AOCAF Cup LIX - Everything Thread

by **Mriin** » Sun Oct 13, 2019 10:03 am

Mrii National Team

For competition in the 59th AOCAF
Right: An artist's rendition of Solara Vol, star Mrii striker (in her Sabrefell Moths duds).
Style: 4-3-3, +1.5
Home Field: Haven, Maal (65 000). Located in the scenic old city overlooking the warm Atlantian ocean.
Nickname: the Reavers

Note that most players (and the majority of Mrii) are satyrs, as pictured, though with a variety of skins tones--mostly in various shades of blue, purple, and red. They're on average very tall, along the lines of human professional basketball players, and specialize in aerial play thanks to the elevated header control courtesy of their horns. Their stature also lends itself to a fast and aggressive attacking game, leveraging long strides, high stamina, and imposing presence to pressure and wear down the opposition. While there are certain Mrii who show a phenomenal amount of dexterity on the ball, they're generally the strikers; small, quick humans that can "get under" Mrii backs have been a problem spot for the team, though under Tailtiu Brennan's tutelage they've become much more adept at punishing mistakes with brutal counterattacks.

POSITION - NUMBER - GENDER - AGE - NAME - TEAM

M  -    - F - 51 - Tailtiu Brennan- 
AS - 11 - M - 41 - Joren Kreuger  -  Vidial Alchemists

Typical XI
GK -  1 - F - 34 - Mara Solaani   -  Kingsgrove
LB -  2 - F - 29 - Pia Levaani    -  Rozelle
CB -  3 - M - 30 - Maas Halder    -  AFC Hosingr
CB -  4 - F - 34 - Reina Kress    -  Marque
RB -  5 - F - 26 - Karii Bruun    -  Crisisbless United
LM -  6 - M - 26 - Popo Tevainen  -  Bruul Skewers
CM -  7 - F - 30 - Malia Yonen    -  Cranequin Wanderers  <Set Pieces>
RM -  8 - F - 28 - Tia Mor        -  Easthold Royals
ST - 11 - F - ?? - Tali’raia      -  Eastweald            (note: is a dryad)
ST - 10 - F - 36 - Solara Vol     -  Sabrefell Moths      <Captain, Penalties>
ST -  0 - F - 32 - Portia Taani   -  Cranequin Wanderers

REPLACEMENTS
GK - 12 - F - 30 - Kaara Iarrow   -  Chafford
GK - 23 - F - 21 - Hadrii Tiaant  -  Andü Volunteers
LB - 13 - M - 31 - Meryn Valent   -  Maal Angels
CB - 14 - F - 34 - Kalia Tolsii   -  Harbor
CB - 15 - M - 23 - Paarsimer Jin  -  Weldsmith
RB - 16 - M - ?? - Wehi’katal     -  Westhold Royals      (note: is a dryad)
LM - 17 - M - 26 - Varyn Acerii   -  Crystal Fair HC
CM - 18 - F - 34 - Revan Mor      -  Maal Angels
RM - 19 - F - 25 - Olaana Tagarii -  Maal Angels
AM - 20 - F - 23 - Otalia Kasmiir -  Gryst Brewers
ST - 21 - M - 32 - Lasser Rei     -  Dynapolis United
ST - 22 - F - 27 - Mako Silanii   -  FC Samotath
ST -  9 - M - 35 - Aldo Vocani    -  Barbury Town

Positional Breakdown (Updated!)
Keepers
Mara is still at the height of her powers, putting up impressive numbers both with the Reavers and with Kingsgrove. She's a lock in the starting slot for the next few years at least. But behind her, there are big question marks--Zilia Hawsorne finally formally retired from international play, an early pillar of the team saying goodbye. And while Karii is, y'know, good, she's not the sort you can put your full confidence in at this level. Thus comes a punt, in the young and promising Hadrii Tiaant. It's the first step in Brennan's effort to bring more youthful energy into the squad and get them the experience they'll need to take over when that time comes, which is a theme this AOCAF.

Backs
Brennan has done well molding the Reavers' defense into something resembling respectable, with the current mix possibly being the best set they've ever fielded. Reina has taken to the role of the stalwart veteran well, and while she doesn't break forward quite as much as in her youth she's still a threat to watch. Maas has gotten his act together in a number of ways the past two cycles and is now a competent shotcaller, even if he still sees red on occasion. Pia and Karii both provide solid, pacy coverage while being nasty on the break with quality crosses.

Midfielders
Malia--finally the only of her name, with Polandre's retirement--is becoming the class of the team, providing a crucial pivot whether on the offensive or the back hoof. The beef between Tia and Pia is long under the bridge and they're back to their partner-in-crime ways, often connecting to produce chances out of thin air. Popo was a seemingly quiet presence in his first cycle, but it was one of those deceptively valuable roles where his capacity to run anywhere at any time would tax defenses even if he never got a clean chance to make something of. Olaana Tagarii gets the call, an Angel who's half-winger half-defensive mid and is expected to be the first choice when shifting to a 4-4-2. Otalia Kasmiir also gets a shout, the creative force behind the Brewers' promotion during her debut season.

Strikers
The Mrii bread and butter, and by far the most competitive position. Solara’s a lock, no questions. Her ability to flip seamlessly between straining any defense to holding up play for ages to manufacturing opportunities is the hallmark of the Reavers. Aldo has been cleaning up in the ANL for ages now, and is a solid poacher with a great sense of “right place right time” that can get a lot done. Tali’raia brings a unique brand subtle technical play that's a refreshing change of pace to the satyrs running defenders over; one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it types. Lasser and Mako both fill the sort of quick, hard-hitting supersub role. Lasser excels in providing width to the attack, whereas Mako is much more direct--capable of crashing through an even mildly disoriented defense. Finally, but certainly not least, is Portia. Her story as an unrecognized talent is long gone--she's proven herself at this level as an all-around talent. She's drawn a few comparisons as a 'budget Solara,' which were intended to be negative but she laughed off. To quote, "I'll take being 80% of a superhero any day."

Kits fabulously provided by Aer!
Home / Away / Keeper

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes (minor, out-for-the-game max)
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

by **Dogsmouth** » Sun Oct 13, 2019 2:13 pm

Dogsmouth is a curious backwater in the GSW. A land that knows only overcast and rain, towns sparsely spread among the vast marshflats and forested swamps, and populated by the sort of people that are happy to call it home. The Dogi (pronounced similar to the Venetian title--or, yes, the meme) are easily spotted by their long, rough hair, toothy grins, and wild eyes.

Manager - Meredyth Shepherd - The most decorated Dogi manager of recent memory, having lead Oakport to three titles in four years. Known to be a taskmaster.
Style: 4-5-1, -3
Home Grounds: Caldwell Field, Barkham (15 000)

Starters
GK - Lauren Wickham - Lithe, active, acrobatic.
LB - Errol Avery - Quick and tricky.
CB - Colwyn Faulkner - Stocky, strong, fearless.
CB - Amelia Tuff - Tall, careful, clever.
RB - Wilfreda Breckinridge - High stamina, slow to react.
DM - Emma Tirrell - Omniscient (metaphorically).
LM - Shyla Benn - Strong left boot. Not much else.
CM - Wulfnoth Robinson - Pack mentality, taste for blood.
CM - Aureole Rivers - Fancy footwork and solid passing.
RM - Xavier Ellison - Short and mad about it.
ST - Cynthia Rayne - Mercurial thunderstorm.

Subs
GK - Jazlyn Wakefield
LB - Arlo Reed
CB - Delia Stanford
CB - Mark Tindall
RB - Archibald Peak
LM - Berniece Parsons
CM - Edwyna Alvey
RM - Reannon Bain
AM - Calanthia Brewster
ST - Athelbryth Kersey

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes (minor, out-for-the-game max)
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Football Association of the Commonwealth of Baker Park

The FAC was founded in 1901 and currently has 124 full member clubs, 307 associate member clubs and approximately 21,000 registered players--male & female--between the ages of 11 to 65+ as well as approximately 3,100 registered officials, both male & female. It sponsors competitions across all age groups, genders and ability levels, including 12 National Championships and 6 domestic cup competitions for men and women.

Major Multiverse Honors—

SWC 5 Under-18 Champions
Baptism of Fire 67 Runners-up
AOCAF LVIII 3rd Place
AOCAF LVII Quarterfinals
DiBradini Cup 42/63 Quarterfinalists
World Cup Banija/Equestria 83 Round of 16
World Cup Apox/Valanora 82 Round of 16
World Cup Banija/FFR 81 Round of 16
World Cup EqueStar 80 Group Stage

All time match record—256 wins, 187 losses, 91 draws (current through World Cup 83)
NS record--77 wins, 25 losses, 22 draws

National Anthem--"Hear Our Voices Commonwealth"

Region—Atlantian Oceania

Nickname--since the end of the 1960's the National Team has been known as "The Bees", a period when the team's uniforms consisted of alternating black and gold hoops. While the bee is an element on the coat of arms of the Commonwealth—a long accepted heraldic symbol of industriousness--the association was actually a reference made in an Italian newspaper game story when the senior team was wearing the hooped shirts, referring to the BP team as il Bombi (the bumblebees) for their perseverance and swarming tactical play.

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

style--+2.10
Formation--3-4-1-2
KPB—38.50 (9th, current through WC 83)
AOCAF—30.53 (3rd, current through AOCAF LVIII)

GK
1    Kyle Moyer		        31	Newmarket Saxons FC
21   Kelsey Vickers		23	Far Hills Ladies SC
22   Grant Coffey		24	Hamilton Wanderers FC
Def
2    Derion Hutchins		24	Coolville United FC
4    Eric Herrara		30	Southend AC
5    JC Bartok			24	Westwood Sprites FC
3    Terrence Stephens		27	North Royalton Town FC
16   Pryna Rasanamira		22	Leiderkranz Ladies FC
19   Gabby Jordan		24	Lady Crusaders FC
18   Kelly O'Connell		23	Jamestown City Ladies FC
17   Sam Harrison		23	Ezriquay United FC
Mid
8    Antonio Sotolongo		24	Learfield FC			
6    Nicki Stone		22	Riverside City Ladies FC
25   Anna Porter		22	Riverside City Ladies FC
23   Trent Yeomans		26	New Bremen FC	
20   Amanda Hayes		28	Ravens Ladies FC
7    Maria Fernandez		26	Newmarket Ladies FC
15   Declan Mason		26	Newport City FC
14   Junior Ngoba		22	Hamilton Wanderers FC
11   Daisy Callum		29	Middletown City Women FC
Fwd
10   DeAngelo Simmons		22	Monmouth Park FC		
9    Jessica LeClair		25	Haskins Blues Ladies FC	
27   Tim Blair			26	Richmond Station FC
26   Daniel Pryor		22	Brentwood Borough FC
13   Reggie Laing		22	Marshallton Athletic FC
24   Lainey Wadsworth		22	Ridge Raiders Ladies SC	
12   Eddie Wagner		30	New Bremen FC
28   Ayana West		        23	Sherwood Forest Ladies FC

Manager—Pamela Scott
Assistant—Will Barnard
Coaches—Lawrence Bell
	Tony Weiss
	Hailey Reinhart
Physio—David Hulme

RP Permissions
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Choose Scoring Events: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Y
Hand out red cards to my players: Y (TG in advance please)
RP Injuries to my players: Y (duration of match only, unless a TG ahead of time with your idea)
Godmod injuries to my players: Y
Godmod other events: N

by **Flavovespia** » Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:19 am

Another year of international football begins, and Flavovespia now begin their first AOCAF campaign. Their World Cup Qualifying 83 and Cup of Harmony 75 campaign was something of a mixed affair. Their only 2 wins in Qualifying came against rank outsiders Western Bjornaic, although 6 draws was somewhat impressive, including against Eura, who themselves went out in the quarter finals to World Champions Equestria on penalties.

At the Cup of Harmony 75 however, it was a different story. They were unlucky to draw eventual winners Main Nation Ministry and the overall 4th placed Brusseldorf in the group, but the team went without a single point, leaving them 149th overall in the KPB rankings, potentially costing them in the next World Cup Qualifying draw. Add to that, a disharmonious atmosphere broke out in the side, and the team, which impressed many to get an invite to the Cup of Harmony, let themselves down somewhat.

So where does this leave Flavovespia coming into AOCAF 59? They’re an unranked nation, in the bottom pot, so naturally little is expected of them in the continent. With 16 of the 36 teams making it to the knockout stages at Freeport and Chromatika, it’s hard to see The Hornets make it there this time around.

With that said, Flavovespia will want more than they saw at their previous campaign. They won only twice, against a team who in all their history have 2 international points. Draws against bigger nations are pleasing, but get tiring, especially when there were opportunities to win games. The Cup of Harmony was unfortunately not at all what anyone wanted to see, especially with on-pitch troubles. There’s likely to be an expectation for Flavovespia to try and get some upsets this tournament, as “we played well for a draw, and we’ll win soon” can’t keep being said without delivery. Certainly if they didn’t win a single game, even as a bottom pot side, it’d likely see the end of Nick Cole as the manager of the national team.

Farfadillis are 6th in the AO Rankings and 7th in the KPB Rankings. Nobody expects much against one of the powerhouses of continental and world football, but it’ll be good to dream. The island nation is situated in the south west of the region, close to previous world cup hosts Banija, and the stalwarts of international football, Valanora. Flavovespia face them away in MD2 and at home in MD7. The position of the top seeds in the fixture list probably has a minimal effect on outcome, but at least Flavovespia won’t be needing a result against them in the tail end of the group stage.

95X come in 12th in the continent and 40th in the world. Flavovespia face them away in MD4 and at home in MD9. This puts the big away games in the group early on. A nation up in the north of the region, so an interesting journey for the fans. Potentially helpful in the sense it get them out of the way, and 95X are the last visitors to Flavovespia, a time that could be crucial for either team’s final position.
Euran Oceania Territories, 19th in Atlantian Oceania and 84th in the world are the Pot 3 team of Group F. Eura of course are a team Flavovespia got acquainted with, and got a famous 1-1 home draw against, and were even leading 0-1 at half time, before falling to a 3-1 loss. Their overseas territory is a short journey away from Flavovespia, so expect to see a contingent of travelling fans for those games. Flavovespia open against them in the Group at home, and play away in MD6. The Hornets will hope for at least a draw, if not a win, to try and puts some points to the board before travelling to Farfadillis.

Krytenia are “only” 26th in the regional rankings, but 46th in the KPB rankings show they aren’t a team to be taken lightly. From Pot 4, they’ll definitely fancy their chances at taking a Top 2 or best 3rd place spot to get into the knockout stages. The 5th game for Flavovespia is at home to Krytenia, and the final, and potentially critical game for either side is hosted in Krytenia. Will either side have something to play for then?
Freeport, 30th in the region and 67th in the world, round out Flavovespia’s opponents, with a home match for Flavovespia in MD3 and away in MD8. The only team in the group Flavovespia have encountered before, and on both occasions it finished 2-2. There’ll be a big incentive on both sides to get their first victory over the opponents. As the Pot 5 team of the group, Flavovespia will surely have to see this as a game they need to get points from.

So there are the 5 opponents that Flavovespia will face in the Group Stage. A few big names across the whole world, a few familiar names, and nations not to be underestimated. On paper, it’s quite reasonable to expect a wooden spoon in Group F. However, after the Cup of Harmony, Nick Cole and the players won’t automatically get away with a last place. If all 10 games were losses, it’s likely there’s going to be some personnel changes. It isn’t certain how many points would be expected a “fair result”, but a ball park of 5-9 is suggested. The chances of advancing to the knockout stages themselves, well they’re seen as quite slim even by optimists. However, is there any chance of a dream becoming reality? Only time will tell.

by **Timuria** » Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:58 am

AOCAF Cup Groups Drawn

by Tufan Nursultan

With the groups drawn excitement across the nation is ratcheting up as we approach the beginning of our debut campaign in our regions premier football contest the AOCAF Cup. Many fans are eager to see how the Red Wolves stack up against our closest neighbours especially since many would say (perhaps controversially) that our home region is the best in the multiverse for football. The nature of regional competition is fundamentally different to that of the World Cup and their adjacent events evidenced by the need for a separate ranking system employed within the region, meaning our Red Wolves are entering unranked, with virtually no expectation of success. The team has found itself drawn in Group C:

Group C
Lochario (24)
Timuria (UR)
Mriin (7)
Cult of Motherbread (UR)
Sultanate of Oontaz (16)
Baker Park (3)

Manager Bekir Altingunes offered his thoughts on the group notably saying "Rankings are overrated, I'm certain that we will be able to upset the expected order in this group as we have done in the past." When asked about whether the team felt confident, "They're ready for this, the atmosphere is very positive and we have a group of new starters and squad members who are hungry for success." When pressed on what his expectations were for the tournament Altingunes replied, "We expect to learn a lot, this will be a different experience to what we've had up until this point and it's worth remembering this is our first entry into this competition so if we start off slowly it wont be a surprise, but we do expect the team to put up good performances."

The national team will open against the Sultanate of Oontaz at the Hisar School Field of Excellence, a team that will mirror Bekir Altingunes's preferred 4-2-3-1, but will present a defensive posture as opposed to the Red Wolves preferred aggressive style. Then a trip to Lochario who also favour a slightly defensive posture will follow, the national team will want to show that they can't be stopped by simply adopting a defensive posture against them. The national team will be looking carefully at their two successive home matches in the first half of the group stage against group favourites, reigning bronze medalists and former co-hosts Baker Park who will be expected to top the group and the Satyrs of Mriin, known as the Reavers, who will be visiting Tim-Enerji Park in Elektriklestirme and the illustrious Manat School Sports Centre in Demir respectively. The national team will round off the first half of the group stage against fellow unranked Cult of Motherbread an oddly named nation whose team go by "Holy Dough Warriors" the national team will not be able to overlook them if they mean to make any kind of significant impact on the group.

Schedule:

MD1: vs Sultanate of Oontaz, Hisar School Field of Excellence
MD2: @ Lochario
MD3: vs Baker Park, Tim-Enerji Park
MD4: vs Mriin, Manat School Sports Centre
MD5: @ Cult of Motherbread
MD6: @ Sultanate of Oontaz
MD7: vs Lochario, Belediye Park
MD8: @ Baker Park
MD9: @ Mriin
MD10: vs Cult of Motherbread, Maden-Is Stadium

For visiting fans please go to VisitTimuria.gov.tmr for information on the stadiums and cities you will be visiting. For home fans who are unable to attend the matches in person the Red Wolves and every teams matches will be available for livestream and on demand watching via the HRT streaming app on all devices.

by **Sarzonia** » Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:33 pm

Bryan Ostrom has faced challenges before in life. His first wife passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer when they were both 23. His second wife filed for divorce even though he caught her with another woman.

They were huge challenges to be sure. They were massive enough challenges where it makes the daunting task of Sarzonia's football governing body deciding to send an Under 21 team to do battle with senior national teams. Even teams who opt to send a "B" side or second choice national team to compete in an AOCAF would be a tall order for a group of players, some of whom were scarcely out of high school.

And yet, Ostrom said the challenge of piecing together a cohesive team that he fully expects to flame out in 10 matches whilst being fortunate to earn so much as a single draw was "the greatest challenge I've ever faced."

He quickly clarified that he meant it as far as his football life was concerned. And still.

He looked at the Group B pairings, including the team's opening match away to Torisakia, a side ranked 38th in Atlantian Oceania, and said he didn't see a single match his team would be favoured to win.

"We open with two away matches, then we play our first home match against Banija," Ostrom said, shaking his head. "They're ranked fourth in the region. Our work's going to be cut out for us."

Even the most optimistic Stars players admitted it would be a prohibitively tall order to even compete against senior national teams, many of whom included players who began their international careers while the younger Stars were in diapers, or perhaps while some weren't even born.

For his part, Stars goalkeeper Carlton Sandt was quietly confident the Stars would at least put their best foot forward in this competition.

"We want to get some experience, and this will give us all a lot more experience than we otherwise would have had," Sandt said. He said he hadn't spoken with his older brother, World Cup XXII champion keeper Horace Sandt in "a couple weeks," but said they texted about the upcoming tournament.

"Hor said just play my game and let the chips fall where they may," Carlton Sandt said. "I told the rest of the team that. I showed him my brother's text."

If anyone on this edition of the Stars could have the kind of gravitas for a simple text to carry any weight with the side, it would be the young keeper, baby brother of a man who is still revered among Sarzonia's football fans for his performance during that long ago World Cup.

However, midfielder Charlie Ross said the team was focused specifically on the present.

"We've got a job to do," he said. "Just because past teams have won AOCAF championships and a World Cup doesn't mean we're going to accomplish anything. Hard work is going to be what takes us where we want to go."

by **Hapilopper** » Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:39 pm

The visiting team’s locker room, Equestria
Just before match day 1: Hapilopper v. Equestria
The loudmouths of the Hapilopper National Football Team had convened for another tournament, this time the Atlantian Oceania Confederation of Association Football. The 59th AOCAF would be the first one for the HNFT, and they were ready to make an impact they felt they could make on the rest of the championship. All they had to do was start things off with a win.

It wasn’t that big of a deal, either. All they had to do was beat Equestria. No big deal. Never mind the fact they were the top-ranked team in the region. Never mind the fact they had just won the last World Cup. Never mind the fact they were ranked #2 in the world in the KPB rankings. All they needed to do was beat Equestria and they were all set. Sure, the Haps were worried about it – they had good reason to be. But whatever would happen would happen, and hell, they could still end up with a miracle.

This was, for the most part, the same team that had participated in the World Cup 83 cycle. They had pulled off some real giant-killing efforts during that cycle. They went undefeated in the Baptism of Fire, won that, and came so close to qualifying for the World Cup proper in their first try. There was also the Cup of Harmony, but the best thing that the HNFT could say about that was “some days were better than others.”
Cooter Harris sat at his chair in the locker room just prior to the match and looked around at his teammates. Ernie Stevenson was idly playing with a ball. There was no pre-match boasting. Colin McLain, Pancakes Taggart and Doug Morse were chatting quietly amongst themselves. It looked to be a serious conversation. Pat Morris, meanwhile, was reading a copy of that day’s “The Hapiloppian,” the national newspaper of the country.

That newspaper told tales of a lot of interesting things going on in the Dominion. Hapilopper City was getting pummeled with a rare snowstorm, already being called “Snow Jam 2020” by locals. Some candidates were starting to appear as hopefuls to run against William Mathis, the President of Hapilopper. And a portion of the Trans-Hapilopper Highway 85, just north of Surrey, collapsed after several homeless people set fire to a couch underneath the raised road in an attempt to get a little more heat in their system on a very cold day. Needless to say, the city, already known for its traffic nightmares, was shut down pretty much as a result.

With that snowstorm hitting Hapilopper City, it was actually a good thing this match wasn’t happening at Capital Stadium, but rather in Equestria. The stadium was getting covered with snow, and worse, the Hapilopper National Baseball Team was trying to get ready to play their first games of the World Baseball Classic against Kita-Hinode. Heaven knows how that would turn out with snow all over the NationalTurf surface.

Thom Perkins stepped out of his office and got his team ready for the match and for the AOCAF.

“Gang, we’ve got the potential to do some magnificent things,” Thom said with a smile. “Yeah, we’ll be going up against what people say is the best team in the whole multiverse, not just Atlantian Oceania. But hell, on any given day, any team can be beat, am I right?”

The players slowly nodded their heads. They knew where Thom was getting at.

“I mean, we weren’t that highly regarded during the last World Cup cycle and we did some pretty incredible stuff. I mean, who would have thought a 167 would beat an 8? We can beat a 1. I know we can. All of us have that heart, that fire to get the job done.”

Thom had seen some things during the training sessions that made him think that Hapilopper could pull off a gigantic upset against Equestria. The team had trained with feeling. There had been some incidents, but primarily because the players were scratching and clawing to get the job done. If nothing else, these players would make the lives of Equestrian players miserable for 90 minutes with ruthless, physical defending and a wild track-meet style of offense, a style that some Hapiloppian observers were calling “Fun and Gun.” The team would fight like hell for the ball, shoot like crazy and produce a style of football that was a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

Not many people could do it, but the HNFT, the midfielders and strikers Ernie Stevenson were capable of doing it for 90 solid minutes. A result was far from guaranteed, and everyone had Equestria as the big favorites to win this match. But Hapilopper and their “Fun and Gun” style would make it difficult on them.

by **Tropicorp** » Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:01 pm

During AOCAF 50, Tropicorp put out a call amongst a subset of its scientists, researchers and engineers for support on an ongoing project. The project, which required exposure to competitive football, saw Tropicorp scientists, researchers, engineers and other such guinea pigs wearing special fabrics with electronic measuring devices sewn into them in order to aid in their measurements and calculations. The data collected during AOCAF 50 was absolutely invaluable to the project. During the cycle since, Tropicorp Engineers have been putting the data to the test at Tropicorp locations in Tropicoast and also at a new facility at an undisclosed location, also on Calania. During AOCAF 51, the scientists, researchers and engineers returned to collect some final data points to push them towards the final phase of the project. However, a strange thing happened during AOCAF 51 - the Tropicorp Scientists - perhaps a result of their own detailed research of the game, began not only to be competitive, but to win matches. The Techies actually qualified for the Knockout Rounds and stunned many with their performances until ultimately being knocked out by host and eventual champion nation Valanora.

After 4 Campaigns collecting data for their research, the experiment transitioned to reality. Their Cocoabo were ready for action and saw action during World Cup 78 Qualifying for Turori and during the XII Olympiad in Novanaya and Vekaiyu - with the Cocoabo team making it all the way to the Olympic final before losing to Darmen and earning the Silver Medal. Until the Cocoabo lift the NS World Cup trophy, however, the work for the scientists and researchers from Tropicorp and Cocoabo Park will not be done. They will continue tweaking, continue training, and continue CEEPing. Now, the focus for the Tropicorp Team is not to perfect the Cocoabo Squad, but to study the makeup of the 'optimum' team - a hybrid Citizen-Cocoabo Roster that could one way or another shape the future of footsport in the Vilitan Cove.

Hybrid Squad Schedule:

Matchday 1:
GK: Hanauma Ranbomahi / Cocoabo
DEF: Cocoabo Only
MID: Techie
FOR: Techie

Matchday 2:
GK: Hanauma Ranbomahi / Cocoabo
DEF: Techie
MID: Cocoabo Only
FOR: Techie

Matchday 3:
GK: Hanauma Ranbomahi / Cocoabo
DEF: Techie
MID: Techie
FOR: Cocoabo Only

Goalkeepers
Hanauma Ranbomahi is a 22 year old Vilitan Goalkeeper who qualifies to play for the National Team of Tropicorp as an employee of Tropicorp by virtue of playing their club footsport at Tropicorp FC in the Vilitan League. Ranbomahi is expected to play all no fewer then 45 minutes in each match. Tropicorp employee Jorden Calvanese will serve as the emergency backup.

Cocoabo Representative(s):
Cocoabo #88
Cocoabo #89

Defenders
There will be two scientists and two researchers on the field at any given time, with a further 2 scientists and 2 researchers working from the sidelines and prepared to step in if needed. Laurie Kannemeyer is the most experienced on-field scientist defender for the Techies.

Cocoabo Representative(s):
Cocoabo #58
Cocoabo #57
Cocoabo #53
Cocoabo #59

Midfielders
As with the defenders, There will be two scientists and two researchers on the field at any given time, with a further 2 scientists and 2 researchers working from the sidelines and prepared to step in if needed. They will alternate between central and wing positions. Former Sunrisean midfielder Hasato Kimiki qualifies to play for the squad as an employee of Tropicorp by virtue of being Tropicorp FC's Captain and Assistant Manager. Kimiki will reprise his coaching role for the Tropicorp team as well as joining the team on the pitch should they reach the knockout rounds. Greg Narine and Lalo Kallimanis lead the Scientist and Research teams in midfield.

Cocoabo Representative(s):
Cocoabo #61
Cocoabo #46
Cocoabo #65
Cocoabo #64
Cocoabo #67

Forwards
There will be one Scientist, and one Researcher working in tandem and one each from the sidelines. Ashlyn Kojic has been the top performing attacker amongst the Tropicorp Employees.

Cocoabo Representative(s):
Cocoabo #91
Cocoabo #99
Cocoabo #98

Team Nickname: the "Techies"

Style: RAND(-5,5)

====================
Invent Names for additional Scientists/Researchers/Engineers: Y
Choose Scorers: Y
GodMod Goalscoring Events: Y

Injure Players: Y
GodMod Injury Events Y

Red Card Players: Y
Yellow Card Players: Y
GodMod Other Events: Y
===================

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Mon Oct 14, 2019 5:29 pm

Siovanija and Teusland National Football Team

Facts

Nation Name: United Republics of Siovanija and Teusland
Short Names: Siovanija and Teusland, the United Republics
Demonyms: Siovanijan, Teus
FA: Siovanija and Teusland Football Association (STFA)
Colours: Blue and gold
Anthem: ‘High Mountain Skies’
Capital City: Borograd
Other Major Cities: St. Jakob, Stelburg, Vlaikograd, Chernovets, Felsenkirchen
Highest Domestic League: Republikaliga
Nicknames: The Goldhorns
Style Modifier: +2

Coaching Staff

Manager: Gavin Hughes (APX)

The reign of Gavin Hughes continues, the Apoxian manager having overseen two of the greatest tournament performances in the history of the national team at AOCAF 57 and 58, reaching the Quarterfinals in each memorable campaign. World Cup 83 saw a new high for the team as well, as they finished second in their qualifying group and reached the Playoff stage. It was heartbreak there, however, and again in the Cup of Harmony as well: an extra time defeat in the Round of 16. Now, we go again at the AOCAF, where the Goldhorns find themselves ranked 10th regionally. Can they show a repeat performance of some of the great AOCAF moments of recent years?

23-man Squad for AOCAF Cup LIX

Goalkeepers

GK -- Yanko Zhelyaskov -- #1 -- 26y/o -- Ulsa Rovers (EUR) -- 28 caps, 4 clean sheets
GK -- Viktor Venev -- #22 -- 37y/o -- FK Metropola Borograd -- 55 caps, 14 clean sheets
GK -- Anatoli Sveteikov -- #23 -- 29y/o -- Olympia Borograd -- 5 caps, 1 clean sheet

Right Back

RB -- Pierre-Louis Lotbiniere -- #2 -- 20y/o -- 1912 Stelburg -- 11 caps, 2 assists
RB -- Lutz Daschner -- #12 -- 35y/o -- 1912 Stelburg -- 78 caps, 3 assists

Centre Back

CB -- Raphael Klopfer -- #4 -- 31y/o -- 1912 Stelburg -- 95 caps, 4 goals, 4 assists
CB -- Karl-Heinz Jager -- #5 -- 22y/o -- FC Teussen Stelburg -- 40 caps, 4 goals, 4 assists
CB -- Kasper Martz -- #14 -- 22y/o -- TSV Marzig -- 5 caps
CB -- Josh Meckler -- #15 -- 27y/o -- 1912 Stelburg -- 6 caps

Left Back

LB -- Edgar Steimle -- #3 -- 21y/o -- 1912 Stelburg -- 14 caps, 1 assist
LB -- Lyubomir Dimitrov -- #13 -- 29y/o -- FK Metropola Borograd -- 44 caps, 1 assist

Centre Midfield

CM -- Thorsten Kramer -- #6 -- 26y/o -- 1830 Cathair (AUD) -- 98 caps, 19 goals, 41 assists
CM -- Vladimir Kostov -- #8 -- 36y/o -- Olympia Borograd -- 63 caps, 2 goals, 4 assists
CM -- Viktor Dimitrov -- #10 -- 31y/o -- Energija Chernovets -- 85 caps, 6 goals, 49 assists
CM -- Kurt Witzel -- #20 -- 23y/o -- TSV Marzig -- 13 caps, 3 goals, 3 assists
CM -- Todor Mihailov -- #16 -- 20y/o -- Yeaddin Owls (TUR) -- 6 caps, 1 goal, 2 assists

Right Wing

RW -- Ivo Romanov -- #11 -- 31y/o -- Rozelle (BRE) -- 93 caps, 34 goals, 20 assists
RW -- Lukas Tauscher -- #21 -- 22y/o -- FC Teussen Stelburg -- 8 caps, 1 assist[/i]

Left Wing

[b]LW -- Mario Kogler -- #7 -- 26y/o -- FC Teussen Stelburg -- 17 caps, 2 goals, 1 assist
LW -- Ingolf Kruger -- #17 -- 26y/o -- Marlesee 97 -- 16 caps, 1 goal, 1 assist

Centre Forward

CF -- Michael Ribbeck -- #9 -- 25y/o -- SW Stahlberg -- 54 caps, 41 goals
CF -- Krasimir Kynev -- #18 -- 28y/o -- Olympia Borograd -- 59 caps, 29 goals
CF -- Ludwig Reichwein -- #19 -- 28y/o -- FC Teussen Stelburg -- 19 caps, 6 goals

Set Pieces
Free Kicks: Thorsten Kramer, Viktor Dimitrov, Ivo Romanov
Penalties: Krasimir Kynev, Michael Ribbeck, Ivo Romanov, Thorsten Kramer, Viktor Dimitrov

Captains
Raphael Klopfer is the captain, with Lutz Daschner and Thorsten Kramer as vice captains.

There are several intriguing storylines to follow with the Goldhorns this tournament. Firstly, it’s the last hurrah for a few faces here: Viktor Venev has announced he’ll be retiring from international football at the end of this tournament. The 37 year old keeper has been brilliant for his country across 55 caps, and he’ll surely receive a great send-off at some point in the campaign. The question remains, of course, how Yanko Zhelyaskov will do this tournament in between the poles after his performances were criticized in World Cup Qualifiers and the AOCAF. Although there hasn’t been any official word yet, it’s also expected that midfielder Vladimir Kostov will retire from internationals as well: the midfield destroyer, capped 63 times so far, is a true fan favourite and will be missed when he does call it a day.

Young blood is thus coming into the squad, with the already-known names like Pierre-Louis Lotbiniere, Edgar Steimle, Karl-Heinz Jager and Todor Mihailov stepping up into bigger roles. Will this tournament see more blending of the different generations within the national squad, or is there still more time for the older guard? Some of the younger faces were key in bringing the squad to the World Cup 83 Playoffs, but at the same time struggled on that stage and in the CoH afterwards.

Finally, there’s also the expanded format of this AOCAF: the group stage sees each nation take on the other twice and travel between countries. Luckily for the Goldhorns, they won’t have to travel far: 4 of the 6 teams in Group E are located in Southwestern AO. It also means more home dates for the national team, and just like in World Cup 83 Qualifiers, the national team will be taking its show on the road: this time, however, finding a home in several smaller stadiums across the country that would otherwise never host the senior team.

Group E itself, however, is something of a group of death and will feature several important matches. First up, the reigning regional and World Cup Champions Equestria are here. One prior match between the sides saw Equestria defeat the Goldhorns 3-2 at AOCAF 57 in an exciting match. Siovanija and Teusland, ranked 10th in AO, are actually the second seed in the region, and are closely followed by Qasden (17th). The Goldhorns and Qasden have met 1 time before, a 4-2 win for Siovanija and Teusland on the last day of group play at AOCAF 56 that allowed the Goldhorns to qualify for the Round of 16. Then it’s the Busoga Islands, another member of the Glorious Southwest, who the Goldhorns defeated 2-1 in the first match of Gavin Hughes’ tenure as manager. All of these matches will have the extra tension of sub-regional bragging rights involved. Then, it’s Gyatso-kai and Hapilopper coming in as unranked sides. Gyatso-kai, however, have a long history within Atlantian Oceania and should not be underestimated. Hapilopper are the reigning Baptism of Fire champions and gave a very impressive account of themselves in World Cup Qualifying. Their attack-focused style should make them dear to the hearts of Goldhorn’ fans, except, of course, when the teams square off. Let’s check out the schedule for Siovanija and Teusland.

Schedule

Matchday 1: Siovanija and Teusland vs Qasden, @ Nationalstadion (75,000), Stelburg, Teusland
Matchday 2: Equestria vs Siovanija and Teusland, @ Equestria
Matchday 3: Siovanija and Teusland vs Hapilopper, @ Vest-Marlebucht-Stadion (30,000), Marzig, Siovanija
Matchday 4: Siovanija and Teusland vs Busoga Islands, @ Stahlarbeiter-Union Arena (40,000), Stahlberg, Teusland
Matchday 5: Gyatso-kai vs Siovanija and Teusland, @ Stadia Capital (78,050), Beijing, Gyatso-kai
Matchday 6: Qasden vs Siovanija and Teusland, @ Stade de Solis (70,500), Fyre, Qasden
Matchday 7: Siovanija and Teusland vs Equestria, @ Nationalstadion (75,000), Stelburg, Teusland
Matchday 8: Hapilopper vs Siovanija and Teusland, @ Hapilopper
Matchday 9: Busoga Islands vs Siovanija and Teusland, @ Busoga Islands
Matchday 10: Siovanija and Teusland vs Gyatsko-kai, @ Metropola-Stadion (45,000), Borograd, Siovanija

So, two of the most important matches to get things started: home and away against the 1st and 3rd seeds in the group. That does mean an ‘easier’ schedule to round out the campaign, but the Goldhorns must be wary of lower-ranked opposition especially after recent results at the Cup of Harmony and in World Cup Qualifiers. The Vest-Marlebucht-Stadion and Metropola Stadion will play host to the national team for the first time, the matchday 10 date likely to serve as a farewell match for Viktor Venev. Matchday 1 against Qasden is absolutely a must-win for the Goldhorns, and they’ll have to put things together very quickly to survive this group stage.

We’ll have complete coverage as Siovanija and Teusland renews regional rivalries at the 59th AOCAF Cup. Come on you Goldhorns!

by **-Anthor-** » Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:54 pm

The Mud is Already Getting Thick
As Samantha Broughton prepares herself for her international gaffer debut, the work cut out is already more immense then she may have believed

^{SHARE THIS:}

Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus (@Gnaeus Tanicius Vopiscus)(TH)
^{Gerand 29, 605AE 11:00 AM | Vaumort, Anthor}

Vaumort, Anthor(Herald) — Sympathy, or even empathy, for the neigh impossible position that Samantha Broughton has been placed in should be on the minds of the millions of us as we tune in from Yarmouth to Tharsius to witness yet another round of AOCAF and our Warriors participation in it, but for the first time in a long, long time, there is a sense of something new; having a new manager can do that certainly. but unfortunately anything feelings of renewed hopefulness must immediately be reconciled with the reality of this will the hardest AOCAF that we have ever participated in since we started sending teams six editions ago.

Anthor was drawn into Group D, and boy does it pack a challenge; not the say the others do not, but we will have to at the very least face and beat Valanora and/or Vilitia and Turori if we have any hopes of advancing into the next stage of the competition, and there is absolutely no easy games in this group stage. Ko-oren is the last remaining ranked member, but is 14th overall which means we're the fourth best ranked nation in the group and that we're facing an uphill battle into success, and if we are going to reach that height, it's going to be delivered on the back of Broughton's renewed Warriors. Despite the all too familiar faces of Rigsby, Kimball, and McKenzie, the team is definitely facing a new series of tactics; all though she's bringing out similar formations to those used by Darby in the last World Cup, positioning and employment of nearly every role has been completely transformed; instead of trying to build a network of control across the field, aimed at dominating possession and being able to dictate the pace, Broughton has opted to infuse that attacking fire her tenure at Evesham was known for, with the new goal being simple: get the ball, and get it in the other goal, ideally off of one of the golden feet that McKenzie or Rigsby possess but you cannot ignore the rest of the team's offensive potential. Stark and Padmore are playing a little more forward and less held back then how Darby employed them, whereas they were formerly used as gatekeepers to hold back an offensive from the opposing side, they are now being more treated as box-to-box midfielders and as both of proved, with Stark and his tenure in Anthor and Padmore has abroad, they can be very potent attackers when employed correctly.

The first opponent for Broughton to break her tactics in on will be Bolgrano, a recent international participant in our display of the finest sport to grace the multiverse, they had a forgettable World Cup entrance but a rather solid Baptism of Fire, something that future generations could build upon and complacency must be entirely absent; nothing less then a thrashing of this team will do for the Warriors, a tune-up on every level is mandated if they want to have any hope of success moving forward. Bolgrano will be employing a traditional 3-4-3, hoping that their midfield wall consisting of Hedd, Birgot, and the McShane siblings will be the anchorman of the pitch, both dictating the flow of any offensive maneuvers and also breaking up any pressure from the Warriors, but I think Bissette's fortitude and endurance will be enough to break them up, especially when combined with the agility of Stark and the guile and talent of Padmore, who is an incredibly intelligent and pitch-aware player which will come in infinite handiness. I believe the lack of experience out of those four Bolgrano midfielders will ensure their forwards of Daniel Frizzel, Tom Evans and Louis Merts remain starved, isolated and ineffective all game, even if they do display a good amount of unbridled speed and get past the rather bulky Wardell and Cartwright, that back wall of Holloway, Sampson and Stacks are cut and bled steel-hard defenders and with the ability of Broughton being able to also bring on Riers or Parsons in as substitutes, who while smaller and younger can be just as tenacious defenders and help ensure the quashing of any second half late pushes.

Gnaeus Tanicus Vopiscus contributed to this article.

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by **Chromatika** » Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:25 pm

Choose my Lineup: No. I will be listing the starting lineup for each match at the end of each RP. You can choose my subs, though.
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes, I choose the severity.
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes, 3 max.
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes, 2 max. Please TG me.
Godmod other events: No

ROSTER FOR WORLD CUP 83 QUALIFYING

Kits Credit: Kirola, Logo Credit: Vulpine Sportif

TEAM INFORMATION
WC Record: 125-31-41 (wins/draws/losses)
Overall Record: 157-40-59 (wins/draws/losses)
Formation: 4-4-2
Style Modifier: +1.41
Denonym: Chromatik
Venue: Capitalizt Dome, Chromatk City, Chromatika (144,000)

CURRENT TEAM INFORMATION
An era has passed. A staggering nine players have retired, including two of the three center midfielders and two of the defenders. There is a lawsuit between the Chromatik Football Federation and some of the politicians, with the Chromatik League currently on hiatus. Chromatika hasn't participated since World Cup 81, where they bowed out modestly in the World Cup Proper Group Stage, having also skipped the last AOCAF. Now, the Chromatiks get back to the pitch, looking to prove that they still have what it takes no matter what the situation is in their nation - that's how this all started, right? Well, they made it to the Group Stage, but didn't win any games. With the last of the old guard looking to depart, and rumors of change at the top... Can they manage one last hurrah?

MANAGEMENT

MANAGER

Silian Parker, 58 WC Record: 94-16-19 Overall Record: 114-21-28
It feels like an age ago now, the moment when Silian Parker had to step in after Lisa Amos left immediately after taking over for the late Franscesca Cortes after the days of the Rainbow Revolution. The mad genius has done it all with the team - led them to their first AOCAF title, finished fourth at the World Cup, and even crashed out in the Proper Group Stage. He's run a 4-4-2, innovated to a 3-5-2, and considered quite a few other options. With the recent developments between the Chromatik Football Federation, the Chromatik League, and the radical politicians, there were rumors that World Cup 83 would be his last World Cup in charge. With the disappointing results, Parker has announced his resignation at the end of the AOCAF. Forever the tactician who leads from the sidelines with quiet, few, well-spoken words, there was no way to quite know that the stress is getting to him, but he seems even more aloof than ever. Can he lead them to one last moment of glory?

TEAM PHYSICIAN

Zoe "Z" Benne, 33
After graduating summa cum laude from Chromatik City College University with a degree in Sports Physiology, Zoe, affectionately called "Z" by her peers, worked at the Capitalizt Dome until the CFF came calling. Strikingly beautiful and fit, nobody would question her if she put on the uniform herself and went out on the pitch; her physique definitely belong out there. Smart, calculating, and personable, there were actually some concerns about her becoming a visual distraction to the players, which were shot down quickly by her professionalism and integrity. That being said, the Chromatik locker room will be... a bit more spicy than before. The players have done an admirable job of keeping things professional between them, which has allowed her to perform her duties without a problem. It is hard to believe that the team didn't have a physio for a long time. Now rumored to be dating a now-retired Erika Morningstar - much to the conservative Chromatik media's chagrin - "Z" has really settled into her role.

Records:
Italics indicate still active

Most Caps:
Luuk Aart - 164
Rachel Hellion - 162
Erika Morningstar - 155
Meagan Kelly - 143
Keira Andisori - 135
Zlastica Ellen - 127
Gabriella Antonio - 125
Trenn Rien - 123
Sandra Sybill - 122
Lucjusz Stef - 121
Alyss Montague - 114
Carrol Liam - 110
Aysu Damjana - 101
Player with under 100 caps not listed

Most Goals:
Keira Andisori - 106
Kaytlyn Victoriane - 69
Gabriella Antonio - 43
Ki Niro - 33
Trenn Rien - 30
Rachel Hellion - 24
Meagan Kelly - 20
Players with under 20 goals not listed

PLAYERS
Players numbered 1-11 starters.

GOALKEEPERS
1. Jillian NIER, 32 |

Pelethas United | 6 ft 1 in | Caps: 79 Goals Allowed: 112
12. Mia RIA, 26 | Teamless | 5 ft 10 in | Caps: 46 Goals Allowed: 54
Jillian Nier may be nearing the twilight of her career, but she remains as focused as ever. The once-prodigy to the now departed Nikolai Thorben, Nier's capacity to turn on any situation on a dime has been called upon numerous times. Forever her backup is one Mia Ria, now lacking a team after leaving the Isles of Avon. Ria may be a bit shorter, but has the intangibles. This will be the last tournament for Nier as well wearing the black and white of Chromatika. She hopes to make one last impression.

RIGHT BACKS
2. Aiofe RUTH, 29 | Teamless | 6 ft 4 in| Caps: 24
13. Zheide MCBEE, 26 |

Raikennax Charge | 6 ft 4 in | Caps: 25
Erika Morningstar has sailed off to the sunset - or right by the arms of one Z Benne, if rumors can be believed. She of the 155 caps is now being replaced by a trio of backs who combined have 52 caps. Aoife Ruth is the pacing back, and Zheide McBee the aerial specialist. With Olivia An taking the tournament off to take care of an ailing mother, it's up to these two to try to bring up the right flank - something that they are almost too good at doing, sometimes forgetting to go back to defend.

CENTER BACKS
3. Henri DE AEA, 21 |

Holdenberg | 6 ft 7 in | Caps: 28
4. Yeri IBEX, 29 |

Chenoworth Rovers | 6 ft 1 in | Caps: 25
14. Cierra ANDERSON, 24 | Teamless | 5 ft 4 in | Caps: 28
15. Kattie WILL, 25 | Teamless | 6 ft 2 in | Caps: 9
Continuing the trend, gone are Luuk Aart and Lucjusz Stef, and their combined 285 caps. Now that Chromatika has switched back to a more traditional 4-4-2, a deeper center back roster is needed. Henri de Aea has been shining at Holdenberg of Eura, having been longlisted by the Galacticos Index. Tall and stocky, de Aea is a well-spoken young man who is a master in the air and a sure tackler. Yeri Ibex switched leagues from the Pasargan SuperLiga to the Nepharim Premiership, plying a trade of speed and marking his man. Cierra Anderson takes a gander at playing center back, still the best crosser of the bunch, while Kattie Will was one of the stars of the nation when she was a bit younger. Will is one who fits Aart's mold of annoying her opponents to frustration. This was perhaps Chromatika's weakest position in the last World Cup Cycle - and the reason why the team conceded fifteen goals in three matches in the World Cup Proper. De Aea and one of Anderson/Will will be the future for Chromatika; this will be a tournament to see whom, while Ibex holds down the position, for now.

LEFT BACKS
5. Valence ILYA, 26 |

Eastweald | 6 ft 5 in | Caps: 32
16. Aysu DAMJANA, 33 |

Vermillion Rage | 6 ft 7 in | Caps: 101
The time has come for Valence Ilya to take the mantle, and Aysu hasn't even argued about it, if media is to be believed. Now shining at the Harlighet Ligen's Eastweald, he has come to his own. Not that Damjana has fallen off - she's a physical enforcer who can still put a lick on anyone who dares to come by. Austic still needs some work, but he's here to mostly learn, even with fifteen caps under his belt. He has decent pace, solid jumping skills, and a good head. Ilya was the bright side in the Chromatik defense, and he continues to really blossom.

RIGHT MIDFIELDERS
6. Molly THORBEN, 25 |

Canterlot Stars | 5 ft 10 in | Caps: 48 Goals: 6
17. Whitney KELLY, 26 |

Port Patrick United | 5 ft 11 in | Caps: 25 Goals: 5
Meagan Kelly and Trenn Rien are gone to the wind. The younger Thorben is more of a possessive midfielder who uses crisp passing instead of the speed that Kelly used to bring. The younger Kelly is there to change up the pace as needed, though. With the team switching back to a 4-4-2, the side mids will need to do a lot more of the playmaking; Thorben provided quite a bit of playmaking in World Cup 83, but there is definitely room for improvement, especially when it comes to her left foot.

CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS
7. Hermaeus MORA, 23 | Teamless | 5 ft 10 in | Caps: 37 Goals: 2
8. Mimi KUZAMI, 25 |

Brinesmouth | 5 ft 5 in | Caps: 114 Goals: 19
Of the trio that were Hellion, Sybill, and Montague, only Montague remain, and in reserve capacity. Hermaeus Mora takes the mantle of being a starter as more of an attacking midfielder with risk-taking play, while Mimi Kuzami has learned to use her blazing speed to go back and forth between the defense and the offense. Enigma Armageddon the one-eyed field general can often be heard calling out plays on and off the field, while Alyss is still here, sporting quality shots and field experience. Montague hasn't committed one way or the other regarding the next cup; with both she and Keira on the squad, though, it is expected she would stay. Don't be surprised if she steps in to start in key matches still

LEFT MIDFIELDERS
9. Retta CONRAD, 25 |

Belgrave | 5 ft 9 in | Caps: 11 Goals: 7
20. Andréa CROIX-PIERRE, 22 | Teamless | 6 ft 7 in | Caps: 13 Goals: 3
Jazmin Dragana is taking this tournament off due to "personal reasons". Not many know what that is, though tabloids say she is either getting married or getting a procedure done. Ga-yeong Han broke her ankle and is recuperating. That leaves the starting role at the hands of one Retta Conrad, who emerged out of nowhere last cycle, making eleven appearances and scoring seven times, a feat not many left midfielders do in Chromatika. Though she can be described as having a shoot-first attitude, the Chromatiks will not mind having another scorer behind Andisori and Victoriane, and it will be sorely needed if the defense continues to struggle in the upcoming competition. Croix-Pierre can use both feet and head to make plays, and is dying for more minutes on the pitch, which she should have no problem getting in this competition.

STRIKERS
10. Keira ANDISORI, 29 |

Starling | 5 ft 3 in | Caps: 135 Goals: 106 CAPTAIN
11. Kaytlyn VICTORIANE, 27 |

Lammerton | 5 ft 8 in | Caps: 99 Goals: 69
21. Olimpia VIDAL, 24

Cazadores Cathair | 5 ft 5 in | Caps: 24 Goals: 15
32. Rowena SIERRA, 26 |

Aries Chariots | 5 ft 7 in | Caps: 30 Goals: 17
33. Beaunia ANDISORI, 25 |

Rozelle United | 5 ft 2 in | Caps: 18 Goals: 16
Where they've lost so much due to retirement elsewhere, the striking core of the Chromatik roster remains untouched. Keira Andisori continues to turn in crazy results year after year at Starling, and is the very first Chromatik player to score a hundred goals in their career. Kaytlyn Victoriane? Won the Galacticos award a few years back, no big deal, using speed and brilliant playmaking, about to make her one hundredth appearance for her country. Olimpia Vidal is the born finisher, while Rowena Sierra has become one of the most talked about playmakers for Aries Chariots - the supermodel-turned player proving doubters wrong by being at the right place at the right time. Rounding out the core is the younger Andisori, who possesses strong work ethics. Chromatiks scored often and in bunches in the last cycle - something they will continue to have to do. Andisori and Victoriane show no sings of ever slowing down.

Set Piece Taker: Hermaeus Mora, Retta Conrad.
Most Likely to Commit a Foul: Aysu Damjana, Kai Dias.

by **Gyatso-kai** » Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:49 pm

..:Central Complex, National Sports Council, Republic City, Republic Capital Territory, Gyatso-kai:..
2340 hours, local time (UTC+8), 13 October 2019.3

What a long night...

A lone man found himself sitting patiently in the waiting area for one of the larger convention rooms inside of the National Sports Council. An imposing building, even by Avatarian Standards, the National Sports Council consists of 25 buildings of various sizes encompassed by a near-impenetrable wall of steel and concrete. The Council complex, or as it was known in the local dialect as Tǐyù Gōng or "Sports Palace", was home to the governing bodies of the various sports leagues throughout Gyatso-kai; everything from Hockey to Football to Gridiron to ProBending had its own dedicated building where all business was conducted at all hours of the day. Even now, just twenty minutes left in the day, and you could see out the windows the lights across many of the other structures showing more than just janitorial staff were awake and active.

Why summon me at this hour? We are just days away from the start of AOCAF...

Kad'e Tay'haai was no stranger to the National Sports Council. He had been here months before, signing over a ten year contract to take over and coach the Avatarian National Football Team; a team he himself had played with for eleven World Cups since he was 27. Now, nearing fifty-six years of age - basically middle aged for an Avatarian - here he was... The Head Coach. The Buir as Vhett had been called many times. Sure, Tay'haai had always dreamt of coaching, though he wanted to finish his career on the pitch first. He had retired thirteen jì ago, taken the job as an assistant head coach at his alma mater, the University of Adirolf in Hoggetowne. The University of Adirolf was a bit of an outsider in the sports world; while Tay'haai and Hakoda Ishii, former Captain and now Head Coach of the National Ice Hockey team had both gone to UA, most of the nations best athletes came from Keldabe State or Ba Sing Se University. Now, Adirolf was certainly not a Division II backwater school, and many great athletes came from their lovely vine clad halls and noble Gothic walls, but it just wasn't as common as a school for many top-tier athletes.

Which maybe the two of us being National coaches may change...

A pair of doors swung open, with a young aide stepping forward. Very demure, and certainly not the stature of an athlete, they bowed slightly to Tay'haai who had stood up once the doors had open.

"Madame Huang will see you now," the aide had spoke, in an incredibly soft feminine voice that had not quite caught Tay'haai off-guard.

As Tay'haai walked towards the doors, the aide closed the doors behind them, and proceeded to walk around the long table in the middle of the room. Its deep mahogany surface looked unscathed as Tay'haai reached a single hand out to touch it, the smooth finish contrasting with the rich concentric circles beneath it; Tay'haai couldn't help but wonder how old the wood for this table had been. He began to think of what kind of meetings could have taken place here, and if he himself had been in this room prior... perhaps as a young player signing his National Contract, or even as a seasoned veteran sitting in on a report by Vhett on potential new players. As he tracked the aide, Tay'haai watched as they walked to a side door and dipped away, silent and unencoumbered before he allowed his eyes to travel further. Following the curve of the table, past a wall lined with trophies and photographs of various victorious moments -- he swore he could make out a photo of the World Cup from the 23rd World Cup of Hockey --- he saw his intended audience; her strong body, albeit older than Tay'haai by a decade or more, still bore the finely chiseled shape of one who had once been at the peak of human performance and just would never fall back beneath that. It was the woman who had called him into this conference room at nigh-near midnight two days before his team would travel to Lakiska in the Islamic Republic of Busoga Islands for their first MultiVerse game in near eighteen jì.

Madame Huang Shengyi... The Vice President of the Avatarian Leagues of Association Football.

"Coach Tay'haai, Madame Huang spoke as she turned to face Tay'haai, her deep voice seeming to almost reverberate within the conference room, "Please, take a seat." Her elegant hands motioned to the seat next to where she was standing as she sat adjacent to the chair she had offered. Tay'haai, never having been one to turn down a simple request, took the seat as instructed and leaned back a little.

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your summons, Madame Huang?" Tay'haai tried his best to sound less than annoyed at the summons. Never really a great idea to upset the person just beneath the top of your field's chain of command.

"I just wanted to check in with you," Huang spoke, sitting up straight in her chair, crossing one leg before the other without so much as disrupting her perfect posture. "I know that you are leaving in the morning for Busoga.

"Yes, Madame, it is a bit of a flight," Tay'haai pulled out his aPhone to check the time. "I'll be airborne within seven hours.

"Ah well, it is a long flight so you'll have plenty of time to relax before arrival. Regardless," Huang said as she reached down beside her chair, pulling a small envelope our and extending it towards Tay'haai. "I was instructed to give this to you by President Vhett..."

"Oh the old man couldn't bring it himself?" His humor was lost on the Vice President, who simply remained ramrod straight in her chair. Tay'haai could appreciate the regal composure of Huang; a woman who had been at the job ever since Gyatso-kai withdrew from MultiVerse play over eighteen jì ago. She was an impressive woman; almost as tall as him without heels, Madame Huang was as commanding and authoritative as any battlefield general hardened by the times. Before her reign as Vice President, she had once been Captain of the Earth Kingdom Women's Football team for eleven jì and had won multiple Gongheguo Cups during her tenure. Her long silver nails shined in the low lights of the conference room, and Tay'haai could not help but appreciate their perfection.

She no longer fights in the trenches. Of course they are immaculate.

As Tay'haai reached for the envelope, he could feel its weight shift rather heavily. A very distinctive weight, that Tay'haai could remember from his childhood and teenage years. He pulled the tab of the envelope open, pouring the contents of it into his hands. A small note, and a piece of beskar came out. The beskar -- a word for a special type of iron that was mined in the farthest western reaches of the Kalevala province -- was a 10cm long stretched out hexagon; thin, with a small square carved in the middle. It bore the Mandalorian sigil of Tay'haai's clan, and beneath the sigil was the word for coach - geroy'alor. Just like Vhett, Tay'haai had worked to instill quite a bit of Mandalorian culture into the team despite the backgrounds of the team; six of the men on the team were Mandalorian, while nine were from the Earth Kingdoms, two were from the Fire Nation and the remaining five were from the Water Tribes. Unlike back in his day, when twelve of the men were Mando'ade.

Give them unity through the culture. We were, no we are warriors.

Tay'haai could remember from when he met with Vhett about accepting the position as Head Coach, and how Vhett stressed that he keep the Mandalorian traditions alive in the team, for anything other than providing something to bind a team of twenty-six random men from across the Republics into one unified force against the various teams of the MultiVerse. He smiled as he looked to the note, and of course, written in Mando'a, he read Vhett's words.

Nariti ibac Kar'ta Beskar ti gar beskar'gam bal jori'ti shereshoy ad'ika.

Put this Iron Heart on your armor and wear it proudly son, was the rough translation, and Tay'haai looked up to Huang with a bit more determination.

"He said you would understand the note. I don't speak any Mandalorian..."

"I wouldn't expect you too, Madame," Tay'haai said as he stood up. Madame Huang herself stood. [b]"With your permission, Madame, I request my leave. Still have a few loose ends to tie up before leaving."

Huang motioned to the door, bowing her head slightly. "We shall be in touch, Coach. Zhù hǎo yùn."

Tay'haai turned to leave, palming the Kar'ta Beskar firmly. He could not wait to attach it to his armor back at the hotel, and he would be certain to send a note to President Vhett once he landed in Lakiska.

Here's to the gods of fortunes. May they bless this team and the tournament.

by **Qasden** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 1:00 am

Original crest courtesy of Krytenia and kits courtesy of Kita-Hinode

For almost the entirety of the competition's era in the 50's, the Vans have shown up only to serve as a boondoggle for teams surging to stardom. While it's only been a mere 4 cycles since Qasden's shocking semi-final appearance in Equestria, alongside a consistent qualifying rate in the greater World Cup, this tournament has served as the association's biggest thorn in its side since their debut in Valanora51.
Under the coaching of former Mercedinian NT manager, David Bjarnasson, the team found themselves in Banija for the 83rd World Cup proper, a feat accomplished by qualifying without a single defeat. Things seemed okay until the final match of the group stage, when the Vans fell short of making the knockouts kudos to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Rushmore's Taeshan. The defeat, among other feelings, stirred tirades among Qads wanting more from the team aside from giving Apox their quarter-final appearance, leading many to call for Bjarnasson's sacking in the same style as Cralt-Nirlo. With that ingrained in the minds of FA officials, the upcoming tournament has become a do-or-die situation for Qasden's top manager of all time, a position being allegedly sought by the crew's assistant manager, Sylvia Zimari.
Of the tournament ahead, the Vans will have to face their hardest adversaries yet, competing alongside 35 other national squads in possibly the largest regional show since before Qasden's entrance. With 10 matches worth of group stage play and only 2 spots of guaranteed safety into the next round, Qasden will need to pull every string in sight if they want to keep themselves afloat. Can the Vans fend off their mighty foes and redeem the team that once brought fear? Has Bjarnasson's magic disappeared amidst the calls for Zimari's promotion? All this and more unnecessarily necessary questions to be answered in Atlantian Oceania's greatest regional showdown, AOCAF LIX, organized by Freeport and Chromatika!

KPB: 10.98 (17th)
Style: +3.175
Preferred Formation: 4-4-2
Nicknames: The Turkish Vans/Vans; The BlueReds; The Qads

Manager- David Bjarnasson (MRC)|Age- 54
Assistant Manager- Sylvia Zimari|Age- 32

Goalkeepers

1- Macron (Brickwall) Abbott|Age- 27
17- Kai Metre|Age- 24  
52- Jason Atari|Age- 19

Defenders

2- Ixton Blight|Age- 29 
3- Petro Rees|Age- 25  
4- Akland Miacaro|Age- 24  
5- Lloyd Tokobo|Age- 26
41- Savior Reigns|Age- 22  
19- True Articado|Age- 25  
20- Bristol Knix|Age- 24  
21- Tex Preston|Age- 23  
24- Dakota Rosden|Age- 27  
43- Wesley Kornijka|Age- 17

Midfielders

33- Valentijn Munson|Age- 22 
10- Icarus Darsten (C)|Age- 24  
11- Terry Foxtrot|Age- 30  
12- Ryan Xandreas|Age- 28
26- Tyken Iter|Age- 25  
9- Chariot Hero|Age- 24 
47- Milkface|Age- 20

Forwards

15- Jerry Bostun|Age- 28  
16- Onyx Foster|Age- 23
29- Roberto Milanoa|Age- 22  
31- Raz Temew|Age - 24  
32- Owais Lumiere|Age- 27

I Give My Opponent Permission To
<><><><><><><><><>
Choose My Goalscorers: Y
Godmod Goalscoring Events: Y (The crazier the better!)
Injure Players: Y (tg me first)
Godmod Injury Events: Y (tg me first)
Red Card Players: Y (tg me first)
Yellow Card Players: Y (tg me first)
Godmod anything else: Sure (but no killing my players!)

Venues
Stade de Solis, Fyre (70,500) - Equestria, Siovanija & Teusland, Hapilopper
Merellin Park, Elder (55,000) - Busoga Islands & Gyatso-kai

by **Valanora** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 12:54 pm

Manager Wanted
Positions Open - Manager and Assistant Manager of the Eternal Empire National Football Team
Recommended Experience - At least three years managing at least top flight domestic football or two years in international management.
Required Tasks - Assemble National Team staff, Arrange Friendlies for Non WCC International Breaks, Call up national team pool and roster for international tournaments and World Cup Qualifiers

The Eternal Empire (of Valanora) is seen as one of the cornerstones of the Footballing World, having been participating in the World Cup since World Cup 29, then under the name of Elves Security Forces. Though it took a bit of time to do so, the Marauders, as the national team is known, took the footballing world by storm and established as one of if not the greatest football team to have played in the World Cup. Five World Titles, as well as a handful of regional titles with the AOCAF (noted as one of the most difficult non World Cup trophies to win) is a shining example of the history, tradition, and the stregnth that is expected from the Marauders squad. With the ending of the previous manager's contract, the national team currently finds itself without a manager to guide the team, nor an assistant to be a caretaker in the interim. Thusly, all managers who think they have the tenacity, tactics, and discipline to guide this program and uphold its standard of play and quality are welcomed to send in their CV to the VSC Headquarters located in Raynor City. Managers who wish to be considered for the assistant position should they not be granted the Head Manager position should make a note of it on their CV. The VSC looks forward to all applications it recieves and wishes those applicants luck in achieving their dream, wish the announcement of the position being filled looking to be concluded by the halfway mark of the group stage of the ongoing AOCAF.

OOC: I am taking applicants for the Manager and Assistant Manager position of the NT. Please either TG this account or DM my account on discord (Chell#9790) if you have managers you wish to be considered for the position(s)>

by **Dogsmouth** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 5:49 pm

Meredyth Shepherd trundled out of the Barkham library, yanking her hood up to ward off the downpour. She spared a glance back at it--an oversized, overwrought mess of a building that loomed over the quiet town. It'd be the first thing any visiting foreigners would notice--or would be, if the sun were ever allowed to peek through the clouds. On days like this the dour grey of the structure was a brilliant camouflage, as if it knew how out of place it was and wanted to hide. Nevertheless, she'd gotten what she needed from those newfangled 'computers' the librarians maintained. Vilita & Turori may not have released their wacky frankenstein roster for this edition, but a quick look at any ranking--official, unofficial, AO-specific or multiversal, both teams are considered some of (if not literally The) best teams in the world.

She was fucked. As fucked as you could possibly be, holding your first international football game at home. It would take some divine providence for them to lose by less than three goals. Lauren's going to be made to look a fool through no fault of her own, and Colwyn and Amelia are both entirely too prideful to accept being outmatched no matter how obvious it was. Shit, she nearly gagged at the thought, it might even be necessary to show them some compassion during and after the game. She hadn't signed up to be thrown directly into the garbage fire! That's what the Baptism of Fire is for, isn't it?! A game against Bolgano or Anthor couldn't have been in the cards to get them emotionally stabilized before the brutalization?

But no, that's not how it worked out. And there was no helping it now, but to face down your executioners with a grim acceptance. Coming to a stop in the square, she glanced around to get her bearings--it wasn't often that she visited the library, so everything looked a bit backwards coming from it. After a moment it dawned on her that the sign resembling a smashed teapot was right above her. Letting out a sighed exasperated seven ways, she headed in. The barista had been watching her the whole while, and after a quick nod affirming the usual he put the coffee on and grabbed the liquor cabinet key. A cozy corner--as cozy as the bare wooden furnishings could manage--had been her haunt nearly nightly during the weeks of practice. Edgar was protective of his concoctions and flat-out refused to serve anything 'heavy' or 'straight', which tended to keep the horndogs and drowners clear of the place.

Occasionally Cynthia would wander in in a vain attempt at sobering up by adding a little coffee to the equation, a variant on the time-honored tradition of hair of the dog. They'd sit together for an hour or two and shoot the shit about shooting, how she was playing off Aureole and keeping keepers of balance. She was a good lass, well-meaning on most days but a temper that burned bright when ignited and occasional slips into a dark place. The sort that saps your motivation, breaking any drive or momentum she'd built up since the last such event. Meredyth wasn't no psychologist--never claimed to be, never wanted to be--but always made sure to keep her whereabouts on hand, just in case she had to get dragged out of bed. And then there were the days were it was abundantly clear cracking the whip would do more harm than good, and those were the days Athelbryth was reluctantly pining for. Seeing her undoubtedly more talented colleague in such a state was nothing to be glad for, but it was just about the only way she'd get a crack at a start. It's not like Athelbryth was a terrible player, either--it's just that Cynthia at her best is an unparalleled asset. At least by Dogi standards. Who knows if she could even crack the first team on a Tredje Ligan team? But it's what they have, and it's what they'll have to make the best of.

Meredyth nearly jumped out of her skin as Edgar dropped the cup off, getting a small chuckle out of him. "Lot on your mind, Mary? I've never seen you so deep in thought."

"You know better than to ask." She took a sip, and a deep breath. The nerves backed off. "I'll handle it. Like I always do."

by **95X** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 7:58 pm

Something very odd happened in 95X…

95X National Team Roster
Winners of AOCAF 22 and 47

In 95X, AOCAF 59 takes place in 95X Year 82, one year after World Cup 83; two years after AOCAF 58.

Formation: 4-3-3

Style: 0

Key: D-Defender, F-Forward, K-Keeper, M-Midfielder, U-Utility

##   P Name                        M/F
Starters
 0   K Lauren Hills                F   22
 3  RF Sydney Hardin               F   21
 5  LM Kaylee Moody                F   23
16   D Kara Sixteen                F   20
18   D Aisling Ayala               F   22
30  RM Summer Madison              F   21
35  MF Roisin Dart                 F   20
36  LF Natalie Notgnirrah          F   21
41   D Chaya Concord-Fourteenth    F   34
42   D Rhiannon Concord-Fourteenth F   34
70  CM Alix Ajax                   X   26

Formation
 36 35 03
 05 70 30
16 41 42 18
     0

14  RF Jordyn Foureleven           F   22
19   U Zedex Sinclair              X   22
22   M Becky Catron                F   22
27   M Kimberly Dlihc              F   26
29   D Sophie Riverforest          F   32
31   M Ashli Blaine                F   21
32   D Jalisa Ninetyfour           F   21
33   D Emily Detroit               F   21
34   K Tammy Westward              F   22
62   M Lynsey Borland              F   34
71   D Savannah Onethirtysix       F   26

Head Coach: Katelynn State, 50

Rest of the Sideline staff exists; named as needed.

Uniform
One of four solid colors; blue, green, magenta, or yellow; "Ninetyfive X" written in black diagonally on the upper left of the shirt and upper left of the rear shorts. Number on the front of the shirt in black.

RP Permissions
RP goal scorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP yellow cards: Y
RP red cards: Y
RP injuries: N
Godmod injuries: N
Godmod most other events: Y

by **Equestrian States** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 9:37 pm

The Pony Principality of Equestria
National Hoofball Team - AOCAF Cup 59 Roster

Introduction
The last several years have been incredibly exciting for Equestrian hoofball fans. Since World Cup 79, the Ponies have climbed into the ranks of the multiverse's elite from the depths of irrelevant mediocrity, reaching the knockout rounds at the past four AOCAF Cups and World Cups, coming tantalizingly close to a podium finish at the 57th AOCAF Cup before defeating each of the tournament's co-hosts in the semifinals and Final, including fierce archrivals Banija, en route to claiming Equestria's first ever regional title. Then, at the 83rd World Cup, the Equestrians accomplished what many would have considered impossible just a few short years ago and won the multiverse's most coveted prize in sports, and became just one of a very select group of nations to win the World Cup on home soil.

Thus, the Ponies enter the 59th AOCAF Cup as the defending champions of both Atlantian Oceania and the greater multiverse. Equestria will have the opportunity to become the first side to win consecutive regional titles since the Osarian dynasty of over a decade ago, and would be just the eighth nation to accomplish the feat in the tournament's history. The Equestrians will also be favorites to do exactly that, as they are now the top-ranked team in the region's rankings, and, should they advance past the group stage as they have at the last four editions of the AOCAF Cup, the Ponies could potentially play their knockout fixtures in nearby Freeport, where the co-hosts' proximity to the Equestrian homeland would offer the Ponies something of a home-field advantage.

Manager Pearly White will have an expanded roster pool at her disposal for this edition's longer group stage, and has selected a team that includes all 23 members of the World Cup 83 squad, and all but two from the AOCAF Cup 58 team, with the exceptions of former team captain Cloudchaser and veteran defender Andrea Molovi, who both retired from international hoofball following the regional triumph. The additions to the group stage roster are primarily young up-and-coming future stars, several of which have previously featured for the senior national team, but will also include a few older veterans. Midfielder Elaine Everdeen and forwards Wither and Sonar may well be making their final appearances for the Ponies during the 59th AOCAF Cup after accumulating over 300 international caps between them and scoring nearly a hundred goals. Although none of the trio have confirmed their intentions to retire from international play, the rise of younger stars like Nightingale, Indigo Zap, and Laureline Forestier may see them left out of future selections regardless.

Ultimately, this is a team of champions, and Equestria will undoubtedly be disappointed should they fail to defend their AOCAF Cup title. The World Cup-winning superstars, Rainbow Blitz, Aarón Aiza, Brix Hamilton, Pristina Shine, and Gentle Breeze, are all still here, as are their top-class supporting cast with names that would be first on the team sheets for other nations. The "Golden Generation" of Equestrian hoofball has reached its peak as World Cup and AOCAF Cup champions, but will not be content to slip back into the crowd of also-rans. Their objective has always been to be remembered by history as all-time greats, and such legends are not born from winning only a couple titles, but from a sustained series of major triumphs, and that is exactly what the Ponies will be after at the 59th AOCAF Cup.

Quick Facts
AOCAF Ranking: 1st (33.36 pts.)
Style Modifier: -1.75
Nickname: The Ponies
All-Time Record: 336-122-95 (0-0-0 at AOCAF Cup 59)
Major Achievements: Champions (World Cup 83, AOCAF Cup 58); Fourth Place (AOCAF Cup 57); Quarterfinals (World Cup 80, World Cup 81, Cup of Harmony 71, AOCAF Cup 55); Round of 16 (World Cup 67, World Cup 70, World Cup 72, World Cup 82, Cup of Harmony 51, Cup of Harmony 53, Cup of Harmony 60, AOCAF Cup 56); Qualified (World Cup 64, World Cup 65, World Cup 66, World Cup 71, World Cup 73, Cup of Harmony 52, Cup of Harmony 54, Cup of Harmony 55)

Team Uniforms

Home - Away - Reverse

The national team receives its kits from two different companies, though the design for each is the same. Kits for the humanoid players (see above) are provided by Kirola Sportswear of Audioslavia, while those for equine and other non-humanoid players are provided by Generosity Sporting Equipment. The traditional Ponies kit is modeled after the national flag: royal purple with a sunrise orange sash; while goalkeepers typically wear a powder blue shirt with a white sash, inspired by the Regal Sisters' royal banner.

Group E
The top-ranked Equestrians have been drawn into Group E for the group stage of the 59th AOCAF Cup, alongside Siovanija & Teusland, Qasden, the Busoga Islands, Gyatso-kai, and Hapilopper. Many of the Ponies' Group E opponents will be familiar to supporters as they have previously met all but one of them. Second seeds Siovanija & Teusland last faced the Equestrians in the group stage at AOCAF Cup 57, in which the Ponies rallied from a late 2-1 deficit to finish atop their group. The Goldhorns have been a consistent competitor at the regional level, but have struggled to translate their AOCAF successes to the World Cup. The opposite holds true for Group E's third seeds Qasden, who have qualified for the past few World Cups but have been unimpressive at the AOCAF Cup. The Busoga Islands enter AOCAF Cup 59 ranked 22nd in the region, and will offer a tantalizing duel between two Southwestern nations with exceptionally close ties, the first time that the Busogans and Equestrians have met in a competitive fixture. The Hoofball Association has assigned the Ponies' home match against the Islanders to Stalliongrad, which boasts a sizable Busogan-Equestrian immigrant population. Gyatso-kai may be unranked, but older Equestrian sports fans will doubtlessly recognize the name, as the Bison make their return to international competition. Finally, Hapilopper also enter AOCAF Cup 59 unranked, but after winning the most recent Baptism of Fire and coming close to qualifying for the last World Cup, nobody will be taking the Thrashers lightly. Ultimately, as the defending regional and World Cup champions, and as the top-ranked and top-seeded team, Equestria will be heavy favorites to win their group as they have at the last four tournaments, even though Group E is one of this edition's tougher groups.

#1 -

Equestria (33.36 pts.)
#10 -

Siovanija & Teusland (17.09 pts.)
#17 -

Qasden (10.98 pts.)
#22 -

Busoga Islands (6.62 pts.)
UR -

Gyatso-kai (0.00 pts.)
UR -

Hapilopper (0.00 pts.)

Tournament Schedule

Group Stage - Group E
MD1: Equestria vs. Hapilopper at The Crownlands (cap. 92,955) in Manehattan, EQS
MD2: Equestria vs. Siovanija & Teusland at Wild Grounds (cap. 56,500) in Everfree, EQS
MD3: Busoga Islands vs. Equestria at Lakiska City Field (cap. 31,000) in Lakiska, BUS
MD4: Equestria vs. Gyatso-kai at Sky-High Coliseum (cap. 65,000) in Cloudsdale, EQS
MD5: Qasden vs. Equestria at Stade de Solis (cap. 70,500) in Fyre, QAD
MD6: Hapilopper vs. Equestria at Capital Stadium (cap. 66,025) in Hapilopper City, HAP
MD7: Siovanija & Teusland vs. Equestria at Nationalstadion (cap. 75,000) in Stelburg, STL
MD8: Equestria vs. Busoga Islands at Diamond Park (cap. 75,000) in Stalliongrad, EQS
MD9: Gyatso-kai vs. Equestria at Stadium of the Republics (cap. 83,686) in Republic City, GKI
MD10: Equestria vs. Qasden at Stadium of the Two Sisters (cap. 98,625) in Canterlot, EQS

Roster Pool (Group Stage)

Goalkeepers
As always, the first name on the roster is the one that will catch the most attention: Gentle Breeze, Goddess of Goalkeeping, widely regarded as one of the multiverse’s best. Her presence in goal gives Ponies confidence to push forward, safe in knowledge that net is protected by world-class keeper. However, GB is not the only elite GK on EQS roster. MP would be a starter for almost any other NT, but has misfortune of NT career aligning with that of GB, will likely start at least a couple GS matches. Silver Charm is developing into an elite GK as well, numbers finally beginning to reflect her skill after leaving defensively frail Manechester City for Zoloroni Metropolitan, also get a couple GS starts. Finally, Keelie Gold has rarely featured for NT but has been a crucial piece in Crystal Fair’s recent UHA successes, as with many EQS GKs has no shortage of talent but roster space is limited and competition for spots is very tight.

GK - #1 - Gentle Breeze (Pegasus - Female) - 32 y/o -

AC Izotz Zubia (National League Division 1) - -VC-
GK - #21 - Marilyn Peterson (Human - Female) - 28 y/o -

Jhanna City (Liga Starblaydia)
GK - #24 - Silver Charm (Pegasus - Female) - 25 y/o -

Zoloroni Metropolitan (Mercedinian Premier League)
GK - #38 - Keelie Gold (Earth Pony - Female) - 26 y/o -

Crystal Fair HC (UHA United League)

Defenders
EQS defensive corps in something of transition period after retirement of longtime starters Andrea Molovi and Flitter in recent years, long established reputation as world-class unit has suffered somewhat recently despite team success, conceded two goals in WC83 SF vs CDG and three in Final vs STB. Fullbacks Hamilton and Bailey remain constants, providing solid defense as well as acting as counterattacking weapons. Former a CC winner with Earent’s Nithgard and both considered among best at their positions. Rumble and Ironhoof will start in center of defense, definitely skilled though Rumble has unfortunate tendency to pick up yellow cards, nothing bad enough to merit sending off but more physical and aggressive than usual EQS defender. Ironhoof a young stud with Royal Canterlot, highly regarded and expected to someday be leader of Ponies back line. Arctic Lily lost starting job to Ironhoof, but remains valuable vet DF. Nightshade and Sunlight versatile fullbacks off bench. Experienced internationals Crimson Mesa and EI return to the squad, the former a contributor off the bench on the WC83 team and the latter a frequent scapegoat for the Ponies’ misfortunes in past campaigns. Maybe unfai given his component overall NT track record and reasonable performances in Pasarga’s challenging SuperLiga. Several young defenders join squad: Frost, Amethyst, Hammerclaw, Belrose, and Noir. Potential future stars, esp Belrose and Frost, unlikely to start but may be called on as reserves by PW, tournament primarily serve as learning experience.

LB - #12 - Brix Hamilton (Human - Female) - 32 y/o -

Sabrefell Moths (NFA Premiership) - -VC-
CB - #4 - Rumble (Pegasus - Male) - 26 y/o -

Cloudsdale Flyers (UHA United League)
CB - #2 - Ironhoof (Unicorn - Male) - 22 y/o -

Royal Canterlot HC (UHA United League)
RB - #3 - Krysia Bailey (Human - Female) - 27 y/o -

Avendia Leal (FARF Freitball Ligá)
CB - #20 - Arctic Lily (Crystal Pony - Female) - 30 y/o -

Ponyville United (UHA United League)
LB - #23 - Nightshade (Bat Pony - Female) - 22 y/o -

Oldem Knights (Apox National League)
RB - #14 - Sunlight (Unicorn - Female) - 27 y/o -

Ponyville United (UHA United League)
CB - #40 - Crimson Mesa (Zebra - Male) - 25 y/o -

Canterlot Stars (UHA United League)
CB - #36 - Melon Frost (Pegasus - Female) - 19 y/o -

Cloudsdale Flyers (UHA United League)
CB - #28 - Amethyst (Crystal Pony - Female) - 23 y/o -

Crystal City United (UHA Second League)
LB - #19 - Hammerclaw (Griffon - Male) - 24 y/o -

Whitetail Foresters (UHA United League)
RB - #31 - Célestine Belrose (Kitsune - Female) - 20 y/o -

Whitetail Foresters (UHA United League)
CB - #29 - Erauso Iburrusteta (Human - Male) - 26 y/o -

Santos Luega (Pasargan SuperLiga)
CB - #37 - Minuit Noir (Bat Pony - Female) - 23 y/o -

Whitetail Rangers (UHA United League)

Midfielders
Key to any successful EQS team is a strong midfield, PW will be fortunate to call upon same players that delivered WC triumph. Rainbow Blitz the longest-tenured player in squad, given captain’s band following Cloudchaser’s retirement. A natural leader, Blitz has remained steadfastly loyal to club Makosile, despite relegation and frustration in the Déclassé Division, recent return to Stellar has coincided with Ponies ascent to glory, legacy already secured but is not content with two major int’l trophies. Blitz joined in midfield by AA and RT, both midfielders seen careers taken to another level at BNJ’s HZCFC, former now a star for Hondo in illustrious Vanorian Prem and latter a trailblazer as not only one of first BSL female players but also MVP in first season. Luminesce and AC are younger than fellow MF, but no less talented, provide versatile presence out wide and called upon to support attack and defense. Among reserves, the name to watch is Sunny Day, teenager had incredible performance at WC83, only matter of time before she breaks into starting lineup with incredible speed, agility, creativity. Veterans Krystal and Stardust (sisters?) are beginning to show signs of aging, but remain lethal threats off bench. Lunar Shadow also emerging as threat to starters position, more(?). Everdeen could be making final appearances for Ponies at AOCAF, but serves as mentor for younger players and will likely be given an emotional send-off as a respected contributor to the team’s earlier triumphs. Jermaine Poole returns to squad after enjoying revival spurred by move to Istria City, hope to translate domestic success to int’l stage. Youngsters Indigo Zap and Thunderclap provide glimpse of the Ponies’ future, but more intriguing to neutrals may be debut of L Forestier. Young midfielder snapped up by NPH’s Southfell United, scouts rave about world-class potential, could have chance to show it at AOCAF 59.

CM - #25 - Aarón Aiza (Human - Male) - 30 y/o -

Hondo FC (Vanorian Premiership)
CM - #17 - Rosie Tyler (Human - Female) - 28 y/o -

Herzegovina City FC (Banijan Soccer League)
LM - #16 - Luminesce (Unicorn - Female) - 24 y/o -

Ramusok United (FSF Härlighet Ligan)
AM - #9 - Rainbow Blitz (Pegasus - Male) - 32 y/o -

Makosile United (V-League Stellar Division) - -C-
RM - #5 - Apple Cobbler (Earth Pony - Female) - 26 y/o -

Jungle Strike FC (V-League Stellar Division)
CM - #8 - Sunny Day (Unicorn - Female) - 19 y/o -

Royal Canterlot HC (UHA United League)
LM - #11 - Krystal (Unicorn - Female) - 31 y/o -

Crystopolis City (UHA United League)
RM - #18 - Stardust (Pegasus - Female) - 31 y/o -

Whitetail Foresters (UHA United League)
CM - #30 - Lunar Shadow (Bat Pony - Female) - 25 y/o -

Eastal Lunar (V-League Stellar Division)
AM - #15 - Elaine Everdeen (Human - Female) - 32 y/o -

CDSA Decraa (Mytanar Top League)
LM - #27 - Rose Petal (Pegasus - Female) - 23 y/o -

Ponyville United (UHA United League)
RM - #32 - Jermaine Poole (Human - Male) - 30 y/o -

Istria City FC (Banijan Soccer League)
AM - #33 - Indigo Zap (Pegasus - Female) - 20 y/o -

Cloudsdale Flyers (UHA United League)
CM - #34 - Thunderclap (Griffon - Male) - 23 y/o -

Ponyville United (UHA United League)
CM - #39 - Laureline Forestier (Human - Female) - 18 y/o -

Southfell United (NFA Premiership)

Forwards
Although manager PW has selected more than a few young players for the Ponies AOCAF 59 roster, when it comes to strikers she has opted for experience. Pristina Shine has been EQS’s leading forward for the better part of a decade and has also been arguably the nation’s highest-profile hoofball star (even more so than GB), plying her trade with top clubs in several of the multiverse’s most prestigious leagues over the years. Her explosive speed, deft touch, and almost supernatural knack for spotting scoring opportunities have allowed her to almost monopolize the starting job in PW’s single-striker system and is now beginning to close in on Fire Dash’s NT scoring record. When PW has deployed the Ponies’ more traditional 3-5-2 formation, however, her second choice forward has consistently been Rosewing, the pegasus striker who has frequently flown under the radar of many non-Equestrians, but is a top-class player in her own right. Rosewing is a clinical finisher, but will pass to a teammate without a moment’s hesitation if she judges that they have a better shot than her. However, Rosewing’s role as the Ponies second striker is under threat from Decima and Midnight Strike, the former a talented young Sphinx who has developed from a wonderkid into a proper star with the Vidial Alchemists in Mriin. Strike, meanwhile, is the latest thestral forward to feature for the Ponies, and appropriately enough plays for Vilita’s Jungle Strike FC. Strike’s two most predecessors, Sonar and Wither, are likely to retire after the AOCAF Cup, but both are still playing well enough to merit inclusion for non-sentimental reasons as well. Wither boasts one of the best scoring ratios in NT history, while Sonar was the longtime backup to Fire Dash in his prime and the first of his race to wear the Ponies’ purple and orange jersey. The youngest member of the Equestrian striker corps is Nightingale. Though her name may not be as recognizable to foreigners as her counterparts’, the pegasus is a rising star in the United League and has secured the starting job with Crystalline giants Crystopolis City and has proven to be a clutch goalscorer who performs best under pressure.

ST - #10 - Pristina Shine (Unicorn - Female) - 30 y/o -

1830 Cathair FC (National League Division 1)
ST - #7 - Rosewing (Pegasus - Female) - 28 y/o -

Shamrock Cathair (National League Division 1)
ST - #26 - Decima (Sphinx - Female) - 24 y/o -

Vidial Alchemists (MNL Premier Division)
ST - #13 - Midnight Strike (Bat Pony - Male) - 23 y/o -

Jungle Strike FC (V-League Stellar Division)
ST - #6 - Wither (Bat Pony - Female) - 32 y/o -

Whitetail Foresters (UHA United League)
ST - #22 - Sonar (Bat Pony - Male) - 32 y/o -

Ponyville United (UHA United League)
ST - #35 - Nightingale (Pegasus - Female) - 22 y/o -

Crystopolis City (UHA United League)

Manager & Staff
Appointed as manager of the national team before the 70th World Cup by the Hoofball Association, after Twilight Striker's resignation in the wake of a disastrous World Cup 69 campaign, Pearly White has since overseen Equestria's ascent to a hoofballing power and the realization of the Ponies' greatest ambitions. Her steady hoof has guided the Ponies to glory, and her recent induction into the World Cup Hall of Fame has cemented her status as a legendary figure in Equestrian hoofball history, despite her relatively young age. Pearly White's assistant, and current manager of the Whitetail Foresters, Dreamy Skies also remains with the Equestrian national team, at least for now, although rumors that the longtime Ponies assistant will be tapped for the top job by another association have only intensified after Equestria's World Cup 83 victory. Meanwhile, former national team midfielder Starlight Sparkle joins the Ponies' coaching staff as a second assistant manager, returning to the sport after enjoying several years of retirement. Her role as a team leader in Equestria’s first few World Cup campaigns should help her to succeed as a coach for the latest Ponies generation.

Manager -

Pearly White (Earth Pony - Female) - 49 y/o
Assistant -

Dreamy Skies (Pegasus - Female) - 45 y/o
Assistant -

Starlight Sparkle (Unicorn - Female) - 39 y/o
GK Coach -

Fire Blossom (Unicorn - Male) - 54 y/o
Scout -

Diamond Star (Unicorn - Female) - 52 y/o
Scout -

Golden Hooves (Earth Pony - Female) - 63 y/o
Fitness -

Craig Jackson (Human - Male) - 52 y/o

Strategy & Play Style
Historically, the Ponies' most-used formation is a slightly modified 3-5-2, preferred by former manager Twilight Striker because of the strength and dominance of the Equestrian midfielders. Thanks to the versatility of the Equestrian players, the formation gives the Ponies the ability to shift quickly from the offense to the defense and vice-versa. More recently, however, the Equestrians have begun to shy away from the 3-5-2 in favor of the 4-2-3-1 in order to strengthen the back line and keep their opponents guessing. Aside from the formations themselves, the Equestrians have a number of definitive strengths and weaknesses.

First, the Ponies are among the world's fastest and most durable teams, using their natural advantages to tire out opponents. With those two traits as the defining characteristics of the Equestrian style of play, the squad excels at producing chances in the latter stages of the match. But while the attack dominates the second half, opposing squads have occasionally found success going all-out at the start of the match in an attempt to build an insurmountable lead.

Another area in which Equestria has traditionally dominated is in the aerial battles for headers. While the Ponies are generally shorter than their opponents, the team is often credited with impressive leaping abilities (particularly among the pegasi players). Controlling headers makes the team lethal on corner kicks, and opponents looking to defeat the Equestrians must limit the number conceded to the Ponies or else face a barrage of dangerous short-range shots from the Ponies' attackers.

Nation & Stadium Info

Five stadiums in five different cities across Equestria will host matches in the group stage at the 59th AOCAF Cup.

Canterlot

Stadium of the Two Sisters | cap. 98,625 | National Teams

Manehattan

The Crownlands | cap. 92,955 | Manehattan Dragons

Cloudsdale

Sky-High Coliseum | cap. 65,000 | Cloudsdale Flyers

Everfree

Wild Grounds | cap. 56,500 | Everfree Forest HC

Stalliongrad

Diamond Park | cap. 75,000 | Stalliongrad HC

RP Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes - Only that the player was injured and how they were injured, I will determine actual severity
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes - Same restrictions apply
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes - Limited to one per match, please contact me ASAP if you plan to use this for a match RP
Godmod other events: Yes - If you think I might have objections, please contact me first to clear it; weather events in Equestria may not be RPed without permission
Other Notes: Please feel free to contact me via TG or on the NS Sports Discord channel if you have any questions regarding my RPs, requests for more information on Equestria, or requests for exemptions from my RP restrictions.

by **Freeport Isles** » Tue Oct 15, 2019 9:40 pm

AOCAF Cup LIX
Match Day 1 Results

A friendly reminder that matches for group stage of the 59th AOCAF Cup are being played in the participating nations. As such, as a courtesy to your fellow competitors, please include stadium information in your roster posts if you have not already done so.

Group A

Cosumar 1–0 Starblaydia
Audioslavia 0–0 Nellietopia
Schiavonia 0–1 Chromatika

  Group A                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Chromatika                      1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
  Cosumar                         1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
3 Audioslavia                     1    0   1   0     0    0    0     1
  Nellietopia                     1    0   1   0     0    0    0     1
5 Schiavonia                      1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
  Starblaydia                     1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0

Group B

Demot 4–1 Tropicorp
Saltstead 0–2 Banija
Torisakia 4–2 Sarzonia

  Group B                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Demot                           1    1   0   0     4    1   +3     3
2 Torisakia                       1    1   0   0     4    2   +2     3
3 Banija                          1    1   0   0     2    0   +2     3
4 Sarzonia                        1    0   0   1     2    4   −2     0
5 Saltstead                       1    0   0   1     0    2   −2     0
6 Tropicorp                       1    0   0   1     1    4   −3     0

Group C

Lochario 0–1 Baker Park
Timuria 1–1 Sultanate of Oontaz
Mriin 3–1 Cult of Motherbread

  Group C                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Mriin                           1    1   0   0     3    1   +2     3
2 Baker Park                      1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
3 Sultanate of Oontaz             1    0   1   0     1    1    0     1
  Timuria                         1    0   1   0     1    1    0     1
5 Lochario                        1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
6 Cult of Motherbread             1    0   0   1     1    3   −2     0

Group D

Valanora 1–0 Ko-oren
Anthor 2–0 Bolgano
Dogsmouth 0–2 Vilita & Turori

  Group D                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Anthor                          1    1   0   0     2    0   +2     3
  Vilita & Turori                 1    1   0   0     2    0   +2     3
3 Valanora                        1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
4 Ko-oren                         1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
5 Bolgano                         1    0   0   1     0    2   −2     0
  Dogsmouth                       1    0   0   1     0    2   −2     0

Group E

Equestria 8–1 Hapilopper
Siovanija & Teusland 2–1 Qasden
Busoga Islands 2–1 Gyatso-kai

  Group E                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 Equestria                       1    1   0   0     8    1   +7     3
2 Busoga Islands                  1    1   0   0     2    1   +1     3
  Siovanija & Teusland            1    1   0   0     2    1   +1     3
4 Gyatso-kai                      1    0   0   1     1    2   −1     0
  Qasden                          1    0   0   1     1    2   −1     0
6 Hapilopper                      1    0   0   1     1    8   −7     0

Group F

Freeport 3–3 Krytenia
95X 4–3 Farfadillis
Flavovespia 0–1 Euran Oceania Territories

  Group F                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 95X                             1    1   0   0     4    3   +1     3
2 Euran Oceania Territories       1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
3 Freeport                        1    0   1   0     3    3    0     1
  Krytenia                        1    0   1   0     3    3    0     1
5 Farfadillis                     1    0   0   1     3    4   −1     0
6 Flavovespia                     1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0

by **Bolgano** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 3:32 am

A Debut for the forgetfulness of Bolgano versus Anthor
The team will face Dogsmouths on the second Match

In a previous expected for both, the two teams faced each other in an unforgettable duel, although it is our first time in this Tournament, we do not debut as expected by so many.

[At the beginning of the game he was more interested in scoring Bolgano, although Anthor had an impossible defense to pass, in the first minutes we only hit the goal 3 times, in the 17th minute in a Corner Shot, we saw the head of Cedrik Stacks , making his first goal with the team of Anthor, although the game continued, we continue to look for goals, but nothing served and thus ended the First Half.

In the second part, the team was determined to play balanced to avoid a goal, only 7 attacked and 3 defended, despite that in the 50th minute, Noldmad knocked down Rigsby and the referee called Pito Penalty, which the latter would exchange for goal , Anthor seemed to enjoy a victory like that, so they decided to go to defend, while Bolgano the only thing he did was attack but nothing served sadly, defeat in his debut and more nothing.

MD1: Anthor 2-0 L
MD2: Dogsmouth
MD3: Vilita and Turori
MD4: Ko-Oren
MD5: Valanora
MD6: Anthor
MD7: Dogsmouth
MD8: Vilita and Turori
MD9: Ko-Oren
M10: Valanora

by **Timuria** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 6:12 am

(OOC: These series of stories will be exploring some of the players/characters who did not get much focus over the previous set of stories I've done this cycle, consider these light stories the end of the first chapter of Timurian football.)

Insights Into The Team: Murat Yigithan

Before the match against the Sultanate of Oontaz

Murat watched the team scrimmage dutifully, this was often the role of the third goalkeeper and one he was unaccustomed to. He was after all the number one keeper at his club, with all the benefits that brought, including the opportunity to assess things from the field. He watched as his team mates progressed into the final period of their match practice, Murat had only been with the national team for a couple of weeks, but he had gotten a grip of the dynamics within the squad: Iskender was the friendly one, Caner wasn't cold as such, but he kept to his circle as much as possible, except when there was an opportunity for the team to be let loose, Vatan and Ismail acted like they disliked each other because of their competition for the position of starting striker, however it had become obvious there was at least an appreciation that whichever won the team would never lack for goals.

The manager at least used to be much more strict about allowing visitors, but now the team's training facility had to occasional presence of a family member, a significant other, or a friend who had been given access to the team for the day. Murat hadn't bothered to ask his wife, why would she want to see him walking around the pitch and occasionally chat with the management? As he was looking out onto the pitch a slight drizzle had begun, the raindrops pricking his skin as he sighed, not noticing anything as he closed his eyes and focused on the sensation.

His serenity was interrupted by the clearing of a throat, he spun around and was confronted by the softly smiling face of his manager, "Oh, coach. Sorry I was just. You know." He immediately displayed his unease and shyness when confronted with his manager who casually stood next to him.

"Yeah, it's okay, I can't concentrate for the whole of training either." He smiled reassuringly at the goalkeeper, "So what do you think of our two goalkeepers?"

He shrugged in response, "I think they're both good, you're spoiled for choice."

Bekir grimaced, "That was the politicians answer." Murat went to interrupt him, but was stopped by Bekir raising a hand, "It's not a test Murat, I want to hear what you think about them. Honestly and clearly. Did I make the right choice starting Iskender?"

Murat fell silent, clearly for far too long as awkwardness began to envelope the atmosphere between the pair, "Well if you were going by raw talent, Iskender is obviously the one you'd pick, right?" Bekir nodded slightly, "But Saban is a good player, it's a bit unfair for him to have to sit on the bench, but he deserves to."

"Why do you think he deserves to? You just said he's good?"

"Well you remember, he complained about the defence publicly."

"Right, but that's just because he wanted the team succeed, I mean Iskender is everything you say he is... but I'm not sure about whether he's going to be in it for the long haul." Bekir audibly sighed as Murat tried to read him.

"Well we all know that Iskender isn't 100% sure about what he's going to do, but he's going to be a hot commodity if he does stick around."

Bekir crossed his arms, "Great, so I have a talented, but uncertain goalkeeper as my starter. Thanks Senol." He muttered almost to himself, though Murat heard every word.

"If it makes you feel any better about the decision, I think Iskender's attitude makes him the right choice."

Bekir looked at him and if Murat didn't know better he would have said he'd seen a slight smirk appear on his lips. "Oh? What makes you think so?"

"He doesn't take any of this for granted. He doesn't think he's entitled to anything." He explained as Saban displayed his own talents on the pitch clawing out a shot that looked certain to go in. "But he's good too, he just can't accept that some things are out of his control."

Bekir nodded as he began to walk away, "Thank you Murat, but can I ask you one final question?"

"Of course."

"Don't you think you should start? I mean you're here, that must mean you're at those two's level, right?"

Murat paused, holding his breath, "If I'm asked to, I will, but until then I'm happy for the extra training when I get it."

Bekir smiled and called out, "That's another politician's answer Murat, but you'll get there." As he walked away leaving the goalkeeper a little perplexed about his manager's motivations in seeking his opinion, it seemed that he was obviously sure he'd made the right choice and yet he felt the need to ask a player about it. Murat sighed as he resumed watching the practice match, he hoped that he'd at least avoid such strange conversations for the rest of the cup.

by **The Cult of Motherbread** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 8:31 am

We're not Hapilopper!

Manager Lola looked around at the eleven employees....errrr players. She only brought 11 players because she was told thats all she needed. But thats was a lie or as with most cases, she probably wasn't paying attention. She only dressed up 11 people and took the bus to the local high school field down the road, that was the closest to the store. It was a weird twist of fate, most the time the employees had served sports teams from other schools in the area (usually cross country or rowing), but this was different. There they would face a tough tough squad of Satyrs from Mriin.

Mriin started the game off confused, having a cult of employees who worked for a bakery somewhere far off must of messed with their heads, maybe it was the fact that no body had consistent uniforms with greay, black brown and orange being the colors of choice for the Cult, Maybe the fact that they were all wearing aprons messed with their heads, But whatever the case, it took them over 40 minutes to score! A real victory for the cult. The Happilopperian team lost 8-1, and many experts had thought that even more bloodshead would have been brought forth with this game, but you take moral victories where you can, and holding a top team like Mriin' scoreless for that long is a moral victory of the largest size for the Cult.

The Offense for the Cult looked confused though as the midfielders and defenders looked on point. Brenda had a good game and took advantage of her short height compared to the tall Mriin players, she formed a great passing duo with Tony Q and kept the ball away from the Mriin's as much as possible, but in the end the lack of subtitutes probably killed off any chance the cult had at the worlds greatest upset and Mriin stirker Solara Vol got a hat trick in the last twenty minutes of the game. This may have been in small part also been due to the Cults uniforms being their work uniforms, aprons and all. On the plus side Chris did get a goal late as he awkwardly slipped making a pk and somehow got it by the famous Mriin keeper Mara Solaani late in the game.

Mriin - 3
Vol 42' 61' 70'

The Cult - 1
Chris 85'

by **Timuria** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:19 am

Red Wolves Open With a Draw

by Tufan Nursultan

Timuria 1-1 Sultanate of Oontaz
Vatan Ercetin (71);Abu Nayef Ismailuddin (54)

The Red Wolves began their AOCAF Cup campaign with a match where they struggled to take a firm hold of the match when confronted by the stubborn defence of their Oontaznik opponents on a mild rainy night in Demir as the teams played infront of a capacity 6250 crowd as fans clamoured to witness their Red Wolves back in action following the Cup of Harmony. The draw was most likely the fairest result as both teams put up stout defensive fronts and it leaves neither team with a defeat to open the campaign which would have been deeply unfair given the effort put forth.

The first half of the match left both sides goalless, but that simply showed the quality of the defending from the visitors and in particular the heroics of Oontaznik keeper Karim Ansarifarid, who produced two magnificent saves in the 22nd minute from an Ertan Renda effort from range and a Vatan Ercetin effort from close range, the 38 year old showed off his reflexes on that occasion not dulled by his advancing years. All of the attacking spoils did not just fall the Red Wolves' way as Estevez stung the palms of Iskender Nur who parried the ball wide and had to produce another save from a Campanilla header from the ensuing corner. The half would end with a yellow card handed out to Campanilla for a rough tackle on Ertan Renda who took the free kick, forcing Karim Ansarifarid to tip the ball onto the bar.

The second half began with a surprise, the visitors came out on the front foot and began to stretch the Red Wolves' defence, many were concerned about how this new look unit would fare in the competition and while it looked desperate at times and it required some excellent goalkeeping from Iskender Nur the defence appeared to be holding together well with the additional screen of Azer Erdinc who had a credible debut for the national team. Sadly the pressure eventually forced the defence to buckle and Abu Nayef's shot from 30 yards, a fizzing low shot that found its way through the crowd of players and beyond the fingertips of Iskender Nur.

The pendulum swung in the Red Wolves' direction as they became more aggressive in pursuit of an equaliser, Caner Turan hit the post from a curling effort from long range in the 67th minute which marked the beginning of a series of problematic occasions for the visitors defence. Eventually this resulted in a well taken header from Vatan Ercetin finding its way into the back of the net leaving the teams level. As the full time whistle approached the visitors clamped down and operated in a very defensive posture restricting the Red Wolves to long range shots which were safely dealt with by Ansarifarid.

The result leaves the national team tied for third after one match, with results elsewhere in the group going as many would expect with the Cult of Motherbread falling to a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Mriin and the Red Wolves' next opponents falling to a 1-0 defeat against group favourites Baker Park.

What they said after the match:

Bekir Altingunes: "We all knew that this might be a competition where we start slowly especially since we've not competed in one before, so I'm happy that we recorded this result as it gets us on the board and gives us a lot of positives to look at. In particular I'm delighted by the way our defence played I feel like a lot of the issues that we've had in the past may now be behind us at least for now so we'll continue to look at this group and how they perform to see if they can sustain it. But overall I'd say this is very positive and we've learned a lot."

Player Ratings:

Iskender Nur 7/10 - A strong performance for his first tournament opening as the starter, several good saves capped off an excellent performance.

Hasan Maratov 7/10 - A more physical player than the player he's replacing and it showed he coped far better when faced with flair.

Eyup Mustafa 8/10 - A top performance for the centre back who showed off his quality.

Levent Ahmedoglu 7/10 - A solid debut for the centre back, made a very good case for him to be starter in the long run.

Gokdeniz Dag 7/10 - An ever solid and consistent performer a fact that seems like it will never end.

Atilla Acar 6/10 - A slightly muted performance from the box to box midfielder who found himself wasting his energy for a lot of the match.

Azer Erdinc 7/10 - A good debut for the bruising midfielder who proved to be a more effective screen for defence than many had expected.

Ragip Eyuboglu 6/10 - A rather slow debut for the winger who was clearly getting acclimated to the level of competition and the team around him.

Caner Turan 7/10 - A solid day from the winger who managed to be consistent thorn in the side of the opposition.

Ertan Renda 8/10 - A typically great day from the gifted midfielder.

Vatan Ercetin 7/10 - Vatan returned to his goal scoring ways showing that the slowdown around the Cup of Harmony was most likely an aberration.

Substitutes:

Yusuf Ihsanoglu 6/10 - Came on and provided more defensive solidity when the team needed it to prevent a defeat.

Tayyar Ozel 6/10 - Replaced Ragip, but found himself kept quiet yet again.

Man of the Match: Karim Ansarifarid - The 38 year old goalkeeper showed that age is just a number with a series of stunning and world class saves. The result his team got can almost entirely be credited to his ability as a goalkeeper.

Player of the game for Timuria: Eyup Mustafa - The centre back put in a commanding performance which looked especially good when the consideration that he was playing alongside two new players either side of himself.

Schedule and results:

MD1: vs Sultanate of Oontaz D 1-1
MD2: @ Lochario
MD3: vs Baker Park
MD4: vs Mriin
MD5: @ Cult of Motherbread
MD6: @ Sultanate of Oontaz
MD7: vs Lochario
MD8: @ Baker Park
MD9: @ Mriin
MD10: vs Cult of Motherbread

The next match: The Red Wolves' next match shall be against Lochario who put up a valiant display against group favourites Baker Park only losing 1-0. They will pose a difficult challenge for the Red Wolves who will be looking to record their first win on their visit there.

by **Ko-oren** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 9:53 am

Introducing Ko-oren's Top League teams

In the midst of another season of professional, nation-wide soccer, here's an overview of our 12 clubs. At least, an overview of how they view the game and how they want the game to be played. Be prepared to dive into the modern history of Ko-oren.

Ko-oren's oldest, still-suriving professional soccer club is Schemerdrecht, founded in 1865. If you also follow our gridiron league, you might remember a club by the name of the Schemerdrecht 65ers? That number doesn't refer to 1965. No, a century earlier, some gentlemen came together to found one of the oldest clubs of the country, where local youth could play various ball games to develop sportsmanship, stamina, strength, all while enjoying the most modern games - soccer was codified somewhat in 1857 and gridiron had slightly differing rules starting 1862. The rugby codes didn't spread that far up north, but they would have been fairly similar as well. Anyway, Schemerdrecht doesn't flount its history and doesn't even mention its foundation year in its logo. Still, it's expected that players playing for Schemerdrecht display sportsmanship and fairness, and it's still pretty much the old-boys-club of Ko-oren as far as that kind of thing exists here. Interestingly, the 65ers aren't the oldest gridiron club, but that's a story for a different time and place. In one word, Schemerdrecht have to be respectable.

Second oldest is Aminey, founded in 1884, and shares a starting point with both of rugby league's derby teams, the Aminey Owls and the Aminey Buffaloes. Playing in all-blue since their inception, the Aminey clubs (at any point during their history, starting with the one club, turning into three clubs) have had very contentious and contrarian players. Some would point to the entire history of the city of Aminey, a haven for those not welcome in the capital cities and the centres of the Ko-orenite state. I don't want to suggest that ideas of centuries past still apply to a city's identity today, but maybe it's too much to reject it outright. Aminey doesn't play a cynical or defensive game, but have employed shady tactics in its past, looking for any edge that lies within the rules. They've had success with that, but also caused all other 11 clubs to have some sort of beef with them. Mostly Tanques, their regional Francophone rivals, and Maethoru. Maethoru and Aminey are the centres of the Ko-orenite state: Aminey as a contrarian, artsy philosopher's city and Maethoru as an official, governmental city, and both clubs have been among the nation's most successful since the dawn of soccer in Ko-oren. In recent years, Aminey haven't come close to a championship. In two words, Aminey wants is players to be thinkers or sporting innovators.

In the years after 1900, two clubs were founded in quick succession. Branvón was founded in southeastern Santa Teresa as a working man's club, as everyone enjoyed more time off than ever following industrialisation and a particularly social interpretation of industrialisation in the southeast. Branvón, founded in 1902, wants its players to work hard, fighting for every inch and making other teams fight for every inch in return as well. They also share a history with rugby league, with the Santa Teresa Stars. Just before the foundation of Branvón, a club by the name of Katashi-Kanatsu was founded. Initially it was just a club in Katashi's suburb of Kanatsu, in the at-the-time independent country of Yoshima. To this day, Katashi-Kanatsu has a certain number of fans that want those times of independence to return, even though Yoshima has been part of Ko-oren for about a century now and Yoshima politicians definitely do not seek independence. The fans might be a bit arrogant, but they don't require players to be from the area. In all honesty, Katashi-Kanatsu is a fairly calm club but is a source of regional pride. Small things can set off this fanbase but it doesn't take much to calm them back down again.

In 1910, Maethoru was finally founded. The governmental cities initially did not want anything to do with sports, and even less with professional sports. Playing games for payment was a foreign influence, and even though it was a very natural movement, it just wasn't for those in the capital cities. Maethoru only joined the national league very late, but the club itself is quite old. Following the success of gridiron's Mayara Wolves (both clubs play in green and white), Maethoru was added to the Top League as it turned out that the club has amassed a decent number of fans across its 100+ year history. The club was never in the sphere of influence of the government though, and it has developed a culture of winning at all costs, and has lived up to that, being the most successful Ko-orenite club nationally and internationally.

The 1920's included the biggest successes of Ko-oren. The lands south of the capitals and Aminey finally rewarded all the work that was put into it, and the cities of Greencaster and Willowbourne grew from small towns to be the largest cities of the nation. Even small towns around those cities first grew large, then rich, or vice versa. In the southeast, two mining cities both founded their own clubs as they, finally, got some spare time as well. They don't have the socialist culture of the southeast (even though they're not far away from there). After some popular measures to protect the miners and workers of the cities of Bruncester and Cirelbourne, however, both cities fell on hard times as mining just wasn't in the best interest of the government (and its environmental policies) and both cities have really only known decline after a very short but very sweet period of growth. The cities are still pretty big, and have found other means to support themselves economically, but these events have defined these places. Both clubs have a policy to always defend first, score later. As you can see, many defenders still hail from these two clubs. They also play in the smallest stadiums, and derbies between them are quite fierce. Still, without these two clubs on the periphery of the country, Ko-oren wouldn't have been the defensive powerhouse that it is. A few years later, in 1928, the south got a third professional club: Maynard. Maynard is from the southwest and represents both Greencaster and Willowbourne to some extent, and has thrived far more than the cities in the southeast. Maynard has had a lucky history, and it shows as the more creative players are from there, both midfielders and strikers, but also the occasional defender.

Only four clubs left. First Miradela, founded in 1938, from Santa Teresa - making Miradela versus Branvón the only true derby. Miradela is an upper class club, only recently joining the professional ranks. They have a much more liberal approach to the game, and have made it their policy to break the hardworking spirit of the lower class Branvón squad. Arrogant, the Miradela eleven play much more of a passing game, keeping the ball away from their opponents, trying to see how long it takes for them (Branvón in particular) to snap.

Then there is Alara, founded in 1964, well after Yoshima joined Ko-oren. They have a rivalry with Katashi-Kanatsu for both of them are from Yoshima, speak the same language, and well, Alara needed a thing to define them at least. Geographically speaking, the clubs of Straudum and Schemerdrecht are far closer to them, but Alara has manoeuvred itself into a subordinate position compared to Katashi-Kanatsu, and they're only recently trying to fight that. Alara are the most attacking club in Ko-oren, as that was the only niche not yet filled at that point.

Second-youngest are Tanques, another club near the southeast, but sharing a rivalry with Francophone Aminey. Most of the league is concentrated around the southeast, but it got even more lopsided with the addition of Tanques - now 5 out of 11 still existing professional clubs are from the mainland southeast. Tanques, however, doesn't have the working-class background of the cities around it and is mostly just a provincial town. They are the contrarians among the contrarians, almost circling around back to conformist, as long as they can oppose both the rest of Ko-oren as well as Aminey. This club is here just for entertainment, having one of the prettiest logos of the Top League and trying to be as all-round as possible.

The youngest club is Straudum, from the recently developed northeast. Only in the last 20 years has the northeastern corner of Ko-oren had a positive net population growth, and Straudum is a result of that as well. In nearby cities Launott and Aevanna, two gridiron clubs joined that professional league as well around the same time, and the northeast is now a viable option for sports teams and fans. You just need to be a little resistant to the cold. Straudum is a club for those that have moved away from economically disadvantaged areas - Bruncester and Cirelbourne - and have adopted the defensive mindset as a result.

That's the story behind the 12 clubs in the Top League - without mentioning the most recent seasons at all. Sports are a massive cultural outlet in Ko-oren, and every single team has a story.

by **Flavovespia** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 10:46 am

Flavovespia 0–1 Euran Oceania Territories

The excitement for the first AOCAF tournament for Flavovespia didn’t turn into a game to remember. Flavovespia lost their opening match 0-1 to Euran Oceania Territories, in a match that didn’t live up to the hype.

Lining up 1-11 in their familiar yellow shirt, black shorts and black socks, Flavovespia were keen to be inspired by their performance against the visitor’s “home” nation. Meanwhile the Euran Oceania Territories came to put 3 points on the board to meet their pre-tournament expectations of a knockout stage performance.

Despite the debutants on the team, it was familiar faces with strong early performances. Steven Hall got a good pass in to play Andrew Mason behind the defence, but his shot was parried away, with nothing coming from the resulting corner. 2 minutes later and Hall went solo, and his shot narrowly flew wide of the far post.

Early pressure by Flavovespia didn’t pay off, and Euran Oceania Territories began to press forward. They came close twice in the space of 5 minutes, both with right footed shots across the goal that were well saved by Nicholas Dobson in the Flavovespia goal. He was keen to try and assert himself as the future #1 even when David Meehan returns from injury/.

40 minutes down, and the resilience of Flavovespia was broken. A corner came in, and despite an initial punch-out by Dobson, it fell to an opposing defender. His shot ricocheted off of Mark James, at the feet of the #7 of Euran Oceania Territories, who easily tucked it away from close range. 0-1 to the visitors, as it would be at half-time.

The second half needed something to get Flavovespia back into the game, but nothing was forthcoming. If anything, it was a surprise to see Euran Oceania Territories not do anything with the pressure they had for the first 15 minutes of the half. Alexander May made way for club teammate Mervyn Button, Cole clearly annoyed with issues at the back.
Against the run of play Flavovespia almost scored in the 63rd minute. Maddox broke down the left wing, and played in a low cross. The keeper could only parry it, into the path of Scott Coleman, but his shot was blocked by the defender sliding in to cover. That was the opportunity Flavovespia needed, and they couldn’t take it.

Terence Daley got his first cap, coming off the bench for Andrew Mason in an attempt to liven up the Flavovespia attack. However, it didn’t seem to bring much joy, with Euran Oceania Territories beginning to sit back and take 3 away points. The crosses from Maddox and Moore began to look sloppy and desperate, and King and Hall were being closely marked through the middle.

The final roll of the dice came with Charles Winward replacing Henrik Jensen. With 3 minutes to go, Flavovespia got another half chance, with Steven Hall chipping a ball towards the box. However under pressure Daley could do little more than head it well wide and over the goal. That was effectively it as far as Flavovespia went, and it finished 0-1.

Flavovespia go to the match against top seed in the group Farfadillis with no points, which will put the pressure on the team considerably for the matches following that unless they get an upset next time out. That said, Farfadillis have lost their opening game 4-3 to 95X In terms of performance, some players such as Dobson and Hall showed skill, but many were mediocre, and improvement is needed to get points.

by **Gyatso-kai** » Wed Oct 16, 2019 12:02 pm

::: On board GyatsoAir Flight 3348, connecting Lakiska, BUS to Hapilopper City, HAP :::
0120 hours, local time, 16 October 2019.3

Well... that didn’t go quite as planned...

Takahashi Hikaru, the Captain of the Avatarian Bisons, sat in his plush seat on-board a rather comfortable airplane – Airbus? Boeing? Who cares. – He was rather exhausted, having just played his first game of MultiVerse football. His legs ached, though a good rest on the flight and some light workouts once they landed in Hapilopper would certainly do wonders for the muscle soreness. Even with the fatigue, Takahashi was quite proud of his efforts on the pitch; he had managed a great first showing for himself, stopping several big plays from getting set up, and not being on the side where the two Busogans – Islanders? Busoga Islanders? What was it they called themselves again? – goals originated from.

Poor Hai... he loss that pass and they scored right off it...

Takahashi sat up for a moment, looking around the cabin, and seeing a various collection of lights, headphones, and sleeping people; as often was the case when travelling, many of the men onboard where simply too excited to sleep, and given the Avatarian cultural propensity for staying up late, sleep wouldn’t occur for most of the men for at least a couple of hours. Nonetheless, as Takahashi settled back into his seat, he turned to his aPhone and began to mindlessly scroll through RepTwitter; nothing really of note, just a few tweets from the various sports channels back home in Gyatso-kai, but he still couldn’t help himself to read the 250-character limited statements as he slowly drifted to sleep.

#Bisons start of the #AOCAF_CUP with a 2-1 loss against 22nd Ranked #Busoga_Islands . Not the win we wanted, but still, scored a goal on a Top 25 team – Paul Losga

@ASPN_Football, at 2204 15 October 2019.3

Jao Fijiang – The #Bisons blow a 1-nil lead in the first half to lose 2-1 to Busoga Islands at #AOCAF. Song puts a header in of a great Takahashi corner in at 32’, but double goals at 76’ and 79’ seal the first game fate for the team

Gyatso-kai Sports Network, @GKSN, at 2210 15 October 2019.3

SPORTS – At the AOCAF Tourney starts rough for @Bisons_GKI as they lose 2-1 opening day to Busoga Islands (22). Tied for 4th with Qasden, the #Bisons face Hapilopper next! Battle of Unranks tomorrow! Tune in to Republic City News for highlights!

Republic City News, @RCNews, at 2212 15 October 2019.3

Song GOAL at 32’ for LEAD but failed defense and sloppy GK give #Bisons 2-1 DEFEAT and a 0-1 start at #AOCAF. Tune in AND Follow @ASPN_Football for all your #Bisons news!

Avatarian Sports Programming Network, @ASPN, at 2203 15 October 2019.3

AOCAF Cup LIX - Everything Thread

Tropicorp Roster - AOCAF 59

95X AOCAF 59 Roster

Match Day 01 - BUS 2 <- 1 GKI

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