Sporting World Cup 10 (U18 World Cup) Thread

[Uceria]

How do get in the sporting world cup 10 U18?

[Imperial Joseon]

조선황국 (Imperial Joseon)
한양방송국(Hanyang Broadcasting Station: HBS)
태산도, 태산 (Taeshan Island, Taeshan)

================================================================================

(TRANSLATION IN ENGLISH)

Hello, we bring you live the third and the final match of the tenth season of the U18 Sporting World Cup: Imperial Joseon versus Newmanistan. A victory or a draw in this match will guarantee a play-in match, in which a win is required to advance to the Round of 16.

[CAMERA SNIPS TO FIRST HALF]

(14th minute)

Cole Mahar attempts a stretch pass to Jordan Cooley near the center of the field, but the pass is blocked by MF Yoo Won. Yoo, then, passes the ball into the Newmanistan zone towards F Seo Woong In in the left wing. He dribbles the ball to the right, avoids a sliding tackle by jumping over the defender, maintains ball control, and shoots far from the penalty zone…and the ball is stopped by Mitchell.

(29th minute)

MF Yoo Won enters the Newmanistan zone and passes to F Kang Han Seon, who, then, flips the ball over to F Roh Gi Seok entering the right side of the Newmanistan penalty area with incredible speed. He is one-on-one against the goalkeeper and shoots low to his left….and it barely goes out-of-bounds! (14th and 29th Minute Highlights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIgn3LqD0bM)
[CAMERA SNIPS TO SECOND HALF]

(48th minute)

F Ha Bo Yeon is substituted with F/MF Seo Young Min.

(92nd minute)
Final whistle blows, and the score is a 0-0 draw, and Imperial Joseon secures her place in the Play-In Matchup that will ultimately determine the remaining teams to be headed to the Round of 16.

[Tamgu]

How do get in the sporting world cup 10 U18?

It's too late to join.

[Sarzonia]

As the referee blew their whistle to signal the end of Sarzonia's frustrating 2-2 draw with HUElavia, Von Page could be seen with their arm around Ben DiSoto. DiSoto's arm was around Page's as well.

The two Stars reserves walked off the pitch together after they exchanged shirts with the two players they'd been assigned to mark should everyone see the pitch. After they emerged from the dressing room, they saw a reporter who identified herself as being from The Portland Press-Herald. She was doing a story on the relationship between Page and DiSoto. She'd already talked to Page at great length and learned the anecdotes about the prom dress they wore and Ben's father getting into a heated argument with Vondell Page about how he treated his child.

She wanted to get Ben's perspective, but she felt stonewalled by Ben saying, "I really didn't think about it," when she asked him about his support for a gender non-conforming teammate.

"They're my friend," Ben said. "We've been friends ever since that football camp."

"How did you feel when Von came out to you as gender non-conforming?"

"Honoured," Ben said. "That they'd trust me enough to feel safe telling me something like that. That they felt they could trust me."

"Had you known any other kids who were gender non-conforming before Von?"

"Not personally," he said. "But our parents raised me and Kenny to respect everyone for their differences, and that our shared humanity overshadows our differences. All we want is for people to be happy."

"Did you have a sense when you met Von that h-uh, they were gender non-conforming?"

"No," Ben said. "I wouldn't have cared. If I knew, I would have just said, 'be you' and meant it."

"The night Von was kicked out, did you know your dad would have gone over to Mr. Page's house?"

"Yes. My dad loves them like they were his own child. He wouldn't have gotten into it with Mr. Page if he hadn't."

After the interview with Ben DiSoto wrapped up, another reporter approached him about the team's knockout round matchup against Poafmersia.

"We don't have a history with them in this or any football tournament," Ben said. "We're packing our warm weather gear that's for damn sure."

[Mavinet]

After the Facroa - Mavinet match
Al Haxire Stadium's dressing room
5pm

"Yes it's your damn fault Hai Anh! You only need to stay focus for another 3 minutes and we would have topped the league. But no, you have to turn off when it is most necessary." one can hear the frustrated and angry voice of Bao Lam from the tunnel leading into Mavinet's dressing room. He is clearly furious.

Hai Anh does not reply. He knows it was his mistake to misjudge the ball's trajectory and mistimed the jumping header. But to put all the blame on him for a 1-0 loss? That hardly seems fair, although he understands everyone's frustration, especially his friend Bao Lam's.

"That was f*cking stupid I tell you!" Bao Lam points at Hai Anh. "All we need was a draw and you made a mistake in the last minutes. I thought you were better than that."

"That's enough Lam." Hoang Khang decides to jump in to rescue the situation. "Hai Anh is a human. He can make mistake. It's not fair blaming everything on him."

"Oh no? That mistake was costly Khang. We all knew we couldn't afford to drop a point in this tournament."

"I think you're out of your mind. We never set out to win Lam. We got here by trying our best and working together. Seriously, one win against Starblaydia and you already think we are here to get the cup? Do I need to point out all the mistakes YOU made during the match?" Hoang Khang starts to lose his calm and raises his voice.

"If you aren't going out there trying to win then what are you playing for? Mistakes like his are why we keep being a pushover..."

"ENOUGH. CUT THESE TALKS RIGHT NOW OR ALL OF YOU ARE GOING HOME." an angry voice interrupt the fighting boys. It is the head coach, who just walked into the room.

He has been listening to the heated conversation outside after he finished the quick interview with the press. Feeling he cannot let the flow of negative emotions run wild anymore, he decides to step in.

"I know all of you are frustrated with the loss, but let me remind you that we didn't expect to go even this far in the first place." To everyone's surprise, the head coach doesn't follow up with a anger. He speaks with a calm but firm voice. "Bao Lam, I want to remind you the mantra I told everyone when we first met: one is none, eleven is one. Do you remember that? Competitiveness is good, but please remember life won't always be pleasant. We win and we lose. I saw Hai Anh's mistake, we all saw it. But the loss was not his responsibility to bear alone Lam. As a team we were all responsible for it. That includes me as well."

The whole team sit down to listen to the head coach. The atmosphere is still tense, but everyone now looks more contemplative and tired than angry and frustrated.

"Also, it is not the end of our journey yet, just to remind you all. We have another test coming up. It's challenging, but not impossible. Hai Anh, I know you feel personally responsible for this unfortunate loss, but I want you, as a captain, to show resilience and strength to continue fighting. Bao Lam, you are a kind person. I know you didn't want to say the words you said, but I really don't want to hear or see another conversation like this coming from you again. Don't let the win and false expectations lead you toward arrogance. All of you here are still young. This is a U18 competition, not a game of life and death. Even if we lose and get knocked out, I hope you will see the experience you have been privilege enough to get instead of the negative. Can we do this, boys?" the head coach looks to everyone and shows and kind smile.

"Yes, sir." Like always, the team responds together. It doesn't sound full of energy as before, but somewhere in their voices, one can hear a glimmer of hope.

----------------------------
Hotel room
Taeshan
9pm

Hai Anh turns off the bathroom's lights as he makes his way to bed, ready for a good night sleep after a tiring day. Right when he steps out of the bathroom, he hears knocking on the door. Who could it be? Everyone should be in their room already, and he didn't call any room service.

It is Bao Lam. He tried going to bed early, but he tossed and turned just like that first night he figured out he was going to play for the U18 national team. Except this time, there is no excitement, no happiness, just guilt and disappointment. He can't believe he said those words to his friend. And it wasn't like the team was knocked out. In the heat of the moment, the frustration he felt blinded him from seeing how much a jerk he was to not just his two friends, but to everyone else in the team witnessing the whole thing. He decided he need to do something about it, or else he will not be able to rest for the night.

"What are you doing here Lam? Are you lost?" Hai Anh was surprised to see his friend standing in front of him when he opens the door.

"Man, I ... I just wanted to say I'm sorry for my stupid behaviors in the dressing room. I ... I didn't think things through." Bao Lam finds himself stuttering through his sentences. He needed to do it, but why is it so hard to say sorry.

"Are you saying that only so you can sleep?" Hai Anh wants to tease his friend a bit.

"What? No. I mean it. I was a douche to you. I shouldn't have blamed you for this."

"Yes you WERE a douche Lam. And ok, you can go to sleep now." Hai Anh says with a straight face.

Bao Lam is a bit surprised that his friend doesn't seem to accept his apology. But come to think about it, what he said to Hai Anh was harsh, and it would be silly to believe everything will be forgiven just with a sorry. Bao Lam nods and looks down, waves goodbye to his friend and turns away.

"Oh alright. Stop looking like you just lost your money, unless you did, I don't know. I don't hate you Lam. I know it was a difficult result to swallow and you needed an outlet. Just ... don't do it again, ok?" Hai Anh finally says.

Bao Lam turns back and sees his friend smiling at him. A heavy rock in his heart was just lifted.

"Of course not. If you make another mistake like that, I will just stop talking to you." Bao Lam sticks his tongue and smiles the brightest since the match. "Good night buddy. We have another match to finish. If this is the last match, let's end it strong."

"We will! Good night Lam."

----------------------------
Lineup for Play-in match with Gergary

[Taeshan]

Play-In Results

Busoga Islands 3-3 Hapilopper (4-3 AET)
Mavinet 0-2 Gergary
Chromatika 0-2 Ziwana
Imperial Joseon 1-0 Strayquestria and the Wolflands


Which means you're Round of Sixteen is

Match 1: Baker Park vs Imperial Joseon @ Greenville Sanitation Park, Atlantea Island
Match 2: Facroa vs Bolgano @ Stairway to Heaven, Wolf Island
Match 3: Filindostan vs Busoga Islands @ Stadium on the Lake, Lake Island
Match 4: Sarzonia vs Poafmersia @ The Haberdashery, Williams Isle
Match 5: Darmen vs Ziwana @ X Island Metropark, X Island
Match 6: Taeshan vs Savojarna @ Atlantea Coliseum, Atlantea Island
Match 7: Tamgu vs Gergary @ New Capetown Memorial Park, Cape Island
Match 8: Newmanistan vs HUElavia @ Fadrön University Field, Taeshan Island

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

U18's to face newcomers in Round of 16
by Oliver Stanley
The Post Soccer Correspondent

This edition of the Sporting World Cup saw an influx of first time nations participating, and pushing the total number for the group stage to 40; as was true during the World Cup Qualifying, the new kids have jumped straight into the competition with no fear of the established powers in the sport.

The list of qualifiers to the knockout stage is as surprising as the list of big names missing--Equestria, Cassadaigua, Free Republics and Starblaydia all will be watching from home while Mavinet, Facroa, Gergary and Imperial Joseon, in addition to BP's group mates Ziwana, all continue the chase.

The ten group winners were seeded, as were the ten runners-up, and Baker Park were given the overall #1 slot, which will see them square off against Imperial Joseon--1-0 winners over Strayquestria & the Wolflands in the preliminary play-in match--the winner of which will face the winner of Facroa & BOLGANO in the quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Ziwana knocked out Chromatika and will play Darmen, and Gergary eliminated fellow newcomers Mavinet to set up a match against Tamgu; the Busoga Islands knocked off last tournament's runner-up, Happilopper and now will meet Filindostan.

The Commonwealth capped off their Group B schedule with a 3-2 win over Oberour Ar Moro, which combined with Ziwana's 3-1 win over the Dagan meant that they pipped OAM to the second spot.
Alonzo Boyle netted his third goal of the tournament, with Ben Moorman and Olivia Ryan each getting a tally also.

Manager Darren Kirby says there must be no complacency by the Bees when they take the field in Greenville. "(Imperial Joseon) are a really young side, they have only five 18 year olds on the roster. They are going to bunker in, play with 9 or 10 behind the ball, and look to get that one chance to score and try to steal a 1-0 result. We need to be completely focused on keeping discipline, not giving away fouls or be sloppy with the ball."

lineup:
Murray; Slater, Kucera, Jorgensen; Park, Logan, Shanahan, Altman (C); Boyle; Obulundi, Engels

[HUElavia]

HUElavia draws with Sarzonia for a spot in the RO16!

HUElavia has a good match versus Sarzonia, which saw Los Amarillos take a lead in 5 minutes after a cross by Ramirez met the head of Almeida to make it 1-0. Seven minutes later in the 12th minute, a shot from Sissoko from about 30 yards went in to make it 2-0. HUElavia had a lead for most of the game until the 80th minute rolled around, with two corners in the 80th and 85th minute from Carson met the heads of Clarke and Vargas to tie the game at the definitive 2-2 draw.

HUElavia will play against Newmanistan in the Round-of-16, with Los Amarillos being slight favorites in the match. This is the first time these two teams meet.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

PLAYOFF TIME

by Brianne Henry,

After finishing a scoreless draw with Imperial Joseon, Newmanistan officially clinched their spot in the knockout round of the Sporting World Cup. It was a match in which Haylee Mitchell, ranked 11th by the ENSS, put on a show in goal. The game was evenly played overall, but Mitchell put on some good saves. At 17 years of age, Mitchell is projected to be selected in the upcoming ESL entry draft, and Haylee is really excited about that, pointing to Newmanistanian baseball players as her motivation. “I love being a Newmanistanian, I am so honored to represent this country. Gender equality is so great here, just look at our baseball team how many female athletes have become superstars. I am not that good at baseball, but I still looked up to them for what they accomplished in their sport.”

Women playing professional soccer is nothing new in Newmanistan. You can go back to the days of the McAllister’s to find female players earning caps on the national team. Even Courtney Keisler, the daughter of our legendary pitcher, Stacey Keisler, chose to pursue a career in soccer instead of baseball, and became the first and still the only Newmanistanian (and that probably will not change) to represent the Empire in both the World Baseball Classic and the World Cup. Since Newmanistan returned to international play, women have not been seen on the roster, but Mitchell hopes to one day represent the senior team. “I have to say, there is a lot on my mind,” Mitchell said, “Right now, I am just looking forward to the draft and figuring out who I will be playing for. Playing in the World Cup one day is something that I have on my bucket list of goals that I want to accomplish, but that’s not right now. Right now, it’s about getting drafted eventually, but more so representing the Rockets in the Sporting World Cup.”

There are several teams that might go with Mitchell with their first round selection, with the Nashua Broncos, at #5 overall being the first squad that might do so. However, the Broncos have many problems, and they might not want to go with a goalkeeper so early. Reggie Claiborne, the teams scouting director admits, “We like Haylee Mitchell, but right now we don’t know for sure if that will be the best usage of that pick. We need to improve in other areas, too.” A possible spot could be the Jessicaville Millionaires, who pick #23 overall but might be able to trade up. Benny Teegan, the scouting director of the Millionaires admits, “We have been talking to teams about a move up to improve our defense, and in goal could be one of the areas we do that in. We have plenty of assets, and obviously plenty of cash to help convince any of the small market teams picking in front of us to make a deal. We are proactively watching the Sporting World Cup expecting that we could land pretty much anyone.”

Newmanistan will play HUElavia, a surprise qualifier for World Cup 84 that then went on to have a pretty good run. Naturally, the team is hoping that the coattails effect from that run carries on the their junior team, but Mitchell was quick to point out that, “HUElavia was not the only team to surprise in World Cup qualifying.” She would be correct, given the scare that the Rockets put in both Audioslavia and Sargossa within their qualifying group. The teams do not have any history against one another, and both eagerly aspire to open up that history with a win.

[Imperial Joseon]

조선황국 (Imperial Joseon)
한양방송국(Hanyang Broadcasting Station: HBS)
태산도, 태산 (Taeshan Island, Taeshan)

================================================================================

(TRANSLATION IN ENGLISH)

Hello, we bring you live the play-in match, in which a victory assures an advance to the Round of 16. This is Lee Yong Ho and next to me in the broadcast booth is Lee Pyo Yong. Mr. Lee, what do you think Joseon brings to the field on today's match?

[Lee Pyo Yong] First of all, Strayquestria and the Wolflands brings fast ball play, where players run fast on the left and right side, as soon as the midfielders send the ball to them from the center line. Joseon players have to be aware of that.

[Lee Yong Ho] It's fighting fire with fire. They have a very similar style of play as we do, and we need to be precise on every one of our passes and dekes. Well, the players from both teams are coming out from their locker rooms....

[CAMERA SNIPS TO FIRST HALF]

(7th minute)

A corner kick is about to begin with Joseon's possession of the ball. MF Yang Ji Hwan kicks the ball low, and the Strayquestrian defenseman defends and kicks the ball safely out of the penalty area.

(28th minute)

A Strayquestrian forward receives a side pass from a Strayquestrian midfielder. Then, the forward dribbles the ball to the center just outside of the penalty area and shoots a high, long ball towards the goalkeeper Seo Won Sang. Seo just reaches the tip of his hand on the high ball, and takes it out of bounds for a Straquestria corner kick.


[CAMERA SNIPS TO SECOND HALF]

(48th minute)

F Chae Young Min is substituted for F Ahn Si Won. This is Ahn's debut game, and he's fourteen years old. Very young.

(78th minute)

MF Yoo Won drives the ball into the Strayquestrian zone. He sends a high pass towards F Roh GI Seok on the right. F Roh Gi Seok tries to keep the ball on his feet, and the ball almost goes out of bounds for a goal kick, but he save it. He drives the ball left into the penalty zone, dekes one defenseman, and shoots...GOAL! Oh, what a goal by F Roh Gi Seok! 1-0 Joseon! (https://youtu.be/6qZa0kdeEuk) F Roh Gi Seok! Celebrated by the Joseon fans who travelled all the way to Taeshan to see their team play! The Joseon flag can be seen around the stadium, and it's being held high, as Joseon takes a lead against Strayquestria and the Wolflands!

(93rd minute)
Final whistle blows, and the score is a 1-0 victory for Joseon! Imperial Joseon is going to the Round of 16! Baker Park. here we come!

[Taeshan]

Round of Sixteen

Baker Park 0-1 Imperial Joseon @ Greenville Sanitation Park, Atlantea Island
Facroa 1-4 Bolgano @ Stairway to Heaven, Wolf Island
Filindostan 3-1 Busoga Islands @ Stadium on the Lake, Lake Island
Sarzonia 0-0 Poafmersia (0-0 AET, 3-2 PKs) @ The Haberdashery, Williams Isle
Darmen 2-1 Ziwana @ X Island Metropark, X Island
Taeshan 0–1 Savojarna (Drawkland Scorinated) @ Atlantea Coliseum, Atlantea Island
Tamgu 3-0 Gergary @ New Capetown Memorial Park, Cape Island
Newmanistan 0-2 HUElavia @ Fadrön University Field, Taeshan Island

Quarter-Finals

Bolgano vs Imperial Joseon @ The Dome, China Island
Filindostan vs Sarzonia @ Stadium on the Lake, Lake Island
Darmen vs Savojarna @ X Island Metropark
Tamgu vs HUElavia @ New Capetown Memorial Park

[Imperial Joseon]

조선황국 (Imperial Joseon)
한양방송국(Hanyang Broadcasting Station: HBS)
아틀란티아도, 태산 (Atlantea Island, Taeshan)

================================================================================


(TRANSLATION IN ENGLISH)

[Lee Yong Ho]
Hello, today, we bring you a live match of Round of 16: Joseon versus Baker Park. Joseon has had a tough climb into the Round of 16, and today will also be a tough matchup against Baker Park, the defending Champion of Sporting U-18 World Cup.

[Lee Pyo Yong]
Yes, this team is 22-3-3 all-time in this championship, and it has many talented players with great finesse and physicality. On other hand, we have some great speed and ball control skills. Remind you, Park Jae-Sung in Baker Park is a first-generation immigrant from our country.

[Lee Yong Ho]
Yes, Park is a player with high speed and explosive shooting skills, and this is why we need to check on him as many times as we can. Who's your key player from Joseon for today's game?

[Lee Yong Ho]
I think Roh Gi Seok has what it takes to win a game. He's just like Park in that he has high speed, dribbiling skills, and explosive shooting skills.

[Lee Yong Ho]
Okay, the game now starts with players singing their national anthems....

================================================================================

[Camera snips to First Half]

(2nd minute)
Ben Moorman dribbles the ball to the midline and makes a short air-ball pass to the left to Phan My Kieu. Kieu, then, passes the ball straight to Donahue in the penalty area. As he is one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Joseon defenseman, Han Sang Jo, pushes Donahue's back with both hands. The referee signals a penalty! Joseon players complain to the referee, but the referee adamantly refuses to change his mind.

Peter Oblundi sets up for a penalty kick, and Joseon goalkeeper, Seo Won Sang, tries to elude the kick to his left and to distract the kicker to raise the probability of stopping or missing a goal. Oblundi shoots to the low left, and Seo Won Sang blocks the shot with both of his hands, and the ball goes out-of-bounds for a corner! Great stop by Seo!

(11th minute)
Baker Park midfielder Park Jae-Sung from left of the center mark makes a stretch pass to Kieu. Kieu, then, to Oblundi. Oblundi slowly tries to encroach into the Joseon penalty area, but seven Joseon players are tightly guarding the penalty area. Oblundi attempts a deke, but the ball is taken by Joseon.

(19th minute)
A free kick for Joseon from the about twenty meters outside the penalty area towards the right. Yang Ji Hwan attempts a kick. He kicks and a header chance for Shin Beom Sik...and the ball goes out-of-bounds.


[Camera snips to Second Half]

(48th minute)
Park Jae-Sung uses his speed to dribble the ball past the Joseon defensemen, and he is all alone against the goalkeeper, Seo Won Sang. He shoots....but Seo makes an acrobatic leg save on a low, hard shot.

(68th minute)
Antoine Jones has a free kick chance from the right side of the Joseon penalty area about three meters away. He crosses the ball to Ben Moorman, and Moorman receives the ball with his feet and shoots...and oh, Kim Jung Ho blocks the shot by sliding towards the ball.

(90th minute)
Yoo Won makes a long, high stretch pass to Roh Gi Seok from below the midline. Roh Gi Seok gets the ball by using speed and shoots to the right side of the goalkeeper Brad Murray with a low shot and he scores! Roh GI Seok! Once again! And Joseon substitute players and in-filed players both pile up on Roh to celebrate! 1-0 Joseon, and it's against the defending champion, the first seed overall in this tournament, Baker Park!

(91st minute)
Whistle blows, and what a miracle! Joseon has won, and they are going to the quarterfinals to play against Bolgano!

[Sarzonia]

If you ever want to cause consternation in a Krytenian, a great way to do it is to utter three words that hearken back to football nightmares from the past.

"Sarzonia on penalties."

Now Poafmersia will get a taste of that unpleasant experience as the Sarzonian Under 18 national team knocked them out of the 10th Sporting World Cup after regulation and extra time both ended with neither team denting the back of the net.

Sarzonia converted its final three penalty kicks after Poafmersia made their first two.

Goalkeeper Timothy Raintree was the beneficiary of the goalkeeper's best friend when Bridgett Elliott's bid with the third shot of the round clanged off the post. Raintree guessed correctly on the fourth shot, by Rodolfo Middleton, while Quintin Gross's bid sailed high.

For the Stars, Kristine Lynam fired toward the middle, which goalkeeper Nicole Potts saved easily. The second shot, by Ian Clarke, sailed wide to the right of the net. With the Stars down 2-0, Von Page went up to Raintree and patted him on the shoulder. Avarel didn't hear what they said, but the small bit of encouragement helped.

Meanwhile, Tommy Marcus, Sheila Carson, and Coy Reynolds all scored. When Reynolds buried his shot past Potts after Gross fired high, the exhausted Stars felt a burst of elation and piled on top of each other in wild, cathartic relief. They were through to the quarterfinals where they would face Filindostan.

The matchup and the history of Filindostan would be fodder for later. In the moment, the Baby Stars had a defining moment when they collectively grew together as a team.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

U18's stunned in Round of 16 by new boys.
by Oliver Stanley
The Post Soccer Correspondent

In an instant, it was all over. One kick just out of reach and the dream of the Baker Park Under 18 side of becoming the first 3 time champions of the SWC was finished.

The team from Imperial Joseon continued their streak of 1 goal matches, as a late strike from Roh Gi Seok found the far post beyond Brad Murray's reach in the final minute of the match, and now advance to Bolgano in the quarterfinal.

Manager Darren Kirby found it hard to find fault with his players effort, but refusing to pin the loss on 'bad luck'. "No, could we have executed certain things better? Of course. But I won't insult those kids (Imperial Joseon) by calling it luck or saying we had an off day. Give them credit they deserve, they've played the same way for 5 matches now, and it has worked for them."

A disappointed captain Freddie Altman tried to bolster the spirits of his teammates at the final whistle, before being the first BP player to go over to congratulate the winners, followed by the other six members of the squad who were in the squad as 16 year olds that fell to Banija in the quarterfinal on penalties. "It's hard to learn that nothing lasts forever, that this is something you have to be prepared to face. Darren told us that we had been worthy, honest champions, but part of that is being able to move on when the fight is over."

[Taeshan]

Quarterfinal cutoff scores to come imminently.


Quarterfinals
Bolgano 0-1 Imperial Joseon @ The Dome, Ojian, China Island
Filindostan 0-3 Sarzonia @ Stadium on the Lake, Laketown, Lake Island
Darmen 1-2 Savojarna @ X Island Metropark, X Island, X Island
Tamgu 0-2 HUElavia @ New Capetown Memorial Park, New Capetown, Cape Island

Your Semi-Final Matchups

Sarzonia vs Imperial Joseon @ X Island Metropark, X Island, X Island
Savojarna vs HUElavia @ Stairway to Heaven, Mt Ceabring, Wolf Island

[Sarzonia]

A team that just survived penalties during a knockout round match can respond in a couple of ways. They can either be spooked by the near defeat or exhausted to the point where the result might as well be a Pyrrhic victory.

They could also respond by being inspired by luck, fate, determination, or a variety of other factors and use the close result to propel them onward.

This Sarzonian Under 18 national football team did the latter, playing by far its strongest all around match of the Sporting World Cup and defeating Filindostan 3-0 behind two goals from Ian Clarke and a goal and an assist from Kristine Lynam.

Sarzonia's reward for their impressive performance? A date with Imperial Joseon, who have streaked since they competed in the play-in match.

Manager Diogo Avarel said the Stars would not take Imperial Joseon lightly.

"They're a great side and they're peaking at the right time," he told the assembled media in the press room at the stadium. "They sent the defending champions home and they're riding a three-match winning streak. They haven't lost since they faced Vdara on Matchday Two."

When a Joseon reporter pointed out that the Stars were 4--1-0 and their only blemish was a 2-2 draw against HUElavia, Avarel pointed out that results in the group stage didn't necessarily carry over to the knockout rounds.

"Only Abanhfleft conceded more than we did during the group stage," Avarel said. "We've played much better on defence since. We couldn't get anything going against Poafmersia for 120 minutes of football." Avarel said he and assistant manager Tim Lankford discussed Roh Gi Seok and announced they would assign Chris Jones to mark him.

"Roh scored both the winning goals against Strayquestria and the Wolflands in the play-in match and the goal against Baker Park, so we really need to make sure he doesn't get a chance to do damage against us," Lankford said in his meeting with Avarel.

"Agreed. Do you think Chris can handle the match-up or do you think we need to assign him a different mark?"

"I think Chris can handle it. He's got some pace and he can be a little physical with Roh if necessary to slow him down."

"Alan's a pacey player and we can switch him on Roh if need be."

For their part, all the coaches agreed they had confidence in Timothy Raintree in goal after a shaky group stage. During the two knockout round matches, Raintree did not allow a goal in 210 minutes of play, only allowing two penalties to Poafmersia after regulation and extra time did not result in either team scoring.

Regardless of whether the Stars make it to the medal stand in this, their inaugural appearance in the Sporting World Cup, the Stars have already made a statement.

Football is back in Sarzonia. And the Stars are going to have fun.

[Imperial Joseon]

조선황국 (Imperial Joseon)
한양방송국(Hanyang Broadcasting Station: HBS)
중도, 태산 (China Island, Taeshan)

================================================================================


(TRANSLATION IN ENGLISH)

[Lee Yong Ho] Ladies and gentlemen, the Quarterfinals match against Bolgano is about to begin. Imperial Joseon has pulled a difficult victory once again. Victory in this game will take them to the Semi-finals, an accomplishment astonishing for a 16th-seed team. Mr. Lee[Pyo Yong], what do you think Joseon should do to defeat Bolgano in this match?

[Lee Pyo Yong]Bolgano is a tricky team to defeat. They have amazing speed on their forward line, and they are excellent in set pieces, so Joseon will have to be careful not to give up free kicks and corner kicks.

================================================================================

(Camera snips to First Half.)

(14th minute)
Bolgano has a free kick on the right side of field near the Joseon penalty area. Bolganese player makes a kick highly towards the Joseon penalty area, and a Bolganese forward heads a ball straight to goalkeeper Seo Won Sang. Seo catches the ball and smothers it with his hands.

(30th minute)
Joseon midfielder Yoo Won makes a long pass to Roh Gi Seok, as the latter makes a dash to the penalty area, but a Bolganese defenseman slides to kick the ball out-of-bounds for a corner kick.

(44th minute)
Roh Gi Seok dekes from left to right against a Bolganese defenseman and shoots the ball highly out-of-bounds just outside the penalty area.


(Camera snips to Second Half.)

(58th minute)
A fourteen-year-old Ha Bo Hyeon has a chance at the free kick just inside the Bolganese zone near the center line. He makes a quick, stretch pass, when all of the players except for Seo Woong In were not paying attention. Seo Woong In easily enters the penalty area, shoots to the right with an inside kick, and scores! 1-0 Joseon! The crowd celebrates, and the Joseon players celebrate with joy by piling on top of Seo! (http://youtu.be/Rhmh5KHTs5c 0:20-0:35)

(77th minute)
Yoo Won finds space in the center of the penalty area. He attempts a strong shot, and it's off the crossbr! The goalkeeper dives, but he can't make the save. He's lucky that the crossbar got the ball out-of-bounds.

(80th minute)
Ha Bo Hyeon is substituted with Kim Yeong Gyu.

(85th minute)
Han Sang Jo is substituted with Seo Jae Yoon.

(92nd minute)
The final whistle blows, and Joseon is moving to the semi-finals against Sarzonia!

[HUElavia]

HUElavia shuts out teams en route to the Semis!

HUElavia once again makes history in another sporting tournament, becoming one of the great revelations in youth football, this time earning historic victories throughout the tournament. This was their first appearance in the knockouts, with pundits believing that the squad had potential to make a deep run. This has exactly been the case.

The Round-of-16 match was played against Group F winners, Newmanistan. The matched looked even on paper, as both teams had talented youth that can make an impact. The match was played at Fadrön University Field, in Taeshan Island, with the crowd being slightly Pro-HUElavia, with a sizable section being yellow. The first half saw both teams play cautious and no real chances were done as the half ended 0-0. The second half was more of the same, as the match saw both teams try something, but to no avail. That is, until the 82nd minute, as a hard foul by Reed over Hamada in the box made the referee blow the whistle to call a penalty and hand over a straight red card to Reed. Navarro stepped up and blasted it in past Mitchell to make it 0-1. HUElavia now had the advantage, and just kept attacking and attacking, until the 88th minute rolled around, and a pass from Almeida met the boot of Alejo, who gave a low shot that was unreachable for Mitchell and made it 0-2, with the HUElavian crowd jumping to celebrate, making the stadium rumble, while Alejo was mobbed for sealing the victory. HUElavia advanced to the quarter-finals with a hard-fought and earned victory. Notably, Almeida was named Player of the Match for his passes setting up the two goals.

The Quarter-Finals was played against Group D winners Tamgu, at New Capetown Memorial Park in Cape Island. This time a very large crowd of HUElavians arrived, in what made the stadium look like a home match for Los Amarillos, with 3/4ths of the stadium being adorned in the colors of Yellow, Blue and Green. The match saw HUElavia as strong favorites against the upstart Tamgu U18 squad. The match was exactly that, as a counter attack in the 7th minute allowed Almeida to pass towards Navarro, who curved the ball past Gosdin-Tüleno and go into the back of the net, opening the scoreline to make it 0-1. With the spectacular goal, this made the crowd jump up to celebrate and make the stadium rumble while Navarro was mobbed. Los Amarillos had the advantage, and in the 23rd minute, a cross by Ramirez allowed Hamada to chest the ball down and blast it in past Gosdin-Tüleno, to make it 0-2, and Hamada was also mobbed for her great goal. Tamgu tried to attack and attack, but the HUElavian defense took care of every possession, frustrating the efforts from The Eyasses. The second half was the same in defensive effort, and HUElavia took the vital victory to make an appearance in the Semi-Finals, a first for this team. Navarro was named Player of the Match for his spectacular performance.

The Semi-Finals will be against Savojarna, Group H winners, which will be held at Stairway to Heaven, at Mt Ceabring, Wolf Island. The match is viewed evenly, with either team having a chance to advance. Regardless, the fans are backing this team and have faith in the squad, coming out in droves, with the squad feeling confident in possibly making history for HUElavian Football, and giving a name for themselves.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Imperial Joseon]

X Island Training Facility
X Island, Taeshan

===============================================================================

An elderly man wearing a purple silk robe and a black headdress, the back of which is protruding is walking towards the Joseon squad training inside the X Island training facility. He is accompanied by four guards. He, then, shouts at the players and the coaches:

"황몀이요!" (This is the command from our Divine Empress!).

Every player, coach, and the staff bowed on their knees and put their head down.

The elderly men spoke: "I am Jeong Geun Pil, a messenger of our Divine Empress. I hereby speak on the behalf of our Empress!"

He, then, opens the scroll, and declares the following:

"짐은 이 대회에 성과에 대하여 몹시 기뻐하노라. 짐은 감독들 그리고 선수들한테 우리 조선에 자존심을 세워서 고맙다고 전해주고 싶다. 하지만 이제 두경기가 아직 남았으니, 끝까지 전력을 다해 이 대회에 우승하기를 바란다. 이 대회에 우승을 한다면 짐이 아주 큰 벼슬을 내릴것이다."
(English translation: I am pleased to see the excellent results in the tournament. I am grateful for the coaches and the players for making Joseon a prideful nation. However, there are two matches left, and I hope all of you work your best to hold the championship cup. If all of you win this tournament, I will reward you without hesitation.)

Then, the coaches and the players leveled their heads and shouted: "태후폐하 만세! 태후폐하 만세! 만세!"
(English translation: Long Live our Divine Empress!)

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
U-18 gains a following after Darmen victory

X-ISLAND (TAE) -- Savojarna may not traditionally care much about youth football, but the U-18 Northlights have triggered a wave of support back home following their victory over Darmen for a semifinal qualification in Taeshan. They have won over their fans with a brilliant display of Savojar qualities. Endurance, hard-fought games, and pouncing on failures have been at the very core of the Savojar U-18 team, and they are littered with a few exciting future SFS stars. The combination has drawn in an audience, no doubt supported by the success that the team has been able to find. The side has been relatively slow to pick up steam, managing only two draws after the initial victory over Xanneria, but they have managed to rise to the occasion in the knock-outs.

Playing hosts Taeshan in the octofinal, the support had been impressive as Savojarna is grasping at every chance to live out the rivalry with their Northern neighbours, even if it’s on the U-18 level. Like so often with the two, play was defensive and cautious, but eventually the Savojars broke the seal late in the second half with a daring substitute. Taking out Fjellberg, they entered Oleg Trikhichev into play, a daring and spectacular offence-heavy winger from the Traktor school. Trikh quickly won over the fans by the way he has been rushing through the Taeshani defence despite giving up an important chance shortly after his substitution. The young Russian had found the goal in the end, with the ball bouncing off awkwardly from a defender and falling right into his feet, and he could convert from seven metres out.

The next game against Darmen has gotten the nation more interested, with Savojarna’s football fans now all tuning in to their U-18’s conquest of the world. However, much of the general population was mostly oblivious to the Savojar side overturning a 0-1 thanks to the genius passing of Patrik Brygg, who scored two assists thanks to finding the perfect gap between the Darmeni defenders to launch first Hartikainen and then Jeräväinen into position to smash the ball home from relatively close range. Brygg has quickly become one of Savojarna’s favourites with his elegant style and a relaxed attitude. His naive, yet confident approach to the sport was a big factor in making the U-18 as popular a team as it became, and Brygg would be a great future factor for Savojar football.

So now we are at the semifinals, awaiting a clash with the team of HUElavia. A side with little international tradition, they have found some success as they made it to the most recent World Cup at the senior level, but it remains to be seen if that was a consequence of a golden generation or a sign to their future strength. Their SWC squad suggests the latter, as they are pushing the finals yet again, but Savojarna has whipped itself in a frenzy that almost matches the enthusiasm of the nation for its regular team. Flights to any Taeshani airport have been completely booked for the last two days, and the Blue and White Army is going to show up in numbers. STV2 is showing the semifinal and a potential final live on TV instead of as a web-only production, and the players will return knowing that they, too, are now true Savojar Heroes.

[Taeshan]

With everyone rping, it seems like a good time to cut-off for the semi-final

Sarzonia 0-1 Imperial Joseon @ X Island Metropark, X Island, X Island
Savojarna 1-0 HUElavia @ Stairway to Heaven, Mt Ceabring, Wolf Island


Meaning your third place game scored tomorrow
Sarzonia vs HUElavia @ The Haberdashery, Hannah, Williams Isle


and your 10th Sporting World Cup final
Savojarna vs Imperial Joseon @ Atlantea Coliseum, Atlantea, Atlantea Island

[Imperial Joseon]

조선황국 (Imperial Joseon)
한양방송국(Hanyang Broadcasting Station: HBS)
엑스도, 태산 (X Island, Taeshan)

================================================================================


(TRANSLATION IN ENGLISH)

[Lee Yong Ho] Ladies and gentlemen, the Quarterfinals match against Sarzonia is about to begin. Imperial Joseon has pulled a difficult victory once again. Victory in tonight's game will take them to the Finals, an accomplishment astonishing for a 16th-seed team. Mr. Lee[Pyo Yong], what do you think Joseon should do to defeat Sarzonia in this match?

[Lee Pyo Yong]Sarzonia's defense is solid, but their offense seems to be lacking, since they pulled a hard 2-1 win. We need to take advantage of that kind of weakness to limit their ball control and make a strong counterattack. They advanced to the Round of 16 from the Group of Doom. As a matter of fact, Huelavia, a team also in Group H, is in the semi-final matchup playing against Savojarna. We have to be careful.

================================================================================

(Camera snips to First Half.)

(31st minute)

Sarzonia has a free kick chance 15 meters away from the penalty area at the center. Kristine Lynam prepares for a kick with Larry Swann on her side. Lynam fakes a kicking motion and Swann immediately kicks the ball afterwards. It flies in mid-air to the right, and Seo Won Sang, our goalkeeper, makes a spectacular glove save to knock the ball out-of-bounds for a corner.

(45+1st minute)

Yoo Won passes to Ha Bo Hyeon, who, then, passes right to Roh Gi Seok. Roh Gi Seok uses his speed to dribble the ball close to the penalty area but the ball is taken away by Chris Jones. Chris Jones, then, attempts a pass to the right after seeing Alan Carson, but the ball is intercepted by Han Sang Jo. He moves to the right, then, passes left to Roh Gi Seok who is beside him just outside the penalty area. He dekes to the left of Chris Jones, takes a kong cannon of a shot, and he scores! 1-0 Joseon! (https://youtu.be/K5lY5UokX1k)


(Camera snips to Second Half.)

(64th minute)

Ha Bo Hyeon is substituted with Jo Myeong Gook, who is making his first appearance in the Sporting World Cup.

(77th minute)

Yoo Won finds space in the center of the penalty area, and he makes a nifty volley pass to Jo Myeong Gook, but the latter couldn't finish the play as the ball goes out-of-bounds.

(94th minute)
We can hear the crowd chanting, "조선황국!"(Imperial Joseon), as the clock is nearing the end of the match, and the whistle blows, and the entire Joseon crew runs out to the field to celebrate the players as they are advancing to the Sporting World Cup Finals in Atlantea Stadium! The crowd is wildly celebrating, and the game is over. Joseon has done it once again! Roh Gi Seok has done it once again!

[Sarzonia]

Roh Gi Seok.

That name will haunt Diogo Avarel, Timothy Raintree, and the rest of Sarzonia's Under 18 World Cup organisation and supporters in the time between last night's 1-0 loss to Imperial Joseon in the semifinals of the 10th Sporting World Cup.

Avarel will be left fuming at the fact he'd spent a lot more time on defensive planning than usual to prepare for Roh Gi Seok. He'd made sure not to step on the toes of assistant manager Tim Lankford, who usually worked on the defensive unit, and even assistant manager Joe Carson, who was working with Lankford to help his midfielders prepare. It was a rocket from just outside the 18-yard box, but the fact it was the one player the Stars were most concerned about rankled him.

"We spent a lot of our time in training focusing on Roh Gi Seok," Avarel said, stating the obvious before reporters could ask the questions. "We were determined to not let him beat us and he did."

The goal, coming in the first minute of first half stoppage time, deflated the Stars and even a last ditch effort to play a 4-3-3 with three strikers on the pitch didn't result in any particularly difficult shots for Joseon goalkeeper Seo Won Sang, who made four saves, with the best one denying Ian Clarke in the 34th minute.

The result sends the Stars into the third place playoff, where they will face group rivals HUElavia for the bronze medal. The Stars and Los Amarillos played to a 2-2 draw in the Group J finale, which sent the Stars and Los Amarillos through to the knockout rounds. Avarel admitted that the Stars making a trip to the semifinals in their first appearance in a Sporting World Cup was a great accomplishment, but he added that this loss would sting for a while.

"No matter what happens tomorrow night, we're going to be thinking about this defeat," he said.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia falls short in the Semi-Finals

HUElavia came into the semi-finals with a strong level of momentum and looking like possible favorites versus Savojarna. The stadium was sold out, with the crowd being 50/50 for both HUElavia and Savojarna. The match looked as if it would be one of the best ones in the history of the U18 World Cup.

Unfortunately, this was not the case, as the match was very dull and both teams played cautious in order to prevent each other's attacking opportunities. The lone goal of the match was scored in the 33rd minute, when a corner taken by Brygg was crossed into the box and headed in by Carlsen to open up the scoreline. HUElavia would spend the match chasing for opportunities only to be frustrated in one of the most difficult defeats that the country has witnessed in it's history. The match ended 1-0, with the young HUElavians being shocked at being eliminated from the tournament.

Despite the loss, HUElavia will play in the consolation match that is the 3rd Place Game, against fellow Group J participants Sarzonia. They met each other in Matchday 3 to end in a spectacular 2-2 that saw both teams advance with 7 points. The match is viewed as evens and a large crowd of HUElavians will be present to possibly witness this young squad win the Bronze Medal. Regardless of how we finish, this is a big step for the future of HUElavian Football and for the next generation to come.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Taeshan]

Your third place game


Sarzonia 0-0 HUElavia (0-1 AET) @ The Haberdashery, Hannah, Williams Isle