a thought worth voicing. Shot to the right--and wide.

Hannah Shanley's approach was deceptively quiet; her shot arced high nonetheless, curling into the left side of the net and nestling into the corner.

Danilo, trying to keep it going. No more need to pray, at least not aloud. Kept his head down, nearly skidded to a halt after the kick. Had to look up a moment late to distinguish one set of cheers from another, as the ball found the net.

Holly Rosen, the aging substitute, studied the ball for a moment, then unleashed a shot. Shoshana had guessed correctly, on the left, and jumped down, reaching out, falling--

[Audioslavia]

Kuznetsov held his hand out to the team's physio, who put a dry hand-towel in it. He buried his face in it before shaking it through his mid-length browh hair and onto the back of his neck. He took a water bottle and sprayed his chest and stomach with it before taking three hearty gulps. The cold shock to his overheated torso forced a happy 'fuck' from his lips. He was exhausted. The best part of 130 minutes of football, played in the sweltering heat of a tropical Vilitan evening, had pushed him to his limit. Next up: A penalty shoot-out. A lottery. Kuznetsov knew he was tired and knew how to cool himself down and wake himself up. Water, and a cold press (say, a very wet towel, which he was now holding) held to his stomach, chest and groin would be most effective. That was where most of his blood was, or would be coursing through. He dipped his towel in the ice bucket the physio had brought onto the pitch and pressed it to the inside of his thigh. His brain told him it was uncomfortable, but he knew when to ignore his brain.

He looked over at his brother, Desya Kuznetsov, who's brain tended to ignore anything and everything around him except for a primal urge to destroy anyone who stood up against him.

Desya and Baran Kuznetsov had always been different.

Baran, four years older, had been the model example of a first-born son. Heaped with expectation from his father, a 110m hurdler back in his day and an amateur Rugby League player, and his mother, a social butterfly who liked nothing more than to brag about Baran's exploits to her friends, Baran had more than met his family's lofty ambitions. A bright student at school, despite how much he downplayed his intellectual capacity, and captain of the school's football team despite being two years younger than the majority of the players, a class president despite having fallen afoul of school rules against beating up bullies, Baran had departed school with legendary status and, by his estimates, the second prettiest of the school's cheerleaders. The prettiest had been a total nutcase.

Within a day of leaving school he'd turned professional at Cazadores Cathair. He was first-choice at right-centre-back by the time he turned twenty. The fans loved him. Quiet yet confident, fiery but fair, a big tough lad but quick on his feet and with a decent ability to read the game. If his technique were good, which it definitely wasn't, he might have become one of the great Audioslavian midfielders. As it stood, he'd probably have to make to with being 'merely' a very good right back. Not the best, but a credit to any team.

Compare and contrast to Desya Kuznetsov.

With Baran being such a darling, there had been very little pressure on a young Desya Kuznetsov to succeed. Desya grew up watching his brother work hard, and watching his parents become disappointed or angry when big brother Baran failed to live up to his potential. Desya grew up wondering why the same pressure wasn't put on him. Desya grew up to want the pressure. No. Demand it.

He stopped trying so hard at primary school and earned a couple of fail grades. His parents forgave him. He tried his hardest and his marks picked up. His parents nodded and smiled. He could fail hard and be given a '4', succeed wildly and be given a '6'. In the words of adult Desya: wat the fack.

So, inevitably, at the age of nine, he did a bit of googling, went to a field, created, photographed, ran away from and then detonated a very large bomb and had painted 'I AM DESYA, DESTROYER OF RABBITS' in white paint in the crater by the time the cops showed up.

His father showed up to the police station to meet a very calm yet determined young boy who refused to hear of demands for explanation or apology. What little explanation he'd given to his father, in their native language, had amounted to a statement of belief that he was happy to express himself in strange ways, and would find some way to match his big brother by non-traditional means. Desya's explanation to the authorities, in English, had simply been "Desya rabbit death. Is good. Desya good". His English skills never really picked up.

When Baran Kuznetsov was making his first appearance for Cazadores Cathair, Desya was watching from the stands in an official Cazadores jacket, having recently dropped out of school at age 16 and found Cazadores waiting with open arms. Desya, forever having been a foot shorter than his brother, started to train as a nifty fox-in-the-box striker before shooting up to over six foot by the time he was 18. Cazadores, who had hoped Desya would turn into a good youth player they could use as a goal-grabbing super-sub for the first eleven, suddenly had an alarmingly quick, athletic and powerful number 9 on their hands. The youth team manager considered turning all that pace, height and enthusiasm into a solid defender, but despite giving Kuznetsov the number 5 jersey before a game and drilling the basics of defending into him, Desya had simply ran forward at the start of the game and played the entirety of it as striker.

Baran had always been willing to learn and improve. Desya didn't know how either of the two ideas worked. He ran entirely on instinct. Entirely. There was no less trainable player in the world, but increasingly no player you'd rather have up front, 'on the inside of the tent, pissing out, rather than the other way around' was how one higher-up had put it. Desya was a first-teamer at the age of 18 and a half, with his older brother established but not neccessarily starting every game. The crowd loved Baran, sure, but they quickly began to idolize the idiosyncratic Desya. Baran, relied upon as a lynchpin of the defence, was also relied upon to keep his explosive younger brother in check and to try his damnedest to instil some non-destructive habits in the young striker.

Placing the cold towel under his shirt, onto his tummy, Baran looked up to see Desya pick up the rest of the ice bucket and pour it over his own head, staring menacingly at the Ko-oren team as he did so.

"Fuckin' hell" said Baran, to himself.
"Fuck" said Desya.
"Fuckin' hell, Desya" said the physio, "I told you..."
"Desya fuck" said Desya. "This place too hot"
"Desya" said Wilf Lidgley, finally, "Penalty number two."
"I take three" said Desya, not taking his eyes off the Ko-oren team.
"I want you on the second penalty, Desya. Roddy's on one. Earl's on three."
"I'll take number two, boss" said Earl, from behind, drawing a sigh from Wilfred.
"Fine" said the boss. "Roddy one, Earl two, Desya three, Ciro four and I need a volunteer for number five."
Three hands shot up as Wilf looked over at Ignacio Borjon, the side's teenage winger. None of the hands were Ignacio's. The young Cathair winger was an excellent player with great technique, but while invaluable to Audioslavia he'd never quite managed to nail down a first-team spot at his club, 1830 Cathair, and some put it down to a general timidity on and off the pitch. Wilf nodded at the three hands. "Ryan Gordon, good, Jean-Michel Boiteux... jesus Hector are you sure?"
"Yes" said the goalkeeper.
"You're on seven, then. Ryan number five. Any questions?"
"None" said Baran, after a second. He turned to Roddy Fraser, the captain, who was holding up a hand.
"Everyone" said Roddy, "whether you're taking one or not. Close your eyes".
Everyone did so. Apart from Desya, of course. Roddy ignored him.
"I want you to take a second. Visualize your penalty. Your run up. How many steps. How you hit the ball. Inside of the boot, outside, instep, whichever. Visualize the flight of the ball, the spin, where it ends up. When you go down to the spot, take *that* penalty. The one you're thinking about now. Don't worry about anyone else, not even their keeper. Take your penalty. Execute it. The rest is up to the gods"
"Well said" said Wilf.

The players made their way to the halfway line as the manager, physio and empty icebucket made their way from the field. Baran put himself between his brother and the young Ignacio Borjon, putting his arms around their shoulders.
"Ko-oren is fuck" said Desya, nodding, "Ko-oren is fuck"
Baran smiled and ruffled his hair.
"They've been known to fornicate things up, from time to time, yes, baby brother"
"Хо детто, нон ми kиама 'бамбино'"
"Ма ту сеи ла луче делло мио виво, бамбино"
"Стаи зитто"
"Heh"
The brother watched as Roddy Fraser stepped up to the ball, took five steps back,
crouched down and touched the turf. Unbeknownst to the two of them, and everyone else except Roddy Fraser, reality quickly folded in on itself. All they saw was Roddy put the ball into the opposite corner of the goal to usual.
"It's like you knew he'd dive left" said Baran, as Roddy returned. Roddy smiled sheepishly.
"Lets just say I had a premonition"
Earl Van Den Brink started to walk forward as Ko-oren's wonderfully named Wouter Wouters stepped up for his penalty, waited for the referee's whistle, and brutally thumped the ball into the roof of the net. The two crossed paths as EVDB walked towards the goal, wordlessly. He took the ball, set it down, walked back to the edge of the area, waited for the whistle, marched forward and scored exactly the same penalty, smashing the ball central and high. To save it, the goalkeeper would have needed to stand on his line and try to reach his hands up to the crossbar, and no goalkeeper does that.
Desya Kuznetsov shouted a brief word of encouragement to the next Ko-orenite to step forward, one Chloe Beaulieu. Chloe seemed unworried by Desya's comments as she calmly tucked the penalty into the bottom right corner, with Hector Calixto stationary in goal, having stood still and held his arms up over his head. He looked rather silly. Desya made a point of telling him so after sprinting downfield and grabbing the ball from the referee, plonking it artlessly down on the spot. He took five steps back, bounded three steps forward and smashed the ball directly at the goalkeeper, Lyami Aviara. Aviara got in the way of it, but could only succeed in sending the ball into the roof of the net via her shoulder.
"FUCK" shouted Desya, at nobody and everybody. He repeated it from the safety of Baran's shoulder once Lynn Holstege converted her penalty to level the scores at 3-3.

Baran watched as, one by one, Ciro Oljer, Dennis Lampshire, Ryan Gordon, Maximilien Longchambon, Jean-Michel Boiteux and Analor Avalor each converted their penalties. 6-6. Both teams starting to run out of players. Baran looked along the line to see which of the Audioslavians would be taking penalty number seven before remembering who had volunteered for that number. Hector Calixto, having saved zero penalties, would have to atone for that by taking one. The team, and the crowd, fell silent and Hector took a short run up and blasted the ball hard to the goalkeeper's right. The goalkeeper guessed correctly, but could only palm the ball into the inside of the post and watch, helplessly, as it rolled back accross goal and over the line. Hector watched on, having wildly gestured for the ball to go over the line, and sighed a deep sigh of relief.

Ko-oren's Ethan Benjamin started to walk forward as Hector took up his regular position in the goal. Baran noticed Roddy Fraser walk out in front of the Audioslavia team and scan the line.

"Who's next?" asked Roddy. Baran noted that Roddy was looking at Ignacio Borjon. Ignacio opened his mouth, as if it to speak, but couldn't quite get the words out. Baran could feel the young winger trembling. He was in no fit state to take a...
"I'll take it" said Baran, automatically.
He had to stop himself from putting his hand over his mouth immediately after. Roddy nodded. Desya Kuznetsov thumped his big brother on the back.
"Kрепи ил лупо!" shouted Desya.
"I'll try" said Baran, walking forward out of the group.
Ethan Benjamin shot, and scored. Baran would probably never forgive him for that.

Baran tried to block out the sound of the crowd as he walked up, and tried to block out the sound of his own brain berating him for stepping up. Baran was an awful shot. Plenty of power, no accuracy. Great at clearances, but unfortunately the goal wasn't fourteen metres high.
He tried to close his eyes and imagine himself taking the shot, but all he could accomplish was imagine the ball shooting straight into the sky as if it was attached to a weather balloon. And his father looking on, shaking his head. And Desya, in the background, ten years old, eating a gummy bear to assert his dominance over all bear kind, one species at a time.

Fuck.

He placed the ball down on the spot, looked up, and took a couple of steps back. He then turned round and took five more steps. He caught himself wondering if he could just walk right out of the stadium. He caught himself wondering a slightly more useful thought.

What would Desya do?

The referee blew the whistle, and immediately Baran tried to channel Desya. He turned on a sixpence and sprinted forward, roughly in the general direction of the ball. He corrected his course, came to the ball sooner than he was expecting, and lashed at it with his right boot, hitting it above centre with a swinging arc of his boot.

The ball went straight into the ground and skittered along it. The goalkeeper, having dived the other way, could only watch as it skittered into the post and rolled across the line, just above going over it as it approached the keeper's prone body. The referee blew his whistle, signalling for a goal. Baran took a deep breath and turned round.

Almost all of his team-mates were clapping and whooping, but for Desya. Desya was pointing.
"WHAT THE FACK WAS THAT"
"I scored didn't I?" said Baran, shrugging, as he returned to the team.
"BAT WAT THE FACK!"
"Thanks, bambino" said Baran, nodding. He ruffled his brother's hair once again.

The team watched as Reizo Yokota put his penalty a foot over the bar. Desya Kuznetsov unleashed a dubstepsworth of metronomic 'fuck's while frantically punching the air. Baran high-fived his own players before going over to the Ko-orenites and warmly shaking their hands. Doing so silently. He knew there were no words he could say that were worth saying. Not when your team has just lost in such a way.

Wilfred Lidgley gave the big defender a big hug as he turned back to his team.
"Awful penalty!" said Wilf, grinning. Baran smiled.
"Cassadaigua next" he said.
"Cassadaigua versus Audioslavia in a major semi-final" said Wilf. "What year is this?"

[Kita-Hinode]

"Empress, if I may..."
Sang Kyung-Ja stood in front of the team's manager.
She had been shaken off last game and Satomi refused to play her as a starter.
Yet now here she was.
"I really... really want to play. I guarantee you a goal."
The forward was resolute, her fists closed.

Satomi could recall how the game started, the Hinodejin outfit being in the offensive early on, although the lack of Kyung-Ja meant relying on Kamalani Kanani and the young Puristina Shinra. The two didn't click as much and the goal really came out of a defensive kerfuffle by the Solsteedish side. In the mess, Taphia Aishin found the ball and made sure to net it straight away. Still, the Avenging Ghosts failed to make use of their chances and ended up in the defence for most of the second half.

Respectably, the defence, a factor trained hard by van Cann during his stint, paid up as Park Soo-Jin and Madoka Matsuda blocked most of the opposition's attempts at a goal. And then the clock hit minute 90. Martin McKenzie had the ball in the middle of the field, time slowly closing out on Soltsteed's hopes for a semi-finals run. He took out the two defenders in a show, not unlike the girl from the Joseon peninsula, and finished off with style, drawing the game and forcing the Empress' hand on extra time.

And that's how they got to this very moment, where Sang Kyung-Ja was resolute about playing. She was serious. "I'm certain, Empress. I can see there's a hole in their defence and I'm sure I can play again." Satomi the Second sighed before nodding. A smile formed on the offensive midfielder's lips. "The doctors said you should be careful with your head, it's the one thing we Hinodejin never been able to work at... so yeah. Don't overdo yourself." The Marine World Park's electronic scoreboard displayed the changes done by the Hinodejin: Shinra out, Kondo in. Kimura out, Sang K. J. in.

Minute 114. Kyung-Ja had the ball, trying to find a path. So far, the surprise sub hadn't been quite as effective as she herself guaranteed. She sighed, dragging the ball back before lifting it up with her left foot. She kicked it up, landing the ball with her other foot, losing a marker in the process. She dashed towards an opening between Le Duc and Harrison, getting slid at for her troubles. It was then that she showed why she was the team's number 10, jumping over the slide tackle and, still in the air, kicked the ball in. Her landing was perfect, the celebration was filled with hope, the image of a smiling Hinodejin number ten, punching the air in celebration was just what the team needed to go through.

Hinode now had to face Mercedini, a clash that made sense for both sides. One of Mercedini's more famous early results was a win against the Sunrisians, who so happened to be on their way to win the World Cup. Now, this grizzled team has to take the field against their successors, that faraway Empire of the Hinodejin.

CUP OF HARMONY 72
Hinode vs. Mercedini ~ A profile

CROSSAIBI, VILITA - The Empire's result against the nation of Soltsteed means that, for the first time under its' current name, the Hinodejin find themselves at the semi-finals of an international tournament that isn't limited to the region of Esportiva. In such a historical instance, we believe it'd be best if we now went over Hinode and our next opponent, Mercedini. Here goes.

The Hinodejin Empire (who usually takes part in tournaments under the name of Kita-Hinode as an allusion to its' status as the descendants of the Northern Sunrise Islands) are, by default, the largest nation among these four, including all six continents of its' original planet, claimed land in Esportiva and a couple of colonies in the rest of the multiverse, with plans to extend their grip over weaker nations if granted the possibility. Football-wise, the Empire isn't quite a top dog, the nation still getting used to concepts such as a national team and reserve teams with a clear focus towards an impressive youth football level, not unlike their predecessors. Domestic football has the 100+-year-old KI-HI LEAGUE with teams such as Miare CosmoStars, Pascal Mashu and Mashu Hellowenia being the current top sides of the country, with Miare themselves having recently gone far in the Globe Cup before bowing out to Mar Sara FC from Valanora.
The Avenging Ghosts are the sequel of the famous Samba Kids out of the Unified Sunrise Islands, although their return has seen ups and downs. The Hinodejin side failed to reach the World Cup this time around after being Campionato Esportiva champions. A lot of it dials back to the decisions made by van Cann to work with a team for the future, ditching old players for new blood, although some names managed to remain at the team. There is a clear reliance on Kyung Ja-Sang, the offensive midfielder from Kanshiro Lopunnies, who has yet to hear any calls by foreign clubs, although most doubt she'll ever leave her team at the Joseon plains. "Money speaks less than heart" she replied once to a bid by Mashu Hellowenia. Still, there are enough pieces in this Hinodejin team, such as Kanani, Saitou and Tsugoi, not to mention a solid defence with Kisame, Park Soo-Jin, Matsuda and Sogeshita that could prove, in the end, why the Hinodejin are The Greatest Of All Empires.

This final four's sole non-Big Three member happens to be the Republic of Mercedini, straight out of Novapax. Their national animal is the pug, their coinage is the Yvroni and their capital is Zoloroni. Joining the international fold, they're technically rivals of the Hinodejin on the basis that one of their key games was a win against the Sunrisians at the 75th World Cup qualifiers. So far, their cabinet remains somewhat empty, at both football and ice hockey, not to mention Tennis, that the nation has a massive fondness for; but that makes them even deadlier, as a team looking to improve their results, so far a success considering their current standing in this tournament is already a historical high for this nation. The Mercedini Premier League has only seen four seasons, according to UICA reports, without a true legitimate dominating club, although orange-and-black side Zoloroni City happens to be in the lead with two trophies. That said, the league's most notable feature for our populace is Project Olimpo Mercedini, a weird tale of a team that started out as a Project +90 branch... only to splice out in a monster of its' own, not unlike the Daineri branch did. The club recently reached talks with the Project Olimpo association in order to work out a deal between the promising youth project and the somewhat established proper team, thus renaming to Project Olimpo. "They're a thing of their own", noted Anthony Hawk in one of the episodes of his reality show. The Golden Eagles' offence might have a bit of a problem against the Hinodejin defence, although their performance against Qasden could be enough to prove that this team isn't here for jokes.

The

other semi-final sees the Matriarchy of Cassadaigua square off in a duel against the Tentative Republic of Audioslavia, a duel between Rushmore and Atlantian Oceania with a lot of history from both sides although not enough reports on the two facing each other. The Rampaging Bulls have skipped out a cycle to save face with the international community following big accusations of corruption in the country's FA and while it does feel like their team is missing a bit of a beat, you should never overlook those pesky Bulls and their Fractals. Cassadaigua is also a returning nation, having shown signs of life after a recent WBC, a tournament that should be treated with more respect by the Hinodejin even if... reasons prevent them for having a proper participation at the moment. While not the merciless side of the past, this nation still has the record of being champions of several sports at least once, something that shouldn't be overlooked. Whoever goes through, should make for an interesting opponent at the final, assuming we get past Mercedini.

Empress Satomi the Second was jubilant today, after yesterday's win. "I hope we're able to bring a new piece of silverware, something to prove that the Hinodejin Empire is, indeed, worthy of continuing the Sunrisian legacy. We're all one. Go Ghosts!"

[Mercedini]

Cup of Harmony Quarter-Final
Mercedini vs. Qasden
@ Iobabao Legendary Park - Mliona, Turori

Good evening ladies and gentleman and welcome back to Mercedini Sports Daily's coverage of the 72nd Cup of Harmony. We're down to the nitty gritty as only eight teams remain in the competition, and it's already been a record breaking tournament for the Golden Eagles. They have made it past the Round of 16 in an official World Cup Cycle tournament for the first time since their debut in the Baptism of Fire, and could make it to their first ever semi-final if they win tonight. It's gonna be a tough ask for the team in blue and black, with two-time Cup of Harmony champion Qasden standing in their way between Mercedini and a historic semi-final date. The match has just finished, with the fans behind me filing out of the Iobabao Legendary Park as we speak. So let's see whether the team could battle through what was a tough match in Mliona, or whether their Cup of Harmony dream came to an end tonight.

Cup of Harmony: The Semi-Finals Await

---

FINAL SCORE

COH | QF

---

MERCEDINI 2
Dostalok 73', Nymark 90+1'
QASDEN 1
Xandreas 84'

---

Mliona, Turori

Unbelievable! After a dramatic final fifteen minutes of so of their quarter-final match against Qasden, Mercedini have somehow pulled through and have booked their spot in the final four, with the winner coming in added time following a dramatic goal-line scramble. Three goals were scored in the final fifteen minutes of the game, with Mercedini coming away with a 2-1 win in regulation time against the tournament's highest ranked nation remaining in the competition, sending the Mercedinian fans apoplectic in the stands and in the Langtree Metropolitan Stadium where special televisions were set up so fans who couldn't make it to Vilita and Turori could watch the action with ten of thousands of others, in what was a special night for Mercedinian sport. The win will see the Golden Eagles face off against Kita-Hinode in the semi-finals, with their campaign extended by two matches due to the introduction of a third place playoff.

It was a warm night in Mliona as the sun had set and the lights around the stadium illuminated the pitch and the surrounding stands, with both nations sending sizable contingencies to the 90,000 capacity stadium in Mliona, it was sure to be one hell of an atmosphere when the match kicked off. Lyndainium had selected his strongest starting XI for the match after resting a number of key players in their previous 2-0 win over Alpine Union at the Round of 16, with Chillotov and Dostalok lining up for the team for only the third time this tournament. The Golden Eagles had wanted this to be a change indirection for the team in big sporting tournaments, with two group stage exits in the past two Cups of Harmony questioning the relevance of Mercedinian football on the international stage, but they have dispelled their doubters at this tournament, putting them in the same bracket as previous World Cup champions Audioslavia and Kita-Hinode.

The match kicked off with all roars and chanting from nearly everyone in the stadium, with the arrival of Mercedini and Qasden capturing the imagination of the locals in Mliona who had claimed the neutural tickets for themselves to see the match. Qasden looked to have the upper hand knowledge wise, with first team coach Boulevard Drucati spending most of his time in the domestic season as MPL-side Brampton United, before turning his hand to the national team during the off-season and international tournaments. The opening twenty minutes of the match were a relative stalemate with neither side able to pick apart the opposition's back line, with the Mercedinians bombarding the wings to try and get a dangerous ball into the middle. While the Qasden team's quick passing play was enough to give them a series of half chances, but the end product was ultimately missing from the Vans. With the match locked at goalless for most of the first half.

The biggest chance of the game came in the first half when Qasden centre forward Onyx Foster broke free of their marker on the edge of the box and was allowed to cut inside and unleash a curled shot inside the box. The pace of the shot was enough for the ball to take the ball past the goalkeeper at first, but Hovek did get a vital touch which sent the ball rocketing into the post and back into open play. Qasden did get the ball back but play broke down to allow Mercedini some breathing time on the half-way line. Mercedini didn't really get anywhere near the Qasden goal in the first half with Daniel Dostalok going closest just as the match entered first half stoppage time. The Handon United striker found himself in space and decided to take chance upon himself and drilled a low shot wide of the mark, never really troubling the goalkeeper at all. He did have options, with Garzallo and Chillotov both berating the striker for taking on the chance himself rather than laying off to one of his teammates who were in space of their own. As the referee blew his whistle, both fans seemed satisfied with their performance, with the match balanced on a knife-edge as the score remained goalless at the interval.

The match was well balanced between the two teams, with both sets of fans familiar with each other when it comes to Ice Hockey, Football and other cultural themes such as WorldVision. New Scaiva and Horshenwurst was also a Qadans satellite state once upon a time, within Mercedini's sphere of influence as a neighbouring island state within Novapax, but has now joined the coalition headed by Damukuni, in a changeover of power which saw Mercedini lose a key ally. Mercedini and Qasden have only come across each other once before as senior national team, when the Golden Eagles thrashed Qasden 5-0 in a friendly at the Sports City Stadium.

The match got back underway with no real changes made by the two teams for the second half. Lyndainium's reputation within Mercedini has increased by the day as he continues to keep Mercedini in the top bracket of not only regional football, but now international football, breaking many records in the process. His predecessor came undone by a series of poor performances after peaking when Bjarnasson took the nation to their first and only World Cup. The match got underway with Qasden kicking off, with people still filing back into their seats following their toilet breaks and snack breaks or whatever they were doing in the fifteen minutes between the end of the first half and the beginning of the second.

The match exploded into life from the very first minute with both teams going at each other, making for an open and exciting beginning to the second half. Mercedini's first chance was their closest in the match with Chillotov's pace taking him past a number of defenders before a space opened up for him, however he blazed his shot high and wide, with the Qasden fans behind the goal jeering for a wasted chance. However, Mercedini were getting themselves into the game to the excitement of the Mercedinian fans, it would be a big scalp to take in competitive action should they go on to win. Time was ticking away for both teams to leave their mark, with neither side taking the plethora of opportunities that were going their way.

The match got the goal everyone was after, and it went the way of the Mercedinians with coveted Handon United striker Daniel Dostalok firing home following a deadly counter attack from the Mercedinian half of the field. It came from a Qasden corner which left them exposed as they chased the opening goal. Presic was the first to break as a long throw from Hovek gave the Somer City player something to chase. He broke upfield with pace with Dostalok and Kraljic arriving, A cross was driven in with only one Qasden players to beat, Dostalok was there to fire into the near post and open the scoring. Dostalok was celebrating in the corner while some of the other players were riling up some of the Qasden fans who they were celebrating in front of them. Mercedini had the lead, but could they keep it without any danger?

The swift answer was no, as Ryan Xandreas who has been on the minds of some Mercedinian clubs in the transfer window, converted from close range following pressure exerted by the Qasden team, and it ultimately payed dividends for the team and the nation. A chip through ball found Foster was running through at the time, who controlled it well as they were entering the box. Foster took a shot but was blocked by the sliding tackle of Dosic. However, the ball conveniently fell into the path of Xandreas who made no mistake from close range and slotted home the ball into the Mercedinian net to find the equaliser they desperately needed. We looked like we were going to extra time with two quick goals cancelling each other out towards the end of the game. There was still time, however, for one more twist in the tale.

Two minutes of added time was all that stood between Mercedini, Qasden and extra-time, and with the Golden Eagles pushing forward it was balls to the wall for the Vans as they looked to see out one final attack. Garzallo held onto the ball as no less than seven Mercedinian players lined up to receive the cross. It was sent in with time seeming to slow down as the ball floated, it was overhit by the Zoloroni Metropilitan player as Kraljic ran to the by-line to keep it in play. The 1860 Azoth midfielder header over the sprawling hand of the Qasden goalkeeper and across the face of goal. Nymark was waiting there to head in on the line to silence one half of the stadium and send the other half into pandemonium. The players didn't even know what to do with themselves as they piled on top of Nymark with some of the substitutes jumping onto the pile-on as well. Lyndainium simply applauded the team and appealed for calm as the team couldn't collect themselves as they walked back to the half-way line, expecially some of the younger players. It proved to be virtually the last kick of the game as the referee blew his whistle as soon as the Qasden forwards kicked off. Mercedini had booked their place in the final four, but only just. It finished in Mliona; Mercedini 2, Qasden 1.

---

There we have it. Mercedini's campaign goes from strength and continue to have the one and only perfect record in the tournament now that Tobiasia have bitten the dust, and now they have made it to the final four. Mercedini will now go into their first ever WCC semi-final to face Kita-Hinode, long distant relatives to two-time World Champions Unified Sunrise Islands, who Mercedini have beaten once before during World Cup Qualification in Mercedini's debut cycle. They winner of that will go on to face either Audioslavia or Cassadaigua in the final, while the loser will head to the third place playoff. Fans have been queried as to who they want to face in either the Final or the Third Place Playoff, with fans stating that Audioslavia would be the bigger scalp to claim, while Cassadaigua has a bit of history within the team rosters, with a memorable round of verbals being exchanged between Chillotov and a number of Cassadaiguan players during Mercedini's loss in the Round of 16 at the Di Bradini Cup. Plenty to be proud of, we hope you be able to watch their semi-final match, it's sure to be a big occasion.

[Cassadaigua]

The Wilson family took their seats to watch the Dagans take on Filindostan in the quarterfinals. These seats were not quite as good as they were used to, since they had to get the leftovers after the hometown Vilitians claimed a bunch, but they still were situated in a great spot to watch the game. A young Vilitian couple sat down in the seats beside them, with an interesting food choice.

“What is that? It smells funny?” Taylor asked the Vilitan man, as she was never shy to speak her mind and talk to people.

“There’s a stand down the corridor that will fry anything you want, so its some fried food. You just have to supply the food. Pretty good, I love it!” The man said.

“Cool!” Taylor exclaimed as her mom nudged her from the side.

“That stuff is disgusting and very unhealthy.” Taylor’s mom whispered in her ear. The teams were lined up, and the national anthems were set to play. Everyone stood at attention for them, and pretty soon we were going to play soccer.

“Who are you rooting for?” Taylor asked the Vilitan man as the game was set to begin.

“Me and my girlfriend are going to be neutral, but she kind of likes you guys. (Girlfriend gives Taylor a thumbs up) I think its just because she’s a woman and the make up your team. I just want to watch football.” the man said.

“It’s not football, its soccer.” Taylor said. The man and woman laughed.

“Oh we call it football here. Most countries call it football. Then there are some countries who play that other sport, so they call the greatest game in the world to be soccer.” the man exclaimed. “Don’t you think this is more exciting then what you guys call football?”

“I really love soccer, yeah.” Taylor exclaimed. Mom watched the game and fiddled around with her cellphone as the conversation began.

“Who’s your favorite player?” the girlfriend asked.

“I like number 23, Sierra. I met her in the hotel yesterday and she was so nice to me. She stopped and talked to me, and really made me feel special.” Taylor exclaimed.

“Cool that you could meet her. We met Centur Tiones at an autograph signing before the stock car race here. It’s cool to meet famous people like that although we still want to meet the Shark. We want to meet some open wheel drivers though, that’s the best kind of racing!” the girlfriend exclaimed.

“Darn right!” the man agreed.

Some time goes by, and Taylor leaves the couple alone, for now. The game is twelve minutes in, and has pretty much been a case of the two teams feeling one another out. Possession has been even, and neither team has gotten a real quality chance yet. Play has not been particularly physical to this point.

“Mom, if they win, do you think the coach still should be fired?” Taylor asked.

“Yes!” Mrs. Wilson enthusiastically answered, “This is a losers Cup, the real World Cup is not in Vilita.”

“If this is a losers cup, then why are we were. I don’t think it’s a losers cup at all. You know maybe some teams didn’t do too good before but there is a second chance. I don’t think she should get fired.” Taylor said.

“That’s because you are young, hun.” Mrs. Wilson said.

“I think the team is playing hard and trying their best! It’s a second chance for them and they are doing really good!” Taylor exclaimed. Not too long after, Cassadaigua has an excellent chance on a corner kick, but are thwarted at the very last moment by defender Eliza Khalifa.

“Right there, Taylor, is why this team doesn’t do anything.” Mrs Wilson exclaimed, “That was a great chance, but the passed it right to the defender at the end.”

Taylor shook her head and asked the Vilitan man next to her, “Excuse me, can I ask you another question?”

“Sure!” the man said, not being too bothered at the moment.

“My mom says that was a bad play and they passed it right to that number two on Fil.. Lin.. Ugh that’s hard to pronounce too.” Taylor asked.

“Filindostan, great sporting nation,” the man exclaimed, “And you’re players did fine. Actually that was quite an amazing effort there by number two, Khalifa.”

Thirty minutes in now, and still no goals. Kristen Speller turns away a good chance from the man they call “Bochog” in Filindostan.

“Yay Kristen!” Taylor exclaimed. “Come on mom, cheer for Kristen!”

Mrs. Wilson claps softly, “If Kristen was better we’d be in the World Cup.”

“Stop being so mean! She is trying her hardest!” Taylor exclaimed. Moments later, Sierra Mattison orchestrates a strong Cassadagan rush, passes to Hannah Ranucci, who fires the shot into the back of the net to give the Dagans a 1-0 lead.

“Goal!!!” Taylor gets up and cheers loudly as mom stands up and claps. Taylor high-fives the couple next to her, since she was becoming contagious, and then high-fives her mom before sitting back down! She looks around at all the pink flags in the stands, and is happy that there are a lot of other people here from Cassadaigua as well.

“You’re favorite player made a great play.” the man told Taylor.

“Yeah, she’s awesome!” Taylor exclaimed. The game goes on and at the end of the match, it is a 2-0 result in favor of Cassadaigua.

“Looks like you get Audioslavia next.” the man said.

“How good are they?” Taylor asked.

“Really good, should have been in the World Cup. Probably just like you, but making the World Cup is tough these days. Going far in the Cup of Harmony is something to be proud of, too.”

The Wilsons return to the hotel, and Taylor inquires, “Mom, can we stay here for the Audioslavia game?”

“We can’t, I have to go to work.” Mrs Wilson said. “We will definitely watch on TV.”

“Well I am excited because the coach probably won’t be fired now, and I think it’s cool that htey got this far in the Cup of Harmony.” Taylor exclaimed.

“Audioslavia is a good team. They’ve been pretty good in the World Cup, and have a lot of World Cup experience doing something we have never done in the World Cup: lose in the final. We’re 2-0 in them!” Mrs Wilson gloated.

“But even though they lost I bet their fans still are proud of them.” Taylor exclaimed, “Because losing in a lot of World Cup finals is good too.”

“Sure, I guess. Other semifinal is Kita-Hinode and Mercedini. Could go either way, honestly don’t know who I’d rather face.” Mrs Wilson replied.

“Yeah, everyone is good now.”

[Vilita and Turori]

Presented By:

---

Semi Finals: The Margaret Awakens

Semi Final Results
Cassadaigua [1] Audioslavia [1] [1-2] AET.
Cocoabo Park Arena, Cocoabo Park, Cocaobo Forest

Kita-Hinode [1] Mercedini [1] [1-2] AET.
Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Tropicorp

---

Cup of Harmony 72 - 3PPO

Cassadaigua [- v -] Kita-Hinode
Cednia Beach Center, Cednia, Turori

Cup of Harmony 72 - Final

Audioslavia [- v -] Mercedini
Lonngeylin Coliseum, Lonngeylin, Vilita

Optional Pre-Final Challenge:
Which venue would you rather be playing at? You've been able to choose your venues for every match played up until this point. Now you have no choice. But if you did...

[Cassadaigua]

Cup of Harmony Run Comes to an End,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concrd Heights Times

Following a controversial 2-1 loss after extra time to Audioslavia, the Dagans have been eliminated in the Cup of Harmony, and after being playing a consolation game, they will be able to return home. World Cup 80 qualifying was difficult, as the team got off to an awful start, and by the end of it, there were many calling for CASE to fire manager Stephanie Sweeney. However, the team played well in the Cup of Harmony, and made it to the semifinals. They even showed their resiliency in this match when Breanne Rothers, fired home an equalizer in the 86th minute. It was an evenly matched contest throughout, though Audioslavia was a little better in the first twenty minutes.

After playing the first fifteen minutes of extra time without a goal, Audioslavia scored the game winner in the 112th, thanks to the linesman feeling a little sleepy. Clearly, their captain, Roddy Fraser was offsides by a full step when he retrieved the pass from Ciro Oljer, but play was never halted. In a desperation bid, Hannah Shanley went hard on Fraser to knock him off the ball, and succeeded, but the referee blew his whistle and awarded the penalty kick to Fraser. Goalkeeper Kristen Speller, among everyone else, was irate, but tried to calm herself down to stop the penalty, but failed too. After the match, manager Sweeney could only say, “It’s a shame that what was a good game has to be decided in that fashion.” Shanley blamed herself, not for the play that awarded Fraser the penalty, but from being out of position in the first place. “It’s on me, regardless. I apologize. He got away from me.”

The Dagans will travel to Turori to play in the 3rd place match. Traditionally, Cassadagan teams don’t go as all out in these, since it really means nothing, but they may want to look good in their finale this time, which is against Kita-Hinode.

[Audioslavia]

The Grand Slam is On

Baptism of Fire ☑
Nationstates World Cup ☑☑
Regional Championships ☑☑☑
Cup of Harmony ⌧

Roddy Fraser's extra-time penalty, awarded when Roddy Fraser seemed to trip over the outstretched leg of Roddy Fraser, has put Audioslavia into the final of the Cup of Harmony for the first time in the nation's history.

It's not a tournament that has traditionally bought fortune to Audioslavia. The national team had played only twenty-two games in the multiverse's second most prestigious tournament, having qualified only for the event in cycle 37 and a run of four straight between cycles 59 and 62. Five tournaments in total.

On three occasions the side failed to get past the first round.

World Cup 37's Audioslavia may not have been the best vintage (it was arguably the absolute worst), and saw the side crash to two 4-0 defeats over the four games, in which their best result was a draw. Cycle 59 was not much better, though a final-day 3-1 win over West Zirconia at least brought the side their first win in seven attempts in the tournament. The team's best crack came the following cycle, two years after winning cycle 60's AOCAF Cup. The side recorded credible draws with Wight and Earent before victory over Michael VII put them into the second round. Capivara Group were overcome next, followed by victory over Turori (some things never change) before losing in both the semi-finals and third-placed playoff game to... are you sitting down? Are you sure? Well. We lost to Qazox and Taeshan.

Back in those days, with Audioslavia's golden generation still wondering which end of a pacifier to put in which end of themselves, losing straight games to Qazox and Taeshan wasn't so bad.

Buoyed by having increased their W/D/L record in the tournament to a heady 4-4-6, Audioslavia gave it both barells in cycle 61. The world saw both barells, chuckled, and threw them into the nearest lake. Audioslavia failed to qualify for the World Cup, lost the Eternal Flame tournament, got spanked in the AOCAF Cup final by Pacitalia and, once more, went out in the first round of the Cup of Harmony without winning a match, via a 4-1 defeat to Kinitaria and two score-draws with Sargossa and Arcadian Islands.

Audioslavia vowed to give the Cup of Harmony what-for four years later, arriving into a group that contained Maklohi Vai, Darmen, Geisenfried and Slembana. Audioslavia 'tore through the group undefeated', as one Jeremy Jaffacake put it. A funny way to describe three 1-1 draws and a 1-0 win. They were put out of their misery in the first stage of the knockout round, losing 1-0 to sporting heavyweights Cuboneland, to the delight of every Karditani in the world.

For those of you counting at home, Audioslavia's record in the Cup of Harmony, prior to this tournament, was P22, W5, D9, L8. Suffice to say, Audioslavia have set about improving on that thus far.

An opening day draw with Newmanistan was followed by successive scunnerings, 3-0 over Zwangzug and 6-0 over Devonta, with Mattijana being dispatched similarly impressively before a penalty-kick victory over Ko-oren set up last night's nailbiting last-ditch triumph over Cassadaigua. Audioslavia, then, stand one step away from being the third national football team in history to record a Grand Slam of victories across the three official NSWC tournaments.

Sarzonia did it first, adding World Cup 22 to their cabinet after having won the BoF in cycle 16 and the Cup of Harmony in cycle 18. For those who count regional tournaments, the Sarzonians finally won the AOCAF Cup in cycle 37, the first of two regional triumphs.

Nephara were next up, much, much later, winning the Baptism of Fire in cycle 64 and the Cup of Harmony in cycle 69 before winning World Cup 74. The Cormorants were busy winning five Campionato Esportiva titles on the side, between cycles 65 and 78 and the nation's controversial shift to Rushmore.

If Audioslavia win, they will have done the Grand Slam completely ass-backwards, which is the Audioslavian way. Four-times beaten finalists in the early days before winning the Baptism of Fire in cycle 59, the AOCAF Cup in cycle 60 and the much-feted double-double over cycles 63 and 64, with two World Cups and two AOCAF Cups apiece.

Much to the FFA's disappointment, the final will not be played at the Cednia Beach Center in Cednia, Turori, the location of Audioslavia's first World Cup triumph. Instead, the famous CBS will play host to the third-placed playoff, with Audioslavia facing Mercedini in the Lonngeylin Coliseum, home of the incomporable Jungle Strike FC (though we preferred 1992's Desert Strike ourselves).

Opponents Mercedini took their international football bow in cycle 75, reaching the quarter-final in the Baptism of Fire tournament but failing to make the World Cup finals in Audioslavia and Krytenia. It would, however, only take them two cycles to get themselves into the multiverse's premier sports competition (whereas Audioslavia took four cycles after resurrection). The side's best finishes in the Cup of Harmony came in that period, too, with two appearances in the second round in cycles 75 and 76. A poor showing in qualifying for World Cup 78 has been followed by two narrowly unsuccessful attempts at qualifying for the World Cup, finishing third in their group in the qualifiers for World Cup 79 and losing out in the playoffs to a strong Banija side in this one.

Mercedini's rise to the top of the second tier of world football can't really be pinned down to one factor, but the gradual shift in make-up of the defence from being largely composed of players from rival Mercedinian domestic club to those same players now playing abroad in tougher competitions has certainly helped Liam Dosic and Isaac Catessic are now at high-flying Gwinevra Barbarians and Soldarian FC respectively - a step up from Elspachia and Northern Blue Lions respectively. Catessic's game has improved dramatically from having OAS Royal's Thomas di Sansev biting at his heels for that right-back spot.

It is, nevertheless, at left-back where Mercedini are still, perhaps, weakest, with an experienced yet limited Callum Aznelik deputied by one Anzor Kuznetsov - the third best player called 'Kuznetsov' to be on or near the field come Saturday.

In midfield, youth has been the impetus. Tihon Tide's Johan Karlovic and Cazadores Cathair transfer target Lawrence Garzallo have been fighting for starting places while in attack Charlie Alotic has popped up from the bench for some important goals on the rare occasions that 1860 Azoth's Ben Chillotov hasn't got the job done by himself.

For the upcoming showdown, Audioslavia are likely to stick with the counter-attacking 5-2-3 formation that has propelled them to the final, with the Kuznetsov brothers at right-back and forward (the normal one the former, the crazy one the latter), the centre-half threesome of VdB, Smith and Ilatxi, Dupont in midfield and Oljer and Fraser up front. Manager Wilf Lidgley has hinted that Ignacio Borjon, who played much of the Cassadiagua game with a sore ankle, might be dropped in favour of the more defensively-minded Jean-Michel Boiteux, though many have been clamouring for Artiglieria's Francesco Fazio to be given the nod after some noteworthy performances from the bench.

Expect Iacovelli to sneak up the left wing when Audioslavia get on the counter, with Baran Kuznetsov's pressing also key on the other flank. Fraser and Desya Kuznetsov will, once again, try to assert themselves up front, with Fraser on a goalscoring tear and Ciro Oljer ever dangerous on the right side of the attacking trident.

Audioslavia's Apoxian manager Wilf Lidgley has stated that his main priority as Audioslavia manager will be to get the side back into the World Cup and back competing for the multiverse's most important football trophy. Should he be successful in getting the Bulls back into the top ten, this will likely be the national team's last attempt at the Cup of Harmony for quite some time.

Going into the World Cup as the multiverse's newest - and sexiest - Grand Slam champions will go some way to reinforcing Audioslavia as a force in international football once again. No more Mr. Non-World-Cup-Finals-Peasant. Audioslavia will go for gold next cycle after going all-out for silverware in this one.

[Mercedini]

Cup of Harmony Semi-Final LIVE
Kita-Hinode vs. Mercedini
@ Tropicorp Park - Tropicoast, Tropicorp

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome back to Vilita and Turori for the semi-finals of the 72nd Cup of Harmony. Tonight, we are in neither of those nations as the Mercedinian national teams makes their second appearance in Tropicoast for a big night for Mercedinian football. It's a fairly windy and blustery night here in Tropicorp Park where no less than 75,000 spectators will witness the second of two semi-finals, which will determine who will fight for football's biggest prize for non-tryhards and who will battle for the bronze medal in a couple of days time. After coming through via a last minute tap-in against Qasden in their last match, the Golden Eagles' reward is a semi-final bout against Kita-Hinode, a nation many Mercedinians would be familiar with if they remember all the way back to the nation's debut in the 75th edition of the World Cup. In one of the nation's proudest win at the time, Mercedini defeated the predecessors of the current nation, Unified Sunrise Islands, on their way to the World Cup title, with Mercedini remaining the only team to beat the Unified Sunrise Islands throughout that cycle. In the return leg and in a subsequent friendly, USI did overcome the Mercedinians to make it 2-1 in matches, but the nation in blue and black could tie it up match-wise if they win tonight. It's another tough ask, but they have come through opponents just as difficult before, it's just a case of who gets it right on the night.

---

0' - There were large queues leading up to Tropicorp Park and no wonder, the stadium is packed and there is still a good ten to fifteen minutes before kick off. Both sides of the arena are bathed in the national colours of both participating nations, with my left hand side almost completely in black and white, while my right hand side is bathed in a rather familiar black and blue. In the other semi-final which parallels this match, Audioslavia will play Cassadaigua where one of those teams will meet one nation here tonight in the Cup of Harmony final. There's plenty of build up at the moment with a series of well known pop stars from Vilita and Turori performing some of their biggest hits. Flags are waving on the pitch and in the stand with both nations giving their team full support, especially the Mercedinians who are supporting the team who are on their quest for a first ever WCC final. Some of the locals are still filing into the stadium as we speak, and as kick off approaches, some butterflies are beginning to set in. I wonder what the fans and the players must be feeling right now. It's another strong starting eleven for the Golden Eagles with only one change as Alotic earns another start in place of Chillotov. Kita-Hinode also send their best eleven to the forefront, both teams are two wins away from lifting the Cup of Harmony.

3' - (HIN 0-0 MRC) - Only a handful of minutes on the clock and it's already a blazing start from 'The Avenging Ghosts' as Iori Saitou claims the first big chance of the game, with the Hinode striker blazing high and wide from close range after a chip ball and a nice touch put Saitou through with only a defender and the goalkeeper to beat. It started with good play from the kick-off with Hinode keeping possession and faceting a couple of half-chances before the big one. Saitou made a run as the ball was chipped into him from the edge of the box. There were sniffs of offside about the run but the referee let play continue and put Saitou through on goal. Ossun was closing in on him, but the Brinemouth striker took the shot first time and blasted the ball at the near post, but fortunately Hovek and his defenders it flew high and wide of the mark. It looked to have bobbled on the grass before he made the connection, and Mercedini have been let off very early in this match. It remains goalless.

9' - (HIN 0-0 MRC) - Mercedini continue to ride their luck in the beginning of this match as Hinode go close yet again. It's Saitou yet again with the chance that wasn't taken and was ultimately brought back for a foul. Samba Tsugoi was making hay down the win with Catessic struggling to handle the pace of the Hinode midfielder. Tsugoi sent a ball in towards the arriving Saitou was took a touch before he cut inside and tired to curl the ball into the near post. Hovek was aware and alert to the danger as he parried the shot onto the post, but a late push on Dosic was seen by the linesman who flagged for the infringement, and Mercedini got away with another chance within the opening ten minutes. They are living on the edge so far, still goalless but Hinode dominating all of the statistics so far in this match.

16' - (HIN 0-0 MRC) - The match seems to have mellowed some what from that early bombardment in the opening ten minutes, with Mercedini entering the Hinode half with the ball for the first time in the game. Dostalok and Alotic are doing their level best to try and facet chances for themselves although the Hinode defenders are holding steadfast at the moment. Hinode still look like they will be the team to score first, although we know anything can happen in these types of matches. It is certainly the most difficult match the team have experienced at this tournament. Lyndainium looks on as his team continues to whether the storm, he may need to change something if the Golden Eagles hope to get something out of the game. It remains goalless, although the situation isn't really ideal for fans hoping to see their team make it to their first WCC tournament final.

23' - (HIN 1-0 MRC) - It's been coming, Kita-Hinode finally have their goal after more than twenty minutes of near constant and consistent pressure and Sang Kyung-Ja who converts from close range after a well worked move which opened up the already stretched defence. The move began on the half-way line with a long ball forward towards Saitou who headed the ball back to the rushing midfielders who carried on the move. It was four on four with the Mercedinian midfielders not able to get back thanks to the pace of the move by the Hinode attackers. Kimura took the ball and sent in a low cross which found Sang and she slid in and bundled the ball into the net to open the scoring. The black and blue portion of the crowd are going crazy in the stands as the Hinode players celebrate in front of them. Mercedini have gone behind for the first time in the tournament, and it seems to be a long way back for the team at the moment. Hinode lead 1-0.

30' - (HIN 1-0 MRC) - That opening goal seems to have really lifted the Mercedinians into action as they now chase an equaliser with time beginning to run out in the first half. The Mercedinians may have been silenced somewhat by the opening pressure than that resultant goal, but they are still singing and waving their flags as they wish their team forward to carve out a chance for themselves. Alotic looks fairly active on the left hand side, as he combines well with Garzallo down the wing to prompt the rest of the team into action. Lyndainium looks on with his hands in his pockets on the edge of the technical area, simple hand movements are guiding his players around the pitch, assorting them in different formations to cope with the ever changing positions of the Hinode players. We're two-thirds into the first half, with Hinode still holding that precious lead.

37' - (HIN 1-0 MRC) - Hinode look comfortable on the pitch at this moment as they keep control the ball in their own half, some of the Mercedinian players are beginning to get frustrated as they try to get the ball back, resulting in a number of bookings for Alotic and Kraljic up front and in midfield respectively. The Hinode fans in black and white are making all the noise in the stadium while the Mercedinians are waiting patiently for their team to break free and grab an equaliser. There's plenty of time left in the game as a whole, but we have less than ten minutes to go in this first half. The Golden Eagles may have to regroup during the half time interval.

41' - (HIN 1-0 MRC) - Wow! The match has taken a dramatic turn as Mercedini have been awarded a penalty as time begins to run out in the first half. It practically the first time Mercedini have had any chance on goal as the ball deflected multiple time off Hinode defenders before falling back to Mercedinian players. Dostalok found space to run into and just about entered the plain of the box before he was taken down by one of the Hinode defenders. The referee looked indifferent to the challenge, but the lineman must have seen something that the ref didn't, and flagged of a foul and a penalty. No further punishment for the defender, although Nymark is standing over the ball and looks composed as he looks to but the Golden Eagles on level terms. There's a small delay as the referee tries to clear the players.

42' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Here he comes... GOAL! He slots coolly down the middle as the goalkeeper dives to his left, the Mercedinian fans celebrate with a rather obvious air of relief in the air now that Mercedini have finally gotten themselves back into the game after a very testing first 45 minute to this game. The players celebrate with each other in the corner as the fans in black and blue cheer behind them, shouting words of encouragement as the somehow get themselves back into this game. We're back to square one in this match, with only a handful of minutes left in the first half. Mercedini tie it up at one-all.

45+2' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Well, well, well. After a deeply intriguing first half to this match there's nothing to separate these two teams as they enter the tunnel for the half time interval. There's no doubt Kita-Hinode is on top when it comes to possession and chances faceted throughout this match, with Iori Saitou going close on a number of occasions before Sang gave the Empire the lead midway through the first half. It was mostly one way traffic throughout the half but the Golden Eagles were gifted a way back into the game when Nymark converted from the spot as the half was coming to an end. It gives both teams a chance to regroup and build from what they laid down in the first 45 minutes. As the teams enter the tunnel and the fans file out of the stadium for a quick toilet break, it's Kita-Hinode 1, Mercedini 1.

HALF TIME
Kita-Hinode 1 - 1 Mercedini
Sang 23' • Nymark 42' (P)

Welcome back to Tropicorp Park for the second half of Mercedini's Cup of Harmony semi-final with Kita-Hinode live from Tropicoast. There's one other semi-final which is taking place as the same time, which is the match between Audioslavia and Cassadaigua. We don't have footage of that match at the moment but we hears it's very close in that match as well. We have forty five minutes to go until we find the state of play between the four nation still in contention. The likelihood that at least one of these matches will go to extra time and maybe penalties is rather high a tthis point, with all of these teams getting to this point on merit. Tight margins may ultimately come into play as time begins to tick on, but we can discuss those matters when they get down to it. This is one of the closest matches Mercedini have been embroiled in for a long time. The second half is about to get underway, let's see which team can come through it in the end.

51' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Just over five minutes gone in this match and Mercedini are having a better time of it in the second half when compared with the first. Dostalok and Alotic are on their toes, probably lifted by that penalty late in the first half which puts them back on a level footing. Mercedini have controlled the opening minutes of this half well with Hinode biding their time to strike, they know they have the quality on the field, they just need to use it at the right time to put their nation through to the Cup of Harmony final. Garzallo and Presic are coming into their own as they work the wings to their benefit, although the Hinode defence has kept them at bay for the time being, meaning the dangerous crosses haven't been sent in as much as Lyndainium would like. Still plenty of time in this intriguing match, it remains 1-1 with forty minutes of regulation time left.

58' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Mercedini have gone very close for one of their first big chances of the game. It was Alotic who took the second bite of the cherry following a blocked shot, with the chance beginning with Presic down the wing. He laid the ball off to the waiting Alotic who was waiting on the edge of the box, the Pelethas striker hitting it first time but was blocked by the diving leg of Park Soo-Jin, but the muscular Mercedinian striker had another crack at it and shot low towards the inside post. This time, the ball made it safely through the sprawling bodies of the Hinode defence, but the goalkeeper made an adept save, diving low and holding the ball with her body. It's a much more even half compared to the bombardment of the first half, but both teams must be wary considering the late developments of the first half.

66' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Now it's Hinode's time to have a crack at the Mercedinian goal, with Saitou once again going close with a header. An early diagonal cross was met with a spectacular diving header from the Brinemouth striker. It looked for all the world like it was going to nestle into the bottom corner to give Hinode another lead in this match, but a reflex save from Hovek in the net meant the ball was parried away for a corner. Cheers and applause from the Mercedinian fans behind a goal, it was a hearts-in-mouths moment for nearly everyone in the stadium. Nothing came from the subsequent corner and Mercedini escape with that ball as they head down the pitch in search for a goal of their own. The match is really starting to heat up with one match before the final. It's remains one-all with just over twenty minutes still to go in this match.

73' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Play is beginning to slow down in this match as Lyndainium orders some of the midfield players to fall back and help with the defending, with Hinode mainly sticking to their original tactics. Lyndainium is sitting in the dugout seats with the rest of his coaching staff, discussing what should be done to deal the ever present threat of a Hinode goal. The opposition coach is pacing up and down in their technical area as he watches the action from pitch side. Time is quickly beginning to tick away in this match with the looming possibility of extra-time firmly in the minds of both teams. It may mean some tired legs in the morning with the final only a couple of days later, so going all out may backfire if the players aren't at their best for their second match in three days. Plenty to think about as we approach the final fifteen minutes Alotic OFF, Chillotov ON

78' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Chillotov has gone on for these final fifteen minutes and seems to have changes the whole dynamic of the game, with plenty of energy and enthusiasm injected into the Mercedinian passing play, it may end up being the difference if a ball can put the 1860 Azoth striker through on goal. So far both defences are doing their level best in keeping the opposition out of their box, although as we've seen, one chance could be the difference between battling for the title and battle for the bronze medal. Karlovic looks like another player who could be coming on imminently for Mercedini, while Hinode is making a number of changes to their tactics and their personnel on the pitch. Plenty of things going on as the fans watch anxiously from the stands.

83' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Nerves in the arena have shot up somewhat two players are on the ground after what looked to be a terrible clash of heads happened in front of the two managers as they both went for the same ball in the air. It's seems to be the two goal scorers in Sang and Nymark who are on the ground getting medical treatment from their respective coaching and medical staff. There is blood as replays are being shown around the arena, it is ultimately a free kick to Hinode, but it doesn't look as if either will be able to carry on with the head injuries both have sustained. Their games are over, and they will have to watch the conclusion of the game from the touchline if at all. Still 1-1, but there will likely be a hefty chunk of added time for this delay in play. Nymark OFF, Karlovic ON

90+1' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - We're into the first minute of eight minutes of added time and Karlovic nearly had an instant impact on the match as he scuffs a shot well wide of the mark. Kraljic was dribbling his way through to the edge of the box where he was caught up by two Hinode defenders. He laid the ball off to the young Mercedinian midfielder who was arriving to the scene. The contact wasn't right at all went well wide of the mark, prompting jeers from the Hinode fans behind the goal. Still a good chunk of added time to go but that could have been the deciding goal in this match, the Tihon player has his heads in his hands. Still one-all.

90+9' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - There we have it, the referee blows his whistle for the end of what was a tight and entertaining affair in Tropicoast with nothing to separate the sides in their fight for a Cup of Harmony final. Mercedini made it a good match in the second half but couldn't force the breakthrough they were desparately trying to achieve, and ultimately they will have to endure thirty more minutes of tight action at Tropicorp Park. It was really a tale of two halves with Hinode dominating the first half, while Mercedini edged the second in terms of chances and territory, but neither team mad etheir advantages pay and now to extra time we go. At the end of regulation time, it's Kita-Hinode 1, Mercedini 1.

FULL TIME
Kita-Hinode 1 - 1 Mercedini
Sang 23' • Nymark 42' (P)

I would've thought extra-time would be highly likely in these circumstances given the number of talented players on the pitch plus the amount of attractive football available for the fans to witness. Some of the locals are making their way out of the arena as it's getting late and the traffic would get more and more hectic as time goes on. Just to keep you updated on the other match that's happening in parrellel with this one, and it's going to a long night for arena staff as Audioslavia and Cassadaigua are also going to extra time, so there's gonna be plenty of sore muscles and tires legs in the morning. Back to action here, and it's time to get extra time started with. Water bottles and fruit slices have been handed round, so let's see who has that extra gear in this Cup of Hamorny semi-final.

94' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Mercedini claim the first chance of extra time as Chillotov glances a header wide of the mark, plenty of tired faces in the stands and many fans just don't have the energy to cheer and wave their flags at this point. They're just saving themselves for that one bug cheer if or when their team win. Some of the seats in the middle of the arena are now empty as the locals begin to make their exit, while the sides filled with visitors from the two respective nations are still choc-a-bloc with people hoping to see their nation advance to the final. Still plenty of time in this half.

99' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - A dramatic goal mouth scramble nearly puts Hinode ahead in this game, with Dosic and Karlovic making a series of goal-saving stops on the line to deny Hinode what could have been a game winning goal. Goal-line technology had to be consulted for the Karlovic stop, but replays and graphics displayed that not all of the ball had crossed the whole of the line. We were talking about fine margins in this match, and there is concrete evidence of it. Mercedini escape and actually instigated a counter attack, but Dostalok's tame effort was well saved by the Hinode goalkeeper. The exchange of chances is what is really keeping this match alive as we approach the final five minute of the first half of extra time.

105' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - The cross comes in from Presic on the far side... so close, the header from Aznelik came in with pace but it couldn't stay on target and that is the final action of the first half of extra time. A finely posed match which could have seen a whole host of goals fly in from different sources. It's sure to be an exciting final fifteen minutes of football, with managers and coaches now having the prospect of penalties on their mind. There will be a short five minute break as the players huddle round each other for a final discussion of tactics. The teams remain deadlocked at a goal a piece.

HALF TIME EXTRA TIME: KITA-HINODE 1-1 MERCEDINI

108' - (HIN 1-1 MRC) - Mercedini make their final substitution of the game as they throw everything at they try to throw everything at their opponents to grab that all important goal. It's also very close in the match between Audioslavia and Cassadaigua in their semi-final, although now word on whether there has been a goal in extra time there either, we could have two matches decided by penalties if we aren't careful. Although there's about twelve minutes left in this match before spot kicks are used to decide the fate of both teams. Catessic OFF, Di Sansev ON

113' - (HIN 1-2 MRC) - GOAL! It's a huge huge goal which could be worth it's weight in gold come the end of the match as Dostalok's cheeky flick diverts the ball away from the keeper and into the net. It came from a corner which has so often been the source of Mercedini's goals as of late. The ball was originally headed out, but substitute Di Sansev was there to collect the ball and drill in a low shot back into the box. It came through a sea of legs and looked to be an easy pick-up for the Hinode goalkeeper, but Dostalok was there to dink the ball over the head of Satori Sonma and into the net. It was once again a case of pandemonium in the stands as the Mercedinian players piled on top of each other in front of their celebrating fans. Some of the stewards had to escort some of the fans off the pitch as a small group of fans had ran on to celebrate with the players. It was all to familiar with the last round's happenings, but they are now six minutes or so away from the final. Unbelievable!

119' - (HIN 1-2 MRC) - It's balls to the wall for the Mercedinian team as they attempt to keep the ball away from the Hinode players and especially out of the net for what would be a devastating Hinode equaliser at this point. The Mercedinians are singing in their corner of the stadium, it's going to be a long night for themif they keep at it. A number of dangerous balls are being sent into the Mercedinian box at the moment, but time is ticking away from the Kita-Hinode challenge. We could be seeing a first ever WCC final for Mercedini, and we thought the quarter finals were a good result!

120+1' - (HIN 1-2 MRC) - I do not believe that, the Golden Eagles flood the pitch as the referee blows his whistle for the end of extra time and the end of the match, what a result! Mercedini come through an early scare with a penalty and a cheeky dink in response to a well worked Hinode move. They will contest the third place play-off with Cassadaigua while Mercedini will play Audioslavia in the Final of the 72nd Cup of Harmony after the Bulls came through 120 minutes of their own after beating Cassadaigua 2-1 after extra time. We hope to see you for the final at the Longleyin Coleseum. At the end of a long match, it's finished Kita-Hinode 1, Mercedini 2.

FULL TIME; EXTRA TIME
Kita-Hinode 1 - 2 Mercedini
Sang 23' • Nymark 42' (P), Dostalok 113'

[Vilita and Turori]

Presented By:

---

Final Episode: The 1093^rd Jedi

Cup of Harmony Third Placed Playoff
Cassadaigua [3] Kita-Hinode [2]
Cednia Beach Center, Cednia, Turori

Cup of Harmony Final

Audioslavia [3] Mercedini [3] AET :: (2-4) on penalty kicks

Lonngeylin Coliseum, Lonngeylin, Vilita

---

Optional Post-Final Challenge:
What have you left behind? As your national team picks up the pieces and prepares to head home, they might have left something behind in Vilita or Turori. Did they leave their mark? A lasting impression? A left sock? Surely something has been left behind for the locals...