World Cup 84- RP Thread (IC)

by **Chromatika** » Thu Dec 19, 2019 10:18 pm

MD7: Northwest Kalactin 1-2 Chromatika
Goals: Andisori, B. '22, Kelly '75
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Nichols; Xiao - Will - Rondeau - Rowles; Avis - Kim, M.S.; Kelly - Kim, M.J. - Croix-Pierre, Andisori, B. (C).
Substitutes: McBee -> Xiao ('52), Xe -> Croix-Pierre ('68), Non -> Andisori, B. ('81)
Projected Starting XI vs. Petrovsky: Nichols; Xiao - Ken - Baugh - Nocturne; Ingalls - Kim., M.S.; Etienne (C) - Kim, M.J. - Reynolds; Non.

Football Part 6: vs. Plane of Possibility

Jillian Nier, Football Correspondent

With everything that's been going on - nice victory on the road, by the way - let's take some time to see what's been going on in the rest of the competition.

Group     Leader
One       Audioslavia    
Two       Banija     
Three     Starblaydia     
Four      95X
Five      Nephara
Six       Darmen
Seven     Mriin
Eight     South Covello
Nine      Valanora
Ten       The Holy Empire
Eleven    Taeshan
Twelve    Drawkland
Thirteen  Eura
Fourteen  Vilita
Fifteen   Ko-oren

There are a few nations who are leading their groups that are not from Pot 1. The biggest pundit is 95X, topping both Turori and Cosumar in a surprising Group 4. Next up is Group 6, Darmen leading Equestria, even if by a matchday that Equestria hasn't had. In Group 11, Free Republics has been supplanted by Taeshan for the time being, while Group 15 sees Apox actually being third in the group and Ko-oren leading them.

The perfect nations in the world are Audioslavia, Starblaydia, Valanora, Eura. Banija, Nephara, The Holy Empire, Taeshan, Drawkland, Vilita, and Ko-oren have no losses but a few draws. Chromatika is only five points behind them all.

With a twenty-two game epic, it will be a long haul for everyone. Whose stamina can last?

Part 7: The Mystic

Part 8: The Incident

D'Zarconie had planned it perfectly. There was a welcome parade to honor the delegates, and it was going to be concluded by introducing them and the three candidates in front of a roaring crowd of tens of thousands in downtown Chromatik City. There, the Mrii, Cosumarite, Banijan, and Equestrians would be introduced, and the three delegates given five minutes each to address them.

He had gotten fake press credentials from his contacts with R, and was going to be right in front of where the foreign contingent would arrive. His target? One Lighthoof, the Equestrian emissary that was the Deputy Head of Mission. It made the most sense to target one of the Equestrians, being not even human and all. Attack a Cosumarite, and you could start a trade war; attack a Banijan, and you could be considered a racist. Attack a Mrii, and it was borderline; no, it was the Equestrian that was probably the best target.

So, the motorcade came, and one by one, the delegates came out. Beatrice Veles in a pin-striped suit, Laars Vontriir looking stoic and severe, Xollie Lubabalo with her contingent of three, and the Equestrians right behind them.

He timed his chance - a way to sneak behind Lighthoof, toss the egg, and then run off. He weaved through three other journalists, got right behind...

And from thirty feet away, tossed the rotten egg at Lighthoof.

What he didn't take into account was the reflexes of an Equestrian.

Lighthoof nimbly dodged aside, and the egg hung in the air for a split second, before it splattered into a gooey mess to the left shoulder of Xollie Lubabalo's traditional gomesi.

Pandemonium ensued. The bodyguards surrounded all the delegates. The parade was canceled, the speeches rescheduled. Within fifteen minutes, Alina Krasnikova had issued an official apology, and two articles had been written about how that could've been a live grenade.

Mattieu D'Zarconie fled the scene to one of the hideouts, knowing the country was searching for him.

However, his work was done, and a spark had been lit. This would be no ordinary election.

Rainbow League System Preview

7. Felswyr

Nickname: Frost
Fans: Frosties, Felswyrites
Location: Felswyr, Mountain District, Chromatika
Stadium: Frozen Stadium (32,100; 32,100 Seats)
History:

Manager: Vitoire Rio, 48
Formation: (4-4-2)

Background: Located by the slopes of Mt. Nial, Felswyr is a winter wonderland, a town of ski resorts and ice skating rinks. It is a tourist town of the mountain kind, a place where people flock to during the wintertime. The town has really grown fond of their Frost since the days when the team moved up to the Premier Division in Season 5 of League Chromatiks. A small town team punching above their weight, Frost fans (who calls themselves Frosties) feel like their team does a good job representing them because they don't like the city types anyway. The Frozen Stadium is a jewel of a beautiful venue, with no roof and no protection against the elements. It is home field advantage if there ever was one.

Preseason Grading: brought to you by ChromatikBet.com

Fanbase: 8/10 - Felswyr knows how to hold their own squad and make it their own. The fanbase is small but fiercely loyal.
Manager: 5/10 - Who is Vitoire Rio? A midfielders coach for the Frost, he may be the one to possibly lead them onto higher heights.
Keepers: 6.5/10 - Felswyr has a solid keeper in Justus, but he is thirty-five. Can he last a whole season?
Defenders: N/A: Felswyr has three backs, missing one. Evalyn Oh and Ishmael Lia are very good, as far as domestic talent goes.
Midfielders: N/A: Felswyr has one midfielder, but Lestrange is.. a playmaker who knows how to play his craft.
Strikers: N/A: Felswyr is without strikers.
Greatest Need: When the Chromatik League disbanded, all foreign players were let go. Felswyr needs five players to go. They aren't very rich, but the fanbase and location is quite solid.

Next: Knetyohai

by **Drawkland** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 1:00 am

E L I T E ...

"We're definitely too early!" Nicole shouted.

"Listen, you said Mike told us to just head on down as soon as we left the stadium. You said he specifically requested that we go ahead without them." Cam attempted to calm Nicole down.

"But they haven't shown up yet! And it's been ages! What if they're avoiding us??"

"Nicole, they live here. What are they gonna do, sleep in a hotel? Why?" asked Sarah, mostly rhetorically.

"To avoid us! Or me!" Nicole cried out. "What if they felt too bad to uninvite us? It seemed like Mike was going off the cuff when he invited us over!"

"Please, Nicole, there's no use freaking out," Cam stressed again. "I can guarantee you that they'll be here any secon-" she was cut off as bright lights swept across the car. Turning in to the parking lot was a midsized private bus, emblazoned with the Elite Eleven's paraphernalia all along its visage. Nicole let out an excited gasp, while Sarah and Cam let out sighs of relief. Finally, they'd have a chance to get something special.

The bus slowed to a stop in front of the main entrance. A couple of the guys hopped out, Mike Rodney and Craig Bakker. They jogged over to where Cam's car was sitting alone in the parking lot, while the bus rolled forward and disappeared into the Complex garage.

Nicole was furiously rubbing at her face, trying to clean herself up. Cam and Sarah were busy gathering their bags so they'd be ready to go. When Mike got to the car, he knocked on the passenger side window where Nicole was sitting. Cam lowered the window so he could speak.

"Hey you guys! Sorry for the wait, we got stuck in an extra-long press thingamajig. Come on out!" The girls all greeted in turn as they exited the car.

When the party got to the entrance, the doors automatically slid open. Three more of the Elite were waiting in the atrium, Ross Hunter, Elias Keys, and Dominic Southers. Standard greetings were in order, as well as a little small talk about the match. Thankfully, everybody was in good spirits following Drawkland's 3-2 victory over Libonesia.

After a few minutes of that, suddenly Sarah piped up. "Hey, I don't think we ever got to see any of this Complex in earnest. Like all we did was walk around the main area and it was mostly dark so we couldn't see much." Most of the Elite members gasped at this revelation.

"What?" exclaimed Ross. "We never gave you guys the grand tour?"

"I'm officially gonna blame Mike on this one," Dominic asserted, and the rest of them jokingly agreed.

"Okay, whatever! Let's give it to them right now!" Mike threw his hands up in jovial exasperation.

The Elite Eleven's Complex is mostly contained in one main building, although it's surrounded by extensive outdoor grounds and other facilities. The main building itself is large; its exact dimensions aren't public knowledge, but the building itself is about five stories high, two football pitches' length deep, and four pitches lengthwise. The exterior is sleek and modern, and all these factors combined make it look more like a fashionable expo center rather than a monolithic warehouse.

The front side of the building is dedicated to the living and working quarters of the Complex, which is four stories high. The first floor is mostly dedicated to the welcome area and some space for public visitors. There's a conference room, small press room, and some museum-like exhibits displaying the Eleven's recent accolades, accomplishments, and escapades, to name a few. The second floor is mostly dedicated to office space, as each member of the Eleven has two offices on the floor (one with a window facing outside, and another across the hall facing inside). Again, there are conference rooms, a lounge, server room, and a studio on this floor. The third floor is filled with the bedrooms and living quarters for the Eleven. While they all have homes of their own, these rooms are a necessary home-away-from-home when they do residencies at the Complex. Finally, the fourth floor is filled with smaller, hotel-like suites in case any guests need or want to spend the night. These are usually not available to the public, however.

Each floor is bisected by the hallway running through it, with one half of the rooms facing towards the outside and the others facing towards the inside (the windows look out on the main hall). Some of the inward-facing spaces don't have rooms, and instead are open-aired balconies in the main hall.

Similar to an expo center, most of the building's floorspace is dedicated to the main hall. With a few columns dotting it here and there to stabilize the structure, most of the space is filled with various pieces of sports fields and courts. Of them, the most prominent is the artificial turf field which features markings for pretty much any sport that goes on a field of that size. Soccer and gridiron markings are the most prominent on it, of course. Also of note are the two adjacent basketball courts, a couple putting greens, a couple multipurpose courts, batting cages, racquet sport boxes, a concrete path circling around and throughout the facility, and the zipline system that can connect the columns (which have climbable platforms on them as well). These are just the features of the main area too. Towards the side of the main hall are sitting and lounge areas, a bar, as well as access to rooms with billiards, table tennis, and other such games.

The tour concluded in the main hall, where the remainder of the Elite Eleven were already standing around. They were milling about on one of the multipurpose courts, tossing some balls around as the girls and their escort arrived.

"Look who joined the party!" laughed Roger Apollo, who flung the ball he was holding towards the group. It landed squarely in the hands of Nicole.

"Is this a handball?" Nicole asked, inspecting it. It resembled the association ball she was so familiar with, but smaller and with a grippier surface.

"Indeed it is!" answered Jaxon Madison, who strode up to the group. "We were actually of thinking getting a handball game going since our kicking game is so tired after tonight."

"Too tired to kick a ball around but energized enough to sprint around a hard court for 20 minutes?" Sarah asked incredulously. "You guys really are something else." Most of them chuckled, a few stayed silent.

"Seriously, y'all should join in," Roger insisted, walking to stand next to Jaxon. "With you three we have an even fourteen, perfect for 7 on 7."

The girls looked at each other, not exactly knowing what to say. Cam spoke first. "Well, I haven't played handball since my camp days, but I think I can get back to speed soon enough."

Sarah nodded and Nicole grinned. "Fine, fine. We're in!" Nicole laughed, tossing the ball back at Roger, who caught it without a hitch.

"Wait! Before we start," Elias interrupted. "Why don't we add Nicole, Cam, and Sarah to the stat system? Since they'll be playing a game and all."

"Oh, great idea," Roger agreed. "We'll finish getting the court set up while you take care of that."

"What stat system?" Cam asked, confused as the other two.

"Oh, we have a computer system that tracks our movements during the games and records our stats," Elias explained. He led the trio to the small scorekeeper's box next to the court. "It's super advanced, we've really improved it over the past couple years. We mostly made it to identify our weaknesses and strengths as individuals so it's easier to have an objective voice about it. Now, though, we mostly use it for bragging rights.

"For instance," he said, raising his voice so the others could hear, "I actually have the best goalkeeping percentage when we play handball, and it's not even close!" Groans and denials could be heard from the rest of the Eleven, and Elias just chuckled.

"Oh, that's super cool. I think we had a form of that last season at Jaffro, though I guess it didn't take off with the coaching staff since I don't think they mentioned it much after the initial announcement," Cam replied.

"So what, do we need our fingerprints and shit?" Sarah questioned, looking at the holoscreen Elias had pulled up.

"Not at all!" he assured. "Just your name and a quick face scan so it knows who to look for." He opened up the entry screen and the girls all followed suit to get entered into the system.

"Hey, what's the big hold-up?" called Richard Hanson from the court. "We're trying to get a game in here!"

"We just finished!" Elias shot back, and they left the little booth to return to the court. The rest of the Eleven were looking at the holoscreen projected on the side of the court. The system looped through a loading animation a couple of times before springing to life and dropping down two lists on the screen.

"There we go, the teams are drawn!" Mike explained, stepping next to Nicole and the others. "The system uses our stats and perceived skill to arrange autobalanced and somewhat random teams every time we play. That way we can practice playing to our strengths and eliminating our weaknesses while ensuring we grow chemistry with each other regardless of lineup. You guys are new so I think it just put you as zeroes."

As he explained it, the rest of the Elite Eleven were shuffling to one side of the court or the other in according to their given team. The girls took a closer look at the rosters. Team A consisted of Elias, Craig, Trevor, Dominic, Roger, Ross, Sarah; the other was Septimus, Nicholas, Richard, Mike, Jaxon, Cam, and Nicole. They both took a quick moment to huddle and discuss a basic tactical plan. It was clear that the Eleven members were thinking on the same wavelength already, while the girls were just sorta part of the ride. After a minute of discussion, both teams broke into starting formations.

"Let's play!" said Roger, and he passed the ball off to start the match.

by **Schottia** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 1:17 am

Why I Hate Football

Part Thirteen.

The winter shutdown.

Gary was busy clearing the snow from his paths, at the same time trying desperately to ignore Big Malcolm, who was waving frantically to get his attention. It was an unwritten (yet keenly observed) rule that the Newcomers never crossed the stream into Gary’s half of the valley without an explicit invitation. None of them had mobile phones (and Gary likely wouldn’t pick up even if they did) so the only option was to stand at the narrowest point of the valley and yell like crazy.

Gary had learned over the years that clearing the paths gradually was the best system. Leave it a couple of days, and you were in serious trouble. It was far better to get out there with a broom and sweep clear the areas you needed for collecting firewood, for reaching the green houses and accessing the livestock. The first couple of winters had seen Gary essentially holed up inside his hut with three months supply of tinned food, and a massive pile of logs at the door. At its worst, the snowdrifts reached the roof of his small dwelling. He had done this partly through inexperience, but Gary also had fewer responsibilities then. Nowadays he had goats and chickens to dig out, as well as a daughter who needed to be brought to school each morning. Winter of-the-grid was something that needed to be endured, toughed-out, but for Gary it was well worth it.

‘Dad, I think Malcolm is trying to get your attention.’ Madita said, putting her broom down and wiping some imaginary sweat from her brow. She’d only had from the woodshed to the first greenhouse to sweep, but loved to think of herself as a hard worker. Gary had offered to take the paths round the front, while Amanda was making a start to chicken coop.

‘I know.’ Gary replied, keeping his eyes fixed to the path. ‘I’m pretending I haven’t seen him, try not to make eye contact.’

‘Sorry, I’ve already waved.’ Madita braced herself for a telling off. ‘Is it okay if I go over to the village and play with Oak and Wolf?’ She asked, figuring that the damage had already been done.

‘Have you finished your chores?’ He waited for a nod of her head. ‘And your homework...?’

‘Not got any this weekend!’ She grinned back.

Gary stood upright, and pushed his turtle shell glasses up his nose, before massaging his lower back. ‘Okay then, and put Malcolm out of his misery on the way. Tell him to come over.’

Granton, North Handon, 2005...

Claire and Mary had locked their bikes over by the old post office, before the four of them boarded a bus into town. Gary recognised Claire Hanson as soon as he clapped eyes on her, but he was doing his best not to let it show. He was still terrified of her father (probably suffering from a form of PTSD) and it would have been impossible to bridge the topic without enquiring after his former coach’s wellbeing.

One row in front, Darren and Mary seemed to have hit it off. The Kings Park loanee had always been in possession of slightly superior social skills than Gary, and they were coming into their own in this setting. As it was, Gary and Claire were forced to sit and make uncomfortable small talk, neither willing to confront the elephant in the room.

‘Is the Harpooner okay for youse?’ Mary asked, turning round to face them. The discussion had clearly been on which bar they should frequent. ‘The other option is to stay on this bus for another half hour, get off at Kirk Preston, and walk up to the Art College. The drinks there are a bit cheaper, and the music can be decent..?’

The women were in their mid twenties, and by virtue of which, had much more experience of the Handon nightlife.

‘I’m not sure…’ Gary made a face. ‘…it all sounds a little– ’

‘Don’t you dare say “rich for your blood!”’ Darren hissed. If Gary ruined this evening for him, there was going to be hell to pay.

‘The Harpooner then.’ Gary said forcing a smile. ‘He had once been to an historical re-enactment evening in the function room upstairs, and at the very least, it was a familiar setting. Darren and Mary seemed content with this answer, and went back to exchanging stories. As she turned, Gary got a whiff of her perfume. These women were way out of their league. They were SPL, with Gary and Darren firmly Regional Division B. He could only imagine that Darren’s footballing exploits were doing a lot of heavy lifting for him right now.

‘So…’ He said to Claire, who was busy looking out the window. ‘Do… you come here often?’

‘Do I often ride this bus?’ She raised an eyebrow, a little confused as to how she should answer.

‘No, argh…’ One sentence in, and he was already in danger of a panic attack. ‘I mean… here.’

‘This bare stretch of road between Granton and the City Centre..?’

‘…Yes.’

‘No.’ Eight more stops – this was going to get painful. ‘I only really come up this way, when I’m going to visit my parents.’ She turned back towards the window. ‘You’re the Don Corsie’s son, aren’t you?’

‘For my sins…’ Gary signed. ‘But if you want a discount on fish, then you need to speak to him yourself.’

She smiled. ‘You probably don’t remember me. My dad is Derek Hanson. I sometimes hung out by the training pitch on my way home from school.’ She shrugged off the significance.

‘I honestly didn’t pay very much attention,’ Gary lied, willing the bus to hurry up so as they could get out of this awkward coupling system that the seats had created. With the benefit of hindsight, he was starting to wonder if he would have been better off staying up the tree.

The snow had started up again, falling softly on the freshly swept paths, showing the futility in man’s attempts to conquer nature. Gary had been inside the hut and brought out a couple of hot beverages, and a small slice of honey cake that he had baked earlier. ‘Not bad’ commented Malcolm, his moustache bouncing up and down as he munched away happily. ‘You’re certainly putting that honey to good use over here.’

‘Fuel for the workers.’ Amanda said with a grin, putting her brush down and coming over to join them. She greeted Malcolm with hug, before grabbing her own steaming mug and returning to Gary’s side. ‘Where is Madita?’ She asked, not terribly concerned.

‘Over in the village with Oak and Wolf.’ Gary answered, before popping the last piece of cake in his mouth. ‘That’s the paths clear, but I don’t know for how long…’ The blankets of grey overhead looked ominous. If it weren’t for how downright impractical the snow was, inhabitants of the valley would have been overcome by the beauty of the pristine white that covered every surface. From Gary’s front garden they could look all the way down to birch wood half a kilometre way, with nothing but untouched snow in between.

‘We’ve been having hellish trouble keeping our solar panels clear.’ Malcolm, empathised. ‘Not that they produce much with all this cloud cover. We had the generator on yesterday.’

‘Malcolm was asking what we were going to do about the road this year.’ Gary said, for Amanda’s benefit. ‘There’s the farmers markets, and obviously we need to get Madita and Oak to and from school.’ Last year had been Madita’s first school year, and their normal tactic of embracing the road closure was no longer an option. Gary, in the end, had dipped into his savings account and paid for a taxi to follow a snowplough up and down the road twice a day. To a man with over ten million sitting in the bank, it wasn’t much of an expenditure, but it had never sat comfortable as a long-term solution.

‘I was offering to drive the girls,’ Malcolm confirmed. ‘Gary said he would pay for an attachment for my truck, and I don’t mind doing it. It makes sense that we have a means of leaving the valley in emergencies.’ The big man’s bushy eyebrows and moustache had caught so many snowflakes that it was now looking ridiculous. It was that nice powdery snow, easy to sweep up, but not so good for making snowballs (much to Madita’s distaste).

‘Just do it.’ Amanda nodded. ‘I think it’s a good idea.’ Malcolm smiled in acknowledgment. He had been looking for ways to make it up to Gary, ever since the boulder incident.

‘Well…’ Gary grabbed his broom, in a manner that said “we’re done.” ‘I think I’ll go and check on the greenhouses, maybe sit down there next to the paraffin heater and read a book.’

by **Nephara** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 3:37 am

Siovanija & Teusland 1 - 4 Nephara
(4-4-2) 1 - Mercator; 18 - Longship (2 - Stride 67'), 5 - Thorn, 6 - Brosch, 3 - Close (c); 13 - Saroszi (7 - Kuepper 67'), 4 - Shone, 21 - Moxham (8 - Chalk 76'), 11 - Strongbow; 9 - Hawke, 17 - Bastable
Goals: Moxham 4', Hawke 27', Strongbow 36', Bastable 86'

"Hhhhhh," said Tawny Shone.
Nephara, unlike the physiology of the average female Marcher, is notoriously flat. Stahlberg, unlike Stahlburg, is not. Evidently, senior Teus figures had realised this discrepancy, and made the tactical decision to move the match to a smaller, more hostile stadium. The gamesmanship was admirable, honestly. There would be no solidarity between fellow Teutons tonight.
Hence; "Hhhhh," Shone repeated.
"So you've said." Marcin Close put his hands on his hips, glanced around the pitch. The warm-up was quickly becoming an exercise in damage control. The cold didn't help, though that at least did feel like home. Not a lot else did, here.
The Goldhorns were not going to go down easily. The side-effect of the smaller stadium was that it was sold out, and not even the kind of 'sold out' where the complimentary tickets had largely gone to no-shows, but the kind of sold-out where there wasn't an empty seat to be found in the roiling mass of gold. Or, for that matter, the small, defiant bloc of green that had placed itself behind what was to start out as Heuser's goal. The side was an attractive blend of proven talent abroad, highly promising locals and, in Karl-Heinz Jager, one of the emerging best defensive talents in the game, all marshalled by the guile and craft of Apoxian Gavin Hughes. Third seeds? Like hell! This was the one to watch.
Daniella Strauss' advice was simple. They'd go out and go fast and try to smash open the affair early on. If the game was over by the hour mark they could take up a defensive posture for the final half-hour; not the words of Strauss in her first year. Sadly, the Godhead had not made it to southwestern AO, but surely it would have approved.

Chimera Moxham had opened her account after eight minutes against the Macabees. There was scope to improve that - indeed, to halve it. All it took for Tawny Shone to get the nominal assist was to flatten Dimitrov, no pushover and on track for a hundred caps just about now, and flick the ball expertly to Moxham's feet while still on the ground, with a poleaxed player lying across her and Kramer rushing forward to close her down. The right move, but a fatal one that left Moxham in possession, in space, with the wind at her back. Forward she went, flashing outside then twisting inside of Mihailov, opening her stance and clipping the moving ball perfectly into the inside of the far post, past a stretching Heuser, and into the net. Moxham pumped her fist, blew a kiss out to the away fans, let her comrades come to her and crowd her. She was that kind of player.
The impetus shifted on the Goldhorns to attack, and to their credit, they did. The Nepharim stepped back, locked shields, though they loosened up a little after Close gave Romanov too much space, too much respect, and the result was a cross that goal machine Ribbeck should have buried past Mercator but, pressured by Thorn, put it close enough for her to clamp down and fall on. A warning shot. After that it was all hands on deck, even Moxham herself doing her part.
Nephara's second shot on target also found the top corner. A key objective of Strauss' was to construct overloads on the Nepharim right to overwhelm the inexperienced and attack-minded Steimle, and it was a clever triangular passing interchange between Hawke, Saroszi and Longship that allowed the lattermost to swing a long, heavy cross over everyone's head unmarked. Near perfectly-weighted, finding Kurtis Bastable unmarked at the far side of the box. He had a shot - he had a better option, and made use of it, shuttling the ball central. Many boots flicked out, even risking an own goal, and Klopfer managed a whisper of a touch on it that nearly, nearly took it out of Estrella Hawke's path. But didn't. 2-0 it was.
It didn't last. The Goldhorns weren't discouraged, or if they were it wasn't showing. Romanov tested Mercator sharply, but the Eastweald stopper had her far post covered with a sprawling save, and Dimitrov butchered a presentable chance with a shot taking the trajectory of a golfer mounting an escape from a sand-pit. Still, had he taken the touch he needed, Thorn had already been sliding across... but the goal would come. Thorsten Kramer would start it, arrowing a sharp pass down to Kogler; Thorsten Kramer would end it, pouncing on a loose ball near the D and rifling it hard past Mercator's fingertips.
That was just five minutes from Hawke's goal, but four minutes later, and with Nephara's fourth shot on target, they restored their crumple zone. Moxham again, the serial pest, shaping to shoot outside Klopfer - feinting! - rolling back! - shaping inside him, a better angle, low towards Heuser's far post. Cruelly, it span off Bastable's heel, but Heuser reacted quickly to claw the ball aside. Too acutely aside. Strongbow was there to follow it in.

So, job done, by the break. All they had to do was sit on it, protect it... proactively, of course. Stand around like traffic cones and the Goldhorns would put six, seven past them.
This is where most neutrals would have been happy to switch off. The Cormorants were done playing nice, friendly, flowing football. They were here to end dreams and play spoiler. And, blessedly, everyone gave it their all. Even - especially - the likes of Rowena Strongbow or Chimera Moxham, who could each have been forgiven for becoming luxury players. Hawke, as always, did her part, as did sturdy young Bastable, replacing the suspended Metzger and feeling a little smug about it. The only surprise was that Laiota stayed on the bench, and that when Longship started to flag a little in the altitude, there was time to hand the mouthwatering prospect of Rovena Stride a debut to reward breaking through at Treason.
The plan did work, sort of. The last twenty minutes of the match were conducted in glacial, oxygen-starved misery. Mercator had earned her corn, pushing aside a wickedly spinning strike from the emerging prospect Tauscher like a cat shunting a glass off a table, but otherwise a breakthrough seemed remote, Tawny Shone's various niggling fouls never quite combining into a booking despite always breaking down anything promising.
There was a chance earned and finished against tired legs, but it wasn't at the right end from Hughes' perspective. Freshness prevailed, with Malachi Chalk winning a commanding header off Mercator's goal-kick, flicking it up to where Marica Kuepper waited on the right wing. Kuepper looked up, set herself and lashed a lethal diagonal cross into the box, and all Kurtis Bastable needed to do was motor in with the last of his energy and get a touch, any touch at all, on the bounce.
It wasn't elegant, but he did just about slash it past Heuser. There wasn't enough left in the tank to celebrate. He raised his fists... he doubled over on his haunches. A resounding victory, and any thought of a glass jaw dispelled. For now.

by **Jeruselem** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 5:01 am

Welzat, after Jeruselem drew 1-1 with the home team. Dash Dallas with Prince Hamish after the game ...

Hamish: Hey Dash, looking a bit frustrated there.
Dash: We played the bottom team and we should have won. We're actually capable of scoring more than 1 goal per game.
Hamish: I know
Dash: Well we should have won today
Hamish: Mind you we shouldn't have conceded that goal near the end
Dash: That was because you weren't doing your job, and put our defense under pressure

Hamish: I suppose we should have been a few goals up
Dash: We've had three draws. All games which should have been wins.
Hamish: We're not doing too badly
Dash: We should be doing better
Hamish: Don't worry, we've got time to pick more points.
Dash: So how many goals you scored?

Hamish: Err, like ... one
Dash: Exactly, one is not enough.
Hamish: I suppose I should have a few more but I have time to get more!
Dash: Bit distracted?
Hamish: Oh I suppose being a Dad has changed things and my priorities
Dash: Hey look, the wife is taking care of things. She's a complete bitch but you focus on your job

Hamish: It's a good thing Geektopia lost today hey
Dash: I noticed that.
Hamish: Noticed Schottia making their move on us
Dash: Well, we'd better not drop anymore points. We haven't played the top 2 as yet.
Hamish: I'm worried about those games. Good thing we beat Geektopia
Dash: We'll need not to lose against them but then they've been winning everying recently.

Hamish: Hey, what do you think of Kate's new look? The blue hair
Dash: She always look like an anime girl
Hamish: I like anime girls
Dash: You like girls who under 18.
Hamish: Hey, I'm not like that.
Dash: Actually you're not terribly fussy about girls in general.

Hamish: Exactly.
Dash: Say are you in the football team for the football or just to keep yourself away from harassing girls, ahem like me.
Hamish: Err, more like I'm here so don't annoy the wife too much.
Dash: You're surrounded by girls here. I mean it's not like you're avoiding them.
Hamish: Actually I'm here so I don't annoy Mum too much. She's rather busy these days. She's still short tempered.
Dash: She seems a lot happier.

Hamish: Well, she's got a granddaughter now. She actually wanted a daughter so a granddaughter is the next best thing.
Dash: She's technically got daughter in Princess Kate in some ways
Hamish: Kate was never quite good enough as a football player but she's a natural for TV
Dash: Very popular girl, you'd better lift your game.
Hamish: Yeah, I'd better start scoring some goals.
Dash: Yes

Hamish: How many games we got left?
Dash: Three, two will be against the top 2.
Hamish: That makes things difficult
Dash: Hey look, if you can't score against Welzat. What hope you have against a real team like Taeshan.
Hamish: We're one of those weird teams who can be rather disappointing and then beat a top team.
Dash: I wish we could just be consistent. Like winning and not having stupid draws when we could have won.

Hamish: We are bit hot and cold
Dash: I guess that one of our problems.
Hamish: Yes

by **Trolleborg** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 6:14 am

TROLLEBORG – SHERPA EMPIRE 3-3

Trolleborg: Kotsson, Laaste, Troger, Bagger (Tro,46), Wolters, Zhita, Valgren, Troll (Mogrin,67), Finnsnes, Skaloed, Kerr
Kerr,11(1-0). Rai,17(1-1). Mehta,39(1-2). Wolters,54(2-2). Ladakhi,61(2-3). Kerr,88(3-3).

Our team again could not please us with a victory, although things looked like if the fans had reason to expect it from their favorites.

The game started successfully for us, Kerr scored a goal already in the 11th minute, getting rid of the guardianship of the defenders and putting his foot under the ball after a good cross of Wolters. But almost immediately, our players missed a quick attack by the guests and Dawang Rai equalized the score. And before the break, Sherpas were already ahead, after a free-kick, scored by Lakpa Mehta with a powerful blow. In the second half, our footballers made serious efforts to save the game, and in the 54th minute Wolters picked up the ball that flew out of the penalty area after a whole crowd of players scrambled in it, and struck furiously, and somehow found a gap through which it hit the bottom corner. To the displeasure of our fans, the guests scored the third goal in the 65th minute, after Kotsson knocked the ball out with his fist towards the center of the field after a corner kick and the first was picked up by Tenzing Ladakhi, who shot right on goal. After that, Morten Troll was injured almost immediately. To their credit, the trolleborgs did not stop playing, but rushed to save game, our players hit the goalpost twice, which was protected by Preet Modi, but in the end Kerr managed to push ball into the net in the last minutes.

Of course, after the triumphant BoF, we are all somewhat annoyed by the our team low position in the standings, but it is, in fact, much higher than that which we really occupy in the world of football. It all depends, you see, on the point of view. Yes, we take only one point at home, and it looks like a loss of points. But if we take the situation as a whole, then we play a draw with a team ahead of us in the KPB table by almost a hundred places.

Now our team will play away from the Atlantic Republic, which ranks last in the group. In this game, our goalkeeper will be Klemens Gould, the 25-year-old goalkeeper who showed himself well in training camp.

ADVERTISEMENT
Trolleborg national team is looking for a physical education specialist and psychologist, both with extensive experience in successful work in international football in the last five seasons. Payment will be equal to 110% of the best salary in your career in this field plus bonus if work will be successful. Contracts will run until the end of the season with the possibility of extension by agreement of the parties. Send you CV to Trolleborg FA HQ.

[OOC: If someone interested, post it in one of the posts in this thread, I read everything posted here; if you don't like posted something, send me a private message]

by **The Andromeda Island Group** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 6:33 am

Recuecn Unicorns v Andromeda Eagles
Joe Napoli Memorial Stadium
Joppa, Allied States
Saturday Afternoon

It’s the second game in a row for the Eagles against one of the top 50. Unlike their previous opponents, the Unicorns of Recuecn are only up 1-0 as injury time expires in the first half.

Freeman Lebo scored a goal late in the first half, just getting the ball past Rachel Medrano after she managed to stop two previous hard shots. Medrano was replaced by Steve Young after suffering the onslaught against her by Lebo and the Unicorns.

Despite a prolonged tongue-lashing from Coach Jones, the Eagles have been unable to score so far. With about 15 minutes left before injury time, Jones brought in the reserves before excusing herself from the sidelines. Jones has given up on her team. Coach Zimmerman and Coach Hawkins have other ideas.

Coach Zimmerman gives a signal to DL Dandridge, who has the ball. She places the ball under her foot and gives the signal to the front line, made up of Oona Kerry, Brea Young, Carla DiGregorio & JD Campbell.

Oona Kerry stands next to Carla DiGregorio.

“We need to get our momentum back… and Coach Jones isn’t helping us do that.”

Meanwhile, Brea Young stands next to Campbell. She looks over to Kerry and DiGregorio.

“JD, it time you regained your mojo.”

“My what?”

“The confidence you had at East Portsmouth. We’re going to help you get it back.”

“But Coach Jones said…”

“Scratch Coach Jones. We need this goal. You need this goal, and we’re going to help you get it.”

Just then, Dandridge passes the ball to Oona Kerry. She now has possession. The other three recognize the play. Kerry and DiGregorio pass between each other. Kerry switches places with Campbell before the front line makes their move.

The bench, and the crowd at Joe Napoli Stadium stand up. After three home games, it looks like the Eagles will finally score a goal on home soil.

DiGregorio shakes two defenders, then runs toward the goalie, leaving the ball behind for Campbell to kick in.

“GOOOOOOAL!”

The game is tied. The crowd erupts as the second half goes into injury time.

A few minutes later, time expires. Despite merely getting another draw, the Eagles leave the pitch as if they are victorious. James Dole Campbell, a reserve front liner from East Portsmouth, just scored the first goal for the Eagles in a home game for the Eagles during this round of World Cup qualifying. Having been hoisted onto his teammate’s shoulders, Campbell feels like he’s on top of the world.

Meanwhile, in the locker room, Coach Jones sits watching the celebration on her iPhone. She also looks over a pair of formal letters. Two of her key players have written letter signaling to Jones that they will transfer to Pickett College next semester. Jones knows that her days as Head Coach of the National Team are numbered.

by **PotatoFarmers** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 6:53 am

Location: Somewhere in the north of Poafmersia, along the coastline facing the North Poafmer Seas
"Daddy, what is that thing on the sea?"
A little girl no bigger than 10, was asking his father this question on a routine travel around the nation. Despite the 30 year master plan to put Poafmersia on the World Map and open its borders, travelling overseas remains limited, and was mainly reserved for the richer people. Therefore, people chose to explore within Poafmersia, all around the outskirts, or even coasting around different cities, just to escape from their home and leave their working life behind. This father-and-child pair, however, was different. They leaved in the Northern parts of Poafmersia, away from the cities, and often come here to walk. Despite their frequent journey here, to the father, the structure on the river seems a little new and he does not seem to recognise the structure. "I don't know, Jasmine, it seems to be something that is built out into the big blue seas!"
"But Daddy, surely you have seen something like this before?"
"No, Jasmine. Nobody knows what lays behind this huge patch of water, and the amount of ships and boats here is so little! I have never seen something as big as this before!"
Technically, he was right about never seeing it before. Surely, however, he knows something about this mysterious structure seen in front of him.

14 years ago
"For decades, we have chosen to ignore the world around us, and took our own path in exploring development on our own. This, however, is out of date and cannot occur any more. Today, I am launching a 30 year master plan, which would help us regain our position in the world, show the world our abilities, and tell everyone who we are!"
Thunderous applause came from the crowd. Having seen the President Pikashru Nakisan and his government make sweeping reforms and changes across the board, the people of PotatoFamers (as it was still called then) were excited of this new masterplan of "globalising PotatoFarmers", as the plan was named. Though many have little to no idea what this meant, the promises of a better lifestyle and the benefits of more connection with other nations (groups of communities, as defined by the President) was enough to entice voters to give him the 2/3rd majority he needed to make constitutional amendments that election. It kicked start a huge plan of bringing the nation our of isolation, which started with a name change "to make the nation look more normal to others". There was also plans to improve connectivity with others, to build rail lines that connect into neighbouring countries, kickstart diplomatic relations and everything. Everything that was planned out was supposed to continue from the previous reforms, which included plans to make the country more secular, plans to reduce reliance on farming and primary industries in exchange for more manufacturing and service-based work, and even plans to stomp out partisanship that came with a party-list system.

Today, in Fiskadaha, Poafmersia, at a PFABP club
PFABP, or Poafmersian Association of Bridge Players, is a community of Bridge players in Poafmersia. Compared to big sports like football, hockey and badminton, this was a small group. But many famous politicians and members of the Ridimag are also members of the PFABP, including the President and his wife.
So it was this day where the President and his wife decided to join the usual weekly games at the club in Fiskadaha, something they do occasionally. "Have you heard about this morning's football match?" someone asked them as they waited for the games to start.
Who hasn't? Everyone knew of the story of the stoppage time penalty which Joel took to rescue a point in an eventful day which saw 6 yellow cards and 1 red card being dished out while Poafmersia came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2, remarkably.
The story of that match can come later. But it was President Pikashru's response which surprised many. "Poafmersia is building a bridge to link themselves with others, and while we build the bridge of relations, we also have to realise that our sporting abilities have to catch up with the normal crowd's." He pointed at the numerous trophies which was on display for the nation-wide tournament next week. "Similarly, what if we also welcome everyone around the world to interact with us in other sports...like Bridge?"

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 7:23 am

OOC: Writing this from Frankfurt Airport while on my way home from Cairo for Christmas. That's RP dedication for you; but apologies for the Tennyson ~~plagiarism~~ parody.

The Knights of the Oblong Table In....

THE QUEST FOR THE HOLY GRAIL
of World Cup qualification

Morte de Matchday Plan

So all day long the noise of football roll'd
Within the mighty hippodrome by the winter sea;
Until Lord Tzimisces' team, man by man,
Had touched the ball about the field.
Two-nil down they were at home to Volinovia.

Lord Tzimisces then, because his wroth was deep,
The bold Sir Barsanuphius did comfort him.
Sir Barsnaphius, the captain of the team,
And spake with him at the chapel nigh the field,
A broken chancel with a broken cross,
That stood on a dark strait of barren land.
On one side lay the terraces, and on one
Lay the home locker room, and the moon was full.

Then spake Lord Tzimisces to Sir Barsanuphius:
"The sequel of to-day unsolders all
The goodliest fellowship of famous knights
Whereof this world holds record. Such a sleep
They sleep—the men I trained. I think that we
Shall never more, at any future time,
Delight our souls with talk of knightly deeds,
Walking about the gardens and the halls
Of this stadium, as in the days that were.
I perish by this people which I made,—
Tho' Simeone sware that I should come again
To win a fifth World Cup —but let what will be, be,
I am so deeply smitten by their ineptitude
That I cannot inspire them to win this game.

Thou therefore take my matchday plan,
Which was my pride: for thou rememberest how
In those old days, one summer noon, an arm
Rose up from out the bosom of the lake,
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,
Holding the training notes —and how I row'd across
And took it, and have worn it, like a mighty lord:
And, wheresoever I am sung or told
In aftertime, this also shall be known:
But now delay not: take the matchday plans,
And fling him far into the middle mere:
Watch what thou seëst, and lightly bring me word."

To him replied the bold Sir Barsanuphius:
"It is not meet, my Lord, to leave thee thus,
Aidless, alone, and smitten by this failure.
A little thing may harm thy wounded pride.
Yet I thy hest will all perform at full,
Watch what I see, and lightly bring thee word."

So saying, from the ruin'd shrine he stept
And in the moon athwart the place of tombs,
Where lay the mighty bones of ancient men,
Old knights, and over them the sea-wind sang
Shrill, chill, with flakes of foam. He, stepping down
By zigzag paths, and juts of pointed rock,
Came on the shining levels of the lake.

There drew he forth the matchday plan,
And o'er him, drawing it, the winter moon,
Brightening the skirts of a long cloud, ran forth
And sparkled keen with frost against the jewelled cover:
For all the spine twinkled with diamond sparks,
Myriads of topaz-lights, and jacinth work
Of subtlest jewellery. He gazed so long
That both his eyes were dazzled, as he stood,
This way and that dividing the swift mind,
In act to throw: but at the last it seem'd
Better to leave the matchday plan conceal'd
There in the many-knotted water-flags,
That whistled stiff and dry about the marge.
So strode he back slow to the angry coach.

Then spake Lord Tzimisces to Sir Barsanuphius:
"Hast thou perform'd my mission which I gave?
What is it thou hast seen, or what hast heard?"

And answer made the bold Sir Barsanuphius:
"I heard the ripple washing in the reeds,
And the wild water lapping on the crag."

To whom replied Lord Tzimisces, faint and pale:
"Thou hast betray'd thy nature and thy name,
Not rendering true answer, as beseem'd
Thy fealty, nor like a noble knight:
For surer sign had follow'd, either hand,
Or voice, or else a motion of the mere.
This is a shameful thing for men to lie.
Yet now, I charge thee, quickly go again
As thou art lief and dear, and do the thing
I bade thee, watch, and lightly bring me word."

Then went Sir Barsanuphius the second time
Across the ridge, and paced beside the mere,
Counting the dewy pebbles, fixed in thought;
But when he saw the wonder of the cover,
How curiously and strangely chased, he smote
His palms together, and he cried aloud,

"And if indeed I cast the matchday plans away,
Surely a precious thing, these worthy notes,
Should thus be lost forever from the earth,
Which might have pleased the eyes of many men.
What good should follow this, if this were done?
Shall we truly come from behind to win the game?
Seeing obedience is the bond of rule.
Were it well to obey then, if a coach demand
An act unprofitable, against himself?
The coach is wroth, and knows not what he does.
What record, or what relic of my coach
Should be to aftertime, but empty breath
And rumours of a doubt? but were this kept,
Stored in some treasure-house of mighty kings,
Some one might show it at a joust of arms,
Saying, 'Juan Tzimsices' matchday plan
That hath now won four World Cups
Are perhaps the mightiest football tactics ever seen!'
So might some old man speak in the aftertime
To all the people, winning reverence.
But now much honour and much fame were lost."

So spake he, clouded with his own conceit,
And hid the matchday plan the second time,
And so strode back slow to the angry coach.

Then spoke Lord Tzimisces, breathing heavily:
"What is it thou hast seen, or what hast heard?"

And answer made the bold Sir Barsanuphius:
"I heard the water lapping on the crag,
And the long ripple washing in the reeds."

To whom replied Lord Tzimisces, much in wrath:
"Ah, miserable and unkind, untrue,
Unknightly, traitor-hearted! Woe is me!
Authority forgets an angry coach,
Laid widow'd of the power in his eye
That bow'd the will. I see thee what thou art,
For thou, the latest-left of all my knights,
In whom should meet the offices of all,
Thou wouldst betray me for the bejewelled cover;
Either from lust of gold, or like a girl
Valuing the giddy pleasure of the eyes.
Yet, for a man may fail in duty twice,
And the third time may prosper, get thee hence:
But, if thou spare to fling aside my plan,
I will arise and slay thee with my hands."

Then quickly rose Sir Barsanuphius, and ran,
And, leaping down the ridges lightly, plunged
Among the bulrush-beds, and clutch'd the plan,
And strongly wheel'd and threw it. The great cover
Made lightnings in the splendour of the moon,
And flashing round and round, and whirl'd in an arch,
Shot like a streamer of the northern morn,
Seen where the moving isles of winter shock
By night, with noises of the northern sea.
So flash'd and fell the matchday plan:
But ere it dipt the surface, rose an arm
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,
And caught it by the hilt, and brandish'd it
Three times, and drew it under in the mere.
And lightly went the other to the coach.

Then spoke Lord Tzimisces, drawing thicker breath:
"Now see I by thine eyes that this is done.
Speak out: what is it thou hast heard, or seen?"

And answer made the bold Sir Barsanuphius:
"My coach, I closed mine eyelids, lest the gems
Should blind my purpose, for I never saw,
Nor shall see, here or elsewhere, till I die,
Not tho' I live three lives of mortal men,
So great a miracle as yonder plan.
Then with both hands I flung it, wheeling it;
But when I look'd again, behold an arm,
Clothed in white samite, mystic, wonderful,
That caught it by the hilt, and brandish'd it
Three times, and drew it under in the mere."

And answer made King Arthur, breathing hard:
"The second half draws nigh; 't is time that we were gone.
Make broad thy shoulders to receive my weight,
And bear me to the sidelines; so that I
Might unveil my new plan to the team."

Thus it was that the Holy Empire,
For the first time in the history of the World Cup
Shifted to a 4-4-2 formation for the second half
And then defeated Volinovia, their opponent
By the somewhat unlikely score of 6-3.
And all because Lord Tzimices; just this once
Was so bold as to discard his matchday plan.

by **Sarzonia** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 7:24 am

Sarzonia's national team's players, managers and training staff all knew coming into this World Cup qualifying campaign that there would be no guarantees of points.

As an unranked side once more, the Stars would have to live with the ups and downs of a World Cup qualifying campaign that could potentially see it pull off some unexpected results, but also seemingly leave points on the pitch against opponents their form suggests they should be able to defeat rather handily.

Such was the case as the Stars battled it out at Warbury Stadium in Brigantii against Brigantii 5214 in a 1-1 result that saw the Stars fuming as if they'd lost the match.

The Stars drew first blood in the 18th minute through a strong run forward by Matt Taylor after he won a ball from left wing Devyn Thompsett and saw an opening. He then slotted the ball through to Stars 10-shirt Brady Reynolds, who then deked and fired a cross Cayden Aguirre was able to get his forehead onto and sting the ball into the net past a leaping attempt by Brigantii goalkeeper Hank Stone.

"I just saw an opportunity because Brigantii were pinching to our right and there was a lot of room on the left side of the pitch," Taylor said of his run. "Give Brady a lot of credit for staying onside and recognising their attempt at an offside trap."

Noticing team captain and defender Russ Howard's tendency to tire late in matches, manager Kevin Connelly decided in the 66th minute to send on fellow defender Ben Russell, who donned the captain's armband in Howard's stead. That move nearly backfired immediately as Russell was caught out of position as right wing Deon Sparks ran onto a through ball from striker Lane Chambers and used a simple head fake to blitz past Russell. Fortunately, goalkeeper Mateo Sandoval was able to parry the shot away, saving a goal for the moment.

However, Sandoval wasn't as lucky six minutes later when he mishit a goal kick that bounced off the derriere of Russell and embarrassingly slipped into the back of the net for one of the ugliest own goals ever scored in a football match involving Sarzonia. The tally drew the score level at 1-1 and forced Connelly to call back midfielder Travis D'Agostino in favour of sending on fellow middie Erik Swann, realising he needed to make an offensive substitution rather than a defensive one in hopes of getting the full three points. However, it was at that point Brigantii's defence stiffened and the Stars could only fire one long range shot in the direction of the goal the rest of the way.

After the final whistle blew, the Stars glumly walked toward their dressing room, many with their heads down. Inside the room, a couple of Stars screamed, some slammed items against the wall or onto the floor. Sandoval was sitting in front of his locker with his head down, speaking in hushed tones as he addressed the assembled media.

"We should have won this match," he said. "It would have been nice momentum heading into the bye with a home match against Brenecia in the offing." That match will take place Saturday night at 7:15 p.m. at Joe Gibbs Stadium in Woodstock. Tickets are already sold out for that match."

Sarzonia's record moves to 1-3-3 and the Stars have six points, currently sitting eighth in the Group 2 table.

by **Vdara** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 7:34 am

Vdara 1–4 Darmen

VdarArena Training Ground, Chania

Back in training following their defeat, the national team were working extra hard to make sure they would be even fitter for their match against Bongo Johnson.

David Xeniadis, one of the substitute centre backs, was absolutely crushed at the defeat, since he inadvertently played a part in the defeat against Darmen.
“Boss, I’m sorry for the mistakes that Lavrentis and I made against Darmen, it won’t happen again, promise!”

Iosif Sideropoulos, who was enraged at the defeat, was surprisingly nice to Xeniadis.
“David, for your first time playing internationally, you played exceptionally well, you and Lavrentis. The only people who made mistakes were the dumb fuckers who decided to smoke marijuana before AN IMPORTANT MATCH!”

“Heh, yeah, thanks boss...”

“No problem. Just know that the only mistake you made was that you weren’t quick enough on the mark. We need to improve your acceleration, you know? Head on over to Tryfon and he’ll teach you some stuff. He’s one of our players, but damn is he fast.”

“Alright, will do boss!”

*2 minutes later*

“Hey, Tryfon!”

“Yeah?”

“Boss man told me to come over here and that you’d help me increase my acceleration, since you’re so quick.”

“Ah, yeah, I am quick.”

“So, uh, what can we do to improve MY acceleration?”

“Well, first, we need to see how quick you CAN be. Run over to the end of that pitch over there and back. This should show what your true speed is.”

“Alright!”

At this point, Matheios Pardakis, the captain of the National team, strolled over to Tryfon.
“Young talent, eh?”

“Yep, young talent.”

“I think he played well last game, for a young substitute on his debut.”

“I agree, but he needs to work on his acceleration. That’s why I have him running over there and back, I’m going to see how fast he can actually go, ya dig?”

“I dig, I dig. Say, when do you think Panikos and Manousos will be back?”

“Not for a while, I’d hope. They need to learn their lesson.”

“Tryfon, they’re a lot better than the players we have on the field right now.”

“Well, before they can get back into the game, I say that they need to learn their lesson. 3 or 4 match days until they can come back into the first team.”

“You do realise that I’m the captain, right?”

“Yep, and I’m vice captain. Besides, none of us can make a decision without the approval of boss man over there.”

“You’re right. I would race you over to see who could ask first, but you’re the quickest on the team.”

“I wouldn’t say that in a hurry. Look, here comes David! Look at the sheer speed!”

David arrived back where he started, much quicker than he set off.
“Hey, Tryfon! How did I do?”

“You’re quick as hell, but - as I said - it’s acceleration we need to work on.”

“And how do we do that?”

“Upping your stamina and just running around in general. What did you do at Larnaca, anyway?”

“Not much, we just mainly focused on defending in the Larnaca Academy.”

“That’s a waste of your fast talent! If you ask me, I think you could be playing further upfield than centreback.”

“Huh?”

“I think you’d make a great midfielder. Your defending isn’t the best, but your passing and speed is impressive, no?”

“Fair point. I always wanted to be a midfielder, but Larnaca was having financial trouble and needed depth in every position, so here I am, a defender.”

“Today is the day that we change that. Go over to Kimon and he’ll teach you what life’s like as a midfielder.”

“But-“

“No buts, David. Off you trot!”

“Ok, I guess my acceleration doesn’t matter just yet.”

“I heard that! And you’re right, it doesn’t. You’re a midfielder. You don’t need speed. You need passing and the ability to be in the right place at the right time.”

“Fair point.”

by **HUElavia** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 7:54 am

HUElavia dispatches The Ross Isles with Satisfaction!

HUElavia once again got a good win in the Qualifiers, deciding to play with their B-Team against The Ross Isles. The game was a satisfying performance by the backup players, as they did a good performance on the road in a 0-2 victory.

The first half had the main action, as Ramirez and Hamada scored the only goals of the match, with Ramirez scoring from a free kick outside the box in the 5th minute, while a foul in the 28th minute in the box allowed Hamada to score the Penalty that sealed the victory.

The rest of the match was just a low intensity match, with HUElavia playing calmly and putting shots here and there to no avail. Generally, the players left feeling satisfied with the game, as they got an essentially "easy" 3 points.

With the victory, HUElavia stay in 2nd place, while Mercedini keeps pace with them after their 5-1 throbbing against Competitive Solitaire. HUElavia now will play against Folmara at home in Estadio da Selva, Natel (58,000).

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Banija** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 10:37 am

Setting is Banijan Diplomatic Residence in Rosaria, Eshan

Kabaka Mwanga had just gotten back to the Diplomatic Residence, where he was staying with the Ambassador. This was something that he tended to do on state visits, instead of getting a fancy hotel- at least, this was true with countries that they visited often, where the Diplomatic Residence would be in good enough shape to secure a Kabaka. That was true of Banijan diplomatic residences in Eshan, in Baker Park, and in Quebec- though of course, him making use of that in Belle Haven was deemed unnecessary. He had what he felt was a productive meeting with the Echani President, and now, it was time for other work to get done. The focus of this visit would surely be their relations with Eshan, but of course, the world does not stop around them. He was in the master bedroom, with his wife and Luguba, Katrina.

"Honey, turn on the game." The Kabaka said, gesturing to the television. "Who are the Kadongo Kamu playing against today- away to Casta Marina, right?"

"Your Majesty, you're a day ahead with the schedule of the national team." Replied Katrina. "Their opponent today is Terre Septentrionale, at the Stadium of the Restoration. In fact, let me grab the remote- I think the game is going on right now." And she grabbed the remote control to turn on the flat screen television in the room, and she mumbled to herself, wondering how she was supposed to find the Banijan national team on Echani television. Fortunately, of course, this being a diplomatic residence, they weren't reliant on basic cable- they had all the television channels here. The best use of taxpayer dollars? Probably not, but she eventually found the national team. And then she saw the score, and looked in horror. "Oh honey, your Majesty, we're losing!"

"Oh, at home? It can't be." The Kabaka said. He walked up to his wife and looked at the television, and saw the same thing that she did. It was halftime, and the Kadongo Kamu were indeed trailing in this game, by a score of 1-0. Just then, they showed the highlight of Terre Septentrionale's goal. The goal itself, was brilliant. After McCracken had been fouled, Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz had stepped up to take a free kick, about 25 yards from goal. The Kabaka then made a quip. "You know something that I will never understand? We have people abroad who struggle to pronounce easy names like Daluxolo Matshikiza, but nail a name like Yannick Ksiezniakiewicz on first glance like they are looking at a name as easy as Kizza Okafor. It doesn't make sense." After cracking his joke, he saw the goal. The free kick itself was absolutely brilliant. Ksiezniakiewicz bent the ball brilliantly, as it looked like a knuckler towards the center of the goal, that had a late break to the goalkeeper's left. With the late break, Lemuel Bereket did not have a chance, as the ball went well beyond his outstretched arms into the back of the net. That was the 31st minute. They even had a chance to double their lead in the 44th minute, but Bereket making a save with his body was all that separated the visitors from doubling their lead at the Stadium of the Restoration.

And then, of course, the second half came on, and the Kabaka and his wife watched. Why not? Their day was mostly done. Meetings with President Bennett himself, other local businessman, the Ambassador, etc... A long day. Why not take the end of the day to watch some soccer? Especially with the national team down 1-0, of course. He and his wife cuddled together and as the second half came on, they talked and caught up as the game went on, mostly in the background. They talked about the Loro Language Schools, and how the foreign language education of the children presently in the Royal Family was much better than his or his sons foreign language education. And of course, after talking about that, it was that point where their attentions were turned to the television. It was the 61st minute- the score was still 1-0 to the visitors, but the Kadongo Kamu were pressing. A nice overhead chip saw Ilman Jawara get freed, and get in on goal. He struck the ball first time, but the Soldarian FC saw quick reflexes from Zofia Kwietniewska, who knocked the ball over the goal. It was a corner kick. Idai Uster, who plys her trade in Schottia for the Willox Street Pirates, then came into the game for Ilman Jawara. A wicked corner kick was bent in by Kahara. But who was on the receiving end of it? None other than Mzukisi Nzo, who headed the ball into the back of the net to make the game level.

With 30 minutes left and the score 1-1, and both teams looking to get forward to try and find a winner, it would be a thrilling ending. The conversation between husband and wife, Kabaka and Luguba, became choppy as they focused on what was happening in the match. Gitonga Kahara let an effort rip from distance in the 65th minute, but the ball was just mere inches over the top of the crossbar as all Kwietniewska could do was watch. Sia Fall came into the game in the 70th minute to try and provide an extra spark for the Banijans, as they wanted to make sure that they did not drop any points at all at their national stadium. Sia Fall was a good change of pace from Namakula Kawesa, who was struggling on the night. Sia Fall looked to have an opportunity not far from after he entered the pitch, as he wound up to shoot in the 75th minute, but Slawomir Skrzeszewski made a game saving slide tackle. The Banijans continued to apply pressure, trying to break the Terre Septentrionale resistance. And they finally did, in the 87th minute. Idai Uster had the ball, at a decent position within the box, and just shot the ball lot and with pace towards the bottom corner of the near post. Unfortunately for the visitors, the goalkeeper got a hand on it, but it was not strong enough, as the ball bounced upwards and still into the back of the net. Both the Kabaka and his wife shot up, clapping their hands. They heard others yelling, of course cheers, from within the diplomatic residence.

It was 2-1. Surely, the Banijans would be able to hold out for the next 5 minutes? Just as he started to kiss his wife, he heard a knock on his door. It was the Isebantu. "Come in, son."

The Isebantu then came in, and of course bowed to his parents. "Your Majesty, Your Majesties, we need to talk. Urgent business."

"What happened?" Said the Kabaka. He started to sit up. Was there some sort of crisis?

"Your Majesty, you know the Chromatik election that we have observers and advisors at? Well, Xolile Lubabalo, the head of the delegation, was attacked by Chromatik citizens today.]" The Kabaka sat up, almost in disbelief. But I guess that was what could happen, right? He sat up straight as the Isebantu described, in detail, the incident that happened at the parade within Chromatika. How there was a parade in Chromatik City to celebrate the fact that they were having their first true elections, in almost a generation. About how public camera footage saw a man hurl an egg at Xolile Lubabalo's gomesi. At that, his wife gasped- she knew the value of a gomesi better than either of the men in the room. About how chaos happened, the parade got cancelled.

"Put me on the phone with Xolile immediately." Said the Kabaka. I want her status update. The Isebantu left, to set up the phone call. About 10 minutes later, the Kabaka was dressed and in the study, with a secure phone line. A call was placed to Chromatik City, and Lubabalo answered.

"Xolile!" Said the Kabaka. "I was told about what happened today. What is going on?"

"Your Majesty, thank you for your concern." Replied Xolile Lubabalo on the other end of the phone line. She explained what had happened, she repeatedly assured the Kabaka that she was fine, and she repeatedly assured the Kabaka that she wanted to stay. After their conversation, the Kabaka told her that she had his full backing. After he hung up, he turned to his son. "Mutungi, we need to take care of this. This kind of attack on Banijan diplomats is absolutely unacceptable. I will write to Alina Krasnikova myself."

To: Premier Alina Krasnikova of Chromatika

Premier Krasnikova,

It is great to be in contact with you once again. We have a strong commitment to the partnership between the Kingdom of Banija and Chromatika. We are nations that can work together, and we believe that Banijans working in Chromatika right now, are helping the Chromatik project of restoring a truly free and democratic society within your country. But of course, you know of the terrible and cowardly attack on Xolile Lubabalo. We appreciate the quickness of your apology. But we must ask that the perpetrator be brought to justice. No government can ever allow its diplomats to be violently attacked in the manner that Lubabalo was. We must ask that you do whatever it takes to ensure her security and safety from those who wish to violently wish to bring a young, bustling democracy like Chromatika, and all those who help it on that path, to its knees.

From,

His Majesty Mwanga
Kabaka of Banija

Hastily called press conference the next morning outside the Banijan Diplomatic Residence in Rosaria, Eshan

"Hello all." Said Isebantu Mutungi. "My remarks, while important, will be short. I have scheduled this press conference here due to the importance of us addressing an issue that is separate from our state visit to the Echani Republic. As many of you may have heard, Xolile Lubabalo was attacked, violently, while fulfilling her duties as the chief of Banija's election observation team in Chromatika. Somebody threw an egg at her, and destroyed her gomesi. But it is not about the destruction of clothing, even of a beautiful dress like a gomesi. Their effort was about intimidation, about scaring off those who support democracy in Chromatika. And we will not fear. Xolile Lubabalo has vowed to continue her mission of helping Chromatika put on free and fair elections, as they work to choose their next leader. She is there at the invitation of the Chromatik government, and will remain until the elections are over, as long as she maintains the support of their government. Just know this- we will not pull her out early. The Kingdom of Banija does not bow to those when we are doing what is right, and it is always right to help observe free and fair elections, as Chromatika seeks to choose a radical path towards a better future."

"There will be no questions. That is all for today." And at that point, the Isebantu left and ignored questions that were shouted at him. He went back inside, preparing to go back to the President's house in Rosaria.

by **Bears Armed** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 10:50 am

Bears Armed vs. Port Ember
Venue: Northlands National Stadium, NorthPort
Score: 2-3.

Goals
Bears Armed: Kuthbearrh (#10) @ 03’ (assist: O Sarrndale [# 5]); O Sarrndale (#5) @ 64’ (assist: Brent [#11]).
Port Ember: Nicovic (#9) @ 50’ (assist: Reddington [#10]); Nicovic (#9) @ 54’ (assist: Chamberlain [#8]); Moult (#7) @ 79’ (assist: Reddington [#10]).

Red Cards
(none)

Substitutions due to Injury
(none)

(from notes jotted down by a reporter during the match…)
Hear several visitors saying “Still don’t believe this” as they take field — facing Bears for first time evidently difficult for them, they almost don’t know how to react when Kuthbearrh runs forwards! More defensive than record suggests would be case after that, good enough to stop Belles’ scoring again before half-time (Smith has to save a couple of good shots, from Brent, and from Kuthbearrh again; but so does Karramarsar at our goal…). Whatever coach said to them during break seems to have worked, they come out much more aggressive, manage to score first while Belles are adjusting to changed tempo (Good shot, low right, so close to off-target that actually bounces in off the post) and then again a few minutes later! (from corner, Nicovic waiting by post, heads it in) – O Sarrndale equalises, in her “customary” manner, but visitors pull ahead again (complex pattern of passes & returns) and Belles can’t reverse this in time… Brent has clear opening @ 84’ but flag goes up for offside just as she’s shooting (and she WAS offside, if only just: Urrgah!)

__________________________________________________________________________________

Location: A briefing room, Wimbley Stadium
The date: Two days after the match against Razenta, early morning; the players are waiting for their coaches & other staff to arrive.

__________________________________________

(Steffannee Bruin) “… nice for Urrma to get our first goal in the game there, hwhat with her one of the few actual Northlanders in our line-up.”

(Karra Brent) “Ayyuh, it was.”

(Lurrsee Fane) “I can still see the looks on those so-called Dragons’s faces hwhen they saw urrs charging up the pitch at them. Didn’t have to be an expert on Humans to tell how hard some of them were finding it to cope with the idea of intelligent Bears…”

(Errinth’hrraRussett [Captain]) “But that match also taught urrs, again, not to rely on opponents staying surprised… Hrright?”

(Karra) “Ayyuh, that it did. Brave as hrreal dragons, once they’d settled into the game, I’d say they were.”

(Hannorra Scarlett) “Did you know that the “dragons” they took their name from aren’t real Dragons at all? They’re just a sort of big lizard, apparently, getting large enough to be a danger to humans and maybeso even to bears, but dumb and totally mundane in nature…” ⁽¹⁾

(Urrma Kuthbearrh) “For true?”

(Hannorra) “For true!”

(Urrma) “Hr’rmm…”

(Karra) “Anyhows, another thing that it was nice to see there was that crowd of other ‘old girls’ from Holy Ternian’s hwho made the journey north to support urrs.” ⁽²⁾

(Harroya o Sarrndale) “And a hrrreal pawful they were for the stewards to cope with…”

(Karra) “Ayyuh, well, I suppose they did get a bit rrowdy… but they quietened down after I’d asked them to, at the start of half-time, hrright?”

(Harroya) “For a limited value of ‘quietened’, anyhows. Hr’rmm, hwhy didn’t Lurrsee go over to the stands to help you with that?”

(Karra) “Oh, she’d gone over to the press box instead to chat with her boyfriend instead.”

(Lurrsee) “Jammy isn’t my’ ‘boyfriend’, he’s just a friend, hokay?”

(Harroya) “That would be Jammy Urrsen, photographer and ‘cub reporter’ for the ‘The Bear Necessities’? Ayyuh?” ⁽³⁾

( Karra) “Ayyuih. The same “just a friend” with hwhom Lurrsee took a two-weeks holiday camping out in the ‘New Territories’ last year.” ⁽⁴⁾

( Lurrsee) “Hey! Jammy had to go there to take some pictures for BATA, and he needed somebody to give him another viewpoint about hwhat scenes were good and to help with wording the captions: That’s all.” ⁽⁵⁾

( Karra ) “If you say so Lurrs’, if you say so.”

( Hannorra) “Ur’rmm, about Jammy Urrsen…”

(Lurrsee andKarra ) “Ayyuh?”

( Hannorra) “Wel, I’ve been taking another look at some of those press reports on the Belles from ‘the old days’, the ones that seemed to be by Bark or Florise despite the discrepancy in dates, and a lot of the photos attached to those are credited to him…”

( Lurrsee) “But that’s… Ur’rmm..”

( Karra) “Just another part of the general weirdness associated with that hwhole “old days” business.”

( Lurrsee) “Hr’rmm.
“So anyhows, Karra, hwhere were you during those two weeks? Somnearry told me that you’d been seen with a bear hwho had green fur?”

(Karra) “It’s a complicated story…”

(The team’s staff arrive; your view of this discussion, as an observer from beyond the ‘Fourth Wall’, fades to black…)

_______________________________________

OOC Footnotes

1. Not that anybody in the team has actually seen a “real” Dragon either, but there are stories from the distant past which most of them take seriously…

2. Holy Ternians’ School, a boarding school for the more “adventurously-minded” young she-bears, includes both Karra Brent and Lurrsee Fane among it alumni. It’s sort-of this nation’s equivalent to the [fictional in RL] ‘St Trinian’s School’.

3. Jammy Urssen: a ginger-furred he-bear, of undefined age in years but always seen as “young”; noted for his photographic work, his courage, his collection of bow-ties, and the fact that he shares his name with the comic-books character who’s also known as “SuperBear’s Pal”. (RL counterpart, in ‘Superman’ comics, = Jimmy Olsen.)

4. ‘The New Territories’ are lands that Bears Armed acquired quite recently on an “alternative Earth” after several other nations in the IDU suddenly moved from the region’s old world (where B.A. did, and still does, have its original lands) to this other one. (i.e. The region got a new map, and I claimed an area on that to maintain contact with the moved nations — whose situation has been retconned so that IC [i]most people now think that they’ve “always” been where they now are — without having to change anything about my already-established RP.

5. BATA = ‘Bears Armed Tourism Agency’.

by **Ziwana** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 11:22 am

Finally Magaletta Gives Ziwana a Win Against a Giant

Ziwani starting XI

Ziwana has so far enjoyed a wonderful World Cup qualifiers thanks to the goddess of sports Magaletta. Through her mercy the Akambuku have been able to leave claw marks on opponents through draws against big national teams. Coming into this match Ziwani players and fans hoped to perform better than they had against the 3 big national teams. Sacrifices, night of prayers and spiritual dances were done all around the country so that the Akambuku would be able to beat 59th rated Filindostan. The match was going to take place in Birnin-Likulu at Izula National Stadium in front of fans, previously the Akambuku suffered their first lose at home against South Covello and did not want this to happen again.

The match started on a bad note for Ziwana when VAR had a Wilder goal denied in the 21st minute, this was followed by a Mourgine injury in the 30th minute and 8 minutes later things got worse for the Akambuku when Dimara headed the ball into the net from a Ina Pietra CANUZARES corner kick to put Filindostan 1 up. This lead did not last long as Ziwana seemed to wake up and dominate and control possession leading to a screamer from a 40 yard Jean Wilder shot in the 44th minute to equalize.

After the half time break Ngonamo's men continued to impose themselves on the game, constantly threatening Filindostan goal keeper Gerry Nafari NASUTION. In the 51st minute Haqawi sent a header spinning over the bar from a Ah Fok cross into the box. In the 55th minute Bayaram saw his shot saved by the keeper after collecting a pass from Payen. 3 minutes later Nasution saved a Graham shot. Nasution's performance earned him claps of applause from both Filindostan and Ziwani football fans as they appreciated his talent. In the 65 minute Ziwana were able to break the deadlock after central midfielder Thomas was fed the ball by defensive midfielder Swedi before breaking through the defence and scoring through a cheeky chip over Nasution who earned a few scoldings from his team mates.

With a win against Filindostan, Ziwana are now placed 2nd on the log table and this has caused many fans on social media to get excited at the prospects of actually qualifying.

Other Ziwani fans warned others not to get too excited.

When Ziwani manager was asked about Ziwana's chances of qualifying he said that qualifying would be a great thing but his team was not focused on that, he wanted to build squad cohesion and gain kpb points so that in the next World Cup or competition the national team would be stronger. Expecting a qualification at this point in the qualifiers is undermining the other teams in the group.
Is Ziwana going to qualify, follow its journey to find out the answer at www.zcomm.com.

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 11:31 am

Die Stelburger Zeitung

Sport

Four Goldhorn Fans Head to Wrong Stahlberg

The difference between an E and a U might not always seem much, but it can be very, very important. Four Siovanija & Teusland football fans learned that the hard way when they arrived in the city of Stahlburg, Nephara instead of Stahlberg, Teusland where the national team’s fixture with Nephara was held.

“Honestly, couldn’t tell you how we all didn’t realize. We were so excited to be going to an away match, the lads just kinda kept going with it and we never really stopped to think,” said Georg Bohler, 24, of Reinbronn. Having never bought tickets to an away match through the STFA’s official ticketing system, the four simply assumed it was the same process as purchasing for a home match.

“Too late,” said Paul Bohler, 26, also of Reinbronn and the elder brother of Georg, when asked when the four realized the mistake. “I think our first clue was on the plane. We were all decked out in gold, had a big flag with us, and our VfL Reinbronn scarves on. No-one else on the plane to Nephara seemed to be heading to the match, though, and we were a bit confused.” When the four arrived at Stahlburg’s airport, however, they were still none the wiser.

“We took the day seeing the sights, you know, it was really our first time abroad, so we wanted to enjoy it. We kept wondering where all the other Goldhorns’ fans were. The official supporter’s guide for the Qualifiers listed some bar, but when we looked into it we found out it was in a city called Sabrefell instead,” commented Paul Bohler. “It was the day before the game, we just assumed most of the fans hadn’t arrived yet,” added Thorsten Gelzt, 25 and also of Reinbronn.

The realization for the lads came the next morning. Georg Bohler had posted a picture on social media of the four in Stahlburg’s city centre, captioned with: “Match day! Lads on tour. Come on Teusland!” and geo-tagged to Stahlburg. About 20 minutes after the post, Bohler received a phone call from his sister. “It was a bit embarrassing. She said, ‘I was just watching the news, and they’re saying the game tonight is in Stahlberg. You should probably check your tickets,’ Everyone just kinda went quiet. It kinda all fit together now; why the plane was empty, why we couldn’t find anyone.” Checking the tickets, of course, revealed that the match was to be played at the Stahlarbeiter-Union Arena in Stahlberg, Teusland. What difference one letter can make.

“It was a bit of a mess. Some arguing, for sure. ‘Alright, who was the idiot..’ But at the end of the day we’re all mates, and we decided to just have fun with it,” said Gelzt. So, the four decided to head off to a pub to watch the match. “Well, that’s where we always go back in Reinbronn, so we figured they probably do the same thing here,” claimed the final member of the group, Johann Schultz, 24, again from Reinbronn. Having found a sports-themed bar showing the game, the lads settled in.

“We got some looks at first, for sure. I doubt they were expecting four guys all dressed up in gold with a big Teus flag to walk in. Once we explained the story, though, well, first they laughed at us a bit then I think took pity,” said Paul Bohler. So, the four Reinbronn boys were set to watch the match with their newfound friends in Stahlburg. They took some banter when Chimera Moxham put Nephara 1-0 up just 4 minutes in, and more when Estrella Hawke made it 2-0. Just 5 minutes later, Thorsten Kramer put the Goldhorns on the board, making it 2-1 to the delight of the fans: “Oh, for sure: ‘3-2! We’re gonna win 3-2, we’re gonna win 3-2’ Haha, we had a lot of fun with it,” claimed Schultz. Just 4 minutes later, they’d need to change that chant, however, as Rowena Strongbow had the Cormorants 3-1 up. The Goldhorns fought hard to come back, but Kurtis Bastable’s goal 4 minutes from time sealed the deal for the Cormorants.

A disappointing night, then, for the lads? “Well, on the pitch, for sure - they gave a good fight though, proud of that. But overall, nah, it was a great experience, we made some friends, and we’ll have a great story to tell now to everyone back home,” commented Georg Bohler. How do Stahlberg and Stahlburg compare? “Oh, well, there’s a certain greyness in both of them, you know. Great people, though, of course. They both have a unique charm, I guess,” said Gelzt.

So, what next for the group, who flew back to the United Republics the next morning? “Well, we’re going to try and get tickets for the game in Felsenkirchen now, against Monso.” Could they be in the away end when the Goldhorns travel to Nephara for real, in Sabrefell? “I’ll have to talk to the boys, we did spend a bit on plane tickets this time after all. That could be possible, though!” said Schultz.

So, as it turns out, the difference between an E and a U can be quite significant: a couple thousand kilometers, in this case. And for four football fans from Reinbronn, it means a story they can tell forever. Siovanija & Teusland’s next match will, in fact, be away from home as they travel to Squornshelous to face a home side that just did the Goldhorns a huge favour, defeating The Macabees 5-3. Come on you Goldhorns!

Match Report
Siovanija and Teusland 1-4 Nephara, @ Stahlarbeiter-Union Arena

Lineup: Heuser; Steimle (L. Dimitrov 46’), Klopfer, Jager, Lotbiniere; Mihailov (Kynev 79’), Kramer, V. Dimitrov; Romanov (Tauscher 68’), Kogler, Ribbeck
Goals: Thorsten Kramer 32’
Stelburger Zeitung Man of the Match: Thorsten Kramer

by **Kandorith** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 11:38 am

Shinonome Kyoai - International
_________________________________

To Bow, Not To Break

Tenkyo, They gave it their all, but could not avoid conceding to a superior side. Kandorith faced defeat at home without a feeling of any remorse. "It shows we are performing well by not conceding more goals than we have" Moriyase stated. "I think we have held up quite well against an obvious uphill battle. Could we have done better, maybe, but I am proud of what we have shown."

Kandorith faces the two toughest opponents in the group currently but it seems the morale will not be broken. Moriyase's Kandorith shows to be completely capable of holding out in a very difficult group, the only question asked is "will it be enough?" It has been quite some time since the Kandorese team has reached the group phase of the world cup at all and hope to reach it once again remains high. One thing is certain, the people believe in the strength of the national team.

by **Flavovespia** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 12:03 pm

Flavovespia 0–1 South Covello

It was always going to be tough to take anything from this game, and South Covello once again got what on paper seemed like a narrow win. In reality, the visitors always looked the side likely to win, and they did so in comfortable style, even if they didn’t score that many. Still, a respectable performance from a Flavovespia side who as of yet haven’t quite met expectations overall.

Flavovespia lined up in the match hosted in the capital, Waldster, in their yellow and black home kits. South Covello were in their change red kit. What didn’t change for Flavovespia was their starting XI, the same from the previous game.

From the kickoff, it seemed South Covello were the stronger. They had the bulk of the possession, and pushed Flavovespia back into 2 banks of 4, with the strikers Daley and Barkes isolated up top. Flavovespia were limited to possession mainly from goal kicks, offsides and the odd dribble down the flank from Feld or Hall. The game looked like it’d be long for the hosts.

In the 14th minute, the predictable happened. Lonzo Gordon-McHayward-Greensward-Squidward, also known by the initials GMGS chipped a clever ball into the gap between James and Wright for Coconut Charles to run on to. He took it comfortably in stride, and now one on one with Meehan, didn’t need a second invitation to take a shot on goal, and it was hit hard and true, beyond the Flavovespia goalkeeper and into the net. 0-1 to the visitors, who had the lead they wanted.

The first half would largely play out the same way, despite the goal. South Covello controlled much of the possession, and were largely stopped by Flavovespia dealing with the final ball well, and the occasional mistake by the visitors. Flavovespia had few chances, although a speculative shot from James King just outside the box did make Matthew Tyler work hard.

The start of the second half saw Flavovespia have a half chance with Hall’s cross whipped in and Barkes rising highest. However his header was on target, but quite weak and easily smothered by Tyler, with no rebound available. The first change saw McCormick switch to a narrow 4-1-2-1-2, to try and get Hall in the slot. This saw Feld come off for Jensen, the latter moving to the defensive midfield position to try and shore up the defence with Hall now given more opportunity to go forward.

Hall did give Dexter Yankee some problems in the midfield. However Hall was unable to quite find the right ball through to Daley and Barkes. This wasn’t helped by Maddox and Johnson staying deep in the defence on the flanks, so wide support was limited. A tough tactic to watch, but one to try and avoid conceding a second.

South Covello were still creative in the second half, although less willing to commit men forward. GMGS had 2 long range shots palmed over the bar by Meehan, and Pillory Cantwell blasted a good chance wide from 14 metres out, in uncharacteristic fashion. If there was to be a second, they did seem more likely to get it.

The 83rd minute saw Marc Sharratt make only his 2nd international appearance in the place of Terence Daley. Sadly for the St Astons City striker, the much more defensive focus of South Covello gave him no opportunity to really show off his skills. The last minute saw Hadford Hill’s Alan Holt subbed off for club teammate Nigel Humphries, giving the latter their first cap. Nevertheless, South Covello could see out the game, their skill preventing Flavovespia from getting much of the ball, and at the same time, playing a very risk averse game.

0-1 it finished, a result that given the rank disparity, Flavovespia couldn’t complain about. Marcus McCormick was also announced as the interim manager for the matches against Qasden (A) and Filindostan (H). There’s a feeling if he wins one of those, he could get the job full-time, or if he gets 2 draw from those. Still, the speculation rolls on about the future manager of the national side.

A History of Football in Flavovespia

Part 6

69BU saw the second “professional” football league begin, the Waldster League. Following on the footsteps of the Tri Series, the rules were the same, exact for only one home and away match against each opponent. With prize money and many players being paid, it met the conditions of a professional tournament, even if those salaries were not sufficient for football to be a full time job in many cases. 16 teams, based in Waldster or one of the 4 Outer Waldster regions joined. They were: Courtiers FC, Denman Factory, Galling Rangers FC, Gann FC, GW Motors, Hillsight Bridge FC, Old Waldsterians, Stanmorn FC, Stanmorn Miners FC, Team Towerhaite, Towerhaite Sports Society, Turnpike Crossing FC, Vale FC, Vale Valiants, Waldster Football Excellence, Waldster Park South FC. Several of these teams still exist to this day, and the teams joining was a real combination of full-time teams, factory teams, amatuers making the step up, and a team for university alumni.

It was Stanmorn who won the first ever Waldster League, with Denman Factory and Galling Rangers 2nd and 3rd respectively, and the team also defended their title in the second and third outing of the League. The league itself would expand in its second season with the introduction of South Point FC, Beacon View FC and North Waldster Amateurs (who confusingly entered a “professional” league but kept the name). South Sea FC played in 67BU, albeit their only ever season in the Waldster League.

Clubs along the east coast of the nation saw the Waldster League and were impressed by what it was achieving. The top sides from the small city and sub-regional leagues were invited to form the Eastern Alliance. These sides were: Buchraston Arches FC, Buchraston and Co. Packers, Buchraston Heath FC, Capton Cliffs, Capton Fisheries, Captonbridge Industry, Captonbridge Town FC, Chesinglea Village FC, Croxlich FC, Langmere Green Rovers FC, Loxthorpe Brewers FC, Loxthorpe FC, Oxwich FC, Rumlington Distillery, Rumlington Villa, Whisbeleng Wood FC. Many of these teams still survive to this day, and some are in the upper echelons of the nation’s football hierarchy still. Unlike the Waldster League, it set a fixed cap on 16 teams, and also instigated a promotion and relegation system. The bottom team would be relegated, to be replaced with the highest performing side outside of the league, as voted on by the 16 sides. Not the most elegant solution, and it would be replaced, but the idea of promotion and relegation had been formed.

Meanwhile in the Gold Cup, 68BU would see one of the most interesting tournaments thus so far. In the previous year, St Astons City ran out 1-3 winners over Waldster in the final. This time the holders were humbled 3-1 by Stanmorn, the dominant side of the Waldster League. Round 4 then saw Carston Green travel to Waldster, and inflict a 1-3 defeat on the capital’s side. Then in the quarter finals they hosted Hadford Hill and put 3 past them with no reply. None of the Big 3 were in the semis for the first ever time. Carston Green were now the favourites and after a nervy 2-1 win over Westwood Sports Society, completely annihilated Hillsight Bridge 0-10 in the final, hosted in Waldster.

Next year in 67BU, Carston Green retained their title with a 1-0 win over Waldster in the final. 3 wins in 4 years, and many argued Carston Green were the best side in the nation. It was proposed that they should join the Tri Series, to then be known as the Quad Series. However, despite support from St Astons City, Waldster and Hadford Hill were less enthusiastic. “Geographic concerns” and “competition stability” were cited as the main reasons. Nobody knows quite how serious these discussions were, however many believed the truth was simply Waldster and Hadford Hill unhappy they were not so dominant any more. and were acting out of spite. It was telling that Carston Green scheduled many friendlies in the future against St Astons City and the winners of the Waldster League and Eastern Alliance, but few against Waldster and Hadford Hill.

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 12:31 pm

OOC: This post contains minor spoilers for SCFA Season 4

Three Things
A Win at Last
Salwan Mynhier

The Black-and-Reds' long awaited first victory of qualifying came too late to save Bethany Donnell's job. Instead, they took the field against Furby Island under interim manager Heldir Zaman, who was most recently with Brantisvogan FC of the Confederate Superleague. Zaman's teams usually line up in a 4-4-2, but he stuck with Donnell's 4-3-3. Before kickoff, he explained that he wanted to cause as little disruption as possible, but that he might reevaluate tactical decisions following matchday eight. The matchday nine bye would allow some extra time for adjustments if Zaman does decide to change formations. With all the uncertain around the SCFA recently, I think its only appropriate that Three Things address some of the questions that are on so many minds.

Was Donnell fired too Abruptly?
Some critics have pointed out that with only six matches played, Donnell had 14 remaining to pull her team together. It would have taken a herculean effort, to be sure, but she was also cut loose following the most difficult stretch of matches on the schedule. Should she have been given more time to prove she could right the ship? Perhaps until the bye? Furby Islands was likely to be a win regardless of who was at the helm.
Of course, the same could have been said of some of our first three matches. Mustardy, Flavovespia and VH&C at home? These are matches that a team with qualification hopes has to win. Donnell and company put themselves in the difficult position of needing to pick up points during the challenging stretch between matchdays 4 and 6. We'll never know what would have happened, I suppose. The easy response is the the team had not really shown any signs of life to this point, and something had to be done. In any case, I'm sure Donnell will land on her feet somewhere.

Could Zaman be more than an Interim Manager?
His last season with Brantisvogan was a big enough letdown to see him sacked halfway through, but Zaman is definitely a capable manager. Two years before that, he led them to a second place finish in League 1, which was at the time the top tier of the SCFA. The year immediately prior to his dismissal, of course, Brantisvogan won the inaugural Superleague title. Their terrible title defense, which saw them finish in the bottom half of the league despite spending heavily in the transfer window has led many to criticize this hire, but the SCFA could do a lot worse than to make his appointment permanent. It would represent a significant change in philosophy though. Zaman's teams play a significantly more aggressive style of football than the Black-and-Reds have over the past six years. I expect he will take advantage of the bye week coming up to introduce some of his own tactics. It should be interesting to see what their impact is.
Doubtless, some of these questions are impossible to answer until the team has had a few more matches under Zaman. If he can pull them out of their current funk, he might stick around for a while. The win over Furby Island is a good start, but the upcoming match against Bliuji will be a better test of whether the Black-and-Reds are actually playing better now, rather than Furby Island just being a bad team. Bliuji, by contract, are in excellent form and sit third in the group. If the Black-and-Reds can get a good result against them, it could be a sign that they're going to make the rest of qualifying at least look respectable. If not, this will be a very long qualifying tournament indeed.

Can Anyone on this Team step up to Lead?
Arlo Damot has not seen much playing time so far in qualifying, and the team is clearly missing his leadership. Damot has been that player who directs traffic all over the field, and makes everyone around him better. No one has yet stepped up to fill that part of his role. Takala is probably a better playmaker and scorer than Damot ever was, but he has yet to show the kind of leadership needed to truly succeed the captain. Tervi Oleb serves the role well for the back line, but doesn't join the attack, and isn't getting any younger himself.
Takala could still develop into the player the team needs, as could any number of other midfielders coming into their primes like Ruoho, Vladcik, or Stolp. Personally, my candidate is Rebljeten, particularly if Zaman sticks around. In Zaman's tactics, Rebljeten would find himself playing close to the center of the field, rather than the awkward wing position Donnell so often used him at. He would also naturally sit a bit lower than the other stiker, whether it be Ajao, Jzvanic, Petrov, etc. This would allow him to interact more with the midfield, and put him near the center of the attack. As long as he can continue to crack the lineup in the event we shift from a 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2, Rebljeten seems like a prime candidate for the captaincy.

SRS Callups for MD7 & MD8

GK: Stovar Krieven, Kinner Mustahil
LB: Djabgor Dzarkhin, Walda Harkhan
RB: Jinkzta Ulcviecel, Janar Delu
CB: Tervi Oleb, Rudi Dalso, Skumantas Nakhutin, Zemen Ystrad
LM: Aatu Ruoho, Jzeovak Vladcik
RM: Vrenz Tambura, Meaza Teklu
CM: Iuri Takala, Danin Stolp, Jirar Lomidan
ST: Zoban Ajao, Demkjo Jzvanic, Viordar Rebljeten, Lyzolda Petrov

SRS Qualifying Schedule:

MD1:  SRS 0-0 Flavovespia @ Synesoft Arena (cap. 38,600), Syneca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD2:  Mustardy 3-3 SRS @ Johann Speck Nationalstadion (cap. 8,923), Héronne, Mustardy 
MD3:  SRS 3-3 Vakolicci Haven and Celeria @ Pheldagriff Stadium (cap. 45,620), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD4:  South Covello 2-1 SRS @ Revolution Stadium, (cap. 42,000), Riverview, SCO
MD5:  SRS 0-1 Qasden @ Flanoil Arena (cap. 50,350), Traal, East Flania, SRS
MD6:  Filindostan 2-1 SRS @ Filindostan National Stadium (cap. 70,000), San Marco, Kabishawan, FID
MD7:  SRS 1-0 Furby Island @  Ralph Wilson Memorial Stadium (cap. 48,700), Han Dold City, Han Dold, SRS
MD8:  Bliuji v SRS @ TBA
MD9:  BYE
MD10: SRS v Ziwana @ Emerald Coast Colosseum (cap. 31,200), Vassilian, Algolia, SRS
MD11: Mitra and Soma v SRS @ TBA
MD12: Flavovespia v SRS @ TBA
MD13: SRS v Mustardy @ Overburg Arena (cap. 46,222), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD14: Vakolicci Haven and Celeria v SRS @ TBA
MD15: SRS v South Covello @ Raftel Park (cap. 59,870), Chalesm, Megabrantis, SRS
MD16: Qasden v SRS @ Stade de Solis (cap.70,500), Fyre, QAS
MD17: SRS v Filindostan @ Slavnarzeczpospolitastadion (cap. 61,230), Lublova, Molvania, SRS
MD18: Furby Island v SRS @ TBA
MD19: SRS v  Bliuji @ Chernov Stadium (cap. 57,600), Viltvodle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD20: BYE
MD21: Ziwana v SRS Izula National Stadium (cap. 55,750)
MD22: SRS v Mitra and Soma @ Henkmar Field (cap. 29,850), Brasta, Sivolvia, SRS

SRS Qualifying Goalscoring Leaders:

2 - Bedesnjak
1 - Ajao
1 - Erseburg
1 - Hocij
1 - Petrov
1 - Ruoho
1 - Stolp
1 - Takala

by **Sarzonia** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 12:35 pm

Charlie King decided to take a break from his teammates for a night on the town since the Sarzonian national football team had a bye the next night. He grabbed his coat and hat and set out to The Mountain Lion, a local watering hole near the campus of Woodstock City College.

He ordered a Mariner's Grog and sat down at the bar. He only half paid attention to the news programme that was on the television in front of him. He was really more interested in checking out the scantily-clad college girls who were interested in using every flirting trick in the book to get as much free (for them) alcohol as possible, plus he was also more interested in finding out the scores for Matchday 8.

He asked the bartender if she could change the channel from the Sarzonian News Network to SSPN's feed of the Brenecia v. Brigantii match.

"Sure," she said, grabbing the remote control and changing over to the appropriate channel. Since the pre-match show was still blathering on about World Cup play in the other groups, King decided to watch a show that was on SNN.

Little did King know he was sitting next to a reporter from The Woodstock Courant, a weekly newspaper that mostly focused on local city news. It was the place that delved into such in depth topics as pothole repairs on Pine Street, or Holly, the street maintenance engineer who regularly kept the same corner of Praeton and Isselmere in pristine condition since 2004. It was better known for salty reviews of most restaurants that saw fit to compete with Crusty Carl's than it was for anything more earth-shattering than, say, a city council meeting that ran over because the Ward 6 council member couldn't keep their pants from slipping too low.

He saw the news reports about the ongoing rebellion between the Squornshelan Remnant States and the Imperium of Squornshelous. He hadn't watched the events there too closely; he was hardly the most politically astute Stars player on the roster. That honour fell to forward Mek'hi West, who donated three-quarters of his salary to the Woodstock chapter of March For Our Lives last year and actively traveled in support of various causes.

Had West been at the bar with King, he would have probably nudged West on the shoulder to keep his mouth shut. But, since West was in bed after a physical therapy session, West didn't have anyone to serve as a filter.

"Where's the legitimate government of Squornshelous?" he said out loud, and when a female student at Woodstock City College, whom King would later learn was a senior majoring in international relations, said it was Emperor Girma Zeta I, West shook his head.

"No, I mean Squornshelan Remnant States Prime Minister Elbrus] Kamenev," he said with a pointed tone that made the reporter's eyes perk up. He was glad when he looked at his recorder and realised he'd forgotten to turn it off. He had audio of Charlie West making a comment about the political situation in Squornshelous.

It would be The Courant's first real big scoop in nearly a decade. Not since a scandal that threatened to bring down then-acting President Grant Haffner's administration, a scandal that Haffner survived because he was forthright and he owned his mistakes. Not since the days when the newspaper's now-deceased publisher was more interested in breaking news than being the feel good fluff piece depository and leaving the hard news to The Woodstock Daily Mail.

The reporter left the bar with a story that streamed on the front page of the newspaper itself and was the top story on the newspaper website. All of a sudden, SNN was talking about the comments made by West and playing them on air.

Somewhere, on the outskirts of Little Catherina, the Squornshelan ambassador to Sarzonia cringed. He knew the shit was going to hit the fan soon, and he knew he'd have to work his contacts in New Vogsphere hoping to defuse what was likely to be a heated situation before it developed into one.

by **Hapilopper** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 12:45 pm

(OOC: This RP is going to be a little different. With the Haps on a bye, I figured I’d take this opportunity to share a few mini-stories of some of the HNFT’s dramatis personae, for what they did, individually, during their time off. I hope you enjoy it. -Hap)

A total of 150 teams were active on this match day. Fifteen of them were enjoying a bye, and one of them were the Hapilopper National Football Team. Realizing this was a rare opportunity to just relax and not do anything related to footballing for a weekend, the team went their separate ways for the weekend and did their own thing. Let’s see what some of them did.

THOM PERKINS: The service center of Jones Preston, just off TransHap-26 East at Rivers at Remount
The head coach of the Hapilopper National Football Team was reading a magazine in a somewhat-empty waiting room of the Jones Preston Service Department. His car, the Preston Rockshedder SUV, was undergoing some service, and as a result, all he could do was read this magazine, which featured a long-form story about Taylor Henderson, the young rookie sensation expected to tear up the track in the NSSCRA next season.

As he was reading through his magazine, he noticed a young child staring at him, somewhat starstruck. “You’re Thom Perkins, aren’t you?” the young man said. “You coach Hapilopper!”

Thom looked back at him and smiled. “Yes, sir, I sure do. I’ve got something for you.”

The coach pulled out a challenge coin of the Hapilopper National Football Team. Perkins had commissioned several hundred of the coins to give out to fans of all ages to signify that they had met a member of the National Team. He gave it to the young man.

“Show this to all your friends at school, little dude,” Thom said with a smile. “Let them know I said we’re going to qualify for this World Cup.”

The child’s eyes went wide and a huge smile came over his face. “Yes, sir, I will! We’re gonna make it!”

ERNIE AND DRAKE STEVENSON: Halsted, Wreckeria
The star of the HNFT, Ernie Stevenson, stood out with his double-mohawk haircut, as he worked to hype up the Wreckerian Football Team as they prepared for their match with Freeport. Stevenson and his brother Drake had been all over Wreckeria, checking out the nation where their father had been born, and where his family had lived for so many generations before the 50 years of fighting got started. Having seen what they had seen, they had decided that Wreckeria wasn’t that bad of a place.

Drake, meanwhile, had been reminded to please stay on his best behavior around the Wreckerian team’s physio (and his high school sweetheart) Gabriela Petrescu. Gabriela and Drake had been talking, but mostly out of the desire to catch up and share stories about what each other had done, but when Drake got to Wreckeria, she was there with another individual.

“Drake, I’d like to introduce you to my boyfriend, Claude Tindall,” Gabriela said. “He’s the striker for the Wreckerian National Team.”

“Great to meet you, Claude,” Drake said. “Don’t mistreat her, because if you do…”

“LOVELY DAY WE’RE HAVING TODAY!” Ernie interjected. “Gabriela, did I ever tell you about the time Drake puked on someone else’s luxury car at some sushi bar?”

Claude and Gabriela were interested in the story, which Ernie told very happily. Drake, meanwhile, was embarrassed.

“It wasn’t his birthday, but someone told the owner of the sushi bar that it was, and well, it went downhill from there,” Ernie said, starting off on one hell of a story.

While Drake checked out the sights and sounds of Wreckeria, Ernie pumped up the Wreckerians as they prepared to travel to Freeport for their upcoming match. Whatever Ernie said to them worked – the Wreckerians beat the team from Freeport, 1-0.

FERNIE FAIRBURN: Kensley Hall, Surrey Perimeter College, Surrey, Hapilopper
Most of the players were relaxing or catching up with whatever. Fernie, meanwhile, was wishing he was dead. It was 12:15 in the afternoon on a Saturday. The night before, he had held one of his infamous parties that got a little out of hand. When Fernie woke up the next morning, he stepped out of his room to find his roommate filling the aquarium in their apartment. The door was open to the apartment, and so were all the windows. The roommate was not in a good mood.

“Some douchebag puked in the aquarium last night and killed all the fish,” the roommate said. “He thought it was funny, too. I grabbed a broom and had to chase him out of the apartment, but as you can see, he left his calling card. After we get breakfast, let’s stop by the pet store and get more fish.”

“Sure thing, boss,” Fernie groggily stated. “What happened after I fell asleep?”

“Other people fell asleep too. I’ve been up since six. Everyone left in the last few hours. Let’s go get some breakfast.”

Fernie and his roommate never did get those fish. They went out for breakfast, and rather than stopping by the pet shop for the new fish, they instead decided to go bar-hopping at the various taverns near SPC. Make that another wasted day for the HNFT’s womanizing midfielder.

CLAIRE RANDALL: The Randall House, Hapilopper City
The second-in-command striker for the National Team was getting an earful from her parents, who could not believe that she had cut her hair the way she did. That mohawk cut was not popular with her parents, who, to say the least, were more traditional than others.

“AND WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO WITH YOUR HAIR, YOUNG LADY?!” roared Claire’s mother, Jeanie. “I am NOT going to have you go out with your hair like this!”

“I did it for solidarity with the rest of the team!” Claire protested. “They were all doing it, and I’m part of the team!”

“Well, if they’re going to do that, I want you off that team!” Jeanie barked. “I’m not going to have you looking like that!”

Claire stormed out of the house in anger. She was not going to give up her dream because her asshole parents didn't like the idea of her haircut. Deciding to spend the night elsewhere, she drove to Ervin’s Restaurant, where she was spotted by Chris Holmes, a NSSCRA driver who was picking up some takeout. With his roommate, Drake Stevenson, in Wreckeria, he had the house to himself.

“Hey, you’re Claire Randall, aren’t you?” Chris said. “You doing anything tonight? Want to catch a movie?”

Claire, who was not a racing fan, was astounded that this chunky nerdy-looking person was, more or less, asking her out.

“Uh, no? Who are you, and how did you know who I am?” she asked uneasily.

“I’m Chris Holmes, I race NSSCRA,” he said. “My roommate is the brother of one of your teammates, Ernie. He was over the other day and said he’s thinking of sitting out a game or two later so you can get some playing time. You doing anything tonight?”

“Not with you,” Claire said.

Chris rolled his eyes and went on his way. Claire went on her way, got a hotel room for the evening, and called Ernie Stevenson, who was enjoying the weekend in Wreckeria.

“Ernie, do you know anything about a Chris Holmes? Fat nerdy-looking guy?” she asked.

“Yeah, he’s my brother’s roommate and he races for a living, why?” Ernie replied.

“He just tried to ask me out. Do you think I should be with someone like that?”

“Heh, I ain’t gonna tell you who you should and shouldn’t be with,” Ernie responded, chuckling. “I mean, his worst thing is he’s a little childish and he pulls some juvenile pranks, but he’s not a bad person. I’d ask Drake for his suggestion but he’s moping around right now because his ex-girlfriend is dating the striker for the Wreckerians. Can I get back to you on this?”

“Sure.”

ROD HUGHES: The Rotary Club of the Hampton Cities
The team’s starting goalkeeper, Rod Hughes, was enjoying his time off with a keynote speech of the Rotary Club of the four Hampton Cities. Hughes was seen as the toast of town, largely following his clean sheet against the defending World Cup Champions, Equestria. It was lunchtime, and the Rotarians were looking forward to hearing from Rod, who was looking forward to telling his tale of knocking off the defending champions.

Many in the crowd were some of the “who’s who” of the four cities. All four mayors were there, as well as members of the four city councils, not to mention business leaders, church leaders, newspaper editors, reporters, restaurateurs and the like.

Rod was in a real good mood. It seemed like everything was going his way. First off, he had smoothed things over with Nate Ellis, and his play had started to turn around. He wound up having the greatest match of his life on that beautiful evening in Equestria, when he had registered a dozen saves. The Equestrians had given Rod their very best, and Rod rose to the occasion.

Now, here he was telling some of the movers and shakers of the four Hamptons about it. It was an experience he reveled in, and he told them that he couldn’t wait to do it again.

“They’re one of the highest-scoring teams in the world, and we shut them out,” Rod said. “We can beat anyone, and I think we’ll do it.”

THE MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (Bobby East, Stan Long, John Cornett): Garvinson, Hapilopper
While players were, for the most part, enjoying time by themselves, it was the first time in quite some time that the Garvinson Trojans’ old Midnight Express Trio of John Cornett, “Beautiful Bobby” and “Sweet Stan” had gotten together. The three went on a road trip to Garvinson, some 450 miles from Hapilopper City, and decided to have more than a little bit of fun with some of their old friends.

The Midnight Express was still remarkably popular with fans in Garvinson, who felt the three had been the reason that little ol’ Garvinson – certainly a city nowhere near the size of a Hapilopper City or a Buckridge – had won the HFA Cup the previous season, and the fans in Garvinson were just as frustrated with the fact that the group had been broken up. Cornett went to Gladerial United in Valanora. Beautiful Bobby went to FC Kaiserhaven in Siovanija and Teusland. Sweet Stan went to United Marietta in Xanneria.

With the three players in three different countries, their opportunities to get together were rare, so when they had them, they made the most of it. The three stopped by Rugged Ronnie’s, a gathering spot and watering hole named for the patron saint of Garvinson, where more than a few Garvinsonians were delighted to see their heroes.

“Hell, we’re just here to get a few beers and take in some of the football,” Cornett said. “We want to check out some of our opposition. You know, like those guys we just beat?”

Everyone in Rugged Ronnie’s cheered at Cornett’s announcement. For the entire evening, the three were the toast of the place, and patron after patron came up to the three and expressed hope that they could have stayed with the local team.

“I wish we could have too, but the ownership didn’t want us,” Bobby said to one patron, before buying him a beer.

PAUL DIBBLE: Mike Hamilton’s House, West Hampton
Paul Dibble, meanwhile, was enjoying the time off with the company of the band “The Yellow Cards,” a group he plays bass guitar for. Mike Hamilton, the lead singer for the group (and defenseman for the West Hampton Sports Club), invited his fellow bandmates over – guitarist Anthony Mills (defenseman, Kingsland Warriors), Dibble and drummer Jeff Alexander (defenseman, Highway Patrol) to write some music and get drunk all the same.

For the last few years, the four had performed at clubs whenever the time permitted. Their music was well received by those that listened to it, and surprisingly, their original songs rarely, if ever, touched on football. There was “Here With You,” a love ballad about, well, being here with you; “Guns and Butter,” a song about making love or waging war; “Patty,” another love song (ugh!) about a woman named Patty, purportedly Mills’ fiancée; and “Can’t Live Without You,” yet another love song (goddammit!) about splitting up with the woman of their dreams.

There was one football-related song: “Fuck Jed Onkel,” a heavy power song about a deeply-unpopular Hapiloppian referee who tended to screw over defensemen in inopportune moments. Not surprisingly, “Fuck Jed Onkel,” or “FJO” was the band’s most popular song, and for some reason, tended to be requested – and played – by radio stations after a city’s football team had been screwed over by bad refereeing.

The song also nearly got the four defensemen kicked out of the HFA. After it was released, the band members were summoned to meet with HFA head Dom Probst to explain the song, and explain why it was not “targeted harassment at an official.”

And, to Dom’s point, any game officiated by Onkel became punctuated by an entire stadium singing the hook to the song, which, is best left to your imagination (and probably because it pushes the bounds of both good taste (OOC: and NationStates’ PG-13 rule.)) After explaining that the song was all in good fun, Dom warned the players not to taunt the referee with the song, but keep playing. Besides, Dom had been seen – and heard – blasting the song at full blast in his car that morning.

by **Wrecker** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 1:11 pm

WHAT AN UPSET! WRECKERIA UPSETS FREEPORT!
By Bill Prescott, Wreckerian Sports News

Wreckeria didn’t have to wait 54 years for their next victory in international competition. They just had to wait a few matches. The Bulldogs traveled to Freeport and beat them 1-0, in what is easily the biggest victory for the Wreckerian team in either iteration.

Consider this: Wreckeria is unranked coming into this World Cup. Freeport is ranked 65th, and was the heavy favorites going into the match. With a 79th minute goal from forward Darcy Carman, however, Wreckeria had taken a stunning lead, and would maintain that lead for the rest of the match. To say the team was ecstatic was putting it mildly.

Wreckeria had several heroes in this match. Of course, you probably remembered seeing Carman break from the pack and fire one into the back of the net late in the match, but how about Harold Leslie? Despite a performance against the Holy Empire where Leslie quipped he “felt like he had all of his limbs chopped off by some medieval-looking dude or something,” Leslie bounced back and registered 15 saves against a very potent Freeport squad, who looked hungry for their own turnaround after Freeport has experienced a very disappointing qualifying effort thus far.

“It was nice to have my arms and legs back,” Leslie said with a smile. “Otherwise, I don’t know how I could have stopped those guys. They were loaded for bear and we stopped them. I think we can do some fantastic things moving forward with this team. The corner is about to be turned.”

Claude Tindall, who has emerged as the star of the Wreckerian team, credited a hype job from the Hapiloppian Stevenson brothers, Drake and Ernie, with firing up the Wreckerians to beat the Freeporters.

“Drake and Ernie know how to get someone going, and they got us going,” Tindall said. “They told us to just kick ass and let the chips fall where they may. I’d sure love to sit under the Ernie Stevenson learning tree and learn just what he’s been able to do to become one of the finest players in the game. A lot of people can learn from him.”

Head coach Marvin Byrnes called the victory “a true team effort” and said he felt there was more to come from the Bulldogs, who play host to Osarius next week.

“This could be a turning point,” Marvin said with a huge smile on his face. “We’ve had some struggles, but the fact is, we’re really coming together as a club, and I don’t think this will be the last win from this club this cycle. The players are starting to understand how to work together, how to play together and what to do and what not to do. I think we’ve got a real good shot moving forward.”

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 1:18 pm

Bookings and Textbookings

The Dragonflies grab the group lead for themselves on consecutive wins over Eshan and ZSeparatists. The Green and Blue do excellent work for themselves and have made the group that much easier. Eshan was sitting on four straight victories, daring anyone else to challenge them. The fact that they got their 12 points in victories over the teams ranked in the bottom 50% of the group is conveniently ignored. But here it was. Their first game against a team that's near the top of the group - while the Dragonflies had already fought of Eraman, New Lusitania, and Apox, and escaping with zero losses.

Ko-oren 1-0 Eshan
@ Rikalathen Arena, Maethoru - Attendance: 38720 out of 39000

Goossen - Dalton, Van Schelven, Mizuno, Lampshire, Hellegeland / Batchelor, Janoreirinthen, Longchambon / Vaugrenard, Novoa

Goals: Janoreirinthen 55'
Yellow: Mizuno 11', Lampshire 80', Hellegeland 82', Batchelor 87', Ulysse 88', Novoa 90', Goossen 90+3'
Red: -

The most surprising thing about the Eshan match was how, in the end, nobody was shown a red card. The Eshani were desperate to hold on to first place, playing with their backs against the wall for most of the game. And yet, they were far from out of this game. Their counterattack was useless against a wary Dragonflies squad, but their shifty midfielders were able to get to the ball in every uncovered square centimetre, and they found ways to forward the ball to the strikers in more ways than Apox could in their match. Even after Ko-oren's 1-0, Eshan continued to play calmly, according to their gameplan, and they continued to make things very hard on us. In the last ten minutes, Ko-oren had to fight tooth and nail to defend the lead. Now, the Dragonflies seem to win about 50% of their games by a single goal difference, so playing to defend a tiny lead is something we've probably perfected, but many emergency breaks were tripped. All of them in midfield or neatly outside of the box. Lampshire set the tempo with the first 'no holds barred' booking at the eightieth minute. Hellegeland prevented a cross into two strikers. Batchelor stopped a counterattack on the midway line. Ulysse had the most daring attempt, deflecting the ball with his right arm in the line of the shot, well outside the box. Novoa even dropped back to defend crosses using his length, pushing over opponents on the way there and collecting a yellow as well. Goossen received the last one, wasting time on a goal kick, getting booked, only to take the kick and the referee to blow the whistle for the final time with the ball still in the air. DM;3P. Doesn't matter, 3 points.

ZSeparatists 1-4 Ko-oren
@ Border Camp

Goossen - Dalton, Van Schelven, Mizuno, Parrott, Brogley / Ulysse, Janoreirinthen, Longchambon / Vaugrenard, Noya

Goals: Gaston 1-0 2' - Noya 1-1 4', Longchambon 1-2 7', Ulysse 1-3 45+1', Vaugrenard 1-4 62'
Yellow: Oneal 50', Adam 90+1' - Parrott 29'
Red: -

With more than enough suspensions and safety substitutions, Juliasterinthen fielded an experimental XI with Parrott, Ulysse, and Noya. Lampshire and Batchelor were out with their third yellows, Novoa was given time on the bench out of injury (and more booking) concerns. That didn't matter, as Ko-oren scored more goals than at any point in the last few cycles: four goals, away from home. On the same day, New Lusitania scored 6 in a home win over Indusse (6-1) to blow our numbers out of the water and keep close to us in Group 15 - but the Dragonflies had a great night out and the goal difference desperately needed some work. Textbook execution in a desolate ground - nobody allowed in save from staff - right when there's nobody around to see, the team shows up.

Ko-oren are now first in Group 15 with three points over New Lusitania and Apox - the latter with a game in hand. Eshan and Eraman (also with games in hand) follow, at a safer distance of 4 and 6 points. Three more games and a bye wait for the Green and Blue, with only games against the group's less performing members. Hopefully New Lusitania and Apox slip up once or twice, but most importantly, we better not slip back into the Ko-orenite mid-qualification dip, dropping points left and right and then when matchday 20 rolls around, we wonder where it all went wrong and why we need to beat a minnow by seven goals in order to stay in contention.

by **Port Ember** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 1:24 pm

Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

The Dragons snatches fourth consecutive win in the World Cup 84 Qualifier Season!

Port Ember 3 - 2 Bears Armed

By Erica Davies - Port Ember Times Sports Section

The Dragons have managed to clinch their fourth consecutive victory, following a terrible start to their season, including their opening 3 match losing streak and their contraversial victory against Five Cities which was steeped in contraversy as both the pitch and stands broke into a full on brawl. Their latest victory puts the team on a 4 game victory streak as they defeated the sentinent Bears Armed side with a final 3-2 score.

This away match was played at the Northlands National Stadium, NorthPort.

The Game - Summary

The match was an entertaining match and an honour to witness, as both sides displayed remarkable and professional skills and attitude and gave their utmost best for the match at hand.

The first half of the match saw the Bear Bellas dominate posession and launched countless barrages of offences upon the Dragons, yet struggling against a unified and passionate defence, struggling to break through a 'on fire' midfield and backline. The Bears managed to break through a solid defencive effort in minute 03 when #10 Kuthbearrh scored an impressive goal. The assualts continued through the first half, but was halted by a solid defencive effort

The second half immediately saw a new Port Emberian side as it became clear that the young Dragons sprung their old play - allowing the opposition to give their all in the first half, frustrating and tiring them out with solid defence, and then utilising their youth and superior fitness to dominate the second half. The skilled and experienced, yet exhuasted Bears side attempted a valiant and constant defence, however the still fresh and fit Dragons was relentless with their constant high octane attacks, scoring thrice in this half - once in minute 50 by legendary striker Danny Nicovic, and once again in minute 54. The Bears struck back with a decisive counter attack in minute 56 as #5 O Sarrndale scores for the Bears, leveling the score. Striker Leon Moult clinched the game with a excellent header goal in minute 79 as a last hoorah.

Although the Bear Bellas attempted to regain control of the derby for the entire second half, their exhuastion coupled with a larger and deeper Port Emberian midfield shut down this attempt constantly, as analysts predicted.

The Fans

The 8 000 Port Emberian fans in attendance were back to their standard noisy and passionate antics, cheering and energising their young team to victory. It is reported that victory parties back home - all over the capital city lasted well into the following morning as the entire nation rallied behind their team and celebrated their return to form.

Port Emberian Player Scores

Goalkeeper (GK)(#1): Peter Smith - 9/10. The 'Rock' was back to his normal brilliant form and managed to stop 3/5 attempts at goal with complete confidence.

Center Back (CB)(#2): Josh Richards - 7/10. Josh was a solid defender, executing more tackles than I could count for the full 90 minutes. Although not the most technical player, his physical strength and fitness got the job done in a manner which could inspire many future footballers.

Center Back (CB)(#3): Jason Lee. 8/10. 'The Backline Prince' did what he does best for the full 90 minutes - organise and rally the backline. His backline command truly was the bane of the opposition and allowed frustation to steep in quite early.

Full Back (LB)(#4): Alex Kuhn - 6/10. The opposition mostly avoided the left backline for most of the match, giving Alex a peacefull match, which was not his mistake. When shots were taken into his reach, Alex managed to hold up his own.

Full Back (RB)(#5): Russel Pierce - 7/10. Russel was a solid defender, executing more tackles than I could count for the full 90 minutes. Although not the most technical player, his physical strength and fitness got the job done in a manner which could inspire many future footballers.

Attacking Midfield (AM)(#10): Ray Reddington - 9/10. The Captain managed to redeem himself after his previous struggling matches. His command of the midfield, solid technical skills, chemistry with the strikers and keen eye for oppertunity was the ultimate counter to the aggressive opposition, and most probaly the largest factor which led to victory. He also set up two of the three goals for his team and was busy everywhere. Well deserved Man Of The Match Award.

Defensive Midfield (DM)(#6): Steven Packard - 8/10. Steven returned to form as he stole more posession than any other player on the field. Displayed good leadership akills and vastly improved technical skills.

Wide Midfield (LM)(#8): Jason Chamberlain - 6/10. Had a peacefull day as his flank was mostly left untested. The few chances he got to prove himself, he displayed solid passion and skill.

Wide Midfield (RM)(#11): Eric Tosaír of the Tribe of Waterford - 8/10. Managed to display excellent technical skills and chemistry with the strikers, and scored a brilliant goal from deep within his flank.

Central Forward (CF)(#7): Leon Moult - 7/10. Although Leon was busy and launched many attacks and displayed good chemistry and teamwork with fellow striker Nicovic, he failed to convert several 'should have goals', finally scoring in minute 89 all on his own, flabergasting the tired opponents.

Central Forward (CF)(#9): Danny Nicovic 8/10. Proved his star status again with top level technical skills, fitness and eye for oppertunity. Scored an excellent goal when he defeated 3 defending opponents with next-level dribbling skills.

Match Stats

Match: Port Ember Vs Bears Armed

Location: Republic of Port Ember

Result: 3 - 2 Win for Port Ember

Goals - Port Ember: Danny Nicovic x 2; Leon Moult

Goals - Bears Armed: Kuthbearrh; O Sarrndale

Man of the Match - Port Ember: Ray Reddington

Aftermatch word from the Coach

"I could not be more proud of the lads. After a struggling start to the season we have finally and without a doubt revovered and showed the world that the Dark Horses of the tournament is back to our dangerous selves, beating a excellent Bear Bellas side. It was an honour to be able to play against such a strong team." Coach Baxter

Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

The Port Emberian Dragons prepares to face off against Ethane as part of the World Cup 84 Qualifier Season!

Pre Match Analysis & Interview

By Erica Davies - Port Ember Times Sports Journal

The road to World Cup 84 Qualifiers is in full swing as Match Day 8 is upon the Port Emberian side.

Port Ember's national team will square off against Ethane in their eigth match of the World Cup 84 Qualification Season, to be played at the Waterstad International Stadium, located in the Waterstad Borough; Port Ember Megalopolis; Republic of Port Ember.

This match marks the first time that these two teams will meet on the football field, and the opponents is well known to be footballing legends, being one of the strongest teams in the world, and stromg favourites to end the group in the second position at the end of the qualification season.

Team Stats Analysis

Ethane:

This team is currently ranked as the 32nd best team in the world on the international ranking system, and posesses an excellent footballing history and a strong and developed football culture and infrastructure. They are fielding a team with a sensible mixture of youthfulness and experienced veteran players, giving them a excellent and well rounded mixture of youthfull passion and technical skils.

This team is currently placed in position 2 of 11 on the qualifier table - with 15 points ammassed so far, with 5 wins and 1 loss, scoring a total of 17 goals while allowing 10 goals to be scored against them.

Port Ember:

This team is ranked as the 86th best team in the world currently and has proven to be a formiddable and adaptable new team on the international field prior to the start of this season.

This is only the second international season in which Port Ember is partaking, and they have managed to jump to their current ranking in only that short period. The international sports media have regularly called this team the 'Dark Horse' of the group due to them making a name for themselves so quickly.

Even though the team has managed to build such a positive brand and reputation, their recent 3 losses in a row has severely damaged both their reputation and their chance at qualifying for the World Cup. They however have managed to end this terrible streak with four consecutive victories in their last four matchdays.

This team is currently placed in position 3 of 11 on the qualifier table - with 12 points ammassed so far, scoring a total of 12 goals while allowing 14 goals to be scored against them.

From a pure statistics point of view, analysts have deemed that Port Ember is once again the underdogs of the match, facing off against a top level and solid team.

Team Analysis - Port Ember

Offense:

This team used to be known for their highly aggressive offences and legendary counter attacks, with world class strikers, yet they have only managed to score twelve goals in their last seven matches.

Midfield:

Traditionally the strongest component of this team, under command of the amazing Reddington. The midfield used to be a dangerous element to its oponents, acting as an attacking defence and sets up the front line well with attacking oppertunities, yet the midfield has failed to display anything special lately, although the previous two matches has hinted a glimpse of its previous glory.

Defence:

The backline is back to their old struggling ways, with fourteen goals allowed through in seven games. However the backline managed to keep in check the total onslaught of the Xannerian and Bears Armed side in the previous two matches, giving a glimpse of hope.

Goalkeeping:

Analysts have nothing but praise for Peter Smith the starting goalie. The young man is a legend in the making.

Substitutes:

The team has a impressive line-up of substitutes, whom have received field time recently, adding possible depth to the team when needed. The extra attention they have received from the assistant coach is sure to play a important role as well.

Team Morale & Cohesion:

This is not the same team we came to love and respect, even though its the same players and staff. The previous two victories was indeed welcomed, yet the team is not yet on the level we know they can be. The previous two victories over Xanneria and Bears Armed did display a glimpse of their previous glory however.

Current Form:

L-L-L-W-W-W-W

Their three consecutive losses marked their worst losing streak to date, which they ended with four consecutive victories.

Typical Gameplan: Their typical system of tiring out and frustrating their opponents in an attempt to pull their 'Bait Ambush' is a risky play which can easily go wrong and concede a goal. However when it works, it is highly effective.

Team Analysis - Ethane

Offense:

This team holds one of the most skilled and experienced front row, and have proven that they are deadly on the offence, becoming near unstoppable once they start steamrolling on the offence. Our analysts however have stated that this high octane and aggressive offense may be the downfall and key for a Port Emberian victory if the young Dragons can bait full scale attacks.

Midfield:

This team holds one of the most skilled and experienced midfields, and have proven that they are deadly on both the offence and defence becoming near unstoppable once they start steamrolling on the offence, having perfect chemistry with the front row.

Defence:

This team holds one of the most skilled and experienced back row, and have proven that they are solid on the defence, becoming near unbreakable once they start steamrolling on the defence.

Goalkeeping:

Analysts have nothing but praise for the starting goalie, and have proven to be a goalkeeping machine between the sticks.

Substitutes:

The team has a impressive line-up of substitutes, whom have received field time recently, adding possible depth to the team when needed.

Team Morale & Cohesion:

This team screams 'profeasional' and has the look of a unified and well oiled machine.

Current Form:

W-W-L-W-W-W

This team is on very impressive form, having only lost one match so far during this season and seems to be heading solidly for qualification.

Typical Gameplan: This team plays a veteran and skilled, balanced game, equally as good on the offence as defence.

Starting Line-Ups

Port Ember

Goalkeeper (GK)(#1): Peter Smith.

Center Back (CB)(#2): Josh Richards.

Center Back (CB)(#3): Jason Lee.

Full Back (LB)(#4): Alex Kuhn.

Full Back (RB)(#5): Russel Pierce.

Attacking Midfield (AM)(#10): Ray Reddington.

Defensive Midfield (DM)(#6): Steven Packard.

Wide Midfield (LM)(#8): Jason Chamberlain.

Wide Midfield (RM)(#11): Eric Tosaír of the Tribe of Waterford

Central Forward (CF)(#7): Leon Moult.

Central Forward (CF)(#9): Danny Nicovic.

Ethane

No roster released

Team Kit

Port Ember have announced that they will play with their primary kit in their upcoming match.

Coach Stuart Baxter was not available for the traditional Pre Match Interview due to PEFA forbidding it due to the contraversy regarding the Five Cities match

Article by Erica Davies
Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

by **Audioslavia** » Fri Dec 20, 2019 2:21 pm

Original Script

Episode 1, Chapter 3.1: I shall not allow anything like this to happen ever ever ever again

Jolt, noun. An aggressive movement with an abrupt end. Or a cola for geeks. A decade ago, it had a third meaning. A shit forum.

History hasn’t been kind to Jolt. Mention its name and old folk will start to get angry. They’ll complain about how Jolt imposed adverts on each thread. They’ll talk of greed, of forcing people to shift multiverses for a quick buck. They’ll also be oddly specific about syphilitic penises. Takes all kinds.

By midway through World Cup 46, the sporting world would abandon Jolt. Jolt had become a farce. A directionless enterprise obsessed by its own bottom line, scrambling for pennies from the pockets of an ever dwindling user base. What it became was unforgivable, but let’s not forget that this place, for six years, was home.

Jolt was initially a saviour. The original Nationstates forums suffered long periods of down-time, constantly caused double, triple posts or even sextuple posts, and would cause chaos if you ever tried to delete them. In 2004, we needed Jolt.

The switch was not a seamless one. World Cup 15’s first round was delayed by over two weeks between matchdays one and two, but in all, the early days were a success. The Jolt forums were dependable. The article you’d just spent an hour writing, it appeared on the forum when you clicked ‘submit’, and it appeared once. Not six times, not zero times, once.

It had its advantages even over the current forum. A direct link to the most recent post, the ability to preview threads, and more. Plus, through a failed attempt at a second Multiverse, we got the inspiration for the NS Sport forum called ‘The Colosseum’, even if its attempts at creating its own World Cup and stealing ours, were both failures. The contents of these threads has long been lost to time. From memory, the consist entirely of people shouting at the OP.

By the time of its closure in 2012, Jolt’s reputation was in tatters. Aye. But I’m one of many with fond memories of it. I want Jolt to have a send-off. I want Jolt to show us that, despite the mistakes of its final months, it still loved us. It still cared, and I believe Jolt still wants to give us what we crave the most. A Scorigami.

The World Cup Discussion thread goes live on the new Nationstates forums on May 23rd 2009, just before the finals tournament for World Cup 46. This event signals the migration of the World Cup to the new forums and, with it, the death of NS Sport on Jolt.

From where we are now, World Cup 40, there are fourteen months, a little under six cycles and only 3,667 games to go until this date. Until the end.

That is more than enough time to secure a final Scorigami for the Jolt forums, is it not?

25,440 International football matches have been played as of the end of World Cup 40. 43 Scorigamis have been found, which makes for a rate of one every 578 games, or a little over one Scorigami per tournament.

Wait. That’s not exactly accurate. More than 1 Scorigami per cup? Does that sound right, given what we’ve been flying over together?

Sure, it’s one Scorigami per cup if you include World Cups one to four, which averaged about six each. Displaying them like this, we can see that they’ve become more intermittent in later years. The trendline sweeps dangerously close to zero.

For the sake of optimism, let’s keep that 1 in 578 figure. With 3,667 games to go, we have a 6% chance of success. I confess I’m not sure if the maths here is correct, but you get the impression. It’s a long shot, but I have faith.

Good luck, old friend.

Chapter 3.2 - Ain’t No Sunshine

[scrolling through the scores]

I’ve linked Candelaria and Marquez’s roleplay in the description. It’s possibly the most accomplished roleplay ever written, and it, along with our Scorigami, heroically won by the combined forces of The Bear Islands and Kagdazka, is a fitting send off for the era.

C+M’s post, however, it not the final one sent by the NS Sport community to Jolt. Krytenia, you get to end yet another video.

Quotes

Some of these didn’t make it from the script to the screen, and more still didn’t make the final edit of the ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’ scene.

The quotes all come between WC41 and WC46. Most were chosen because they mentioned either history or the future. Starblaydia's line '..a Game of Thrones that would be playing in the future' is from 2008, 3 full years before the HBO series 'Game of Thrones' became a thing. Krytenia wrote 'Make Krytenia Great Again' seven years before Donald Trump adapted the slogan for his RL States political career.

“We find ourselves in an unfamiliar place, and initially we are concerned”
“We find comfort in the knowledge that our surroundings may have changed, but underneath it all, there is nothing new under the sun.
“Stay. We haven't had breakfast yet, and off we go to check out the quality of fare at the local eatery”
:- Snub Nose 38 2004/07/14. World Cup 15 RP Thread. First day of the Jolt Forums.

“’Together, we shall make Krytenia great again.’
Adam Toivonen gave his squad memberes a tatty old sky blue jersey each. He then gave the goalkeepers some black gaffer-tape, and instructed them to cover the Ediraf and West Starblaydi logos.”
:- Krytenia 2008/03/07
World Cup 41 RP Thread

"Knock knock?" the familiar voice of Juan Tzimisces gently pushed open the unlocked front door, "what's my old friend doing inside on a day when his Sky God has displayed for us such a glorious vista?"

"In here, Juan," Simeone called "just continuing my diary, collating the memoirs, that sort of thing. Will there be enough room in my brain to fit all my future memories? I was having enough trouble before with a hundred and twenty years, and you've got at least double that.”

Juan gave his little half-smile and was about to answer, but Simeone stopped him in his tracks.

"If you mention 'plucking Time's arrow' again," he warned, "I'm going to have panna cotta for lunch."

:- Starblaydia 2008/09/07
World Cup 41 RP Thread

“For all of them, there could be no nostalgia, and the disappointments of the past could not be relevant. The golden ages were always ahead.”
Zwangzug 2008/24/09
World Cup 42 RP Thread

“I have not the answer, just the question. So I look to you, my fellow Vanorians, to think about the question, think about who and what we are, and then consider how history should view us. As for me, I will remember it as the two years in which something purely magical happened, where relationships were made where thought not possible, and history could be written. Only the future can ever trully be objective on such matters, but for whatever moment it is that we are now gifted with, rejoice and celebration are to be had at the marvels of life and choice.”
Valanora 2008/25/09
World Cup 42 RP Thread

History? I suppose that far into the future, this day shall be deemed a historical one and I hope that those of the future will appreciate this day as well
Qazox 2008/11/11
World Cup 43 RP Thread

We're looking at a bright future for football internationally - we can only hope that the peoples of the world are as invested in peaceful but competitive contests and perpetuate the feeling of universal harmony and balance in the world.
Daehanjeiguk
2009/10/01
World Cup 44 RP Thread

“Curzon had the better sense not to be taken in by them, of tales of a Game of Thrones that they would be playing in the future.”
Starblaydia 2009/01/02

Yes. Well, we'll have to work hard to make this history different. In the next cup, the history will be about to be writ again... let's put a good ending on it.
Cafundeu 2009/27/03
World Cup 45 RP Thread

“The three or four of you with the remotest interest would be advised to grab a cocoa and bunker down for the evening. The rest of you can go away now, safe in the knowledge that, so long as I have blood left in my body, I shall not allow anything like this to happen ever ever ever again…”
Candelaria and Marquez 2009/07/06
One of the most accomplished RPs ever written.
Final Roleplay of the Jolt Era.

“So much spam.

*shakes head slowly*

It's all your fault you know.”
:- Krytenia, 2009/06/07

Bonus Content
First take of the Ain’t No Sunshine scene. Shorter and *even* jerkier.

World Cup 84- RP Thread (IC)

Elite, Episode 6

Stories of Bridges (1)

WC84 MD7

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