It's time for the 87th World Cup to roll around, and it could be a poignant edition with many for the former marquee players and staff now aging to the point whey they could be phased out within the coming editions. Billic has been in charge of the national team for his third edition of the World Cup, a now lengthy tenure which has yet to bear any real fruit thus far. Indeed, Mercedini's presence on the world stage has dwindled somewhat since the decision was made to not send teams over to the regionals and youth tournaments. It remains to be seen whether or not this made the national team more competitive or whether the lack of international experience will mean the national side will capitulate on sport's biggest stage once again. Last time round, Mercedini failed to qualify once again and had to go through the Cup of Harmony once again, achieving a decent result but once again failing to claim the multiverse's second best footballing prize. They go again, in hope of trying to claim a spot at the 87th World Cup hosted by Taeshan and Ethane. Dini will still have to face off against the multiverse's best, and also some dangerous newcomers on the way. Our fingers are crossed, and Mercedini must prove that they are contemporary team not propped up by the successes of past editions.
GOALKEEPERS Name Age Club
GK Daniel Hosset 31 Zoloroni City
GK Ibrahim Elaani 24 Dynum City Randajad
GK Anders Vorsini 22 Kiaono Locals
GK Bobby Mikelson 24 Bwubanza City SC
Mercedini have been unsurprisingly absent from the international stage in recent months once again, leading to lack on information and lack of experience forming a major question mark on proceedings. No U18 action, no U21 action, no friendlies, no nothing. To combat that, Billic has once again opted for a risky strategy to surround an experienced and international-standard goalkeeper with young talents which could result in then gaining valuable experience for future tournaments which they will likely play a major role in. While Mercedini is a name that is common to many football-playing nations nowadays, they nation is getting ever more desperate to re-invent themselves and find a way to get Dini back to their historic highs, where they could beat anyone on a good day. Zoloroni City #1 Hosset will lead the line once again, with Vorsini and Elaani retaining their spots for this campaign following their good performances in dead rubbers throughout qualification. Mikelson, while absent in last editions matches, retains a spot in the four for qualification, meaning he becomes the first goalkeeper from a Banijan club to play for a senior team. Goalkeeping is always seen as a vanilla position, rarely changing and evolving in it's position on the pitch despite it's importance. The moves by Billic are seen as a major gamble given the importance of these campaigns, Vorsini and Elaani will need to perform to make those gambles worthwhile for their manager and their association.
DEFENDERS
LB Callum Aznelik 33 Langtree United
LB Preston Aristaros 30 Zoloroni Metropolitan
LB Joaquim Santorino 22 Blue Strike Zoloroni
CB Jordan Brindliev 25 Jhanna City
CB Liam Toivonen 28 Vermilion Rage
CB Alexander Ytandev 25 Zoloroni Park
CB Lyon Dalamai 25 Langtree United
CB Nico Petrosino 23 Zoloroni Park
RB Thomas Di Sansev 25 Brigham
RB Lucas Stretovsky 25 Blue Strike Zoloroni
RB Dominik Dzudzev 33 Langtree United
There isn't really that much change when it comes to the personnel available in the defensive roster for Mercedini, although the transfer window has certainly changed where those players represent. The major change comes in the shape of Di Sansev, who is still making a name for himself in Brigham, Eura with Mercedinans now having a second choice in Euran clubs after Lajuno, and giving Eura (a major footballing powerhouse) a stake in the Mercedinian game. Subsequently, he was upgraded to first-choice right-back for the upcoming campaign, capping off a stratospheric rise for the defender. Foreign interest in the Mercedinian side has increased tenfold in recent editions due to big money transfers to big leagues, although the MPL still has more than enough skill in the game to fly it's own flag if the national team does well. After making a great return to the national team, Aznelik is given the nod in the left-back position, with everybody else keeping their spots from the last campaign in an aging defensive line.
MIDFIELDERS
LM Vanja Kuro 30 Zoloroni City
LM Crp. Tim Crasic 29 Mercedini Armed Forces
LM Lawrence Garzallo 27 Zoloroni Metropolitan
CM Adam Kraljic 30 Rozelle Alliance
CM Johannes Nymark 29 Zoloroni City
CM Johan Karlovic 23 Spartangrad
CM Dino Santa-Corvani 27 Langtree United
CB Johnny Markus 26 Acoflosa United
RM Ross Presic 31 Algolia SC
RM Carlton Pujanic 33 Hoventon & Corlington Town
RM Leon Kulap 27 Zoloroni City
Once again, only a handful of changes to the midfield roster and they take the reigns for the national team, with the good performances put forward by the midfield squad during their Cup of Harmony run warranting national praise and re-selection for the upcoming qualification campaign. Mercedini has put itself on the map with it's attractive brand on attacking and controlling football, with the midfield quartet always at the heart of the action as they ebb and flow with the action of the game. Cricket scores can be chalked up when this group is in form, with experienced veterans teaming up with enthusiastic young-guns to provide plenty of variety and depth to Billic as he attempts to get maximum efficiency from his players. With the nation now entering it's thirteenth edition, it's safe to say that the Golden Eagles have been sussed out by now, they need a technical overhaul to keep their football fresh and difficult to counter. Mercedini have often struggled against the top teams due to their inability to keep up with the midfield play, but this group of players are well experienced from one previous cycle together. It is simply a question of whether Mercedini can be put in the same bracket as the top tier of football-playing nations this time around. Age is another major factor, with this likely the reason why this could be the final World Cup with this group of players in their current form. Fresher faces are waiting in the wings, Billic has some big decisions to make on the future directions of this national team.
STRIKERS
ST Daniel Dostalok 27 Starling
ST Ben Chillotov 26 Lajuno
ST Adrian Talisky 20 Blue Strike Zoloroni
ST Cody Graszeszak 25 KF Qastyr
ST Feliks Alva 25 Elspachia
In a roster where there has been little to no change, the prolific group of strikers has only seen one change in the last two cycles from the group which got their call-ups to the senior team last edition, with Adrian Talisky keeping his spot in the attacking roster due to his super-sub moments last edition. Talisky is certainly seen as the next generation of talismanic strikers, after Billic and Chillotov have done before them. After scoring more than twenty goals in the past two season for Blue Strike Zoloroni, the teenager has certainly earned his stripes, where he hopes to add another cutting edge to the quintet.
Chillotov and Dostalok remain the top two in the Mercedinian striking world and are selected once again to lead the line. They have been holding steady for their respective clubs, and are finally within their calibre of quality after lighting up their respective leagues before moving abroad to face greener pastures. All of these players used to play for their hometown club before moving for considerable amounts of money to their current clubs, effectively bankrolling their boyhood clubs for a while. Now playing internationally, they have been through the highs and lows of the qualifying schedule, so nothing should come as a shock to them as they go through the gears once again. Minnows and Juggernauts will have to face off against these players, whoever comes out of the other end will likely decide the campaign for Mercedini, with so much tied on the performances of these strikers.
Zoloroni Sports City Stadium
Location: Zoloroni Sports City - Northeastern Zoloroni, Mercedini
Capacity: 74,684
Tenants: Zoloroni City
Year Built: 2012 (refurbished 2017)
Transportation Features:
- Zoloroni Metropolitan Train Service: T2, T9 & TSC
- Zoloroni Metropolitan Bus Service: B9, B16, B19 & SportsCity Direct
- Zoloroni International Airport (or Acoflosa International Airport & Transport Hub)
- Twenty-minute drive from Carlsgrunik MetroBullet Station, Zoloroni Central
The prosperous capital of Mercedini is the stage for the Mercedinian campaign for World Cup Qualification once again. The Zoloroni Sports City Stadium was built in 2012 and has been the national team's home stadium since it was built. The stadium used to hold over 61,000 people, but a modernising refurbishment meant that the capacity has increased by approximately 13,000 with the new capacity sitting at roughly 74,500 with the new visiting allocation still being just less than a quarter of that at 18,000. The stadium has hosted a Baptism of Fire final and an Independent's Cup final and third-place play-off during IAC's two and five respectively. The Sports City Stadium was the original home of Zoloroni City before they moved to their own stadium, but this cathedral is still accustomed to regular football featuring the nation's and the multiverse's best teams, when it hosts the MFA Cup final plus playoff finals for National League 1 and National League 2. Mercedinians and visiting spectators who don't have tickets can have a drink in one of the many bars and pubs nearby or they can chill in the World Cup FanZone where they can watch the matches on the big screens along with other football enthusiasts.
Mercedini has two national languages and both are universally spoken in the nation as children are taught both at a young age. Mercedinian is the native language of all citizens and is based around the Italian language, knowing the language isn't paramount to a tourist's experience but Mercedinians always appreciate a foreigner attempting to communicate in Mercedinian. If learning a foreign language isn't your thing then English is also universally spoken throughout the nation (especially in cities and other metropolitan areas as it is considered the language of business and commerce). It is common for Mercedinians to speak more than one language with some opting for a third if proficient enough in their previous two, Google Translate is also only a couple of clicks away if you need it.
Mercedini's national currency is the Mercede (M) and is used universally for the nation's transactions. Currently, the Mercede is a strong and reliable currency with 1.56 NationStates Dollars equalling 1 Mercede (M0.64 = 1 NS$). Goods & Services in Mercedini are comparably cheap thanks to low operating costs, free-trade deals and low import tariffs for foreign goods, they can be paid for using the common Mercede currency, although visitors can pay with NS Dollars or use their credit or debit cards. Citizens of Mercedini are pretty well-off with average incomes topping M145,000 (226,822 NS$) which means luxury goods & services are as much a part of Mercedinian shopping-culture as the bargains.
Food & Drink is considered a pillar of Mercedinian culture, which means visitors are literally in for a treat when they visit one of the nations many cafes, restaurants, bars or pubs. As previously mentioned, integration has played a large part in the cuisine, but ultimately Mercedinian cuisine has stayed largely close to it's roots. Mercedinian cuisine, like the language, is based on Italian cuisine, with flavourful pasta and rice dishes on offer, along with pizzas and stuffed flatbreads perfect for carnivores and vegetarians alike. For the tourists, dishes from their home nation will always be on offer which means that visitors can always have a taste of home while enjoying the action in Mercedini. If you're a fan of carb crashes, we think you'll love our nosh!
As it is the official capital city of Mercedini as well as the commercial hub of the nation, Zoloroni is large bustling city littered with modern skyscrapers and office buildings. Zoloroni will be at the centre of the action, holding the host arena as well as hosting most of the pre-festival events that will happen in Mercedini. Visitors will not be disappointed as Zoloroni has restaurants, shops and sightseeing trips in abundance, meaning that players and fans have plenty of activities waiting for them on their off-days. Zoloroni's main sporting attraction is the Sports City, which just a small journey away from the city centre.
Mercedinans are generally very peaceful to visitors and will pretty much always help out foreigners. If you need a recommendation for a restaurant or need help finding direction to their favourite tourist spot, someone will always be at hand to give you a point in the right direction. Mercedinians usually keep to themselves out on the street but will converse with almost anyone if approached in a friendly manner, and it always helps to know a bit of Mercedinian first. As a nation, Mercedini welcomes new visitors with open arms and hopes every tourist has a great experience in our nation. Andiamo!
If you want to know more about Mercedini before you visit, feel free to TG me about life in the countryMy opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
Injuries to my players: Yes*
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes*
Godmod other events: Yes
*just let me know what you've done so I can factor that into the qualification scheduleSTYLE: +3