World Cup 85 || RP Thread

by **Audioslavia** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:12 am

Bulls Await Sajnur Test

Unbeaten now since that disappointing loss to Natanians and Nosts, the Bulls travel to Sajnur with the road to qualification a little clearer, but no less difficult.

Audioslavians had expected this match to be to decide which of the two teams would claim second place, but a run of bad form before Sajnur’s unexpected defeat to Muradil mathematically eliminated the Sajnurans from contention for a place at next year’s World Cup. It is only Astograth and New Lusitania a little behind who can surpass the Bulls now.

Sajnur, seeded third in the group, are at a low ebb. In front of a fervent home support they will be desperate to salvage some pride from what has been a forgettable qualification series for the boys in purple.

Rickson Marañón is expected to return for Audioslavia, providing some much needed flair in the final third. Patterick has shown no intention of moving to a formation that contains within it a striker, a forward or indeed any sense of joy or ambition. With only lower or mid-tier teams to come after Sajnur (including Jeckland and N&N, who both beat the Bulls in the first round of games), Patterick may see a draw as a good result, regardless of whether or not Astograth can take a win in a similarly tricky away tie against Natanians and Nosts.

The Astograthians are looming behind us like a big loomy thing. All is left for Audioslavia is to chuckle nervously and hope the bus takes us all the way to Mriin.

Said bus has now been confirmed to be stopping in Kjeligsted for Audioslavia’s final home game of qualifying. The one-time change of stadium, from the Arena Kirola, Audioslavia’s home from cycles 66 to present, to the 1927 Arena, home of the Bulls for cycles 59 to 65, is for two reasons. Firstly to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Kjeligsted’s unification with Audioslavia, secondly to give Jeremy Jaffacake a prettier location to formally be presented with his World Assembly Commendation for Services to Journalistic Integrity. The exact schedule for said presentation has been a matter of public record for some time now, leading some to warn of the possibility of hijinks, but the Kjeligstedi Garda are supposedly confident that everything will go off without a hitch.

by **Farfadillis** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:28 am

"Julius, good morning! How's top-secret life been treating you today?"

"Hey, Bwanbale. It's been treating me great. Today's my daughter's birthday, actually. My little Dembe turns five. It sucks that I can't be there with her because, you know, nukes, but just the thought is enough to light up my day."

"That's great to here!" Bwanbale turned towards the controls. "Everything's going just swimmingly, isn't it? We've developed nukes in a matter of months, and even this whole" He waved his hands around in the controls' general direction. "security launching system thing."

A sense of accomplishment filled Julius' face. "We've really knocked it out of the park here, huh?"

"That we have."

Bwanbale opened one of the compartments and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, to the shock of his colleague. "You know, we've been overworking ourselves non-stop since the beginning, I don't think anyone will mind us toasting to this moment." He said while serving Julius some cheap-looking whiskey. The label said "TURBO" in all caps. It didn't exactly sound expensive.

"... did you sneak that in? When?"

"First day on the job. Always gotta think ahead." Bwanbale tapped his head while displaying a sly smile.

"Huh. Impressive. They didn't even let me enter the facility with pictures of my family. I can't believe you managed to sneak a whole bottle of whiskey in."

"The perks of being a spy, my friend." They both laughed. He extended a glass of whiskey, and Julius took it.

"I guess one glass can't hurt. We really have worked our socks off here."

"It's not like we'd accidentally launch an ICBM or something. To us!" He raised his glass.

"To us!"

They toasted.

"You know, I had a funny thought."

"Hm?" Julius hadn't quite finished drinking.

As the clock struck nine, Bwanbale's watch - they weren't allowed cellphones, after all - started beeping, but he quickly turned it off.

"If we were to actually launch a nuke because we were drunk, and we happened to nuke a city, it could be called a TURBO bourbon certain urban burning."

"Uh... well, yes. I guess." Confusion took hold of Julius' face. "The joke is that it's kind of a mouthful, right?"

"Uh, yes..." Bwanbale began coughing very loudly. "TURBO BOURBON CERTAIN URBAN BURNING..." He stared at the door. "is funny because of that, yes."

"... ok."

In a flash, some of the guards at the entrance to the room shot the others, then entered the room in a hurry.

"What the hell is happe-" Julius was interrupted by a bullet to the face.

"Is everything set up?" One of the guards asked Bwanbale while barricading the entrance.

"Mostly, yes. Guard the door. Should only be a minute or two." As he said this, he moved Julius' fatherly corpse from the way and started pressing buttons. He bypassed the whole "you need permission from the president or whatever" part of the protocol by using a workaround he himself had programmed in. Within a minute, he'd already managed to open up the menu for launching the nukes.

"So, uh, anyway, guys..."

"Get on with it." One of the guards barked back.

"Yes, yes, I know. But... I kind of forgot the coordinates" His voice trailed off.

"The what?"

"Uh. The coordinates."

"Don't you have a map where you choose where to launch it?!"

"What do I look like, a game developer?" He asked, indignant. "Of course not."

Hurried footsteps could be heard at a distance. The rest of the guards were approaching. Time was of the essence.

One of the guards reached for his pocket. Bwanbale flinched, thinking he'd pull out another gun. Instead, he pulled out a set of dice, and threw them his way.

"There. Best of luck." Were his wise last words, as a Banijan bullet pierced his brain.

Bwanbale hurriedly picked the dice up from the floor. As he didn't have time, he just made note of which side they'd landed on. He proceeded to input the coordinates. 1. 4. Dot. 5. 6. South. 2. 5. Dot. 7. 3. Seven? Was this guy one of those weebs that plays card games with dice that go from one to seven? Anyway. North.

Launch!

As more bullets started flurrying in, some hitting his fellow Farves, some others barely missing him, he remembered he'd actually set it up so that nukes would automatically be launched to the Szoirsian desert. He also remembered that, technically, Atlantian Oceania doesn't have an official system of coordinates. These were all details, though. What mattered was that he'd achieved his goal. He'd helped develop nukes for foreign cuontry, then nuked his own, like a true hero.

As he pondered this, he remembered he'd actually set it up so that he could repeatedly smash the big red "Launch!" button, which by the way he found pretty tacky, and continue launching nukes. He did this five more times before swiss cheesing.

by **Hapilopper** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 9:38 am

Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City
World Cup 85 Qualifying Match 21: Hapilopper 1-2 Lisander

Fuck.

by **Hampton Island** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 11:42 am

(The morning prior to the upcoming match against Mercedini)

Clyde Benner: They are calling this the most important game in the history of Hampton Island soccer. You can’t help but get caught up in this.

Edwin Conney: Tune it all out. We’re only going to win the game if we keep doing what we have been doing.

Hank Andrews: I am rested and recharged. Hannah, thank you for making the decision one more time to let the twins play in a game against a lesser opponent so they I can be ready to go against the better team.

Hannah Sanders: It only makes sense. I know Brianna and Brittany are excited to get a chance to play sometimes even if they have looked a little rusty.

Brittany Carter: I have not been rusty! That’s how I always play!

Hannah Sanders: I am just giving you the benefit the doubt.

Roger Grant: Mercedini was in the Cup of Harmony last time too, right?

Brittany Carter: Yeah, I remember them being in that last time.

Clyde Benner: Roger, I am surprised you would remember that.

Roger Grant: Well this old man has not forgotten everything, I am just not good with names. But I did watch the Cup of Harmony last time and remembered them from it.

Clyde Benner: Mercedini was a semifinalist last time, and finished fourth, so they will need to make sure they get back to the Cup of Harmony so they can improve on their performance.

Hank Andrews: Well, if they qualified for the World Cup they obviously improve on their performance.

Clyde Benner: You just totally missed the point of why I said that. Anyway, I know many of you have done a good job of not looking at the group table and everything but I am following it very intently now, and this game is absolutely critical.

Hank Andrews: Right, right. Sorry, I am slow to pick up on things like that now.

Edwin Conney: It is a big game, of course. Nothing wrong with realizing the importance of the game. Naturally, the sold out stadium is the biggest clue that the game means a lot. Don’t let the bright lights blind you.

Roger Grant: That reminds me I need to get new prescription sunglasses when this is all over.

Clyde Benner: So I take it none of you heard the interview I gave for the station out in Marquette? Where I said I would come out of retirement if we qualified for the World Cup?

Hannah Sanders: I heard it! That would be amazing!

Edwin Conney: Yes, you are getting ahead of yourself again. Stop thinking bigger, believe me.

Roger Grant: Oh yea I heard that and forgot about it.

Clyde Benner: Well, I am going to do it. I might do it even if we don’t. How can you turn down the money these young pups make nowadays? I’m taking on the best players in the world. I might not always be succeeding against them. Plus, my kids have left the house already so why not?

Hank Andrews: That would be amazing, Clyde. Maybe some great league somewhere can give you a real big contract.

Clyde Benner: That’s pushing it. I’m happy with an average contract that is given out these days, because it’s more then some of the highest paid players were making were making when we were active.

Edwin Conney: I have to admit coming out of retirement off the momentum we have right now is an intriguing idea. I might have to think about. Even to be a backup keeper? My kids have not all graduated high school yet, so that is why it would be a tough choice.

Hannah Sanders: Well, I think you guys would have a good chance. I remember thinking this whole idea was crazy but you guys have done so well.

Hank Andrews: When you put a group of Hall of Famers together like this, you get knowledge of the game to a high degree. The Freestyle Mobility products are really helping us forget how old we are for a few hours. I don’t think I could come out of retirement, though.

Clyde Benner: Edwin, what’s that white wrapper in your bag?

Edwin Conney: Oh nothing, just a cocoa-bo bar. Been having one right before every game all tournament for good luck.

by **Kandorith** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 12:35 pm

Shinonome Kyoai - International
News From The Empire

Tough Game Keeps Kandorith Ahead

*  Group 11                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Equestria                              21   14   7   0    60   32  +28    49
 2 HUElavia                               21   16   1   4    59   35  +24    49
 3 Kandorith                              21   11   7   3    55   38  +17    40
 4 Xanneria                               20   10   7   3    55   40  +15    37
 5 Vdara                                  21   11   4   6    43   37   +6    37 
 6 Ancherion                              20    6   7   7    38   37   +1    25 
 7 Nooooooooooooooo                       20    6   5   9    39   39    0    23 
 8 Blouman Empire                         20    6   4  10    39   43   −4    22 
 9 Fujai                                  20    5   6   9    33   46  −13    21 
10 Monglechabagd                          20    5   5  10    32   46  −14    20 
11 South Concepthuania                    20    4   3  13    31   48  −17    15 
12 Jamestownnnn                           20    4   2  14    36   58  −22    14 
13 Lo Santano                             20    2   6  12    28   49  −21    12

The final stage of the qualification campaign is here and the Kandorese team has been performing beyond admirable. Though, the last stretch is the most difficult and tough one. In order for Kandorith to still make it to qualification, basically a miracle needs to happen. With HUElavia and Equestria both on forty nine points, the maximum points Kandorith can achieve, either side has to slip up. Hayabusa has already stated he thinks the Kandorese side will not make it, but has shown admirable resilience and determination. HUElavia has an off-day in the coming match-day, which means Kandorith can move closer to the number two; which after that has to play Equestria. It seems like the faith of the Kandorese team is in the hands of the number one and two of the group, something which sadly Hayabusa wanted to avoid.

The road so far for the Kandorese team has been turbulent, but they have shown they can bounce back from disastrous situations. Now the games all matter to the very end, even if Kandorith manages to make it to forty nine points, the last day is an off-day for the Lotus Warriors. Everything will be in the hands of the other teams in the competition. For the fans it is a tense situation, it could also become an absolute heartbreaking scene. All hopes and believes are set on Kandorith qualifying, because if one team can do it; bouncing back from a bad position seems to be their speciality.

"I am especially proud of the young players in the squad." Hayabusa said. "They have shown they are ready to stand on the field and get the job done. It wasn't as perfect as previous matches but we managed. It was a tough win and we barely managed to do it. But, I am glad we managed to do it with players who are normally on the bench. Getting The newer players in the squad playing experience is the main goal to further build this team.

"Yes, I hate the fact our qualifying chances are in the hands of other teams but still I think we had a great run. No doubt the fans are happy with the performance of the team. We could and should have done better on a few instances, yet this campaign was very successful. I guess we were just unlucky with the group we ended up with. Of course the focus is still the qualification and we will still do our very best to try and grab it. Who knows? A miracle might happen."

Hayabusa went on to thank the fans and the players for the qualification campaign, as he said the team is still aiming to qualify which is within reach but, only if all the circumstances are in favour of the Kandorese team. Back in Kandorith fans are hopeful and are indeed hoping for a miracle to happen. The upcoming matches are beyond crucial for the Lotus Warriors and surely they will give more than their one-hundred percent. Might the Kandorese team not make it; the run of the qualification campaign has been an amazing and emotional rollercoaster.

by **Flavovespia** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 12:41 pm

Kit oddities: When something doesn’t quite add up on the kit

There are times teams aren’t wearing the right kit, or even their opponents kit. However sometimes, there’s something that just doesn’t seem right on either a player’s kit, or a team’s kit. Here are 5 examples of times that something that just wasn’t quite right happened with kits. This includes examples from the GWNFA leagues, the United & Eastern League, and one modern era Super League example.

Capton Club – 20BU

Shirt sponsorship and new kit technologies were emerging, and Capton Club’s kit supplier were getting in on the fact. Unfortunately the kit manufacturers had blundered somewhere. In the first game, played in rainy conditions, the dye washed out into the white of Capton Club, ruining the kits and shirts. An odd look indeed by the end of the game, with blue splotches all over the kit (that kind of design wasn’t yet intentional, unlike the designs a decade or so on). The kits were recalled, and a plain all white kit with only a crest and sponsor logo sewn on was used for several games, until the issue was fixed.

Langmere Green Rovers – 18BU

The sash kit was a favourite of Langmere Green Rovers, as it featured as their “Celebrated Classic”. Oddly however, defender Richard Lloyd in the first 2 games didn’t seem to be wearing it. In the first, he was wearing a plain white shirt with an undersized badge hastily sewn own, the second, a similar plain white shirt with a sash design and logo hastily ironed on. Although on first inspection it passed, the shade and shape of the sash wasn’t correct, nor was the collar or logo. The reason for this was a bit awkward for all involved. At 2.06m (6’9) and 108kg (240lbs), it’s fair to say he was quite a big figure. So big in fact, the kit supplied to him literally didn’t fit, forcing him to adapt for the first 2 games. Thankfully the larger than life defender took it in stride, recalling the story several times after retirement.

Bavingtor – 17BU

GWNFA Challenge League Bavingtor had already got themselves into a row over their controversial patterned sleeved kit, as it was apparently a cover for sponsorship for BavAir. Whilst a new kit with the Bavingtor crest appeared later in the year, for one match Bavingtor appeared in a white and black kit, pictured above, that was unrecognisable to most and had a name taped up. Simply put, it turned out to actually be spare kit of a small team in Bavingtor, Flawthorpe FC. The team leant their kit to Bavingtor, the larger team asking them a day before the game because they shared home colours.

Frostbrook Rovers - 15BU

This kit had to be drawn up in a matter of a few weeks before the season started. The kit itself was definitely not a classic, yellow fading into white not ever a great combination to work with (Stanmorn receiving that message much later than others). The oddity here is that in several games, it appeared some players had “FROSTBROOK ROVERS” on their shirt, others simply “FROSTBROOK”. The reason for this, the manufacturer didn’t include “ROVERS” on the first batch. Although the subsequent batches did have the full name, it took a few games for the players to actually have the correct kit, leading to games where the players had differing kits.

Stanmorn FC – 22AU

The most recent notable example from the top flight. Stanmorn’s kit was designed by an up and coming kit supplier. When the kit for this season had been unveiled, and was pretty well liked by fans and pundits. Unfortunately, after their first game, an away win at Apsbrooke, accusations that the design was plagiarised from an online fantasy kit designer came to light. Stanmorn then played several games in a generic kit from that supplier. When the courts ruled against the kit supplier, Stanmorn withdrew their contract from the supplier, who promptly went bust not long after. Stanmorn finished the season in yet another hastily made kit, this time from a new supplier. Annoyingly, many thought that the first and second kits, from the original and now defunct supplier, were superior to the third kit they played a lot of the season in.

by **South Newlandia** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 1:03 pm

ELEPHANT VALLEY MAIL
Sports -> Soccer
South Newlandia draw

When you face the bottom seed and last place in a group, you expect a win, or at least some goals. Even if you play away, you don’t expect your team to get nothing done at all for 90 minutes, and set new standards for the word “boring”. We don’t want to get more specific, as watching the game once was cruel enough.

The Kytler Peninsulae 0-0 South Newlandia

Yeah, screw the game. We are talking the upcoming season in the South Newlandian first league instead. The league features twelve teams from all over the country, but most experts seem to agree that there are four big contenders for the title.

Few countries don’t have a strong team from their national capital, and South Newlandia is no exception. The Elephant Valley FC is one of two top flight clubs from the capital, and they are always among the top teams. They are the historically strongest team, and not exactly well liked in other fan bases. The team plays in red and black, and the fans expect nothing but the title.

This year, they will have a lot of opposition on their way to the title. First of all, most experts expect Jecken Newport to be the favourites. They are sponsored by a foreign food brand, and they bought a lot of stars ahead of the season. They play in yellow and green, and the club from the east coast is still relatively young, but eager to win silverware.

From the southern coast we have the Walstreim Lions. Walstreim is one of the larger cities in South Newlandia, but smaller than Newport and Elephant Valley. The Lions are known for very aggressive play and a big fanbase. The team playing in red and orange has a massive rivalry with 2nd flight team Walstreim City FC.

The smallest of the big four are the Ratzupalfu Rhinos. Ratzupalfu is in the centre of the country, and is by far the smallest of the 4 cities mentioned so far. Different to the Lions, the Rhinos are known for a strong and solid defense. They play in grey and red, and they conclude our list of title favourites.

There are a bunch of smaller teams with outside chances for silverware. The Ruditown Guards are the first of these teams who probably won’t have to concern themselves with relegation. The Guards are from the relative north of the country and they are also known for a strong defense, while their offense is relatively weak. The team plays in light blue and brown.

The FC Rüsselsheim is another solid team. Located in the southwest of South Newlandia, there is not much in Rüsselsheim but soccer. The team has one of the biggest fanbases in South Newlandia, and just like the Ratzupalfu Rhinos, they were rather upset that no world cup qualifier matches were hosted in their stadium.

The Valley Wanderers are the other team from the capital playing in the first flight. There is nothing a Wanderers fan hates more than the Elephant Valley FC, and the derby is known to bind a lot of police resources every time. The Wanderers play in blue and white, and their main target will be avoiding relegation, but a top six place may also be possible.

The Sophie City Royals are another team from the east coast, and they are the team known to make expectations way beyond their abilities. The team playing in pink and light green is probably going to fight relegation, but the official target for the team is 3rd place. As a result, Royals Coaches rarely last longer than a year.

Elephant Town FC fans were thrilled that their stadium was selected to host qualifier matches, even though it didn’t do the national team any favours. Elephant Town is located right in between Elephant Valley and the west coast. The team is known for their aggressive approach, and they lead the league in bookings every year. The team plays in black and white, and will fight against being on one of the two relegation spots.

Kinjestad Soccer is another team that will have to fight to escape the relegation spots. Located on the largest of the islands of the coast of South Newlandia, they also got to host matches in the WCQ. The team is known for beautiful combinations, although they happen way to rarely in recent years. They are playing in purple and blue.

Ineton City may be the weakest team of the bunch. Ineton is also located off the South Newlandian coast, but unlike Kinjestad, they aren’t in the Southwest, but rather in the Southeast. Ineton is largely dependent on tourism, as the small island doesn’t allow for much more. The team has a long rivalry with the FC Ineton, a second flight team. Ineton City plays in red and white.

The Southwestern Islanders are the only top flight team that isn’t based on a single city, but rather, as the name suggests, a loose collection of people from the islands off the southwestern South Newlandian coast. The team plays in yellow and blue, and they will also be fighting relegation.

Player Rankings

We didn’t want to do those either, but we were told we have to for statistical reasons.

Mikhail Trischuk (GK, Captain) 8

Dhruv Roy (LB) 8

Jack Schroeder (LCB) 8

Manuel O’Neill (RCB) 7

Raphael Moreno (RB) 8

Kevin Mohamed (DM) 7

Corban Green (LM) 6

Patrick McMora (RM) 5

Abdurahman Bishop (OM) 5

Brandon Irving (ST) 4

Bjorn Cohen (ST) 5

Simon McCabe (ST) 5
Subbed in for Irving after 45 minutes.

Finnley Wallis (OM) 4
Subbed in for Mohamed after 65 minutes.

Ricardo Rayner (ST) –
Subbed in for Moreno after 82 minutes.

Starters against Kuriko

Whatever.

Results from Matchday 22, Group 13

Kuriko (330) 2-0 Mavinet (218)
The Water Buffaloes fail to win and are now officially eliminated.

Juvencus (39) 2-2 Tamgu (79)
Tamgu is now eliminated, while Juvencus remains in contentions.

Bliuji (99) 2-2 Pasarga (25)
Pasarga drops two points, but they will probably qualify anyway as both Eraman and South Newlandia didn’t win their games.

Valanora (15) 4-0 Eraman (63)
Valanora is now offically qualified, while Eraman is now seven points away from Pasarga.

Plane of Possibility (148) 2-1 Ottoman Syldavia (338)
The Planers are now only one point behind the Elephants, and remain in contention.

Pangurstan will have their second bye.

The Kytler Peninsulae (UR) 0-0 South Newlandia (228)

Current standings

Group 13                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Valanora                               21   16   2   3    59   24  +35    50
 2 Pasarga                                20   12   4   4    61   35  +26    40
 3 Eraman                                 20    9   6   5    36   31   +5    33
 4 South Newlandia                        21    9   6   6    34   34    0    33
 5 Plane of Possibility                   21    9   5   7    36   36    0    32
 6 Juvencus                               20    8   5   7    43   37   +6    29
 7 Mavinet                                21    8   3  10    44   43   +1    27 
 8 Bliuji                                 20    7   4   9    43   45   −2    25 
 9 Tamgu                                  20    6   6   8    40   45   −5    24 
10 Pangurstan                             20    5   7   8    37   41   −4    22 
11 Kuriko                                 20    6   2  12    23   42  −19    20 
12 Ottoman Syldavia                       20    5   4  11    27   38  −11    19 
13 The Kytler Peninsulae                  20    3   4  13    24   56  −32    13

Schedule for Group 13, Matchday 23

Ottoman Syldavia (338) vs. Valanora (15)
Valanora should get another win here.

Eraman (63) vs. Bliuji (99)
Eraman needs a win to stay in potential contention.

Pasarga (25) vs. Juvencus (39)
Pasarga might qualify here already if the circumstances are right. Juvencus needs to win.

Tamgu (79) vs. The Kytler Peninsulae (UR)
These two nations are already out.

Mavinet (218) vs. Pangurstan (311)
And so are these two.

Plane of Possibility will have a bye day.

South Newlandia (228) vs. Kuriko (330)
South Newlandia will try to grab a win after three games without one. The game in Walstreim City Stadium is not sold out yet, and if the Elephants still want to make the top 100, they will need a win.

by **Terre Septentrionale** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 1:12 pm

Catherine du Sud beats Dalmatie in the semi final of le Tournoi des Patriotes

Prévost, Catherine du Nord - In the first semi final of le Tournoi des Patriotes, Catherine du Sud beat Dalmatie 3-2. Catherine du Sud attacked at the 29th minute when Mateusz Craig passed the ball to Kieffer Clough who dribbled with the ball and made a cross to Winnifred Owens who shoots and she scores! 1-0 Catherine du Sud and this is the score at the halftime. Catherine du Sud increased their lead at the 49th minute when Nick Warner passed the ball to Winnifred Owens who dribbled and made a short pass to Nico Olsen who kicks the ball and it's a goal. 2-0 catherine du Sud. Dalmatie attacked at the 66th minute when Goran Gregurina passed the ball to Vjekoslav Krklec who was dribbling with the ball and made a cross to 22 years old striker Zvonimir Kordic. Kordic kicks and the ball is in. Catherine du Sud's lead is cut to 2-1. Dalmatie atatcked again at the 74th minute when Goran Gregurina passed the ball to Krasnodar Schildenfeld who made a short pass to Zvonimir Kordic who kicks and he scores. The game is tied at 2-2. Catherine du Sud attacked at the 90 + 1minute when Walter van den Dikkenberg passed to Ciaran Wolecki McBride who dribbled with the ball and he passed to Nico Olsen who kicks the ball. The ball touches Sara Djevelekaj's hand and it's a penalty. Nico Olsen kicks the ball and it's in! Catherine du Sud is leading 3-2 and this is the final score.

BOXSCORE

29th minute: Winnifred Owens assisted by Kieffer Clough
49th minute: Nico Olsen assisted by Winnifred Owens
66th minute: Zvonimir Kordic assisted by Vjekoslav Krklec
74th minute: Zvonimir Kordic assisted by Krasnodar Schildenfeld
90 + 1 minute: Nico Olsen (penalty)

YELLOW CARDS

10th minute: Katarina Kristic
52nd minute: Walter van den Dikkenberg
90 + 1 minute: Sara Djevelekaj

RED CARDS

None

Poméranie blanks Mazovie in the other semi final

Ville Jacques-cartier, DC - In the 2nd semi final, Poméranie, probably the best team on paper, played against Mazovie, the defending champions of le Tournoi des Patriotes. It was a defensive duel which was won 1-0 by Poméranie. The only goal of the game happened at the 6th minute when 35 years old Przemyslaw Zawistowski, who has 30 caps with the national team, passed the ball to Radoslaw Leszczynski who was dribbling with the ball and made a header pass to Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz who heads the ball right into the net and it was 1-0 Poméranie. It was the final score.

BOXSCORE

6th minute: Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz assisted by Radoslaw Leszczynski

YELLOW CARDS

24th minute: Zdislaw Piotrowski
56th minute: Przemyslaw Skoraczynski
62nd minute: Aleksandra Skrzeszewska
77th minute: Franciszek Olejniczak
85th minute: Przemyslaw Kaczka

RED CARDS

None

Poméranie wins le Tournoi des Patriotes III

Ville Jacques-Cartier, DC - Everyone in Terre Septentrionale was waiting for the final of le Tournoi des Patriotes being played between Poméranie and Catherine du Sud on the neutral site of Stade NordAir in Ville Jacques-Cartier. Like the semi final involving Poméranie, it was a highly defensive game that was won 1-0 by Poméranie. Poméranie scored the only goal of the game at the 55th minute when Tomasz Korczynski passed the ball to Emilia Rzezniczak who dribbled with the ball and made a cross to Zuzanna Karpieszuk who kicks the ball and it's a goal! This is the final score.

BOXSCORE

55th minute: Zuzanna Karpieszuk assisted by Emilia Rzezniczak

YELLOW CARDS

21st minute: Ciaran Wolecki McBride
36th minute: Radoslaw Pietrzak
69th minute: Bartlomiej Szczepankiewicz
74th minute: Yannick Vallières

RED CARDS

None

World Cup

Now that le Tournoi des Patriotes is over, all eyes will be turned to the World Cup. Terre Septentrionale is still trying to qualify for the World Cup and is currently in 2nd place in group 3. On the next matchday, the Nordiques will travel away to Eura, then on matchday 23, Terre Septentrionale will be back at home to play against Northwest Kalactin in Krzczonow, the largest city in the township of Mazovie. Fryderyka Cwierczakiewiczowa will be a game time decision against Eura but it doesn't seem she will play. She should be back in the line up against Northwest Kalactin.

Katarzyna Krzykowska,
La tribune septentrionale

by **Chromatika** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 1:44 pm

Chromatik City Courier
Jordan Lawless, Sports Columnist

Group 3 Matchday 21: Alba and Cymru 0-2 Chromatika @ Alba and Cymru
Chromatik Scorers: Victoriane ('25), Vidal ('78)
Starting XI (4-2-3-1): Tioux; An - Will - Baugh - Ilya; Dias - Burns; Victoriane (C) - Bird - Conrad; Vidal.
Substitutes: Xiao -> An ('51), Friedman -> Baugh ('73), Reynolds -> Conrad ('79)

ALBA AND CYMRU -

Chromatika continues to hold up its end of the bargain, posting a two-nil victory on the road; other notable results saw Eshan take care of Sabalonia, Eura defeat Terre Septentrionale, and Savojrana tie Northwest Kalactin.

Winning all three matches left (versus The Sarian in Urrheddiao, at Sabalonia, and versus Savojarna at Tihon) is a must, and then Chromatika must hope that Eshan only picks up five points in their last four matches. As Eshan has games at Savojarna, versus Terre Septentrionale, at Sanctanus and versus Adyatin, it will be hoping that Eshan drops points to Sanctanus or Adyatin that will be the hardest thing to do.

The fact remains, though, that Chromatika has really turned it on since Matchday 10, and the duo of Evans and Everdeen are to be praised for that. It's insane that a team with a 10-2-9 record would have a +15 goals differential; Chromatika will have to relearn the ability to win games close.

So, Chromatik supporters will be hoping for a victory versus The Sarian and a tie between Eshan and Savojarna coupled with a victory for Northwest Kalactin against Terre Septentrionale.

by **Savojarna** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 2:01 pm

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Draw with Northwest Kalactin leaves Savojarna in a bind

By Jaukka Halonen
Spectacle was not necessarily what many expected from Savojarna’s duel with Northwest Kalactin, the seventh-pot nation being considered somewhat of a must-beat opponent by Savojar media after their team was shaken by some controversy around goalkeeper Wendell Jakerein. The Kalactinian goalkeeper missed the game against Sabalonia and subsequently announced his retreatment from the national side, a difficult decision for sure. Against Savojarna, he would again not play, a change the Savojars surely were looking to exploit. And indeed, they came out with a surprising change to their roster, playing Karjanen at the midfield spot with the attempt of peppering replacement Mark Romero with shots and creating more offensive pressure against a side that had not always been extremely solid in their back line.

Indeed, the Savojar change - almost amounting to an offensive 4-4-2 instead of the usual one-top formation - worked early on. Karjanen ran around the defence of the Kalactinians, ripping holes in their back line and opening gaps for long balls from the midfield by the wingbacks which lead to chances. Jashkin missed a volley after a long diagonal ball by Pedersen, and Skov found Jotansson to score the leading goal after seventeen minutes. This goal seemed to set Savojarna on its track especially following the second goal after about half an hour, when Karjanen scored from the edge of the box after a good individual effort to dribble past the defensive midfield of the hosts.

However, like often before, Savojarna got somewhat complacent in a lead, and right before the break almost conceded as Kalactinian striker Jimmy McCarthy shot from close range, but was denied by Pakanen’s left foot. Then, after the break, they actually got their shock as Luke Dillan scored off a free kick to make the score 2-1, although Savojarna quickly got back a goal as Voynov swung inside and swapped places with Karjanen, leaving the latter completely free on the wing. The routined Finn used the space to deliver a brilliant cross to the second post, where Jashkin pushed it into the net completely unmarked.

Whoever thought that this would set the Northlights on the path to victory was wrong, and it was not the least thanks to Linne Kjaer’s gaffe in the 70th minute. Young McCarthy received a pass in the back of the defence right as the centre-back had been somewhat drawn out of position. On the way back, she got overeager, trying to hold back McCarthy, who fell dramatically and drew a free kick together with a yellow card, Kjaer’s second in the game. Although the striker, without a doubt, fell easily, Kjaer readily admitted that it was a foul after the match, stating: “I got caught out of position, and in the heat of battle, I wanted to make up. It was a stupid decision. He fell really quick, and I’d have hoped I could let go fast enough to make the tug seem not really a thing, but he was clever, and he fell immediately. I’m not mad at all, a foul is a foul and obviously I don’t agree with the card per se, you never do; but I think that it’s probably not wrong from the ref’s point of view”.

Kjaer’s mistake would be costly, as Dillan didn’t score immediately but the repelled ball fell in front of the feet of joker Keith Torres, who’d score from close range. The Kalactinians pressed, and Savojarna could probably have gotten some strong counters in, but the Northlights got seemingly over-cautious with only ten men on the pitch, refusing to get too aggressive. Thus, they failed to exploit the openings, and when they did they often did so badly, as Jotansson was caught out offside twice and Karjanen missed right in front of the goalkeeper once as well. Replacing Karjanen with Simon Omark, they strove to stabilise their defence more, but paid with even more lack of offensive power as well. Hence, Savojarna lacked offensive power after Northwest Kalactin got an equaliser off a chaotic scene in the box, McCarthy reacting first and pushing the ball into the net.

Savojarna’s draw felt like a loss to the players, judging by their look as they slumped off the pitch. Victoria Maersk: “It’s clear to everyone that we have lost two points today. A victory here would have made our life so much easier, allowing for a draw against Chromatika or something like that, but that’s what football is like. Now we have to really prove we belong to the World Cup, and playing like that second half I’m not sure if we do”. Perttu Karjanen, having started only his fourth qualifier match in this campaign, said: “I’m torn, obviously, it was a really good game for me but of course that is completely irrelevant if you don’t win the game and now… I don’t know what that means for us, to be honest. I just wanna take game by game”. Mikaela Rangren preferred to emphasise the good sides of the match her side played. “I am proud of the first half, and our response to the 2-1 was really, really good. I don’t wanna talk about the 3-2, Linne knows it was a mistake and I think that isn’t something we have to talk about in the open. In the end, I want my team to take the good things from that match, and obviously we played too complacent in the end, but we have to learn from that first half and play like that against Eshan”, she said after the game.

The Northlights’ hosting of Eshan in three weeks is going to be the beginning of the last two international breaks, the first one featuring a home game against the current second placed and an away match in Alba and Cymru. A victory in the former is imperative, as a loss would cause the Savojars to fall six points behind the qualifying spot, and a draw leaves them three points trailing of an Eshan side that faces an easier three final rounds than Savojarna. However, with Kjaer suspended, the job may just have gotten a whole lot more challenging. The Savojars have struggled with discipline all campaign long, both in terms of fouls and in terms of giving up late goals to defensive mistakes. Both are going to be fatal against a team on a roll such as the Eshani.

Then, against Alba and Cymru a draw or loss may be possible if Eshan drop points (given that Savojarna win their game against their direct rivals, of course), but a win may be required as Terre Septentrionale are also still in the running for qualification, and would likely be pouncing upon any Savojar weakness. The final weekend sees an opportunity for revenge as Savojarna host The Sarian, who beat them in the first confrontation, and another must-win game in order to create as big a buffer as possible before their final game away in Chromatika, a difficult matchup against a shaky opponent. Chromatika have had significant lows in their campaign, such as a loss and a draw against the Jovannic and a loss against Adyatin, but also have shown their capacity when everything clicked for them. Unfortunately for us, the last moment when everything did click was at the Bjurman, defeating Savojarna 0-5 in what is one of the biggest humiliations of Savojar footballing history. At this point, everything still is in our hands as we will qualify as long as we win all remaining games with a higher goal difference than Eshan, but it is at the very least a difficult path.

Northwest Kalactin 3-3 Savojarna (0-2)

GOALS: 17’ Jotansson 0-1 (Skov). 29’ Karjanen 0-2. 49’ Dillan 1-2. 56’ Jashkin 1-3 (Karjanen). 71’ Torres 2-3. 82’ McCarthy 3-3 (Flemister).
YELLOW CARDS: 23’ Kjaer, 38’ Hall, 53’ Dakota, 60’ Owens, 79’ Grebv (all foul).
RED CARDS: 70’ Kjaer (second yellow/foul).
REMARKS: Savojarna without Nurkanen (suspended). Kjaer misses next match (red card).

SAVOJARNA: Pakanen - Pedersen (60’ Thorvaldsson), Forsberg, Kjaer, Skov - Andersson, Maersk - Voynov, Karjanen (75’ Omark), Jashkin (86’ Mellin) - Jotansson.
NORTHWEST KALACTIN: Romero - Hall, Grebv, Anderson, Dakota (60’ Taylor) - Flemister, Gilbert, Owens (63’ Snyder) - Dillan, McCarthy, Sanders (55’ Torres).

OOC - Lineup for next match (4-2-3-1, left to right): Pakanen - Pedersen, Forsberg, Zirkova, Skov - Andersson, Maersk - Voynov, Poulsen, Jashkin - Jotansson.

by **Siovanija and Teusland** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 2:09 pm

9:30PM - Stavropol Air Base, Siovanija

“...all I’m saying is that Ivo Romanov in his prime was better than Tauscher is now”

“Look, I hate Teussen just as much as any Olympia fan - but Tauscher is special, you have to admit it.”

Lieutenant Stanislav Kovac and Sergeant Ladislav Dostal were only 30 minutes into the night shift at the Stavropol Air Base’s radar tower. The tower was part of the line of radar stations along the Westsee coast of Siovanija, and served as one of the most important early-warning systems in the country. For the most part, shifts were uneventful - after all, it was peacetime.

“Anyways, now that Romanov’s back, league won’t even be close next year. Teussen have no chance,” continued Dostal.

“It’s not Teussen that worries me this year, to be honest - look at what Felsenkirchen did, or Chernovets this offseason.”

“Felsenkirchen’s all hype, I’ll wait until they play a game together before calling them the best squad in the league.”

Lieutenant Kovac was about to reply when suddenly a red light went off on the dashboard in front of him. The radar map of southwestern Atlantian Oceania was on the screen, and there was now a red flashing light as a voice said ‘Nuclear Launch Detected’.

The two men looked at each other, almost frozen with fear. Neither had ever seen something like this, outside of training exercises. They both knew, however, the protocol for dealing with it - analyze the situation, ensure it isn’t a software error, then move things up the chain for a possible response.

Both men now studied the map. 5 ICBMs had been detected, coming from… Banija? There was another confused glance between them. “Who would launch a first strike with only 5 missiles?,” said Kovac. “And why are Banija launching nukes at all? You’d think we’d know if it was a test…”

“Perhaps it’s an error in the program. I’ll give a call to a few other radar stations, see if they’re detecting it,” replied Dostal. Calls were placed to air bases at Krevala, Trkev, and even as far away as the bases at the Capitol Radar Ring around Borograd. All said the same thing - 5 ICBMs, launched from bases in Banija. Heading southeast.

Sergeant Dostal now looked gravely at Lieutenant Kovac. “Call Colonel Polak,” referring to the Stavropol Air Base’s commanding officer. “This looks serious.”

9:45PM - Air Force Headquarters, Borograd, Siovanija

“...and we don’t know anything about the launch other than that there have been 5 ICBMs launched, and they appear to be heading in a southeastern direction - potentially towards the United Republics.”

The briefing in the command room of the Air Force building was a bit rushed, but it was only natural under the circumstances. Marshal Viktor Kroupal, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, had Chancellor Dominik Meier in the other room on the phone - he’d need to give advisory to the Chancellor within a few minutes on what the government’s next action should be.

The Marshal now spoke. “There’s no way this is an action of the Banijan government. Something is wrong here. I fear the worst, that this could be the action of terrorists of some form. We don’t know where these weapons are targeted, but we need to be prepared for a response.”

Most of the officers in the room nodded. Major General Tomas Vlacek now spoke up. “We’ll put all fighter pilots on high alert, they’ll be ready to fly within 5 minutes of the order. In addition, we should call for a general mobilization of the reserves.”

There was a pause in the room now. Mobilization was a big step. The Major General continued. “The most important step this evening is getting our anti-missile batteries prepared for whatever may come, and many of the reserves, particularly the Air Force reserves, have training in these areas and can provide extra help.”

Marshal Kroupal nodded. “I agree with Tomas. It’s a difficult call, and I’ll need to mention it to the Chancellor first of course - but we might need all hands on deck, I think.”

With that, the Marshal exited the door and returned to his office, where the Chancellor was waiting on the phone. “Chancellor Meier. We don’t know any more than you do - our planes, however, are prepared to secure our airspace within the next few minutes. We’d like to request firstly that you liaise with the Civilian Airspace Authority to close off the airspace.”

Chancellor Meier’s answer came immediately: “We’ve been in touch with the CAA already - no civilian flights are being permitted as of 9:41PM. We’re relying on you to lock down the airspace, Marshal.”

“It is a responsibility we are proud to accept, Chancellor. Now, the next part of my request is a bit more challenging - we were hoping you would ask President Fleiss to mobilize the military reserves. Many of them have training in the anti-missile batteries scattered around the country, and we may need them tonight.”

The Chancellor was hesitant. “It’s a tough situation, Viktor. We don’t know exactly what’s going on yet.”

“Have you been able to call Busukuma?”

“It’s been tough to get through - as soon as I put the phone down here I’ll be trying again.”

“Even a limited form of mobilization, I think, might be for the best. As a precaution.”

“I’ll talk to the President.”

“Perfect. I’ll be arriving at the Chancellery building within 10 minutes.” The Chancellor had, naturally, called for a State Security Committee meeting at the National Chancellery. Surely this would be one of the most important meetings of the SSC’s history.

9:56PM - Liebenthal, Teusland

Theodor Makart sat in his old TMW Model 87 car, with his girlfriend Elisabeth von Buhl in the passenger seat. The car was parked in von Buhl’s driveway, the couple having just got back to their hometown from a movie in Stelburg. Having already discussed nearly everything there was to discuss about the movie, they quietly sat in the car.

“I’ve got to be back by 10,” Elisabeth said.

“You’ve still got 4 minutes, then,” replied Theodor, as they each smiled.

The pair were both 22 year old students at the Technische-Universitat Stelburg, back in their hometown for the summer. Theodor turned on the radio now - the latest hit song by Teusland’s top band filled the car, and the pair sang along. When it ended, though, the station didn’t cut to a commercial, or go to the next song. Instead, static filled the airwaves. Theodor reached for the button, but as he did, a song did come across.

The Marziger Marsch, one of the most famous marches of the Armed Forces. Originally written after the Battle of Marzig in 1546, when Teus forces had recaptured the city, it now also served as the intro to the Armed Forces Radio. But why was the Armed Forces Radio on tonight? Suddenly, a voice came over the radio.

“1, 14, 17, 28. 1, 14, 17, 28. 1, 14, 17, 28. 1, 14, 17, 28.”

The voice repeated the numbers in both Teus and Army Siovanijan - the language developed in the early days of the Armed Forces to unify the various Siovanijan dialects and also make them easier to understand for Teus officers. Theodor’s heart sank when he heard that sequence of numbers, however.

“What’s going on?,” Elisabeth asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just a training exercise. I’ll have to go to the barracks.”

He hated having to lie. 1, 14, 17, 28 meant a general mobilization of reserves. After completing the mandatory 1 year service at age 18, all able-bodied men in the country remained in the reserves for another 10 years. They had to memorize the various codes used by the numbers stations of the Armed Forces, and had to keep their rifles clean and in a safe spot, just in case. And this particular code was one of the most serious - all reserves needed to report to their home barracks as soon as possible.

“Stay safe,” Elisabeth replied quietly.

“I’ll try,” replied Theodor, only half joking. The two bid each other goodnight, and Theodor now drove his car quickly home to pick up his Army ID Card as well as his G-12 service rifle. Not as clean as he’d have liked, but hey. He then drove down to the Liebenthal Barracks, where he saw a number of cars and a big line at the entrance. Waiting for what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the front, where an old Teus officer was directing traffic.

“Name and rank on date of discharge, son.”

“Theodor Makart, Korporal”

“Makart. Ja. You have trained with the Air Defence Battalions, yes?”

“When I was with the Air Force, yes.”

“Report to Major Hausle inside. You’ll be going to a Stelburg Air Defence Line station. And son, clean that rifle - I expect a bit more care from a Teus soldier.”

“Yes, sir.” He knew he’d had the rifle comment coming. The one he hadn’t expected was the order - they were going to the Air Defence Line? There were anti-aircraft and anti-missile batteries around nearly every major city in the country, and those in Stelburg were some of the most sophisticated - but what could possibly require them to be in use tonight? Something serious was going on.

10:02PM - National Chancellery, Borograd, Siovanija

The members of the State Security Committee took their seats in the Briefing Room of the Command Centre underneath the National Chancellery building. All 6 members of the Committee were there - President Joachim Fleiss, Chancellor Dominik Meier, Defence Minister Sergey Sedlacek, and the three Chiefs of Staff - Field Marshall Reinhard Drachmann, Grand Admiral Alfred Reinmann, and Marshal Viktor Kroupal. There was a great deal of chatter between the men as Chancellor Meier rose to speak.

“Obviously, we all know this is a grave situation to be dealing with, and not one we ever wished we’d have to face. Everyone in the room is aware, of course, that we’ve mobilized the majority of our reserves and have upgraded our alertness level across the country to Grad 5, the highest degree.”

The room paused to take in the information. Field Marshal Drachmann spoke up. “We need to speak to the Banijan government as soon as possible before we take any further action. While we know that the missiles are heading southeast, we don’t know exactly what the situation is. Once we’ve spoken to the Banijans, we can prepare for our next steps.”

The leaders at the table nodded. President Joachim Fleiss now spoke up. “I’ll remind everyone in the room that, as per the amendment to the National Emergencies Act in 1959, any launch of our own nuclear weapons requires a unanimous vote of the SSC. We must work tonight, gentlemen, to take all action possible to avoid having to even consider such a vote.”

There were grave nods in the room. Just at that moment, Chancellor Meier’s Chief of Staff burst through the door holding the phone. “Mr. Chancellor, it’s Katikkiro Azizi in Banija.” The Chancellor rushed to the phone, as the room watched on.

The call lasted only a few minutes - naturally, Busukuma were even busier in dealing with this than Borograd was. The important thing, however, was that the Banijan Defence Minister would fly to Borograd immediately to discuss what was going on. The Siovanija & Teusland Air Force would escort the Defence Minister into the airspace, and he’d join the meeting itself. The conference in Borograd continued to discuss the situation, and all of the possible responses and their various ramifications. This was going to be a very, very long night.

Siovanija & Teusland 3-1 Electrum, @ Nationalstadion, Stelburg, Teusland

Starting XI: Heuser; L. Dimitrov, Thierse, Niedermayer, Lotbiniere (Helmke 78’); Bahr (Brotzmann 78’), Kramer, Bliznakov; Kogler, Gaspersie (Tauscher 60’), Mandl
Goals: Johannes Mandl 12’, Mario Kogler 44’, Heinrich Bahr 70’
Man of the Match: Mario Kogler

by **Timuria** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 2:37 pm

Red Wolves Struggle But Overcome

The Mann Clan 0–1 Timuria
Ismail Burhan (47)

by Tufan Nursultan

The Red Wolves had a tough time as they went away to the Mann Clan and had to survive a couple of scares as the game wore on in order to escape with a critical three points that have kept their narrow hopes alive. The sides went in level as a clearly frustrated, yet dominant Timuria found themselves unable to break through the resolute defence and goalkeeping offered by the The Mann Clan.

The early stages of the match were dominated by long range efforts from both sides, with neither able to create a clear cut chance. The best effort of this early period was Ertan Renda's long range effort in the 21st minute, which clipped the post on the way out. The only clear chance fell at the feet of Caner Turan, who pushed his shot just wide of the post.

The best chance of the late period in the first half would fall to Ismail Burhan who wouldn't be able to apply the right finish, his awkwardly struck effort found its way into the clutches of the opposition goalkeeper. The final chance of the first half would come from a deep free kick, Ozbek Sarikaya's cross was met by the boot of Volkan Ayhan who sent the ball well over the bar. The sides would go in level despite the Red Wolves relative dominance.

The second half would see the breakthrough moment, as Ismail Burhan managed to keep his composure after a through ball from Vatan Ercetin and slotted the ball home. This would lead to a resurgence in confidence from the Red Wolves, leading to an excellent counter attack from the host's whose effort needed Iskender's attention who shepherded it wide. There would be little in the way of notable chances for the rest of the match as this was a rather low quality affair.

The narrow win combined with Kelssek's clear 3-0 win in their match means the Red Wolves have such a narrow chance of qualification that we can consider that ship to have sailed. The Red Wolves will continue their impressive campaign against Grod Island who drew 0-0 with Audiaslania in their last match and who sit in an impressive seventh in the group well clear of 8th place and within distance of Ziwana.

What They Said After The Match:

Bekir Altingunes: "I'm grateful for the win, because they all matter, even if it's looking like it's pretty much done for us. At the end of the day we needed to get it done in specific matches and it was all in our hands and we didn't do it. Still all we can do is take it a match at a time take care to get our team in order and kick on from here. I have to say that our hosts today put up a great fight and frustrated us and we've got a lot more we can learn from this."

Player Ratings:

Tufan didn't actually have an excuse this time, so as his sub-editor I'm going to say that Tufan, while an excellent writer, is profoundly lazy and should be judged as such, plus do you really need a player-by-player analysis?

Iskender Nur 6/10

Ozbek Sarikaya 6/10

Kemal Colak 6/10

Berker Balkan 6/10

Gokdeniz Dag 6/10

Ertan Renda 6/10

Reza Karaduman 6/10

Caner Turan 6/10

Vatan Ercetin 6/10

Volkan Ayhan 6/10

Ismail Burhan 7/10

Substitutes:

Sabah Tanriseven 6/10

Eyup Mustafa 6/10

Person of the Match: Ismail Burhan - On a day when everyone was rather flat, he was the difference maker, so he gets the award.

Schedule and Results:

Home stadiums will have capacity in brackets

MD1: @ Xuzaqiy W 5-3
MD2: vs Cassadaigua, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir L 3-2
MD3: @ Kelssek L 2-1
MD4: vs Barunia, Tashkent Belediye Isci Stadium (18,500), Tashkent L 4-1
MD5: @ Audiasania W 3-2
MD6: Bye
MD7: vs Olastor, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir W 3-1
MD8: @ Patistan W 5-3
MD9: vs The Mann Clan, Belediye Park (5,800), Demir W 2-0
MD10: @ Grod Island W 5-3
MD11: vs Sargossa, Hisar Belediye Sendika Stadium (27,500), Demir D 1-1
MD12: @ Res Publica Nova Roma W 7-3
MD13: vs Ziwana, Halkın Güneş Çiftliği Stadium (27,000), Elektriklestirme W 4-2
MD14: vs Xuzaqiy, Demir-Is Stadium (5,500), Demir W 6-1
MD15: @ Cassadaigua D 0-0
MD16: vs Kelssek, Madenci Stadium (27,000), Uryan L 3-1
MD17: @Barunia W 3-2
MD18: vs Audiasania, Maden-Is Stadium (3,400), Uryan W 2-1
MD19: Bye
MD20: @ Olastor W 6-2
MD21: vs Patistan, Almat Jimnasyum (3,000), Demir W 3-1
MD22: @ The Mann Clan W 1-0
MD23: vs Grod Island, Tasova Belediye Stadium (2,000), Tasova
MD24: @Sargossa
MD25: vs Res Public Nova Roma, Dev Halk Stadium (30,000), Demir
MD26: @ Ziwana

by **Kohnhead** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 2:55 pm

The Brains prepare for tough fixtures as Group 2 gets tighter

Yes, it has been three days since I wrote my last piece and since then Kohnhead lost 2-0 to Torisakia, and then turned it around after falling all the way down to fifth. They picked up a 4-1 win against Balaslandia who have taken the title of last in Group 2, before beating Wreckeria 2-1. While Kohnhead went on their two game winning streak their fellow contenders for second performed not too well. Let's go over their results, and future fixtures to take a look at who might advance.

Squornshelan Remnant States
The Black and Reds sat in second at the same time that Kohnhead had fallen down to fifth. Since then it has not been pretty, a 2-1 loss to 9th place Gyatso-Kai and another 2-1 loss to 7th place and rising quickly Donnacona. These were both matches they should have won, but they are somehow still in second. Despite this the gap has closed as they are tied with us for second in points and only capture it due to goal differential.

With four games left to play they have to go on the road to already qualified group leaders Kita-Hinode who may not be playing their "A" team, before they host us it what should be an all important game. They also have to play Drawkland, another team in the mix for second and have an easier match against Jantor. Overall this is a very difficult schedule, but they have the upper hand due to being in second right now.

Drawkland
After our Torisakia game, Drawkland sat in third of the group at 35 points two points back from the Black and Reds. In two games they have gained a grand total of one point, which is better than Squornshelan Remnant States but still not very good. Are the two choking? They drew an 11th place Jantor team, never a good sign, and got absolutely pummeled by already eliminated Gyatso-Kai who have come on strong as of late.

In their next game they travel to take on Donnacona who are coming off of an upset against Squornshelan Remnant States, and have looked refreshed as of late. They then host Kita-Hinode with the same logic as before applying. They then travel to Orange Bull Arena to take on us The Brains before that match against Squornshelan Remnant States that I talked out before. I'd say they have an even more difficult schedule than second placed Squornshelan Remnant States. They currently sit in fourth only one point off of second.

Busoga Islands
Going back two games ago to after the Torisakia game, Busoga Islands sat in 4th place four points off of second. Since then they suffered a 2-0 loss to Donnacona (seeing a trend here?), and drew the leaders Kita-Hinode to bring them down to fifth at 34 points very much in the thick of things.

Their next game is of course against us, on the road again, before a game against EGM who sit in 12th. EGM cannot be underestimated though as Kohnhead knows too well. They then take on another bottom dweller in Lochario, before hosting 6th place Torisakia. This gives them a massive advantage, their schedule is pretty easy especially compared to everyone else's. This was the team I called out recently saying they really don't have a chance anymore, they could really make me bite my words

Kohnhead
Ah yes The Brains, our team. Three of our opponents are the three I have outlined above making this while extremely difficult a good chance for us to take control of the group. We also play Jantor which should be an easy win. We along with Drawkland and Squornshelan Remnant States have very difficult games ahead. Win all three and we are basically guaranteed second, falter and it's the end for us.

Let's talk about tonight's match against Busoga Islands, the first of three in a row against the 2nd, 4th, and 5th place teams in the group. They have even made some tactical adjustments before the match against us, as they want to get off scoring. This hopefully will not throw Coach Kohnhead off and he may have to adjust some things to help us.

Now in terms of our team Ida Cogginter has been a difference maker in the two games since returning from her injury and replacing Audrey Henderson in the starting lineup. Kohnhead have won both of those games which has been massive to their qualification hopes. Here is the lineup:

The Rest
Now Torisakia, Donnacona, and Wreckeria can also still qualify, with Torisakia being tied with Busoga Islands for 5th. But the big thing is they have only three games left to play as opposed to the ones ahead of them having four games to play. Yes it's not impossible and their schedule is not too difficult but they are at an extreme disadvantage. Wreckeria and Donnacona both need miracles to advance and Donnacona in particular has really stepped it up these last few games.

Here is the official standings:

Group 2                                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kita-Hinode                                  20   16   4   0    51   21  +30    52 Q
 2 Squornshelan Remnant States                  20   12   1   7    45   33  +12    37
 3 Kohnhead                                     20   11   4   5    40   30  +10    37
 4 Drawkland                                    20   11   3   6    39   28  +11    36
 5 Busoga Islands                               20   10   4   6    39   27  +12    34
 6 Torisakia                                    21    9   7   5    42   32  +10    34
 7 Donnacona                                    21    9   2  10    31   27   +4    29
 8 Wreckeria                                    20    8   3   9    38   44   −6    27
 9 Gyatso-kai                                   21    7   5   9    43   43    0    26 X
10 Lochario                                     20    4   6  10    29   44  −15    18 X
11 EGM                                          20    4   4  12    24   44  −20    16 X
12 Jantor                                       20    3   5  12    25   46  −21    14 X
13 Balaslandia                                  21    4   0  17    33   60  −27    12 X

Here we go Brains let's beat Busoga Islands

by **Sarzonia** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 3:06 pm

OFFICIAL STATEMENT
INCORPORATED FOOTBALL FEDERATION

The Incorporated Football Federation hereby launches a formal protest against the continued presence of the Acronius national football team in World Cup qualifying campaigns.

We note with growing concern that Acronius continue to send teams to compete in international football competitions while failing to adhere to accepted minimums of decorum. Their managerial staff have continually refused to provide the names of the players in their starting 11, the members of their management staff, and the names and locations of their football venues.

In addition, we note that the team's refusal to provide the names and essential information regarding players precludes officials representing the World Cup Committee from ensuring the eligibility of each player as required by regulations governing competition for qualifying for the World Cup or the Cup of Harmony.

Establishing the eligibility of individual players and teams is a minimum requirement to ensure the health and safety of all players who take to the pitch on an every match basis. By their failures to adhere to these standards over the course of the past few World Cup qualifying campaigns, Acronius have made a mockery of the competition and its established norms.

We call for the immediate expulsion of Acronius from the World Cup qualifying cycle and for the results of their matches to be recorded as forfeits.

Any team that falls short, whether it be of qualifying for the World Cup proper or potentially for consideration for the Cup of Harmony by a margin of less than the six points that a winning team would accrue from two victories would be the unfortunate victims of a team that consistently flouts the rules of common decency and the standards of football.

We demand proper remedies be applied to this situation.

Sincerely,

Zachary R. Wilson
President, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Incorporated Football Federation

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 3:06 pm

Oberour Ar Moro lost to Vilita at the Parade Grounds, eliminating the Dragoons from World Cup qualification.

However, that 2-3 scoreline against Vilita doesn't truly show how well Oberour Ar Moro played against Vilita. It was a competitive match for ninety minutes from stem to stern, and I think even people from the nation from Vilita would say that Oberour Ar Moro didn't give Vilita a solid game.

Now, we here at New Game don't like to go on tangents. We'd like to discuss the game more. However, we need to discuss how we know how to spell Vilita. And while no one has accused us of not knowing how to spell Vilita, or noted any time in our coverage that we misspelled Vilita, we should note for the record that we know how to spell Vilita. Not that anyone had any doubt. Or reason to doubt. It's spelled Vilita, it's super easy and we've never spelled that wrong. V - I - L - I - T - A. Six letters, as always.

And frankly, you would expect an unaffiliated sports blog like New Game to get the spelling of all nations Oberour Ar Moro competes against correctly. And particularly Vilita. And clearly we can, we spelled Vilita correctly all throughout this post. And how could anyone misspell that? There's only two i's in Vilita, and we here at New Game have always known this.

Vilita. The best football team in the multiverse. Vilita. Simple name. Easy. We've never got it wrong.

Vilita.

by **Banija** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 3:08 pm

Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
Part V
Part VI
Part VII
Part VIII
Part IX
Part XI

Also see the Siovanija & Teusland parts, which follow Part VII, Part VIII, and Part IX respectively
S&T Part I
S&T Part II
S&T Part III

Also see the following Farfadillis part, which immediately precedes the following RP
Farfadillis RP

Part XI

Setting is the Katikkiro's Residence in Busukuma, 9:00 PM

Kobe Azizi was getting ready to turn in. It had seemed as he had late nights for weeks- as this was the job of the Katikkiro, of course. There were very few days when one got to go to bed early as a head of government, and this, he presumed, was one of them. He was excited for the moment. He had gotten back from a party fundraiser early, as they were naturally trying to replenish their coffers after a grueling election season. He thought he would be in a good place tonight. Get to have a nice drink with his wife, sleep in early, feel energized for tomorrow's day. The Lukiiko would not be in session the next day- he was hoping to get on a call with some other Commonwealth leaders, as they were preparing for the Olympiad.

"Honey, how are you?" He said. He kissed her as she opened the bottle of champagne.

"Baby, this is going to be a great night." She told him. They snuggled together, each with a cup of wine in hand, and they talked. He made sure, no matter how late he worked, he got in these nights with his wife- the highest places in politics were amazing for a career, but brutal for a family relationship. He had to be intentional about it. He had taken a sip and they had good conversation. But just then, his chief of staff barged into the room.

"Sir!" The Chief of Staff said. Then, looking embarrassed, turned her eyes to the floor. "Mr. Azizi, there's a... situation. Emergency."

The Katikkiro sat up. "Tell me what it is."

"Well, sir... This situation has clearance issues." And the Chief of Staff looked at the Katikkiro's wife. The Katikkiro nodded, understanding his wife did not have the proper security clearance. Still in his pajamas, he walked outside of the room with the Chief of Staff.

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?" Kobe Azizi. But then, she whispered to him what was going on. The Katikkiro got wide eyed, and then, of course, starting making calls. "Holy fuck." He thought to himself. He ran back into his room, threw on a suit, and told the Chief of Staff to get everybody here. They'd move to a meeting room in the Basement of the Katikkiro's residence, where the Banijan National Security Council would meet on occasion.

Setting is Katikkiro's Residence in Busukuma, 9:20 PM

Fortunately, pretty much the entirety of the cabinet had been in town, as both coalition partners had party fundraisers in Busukuma on this night. The fact that it was such an emergency to get here was shown- there was no way any of these politicians would want a picture. People had literally thrown down their stuff and ran. People not in ties, suits barely thrown on, people wearing jeans- even one of the Generals was wearing joggers. Even the Kabaka himself was here, and the Kabaka almost never came to the Katikkiro's Residence. That's how you knew the meeting was serious.

"Can somebody tell me what the hell is going on here?" Said Kobe Azizi. "We launched five nukes? We've spent billions of shillings, how many man hours, how much diplomatic goodwill we've built up. What the hell happened to the technology? I thought I, alongside the Minister of Defense and the Kabaka, had to authorize the launching of nuclear weapons? I assure you I did not authorize any launch."

"Sir." Said Air Marshal Camara. He was videoconferencing in, from Hangaza. "It's still quite early to put a clear picture on what happened- this is certainly going to require an internal investigation, and the Lukiiko will launch a Parliamentary inquiry into this mess. But, here is what we know, for a fact. This facility was infiltrated by foreign spies. From where? We are not sure. We are not sure if they were even sponsored by a Government. But my men have reported that one of the scientists, and some of the guards, essentially turned traitor not long ago."

"We will say- we have re-secured the facility. But the guards for the actual room where the bomb was, it looks like they shot at least one loyal soldier, and then multiple guards set up a makeshift barricade. From what we can see, as our people went down to see what the hell was going on, they were met with gunfire from those who were dressed in Banijan uniform. All of these people, of course, passed our background checks and national security clearances. Fluent in Olusanke. While we haven't identified the bodies of those who shot at Banijan soldiers, we are sure one of those who worked on this was a nuclear scientist. Shot dead, he was seen pressing a launch button that had some sort of override of our current system, to launch the weapons."

"As you know, there are only 9 weapons in our arsenal at this point. Five have been launched, southeast. From what we can tell, it looks like these weapons will be headed straight for Farfadillis."

Everyone in the room sat silently. It must have been silent for about 45 seconds, but it felt like an eternity. It would be the Kabaka himself who would speak first. "So let me get this straight. WE spend over a year, billions of NSDs, hundreds of thousands, at least, man hours developing a nuclear weaponry system... That gets hacked and stolen, almost immediately?"

"This absolutely cannot be happening." Said Isebantu Mutungi. "I've never seen anything like this. We had nukes stolen? We're all well read on this issue by now- can anybody ever remember a country have nuclear weapons stolen from them?" Nobody dared put up a hand. "This country is going down in history all right- the first ever country to have nuclear weapons stolen from them. Insane."

"There's only one option now." Kobe Azizi said. "Camara- how secure are the weapons that we have left? Do we trust the team out there?" Camara nodded. "Well, this is going to be a shitshow for quite a while, there's no way around it. We've got a lot of diplomacy to do, and we've got to do it fast."

"The press may have gotten hold of it." Said Isebantu Mutungi. "My Ambassadorial hotline is ringing off the hook- a bunch of Banijan Ambassadors are calling, with the same question, asking what the hell is going on. Multiple have been summoned by host governments, demanding answers to questions that they do not know. I'm telling them to hold- I could scarcely believe my ears when my aide told me what was going on. And if our diplomatic staff knows this quickly, and we didn't tell them... Well, there's got to be rumors flying around."

"There's no way around what we have to do now." Said the Kabaka. "We've got to decommission these remaining weapons. Nuclear weapons, stolen. We have nukes heading straight for Farfadillis? Good heavens. We're going to create a refugee flow." And the cabinet debated on what they would do. Finally, a phone call got through to the room. The Katikkiro got on the phone briefly with Chancellor Meier, explaining to him exactly what was happening, and that the Minister of Defense would be in Borograd as soon as possible.

"We need to make sure that we get this done right." Said Kobe Azizi. "We don't want our major allies finding out about this via the press. And then, of course, we're going to have to make some sort of public statement eventually. The Press Secretary has said she hasn't seen anything yet- but ICBMs flying all the way across the country is something that is bound to be noticed. Nuclear radar systems have to be on high alert."

"Here is what we should do." Said the Kabaka. "Over the course of the coming days, we'll have to do something, but in the immediate aftermath, we need to get a lid. For safety purposes, we should relieve the entire command in Northeast Hangaza." The whole room looked at him. "It's an extreme move, but we do not know who we can be trusted right now. Better to get an entire fresh batch in- highly unlikely that a batch not assigned would be infiltrated."

"Next- our Minister of Defense is already confirmed to take a flight to Borograd. We will keep you updated on the plane. I will personally make a call to the Banijan Ambassador to Siovanija & Teusland, explain to him what's going on, and tell him to be in attendance at this meeting as well. Now go, get out of here- time is of the essence." The Minister of Defense looked around, nodded, and then left the room. "There are many, many other people that need to be informed. But we need to prioritize, and quickly. Mutungi, act now. You must make a call to Swede Johanssen, and get him to the Palace immediately. Tell him what happened- he'll make the call to Prime Minister Schoenlein in Baker Park. I'll try to get on the phone with her tomorrow."

"Now, for Quebec. I'll make a call to our High Commissioner in Quebec. Ask him to request an urgent meeting with the Quebecois Foreign Ministry, as well as the Quebecois Ministry of Defense. The High Commissioner must inform a cabinet-level person in the Royal Kingdom of Quebec personally, and ask to set up a call. I'll take a call with the Quebecois Prime Minister, or Christine II, at first opportunity. As for other priority countries to inform, we'll have to have a conference calls with Ambassadors, and they can inform their host governments. We'll try to get some sort of direct, higher-level contact. But the priority countries, beyond those already mentioned, are as follows- Busoga, Equestria, Valanora, Timuria, Geisenfred, Hapilopper, and Northwest Kalactin. Nobody talk to the press about anything."

"Your Majesty," Said the Chief of Staff. "Shouldn't we be calling Farfadillis?"

"Shit." The Kabaka said. "I'll get on the phone with them immediately. Mutungi, go. Every second counts today." The Isebantu left, plus a couple of other cabinet members who set out to call various Banijan Ambassadors abroad. "Man." Said the Kabaka. "Who the heck am I supposed to call in Farfadillis?" Everyone just looked at him. "DAMNIT!" He thundered. "NUKES ARE IN THE DAMN AIR- GET ME THE PHONE NUMBER OF WHOEVER RUNS FARFADILLIS!" And everyone started looking through their own files. One person offered up the head of the FFFF- but the Kabaka said no.

"Your Majesty," Said an aide, after frantic. "I don't think Farfadillis has a head of state." And the Kabaka swore once more. The aide was right. He knew this- he forgot it in the panic. What the heck could he do? This was the reason there was no Banijan Ambassador in Farfadillis, or vice versa- there was nobody to accredit one too. How could he possibly inform Farfadillis of what was coming? After hard thinking, he decided to call, incredibly, the head of the Freisan Farf Freitball Francitian. Somebody was better than anybody, right?

"Man, they haven't had a government in forever." Remarked the Kabaka. "What's his name?"

"Alex!" An aide said. "Alex Terán!" But nobody had his phone number. It made sense- Alex Terán was technically a private citizen. After a quick call to RBSA headquarters where nobody had the number, they had to make a call to the WCC itself- thankfully, Adama Sowe, a Banijan, was Vice President of the WCC. Since the WCC obviously worked with the host committee, Sowe, of all people, actually seemed to have Alex Terán's phone number. And the Kabaka took a deep breath and dialed...

by **Cassadaigua** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 3:09 pm

Fillies Make It Official,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Something everyone knew was going to happen after the first ten games or so became official last night in Ziwana. Cassadaigua will be a part of the World Cup 85 field. It has been a great campaign thus far for this team, as many people hope that they can continue this momentum once they get to either Mriin or Farfadillis. The most stunning thing about this team has been the goal scoring, as they on coming and coming. After 21 games, Cassadaigua is 19-1-1, but have scored 89 goals! It is unbelievable that we are sitting here with the chance to get 100. That would take some work given two of the final three opponents are Kelssek and Barunia, and is probably a bit of a reach given that. However, we can think about that chance for now.

As was expected, manager Stephanie Sweeney is going to back down from the aggressive push as well and give the starters such much deserved time off. That will begin in the next match in Concord Heights against Xuzaqiy, and then continue even in Kelssek. In the next game, third string goalkeeper Danielle Cotter will get a chance to start. When told of the news, Cotter was elated, “I have been a part of this team since the Wonder Cup, but being behind Kelsey (Morgan) and Tiffany (Nelson), I didn’t think I would see any time. This is an incredible opportunity.” Giving others a chance to play continues throughout the lineup. Lupe Enriquez will still start in the back and serves as the captain for this match. She will be joined back there by Matthew Donegal, Michelle Graves, and Sierra Swift. The midfield will look entirely different as regular captain Sierra Mattison gets the game off as well as all the others getting it off, too. Courtney Graham, Danielle Porter, Emma McKee and Taylor Russo will start in the middle. Up front, it will be Madison McClain and Loreen Hazen.

Rachel Schanke and other core starters will likely only see limited action from this point going forward. Rachel tells the Concord Heights Times that, “We earned this. We also want to see those who have been practicing with the team from the start get their chance”.

Goal Scorers vs Ziwana: Eddie Malone (21'), Rachel Schanke (23'), Eddie Malone (30'), Meghan Wolcott (41'), Preston Newfeld (76').

by **Krytenia** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 3:11 pm

The TV3 First Election Debate: Highlights
Continued from this post

On the Reform Party's restructuring plans:
Marcus Corrello (Democrats):Of course, what Mr. Linton hasn't expressed is how his party intends to pay for this frippery. Fact is, he doesn't want the public to know they'll be out of pocket to the tune of billions of argentals if they vote for this white elephant!
Charles Linton (Reform): It's all in the manifesto. Have you tried reading it, Marcus? You might learn something. We intend to make savings through the streamlining of the central government, and removing the bloat from the civil service. Did you know the Quinneth Plains Health Trust employs a team of "consulting nutritionists"? Thirty-three people whose job, as far as I can tell, is to go round schools and tell children to eat their vegetables. For forty grand a year. Over a million argentals straight into a black hole.
Peter Owen (Mercian National): Oh come on, now, who outside of Neathill really cares about the plains?
Sarah Finch (Conservative): Well, my constituents, for a start...

On budgeting for healthcare:
Nicole Deschamps (Socialist): Our Prime Minister has already admitted his party will slash the healthcare budget! What is that going to mean for the sick when the money dries up, and the local hospital can't afford the doctors or medicines these people need? Lives snuffed out so some politico in, oh, let's say Osteria, can live in a nice house and play PM Lite!
Charles Linton (Reform): Wait, what? I mentioned healthcare ONCE in this debate, saying that there's jobs we don't need sucking money out of the public purse. Cutting the chaff isn't exactly radical; hell, some of that money is earmarked to go back into the health sector to increase frontline staff, purchase more equipment, and build new surgeries and hospitals. Plus, with a streamlined administration, all this should work quicker and more efficiently, meaning faster treatment for those in need.
Marcus Corrello (Democrats): Or, you could do what we propose, make the savings the way you suggest, and then pump ALL of the money saved back into the health sector! Thousands of new doctors and nurses! Up-to-date diagnostic and treatment equipment! New hospitals in cities around the country! Your plans are like your party, Charles: a half-cocked mess that's taken all that's good from the Democrats and twisted it into idiocracy.

On mining in Eastern Krytenia:
Lisa Storey (Greens): I fail to see how bringing the uranium mining industry into the public sector is a good thing. These people are still risking their lives for funny rocks - not to mention the geological effects of widespread mining - all to basically pull a bunch of radiation into the open air. There are alternatives, you know.
Sarah Finch (Conservative): All the years we've been taking uranium ores out of the ground, converting them into clean energy from a long-lasting source, and the best argument you can give is still "zomg radiation". Our standards of quality and environmental control are peerless in the international community, and nuclear power is so much more efficient. As long as we continue to maintain rigorous safety standards, there's nothing to fear. And you know, if you put this in the hands of the Deschamps Politburo rather than the experts, those safety standards will slip.
Nicole Deschamps (Socialist): We're not planning on changing the standard. Besides, Lisa, we're committed to wind, tidal, and hydro power in those places where it's feasible. We may have a cheap, clean fuel, but electricity we don't have to provide fuel for is even better - where we can use it.

Opinion Poll - Who Won?: Finch (CON) 37%, Linton (REF) 28%, Corrello (DEM) 15%, Deschamps (SOC) 10%, Owen (MNP) 6%, Storey (GRN) 4%

by **Port Ember** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 4:14 pm

Blood, Sweat & Glory - Part 15

The man who was seated on the worn out brown couch inside the primitive, humid and rotting cabin was but a shadow of his former proud self. This man was known not too long ago as the Head Coach and Manager of the Port Emberian National Football Team, aka The Dragons (taken from the fact that the team's logo and mascot was taken from the Republic's national animal- the komodo dragon). Eight years ago, during a period in which the grand nation of Port Ember has never fielded a national football team as the game was seen as nothing more than a hobby instead of a proper sport (proper sports would be Mixed Martial Arts or Rugby), the newly established Port Ember Football Association had selected Stuart Baxter to be the poster child (well not child since he was allready 50 years of age) of the future of the sport in the nation. Instead of looking towards the allready established clubs upon the islands, Stuart decided to grow the future of the sport at the logical point - the Beginning. Beginning with the Beginning is a perfectly good place to begin with after all. Thus with this logic he established an ambitious project known only as the Port Ember Youth Development Program. Stuart, alongside his lifelong friend Connor Davies and a legion of talent scouts scowered the islands in search of talent. After a lengthy period of searching and recruiting, Stuart was ready to launch his plan to conquer the future. When he stepped onto the pitch for the very first time for this Program, fourty pimple faced fourteen year old kids stared at him bewildered. Of these fourty kids, a whopping majority (31 to be precise) were orphans housed within the SilverPine Orphanage. This immediately attracted mockery from Stuart's colleagues and friends, saying that he was busy running a charity service instead of building a future national team. Stuart pressed on non the less, and the kids trained every single day of their lives. The Program did start to take the form of a charity Service in truth, as Stuart became the leading figure in the kids lives. Not only did they train their physical fitness and physical Football skills, Stuart also focused on their academic careers, setting time aside daily to tutor them and assist in their school work. Stuart also helped tutor the lads on a psychological level, giving them all kinds of life wisdom, from personality behaviour to love life. He was their only father after all. The lads grew up before Stuart's very eyes, turning into young professional footballers and turning into men. Stuart grew to love these lads in a fatherly way, viewing them as their own personal children. Helping them succeed in life and in football was no longer just a job - it was his duty.

When the lads turned eighteen the leadership of the Port Ember Football Association felt it was time to storm the world with their squad. Stuart felt that they should hold off for another year atleast, but the top desks would have none of that. The Association announced to the nation that it intended to form a brand new shiny National Team and enter the international scene later that year. The established clubs nearly rioted when the very same announcement stated that in fact - a national team has allready been selected, the one and only Youth Program, and no current players of the established clubds would be considered. Stuart was again the poster child for the hatred caused by this and subsequently his home was burned down shortly after. Stuart again carried on as if nothing had happened. Although the sport held almost no following amongst the nation, the Port Ember Football Association were staffed by true blooded Port Emberians, and since the blood of generation upon generation of traders and pirates runs within said Port Emberians - they are experts at building hype. So leading up to their very first international tournament- The Baptism of Fire 70. This massive hype campaign did not build any loyal fanbase, yet it atleast allowed the nation to take note. People were actually a bit excited to watch football for the first time in their lives. And when the big debut arrived... They lost. It was one hell of a tough but exciting match against Timuria - and a close one to boot. The team and the Association believed that they blew it. They figured folk would move on after that loss especially since they overhyped. But surprisingly no - the performance was exciting and impressive enough for folk to buy plane tickets to the hosting nation in their thousands, flocking to the foreign stadiums to support their team in person. THEIR team. The team showed their gratitude to their fans and fellow countrymen by going on a seven win winning streak rampage, decimating their opponents in the tournament, until being stopped in the semifinals by West Phonesia. They quickly avenged this defeat by winning the bronze medal for 3rd overall. (This was the same tournament in which Hapilopper dominated and won - and a team which millions of fans had hoped would face our own - which did not take place to this day). Although not winning their debut tournament, it did awake footballing passion within the nation. Social scientists have dubbed this period the "Football Revolution". Thousands upon thousands of children and young adults alike picked up a ball and started playing, dozens upon dozens of new clubs established and millions upon millions of new fans. Football was the talk of the day in every Port Emberian household overnight. This monumental change brought to you proudly by the pimple faced orphan kids of Stuart Baxter. Stuart was not done yet. He took his new stars to the Qualification season of World Cup 83. Here, despite not qualifying for the World Cup proper in the end, the team managed to let the entire world turn heads and take note of this little underdog upstarts. The Cup of Harmony 75 was the next stop for the team, being knocked out during the quarterfinals in the end. Yet once again, the world could not ignore the newcomers, the team were making waves. The next qualification season arrived... and the team went on a 10 game winning streak, absolutely destroying their opponents, no matter how strong and established they were. This qualified them and sent 'em straight to the Cup Proper - one of only a select few teams whom could say that for only their second attempt. Although the team were smashed there - they made it there none the less. The 9th edition of the Independant Association Cup saw the lads walk away with yet another bronze trophy. There were mo other way to state it in a more humble manner - the man was a national hero. He had brought fame and prestige to his nation and changed a cultural shift on a magnitude unseen before.

That achievements, no matter how significant, all seemed so.. insignificant at the moment. Glories of the past which seemed completely irrelevant at the moment. The problems started in the same way as destiny has planned it, it seems. One will be undone by which was done. One's fame would bring you joy and misery. Due to the rapid rise of fame of the squad, it gained favor from the universe - women, money and drugs materialized instantly to the involved players - and for a group of orphans who grew up with a spartan lifestyle, this was too much too handle. The lads started engaging in excessive use of alcohol, recreational drugs and attention of adoring fans, which came to them unasked and in abandunce. This offcourse led to the quick dissolution of the unity the squad had forged over a period of eight years. Brothers were fighting brothers over ego, jealousy and offcourse women. Ridiculous petty nonsense was threatening to tear a lifetime of friendship apart. And Stuart Baxter had no answer to the civil war brewing within his camp. He threw all his focus into self anger and loathing, simply hoping that the problem would correct itself over time. It was this waiting, combined with having favoritism cloud his judgement which indirectly led to the star captain Ray Reddington by teammate Frazer Murray. Or so Stuart believed. Directly after his favorite son was murdered, Stuart resigned from his position and dissapeared into the wilds. It was in this ancient rotting cabin where Stuart wallowed in his misery, surrendering to gallons upon gallons of har liquor, attempting to drown the pain and guilt away. When Stuart turned on his ancient looking radio night after night, he had learned that his team was hurting emotionally and badly at that, caused by the death of Reddington, the dealth penalty verdict of Murray and his own resignation. A triple threat of pain he was responsible for. He also learned that despite that pain, the new coach, 'Major' Kent Block had managed to do what he himself could not - he had once again unite the team. Reforged the bonds of brotherhood. Helped them warrior on despite the pain.

Stuart realised that this Major was the right direction for the team. He would lead them to glory, both professionally and personally. Thus he who was Stuart Baxter was now only part of the past. Thus he who was Stuart Baxter was only part of the source of pain. Thus he who was Stuart Baxter was part of the problem. Thus he who was Stuart Baxter was no longer needed. Thus he who was Stuart Baxter was no longer relevant.

"And that's the end whistle folks - the underdogs Port Ember once again shaking the foundation of the 'Establishment'. It seems the young Dragons are back on form!" the ancient radio in the corner spat. Stuart smiled one of that famous smiles one last time, as a sound which could only be a gunshot, rang out from within the cabin, followed by complete silence.

by **Alba and Cymru** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 4:43 pm

ԬԬԬ The Celtic Times ԬԬԬ
Bringing Light to a World in the Dark

June 13, 2020 Edition

Celts Disqualified! What Does This Mean for the Future?
Edinburgh, Alba

Fate has decided against Alba and Cymru as the Celts lose out to Chromatika in a home match. A three-game Celtic run for points comes to an end as Kaytlyn Victoriane and Olimpia Vidal bring the match's final score to 2-0, Chromatika. Unlike the losing streak that had enveloped the team a few matches ago, the streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow remained relatively calm throughout the evening. Celtic fans cheered for their home team as the players exited the field, even though this loss had meant their elimination from the World Cup. The Celtic Times got an interview with Mr. Conchúr MacGregor just after the match. Here's what he had to say:

"We may have run out of room, but it's been that way for a few matches. We dug ourselves into a hole we couldn't get out of," MacGregor stated. "But that doesn't mean the road stops here. This doesn't mean that we turn around and go home. No, this is a process. Rough starts are common, and they're no fun, trust me, but a bright future is still ahead.

"I think everybody in this stadium knew what the outcome of this match would be today. It's no secret. Chrom was bound to beat a team like us. The fans knew that. They didn't have to show up today to watch us lose, but they did anyway. They wanted to support us even if that means sacrificing something for it. I think this program really means a lot to them. We're a symbol of national pride. We're an icon... And a loss won't diminish that to any degree. To hear them applaud us even as our season ended, it shows that they still trust in us.

"I want to take the time to thank some of the people who lifted us up to this point. First and foremost, I would like to thank Johannes. He may not be here to support us on the field, but he gave everything he had while he played, and he's earned us many wins because of that. Watching Áed step up and fill in the shoes of Johannes when we needed him was a proud moment for me. He may be young, but that's the future of this team. Our whole defense is relying on him for the years to come.

"I'd also like to thank Not Messi for the many goals he's earned us, and for the incredible leadership he has for the other strikers. It's not often that someone comes across a truly great player, and Not Messi is one of the best. I've learned a lot from him, and certainly the rest of the team has as well.

"And most of all, thank you MacDunn. I realize this season isn't all that he'd envisioned, but there are still many things to take away from his coaching abilities. Alba and Cymru has allowed the least amount of goals out of any team in Group 3, and that's a fact. We've shut out giants who are leagues ahead of us. People have looked down on us, yet we stepped up and showed them the level that we can play. It's not a total loss, though it seems to be on paper, but this is only a stepping stone for our team to grow. MacDunn and our players have proven that we deserve to be here.

"Again, the season hasn't ended. The road never stops. Alba and Cymru is going to drive this highway to the very end, and Alba and Cymru is still gonna come back for more."

Game stats for Alba and Cymru (5-6-9):

Group rank: 11th
Shots: 8
Goals: 0
Possession: 37'
Saves: 10
Fouls: 7
Yellow: 0
Red: 0
Injuries: Seumas Colquhoun (pulled hamstring, out for 2 matches)

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 5:04 pm

It was a criticism that has been coming up repeatedly as of late, that Eastfield Lodge’s performance in this qualifying campaign is the worst they have ever produced in their 37 attempts at qualifying for the finals. Here we take a look back and check just how true those claims are.

Following their 2-1 loss at home to Flavovespia, Eastfield Lodge are sitting 10th out of 13 teams in Group 4, with only 24 points from 20 games to their name. It has been a qualifying performance that has cost Jane Williamson her job as Eastfield Lodge manager, with Robert Andrews drafted in to manage the team on an interim basis for the remainder of qualifying, and improving the record somewhat in the process.

So in this article we’ll examine that claim, which on the surface sounds somewhat plausible. Has the qualifying campaign for World Cup 85 been the worst that Eastfield Lodge has ever produced? To do so, we’ll be using a few measures to examine every qualifying campaign - firstly, how many points per game did the national team achieve. Secondly, where did they finish in the table in comparison to their pot, both in absolute terms (denoted below as PPD), and once we scale every qualifying group to the same arbitrary 10 team size (Relative Pot, Relative Position, and Relative PPD), where finishing top of the group gives you an R-PPD of 1, and finishing bottom of the group gives you a score of 10. For both PPD and R-PPD, a positive value denotes finishing above the expectations of your pot, a value of 0 means finishing as expected and a negative value means finishing below expectations. Without further ado, here is the data presented for all 37 qualifying campaigns, including the yet to be completed WC85 qualifying campaign.

WC	Group	Rank	Pot	Pl	Record	Pts	PPG	Pos	Pts off Qualifying	PPD	R-Pot	R-Pos	R-PPD
WC49	  9	149	6/9	16	8-2-6	26	1.63	4/9		4		 2	6.63	4.38	 2.25
WC50	  5	73	5/11	20	11-3-6	36	1.80	4/11		3		 1	4.60	3.70	 0.90
WC51	  8	56	4/10	18	6-5-7	23	1.28	5/10		18		-1	4.00	5.00	-1.00
WC52	  5	49	3/12	22	12-7-3	43	1.95	3/12		4		 0	2.64	2.64	 0.00
WC53	  1	43	3/10	18	7-2-9	23	1.28	6/10		10		-3	3.00	6.00	-3.00
WC54.1	 12	55	2/5	8	6-1-1	19	2.38	1/5	A: 1 (2nd), 9 (3rd)	 1	3.25	1.00	 2.25
WC54.2	QPeMA	55	2/6	5	2-0-3	6	1.20	5/6		3		-3	2.80	8.20	-5.40
WC54C	 N/A	55	N/A	13	8-1-4	25	1.92	N/A		3		 -	 -	0.00	  -
WC55	 14	41	3/11	20	12-4-4	40	2.00	2/11	Q: 3 (1st), 1 (3rd)	 1	2.80	1.90	 0.90
WC56	 18	37	2/8	14	6-3-5	21	1.50	4/8	4 (PO), 5 (Q)		-2	2.29	4.86	-2.57
WC57	 14	50	3/9	16	8-4-4	28	1.75	3/9	3 (PO), 17 (Q)		 0	3.25	3.25	 0.00
WC58	 11	48	2/9	16	8-5-3	29	1.81	3/9	1 (PO), 12 (Q)		-1	2.13	3.25	-1.13
WC59	 10	50	3/7	12	6-3-3	21	1.75	3/7	2 (PO), 13 (Q)		 0	4.00	4.00	 0.00
WC60	  1	41	2/8	14	8-2-4	26	1.86	3/8	4 (PO), 11 (Q)		-1	2.29	3.57	-1.29
WC61	 10	53	3/9	16	6-4-6	22	1.38	4/9	16 (PO), 17 (Q)		-1	3.25	4.38	-1.13
WC62	 20	70	3/8	14	4-5-5	17	1.21	5/8	10 (PO), 14 (Q)		-2	3.57	6.14	-2.57
WC63	  2	85	4/10	18	8-3-7	27	1.50	5/10	15 (PO), 17 (Q)		-1	4.00	5.00	-1.00
WC64	 11	81	4/10	18	9-2-7	29	1.61	5/10	12 (PO), 15 (Q)		-1	4.00	5.00	-1.00
WC65	 13	82	4/10	18	11-4-3	37	2.06	4/10	7 (PO), 12 (Q)		 0	4.00	4.00	 0.00
WC66	  6	49	2/6	10	8-0-2	24	2.40	2/6		4		 0	2.80	2.80	 0.00
WC67	 14	40	2/9	16	9-3-4	30	1.88	3/9	3 (PO), 9 (Q)		-1	2.13	3.25	-1.13
WC68	 14	49	2/9	14	10-1-3	31	2.21	2/9	PO; 7 (1st), 2 (3rd)	 0	2.13	2.13	 0.00
WC69	 13	51	2/8	14	6-3-5	21	1.50	4/8	12 (2nd), 16 (1st)	-2	2.29	4.86	-2.57
WC70	  8	77	4/9	16	7-3-6	24	1.50	5/9	10 (PO), 15 (1st)	-1	4.38	5.50	-1.13
WC71	  7	79	4/8	14	7-3-4	24	1.71	4/8	7 (PO), 9 (Q)		 0	4.86	4.86	 0.00
WC72	 13	75	4/8	14	7-2-5	23	1.64	3/8	4 (PO), 16 (Q)		 1	4.86	3.57	 1.29
WC73	  3	65	3/7	12	4-2-6	14	1.17	4/7	11 (PO), 14 (Q)		-1	4.00	5.50	-1.50
WC74	 19	66	3/7	12	8-1-3	25	2.08	3/7	H2H-GD (PO), 3 (Q)	 0	4.00	4.00	 0.00
WC75	 14	56	3/7	12	4-3-5	15	1.25	4/7	9 (PO), 19 (Q)		-1	4.00	5.50	-1.50
WC76	 14	68	3/7	12	6-4-2	22	1.83	3/7	1 (PO), 4 (Q)		 0	4.00	4.00	 0.00
WC77	  6	58	4/10	18	11-6-1	39	2.17	2/10	Q: 1 (1st), GD (3rd)	 2	4.00	2.00	 2.00
WC78	 13	35	2/9	16	7-5-4	26	1.63	4/9		11		-2	2.13	4.38	-2.25
WC79	  3	42	3/10	18	11-2-5	35	1.94	3/10		8		 0	3.00	3.00	 0.00
WC80	  1	44	3/10	18	9-5-4	32	1.78	2/10	PO: 11 (1st), 8 (4th)	 1	3.00	2.00	 1.00
WC81	  9	51	3/10	18	10-4-4	34	1.89	4/10	5 (2nd), 7 (1st)	-1	3.00	4.00	-1.00
WC82	  3	44	3/10	18	6-6-6	24	1.33	4/10		19		-1	3.00	4.00	-1.00
WC83	 9/I	54	3/7	12	5-4-3	19	1.58	3/7	5 (PO), 10 (Q)		 0	4.00	4.00	 0.00
WC84	  3	53	3/11	20	8-6-6	30	1.50	4/11		12		-1	2.80	3.70	-0.90
WC85	  4	62	4/13	20	7-3-10	24	1.20	10/13		19		-6	3.25	7.75	-4.50

So, the current World Cup cycle sees Eastfield Lodge manage only 1.2 points per game, with an absolute PPD of -6, being the fourth seed and currently only ranked 10th place in the group, and a relative PPD of -4.5. How does this compare with the worst campaigns of yesteryear?

WC73: Group 3; Ranked 65th, Pot 3 out of 7, Finished 4th, 4-2-6, 14 points, 1.17 PPG, PPD -1, RPPD -1.5, 11 points off Playoff place, 14 off Auto-Qualifying
As it stands, Eastfield Lodge still haven’t broken the record for their worst point-per-game haul in qualifying history - only WC73’s PPG of 1.17 (14 pts from 12) is worse than what the team are achieving now. In order to *beat* this record, Eastfield Lodge will need to get less than the equivalent 28 points from 24 games in this qualifying campaign, which means gaining less than 4 points from the remaining 4 games of the campaign. Roll the clock back over 20 years and you come to WC73, hosted by Apox and the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. It saw 65th ranked Eastfield Lodge drawn into Group 3 with Audioslavia, and a familiar but no longer extant name in Chiata as the second seeds. Little known fourth seeds Nassau-Hessen were the only other side ranked in the top 150. 6th seeds Emirate of Akbarstan were the first to take points off the national side, manager Lowell Brown orchestrating a home loss to them before losses to both higher seeds and a draw against Nassau-Hessen to go into halfway with just 7 points from 6. A repeat performance in the second half cemented this campaign as the worst ever, trading Akbarstan’s loss with the Nassau-Hessen draw.

WC62: Group 20, Ranked 70th, Pot 3 out of 8, Finished 5th, 4-5-5, 17 points, 1.21 PPG, PPD -2, RPPD -2.57, 10 points off Playoff, 14 off Auto-Qualifying
Cycle back another 20-odd years, and we get a campaign that was only slightly better than WC73. WC62 saw a 3rd Pot Eastfield Lodge drawn into Group 20, having had a fairly dismal outing the previous cycle to drop to 70th. 6 points separate the side from finishing above this tally, needing 30 points to beat the equivalent PPG. It is also the worst overall finish the team has ever experienced, with a relative position of 6.14 marking one of 6 times the team has finished in the bottom half of the group - however, WC85 as it stands will break the record for lowest actual finish (discounting WC54’s second stage). In order to avoid that unsavoury record, Robert Andrews needs to martial the team into 7th place or higher, which currently is a 4 point deficit to Maccian. WC62 qualifying featured the Eastfielder team finishing 5th in a group featuring Polar Islandstates and Kiryu-shi as the top seeds, with 4th seeds Hutt River the only other side in the top 100. However, 5th and 6th seeds Rhodesiah and Conclespia massively outperformed their pot in a group that an incredible amount of draws, 16 from 56 games - 2nd place Kiryu-shi drew 6 times on their way to finish 2nd to reach the playoffs, with less than 2 points per game to their name.

WC75: Group 14, Ranked 56th, Pot 3 out of 7, Finished 4th, 4-3-5, 15 points, 1.25 PPG, PPD -1, RPPD -1.5, 9 points off Playoff, 19 off Auto-Qualifying
Only 4 years after the debacle of WC73, the Eastfield Lodge team were back at their worst. This was made all the more remarkable by the fact that two years prior, the same national team, largely unchanged, had recovered from the worst campaign in their history to missing out on the playoffs by Head-to-Head Goal Difference, and only 3 points from finishing top of the group. Bouncing back from that peak, Group 14 saw the team drawn with first seeds Valladares and 2nd seeds Associated Godlands, with Red Blackiland playing the role of fourth seed upsetters. As per usual, it didn’t go well, losing points to the two bottom seeds along with twice drawing with Red Blackiland, and the team finished 4th, some distance off the top two stops. 1.25 points per game in this campaign equates to 30 points, 6 points ahead of where the side is currently.

WC53: Group 1, Ranked 43rd, Pot 3 out of 10, Finished 6th, 7-2-9, 23 points, 1.28 PPG, PPD -3, RPPD -3, 10 points from Auto-Qualifying in 2nd
The first campaign where the national side actually performed terribly. It was the second time in 5 appearances where the national side finished below expectation, but to date it remains the biggest disappointment in terms of positions - the RPPD of -3 is the worst the team has ever finished (barring the following World Cup Qualifying’s second stage), until this cycle. At this point, it was a team finding its feet, so it’s a bit of a different scenario to the present day. Regardless, they were third seeds in a group where the top two were Sorthern Northland and West Zirconia, with Mantwenic and Loonaterian the two seeds chasing. Losses to relative unknowned Pretty Awesome Persons and to both Mantwenic and Loonaterian massively hamstringed the side, leaving Eastfield Lodge falling far behind the qualifying race, finishing 6th behind Mantwenic, Pretty Awesome Persons and Aalnordhavn in a dismal performance - who would have thought at that point that the team would be just one win from qualifying in WC54 and making the finals the cycle after.

Honourable mentions

WC54 - despite a magnificent first stage, the second stage saw Eastfield Lodge enter the Interzonal as the 2nd seeded team of 6. However, two losses in three left the team needing a must-win over Churchma to finish 3rd, only to lose and finish 5th behind their opponents.
WC51 - a crash back down to earth after two debut cycles where the team were less than 5 points off qualifying; a cycle that saw the team finish fifth as fourth seeds, with the same PPG as WC53, and finishing 18 points off the qualification spots.
WC69 - having made the playoff the cycle previously, this was a chance to move on. They spurned it badly though, finishing fourth as second seeds, 12 points outside the playoffs.

So there you have it, this cycle isn’t objectively the worst ever that the Eastfield Lodge national team has ever produced. But it is very close to beating some records, and is already beating others, such as the current RPPD of -4.5 smashing the previous record of -3. So time will tell whether this truly is the worst qualifying campaign of all time.

MD21: Eastfield Lodge 1–2 Flavovespia
Line-up (3-3-3-1): Couch - Mackenzie (<> Hargreaves 78'), Carr-Ponce, Whitfield - Nagi (<> French 63'), Qwivotic, Shan - Foley, Jewell, Cousin (<> Harry 83') - Morales
Goals (Assists): Morales (54' - Jewell)

Line-up to play A Flock of Seagulls (3-3-3-1)
Couch - Hargreaves, Carr-Ponce, Whitfield - Nagi, Qwivotic, Shan - Foley, Jewell, Harry - Morales

by **Astograth** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 5:05 pm

Previously

Astograth 1-0 Jeckland
Basabe, Astograth, New Beltzura Stadium (attendance: 45,859)

Lineup: Anzizar, Remondegi, Narke ©, Doyenard, Lizarza, Gurina, Sorrosua, Ibargengoitia, Aragolaza, Duarte, Urdanibia
Substitutions: Martel for Remondegi, Arana for Urdanibia, Yrigoy for Doyenard
Goalscorer: Sorrosua

“I’ve… I’ve never felt like this before,” admitted Gero Sorrosua, the corners of his mouth stretching and curling into a smile. “Not in twelve years as a professional.”

He sat across from Landerra Lazaga, the researcher who’d been following the team through the whole of qualifying, in the breakfast lounge of the Ulzurraneta Hotel in Basabe. This was the hotel’s fifth floor, and the large windows that lined it flooded the room with the white light of morning. Beyond a stretch of five or six blocks and the docks there stretched the enormous Lake Anzar, calm and blue.

“Not even winning the title?” asked Lazaga, pushing to get a little more out of him. Her thin black voice recorder lay in the middle of the table, between their cups of tea and plates of fruit.

“No, not even close,” mused Sorrosua, his eyes wandering out the windows. “My first title was miserable, with Sporting. I told you that. And then with Wanderers… I guess the feeling of momentum is similar. But this is on a whole different level.” He looked back at Lazaga, chestnut eyes shining.

She felt it too, but it was so hard to get it verbalised from players. ‘A rollercoaster’ was the usual analogy. Not that she did a much better job putting in words, though. Astograth had gone into this World Cup qualifying campaign expecting little; the previous attempt in World Cup 83 had set the bar so low that beating twelfth-seeded Necosia in the first match was already a thrill. But then, in just their fourth match, they’d beaten Audioslavia in Cathair. That win, and Urdanibia’s goal in particular, had rapidly entered the pantheon of the nation’s great sporting achievements – after two decades of starving for one, this was a worthy addition. A run of three wins and four draws followed, which, although a massive improvement since WC83, still resulted in talk of actual World Cup qualification being met with scoffs. The loss to New Lusitania, at the very end of the first round, seemed to confirm this. Astograth was doing well, but qualifying? No.

Then they’d held Turori to a draw at Grand Duke’s Stadium. The Cocoa-bo-powered juggernaut, which had won every single match until then, faltered. Even the worst skeptics felt something stir in their hearts after Astograth valiantly held on until the final whistle, players dropping to the ground in disbelief that they’d gotten a point out of the top seed. They repeated the feat against Audioslavia, Kontrapuntzeka and Olibondeka locking together in a goalless stalemate. Although this was, on paper, a major win for Astograth, by the end of the match the feeling was that they could’ve won. This squad was like a dynamo, whirring into action and energising the whole country.

Whatever frustrations they had they took out on the next three teams, beating EOT, Porticalia, and at long last gaining a win over Sajnur; 3-1 away, at that. Last night they’d stretched this to four wins against Jeckland, the longest winning streak the team had had since World Cup 68 qualifying. The public was responding: sales of Olibondeka merchandise were skyrocketing, ratings were the highest they’d been in twenty years, and the players were enjoying a level of stardom they’d never reached playing domestic football.

“It feels more intense, is what you’re saying,” nudged Lazaga.

“Yes, absolutely! You win the title with Wanderers and great, you’re a hero in Urbizania. But not the country. And here we’re doing something where everyone is onboard. It feels amazing. And I couldn’t have chosen a better place to score my first goal.” Sorrosua smiled again.

“You feel a connection with Basabe.”

Sorrosua’s eyes wandered now around the lounge, where the rest of the team and staff served themselves from the buffet. “This was my home for three years. This was the same hotel we’d stay at with Old Boys, before home matches. I failed at Sporting and everyone figured I was done for, but here they took me in. They gave me a chance… more than a chance, they gave me the space and the time I needed to show what I could do, which I never got at Sporting.” Sorrosua paused, thinking. “I think I repaid that last night, in a way. I feel like I never got a proper chance to say goodbye here – and the fans here were so good to me! – but last night, yeah.”

Last night, Sorrosua, on his tenth cap for the national team, had been given a rare starting opportunity, deployed in centre rather attacking midfield, to partner with Gaitzka Gurina in replacement of Indartsu Lekea. It was an experimental lineup, to be sure, but Jeckland seemed like the right opposition for it. The other option, Beltza Urkizo, wasn’t exactly on speaking terms with Gurina, in a rivalry that the team was struggling to keep from boiling over into a national news story.

In the first half, some twenty-something minutes in, a corner-kick taken by Churio Aragolaza had been headed away by the Jeckish defence, falling to the feet of Gurina on the outside of the box. Sorrosua, who’d taken position toward the far post for the corner, rushed out to meet his partner, and received a pass with his back to goal and a defender breathing down his neck. He could’ve sent a long pass to Remondegi, that he might fling in a cross, but Sorrosua took a gamble.

A step-over to his left feinted the defender, as Sorrosua hit the ball with his heel and turned right, swinging his left foot around to fire a shot through a forest of players and past the goalkeeper’s gloves. He couldn’t hear himself yelling over the din he unleashed in the New Beltzura, louder than it had ever been when he’d played for Basabe Old Boys. The tears he did feel.

by **Huayramarca** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 5:07 pm

Part 1.
Part 2.
Part 3.
Part 4.
Part 5.
Part 6-
Part 7.

Ñucanchi Ñan - Part 8.

Illimani National Park, Huayrasuyo Department - 24/04/1980 - 3:31 P.M.

The unusual activity since a couple of days ago lifted some suspicions at the residents near the park contours, they thought that Mina had appeared already at the parliament with some briefcases filled with the quixotic colors that the Inti banknotes have, that gray background with an Aymara woman typically dressed in a complete color palette displayed at her dress was noticeable always at the highest currency note, the I$ 1000 banknote, which is always the symbol of dirty business in Huayramarca, where the belief of possessing lots of this bills is usually related to drug dealers, corrupt people or even to those who launder currency constantly. If a black briefcase appeared with those notes, the message is always clear: “We want to buy your will, you decide the price.” And those four last words are literal, since people usually doesn’t carry one, they might carry even five of those to bribe all the people they deem necessary to achieve their purposes.

The Nunavut Mining Cooperative, a mining company with a shady record into the multiversal industry of mineral extraction, was the one elected to do the dirty job, but something more dirtier than the usual, profaning a sacred place for the Quechua and Aymara people, contaminating one of the main water sources for the Huayramarcan Metropolitan District, that’s fed with the use of the Illimani’s big and complex glacier system would harm a lot to a city that continues to grow as poverty at some regions of the Sierra continues to grow, not exponentially but does grow and it’s getting even more crowded and messier than before. The company was posing their machines to drill into the zone, but suddenly a brigade of people appeared, those were residents from the Huayrasuyo department, the most inhabited of the 16 departments that comprise Huayramarca, also, a column of Ñucanchi Ñan people was moving close to the locals, they were moving towards the drilling zone and the road that the company pretended to follow to reach the most promissory reservoirs of minerals, specially ore and copper. The constitutional draft that was pushed into the Huayramarcan Supreme Court of Justice had failed, the news were announced some minutes before on the radio, which raised as a spark into the bushes, people decided to drop into Illimani National Park in masse in order to prevent the drilling of the place, it wasn’t only a Ñucanchi Ñan deal, there were even some people involved into local indigenous militias that were closely supporting ÑÑ that arrived to the place.

The company workers, mostly Huayramarcan stuff weren’t able to start drilling due to the pressure of locals, mostly since those workers were from the Sierra region, hence, most of the people there knew their families and had the pan grip into their hands in that situation, some screams were heard from the mob: “Ramón, I know you, if you push that red button I’ll kill you, you cannot escape me.” “Aren’t you all Serranos, do have some dignity and leave that cursed machinery abandoned.” Hugo Mina was supposing that a mob would arrive this time, hence he decided to send police after their way in order to avoid the protesters from taking their position, they failed since they arrived late as pretty much every time they try to prevent manifestations, strikes and another kind of social movements to happen. The Huayramarcan police wasn’t a clear example of an institution that would be efficient while arriving, but they are the classical institution that could be arbitrarily used against people and could kill people if the leader of those authorities would ask for it.

Hugo Mina was dropping off a phone call to David Girón, one of the regents of the police officer brigade moving towards Illimani “We might be into the eyes of the region for now, since those people divulgated our situation, human rights watchdogs might be following this closely, don’t authorize your men to shoot unless needed for self-defense. If that happens, make it look as if they started the brawl.” Those were the instructions that Mina provided to Girón, while he passed up the conversation in E-Quipu in form of a voice note, he did recorded the conversation as usual, although, he expected people to read and then listen to the voice note before a timer set to five minutes, then a pop up appeared on his phone, reading “This message will self-destroy in 5 minutes, is this OK?” He tapped the “Yes, it’s OK” option while watching the rest of police officers travelling in the same bus, they were, in fact, listening the voice note with extreme care to anything of relevance that would be said, which in fact, there was a lot of handy information for them and their proceedings.

The last encounter with Police Officers and social movements was a deadly clash, 19 people dead, 16 police officers all of a sudden that were unable to react to the short reaction span of their assassin, who was the very same one that they would meet today in the shape of Marta, although, they already forgot the matter since they were now acting to a new order sent by Mina, that order was even more important than their families, since they knew that if they disobeyed or showed dissent to it, they would be thrown up into one of those dirty and overcrowded jails that Huayramarca has at the very outskirts of the Metropolitan District, namely “La Catedral” Which was one of those artificially made hells that nobody in their right judgement would like to ever get in, it was the perfect definition for anarchy and worthy to appear at a dictionary as synonym of it.

The police officers managed to arrive into the national park, they took their guns and batons set in order to get off the bus and move, as a column, into the park in order to make the Cooperative begin the so desired self-enrichment plan for Hugo Mina and his allies, a plan that included nothing to the average Huayramarcan citizen, who was looked up as a zero on the left side, they were only “a handful of useless idiots.” According to some functionaries into the Mina’s cabinet. Ñucanchi Ñan was the avant-garde of the movement of people, they were holding banners against the “Profanation of the Illimani” or some with messages such as “Get your hands off my ore, pirates.” As a clear signal that they are only interested on extracting the resource rather to take care of the environment, the well known Pachamama, the mother earth, the venerated figure into the old Aymara and Quechua religious circles, still respected until our days.

Recomended music choice for the rest of the RP

“De pie cantar, que el pueblo va a triunfar.” Were the consigns coming from the people gathered at the machines, some of those people hopped into it in order to sabotage the equipment and prevent it from being used “Avanzan ya banderas de unidad, y tu vendrás marchando junto a mí.” Sang while waving the Huayramarcan bi-color flag, they were lifting their left fist as sign of popular power present there, trying to defend what it belongs to them, specially the indigenous people. Police officers were moving to them, some people were moving to them while screaming “Con voz de gigante, gritando adelante.” They were decided to take police to a face to face, they marched forward and protected the park from being crowded by police officers, people continued to try to push them back, they continued screaming “¡El pueblo, unido, jamás será vencido!” while pushing police officers back to their busses, even some people were throwing sticks, stones and also machinery parts purposed for routine change in case of emergency, Girón called Mina and told him the situation: “We are being pressed to retreat, there are thousands of them that arrived earlier than us, there are like 10 thousand people against 300 officers.” People cornered the police officers.

Then, Ñucanchi Ñan time, Marta appeared and said “You have made us suffer a lot, you’re only a bunch of attacking dogs to the service of a dictator, haven’t you all known the word ‘dignity’? You’ll learn it, this people will not retreat and will not leave until the last piece of scum that’s here from that Québécois human right violator company leaves our country.” The Huayramarcan staff had to retreat and leave the place, they were being intimidated by the presence of the people there, some of those were even threatened if they didn’t leave, those hid into the bushes while seeing how police was being cornered, they decided to throw rocks and Molotov cocktails at the busses, bringing those to ashes while police had nothing to move now or to hide, they had to defend only in case of an attack to their personnel, they weren’t being attacked, but intimidated. Girón decided to avoid calling for reinforcements, instead he decided to wait for the time in case the people decided to attack.

Mina, meanwhile, was still hurtful after being attacked by a fan at a Huayramarcan NT match, he wouldn’t imagine what was happening there, neither he wanted…

by **Delaclava** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 5:09 pm

Previously...

When the plane touched down at the Manchester airport, their original destination, Landers had the new scheduling plans set in motion. They'd have an overnight layover anyway, but the assistant coach Jonathan Rothstein announced to the players that their plane would not be headed next to Barrassa, but to Cleopatrana.

The players cheered - not only were they relieved to not travel to this desolate venue, which they hadn't quite understood when the DFA first announced the decision - but they were excited at the prospect of heading to Cleopatrana - which was now quickly becoming internationally known as Delaclav "party central".

Jared Thompson - who was by now, unofficially the elder statesman of the team and of the "crew" - exchanged a glance with Michael DeFrancis, who knew exactly what his job was - to put on a party that made the Manchester orgy seem like a private gathering in comparison. Michael got to work immediately making calls, finding houses and venues, and spreading the word in the "party network".

Landers was back on the phone too, but while Michael was trying to track down as many people as he possibly could, Landers was on the phone looking for one person, and he thought he knew who could help - Dhiego Vera, the Cleopatrana SC manager. When Landers was still the Steckholl United manager, they shared an intense yet respectful rivalry, and he was sure Vera would be alarmed about the recent developments.

Landers dialed and thankfully heard an almost immediate, "Hey Tim, how are you?"

"Well, Dhiego, and you?"

"Very good. Congrats on your success so far!"

Landers laughed, "It's been a bit tough. We're really up against it with some of the teams out there, but it's been a heck of a journey."

"Well, what you've done with this team is admirable. You've set us up very well going forward. And our league will benefit from it."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it. Listen, I have a favor to ask."

"Okay?"

"Can you provide Ryan Keating's Cleopatrana address, or point me to someone at your club who can?"

"Uh...sure, but why can't you ask him?"

"He's not with the team. He left?"

There was a brief yet heavy silence on the other end. Then, "Are you serious?! What happened?"

"I don't know - he texted me the evening after the Jeruselem match that he was packing up and heading home. He didn't answer when I tried to reach him. We had to go straight to Acronius so I'm trying to handle this now."

"My goodness... is he okay?"

"I think so? I'm assuming at least that he headed home, but I'm trying to talk to him and figure this out? I had him on the bench but I don't think he would have stormed out over that."

Almost interrupting Landers, Vera replied, "Absolutely not. I saw in some matches that he wasn't playing great, but I'd think he would keep working to make it back."

"Yes, Dhiego, that's exactly what was happening. So I'm shocked."

"Ok, well give me a second here, let me find it..." Landers heard shifting of papers in the background. "So when are you paying him a visit?"

"Tomorrow, actually."

"You're not headed to Barrassa?"

"I told the DFA to put this together so we could play the Shipyard instead. It makes more sense anyway. We badly need some morale to get through these last few games."

"Well, good, I'm not sure why they were sending you to that forsaken place at all. Anyway, Ryan lives at 128 Timiocato Drive. I know the area, it's just a side street right along Ocean Avenue, not far from the Shipyard actually."

"Great, Dhiego, thank you so much. And I may need to call later too - if I can't get Ryan back, I might need to know who's in town to replace him."

Dhiego laughed a little bit. "Sure - I bet some of these guys should be with you now anyway."

Landers chuckled as well. "I know, I know - I wish I'd had more to do with the selection. The guys I have are great, but the DFA threw it all together in about two days and I've tried to manage."

"No, I get it, that's not on you at all. It's a learning curve for everyone."

Landers, relieved that he wasn't dealing with that situation now, replied, "Well, I should go - it's not long before we're headed back on the plane. Thanks so much for this."

"Anytime. Let me know if you find out what's up with Ryan. I don't want him to feel like he's being hunted down, so I'll give him space until you get here."

"Sounds good, Dhiego. Take care."

***

Tim Landers barely slept that night, and eventually he just gave up and got ready to meet his team and get back on the charter plane. It was just under two hours to get from Manchester to Cleopatrana, but it was a highly nervous wait for the Delaclav manager.

He didn't know exactly what he was going to find out when he spoke with Ryan - or rather, if - but he knew he was not going to like it.

The plane finally touched down, a shade before 8 am. At this time of year in Cleopatrana, that meant the sun was long out. The early risers had already gotten in their morning runs, coffee and pastries, and the shopping district was already starting to fill up.

As the players were standing up, taking down their duffel bags, Landers motioned for Keaton Durbridge to come forward. The captain stepped up, and Landers said:

"Keaton, today's going to be easy going. The bus is going to take you all to the Cleopatrana practice facility - get everybody loose, light practice, get the heart rate going a little bit."

"Sure, Coach. Where are you going?"

"To get Ryan."

Keaton nodded, his eyes now tinged with worry. "Good luck."

***

Landers was blown away as he drove up to the large, bright, open house. The exterior seemed to be equal parts white oak and glass, with balconies and views all around - most importantly, the ocean. Whether this was inherited money or prizes from Cleopatrana SC's success, Ryan at least had this going with him.

Through one of the large glass panes, Landers could see Ryan walking around, and was flooded with relief. Landers hadn't thought the worst outcomes to be likely, but it was certainly nice to rule them out.

***

Ryan Keating was going about business as usual. He'd been back home for a few days, and following the usual routine that he enjoyed - morning run, coffee and breakfast, take in the beach views, then fill up the day with visits to the markets and cafes. He'd encountered some people he knew, and they were glad to see him - and fortunately, since it was now national news that Keating had left the team without notice, they didn't ask too many questions.

Ryan didn't know what was next for him, but at the very least, he had been able to put that out of mind for the next few days.

Then he heard a knock on the door, saw his coach through the glass, and at first was filled with a hot surge of discomfort. That was quickly replaced, as he realised, Okay, time to deal with this. And on some level, he was grateful that his coach had cared enough to find him.

Ryan walked over and opened the door. "Hey, Coach, how can I help you?"

Landers cocked an eyebrow as he shook Ryan's outstretched hand. "Really?"

Ryan shook his head with amusement. "You're right. Dumb question. Come in."

Landers stepped in, taking in the splendor of the house. He had no idea that this place would get regularly trashed by hundreds of partiers on the evenings - it was immaculate, had a peaceful yet energetic flow. Landers couldn't help but understand exactly Ryan would want to be here instead of anywhere else - especially depending on what he was about to hear.

"Coffee?" Ryan asked.

"Sure," Landers said. "What've you got?"

"It's a Laurelan blend." Ryan looked at his coach. "You want a bit of MCT oil in yours? You look like you could wake up a bit."

"I definitely could," Landers said, and Ryan obliged. They walked over into the living room, on two sofas positioned corner to corner, and sat down.

Ryan looked at his coach hesitantly. "So, uh... where do we begin?"

"Well," Landers tried not to be too blunt, but it was the only question he could lead with, "why did you leave?"

Ryan sighed and ruffled his hair a bit. "Look, you have to understand, it wasn't about the playing time. Did I want to play more? Of course. But I know at that time when I needed to be in my best form, I wasn't. Then Brent got on a heater and you stuck with him. So I get that you stuck with him, and I hope you don't think I wasn't working my butt off the whole time."

Landers laughed. "I know, I know. That isn't you."

"But it just got to a point - what with losing the starting job, then I've had other stuff going on - I really just felt like I didn't know who I was. Honestly, I panicked a bit. I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's fine," Landers reassured him. "But what else was going on? You don't have to tell me, but if just losing the starting job wasn't enough - well, I'm curious."

Ryan paused for a moment, then thought, What the hell. "So I came back here during the qualifying break for a few days, before we headed to Manchester for the Stars match. And there was a party that I went to..." he trailed.

He saw the look of fright on Landers' face and quickly continued, "It's okay, nothing terrible happened! But there was a good friend of mine - I was too drunk... and he tried to force himself onto me. Like, this is someone I've hooked up with before, but a bunch of my teammates were there, I'd be talking to them and this guy would come up behind me and start fondling. So it just put me in an embarrassing spot. Then he tried to solicit me when I was about to leave."

Ryan didn't realise that he was going to divulge that much to the manager - not even his own club coach - but there it was, and he again put his head in his hands to collect himself. Landers shook his head. "Wow, that's... I'm sorry."

"Thanks. Yeah, so since then, it's just really hurt my mood. I was trying to keep working hard but I just couldn't focus. Then with some of the stuff going on with the team, it was just a constant reminder."

Landers' eyes flew wide - no need for coffee at this point. "What does the team have to do with this?"

Ryan realised what he'd let slip. He hadn't meant to do that, but at this point? There was no use running from the truth.

"Well, a bunch of us have kind of all been...seeing each other. Mainly, I was in a relationship with Jared, but a lot of other guys were involved too. And in all the different cities, there'd be different get-togethers, we'd get as many people as we could and go at it. But after this party happened, I wasn't interested in it anymore, but kept getting pressured into continuing on. It just broke me down."

Landers was shocked. "So - in Manchester, after the Jeruselem match - "

"We had another hotel with at least a thousand people. I was told I had to go. I ended up bailing early, that's when I told you I was out."

Landers felt anger boiling up inside of him, but was determined to temper it, and now he put his head in his hands, to calm himself. "Ryan... I know this is a tough spot you're in, and I'm sorry. And I'm not trying to come down any more on you."

"But-"

"But this is not good. We were in a position where if a few games had gone our way the past several weeks, we could have had a real shot at qualifying. This tells me that you and anyone one who was involved with this, you guys were fooling around and weren't focused enough on getting the job done."

Ryan sighed, almost near tears. "I know. I'm sorry - this just got out of hand."

"This is not the culture we need to be building if we are to succeed as a football team. You know I have to do something about this. Who else was involved?"

Ryan paused. "Coach, you must know I want to help. But I can't rat on them."

Landers was about to boil over, when Ryan added, "I told you about Jared - if you want to find out more, maybe start with him?"

Landers took a breath. He respected Ryan's honor in the situation, and he at least had enough info to keep going. "Yeah, I'll do that."

There was a long silence. Eventually, Tim thought it best to defuse the conversation for a bit, asked Ryan about the house, and they made small talk for a while.

Eventually, Landers said, "Well, I should get going, figure all of this out. I just want to know - are you doing ok?"

Ryan smiled. "Yeah. I'm really sorry to bail, but I really needed this break."

"Any chance I could get you to return?"

"Not right now, honestly. On and off the field, the team's not the best place for me to be."

"I understand that. Well, take care. We're in town for a few days, of course, let me know if you need anything."

"I appreciate that, Coach."

Landers strode out of the house a few minutes later, on a mission. This was bigger than one man's personal troubles. He had a culture of distraction and indulgence on his team, and it was his job to wipe it out.

***

Landers got back to the hotel just as the team had returned from practice. The team was buzzing, ready to put their stuff away and hit the town. Landers had different ideas.

"Durbridge, Thompson! May I speak with you?"

The captain and the veteran goalkeeper came over. "Gentlemen... I just had an interesting chat with Ryan Keating. Jared, who's taking part in the team orgies?"

"What??" the captain reacted, incredulous.

Jared swallowed uncomfortably, then managed to get out, "What?"

"Don't play dumb, Jared," the manager pressed on. "Are you planning one of these tonight too?"

"Sir, I really don't know what you're on about," the goalie lied through his teeth.

Landers wasn't sure how to proceed with this stonewall, but at that very moment, Michael DeFrancis, the equipment manager, walked into the hotel. He and Jared exchanged a furtive glance, and Landers caught it, and walked up to Michael, who had taken out his phone almost immediately.

"Son, give me that."

"This is none of your business!"

"Listen, son," but he had no more to do, as Durbridge had stepped over and smacked the phone out of Michael's hand, picked it up and handed it to his coach, standing menacingly between Landers and the young equipment manager.

Landers scrolled through and quickly found the group chat called "Cum On Phoenixes

". He found the distribution list and was stunned. Donato Girardi. Rhydian Campbell. Pavel Cicak.

This was some serious star power on this list, but Landers knew what he had to do. But he had one more question for Jared. "So, I'm going to take care of this, but Jared, do you want to tell me why you wouldn't let Ryan get out of this?"

Jared hung his head, and said, "Honestly? I just wanted to mess with him, and keep him around. And he was so easy to treat well, make him feel good, make him want to stay."

Durbridge had heard enough. Thompson was a full five inches taller than Durbridge, but he pushed the goalie hard and shouted, "Are you fucking kidding? We're been trying to win football matches and you've been getting everybody to screw around? Don't try to play in this country ever again - I will fucking cut you down -"

Fortunately, a few players had stuck around from the very start of the conversation, suspecting some drama, and now Lukas Meyer and George Ross came into the lobby, took Durbridge back a few steps, forcing him to relax for a second. Landers took over:

"Jared, I think this goes without saying, but pack your bags, you're done. Michael, you're going to help me figure all of this out. Come with me and Keaton now."

***

A couple of hours later - a lot of shouting from Keaton Durbridge, overwrought crying from Michael, and Landers just trying to make sense of it all - Landers was armed with all of the details he needed. He picked up his own phone to redial his last call:

"Hey, Dhiego, you got a minute?"

"Yeah! Is Ryan okay?"

"He's fine. I spoke with him, he's doing well, just needed a break. Listen, I can't explain what's going on yet, but I need you to help me find seven players who are in town."

"Seven? My goodness, what is going on?"

"We've got a major problem - everyone will find out more later, but I just need to fill out the roster to play Simpralia tomorrow."

Landers had already instructed his staff to call a press conference at the team hotel, and after the phone call, Landers stepped into the hotel's ballroom. The press were all in attendance, confused about what they were about to hear.

Landers sat down, took out a piece of paper, cleared his throat, and began:

"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, thank you all for coming on such short notice. I have a significant announcement that will pertain not only to tomorrow's game against Simpralia, but for the remainder of the campaign and for this program going forward.

"Effectively immediately, the following players are dismissed and suspended indefinitely from the team for misconduct, pending further investigation: Jared Thompson, Josh Torres, Pavel Cicak, Brent Ritchie, Zane Davis, Donato Girardi, Rhydian Campbell, Gunnar Sash, Jesse Bates, Quentin Bard, Ryan Walters, and Declan Mullins, as well as coaches Jessica Garcia and Allison Rhimes."

"Tomorrow's starting lineup will be as follows: goalkeeper George Ross; defenders Luke Lemieux, Valentin Gusev, Chris Lang, Kelly Torres; midfielders Timur Zaitsev and Keaton Durbridge; attacking midfielder Lukas Meyer; and midfielders Dathan Ingram, Dashaun Howard, and Alexei Gusev.

"The reserves will be goalkeeper Tomasz Janaczek, defenders Mike Hamill and Radko Rácz, midfielders Sawyer Rotan and Jeremy Walsh, and forward Kevin Dillon.

"I would like to thank Dhiego Vera, the manager of Cleopatrana SC, for helping me to procure players who could fill out the lineup for tomorrow's match, to my captain Keaton Durbridge for his team leadership, and the players who are stepping up on short notice to play for their country. I will have more information regarding the misconduct of the suspended players at an appropriate time. For now, we need to prepare to take on Simpralia. I will not take any questions."

Delaclava 2-2 Simpralia

SIMP, Simp (Simp, Simp) 17'. SIMP, Simp (Simp, Simp) 23'. DEL, Meyer (Durbridge, A. Gusev) 41'. DEL, Howard (Lemieux) 58'.

DEL, Ross (Janaczek 46'); Lemieux, V. Gusev, Lang, Joseph; Zaitsev (Rotan 46'), Meyer, Durbridge; Ingram, Howard, A. Gusev.

Landers was relieved that the Simpralia game was now over, but he barely had time to enjoy that the Phoenixes had achieved a home draw despite a raggedly assembled bunch of nationals and club players, when his phone rang. It was Ted McQueen, the president of the DFA.

"Hi Ted."

"Tim. First of all, well done with the match. You were up against it and your team managed to pull through."

"Thank you," Landers replied, fearing what was coming next.

"Look, we saw the press conference, we've gotten some leaked information about the misconduct you're talking about. We're not at all pleased with how this went down."

"Ted, I did the best I could -"

"I'm sure you were trying to do the right thing, but when someone tells us that you're going to find seven replacement players without having us in the loop at all-"

"Did Dhiego say something to you-"

"then you go out into a presser and suspend twelve players, again without giving the DFA so much as a heads up, it's a major pain in the ass for us."

"You're right, it would've been better if I'd called, but I had to act quickly."

"That's not even our biggest problem. The fact that there were massive orgies and parties going on under your nose, and you had no idea? Either you didn't know, or you're cultivating such a lax culture that the players can do whatever they want without any regard for their responsibilities. I know you have a tough job, but these players had no accountability to you, and more than half of the team took advantage of that in some of the worst ways."

Landers had no rebuttal for this. None of it was wrong, and he was in no position to fight back.

"We're going to investigate all of the suspended players, and Ryan Keating. And while we're doing that, you're done as well."

"Excuse me?" Landers inquired. This was the one outcome he had not foreseen at the beginning of the day, but here it was:

"You and the remainder of your coaching staff are also suspended until further notice."

by **Kelssek** » Sat Jun 13, 2020 5:25 pm

Scores for MD23, groups 1-7

World Cup 85 || RP Thread

WC 85 Qualifying MD21

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