CoH80 - The Even Frostier Cup: Everything Thread

by **Kandorith** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 2:56 pm

Shinonome Kyoai - International

Kandorith shines in must-win match.
North Japan was cast aside by the Kandorese.
By Natsumi Miyasaki
Sports

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TENKYO, KANYORI — Kandorith has shown themselves in the Cup of Harmony by overcoming North Japan with a spectacular 3 - 1 victory. The team of Akira Watanabe was mighty throughout the entire game and established their control over the field in a convincing fashion. There were worries when North Japan scored the 0 - 1, yet these worries would be quickly dealt with after the Kandorese managed to come back to a 1 - 1 within minutes. The Kandorese were aiming for a win as they were facing their opponents and the fans were sure of it; Kandorith had to win in this match or else their entire Cup of Harmony adventure would be in grave danger. Even with doubts; Watanabe's team did deliver and they knew how to keep their composure.

In one of the more entertaining matches of the Kandorese and the tournament it was a barrage of attacks and attempts on goal, yet the North Japanese defence would not budge until a few hard fought moments in the match. The captain Yoshihiro Matsumoto himself said that it was one of the "most difficult matches so far" and the energy they had to put into the game was on another level. For the fans the game was a roller-coaster of emotions as the Narehiko were behind within the first fifteen minutes of the game and were fighting an uphill battle against a team hell-bent on defending their 0 - 1 advantage.

The 0 - 1 would turn into a dream evening for the Kandorese however as Fujiwara was able to get a long ball from Matsumoto and could move into the box with relative ease and score a brilliant equalizer. For Kandorith the nightmare of being behind would turn into an absolute dream evening as the team kept applying pressure to the Japanese. Attack after attack was hurled towards them as Narehiko kept applying pressure to the North Japanese goal and tried to get the ball into the net. Eventually the first half would end in a 1 - 1 draw and to much dismay of the Kandorese they had to leave it to this after the whistle sounded.

The second half however would show a very different story. Narehiko came unto the field filled with renewed energy and confidence, where the North Japanese seemed demoralized and almost defeated. The two halves were like night and day in comparison. The second goal for Kandorith came only ten minutes after the restart of the game and was a very convincing attack from the Kandorese; Utilizing the wing and exploiting the weak right-side defence of the North Japanese. Eventually the ball fell to Honda, who only had the goalkeeper to face, and fired the ball left from the keeper into the upper left corner of the goal. The 2 - 1 was a fact and the Kandorese fans went absolutely ballistic when it came to celebrations.

It was the tactics of Akira Watanabe which brought the Kandorese team to this point and finally the team seems to work seamlessly. For too long there's been discussions on Watanabe's coaching style but tonight, tonight, it seems that everyone has peace with his decisions and tactics. The Tactic of Watanabe showed just how powerful the Kandorese team can be when they have the right approach to the game. It's not all about the manager, Watanabe, however; it's also about the players on the field and their achievements. The fans and critics do agree that the Kandorese players have shown themselves in the match against North Japan.

The real surprise came when the Kandorese were able to score their third goal with relative ease. The game appeared to be completely dead but the midfield of Kandorith managed to find multiple holes in the North Japanese defences and exploited them in expert fashion. For the North Japanese there was no holding the Kandorese attack, who went forward with at least five players, which eventually broke down their very defensive style and led to a disastrous save from goalkeeper Hiro Akita. The Japanese goalkeeper completely miscalculated the situation as he punched the ball away; straight into the feet of Yoshida who could easily volley the ball towards goal and into the back of the net. With the score being 3 - 1 the Narehiko were coursing towards an easy victory and a new found pride when it comes to the beautiful game; and beautiful it was indeed.

Throughout the entire match Kandorith has held their composure and were resistant to any foul and attempts at psychological warfare. The North Japanese however are one of the most foul teams the Kandorese have ever faced. Any attempt to play the game would be stopped by yet another soul-crushing foul which was only aimed at injuring a player. Before the equalizer of the Kandorese, the Japanese were actually playing a fair game and attempting to play the ball around. The entire match turned around after Kandorith scored the equalizer. From fair play to absolute foul-play within two minutes is the name of this match.

For Kandorith advancing from the group stage is nearing rapidly and they only have to draw in their upcoming game against Eshialand which would see the team go through. For the fans there is a hope of revival; the 78th Cup of Harmony. It seems that Kandorith is once again the underdog and is attempting to fill that role perfectly.

Foreign media: "A cheering royalty"

Media outside of Kandorith have been absolutely exited about the game of the Kandorese but for very different reasons. Many foreign media are describing the match as a "very welcome match in the current state of football" some media even said the match against North Japan was an "amazing and exiting experience to be a part of" Eventually most media agrees on one thing: "Disappointment was being pushed into the North Japanese players who could not hold their own." For the Kandorese it was a scary first half which has called upon previous disappointments, yet the team completely turned around in the second half and showed themselves as a dominant machine.

Most foreign media however did not focus on the game itself as much, but rather Her Majesty, Empress Masumi. Her appearance at the game was a true eye-catcher and especially as she was cheering after the first and second goal of the Kandorese team. "The cheering Empress" is one of the nicknames that she bears now as foreign media shows pictures of the Empress herself balling her fists and shouting just after the Narehiko scored. "The Empress herself was unable to keep her calm as the Kandorese team scores the 2 - 1" is one of the many stories from foreign media, which is accompanied by many photos of Her Majesty pridefully celebrating the Kandorese goals.

The last match will be against Eshialand; and a draw will be enough for the Kandorese to survive the group face. However, Watanabe will be looking for another win and strengthen the position of the Kandorese team. With Eshialand standing on three points and Kandorith on four, the upcoming game will be the absolute crucial match for the team. Technically they could even finish first in the group if Abanhfleft draws or loses to North Japan. In the end; anything can happen and this time the Narehiko have everything in their own hands. The most crucial match is upcoming and even in a very strange scenario Abanhfleft and North Japan could decide the fate of Kandorith. For now one thing is certain, the Kandorese are looking stronger than the last two World Cups and as strong as Cup of Harmony 78 and that Cup of Harmony is one that the fans want to see repeated in the current time and age. Akira Watanabe is the man to do it right now, with the starts under his wings.

Group L                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft             2   1  1  0    6   2  +4    4
2 Kandorith              2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Eshialand              2   1  0  1    2   5  −3    3
4 North Japan            2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0  E

by **San Ortelio** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:01 pm

How he had ended up here? That’s a story for a different day. But that the pub was colored black and red was without doubt.

The result of the opening game had left mixed feelings for all supporters in Garifunya – starting a major tournament with a loss left one with the knowledge that the remaining road was uphill. But then again was Siovanija & Teusland, the hangman of service, not just any boogeyman. The Goldhorns came into the tournament as the number nineteen in the world and a serious candidate for the title, so a 1-3 loss at these hands was the law of the game rather than a disappointment. And so, the atmosphere ahead of the second confrontation was fairly upbeat – music was playing, faces were painted and friends were loudly asked to bring two rounds at the same time to the table now they had finally reached the bar.

Amidst the company, he looked out of place. He sat in a rickety chair near the windowsill and knew that with this crowd, they wouldn’t know he hadn’t ordered any drink. His face was slightly burned with patchy stubbles and despite the booming atmosphere, he still wore a worn-out sweater. Little did anyone know that the shirt below it was in pale blue.

Half an hour in and as one man, the whole pub rose – some grabbing their head with both hands, others pointing to one of the flatscreens in the corner… Ozinga, gets past Mazziero and it’s two-on-two now, can the Dolfijnen finish this one? Van der Weide cuts inside and Castorani hesitates, the pass from Ozinga! Boudewijn van der Weide can he – ooh, ooh, the shot – nooo! It’s Lanzafame who gets a glove on it, that is just unbelievable! How is Garifunya not in front yet! A few hundred people exhale as one, like a balloon losing air – so close they were to a lead. And in the corner, one clenched fist triumphantly banged the wall, for the Wall.

A bit more than an hour later, everything had gone. The rowdiness, the cheers, the anthem being chanted without much rhythm or depth but with that unique sense of unity – all of it seemed to belong to a world from the past, a world in which the second half had not happened. ”Memmants to Nieuwaal but there’s no option for Dawaas! It’s Favaro with the steal, Giacomo Favaro of TPL club Miruan City takes it over and drives it forward, hesitation from Westkamp and den Dekker, they don’t want Garofalo to complete his hattrick… Favaro. Favaro! Oh no! A screamer from Favaro and Kruit can’t do much more than curse his defenders. Four to nil. There is still a final game against Adab but regardless of the result there, questions will be asked about tonight to Guido Badenburg. This is a low for The Dolfijnen as San Ortelio – one of the easiest picks from the second pot – puts in four goals in one half. This is unacceptable.”

By the time of those final words, none of the people in the bar were still looking to the screen. Some had walked out, cursing, in the aspiration that fresh air could chill their anger. Others discussed the tactical pitfalls from the 3-1-4-2 with their neighbor, friend or stranger. A third group simply stared into their glass, hoping to find some comfort there. None but one pair of eyes that were glued to the images of Favaro who jumped over the boarding, straight to the corner stand of the Sanktjakobvöllur – the sole bit of the stadium that danced in blue and white. The camera panned out as one by one, the teammates of the triumphant midfielder jumped on him, over him, next to him, raising their fists in delight: the second round was reached. Slowly, the image turned towards the fans – all dancing, hugging, shouting, screaming, cheering, trying to invent new verbs that could somehow canalize the boost in their hearts.

All but one.

One woman, amidst that crowd, simply smiled and stared away from the celebrations, like a sole rock in a bustling stream, so completely distant from the volcano on which she stood that the camera couldn’t but hang on to her for a second.

He, he could swear their eyes locked and he knew – they were both lost in this world without one another.

And for the first time in weeks he smiled. There was a warmth in him which he hadn’t felt in a long time. Absentmindedly, he took off his sweater – after a long cold, his summer had now begun, at last he could enj-

“Hey. Hey! Is that guy wearing a San Ortelio shirt?”
“He can fuck right off now, he can,” the most hothead figure yelled.

Our man rose and with one swift jump, he climbed out of the windowsill and into the city. He ran, like a man who couldn’t get out of breath. His brains now worked in overdrive – she was there and she was with them, all he needed to do now was to find the team. There was no way he was going to get in Graæntfjall from here by the time of the last group game – even in a multiverse of anachronism, most clocks ran in the same direction. But he didn’t need to, I Spada were playing one more game. The only question was where – in Rushmore or in Anaia. Rushmore or Anaia. Knowing that any prediction was a gamble, Dennis Spaviero stopped for a second, took his last coin out of his back pocket, tossed it in the air and muttered ‘tails’ under his breath.

Heads.

He knew enough.

by **North Japan** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:23 pm

HOKUTOU-KO DAILY
The Voice of The People

"Kandorese like a cancer"

HOKUTOU-KO (JCNA) — Chairwoman Aki Asami has proclaimed the Kandorese people a "vicious cancer" after the match against the country in the Cup of Harmony. The Kandorese have been making attempts to corrupt and persuade the Japanese youth to their corrupt and capitalistic schemes with music and so called culture. The Kandorese style of life is a vicious infection unto the world which will, when left unchecked, corrupt and destroy the Japanese attire, hairstyles, behaviours and state of mind beyond salvation. The warning to the Japanese youth is to stay far away from the Kandorese. Even though we beat them in football, their lingering corruption is a reason of concern.

Even in the Democratic People's Republic the clutches of corruption are starting to show it's evil in every day life. After meeting the Kandorese in the Cup of Harmony there has been an increase of unpatriotic and deceitful behaviour among the Japanese youth. Kandorese music seems to be getting fans among the Japanese youth and this is an absolute travesty and treacherous move. Because the growing influence and capitalistic corruption the Glorious Chairwoman Aki Asami has declared a culture war when it comes to pop music coming from nations not sharing the values of our Glorious Democratic Republic.

In recent months, there has been an increase of youthfully people trying to rebel against the all-knowing wisdom of the state and trying to seek the thin-line of our justice apparatus. Once and for all has the Glorious Chairwoman declared that anything not coming from the Democratic People's Republic as anti-socialist and anti-Japanese. Movies from any nation which does not share our values are an attack on our culture and their only attempt is to destabilize our nation and heritage. Do not believe their lies about a so called free life, as they are not free but are slaves to their money and corporations. The match against Kandorith has made emotions run high as their corruption started seeping into the stadium like an unkempt garden.

Remember this; we owe our lives to the Great Chairwoman Aki Asami as she protects us from all corruption and foolish attempts to destabilize our culture and way of life. In our nation she has been the shining example of freedom, democracy and willpower when it comes to life. The other nations around us are trying to fill the heads of the young people with lies and corruption and this must be stopped.

The Kandorese were unable to beat us in football, now they are trying to destroy our youth as they are jealous of our success. We did not just win the football match; we won the battle of classes against them. The Kandorese are a corrupted and rampant capitalistic nation which preys on the weak and feeble. They are not used to seeing a glorious nation like the Democratic People's Republic as they have noticed we are too mighty for them. They are now slandering and smearing our name in their news papers and try to destabilize our country. These organized attacks will not stand as in the end; the Japanese people stand united as one, united under Chairwoman Aki Asami.

The Kandorese people and ideology is a symptom from a system. The capitalist and immoral system they adore grows like a cancer. This creates an unbelievable zombified brain which the Kandorese seem to adore in their corrupted society. These zombies try to spread their greed and immorality across the world to try and convince people to in-debt themselves and give in to greed and gluttony. Eventually like the life-threatening disease these people spread themselves in nations, infecting other people inside the nation. Luckily we Japanese are stronger than that. Capitalism can not corrupt us nor infect us. We will not give in to greed and gluttony but we will keep fighting for equality, democracy and freedom.

by **Montana Verde** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:25 pm

Montaña Verde – 3 (0)
Mateo; Zalladen (59’ Emma ), Edelberto, Jairo (74’), Justin (78’ Mallén ); Edgar (70’); Cristo Díaz, Kristjana; Sara Ariadna (66’); Thiago Montilla (80’), Verónica Ximena (45’ Osito (90+2’))

Indujo – 0 (0)

Jerónimo Salvador Montes cut through another set vines with a savage hack of his machete. As he crested the slope, he held up his hand sharply. The small column following behind him stopped, tired bodies grateful for the relief from the constant trek. They slid to the damp rainforest undergrowth or leaned on mossy trees for relief while Jerónimo’s keen eyes darted over the skyline. He was sure he had seen – there! A thin trail of smoke, rising to the ocean-blue sky from amidst the dense jungle.

“Loggers?”

He nearly loosed off a burst from his rifle as Jazmín Santángel Hurtado startled him. She had crawled up alongside him silently. Not for the first time, he found himself impressed – and frustrated – at her ability to take the initiative. He shook his head.

“I don’t think so. Loggers don’t set fires unless they’re burning everything.”

“Indians?”

It wasn’t impossible, of course. This deep in the Verdean rainforest, there were tribes who had never seen a white face. The Uncontacted Ones. Strict regulations banned communion with them on account of their lack of exposure to infectious diseases. A few years ago Jerónimo had been attached to a unit providing security for a group of anthropologists who’d been in search of a long rumored tribe’s cave paintings. A few years ago… a lifetime ago, more like.

“Could be. We must be careful.”

He looked back at the rest of the group. They were passing around canisters of water and digging into energy bars. Some had harvested fresh fruit along the way, giant citruses that exploded in your mouth. Saúl and Esperanza had curled up and were already asleep in the arms of their caretakers. He smiled fondly at the children, and realized he could not ask them to tack an extra mile onto their arduous journey just in case there was a tribe ahead. He would have to go alone.

“We make camp here,” he told Martín, gesturing to some grassy rock overhangs that would shelter them when the rain came. “But everyone is ready to move on my order.” Jerónimo had torn the Capitán’s insignia from his sleeves long ago, but he was still very much in charge. “I will go on alone.”

“I’ll go with you,” said Jazmín, who’d again silently appeared behind him. He flinched, and reminded himself that he was very much not in charge.

“There’s a camp or something ahead I want to check out.”

Martín nodded and swung into action. Like most Verdean men he was short, but powerfully built: he swung Saúl up on one shoulder like a leg of lamb and carried the sleeping child towards the caves. Martín had been a good soldier, and now he was a good rebel. Jerónimo suspected the man would follow him whichever side he was on.

He and Jazmín stripped their heavy packs, leaving themselves carrying just their weapons and a bandoleer of ammo each, plus their knives, radios, a flashlight and a flare gun, stuffed into a bag that he wore across his shoulder.

Jazmín led the way. She was astonishingly agile: he loved watching her find the quickest way across the stream trickling down from a small waterfall carving between two rocks, the way her feet gripped the mossy stones almost like hands, the dance as she shimmied low under a creeping vine, the band of bare brown skin when her shirt rode free of her belt… he shook his head to dismiss such images, and tried to concentrate on just following her footsteps.

There were times the jungle path seemed cruelly named, overgrown and impassable as it was. It was only veering off the path that made Jerónimo grateful for it: compared to the path, the raw rainforest was a nightmare of branches scratching at his face and vines that slithered and hissed when he reached for them, sucker traps of boggy quicksand and ankle-breaking rubble from stones broken over the centuries by slow, inevitable roots. He could not walk two feet without swatting a bug big as a hummingbird from his face, nor see more than ten paces ahead. He had to stay close to Jazmín, bumping into her every time she paused to change direction.

The ashy tang of smoke was heavier in the air now. Definitely not a random fire from a lightning strike. Jazmín stopped sharp and he collided with her, bringing them both to their knees amid a wet tangle of bush and arms and vines and legs. Without speaking, she pointed: a clearing up ahead. Not a natural one: the white gashes in the trees where they’d been cleared by blades. Staying on the ground, they crawled their way to the edge of the tree line.

In the hollow, a fire was burning. There was no sign of a camp: just a tiny hut made of branches and sticks. A stream, barely that, a rivulet, ran through the clearing, and by its side, equidistant from hut and fire, a bald headed white man was sitting with legs crossed. He lifted a bowl carved from a gourd to his lips and swallowed something. Jerónimo could see that down by his side, assorted herbs and roots gathered from the rainforest were lying, some presumably added to his bowl.

Jerónimo knew that foreign ethnobotanists had sometimes travelled to Montaña Verde in search of exotic plants with healing powers. Sometimes they were accompanied by those in search of something less exotic, rubber. But usually these were well organized teams, like the one he’d accompanied all those years ago. Not one random man with a bald head and a blue tracksuit. The man pulled out a small dictaphone, and in the still silence of the clearing, they could just hear his words, in English.

“…potent concoction augments the body’s natural healing powers…”

Jazmín made a ‘loco’ twirl of her finger at her forehead. Not an Indian tribe. Not a logger camp. Not a PAL brigade. Just some crazy guy on a vision quest in the heart of a rainforest. They turned around and began crawling back to camp.

by **Vdara** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:30 pm

Catching some Z’s

Following the win over Sylestone, the buildup to the match against Pemecutan was immense. Even though these two sides weren’t at all rivals (in fact, they had never even played a game against each other until now), both teams played exciting styles of football, and this factor - plus the fact that this match could decide who makes it into the tournament knockouts - made for some exciting prospects.

Vdaran Dressing Room
Kuodorf MSK Football Arena
Háttmark, Græntfjall

The match report is as follows:
1: The whistle has been blown, and the match kicks off here in Háttmark! Will these two exciting sides create a good game? I sure hope so!
15: Christ, this game is boring. There’s been no- YAWN - chances for either side, and… yeah. I think I’ll have to nod off. Wake me up when something good happens!

As the commentator slipped off to sleep, he began to see a future appear in his dream. Not the future, but a future - no matter how likely it may seem.

As the commentator fell into a deeper sleep, more futures came to mind. Some plausible, while some…

…not so plausible. The more futures that appeared, however, the more weird they got.

You think that’s weird? Try weirder.

Hrm, what’s this? This future seems pretty legit, for something so… dreamy.

By the time the commentator awoke, the match had ended.

90: Huh? What? Did something happen? Did we win? Did… did anything happen? Judging by the scoreboard, I… I guess not. Huh.

To be fair to the commentator, very little HAD happened - it was a 0-0 draw, after all. With matches like that, you’re better off staying home and fantasising about falsified results in fake tournaments.

by **Krytenia** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:35 pm

If you're in Groups I to P, the cutoff message reads as follows:

Love is on my side...
...but maybe not tonight.

Group I
Indusse 0–5 Oberour ar Moro
TJUN-ia 1–1 Montaña Verde

Group I                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Oberour ar Moro        3   2  1  0   10   0 +10    7
2 TJUN-ia                3   1  2  0    3   1  +2    5
3 Montaña Verde          3   1  1  1    4   6  −2    4
4 Indusse                3   0  0  3    0  10 −10    0

Group J
Electrum 1–1 Saltstead
Legalese 4–6 Pratapgadh

Group J                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Saltstead              3   1  2  0    6   3  +3    5
2 Electrum               3   1  1  1    7   6  +1    4
3 Pratapgadh             3   1  1  1    6   9  −3    4
4 Legalese               3   1  0  2   11  12  −1    3

Group K
Sylestone 1–0 Pemecutan
Vdara 1–4 The Grearish Union

Group K                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Grearish Union     3   1  2  0    5   2  +3    5
2 Vdara                  3   1  1  1    3   4  −1    4
3 Sylestone              3   1  1  1    1   2  −1    4
4 Pemecutan              3   0  2  1    1   2  −1    2

Group L
Eshialand 3–1 Kandorith
North Japan 1–0 Abanhfleft

Group L                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eshialand              3   2  0  1    5   6  −1    6
2 Abanhfleft             3   1  1  1    6   3  +3    4
3 Kandorith              3   1  1  1    5   5   0    4
4 North Japan            3   1  0  2    2   4  −2    3

Group M
Garifunya 3–0 Adab
Siovanija & Teusland 1–1 San Ortelio

Group M                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 San Ortelio            3   2  1  0    7   1  +6    7
2 Siovanija & Teusland   3   2  1  0    6   3  +3    7
3 Garifunya              3   1  0  2    4   7  −3    3
4 Adab                   3   0  0  3    1   7  −6    0

Group N
Zwangzug 3–0 Garbelia
Eastfield Lodge 0–2 Sharktail

Group N                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Zwangzug               3   2  1  0    6   1  +5    7
2 Garbelia               3   2  0  1    2   3  −1    6
3 Sharktail              3   1  0  2    2   3  −1    3
4 Eastfield Lodge        3   0  1  2    1   4  −3    1

Group O
Sargossa 2–0 Srednjaci
Murphtannia 2–1 Squidroidia

Group O                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sargossa               3   3  0  0    5   1  +4    9
2 Murphtannia            3   1  0  2    3   4  −1    3
3 Squidroidia            3   1  0  2    4   5  −1    3
4 Srednjaci              3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3

Group P
Baggieland 4–1 Barunia
Bollonich 0–2 Græntfjall

Group P                Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Barunia                3   2  0  1    7   4  +3    6
2 Græntfjall             3   2  0  1    4   4   0    6
3 Baggieland             3   1  0  2    5   5   0    3
4 Bollonich              3   1  0  2    2   5  −3    3

by **Graintfjall** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:35 pm

Each MD I will be offering a small prompt on the theme of music. These prompts are not required and there is no extra bonus for doing them compared with doing a match report or any other type of RP; they’re simply there because, at the end of a long World Cup cycle and with many tournaments competing for attention, inspiration may be running thin. Feel free to respond in whatever format you like – or ignore them entirely.

Folk

What are the cultural traditions of your team? Do they reflect your nation’s folk culture, or are they completely unrelated? Are there any scores or events that have come to be regarded as particularly (in)auspicious? Players or matches who have become legends, for good or bad reasons? What about the fan traditions – how have they developed over time as a unique identity?

MD3 cutoff

Group A
The Licentian Isles 2–0 Tumbra
Mytanija 4–4 Krytenia

  Group A                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mytanija                         3   1  2  0    8   5  +3    5 Q
2 Krytenia                         3   1  2  0    7   5  +2    5 Q
3 The Licentian Isles              3   1  1  1    3   4  −1    4 E
4 Tumbra                           3   0  1  2    1   5  −4    1 E

Group B
Atheara 4–7 Xanneria
Reçueçn 0–1 Sarzonia

  Group B                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                         3   2  1  0    3   0  +3    7 Q
2 Xanneria                         3   1  1  1   10   8  +2    4 Q
3 Reçueçn                          3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4 E
4 Atheara                          3   0  1  2    4   9  −5    1 E

Group C
Savojarna 1–0 Ranoria
Sendhang 3–3 Huayramarca

  Group C                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Savojarna                        3   2  0  1    4   4   0    6 Q
2 Huayramarca                      3   1  2  0    6   4  +2    5 Q
3 Ranoria                          3   1  1  1    1   1   0    4 E
4 Sendhang                         3   0  1  2    4   6  −2    1 E

Group D
Le Choix 4–5 Squornshelous
Eraman 1–0 Kohnhead

  Group D                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Squornshelous                    3   2  1  0    8   5  +3    7 Q
2 Eraman                           3   2  0  1    3   3   0    6 Q
3 Le Choix                         3   1  0  2    8   8   0    3 E
4 Kohnhead                         3   0  1  2    2   5  −3    1 E

Group E
Valentine Z 1–1 Chartistan
New Lusitania 3–2 Darmen

  Group E                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 New Lusitania                    3   1  2  0    6   5  +1    5 Q
2 Darmen                           3   1  1  1    7   7   0    4 Q
3 Chartistan                       3   0  3  0    4   4   0    3 E
4 Valentine Z                      3   0  2  1    5   6  −1    2 E

Group F
Drawkland 1–3 St Trinians
Hispinas 2–5 Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom

  Group F                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom        3   1  2  0    7   4  +3    5 Q
2 St Trinians                      3   1  2  0    5   3  +2    5 Q
3 Drawkland                        3   0  2  1    6   8  −2    2 E
4 Hispinas                         3   0  2  1    7  10  −3    2 E

Group G
Talamia 0–2 Trolleborg
Sannyamathland 0–1 Busoga Islands

  Group G                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Busoga Islands                   3   3  0  0    4   0  +4    9 Q
2 Trolleborg                       3   2  0  1    3   1  +2    6 Q
3 Talamia                          3   1  0  2    2   5  −3    3 E
4 Sannyamathland                   3   0  0  3    1   4  −3    0 E

Group H
Pluvia and the Saxean Isles 3–1 Ethane
Flavovespia 2–0 The Gothanita Isles

  Group H                        Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Flavovespia                      3   2  0  1    4   2  +2    6 Q
2 Pluvia and the Saxean Isles      3   2  0  1    7   5  +2    6 Q
3 Ethane                           3   2  0  1    3   3   0    6 E
4 The Gothanita Isles              3   0  0  3    2   6  −4    0 E

by **Recuecn** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 3:50 pm

Maybe it was "only" the Cup of Harmony, but Reçuecian supporters thronged the stands. From the crimson, violet and gold strewn around the seats of Knott Crescent, waving on flags and banners, scarves and jerseys, it seemed probably at least a third of the crowd if not more was here to support les licornes in their first game of the tournament. Up in the commentary booth, the Reçuecian TV announcers were getting excited too.

"Well, Jean-Paul, this is a great chance to get a closer look at some of our strikers' warmups. There's been increased publicity surrounding the "goal of the tournament" competition this cycle, and obviously we're hoping that Franky or Lebo might be able to win it."

"They're certainly two very talented forwards, Maximilien. Backed by the traditionally solid Reçuecian backline that hopefully outmatches much of the competition here at the Cup of Harmony, they should have plenty of scoring chances, so we're ready to join the hype train and put ourselves on goal watch!" For the viewers watching at home, a big "#GoalWatch!" banner scrolled across the bottom of their television screens.

"I'm just as excited as you are," returned Max. "But speaking of the competition, there are definitely plenty of good opposing strikers in this tournament, even here in group B. Starting with our opponents facing up against us now, we already have Frawning and Algeer, two very gifted Athearans who we got to see play when we hosted the most recent Baptism of Fire."

"For sure. And in Group B's other game that took place just a bit earlier today, the names to watch were Aguirre and Campos for Sarzonia, Feltzer and Falcon for Xanneria. But ironically, given all hte hubbub surrounding the goal of the tournament competition, none of those players were able to score at all, and the game ended a zero-zero tie."

"Which means that if Reçueçn are able to defeat Atheara here, they'll take an early lead at the head of the group."

The commentary paused as the national anthems were sung, and soon enough the whistle was blown and the match began.

"Les licornes have won the coin flip so they'll be starting with the ball. A quick thrust to Saunders to start things off and it looks like Reçueçn is starting things the way they usually do, a bit of cautious passing well on their own side of the field while they probe their opponent to find their weaknesses."

"With a draw between the second and third seeds, Max, Atheara is probably happy to play for a draw against Reçueçn, so I'm sure they don't mind a slower-paced game."

"You may be right about that. But oh! Here we go! First real breakaway, and it's Franky coming flying down the field with just a couple defenders trying to keep up. This'll definitely be a scoring chance here... can he get it in?"

The "#GoalWatch!" banner scrolled across televisions around Reçueçn.

"No!" yelled Max.

"What a bungled shot!" cried Jean-Luc. "He had all the time in the world, there was no reason for him to hit the crossbar there, especially with the far post so wide open."

"That's a decent attempt a counter-attack from Atheara. Reçueçn has one of the best defenses in the Cup of Harmony, so if you can press them like that, you're doing your job right."

"There won't be many chances like that," said Jean-Luc, blissfully unaware of the dozens of youtube compilations that would go viral later that evening, all of which would begin with his quote to make him look an utter fool. "Atheara have done well to make the most of it this time, but we'll see if Reçueçn lets them get that close again."

It was about five minutes before Reçueçn let them get that close again. Once more it was on the counterattack. The "#GoalWatch" banner was still scrolling across the screen - it was Tegeler who had had the breakaway this time - when the Athearans came storming down the field themselves, swarming the Reçuecian defense and forcing a save from Firaut.

It was not long before it became clear that this was not one of the traditional defensive games les licornes were known for playing. It became an up-and-down the pitch shotfest, with both sides making numerous attempts. At one point just before halftime, due to a mistake by one of the TV crew, the "#GoalWatch" banner started scrolling past a second time before the first one had entirely disappeared. It was arguably accurate - Reçueçn had had two shots on goal back to back (both saved), but seeing "#GoalW#GaotchlWatch" was a comical sight. The announcers began to become a bit frustrated.

"With so many attempts from both sides, it's rather disappointing that neither has yet been able to find the back of the net."

"I agree, Jean-Luc. Mediocre football at best from the Reçuecians, and certainly disappointing for all those hoping for the goal of the tournament here to see so many close chances with none going in."

Just before the end of the game, a technical error meant that the "#GoalWatch" banner began to scroll past continuously (#GoalWatch#GoalWatch#GoalWatch#GoalWatch#GoalWatch) while the Reçuecians helplessly bounced shots off the crossbar, the posts, and each other. The commentators sat in silence, and as the whistle blew, the camera cut inside the announcers' booth to show them both with their heads in their hands.

"Hopefully we can do better against Xanneria and Sarzonia."

by **Krytenia** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:21 pm

Round of 32 Fixtures

In Krytenia:

Mytanija v TJUN-ia
Tickford Park, Ellisham

Sarzonia v Electrum
Knott Crescent, Tyfield

Savojarna v Vdara
County Ground, Dereapolis

Squornshelous v Abanhfleft
Bell Moor, Hastings

New Lusitania v Siovanija & Teusland
Brecklands, Linford

Zeta Reka & Hügeltaldom v Garbelia
Walton Gardens, Simpson

Busoga Islands v Murphtannia
ArenaWest, Aigburth

Flavovespia v Græntfjall
Abbey Road, Bradwell

In Græntfjall:

Oberour Ar Moro v Krytenia
Fjistjing Stadion, Hintersfjörður

Saltstead v Xanneria
VG Arena, Waltenberg

The Grearish Union v Huayramarca
Frei Stadion, Búðarberg

Eshialand v Eraman
PR-1070 Platz, Hartburg

San Ortelio v Darmen
Fjlarkfjall Arena, Þingsnitz

Zwangzug v St Trinians
Sanktjakobvöllur, Háttmark

Sargossa v Trolleborg
Kuodorf MSK Football Arena, Háttmark

Barunia v Pluvia and the Saxean Isles
Laxenvöllur, Kyrkdorf

Updated Wallchart

HOST PROCEDURAL NOTE: As both hosts finished second in their groups, and will be playing their knockout games in the "wrong" country, matches up to the semi-finals in Krytenia will be scorinated by Krytenia, and the corresponding matches in Græntfjall will be scorinated by Græntfjall.

by **Tumbra** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 9:55 pm

The Licentian Isles 2-0 Tumbra

Tumbra (4-3-3): 1 - Lennon, 2 - Hughes, 14 - Ashburn, 5 - Brown, 3 - White; 6 - Hicks, 8 - McGrath, 10 - Herlinger (23 - Cole, 61'); 17 - van Heirolf (7 - Fraser, 79'), 9 - Vaughn, 22 - Cohen (11 - Sheldon, 75')

SPORT: STRIKEOUT
Fallout From Cup of Harmony To See Hemmings Leave; Foreign Options To Be Considered For Black Eagles' Driving Seat

Tumbran NT manager Marco Hemmings, who resigned after being eliminated from the Cup of Harmony, in a press conference in Ellisham.

ELLISHAM — Marco Hemmings has announced his departure from the management of the Tumbran national team with immediate effect. The decision comes after the Licentian Isles' 2-0 victory over Tumbra in the second iteration of the Cyan-Black Derby, in which the Tumbran team was run ragged by a spirited Licentian team, desperate to not finish bottom of a highly competitive Group A, which, according to one commentator, "did not fit [his] image of a Cup of Harmony group", and was "an abomination to pit four highly competitive teams together like this."

Tributes have poured in to the manager's performance over the past two World Cup cycles, with the attacking-minded manager "making Tumbra fun to watch again", and also setting the stage for Tumbra's entrance into WCC-sanctioned competitions, with two "highly impressive cycles" under his belt. Under his charge, Tumbra managed to "pot-bust" twice, finishing fifth in their debut cycle as a tenth seed and, more recently, third as a sixth seed in his second cycle. Taking the team to two tournaments, Tumbra finished third as a fourth seed in the 79th Cup of Harmony; and made the Round of 16 in the 29th Campionato Esportiva.

It is understood that Hemmings had a large degree of control over how all levels of the Tumbran national team played, and had a major hand in Under-18 manager Toby Barton bringing female players to the U-18 World Cup; essentially sparking the revolution that would Tumbran football upside down.

Personal matters saw the typically joyous manager take a break for the second half of qualifying for the 88th World Cup cycle, which also coincided with the switch to a more defensive style of play under his assistant manager Peter Gabriel, who will now take charge of the team on an interim basis. Despite both Hemmings and Gabriel both flatly denying that his break was due to disappointing results in the first half of qualifying, media speculation continued, perhaps contributing to his decision to leave early.

The attacking-minded coach might have found it difficult to reconcile his attacking style of play with the newer, more defensive and pragmatic style that Tumbra adopted while he was away; the former Fraser Valley manager went winless in his brief, six-match second stint back as Tumbran manager. Hemmings' departure confirms that the defensive style of play is here to stay; making the attacking style brought to the team by the adventurous, tactically astute manager more a blip on the team's history in the grand scheme of things more than anything. Regardless, he leaves the job of manager a hero in Tumbran circles, and has indicated an interest in going overseas to continue his career.

The TFF, in a press statement, thanked Hemmings for his years of service at the helm of the national team, and have indicated that they are now searching for a new manager to bring the team forward into the 89th cycle and beyond. Several names have already been floated around; what follows is a primer to some of the candidates best-placed to take the job.

The Assistant: Peter Gabriel

Gabriel, 39, possibly has several advantages over the rest of the competition; the fact that he is Tumbran, the fact that he has experience in the national team setup and the fact that has managed the team before — albeit only for nine matches. The soft-spoken former defender has been asked previously about taking up the job full-time. He refused then, stating it was rude to speculate when his manager still had a job and was dealing with personal issues, but with the seat now vacant, he might be in play for the full-time job.

Gabriel, if given the job, is expected to continue with the 4-3-3 formation with a low defensive line; unlike Hemmings, who attempted to compromise his attacking style of play with the low line, Gabriel is expected to have zero qualms with sitting back and letting the defence soaking up attacks. With a formidable defensive pool in Tumbra; what with Harry Henderson, Ian Ashburn, Louis Paterson, as well as younger options who didn't make the squad in Wayne Forrest and Douglas Moore, and of course up-and-coming stars like Stephen Kerr, Wendy Pritchett, Thomas Krabb and so on, the defence probably has the clearest way forward in Tumbra's future development, and Gabriel certainly would have his spoil of players to pick from.

His inexperience, of course, in management might prove to be the sticking point for the TFF; despite boasting a 55% win rate in the nine matches that he took charge of, he has limited managerial experience outside of that. Another stint as assistant manager might prove fruitful for him as he shapes up to become a manager of Tumbra in the future; while certainly written in the stars, it might yet be too soon to make a concrete choice.

The Dreammaker: Yuan Zilai (Yuezhou)

The former Yuezhou coach is borne out of the same footballing mould as Hemmings, yet differs from him in many ways. Bringing Yuezhou to within a whisker of the World Cup 86 playoffs, finishing third as a ninth seed in a contentious group, the coach began the World Cup 87 cycle badly and was let go as a result. Other impressive results included a quarter-final finish in the Copa Rushmori 36. While in line to become the manager of AC Valanari, visa issues meant the manager was unable to take up the role, and he has been a free agent ever since.

Tactically astute, being a tactical tinkerer in the same mould as Hemmings, Yuan typically sets his team up with five defenders, though he might be persuaded to set the team up with four should he get the job. Possible sticking points include his man-management skills, with his handling of Yue star striker Wang Jiahui coming under criticism from the Yue media. It must be noted, however, that Yuezhou was in the throes of a civil war back then, and coming to a country less divided than the United Republics might be easier for him to manage. Yuan would provide an interesting choice should he be appointed; whether he can get Tumbra to the promised land of the World Cup might be another question.

The Young One: Raymond Cartwright (Tikariot)

Thirty-four years of age, Cartwright hails from Tikariot, and previously served as manager of the Avanaroch White Wings. While the side has now been relegated, his name brings to mind memories of when that defensively-solid side were interloping in the IFCF spots for a good amount of the Tikariot Premier League season, in a similar vein to that of Clyde Park back home. Injuries, however, led to him failing to capitalise on that season's success, and he was let go midway through its latest one.

Likely to set up in a five defender formation, the usage of proper wingbacks would be good news for players like Marcus Bradley, who has made an entire career out of being an offensive-minded wingback. Cartwright, however, has also expressed his preference for winning 1-0 rather than 4-3, which puts him as the direct opposite to the other Tikariotian manager in Tumbra, Danny Haverhead.

At just thirty-four years of age, many will ask questions about Cartwright's experience and ability to hold on when things go south; no doubt he will be the left-field choice when the TFF considers their choice for the next manager.

Singling out three managers is by no way an indicator that these three are the favourites; these are merely names that have been floating around, and the TFF have indicated that they are taking applications from around the world. In a perhaps humorously worded press statement, they so far have indicated their preference for a manager with a bit more experience than winning the treble with Cortlandt United on IFCF Manager 7; much to the dismay of armchair managers worldwide.

Tumbra will return in the thirtieth edition of the Campionato Esportiva.

by **Eshialand** » Mon Jun 14, 2021 10:22 pm

Um... what?
Eshialand 3-1 Kandorith

Here it was, your final match of the Cup of Harmony.

Barring divine intervention in the form of a victory over Kandorith, this was it. After today, you'd be going back to Eshialand, and it'd be two months before the team would be back together again. This was going to be the Owls' last hurrah.

The whistle blew, and the match began. Your last 90 minutes of Cycle 88 had just begun.

The match didn't get out to the greatest start in the multiverse, as, in the 14th minute, Lucas lost the ball to Kenji Ishida. Ishida passed it to Harumi Hamada, then Hamada to Yoburo Yoshida, who scored it easily. Alex was no match for Yoshida's shot.

Okay, so it was 0-1. Every sign out there pointed to that being it. That Eshialand wasn't going to score. That it was all going to end right here and right now, with Eshialand washing out in the group stage. Hey, it was a good run, but it just didn't seem like the right time for it all to end.

You glance over at Jake, and you realize that, if Eshialand lost and boarded the next flight home, you weren't ready to tell Jake how you felt. You weren't ready for this all to end, and even if just one more match would help, you would have to make it your personal mission to ensure that one more match would be played. Just one more, and you could tell him. You could set everything straight, and go home without regrets.

Sadly, the Lotus Warriors weren't giving you much of a chance to prolong the Owls' tournament. They were playing a shutdown defense, and you simply couldn't get the ball into scoring position. How could this possibly happen?

The first half ended on that 0-1 score, and you kept thinking to yourself how much you'd regret losing the next match. Ya know, it's kinda funny how, when you started your first match, that famous "El Recentico", you were playing to prove yourself a worthy substitute for Jake... now you were playing so you could profess your feelings to him.

In the 53rd minute, things started turning around for the Owls, as Avery stole the ball from Kai Takai and passed it to Alyssa, who scored the tying goal against Michinori Tamatsuki. You let out an excited holler, but quickly remind yourself of the truth of the situation. A draw simply wouldn't be enough. Sure, it might be good enough for third, but that's it. Third. Not enough to keep it going... you'd need a win, and you had 37 minutes plus stoppage time to make that happen.

In the 71st minute, you started building up your courage for the inevitable truth... it would all be over tonight. You started rehearsing what you were going to tell Jake, and preparing for the fallout when it turned out that he didn't like you back...

"ALICE!!"

Wait, what? Was that...

"ALICE!! I'M PASSING YOU THE BALL!! LOOK AT ME!!!"

...Jake?

"I'M NOT GONNA BE OPEN FOREVER!!!"

You turn around, and there he is, getting ready to pass you the ball... you signal that you're ready, and he passes... Mori Takayama almost took the ball from him, but it got to you instead. You turn around to look at the goal, staring down Tamatsuki. You gear up for one shot, thinking about everything that's been going through your mind... you shoot the ball, and time stops.

It simply stops, as it tends to do in those pivotal moments, everything hinging on whether the ball goes in. You watch as the ball flies toward the top-left corner of the net, and Tamatsuki jumps for it... but can't save it. The score goes to 2-1 for Eshialand.

Now, instead of being 19 minutes from the hardest moment this year, you were 19 minutes away from one of the greatest achievements in Eshian history, thanks to what some have called the #goalofthetournament.

But wait, there's more. In the 89th minute, right before the match was about to end, right before Eshialand was set to advance to the Round of 32 against all odds, another goal was scored... to make it 3-1! Lucas scored an amazing goal off of a pass from David to seal the deal once and for all.

As the match ends, you simply collapse. It wasn't over yet. The Owls still had one more match in them.

In that moment, you promise yourself that you'll be ready to tell Jake the truth after Eshialand's next match, no matter what. No more excuses.

Eshialand - 3 (Longfield 53', Carroll 71', Meilling 89')
Kandorith - 1 (Yoshida 14')

"In this envelope, I have the result of North Japan vs. Abanhfleft."

It had been a few hours since the big win, and the team was gathered in Coach's hotel room for a team meeting. Usually, team meetings like this would take place on the plane, but this was a bit different... after all, the team didn't even know where they were going yet.

"I haven't looked at this result yet, but I have seen the rest of them, and I can tell you this: if Abanhfleft beat North Japan, that means we finished second and we'll be playing Squornshelous in Hastings, Krytenia."

Jake: "So we'll finally be out of this frozen wasteland?"

"...but if North Japan got any result at all, that means that we actually won the group and we'll be going to Hartburg, Græntfjall to play Eraman, one of only two other Pot 4 teams in the knockouts."

George: "So? How did it go?"
You: "Yeah, tell us!"

"And the final result is..." Coach tears open the envelope, "North Japan 1, Abanhfleft... 0?"

Jake: "Are you sure that's the official score and not something the North Japanese propaganda factory cooked up?"
Coach: "Nope, that's the real score!"
Lucas: "The Man from Markovsky won't be happy about that!"
Sarah: "Even I might read Gaelic Gamers for that reaction..."

So, your next opponents would be another Pot 4 team just like you... maybe getting to the Round of 16 might not be the most ridiculous prospect after all.

"Hello and welcome back to ENN Tournament Report, where we're still standing! Don't ask me how though. I'm your host Josh Seametzle, here to bring you the scores and my reactions to Cup of Harmony matchday 3. Let's not waste any more time!

Eshialand 3-1 Kandorith
"If you've seen a picture of a flabbergasted Karsten Rhodes trending on twii.tur lately, this is why! To the Round of 32!"

North Japan 1-0 Abanhfleft
"And thanks to North Japan's Grade A spoiling, we even finish first by some weird fluke... I'll take it."

Atheara 4-7 Xanneria
"First off, I can't believe that the score got this high with an extremely defensive team like Atheara on the pitch, but at least they got eliminated in style! Sadly, elimination is still elimination..."

Reçueçn 0-1 Sarzonia
"Reçueçn got eliminated? Uh... huh?"

Baggieland 4-1 Barunia
"While Baggieland may have been able to stop Barunia from getting a perfect group stage, it was too late: this result doesn't matter at all."

Bollonich 0-2 Græntfjall
"And with this, Bollonich is eliminated, leaving only two debutant teams left in the Cup of Harmony: Eshialand and St. Trinian's."

"While seeing Atheara and Bollonich get eliminated may be a massive disappointment, we still have one team left out of the ones we've been cheering for... they'll be squaring off against Eraman in the Round of 32, so until then, this has been Tournament Report and I've been Josh Seametzle!"

by **TJUN-ia** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:16 am

By Peter Davis

After an anti-climactic 0-0 draw against our new rival in Oberour Ar Moro, TJUN-ia's fate at the 80th Cup of Harmony would have to be decided on the final day of group play once again. It has become a little bit of tradition in recent times on a day full of them, but the Co-Managers of TJUN-ia were certainly looking to keep the tradition of knockouts football alive as we took on Montana Verde at the Frei Stadion. The Condors were the only other team that could deny us knockouts football at the final hurdle, and no one wanted that to happen again here in Búðarberg.

This game would be a tight affair, as expected, with both the Co-Managers and Enriqueta sending their best sides out there in order to try and get the all-important win, but TJUN-ia had another tradition up their sleeves that helped in their quest for qualification: their title as "Draw Masters", which they claimed many moons ago with disdain but can be useful in situations like this. Thus, after Osito opened the scoring for our opponents in the 34th, Joe Green hit back hard with a nice long shot from outside the box in the 38th. The rest of the match was tight, but no other breakthrough was made - which was good for us. OAM may have won this group, but we would qualify with them after all.

With that done, we will now face the winners of Group A in Krytenia in the form of...Mytanija, who beat the co-hosts to the top spot in the group on GD alone. They play a more defensive style than us and will certainly be formidable opponents for us as we hope for a deep run this time around. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group I, Games in Graintfjall)
MD1: vs Indusse - Grand National Arena, Háttmark W 2-0 (2nd)
MD2: vs Oberour Ar Moro - Hartburg New Park (New Skoðarhüb), Hartburg D 0-0 (2nd)
MD3: vs Montana Verde - Frei Stadion, Búðarberg D 1-1 (2nd/W1-D2-L0/5pts/+2GD)
------------------------------------------------------
Ro32: vs Mtyanija - Tickford Park, Ellisham, Krytenia

by **Sarzonia** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 10:03 am

The match between Sarzonia and Reçueçn was not going to be an easy one by any stretch of the imagination.

The teams entered the night with first place in Group B in Cup of Harmony play still up for grabs. The second position in the knockout rounds was also in question as Xanneria and Atheara battled in the other tie. Meanwhile, the Stars felt as though they'd gotten off the schneid with a victory that put them in the odd position of top of the table despite having scored only two goals.

Things were only about to get even stranger yet. Sarzonia defeated Reçueçn 1-0 behind a 87th minute goal from striker Jake Campos that saw him utilise a spectactular bicycle kick goal that merits its own description in a completely separate article (sidebar piece, anyone?). The Stars were through as champions of Group B with a 2-1-0 record in spite of a mere three goals scored on the strength of a stingy defence that saw starting goalkeeper Carlton Sandt scarcely tested throughout. It saw interim manager Nathan Hanifer make a strong case for the permanent full-time position even though his version of the more attack-oriented offence former manager Nicola Mentes wanted didn't quite resemble what he'd hoped for.

In any event, Sarzonia merely had to drive the short trip to Tyfield for their Round of 32 matchup against Electrum, which will have to find a place to put their thermals after they finished as Group J runners up. They missed a chance to host the Group B runners up after a 1-1 draw against Saltstead that gave the latter team the crown. That team will face Xanneria after they scored a whopping seven goals in a 7-4 barnburner over Atheara that eliminated Reçueçn from the second knockout position. That Maroons victory stunned Sandt, who noted how difficult it was for both them and the Stars to score in the Cup of Harmony opener for both teams.

"It's crazy to see a team that was struggling to score like [Xanneria] were put up seven goals against such a defence-minded side," Sandt said. "That's football, I guess."

Sarzonia looked for all the world like they would advance as group winners with another frustrating goalless draw until Holly Cambrio, subbing for midfielder Brady Reynolds, won a clear attempt from attacking midfielder Harold Saunders and fired to substitute striker Mek'hi West. He trapped the ball and drew three defenders to him before firing a cross toward goal. He cringed momentarily, as he'd struck the ball ever so slightly off from where he'd intended, but that was no bother for Campos. The young striker used the opening West provided, lept up, flipped over, and struck the ball with his off left boot and cheekily sailed it just over the outstretched glove of Les Licornes goalie Gerauld Firaut and into the back of the net. The goal proved cathartic, both for the spectacular way Campos scored his goalofthetournament candidate tally, but for the meaning of that marker. It would push Sarzonia through as Group B champions, allowing them to stay in essentially the same location and in the same climate. It knocked Les Licornes out of the tournament when they'd simply needed a single point to ensure passage to Græntfjall. It gave Hanifer a major talking point in his favour for staying on as Sarzonia manager, one he emphasised during his Zoom interview with the Incorporated Football Federation Board of Governors.

Sarzonia were through as group winners, obviously, but what about the rest of the Cup of Harmony knockout round field? Only one team (Garbelia, Group N runners up at 2-0-1 with two goals scored and three conceded) scored fewer goals among the field of 32 teams playing win-or-go-home matches. The other teams who scored as few as three goals in the competition: TJUN-ia (one conceded; Group I runners up with a 1-2-0 record); Vdara (four goals allowed; Group K runners up with a 1-2-0 mark); Murphtannia (four goals allowed; Group O runners up with a 1-0-2 record); Eraman (three goals coughed up; Group D runners up with a 2-0-1 record) and Trolleborg (one goal against; Group G runners up with a 2-0-1 record).

Thus, Sarzonia were in an unusual position as the punchless group winners squaring off against Electrum, which are bringing their 1-1-1 mark with seven goals scored and six tallys against to Tyfield. Hanifer said the lack of scoring didn't bother him.

"We're not interested in style points," he said, although he described Campos's goal as "a thing of beauty." "We only want to win, and we don't care when or how."

by **The Licentian Isles** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:27 am

I didn’t know what to do. It hadn’t been 40 years, it had been 150.

As morbid as it sounds, I had prepared myself for the idea that, with the time shift that had seemingly happened, there would be people that I cared about who I would never see again. If it had been that long though, then my brother Ally would be gone too. My twin, who I hadn’t been separated from until my move to Apox mere months ago in my timeline. There was no way I would be able to see him again.

I broke down in tears. I had felt so hopeful, so optimistic, that things would be as normal now as they could have been, but this had taken my legs out from under me. He, realistically, certainly, was dead, and there was nothing that I could do about that.

The Professor offered to hire a car to drive me to the area I grew up in. Maybe this paper was wrong, maybe it was a strange side effect of the time shift: she kept coming up with alternatives that weren’t the worst case scenario. I went with her, but I knew that this awful, awful situation was the most likely in this moment. I no longer wanted to give myself hope when it could all be torn from under me.

It didn’t take long to reach Glenmount, where my brother had lived just before the incident that had separated the Licentian Isles from the rest of the multiverse. Nothing was a long journey here, but it felt like hours, like we were driving through jelly. In my own head, I was playing out worst case scenarios, even though very little could be worse than what was directly in front of me.

Eventually, we reached the town that Ally had called home after leaving Mossybank, where our parents lived. Glenmount is the second biggest settlement in Abingdon Parish, but it’s not exactly a booming metropolis, so it wasn’t hard for me to recall how to get to the building that Ally lived in. Eventually, the Professor pulled over in front of what was, it seemed, now an office building. Things had passed so far that even the building had been torn down. This did not reassure me, and I continued to think on how much I missed him, and our friendship, and his unwavering support.

I suggested to the Professor that we drive to Mossybank. I knew that, if 150 years had truly passed and Ally was gone, then he would be buried there. He was always a homebody, who was happy staying close to home, a polar opposite to me. I couldn’t imagine what he had done in the time that the Isles had been isolated. He would have worried, but he would have felt helpless against whatever power was interfering in all of this. I couldn’t imagine that he would have felt able to do something about this.

In what felt like a lifetime, but I knew was only about twenty minutes, we were in Mossybank, the tiny village that, in reality, had driven me to travel the world. Maybe I should have stayed, I thought; would things be different if I had? At least I would have been with my family as everything happened.

There was only one place that my family would be: the cemetery not far from the village green. I asked the Professor to come with me, maybe from a distance, as I think I needed some sort of human company in that moment. I walked around, looking for any sign of Ally or my parents, until I saw the grave marker that I had most feared.

Alasdair Muir
Son of Patrick and Angela
Brother of Mhairi

He searched until his last

I didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t matter. This was all the confirmation I needed that 150 years really had gone by in my homeland. I cried silently. I think all of my emotional noise, the frustration and anger and upset, had already been expended since first seeing the date on that newspaper.

I thought for a moment, and realised that I could probably find out what happened to him if I searched through the local house of records. They kept details on everyone from the village, as if it was still hundreds of years ago when nobody went further than Abingdon. He had searched, whatever that meant, so I would too.

It took time. After a week and a half, I had turned up all the information on my family that I could find in Mossybank.

My parents had passed away not long after each other, about two years after I’d last seen them. They had seemingly always struggled after both their kids flew the nest, with one seemingly never to return from Apox. My own file was a rather morbid read, as it had been written as if I was dead and gone; after all, how could they know that I wasn’t? The phrasing used was “lost to the split”, which, according to the old, doddery archivist Tom, had come to be used to describe the thousands of Licentians who were away from the Isles at the moment that this land was isolated.

It was my brother’s file that surprised me most, however, as it was a weighty tome filled with all the information that existed from his life after the Isles disappeared. As it turned out, Ally had done a lot of work in the years after the split. He had founded an advocacy group for those that had lost loved ones when the split occurred, inspired by all the pain and frustration he went through trying to get answers when searching for me. He’d named it after something that had come to him in a dream, which really suited him, being the day dreamer that he was. He worked hard to try and find answers for the rest of his years, before he passed away never knowing what had truly happened to me and all the others who had been lost.

As I left the house of records on my tenth day of searching, I was met by the Professor and the Captain. They had both remained, searching for the answers that they were looking for in all this. The Captain walked over, with a purpose, which worried me.

“I’ve worked something out lass.” I raised an eyebrow, unsure what he meant. “I know the big thing you’re missing is your brother. I’ve managed to pull some strings, and figure something out. I can get you back to him.” I couldn’t believe what he was saying: was this really true? “It’ll only be right at the end for him, and you won’t have long, but hopefully it’ll help something for you.”

So we did.

After an even more bouncy trip than usual on the Tam o’Chanser, I found myself at a house I didn’t recognise. It seemed to be somewhere in Abingdon, in a fairly posh neighbourhood. Surely my brother hadn’t ended up here?

The door was ajar, so despite myself, I walked in. It was well-decorated, with paintings on the wall, and a number of awards dedicated to Ally’s advocacy. I followed the sound of heavy breathing from one corner of the house, and found myself in a bedroom, with my aged brother laying on the bed.

“Fucking hell bro.” I said, holding back tears. “Look at how much you’ve done without me.” He looked up towards me, a mix of shock and joy in his eyes.

“Mhairi?” He coughed, trying to stand up from his bed.

“Hey hey, sit down,” I said, running over to guide him back down, “surely I’m the one who shouldn’t be recognising you right now!” I chuckled through my tears, as I finally set eyes on my brother for the first time in a long time.

I sat by his bedside, and we reminisced. I told him about the journey I’d been on, and everything that I understood of what exactly had happened to the Isles, which granted wasn’t all that much. He told me about Grow, and about all the work he’d done and people he’d helped through the years. He looked like he’d worked hard through those years, and I could tell that he was proud, as he spoke with a twinkle in his eye.

“You know what Ally,” I said, as I could tell he was losing his strength, “I am so fucking proud of you. You have done so much with such a difficult situation, and I hope you know just how bloody amazing you are.” He chuckled, seemingly surprised at this turn.

“I don’t think I did too bad.” He sighed heavily. “I’m just happy that I got to see you again Mhairi. I can go happy now.”

And he did go, peacefully, holding the hand of a sister that for years he never believed he would see again. I sat there for a little while, with tears in my eyes, just holding him, and being grateful that I had had one last chance to see him, and to tell him just how amazing a brother he really was one last time.

by **Zwangzug** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:34 pm

The Spenson Star

*Hans "Not That One" Larsson, who plays in Altendalur, reaffirmed his support for the local Left-Slate candidate after the party endorsed the shrew faction in Rauðurveggur. "Economic power must derive from the democratic association of laborers," said Larsson, "and the Guosim, while occasionally contentious, represent the union ideal. Plus their longboats are balling." Despite the visit from Lutri Ottodottir's Garbelia, none of the Græntfjall parties have weighted in on the leadership authority of the Skipper of Otters.

*Playing at the home of the "Chessmen" certainly didn't hurt Zwangzug; while the fans were tepid, at least the monochromatic aesthetics were neat. Junia McCue opened the scoring on sixteen minutes, off a pass from Akhil Sibal. Marge Findus was booked for a foul on Corey Richardson, and Ottodottir chose to substitute her out for Lutro Ludovitch, with Garbelia's place in the second round already secure. In minute 39, a Gordon Blum header doubled the lead, and Nora Kent-Maner would add a buffer in minute 72. Garbelia had a chance early in the second half, but the youngster Otto Otter kept possession rather than pass to the open Arthur Goodotter, and Lissa Crain had time to make a clearance. Winning the group means that Zwangzug will get to stay in frigid Græntfjall for the remainder of their participation in this tournament, save if they should happen to make the final, which will be in Emberton, Krytenia.

*In the World Cup proper, the Turori Eels defeated the Newmanistan Rockets to continue their undefeated streak; Turori will face hosts Chromatika in the round of sixteen. Thanks to South Newlandian researchers, we can say that Meldi'ita Mungwaii of Arlington City was the only 1./ representative at the World Cup, although it is the seventh-strongest association according to IFCF. (Can we count Kirk McDonagh as a 1./ alumnus?)

Then again, Zwangzug entered the cycle as merely the 21st-strongest national team, and are now approximately 37th (according to the crack data crunchers in Poafmersia, they could finish anywhere from 23rd to 46th in the KPBs). As our friends in Aguazul--sorry, it's "Shell Shock Troop Clan" now, would say, Zwangzug have gone from one extreme to the other under the Lopez Principle. While once we may have been a ragtag bunch of folksy misfits without a league to our name, now our franchise system rakes in the checks but the national team lacks the personality or Narrative to succeed against the odds, maybe because the odds should have been in their favor so the only thing they can do is fail against the odds.

Just to check, I called up a friend in Shell Shock Troop Clan. Her response, and I quote: "jajajajaja you cowards are so insecure you won't even enter a chess tournament, what the bleep is wrong with you." So that happened.

*Looking ahead, do we have any way to counter the violent tactics St Trinians are likely to employ? None of these players are particularly aggressive, although I could see Jesse McWhorter talking smack about the dangers of matriarchal extremism.

That being said, maybe this could be an opportunity for Simon Gannett or even Helen Pimbura to rise to the occasion; Canbix Muses, after all, see more than their share of female players and bookings. But again, neither are all that confrontational. Gannett tries, not always successfully, to take the high road at back (aided by his literal height). Pimbura, "the snake," is content to laze by the posts before suffocating a shot.

Who knows, maybe we'll be in our (cold and snowy) element and able to play our own game. But it's never a bad idea to plan for fouls, professional and otherwise.

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Tue Jun 15, 2021 6:15 pm

The Cold Doesn't Bother Oberour Ar Moro Anyway
By Jildas de la Taille

Oberour Ar Moro ran rampant and won a monumental victory in Folte to decisively qualify for the Cup of Harmony's Round of 32. The Dragoon's 5-0 win over Indusse was the continuation of an impressive start in the Cup.

Eneour Pique-Pain scored off a corner kick in the ninth minute to uncork the goals and Taran Bele scored his fourth goal of the tournament in the 28th minute. The offense piled on the pressure in the second half, with Iudicael Breut going it alone to score in the 48th minute. Bele completed his brace in the 66th minute, and his substitute Nycollas Mauranghas earned his own goal in the 79th minute to complete the fireworks.

With the win, Oberour Ar Moro finished first in Group I, and booked a Round of 32 meeting with Cup of Harmony co-hosts Krytenia in Hintersfjörður. The Dragons are trading in the Krytenian sun for the Græntfjall snow after finishing second in Group A with a 1-2-0 record.

Krytenia are a previous Cup of Harmony champion, and boast a 2-0-0 all-time record against Oberour Ar Moro. But the Krytenians surely can't be looking forward to facing against a side in such good form. Only Xanneria with 10 goals scored and Legalese with 11 were as prolific at offense in the Cup, while only Sarzonia and the Busoga Islands matched the Oberours defensive record. A +10 goal differential paced well past San Ortelio’s +6 for best in the Cup.

Laurens Desainctvictori has been steadfast in front of goal, Taran Bele is putting on a goal-scoring clinic, and the whole team seems to be running in top gear. The only hiccup was the nil-nil draw against TJUN-ia.

So we all look onward to a Dragon/Dragoon match-up.

World Cup 88 Qualification Schedule
WIN | DRAW | LOSS

MD01: Montaña Verde 0 – 5 Oberour ar Moro
MD02: Oberour Ar Moro 0 - 0 TJUN-ia
MD03: Indusse 0 - 5 Oberour Ar Moro
Round of 32: Oberour Ar Moro (2-1-0) v. Krytenia (1-2-0); Fjistjing Stadion, Hintersfjörður

by **San Ortelio** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 1:43 am

Fredrik Dulling looked across the ocean. To the untrained eye, there was a darkness which had swallowed the oil tanker whole, making navigation on sight impossible. An oppressive feeling would have captured many, but as Fredrik had seen more days at sea than on shore in the last decade, the silhouettes of the waves and the dull twilight of the stormy clouds felt all too familiar. His passport was still rubberstamped as Buyanese but since the republic fell apart, the oceans were his homeland. Being in this relentless environment, year in, year out, had only made him more of an introvert. Those under his command claimed they hadn’t seen an emotion on him yet, apart from anger over their lack of skill.

People would have romantic images of a captain and his crew, his sturdy and loyal mates who stood by him through the good days and the bad. In reality, none of those on board had stuck with him for the whole ride – with a few he could barely communicate. In every port, he recruited some fresh meat and the price usually formed the sole criterium. As the waves smashed against the sides of the ship, a slow, rickety, deprecated and quite possibly leaking tanker, most of his crew was hiding below deck. In circumstances like this, the more experienced ones tried to get some shuteye, the newcomers drowned their sorrows in liquor or canalized their fears with their eyes wide open, struggling to keep the contents of their stomach down.

A particularly rowdy wave smashed over the deck, ropes were going places and Dulling knew that this would only get worse – he needed a deckhand. And quick. Fredrik made his way downstairs into the cramped area for the sailors, cursing the day he got this lot under his command. Eyeing the room, it was hard to find one who answered all key criteria: capable to stay upright – being it from the alcohol or the waves – and capable to understand proper commands. In the end, the greenhorn he had picked up at his point of departure would do, a young man under whose scruffy appearance hid an athletic body. Throughout the voyage, he had barely spoken – which was a plus to Fredrik – and executed all commands – an additional plus. But he mainly was on board because he insisted he’ld do it for free, meaning that Dulling could put him on the roll as an employee, but scrounge his loan from the freight company.

Isolated from the group that gambled an unclear card game and drank some sort of spirit with a higher alcohol percentage than price, his target was set next to a transistor radio. ”And it’s another attack from the Goldhorns, they want to put an end to this game, they’re searching for the two-nil. Lukas Tauscher waltzing into the box again, preying on his second of the evening… A shot! Lanzaf- no, it goes wide. Enrico Lanzafame was beaten but th-“

“Dennis! Get your ass up!” Dulling barked.
“It’s… It’s the game and…”

Dulling barely knew that Dennis had a voice – let alone that he would talk back like that. As such, the captain was stunned for a second himself and turned back to him. The remainder of the crew, aware that something was afoot, stopped their game and turned towards them.

“Football fan, huh,” Dulling inquired. He said it in his deep, low voice, the one that made it impossible to tell whether it was a fatherly question or the last warning before he would toss Dennis off board. Or maybe it was both.
“Yeah, I’m…” Dennis hesitated, feeling the eyes on him, “I’m there in a second.”
“Good. Don’t worry, we’ve got some nets as well.”

As the crew turned back again in disappointment – a bit of a fight would have been a welcome relief in this dull trip – Dennis quickly followed Dulling, halting him before taking the last steps on deck.

“Captain, ehm… If I’m allowed… I’ve got a small request.”

Dulling didn’t answer or watch, but as he stopped his stride, Dennis could continue.

“I know our destination is Hattmark but… Well… Is there any chance we could take a short stop in Altendalur? It’s a major port as well and on our route so…”

Fredrik looked him up and down.

“Well, this is a cruise ship visiting the whaling ports of Pavola, so what do you think, Dennis?”
“Possibl-“
“No way. We’re paid to go to Hattmark and that’s where we’re going – now get to work!”

It had been far worse than Dulling had anticipated. All night, waves had smashed the deck, making navigation through the tricky Komodo Channel a harrowing task. But even if the water soaked one over and over again, he had kept on board, keeping an eye on any potential disaster. All of his crew had hidden below deck, acting as if they couldn’t hear the commands from their detested captain over the howling of the storm. Only he had kept it afloat.

He and Dennis.

Whilst Dulling had sheltered in the cabin every once and a while, Dennis had been all over the place – securing things, keeping equipment from soaking, tying together what the might of the storm had tore apart. What made it all the more remarkable was that he did this… Equipped particularly. With a roll of scotch tape, Dennis had secured the transistor radio to his right ear, making him look as someone with a particularly painful tooth problem. But it kept his hands available, so Fredrik decided not to talk against it.

As the first ray of sunlight peaked through the clouds, it seemed as if the gods decided it had been enough: the storm stopped raging and bit by bit, the tanker levelled and resumed its slow trek to the Rushmori shores. They both looked exhausted, the salty water having made wrinkles in their skin and the lack of sleep visible in the bloodshot white of their eyes.

“Permission to rest below deck, sir,” Dennis asked with a tired voice.
“What did it end?”
“Sorry?”
“The game.”
“Oh – one to one, sir. Diego Buglia pushed it across the line in the last few minutes, so…”

Dulling nodded, looking through Dennis. Little did his conversation partner know that he barely had heard the answer as his mind wandered back to his heydays, his glorious time in the yellow-and-blue shirt of Bengtsmark IF – a name that probably wouldn’t mean a thing anymore to someone the age of his deckhand.

“Why do you need to be in Altendalur?”
“Well… I actually need to be in Þingsnitz but the port there is too small. It’s where the next round is played and where I can hopefully find-“

Dulling waved away the rest of the story – the less heard, the better: there would be fewer chance he would change his mind.

“I can’t stop there – it’s just not viable. But I’ll let down the small safety sloop for you once we approach the Bay of Blood. From there you’ll have to make it on your own but I’ll make sure you get some provisions for the last stretch.”
“You… Thank you, sir, but don’t you need the safety sloop?”
“There’s not a lot on board worth saving left,” Dulling replied abruptly, “and oh, you’ll get your pay for the past few days.”
“Don’t worry, sir, I’ve said I’ld do it for free, just for the voyage and…”
“Nonsense. Get some clean clothes, a shower and get a bloody haircut, you look marooned. They’ll never let you in like this.”
“Thank you, sir, but… Why?”
“That’s none of your business,” Fredrik said, but he could not hide a grin on his face that beamed through like that one ray of sunlight after the seemingly endless night.

by **Mytanija** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 5:11 am

EIGHT IN EMBERTON
BREATHLESS MATCH ENDS IN A DRAW, MYTANIJA THROUGH TO FACE TJUN-IA

by Nevenka Planinc

MYTANIJA 4-4 KRYTENIA
MYT: Ocokoljic 5’, 29’; Anac 47’, Hrdaljko 67’
KRY: Belmwr 11’, 14’; Sunday 54’, Snelders 61’

MYT: 1. Kasun; 2. Vukovic, 3. Savicevic, 4. Anac, 5. P. Odonelec; 6. Hrdaljko, 10. J. Odonelec (c), 7. Fejzuli (sub. Brkljacic 71’); 8. Gavrilovic (sub. Racic 68’), 9. Ocokoljic, 11. Gajic (sub. Andrijasevic 71’)

KRY: 1. Wilson; 2. Bellamy, 6. Sinton (sub. Rivers 80’), 5. Okano (c), 3. Cameronesi; 4. Selhurst, 7. Snelders, 8. Reeder (sub. Asprilla 68’); 11. Montalban (sub. Sunday 52’), 10. Smith; 9. Belmwr

Everybody who went to the game at Isserson Olympic Stadium got their money’s worth from their ticket, with a game with eight goals and plenty of fine attacking play. Both sets of supporters went home happy too, the end result being enough to ensure that both Mytanija and Krytenia would qualify through to the knockout stages of the Cup of Harmony. The hosts may have been ever so slightly miffed that they didn’t manage to secure all three points though, a point means that they will lose home advantage for the knockout stages after finishing 2nd in Group A. Mytanija will continue on in Krytenia and receive an onerous knockout tie as reward for topping the group, against TJUN-ia in Ellisham. At least Tickford Park has become familiar to the Mytanar team, even if it might have been a more difficult tie than they would have wanted after doing the hard work of topping one of the tournament’s tougher groups. Lev Repin refused to complain once the draw for the knockout stages was finalised: “They’re all tough games once you get out of the group. I know that having played in the Cup of Harmony as a player. There’s a lot of teams which are disappointed about not reaching the World Cup and they see winning this as the only thing that would make up for that failure, so everybody is trying their utmost to perform and it makes every game extremely hard.”

During the opening stages it appeared as if both number nines on the pitch had a mission to outdo one another, Jezdimir Ocokoljic and Alun Belmwr are both fine forwards and whilst their mother tongues may be very different they both are fluent in their secondary language of goals. Ocokoljic got this high-scoring affair underway with a beautifully well-taken finish after good work down the right from Kemal Gajic. Repin had resisted calls to change the team’s standard 4-3-3/3-1-3-3 formation to something more ‘defensively responsible’ and it seemed to pay off in the team’s attacking play, even if the defensive work did leave a lot to be desired. Gajic had fired a warning shot less than a couple of minutes into the game and then he turned provider for Ocokoljic, taking the ball past Bellamy before whipping a cross into the near-post and the Energija Chernovets man did the rest, turning the ball past Wilson with a fine right-footed strike. Belmwr wasn’t to be outdone however and shot back a few minutes later with a long-range scorcher of his own and a mere three minutes later he had turned the game on its head, heading in from a Reeder cross after nipping in between Anac and Savicevic. 2-1 to the Krytenians and the stadium was rocking.

Mytanija did well to come through the next fifteen minutes, with the home crowd roaring their team forward and the Hoops defence looking a bit ragged. Mytanar attacks were reduced to long balls forward with the faint hope of a counter-attacking move, a far cry from their usual fluid passing game. That can matter little when you have a striker as clinical as Jezdimir Ocokoljic though and in the 29th minute one of those hopeful counters bore fruit, with Pedja Kasun hurriedly rolling the ball out to Jasno Odonelec after a scramble in the Mytanar penalty area and Odonelec turning and moving forward at speed. Haste was required following a Krytenia attack which had committed bodies forward and left them a little light defensively. Odonelec then played a searching through ball over the head of the right-back Cameronesi and Brajko Gavrilovic used those long legs of his to stride away. Gavrilovic only had Ocokoljic in the middle and his cross was poor, but a slip from the unfortunate Joey Sinton allowed the ball to dribble through to the striker. Ocokoljic calmly collected it and then stroked the ball beyond Wilson to equalise.

The game went into a bit of a lull following the equaliser, both teams appearing as if they had blown themselves out a little with a breathless first half an hour of play. Ocokoljic and Belmwr had done their best to give their teams an advantage and then some less than brilliant defending had undone their good work. Some people say being a striker is the easiest job on the pitch, just converting the chances for the rest of the team and not having to the less appealing work. Strikers will always say scoring goals is the most difficult part of the game. Both number nines had a case that they had done their bit and their teams had let them down a little. Following half-time Repin resisted the urge to change shape, Reeder had got the assist for Belmwr’s second but Krytenia hadn’t had that much joy down the flanks. Their wide midfielders had been fairly responsible in tracking back, likely in the knowledge that a failure to do so could give Mytanija midfield superiority. This pattern continued for the second-half, even if that nod towards defensive responsibilities didn’t prevent the goals from continuing to flow.

A couple of minutes into the second period Mytanija won a free-kick near the left sideline and Tahir Fejzuli trotted out to take it. The left footer’s delivery is renowned for being very difficult to defend against, that sort of out-swinging cross which ends up between the penalty spot and six-yard box for his team to run onto. Fejzuli did this, his usual delivery and Krytenia couldn’t defend against it. Mojmir Anac charged in and powered the ball beyond Wilson with a fierce header before sprinting over to the corner flag and sliding on his knees in front of the Mytanar contingent celebrating there. It was a fantastic set-piece, the sort of thing which is invaluable in tournament football and it had Mytanija back ahead at 3-2. Krytenia were not going to lie down without a fight however and that goal heralded the introduction of CSKA Quebec striker Curtis Sunday for the ineffective youngster Montalban. A mere two minutes after his introduction – and with what was only his second touch of the ball – Sunday rewarded manager Paul Davis for his faith in him with a goal. Belmwr was once again at the heart of it, causing Savicevic and Anac to slip and slide in anticipation of incoming shots before calmly teeing Sunday up when he had sat them both down. Sunday had the easiest of finishes and coolly slotted it past Kasun who was irate with his defenders for taking Belmwr’s bait so easily.

Krytenia were in the ascendancy once again and the pressure was cranked up another few notches, with their possession increasingly gaining territory and pinning the Mytanar defence and midfield back. It’s certainly difficult to create overloads in this situation, but it can also create an air of inevitability about when you eventually do score as the opponent sits deeper and deeper. Max Snelders has enjoyed a decent tournament, scoring against Tumbra and he grabbed himself another here. It was a second goal from outside the penalty area for the Krytenians, with Snelders receiving a cut-back to the edge of the box from substitute Asprilla before hitting a side-footed effort past Kasun. It was technically perfect, even if there perhaps wasn’t as much power on the strike as you would expect. Some will argue Kasun should have done better, but it was a very accurate shot and when it’s in the corner it is difficult to save. The distance it had to travel will lead some to blame Kasun though.

The Hoops looked devoid of inspiration at this point and there was a genuine worry that the game could be over as a contest, with Krytenia piling on the pressure and perhaps grabbing a couple more goals to end up with a comfortable win. But just as that feeling played on people’s minds Mytanija raced forward on the counter again and Ocokoljic won a corner from the Krytenian captain Ross Okano. There weren’t too many bodies forward and it seemed like both teams were taking their time to get set-up, but then Srdan Vukovic was thinking quicker than everyone else. Vukovic ran to take the corner quickly, luckily Alen Hrdaljko was on the same wavelength and when the ball came to him just inside the penalty area he stabbed a shot through the static scrum of bodies in the centre of the goal and into the back of the net. It was 4-4. There could be no complaints, there is no waiting about for the referee’s whistle from a corner, Vukovic’s quick thinking had got Mytanija another equaliser against the run of play.

Lev Repin decided to stop the madness there, finally deciding to change to a back three with three central defenders to go up against Krytenia’s front three. Dino Racic came on for Brajko Gavrilovic. This back three sometimes became a back five when Krytenia had the ball, with Srdan Vukovic and Patrik Odonelec tucking right in and this offered a greater level of solidity and a lot less space for the hosts. A few minutes later Repin brought on Branko Brkljacic – a sure sign that he was going to take the draw – to slot in alongside Alen Hrdaljko at the base of the Mytanar midfield. Zlatan Andrijasevic came on for Kemal Gajic at the same time to offer a more physical presence up front in a bid to hold-up possession. Mytanija had changed from their usual 4-3-3/3-1-3-3 to a 5-2-1-2 and it seemed to do the trick. The goals stopped. The game headed towards its slightly mundane conclusion (given what had come before) of a 4-4 draw. Repin perhaps put it best: “I had seen enough. We needed a draw and once that equaliser went in we had to stop the game from being as end-to-end as it was. The best way to do that was to get bodies in defensive areas and to bring Branko [Brkljacic] on to shield the centre of our defence. Thankfully it worked.”

It did work. One has to wonder how different the result might have been had Mytanija gone into the game with that approach. It mattered little in the end as they got the result that was needed, with the Licentian Isles upsetting Tumbra 2-0 in the other game in the group meaning that even if Mytanija had lost by a couple of goals their place in the knockout rounds would have been secure. A point against Krytenia did mean that Mytanija sealed top spot, proving their worth in a tough group and perhaps providing the players with confidence that they can get similar results against good opposition from here on in the tournament. TJUN-ia await after they came 2nd in their group behind Oberour Ar Moro. FSM officials may be pleased Mytanija didn’t end up 2nd in Group A so that there couldn’t be a repeat of the unsavoury scenes which occurred when Mytanar supporters ran riot around Regium. TJUN-ia represent a decent test, being a number of places higher than Mytanija in the world rankings and having a better recent track record in NSWC competitions. The Hoops will have to put in a performance akin to the one against the Licentian Isles if they want to get a result, you have to feel that an abdication of defensive solidity like that which occurred against Krytenia will leave the team saying goodbye to Krytenia and returning home.

by **Electrum** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 6:39 am

The Turnip: We are proud to present this new, innovative gaming concept
by Billiam Maskey, chief-editor-in-chief

Rejoice fans of game shows!

The Turnip has recently developed a new game show called Turnipdy, a unique show where the questions are answers, and the answers are questions! Give us a go, but please don't give us any comments about the game because we don't care what you think.

by **Busoga Islands** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:58 am

The Busoga Chronicle
The Islands #1 News Source!

The Keeper turned President- the story of President Delbin Kasekende Sr.

Kasekende celebrating Banija's World Cup 80 Qualification as the final whistle blows on their playoff tie with Mercedini

LAKISKA, SOUTH ISLAND- It is the forever question that many foreigners have. Not a question that everybody understands the answer to, really. Not really a question with a simple answer. But the question, is this- how did a goalkeeper become the second-ever President of the Islamic Republic? And like we said- the answer is not simple, it is not easy. But we're going to dig through this man's biography, and give you the story of the sole Athlete-President in Atlantian Oceania.

Club Career

He is from Busoga's largest city, Dukuma. Born to parents who were both club cricket players in the city, it was somewhat of a surprise that soccer was his favorite sport. "He's always liked the singular pressure of being a goalkeeper." His Father told reporters a few years ago during his Presidential campaign. He, like his son now, was able to get noticed early in his career, and start playing while young.

He started playing at age 19 for Dukuma Sporting Club, who were a fixture at the beginning of the national league(read as: Banijan Soccer League/BSL) era. Of course, for many years, there was no promotion/relegation outside of the BSL, but he was the only bright spot on what was functionally only a slightly better version of La Querida. They had some truly brutal seasons, and yet, consistently, he was the only bright spot on an otherwise porous team.

He quickly got called up to the national team, however. More on that in the next section. He was known for his loyalty to his hometown, and his fierce embrace of Busogan nationalism even, in the terms of the younger population, 'before it was cool'. He stayed with Dukuma SC for many years, toiling towards the bottom of the table until he eventually got sick of all the losing. When he decided he wanted to leave, clubs across the country wanted him, but the quickly rising Herzegovina City eventually signed him. And on the club level, it was a success.

Multiple first team all-BSL selections. Multiple Golden Glove awards as the league's best goalkeeper. 3 league titles. Hands down, a crazy successful back half of his club career. How much more could he have won had he left the league's cellar dwellars earlier? I guess we'll never known.

International Career

Of course, when his career started, the Busoga Islands were a fully integrated region of Banija, and therefore, there was no Busogan national team or national anything. Therefore, he played the majority of his international career with the Banijan national team. The rarely remembered Di Bradini Cup 36 was where he made his youth debut, at age 20, for Banija as the U21 World Cup starting goalkeeper. He was the third string keeper, so he had some work to do to climb the depth chart.

He made the World Cup 74 & 75 Qualifying rosters, also as the third string keeper. But in World Cup 76 Qualifying, the starter retired, leaving a competition between him and Alan Namara. An untimely knee injury shortly before the beginning of World Cup 76 Qualifying gave the job to Kasekende, who had a stranglehold on it. He held onto the job from that Qualifying campaign all the way through the end of World Cup 80. The RBSA's bankruptcy, of course, prevented it from entering World Cup 78 Qualifying, but that gave him the job for five cycles.

The twin highlights of his career with Banija? First, AOCAF LX. Banija's first ever attempt at the regional championships. The Round of 16, against Eshan. Making the game winning save in the penalty shootout in Banija's first tournament, shooting Banija to ecstasy. And second? The entirety of the World Cup 80 Qualifying campaign. Banija's first successful one in 8 attempts. And particularly, the playoff tie. He made a number of big saves in both legs of their 5-3 aggregate win against Mercedini, and he has always said that the final whistle blowing in the second leg in Mercedini was 'one of the greatest moments of his life'.

Of course, there was the whole backdrop of the Banijan-Equestrian War. The war that resulted in Busoga's Declaration of Independence. The drought, the violence in Busoga, the nationalism. Busogan eligible players all had a choice. And Delbin Kasekende quickly and loudly chose to play for the Busoga Islands. He captained the side for three cycles, eventually retiring from international play at the Cup of Harmony following World Cup 83 Qualifying.

Political Career

And after that? Fast forward to politics. He was always ambitious. And in the left-wing stronghold of Dukuma, he knew that he had the popularity to become Mayor. And with the local incumbent retiring, he quickly threw his hat into the ring, with his celebrity status overtaking everybody else on the trail. But he wasn't just a celebrity capable of becoming Mayor- he proved to be an effective politician as well. Able to rally support for his causes. Work with the City Council. Get the busses running on time. The bread and butter.

And he skipped a step- instead of eventually running for Parliament, he said screw it and ran for the Presidency directly. With the founding father, Ebrahim Razav, retiring, why couldn't he step up? It was a much tougher election, but ultimately, he became President by a decent margin. And he did it on a platform of normalizing relations with Banija, something Ebrahim Razav would have never done. While he was given the curveball of Banija's disastrous pursuit of nuclear weapons, culminating in the bombing of Farfadillis, he was eventually able to see off that crisis and still normalize relations with Banija and the other Quebecois Commonwealth partners, which saw Busoga join the organization.

And now, he's a fairly popular President expected to cruise to re-election in the coming months. He's been seen as a steady pair of hands during the Anaia secession crisis, effectively representing Busoga's interests abroad while supporting AO unity. It's the rare election where foreign policy is expected to dominate the discussions, and his experience on the international stage seems to be enough to push them across the line. And, of course, he's mastered the art of the stunt.

Did he need to fly on the medical helicopter to grab Sarika Birla from the St. Trinians hospital after she was shot? Of course not. Should heads of state probably go to less sporting events than him? Probably. But he's got a knack to align himself with what's popular, whether it be a national team or AO. He's probably going to be the man with a plan on the Islands for a long, long time.

by **Barunia** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:38 am

The Barunia Suns will go into the next round of the Cup of Harmony refreshed and ready to take on Pluvia and the Saxean Isles in the first of the knock out matches. The Barunians had qualified by the 2nd game of the tournament, and thus had the luxury of resting players for the dead rubber against Baggieland. The Suns lost four-one, but won’t be concerned about that going forward. Barunia essentially fronted their “B” team for the match, with none of the players who faced up against Baggieland in the starting eleven named against Pluvia and the Saxean Isles. While that might be concerning for a lack of depth in the Barunian roster, new coach Liesel Mclelland said that her instructions were to use the luxury of a dead rubber to their advantage. “That’s something you almost never get in a short tournament. To have the luxury of a nothing game, I told the players just to go out and have fun. Most important was that they didn’t injure themselves or strain themselves. The real tournament begins now, and a single bad game will be our last.”

The Baggieland game also gave Barunia a chance for some of its lesser known stars to shine. Rachael Cross was the Barunian goalscorer, and probably the standout of those in sky-blue. Bradley Warren got his first outing in the goals this cycle, having been dropped down to third goalkeeper. Previously, Warren had been Taylor’s counterpart, but the team selectors had chosen to swap him with Collins this cycle. That arrangement stayed despite the team’s poor qualifying performance. The fact that the axe was not swung widely shows how much of the blame was placed on Rafael Barrios. The Suns former coach was the only sacking after the team failed to finish in the top half of their qualifying group. That was the 2nd time in as many cycles the Suns had failed to achieve such a simple goal, undoubtedly the worst performance in their long history.

Last cycle, the team made it to the Cup of Harmony, and were eliminated in the Round of 32. This cycle, they have a new coach, a new sense of hope, and 11 players who have essentially had a bye. Add to that an opponent ranked 20+ places below them, and Barunia have a very good chance of going further into the tournament. It’s been eleven cycles now since they last made the final, all the way back in Cup of Harmony 69. Back then, they had a relatively new coach in Adam Johnson. Johnson’s leadership started out strongly, but clashes with administration and a failure to meet increasingly high expectations led to his downfall. Instead, the powers that be went with a foreign coach who was supposed to get the expected results quicker. The failed experiment is a dark chapter in the Suns history, one that fans will hope Mclelland leads them out of. The fans are ready, the nation is ready, and most importantly, the players are ready.

by **The Grearish Union** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:46 am

The Frostier Cup: Vdara Defeated!

Vdara 1-4 The Grearish Union @ Kuodorf MSK Football Arena, Háttmark, Græntfjall

Vdara
Scorers: Lazelis [37']
Players: Z. Frangoglou, T. Vrahiades, N. Galanatos, T. Tolakis, M. Athanas, K. Karalas , L. Tantanopoulos, A. Stamatelis, A. Manolakis, C. Lazelis (F. Fotellis 78'), M. Scafididis (M. Makrotsis 72')

The Grearish Union
Scorers: J. Rodrigues [41', 66'], C. Preston [68'], W. Kline [90+2']
Players: S. Schaefer, J. Rodrigues (J. Gardener '77), L. Radcliffe, M. Elliott, C. Frank, F. Sloan (C. Preston '60), C. Benton, G. Knott (A. Murphy 45'), J. Daly, A. McAuley, W. Kline

It's all gone a little mad in Atheburn as we sit down to write this report. To defeat a quality top-50 side in a Cup of Harmony group stage is bound to be a little mad for a side that is outside the top 100. With this 4-1 surprise victory over Vdara, the Black Lilies are now the lowest-ranked team that is still alive in this competition. The expectations are rising, and it will be very important for Rodrigues and her warriors to leave Græntfjall with the most positive result possible.

Winning the CoH this time is a matter of keeping sane for eight matches, and consecutively so for the last five. If you manage to win those last five games after managing to get out of your group, it will be all that you would need to lift the Cup. The Grears don't dare to dream that big, admittedly. If they did, one would expect victories against teams like Vdara to be commonplace. The fact that it is definitely not so, and that the victory is one that brought great rejoicing to the Union shows how far we are from being world-class, and therefore how far we still have to go.

The first-half was largely a matter of holding out against the Vdaran offensive, as the Grearish XI were more than content to sit back and defend against the waves. The deadlock was broken in the 37th minute as the Vdarans did the inevitable and went 1-0 up thanks to a calm-headed finish by the Vdaran strike spearhead in Laselis. It is probably the need for a reaction to this goal that inspired the mighty comeback for the Black Lilies. Skipper Joanna Rodrigues found herself running down the Grearish left flank in one of the characteristic Grearish counterattacks was one of the most beautiful TV experiences one could have. Her glamorous ponytail kept trailing behind her as she made numerous feints in what was a dazzling run. The Vdarans were still recovering from the corner that they had taken on the Grearish side of the pitch, and there just weren't enough bodies to throw in her path. The edge of the box was where she decided to cut in with the outstep of her famed right foot, and set herself up to shoot. After that, there wasn't the bang! one would expect. Joanna managed to wrap her leg around the ball as she whipped it in the far post with finesse. Solo brilliance was found tangled in the net after the ball had curled in. The magnificent Rodrigues had brought hope to Grearia single-handedly on the 41st minute. So much so, that twii.tur was flooded with the hashtag goalofthetournament in no time. She's a hero for the country, now, and nothing can really change that.

Going into the break with sky-high confidence helped the Grearish cause greatly as the Black Lilies started believing in themselves in the new half. Cassandra Preston coming on in Sloan's place and the attacking midfielder in Murphy coming on replacing the third striker in Gia Knott made a big impact as the team found itself going into attack mode a tad bit smoother. The Black Lilies were now slowly but surely getting into control of the match — albeit only in counterattacks. A Rodrigues header in the 66th minute from a Preston cross in one of these counterattacks became a very important example of how important this style of play is, against better-placed teams. Preston's beautiful header in from a Kline corner and a Kline tap-in from a McAuley assist made sure that the Grearish made the game a memorable victory by an even further memorable margin.

Yet, this is where all optimism ends for the Grearish as they gear up to face Huayramarca. There is no hope outside of the dressing room about progressing beyond the Round of 32 even though the team management has made sure that it was known that the Black Lilies will take the field on Tuesday aiming for a very historic win under their almost-legendary Graintfjaller manager. The probability of an unchanged Grearish squad is very high for this important knockout clash.

Lineup v Huayramarca @ Frei Stadion, Búðarberg, Græntfjall
S. Schaefer (GK), J. Rodrigues (C), L. Radcliffe, M. Elliott, C. Frank, F. Sloan, C. Benton, G. Knott, J. Daly, A. McAuley, W. Kline

by **Eraman** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 9:18 am

The crowd got up and applauded as soon as they saw the two football teams enter the field. Both Kohnhead and Eraman were eager to win the match to ensure their place in the knockout stage. Everyone in the New City Stadium was very nervous and was hoping their favorite side would win the match.

Both teams tried to score as soon as the referee blew the kickoff whistle. The match this time was very intense with both sides exchanging attacks. But the match remains goalless after 45 minutes as the players go to the dressing room for half time break.

The match restarted after 15 minutes. The atmosphere in the stadium was very lively with 88,000 fans cheering for their side and every player on the pitch played hard. Suddenly, Eraman was awarded a penalty after Buisan Buayan was brought down in the penalty box by Kohnhead number 1, Bertha Sanders.

“Let me take it,” said Suara taking the ball away from Mano Bosa, the designated penalty taker.

“Are you sure?” asked Mano.

“Positive!” said the captain.

In the 70th minute, penalty kick, Suara Petara up against Bertha Sanders. Probably the most important kick in Suara’s career. As the referee blew his whistle, Suara made a short run for the kick. He kicks it to the left sending the goalkeeper the wrong way but it was wide. Kohnhead’s fans were relieved while the Eramanians were left disappointed. Suara cannot believe it.

“This is not the time for regret yet, get yourself together,” said Mano picking up his captain from the ground.

The match only becomes more intense after that as both sides strive to score a goal. That’s the only result that will guarantee them a place in the knockout stage but both sides could not find the breakthrough even until the 90th minutes.

The last minute of the 3 minutes additional time. Still goalless in Avidia. Corner kick to Eraman. Every man pushed forward including Dundang Bayan, the goalkeeper. The corner kick taker is Mano Bosa. He sent the ball into the middle of the penalty box. Dundang Bayan made the jump but the ball went over him. Badang Gangsa behind him makes the contact with the ball. Top corner. Out of the reach of Bertha Sanders. 1-0 Eraman and the referee blew the final whistle.

“WE MADE IT!” said Suara as he jumped on Badang.

“We made it, Suara,” replied Badang before everyone else jumped on him making a human pyramid.

Eraman won. Every Eramanians in the stadium cannot quite believe it but they are through to the knockout stage.

by **St Trinians** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:01 am

Group F saw its first wins on the final matchday, with St Trinians defying the odds to defeat Drawkland 3-1 and move into the knockout rounds. The team had finished 2nd place on goal difference after Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom beat Hispinas 5-2. That meant that St Trinians now faced Zwanzug, a team ranked 21st in the world. The St Trinians will be buoyed by the knowledge that Drawkland are but 2 places below Zwangzug in the rankings, but were unable to withstand the fierce St Trinians barrage.

Amy had done her research on the Drawkians. They played an aggressive style of a locally-distinct football, much like the St Trinians. Also the league was female dominated, but the entire team had been replaced by a team of “dudebros”, as the official documents called them. Amy had made sure the girls had heard about that. One thing she had learned as a negotiator was to know just which buttons to press. Swapping out talented female players for a bunch of male jerks would certainly fire up the St Trinians girls. Women were the dominant gender in St Trinians, and had been since the Cultural Revolution created an anarchy. It had been the schools for young ladies that had really been the driving force behind the revolution, and in the aftermath had seized power. While St Trinians, as an anarchy, is one of the freest societies in the multiverse, it is certainly harder to be a man in that society.

Amy’s trick worked. The girls, already knowing that qualifying was on the line, came out firing. It was hard, fast, and aggressive football, and St Trinians had 20 shots racked up by the end of the first half. Only about 30% were on target (it would have been higher if not for Granger), but only 1 had gotten past Septimus Xander. That came after Granger uncharacteristically chose to pass in the box and picked out Speight, who was more than good enough to step around Bakker and score. That meant that St Trinians went into the break with the lead.

The first red card came for St Trinians in the second half, with Miracle Butler booked for an off-the-ball body charge on Dominic Southers. That led to a passage of play for Drawkland’s elite eleven in which Ross Hunter found himself in space, and was able to slot the ball past Becket for the equaliser. St Trinians counterattacked, but their accuracy hadn’t improved. It seemed the match would be yet another draw, when up stepped the most unlikely of heroes. A high St Trinians press had flooded the box with players in a desperate attempt to score. On the right wing, Ilsa De Grandhomme whipped in a cross. She missed Granger, who was the intended target, and instead the ball bounced near the far post. There, apparently unnoticed and unguarded, was Dottie Carmichael, who volleyed the ball into the open goal. The Drawkians protested for offside, but replays showed Kingston had been fractionally forward at the near post, and the goal stood. A third goal late in the game to Granger, who finally kept one low, was the icing on the cake for St Trinians.

Now once again they have to defy the odds and beat a team ranked miles above them. Zwangzug have a long and illustrious footballing history, but St Trinians will approach the match the same way they always do: head-on, like a charging bull. Amy had discovered certain comments by a Jesse McWhorter, a Zwangzug defender, that could be critical of St Trinians matriarchal power. She wondered if perhaps it was worth trying the same trick twice. It might be just the fire they needed.

Dottie Carmichael was the unexpected hero in the match against Drawkland

by **Darmen** » Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:18 am

Blackwood's boot connected with the ball. The ball rose up from the ground as the sound from Blackwood's kick reverberated on the field like a gunshot. António Lopes readied himself to stop the shot, only, he wouldn't need to.

The ball never stopped rising off the ground. While Blackwood had transferred all of the power his right leg could provide to the ball, the studs on his left foot had failed to truly dig into the wet turf and he slipped. As the ball sailed over the cross bar, Blackwood landed on his rear with a thud. And a crack.

Blackwood screamed in agony as the referee signaled for the goal kick before waving on the Darmeni medical staff and ultimately blowing the whistle for full time. If Blackwood's missed shot and injury weren't enough, the referee's decision to end the game and hand New Lusitania and the Algarves the 3-2 victory and first place in Group E added the insult the proverbial idiom alluded to.

Darmen would now have to leave Krytenia behind to return to Rushmore and the bitterly cold nation of Græntfjall; the city of Þingsnitz to be specific. San Ortelio, the small Pavolan nation not far from Græntfjall, would be the opponent in the upcoming Round of 32 match. And Darmen would have to face their opponent without their stalwart striker, Blackwood, at the front of their attack due to his broken tailbone. Darnell Halle would be Blackwood's replacement.

Despite having less than a tenth of the number of caps Blackwood had and less than a sixteenth of the number of goals, Halle was not a hapless understudy who would be overwhelmed by the responsibility. The 26 year old was the main striker for Atlético Augusta, having surpassed his predecessor Skylar Hurst, himself a former All Green of note, in just about every physical attribute and statistical category. Atlético was a regular contender in Series A and Halle's responsibility for the club's success was growing by the year.

Now it was Halle's turn to show that he could provide that same success at the international level. Not that anyone was considering the possibility that Halle would permanently displace Blackwood from the starting XI, that would still be a few years away, but without Blackwood the goals would need to come from somewhere and all eyes would be on Halle to assume that role.

As the team headed to their new destination, Halle sat alone and staring out the window at the Gary Sea as the plane flew to the west of Sargossa. He sat there imagining his role in the match against San Ortelio. He imagined himself striking the ball, with his left foot rather than his weaker right, with the same sort of power that Blackwood could muster. Lanzafame, the Swordfishes goalkeeper, readied himself to stop the shot. Halle imagined the ball going...

"Peanuts?"

The voice startled Halle, who turned away from the window as his day dream faded away. "Huh?"

"Peanuts? Do you want some peanuts?" asked the flight attendant.

Halle shook his head and the flight attendant moved on to ask the next member of the team the same question. Halle turned back to look out the window, just in time to see the sun dipping below the horizon. In two days time Halle would face San Ortelio and the nation would be counting on him to score the goals that would send the All Greens into the Round of Sixteen. He closed his eyes and went to sleep.

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