Pug Xily'a

[Qusmo]

Welcome to Pug Xily’a.
Fryq Qusmo.
Free Qusmo.

Please refrain from posting if you are not a moderator; thank you in advance.

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Index.

Most of Qusmo’s RPs from before summer 2019, in all competitions, can be found at Spon Qusma, the original Qusma sports newswire; however, the sportswire is missing content from Copa Rushmori XXXII & World Cup 83 Qualifying.

Free Qusmo.

2019.

Very important disclaimer.

Chapter I.
Chapter II.
Chapter III.
Chapter IV.
Chapter V.
Chapter VI.
Chapter VII.
Chapter VIII.
Chapter IX.
Chapter X.

2020.

Chapter XI.
Chapter XII.
Chapter XIII.
Chapter XIV.
Chapter XV.
Chapter XVI.
Chapter XVII.
Chapter XVIII.
Chapter XIX.
Chapter XX.
Chapter XXI.
Chapter XXII.
Chapter XXIII.
Chapter XXIV.
Chapter XXV.

[Qusmo]

No. Player Name, Pos. (Age)      Nationality    Role            Primary Club (Nation)      Fmr. Club    IFCF Status    Scouts   Leadership
 1. Jralv-Vlont Abe, GK (33)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Pearlham SC (XAN)          KF Atlov     Prohibited
 2. Denir-Slokt Jok, CB (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Atlov     Approved       Yes
 3. Elfon-Ajark Zyn, CB (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Saabham Forest (MRC)       KF Werzin    Approved
15. Jralv-Yamaj Mal, LB (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Union Forge (HVY)          KF Atlant    Conditioned
16. Intov-Betva Uzo, RB (23)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Kistina Galaxy (PFM)       KF Atlov     Conditioned
 5. Vlont-Prant Ixi, DM (31)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Dursten Easterners (XAN)   KF Atlov     Prohibited
 6. Forzu-Nirlo Uzo, CM (33)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Langlois Océanic (KSK)     KF Qalijan   Prohibited              Captain
18. Jerat-Ajark Zyn, CM (22)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Centre f. Excellence (MRC) KF Ixic      Approved
22. Zaxac-Sylax Alt, RW (27)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Azurea (HVY)               KF Atlant    Approved       Yes
23. Ucyxi-Slokt Eva, RW (26)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Werzin    Approved       Yes      Player-Manager
11. Karar-Cralt Ono, ST (18)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Aloha Heiwashima (HIN)     KF Werzin    Approved
12. Helek-Matez Fox, GK (33)     Qusmo          Reserve         Karibu (ERA)               KF Werzin    Conditioned
25. Stomz-Japil Mal, GK (18)     Qusmo          Reserve         Airin Rovers (HIN)         KF Vlonz     Approved
26. Intov-Helek Duk, LB (31)     Qusmo          Reserve         Brantisvogan FC (SRS)      KF Werzin    Conditioned
27. Flonz-Urynt Guv, LB (34)     Qusmo          Reserve         DKI Telecom 5G (DKI)       KF Vlonz     Conditioned
28. Xilit-Xilit Waz, LB (29)     Qusmo          Reserve         Ragabakri Victory (PHJ)    KF Lilnim    Approved       Yes
29. Matez-Fenaz Yan, RB (29)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Werzin    Approved       Yes
17. Cralt-Yelto Ulv, DM (32)     Qusmo          Reserve         Karibu (ERA)               KF Vlonz     Conditioned
30. Ralox-Xalan Uka, DM (18)     Qusmo          Reserve         Airin Rovers (HIN)         KF Werzin    Approved
18. Penac-Harta Jan, CM (30)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Brakjon   Approved       Yes
10. Lenpi-Xelez Roz, SS (35)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Vlonz     Approved       Yes

KFQ Pretarljz has a great captain. Beyond that, it’s a bit more difficult to see the side’s quality.

Forzu-Nirlo Uzo wears the six proudly, &, to be fair, there are quality players across the pitch, including Jralv-Vlont Abe in goal, Ucyxi-Slokt Eva on the right wing, & a better-than-expected defense all-around. The club even has ten reserves, giving it the competition’s joint-deepest bench. A closer look at the club reveals its build-from-scraps reality. A right wing forward is playing on the left wing in the Starting XI. The club is the only one in Pug Xily’a with a third-choice goalkeeper, and it has three left backs sitting to relieve one player. The team’s only reserve forward is a thirty-five-year-old who plays a position the club doesn’t even employ. Despite a few good players, after a few matches, KFQ Pretarljz stands in real danger of being found out; the club could be battling for the wooden spoon. Player-manager Ucyxi-Slokt Eva, the youngest person to be on a coaching staff in the league, has their work cut out for them.

Scouts do have a few good players to look at, with seven players, including three starters, set to foray into the upcoming transfer market. Right wing forward, & player-manager, Ucyxi-Slokt Eva & Denir-Slokt Jok are certainly the highlights. In the primes of their careers – twenty-six & twenty-nine, respectively – they have not had a great spotlight placed on them because of the positions they play. National team manager Avarn-Oxolt Ban’s system only ever called for one left back & one right wing forward on the roster at a time; unfortunately for these two new teammates, they were only second-choice. Still, to be the second-best player of one’s country at one’s position is no mean feat, either, & if there’s to be a moment of magic, if it doesn’t come from Forzu-Nirlo, it’s likely to come from either Ucyxi-Slokt or Denir-Slokt. Scouts may find Ucyxi-Slokt to be a particularly compelling case; they are the youngest player on KFQ Pretarljz’s to announce their intentions to enter the transfer market, & they have the added pressure of serving as the team’s player-manager. It will be interesting to see how the twenty-six-year-old handles their new role & responds to the inevitable setbacks.

All in all, KFQ Pretarljz will likely be the least-followed & least-supported team in the competition, simply because it’s the least interesting. Even its crests & kits seem to leave a little to be desired – not bad, per se, but just not terribly memorable. Likewise, the roster itself isn’t necessarily filled with bad players, but few are truly memorable; few can truly make a match their own. This club has no history &, frankly, has yet to establish any real identity except as a ragtag bunch of the league’s cast-offs. Paired with some of Qusmo’s finest footballers, Pretarljz may find it difficult to succeed in Pug Xily’a.

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Present day.

Pug Xily’a didn’t begin with a referee’s whistle, nor did Pug Xily’a begin with the idea to bring football back to Qusmo. Pug Xily’a began long before the prohibition of professional football in Qusmo, or even the indefinite emergency suspension of Pug Qusmyra, which had come before. No, Pug Xily’a can trace its history back to a single moment: a scoreless draw in Qusmo’s now-defunct former second tier.

Pug Qusma, Ryrak Cez, Matchday Thirty-Six: KF Niflic 0-0 KF Juzad.

That draw may not seem significant at first glance. In the antepenultimate matchday of the season, the team that would finish fifth, six points shy of promotion & eight shy of the league title, drew with the team that would finish twelfth, closer to the relegation zone than the promotion playoffs.

The stakes were much higher for KF Atlov’s supporters. A lot was going right for their club, but it wasn’t over yet. Even after a 3-0 derby win over KF Abork on Matchday Thirty, Atlov was still three points behind league leaders KF Polxar & trailed Niflic by one point for the final automatic promotion spot. Atlov won again on Matchday Thirty-One to pull even with Polxar on points for the league lead, & they won again on Matchday Thirty-Two to sit alone atop the table. Atlov would keep winning through Matchday Thirty-Five, & their sixth consecutive win saw them guarantee, at the very least, a spot in the promotion playoffs. In fact, with three matchdays to go, Atlov had a seven-point lead on the top of the table & was eight points clear of the playoffs. Only two clubs had any hopes of surpassing them: KF Polxar & KF Niflic.

However, it wasn’t all wrapped up. Atlov’s six-match win streak put them in a fantastic position, but it was hard to see how the club could sustain it. After all, in the twenty-nine league matches prior, Atlov had only won thirteen. Atlov had a great defense, but even it surely couldn’t keep up its form of conceding only one goal in the past seven matches. Further, the offense was suspect; it would score only the thirteenth-most goals of any team over the course of the league season. That led to a glut of draws; Atlov would finish the season with fifteen, more than any other club in Pug Qusma.

Further, the club’s upcoming schedule was not easy. Atlov faced KF Qandon, a team thick in the promotion race, which would finish the season with the second-most goals scored in the league, on Matchday Thirty-Six. Next, Atlov visited KF Gelf, a team that was trying to avoid relegation but was tough to break down; it would finish the season with the joint-fifth-best defense in the league. Finally, in the club’s final match, Atlov would play KF Polxar – the very team that was currently second in the league, which would end the season with the league’s best attacking record, by a margin of more than ten goals.

Not winning the league – or even not being promoted to Pug Qusmyra – was still a distinct possibility. That possibility grew with the results of the day. Atlov lost at home to Qandon by a 3-1 margin. Polxar won their match against KF Abork on the road. However, Niflic needed to win in order to still have a chance of overtaking Atlov. Instead, they proved unable to score at home to Juzad. As a result of that scoreless draw, despite a listless final three matches, Atlov guaranteed promotion to Pug Qusmyra, Qusmo’s top flight, for what would prove to be its final full season.

More importantly for its successor, promotion to Pug Qusmyra guaranteed clubs participation in two competitions: UICA Series B Champions’ Cup & Puk Juzuna, the Qusma youth cup.

Pl.  Post-MD   MD34   MD35   MD36   MD37   MD38
 1   Atlov       67     70     70     71     72
 2   Polxar      63     63     66     69     70
 3   Atlark      56     59     62     65     65
 4   Kozon       58     59     59     62     65
 5   Niflic      61     62     63     63     64
 6   Renan       58     59     60     61     62
 7   Qandon      55     56     59     60     61
 8   Kobat       54     57     58     58     59
 9   Vlosk       47     48     51     54     55
10   Xapon       48     51     52     52     53

[Qusmo]

No. Player Name, Pos. (Age)      Nationality    Role            Primary Club (Nation)      Fmr. Club    IFCF Status    Scouts   Leadership
 1. Yamaj-Zorno Mal, GK (21)     Qusmo          Starting XI     KT Koroatuz (AUD)          KF Lilnim    Prohibited
 2. Cunix-Betva Tla, CB (33)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Port Sebastian (SCT)       KF Niom      Approved       Yes      Captain
13. Ozolx-Alfan Ixi, CB (31)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Chatswood (NPH)            KF Werzin    Conditioned
 3. Alfan-Harta Waz, CB (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Keenan Athletic (COS)      KF Atlark    Approved       Yes      Player-Assistant
 5. Jerat-Jonto Jan, DM (27)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Metropola Borograd (STL)   KF Atlant    Timed
18. Yamaj-Blonz Jok, CM (26)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Dyn. Novaya Russica (SVJ)  KF Werzin    Prohibited
 6. Nenzi-Frolt Erv, CM (33)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Port James Athletic (SCT)  KF Vlonz     Approved       Yes
 7. Rynyr-Pilta Jan, AM (32)     Qusmo          Starting XI     KT Moreazerua (AUD)        KF Kozon     Prohibited
 8. Elfon-Tanar Xlo, LM (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Crystal City United (CRY)  KF Atlark    Conditioned
 9. Lenpi-Helek Tez, RM (18)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Zeppelin Foundation (HIN)  KF Trew      Approved
11. Frolt-Dwada Len, ST (21)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Atletik Thessia (MYT)      KF Estraj    Approved       Yes
12. Xilit-Dynom Ixi, GK (29)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Vlonz     Approved       Yes
14. Kresp-Cinic Jan, CB (35)     Qusmo          Reserve         Stahlburg Rovers (NPH)     KF Qastyr    Conditioned
 4. Lucex-Ilinx Opu, CB (36)     Qusmo          Reserve         Ritter Town (NPH)          KF Atlant    Conditioned
26. Jonto-Julad Len, CB (31)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Ixic      Approved       Yes
17. Zylyz-Wanar Ulv, DM (32)     Qusmo          Reserve         Hallad Reavers (STB)       KF Atlant    Approved
27. Izilv-Xalan Abe, CM (30)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Lilnim    Approved       Yes
19. Xynat-Vralx Roz, AM (32)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Estraj    Approved       Yes
20. Vralx-Intov Max, LM (18)     Qusmo          Reserve         Keijo Dairy (HIN)          KF Trew      Approved
24. Mâxímö Álbárrâó, ST (20)     Farfadillis    Reserve         Ñandfe (FFS)               n/a          Approved
    Vralx-Ucyxi Lec, n/a (63)    Qusmo          Manager         Old Birmingham City (HVY)  KF Poldanz   Prohibited

KFQ Takomokat may not be favourites, but the club has the defensive spine that could make it a tough out in Pug Xily’a.

The backbone of the team starts with its captain, Cunix-Betva Tla. Cunix-Betva was the vice-captain of Qusmo’s national team, & its second-most-capped player ever, one of just four players to reach one hundred caps before the national team ceased play. Cunix-Betva is flanked by Ozolx-Alfan Ixi, the national team’s fourth-choice defender & a common rotation piece in the middle. Beside both of them is Alfan-Harta Waz, who is also capped for the national team; in fact, so are two of the team’s substitute centrebacks. This may be one of the best defenses in the entire competition – & it doesn’t hurt that the back line will be given cover by Jerat-Jonto Jan, the national team’s starting defensive midfielder, & Yamaj-Blonz Jok, the would-be heir to Ilinx-Kepex Zev’s throne at centre midfield for the national team.

Scouts watching KF Takomokat will get to keep their eyes on eight players in particular, half of them starters, which have announced their intentions to explore the upcoming transfer market. The two highlights, of course, are the two centrebacks on the list: Cunix-Betva & Alfan-Harta. They are also the two players entrusted with the most responsibility on the team. Cunix-Betva, of course, is the captain, while Alfan-Harta is in line to become player-manager for international competition, if the team can get that far, as Vralx-Ucyxi Lec will have to return to Old Birmingham City during that time. Nenzi-Frolt Erv will likely be the third-best player on this roster to seek a new primary club this window, though at just twenty-one – the only player on the club’s roster under the age of twenty-nine to declare their intent to pursue a transfer – scouts may also be interested in the potential of Frolt-Dwada Len, especially as they deal with the challenges of being the striker spearheading a 3-6-1 on a defensively-focused side.

Takomokat’s strength is clearly its defense. It has an excellent back line, & it is covered by a very strong central midfield, which boasts both quality & quantity. However, the sides of the pitch are only patrolled by two players, & the team will be the only one in Pug Xily’a to employ a single forward in its first-choice XI. Along with KFQ Pretarljz, Takomokat is one of only two teams in Pug Xily’a to not be, essentially, a phoenix club of one or more original clubs of Qusmo’s original top flight, Pug Qusmyra. However, it has a much stronger identity than its counterpart. From the team’s bold kits & clear Rushmori symbolism on its crest, harkening to its name – translating to community in English – to its strong back line & central midfield, it’s clear that Takomokat will make no apologies & play its own way. It may lack the firepower in the final third & the cover on the sides of the pitch to contend more fully, but teams in Pug Xily’a will have to earn their points against Takomokat.

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Shortly after the conclusion of the second Qusma domestic season.

“Look, our priority is just staying up. We need to establish a foothold here in Pug Qusmyra, & then we can start to grow & expand out from there. But we can’t kid ourselves. This’ll be a long-term plan. There’s no magic shot in the arm. We’re still just the second-biggest club in our own city. We can do it, but it’s not going to be done overnight.”

Brelk-Xeral Erv was speaking to Otoln-Xilit Lec. Otoln-Xilit was the eighty-year-old manager of KF Atlov, which they had just successfully navigated to the top flight after winning Pug Qusma. Brelk-Xeral, at forty-three, was nearly half their age, but they worked in close collaboration with Otoln-Xilit as both the club’s assistant manager & the manager of the club’s youth team, Atlov Juzuna.

“So, when we play in the Series B Champions’ Cup, let’s put some of our youth players in. Let’s get them some experience. These kids are going to be special. They’re going to transform this club for the better, but we need to actually give them a chance. If we’re in it for the long haul, if we want to be sustainable about this, we need to give these kids some experience at the highest level we can. & this is it. & after these kids have experience competing against teams from across the Multiverse, they’ll be hungry for more – &, as they mature & develop, they’ll be the ones to lead the way for this club.”

Otoln-Xilit’s eyes narrowed. “& who do you expect me to cut from the team for some seventeen-year-old? How are they going to help us stay up in the top flight?”

“We won’t have to sacrifice spots on our roster for senior team players to accomodate our youth team. That’s the beauty of UICA football. We can have up to twenty-five List A players, & that’s our roster, our senior team roster. But List B’s unlimited. We can have as many youth players as we want on the team, just as long as they’re twenty-one or under. Think of the talent we could have on that squad. We don’t need our Starting XI to be U19 in the SBCC. But if we introduce, say, three or four at the beginning of the match, maybe one or two as second half, they’ll have amazing experience. That’ll supercharge their development, & that’ll help make them a strong spine of this team for the next decade. Think about that, Lec. This might be our one chance in a long time to do something like this. & if we do it, we could be back on the UICA stage again soon, & for years to come.”

“Erv, there’s a reason these players are registered to Atlov Juzuna, not the senior team. That reason is that, however good they might be in a few years – & we have no way of knowing whether or not they’ll really be good or not – they’re not ready for the senior team now. & you’re asking me to throw them into the fire, not just to challenging adult competition, but to teams from across the Multiverse, on the UICA stage? Won’t we be laughed off if we start a bunch of kids & they can’t handle the pressure? Won’t that reflect poorly on the entire club?”

“Lec, you seriously underestimate these kids. They don’t just have the potential. They have the talent. They have the ability. They have it now. They can play football. Now, let’s look at this another way. What’s your legacy at this club going to be? You’re eighty years old, Lec; you’ve got to be thinking about how you’ll be remembered. You’re this club’s first professional manager, the manager that got them promotion to the top flight & got them to UICA qualification. You’ll be the first person to manage this club in Pug Qusmyra. But is that all you want to be remembered for? Don’t you want to be remembered as not just the first manager of a yo-yo club to achieve the first of several promotions – or, worse, the only manager of a lower-tier club to get the team promoted to the top flight? If you want a legacy, you’ve got to want this club to be absolutely the most successful it possibly can be. You’ve got to want Atlov to be not a second-rate club in its own city; it’s got to be one of the premier clubs in this country. & the way we can do that is to give these youth players experience, to let them shine. & then, in a few years, they’ll ensure this club’s legacy in history – & they’ll ensure the legacy of the manager who gave them that chance.”

“Hmm.” Otoln-Xilit stared at Brelk-Xeral for a moment just long enough to be unbearable. “Last year, Qalijan got hammered seven-two, aggregate, in the First Preliminary Round. Ixic eked it out into the Second Preliminary Round, but didn’t make it any farther than that. & Dynynon, the team that won Pug Qusma last year – just like us this year – got assblasted 7-1 from the jump. Chances are, the state our country’s football infrastructure’s in compared to the long histories & legacies of some other places, we’re going to be embarrassed, anyways, whether we put adults on the field or not. Just make sure those kids are ready.”

“Oh, they will be.”

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Shortly after the Sixty-Ninth UICA Series B Champions’ Cup Eighth-Finals.

“Are you serious? No, Lec, answer me! I want to know: are you serious? How could you do this?”

“Because I’m this club’s manager, Erv. & I make the final call on these decisions. We’re through to the quarterfinals, & we need to prioritize winning, now, above anything.”

“But these players got us here! When you believed in these players, they won! They’re the reason you’re making a call in the first place! & your call is to deprive these players of competing on the biggest stage of their lives?” Brelk-Xeral paused. “Well, are you going to answer me?”

“If you’re finished, Erv. Let me remind you of where we were when this wonderful journey began. We were in over our heads. This nation has only competed on the UICA stage once before. & how did we do last year? We sent three teams to the SBCC. Two of them got humiliated in the first round they entered; Ixic barely survived the First Preliminary Round & then got dumped in the Second. Let’s look even bigger at that, at the whole state of club football in this country. We have Atlant & Rejin in the Globe Cup, we have Rejin in the VCI, we even have Juzun Trewa in the Youth Cup, if you want to look at how well our kids do – & every single team from Qusmo, besides Ixic for a single round in the SBCC & the top two teams from the top flight, Qastyr & Poldanz, was eliminated in the very first round – the very first preliminary round – they entered the competition. On three separate occasions, three different Qusma teams let seven goals through. Humber Valley did it to Qalijan in the very first preliminary round of this very tournament. Nassau Bay United did it to Dynynon, the defending champions of Pug Qusma – the very same title we hold now, in the very same tournament we’re competing in now – & Stein-los Turkish even did it to Qastyr, the champions of Qusmo, this season & last. Seven-nil, aggregate. It was a humiliation. So when I initially had my discussion with you, after the season, about how best to manage this SBCC campaign, I accepted there wasn’t any harm. We probably weren’t going to last long anyways.”

“But this team has lasted long. It’s lasted a lot longer than any of our imaginations – certainly yours, even mine. & the players that made this happen – you want to throw that all away?”

“The times are different now.”

“How? How do you not show the same loyalty & faith in your players that they showed you? That led this team to victory?”

“This journey didn’t start so smoothly. It didn’t start with a win, not even points. In our first match of this campaign, in Valladares, against FC Columbus, we lost two-nil. In the return leg, we were down two-nil again by the half. & because of away goals, we’d need to score five goals, all in the second half, in order to move on. & by some miracle, we did. Margaret, that was a magical night. But there was no pressure. We knew we couldn’t win. Even Columbus knew we couldn’t win. Hell, they even subbed out their stars at the half to give ‘em a breather, because they knew they had it in the bag. So there was absolutely no pressure on our kids to make a miracle. Just the opposite, in fact; it was so impossible that no one expected anything at all. If anything, we expected the aggregate score to reach seven. But we did it. We went through. Because we had no pressure, we had the home crowd’s support, we had all the momentum, & we were playing against backups instead of stars.”

“But we did it.”

“It was a fluke.”

“How do you explain the rest, then?”

“The playoff round. Against Scarborough. We win two-nil, & it’s hard-fought. We pick up an early goal in the reverse in Coldfield, & suddenly, they’re on their heels. They’re down two on aggregate, & if they allow another goal, another away goal, they’ll need to score four to win. Before they regroup, we hit ‘em again. Now they know they’re cooked. So we hit ‘em again. There’s no chance they can recover. It’s certain we’ll win the tie. They know it. They’re so out of sorts, they can’t even defend properly. & we score again. It’s all momentum, Erv. We had it. We struck. We won.”

“& then we had six matches in the group stage. In the group stage! Margaret, Lec, no team from this country had ever made it to a UICA group stage, & not only did we do it, but we made it out! We made it to the knockouts!”

“Yes, we did. We played six matches. We won two of them. Sparkling record.”

“But we made it through!”

“Sure we did. Only because the other teams didn’t capitalize. We got through by the skin of our teeth.”

“But Lec, have you forgotten that we’ve just won a knockout round? Have you forgotten that we’ve just become the first team in the history of our nation not just to play in, but to win, a UICA knockout round?”

“We played Sporta Eelandii. You know where they finished last season?”

“Of course I know.”

“Dead last. They won the Wooden Spoon. But they still got to play in the SBCC, because of these stupid multiassociational rules. Margaret, & now I hear some higher-ups are talking about setting an eight-team minimum or something to supposedly ensure teams that qualify for UICA competition have to earn it. Yeah, right; they’re just penalizing small countries just starting out, without all the football infrastructure, & turning a blind eye to the Sporta Eelandiis of the Multiverse.”

“Lec, you know as well as I UICA wouldn’t do something like that; it’d take a whole separate body to even contemplate doing something like that. & this isn’t even about that, anyways; this isn’t about competition rules for some hypothetical, made-up league, this is about this team, right here, right now, & the fact that the reason we’re still here right now is because of your players. These are the players who got us here. Yes, some of them are young. But look at the results. Just look at the results. If you trust them, if you allow them to continue to compete, they can win. But you have to let them do it.”

“As a matter of fact, Erv, I have looked at the results. In fact, I’m this team’s manager; it’s my job to look at the results. &, frankly, I don’t like what I see. We barely got through Eelandii. We scraped by three-two. & they were the last-place team in the Déclassé Division. Well, guess who we’ve drawn? Arcticala Inlet, of Vilita. As it just so happens, Inlet played in the Déclassé Division last season, too. & they didn’t finish last. This is a better team that we’re up against. & we need better players. We need players with experience. We need players who are trusted & proven.”

“What don’t you understand, Lec? How do you think we got here? It was with these players! Yes, they’re young! But we got here with them!”

“Erv, these players aren’t the reason we’re in this tournament. The reason we’re in this tournament at all is because we won Pug Qusma. & we won Pug Qusma with our veterans, with our first-choice senior squad XI. Those are the players who won this team our only trophy. Those are the players who are responsible for setting this entire run in motion. Those are the players I trust.”

“But Lec, we’re so close. We’re so close, Lec. How can you toss these players aside now, of all times?”

“You said it, Erv. We’re so close. It’s precisely because we’re so close. At the beginning of this campaign, you sold me on the promise of compromising on winning now a little bit – at the very least, compromising on winning now when it came to UICA play, which we were probably going to lose either way – & instead helping this club win in the future. I could accept that before. But now, we’re so close. We’re so close I can taste it. The quarterfinals are when dreams become real. It’s when they’re no longer fantasies; they’re real, tangible, concrete possibilities. We need to beat one more team, & we’re through to the semifinal. & if we can win one more round after this, we’ll be in the final. In the final of a UICA tournament. & it’s no ordinary final, either; it’ll be at the national stadium. Mastad Qusma. It’ll be the very first international final our country will have ever hosted. & all we need to do is get through two more rounds to make it. & then, if we do make it to the final, this entire nation will be behind us. Even Atlant supporters will be cheering us on. That stadium will be an experience unlike anything anyone in this nation will have ever experienced, & I absolutely know that if we can reach that final, there’s absolutely no chance we won’t win it. We just have to make it.”

“But Lec, can’t you see that our best chance of making it is the players that got us this far in this tournament?”

“No, Erv. I don’t think we can bring home a UICA trophy with a bunch of kids. When you convinced me of doing this at the very beginning, you asked me to think about my legacy. What would it be? You suggested that being the manager to set in motion a long chain of events that, eventually, one day, years into the future, would possibly make Atlov a nationally relevant club was my best shot at my legacy. Well, Erv, I’ve changed my mind. My best chance at a legacy is by winning Qusmo’s first-ever international trophy, & by winning it on home soil. & I intend to win this trophy with the players who won us our last trophy. Lest I have to remind you, Erv, I am the manager, & I still make the decisions here. This is still my team. & this is how we’ll compete. This is how we’ll do it. &, mark my words, this is how we’ll win.”

KF Atlov lost 1-2 at Mastad Atlema in the first leg of the ensuing quarterfinal, & the club then lost 0-1 in the second leg in Vilita. They were eliminated from the tournament. Usmer, of Eura, won the final in Qanz on penalties. KF Atlov had already drawn Ulsa Rovers, of the same league, home & away in the group stage of the tournament.

[Qusmo]

No. Player Name, Pos. (Age)      Nationality    Role            Primary Club (Nation)      Fmr. Club    IFCF Status    Scouts   Leadership
 1. Kresp-Japil Cuf, GK (23)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes
 2. Jralv-Xelez Max, CB (26)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes
 3. Rynyr-Xeral Ixi, CB (35)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes
15. Evela-Dwada Inu, LB (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes
16. Zenon-Tylyr Pan, RB (22)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes
 5. Konda-Ralox Saf, DM (27)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes      Captain
 6. Evela-Karar Iza, CM (33)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes
 7. Prant-Vlont Abe, AM (34)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes
22. Ajark-Intov Fox, LW (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes
23. Etern-Tylyr Von, RW (35)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes      Player-Manager
11. Hynym-Nirlo Alt, ST (22)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Voraxan   Approved       Yes

Who knows what KFQ Yunyan will do, but chances are it’ll be fun to watch.

Yunyan translates to English as union, & this club is a reunion of sorts for its players. In fact, every player on Yunyan’s roster was formerly a part of KF Voraxan’s first-choice starting XI. Yes, the club consists entirely of eleven players. The team doesn’t even have a coaching or backroom staff, besides player-manager Etern-Tylyr Von. The club attempted to hire Vlont-Lucex Ivo, formerly the manager of these players at Voraxan; however, after current club Baywall Athletic blocked the move, the players decided they wouldn’t play under anyone else. Etern-Tylyr was asked how they planned to deal with possible injuries, or if a substitution was otherwise required. They responded, “We’ll cross that bridge if we come to it. As long as there’re people passionate about football to be sitting in the stands, they’re passionate about football enough to play it. Don’t worry.”

Scouts watching Yunyan matches won’t have to do much work to figure out who will be available in the upcoming transfer market; all they have to do is look for the bright pink. Not a single player on the team has any experience playing for a club besides Voraxan, meaning not a single member of the team has played in an organized setting since the original Qusma domestic pyramid was shut down. That also means that no one on this team has played in a country’s top tier league, or even its second tier – but Voraxan was able to boast that it was one of just three Qusma clubs to win a national senior trophy, & among its two trips to the Vilitan Cove Invitational, it defeated Canterlot Royals of Equestria & Klyde of Cosumar in the competition’s fourth edition, en route to a close quarterfinal against eventual champions FC Tavernia, of Eastfield Lodge. However, the only player that’s even been invited to a national team training camp at any level is Kresp-Japil Cuf, who was formerly the third-choice goalkeeper for the U21 national team.

Voraxan was a bit of a cult favorite club in some corners of Qusmo after winning Puk Zama in consecutive years – the only years it was eligible for the competition altogether – despite competing in the third tier of the Qusma pyramid both seasons. Yunyan surely hopes that it can produce those same kind of magical upsets that so defined its former self. There is no doubt, however, than Yunyan is the wild card of this league; who knows what they’ll do? Supporters of this unique team will hope that their performances will be as eye-catching, & even shocking, as their kits.

---

During the final full season of Pug Qusmyra.

Brelk-Xeral Erv walked into a locker room in the midst of celebration. Their team, Atlov Juzuna, had just throttled Lilnim Juzuna to advance to the semifinals of Puk Juzuna, Qusmo’s youth cup. “We were never able to play in Puk Juzuna before. That was just for the big kids in Pug Qusmyra. Oh, no, there’s no way a little team like Atlov Juzuna could play on the same pitch as those big, strong, mean kids from the top flight! We’d just get pushed around, wouldn’t we? Well, I’ll tell you all a secret that’s not going to be a secret for much longer: this team deserves to be here! We deserve to be playing against these teams! We deserve to play, & we deserve to win!”

Once the team had settled down, Brelk-Xeral continued. “We had to play in the first round, but no matter. We dispatched Polxar four-nil. We had to play in the second round, but no matter. We took care of Dynynon five-one. We had to play on the road again in the quarters, but no matter. We just ran Lilnim Juzuna out of their own park! Seven-one! Margaret, everybody, can this team be beaten?”

Brelk-Xeral loved their players. & their players loved their manager. It helped that both Brelk-Xeral & their team were very, very good at their jobs. “Every single one of you knows that I believe in you. I believe in you to the very utmost, whether it’s in Pug Qusma, or the SBCC, or Puk Juzuna, or Pug Qusmyra, or absolutely any match, in any competition, at any place, at any time. Because I know this team, & I know what it’s capable of.”

Brelk-Xeral took a moment to survey the room. They were so gleeful about what they were about to say, but they had to contain it for just a moment. “But I have a confession to make. As you know, Trew Juzuna has won this tournament both years it’s been held in the past – both years we weren’t invited. It’s played ten matches in this tournament over the course of three years, & it’s won every single one of them. &, my team, I have to confess: I’m not sure we can beat them this year.” The team looked around at each other, nervously. Their manager had never told them they doubted them before. They had always been a fount of confidence, even during the hard times. They had always believed in them – & now they didn’t?

“I’m not sure we can beat Trew Juzuna this year because they’ve just been eliminated already.” The room erupted. Trew Juzuna was undisputably the best youth team in Qusmo – except, as every player in that room knew, for themselves. They would have posed the stiffest challenge for Qusmo’s youth championship – & a spot in the UICA Youth Cup. & now, they were gone.

“Three-nil! They were brushed aside three-nil, in their own home stadium!” Brelk-Xeral crowed, knowing just how significant that result was. They knew their team could beat Trew Juzuna on a good day. But they knew that their team could beat any other team on any day.

“Everyone, I want you to remember something! Nobody expected you to get this far. Nobody expected you to be able to compete. Nobody expected you to be able to win. Nobody! Nobody except for the people in this room! We know what we’re capable of! We know what we can do! & we know what we’re going to do! We’re going to win Puk Juzuna, & we’re going to introduce this nation to Atlov Juzuna! We’re going to teach people to never, ever underestimate Atlov Juzuna! Now, are you ready? We have two matches left! Two matches! Are you ready to win them? Are you ready to win Puk Juzuna?”

Atlov Juzuna won their Puk Juzuna semifinal, four-two, over Koflir Juzuna. Atlov Juzuna won the Puk Juzuna final, four-one, over Niom Juzuna. With their Puk Juzuna championship, Atlov Juzuna became Qusmo’s youth champions & qualified for UICA Youth Cup 25.

---

Brelk-Xeral Erv stood in front of their team. They “Let me tell you all something. This – this moment – this is something you’re going to remember for the rest of your lives. This moment is something you’re going to be telling your grandkids about. & you know why? Because y’all are about to become the first Qusma team to ever win an international trophy. Y’all are about to do it.”

“The way we’ve gotten here has been completely unforgiving. First, we had to go through our own countrymates. We had to win Puk Juzuna. Five straight knockout matches, lose one, you go out, you’re done. Well, guess what? We weren’t done after Polxar. We weren’t done after Dynynon. We weren’t done after Lilnim. We weren’t done after Koflir. & we weren’t done after Niom.”

“Then we had to take on the whole Multiverse. Lose a single match, & we’re out. Well, we were still in after taking on the ’lil Dæmons. We were still in after taking on Tanrısal. We were still in after taking on Northern Union. We were still in after taking on Eastweald. We made it all the way to Tropicorp Park, & we were still in after taking on Directus. & we’re still in it now.”

“Every single match – except when we drew ’lil Dæmons when we were already up five-nil – every single competitive match we’ve ever played, at home or away, in Qusmo or abroad, against other Qusma clubs or against the best the Multiverse could offer, we’ve won. We’ve won every single time. & now, we’re so close. We’re here in a final. No team from this country has ever competed in a final before, not even the national team, & not only did we make it, but we’re on the verge of winning it. We’re so close. I know we can win. Now, we have to prove it to the world.”

“We’ve won every single way we can. We’ve won blowouts. Five-nil, five-one, seven-one. We’ve won close matches. Four-two, one-nil, three-two. We’ve kept clean sheets, not just against Polxar, but against ’lil Dæmons, Northern Union, & Directus. We’ve scored three goals, four goals, five goals, seven goals. We’ve won every single way we possibly can, except for one. Except for a penalty kick shootout.”

“Right now, we have that opportunity. We took everything – absolutely everything – that not just South Coast United, but our entire nation & the entire Multiverse had to throw at us, to try to defeat us, to try to stop us. & now, here we are, at Tropicorp Park, at the Youth Cup Final. You aren’t here because of luck of the draw. You aren’t here because you’re not too bad. You’re here because you’re about to prove to the Multiverse what I’ve already known for a long time: that this team is the best youth team anywhere alive today. Just five kicks to secure your legacy. & not only can you do it, but you will do it. So let’s go win the Youth Cup.”

“Ono. Cel. Ezi. Gla. Opu. All you have to do is put the ball in the net. Zev’ll keep it out.”

South Coast United penalty kick one (0-0): Converted.
Atlov Juzuna penalty kick one (0-1): Converted by Ibilx-Irtiz Ono.

South Coast United penalty kick two (1-1): Converted.
Atlov Juzuna penalty kick two (1-2): Missed by Yoltz-Jonto Cel.

South Coast United penalty kick three (1-2): Converted.
Atlov Juzuna penalty kick three (1-3): Converted by Otoln-Prant Ezi.

South Coast United penalty kick four (2-3): Saved by Karar-Falax Zev.
Atlov Juzuna penalty kick four (2-3): Converted by Ernat-Belaj Gla.

South Coast United penalty kick five (3-3): Saved by Karar-Falax Zev.
Atlov Juzuna penalty kick five (3-3): Converted by Wanar-Sevet Opu.

Final
at Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Vilita

(JSY)        South Coast United    1–1 p  Atlov Juzuna              (QUS)  (3–4 pen)

Atlov Juzuna wins The Youth Cup, making Qusmo the lowest-ranked association to win the competition.

---

As the team swarmed Wanar-Sevet after their winning penalty, Atlov Juzuna’s two starting centrebacks, Ibilx-Irtix Ono & Zaxac-Fenaz Pec, rushed to Karar-Falax, who had collapsed on the side of the pitch after the ball hit the back of the net.

“Zev! Are you alright? Come on, we have to celebrate!”

“Margaret. Fucking Margaret. My god, fucking Margaret. We’ve really fucking done it, haven’t we? We’ve fucking done it. We’ve fucking done it.”

“Yes, Zev. We’ve done it. We’re champions of the fucking Multiverse.” Ono looked their friend dead in the eye. “& I promise you – mark my words – we’ll be back.”

[Qusmo]

No. Player Name, Pos. (Age)      Nationality    Role            Primary Club (Nation)      Fmr. Club    IFCF Status    Scouts   Leadership
 1. Xynat-Evela Cuf, GK (32)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Megabrantid SC (SRS)       KF Trosoc    Conditioned             Captain
 2. Ulutu-Cunix Tar, CB (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Tanques AOÉ (KOR)          KF Rejin     Approved
 3. Intov-Rynyr Ump, CB (34)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Bourne River (ETN)         KF Trosoc    Approved       Yes
15. Hirom-Vanza Roz, RB (35)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Harbor (MRN)               KF Lilnim    Approved
16. Nirlo-Betva Uzo, RB (30)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Megabrantid SC (SRS)       KF Atlant    Conditioned
 6. Prant-Jerat Mal, CM (18)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Grand Royal HS (HIN)       KF Trosoc    Approved
 8. Jonto-Meron Bel, LM (34)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Pretia Prizren (MYT)       KF Rejin     Approved       Yes
 9. Ovolk-Cralt Wek, RM (33)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Blashpool City (ETN)       KF Trosoc    Approved       Yes
22. Dwada-Intov Tez, LW (30)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Straudum (KOR)             KF Rejin     Approved
23. Falax-Paliv Yet, LW (33)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Harbor (MRN)               KF Werzin    Approved
11. Landen Smoker, ST (37)       Cryst. Caverns Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Rejin     Approved       Yes      Player-Manager
12. Cralt-Nulzk Uka, GK (33)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Brel      Approved       Yes
26. Nexev-Elfon Cel, RB (33)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Trosoc    Approved       Yes
18. Eslejes Aljojí, CM (21)      Farfadillis    Reserve         Ausharmuj Marusi (FFS)     n/a          Approved
27. Nexev-Savar Fox, LW (20)     Qusmo          Reserve         Letson Town (ETN)          KF Trosoc    Approved       Yes
24. Gelan-Yivix Eva, ST (33)     Qusmo          Reserve         Megabrantid SC (SRS)       KF Koflir    Conditioned
28. Ilinx-Fenaz Lec, ST (35)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Trosoc    Approved       Yes

KFQ Planarjz has some excellent players on its roster, but their age may be a concern.

Any discussion of this team has to start with its goalkeeper, Xynat-Evela Cuf. They were the captain of KF Trosoc, & they serve as the captain of what is in some respects a KF Trosoc phoenix club, despite the fact that ten of seventeen players, & seven of eleven starters, never played for the club. Xynat-Evela certainly have the quality to compete at this level; they served as the Qusma national team’s starting goalkeeper & recorded many clean sheets over the years. They even have a supporting cast filled with good players like Megabrantid SC teammate Nirlo-Betva Uzo, who was formerly the only right back on the Qusma national team’s roster. However, age is an obvious concern. An eighteen-year-old is the lone player in the starting XI’s central midfield, & they are backed up by a twenty-one-year-old. Save for a twenty-year-old backup left wing forward – the third-choice player at that position on the roster – they are the team’s only players under the age of twenty-nine. The team’s fullbacks are a thirty-year-old & an out-of-position thirty-five-year-old. Prant-Jerat Mal, the teenager in the team’s midfield, is accompanied there by a thirty-three-year-old & a thirty-four-year-old. The team’s wingers are a thirty-year-old, an out-of-position thirty-three-year-old, & a thirty-seven-year-old at striker.

Unsurprisingly, there are not many youth gems for scouts to find at KFQ Planarjz matches. Of the eight players to declare their intent to seek a transfer this window, including four starters, only one is younger than the age of thirty-three. So, scouts may be most interested in monitoring Nexev-Savar Fox, but the left wing forward projects to be on the bench, behind Dwada-Intov Tez & Falax-Paliv Yet. Another possible target could be Landen Smoker, the team’s starting striker. Despite being thirty-seven years old, Smoker is still the starting striker for the Crystalline Caverns national team, & they will be entrusted with a leadership role as the team’s player-manager. How much longer they will be able to sustain their play is anyone’s guess, but a team could potentially take a chance on a player like Smoker, or another one of Planarjz’s veterans, to bolster their options in the short term.

Five years ago – when Prant-Jerat would have been thirteen – this team would have been very competitive. But where is it now? The team’s name, Planarjz, translates to growth, but if anything, it seems that the passage of time will likely have done the opposite over the past few years. Players like Xynat-Evela & Nirlo-Betva can still play at a high level – their title-winning performances in the Squornshelan Remnant States have proven that – but can the same be said for their teammates? We’ll find out soon.

---

“Y’all, it’s been good catching up. But I have an idea.”

Ibilx-Irtix Ono was talking with their friends – & former teammates – Karar-Falax Zev & Otoln-Prant Ezi. The fact that they were former teammates was tough to bear. It was beyond their control; after the government shut down football in Qusmo, they each had to leave Atlov Juzuna behind, just months after they had won the twenty-fifth – & final – UICA Youth Cup together. Somehow, though, they each found their way into the university system in Zwangzug – & they all kept playing football there.

“Ono, whenever you have an idea –”

“Hey, hear me out this time!”

“Well, what is it this time? A protest against the college admins? An organic beehive? An occupation of some government land?”

“Nah, something bigger than that. Something absolutely improbable.”

“Well, spit it out, then.”

“We’re gonna bring football back to Qusmo.”

“What? Ono, are you insane?”

“Mags, Ono, you know we’d never be able to do that.”

“& why even try? What’s the point? I wish we’d be able to play together, too, but we’re still able to play, & close enough that we can visit each other over breaks. That ought to count for something, Ono.”

“Y’all, just listen, okay? Listen, I’m not saying we play the matches in Qusmo. Even I’m not that stupid. But let’s think about this for a second. What’s the most effective way to get the Qusma government to change? The government isn’t going to change willingly at this point. It’s going to take pressure from the international community to force Qusmo to change. You know that.”

“& how does football make the government of Qusmo change a single thing what they’re doing?”

“Easy: It’s visibility. In order to get foreign governments to care about Qusmo, we’ve gotta get foreign people to care about Qusmo.”

“& if we say we’ll try to qualify for the World Cup again, & maybe keep their own nation out, they’ll go clamoring to their government, begging to make Qusmo change its ways?”

“No. But you can’t get people to care about Qusmo if they’ve forgotten it existed. & the best way to get people to pay attention – it isn’t an article in some political science journal, it isn’t a book or an op-ed, it isn’t a letter or petition drive to the local MP. It’s football.”

“Football? You really are mad.”

“No, Ezi, listen to me. If we get people tuned in, we can broadcast messages to them. We can explain what the situation is, why it needs to change, how they can help us. & that’s the only way we’ll be able to get them to pay any attention: it’s if they’re in the stands or in front of a TV, watching some football.”

“& how’ll we do this? Are we going to organize some friendlies, between Atlov Juzuna & some other teams somewhere?”

“No. We’re gonna create our own football league.”

“What? You realize football leagues cost money, right? You have to pay the players, you have to pay the coaches, you have to pay for travel, you have to pay for grounds, you have to pay for everything. & where are you even going to find the players? The managers? The staff? The anyone? You can’t just start a league out of nowhere. Sure, new leagues pop up all the time – Pug Qusmyra sure did – but those are supplied with players from that nation. We aren’t even allowed to play football in Qusmo! Where are we even going to play, anyways?”

“Hold on, hold on. Look, all these money problems can be answered by one thing.”

“One thing? What? Are your parents secretly billionaires & you didn’t tell me?”

“The IFCF.”

“What about the IFCF?”

“Since Pug Qusmyra was shuttered, Qusmo’s not had a representative to UICA or the IFCF – but we still have our rank. We’re twenty-fourth in the world.”

“Really? Twenty-fourth?”

“That’s right. KF Qastyr’s even still ranked among the top thirty-two clubs in the Multiverse. More importantly, though, because Qusmo as a nation’s still top thirty-two in the Multiverse, even after not entering either of the first two editions of IFCF football, we’d get five teams into IFCF play: two into the Champions’ League & three into the Challengers’ Cup.”

“Wow. I wonder how we might’ve done had we not lost those two years.”

“If every year Qusmo didn’t participate, we earned the same number of ranking points as it did the last year it entered UICA play – which wasn’t even quite as many as we earned the year before – we’d be a top eight association right now, getting three Champions’ League spots instead of Pasarga. If Qastyr had done the same, they’d be a top four club in the Multiverse right now. & if we earned that number of points this year, too, we’d be projected to be in the top four in the Multiverse, so we’d get a full four Champions’ League spots, not Valanora, & Qastyr would become the top-ranked club in the entire Multiverse, not Sabrefell Moths.”

“Pasarga? Valanora? Sabrefell Moths? Wow. Although we would’ve started winning those championships instead.”

“Of course. But, anyways, as I was saying, we have five IFCF slots. All we need to do is use them. & given all the revenue the IFCF generates, it’ll pay for our league, as long as we run it smart, & as long as we don’t spend too much. & we’ll get sponsors, of course, & people to help us out. But IFCF can help us pay for it. & even better than that, every single opponent we play in IFCF competition is a team from a foreign country, with a supporter base, that we can spread our message to. & once their supporters pick up the message, & once their nation’s media picks up the message, there’ll have to be a conversation. There’ll have to be pressure on their own governments. & their governments’ll ratchet the pressure up on ours. & maybe we can make a change.”

“Okay. I’ll admit, not bad. But how do we find the players? We can’t send five teams off to compete in IFCF if we don’t have five teams full of players.”

“Nah, you’re right. We don’t have five teams’ worth of players.”

“Wait, what? You’re serious? No, you’re – what?”

“No, you’re right. We don’t have five teams’ worth of players, that’s a fact.”

“Ono, are you yourself? You were on one of your rolls, explaining one of your ideas, & then –”

“We have three hundred twenty teams’ worth of players!”

“Ah, okay, there we go.”

“Back when football was legal, we had three hundred twenty football clubs operating in Qusmo. Now, not all of them are IFCF-calibre, of course. & not all of them are still playing football, or still want to play football, or are still capable of playing football. But all we have to do is look at Qusma footballers & footballers who played in Qusmo, & we can recruit enough teams for a league, easy.”

“But who? All the good footballers are already in leagues – all the good footballers who still want to play football, of course. & where are we supposed to play these matches, anyways? Do we want to make a multi-associational league with Zwangzug or something? How are we going to find enough empty stadia that happen to be free conveniently so that we can stage a league of our own?”

“Ah, but that’s the best part. We don’t hold this league during the regular domestic league calendar window. We hold this league during international window.”

“Why’s that matter?”

“Because Qusmo doesn’t field a national team anymore. So all these excellent Qusma footballers, who’ve found work elsewhere, in other countries, in other leagues, they’re just sitting around during international break. & if we can just convince them to play, to play for the sake of their country, for the sake of the sport they love, I don’t know how many of them will do it, but I know some of them will say yes. & we can build from there, & get other people who are allied to our cause, & other people who want to see football back in Qusmo, & other people who just want to play more football, or to play football at a higher level. We’ll have the players to form a league. That’s no problem.”

“But what about where they’ll play? You still haven’t answered that.”

“All across the Multiverse.”

“What? How’re we going to do that?”

“Well, we can’t just ask existing clubs very nicely to play an entire league season on their pitch, just after they’ve completed a whole league season & just before they’re about to complete a whole league season. & we certainly can’t just construct a bunch of professional-quality stadia overnight, certainly not anything we could use for IFCF play. But we can ask to use a stadium for one match, maybe two, maybe a full matchweek. & then we just move on to the next. We won’t have home stadia; we’ll just be rovers. We’ll be a whole league full of just rovers. & the best part is, if we go to different nations every single matchday, it won’t just be IFCF where we’re getting the word out; every single time we stop in a nation to play in our new league, the local media’ll start talking out it, the local press’ll start publishing pieces about Qusmo, the local people’ll start hearing about what the situation is, the local government’ll start being pressured to do something about it – & if we do this successfully, enough times, they will.”

“Okay. & how are we supposed to pay for travel all across the world? How’re we supposed to convince stadia to host us? How’re we supposed to convince players to play when they could be resting? How’re we supposed to convince clubs to release players & risk injury? Your ideas sound great, but how’re we supposed to do any of this, any of this logistic stuff that a football league, something as giant & difficult & expensive & unwieldy & improbable as this, any of this stuff that it needs to actually happen?”

“That’s why you’re here. That’s what we’re going to have to figure out.”

The three former teammates – the three future teammates? – looked at each other. “Ono, are you really serious about this?”

“Zev, on that field in Vilita, after the Youth Cup final, I promised you we’d be back. I promised you we’d be back soon. I’m serious when I give you my word. Now, let’s make this happen. A League of Exiles: Pug Xily’a.”

[Qusmo]

No. Player Name, Pos. (Age)      Nationality    Role            Primary Club (Nation)      Fmr. Club    IFCF Status    Scouts   Leadership
 1. Otoln-Ulutu Nev, GK (33)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Mansestra (ETN)            KF Trew      Approved       Yes
14. Lynul-Savar Mal, CB (35)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Klyde (COS)                KF Lilnim    Approved       Yes      Player-Assistant
15. Zilot-Trenj Miz, LB (24)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Ellesmere Woods FC (CBP)   KF Trew      Approved
16. Sevet-Zorno Val, RB (35)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Makarki (SOU)              KF Trew      Approved       Yes
 5. Avarn-Forzu Tla, DM (32)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Mantlegrove (NPH)          KF Trosoc    Conditioned
 6. Gerol-Ajark Hus, CM (22)     Qusmo          Starting XI     CDSA (MYT)                 KF Trew      Approved       Yes
 7. Gavax-Nenzi Abe, AM (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     ASK Landsmark (SVJ)        KF Trew      Prohibited              Captain
20. Xalan-Cynav Erv, LM (22)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Arka (MYT)                 KF Trew      Approved       Yes
21. Ilinx-Ibilx Tla, RM (34)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Trew      Approved       Yes
10. Paliv-Xilit Max, SS (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Pascal Mashu (HIN)         KF Estraj    Approved
11. Mokuro Junaiperu, ST (27)    Kita-Hinode    Starting XI     Taokaka Daito (HIN)        KF Estraj    Approved
26. Ecésar der Efer, CB (17)     Farfadillis    Reserve         Ausharmuj Marusi (FFD)     n/a          Approved
17. Wanar-Evela Cuf, DM (32)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Lilnim    Approved       Yes
19. Jerat-Vulav Niz, AM (18)     Qusmo          Reserve         Get Well Soon Utd NN (HIN) KF Trew      Approved
27. Axelv-Wanar Opu, LM (38)     Qusmo          Reserve         Kinokomura Rosalina (HIN)  KF Trew      Approved
24. Alfan-Zylyz Pan, ST (22)     Qusmo          Reserve         1896 Ebor (MYT)            KF Trew      Approved       Yes
    Lucex-Kynda Uzo, n/a (49)    Qusmo          Manager         Victoria & Albert SC (CBP) KF Trew      Prohibited

KFQ Horiztifutar’s explosive attack could pose serious issues for its opponents.

The team is captained by attacking midfielder Gavax-Nenzi Abe, the tip of a formidable midfield capable of creating plenty of scoring chances. Accompanying them in midfield, alongside young talent originally from KF Trew’s vaunted academy team, Trew Juzuna, is Ilinx-Ibilx Tla, a player who was the national team’s second-choice right midfielder, & Avarn-Forzu Tla, a defensive midfielder who can protect the midfield while some of their teammates are making marauding runs. With players such as Lynul-Savar Mal, a regular national team centreback, in defence, Horiztifutar will be able to launch forward often to create opportunities. Mokuro Junaiperu, a Hinodejin who formerly played in Qusmo, is more than capable of putting away those chances, but it is Paliv-Xilit Max, a Qusmi who currently plays in Kita-Hinode, who will be most familiar to Qusma football fans. Paliv-Xilit was the national team’s second-most prolific goalscorer, & they were far & away the nation’s best poacher – & at twenty-nine, they haven’t lost a step yet.

It’s not just fans that should be in for a treat at KFQ Horiztifutar matches, either; scouts should have a few names to choose from, as well. Six of the team’s eight players to be headed to the transfer list are among the team’s starting XI, & include veterans & youth talents alike. Even in their mid-thirties, national team talents like Lynul-Savar & Ilinx-Ibilx are still capable of providing solid play & a wealth of knowledge & experience of the game. However, the three players scouts may be paying the closest attention to are a trio of twenty-two-year-olds currently playing in Mytanija. Gerol-Ajark Hus & Xalan-Cynav Erv will be prowling the midfield regularly, & striker Alfan-Zylyz Pan is good enough to occasionally spot Junaiperu or perhaps even Paliv-Xilit. They have all progressed very well in Mytanija, but Alfan-Zylyz may be the player scouts will be most after, having been quite impressive in limited playing time for former back-to-back UICA Champions’ Cup & Super Cup winners 1896 Ebor.

Horiztifutar is clearly a phoenix club for KF Trew, & many of the original club’s influences are evident in its successor. While, like many other teams in the league, Horiztifutar does feature some players near the end of their careers, the club also boasts several great young options – harkening back not only to the legacy of Trew & Trew Juzuna, but also the new club’s own name, translating to the future. The single most notable aspect of Horiztifutar’s roster that doesn’t mirror Trew’s is the absence of star striker Rilan-Jerat Nev; however, with the quality of attacking talent that Horiztifutar does have on hand, they shouldn’t struggle at all in this new league.

---

“Okay, let’s get down to business.”

“Everything has to be perfect for this to work.”

“Oh, believe me, we’re gonna make this work.”

Ibilx-Irtix Ono, Karar-Falax Zev, & Otoln-Prant Ezi were all young Qusmi’y playing football & pursuing degrees in universities in Zwangzug, but they were connected by a deeper bond than that: they had all played together for Atlov Juzuna, even winning the twenty-fifth UICA Youth Cup together, before the Qusma government shut down football. Now, they prepared to mobilize football to shut down the Qusma government.

“First, we have to get some players to get interested. We don’t even necessarily need firm commitments at this point yet, but we need enough people to be interested in this that we can show sponsors & other people we’ll need to be interacting with that this league could actually be viable.”

“That’s a good point. Let’s figure out who’s available.”

“We’ve got to focus on players who are already playing for teams abroad. Let’s see how many are interested, & then if we can get enough, we can expand from there, depending on what kind of other players we might need & how many of them.”

“Might as well start with some of our old teammates. Let’s see what happens with them, & then let’s figure out what to do next after we’ve heard back from a couple of ‘em.”

“Alright, but how do we pitch it? They might be apart from their friends, maybe their family. They might get injured, they might get all kinds of stuff.”

“& these players either already have clubs paying their bills or have been out of the game for a couple years by now. We need to figure out how to attract both of those kinds of players.”

“Well, for the players who aren’t in the game, we can advertize to scouts. Every single match, every single team roster, even when we’re announcing the league, we highlight players who tell us they want a transfer. The league’ll give ‘em a standardized place to play & to showcase their skills.”

“We can give some teams the opportunity to hire player-managers or have players on the coaching staff, maybe? It’d give them a chance to have more responsibility. It’d be a completely unique experience even if they’re playing in a league now; they’re not coaching at the same time, too. It could kick-start their post-playing careers if they want to stay in football. & we all know that every Qusmi’s dream is to become a football manager.”

“But maybe most importantly, if we don’t have to hire a dedicated manager for every single team, we can save some money. They’ll be like two-for-one deals.”

“& if their clubs are reluctant, we can give some concessions on which players go for IFCF play, depending on which clubs are most hesitant & which clubs are more willing. As long as we have enough players to play our IFCF matches, we’ll get the effect from those matches we want – & having a star player for fourteen league matches but not IFCF is a whole lot better than having them for neither of those.”

“Ideally, we’ll have them & their clubs agree to approve their participation in international competition, if they want that. Else, they can condition it, based on whether or not their own primary clubs make it to the IFCF or some other competition. Maybe we could even arrange a deal where we time it, based on whether or not their main club’s participating in that particular round of IFCF. & even if they prohibit us from using ‘em during international play, once their own seasons start, that’s better than nothing.”

“Y’all’re missing the bigger picture here, though.”

“& that is?”

“What was this all about? When we talked about this for the first time, what was the most exciting part? What was the reason we agreed to try to put this thing together in the first place? Two things: our love of football & our love of Qusmo. That’s what we should be telling these players. If they love football & if they love Qusmo, they ought to be playing in Pug Xily’a.”

So, Ono texted all their former Atlov Juzuna teammates who were among the starting XI on that fateful day in Tropicoast, just to put out feelers. Five of their former teammates weren’t playing anymore, but three were now contracted to clubs abroad. They thought the response from their teammates who were no longer doing anything might be positive, but they weren’t sure the other three would be able to accept, even if they wanted to.

It didn’t take long for Yoltz-Jonto Cel to respond, though. “Yes!”

“Cel, don’t you want to hear some of the details? Contract, salary, travel, everything?”

“Listen, Ono, if I have the chance to play on the same pitch with you & Zev & Ezi again, all to fuck up the government, I’m all for it.”

“But what about your club? Aren’t you under contract?”

“Listen, I’ll do whatever it takes to be on that pitch. I’m going to play in Pug Xily’a, & West Hills can do what it wants, but I’m playing in Pug Xily’a.”

Responses starting coming in, & they all echoed Cel. Whatever it took, they wanted to play. In fact, before long, Ono & the other organizers of the nascent league started getting more & more responses from players they hadn’t even contacted.

“Hey, this is Yoltz-Tlanx Sal. I heard about this Pug Xily’a idea from Pec. We both play in Xanneria now, & we talk a little bit sometimes. Pec told me about this, & it sounds amazing. I want in.”

“Hi, Ono. I’m Xynat-Evela Cuf. I heard about your idea from Gelan-Yivix Eva – we’re teammates at Megabrantid in the SRS – & it sounds great. I was wondering if I could join the league.”

“Hello, there. My name’s Martha Maury. I used to play for KF Qastyr back in the day, & I think it was a shame what happened to Qusmo. Some of my former teammates told me about what you’re doing, & I wanted to show my support however I can.”

Ono was stunned. So were Zev & Ezi. They were worried they’d have to do some serious heavy lifting to get anyone to agree to play in Pug Xily’a. Now, they were getting messages from Qusma footballers from across the Multiverse, & even a few who weren’t Qusma at all. They still had work to do, of course; they had many more players still to contact & to recruit before they could start finalizing anything about the league. But they had enough to know that their dream would become a reality – as long as they could secure the money for it.

[Qusmo]

No. Player Name, Pos. (Age)      Nationality    Role            Primary Club (Nation)      Fmr. Club    IFCF Status    Scouts   Leadership
25. Prant-Telew Wek, GK (32)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Stahlburg City (NPH)       KF Poldanz   Conditioned
 2. Cynav-Ozolx Jan, CB (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Stahlburg City (NPH)       KF Atlov     Conditioned
15. Sevet-Yivix Faz, LB (18)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Arct. Dream Mall YFC (HIN) KF Poldanz   Approved
16. Cralt-Savar Gla, RB (18)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Toadstool Enterpr. (HIN)   KF Poldanz   Approved
17. Yunal-Julad Waz, DM (31)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Algolia (SRS)              KF Poldanz   Conditioned
19. Ilinx-Vulav Ixi, AM (31)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Southend AC (CBP)          KF Poldanz   Approved
 8. Nevex-Prant Von, LM (20)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Newport City FC (CBP)      KF Poldanz   Approved
 9. Vanza-Vlont Bel, RM (21)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Busukuma Force (BNJ)       KF Poldanz   Prohibited
22. Dynom-Sevet Zev, LW (35)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Wrexton FC (APX)           KF Poldanz   Approved       Yes
23. Jralv-Nexev Pec, RW (31)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Blue Coast 1981 (SCT)      KF Poldanz   Approved       Yes
11. Xilit-Zaxac Yol, ST (29)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Jinja City (BNJ)           KF Poldanz   Prohibited              Captain
26. Culak-Pilta Rax, GK (32)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Niom      Approved       Yes
13. Yamaj-Gilir Sal, CB (31)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Poldanz   Approved       Yes
18. Elfon-Nalet Pec, CM (23)     Qusmo          Reserve         Corinthians FC (CBP)       KF Poldanz   Approved
21. Yivix-Jerat Pec, RM (33)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Werzin    Approved       Yes
24. Gelan-Yivix Eva, ST (33)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Koflir    Approved       Yes
    Forzu-Denir Ono, n/a (53)    Qusmo          Manager         Isipongo Flash (BNJ)       KF Trew      Approved

KFQ Hronork has an excellent core of attacking players, but they could be in trouble if their forward line falters.

The clear headliner of this group is Xilit-Zaxac Yol, who was formerly the star striker of both KF Poldanz & the Qusma national team. In fact, Xilit-Zaxac scored more goals for their national team than any other Qusmi. At twenty-nine, they are still at the peak of their powers, & despite some quality defences in Pug Xily’a, they are sure to be absolutely clinical with any chances they will get. Their supporting cast is certainly capable of supplying them with those chances; left wing forward Jralv-Nexev Pec reached the World Cup 82 knockout rounds with the national team, right wing forward Dynom-Sevet Zev was on the national team’s World Cup 83 roster. While they were no longer regular starters by World Cup 83, midfielders Ilinx-Vulav Ixi & Yunal-Julad Waz still stand as the most-capped Qusmi’y at their respective positions. The defence is a bit shaky, but Prant-Telew Wek was on the national team roster for World Cup 83 – albeit as the national team’s third choice goalkeeper – so the team shouldn’t hemorrhage goals. In any event, the team has enough talent moving forward to stay competitive in shootouts.

While the team might be exciting for most observers, the same might not be the case for scouts. All six Hronork players to declare their intent to pursue a transfer are over thirty years old, & only two are even among the team’s starting XI. However, it may be interesting to see how they interact with each other. Midway through World Cup 83 Qualifiers, Jralv-Nexev was removed from the national team roster & replaced by Dynom-Sevet, their former teammate at Poldanz, who remained on the team through World Cup 83, the national team’s last fixtures. At the time of the decision, Jralv-Nexev accused national team manager Avarn-Oxolt Ban of taking them off the roster as retribution for supporting the Qusma government. As Pug Xily’a itself exists in opposition to the government, it was a bit of a surprise that Jralv-Nexev decided to join the league. Jralv-Nexev has apologized to Dynom-Sevet & maintains their political views have since evolved; however, some believe the player is playing simply to get a transfer to another league. However, if friction still exists between Jralv-Nexev & their teammates, especially their partner on the wings, Dynom-Sevet, it may hurt the team as a whole.

With KFQ Hronork, no lead will likely be safe – whether they or their opponents are in front. The team has a high-octane attack, but its defense will certainly be leaky, especially since the team is employing a Qusma back three, with only one centreback. However, Hronork will never be out of a match with Xilit-Zaxac on the pitch. One key to success may be the team’s defence, but another may be the relationship between Jralv-Nexev & their teammates; although Xilit-Zaxac will surely find their way into the back of the net, Hronork’s strategy could unravel if the rest of the forward line becomes dysfunctional. Hronork means honor in Qusmu, but whether the club actually maintains it throughout the course of the season could be critical to their chances.

---

The Von & Mike Sage.
Part I, Qusmo. Standardizing World Cup Qualifying.
Part II, Saltstead. Qusmo & Not Qusmo.
Part III, Qusmo. A Bit of a Footballing Historian.
Part IV, Omerica. Lovely Chap.
Part V, Qusmo. Another Cab to Hail.
Part VI, Qusmo. It’s From Mike.
Part VII, Omerica. Madam Prime Minister.

Part VIII. My Friend, Mike Morrow.

“We have the players. We have the clubs. We have everything ready. We even have IFCF revenue that’ll eventually be on the way. But we just need the money now to pull this off. We can’t do this – we can’t bring football back to Qusmo, & we can’t save Qusma democracy – without you.”

Von thought for a minute. “I think you’re ready.”

During Atlov Juzuna’s run to the final UICA Youth Cup championship, Karar-Falax Zev met, & soon befriended, a former intern for Fuzpon Qusma, Qusmo’s former football association. When Zev reached out to Von again, they explained they needed a favour; luckily for them, Von still had connections from their days as a Fuzpon Qusma intern.

“Alright. I’ve known this man – & this is very important, he is a man. He’s male. He’s not a Qusmi; he’s from here, he’s Omerican.”

“Okay. Why should we be paying attention to that?”

“Well, there may be things that are lost in translation, especially between a gendered society & a non-gendered society – just like sometimes eye contact is a sign of disrespect, or how sometimes a news article from a well-known, widely-read publication about constitutional law in a foreign nation turns out to be a satirical hoax.”

“Okay. We’ll be careful.”

“That’s good, but – but I’m just worried about this all going well. It has to all go well. It just has to.”

“It will, Von; we don’t have any other choice.”

“I know, but it has to be perfect. Sometimes he’s a bit direct. He’s really friendly, especially once you get to know him, but it might be a bit off-putting sometimes, & I don’t want that to throw you off balance. Don’t get nervous. Don’t get frazzled. Don’t get thrown off your rhythm or your message.”

“Okay. When you say direct, what do you –”

“Why, hello, there!” practically shouted a burly passerby of about forty, sporting a sizable paunch. “That my pal Von? Who you got there with you? Hey, there! Name’s Mike.”

Zev could barely process the words coming out of this man’s mouth, speeding by quicker than a WGPC car on a straight, before they were completely enveloped in a bear hug by this complete stranger. He didn’t faze Von at all, however. “Zev,” Dwada-Prant Von stated, completely matter-of-factly, “this is my friend, Mike Morrow.”

“Pleased to meet ya. Have a pint? I’ve got a great pub just down the road here; it’s on me.”

“Well, Mr. Morrow, as a matter of fact, I’m afraid I have some important business to attend to with you.”

“You say that almost as if it means no. & don’t call me Mr. Morrow; that was my pops. Call me Mike.”

---

Von was nearly through their second glass as Zev & Mike attended to business over pints at the Griff-Inn in Philibiscostal.

“That’s why we need your help, Mike. That’s why we need you. We’ll be pulling in a generous amount of revenue just from the IFCF & other international competitions, which are guaranteed for us. But we won’t have that money until after we go through the full season, & we need money to actually run the season & get to those tournaments. We need to be able to hire staff, pay players, buy kits, book venues, secure travel, reserve lodging, run adverts, all that stuff & more. We need money upfront in order to make this a reality.” Zev waited for a response from Mike.

“& you want it from me?”

“Yes, Mike. We do. We need it from anyone we can at this point. We really, truly believe that this could help save Qusmo. But in order to make this a reality – not just a stack of documents, & spreadsheets, & ideas, & dreams – we need to ask you for the money to help us make it happen.”

“Okay. What’s the league structure look like?”

“Eight teams, with a double round robin over World Cup Qualifiers, & a cup at the end seeded on league performance. We’ll be playing Tuesdays & Wednesday nights, since most World Cup Qualifiers are played over the weekend; on Tuesdays & Wednesdays, we’ll typically be the only show in town. With only fourteen matchdays, it’ll last just over half as long as Qualifiers this cycle, with ten fewer matches, so players won’t be overtaxed. That allows us to feature just about every Qusma footballer in the game, since we don’t have a national team to play for anymore.”

“Smart. Where’ll ya play?”

“We won’t be allowed to play in Qusmo, but we’ll play each matchday in a different nation around the Multiverse. That’ll help spread our message in those particular fourteen countries, which should be a good foundation to start the visibility & pressure campaign. To help with travel & travel costs, we’ve figured out that we can split up the schedule by region. We’ll start in Zwangzug, on our own college campuses, & our first three matchdays will be in the Indies. The next two will be in Esportiva, then the next four in Atlantian Oceania, & our last five all in Rushmore, to emphasize our local roots, & since we think nations in Rushmore are the most likely to effect change in Qusmo, both because they’re more likely to care about the government in Qusmo & because the government in Qusmo’s more likely to care about them.”

“Makes sense. What international competitions ya sending teams to?”

“Well, we have the Champions’ League & the Challengers’ Cup, of course. Those are the most watched, most discussed, most well-known, most visible club competitions in the Multiverse, not to mention the most well-funded. If we want to bring both revenue & attention to this league, those are the obvious choices. & we’ve got two spots in the Champions’ League, in addition to our three Challengers’ Cup spots, so that’s where we’ll get a bulk of our international spots. We can’t send a team to the LBCT because we don’t have a second tier; it doesn’t make any sense to build another league from scratch & bill it as a second tier. We also won’t be sending a team to the Rising Stars’ Cup, which is an absolute shame, but we only have fourteen U19 players in the entire league. We would’ve loved to do it, but we just can’t.”

“Aye, really is a shame. A league started by the champions of the final UICA Youth Cup can’t even send a team to the tournament’s IFCF successor.”

“Wait a moment – how’d you know that? I never told you we won that.”

Mike beamed. “Consider myself a bit of a footballing historian, so I know my stuff.” He shot a glance at Zev, who only rolled their eyes. “Anyways, international competitions. Only gone through the IFCF competitions so far. Ya sending anyone anywhere else?”

“& we’ll be sending a team to the Copa de Campeones, the Rushmori championships, to drive it home in Rushmore, where, again, we think we’re most likely to find success. Our end-of-season cup will also give us a qualifier for the Cup Winners’ Cup, as well as seven extra matches where we can spread our message. That’s another major tournament in the Multiverse, & one that’ll attract attention if our team can advance. & we also do plan to nominate a team to the Vilitan Cove Invitational. It won’t give us a ton of revenue, & it’s not exactly the most famous or storied tournament in the Multiverse, but the players from one of our teams practically begged us to send a team.”

“Bet it had a fair few players from KF Voraxan back in the day, eh?”

“Why, yes. Yes, it was KFQ Yunyan that asked us to put the VCI on the table. The roster’s composed entirely of KF Voraxan alums. How’d you know?”

“Voraxan? Well, a team’s in the fourth tier of an unranked association, & it gets to the quarters of an international tournament by the end of the next year? Heck of a story. Pretty memorable. Not to mention, won Pug Zama each year it was allowed in. Figured they might want to go back; third time’s the charm, after all. &, can’t forget: consider myself a bit of a footballing historian, so I know my stuff.”

“Well, I suppose. Hard to doubt you with a memory like that.”

“& what about the cup?”

“Well, we’ll be seeding it based on performance, with the slight caveat that we’ll be awarding the six-seed to the team on track to play in the VCI, as long as they don’t win the cup. That way, in the quarterfinals, the two Champions’ League teams play the two teams that aren’t slated to compete internationally, the top Challengers’ Cup team plays the VCI team, & the other two Challengers’ Cup teams play each other. Then, for the semis, no reseeding. Once those are over, we’re on to the final. We’ll only have to tackle the logistical challenges of seven extra matches, & it’ll give us more exposure, so we think it’s worth it.”

“Seven matches? So, no Krytenian round?”

“The Krytenian round? I’m not sure what you mean.”

“The Krytenian round. It’s the third-place match – for when you lose in the semis.”

“Oh, no,” Zev laughed. “It seems you know your WCC trivia, too.”

“Not really trivia about Krytenia; more of a well-known fact. Don’t have to be a footballing historian to know that.”

“I suppose so. I never thought of it as the Krytenian round, though. Now that I think about it, Qusmo’s national team only ever faced Krytenia once, & that was in Cup of Harmony 73 – when we won in the Krytenian round. It must have been fate.”

“Must have. Anyways, have a site for the cup? Have a name for it?”

“No, not yet, on either count. We’ve already begun reserving some dates from sites to host our league matches, but we’re waiting to figure out the right place for the cup. & as for the name, we’re intentionally leaving that open at the moment. We want to name the league Pug Xily’a, as that has some significance to us. In Qusmu, it means the League of Exiles. We also want to print the phrase ‘Free Qusmo,’ in various languages, on the kits. So, that doesn’t leave a lot of room for sponsor visibility, in the classic sense. We think that big-ticket sponsors – the type we’ll likely need most – might want to sponsor the cup name. That’s a place we’re willing to compromise on. So, that’s up in the air right now. Maybe it’ll be Puk Griff-Inn?”

“Hmm. Well, to be honest, don’t think we’ll be your biggest donor, so maybe a pub in a city in Omerica isn’t the most appropriate choice to name the cup competition for a top-thirty-two association. Tell you what, though: throw something our way – maybe we’re the official pub to celebrate this cup, maybe there’s an event with a couple players here, something, dunno – & we’ll not only give you some sponsorship cash, but we’ll make sure you get your hands on some stadia here in Omerica for that cup of yours. Our buddy Von here’s already had a bit of a tour of stadia in the country, so they know they’re top-notch.”

“You – you can do that?”

“‘Course. Got some connections. Didn’t hear this from me, but the president of the URSF’s a regular.”

“Wow. You’d really do that for us?”

“Sure. Buddy of Von’s a buddy of mine. ‘Sides, ya seem like a lovely chap. Shoot, do you one better: I have a card for another FA chair. You can contact ‘em directly; I’m sure they’ll help you out.”

“Which one?”

“Your’s. Fuzpon Qusma.”

Von suddenly felt sick. They hadn’t been participating in the back-&-forth at all – the beer was too good for that – but they felt a compulsion to speak now. “But the president of Fuzpon Qusma was Qusmyr Qaq. Our government – the government we’re trying to help fell with this league – the Qusma government deposed Qusmyr Qaq. They haven’t been heard from since. I thought they had been killed. & you really think they’d help?”

“Have all the reason in the world to help, don’t they? Only one way to find out, I suppose.”

Zev had barely taken a sip of the pint in front of them, but all of a sudden, they felt woozy. “I’m – I’m sorry,” they stammered. “I just – thank you very much. I just don’t think I can continue right now. I’m not feeling well. I’ll have to tell Ono & Ezi about this. They need to know. We need to – I don’t know –”

“‘Course, ‘course,” Mike hurriedly interjected. “Perfectly understandable. Bit of a shock to the system there. Here, let me call ya a taxi. Get you home safe. Call me anytime you want, or even drop by. You’re always welcome here. Anything you need, you can count on me.”

“Thank you, Mike.”

& so it was that Mike, Zev, & Von gathered their things & looked for a cab to hail.

[Qusmo]

No. Player Name, Pos. (Age)      Nationality    Role            Primary Club (Nation)      Fmr. Club    IFCF Status    Scouts   Leadership
12. Vanza-Jerat Gep, GK (32)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Southern Star (BRE)        KF Qastyr    Conditioned             Captain
 2. Fuchsia Longstreet, CB (21)  Nephara        Starting XI     AFC Treason (NPH)          n/a          Approved       Yes
 3. Xalan-Xilit Ono, CB (18)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Luna Wanderers FC (HIN)    KF Qastyr    Approved
15. Tasha Avery, LB (35)         Nephara        Starting XI     Riverkey (NPH)             KF Qastyr    Approved
16. Martha Maury, RB (35)        Eastfld. Lodge Starting XI     Retirement (EFL)           KF Qastyr    Approved
 6. Lenpi-Zilot Faz, CM (20)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Tekstil (MYT)              KF Qastyr    Approved       Yes
 8. Helek-Nenzi Ono, LM (27)     Qusmo          Starting XI     1912 Stelburg (STL)        KF Qastyr    Timed
 9. Forzu-Ralox Kal, RM (31)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Fiskadaha FC (PFA)         KF Qastyr    Conditioned
22. Ozolx-Mazur Guv, LW (33)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Hoima Warriors (BNJ)       KF Qastyr    Prohibited
23. Swanhilda Berisha, RW (35)   Nephara        Starting XI     Alliance Barossia (NPH)    KF Qastyr    Approved
24. Prant-Pertz Gor, ST (31)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Loconstead United (ETN)    KF Qastyr    Approved       Yes
25. Matez-Dwada Roz, GK (33)     Qusmo          Reserve         Ohafia Pride (CBR)         KF Qastyr    Approved
26. Gilir-Avarn Iza, RB (20)     Qusmo          Reserve         Venanga Tropic (OSR)       KF Qastyr    Approved
18. Yivix-Cynav Max, CM (22)     Qusmo          Reserve         Tekstil (MYT)              KF Qastyr    Approved       Yes
20. Avarn-Avarn Val, LM (29)     Qusmo          Reserve         Birdingstone United (ETN)  KF Qastyr    Approved       Yes
21. Harta-Mazur Tla, RM (31)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Vlonz     Approved       Yes
27. Ucyxi-Tylyr Fox, LW (25)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Dynynon   Approved       Yes
    Lienke Vesper, n/a (40)      Nephara        Manager         Retired (NPH)              KF Atlant    Approved
    Scylla Vyntra, n/a (40)      Nephara        Asst. Manager   Retired (NPH)              n/a          Approved

KF Qastyr’s greatest strength could be the only thing standing between KFQ Rekonsylat & the league championship.

Qastyr was Pug Qusmyra’s richest, most successful, & most cosmopolitan club. Only three Pug Qusmyra seasons were ever completed; Qastyr won them all. Rekonsylat, the phoenix club of Qastyr, hopes history will repeat itself. The club’s legacy is reflected in Rekonsylat’s roster, featuring six of the thirteen non-Qusma players & coaches in Pug Xily’a, all five Nepharim in the league, & the only full-time assistant manager of a Pug Xily’a club. Good friends for many years, Lienke Vesper & Scylla Vyntra started their playing careers together at Serpentine, moved to AFC Treason, won World Cup 74 with Nephara, & are now starting their managerial careers at Rekonsylat. The club also features a multitude of players who reached the Champions’ Cup quarterfinals in both of the last two years of the existence of UICA. The foreigners playing for Rekonsylat, such as Tasha Avery, Martha Maury, & Swanhilda Berisha, are largely Qastyr club legends for what they achieved. Despite their age – & the fact that Maury is coming out of retirement to play for Rekonsylat – they are still more than capable of maintaining the perpetually high standards of Qastyr. Combined with the Qusmi’y on the team, featuring national teamers Vanza-Jerat Gep in goal & Prant-Pertz Gor at striker, in addition to wide midfielders Helek-Nenzi Ono & Forzu-Ralox Kal, who were starters for the national team, this team boasts a formidable combination of talent & experience at every level.

Rekonsylat will likely prove to be one of the Pug Xily’a teams most popular with scouts. All seven Rekonsylat players on the scouts’ list are more than capable of performing well at a decent level, but the three starters on that list, in particular, are worth really paying attention to. Prant-Pertz Gor, of course, is one of only four Qusmi’y to boast a double-digit goal tally for the national team, & they were Qastyr’s striker when the team was the highest-scoring team in the Champions’ Cup group stage & advanced to its first Champions’ Cup quarterfinal. The other two, however, are somewhat lesser-known names. Fuchsia Longstreet was brought in on a free transfer at the behest of manager Lienke Vesper & assistant manager Scylla Vyntra, facilitated by the fact that both women once starred for the centreback’s former club in their own playing days. Longstreet helps shore up a problem area for Rekonsylat; however, the Vesper-Vyntra regime will have to contend with a new one emerging. Despite the riches of talent at the club, Qastyr’s success was always built around the excellence of Ilinx-Kepex Zev, the starting central midfielder, captain, & unquestionably best player for both their club & national team, who was named Pug Qusmyra Player of the Season three years running, won all three Pug Qusmyra championships ever awarded, & was named to a Cup of Harmony XI & the Galacticos Longlist. They engineered the success of both Qastyr & of Qusmo. Now they have retired, & Vesper & Vyntra are left with Lenpi-Zilot Faz in their stead. The twenty-year-old is certainly a promising youth prospect, but they seem far from an adequate replacement for the greatest player Qusmo has ever seen.

This club reeks of success. It expects nothing less than a league championship. It has some of the best wide players in the league, on both the right & left sides of the pitch, in defense, midfield, & attack. However, the cost of playing all of Rekonsylat’s best players at the same time is potentially exposing Lenpi-Zilot in central midfield. If an opposing team overpowers or outnumbers Lenpi-Zilot & controls the centre of the park, they may be able to neutralize the team’s potent threats from the wings & instead concentrate fire on largely unproven eighteen-year-old centreback Xalan-Xilit Ono. How Vesper & Vyntra organize their team tactically & respond to their opponents’ strategies may be the difference between a league championship & the Challengers’ Cup.

---

“Hello?”

Ono froze. What were they supposed to do now? They hadn’t actually planned for how to introduce themselves to the person who, just a few short years before, had been the monarch of their country – especially when they weren’t entirely sure it was really them.

“Hello?” The voice on the other end of the line repeated itself, more agitated this time. Ono had to say something fast lest they lose this opportunity.

“Hi! Hello! Hello, there! My name is Ibilx-Irtix Ono! I’m a student! At Klerked College! In Zwangzug! We’re starting a league! A football league! Are you – we’re looking for – well, are you Qusmyr Qaq?”

The silence was total enough to hear a ticking clock nearby, counting exactly how long the silence lasted.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

Tick.

“If you’re looking for a spare player in your intrascholastic league, I’m afraid I’m not available for that.”

“But – my Qusmyr, the true Qusmi Bez – are you really Qusmyr Qaq?”

There was silence again – this time, punctuated by a sigh.

“How did you get this number?”

“Mike Morrow, my Qusmyr. From Omerica.”

“Ah. Mike. Yes, Mike is a good man. & he gave you my number?”

“Yes. Mike said to ask you when you planned to visit your new dominion.”

“My new dominion? & what would that be?”

“The Seafoam Islands, my Qusmyr.”

Ono could hear the voice on the other end of the line smile as they spoke. “Ah, Mike. He told me about that, & we still laugh about it.” The voice grew serious. “Why would Mike give you my number?”

Ono took a deep breath. “My Qusmyr, we’d like to see you back where you belong: on the Throne of the Sun in Qanz, leading the people of Qusmo.”

---

“Yes, we have all of the teams ready. We have phoenix clubs for all the teams of Pug Qusmyra’s former Big Seven –”

“The Big Seven?” the voice interjected. “As I recall, only one Qusma team, KF Qastyr, ever qualified for the UICA Champions’ Cup, & only five others ever participated in the UICA Globe Cup.”

“Yes, my Qusmyr. However, as KF Atlov advanced to the Series B Champions’ Cup quarterfinals, & as Atlov Juzuna were champions of UICA Youth Cup 25, Qusmo’s only international trophy in sport, we thought it fitting to include KF Atlov, & specifically the Atlov Juzuna team that won that Youth Cup, as well.”

“Ah, & you also played for Atlov Juzuna, did you not?”

“That is true, my Qusmyr.”

“Alright. So, you were saying, about the teams?”

“Yes, my Qusmyr. We have phoenix clubs for all of the Big Seven teams, except for KF Atlant –”

“So you disenfranchised KF Atlant, your former club’s biggest rival, with whom you contested the Atlem Derby?”

Ono winced. “Yes, my Qusmyr, that is correct.”

The voice paused before speaking again. “Continue.”

“As you wish, my Qusmyr. Among our eight clubs in total, we have six phoenix clubs. We have KFQ Qavazujzy, meaning champions, as a sort of joint phoenix club, for KF Koflir & Atlov Juzuna. The name is a reference, of course, to Youth Cup 25.”

“How could I expect anything else?”

Ono nervously laughed in agreement, unsure whether or not they should treat the comment seriously or as a joke. “KFQ Rekonsylat, meaning reconciliation, is a phoenix club for KF Qastyr. KFQ Hronork, meaning honour, is a phoenix club for KF Poldanz. KFQ Horiztifutar, meaning future, is a phoenix club for KF Trew. KFQ Planarjz, meaning growth, is a phoenix club for KF Trosoc. KFQ Yunyan, meaning unity, is a phoenix club for KF Voraxan.”

“If I’m not mistaken, I don’t believe KF Voraxan ever played in Pug Qusmyra.”

“No, my Qusmyr, you’re correct. However, they did win Puk Zama twice, making it one of four Qusma teams to win a trophy, along with Qastyr, with one Puk Zama & three Pugy Qusmyra; Poldanz, with three Puky Zala; &, of course, Atlov Juzuna, with the UICA Youth Cup. They’ve also played internationally, with two invitations to the Vilitan Cove Invitational.”

“Alright. & what of the two other teams?”

“KFQ Takomokat, meaning community, was composed mostly of players currently playing in Rushmore or Atlantian Oceania. KFQ Pretarljz, meaning respect, was composed mostly of the players that remained in our pool.”

“Hmm. I believe, in addition to the virtues – holding to one side whether a word such as ‘champions’ is a classical virtue, per se – every club had a KFQ prefix. What does this signify?”

“Ah, of course. As you know, my Qusmyr, every club in Pug Qusmyra had the prefix KF, meaning Kypin Fuzpona, or simply ‘football club.’ KFQ, meanwhile, means Kypin Fuzpona Qusma, or ‘Qusma football club.’ It pays homage to Qusma footballing history while taking care to emphasize the Qusma-ness of these teams, this league, & this sport.”

“If you believe me to be Qusmyr Qaq – which I can neither confirm nor deny – why would you translate Qusmu to English for me? I have no trouble speaking & understanding Qusmu.”

“My apologies, my Qusmyr. However, as you said, you haven’t truly confirmed that you’re Qusmyr Qaq, so I just wanted to make sure you understood, just in case.”

“I see. What do you have in mind for the teams’ kits? I’m not aware of any kit designers currently in operation.”

“Yes, we’ve already designed the teams’ crests & kits, my Qusmyr.”

“Did you do this yourself?”

“Yes, my Qusmyr. It wasn’t very difficult, once we got started. Many of the phoenix clubs’ crests & kits were based on those of their parent clubs. & we were able to design it all; we just need to find a supplier. We tried to keep them as simple as we could, to ensure their feasibility, but as you mention, we are struggling a bit to find a kit supplier that can manufacture these designs.”

“I take it that you cannot use ready-made kits of your desired colours?”

“No, my Qusmyr, we’re trying to add special messages on the sponsor space. Specifically, all eight teams will have the words ‘Free Qusmo’ on the front of their kits, in various languages. Qavazujzy will have ‘Free Qusmo,’ in Anglo; Rekonsylat will have ‘Fryq Qusmo,’ in Qusmu; Hronork will have ‘Wyzwalajcie Kuzja,’ in Lechitic; Horiztifutar will have ‘クズモを解放して,’ in Kandorithish; Planarjz will have ‘Liberen Cusmo,’ in Iberan; Yunyan will have ‘쿠스모 해방,’ in Daehanjeigukese; Takomokat will have ‘Libérez la Qusmie,’ in Azertienne; & Pretarljz will have ‘Libertai Cusmão,’ in Lusitanian.”

“I see. & you say you have already completed all these designs yourself; you merely need a manufacturer?”

“Yes, my Qusmyr.”

“What if you were the manufacturer?”

“I beg your pardon, my Qusmyr?”

“You want money for your league. If you also had money to manufacture the kits yourself, could you do so? Perhaps you could manufacture kits for other clubs in need of them, as well.”

“That’s an excellent idea, my Qusmyr. We would be greatly appreciative of that.”

“Tell me: what is your goal with Pug Xily’a? What does Pug Xily’a set out to do? Why does Pug Xily’a exist?”

Ono thought for a moment. “My Qusmyr, we created Pug Xily’a to create a better Qusmo. We created Pug Xily’a to remind the Multiverse of Qusmo, the problems it faces, & the injustices its government has imposed, in order to create international pressure to catalyze regime change, that will result in better lives for all Qusmi’y.”

The voice on the other end of the phone paused for a long while. “I am afraid I am not so confident as you that this plan will work. But if I have the means to patronize a venture that has any possibility of acting as a vehicle for a better life for Qusmi’y, I cannot ignore that possibility. I love football. But most of all, I love Qusmo. You will have access to whatever you need for the purpose of facilitating a political environment that can improve the lives of Qusmi’y.”

“Thank you, my Qusmyr. We won’t let you down.”

“One can only hope.”

“With respect, my Qusmyr, I beg to differ; one can work, & one can try..”

“Of course. May Margaret show you favour.”

[Qusmo]

No. Player Name, Pos. (Age)      Nationality    Role            Primary Club (Nation)      Fmr. Club    IFCF Status    Scouts   Leadership
 1. Karar-Falax Zev, GK (18)     Qusmo          Starting XI     DU (ZWZ)                   KF Atlov     Approved
 4. Yelto-Alfan Ono, CB (30)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Southern Star (BRE)        KF Koflir    Conditioned             Player-Manager
 3. Ibilx-Irtix Ono, CB (20)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Klerked College (ZWZ)      KF Atlov     Approved
13. Zaxac-Fenaz Pec, CB (20)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Scholl College (ZWZ)       KF Niom      Approved
15. Yoltz-Tlanx Sal, LB (30)     Qusmo          Starting XI     United Marietta FC (XAN)   KF Koflir    Prohibited
16. Yoltz-Jonto Cel, RM (21)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Emerald Coast (SRS)        KF Atlov     Conditioned
18. Graoré Sasca, CM (33)        Farfadillis    Starting XI     Stade Djalenga (MKA)       KF Koflir    Approved       Yes      Captain
20. Kynda-Sevet Pec, LM (25)     Qusmo          Starting XI     Cypher Town (NPH)          KF Koflir    Conditioned
21. Ramona Ambaile-Hund, RM (28) Zwangzug       Starting XI     n/a (ZWZ)                  KF Koflir    Approved
10. Wanar-Sevet Opu, SS (22)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Atlov     Approved       Yes
11. Ernat-Belaj Gla, ST (22)     Qusmo          Starting XI     n/a (N/A)                  KF Atlov     Approved       Yes
14. Axelv-Zorno Ivo, CB (22)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Atlov     Approved       Yes
26. Otoln-Prant Ezi, LB (19)     Qusmo          Reserve         Maddon College (ZWZ)       KF Atlov     Approved
27. Avarn-Trenj Len, LB (21)     Qusmo          Reserve         Inter Alepio (OSR)         KF Koflir    Approved
28. Ralox-Relaf Eva, RB (21)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Atlov     Approved       Yes
 5. Karar-Ibilx Pec, DM (22)     Qusmo          Reserve         West Hills FC (XAN)        KF Atlov     Prohibited
17. Vulav-Izilv Lec, DM (19)     Qusmo          Reserve         Oljestaden IF (AUD)        KF Koflir    Prohibited
19. Raxat-Avarn Zev, AM (20)     Qusmo          Reserve         FK Vlaikograd 1896 (STL)   KF Atlov     Timed
20. Wulat-Betva Jan, LM (20)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Atlov     Approved       Yes     
22. Ucyxi-Linot Can, LW (33)     Qusmo          Reserve         n/a (N/A)                  KF Koflir    Approved       Yes     
23. Belaj-Upuln Ivo, RW (20)     Qusmo          Reserve         Elizur Mountain Col. (ZWZ) KF Qastyr    Approved

KFQ Qavazujzy has the right mix of youth & experience to fancy itself a title contender.

The team is composed of the personnel of two former clubs: KF Koflir & Atlov Juzuna, each with five alums in the starting XI. Before football in Qusmo was put to an end, Koflir was ascending to become one of the top teams in the country, thanks in large part to smart recruitment of foreign players. Atlov Juzuna was only the youth academy of KF Atlov, a lower mid-table team in Pug Qusmyra in its final season, but the team was still crowned as champions of the final UICA Youth Cup. Thus, even though the majority of the starting XI, as well as nine of ten reserves, are twenty-two or younger, much of the team has experience playing at exceedingly high levels internationally. Karar-Falax Zev – at eighteen, the youngest member of this team – saved two penalties in the Youth Cup final shootout. The centreback trio includes Yelto-Alfan Ono, formerly a starter for the national team, & twenty-year-olds Ibilx-Irtix Ono & Zaxac-Fenaz Pec, the former of whom converted a penalty in the Youth Cup final shootout & cofounded the league, along with Karar-Falax & reserve left back Otoln-Prant Ezi. Left back Yoltz-Tlanx Sal & left midfielder Kynda-Sevet Pec were on the national team rosters for World Cups 82 & 83, & right midfielder Ramona Ambaile-Hund was one of the first two foreigners to be allowed to play in Pug Qusmyra, kicking off an unprecedented rapid rise in quality that not only saw Koflir rise from sixth in the league to the Globe Cup knockouts, but led to the transformation of the entire league from an unknown backwater to a force to be reckoned with. Even Yoltz-Jonto Cel, a right midfielder who will be tasked with playing out of position as a right back, made it to the national team training camp & represented Qusmo in a friendly.

As might be expected with a team of this calibre, scouts will be salivating over the slate of transfer candidates at Qavazujzy. Forwards Wanar-Sevet Opu & Ernat-Belaj Gla have both featured for the national team in a friendly, with the latter scoring a goal in Qusmo’s red & gold & the former scoring the winning penalty in the Youth Cup 25 final. Even reserves Wulat-Betva Jan & Ucyxi-Linot Can have played for the national team. The other two reserves on the transfer list both have a Youth Cup winners’ medal in their trophy cabinets, as does every former Atlov player on this roster. The real prize for scouts, however, may not be a young player at all, but the oldest one on this roster: Graoré Sasca, of Farfadillis. Sasca was a starter for Farfadillis’s AOCAF Cup LVII champion & World Cup 82 semifinalist teams, the latter of whom defeated none other than Qusmo itself to spark their run to the knockouts. Sasca was arguably the best player not named Ilinx-Kepex Zev in the entirety of Pug Qusmyra during its final season of play, & with Ilinx-Kepex not making a return, their ability to conjure up chances out of thin air & control midfield seemingly on their own may well be the difference that proves decisive in the title race.

Qavazujzy is, in some respects, a phoenix club for both KF Koflir & Atlov Juzuna. It features the very best of both former clubs. This is even reflected in the club’s kit, crest, & colours, with blends of Atlov’s distinctive red & white triangles & Koflir’s green & silver, mixed with the pink of the Youth Cup. The team has experience, talent, & the innate drive to win trophies. Its midfield consists of Kynda-Sevet, a former World Cup player for Qusmo; Ambaile-Hund, a former World Cup starter for Zwangzug; & Sasca, a former World Cup semifinalist & AOCAF Cup champion for Farfadillis, possibly the best player in the league, & likely the most decorated. In addition to these three, the club boasts Yelto-Alfan, a former Qusma national team starter, & Yoltz-Tlanx, widely recognized as Qusmo’s best left back, in defence. Five former Youth Cup champions & eight former national team players are scattered around the starting XI. The reserves alone include six former Youth Cup champions & two players who have played for Qusmo’s national team. Harkening back to Youth Cup 25, Qavazujzy’s club name translates to English as champions. The club intends to live up to its name – & with a roster as talented, experienced, successful, young, & deep as Qavazujzy’s, they may be able to accomplish just that.

---

“Along with Ramona, you’re one of the two players who were the first foreigners to join Pug Qusmyra. You were a force. You were a symbol. & that doesn’t even mention the fact that you can play really well, too, & from what I’ve heard, you’re a great teammate.” Otoln-Prant Ezi paused. “I know you had some controversy. & I know it was horribly mangled & abused for purposes that were utterly unthinkable when it first happened. But I know you want to play again, & I know you want to help make Qusmo a better place. A place that rejects what it should have rejected long ago. A place that doesn’t reject you.”

Franziska Schnee-Krull stared at Ezi from across the table. “But that place has rejected me. It has rejected all of us. You’re not talking about controversy; you’re not talking about scandal. You’re talking about bigotry & hatred. It’d be great if Qusmo were able to become a place that was accepting & inclusive, just as it once was. But that time has passed. I am a respectable footballer & a respectable woman, & I am trying to make a life for myself. I do not intend to be used as a political prop any longer.” With that, she stood up & walked away.

“It’s for the best, I’m afraid.” Ilinx-Kepex Zev occupied the third seat at the table.

“How can you possibly say that? She’s giving up. She’s giving up on Qusmo.”

“Ezi, you’re nineteen years old. I don’t think you really understand how serious this is.”

“Zev, I can’t believe it. I really can’t believe you’re – you, of all people, I can’t believe that you would ever do something like this, would ever say something like this. Margaret, this is our country! & it’s become something completely unrecognizable. It’s become a cesspool of hatred & intolerance. But we have a chance to change the course of our nation. We have the chance to make Qusmo a better place. We have the chance to improve the lives of millions of people. & you think that isn’t serious? You think we should just squander it all & give up?”

Zev sighed. “Ezi, you’re being idealistic. Romantic, even. It’s charming. Whatever I tell you, I want you to know: it really is. To be honest, I wish I saw the world, & especially my own country, the way you do. But you have to understand that Franziska doesn’t see Qusmo the same way you do, or even the same way I do. She came to this country, she performed admirably, she let one loose comment slip, & now she’s the poster child of a campaign – an alarmingly mainstream campaign, I might remind you – to prove that she, & every single person like her, is racially inferior. Don’t you think you can spare her a renewed focus? More time in the spotlight? More opportunity for bigots to terrorize her?”

Zev took a moment to gather themself before they continued. “Ezi, this isn’t a game. People have died. Franziska still gets death threats just about every day. Still, even today, she gets death threats. How psychologically damaging – how traumatizing – must it be for her, when she’s simply trying to continue living some semblance of a normal life? When the only thing she’s known for in Qusmo is being a symbol of evil incarnate, & the only thing she’s known for anywhere else isn’t her character, or her personality, or even the quality of her work, but a convenient political prop? Who, at best, people try to use for their own ends, & at worst, people want dead? Margaret, Ezi, it’s a wonder she even agreed to meet you to hear you out.”

Ezi reflected on this for a moment. Grudgingly, they had to agree with Zev; there likely wasn’t any way they could convince Franziska to venture into such a project. “What about you, then? You’re still here. & look at you. You were named Fuzpon Qusma Player of the Season every single year the award was given out. You were on the Galacticos Longlist. You captained Qastyr into the Champions’ Cup quarterfinals twice. You captained Qusmo into the World Cup twice. You captained Qusmo into the World Cup knockout rounds. You’ve already led Qusmo in so many ways. You’ve already inspired so many. You aren’t controversial; you are Qusmo. Please, help us.”

Zev looked down & furrowed their brow. They took a deep breath. “Ezi. I hope to Margaret that this plan works. There is absolutely nothing in the Multiverse I hope for more. But I just can’t be a part of it.”

“But why not be a part of it if you could be its biggest catalyst for change?”

“Ezi, as much as I wish this league will work –” Zev winced “– I just don’t think it will. I don’t see how it can. I know how you think this will happen, Ezi. But this is another case where you have to look at this from another person’s perspective, & you have to realize how serious what you’re talking about really is. It’s just like you say: you’re trying to topple a government. You’re trying to change the course of our country’s history. But it’s not that easy. Our country got to this point for a reason. Our government got to be the government for a reason. & it’s not going to be a simple, easy fix that a few matches of football can cure.”

“I know you think that you can do this organically, through some kind of grassroots way. Inform, inspire, & mobilize the people of the Multiverse. That sounds amazing. But, even taking to one side whether or not citizens of a foreign country will really care what Qusmo does, or whether their governments will act on their citizens’ desires, what will foreign powers do that will cause Qusmo’s government to collapse? I remind you again: people have died. This government will do absolutely anything – & I repeat, because it’s vital to understand this is no understatement: absolutely anything – to hold onto their grip to power. If this had any chance of doing what you so hope it will – what I so hope it will, frankly – then there would be absolutely no way anyone could stop me from doing everything I could to help & support that movement. But as it stands, no. I can’t waste my goodwill, my political capital, my entire life, honestly, on a venture that, as much as I hope to the very fibre of my being that I’m wrong, I know is doomed. If there’s any way to make Qusmo a better place – I hope soon, but perhaps even long into the future – I want to help. But this isn’t the way. I’m so sorry, Ezi. Ezi? Ezi, are you alright? Ezi?”

Ezi didn’t remember anything else from that meeting, but Zev later told them that they stayed with them as Ezi weeped into Zev’s shoulder, moaning the same word over & over again: no.

[Qusmo]

People of the Multiverse, we present to you a league that will be like no other before it. Not only will a newly-formed league be instantly recognized as of the best thirty-two in the Multiverse; not only will this league be conducted during the international window; not only will every team in the league have no permanent home; not only will every team in the league rove from nation to nation, & even from region to region, every single matchday of the entire season; but, with your help & support, this league will topple a despotic, hateful government & help chart a new course for the Qusma ship of state: a course that will benefit the lives of countless millions of human beings.

As we travel across the Multiverse – to Zwangzug, to Reçueçn, to New Lusitania, to Damukuni, to Kita-Hinode, to Siovanija & Teusland, to Banija, to Qasden, to Vilita, to Cassadaigua, to Valladares, to Eastfield Lodge, to Darmen, to Nephara, & to Omerica – we will spread not only our shared love for the game of football, but knowledge of the abhorrent situation in Qusmo. We intend to inform, inspire, & mobilize the people of the Multiverse to rally around our cause – to rally around Qusmo’s cause. We intend to demand governments across the Multiverse to pressure the government of Qusmo to immediately cease its despicable hate-mongering, to step aside, & to peacefully transition to another administration, to govern Qusmo competently, fairly, & justly.

We present to you, the people of the Multiverse, Pug Xily’a: the League of Exiles. Together, with your help, we shall be exiles no longer.

KFQ Qavazujzy · KFQ Rekonsylat · KFQ Hronork · KFQ Horiztifutar · KFQ Planarjz · KFQ Yunyan · KFQ Takomokat · KFQ Pretarljz

[Qusmo]

Pug Xil’ya has finally arrived – & if its first match was any indication, we may be in for an exciting ride.

The league kicked things off in Zwangzug, the current college homes of the three cofounders of the league: KFQ Qavazujzy players Ibilx-Irtix Ono, Karar-Falax Zev, & Otoln-Prant Ezi. The league started things off with its most exciting slate of matchups – especially for Qavazujzy – as the players took on Rekonsylat in what was almost a home game for the team in white. Six Qavazujzy players, including four starters & one former Zwangzug national team midfielder, play in Zwangzug, & Ibilx-Irtix was playing on their own campus. It was no surprise, then, that the fans were partial, & they were in for a treat, with Qavazujzy outlasting a Rekonsylat side that simply would not concede defeat.

Fittingly for a match played in Zwangzug, especially at a university campus, the match was a chess match. Rekonsylat manager Lienke Vesper fielded twenty-year-old Lenpi-Zilot Faz as their lone player in central midfield to start the match, & they looked overmatched against Graoré Sasca. As Vesper folded wide midfielders Helek-Nenzi Ono & Forzu-Ralox Kal in to the middle of the park to reassert control, Qavazujzy player-manager Yelto-Alfan Ono called for the attack to be routed through the team’s wide areas.

On one such attack, Qavazujzy right midfielder Ramona Ambaile-Hund scored the very first goal in the match, & in the history of the league, in the sixteenth minute, a delightful long-range effort that seemed to surprise Rekonsylat goalkeeper Vanza-Jerat Gep. However, the team in gold & red would not go gentle into that good night, as Ozolx-Mazur Guv had a riposte just seven minutes later after dribbling past Yoltz-Jonto Cel, a right midfielder tasked with playing right back.

Rekonsylat had the momentum & control of central midfield, with a three-to-one numerical advantage, before Qavazujzy again changed tack. Yelto-Alfan sent centreback Ibilx-Irtix forward to operate as a defensive midfielder & poacher Wanar-Sevet Opu back to operate as an attacking midfielder, turning the team’s 5-3-2 into a 4-1-4-1 & allowing Sasca more creative freedom, with cover behind them. Sasca picked out Ernat-Belaj Gla with a through ball that split defenders Xalan-Xilit Ono & Martha Maury, & the striker had no trouble putting it away to give Qavazujzy a two-one lead in the thirty-second minute. It looked set to remain that way into the break, but Maury redeemed herself by launching a long ball over the midfield to Swanhilda Berisha, who equalized in the forty-first minute to halt their opponents’ momentum.

Yelto-Alfan took the opportunity of the half to tinker with tactics, as they took off Yoltz-Jonto & replaced them with Belaj-Upuln Ivo. In effect, they swapped a right back for a right wing forward. The player-manager slotted centreback Zaxac-Fenaz to the right to fill the void at right back & returned Ibilx-Irtix to the back line, establishing a back four. They then sent poacher Wanar-Sevet out wide to fill in as a left wing forward. With six players in wide positions, it was suddenly Qavazujzy that was outflanking Rekonsylat as the teams returned from half. In the sixty-fourth minute, Wanar-Sevet received a Belaj-Upuln cross & buried it into the back of the net to put Qavazujzy up three-two.

In response, Vesper changed tactics for her Rekonsylat side. Realizing that she needed another body in midfield, & that she couldn’t sacrifice anything more in defense, she reassigned left wing forward Ozolx-Mazur as a second striker & replaced right wing forward Berisha with central midfielder Yivix-Cynav Max. That established a 4-4-2 & allowed wide midfielders Helek-Nenzi & Forzu-Ralox to play in their preferred positions, rather than centrally, without exposing Lenpi-Zilot without any help in central midfield. The change had rapid results, & striker Prant-Pertz Gor equalized for Rekonsylat just minutes later, in the seventy-first.

After their opponents’ third equalizer, Yelto-Alfan wasn’t afraid to change things up yet again. They pulled Belaj-Upuln, who they had introduced not half an hour earlier, in favour of nineteen-year-old defensive midfielder Vulav-Izilv Lec, & they moved poacher Wanar-Sevet back to their natural role. That established a 4-4-2 with Sasca at the tip of a midfield diamond. It proved to be a smart move, as with Vulav-Izilv’s support, Sasca was easily able to get through the two young central midfielders on the pitch for Rekonsylat. Crucially, Rekonsylat had no more players on the bench who didn’t naturally play in wide areas, so they weren’t able to counter. Yelto-Alfan had sacrificed a substitute to pull it off, but they successfully executed a gambit to dominate the middle of the park.

It truly came to fruition in the eighty-first minute, as Sasca & Belaj-Upuln one-twoed through Rekonsylat’s midfield & Sasca dribbled around Xalan-Xilit, leaving Sasca one-on-one for a powerful shot that Vanza-Jerat had no hope of keeping out of the top left corner of the net. As Sasca celebrated putting Qavazujzy up four-three, Yelto-Alfan immediately motioned for right back Ralox-Relaf Eva to replace poacher Wanar-Sevet. As centreback Zaxac-Fenaz returned to their natural position, Qavazuzjy had established a 5-4-1, & despite their opponents’ best efforts, they were able to see out the match, preventing Rekonsylat from equalizing for a fourth time. In a battle of first-time managers, Yelto-Alfan’s bold play achieved a checkmate.

Pug Xily’a’s first-ever match was certainly exciting, & the second match on the slate certainly was, as well. KFQ Yunyan showed they were no pushovers, racing to a four-two victory over favourites KFQ Hronork. Yunyan was powered by the success of its front three, & especially striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt, who scored a brace; however, the team’s offensive success was unleashed by its defence, as defensive midfielder Konda-Ralox Saf handled former national teamers Yunal-Julad Waz & Ilinx-Vulav Ixi admirably, neutralizing countless Hronork attacks through central midfield & sparking the counters that doomed the team in red. In so doing, they showed that Yunyan – & particularly Konda-Ralox – may be ones to watch.

While Pug Xily’a’s first day was full of goals, the following day was much cagier. After the seven-goal thriller between Qavazujzy & Rekonsylat on Tuesday, students at Klerked College got to see KFQ Planarjz & KFQ Horiztifutar play in a sort of nouveau Tracam derby, but it ended in a stalemate. Planarjz’s front three seemed unable to put a shot on target, while goalkeeper Xynat-Evela Cuf stymied poacher Paliv-Xilit Max during each of Horiztifutar’s two most dangerous chances. As a result, neither phoenix club of a former club from Tracam could score or earn full points.

The slate ended on the campus of DU, with KFQ Takomokat taking on KFQ Pretarljz. Both defences were expected to play well, & both did. In the end, Pretarljz kept a clean sheet, but eighteen-year-old Pretarljz striker converted a twenty-seventh minute free kick that proved to be the difference.

With only one matchday in the books, the table is essentially worthless at the moment. With the only two-goal win in the league thus far, however, Yunyan is leading after the first slate of matches – though it will be surprising if they are able to maintain that status for much longer. Because Qusmo has two berths in the IFCF Champions’ League, it will be able to send five teams to Champions’ League & Challengers’ Cup competition. That means that every team with at least a point currently sit in an IFCF spot, with one matchday played & thirteen to come, & the league on its way to Reçueçn.

Pug Xily’a in Zwangzug: Matchday One
KFQ Qavazujzy 4–3 KFQ Rekonsylat
KFQ Planarjz 0–0 KFQ Horiztifutar
KFQ Takomokat 0–1 KFQ Pretarljz
KFQ Hronork 2–4 KFQ Yunyan

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Yunyan              1    1   0   0     4    2   +2     3
2 KFQ Qavazujzy           1    1   0   0     4    3   +1     3
3 KFQ Pretarljz           1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
4 KFQ Horiztifutar        1    0   1   0     0    0    0     1
  KFQ Planarjz            1    0   1   0     0    0    0     1
6 KFQ Rekonsylat          1    0   0   1     3    4   −1     0
7 KFQ Takomokat           1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
8 KFQ Hronork             1    0   0   1     2    4   −2     0

---

Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X.

Chapter XI.

RAX: “It’s 10:59 & fifty-nine seconds in Qanz, & I’m your host, Gilir-Axelv Rax; welcome to The Scoop, Qusmo’s best late-night news show! Let’s get straight to it with our Hot Takes! Our Hot Take tonight comes from the intersection of the wonderful worlds of government conspiracy theories & sport conspiracy theories. We’re not talking about how Qusmo should’ve won World Cup 82; the international forces of evil & doom & World Cup knockout round penalty kick shootouts wouldn’t let us do that, of course. But we are talking about someone truly – well, I suppose brave is a word – who’s not afraid to talk about exactly that & much, much more. Let’s take a look at the Big Board.”

Laughter

RAX: “That, my friends, is the banner for A Blog, a site that you can tell from the very first moment is a bastion of credibility, integrity, & capital letters. Now, it mostly focuses on subjects on the cutting edge of… something, like how Qusmo’s national team is going to win the World Cup, or how the World Cup was rigged against Qusmo, or how Qusmo’s national team is going to win the Copa Rushmori, or how Qusmo rigged the Copa Rushmori against Qusmo, or how Qusmo’s national team would be world champions if only they got to wear their red & gold home kits all the time. Recently – & I know this is a shock for a conspiracy theories blog on the Internet – it’s gotten a bit political. Let me read a little bit of what they’ve just written.”

A BLOG: “The GOVERNMENT OF QUSMO is trying to FLIP FLOP FLIP FLOPPITY FLOP like a FISH on the COMMONN [sic] RUSHMUSH [sic] COMMONNITTY [sic] but there [sic] strategy is a clear obvious & wholly corrupt CASE OF CHICANERY to WIN VOTES from RACISTS & XENOPHOBES whilst cloaking themselves in the QUSMA FLAG & couching their rhetoric in the needs to FIGHT HATE & PROTECT QUSMI’Y to create the appearance as though anyone who opposes them politically HATES QUSMO or that they LOVE ANTI-QUSMA RACISM when in fact it is the GOVERNMENT ITSELF which is peddling the VERY SAME FORMS OF BIGOTRY & OPPRESSION that they deign to be PROTECTING OUR NATION FROM.

“Well GUESS WAT [sic]? I WONT [sic] HVE [sic] IT> [sic]

“but [sic] even MORE IMPORTSNTLY [sic] guess WHAT ELSE I wont [sic] have? Being talked down to by DWEEBS in MIJIJIJI [sic].”

RAX: “Mijijiji, is of course, the estimable Esportivan nation of Mattijana. A Blog later goes on to say that our government’s ‘OWN CALCULATED RHETORIC ENDANGERS & TERRORIZES PEOPLE WITHIN ITS VERY OWN NATION IN ORDER TO EARN CHEAP POLITICAL POINTS IN A MANIFESTLY DESPERATE PATENTLY ABSURD & SHOCKINGLY SORDID ATTEMPT TO RETAIN ITS GRIP ON POWER.’ & in some amazing, truly miraculous twist, this blog post is actually somewhat relevant to the national political conversation, because Jralv-Zorno Jok, the leader of the Prog Trads, apparently actually read this thing & decided it would be a trustworthy source of journalism to base political debate. Jralv-Zorno’s account shared this thing on twii.tur this afternoon, & better yet, it still hasn’t been taken down. First up on our panel today is Evela-Zenon Yem; your thoughts, Yem?”

YEM: “My thoughts? You know my thoughts? You don’t get to know my thoughts? I’ll never let you have them!”

Laughter

RAX: “Oh, Yem, you have no idea what I’m capable of. What about our second panelist, Vralx-Cynav Uzo?”

UZO: “Margaret, was there a segue in there, or was that literally just a threat towards me?”

Laughter

RAX: “Hey, you never know. On our next episode of The Scoop, tune in to see whether Uzo’s still alive or whether they’ve had, shall we say, an unfortunate accident.”

UZO: “You better be hoping I don’t get into an accident, Rax. Imagine, if that actually happened, I don’t care if it’s the most innocuous, legitimate thing. Even if I slip & I fall down the stairs at my house, & I let everyone know afterwards that I’m completely fine, I was just a bit clumsy, people’re going to be saying: ‘Well, maybe Rax made it slippery. Maybe Rax spilled some water right at the top of the stairs.’”

RAX: “See, these are the tough topics I know a publication of A Blog’s calibre is uniquely positioned to tackle.”

Laughter

RAX: “How do you think whoever’s behind A Blog has got to be feeling about this right now? Imagine, after spending years on some corner of the Internet writing a blog about conspiracies about Qusmo’s national team, suddenly you write a couple lines of political commentary & it’s quoted by the Leader of the Opposition?”

UZO: “If I were this blogger – do we know who they are, by the way?”

RAX: “No, not a clue. It’s completely anonymous. They say they live in an apocalypse bunker somewhere in the northern outskirts of Yie, though.”

Laughter

UZO: “Oh, of course they do. If I were them, I’d be ecstatic. The whole nation gets to hear my message. What I stand for, what I’m about. They’ll get a whole lot of new web traffic now from crazies & kooks, & even more just from people who’ll want to find out what the heck kind of thing they’ll be about to say next.”

RAX: “Yem, do you agree with Uzo? Are they delighted?”

YEM: “I see your point, Uzo, but I’m just not so sure about it, to be honest with you. I mean, the Leader of the Opposition, it’s not exactly as if the leader of one of the two main parties in this country is really going to appeal to someone like whoever’s running this blog. They’ll probably think they’re trying to use their words for their own benefit, & the truth is, they are. Of course they are; they’re a politician, running in a political race. This blog might not be Blip kujz Evarty Qanza, or even Blip kujz Evarty Yie’a, but whoever’s running it has to at least be smart enough to realize they’re being used, & I’m sure they have to hate being used enough to do something about it.”

UZO: “Come on, Yem. Look at all this attention they’re getting. They would’ve just stayed in some dark corner of the Internet somewhere; now, they’re at the centre of the news today. There’s no chance we’d be talking about this blog here on this show if it wasn’t for Jralv-Zorno. & for the Leader of the Opposition not just to be talking about something you’ve said, but basically actually endorsing your position? That’s got to be really powerful.”

YEM: “I see where you’re coming from, Uzo, but again, I’m not sure I agree with you. We’re not all treating this blog like a newspaper or a magazine, or even a TV show like this one. We’re treating it as something so ridiculous that we ought to be laughing at it. We’re laughing at this thing, & if I were so passionate about something, would I want to be laughed at by the whole country? Not taken seriously by anyone, even when I’m talking about something serious?”

UZO: “Yeah, like the ‘expose about the Askari Union’s RAT MIND CONTROL PROJECT designed to DESTROY INLAND SOUTH-CENTRAL ESPORTIVA?’”

Laughter

YEM: “No, seriously, though, we all know 99% of the stuff on this blog is complete bull, but somehow, for some reason, these few lines actually are a valid political critique of our current government. It’s not a conspiracy theory; it’s not made-up. I think it’s a very valid point that our government seeks to divide & conquer: divide Qusmi’y from foreigners, by any means necessary, including out-&-out racism, & then win the election by being the toughest on foreigners. No one seems to want to say the quiet part out loud – no one seems to have the guts to – but, all of a sudden, this random blog out completely out of nowhere says, ‘Screw it, I’m not a politician, I’m not going to make a press release with all kinds of flowery language; I’m just going to say exactly what I mean, because I believe in what I have to say, & because I believe what I have to say is important, & if it’s not popular, or people don’t like it, well, too bad.’ I think that’s really admirable. I think we need more of that kind of thing in our politics sometimes. & at the point at which the Leader of the Opposition’s not willing to come out & actually say this, or even say this in toned-down, boring, diplomatic, politicky language – when they have to resort to quoting this completely bizarre blog in this completely bizarre way to even nod at the possibility of this perfectly legitimate line of inquiry into the government, when their job title is literally to be the leader of the opposition to the government, I think it shows that there’s something wrong there.”

RAX: “Wow, & that’s tonight’s edition of Hot Takes! & how hot they were! Unfortunately, something else that’s wrong is that we’ve gone so long talking about politics that we now have to take a short break, but join us on the other side for more talk about tonight’s top story on The Scoop!”

[Qusmo]

Pug Xily’a encore in Reçueçn showed that the league’s exciting debut was no fluke.

Qusmo’s national team had never played in Reçueçn before; the only time they met was in Equestria, for the World Cup 83 group stage. A seventy-first minute strike from Grégoire Leclair gave Reçueçn gave Qusmo its first-ever World Cup loss, in its sixth World Cup match, & Reçueçn earned its first-ever points in the World Cup, in its first cycle of participation. Ultimately, Reçueçn would pip Qusmo to the knockout rounds; a draw against Reçueçn would have been sufficient to see Qusmo return to the World Cup knockouts, if only for a single match. As it happened, however, that match was Reçueçn’s second ever in the World Cup, & it would be the Qusma national team’s second-to-last of any kind. Now, Qusma football intersected with Reçueçn again; the Ministry of Sport would host Pug Xily’a for, fittingly, its second-ever matchday.

KFQ Rekonsylat-KFQ Yunyan was on tap at Stade Carl III in the capital, Reçueçn City, as the featured fixture of the matchday. Rekonsylat was widely expected to compete for the league title, but Yunyan was currently top of the table – & the teams had scored a combined seven goals on the previous matchday. The teams did not disappoint, as Yunyan took one-nil & two-one first half leads before Rekonsylat stormed back to win three-two.

Yunyan’s central midfield trio was able to control the middle of the park, & they targeted Rekonsylat centreback Xalan-Xilit Ono, seemed especially vulnerable. That helped eighteen-year-old Yunyan striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt score a second consecutive brace, becoming an unlikely leader in the Golden Boot race. However, Rekonsylat exercised near-complete control along the wings, which proved to be the difference, with Helek-Nenzi Ono, Ozolx-Mazur Guv, & Swanhilda Berisha each scoring to give their team its first win.

The other Tuesday match, at the Stade de la Réformation in Géneve, was a bit less exciting. For a second consecutive match, the KFQ Planarjz attack didn’t seem the least bit threatening, as KFQ Qavazujzy’s back five quickly snuffed out their opponents’ chances before they had a chance to begin. After being named Manager of the Matchday for Matchday One, Qavazujzy centre back & player-manager Yelto-Alfan Ono was named Player of the Match for Matchday Two. However, the Qavazujzy attack also misfired, just after scoring four against Rekonsylat, & the team could not pick up full points. Unlike Planarjz, Qavazujzy created several chances, but they simply never capitalized.

The Wednesday slate proved to be much more interesting. In Reçueçn City, KFQ Horiztifutar barely played defence, but it didn’t matter, because they completely tore apart KFQ Takomokat’s back line. A defence boasting five former national team centre backs on the pitch or on the bench melted down, allowing six goals in total, head & shoulders the most prolific goalscoring performance for a team in a single match thus far.

Just one matchday after the team was held goalless by Planarjz, Paliv-Xilit Max recorded Pug Xily’a’s first-ever hat trick, with Mokuro Junaiperu scoring a brace & Gavax-Nenzi Abe also getting on the scoresheet. Paliv-Xilit had scored a brace within the opening ten minutes, & from that point, there was really no going back. Takomokat dissolved into a structure that was completely disorganized, & while they did throw players forward to score goals, it left them horribly exposed at the back, which was supposed to be their greatest strength.

The final match of the Reçueçn slate didn’t lack for goals, either, but it certainly did for drama. The KFQ Hronork defence capitulated again, conceding four goals for the second consecutive match. The team was supposed to compete for a Champions’ League spot, & certainly for a Challengers’ Cup berth, & they were supposed to start against two of the weakest opponents in the league. However, they followed their four-two loss to Yunyan on Matchday One with a four-one loss to Pretarljz on Matchday Two, & it was never really in doubt. Pretarljz had a three-nil lead by the half & pushed their lead to four at the sixty-seventh minute; a Hronork goal in the eighty-second simply made the final score a bit less embarrassing.

After two matchdays, only Pretarljz remains on full points. This is certainly a surprise, as they were expected to be one of the weaker teams in the league, but their defensive showing thus far has helped; Pretarljz did not concede for their first one hundred seventy-two minutes in the league. Of course, Planarjz is the only better defence in the league thus far, having kept two consecutive clean sheets, but a completely listless front three has seen the team yet to score any goals, either. Only Takomokat &, somewhat surprisingly, Hronork fall below them, each with two losses from two fixtures, & each with the two worst defensive showings in the league thus far. As the competition moves to New Lusitania, however, circumstances are still very much subject to shift before the league leaves the Independents behind for a tour of the Big Three sporting regions.

Pug Xily’a in Reçueçn: Matchday Two
KFQ Rekonsylat 3–2 KFQ Yunyan
KFQ Pretarljz 4–1 KFQ Hronork
KFQ Horiztifutar 6–4 KFQ Takomokat
KFQ Qavazujzy 0–0 KFQ Planarjz

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 KFQ Pretarljz           2    2   0   0     5    1   +4     6
2 KFQ Horiztifutar        2    1   1   0     6    4   +2     4
3 KFQ Qavazujzy           2    1   1   0     4    3   +1     4
4 KFQ Yunyan              2    1   0   1     6    5   +1     3
5 KFQ Rekonsylat          2    1   0   1     6    6    0     3
6 KFQ Planarjz            2    0   2   0     0    0    0     2
7 KFQ Takomokat           2    0   0   2     4    7   −3     0
8 KFQ Hronork             2    0   0   2     3    8   −5     0

---

Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI.

Chapter XII.

A Blog

ALL THE BUMS OUT (thouh not the Jersulem kind)

Ive experiencd all SORTS of things lately. Qusmo didnt qualify for the World Cup. Then Qusmo di qualify for the World Cup for the first time last yr. & then they even got to the knocuts rounds. *& now theyve just gonna qualified for Worl Cup 83 with a whole match left & without the playoffs (which is good because those look brutual. four teams & only one spot? yikes sorry Cramaka). Next up were gonna get to the knockouts again abut THIS TIME not even the WORLD EVIL PEOPLE VUP COMMITTTEE will be able to stop us from WINNNING WORLD CUP 83. absolutly NOTHING can stop the IRRESSISTABLE POWER of QUSMO from being the BEST NATION IN THE MULTIVERSE!!!

With the notable exception of course of its GOVERNMENT & the politicians who ostensibly LEAD it. It should be clear to ALL Qusmi’y that the recent actions of Qusmi Bez & their government have been nothing more than BIGOTRY mobilized in a TRANSPARENT DESPERATE attempt to earn more votes. Of course I have already noted as such previously on this blog. However what has been MORE surprising to me has been the reaction of the PROG TRADS the OPPOSITION PARTY in this nation & particularly their party leader Jralv-Zorno Jok who has recently decided to QUOTE my observations on twii.tur rather than ACTUALLY ENGAGE IN SUBSTANTIVE DEBATE THEMSELF.

& WHY might you ask? Why dont you take a look at their RECORD? For DECADES the Prog Trads have stood for nothing but the interests of the MONEYED ELITE in this nation; this is a party that would WILLINGLY & OPENLY side with MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS & BILLIONAIRES in disputes with the Qusma people & Qusma workers. They DO NOT CARE what happens to people like you or me so long as their RICH FRIENDS get their TAX BREAKS so that WE have to pay MORE of the burden for a SLASHED public services budget. Why should anyone be surprised the PROG TRADS want to accede tothe Common Rushmori Community? It will make it even EASIER for foreign companies to make MILLIONS in Qusmo & it will make it EASIER STILL for companies to outsource Qusma jobs to low-wage states elsewhere in our region.

NO ONE should trust the prog Trads for a SECOND when they say thay will DO RIGHT BY QUSMI’Y. But it is STRIKINGLY CLEAR that our CURRENT GOVERNMENT no longer deserves the confidence of the public either. THE FACT REMAINS that in our CURRENT POLITICAL SYSTEM DOMINATED BY ONLY TWO MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES citizens are left WITHOUT REAL CHOICE. NEITHER PARTY TRULY CARES ABOUT THE QUSMA PEOPLE. THEIR EXACT POLICIES MAY DFFER SLIGHTLY & the WAYS IN WHICH THEY HURT QUSMI’Y MAY ALSO NOT BE EXACTLY THE SAME but THEY HURT QUSMI’Y & QUSMO AS A WHOLE NONETHELESS. A CHOICE between the LESSER OF TWO EVILS is NO CHOICE AT ALL.

So to Jralv-Zorno Jok I say that YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT QUSMI’Y. & to QUsmi Bez I say that YOU TOO DO NOT CARE ABOUT QUSMI’y EITHER. WHERE does that leave us as Qusmi’y? In a position in which we must REJECT not just one party but BOTH. A NEW party a new MOVEMENT must rise to usurp BOTH & GOVERN IN A MANNER THAT HAS THE INTERESTS & CONCERNS OF QUMI’Y AT THE FOREFRONT OF ALL POLICIES & DECISIONS.

Our politics must not devolve into a KNOCKOUT ROUND MACH where two BAD TEAMS can still have one advance after a SCORELESS DRAW because of PENALTY KICKS. We ought to take THIS VERY QUALIFYING CAMPAIGN for WORLD CUP 83 as a SIGN of what our politics CAN & OUGHT TO BE. We must create a politics where MANY parties compete against EACH OTHER & EACH force THE REST to ADOPT positions for the BENEFIT OF THEIR CITIZENS & DEFEND THOSE POLICIES TO THEIR CITIZENS. We must create a politics where ALL the parties are CAPABLE of leading this nation & WORTHY OF DOING SO & where only the BEST govern our country. UNTIL THAT DAY WE MUST REJECT THE OLD WAY OF DOING THINGS. WE MUST REJECT ALL PARTIES & ALL LEADERS WHO FAIL TO LIVE UP TO OUR STNDARDS & INSTEAD DEMAND WHAT CANNOT BE FOR ONLY WHEN WE DARE TO DREAM OF THE IMPOSSIBLE CAN IT BECOME A REALITY

& until that day we have Qusma national team football to look forward to.

[Qusmo]

Pug Xily’a bid adieu to the Independent regions with a slate of matches that all featured plenty of goals or late drama, though not both.

After Zwangzug, the home of the cofounders who first created the league, & Reçueçn, the nation the Qusma national team played in its second-to-last match, Pug Xily’a travelled to New Lusitania, the first knockout round opponent Qusmo’s national team ever defeated, that kicked off the team’s run to third place in Cup of Harmony 73.

The featured match in Braga pitted KFQ Yunyan, the team with the Golden Boot leader, against KFQ Pretarljz, the team leading the league. It was the lone match in New Lusitania between two teams who had already recorded a Pug Xily’a win, as well, & it didn’t hurt that Pretarljz broadcasted their message of Free Qusmo in Lusitanian, either.

Just like in their previous match, however, Pretarljz dominated the proceedings from the very beginning. Both teams employed a 4-3-3 formation, relying on a three-player central midfield to set the tone & the pace for the match. In that respect, Pretarljz won at their opponents’ own game. For the first time in this league, Yunyan captain Konda-Ralox Saf looked completely out of sorts; for most of the night, they were at the mercy of their counterpart with the armband, Forzu-Nirlo Uzo.

With Forzu-Nirlo at the controls, Pretarljz dominated possession throughout the match & left Yunyan unable to surprise or dazzle. Instead, the team felt so secure that it sent defenders forward on a few occasions; left back Jralv-Yamaj Mal scored in support of a Pretarljz attack, & centreback Denir-Slokt Jok redirected a corner kick into the back of the net. Starved of service, Yunyan striker Etern-Tylyr Von, who had recorded consecutive braces in Pug Xily’a, was left largely anonymous throughout. Instead, for the second consecutive matchday, Forzu-Nirlo & Ucyxi-Slokt Eva scored for Pretarljz; for the second consecutive matchday, Forzu-Nirlo was named player of the match & Ucyxi-Slokt was named Manager of the Matchday; & for the second consecutive matchday, Pretarljz emerged on the top of the table with a comfortable four-one win that was never very much in doubt.

Later that same day, KFQ Takomokat took on KFQ Qavazujzy at Estádio Miraserra. Qavazujzy looked to keep pace in the title race; Takomokat simply wanted to earn its first points of the season. It was another sterling day for the Qavazujzy defence, with Ibilx-Irtix Ono particularly putting in an exemplary performance. With Qavazujzy’s three centre backs easily parrying any attacks coming their way, player-manager Yelto-Alfan Ono sent off fullbacks Yoltz-Tlanx Sal & Yoltz-Jonto Cel at the break, in favour of Vulav-Izilv Lec & Raxat-Avarn Zev, to bolster their central midfield in the face of Takomokat’s 3-6-1.

Qavazujzy’s back three was easily able to contain their opponents’ attacks before they got to anything that was threatening, & after the half, their newly-reinforced midfield was able to keep possession & start to truly probe the Takomokat defence. Their opponents were certainly well-organized & difficult to break down, but if there was a winner to be had, it was clear it would come from the team in white – &, eventually, it did, as Ramona Ambaile-Hund scored in the seventy-second minute, to arrive at the final score: one-nil, in favour of Qavazujzy. Takomokat would need to wait at least a match longer to earn its first point in Pug Xily’a.

The next day was a showcase of more low-scoring, but tight, matches. In Braga, KFQ Planarjz faced KFQ Rekonsylat at the Estádio dos Arcebispos. Landen Smoker finally scored Planarjz’s first goal of the season, after dribbling past Rekonsylat centre back Xalan-Xilit Ono. It was not the first time the eighteen-year-old has been exposed this season, suggesting that manager Lienke Vesper may need to figure out how to better protect the player going forward, though the task will be difficult, as a twenty-year-old right back is their only reserve in defence.

Still, though the team was again soft in the middle of the park, Rekonsylat’s dominance out wide was enough to carry the day. In this particular case, though Xalan-Xilit Ono was at fault for one Planarjz goal, Planarjz’s Hirom-Vanza Roz, filling in at left back, was responsible for conceding two goals. Rekonsylat right wing forward Swanhilda Berisha equalized & right back Martha Maury netted the winner, as Rekonsylat kept pace with the leading pack with a two-one win.

Finally, Pug Xily’a headed back to Covilhã, as KFQ Hronork took on KFQ Horiztifutar. Horiztifutar had a great early start to the season, while Hronork had a pretty rough go to open the calendar. That rough go didn’t let up, as although the match was Hronork’s closest of the season, Hronork uncharacteristically simply didn’t convert the chances it had. Instead, in a battle between Hronork striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol & Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max, the two most prolific goalscorers in the history of the Qusma national team, a single goal from substitute midfielder Jerat-Vulav Niz gave full points to Horiztifutar.

At this point in the league season, teams’ point tallies are really only an early lead in the race, that might give them some buffer for a slip-up or two later on. The table can still change in a hurry. That said, as we leave the Independent regions behind, there are some surprises. At the bottom of the table, teams like Planarjz, Takomokat, & Hronork are struggling, the latter two teams on no points. Meanwhile, Pretarljz, a team originally considered a favourite for the wooden spoon, is leading the pack after three wins in three matches, with sparkling form after two routs. Horiztifutar, Qavazujzy, & Rekonsylat are close behind in the chasing pack, while Yunyan is below them on the table but still above the stragglers.

After the Independents leg of our journey, after three matchdays & with eleven remaining, we see Pretarljz leading the pack on a perfect nine points; they would play in the Champions’ League & the Copa de Campeones, & they would lift the Pug Xily’a trophy. Horiztifutar is currently sitting in the other Champions’ League position on goal difference alone; though Qavazujzy is nipping at their heels, they would be sent to the Challengers’ Cup if the season ended today. So, too, would Rekonsylat & Yunyan.

Teams also have opportunities to qualify for the Cup Winners’ Cup, through Puk uni·q, to be held after the end of the league season, & the Vilitan Cove Invitational, through the Fair Play Table. Pretarljz & Qavazujzy are currently atop the table, with just one yellow card thus far, but at fifth place in the Fair Play Table with three cautions thus far, Hronork would be Pug Xily’a’s submission to the VCI at the moment, with Planarjz, on four cautions, eligible to inherit the nomination if Hronork were to win Puk uni·q.

In goalscoring races, Yunyan striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt scored more goals than any other Pug Xily’a player in the Independent regions, with four goals in total. Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max, Rekonsylat right wing forward Swanhilda Berisha, & Pretarljz right wing forward Ucyxi-Slokt Eva each have three goals in as many matches, with another five players on two goals & twenty-one on one goal each. With two goals each, Forzu-Nirlo Uzo & Ramona Ambaile-Hund have scored more goals from midfield than any other player in Pug Xily’a thus far, while neither a defender nor a substitute has scored multiple goals so far this season.

Finally, we arrive at the all-around performance awards. Pretarljz centre midfielder Forzu-Nirlo Uzo is the only person thus far to have received multiple player of the match awards in the Independent regions, in consecutive impressive performances on Matchday Two & Matchday Three. Similarly, although Qavazujzy player-manager Yelto-Alfan Ono won the league’s first-ever Manager of the Matchday award, Pretarljz player-manager Ucyxi-Slokt Eva has now won the manager gong two matchdays running.

As Pug Xily’a leaves the Independent regions, it sets its sights on Esportiva, the first of the three grand sporting regions it will tour. Pug Xily’a will first play in Damukuni & then in Kita-Hinode, & both slates show real promise. Hopefully, the excitement of the league’s first three matchdays carry over to the next two, & football fans from across Esportiva can celebrate Pug Xily’a & Qusma football.

Pug Xily'a in New Lusitania: Matchday Three
KFQ Planarjz 1–2 KFQ Rekonsylat
KFQ Takomokat 0–1 KFQ Qavazujzy
KFQ Hronork 0–1 KFQ Horiztifutar
KFQ Yunyan 1–4 KFQ Pretarljz

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Pretarljz           3    3   0   0     9    2   +7     9
2 KFQ Horiztifutar        3    2   1   0     7    4   +3     7
3 KFQ Qavazujzy           3    2   1   0     5    3   +2     7
4 KFQ Rekonsylat          3    2   0   1     8    7   +1     6
5 KFQ Yunyan              3    1   0   2     7    9   −2     3
6 KFQ Planarjz            3    0   2   1     1    2   −1     2
7 KFQ Takomokat           3    0   0   3     4    8   −4     0
8 KFQ Hronork             3    0   0   3     3    9   −6     0

---

Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII.

Chapter XIII.

“Xlo. Ono. You’re two of my closest advisers. But what kind of idiotic shithousery have you gotten us into now?” Drolx-Dalox Aka, Qusmi Bez, was seething. “Why shouldn’t I shitcan you both right now?”

Azeld-Nexev Xlo answered first. “My Qusmi Bez, I cannot provide you with any reason. You would be well within your rights. However, I can say that if you allow me to continue working in your service, & for the service of this great nation, I will work even harder than I ever have before, & I will ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”

“Well said, Xlo. & what can you say for yourself, Ono?”

“My Qusmi Bez, I can tell you exactly why you need me.”

Drolx-Dalox was taken aback. Welar-Linot Ono was one of the boldest, brashest, most confident people they had ever met, but still, this was bold even by their standards. “Xlo, leave us.”

“My Qusmi Bez, –”

“Now, Xlo.”

Drolx-Dalox didn’t take their eyes off Welar-Linot, but they waited to hear the door close. Before that, they heard a noticeable gulp from the direction of Azeld-Nexev.

“Go on & tell me, then. Your job’s on the line.”

“My Qusmi Bez, this election will not be waged on the conventional left-right battlefield. The only issue that matters is the CRC & anything related to it. Immigration matters; tax rates do not. This blog is clearly occupying a niche that isn’t being fulfilled by either our party or that of the opposition. They’ve just said as much. They seem leftist, like ourselves, but they’re clearly internationalist, like the Prog Trads.”

Along with Azeld-Nexev, Welar-Linot had been one of the first advocates of amplifying A Blog’s message for their own political interests. Now, that decision looked foolish, or worse. They didn’t care about Azeld-Nexev – whose apology & retreat had only confirmed Welar-Linot’s long-established belief that they were a coward – but Welar-Linot had to defend themself.

“My Qusmi Bez, Jralv-Zorno Jok is an idiot. You know that, & I know that. They gave this blog a national platform, & now they’re running with it. Jralv-Zorno clearly thinks that a left-wing internationalist blog will chip away at our votes or help convince the nation that they should support the CRC. Instead, it should be obvious to anything with a brain that we can use these idiots against each other. This blog has demanded a new political force rise to oppose both us & the Prog Trads. I say, let them.”

“Let them? Are you out of your mind, Ono?”

“Let me explain, my Qusmi Bez. Jralv-Zorno is clearly of the mind that any sort of political movement that could be inspired by this blog or its ideas would split the left-wing vote, allowing the Prog Trads to win. But that’s where they’re so, so stupidly wrong. It wouldn’t split the left-wing vote; in this election, there is no left-wing vote, nor is there a right-wing vote. There’s only a pro-CRC vote & an anti-CRC vote. & we’d remain the only party opposed to the CRC, while two competing factions would fight over pro-CRC votes. By boosting this blog, Jralv-Zorno’s just splitting their own vote. I say, not only should we let them do it, but we should help them do it.”

Drolx-Dalox thought for a minute. “Ono, you’re either a complete idiot or an absolute genius. I’m inclined to believe the latter. But this plan of yours had better work, or you’ll be out the door long before any ballots are cast.”

Welar-Linot smiled. They had Drolx-Dalox just where they wanted them. “Of course, my Qusmi Bez. May I take this moment as an opportunity to reframe the political debate. We need to make this fight something rawer than politics. We need it to be more visceral, more primal. We need to make voters not care about the Prog Trads’ bar charts & economic forecasts & simulations. We need to make this not a debate about politics, but a war for Qusma culture.”

“Hmm. & where do you propose we start, Ono?”

“Where else, my Qusmi Bez?” Welar-Linot smiled again. “With football, of course.”

[Qusmo]

Pug Xily’a arrived for the first time in Esportiva, & the fans in West Bay were in for a treat.

It was hard for the league’s organizers to settle on a single featured match in Damukuni. On the one hand, KFQ Rekonsylat & KFQ Pretarljz were fourth & first in the table. Rekonsylat was seen by most as a legitimate title contender, while Pretarljz had surprisingly been the only Pug Xily’a team to emerge from the Independent regions with a perfect record. The only player in the league who primarily plays in Damukuni was also on Pretarljz’s roster, albeit as a reserve.

On the other hand, KFQ Horiztifutar & KFQ Yunyan were two exciting teams, as well. They had both enjoyed success in the Independent regions, at second & fifth in the table, respectively, & they had goalscorers who had a searing first three matches. Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max was second in the league with three goals, & only Yunyan striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt had more after three matches. Ultimately, when considering advertising interest, the goal tallies of Paliv-Xilit & Hynym-Nirlo helped put their match in the featured spotlight – & the fact that Yunyan’s kits proclaimed the message of Free Qusmo in Hinodejin certainly helped to advance the case, as well.

As it happened, though, both teams got to play in West Bay at the West Bay Cricket Club. It was certainly a unique experience for the players to play on a cricket field, with massive gaps between the touchline & the stands near midfield. A few players voiced concern that the playing surface would be wedge-shaped & filled in with dirt at one end, apparently conflating cricket for its cousin, baseball. Few could blame them; a tiny fraction of Qusmi’y had ever seen a game of either sport, & even fewer understood how it was played. Fortunately, though, the groundskeepers did an excellent job with the pitch, allowing the players to put on a show for those who turned out for the match.

It started on Tuesday, with the matchday’s featured match, between Horiztifutar & Yunyan. It did not disappoint. Paliv-Xilit & their strike partner, Mokuro Junaiperu, each scored to put Horiztifutar ahead two-nil, but Yunyan battled back to equalize by the half with goals from Hynym-Nirlo & Ajark-Intov Fox. Horiztifutar quickly clawed ahead again after the break, but Hynym-Nirlo scored again to level proceedings at the hour mark. Reserve striker Alfan-Zylyz Pan seemed to have finally scored the winner for Horiztifutar with their first Pug Xily’a goal in the eighty-second minute, but Hynym-Nirlo completed a hat trick in stoppage time to give Yunyan a share of the points. All in all, it was a thoroughly entertaining match.

Next, fans in Moaria got to see KFQ Qavazujzy & KFQ Hronork battle it out. This match would have been circled on the calendar at the beginning of the season as a showdown between two contenders for Champions’ League berths, but coming into the match, there seemed to be a gulf in class between the two sides; Qavazujzy had yet to lose, while Hronork had yet to win, or even earn any points. That pattern did not change at Grand Westportiva Park, as Qavazujzy had little trouble dispatching with Hronork by a two-nil score.

The following day, action returned to the West Bay Cricket Club, & so did excitement. Rekonsylat & Pretarljz slugged it out, & the story of the match was a familiar one by this point for supporters of Rekonsylat: their team had control of the wide areas of the pitch, & inflicted damage there, but they faced a team with superior quality & quantity in central midfield, which allowed their opponents to create dangerous chances, especially as they exposed some gaps in defence. In this match, Pretarljz got out to a two-goal lead before Rekonsylat halved the deficit, but a three-one lead proved to be too much to overcome. Rekonsylat had plenty of late momentum in the last quarter hour of the match, but they could only find one goal, leaving them six points behind Pretarljz, & allowing Pretarljz another matchday atop the table with a perfect record.

Pug Xily’a’s final match in Damukuni was played between KFQ Planarjz & KFQ Takomokat. Planarjz had yet to record a win, while Takomokat had yet to earn points of any kind whatsoever. Something had to give – & it did, in the most boring way possible. The only time Qusmo’s national team had ever before played Damukuni – in a Tour of the Multiverse friendly – the match resulted in a scoreless draw. These two defensively-minded Pug Xily’a sides played out such a draw in Moaria, amounting to Planarjz’s third scoreless draw in their first four matches.

That leaves the table in a somewhat familiar place. Pretarljz leads, with four wins from four matches, followed by Qavazujzy, on ten points. Horiztifutar isn’t too far behind, & is still unbeaten, while Rekonsylat would rather be closer to the top at this point. Still, they’re in a much better state than Hronork, which is still seeking its first points in Pug Xily’a. Perhaps they will earn them in Kita-Hinode.

Pug Xily'a in Damukuni: Matchday Four
KFQ Rekonsylat 2–3 KFQ Pretarljz
KFQ Horiztifutar 4–4 KFQ Yunyan
KFQ Qavazujzy 2–0 KFQ Hronork
KFQ Planarjz 0–0 KFQ Takomokat

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Pretarljz           4    4   0   0    12    4   +8    12
2 KFQ Qavazujzy           4    3   1   0     7    3   +4    10
3 KFQ Horiztifutar        4    2   2   0    11    8   +3     8
4 KFQ Rekonsylat          4    2   0   2    10   10    0     6
5 KFQ Yunyan              4    1   1   2    11   13   −2     4
6 KFQ Planarjz            4    0   3   1     1    2   −1     3
7 KFQ Takomokat           4    0   1   3     4    8   −4     1
8 KFQ Hronork             4    0   0   4     3   11   −8     0

---

Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII.

Chapter XIV.

Official transcript of the speech of Drolx-Dalox Aka, Qusmi Bez, on the pernicious influences of football on Qusma society

Citizens of Qusmo, I am here today to discuss a grave matter with you all. & unfortunately, it does affect every single citizen in this great nation.

I realize the topic of the day in this nation is football. Our national football team has just qualified for World Cup 83, marking only the second time our nation has ever qualified for that prestigious international tournament. When Qusmo defeated Competitive Solitaire, I felt proud of my country, as no doubt so did many of you.

But as I reflected on the team’s achievement, I came to reflect on the impact the sport has as a whole on this country. & despite what some may be inclined to believe, I’m afraid that football has had a sour, vile effect on this great nation.

Initially, this government sponsored Fuzpon Qusma & helped cultivate the growth & development of the sport in Qusmo. We saw the obvious upsides. Football was a great social unifier, connecting fans to their clubs & communities. It was a nice form of entertainment & of exercise, & it would help encourage health & fitness. Building dozens of stadia across the country from scratch also generated tens of thousands of jobs, & the football microeconomy can permanently sustain thousands on its own.

However, regrettably, we did not anticipate what damage this sport would eventually do. & that damage is directly traceable to the decision of unelected Qusma judges to unilaterally compel Pug Qusmyra to allow foreigners to play in the league. As a result, foreigners took away the jobs, the promising careers, the wealth, & the spotlight from perfectly good & capable Qusmi’y. It is no secret why KF Qastyr, Pug Qusmy’ra reigning champions, & a team that has advanced as far as the UICA Champions’ Cup quarterfinals, has so few representatives among the ranks of Qusmo’s national football team. The club simply doesn’t bother to hire Qusmi’y.

Now, Pug Qusmyra has launched an initiative extolling the supposed virtues of immigrants. Clubs such as KF Qastyr, & players & managers – even including Ilinx-Kepex Zev – have joined in. Where is this nation going, when we see that our own traditions, values, & culture are being cast aside by our own beloved people & institutions? What kind of message does a football club send to its loyal supporters, or that the captain of Qusmo’s national team sends to children across this country who view them as a role model or a hero, when they denigrate Qusmi’y & instead embrace foreigners?

The first time Qusmo ever played in a Copa Rushmori, the tournament was held in Cassadaigua. The experience of visiting that nation to support Qusmo in that competition was a jarring one for many Qusmi’y, myself included. Simply put, Cassadaigua is an astonishingly prejudiced caste society, divided starkly by the lines of gender & sex. Perhaps no other feature of Dagan society is as prominent, & as ingrained in the national psyche, as a belief in the inherent superiority of some & the inferiority of others. This was a sign of just how deep-rooted sexism was across the Multiverse, & it was a sign of the insidious influences football would have on our own society in the years to come.

That said, this government believed that, despite all that, we could do some good through sport, not only for Qusmo, but for the Multiverse as a whole. To wit, this government supported Spon Qusma’s boycott of the Olympic Games for as long as the Olympic Council continued to blatantly discriminate against individuals & segregate competitors on the basis of sex, which was supported by our counterparts in nations across the Multiverse, such as the Merchant Republic of Mriin & the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. However, our efforts were to no avail, showing how shockingly entrenched discrimination & bigotry are in foreign cultures all across the Multiverse. Even worse, some of our own countrymates sold out their nation & their people, & the cause of oppressed sexual minorities everywhere, in order to pad their pocketbooks by working for foreign Olympic teams.

So what is the logical final conclusion? We have brought football into our country. Football has brought foreigners into our country. Foreigners bring ideologies of hatred into our country. Football corrupts citizens of our own country & causes them not only to ignore, but to sacrifice, the interests of all people throughout the Multiverse in order to serve the evils of patriarchy or of matriarchy.

Now, the crisis has reached a new stage. Franziska Schnee-Krull, a foreigner who plays football professionally in Qusmo, in Pug Qusmyra, has just shocked our entire nation. She has categorically rejected the very idea that Qusmo, or any other society, could exist free of the tyranny of genders. In so doing, she has revealed herself to harbour nothing but contempt for the nation that so generously provided her with a home & with employment.

Of course, her comments has provoked a backlash, & rightfully so. However, while many have analyzed the pernicious influences of gender bigots on society, comparatively few have analyzed the pernicious influences of football on gender & society. Schnee-Krull has an audience in this nation because of the sport of football. & the fact that Qusma organizations, players, & managers alike seem united in favour of foreign prejudices means that this novel hatred has already started to seep into Qusma culture. It is absolutely sickening to see figures such as Ilinx-Kepex Zev, who is supposed to lead their national team & inspire their nation, so cavalierly defend someone who so obviously hates Qusmo & Qusmi’y.

My friends, the logical final conclusion of this effort to normalize sexual hatred is to destroy Qusma society altogether & to replace it with a sexual tyranny. These ideas spread from the duplicitous lips of hateful foreigners, but they find an audience because of football. I fear football has already planted the seeds of hatred in our nation, & I fear what could happen if football is allowed to continue to nurture that sexual hatred indefinitely.

My friends, in this grand struggle for Qusma civilization as we presently know it, we can only take one side. We can only accept one outcome. & we must do everything in our collective power to ensure that we save Qusmo from those who would destroy it. We must completely remove the pernicious influence of foreign hatred from our nation – & if we cannot remove such prejudice from the game of football, we must protect our nation from the pernicious influences of football, as well. Such a measure may seem drastic, & it may be difficult for some, but unless we can get a cut down hatred at the root, before it grows, Qusmo will never be the same again – & it will be overwhelmingly for the worse.

This government has a duty to protect Qusmi’y. This government has a duty to protect Qusmo. Unfortunately, it has come to the point at which football can no longer serve that purpose – &, in fact, it’s doing the opposite. Unless football rapidly reforms itself & immediately repents for the injustices it has helped perpetrate against Qusmi’y & countless people throughout the Multiverse, this government will be faced with no choice but to shutter the sport of football in Qusmo.

[Qusmo]

Pug Xily’a concluded its brief tour of Esportiva with a slate of four closely-fought matches.

The feature match, of course, was between KFQ Pretarljz & KFQ Horiztifutar. Horiztifutar was unbeaten & third in the table, while Pretarljz had won every match of the season thus far. Only six players in the league had scored at least three goals in the league’s first four matches, & four of them would be on the pitch: Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max was second in the league with five goals, while Horiztifutar striker Mokuro Junaiperu, Pretarljz right wing forward Ucyxi-Slokt Eva, & Pretarljz Forzu-Nirlo Uzo each had three.

Meanwhile, the two players in Pug Xily’a most familiar with Kita-Hinode – & the two Pug Xily’a players most familiar to Kita-Hinode – were both on Pretarljz’s roster. Junaiperu was the only Hinodejin player in Pug Xily’a, while Paliv-Xilit was not only a successful starter for Pascal Mashu, but the only Qusmi based in Kita-Hinode between the ages of eighteen & thirty-eight who was playing in Pug Xily’a. The fact that Horiztifutar advertised in Hinodejin only sweetened the deal for Pug Xily’a organizers.

As a result, Pug Xily’a secured the use of Mashukita Stadium, the home stadium of Pascal Mashu, for league matches – & specifically for the Pretarljz-Horiztifutar fixture. Though Pretarljz was listed as the home team for administrative purposes, the stadium was clearly a partisan environment, & it favoured Horiztifutar by a wide margin.

The mass support of the crowd seemed to clearly lift Horiztifutar, & the team roared out of the gates, with Paliv-Xilit scoring a masterful solo goal, seemingly through sheer force of will, within the first ten minutes of the match. Once the ball was in the back of the net, Paliv-Xilit immediately ran over to the north stand to celebrate in front of the Pascal ultras who had turned out to support their team’s forward.

However, that was the highlight of Horiztifutar’s night; things went downhill from there. Pretarljz captain Forzu-Nirlo & player-manager Ucyxi-Slokt quickly assembled their side to get them organized & ready to battle back. Pretarljz opted for a simple possession control & defence strategy, simply to acclimate their players to the hostile climate – & hopefully serve to dampen the crowd’s excitement. Players such as winged forwards Zaxac-Sylax Alt & Ucyxi-Slokt dropped back to midfield to simply help the team not dig their hole any deeper.

However, in the thirty-ninth minute, Pretarljz found a spark. Central midfielder Jerat-Ajark Zyn picked out eighteen-year-old striker Karar-Cralt Ono, who had found a gap between thirty-five-year-old Horiztifutar defenders Lynul-Savar Mal & Sevet-Zorno Val, & the young player’s pace was simply too much for their elder counterparts. Karar-Cralt’s equalizer did a great job of silencing the crowd, & the half served to dampen the noise even more.

In the second half, Ucyxi-Slokt sensed an opportunity, & they sent their players on the attack, reverting to the team’s original 4-3-3. The decision paid dividends, as Zaxac-Sylax Alt scored their first goal of the season from the left side of the forward line. Suddenly, the crowd was silenced, & it was Horiztifutar that had to regroup. Horiztifutar was able to equalize, but Jerat-Ajark scored the winner for Pretarljz, as the team turned in another excellent shift to total a perfect five wins from five matches.

Over in Misei, the Red Cauldron played host to KFQ Takomokat & KFQ Rekonsylat. Both teams had not started the season the ways they wanted to, with Rekonsylat fourth in the table on six points & Takomokat seventh on just one. Takomokat was a particularly tricky matchup for Rekonsylat, as the team had struggled all year long in central areas, & especially central midfield, while Takomokat employed a 3-6-1.

Vesper invented a plan that emphasized the team’s advantages in wide areas but tried to mask its well-known deficiencies in the middle. In possession, Rekonsylat still played in its 4-3-3 shape that featured six wide players, compared to the two wide players Takomokat employed. However, when out of possession, Rekonsylat folded wide midfielders Helek-Nenzi Ono & Forzu-Ralox Kal in to central midfield to help twenty-year-old Lenpi-Zilot Faz. Vesper boosted the team’s numbers in midfield by having winged forwards Ozolx-Mazur Guv & Swanhilda Berisha retreat to the wide areas of midfield to cover the space Helek-Nenzi & Forzu-Ralox left behind.

As a result, Rekonsylat was able to use its dominance out wide to break down the Takomokat defence while not being overwhelmed by Takomokat’s strength straight down the middle of the pitch. However, left wing forward Ozolx-Mazur is thirty-three, & right wing forward Berisha is thirty-five, & both seemed very tired by the end of the match; both had to be replaced. Rekonsylat emerged with a two-one win, but Vesper may need to tweak their strategy again to continue to perform well.

The following day, KFQ Yunyan played KFQ Qavazujzy in Mashu. In a pink derby of sorts – unfortunately not played in Cassadaigua – Qavazujzy were the favourites, & a single goal earned Qavazujzy the win. It was another excellent day for Qavazujzy’s defence, as they became the first team in Pug Xily’a to keep a clean sheet against Yunyan & their star striker, Hynym-Nirlo Alt, who had already scored seven goals.

Finally, KFQ Hronork played KFQ Planarjz. It was expected to be the least interesting match of the Hinodejin slate. Planarjz had scored one goal & conceded two in their first four matches combined; they had yet to record a win in the league, & they played out three scoreless draws. Hronork, meanwhile, was the only team in the league to still not have any points whatsoever after their first four matches. However, there were plenty of goals to be had, as Planarjz took advantage of Hronork’s weak defence, but Hronork found a way to break down Planarjz. In the end, Hronork earned a three-two win to rise from the foot of the table.

With the end of Matchday Five, Pug Xily’a has reached the end of its tour of Esportiva. Its final nine matchdays will be played in Atlantian Oceania or Rushmore. The table is still far from final, but some surprising trends now look less like flukes. Most surprisingly, Pretarljz is still perfect after five matches. They would be on track to win the league & represent it in both the Champions’ League & Copa de Campeones. On thirteen points, Qavazujzy is hot on their heels, & is the only other unbeaten team in the league; they are also in Champions’ League position.

Following those two teams are two squarely in the Challengers’ Cup picture: Rekonsylat is third on nine points, while Horiztifutar is fourth on eight. There is then a bit of a gap before Pug Xily’a’s fifth place team, currently occupying the league’s final spot in the Challengers’ Cup; Yunyan sits there now, but on just four points, their form has cooled considerably, & they are vulnerable to the chasing pack of Planarjz, on three points, Hronork, also on three, & Takomokat, on one.

Meanwhile, Qavazujzy & Rekonsylat are tied atop the Fair Play Table, with only three cautions each. Hronork sits behind them only on tiebreakers, but with only three cards, they are in line to play in the Vilitan Cove Invitational if they cannot qualify to the IFCF; with six & seven cautions, respectively, Planarjz & Takomokat are bottom of the Fair Play Table, similar to where they are in the league table.

Yunyan’s Hynym-Nirlo Alt is still atop the goalscoring charts, with seven goals in five matches, though Paliv-Xilit Max of Horiztifutar is closing in, with six goals. At four goals, Rekonsylat’s Swanhilda Berisha is the only other player in the league with more than three goals to their name thus far. Behind them, five players have each scored three times: Horiztifutar striker Mokuro Junaiperu & Pretarljz players Karar-Cralt Ono, Ucyxi-Slokt Eva, Forzu-Nirlo Uzo, & Jerat-Ajark Zyn.

A total of seventeen players have been named Player of the Match, but only three have earned the honour twice to this point: Qavazujzy centreback Yelto-Alfan Ono & Pretarljz centre midfielders Forzu-Nirlo Uzo & Jerat-Ajark Zyn. Meanwhile, Pretarljz player-manager Ucyxi-Slokt Eva is an early favourite for Manager of the Season, having won three of five Manager of the Matchday awards given out so far; only Qavazujzy player-manager Yelto-Alfan Ono, on Matchday One, & Yunyan player-manager Etern-Tylyr Von, on Matchday Four, can also claim to have been named Manager of the Matchday yet.

As Pug Xily’a says goodbye to Esportiva, after already leaving the Independent regions, it can now concentrate on a four-match stretch in Atlantian Oceania. Pug Xily’a will visit Siovanija & Teusland, Banija, Qasden, & Vilita in succession; each visit brings with it significant footballing or geopolitical history with each nation. Each of Pug Xily’a’s eight clubs will surely hope that these four matchdays will help them mark their own place in history.

Pug Xily'a in Kita-Hinode: Matchday Five
KFQ Takomokat 1–2 KFQ Rekonsylat
KFQ Hronork 3–2 KFQ Planarjz
KFQ Yunyan 0–1 KFQ Qavazujzy
KFQ Pretarljz 3–2 KFQ Horiztifutar

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Pretarljz           5    5   0   0    15    6   +9    15
2 KFQ Qavazujzy           5    4   1   0     8    3   +5    13
3 KFQ Rekonsylat          5    3   0   2    12   11   +1     9
4 KFQ Horiztifutar        5    2   2   1    13   11   +2     8
5 KFQ Yunyan              5    1   1   3    11   14   −3     4
6 KFQ Planarjz            5    0   3   2     3    5   −2     3
7 KFQ Hronork             5    1   0   4     6   13   −7     3
8 KFQ Takomokat           5    0   1   4     5   10   −5     1

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Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV.

Chapter XV.

“What was that? What kind of a speech was that?” Azeld-Nexev Xlo wasn’t so much angry as they were stunned.

“I’ll tell you what kind of a fucking speech that was,” Welar-Linot Ono snarled, their voice dripping with contempt. “That’s the speech where we’re gonna take down football once & for all.”

“But – what? I mean, why? After all the success Qusmo’s had just recently, especially – I mean, we’ve just qualified to World Cup 83 – how is that not political suicide?”

“I’ll tell you why. Football has been a driving force for pro-immigration & foreignization movements in this nation. If we want to keep Qusmo Qusma, we need to tackle the problem from its root – & one of those roots is the fact that we have foreigners mucking around on nationwide TV every weekend, playing football.”

“But this is such a controversial thing to say. Why take on football as an entire sport before an election?”

“If you’re afraid of a controversy, maybe you’re too much of a coward to get into politics, Xlo.” Ono delighted in taking potshots at those they despised – a category which included most people, & most certainly Xlo. “What’s controversial isn’t the statement; it’s football itself. Now that we’ve laid out for everyone to see, clearly, why football’s so bad, so unacceptable, people’ve begun to see what it is for themselves & to reject it. For some, football won’t hold any sway; for others, it’ll hold a lot less than it would’ve before. It’s not a unifying thing for the country; it’s as divisive as a derby.”

“Okay, but why make this an election issue? Why make it divisive in the first place?”

“Don’t you understand? People look up to footballers. They valorize them. They idealize them. They idolize them. We can’t allow them to turn against us – we must destroy them, before they destroy us.”

Xlo seemed shocked again. “You can’t seriously be talking that way, Ono. I know how important it is to win elections, but there are some fundamental values & principles we can’t lose sight of. What are we doing if our government is trying to destroy footballers to consolidate its power & to preemptively silence potential dissent?”

Ono opened their mouth to speak, but at that moment, an aide burst through the door. “I’m very sorry for barging in, but there’s important news.”

“This election better’ve fundamentally shifted in the past twenty minutes while we’ve been meeting, Tla.”

“It has.”

Ono & Xlo looked at each other. “Well? Go on.”

Tla took a deep breath. “The creator of A Blog has revealed who they are. They’ve formed a political party, called the Movement for Justice & Truth, & they’re running in the election. They’re pro-CRC & internationalist, but they also have many of the same domestic policy positions our party does; they’re even to our left on some of them.”

Ono gasped. “Oh, fuck.”

Xlo smiled. “Oh, fuck yes.”

[Qusmo]

Pug Xily’a announced itself in Atlantian Oceania with a pair of closely-contested draws & a pair of complete routs.

The league’s first stop in the most historic sporting region in the Multiverse was Siovanija & Teusland, now home to players like Helek-Nenzi Ono, of 1912 Stelburg & KFQ Rekonsylat, & Jerat-Jonto Jan, of FK Metropola Borograd & KFQ Takomokat. However, neither former Qusma national team midfielder would play in the league’s featured match in the country; instead, twenty-year-old Raxat-Avarn Zev, a reserve for both FK Vlaikograd 1896 & KFQ Qavazujzy, was the lone Republikaliga player on either side’s team sheet between Qavazujzy & KFQ Pretarljz.

At the beginning of the season, Qavazujzy-Pretarljz would seem like an awful match to watch. At the beginning of the season, Qavazujzy was expected to qualify for the Champions’ League, & many expected the team to win Pug Xily’a altogether. On the other hand, at the beginning of the season, the only thing for which Pretarljz seemed like a prime candidate to win was the wooden spoon.

Qavazujzy did live up to its expectations. It was unbeaten in Pug Xily’a’s matches in Esportiva & the Independent regions, with four wins & one draw. It was the only team in the league to have conceded at an average rate of less than one goal per match. It had defeated Rekonsylat, the other team considered to be their main opposition for the title, in the league’s first-ever match. Since that four-three thriller, the team’s defence maintained four consecutive clean sheets, & the team had won three consecutive matches as they arrived in Teusland.

However, their opposite number completely flew in the face of their expectations. The team was propelled by its high-octane attack, powered by many goalscoring outlets. At a full three goals per match, Pretarljz was the highest-scoring team in the league, by some margin. Eight players in the league had scored at least three goals in their first five matches; four of those eight played for Pretarljz. That meant that Pretarljz’s fourth-most prolific goalscorer had an identical goal tally to the entire team of KFQ Planarjz, combined. Perhaps it wasn’t surprising, then, that Pretarljz had won all five matches it had played in the league. It had just dispatched previously-unbeaten Horiztifutar on Matchday Five; now it prepared for the last other remaining unbeaten team in the league.

That set the stage for a true six-pointer on just the league’s sixth matchday. No other team could rival the consistency of either Qavazujzy or Pretarljz thus far; there was a four-point gap between Qavazujzy & third-place Rekonsylat, & six points separated Rekonsylat from Pretarljz. That meant that a Qavazujzy win would see the team leapfrog Pretarljz for the league lead, while a Pretarljz win would give the team a five-point lead.

It seemed that Qavazujzy got the memo; Pretarljz, apparently, did not. Qavazuzjy player-manager Yelto-Alfan Ono ordered a major overhaul of the team’s normally relatively conservative tactics. Yelto-Alfan regularly sent wide midfielders Kynda-Sevet Pec & Ramona Ambaile-Hund forward to consistently try to raid their opponent’s back four, with Graoré Sasca simply picking out which of his four teammates to try to spring from their station in central midfield. To fill the gaps, Yelto-Alfan sent wingbacks Yoltz-Tlanx Sal & Yoltz-Jonto Cel into midfield to support Sasca against Pretarljz’s own formidable midfield. As a result, Qavazujzy – a team that normally employs a 5-3-2 – looked more like a 3-3-4 for much of the day.

Pretarljz was clearly unprepared for the onslaught. Central midfielder Forzu-Nirlo Uzo was perhaps the only shining light for the team throughout the whole match, at times launching balls that got around the Qavazujzy back three; even though they did not score, they created both of the chances that led to Pretarljz’s two goals.

However, their teammates were not so lucky. The Qavazujzy back three performed admirably, especially considering the fact that they regularly got caught without much or any midfield help against an in-form front three. Yoltz-Tlanx & Yoltz-Jonto acted as safe outlets in midfield whenever Pretarljz pressured Sasca too much. & when Sasca had room with which to work, he had absolutely no trouble picking out one of their four options in attack – & those four had a tendency to score.

Sasca might be on the wrong side of thirty & retired from Farfadillis’s national team, but his vision & technique have not devolved whatsoever. Sasca was often employed for their team as a central midfielder, but they were best suited to play as an attacking midfielder, & their new role in this match maximized their strengths. Sasca was still a deadly sharpshooter with his passes, & he picked apart the Pretarljz defence time after time.

Wanar-Sevet Opu scored. Ambaile-Hund scored. Kynda-Sevet scored. Wanar-Sevet scored again. Ernat-Belaj Gla scored. By the half, Qavazujzy had a five-nil lead, & there was absolutely no way Pretarljz could win. To their credit, Pretarljz made several adjustments at the half, leading to a pair goals, but at that point, Yelto-Alfan simply pulled their players back into their conservative 5-3-2 & shut the door on any possibility of a comeback. At the end of the match, the scoreboard read six-two, in favour of Qavazujzy.

It represented the widest margin of victory of any Pug Xily’a match to that point. The match was expected to be an exciting heavyweight bout, but there was no doubt to any viewer who the better side was. The match may not have gone as expected, but it certainly went as well as would have been expected at the outset of the season.

The next match on tap featured KFQ Takomokat & KFQ Hronork. In some ways, that matchup was the opposite of Qavazujzy-Pretarljz; instead of being first & second, Takomokat & Hronork were last & second-to-last in the table, respectively. Each team had four losses in five matches; no club had more.

The match was held in the Olympski-Stadion on the outskirts of Borograd – the home stadium of Olympia Borograd. They contest the Borograd Derby with FK Metropola Borograd – for whom Takomokat defensive midfielder Jerat-Jonto Jan is a key player. A group of Metropola supporters travelled across town to support JJJ, as they were affectionately called, & a few Olympia supporters came for another opportunity to chant against a Met within the confines of their own stadium.

Those Greens fans had the last laugh, as although Jerat-Jonto got on the scoresheet for Takomokat, Hronork suddenly seemed to find form & had no problem dispatching their opponents, by a score of four-one. Takomokat largely had control of midfield, but their problem again was that they only had one wide player on each side of the pitch. Although it was devilishly difficult for Hronork to get anything going down the middle of the pitch, Hronork simply played direct & out wide to create opportunities – & once they had those opportunities, they converted them.

While Tuesday featured two matches that weren’t close at all, the Wednesday slate featured two much tighter contests. The first, at the Draistadion, was between KFQ Rekonsylat & KFQ Horiztifutar. Rekonsylat was third on the table, with nine points; Horiztifutar was fourth, with eight. However, the real draw for supporters was one player in particular: Helek-Nenzi Ono.

Helek-Nenzi was a starter for Rekonsylat, but they were also an important player for 1912 Stelburg in the Republikaliga. Some 1912 supporters made the relatively short trip to St. Jakob to support one of their own, while even more tickets were sold to FC St. Jakob fans delighted by Helek-Nenzi’s comments deriding FC Teussen Stelburg – a rival of FC St. Jakob, & the team with whom 1912 contests the Stelburg Derby – a few days before the match. As a result, the crowd tilted towards Rekonsylat; however, the play on the pitch was more even.

Horiztifutar’s five-player midfield again confounded Rekonsylat, despite the fact that manager Lienke Vesper made the same tactical tweaks to her side that she employed in Rekonsylat’s Matchday Five win over Takomokat, which employed a six-player midfield. That spelled bad news for Rekonsylat. Horiztifutar striker Mokuro Junaiperu was one of just eight players in the league to score three goals in their first five matches, while Paliv-Xilit Max was second in the league with six goals in total. That gave Horiztifutar one of the most fearsome strike groups in the league, & with control of midfield, they looked set to feast on Rekonsylat’s inexperienced centreback duo.

However, Rekonsylat’s back line – which has long been a subject of derision – stepped up to the task admirably against Horiztifutar. Specifically, young centreback Fuchsia Longstreet put in a wonderful shift against excellent Horiztifutar forwards. Longstreet has rarely been great so far this season, but in fairness, she has had to try to compensate for the mistakes of her centreback partner, eighteen-year-old Xalan-Xilit Ono. Perhaps with the experience of the five matchdays that came before, Xalan-Xilit played adequately on the day, if not excellently, & it allowed Longstreet to shine. Longstreet was a force, imposing her will on the forwards she marked, & it prevented Horiztifutar from scoring.

In the end, Horiztifutar had to resort to the bench for more energy, & reserve striker Alfan-Zylyz Pan scored for Horiztifutar largely because Longstreet & Xalan-Xilit had been working hard all match long, while they had fresh legs. In fact, both teams had substitutes score; Vesper’s demands of her winged forwards proved too exhausting, & reserve left wing forward Ucyxi-Tylyr Fox was subbed on for Rekonsylat – & scored for the second consecutive match. Two late goals provided intrigue, but there was no winner to be had.

Finally, KFQ Planarjz played KFQ Yunyan. Separated by just one point & one place on the table, the two sides had plenty to play for – but they did so in very different ways. Yunyan boasted the Golden Boot leader, while Planarjz had the second-best defensive record in the league. What was keeping both teams from enjoying more success, however, was the fact that they couldn’t perform well on both sides of the ball; Yunyan had conceded more goals than any other team in the league, while Planarjz had scored fewer goals than any other team in the league. As a result, Yunyan only had one win, while Planarjz had none.

However, neither team would add to that tally. Yunyan & Planarjz both had their chances, but neither took full advantage. Both could have used the points – either would have been in fifth, & the final Challengers’ Cup place, had they won – but both sides were simply wasteful. The match was played at the Olimpski-Stadion in Borograd, the only site where the Qusma national team had ever played that of Siovanija & Teusland before. The result of that friendly match was a draw, as well, but Qusmo would go on a run in the subsequent tournament, placing third in Cup of Harmony 73. Unfortunately for both these teams, this draw doesn’t seem like the inspiration for a similar run for either of them.

With the matches in Siovanija & Teusland in the books, Pug Xily’a will travel next to Banija. There will be plenty of good matchups on tap, & every team will be fighting for points as they arrive at the league’s halfway point. Banijan football fans should be in for a treat.

Pug Xily'a in Siovanija & Teusland: Matchday Six
KFQ Rekonsylat 1–1 KFQ Horiztifutar
KFQ Qavazujzy 6–2 KFQ Pretarljz
KFQ Planarjz 1–1 KFQ Yunyan
KFQ Takomokat 1–4 KFQ Hronork

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Qavazujzy           6    5   1   0    14    5   +9    16
2 KFQ Pretarljz           6    5   0   1    17   12   +5    15
3 KFQ Rekonsylat          6    3   1   2    13   12   +1    10
4 KFQ Horiztifutar        6    2   3   1    14   12   +2     9
5 KFQ Hronork             6    2   0   4    10   14   −4     6
6 KFQ Yunyan              6    1   2   3    12   15   −3     5
7 KFQ Planarjz            6    0   4   2     4    6   −2     4
8 KFQ Takomokat           6    0   1   5     6   14   −8     1

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Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV.

Chapter XVI.

Official transcript of the speech of Drolx-Dalox Aka, Qusmi Bez, on the existential threat of monarchism to Qusma democracy

Citizens of Qusmo, not long ago, I addressed you on a matter of grave concern: a matter of subtle, pernicious, yet serious concern. Unfortunately, today I must return to address you on a matter of equally, or perhaps even greater, concern: a matter of immediate, fundamental, & existential gravity for our nation’s proud tradition of political self-determination.

This government has always been a strong & unapologetic voice for popular self-determination, but we never believed that we would have to defend such a basic value within our own nation. Unfortunately, the day has arrived; the time is now.

My fellow citizens, I say these words only with the most careful consideration & the utmost reluctance, as well as the greatest respect for our nation’s history & tradition; however, I say these words because they are absolutely necessary to finally say.

My fellow Qusmi’y, there is no avoiding it: so long as we live in a monarchy, we cannot live in a democracy.

My fellow Qusmi’y, we must abolish the institution of Qusmyry.

I know uproar is inevitable. Qusmo has a long history of being ruled by Qusmyry. But the mere fact that we have been ruled by Qusmyry in the past is no reason why we ought to continue to be ruled by Qusmyry now, or in the future. The Qusmyry have existed for a thousand ninety-three generations; we must end it now, before another thousand ninety-three generations of Qusmi’y live under their rule.

In recent generations, Qusmyry have gradually assumed a less powerful, more ceremonial role. However, the recent actions of our Qusmyr show that even this is untenable.

As you no doubt already know, our Qusmyr proposed applying to accede to the Common Rushmori Community during their official speech to Qusejzym. Of course, this government categorically opposes such a decision, & this government most certainly did not licence our Qusmyr to deliver this portion of their speech. The effects of this ghastly extemporaneous performance are not merely ceremonial; they have a tangible impact on political discourse in this nation. Indeed, not long thereafter, the Opposition formally endorsed our Qusmyr’s position, despite the fact that no major Qusma political party had ever done so.

Our Qusmyr intends to emulate the omnipotence of Qusmyry past. Our Qusmyr intends to take power from your hands & seize it for themself. Our Qusmyr intends to reject your right to determine your own political future & instead seize it for themself.

Lest one forget, our Qusmyr has the power to veto legislation, supposedly to protect against unjust laws. However, our Qusmyr is no neutral arbiter of justice; they have proven themselves to be a manifestly political actor. If they wish to advance or defeat legislation on the basis of their own political opinions, they ought to stand for a seat in the very Qusejzym over which they preside.

No more than any other person, our Qusmyr has no inherent right to govern as a tyrant based on their own personal or political whims. The only people with the right to govern this nation are its own people, & this government derives its legitimacy from the will thereof. From whence does our Qusmyr derive legitimacy? They have none.

It is clear that so long as we are ruled by tyrants, our nation cannot be a free people. This government shall never allow anyone, including our Qusmyr, to usurp the rightfully elected democratic authority of this nation, nor shall it stand idly by as anyone, including our Qusmyr, willfully defies the will of the Qusma people.

This government shall never allow our great nation to be conquered, by foes foreign or domestic, by hordes abroad or tyrants at home. Even if it results in the loss of our majority, this government shall never waver in its commitment to the Qusma people, & to them alone. There is no greater honour, & no greater duty, most especially at a time like this, when such courage & conviction is needed perhaps more than ever before. Even in the face of this existential threat to political self-determination in Qusmo, however, this government gives its word to each & every Qusmi that it will never fail to fight for you.

[Qusmo]

Football fans in Banija were in for a treat with the arrival of Pug Xily’a.

Of course, one fixture stood out on the docket more than any other: the match between KFQ Hronork & KFQ Rekonsylat. The two teams were phoenix clubs of KF Poldanz & KF Qastyr, respectively; Qastyr won Pug Qusmyra every year it was contested, while Poldanz won every edition of Puk Zala & was runner-up in Pug Qusmyra in two out of three league seasons. While they were both in the Challengers’ Cup spots of the table – Hronork in fifth & Rekonsylat in third – both had higher ambitions. On this matchday, they had to get past the other to realize those ambitions.

Most importantly for Banijans, however, were the people involved in the match, on both halves of the touchline. Three current Banijan Soccer League players & one former Banijan Soccer League manager participate in Pug Xily’a; Busukuma Force right midfielder Vanza-Vlont Bel & Jinja City striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol were starters for Hronork, while Hoima Warriors left wing forward Ozolx-Mazur Guv was a starter for Rekonsylat.

Forzu-Denir Ono, meanwhile, was most recently the manager of Isipongo Flash & previously served as manager for Banija’s U21 team for the Di Bradini Cup & manager of its U23 men’s team for the XIII Olympiad, & they were even linked with the opening for the Banijan women’s team for the XIV Olympiad in Istria. In the meantime, however, they were in Jinja City to lead Hronork against Rekonsylat.

The players of these two teams were familiar with Banija, just as Qusma football was as a whole. The two countries’ national teams had played each other three times, all in friendlies. Either nation only hosted one of these matches, however; Qusmo & Banija played at the Samseongoloondongjang in Montreal, in the Royal Kingdom of Quebec, twice. Each team won, & by a three-one score, in Montreal, while the other match ended one-nil in favour of Banija at Hoima City Park.

Furthermore, Qusmo & Banija had ties which ran even deeper. It was at the XIII Olympiad that Qusmo announced its Olympic boycott, & none other than Forzu-Denir themself got caught in the crossfire. That proved to be an important early moment, & perhaps even an inspiration, in Qusmo’s political reconfiguration. Meanwhile, Qusmo played an important role in Banija’s own political history; it was in Qanz that then-Isebantu Mwanga learned that his father, Kabaka Albert III, was the victim of an assassination attempt & was in critical condition. Albert died from his wounds, & Isebantu Mwanga became Kabaka Mwanga.

Pug Xily’a’s visit to Banija, then, was a fitting one. The two nations had been connected, in sport & in politics, before. With the arrival of Pug Xily’a, both facets of that connection would be deeped further still.

The product on the pitch wasn’t too bad, either. Rekonsylat manager Lienke Vesper again tweaked her team’s tactics. Originally, Rekonsylat had played a 4-3-3, with only one central midfielder & two wide midfielders; after struggling in central midfield, Rekonsylat retained that shape in possession, but compacted into a 4-5-1 when off the ball, by bringing wide midfielders into central midfield & sending winged forwards back to cover in the flanks of midfield. That was effective, but it quickly tired out Rekonsylat’s aging winged forwards.

In response, Vesper debuted a Goldilocks tactic. She recognized that the 4-3-3 was effective in attack, as it brought out the best in Rekonsylat’s supremely talented wide players; however, she knew it left them vulnerable in defence. She recognized that bringing in additional support to central midfield helped shore up their defence, but regularly sending her winged forwards on long runs forward & back was too demanding. So, Vesper simply kept the best of both systems. In both attack & defence, Rekonsylat lined up in a 4-3-3; the only difference was that the team’s wide midfielders were folded into central areas when defending.

That approach seemed to work superbly against Hronork’s stable of attacking talent. Hronork left wing forward Dynom-Sevet Zev was one of only three players to record multiple braces over the first six matchdays of the season, while both striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol & attacking midfielder Ilinx-Vulav Ixi had scored in each of Hronork’s past two matches. Xilit-Zaxac, in particular, looked set for a great performance; they played nineteen matches a year at BCEL Stadium, the venue they found themselves in against Rekonsylat, & the local fans overwhelmingly supported their local side’s star. However, in front of their home fans – a rare happening in Pug Xily’a, literally the League of Exiles – Xilit-Zaxac could not extend their scoring streak to three.

In fact, the match was a major achievement for the Rekonsylat defence; it was the first time the side had ever maintained a clean sheet. Nepharim centreback Fuschia Longstreet seemed to find her stride, as she truly shone throughout the fixture for Rekonsylat. She was handed the unenviable task of marking Xilit-Zaxac, the record scorer for the Qusma national team, throughout the whole match. However, she performed marvellously, keeping Xilit-Zaxac in check throughout & preventing them from even getting a single clear shot on goal. By the end of the match, Xilit-Zaxac was visibly frustrated to be clearly second-best to a twenty-one-year-old newcomer to Qusma football – but Longstreet was smiling.

In the end, in a battle between the two best out-&-out strikers in Qusmo’s admittedly brief footballing history, it was Rekonsylat’s wingers who decided the day. They seemed to have clearly fresher legs than they did in the previous two matches, & both Ozolx-Mazur Guv & Swanhilda Berisha scored. In the end, to the disappointment of the fans in the stands, it was a rather comfortable two-nil victory in favour of Rekonsylat.

Shortly thereafter, fans got to see KFQ Pretarljz & KFQ Planarjz play in Hoima, the same city that hosted the Qusma national team’s only match in Banija. Pretarljz’s offence had scored seventeen goals in the team’s first six matches, more than any other team in the league, while Planarjz featured one of only two defences in the league to concede at an average rate of less than two goals a match, having conceded six goals in six matches.

It wasn’t exactly an exciting match, however. It certainly had its moments, but for the most part, it fit the pattern of a Planarjz match: dull, with little action to enliven proceedings. The one-all result made for Pretarljz’s first draw of the season, but it was Planarjz’s fifth, in just seven matches. The team has proven to be an Achilles heel for the league’s top clubs, too: Qavazujzy & Pretarljz, the two teams atop the table, had both drawn Planarjz. At the end of that day, the two teams’ draws against Planarjz represented the only points they had dropped all season, save for Pretarljz’s loss to Qavazujzy the previous matchday.

That would change within just twenty-four hours. KFQ Horiztifutar employed tactics that largely tried to avoid a frontal assault against KFQ Qavazujzy’s back five; after all, it was quite good. Qavazujzy was the only team in the league to that point to concede fewer goals than the number of matches they had played. Instead, Horiztifutar emphasized seizing set piece opportunities as equalizers. As it turned out, that was exactly what they needed, as centreback Lynul-Savar Mal headed an equalizer from a corner & poacher Paliv-Xilit Max curled the winner past Qavazujzy goalkeeper Karar-Falax Zev on a free kick to give Horiztifutar a two-one win – & Qavazujzy’s first loss of the campaign.

Finally, the action returned to Mavuto Field for KFQ Yunyan-KFQ Takomokat. This was clearly the least-enticing pairing of the matchday; Yunyan had the worst defensive record in the league, but Takomokat trailed them for that title by only one fewer goal conceded, & Takomokat had the second-worst offence in the league, too. Yunyan had poor form & had just fallen out of the IFCF places, but Takomokat entered the match with only a single point. They would leave with no more, losing one-nil to Yunyan.

Pug Xily’a has now reached its halfway point. There are plenty of tight, & meaningful, races to keep an eye on for the second half. Most prominently, Qavazujzy & Pretarljz are tied on points for the league lead, with sixteen points each. Qavazujzy leads on goal difference alone, but if Pretarljz can again rattle off five consecutive wins, it may be difficult for Qavazujzy to continue to keep pace.

With Planarjz & Qavazujzy dropping points, their next two challengers have come within striking distance. Rekonsylat is on thirteen points, while Horiztifutar is on twelve. Both will surely hope a good seven-match run could propel them into the Champions’ League. The key for both sides will likely be finding the consistency they lacked in the first half.

Next is the race for a Challengers’ Cup spot. Yunyan is currently in fifth position with eight points, but Hronork are close behind with six, as are Planarjz with five. Takomokat are currently a distant last, with just one point from seven matches. Though certain individual players have stood out among this group, no team has really inspired much confidence; if one team can put it together in the second half, they may be able to play in IFCF football as a reward, though the Champions’ League already looks out of reach.

In the Fair Play Table, no team has been booked less than league leaders Qavazujzy, with a rate less than one yellow card every two matches. With sixteen points, however, they are ten points above sixth, & as such, they find themselves unlikely to be in a position where the Fair Play Table could give them a spot in the Vilitan Cove Invitational. Just behind them in second on the Fair Play Table, with only four cautions thus far, is Hronork, which would be in line to receive a VCI nomination if they cannot qualify for another international competition. Planarjz is waiting in the wings, as runners-up on the Fair Play Table among currently-eligible sides, in case Hronork were to win puk uni·q.

Casting our eyes to individual awards, Yunyan striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt & Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max are currently atop the goalscoring charts, with seven goals in seven matches. Not far behind are Qavazujzy poacher Wanar-Sevet Opu, Rekonsylat right wing forward Swanhilda Berisha, & Pretarljz striker Karar-Cralt Ono, each with five goals. Hronork left wing forward Dynom-Sevet Zev & Pretarljz right wing forward Ucyxi-Slokt Eva each have four goals to their credit, while a further ten players have reached the three-goal mark.

Twenty-one players have been named Player of the Matchday, with seven players receiving the award twice; no player has yet to win the award three times so far this season. Half the managers in the league have been named Manager of the Matchday at some point in this half of the season, with each of the first six such awards going to player-managers. Pretarljz player-manager Ucyxi-Slokt Eva has received the award three times, followed by Qavazujzy player-manager Yelto-Alfan Ono with two awards, & Yunyan player-manager Etern-Tylyr Von & Horiztifutar manager Lucex-Kynda Uzo with one award each.

Pug Xily’a has only played seven matches thus far, but that means it is already halfway through its season. With only seven matchdays remaining, it will be a sprint to the finish, as every team will aim for the best spot in the league table it can with the few matches that remain – all with the knowledge that no team has sewn it up yet.

Pug Xily'a in Banija: Matchday Seven
KFQ Hronork 0–2 KFQ Rekonsylat
KFQ Yunyan 1–0 KFQ Takomokat
KFQ Pretarljz 1–1 KFQ Planarjz
KFQ Horiztifutar 2–1 KFQ Qavazujzy

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Qavazujzy           7    5   1   1    15    7   +8    16
2 KFQ Pretarljz           7    5   1   1    18   13   +5    16
3 KFQ Rekonsylat          7    4   1   2    15   12   +3    13
4 KFQ Horiztifutar        7    3   3   1    16   13   +3    12
5 KFQ Yunyan              7    2   2   3    13   15   −2     8
6 KFQ Hronork             7    2   0   5    10   16   −6     6
7 KFQ Planarjz            7    0   5   2     5    7   −2     5
8 KFQ Takomokat           7    0   1   6     6   15   −9     1

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Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI.

Chapter XVII.

“Welcome back to the Party Leaders’ Debate. I’m Xilit-Nenzi Nev, your moderator for the evening. We’re pleased to have Drolx-Dalox Aka, Qusmi Bez, representing the People’s Alliance; as well as Jralv-Zorno Jok, Leader of the Opposition, representing the Progressive Traditionalist Party; & Wyzal-Zylyz Xyt representing the Movement for Justice & Truth. We’ve heard each candidate’s opening remarks; let’s move straight into the inquiries. First, for Ziram Wyzal-Zylyz: you have no prior experience in government or politics; why should voters trust you to run this nation?”

“Because they certainly cannot trust the other two people standing on this stage with me. The Leader of the Opposition is bought & paid for by corporate interests, & they’ve not even made an attempt to hide the fact that they’ll sell out the common Qusmi in CRC trade agreements to pad the pockets of their crony friends. Meanwhile, Qusmi Bez is so blatantly attempting to divert from their own failures of leadership in order to preserve their grip on power, & they are doing it by dehumanizing human beings. It is despicable & appalling behaviour, & no one should accept it from such a powerful figure. Really, power is the problem here. One candidate on this stage is concerned only for the rich. One candidate on this stage is concerned only for themself. But one candidate on this stage is concerned only for what’s best for you. That’s why you should join the Movement.”

“Ziram Wyzal-Zylyz, you still have not answered the question. Why should voters overlook your complete inexperience for such an important role?”

“Respectfully, as a matter of fact, I have answered it. What kind of experience do my opponents have? Nothing but bad experience. No, I don’t have experience selling myself out, or especially selling out the Qusma people, & I think that’s exactly what the Qusma people should look for in a candidate.”

“Thank you, Ziram Wyzal-Zylyz. Ziram Jralv-Zorno, your opponent has accused you of selling out the Qusma people. What do you say to critics who argue your proposal to accede to the Common Rushmori Community would benefit the rich much more than it would the middle & working classes?”

“The Progressive Traditionalist Party stands for freedom; it stands for free markets, free minds, & free migration. Yes, some of the benefits of accession will naturally flow to many who already are well-off, but a rising tide lifts all boats. The CRC will provide Qusma workers with new products of all sorts from across the region & new markets for the fruits of their own labour. In the long term, the CRC will grow the Qusma economy, with greater investment & stronger companies, which will hire more & pay more. & with a stronger economy will come a stronger Qusma worker – & a stronger Qusmo. Vote for the Prog Trads, & vote for Qusmo’s future.”

“Ziram Jralv-Zorno, your opponent accused you of having only the interests of the rich at your heart. Is that true?”

“I don’t hide the fact that I hope the rich do well. They earned the money they have; they deserve to keep it & to grow it as much as they possibly can, to benefit themselves & the nation as a whole. But what’s good for the rich can be good for the poor, too. The rich are job creators. Homeless people don’t sign paychecks; captains of industry do. & those captains will pilot us into a new age, bringing the entire country forward into a better tomorrow for all Qusmi’y, if we just free them to take the reigns & do what’s best for them, their companies, & their country.”

“Thank you, Ziram Jralv-Zorno. Ziram Drolx-Dalox, you have been accused of stoking racial & sexual hatred with your divisive rhetoric about foreigners to Qusmo. Are you a bigot?”

“No, certainly not. I’m simply unafraid to recognize the reality that lies before us, & I’m unafraid of biased hacks such as yourself who ask such manifestly incendiary questions as a result. It wasn’t the Just Truthists who created, expanded, & defended the social pension, unemployment insurance, universal health care, child care benefits, affordable housing, nutritional assistance programmes, & countless other social welfare programmes that make Qusmo a better place to live for all Qusmi’y, & especially those who don’t own a multimillion-qazq corporation that’ll make even more money from the CRC. No, we don’t want foreign aliens coming here to take our jobs & drive down wages. No, we don’t want foreign aliens coming here to claim our generous social welfare programmes for themselves. & no, we don’t want foreign aliens coming here to destroy the very fabric of Qusma society. Qusmo belongs to Qusmi’y – not the rich, not the elite, not the powerful, & certainly not the alien – but every single one of you, watching tonight’s debate, who put in a fair, honest day’s work. That’s what the Alliance stands for, & our party is the only one with a track record of fighting for it.”

“Ziram Drolx-Dalox, doesn’t the same inflammatory rhetoric you’ve just employed in your latest response further stoke national, racial, & sexual hatred against non-Qusma people?”

“No, I don’t advocate for that at all. What I advocate is for the Qusma people; no one else. & I won’t let anyone tell me what sounds best or is the most progressive; the fact is, our social safety net simply wouldn’t exist as it does today if we had hordes of foreign aliens employed as low-wage workers, claiming benefits for themselves, while taking jobs from millions of everyday Qusmi’y & lowering wages for all the rest. Our system couldn’t survive. Both of my opponents want to join the Common Rushmori Community & open the floodgates to foreign aliens entering our borders. The Just Truthists are living in a fantasy world as absurd as A Blog, where we can accommodate unlimited numbers of foreign aliens while still providing social services for our own people. I suppose the Just Truthists think they’ll find unicorns at the end of rainbows, too. At least the Prog Trads know what they’re doing; they’re using the CRC as a convenient tool to justify the dismemberment of the social benefits that are integral to the modern Qusma state, just so they can pass tax cuts for their rich cronies. The Alliance is not afraid of facing reality, however politically inconvenient it may be to talk about, & fighting for the vision of the future that best serves Qusmi’y.”

“Thank you, Ziram Drolx-Dalox. We have to take a brief break, but we will be back in ninety seconds; we have much more to come in tonight’s Party Leaders’ Debate.”

[Qusmo]

Fans of Qusma football recognize Qasden from the Qusma national team’s many friendlies, but the four Pug Xily’a fixtures the Atlantian Oceanian nation hosted were fiercely competitive.

Qusmo’s national team played Qasden more than any other opponent over the course of its history. Their first meeting was in Cup of Harmony 72, where a one-all draw helped Qusmo win their Cup of Harmony 72 group & advance to the knockout rounds. That tournament was Qusmo’s first, except for that cycle’s World Cup Qualifying campaign, & it was a major achievement for Qusmo to finish honours even with a team that had participated in the previous cycle’s World Cup & had won each of the two Cups of Harmony prior.

Qusmo was not able to parlay their Group E win into a run through the knockouts, but that first tournament helped give their players the confidence they needed to make a very strong run in the following cycle’s World Cup Qualifiers, win bronze in the ensuing Cup of Harmony, & qualify for & advance to the knockouts of the World Cup in the cycle thereafter. The first Qusmi to compete in a World Cup, however, did so in World Cup 81 – one year before Qusmo’s own national team qualified. Cralt-Nirlo Fox managed none other than the Vans to a successful World Cup Qualifying campaign & even guided the two-time Cup of Harmony champions to their first-ever World Cup finals win. For these reasons alone, Qasden is permanently inscribed into Qusma footballing history.

But that isn’t the only reason Qasden is a familiar sight to Qusma footballers. Qusmo would go on to play the Qads six additional times after their Cup of Harmony match, each in friendlies. In fact, Fuzpon Qusma booked a fixture against the Vans in five consecutive friendly windows following their initial meeting in Turori, a streak broken only by Fuzpon Qusma’s decision to stage a single Centennial Celebration match against Wolves Clans, Qusmo’s first opponent in World Cup 80 Qualifying, to celebrate both one hundred matches of Qusma football & the national team’s first qualification to the World Cup.

Qasden was Qusmo’s most common opponent in the history of the Qusma national team, & the Moden Derby was one of the Qusma national team’s most high-profile rivalries, even though the team was unable to win any of the last five editions. Still, it was a fitting background for Pug Xily’a, having played seven matchdays & with seven remaining. Many of the Qusmi’y who played in those Moden Derbies were back in Qasden again, & they would have to bring the same spirit & intensity to represent their clubs in a way that befit the Moden.

The first players who would get to prove their worth would be from KFQ Rekonsylat & KFQ Qavazujzy. The two teams were third & first in the table, respectively. They were tied with each other for third-most goals scored in the first half of the league season; they were third & joint-first, respectively, in goals conceded; & they were joint-third & first in goal difference from the first half of the season. The reverse was a thrilling Qavazujzy four-three victory; the winning side only conceded four more goals facing every other team in the league in the season’s first half. There was no question that these two teams would put on a show.

These two teams did not put on a show. Both managers had learned from their prior defensive miscues, & they were determined not to let the other capitalize. This time, their defences did their jobs too well. To their credit, Rekonsylat did put several shots on frame, but Qavazujzy goalkeeper Karar-Falax Zev made several excellent saves to maintain a clean sheet. Qavazujzy, meanwhile, was rarely able to breach Rekonsylat’s back line, & when they did, goalkeeper Vanza-Jerat Gep showed no trouble dispatching the threat. At the end of the match, it was still scoreless, & both sides rued not converting their chances. It made for an interesting bit of symmetry, however. Moden Derby VI was the only time Qusmo had ever earned a point on Qad soil; that match was also a scoreless draw at Stade de Solis in Fyre.

The other Pug Xily’a match scheduled that day took place at New Qad Field, the other stadium in Qasden to host a Moden Derby. KFQ Horiztifutar featured Paliv-Xilit Max, the joint-highest scorer of the league in its first half, with seven goals in as many matches. KFQ Planarjz’s offence, meanwhile, was powered by Landen Smoker, a national team regular for Crystalline Caverns, with whom Qasden regularly contests the Fan’s Best Friend Derby; they were the only player on Planarjz’s roster with more than a single goal ahead of their match in Q City.

Both players would add one to their goal tallies, but no more – & their teammates were unable to get on the scoresheet, either. Again, Planarjz seemed to have no real plan or strategy besides getting the ball to Smoker & hoping he can do something. Luckily, they have a very solid defence, because otherwise, Horiztifutar’s attack would have exposed that strategy more fully. Still, although Planarjz has still yet to win a single match this season, they have only lost twice, compared to a staggering six draws. They have taken points away from teams like Qavazujzy, Pretarljz, & now Horiztifutar on two occasions. They may not be able to win, but they’re certainly a hard team to beat.

The next day, Fyre played host to KFQ Yunyan & KFQ Hronork. Hronork boasted one of just two Qusmi’y to score two goals against Qasden for the national team; visiting Qasden again, they picked up another pair, & Hronork had absolutely no trouble at all taking care of business against Yunyan, to the tune of a four-one score. Yunyan had surprised Hronork on Matchday One with a four-two win, but this time Hronork was prepared, & it was in form – & it wouldn’t lose again to their chief rivals for the league’s final Challengers’ Cup spot.

With that, Pug Xily’a had just one match remaining in Qasden: the fixture between KFQ Pretarljz & KFQ Takomokat in Q City. Pretarljz had been level on points with Qavazujzy at the top of the table after the first half of the season, with sixteen points; that was attributable, in large part, to Pretarljz’s attack, which had scored a league-leading eighteen goals. With Qavazujzy’s draw to Rekonsylat a day earlier, Pretarljz had a golden opportunity to retake the league lead, & it came against Takomokat, the worst-performing team in the division, with but a single point to their name.

However, what was expected to be the least interesting match of the Qasden slate turned out to be the most surprising of them all. On Matchday One, Pretarljz eked out a one-nil victory over Takomokat; on Matchday Eight, Takomokat managed the same feat over Pretarljz. That gave Takomokat their first win of the season, though they still had quite a bit of ground to make up before they could be considered a genuine contender for an IFCF place.

On the other hand, this result was monumental at the top of the table. Pretarljz let what seemed like an easy three points slip through their fingers; Qavazujzy not only remained on top of the table, but created a small gap in front of second; & Rekonsylat & Horiztifutar moved closer to their target in the race for Pug Xily’a’s second Champions’ Cup spot.

The question is now: How will Pretarljz respond to this adversity? & how will the other teams respond to this opportunity? Only time will tell when Pug Xily’a closes out its Atlantian Oceanian slate in Vilita.

Pug Xily'a in Qasden: Matchday Eight
KFQ Rekonsylat 0–0 KFQ Qavazujzy
KFQ Horiztifutar 1–1 KFQ Planarjz
KFQ Pretarljz 0–1 KFQ Takomokat
KFQ Yunyan 1–4 KFQ Hronork

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Qavazujzy           8    5   2   1    15    7   +8    17
2 KFQ Pretarljz           8    5   1   2    18   14   +4    16
3 KFQ Rekonsylat          8    4   2   2    15   12   +3    14
4 KFQ Horiztifutar        8    3   4   1    17   14   +3    13
5 KFQ Hronork             8    3   0   5    14   17   −3     9
6 KFQ Yunyan              8    2   2   4    14   19   −5     8
7 KFQ Planarjz            8    0   6   2     6    8   −2     6
8 KFQ Takomokat           8    1   1   6     7   15   −8     4

---

Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII.

Chapter XVIII.

UNITAT QUSMYRA POLL: Prog Trads ahead over Alliance, with Movement far behind; majorities back CRC & Qusmyr

For immediate release

QANZ, QUSMO – As another long & hard-fought campaign nears its end, the opposition Progressive Traditionalist Party is polling slightly ahead of the incumbent People’s Alliance in the upcoming election for Qusejzym.

Our poll finds the Prog Trads have forty-five percent of the vote, with the Alliance polling at thirty-eight percent. Meanwhile, the newly-founded Movement for Justice & Truth has not yet established the national base of support it needs to win an election, standing at only nine percent.

Both Prog Trad & Alliance voters say that they are receptive to the idea of the Movement for Justice & Truth, but they cannot bring themselves to vote for the Movement. Most say such a vote would be wasted on a losing campaign.

In a two-way race, the Movement would be much more competitive, with forty-three percent support against the Prog Trads & forty-seven percent support against the Alliance. These data suggest, then, that voters may be ready for change from the current political system, even if eventual actual vote shares may eventually be largely conventional.

A clear majority of Qusmi’y also support applying to accede to the Common Rushmori Community, with fifty-eight percent in favour & forty percent opposed. Even greater numbers opposed abolishing the Qusmyry, with twenty-one percent in favour & fifty-seven percent opposed, with many more saying they were undecided or did not know.

On immigration, thirty-four percent of voters trust the Alliance most, twenty-nine percent trust the Movement most, & eleven percent trust the Prog Trads most. On the economy, forty-four percent of voters trust the Prog Trads most, thirty percent trust the Alliance most, & fifteen percent trust the Movement most.

Fifty-nine percent of voters agreed Movement leader Wyzal-Zylyz Xyt was too inexperienced to lead Qusmo, while thirty-four percent disagreed. Forty-eight percent of voters agreed Prog Trads leader Jralv-Zorno Jok didn’t care about people like them, while forty-six percent disagreed. twenty-seven percent of voters agreed Alliance leader Drolx-Dalox Aka promoted hatred in Qusmo, while fifty-eight percent of voters disagreed.

This Unitat Qusmyra poll was conducted via telephone from 26 June to 30 June with 867 adults in Qusmo. The results in this release are based on 733 registered voters & have a ±3.6 percentage point margin of error. The poll was conducted by the Unitat Qusmyra Polling Institute in Qanz, Qusmo.

[Qusmo]

Pug Xily’a’s goodbye to Atlanian Oceania was littered with goals.

All four fixtures featured a top-four team against a bottom-four team. As a result, teams simply trying to secure a place in the Challengers’ Cup would benefit from any points they could get, while teams with their sights on the Champions’ League would likely need a full three points to keep pace.

Both the venues chosen to host the matches were historic for Qusma football. The only time the Qusma national team had ever played in Vilita, they had played at National View Stadium in Morata Valley. There, they had participated in the Round of Sixteen of Cup of Harmony 72. It was Qusmo’s first-ever knockout round match at any tournament, & Qusmo fought valiantly to hold Saltstead – then known as Soltsteed – to a scoreless draw, both in regulation & after extra time. However, Qusmo would meet its end in a penalty kick shootout, which saw Soltsteed through, four-two. It would be the first of three penalty kick shootouts Qusmo would participate in; Qusmo would lose all three, with their opponents’ fourth conversion proving decisive each time.

However, the site of the greatest triumph of a Qusma football team at a penalty kick shootout was not far from Morata Valley – & it would also be a Pug Xily’a venue on Matchday Nine. Tropicorp Park in Tropicoast hosted the UICA Series B Champions’ Cup 69 final & the UICA Youth Cup 25 semifinals & final. At the latter tournament, Atlov Juzuna became the first Qusma club team to advance to a semifinal of an international tournament, where they defeated Directus, the youth team of the Champions’ League quarterfinalists from Eura, by two goals to nil. Then, of course, the team memorably defeated South Coast United of Jasĭyun in a penalty kick shootout after a one-all draw in regulation & after extra time; though their opponents slotted home each of their first three attempts, Atlov Juzuna’s fourth conversion proved decisive.

Atlov Juzuna now maintained permanent possession of the UICA Youth Cup trophy, by virtue of being champions of the final UICA Youth Cup, although the club itself – which was the only Qusma football team of any sort to ever win an international trophy of any kind – no longer existed. However, each of the eleven players on the starting XI that fateful day in Tropicoast were on the roster of KFQ Qavazujzy. Each of those eleven players was on the first-place team in all of Pug Xily’a, & each of those eleven players was back at Tropicorp Park again for another great day of football.

The Qavazujzy defence had an uncharacteristically poor day against KFQ Planarjz, which had the worst offence in the league. The chief culprit was left back Yoltz-Tlanx Sal, who let both right back Nirlo-Betva Uzo & right wing forward Falax-Paliv Yet get past them & break their ducks for Planarjz. It was the rare case of Landen Smoker not shouldering the entire offensive load; even after Matchday Nine, fully half of the team’s goals have been scored by Smoker alone. However, the Qavazujzy attack had a great day, too, with goals spread amongst forwards Wanar-Sevet Opu & Ernat-Belaj Gla & even centreback Ibilx-Irtix Ono. Unlike their last meeting – a scoreless draw – Qavazujzy had a great day against a very solid defence, & that allowed them to take all three points despite the performance of their own back line.

Next on the docket was KFQ Hronork & KFQ Pretarljz in Morata Valley. This one wasn’t particularly close, but it was surprising. On Matchday Two, Pretarljz trounced Hronork by a four-one score. This time, however, Hronork routed Pretarljz, three-nil, & it seemed as if the scoreboard was kind to Pretarljz, if anything. The team could get absolutely nothing going in the final third, & their defence was appalling. Even up by three, Hronork always seemed likelier to score than Pretarljz.

The match exposed the form of both teams. On the one hand, Hronork has had a recent resurgence. After losing each of their first four matches, finishing at the foot of the league table after each matchday, Hronork has won four of their past five matches. Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in the goalscoring charts; Xilit-Zaxac Yol was held goalless in their first four league matches, but they have scored in four of five since, including three braces, to vault themselves to the leading pack in the Golden Boot race, with seven goals in total. On the other hand, Pretarljz started the season with five consecutive wins; however, since the competition shifted to Atlantian Oceania, the team has picked up only one point out of a maximum of twelve. Pretarljz fans will certainly hope that they can rediscover their Independent & Esportiva form in Rushmore, the last region remaining in the league season.

On Wednesday, KFQ Yunyan & KFQ Rekonsylat played at Tropicorp Park. The fans in Tropicoast who had showed up two consecutive nights for Pug Xily’a football were treated to another match finishing with the same scoreline, as Rekonsylat defeated a tricky Yunyan team by the same three-two scoreline of the reverse fixture. Yunyan striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt gave the Rekonsylat defence all sorts of problems, constantly slipping in behind & scoring one of Yunyan’s goals, but Rekonsylat striker Prant-Pertz Gor scored a treble to put the match out of reach.

Finally, KFQ Takomokat played KFQ Horiztifutar. Fresh off their first-ever win in Pug Xily’a, Takomokat hoped to record their second consecutive shock upset. Instead, Horiztifutar was thoroughly prepared & completely dismantled the team, with particularly good performances from wide midfielders Ilinx-Ibilx Tla & Xalan-Cynav Erv, who each scored their first Horiztifutar goals. The last time these two teams met, Takomokat scored four of their seven league goals to date; however, while Takomokat’s offence was nearly as potent, their defence clamped down much harder on Takomokat, completely stifling any hope they had of maintaining their prior form with another result.

As the league transitions to its final change of region before the end of the season, Qavazujzy is atop the table, with twenty points. Behind them is Rekonsylat, who are in the second Champions’ Cup spot with seventeen points. After them, Horiztifutar & Pretarljz are both tied on points, at sixteen; they are currently in Challengers’ Cup positions but still very much in the race for an entry to the Champions’ Cup.

Those four teams are followed by Hronork with twelve points. Hronork has four-point gaps separating itself from both the fourth- & sixth-place sides on the table. That means that, for Matchday Ten, at least, Hronork cannot fall out of the Challengers’ Cup picture, but they cannot surpass another team then, either.

Finally, Yunyan, Planajarz, & Takomokat comprise the bottom three, which would be out of IFCF play if the season ended without heading to Rushmore. In fact, Takomokat was mathematically eliminated on Matchday Nine, with five matchdays remaining in the season, from the possibility of winning the league. Qavazujzy is the clear leader in the Fair Play Table, still with only three disciplinary points, while Yunyan is the best-placed team on that table, with six disciplinary points. Behind them are both Planarjz, with nine, & Takomokat, with twelve; thus, Yunyan currently stands in line for Pug Xily’a’s Vilitan Cove Invitational nomination, to return to the very area they found themselves on Matchday Nine.

Hynym-Nirlo Alt of Yunyan & Paliv-Xilit Max of Horiztifutar still lead the Golden Boot race, with eight goals in nine matches, closely trailed by Hronork striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol, with seven. Qavazujzy poacher Wanar-Sevet Opu has six goals, & forwards Karar-Cralt Ono of Pretaljz & Swanhilda Berisha & Prant-Pertz Gor of Rekonsylat are all sitting on five. A further five players have four goals, with more below them on the goalscoring charts.

Meanwhile, nine Pug Xily’a players have won multiple Player of the Match awards, & Hronork striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol became the first to win three. Among managers, six of the eight in the league have been awarded the gong, with the league’s only two foreign managers – Planarjz’s Landen Smoker & Rekonsylat’s Lienke Vesper – also the only two not to receive recognition. As before, Qavazujzy player-manager Yelto-Alfan Ono has won two Manager of the Matchday awards thus far, & Pretarljz manager Ucyxi-Slokt Eva has won three.

& with that, Pug Xily’a has played its last in Atlantian Oceania. It will conclude its league schedule with a five-match stretch run in Rushmore – & with a four-way race for the league championship in full swing, Rushmore could be witness to some exciting matchups.

Pug Xily'a in Vilita: Matchday Nine
KFQ Yunyan 2–3 KFQ Rekonsylat
KFQ Hronork 3–0 KFQ Pretarljz
KFQ Takomokat 0–4 KFQ Horiztifutar
KFQ Planarjz 2–3 KFQ Qavazujzy

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Qavazujzy           9    6   2   1    18    9   +9    20
2 KFQ Rekonsylat          9    5   2   2    18   14   +4    17
3 KFQ Horiztifutar        9    4   4   1    21   14   +7    16
4 KFQ Pretarljz           9    5   1   3    18   17   +1    16
5 KFQ Hronork             9    4   0   5    17   17    0    12
6 KFQ Yunyan              9    2   2   5    16   22   −6     8
7 KFQ Planarjz            9    0   6   3     8   11   −3     6
8 KFQ Takomokat           9    1   1   7     7   19  −12     4

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Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII.

Chapter XIX.

Qusmi’y, the choice is clear: vote Alliance

Qusmo is about to go to the polls again, to elect a new Qusejzym – & to reaffirm their support for Qusmi Bez or create change. The two traditional parties – Drolx-Dalox Aka’s People’s Alliance, currently forming Government, & Jralv-Zorno Jok’s Progressive Traditionalist Party, currently comprising the Opposition – are now joined by the Movement for Justice & Truth, led by Wyzal-Zylyz Xyt. The Movement has adopted many of the Alliance’s left-wing policy positions, but it has also championed the Prog Trads’ internationalist approach to engagement with the Multiverse, ascension to the Common Rushmori Community, & immigration.

Such a position perfectly crystallizes the cronyism of the Qusma political opposition.

The Movement promises the world. According to Wyzal-Zylyz, we can open our doors wide open to foreign aliens. According to Wyzal-Zylyz, we can let in whoever wants to come. According to Wyzal-Zylyz, nothing bad will happen. At the same time, Wyzal-Zylyz claims that we can have the same standard of social care & social progammes, or even strengthen them even further. In short, Wyzal-Zylyz promises everything to everyone – whether they are a Qusmi or not.

This is nothing short of magical thinking – but it has very real consequences.

In truth, unfettered access to a strong social safety net will make Qusmo a haven for hordes of foreign aliens from the poorest, backwardest failed states of the Multiverse – & they will take their countries’ problems with them, just as they have already taken their prejudices & bigotry here. They hate Qusmo; they hate Qusmi’y. They will steal our jobs, they will depress our wages, & they will siphon off the social programmes that are the backbone of the Qusma state. They will bankrupt us & leave us every bit the failed state that they are running from. If the Movement gets anywhere near government, the very fabric of Qusma society is in danger of being irreversibly shorn. & Wyzal-Zylyz proposes that we open the floodgates?

The example of Wyzal-Zylyz is clear evidence that not only foreign aliens wish to destroy Qusmo.

Unfortunately, Wyzal-Zylyz is not the only Qusma politician among their ranks. Jralv-Zorno’s Prog Trads have the same policies on the CRC & immigration as does the Movement. However, at least Jralv-Zorno is not completely delusional. It is no secret that the Prog Trads have long lusted over the possibility of slashing Qusmo’s extensive social safety net, in the name of efficiency. Jralv-Zorno knows that ascension to the CRC would completely overhaul Qusma government, society, & life; for them, though, that’s precisely the point. However, the reason why Jralv-Zorno would want to slash the role of the Qusma state is not fiscal conservatism; it is corruption.

Blip kujz Evarty Qanza is ready to report today, after verifying reports through months of extensive investigations, that Jralv-Zorno has accepted millions of qazqy in bribes from construction magnate Wanar-Ulutu Eva.

Wanar-Ulutu, of course, owns Blonvarz Qusma, the construction & architecture firm that was granted an exclusive contract to build Pug Qusmyra clubs’ stadia & Mastad Qusma, the national stadium, before Pug Qusmyra & the national team began play. Though the national team has just won another high-profile match – this time against the Holy Empire in the teams’ first match of World Cup 83 – it is worth considering whether the success of the whole of Qusmo’s footballing infrastructure – in this case, quite literally – was the fruit of corruption. As you watch Qusmo play Reçueçn, Eura, & possibly others at this tournament, ask yourself: is the entertainment of this football match worth sustaining a microeconomy of political corruption at the highest levels?

In light of this damning revelation, there can be no question that Jralv-Zorno is wholly unfit to assume any public office. They sold out their party & their nation; they have lost all expectations of public trust. They ought to resign with immediate effect as leader of their party & of the Opposition. However, even that would not be enough; how can we know how much of their party’s platform is tainted by Wanar-Ulutu’s bribes? How much of the Prog Trads’ business-friendly platform, which has long been accused of caring only about big business & not about regular Qusmi’y, really was bought & paid for by the wealthiest special interests of Qusmo – & beyond?

The Prog Trads must not be allowed to enter Government, at any cost.

Two other main parties oppose them. However, the Movement is led by a fringe radical who has absolutely no experience & whose policies reflect a dearth of knowledge. Further, the Movement has yet to consistently poll about ten percent of the vote; in order to keep the Prog Trads out of office, there can be only one choice.

Citizens of Qusmo, whatever your own personal beliefs on social programmes, immigration, the CRC, or any other issue, you must vote for the People’s Alliance; the alternative is simply unacceptable.

[Qusmo]

The race for the league title tightened in Pug Xily’a’s first visit to Rushmore.

Matchday Ten was set in Cassadaigua, the host of Qusmo’s first-ever Copa Rushmori. Qusmo barely made it to the knockout rounds, as the fourth-best third-placed team, & the only team to make it through with no more than three points, before they got torn apart, three-nil, by their old foes from Ceni; as a matter of fact, that tournament was likely the national team’s worst-ever performance in a tournament. However, it was a beginning to build on, & just two years later, Qusmo hosted the tournament & advanced to the quarterfinals on home soil.

This matchday would be Pug Xily’a’s first & only to host all four matches at a single venue. That venue had historic significance for Qusma football, too: it was Dagan Airways Stadium in Concord Heights. Then simply called Concord Heights Stadium, that was the site at which Qusmo defeated Jeruselem, by a three-two score, to take third place in Cup of Harmony 73; that tournament represented the only time the national team ever finished in the top three of any international tournament.

The tournament had a lasting impact on Qusma politics, too, however. It was that tournament which helped inspire the populist, anti-immigrant backlash that engulfed Qusmo not long thereafter. In particular, the attention heaped on Cassadaigua’s matriarchal society as a co-host of that tournament served as the catalyst for an influential article in Blip kujz Evarty Qanz, which posited that sex & gender of any kind were inherently oppressive & must not broach Qusma shores. That helped provide an intellectual veneer for a dark movement.

However, the eight Qusma teams taking the field for Pug Xily’a would be doing so in a celebration of inclusion, diversity, &, of course, football. It was a bit of a unique experience, both for fans & players, to play in doubleheaders – & they were scheduled on back-to-back nights. Fans loved the chance to see two matches for the price of a single ticket. Players faced some inconveniences; in the afternoon, players had to clear the pitch quickly after their matches ended, while in the evening, some players did not get the chance to warm up on the pitch as much as they would have liked beforehand. The real challenges, however, were faced by the groundskeepers, stadium vendors, security, custodians, & other stadium staff, who had to prepare for doubleheaders on back-to-back days. Hopefully, they got overtime.

The football frenzy began at 19:00 on Tuesday, when KFQ Horiztifutar played KFQ Hronork to kick off the festivities at Dagan Airways Stadium. It was a match between two good teams overall, but the two teams’ attacks were most on display. Horiztifutar had scored the most goals in the league through nine matchdays, with twenty-one goals; Hronork was not far behind, with seventeen. Perhaps most of all, though, it was a head-to-head showdown between Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max, tied for the lead in the Golden Boot race with eight goals, & Hronork striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol, who was just behind on seven goals & on remarkable form, having scored all their goals in the past five matches. The two players were the two most prolific goalscorers in the history of the Qusma national team. The reverse fixture in New Lusitania finished one-nil in favour of Horiztifutar, but there figured to be more goals this time around – & there were.

It was Hronork attacking midfielder Ilinx-Vulav Ixi who started the scoring, however, as they netted an early brace. After the twenty-minute mark, scoring was over for the first half; Hronork went to the lockers ahead two-nil. That was when Horiztifutar manager Lucex-Kynda Uzo decided to go for a bold strategy, substituting their starting striker, Mokuro Junaiperu, off the pitch, in favour of young reserve striker Alfan-Zylyz Pan. Alfan-Zylyz had specialized in making an impact as a substitute for 1896 Ebor in Mytanija, & they had already shown flashes for Horiztifutar.

They would show a lot more than just flashes against Hronork, however; they did all they could to take over the match. They scored their team’s first goal of the match, assisted attacking midfielder Gavaz-Nenzi Abe on the equalizer, & then completed a brace to put their side ahead. However, down three-two with just ten minutes left, Hornork would have a response, as left wing forward Dynom-Sevet Zev would score the team’s equalizer & the winner. Horiztifutar had too many defensive lapses to be saved by a substitute, no matter how dazzling on the day.

Although neither team’s leading goalscorer was able to put their name on the scoresheet, the match featured plenty of goals & plenty of excitement – not to mention a trio of braces. Although they did not win Player of the Match honours, Alfan-Zylyz got as close as a reserve has thus far in Pug Xily’a – & even tied Junaiperu, the player in front of them on the depth chart for strikers at the club, for second on the team in goals scored, behind only Paliv-Xilit.

After that fine display, it seemed destined that the match that started not even an hour after the previous one ended couldn’t possibly live up to what came before. In the case of the match between KFQ Pretarljz & KFQ Yunyan, that sense was largely an accurate one. The previous match between these two teams finished four-one in favour of Pretarljz, but the two teams were in the midst of rough patches, especially in the final third, & both were desperate for a chance to get out of their ruts.

Pretarljz had a phenomenal start to the year, largely based on the fact that they had goal contributions from many different sources; however, despite scoring fifteen goals in their first five matches – all wins – they had only scored three in their past four – which gave them just one point. They had only scored one goal in their past three matches, & they were goalless in their past two. Similarly, although Yunyan striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt was in the lead for the Golden Boot race, they had scored seven of their goals in their first four matches & only one in the past five. Neither team was able to resolve their recent attacking woes, & the match ultimately finished goalless.

The Wednesday slate also started at 19:00, with KFQ Qavazujzy playing KFQ Takomokat. The previous iteration of this fixture was a straightforward one-nil win for Qavazujzy. Such a result was largely expected again in Cassadaigua, as Qavazujzy was first place in the league, with twenty points from nine matches, while Takomokat was in last place, with just four points. However, Takomokat shocked Pug Xily’a.

The key to Takomokat’s success was their midfield. Despite Qavazujzy’s quality in midfield, they were simply outnumbered – by a six-to-three margin. With superior numbers in the centre of the park, Takomokat simply controlled possession throughout the match & took their chances whenever they arose. Takomokat’s top-quality back three handled the rest whenever Qavazujzy was in possession, & they had no trouble recycling the ball back to the midfield when they were through. That allowed Takomokat first to put themselves in a position to win & then see it through, as they bested Qavazujzy by a two-one score.

The final fixture among the set of back-to-back matches on back-to-back days was a match between KFQ Rekonsylat & KFQ Planarjz. Rekonsylat had emerged from the Independent regions with a two-one win against Planarjz on Matchday Three, but they would not be so lucky in their first match in Rushmore, as Planarjz’s remarkable defence again carried the day. In ten matches, Planarjz has had seven draws, including four scoreless draws, & three losses, none by a margin of more than a single goal. They remain a remarkably difficult team to beat for a team that has yet to win a single match over the course of their first ten.

Pug Xily’a will stay in Rushmore for Matchday Eleven, but in other ways it will be much different; it will resume occupying two stadia, but their reserved stadia in Valladares will be an order of magnitude smaller in capacity than the one in which all eight teams got to play in Cassadaigua. A second team has also been eliminated from contention for the league title, with Planarjz joining Takomokat in the ranks of the mathematically eliminated from the league championship. Qavazujzy could guarantee that it would play IFCF football if it wins in Valladares or if Yunyan fails to win. If Horiztifutar defeats Yunyan, Horiztifutar would be guaranteed IFCF football, as would Qavazujzy & the winner of Rekonsylat-Pretarljz – with Rekonsylat being guaranteed of the IFCF with a draw.

Still, with only five points separating first from fifth, with only four matchdays to go, teams should have no need of an extra impetus to perform their best in Valladares.

Pug Xily'a in Cassadaigua: Matchday Ten
KFQ Rekonsylat 0–0 KFQ Planarjz
KFQ Qavazujzy 1–2 KFQ Takomokat
KFQ Horiztifutar 3–4 KFQ Hronork
KFQ Pretarljz 0–0 KFQ Yunyan

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Qavazujzy          10    6   2   2    19   11   +8    20
2 KFQ Rekonsylat         10    5   3   2    18   14   +4    18
3 KFQ Pretarljz          10    5   2   3    18   17   +1    17
4 KFQ Horiztifutar       10    4   4   2    24   18   +6    16
5 KFQ Hronork            10    5   0   5    21   20   +1    15
6 KFQ Yunyan             10    2   3   5    16   22   −6     9
7 KFQ Planarjz           10    0   7   3     8   11   −3     7
8 KFQ Takomokat          10    2   1   7     9   20  −11     7

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Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX.

Chapter XX.

“Welcome to Byke Gegon; I’m your host, Matez-Xilit Wek. It’s Election Day in Qusmo!”

Millions of Qusmi’y, from all across the nation, tuned in to special election day coverage on Gegon, the preeminent broadcasting company in Qusmo. Its name translated literally to five-polygon, or pentagon, a reference to Gegon’s five main content types. Gegon carried films through Sini Dyna, or Dynamic Cinema; Gegon carried television shows through Tlev Qusma, or Qusma Television; Gegon carried entertainment through The Scoop, the network’s flagship late-night talk show; Gegon carried sports through Spony Luq Television, or All Sports Television; & Gegon carried news through Byke Gegon, or Gegon News.

“The polls have just closed nationwide, & we can now report our first results of the day. We have results from the early vote. The early vote typically represents about a third of the total ballots cast in elections for Qusejzym. As a reminder, we’re tracking three major parties this year, not just two: the People’s Alliance, in government; the Progressive Traditionalist Party, in opposition; & the Movement for Justice & Truth, running for the first time. Nationwide, the early vote results are seven percent for the Movement, & forty percent for the Alliance, forty-eight percent for the Prog Trads, & five percent for other minor parties.”

A graphic flashed on the screen, to confirm to viewers that they had heard correctly; the Prog Trads had really won the early vote by a commanding seven point margin over the Alliance, which had won the previous three elections. The Alliance had won the last election by six percent & had a fourteen-seat majority in the two hundred twenty-five-member Qusejzym. With a greater lead in the early vote, were the Prog Trads on their way to a majority of their own?

“That said, as a reminder, this is only an early vote. Normally, this would be a very formidable lead to make up on Election Day itself, but, of course, this election is different. Just two days ago, Blip kujz Evarty Qanza simultaneously published both an editorial endorsing the Alliance & an investigative piece detailing allegations that the Leader of the Opposition has accepted millions of qazqy in bribes. Both stories could have potentially enormous implications for the votes being cast today.”

As a result, the viewers kept waiting, longer & longer, for real final results. In the meantime, they heard analysis from pundits, spin from both parties, & incessant reminders of the basic structures of Qusmo’s government.

“There are two hundred twenty-five seats in Qusejzym; twenty-seven are allocated to each of the eight vovoqy, while nine seats are allocated to the capital. A majority requires one hundred thirteen seats. The Alliance currently has one hundred twenty-seven seats, while the Prog Trads have ninety-eight now. Of course, the Movement did not contest the previous election, so it currently has no seats; neither does any other party.

“The Prog Trads must win a net gain of fifteen seats to win the majority, while the Alliance must not lose more than a net loss of fourteen seats to lose the majority. If the Movement or other minor parties win enough seats to prevent either major party from winning an outright majority, Qusmo could see a coalition government, a confidence-&-supply arrangement, or even a minority government, depending on whether or not the parties can work out a deal by which to govern the country & how strong that deal is. Any of these arrangements would be unprecedented in modern Qusma political history. Then again, simply having three viable political parties contest an election is also without parallel in the modern era.”

As the coverage began to drag on, the first few results started to trickle in.

“Byke Gegon can now officially project the first Qusejzym seat won in this election. Xeqveq-Ge, covering the opolq of Xenit, has voted for the Alliance. That’s our first confirmed seat in this Qusejzym election; stick with us, though, as we have two hundred twenty-four left to go.”

A few minutes later came another call.

“Byke Gegon can now officially project the first swing in this election. Neqxeq-Le, anchored by the opolq of Garillin, has swung from the Prog Trads to the Alliance.”

This seemed like an odd swing. Garillin was long a reliable seat for the Prog Trads, & in an election in which the party had won the early vote by a fairly commanding margin, it seemed strange that it would flip to the Alliance. As more & more results emerged, however, it became clear why.

“Alright, we still have only partial results in, but with seventeen percent of the same-day vote reporting, we can start to see some patterns. The early vote in this election was estimated to comprise approximately twenty-seven percent of all ballots. That means there was a higher proportion than usual of voters coming into the polls on Election Day. According to our exit poll interviews, there were more late-deciding voters in this election than usual, which was a phenomenon driven in part by a new, third party, & in part a dissatisfaction with all three party options.

“That could be very significant for the results, as the Election Day ballots which have been counted thus far look very different from the early votes. So far, the same-day ballots have been cast at a rate of twenty-one percent for the Prog Trads, twenty-two percent for the Movement, forty-four percent for the Alliance, & thirteen percent for other parties.

“When you compare that to the early voting, the clear trend is that the Prog Trads have collapsed. Their support has more than halved, from forty-eight percent to twenty-one percent. That’s a massive twenty-seven-point drop from early votes to same-day votes, & it benefits everyone else. The Alliance picked up four points, & other parties collectively more than doubled their tallies, from five to thirteen percent. But most of all, the Movement saw a monumental increase in their vote share. They tripled their vote share, from seven percent in early voting to twenty-two percent in same-day voting.”

“Of course, there’s one obvious explanation for why we see such massive disparities in these two types of votes cast. The Prog Trads’ late-breaking bribery scandal, which emerged publicly just two days before Election Day, torpedoed their campaign, especially now that a completely new party had emerged.

“It’s very much worth noting the impact of the Movement on the Prog Trads’ implosion, because had the only other main party in the race been the Alliance, it’s very possible that Prog Trad voters would have simply cast reluctant ballots for what they believed to be the lesser of two evils. However, several aspects of the Movement set it apart as a haven for disaffected Prog Trad voters.

“First, although their economic policies were wildly different, the issue of the day was unquestionably the CRC in this election, & the Movement agree with the Prog Trads on ascension. The Prog Trads’ fiscal conservatism & trickle-down brand of economics took a massive hit after the scandal broke, as the left-wing parties as a whole crowed about that Prog Trad economics were corrupt, & not meant to actually help working Qusmi’y, & that scandal gave them plenty of ammunition to levy that charge. The Movement didn’t need to embrace the Prog Trads’ deeply tarnished economic agenda to win their voters, because they were already aligned on social issues, & most critically, the CRC.

“However, there’s yet another reason why the Movement was perfectly positioned to capture Prog Trad votes. Simply put, it was a brand-new party, which had never won a seat in Qusejzym before. The Prog Trads had just been disgraced, accused of, essentially, selling their policies to the highest bidder. If we are to believe these reports, the Prod Trads were steeped in corruption, at the very highest levels. & what party in Qusma politics is more anti-establishment than the Movement, founded explicitly in opposition to the entrenched elite of both the Prog Trads & the Alliance?

“& not only that, but it had a history of not holding back. It loudly criticized the Prog Trads for practices they believed unduly favoured the rich, powerful, & well-connected; as a matter of fact, this bribery scandal has revealed that the Leader of the Opposition did, in fact, unduly favour the rich, powerful, & well-connected. & the Movement vociferously protested the Alliance, arguing the government’s positions & rhetoric fostered a culture of hate within Qusmo.

“During the campaign, the Prog Trads mainly trained their fire on the Alliance. They calculated that the Alliance was their greatest threat to keep them out of government, & they were the only real threat to form government besides themselves. Prog Trad strategists even privately commented that they hoped the Movement got more votes, because that would split the left & make it easier for the Prog Trads to win. That looked like sound strategy, given the polls at the time, but as the Prog Trads suddenly ripped apart at the seams, it was the CRC vote that was split, & voters fled to the other main pro-CRC party in the race: the Movement.

“As a result, a perfect storm led to a monumental shift in Qusma politics over the course of just a few days, with no time for polling to recalibrate who was ahead & who was behind. After such a major development, voters went to the polls without knowing where public opinion really stood, & as a result, some stuck to their guns, while others left for the Movement or other parties. That led to a complete collapse for the Prog Trads on Election Day – a big lead for the ruling Alliance.”

With that analysis, the state of the race became much more clear. It was only a matter of time before the Alliance officially secured a majority – & they did not very long thereafter. The only question was how large their majority would be.

“The Alliance has largely maintained control of their rural base, but the Prog Trads are hemorrhaging seats in areas they’re expected to win, in cities & suburbs. They’re particularly losing ground in large urban areas, which is where we’re seeing most of the new parties gain seats. The Movement’s wins have been concentrated in the very largest cities in the country, & a minor party, the Qusma Greens, have even won a seat in Qanz, also for the first time. But the success of the Movement & other minor parties in traditionally Prog Trad territory has allowed the Alliance to win seats with vote totals amounting to well less than a majority of the ballots cast in a particular constituency. This is what’s driving the Alliance’s remarkable performance tonight.”

As the night continued, the Alliance surged past a majority & even a hundred fifty seats, two thirds of Qusejzym. That represented the number of votes required to sponsor a constitutional amendment for referendum. At a hundred sixty-nine seats, however, the Alliance would control three quarters of Qusejzym – enough to pass constitutional amendments without first seeking voter approval.

“With ninety-eight percent of all ballots counted, Byke Gegon can officially declare final projections for Qusejzym. Minor parties earned a cumulative eleven percent of the vote, a gain of five points, & the Greens won one seat, a gain of one. The Movement earned eighteen percent of the vote, a gain of eighteen points, & won thirteen seats, a gain of thirteen. The Prog Trads earned twenty-eight percent of the vote, a loss of fourteen points, & won thirty-three seats, a loss of sixty-five. The Alliance earned forty-three percent of the vote, a loss of seven points, & won a hundred seventy-eight seats, a gain of fifty-one.

“With these results, the People’s Alliance will be returned to government with a sixty-five seat majority, & Drolx-Dalox Aka will remain Qusmi Bez – & they will preside over the strongest democratically elected government in Qusma history.”

[Qusmo]

Pug Xily’a rolled into Valladares just as the race for IFCF spots, the Champions’ Cup, & the league title was just starting to come to a head.

Despite the fact that the two stadia the teams would play in had a combined capacity of just six thousand six hundred, very match on the slate was significant in some way. KFQ Yunyan & KFQ Horiztifutar boasted two players tied for the most goals scored in the league’s first ten matchdays – & perhaps more importantly, a draw or Horiztifutar win would guarantee one team a place in IFCF competition, while a Horiztifutar win coupled with a draw between KFQ Takomokat & KFQ Planarjz would result in three teams qualifying for IFCF football by the end of the matchday.

As a result, the match that could have a greater impact on the table than any other on Matchday Eleven was the featured match in Valladares. Although it did not have quite as many goals as its counterpart in Damukuni – a four-all draw on Matchday Four – it was still an exciting match. Striker Mokuro Junaiperu gave Horiztifutar the lead, but Yunyan exploited the space in their opponents’ back line. Striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt netted a league-leading ninth goal of the year, while defensive midfielder Konda-Ralox Saf’s first goal of the season was the winner. Konda-Ralox, in particular, was all over the pitch, ensuring Yunyan’s back line was covered against Horiztifutar’s formidable strike force & contributing to both of Yunyan’s goals, with a goal & an assist.

The competition then moved to Estadio Municipal Francisco de Baraguez in Morón, where KFQ Hronork set out to play KFQ Qavazujzy. Despite having the league leaders play in a stadium with a capacity of just two & a half thousand, they could barely fill half that. It wasn’t hard to sojourn why, of course; Mountbatten state has seen mass protests, & even riots, in response to the decision to divide the state into two. The locals weren’t much bothered with the issues of some other far-away nation somewhere in their region; they were focused on issues that directly impacted them & their home. The few who showed up were mainly supporting their local side, Independiente, by proxy, although the two teams had no connection less tenuous than simply playing in red.

Nevertheless, it was a crucial match for Hronork; they would have practically no hope of winning the league title with a loss, eight points adrift in fifth with just three matches left, but they would be no more than three points behind with a win. Meanwhile, Qavazujzy would become the league’s first team to guarantee themselves IFCF football if they could do the double against Hronork, following a two-nil win on Matchday Four.

It seemed that only Qavazujzy got the memo. The team dominated from the word go, & Graoré Sasca, particularly, ran the show beautifully. Sasca orchestrated the attack for the full ninety minutes, never letting the team’s foot off the gas, & Sasca never hesitated to execute an incisive pass or make an opportunistic run when the chances arose. Sasca had not scored since the league’s opening match in Zwangzug, but he collected a hat trick in Valladares.

All in all, Qavazujzy made absolutely no doubt of the result, & their five-one win means that the team is Qusmo’s first to ever qualify for IFCF competition. Given that many of the team’s players never played for a team that qualified for a Globe Cup or Champions’ Cup during UICA’s existence, that must have been meaningful – &, surely, the team must have celebrated long into the night – once they had gotten far, far away from the unrest.

Valladares had a place in Qusma footballing history as Qusmo’s first-ever opponent in a Copa Rushmori. Unlike World Cup Qualifying, the Cup of Harmony, & the World Cup proper, the Copa Rushmori was the only tournament in which Qusmo did not debut with a win – though they would still get out of their Copa Rushmori XXX group & avenged their loss with a one-nil win over Valladares in the group stage of the subsequent Copa Rushmori.

The coaching staff for KFQ Rekonsylat, however, had a much richer, & much happier, history with Valladares. Lienke Vesper & Scylla Vyntra won Nephara’s first & only World Cup in Swangard, at the Alexander I National Stadium. They had played the entire tournament in Valladares, & both coaches had featured prominently as players. Vesper had scored the winner in extra time in the quarterfinal against the Royal Kingdom of Québec, & she provided the assist for Vyntra’s winner against Eura that sent the team to their first-ever World Cup final. Vyntra herself converted the final penalty in both the Round of Sixteen shootout against Ko-oren & the shootout in the final against San José Guayabal.

Ninety-five thousand twenty-one fans packed into the crowd in Swangard for the World Cup 74 final. Forty-one hundred were in attendance in Metropolis as Rekonsylat played KFQ Pretarljz. Still, it didn’t matter; Vesper & Vyntra were back in the nation where they had recorded the greatest triumph of each of their lives. They were back in Valladares.

However, they had a match to play – & a difficult one, at that. Pretarljz had beaten them three-two in Damukuni, but Rekonsylat had gone on a six-match unbeaten run since then. Now, they were second in the league – & Pretarljz was just one point behind them, in third. It appeared that Rekonsylat had a golden opportunity, given the state of their opposition. Pretarljz had won each of their first five matches, but they had racked up a grand total of two points in the five matches since – & they had been held scoreless in each of the past three. If they could just defeat Pretarljz, Rekonsylat could open up a four-point gap for the Champions’ Cup places, & remain just two points off the league lead, with three matchdays remaining.

Unfortunately for Vyntra & Vesper, that was no given. Lenpi-Zilot Faz – Rekonsylat’s central midfielder – struggled against their opposite numbers, Jerat-Ajark Zyn & Forzu-Nirlo Uzo; Xalan-Xilit Ono – their much-maligned centreback – collapsed; & Fuchsia Longstreet – their partner in the back, who came from AFC Treason, the club where Vyntra & Vesper were teammates when they hoisted that trophy in Valladares all those years ago – simply could not cover for the both of them. With Xalan-Xilit proving completely ineffective, Longstreet tried to do too much. She tried to do everything. As a result, she did nothing well. By the half, Nepharim right wing forward Swanhilda Berisha had at least scored to make things respectable, but Rekonsylat was down three-one.

Three-one: that was the score at the half in Carloburgo. Vyntra & Vesper were the underdogs, a couple of twenty-four-year-olds playing against mighty Eura in the World Cup semifinals. They were down three-one – but that would soon change. Vesper helped spark the comeback, providing the assist to Adnan Szalai for Nephara’s second goal – & then the assist on the winner, to none other than Vyntra herself.

As Vesper delivered the team talk, she knew that she had been here before, but she had dug deep, gritted it out, & pulled through. That was the story of Nephara’s trip to Valladares all those years ago; in fact, that match against Eura was the only knockout fixture Nephara played on their run to the World Cup title that didn’t require extra time or penalties to resolve. If she & her now-assistant could do it all those years ago at White Meadow Arena, her new team could do it at Abbotsford Sports Park.

They didn’t. Call it a lack of drive, a gap in quality, or simply the fact that Pretarljz turned their full focus on simply preserving their lead, but no Rekonsylat player was able to be a hero on the day like Vyntra or Vesper had proved to be. No goals were forthcoming, & Rekonsylat lost, three-one. Still, it was far from either former player’s most lasting memory of the country – & being down two points in the race for a Champions’ Cup place just meant they had to engineer another comeback. They were ready for that.

Finally, the slate ended at Estadio Municipal Francisco de Baraguez, where the number of spectators to attend the match was only about five & a half times the number of letters in the stadium’s name. Two teams that no one much fancied played against each other; KFQ Takomokat & KFQ Planarjz had played to a scoreless draw in Damukuni, & they met again in Valladares as the bottom two teams in the table. With Pretarljz’s win, both teams had been eliminated from Champions’ Cup contention, even before they played their preantepenultimate match.

Still, the winner of this match still had some, sort of, not completely outrageous chance of qualifying for the league’s final IFCF spot, if a team like Hronork or Horiztifutar collapsed over the final three matches. That said, Planarjz seemed content to play to yet another scoreless draw. It took a lot of patience, but eventually Takomokat won a corner, & centreback Cunix-Betva Tla headed it powerfully past the outstretched arms of Planarjz goalkeeper Xynat-Evela Cuf.

That single goal would be the difference, & the one-nil win would give Takomokat some hope that fifth wasn’t totally out of the realm of possibility. It left Planarjz, meanwhile, adrift at the foot of the table. The team had only lost four matches, & had yet to lose by more than a single-goal margin, but it had drawn seven times – more than double the number of any other team in the league – & had yet to win. Planarjz would now need to win each of its last three matches to have any chance of playing in the Challengers’ Cup.

At the top of the table, Qavazujzy now had a three-point lead over Pretarljz with three matchdays remaining – with the final match between those two to come on Matchday Thirteen. For the meantime, however, Qavazujzy had guaranteed that, at the very least, it would be playing in the Challenger’s Cup. They were just one win away from guaranteeing a top-three finish, & it was even possible they could be assured of a spot in the Champion’s Cup by the end of the next matchday.

Pretarljz, meanwhile, was in second, but faced a difficult run-in: it had just defeated Rekonsylat, for its first win since Matchday Five, but Horiztifutar & Qavazujzy were next, on consecutive matchdays. Still, if they could win their next match, Pretarljz would guarantee a top-four finish & a place in the Challengers’ Cup, at the very least.

In third, two points behind Pretarljz & five behind Qavazujzy, Rekonsylat was hoping the teams above them would slip. They could guarantee a Challengers’ Cup place with a win if Yunyan failed to beat Qavazujzy, but their goal was still the Champion’s Cup.

Horiztifutar was two points behind them, in fourth, four points behind Pretarljz for a Champions’ Cup spot but four points ahead of Yunyan for the final Challengers’ Cup spot. That meant that they could either be guaranteed of IFCF play or be eliminated from Champions’ Cup contention on the next matchday. At seven points back, they were all but mathematically eliminated from the title race. Still, their next match was against Pretarljz, making the math a lot simpler for them: if they lost, they would not be able to qualify for the Champions’ Cup, while if they won, they would be no more than two points away from such a spot. If Horiztifutar won, Yunyan lost, & Takomokat dropped points, Horiztifutar would be guaranteed an IFCF spot with two matchdays to spare.

The last IFCF spot was occupied by Hronork, which was five points behind Pretarljz & three points ahead of Yunyan. There was no way to guarantee they would be playing in the IFCF the following matchday, but they would be mathematically eliminated from the possibility of winning the league title if they dropped points or if Qavazujzy won, & they would be eliminated from the Champions’ Cup race if they dropped points & Pretarljz won.

In sixth, Yunyan was on the outside looking in on IFCF competition, but they were in pole position to overtake a team like Hronork if they slipped up. They, & every team below them on the table, was already eliminated from the title race, & they would be eliminated from the Champions’ Cup race if they failed to win or if Pretarljz won. Still, even a loss in their upcoming match with league leaders Qavazujzy could not technically eliminate the team from IFCF contention – although, coupled with Horiztifutar & Hronork wins, it would come awfully close.

Behind them, Takomokat had no chance of reaching the Champions’ Cup, & the Challengers’ Cup wasn’t very likely, either, although it remained possible. Most importantly, Takomokat still had matches against the two teams directly above them in the table – Hronork & Yunyan – coming up on Matchdays Thirteen & Fourteen. In a scenario where Takomokat closed the season with five consecutive victories – of which they had already achieved two – they would require only that Hronork drop points in order to draw level on points for the final IFCF spot, & if Hronork were to lose to either Planarjz or, more likely, Rekonsylat, the club inspired by Rushmore would be able to qualify for the international stage if it could run the table in Rushmore.

Finally, Planarjz sat in last place in the league, having yet to win a single match. If they failed to win for the first time on Matchday Twelve, they would be eliminated from any possibility of playing in the Challengers’ Cup. That said, such a result would ensure they still had a chance with two matchdays to go, & matches against Hronork & Yunyan were just what would be best for Planarjz in a race for fifth place.

Teams like Takomokat & Planarjz are in real danger of having their final two matches mean nothing for international competition, except for fair play points. Unfortunately for those teams, they are last & second-to-last, respectively, on the fair play table. Qavazujzy is atop both the league table & the fair play table, but as they have already qualified for the Challengers’ Cup at the very least, they will not have to worry about that. Instead, Yunyan is the team that looks to be in line to receive a Vilitan Cove Invitational nomination if they fail to finish in the top five.

Yunyan striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt has become the first player in the league to score nine goals – more than the entire Planarjz team has scored thus far. Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max & Hronork striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol are close behind in the Golden Boot race, on eight & seven goals, respectively. Trailing them are Rekonsylat right wing forward Swanhilda Berisha, Hronork left wing forward Dynom-Sevet Zev, & Qavazujzy poacher Wanar-Sevet Opu, each on six goals apiece, & a further five players with five goals. No player has scored more than two goals for Takomokat so far this season; twenty-one players on other teams, meanwhile, have accomplished that feat, including five midfielders & one reserve.

No player has scooped Player of the Matchday gongs more than thrice thus far. Hronork striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol picked up their third on Matchday Nine, while Pretarljz central midfielder Forzu-Nirlo Uzo, Qavazujzy central midfielder Graoré Sasca, & Yunyan defensive midfielder Konda-Ralox Saf were all awarded the prize for the third time this season in Valladares. Six players have been awarded with the honour twice, & thirty players have received the honour any number of times, at any point during the course of the season thus far.

Finally, Yelto-Alfan Ono picked up their third Manager of the Matchday award in Valladares, following Qavazujzy’s five-one annihilation of Hronork, tying them with Ucyxi-Slokt Eva of Pretarljz for most in the league. Vralx-Ucyxi Lec of Takomokat is the only other manager with multiple such awards, while only Planarjz’s Landen Smoker & Rekonsylat’s Lienke Vesper have yet to be awarded.

Next up, Pug Xily’a will travel to Eastfield Lodge to play its twelfth matchday of the season – & every match will have major implications for title, Champions’ Cup, or IFCF races. It will surely be exciting to watch.

Pug Xily'a in Valladares: Matchday Eleven
KFQ Pretarljz 3–1 KFQ Rekonsylat
KFQ Yunyan 2–1 KFQ Horiztifutar
KFQ Hronork 1–5 KFQ Qavazujzy
KFQ Takomokat 1–0 KFQ Planarjz

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Qavazujzy          11    7   2   2    24   12  +12    23   IFCF
2 KFQ Pretarljz          11    6   2   3    21   18   +3    20
3 KFQ Rekonsylat         11    5   3   3    19   17   +2    18
4 KFQ Horiztifutar       11    4   4   3    25   20   +5    16
5 KFQ Hronork            11    5   0   6    22   25   -3    15
6 KFQ Yunyan             11    3   3   5    18   23   −5    12
7 KFQ Takomokat          11    3   1   7    10   20  −10    10
8 KFQ Planarjz           11    0   7   4     8   12   −4     7

---

Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX.

Chapter XXI.

“What’s the situation?”

“A hundred seventy-eight.”

“What the fuck did you just say?”

“A hundred seventy-eight, my Qusmi Bez.”

“Seats?”

“A hundred seventy-eight seats, yes, my Qusmi Bez.”

“Fucking hell.”

Drolx-Dalox Aka, Qusmi Bez, was surprised to hear the news, to be perfectly honest. They were behind in the polls just two days earlier; however, a late scandal torpedoed the campaign of their main opponents, allowing their party to win an unprecedented majority in Qusejzym, despite earning seven percent less of the vote. Drolx-Dalox struggled to recall another election with such a dramatic late swing, even elsewhere in the Multiverse.

“Run the numbers on majorities & vote counts for me.”

“My pleasure,” smiled Welar-Linot Ono. They were the strategist who had engineered the Alliance’s entire campaign strategy, & now, they got to marinate in the sheer, unadulterated, historic domination. “To form a government & to pass legislation, we require a simple majority, of one hundred thirteen votes. We have a majority of sixty-five. To trigger a referendum to amend the constitution, we require a two-thirds super-majority, of one hundred fifty votes. We have a margin of twenty-eight votes. To pass a constitutional amendment outright, we require a three-fourths supermajority, of one hundred sixty-nine votes. We have a margin of nine votes.”

“Margaret. We could do anything.”

“Not quite, I’m afraid, my Qusmi Bez.”

“What do you mean? We have the votes. You know as well as I that the only candidates we selected to run on the Alliance line would be willing to vote anything we tell them to, even a constitutional amendment.”

“But passage of an amendment is so rare that you forget that it still comes with an asterisk. An amendment does not enter into force until thirty days after the session of the next Qusejzym begins, to allow for an election, to prevent Qusejzym from passing an amendment the voters object to. If we pass an objectionable amendment, the voters could vote us out, & the next Qusejzym would require only a one-third vote to repeal the pending amendment. Even if it’s an amendment the voters support, chances are the opposition won’t fuck themselves over like they did this time. They’ll win more seats just by being competent, or at the very least, less astonishingly incompetent than they were in this campaign. & once that happens, they can vote our amendments down.”

“Alright. But there’s still a lot we can do that doesn’t require a constitutional amendment to implement.”

“That’s true. But some items on our agenda do.”

“You’re talking about the abolition of Qusmyry.”

“I am.”

“& do you have a solution for that problem?”

“You know me,” Welar-Linot responded, a twinkle in their eye, & a smile forming at the edge of their lips.

“Of course you do.” Drolx-Dalox couldn’t help but get caught up in their aide’s excitement, & in the excitement of the moment as a whole. “Let’s hear it.”

“The last important vote margin is four-fifths. That’s one hundred eighty votes. We’re just two votes away.”

“Margaret. You’re talking about –”

“I am. I’m talking about declaring a state of emergency. I’m talking about suspending the constitution altogether.”

---

“This government has always been a leader on the environment. & we’re prepared to do even more. If you join us, & officially support this government, we will make you Minister on the Environment, we will triple your office’s funding immediately, we will prohibit the production of fossil fuels within Qusmo’s borders within five years, & we will prohibit the use of fossil fuels in this country within ten years.”

“That’s a very generous offer, I must say,” Matez-Tylyr Eva responded. “But I have two concerns.”

“Name them.” Welar-Lipot was desperate for this deal.

“First, mining.”

“Done.”

“Excuse me?”

“Done. We’re prepared to ensure that every new mining project in this nation will have to undergo a thorough environment review that meets all of your standards, as our next Minister on the Environment.”

“My other concern is a bit related to that response you just gave. Why? Why are you being so forthcoming & willing to concede so much, when I’m the only member of my party in Qusejzym, & when you already have a majority of sixty-five? Why are you so eager to get this done?”

“Eva – may I call you Eva? – Eva, that’s easy.” Matez-Tylyr flashed a winning smile. Matez-Tylyr found it helped to disarm people in their line of work. “The Alliance wants partnerships with every party. For decades, there’s only been the Alliance & the Prog Trads in office – not just in government, but in any seat in Qusejzym. But now, both the Greens & the Movement have emerged & have won seats. We were never able to foster cross-party connections in the past, because there was only one party in opposition – but because we have three parties with which we can deal with, the parties – &, we hope, especially the new parties – will be much more open to collaboration. After the bitter & divisive campaign, we need to unify this nation, & consolidating platforms is an excellent way of doing that.

“If you join this government, it will show not just that the Greens support the Alliance, but the Alliance support the Greens. The Alliance supports the environment. & that’s an excellent way to get all kinds of voters, all across the country, in support of our government. We were elected in very unusual circumstances, we know; we earned less of the vote than the Prog Trads did in the last election, yet we won eighty more seats than they did & a supermajority in Qusejzym. Some Qusmi’y, of course, are wary of that. But if we show that we’re not just going to do whatever we want, but listen to the concerns of all Qusmi’y, & embrace the concerns of all parties, we’re going to help heal this country, & make it better.”

Matez-Tylyr paused before they responded. “& why should I lend my support, as the sole member in the history of the Green Party to be elected to Qusejzym, to your government?”

Welar-Linot frowned, & leaned over the table, their knuckles pressed against the desk. “We’re won one hundred seventy-eight seats in this election alone. You’ve won one in your party’s history. Even then, we both know that was a fluke; you only got thirty-seven percent of the vote for your seat. We may not be able to win that seat, but the Movement certainly could, & maybe even the Prog Trads. & if we mobilize our campaign war chest to make sure the Greens don’t make a return to Qusejzym in the next election, there’s no chance you’ll be coming back or that you’ll have any chance to influence government policies.

“& in the meantime, if you don’t lend your support, this deal is off the table. We’ll go on polluting, we’ll go on pumping oil, we’ll go on mining minerals, we’ll go on razing forests, we’ll go on developing land, & what good will it do you? I don’t care if you have to swallow a few bad votes, or even a few truly atrocious votes. You’ll do it because, all in all, this is how you save Qusmo’s environment. You save it by being a part of the biggest government majority in Qusma history, not by trying to oppose it.”

Three days later, Matez-Tylyr scheduled a news conference, where they were joined by Qusmi Bez. Matez-Tylyr, they announced, was becoming a member of the Alliance & the new Minister on the Environment.

From the corner of the room, Welar-Linot smiled. “Just one more,” they thought to themself. “& I know just who to make a deal with.”

[Qusmo]

If the cliché about Xannerians loving scoring & hating draws has any truth to it whatsoever, they would love Matchday Twelve of Pug Xily’a.

The matches were played in Eastfield Lodge, where Qusma football had some history. The two teams had played twice in World Cup 81 Qualifying & once in the Copa Rushmori XXXI group stage, & Qusmo was unbeaten, winning two of three of the team’s encounters. In fact, the only time Qusmo’s national team had ever played in Eastfield Lodge, they recorded a six-three victory in World Cup 81 Qualifying. At the time of that match, Qusmo had never scored more than four goals in any match; even afterwards, Qusmo never scored more goals in a single match as it did against Eastfield Lodge.

Pug Xily’a’s first match in Eastfield Lodge was contested between KFQ Horiztifutar & KFQ Pretarljz, & suffice it to say, Horiztifutar looked to live out the good old days. Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max was second in the Golden Boot race, but they had been on a three-match barren run. This contest was exactly what they needed to get back on track. Paliv-Xilit had scored a hat trick on the day in Lodgertia; back in the same city as they played in before, they were on equally scintillating form.

Paliv-Xilit & Horiztifutar shattered all sorts of single-match league records, including most goals scored by a single player – four – most goals scored by a team – seven – & largest margin of victory – five. The match was supposed to be competitive, contested between the second- & fourth-place teams in the league with just three matchdays remaining; instead, it was the largest blowout in the history of the league. It was, as the Plough Islander expression goes, a shellacking.

It was a massive opportunity for KFQ Qavazujzy, however. The league leaders now had not only a three-point lead, but a game in hand – & that game would be against KFQ Yunyan, who stood just sixth in the table. Qavazujzy had no problem finishing the job; despite being relatively wasteful in the final third, they dispatched Yunyan by a two-nil score that never looked very much in doubt. They had done the double over Yunyan & kept clean sheets both times.

Still, the reverberations of the result extended far beyond the two teams that had played. Yunyan’s loss meant that they could finish the season with no more than eighteen points. Takomokat was in seventh, but with a game in hand, they could finish with nineteen. Planarjz, meanwhile, could earn no more than sixteen. That meant that, just hours after they were at the losing end of the most lopsided match in league history, Pretarljz was guaranteed of IFCF football. Meanwhile, if Takomokat could pull points away from Rekonsylat the following day, Qavazujzy would be through to the Champions’ League – but if Rekonsylat earned any points, both they & Horiztifutar would be assured of IFCF competition.

The new day brought with it a match between KFQ Planarjz & KFQ Hronork first, however. If Planarjz failed to win – for the first time all season long – they would be officially eliminated from Challengers’ Cup contention. The team finally seemed to sense the urgency & pressed the attack – but while this was the rare day that Planarjz’s attack actually came to life, it was also the yet-rarer day that goalkeeper Xynat-Evela Cuf played poorly. Planarjz lost to Hronork in Eastfield Lodge by the same score they lost to Hronork in Kita-Hinode: three-two. With the worst disciplinary record in the league, by far, they would likely have to win Puk uni·q to play in any international competitions.

Then, KFQ Rekonsylat played KFQ Takomokat in Pug Xily’a’s final match at the Dock in Port Lodgertia. It was filled with IFCF implications. Takomokat would be eliminated from Challengers’ Cup contention with anything less than a win. Points of any kind would assure Rekonsylat of IFCF play. If Rekonsylat did not lose to Takomokat, Horiztifutar would also be through to IFCF competition. If Takomokat did not lose to Rekonsylat, meanwhile, Qavazujzy would be guaranteed a place in the Champions’ League.

Central midfielder Yamaj-Blonz Jok scored first for Takomokat – becoming the first player to score three goals for the club – & it seemed as though the team might have a chance at surviving another day. However, Rekonsylat left wing forward Ozolx-Mazur Guv equalized in the seventy-third minute. Takomokat needed to find another goal within a quarter hour & change if they had any hopes of playing in the Challengers’ Cup.

As Takomokat lined up for a corner in the third minute of stoppage time – likely their only hope to win the match & keep their faint IFCF hopes alive – Takomokat manager Vralx-Ucyxi Lec motioned for Yamaj-Zorno Mal to come into the box to serve as an eleventh target. Elfon-Tanar Xlo swung it into the box, & – straight into the waiting arms of Rekonsylat goalkeeper Vanza-Jerat Gep. With control of the ball, a strong leg, & no one in Takomokat’s defensive half, Vanza-Jerat punted it as far as they could – &, somehow, the ball bounced into the netting. Vanza-Jerat became the first goalkeeper to score in Pug Xily’a, on a play that would have been impossible had Takomokat was so desperate. As a result, Rekonsylat defeated Takomokat by a two-one margin for the second time on the year – meaning Takomokat was well & truly eliminated, both Rekonsylat & Horiztifutar were destined for IFCF competition, Rekonsylat still had some hope for a league title, & Qavazujzy would have to wait another day to secure its passage to the Champions’ League.

All in all, the top-five picture got much clearer in Eastfield Lodge. Three teams – Rekonsylat, Pretarljz, & Horiztifutar – booked their tickets to IFCF competition. Hronork, meanwhile, sits in fifth, six points above Yunyan; if Hronork can earn any more points, or if Yunyan fails to win either of its two remaining matches, Hronork will be Pug Xily’a’s fifth & final IFCF qualifier from league play.

At the top of the table, things are getting clearer, too. Qavazujzy leads the league, with twenty-six points; Rekonsylat & Pretarljz trail, with twenty-one & twenty, respectively. Qavazujzy plays Pretarljz next; any points there would clinch a spot in the Champions’ League, while a win would see Qavazujzy win the league with a matchday to spare. The only way Qavazujzy could fall out of the Champions’ League places is if they lose to Pretarljz on Matchday Thirteen, they lose to Horiztifutar on Matchday Fourteen, Rekonsylat defeats Horiztifutar on Matchday Thirteen, Rekonsylat defeats Hronork on Matchday Fourteen, & Pretarljz defeats Planarjz on Matchday Fourteen – & even then, Pretarljz would have to close a sixteen-point gap in goal difference with just two matches left to play.

Still, which of the teams ranked second through fifth in the table will qualify for the Champions’ League is a matter still up for debate. Only the current top five has a chance, but second through fifth are separated by just three points; in fact, Rekonsylat stands just one point above Pretarljz, which is just one point ahead of Horiztifutar, which is just one point beyond Hronork. Rekonsylat is in pole position, but they still have to play both Horiztifutar & Hronork. Pretarljz might be positioned to take their place if Rekonsylat slip, but they play Qavazujzy next. Horiztifutar, meanwhile, has the toughest remaining slate of the any team in the league, with matches booked against Rekonsylat & then Qavazujzy. Finally, Hronork will face a final matchday challenge against Rekonsylat.

Outside the top five, the picture is much more settled. Neither Takomokat nor Planarjz have any chance of qualifying for the Champions’ League or the Challengers’ Cup. In sixth, Yunyan can hold out hope, especially as they have the easiest remaining schedule in the league, against Takomokat & Planarjz. Still, they would have to win both matches & hope that both Takomokat & Rekonsylat can defeat Hronork – & at least one of those matches must be decided by a three-goal margin, or multiple matches must have two goals’ worth of daylight between the two teams. Otherwise, the Challengers’ Cup & Champions’ League fields will be set – just not the exact order within them.

With two matchdays remaining, the Golden Boot race has clarified greatly, as well. Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max’s four-goal effort against Pretarljz has put them at twelve goals overall, three above strikers Hynym-Nirlo Alt of Yunyan & Xilit-Zaxac Yol of Hronork. No other player has scored more than six goals this season. Thus, unless another player can match Paliv-Xilit’s four-goal single-match tally or rattle off two consecutive hat tricks to end the season, doubling their season’s goal tally in their final two matches, only those three have any realistic shot of winning the Golden Boot – & even then, Paliv-Xilit now stands as an overwhelming favourite to win the gong.

With twelve matchdays in the books, just two remain for Pug Xily’a players & clubs to make their mark on the season. Will the league be won in Darmen?

Pug Xily'a in Eastfield Lodge: Matchday Twelve
KFQ Rekonsylat 2–1 KFQ Takomokat
KFQ Planarjz 2–3 KFQ Hronork
KFQ Qavazujzy 2–0 KFQ Yunyan
KFQ Horiztifutar 7–2 KFQ Pretarljz

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Qavazujzy          12    8   2   2    26   12  +14    26   IFCF
2 KFQ Rekonsylat         12    6   3   3    21   18   +3    21   IFCF
3 KFQ Pretarljz          12    6   2   4    23   25   -2    20   IFCF
4 KFQ Horiztifutar       12    5   4   3    32   22  +10    19   IFCF
5 KFQ Hronork            12    6   0   6    25   27   -2    18
6 KFQ Yunyan             12    3   3   6    18   25   −7    12
7 KFQ Takomokat          12    3   1   8    11   22  −11    10
8 KFQ Planarjz           12    0   7   5    10   15   −5     7

---

Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI.

Chapter XXII.

“Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Jralv-Zorno has got to go! Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Jralv-Zorno has got to go!”

Welar-Linot Ono peered between the blinds to look at the crowd that had assembled outside. “You have to admit, it certainly has a ring to it.”

“What do you want, Ono?” Jralv-Zorno Jok was in no mood for pleasantries.

“Ah, but why is it always what I want?” Ono took their attention away from the protest. “As a matter of fact, I’m here because of what you want.”

“& that is?” Jok was visibly, & audibly, doubtful.

“Money, of course.”

“Oh, please.”

“What, just helping lead Qusmo to a brighter future & taking some cash on the side? Come on, Jok. We all know what the issue is here. You want money. You got carried away. The papers got ahold of it. Now, your party is in tatters, & you’ll never even whiff being Qusmi Bez. It’s only a matter of time before you’ll be forced out of office as Leader of the Opposition – the weakest Leader of the Opposition in Qusma history by a wide margin, I might add. If you don’t resign, there’s no doubt you’ll be voted out of Qusejzym altogether; you were in the most dyed-in-the-wool Prog Trad constituency in this entire country, & you only barely eked by on the overwhelming strength of the early vote & the fact that there were multiple major parties that divided the anti-you opposition.”

Ono sat down at their own invitation. “After this, Jok, you have no future in Qusma politics. Absolutely none. Your reputation is irreparably shattered. For the rest of your life, you’ll be known as a traitor, a sellout, & as a politician who fundamentally abused their office & the public trust. You have about as likely a chance of getting anywhere near a position of power in this country as Lord Almighty Gregory. At least they might be able to try to launch an invasion if they ever escape prison – Margaret knows they’re loony enough to try. You, on the other hand – you have no chance. & if you think you do, you’re as delusional as that nutjob.”

“Why are you here, then, Ono? To ask me to step down? For the sake of my country, I suppose, or some bullshit?”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I think the country could do with a little less of you. But I’m here to sweeten the deal, shall we say.”

Jok was clearly intrigued. Ono didn’t know their eyebrow could go that high.

“You were taking a couple million qazqy from a businessperson. That’s nice, but what does a couple million qazqy buy you? No, we want you to do one more thing. To make one more deal. & you won’t have a rich person’s bank account to count on; you’ll have a nation’s treasury. We’re not talking a couple million; we’re talking tens of millions. Plus a fully-fueled jet to get the fuck out of the country once this is all over.”

Jok was stunned. All they could say was, “Why’ll I need a jet?”

“Trust me, Jok. You’ll be more thankful for that jet than anything else in your life by the time we’re done.”

Completely oblivious to the conversation inside the walls of the residence of the Leader of the Opposition, the crowd still echoed: “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! Jralv-Zorno has got to go!”

[Qusmo]

After a series of close matches in Darmen, Pug Xily’a is at the precipice of the conclusion of its league season.

For Qusma football, Darmen represents not an end, but a beginning. The Qusma national team only ever played their regional counterparts once, but it was a memorable event: it was not only the national team’s hundredth-ever match, but it was the team’s first World Cup match – & their first World Cup win. Qusmo’s one-nil upset of Darmen at the Angelotic Temple gave the team the confidence that it was ready for the World Cup stage & that it could play with anyone.

Despite a nightmarish draw for a World Cup debutant, Qusmo emerged from their group with two wins & a ticket to the World Cup knockout rounds. Qusmo preserved two clean sheets in the tournament & never conceded more than one goal in a single match; even against the marauding swashbucklers of Farfadillis, which would go on to win the World Cup two cycles later, Qusmo held on for a one-all draw until a penalty kick shootout, which Farfadillis won, four-three.

That trip to the World Cup knockouts in Valanora, & their admirable performance in the Round of Sixteen & in each of their group stage matches, remains the greatest crowning achievement of Qusma football. It was sparked against Darmen. Now, Pug Xily’a teams hoped for their own crowning achievements – including one which aimed to win the league right then & there.

Qavazujzy stood a very realistic chance of winning the league in Darmen; thus, the usual schedule of fixtures for the past twelve matchdays was reversed. Instead of the feature match being first on the fixtures list, it was shown last – because it could be a title decider. Before Pug Xily’a reached that point, though, it had a few other matches to take care of first.

First, KFQ Yunyan played KFQ Planarjz at the Regional Football Stadium in Bloomer. Planarjz was at the foot of the table, while Yunyan was sixth. Yunyan required a win in order to have any chance of sneaking into IFCF play, if Hronork were to falter. Otherwise, Yunyan would be eliminated. Planarjz already was & had little to play for. However, Planarjz goalkeeper Xynat-Evela Cuf put in another near-heroic shift, defending their goal from Yunyan’s constant bombardment. Yunyan striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt, in particular, had several chances, but several great saves kept them out each time – & eliminated Yunyan from top-five contention, guaranteeing Hronork a spot in IFCF competition.

As it happened, KFQ Hronork was to play in the other Tuesday match, against KFQ Takomokat. They were the fifth & final team from Pug Xily’a to guarantee themselves a spot in at least the Challengers’ Cup, but they could still improve their standing in the league, possibly giving them a better entry point in the competition – or even, if all their chips fell right, a ticket to the Champions’ League. Takomokat, meanwhile, had little to play for, & they never really threatened Hronork after the favourites scored a first half goal. Hronork had previously beaten Takomokat by a commanding four-one margin, but this time, just a one-nil win was enough to do the trick.

The following day was where the truly anticipated matches lay. Tuesday’s matches had been about the race for fifth; Wednesday’s were about the race for first. KFQ Horiztifutar & KFQ Rekonsylat were up first, & Rekonsylat needed a win to have a chance to win the league title; Horiztifutar already could not win the league, but they could certainly qualify for the Champions’ League – unless they were to lose to Rekonsylat. That’s exactly what happened, however; although Horiztifutar central midfielder scored for the second consecutive match to pull their team level at one-all going into the half, two quick goals in rapid succession put the match out of reach for Horiztifutar within ten minutes of the start of the second half. Rekonsylat remained in the race for the league title, while Horiztifutar was officially destined for the Challengers’ Cup.

Finally, Expo Park in Pisuvar played host to the featured match of the Darmen slate, as KFQ Pretarljz faced KFQ Qavazujzy. If Qavazujzy managed to earn a result, they would eliminate Pretarljz from the title race & guarantee a spot in the Champions’ League for themselves. If Qavazujzy managed to win, they would not only advance to the Champions’ League, but they would advance to the Rushmori Copa de Campeones, as champions of Pug Xily’a. If Pretarljz could manage to win, however, things would become very interesting at the top, with no team assured of a Champions’ League spot with just one matchday to play.

As it happened, neither side was able to seize full points on the day. Qavazujzy’s defence performed remarkably in front of the Pisuvar crowd, & the team’s midfield controlled the pace of the match – but they simply could not convert the chances they had once they got to Pretarljz’s final third. As for Pretarljz, they could barely even get to the final third before they gave the ball away. The result was a scoreless draw, but mostly for the wastefulness of Qavazujzy’s forwards than anything else; as a result, the team was through to the Champions’ League, but they would have to wait to clinch a championship.

Of course, Qavazujzy was still in an excellent position. Only Rekonsylat could catch them, & they were not only three points behind, but nine points behind on goal difference, too. Further, Qavazujzy would win the league on head-to-head points, even if the two teams were level on both points & goal difference. So, Qavazujzy could guarantee a league title with a point against Horiztifutar, or if Hronork nicked a point from Rekonsylat, or simply if the combined margin of victory from the two matches wasn’t in double digits. Qavazujzy’s draw did not formally win them the league, but it did come awfully close.

Of course, the only other team with a chance to take that title away from Qavazujzy is Rekonsylat, though that bodes as awfully unlikely. Still, they find themselves in a great position, as well; if they manage to take a point away from their match against Hronork, they will become the first Qusma club to enter the non-champions’ path of either the Champions’ Cup or the Champions’ League. They have three-point leads over both Hronork & Pretarljz, & they lead their two Champions’ Cup spot rivals by six & seven goals’ worth, respectively, of goal difference. A three-goal loss to Hronork, or worse, would see Rekonsylat slip out of the top spot, while a Pretarljz rout of Planarjz could also put them in danger – but Rekonsylat could stop the need for goal-counting altogether if they simply don’t lose on the final matchday.

Next up is Hronork, which has the clearest path to the Champions’ League out of the two teams on the outside that are still looking in. They are separated from Rekonsylat by three points & six goals’ worth of goal difference, & they have a Matchday Fourteen booking with their second-place rivals. As they only lost two-nil on Matchday Seven, a three-goal win or better against Rekonsylat would see Hronork move above them on the table.

Of course, the tricky question remains with Pretarljz. If Rekonsylat loses to Hronork by one or two, they’re still not completely safe; if Pretarljz routs Planarjz by a sufficient margin, they could surpass Rekonsylat for second place. Thanks to two wins at the hands of Rekonsylat, they would need to beat Planarjz by at least five goals if Rekonsylat loses by two, or by at least six goals if Rekonsylat loses by one.

Meanwhile, if Rekonsylat loses in a rout to Hronork, Pretarljz could still leapfrog both Rekonsylat & Hronork with a rout of their own. The tiebreakers are trickier in this scenario, because Pretarljz beat Hronork four-one on Matchday Two, but Hronork beat Pretarljz three-nil on Matchday Nine. So, if the teams are tied on points & goal difference, they will then be level on head-to-head points, head-to-head goal difference, & head-to-head goals, sending the tiebreaker to goals for, where Hronork currently has a three-goal advantage over Pretarljz.

So, if Hronork defeats Rekonsylat by at least four goals, Pretarljz would have to exceed Rekonsylat’s margin of victory by at least two goals – unless it scores at least four goals more than Hronork does, in which case Pretarljz would only need to exceed Rekonsylat’s margin of victory by at least one goal. The sixth & final tiebreaker is wins, which Hronork would win over Pretarljz, so even in a worst-case scenario for tiebreakers, the teams would still be split on sporting merit.

In the event that Hronork defeats Rekonsylat by exactly three goals & Pretarljz defeats Planarjz by exactly four, the three teams would be tied for Pug Xily’a’s final spot in the Champion’s League, with twenty-four points & a +2 goal difference apiece. Fortunately, the tiebreakers would resolve much more quickly in this case; despite splitting their series with Hronork, Pretarljz had won both their matches with Rekonsylat, so they would win the head-to-head points tiebreaker; Pretarljz would take Pug Xily’a’s second Champions’ Cup spot with nine head-to-head points, Hronork would be just behind them but in the Challengers’ Cup with six head-to-head points, & Rekonsylat would be mired in fourth with three head-to-head points.

Meanwhile, Horiztifutar’s situation is much simpler than those of the teams above it. It will be playing in the Challengers’ Cup. Whether the team takes third, fourth, or fifth in the league is up in the air, though they cannot advance any higher than fifth without a win against Qavazujzy. Should that be the case, due to superior goal difference, Horiztifutar would take fourth in the league if either Hronork or Pretarljz fail to win their respective matches, & Horiztifutar would take third if neither Hronork nor Pretarljz win.

Meanwhile, the situation is even simpler further down the table. Yunyan, Takomokat, & Planarjz have been eliminated. Yunyan could slip down to seventh with a loss to Takomokat of at least three goals, but will remain sixth otherwise. Planarjz would move to seventh with a win over Pretarljz if Takomokat fails to defeat Yunyan. Takomokat could finish in either sixth, seventh, or eighth. Overall, though, these three teams have only two remaining routes to international competition: the Cup Winners’ Cup, through Puk uni·q, or the Vilitan Cove Invitational, through the Fair Play Table.

The top of the Fair Play Table looks just as the top of the regular table does: Qavazujzy are leading. Of course, they will be headed to the Champions’ League, so even if they do win the Fair Play Award, their Vilitan Cove Invitational nomination will be vacated, in favour of either Yunyan, Takomokat, or Planarjz. Of those three, Yunyan is head-&-shoulders above the rest; so long as they do not rack up three disciplinary points on the final matchday, they will receive a provisional nomination, pending puk uni·q results. If they were to win the cup, & qualify for the Cup Winners’ Cup – or if they were to throw away their best shot at international competition with a particularly nasty & ill-tempered showing – Planarjz would likely be the beneficiaries; Takomokat is far behind in last on the Fair Play Table.

Fifteen players have scored at least five goals over the course of the league’s first thirteen matchdays, & seven of those have scored at least six. However, only three have scored any more – & barring a record-shatting final day performance, one of those three will claim the Golden Boot.

Yunyan striker Hynym-Nirlo Alt has scored nine times & would require a hat trick to tie for the lead, but they will play Takomokat, which has not had a strong defence this year. Hronork striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol is one of two players to have scored double digits in Pug Xily’a, despite being held scoreless until Matchday Five. Rekonsylat has been inconsistent, at times, at the back, but they will be playing for a spot in the Champions’ League, so they will be a tough team to score a brace against. Finally, the Golden Boot race is led by Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max; having scored twelve goals this season, they are the prohibitive favourites to win the award, even if they fail to score against Planarjz’s miserly defence.

Though thirty-three players have been named Player of the Match at some point this season, only eleven have scooped the gong on multiple occasions. Seven have been named Player of the Match at least three times this season, but only Hronork striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol has been given the honours four times this season: in Kita-Hinode, Qasden, Vilita, & Eastfield Lodge.

Finally, Matchday Thirteen saw Lienke Vesper receive her first Manager of the Matchday honours of the season; with one matchday remaining, only Planarjz player-manager Landen Smoker, whose team has not lost by more than one but has also not won all season long, has not received the award at some point this season. Vralx-Ucyxi Lec & Lucex-Kynda Uzo have received the award twice this season, for Takomokat & Horiztifutar, respectively, while Ucyxi-Slokt Eva & Yelto-Alfan Ono, of Pretarljz & Qavazujzy, respectively, have been given the honours three times each.

With thirteen matchdays in the books, only one remains; Pug Xily’a will conclude in Nephara.

Pug Xily'a in Darmen: Matchday Thirteen
KFQ Horiztifutar 1–3 KFQ Rekonsylat
KFQ Pretarljz 0–0 KFQ Qavazujzy
KFQ Yunyan 0–0 KFQ Planarjz
KFQ Hronork 1–0 KFQ Takomokat

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Qavazujzy          13    8   3   2    26   12  +14    27   IFCF Champions’ League
2 KFQ Rekonsylat         13    7   3   3    24   19   +5    24   IFCF
3 KFQ Hronork            13    7   0   6    26   27   -1    21   IFCF
4 KFQ Pretarljz          13    6   3   4    23   25   -2    21   IFCF
5 KFQ Horiztifutar       13    5   4   4    33   25   +8    19   IFCF Challengers’ Cup
6 KFQ Yunyan             13    3   4   6    18   25   −7    13
7 KFQ Takomokat          13    3   1   9    11   23  −12    10
8 KFQ Planarjz           13    0   8   5    10   15   −5     8

---

Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII.

Chapter XXIII.

“Forty-three is not for me! Forty-three is not for me!”

“What are you watching, love?” Ilinx-Kepex Zev had just woken up & was coming in from the bedroom. Their partner simply pointed at the screen.

“Oh, Margaret.”

Zev was in Equestria for World Cup 83, but the broadcast showed scenes of streets in chaos in Qusmo. “They held a vote, but they didn’t let any of the cameras in. We don’t know what’s going on. But it’s bad. It’s really bad.”

Zev put their arms around Xlo to lend them a physical sense of support. “How do you know?”

“They wouldn’t be holing up behind closed doors, without any cameras, if it was a wonderful bill that they were oh-so-proud of.”

The television suddenly announced, “Qusmo’s embattled Leader of the Opposition, Jralv-Zorno Jok, seems to have fled the country from a private airfield outside the capital, Qanz, on a jet that a very recently-filed flight plan says is destined for C.M. Regimbault International Airport in Montréal, in the Royal Kingdom of Québec.”

Zev pulled Xlo closer. For the first time they could remember, they were truly scared. “Xlo, whatever happens, I just want you to know that I love you.”

Zev & Xlo saw their country die on a television screen from a hotel suite in Equestria.

[Qusmo]

Pug Xily’a has come to an end, & a champion has been crowned.

Surprisingly, Qusmo’s national team had never played in or against Nephara. Qusma football had deep connections to the regional power, though. Every year Pug Qusmyra allowed foreigners to play, far & away the most came from Nephara – including many of the best foreigners to ever ply their trade in Qusmo. Tasha Avery, Swanhilda Berisha, Lienke Vesper: they all came to Qusmo when it was just another footballing nation on the rise, & they all chose to continue to give to Qusmo when it needed it most.

For players such as these, Pug Qusmyra represented the end of a career. But for former players like Vesper, or her former club & country teammate Scylla Vyntra, Pug Xily’a represented a beginning of a new stage in life, too. The two were legends in their home nation of Nephara & for their former club of AFC Treason, & they had won Nephara’s only World Cup together. Now, they teamed up again – but this time, they were on the touchline, as manager & assistant. Their playing days were over, but they kept their relationship with the sport they loved alive.

It was fitting, then, that Nephara was the site of Pug Xily’a’s final matchday. Matchday Fourteen, in many ways, is an end for the teams, players, &, indeed, coaches who made it possible. Still, however, its organizers hope that it is just the beginning – for a brighter future for Qusmo.

The matchday was marked by two sets of simultaneous kickoffs. Although Pug Xily’a had only been able to secure the services of two stadia, they did their best to emulate the Nepharim Premiership’s use of simultaneous kickoffs on that league’s final matchday. After all, as the Plough Islander saying went, when in Nephara, do as the Nepharim do.

Tuesday brought KFQ Takomokat & KFQ Yunyan at Swolefens in Stahlburg & KFQ Planarjz & KFQ Pretarljz at Cygnet Street in East Treason. It also brought plenty of goals. Neither Takomokat nor Yunyan really had anything to play for, although Yunyan could guarantee itself a provisional nomination for the Vilitan Cove Invitational as long as it did not commit too many reckless fouls. Pretarljz, on the other hand, had a faint chance of qualifying for the Champions’ League, while Planarjz were last & had not won a match all season long.

As it was, even though it wouldn’t mean anything but for pride, Takomokat & Yunyan pitched a hard-fought battle for sixth place. Even though Yunyan could have jeopardized their VCI spot if they were a bit too aggressive, they held the line between competitive & cautioned. Although they lost four-three to Takomokat, they remained in sixth place on the table & in VCI position on the fair play table – & with the win, Takomokat guaranteed that it would finish seventh, behind Yunyan on goal difference alone.

Meanwhile, Pretarljz absolutely tore apart Planarjz, five-one. Though Planarjz went the entire season without a single win, the team had never been beaten by more than a single goal – until the very last matchday of the season, when they were at the ugly end of a rout. Planarjz was consigned to last place, & Pretarljz made a strong play for a better Challengers’ Cup entry spot – or possibly even a place in the Champions’ Cup.

The following day was the real show, however. Pretarljz had cast its lot in the IFCF race, & now the league’s four other IFCF qualifiers would play for the league title, the Champions’ League, a better Challengers’ Cup entry position, or some combination thereof. At Swolefens, KFQ Qavazujzy played KFQ Horiztifutar with the title hanging in the balance, ready for them to seize; at Cygnet Street, KFQ Rekonsylat played KFQ Hronork, as AFC Treason club hero Lienke Vesper & Scylla Vylla, the face of Nephara’s World Cup victory, came to East Treason with a Champions’ Cup spot on the line in their first season of management.

Notably, the three-team tiebreak scenario was in play with Pretarljz’s four-goal thumping of Planarjz. If Hronork defeated Rekonsylat by the same margin, or an even greater tally, Hronork would be through to the Champions’ Cup. If Rekonsylat could nick a point, or even lose by no more than two, Rekonsylat would qualify for the Champions’ Cup. If Hronork defeated Rekonsylat by exactly three, however, Pretarljz would be the lucky team through to the Champions’ Cup, based on their strength in that three-way tiebreaker. Qavazujzy’s path to the league title was easier to figure out; as long as they didn’t collapse against Hronork & Rekonsylat didn’t rout Horiztifutar, they would hoist the trophy.

In the end, both Rekonsylat & Qavazujzy made sure that their objectives were met, without any drama. Rekonsylat held Hronork at bay, despite again struggling with a powerful attack, & secured their place in the premier competition in the Multiverse with a four-two victory. Qavazujzy, meanwhile, dealt admirably with Horiztifutar & Golden Boot leader Paliv-Xilit Max to win three-one, thereby winning Pug Xily’a.

As a result of the matches in Nephara, & the fifty-two matches before, Yunyan will be nominated to the Vilitan Cove Invitational, unless they win puk uni·q, in which case their nomination will be reassigned to Planarjz. Horiztifutar, Hronork, & Pretarljz will play IFCF football, with Pretarljz getting the best entry point among Qusma teams in the Challengers’ Cup. Rekonsylat, the successor of KF Qastyr, the only club to represent Qusmo in the UICA Champions’ Cup & back-to-back Champions’ Cup quarterfinalists in the final two years of both UICA’s & Pug Qusmyra’s existence, will get to play in that tournament’s successor, the IFCF Champions’ League. &, finally, Qavazujzy – the club named champions – have lived up to their billing, taking the Pug Xily’a trophy & advancing to both the Champions’ League & the Copa de Campeones.

Pug Xily’a has now finished – but the fight for a better Qusmo has only just begun.

Pug Xily'a in Nephara: Matchday Fourteen
KFQ Rekonsylat 4–2 KFQ Hronork
KFQ Takomokat 4–3 KFQ Yunyan
KFQ Planarjz 1–5 KFQ Pretarljz
KFQ Qavazujzy 3–1 KFQ Horiztifutar

  Pug Xily'a            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
1 KFQ Qavazujzy          14    9   3   2    29   13  +16    30   Pug Xily’a Champions; IFCF Champions’ League & Rushmori Copa de Campeones
2 KFQ Rekonsylat         14    8   3   3    28   21   +7    27   IFCF Champions’ League
3 KFQ Pretarljz          14    7   3   4    28   26   +2    24   IFCF Challengers’ Cup
4 KFQ Hronork            14    7   0   7    28   31   -3    21   IFCF Challengers’ Cup
5 KFQ Horiztifutar       14    5   4   5    34   28   +6    19   IFCF Challengers’ Cup
6 KFQ Yunyan             14    3   4   7    21   29   −8    13
7 KFQ Takomokat          14    4   1   9    15   26  −11    13
8 KFQ Planarjz           14    0   8   6    11   20   −9     8

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Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII.

Chapter XXIV.

“We demand fair representation in Qusejzym! We demand accountability in government! We demand integrity in our public officials! We demand that the rule of law rule the rulers themselves!”

The crowd on television cheered. The camera panned out. Thousands of people were gathered in the streets. Maybe even tens of thousands. Qusmo had never seen anything like this.

“This government is corrupt, it is flouting our laws, it is disregarding our constitution, & it is antithetically misaligned with the will of the people, & it must go now!”

The television crew zoomed in to focus on the speaker. It was Rilan-Jerat Nev. Their hand was proudly, defiantly raised to the sky.

“No one can sit idly by as this government turns this country into a disgrace! I love this nation, & I’m willing to do anything for it. I have remained silent for too long; no more!”

The broadcast switched cameras to catch the reactions of the soldiers who formed a line in front of the Qusejzym building.

“No more do we allow our government to stoke division, to foster fear, to incite hatred! No more!”

A voice shouted through a bullhorn. The station’s microphones didn’t pick up exactly what was said.

“Today, we say enough is enough!”

The crowd murmured amongst themselves. Something big had just happened. Something had changed.

“We say, ‘Down with this government!’”

Viewers could just make out the words “final warning.”

“The blood of Qusmo is on your hands, not ours! & we shall shed ours before we become complacent!”

Only one more word was discernible before the cameras captured utter chaos. Only one more word was discernible before the nation of Qusmo saw for themselves what it meant to suffer. Only one more word was discernible before Xlo collapsed into their partner’s arms. Only one more word was discernible before Zev screamed. Only one more word was discernible before the tragedy unfolded, live, on the television screen.

“Fire.”

[Qusmo]

Eight teams arrived in Omerica, but only one would win Puk uni·q – & at least one would never play again.

After the conclusion of Pug Xily’a, teams were ranked based on their league performance & seeded into the bracket for Puk uni·q. It was to be a single-leg, single-elimination seeded knockout tournament, & the winner of three matches would be crowned champions of Qusmo’s cup & would represent the country in the Cup Winners’ Cup.

Qusmo was playing in Omerica, with which it had quite a bit of footballing history. Most of it was good for Qusmo. Qusmo’s national team had played Omerica three times: twice in World Cup 80 Qualifying, once more in the Cup of Harmony 72 group stage, & one more time in a friendly. Each time, Qusmo won: three-one, one-nil, two-nil, & one-nil again, respectively. The rivalry got so lopsided that one foreign satire publication, called The Beet, published a piece saying that Qusmo had triggered a clause in Omerica’s constitution awarding it control of one of its constituent republics – & it was credible enough that it sparked a crisis in Omerica after a Qusmi actually arrived to collect. Unfortunately for the teams involved, only one would be able to replicate their national team’s sterling record in Omerica.

Both halves of the bracket pitted a Champions’ Cup qualifier against one of the two teams not guaranteed of at least a nomination for international competition in one of its quarter·finals & two teams destined for lesser international competitions in its other. Arena la Rouge, commonly known to locals as the Crown Jewel, was the temple of Omerican football. That venue in Port-Alexandre would get the premier fixtures of the first two rounds of the cup. There was clearly a gulf in class between the league’s top five & their bottom three, & Port-Alexandre would play host to three of Pug Xily’a’s five IFCF qualifiers, including the league champions. Not to mention, it would play host to four of the five Pug Xily’a teams which were phoenix clubs of former Pug Qusmyra sides. The other quarter·final & semi·final fixtures would be played in Port-des-Saints, at the RS Amphitheatre. It was where Omerica first hosted Qusmo, on the final matchday of World Cup 80 Qualifying.

The first quarterfinal pitted league champions KFQ Qavazujzy against wooden spoon winners KFQ Planarjz. Planarjz massively underperformed all season long, as they were expected to challenge for an IFCF place, but instead, they failed to win a single match all year long. Somewhat bizarrely, a majority of their matches ended in draws, & a majority of those were scoreless draws – five out of the fourteen total. Still, they never lost a single match by more than a single goal all season long – until the final matchday, when they had nothing left to play for. However, Qavazujzy had just celebrated a league title, powered in large part by its defence, which conceded only thirteen goals in fourteen matches. Planarjz wasn’t too bad in that department, either; surprisingly, this quarterfinal – between the best & worst finishers in the league – featured both of the only two teams in the league that had conceded an average of less than three goals every two matches. Qavazujzy was playing for a league-cup double in the only year of either’s existence; Planarjz was simply playing to keep playing, as they would cease operations at the end of the cup, unless either they or Yunyan managed to win it.

The second quarterfinal matched league runners-up KFQ Rekonsylat against KFQ Takomokat, the team that had finished last in the fair play table & second-last in the regular table. In some ways, Takomokat was in even more dire straits than Planarjz was; while Planarjz was second in the fair play table among non-IFCF teams, which meant that, despite not winning a single match all season long, they could still win a nomination to the Vilitan Cove Invitational if Yunyan won the cup, Takomokat would have to defeat Rekonsylat, then either Pretarljz or Yunyan, & finally whoever emerged from Port-Alexandre to play internationally. Takomokat knew that it would be wound up the next time it lost. Rekonsylat, on the other hand, was a successful club that had succeeded an even more successful club. KFQ Qastyr had won at least one trophy every year it played, & four in a total of three seasons; they had even competed in the quarterfinals of both of the last two UICA Champions’ Cups that were ever played. Rekonsylat, their phoenix club, was destined for the successor tournament – the IFCF Champions’ Cup – but they lacked a trophy. Puk uni·q was their chance.

The third quarterfinal paired KFQ Hronork against KFQ Horiztifutar. In many ways, the two teams were similar; both were headed for the Challengers’ Cup, & both were going there based on the strength of a formidable attack, & particularly a formidable forward. Horiztifutar poacher Paliv-Xilit Max & Hronork striker Xilit-Zaxac Yol were the two highest scorers in Pug Xily’a, as well as the two highest scorers in the history of the Qusma national team. Any match between the two was sure to turn out to be high-energy, high-octane, & high-scoring. In short, the fans in Port-Alexandre were in for a treat. Hronork, in particular, had some history at stake in Omerica. They were the successor club of KF Poldanz, which had won all three editions of Puk Zala, the three-hundred-twenty-team association cup run in the Pug Qusmyra era. No other team had ever represented Qusmo in the Cup Winners’ Cup, & Hronork intended to keep it that way – while Horiztifutar & six other teams had other ideas.

The final quarterfinal set Challengers’ Cup qualifiers KFQ Pretarljz against Vilitan Cove Invitational provisional nominees KFQ Yunyan. These two teams had been somewhat surprising, but none more so than Pretarljz. Pretarljz was the team with the best odds of being awarded the wooden spoon at the start of the season. It had no history, no identity, & no hope. Now, it stands as the third-placed team in the league after the conclusion of the full season, & it will be Qusmo’s flagship representative in its first Challengers’ Cup. Meanwhile, Yunyan has a provisional nomination to the Vilitan Cove Invitational, & its predecessor, KF Voraxan, had played in that tournament twice before. The first year it was eligible for entry to Puk Zama, as a newly-promoted third-division side, it won the invitational cup & the Vilitan Cove Invitational nomination with it – & the next year it was eligible for entry, as defending champions, it defended its title. It never got the chance to attempt a second title defence. Yunyan was doubted all season long for being very different from any other team in the league; in fact, not a single player on its roster – which included precisely zero reserves, with the plan being to ask spectators in the stands if they suffered any injuries – had ever played in a top flight match, or even a second-division match. However, they had proved the doubters wrong & finished a respectable sixth – & now, they were back in the knockout setting they loved.

May the best team win – & congratulations to all, for a marvelous season of Pug Xily’a & Puk uni·q.

Puk uni·q Quarter·finals
KFQ Qavazujzy 0–0 KFQ Planarjz (1–1 AET) (7–8 pen.)
KFQ Hronork 1–2 KFQ Horiztifutar
KFQ Rekonsylat 1–0 KFQ Takomokat
KFQ Pretarljz 1–0 KFQ Yunyan

Puk uni·q Semi·finals
KFQ Planarjz 0–1 KFQ Horiztifutar
KFQ Rekonsylat 4–0 KFQ Pretarljz

Puk uni·q Puk·final
KFQ Horiztifutar 4–2 KFQ Rekonsylat

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Disclaimer.

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX. XXI. XXII. XXIII. XXIV.

Chapter XXV.

A table, strewn with documents. Beside it, a chair, empty, still swiveling from its last occupant. The sound of footsteps, running. Outside, a hum, steadily louder. A rumble. Heavy vehicles passing by. Above the table, on the wall, a television – still on, though no one was watching.

Spony Luq Television. How Qusmo could qualify for the knockouts. Analysis of Eura’s formation, players, tactics, history. A match prediction.

Then, it all changed.

Voices. Growing louder. A shout. A gunshot. A scream.

The host was gone. A figure emerged on screen. A figure in a military uniform.

“Today, I address myself to you as a soldier & the head of the Qusma government.”

Outside, yelling. Shouting. Unadulterated rage.

“Our homeland is at the edge of an abyss.”

Louder. More voices. Desperation.

“The achievements of countless generations & the Qusma home, built up from the dust, are about to dissolve into ruins.”

The precipice.

“I declare that, today, the Military Council of National Salvation has been formed.”

No Qusma would ever forget.

“& that, today, the Military Council of National Salvation has imposed martial law across the entire country.”

No Qusma could ever forget the horrors of that day.

“A time of trials has arrived.”

The smell of smoke, wafting through the air. Subtle at first, but slowly stronger. Flames. Engulfing. Destroying. Consuming, indiscriminately.

“We must weather them, to prove that we are worthy of Qusmo.”

Voices. Growing louder. A shout. Gunshots.

“This is the only way to bring the country out of the crisis & to save the nation from collapse.”

Screams.

“My fellow citizens, Qusmo shall never perish, so long as we shall live.”

& sirens. Horrible, horrible sirens, wailing throughout the city, howling throughout every city, piercing the night air.

Sirens that would not stop.

Sirens that would never stop.