World Cup 83 - Roleplay Thread

[Qasden]

(Preemptive post in case I don't submit the full thing in time. Soz)

Dodoma Rhapsody: The Match that only brought Temporary Deafness

---

By Laura J.

They weren't kidding about Albert III Stadium being loud. I still can't hear Jerry's bickering about Vilita.

After an abysmally successful qualifying run (giving Qasden its first ever finish in the top spot), the Blue-Reds began their hot pursuit towards a fourth attempt at the World Cup Finals, held in the nearby lands of Banija and, uhh, Equestria? That's that place with all the sentient horses, right? Anyways, the Vans were drawn into one of the milder groups of the tournament, consisting of co-hosts Banija, qualification-starved Taeshan, and our first opponents, the 6-time World Cup champions, Starblaydia!

As the de facto group titan, these purple nobodies made quick work of adversaries like Abanhfleft & Devonta in the qualifiers, skating on thick ice all the way to the proper. Coming in hot and melting the ice behind them as the 9th seed multiversally, the team once graced by the presence of Di Bradini became a favorite among the bookies to achieve a playoff position in the group, alongside the Kadongo Kamu (no faith in us, I guess). For Qasden, this was intimidating; but for Bjarnasson, anything can be subliminally less intimidating!

So how did the match go? Well...

---

Can't really complain with that, honestly. Despite a dominant opposing force, the Qads managed to stay true to themselves and pull a miracle out of the collective behinds, drawing the once-godlike team in a respectable 2-2 fashion. With goals from both Ryan Xandreas & Onyx Foster, as well as a formidable keeping performance by the legendary Macron Abbott, the Vans were able to add a point to their tallies, which, if we look at this totally different format from the qualifier standings, gives us this:

Not the greatest start, but a confident one nonetheless. The hosts lead the group after a 2-0 victory over Taeshan in Busukuma propelled them upwards, 2 points above the rest of us. Despite the satisfactory ending between purple and deconstructed purple, both Qasden and Starblaydia will have intense matches to follow outside Dodoma. For the Starblaydians, it's a Taeshani force looking for blood in Istria's Kabonero III Field. As for the Blue-Reds, their training leads them out Banija's largest port for the glamorous, newly airport-fitted Herzegovina City, where the Kadongo Kamu await them at Star Field, a venue that's seen great success in club football. A win for the Vans here would push us one inch closer to remaking the playoffs once more, but failure can come at the lethal price of early expiration, should the Knights fail to cope with the darker purple team in the group.

Can the Qads defeat Waters and Banija's squad of elites? Will Bjarnasson prove that last cycle was no fluke? Can somebody please help me see a doctor for my ears? All this and more (maybe) when you stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for our next QADANS report, live from the 83rd World Cup Finals!

[Equestrian States]

WORLD CUP 83
EQUESTRIA & BANIJA

Groups E-H - Match Day 2 Cutoff
Sponsored by Mwanxberg Group

Is there a more time-honored tradition than getting really, really, really drunk and cheering on your favorite sports team? Of course not! Might we recommend Official World Cup 83 Alcoholism Partner Mwanxberg for your pre-match, mid-match, and post-match drinking? They profess to be the "beer of the people" and allegedly do not discriminate based on race, class, religion, or species. How progressive! That being said, the Equestrian public might discriminate based on drink, given their typical preference for cider over beer, but that just means that it's up to the fans of the other World Cup participants to make up for the lack of local consumers. Drink up!

Some teams could punch their tickets to the next round tonight, while others could be eliminated. Will you enter the final day with everything to play for, or with your fate already sealed? Enjoy some select cutoff tunes while you wait to find out.

Results

[Banija]

Matchday 2 Cutoff for Groups A-D

Brought to you by the BCEL Beverage Company

After you've had your favorite alcoholic beverage at the large number of fantastic bars in Banija and Equestria, you're going to need to come down, eventually. You can't just stay really drunk forever, can you? That is why we are proud to present BCEL Beverage Company as the Official Sobriety Partner of World Cup 83. They're a company that invests in the beautiful game- they have been a titular sponsor for the World Cup stadium in Jinja City, Hangaza, for many years now.

They're the produce of the multiverse famous Chappy Cola, which does away with all the fake stuff. That's right- no artificial anything. Real sugar, sweet taste, and with a Godly, caffeine-free option- what isn't there to like? Take a sip on these refreshing drinks during your stay in Equestria & Banija.

You gotta listen to what she wrote in advance of our cutoff.

[Kita-Hinode]

WORLD CUP 83
The Emperors of the Beach, sink or swim.
Written by The Sunrise Club's Digest director Choji Sarutame after a couple of cups of tea
HINODE, SOMEI-YOSHINO - You got to give it to the Poltergeists, a team that had zero ambitions following a woeful first half of the qualifiers. Every single game during the second half of the qualifiers was a game with everything at stake, from the bottom to the top, sink or swim, do or die, gambling everything on each game. It was a young team, unsure of the future, well aware of their mistakes in the past, atoning for everything with hard work and quality football. From the mischievous grin of Juri Kisame to the courage (and naivete) of Raiden Kojima, passing by the effectiveness of Iori Saitou, the heart of Cherry Whitecastle and the strength of Somporn Metharom.

The game against Free Republics is another one in a chain of games where everything was at stake, the odds (more often than not) against our Empire, another step in a path that we don't really know where it'll lead us to. Will it bring a third World Cup, something to give pride to our forefathers, long lost into the sands of time and the fabric of space? Will it be a heartbreak loss to another team who deserves it more than us? Will it be an annoying loss to another team that deserves it less than us? Will it even end at all? Lord knows, to be honest.

But it does bring something to light, something that really should've been brought into the light beforehand: the Empire's unity. Despite all problems in the way, we managed to reach a place that very few could reach. This path could've ended much earlier. This whole thing couldn't even have been, after all. We could have chosen to stay at our own realm, resting easy with the knowledge we wouldn't be affected by anything. And yet, despite all, the team remained united. The Empire remained united. It's pretty sweet when you think about it. Let's face it, the Hinodejin Empire is a pretty good place to live at, surely some already have some envy or distaste about us and our stance towards people of different castes, choices, ideas and even species, so to perform well, it's a nice touch.

We really only need to not lose against Free Republics to go through. It's not impossible but keeping a team that wants a win from winning is usually a hard task, regardless of their size and skill, so we from the Sunrise Club's Digest wish the best for the Hinodejin Empire's national football team, from starters to bench members and their manager, Eleanor Lindgard, in the task of winning another battle with everything at stake. Even if we lose, it's still enough to be proud, a team with zero expectations qualified to the World Cup against all odds. We're the Emperors of the Beach, regardless of whether the sun burns our eyes or not.

[Apox]

I will be continuing the storyline from qualifiers, but right now inspiration is running really low.

Turori 1-1 Apox Townsend 4', Inuro'o 66'
TUR: An'maude -- Mayelli, Edgeli, Mpala'a, Inuro'o -- Koshiki (Giaoka 63'), Akarenaa (Pumaziiri 84'), Aeroluzzi, Toru'u -- Aikiki (Iretziia 63'), Gotuai
APX: Spitfire -- Fox, Scott, Jekyll, du Plessis -- Menheniot -- Townsend (Blinkman 68'), Palmisano, J. (c) -- Quintero, Blake-Tatum, Ephraim-Garza (Hannibal 80')

A good firm start to the Apoxian world cup campaign against familiar foe and top seed Turori, even if this match-up is one of the most even between the two sides. Despite scoring early from a Townsend free-kick, Apox will be content with a point in the first match as Turori had an early strong penalty shout ruled out by the ref, judging Brevin Scott's tackle on Nua'oma Aikiki to be fair. Apox pushed hard for a second goal in the closing stages of the first half, James Palmisano showing his usual class and endeavour in the centre of midfield, but the end product was lacking. The second half was more of a Turori dominanted affair, Daliora Toru'u lofting the ball onto the head of Amakli Inuro'o to draw the game equal. Despite coming under pressure from the Turorian offense in the closing stages, Tregatta Spitfire and her defense held firm to ensure it was honours even at the end of the game between the two sides.

Bongo Johnson 0-7 Apox Blake-Tatum 7', 39', 60', Ephraim-Garza 10', Fox 49', Oakstone-Sandoval 84'
BNG: Not supplied.
APX: Spitfire -- Fox, Scott, Jekyll, du Plessis (Redmond 67') -- Drawbridge -- Townsend, Palmisano, J. (c) (Magarhatery 67') -- Quintero, Blake-Tatum (Oakstone-Sandoval 78'), Ephraim-Garza

No, your eyes do not deceive you. That is a 7-0 win for Apox against regional opponents Bongo Johnson as the team hand out an absolute shellacking the lowest ranked side in the group (and isn't it nice to be on the better end of a World Cup shellacking for once?) It was a nightmare beginning for Bongo Johnson as their central defensive lynchpin was handed a red card with just four minutes played, leaving them with it all to do against an Apoxian side who were unbeaten in thirteen games and keen not to let superstition bed in. It wouldn't take long for the bloodbath to begin, Marcy Blake-Tatum getting on the scoresheet in just the 7th minute, before Clarissa Ephraim-Garza doubled the advantage by heading in Eusebio Drawbridge's lofted through ball. Things only got worse for the Johnsons, scoring an own goal before conceding a second Blake-Tatum goal to put Apox 4-0 up and in the driving seat at half-time. It was more of the same in the second half, with goals from Ayrton Fox, Marcy Blake-Tatum (completing the hat-trick) and substitute Miriam Oakstone-Sandoval to complete by far Apox's highest scoring win in the World Cup to date. They face already qualified Mriin in the final group stage game, and will need a point to ensure they beat Turori in progressing, although they have a very handy goal difference now to sit on.

[Ko-oren]

Lunaro Tsukida's Numbers Game

For this episode, I'm looking at the influence of the head coach. Juliasterinthen has been at the head of this team for a long time, and might very well be one of the longer tenured head coaches among all at this position in this World Cup. Now Ko-oren really isn't the only national team that keeps coaches around for a very, very long time, by the way. It's hard to compare the influence that other coaches have, as long as substitutions aren't always kept track of and some of these coaches just haven't been around for very long. Some have just started out in an already stacked team, others have built their way towards the team of a lifetime. Some inherited a team in decline, others have been eliminated a long time ago from the qualification stage having been at the head of shit mountain for decades.

Juliasterinthen has inherited a team of aging stars and a very unclear idea of the future, back when the Dragonflies qualified for World Cup after World Cup, then they didn't for a single tournament, went to the Harmony instead and won it. That's still the best team we've ever had, results-wise, and so you could say that Juliasterinthen inherited a team in decline. Turning that decline into a new start and a better generation has been the theme of his tenure, and now that most starters are in the 22-27 age range and seeing as we're in the World Cup right now, you could say Juliasterinthen has definitely met his goal of bridging the gap from one stellar team to the next. For the head coach, it's obviously not enough. He shows no signs of slowing down and looks like he wants to take this team to the next level: win another Cup of Harmony and match the achievements of the Dragonfly teams that he himself was a part of, or take the Green and Blue to a 'gosh darn' WC Quarterfinal already.

Just a short note on how the group stage is going: Ko-oren are second, behind the qualified Sargossa. If the Green and Blue win, they're in. With a draw, we still have a pretty big chance of making it as long as Zwangzug don't win. With a loss, we give away our spot to Nephara. Sargossa play Zwangzug, and have already beaten us and Nephara, so you would say they could go the length and get 9 points. At least, that's what I want to belive because that would massively help us. The challenge is clear: a win, or at least a draw. I don't know about you, but that sounds like parking the bus music to me. Any goal conceded is a death sentence - but we mustn't forget to score at the same time...

Back to the theme of this story, then.

Influence on the individuals
Katanmak Juliasterinthen has had some trouble with mutiny in the team. Once the team went from 23 to 16 with a lot of players striking. Those same players are now starters for the current team. I highly, highly doubt that Katanmak has decided those players are fine now, and there have been deep grudges in the past. I feel like the KFA announced that those players should return, and here they are. All in all, the team spirit is back and everyone is together and happy now. The underlying problems have been removed by the head coach (but in all likelihood aided by others) and a strike like that just shouldn't happen ever again. The personalities are still there - so I'm not ruling it out 100% either. I'm undecided on his influence on individual players, but I'm leaning heavily towards 'the players are indifferent about him, and he's got not much to say over them'.

Influence on the team
Likely the biggest criticism of Juliasterinthen has always been how it never felt like he selected the team that he wanted. Reportedly he's had 'help' from the KFA and 'assistant coaches' in selecting the best set of 23. That was years ago, and Katanmak selects the players that he wants, with a great mix of young and old - exactly what lacked in all those years when he played in the NT himself. Selecting, and starting Van Schelven, Benjamin, and Janoreirinthen (22, 24, and 24 year olds) are all his own moves and pretty far away from what the KFA wants to see (experienced, established names). Having a player under 27 as a centreback is blasphemy as far as the traditional playing style of the Dragonflies is concerned, and yet our centrebacks are 27, 22 and 24 now. Juliasterinthen has a huge influence on the team in recent years, and has paved the way for successful younger players that still have a career ahead of them - that they can then approach differently, but more on foreign transfers later.

Influence on the result
The most important thing of all: winning. Juliasterinthen has influence over this through strategy and substitutions, and I feel like he has this art down very well. Generally, each opponent receives its own treatment while always working from a 5-3-2, with a defender moving up to a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 in possession, and individual assignments are solid. Mismatches are exploited to give us an advantage and rarely come back to haunt us, but substitutions are barely used. If you would like to see something ballsy, like an extra striker when you're 2-1 down, or something, that's just not happening. So, in short: the preparation is amazing, the mid-game changes are subpar.

Influence on domestic play
Seeing as how Juliasterinthen never played abroad himself, it feels like his calls for players to move abroad are a bit out of place. He can't judge what a move abroad entails because he never did that, and neither did his teammates. Still, it's a gutsy call but it does seem like the Top League is opening up and national teamers are trying to get hired by some massive teams. Juliasterinthen also incentivises these moves, those that do play abroad have starting roles. Outside of foreign transfers, Juliasterinthen's selections aren't triggering changes to teams' tactics in order to prepare players for the national team more. Worse even, the national league is moving towards more and more open and attacking teams, while the national team is defensive as ever. Maybe that explains the number of Bruncester, Cirelbourne, Straudum, and Maethoru selections? Turns out he has some influence after all.

Influence on the sport
I just put this in here because I felt like the theme was getting bigger and bigger. Individual players... the team... results... the league - and now the world. I don't think Juliasterinthen really influences the entire world of football, though he does continue our national crusade against attacking football with our own brand of clever ('gamesmanship'), tactical, and extremely defensive play. For that, Juliasterinthen, thank you. But all things considered, you didn't come up with it, so I'm going to rate your influence on the sport as a whole as tiny/non-existant.

Overall
I'm going to say that Juliasterinthen can stay the head coach for a while to come. His preparation is unrivaled, and the team is recording incredible results. The mix of players called up to the team, from young to old, is exactly as you'd like to see. The link between the Dragonflies and the domestic league is fading, though, and that needs repairing if we want to stay competing with a 5-3-2. At the rate the league is turning to offensive styles, good luck finding players that can fit a defensive 5-3-2 some 5, 10 years down the line. I don't think that Juliasterinthen is fully independent in his decision making, and that the KFA has a hand in how the team is formed as well. If Katanmak can muster his influence together, create a vision for the team himself, and get other coaches on board - that's the ultimate goal. He's far short of that, though. Planning for single games is top-notch, so for the short term goals he's the best coach we can have. I just don't think he's the long term option.

[Zwangzug]

"Greetings from Star Stadium, and a special shoutout to all the Ko-orenite fans watching us in a Goalie...Goliath...Goliæth Sports Café."

"It's from the Welsh, and they won't be watching us, they have their nations' own announcers."

"Oh. Well. Do they have robots that can point out how Matías Cáceres has good feet for a big non-mathematician?"

"As the Sargossan alum, uh, also named Matías pointed out, he's not a big man, he's 5'10."

"I'm 5'3", Jaina, they're all big to me."

"Zwangzug looking to avenge their defeat at the previous Cup of Harmony third place playoff."

"No they're not, nobody cares about CoH third-place playoffs..."

"...The coaching squad, Juliasterinthen and Davenport, signalling from the bench. They were both named to the Ko-orenite federation's own hall of fame based on their leadership as captains, right behind the guy with the glasses."

"Think you're extrapolating a bit there, Jaina. Tsuki Tsuchida in possession now."

"No relationship to Misako, who's just accepted a position at Bryce College giving guest lectures on transient mortality with regards to artificial citizens."

"I think you just made that up."

"And recruiting for their football program, beating their rivals Fleinhardt in the first round was a big sell."

"Now that I can believe. Kukiseso clears it back a bit, tackled nicely by van Schelven, an exciting defender of all things..."

"...looks as if Friede's coming off after having been outpaced by Longchambon. To be replaced by Riley Kivrin, an important piece of the puzzle for Arlington, and one of the few players that Emmylou here could potentially outheight."

"I resemble that. Vaugrenard breaks forward--but he'll be called offsides, and sulks at the referee questioning his judgment. Scallop to restart play."

"He hasn't had the presence in the game we might have hoped, losing a step or two before that goal from Janoreirinthen, which still makes the difference in this game."

"Well, between Keppal doing...things no doubt in the UICA circuit, the long campaign seems to have taken its toll."

"It raises the question of who could succeed him as captain. Kukiseso surely in the mix, he should be able to rise to the occasion especially against polyglot teams like the Dragonflies after he developed a northeastern accent during a brief post-concussion period."

"You just made up 'the mix' right now, and Kukiseso probably almost as old as Scallop, they should look to someone younger for leadership."

"Such as?"

"It's not my place to speculate."

"Oh, what a copout. Brogley...almost as reticent as Emmylou to take a stand, easily disposessed by Twoni, but Dalton is there to cut him off..."

"...Ko-oren switching it up with their fullback as a central midfielder for the last few minutes."

"I'd think the Zwangzug players wouldn't be scared by their tactical variance, having such a...diversity of formations that they face back home."

"Possible. Could that be why Ambaile-Hund has struggled to find a footing, less variation in the Qusmo league?"

"Not really. The Pug Qusmyra is a very diverse place, I think we can all agree..."

"...and that'll finish out the game, the Dragonflies parking the train--but not the Cole one--after Tsuchida's opener. Join us tonight for CommentaryBot 0.7 Beta's analysis."

"No don't, they're stuck with version .3 and it only goes on about ice hockey."

"That's...not what I was told."

"Early experiment from the AIU. Back when we were brave enough to try and spin off our own colonies. Got a bit single-minded."

"I think you're making this up."

"What? Ask Kelssek or anybody, they're very good hockey commentators."

"A bit unfortunate as Kelssek have already been eliminated, but we'll have all the analysis for you soon, one way or another."

[Kelssek]

Ruslan Demetriev @RuslanDeme_6
Know what they do with racist/specist scum here in Equestria? U fucking bigots could use a good trampling #KickItOut #antifa #HopeNotHate

---

21h47

Thamior, how’s it going?

Hey Davis thanks for checking in. I’m doing great, we’re all revved up for the Cosumar match, this is one team we really think we can get an upset against

Thankfully I never actually saw those messages, my agent has a social media manager to take care of all that

I don’t know how I feel about it tbh... trying not to think about it for now

Ok yeah. I think i feel the same way. Let me know if you wanna chat, we’re arriving in hollow shades around 6pm
so could go for a walk etc

that sounds great, will txt once we reach hotel

team mates have all been really supportive about what happened, dont worry about them

glad to hear it, i saw ruslan definitely doesn’t have a social media manager

hahahaha

these problems are bigger than any of us, carë ita on carima, let one do what one can :bowarrow:

---

Kelssek bows out after smackdown from Cosumar
WORLD CUP 83 | by Simone Wilmot, in Hollow Shades (Equestria)

Kelssek have been eliminated from further contention at the World Cup in Banija and Equestria, after Cosumar came from behind twice to kill hopes of an upset win at the Stadium of the Night.

Fans were thirsting for a scalp after Cosumar opened their campaign with a loss to Valanora, and head coach Kirk McDonagh made his intentions clear as he sent the team out to attack. The result was a wild match that saw Kelssek’s hopes swell and then be cruelly dashed. Like the mythical Icarus, this team perhaps flew too close to the sun.

Everything seemed possible when Shaheen Taleb found the net early, hitting a half-volley from point-blank range as Gabriel Lapierre laid it off from the flank. Cosumar struck back through Tidesson to level the scores before half-time.

Matt Lister then scored his first international goal in seven months to put Kelssek ahead again after 50 minutes. But, fighting for their own survival in the competition, Cosumar struck back with devastating force with four unanswered goals to claw back from 2-1 down.

An inch-perfect through ball from Kai-Kai Mokumdarian set up Vega Zeale-Riddick to level the score. Kelssek still kept trying to attack, but this didn’t last for long, and there was no stopping the tide as Cosumar mercilessly pressed for the win.

Going behind to Isla Sibučić’s thundering volley from the edge of the penalty area seemed to break the will of the players and Sibučić almost walked through the centre-backs to help herself to a second goal just four minutes later. Vega Zeale-Riddick began the requiem for Kelssek’s World Cup campaign when he evaded Mason Curtin to get on the end of a 35-yard free kick late in the match.

Kirk McDonagh hit back in post-match press conference when asked if he thought of trying to shore up the defence to salvage a draw. “I have no regrets, if that’s what you’re asking. With the result in the other match, and when knowing you’re playing against Valanora in the third one, settling for one point is as good as losing two.”

McDonagh also declined to wade in to issues around team’s social media use after incidents of online racial abuse directed at several players. “All I will say is that if you have any moral compass it’s pretty clear what is right and wrong here, and I fully support my players one hundred per cent.”

Match summary
KELSSEK 2, COSUMAR 5
Kelssek: Poirier, Liadon, Halliger, Curtin, Bowler, Demetriev (McDonagh 84’), Lapierre, Canning-Meagher (Ó Tuathil 55’), Taleb, Lister, Custworth.
Scoring: KSK - Taleb 19', Lister 50’; COS – Tidesson 33’, Zeale-Riddick 62’, 82’ Sibučić 72’, 76’
Player of the match: Isla Sibučić (Cos)

[South Covello]

SoCo Goes Loco Podcast:

Bozo Bryant: Howdy y'all, welcome in hey hey to the SoCo Goes Loco podcast, I'm Bozo Bryant, joined as always by Shawn Burst and Jason St. Pierre, and we're here to recap the South Covello-Free Republics World Cup match and preview the match against Mercedini, aka the Dini-Dini-Dinosauri.

Shawn Burst: I don't think that's their actual nickname, but first, let's talk Republican-Covellan showdown.

Jason St. Pierre: Yep, and Rule Theriault was crying in his beer after this one, because we not only won, but shut out that arrogant buffoon and his team.

Bozo Bryant: That's right, we won 1-0. But before we talk the match, can we talk about his stupid cheerleaders?

Shawn Burst: Yes, the 666 cheerleaders of doom, or some other ridiculously high number.

Jason St. Pierre: And of course, these cheerleaders are paid big big bucks to wear skimpy outfits and cheer for the team. They're not real Supporters, they're eye candy who will sing a song.

Bozo Bryant: We sang a song to that tune once, during the Gregist days. It was so bad that it was not only banned from the Multiverse, but all evidence of it was erased.

Shawn Burst: We're not supposed to talk about that.

Jason St. Pierre: Correction - Gregoryisgodistan isn't supposed to talk about that. Gregoryisgodistan doesn't exist anymore.

Bozo Bryant: No, we're allowed to talk about it, we're just not allowed to sing it. And why would we? We love Britonisea now, and some of their people will probably be filing claims against the Victims of Gregism Compensation Fund shortly if they haven't already.

Shawn Burst: Did we ever hurt any Britoniseans or just sing mean, nasty songs about them?

Jason St. Pierre: The Enemy Crushers probably crushed some of them at some point.

Bozo Bryant: But can we focus on the cheerleaders again? So they have this song they sing but they're paid to sing it. Our Supporters sing glorious songs because they love the team and our nation, not because they're paid to sing it. Songs like "On the Banks of the Old Goldenrod" and other beautiful songs and chants about the Rebs, coconuts, and other cool stuff. And they wrote the songs too, it's all grassroots, not Astroturfed like the Republican cheerleaders' "support."

Shawn Burst: Yeah, we wouldn't be caught dead with a cheerleading squad. No true soccer team would. It's pathetic.

Jason St. Pierre: And to their credit, the Screaming Coconuts didn't take too kindly to the cheerleaders, booing them as they came out before the game and unveiling a tifo that said "REAL SPIRIT NOT FAKE SPIRIT" in big giant letters, and later sang a song about how the cheerleaders' support for the Republican squad was as fake as Dumpy O'Rumpy's hair and the things that come out of his mouth, as well as "One cheering squadron/There's only one cheering squadron/Screaming Coconuts/The one cheering squadron" in an effort to mock the Republican cheerleaders' sincerity.

Bozo Bryant: Yeah, and after Coconut Charles scored to put South Covello up 1-0 in the 67th minute, they sang a nasty parody of "Rule Theriault" which began "Fool Theriault/Theriault's a clown/SoCo's fans are the best in town" and went on to mock Theriault, the Republican cheerleading squad, and soccer legend turned drunken frat boy consul Kyle Bolton.

Shawn Burst: But yeah, as we said, Coconut Charles scored what proved to be the game-winning goal in the 67th minute, grabbing onto a long ball by Dmitri Woodward over the top and tucking it past Taras Seregeyev as the Republican defenders desperately tried and failed to get back from their attack.

Jason St. Pierre: After that, the Republicans turned up the gas even more than they had already, desperately trying to break through, but Matthew Tyler was a rock in goal, making 11 saves on 11 shots on goal. The Republicans also had 18 shots miss the target, many of which were due to Tyler closing down space and forcing the miss.

Bozo Bryant: Anything else we want to add about this game?

Shawn Burst: No, but now a word from our sponsors. But first, let me note that Busty Daniels' book is no longer our sponsor because all of it was lies and you'd have to be a complete and utter idiot to believe it. King Paulus XVI of Saintland is apparently such an idiot himself because he thinks people would actually believe it and therefore is concerned. What is he worrying about? That was ridiculous, absurd, and did you see Busty's latest twii? Apparently she's saying she did ... something ... with us in the middle of our podcast but we broke our promise to her and edited it out.

Bozo Bryant: I can assure you that's a lie. We did no such thing.

Jason St. Pierre: But now a word from our real sponsor, the National Association for Goat Rights in Banija And Elsehwere, also known by its acronym, NATAGRIBE. NATAGRIBE has been staging massive protests with tens of thousands of people in Banija this World Cup, and will not stop until all the goats have been liberated from food prisons everywhere. They are the resistance.

Bozo Bryant: And now we apparently have a ton of pro-goat eating protesters protesting outside our studio in Banija because they knew we were going to run that ad. So let's preview Mercedini match before -

BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP

Bozo Bryant: Oh crap, one of those goat eaters pulled the fire alarm to force us out of the studio before we could run the ad. They're too late, but we do need to evacuate, so bye now.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

For immediate release:
BCEL Beverage Corp. joins forces with Turori's Cocoa-bo
Jinja City—BCEL Beverage Corporation (BHSE-BCEL) announced that the company will become the sole distributor in the Commonwealth of Baker Park for the Cocoa-bo delectable drink, unveiling a partnership with the Turori company here.

BCEL CEO Georgina Flowers stated that the negotiations had been underway for some time, and that the Ezriquay based company were sensitive to the business model that Cocoa-bo has used in their expansion across the multiverse in the past.

"We understood that they have an excellent foundation for how they present and market Cocoa-bo, and how they have expanded prudently and with care. We offered our idea as a way to introduce the brand to a wider audience in the Commonwealth, without their having to commit to new shop locations right from the beginning. If things proceed as expected, they can make decisions on their own behalf whether they want to franchise the eateries here. BCEL is not, of course, an operator of stores, we are a distributor. In this way, we can assist Cocoa-bo with expanding in Baker Park, should they so choose."

The agreement calls for the nation's largest beverage producer to bottle and handle the promotion for the chocolate delectable, as well test new flavor options. No export of either the original or any developed flavors will be allowed, a policy that is standard for all licensing deals that BCEL enter into, Flowers stressed.
"We take very seriously the trust other makers of beer, distilled spirits & soft drinks place in us when they grant us permission to produce their product here. We don't want to be in competition with them, only to expose their brands to our consumers."

The initial test flavor being produced for the BP market is already available for sale alongside the original chocolate Cocoa-bo; it is a white chocolate & caramel blend, with a hint of nutmeg, and will be available at retailers during the duration of the World Cup, as part of the "Tastes of the Multiverse" promotion being conducted currently.

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State Banquet Room, St John's Palace, Belle Haven.

The presentation of the gifts from the Royal Family were greatly appreciated by their recipients; room was made against one of the sideboard walls to display them, so that the invited guests could peruse them at the conclusion of the dinner.

The Palace was far too large and had more rooms than it needed for being a residence for one family. Many of the various salons, drawing and sitting rooms in the east wing of the Palace were available for rental by the general public--for parties, wedding receptions, business meetings, and almost any other type of occasion. The kitchen was therefore constantly busy, and a dinner of this size was no extra effort than any other occasion.

Four courses was the generally adopted format, although there had been times in the past when that varied; a light soup, a fish course or a small plate starter, then the main course, ending with dessert. At least one course was always a dish in honor of the nation being feted, and often made with ingredients procured from the guest nation (when practicable).

When all had been consumed, amid pleasant conversation and the accompaniment of a string quintet, the toasts were exchanged by the Head and the Kabaka, genuine exchanges of goodwill and friendship between the two leaders.

The post-dinner activities on this occasion took a sharp detour from the usual conclusion; instead of a musical performance or some other artistic endeavor, there was simply a gathering for those who chose to stay and mingle in the State Ballroom, where the musicians set up and continued their chamber recital.

The mingling had a certain purpose for a select group of guests. The PM, Foreign Minister, Secretary of State and a couple other cabinet ministers worked their way among the crowd, as did the spouses of the first three; not only did the members of the Royal Family get a bit of face time with each of the above mentioned, but some of the top personal aides to the Kabaka and the Isebantu who had accompanied both men on trip got a chance to step out of the shadows.

The young Omugubes had been invited to the private residence to be entertained by Freddie Gregson; eventually the remaining group of official personages joined in the family areas of the Head's apartment.
The men hadn't gotten the tour of the residence earlier, so Gregson led those Royals, along with Tony Schoenlein and Allan Arnold, who had stayed behind, to the Library.

"This is the Prince Regent's Library. Prince Frederick, who was the first one, didn't speak English fluently—so they say, I've read some of things he wrote and he had a pretty good command of the language in writing—so he collected books, and read as much as he could. Out loud, to himself. He also employed tutors to work with him, I think he had 3...and he treated all of them like the most respected citizens in the country."

He turned his back on the party and opened up a cabinet along the outside facing wall. He turned back holding a bottle of black cherry schnapps. "Tony, I think you know where the walnut box is? Al, in that cabinet above your head are the cordial glasses. Your majesty, your highnesses, I certainly would not wish to offend, but I offer you each a cigar and a tiny sip of this bottle. I understand completely if you decline."

The Kabaka smiled and made a brief wave of the hand. "I mean no offense to decline the drink, however I will accept your cigar, and for my son and son-in-law, I leave them free to make their own choice." Mr Schoenlien opened the cigar box and held it out to the guests, each man choosing one, before offering it towards the Head and Arnold, who was the only one to not indulge. "My wife is already mad enough that she thinks I've drank too much." He shook his head and the others chuckled.

Mutungi & Muteesi both chose to take a drink of schnapps, so Gregson poured five glasses.
The PM's husband—himself a politician, a member of the State Senate of Midalia; it would be soon 25 years that they had been married—spoke up first. "I apologize to all, but I am going to ignore protocol and offer the toast." Gregson gave a sweeping gesture.

"First, I'd like to shamelessly offer a toast to my wife, who in her own way holds all of by the short & curlies..." The group burst into laughter. "Metaphorically, of course. I'd like offer a toast to the Kabaka, as fine a gentleman as I've ever had the privilege to meet, and to Isebantu Mutungi and Omulanga Muteesi, as it has been a pleasure to get to know you both (no one corrected him on his mistake)and your spouses. And to Allan, a decent, honorable man who our family considers to be a friend, although we stand on opposite sides of the political divide. Finally, to the Head, again, we hold you in the highest esteem also. Thank you for your friendship to us over these past several years. OK. And so...a toast to friendships!"
They clinked glasses and drank, then proceeded to light the cigars, while Gregson moved towards the lone window and cracked it open, then switched an overhead fan. "I had them figure out how to get the airflow to carry the smoke out the window. If that's the only accomplishment I've made in 12 years, it was well worth it."

Postscript:
Monday morning, after the Royal Family had returned from their trip the previous evening, Swede Johanssen took a call at his residence in Busukuma, from the Prime Minister.
"Good morning Swede, how are you?"
"I'm well, Prime Minister. Are you recovered from the whirlwind gala?" He laughed.
"It was a weekend that packed in the adventures. And....how did it play in papers there?"
"I think every important moment was on the front page, in pictures, in color; the arrival ceremony, the address and the motorcade, Mansfield and the banquet, and the sending off. TV, it was near the top of every newscast. Maybe not the lead or second story, but big coverage. With the World Cup hype ramping up, if they want to make Mutebi a low key issue, I think we've done a good job."

[Starblaydia]

The dark mist begins to lift as you begin to realise your surroundings, the fuzzy shapes coalescing into vague forms that you can still only barely hint at their true appearance. Wreathed in thick, dark, billowing smoke, and outlined by the painfully sharp and bright orange light of what is unmistakeably flame, the world around you is a frozen, burning mass of swirling colour, of inky blackness and incandescent white. Screams and cries abound, piercing tones above the thundering, pounding and endless thrum of a heartbeat, one that feels like it has been echoing throughout eternity.

There are two shapes, steadfast and unmoving in the sky above you. Two orbs of the purest gold, broken only by the single sharp vertical slit down each one. The gold itself is patterned like a flowing river, but this river is still and solid, and staring firmly and proudly at you, seeing through you to your soul beneath, stripped away of wants and desires until only the will to survive remains. Fight or flight, it does not matter; not now.

Not then.

These eyes you’ve seen before, the gaze of a predator drilling a single hole into your mind. But you feel that you are not its prey. Not yet, at least. How many have stood here before you, seeing and being seen, before becoming devoured? Perhaps you are the first, or maybe you will be the last, or has this glacial dance of yours amidst the smoke and flame gone on for, and will go on, for centuries with or without you?

It speaks again to you. Again, with the voice that you can feel and not hear, one that reverberates around your mind until every fibre of your being is trembling in its echo.

“Come to me,” it says. And you will. You know you will. Your decision made in the half-breath of a single word, the task solidified in your soul as hard as a block of granite, an unbreakable will that you know you must keep, or perish without.

“Come to me,” it continues, “where the world ends again.”

Again. The word passes through you like a ghost, a cold realisation that this catastrophe is no prophecy, but a certainty. It has before. It will again.

You’re getting closer, you can feel it. Closer to the eyes and the smoke and the flame where you feel your destiny awaits. But is this closer to the end of the world? Are you hastening that event with this headstrong course of action, bringing about the destruction of all things without any regard for them but instead your own desire to be brought before the eyes? Those perfect golden eyes.

The nearer you feel, the more the smoke clears, giving you hints of your surroundings. Tall, solid shapes shoot upwards towards the sky, piercing the clouds. Shadows move around you, souls of the lost and the damned that you know you could not help even if you tried. They are gone and they should stay gone, whether they would like to or not. Everything here ended in suffering, and through it you can feel the pain and the loneliness aching deep in your chilled bones.

“Closer,” the voice says in your head, “closer still. Towards where the world ends again.”

You know you are on the right path, each step, one foot in front of the other on this dark ground, swirling around your feet as you plant them firmly, disturbing the dust of ages past. A curtain of shadow lies in front of you, impossibly vast that you can neither see the ends or imagine the summit, but you know there to be one, somewhere.

Beyond the shadow, though, lies something. Maybe the truth. Certainly, it’s a promise. Is it knowledge, power or hope that awaits you beyond that shadow? Maybe it is none of these things and is, in fact, the end of the world.

[Nephara]

Sargossa 4 - 3 Nephara
(4-4-2) 1 - Swoboda; 2 - Kielseng (18 - Sanger 67'), 5 - Thorn, 22 - Brosch, 3 - Close; 7 - Fanaiyan (22 - Breremond 84'), 4 - Shone (15 - Rosenthal 67'), 21 - Moxham, 11 - Strongbow; 9 - Hawke (c), 17 - Bastable
Goals: Bastable 37', Moxham 56', Strongbow 61'

Whenever Corsair faced off against Cormorant, there would be tears. Few rivalries were so consistent in the high stakes involved. Nephara still bore the scars of WCQ66, an age ago now, where they were given a brutal reality check in Soluca, made it good in the return leg, and then dropped four points to far weaker opposition to slide limply out of the sole qualification place. In Amethyst Fegelein's brief but disastrous reign of the Cormorants, a 4-0 win over Sargossa was her only truly great result; when Brandon took over, a scoreless draw against Sargossa proved the only points he dropped, and the fatal ones in failing to make even a playoff place. Since then, the Cormorants had denied Sargossa regional glory twice in quick succession. If anything, the lone World Cup match to this point had been the lowest-stakes of all.
Not this time, though. The Corsairs were above par, the Cormorants below it. And Nephara were fucking terrible at World Cups, lately. Already, commentators were asking if Strauss was up to the job. She hadn't even faced defeat yet!
What could go wrong?

The referee had clearly been given instructions to go easy. Which was nice, because the alternative would've been a stoppage every couple of seconds, with the... enthusiasm with which each team was getting stuck in. Both teams wanted the ball, neither cared too much about how they got it. If anything, the attack-minded versions of Nephara tended to be the more violent ones, with hatchet-women like Tawny Shone given carte blanche. Shone picked up a caution all of seven minutes in, a second in as many games; well, that was her out for Ko-oren, but that probably needed a different kind of player anyway. She was for the here and now.
But bad things happened when she didn't have the freedom to slide murderously into challenges; she couldn't put enough pressure to prevent the captain Espina from leading by example, slipping a ball between the lines. With guile and timing, it was the left wingback Saul Escribano who found his way between the lines, hammering the strike of his life into the top corner. Deputising goalkeeper Swoboda didn't have a chance.
That did not remain the case. Some time later, even the leniant referee had to agree that Eloise Kielseng's attempted homicide on Escribano warranted another caution, and a free kick. Espina stepped up again in what the commentators optimistically called a dangerous position, swept the ball over the top of the hulking Nepharim wall before it curved down again, hard, towards the bottom corner. Swoboda scrambled across, got his hands to it, and watched his international career fall away as the ball slipped through regardless for 2-0. One of the most boringly reliable goalkeepers in the world had let them down; what next?

Well, at least things would get better before they got worse. Moxham tried her luck from distance and nearly scored, her strike scraping off the crossbar with Penedo nowhere. He'd be called into action soon enough, though; Strongbow arced in a beautiful cross, Hawke rose above all three centre-halves in the vicinity, and Penedo reacted sharply to palm the ball into the ground. The three lumbering centre-halves could only blink as Kurtis Bastable nipped in front of them all, ducked down and flicked an impudent header over the sprawled, helpless Penedo.
Despite the deficit, the goal left the Nepharim in good cheer, and they dominated the ball for the rest of the half, anyone who felt like chancing their arm doing so. Penedo went some way to sparing his earlier blushes by tipping over a lethal drive from Moxham, before springing to his left to flick another strike from Moxham past the post. Moxham came close yet again with the last touch of the half, doing the hard yards to wriggle free of two markers before firing down Penedo's throat and faceplanting with frustration.
Strauss gave them the usual good vibes at half-time, gave them the confidence to keep going, which they duly did. After intense early pressure, Moxham finally got off the ground with a clever flick with the outside of her right boot after spinning clear of her scrutiny yet again, an agonisingly slow strike after wrong-footing Penedo that made the blameless goalkeeper look ridiculous regardless. She ran the length of the crowd, whipping them up, getting them going, attracting plenty of coins at plenty of velocity from the fans in blue. And the optics looked good for that five minutes later, when Moxham's pinpoint, bullet drive found the head of Strongbow at the far post, a winger with the muscle to moonlight as an aerial target when necessary. Penedo again had no chance.

Unfortunately, one of the best games of Chimera Moxham's life would ultimately be remembered for her hubris. All it took was her sleeping for a moment with Espina on a dead ball for Goyoso to slip past her, rise up at the far post and head the ball back across goal. A lot of players collided into each other, but in the melee, the towering figure of Oakstone's Alex Gonzalez managed to hold off all-comers, turn with all the grace and inevitability of an iceberg, and sweep the ball into the net. Two minutes after Strongbow's goal. Just seven after Moxham's.
From there, the game took on a next-goal-wins intensity, exhausted bodies rousing themselves for a last tilt, hurling themselves at one another. Shone was replaced by Rosenthal, who almost immediately picked up her own caution.
The veteran Alejandro Vecino warmed up, with all the narrative that implied. He'd scored against Nephara - hell, against Swoboda before. But then, he'd also helped set up a goal for Nephara before that; would he be hero or villain today?
Neither. Instead, the narrative of the day fell upon another substitute, in Berganza; again the leftback Escribano and captain Espina played central roles, attacking down Nephara's beleagured right flank, a quick bit of interplay between the two cutting Kielseng out of relevance. Escribano smashed a low cross across the face of goal and the overeager Roxelana Thorn slid to try and clear it, sending the ball caroming viciously off the upright, across Swoboda, and to the wrestling match between Berganza and Brosch. Desperate and out of position, Brosch threw everything on the line to try and clear the danger, in the process throwing Berganza to the floor. Onto the ball, which bounced in off his shoulder. A clear penalty if it hadn't, in any case - and faintly farcical circumstances for what, naturally, proved the winner.
There was hope for a comeback, of course, but it was never going to be their day. Breremond missed a presentable chance, Moxham tested Penedo a final time for old time's sake, but the Sargossans knew when and how to defend the lead with a blatant cynicism that secured the grudging respect of their opponents. This was their secure qualification, too important to throw away.
For Nephara, it spelt disaster. One defeat, and at the worst possible moment. They'd have to be better, next time. The alternative - a humiliating exit without a single victory - didn't bear thinking about...

[Vilita]

Vilita, Turori to compete for right to host Olympic Games

Vilitan Union Olympic Headquarters, Lopinka, Vilita :: When the Union of the Affliated Lands of Vilitan Origin Olympic Federation initially announced that they had agreed in principle to bidding as the co-host for the Olympic Games, many Vilitan sports fans got quickly excited about the prospect of seeing some of the best Track and Field and Team Sport athletes in the multiverse descending on the Vilitan Cove region for a celebration of sport. With their unified team comprising of the #1 and #2 Association Footsport teams in the multiverse, they also had visions of watching their teams lift the gold medal on home soil - a particularly appealing prospect for Turorians who have seen their team heart-breakingly defeated deep in the World Cup 81 and World Cup 82 finals.

It was only then, after their minds had sufficiently wandered, that most then continued on and realized that it was not the Summer Olympic Games that the Vilitan Union Olympic Federation were preparing to bid on the rights to host, but the Winter Olympic Games. Unsurprisingly the initial reaction was mixed. Winter Sports were certainly gaining some traction in the Vilitan Cove but there were very few places where the climate was naturally conducive to sustained outdoor winter sport activity. Nevertheless, the Union solicited light framework 'bid outlines' from prospective host cities. With none really knowing what any of the others might put forth, a total of seven submissions were received by the committee which were all individually assessed for their merits, completeness and realism. Using this data, the Union down selected to two Cities which were invited to put together formal bids including architectural plans for any new venues or major modifications to existing venues that would be required for the bid to move forward before presenting it onward to the Internationstatal Committee.

Initial hesitation from both the public and prospective host cities regarding the feasibility of hosting the Winter Olympic Games was tempered when the Union revealed that cities were not required to bid to host any Alpine or Nordic events and would instead be required only to bid on Ice Sports which could all be contested in climate controlled indoor spaces. This opened the bid space up considerably and saw Five cities from Vilita and two from Turori submit framework proposals to the Affliated Lands of Vilitan Origin Olympic Federation. On the Vilitan side, the Capital City Alikki-Corra submitted a bid along with Lopinka, Yeaddin, Turoki City and Vilisorma. The Vilisorma bid relied heavily on corporate sponsorship from the Vilisorma Beverage Company and the committee determined that due to the amount of infrastructure required, while it would be a great boost for the Yutzie River region of the country, the risk of non-completion if the corporate funding was re-directed would be too great of a risk. Turoki City and Lopinka each required the construction of a brand new sliding center that would subsequently be torn down after the games while the Alikki-Corra bid featured a sliding center some distance away in Seraai. Most bids also required the construction of a new venue to host the Long Track Speed Skating events. The Yeaddin bid, however, not only included a pre-existing venue large enough to host the Long Track Speed Skating but also a proximally located pre-existing Sliding Course in Parra Kala. The Vilitan Union Olympic Committee decided that among the five Vilitan proposals, the framework of the Yeaddin proposal was the most practical and the others were eliminated from consideration.

Overview
Yeaddin is located in the Vilitan North-East between the Parra Kala Mountains and the Turviliki Sea. It is generally considered the 5th Largest City in Vilita though it has fluctuated between 4th and 7th in actual size. Yeaddin has a sister city of similar geographical, footprint and population size in Terrarokka with the satellite city of Nusira Lionta between them on the outskirts of Terrarokka.

During Winter season, Yeaddin becomes one of the least tropical major cities in Vilita with cool air from the Royal Quebecois region. As the cool air arrives in Northern Vilita it interacts with the tropical air trapped in the Morata Valley as well as the Parra Kala Mountains shielding much of mainland Vilita from the cooler temperatures. Yeaddin bears the brunt of the force of the cool winter temperatures though nearby cities to the south Nusira Lionta and Terrarokka also have smaller periods of notably cooler climate as a result of the same effect.

Yeaddin's Air Transportation hub is accessible from most Atlantian Oceania based international terminals. Those traveling to Yeaddin from outside of Atlantian Oceania will likely fly in to Alikki-Corra before catching local transportation - either Air, Land or Sea, to get up to Yeaddin on the opposite side of Vilita's Main Island.

Vilitan Law is not well documented nor strictly enforced in the case of minor infractions. However when it is enforced it is typically done so with a preponderance of evidence with the Vilitan Orbital Intelligence Agency (VOIA) permitted to intervene even in cases of petty crime if the accusing law officer so wishes to pursue the event. Major infractions or repeat offenders tend to be dealt with swiftly and seriously. Security and Spotters will be present at each Olympic Venue where it is more likely for such Laws to be enforced even on a first offense. Traditional weapons are typically banned however technology driven weapons which are registered and have the ability to be disabled remotely by VOIA are permitted in some instances.

While the the Vilitan Union Olympic Committee has already determined the subset of events that a prospective host City must support, Yeaddin is one of the few if not the only Vilitan City that could reasonably support all Winter Olympic competitions given the right timing and Weather cooperation. The nearby Parra Kala Mountain Range has regularly Seasonal Winters which can at times include snowfall and prolonged temperatures at or below freezing levels. Yeaddin itself is well prepared for the influx of tourists and attendees as a prior host city for numerous World Cup, Cup of Harmony, AOCAF, AOHC and UICA final among other competition and as such maintains an appropriate infrastructure to host major sporting competitions.

Venues

Lirai Asku Castle
This historical aged castle was converted into a sporting arena by the Yeaddin Owls Footsport team who initially promised to pay for maintenance on the Castle Exterior while building their stadium against the vacant inner walls of the structure prior to the kickoff of the Vilitan Stellar Division. The Owls would go on to win six of the first seven Stellar Division titles in the stadium which quickly became known as their fortress. Despite its relatively low 62,000 seated capacity compared with other stadiums in the Tropics of Vilita, the atmosphere provided by the Lirai Asku Castle both inside and out makes it a popular choice to host international matches in World Cup, Cup of Harmony, Baptism of Fire and AOCAF competition. The Castle itself is now a protected 'Vilitan Treasure' and the Yeaddin Owls Association Footsport Club is required to maintain the structure in its current form. The historic Lirai Asku Castle would play host to the opening ceremonies of the Yeaddin Olympic Games as well as later-round Ice Hockey games including the Men's and Women's Ice Hockey Final at the temporary Outdoor Olympic Sized Ice Rink in the stadium.

Parra Kala Sliding Complex
Just West of Yeaddin is the start of the narrow Parra Kala Mountain Ridge and the Parra Kala Village is a popular North-Eastern Vilitan destination for Winter Sports. The natural season for traditional outdoor winter sports in Parra Kala is still very short and overcrowded due to demand but the Sliding Course is open the majority of the year serving as home facility to the Vilitan Bobsled team. The primary Olympic routing is the fast course which will require good engineering for sleigh's to reach optimum course speed before transitioning in the final third to a technically challenging conclusion that will require the alert driver or sledder to steer effectively in order to maintain the proper line and achieve the lowest time down the course.

Kolósaio Vóreios
One of the oldest continuous sporting Venues in Vilita, the Kolósaio Vóreios Yeaddin is on the site of the former North Yeaddin Hippodrome and was re-constructed in the style of the original venue using period appropriate materials. While the facility has not had a regular primary tenant to care for and has at time fallen into disrepair, the Yeaddin Council have already approved improvements to the Kolósaio Vóreios which including minor repairs and facility upgrades but also the addition of a partial four-pointed roof structure that will track with the sun as it moves across the sky ensuring that the playing surface at the arena remains in the shade, a crucial component for the otherwise outdoor course which would host long track speed skating as well as any demonstration events on the docket including Bandy and Ice Racing.

Yeaddin Ice Centre
The Yeaddin Ice Centre is one of the newest sports venues in North-Eastern Vilita having been constructed to house the Yeaddin Hockey Club and its increasing fan base. Not to be out done by their footsport counterparts, Yeaddin HC were crowned champions of the first two Vilitan Hockey Championship seasons resulting in increased ticket demand and a sold out 12,000 capacity North Yeaddin Community Arena. The new Yeaddin Ice Center is located just down the hill from the Lirai Asku Castle and boasts a capacity of 20,730. With the resurgence of Yeaddin HC in recent Vilitan Hockey Championship seasons the Ice Centre regularly sells out once more and the team have consulted about the possibility of expanding the arena further to accommodate up to 26,520. The Ice Centre would play host to Figure Skating and some short track speed skating and Ice Hockey events. Additional Ice Hockey venues outside of Yeaddin could be added in the event the number of delegations desiring to compete for the Mens or Womens Ice Hockey medals exceeds the capacity of the Ice Centre.

Olympic Village
The Olympic Village would be located at the Kolósaio Vóreios with lodging and training facilities available for all athletes competing in Yeaddin. Temporary accommodations would also be made available in Parra Kala and nearby to any additional Venues which will host Olympic action.

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While the Vilitan Union Olympic Committee did not receive any bids from Tropicorp, which had considered for a time submitting a bid from the Cocoabo Park resort, there were two framework proposals from Turori to be considered and the Union decided that the most complete framework proposals each from Vilita and from Turori would be given an additional period to provide detail to their bids before the two would compete head to head for the right to be the Vilitan Union Olympic Committee's official candidate host city for the XIV Winter Olympic Games.

[Turori]

While many Turorians were too busy following the Turori National Team's progress in World Cup 82 Qualifying to pay too much attention to the unlikely bidding process for the Winter Olympic Games, two Turorian Cities did submit framework proposals to the Vilitan Union Olympic Committee for the opportunity: Eelandii and Waridi. The two framework proposals could not be more different but also had a number of similarities. In Eelandii, the Union had a proposal from an existing 'Sportropolis' with a number of existing, co-located venues. In Waridi they had a city with absolutely nothing. No Ice Sheets, No Sliding Center, No Ice making equipment at their open-air arena. Nothing. That, however, is what the Waridians proposed made their bid so great. Because they had nothing, they could do anything. They would construct four venues right next to each other for the games with an Olympic Village to the East of the arenas and hotels and shops for Visitors to the West of the venues.

Of course while it was an optimistic plan, it was made less appealing by the fact that Eelandii itself is already a purpose-built sporting Village and already had two of the three minimally required venues. While the Vilitan Union Olympic Committee acknowledged the spirit of the small, remote town of Waridi in submitting their Olympic Framework proposal, their submission was declined and the Eelandii proposal was put forth for further consideration. Both remaining cities under consideration, Yeaddin, Vilita and Eelandii, Turori were requested to go back and revise their bids with further detail including any plans and timelines for architectural revisions and new constructions for the review of the committee. Upon submission of their final proposals, the bid from Vilita and the bid from Turori would be pitted head to head with a vote from the committee of the Vilitan Union Olympic Delegation to determine which of the two would win their support as Candidate City for the XIV Winter Olympic Games.

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Overview
Eelandii is a purpose built "Sportropolis" built midway between Turori's two largest cities, Almintora and Cednia. Eelandii is accessible by air through the Almintora Internationstatal Skyport (AIS). Regular shuttles and public transportation would be run between Almintora, Eelandii and Cednia throughout the games as well as the possible addition of a monorail system to connect the three cities and all venues in the Eelandii corridor. Athletes and Staff would be housed on site in Eelandii while Media and Fans would have the option of staying either in Almintora, the Capital City of Turori, or Cednia.

As the Eelandii Sporting Village is not an officially populated city or community, all security within the "Sportropolis" is private in nature with company and independently hired security patrolling the region. However, law enforcement officials from both Almintora and Cednia have jurisdiction within Eelandii if they were otherwise in the area. For the Olympic games private security would be increased as well as the scheduling of regular posting from public safety officers from nearby communities. The weather in Eelandii is mostly temperate with the chance of temperatures permitting naturally occurring snow considered as highly unlikely.

Eelandii has a number of restaurants, shops and amenities which typically are only open on match days as well as a smaller selection of local eateries that are open on a daily basis to serve the towns full time employees and visitors which include Football Association of Turori, Eagle's Club as well as visitors to the Race Eelandii! Racing School and Driving Experience at the Eelandii Grand Prix Course.

The sportropolis of Eelandii and its primary venue at The Eels Park site was a critical component of the successful World Cup 63 host bid for Aguazul and Turori which eventually resulted in the World Cup returning to Turori for the first time since World Cup 19. Once the Eels Park site was complete, the Football Association of Turori packed their things and moved out of their offices at the Almintora National Stadium. A number of other sporting entities would follow the Football Association of Turori's lead with new Sporting Venues being constructed including the Eagle's Club facility. The first winter sport facility was the Eelandii Iceplex built to house the Eelandii Explorers Ice Hockey team in the Vilitan Hockey Championship. It was the first major arena in Turori built specifically for Ice Hockey with built in cooling under the surface. The Eelandii Multi-Purpose Arena is the largest enclosed structure in the Island Emirate and can be re-configured to host a variety of competitions. Ice Making equipment from the Eelandii Iceplex is regularly used at the Eelandii Multi-Purpose Arena making it the largest Ice-Sport capable arena in the Island Emirate.

While temperatures conducive to Winter Sports activity do not naturally occur with frequency in the Eelandii designated zone, all proposed venues in the Eelandii bid are fully enclosed, climate controlled arenas and stadiums. Additionally, with Eelandii being a purpose built sports destination it is fully capable of handling concurrent sporting events and large crowds. Each venue would be just a short walk away from the other and the Olympic Village and training facilities would be set up on the edge of the Eagle's Club facilities just off the main Eelandii byway.

Venues

Eels Park
The Eels Park arena in "Eelandii" - A purpose-created hybrid city located between the capital of Almintora and the center of sport in Cednia, was opened for the World Cup 63 Finals hosted in Turori as well as Aguazul. The Arena has since hosted matches during the 26th Di Bradini Cup and due to its moderate size is one of the most atmospheric venues in all of Turori. Turorian National Team matches not being held in Cednia have also been held at Eels Park instead of Almintora National Stadium. Located equidistantly between the cities of Almintora and Cednia - the two largest cities in the Island Emirate, round the clock public transportation can take guests from Eelandii to either city center. Eels Park would be scheduled to host the Opening & Closing Ceremonies as well as a selection of Medal Ceremonies during the games.

Eelandii Multi-Purpose Arena
The Multi-Purpose Arena is one of the newest venues in the purpose built Sportropolis of Eelandii and was a by-product of the discussions surrounding the construction of the Eelandii IcePlex and whether or not that facility would gain enough use year-round to justify its construction. One of the alternative proposals to the dedicated Ice Hockey arena was a multi-purpose arena that had an adjustable configuration of which one of the configurations would be the Ice Hockey configuration required for Eelandii to host a Vilitan Hockey League franchise. In the end, Eelandii planners decided there was enough justification for the stand-alone IcePlex but enjoyed the idea of the Multi-Purpose venue so much they eventually built that too. The "Empa" as it is affectionately called was designed to be used for a wide variety of purposes by adjusting the two movable stands on either rounded side of the arena to create a seating configurations optimized for the size and shape of the activity required. In the maximum configuration which will be used for Long Track Speed Skating events the 'Empa' holds over 12,000 fans. If the arena is reconfigured following the conclusion of the Long Track event the capacity which can view the primary are can be reduced by as much as half. However depending on scheduling the arena may not need to be adjusted as they can alternatively hold two full size Olympic Ice Rinks to support the Short Track and Figure Skating events concurrently.

Eelandii Iceplex
The Eelandii Iceplex was the first purpose built Ice Hockey facility in the Island Emirate of Turori where the Ice Sheet was intentionally designed as the primary surface of the arena with embedded cooling and Ice Making equipment opposed to Ice Sheets being added on a temporary basis for skating shows and other events. The Iceplex is the home of the Eelandii Explorers Ice Hockey team in the Vilitan Hockey Championship. The team have improved since their inaugural season having finished as high as second place during Vilitan Hockey Season 7. In addition to the primary rink there is also a smaller Iceplex Bubble outside the main arena which can be used for warmups or open public skating. The Iceplex would be used as the exclusive host for Ice Hockey competition.

Eelandii Sliding Center*
While Eelandii now serves as the sports capital of the Island Emirate, its mostly temperate climate does not often lend itself towards a high interest in outdoor Winter Sports. As a result, there are no dedicated Winter Sports facilities in Eelandii outside of the Eelandii Iceplex home of the Eelandii Explorers. The proposed Eelandii Sliding Center would be built on re-claimed land to the North of the Eelandii Grand Prix Course. While it would be the furthest venue at the games from the primary fan Village it would be located equidistantly from the Olympic Village to other venues on the Eelandii circle which will all be within walking distance of each other. The Sliding Center will only be constructed if Eelandii are selected as host city for the Olympic Winter Games.

Olympic Village
The Olympic Village would be located just off the grounds of the Eagles Club on the North-East corner of the Great Eelandii Circle. Athletes will have full usage of the Eagles Club training facilities and will be able to walk to all facilities used for the games. There will also be shuttle services around the Eelandii Byway just for athletes running every 15 minutes to every Venue used in the games. Individual Athletes who choose not to stay in the Olympic Village or Team Sport athletes can opt to stay in either Almintora or Cednia and will still have access to the training facilities at the Eagles Club upon their arrival in Eelandii each day.

---

Final bids proposals were due to the Vilitan Union Olympic Committee at approximately the same time as the opening match day of the World Cup 83 Finals in Equestria and Banija. As a result, the level of excitement or interest in the announcement from the Union regarding which city would be selected as their proposed host for the Winter Olympic Games was extremely low. With Vilita being defending World Cup Champions and #1 team in the multiverse and Turori being defending World Cup Runners-Up and #2 team in the multiverse, fanbases throughout the Vilitan Cove had massive expectations and many had flocked to Banija to support their teams at the World Cup 83 Finals. When the action kicked off in Banija, the idea of the Winter Olympics coming to either Vilita or Turori - and the debate about which City was best suited to host the games, was a distant afterthought. No one particularly cared.

Two matchdays in to the World Cup 83 Finals, however, things started to change. With both Vilita and Turori on the brink of an embarrassing Group Stage elimination from the World Cup, disbelieving fans in the Vilitan Cove searched for something to take their mind off what was looking to be the most stunning turnaround in fortunes for the two national teams in recent history. When the Vilitan Union Olympic Committee announced that the winning bid proposal would be announced at approximately the same time as Matchday 3 of the World Cup 83 finals, the two forlorn fan bases were re-energized. With the prospect of a World Cup knockout round re-match to settle the scores appearing less and less likely, the Winter Olympic bidding process offered an opportunity for fan bases from the two nations to still experience the competitive fire that they had gotten affixed to over the previous two World Cup cycles. twii.tur was alight with jabs wondering how Eelandii could be selected as a Winter Olympic Host City with such warm temperatures while Turorians responding with barbs about Yeaddin's relatively remote location compared with Eelandii's optimum positioning between Turori's two largest cities.

Still, others were in disbelief whether either city could be considered a realistic Winter Olympic Host with the sub headlines of the Turori National Sports section taking a particularly glass-half-empty approach, running a poll for "Which is more likely: Defense-minded Turori scoring 8 goals against Bongo Johnson to advance to the World Cup knockout rounds or a Temperate-Tropical city without dedicated Winter Sports facilities being selected to host the Winter Olympic Games". The paper clearing trying to prepare its readership for a period of disappointment ahead using fear tactics to sell copies as Turorians sat on the edge of their seats wondering if the sun would come up tomorrow in their world of sport or if the pains of their continued defeats at the hands of their colonial rivals Vilita would re-surface once more spreading beyond just the realm of the World Cup Finals..

[Sargossa]

Once again Sargossa were facing Nephara. Once again it was far from straightforward. Around the Wild Grounds heartbeats still hadn’t returned to normal after the breathless nine minutes that had seen the Nepharim equalise, edge in front and then be pegged right back again. Fans in the stadium and back home were being treated to a true Rushmori ‘classico’. Out on the pitch heroes and villains were being made in equal measure. The mercurial Chimera Moxham was engaged in a personal duel with Roberto Penedo, on the Corsairs’ left Saúl Escribano was having the game of his life and back in the Cormorant’s goal Andreas Swoboda was left reflecting on a first half clanger that looked marginally worse with each inevitable replay.

There was little time for reflection on the bench, where two sets of coaching staff attempted to make some sense of what they were seeing. A semaphore-like array of gesticulation from Rodrigo Defederico towards his backroom team saw a number of substitutes sent for a brief warm-up. Noticeable, they were all attackers.

‘A point here is no bad thing.’ Raúl Churín, Defederico’s long-time assistant coach, approached where his boss prowled the technical area. ‘We could chuck Navarro on. Try and stifle the life out of them?’

‘No.’ The coach didn’t take his eyes off the action. ‘They’re edgy. They need this. They’re vulnerable. I’m tired of battling near-misses. We can beat them right here, right now. Saúl’s on fire out there, we just need some fresh impetus up front. Matías has run himself into the ground, get Berganza on. Straight swap.’

‘You’re sure?’ He was silenced by a look and returned to the dugout to organise the change.

The legs may have been tiring but the impetus did not let up. With the score locked at three goals apiece all who watched could sense that this game would have a winner. But whose winner would it be?

Saúl Escribano had played like a hero all match so it was fitting that he would prove to be instrumental in the fixture’s decisive moment. Another buccaneering run down the left flank ended with a vicious delivery that shoot across the penalty area via deflections off Roxelana Thorn and the woodwork. With eyes glued to the ball Miguel Ángel Berganza and Ilyana Brosch fell in a clatter of limbs. Arms shot into the air. Teammates, coaching staff, fans in the stadium and in their living rooms screaming for a penalty. Momentarily not noticing that the Krytenian referee was signalling towards the centre circle. The ball had crossed the line. The goal was given. Berganza tore away in celebration. Brosch could only stare into space.

Now Navarro came on. Now they stifled. The knockout stages were loomed and Sargossa would not be denied. The whistle finally blew and Defederico, hands on his hips, let out a big breath he didn’t know he’d been holding before turning to shake the hand of his opposite number. Daniella Strauss appeared calm, her true thoughts surely to be made plainly clear to her players very shortly.

The result had gone some way to shaping the outcome of Group B. One qualification place was wrapped up, it belonged to Sargossa. And a point for the Corsairs against Zwangzug would see them through in first place. Ko-oren were now in the box set for the second priceless spot in the last sixteen. The notoriously hard to beat Fireflies need to just avoid defeat against Nephara to advance, and send the group favourites crashing to an early exit in the process. We though can look ahead to potential knock out opposition. Although the sight isn’t exactly pleasant. As things stand it would be Cosumar but, with a match to go, a horrible fixture against host nation Equestria cannot be ruled out. Worse still, given the side’s recent tradition of being dumped out of the tournament in the second round by an Atlantian heavyweight, Valanora too are lurking.

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

IT'S...

THE WORLD CUP SHOW!

With World Cup Hall of Fame Hosts Basil and Theo

Hi, there kids! I'm Basil!

And, I'm Theo! And we've been unleashed on all multiverse broadcasting channels for the first time since World Cup 79!

Has it really been that long, Theo?

It has indeed, Basil.

And the multiverse has managed to turn without us...

So it would seem, Basil.

Each passing eon just giving more opportunity to fill the void at the heart of everyday life with a burning sense of ennui...

If you say so, Basil.

...or so it might seem if you didn't get to spend your life at the beach!

<Beached Boyz music plays>

Absolutely right, Basil - because World Cup 83 is a fiesta of beach soccer!

Every match beach themed! With beach drinks! And beach babes! And beach hunks!

Every pitch covered with beach sand! Every goal scored into nets of seaweed; I might have made that last one up!

What'll you have, Theo? Mine's a mojito...

And mine's a pina colada; what else would you drink on the beach?

I don't know; but we're certainly going to be listening to a lot of music by Holy Empire legends The Beached Boyz...

Who sing about the beach!

That's right, Theo; why, let's listed to their classic track 'Surfin' again' - again....

Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'

Wooo! Surfin' again
Wooo! Surfin' again (x8)

Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'

Wooo! Surfin' again
Wooo! Surfin' again (x16)

They don't make 'em like that anymore, do they Basil?

They certainly don't, Theo.

All the same, I'm puzzled.

Why's that, Theo?

Because the pitch out there tonight does look awfully grass-covered.

Hmmmm....

And the Eura players out for their warm-up seem to be wearing shirts; a fetching shade of blue, no doubt, but still shirts.

Ah....

And they're wearing football boots, Basil.

Oh....

And the Holy Empire players are wearing neither shirts nor football boots.

I see...

Oh for God's sake, Basil; you're supposed to be a legendary co-commentator, not an exponent of monosyllablelism.

It's just, well; this isn't the first time this has happened this World Cup, Theo, is it?

Ah, I see what you mean.

Quite; it was precisely the same in the opening match.

And all of the qualifiers...

Absolutely, Theo; so, really, doesn't it strike you as a bit, well, forced to be pretending that the Holy Empire Football Association - not to mention the squad's vastly experienced coaching team - don't know that this isn't a beach soccer tournament?

It's almost as if it's a deliberate affectation, Basil; a disruptive attempt to...

<elevator music plays for 15 minutes>

Statement read out in dull monotone: Mr Basil and Mr Theo wish to make it perfectly clear that they accept that the Holy Empire Football Association, and all associated bodies, believe that World Cup 83 is a beach soccer tournament.

Yes we do, Basil.

Of course we do, Theo.

It's very beachy, Basil

Absolutely Theo; very beachy.

We never thought otherwise, did we Basil?

No, never, Theo.

Anyway, on to kickoff, with Eura suited and booted - in clear defiance of all beach soccer expectations - and the Holy Empire; well, just in shorts.

<Half Time>

...dismal performance, Basil.

Couldn't agree more, Theo; 3-1 down at halftime against the group second seeds is not where we want to be.

That fluke goal from Zarides aside, it's all been one-way traffic, with Bond and Underwood in particularly fine form; Bond scoring a brace, and Underwood scoring the third.

And you can't help but feel that the imperial squad's failure to wear boots might just have... But wait... what's this?

It's the imperial squad coming back out onto the pitch, Basil - and they're wearing football boots.

It looks like Juan Tzimisces and Simeone Di Bradini are arguing furiously with a HEFA official down on the sidelines, Theo; I can't make out what they're saying, but the coaches are waving football boots around, and are certainly trying to make a very emotive point.

I think they're stressing the need to wear football boots, Basil.

Certainly seems that way, Theo. The team is still shirtless - and, might I add, very hunky - but they are wearing football boots.

<Full Time>

...and that second half couldn't have been more different, Basil.

Absolutely, Theo. It's amazing what a difference football boots can make. Blake and goalkeeper Griffin had an absolute 'mare for Eura, with Blake committing a howler of a backpass to let Branuso in for the 80th-minute equaliser.

Which keeps the Holy Empire in the tournament, Basil.

Their destiny is back in their hands, Theo - not least thanks to Reçueçn upsetting Qusmo; which by my calculations means that a victory by at least two goals over Reçueçn will likely send the Empire through regardless of what happens in the other match.

Which raises only one question, Basil...

Which is, Theo?

Just how beachy will that third match be?

I don't know, Basil; let's just listen to The Beached Boyz!

Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'

Wooo! Surfin' again
Wooo! Surfin' again (x8)

Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'
Surfin', surfin', surfin'

Wooo! Surfin' again
Wooo! Surfin' again (x16)

[Banija]

WCC Hall of Fame Nominations- who should the RBSA immortalize by placing into the Hall of Fame?


Fans at a Banija v. Qasden street watch party

HOIMA, ANKOLE- On the pitch, the rivals in the Glorious Southwest played an excellent, thrilling. Though Banija does have an unfortunate history of losing to Qasden, especially in friendlies, in this match the gloves were off. Both teams were fierce, both were competitive, and neither wanted to see the other triumph. It was an up and down, back and forth as the Kadongo Kamu and the Turkish Vans both repeatedly tried to assert themselves as the top dog on the day. Unfortunately for both sides, however, neither team was capable of rising through the rubble as the better side on the day, as each goal seemingly had an answer as the two sides split 8 goals evenly between them at Star Field. Now, of course, this sets up exactly like World Cup 82. One match to go in the group stage, everything on the line. A higher ranked Pot 2 opponent(Starblaydia) in their way. Any result, a draw or a win, will put the Banijans into the knockout stages for the second time ever, and the first time since World Cup 81. But if they lose to the five-time World Champions? Then they'll need help from Taeshan to get to the knockout stages, and at this point in time, that seems increasingly unlikely.

The nerves for the game are tenuous. But many of the players were here for the last World Cup, and all of them were here for AOCAF LVIII, when the Banijans won a trio of knockout stage games in a row, before falling on home soil. They've played in big games before for the national side. But none against an opponent quite like Starblaydia. They are arguably the most storied side in the sport, one of three Atlantian Oceania nations who are five-time world champions. That is alongside the two-time defending champions, Vilita, and the five-time world champions in Valanora. Banija is in a fiercely competitive neighborhood, and as we continue our attempted climb up the mountain, remember this- if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. The U18s beat the Starblaydian U18s in the Sporting World Cup Final during this cycle, of course, but the Banijan record against top-10 sides is, predictably, poor.

But this is the challenge that the Banijans have in front of them. They'll be at Mavuto Field- a mammoth sized stadium that seats 75,000, one of three Banijan stadiums in this tournament that seat over 70,000. There will be plenty of fan energy, and fan noise, to cheer this team on. Can they get that crucial point? Even a point would put them through. But this team is not one that is going to sit back and absorb pressure for 90 minutes- that's just not how they were designed. No, even if they sit back and counter, they're going to have to go after it at some point in time, and try to score a goal. Can they learn the lessons from their elimination at the hands of Pasarga in World Cup 82? Against a team this talented, even though they are quite youthful, they will provide quite the challenge. Calindra Apelles and Sutter McCloud will get their opportunities, and Marcus Waters will have to figure out how the Kadongo Kamu will navigate that challenge.

That will be a great match to watch- and the country, of course, will be tuning in, trying to will the national team to the knockout stages of the World Cup. However, while the country is focused on those massive matchups, there is another major announcement that is going to happen, behind the scenes. The Royal Banijan Soccer Association has been working on this for a long time. It is, of course, our World Cup Committee Hall of Fame Nominations. Of course, each member association gets to make Hall of Fame nominations. You get a nomination for every 7th qualification campaign that you participate in, and every 4th World Cup Finals that you participate in. And since Banija have participated in 8 World Cup Qualifying campaigns, and this tournament being their 4th all-time(and consecutive) appearance at the World Cup Finals, they have a pair of nominations that they need to make. The RBSA, of course, has confirmed that they will make their nominations after the conclusion of the tournament.

Who will they nominate? Their next nomination, at earliest, won't be until World Cup 88, so they've got to get these two nominations right. There is really no defined criteria- just whoever the RBSA thinks is deserving, though it is for of course national team competitions. So even though a player like Aaron Aiza made a massive impact at the domestic level, he couldn't be nominated since he didn't contribute to the national team. And even though Marcus Waters isn't a Banijan national, he could theoretically be nominated as he has done wonders for the national team, being the fourth ever manager of the Kadongo Kamu and leading them to unprecedented amounts of success. The RBSA has also announced that they will not nominate Adama Sowe, so this leaves the conversation to managers and players, who have been on the touchline or on the pitch for the national team. They have also confirmed that they are considering active players as well.

Who are contenders for the nod? We'll go through a few men who we feel might be nominated.

Kiggwe Mavuto

Of course, it would be tough to have this conversation without Kiggwe Mavuto. What were his major accomplishments? He, of course, was the first player to ever captain the Kadongo Kamu successfully through a World Cup Qualifying campaign. And as fans know, it wasn't easy. But that was simply the pinnacle of a brilliant international career. He was, at one time, the all-time leading goalscorer for his country, and he retired at the top of the list, though he has since been surpassed by both Kahara and Afolayan. He remains the only national team player to ever have a testimonial match in his honor, when he scored in his own testimonial against Siovanija & Teusland, in his own hometown of Askatasuna.

But there are so many big moments with this player. He scored the opening goal of the playoff tie with Mercedini, the first of 3 as the Banijans stormed their way to a 3-0 victory in the first leg of that historic playoff tie. Hell, the match before, he had a goal just as big. It was in the waning moments of their final qualifier, against Ethane, who was already through. The Banijans needed a result, and were trailing 1-0 away from home in the 82nd minute, and it would be Kiggwe Mavuto who would score the goal to send them to that playoff. He remains extremely popular, and would certainly be an excellent and worthy choice. But there are only 2 spots, right? The competition, naturally, is fierce.

Chibuzo Afolayan

I mean, you read our article on this man in the last edition of this magazine, right? The man who was truly seen to pave the way for Banijan internationals, and BSL players, to go star abroad. And you see the argument for him, naturally, being obvious. This tournament, of course, is assumed to be his swan song wearing the green and orange, though of course, nothing is official on that front. But the argument stands for itself. He just spent three full cycles as the captain. This is his fourth World Cup that he's played in. Hell, he's been a starter in all 12 World Cup games that Banija has ever had, and he has worn the armband for 9 of those games, and will wear the armband tomorrow night in Hoima as well.

He is the current all-time leading goalscorer for the national team, though of course he will be soon passed by his younger counterpart opposite him, if and when he retires. Scoring 51 career goals upon entering the tournament, the longtime AFC Corvistone attacker is a key figure of this national team, and of course, he captained the side to the final of AOCAF LVIII, which is, naturally, a tall order. What about his own biggest moments? Let's remember the second leg of that playoff tie against Mercedini, when the Golden Eagles looked on the verge of coming all the way back from 3-0 down against the Kadongo Kamu, but Afolayan assisted on the away goal to give the Banijans some breathing room, and then he scored himself to apply the dagger to Mercedini's World Cup hopes. He scored the opening goal of World Cup 81. He's brought a lot of joy to all of us fans, and he'll have an argument.

Gitonga Kahara

IF you want to talk about pressure, Gitonga Kahara has had to deal with pressure his whole career. He is one of the few male Banijans to basically play his entire career outside the country and still play for the national team. He's never played for a Banijan academy, or a professional side within Banija, in the regional or national leagues. But he was a hot prospect when he was young, and went to participate in Project Olimpo. He really started to garner the attention of others when, in his lone season in the All-Hinodejin Youth League, he won the league's golden boot. From there, he was picked to captain the Di Bradini 42 Cup side, which he starred for as they went to the semifinals of that tournament, and eventually earned bronze medals. That, of course, is one of now two youth medals earned in this sport by Banijan athletes, as we are the defending champions of the Sporting World Cup.

From there, he has had quite the career. He went to Polaris in Ceni, and then, made a big money move to OAS Royal FC. In terms of transfer dollars, he is the most valuable Banijan athlete in history. He's scored 49 career goals for the national team and yet, he is just 28 years old. He'll certainly retire as the national team's leading goalscorer, and we imagine he'll create quite the gap between him and second place. He'll hit 60 for sure- can he even hit 70? But if you want to talk about terms of pure talent, he has the accomplishments with the national team, he is well and highly regarded by talent evaluators abroad. While he hasn't been a Galactico or anything like that, he certainly has as strong of a case as anybody.

Marcus Waters

Now, of course you say, we surely wouldn't nominate a non-Banijan for one of our hall of fame spots, now would we? Of course, the only criteria is that they competed for the national team, and Marcus Waters has been the manager of this team since midway through World Cup 80. He has a perfect World Cup Qualification record(2/2), and even though he only has 3 predecessors, he is, by far, the winning-est Banijan manager to date. But what he has done, his role in transforming this team from the afterthoughts they were during their first five cycles, to a team that's now widely seen as knocking on the doors of the elite(though certainly are not elite themselves as of yet), well, is incredible. He has had great stewardship in his five cycles in Banija, and you can't have this conversation without talking about him.

Even though he spent a cycle and a half as an assistant, he had accomplishments there as well. He was the manager for the 42nd Di Bradini Cup side, and took them to the semifinals. Taking over this team in the midst of what was then a disastrous World Cup Qualification campaign, and righting the ship all the way back to the finals, was impressive in and of itself. Continued success at the AOCAFs, where he has never exited that tournament earlier than the quarterfinals, and just went to the final, was impressive. And at the same time, the U18s just won the Sporting World Cup, so as this generation seems to reach the end of its own line, the talent pool is being replenished, so more success is possible.

His only blemish? His failure to beat Banija's archrivals, Equestria. He is personally 0-4 against them, and the Kadongo Kamu are 0-6 all-time against their archrivals. However, his Hall of Fame case is as strong as anyone's.

Dark Horses

WHo else is a dark horse candidate for one of those two spots? Toyuwa Okafor, who famously scored Banija's first ever World Cup goal. There is Assefa Yitebarke, who is currently the #9 and scored twice against Taeshan, as well has having the advantage of being long-listed on the Galacticos Index, though that is emphatically a club soccer award. George Wangolo, the other Banijan athlete to have ever made the Galacticos Index, is an option. Wasa Jawo is there as well. But there are plenty of options, and yet, only two births. We'll see what happens after these Finals. And think about that to calm your nerves, before our massive tilt against Starblaydia, that will decide whether we reach the knockouts, or we fall, again, during the group stages.

[Cassadaigua]

Fillies Will Advance,
by Chelsea Dufesne, Concord Heights Times

After a thrilling 3-2 victory over 11th-ranked Brenecia, Cassadaigua will be heading to the round of 16. It was a tough loss for the Patriots of Brenecia, but now they will become our biggest fans as we take on Farfadillis and they battle it out with Chromatika. At 2-0-0, Cassadaigua is assured of a top two spot. Farfadillis, at 1-1-0 is in second, and three points ahead of third place Brenecia. The Patriots must beat Chromatika and have us defeat La Vherderoja in order to hope for tiebreakers to them go our way. We’ll be glad to not have that problem.

The match against Brenecia was exciting, as two former World Cup champions, one having done so far more recently, each executed well throughout the course of the game. Pretty offensive plays, great defensive plays, and clutch goalkeeping was on display from both sides. For Cassadaigua, Zack Pierce opened up the scoring in the 33rd minute, but the Patriots would equalize before halftime. After falling behind 2-1 early in the second, Hannah Ranucci fired home the equalizer in the 71st minute, and in the 81st minute, it was Sierra Mattison on a perfectly placed free kick. Following the match, members of the Fillies seemed more exhausted then jubilant, with Ranucci telling us afterward, “That was a grueling match. They are really good in their back end, I know that they will look at the three goals conceded and might think differently, but they played well.” She would go on to compliment them more, “I am glad that we will be getting through to the round of 16, but I tell ya, they deserve to go to the knockouts. Hopefully we can help them with that.”

Cassadaigua does not have much history with Farfadillis. They would ascend to power during our time away from the competition, and are presently the third ranked team in the world. The Farf need to secure at least a point from the match to assure themselves advancement, but the typically high octane team will not settle for just a draw. The Fillies do not have much at stake here. In theory, winning a group means you will have an easier first round matchup, but that really is just a theory. Coach Sweeney suggested that the team could make a couple changes for the match, but we’re not sure if that was just a bluff. It would be nice to go 3-0-0 right now, for sure.

[Recuecn]

Group D Offers Most Excitement to wrap up World Cup Group Stage

Hollow Shades and Canterlot, Equestria--The 'D' in 'Group D' stands for Death, as in "Group D is the Group of Death." Apart from Reçueçn, the lowest-ranked team in the tournament, all the other nations in this group are ranked very highly and were placed towards the top of their respective pots for the group draw. Counting Recuecn out, then, would still mean that one high-caliber team would be heading home after only two games.

With such tight competition anticipated between the three other teams, Reçueçn might be anticipated to have a spoiler effect--if one unfortunate team were to drop points against them, it might spell their doom. Reçueçn, unable to control their own fate, might determine someone else's.

However, the mountainous nation has done more than that. Although it is still possible Reçueçn may get no points at all besides a single win against Qusmo to bring the Qusmi'y down with them, the occurrence of Reçueçn's victory on the second match-day has maintained suspense beautifully. Reçueçn is in second place in the group and it truly feels like their games matter. Even against Eura, the Unicorns came up only a goal short in a 4-3 page-turner that gave notice to the rest of the group. In group D, no one's counting chickens.

Thanks to Reçueçn's upset over Qusmo as well as Qusmo's earlier upset against The Holy Empire, Group D is still wide open for anybody. The group has certainly retained its title as the group of death--it is the only group in the world cup where no team is yet mathematically sure of either advancement or elimination. In fact, not only can any single nation advance, but almost any combination is still possible--only Reçueçn and The Holy Empire cannot advance together.

Of course, seeing that The Holy Empire is ranked fourth in the multiverse, perhaps the RNFT's win against Qusmo was a lucky fluke and they will be put in their place tonight. But even with a draw it is possible for the Unicorns to make it through--and can you imagine the celebrations they would have back home if the same team that was unranked at the beginning of qualifiers made it through to the knockouts of the finals?

So if you're looking for excitement tonight as the group stage winds down, tune in to a match from group D. Stadium of the Night in Hollow Shades and Grand Regal Stadium in Canterlot will be hosting these two matches with all the same levels of adrenaline and intensity that you'll be seeing the the knockout stage rolls around. While the teams will be fighting in pairs tooth and nail to settle their destinies and destinations, each game will also affect the other--a win for Reçueçn, for example, means Eura is on the ropes, and any points for Qusmo would eliminate The Holy Empire. A couple of commentators from The Holy Empire seemed to think that a two goal win over Reçueçn would mean a win-and-in for their beach-soccer team, but we believe that the first tie-breaker is head-to-head results, which would see Qusmo through regardless. Of course, it's unclear if those commentators even know which sport is being played at this tournament. Either way, tonight's entertainment promises to be nothing but the best.

Previous Match

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Reçueçn 1-0 Qusmo
World Cup 83 Finals — Matchday Two
HarmonyLink Field, Seaddle, Equestria
Grégoire Leclair (71')
Reçueçn line-up: Gerauld Firaut (c), Leo Beck, Ägidius Heissler, Norman Bright, Oliver Spencer, Luc Pélissier, Harold Saunders, Maynard Hebron, Hippolyte Lavigne, Franky Adams, Freeman Lebo
Substitutions: Klemm for Spencer (57'), Leclair for Saunders (65'), Cutrona for Bright (73')

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Upcoming Match

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The Holy Empire vs Reçueçn
World Cup 83 Finals — Matchday Three
Stadium of the Night, Hollow Shades, Equestria
Reçueçn line-up: Gerauld Firaut (c), Leo Beck, Ägidius Heissler, Norman Bright, Oliver Spencer, Luc Pélissier, Harold Saunders, Maynard Hebron, Hippolyte Lavigne, Franky Adams, Freeman Lebo

[Free Republics]

Sister Polus's Thoughts

Hello and welcome to tonight's edition of Sister Polus's Thoughts. I am Sister Maria Polus. I am the Housemistress of Tomlinson House at the Barjavel Academy at Republica, the Instructor in Religious Studies, Deportment and Latin at the Academy and the Headmistress of the Barjavel Junior Academy, Republica Branch. Actually, I stand corrected. I was all of those things but earlier today I was terminated from my positions by Barjavel Academy, effective immediately, after the Federation Government passed an unconstitutional law that impairs the obligation of contracts, which permitted Barjavel Academy to breach my contract.

After consulting with an attorney, I have decided not to sue Barjavel Academy, Scarlett the Harlot Nicholls, Drunken Kyle Bolton and every single member of the Federation Assembly and Federation Senate who voted for this flagrantly unconstitutional law for breach of contract at this time. However, I will be filing a lawsuit to challenge the constitutionality of the law. I have decided, however, that I will not seek reinstatement to my job as I have decided to launch 2 new institutions of learning here in Republica, one to train young gentlemen and one to train young ladies and to serve as the first headmistress at the school for ladies. I will work with the Ecumenical Coalition for Morality to find qualified teachers and administrators with the highest moral character and we will aim to offer the highest quality education available in the multiverse with the highest academic and moral standards in the multiverse. At the moment, we are hoping to have this new school open as soon as possible and we will accept mid-year transfers from any school in the Free Republics or elsewhere in the multiverse. Yes, we seek to have an international student body who seek to grow academically and grow in their faith in our Lord and Savior Iesus Christus. If you are interested, please visit the Ecumenical Coalition for Morality's web site at ecm.or.republica for more information or to apply. We welcome students from diverse backgrounds including students who have not yet accepted Iesus Christus into their lives and we will offer an education and transportation to Republica to all, regardless of what country they come from, at no cost whatsoever to their families. If we have more applicants than we can fit into our space, we will expand.

As somebody who has been called by God to educate the youth of the multiverse for His Kingdom, I honestly should have quit my job at Barjavel Academy sooner! The school's elitist admissions policies have deprived many children of an education. I don't believe we should be turning anybody away or charging anybody for an education and thanks to the generous backing of a number of faith-based institutions, we will be able to accept everybody who applies and offer education, room, board, uniforms, supplies and even travel to our boarding schools at absolutely zero cost to students or their families and our schools will run 6 days a week year round with breaks for Christmas and Easter to ensure that we have sufficient instructional time.

Moving on however, I want to congratulate Common Good for finishing in first place in the recent legislative elections. The vote count has finally finished and Common Good bested Golden Age by a mere 17 votes across the Federation (OOC: Due to large scale electoral fraud in Malifornia but obviously Sister Polus would never admit to that.). I also want to congratulate Common Good, Golden Age and Responsible Progress on their new coalition led by Speaker Nathan Newton. Mr. Newton is the first Speaker in a long time who is not a member of the Assembly. He is a professor of economics at the University of Republica who has been a long time critic of the excesses of big business in Republican society.

Anyways, we need to take a commercial break. When we return, I will be interviewing Senator Samuel Izmailov about his thoughts on the antics of the South Covello soccer team and hopefully some other topics...

---

90 minutes had passed and the Republican National Soccer Team had repeatedly missed the target. It was an exercise in frustration for Theriault, made even worse by the mocking chants from the South Covello side. South Covello had beaten the Free Republics again by a 1 goal to nil margin. No matter what the Republicans did strategy-wise, they seemingly couldn't beat the former Gregoryisgodistan. Now, they had a must-win match against Kita-Hinode ahead of them. While the Republicans were favored, they were still facing a team that had once been the best back when they were called the Sunrise Islands. A draw would put Hinode through. Otherwise, it was winner take all with South Covello all but guaranteed a spot in the final 16 unless the unthinkable happened and Mercedini actually beat South Covello. However, even if that happened, the Republicans still needed a win to go through to the last 16...

[Farfadillis]

Your first World Cup can be a frightening experience, specially if you've barely got any NT experience. Yeah, sure, I'd played top flight football and whatnot, but the Farf league's not what it used to be. Besides, the World Cup's still the biggest stage no matter how you slice it.

Holsteiner's muscle injury forced the gaffer's hand, so he'd told me to finish my warm up quickly. We were tying with Chromatika, and we were halfway through the second half. Victoriane had caught our defense sleeping just five minutes in. I made a mental note to ask her and Andisori for an autograph if the game ended in a tie. I was hoping I wouldn't arrive at the hotel autograph-less or, well, having lost, though.

As the fourth referee held up the sign, I did some breathing exercises. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Holsteiner limped his way out and I got the signal to enter the pitch. I'd been subbed in in the previous game as well, but I felt even more nervous this time. The frustration from the first game was weighing on me, just as it was weighing down on my teammates.

I had little time for thinking, though. Soon as I entered the pitch, I received a pass from Wçêíl, and Tuzzio shouted for me to focus when I got immediately dispossessed. I almost cost us a goal, as Andisori herself ended up grazing the crossbar in the ensuing counter. Still, I managed to calm down, and the rest is history.

We'd been dominating for most of the match, but the Chromatiks were starting to look invigorated as we failed time and time again to score a second goal. Êns' wondergoal was probably beginning to feel like a fluke, as he'd failed to get past even one player after his humiliation of the Chromatik defense. de Aea had, for all intents and purposes, completely shut him down. Besides the goal, of course.

Still, just after the second close shave in a row, and just as they started to look like they could maybe even win it, we struck. I struck. Wçêíl ran down the flank and pulled off an exquisite cross to... Xíxì Êns. Xíxì's one of the best in the Multiverse, but he's also 5 feet 6. So yeah, he could barely hit it. Since he was at almost point blank range, though - and I stress this was thanks to Wçêíl's exquisite cross - Nier could only save it. Who was there for the rebound? You guessed. Me. Boom.

There were still about twenty minutes to go, though. Tuzzio told us to try and secure the result. We did it the Farf way: by throwing caution to the wind and trying thrash them. When Tuzzio noticed we'd misinterpreted his instructions, he started viciously insulting us in what little Rulandese he knew. The reason being that as Farves we all knew enough Rulandese to know our mothers were not being spoken of highly, but no official would ever know what tütsáárà pü mâ meant.

He was temporarily subdued when de Sájajo put rue Cazade through on goal and he placed his shot beyond Nier's reach. Three-one with a quarter hour to go meant we were in quite a comfortable position. Tuzzio tried to be civil and apologized, then told us to actually secure the result this time. However, at this point, we were looking for our fix. We'd played a not-so-offensive brand of admittedly effective but very boring football in the qualifiers, and we were tired of it. You could think of the game against Chromatika as our own little childish outburst.

They had a penalty that Tgô saved because of this, but I'll gloss over that. We scored a fourth goal two minutes after, when Êns managed to finally break free of de Aea's marking and dribbled his way into the box, before passing to rue Cazade, who scored again, this time by hitting the ball violently. We were ecstatic. We were enjoying football again. Our opponent's playing style - notoriously offensive for this game, for whatever reason - was obviously helping.

Tuzzio shut up for good after that fourth goal, by the way.

In the last minute, t'Öéséné got fouled not far from the box, and I surprised everyone by asking for the free kick. The exhilaration of the moment led to Wçêíl, normally not a generous player, handing me the ball and wishing me good luck. I took in the moment, knowing I was unlikely to ever experience something like this again. Yeah, we weren't through yet, but I couldn't remember the last time I'd enjoyed a game of football so much.

I don't think I'll ever pull off that shot again. Trust me, I tried for weeks after that. The best goal of my career, hands down. Five-one and with Cassadaigua's win against Brenecia, we were through unless tragedy struck.

And that's how I, Enrique Delrío, started forging my reputation as Farfadillis' supersub in my short-lived international career.

[Equestrian States]

To: The Holy Empire Football Association
From: The Office of the President, World Cup Committee Headquarters
RE: Wild Grounds pitch concerns

To whom it may concern,

It has been brought to my attention that the Holy Empire Football Association remains convinced that the 83rd World Cup is not an association hoofball tournament, but is instead a "festival of beach soccer." Your letter regarding the pitch at Wild Grounds was received by Chief Groundskeeper Greenhoof, who apparently was left extremely confused and promptly forwarded the message to the Equestrian Hoofball Association. Stating that "[he] can't deal with these jokers right now," Chairpony Brilliant Night of the HA and World Cup 83 Organizing Committee had your concerns brought to the attention of the World Cup Committee, where the matter eventually landed on my desk. Thus, it falls upon me to address the points you raised in your message:

1) I thought I had made this clear in the letter I sent the HEFA earlier this cycle, but allow me to repeat myself: WORLD CUP 83 IS NOT A BEACH SOCCER TOURNAMENT. All World Cup pitches have been correctly laid out to host association hoofball matches, which is the sport that the Holy Empire national team is registered to compete in.

2) As the Holy Empire has been drawn as the 'away' side against Eura, it will be up to them which kit they wear in your match. Should you wish to wear your primary kit, I recommend that you take it up directly with the Eurans.

3) Should the HEFA desire "more hot, bikini-clad beach babes on the sidelines," I would suggest that the Holy Empire provide said "babes" themselves, either by hiring locals to dress in said swimwear or by having Imperial supporters do so. Considering that the majority of the Equestrian population is equine and that ponies do not typically wear clothes of any kind, the latter option may be easier.

I have also been forwarded concerns that the Holy Empire's players have not been properly equipped in their matches. I would ask that the HEFA please provide their players with the correct equipment for association hoofball, including the proper footwear.

Sincerely,

Princess Mi Amore Cadenza
President of the World Cup Committee

[Valanora]

Hawk.

When a single word or name can strike fear, awe, and respect all simultaneously, one knows that they are in the presence of something truly spectacular. No one would believe the true story of Hawk, every great story had to have a better beginning than that which was Laborious Hawk's, and yet all of his teammates knew that the man who could lay a legitimate claim to the best player to ever play in the NSWC came from very humble beginnings. Hawk did not even start out as a proper footballer, it was by pure happenstance and a dash of luck that he became a professional footballer, having been seen by the then very small side of Hondo FC while playing some street football after a hard day of work at the butcher's shop. Another hour before or after and Hawk would have not been there to be spotted by the Hondo FC manager and given the chance to go train with his home town club. From a stocking hand at a butcher's shop to a professional footballer, helping lead Hondo from the the third tier of the Elven Pyramid at the time to the top flight and then to a miracle Premiership title. From there, the rest is as they say, history.

Somewhere deep inside Hawk, he knows and acknowledges that his quest for athletic perfection is one that will ultimately never be able to be fulfilled. Perfection is fleeting and all but impossible, especially in a constantly evolving and revolving world that sports are, and Hawk knows this inside of his gut. However he just keeps pursuing forward, even if he knows that one day his quest will have to come an end, a fact that he knows will come sooner rather than later, especially with the way The Calling had taken many of his friends and families from this place. If not for his pursuit, he likely would have gone at well, but as time was beginning to wear on from that event, the more he was wondering if he had made the right decision in staying. This group of new Marauders were finally starting to come into in their own but the time that The Calling had occurred, there was no real plan in place and a very disassembled national team program, he owed it to the crest to stick around and try to right the ship.

With the defeat of Equestria and a rise in the rankings that he was sure was coming once the World Cup Finals was finally over with, perhaps the time was growing closer than he realized. The various races that had filled the void created by the exit of the majority of the elven population had slowly began to right not just the national team program but the Empire as a whole. The Eternal Empire was in good hands, even if Hawk was not sure how he felt about this new Elected Emperor position rather than a ruling dynasty, he had seen how the democratic nations of the world would be swayed by marginal changes in the whim of the majority. It was sport though that was his expertise and he just gave him opinion when asked, instead to continue to focus on his goals. Now that goal was to lead the Marauders to a perfect Group Stage in the Finals, with only a defeat of the lowest ranked team in the group standing in the way. Hawk usually didn't make things personal, but with a recent batch of racist and speciest commentary from Kelssek, Hawk felt an extra bit of motivation to achieve his goal. That had to be fearful for those that now stood in his way.

[Chromatika]

Recap of World Cup 83 Group Stage Game 2: Farfadillis 5–1 Chromatika
Goal: Victoriane '5
Starting XI: Nier; An - de Aea - Ilya; Kelly - Mora - Kuzami - Armageddon - Dragana; Andisori, K. (C) - Victoriane.
Substitutes: Throben -> Kelly '51, Conrad -> Dragana '69, Damjana -> Ilya '75
Recap: The gamble of using the 3-5-2 paid off for the first... fifteen minutes or so. Then, the Farf attack just took over, and that was that. The players seemed dejected. De Aea tried his damnedest to hold the back line, but it was really the central core of Mora, Kuzami, and Armageddon that couldn't stand up to the onslaught of the third ranked team in the multiverse. A shame for Nier, who is probably in her last tournament before bowing out after the upcoming AOCAF. With the result, the Chromatiks have been eliminated, completely humbled after returning to football's biggest stage after missing an edition.

Thus, the Chromatiks are only left with a chance to play spoiler against Brenecia - or go home after losing all three matches.

Starting Lineup vs. Brenecia: Nier (C); Ruth - de Aea - Anderson - Ilya; Kelly - Kuzami - Armageddon - Conrad; Sierra - Vidal.

With the team having been eliminated, Parker returns to the 4-4-2, and decides to give some of the younger players a chance to play in the biggest stage; it is likely that Keira or her younger sister will make an appearance, but this will be the first time that Cierra Anderson, Rowena Sierra, and Olimpia Vida will have taken the stage in a World Cup Proper match.

With Silian Parker's future also uncertain (there are rumors he might also go after the AOCAF), it will be of import to see how this foray back into football ends.

[Brenecia]

Brenecia 2 - 3 Cassadaigua
(4-3-3) 1 - Farrell; 2 - Broxham, 5 - Horgan, 6 - Mathers, 3 - Quill (c); 8 - Matheson (14 - Ruskin 76'), 4 - Locke, 13 - Wheeler; 7 - Cheney (15 - Garrard 76'), 10 - Ciogach, 16 - Fletcher
Goals: Horgan 41', Ciogach 53'

Brelk-Xeral wondered, sometimes, if they were right for these conditions.
Part of it was the nation itself. Brenecia was cold, damp and miserable, and full of cold, damp, miserable people. If they were honest, they respected their players more than they really liked them.
Part of it was the nation's press, which had gone from singing their praises to somewhat dubious in the space of a single result - a hard-fought defeat against a strong Dagan side. Okay, so due to Circumstances they were probably going to crash out even if they won their next game, but before they'd shown up, they probably weren't going to qualify in the first place. And, bluntly? This was not exactly the greatest team. There was an awful moment last match towards the end, after Mattison's free kick had sailed past Farrell - who had blamed the kit clash after the game for not being able to wear her eye-searing pink and yellow ensemble to dizzy attackers - where the manager had looked towards their bench and found pretty much nothing looking back at her that they trusted to make the difference at this level. Maybe they should've rolled the dice anyway. Certainly the papers thought so, because that's how hindsight worked.
And part of it was--
Someone knocked on the door. They looked up, then looked meaningfully at Jess Curtin, chilling on the table. Curtin sighed, got up and opened it, and a clown car of scantily-clad people piled in through, in a range of conventionally attractive body-types.
"Uh," said Curtin, intelligently.
"Special delivery, courtesy of the Prime Minister!" chimed a few of the hunks / babes.
"Uhm," said Curtin. "Boss?"
Brelk-Xeral looked up wearily. They'd been sketching up plans at their desk for the past three hours, looking for ways to exploit gaps in the Chromatik defence without being cut apart on the break. They categorically did not have time for this.
"Why?" they asked, plaintively.
A single spokeshunk pushed his way to the front. "Well, boss, and it is an honour to meet you, the FA heard of the discourse between the Holy Empire and the WCC and, well, they thought they might be onto something, yeah? Get the crowd revved up, get the players', ah, engines pumping, yeah?"
"That's... kind of disgusting, but okay," contributed Curtin.
"Well, they appealed up the chain," the spokeshunk went on, "until they got the the Prime Minister, and the PM pulled some strings and, well, here we are! For the good of the Patriots, right? We'll give the fans something to cheer about even if we get pumped tomorrow."
"We are not getting pumped tomorrow," said Curtin, making a stand as she saw no help forthcoming from her boss.
"Yeah, you're getting pumped up! With us!"
The assorted squad cheered. Brelk-Xeral's patience snapped.
"Okay! Okay! Fuck it! Come to the game, stay on the sidelines, do whatever it is you're meant to. Just... leave now, and stay out of my way."
It took some more coaxing from Curtin, and the subsequent intervention of security, but eventually the spokeshunk - who it turned out was, in fact, the Mr. Brenecia - agreed to the terms. The most important match of Brelk-Xeral's tenure would be played out to a background of oiled-up bronze.
So, yeah. Part of it? Was shit like this.