Banijans fall to the Equestrian States as fans hit panic mode on floundering World Bowl campaign
Banijan player reacts after the final whistle of Equestria v. Banija
CANTERLOT, EQUESTRIA- It's been great to be a fan of Banijan teams for the last four or five years or so? It seems as if, at least in the very recent history, that we've had quite a bit of success on the international scene. World Cup 82 was a true disappointment- getting knocked out of the group stages in a group that Banija was probably good enough to get second in, but we were thoroughly outplayed by Pasarga on the last day of that group stage and ultimately, deservedly were knocked out by a last minute winner in that group. While that one most certainly hurt, you can look at that as a marker- since then, there has been quite a bit of success for the various Banijan national teams, and other sides participating in international competition.
Look even at club competition, for one. Look at the most recent edition of the Champions Bowl. The Lwanga Rhinos, Banija's champions in the first ever season that we entered the Champions Bowl, reached the semifinals(ironic, eh?). Herzegovina CIty FC made the knockout stages of the UICA Champions Cup for the first time ever, and of course, the BSL finally moved into the top 32 associations of the UICA, and when that competition starts up again, they'll have a second team in the UICA Champions Cup. In regional competition, it was even better, when Herzegovina City FC actually had a miracle run all the way to the final of the Atlantian Oceania Champions League. And, of course, in the IDLO Champions Cup, the Bunyoro Regional Sporting Club went to their stunning 4th consecutive Champions Cup Final, though they fell to the Mallox Mayhem of Cosumar. Competing for championships has been the way and the mantra for Banijan clubs on the international scene lately. And even in the NSCF, both Northern Moravica and Loyola-Istria made the semifinals of NSCF 20, though both schools fell to Cold Hill University of Ranoria- Loyola-Istria doing so at the Istria Lightning Yard in the semifinals, and Northern Moravica following suit at the Karmin-Falce Superdome in the NSCF 20 Championship Game.
That is most certainly a good run of recent results for the Banijans. Deep runs, competing for titles. And while they didn't necessarily win any of the latest versions of these competitions, they've won them before- Loyola-Istria has a pair of NSCF titles, and Northern Moravica has a championship of its own. Bunyoro RSC, naturally, has won the IDLO Champions Cup twice themselves, which makes sense considering Banija's dominant lacrosse club has been to the final every single year of the competition. So nobody's shedding tears for college football fans in the Moravica region, or lacrosse fans in the South. And with the Rhinos ascending on gridiron, while Herzegovina City FC and the rest of the BSL hope to turn their burgeoning status to international success, this much is clear- the standard of sport in Banija is certainly going up.
But then, you look at the national team. We start this, of course, with the obvious- the last World Cup was a disappointment. Not disastrous, not some crazy upset or anything, but indeed, a disappointment. Many of us hoped that would be the moment when the Kadongo Kamu grabbed that next rung on the ladder. And while they certainly didn't regress, qualifying for the tournament with relative ease, while finishing a distant second in their World Cup Qualification group with Brenecia, all while setting a team record for points earned in a single World Cup Qualification campaign, you can't really say they took a step forward either. There are quite a few tiers above Banija on the international level before we're really competing at that level.
But then, in the AOCAFs, the regional championships where we played every single one of our 7 games on home soil(and co-hosted the tournament with the Commonwealth of Baker Park), things changed. IT was like the team found a chord. It was quite a magical run for the Kadongo Kamu, and the whole country was amazed by their success. In the previous three editions of this tournament, the same story rang true. Second place in their group, defeat a group winner in the Round of 16, and then ultimately fall in a valiant effort in the quarterfinals, showing that their talent, while rising, is not quite at the level of the best of the best in Atlantian Oceania. But this run was different. They actually won their quarterfinal, shocking Mriin. They won their semifinal, stunning Cosumar. But in the final, against their greatest rivals, it was the Equestrian States, once again, who were victors. An incredibly painful loss then, but with some perspective, it was quite an enjoyable tournament. And a silver medal for the national team.
That, of course, was just one national team. National teams for Banija have been experiencing quite a bit of success lately. The national baseball team actually not only advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time ever, but even upset host nation Sherpa Empire before eventually falling in the semifinals to the top seeded ladies of Cassadaigua, the tournament's eventual silver medalists and one of the most decorated nations in all of baseball. First bronze medal in that tournament. The Banijan national lacrosse team, after not winning a knockout stage game for the last five tournaments running, finally won one and got back to where it belonged- a bronze medal. Banija's 3rd ever bronze at that tournament.
The bronze medals did not stop with those two tournaments. Look at the most recent edition of the International Basketball CHampionships. Co-hosted by Abaja and Filindostan, Banija came in with heavy championship hopes. Ranked 4th in the IBC global standings, the Pot 1 side was a dark horse favorite to take the crown from Vangaziland. Banija had an excellent 9-1 group stage on the hardwood, and after dropping the opening game of a best of 3 against regional neighbors Valanora, they won four in a row(2 against Valanora, 2 against the Royal Kingdom of Quebec) to match up with the defending champs, Vangaziland. In the much hyped series, Vangaziland dominated Banija and swept us off the floor, though we earned yet another bronze medal.
And then, like we have to mention it, the most recent World Bowl. If you're a reader of this magazine, you likely know about Banija's bronze medal in Ko-oren, so there's no need to say anything about it here. And then, of course, the pinnacle- the 8th Sporting World Cup. The Usana Kadongo Kamu, won the U18 World Cup in soccer, putting a gold medal into the RBSA's trophy case. So with all that success recently, especially competing in a tournament where Banija has been to four previously and won exactly none of them, you'd think Banija would come out firing in this World Bowl, especially with the knockout stages taking place on home soil.
That is not what happened.
The Serpent Eagles are 0-5 away from home this tournament. This including a blowout loss to Velstrania away, and a loss to an Equestrian States squad that has been seriously struggling in this phase. The high hopes of Bnaija fans have come crashing down, with an embarassing performance in League A and a subpar one as well in League B. While the loss to Ranoria wasn't that surprising, considering the two national teams are probably about equal to each other in terms of skill level, the loss to the Equestrian States is. The road struggles might cost Banija a spot in the knockouts entirely. If they fall to Ranoria at the Stadium of the Restoration in Week 5, then it'll set up a do-or-die game against Terre Septentrionale in Week 6 away from home, where the winner takes all and the loser goes home. And then the winner would have to play in another road game, against a League A side, just for a spot in the last 16. Who would bet on a team that is 0-5 on the road so far to win 2 do-or-die games in a row, away from home?
Certainly not this writer. That makes this upcoming one a must-win, especially with a fan base that is now very used to their national teams competing for championships. They won't settle for anything less at this point. If Banija doesn't notch this win over this burgeoning rival, then we imagine things will not be good for the job prospects of Alastair Jobs...
