World Cup 87 - RP Thread

[Gyatso-kai]

Pulled from Avatarian Sports Blog KickMeWhenImDown.blogstain.gki

Well damn. We actually won two in a row when we needed to!

I know, I know… Usually Margaret spits in our face as she grinds her beautiful size-12 platform heels into our skulls, and when we need to win, we almost always lose...

Sorry… Just picturing what colour Margaret’s toes would be… I bet black…

Anywho…

So our next matchday is… well… meaningless. Not meaningless as it will be our highest finish in any tournament, win or lose against Krytenia.. Rather, meaningless as there is simply no chance we can advance. The format of this tournament is simple: Guaranteed advancement for all first-place teams, as well as guaranteed advancement for all second-place teams into an additional round of elimination; a group-of-sixteen round with the winner across two legs of the round advancing to join the first-place teams and the top three second-place teams.

So if we cannot advance… what is the point?

To be frank, our final match of the Group Stage is against a regional opponent. Krytenia, located in the central continent of our region, boasts a somewhat impressive pedigree in the world of football, and though we have only played against them twice before, it is important to give your all against a regional ally. As it is a regional opponent, the Bisons will wear their third kits, and have the Atlantian Oceania flag as a patch on their left shoulder, as they take the pitch at Mesh’yaim for what will be the final day of the Bisons’ most successful campaign. In front of a sold-out crowd, the ”Hakoda Experiment” will come to a close, whether for good (most likely) or for bad (near impossible) and we can only hope that Ishii will join our team on future campaigns.

In other news, should the Bisons garnish an invitation to the Cup of Harmony, it is believed that Ishii will be able to join them. Initially, there was talk of Ishii having to depart the team in the middle of its campaign due to the proximity of the tournament with the start of ASCA play. However, it seems like those fears were unfounded and there is a report that Ishii has already notified his school – the University of Adirolf in Hoggetowne – that he will not be available for the start of camp and instead, Head Coach duties will fall to his assistant coach.

Sounds good to me. Now all we have to do is actually be invited… It would be only be the fourth time in history the Bisons succeeded in winning a ticket to what is arguably the multi-verse’s best consolation prize…

[Blouman Empire]

THE EMPIRE TIMES

Five Goal Rout Gives Eagles Win

Luke Cousins again underlined his importance to the Eagles as they took advantage of the controversial dismissal of a North Alezia to claim another three points with a rout at Stadium Bloumany.

Cousins who had complained of soreness after the Eagles’ match against Sylestone appeared to not be affected and showed a typically lively attacking display that included two goals and an assist. It was from his low cross that the North Alezia full back diverted the ball into his own net to give the home side the lead and his whipped finish into the far corner that restored the advantage after North Alezia equalised. Between these two Cousins contributions, though, came the incident that completely altered the complexion of the game – North Alezia’s red card.

It seemed unclear, even after multiple replays, whether the North Alezia forward intended his boot to make contact with Jason Potts midriff while on the ground, but the referee had no doubt after viewing the incident on the pitch-side monitor. Prior to that, North Alezia had been the better side with momentum behind them after the leveller, which came shortly after the fullback whom had scored an own goal had gone close to making amends for his own goal with a header that came back off the bar. But holding out for almost an hour with 10 men proved impossible, and Cousins sparked a Blouman goal-fest. Ryan Hunter headed the first of his two goals of the afternoon from a Paul Credab cross just four minutes after Cousins fine finish. Cousins was on hand again to tap in from close range to make it 4-1 following a driving run into the box from Ty Freltron before Hunter added the icing with a lovely finish on the turn. The win puts the Eagles on 33 points and remains in third place after Quebec also put five goals behind their opponent Legalese.

Cousins has undoubtedly been a key player in the Eagles’ qualifying campaign having scored over 50% of 39 goals scored and showed his importance last night. He inevitably benefited from the extra space afforded him following the red card, but even before that he was an uncontainable menace to North Alezia, forcing the fullback into his costly evasive action as he tried to clear his dangerous early cross. "I see it from Luke over the past three campaigns” said Blouman Manager Lewis Parry. "We know he has that ability when we can get the ball to his feet in the final third and he has added to his game in regards to finishing”. Cousins didn’t see the full time having been substituted in the 80th minute. "He was a bit disappointed I took him off with 10 minutes to go because he wanted a hat-trick," added Parry. "That's a good sign. I would have been less happy if he said 'I was quite content to come off, I don't need the third goal”.

THE EMPIRE TIMES

Eagles Hold On For Win

The Eagles remained two points behind second place in their World Cup Qualifying Group with a victory over Legalese in the penultimate match of the group stage.

Legalese was denied a stoppage-time equaliser after an agonising VAR wait deemed his upper arm was offside, even though he seemed to be being held back by Blouman defender Jason Potts. The forward also hit the bar with a penalty as the spirited home side were not giving up despite no longer able to qualify and pressed for the leveller their play more than deserved. Blouman Manager Lewis Parry has shown to have developed an effective outfit for these qualifiers and they got off to the perfect start when Ty Freltron buried a header past the Legalese keeper inside the first two minutes. Legalese has struggled in the recent games but seized control of the first half after that with their right winger whipping an equaliser past Henry Polinoir from distance. But Parry made the right changes at half-time and it paid immediate dividends as substitute Liam Peach set up Luke Cousins for a delightfully deft header immediately after the restart to retake the lead. Legalese had plenty of chances to draw level but were left to rue the missed penalty and VAR's ruling. The Eagles, meanwhile, gratefully took the win to keep the qualifying hopes alive as they remain seated two points behind Quebec with the final group match to come.

Parry's teams are always built on firm foundations and the front three of Cousins, Ryan Hunter and Paul Credab with both Feltron and Issac Cupstran sitting behind them have led to a strong attacking side with no other team having scored more goals than them so far. And they carry a threat from set-pieces too, no more evident than when Freltron towered above his marker to open the scoring from Rhys Lornet's corner. They surrendered the initiative in the first half but Parry showed his nous to change it, bringing on Peach and Mat Fox at half-time, and he was instantly rewarded with the winning goal. They rode their luck, not least with Legalese’s missed penalty and disallowed goal, but they took their chances and held on.

The final match will see them play against 8th placed Crystalline Caverns. The Eagles managed to win last time but still allowed Crystalline to slot two past them and the win is certainly far from a done thing. Even if the win the Eagles will need Quebec to slip up against group leader Ko-orean for the Eagles to have a chance with moving into the second round. When asked about Quebec’s upcoming game Parry did not wish to discuss it “Our sole focus is on winning this next game, that’s all I care about. We have no control over other matches so I’m not interested in them, we have control over our game and all our focus is on ensuring we can defeat them

[Independent Athletes from Quebec]

OOC: For this matchday cutoff, I will split my Part 9 into two pieces. This will be the first of two posts I will make, with the second post completing the Part 9. I would like to thank Schottia for his permission with the use of Tessa Maitfield, his national team player currently playing with CSKA Quebec, back in July. I would also like to thank several other RPers who I have consulted over the last few days on the Maitfields. Here's not much, but let's see how this goes..

I Run To You

PART 9 (49) - Lifted

Quebec City, Capitale-Nationale

Frank Lundrigan was still collecting his thoughts, as he was trying to find himself getting used to visiting Quebec City often. Frank did not like feeling small and out of place in this city of deserted antiques and delinquent antics. The oxycontin-like level of bureaucracy, the ever-so-high risk of stepping on dog poop, and of course navigating through old neighbourhoods without being hit by a car was enough of a nightmare for him.

In all fairness to him, he didn't have much memory of the nation's capital, unlike his parents who spent a decade here or his brother, who had moved back home to be with Plongeon. Perhaps it was better that way for Frank as well- the career trajectory he's had since high school were fairly consistent, if uneventful. After a successful high school career where Frank, who stuck with football and squash for his sport of choice, was recruited by Yves Brousseau-Gong, the head coach of Saguenay Tech program, it had all been cruise control. He had known for several years from his mother, Princess Athens de Chanie of Vdara, that his parents were going to move back and work with the Commonwealth Office (father) and philanthropic causes (mother), so Frank did not have a particular obligation to stay closer to Kingston.

Of course, Frank was fine with the idea of moving to a smaller school in a medium-sized city, especially one with a traditional powerhouse in Olympique de Rimouski, so he viewed the move as something that he had to do so. His friends in Erskine days, unlike that of Asher's buds, were not always the type to go to the Royal League (highly selective, smaller-sized universities mostly located in mid-large cities, with a couple of exceptions in Farrer and St. Croix), but rather those who would go to Imperial League (larger, research-intensive state schools). While Saguenay Tech was neither, Frank was still aware of the reasons why he would go there over enticing options from some of the bigger names, and went that way. As an eighteen year old he knew his ticket to anywhere was football, and he could always enjoy other aspects of life anyway.

Now, as a twenty-three year old carving his trade in Siovanija and Teusland, and also the national team, Frank was much more certain about where he was standing in life, and life in the City of Eternal Lights was the one he would have still avoided either way. Tessa's Nouvel-Les Halles neighbourhood apartment was clean and spacious, and the simplicity of the space, highlighted by a postmodernist work of art he did not have patience but appreciation for, it was evident that he would at least find greater comfort here than staying with his parents or god forbid- his brother.

Not that Asher would have welcomed the idea anyway, Frank thought as he wondered around a bit to see how the rest of the suite was like. A short walk around the living room, a guest room and the bathrooms took solid minute or two of inspection, and just as he finished the travail, his phone rang.

'Allo?' Frank picked up the phone, trying not to be nervous about it. He knew only four people were going to call the footballer- his mum, his agent Serge Nisenbaum, Asher or Tessa. Depending on which of the four, he was going to have a different reception to it. Fortunately, it was the last of four persons he had listed.

'Frank, are you home?' the husky voice of Tessa breezed through his ear. 'I'm heading back soon.'Oh Tess...Frank smiled, as he couldn't help but to imagine her calling him before leaving the CSKA Athletic Complex.

'Yeah, it's a nice place. May even nap for an hour before we go out for dinner, right?' Frank nodded, as he couldn't help but to notice the childhood posters she held from the days of her life back in Ceni. Frank had heard from some time back that Tessa, the only child of Tim Maitfield, a well-known Schottian manager who has settled nicely with Zenith side Starling after excellent run with Crisisbless United, had a particularly hard time moving around.

'Yeah, why not Bouillon Gagnier? People probably won't notice us there...' Sometimes Tessa had a surprisingly simplistic way of handling potential attention from the crowd, and going directly into the crowd instead of pretending to ignore it was one of the strategies she had. Frank knew this was a bold idea and that Tessa may have thought of this out as a hurried option rather than a plausible one, but he was fine with that. Not that his cooking skills, a trait both Lundrigan brothers were known to be bad at, were going to be of much use on their first day back in the city.

'Sounds good, Tess. Text me when you are five minutes away. Love you!' Then Frank hung up the phone, as he found himself lying on her couch, looking at the posters she had on her wall. Andrew Arrowsword, Evelyn Conjure, a bunch of Quebecois musicians she's become a fan of since coming here about two years ago...Unlike her childhood days, Tessa now had the space to fit all of her childhood heroes and current interests coexist in pictorial forms, and wasn't afraid to display such.

Of course, her tastes were very much specifically catered to the tough, working-class heroes, which had meant something different than that of Frank's friends in the footballing circles, or Corinne Martel-Burns, one of the two greatest Schottian football players in history. Her tales of rivalry with Enrico Hanson-Conavacio, the brother of his friend Hazel, was a well-known story, especially in the Quebecois soil where the Hanson-Conavacio family held universal respect and Hazel the most famous female athlete among their generation. This rivalry, which also transpired into a friendship with Enrico’s sister Hazel, had meant even more for the Q-League fans out there, especially for the league that needed more marquee stories.

Of course, Frank knew why and deeply respected Tessa for her honesty. That’s what may have drawn the young footballer to her, and they were both proficient at being humble and staying true to the gameplan and the training schedule. Of course, they still held differences- she was still bitter about Sir. Lionel Mah, the manager who Frank owed his current status with the national team while he was still a junior at Saguenay Tech, pushing his way into managing Willox Street Pirates over her father, and they still argued over petty cultural differences long expected between a level-headed Quebecois and his Schottian equivalent. Regardless, they loved each other dearly because as it's commonly said, the realists often make the best romantics...

---

Three Years Ago...

Handon, Schottia

'You sure going to a party this late is a good idea?' Frank asked Myeong-Yoon, his close friend at the Quebecois women's basketball national team, whom he had also known since the childhood days. Unlike Asher, Frank did not hold as vivid memories of his younger self, but the reunion with the Heos who came to Midtown all the way from Mississauga certainly helped in them being friends to this day, even as they lived different lives as public individuals. 'Like, they will notice us on the streets!'

'Oh, shut up!' Myeong-Yoon shot back at Frank, as the two were trying to make their way to Hazel's place from the nearest train station. It was a breezy mid-summer day in Handon, Schottia, where the two were struggling to find the direction- neither of them were good at it- and they 'How many times do I have to tell you that it's not our choice to go or not- it was Hazel’s call. You know how much she wants to see you…’

Right, Frank looked at the full moon, as he tried to think little and walk further. Being a jogger, he always loved going on walks around his neighbourhoods or parks, but doing this in the middle of old, middle-class district of Handon wasn’t something that he had in mind on an eleven in the evening.

It was about two years ago when Frank had met Hazel Hanson-Conavacio for the first time in his life. Back then, on a Di Bradini Cup team, Frank and Hazel happened to have ended up on the Quebecois side that had made little difference on the group stage, but stumbled their way through Valanora in what was a fruitful journey of self-discovery for the young Argonauts.

Red….black….white…Frank recalled how Hazel, as she instinctively handled the football along the left side of the turf while he watched from the sidelines...and couldn’t help but to be amazed with her artistry. From that moment on, they knew that Frank and Hazel, while both coming from renowned families of their own, were bound to face each other for the next two decades. Fortunately, after many chats and trips with his teammates on their time in the training camp and then in Valanora, everybody in the junior national team had a stronger bond than what they had originally envisioned. Relations between Frank and Hazel, somehow, happened to be one of those cases- while they, as leaders to the team, always quarrelled over how to execute the strategies, and never agreed on their preferred choice of Pizza toppings, Frank and Hazel also came to appreciate each other for their respective stubbornness, and as result kept in contact with each other to limited extent on L’Instagramme and WhatsUp after he headed back to Saguenay Tech and her Haligonian.

‘So who’s coming to the party tonight? Once again, a neverending list of celebrities we expect from Hazel, like that time when she hosted a new year’s eve party?’ Frank continued to ask, with both of them chuckling at the reminder of the very last time they met, at Hazel’s Halifax flat. ‘You know it was such a nightmare to get everybody out with the fire alarm, and a couple of guests she brought - I think Gonzo the rapper and Jang Hyo-Seung the poppin’ dancer - who got hospitalised…’

‘Apparently, this time will be different.’ Answered Myeong-Yoon, much to Frank’s surprise at the basketballer. ‘Apparently Rico Sierra, that famous Krytenian pop star of Avides bred and habits, Hannah Michaelson, the swimmer’s daughter...and Tessa Maitfield? Have you ever met her?’ Myeong-Yoon raised her eyebrows, only realising now that Hazel mentioned the latest CSKA Quebec transfer’s name as a minor name-drop when they talked over the phone yesterday. Myeong-Yoon, while familiar with international football, couldn’t help but to struggle on any reason behind why her, the rival of Hazel’s infamous brother, Enrico ‘ricky buck’ of Myana, was even invited. ‘I think she’s Tim Maitfield’s daughter..the one at Crisisbless United.’

‘Oh, her? Thought she’s back in Nephara,’ Frank said, grabbing his chin for a sec, as he noticed the oddity too. Knowing Hazel, this did not make much sense to invite someone whom, to borrow Hazel’s words, was the living definition of ‘reliable, predictable and boring’. ‘Not sure why she’d risk all the travelling back and forth, since Cosumar’s just four hour flight away. Apparently, she came to CSKA because of old man Killanen though.’

‘Makes sense. Seems like a Killanen type of a player, and no way she would have gone to Hals, even though papa Leo’s all bogan and whatnot,’ Myeong-Yoon nodded in a big brain meme mode, with his questions magically resolved. ‘You know what? Maybe that’s why she’s here..Hazel may have invited her in case somebody has to take over by calling the ambulance after she, you know, makes inroads with Rico Sierra. Ah, the foxy bitch...’ Heo Myeong-Yoon and Hazel Hanson-Conavacio, the two budding superstars in making for the women’s national basketball team (how Hazel could play both sports, we’ll get to that later), and they had become friends since their high school freshman days. At this point, they had known each other well so that a Myeong-Yoon’s move would easily be detected and countered by Hazel, and vice versa.

‘At least she won’t be lonely.’ Frank smirked, understanding the side of the fence this Tessa may be on. ‘At least she won’t be the only one who’s gonna have a hard time with the drinks.’ Frank yawned quietly, trying not to make too much sound out of his biological act. ‘So our plan for tomorrow with travel plans?’

‘Tomorrow problems stay tomorrow problems, you sleepy head.’ Myeong-Yoon jabbed at her friend’s shoulder. ‘Don’t worry so much about it yet.’

At least I won’t be the lonely one out, Frank gave a light smile, as they continued to chat for another ten minutes until they finally found the small, multifloored house that Hazel lived in Handon during holidays. Frank was relieved that at least he wouldn’t be the only fool, the awkward, socially-distanced man in middle of a massive social gathering.

[Brenecia]

THE ROZELLE OBSERVER
QUALIFICATION RETROSPECTIVE: Little new learned, but encouraging signs
Annette Brisbane

It's no secret that Brelk-Xeral Erv, unlike many other managers of Pot 1 sides, is no fan of tinkering. For one, the Patriots lack depth; while Nephara or Eura might genuinely wonder at who their best 23 players are, everyone in the country would pick an approximately similar side. For the other, they have made no secret that they feel the need to build cohesion and confidence is key to success, and for a third, in a cycle where many traditional giants have struggled or at least wobbled - a fortnight ago it even looked as if both of last Cup's finalists might be in trouble - Brenecia don't take chances.

Qualification is by now secure - invaluable, as Brenecia's final match away in Riena is arguably the most difficult.

Brenecia 1 - 0 Hindu Ram Rajya
(4-2-3-1) 20 - Dundalk; 2 - Bravender, 6 - Ford, 18 - Giltanan, 19 - Watermark (3 - Roscommon 65'); 23 - Schofield, 13 - Deal; 15 - Fife (22 - Waters 59'), 21 - Archer, 11 - Pace; 14 - Hazeldean
Goal: Deal 24'

Overview A dreadful match as the Patriots laboured to beat a side that had no incentive to try and attack, and nearly scraped a draw off a late set piece. Cairbre Dundalk only made the one save, but it was a spectacular one.

Best Player Nobody, really, had a good game. The defence were mostly inactive, and Deal, apart from his goal, was mediocre.

Cause for Concern The lack of teeth. It was a poor day at the office for everyone involved. Brelk-Xeral seemed to lose faith in Gaheris Archer after this point, perhaps frustrated with his lack of clear cutting edge despite his unquestionably very tidy passing.

Brenecia 2 - 0 Plane of Possibility
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Wright; 17 - Shepherd, 5 - Leadbetter, 18 - Giltanan, 3 - Roscommon; 4 - Townsend (c, 23 - Schofield 78'), 14 - Caitiff; 22 - Waters (15 - Fife 58'), 10 - Parrish, 16 - Fletcher; 7 - Cheney (9 - White 73')
Goals: Cheney 39' pen, Fife 66'

Overview By no means that a flawless performance, but after a slightly ragged opening twenty minutes the Patriots settled, Cheney won and converted her penalty and it was smooth sailing against a legitimate qualification rival.

Best Player Finn Townsend, rarely a player who stands out as such, simply ensured almost nothing interesting happened in Brenecia's half all game. He even provided the assist for what should've been Fife's second with his last touch before going off, but the Rozelle winger shot straight at Lamont.

Cause for Concern Those opening 20 minutes, where only a balletic save from Wright saved the Patriots' skins following Finn Leadbetter uncharacteristically leaving his mark wide open.

Filindostan 0 - 4 Brenecia
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Wright; 17 - Shepherd, 5 - Leadbetter, 18 - Giltanan, 19 - Watermark (3 - Merritt HT'); 4 - Townsend (c), 14 - Caitiff; 22 - Waters, 10 - Parrish (21 - Brind 68'), 16 - Fletcher; 7 - Cheney (9 - White 75')
Goals: Waters 8', Giltanan 30', Cheney 39' pen, Brind 90+1'

Overview A scintillating victory, the Patriots totally untouchable in the first half. A first cap for Felicia Brind, a spiky Nephar from a midtable Zenith side with tenuous ancestral ties, lead to a dream goal on debut. Archer hasn't been called up since.

Best Player Brind dominated the headlines, but this was probably objectively Linoan Waters, who proved too much to handle for the hosts. A well-worked goal was marked off with a decisive finish, and she won both the corner that lead to Giltanan's goal and the penalty that lead to Cheney's.

Cause for Concern A nitpick, but Dreigiau Parrish looked a little too comfortable in the second half, and his passing was sloppy before Brind came on and brought a renewed sense of urgency.

Brenecia 3 - 1 West Angola
(4-2-3-1) 12 - Cove; 2 - Bravender, 6 - Ford, 18 - Giltanan, 19 - Watermark (3 - Merritt 79'); 23 - Schofield, 14 - Caitiff; 22 - Waters (15 - Fife 68'), 21 - Brind, 11 - Pace; 7 - Cheney (9 - White 73')
Goals: Pace 46', Caitiff 53', White 82'

Overview The full debut of Felicia Brind and a rare handful of rotations. In the end, it was a fairly comfortable win, Pace's energetic strike 48 seconds after the restart kickstarting Brenecia's revival from a profligate start.

Best Player Ronan Schofield continued to look a class above in defensive midfield. Granted, his missed tackle lead to West Angola's goal, but he was integral in the buildup to all three of Brenecia's strikes.

Cause for Concern Brenecia didn't play badly in the first half, they just didn't get the ball in the net. West Angola did. The second half was much the same, only chances started hitting the corners.

Terre Septentrionale 0 - 1 Brenecia
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Wright; 17 - Shepherd, 5 - Leadbetter, 18 - Giltanan, 3 - Roscommon; 4 - Townsend (c), 14 - Caitiff (13 - Deal 59'); 22 - Waters (9 - White 74'), 10 - Parrish, 16 - Fletcher (11 - Pace 67'); 7 - Cheney
Goal: Cheney 49'

Overview A completely textbook performance from Brelk-Xeral, exactly what they would've liked in the visit to the second seeds. First-choice team across the board, and even the three substitutions being Caitiff's like-for-like replacement, Pace replacing Fletcher to hit on the counter and White sliding up top so Cheney could return to the wing late on, all classic moves that show how comfortable with this setup they are.

Best Player Terre did actually do well throughout the game, but a number of times it was Casey Giltanan hurling her body into the fray to block at the decisive moment. She's truly blossoming, and it's been impossible to fathom anything but her and Leadbetter for Brenecia come the World Cup.

Cause for Concern Parrish was less than inspiring throughout, and Townsend was arguably lucky not to be sent off at the very end, already on a caution and going into a ... let's say muscular challenge.

Brenecia 3 - 0 Ranoria
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Wright; 17 - Shepherd, 5 - Leadbetter, 18 - Giltanan, 19 - Watermark; 4 - Townsend (c, 23 - Schofield 62'), 14 - Caitiff; 22 - Waters, 10 - Parrish (21 - Brind 77'), 11 - Pace; 7 - Cheney (9 - White 73')
Goals: Leadbetter 19', White 82', Waters 89'

Overview The Patriots left it late, but in truth it was a fairly comfortable result, Wright rarely threatened between the posts. A thumping header from Leadbetter reminded everyone how lethal the Patriots remain at set pieces.

Best Player Mhacha White. A match she needed, bluntly. Deft, clever and pacy, she slipped quickly through the Krauts' lines and with clever one-touch football not only hammered home the clinching second but set up Waters to make it three.

Cause for Concern The lack of cutting edge before Mhacha White came on was concerning. Cheney looked jaded, a reminder of her workload for club and country; it didn't surprise many when Brelk-Xeral rested her for the coming fortnight, with qualification all but sealed.

Trigel 0 - 1 Brenecia
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Wright; 17 - Shepherd, 6 - Ford, 18 - Giltanan, 3 - Roscommon; 23 - Schofield, 14 - Caitiff; 22 - Waters, 10 - Parrish (21 - Brind 62'), 16 - Fletcher (11 - Stroud 70'); 9 - White (14 - Hazeldean 70')
Goal: Parrish 38'

Overview A forgettable 1-0 win away. Could've been more, perhaps, but you take those.

Best Player Dreigiau Parrish made the difference on the day in his hour on the pitch. Tightly-marked, nobody could quite land a glove on him, and twisting away from his man close to the interval lead to a lashed strike into the bottom corner.

Cause for Concern Nothing was really lacking. Brenecia never got out of second gear, but they didn't need to, either.

Brenecia 3 - 1 CRC
(4-2-3-1) 12 - Cove; 2 - Bravender, 5 - Henderson, 18 - Giltanan, 3 - Roscommon (19 - Merritt 73'); 23 - Schofield (4 - Conrad 73'), 13 - Messenger; 22 - Waters, 10 - Parrish, 11 - Stroud; 7 - Lyrick
Goals: Parrish 13', Stroud 36', Lyrick 77'

Overview Debuts for Rogue Lyrick, Rhea Henderson, Tanya Messenger and Murgen Conrad will be the legacy of this game. Provided any of them appear again.

Best Player Actually, Lyrick in particular probably should. Two-footed and almost impish, she looked deft and devastating in a lone role up front, quashing suggestions she lacked the bulk for a lone role. Her finishing was wasteful on the whole, the only fault, but her overdue goal was well-taken when it came.

Cause for Concern Those missed opportunities and that lack of bulk. This World Cup is probably just a cycle too soon for Lyrick, and while her potential was obvious, so was how far she has left to go.

Riena vs. Brenecia
(Expected 4-2-3-1) 1 - Wright; 17 - Shepherd, 5 - Leadbetter, 18 - Giltanan, 3 - Roscommon; 4 - Townsend (c), 14 - Caitiff; 22 - Waters, 10 - Parrish, 16 - Fletcher; 7 - Cheney

Preview Riena need to win to have a hope of leapfrogging Terre to second, while Brenecia can put their feet up. Anyone with a sense of pattern recognition, though, will realise Brelk-Xeral will put out a full-strength side and use this as a final warm-up before the tournament proper. With traditional sides floundering, the Patriots, by contrast, look in excellent form and confident morale. Will a shock be on the cards in Taeshan and Ethane?

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 10
Goalkeepers: 1 - Scathach Wright (Raynor City United, VAL), 12 - Tiarnan Cove (Rozelle), 20 - Cairbre Dundalk (Chenoworth Rovers, NPH)
Defenders: 2 - Clovette Bravender (Ulsa, EUR), 3 - Triss Roscommon (Revolutionaries, EUR), 5 - Finn Leadbetter (Holdenberg, EUR), 6 - Leona Ford (Workers Union, EUR), 17 - Caithe Shepherd (Rozelle), 18 - Casey Giltanan (Workers Union, EUR), 19 - Deimne Watermark (Northern Stallions)
Midfielders: 4 - Finn Townsend (CdF Celtade, AUD, c), 8 - Esther Caitiff (Ulsa, EUR), 10 - Dreigiau Parrish (KT Itzalovalle, AUD), 11 - Tricia Pace (Northern Union), 13 - Cheney Deal (Mâ Âlâmëómë, FFD), 15 - Mathgamain Fife (Rozelle), 16 - Ceridwen Fletcher (Holdenberg, EUR), 21 - Felicia Brind (South Laithland, NPH), 22 - Linoan Waters (Istria City, BNJ), 23 - Ronan Schofield (Raynor City United, VAL)
Forwards: 7 - Lauren Cheney (Spartangrad, EUR), 9 - Mhacha White (Farrenton Athletic, EUR), 14 - Kitty Hazeldean (Marque)

SCHEDULE
Hindu Ram Rajya 1 - 4 Brenecia
Plane of Possibility 1 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 0 Filindostan
West Angola 0 - 3 Brenecia
Brenecia 2 - 0 Terre Septentrionale
Ranoria 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 0 Trigel
CRC 1 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 0 - 0 Riena
Brenecia 1 - 0 Hindu Ram Rajya
Brenecia 2 - 0 Plane of Possibility
Filindostan 0 - 4 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 1 West Angola
Terre Septentrionale 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 0 Ranoria
Trigel 0 - 1 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 1 CRC
Riena vs. Brenecia

[San Ortelio]

"But then again, who are you?"
"It's me, Mario?"

It came hesitant, a bit wayward. Mario Fancelli's mother loved watching television quizzes. People winning a ton of money because they knew the name of the second ep of some Quebecois underground indie band, or could tell apart the coat of arms of the Tikariotian regions or could recite the thirty-two participants of the 68th World Cup top of mind. She never got an answer right herself but wouldn't you dare to change the channel. By contrast, Mario loathed those programmes. He did not even want to imagine the nerves rattling through their veins each time the presenter lowered his voice at the end of the sentence, indicating a reply was expected. A true nightmare that had so far haunted just his nights but on this dreary Friday morning, it very much actualised. Admittedly, it wasn't in a television studio but in what looked to be a dungeon room, packed with electronics.

"Let's try again, Mario."
"It's… not me?"
"I don't like joking."

The tall one hadn't spoken so far. His involvement appeared to be more physical. Mario's memory remained fuzzy for now but he seemed to recall that it had been him who must have knocked on his door. What exactly happened after he opened… Let's just hope that was not the next question. Tall One carefully looked amongst the implements as if searching for something specific. There were boxes, crates, flightcases, massive lights, … Eventually Tall One picked out a microphone set, carefully taking the head in his hand - which was a kind moniker for something the size of a shovel.

"You might be more of a singer rather than a talker," Tall One spoke his first words in the expected bass.
"Well, not to boast but I do-"

The remainder of Mario's words ended in a long painful grunt as Tall One whacked the microphone standard straight at his knee. Or, Mario believed, through his knee.

"Let's try an easier one," the second man spoke, "who is Stefano Lanza to you?"
"He is… was… a friend but… maybe more of an acquaintance..." it came panting, grasping for fresh air. Mario was down on all four, trying to ignore the feeling of blood soaking his sock.

The second man sighed. Tall One seemed to prepare himself for another strike but was halted by a small gesture.

"Look, Mario," the second one spoke softly, lowering his face to Mario's, "it's very simple. You've got two knees. We can then go for hands, maybe, I don't know, feet or ears or I don't care. But it's not my associate that will run out of body parts. It is you."

Mario nodded. He nodded long and clear, just to make sure they wouldn't miss it.

"But we can try to find out when the count is done… Unless you don't want that?"

The reply didn't even need an answer anymore, the words hurtled over one another just to haste themselves to the exit, fast and drowsy.

"He's, was, the capo for our neighbourhood and I ran errands for him but just to assist, nothing more and then we, he, came up with the idea for some money on the side because, well, we ran into his brother and…"

A raised hand halted him for a second.

"His brother? Another Lanza?"
"Lanzafame, actually," Mario whispered.

It didn't need any further explanation. Calmly, Tall One placed the standard back where he had found it, cleanly wiping off the blood stains on it.

“So you actually get intel from Enrico Lanzafame…” the second man mused.
“Well, at fi- Yes,” Mario realises he played his hand the wrong way.
“But then little brother no longer wants to play along, Stefano panics and contacts me, trying to seduce me to a cooperation. It all makes sense but… Why me?”
“I’m… I’m not sure…” Mario utters, trying to get his mind organised.
“You can yell your theories into a microphone if that suits you better, Mario,”
“No! No! I… He knew you were in the business when the bets started to overlap and…”
“That’s strange.”

Slowly, the second man took his wallet out, picked out a little black rectangular piece of paper.

“It doesn’t say so on my business card,” and in a snap second he rams the fist which clenches the card against the throat from Mario, “so how did he know?”
“He… He had a mole in the police and she monitored the moves. She made the connection to Del Prete and then to IlRocca and…”

By this point, Mario would have confessed everything they wanted to hear, truth or not.

“She?”
“Valeria Romani,” Mario required no further instructions anymore, “she lives in his penthouse, a copper, a bit of a data geek.”

By now, the puzzle pieces start to fall into place. They tried to ride the sports betting gravy train, fell off as they noticed someone else holding the wheel. Unfortunately for them, their attempt to hop back on with false promises crumbled and they got desperate. Only thing…

“What did you do to buy off Rocco?”
“He came to us,” Mario spoke, “he-”

Another slap in the face.

“It’s true, it’s true,” he cried, “he had overheard Stefano’s first call - the one which you refused. And he came to us saying he had ‘valuable information’ to take over the market. He wanted to cooperate. But then Stefano tried to…”

A little hand gesture made clear that the second man had enough of his blabbing. It hurt him a little bit that someone he considered as so loyal, so trustworthy as Rocco had taken the first step. Maybe it was embellishment from Mario, but it didn’t really matter. It was a good thing he slept at the bottom of a cliff now. It was all slowly collapsing.

He stroked his chin once more, asked and received the address from Lanza and then, with a left the room with a short turn on his heels. Tall One knew what to do.

Ercole Catrola walked off. He didn’t like it when they squeaked like pigs, trying to find a last gasp of air. And he didn’t want any more blood on his new loafers. Going into this business had been his idea, now he needed to clean up the mess. A mental to-do list started to form, to make sure no loose ends would be lying around, waiting to entangle themselves around his ankle and drag him down. In hindsight, he should have taken out Lanza as soon as he left jail - Ercole was not going to make that mistake twice.

First, there was the literal smoking gun. It was clear that Romani must have been the brains of the operation and as long as she was on the loose, he couldn’t sleep well. Secondly, Ercole wondered about Antonella. She knew too much to his liking. It bothered him, because he appreciated her work. But it’s not as if this day had had a shortage of loyal middle management committing treason - he couldn’t take the risks.

Two more tasks to wrap this one up, Ercole thought, I might as well enjoy it.

Did I write up the whole bit just so I could write in the OOC spoiler:
"Here's to hoping that I get two more chances to wrap up the Lanza Saga.
And that I can come up with a proper plot for the two chapters."

Maybe.

[Mapletish]

The Sour Kind
"I only know one thing, that is I know nothing"

Commentaries| Timothy Jozua

Dragons play for pride: Two wins after two losses, faces Siovanija & Teusland in game of pride on Matchday 18

Following two straight defeats against United Pink States at home, 1-0 and an away 2-0 defeat to Savigliane, the Dragons’ had zero hope of catching up on Kohnhead by matchday 15 to steal a playoff chance, but by then the Dragons had already been eliminated. The last three matches from then are matches to be played to gain maximum points and to gain leverage on the KPB rankings which will position the Maplish in a comfortable 100-150th position as the group of young semi-professional players had already done better than their professional counterparts back in the day. Matchday 16 kicked off at Rosfield Stadium as the Dragons need not have to travel out of Mapletish for both Matchday 16 and 17.

The Dragons had a decent record back in Matchday 6 when they managed to pull a 0-0 draw away to Port Ember. Now that they were back at home, the Dragons seemed a little more confident than they were in Port Ember. The Dragons got the crowd started and heated up with the Buio’Dzz as usual as the Port Ember players witnessed the spectacle unfold right In front of their eyes. Bernhard Floris, with his reluctance to join in the Buio’Dzz, joined in with the squad for the first time in the qualifying campaign. Floris’ involvement got the whole of the sidelines active as the coaching staff including assistant coach Sylvanus Cherokee put on their fiercest expressions as they moved together with the players on the pitch. Rosfield was fired up.

The Dragons were first to kick off the attack and too had the earliest chance on goal, happening in the 10th minute. A quick one two pass between Henry Tomomi and Moseses Quin clicked and released Fernando Gauvain In the centre of the pitch just outside of Port Ember’s penalty box. Port Ember’s back line was just chasing Gauvain down as Ramsey attempted to put in a sliding tackle to clear the danger but it was Illbert Moses, the 22 year old shotstopper from Greenfield Bulls who cleared the danger right outside his goalline, much to the relief of Valentine Oliver, the team manager of Port Ember.

The danger for Illbert Moses was not to be cleared just yet. He was to be tested again, this time by the Maplish skipper Job Bobbie. That was in the 28th minute. Bobbie snatched Elihu Frost of the ball on the right flank after the latter deliberated on the ball for a little. Bobbie would continue on to outsprint the defender and fish in a pass towards the centre of the pitch to Leonde Patrick. Patrick would return the ball back to Bobbie who was making his way into the centre of the penalty box via the right flank and Bobbie would make contact the ball with his outer left foot before attempting a turn around to put a quick snapshot of the ball on goal against Moses, the keeper.

The neat effort was well held onto by Moses who shouted at his defence line to be more aggressive. Despite pressuring the Port Ember side early on in the game, the Dragons were unable to defend against the first goal of the game. Yes, it came from Port Ember. In the 35th minute, Jason Chamberlain who so confidently held onto the ball in front of Sonnie, who was supposed to defend him, side stepped his marker and left Sonnie having to back track him. Chamberlain would kick off some speed before picking out a pass towards Charlton Townsend who was able to steal a shot from outside of the penalty box against Meade who could only dived into the left side of the goal but to see the shot went in.

The scene on the sidelines saw two head coaches of different spectrums. Floris folded his arms and had his chin in his right hand as he watched on the match, the same demeanour he would display whenever something of this nature happens. Oliver, on the other hand could be seen jumping up and cheering. The Dragons were unable to field a satisfactory response to this goal from Port Ember.

However, they were close. In the 43rd minute, Donald Vroomen’s pass towards Townsend was cut off by the on running Quin. Quin managed to get away from Townsend who was could be seen closing onto him. Quin would attempt a shot from the left side of the penalty box, attempting to slot the ball in the opposite corner but the attempt was parried out by Moses who stood ready and active to keep the ball out. The first half would end 1-0 in Port Ember’s favour as Floris walked onto the pitch at the half time whistle to gather his players back to the dressing rooms.

Back in the dressing rooms, Floris split his time evenly and efficiently as he talked to every one of the players who was on the pitch. He knew that despite not being well positioned to take on the bigger teams in this campaign, his team had done well, only losing to much bigger sides on closer margins, that in itself was enough for the 40 year old. At that time he was a proud father of 18 young adults who had all come from different corners of Mapletish to be able to help their home country make an impression on the multiverse stage. Haven’t it been Floris, the team wouldn’t be assembled and be out to compete in a World Cup qualifying.

The last time, the Dragons were able to do that was back in World Cup 81. Internal disputes continued right after that and Team Mapletish as a whole, no matter which sport you are referring to, faded from the presence of the multiverse. It was a hard pill to sallow for all the die-hard sports fans in Mapletish but such was the case. Such was the circumstance that Floris was trying to revive. He was rekindling the fire, the fire to compete on the multiverse stage, something which had to be earned. The players were obviously very affected by how far they had come and was equally motivated by Floris’ rousing speech at the end of his go-around in 1-1 with the players.

The players gathered in a circle and sung, before the time was up for the half time break in what would be one of the more bizarre scenes one can capture in the Maplish football history. The Dragons reunited back in the pitch with renewed focus. In the 56th minute, the Dragons were up for the equaliser.

Patient possession play was key, Singer linked up with Dwight who roped in both Sonnie and Quin. Instead of quadrants and boxing up opposition players as they went, the players travelled in triangles to shift quickly on the pitch. Quin got on the end of the passing triangles and he formed his triangle with Tomomi and Patrick. Tomomi got on the end of the passes and releases a through pass towards Gauvain, going pass Jason Lee who failed to intercept the pass. Gauvain would put a low corner shot towards the far left, sealing a 1-1 equaliser for the Maplish side.

The equalising goal was crucial for the Dragons as that renewed confidence for everyone present in the encounter. One would expect Floris to be up celebrating this goal but he remained calm still with his arms folded and burying his chin in his right hand as if he was thinking about something else. His eyes fixated on the pitch as he watched the movements and changes on the pitch, ready to pick out an opportunity his players didn’t spot. The equalising goal too made way for the second and the winning goal for the Dragons in this match.

That goal came in the 70th minute through a neatly placed free kick from the right side of the penalty box from Job Bobbie which left around the wall and into Moses’ far left-hand corner, outside of his fingertips, putting the Dragons in the lead. The Dragons would eventually win this match 2-1.

The Dragons began their next match against Al Qurija, the team, the broken, the secret champs whom the Dragons had lost 2-1 to previously back in Al Qurija. The Qurijans too seemed a little less intimidating when you play them at home. The Buio’Dzz welcomed the Qurijans as it had previously welcomed Port Ember on the previous matchday. Coupled with the warmth of the Buio’Dzz, the stuffy evening was to be remembered with temperatures hitting 30 degrees Celsius, a little lower than the 33 degrees Celsius that hit Kohnhead earlier in an afternoon WC Qualifying match right in Rosfield.

The Qurijans were known to be a tough team, a more intense and aggressive team to play against. The previous time the Dragons faced up with them, they were met with the easily agitated Qurijans and a referee who happened to close an eye on the constant shirt tugging and cussing from the players. Although it might not have been a very sportsmanship-like behaviour when put into context, who was to judge when they were considered to be perfectly legal in the eyes of the referee and back at their homeground. The Dragons had nothing to do with unsportsmanship-like behaviour at least in their eyes, but that is to say the young Maplish players can’t stand against physical play, which sounded like the younger generation of Mapletish were weak.

When asked to comment on the physical play employed by the Qurijans, Floris declined to comment about it and instead focused his attention on his players, “I had expected the boys still do what they are supposed to do, no matter the conditions that are presented to them. Who the opponents are, should not matter to them as much as whether they have executed the gameplan and performed up to their own expectations, that was the underlying principle in us participating in the World Cup qualifying in the first place. We came in without expectations and we just play our game, leave the expectations and non-expectations and failure to meet expectations to the professional players who have a lot more in them to be playing for their country than to put pressure on the younger players who are just here to represent the country and gain valuable experience which will help them in the future footballing careers. We do not want to end their careers right here and right now, with a blow to their confidence. That is not necessary.”

The press conference and reply from Floris set the tone for the Dragons as they face familiar foes Al Qurija. As expected from the Qurijans, not only were they easily agitated, they tried to agitate their opponents too by utilising their infamous passing play which dragged the proceedings out. It could though, be considered very patient of them as they tried to find the gaps they need to break through against the equally tight, structured and rigid Maplish side who were unlikely to stray too much to allow for good defending as per Floris’ plans. The trio of Zlatan Krstevski, Abbas Gim and Seok jin Kang were known to cause issues as the centre pieces in the passing game for the Qurijans.

Without a doubt they were also the first to break the silence on the attack. In the 24th minute, Carpi managed to get away from Elton who was marking him ever so tightly to receive a pass on the left flank from Krstevski. However, he was unable to convert his chances, seeing his effort veered off the crossbar and flying out. Meade pumped his chest and pointed towards the Fierykop and let out a shout which alarmed the Maplish side a little. The Dragons would respond with a quick counter attacking move of their own. Following Abbas Gim’s misplaced pass towards the defender, Jun Abdulrashid, Patrick pounced on the opportunity and unleashed a powerful shot against Mahmud Maksimovic, the 26 year old keeper for the Qurijans.

The Dragons would hold up another close opportunity towards goal in the 40th minute with an effort from the skipper, Job Bobbie. The passing triangle containing Sonnie, Quin and Patrick managed to get past the defensive line, with Patrick side stepping Najm who positioned a little deeper to catch the Maplish offensive. Patrick would then release the ball left side towards the on running Bobbie who attempted to slot the ball past Maksimovic only to see the latter let out a diving save to get the ball out of the goalline. The first half ended 0-0 with both sides enduring the summer evening humidity.

Floris could be seen handling out water bottles to his players as they walked into the player tunnels, his quirky character says it all, doing the unexpected but that to him was the expected. The second half begun for the Maplish side as they were the ones to take control of the possession from early on. The nuance of the match against the Qurijans tied down to who could control the ball the most throughout the match as both sides sat a little deeper and more rigid than usual as they anticipate each other’s game and finding the gaps to breakthrough resulting in a game which was less exciting on the offensive front but more on player tussling and possession of the ball, for the weirdos who like the tugging and tussling of shirts and the balls and players.

The Dragons would score their only goal this game in the 58th minute which Floris would let out a silent sigh, “Finally, you guys.” Having won the ball back from a misplaced long cross from Gim to Kang, Tomomi was first to pounce on the loose ball and to control the possession. Head on he faced a vengeful Kang but the latter mistimed his tackle which helped Tomomi get ahead which opened the opportunity for Gauvain to be opened as he was left unmarked with Al-Ghazzawi trying to cover up the spots. Gauvain received the ball at waist level and unleashed his favourite volley, this time on his right side and into the bottom left corner of the goal against Maksimovic to open the scoring. The Dragons were up 1-0.

The Rosfield was shaken, the Fierykop’s chants and drumbeats continued. The Dragons had opened the scoring against the Qurijans. Floris let out a silent sigh, gesturing two thumbs up at his players as they jogged towards the Maplish half. The Qurijans orchestrated a response in the 64th minute in an attempt to equalise via Mohammed. Mohammed controlled the ball comfortably from a one two pass between Popovski and Najm. Mohammed would then distribute the ball towards the right flank with the on running Abdulrashid up ahead before the latter linked a quick ground pass towards the inside to catch Kang who had run inside. Kang would beat the covering Dwight who had decided to cover Kang.

Dwight would have to turned his body around to chase and was late by a step. Meade was left to cover the shot from Kang. Kang misplaced his shot and the shot was placed too far left away from the outstretched Meade who had attempted with all his agility to keep the ball out, yet much to Meade’s relief, the ball had gone out. Meade punched the grass patch in a feat of aggression in what would be an equalising goal for the Qurijans had it not gone out. The Dragons would employ a faster attacking play in the 75th minute in an attempt to catch the Qurijans off guard to the slow and patient build up play all along.

Sonnie and Dwight exchanged passes in the Maplish half of the pitch and Sonnie went up towards the Qurijan’s side of the pitch, with the pressing slightly reduced, Sonnie had the luxury to pick his options but he sprinted ahead cutting away the on running Krstevski who had earlier left some space for him. Attempting to close the angle, Krstevski unleashed a sliding tackle, with a few inches to spare, Sonnie veered left and opened himself up to an on running Mohammed who had attempted to cover Krstevski up. Sonnie lobbed the ball towards Quin who had advanced together with his counterpart.

Much to the Qurijans’ surprise, instead of unleashing a shot on goal from range, Quin released it towards the on running Tomomi before Tomomi and his quick feet found Patrick who would unleash a shot in the penalty box but it was to no avail. The match would continue like a pendulum with both sides swinging inwards and outwards with possession. Much to the Qurijans’ dismay, they were unable to put an equalising goal past the Dragons and much to the Maplish’s delight they had secured another 3 points, well positioned for Matchday 18, a game of pride against who had themselves earned a playoff spot. The Dragons had previously drawn Siovanija & Teusland back at home and would be anticipated to not give Siovanija & Teusland any chances even as visitors.

WCQ 87

                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Savigliane             17   14   1   2    42   18  +24    43
 2 Siovanija & Teusland   17   11   3   3    44   23  +21    36
 3 Eura                   17    9   5   3    37   21  +16    32
 4 Kohnhead               17    8   4   5    45   29  +16    28
 5 Mapletish              17    6   5   6    11   12   −1    23
 6 Pemecutan              17    6   5   6    29   31   −2    23
 7 Natanians and Nosts    17    6   4   7    27   34   −7    22
 8 Port Ember             17    5   3   9    26   27   −1    18
 9 Al Qurija              17    3   1  13    15   40  −25    10
10 United Pink States     17    1   1  15    20   61  −41     4

WCQ81

Group 8                            Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Ethane                           17   16   0   1    52   13  +39    48
 2 Damukuni                         17   12   2   3    42   24  +18    38
 3 Devonta                          17   12   1   4    38   21  +17    37
 4 Maryloupe                        17    8   5   4    41   34   +7    29
 5 Mapletish                        17    8   2   7    26   28   −2    26
 6 Competitive Solitaire            17    7   3   7    41   40   +1    24
 7 Unified Hispania                 17    5   3   9    17   25   −8    18
 8 Zeleny Hrebenia                  17    4   5   8    20   30  −10    17
 9 Leodomum                         17    2   0  15    19   46  −27     6
10 Palmeria                         17    0   1  16     7   42  −35     1

The Dragons when compared to their seniors at this point of the race back in World Cup 81 Qualifying, had done worst in terms of points, with their senior counter parts garnering 26 points by matchday 17, however that was the total point haul for the team back in WCQ81, if the trend repeats itself, the Dragons have a chance of matching that. Furthermore, the senior team back at WCQ 81 were winning more games in their group and scoring more goals. However, the trade off was losing more games, whereas the squad of WCQ 87 were cautious in defence, and although only garnering 23 points had significantly more draws, 5 draws as compared to 2 draws, making more evenly matched games. Both though finished similarly in the tables at fifth place. In terms of goals scored, the WCQ81 had scored more goals but were conceding even more. The defence was tighter for the WCQ87 side with only 12 goals conceded in 17 games, one of the most solid defences in the qualifying group and also in the whole WCQ 87 field.

See you then for the last matchday against Siovanija & Teusland.

[PotatoFarmers]

Previous RP [Chapter 3 Part 9]

RP Series: Getting to the top
Chapter 3: New Year, New Goals
Part 10: Not actually relieved

When the final whistle blew in Libira National Stadium, there was no celebration whatsoever. Although the fans and the coaching team was relieved that they managed to secure a draw, the team and players was definitely upset that the team couldn't grab a win to secure their 2nd spot, while also holding it out for a late rush for the top position in the group. Instead, the draw means that the team can only be 2nd, and it does reduce the chances of a direct qualification because Poafmersia can only grab 41 points if they win everything else. The team also cannot afford to lose against Farfadillis, because Krytenia would overtake if they grab all 6 points against their remaining 2 opponents.

There was lots and lots of missed chances, even if Poafmersia worked really hard that night to ensure that they could secure 3 points. The first really nice attempt came in the 6th minute, when Dargis Walshor plays a diagonal pass up to Shakira Handris, who then heads it to Iulianus Innocenti. Iulianus ran forward, only to find Joey Sinton there trying block him from shooting. Innocenti passes it back to Shakira, only for Shakira to shoot wide. 10 minutes later, the Red Panjias had another opportunity, this time through Iulianus Innocenti, who got past Rodolfo Marquez andSinton on the way to goal. But Damien Carpenter made a brilliant one-handed save to stop the shot. It would be the Dragons who grab the lead, with Ross Green finding a header from the corner and making Sandi Jaliaha dive the wrong way. The fans cheered the home side on as they tried to find an equaliser and a winner. First it was a speculative shot from Daas Taisg, but it hit the post and went wide. Then Haodao ran from the outside inwards to power home a goal, but Carpenter tips the ball over the top bar. Handris found another opportunity as Nero Wood got in a dangerous low ball across the box in the 60th minute, but the shot went wide of the left post. 4 minutes later, it was a brilliant one-two by Innocenti and the captain that allowed the Red Panjias to grab an equaliser. Still, the home side wasn't able to find an equaliser, leaving them to draw 1-1 with Krytenia, and the team was basically self-reflecting in the dressing room after the match, thinking how they could have done better to secure all 3 points and second place.

Perhaps fate just had its way of rewarding the teams who put in effort. Perhaps Margret was just blessing them with some luck. After West Zirconia stole 3 points from them at home, the same team travelled to Krytenia to do just the same thing 3 days after the Poafmersia-Krytenia game - forcing the home side to a 2-2 draw. When the final whistle blew in Krytenia, it was the Poafmers in the stadium who were already celebrating - Poafmersia was 3 goals up with just 3 minutes and some stoppage time to go, and Krytenia drew. Baring a late collapse, Poafmersia would run 5 points clear at the end of the game, enough to secure the 2nd spot. Results elsewhere meant that Poafmersia stood some chance of qualifying as one of the 3 best runners-up, but they would require lots of results to go their way.

On the flight home from Caryton, the head coach wasn't sitting with the coaching team in front. The team captain and vice-captain wanted to talk to him with regards to the possibilities of the playoffs, and Adnan Suliaha promptly agreed. The 3 of them sat somewhere at the back of the plane, discussing about what is to come.

"Coach, I think you would know this best - that in all honesty, with our low goal difference, and a difficult battle to play at home to Farfadillis, trying to get top 3 best runners-up sounds like a really tall order," begun Joel Haodao.
"Yes, I understand, Joel. So many teams are having easy matches ahead of them. Chromatika, with 41 points and currently first in the list of runners-up, host Logano Fraza, who took 8 points from 17 games. Kelssek hosts Wreckeria, a matchup which should be winnable despite its difficulty. Astograth plays away at Lisander, a fixture they won in Matchday 9. There are also other teams currently ahead of us who has easy fixtures. Reçueçn, currently the 7th highest runners-up, with a goal difference of +23 and 38 points, plays Silvedania away. Fellow region mates TJUN-ia, who also graduated from the same Baptism of Fire as us, are currently behind us by just 1 goal difference, and they are playing away at Acronius. Not to mention how our fellow countrymen Zahi Castillias is holding the fort for the Gothanita Isles against Pasarga - who might make the playoffs if they perform worse than what South Newlandia does at home to Tumbra. Lots and lots of things at stake, and while we would want to avoid the playoffs, it is not up to us to decide anymore."
"So coach, we were just thinking whether we should play our strongest starting lineup against Farfadillis," said Shakira Handris.
"Why would you think I would fill a weaker lineup?"
"Because after that match we would only have 5 days of rest. The playoffs are next week, and we would expect you would continue to rotate," replied Joel.
"No? Our job here is to avoid the playoffs. Look at who might make the list. Baker Park, The Holy Empire, Nephara, Siovanija & Teusland, Kelssek, Terre Septentrionale, Reçueçn, Quebec, Pasarga, Zwangzug. Maybe Mriin. Maybe Newmanistan or Vilita from Group 17. What the hell? The playoffs are difficult, and direct qualification would definitely be much better. We have came so far, and to play like a top seed would be irritating."
"Yes, coach. We will definitely do our best and try to get a good result against Farfadillis in 3 days," said Shakira. "We need to keep our home record, and avenge our huge loss against Farfadillis the first time."

Poafmersia 1
Shakira Handris 64' (assist by Innocenti)

Krytenia 1
Ross Green 37'

Lineup for Poafmersia (3-4-3): Sandi Jaliaha; Nasri Sanchez, Mitchel Rosales, Alex Hoboson; Dargis Walshor, Nero Wood, Daas Taisg, Monesty Erdos; Joel Haodao, Shakira Handris (c), Iulianus Innocenti
Substitutes: Gisiik Moonar (Taisg 74'), Whitney Rios (Erdos 80'), Hollis Stephenson (Sanchez 88')

Caryton 0

Poafmersia 3
Hansel Tang 18' (assist by Shwentin)
Shakira Handris 40'
Pete Carisa 74'

Lineup for Poafmersia (4-3-3 diamond): Suzanne Trengove; Mitchel Rosales, Simone Gori, Hollis Stephenson, Natalia Abbott; Nero Wood, Woden Sweet, Arnold Shwentin; Hansel Tang, Shakira Handris (c), Pete Carisa
Subsitutes: Joel Haodao (Handris 70'); Makana Tuft (Tang 86'); Zak Kaloyanov (Abbott 89')

[Electrum]

The Turnip: Interest In The Cup Of Harmony Increases Dramatically For Some Reason
by Primmy Primmy Primrose, citizen journalist

Move over World Cup! There's a new tournament in town that's attracting all the cool people.

We are at the closing stages of World Cup 87 Qualifying and for some reason, there is an increased interest in the Cup of Harmony lately.

Electrumite searches on twii.tur and Boogle are through the roof with queries like "Cup of Harmony tickets", "how to avoid Cup of Harmony", and "how to treat my Cup of Harmony skin rash" reaching the top spots on the trending list. But if you're like me, and are a refined person who does not understand internet "culture", making the trending list is an online millennial's way of saying "presently entering the online cultural zeitgeist, albeit temporarily." People used to say "gone viral" but the word has fallen into disuse for obvious reasons.

Scientists and sociologists have found that periodic interest in the Cup of Harmony always dips at the start of a new World Cup qualifying season. However, as the days progress, interest in the tournament crescendos and reaches its totality at the very last matchday of the World Cup qualifiers. Intriguing. But, once the last day finishes, interest plummets dramatically. Presumably because people don't like harmony at all. The world's more interesting after all when there's conflict to be had. Imagine a world without war -- it would be genuinely terrifying. Just what would we do with ourselves? Make peace? Make love with ourselves? It's disgusting.

Tangents notwithstanding, we have also sighted activities in the bid pages for the two aspirant bidding parties of the next Cup of Harmony. People the world over have asked whether Responsible Pharmacists would be made available to the teams competing in the Cup of Harmony. These Responsible Pharmacists would presumably responsibly administer a cocktail of drugs that improve players performance, especially on the field, in the bed while playing video games, and even while dead.

Of course, both parties rejected this absurd proposal, but the question suddenly appeared towards the tail-end of the qualifying, and was asked by members of society who have completely no interest in the matter. Indeed, those people who asked those questions probably had nothing to gain anyways, even if it turned out that the absurd proposal was accepted.

Anyways, the presumptuousness and arrogance from certain nations is outstanding. Already, nations like Eura and Electrum have claimed that they already qualified outright for the Cup of Harmony despite the lack of actual hosts being selected. The Cup of Harmony is indeed the world's most prestigious tournament according to the internet search engines, and this reputation is being undermined by nations constantly saying that they will, for one reason or another be invited to the tournament.

By the way, it's always been very unclear who gets selected into the Cup of Harmony. There are always a mish mash of nations from those that narrowly missed out on qualifying to those who were near the bottom of their group tables. It makes no sense why minnows like Electrum keep getting invited -- they should not be qualifying for the Cup of Harmony in the first place. Their rightful place is in the pitiful World Cup, a tournament that so few people care about that we didn't even know it existed until last month.

With interest in the Cup of Harmony increasing for some unspecified reasons, time will tell whether the search results will plummet again, or will increase again. We look forward in bringing to you more phenomena to your attention every day. Peace.

[Flavovespia]

Martin scores the winner in the last minutes

Flavovespia’s game against Busoga Islands was irrelevant in terms of World Cup Qualification, but the hosts managed to earn 3 points in the group with a late goal deciding it. The win gives Flavovespia better position for now in the group stage, ahead of a theoretically easier run-in.

Despite conceding 4 goals to TJUN-ia, Young made no changes to the goalkeeper or defence in the starting line up. Kieron Player returned as central defensive midfielder. Robert Totten made a return as the central attacking midfielder, and Steven Hall was favoured as a striker in this game. The line-up at least looked somewhat experimental in attack, now with World Cup Qualification impossible.

Excitement in Saints Park was somewhat diminished compared to earlier expectations. Both sides had reason to think they’d be in the fight for qualification at this stage, and thus this match felt closer to a friendly than a competitive fixture. The play on the pitch as well in the early stages wasn’t exactly helping matters, plenty of attacks being frustrated by misplaced passes, or the defence cutting it out.

The first big chance of the game came in the 25th minute. Scott Coleman’s shot didn’t look too troubling for Mustafa Taal, but the keeper couldn’t catch it cleanly, and knocked it into the path of Steven Hall. Hall instinctively shot at goal, and Hassan Thiaw’s goal-line clearance was the only thing preventing the opener.

Busoga Islands were also creating a handful of opportunities throughout the first half. Kamu Jacobs was impressive as ever on the left flank, presenting issues for David Blythe. Twice he cut inside and shot, forcing a save out of Aarif Muhammad. He also assisted the best effort, his cross in the 42nd minute met by Upanshu Paramartha, but the right winger could only fire over the bar on the volley. 0-0 at half time, a game that did have a bit of a sense of not much to play for.

The second half saw Flavovespia begin to press an advantage in possession and passing stats. They were getting more control in the midfield, limiting the chances that Busoga Islands had going forward. However Flavovespia weren’t able to get that final ball through for a clear cut chance. Busoga Islands were defending well, and Coleman and Hall struggled with the physicality shown. Young would sub off Totten, drop Hall back to central attacking midfield, and bring on Ramon Martin.

Busoga Islands were making up for their lack of possession with a couple of dangerous counter attacks. Kamu Jacobs and Upanshu Paramartha were quick down the flanks, and keen to exploit any forward movement by the Flavovespian full backs. Twice they had the ball deep inside the Flavovespian half. However, the combination of Aarif Muhammad, Tony Gardner and Alexander May prevented the balls into the box being a danger for Flavovespia.

The first, and only goal of the game, would come with under 5 minutes until injury time. A long ball forward into the box was met on the chest by Ramon Martin. He was under pressure, but still got the ball under control, turned and shot into the corner of the net. It was a good shot, enough to beat Mustafa Taal, to give Flavovespia a late lead. They only had minutes left to see out to get the 3 points, and handled the last moments of pressure to get those points.

Flavovespia’s win against Busoga Islands moves them up to 4th, and means they at least come away with a home win over a Pot 1-6 side. The qualifiers haven’t been the easiest of Flavovespia, but 3 points is 3 points, as they travel to Hispinas for the penultimate game. Cassadaigua beat Hispinas 4-1, to secure their spot at the World Cup as Group 3 winners. TJUN-ia’s 2-2 draw at Muralos keeps Acronius in the race for 2nd, thanks to them winning 3-1 at Havynwilde. Finally Nacaltora take their tally of losses to 16 out of 16, Central Shaneville winning 5-2 over them.

3 goals and 3 points in Hispinas for Flavovespia

The last away game for Flavovespia of these qualifiers saw them register a 0-3 win in Hispinas. It wasn’t the 8-1 thrashing of earlier in the cycle, but still a very assured performance that showed Flavovespia can still perform to a high level on good days.

Flavovespia made some changes, as Alan Young looks to rotate and test out new tactics. Back to a wide 4-1-2-1-2, Scott Vaughan and Ian Johnson were in for David Lyons and David Blythe. William Somers and Steven Hall started as the wide midfielders, and up front Ramon Martin would start alongside Scott Coleman. A cosmetic change as well for Flavovespia, as they wore their black away kit with yellow shorts and socks.

Much like the reverse fixture, Flavovespia put the pressure on Hispinas early on, to try and force an error and an early goal for the visitors. This time however, the Hispinas defence looked up to the task, and were on the right side of the line when it came to getting stuck in. There were plenty of firm, but fair challenges, and much as a few Flavovespians were a bit unhappy with the play, the referee rarely needed to intervene.

The first half was goalless, although not for a lack of trying from Flavovespia. Steven Hall and Robert Totten were providing many chances, and Scott Coleman and Ramon were unlucky in a way none of their shots went in, Natalio Londono in good form, and the Hispinas defence always able to just do enough to prevent a goal if Londono was beaten. Ozeano Amunategui speculative shot was the only notable effort Hispinas had in the opening 45 minutes, but he got the power and placement all wrong as it flew out of play.

Flavovespia managed to get a breakthrough very quickly in the second half. Good passing through the middle ended up with Ramon Martin playing in Steven Hall, the captain cutting in from out wide. He was relatively unmarked, and made no mistake from a good position out wide. Flavovespia had the breakthrough, and Hispinas would need to open up to score any points now.
Despite the change in scoreline, the complexion of the game didn’t seem to change too much. Flavovespia were a little more cautious in attack, meaning that Hispinas were still having a hard time making a breakthrough. There were few touches of the ball in the Flavovespian box, and optimistic efforts by Ozeano Amunategui and Peppi Palmero made up most of the Hispinas attacks.

Mark Paul, on as a substitute, finally broke his duck this tournament in the 80th minute, just as Hispinas were having a bit of a good spell. With players breaking forward for the hosts, a quick clearance left Mark Paul with a clear run to goal and little in his way. He held off Chequil Puma, shot low and hard, and got the second for Flavovespia. That looked close to killing off any chances of a comeback.

Not long after the kick-off, a 3rd came for Flavovespia. A defensive error saw an attempted long pass charged down by Steven Hall. He ran clear to set up a one vs one, and made no mistake with the finish, to get his second of the game. The game was all but over now, the chances of a comeback remote. The final minutes were a slow affair from most, save from Steven Hall’s efforts to get a hat-trick, which Londono saved relatively easily.

In the rest of the group, TJUN-ia’s 1-0 win over Havynwilde, along with Central Shaneville’s 2-1 win over Acronius means that TJUN-ia will finish 2nd, and avoid a showdown with Acronius. TJUN-ia still have an outside chance of automatic qualification, but the playoffs look likely. Busoga Islands won 1-0 over Muralos, keeping them in the battle for 4th place. Cassadaigua won 2-4 at Nacaltora, and host Central Shaneville in the final game to avoid defeat in the entire group. Nacaltora will travel to Flavovespia on the final day, keen to avoid finishing this whole cycle with 0 points.

Minor edit because I somehow forgot the colour of my own away kits

[Saint-Domingues]

Netop 3-1 Saint-Domingue: Loss at Foster Park leaves Avengers all but eliminated
HT 1-0

---

Saint-Domingue's qualification hopes are hanging by a thread as they were comprehensively beaten by Netop in a tough night at Foster Park.

The Avengers are practically out of contention with this 3-1 defeat, lagging five points behind both Zwangzug and the Friends. With Abanhfleft also losing ground after a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of Savojarna - which practically confirms top spot for the Northlights who possess a five-point lead with just two matches to go - it looks to be a straight battle between Zwangzug and Netop for 2nd spot and a place in the playoffs.

Netopian captain Teddy Riggs did a fine job of leading the line for his team, and managing to rack up a goal in each half for his team. Riggs first got on the scoresheet shortly before half-time when he fired in a rasping shot from the edge of the area, and then rifled in a second shot from 20 yards not long after the break to leave Netop soaring.

Max Holder added a third with just over fifteen minutes to go to add some gloss to the scoreline for Netop, before substitute Jean-Pierre Jeune pulled a goal back for Saint-Domingue in injury-time but it was little more than a consolation goal.

The defeat today means that Saint-Domingue's disappointing record on the road continues. Saint-Domingue have not beaten, or, indeed, take any points away to teams ranked higher than 8th in the table. Wins in Hafamarimet, Chartistan, and Koniglich Wasserstein can be contrasted to costly defeats against all of the qualification rivals.

Saint-Domingue head coach Camilo Canisbro: "Sometimes you have to put your hands up and admit that the other team was just better than you on the day. It wasn't the ridiculous, self-destructive opening forty-five like in the last game against Netop, but I think Joey House and his boys showed a lot of class today which made the difference. The finishing especially was really impressive today, it was a difficult time for Jules [Binet]. We aren't going to qualify, but then I was never the one saying we were aiming for that. There are still two games to play but afterwards we want to review what we have done and look at how the team has progressed. This has been our first qualification cycle and it's vital experience for me and the team."

On criticism at the team's away record: "I hadn't given it much thought it truth, I only became aware of it when a member of the press brought it up to me. Listen, we're paying attention to something like that in our preparations. It does not effect mine or my players' perceptions of how we are approaching a match. We take it one game at a time and work on them individually, our place in the table and Netop's weren't all that relevant. The same for when we play Abanhfleft in the next game. We will prepare in the way we feel is right and try to win the game. We're not scared of some silly record."

---

Lineups:
Binet
Cotilla
Boleyn
Cojuangco
Pareja
Campos <- Charbonneau 82'
Sanabria
Carpeña <- Lacourse 61'
Palacio
Babesco <- Jeune 82'
Gimenez

Netop: Riggs (43, 49'), Holder (74')
Saint-Domingue: Jeune (90+1')
Venue: Foster Park

Abanhfleft 0-1 Saint-Domingue: Major upset as Avengers eliminate Fleftics
HT 0-0

---

Abanhfleft suffered a humiliating loss at home to Saint-Domingue which left them eliminated from World Cup qualifying alongside their opponents.

Having lost away to Netop in their last match, any hopes for qualification that Saint-Domingue may have harboured were practically extinguished. To stand any chance of sneaking into the final play-off place they would have needed to defeat Abanhfleft today and beaten Chartistan in their following game, whilst also hoping that both Zwangzug and Netop didn't pick up a single point from their final two games (unless there was a massive swing in goal difference from the Dominguan wins). Realistically it was never going to happen.

Abanhfleft stood a better chance of qualifying, though it was also difficult. On 26 points, 3 points behind their rivals, they needed to win both of their fixtures and hope that there were Netopian and Zwangzugian slip-ups in at least one of their respective final two matches. But even a win to keep Fleftic hopes alive was going to be a challenge.

As one might expect from a team playing a must-win fixture, Abanhfleft started on the front foot as they tried to nab an early goal. Jules Binet had to make two saves from distance from the offset, denying Kareem Dagan and then Marcus Tabarez. James Carmichael also hit the post towards the end of the half, whilst Binet also tipped over Paco Matundan's header from a corner-kick.

In the second-half Binet had to be alert again to deny Arthur MacAlistair. The winger, who had scored a brace against the Avengers at Saint Dominic's Park, was stopped by a fine diving save before his rebound was blocked by Guillaume Boleyn. MacAlistair took a number of shots from distance but was denied each time by a flying Dominguan body or the goalkeeper.

There was then a golden chance offered, as Giuseppe Cojuangco was harshly penalised for a foul on Tabarez. Dagen opted to take the penalty, but was denied by Binet as his shot to the goalkeeper's left was palmed away and out for a corner. The miss was devastating for the Fleftics, and the atmosphere in the Old Forester began to turn tense and nervy as fans started to wonder whether it would really be their team's day.

With things looking desperate for Abanhfleft as news filtered through of favourable scores for both Zwangzug and Netop, things had to change. The team had so far looked incapable of breaking through the structured Dominguan defence and pushed further forwards to combat the low block. But this was where Canisbro's gameplan was executed and the counter-attack struck nine minutes from time. Emilio Campos quickly played a ball out from the back down the channel to Jean-Pierre Jeune. With the defence caught our, Jeune squared a simple ball to Julien Babesco, who was charging towards the box. The unmarked striker took a touch, and then smashed a low right-footed shot into the bottom corner.

Abanhfleft looked totally shocked by their costly concession. In a must-win game they were behind, and they struggled to rally themselves in an attempt to muster further attacks to save their qualification campaign. The unstoppable Binet was called upon to make just one more save, a long-ranged effort by Elmo Bevan which was straight down the goalkeeper's throat, before the final whistle blew to eliminate the two sides.

Saint-Domingue head coach Camilo Canisbro: "Wow, that was an exciting one. This was a really big ask, not just of the defence but the midfielders in front of them to screen, and the two forwards who were given a bit of a thankless task in all of the running that they had to do. I thought as a defensive unit we were excellent, our shape was very good in how disciplined it all was. We denied Abanhfleft space and frustrated them, they were reduced to playing long balls towards the end and aimlessly piling forwards, which is when we hit them on the counter. We rode our luck a bit with some of the chances and deflections, one time there was a bouncing ball which I thought was going to fall for their forward but it just didn't work out. And of course, the penalty. Jules was great. Every day in training he's so motivated and competitive. He will fight tooth and nail for that clean sheet of his and it inspires so much confidence in his defenders when you have someone so talented between the posts."

"Like I said last match, we don't care too much about some record. In our away games we have done well in difficult circumstances. We lost to Sharktail, Zwangzug, and Savojarna by one-goal margins and the performances were good. Against Ancherion it was also one goal and there was that penalty decision which I still think cost us while we were ahead. Today is just another good performance, and this time it gave us the points too. Credit to the fans today as they were excellent, they travelled in large numbers and were so loud, it was inspiring. It's been a very enjoyable qualification and we want to try and finish things on a high note in the last game at home."

---

Lineups:
Binet
Cotilla
Boleyn
Cojuangco <- Le Guen 78'
Ahearn
Campos
Sanabria
Lacourse
Keller <- Carpeña 68'
Babesco <- Sauvage 90+3'
Jeune

Abanhfleft: N/A
Saint-Domingue: Babesco (81')
Venue: Stadium of the Old Forester, Markovsky, Mezaladbyi

[The Gothanita Isles]

South Newlandia 0-0 TGI
Lineup for TGI (4-2-3-1): Thulile Bolkvadze (c); Jeanette Ross, Abu Bakr Ekmekçi, Saif al-Din Kartal, Charlee Harel; Chloe Brewster, Remus McQueen (Sardar Chaplin 76'); Grigorii McCrory, Ladislava Tyler, Cyneburga London; Abdelkader Kartal
Cards: Abu Bakr Ekmekçi 66' (yellow); Charlee Harel 80' (yellow)
Goals: None

Tumbra 2-0 TGI
Lineup for TGI (4-2-3-1): Thulile Bolkvadze (c); Jeanette Ross, Timotheos Dunn, Saif al-Din Kartal, Charlee Harel; Sardar Chaplin, Remus McQueen; Stefanie Salzwedel (Grigorii McCrory 67'), Chloe Brewster, Cyneburga London; Abdelkader Kartal
Cards: None
Goals: Morgan 52'; Foster 58'

The Gothanitan Times
Commentary: Zahi Castillias has changed the face of football in the Isles

The team bowing in front of the 4,500 travelling fans after the game in Tumbra

After the 0-2 loss to Tumbra, team manager Zahi Castillias led his team to bow and salute to the 4,500 fans who had travelled with the team to Tumbra, thanking them for coming down to support the team. That number is probably a record for an away match - 2 years ago, at the 86th World Cup Qualifiers, the average attendance at away games by Gothanitans is only close to a thousand fans. And the fans continued to come and cheer for the team despite playing in a dead rubber - the Gothanita Isles had been eliminated the previous matchday after their goalless draw at South Newlandia.

For Zahi Castillias, the campaign should be widely considered a success. They had improved so much from last cycle, as the players adapted to various playing styles, balancing the traditional Gothanitan style of defensive football with some attacking flavour as the Poafmer had brought in from his nation. Despite playing in a much tougher group as compared to the last cycle, the team got twice the number of wins they did last cycle, with 1 game to go. And they could very well cross the 30 point mark with a win at home, in Otksarin, where they play top seeds Pasarga. Zahi's tactical abilities have clearly shown themselves. After masterminding wins over South Newlandia, Bluecliff, and Pasarga, as well as grabbing close results against Hampton Island and Valladares, you can't say that Zahi did nothing. The player pool never changed from the pool that went to the Cup of Harmony. Even though we got to see the best of each member state following their (rather muted) performances at their respective regional cups, Zahi still chose to work with the same team, and his trust in the players never failed him.

Group 7                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Banija                                18   18   0   0    86   23  +63    54
 2 Chromatika                            18   12   2   4    53   34  +19    38
 3 Blouman Empire                        18   11   2   5    39   36   +3    35
 4 Xanneria                              18    8   3   7    41   39   +2    27
 5 Tamgu                                 18    6   2  10    33   48  −15    20
 6 Free Republic of Hong Kong            18    6   2  10    28   42  −14    20
 7 Pripet Socialist Republic             18    5   4   9    22   35  −13    19
 8 Quakmybush                            18    5   3  10    32   36   −4    18
 9 The Gothanita Isles                   18    4   4  10     8   26  −18    16
10 HAIKU                                 18    2   4  12    24   47  −23    10

Table for the World Cup 86 Qualifiers, where our Yellow Lions were placed 9th.
Back in World Cup 85, the qualification group was quite manageable. Apart from top seeds Banija and second seeds Chromatika, the other tough sides are probably Blouman Empire and Xanneria. Maybe Tamgu is a balanced matchup. The team, however, couldn't score, only getting 8 goals from 18 games, and conceding 26, on their way to getting a miserable 16 points and 9th place. This cycle, in a much tougher group including Tumbra, newcomers Bluecliff who stormed the Baptism of Fire with their interesting play style, top seeds Pasarga, rising stars South Newlandia, quality side Valladares, and second seeds Hampton Island, the games have been much harder. However, the Isles have put in 27 points, are now sitting in 6th, the place where they are supposed to be by seeding, and may very well go into the top half if they can pull off another performance against Pasarga. With the support of the home fans, it is not impossible, though Pasarga will be out for blood after their shock defeat in Matchday 9.

x                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 South Newlandia        17   12   3   2    27   14  +13    39
 2 Pasarga                17   12   2   3    35   20  +15    38
 3 Hampton Island         17   10   2   5    19    9  +10    32
 4 Tumbra                 17    9   3   5    31   27   +4    30
 5 Valladares             17    9   1   7    43   30  +13    28
 6 The Gothanita Isles    17    8   3   6    30   24   +6    27
 7 Bluecliff League       17    6   2   9    18   24   −6    20
 8 Garifunya              17    4   5   8    28   28    0    17
 9 U-Koro                 17    3   1  13    19   39  −20    10
10 Regmotto               17    0   2  15    10   45  −35     2

Table for this World Cup Qualifiers, as at Matchday 17.

Zahi Castillias is showing no signs of giving up despite the loss. Ahead of the big tie against Pasarga, he has promised that he will "treat" the home fans by putting in a strong performance. "I know that there is a lot at stake. My home nation is trying to avoid big teams in the playoffs, and they would much rather see South Newlandia than Pasarga in the mix. However, I think I will be going against the spirit of the game trying to give chance here. I spoke with the Tumbra managers, they too have promised that they wouldn't give any chance in their match away at South Newlandia. Whoever gets the automatic spot will have to fight for it, and I think any result against the Wanderers this weekend will allow our players to gain confidence." It is his spirit of never giving up, of always wanting his team to strive for success in everything that they do, that the team should be more confident in themselves, that has helped our Yellow Lions grow up. And really, the Gothanitan Isles Football Confederation (GIFC) should be happy they have him as their manager. Now, it is up to the GIFC and the respective national football associations to ensure that more support is given to develop football in the nation, and to help Zahi change the face of football in our nation.


The Jeolerinan
Final Day Showdown - What are the matches to watch?
Our Yellow Lions may be out, but there is still a lot of excitement around the multiverse as we head into one of the most nail-biting final matchday of the qualifiers in the history of the World Cup. There are lots of surprises everywhere, but whether these surprises continue will depend on a slate of results across all 19 groups, that may very well see even more shocks and surprises in the pool of playoff teams. Here, we go through each and every group.

_# Group 1               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Geektopia              17   13   3   1    37   16  +21    42 Qualified for WC87
 2 Recuecn                17   12   2   3    38   15  +23    38 Assured at least a spot in the playoffs
 3 HUElavia               17   10   2   5    41   31  +10    32

2nd seeds HUElavia were knocked out of the qualifiers, with 3rd seeds Geektopia stealing top spot ahead of top seeds Reçueçn, who would have to fight for their place in the World Cup. They will end their qualifiers with a trip to 9th seeds Silvedania, who are currently ranked 8th with 3 wins, 3 draws, and 11 losses. Reçueçn won the reverse fixture 1-0.
Match to watch: Silvedania vs Reçueçn

_# Group 2                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Brenecia                         17   15   2   0    37    5  +32    47 Qualified for WC87
 2 Terre Septentrionale             17   12   3   2    41   16  +25    39 
 3 Riena                            17   11   4   2    29   13  +16    37
 4 Plane of Possibility             17   10   4   3    41   28  +13    34

Top seeds Brenecia have qualified for the World Cup, with a close race for 2nd between Terre Septentrionale and Riena. Both have a shot at being top 3 runners-up mathematically, though it isn't as easy as it looks. 2nd seeds Terre Septentrionale has the easier tie, travelling to 8th seeds Ranoria, who have 6 wins and 1 draw. Terre Septentrionale won the reverse fixture at home 1-0. 3rd seeds Riena, on the other hand, welcome Brenecia. Although Riena drew goalless in the reverse fixture, they would need a win to have a shot at 2nd place. Even then, a win may not be enough for Riena. Terre Septentrionale, with the head-to-head advantage, just needs a draw to get 2nd place.
Matches to watch: Riena vs Brenecia, Ranoria vs Terre Septentrionale

_# Group 3               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cassadaigua            17   15   2   0    57   21  +36    47 Qualified for WC87
 2 TJUN-ia                17   12   2   3    42   26  +16    38 Assured at least a spot in the playoffs
 3 Acronius               17   10   2   5    37   24  +13    32

Baptism of Fire 71 debutants TJUN-ia will be runners-up, and they play 5th seeds Acronius away in Matchday 18. Like a whole lot of other teams, they will also be fighting to be the top 3 runners-up so as to ensure that they avoid the playoffs. The reverse fixture ended 3-2 in favour of TJUN-ia, though this match would not be easy given that TJUN-ia is now away.
Match to watch: Acronius vs TJUN-ia

_# Group 4                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Vdara                        17   12   3   2    62   33  +29    39
 2 Commonwealth of Baker Park   17   12   3   2    59   32  +27    39
 3 Electrum                     17   12   1   4    41   24  +17    37
 4 Xanneria                     17    9   6   2    43   25  +18    33

A close race to the finish. All 3 teams have a chance to qualify for the World Cup, after second seeds Xanneria got themselves eliminated on Matchday 17. Vdara host 5th seeds Quakmybush (7 wins, 1 draw), top seeds Baker Park travel to Xanneria, while 4th seeds Electrum travel to 8th seeds Cascadia Empire (5 wins, 5 draws). The reverse fixtures in Matchday 9 saw Vdara win 5-4 away at Quakmybush, Baker Park winning Xanneria 2-1, and Electrum routing Cascadia 4-0. Now, let us list the permutations:
1) For Vdara to secure top 2 spots, a draw will definitely be enough. They hold a superior head-to-head over Baker Park and Electrum, and will be tops in the even of a three-way tie. To guarantee top spot, they just have to get a win. A draw will be enough if Baker Park does not win against Xanneria. A loss will be enough if Baker Park loses and Electrum does not win.
2) For Baker Park to secure top 2 spots, like Vdara, a draw will be enough, since they hold a head-to-head advantage over Electrum. To secure top spot, they would need Vdara to grab less points than them on the final matchday (ie. they draw and Vdara loses, they win and Vdara doesn't win.)
3) For Electrum, to get a top 2 spot, they need either one of Baker Park and Vdara to lose, and they have to win their match. They can only be first if both Baker Park and Vdara loses, and they win their match.
The match between Xanneria and Baker Park is also very important, doubling as a Ultimate World Championship belt match. The lineal belt is already not making it into the World Cup proper, and if Baker Park fails to win Xanneria, this would mean both available belts would not make it there.
Matches to watch: Vdara vs Quakmybush, Xanneria vs Baker Park, Cascadia Empire vs Electrum

_# Group 5                Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Savojarna               17   10   4   3    31   17  +14    34
 2 Zwangzug                17    9   5   3    36   21  +15    32
 3 Netop                   17    9   5   3    46   35  +11    32
 4 Saint-Domingue          17    8   3   6    32   24   +8    27
 5 Abanhfleft              17    7   5   5    36   33   +3    26

It is a battle for top 2. Whoever is in 2nd would only be given a playoff spot, while whoever is in 1st will qualify directly for the World Cup. It is a tough one to call. 2nd seeds Savojarna hosts unranked debutants Koniglich Wasserstein (3 wins, 4 draws), and Savojarna won the reverse fixture 2-0. Top seeds Zwangzug hosts 9th seeds and bottom side Hafamarimet (3 draws), having drew the reverse fixture 1-1. 6th seeds Netop hosts 3rd seeds Abanhfleft, with Abanhfleft winning the reverse fixture 3-2. Here are the permutations, in our eyes:
1) Savojarna needs just 1 point to clinch 1st place, having a superior head-to-head against both Zwangzug and Netop. If either Netop or Zwangzug doesn't win, they would clinch a top 2 spot. If both doesn't win, they would clinch top spot anyways.
2) Zwangzug holds a head-to-head disadvantage as compared to Savojarna, but a head-to-head advantage as compared to Netop. If they gain at least as many points as Netop, they would be able to clinch a top 2 spot. They would be able to qualify directly if they win and Savojarna loses.
3) Netop would need to gain more points than Zwangzug to gain 2nd place. To gain 1st place, they would need a win and hope Savojarna loses, while Zwangzug doesn't win.
Matches to watch: Savojarna vs Koniglich Wasserstein, Zwangzug vs Hafamarimet, Netop vs Abanhfleft

_# Group 6               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Turori                 17   14   2   1    29   11  +18    44 Qualified for WC87
 2 San Ortelio            17   10   3   4    23   12  +11    33
 3 Juvencus               17    8   6   3    26   15  +11    30
 4 Mercedini              17    8   5   4    32   18  +14    29

San Ortelio and Juvencus will fight for 2nd place, a spot in the playoffs. Having been tied in Head-to-head, goal difference will come into play in the even both sides tie. Unraked San Ortelio travel to 8th seeds Gouvanarch (6 wins, 5 draws), having won the reverse 2-1 at home. Eliminated 2nd seeds Mercedini will host 4th seeds Juvencus, with Juvencus having won the reverse 1-0 at home. The math is simple. Juvencus needs a win to stand any chance of making the playoffs. They also require San Ortelio to lose to Gouvanarch, and any margin will do because both teams are currently tied on +11 goal difference. San Ortelio, on the other hand, progresses with at least a point.
Matches to watch: Gouvanarch vs San Ortelio, Mercedini vs Juvencus

_# Group 7                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Farfadillis                   17   15   1   1    61   25  +36    46 Qualified for WC87
 2 Poafmersia                    17   12   2   3    50   33  +17    38 Assured at least a spot in the playoffs
 3 Krytenia                      17   10   3   4    45   24  +21    33

Poafmersia assured their spot in the playoffs after West Zirconia held Krytenia to a 2-2 draw in Matchday 17. On the final matchday, Poafmersia will host top seeds Farfadillis, aiming to improve their record to stand a chance of being top 3 best runners-up. It would not be easy. Farfadillis last routed Poafmersia 5-0 at home in the reverse.
Match to watch: Poafmersia vs Farfadillis

_# Group 8               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Audioslavia            17   12   4   1    35   20  +15    40 Qualified for WC87
 2 Huayramarca            17   11   4   2    36   22  +14    37
 3 Northwest Kalactin     17   11   3   3    44   26  +18    36
 4 Mytanija               17   10   4   3    45   30  +15    34

Having a superior head-to-head over Huayramarca, Audioslavia has booked a spot in the finals. Now it is left with 4th seeds Huayramarca and 3rd seeds Northwest Kalactin. Huayramarca travel to 6th seeds Emastalia (4 wins, 2 draw), a fixture both sides drew 2-2 in the reverse. Northwest Kalactin hosts 7th seeds Cirrus Azale, an easy fixture which Northwest Kalactin won 4-1 away in the reverse. Northwest Kalactin holds the head-to-head advantage. If Huayramarca loses, a draw would be enough for Northwest Kalactin to qualify for the playoffs. Huayramarca, however, needs a win to secure 2nd place, as a draw would not be enough if Northwest Kalactin wins. Huayramarca has a mathematical chance of qualifying directly as top 3 runners-up, although Northwest Kalactin doesn't.
Matches to watch: Emastalia vs Huayramarca, Northwest Kalactin vs Cirrus Azale

_# Group 9                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 South Covello                 17   11   3   3    33   14  +19    36
 2 Nephara                       17   10   5   2    33   18  +15    35
 3 Græntfjall                    17    9   6   2    29   18  +11    33
 4 Indusse                       17    8   7   2    37   24  +13    31
 5 Kandorith                     17    8   7   2    31   24   +7    31

It is a tight race to the finish. Top seeds Nephara, 3rd seeds South Covello, and 4th seeds Græntfjall all stand a chance of being 1st or 2nd. While 6th seeds Baggieland (4 wins, 3 draws) host South Covello, 5th seeds Indusse hosts Nephara and Græntfjall travel to unranked side Garbelia (4 wins, 2 draws). While South Covello and Nephara drew their reverse fixtures 2-2 and 1-1 respectively, Græntfjall won Garbelia at home 2-1 on Matchday 9. It is a very weird situation here:
1) South Covello needs a win to secure top spot. 1 point is enough to secure top 2 positions, but they would wound up in the playoffs if Nephara wins. In any head-to-head tiebreak, they always lose, so they would be very careful not to get into a tie.
2) Nephara needs a point to secure top 2 spots. If South Covello loses, a point would be enough to secure top spot. If South Covello draws, a win will be enough to secure top spot. They hold the advantage in any form of tiebreakers, so they are the favourites to be top here if they make a win at Indusse.
3) Græntfjall has the hardest task. They would need one of the 2 teams above them to lose, and they would need a win regardless of what happens. If one of the team loses, they can get 2nd and a playoff spot. They will get 1st if both South Covello and Nephara loses.
Matches to watch: Baggieland vs South Covello, Indusse vs Nephara, Græntfjall vs Garbelia

_# Group 10                  Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Drawkland                  17   14   2   1    45   17  +28    44 Qualified for WC87
 2 Chromatika                 17   13   2   2    52   22  +30    41 Assured of at least playoffs
 3 Mavinet                    17   10   3   4    30   21   +9    33

A win is definitely enough for them to secure a direct spot, being the only runners-up to have more than 40 points, and leading the pack with such a huge goal difference. They host 9th seeds Logano Fraza (2 wins, 2 draws), which should be an easy matchup considering they won the reverse fixture 4-1 away.
Match to watch: Logano Fraza vs Chromatika

_# Group 11              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Valanora               17   15   1   1    49   24  +25    46 Qualified for WC87
 2 Kelssek                17   13   1   3    43   24  +19    40 Assured of at least playoffs
 3 Darmen                 17   12   0   5    39   27  +12    36

With Valanora clinching top spot, Kelssek just needs a win to avoid the dreaded playoffs. They host 6th seeds Wreckeria (6 wins, 4 draws), with Kelssek winning the reverse fixture 1-0.
Match to watch: Kelssek vs Wreckeria

_# Group 12              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Starblaydia            17   14   2   1    59   19  +40    44 Qualified for WC87
 2 Omerica                17   11   5   1    43   24  +19    38
 3 Equestria              17   11   4   2    46   24  +22    37
 4 Yuezhou                17    8   3   6    27   27    0    27

3rd seeds Omerica has a 1 point advantage over 2nd seeds Equestria, but faces a tricky home tie against 5th seeds Yuezhou, a match which both sides drew 3-3 in Matchday 9. Equestria hosts 6th seeds The Grearish Union (3 wins, 2 draws), a fixture which Equestria won 2-1 in the reverse. With both sides being tied on head-to-head, Omerica would need a win to qualify. Draw and Equestria just needs to not lose to leapfrog Omerica by goal difference.
Matches to watch: Omerica vs Yuezhou, Equestria vs Grearish Union

_# Group 13                        Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Banija                           17   14   1   2    57   24  +33    43 Qualified for WC87
 2 New Lusitania and the Algarves   17   11   2   4    41   28  +13    35
 3 Saltstead                        17   11   1   5    20   17   +3    34
 4 Jeruselem                        17    9   3   5    40   35   +5    30

It is a battle for the playoffs here between 2nd seeds New Lusitania and 5th seeds Saltstead. Given that there is no head-to-head advantage for either sides, it will go down to group difference, and New Lusitania holds a +10 advantage. New Lusitania has a tricky home match against top seeds Banija, which the defending World Cup champions won 4-2 in the reverse. Saltstead travel to 9th seeds Belac (1 draw), having won the reverse fixture at home 1-0.
Matches to watch: New Lusitania vs Banija, Belac vs Saltstead

_# Group 14                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Squornshelous                      17   14   1   2    52   30  +22    43 Qualified for WC87
 2 Astograth                          17   13   1   3    35   17  +18    40
 3 Mriin                              17   12   2   3    42   18  +24    38
 4 Rangers FC                         17    8   3   6    37   29   +8    27

Tough battle here for top seeds Mriin. 3rd seeds Squornshelous booked their ticket as they cannot be outside the top 3 for runners-up, and is guaranteed to be in top 2. Astograth can clinch 1st place if they win and Squornshelous loses, while Mriin needs to win and hope Astograth doesn't. All 3 fixtures look easy on paper. Squornshelous travel to 8th seeds The H Corporation (2 wins, 4 draws), a side they defeated 4-2 in the reverse. Astograth travel to 4th seeds Lisander (6 wins, 3 draws), a fiture where Astograth edged out 1-0 on Matchday 9. Mriin travel to unranked United Australasian Commonwealth (1 draw), a match which Mriin won 4-0 in the reverse.
Matches to watch: The H Corportation vs Squornshelous, Lisander vs Astograth, United Australasian Commonwealth vs Mriin

_# Group 15                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Ko-oren                            17   14   3   0    34    4  +30    45 Qualified for WC87
 2 Independent Athletes from Quebec   17   11   5   1    37   17  +20    38
 3 Blouman Empire                     17   11   3   3    41   26  +15    36
 4 Sylestone                          17    9   1   7    23   18   +5    28

3rd seeds Quebec could have secured their spot much earlier, but now has delayed it to the final matchday where they play top seeds and group winners Ko-oren, who is unbeaten. The last fixture ended in a 2-2 draw, and Quebec needs to not lose in order to secure 2nd place. 4th seeds Blouman Empire will host 7th seeds Crystalline Caverns (3 wins, 6 draws), a match which should be winnable for Blouman Empire, having won 4-2 on Matchday 9. Blouman Empire needs to win, and hope Quebec does not pick up a single point, as Quebec holds the head-to-head advantage.
Matches to watch: Independent Athletes from Quebec vs Ko-oren, Blouman Empire vs Crystalline Caverns

_# Group 16              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Trolleborg             17   14   0   3    52   27  +25    42 Assured of at least playoffs
 2 The Holy Empire        17   12   3   2    45   25  +20    39 Assured of at least playoffs
 3 Maccian                17   10   2   5    45   27  +18    32

Top seeds The Holy Empire and 2nd seeds Trolleborg are fighting for direct qualification, with 1 point enough for Trolleborg to do it. Trolleborg hosts 4th seeds Twicetagria (9 wins, 3 draws), while The Holy Empire hosts 3rd seeds Maccian. Trolleborg and The Holy Empire won their respective fixtures 4-2 and 2-1 on Matchday 9, and are level on head-to-head. The Holy Empire will be first if they overcome a -5 goal difference, by winning and making sure that Trolleborg loses.
Matches to watch: Trolleborg vs Twicetagria, The Holy Empire vs Maccian

_# Group 17                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Vilita                      17   11   5   1    44   20  +24    38
 2 Tikariot                    17   11   4   2    38   20  +18    37
 3 Newmanistan                 17   11   4   2    47   23  +24    37
 4 Tequilo                     17    8   6   3    45   24  +21    30

There is potential for either top seeds Vilita or 2nd seeds Newmanistan to miss out on top 2 spots, with 5th seeds Tikariot trying to fight to be in top 2. Vilita travel to 9th seeds State of Trinity (2 wins, 4 draws), Tikariot hosting 8th seeds Hebitaka (5 wins, 5 draws) and Newmanistan hosting unranked Widaya (3 draws). The reverse fixtures ended in victories for Vilita (4-1), Tikariot (4-2) and Newmanistan (3-2), so it should be interesting to see how this ends. In the even of any Head-to-head tiebreaker, Vilita always wins, Tikariot loses to Vilita, and Newmanistan loses to both of them. Therefore, it is just to see who blinks and fails to win their match.
Matches to watch: State of Trinity vs Vilita, Tikariot vs Hebitaka, Newmanistan vs Widaya

_# Group 18              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 South Newlandia        17   12   3   2    27   14  +13    39 Assured of at least playoffs
 2 Pasarga                17   12   2   3    35   20  +15    38 Assured of at least playoffs
 3 Hampton Island         17   10   2   5    19    9  +10    32

Another battle for direct qualification, with South Newlandia holding only a 1 point advantage. No head-to-head advantage by either side means that South Newlandia needs to win to secure top spot. If South Newlandia doesn't, a win by Pasarga will be enough. In fact, if South Newlandia loses, Pasarga just needs to draw to be ahead by goal difference. Top seeds Pasarga will travel to Otksarin to play our very own Gothanita Isles (8 wins, 3 draws), the 6th seeds, while 3rd seeds South Newlandia hosts unranked Tumbra (9 wins, 3 draws). South Newlandia won their reverse fixture 4-3, while Pasarga lost their reverse fixture 3-4.
Matches to watch: The Gothanita Isles vs Pasarga, South Newlandia vs Tumbra

_# Group 19              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Savigliane             17   14   1   2    42   18  +24    43 Qualified for WC87
 2 Siovanija & Teusland   17   11   3   3    44   23  +21    36 Advanced to playoffs
 3 Eura                   17    9   5   3    37   21  +16    32

6th seeds Savigliane secure their direct qualification, while 2nd seeds Siovanija & Teusland advanced to the playoffs ahead of top seeds Eura. Only honor is at stake here, as Eura host Savigliane while Siovanija & Teusland hosts unranked Mapletish (6 wins, 5 draws). Both matches ended in goalless draws on Matchday 9.
Matches to watch: Eura vs Savigliane, Siovanija & Teusland vs Mapletish

[Vilita]

Aquafek Takes the Field after Balqia stunner

Lopinka National Stadium, Lopinka, Vilita :: It was an away day to forget for the Vilitan National Team as goals from Eugen Kesgailus and Rodni Mikliviq upended the Jungle Cats qualification hopes as they would suffer their first defeat of the World Cup 87 Qualifying Campaign.

After a five match winning streak, their longest of the Qualification, it all came crashing down against 123rd ranked Balqia as Cavuna Aquafek's Jungle Cats were held without a goal and leaking at the back. It was a lackluster performance across the board however as Vilita struggled to maintain their typical possession advantage in the midfield against a Balqia side that had arguably proven to be one of the most difficult for the Jungle Cats to handle in Group 17. Vilita narrowly managed to escape with a 4-3 victory over Balqia in the first half of qualifying and the five total goals scored by the Balqians against the Jungle Cats in two matches were more than any other Group 17 foe managed to get past the Vilitan goalkeepers.

The defeat cost the Jungle Cats an opportunity to clinch a spot in the World Cup 87 Finals, with second and third place nations Tikariot and Newmanistan playing each other to a draw on the same match day, Vilita could have opened up an insurmountable 4 point advantage going into the final match day. Instead, the defeat saw Vilita's advantage over the duo cut to just a single point with no room for error for the remainder of the campaign.

For Balqia, it was just their third win of the campaign and their first against a side ranked higher than 289th, with their only previous victories coming against Hebitaka and unranked Widaya. The victory against Vilita was no doubt the signature accomplishment of the campaign for a side that had been eliminated since Matchday 12.

 Vilita [0] - [2] Balqia
				
	GOALS:	Vilita 	               		
	STATS:	Vilita 	:: Possession: 47%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 4	Balqia 	:: Possession: 53%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 5
	Lineup:	[GK] Vernasa Sanamun, [D.] Lohani Riiyaaw, [D.] Inteali Koranjo, [D.] Jirak Trikala, [ML]  Cywrenta Vlintejni, [MC]  Kudii Davasarii, [MC] Limu Katarakhna, [MC]  Jyuola Mtalata, [MR]  Jurzen Devmiko, [FC] Sipke Tarala, [FC] Enzoril Alabonni			
	Bench:	[FC] Clarana Refiami, [FC] Berali Tzufarei, [M] Trezisi Rokopolis, [M] Intikko Kuhilana, [U ] Polaox Torerun, [D] Mileke Drokasorna, [GK] Hanauma Ranbomahi

Following the Vilita National Team's first defeat of the World Cup 87 qualification campaign, head coach Cavuna Aquafek had some reflecting to do. Major changes were made after the Jungle Cats dropped 8 points over the first nine games of the qualification campaign. Now, with one rogue result on a cloudy day in Balqia, Aquafek's side had dropped five points in six matches. Any further dropped points would almost certainly result in not only the Vilitan National Team being eliminated from the possibility of qualifying for the World Cup, but also an end to Aquafek's reign as head coach of the National Team.

So the Veteran Turoki Tide midfielder did what any good leader would do in the situation. Aquafek strapped on the boots again and got kitted up for the very next match, calling their own number in the starting lineup against Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom. It would be the first start of the campaign for Aquafek who had served as a reserve player for the National Team the previous two cycles. It was a critical decision as the Jungle Cats looked not only to get back on track but also to get revenge against a team that held them to a draw and stole two now-critical points during the first leg away from home on Matchday 8.

Aquafek took the right outside wing position of the Jungle Cats traditional 3-5-2 Attacking formation. As the oldest player on the pitch, Aquafek was flanked on the opposite side of the field by the youngest player on the pitch, 17 year old Jlinal Cove FC prospect Trezisi Rokopolis. While all the talk pre-match was surrounding the appearance of Aquafek in the starting eleven, it wouldn't take long for the focus to shift to the opposite side of the pitch where the Jlinal Cove youngster had found a favorable matchup and was dominating the sideline. Just under ten minutes into the match, Rokopolis dished off to Clarana Refiami who looked destined to shoot but instead played a tricky ball through back in the direction of Rokopolis who had now slipped past the defense and was clear on Zlatko Wukowić - the goalkeeper known well by a number of players on the pitch as the starter for Lonngeylin City of the Vilitan Declasse Division.

While Wukowić had stolen the bragging rights after the first meeting between the sides earlier in the campaign, Rokopolis would ensure the Vilitans had the last laugh. The youngster netted their second career goal for the National Team and what would ultimately be their first career game winning goal. Despite struggling against Balqia, Vernasa Sanamun was entrusted between the posts for the second straight contest as Mako Canopii remained sidelined for the Jungle Cats. This time, Sanamun came up strong with their fourth clean sheet of the campaign. The four clean sheets by Sanamun thus far in the campaign were the most by any Vilitan goalkeeper since Mako Canopii also had four clean sheets during the World Cup 82 Qualifiers.

With Vilita leading 2-0 at the half thanks to a goal from Berali Tzufarei 25 minutes after Rokopolis' opener, Head Coach Cavuna Aquafek pulled themselves out of the game at half time allowing Tenziki Kulakao to take their place for the second half. It proved to be an inspired change as Kulakao would get on the scoresheet with their first touch of the ball, putting the match out of sight just minutes into the second half giving the Jungle Cats a 3-0 lead that they would hold on to until full time.

While it was a critical victory for the Jungle Cats to maintain their position in the Group 17 Table, they would still be heading into the final matchday of the qualifying campaign on thin ice. While a victory over the State of Trinity would assure a spot for Vilita in the World Cup Finals, any points lost could knock them not only off the top spot in the group, but out of the playoffs as well. It will be a match that will define the future for not only the players but for Aquafek as manager of the Vilitan National Team and it will be contested against the State of Trinity, the nation with the lowest ranking that the Jungle Cats have ever contested a match against, with a team full of nameless players and uncertainty as to whether they will even still exist as a nation by the time the match is played. State of Trinity have not sent any media to any World Cup Qualifying matches thus far and requests for media passes into the State of Trinity for the Group 17 Finale have thus far gone without acknowledgment.

 Vilita [3] - [0] Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
				
	GOALS:	Vilita 	:: 9' Trezisi Rokopolis:: 33' Berali Tzufarei:: 46' Tenziki Kulakao            		
	STATS:	Vilita 	:: Possession: 54%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 9	Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom 	:: Possession: 46%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 5
	Lineup:	[GK] Vernasa Sanamun, [D.] Inbekira Ajhabekk, [D.] Lohani Riiyaaw, [D.] Mileke Drokasorna, [ML]  Trezisi Rokopolis, [MC]  Cywrenta Vlintejni, [MC] Limu Katarakhna, [MC]  Jurzen Devmiko, [MR]  Cavuna Aquafek, [FC] Clarana Refiami, [FC] Berali Tzufarei			
	Bench:	[FC] Enzoril Alabonni, [FC] Tenziki Kulakao, [M] Kudii Davasarii, [M] Jyuola Mtalata, [U ] Lentali Purama, [D] Rojara Tiones, [GK] Hanauma Ranbomahi

[Omerica]

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Omerican football round-up: Two Congresses and a death match called for World Cup qualifying decision day
By Sydney Alexander

The Federation and League come to a truce
The supreme decision-making body of the United Republican Soccer Federation will be meeting next week in Mespalia and the agenda has caught the attention of the nation. Frustration at Omerica’s second-class status among independent associations has finally reached a boiling point. Omerica’s football governing body and professional club association have hashed out an agreement on how to resolve the “football civil war” and it’s rumours that the so-called “Independent Football Federation” could get their lusophone-supremacist hands on the indie section of regionalised qualifiers (should that ever come to be) that seemed to have spurred the United Republican Soccer Federation into action.

According to the agreement, the United Republican Soccer Federation Congress will vote on joining AOCAF, the CRF or the CEGC—the confederations of Atlantian Oceania, Rushmore and Esportiva respectively—when the next Ordinary Congress convenes at Port Alexandre’s House of Football. A series of “indicative votes” will be held to determine which of the three options is most popular before the Congress formally votes on whether to make an application. If that is approved, Omerican football would immediately leave the remit of independent football.

The understanding is that Omerica’s defection will be explicitly described as a temporary, but indefinite measure, only lasting “until such a time as the Independent Football Federation ends its offensive and unjustifiable favouritism toward lusophone associations.” In reality, the oversized influence of the lusophone associations and the sheer number of pandering apologists mean it’s widely accepted that the conditions for Omerica to return to the independent fold are unlikely to ever be met.

Ultimately, if the Congress vote to defect, the deal will largely represent a capitulation for the United Republican Soccer Federation. However, the ever-increasing influence of the lusophone-supremacist organisation and the possibility that it could get its hands on national team competitions is ultimately the dealbreaker that has finally brought Omerica’s football governing body to act. In the end, the Congress is far more likely than not to vote for a place in a “Big Three” confederation, whichever one it ends up being.

His Excellency President Casimir Paquet?
Outside the world of football, Omerica’s outgoing President Christina van der Hout has formally called the Estates General into Congress to elect her successor. Anti-corruption icon and slayer of the Omerican Football Federation Carola Lefebvre was the clear favourite to become the third female President of the United Republics until she announced her intention to decline the position due to her failing health.

Instead, recently retired URSF President and former Omerica midfielder Casimir Paquet has become the clear favourite to win. Paquet was already backed by the opposition Green Movement and Democratic Party when the Reformist Party announced their support for his candidacy yesterday. Assuming all three parties unanimously vote for Paquet, he will be just five votes short of the requisite majority needed to be elected Omerica’s first footballer head of state. The governing Omerican Socialist Party, which faces a difficult re-election campaign next year, has not yet announced a position, but even a minor backbench rebellion could comfortably put Paquet over the line.

Twenty-one Socialist deputies and the Socialist Premiers of Bridgecastle, East Calaverde and the Free State have already called on Prime Minister Julie Thibault and the Omerican Socialist Party to give a formal endorsement to Paquet. Nevertheless, if the 24 deputies break with the party and vote for Paquet without formal backing, Casimir Paquet would still be elected the 21st President of Omerica. However, a formal endorsement would avoid the embarrassment that Alexandra Karamanlis’s Democratic–Reformist coalition failed to elect their preferred presidential candidate seven years ago, which ultimately heralded their defeat at the subsequent general election. Omerica’s first sporting president is on the horizon and the government ought to hop on board.

Stumbling Equestria stubbornly push Omerica all the way
In all the excitement about self-important twits gathering to vote on things, you may have forgotten that the Incorrigibles face a do-or-die clash in Éternare. In the race for the playoffs, it all comes down to this: Omerica host Yuezhou with Equestria still in hot pursuit. Unfortunately, Equestria have a much easier game against the Grearish Union to close out the group stage, making the result of Group 12 a virtual toss of a coin.

So what are the stakes? If Omerica win, the Equestria v Grearish Union is irrelevant: Omerica will advance to the playoffs and Equestria will fail to qualify for the World Cup finals for the first time in fourteen years. If Omerica draw, Equestria will advance if they beat the Grearish Union and Omerica will be eliminated; anything less for the Ponies sees Omerica through to the playoffs. If Omerica lose, a draw will see Equestria through to the playoffs by virtue of superior goal differential; the Grearish Union would have to defeat Equestria for Omerica to advance.

Considering that Equestria defeated Grearia 2–1 and Yuezhou drew Omerica 3–3 in Yicheng on matchday 9, Omerica’s advancement is as far from guaranteed as you can possibly get to the point that the Incorrigibles finishing second would probably be more surprising than losing out to the Ponies. Fortunately, Omerica would be in plenty of good company in the “lost out on decision day” crowd: Terre Septentrionale in Group 2, San Ortelio in Group 6, Huayramarca in Group 8, New Lusitania in Group 13 and the Independent Athletes from Quebec in Group 15 all sit in second, but could still be overtaken should results not go their way.

On the bright side, it could be so much worse for Omerica: Vdara in Group 4, Savojarna in Group 5, South Covello in Group 9 and Vilita in Group 17 could all drop from first to third—from automatic qualification to complete elimination—if things go tits up for them. Yuezhou may play spoiler tonight, but at least defeat to the resilient Red Dragons wouldn’t sting as much as dropping like that. ◇

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Other Football News:
• “Omexit”: Bookmakers peg AOCAF as the favourites for Omerica’s new home, with Rushmore in second and Esportiva third
• Off the Pitch: The Reformists endorse former Omerica midfielder Casimir Paquet for the Omerican presidential election
• WCQ87 run-in: Starblaydia comfortably secure qualification after all with their victory over the Grearish Union

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UNITED REPUBLICS OF OMERICA

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Omerica v Yuezhou
World Cup 87 qualification — Matchday Eighteen
Stade Rue de la Victoire, Éternare, Alleos
Omerica lineup (4–3–3): Valentin Augustin; Alphonse Notley, Charity Kayode, Raphaël Martin, Sacha Sepulveda; Red Bolton (captain), Fearchar Mac Cléirich, Thom Magalhaes; Jessie Beckett, Jean-François Fernand, Jamal Ahmad
Substitutes: Alexandra McGuire, Annelise Betancourt; Darcy Francis, Frédérique Marquetti, Justin Thyme, Felix Zanetti; Maxime Fournier, Soraya Archambault, Nadiya al-Hashim; Maïa Bustos, Alexis Chrysanthos, Adélaïde Argyris

[Tikariot]

OOC Disclaimer: Soundtrack: Eivør - Trøllabundin

A lake, set in between steeply rising mountainsides, stretches out into the distance, the far shore not much more than a hazy shadow. Its surface is gently rippled by a breeze running through the valley, just enough to give the clouds reflecting off it the appearance of movement across the water. A lone drum starts to sound and the camera begins to set off from the lake’s shore, flying across its surface, as Eivør's “Trøllabundin” begins with her voice as the sole focal point of the song, seemingly in perfect harmony with the majestic scenery at display.

The Shadow: Nature, the true majesty of the world, unattached from any notions of “excellence”, “icons” and “kings”.

The camera continues to glide over the lake, taking in a magnificent waterfall cascading down the side of the mountain, its water crystal clear and creating a rainbow as the droplets sent airborne by the repeated contact with the rock surface catch the rays of the sun.

The Shadow: No other law rules above the "survival of the fittest", a merciless process of weeding out the weak and seeing the strongest continue on in their respective efforts. No majesty has ever conquered the will. No icon has ever overcome adversity. No king has been born to stand exalted above the perceived lesser man other than in his own mind. This campaign has put the law to the test more than once, with many that were considered among the fittest struggling to asserting their status, challenged by some that many did not have high in the food chain of the multiverse.

As if searching for something or someone, the picture swivels from the left to the right bank, finally changing course and aiming for a rocky outcropping into the lake, two figures standing on top, one cloaked in a hooded robe and a staff, the other in a black dress and long black hair billowing in the wind that seems to be stronger higher up from the lake surface.

The Shadow: 17 steps have been taken in the arduous journey towards the one, elusive goal. Now there is only one more step is left and yet everything can still be won and lost. We are standing at a crossroads with three paths ahead of us. One path leads to the elation of qualification, one into the purgatory of one of the most grueling playoffs of recent times and one leads right into the valley of tears. Now which path will it be?

The screech of an eagle breaks the serenity of the surroundings and they both follow the majestic bird soaring on the air currents high above.

The Shadow: Who will soar and who will plummet? Vilita stand at the top, they have it all in their own hands to ascend once more into the elusive pantheon of perennial qualifiers, taking their, in their position, rightful spot among the great. Yet - it is only one meagre point they stand ahead of both Tikariot and Newmanistan, a dangerous position to be in. Yes, it is their advantage to be ahead in the head to head with both of their opponents, yet the nature of the beast is that even a draw might send them over the edge.

All three nations head into their final endeavour of the campaign as the strong favourites, deemed as the fittest in their respective matchups yet time and again this cycle it has been shown that even the fittest are not infallible. Tragedy can literally strike anybody at a moment's notice and change the tapestry, change everything.

Now in the past I have damned the world's obsession with trying to quantify everything under the sun and its futility in the big picture. In a situation such as this, whoever, it is unavoidable as the consequences are imminent, with no room for failure or interpretation anymore. Out of our perspective, a win will guarantee us at least the second position, as would any result equal or better to Newmanistan. If we win, Vilita has to win to stay ahead of us, which is the intriguing thing and if this campaign has taught us anything, then that they are vulnerable. If we and Newmanistan win, Vilita has to win to even stay within the playoffs, yet they still can lose it all. As could we.

He opens his hand, revealing two dice throwing them into the air and absentmindedly catching them.

The Shadow: The dice will be cast yet where will they land? Everything to win, everything to lose, but nobody knows who will be able to withstand the pressure or if fate will rear its ugly head. They will look towards whichever gods they worship, they will pray for divine intervention, for the dice to land in their favour. All the Snowy Owls can do is to focus on their game and watch Hebitaka to be the next nation to be swallowed by the Dark Tide, the rest is out of their and all of our hands...

With that he casts the dice out over the cliff, the camera swooping down, following them until they break the lake's surface before turning around, slowly backing up across the lake again until The Shadow and his mysterious companion are barely specks in the distance.

[Northwest Kalactin]

Regional Qualifiers, MD 16&17
OOC: These results are a simulation and are not real.

AO Group 1
Krytenia 1–2 Tioguldos
Turori 2–0 Freeport
Farfadillis 3–0 Legalese
Khytonya 1–1 Ibixa

   AO Group 1                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Farfadillis                           14   11   0   3    25   12  +13    33
 2 Qasden                                14   10   1   3    33   13  +20    31
 3 Tioguldos                             15   10   0   5    20   15   +5    30
 4 Turori                                14    8   2   4    20    8  +12    26
 5 Krytenia                              14    7   3   4    16   12   +4    24
 6 Freeport                              14    5   5   4    15   13   +2    20
 7 Legalese                              14    2   3   9    17   32  −15     9
 8 Khytonya                              15    1   4  10    11   28  −17     7
 9 Ibixa                                 14    0   2  12     3   27  −24     2

AO Group 2
Siovanija and Teusland 4–3 Barunia
Ko-oren 0–1 Gyatso-Kai
Valanora 7–3 Netop
Pluvia and Saxean 2–1 Bonbohk u Piche

   AO Group 2                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Valanora                              14   11   1   2    28   10  +18    34
 2 Mavinet                               14    9   1   4    29   17  +12    28
 3 Siovanija and Teusland                14    8   3   3    34   18  +16    27
 4 Ko-oren                               14    8   2   4    25   17   +8    26
 5 Gyatso-Kai                            14    6   5   3    20   12   +8    23
 6 Netop                                 14    6   1   7    24   25   −1    19
 7 Barunia                               15    5   3   7    26   26    0    18
 8 Pluvia and Saxean                     15    2   1  12    12   36  −24     7
 9 Bonbohk u Piche                       14    0   1  13     9   46  −37     1

AO Group 3
Equestria 2–1 Busoga Islands
Audioslavia 5–1 Euran Oceania Territories
Banija 2–2 Quakmybush
Fjorsz 1–1 Sett Forest

   AO Group 3                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Banija                                14   10   4   0    30   12  +18    34
 2 Busoga Islands                        15    9   3   3    21   12   +9    30
 3 Audioslavia                           14    8   2   4    28   18  +10    26
 4 Equestria                             14    7   3   4    27   22   +5    24
 5 Quakmybush                            14    6   2   6    27   26   +1    20
 6 Maccian                               14    5   3   6    18   20   −2    18
 7 Euran Oceania Territories             14    6   0   8    26   29   −3    18
 8 Fjorsz                                15    1   4  10    15   31  −16     7
 9 Sett Forest                           14    1   1  12     8   30  −22     4

AO Group 4
Flavovespia 1–0 Twicetagria
Mriin 4–0 Saltstead
Starblaydia 3–0 Savigliane
Muralos 2–2 Wreckeria

   AO Group 4                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Mriin                                 14   12   2   0    39   14  +25    38
 2 Starblaydia                           14    9   4   1    25    8  +17    31
 3 Flavovespia                           14    9   1   4    24   16   +8    28
 4 Saltstead                             14    7   2   5    18   19   −1    23
 5 Northwest kalactin                    14    6   3   5    15   18   −3    21
 6 Savigliane                            14    5   3   6    21   19   +2    18
 7 Twicetagria                           15    4   4   7    14   14    0    16
 8 Wreckeria                             14    1   1  12     7   26  −19     4
 9 Muralos                               15    0   2  13     7   36  −29     2

AO Group 5
Chromatika 3–2 Blouman Empire
Commonwealth of Baker Park 2–1 Huayramarca
Vilita 2–0 Hapilopper
Jabal Ahkdar 0–2 Cosumar

   AO Group 5                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Commonwealth of Baker Park            14   10   4   0    34   15  +19    34
 2 Vilita                                14   10   2   2    37   14  +23    32
 3 Chromatika                            14    7   4   3    32   18  +14    25
 4 Independent Athletes from Quebec      14    7   2   5    25   22   +3    23
 5 Hapilopper                            14    5   4   5    19   21   −2    19
 6 Huayramarca                           14    4   5   5    21   17   +4    17
 7 Blouman Empire                        15    5   2   8    15   21   −6    17
 8 Cosumar                               14    3   2   9     7   30  −23    11
 9 Jabal Ahkdar                          15    0   1  14     9   41  −32     1

Rushmore Group 1
Electrum 1–0 San Ortelio

   Rushmore Group 1                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Pasarga                                8    7   1   0    18    5  +13    22
 2 Electrum                               8    4   1   3    12    7   +5    13
 3 Eastfield Lodge                        7    2   2   3     8   12   −4     8
 4 Darmen                                 8    1   4   3     9   10   −1     7
 5 San Ortelio                            7    0   2   5     4   17  −13     2

Rushmore Group 2
Yuezhou 3–1 Govournauch

   Rushmore Group 2                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Yuezhou                                8    7   0   1    15    5  +10    21
 2 Savojarna                              8    6   1   1    16    4  +12    19
 3 Valladares                             8    3   1   4    16   11   +5    10
 4 Crystalline Caverns                    7    2   0   5     7   14   −7     6
 5 Govournauch                            7    0   0   7     3   23  −20     0

Rushmore Group 3
Oberour Ar Moro 1–0 Nacaltora

   Rushmore Group 3                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Eura                                   8    7   1   0    22    3  +19    22
 2 Oberour Ar Moro                        8    4   1   3    11    9   +2    13
 3 Sargossa                               8    2   3   3     6    5   +1     9
 4 Nagore                                 7    2   2   3     9   14   −5     8
 5 Nacaltora                              7    0   1   6     1   18  −17     1

Rushmore Group 4
Tikariot 1–0 Simulland

   Rushmore Group 4                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cassadaigua                            8    6   2   0    18    5  +13    20
 2 Astograth                              8    5   1   2    11    7   +4    16
 3 Tikariot                               8    4   2   2     8    7   +1    14
 4 Southwest Eastnorth                    7    1   1   5     7   11   −4     4
 5 Simulland                              7    0   0   7     4   18  −14     0

Rushmore Group 5
Plane of Possibility 3–0 Hispinas

   Rushmore Group 5                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Nephara                                8    7   0   1    16    4  +12    21
 2 Graintfjall                            8    5   0   3    15    7   +8    15
 3 Plane of Possibility                   8    4   1   3    10    9   +1    13
 4 Mytanija                               7    1   2   4    10   18   −8     5
 5 Hispinas                               7    0   1   6     7   20  −13     1

Indies Group 1
Caryton 0–3 Emastalia
Indusse 3–1 Icecliff
New Lusitania 1–0 TBS
Terre Septentrionale 4–0 T Republic
Melbergia 2–2 North Alazia

   Indies Group 1                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Terre Septentrionale                  16   13   2   1    46    9  +37    41
 2 New Lusitania                         16   11   2   3    29   11  +18    35
 3 Indusse                               16    7   6   3    24   17   +7    27
 4 Emastalia                             16    7   3   6    26   22   +4    24
 5 Melbergia                             16    6   4   6    23   31   −8    22
 6 T Republic                            16    5   4   7    10   23  −13    19
 7 North Alazia                          16    4   4   8    16   22   −6    16
 8 Caryton                               16    3   4   9     9   24  −15    13
 9 Icecliff                              16    3   3  10    12   24  −12    12
   TBS                                   16    2   6   8    12   24  −12    12

Indies Group 2
Beepee 0–4 Murphtannia
Juvencus 1–0 Hebitaka
Poafmersia 2–0 UAC
Drawkland 1–0 Cirrus Azale
Widaya 1–1 U-koro

   Indies Group 2                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Drawkland                             16   13   2   1    42   22  +20    41
 2 Poafmersia                            16   13   0   3    33   10  +23    39
 3 Juvencus                              16   11   3   2    25   10  +15    36
 4 Murphtannia                           16   11   1   4    36   15  +21    34
 5 Cirrus Azale                          16    7   1   8    22   28   −6    22
 6 UAC                                   16    4   4   8    21   29   −8    16
 7 U-koro                                16    2   5   9    13   24  −11    11
 8 Widaya                                16    3   2  11    10   22  −12    11
 9 Hebitaka                              16    2   3  11    14   33  −19     9
10 Beepee                                16    2   3  11    21   44  −23     9

Indies Group 3

Waisnor 0–0 Freechi
Bluecliff 0–1 Garifunya
Al-Qurija 0–1 Squidroidia
Abanhfleft 5–1 State of Trinity
Trolleborg 0–1 Stevid

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Abanhfleft             16   12   1   3    32   13  +19    37
 2 Garifunya              16   11   3   2    38   18  +20    36
 3 Squidroidia            16   10   4   2    28    9  +19    34
 4 Freechi                16    9   4   3    30   18  +12    31
 5 Trolleborg             16    7   1   8    23   22   +1    22
 6 Bluecliff              16    5   5   6    22   23   −1    20
 7 Stevid                 16    4   3   9    15   31  −16    15
 8 Waisnor                16    2   6   8    20   30  −10    12
 9 State of Trinity       16    2   3  11    15   39  −24     9
10 Al-Qurija              16    1   4  11    15   35  −20     7


Indies Group 4
Trigel 0–2 Megistos
Darkmania 2–0 PSTCT
Geektopia 3–1 St. Domingues
Zwangzug 0–1 Quemmor Isles
Hafamarimet 1–2 Cascadia

   Indies Group 4                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Geektopia                             16   13   1   2    39   14  +25    40
 2 Zwangzug                              16   11   3   2    36   11  +25    36
 3 Megistos                              16   11   1   4    43   22  +21    34
 4 Darkmania                             16    9   1   6    30   25   +5    28
 5 St. Domingues                         16    5   4   7    18   26   −8    19
 6 Quemmor Isles                         16    6   1   9    16   28  −12    19
 7 Hafamarimet                           16    5   2   9    16   29  −13    17
 8 PSTCT                                 16    3   5   8    16   29  −13    14
 9 Trigel                                16    4   1  11    16   35  −19    13
10 Cascadia                              16    3   1  12    14   25  −11    10

Indies Group 5
Smosh Games 0–2 Sulsuland
Kohnhead 1–1 Ranoria
Jeruselem 0–1 Mexi Catcha
Kandorith 3–0 West Angola
Hindu RR 0–1 Aepreleh

   Indies Group 5                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kandorith                             16   14   2   0    37    8  +29    44
 2 Jeruselem                             16   11   2   3    28    7  +21    35
 3 Kohnhead                              16   10   4   2    31   18  +13    34
 4 Sulsuland                             16   10   0   6    34   18  +16    30
 5 Aepreleh                              16    7   1   8    27   33   −6    22
 6 Mexi Catcha                           16    4   5   7    22   32  −10    17
 7 West Angola                           16    3   6   7    15   25  −10    15
 8 Smosh Games                           16    3   3  10    14   31  −17    12
 9 Hindu RR                              16    2   3  11    13   36  −23     9
10 Ranoria                               16    2   2  12    16   29  −13     8

Indies Group 6
Gothina Isles 0–2 Balqia
Sharktail 1–1 Chartistan
Squornshelous 3–1 Mand Blustopia
Kelssek 3–1 North Japan
Tornado Queendom 0–2 Magnecia and Galmencia

   Indies Group 6                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kelssek                               16   14   2   0    41    7  +34    44
 2 Sharktail                             16   11   3   2    33   16  +17    36
 3 Squornshelous                         16   11   2   3    31   12  +19    35
 4 Balqia                                16    7   3   6    24   27   −3    24
 5 Mand Blustopia                        16    8   0   8    24   28   −4    24
 6 North Japan                           16    4   3   9    20   29   −9    15
 7 Magnecia and Galmencia                16    4   3   9    16   25   −9    15
 8 Tornado Queendom                      16    2   5   9    14   27  −13    11
 9 Gothina Isles                         16    3   2  11    12   30  −18    11
10 Chartistan                            16    1   7   8    14   28  −14    10

Indies Group 7
Garbellia 2–4 Rangers FC
Squornshelan Remnant States 3–0 Fluvannia
Port Ember 3–0 Sannyamathaland
Mercedini 2–0 Socialist New Britain
Critical Operations 2–3 Regmotto

   Indies Group 7                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Port Ember                            16   14   1   1    41   11  +30    43
 2 Mercedini                             16   10   4   2    32   13  +19    34
 3 Rangers FC                            16    9   5   2    33   15  +18    32
 4 Squornshelan Remnant States           16    8   5   3    24   12  +12    29
 5 Critical Operations                   16    5   1  10    20   32  −12    16
 6 Fluvannia                             16    5   1  10    12   28  −16    16
 7 Sannyamathaland                       16    4   3   9    15   28  −13    15
 8 Regmotto                              16    4   2  10    19   33  −14    14
 9 Socialist New Britain                 16    3   4   9    16   26  −10    13
10 Garbellia                             16    3   4   9    21   35  −14    13

Indies Group 8
Pays Den Haut 0–2 Baggieland
Devonta 2–0 Transvolcanic
Omerica 0–2 Rwezakaland
HUElavia 7–0 Silvedana
Frezza 2–1 Logano

   Indies Group 8                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Devonta                               16   13   3   0    31   11  +20    42
 2 HUElavia                              16   12   3   1    35   12  +23    39
 3 Baggieland                            16   12   0   4    25   11  +14    36
 4 Transvolcanic                         16   10   2   4    43   18  +25    32
 5 Rwezakaland                           16    7   2   7    27   26   +1    23
 6 Pays Den Haut                         16    5   3   8    22   25   −3    18
 7 Frezza                                16    4   2  10    18   36  −18    14
 8 Silvedana                             16    3   3  10    20   37  −17    12
 9 Omerica                               16    2   2  12    12   36  −24     8
10 Logano                                16    0   4  12    17   38  −21     4

Indies Group 9
Lorrana 0–3 Havynwilde
Acronius 1–0 Arklanda
TJUN-ia 3–0 Armed King
The Holy Empire 1–1 Red Kelp
Pemecutan 2–0 Norish Jeia Repa

   Indies Group 9                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 The Holy Empire                       16   12   4   0    37   12  +25    40
 2 Havynwilde                            16    8   6   2    30   13  +17    30
 3 Pemecutan                             16    9   3   4    23   12  +11    30
 4 Acronius                              16    9   3   4    26   16  +10    30
 5 TJUN-ia                               16    8   5   3    28   12  +16    29
 6 Arklanda                              16    5   5   6    17   24   −7    20
 7 Lorrana                               16    3   4   9    13   28  −15    13
 8 Red Kelp                              16    2   5   9    22   38  −16    11
 9 Norish Jeia Repa                      16    2   2  12    12   30  −18     8
10 Armed King                            16    1   5  10    13   36  −23     8

Indies Group 10
Thibaea 0–1 ZSeparatists
Sajnur 1–0 Treekidistan
Tequilo 1–0 United Pink States
The Sarian 2–0 Central Shaneville
Acastanha 1–1 Yerapia

   Indies Group 10                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 The Sarian                            16   11   5   0    33   11  +22    38
 2 Tequilo                               16   11   4   1    33    9  +24    37
 3 Sajnur                                16   12   1   3    34   15  +19    37
 4 ZSeparatists                          16    9   4   3    22   13   +9    31
 5 Central Shaneville                    16    4   4   8    12   18   −6    16
 6 Acastanha                             16    5   1  10    15   22   −7    16
 7 Yerapia                               16    3   5   8    22   33  −11    14
 8 Treekidistan                          16    4   2  10    16   33  −17    14
 9 United Pink States                    16    3   3  10    17   33  −16    12
10 Thibaea                               16    3   1  12    15   32  −17    10

Most Interesting Group: Indies Group 10
This group may be the best one in the entire tournament, as many teams are coming down to a tough final stretch right now. The Sarian, Tequilo, and Sanjur all have shots at qualification, although it will be a matter of who wants to fight harder at the end of this tournament.

AO Group 1
Ibixa 0–1 Farfadillis
Legalese 1–2 Turori
Freeport 1–1 Krytenia
Tioguldos 4–0 Qasden

   AO Group 1                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Farfadillis                           15   12   0   3    26   12  +14    36
 2 Tioguldos                             16   11   0   5    24   15   +9    33
 3 Qasden                                15   10   1   4    33   17  +16    31
 4 Turori                                15    9   2   4    22    9  +13    29
 5 Krytenia                              15    7   4   4    17   13   +4    25
 6 Freeport                              15    5   6   4    16   14   +2    21
 7 Legalese                              15    2   3  10    18   34  −16     9
 8 Khytonya                              15    1   4  10    11   28  −17     7
 9 Ibixa                                 15    0   2  13     3   28  −25     2

AO Group 2
Bonbohk u Piche 0–2 Valanora
Netop 0–5 Ko-oren
Gyatso-Kai 0–1 Siovanija and Teusland
Barunia 4–1 Mavinet

   AO Group 2                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Valanora                              15   12   1   2    30   10  +20    37
 2 Siovanija and Teusland                15    9   3   3    35   18  +17    30
 3 Ko-oren                               15    9   2   4    30   17  +13    29
 4 Mavinet                               15    9   1   5    30   21   +9    28
 5 Gyatso-Kai                            15    6   5   4    20   13   +7    23
 6 Barunia                               16    6   3   7    30   27   +3    21
 7 Netop                                 15    6   1   8    24   30   −6    19
 8 Pluvia and Saxean                     15    2   1  12    12   36  −24     7
 9 Bonbohk u Piche                       15    0   1  14     9   48  −39     1

AO Group 3
Sett Forest 2–1 Banija
Quakmybush 0–2 Audioslavia
Euran Oceania Territories 1–3 Equestria
Busoga Islands 0–4 Maccian

   AO Group 3                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Banija                                15   10   4   1    31   14  +17    34
 2 Busoga Islands                        16    9   3   4    21   16   +5    30
 3 Audioslavia                           15    9   2   4    30   18  +12    29
 4 Equestria                             15    8   3   4    30   23   +7    27
 5 Maccian                               15    6   3   6    22   20   +2    21
 6 Quakmybush                            15    6   2   7    27   28   −1    20
 7 Euran Oceania Territories             15    6   0   9    27   32   −5    18
 8 Fjorsz                                15    1   4  10    15   31  −16     7
 9 Sett Forest                           15    2   1  12    10   31  −21     7

AO Group 4
Wreckeria 2–6 Starblaydia
Savigliane 0–2 Mriin
Saltstead 1–4 Flavovespia
Twicetagria 2–1 Northwest kalactin

   AO Group 4                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Mriin                                 15   13   2   0    41   14  +27    41
 2 Starblaydia                           15   10   4   1    31   10  +21    34
 3 Flavovespia                           15   10   1   4    28   17  +11    31
 4 Saltstead                             15    7   2   6    19   23   −4    23
 5 Northwest kalactin                    15    6   3   6    16   20   −4    21
 6 Twicetagria                           16    5   4   7    16   15   +1    19
 7 Savigliane                            15    5   3   7    21   21    0    18
 8 Wreckeria                             15    1   1  13     9   32  −23     4
 9 Muralos                               15    0   2  13     7   36  −29     2

AO Group 5
Cosumar 1–2 Vilita
Hapilopper 0–1 Commonwealth of Baker Park
Huayramarca 0–0 Chromatika
Blouman Empire 0–2 Independent Athletes from Quebec

   AO Group 5                           Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Commonwealth of Baker Park            15   11   4   0    35   15  +20    37
 2 Vilita                                15   11   2   2    39   15  +24    35
 3 Chromatika                            15    7   5   3    32   18  +14    26
 4 Independent Athletes from Quebec      15    8   2   5    27   22   +5    26
 5 Hapilopper                            15    5   4   6    19   22   −3    19
 6 Huayramarca                           15    4   6   5    21   17   +4    18
 7 Blouman Empire                        16    5   2   9    15   23   −8    17
 8 Cosumar                               15    3   2  10     8   32  −24    11
 9 Jabal Ahkdar                          15    0   1  14     9   41  −32     1

Rushmore Group 1
San Ortelio 0–2 Eastfield Lodge

   Rushmore Group 1                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Pasarga                                8    7   1   0    18    5  +13    22
 2 Electrum                               8    4   1   3    12    7   +5    13
 3 Eastfield Lodge                        8    3   2   3    10   12   −2    11
 4 Darmen                                 8    1   4   3     9   10   −1     7
 5 San Ortelio                            8    0   2   6     4   19  −15     2

Rushmore Group 2
Govournauch 0–2 Crystalline Caverns

   Rushmore Group 2                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Yuezhou                                8    7   0   1    15    5  +10    21
 2 Savojarna                              8    6   1   1    16    4  +12    19
 3 Valladares                             8    3   1   4    16   11   +5    10
 4 Crystalline Caverns                    8    3   0   5     9   14   −5     9
 5 Govournauch                            8    0   0   8     3   25  −22     0

Rushmore Group 3
Nacaltora 2–7 Nagore

   Rushmore Group 3                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Eura                                   8    7   1   0    22    3  +19    22
 2 Oberour Ar Moro                        8    4   1   3    11    9   +2    13
 3 Nagore                                 8    3   2   3    16   16    0    11
 4 Sargossa                               8    2   3   3     6    5   +1     9
 5 Nacaltora                              8    0   1   7     3   25  −22     1

Rushmore Group 4
Simulland 0–1 Southwest Eastnorth

   Rushmore Group 4                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cassadaigua                            8    6   2   0    18    5  +13    20
 2 Astograth                              8    5   1   2    11    7   +4    16
 3 Tikariot                               8    4   2   2     8    7   +1    14
 4 Southwest Eastnorth                    8    2   1   5     8   11   −3     7
 5 Simulland                              8    0   0   8     4   19  −15     0

Rushmore Group 5
Hispinas 0–1 Mytanija

   Rushmore Group 5                     Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Nephara                                8    7   0   1    16    4  +12    21
 2 Graintfjall                            8    5   0   3    15    7   +8    15
 3 Plane of Possibility                   8    4   1   3    10    9   +1    13
 4 Mytanija                               8    2   2   4    11   18   −7     8
 5 Hispinas                               8    0   1   7     7   21  −14     1

Indies Group 1
Melbergia 1–0 Caryton
North Alazia 0–5 Terre Septentrionale
T Republic 0–3 New Lusitania
TBS 0–1 Indusse
Icecliff 0–5 Emastalia

   Indies Group 1                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Terre Septentrionale                  17   14   2   1    51    9  +42    44
 2 New Lusitania                         17   12   2   3    32   11  +21    38
 3 Indusse                               17    8   6   3    25   17   +8    30
 4 Emastalia                             17    8   3   6    31   22   +9    27
 5 Melbergia                             17    7   4   6    24   31   −7    25
 6 T Republic                            17    5   4   8    10   26  −16    19
 7 North Alazia                          17    4   4   9    16   27  −11    16
 8 Caryton                               17    3   4  10     9   25  −16    13
 9 TBS                                   17    2   6   9    12   25  −13    12
10 Icecliff                              17    3   3  11    12   29  −17    12

Indies Group 2
Widaya 1–0 Beepee
U-koro 2–1 Drawkland
Cirrus Azale 0–1 Poafmersia
UAC 0–2 Juvencus
Hebitaka 1–1 Murphtannia

   Indies Group 2                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Poafmersia                            17   14   0   3    34   10  +24    42
 2 Drawkland                             17   13   2   2    43   24  +19    41
 3 Juvencus                              17   12   3   2    27   10  +17    39
 4 Murphtannia                           17   11   2   4    37   16  +21    35
 5 Cirrus Azale                          17    7   1   9    22   29   −7    22
 6 UAC                                   17    4   4   9    21   31  −10    16
 7 U-koro                                17    3   5   9    15   25  −10    14
 8 Widaya                                17    4   2  11    11   22  −11    14
 9 Hebitaka                              17    2   4  11    15   34  −19    10
10 Beepee                                17    2   3  12    21   45  −24     9

Indies Group 3

Trolleborg 3–2 Waisnor
Stevid 1–3 Abanhfleft
State of Trinity 0–3 Al-Qurija
Squidroidia 3–0 Bluecliff
Garifunya 2–1 Freechi

                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Abanhfleft             17   13   1   3    35   14  +21    40
 2 Garifunya              17   12   3   2    40   19  +21    39
 3 Squidroidia            17   11   4   2    31    9  +22    37
 4 Freechi                17    9   4   4    31   20  +11    31
 5 Trolleborg             17    8   1   8    26   24   +2    25
 6 Bluecliff              17    5   5   7    22   26   −4    20
 7 Stevid                 17    4   3  10    16   34  −18    15
 8 Waisnor                17    2   6   9    22   33  −11    12
 9 Al-Qurija              17    2   4  11    18   35  −17    10
10 State of Trinity       17    2   3  12    15   42  −27     9

Indies Group 4
Hafamarimet 0–3 Trigel
Cascadia 0–2 Zwangzug
Quemmor Isles 1–3 Geektopia
St. Domingues 0–1 Darkmania
PSTCT 0–4 Megistos

   Indies Group 4                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Geektopia                             17   14   1   2    42   15  +27    43
 2 Zwangzug                              17   12   3   2    38   11  +27    39
 3 Megistos                              17   12   1   4    47   22  +25    37
 4 Darkmania                             17   10   1   6    31   25   +6    31
 5 St. Domingues                         17    5   4   8    18   27   −9    19
 6 Quemmor Isles                         17    6   1  10    17   31  −14    19
 7 Hafamarimet                           17    5   2  10    16   32  −16    17
 8 Trigel                                17    5   1  11    19   35  −16    16
 9 PSTCT                                 17    3   5   9    16   33  −17    14
10 Cascadia                              17    3   1  13    14   27  −13    10

Indies Group 5
Hindu RR 0–2 Smosh Games
Aepreleh 0–3 Kandorith
West Angola 1–2 Jeruselem
Mexi Catcha 0–1 Kohnhead
Ranoria 0–1 Sulsuland

   Indies Group 5                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kandorith                             17   15   2   0    40    8  +32    47
 2 Jeruselem                             17   12   2   3    30    8  +22    38
 3 Kohnhead                              17   11   4   2    32   18  +14    37
 4 Sulsuland                             17   11   0   6    35   18  +17    33
 5 Aepreleh                              17    7   1   9    27   36   −9    22
 6 Mexi Catcha                           17    4   5   8    22   33  −11    17
 7 West Angola                           17    3   6   8    16   27  −11    15
 8 Smosh Games                           17    4   3  10    16   31  −15    15
 9 Hindu RR                              17    2   3  12    13   38  −25     9
10 Ranoria                               17    2   2  13    16   30  −14     8

Indies Group 6
Tornado Queendom 0–0 Gothina Isles
Magnecia and Galmencia 0–4 Kelssek
North Japan 0–2 Squornshelous
Mand Blustopia 0–2 Sharktail
Chartistan 1–3 Balqia

   Indies Group 6                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Kelssek                               17   15   2   0    45    7  +38    47
 2 Sharktail                             17   12   3   2    35   16  +19    39
 3 Squornshelous                         17   12   2   3    33   12  +21    38
 4 Balqia                                17    8   3   6    27   28   −1    27
 5 Mand Blustopia                        17    8   0   9    24   30   −6    24
 6 North Japan                           17    4   3  10    20   31  −11    15
 7 Magnecia and Galmencia                17    4   3  10    16   29  −13    15
 8 Tornado Queendom                      17    2   6   9    14   27  −13    12
 9 Gothina Isles                         17    3   3  11    12   30  −18    12
10 Chartistan                            17    1   7   9    15   31  −16    10

Indies Group 7
Critical Operations 0–0 Garbellia
Regmotto 0–2 Mercedini
Socialist New Britain 0–2 Port Ember
Sannyamathaland 1–4 Squornshelan Remnant States
Fluvannia 0–1 Rangers FC

   Indies Group 7                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Port Ember                            17   15   1   1    43   11  +32    46
 2 Mercedini                             17   11   4   2    34   13  +21    37
 3 Rangers FC                            17   10   5   2    34   15  +19    35
 4 Squornshelan Remnant States           17    9   5   3    28   13  +15    32
 5 Critical Operations                   17    5   2  10    20   32  −12    17
 6 Fluvannia                             17    5   1  11    12   29  −17    16
 7 Sannyamathaland                       17    4   3  10    16   32  −16    15
 8 Garbellia                             17    3   5   9    21   35  −14    14
 9 Regmotto                              17    4   2  11    19   35  −16    14
10 Socialist New Britain                 17    3   4  10    16   28  −12    13

Indies Group 8
Frezza 0–1 Pays Den Haut
Logano 0–3 HUElavia
Silvedana 2–0 Omerica
Rwezakaland 0–3 Devonta
Transvolcanic 3–3 Baggieland

   Indies Group 8                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Devonta                               17   14   3   0    34   11  +23    45
 2 HUElavia                              17   13   3   1    38   12  +26    42
 3 Baggieland                            17   12   1   4    28   14  +14    37
 4 Transvolcanic                         17   10   3   4    46   21  +25    33
 5 Rwezakaland                           17    7   2   8    27   29   −2    23
 6 Pays Den Haut                         17    6   3   8    23   25   −2    21
 7 Silvedana                             17    4   3  10    22   37  −15    15
 8 Frezza                                17    4   2  11    18   37  −19    14
 9 Omerica                               17    2   2  13    12   38  −26     8
10 Logano                                17    0   4  13    17   41  −24     4

Indies Group 9
Pemecutan 2–1 Lorrana
Norish Jeia Repa 1–6 The Holy Empire
Red Kelp 1–4 TJUN-ia
Armed King 3–5 Acronius
Arklanda 0–1 Havynwilde

   Indies Group 9                       Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 The Holy Empire                       17   13   4   0    43   13  +30    43
 2 Havynwilde                            17    9   6   2    31   13  +18    33
 3 Acronius                              17   10   3   4    31   19  +12    33
 4 Pemecutan                             17   10   3   4    25   13  +12    33
 5 TJUN-ia                               17    9   5   3    32   13  +19    32
 6 Arklanda                              17    5   5   7    17   25   −8    20
 7 Lorrana                               17    3   4  10    14   30  −16    13
 8 Red Kelp                              17    2   5  10    23   42  −19    11
 9 Norish Jeia Repa                      17    2   2  13    13   36  −23     8
10 Armed King                            17    1   5  11    16   41  −25     8

Indies Group 10
Acastanha 2–1 Thibaea
Yerapia 2–2 The Sarian
Central Shaneville 1–3 Tequilo
United Pink States 0–3 Sajnur
Treekidistan 0–2 ZSeparatists

   Indies Group 10                      Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Tequilo                               17   12   4   1    36   10  +26    40
 2 Sajnur                                17   13   1   3    37   15  +22    40
 3 The Sarian                            17   11   6   0    35   13  +22    39
 4 ZSeparatists                          17   10   4   3    24   13  +11    34
 5 Acastanha                             17    6   1  10    17   23   −6    19
 6 Central Shaneville                    17    4   4   9    13   21   −8    16
 7 Yerapia                               17    3   6   8    24   35  −11    15
 8 Treekidistan                          17    4   2  11    16   35  −19    14
 9 United Pink States                    17    3   3  11    17   36  −19    12
10 Thibaea                               17    3   1  13    16   34  −18    10

Game of the Day: Freeport 1–1 Krytenia
As Krytenia has possibly their final chance to get back into qualification, they lost to a tough Freeport team, who have ended the Kryties shot at qualifying. This 1-1 tie makes sure that they will not be in World Cup 87, no matter how well they play tomorrow.

[Squidroidia]

The final whistle blew one last time in Inkopolis for the campaign, and even though Squidroidia's fate was sealed way before this game, a stellar end to the campaign was all this squad really needed at the very end. Stuck in 4th place in their group, it was an improvement from last campaign's 5th place finish, but if you told this team before the campaign that they would finish in this position they would have laughed in your face. This group was tough, Kelssek, Valanora and Darmen aside, as Barunia were looking decent and Frestovenia seemed like dark horses and could do some serious damage in this group. To some it was almost certain that Mito was going to be sacked and that a journey to find Squidroidia's next manager was going to begin. But for every doubt about the national team, it was almost certain that Ryūzaki could work his magic and make the national team as good as it could be.

Yes, the campaign did start off on the wrong foot for the Inklings - A 1-0 loss at home to Wreckeria (Insert "We're Going To Beat Your Ass" here) was not what they wanted to kick off their second campaign in the World Cup. A loss to Darmen away, new manager and all, however, was expected. Darmen was the Pot 3 team in the group, of course they were going to be a little tricky. But a 2-1 loss showed that Mito's team, and all its players indeed, could try against the bigger teams - As well as slotting 6 past Jabal Akhdar and Icecliff. They scored 2 past Valanora away, even though they would lose by 3 goals because really, you can't beat the Untitled Elf Game, but a 4-1 loss to Kelssek away was the stinger before the big one that was Frestovenia away. It was almost like a rude awakening for them after they won 3 in a row. This team would probably not qualify with that result... But they pressed forward.

Before kickoff at the Inkopolis City Stadium for the final time this campaign, Squidroidia had achieved some better results - 4 wins (Including beating Darmen at home), a draw against Wreckeria away and 2 losses. Compare that to the away game against Kelssek, 4 wins, 0 draws and 3 losses, and it was a bit better. Just a tiny bit though. It was almost like they were having a bit of deja vu - The only difference was who they won against and that they actually scored a goal against the Bulldogs. It was almost like that draw was enough for the Inklings to believe they can at the very least steal a point away from Kelssek at the confines of their own home stadium.

It was more than enough once the game ended. The Inklings, thanks to Sho Itō's game winner in the 74th minute, would end up beating Kelssek to end their time in Inkopolis for the campaign, winning 3-2 when all was set and done. Hideo and oddly enough Tadataka would also score too, the latter coming off the bench to score in the 68th minute, with Hideo scoring in the 32nd minute. It was a test for both Squidroidian #1 Shingen and Kelssek's Kai Poirier, both letting in goals but putting on fine performances for their teams - Kelssek did score too, and briefly had the lead due to savvy veteran Brayden Custworth in the 25th, but by the time Rémy Dionne scored the 2nd goal for the Voyagers, thanks to a strike thanks to a deflected free kick in the 82nd, they didn't have the steam to tie things up. Back home they would go, and Squidroidia would exit the pitch in Inkopolis for the final time with a win on their hands. It was the best possible way the team could thank their fans at home.

3 games in a row won, but the story wasn't over yet... Onwards to the Tornado Queendom, and on the other side, hopefully, will be the Cup of Harmony.

---

The atmosphere in the conference room in Inkopolis was tense. Omerica's possible exit from the Independent Football Federation was due to the amount of lusophonic organizations (Possibly fueled moreso by HUElavia's 3 straight IAC final defeats) having tainted the organization. Independent turned into Independiente, the League in the League of Victors being turned into Liga, Victors being turned to Vencedores, and whatever the hell the Confederations Cup has turned into. It was very possible, if not the next cycle, then maybe later down the line, that the Independent Associations Championship might turn into a Campionato Federacao de Independiente, or a CFI. But they weren't here to talk about moving confederations due to lusophonication, thry were here to discuss something that was starting to plague the top tier clubs, especially Real Squidroid Club de Futbol - Fixture congestion.

With Squidroidian teams having easier and easier chances to make the IFCF group stages, the Independent competitions, whether you agree with Omerica on the League of Victors or side with the FFI on the Liga dos Vencedores moniker, have been adding a "unnecessary" fixture congestion to the Super League schedule, something that not even the 36 week schedule has fixed. Due to the IFCF and Independent competitions running parallel to each other, a team like Real, with their LdV group stage autobid by being one of the highest ranked champions and their qualification to the IFCF Challengers Cup group stage, would have to field 2 separate teams for those group stages - An "A" team for the main IFCF and FFI competitions and a "B" team for the Super League and Squidroidian Cup and maybe even the Cup Winners Cup, just to solve fitness and fatigue issues until the group stage ends. The Calamari Wanderers attested to this - They didn't partake in the LdV group stage, but did have IFCF group stage football with the old 28 week schedule and as a result were knocking on the door of relegation once their Challengers Cup run ended. When and if fixture congestion piles up too high, a top tier side, a Squidbreak, an IFC, a Real, could potentially be relegated to the Challenge League due to having to field weaker teams for the domestic competitions right up until being knocked out. The big teams, especially the Squidbreak, didn't want that.

Squidroidian FA President Fukuhara Himeko had to make a choice that would help alleviate this, to make sure the integrity of Squidroidian football wasn't compromised. A move somewhere else was deemed necessary in order to keep the teams at a well enough capacity for both international and domestic competitions. She, of course, didn't want the FA to move to Esportiva (Mainly due to the uncertainty regarding the Campionato Esportiva de Campeones) or to the Melayu Archipelago (Dealing with IFCF, the CMFA CL and potentially the FFI as well would further tire the top teams), so there was 2 options - AO or Rushmore. Their regional club competitions, of course, didn't put as much stress on the teams at the top due to them only being straight knockout and only letting the league winners in. The representatives from the teams in the top 2 leagues were evenly split - One half, led by the Big 4 in Squidroidia, wanted them to move to AO - That's where the best teams in domestic and international football were, and even though the national team would hurt in the short term, in the long term it could thrive and challenge for AOCAF Cups against the Audioslavias and Valanoras and Starblaydias of the region. The other half wanted a move to Rushmore - The NT would face lesser challenges than in AO - There was only Eura, Nephara, Cassadaigua, Savojarna and a handful of others (BoF classmates Graintfjall and Tikariot included) to deal with on the international front, and all but Cassadaigua when it came to domestic competitions. An easier playing field on paper, but nothing was for certain. The Squidroidian FA couldn't look into the future, regional qualifications were only a pipe dream, and AO-biased Sporting News Kalactin said that they would just be fine where they were if Regionals were to happen.

It was a difficult decision, but they couldn't get to vote on their fate now. There was other matters concerning the Squidroidian FA, including the makeup of the Squidroidian leagues and the addition of a possible 3rd tier with Squidroidian Amateur League teams and the reserve teams from the top 2 leagues populating it. 2 new teams could be added into the second tier, pushing down the Squidbreak and IFC B teams to a reserve league, but all of that talk would be behind closed doors for now...

[Busoga Islands]

Part I
Part 2
Part 3

Part IV

BISA Headquarters, the day after the Busoga Islands v. Muralos World Cup Qualifier

Bethany Donnell was waiting in her office. It had been a stressful few weeks for the head coach- three losses in a row at the wrong time eliminated the Busoga Islands from World Cup Qualifying. It had frankly been a disastrous second half, with the team losing five of their first seven qualifiers, although they won the home field curtain call against Muralos. While the defensive mindedness of this squad was good in the first half, the second time around playing teams they really struggled. They did not have the firepower or the creativity in the final third to outlast teams. It's why World Cup 83 and 85 Qualifying remain the high marks for this squad.

This was a defensive minded squad, yes. But they weren't quite good enough in the back, at this point, to last solely that way. They needed to become better in the attack. Have a player who has a true nose for goal. They didn't have that. They thought they had it in Sarika Birla... But it simply wasn't meant to be. She was alright, but not good enough for a team with higher ambitions than 5th place in your Qualifying group. But after she had finally gotten a chance to watch film on Kohut... She saw that Wassa Faye was right. Kohut simply had a nose for goal. Made the right runs, found himself in the right places. The best part? He's 22.

You can't simply generate better players for a national team. The curse of international management. If you're missing something? Well, you've already got your country's best players, by and large. In her Northern Union days, if she needed a striker, she'd hit the transfer market and buy a striker. But not here. That's why this discovery about Artem Kohut was a God send. HE was eligible for Busoga. And they found him at the right time too- right before Delaclava started putting back together their national team.

Wassa Faye said it was a blessing. Donnell wasn't that religious, but she was thanking whomever's God right now. She simply sat and waited, preparing for the meeting. And after about 15 more minutes, Wassa Faye walked into the room with Artem Kohut.

"Artem!" Bethany said, as she rose to shake the Delaclav's hand. "So glad to finally meet you." They shook hands, and both sat down. She asked an aide to grab Artem a coffee, and they made small talk for a couple of minutes before really jumping into the meeting.

"Artem." Bethany said. "Let's get down to business. You know- the opportunity to play for your country of birth. It'll be good for you, great for your career." She said.

"Well, Bethany." Artem replied. "I spoke with Wassa the other day, and what he said intrigued me. But you are the head coach- what do you have to say?"

"Well, you know how it is. You are a professional." Bethany said. "You have been excellent in Quebec. I've seen your tape, a lot of your film, over the past couple of weeks- we know you have the skillset to be a legitimate star. You've got that nose, that instinct for goal, a true goalscorer. That's exactly what this team is missing as we try to make the jump to the next level up the ladder. You can make that next step wearing these colors. And you can take us to where we belong, eventually- the World Cup Finals."

Bethany then reached down into the box, and pulled out a jersey. One she had already had made. "Look at this. This team is ready for you." She stood up with the white Busoga Islander jersey, and Kohut's name was already on the back, with the #9 jersey. "We are ready for you to come here. Of course, this isn't a contract negotiation. International play- not like money's a thing here. But let's talk about where you'd go on the pitch. Also, take a hold of this jersey. I know you'd feel nice with it." And Artem grabbed the jersey.

She grabbed a whiteboard, and quickly drew out Busoga's preferred formation. "Here is where you'd play- up top, centrally. Tactically, we want our #9 to have the ability to roam freely around the final third, doing what they can to find space and gaps between the defenses, and punish them for it. We want our #9 to be aggressive, to have both eyes and nose going towards goal 100% of the time. There's no getting around it. We defend a lot. That is the core of this team. But we can build sustained possession on the other side of the field. We counter effectively. You're young and in shape though- I know you don't mind that."

Artem continued listening as she went on. "You've seen it tactically. But here's the crucial thing. This team has the full backing of BISA. You'd think that's a given, of course- but that's not true everywhere in the multiverse. Not every footballing association supports its national team to the extent that they are capable of. And that is true in Delaclava. I've read the news myself- it's a cycle that's doomed to fail. Fail to support the national team until they get results, yet the national team cannot get results without the support. A national team like that, their peak will be a first round knockout at the Cup of Harmony."

"Now, do you want a national team who is on the upswing, that is us. We've got strong, young players across the pitch. But most importantly, our association has both the vision and the patience to help put this team over the top. Proof of concept? Check out the last AOCAFs. BISA worked hard to ensure games on Busogan soil, and that is exactly what happened. And look at them with the S-FPL. Doesn't effect you directly- you have a great situation at a great club, with Inverness 1877. But they join the league and fight like hell for Busogan participation. Get Busogan players the opportunity to play at the highest levels. You can see how far they are willing to go for national team success."

"It's not about just putting a team together, as surely you know by now- even if you are 22. It's about keeping them united, getting them opportunities to play with each other, and so on. Nothing's guaranteed. But you know the answer to this- which flag will give you the greatest possible chance of playing on the grandest stage of all of sport- the World Cup Finals?" And they both knew the answer to this. They spoke some more, smiled, and shook hands.

They had reached an agreement. Of course, it wouldn't be announced yet- it'd be inappropriate to announce this to anyone, even the team, while Busoga still has one more World Cup Qualifier to play. But she told Artem a date to be back here- aka right when they would start preparations for the Cup of Harmony. They'd tell the world then. And she, for the first time in a while during this brutal second half of World Cup Qualifying, was in some particularly uplifted spirits. This last game, a trip to Havynwilde, "didn't matter", technically. The group was already decided. But wouldn't getting a win just feel right?

[Saltstead]

<3 to Qusmo for the great kits and the inspiration for this RP

stallion.stable.co.zs
All Saltsteadish! All football!

---

Qusma sportswear brand uni·q unveil a long overdue refresh of Saltstead’s kits

Stuck in the middle pot seven two years ago on account of missing two World Cup cycles—thanks, Temporal Anomaly—, Saltstead endured the misery of finishing in the bottom half of the qualifying table for the first time ever in the World Cup 86 cycle and were eliminated in the Cup of Harmony group stage for the first time ever in the aftermath. Stuck in the pits of pot five, only the absolute maddest of people expected Saltsteadish football to rise like a phoenix this cycle.

John Nicholas Rosencrants has earned redemption for the wretched football that led up to this cycle, as Saltstead sit four points clear of fourth-place Jeruselem ahead of matchday eighteen and have a realistic chance of snatching a place in the playoffs off of former Independent Associations Championship winners and fellow SPAWK alumni New Lusitania. If Rosencrants’s Stallions can defeat Belac and reigning world champions Banija avoid defeat in Jamor, Saltstead will be just two games away from advancing to the World Cup finals for only the second time in history.

But no matter whether the Stallions are playing in the World Cup proper or the World Cup improper Cup of Harmony, they will look absolutely slick while doing so. The Royal Saltsteadish Football Association have announced a new partnership with Qusma sportswear brand uni·q to deliver the Baptism of Fire winners kits for at least the next two World Cup cycles, starting from the upcoming tournament finals. And might we say that, just like newly-minted Savigliane head coach and World Cup finals qualifier Tlanx-Nulzk Hal, these kits are fire.

“It was a real treat to work on these kits, especially given the history between the Stallions and the Qusma national team,” uni·q chief executive officer Ibilx-Irtix Ono stated during the unveiling of the kits at the Royal House of Sport in Ashwell. “The first knockout round match the national team ever played was against the nation then known as Soltsteed [sic], in the Cup of Harmony 72 round of sixteen. The first time Qusmo qualified for a World Cup, it was the result of a win in Ashwell on the final matchday. With such a strong competitive history, it’s fitting that Saltstead would become one of our company’s first major clients — and I think our team has designed some fantastic kits to match.”

Director of market expansion and point-of-contact for the KSFB Flonz-Gerol Den had glowing praise for Saltstead’s new strips: “I absolutely love the kits we’ve designed. The main kit is among the cleanest we’ve ever produced. You have to give it up to Saltstead; they have a distinctive style, and it looks great.”

Saltsteaders absolutely agreed. Chief financial officer Karar-Falax Zev confirmed that the Stallions would wear the kits for the World Cup finals in the event that Saltstead qualify or the Cup of Harmony should Saltstead fall short, but chief marketing officer Otoln-Prant Ezi confirmed that uni·q would be releasing Stallions merchandise the day after the announcement and Saltsteadish supporters have been snapping it up. Scarves with the Saltsteadish royal motto “We are & shall be” and the Saltsteadish football motto “Nothing more, nothing less” were sold out by the end of the day Friday.

Some minor confusion erupted, however, over the use of the ampersand (“&”) on the collar inscription and scarves. Due to limited availability of the Saltsteadish language’s distinctive barred-H on mobile phone keyboards, the ampersand—often located on the “H” key—has become a de facto stand-in for the character among tech-savvy Saltsteaders. “No one in Saltstead uses the ampersand to represent the word ‘and’ on account of the fact that the word is so short in Saltsteadish,” Königlik Universität Asħwells linguistics professor Ħal Mätjassen told the Stable. “The character’s use as a replacement for our almost unique H-bar has completely supplanted its original meaning in Saltsteadish-speaking communities, as opposed to Qusmo, where the use of the ampersand for ‘and’ is pretty much universal.”

Minor culture clashes aside, Saltstead’s primary kit will be based as always on the Königsvarwe or “royal colours” of Saltstead, the nation’s distinctive and famed red-and-black hoops, but in a crucial change, Saltstead’s secondary kit will be based on the Vånesvarwe or “flag colours” of white and blue, which the Royal Saltsteadish Football Association have traditionally resisted. The goalkeeper kit, which in deference to Saltsteadish tradition will continue to be gold, has be outfitted with red highlights to honour the Qusma roots of the designers and as a symbol of the Saltsteadish nation’s solidarity with the cause of Free Qusmo.

The kits also feature not-so-subtle references to the infamous Saltsteadish publication The Beet, which nearly caused a diplomatic incident between Qusmo and Omerica when the satirical outlet posted an article claiming that Qusmo had won one of Omerica’s constituent republics by beating their national team four times in a row.

“We added red-and-black beet patches to all the kits, and we displayed a massive beet across the goalkeeper’s kit for the whole Multiverse to see. It’s a great part of Saltsteadish culture, and we wanted these kits to celebrate not just Saltstead’s team, but Saltstead’s people. and we want to be very clear: the root vegetable on the kit is indeed a beet, not a turnip,” noted fan of the The Beet and uni·q chief innovation officer Dwada-Prant Von stated at the unveiling, including a sly reference to the Electrumite publication The Turnip.

KSFB Director of Outreach Aleksänder Blåuveud had high praise for the uni·q team. “The staff at uni·q have been a joy to work with, especially Mx Flonz-Gerol. The Royal Saltsteadish Football Association is very proud of this collaboration and we look forward to great success in our new uni·q era. We hope that Mr Rosencrants can inspire our national team to victory over Belac and in the playoffs so that these kits can début on the greatest stage of them all.”

We here at the Stable absolutely agree. Alongside the great work uni·q have done for Quebec and Ethane, these kits may very well go down as timeless classics that Saltsteaders will fondly remember for a generation to come. Let’s hope we can break them in with victory!

██ Saltstead predicted starting XI against Belac: Christijn Sänt-Andreas; Micħäl Aurelius, Pijr Josefssen, Maxime Crabshaas, Victoria Rothöüf; Natasħa Aħterop, Constantijn van Bleck, Zacharias van den Slåp, Mina Ratmaker, Thomas Lions; Haråud Haråudssen
— Miho des Camps from Ashwell

★
The Royal Saltsteadish Football Association
Royal House of Sport, Ashwell

---

---

Belac : Saltstead
World Cup 87 qualifying group stage — Matchday 18
Unknown Stadium, Unknown City, Belac
Starting line-up (4–5–1): Christijn Sänt-Andreas; Micħäl Aurelius, Jan-Pijr Åudenberg, Serena van Middelkamp, Catharine de Vriħt; Natasħa Aħterop, Constantijn van Bleck, Zacharias van den Slåp, Mina Ratmaker, Thomas Lions; Haråud Haråudssen
Substitute bench: Robert-Jan van Daal, Marianne Åudershof; Richard Christopħe, Pijr Josefssen, Maxime Crabshaas, Victoria Rothöüf; Wim Amistad, Benni Sħåul, Adelaide de Jong, Nicholas Tiberius, Aleksa Pascal; Reinhard Åubreħtssen

---

[Kelssek]

THE FOOTBALL ZINE ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE READING
HERE WE GO SINCE 162 F.E.

Strong finish needed as Kelssek seek to claim place in World Cup finals
Kelssek's players need to do themselves justice to secure their ticket to World Cup 87, manager Andrea Crowe has said ahead of their final qualifying match at home to Wreckeria at Exhibition Place in Kirkenes.

With automatic qualification up for grabs, Kelssek needs to go out for all three points and while efforts to bring new blood into the national team setup have been made over the past few matches, few expect Crowe to do anything less than send out the best eleven.

Who that best eleven is, of course, is up for debate. Matt Lister has been stellar as Blue Strike Zoloroni seem to have one hand on the Mercedinian league title already, but how to compare this with Seamus Wylten's efforts for Hondo FC in Valanora or Brayden Custworth leading the line for relegation-threatened Chenoworth Rovers in Nephara? Likewise, while the coaching staff clearly seems to trust the quality of Ruslan Demetriev and Gabriel Lapierre in central midfield, Mason Blueman has seemed increasingly undroppable.

As for the kids, there were first caps for Danielle Maradrogba and Nacuémiró Buené which saw both put in serviceable and unspectacular performances, which is about what you expect anyway. Not everyone comes in and just sets the world alight, but we'll probably see more of them in future.

DIRECT QUOTES
Andrea Crowe: "They did well, touched the ball a few times, made some passes, some tackles, quite some basis of assessment, really."
Media: "And so what was your assessment?"
Andrea Crowe: "Like I said, they played some football. We will certainly be working with each player to set targets and areas for improvement on both an individual and group basis."
Media: "...You ever think of going into politics?"
Andrea Crowe: [pretends she didn't understand the question]

PERSON TANGENTIALLY ASSOCIATED WITH FOOTBALL KELSSEK MAKES CONTROVERSIAL REMARKS NEWS
Former national team player, occasional sports commentator, and person vaguely association with the national football federation Thomas Brodif has suggested that nations disgruntled with the Independents confederation should relocate to The East Pacific.

"Obviously, speaking as a Kelssekian here, but the Pacifics are great. They're big, you're never alone, and there are other very important reasons, there are some downsides like the sprinkling of aggressive interstellar empires of assimilative cyborg hiveminds, but they only nuked us that one time and that wasn't even properly a nuclear weapon and it also was in some kind of alternate timeline."

"Also it is incredibly insulting that some people put us in categories without our consent. Kelssek is not part of the 'Independents' region, it is located in The East Pacific. We should have these people kidnapped by terrorists, that's how deeply insulting it is to our people, culture, and history. Pacifics erasure is a blight on our society."

KELSSEK 2 - Champetier (13'), Custworth (84')
SQUIDROIDIA 3 - Kiichi (42'. 48'), Brooks (56')
Shaughlin, Buené, Lozic, Fourtin, Bowler (Douglass 64'), Demetriev, Blueman, Lafrenière (Champetier 75'), McDonald, Wylten (Torshen 81'), Lister
Venue: Bowreach, Vickery (attendance 26,733)

TORNADO QUEENDOM 1 - reeeeeeeeee (89')
KELSSEK 2 - Lister (38'), Blueman (71')
Shaughlin, Buené, Lozic, Fourtin, Douglass, Dionne (Bogdanor 79'), Blueman, Lafrenière (Yusupov 70'), McDonald, Maradrogba (Torshen 81'), Lister

[Bluecliff]

Narodovi Univeresitete ve Vosohodo Dreki - Vosohodo Dreki National University - School of Continuing Studies (No Degree) - Electives

HOW TO LOSE YOUR MONEY 201

This is a second-level course. If you have not taken the prerequisites on basic losing please either:

1. Buy a boat
2. Research and develop a sincere belief in "trickle-down" economic theory¹
3. Talk to your academic advisor

¹ Also required for the study abroad module on higher-level Getting Scammed, held on location in Vdara

In today's world, there are multiple fascinating ways to take any money you may be interested in no longer having, and lose it immediately. While lavish spending, reckless gaming, and incomprehensible stock market chicanery tend to be the choices of many who seek financial ruin, this course will walk through some of the many other, less high-profile options available to those who wish to squander their life savings, home, and earthly possessions.

For example:

BET ON BLUECLIFF LEAGUE

The more insufferable of the nerds among you will be following the World Cup Qualifiers as they wind down. Thirty-two of the top teams in all the dimensions you can think of will soon be facing off in Taeshan and Ethane. The team representing the Bluecliff League will, of course, not be among them.

While betting for or cheering for the Bluecliff League may seem to some to be a foolhardy approach, the team's fluke success in an early preparation tournament, and solid preparations led to a bit of a craze. Multiple large amounts were wagered by offshore entities who proclaimed that they "Believed in Bluecliff League," to which Bluecliff-based Bookkeepers such as Grenďteran outfit Kansersosjal replied "what is Bluecliff League?"
Following this trend and placing substantial wagers on the underdogs to win matches, qualify for the world cup, do better than draw 0-0 with unranked sides, and the like is a brilliant way to quickly reduce your bank balance to zero. Similar bets on, say, Bluecliff and Tumbra to score seven goals or less combined will have the same effect.

The promise that the Bluecliff team showed in that tournament has been completely eradicated with a string of poor results. That doesn't matter, of course, because here in Vosohodo Dreki or in any of the other thirteen free cities and urban areas, not much attention is paid to these Qualifiers at all. You know this very well.

BID FOR THE RIGHTS TO BROADCAST THE WORLD CUP

Sorry for all the football references, but this is a must for anyone with a couple million to get rid of. Especially when the championship between our fourteen national teams will be happening at the same time, these rights are sure to be too expensive and make nothing. Even if you do bring in one or two bogus sponsorships, proclaiming an official knockoff spicy cola of the eighty-seventh World Cup will bring in a pittance compared to what you'll lose on a TV deal.

If you're unclear what this section means, don't worry. This course will of course not bother with the World Cup when the Bluecliff Championship is on.

Most of you, though, don't have the resources to purchase a TV deal or pay for the maintenance and pilot-hiring that comes with owning your own private jet (another brilliant move if you ever hit it big).

As we will soon learn, it's much easier to lose money when you're poor. This gives us a plethora of much easier areas to explore.

GET ROBBED

This one always elicits a few giggles, but in terms of speed and efficiency it really is unrivaled. Especially here in Vosohodo Dreki, it couldn't be easier to just head out into the suburbs, distracted and off your guard. A well-placed wallet hanging out of your back pocket, or a strategic avoidance of well-lit main streets can be just as productive as a lunch with an old friend who has a business proposition.

AND PLENTY MORE!!

Obviously, losing money is an intricate discipline full of nuance, which we will delve into as the course goes on. Please be aware that class participation will count for 15% of your grade, so if you have any stock tips, ideas as to ways Nialabade can pull off a win in the Bluecliff Championship, or theme bars you want to open, feel free to let us know.

Your university fees will show in your accounts on the first of the month. For the first assignment, please simply submit your receipt as proof that you are actually enrolled in and paying for this class.

[New Lusitania and the Algarves]

Versão/Version / Vérsion: PT EN FR

A FALL FROM GRACE – DID THE SELECÇÃO BLOW IT?
Three-Match Round-up Report
Melbergia 0-1 New Lusitania
New Lusitania 1-2 Saltstead (Estádio Nacional do Jamor, Att: 71 901)
Vangaziland 1-1 New Lusitania

November’s final match greeted New Lusitania to Melbergia. It was Duarte Costa’s one match as third goalkeeper, Mendonça, Leiteiro and Cancela were the rotational defence for the match with Azinheira, Guerra, Fernando, Caldeirão, Gama and Veiga in midfield, with Jota and Silveira topping it off.
The match was quite calm, and it didn’t really seem like a high stakes match, some players hearts on both sides were just not really in it that night and some poor crosses and shots were seen as a result in the first half. After the national coaches straightened things out in the quarter-hour break, both teams had some sort of energy jolt. New Lusitania had several good chances – Gama put it over the net, Jota was inches wide. On the seventy-second minute, Silveira had to be the one to open the tally, gifting the team his usual life-saving moments with a powerful strike from the margins of the box, unstoppable for the keeper. A point became three with that goal in what would now prove an important moment.
The trees naked, the cold and humid winter of the Atlantic sweeping over the Lusitanian territory, gave the team some time off and back into the domestic competitions. Christmas and the New Year came. January would see the return of an International Break for the first time in about two cycles. The original venue of São Jorge do Mar was unable to host and so Saltstead were promoted to the renovated National Stadium at Jamor. A rainy day would see these two teams come toe to toe. New Lusitania reverted to the usual team, Patríce remaining, with Vinagrete and Ferradura back, Cancela for defence, Veiga’s return in midfield and all the rest in the same manner. The Lusitanians conceded first with Van Daal dealing the initial blow, completely unmarked and Cancela was definitely the one at fault there. The score was now 0-1 and suddenly the group had complicated itself as Saltstead inched closer to the Selecção. The game wasn’t over yet, nonetheless and the Lusitanian outfit were on a mission to at least get an equaliser. Jota got close in the first half before being declared offside. Silveira was particularly uninspired in what was possibly a bad time to do so, and Fernando had hit the woodwork twice. The goal would only come in the middle of the second half, Veiga to be credited this time from a nice dribble of the ball straight into the net, flowing in in an unusual manner. New Lusitania held on for dear life as Saltstead just seemed one step ahead during the remainder of the match. So, by the match’s end the Stallions got their winning goal, De Vriht crossed it in from the wing, a good-high ball that landed near Audenberg who struck it with force into the northern net and leaving the Lusitanians contemplating what would happen next…
The second match of the week-long January break left the Lusitanians in Vangaziland territory. Lopes and Palhagueira returned as did Guerra with the rest remaining the same from the Jamor defeat. Vangaziland seemed to be on a roll of destroying contenders and pretenders for qualification whilst not actually be as near as usual from the top and after a defeat in the first round, the Selecção would have hoped for a win here. The Vangazis weren’t having any of it though and drew first blood, something which seemed to be a contemporary tradition of the Lusitanians… Svansdottir would have to do one of her leaps to put the ball in, connecting with it and pushing it down into goal.
New Lusitania came back relatively early and before halftime it was all square as New Lusitania’s Daniel Jota was at it again from a cross of the youngster Guerra. A great volley in, his specialty and it was all level with the game board set up for the second half. A frustrating one at that, it was chances abound, but no goals. Palhagueira, Fernando and the midfield attempted to get the ball forward, but nothing done in terms of changing the score. The most notable moment in the match was undoubtedly the foul on Silveira by Pascal, a hard one from the back and one which only earned him a yellow, despite protests. Silveira requested to be taken off and until now there is no news on the possible injury, though some speculate on missing the all-important Banija game. Another match over and all the dreams of the previous window were likely over.

So… what of the table? Banija were an attainable objective and the group win was possible some pundits believed… at least mathematically, but this was all gone now. Banija was now isolated and qualified on forty-three. The gap was now eight points to runners-up New Lusitania who now had Saltstead a point behind on thirty-four points. Jeruselem’s thirty was now irrelevant and so everyone under them as were eliminated with them. Oberour Ar Moro had recovered to fifth with twenty-three, leapfrogging Thibaea by a point as Vangaziland waited a point behind them in seventh. Stevidia had amassed seventeen, Melbergia fourteen and Belac (or The Belacian States as they prefer in competition) had managed one singular point. The final matches see New Lusitania welcome Banija to the National Stadium and Saltstead play the tenth-placed team – so nothing short of a miracle was needed. Still, New Lusitania could dream as all they needed was a win at a place which hasn’t been their easiest place to win at home, the mythical Jamor.
Focusing outside of group thirteen, a few others have qualified – Geektopia (Group 1), Brenecia (2), Cassadaigua (3), Turori (6), Farfadillis (7), Audioslavia (8), Drawkland (10), Valanora (11), Starblaydia (12), [Banija in 13, of course] Squornshelous (14), Ko-oren (15) and Savigliane (19), meaning many groups still have plenty to play for.
Group 4’s Vdara seemed to have everything under control, but now seem to be in a precarious position as the Commonwealth of Baker Park are equal in points at the end of it all and Electrum are two points behind. With Baker Park facing Xanneria away and Vdara hosting former sensation Quakmybush, it is definitely one to watch. In Group 5, Savojarna need a point to guarantee first place, but Zwangzug and Netop, to an extent, will be looking to fight to the end, though the Savojars have a clear advantage against the competition. South Covello have a point’s difference to Nephara, a multiversal giant and three to a wishful Graentfjall. With Nephara playing Indusse, it complicates things ever so slightly with the leaders travelling to Baggieland. Group 16 feature Trolleborg celebrating at the top for now with The Holy Empire a point behind. The latter play Maccian, the third placed team as the leaders deal with Twicetagria in varying form. Group Seventeen formed a lot more interest than anyone would have predicted in the beginning – Vilita only have a point’s advantage, as Tikariot and Newmanistan hunt in second. There are no big staple matches here, but the tension between the three sides is sure to go down to the wire. Finally, in Group 18, South Newlandia and Pasarga fight at a points difference for the top spot, though in two different games, despite both being confirmed in the playoffs already.
What about the runners-up spots? Yes, three travel directly to Taeshan and Ethane after tonight. Currently expect Chromatika, Kelssek and Astograth to be there with 41, 40 and 40 points, respectively. However, another ten teams are withing three points and anything could realistically happen after tiebreaks (in this case, via the goal statistics) are taken into effect. New Lusitania is, after the two previous matches, sadly not one of them, with thirty-five points and 17th of the 19 in a playoff which is seeded, which would mean currently playing the behemoth of The Holy Empire, if it had finished after seventeen matches. The three third places who have the fortune of going to the playoffs is also a marvellous question currently and could be New Lusitania’s saving grace at the end of the night. These are currently Mriin (38 points) as well as Newmanistan and Equestria (37, on goal difference, ahead of others such as Electrum and Riena), meaning a win must be certain for New Lusitania should they want to have a shot of qualifying via the playoffs, one way or another… Courage New Lusitania, it’s all or nothing now…

OTHER NEWS FROM THE LUSITANIAN WORLD OF SPORT!
LUSITANIAN CHAMPIONS IN CHARITY MATCH
OOC: Just a bit of fun... whatever happens at cutoff, what a great cycle it has been, especially over at the NSS Server

It is of note that in this past January, the current champions SCUT and the previous champions Sporting CL, set a match in neutral ground at the Estádio da Ria, in Aveiro, unused during this qualifying cycle for a competitive match, for a friendly match with proceeds of the ticket office supporting charities, namely the new and distressing cause supported by the Associação para a Ajuda dos Sem-Sono Lusitanos e Vdaranos (The Association for the Sleepless Lusitanians and Vdarans), an epidemic which has affected a Lusitanian village in the Region of São Jorge, Hesperida and countless Vdarans. The match was a critical success with plenty of action abound too, in a match that finished 3-2 for SCUT. Goals scored by Miguel Pereira (2) and Fernando Andrade with the Lions’ goals hailing from Tiago Travanca and Daniel Avis, two promising young talents from the club getting some more playtime during this match. Hopefully the match which will be as effective in its objective as it was in getting people to the stands in Centre of the country this past International Break.
****
Audácia e Coração, Força à Selecção!

[Netop]

It all comes down to this

We've undergone a lot to come to this point, a good debut in the Baptism of Fire finishing with a quarterfinals loss to Tioguldos and while it hurt that we didn't win it all we played well. In our first qualifying attempt we finished in 7th place of a 10 team group finishing with 20 points in 18 games in a respectable first attempt at qualifiers. We however did not receive an invatation to the Cup of Harmony and so Netop came into the 62nd AOCAF ready to prove themselves in their first regional tournament for in Atlantian Oceania. Netop coming out of League C in an odly formatted tournament managed to win our bottom tier Group to move up for Phase 2 where we narrowly missed advancing to the knockout rounds losing out on head to head results.

While our first time competing in the AOCAF actually went decently well, what happened during this cycle was completely unprecedented and unexpected as we Netop have won our last four games and are unbeaten in our last eight. We now are part of a three way battle for the top three spots in the Group, but only one can directly qualify, one can go to the playoffs, and one will be eliminated. The odds were stacked against us from the get go as a pot six side but the odds are even worse now as we have the more difficult opponent, our two competitors are Zwangzug (15th ranked) and Savojarna (34th ranked), and we lose the tiebreakers against them. Before we get into our path to qualification let's take a look at the last two games and what got us here.


Matchday 16
Netop 3–1 Saint-Domingue
Savojarna 4–1 Abanhfleft
Zwangzug 3–1 Chartistan

A big 3-1 win against Saint-Domingue for Netop back at Foster Park was first for us with a matchup against The Avengers who had done very well this cycle despite their low rank. However just like the first time we met it would be The Friends who emerged victorious in a 3-1 victory that put our win streak at three games. Late in the first half the 43rd minute to be precise it would be Teddy Riggs the captain that many would argue has carried us over the course of these qualifiers who got the scoring going with a nice shot from the edge of the box.

It took 43 minutes for his first goal but just four minutes into the second half, Riggs had his second with another good strike this time from 20 yards out to put us up 2-0 with the assist going to Pitts. Max Holder would add a third goal in the 75th minute to turn a decently close game into a full on rout, Holder has done quite well this campaign. Despite a late goal from Saint-Domingue in stoppage time we walked away victorious as we should have been.

Unfortunately we got no help from Chartistan who lost 3-1 to Zwangzug as expected, and Abanhfleft fell out of the three way tie for second with a 4-1 thrashing loss to Savorjarna who took a five point lead meaning that barring collapse they would probably win the group and the big battle for second comes down to us and 15th ranked Zwangzug (who though I'd be saying that at the start of this!).


Matchday 17
Sharktail 1–2 Netop
Koniglich Wasserstein 0–1 Zwangzug
Chartistan 4–2 Savojarna
Abanhfleft 0–1 Saint-Domingue

In matchday 17, Netop would walk away with the three points against a pretty good squad in Sharktail who have underwhelmed heavily thus far. Sharktail are a pot 5 team ranked 98th in the World but sit in just 7th of the table after an underwhelming campaign due to a poor start. In the 19th minute it was Lyla Wormald who scored for the second time in three matches off of a Wanda McNeil pass. In the 41st minute, Zoe Kinney her fellow underwhelming winger would make it 2-0 and while Sharktail would score in the 67th minute they were unable to spoil the three points for us.

In other results, Zwangzug barely beat 9th place Koniglich Wasserstein 1-0 but managed to get it done meaning that heading into the final matchday we are tied on points with the 15th ranked team in the multiverse. Chartistan redeemed themselves in Netop's mind with a surprise 4-2 win over first place Savojarna to bring the gap down to two points meaning that automatic qualification to the World Cup is still possible. The Abanhfleft, Saint-Domingue match is included because Abanhfleft gets eliminated with the result and Saint-Domingue gets officially eliminated due to other results. Let's take a look at the table and see what can happen in the final matchday.

1 Savojarna               17   10   4   3    31   17  +14    34
 2 Zwangzug                17    9   5   3    36   21  +15    32
 3 Netop                   17    9   5   3    46   35  +11    32
 4 Saint-Domingue          17    8   3   6    32   24   +8    27
 5 Abanhfleft              17    7   5   5    36   33   +3    26
 6 Ancherion               17    5   9   3    43   36   +7    24
 7 Sharktail               17    7   3   7    32   31   +1    24
 8 Chartistan              17    5   3   9    30   33   −3    18
 9 Koniglich Wasserstein   17    3   4  10    28   44  −16    13
10 Hafamarimet             17    0   3  14    19   59  −40     3

As you can see Netop are in third place, tied on points with Zwangzug and two points behind Savorjarna with us being the only three teams that can make it out of our group.
Important Fixtures
Netop Vs Abanhfleft
Savojarna Vs Koniglich Wasserstein
Zwangzug Vs Hafamarimet

If Netop want to win the Group, we need to beat Abanhfleft, have Zwangzug not beat last place on three points Hafamarimet and we need Savojarna to lose to 9th place Koniglich Wasserstein. So yeah not looking to likely, however we could also squeak in as the bottom seed in the playoffs if we score more points than Zwangzug in the final week or to win and have Savojarna lose.

Abanhfleft is definitely a tougher fixture although it's at Foster Park as they were our last loss 3-2 on the road and Zwangzug takes on the worst team in the group by far but after only beating Koniglich Wasserstein by one goal it's possible maybe. Savojarna take on Koniglich Wasserstein and while they are in 9th they drew us twice which is what could be preventing us from advancing and only lost to Zwangzug by one goal. So yeah it's not looking the most likely but you can never doubt Netop out, crazier things have happened this tournament (looking at you Savigliane).

[Zwangzug]

(Source)

Luck eludes; it comes and goes.
It spites and mocks; it blooms and grows.
Like a perfect shot that gets ruled offside
It gets born again just when hope has died
It's just a roll of the die.

We ask why we haven't scored
When the tactics are clear as dots on the clipboard.
Then some team goes on a losing streak
And the chances fade and the odds look bleak.

And the morning glories turn blue and fade
But there's still a new game that hasn't been played
So we play the tapes back in slow motion
To see how we found the winning notion.

Hopes are crushed by empty nets
But something will stand to guard them yet
And return to the fray--
We face a new fate
Somewhere, someway

Everything we could try:
Just a roll of the die.

Like New Year's Eve, it's matchday eighteen
And there might be a couple more games to be seen
Because nothing is settled, the race is absurd
We could end up in first, or we could come third.

There are rainbows of teams in blue and in red
But we're still here in the black and white instead.
A goal's not something to buy
Makes you wonder, why, why?
Everything we could try:
Just a roll of the die.

So many players and nations and teams
And everyone has a style and a tactical scheme.
So pay no mind, take loss in stride
The game is alive and so we take pride.

It's a new year by some strange calendar's measure
The depths of the past still yield stories to treasure
And whatever result tomorrow might hold
Will just take its place with the clashes of old.

It's up in the air, our fate's never sealed
So play your heart out, leave it all on the field
And what could withstand but the captain's armband
Circling your hand, whether we lose, win, or tie--
Just a roll of the die.

(Blum 19 and 54, McCue 39; Door 61)
(Idmar 16)

[Mytanija]

NEVENKA’S THREE THINGS

by Nevenka Planinc

With only the final game of qualifying remaining – Ibixa away – I’m going to take you through the three things we can learn from this campaign. Mytanija will not continue their campaign beyond the qualifying group as Audioslavia look likely to qualify for the World Cup automatically and Huayramarca and Northwest Kalactin are set to duke it out between them for the solitary play-off spot available. It has been a campaign where the Hoops have put themselves back into the conversation on a multiversal stage however, building on that fantastic – and unexpected – 4th place at the Copa Rushmori. It hints at a very promising future for Mytanar football, so without further ado, here’s my three things to take from World Cup 87 qualification:

Mytanija belongs in battles for qualification

Mytanija won’t qualify for World Cup 87 but the Hoops will be 6 points behind a play-off spot at the very most. If Mytanija lose to Ibixa in the final qualifying fixture and Huayramarca win their game away to Emastalia then that will be the gap between the two teams. If Mytanija and Huayramarca win it will only be 3 points. Of course, there are a few other combinations of results which could occur which could mean the distance between the Hoops in 4th and whoever is in 2nd is something different but to be in that 3-6 point ballpark is impressive in Mytanija’s first qualifying appearance since World Cup 83. The nation’s ban from entering qualifiers due to hooliganism for the three editions of the World Cup since 83 do not seem to have unduly harmed our ability to be involved at the top of the qualifying group. To have taken 4th so comfortably with the likes of Sargossa and Damukuni in the group is impressive and is a testament to the level of talent we have available.

So whilst it is disappointing that a nation of our footballing pedigree will not be competing at the World Cup – as it is in any qualifying cycle where we fail to qualify – we can take a lot of heart from this showing. It is something to build upon and demonstrates that Mytanija belong in the battle at the top of the group and should not be content with merely taking part. This is not a call to add pressure on our team, understandably we have not quite managed to qualify this time and it is likely that next time will be difficult too, but we can at least have realistic aims of challenging for a spot given how close we are to the top of the group this time around. Our results against likely auto-qualifiers Audioslavia – a 3-1 victory at home and a 2-2 draw away – are promising and show that the Hoops very much belong in those fixtures which decide the battle for qualification.

Lev Repin is the real deal as manager

Lev Repin’s management has arguably been the defining factor in how well we have done during this qualifying campaign. Mytanija started the campaign without a rank and as the group’s bottom seed but has performed admirably to finish 4th very comfortably, with the Hoops generally making a nuisance of themselves for the likes of Audioslavia, Sargossa and Damukuni along the way. The results against Huayramarca (two defeats); and Northwest Kalactin (a draw and a loss); as well as a disappointing draw against Cirrus Azale were the only real lowlights of this campaign. The rest has been truly excellent and a lot of that is down to Repin’s ability as manager.

Repin’s tactical nous and flexibility have been clear to see for a very long time, but some pundits wondered if this flexibility could end up being an issue for Mytanija given the limited time he has to work with his squad in international breaks during the club season. He has ended up thoroughly disproving that hypothesis, utilising a number of formations throughout World Cup qualifying, from his near-patented 4-6-0 to a 4-5-1 to a 5-3-2. He has, however, mostly settled on a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 hybrid which turns into a 3-1-3-3 in possession. At the moment he appears to have the national pool so well drilled in it that it doesn’t matter who comes into the squad during each international break. They all seem to fit in seamlessly. If Repin can marry together this system which has worked so well with his natural predilection towards tactical flexibility – useful given the wide range of tactical approaches you face in World Cup qualification – then it could end up forming a potent combination which allows Mytanija to have its style, but be ready to change if necessary.

We’re lucky to have Repin at the helm at the moment, he’s a talented coach and he seems to work out systems which make players better. The pressure will naturally ratchet up ever so slightly as we head into the next Copa Rushmori (with a potential Cup of Harmony beforehand, dependent on invitation), a 4th place last time out and then an excellent showing during these World Cup qualifiers will leave supporters and pundits wanting more. Under Repin we appear to be heading in the right direction and his managerial ability appears to be a sure bet so he looks well-placed to be able to deal with that pressure. The players enjoy playing under him and that will go in his favour a long way with the FSM, even if results do dip a little.

We need to work on our defending

I thought I’d start this piece with two positives before ending on the negative, just to sober minds up a little bit. Mytanija have been stupendously good going forward during this qualification cycle, scoring 45 goals in 17 games so far (an average clip of approximately 2.6 goals per game), that’s an outstanding return and demonstrates how good the 3-1-3-3 shape is for creating high-percentage goal scoring opportunities. Srdan Vukovic is able to pop-up in positions where an attacking midfielder normally would and join in in the attacking play in a manner which would make a lot of full-backs blush and/or get altitude sickness. This does sometimes leave Mytanija a little open at the back, with the team’s record of 30 goals conceded through 17 games (an average of around 1.8 goals conceded per game), perhaps tempering just how well we should perceive our attacking output.

The 3-1-3-3 in possession relies on that back three and defensive midfielder very heavily to oppose counter-attacks and if they are unable to it allows the opposition a relatively free run at goal. This can be seen in a couple of games where Mytanija conceded 4 goals. The goals conceded statistics of Audioslavia, Huayramarca and Northwest Kalactin demonstrate that if we want to finish in one of those top two positions we have to tighten things up at the back. Repin occasionally bemoaned poor one-on-one defending and positioning, but the single biggest thing that has improved this over the course of qualifying is the introduction of Grigorij Savicevic. The young Atletik central defender looks like he could be the third cog in the Anac and Isaev machine which could shore up that back three and fuel Mytanija to hit greater heights. The likes of Jernejec, Obadko, Apostolov and Muhic are all serviceable Top League centre-halves – and in general are fine against lesser opposition – but they are lacking a little in quality when it comes to the games against the better nations. If we hadn’t conceded quite as many in the defeats against Huayramarca and Northwest Kalactin, or the draws against the latter, Audioslavia and Cirrus Azale we might be looking at this qualification cycle even more positively. A back three of Anac, Savicevic and Isaev with Hrdaljko ahead of them in Repin’s 3-1-3-3 system could well solve these defensive issues and offers this Hoops’ team a bright future.

---

MYTANIJA NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION FOR GAME AGAINST IBIXA (A)
Goalkeepers: 12. Lazar Obradovic (Liria Prizren), 23. Zafer Muminovic (Tekstil Ibon), 24. Jasmin Savic (Atletik Thessia)
Defenders: 13. Tihomir Feric (Atletik Thessia), 14. Niksa Obadko (Liria Prizren), 26. Zelimir Apostolov (Ararat Severyan), 28. Isaija Yanev (Olympic Thessia); 25. Patrik Odonelec (Atletik Thessia), 15. Grigorij Savicevic (Atletik Thessia), 27. Osman Muhic (Liria Prizren), 16. Branko Nikolov (Liria Prizren)
Midfielders: 29. Predrag Vukomanovic (Energija-Nuklearna), 31. Radovan Pogaenik (Liria Prizren), 34. Sasa Zebic (Olympic Thessia), 20. Maks Shishkin (Energija-Nuklearna), 37. Sinisa Nikic (Marianne [PRH]); 30. Rudi Prosenik (Nyva Zvornik), 32. Mateja Stojkovic (Ararat Severyan), 33. Sefir Ajanovic (Stade Yvelines [PRH]), 19. Brajko Gavrilovic (1896 Ebor), 35. Ermin Drzic (Carsby [EUR]), 36. Kemal Gajic (Arka Snezhnaya)
Forwards: 22. Nebojsa Aleksic (Tekstil Ibon); 38. Josip Brajdic (1896 Ebor); 40. Dejan Zgela (CDSA)

[Graintfjall]

“I can … feel it staring at me.”

“Hrærikins,” groaned Enesa, rolling over in the bed. Her husband – a man whose hard-tackling demeanour on the football field made his current outfit of his wife’s pink dressing grown and fluffy slippers doubly incongruous – Hrærekur Jvarsson stood at the hotel window, bathed in the neon glow of the giant scoreboard. 0 – 0, it read. The chance of World Cup qualification on the line, an opportunity that might never be repeated, a game against a team they’d beaten twice before (in matches averaging 4 goals a game). And it had finished 0 – 0. Hrærekur squinted into the harsh blue light, imagining that across the city he could hear its low, ominous fluorescent buzz. Taunting him. He ground his teeth.

“Hræri-bear, comings back to bed.” Enesa spoke perfectly good Græntfjaller; she only drifted in Mytanar-inflected dialect when she half-asleep or half-drunk (so at present those two halves were making a whole). “There’s nothings out there.”

Hrærekur pulled across the curtain. But he could feel its unblinking gaze.

---

In Busukuma, Kalle Bjørnsson lay in a fetal position on his specially reinforced bed. Ordinary beds tended to snap under his bulk: not because of any wild exertions, but just because he was a really Big Fucking Græntfjaller, a defensive midfielder whose idea of a ‘training ground move’ was hitting someone so hard they landed on the training ground next door. His poor footballing skills were testament to being waved quickly through various levels of youth football; he tried to be gentle but he just found kids his own age broke too easily.

In the crook of his body, he cradled his toys: a fluffy wolf named Herbjartur and a fluffy whale named Bergfríður. One time at youth football camp one of the other kids had made fun of Kalle for still sleeping with stuffed toys. One time. It had not happened again. Kalle was rocking himself to sleep, cuddling Herbjartur tight while weeping into Bergfríður’s fluffy middle.

Far away in Græntfjall, his friends, his teammates, his fellow countrymen, were about to play the biggest game of their lives, but there was nothing he could do to help them. He’d been suspended, and he didn’t even understand why. A short squeeze? Sometimes he squeezed short people, but he usually let go before they popped. A market rally? He didn’t want to buy a rally car, he wouldn’t fit in it. A hedge fund? He’d looked in all the hedges near his house but he hadn’t found anything useful. He didn’t understand. Everyone kept talking about stonks. Kalle didn’t even know what stonks were. Kalle only knew tackle man him bad man him try score goal grrr smash him head in. And that was usually enough. Kalle good. But now Kalle bad because of stonks???

“Stonks,” he sobbed brokenly.

---

Jason Þórhallursson might have been the last person Petter Erlingsson expected to find in the nave of the Basilika of Sankt Jakob the Badass. Petter was lighting a candle for a young fan with a terrible illness who’d written to him; such was the celebrity of the captain of Steinaux FC, last season’s GPL champions, that he could only visit the church in the middle of the night with this, not wanting to bring a tide of paparazzi down on a House of God. And yet, emerging from a side-chapel, there he was. Petter’s old rival – not so old, he had to admit. Formerly, and forever, of Gunzlach. But Petter was a spiritual man, and he had room in his heart to embrace him as a brother in his time of need.

“Jason.” He spoke softly, but the empty immensity of the nave carried his voice in a booming echo. Þórhallursson went through a double- and triple-take, before finally returning a guarded nod of recognition.

“Don’t worry,” Petter laughed softly. “Your secret’s safe with me.”

“It is? Oh, phew, because I was worried…”

“I won’t tell a soul you’re here praying for good fortune in the game tomorrow.”

“Praying. Game. Tomorrow.”

“…?”

“Right! Yes, of course. Of course that’s what I was doing here. I was, um, praying.” Jason made an indeterminate waving motion with his hands.

Petter smiled, then stepped away to the altar, where he bent to light the candle, and closed his eyes as he began to recite a few humble words of devotion to his Saviour above. Jason used the opportunity to hurry the nuns out of the side-chapel.

---

“Don’t you miss it?” asked Emeli Vilbertsdóttir.

Karoline Vernerisdóttir cocked a head towards the bathroom, where Elektra Lúthersdóttir was vomiting with a powerful fury that belied her relatively slight stature. After listening to the noises for a moment, she demurred: “Not really…”

Emeli moved her king. They were playing Grænttafl, sometimes known as ‘Græntfjaller chess’, although the rules were quite different. Karoline studied the board intently, rubbing her fingers against her temples. Emeli studied Karoline intently, in turn.

“You do miss it. I can tell.”

Karoline did not look up.

“Playing for your country, the chance of a World Cup place. 50,000 fans howling as one…”

“Spending weeks at a time away from Stephanie. Having the tabloids chase me around the streets.” Karoline paused, and Elektra threw up again. “And, that.”

Emeli made a chucking noise as she waited for her friend to move.

“Else would kill to be here.”

“I’m sure she would, but Else always was a bit mad. I would rather be sane and happy, even if it means not playing. Besides, Lekki is better than Else. And she’s better than me.” Karoline moved.

“You’ll be fine. And if you’re not…I’m sure Baker Park is lovely this time of year.”

The true rules of Grænttafl were lost to time, but even in the modern reconstructed version, throwing her king at Karoline’s face probably meant Emeli had forfeited.

---

Hjörleifur Reynarsson and Álfar Ásvaldursson sat at the edge of the river. They weren’t actually dandling their feet in the water: not only was it cold, but in this area of Gunzlach, the industrial metals seepage was such that it’d probably strip the skin off their toes faster than a school of piranhas. They were passing the bottle back and forth, without much enthusiasm. Though both had the sturdy constitutions for it, neither was a heavy drinker. Above them loomed the two giant zeroes.

“It’s like a big owl,” said Álfar. “Like a giant, evil owl.”

Hjörleifur checked the level. Maybe this stuff was stronger than he’d thought, or Álfar had been hitting it harder…

“Not literally. But, like, meta… metaff… like, it’s a thing.”

In some cultures, owls are revered as purveyors of great wisdom. In Græntfall, they’re mostly symbols of evil, betokening (of course) kraken attacks, or just general malevolencies. Evil trickster færies rode owls, it was said. Hjörleifur squinted. Just looked like two big ‘noughts’ to him. But then Álfar, who could almost spell ‘IQ’, had always been the intellectual of the two.

The gloom pervading the camp over the last few days had taken each differently. While some sought comfort in old friends and others in new friends (in slightly rumpled wimples), Hjörleifur and Álfar, who’d known each other since childhood, played on many of the same youth teams, practically grown up together in successive age group teams and then the national team itself, needed only each other. They would have thrown an arm around each other’s shoulders, if said shoulders didn’t have the circumference of small hillocks.

“Supposedly, in times of great trial, the only thing that can defeat the evil power of an owl is an equally powerful witch.”

Needless to say, these words didn’t belong to either Hjörleifur or Álfar. Four syllables, Álfar? Four? That’s insane.

They turned, in instalments, to look up at the figure behind them.

It was Amanda Guttisdóttir, clad in a nondescript hoodie. Hjörleifur and Álfar frowned in unison. Amanda wasn’t really one of them. They respected her skills, but she was no BFG. In fact, seated on the riverbank, they barely had to look up to meet her at eye-level.

“That’s just old granny tales,” said Hjörleifur. “Besides, it’s not really an owl.” He glanced sidelong at Álfar, mouthing: “Is it?”

Amanda took her hands from her hoodie pockets and rubbed them together. ““““Summer”””” nights in Græntfall. Another thing she did not miss, playing in Eura.

“No, I’m saying. Think of it. The Saga of the Kraken. The oldest tale of all Græntfaller sagas. We studied it in school, I’m sure you did too. Everyone knows it. The fate of the world in the talons of an evil owl. And the band of heroes have to defeat it.

“The grizzled chieftain…”

…Hrærischnoodle paced back and forth across the hotel room, hands behind his back, jaw set, Enesa’s pink dressing grown tastefully cinched at the navel…

“The fallen hero…”

…Kalle hunkered down in his seat, which just meant he was only one and a half times everyone else’s size. His elaborate fake moustache nearly fell off when he shook his head to say, no, he wouldn’t need any immigration paperwork when they landed in Háttmark. His matchday ticket was clutched tight in his immense paws…

“The great swordsman…”

…Petter paused by the side-chapel. There was something on the floor. It didn’t really look like an ecclesiastical vestment. Since when did priests wear Gunzlach boxer shorts?…

“The valkyrie-warrioress on one last ride…”

…Karoline patted Elektra’s back. The girl was vomiting colors that would have wowed an Impressionist painter. She looked up at Emeli, who was resetting the tafl pieces for one last game…

“The two cave-trolls.”

“I’m not really sure what you’re getting at, Amanda,” said Hjörleifur, turning to see if Álfar understood and inadvertently knocking heads with him. A loud, rocky clonk echoed across the river bank. Amanda smiled.

“And the witch.”

Rubbing his head, Álfar asked: “But weren’t there two witches?”

“A good witch and a bad witch,” remembered Hjörleifur, also rubbing what turned out to be Álfar’s head in the confusion.

Amanda nodded. “And this is a very big owl.”

It took about twenty minutes for Hjörleifur to complete the chain of logic.

“So we’d need a very bad witch…”