World Cup 86: Roleplay Thread

by **Krytenia** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 2:24 pm

Super Calvinists Go Ballistic, Kryties Are Atrocious
By Rami Niblick in Glaskopolis, Rangers

JUST when you think it can't go any lower for the Dragons, they break the world limbo record. OK, so the defeat to Starblaydia, whilst painful to the psyche, was at least understandable, but this? This was inexcusable. Krytenia dominated a game, failed to make the most of their chances, and paid the price.

Krytenia seemed to have their opponents' number in the early running. Certainly, Cormac O'Neill was enjoying pulling the strings in the middle of the park. The problem was that the Gers, off the ball, were happy to sit a couple of extra men behind it. Alun Belmwr and Apollo Peters were simply smothered into submission, whilst Neil Smith found himself withdrawn and running out of options.

That's not to say Rangers were willing to sit on their laurels. They were looking for the sucker punch, drawing the sky blue and white shirts forward to exploit the gaps left behind. The advancement upfield of Joshua Kelnic and Oliver Alexander left space to be exploited, and a quick-thinking Konor Aurisorikis clearance released Boronis Baranasikis to cut inside James Aitken and flash the ball past Damien Carpenter.

This should have been the wake-up call that Krytenia needed, but they continued to bang their head against a blue wall, content to try and pass the ball in when that tactic clearly wasn't working. A clearly frustrated Smith was reduced to long shots, few of which gave Alanis Gregorikis any cause for concern.

The second half pretty much carried on where the first finished, the one exception being the replacement of Smith with Alex Parsons. It made little difference, as Rangers continued to get men behind the ball and stifle the Krytenian attack. Once again, the sucker punch came, this time Flora Helanderikis and Iani Hagiriakis combining to move the ball quickly upfield, Hagirakis lofting a ball over the defence for Yanis Kentis to drive home on the half-volley.

Finally forced to chase the game, Krytenia poured forward in numbers, hoping to force a defensive mistake. Helanderikis' slip allowed Belmwr in for the tenacious teenager to pull one back, but it was all in vain as the Dragons' profligacy got the better of them, failing to create an equaliser.

There can be no more slip-ups in a campaign which has been as up and down as a Nethertopian dance number. Krytenia need to start being ruthless against lesser opposition, and that has to start against Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom. Onward!

RANGERS FC - 2
Baranasikis 24
Kentis 68

KRYTENIA - 1
Belmwr 78

by **Mattijana** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 2:59 pm

Disparity Between Home and Away Form "Mystifying", but Mattijana go Second in Group

MFO SPORT

This is not a drill. I repeat: this is not a drill.

Mattijana currently sit second in World Cup qualifying group 16. They have beaten 2 out of 3 of their qualifying rivals, including the two teams ranked higher than them, and regardless of the result in their upcoming game against Starblaydia, will have won more games than ever before at the halfway stage of a qualifying cycle.
A 1-0 away win against Darmen was the marmot's fifth from eight matches and came in a crucial six-pointer that even at this relatively early stage, could be decisive in deciding the team's fate at the end of another long 18-match cycle. Zala Stefanidi has put together the best defensive setup in the group, conceding just five goals so far, including four clean sheets.

Disappointing results against Saltstead and Sulsuland aside, they have also done a decent job against the minnows, taking 10 points from the 15 available. There is one thing bugging fans, pundits and management alike though, and that's the huge difference between Mattijana's home and away form.

Usually the ratio is about 60-40 in favour of points won at home. Sometimes a team makes their home stadium a fortress and wins a bigger majority in their own backyard. Sometimes it's closer to 50-50. Very rarely though, does a team have a big majority in the other direction.

That team is Mattijana. They have won 12 points away and just 4 points at home - meaning 75% of their points have been won outside of Mattijana. Normally when there's a difference like that, the fixture list is to blame, but Mattijana's home fixtures have been against Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalison, Saltstead and Sulsuland. Away from home, they have faced Rangers FC, Krytenia, Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom, the Jovannic and Darmen.

Ok, so the fixture list is partly to blame in that Mattijana have had only 3 home games and 5 away games so far, but lets look at this from a different perspective. The marmots have dropped 3 points from their away games and 5 from their home games, despite having more opportunities to drop points on the road. Given their next home tie is against group leaders and favourites Starblaydia, that ratio doesn't look like improving.

Stefanidi herself was at odds to explain the difference when it was brought up at the press conference ahead of the upcoming qualifiers against Starblaydia and Rangers FC. She described it as "mystifying", but was keen to point out it wasn't anything to do with the support of Marmots fans, who have still been out in force to support their side despite poorer home form. The Mattijanan head coach also said she was sure the team's fortunes at home would correct themself, which with the majority of the team's matches from now on being in their own country, is something that probably needs to happen.

A number of theories have been floated as to why Mattijana have been so good on their travels and less good on home turf. One is that the move to a more defensive, counter-attacking style has suited the stereotypical away strategy of sitting back and hitting the home team on the break. That seems to suit the compact defence and pacey attack of this Mattijanan side, but when Stefanidi's side have been expected to take control of the game, they have themselves looked vulnerable to a sucker-punch. Of course the outlier is the 2-5 win against Krytenia, when Mattijana had one of those elusive days where they looked genuinely world class, but in general, the theory fits.
Another idea is that the free-hit attitude applied to this qualifying cycle by Stefanidi has led to less pressure, more calculated risk-taking, and those risks ultimately paying off whilst opponents such as Krytenia and Darmen struggle with the expectation of being up around the qualifying places.

Of course it might just be down to our good friend statistical fluke. Let's not write that off.

With the potential prize of World Cup qualification on the line, and just four points separating 2nd down to 5th, all of Mattijana's games between now and the end of the cycle are vital. Their next two feel especially important however. Get something out of the Starblaydia game on Friday night in Burges, before beating Rangers in Revinka four days later, and the Marmots might even be dreaming of automatic qualification. If they register the expected defeat against the 10th seeds, before slipping up against the 'gers and they are back in the midfield mire.

First-choice right-back Kevin Krychowiak is back in after recovering from his ankle injury whilst Katija Burnisovic has also recovered from a hamstring strain picked up against Darmen. Zala Stefanidi is expected to pick the pace of Sofiane Bisrali over the trickery of Sophia Velezia for the Starblaydia game, with Velezia returning against Rangers.

Mattijana vs Starblaydia
Stadijo Nasinal, Burges. 19:45 Kick Off (Mattijanan Time)

Mattijanan XI: Lucija Handanovic, Kevin Krychowiak, Katija Burnisovic (C), Rikard Illicic, Helena Neumann, Sofiane Bisrali, Katarina Jakupovic, Marko Hojbjerg, Mattias Hoffman, Jessika Struna, Kara Lorenzic.
Bench: Matej Handanovic, Ana Sevastova, Dominik Illisevic, Sophia Velezia, Juliana Kjoffman, Daniella Alaba, Jasmina Kovac.

Mattijana vs Rangers FC
Stadijo Katarina Zafarova, Revinka. 19:45 Kick Off (Mattijanan Time)

Mattijanan XI: Lucija Handanovic, Dominik Illisevic, Katija Burnisovic, Rikard Illicic, Lara Ljunavic, Sophia Velezia, Katarina Jakupovic, Juliana Kjoffman, Marko Hojbjerg, Jessika Struna, Kara Lorenzic

Bench: Matej Handanovic, Helena Neumann, Ana Sevastova, Sofiane Bisrali, Mattias Hoffman, Matej Jokic, Jasmina Kovac

by **Taeshan** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 4:16 pm

"How would you say you've dealt with disappointments like this before in your life"?

"I mean sometimes I have dealt with things better than others. Obviously death is hard to handle, I think this is the second huge time it has happened in my life, so maybe it was easier in some ways, but harder in others. Death is never easy."

"What about the small disappointments? Rejection, missed call-ups, smaller transfer fees. I often wonder what as a rich person, can really be a disappointment"?

"I think it definitely is hard to quantify disappointment for a centurion on a relatively successful national team in any sport. I've played in the Olympics, played in a World Cup. But there will always be moments I didn't reach for the glory, or succeed. There were disappointments for me."

"What was your biggest disappointment"?

"I think as a country, we had a hope in a 5 year plan to host many sporting events, the gem would of course have been World Cup 86, but we were looking at a Copa Rushmori, a Champions' Cup final, a World Bowl, a World Cup including likely the final, and a World Volleyball Expo. The only thing we ended up getting was the last one. I think that was a real, hard time for us."

"But that represents your country, not you doesn't it"?

"I mean sure, but I still wanted to play at home in the World Cup. Feel the fans cheering me on in the Coliseum, in MT Ceabring, have Purple and Gold be the main color. It would have been legendary. I think continuously being said that we were not good enough for people...That was really hard, because while Taeshan is the country, we are all Taeshan to."

"So how did you respond"?

"I think I had a rough qualifying campaign. I think the social factors of the push of my country, which always was a lot, became to much. We weren't good enough really in qualifying. We didn't want it as much, and that was seen on the field."

"I mean that is fair, we can attribute that to the external pressure, the external push of the fans, of other countries deciding other hosts were more fit for the Cups, or right at the time."

"Sure, but I think we felt so much pressure to perform to push ourselves...Our country was let down by not having the chance to show ourselves off, to be the shining beacon during those tournaments, but we still had a chance to show off."

"Do you think it is fair to blame an 18-year-old for how good he played during a World Cup qualifying campaign"?

"No, but thats...."

"So why do you"?

"I always expect better of myself. I think I want to be the best, but it is hard to admit that you are not the best, and maybe you never will be or never were."

"Do you think you'll ever feel like you are good enough? That you don't need to be the best."

"No."

by **Geektopia** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 4:25 pm

Geektivities
*Be cool, be woke.
Reports done by Rodakowski, our new Sports categorist. Alongside him as an editor is Carrube.

The Lads dial in their height and weight for Body Mass Indexes after bittersweet game against Kelssek

Dingledine
"Alright, lads, you know what time it is. It's the time to cave into pressures from our country's fans and legitimately listen to their wanting of us to measure our bodies and compare them to Kelssek's own roster. Those morons as was reported and seen by Kelsseks media as well as our own eyes ate our Matchday Munchables™ and stole the lunch box that accompanied it, so you know we had to do it to 'em. Also not seen on the official match report were the destruction of our NS Keep-At-Home Trading Cards like the ultimately rare and super stupefyingly awesome Mint Edition Sunset collectible that has an end value of 0.005 cryptos, so you know we really had to do it to 'em. Additionally, the GFF as a federation told me that when worse comes to worse in terms of national relations, I could always pull out the BMI comparisons.

Kwasney, as our starting goalkeeper you get to go first. Tell me your weight and height, not specifically in that order and I'll calculate the rest."

Kwasney
"Uhhhhhmmmmmm, as stated on the websitemhhhm, i've been measured to be likemmmhhhmm uhhhh one hundred and seventy five pounds as well asmmmhh uh seven feet and ten inches. Doesmmhh age have anything to do with thishere mmmmhh measuremen-"

Dingledine
"Alright, Kwas, your Body Mass Index I've calculated to be 13.9 which falls in the underweight categorem, which isn't actually categorematically what that word means."

Kwasney
"Aw, shucksmmhh boss, do you think you'remmmh seeing things from a Kelssek point of viewmmh?"

Dingledine
"No, not at all, Kwasney, that was the BMI. I don't know how any one of the opposing players managed to do it when you're more than two and a half yards tall, but they managed to find your dungarees and suspended you in the air so that you couldn't be in a goalkeeping position. Well, actually, it was one person, Champetier, I think he stated something about your grandmother and her gender being extinct from the country, the guy had read up on these things, and you had the right to be intrigued and pissed off, but you couldn't be pissed off directly at him with him having known it because all he would've heard is "MMMMMHMHHH, I'mhhhmh pisssedmmhmhm offfhmhmhm andmdmh reallymmmhm dissapointedmmmh inghmhmh yoummhm!" and on top of that he wouldn't have wanted to hear the rest of it because he would've already have known you'd have had that type of Dysarthria from two seconds listening."

Kwasney
"Bossmmh, I love yoummmgh! Givemm me some sugarmmhn!"

Dingledine
"Quit playing around! Now, let's compare you with the Kelsseks goalkeeper. Name is Kai Poirier, height and weight is.. aw, screw, looks like the website didn't reveal their so-called "athletes" height and weight. We can just label that as insecurity. Now, our opponents tomorrow, Oontaz!"

Everyone else
"NoooooOOOOOOO!"

Dingledine
"Szczer, you're allowed to play but I have some more dire news for you off the pitch. Since you've picked up on that libelous MyFace group created by the football player that gets all of the prom dates in their country called "Quit playing Fortenight Szczerbinski your embassring yourself", I know you've been crying in your bed since we've left Isleshore in our return trip to Kirkenes in Bully Country, which is why your asexual father sent an email to me to completely put you off of the net. "No more net for you, son" it says, and I've interpreted that as the word "internet" because of context clues that refer to the shortening of the word as "internet". He also told me to stock up on your "Lust Incorporated" magazines, as he knows you wish you could see a women more than all of us. No, really, that's what he wrote, and it was fifteen minutes after the Kelssek match, you can read it here."

Szczerbinski
"No thanks, Dingledine, I'll know my limitations from now on and heed as you've told me to."

Dingledine
"Ok, boys, on a lighter note, more BMI's! Let's get to it!"

Dingledine
"Just over half of us are fat jackasses, but if we really look at our performances in terms of ability and vision, you'll know that all twenty of you constitute and contribute to the forty-forth best international team in the multiverse. I want you to be the team that doesn't just win by distracting the opponent at hand with our sheer virginity and bring out the cold, calculated, Attacking Pass Formation that makes me look like more of a nerd by yourselves conjuring up my complex play for me! I know you can do it, and if you make this work, I'll yodel for you in celebration of doing the double over Oontaz, as you see from the group table, they are, have been, and will be punching above their weight."

Oberour Ar Moro 1-3 Greens
Goals: 54' (Rydelek | assist provided by Crete), 68' (Mathieux Helleu | assist provided by Taran Bele | Oberour Ar Moro), 78' (Barella | assist provided by Andreen), 80' (Barella | assist provided by Andreen)

PLAYER RATINGS
Gowartey | 7.0
Osorto | 7.0
Idstein | 7.0
Barella | 9.0
Crete | 7.5
Glowiak | 7.0
Andreen | 8.0
Sudlow | 7.0
Dolivo | 7.0
Picolet | 7.0
Rydelek | 8.0
Greens 3-3 Libonesia
Goals: 4' (Osorto | o.g. | Libonesia), 10' (Rydelek | assist provided by Idstein | Geektopia), 50' (Player 3 | assist provided by Player 5 | Libonesia), 59' (Sudlow | assist provided by Crete | Geektopia), 60' (Player 10 | assist provided by Player 5 | Libonesia), 74' (Glowiak | assist provided by Picolet | Geektopia)

PLAYER RATINGS
Gowartey | 6.5
Osorto | 5.5
Idstein | 7.0
Barella | 6.5
Crete | 7.0
Glowiak | 7.5
Andreen | 6.5
Sudlow | 7.5
Dolivo | 6.5
Picolet | 7.0
Rydelek | 7.5
Equestria 3-1 Greens
Goals: 11' (Player 2 | assist provided by Player 3 | Equestria), 50' (Sudlow | assist provided by Andreen | Geektopia), 51' (Player 10 | assist provided by Player 3 | Equestria), 81' (Player 10 | assist provided by Player 6 | Equestria)

PLAYER RATINGS
Gowartey | 6.0
Osorto | 6.0
Idstein | 6.0
Barella | 6.0
Crete | 6.0
Glowiak | 6.0
Andreen | 6.5
Sudlow | 7.0
Dolivo | 6.0
Picolet | 6.0
Rydelek | 6.0
Greens 2-1 Kelssek
Goals: 28' (Dolivo | assist provided by Osorto | Geektopia), 43' (Shaheen Taleb | assist provided by Colm Ó Tuathail | Kelssek), 59' (Sudlow | assist provided by Glowiak | Geektopia)

PLAYER RATINGS
Gowartey | 7.0
Osorto | 7.5
Idstein | 7.0
Barella | 7.0
Crete | 7.0
Glowiak | 7.5
Andreen | 7.0
Sudlow | 8.0
Dolivo | 8.0
Picolet | 7.0
Rydelek | 7.0

by **The Royal Kingdom of Quebec** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 7:36 pm

Auld Lang Syne

PART 7B-2 (24-2-1) - Season Finale - SECTION 2-Second Half

IS THIS EILEEN? IS THIS REALLY EILEEN?
SHOULD BE. WHO ELSE WOULD IT BE? YOU DON’T HAVE A COUSIN NAMED EILEEN.
...THAT I KNOW OF.
NOT THE POINT. STOP BEING SILLY RIGHT THERE.
IS THIS REALLY REALLY EILEEN THE GIRL WHO CAUGHT ME SKYDIVING INSIDE MY HEART?
YES, WHO ELSE DO YOU HAVE AS EILEEN AROUND YOUR LIFE SILLY? JUST GET BACK TO IT. STOP BEING SO HESITANT.
ALRIGHT ALRIGHT. LET’S GET BACK TO IT. GO TEXT HER.
WHAT?????
JUST DO IT. GODDAMNIT.
ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT.

He looked down to his cellphone, looked at the message again and typed a message. Phew. That was the only word that seeped into his mind, as he decided to browse an article or two to read while the boys were talking about something. Unfortunately, he got his response right away….

Eek, he thought to himself as he wondered what to do next. For one this was a good sign- maybe she wasn’t going to just ghost him. If anything, this was the very opposite situation. Still, Asher wasn’t sure on how to answer the situation that he’s currently in right now and barring some miracle, he would not be able to see her unless he ask his mum and dad to just go to a rural town in Southwestern Acadie…..which, while sounding like a solid idea, he wasn’t sure on how sellable it may be.

Anyhow, Asher decided to wait a day or two before even deciding on what to do with this number. Having turned off his phone, Asher went back to the conversation table, only to hear Theo talking about something. ‘Honestly though, Dr. Heo was a scary man. Never seen anybody who can get so furious for breaking the rules or streaking or shit. Don’t you think?’ Asher was listening to this, but could still care less about the situation. Now they were talking about something that he knew, but not in the right timing nor context.

‘No denial on that. It’s not so common to see a professor that is renowned and beloved by the Royal court, to send a letter of condemnation so that he could deny a certain professor, a vegan, from tenure at a major school!’ Ian added, smirking at how everybody seemed to underestimate the old man.

‘Is the one you talking about….THAT VEGAN PROF whom your brother Connor mentioned a while back on twitter, Ian?’ Theo asked, kind of getting the gist of what his West Coast friend was talking about.

‘Who else would it be?’ Ian shot back with no surprise. ‘You know Dr. Heo, like a good Que-be-cois, views veganism with disdain.’ The old man Heo may not use his legs effectively enough, especially after the car crash that ended his budding fencing career but also brought Maureen back to him, but everybody knew that did not deter him from words of fire and fury when asked. ‘Of course, the only sin committed by that very prof of concern was kicking Dr. Heo off the graduate journal board for ripping onto half the submissions for how they were juvenile and fucking unacceptable. They were Masters’ students back then, but who would have thought that’d lead into a condemnation letter using the Royal Society of Quebec seal…’

Asher was watching the very cynicism and the fire that coexisted in Ian Lautner, as he kept his mind occupied. He had known about this part for a while because Myeong-Yoon once jokingly mentioned this when they were chatting on a lunch table as freshmen, but since it came off so...casually from Myeong-Yoon, he kinda shrugged it off. To those outside of the circles, that’s one of the scariest things about the Quebecois- they never forget when they get insulted for no proper reason- but Asher simply gave no fucks about this.

Anyhow, Asher went back to drinking. All the six on the table (himself included) were now well drunk, and their mouths were quenched from the everlasting thirst. The grief was at least going to be temporary, but the memories derived from it were at least going to be permanent. That’s what they were looking for.

‘What a cruel man, who knew whom to love and hate...the strongest feelings he held…’ said Sarah Saint-Amant, her nose now as red as a Rudolph. ‘What did Mme. Turner do to deserve unconditional love from him…’

‘And he never regretted it all this time.’ Asher said, feeling like saying his final words into the topic. ‘Said he’d do this over and over again. To give everything up only to be with someone who left him hanging the first time. Only except that it worked the second time.’ He hoped this, now that he’s well drunk and distracted, would be enough for him to exit the conversation. He really did not want to keep falling into the loop no more- whether Dr. Heo, the loving father of two and faithful husband of Mme. Turner was cruel or fiery or whatever mattered little to him now. He just wished he would be in that country town outside the Saint John-Habpo Twin Cities right now.

PART 4/8 - Love In The Ice

What a shitshow of hundreds it was.

Asher Lundrigan isn't really a man of funerals. He’s never been, never intends to, nor hopes to become one in future. His life, since returning to the Quebecois soil, certainly gave him the comfortable cushion but also the lack of such experiences. Aside from not always seeing his father due to Mr. Lundrigan’s duties as a MP for six years, he had a fairly standard childhood growing up before going to Erskine. Given how some of his teammates and friends, especially those who were scouted way back in grade eight, did not necessarily have the common lifestyle or cultural code within their experience, he knew he was very lucky not to go through particular traumas.

Well, at least it’s over now.

At the funeral, it went as expected. There was a sea of people who wished to pay last respects to the deceased as the coffin was being placed underground. If anything, everybody was paying some kind of tribute forth to that summer of 2013 when, out of unexpectedness, it was Maureen Hunter who, upon hearing the news, came to him as he was recovering. The story, long famous in both the husband and the wife’s circles but not so much to the public, was a classic Quebecois love story. It was the one that was seemingly going to end in tragedy but did not. Since then, they had spent the next quarter-century together, from Kingston to Quebec City and then back to where they had first met in Cornwall, before ending up in Kingston. Like that, the trail brought people and they were there, all solemn and mourning.

Now, Asher Lundrigan stared at the tombstone that marked Mme. Turner’s name, her favourite quote and how she was parent of two and wife of one. He was feeling particularly solemn and quiet throughout the funeral, but his feet weren’t so fast in telling him to leave just yet. If anything, he was amazed with how massive the funeral crowd was for the interring of the late choreographer. Family friends, extended family members, fellow professors and dancers, fencing national team members. The list itself was quite endless and that’s something he partly longed for. He longed for the days when he, like with the Heo family’s case, would write enough of his own stories, of his life that’d be more than whatever the fuck that was right now. He dreamed of eventually getting out of here, moving to somewhere bigger, and maybe hope for the best.

‘Well at least we’re through.’ As the low, deep voice brought him out of the daze, Asher turned around only to see Myeong-Shin, the other half of the Battery of Love, standing before him. ‘Though it’s not over yet.’

‘Myeong-Shin, my apologies once again.’ said Asher, trying to remind himself of his part in the situation. It may have been unnecessary but he at least wanted to be clear on it. ‘Should’ve known my place better and told you.

‘Asher, I’m not concerned one bit about it. If anything, I have a matter that concerns you, not me, as of right now.’ Myeong-Shin said, with a particular eloquence of his father, the professor. The comment caught Asher right on the spot. Even though they had been playing together for long enough, they rarely pushed one another into a decision that likely involves personal sentiments. Sure, Myeong-Shin did give Asher tips on picking up girls from time to time, but he trusted Asher enough to not really create artificial situations out of blue, while Asher was never concerned with how ‘stable’ and ‘perfect’ Myeong Shin-Naomi relationship was. Still, their door to intervene and help was always open and this just had to happen now.

‘Alright, le capitaine,’ Asher nodded, seeing the level of trust between the two. ‘So...what is it?’

‘I know you wanted to send her your love, memories remain.’ Myeong-Shin said, trying to stay somewhat oblivious. ‘And I know you wanted to send it to her, but didn’t get to do so.’

But...the letter was still in my bag in the morning. He questioned on the inside, as he felt both scared and exhilarated at the same time. Does this mean that he had known all along?

‘Yes….but why this now? This is not the right time for this.’ Asher questioned, still bewildered at what’s going on.

‘Because I have a present for you,’ Myeong-Shin smiled, as he brought out a small card which Asher assumed had something to do with Quebecois National Railways given their respective shape. ‘QNR year pass, effective today.’ Myeong-Shin handed Asher the rail pass, which he reluctantly opened. ‘You have to go now. I have let your parents know that you have an important...mission to attend at Saint-John-Upon-Battersea.’

He then continued with simple instructions that would be best described as the proper application of the imperative case, though not in his ideal language of choice. Since the English imperatives, for one, lacked such distinctions and pronunciations for that, he instructed Asher in Korean. ‘Make sure to catch the 6pm MACH at Songjeong station, not Union. Then, once you get off, you’ll probably have about an hour between Windsor and King’s Cross. Make sure to catch the right train that should wake you up for 5am arrival, or else you’ll be arriving at Saint John Central around 1am.’ He commented.

‘But why...why are you doing this for me?’ Asher asked, as he still found himself in bewilderment over all this. There were many questions that emerged as he unsuccessfully tried to organise the latest bits of information. Was he the one who sent a copy of it, and somehow found where Eileen was staying? Heck, who is Eileen even? Why is she…why is he... ‘Just why? The mail...’ he blurted out.

Myeong-Shin briefly sighed, before giving him a particular look on the eye that suggested this was a serious business. ‘Yes. It took me several phone calls and dozens of texts in the middle of the night, but eventually I did find the right address to send the mail. Myeong-Yoon being her fan clearly….helped. So to speak.’

‘That explains everything.’ Asher replied, having realised everything. ‘So you think that I need to take the plunge, and risk it all.’

‘Yes, because this is your turn, and I owe you enough already,’ he said. ‘Father always told me how mother, with her smile, the cheeriness and ability to understand his tongue, was the true life-changer for him. Everything made sense when he was with her and when they took late strolls over snowy Cornwall streets after Dr. Schvabrin’s class. There is a reason why Dr. Schvabrin still remembers me fondly.’

‘So you think that I need to take the plunge, and risk it all.’

‘Of course, always, toujours, eonjena.’ said Myeong-Shin with the finest of his certainties. ‘I know it could take a ton away from you. It took him two near-deaths, an ended career and friends who remain confused to this day, but never did he regret once.’

‘So you think I have a chance to be with her?’

‘Yes, but it’s going to be up to you,’ He continued, trying to get the right essence out of the situation that the man who he looked very much alike once committed. ‘If you love her and see any hopes, now is going to be the time. Happy March break.’

by **Megistos** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 8:07 pm

4th Place

Megistos 3-2 Grand Quebecois

1'
"Grand Quebecois kicking off at the MegTurn Arena in Megistos, Alan, predictions?"

"I'm thinking a 2-0 win for Megistos. Megistos are the better team, but not by a lot. Marcus, yours?"

"I'm thinking 2-1 win for Megistos. Megistos have a weak defense, and Grand Quebecois can use this to their advantage with a 4-men attacking line."

"So we both agree that Megistos will win."

"Apparently so."

4'
"Orr passes to Froyon. Marcus, I'm sure you've realized by now that the Liga Megistos Premier is literally a Under-23 league, with most players under 23."

"I do realize that, and it could come back to bite or help them. Anyway, Bhowmilk with the ball, he spots McJesus' run, he's got a good chance, he goes for the shot... but it hits the wrong side of the side netting.

"Megistos on the counterattack, Cringan passes to Lam, Lam passes back to Cringan, Cringan to Lam, Lam to Cringan, Cringan sends the cross in, Robertson meets the head to it... AND AN EARLY GOAL TO MEGISTOS. ROBERTSON HEADERS THE BALL INTO THE SPACE THAT DIPIETRO LEFT OPEN AFTER HIS DIVE FOR THE BALL, AND WHO CAN'T SCORE AN OPEN GOAL AS EASY AS THAT! 1-0 MEGISTOS UP!

10'
"MacKinnon, Healy, Finley, Air with the ball now, he passes to Higgs, Higgs takes the long shot, BUT it's blocked by Fran and cleared by Howard.

"That was a close one. Becks wasn't in his position, and it would have been a goal if Fran wasn't standing there. It just shows how unlucky Grand Quebecois are, not in this match, but in this qualifiers session."

"True. And even with a big attack, they haven't been able to get the goals in and couldn't stop more goals coming in."

16'
"Lukovic running down the middle, he spots Robertson open on the edge of the box, he passes to Robertson, Robertson goes for the power strike... but it goes directly at the goalkeeper.

"Close chance. If he had positioned himself to be a little backwards and shoot with his right rather than his left, he could have used the momentum of the ball to strike a more accurate and powerful ball."

"Exactly what I was going to say. Anyway, possession stats show Megistos dominating the match with 72% percentage. Just shows how Martinez's tactics works. He's going to stay next season, he's doing better than the other coach did in the Baptism Of Fire."

19'
"Air with the ball, he passes to a attacking Finley but Williams trips him up, first yellow card in the game goes to Williams."

"McJesus is going to take the free-kick, he crosses the ball in... AND 1-1! HIGGS SCORES FROM THE VOLLEY AND SENDS SEARS AND BECKS FLYING!"

"Great goal from the 24 year old, as he ties the game up 1 all!"

27'
"Robertson cuts inside, he shoots... but it goes just wide but a deflection from Healy makes it go out for a corner."

28'
"Fran takes the corner, it bounces off Froyon's head, it's bouncing toward Lam, Lam strikes AND OH MY WORD WHAT A GOAL! HE SEND IT FLYING INTO THE NET FROM OUTSIDE THE BOX AND DIPIETRO CAN ONLY WATCH AND STARE AS THE BALL, GOING LIGHTNING SPEED, RIDES IN A SPACESHUP TO THE BACK OF THE NET!"

"A great goal, sets Megistos back 2-1."

34'
"A good chance for McJesus... but the shot goes wide as the ref makes sure there was no harm on McJesus's leg from Becks."

"Obviously not a penalty. Becks just stretched one leg out and the contact was barely even there, if any contact was even made. The ref just wanted to waste time."

45'
"Well that's half-time, we'll see you after the break."

45'
"Half time is over, Megistos has now kicked off, 2-1 at the MegTurn Arena. Can Megistos secure the win or can Grand Quebecois get one win back?"

54'
"Jorgenson passes to Robertson, Robertson passes to Lukovic, Lukovic spots a open Jorgenson, he passes to Jorgenson, Jorgenson receives the ball, he goes for the shot... AND HE'S SCORED! 3-1 UP AS JORGENSON CURLS THE BALL PAST A DIVING DIPIETRO AND INTO THE BOTTOM CORNER!

"A amazing goal, what would we expect from the vice-captain of the Megistian squad?"

"Nothing less, obviously."

"Exactly."

89'
"Very few chances and action in the second half, McJesus receives the ball AND A GREAT GOAL AS HE SENDS THE BALL BETWEEN BECKS' LEGS AND INTO THE MIDDLE OF THE NET!"

"He's a player who became captain at age 20. You need skill to do that. And the 26 year old can do that."

90+1
"End of the game, Megistos 3-2 Grand Quebecois."

Fujai 0–0 Megistos

1'
"Start of the game with Megistos kicking off!"

12'
"First real chance of the game falls to Megistos, Lukovic passes to Robertson, Robertson shoots with the outside of his foot, BUT HE IS DENIED BY THE WOODWORK! SO CLOSE, BUT YET SO FAR!"

"That's a used quote, Alan. Make your own up."

"Whatever."

23'
"First chance for Fujai, Hellem to Salberg, Salberg one v one with Becks... BUT BECKS PARRIES IT AND SEARS CLEARS IT!"

"Close one. He should have chipped the ball."

"Agreed. Becks isn't the tallest goalkeeper you'll ever see."

35'
"Another chance for Fujai, this time starting with Hoss, he uses his technique of passing to cross it to Michaud, Michaud goes for the header... but it goes just wide. Another chance for Fujai, but they can't use them."

45'
"Halftime, 0-0, we'll meet you after the break."

45'
"We are back with the second half of Fujai v Megistos, 0-0 is the score right now at the moment.

62'
"A chance for Robertson, he passes back to Lam, can Lam create some magic... HE CAN, BUT NOT ENOUGH TO BEAT PAREKH!"

90+4'
"The game is over, a boring one, 0-0, a match result the puts Megistos in 4th and Fujai in 6th."

by **Tioguldos** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 8:57 pm

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________SECTIONS____________________________________Stats_________Schedule_____________

^{RED ARMY}

WC86Q

TIOGULDÓS 2-1 SQUORNSHELOUS GOALS ANALYSIS

The Red Army seemed unable to achieve victories. Despite having played good matches, the mistakes weighed heavily and the national team made it to matchday 6 without a single win. However, they managed to come back with a resounding 4-2 win over Eastfield Lodge. This would be an important result, as they were due to host Squornshelous at Ísupe Stadium for matchday 8. Tioguldós was a clear underdog, but it seems that the intensity of the Tiogs at home was too much for the Squornshelous national team, which had to return to their lands defeated.

Ísupe Stadium at maximum capacity.

Denókh Iagar
9/9/10AR - 17:12

NNNNMOST READNNNN

EASTFIELD LODGE 2
4 TIOGULDÓS

FENUSKAL WILL BE OUT
AGAINST SQUORNSHELLOUS

TUNASE KERELDULO, THE
BONBO-PICHEAN YOUNG TALENT

A SNEAK PEEK AT MO
BMODO TRAINING FACILITY

KEM! - BoF73

The game between the Red Army and Squornshelous has been wonderful. Tioguldós knew how to handle the ball well and took advantage of the opponent's mistakes to snatch all three points. Squornshelous dominated the match and constantly attacked Boal's goal. However, the Tiog defenders managed to contain the attacks and the Niforro-Albofokh duo ordered the counterattacks that ended up turning the plays in favor of the Red Army. Mongard and Omnofo proved too fast and elusive for Sykko and Voronin, who had a hard time stopping their sprints.

TIOGULDÓS 1-0 SQUORNSHELOUS

TIOGULDÓS 2-0 SQUORNSHELOUS

TIOGULDÓS 2-1 SQUORNSHELOUS

The first goal of the match came after 14 minutes of play. Squornshelous had kept the ball outside the box of Tioguldós for the last few minutes. It looked like they were going to score any minute. Over and over again Krupin and Popov tried to squeeze through the defenders, but the Red Army managed to close the gaps and clear the ball each time. Until at one point Tioguldós recovered the ball and went on the attack. They failed to complete the counterattack, but they kept the ball.

At this moment, Perda Raom can be seen approaching the box through the center of the field with the ball. Meanwhile, Oroso, positioned as 'false-9' awaits Mongard's sprint as he draws the center-backs out of the box.
____________________________________________________________

The CB's are positioned without the reference of the rival striker, and they expect him to take the space in the middle, highlighted in orange, since the left wing is covered by the full-back. However, Storvol is far away, marking Omnofo, so Oroso takes advantage of this generated space. Mongard receives the ball behind Chaika's back and hands it to Oroso for him to score.
It is clear that the Tiog forwards are perfectly adapted to the 4-3-3 raised by Gúpder Mebal. In particular Oroso, whose specialty is to open these spaces in the rival defense.

____________________________________________________________

Finally, Oroso takes the ball. Sykko is too far away from him and Voronin cannot react in time. Oroso kicks it far from the goalkeeper, who doesn't get to do anything. The Red Army got their first goal.

____________________________________________________________

At forty minutes, Tiguldós managed to get hold of the ball and make
this magnificent play, which perfectly illustrates their offensive
strategy. Omnofo moves up the left wing with the ball. Perda Raom
draws pressure from Tjaeder while Oroso keeps both CB's at bay. As
Omnofo advances, the defense retreats trying to cover all the spaces.
Omnofo manages to dribble past Storvoll, forcing Sykko to leave her
position to approach the wing. It is at this moment that Oroso begins
to sprint into the space between the two defenders.

____________________________________________________________

As soon as Vikko breaks position and Oroso starts sprinting, Omnofo
throws the ball into the gap. Vikko ends up behind him and Voronin
covers the goal. Oroso carries theball a few meters attracting both
markers. This creates a large opening in the center of the penalty
area. That is where he expects Mongard to go.

____________________________________________________________

As planned, Mongard runs into that space, highlighted in orange. Both
Vikko and Voronin are unable to react, and Chaika fails to outrun
Mongard, who sprints with higher momentum. The ball reaches his
feet, and he sends it violently to the back of the net. The first half
ends 2-0 for Tioguldós.

____________________________________________________________

Twenty-eight minutes into the second half came the first and only
goal for the Squornshelan national team. After several plays that
failed, Arsós Boal deflected a powerful ball past the end line.
Alla Kirylenko took the corner kick. They made a set play that baffled
the Tiog defense. Anker, Popov, and Krupin were being marked by
Oches, Lomifal and Niforro respectively, the three best aerial markers
for Tioguldós. They all ran to the near post, and dragged the Tiog
players with them. At the same time, Voronin approached from the
opposite wing, marked by Gomospar.

____________________________________________________________

By running to the near post and bringing in the three tallest players in
the Red Army's defense, they freed up the zone so that Voronin could
head without problem. As expected, Gomospar was too short to beat
him.

____________________________________________________________

Kirylenko's ball was perfect. She placed it directly at Voronin's temple,
as if the shot was remote-controlled. Gomospar jumped but couldn't
reach the ball. Voronin headed it down hard. Arsós Boal couldn't reach
it. The match ended with a 2-1 victory for Tioguldós.

by **Banija** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 9:07 pm

Taking a trip down memory lane- Banija v. Chromatika, World Cup 79 Qualifying

Scenes from that special night in Busukuma that really put the Kadongo Kamu on the map

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- So far, this campaign has gone just as expected for the Kadongo Kamu. Ranked #1 for the first time ever, almost certainly assured of a place not only at the Finals, but in Pot 1, they were expected to dominate this World Cup Qualifying group, and do so with style and flair. The last qualifying campaign, they set the standard, earning more points than any other nation, 67 out of a possible 72- good for a 22-1-1 record. This campaign, fans wanted more of the same, and they've gotten some. While there are some issues in the back, they are running rampant up front, scoring 45 goals already in their 8-0-0 start to the campaign.

Many of Banija's youngest don't remember the olden days. The 0-12-0(W-L-D) World Cup 73 Qualifying campaign. The repeated heartbreak of the subsequent campaigns- to put in a word, the sheer irrelevance of the national team. Not on the Banijan stage- they've always been loved. But in the international scene. For many years, Banija were stuck in the middle- had been around long enough to get to a World Cup and do some damage, and yet,had never gotten to the World Cup. Worse? They'd never even gotten close. World Cup 73, obviously we got 0 points and last place. World Cup 74-76 Qualifying- we got 5th place out of 7, each time. World Cup 77 Qualifying? 4th out of 10.

Where does that put you in the grand scheme of things? Just another bad nation. Those actually competing for a World Cup see you as an easy win at home, and a relatively easy win away from home. Smaller nations see you as a chance for them to get an upset and spring themselves up the table. It's not a place you want to be. That kind of stagnation is why Jan Cassallerus, the manager from the 74-77 cycle, was likely to get fired if it wasn't for the RBSA's then impending bankruptcy for World Cup 78.

Let's set the scene for this qualifier. We told you Banija's qualifying history before that. We didn't even enter World Cup 78 Qualifying, as the RBSA had been so mismanaged that they had been forced to file bankruptcy, and could not field a team. That's a whole ordeal worthy of its own article, so we won't get into details here, all we need to know was that it happened. And so here comes World Cup 79 Qualifying. We hire Randolf Cherry, of Drawkland, to manage the national team. He starts to bring in new players. And starts to have limited amount of success. His debut was actually, ironically, at the future's game of Eagle's Cup VII. And then, all those years later at Eagle's Cup VIII, we actually won the damn tournament.

Anyways. We had a new manager. Ranked 117th. Had spent a cycle away. And we.. actually got off to a decent start. Well, kind of. We started 1-3, including losing a game we absolutely shouldn't have away to Bostopia. But then, things started to click. We beat the Pot 2 side in Banija, by the name of Eshan, by a score of 2-1. Followed that with an away win over the Kiaser Colonies, and then a home win over Lambdasia. The Kadongo Kamu were quietly rolling. But then came in Chromatika. A team who hadn't lost a World Cup Qualifier since the 77 Qualifying campaign. Ranked 4th in the multiverse. Expected to waltz to the Finals. Banijans weren't given a chance. And they shouldn't have been. What had they shown to prove they were capable of winning that match?

But then, craziness ensued. Chibuzo Afolayan, a name you have all heard, scored just 10 minutes in to send the crowd at Mugisha III Memorial into raptures. There was a capacity crowd, for the rare opportunity to see a nation so highly ranked play a competitive game in Banija. And then John Tewedros, a name you may not have heard, bent a corner kick into the net. All of a sudden, the Banijans were up 2-0. Crowd going bananas. Shockwaves being sent throughout international football. And then, of course, came the defending. Chromatika came forward, tried to create themselves all sorts of opportunities to score.. and couldn't do it. They scored once, late, but never equalized. The greatest upset in Banijan history(at the time) had just been pulled off.

It was, of course, a stunner. We spoke to some who were involved in that match, and they gave us their memories of the match.

Chibuzo Afolayan, former NT winger and captain: "That victory was a shocking one. It's what put us on the map. Do I ever even get to make a move to AFC Corvistone without that game putting us on the map? I'm not sure. But for that campaign, that win certainly gave us a ton of confidence. We didn't end up Qualifying, of course- but it took a win like that for us to truly believe that we could go out and compete with anybody. Compete with the best of the best. That team was the best of the best- top 5, hadn't lost a Qualifier in forever, a visit to Busukuma. I've made some great memories with the Kadongo Kamu, but that will forever be one of my favorites."

We also spoke to the manager at the time, and the present-day commissioner of the Banijan Soccer League, Randolf Cherry. "That win, of course, was one of the highlights of my run as the manager of the Kadongo Kamu. Highest ranked we beat in my cycle and a half in charge of the national team. I think looking back, that win can be seen as a true turning point for this program. Of course, there have been bigger wins since then, big wins at the Finals, big wins in the major tournaments themselves. But at that point, the expectations were reset. We realized, you know- we weren't destined just to be a forgotten about doormat in the stories of the success of others. We could have real, tangible success of our own. We could step up to the big boys, and throw a haymaker of our own. This game, after a long time doing a whole lot of nothing, really gave us that confidence."

Of course, now is a good time to reminisce on this- with Chromatika returning to Busukuma for a World Cup Qualifier. Of course, now circumstances are different. We've climbed 116 spots since then up the rankings. The past informs the present and sets the table for the future. We were able to get in contact with Keira Andisori, of Chromatika, and get her thoughts on that pivotal match all those years ago.

"In World Cup 79, we went 15-1-2 in qualifying as the fourth ranked team in the world. One of those losses was against a nation really coming into their own: Banija. I've always noted that Banijans play the game with grace, purpose, and passion. We are both teams that do not shy away from the sweat and the hard work that it takes to become the world's best. Now, the shoes are flipped. Banija is the #1 team in the world, while Chromatika is ranked #36. Circumstances in the last few years have brought our nations closer together, but it was on that day when Banija defeated us and sent a message to the world that the seeds of their aspirations to be #1 was born. Now, we meet again on the pitch, as opponents, yes, but also as friends. Let's have an honorable match."

That was the importance of Banija's last game against Chromatika. Now, this is the best team Banija will play in World Cup 86 Qualifying. While missing the Finals at this point is unlikely, this is still a key game. If we can't win- we've simply beat up on a bunch of weaker teams, and it will mean a quick exit once we get to Drawkland/Newmanistan. But if we can win here, and continue this form, especially up front, against the Pot 2 side who beat us in the AOCAF LXI Quarterfinals? Well, then we can truly stake our claim as the first half of Qualifying draws to a close- we are here for one thing, and we won't go home without it.

Banija. Chromatika. The Stadium of the Restoration. Doesn't get any better than this, eh?

by **Chromatika** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 9:08 pm

Part 1: The Barbed Inn, Chromia
Part 2: The Emerald, Ming
Part 3: Killjoy, Cortez River
Part 4: Jordans Talk

World Cup 86 Qualifying Matchday 7:

Score: Tamgu 3-8 Chromatika
Goal: Andisori, K. '12, Vidal '15, Conrad '21, Victoriane '25, Armageddon '32, Mora '49, Ilya '66, de Aea '81
Starting XI: Ria; Xiao - de Aea - Anderson - Ilya; Victoriane - Armageddon (C) - Conrad; Mora; Andisori, K. - Vidal.
Substitutes: Dias -> Armageddon ('48), Thorben -> Victoriane ('62), Sierra-> Vidal ('83)

World Cup 86 Qualifying Matchday 8:

Score: Chromatika 3-2 Xanneria @ The Islander Dome, Myana
Goals: Andisori, K. '29, '51, '89
Starting XI: Ria; Xiao - de Aea - Anderson - Ilya; Victoriane - Armageddon (C) - Conrad; Mora; Andisori, K. - Vidal.
Substitutes: Chapman -> Xiao ('57), Kuzami -> Mora ('71), Andisori, B. -> Vidal ('82)

Now with Video!

As Kimi Jin walked into the top floor of the Islander Dome, she couldn't believe the atmosphere. It was electric - the excitement was palpable. The stadium's screens were still showing "The Golden Twenty" where Chromatika had scored five goals in twenty minutes against Tamgu. That had been a ridiculous series of events - eight players scoring goals in the same match? First time in Chromatik history. It had been a bit disconcerting to see the starting XI concede three goals; then the golden twenty happened, and they were running away with the game. "It was the most ridiculous thing I'd seen," admitted Keira Andisori afterwards, "Five goals in twenty minutes. Eight of us scoring. Tamgu just looked defeated. What a game."

Why was she at The Islander Dome? Apparently, the best spot to watch the game in Myana was at the restaurant at the top of the stadium. Known as "The Gambit", it was a spacious, upscale place that served over a hundred menu items... TVs as far as the eye can see, a wall of windows that look down at the stadium, and across from it, Ole' Glory, the cannon that was fired every time that the home team scored a goal in The islander Dome. This would be the first time that Ole' Glory would be fired for the national team, and everyone was hoping that there would be plenty of loud cannon shots heard.

She entered The Gambit with a half hour to spare, and was greeted with a pair of greeters, who led her and her crew to the main bar area. It was already full of patrons - all dressed up to the nines - and drinks were already flowing. A quick glance at the decor showed that it was high-end yet sporty - there were plenty of Islander material, and some spotty Anomalies material. A table of two men and a woman beckoned her to join them.

"Jerod Durwain, Myaners Fan Club President and Anomalies supporter," stated the chiseled man in a green suit, "Welcome to our digs!" He pointed at the three title banners that hung on the north wall, the jerseys of Jillian Nier and Corrine Martel-Burns, and the like.

"It's a pleasure to be here," responded Kimi, "This place is beautiful. Hopefully it'll be another good night and we will be able to leave celebrating."

"Have you seen the Xannerian form?" shot out a slim, black-haired woman in a flowing white dress, "They're actually 3-0-4. Nine points. Nine! Lost to Banija and Blouman Empire already. No, this is a win that we must have, and we are bound to have."

She took a step back, and extended out an impeccably manicured hand. "Georgine Eduard, I manage this fine stadium."

Kimi raised an eyebrow. She was absolutely part of the bigwigs tonight. "Thank you for having me," was the response she gave.

The third was a young lady in her twenties, dressed in a fine suit, with an angular jaw, crystal blue eyes, and... familiar features?

"Melodie Forsett," she spoke, rather softly, "I'm a local lawyer, but I've been told I should meet you."

Kimi raised an eyebrow.

"My sister sends her her regards," Melodie intoned, and then walked away from the booth.

Oh... She was Alisha's sister. Kimi turned a shade pink, and took a sip of her water.

She was regaled with the tales of how Myana dominated the first few seasons, and how they had the only shot to take down Anomalies, and then the public announcer started to announce the starting lineups.

"For Xanneria, Leonetta Walters in goal, Nikolai Brown, Ian Turner, Marcis Davidson, Jox Alirome, Doby Bunnkirk, Franchesca Bonchek, Lane Stegall, Kyle Falcon, Devon Leymore, and Bray Feltzer!"

There were respectful claps heard, and the Xannerian fans cheered.

"And for your Anomalies: At goalkeeper, Mia Ria!" At right back, Kai Xiao! At center back, Henri de Aea and Cierra Anderson! At right winger, Kaytlyn Victoriane! At defensive midfielder, Enigma Armageddon! At left winger, Retta Conrad! At attacking midfielder, Hermaeus Mora! At striker, Keira Andisori... and Olimipia Vidal!"

There was a roar after each name: A long one after Keira Andisori, and the loudest after Hermaeus Mora, who was actually from Myana.

"Just look at that," commented Jerod as Xanneria pressed the pace immensely in the beginning, "They're playing like their lives depend on it. I would imagine that Rhule has lit a fire under them. Ria will really need to weather the storm..."

He audibly groaned as Bray Feltzer - who was used to coming to The Islander Dome once a year - rounded Cierra Anderson and faced off Mia Ria. A low shot scored, and Xanneria was on the board.

"Slow starts again, I see," bemoaned Georgine, "Brings back flashbacks..."

In WC 85, Chromatika had often been a goal behind early and spent the rest of the match chasing. This cycle, Quakmybush - the opener - was the only match where that had happened, and they had lost that match; this was a worrying start.

"C'mon, Ria! You should've parried that, it was directly at you!" exclaimed Jerod, shaking his head.

Five minutes later, Xanneria had doubled their lead. Chromatika was falling apart.

Melodie Forsett reappeared, holding a sparkling water and handing it to Kimi.

"Not the best of starts, but I believe," she said, "Like I believe in every game they play. You know what's the best thing about our national team? they never quit. They always give 100%."

Georgine shook her head, "You know that effort doesn't win games by itself. You need killer instinct!"

None of them knew that the rest of the match would be dominated by Chromatika. That Keira Andisori would turn back time and score a hat trick, the last of which was scored right before injury time, stunning Xanneria. That was a beauty.

The two things that were the most memorable, however, were these quotes:

Georgine Eduard, on what makes Myana a great city: "It's more than just a fishing or a tourist town. Myaners know what it means to be from Myana. It's to be part of a group of people who knows who they are, and who are wiling to commit to the city. Did you know that 85% of Myaners remain in Myana or the surrounding areas? It's the highest of all cities. What draws people to our city? The nature around us, the weather, the ambiance... The knowledge that if you put the work in, you will make something happen. If you want to live somewhere that treats you fairly and allows you to fully prosper, come to Myana."

Melodie Forsett, on why Chromatika loves the Anomalies: "To be a Chromatik is to love the Anomalies. They've been there through thick and thin, leading from the front and always having the nation in mind. The Rainbow Revolution was mostly possible because of them; every time the country struggled, they were there as a symbol of hope, inspiration, and comfort. To wear the checkered black and white is to be the face of a nation that has scars but embraces the hopeful future."

After such an eventful game and evening, Kimi bid her hosts adieu, yet Melodie handed her a piece of paper.

It had a handwritten note on it in flowing script:

Meet me again sometime, your call and place. (34) 24215-24896.

23 was the Capital District Code, and 24 the Chromia code. Add to it the fact that it was given by Melodie and...

Alisha Forsett wanted to see her again?

She would have to double check her schedule - she was slated to actually fly to Banija for the next match, the only instance where she would be going abroad.

With another smile, Kimi Jin jogged to the van waiting outside Myana. It was a good night.

Team Selection
MD9: @ Banija
Starting XI: Ria; Xiao - de Aea - Anderson - Ilya; Victoriane - Armageddon (C) - Conrad; Mora; Andisori, K. - Vidal.
Substitutes: Tioux, Chapman, Will, Austic, Thorben, Dias, Dragana, Kuzami, Sierra, Andisori, B.

by **Indusse** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 10:45 pm

IFA NEWS NETWORK
A Revenge Story

The World Cup 86 is now a unpredictable season for the team. They are loosing to teams that were thought to win and winning and drawing against those who could have defeated Indusse. The latest example is the last match. Indusse defeated Woryand in the game which produced 9 goals. Indusseans defeated them for a score of 3-7. "That was a wonderful match! It's just a sweet revenge" says Captain BHK. Woryand was the team that blocked Indusse's entry to quarterfinals of Independents Cup. Indusse lost to Woryand for a score of 1-0 in that game. This time it was a wonderful match. 9 goals in 90 minutes! It isn't something easy. This match is now recorded as Indusse's Biggest Win!.

Goal Scores for Indusse:
Baskar H Kumar 22',35,79'
Mersiás 56'
Butea 89'
Djetson 19'

Ziwani Partnership for the Desert Rangers

Ziwani Sport Society Group took over the assets of Indussean First Division Club Sindvpore FC. The team based on Sindunagar in Sindvpore is also known as the desert rangers.

by **The Jovannic** » Wed Sep 09, 2020 11:19 pm

Darmen and Starblaydia expose dangerously inconsistent Jovannic defence.

Even if Sami (2 goals), Jovan and Kallin all scored, but Both teams managed to pry open a Jovannic defence that was out of sorts.

"We just came off a tiring trip to Banija." Gothal Mathee said after the 3-2 loss to Starblaydia. "We will bounce back stronger, now our full attention is on the WCQ." The Jovannic has dropped places in the WCQ. Some fans are agitated for Gothal Mathee not focusing on the WCQ.

"Why did you send players to the Olympics? The WCQ is more important!" Fans were heard screaming in various pubs and taverns.

"We will make it." Gothal Mathee was said to reply.

Next match is against Rangers FC. We will have to use this as a stepping stone to more consistent form.

Gothal Mathee defending his prioritizing of the Olympics

by **Silver Commonwealth** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:56 am

SNN Sports

The first SC's draw in the tournament against Euran Oceania Territories!

Silver Commonwealth 2-2 Euran Oceania Territories

Le Tonnelier 13', J Conway 31' I Manoel da Costa 58', Marcos Cabral 72' I OT - no goals

''The 7th game of the tournament had a few drastic turns, as it seems that it has ended with a draw against Euran Oceania Territories, and even the overtime wasn't long enough for any team to score a goal. While there were several more cautious prognosis which weren't sure about a major victory, draw was not an outcome which either we in SNN or our fans in stadium/at TV screens had expected. Anyways, as reporting the match is our job, we might as well go ahead.''

''Both teams focused on strategy of offense, but at the 1st period it seemed that Euran Oceania Territories will have this match won - their team scored two goals in first round, with the first of them in 13th minute already by the forwarder Le Tonnelier, but second one was scored by J Conway in 31st minute after a long range shot in the upper left corner of the net. As both teams had aggressive play, SC's players tried to avoid injuries as it was quite a possibility in the arena. Overall, the result of the first period wasn't too impressive for SC's fans and left a sour taste: 0-2 in EOT's favor.''

''However, it seems that the star of luck was on SC's side in the second period, as striker Manoel da Costa was able to score the first goal for SC in 58th minute and outplay the goalkeeper C Ross, despite the several attempts of foul play from the back players of EOT (According to Costa himself). Still, the result was winning for EOT with 2-1, so the concerns of an another loss for SC were still there. The second goal for SC was scored by the forwarder Marcos Cabral at the 72 after intercepting the football ball from a corner kick by Gabriel Vila. After evening out the result to 2-2, both teams started to play even more intense than before, in an attempt to score the third and final goal for their team, but the second period ended with a draw: 2-2. Although coaches of both teams managed to bargain a few minutes for the overtime, even then none of the teams scored a third goal, and with the result still being 2-2, it was decided to call the outcome of the match a draw.''

''The outcome of a draw caught the attention of several SC's fans, as it was at least a change in pace of overall series of losses, and gave a hope that perhaps not everything is yet lost. Of course, there were those who were sour that the outcome was just a draw, not a victory, and there were said to be a lot of ''armchair experts'' which pointed out where Enrico's team ''should have done this instead of that what they did'', but as the saying goes, ''everyone is clever after the battle'', and then it is already too late to change the course of things in the field. Remember, that SNN Sports journalists, commentators, and the rest of the team from various regions are standing with our team till the very last, and support them even in their darkest hour. The situation of security was said to have ''improved a little'', as the bars had done a great job at not providing alcohol for potential hot-headed fans.''

''Next match is going to be against Delaclava, and the gods should better listen to the prayers of SC's fans, because although a draw is not the worst thing, SC will certainly need a some sort of victory to stay afloat in this tournament. However, in the end the result is most likely not up to religious devotion, but rather the skills of players, will to change things for the better, and ultimately some luck as well.''

SNN Sports

Second victory in the World Cup 86, fans excited once again!

Delaclava 1-2 Silver Commonwealth

Daniel Teixeira 24' I Artem Kohut 54', Manoel da Costa 80')

''After the yesterday's draw, many either openly or in private hoped for a SC's victory in next round, as ''while a draw wasn't the worst outcome, SC will need to do better to have a chance in play-offs and/or slipping through qualifications''. And it seems that the Head Coach Enrico and his team have delivered exactly that: a 2-1 victory against Delaclava, with their plain silver football away uniforms. While this might not be the great victory with many point predominance, it is nonetheless still a victory, and it seems that those kinds of victories will be common through the rest of the tournament for our team.''

''SC played quite cautious for the first few minutes, but then it went for the offensive approach, considering the Delaclava primarily focusing on defense. Both styles kind of negated each other out, which meant that no major gains were made for each side in the first 20 minutes or so. Then in the 24th minute, Daniel Teixeira managed to score a goal after going out of the middlefield formation and going for the goal (While perhaps more rigid than for other teams, SC's formation sometimes is more fluid too), with Marcos Cabral passing him the football ball due of it being outnumbered by several defenders who were contesting it. That said, most of other offensives of SC's team weren't successful, as Delaclava held its ground well, not letting our striker or forwarders to score another goal. With that, the first round ended with 0-1 in our favor.''

''In second round, Delaclava seemed to play a lot more confidently, and posed a threat to the defending back of SC's players, which wasn't as good as the striker and forwarders. In 54th minute, Artem Kohut - the upcoming young star of Delaclava, managed to score a goal in the empty part of the SC's net, by outplaying the goalkeeper. After that, game continued without change in score for a long time (Although there were several thwarted possibilities of scoring a goal for both sides), and some started to worry that this could require an another Overtime and even end up in a draw again, but in 80th minute our trusty striker Manoel da Costa eased those worries by scoring a goal shortly after the throw-in and a great teamwork of our collective of players. In the last few minutes Delaclava attempted to score an another goal to bring the result to a tie in order to start an overtime, but it didn't succeed, and the end result was 1-2.''

''Obviously, the SC's fans were happy about their team's second victory in the tournament, and SCFA's committee could sigh in relief. With the victory, the players of SC's team felt more confident with giving interviews to SNN. The captain of the team - Gabriel Vila, admitted that "While he felt a bit tired with the intense plays over the last few days, he still was ready to go to the field". For some SC's commentators and fns, it was also a clash between two strategies - Delaclava's maximum defense versus SC's maxed out aggresiveness. In their minds, with this victory the SC's doctrine had passed the trial of fire, and had defeated the defensive approach."

''The last match before moving to Newmanistan phase is going to be against Juvencus. It is also said that after this match Enrico will reveal his list of shuffled goalkeeper and players from reserves, to give main team a chance to regain energy and the reserves to get to the field themselves. However, not everyone supports such approach, as some think that the reserves are ''still too green'' for the World Cup field.''

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 6:41 am

By Peter Davis

Week 4 of WC86 action was critical for TJUN-ia after their draw with Union Europae and defeat to Mriin. The aim was to try and chase Mriin down a tightly as we can, a prospect that looked unimaginable at the start of this campaign. First up was South Newlandia in Tiankong's first match of the campaign, where Seems hoped to get back on track.

Robert Wolverine, the head coach of our opponents, decided to start the mind games himself by not releasing his starting 11 until 5 minutes before the teams were expected to walk out. It certainly threw the TJUN-ian camp off guard before the game began - and with good reason. The 2 players TJUN-ia didn't account for, centre back Philip Gurero and midfielder Donald Lancaster, would actually have good games in the CEA. It would be Lancaster who scored the first goal, heading in the free-kick from Finnley Wallis to score his first international goal. He would then proceed to assist the 2nd goal for the team from Elephant Valley, his corner headed in by Brandon Irving just before the end of the 1st half.

TJUN-ia would try to fight back in the 2nd, with David Johnson (who, ironically, players his domestic football in SNL) giving the Jaguars hope of a comeback, but Mr Wolverine had other ideas. Lancaster got his 2nd assist of the night, another corner this time to Gurero who made no mistake in scoring his first international goal...on debut. Prince Carter, ever-reliable, got TJUN-ia's 2nd but that wasn't enough. Our 2nd defeat in a row came on a night that Philip Gurero and especially MOTM Donald Lancaster will never forget.

After TJUN-ia's home struggles continued, a trip to the Southern Palm Islands was just what Seems' men needed. A simple game against a small nation in the Melayu Archipelago and the team certainly played up to expectations. Only 1 goal was scored in this match, from Kepo Ulawaya in the 23rd minute, but that was all we needed. David Seems finally got the team back on track in a quiet fixture, but shoutouts to SPI. Their side is certainly good and the Plascas brothers (I'm assuming) of Daniel and Peter certainly gave us a bit of trouble but in the end, we did what we needed to do.

Despite some struggles, we're only 4 points behind leaders Mriin heading into MD9. Our opponents in TJUN-ia City will be Tikariot, who we are actually tied with for 2nd in the group. They will certainly not be pushovers and I expect the TFF expect the same of us. This will certainly be interesting. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group 11) - lines indicate when next edition of Boot It! will be released
MD1: @Filindostan (50) W 3-2 (T-2nd)
MD2: vs Se Vende Skooma (344) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City W 5-2 (1st)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MD3: @Natanians and Nosts (114) - Stadion Nacional (?) D 0-0 (1st)
MD4: @Port Ember (38) - Lilly Black Memorial Stadium, Port Ember Megalopolis W 1-0 (1st)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MD5: vs Union Europae (UR) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky D 0-0 (1st)
MD6: @Mriin (16) - Haven, Maal L 1-3 (2nd)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MD7: vs South Newlandia (87) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong L 2-3 (4th)
MD8: @Southern Palm Islands (310) W 1-0 (T-2nd)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MD9: vs Tikariot (243) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MD10: vs Filindostan (50) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD11: @Se Vende Skooma (344)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MD12: vs Natanians and Nosts (114) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD13: vs Port Ember (38) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MD14: @Union Europae (UR)
MD15: vs Mriin (16) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MD16: @South Newlandia (87) - Jecken Arena, Newport
MD17: vs Southern Palm Islands (310) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
MD18: @Tikariot (243) - Dhaencunor Arena, Tikariot City

by **Tikariot** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 7:06 am

Sports Headlines
Juvencus internationals coming
to the TPL
The Baraldhur AFC and Bul Khungur
Miners FC have announced the signing of two
Juvencus...<read more>

Upcoming international transfer
window
The TPL's participation in the
upcoming international transfer window is
seen in...<read more>

Olympic delegation returns to
record sized crowds
After winning 24 medals at the XIVth
Olympic Summer Games the athletes have returned
to Port Rhovanyon...<read more>

Iain Aspinall linked with summer move
Ysgrann Bay forward Iain Aspinall is
linked with a move to one of the TPL's leading
teams. No details have yet...<read more>

Alistair McIntosh: Good evening Tikariot! We have almost reached the half-way point in the World Cup qualifiers and looking across the groups there are a few surprising developments, but we will have an in-depth look at these tomorrow when we will do our half-way analysis of both Tikariot's campaign, our group and also the other groups to see where everybody is standing. Tonight, though, we will have a look back at our matches in Se Vende Skooma and against Natanians and Nosts here in Port Rhovanyon. With me tonight are Duncan Haldane, Andreas Svedberg and as special guest Port Rhovanyon AFC coach Arthur Wolseley. Welcome to our little panel here, Arthur.

Arthur Wolseley: Thanks for having me!

Alistair McIntosh: Let's start, though, with our travels to Se Vende Skooma, a team that has been a combined pain in the rears of several nations in this campaign so far.

Duncan Haldane: Yes, after three losses to kick things off, they managed to hold Mriin to a 2-2 in Mriin, win over South Newlandia, and also draw against the Southern Palm Islands, so while still only ninth in the table, they've shown that the seem to like to annoy favourites.

Andreas Svedberg: These teams are sometimes the hardest to play against, because they don't really have anything to lose. And if we think back to match day 1--

Duncan Haldane: Do we have to?

Andreas Svedberg: Yes, because one of these pains in the rear beat us out of nowhere, so this time around I firmly believe that our team is far better prepared not to be taken by complete surprise again.

Alistair McIntosh: So how do you prepare the team against an opponent like this, Arthur?

Arthur Wolseley: The main thing to stress is focus. The most dangerous thing to happen is to lose concentration and become frustrated when things don't quite work out as planned. Because then all it takes is one chances and boom, things fall apart.

Alistair McIntosh: Like against Union Europae.

Arthur Wolseley: Exactly. Looking at the last few games, though, it has become very obvious that Stuart has managed to instill that into their minds, because we've been playing leagues better than in that game. Sure, we were dramatically dominant, but still, in the end all that matters is the result.

Alistair McIntosh: You can also see that in the differences in the line-up, especially defensively that are still holding up and compared to the last game against Filindostan we have a couple of changes.

Andreas Svedberg: In midfield Nicholas van Haar and Donald Jowlit were replacing Rory McNair, who needed a break, and Giovanni Vacarese while Iain Aspinall was back after his hamstring issues to push Adrian Grimaud back onto the bench. And the first half was kind of what we had already expected, or feared, an obnoxious Se Vende Skooma trying everything to destroy all flow our team was trying to create.

We are fifteen minutes into the game and Se Vende Skooma is as annoying of an opponent as they had been against Mriin or South Newlandia. Their aim is to destroy and park the bus, hoping for the one counter attack to break through and score. They are very disciplined, though, because they do not waver even under the relentless pressure that our team is putting on their defense. Thorniley over to Jowlit, who tries to move forward, but their defenders are very attentive and aggressive, going for tackles almost as soon as one of our players try to approach their penalty box. Now Liniack tries to send Aspinall, but again as soon as he gets the ball the Skoomans are on him. The referee definitely is going to have to set a bit of an example here soon, though, because some of these tackles are very borderline!

Duncan Haldane: They are very efficient when it comes to disrupting the flow, but if you look at this situation, Jowlit had to jump up to avoid getting hit by the Skooman midfielder and Iain was really lucky that he didn't get hurt worse in this attack. Games like this can sometimes get out of hand and players get injured.

Arthur Wolseley: And that is a good point. It is one thing to show offensive players that you mean business, but it can quickly go too far and here the referee has the responsibility to avoid things from escalating.

Alistair McIntosh: How do you react as a coach when you see opposing players going in too hard?

Arthur Wolseley: It's tricky, because that's also one point, where a game can tip, like if you tell the players to try to avoid these situations it can really kill the game and open chances for the opponent. So the best thing is to try to speed up the game and try to go for one-touch football whenever possible. It is difficult, if you don't get a lot of opportunities to open up spaces and have players available to play this kind of style.

Alistair McIntosh: And a bit later in the first half things did come to a boil.

Nighthorse with the ball. He fakes to go right, moves the ball to the left, maybe we'll get somewhere. Cuts in and ooh, he's brought down, he's writhing in pain and captain Marvin Thorniley is arguing with the referee that this should be a yellow card - and there it is, but for Thorniley! That is not right! The medics are on the pitch tending to Nighthorse, let's have another look here. Ow! The defender is not even close to the ball and hits Nighthorse right on the ankle! They're carrying the Baraldhur forward off the pitch now, I hope that he will be able to continue.

Duncan Haldane: And this is exactly the problem. The referee does not exert any authority here and then things like this happen. The fact that Thorniley sees the yellow card here instead of the Skooman is an outrage!

Alistair McIntosh: Thankfully Nighthorse was able to continue, but it was the beginning of a rough ten minutes until half time where emotions began to rage a bit more and there was some ganging up in one or two occurrences that could have escalated quite a bit and again the referee was not assertive enough.

Andreas Svedberg: We made it into half-time without any injuries or red cards, even though we've been pretty close at times. But unfortunately the half-time break did not do much to cool tempers and in the 58th minute things finally went overboard.

Nice ball slotted through to Nighthorse and again he's being felled like a tree right at the sideline, something HAS to happen now! McNair is off the bench and right in the middle of things, they're trying to hold him back, but oh, that is not going to end well! Red card for McNair! The defender is over a head taller than him, but he is right there in his face. Of course now the referee suddenly is showing some backbone, but he has to send off the Skooman player as well! NO! Only yellow! This is a disgrace! And they are signalling for Nighthorse to have to come off, what a shame! I really, really hope that this is not something serious!

Andreas Svedberg: This is exactly what can happen. The referee completely loses control over the game and then players get injured.

Alistair McIntosh: What about McNair in this situation?

Arthur Wolseley: He just tries to defend his team mates and to be honest, as coach I can't blame him, even for getting in his opponent's face like this. It is going to be interesting to see, though, what kind of suspension he is going to get for this. But the Skooman defender definitely HAD to see red in this situation, he definitely had no chance to reach the ball!

Alistair McIntosh: Parramore Haigh came on for Nighthorse and he tried to bring some fresh spark into the game, which did bring some more focus, at least for a bit.

Thorniley gets the ball to Haigh, beautiful turn around the Skooman defender! Brings in the cross, Sheffield heads it back to Jowlit and GOAL! GOAL! Jowlit with a cannon of a shot breaks through the Skooman defense and 1-0 Tikariot! Let's hope this can calm the game down at least a bit! No, does not look like it, there are some words exchanged, Marvin Thorniley is really pumped here, but he has to be careful, he already has a yellow card!

Duncan Haldane: This is another consequence, if you look how Thorniley gets into the face of the defender that had hit Nighthorse, he has to be really careful, especially with a referee that seems to have bigger problems with complaining and verbal attacks than physical ones.

Alistair McIntosh: Very much so, he, however, did in a way pay for it, because after another hard challenge against Haigh Aspinall and Jowlit have to pull him back to avoid him doing something he would regret. And before the referee could really react to it too much, Coach Ekstrom had already taken him off and Ozan Welch came on for him. The provocations, however, did not stop there.

Se Vende Skooma are actually in the Tikariotian half, which is a rarity. High, long ball into the penalty area, header, Chatelet gets his hand up just in time, but they get the ball again and push it over the line! NOOO! 1-1! I know that as a reporter I should be somewhat balanced here, but this is not deserved!

Andreas Svedberg: Unfortunately the only noteworthy thing that still happened was a horrible foul on Parramore Haigh just before the final whistle, he also had to be carried off the pitch and given the look of pain on his face it did not look good at all!

Alistair McIntosh: So once more Se Vende Skooma with success in a game against a higher ranked team.

Duncan Haldane: Yes, but look at how they achieved it! This is a disgrace and there have to be consequences! Nighthorse potentially out, Haigh having to be carried off and the only red card was for McNair.

Andreas Svedberg: A complaint has been filed with the organizers, so we will have to see what might come from it. But at least Morris Nighthorse was able to play in the next game at home against Natanians and Nosts, Parramore Haigh, unfortunately not, first reports indicated a potentially torn ligament in his left ankle, which a bit later on was confirmed, so he is definitely out for the rest of the campaign here and coach Stuart Ekstrom nominated Nathan Ekpetita for the next game and likely the rest of the qualifiers.

Arthur Wolseley: That is one good thing for the qualifiers, you don't have a fixed squad like at tournaments, so at least you have the option of replacing an injured player.

Alistair McIntosh: Rory McNair was suspended for one game, so Nicholas van Haar is going to get the start again against Natanians and Nosts, Jenson McTierney came back into the team with Donald Jowlit returning to the bench, the rest of the team was the same and going into Port Rhovanyon's Oceanview Stadium, the fans were firmly behind the team with a particularly touching banner wishing Parramore Haigh to get better soon. And while it was good to see that Natanians and Nosts were anything but as destructive as Se Vende Skooma, as negative the opening minutes of the game would turn out to be.

Foster with a wide kick forward. Fostar picks it up, quick lay off to Tralto pushing forward. He goes to the goal line, sharp cross inside! Gonçalo with the header - Chatelet with one hand directs it against the post! And da Silva! 1-0 Natanians and Nosts! This was a beautiful counter attack that has put us behind very, very early! I hope that this is not a bad omen!

Duncan Haldane: He was right, it was a beautiful counter that was extremely efficiently executed here, Liniack too lethargic to get back on time and that cross was almost perfect right onto Gonçalo's head and Chatelet with a great reaction, but da Silva just lucky to be right where the ball fell.

Alistair McIntosh: Unfortunately the guests added insult to injury just nine minutes later.

Tikariot now pushing forward to go for the equalizer, but Natanians and Nosts have proved that their counter attacks are lethal, leading to one goal already and one more was barely defused by Chatelet risking his personal well-being to get to the ball before dos Santos. McTierney loses the ball! Ivanov quickly moves the ball out of their own box to Munteănu. Long pass forward and Gonçalo gets his foot in just before Coronello gets to it, the ball goes over Chatelet and 2-0! Oh no! This is not looking good for Tikariot right now, conceding two goals in the opening 14 minutes, now the team has to prove their fighting spirit!

Alistair McIntosh: So far the worst opening of any game of the campaign, is there anything a coach can really do in a moment like that?

Arthur Wolseley: You can, but it's limited. All you really can do is appeal to the team to not let their heads hang and try to focus and pick themselves up. It's too early to really to any changes in the line-up, unless obviously a player has an absolutely abysmal day.

Alistair McIntosh: Thankfully the support of the fans pushed the Snowy Owls forward and they began to fight back!

McTierney - beautiful throughball to Aspinall. Quick cut back leaves Ret sliding into nowhere, he floats the ball in, Sheffield with the header and Foster redirects it over the crossbar for a corner! Thorniley jogs out, he raises his hand and curls it away from the goal - Coronello misses the header, it falls to Souza. Quick breakaway. Long ball tries to find Munteanu but Thomas gets his foot in just before! Out to Grimes, on to Thorniley. Hard cross to find Aspinall in acres of space! He pulls into the box, he shoots - no, gets the ball to Nighthorse and GOAL! Tikariot pulls one back! Everybody, including the Natanian defenders expected Aspinall to shoot, but he saw that Nighthorse was free and he just had to put his foot into the path of the ball! OK, one down, hopefully more to go!

Arthur Wolseley: Great counter-counter. Thomas with a lot of risk here, if he didn't get to that ball, Munteanu would have had a clear path to the goal. Thorniley with a great pass to find Aspinall free and I am very happy to see that he doesn't just have tunnel vision and tries to score himself, but sees the better positioned Nighthorse. This is a team that is a great unit!

Duncan Haldane: Then at half time, rare for Ekstrom, two changes, Grimaud and Wagstaff coming on for Aspinall and Sheffield. An unusual move, given that Aspinall had one assist, I find.

Andreas Svedberg: Well, Grimaud has been in very good form as well and we don't know if he might not have picked up a knock as well.

Alistair McIntosh: The second half started like the first ended, with angry attacks by Tikariot, generating chance upon chance, but João Foster managed to get a hand, a foot or some other body part in the way every single time, causing increasing frustrations within the Snowy Owls. But then in the 64th minute things seemed to be headed for success.

At one point one of these must go in! Grimaud getting the ball all the way in their own half and he is going right down the line, past Fostar, past Ret, he's going to run out of room! No, the cross comes in, Fostar heads it out towards the corner, but Nighthorse picks it up, he goes for the goal! Foster with one hand! Wagstaff! 2-2! WE ARE EVEN! Great run by Grimaud and Nighthorse so cheeky to try to score from such a tight angle and again Foster gets his hand on it, but Wagstaff right where he should be and hammers the ball into the back of the net!

Arthur Wolseley: That's exactly what I was talking about earlier. Focus, pick yourself up and just give it your all! Beautiful run by Grimaud there, this is how you pull this defense apart and Nighthorse has just so much confidence, any team would benefit from having him on board!

Duncan Haldane: Is that a hint at a transfer target for Port Rhovanyon?

Arthur Wolseley: Oh, no, no, no, that's not what I meant! I mean, I wouldn't say no, but still, he is a Baraldhur player and I would not want to start any rumours!

Alistair McIntosh: Haha, good save there, Arthur. After this Nathanians and Nosts opened up a bit more again, surprisingly trying to score another goal instead of just being content with one point and the grand finale was still waiting to happen.

Tralto with a quick ball down the left side, dos Santos picks it up, only a minute to play, this could be the final attack of the game! dos Santos with a cross over to Holden, he goes for the volley and Chatelet! Plucks the ball down and now a fast punt forwards, kind of like a hail mary. Grimaud takes it down with his chest, turns around Enderssen, sharp low cross to Wagstaff and GOAL! GOAL! 3-2 AT THE DEATH! Back from two goals down! This team is on fire! They indeed are the thunder!

Alistair McIntosh: Travis Coynton here almost with a heart attack moment, what an ending! Holden almost with the winning goal for Natanians and Nosts and then Chatelet with this laser-precise pass to Grimaud and look at his first touch, lets it glance off his chest just to get past Enderssen and he really doesn't waste any time here to get the ball to Wagstaff and with his second goal he secures the win! What a game!

Arthur Wolseley: It is very good to see that our secondary scoring is coming into their own now, too, like Grimaud, Wagstaff, giving us more options and making us less predictable for our opponents as well and that is always a good thing. Aspinall and Nighthorse also like to switch sides, making it even harder for defenses to cover them. I'm happy that McNair will be back for the next game, van Haar had two good matches, but Rory is just this aggressive leader of the pack that can bring this extra punch that is needed.

Andreas Svedberg: Thank you Arthur, and speaking of the next match, it is a highly explosive one because at this moment we are even on points with TJUN-ia in second position, so tomorrow night is going to decide who will be in a playoff spot at the halfway mark.

Duncan Haldane: TJUN-ia, why do I feel like a sandwich right now? They started out very strong, beating Filindostan 3-2 away and then Se Vende Skooma 5-2 in TJUN-ia City, went goalless against Natanians and Nosts, won 1-0 in Port Ember and another goalless draw against Union Europae in Szensky. At this point they had been first of the group for a couple of match days and that in itself shows that it was not a fluke. That they lost 1-3 in Mriin, well Mriin are the big favourites of the group, so no surprise there, 2-3 against South Newlandia at home, though, could give us hopes as we beat SNL and then they bounced back with a 1-0 in the Southern Palm Islands.

Alistair McIntosh: So what it our collective expectation from the game? A win? A draw? A loss?

Arthur Wolseley: As a coach I would be happy with a draw on the road, but make sure they know that I have my full faith in their capabilities and that they have everything it takes to bring three points back home.

Alistair McIntosh: Let's leave at these words of wisdom. Make sure to tune in tomorrow night for our coverage from TJUN-ia City in what should be an exciting game and looking at this on the very last matchday we could be in almost a kind of playoff game for a playoff spot, so every point counts. Have a good night and stay safe!

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 7:40 am

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with Graham O'Doherty

SURELY THE OTHER SHOE'S GOT TO DROP SOON

I'm not used to this feeling, guys. Seriously. I've been so used to the national team always bringing me down and disappointing me that every time they're on a run of good form, I keep telling myself that there's no way that this can last, that this kind of momentum can be sustained. And yet here we are. Four international weekends and eight qualifying matchdays later, Abanhfleft are now currently standing pretty at the top of Qualifying Group 17. At the current state of affairs, we're actually going to make it through to the World Cup! Christ above, how many jinxes have I just made? I hope they all cancel out each other, including this particular jinxing unjinx (or unjinxing jinx, whichever one it may happen to be).

Hello guys, and welcome back to another edition of The Football Fallacies with me, your gay Irishman Graham O'Doherty. Yes, your eyes doth not deceive you: Abanhfleft are still on top of the standings of Group 17 despite all our thoughts. I mean, where was this kind of performance the last time the ladies stepped up to the plate, so to speak? Well, to be perfectly honest, the lasses did a good job back in the WC 84 qualifiers; it was just unfortunately not good enough to see us over the line. Not with teams like Brenecia and Banija lurking around. God, imagine that. I still remember the time when Banija were newcomers to international sport and we Flefts were like one of the established nations. Now they've to the World Cup proper more times than we have, and they've done a much better job there than we have. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry.

But enough about the distant past. We're about the more recent past here. That is, the two most recent qualifying games for the Democratic Republic. First of all, can I just say that what a breath of fresh air Hiroko Kellerman has been for the senior women's team. Kind of like the effect that Mustafa Bensoussan had for the men's team. Kelly McGinnis probably feels the same way, methinks. I mean, think about it. How many years has the team been relying on little old Kelly to score the goals for the team, with or sometimes without help from the other players like Amelie Rusev or Prudence Woodward or Elene Liner or even Britt fucking Hanokssen?! How many goals has McGinnis got for the national team already, thirty or forty? Maybe even fifty? Somewhere along those numbers, definitely. And there are definitely some players out there who thrive on being the number one goalscoring threat for their team, but even then everyone has limits. And I've always thought that Kelly hit those limits sometime during the qualifiers for World Cup 84. And who were our backup strikers back then? Freaking Annie Sabado and Rina Babarushchik! Bloody Irina Babarushchik! Two strikers who tried (and failed) to live up to the expectations of Arsenal de Releinthi Women's Football Club thanks to a certain Chelsea Stuart, and now they're the players we're having to rely on to pick up the slack when McGinnis can't find the target! No wonder we've been piss poor.

Enter Hiroko Kellerman. Her official profile on the SFA website wasn't kidding when it said that she was one of the few bright spots in the absolute disaster that was Di Bradini Cup 48. What was the figure that they cited, Hiroko was part of almost 80 percent of our goals in the tournament? Those are crazy numbers right there. It's almost like someone combined Chelsea Stuart and Alex Rousseau into one player just because they could! And everyone thought she was just another flash in the pan because of our shit campaigns in Di Bradini and the Independents Cup. Oh no. Now that Hiroko's doing the stuff in the freaking World Cup qualifiers, what fecking excuse do the haters have now?! None, that's what!

Despite all the positivity emanating from me at the moment, I'm still holding out judgment on this team until the whole qualifiers is finished. We've all been here before. We've all known the story of the team that does well in the first half of a qualifying tournament only to fall flat on their faces come the second half. Fuck, we've seen it happen during games as well. There's never a good time to sit on our laurels and bask in our accomplishments. All this is gonna be for naught if we screw up the second part once again. The teams below us are just waiting for the moment when we inevitably slip up, and then they're gonna pounce and then never let go of the places that will actually go to the World Cup proper, at least not as easily as we gave those positions up in this hypothetical (but very real) scenario. Look, all I want is a straightforward campaign. If we're winning, I wanna keep winning. If we're losing, then at least have to consistency to be bad every game and not ever give the fans a glimmer of hope that the situation could be turned around. That shouldn't be too hard to do, right? XOXO from Graham....

█       BARUNIA 1 - 2 ABANHFLEFT
MOORHOUSE (43')       LINER (19')
                      KELLERMAN (73')

    ABANHFLEFT 3 - 3 WHEN U DIE
McGINNIS (12')
   BRITT (25')
WOODWARD (69')

by **Mercedini** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 8:58 am

World Cup Quickie
Keep Off The Grass
@ Zoloroni Sports City Stadium - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome back to the World Cup circuit and Mercedini Sports Daily's coverage of it. We are knee deep in the qualifying cycle with one match to go before the mid-qual break. Dini lost both of their previous matches against Murphtannia and Savojarna which means that Dini sit two points behind second and five points behind Baker Park in the top spot. Zoloroni has hosted four home matches so far, with a strange quirk happening in two of them regarding away fans. Fans from the Orion Islands and Murphtannia both took it upon themselves to storm the pitch at the first knowledge of a full-time whistle, following their win being confirmed in Zoloroni. While the occasion of both of these teams beating their group counterparts from Pot 2 would be seen as a big one back home, it has prompted action from the Mercedinian Footballing Association, something never done since Mercedini's debut in 75th World Cup Qualification Cycle. The MFA have submitted a strongly worded statement to future visiting associations, effectively stating that any more funny business and the Mercedini will close the away end to visiting fans for the rest of the cycle, come what may.

While emotions may get the better of some fans, the integrity of the Mercedinian game is at risk, with home fans repeatedly seeing the Sports City Stadium flooded with travelling fans, who, in the words of the MFA 'show complete contempt for the sport and the safety precautions put in place by the Mercedinian authorities'. They continued, 'To happen once in a cycle is surprising and disappointing, to have it happen twice in the opening four home games is, quite utterly, disgraceful and we hope future associations who have the privilege to visit the Sports City Stadium understand that respect and integrity is the rule, not the exception'.

A statement like that is seldom released by the top brass of the MFA, with decades and centuries of tradition put in place by literally every nation that has ever competed. It has established that home and away decorum from nations across the multiverse means honouring and respecting the teams in action and the host nations of every match, cycle after cycle. While this qualification group has had it's moments of brilliance, namely beating Baker Park in the BBP Stadium, the actions of a small minority from Murphtannia and seemingly every-fucking-body from the Orion Islands has left in the sour taste in the mouths of Mercedinian football fans, especially the MFA and those involved in the policing of matches. For them, they have had their places called into question, a sad indictment on the lasting effects of this situation, sadly taking the subject away from football.

In the history of Mercedinian International Football spanning over ten cycles, Mercedini have seen itself a a nation which puts their heart into the game to support those in a black and blue jersey, but respecting anyone who enters the turf of the Sports City Stadium as the opposition. Whether that be Banija who fought off a Mercedinian comeback to qualify for their first World Cup, or the likes of Tobiasia and Indusse, who let in seven goals but still had the fire to carry on.

Whether this situation resolves itself or measures will be put into place to quell disorder remains to be seen, is it hoped that the latest and mildest warnings are enough to dissuade any further unruly actions from spectators. The Busoga Islands will be the final match before the end of the first half, where Dini need to pick up a win if they are to challenge the top two in the second half of the double round-robin.

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 9:26 am

HOLY EMPIRE HERALD

ODD EVENTS PLAGUE VICTORY OVER AUDIOSLAVIA
'Their Clothes Kept Falling Off' Muses Tzimisces

By Anna Comneno

The Holy Empire's undefeated juggernaut continued to plough through World Cup qualification last night, with an impressive 4-2 away victory against group second seeds Audioslavia. No bulls were on parade here, unless they were being paraded to slaughter, with Holy Empire forward Alán Belmores scoring four more unlikely goals to add to a goal-scoring tally surely unequalled since his coincidental near-namesake Alan Belmore was cutting a swathe through the early World Cup.

Yet the match was potentially marred by a series of bizarre Audioslavian wardrobe malfunctions, with the elastic waistbands of the opposing players' shorts often failing at inopportune moments; no fewer than three of Belmores's four goals resulted from players being caught short by their shorts at the Arena Kirola. Starting Bulls goalkeeper Goran Stroud fell victim to this strange and improbable phenomenon several times, leading to two of Belmores's goals, including one off a free kick that Stroud surely would have saved had not his elastic waistband snapped at precisely the moment Belmores hit the ball, leading to his shorts tripping him just as he attempted to dive for the ball.

'It was all very unlikely' said Imperial manager Juan Tzimisces immediately after the match, 'but their clothes kept falling off at just the wrong moment'.

As of this writing, Audioslavia manager Sean Patterick could not be reached for comment, though this reporter understands that urgent talks are being held with Audioslavian kit manufacturers Kirola to avoid a repeat in future matches. While Audioslavian shirts are made by Kirola, it is currently unclear over whether the shorts are made by the same company.

It seems likely the the sequence of mildly improbable kit malfunctions is related to the spread of the MARG-20 probability virus within the Holy Empire, which led directly to Delaclava refusing to travel to the Dreamed Realm back in match day 5. 'Ze spread of ze MARG-20 virus vill continue to cause disruption to margaretite particles around ze infected, in turn leading to sequence of mildly improbable events vithin as yet unidentified radius of ze infected' said leading Imperial scientist Professor Igor Von Madscientisto last night. Professor Von Madscientisto later indicated that he was in the process of finalising a short monograph on the impact of MARG-20 that he hoped to release early in the second half of qualification. 'It vill make many things much clearer' he promised.

Among the many outstanding mysteries over MARG-20 is whether it can infect mundies, and whether the margaretite distortion effect will impact mundies even if they are infected. Some sources have speculated that the mundy inability to control reality may mean that while they are themselves susceptible to probability distortions around infected Imperial citizens, they will not themselves cause probability distortions if infected. It may well be that different mundy species and subrealities may be impacted differently.

In other news, the Holy Empire also defeated 4-0 at home, with Belmores scoring all four goals - the fourth involving a mildly improbable double somersault bicycle kick.

by **Starblaydia** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 9:55 am

Starblaydia Cruising Ahead
Unbeaten Qualifying run extends to 17 games

Starblaydia last lost a World Cup Qualifying game eighteen matches ago, away in Talamia. Since then, they've drawn three and won fourteen of their group games, something which saw them qualify for the last Championships in Farfadillis and Mriin and has seen them climb to the top of Group 16 by a six point margin. As Ázëwyn Fëanáro's team manage to defeat all before them - the one exception so far being for the highest scoring draw in history against Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom - the rest of the group decide to beat each other and allow the 10th-ranked team in the world all the breathing room they might require as we approach the half-way point. Darmen have lost to Mattijana and Krytenia. Krytenia have lost to Rangers FC and The Jovannic. Mattijana have lost to Saltstead and The Jovannic. The Jovannic have lost to Darmen and Krytenia. If it keeps up like this, nobody from Group 16 will have a chance of locking down one of those precious second place auto-qualification spots.

The closest challengers to the team in white and purple are early group leaders Mattijana, who face their toughest home test of the qualifiers when the top team come to town on Matchday 9. There's no sometimes-customary half-way break during these Qualifiers, as almost immediately after the first set of Round Robin games comes to a close, Starblaydia will hop on a plane to travel to Saltstead to begin the second half of matches. After this pair of matches, the hardest away test for Starblaydia will be visiting Krytenia, while at home Darmen and Mattijana, on the final Matchday, will come calling to contest the vital points.

The winning streak, now six matches, has seen Ázëwyn Fëanáro's win percentage climb its way up to precisely 59.43% in her 244 games in charge, almost level with the 60.42% win percentage of all Starblaydi coaches combined over 1852 international matches. Certainly other coaches have been more successful, but Fëanáro has brought Starblaydia up from the depths of barely inside the top 50 in the KPB rankings to the heady heights of 10th, via a peak of 5th after appearing in the 83rd World Cup Final. A seventh AOCAF Cup sits, shiny and new, in the trophy cabinet at Oberyn Park with the whispered promise of more silverware to add to it and the Under-18 World Cup trophy, both claimed since Fëanáro took over.

With the new elite performance centre getting into its stride combined with the bump in prestige, interest and confidence after claiming the multiverse's premier regional tournament crown, Starblaydia's national football team is looking forward to the future, rather than backward to the past. There's definitely a sense, when you hang around this squad even for the briefest of moments, of a relaxed side, free from the burden of past expectations. In a nation that has for so long been defined by its history, they might finally have been able to cut that particular weight loose and begin to perform on their own merits.

The part of history that hasn't been forgotten, however, is how to spank Krytenia.

After needing to score five to get the better of Darmen on their home turf, the men in cyan were welcomed - as much as they ever could be - to the Stadii Di Bradini, where a capacity crowd was ready to see the old rivalry revived for the first time on Starblaydi soil since captain Vincenzo Natrionne scored the only goal of the game to see them off in World Cup 65's Qualifiers. The return match in Krytenia, and we're talking all of 84 years ago, was an even more emphatic win for the five time world champions as Rodundo, Bazrador Khurnos, and Jory Masters (twice) all got on the scoresheet to put Krytenia to the sword 4-0. The four times the two sides have met since have all been on neutral ground, across Atlantian Oceania in the AOCAF Cup or the Under-18 World Cup and all but one have resulted in a Starblaydi victory. The pendulum is so far to the eastern side of the Bekk, that even Rami Niblick wrote that Krytenia should try and be more like Starblaydia. "And on that bombshell..." so they say.

The bombshell, in this case, was Hope Roshanak. Starblaydia's leading scorer of her generation made it 41 goals in 73 appearances as she opened the scoring past Darren Carpenter after twenty-four minutes with a rising drive from distance that jut clipped Joey Sinton's outstretched shin on the way past for that extra bit of deceptive spin. The second came courtesy of Roshanak's boot, too, as when she clipped a cross in from the edge of the area, Carpenter decided to help it on its way with a punch. It only went straight to Starblaydi midfielder Noah Kranendonk, however, who took it on the half volley and sent it directly back from whence it came, the scrambling Carpenter unable to stop it going in the net for Kranendonk's first international goal. What a team to score it against, too, with a goal and exultant celebration that will doubtless be replayed time and again whenever these two sides meet: pure joy doesn't begin to describe the look on his face.

Roshanak's contributions to the goal tally continued in the second half. As Lucy Saraviva sprinted forward with the ball, heavily marked by the wide man Joshua Kelnic, and knocked it inside to Roshanak. Back to goal, with Ross Green swarming all over the back of her, the Starblaydi striker dummied one way but flicked the ball back with the outside of her right boot in a beautiful one-two with Saraviva, who had turned on the jets and got that crucial half a yard past Kelnic. One touch was all it needed, and Lucy Saraviva wheeled away with glee, having claimed her 26th international goal in her career. At 31 she shows no signs of slowing down, and her incisiveness and neat interplay can be a joy to behold.

Starblaydia move onward, knowing that if they can take their game to Mattijana and defeat them at home, the leaders will pull away yet further from the rest of the group. Though Saltstead on paper looks a more difficult task than it has been for the rest of the Group 16 sides in reality, there's a very real possibility that the next game at the Stadii Di Bradini when Zeta Reka come to town (in the inevitable 0-0 bore draw to offset the 6-6, of course) Starblaydia will be on nine wins from ten and cruising toward qualification.

by **Riennic Isles** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 11:31 am

The Riena Sentinel

Three Points - Taeshan 2-2 Riena
Riena's mini-revival gains steam with precious point

Taeshan: Morgenstern (19'), Jackson (42')
Riena: Nakiri (21'), Kanzaki (72')

Riena's latest match in Group 12 of the World Cup qualifiers saw their uptick in form continue apace as the Wavelets fought second seeds Taeshan to a creditable draw. Taeshani captain Shiloh Morgenstern opened the scoring in the nineteenth minute with a well-timed header, but Riena were behind for a matter of minutes as our own captain Aya Nakiri replied in emphatic fashion, lashing home from close range after a goalmouth scramble. Nycolas Jackson's penalty edged Taeshan back into the lead just before half-time, but Rion Kanzaki sidefooted home inside the Taeshani area to level the scores in the seventy-second minute. Here are three points from a closely contested match at the New Capetown Memorial Park.

Three at the back an unexpected weapon in Riena's armoury

Coming into this qualification campaign, Riena manager Kanata Shiranami appeared to be thoroughly wedded to her preferred 4-3-3 formation. The last time Riena deviated from this tried-and-trusted formula in a competitive match was in the first match of CoH 77 against Jeckland. You would have to go all the way back to the group stages of Riena's Baptism of Fire to find an occasion on which Shiranami played a formation that wasn't a variation of a 4-3-3 - that's almost a full cycle's worth of competitive matches. However, this cycle has marked a significant departure from Shiranami's 4-3-3 orthodoxy. While the 4-3-3 remains Riena's main formation - mainly because of Riena's traditional emphasis on attacking play down the flanks - the 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 are quickly emerging as potent weapons in Riena's tactical armoury, most notably against top-class opposition.

Part of that is due to the emergence of the dependable Hinata Yukihana, who is equally comfortable playing on the right side of a back three or in her original position as a right-back. The addition of Yukihana to the national squad has added to Shiranami's tactical options in a significant way. Mao Tsukamoto, who usually plays as the right-sided central defender in Riena's first-choice back four, had not been trusted to start as the right-sided central defender in a back three due to her unfamiliarity with the role. With Yukihana in the squad, Shiranami has been able to field a back three against superior opposition, where the team would expect to see less of the ball. The 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 formations allow Riena to move their wing-backs deeper to absorb pressure and counterattack at pace whenever the opposition loses the ball. Riena's second equaliser was a good example of this - Yoshimi Hirahito's mishit pass was intercepted in midfield and quickly delivered out wide for Haneda, whose inch-perfect delivery laid the ball on a silver platter for Rion Kanzaki to finish.

More detailed tactical treatises will no doubt be written about Riena's deployment of three at the back - but suffice to say that in retrospect, it's not hard to see why Shiranami has been experimenting with different formations with three at the back during the team's pre-qualifying friendlies. Four points away from home against the top two seeds speaks for itself, and with such an excellent return, we can certainly expect to see more of the 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 going forward.

Aya Nakiri may be due for a resurgence

It seems ill-informed even to suggest that the captain of the team and the most naturally talented attacker in the Riena squad has been sidelined, but Aya Nakiri's involvement in these qualifiers has, so far, been sparing for a player of her calibre. She has been a mainstay of this Riena team ever since debuting as Hijiri Sakuranami's vice-captain in the Baptism of Fire, but just as Sakuranami found herself going from indisputable starter to a squad rotation option, Nakiri has also found herself sitting on the bench more than she would have liked.

A mercurial trequartista whose only focus is on creating and scoring goals, Nakiri's inability to dovetail with the rest of her teammates in midfield had been a constant source of frustration for Shiranami, who had been forced into tinkering with the composition of her midfield in order to accommodate one of her most potent attackers. It seemed, however, that Nakiri was just not a natural fit for Riena's 4-3-3 system, in which the midfield three have to bear a significant share of the team's defensive burden so that the wingers have the freedom to push forward at will. Her inclusion in such a system would leave her colleagues in midfield overworked, compromising the team's defensive shape - nowhere was this more obvious than in Riena's 4-3 win against Savigliane in which Nakiri scored a hat-trick, but contributed greatly to Riena letting in three goals of their own with her defensive indiscipline.

But with Shiranami's use of the 3-4-3 and 3-5-2, Nakiri may have unearthed a route back into the Riena starting XI. Shiranami's interpretation of these two formations offers more defensive solidity in the middle of the park and gives Nakiri the creative license she needs to do what she does best. In the case of the 3-4-3, additional protection comes in the form of the two wide midfielders, Kaede Igarashi and Minami Kagura, who are both tough-tackling full-backs by trade. As for the 3-5-2, the introduction of an extra central midfielder, typically a defensive-minded player such as Mishiro Kawakaze or a pure anchor player such as Sara Kirimiya, allows Riena to transition into what is effectively a 3-4-1-2 in attack. In both cases, the system removes a significant share of Nakiri's defensive responsibilities, freeing her to push forward and attack the opposition's final third with prejudice.

Nakiri's tactical inflexibility marks her out as a luxury player, but we have seen in the past that Shiranami recognises the talent of her captain and is willing to accommodate her. The 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 systems that she has turned to this cycle could be the perfect way for Nakiri to regain her spot as a regular starter in this Riena team. Of course, Shiranami has also shown that she can be ruthless in axing underperforming players from her squad, and Nakiri could be for the chop sooner rather than later if she fails to adapt to Riena's usual 4-3-3 system. But for now, Nakiri has found a niche that she can fill, and that buys her invaluable time to prove she can hack it in a midfield three.

Riena's superb away form is keeping them afloat

Riena's struggles at home have been well-documented. For a pot four team, they have had a surprisingly poor record at the Wavelet Arena, especially against teams that they would be expected to beat, and that malaise has continued into this cycle. So far, they have played three games in their own backyard, and they have accrued a measly four points - a goalless stalemate against Springmont was followed by a 0-1 reverse against Ziwana, and unfancied Savigliane pushed Shiranami's team to the brink before going down fighting in a 4-3 thriller. Their disappointing home form may yet be improved somewhat when Fluvannia visit Nagato on the next matchday, but it is Riena's record away from home that has keeping the team's collective heads above water.

The Wavelets opened their campaign with a narrow defeat against Trolleborg at the 1th December Stadium, but since then, they have been markedly better on the road than they have been with home comforts. An efficient win against the Grearish Union was the catalyst for a run of three straight victories that included a shocking upset of the Hinodejin Empire in Tentai, before that winning streak was brought to a halt by today's draw against Taeshan. Yet a total of 10 points from 5 away matches, which works out at 2 points per game, represents a wonderful return for the Wavelets. This is in stark contrast to 4 points from 3 home matches they have played so far, for an average of 1.33 points accrued per home match. The difference may not seem that large, but it is worth looking at the strength of the opposition in both categories - Riena have already played the Hinodejin Empire, Taeshan, and Trolleborg away, while the highest ranked team they have played at home is fifth seed Ziwana.

At the moment, it certainly looks as though the home comforts of the Wavelet Arena are not doing much for Riena. Having already played the group's most difficult opposition away, it remains to be seen whether Shiranami and her team can figure out the reason for their malaise at home in time for the return fixtures. Riena's performances at home will definitely play a crucial role in determining whether Riena will be challenging for a spot in the World Cup finals come the tail end of these qualifiers, and if they can turn their home advantage into an actual advantage instead of a stumbling block, expect them to remain in the conversation right until the very end.

Taeshan (4-4-2): Wagner; Santiago, McKenzie, Benjamin, Garrett; Morgenstern, Hirahito, Moriarty, Jackson; Sneijder, Nkitilina
Substitutes: Nickleby, Marchand, Borja (79'), Ydrissil, Kenoby, Melchoir (84'), Brubaker (70')

Riena (3-5-2): Minato; Amemiya, Tsukamoto, Yukihana; Haneda, Sakuranami, Nakiri, Kirimiya, Kagura; Kanzaki, Steiner
Substitutes: Kugimiya, Narita, Igarashi (75'), Kawakaze (66'), Mano, Matsukai (75'), Amatsuka

by **Pluvia and the Saxean Isles** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 11:33 am

28 Greatstreet, Marienburg, Pluvia and the Saxean Isles

It was long past time for, Prof. Charles Cunningham, assistant professor in the history department at Royal Marienburg University, to be going to bed. He was reading by lamplight at approximately 3:12 am, about three and a half hours after his wife had retired for the night. What was keeping him up? The recently discovered journal of William II, one of the most pivotal monarchs in Pluvian history. It wasn't a simple matter of reading the diary, as it was written in a mixture of "proper" 19th-century Pluvian, slang and argot, and 19th-century Saxean as well. It also wasn't a daily diary, but evidently one in which he recorded important events. So it was slow going, but he was keeping at it. Following William II's account of his 18th birthday, he jumped to his enrollment in military service and the Royal Marienburg University. But the section Cunningham was reading now was scintillating.

In 1884, during William's second year at university, there was unrest in the Saxean Isles. Nationalist protestors had hurled rocks and sticks at the Claesey garrison and there were street demonstrations in favor of a devolved legislature. There were rumors of socialists and right-wing independence zealots infiltrating the crowd as well. Although the police and the garrison had managed to maintain order, King Alfred III had decided on a twin show of force and of awe, settling on the 1st Royal Lancers acting as the centerpiece of a military parade and a temporary reinforcement of the garrison. And so, William II sailed to Claesey on "The Greater Island", as most people referred to it, though its proper Old Saxean name was "Ailann Bennach", or "The Blessed Isle".

August 7, 1884

Though I have been to the Isles many times before, this time, it is markedly different. When I was but a lad, we visited Claesey and the old castle on the Greater Island many times on summer holiday. The climes of the Isles in the summer are much more favorable, blessed as they are by their more northerly latitude and the maritime zephyrs which blow sweetly across them. Anna [NB: his sister, the Princess] and I used to play along the ramparts of the castle, pretending to be the lairds and ladies who used to rule these isles in the days before our people became the rulers. Or other times we would pretend to be heathens and make sacrifices to the gods of wood and water, as the Old Saxeans did in the days before Christ, and some still do, it is said. If our father had found some of our make-believe shrines, he surely would have had us thrashed for deviating from the Catholic faith, even if only in light-hearted fun. Our playmates were the bairns of the servants, typically, but other times we would run free on the streets of Claesey or through the hills and meadows of the countryside. We sported with animals, children, dockworkers, and even would go out occasionally with some of the sturdy, weather-beaten specimens of Saxean fishermen. We felt like Saxea was a true part of our nation and that there was little to separate us from them. Nothing was more natural than for us to rule the Isles as well as Pluvia. It seemed to us a paradise where none could or would harm us, though I realize now we must have been tailed by soldiers and agents of the security ministry whilst in town.

Nothing could be more different. I return now not as a brother of those men, women, and children I once gamboled with, but as an occupier. When I rode at the head of the column of the Lancers, down the cobblestone streets of Claesey, it was not the flowers, nor the cheering, nor the cries of "The prince, the prince!" I heard. The common folk do love the pomp of a military parade, and my face is more welcome in the Isles than my father's, but it was the pinched faces, the hungry children, and the glaring eyes I saw. None dared hurl an insult or shout the nationalists' cry of "Saxea Forever!" or "The auld Lairds, the auld laws, the auld ways", which is the motto of Saxean traditionalist reactionaries, but those who were not cheering drew my eyes more than those who did. Had the Isles always endured this? Had the happier times of my childhood been a mere illusion?

I tried to raise these concerns with the captain of the garrison, but he was rather dismissive, telling me that failed harvests were an irregularity, the vast majority of Islanders were happy, the nationalists were a tiny minority, and that the connexions between the mainland and the Isles could overcome any issue. Besides, they were a hardy people, and they had learned how to suffer through any number of hardships. I need not concern myself with their welfare. As my father had told me, so the captain reminded me: my job was to raise their spirits and remind them of their connexion to the royal family and the mainland. If it came to it, I must be prepared to use force in defense of the rule of law. Mob justice or mob rule had no place in our kingdom.

I cannot accept this. I cannot feel myself an outsider in a land that nourished me as a child. I have set my face towards Jerusalem. I will secretly learn of the common people's struggles. I will labor with the laboring man, keep watch with the shepherd, and hear what they mutter in the taverns. After all, if I am to be king, I must know my people. This I vow.

by **Flavovespia** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 12:53 pm

Flavovespia 1-0 Wymondham

Arnold Stevenson's first home game in charge of Flavovespia was a success. A late winner ensured that not only was the losing streak at home ended, but Flavovespia had a first home win.

Stevenson started with a squad lining up the same as the match in Kulefati. The 4-2-3-1 was still chosen, with Coleman a lone striker ahead of Feld-Hall-Ace.

Wymondham started on the front foot, keen to show how they were winning away from home so often. Aarif Muhammad was forced into a good save just 8 minutes in, and for the first 20 or do minutes, Flavovespia had little in the way of the ball or attacks. However they nearly opened against the run of play, a cross by Maddox blasted narrowly over the bar by Ace.

For the rest of the half, the game felt relatively even, with no major decisive moments. It was goalless at the break, a match that wasn't a classic, but satisfactory enough for Flavovespia so far.

Into the second half and the momentum gradually shifted towards Flavovespia. They were getting more of the ball, with King and Hall linking up well through the middle. Twice Hall tested the keeper from range, and twice he forced a strong save out of them. But as the clock ticked to 90 minutes, fears grew there'd be no breakthrough, or even a late goal for Wymondham amongst the hone fans.

Then, in injury time, a late corner saw plenty of Flavovespians go up for it. King whipped it in, and the header by Gardner flicked it on to Coleman at the far post. Coleman was inside thanks to 2 defenders on the goalline, and he headed the ball down, over the line and in. Flavovespia were 1-0 up in the last minute of injury time, and had snatched the win at the death. Finally there was some positive news for the Flavovespians in the stands these qualifiers.

Flavovespia 1-1 Québec

Flavovespia couldn't quite make it 3 wins from 3, but with 7 points from 9, Arnold Stevenson has began to earn plenty of plaudits for his role in turning around the side. Stevenson has since been confirmed as the manager of Flavovespia until the end of the qualifiers at a minimum, with further extensions to be discussed at the end of the campaign.

2 wins from 2 meant no changes for Flavovespia, as they lined up against a Québec side, looking to avenge the Round of 24 loss at the AOCAF Cup 61. However it was probably the star of the qualifiers so far, Scott Coleman who got the opener 14 minutes in. Ace had the pace to get clear and put in a low cross. Coleman got there first as it flashed across the goal, and was able to get enough on it as he slid in to turn the ball over the line. 1-0, Coleman now having scored for 6 games in a row, and he was shaking off any doubts about his selection due to poor domestic form.

It wasn’t over by any means yet, especially considering the game at the start of the qualifiers against Cassadaigua. Québec did seem a little shaken by the goal, but were able to prevent a second goal for Flavovespia coming in from Hall, the other home player starring in the qualifiers. Québec created their first big opportunity in the 37th minute. Paul Rodwell’s stray leg deflected the ball away from Aarif Muhammad, who was helpless to stop an incoming midfielder tapping it in. 1-1, and the game was even not long before half time. It would remain that way at the break.

The second half saw some good opportunities for both sides, but the defences seemed up to the challenge. Flavovespia finally seemed to look more settled at the back, having 2 clean sheets prior to this game, and the midfield duo ahead of the defence were more than capable of dropping back to supply support. Québec meanwhile were forcing Flavovespia to play out wide, stifling the threat of Coleman and Hall, as the crosses coming in became less accurate as fatigue began to set in.

In the end, the 1-1 result was in the eyes of the majority a fair. It wasn’t the revenge win Québec would’ve liked, especially as they drop to 3rd in the group. Flavovespia fell to 6th, in what is becoming a crowded battle between 4th-8th in Group 15. With a little over half the qualifiers to go, there’s still plenty to play for, and the Top 2 seeds haven’t booked their tickets to Newmanistan or Drawkland yet, anything could happen.

The next game

A single gameweek coming up, as Flavovespia travel to Ihilthracna. Both teams are on a 3-1-4 record with 10 points so far. For Flavovespia, not losing, especially to a nation 284 places below them is imperative to keeping their qualifiers on the more respectable path it’s moved onto. The realistic goal for now looks to be 4th in the table, short of some of the Top 3 having a collapse.

The Football Clubs Of Flavovespia

Next up comes the West. Politically and culturally this region is largely linked to St Astons, but there's still plenty of areas with their own local identities. The region is also home to the highest point of Flavovespia, and is much more hilly and sparsely populated compared to the east of the nation. Nevertheless, it has plenty of football teams to talk about. The city-regions of Carston, Presmoor Bridge, Hopford, Langpool Capton, and the 4 former parts of St Astons; Claychester, Redthwaite, Saxford and Slaton are included.

______________________
Tier 1	Super League
	Carston Green FC Formed: 83BU Stadium: Green Park (29503) Rivals: Hopford FC, Langpool Capton FC, Westwood Garden City FC (minor) Carston Green are one of the oldest sides in Flavovespia. Carston Green is a small city, home to a little over half the population of the whole Carston city-region. They have an almost unrivalled history, in 70BU they became the first non Big-3 side to win the Gold Cup. In the classic era they won the Gold Cup 6 times, Inter City Cup twice, and the GWNFA Super League once. Often considered one of, if not, the best of the non-Big 3 sides, it was a shock in 2AU when they were relegated to the second tier. They fell into the third tier at the end of 10AU, and were close to liquidation like Galling Rangers in 11AU. However a turnaround saw them back in the Super League for 14AU, although the club have not yet returned to past glories, with maybe the small exception of a cup win.
Tier 2	Challenge League
	Hopford FC Formed: 57BU Stadium: Peak Road (6172) Rivals: Langpool Capton FC (major), Carston Green FC (minor) Hopford has always had a strained relationship with much of Flavovespia, the last city-region to join the CCGW (the predecessor to the Republic of Greater Waldster, now Flavovespia). The fans, at least a vocal proportion, have embraced the “nobody likes us, we don’t care” mentality. Officially formed in 57BU, plenty see them as a simple renaming of Hopford Harps, formed in 80BU, instead of a new team in its own right. They were founders and 3 times winners of the Western Association. One of the top United and Eastern Alliance sides, they were controversially blocked from moving into the GWNFA Challenge League at the end of 12BU, for political reasons. In the modern era, they won the inaugural National Division 2 (then third tier) in 2AU, to finally compete in a national second tier. A team that’s spent much time at that level 27AU saw them come so close to a first ever Super League appearance, but a home loss to Batchingtonwood Rovers and then a loss in the playoffs cost them dear.
Tier 3	National League Division 1
	Claychester FC Formed: 59BU Stadium: Claychester Stadium (2721) Rivals: Redthwaite Rangers FC (major), Slaton FC, Saxford FC (minor) Claychester was a part of St Astons until the creation of 8 new city-regions in 8AU. However Claychester FC have represented the small city on the foot of the hills for decades prior. They were one of the 12 founders of the Western Association, and whilst never winners, were able to sustain a modest level of performance, and were often ranked 30-40 in the nation. The modern era saw them win the inaugural Western Alliance (D1). 16AU was their last season in non-league, and a season later they won a second consecutive promotion to reach the Challenge League. Recently they’ve yo-yoed somewhat between the second and third tiers, as they have a bit of a halcyon era.
	Slaton FC Formed: 57BU Stadium: Tomkins Way (3647) Rivals: Saxford FC (major), Claychester FC, Redthwaite FC (minor) Slaton, formerly part of St Astons but now a city-region, is on the border of the tallest point of Flavovespia, and the town in the hills overlooks St Astons and towards the sea. This club formed after the earlier Slaton-St Astons folded. In 52BU, as a small semi-pro side, they surprised many with their run to the Gold Cup semi finals. 7 years later, and now members of the Western Association, they went one better, beating St Astons City 1-0 in the semis. They lost 2-0 to Waldster in the final, but it was a remarkable cup story. The cub had brief spells in the top flight of the United and Eastern Alliance towards the end of the classic era. Although they began the modern era in the Western Alliance, they won the second edition of the Alliance Shield in 5AU, and have now spent 2 decades as a league side, including time in the Challenge League. Slaton are one of the more successful small city-region sides of the modern era.
	Langpool Capton FC Formed: 63BU Stadium: Capton Cross (7860) Rivals: Hopford FC (major), Carston Green FC (minor) Langpool Capton is a port city (now the name of the city-region), unusual as it’s in the North West but originally settled by east coasters and Waldsterians. One of plenty of sides set up for the purposes of the Inter-City Cup, Langpool Capton were founders of the Western Association in 54BU. They won it 7 times, before becoming founders of the GWNFA Challenge League, which started in 22BU. Despite plenty of time in the classic and modern era in the second tier, they could never reach the Super League. Since then, they’ve drifted away into spending more and more time in the third tier, as the non primary-city sides have caught up. Their blue and teal kits are a somewhat unusual combination.
	Redthwaite Rangers FC Formed: 59BU Stadium: Red Ground (2638) Rivals: Claychester FC (major), Slaton FC, Saxford FC (minor) Formed initially as Redthwaite FC in 59BU, they took the Rangers suffix in 41BU, for what would later turn out to be little more than to stand out and give themselves an alliterative name. (Of course, they forgot Radstye Rangers existed). They were relative minnows of the Western Association, but were able to stay in the lower tiers of the United and Eastern Alliance for a while, finishing in its second tier upon it’s conclusion in 4BU. They’ve spent almost all of the modern era in the third tier. The exception was 16AU spent in the second tier Challenge League, only to suffer consecutive relegations, and then 2 seasons in the Western Alliance D1. Redthwaite is another of the 8 city-regions formed in 8AU, and the town, formerly part of St Astons, has a close cultural link to its old region, but is still proud of its independence and its club.
Tier 4	National League Division 2
	Caffchin FC Formed: 81BU Stadium: Woodshack (2142) Rivals: Combury FC (major), Napsmouth FC (minor) The small town of Caffchin, not far from the outskirts of Carston Green has a team over a century old. They first entered the Gold Cup in its second edition, but for the next decades, remained amateur until 32BU, when they joined the professional and semi-pro Western Association. The merger with the United and Eastern Alliance wasn’t fruitful for Caffchin, as they fell down the pyramid into the smaller regional leagues. The modern era has proved relatively more successful, spending much of it in the league. In 17AU they won the Alliance Shield and promotion back to the league after relegation, and one season later, a playoff final victory gave them their one-time appearance in the second tier. Another team with a strong local rivalry, against Combury.
	Melcave Meerkats Formed: 26BU Stadium: Meerkat Manor (1648) Rivals: Floombury United FC (major) Melcave Meerkats have a somewhat confusing history. Originally an amateur side in formed in 68BU, when Melcave FC were bankrupt in 27BU, eccentric Michael McCulloch brought the club and the naming rights to Melcave Meerkats, and the club reformed to stay in the Western Association. One time finalists of the Western Association, they were middling in the merged era. In the modern era, they briefly fell into the Alliance D2, but by 10AU, got to taste league football. In contrast to their fierce intra-Hopford rivals, they’ve been in the league since the end of 26AU.
Tier 5	Alliance D1
	Napsmouth FC Formed: 16BU Stadium: Passerden (1278) Rivals: Caffchin FC, Combury FC, Carston Butterflies (minor) The village of Napsmouth, on the hills outside Carston Green, was known to few outside of Carston, especially their football side. Little was expected of them in 4AU when they entered the Alliance D2. However, they stunned many to reach Round 3 of the Cup in their first attempt. In 7AU, against a plethora of stronger semi-pro sides, they completed their rise into the Western League, surprising many. The club since then have bounced around between the bottom tier of the league and top-tier of non-league, still an impressive feat nonetheless for a village side in this era.
	Combury FC Formed: 59BU Stadium: Combury Road (1867) Rivals: Caffchin FC (major), Napsmouth FC (minor) Out in the hills in the east of Carston lies the small town of Combury. They were founded after Combury Fields failed to sustain themselves, Combury FC one of a national trend of more local clubs identifying with a specific region. Rivals of Caffchin, like them they progressed to the Western Association in 32BU. They too struggled as the Western Association looked to merge with the United and Eastern Alliance, returning to the smaller leagues at the end of 18BU. Combury were one of several teams, rivals Caffchin included, to start in the Western/Eastern Alliance in 3AU, but win promotion to the new Western League for 8AU. Combury however, have spent a lot more time back in the Alliance D1, although they’re always knocking on the door of professionalism.
	Floombury United FC Formed: 61BU Stadium: Purple Meadow (2325) Rivals: Melcave Meerkats (major) The merger of Floombury Express and Floombury Athletes saw Floombury United form. The small town in the coastal area of Hopford city-region play in the purple and yellow of the two clubs that formed it. Relatively small for a few decades, they turned semi-pro to join the Western Association in 39BU. Post-merger, they briefly reached the United and Eastern Alliance Division 1 for 15BU, but fell away in the following years. Floombury United have 3 Alliance Shield victories in the modern era, including 29AU, but have not been a league side since 26AU, despite a perception of being too strong for the non-league.
Tier 6	Alliance D2
	Presmoor Bridge Railway FC Formed: 82BU Stadium: Station Way (1555) Rivals: Presmoor Bridge AFC (major) Presmoor Bridge Railway FC are unusual in some ways in being a factory side that survived to arguably be the primary side of Presmoor Bridge. Originally formed by the railway workers of the town (then a part of Carston), the club grew to represent the whole town. They joined the Western Association in it’s expansion of 39BU, but couldn’t afford it, and dropped back out at the conclusion of 33BU. A season in the United and Eastern Alliance Division 2 in 13BU was their only nationally noteworthy season in the classic era. They made the Western Alliance in 3AU, but struggled to stay up, and for a few decades now have failed to reach a return to sustained Alliance D1 football.
	FC The Rise Formed: 0U Stadium: Fennybury (752) Rivals: none FC The Rise are a relatively new side. The unusual name comes from a local nickname of Slaton, “The Rise” because of the steep sections of land between St Astons and Slaton. The team first entered the pyramid in 8AU, with the expansion of the third tier feeding down to 16 new positions in the Alliance D2. FC The Rise are one of the more successful of that cohort, although they’ve never won promotion yet, they’ve reached the promotion playoffs yet. They also look far from danger of relegation back to the smaller leagues. They also wear a distinctive bright green and purple kit, supposedly chosen because of its uniqueness although it’s never truly been confirmed.
	Carston Butterflies Formed: 1AU Stadium: Butterfly World (615) Rivals: Napsmouth FC, Needleden FC (minor) A new team by Flavovespian standards, they were formed by a local consortium looking to start a new football team within Carston Green itself. They were successful enough in their early years to make it into the Alliance D2. A few sporadic appearances in the Alliance D1 are the only relative success they’ve had, somewhat down to the struggles to develop a fanbase and funding. A distinctive feature of them is their peach and purple kits, a very unusual colour scheme in the nation.
	Presmoor Bridge AFC Formed: 20BU Stadium: Chiswick Street (885) Rivals: Presmoor Bridge Railway FC (major) Formed initially to compete in the Western Amateur Division with aims of reaching the United and Eastern Alliance pyramid, Presmoor Bridge AFC had a controversial start, trying to represent the town that already had a fairly liked club. They gained some early support, but others detested the opportunism. They were another of the founding 64 of the Alliance D2. They’ve never however had much success, even at non-league level and are still seen as smaller than their intra-city rivals. There’s always talk of forming a Presmoor Bridge United, but nothing substantial has happened yet.
	Saxford FC Formed: 44BU Stadium: Annoter Lane (1132) Rivals: Slaton FC (major), Claychester FC, Redthwaite FC (minor) Saxford is another of the 8 new city-regions of 8AU, and one of the 4 that used to be part of St Astons (Claychester, Redthwaite and Slaton the others). Saxford is one of the highest settlements in Flavovespia, and the town was sparasely populated until ~50BU. Nevertheless, as it grew, a football team was founded, and by 33BU it was invited into the Western Association. They struggled after the merger, although did spend some time in the lower reaches of the United and Eastern Alliance. Saxford were in the 3AU Western Alliance, but a year later became the one of the first teams relegated from that tier. Since then, even as the town gained city-region status, the club have struggled in non-league, whilst their closest rivals Slaton have thrived compared to them.
	Capton Street FC Formed: 75BU Stadium: Denman Avenue (879) Rivals: none A club that have existed for more than a century, but have spent a lot of it as amateur. Capton Street, named after the main road through Langpool Capton, were early participants in the Gold Cup, but 60AU was the last year they got beyond the qualifiers. For decades they were little more than a local amateur side, but surprised a few paying attention to the non-league in 4AU when they were one of the 64 Alliance D2 sides. However, they surprised few by struggling in the basement tier, and with the basement opened up now, many following that level suspect they could soon go down.
	Needleden FC Formed: 66BU Stadium: Grosvenor Gardens (873) Rivals: Carston Butterflies (minor) The seaside town of Needleden is home to a little more than 5000, but their side has made it to the Alliance D2, a beneficiary of the opening up of the pyramid. Although the side had existed for several decades of the classic era, they barely registered on anyone’s radar, as they were in the Carston League and later Western Amateur Division, playing in front of a few dozen most weeks. In recent years, the opening up of the Flavovepsia Gold Cup and the football pyramid allowed them entry into national competitions. 29AU saw them reach Preliminary Round 2 of said cup, and more importantly they won the (renamed) Western Associate Division, and a place in the Western Alliance D2 for 30AU.

Code: Select all: OOC: Tier 1-4 kit graphics taken direct from my domestic newswire

by **Pripet Socialist Republic** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:15 pm

“Hey Ioakim, nice game today, it was nice to get that tie.”

“Thanks man, we just gotta hold stronger on the defense next time, but a 2-2 isn’t bad by any means.”

“Correct, man you’re getting a call.”

“Who is it from.”

“Some dude named August.”

1 million thoughts ran through Ioakims mind, he had been friends with August since childhood, but he hadn’t called him in over a year. So he did what anyone would do, he picked up the fucking phone.

“Hello? August, is that you?”

August explained to him the grief that he was feeling then, and how he wanted to find someone who truly cared about him. Ilyushkin thought about those words, they had been friends since childhood, growing up in different nations. Ilyushkin was the star of the Pripetanian team, and he knew that despite being on different teams, he needed to guide one of his longest lasting friends.

“August was always there for me man, I need to help him out and guide him, with his skill, his teams results should be much better right now, I gotta help the dude out.”

Ilyushkin walked out of the room knowing what he needed to do to help out August, he went back to his room, and he was in for a long night of thoughts up in his noggin.

by **Krytenia** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:10 pm

Part I: Miasma
Part II: Mistral
Part III: Tempestuous

IBIXAN PIECES

Part IV: Trickledown

Professor Golightly was, by this point, just a tiny bit done with looking at his computer screen. Several soil samples had come through from the sector they'd been testing, a strip of land west of the border mountains, and most had come back with traces of lichen. This had led the professor down a long road of trawling through old samples for matches.

That was fourteen hours ago, and now his head felt like it had been dipped in drain cleaner.

"Ugh, I need a nap," grumbled the professor, "I got a headache the size of Turori."
"Night, James. Go take a couple of paracetamol and get your head down. We'll be fine here."

The brain does strange things when sleeping. Thousands of electrical impulses, synapses firing, the stuff dreams are literally made of. James Golightly's dreams were less a tapestry of imagination, but instead an array of dots, forming a line. Not a straight line, mind, but a meandering one, serpentine almost like a river...

"Of course!" The professor bolted upright in his bed, rolled out of it, and ran to his research room. Fortunately for the rest of his team, he'd been so tired and headachey that he'd gone to bed fully clothed.

"Somebody get me some maps. Also, coffee."

by **Zwangzug** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:21 pm

(OOC: with thanks to Audio for letting me borrow our co-discovery)

The large northeastern cities of Arlington and Zwischen, and their respective football clubs, had a respectful if cool relationship. Zwischen was the nation's capital, and while it was a certainly a large and diverse city, its devastation and rebuilding in the Consolidation era had left a few scars and a few more bubbles of paranoia. Arlington, for its part, stood out among Zwangzug's other cities for not standing out. The FTC were large and raucous; Bassabook and 102d arch-conservative and hyper-progressive respectively, Spenson technological, Canbix and Keppal even more distrustful of Zwischen than usual, Inver and Kerlagrad and Logrove influenced by the culture of border nations. Arlington was--cold and optimistic and a little in love with baseball, but that didn't make it unique, it made it Zwangzugian.

Their clubs had experienced different trajectories as well. Ephesian FC, like most of the 1./, was created when that league began play. The capital side had won the league in seasons four, six, and seven, then had a downturn, then re-triumphed in season 23. Arlington City, for their part, could brag about the MUFN season 2 championship...and then not much else, notoriously coming in fifteenth or sixteenth for twelve seasons in a row. And then they suddenly got great, surging to championships in seasons 26, 30, 31, and the Challengers' Cup.

But the deeper tension lay in their relationship with the old national team. Long ago, very long ago, Zwangzug had sported a (1)-3-4-3 with a defensive attitude. The formation itself was balanced enough, they naively thought, it was just their players that would bring a defensive approach to it. They then switched to the iconoclastic 3-5-3, which had some drawbacks but nevertheless brought a considerable amount of success. By the time they joined the rest of the world with a (1)-4-4-2, Arlington City had come to be.

That, of course, was all in a geopolitical framework that no longer existed. By the time the 1./ emerged, the edifices of the Jolt regime had long since crumbled. The Arlington Collective made it their duty to preserve and archive the available remnants of the past, using the dormant club as a front. When they resumed, City would pick up where they had left off. But Ephesian flaunted the strategies of an earlier era, proudly recreating the 3-5-3 that the rest of the country had long since disowned.

So when Dovydas Mueller of Zwischen wandered into the Collective, Cheryl Woen of Arlington greeted him cautiously. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, please," he said. "I need information about the Lovisa national team."

"Sure," said Cheryl, pulling up a screen.

"I was reading the Audioslavian press, and one of their forwards is still listed on the books in Cafundéu. And the CCFM hasn't been around in ages."

"I know. Dunboor, eh? What a time..."

"And then I remembered their goalkeeper is named 'Sievers'. As in, 'sieve.' As in, 'something that lets things through.' Hilarious, right?"

Cheryl rolled her eyes. "I've never heard that one before."

Dovydas ignored her sarcasm. "And he allegedly plays in Cafundéu as well! It just goes to show, you have to look out for these people--anyway. What can you tell me about him."

"Hold on," said Cheryl, typing quickly. Then she blinked. "Uh, well, he's twenty-six years old now. And...uh, in the Oxen Cup XI, around the time of World Cup 47, he was...twenty-six, and playing for Metropolitano."

"He was?" Dovydas grinned. "That's hilarious, that's--what, eleven years ago even by Kelssek slow time?"

"Hold on, those are just the live-feed data. If you want the archives, it'll take me a minute."

"D'you know, François Saint-Louis played with Peter Vanderpent in Albrecht, so really Vanderpent and that Tinker-Witt child are really only a generation apart--"

"In World Cup 24," said Cheryl, slightly paler than she had been a moment prior, "Sievers was playing in the Melmond league. He was twenty-three."

"That's..." Dovydas trailed off. He wasn't sure what he had expected, and he certainly wasn't going to rule anything impossible in the strange world of international football. "How..."

Cheryl typed a few more keystrokes, pulling up another page. "In World Cup 15, Henrik Baecker was a starting striker and Vincent Moreux was a reserve defender for Lovisa. They were twenty-five and twenty-one. Today, they're both starters. Baecker is twenty-five, Moreux is twenty-one. That was approximately sixteen years ago in Kelssek, a hundred and forty-two in Nephara, and..." Cheryl blinked rapidly, for her emotive. "Two hundred and eighty-four in Audioslavia."

They stared at each other briefly. So many cultures had had their explanations for defying mortality--interdimensional portals? different species? relativistic time-dilation?--and yet, this data had emerged not from a fantastical or far-flung empire, but from Lovisa.

"Who are you, Henrik Baecker," whispered Dovydas. "What have you seen?"

(Levi-Gold 23, Munshi 45+1, McCollins 60, Kent-Maner 81)
(Cherenkov-Nguyen 36)

by **Kohnhead** » Thu Sep 10, 2020 3:22 pm

Hope dwindles in Kohnhead as The Brains lose to unranked Bostopia

Kohnhead @ Indusse

This is a complete disgrace, traveling to take on 7th place and 129th ranked team in the World Indusse we score just once to draw them at 1. This game confirmed that we were really in trouble as we try to play up to our pot 4 standards.

It would be Indusse who would strike first at their home stadium when in the 33rd minute Antonio Mersias buried a curving strike that went past a stunned Bertha Sanders. CPL had blown the coverage on him and he received the ball from Alexis Budtedjson and just let it fly as the ball barely missed the post. CPL continues to be a liability over on the left side and rumors are that she will be benched in place of Callie Porsha for our match against Kelssek.

We would get the goal back just three minutes later as Erin Maltos headed this one in off of an assist from Charles Laker. Laker has really emerged this World Cup qualifiers after a brilliant season for Barnley and some are starting to say he has reached the level of Linus Rallyton. The problem was that after this goal we just couldn't get another chance as we grew more and more frustrated. This is a talanted team especially the offense and we just haven't been creating enough chances besides those games against Geektopia and Bostopia which are looking more and more like fluke performances.

Indusse would get the final chance in the 84th but the header from Mersias would be saved by Bertha Sanders who has quietly been playing very well as the offense struggles. Indusse while a disappointment would pale in comparison to the abomination of a performance that we had next.

Libonesia @ Kohnhead
Patterson Oil Arena was hosting their second match of the tournament as we got ready to host unranked, 9th place, tied for last on points Libonesia. After embarrassing performances against Indusse and the Sultanate of Oontaz who are quickly proving their rank is no indication of their talent it was time to show that we can make a run in the later stages of qualifying.

All was good when Linus Rallyton drew a penalty in the box in the 15th minute after a dominant early match for us. Korkson walked up as the best penalty taker on the squad, he walked back and he skied it right over the bar by a country mile. While the penalty didn't change the score it also didn't change the momentum as we continued to be the better squad.

In the 27th, Ida Cogginter hit the post on her shot attempt missing what should have been a sure goal but again all was okay. In the 44th, Rallyton swung a corner into the box and Korkson appeared to score the header but the flag was rightfully up. The sad part is, Korkson was uncovered and didn't even need to go offside to score had he stayed onside he most likely still would have scored.

It was in the 78th when disaster struck. We were getting impatient having failed to find the back of the net and knowing a draw would do next to nothing. Coach Kohnhead nervously stood up and prepared to take off a fatigued CPL for Callie Porsha who was ready to go in. Harry RIchman was already in the game for Erin Maltos, and Al Torgan would enter for Audrey Henderson moments later. We were on almost all out attack and after Aaron Korkson lost the ball to a Libonesia defender it looked like it would be another missed chance.

However Libonesia could sense that we were demoralized and pounced on the counter attack something they hadn't done all match as they had been playing for the draw. Before we knew it CPL was beat on the left side and the Libonesian striker had a one on one with Sanders which was converted to lose us the match. This is an embarrassment to the club and the worst loss in our pretty short history. CPL has been benched for the next match as Callie Porsha will get the start when we take on 23rd in the World and 2nd in the standings in Kelssek.

Top 5 Kohnheadian under performers
After looking at the failure of a match against Libonesia, and under performance at qualifiers so far let's take a look at who's to blame.

5. Al Torgan
As the top person on the bench, someone who has made an appearance in all but one game this qualifiers one would expect Torgan to have done something considering he consistently plays 15 minutes a game. It has not been so as it's starting to look like his flash of brilliance filling in for Linus Rallyton at the IAC has been a total mirage. I wouldn't be surprised if Sophie Johnson started eating at his playing time, if he doesn't do something soon.

4. Erin Maltos
Kohnhead have scored 10 goals so far in eight matches which is the third worst mark in our group. Our offense has always been the strong point but Maltos has failed to produce all tournament. Now to be fair to her she hasn't been the worst of our two strikers (we will get to Korkson later) but if Korkson ever struggled like he is now she should be able to pick up the slack. She is having trouble finishing which is abnormal and we are all hoping she can turn it around in the upcoming matches. Now to be fair to her she had a brace against Bostopia but aside from that has been having poor performances. While she has four goals most on the team it's the way she has been playing and scoring that have her this low as she has missed so many chances and has failed to pick up the slack on the offense.

3. Audrey Henderson
Coach Kohnhead and his staff put her in for Hannah Horsford in the starting XI, changed the formation for her needs and yet she has been completely invisible this entire tournament. A big part of the offense is supposed to run through Henderson at the CAM position and she has vanished in almost all games. She is supposed to be our third option for scoring behind Korkson and Maltos but has not lived up to those expectations. I think she will turn it around with time but it needs to happen sooner rather than later.

2. Aaron Korkson
The afore mentioned Korkson has been on the struggle bus this entire tournament with only one goal to his name so far and that was a penalty against Woryand. The captain is at the center as to why we have failed to produce so far and admitted so in his most recent interview. For our offense to get clicking again he needs to start finding the back of the net and this starts against Kelssek.

1. Caroline Prius-Leonard
This one was obvious, while Korkson has been bad there are not massive cries for him to be benched like there were for CPL until now when the trigger was finally to start Callie Porsha at Left Back. If Porsha doesn't work out at an unnatural position do we turn to Taylor Rodar, because CPL is probably not getting her job back unless she proves it. She has been responsible for so many goals this time around and has just looked slow and old out there as her time as a football player is coming to an end.

Please let's beat Kelssek, as we need it.

World Cup 86: Roleplay Thread

Boot It!: MD7+8 - "Both Good and Bad"

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