World Cup 84- RP Thread (IC)

by **Ancherion** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 12:28 pm

After the devastating match against Vilita, we had a few weeks off until the next match to cool off and start from scratch. Our next match wasn't that much of a journey, we traveled across Esportiva to get to the nation of Mattijana, one of the best nations in said region. This match was a close one as both sides had some great opportunities, Jaklim alone had 6 attempts on goal, with one of those going in, whilst on the other end Benly had made some very spectacular saves and kept 7 shots out of the goal but also let in two. Even if it was a loss, it was to be expected and during the post match interviews De Mequites said "The team played really well, one of their best performances since I took charge, but Mattijana were just played better than us on the day and they deserve the win."

In other places, one of the qualifying favourites drew to Tamgu which has increased our chances of qualifying but it was too early to say and elsewhere, Vilita and Krytenia drew their match, which was kind of bad for us since we all know Vilita are going through so giving up points to another potential qualifier is disappointing.

The next weekend, the team to traveled at Paradisia North Park once again as they go against an unranked team, Gopnikea. For this match De Mequites had mainly played the reserve squad so they could have a run around and build up some more experience. However, this decision also made the game very tight in the scoreboards as Gopnikea got the better of us in the half as they dominated as Kneeson and Narcystol got the ball into net past Zenin. At half time, it was a big talk given by De Mequites and his coaching staff with the players. Who knows how bad it got in that changing room, I know I wouldn't want to be the players at that point. In the second half, the mentality of the players was completely different. Sami Taylor started the barrage of goals that were to come as Fabiano Moon cleared it forward into a space where Taylor took it past the defenders and then also past Garrison. It wasn't much later when Taylor had a disallowed goal for offside which could have went either way, but with technology nowadays there is no maybes or doubts. Throughout this whole half the Ancherion side were dominating and holding possession. Sami Taylor scored a further two goals to get the debut hat-trick. Alexandra's attempts were close but couldn't get back the keeper and the score ended with a 3-2 victory. The sound of the crowd as the final whistle blew was a large sigh of relief and then celebrations throughout the night.

The next match wasn't a thing you want to remember afterwards. The match happened in Fetra, a low ranked nation in the group. The team just seemed completely out of it but still somehow managed to score two goals, by Roberts and Colley, to draw the match. De Mequites couldn't really give us an interview as he was just disappointed in how the team played, just like the rest of us were, it was time for a very quiet journey back for all the visiting fans. It turns it wasn't just us who were having problems against Fetra, soon after that team also drew with Krytenia, maybe it is something to do with Fetra.

That was all forgotten when the team faced Zwangzug in Paradisia, in a match where the team played absolutely immaculate in defending but also attacking as Jaklim, Ado, Smith and then Moon off the bench to finish off what was a sight to see for the fans in a 4-0 thrashing of the 2nd seed team. Having this boost in mentality really should have helped, but alas the international break was over for the players as it was time for the domestic season again. A month later it was time for the players to travel to Tamgu, the team that was the seed lower than Ancherion. In a very quiet game for the first half as neither team made any good chances on goal. It was in the second half when the opposing team had got a shot of that went in from Reizo at 30 yards away which broke the deadlock to the Ancherite's demise. That one goal was very crucial as it was a difference of getting points but they couldn't do anything about it as Jaklim couldn't get it in.

by **Flavovespia** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 1:14 pm

Furby Island 1–2 Flavovespia

This game won’t exactly go into the list of all time greats, however for Flavovespia, they got the win they desperately needed from this encounter. A quite scrappy game at times, with errors from both sides, but Flavovespia ultimately came through as winners. Richard Crawford also got a victory on his debut as the new manager of Flavovespia, and he will be hopeful for more to come.

It was all change for Flavovespia. They took the opportunity to wear their third kit, the first time the team had line up in that kit. The formation was also a new setup. With Crawford at the helm, the team went with a 4-2-2-2 setup comprised of the following players:

Sharratt-Daley
Michael-------------------Hall
Jensen-King
Maddox-James-Gardner-Johnson
Meehan

In the opening exchanges, Flavovespia had a slight edge, the more advanced positions of Michael and Hall giving them an opportunity to run at the defence of Furby Island. The return of Jensen to the national team setup also seemed to have a positive effect, as he was able to lockdown the spaces that were vacated by the advancing wingers of Flavovespia. Furby Island had a few chances to break, but couldn’t get anything going beyond the midfield.

It was the 19th minute when Flavovespia took the lead, in somewhat fortuitous circumstances. Michael got goalside of the opposing right back, and charged into the box. He went for the cutback pass towards Sharratt and Daley, who were advancing forward. Michael’s ball had a little bit of lift to it, and this caught out the #3 of Furby Island. They couldn’t control it properly, and knocked it beyond their keeper as it bobbled over the line. 0-1 to Flavovespia, a clumsy goal for Furby Island to concede, but the visitors weren’t going to complain.

Much of the rest of the first half seemed to go the way of Flavovespia. Furby Island seemed to really struggle to create anything going forward, and their passes felt like a team in the dying minutes just throwing everything forward, rather than trying to develop and build-up their play until there’s an opening. That’s not to say they had no chances. A somewhat optimistic effort from 25 metres out by their #7 dipped just at the last moment, and Meehan had to tip it over the bar. Flavovespia had their own half-chances, but nothing that should have been scored.

The two teams came out with the same lineups for the second half. However, Furby Island got their equaliser just 3 minutes into it. From a corner, Meehan went to punch the ball out, but the ball just clipped the head of a Furby Island defender before Meehan got there. The punch was awkward, and the ball bounced around the box. Despite attempts to clear it by Jensen and Gardner, it fell to the #6 of Furby Island, who despite a scuffed shot, did enough to turn it into the net. 1-1 it was now, and everything to play for.

Flavovespia were rattled, but weren’t playing with desperation or a lack of composure. They were still able to get the ball into advanced positions, and it took some good defence from Furby Island, combined with some loose passing from Flavovespia to keep them out. The hosts were still a threat on the counter, but Maddox and Johnson had stepped up to the task, and seemed instrumental in blocking off any threat from that type of play.

Flavovespia finally got a breakthough in the 70th minute. Steven Hall swung in a cross from about 35 yards out. It was too high for everyone around the middle of the box, but for the oncoming David Michael, it fell to about shin height. He didn’t even break stride as he went for a first time volley. It beat the Furby Island goalkeeper, and went just under the crossbar and smashed into the roof of the net. A powerful volley gave David Michael his first international goal, and restored the lead for Flavovespia.

The hosts went much more attacking now, prompting a change from Crawford. A 4-1-2-3 was adopted, with Daley subbed off for Wolfson, and James off for May. Earlier Sharratt had been subbed off for Barkes. The 4-1-2-3 allowed Flavovespia to remain compact in the middle, isolating Furby Island to trying to play down the wing. However the hosts struggled there, and many of their crosses were easily caught by Meehan, headed away, or wayward of any attacking threat.

Flavovespia looked comfortable to hold on to their lead, despite earlier issues in that area. In injury time, Hall broke clear down the right flank, only covered by a left back. Somewhat uncharacteristically, he blasted his shot straight into the side netting, with some of the Flavovespian fans thinking it was already in, and didn’t immediately realise the net ripple was from the wrong side. Nevertheless, Flavovespia held on to a 1-2 win.

Flavovespia move up to 7th with 9 points. Bliuji at home is the final Matchday of this half of the qualifiers. Should Flavovespia get at least a draw, they’ll be on course to at least match their World Cup 83 qualifying performance, and in any such case, the team would be much more confident going into the second half of the campaign.

Post Match Interviews

Richard Crawford on the topic of the match. “It was a tough game, but I’m glad for everyone we pulled through. On balance I would say we were the better side and edged it. I think people may have wanted more, but at this point, a win is a win, and I’m pleased we did it.”

Richard Crawford on the upcoming match. “Bliuji will be a tougher opponent. They’re going along nicely in the group, and are in the fight for coming 2nd. They know they have a very high chance of reaching that if they beat up, so we’ll need to be playing strongly to stop that from happening”

Richard Crawford on the squad “For now, I’m keeping the same 23 selected, with the same starting XI vs Bliuji. After that I’ll review the options. In terms of Coleman’s injury, he may be able to come off the bench against Squornshelan Remnant States, but it’s 50:50 for now. Against Ziwana, I’m hoping he can play”

David Michael on his first international goal “It’s great. I was happy with the assist. When I saw the ball coming in, I knew I had to run to get it. Then I knew I just had to shoot. I did, and I got the goal. What a great feeling.”

Steven Hall on the match “We won, it’s good for us, good for Flavovespia and good for the gaffer. Furby Island gave us a good run out, but I have to take my hat off to the defence, they did a good job today. The lads aren’t going to let me forget that miss though!”

A History of Football in Flavovespia

Part 9

59BU saw a fourth professional league enter the fray. The United Football League formed of 10 teams competing in the Inter City Cup and Gold Cup, who were without a professional league. They were: Apsbrooke FC, Bavingtor FC, Binclestead Wood FC, Frostbrook Rovers FC, Johns Park FC, Lunselbury FC, Nailwood Mills FC, Narrock Wood United FC, North Mayshop FC, South Maishop FC. A few did come from non-professional leagues, but this was the first time all 10 teams were in a professional league.

The league copied an international format for its final standings. Instead of using 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw, 3 points would be awarded for a win. In 57BU, all other professional leagues in the nation adopted this standard, as it encouraged teams to go for the win, instead of sitting back for a draw. The UFL also became the first to work with teams to get all matches broadcast over radio, an innovative solution, and despite rumours it’d discourage fans from attending matches, seemed to do the opposite.

Despite it’s name, the United Football League geographically was largely concentrated in the middle of the nation. The western part of the island, had no professional league. At the time, there were talks of bringing some of those teams into the United Football League. However these discussions didn’t amount to much. Westwood Sports Society and Hampridge United were the most keen, and came very close. Neither however, wanted to break off with the smaller western sides they routinely played against in smaller tournaments, plus they weren’t convinced of the virtues of the United Football League. Carston Green were invited as well. They didn’t join, keen to continue as an “independent” team as such, although some speculated they were still angling to try and get into the Tri Series. They weren’t part of any official league as such, but routinely played matches against sides across the nation, which meant they had a high profile, despite the relative geographic isolation of Carston Green.

The growing popularity of football, and the beginning of the media and commercial age of football began to bring about some changes to the landscape of the sport. The formation of the Inter City Cup and the United Football League created a new wave of city based sides. Increasing costs to run and maintain teams meant that in the professional leagues, the factory teams were dropping out. In the Waldster League, the likes of GW Motors, Steel Spirit FC and Waldster Junction FC left the Waldster League. In the Eastern Alliance, Sutsyridge Sellers and Rumlington Distillery also left, either by relegation or voluntary resignation, the rise of Sutsyridge FC and Rumlington Rovers FC not helping. Other teams that were lost included Team Towerhaite, who lost the battle against Towerhaite Sports Society as the latter won over the city. A consolation was that Towerhaite Sports Society would not rebrand as Towerhaite FC, although for decades there were some in Towerhaite who didn’t support “their” team, and switch allegiances, largely to Waldster FC.

Dominance of the two cup competitions by the Big 3 was still ongoing, but by no means were they guaranteed a spot in the final or later stages. A few of the city sides managed to make it to the final. Just 4 years after formation, Henhaven Islanders were Gold Cup finalists, in 58BU Carston Green won 1-2 over Captonbridge Town in the Inter City Cup final (meanwhile in the same year, Waldster smashed Butterfield Rovers 9-0 in the Gold Cup final). Langpool Capton, Galling Rangers and Stanmorn also made cup final appearances.

by **TJUN-ia** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 1:56 pm

TJUN-ia Update: No Holiday Cheer In Final Homestead Before Christmas

You know the score. Another MD, another tight loss for TJUN-ia. It was Balqia (ranked 91st) who benefited, Karlus Nonoms with the only goal.

It is return to results familiar to The Jaguars as well are now in 7th, in the middle of a tight battle to catch up with the Top 2 in Group 11 (Free Republics and Taeshan). Our final match before the Christmas break is away in the mysterious nation of Welzat. They are 1 point behind us after knocking off Galar.

by **The Sarian** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 2:22 pm

International Break Recap

Tara and Cambray 0 - 1 The Sarian (W. Pauwelz, 24)
O. Duoztiun -- W. Beunaad (E. Strijd, 71), J. Pieuz, Z. Zamuuol, E. Koemanz -- W. Buul (T. Kindvanjodi, 79), J. Lauri, L. Aucs (B. Auteberi, 71), M. Beniut -- N. Noriuz -- W. Pauwelz

The Sarian national team travelled to Tara and Cambray knowing that they were yet to win - but a confident performance finally broke the record. Wera Pauwelz came close on a couple of occasions before finally breaking through in the 24th minute and the Sari lead never looked under threat from thereon-in. Commanding a massive sixty-three percent of the possession in the first half, The Sarian had good value for their lead and might have felt unlucky not to have scored more goals - a Wictor Buul free-kick forced a fingertip save from the Tara and Cambray goalkeeper and Wera Pauwelz saw another couple of chances go without reward. Tara and Cambray initially appeared more lively as the second-half begun, forcing Oodel Duoztiun into his first save of the game - closely followed by the second as the resulting corner led to a dangerous looping header, forcing a goal-line clearance from Epi Koemanz. The Sarian soon regained their swagger, however, and seemingly adopted a tactic of letting their opponents see as little of the ball as possible - Jodi Lauri and Bloem Auteberi, making just her second Sari appearance - made the same number of passes combined than the entirety of the Tara and Cambray team. In the end, the score didn't reflect the dominance of the Sari team - but, judging by the team's celebrations at the final whistle, that didn't seem to matter!

The Sarian 0 - 0 Starblaydia
O. Duoztiun -- R. Raedmaeceu, J. Pieuz, B. Ziebruux (M. Kindvandoenaulld, 64), Z. Zamuuol, D. Haum -- W. Beunaad (W. Buul, 64), J. Lauri, L. Bisop, L. Bruux -- W. Pauwelz

If The Sarian's first win of the campaign was celebrated, taking a point off Starblaydia brought the house down. Admittedly not the prettiest of games, but parking the bus was the only way The Sarian were going to come away with anything against the five-times World Champions. The strategy looked shaky early on after Zej Zamuuol lost track of Sutter McCloud only for the Starblaydi striker to fire his shot over the bar. The effects of the famous Raiigar soon wore-off and the Sari team, perhaps buoyed by their victory against Tara and Cambray four days prior, managed to construct a tight defence. Few breaches occurred and the first half ended with neither side registering a shot on target. If neutrals were beginning to get bored, a renewed Starblaydi attack in the second half brought the game back to life - McCloud, Alan Eccleston and Calindra Apelles all forced saves from Oodel Duoztiun. The Sarian also got into the action with substitute Wictor Buul driving a low shot which produced a save from Cosmo Leopoldi to deny a late goal for the homeside. The Starblaydis continued to pile forward, but the final whistle confirmed that the final result was a point apiece.

The Ross Isles 3 - 2 The Sarian (B. Kindvanstefan, 22, 69)
F. Ajeuesh -- R. Raedmaeceu (W. Pauwelz, 84), B. Ziebruux, H. Brejzun, D. Haum -- B. Auteberi, Z. Saari -- W. Buul, I. Rogevien (L. Aucs, 59), L. Bruux (M. Beniut, 73) -- B. Kindvanstefan

Hubris was the order of the day - with the Sari team facing The Ross Isles, a side ranked just three-hundred and forty-ninth in the rankings. A jig up of the team saw Fajtz Ajeuesh, Henri Brejzun, Zej Saari and Iola Rogevien all making their debuts. Briutni Kindvanstefan seemed to vindicate the decision to rotate the side with her first international goal - a beautiful effort from just outside the box which curled into the top-right-hand corner. The complacency then kicked in, allowing The Ross Isles to fire two in quick succession to take the lead going into the second half. The hosts added to their lead early on in the second half, capitalising on a mistake from Henri Brejzun, and could have had a fourth after Zej Saari brought a Ross Isles winger down with a clumsy tackle in the box - though Fajtz Ajeuesh guessed correctly to prevent The Sarian from chasing three goals. Within minutes, Kindvanstefan had her second to give Sari fans some hope - but even bringing on attacking-minded substitutes could not bring The Sarian to equalise after the home-side parked the bus.

The Sarian 2 - 1 Folmara (B. Kindvanstefan, 36; B. Ziebruux, 47)
O. Duoztiun -- W. Beunaad (E. Strijd, 68), B. Ziebruux (M. Kindvandoenaulld, 74), J. Pieuz, E. Koemanz -- W. Buul, L. Bisop, B. Auteberi, J. Lauri, M. Beniut -- B. Kindvanstefan

If it weren't for the humbling at the hands of The Ross Isles, The Sarian might have lined up at De Stadionnationaal very differently - and that could have perhaps saved the side from an even greater humbling. Gone was the performance which shut-out Starblaydia, to be replaced by a shaky set of amateurs. The away team opened the action, a pass threading through the Sari defence to Richomeres who failed to round Oodel Duoztin. Folmara continued to dominate, until a long ball forward from Duotzin found its way to Briutni Kindvanstefan to give The Sarian an undeserved lead. Undeserved it may be, but it took the wind of the Folmarian sails - allowing Luc Bisop and Kindvanstefan to come close to adding to the Sari lead. It was a powerful Bruux Ziebruux header, connecting with a free-kick whipped into the six-yard area by Wictor Buul, which finally did the trick. And then Sari complacency came back in spades - relying on Duoztiun to make a number of saves. Finally, the visitors broke through with fifteen to go - and if it weren't for the heroics of Duoztiun they may have done. As it was, The Sarian managed to hold onto their lead to take all three undeserved points.

by **Port Ember** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 2:39 pm

Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

The Dragons outclassed in a spectacular match in the World Cup 84 Qualifier Season!

Port Ember 0 - 2 Razneta

By Erica Davies - Port Ember Times Sports Section

The Dragons have came out short against an impressive looking Razneta side, effectively driving a nail into the 'Hopes & Dream to Qualify' coffin for the once hopefull young Port Emberian team. This loss forced the team from third position on the group table, all the way down to the 5th spot.

This away match was played at the small Yokostan Park Stadium, situated in Toliko; Razneta.

The Game - Summary

Altough analysts and bookies had predicted that Port Ember will dominate this match, it was clear that they were wrong from the moment play commenced. The 'on fire' Razneta side played a textbook perfect Defencive Game and outclassed the young Dragons at every turn. Although it may ne of interest to note for the reader that this loss can be squarly blamed on the Coaches shoulders, as the players did their best according to their game plan laid out by Coach Stuart Baxter.

The Port Emberian side launched a barrage of offences, yet the patience and technical skills of the defencive orientated Razneta side managed to exhuast and frustrate them, forcing numurous counter attack oppertunities, leading to both goals.

The first goal came from Raiko Tolokovsa in minute 45, and the second - and last goal came from Yetvo Kiminelo in minute 64, which broke the will of the Port Emberians.

The Fans

The 10 000 Port Emberian fans in attendance were back to their standard noisy and passionate antics, cheering and energising their young team, despite their struggling performance.

Port Emberian Player Scores

Goalkeeper (GK)(#1): Peter Smith - 7/10. 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. Surely responsible for mot allowing to score to have looked even worse.

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 - 6/10. Averege day for the Captain on the field. Failed to exploit potentiol gaps during offences and failed to create any gaps as expected.

Defensive Midfield (DM)(#6): Steven Packard - 6/10. Average day for Steven as he worked hard, yet failed to link up with Reddington to create counter attack oppertunities.

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 - 6/10. Displayed no serious flaws, but also nothing special.

Central Forward (CF)(#7): Leon Moult - 6/10. Displayed no serious flaws, but also nothing special.

Central Forward (CF)(#9): Danny Nicovic 6/10. Displayed no serious flaws, but also nothing special.

Match Stats

Match: Port Ember Vs Razneta

Location: Razneta

Result: 2 - 0 Loss for Port Ember

Goals - Port Ember: N/A

Goals - Razneta: Raiko Tolokovsa; Yetvo Kiminelo

Man of the Match - Port Ember: Ray Reddington

Aftermatch word from the Coach

"We lost quite badly at a match we were supposed to win, and thats pretty dissapointing. We will go back to the drawing board, and will be back stronger than ever though!" Coach Baxter

Port Ember Times
Sports Journal

The Port Emberian Dragons prepares to face off against Lisander 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 11 is upon the Port Emberian side.

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

This match marks the first time that these two teams will meet on the football field.

Team Stats Analysis

Lisander:

This team is currently ranked as the 125th best team in the world on the international ranking system, and does seem to posess a decent footballing history and a strong and developed football culture and infrastructure. This team has achieved great things in the past, and is determined to claw their way back to the top. The team is filled with veteran players.

This team is currently placed in position 9 of 11 on the qualifier table - with 09 points ammassed so far, with 3 wins and 6 losses, scoring a total of 17 goals while allowing 28 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 four matchdays, before losing twice in a row again in their last two matches.

This team is currently placed in position 6 of 11 on the qualifier table - with 12 points ammassed so far, scoring a total of 13 goals while allowing 18 goals to be scored against them.

From a pure statistics point of view, analysts have deemed that Port Ember is the solid match favourites, and have estimated a 3-1 victory.

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 thirteen goals in their last nine 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 three 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 strong offensive efforts in the previous three 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 team seems to have regained their composure and morale, standing united against any opposition.

Current Form:

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

Their three consecutive losses marked their worst losing streak to date, which they ended with four consecutive victories. Although they have lost their previous match, they still looked impressive.

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 - Lisander

Offense:

This team is focusses on a high octane and technical offensive play. This is the drive Port Ember relies on to play their signature 'Bait Ambush' play.

Midfield:

This team holds one a seemingly skilled and experienced midfield, and have proven that they are deadly on linking up with the offebce.

Defence:

This team holds one of the most skilled and experienced back rows in the group, 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, although cracks are starting to show due to their difficult season.

Current Form:

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

This team is not on great form and have struggled to remain consistent in any manner thus far. They are on a current 4 game losing streak, and does not show promise of ending this bad spell.

Typical Gameplan: This team plays a solid offencive game.

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

1|GK| Anders Michaelichen
2|RB| Bruno Lasses
3|DF| Louis Varden
4|DF| Luís Rosell
5|MF| Luís Ávila
6|LB| Milen Kaplanoski
7|FW| Milo Somerville
8|MF| Afonso Heretier
9|FW| Cyril Amati
10|MF| Tássio Camden
11|FW| Victor Potenza

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 **Siovanija and Teusland** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 3:08 pm

Die Stelburger Zeitung

Sport

Goldhorns Grab Massive 3 Points in Macabees Win

Siovanija & Teusland’s national football team won the biggest game of the Qualification tournament so far, defeating The Macabees on the road 4-1.

“Well, look, all the lads know what’s expected of us out there tonight, and we all know how big this game is, it’s pretty much a need-to-win game tonight. You’re going to see us at our best tonight, I can tell you that for sure,” commented Thorsten Kramer. Michael Ribbeck, back in the squad for this one, was asked what the Goldhorns needed to do to win: “Well, score more than they do. But seriously, I think if we just play our game and trust in ourselves, we’ve got a great chance tonight.”

Gavin Hughes’ lineup tonight was pretty much as expected, with the first choice XI in for the away fixture. Heuser between the posts, a back four of Edgar Steimle, Raphael Klopfer, Karl-Heinz Jager and Pierre-Louis Lotbiniere, then the midfield trio of Todor Mihailov, Thorsten Kramer and Viktor Dimitrov, Ivo Romanov and Mario Kogler on the wings with Ribbeck up top. A strong lineup for this one, of course, as it will be massive in the destiny of each team.

Going away from home, one might think the Goldhorns to be in trouble. However, throughout the first half of Qualifiers, the Goldhorns have actually looked a lot better on the road. They’ve posted a record of 4-0-0 in victories over Anthor, Poafmersia, Squornshelous and Monso. At home, however, they’ve been 3-0-2, dropping games to Nephara and Lochario. So, perhaps the away match would, in fact, be a benefit to Siovanija & Teusland.

The anthems rang out, ‘High Mountain Skies’ sung as loud as ever by the travelling Goldhorn supporters in the stadium as well as the national team. Kicking off, both teams opened up somewhat cautiously, neither team wanting to make an early mistake to give confidence to the other. There was an early chance for the Goldhorns, however, as Thorsten Kramer picked up an interception then sent a pass forward for Michael Ribbeck, Ribbeck’s shot was, however, about 2 metres wide. It did serve as a warning, however, for what was to come.

The key to this one was going to be the midfield battle, and the Goldhorns quickly took control of the middle of the park. Todor Mihailov in particular did a good job in holding onto the ball, and several of his passes forward created concern for the Macabees defenders. You could see that Michael Ribbeck was going to give them some trouble, and if the Goldhorns could just get him the ball, something good would come of it.

That good thing would come quicker rather than later. Karl-Heinz Jager made a great tackle to win the ball back from the Macabees forward, then sent a long ball over the top to meet Mario Kogler. Kogler came in quickly, sent a pass to Ribbeck, and this time the SW Stahlberg forward wouldn’t miss, blasting his shot into the bottom left corner. 1-0 for the visitors.

Things continued to go the Goldhorns’ way in the first half. Another attack came forward, this time Todor Mihailov bringing the ball up. Mihailov made a great run before sending the pass forward to Ribbeck, who bore down on goal. Beating his man, he found himself one on one with the keeper, who came forward in an attempt to stop him. Ribbeck used his skill to hold the ball, however, then round the keeper before sending the ball into the open net. 2-0 now for the Goldhorns, and the hosts appeared to be crumbling.

The Goldhorns would continue to pour on the misery as the half dragged towards a close. Lotbiniere won the ball on the right side, then sent a pass forwards for Ivo Romanov. Romanov burst into the attacking third, as several Goldhorns joined him on the rush. Romanov fired in a pass intended for Michael Ribbeck. Ribbeck got to it, but was marked well by the defender and could not fire a shot. Instead, with his back to goal, he sent a pass into the path of Thorsten Kramer. Kramer met the ball perfectly, taking just one touch before sending it flying into the top left corner. A great goal for Thorsten Kramer, and suddenly, the home section of the stadium was completely silent.

The Goldhorns went off at halftime completely in control of the game, having taken their chances well and secured a 3-0 advantage on the road. They were content to retain the ball in the second half and see the game out, but the Macabees instead came out with a renewed effort and fought hard to try and get themselves back into the game. Early in the second half, it would pay off as they came forward in numbers and got some good pressure on the Goldhorns. Ewald Heuser tipped a shot out, leading to a corner for the hosts. The Macabees’ winger whipped in the corner ball that was just missed by the head of Klopfer, but came down perfectly for the forward at the back post, who slammed the ball in and brought the score to 3-1.

The Goldhorns, knowing the importance of this game, showed a great mentality as they defended well and pushed forward as well, trying to get a fourth goal that would surely kill this one off. At 3-1, The Macabees had a bit of momentum and a renewed belief. The Goldhorns would need something quickly to shut that down.

A ball over the top from the Macabees saw their forward in on goal, but Ewald Heuser made a strong kick-save to knock the ball away. The follow-up shot by the forward missed the target, and gave Heuser a goal kick. He took it long, finding Kogler, who worked his way towards the box but was fouled by a Macabees defender, setting up a free kick in perfect positioning for Viktor Dimitrov. Dimitrov, of course, would make no mistake, and knocked in the ball to make the score 4-1 for the Goldhorns. A few conservative changes followed up for the Goldhorns, who saw the game out for a hugely important 4-1 victory.

“So proud of that effort tonight. I could tell going in that this was going to be a good one, you could just feel it in the room as the boys headed out there to go. They were perfect professionals, and it was a great job by everyone,” commented the manager Hughes on the thrilling win. “We had a job to do, and everyone was committed to getting it done. I’m glad I was able to have a big role in that,” added Michael Ribbeck.

With the win, the Goldhorns now sit top of Group 5 on 24 points. That statement must be qualified, however, as the Goldhorns have a game in hand on each team in the group as they now enter their bye round before the mid-Qualifier break. After the break, the Goldhorns will return to kick off the second half of Qualifying with a visit to the Euran Oceania Territories. Come on you Goldhorns!

Match Report
Siovanija and Teusland 4-1 The Macabees, @ The Macabees

Lineup: Heuser; Steimle (L. Dimitrov 66’), Klopfer, Jager, Lotbiniere; Mihailov (Brotzmann 66’), Kramer, V. Dimitrov; Romanov, Kogler (Leistner 77’), Ribbeck
Goals: Michael Ribbeck 17’, 26’, Thorsten Kramer 44’, Viktor Dimitrov 62’
Stelburger Zeitung Man of the Match: Michael Ribbeck

by **Bliuji** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 3:36 pm

Bliuji's dominance in the last match was action packed and had the fans stood up the entire game. A three to one win would revoke Mitra & Soma from their spot and replace it with Bliuji. The 308 ranked team was proved to be not that great by our standards.

Events:
Daniel Lyskov '20
Daniel Lyskov '49
Loto Manaia '58
Vitaly Aksakov '89

Are finer gifts from the efforts of the team did pay off in the debut. And with things going this well, they will try and walk away with the six points they hoped for in the last two games. If Bliuji cannot manage to fulfill their likely hood then they can risk going even lower in the standings. Taking a look at the probability, it can go either way in this contest. Flavovespia being ranked 146 in the multiverse, have not lived up to their performances in the qualifiers. Coming in at nine points they stand seventh in group eight right behind Filindostan. Winning this game guarantees a spot in sixth place, and a draw puts them at risk of going even lower depending on VH&C, SRS and Mustardy's results. However a win for Bliuji has the potential to bump them all the way back to second place, but not guaranteed.

Being on the road in this event should have an impact on performance. Despite the ranking difference, Bliuji should still have a harder time playing in this one. Lower ranked teams like Ziwana for example can still have plenty of talented players and be extremely hard to beat. If Bliuji manages the passing game and has effective communication - we don't see why it would be a win. Defense should be least of Bliuji's concerns, as Flavovespia is known for a balanced play style.

But What Went Wrong?

Flavovespia is a developing team with a lot of potential. So what they aren't doing too well at this point. There are many more games to be played and they can only hope for the best at this point. Everything about their performances was completely derived from chemistry rather than mechanical skill. The team that's on a negative decline, serious management descious gave to be considered for them.

Interview With Erik Belov

by Onyshchenko

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: Good afternoon everyone, I am currently standing on the pitch with Erik Belov after Bliuji's practice.

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: Tell me Erik, how do you feel before heading into this game.

Erik Belov: I feel fine, I've been in this situation so many times before. And I know we will do great as a team.

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: What's the main strategy going to be like for this game.

Erik Belov: Not letting up on defense has to be the main one. It's way more to count on one hand, the amount of times we have let up as a team on defense. Playing too aggressive should not be the goal in any event. Controlled agression is something we have touched up upon after watching game film, and I'm confident if we play aggressive only when we need to, we will play outstanding.

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: And what about Flavovespia

Erik Belov: They are a fine team, I don't think they will perform nearly as well as Ziwana did - but they are not to be taken lightly. If they manage to capitalize on our mistakes, we will have no shot at winning this game.

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: How do you feel about Sviatoslav Vasiliev and Carl Mackwoods performances.

Erik Belov: We needed new players to be added and that's exactly what we got, I am so glad that the scouts picked up those two. It's such a great addition at the midfield and offense. It's specifically nice having Sviatoslav Vasiliev because he was a great replacement to Sidor Alexandrov.

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: That's all for the interview, thanks Erik.

Erik: Thanks

Volodymyr Onyshchenko: And for those of you watching at home in Bliuji be sure to tune in later tonight for the game, you won't want to miss it. I'm signing off, see yah.

by **Zwangzug** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 3:52 pm

Mattias Hoffman had scored twenty-five minutes in, and from there, Mattijana had been able to park the metaphorical bus. Rikard Illicić didn't have to move far to get his head to several tentative efforts and clear them away, while Hojbjerg was tireless on the counterattack. Even watching on tape delay, Wesley was unimpressed.

"Mattijana are good," Naomi pointed out. "They've won three sets of medals in the Campionato Esportiva."

"Sets of medals?"

"Like, gold, silver, and bronze."

"The Esportivans give out medals for their regional tournaments? I didn't know they had that big a mining industry."

"I'm sure some of them do, but I think that's just a metaphorical saying."

"You're making excuses," Wesley said. "We're being outscored by every team in groups seven through nine."

"Look, even if they did get rid of Willow, and they won't, it's not like anyone else would do better. You can't, uh, make a silk purse from a sow's ear."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wesley challenged.

"You can't turn something into something it's not. Like, you can't turn a bad set of players into a good set."

"Isn't that literally the manager's job? To improve players?"

"I mean, sort of, but also they're supposed to pick the formation and make sure everyone is healthy and, I dunno, yell at the refs so the players feel inspired and don't get angry."

"We're Zwangzug, the players are smart, they can come up with their own formations--"

"I don't think that would actually help either," Naomi hastened.

"Did you know Brusseldorf are progressive and stuff?"

"...Who?"

"Los Alrededores, they include the keepers in their formations so they don't feel ostracized and get a complex."

"I don't thnik that's the reason," Naomi said. "And Alrededores of what?"

"I dunno." Wesley gestured vaguely. "They're just...around. Anyway, what were you saying about the pig?"

"What pig?"

"The pig's ear that you can't do anything with."

"It's...just a metaphor," Naomi said nervously.

"Because I think they're producing artificial meat now, synthesized proteins! It's supposed to be very high-quality and good both for animal rights and environmental impact!"

"Have you had any?"

"No, but that's not the point. If they can make pig meat from plants, there's gotta be a manager who can make Zwangzug into contenders."

"I...don't really want to think about what that mental image would entail," said Naomi. "But I think even the Golden Bears would consider it inappropriate use of performance-enhancing chemicals."

Wesley, who had either not understood her point or didn't care, loaded up the next episode of Recycle Time.

by **Recuecn** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 4:30 pm

Before IAC 7--Being Minister of Sport was supposed to all be roses. Sure the ministry had been created to solve problems, but one had hoped that the honeymoon phase would last longer, and that the surge of popularity that came with its creation would carry the minister through any issues he might face. As far as being a politician went, being Minister of Sport was supposed to be a fun job. It was all about games, after all!

Yet what Jean-Luc Lassalle was going through was hardly a game. Every pro soccer team in the nation had threatened to boycott the national team unless he accepted the league's terms and essentially let it control the national team, as well as the sport itself within the nation. Lassalle was sure that letting the top three-dozen teams in the country monopolize the sport itself would b, how'e bad in the long run, and he had his reputation as the new minister to uphold. It was too late to give in, but sticking to his guns would destroy any chance of competitiveness at the international level. Compromise was the only option left, but that seemed impossible.

Lassalle allowed himself a day of despair before he tried to tackle the issue again. He would certainly need help. When he had originally conceived of the ministry of sport, a certain journalist had broadcast his ideas, gaining him the momentum he needed to make his vision a reality. Perhaps she could help him again. He pulled out his phone to send her a message.

Hey Jeanne, how's it going?

Could we meet up? I need some help, he wrote. Then he deleted help and wrote advice. "I can't sound too desperate," he thought.

Almost instantly he had a reply.

Of course! Tomorrow for lunch?

They met in a small cafe near the ministry the next day. Jeanne Chartray looked just as energetic as ever--she needed to be, at her job. She worked for the Reçueçn Times and had climbed her way to a high enough position there that it would have entirely taken over the life of anyone with any less drive than she had. It was no surprise she'd suggested meeting for lunch. Jean-Luc assumed she wouldn't have a single other free moment all day.

"So what's up?" she asked, cutting straight to the chase.

"Je suis dans la merde," Jean-Luc said. "I fucked up."

Jeanne raised an eyebrow, surprised by his grave tone of voice. "You make it sound pretty bad."

"It is pretty bad. Worse than pretty bad. There's nothing pretty about it, in fact. Every single team in the RNFL has threatened to boycott the national team if I don't give them their way. And we need to send a national team roster to the IAC Organizing Committee like yesterday."

Jeanne pursed her lips exhaled. "Ok, that's pretty bad."

"I've been worrying about it so much I can't think straight to figure out what to do."

"What exactly is it that they want, anyway? Did this all just happen out of the blue?"

"Kind of. But I mean, they didn't start it. I called a meeting and told them that I was revoking the RNFA's privilege as the football governing body in Reçueçn, and that the government would be taking over that role, plus organizing the national team."

Jeanne gave Jean-Luc a look that was as much as to say, "So you started it." But she wasn't so cruel as to say so out loud. "They didn't like that at all, then."

"No. They all walked out of the meeting and then later they sent me an ultimatum about the boycott."

"I hate to say it but I think they'd win if they boycotted you. They've got all the talent. You can't just ignore them this time."

"Yeah, I know. I need to get them to change their minds, but there's no way they'll listen to me. I need you to publish something and convince them it'll be for the good of the nation to let me do it my way. Or convince the public, and have them put pressure on the owners. That'd work too."

Jeanne smiled. "I knew you were going to ask me to write something when you didn't start by asking to be off the record."

Jean-Luc gave her a desperate look. "Please Jeanne, you have to! I'm sorry I'm asking so much of you, but I'll make it up to you, I promise! Just tell me what you need from the ministry and I can make it happen. But if the RNFA boycotts the national team, not only is that my job, that's it for the sport in the country! Just a year in and we'll be worse off than we were when we didn't have an organized league!"

"Jean-Luc, listen. As much of a pain as it is to write you an article and let you think that I can just cover for you whenever you need it, you know I'd do that." Jeanne smiled at him. Jean-Luc glared back. This wasn't the moment to be teasing him. "But that wouldn't help you here," she continued. "The association wouldn't listen to me; as far as they're concerned, I'm part of the establishment just like you are. And I couldn't get the public to make them do anything, the league is just as popular as you are right now. In fact, it's why you're popular. Attacking it won't do me or you any favors, and people won't understand why you want to start a new organization for the national team anyway. In fact, I barely do."

Jean-Luc interrupted, "Then I'm doomed! What am I supposed to do, just give up on the national team? Or cave to the association? They'd never listen to me again!"

"No, Jean-Luc, listen. I guarantee you the RNFA doesn't want to boycott the national team anymore than you want them to. There's still plenty of room to negotiate."

"But they won't listen to me! They walked out of our last meeting!"

"You can't negotiate with them all at once. It won't work that way. You need to talk to one or two who you think you might be able to persuade. Do it in secret, don't let the others know. Be accommodating, make it clear you see their point of view. Be ready to make concessions. And you'll see a path will open up."

Jean-Luc sighed. "I guess you're right. I was hoping you could just write an article and magic the whole problem away."

Jeanne laughed, clear and ringing--she was obviously not as stressed over all this as Jean-Luc was. "That's never been how it works. But I'm glad I could give you some advice."

"Thank you," said Jean-Luc. "Why do you help me anyway? What do you get out of this?"

"I will be your negotiator in chief," said Jeanne. "It'll give me a great angle for the piece I'll write on the whole thing. And besides, it'll be exciting."

by **Banija** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 4:31 pm

Continuation of following storyline

Setting is Gonzaga International Airport

Kabaka Mwanga was standing with his son at Gonzaga International Airport. The airport used specifically for VIP entrances and exits from Banija, its own existence was simply reflective of the fact that in this world, the privileged and powerful always get special things. Their own separate airport. But that's not what the Kabaka was dwelling on. He was standing with his son as the Isebantu was getting ready to board a plane. His next flight would take him on yet another international visit in what was slowly becoming a whirlwind- he was off to fly to Siovanija & Teusland next, to be received on an official visit with Chancellor Dominik Meier of the same country.

"Son, are you ready?" Said Kabaka Mwanga. "This is an extremely important visit for our country." And it was. The chance to gain and improve relations with a new ally. To improve relations with Banija's neighbors in the near abroad. They had hosted a World Cup with Equestria, which had done quite a bit to heal relations between the two nations, but in the world of global affairs, you either had to keep moving up or you would get pushed down by the surrounding tide. And economically, Banija was ready to move up. Culturally, Banija was certainly moving up. The country's aggressive posture towards hosting international sporting competitions had brought millions of tourists to the country over the years. When you combine that, and the efforts of different Banijan organizations, especially sporting, to market themselves abroad, it leads to a sort of cultural diplomacy.

Cultural diplomacy, of course, is far different from real diplomacy. Without organization, it can be very haphazard. It generally goes unplanned, and it doesn't directly align with a nation's political goals. After all, the BSL pursuing foreign TV deals, and Banija's two NSCF schools recruiting abroad, is ultimately about those organizations trying to sell themselves and make money. But it amounts to the projection of a positive image of Banija. And when fans come here, to this country, most tended to view the country in a positive light, considering the fact that they generally come back. Now, of course, it doesn't always come out successful. We can go back to World Cup 81, in particular, when one of the brother's of Kabaka Mwanga almost started an international incident by insulting South Covello protesters of goat meat. A foolish protest, to be sure, but could have been handled much better on the Banijan side.

But of course, now the chance for real diplomacy was at hand. Now Banija was starting to be truly respected on the world stage. Of course, it required some luck to get there. But the work of Mwanga's father and grandfather, Albert III and Mugisha III, combined with a stroke of luck that the Kabaka considered a gift from God, set the stage for the current moment. But even after Matthias Mutebi's efforts to destroy Banija's goodwill among various nations, everything was going well. Banija's reparations to the Equestrian States were almost paid off, in full. They had co-hosted two World Cups. They were respected by fellow democracies across the multiverse, as Chromatika had invited the Banijans to observe their elections. The country itself had survived the Banijan-Equestrian War, although the country's military did not leave much to be desired. And then, of course, the oil.

That was the true difference maker. Oil discovered during World Cup 82 Qualifying that had the true power to transfer Banija, economically, from a loud third world nation to a much better, much stronger economy. They were still getting there, of course. The path for goodwill had been laid by the decisions of his father and grandfather to more aggressively put Banija in front of the world. They laid a path to where Banija could, one day, even get to the status of rising power. Were they there? Of course not. They still had one of the weakest military in the Glorious Southwest. While they were mostly through the process of shedding dependence on foreign aid, their GDP per capita rates severely lacked others. But yet, they had respect. And this S&T invitation was proof of that.

"Your Majesty, I am ready." Replied Isebantu Mutungi. The young Isebantu had been ready for this moment for a while. While, of course, he had been on foreign visits all over the place, from Quebecois Commonwealth meetings to joining his father in both Rosaria and Belle Haven, and he had been to other countries on his own, he had never been on a visit this important. In some ways, the stories of the countries were similar. Both took a while to truly gain their foothold in global affairs. Banija did not branch out beyond the Quebecois Commonwealth for quite a long time, while Siovanija & Teusland focused on, well, each other and their smaller colonial empire. Both using sports to truly get involved in affairs in Atlantian Oceania. Siovanija & Teusland, of course, primarily through soccer and hockey. And their were plenty of connections between the two countries. There was a GBHL team playing in St. Jakob, where a large Banijan migrant community lived. It was a Siovanija & Teuslander company that built the Stadium of the Restoration, the national stadium built on hallowed ground within the country.

There were plenty of reasons why these two countries would make a good match for each other, and Isebantu Mutungi knew that. Chancellor Meier knew that. And it would be big for both men, even from a personal standpoint. Isebantu Mutungi would be merely Isebantu for a long time yet, but eventually, he would become Kabaka. When his father was Isebantu, he had quite a number of accomplishments, almost independent of his father. Flying all the way to Savojarna to personally fire an Ambassador was near legendary in the Banijan foreign policy community, and then, to boot, sing the Banijan national anthem at the World Cup of Hockey. Nutters. The mostly not known to the public efforts of working with Prime Minister Schoenlein, of the Commonwealth of Baker Park, to outmaneuver Matthias Mutebi and eventually convince the then Kabaka, Albert III, to end the war effort and agree to Equestrian terms abroad an Equestrian warship in Busukuma Harbor.

Mutungi did not have any major accomplishments of his own, yet. Of course, he was young. There was plenty of time. And Kabaka Mwanga was an energetic monarch. He was deeply involved in foreign affairs himself. But he made the decision to give this task to Mutungi, expecting it to be given his full attention. And the Isebantu had truly been diligent. So when he hugged his father goodbye, and grabbed his wife's hand, he smiled for the cameras and walked towards the plane, full of confidence. It was not that long of a flight to Siovanija & Teusland- merely a few hours. But he would be diligently prepared. He had brought reading material, to refresh themselves on Banijan goals. Economic goals. Military goals. He had even met with Kizza Makoni, to get the sense of what kind of treaty the Lukiiko would be amicable to approving. He was excited, and ready for this opportunity. The young Prince wanted to come home with a treaty here, and he felt that he was in a great position to see this through as a success.

by **Trolleborg** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 4:41 pm

Obviously, the team is in a rather depressed state after all its defeats, which are clearly not the result of a bad playing, but simply a consequence of the structure of world football, organized to the advantage of the teams that have already made their name. And they faced Banija, undisputable leader of the group. The whole country is making efforts to somehow change the situation for the better, even knowing that nothing can be changed. Even the completely obvious prospect of defeat did not frighten the fans, and they filled the stands from top to bottom minus only the sector reserved for the fans of the visiting team. "Green sea" is as vocal as usual, even knowing that defeat is imminent and unavoidable.

After the release of the film about national team exploits, on the first showing of which the whole national team was invited, players was also invited to the National Museum to an exhibition dedicated to success at the Bof, and to both leading theaters who staged shows about the same tournament. Before the game, the best violinist of the country with his orchestra will play the most inspiring patriotic tunes for our team. No one is expected at least a point, but everyone hope team to play as best as possible.

Following players will play for our team in this game:

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 4:52 pm

Portal Control Centre, Saltbed Mountains
A few days later, still sometime before qualifying

It had been a pretty hectic few days, very much all hands on deck deep within the Saltbed Mountains. The Portal Control Centre had gone into lockdown, and its now-inhabitants were starting to be driven mad by each other’s company. For many of them, it was a pretty unprecedented experience, although it wasn’t a situation without precedent - many of the older boffins remembered the Ossidiacqua incident first hand, where a similar lockdown procedure had occurred. They were still grumbling about it though, many of them had families and hobbies that were going amiss because of this. Still, it was protocol, and who were they to question official protocol.

What had happened was that the void was beginning to twist and contort out of its normal shape, as if something was rotating the dimension about an axis. What it meant for travel was nothing, imminently, as the ships were designed to correct themselves along the axis changes that already existed for maximal comfort and efficiency of travel. However, the situation was still an emergency, as given enough time and strain, the connection could close off completely, and possibly never be reopened - a situation that would rapidly lead to the heat death of the bubble universe with the lack of entropy offloading available. It was a scenario deemed so unlikely that no-one had thought of a protocol to manage it - the thinking was that something else had to have gone horribly wrong before the very structure of the void began to change.

In one of the auxiliary control rooms, Morvara was sitting at the back of the room, drinking some coffee and struggling to stay awake throughout the handover from the day team she was taking over from. She’d managed to go home the first night this all kicked off, but having to switch from day shifts to night shifts as per the schedule during this crisis wasn’t helping. Some of her team were standing by her, the others looking through the servers performing the usual checkups and maintenance. Once it was over, the day team left, presumably to get to bed, and as soon as they were out of the door, she slumped down against the drawers she was perched on. “Come on Mora,” quipped Laurens, her second-in-command as she liked to call him. “Get up. We’ve got a job to do.” Laurens was a pretty eager young soul, with a face that looked like puberty was still waiting around the corner. And quite bright too, he managed to work his way up to a deputy supervisor position in just 5 years, ahead of plenty of more experienced personnel.

“I know, I know. It’s just, what are we doing? It’s not like we’re doing anything cutting edge on this side, we’ve just been dumped with all the extra monitoring now that the big boys are dealing with the crisis. You know, just for once, I’d love to be the one managing these problems, not just finding them!” Morvara looked up from the depths of her mug, scrunching up her face against the ceiling lights before sighing and getting up off the floor. “Right, so what are the numbers doing?” “Eh, they’re doing fine, nothing out of the ordinary. Same situation as the last few hours apparently. Weren’t you listening?” “No, I was questioning my life choices,” replied Morvara, rolling her eyes. “Of course I was listening to the handover.” Laurens chuckled, before plonking himself down in his seat and getting out his phone. “So, they’ve just announced the proper group draw, what do you think of it?” “Sounds a bit worse than what we had before. HUElavia are going to be our biggest challenge, because let’s be honest, any combination of the top two seeds was always going to be a tall order to overtake. And I still don’t know why the FA keep Williamson on, to be honest. She’s proven that she’s a useless manager already, nothing is going to change.” “Well, you know what football is like in this country, all the inertia of an oil tanker when it comes to change. Still, not like we have the players to challenge a-”

A deafening roar interrupted Laurens, his hands clasped over his ears and his mouth still open in a scream.

MD5: Mercedini 1-0 Eastfield Lodge
Line-up (3-3-3-1): Couch - Hargreaves, Carr-Ponce, Tierney - French, Jeremiah-Dockson, Dad (<> Garner 69’) - Accardi, Farrow, Cousin (<> Berretti 79’) - Murray (<> Mohd 73’)
Goals (Assists):

MD6: Eastfield Lodge 2-1 Tara & Cambray
Line-up (3-3-3-1): Couch - Hargreaves, von Kraus, Tierney - French, Jeremiah-Dockson (<> Qwivotic 77’), Garner - Foley (<> Glibin 81’), Stepanov, Cousin - Morales (<> Mohd 68’)
Goals (Assists): Morales (20’ - Stepanov), Foley (53’ - Cousin)

MD7: Starblaydia 4-3 Eastfield Lodge
Line-up (3-3-3-1): Couch - Hargreaves, von Kraus, Mackenzie - French, Jeremiah-Dockson (<> Qwivotic 75’), Garner - Foley, Stepanov, Cousin (<> LaRosso 79’) - Morales (<> Murray 56’)
Goals (Assists): Stepanov (32’), Murray (59’ - Stepanov, 72’ - French)

MD8: Eastfield Lodge 5-3 The Ross Isles
Line-up (3-3-3-1): Couch - Hargreaves (<> Holding 67’), von Kraus, Mackenzie - French, Jeremiah-Dockson (<> Qwivotic 67’), Garner - Accardi, Stepanov, Cousin - Murray (<> Mohd 78’)
Goals (Assists): Murray (8’ - Accardi, 28’ pen, 51’ - Stepanov), Cousin (32’ - Murray), Qwivotic (73’)

MD9: Folmara 1-2 Eastfield Lodge
Line-up (3-3-3-1): Couch - Holding, Carr-Ponce, Mackenzie - French, Qwivotic, Garner (<> Dad 63’) - Accardi (<> Glibin 78’), Stepanov (<> Farrow 71’), Cousin - Murray
Goals (Assists): Stepanov (32’ - Murray), Cousin (45+1’)

MD10: Eastfield Lodge 4-0 Magnaterrica
Line-up (3-3-3-1): Couch - Holding, Carr-Ponce, Mackenzie - French (<> Nagi 61’), Qwivotic, Dad - Accardi, Stepanov (<> von Kraus 78’), Cousin - Murray (<> Mohd 78’)
Goals (Assists): Accardi (14’ - Stepanov), Murray (31’), French (51’ - Cousin), Carr-Ponce (72’ - Accardi)

Line-up to play HUElavia (3-3-3-1)
Couch - Mackenzie, Carr-Ponce, Holding - French, Qwivotic, Dad - Accardi, Stepanov, Cousin - Murray

by **Ethane** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 5:13 pm

Adam Bailey: Good Evening, and welcome to this evening's sports news. Our main story today: we have the undercover story on 'rotational football'; the tactics employed by the Ethanese national team in the current world cup.

Shayleigh Lewis: Keep tuned to find out more.

The sports theme tune plays, lasting about 30 seconds. As it finishes, the camera returns to the studio, with Adam and Shayleigh facing into the camera.

Adam Bailey: Good evening, I am Adam Bailey and this is Shayleigh Lewis. Welcome to this evening's latest sports news on ENTV: Channel 2 Sports. Our big story today.

Shayleigh Lewis: We have an exclusive insight into the so-called rotational football tactics employed by the Ethanese national team this world cup.

Adam Bailey: Rotational football: a hit for Ethanians, or something we should rotate away from next world cup? Shayleigh?

Shayleigh Lewis: Well, it can't be said that it's unsuccessful. We are one match off the half-way point of qualifying for the world cup, and the team are in second place. They are only 3 points behind Valanora who lead the group, and have a 9 point cushion to Kelssek in third place, which I have to say seems quite comfortable for now at this stage of the tournament.

Adam Bailey: Undoubtedly. And it is worth noting that we have won every game but one, thus meaning we have only dropped three points across our 9 games so far which isn't bad at all. Remarkably, that loss did come against a lowly ranked team called Five Cities - a team I have never heard of before this world cup - but I guess this shows that you can't be too careful in a world cup qualifying campaign. Even though it took us a three attempts to qualify, Drawkland managed to qualify for the world cup in their first ever edition, which shows that new and unranked teams can pose a threat if you see them as easy wins.

Shayleigh Lewis: Of course, our next game is important in the race for first place though. We play Valanora who currently lead, and with the gap at three points a win would draw us level at the halfway point of the qualifers, meaning anything is up for grabs. And we can't ignore those teams behind us either; a loss to Valanora would potentially narrow that gap behind us to only 6 points, which a few slip ups over the following 10 games would easily close.

Adam Bailey: Yes, that is true. You can never be too careful in a world cup. But let us turn to our story. It seems that rotational football has been quite a hit with Ethanians around the nation. Across the day, we've been collecting your social media reactions to this style of football, and you have been remarkably positive about the new manager and tactics. Here's just a few examples off Meep today. Jake said yesterday that ''this is the best I've seen Ethane play in the past ten years. I believe we could win this.'' And Sarah said that she ''loves the new style of play, which is a drastic shift from almost anything I have seen in football before. It is great to see new and innovative tactics employed today.''

Shayleigh Lewis: Darren said that ''this new manager is a top bloke, and I'd love to see him in this job for many world cups to come.'' And Katie said that ''this manager really knows how to get the best out of his players.'' So for the most part, people have been positive about these tactical and managerial changes.

Adam Bailey: This is certainly true. However, there are some people who bemoan the move away from defensive styles of football, and feel it is damaging the Ethanese brand of football. But these views are definitely marginal and shrinking, with many adopting these new offensive tactics. The question is, what is rotational football?

Shayleigh Lewis: Rotational football is simple in concept, but can also be really complicated. Fundamentally, the premise behind rotational football is that the positions players are assigned to have minimised importance, with fluidity in position, formation, and playstyle. Essentially, at the core of rotational football is the idea of rotating players so you effectively have these waves of players pressing on the opposition, trying to reclaim the ball. But when the team obtains possession of the ball, the team slots back into a more formational approach, with the players in the specific positions until they lose the ball or score again. Thus, the importance of a defender defending and an attacker attacking isn't as important, with a range of abilities covering all these positions needed. It's quite difficult to master and train for, but if you get it right it can go really well.

Adam Bailey: Thanks Shayleigh. So how does it really work?

Shayleigh Lewis: Effectively, there are three phases of 'pressure' when 'defending'. Those players in the offensive positions at the time of losing possession (which isn't necessarily the offensive players in the team) rush the player with the ball and surrounding players where a quick pass may be possible to try to cut off any routes out and quickly reclaim the ball and carry on the offensive. The aim of this is to cause a mistake or catch them in possession, thus reclaiming the ball high up the pitch and giving them an advantage in attack. The second 'phase' is completed by those in midfield positions. While the players in offensive positions are pressuring those in possession and those nearby, the job of the midfield players is to get into positions where they could cut off the development of any further passes if the pressing of those players in offensive positions fails, through marking, or intercepting, ensuring there is no space for the opposition to play. But if the players in offensive positions are successful, the midfield-positioned players should be in a place where they can provide options for the player who just recaptured possession, thus opening up options for an offensive. The third phase is completed by those in defensive positions. They hold back until the players in offensive positions rotate back, allowing them to push up to the midfield positions. Their job is to provide the final length of defence, thus meaning that if the opposition get through the first 2 phases then they are there to protect the goal. They effectively take up the role of defenders until rotated out into midfield. Hence why it is called rotational football.

Adam Bailey: That's a very helpful description Shayleigh, and I hope the people back at home are listening to this really valuable explanation of rotational football, if you're just joining us keep listening for more. Is there anything special about the rotational football tactics employed by this Ethanian team?

Shayleigh Lewis: Well, considering this tactical approach is innovative, the whole thing could be considered unique or special. But specifically, this tactical approach is more offensive than basic rotational football would typically be, with more emphasis on pushing forwards than holding back. Thus, on ocassion despite its unusuality in rotational football tactics, the players in defensive positions may push up and provide help on the offensive, even though it leaves the team open at the back.

Adam Bailey: That explains why, despite us scoring a tonne of goals, we have also conceded a significant number as well. I guess what we need to know is, does this tactic work?

Shayleigh Lewis: I am a proponent of things speaking for themselves. And I have to say, these rotational football tactics have positioned us well to push for world cup qualification this cycle, having only lost 1 game so far. It's not fool proof and its not proven, but so far rotational football tactics does seem to have been working for Ethane this world cup.

Adam Bailey: That's good to hear. I am a full supporter of our national team, so anything that brings us success is good in my book and undoubtedly most of the audience too. I guess though, are there any exemptions to rotational football tactics?

Shayleigh Lewis: There are exemptions in two fashions. Firstly, there are individual exemptions. Within rotational football, the manager may give instructions for one player particularly skilled in one area but less skilled in other areas to stay in that position and not rotate with the rest of the team. In this case, the rotation would only happen within the two phases available for that position. I can think of an example for each position, although fixed positions is only used sporadically. Ty Waldron in defence, Leyton Underwood in midfield, and Denis Classie. Secondly, there are tactical exemptions. The team don't always play rotational football, at the heart of this being the manager's fluid approach to football tactics. Often he will use a formational approach instead of rotational football, and also switch between a number of different set formations during a game. The emphasis of the tactics is to be fluid and surprising throughout the game, keeping the opposition constantly on their toes.

Lineup vs Valanora

DEFENCE:
Jeremiah Shepard
Cai Woods
Justin Crawford
Ty Waldron
Zakariya McArthur

MIDFIELD:
Leyton Underwood
Jaheim Zavala
Kyle Ford
Josh Montoya

ATTACK:
Mohammed Hope
Scott Burgess

SUBSTITUTES:
Nigel David
Antonio Atanga
Craig James
Lewis Israel
Alexander Kjaer
Andy Obrien
Lukas Cole

Schedule and Stats

Note: statistics do include friendlies.

MD1: Kelssek 3–4 Ethane @ Exhibition Place, Kirkenes
MD2: Ethane 6–4 Appalachian Nation @ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum
MD3: Five Cities 2–0 Ethane @ Five Cities
MD4: Ethane 4–1 Xanneria @ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum
MD5: Bears Armed 0–2 Ethane @ Wimbley Stadium, Council Groves
MD6: BYE
MD7: Ethane 1–0 Razneta @ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum
MD8: Port Ember 1–2 Ethane @ Waterstad International Stadium, Waterstad Borough, Port Ember Megalopolis
MD9: Ethane 4–1 Lisander @ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum
MD10: Ouna 1–5 Ethane @ Ouna
MD11: Ethane vs Valanora @ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum
MD12: Ethane vs Kelssek @ King Edward IV Stadium, New Sarum
MD13: Appalachian Nation vs Ethane @ Appalachian Nation
MD14: Ethane vs Five Cities @ King Edward Stadium, New Sarum
MD15: Xanneria vs Ethane @ XANAir National Stadium II, Dominica City
MD16: Ethane vs Bears Armed @ King Edward Stadium, New Sarum
MD17: BYE
MD18: Razneta vs Ethane @ Razneta
MD19: Ethane vs Port Ember @ King Edward Stadium, New Sarum
MD20: Lisander vs Ethane @ Lisander
MD21: Ethane vs Ouna @ King Edward Stadium, New Sarum
MD22: Valanora vs Ethane @ Hatire Memorial, Capri

by **Filindostan** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 6:31 pm

NATIONAL | BUSINESS | PROVINCIAL | INTERNATIONAL | SPORTS | ENTERTAINMENT | SPORTS PORTAL

FOOTBALL: WORLD CUP 84 QUALIFIERS
Filindostan's First Squad: Where are they now?

Let's have a break from the usual boring match reports and have some feature story to freshen up, right?

Our first feature story for this year is reminiscing the first Filindostani squad to grace the football stadiums. Then administered by the Filindostan National Sports Commission, some of the names can be recognized, some of them may already been forgotten.

Part 1: The goalies
Gerry Nafari "GERRY" Nasution
Current Status: In squad list (or should we say, in exile)
Nine years ago, up to this day, Gerry has been one of the staple keepers, and the most well-known holdover of the BoF66 winning squad. (The decision to put the first squad over the BoF66 winning squad would baffle most people, but that would be another topic for later). His name would appear on all the squad lists as of writing, and after making the transfer from Perotres to Perokojak in his second season, Mr. Nasution has never held back. Questions may be raised if it would be nigh time for him to hang up his gloves, amid concerns of an exclusion from future squads as long as Iqbal Prasetyo is in charge of the Pula Garuda.

Antonio Rafael "TONYO" Vera
Current Status: In squad list (fringe player)
Another recurring name in the goalie list for Filindostan, Tonyo has not been given proper chances to prosper in the international scene, despite being Fortunas' goal custodian for the past nine years. Has always been behind Gerry and Abram Jampang in the pecking order, and with the emergence of Cahya Kartawijaya, Tonyo's chances of establishing himself as the goalie of the future for the Filindos looks bleak.

Farah "FARAH" Kuniawan
Current Status: Playing domestically (for Perokotyog)
A lesser-known young keeper when she was included by then interim manager Willy Gurnawan in the initial squad, she quickly fell out of favor and was dropped prior to the submission of the BoF squad, as she had always been a backup to Wessel Lekatompessy at Perouno, and a backup to Tonyo even at the Under-21 squad during the Di Bradini Cup. Requested a transfer to Perokotyog, but even when she had a time to shine in her new team, international call-ups has still deserted her, with younger players such as Cahya and Abdi Amo being preferred over her.

Written by FSNA Staff.

Schedule - WC84Q
MD01: vs South Covello - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium) - Win, 2-1
MD02: at Qasden - T.V. City (Royal T.V. Stadium) - Loss, 0-1
MD03: BYE
MD04: vs Furby Island - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium) - Draw, 1-1
MD05: at Bliuji - undisclosed city (Domitia Stadium) - Draw, 2-2
MD06: vs Squornshelan Remnant States - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium) - Win, 2-1
MD07: ar Ziwana - Birnin-Likulu (Izula National Stadium) - Loss, 1-2
MD08: vs Mitra and Soma - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium) - Loss, 2-4
MD09: at Flavovespia - Marthorpe (City Arena) - Win, 2-1
MD10: vs Mustardy - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium) - Draw, 1-1
MD11: at Vakolicci Haven and Celeria - venue to be confirmed
MD12: at South Covello - Riverview (Revolution Stadium)
MD13: vs Qasden - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium)
MD14: BYE
MD15: at Furby Island - venue to be confirmed
MD16: vs Bliuji - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium)
MD17: at Squornshelan Remnant States - Lublova (Slavnarzeczpospolitastadion)
MD18: vs Ziwana - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium)
MD19: at Mitra and Soma - venue to be confirmed
MD20: vs Flavovespia - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium)
MD21: at Mustardy - Héronne (Johan Speck Nationalstadion Héronne / The Speck)
MD22: vs Vakolicci Haven and Celeria - San Marco (Filindostan National Stadium)

by **Audioslavia** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 6:41 pm

Original Script

Key:
Episode 1, Chapter 4.1 Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness.

[what the camera will be showing]
<notes>
*emphasis*
… <— pause for a beat
(Anything in brackets is either a line that may be difficult to say, so you could substitute something simple instead, or its a line that could be improved but I couldn’t think of anything good, so if anything good comes to mind, say that instead. )
Leave a brief pause between paragraphs for ease of editing.

<optional: introduce yourself. I’ll put the character’s name on the screen here anyway>

[redesigned scorigami chart]
This is our new-look Scorigami chart. This one works the same as the last, but now you have to pause the video to read it properly. Progress. Let’s update it with our first Scorigami.

[WC47 Scorigami chart, THE-Bettia score, Bettia post on WCDT, Bear Islands score]
It took six cycles, a little over a year, for the World Cup to give us our last Scorigami. World Cup 67 is barely two days old before we get a new one. The Holy Empire and Bettia go into the record books alongside such legends as Clavis, Pure Evil and, of course, The Bear Islands, our heroes of World Cup 46.

[Graph. NS Bears 10472, RL bears 1 (Neil Ruddock, England, 1994)]
Bears are well represented in NS Football, far more so than in RL States’s poor imitation of the World Cup, as this graph demonstrates.

[Bearbears signup post]
We think the first team of bear footballers broke onto the scene for World Cup 41. I say ‘we think’ because we’re not entirely sure if they were bears or not. All we know is that every footballing nation in history with the word ‘bear’ in their name has been full of bears, and this World Cup 41 team was called… Bearbears. Were Bearbears bears? (Nobody knows)

[Various Bear rosters/flags]
Either way, they stuck around for one cycle and one cycle only, as did our heroes The Bear Islands. The Ursine Northlands, too, were bears, and competed from World Cups 48 to 53, while Armed Bears took part between World Cups 58 and 65.

[Bears Armed flag]
With the possible exception of the Bearbears, all these teams are associated with, in one way or another, World Cup hall-of-famers… Bears Armed.

[Various Bears Armed RPs]
Bears Armed have been (hrruffing their way through international football) since World Cup 44. They’ve largely done things their own way. They count in base eight, their word for ‘right’ has two Rs and an H. In a few cycles, they’ll play in World Cups 66 and 67 at the very same time due to what they call a ‘cosmic time crisis’. They’ll bow out after cycle 76, (with the story of the World Cup more absorbing for them having been here)

[Something]
At the end of the Jolt era, Bears Armed witnessed the heroics of their fellow ursines on the Bear Islands. Bears Armed are thinking about getting in on the Scorigami action. Within ten cycles, they’ll have their own seat at the (picnic) table. Being bear-sized, they’ll need two seats.

[Bears Armed Scores]
As of World Cup 56, there are two teams who have won matches in which exactly *fourteen* goals are scored. Those teams are Bears Armed… and Bears Armed.

[Sensimillastan 2 Bears Armed 12 ]
A difference of ten goals is special, but at this point its short of a record margin of victory. What’s important though is that this is a Scorigami. Winning records can be beaten, but no man on earth can take a Scorigami away from you.

[Bears Armed 14 Peisandros 0]
This, however, *is* a record margin of victory. In World Cup 56 it’s a record by quite some distance, and 14-0 is a record that stands even today. No team has ever gotten near it. If one team ever does equal it, or surpass it, it won’t matter: Once you’ve attained Scorigami, no man can take it away from you.

Wait…

[Bears Armed WCDT post saying they want to officially change the score from 14-0 to 7-0 because winning 14-0 isn’t in character for the bears]
[Bears Arms RP stating the score was 7-0 but the referee was drunk and seeing double. It’s a godmod that the community feels is okay]
The records state that this was a fourteen goal win. A Scorigami. The World Cup’s greatest victory. The Bears attest that only seven goals were scored.

This is a display of the Bears’ famous sportsmanship… and an act of mercy, but with it, Bears Armed want to rob their opponents of their place in Scorigami history. No man can take away a Scorigami… but a *bear* might try.

What do we do here? The fourteen-nil scoreline will stay in the record books, but does it deserve a place on the Scorigami chart?
 I’m going to call it.

[score is removed from chart]
Seven goals were scored in that game. Not fourteen. Seven. This is not a Scorigami.

[14-0 score fades out]
[tilt up to a view of the horizon at high altitude]
The Bear giveth. The Bear taketh away. It’s fine. Bears take no joy from Scorigami… Let’s find someone who will.

[zoom into space]
[Chapter 4.2 Cluing in Qlumez]

[camera goes from earth to the moon. Somehow. I’ll figure this out. Qlumez’s 10-5 win is shown, as well as a very excited RP]
This is the second fifteen-goal scoreline in World Cup history.
Qlumez is ecstatic. So much so that he seems to list eleven goals instead of ten. We won’t be making any adjustments to the score. If you don’t want a Scorigami, we won’t force one upon you, but you can’t go *creating* goals. Still, their enthusiasm is a fantastic cure for the disappointment we suffered after our loss.

Qlumez has every right to be proud. The rest of the NS Sport community… decide to ignore them. Their feat is never mentioned by anyone else.

[WCDT, five months later. Qlumez asks if his scoreline is a record. The first post below is PIS talking about something else]
Even five months later, when Qlumez asks about it, he’s ignored. Gallingly, I’m the first person to ignore him. Shocking.

[Zoom on Qlumez’s signature, which shows the nation became Dainer]
Qlumez, let me answer your question here: Not only is your ten-five win a joint-record for the amount of goals scored in a match, this is a Scorigami. If only I knew how to contact you, I’d tell Jeremy Jaffacake to…

Wait a minute. I recognise that name…

Hey. Hey Jeremy… Do you have Discord open?

[finish on short video of a conversation between Audio and Dainer on Discord]

“And… that’s Episode 5 done. I quite like it, actually” said Jeremy, sitting back from his laptop and taking a deep breath. For once, he had a point. The first part was a bit slow and weird, but it was eminently watchable once the second half got going.
The man ignored him.
“I mean, there’s something I feel we’re missing” continued Jeremy. “Like… some part of my brain is shouting at me like I’ve forgotten something big, but I can’t place what it is”
“Well” said the man, “if you can’t think what it is, it can’t have been that important”
“Say that to my psychiatrist” said Jeremy.

Bonus Content
First take of the Moon scene. No vocals, just music.

by **Cassadaigua** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 7:08 pm

This is the final cutoff of the first half! After this, Baker Park takes over the scorination until the end of qualifying. Please note his slightly later cutoff times as posted in the first post of this thread.

Good luck! Enjoy the day!

scores

by **Brusseldorf** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 7:16 pm

Craig Foster had very much been looking forward to meeting Saitou Moriyase. He held the Kandorith manager in high regard, and was thrilled to find a common love of football. Their meeting was brief but productive, with Moriyase recalling Kandorith’s football greats and detailing their impressive history.

On paper, Los Alrededores fans perhaps could have expected a win, however Craig knew better than to underestimate their opposition.

Ricard Sciolan returned to the pitch following a one-match suspension, and immediately proved his worth with a textbook tackle on Masada Katano. A similar tackle from Zidane a few minutes later managed to bring Katano to the ground, inciting a few yelps from the away fans, but the referee deemed it a fair challenge.

As the first half looked to become a stalemate on the scoring front, Michael Hernández managed an impressive full-field run, blazing through the Kandorith midfield and past their backline. Hideyo Kiyotada made himself large, and was able to tip the one-on-one challenge over the bar, much to the delight of Kandorith fans. The admirable save also received some respectful applause from the home side, which Hideyo duly accepted.

Craig Foster exchanged a few words with Moriyase at half time, whilst the Little Alrededores played on the pitch with the mascots. Teddy Wolfenden came firing out of the gate in the 47th minute, scoring a 30 yard rocket that had the fans on their feet. Play continued end-to-end, but with the minutes running out, the scoring closed 1-0.

Craig was immensely proud of his side for their respectful performance, and the home crowd cheered for Kandorith player Yori Hisegawa, who was awarded man of the match for his clinical performance in the midfield.

by **Taeshan** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 7:53 pm

"With the win over Galar you sit 8 points clear at the halfway point, with only a single loss and a draw blemishing your record. How do you feel after the first half of qualifying"?

"Well. I feel like we should have scored more in two games and we'd be perfect. I feel like we could also have left in less goals. The defense is a little suspect, but good enough."

"Least goals allowed in the whole qualifying as well."

"Yes, we shut out, the Top seed, the third seed, and the fifth seed. But we're making mistakes against other squads. Tying the third worst team in the group in the opener. And a loss against the sixth seed at home. We can't afford that sort of mistakes against the better teams. Yeah we dominated the best team we'll play all season, but two weeks later we fell down to the second seed because of a loss against a team we should beat."

"How do you feel about the return legs"?

"I think the biggest problem is all the big return legs are on the road really. At Free Republics, Savojarna, and Schottia is worrying. Big wins against number 1, and 3 in the group. The biggest competitors for qualifying. We had a good first half. We can afford to drop a few points, but not a lot. Suddenly we lose to Schottia and Free Republics, and Schottia wins out, and we're one loss away from failing to qualify."

"Do you think you can challenge for the Group win"?

"I expect to. We beat them at home, but for all we know we visit them and they put a nice spot on us. Our defense is good, but our offense can be suspect. We can't get in track meets."

"So how do you bee more consistent in attack, and less scoring in bunches"?

"It can be difficult to stop a hot offense. But it can be difficult to make the fire light."

by **The Sherpa Empire** » Mon Dec 23, 2019 11:27 pm

The Duchess of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa -- who looked like a children's movie caricature of a snobby noblewoman -- was visiting the national capital with her fat spoiled children and a retinue of servants. The Emperor had agreed to receive her at the palace because he knew it would add fuel to the rumors about his health if he refused to see her. The imperial family concocted an excuse for Yahia and Debashish not to be there, since they knew the Duchess didn't approve of their marriage. They had an elegant dinner with various appetizers served on dainty porcelain plates, a main course of the finest roast beef that money could buy, and a selection of coffees and teas to drink. The Duchess of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had chosen a spiced chai with milk. She sipped at it timidly, like she wasn't sure if it would be up to her demanding expectations. The Emperor told her he was tired of all the arguing about the succession -- the same thing he had been telling everyone else who asked about it.

"If you are tired of all the arguing, then why don't you just settle it?" the Duchess asked.

"Because I don't know what I want to do," the Emperor answered.

"You don't think it's obvious?"

"No."

"You can't allow Debashish Morrison to inherit the throne," the Duchess said. "He is a commoner and the son of a foreigner."

"He's a decent man, though," said the Emperor. "If he was a lout, it would be simple -- but he's not. As crazy and stupid as it is, I understand what Yahia sees in him. He doesn't have the most polished manners, but he is a decent man, and the rabble like him. If I force him out of the line of succession, it will provide ammunition to the people who say the monarchy is an outdated institution."

"And if you allow him to inherit the throne, it will make the monarchy look like a bad joke," said the Duchess.

"Why don't you just let Yahia be Empress instead of Debashish or Wangdi?" asked 7 year-old Dolma of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Duchess' daughter.

The Duchess glared at the girl. "Dolma, what have I told you about interrupting when grown-ups are talking?"

Dolma slouched down in her chair so her eyes were focused on her half-eaten dinner instead of making eye-contact with any of the other people at the table. "I was just asking a question," she said sulkily. Without bothering to sit up properly, she grabbed another pastry and stuffed it in her mouth.

The Duchess still looked angry, but the Emperor gestured for her to let it go. "Don't worry about, Lhami. Kids will be kids," he said.

"What's so bad about asking a question anyway?" Dolma said grumpily. She was tired of sitting at the table and minding her manners while the grown-ups talked about boring grown-up talk. She was tired of trying to look dignified and not mess up her fancy clothes. She wanted to change into her pajamas and watch cartoons.

"He's the Emperor of Sherpaland, Dolma," the Duchess said. "You can't just pester him with any silly question that pops into your head."

by **The Andromeda Island Group** » Tue Dec 24, 2019 3:31 am

An apartment complex near the University of Joppa

Phil Thomas and Maddie Nichols talk at his apartment across the street from the University of Joppa Campus. Nichols often stays at Thomas’ apartment and was there during the past weekend while Thomas played with the rest of the team in Damankudi. Before the game was over, Maddie sent a message to Phil, telling him to come straight home as soon as he got back.

Thomas opens the door to his apartment. Nichols sits at his desk writing a paper on her computer.

“Maddie, what was so urgent?”

“Phil, there’s something I have to tell you.”

Phil looks at Maddie’s face. He knows what it is. He hugs her.

“I knew it. I knew it.”

“So, what are we gonna do?”

“Maddie, I’m on the Board of RockRight Records. This soccer thing doesn’t work out, we go to Nassau and take charge.”

“No, I mean about this?”

“We’ll have to miss the next game.”

“Why would you do that?

“Because there are more important things than soccer.”

Thomas goes into his room. He cones out with a ring case.

“Maddie, I love you. I should have asked you this months ago.”

----------

Wilson Pickett Teacher’s College Athletic Office.

Coach Jasmine Hawkins talks on the phone with Coach Kerri Zimmerman at Todd’s Cove.

“I just got the message from Phil and Maddie. We should have seen this coming.”

Hawkins listens to Zimmerman.

“I know, we’ve been cleaning up after this whole thing with Coach Jones…”

Hawkins listens to Zimmerman.

“You’re right. Who quits the two most prestigious soccer coaching positions in the Allied States to coach in Cassadaigua? What’s the name of the college?”

Hawkins listens to Zimmerman.

“You’re right. It doesn’t matter. What we do is, we salvage what we have. We try to squeeze a few more wins out of this crew.”

Hawkins listens to Zimmerman.

“You think Coach Fleming will take the job?”

Hawkins listens to Zimmerman.

“There isn’t a better coach in the country. If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t even have The Eagles now.”

Hawkins listens to Zimmerman.

“Yes. I’ll talk to you later. Bye!”

----------

University of Todd’s Cove

Practice ended a half-hour ago for the Big Island players. As of now, all but two of the National Team players play at the University of Todd’s Cove. One other, Chris Stonebreaker, plans to transfer to Todd’s Cove after the semester ends.

Rick Sprinkle had spent five years playing at Todd’s Cove. He is in his final semester as a player, and is uncertain about a great many things. After changing clothes, Sprinkle checks his watch and heads to his next class.

Sprinkle has spent the last two years playing under Coach Kerri Zimmerman. Sprinkle doesn’t just see Zimmerman as a Coach. He sees her as a friend.

Sprinkle is also a graduate student in the Mike Knox School of Government at Todd’s Cove. He plans to be a teaching assistant next semester until he earns his graduate degree.

As Sprinkle walks across campus, he sees a familiar, yet unexpected face. The lady waves across the way to Sprinkle.”

“Oona!”

Oona Kerry is supposed to be at the International School.

“What are you doing here?”

“I’m transferring.”

“To Todd’s Cove? Why?”

“The Mike Knox School of Government!”

Mike Knox is a former President of the Allied States.

“But why?”

“Knox was a good President.”

“I don’t disagree, but why here?”

“Two reasons, Rick. One is, being separated from the rest of the National Team in World Assembly Territory isn’t so great for my game.”

“And two?”

“You know #2 Rick.”

Sprinkle smiles. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Kerry approaches Sprinkle. She kisses him on the cheek.

“#2. Rick,” Kerry whispers.

After a pregnant pause, both Rick Sprinkle and Oona Kerry come to their senses.

“Where’s the Admissions Office?”

“I’ll walk you there.”

by **Zwangzug** » Tue Dec 24, 2019 7:39 am

Kairothletes: Aces low

After not-so-extensive deliberation, we decide to chicken out and not try trelisua's goal yet. So let's discard the "complete randomness" inverter, we can alter WC33 by the card that targets that era if and when we want to. Probably.

And now we have another patch that we didn't really want to play yet either--WC41', for another low-scoring LIDYT season without Rohit Sharma around to break records. Gasandar and Saturn both need this, but again, we can't really do either of them yet because they need the original WC64 and 78 respectively, both of which are now paradoxed.

This is getting difficult, so let's throw caution to the wind. We'll go ahead and use the inverter that targets the (original) Zwangzug team's era, and break up the Frisbee game that led to the formation of the national team. (Probably there were some robots down at the AIU that could have interceded, I don't know.)

This, in turn, paradoxes the ZWCOS of WC34E, our attainment of the Golden Haddock in WC36, Sharma's records, and the WC42 final. (As well as putting the WC37L shootout in jeopardy, but we don't really care about that one.)

No danger yet; we get the WC34L' patch, which would involve the Milchama fans blaming a goat curse for their team's failures rather than sacrificing rubber chickens to Margaret. (What a goat has to do with anything I have no idea, but they seemed to think our baseball broadcasters were perplexed with one, so who knows.) We don't need this, so let's discard.

Another patch we don't need this time around, for WC18', where the Druidans all decide to change their names to Andrew, in honor of politician Andrew T. Idder, rather than Margaret. (I wonder what Zwangzug's Andrew Card would have thought about that one.) Discard.

And now...one of the patches we do need but preferably not right now, when Krytenia pass 1000 games but nobody really cares in the absence of Rami Niblick or their commemorative Kirola kits. Saturn wants this played, as well as the LIDYT patch for WC41. But in order to get him home, we need the original World Cup 78, which...well, hold on. That only hinges on WC77, and we haven't played either of the patches that depend on that one. So it's a little inefficient, but I suspect we still could solve him without ruining everything, and then be able to flip WC77 back for Sâálvó and the others who need it.

Using the Restore History inverter, we target WC77' to return it to the real timeline where Ruland was destroyed, thus rippling to WC78 and WC80. Then we play the patches for WC41' and WC73', accomplishing Saturn's mission.

Saturn wrote:If you bet on sports with the knowledge I have, your yens would be totally inflated, too.

(Saitta 49, Friede 71)

by **Kelssek** » Tue Dec 24, 2019 8:54 am

Distant hopes still alive after fourth straight win
SOCCER: WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
by: Abigail Debuesy, staff writer
Reporting from Council Groves, Bears Armed

A wicked deflection from a long shot by Patrice Champetier made the difference as Kelssek won its fourth straight World Cup qualifying match against Bears Armed. Urrsa Irrumerrhabarra’s attempt to block the shot only managed to direct it past her own goalkeeper. Kelssek found it unexpectedly tough to get much more against the unranked Bears Armed team, who started off the qualifiers with a series of good performances but now seem to be levelling off after suffering a 5-1 thrashing against Valanora prior to this match at Wimbley Stadium.

Marc-Henri Normand kept a clean sheet to stake his claim to the starting spot, and had to be sharp to keep out a volley from point-blank range by o Redwood that looked certain to level the score in the 54th minute. First-choice keeper Kai Poirier is now ruled out for at least a month after suffering a facial fracture and concussion against Xanneria. He is unlikely to return for the next set of international fixtures, which includes a crucial match against Ethane.

Rémy Dionne wore the captain’s armband on the night with Ruslan Demetriev serving his suspension after an appeal against his red card in the match against Five Cities was rejected. Dionne credited the defensive effort of the team to hold on for the victory.

“I think we played the best road game today. That Bears Armed team is a high-power offence, very aggressive. This was a big effort to shut them out. We know every point is very important and we have to keep fighting.”

Manager Andrea Crowe put out a pacey lineup, hoping to use the speed of players like Colm Ó Tuathil and Ashley Douglass to create chances. Strikers Shaheen Taleb and Brayden Custworth were poor in front of goal however, failing to make their chances pay despite combining to put 15 shots at the goal but only forcing Ulga to make fairly textbook saves with the three shots on target between them. They will not have won much credit with the new national team manager on the strength of this showing.

But if anything, it was Gabriel Lapierre who looked the most annoyed as he sent through balls towards the two strikers again and again only to see the chances squandered. Custworth seemed almost embarrassed to face his teammate when he stayed face-down on the turf after he squeezed one of those chances past the near post, though he won't be the last player to panic with Urrth'hrra Mead bearing down on them.

Ethane won 3-2 against Valanora in the match between the teams occupying the two qualification slots in Kelssek’s group. While the gap is still 9 points, both teams are now level on points and Kelssek still has an outside chance of catching either one as the qualifiers reach the halfway point.

BEARS ARMED - 0

Ulga, Irrumerrhabarra, Mead, o Sarrndale, Russett (Rangh’arr 56’), Lightning, Kuthbearrh, Brent, daughter-of-Harrieth’hrra, White (Scarlett 70’), o Redwood (Thunderbolt 82’)

KELSSEK - 1
Champetier 12’

Normand, Liadon, Halliger, Pokorný, Douglass, Champetier, Dionne (Tremblay-Fillon 70’), Lapierre, Ó Tuathil (McDonagh 82’), Custworth (Kuelvic 76’), Taleb
Player of the Match: Gabriel Lapierre

Next match
Ethane (form: WWWWW)
Kelssek will be without Kai Poirier for this vital match in New Sarum. Ethane have won seven straight matches and come into this as the only team to have beaten Valanora this cycle.

by **Squornshelous** » Tue Dec 24, 2019 8:56 am

"I must admit, it's a very shrewd maneuver." Minister of Sport Sweyn Petrov was speaking to High Minister Riihijarvi. No virtuality this time, just a simple phone conversation, "Carter Marshall takes up a grandstanding position in opposition to our complaint, but in the same breath he admits that King was, in fact, benched as a result of his comments."

"I agree Sweyn. Our response must be equally nuanced. Do you have any thoughts?"

"Well, I suppose that would be more Minister Fedotenko's province than mine . . ."

"I will speak to Oleg in due course. Since when have we stood on ceremony Sweyn? I'm asking your advice as an old friend."

"Of course Bjarni, I simply didn't wish to overstep."

"Nonsense Sweyn, tell me what you think."

"Well, I assume Information Management has been hard at work trying to influence Sarzonian public opinion?"

"Of course, all the usual social media methods are being employed. If we can't turn the Sarzonians entirely against their government in this matter, we may be able to at least make this a contentious issue."

"It may be best to allow Information Management's efforts some time to take effect. If we refrain from any further public statement or escalation, we appear increasingly reasonable in the eyes of the public. Meanwhile, we instruct Ambassador Medved to indicate that, regrettably, the deportation of consular staff must go through."

"You don't think they will see that as an escalation?"

"We are simply following through on an earlier announcement. It is a regrettable occurrence, of course, but we are bound to enforce Squornshelan law, are we not?"

"Squornshelan law is what we say it is."

"Bjarni don't be dense. Rule of law prevails in most nations, even if it doesn't appear to. It is true that this government is afforded a great deal of leeway in how it interprets the requirement that it always act in the best interests of the Imperium as a whole, but we cannot wholly disregard our responsibilities for our own benefit. Our control over the population is more tenuous than some think."

"Now you sound like some revolutionary."

"Not at all Bjarni. I simply recognize that the perception of our actions as a government is much more important than whatever those actions may be. That is how order is kept, that is how the Imperium endures."

"Maybe so Sweyn, but there is only so far you can spin things."

"Of course, which is why we must always consider perception before we act." Petrov considered how he would continue carefully. Riihijarvi was an amateur as politics went, having simply shifted from being a figurehead for a variety of megacorporations to being one for the government. Petrov had positioned himself as a non-threatening, dependable advisor (after all, he was only Minister of Sport) and Riihijarvi seemed to trust him implicitly. He was wary, however, of tipping his hand too far. Give away too much, and Riihijarvi might feel he didn't need his old friend Sweyn for advice anymore. "No, the deportations must go through. We have no wish to do this, but it is required by law. That is the public face we must wear. We are working as hard as we can to resolve the problem, but we special dispensation is legally impossible."

"Publicly it may be palatable for some, but the Sarzonian government will see this for what it is."

"Of course they will, which is why we also instruct Medved to convey that the issuance of new visas might be expedited if we receive their full cooperation. We also indicate that we are open to talks to negotiate a new trade agreement between our nations. If Information Management are successful, their government will recognize our attempt at manipulation, but will be powerless to speak of it as such without antagonizing their own electorate and putting their offices in jeopardy. The offer will be clear: back down from their defense of this footballer, and their consular staff will be readmitted, with a future option to resolve the tariff if they continue to play along."

"Hmm," Riihijarvi was still affecting skepticism, but Petrov knew from his tone that he was convinced, "it could work I suppose. In any case, I'll discuss the matter with Oleg."

And claim the idea as your own no doubt. It doesn't matter, you'll be back next time you're stumped. Petrov smiled amiably, "Please give Minister Fedotenko my regards. Oh, and please don't let him suggest any military exercises as a show of force. I believe he's been spending entirely too much time with the Minister of Defense, picking up the most crude ideas about foreign policy."

"I'll keep that in mind, Sweyn. Talk to you again soon."

by **Bears Armed** » Tue Dec 24, 2019 9:36 am

Location: Wimbley Stadium, the Belles’ changing room
Time: shortly before the [MD11] match against Kelssek.

_______________________________________

(Lurrsee) “Urrgh-h-h…
“I don’t feel well. I hrreally don’t feel..”

She lurches over to a washbasin, and is sick into this. Once she seems to have stopped throwing up, at least for now, Karra Brent hands her a cloth to wipe her face with and a glass of water (drawn at a drinking-fountain just outside that room).

(Karra) “How bad is it, Lurrs’? Now?”

(Lurrsee) “I still feel wobbly. Better tell the coach that I’m out of play for this game, unless she wants to insist otherwise.”

(Karra) “Urrgah!
“Hokay, I’ll pop out and tell her. Steff, Harronna, can you hang around here in case Lurrsee suddenly needs immediate help.”

(Steffannee Bruin) “Ayyuh, of course.”

(Harronna Scarlett) “Hokay.
“Hr’rmm, do you suppose this sickness might due to some lingeringn after-effect of Lurrsee being transformed into an Equine and back, last week? And, if it was, does that mean that the rest of urrs are also at risk”

(Steffanne) “ Shhh! You might set some of the other girrls worrying before the match, hwhich could affect their play… and Lurrsee tested-out hokay as fully-recovered from that anyhows, just like everybearry else did, hwhen the doctors and mystics checked all of urrs hrright after we got back from Valanora… Hrright?”

(Lurrsee) “Ayyuh, so I did. No lingering after-effects at all…
“although I do still miss having wings: Being able to fly, hwithout needing an airplane, was hrreally FUN! ”

Lurrsee stops talking, and bends back over the basin — which has been washed clean by one of the changing-room staff while that short conversation took place — but only coughs a few times rather than vomiting again.

(Your view of this discussion, as an observer from beyond the ‘Fourth Wall’, fades to black…)

When the Belles go out onto the pitch, Marra ‘Little Storm’ O Redbank [#23] has been given Lurrsee’s usual place on the left wing, with Emerladina Sunbird [#34] — who had scored their only goal in the game against Valanora — replacing Marra on the bench.

Bears Armed vs. Kelssek
Venue: Wimbley Stadium
Score: 0-1.

Goals
Bears Armed (0): [i](none).
Kelssek (1): ~~Langelier @ 90+1’ (assist: McDonagh).~~
Red Cards
(none)

Substitutions due to Injury
(none)

(Reporters’ notes) and with Kelssek really flagging by that stage, if the match had gone into extra time then an Ursine victory would have seemed almost certain: As it was, though, McDonagh — probably more accustomed than most of his team-mates at facing players who aren’t human, bearing in mind that he plays otherwise for a team in Equestrian States — managed to intercept a pass aimed at Brent and then dribble it far enough forward for his own long pass to reach Langelier… who was lurking, just‘onside’, by our goal’s right post, and managed to slip it into the net from there despite a valiant effort by O TrustyHand. (I missed the fact that Kelssek had already posted a RP... Oops!
And that was it for the year: Ten games, starting with high hopes and a win, but ending with only three wins and two draws as against five losses for only place in the group. A hard lesson for the Belles to learn, that proven proficiency at the Under-Twentyones level does not automatically mean ability to compete successfully at the ’main team’ level as well…
Next year, though? That remains to be smelled… and the Belles will undoubtedly spend training time, before then, rehearsing ways to deal with — and maybeso themselves to use — some of the more “advanced” moves that they experienced from opponents during this year…

_______________________________________ _______________________________________

Location: Wimbley Stadium, the Belles’ changing room
Time: just after that game.

_______________________________________

(Karra Brent) “You’re pregnant?”

(Lurrsee Fane) “Ayyuh. Oops!”

(Karra) “Jammy Urrsen?”

(Lurrsee) “Ayyuh. Has to be.”

Karra chuckles briefly.

(Steffanne) “Hwhat’s so funny?”

(Karra) “Just thinking how her sister and my cousin will hrreact to this: I mean, Florise and Bark have been trying for a cub for years hwithout success and now Lurrs’ comes along with one that she wasn’t deliberately trying for… ”

(Lurrsee) “Oh yes, verrry funny… Not.”

_______________________________________ _______________________________________

Bear Belles’ schedule for World Cup #84 Qualifiers
Second series

Bears Armed begins this series at 8th in group)

Matchday 1: = ‘Appalachian Nation’ ( (ranked #182 [decimal] = #266 [octal]; last ‘Baptism of Fire’ => runner-up… position after First Series = 10th) = ‘home’ (Wimbley)
Matchday 2: = ‘The Five Cities’ ( ranked #269 (decimal) = #415 (octal); last ‘Baptism of Fire’ = Round-of-DoubleEight’… position after First Series = 11th) = ‘away’ (stadium name not announced)
Matchday 3: = ‘Xanneria’ ( ranked #56 (decimal) = #70 (octal); last World Cup => DNQ … position after First Series = 6th) = ‘home’ (Wimbley)
Matchday 4: = (bye)
Matchday 5: = ‘Ethane’ ( (ranked #32 (decimal) = #40 (octal); last World Cup = Play-offs/DNQ … position after First Series = 2nd) = ‘away’ (New Sarum, Ethane)
Matchday 6: = ‘Razneta’ ( unranked; no history at this level… position after First Series = 4th) = ‘home’ (NorthPort)
Matchday 7: = ‘Port Ember’ ( Port Ember’ (ranked #86 (decimal) = #126 (octal); last World Cup = DNQ… position after First Series = 5th) = ‘away’ (Waterstad International Stadium, Port Ember)
Matchday 10: = ‘Lisander’ ( ranked #125 (decimal) = #175 (octal); last World Cup = DNQ… position after First Series = 9th) = ‘home’ (Wimbley)
Matchday 11: = ‘Ouna’ (ranked #132 (decimal) = #204 (octal); last World Cup‘ = Play-offs/DNQ… position after First Series = 7th) = ‘away’ (stadium name not announced; nation CTE!))
Matchday 12: = ‘Valanora’ ( ranked #08 (decimal) = #10 (octal); last World Cup = Quarter-Finals … position after First Series = 1st ) = ‘home’ (Wimbley)
Matchday 13: = ‘’ ( ranked #47 (decimal) = #57 (octal); last World Cup = Group Stage… position after First Series = 3rd) = ‘away’ (Kirkenes, Kelssek)

by **Sarzonia** » Tue Dec 24, 2019 9:50 am

Greg Ballard spent most of his days as the Gray House Director of Information Technology Management huddled in a control room far away from the machinations of Sarzonian politics.

The Deputy Director for Social Media Administration, Margaret Westcombe, reported to Ballard. No one, not even President Haffner, sent out a Chirp or any social media post without her and her staff's careful evaluation. Her Associate Deputy Director, Kam Spencer, kept their eyes peeled for possible incursions by Doomie bots trying to stir tension via the use of Chirps sent to create discord among Sarzonians against their government or against each other.

He noted with a grimace after a trip to Annabelle's this morning that the morning cup of coffee that usually cost him $1.75 this time cost him $2.05. When he asked why, he was told there was an increase in the cost charged by the distributors. So, naturally, Annabelle's had to pass on their increased cost to their customers.

The price was still marginally less expensive than the Delaclav brew at Crusty Carl's, but with a Crusty Carl's literally on the way to the Gray House from his apartment building on Crescent Street as opposed to the slightly out of the way location of Annabelle's on Frontier Avenue, the cost benefit analysis was beginning to favour the trip to Crusty Carl's. Their coffee was always a special occasion drink for him and/or his staff whereas he was content with the daily trip to Annabelle's.

He'd heard some conversation about tariffs and was aware that Senate President Pro Tempore Walesca Gonzalez introduced a bill to impose a tariff on Squornshelan coffee imports as a retaliatory measure against the Squornshelan punitive tariff on Sarzonian tea exports. He'd also overheard a conversation between two External Affairs staffers who were talking about the possibility that Sarzonia would expel as many as 80 Squornshelan embassy and consular staffers. The conversation was relatively hushed, but he was close enough as he was adding Old Bay spice to his cream of crab soup at the cafeteria to hear the conversation.

"Eighty? Isn't that more than the Imperium is expelling, citing "expired visas"?" one staffer asked the other.

"Yes. I don't know if Conway is going to approve that number though. Sh- uh, he. Sorry! Pronoun problem! has already shot down our proposal to cite expired visas as the reason for sending them home."

"But why would he do that?"

"He says that increasing the number and using the Imperium's excuse would be seen as a cop-out."

"Then what is he proposing?"

"He hasn't sent that to anyone yet, but if I know the inner workings the way I think I do, he's going to drop the number to 40."

"I don't follow."

"His thought is that expelling a smaller number of Squornshelans would be a symbolic response, but having it be directly because of this row would make it clear that Sarzonia doesn't back down from deliberate provocations."

"I think I get it."

"That and the retaliatory tariff are both pretty big risks with the Imperium seemingly ready to deescalate matters."

"Seemingly?"

He leaned in to whisper since he'd caught a glimpse of Ballard.

"If Squornshelous is anything remotely as devious as those Goddamn Doomies, they'll try troll farms and bots to get our populace to demand that we back down from their threats." He looked and saw a flash of what could only be described as a lightbulb going on in his colleague's head, that I get it moment.

"We'd better let IT know!"

The older gentleman pointed out Ballard.

"Hey, Greg! Come over here for a second!"

Ballard walked over with his soup and sat down at the behest of the older staffer.

"Listen, I think the Imperium is up to no good."

"You forget, I work in IT," Ballard said with a wry grin. "We've already got our eyes peeled looking for signs of activity. We've also got an information management budget that includes millions of dollars for cyber defence." Ballard paused for a few valuable seconds, then smiled slightly, then added, "and cyber counter-attacks."

"What did you have in mind?"

"You know about the political situation between the Remnant States and the Imperium?"

"Yeah, of course."

"Well, we've got a few tricks up our sleeves with that. First thing's first, though, we're going to have a robust defence ready for those Squornshelan bots."

"Speaking of robust defence, our football team's wasn't that robust last night."

"Were you at Nottingham Pavilion for the match against Atlantic Republic?"

"Yeah. We allowed a couple of soft goals. Connelly took out Sandoval in the 34th minute because he looked terrible."

"Gomes played a hell of a lot better when he started. He also seemed to galvalise the team. They scored three goals in the second half."

"Wilson helped, too. Didn't he assist on the first two goals in the second half?"

"No, West assisted on the second. Wilson scored the match-winner."

"That's RIGHT! Wasn't it in the final seconds of second half stoppage?"

"Yes! It was!"

The conversation continued as they stared at the SNN news crawl on the big screen TV on the back wall. They would see that Parliament approved the tariffs, and the breaking news was the expulsion of 40 Squornshelan consular staff members.

They would see Conway on TV explaining the ISG's rejection of proposed "cooperation" with the Squornshelan government to prevent the expulsion of 70 Sarzonian staffers.

World Cup 84- RP Thread (IC)

WC84 MD11/Sarzonian Incident Part 3

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