Cup of Harmony 73 - Everything Thread

by **Blaneu** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 7:09 am

The Cape Chronicle

Snellbridge's Defensive Shift

With the Cup of Harmony due to kick-off for Blaneu Snellbridge has announced his 23 man squad and his starting XI for the first match up against Saint Émelie, in what could prove a crucial fixture.

Snellbridge's project to blood and bring through younger players seems to be reaching fruition with this squad, Elliot Sketty and Sean MacDermot come into defense after an impressive run of form during the lame duck bit of qualifying, meanwhile a reshuffle has occurred on the bench, with John Hartson dropping down to just being in the squad, and Caradog Gwent securing his place on the bench. Along with these changes there has been a reversion to having three men at the back with Starkey shielding them. There had been some noises that perhaps Snellbridge would consider retaining two at the back, but the return of effervescent attacking midfielder Euan Fitzstephen may well have dissuaded him. With Fitzstephen back on side, the front line suddenly looks a lot stronger, and the rationale for having more players back grows.

One area where things remain unclear is the position of centre-forward. Ageing and ailing John Hartson has dropped back in the pecking order, and his mini-me John Pottinger has dropped back to the bench. Paul MacDaffyd, who has not scored in over 600 minutes on pitch, remains on the bench, but his form is increasingly looking shot. With these options ruled out, the young Gethin Powell will be spearheading the frontline, and whilst no one doubts his abilities (with 8 goal from 19 caps), he lacks physicality to disrupt defenses, and will instead be reliant on his speed and grace to make an impact. Of concern to the national setup are the rumors currently circulating Powell, his club Defi Rovers are looking to shed their best players and they look likely to try and sell him abroad despite the fact that he is notorious for struggling when away from his family. Blaneu fans will certainly be hoping this doesn't affect his performance going forward.

Pos.	Name			Age	Caps	Goals	Assists	Clean Sheets	Club
GK	Robert O'Brian 		32	22	0	0	4		Bay Road FC
DF	James Jones		21	19	1	1	n/a		Bay Road FC
DF	Elliot Sketty		21	6	0	0	n/a		West Cape Wanderers 
DF	Sean MacDermot		20	5	0	0	n/a		Defi Rovers
MF	Dyfed Elron		20	13	2	3	n/a		Defi Rovers
MF	Lucas Sparks 		23	26	2	3	n/a		West Cape Wanderers
MF	Aaron Starkey 		23	26	2	6	n/a		Defi Rovers
MF	Euan Fitzstephens	20	11	1	3	n/a		Defi Rovers
FW	Ojo Navarro 		25	22	14	6	n/a		West Cape Wanderers
FW	Owain Davis 		24	26	6	7	n/a		West Cape Wanderers
FW	Gethin Powell		18	19	8	0	n/a		Defi Rovers

GK	Tudur Aled		22	5	0	0	1		East Cape FC
DF	Red Vernon 		33	22	2	0	n/a		Bedha Rangers
MF	Leslie Driscoll 	26	18	1	1	n/a		Defi Rovers
MF	Caradog Gwent		19	14	0	3	n/a		East Cape FC
FW	Paul MacDaffyd 		26	21	10	1 	n/a		Bay Road FC		

GK	Dai Jones 		31	1	0	0	1		West Cape Wanderers
DF	Glenn Peterson 		35	9	0	0	n/a		Portside AFC
DF	Justin Hollands 	33	22	0	0	n/a		Bedha English
MF	Iain French 		25	2	0	0	n/a		East Cape FC
FW	Rhodri Apnest		22	9	1	2	n/a		East Cape FC
FW	John Pottinger		22	5	1	0	n/a		Bay Road FC
FW	John Hartson 		44	9	4	0	n/a		Riverside Sports Club

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose my scoring events: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod Injuries to my players: Y
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Y
Give Red Cards to my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y
Style Modifier: -2

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 8:22 am

Eastfield Lodge Roster for CoH73

Demonym: Eastfielder

Eastfield Lodge is a pretty glorious nation, somewhat situated in Northern Rushmore - in reality, there's a very small island (acting as a transport hub) which hosts a portal linking the NSverse to a small bubble universe, wherein the rest of the Imperial Commonwealth is located (barring a couple of nations, but they’re linked up in other ways). The IC part describes the fact that there are several empires contained within one superstructure – divisions which are somewhat reflected in the convoluted league structure.

Those of you who know this nation well however will wonder what has happened to the Whoniverse (the universe of Doctor Who, the TV programme). Don’t worry, I will (hopefully) RP what went on. To those who don’t know, this nation used be in the NSverse, but due to the acts of a lone madman from The Holy Empire (mad, or pitiful, the legends are a bit shaky), Eastfield Lodge almost vanished from existence, leaving behind a small island (now in Rushmore), attached to a portal connecting here to the Whoniverse. Things happened, the portal became unstable, and we had to form a bubble universe, and as a result, the resulting temporal shockwave both wiped out all electronic records, and did some weird stuff to people’s ages (hence why some names in the team may seem recognisable).

Anyways, because of the initial portal, whilst humans are the overwhelming majority of the populace here, don't be surprised to find several other races and much advanced technology here. Some more historical information can be found here, in lieu of a factbook (NB: a lot of the information there is inaccurate though, TG me for clarification).

Back to the nation itself, Eastfield Lodge is probably the best place to live in the entirety of Rushmore, according to the WA at any rate. Amongst the accolades heaped upon are: Most Compassionate Citizens, Most Beautiful Environments, Happiest Citizens, Most Dedicated Public Healthcare, Healthiest Citizens, Least Corrupt Government, Longest Average Lifespan, Lowest Crime Rates, Nicest Citizens, Largest Public Transportation Department, Safest, Smartest Citizens, Most Popular Tourist Destinations, Best Weather and Largest Welfare Programs. Also of note is the fact that, in a region containing Saintland, Eastfield Lodge is the Most Devout nation, with Islam being the national religion, and that we have the Highest Police Ratios, so do not be alarmed by the sheer number of police officers.

Manager: Shabeen Ahmad III
Age: 69. He went down in Eastfield Lodge history as having scored an absurd 201 goals in 215 appearances for the EL national team (records are still being compiled, but he looks likely to be the human player with the highest tally). Still an inspiration to everyone and even at this age his skill is noticeable, even if his agility has waned. He had been the main coach/assistant manager for several World Cups, until Lowell Brown's sacking following a disappointing WC78 campaign, where he was promoted to the managerial role.

Assistant Manager: Robert Andrews
Age: 47. The former national team striker, who had over a century of international appearances to his name during his career, was specifically recruited by the new manager, his old friend and ex-teammate. This will be his first major job in football since his playing retirement, but his ability to calmly analyse situations even under immense pressure has earned him some plaudits from those in the know, and as such could prove to be a vital asset to the national team going forward.

Player are listed higher are more likely to play – strongest starting XI listed in Tactics section


Goalkeepers           Age  Gender  Club                     Notes
Korbin Harvey         30     M     Duke of the North (PAS)
Marvella Allam        25     F     VLC FC
Thijn Persson         24     M     Olympia FC


Defenders             Age  Gender   1° Pos  Other Pos  Club                           Notes
Emely Towers          30     F        CB               Tanrisal (PAS)
Tajo Carr-Ponce       27     M        CB               Ramusok United (COS)
Darrion Moffat        31     M        CB               Royal Jam FC
Olympia Gray          30     F        CB               Kingsgrove (BRE)
Eskama Nagi           27     F        RB               Hellinic Rouge (PAS)
Seamus Figueroa       27     M        RB               Nile Bridge
Hamaad Siddique       31     M        LB               Rozelle (BRE)
Marya Garner          25     F        LB               Olympia FC


Midfielders           Age  Gender  1° Pos  Other Pos   Club                      Notes
The Doctor            ?      M       AM     Utility    N/A - Unaffiliated        Time Lord (Flesh copy)
Jennifer Farrow       23     F       CM                Crawford City (COS)       Box-to-box midfielder
Hugh Ilyess           30     M       DM                Ulsa (EUR)
Malenna von Kraus     27     F     Utility             Royal Jam FC              Ex-NSI international
Kenyon Lacroix        29     M       AM                RGS Athletic
Osbaldo Bevan         29     M       AM                RGS Athletic
Sorel Qwivotic        24     M       DM                Royal Jam FC


Wingers               Age  Gender  1° Pos  Other Pos  Club                           Notes
Raquel Accardi        24     F       RM               AFC Treason (NPH)
Breta Glibin          27     F       RM               CA Paulinthal (PAS)
Tirs Rathun           32     M       LM       RM      Norrion Rovers
Ármin Harry           27     M       LM               Olympia FC


Strikers              Age  Gender  Other Pos  Club                     Notes
Werdickley Safadão    29     M                Norrion Rovers           Ex-Matthewsiania international
Auguste Alder         31     M                Olympia FC
Tia Drenas            34     F                Crisisbless (NPH)

Style: +3
RP Permissions:
Select my scorers: Y
Give out yellow cards to my players: Y (maximum five, TG me with a reason for more)
Give out red cards to my players: Y (only one more than the number given to your team, maximum of three - i.e. I get two red cards, you must have at least one)
RP injuries to my players: Y (Maximum 3, no career-ending injuries without my explicit permission – I reserve right to how long players are out; you can RP how severe it looks)
Godmod injuries: Y (within some reason)
Godmod scoring events: Y (Have fun.)
Godmod other events: Y (TG me if you're planning on killing anybody though, or anything really extreme.)

If I do RP, I will include the line-up for the next match in my RP post, along with any suspensions/injuries. If there is no line-up, look through my posts and check for current suspensions/injuries, but otherwise it’s fine. Also, if you're RP'ing any part of my match, please use the full name Eastfield Lodge at least once, it helps me find the RP.

NB: As the people of EL are extremely compassionate, and very civilised (despite what you may say about the religion), it would be uncharacteristic for the coaches/players to lose their temper, dive deliberately (jumping out of the way of bad tackles and falling awkwardly doesn't count), to be sent to the stands (if the ref is clearly very biased however...), spit, argue with the ref or fight. Players will also tend to inform the referee about mistakes/clarifications in judgement regarding throw-ins, fouls given but with no contact and goal kicks/corner kicks (plus other bouts of honesty - up to you).

by **Adab** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 1:38 pm

A Dance with Football
A look into the lives of the people involved in Adabian football and those associated with them

Chapter 11: Night Out

Two weeks before the Cup of Harmony starts
Tayip's Diner, Adab City

When Tayip Raman, 25 years old and newly arrived from Antakya, opened his restaurant in this then-nondescript neighborhood of Adab City in 1997, he couldn't have imagined that two decades later his establishment would be one of the most popular in the city, its offerings - a mixture of Adabian, Arabic, and Turkish dishes - sought after day and night by the inhabitants of the country's capital, including the burgeoning middle class which had since poured into the neighborhood in large numbers, transforming Ismailia into the capital's fastest-growing suburb. It was no luxurious establishment, it had no long and glorious history attached to its name, it was not associated and nor did it try to be associated with the rich and famous, and its reputation, especially in its early years, spread almost solely by word of mouth. It was decidedly ordinary; try driving past the restaurant and you might only barely notice it, a humble two-floor establishment squeezed between a law firm and the local office of the Adab Postal Service. It did not offer that many seats, and consequently was often filled to its capacity; reservations often had to be made a few days in advance.

Yet - or perhaps because of it - the restaurant had become one of Adab City's most beloved, a place where overworked employees and cash-strapped college students could hang out at night, where families gathered and teenagers who had gone through a painful breakup could find joy in the food and the homely environment. Tayip Raman was still the chef, and though he was now twenty-two years older and focusing more on the financial side of the business, he could still be found in the kitchen from time to time, his cooking skills undiminished by the march of time. It was an honor to be served personally by the chef, which happened quite randomly; that is, whenever Tayip felt like doing it.

Tonight the honor fell to two customers at the far, rather dimly-lit corner of the first floor, their table right beside the stairs leading to the upper floor. They were the most notable customers the establishment had seen in some time; Tayip knew this, and perhaps that was why he chose to serve them himself as soon as the two made their reservation. If the other customers knew who the two were, then they gave no indication, for the two stepped into the place quietly and assumed their seats unhassled. A few heads turned and whispers were uttered, but otherwise they were left to themselves. Granted they were wearing baseball caps and shades which they never took off, so that might have helped. A third seat was kept empty; he would be arriving separately.

Tayip serenely emerged from the kitchen, marching to the table accompanied by one of his cooks. Two plates of alinazik kebab and two glasses of Turkish tea were laid on the table - one for each guest - and Tayip nodded to them with a smile. Above them the old lamp flickered. "As you have ordered," he said, his teeth nearly showing through the smile. "It's my honor to serve you. Enjoy our offering, and of course, we'll be in the kitchen if you need more." Then he disappeared into the kitchen with the cook.

One hand was wrapped on the spoon, the other holding on to the fork. The two men smiled, exchanged a few words, and looked around, making sure no one was staring at them. Then they began eating. Saad Kaykali and Naram-Sin Araqasdah, President of the Adab Football Association (AFA), had been longtime customers of the establishment. Or used to, in Saad's case. The last time he was here was more than ten years ago, maybe twelve; this was his first visit since his imprisonment.

"Still as nice as I remember it," Saad commented between spoonfuls of rice entering his mouth. "You know, the last time I was here... I was with a few of my mates, before the whole thing went down, and it was really nice. We talked about our title prospects, our families, wives, girlfriends, how much money we're getting this year, just the usual business. It's unbelievable just how much things have changed since then. Some of them are dead, for example. I think Jalil has just been released from prison, right?"

Naram-Sin drank from the glass, then paused for a while as he tried to remember who Saad was talking about. "Ah yes, Jalil Rabbani, that's his name, right?" He put the glass down softly, staring at Saad, squinting his eyes as the national team manager nodded at him. "I think he was in there for too long. We know the whole team was guilty and all that - alright, I know you weren't guilty, but you get my point - but I feel Jalil deserved a lighter sentence. He's the youngest in your team, right? He's just a bit gullible, and he's not into the whole plan. Honestly I just wish him the best."

Saad nodded again. "He was a promising youngster," he remembered, his voice tinged with regret. His hands gently landed on the plate, and he let go of the spoon. "19 years old and already in the first team, the future of the club. He reminded me of... 19-year-old me. It seemed like he had this whole bright future ahead of him, and then he had to lose 11 years to prison. Yeah, he wasn't into the whole plan, though I think he at least knew or sensed what his teammates were up to. Not that he was completely innocent, either, but he just got carried away with everybody else. Including me, admittedly, though I knew nothing. He did his time, but he didn't deserve that much. Fair, but unfair, I guess. Well, the past is the past, and there's nothing I can do about it. At least he wasn't sent to the chair like some of the devils. We all deserved the punishment, though some of us deserved it more than the others, or less. I wonder what he's going to do with his time now."

"His problem is that he didn't have a family or money to rely on," Naram-Sin replied. "You were lucky, Saad, in that you still had many supporters and friends in high places and they came to your rescue when you needed them, and then there's your in-laws in the imperial family. Now, I'm not saying that you got back on your feet just because of them, but they played their part, and you know it to be true. Jalil, on the other hand-"

"I know about Jalil's family." The young man had talked and told tales about his family to Saad and their fellow teammates at Baghdad City; the things he had seen and experienced were sometimes too horrific to mention, and many of them inflicted by the people who were supposed to protect him. Football was his escape; it gave him the hope and confidence he lacked, the friends that he needed, and most of all the joy and peace which had always eluded him. Then it became his doom. "He's been dealt a bad card all his life, and I hope Allah will be good to him now. He's suffered more than enough."

"Yes," Naram-Sin said simply, before going back to the half-finished food. At the center of the floor, on the other side of the stairs, a band had taken up what remained of the space. It was the usual setup: singer, guitarist, bassist, and drummer; there was barely any space for the drum kit, so they had to remove a table just for tonight. From time to time Tayip would invite a local band to light up the night; this one, he said, was composed solely of students from the University of Adab, which incidentally was also where Saad's daughter Aida was. Tayip's son was also a student there and it was he who brought the band to his father's attention. Saad made a mental note to approach the band after the show and ask if any of them knew his daughter.

As they were on the other side of the stairs, Saad and Naram-Sin's view of the band was rather obscured, but that didn't mean they weren't paying attention to the show. "Thank you very much, it's great to be here," said the singer after introducing himself and his friends. They dubbed themselves The Upstarts and the singer described themselves as a "60s to 2010s cover band, but mostly 60s to 90s rock and pop and country, 'cos that's what we love and know best and what we're good at." Pretty good name, Saad thought. A bit plain, but not bad at all.

The band began playing their first song, and the audience was soon tapping their feet and moving their heads to the groove, especially the older folks. The sound quality wasn't the best, but not atrociously bad either. This was a song from Saad's teenage years and was quite the hit in Adab back in the day. Saad knew the tune and was bobbing his head but he struggled to put a name to it. The band didn't bother to mention the title of the song and the artist behind it and instead launched immediately into the song. Not that Saad was complaining; he was enjoying this more than he expected to, and it brought back some good memories from that time. But what's the name of this song? What's its name?

"'Handle with Care,' nice song," Naram-Sin chimed in, and then Saad remembered it all. "It's that band with, uh, George Harrison and Jeff Lynne and some other guys, I think?"

"The Traveling Wilburys! It's them, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, and Tom Petty," Saad brightened up, bobbing his head excitedly and tapping his feet louder than before. The singer was surprisingly good, at least in imitating his heroes' vocal styles; the song featured parts with lead vocals by no less than three of the band's members, and this singer here sang everything. The audience was certainly appreciative, and Saad was no exception, and it was encouraging him. When the song came to a close they launched into Van Halen's "Why Can't This Be Love"; this time they actually announced the title and the artist before playing it.

"Well, looks like this night is becoming an 80s throwback. That band is pretty good, though," Naram-Sin commented between sips of tea. "Did the guy's dad make the playlist for them?"

"If he did then I'm not complaining," Saad said, smiling. At another table, not far from Saad and Naram-Sin's, a man was visibly raising and waving his arms and mouthing along to the lyrics. "Besides Van Hagar isn't as bad as some people say."

At this moment a man came into a view, rapidly approaching Saad and Naram-Sin's table. Unlike the two, he arrived wearing a flat cap and no shades. He had trimmed his greying beard and his hair was tidier than the last time Saad saw him, about a week ago. His face was stony and showed nearly no expression at all. If he was in a good mood or having a bad one he didn't display it to the two men, but obviously he knew why he was called here; there was no other possible explanation. He was the third guest. "Hi there," Saad said, extending his hand to the guest, which he took with gusto though his face remained unchanged. "Come, have a seat. I'll call the waiter."

The guest nodded, and with that Inimabakesh Thulus, assistant manager of the national team, took his seat.

by **Freeport Isles** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 3:11 pm

The Confederation of Freeport
National Hoofball Team - Cup of Harmony 73 Roster

Introduction
Freeport's young national hoofball team has performed about as well as could be expected for a team participating in its first full international cycle. After a solid debut at the AOCAF, in which the Condottieri held top-seeded Tropicorp to a draw and only lost by one goal to established regional sides from Ko-oren and the Sultanate of Oontaz, the Freeporters headed north to Semarland the Baptism of Fire. Considered one of the pre-tournament favorites to be a contender, the Condottieri battled their way to the semifinals before narrowly losing against Shofercia and falling on penalties against Carloso in the consolation game, finishing just short of the podium in a respectable fourth place. Drawn into Group 17 from Pot 6 in World Cup qualifying, Freeport was never going to be favored to make the finals in their first cycle. Still, the Condottieri didn't lose a single match to a lower-ranked team in qualifying, finishing one spot higher than their rank would predict in a reasonable fifth. Freeport's Equestrian-born manager Mad Dash, however, admitted his disappointment at failing to take any points from the top three teams in the group, suggesting that the Condottieri still have much to improve upon.

At the Cup of Harmony, Freeport will get another chance to take on some of the multiverse's better teams and perhaps nab that upset that Mad Dash is looking for his team to provide. The Condottieri won't be expected to make it very far at the Cup of Harmony, their rank placing them closer to the bottom than the top of the pack. However, with an respected coaching staff that does have experience in pulling off miracles in the Cup of Harmony (via assistant manager Jon Merritt) and a high-powered attack that is rarely kept out of the net for 90 minutes, it's not impossible to envision Freeport escaping the group stage with a bit of luck. To expect anything beyond that would be quite unreasonable, but the Condottieri are here more for the experience than as realistic contenders anyways. Mad Dash is building towards the future, and is optimistic that Freeport will be a force to be reckoned with sooner than later.

Quick Facts
KPB Ranking: 95th (8.22 pts.)
Style Modifier: +4.0
Nickname: The Condottieri
All-Time Record: 19-11-17 (0-0-0 at Cup of Harmony 73)
Achievements: Semifinals (Baptism of Fire 68)

AOCAF Cup 56 Friendlies:
Pre-AOCAF I: Freeport 2-1 Busoga Islands at Condottieri Coliseum (cap. 94,925) in Freeport, Freeport (Win)
Pre-AOCAF II: Equestrian States 4-0 Freeport at Derby Field (cap. 65,000) in Manehattan, Equestrian States (Loss)

AOCAF Cup 56: 0-1-2 (4th in Group B)
MD1: Freeport 0-0 Tropicorp at Wild Grounds (cap. 56,500) in Everfree, Equestrian States (Draw)
MD2: Freeport 1-2 Ko-oren at Shady Grove (cap. 43,650) in Whitetail, Equestrian States (Loss)
MD3: Sultanate of Oontaz 3-2 Freeport at Wild Grounds (cap. 56,500) in Everfree, Equestrian States (Loss)

Baptism of Fire 68 Friendlies:
Pre-BoF I: Freeport 0-0 Oscioru at Condottieri Coliseum (cap. 94,925) in Freeport, Freeport (Draw)
Pre-BoF II: Kavagrad 1-1 Freeport at De Leon Stadium (cap. 86,520) in Kava-Neva, Kavagrad (Draw)
Pre-BoF III: Freeport 2-1 Czarna Gora at Condottieri Coliseum (cap. 94,925) in Freeport, Freeport (Win)

Baptism of Fire 68: 5-1-2 (2nd in Group P)
MD1: South Libertopia 4-2 Freeport at Stadion Jansberg (cap. 72,000) in Jansberg, Semarland (Loss)
MD2: Freeport 3-0 Schweiser at Stadion Jansberg (cap. 72,000) in Jansberg, Semarland (Win)
MD3: Miznan 2-3 Freeport at Saint Adren Road (cap. 45,000) in Saint Adrensburg, Semarland (Win)
Round of 32: Busoga Islands 2-3 Freeport at Ján Rülánd Dêrmáá (cap. 10,000) in Ruland, Farfadillis (Win)
Round of 16: Greater Libertania 2-3 Freeport at Ján Rülánd Dêrmáá (cap. 10,000) in Ruland, Farfadillis (Win)
Quarterfinals: Guriguay 0-5 Freeport at Naš Stadion (cap. 32,000) in Karuvis, Farfadillis (Win)
Semifinals: Freeport 1-2 Shofercia at Ján Rülánd Dêrmáá (cap. 10,000) in Ruland, Farfadillis (Loss)
Third Place Playoff: Freeport 3-3 Carloso (3-3 AET) (4-5 pen.) at Natunolstadion (cap. 86,000) in Jansberg, Semarland (Loss)

Baker Park Open Cup: 2-0-3 (3rd in Group A)
MD1: Baker Park 1-0 Freeport at Queen Victoria Stadium (cap. 37,475) in Ezriquay, Baker Park (Loss)
MD2: Freeport 2-1 Free Republics at Jones Stadium (cap. 24,650) in Dalton, Baker Park (Win)
MD3: Cassadaigua 6-3 Freeport at Collins Park (cap. 47,000) in Oceana, Baker Park (Loss)
Classifying Match: Freeport 2-1 Maryloupe at President's Park (cap. 26,115) in Shirley, Baker Park (Win)
Ninth Place Match: Freeport 0-2 Free Republics at Collins Park (cap. 47,000) in Oceana, Baker Park (Loss)

World Cup 81 Friendlies:
Pre-WCQ I: Freeport 4-5 Qasden at Condottieri Coliseum (cap. 94,925) in Freeport, Freeport (Loss)
Pre-WCQ II: Michine 1-1 Freeport at Stade National des Aventuriers (cap. 10,000) in Michine, Michine (Draw)
Pre-WCQ III: Banija 8-0 Freeport at River Corizova Stadium (cap. 8,900) in Corizova, Banija (Loss)
Pre-WCQ IV: Freeport 4-0 Askari Union at Golden Port Park (cap. 35,450) in Porthaven, Freeport (Win)
Mid-WCQ: Busoga Islands 1-1 Freeport at Lakiska City Field (cap. 31,000) in Lakiska, Busoga Islands (Draw)
Post-WCQ I: Freeport 3-3 Acronius at Golden Port Park (cap. 35,450) in Porthaven, Freeport (Draw)
Post-WCQ II: Squornshelous 0-1 Freeport at Emerald Coast Colosseum (cap. 33,400) in Vassilian, Squornshelous (Win)
Post-WCQ III: Freeport 2-3 Juvencus at Condottieri Coliseum (cap. 94,925) in Freeport, Freeport (Loss)

World Cup 81 Qualifying: 8-4-6 (5th in Group 17)
MD1: Freeport 1-2 Baker Park at Condottieri Coliseum (cap. 94,925) in Freeport, Freeport (Loss)
MD2: Kwesiland 2-4 Freeport at Unknown Venue (cap. Unknown) in Unknown City, Kwesiland (Win)
MD3: Freeport 2-4 Darmen at Condottieri Coliseum (cap. 94,925) in Freeport, Freeport (Loss)
MD4: South Caleblan 1-3 Freeport at Unknown Venue (cap. Unknown) in Unknown City, South Caleblan (Win)
MD5: Freeport 0-2 Taeshan at Condottieri Coliseum (cap. 94,925) in Freeport, Freeport (Loss)
MD6: Freeport 5-3 Timmy's Tigers at The Saltbed (cap. 24.715) in Salty Shores, Freeport (Win)
MD7: Innovian Indusse 1-4 Freeport at Unknown Venue (cap. Unknown) in Unknown City, Innovian Indusse (Win)
MD8: Freeport 4-0 St. Saratoga at Golden Port Park (cap. 35,450) in Porthaven, Freeport (Win)
MD9: Coldfield 2-2 Freeport at Crownsville Palace Colossus (cap. 94,000) in Crownsville, Coldfield (Draw)
MD10: Baker Park 4-2 Freeport at Rogers Stadium (cap. 46,800) in Endborough, Baker Park (Loss)
MD11: Freeport 4-2 Kwesiland at The Saltbed (cap. 24.715) in Salty Shores, Freeport (Win)
MD12: Darmen 5-3 Freeport at Tyger Stadium (cap. 40,000) in Darmen City, Darmen (Loss)
MD13: Freeport 3-1 South Caleblan at Golden Port Park (cap. 35,450) in Porthaven, Freeport (Win)
MD14: Taeshan 4-1 Freeport at Unknown Venue (cap. Unknown) in Unknown City, Taeshan (Loss)
MD15: Timmy's Tigers 1-1 Freeport at Unknown Venue (cap. Unknown) in Unknown City, Timmy's Tigers (Draw)
MD16: Freeport 4-0 Innovian Indusse at Golden Port Park (cap. 35,450) in Porthaven, Freeport (Win)
MD17: St. Saratoga 2-2 Freeport at Saints National Stadium (cap. Unknown) in Rogerbei, St. Saratoga (Draw)
MD18: Freeport 1-1 Coldfield at Condottieri Coliseum (cap. 94,925) in Freeport, Freeport (Draw)

Kits

Home - Away - Third

The Freeport national hoofball team receives its kits from Generosity Sporting Equipment, an Equestria-based sportswear company that has recently begun to stake a claim on the international hoofball kit market, with teams in Atlantian Oceania and Esportiva among those to hire their designers.

Group E
#56 -

Tinhampton (13.32 pts)
#72 -

Beepee (11.41 pts)
#95 -

Freeport (8.22 pts.)
#120 -

Kelssek (6.00 pts)

Tournament Schedule

Group Stage - Group E
MD1: Freeport vs. Kelssek at Victoriaville Stadium (cap. 61,000) in Victoriaville, Cassadaigua
MD2: Freeport vs. Beepee at New Lakeland Stadium (cap. 91,000) in New Lakeland, Cassadaigua
MD3: Tinhampton vs. Freeport at New Lakeland Stadium (cap. 91,000) in New Lakeland, Cassadaigua

Players

Goalkeepers
Freeport's goalkeeping corps is a position of relative strength within the national team, all three keepers selected by Mad Dash providing solid performances during World Cup 81 qualifying. That said, there's no question that Kukiri has the starting job locked up. Team captain, one of Freeport's few top-flight hoofballers outside its own league, and the goalkeeper on the Baptism of Fire 68 team of the tournament. The 28 year-old zebra is arguably one of the best players Freeport has ever produced, granted that title is hardly a prestigious one given the nation's unremarkable history on the international stage. Backups Night Thunder and Aideen Carman will provide Mad Dash with a solid second or third option should Kukiri go down with an injury, but will otherwise be unlikely to see playing time at the Cup of Harmony.

GK - #1 - Kukiri (Zebra - Female) - 28 -

Appleoosa HC (UHA United League) - 14 caps, 4 clean sheets - -C-
GK - #13 - Night Thunder (Pegasus - Male) - 21 -

New Cloudsdale Colonists (UHA Second League) - 2 caps
GK - #20 - Aideen Carman (Human - Female) - 23 -

Maneapolis Stars (UHA Third League) - 2 caps

Defenders
To be perfectly honest, the Condottieri defense is easily the team's greatest weakness. Though the players themselves are reasonably talented, the Freeport brand of hoofball has never put as much emphasis on keeping the ball out of one's net as it has on putting it in the other team's. Thus, Freeporter defenders are frequently extremely talented going forward, fullbacks joining the attack on the wings and centerbacks providing muscle on corner kicks at both ends of the pitch. It's also worth noting that the Freeport style of play is far more physical than that of their southern neighbors in the Equestrian States, with some critics accusing the Freeporters of playing dirty. Though most Condottieri supporters would dispute those claims, few would argue against those accusations being leveled at Alastair, the young griffon with a notoriously hot temper who has been sent off more than a couple times in his career. Some might hope Alastair will mellow at least somewhat with age, as he's an undeniably talented defender, but his well-deserved reputation ensures that every referee will try to keep one eye on him at all times. Besides Alastair, the two most notable members of the Condottieri defense are Spotted Spirit and Bloodblade, the former an extremely quick fullback with an excellent cross, and the latter a full-grown minotaur centerback who towers over virtually everyone else on the pitch and knows how to use his strength to his advantage.

LB - #2 - Spotted Spirit (Pegasus - Male) - 25 -

Condottiere (FHA Championship) - 15 caps, 3 assists
CB - #5 - Bloodblade (Minotaur - Male) - 24 -

Real Maredrid (UHA Second League) - 13 caps, 1 goal
CB - #4 - Alastair (Griffon - Male) - 20 -

Griffonstone HC (UHA Fourth League) - 14 caps, 1 goal
RB - #3 - Sharp Focus (Pegasus - Female) - 27 -

Freeport United (FHA Championship) - 14 caps, 1 assist
CB - #14 - Flare Eclipse (Unicorn - Male) - 29 -

South Spire United (UHA Second League) - 10 caps, 1 goal
LB - #17- Calyx Dawn (Earth Pony - Male) - 25 -

Freeport United (FHA Championship) - 6 caps, 2 assists
RB - #21 - Lena Auteberry (Human - Female) - 22 -

Equestrian Strike HC (UHA League A) - 7 caps, 1 goal
CB - #36 - Guinevere (Unicorn - Female) - 17 -

Manehattan Manticores (UHA United League) - 3 caps, 1 assist

Midfielders
Mad Dash had no shortage of options when picking his midfielders for the Cup of Harmony, with Freeport boasting plenty of talented depth at the position. Similar to their Equestrian counterparts, Freeporter midfielders are frequently versatile enough to play multiple positions and roles, allowing for plenty of mixing and matching when it comes time to pick a lineup. Mad Dash has stuck with his preferred 4-3-3 formation for the Cup of Harmony, with veterans Storm Chill and Thorn Bristle winning starting jobs alongside teenage phenom Temptation. One of several young up-and-comers picked for the Freeport squad, Temptation's greatest strengths are her remarkable ability with the ball and her keen eye for opportunity. Teenagers Meadow Evergreen and Lolicia will also be expected to contribute off the bench, the latter something of a surprise selection after impressing in limited minutes during qualifying, most notably providing a last minute equalizer against St. Saratoga.

DM - #18 - Temptation (Changeling - Female) - 18 -

Freeport United (FHA Championship) - 11 caps, 2 assists, 3 goals
CM - #9 - Thorn Bristle (Earth Pony - Male) - 25 -

Crystal Springs HC (UHA Third League) - 15 caps, 4 assists, 1 goal
CM - #7 - Storm Chill (Pegasus - Female) - 29 -

Las Pegasus Blues (UHA Third League) - 15 caps, 4 assists, 3 goals - -VC-
DM - #6 - Eindride Cleary (Human - Male) - 30 -

Condottiere (FHA Championship) - 12 caps, 1 assist
RM - #21 - Ivory Feather (Griffon - Female) - 20 -

Griffonstone HC (UHA Fourth League) - 7 caps, 1 assist
AM - #12 - Meadow Evergreen (Unicorn - Female) - 18 -

Athletico Maredrid (UHA Third League) - 6 caps, 1 goal
CM - #48 - Lolicia (Zebra - Female) - 16 -

Crystal Princess HC (UHA Third League) - 2 caps
AM - #43 - Emerald Eyes (Earth Pony - Female) - 29 -

Apple Orchard HC (UHA Second League) - 5 caps
LM - #34 - Dawn Walker (Pegasus - Female) - 21 -

Crystal Springs HC (UHA Third League) - 7 caps, 1 assist, 1 goal

Forwards
The Condottieri may not have been one of the best 30 teams in World Cup 81 qualifying on points, but if qualification was decided purely on goals scored, Freeport would be playing in the finals. Torvald Royle, Puzzle Piece, and Sonar Amethyst provide Freeport with a terrifying front three that can find their way through any defense, the Condottieri only held scoreless once during qualifying and averaging nearly three goals per game. As mentioned earlier, the Freeport brand of hoofball is built around scoring lots and lots of goals, so any team which hopes to defeat the Condottieri will have to either find a way to shut down their attack or be forced to try and beat the Freeporters at their own game. Torvald Royle is the focal point of the Condottieri attack and is the most likely player to score on any given day, his ability to finish second to none on the Freeport national team. However, winger Puzzle Piece is perhaps the most well-rounded attacker on the team, leading the Condottieri in assists while also being one of the squad's top goalscorers. Finally, Sonar Amethyst is lethal in the air and will be a prime target for Freeport on corners. Brigitte and Cerulean Blitz give Mad Dash a couple proven options off of the bench, the former emerging as one of Freeport's top players during qualifying despite missing out on the Baptism of Fire squad.

LW - #8 - Puzzle Piece (Changeling - Male) - 23 -

Seaddle Sounders (UHA Second League) - 15 caps, 7 assists, 5 goals
ST - #10 - Torvald Royle (Human - Male) - 27 -

Crystopolis Defenders (UHA Third League) - 15 caps, 1 assist, 9 goals
RW - #11 - Sonar Amethyst (Bat Pony - Female) - 20 -

Fillydelphia Union (UHA Second League) - 14 caps, 3 assists, 3 goals
ST - #39 - Brigitte (Griffon - Female) - 25 -

Freeport United (FHA Championship) - 6 caps, 1 assist, 2 goals
ST - #16 - Cerulean Blitz (Pegasus - Male) - 18 -

Storm City HC (UHA Third League) - 8 caps, 2 goals

Coaches & Staff
When it comes to coaches, most national teams making their international debut lack the experienced or proven staffs of the more veteran teams, making the learning curve for newcomers particularly brutal. The Freeporters, however, boast a coaching staff that even some of the multiverse's better teams might envy. The Freeport Hoofball Association (FHA) didn't have to look far to find talented candidates, taking advantage of their position in Atlantian Oceania's "Glorious Southwest" to land not one, but two coaches with a proven track record of international success. The manager's position went to Mad Dash, former boss of Kazamatsuri's national team and a former assistant manager for the Equestrian States, helping the latter qualify for the World Cup in four consecutive campaigns. Then, as Mad Dash's top assistant, the FHA somehow convinced ex-Qasden boss Jon Merritt to take a demotion despite his resume boasting two Cup of Harmony titles. Mad Dash brought with him several members of his old coaching staff to join the Freeport team, including retired Equestrian internationals Blazing Fire and Sandy Shores.

Manager -

Mad Dash (Pegasus - Male) - 55
Assistant Manager -

Jon Merritt (Human - Male) - 57
Assistant Manager -

Blazing Fire (Griffon - Male) - 37
Goalkeeping Coach -

Sandy Shores (Unicorn - Female) - 37
Scout -

Mathias Paulson (Human - Male) - 44
Scout -

Sipho (Zebra - Male) - 36
Fitness Coach -

Roughhouse (Pegasus - Male) - 48

RP Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes - Only that the player was injured and how they were injured, I will determine actual severity
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes - Same restrictions as above apply
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes - Within reason, of course, but feel free to be creative
Other Notes: TG me if you have any questions regarding my RPs or requests for more information on Freeport. Player stats updated through the Baptism of Fire and the Baker Park Open Cup.

by **Tinhampton** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 3:54 pm

Forays of Folly
Series 1, Episode 19: The Mayoral Election, part 1

OFFICIAL PROVISIONAL RESULTS OF THE MAYORAL ELECTION, as of ROUND 1:

Name of Candidate	Round 1 votes, 1st October	Round 2 votes, 3rd October	Round 3 votes, 5th October
DAVIS, Vanessa (FDP)	15	ELIMINATED	ELIMINATED
HOWARD, Saffron (UCP)	17	???	???
STEER, Daniel (TLP)	23	???	???
WRIGHT, Kevin (UCP)	19	???	???
Abstentions/Could Not Vote	3	???	???

THE TINHAMPTONIAN HEADQUARTERS, 3:23am, 1st OCTOBER 2018
If you're anywhere in Tinhampton at half past three in the morning, don't expect anything of any description. Samuel Martin definitely wasn't, nor was Harry Farlane or Alison Fenn, both of whom had concerned themselves with the late-night Treaty of Mexico City, in which Mioktopia had taken the southern half of Mexico and let the socialists have their own way. Nobody was particularly amused by this in the moment, not least poor Fenn, who - taking a slight break from vomiting out random words to accompany the signatures of Kaiser Michael and whoever the Mexican rep was - complained that "We shouldn't have endorsed all this nonsense to begin with!"
Martin, one of a couple left in the room, admitted that "I suppose writing an editorial to defend Tinhampton's best interests in this situation, to argue that we should fight Mioktopia tooth-and-nail to get our way, is forthmost in our priorities as a newspaper that defends Tinhamptonian interests," and made his way up...
...up negative two floors and fifty stairs to find himself stood in front of a ghastly wooden contraption that had the words EDITOR: call me HARRY FA~~RLANE~~ emblazoned upon it. For twelve years it had stood, and probably for twelve more; the wait for the door to open and the editor to recognise him in the end, however, felt like an eternity.
"This... is an ultimatum," warned Farlane, not long removed from plowing Martin through the floor and onto the visitor's chair of plastic and metal and drawing pins and whatever other surprises he planned to leave there for his more intentional morning visitors. "If Howard goes through, you write about how she could just get away with representing the new Tinhamptonian order. If she doesn't, you write about how meekly she gave up over Mexico socialista. To add to the punishment, you might just have to pen a column about..."

TOR HILL CONFERENCE CENTRE, ROOM 14, 9:52am, 1st OCTOBER 2018
The Conference Centre had opened at eight o'clock on that slightly dull, slightly dazzling morning in northern Tinhampton. Halfway between then and the final vote at noon, fewer than a dozen souls or thereabouts had turned themselves in, mostly trying their luck in favour of Vanessa Davis or - more likely - Kevin Wright. It is to Davis HQ, however, that we happen to find ourselves, traditionally half-aired and half-aged, with Liam Peterson having a bit of a natter with the woman herself and Barry Elton.
"Is there anything in particular," noted Elton, the "youngest" of the members at a good ten years or so of experience, "that you wish to point out regarding your chances today? I am under the impression that your main support will come from us fellow Free Democrats, who want...
"...who want a fairer, more opportune society which works for everybody from the happiest to the most vulnerable man, as it says in the party constitution. Right?" responded Davis. "Our platform might be seen as a bit... niche, so to speak, but it does remain our only hope against vile warhawks and such of the like."
"Our party clearly has not done enough to stop this," scarcely concurred Elton, "but we're doing this mostly so that we can call ourselves the government's main rearguard, the ultimate check and balance against ultimate tyranny! We'll happily support a left-wing government if the conservatives don't give us our chance to have a say in the future and stake of our city."
"And when the vote is inevitably split some way or another, we get to tell everybody that they could have had a second chance and urge them to vote for us come March. Wasn't this ballot a bit premature, don't you think?" Peterson could have done, but failed to do, any better than to nod his head throughout. Somebody was on the rocks here...

TOR HILL CONFERENCE CENTRE, ROOM 19, 10:34am, 1st OCTOBER 2018
...even if that somebody used to be like Jake Wall, one of many who were only supporting Saffron Howard on the basis that his approval was one of eight that she needed to get on the ballot in the first place (OK, ten if you want to be a bit more precise). Having been part of "a generation of absolute nobodies" who somehow won election in 2017 for the United Conservatives, he had known concern over the manic insanity that was the term of three mayors that had been and was yet to go.
"But surely if this world was correct in its justice, electing Kevin would lead to more despair and chaos in our system?" inquired Wall at this equally dispopulous hour. "His ideas are almost verbatim those the guys that's just been cut off from power!"
"I can't agree with you on that point," complained Harriet Evans, who had long made known her displeasure for Price. "We all know Johnny Boy... pardon my French, was ejected from the post for being a misogynist and all-round twat of the highest order, and, of course, cowardice."
"But who says what about cowards? Who should be saying it?" cried John Fetton, only a namesake of the lame-duck mayor but a loyal defender of his from the Tinhampton First camp. "We should, in all honesty, have dealt with this matter sooner! There are a few things we have to sort out before this nightmare turns into the Ring of the fucking Nibelungen, firstly by smashing in our men into Banjoland and Gertrude-something something, Uruguay! Yes, Uruguay to at least get this bullshit about Mickytopia over to do with..."
A certain somebody over in the next room, meanwhile, had noticed this mild concern and small-scale mud-slinging, and went over to check th---"...and not having people who throw their hands up in despair as leaders in the first place, that would be pushing it!" Of course nobody was talking to him; of course he was the last one to resist the draped linen of non-verbalisation.
There was a very good reason for that. "Does this..." wondered none other than Saffron Howard... "look like a happy face? Or perhaps I should just give up again and tell y'all to fuck right off into the Wright camp?"
"NO!" yelled another one of the many seemingly indistinguishable supporters, if that can be said. "That looks like a butch dyke feminist's face! We can't have people like you running the country, yada yada all these feelings and facts and psychosis yada, screw it all!" To say that there was a constant atmosphere of tension would be to underestimate the power of... well, life in general.

TOR HILL CONFERENCE CENTRE, ROOM 24, 1:35pm, 1st OCTOBER 2018
The votes had been tallied, twice over and then again, and double-checked once more against a rigourous string of what can barely be called criteria. Howard had been a favourite until the wee hours of the morning - what if she crashed and burned? Perhaps she may have had the misfortune to surrender at the wrong time, or was this a statement of intent that the Kekistani gang would not be co-operated with? This was the moment of truth, the exact tip of the drawing pin that had been smacked deep into the long and complex noticeboard of Tinhamptonian history. Who had what to gain?
"I have been ordered by the Mayor of Tinhampton to deliver results for these elections to determine his successor, which shall follow immediately. In fourth place..." The thoughts of the seventy-five or so government members that had crowded the hall were manifold. What if Davis was eliminated? The liberals probably abstain en masse, if they do not provide support to Wright for the purposes of government stability - anybody's game, really. What if Howard was somehow eliminated? Despite being rumoured to enjoy a slight lead as long ago as two days previously, the Mioktopian incidents had sparked a general gut reaction of "what the fuck were we even thinking" in the populace at large, and would give the two "safe" candidates of Wright and Steer a race that went down to the literal wire.
"...with fifteen votes, Mrs Vanessa Davis of the Free Democratic Party, who will take no further part as a candidate. In third place, with seventeen votes, Ms Saffron Howard of the United Conservative Party. In second place..." The liberal wing of the United Conservatives emitted a collective sigh of thankfulness and praise. What was not surprising was who was eliminated - it was always going to be a tight one, after all - but how she was eliminated. "I told a couple of my mates," gestured Health Minister Liam Peterson not long afterwards, "that you would stand up against those fascist bastards." A mile or two away, as it so turned out, Sam Martin had work to do...

Exclusively for TinhamptonianPlus members

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originally published 1st October 2018
Samuel Martin: Saffron Howard's reputation is no longer on the line... for now
Picture the scene: one of the rooms in the Tor Hill Conference Centre, a couple of hours prior to Monday's vote that would determine who would continue to duke it out for the most important post in the Tin City. "Does this look like a happy face?", inquires Military Minister Saffron Howard, who turned 42 on Wednesday, upon entering it to find that large portions of her faction were rapidly threatening to turn against her.
"No," wails another slightly more wizened Assembly Member, "that looks like a butch dyke feminist's face!" In just a matter of seconds, Ms Howard's opponents and what she has described as "treacherous scumbags" are finally exposed once and for all as people who only stood against her due to a gross misinterpretation of her principles, vision, and total ingenuity. Having firstly been elected during the UCP's very literal moderate gains in 2013 and rising to become Military Minister - the same post held by none other than a certain Jonathan Price - four years later, Howard could now be just two ballots away from joining him as the most important person in Tinhampton.
Her opposition to last month's new taxes and 20mph speed limits and the ban on employment for those on Municipal Welfare now feel like sideshows. She has rapidly explained away Tinhampton's failure to engage with the Treaty of Mexico City as "the right thing to do against far-right aggression posed consistently by Mioktopia and their insanity." Of course, this has not come without probing scrutiny from the Tinhampton First Party, whose leader Nathan Ball referred to her as "a Satanic feminist minion" and urged his party to vote against her and fellow woman on the ballot Vanessa Davis yesterday; whilst the Tinhampton Herald has painted her as "a deluded young lady who will go out of her way to destroy Tinhamptonian foreign relations once and for all."
The international response to this is also uncertain, although we have been a unilateral pact to defend the sovereignty of Tinhampton (and, of course, its FA), which should be welcomed by everybody. T1P support, if it had not already been jeopardised, could lead to certain wings of the Libertarians, especially deputy Ryan Terrence, throwing their weights behind - or even joining - them against the government over their attack of her; it is known that Mr Ball has spoken consistently in favour of Mioktopia's actions, including the war declared on Pasnea when they refused to give then-Emperor Michael a cookie. Now, I wonder what exactly the rest of Assembly Hall must have thought of that meaningless warhawkishness.
There is even internal domestic conflict about attitudes to the microscopic treaty, with Howard's (with Daniel Steer) by-now steadfast refusal to take up land in the treaty on the grounds of potential Mioktopian aggression - which, northwards or southwards, is also bundled in with opposition to said offence - being countered by the fully-blown go-for-it squad spearheaded by none other than the Mayor and his hand-chosen candidate Kevin Wright himself, who believed that requesting a claim would have permitted Tinhampton to make themselves true international leaders. These latter claims, however, remain spurious in an era of constantly rising economic production and a rapidly-collapsing dollar.
In fact, one could argue that such principled leadership is more necessary than ever, with Mioktopia looking more like a bad parody of a certain world leader's fanbase day-by-day... and no, it isn't a forty-something woman with short hair and a bit of an attitude.

Samuel Martin is a columnist of twenty-two years at the Tinhamptonian. You may get in touch with him at samuelmartin[AT]tinhamptonian.ti

If you have an article of between 500 and 800 words that you believe can inform and persuade, contact our editor at harryfarlane[AT]tinhamptonian.ti

by **Main Nation Ministry** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 4:45 pm

Non-Fiction: Memories

Dennis Aldridge was in his private study, sketching the next scene for the next issue of Azerty. While his three children were in their rooms, sleeping with the freedom for their dreams. Seeing how he was finishing up on the last pages, he felt that he was pretty much done with all of the panels. All he needed to do was send them to the colorist, so they can debate on the color palette. However, he was still wondering about his son Simon. One day, Simon was happily looking at his father's comic books that he created with his brother and sister, then one day, he started to draw their strange drawings and shapes on pieces of paper. He would do this for several days, about only for a hour, until he stops. Dennis asked Simon on why he was drawing the images to which his son simply said, "I don't know. I just feel like it."

Dennis opened a drawer to look at the most recent images that his son drew. This gave Dennis an idea. On a blank page of paper for the comic book, Dennis started to make a biography which was more personal. He discusses that after getting the interest from looking at comic books starring the Leader, he wanted to make his own comic book. He wrote that he didn't intend to do it for the money, but for patriotic pride for the Leader and for his own enjoyment. As he would put it, as if someone from probably long ago, "I don't make comic books for making money, I make money to make more comic books."

He then discusses on how before the Leader went into full power, he fell in love with a musician named Lisa, who he later married and had 3 children. Then one day, he learns that Lisa was killed in a motorcycle accident one night, giving him the pressure of being a single father. Describing how his fame has helped him lived, he finished the biography with the statement to enjoy the next issue of Azerty. He neatly arranged the pages of the comic books and put them in a folder to take to the colorist. Exiting his study, he peeked in the bedroom of his children asleep, before letting resume to their sleep. Feeling tired himself, he pulled away the bed covers, so he was enjoy the benefits of sleep himself.

A soldier was patrolling the suburbs in the sector, due to the worry of an increasing bear population. Of course, this could have been simple hysteria, even since the now decommissioned and, of course, fraudulent Machine of Death was giving out predictions where mostly everyone are to die by bears. Of course, it was clearly fake. The soldier was walking on the sidewalk, until he noticed a silhouette of someone walking out of their house and onto the street. There wasn't any bikes, cars or taxis around, but it's a violation for a person to be out during curfew unless for a specific reason. The soldier marched straight over to where the silhouette was to see they were holding some sort of kitchen knife. "Sir! Turn around and drop your weapon!" the soldier demanded, where the figure continued walking.

"Sir! Drop the weapon!" the soldier walked over, having his assault rifle pointed at the figure. Turning on the rifle-mounted flashlight, they could see the eyes of Dennis Aldridge, pointed upwards, as if they were trying to look into his brain. His left wrist was slashed, letting blood seep out. "Sir!" the soldier shouted, where Dennis was snapped out from his trance. "W-w-what? Where am I?" Dennis said, where the soldier explained to him the situation. "Wait! My children!" Dennis yelled, running back to his house, thinking he might have accidentally harmed his own children. "Simon!? Britney!? Cory!" Dennis yelled out the names of his children, where he opened the door of their bedroom to see them in their beds, awake but confused.

"Dad? Why were you in my room going into my notebook?" Simon asked, where Dennis hid his bleeding left wrist from them. "What?" Dennis said, confused. It wasn't until the soldier caught up, where both of them checked Dennis's study, where several new comic pages were made.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 5:03 pm

Being in the Cup of Harmony isn't that bad. You have a better chance of winning here!
If you are in groups E-H, that chance begins now with this cutoff!

Cup of Harmony 73
Groups E-H :: Match Day 1 Results

Group E

Freeport 1–4 Kelssek

at Victoriaville Stadium in Victoriaville, CDG

Beepee 0–2 Tinhampton

at Concord Heights Stadium in Concord Heights, CDG

  Group E                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Kelssek                   1   1  0  0    4   1  +3    3
2 Tinhampton                1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
3 Beepee                    1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
4 Freeport                  1   0  0  1    1   4  −3    0

Group F

South Toronto 1–2 Eastfield Lodge

at Grande Mountain Stadium in Grande Mountain, CDG

Polkopia 1–1 Dreamplanet

at Starksville Stadium in Starksville, CDG

  Group F                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eastfield Lodge           1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 Dreamplanet               1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
3 Polkopia                  1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 South Toronto             1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group G

Karulicja 0–2 Savojarna

at Rutland Stadium in Rutland, CDG

Adab 1–1 Siovanija & Teusland

at Winchester Stadium in Winchester, CDG

  Group G                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1 Savojarna                 1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
2 Adab                      1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
3 Siovanija & Teusland      1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Karulicja                 1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group H

Main Nation Ministry 2–1 Jeruselem

at Brattleboro Stadium in Brattleboro, CDG

Oberour Ar Moro 1–2 The Macabees

at New Lakeland Stadium in New Lakeland, CDG

Group H                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Main Nation Ministry      1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 The Macabees              1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Jeruselem                 1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4 Oberour Ar Moro           1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

by **Omerica** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 7:29 pm

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

The Impossible Game: Omerica face a must-win match against Abanhfleft
By Anastasia Saint-Martin

The opening match of a group is crucial. Victory sets you on a tragectory towards success; to win your opening match and crash out in the group stage is embarrassing. A draw is not ideal, but keeps the knockouts within sight; the margins for error shrink significantly, but your destiny stays in your hands. Defeat could very quite possibly be fatal; qualifying against the odds is a memorable achievement.

It is with this in mind that Les Incorrigibles’ first test at the Cup of Harmony is none other than the Revolutionaries of Abanhfleft. The number of poorer options for Omerica can be counted on a single hand: as top seed in the group, Abanhfleft might be expected to qualify with an undefeated, if not flawless, record. Omerica sit forty-four places and about eleven-and-a-quarter points behind Abanhfleft in the official world rankings; the Revolutionaries have nearly twice as many ranking points as Omerica.

Head-to-head, Omerica look dismal. The two nations faced off for the first time in the Emperor’s Cup quarterfinals, where penalties were required to decide a winner after a 2–2 draw; Abanhfleft won the shootout 4–3 on a path to bronze medals. The two nations would later face each other in World Cup 74 qualification, where Omerica would edge Abanhfleft out 1–0 in the Wanda Island Arena before the Revolutionaries returned the favour in the Arena la Rogue, blowing the eventual qualifying group winners out 4–2 under their new manager Holly Jonasson. Fate would intervene: the Metropolitan Sessions forced the dissolution of the Omerican Football Federation under some of the multiverse’s anti-corruption legislation, precluding the possibility of a meeting between the Incorrigibles and Revolutionaries for more than half a decade. When the two sides finally could and did meet again—at the Church of Technicology Stadium for an Independents Cup group stage match—Omerica looked the decisively poorer side, trampled 3–0 by rampant Revolutionaries.

Conversely, despite the Revolutionaries nearly qualifying for the World Cup (provided you consider a 9-4 aggregate drubbing as “nearly”) and the Incorrigibles hardly coming close to the playoffs, Omerica finished a mere four points shy of Abanhfleft’s total when the dust settled on the qualifying group stage. Omerica scored 34 goals and netted a +11 goal difference, nearly equalling the 37 goals and +13 goal difference achieved by Abanhfleft. Considering that Omerica faced tougher opposition as a Pot 4 side, compared to a Pot 2 seeding for Abanhfleft, Omerica come out looking better for wear. With Les Incorrigibles currently on an upward trajectory and Abanhfleft stalling out, an emerging crisis of confidence in the Revolutionaries give Omerica the perfect opportunity to eke out a result.

Abanhfleft have a self-admitted tendency to choke against world superpowers or has-been superpowers, the latter category being the one Omerica currently fall into. The Revolutionaries would be keen to screw their opener up in a quest to make their lives more difficult. Why? So as to relieve themselves of the pressure of being one of the favourites to win. Surely anyone who loses to Omerica can’t really be that good, after all—just ignore the World Cup 74 Nephara squad that finished as runners-up to Omerica in qualification, if you would be so kind.

But let’s come back to Reality Land for a moment. We’re currently celebrating the fact that we finished fourth in a qualification group, which is rather humiliatingly Omerica’s best finish in a qualifying group in more than a decade. Even more embarrassingly, that Omerica squad were in the middle of an FA that was crumbling around them, while this Omerica squad has hardly an excuse to justify finishing so far off the post for a World Cup ticket. Maybe Anne-Sophie Groothuis has the best record of any Omerica manager, but does that say great things about her or terrible things about the rest of Omerica’s managers. Being on the top of a pile of shit isn’t exactly worth celebrating.

When it comes to not-football, Omerica does many things better. We do human rights better. We do elections better. We do compassion better. We do environmental protection better. When it comes to football, Abanhfleft do nearly everything better. They do attacking football better. They do penalties better. They do team-building better. They do managerial stuff better. The only thing even remotely related to football that Fleftics don’t do better than Omericans is choke.

Cross your fingers, say a prayer and have your insurance agent on speed dial. You may have a hole in your wall after this one. May fortune be on Omerica’s side this time. ◇

Uniting Omerican sport fans across the United Republics — blogdefootball: a proud member of the Gryphon Pride network

by **Mytanija** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 8:11 pm

A MAN FINDING HIS TRUE HOME(S)
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH JASNO ODONELEC

by Nevenka Planinc

“Hey Nevenka, how are you today?” Jasno Odonelec enquired as I sat down across from him for the interview. Unlike a lot of footballers, he was on-time and actually there before I was. Often I have been left for minutes that sometimes lapsed into hours as I waited for footballers to attend interviews I had organised, but not this time. Jasno Odonelec had been different, but then, he’s not exactly a normal footballer.

Born in a notoriously rough suburb of the Prahecqois city of Rouen called Clichy-sous-Bois, Odonelec faced a particularly tough childhood. His parents – both Mytanars, natives of Thessia – had decided to flee Mytanija before the worst years of the Mytanar Conflict had taken hold. They did not want to wait around to see specifically what type of harm Kalinina would exact upon them or their fellow Thessians, especially because Rosa Odonelec – Jasno’s mother – was pregnant. Fast-forward a few months and Jasno was born, safe from Kalinina in Prahecq.

With retrospect, fleeing Mytanija was an extremely good decision. As the Mytanar Conflict worsened, Kalinina’s regime began their most chilling operations. Genocide is the only word that is able to describe what occurred, with concentration camps being set-up especially for the eradication of so-called undesirables. Thessians often bore the brunt of Kalinina’s reign of terror, her hatred of them being reflected in her governmental policies. However, the systematic murder of hundreds of thousands – perhaps millions – of Thessians (Rauchiks, Visoravs, gypsies, the LGBT community, left-wing politicians/activists were also murdered in such a way), perhaps illustrates her hatred a little more clearly. It also illustrates why the Odonelecs were right to escape whilst they could.

Whilst safe from the worst years of the Mytanar Conflict, it did not mean that Jasno had it easy. When asked to explain exactly what growing up in Clichy was like, he replied with a solitary word: ‘hard’.

In reality, it’s no wonder he was so blunt in response. Clichy-sous-Bois is known as a ‘banlieue’, i.e. a suburb of a Prahecqois city. These suburbs can technically be upper-class and rich or working-class and poor. They can even include a range of socioeconomic backgrounds. Nevertheless, in practice, the term ‘banlieue’ is regularly used to describe troubled suburban communities – those with high unemployment, crime rates and frequently, a high proportion of residents of foreign origin. Usually these residents of foreign origin would be from former Prahecqois colonies (Ittihad al-Maghrib al-Arabi and Ketiou), but increasingly this means Mytanars too. Jasno Odonelec and his family being a prime example.

He was raised in a tower block, ubiquitous with such communities and the area around where he lived was regularly the scene of pitched battles between rival street gangs. Shootings were not uncommon:

“A school friend of mine was shot dead as he walked home from football practice one day. It was the worst day of my life. I was inconsolable when I found out. It was the street gangs, fighting over turf for selling drugs and he got caught in the crossfire. Mama said we may as well have been back in Mytanija.”

It was also the scene of riots, with locals, students and left-wing activists uniting to protest against the government which had seemingly forgotten about this community and allowed it to be run by gangs. Many felt like it was convenient for the government to do this, as they attempted to paint a picture of Prahecq as a modernising country without problems. As Jasno so succinctly pointed out:

“It felt like the politicians were almost saying: ‘why not let the foreigners kill each other in these suburbs outside of the major cities? That way we can make our cities look beautiful and trouble free to the outside world and ignore the problems in the banlieues’. It felt like a ghetto, we couldn’t get out and it often felt like nothing would ever change.”

It is arguable that nothing particularly has changed for those communities even today, but football was the change for Jasno Odonelec as his prodigious abilities with a ball at his feet were noticed by both Rouennais clubs: Espérance and Clichy-sous-Bois. Deciding which one to play for was initially a difficult decision. Clichy was where Jasno was born, had lived all his life and it would be easier for him to get to training. Espérance were based in a more affluent area of the city, had more resources and were in Le Championnat, the top-level of Prahecqois football. It was a real conundrum for Odonelec who was only 13 at the time.

“I wasn’t entirely sure what to do, my parents didn’t try and sway me either way and wanted the choice to be my own. I respect them for that. In the end Mama said to go to each team and see what it was like, where I felt more at home. We did exactly that and I’m so glad we did before making a decision.”

They went to Espérance first and the experience can be described as nothing other than harrowing, particularly for a 13 year old boy – as Odonelec would have been at the time. He went to see what it would be like and found very quickly that the boys he was playing with – all being from a richer part of Rouen – made jokes at his expense, laughed at his old, second-hand pair of boots and even went to the extent of not passing to him, purely because Odonelec was a kid from one of the banlieues.

“It was horrible.” He said. “Honestly it goes down as one of the worst days of my life, even now. It was embarrassing, humiliating. I wouldn’t want anyone to go through it, especially at that age when those sort of things hurt so much. I was there, doing all the individual drills with the ball and without and I was doing everything perfectly. I tried to crack a joke with one of the lads and he ignored me completely. Next thing I know, there’s some kids sniggering and pointing at my boots, from them on I tried to hide them by having the ball cover them. They even called me ‘un laid gosse’, it means ‘an ugly kid’, but it’s more to do with how poor someone is than how they look. Next thing I know and we’re playing a 7-a-side game and nobody would pass to me. I wanted the ground to swallow me up.”

I tried to press him on any potential positives of the try-out and he failed to pick out any. Although he did say: “I had the last laugh though, I was the only one there that day that made it pro!”

He went home in tears to his mother and she told him not to worry, that they would try at Clichy and that she was sure it would all be okay. She turned out to be right.

“I went to Clichy and it felt so much more comfortable. I was there with lads the same as me, from Clichy, from all sorts of cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Maghrebis, Ketioulais, other Mytanars and we all got along. It was actually really nice and we played some really good football. We won the CJP [Prahecqois Youth Cup], one year and that really raised some eyebrows around the country. The politicians were always going on about how problematic Clichy and areas like it were and here was a squad representing one of those communities with players from all sorts of backgrounds and we won the whole thing playing as a team.”

It was also the exact opposite to the situation at home, the Mytanar Conflict may have ended, but the ethnic tension had not dissipated and violence was still not uncommon. Odonelec feels they could have learned a lot from the Prahecqois banlieues in solving the ethnic tension crises that plagued Mytanija for years following the civil war.

“Don’t get me wrong, the place wasn’t without its problems, but on the whole we all just got along because you’re living next door to a Ketioulais family on one side and a Maghrebi family on the other – how can you be racist or prejudiced when you quite literally have to get on with these people in order to just exist?” Indeed, he makes a good point. It is one that is applicable to Thessians and Zentrians, or Rauchiks and Vojoviticans and it is something that the younger generation of Mytanars is seeming to grasp.

Indeed, it definitely did work out for Jasno Odonelec with his hometown (or should it be home suburb?) club. He grew up supporting Clichy-sous-Bois, going to games as an escape from the reality of living in the banlieue and now he plays for them. Last season, he was the catalyst for the club’s promotion from the second tier of Prahecqois football into Le Championnat. They finished 2nd, with Odonelec winning the Golden Boot with 26 goals and the Player of the Season award at that level. In truth, watching games back, it was clear to see that he was a class above the competition and probably could have plied his trade at a higher level if he wanted to. But that is rather the point with Odonelec – that’s not what is important to him.

“The club had offers for me the summer before the season we got promoted and they asked me what I wanted to do. They weren’t exactly strapped for cash but they could do with the extra funds and they left the decision up to me. I didn’t want to leave, I’m from Clichy and I feel so proud in playing for the club and representing the area that leaving at such an early stage in my career just didn’t feel right.” Before laughing as he added: “So I stayed and I told the owner that I would get the club promoted and we could sort the cash-flow problem out that way.”

He also has a younger brother, Usten, playing for the club. He is a towering centre-half and aged 16 will start for the club in Le Championnat next season. He couldn’t believe that Jasno didn’t accept one offer in particular, which Jasno sheepishly explained:

“Yeah, haha, we’re both Clichy fans first but our second club is Atletik Thessia – because our family is from there and they all support the club, Dad was a really big fan back in the day. They came in with an offer and Usten was so shocked that I didn’t go, but I feel at home here and I had unfinished business.”

The fact he feels at home in Clichy is not exactly surprising, he was born in the banlieue, was raised there, and has lived there for the entirety of his 21 years. He also has a real affinity with the club’s multicultural, multi-ethnic supporters.

“I think the most touching thing was the huge tifo with me, Abdou[laye Keita] and Youssef [Hamou] on it. It said: ‘le monde est à vous’, which means ‘the world is yours’, but it had the ‘vous’ crossed out and changed to ‘nous’, which means ‘the world is ours’ and that really meant a lot. I’m the same as the fans and if I wasn’t a player I’d be in the tribunes with them, living every moment like they do and supporting the team. Before I’m a player I’m a fan, I’m one of them and that acknowledgement of that – on the tifo with my team mates Abdou and Youssef – meant a lot.”

The ‘le monde est à vous’ thing was also a governmental scheme aimed at young people saying – more or less – that they could be anything they wanted to be. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the scheme didn’t really reach into the banlieues too much, especially Clichy-sous-Bois, which only had two visits from the government department responsible for running the scheme – compared to upwards of fifty in some more affluent areas. It was this that the Clichy supporters were referencing and mocking with that choreography, along with lauding the players that had been brought through the club’s youth system and were from the banlieue. Their representatives on the pitch.

Odonelec’s form in his side’s promotion winning season earned him a call-up to the Mytanar national team and during World Cup qualifying he played 16 times and scored 4 goals. He played for Mytanija despite being born in Prahecq and being so passionate about calling Clichy-sous-Bois his home.

“It was a complicated decision and despite being born in Clichy and it being the place I identify as my ‘home’, I also feel very distinctly Mytanar. I’m a native of Clichy who happens to also be Mytanar. In our flat when we were growing up Mama always spoke to us in Mytanar and culturally everything was very Mytanar at home, we’d watch Mytanar television and eat Mytanar food. In the end, it was an easy decision for me. Whilst being from Clichy, I feel like a lot of Prahecq has never wanted me to be Prahecqois, the experience at the try out at Espérance as well as other interactions with – usually native Prahecqois people who had never experienced the banlieue – made me feel like I always was different. I’ve never seen my Dad happier than when I made my debut for Mytanija, but he respects that I say I’m from Clichy as well as being Mytanar and understands it.”

Odonelec has fast become an integral part of the team, a creative hub just behind the strikers and a player who has forged an excellent relationship with Jezdimir Ocokoljic – the team’s key man. The pair are both 21 and great friends off the field as well as on it.

“I love Jez, he’s a top guy and I think because we’re from the same generation we get on like a house on fire. We don’t have the problems previous generations of Mytanar players may have had where their performances were marred by the ethnic tensions because they didn’t really get on, but I think the likes of me Jez, Tahir [Fejzuli], Srdan [Vukovic], Mojmir [Anac] and the rest all just get each other. We’re part of a generation of Mytanars that have put all that behind us because we can see it for what it is: a load of bullshit. Thessian or Visorav or Magev or Rauchik or whatever, Zentrian, the rest of them! It doesn’t matter. I’m fuckin’ Prahecqois by birth, Mytanar by heritage and I call Clichy-sous-Bois home but the two places I care about most are Mytanija and Clichy and most of these lads care about the town they were born, or playing for their football club and playing for Mytanija and that’s the important thing.”

He’s right too, a generation of young Mytanar is starting to put the old tensions behind them and the wounds of civil war and genocide left by the Mytanar Conflict and Kalinina’s dictatorship are slowly beginning to heal. That can be seen by the announcement of the first democratic elections since the end of the Mytanar Conflict a few weeks ago.

For Odonelec, playing for Mytanija has given him something he perhaps would never have felt if he had played for the land of his birth: a true sense of belonging. His experiences in Prahecq have often made him feel ‘othered’ by native Prahecqois people and it is telling that he feels most at home in Clichy, the community he was born into that is made-up almost exclusively of immigrants. Clichy is a place he can’t be ‘othered’ as they’re all in the same boat. With the national side he feels a sense of belonging, representing his true homeland, the land of his ancestors. He plays alongside compatriots, people who understand what it is to be Mytanar – a generation of players who feel like they are Mytanar first and not Zentrian or Thessian or anything else. Times are a-changing and Jasno Odonelec is a good example of it.

A Prahecq-born footballer of Mytanar heritage, proud to represent the place he was born and feels most at-home in the form of his club side Clichy-sous-Bois whilst at international level representing Mytanija, the land of his parents and his cultural homeland.

Jasno Odonelec has finally found his home(s).

by **Qusmo** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 8:14 pm

Group 9
Savalen 0–1 Eastfield Lodge
Karulicja 1–4 Valanora
New Gazi 2–0 Nuadh-Alba
Qusmo 0–0 Polkopia
Axuva 1–4 Rakivland

Group 9                            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Valanora                         18   13   2   3    49   22  +27    41     Qualifies for World Cup 81
 2 Polkopia                         18   12   3   3    44   23  +21    39     Advances to Qualification Playoff
 3 Qusmo                            18   10   5   3    30    9  +21    35
 4 Eastfield Lodge                  18   10   4   4    36   22  +14    34
 5 New Gazi                         18   10   2   6    29   22   +7    32
 6 Karulicja                        18    8   1   9    35   32   +3    25
 7 Savalen                          18    7   1  10    21   26   −5    22
 8 Rakivland                        18    4   4  10    30   37   −7    16
 9 Axuva                            18    3   1  14    22   64  −42    10
10 Nuadh-Alba                       18    0   3  15    10   49  −39     3

QNT ends World Cup 81 Qualification with draw against Polkopia
Qusmo 0–0 Polkopia
Mastad Qusma, Qanz, Qusmo (cap. 80 000)
GK  Xynat-Evela Cuf
CB  Cunix-Betva Tla
CB  Zenon-Gerol Kal
CB  Yelto-Alfan Ono
CM  Yamaj-Blonz Jok
60’ Ilinx-Vulav Ixi
CM  Ilinx-Kepex Zev
AM  Gavax-Nenzi Abe
71’ Prant-Pertz Gor
LM  Kynda-Sevet Pec
71’ Ozolx-Mazur Guv
RM  Forzu-Ralox Kal
SS  Paliv-Xilit Max
ST  Xilit-Zaxac Yol

SPONY LUQ TELEVISION

Hello, all. Welcome to Spony Luq Television, broadcasting from Qanz, Qusmo. Qusmo has recently completed its second attempt to qualify for the World Cup - but this time, they actually mounted a relatively serious challenge, riding a suffocating defense to earn third place in Group 9. They ultimately fell just short of the second-place finish needed to secure a place in a playoff, but they were invited to the Cup of Harmony once again, where they certainly will be hoping to be as successful as they were in the last edition, if not take a page from World Cup Qualification & do even better. All eyes in Qusmo are fixed squarely on the upcoming action in Cassadaigua & the Equestrian States, as are ours; let’s take our first question on Cup of Harmony 73 from a viewer in Wexe.

How will Qusmo do in the Cup of Harmony?

Qusmo has had an excellent performance in World Cup 81 Qualifying, but a recent dip in form during the interluding series of friendly matches certainly has to be worrying. Qusmo scored five goals in their three March to the Cup matches, but they only secured one draw & two losses from it. That is because the Qusma defense seems to have disappeared. After a scoreless draw against Siovanija & Teusland, Qusmo conceded five times in the Free Republics & four times against Qasden. Qusmo had not conceded so many goals in a single match for around thirty matches by that point, since their 5-2 loss to Apox in the wake of a weak Copa Rushmori campaign.

This is particularly concerning in contrast to how Qusmo performed so well in the World Cup Qualifiers. Qusmo’s identity was built on its defensive solidity. Qusmo conceded only nine goals in their eighteen Qualifier matches, only conceding multiple goals in a single match once. In their last nine matches - in which they went unbeaten - they preserved seven clean sheets. They were consistent, too, as they did not concede more than five goals in either half of qualifying; that was why they secured at least five wins in each half.

To put that into comparison, let’s take a look at how teams across the multiverse performed in World Cup 81 Qualifying. The top defense of the cycle was South Covello, having conceded only five goals en route to qualification through winning Group 18. Close behind were two-time World Cup champions Audioslavia & defending World Cup champions Brenecia, with six goals apiece (not counting the four Audioslavia conceded in their playoff, which would put them behind Qusmo at four goals), as well as the Equestrian States, last cycle’s World Cup co-hosts & this cycle’s Cup of Harmony co-hosts, which conceded seven goals. There are then three teams tied for nine goals conceded: Tinhampton, Taeshan, & Qusmo. That ranks Qusmo as tied for the fifth-best defense in the multiverse during World Cup 81 Qualification - & tied for best among those who did not actually qualify.

So, Qusmo has proven that it can have a solid defense - but will they prove it again in the Equestrian States? Their recent form doesn’t look stellar. Of course, they kept clean sheets against Polkopia in their last match in qualifying & against Siovanija & Teusland in their first pre-Cup of Harmony friendly, but those results came against lower-ranked opposition & netted only draws.

Since then, Qusmo has played the Free Republics & Qasden, & they have lost to both - & they have conceded as many goals in those two matches as they had in the previous nineteen combined, including the whole of World Cup 81 Qualification. Those two teams are higher-ranked, & they are attacking sides, & Qasden, in particular, has had a rejuvenation in attack since Qusmi Cralt-Nirlo Fox took over, but there is still cause for deep concern that this is how Qusmo has played leading up to the Cup of Harmony.

Perhaps Qusmo does not play well in friendlies but comes alive when the stage is brightest; in a curious development, Qusmo is still on a nine-match unbeaten streak in competitive fixtures - but they have a winless streak in friendlies that also extends for precisely nine matches. However, Qusmo cannot risk being lethargic or out of form when the tournament starts, as they are in a tough group.

It was very close to being an easier draw for the Qusmi’y, but they just missed out on being a Pot 2 team. Ranked fifty-seventh, Qusmo is the top-ranked team in Pot 2; fifty-sixth-ranked Tinhampton is the lowest-ranked Pot 1 team. Qusmo was under a quarter of a KPB point away from leapfrogging the Miners into Pot 1; if only Qusmo had scored a single goal in their home fixture against Polkopia to close out World Cup 81 Qualification, or had Qusmo not lost to lower-ranked Savalen & Polkopia earlier in the qualification campaign, Qusmo would be a Pot 1 team.

That is a far cry from where Qusmo was drawn in the last edition of this tournament; there, Qusmo was a Pot 3 team, but due to some quirks in the draw system, they were the lowest-ranked team in their group & not a favourite to advance. If they had been in Pot 1, it would be much easier to repeat their feat of winning their group; for example, Tinhampton drew Beepee, Freeport, & Kelssek in Group E; with the fifth-ranked Pot 4 team, the fifth-ranked Pot 3 team, the seventh-ranked Pot 2 team, & the bottom-ranked Pot 1 team, it may be the easiest group in the tournament.

As it is, Qusmo had no such luck. The first team they were paired with East Belzaria, the fourth-ranked team from Pot 4. That could have gone worse, but then they were unlucky with the ball from Pot 3 containing the name of Krytenia, which is not only the third-ranked team from their pot, but one of the most well-known names in the sport. Finally, Qusmo landed with Juvencus, the third-ranked team in the tournament; this was a major blow, as there is a sixteen-rank gulf between Juvencus & the next-best-ranked team in this Cup of Harmony. Luck did not frown upon Qusmo nearly as much as it did upon Omerica - the Pot 2 team drawn with the highest-ranked sides from Pots 1, 3, & 4 (being Abanhfleft, Darkmania, & Geisenfried, respectively) - but Group B still figures to be one of the tougher ones of the tournament.

It begins with what is, on paper, the least difficult fixture for Qusmo. East Belzaria is the only other team in the group not to have qualified for a World Cup, nor to have won a major tournament trophy, nor to be ranked among the top hundred teams in the multiverse. East Belzarian manager David Madridson is projecting an air of confidence, however; they are setting their sights on the knockout rounds, attempting to mount a run similar to Qusmo’s own in the last Cup of Harmony, & Madridson has identified a win against Qusmo on the opening matchday to be critical to doing so.

That may be so, but a win against East Belzaria may also be necessary for Qusmo to make it to the Round of Sixteen - or for anyone in Group B with that as their goal, really. Among Qusmo’s three group opponents, East Belzaria scored the least goals in qualifying by a margin of more than one goal each match, on average. Even Qusmo, the defense-first squad that was inconsistent in the final third, put half a dozen more in the net than the East Belzarians. This needs to be the time for the vaunted Qusma defense to find its footing & secure a win. That said, East Belzaria has this match circled on their calendars; Qusmo will need to make sure that they aren’t caught looking ahead on the schedule & drop vital points before playing a pair of very difficult opponents.

The first of that pair is Krytenia, an old powerhouse which has been a sleeping giant of late. Krytenia is no stranger to this tournament - they have hosted it four times, after all - but they are used to bigger & better things. They have advanced to countless World Cup semifinals, & they have even won one of them, finishing as World Cup 53 runners-up. They are also legendary within their region of Atlantian Oceania; perhaps the crowning achievement of their long history in regional competition is becoming champions of AOCAF Cup LII.

Krytenia is a sleeping giant; ranked only eighty-seventh after inconsistent entries into World Cup Qualification of late, they are far from their zenith in the rankings or in multiversal football. However, they have shown glimmers of their old form. Despite being in a qualifying group with Ko-oren & South Covello - the joint-eighth-best defense & the best defense in qualifying this cycle, with a combined fifteen goals conceded over thirty-six matches - Krytenia managed to score forty-three goals in the eighteen they played. That yielded a total of thirty-four points, just one short of Qusmo’s haul. Krytenia will be a massive test for the Qusma defense; the team’s offense may need to have an on day in order to secure a much-needed result, & that is never a certainty.

Finally, we reach Matchday Three. Though they have never before played gli attaccanti, Qusmo finds what is, in many ways, a familiar opponent in Juvencus. The Pot 1 team for Group B is one of three teams in this tournament with a rank better than that of the lowest-ranked World Cup-qualifying team. Juvencus has experience with the World Cup, having competed in the eightieth edition of the tournament, & having missed out on qualifying for World Cup 81 after a heartbreaking playoff loss.

That leaves them in the Cup of Harmony - a place they have had great success. In fact, in Cup of Harmony 71 - during the last cycle in which Juvencus did not qualify for the World Cup - gli attaccanti did not just compete, nor do well, but won the tournament. They have a fantastic team which has experience at the highest level, & they have proven that they have what it takes to win this tournament. They are not just the favourites to top Qusmo’s Cup of Harmony group; they, surely, will be one of the favourites to win the entire tournament once again.

If this is familiar to Qusma fans, it is because almost precisely the same scenario played out in the last edition of the Cup of Harmony. In the group stage of Cup of Harmony 72, Qusmo had to take on the top-ranked team in the tournament, which had played in the previous World Cup but was consigned to the Cup of Harmony after a playoff loss. &, of course, for both of the previous two Cups of Harmony Qusmo’s opponent had played in - the sixty-ninth & seventieth editions - they had won the title. Qusmo’s opponent that time was not Juvencus, however; it was Qasden.

In that first edition of what has come to be known as the Moden Derby - now Qusmo’s most-frequently played opponent in its history - the Qusmi’y held Qasden to a 1-1 draw, allowing Qusmo to shockingly win their group & advance to the knockout rounds. There, they would be eliminated on penalties by the nation then known as Soltsteed, which was the third-highest-ranked participant in that tournament & had lost the previous Cup of Harmony final on penalties, to none other than Juvencus.

So, what will it be for Qusmo on Matchday Three? This match is shaping up to be pivotal for the group, & to see who advances to the knockout rounds. If Qusmo has a defensive identity, Juvencus is an unmistakenly offensively-minded team; Juvencus’s forty-five goals in eighteen qualifying group stage matches - to say nothing of their four goals against Audioslavia in their playoff - ranks sixth among Cup of Harmony teams, after Mattijana, New Lusitania, Darkmania, Main Nation Ministry, & Freeport, & joint-thirty-first among all.

Under that pressure, will Qusmo be able to secure draws, like the ones it earned against Qasden & Saltstead in its last appearance at the Cup of Harmony? Will Qusmo be able to win, like they did against similarly-ranked New Gazi in the latest World Cup Qualifying cycle? Or will Qusmo succumb to the pressure & the rankings & lose that likely-critical match?

Ultimately, we see Qusmo beating East Belzaria. In fact, we see Krytenia & Juvencus beating East Belzaria, too, meaning that the matches not involving East Belzaria could determine the group. On Matchday One, that match is between Krytenia & Juvencus; despite Krytenia’s amazing history, Juvencus’s successes are more recent, so we’ll favour them in this match. Next, Qusmo will play Krytenia; the former West Starblaydians will have their backs against the wall after a Matchday One loss, & they will find a way to keep themselves in it with a win, just like the Krytenian teams of old (except in semifinals). Finally, Qusmo will face off against Juvencus, needing a win; we think, however, that the electric offense of Juvencus will prove too much for Qusmo, leaving them eliminated on just three points.

Of course, Qusmo has the potential to do better, but they need to find the form they had in the second half of World Cup 81 Qualifying in order to do so. It will be a tough road to get through Group B, & it would get no easier if they can advance into the knockout stages. However, if Qusmo’s defense can resume its suffocation of opposing attacks, & if Qusmo’s offense can reclaim consistent form, then Qusmo could be a team to be reckoned with in this tournament.

by **Equestrian States** » Sat Oct 06, 2018 8:20 pm

Cup of Harmony 73
Groups A-D :: Match Day 1 Results

Group A

Saint Émelie 0–0 Blaneu

at Royal Equestria Stadium in Canterlot, EQS

Taeshan 0–0 New Lusitania

at Grand Regal Stadium in Canterlot, EQS

  Group A                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Blaneu                          1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
   New Lusitania                   1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
   Saint Émelie                    1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1
   Taeshan                         1   0  1  0    0   0   0    1

Group B

Juvencus 2–1 Krytenia

at Derby Field in Manehattan, EQS

East Belzaria 0–1 Qusmo

at Shady Grove in Whitetail, EQS

  Group B                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Juvencus                        1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2  Qusmo                           1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3  Krytenia                        1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
4  East Belzaria                   1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
  Juvencus (2) ahead of Qusmo (1) on goals for
  Krytenia (1) ahead of East Belzaria (0) on goals for

Group C

Squornshelan Remnant States 2–2 Acronius

at Manehattan Industrial Park in Manehattan, EQS

Mytanija 2–1 Mattijana

at Elements Stadium in Ponyville, EQS

  Group C                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Mytanija                        1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2  Acronius                        1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
   Squornshelan Remnant States     1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
4  Mattijana                       1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group D

Omerica 1–1 Abanhfleft

at Diamond Park in Stalliongrad, EQS

Darkmania 2–2 Geisenfried

at Apple Orchard Park in Appleoosa, EQS

  Group D                           Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts
1  Darkmania                       1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
   Geisenfried                     1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
3  Abanhfleft                      1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
   Omerica                         1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
  Darkmania (2) and Geisenfried (2) ahead of Abanhfleft (1) and Omerica (1) on goals for

by **Beepee** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:19 am

Cup of Harmony - Match Day 1
Cassadaigua, Concord Heights

Beepee vs. Tinhampton

The top two ranked teams in Group E faced off today at Concord Heights in in Cassadaigua, with Tinhampton coming out on top in a tight battle.

A five-star, (wo)man of the match performance from Priscilla saw Tinhampton defeat Beepee by 2 goals to nil in the Cup of Harmony .

Highlights

• Bulldozers lose first in 9.

• Scott Kirk makes his international debut coming on as a substitute for Beepee.

• Priscilla Evans with two goals for Tinhampton.

Beepee came into the game in excellent form, having won their last three games with wins over Vallardes, Central Shaneville, and Guadalajara and are unbeaten in their last 8 games.

However, Beepee are competing in only their second Cup of Harmony. After a disappointing results last cycle losing two and drawing one match, this tournament provides an opportunity for some redemption.

Facing a superior Tinhampton side, Beepeean bookies give the national side little hope of a good result.

Pre-Match odds from BeepeeBet

Tinhampton win... 5/2
Draw...................... Evens
Beepee win........... 9/2

Tinhampton came into the game as one of the competition's top ranked sides, after a strong showing in the qualification process: finishing third and pushing Cassadaigua all the way until the final match of the campaign.

Tinhampton started with a strong squad including Harry Potter, Fetakela Manuta and Brian Small. Beepee retainined their previous starting eleven with Chris Patterson, Jason Baker and goalkeeper Francois Shep all starting.

BEEPEE STARTING XI
Formation 4-4-2
F. Shep
A. Bucke
J. Baker
C. Boles
D. Michelle
D. Bolt
M. Christian
N. Malade
C. Patterson (c)
S. Veera
C. Bannan

Substitutes
M. Doulton
J. Forli
S. Kirk
A. St. Pier
L. Chang

Tinhampton took control of the proceedings from the start, with Evans scoring the opener after just 14 minutes. After Fetakela Manuta beat the offside trap to run clear at the Beepee goal, he shot at keeper Francois Shep at close range, with Shep’s save going straight to Evans who tapped in to score Tinhamptons first goal.

Waves of scintillating Beepeean and Tinhampton attacks and counterattacks followed, with Dirk Bolt making a pacy run down the wing to set up Sam Veera, who had an eight yard effort denied by a low save from noVenaxali on 15 minutes.

After Carlo Bannan and Niklaus Malade saw the Bulldozers go close again, Veera nearly scored after a slick dummy turn from Max Christian split open the Tinhampton defence. In the 26th minute Bolts’ efforts on the right wing almost paid off, when he broke free on goal from a Anders Bucke pass before spinning the ball wide.

Tinhamptons’ intensity up front only grew, with the tenacious Evans shooting just wide on an angle on 28 minutes.

With 30 minutes played, Dirk Bolt and Chris Patterson were both delivering great balls into the area as Bannan and Veera looked to get the Bulldozers on the board.

In the 38th minute Jacob North couldn’t be held by the Beepeean defence, running into the area before dragging a pass back to the penalty spot, where Priscilla Evans and Louise Whitbred got tangled to prevent one another from getting a shot away.

On 42 minutes the miss of the game came, with Chris Patterson hitting a thunderbolt strike off the underside of the crossbar from 18 yards out only to see it bounce agonisingly to Harry Porter.

HALF TIME
BEEPEE 0 - 1 TINHAMPTON

It took just three minutes for Priscilla Evand to seal her and Tinhamptons after the restart, when she finished low into the bottom left corner from 10 yards out.

On 55 minutes, Evans almost made her hattrick when a good cross from Mohamed al-Khazr was met by Evans head. However it was blocked at close range by Jason Baker.

On the hour mark Coleen Yu made changes, replacing Davide Michelle and Niklaus Malade with the duo of Jared Forli and Scott Kirk, to give Kirk his professional debut.

The Bulldozers kept on causing problems for Tinhampton, with Sam Veera seeing one of his relentless efforts for a blocked before Carlo Bannan hit the crossbar from a half volley assisted by Kirk.

It was a nearly dream debut for Kirk who darted into the Tinhampton area to beat the keeper at close range only to see the ball hacked off the line by an inspiring Porter.

Beepees’ final change saw Liam Chang replace an underwhelming Carlo Bannan, and the young striker got in the thick of the action as he helped drive the Bulldozers’ attacking moves.

With Tinhampton dominance restricting Beepee for the final ten minutes, full time saw them run out 2-0 winners.

FULL TIME
BEEPEE 0 - 2 TINHAMPTON

Beepeean Player Ratings
Shep 6, Bucke 5, Baker 6, Boles 4, Michelle 5, Bolt 7, Christian 5, Malade 4, Patterson 5, Veera 5, Bannan 3, Forli 4, Kirk 5, Chang 4.

Beepee Goalscorers
None.

Tinhampton Goalscorers
Evans (2)

Yellow/Red Cards
■ Boles (Beepee)
■ None

(Wo)Man of the Match: Priscilla Evans

Sponsored by:

by **Dreamplanet** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 2:24 am

LATE EQUALISER HALTS DREAMPLANET

Paulo Figueiredo scored the only goal for Dreamplanet against Polkopia

In a mundane match, Dreamplanet were halted by Rafael Korošeć's 86th minute strike from outside of the box, halting the Dreamplanetian progress before taking on Eastfield Lodge.

Luis Silva was surprisingly quiet as he seemed to disappear from the match, but yet Dreamplanet scored first through a Paulo Figueiredo header from an Aaron Hungar flicked cross, following that Dreamplanet became unusually defensive, a very different tactic from the usual over-the-top attacking Dreamplanet that we often saw in the World Cup, however as happens with all those things, Dreamplanet were not able to get the second goal and Korošeć made Os Tricores regret their defensive stance towards a new opponent.

Dreamplanet will be hoping to get a win against Eastfield Lodge, who beat South Toronto 2-1 in their opener, Dreamplanet must learn from this mistake as Dreamplanet is more set up for attacking football, and this will be an important time to win as there are only 3 matches in the group stage, and Dreamplanet will be hoping to improve on their 66th Cup of Harmony showing where they only picked up a single point.

Polkopia 1 - 1 Dreamplanet
(Rafael Korošeć 86' - 15' Paulo Figueiredo)
Starksville, Cassadaigua

Saturday, October 6: MD1 - Polkopia 1-1 Dreamplanet
Monday, October 8: MD2 - Eastfield Lodge vs Dreamplanet
Wednesday, October 10: MD3 - Dreamplanet vs South Toronto

  Group F                    Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eastfield Lodge           1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
2 Dreamplanet               1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
3 Polkopia                  1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 South Toronto             1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Qualified for Round of 16
Eliminated

by **Karulicja** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 3:30 am

The clock was running out in Rutland and apart from a few patriotic hopefuls, all knew already which way this quarter would fall. Arnulf Viljansson and his Savojar had cut off the Karulicjans from the first minute onwards, quickly resulting in a Karttanen strike which would definitely make the highlight reel across the multiverse. Whilst Azzini had slightly hoped that they would put the foot of the gas a little bit afterwards, they kept infiltrating his line-up time and time again. Whilst Roberto Moscardelli was once more showcasing why he remained a crucial part of the puzzle at 34, his colleague Jarnström could go and discuss the upcoming fixtures with the supporters behind the goalmouth.

A combination of luck and nonchalance had allowed the blue-white striped to hit the dressing room with just a single goal against but quickly after tea, Krister Voynov pulled inwards, blitzed past a stoned Kaflas and pushed it elegantly in the bottom corner. With the three points in the bag, the hunger for blood was satisfied and a few tactical substitutions evidenced that the gaffer already set his mind on the crucial second game against Siovanija & Teusland. Our eleven, at the other hand, were simply glad that they weren’t ferociously chased down from the first touch and stuck to keeping possession – if necessary just on their own half. The result hadn’t been a surprise against one of the bookies favourites for the grand title, but Azzini had hoped for some good signals, a glitter of hope ahead of what he himself saw as the most important game of the tournament – the second encounter against Adab. With that in mind, any hope had been shredded and the landslide difference in class came as a painful wake-up call.

Ironically, the performance of most key players – Moscardelli aside – had been lethargic at best. Giuseppe Trevisan got entangled in the man marking of Joonas Andersson, replacing him with Ujkashi didn’t change a thing about that. Danijel Prigidar tried to make war in the box but discovered that he was up against some better soldiers. The duels with Metanov were heroic in the first half but quickly, the Valesjka striker discovered he wore out quicker than his opposition. At least he tried. Ciro Piccini was…

Dusan Azzini would scratch his head trying to describe it to the press afterwards. “Wandering”? “Struggling”? “Slightly off the mark”? Quite possibly, “invisible and utterly useless” made the best description. Simon Omark made have been a decade younger, the ease with which he kept one of the best goalgetters of Karulicja out of the game was a painful reminder to why there were a hundred spots on the ranking between both. In all fairness, Azzini spent most of his second half thinking how he would explain why he chose him over Altacci.

Gianni Altacci. The goddamned bastard.

When Azzini announced that he’ld be starting Piccini over him, he simply stood up, eyeballed the coach and left the dressing room muttering some swears. The sort of insubordination that usually gets you kicked off the ride but with just one spare striker, Azzini didn’t dare to take the risk. In his defence, Altacci had put away his anger by warming up like a madman. During the break, he walked up and stuttered something along the lines of “You can count on me again, coach.” And Dusan? Well, he had no clue what to do with that. Was that an apology, Altacci-style? A threat?

A pained shout quickly snapped him back out of his mindwandering. Piccini had collided with Thorvaldsson and the leading wingback landed quite unfortunately on the knee of the striker. Things went quick then – whilst Azzini was still assessing the damage, Altacci already stood next to him, wearing the number 20 on his back with pride. He should have stopped him but uncapable to produce more than a nod, the gaffer saw the man who he wanted to send back home about two hours ago take the pitch in a game that – despite the poor result – would go down in Karulicjan history as a major first.

It took the coach three minutes to get back in the moment. Why on earth had he allowed it? Maybe it was time to learn him a lesson – with one substitution left, he could… Damned, he couldn’t do anything. Throw in a midfielder and humiliate Altacci? There was something within him wanting to – but something wiser as well. He hesitated, he stalled, he…

Maybe he wasn’t up for this job after all.

Shaking his head, he turned around and took his spot at the bench again, barely looking up from his notes. So rarely he checked in during the last five minutes, he nearly missed Altacci chasing down the opposition, stimulating his teammates, applauding mediocre crosses and even forcing his way to the sole opportunity worthy of that name for what was officially the home team. Even more, he dribbled past two men and instead of choosing for the tricky angle, he offered it to Prigidar. A surprise for all Cadenza fans who knew their man – but what stunned them even more was that he didn’t berate the exhausted forward for hoofing it wide.

That wasn’t missed by Azzini and suddenly, he saw the smallest of chances to make it up against Adab.

by **Blaneu** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 6:23 am

The Cape Chronicle

Defence Holds as Attacking Options Fall Short

Blaneu have opened up their Cup of Harmony campaign in a tense, terse and tricky encounter with Saint Emelie at the cavernous Royal Equestria stadium. With only a couple of thousand of Blaneuan fans in attendance the atmosphere was against the side, with large portions of the stadium empty.

Going into the first half and it became apparent that the game would not be one for the neutrals, Saint Emelie are a strong, tall side and their game seemed to consist mostly of booting it up the pitch, with crunching challenges on any Blaneuan player on the ball. Blaneu, meanwhile, seemed to struggle to build any rhythm, especially with all the crunching challenges from the other side, they seemed to struggle to string more than a handful of passes together. For much of the first half the ball seemed to bobble around the middle of the park with little purpose, the Equestrian crowd seemed to have made a wise decision to stay away from this fixture.

After half-time and Snellbridge seemed determined to inject some pace into the game, Elliot Sketty had to make way for Caradog Gwent, which shifted the focus slightly further forward. This, again, seemed to have little impact. Whilst not quite reaching a level that would make it seem cynical, Saint Emilie physical presence seemed to push Blaneu somewhat out of the game. Bouchard and Laureille both earned their keep for Saint Emilie as they repeatedly muscled Powell, Blaneu's lone striker, off the ball, or indeed occasionally bought him down to the ground. Both were yellow carded for their troubles, but Blaneu still failed to really figure a way past them. Eventually Aaron Starkey made way for MacDaffyd in one last role of the dice to try and press forward. In a game like this Snellbridge really should have considered Pottinger or Hartson, player who could have matched Saint Emilie's centre-backs for physicality and brute force.

Overall and, whilst the backline performed admirably against kick and rush tactics (Katjanović saw her star quality negated by MacDermot's dogged defensive efforts), the frontline could not find a way through. Of particular concern is Fitzstephens, post-injury and he seemed to disappear from the game, with the ball spending most of the time well above his head and it rushed up to Powell, and was then cleared back by Bouchard back over him. Ojo Navarro and Owain Davis also saw little of the ball in this drab encounter.

Elsewhere and Taeshan and New Lusitania drew as well, so all four sides head into the next fixture on level terms. Blaneu now have to face up to New Lusitania in the Star Stadium. With two nil-nil draws in the first matches this fixture could well be decisive, especially given that the toughest opponent in the group, Taeshan, come up in fixture three. New Lusitania have come off the back of a tough qualifying campaign, going as far as the play-offs before Nova Anglicana knocked them out of contention.

by **Kelssek** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 6:45 am

Kelssek comes back to sink Freeport
SPORT | Edwin Cottrell in Victoriaville, Cassadaigua

Looking down the barrel of a 1-0 defeat time with ticking down on their first match at the Cup of Harmony, Kelssek scored four goals in 17 minutes to turn a stolid match into a five-goal thriller.

Freeport took control of the match from the kick-off, and will likely rue their missed opportunities to put Kelssek to the sword in the first half. Sonar Amethyst struck early and struck often, powering a highlight-reel diving header past Kai Poirier after Thamior Liadon found himself outfoxed by Storm Chill on Freeport's right flank. Amethyst could have had a hat-trick in the first half but for the crossbar and a reflex save off a corner by Poirier.

Freeport's defence held firm for 72 minutes, though it's hard to say they were put to any real strain. In this they were abetted by Kelssek’s inability to get the ball upfield for most of the match, and forward Matt Lister finding it hard to cope with the intimidating physical play of Bloodblade.

The top scorer of the qualifying campaign was withdrawn on the hour as manager Kirk McDonagh looked for a tactical solution. Victor Clinton was also withdrawn at half-time in favour of a more dynamic option as Adrian Tremblay-Fillon was sent on in a deep-lying role. This improved the possession statistics, but Kelssek seemed to take time to find their feet.

When they did, the Freeport defence were peeled apart like a juicy clementine. A poorly-worked corner routine backfired for Freeport as Tremblay-Fillon was able to pinpoint a long ball from inside his own penalty area to Shaheen Taleb, who wrong-footed Spotted Spirit and slid the ball inside the far post.

Just two minutes later Kassel Pokorný grabbed his first goal in the national team jersey. Sent upfield to get his head on a corner, a fortunate bounce from an aerial contest left him to slice a volley into the net from point-blank range with Kukiri stranded the other side of a tangle of bodies in the six-yard box.

Kirk McDonagh sprang up on the touchline urging the team to move in for the kill, and Taleb duly complied finishing off some good team play between Gabriel Lapierre and Blake McDonagh, who cut in from the left to tee up Sleepy Hollow's newest signing. Lapierre then got one of his own to complete the rout as the Freeport defence fell into ball-watching, left exposed by their team's belated efforts to equalize.

While most pundits were seeing Kelssek's trip to Cassadaigua as making up the numbers, three points is a big step in the tournament format and there's a real chance now they could move into the knockout rounds.

FREEPORT 1-4 KELSSEK
Freeport (4-3-3): Kukiri, Spotted Spirit, Bloodblade, Alastair, Sharp Focus, Temptation, Thorn Bristle (Cleary 79'), Storm Chill, Royle, Puzzle Piece (Cerulean Blitz 75'), Sonar Amethyst.
Kelssek (4-4-2): Poirier, Liadon, Pokorný, Halliger, Arbour (Bowler 90’), Demetriev, Dionne, Clinton (Tremblay-Fillon 45’), Lapierre, Lister (McDonagh 65’), Taleb.
Goalscorers: Freeport - Sonar Amethyst 19’; Kelssek - Taleb 71’, 86’, Pokorný 73’, Lapierre 88’.

by **Taeshan** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 8:43 am

It was an interesting matchup to start the Cup of Harmony with a matchup between the Purple Knights and the team most likely to compete with them for first place in the group, New Lusitania. While the result wouldn't much matter if both teams took care of business in their final two games beyond who finished first and second the matchup would prove to be less than exciting than many expected. The other matchup on the day Blaneu vs Saint Emelie proved just as unexciting. With no one scoring a single goal anywhere on the first matchday of the tournament.

It proved to not be quite as interesting a match as the fans expected, but with a new lineup on the field and three first time starters in Daigo Coshan, Alson Figeuroa and Abriel Torres the Knights were afraid of some growing pains. The big news pre the first game of the tournament that long time captain Miles Snavely was out for the match with the flu, and while many felt he could still provide as a starter the coaching staff saw a bigger threat in the 2nd all-time Knights goalscorer as a bench player. While this seemed to lose some of the tooth of the Knights offense, hopefully he can return for the matchups against the lower two teams that the Knights can hopefully find a way to get the full points against as they push towards a second Cup of Harmony victory.

by **Mattijana** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 9:38 am

Mattijana Set For Double Re-match in Cup of Harmony 73

With Mattijana having a good qualifying cycle this time round, optimism amongst the team and its fan has never been higher in the weeks following a qualifying cycle. Despite the improvement however, the result remains the same and that means the Marmots are set for a trip to the Equestrian States and possibly Cassadaigua for the 73rd Cup of Harmony.

Intriguingly, 3 other teams from qualifying group 7 will attend the tournament and Mattijana will once again come up against two of them during the group stage. Acronius ended Mattijanan hopes of qualification by holding them to a draw on the final day, but were themselves denied a place in the finals by co-hosts Cassadaigua who won 4-2 on aggregate in the playoffs. Meanwhile, Mytanija made a strong account of themselves during qualification, finishing 6th in a tightly-packed midfield group.

As well as two group 7 replays, Mattijana will face the Squornshelan Remnant States, who finished 5th in group 15.

The Deciders:

Vs Acronius:

Away leg: Acronius 2-3 Mattijana
Home leg: Mattijana 3-3 Acronius
Aggregate Score: Mattijana 6-5 Acronius

Vs Mytanija:

Home leg: Mattijana 2-1 Mytanija
Away leg: Mytanija 1-0 Mattijana
Aggregate Score: Mattijana 2-2 Mytanija

A Tough Group?

On the face of it, yes.

All three teams will pose a serious tactical challenge to Dusan Vukoja's side and with the addition of two teams from qualifying group 7, there may be an extra mental block to overcome.

Acronius are undoubtedly the form team in the group. Having claimed only 11 points in the first 9 matches of their qualifying campaign, Massimiliano Abdullahi turned his side around to claim a remarkable 22 in the next 9, dropping points only to group winners Eura and incidentally, to Mattijana.
With a world rank of 49, Acronius aren't the scariest pot 1 team on paper, but have the confidence of a good run of results behind them, as well as the status symbol of being the group's top-ranked team.
Mentally however, it is Mattijana who arguably have the upper hand. The Marmots were victorious on matchday 9 of qualifying with a 3-2 scoreline and held their in-form opponents to a 3-3 draw at the Stadijo Dinamov on the final day despite some patchy form of their own.

This of course is a different tournament and with Acronius having since suffered the disappointment of a playoff loss, they may enter the Cup of Harmony with a different mindset, as well as more tired legs than their groupmates.

Whatever the psychological connotations, the tactics of each team should make for an exciting match. Both teams have an attacking formation and knocked in plenty of goals during World Cup qualifying. On neutral turf, this is one to watch for the entire multiverse, not just those with a vested interest in how group C turns out.

The Squornshelan Remnant Statesare the team with plenty of confidence and no baggage to go with it. The returning nation performed admirably in their first cycle back finishing 5th in their group despite coming into the tournament with a rank of 198th. With few expectations, the team were able to play with freedom and defensive fortitude, conceding the fewest goals of anyone in the group.
The only side in group C not from group 7, the Confederacy can also come into the Cup of Harmony with some freedom and act as a surprise package for the other three teams.

Mytanija are an innocuous outfit, but have a reputation for being gritty, awkward customers. They also have serious Cup of Harmony pedigree having lifted the trophy back in the 56th and 59th edition when current manager Robin Hjik was still in his playing days.

A win for this Mytanijan team would be unexpected by all but the most optimistic fans, but despite coming into the tournament as the on-paper whipping boys, Mytanija may get further than expected.

The team is built on defensive foundations and as discovered by Mattijana during a 1-0 away defeat in the qualifying cycle, breaking them down can be a tricky task. Centre-back Damir Azanovic is the key to that with the 31 year-old recieving able support from Niksa Obadko. The latter was touted as a captaincy replacement for Azanovic, but there remain questions about his temperament after a red card against Acronius in their qualifying opener. With tired minds as well as tired legs becoming a factor after a long qualifying period, he may be a route for Mattijana, as well as the group's other teams, to exploit.

What About The Future?

With the cycle coming to its conclusion, thoughts will inevitably begin to turn to the next international season. Danil Krunic from MFO Sport spoke to minister for sport Julian Petrov to discuss the future of the Mattijanan national team.

DK: "Julian, this cycle we saw a much improved qualifying performance from Mattijana, although the team is still waiting for its first time at a world cup finals. Of course Dusan Vukoja was under some pressure coming into the cycle, have you seen enough to convince you that he's the man to take the team forward?"

JP: "We've been very happy with the football we're seeing in general. It was much more coherent than last cycle and we've been seeing out more results which was a big issue last season. Our final position didn't fully reflect how much progress the team has made, but of course there is still work to do. The improvement this cycle is an indicator that Dusan is the right person to keep the momentum going, which is such an important aspect given the competitive field of teams we're up against."

DK: "There has been unrest amongst some fans that Mattijana have been making fairly glacial progress relative to other nations. What would you say to them."

JP: "Football isn't the biggest sport in Mattijana unlike in most of the multiverse, including those nations that have made the biggest progress recently such as Baker Park and South Toronto. We had a large period of stagnation a few cycles ago which is another frustration, but we feel that we're moving forward at the moment and we're hopeful that next cycle will give us a realistic chance of getting through the qualifiers. I would therefore encourage the fans to be enthusiastic about the future and about the new talent we have coming through and to continue giving their excellent support."

DK: "There is concern that there aren't many fringe players or younger players ready to make the step up to international level. Is anything being done to rectify that."

JP: "There is. We're continuing to work very hard with individual club academies and the Pulnik Sports Academy to bring new players through and to freshen up both club squads and the national team. We plan to bring a number of new initiatives in for the next PrvaLiga season to encourage the integration of young players into club first teams, but they are yet to be announced. What we have seen is that there is still a sizeable pool of youth players looking to make the step up to senior football and there are very many who we suspect are capable of doing that."

DK: "Where do you see Mattijana in say, two or three cycles time?"

JP: "I'm confident that if we carry on on our current trajectory, we'll have managed to qualify for a World Cup Finals and we'll be looking by around World Cup 85 to have established ourselves as a top 25 team. Ranking points aren't everything obviously, but they're a good indicator of how we sit in the world order. We certainly have big ambitions for the national team, but it's a marathon not a sprint and we want to make sure that any short-term success we have is sustainable in the long term as well."

by **The Macabees** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 9:38 am

The Murder, Ch. 2 —

Paquat once scorned the surface. It had become almost religious, a part of the New Imperial identity, the fact that they have been driven underground by the unrepentant nuclear civil war. The truth is that it had become safe for the people years ago but the fear never left, not with the Dukopolious wars and the years of roving "peacekeeping" armies on the surface. It hadn't been until the past two years, with the relative stability afforded to them by the Golden Throne's overlordship, that people had finally started to feel safe enough to venture up top. Kline found the experience cathartic.

He, like all New Imperials, had been born never seeing the true sun. Prior to The War, the intervention in the Golden Throne's war of succession, they had been told that the surface was irradiated. Perhaps back then it still was. After The War, and after the United City States' collapse, few dared to test the veracity of the constraint. Kline was like most, it was last year when he first felt the cold breeze of natural wind on his face.

To feel the sun, the true sun, and its heat beating down on your face was magical. The wind streamed through his hair, a blessing from God. Even the new factories they were building, the manufacturing and processing plants the foreign companies were constructing in New Empire to take advantage of a labor pool hungry for work, couldn't ruin this for him. Kline smiled. Up here was the only place he smiled any longer.

One day he'd save enough to retire, buy himself a small plot of land up in the eastern mountains, and leave the cold, hollow city behind him.

He sighed. He wished he could leave now but there was always something pulling him back. The detective's cell phone started to ring. He cursed under his breath, took it out of his pocket, and swiped the screen after reading it to answer the call. "Detective Jack Kline," he said. "Found them yet?"

"About that," said the voice on the other line. It was Officer Lisa Callahan. "The owners of the building Lakén Yori had bought in are...dead. Shot. In the head."

Kline frowned. "Owners plural?"

"Yep," she answered. "Husband and wife. Both of them were tied up sitting on their legs, their hands behind their backs, and they were executed. We found them with their heads hanging back, a dry pool of blood collected on the floor below. It was disgusting, Jack, and I suspect that whoever did this also did the Lakén job."

"Any evidence?" He took one last glimpse of the surface and its green grasses, then the blue sky above, and then turned to return to the elevator station that took them back down to the city.

"Not yet," said Lisa, "but I'm working on it. We know they were killed the night prior to Lakén Yori's murder. You think the two are related?" She paused for a second. "But, why would anybody want to kill them? Like this? I don't like it, detective. This is starting to look like an assassination and whoever's behind it seems to be good at what they do. You think Lakén was caught up with crime, maybe a Paquat syndicate, maybe the mob?"

"Too early to tell," replied Kline. "One step at a time, anyway. Are you at the crime scene?"

She took a second to respond. There was some clicking coming from her side of the line, as if she were typing on a keyboard. "Uh? Oh! Yes, we're at the crime scene, boss. Their maid discovered the bodies this morning. She says she comes to clean the apartment twice a week. Last time she saw them was when they paid her for her services on Monday. There's something else. I've been following up on who's Lakén's closest friend were. I called his parents, but they barely speak to him they said. Mother, admittedly, could barely talk when I told her what happened. But we'll need to interview them again. Anyway, they did mention a childhood friend by the name of Bernie Va'anderbor. And, guess what? Our friend Bernie was in New Empire the night of the murder. What's more, he was gone the next day."

"Good catch," said Kline. That was big. Huge, possibly. "Where's our friend gone to?"

She took another second. "The provinces," she said. "Took an AerRezegh flight to Fedala. According to the AerRezegh tickets, there was someone with him. A woman. Lolita Arakna is here name. And get this, weeks prior to their visit and the murder, Lolita was involved in a lawsuit. Guess against who it was?"

"Lakén?" Kline was heading down into the depths of Paquat, the wide elevator taking him down deeper and deeper. There were others with him inside but they gave him space as he spoke. The officer standing guard looked at him a couple of times out of curiosity, but as soon as Detective Kline flashed him a dirty look the officer went back to minding his own business.

"That's right," she answered. "Lakén."

"The plot thickens," he said. "I'm almost to my car. Keep up the good work and keep digging. I'm on my way."

"You got it, boss. I'll message you the location." The line went out. He looked down at his screen. It took only a few seconds for her to forward the crime scene address to him.

Kline looked at the guard officer and nodded his head in a friendly manner. "What did you do to deserve getting stuck in guard duty?" he asked, laughing.

"Nothin'," said the officer. "I'm a rookie."

Kline laughed even louder. "Welcome to the force, kid."

When the elevator finally came to a halt and doors opened on both sides, he filed out and headed to his vehicle. It was parked just where he left it. Getting into the driver's seat, he let the AI takeover for him as the computer pushed the seatbelt over his chest and into placed. He wasn't quite sure what to think of these newfangled cars imported from the empire, but admittedly it gave him time to think while on his way to Lisa. All progress comes with problems of its own and now that problem was how exactly he was going to interrogate two witnesses — suspects, really — who had already hightailed it back to Fedala, where he had no jurisdiction and the security forces were known for their penchant against cooperation.

He breathed out a heavy sigh. Things had been so simple on the surface, where he could bake in bliss under the hot sun. One day, one day he would have enough to retire. He could move out to the eastern mountains, by the New Imperial Satrapical Frontier, and get away from the rat race.

by **New Lusitania and the Algarves** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 10:54 am

New Lusitania National Team
73ª Taça da Harmonia
73rd CUP OF HARMONY

After a positive World Cup qualification, New Lusitania just missed out after a playoff defeat to Nova Anglicana. Nonetheless, this earned them a second entry into the Cup of Harmony, this time in the Equestrian States and Cassadaigua. The Lusitanian side, consists mostly of the team that played during qualifying bar a few players. Currently 65th in the world, the team played a friendly the other day with the Equestrian hosts, losing 3-0 at home. Despite this, Victor Santa Cruz has hailed the team for playing well. Their other friendly was a win against fellow Cup of Harmony side Tinhampton.

The draw was done on Thursday, where all 32 teams knew their initial fate. New Lusitania managed to be allocated into Group A a doable group. The Seleção's Pot One opponent is Taeshan, ranked 56th in the world. They came third in Group 17 with 36 points, behind Baker Park and Darmen. A very efficient nation scoring "only" 26 goals and conceding 9 during the entirety of qualifying.
The pot three team is Saint Émelie, aren't the most impressive in the tournament, coming in 6th in Group 2, behind Cosumar and Juvencus; as well as Acapais, Maccabees and HUElavia. Pot 4 team is Blaneu, 110th in the world, only four sports behind St.Emelie, a team who finished in seventh in their group. Qualification is a possibility, should they play the same way they did in World Cup Qualifying. Victor Santa Cruz has said they would do their best, Cup of Harmony or World Cup. Fielding a team composed of the World Cup Qualifying squad and a few new faces, the Seleção is ready for action In the magical lands of the Equestrian States, everything is possible.

Squad Call-Up - Convocatória Seleção
GK: Rui Patríce (Sporting CL)*
GK: António Lopes (Belém)
GK: João Sá (Porto)
LB: Rafa Guerreiros (Porto)*
LB: Rúben Vinagrete (Académica)
CB: Dalot (Porto)*
CB: João Cancela (Vitória G.)
CB: Daniel Carriça (Sevilha)
RB: Cédric Silva (Sporting CL)*
RB: Ricardo Peralva (Porto)
CDM: Rúben Nevais (Porto)*
LM: Jorge Mário (Sporting CL)*
LM: Breu (Boa-vista)
CM: Bruno Fernando (Sporting CL)*
CM: Chadas (SC Braga)
RCM: João Luz (Belém)
RM: Francisco Gama (Sevilha)*
CAM: André Moreira (Belém)
CAM: Domingos Armilar* (Académica)
ST: André Silveira (Porto)*
ST: Daniel Jota (Porto)*
ST: Ivan Cavalariça (Académica)
ST: Hélder Carvalho (SCUT [Académica])
Backup Players
GK: José Virgílio (União Tomar)
DF: Manuel Rui (Bemfica)
CDM: Sérgio Azinheira (SC Braga)
MID: Bernardo Vinhais (Belém)
ST: Gabriel Martins (Sporting CL)
Coach: Victor Santa Cruz
*Indicates first team

RP PERMISSIONS - Permissões
RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod Injuries to my players: No
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Yes, occasionally
Give Red Cards to my players: Sporadically
Godmod other events: No

(OOC- Well, this is late. Will be doing the RP Article later)

by **East Belzaria** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:33 am

East Belzaria took on Qusmo in their first ever Cup of Harmony match. But only 7 minutes were played when Qusmo opened the scoring from a good corner kick that was headed in. East Belzaria did shut out Qusmo for the rest of the game, and generated several convincing counterattacks. But naturally, the big talking point was Lorn Monte who missed a penalty in the 2nd half. He played a weak shot to the right corner and the Qusmo goalkeeper got to it in time and pushed it out for a corner.

"So we lost" says David Madridson "Which means that if we're getting out of this group, we're doing it the hard way." Lorn Monte was interviewed about his penalty which was saved. "It was a penalty like any other" says Monte "But the mental weight of the penalty was different. This was East Belzaria's first ever game in a major tournament, and I panicked."

On Matchday 2 East Belzaria faces the team to beat in this group, Juvencus. Being the highest ranked team in the group, and third highest ranked out of all the competitors, East Belzaria will be looking to take some points off this opponent. After all, when matched against the Equestrian States in the qualifiers, East Belzaria held out for a 3-3 draw at home and a 1-0 away win. Naturally, Juvencus are not the Equestrian States, therefore East Belzaria must be cautious. A defeat here will almost certainly eliminate East Belzaria, unless Krytenia defeats Qusmo, which would give the East Belzarians a window of hope.

"Counterattacks will have to be how we get our chances" says Madridson "Juvencus are going to try to break down our balanced style of play. We're hoping that they'll really start to pressure our defense, because our transition is what got us several goals in the qualifiers, and what will have to get us goals here if we want to stay in the CoH."

by **Main Nation Ministry** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 12:54 pm

Non-Fiction: Conspiracy

Dennis Aldridge was put in an interrogation room, where his wrist was bandaged. Officials were checking the comic pages that he made while under his trance. It wasn't until an official entered the room, where Dennis was wondering if he was going to get the answers he needed. "My children are still at school, right?" Dennis asked, where the official was getting out the comic pages. My god, he didn't create these, did he? The Azerty were drawn in a manner that made it appeal towards all ages. However, these comic pages had some sort of malicious and grotesque nature to them. Drawn almost in a surreal style. The first comic page he saw was enough to give even a teenager nightmares. It showed masses of people rotting, while alive. Every detail on the page was made to be realistic as possible to the point where the people on the panels looked like uncanny mannequins, due to their realism. The blood that he bled was being used as the red for the color palette. Dennis nearly gagged.

"Mr. Aldridge. The first reporting soldier that found you said that you were in a sleepwalking trance of some sort?"
"I don't know why I would draw something like this. If I send this to the colorist, the comic book line could end up decommissioned."
"We believe we found a bit of a link between this image and another one here." the official said, showing another comic page. This time, it was much easier to handle, but still gave off a vibe that seem to evoke dread. It showed a man in a business suit being whisked around by two soldiers, where it looked more like a court sketch.

"What's the link?"
"These two pages are both related to the Rot Virus Crisis of 20XX and the collapse of the Pro-Flesh party. Has the recent events affected your psychological profile?"
"I don't know! What about my son? Did I draw over his sketches?"
"We will interrogate him later. However, we need to know if you were doing something else while in your sleepwalking. Were you having dreams of some sort?"
Aldridge briefly was in thought to remember. "I don't keep a dream journal, but I remember a fragment of my dream. It was in a basement. I don't know if it was my basement or another. But I remember there being a door. I don't know what was through the door, but it was closed when I saw it."
"Did you have any past experiences that may have affected you?"
"I don't know. I had a decent education, where I admit, I was a major in science. I don't know if anything else can be connected, though."
"Aldridge, we need to have several scans to determine an anomaly in your brain. We will escort you to a medical station, so it's best you remain calm."

After the interrogation ended, the official dropped out of sight from Mr. Aldridge and radioed another agent for information. "I only showed him the first two pages."
"You didn't show him the rest?"
"We need to keep a low profile. I think he may have written several other events that he isn't aware of."

Jerry was on a tropical island, away from both South Toronto and the Main Nation Ministry. While he was now the CEO of TrenchSea, his first order of business was making sure that Ivo Seth was out of the minds of all of the TrenchSea employees. Now, he was in a nice beach house with nice native townspeople. Entering his bathroom for a private bath, he entered the tub, allowing the sunlight to be upon him, as he closed his eyes to enjoy the beauty of tropical paradise. As he was about to drift off into sleep, he felt someone standing near him, blocking the sunlight. Not having any time to react, he felt several hands pushing him under the water, as he struggled to get out of the tub. He gasped for air, until he felt a small blade pierce into his throat, where he succumbed to death.

The assassin calmly puts the blade on the side of the tub, as the water starts to turn red. Jerry's death will be dismissed as a suicide. No one will know, for sure. They needed to make sure the plans were working.

by **New Lusitania and the Algarves** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 1:57 pm

STL|Serviços de Transmissão Lusitana
Sport | Football|
Cup of Harmony 73

GOALLESS ENTRY
Taeshan 0-0 New Lusitania @ Grand Regal Stadium, Canterlot

CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIAN STATES - New Lusitania found itself in the Equestrian States, perhaps a cycle later than hoped, but better late than never. The opener to the competition, no less, at the Grand Regal Stadium, host to the final as well. After an opening ceremony of awe, the match went underway after the national anthems. For New Lusitania, Patríce in goal, Guerreiros, Dalot and Cédric in defence, Nevais, Breu, Fernando and Quina and Gama in Midfield, as Silveira and Jota kept the Attack positions. Silva's retirement meant the battle for CAM continued, as Moreira, Breu, Quina and others all fought for the position. Breu had played the position against Tinhampton, Quina and Moreira against the Equestrian States.
For Taeshan, the usual suspects in the 4-4-2 diamond, playing in purple and gold, whilst New Lusitania played with Red (and Green Sleeves). A boring match, on all accounts, only 7 shots in the entire game, 4 on target, as Taeshan played their usual Counter-Attacking, all out defence game, and New Lusitania tried to get forward with the ball - no luck. Both coaches had accepted their fate by 70 minutes, with experimentation, Mário used up his position; Carriça came back and Hélder Carvalho came in for Jota. Valiant efforts, but a point gave both teams a head start. Next match, is Blaneu at the smaller Star Stadium, as Group A bases itself strategically in the capital, in the centre of the country.
FULL TIME: 0-0

Around the Grounds
Fellow group A teams Saint Émelie and Blaneu drew 0-0 as well, putting everyone equal at 1 point in Alphabetical. In Manehattan's Derby Field, veterans Juvencus beat Krytenia in 2-1, whilst in the other side of the country, in Whitetail's Shady Grove, Qusmo beat the East Belzarians 1-0 , meaning the two favourites top Group B, with Juvencus edging it on goals scored. In Group C, a draw between seeded Acronius an the Remanant States by 2 goals each. At the Elements, Mytanija beat Mattijana 2-1, taking the early lead. In the beautiful south, Darkmania drew 2-2 with Geisenfield in Group D in Appleloosa, meaning they share the top. The other result being, Omeirca against Abanhleft in a 1-1 draw. In Cassadaigua, the widely contested Group E was played with Kelssek and Tinhampton taking the wins against Freeport and former fellow Group 1 opponent Beepee, respectively, 4-1 and 2-0. In Group F, East field Lodge with a win (2-1), against South Toronto, whilst a draw between Polkopia and Dreamplanet played out in Starksville. In Group G, Savojarna beat Karlicja 2-0 in Rutland whilst in Winchester, Adab drew Siovanija and Teusland. In the final group, Group H, routine as the Main Nation Ministry beat Jeruselem. 2-1 and the Maccabees beat Ober Ar Moro. That's all from us, see you soon.

POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS and REACTIONS
I: Comments on the match today?
VSC: We played well today, as a unit, but Taeshan's defence was a stronghold to break it, we also didn't use our chances well, a lot of... Pardon me, faffing about with the ball at times, from both sides, and we need to work on being an effective side.
I: What's the view for the Cup of Harmony, in general?
VSC: We didn't make it to the World Cup which is what we all wanted, but um, the Cup of Harmony is still a great tournament, specially here in the Equestrian States, we'll try to get as far as we can, but even here there are strong sides. We have played some before in our "early and terrible" days - Juvencus, Jeruselem, and so there's a lot of danger. Our abilities will be tested, we're not sure what the potential of this side is, as a whole, and there's always room to improve, and, here's a great place for that.
I: Thank you, Victor.

Opposition Scout - from Grassroots (STL 1)
A dull affair in which a goaless tie was the outcome. If we analyse Taeshan we can see a 3 man attack, sustainably, consisting of the two forwards and a midfielder acting as a Number 10. Their defensive nature also gives them, a closed midfield play. When the other team is in attack, Taeshan move into a 6-7 man defence with the Bakr and one or both of the wingers moving down for support. The Central Attacking Midfielder drops down to collect the ball, striding forwards to supply it. They aren't much of an aerial threat but, can be lethal in counter attacks.

Lads On Tour: The Seleção in the Equestrian States
The Lusitanian side was seen, in the old streets of Canterlot, getting the general ambiance. Jorge Almeida, part of the coaching team, and part time correspondent for STL was asked and permitted to do this segment for the National Broadcaster. Sá was seen at a local cafés and restaurants with Moreira, Luz and Cavalariça taking a taste at the pastries and gastronomy. "New Lusitania has great sweets, and as New Lusitanians, we should see what the locals have to offer" said Luz. Later on, they all agreed, a cupcake or donut in Canterlot, could rival a pastry from Belém. Breu, Lopes, Fernando, Patríce and others, preferred the bars. Cédric was seen touring the sites along with Carriça, namely at the Royal Castle. Some were recognised in the crowds, and had a talk with local people, mainly Patríce, Nevais, Fernando, Gama and Silveira - the "five pillars". Later on, they all found each other back at camp, where they all discussed their findings. Moreira had a chat with Gama and Carriça over tea, as they all played games and watched the different channels for the varying sports news. A late night, though the next game is in five days time, despite the early training tomorrow.

RATINGS, AWARDS AND OPINIONS

LUS Ratings : Patríce 8.5, Guerreiros 8, Dalot 7 (Carriçe

, Cédric Silva 7, Nevais 9, Breu 8, Fernando 7.8, Armilar 7 (Mário 7), Gama 8, Silveira 9 , Jota 7 (Hélder C. 8.5) OVERALL : 8
TAE Ratings: Jingleheimer-Smitt 9, Coshan 9, Trueblood 7.5, Fasnacht 8.5, Turniquette 8, Bakr 7, Klingenberg 7, Jewsbury 7, Figueroa 8.5, Denisov 8, Torres 8 OVERALL: 8

STATS (TAE/LUS)
Goals: 0/0
Shots: 2/5
Shots on Target: 1/3
Corners: 2/2
Fouls: 6/5
Cards - Yellow: 0/0
Cards - Red: 0/0/0
Posession: 55/45

THE HUB
Nothing to Report

GOALS: -
ASSISTS: -
CARDS: -
INJURIES: -

World Cup Quals
Top Goalscorers: Silveira, Gama (11).
Assists: Fernando (9)
-----------------------------------
Matchday: Internationals
coverage of the best of WC81 and CoH73
STL1 21:00 GMT
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New Lusitania in exclusive.
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MMXVIII

by **Beepee** » Sun Oct 07, 2018 10:58 pm

Cup of Harmony - Match Day 2
Cassadaigua, New Lakeland

Match Preview

Beepee vs. Freeport

It's do or die for both Beepee and Freeport in the Cup of Harmony Match Day 2. Both teams lost their opening matches, so whoever loses today will almost certainly be out of the competition at the first hurdle.

Current Stats:

Beepee v Freeport

72 World Ranking 95
0 Head to Head 0
0 Games without Losing 0
3 Position 4
DWWWL Last 5 Games DWDDL

"The match is likely to be an edgy affair." Beepeean Occasional News Corportation Sports Editor Vonda Race said. "Neither team wants to go out this early in the competition, but both teams need to remember a draw is unlikely to help them. They both need to attack, attack, attack".

Previous Match
Beepee 0 - 2 Tinhampton

Beepee fought hard against the stronger Tinhampton side in their previous match, but we're soundly beaten.

Following the match several Beepeean players, in particular Carlo Bannan, we're criticised for failing to perform.

Coleen Yu held a press conference this morning where she discussed the match against Tinhampton and looked forward to the remaining games.

Press Conference

Beepee had disappointing loss against Tinhampton, where a number of players played poorly. What were your thoughts on the match?

I was disappointed with our lack of accuracy in finishing against Tinhampton: However, I was not disheartened by the result. On paper, Tinhampton are expected to comfortably win that game. We've learned lessons from the loss and move into the match with Freeport Isles with some confidence.

If we lose this match, Beepee are out of the tournament, will that drive on the players?

I certainly hope so. The potential outcome of a loss should focus the minds of all the players

Freeport lost their match against Kelssek. They'll be looking for revenge against us. How do you think the match will play?

Kelssek are a fantastic team, so I wouldn't pay to much mind to the loss Freeport had. As we so often see, any team can beat any other in this competition.

Freeport and their Hoofball Team will present a difficult challenge for us. Getting past goalkeeper Kukiri will present a particularly difficult challenge. Up front Sonar Amethyst has excellent heading skills and we'll need to be careful of the threat she poses.

Defender Anders Bucke appeared to get an injury today, can you tell us more and will it effect the team?

The injury has only just happened. It appears to be a hamstring issue, but I don't have much more information than that just now. Jared will take Anders place in the first team. Injuries happen and that is why we have a squad of players. I think the team will be just fine.

Following the press conference Coleen Yu released the Beepeean staring line up for the match. Sticking to the four-four-two formation.

BEEPEE STARTING XI
Formation 4-4-2
F. Shep

J. Forli
J. Baker
C. Boles ■
D. Michelle

D. Bolt
M. Christian
N. Malade
C. Patterson (c)

S. Veera
C. Bannan

Substitutes
M. Doulton
I. Hutt
S. Kirk
A. St. Pier
L. Chang

Note

Claude Boles has a yellow card from the previous match and will the miss the final group game if he picks up another in this match.

Jared Forli replaces Anders Bucke who appeared to pull a hamstring in pre-match training. Bucke will be spending sometime with the physio.

Jared Forli

Forli, 27, uses his upperbody strength to intimidate and jostle the opposition from the ball. However, his strength comes at the cost of some speed and is one of the slowest Beepeean defenders. Despite this lack of straight line speed, Jared does possess excellent stamina.

Squad Rumours

It is rumoured that Carlo Bannan may lose his position in the first team if he underperforms again in the forthcoming match.

Beepeean bookmakers are again offering odds which favour Beepee's opposition. Freeport are widely expected to beat the Bulldozers at New Lakeland.

Pre-Match odds from BeepeeBet

Freeport win.......... 2/1
Draw....................... 3/1
Beepee win............ 10/1

First Scorer

Royle (Freeport).............. 3/1
Veera (Beepee)............... 10/1
Puzzle Piece (Freeport). 12/1

Beepee to Qualify from Group 10/1 (drifting)

Cup of Harmony 73 - Everything Thread

Brave East Belzaria loses opening game

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