World Cup 88- Roleplay Thread

[Starblaydia]

OOC: Almost a year ago, I made this post for the Audioslavia match in the AOCAF 61 Final. Facing another fellow Moderator in an important match this time... I just couldn't resist.

[Audioslavia]

[Banija]

Marcus Waters, the day before Banija v. Nephara

Sometimes, as a manager, you had to try new things to try and get your team going. These challenges were especially astute when you were an international manager. You didn't have a full season to install a system and get your players to eventually impose both their talent and their will on other teams. This was especially true if you were a manager of a top tier national team, for whom World Cup Qualification wasn't really a problem.

You had a maximum of 7 games over the course of a summer to make or break your legacy. And it was in the most intense format possible- three group stage games, then the highest stake single knockout tournament ever. That was the way internationals simply worked. And Marcus Waters enjoyed it. Some preferred the club game, but he preferred the short sprint of a major tournament as opposed to the long grind of a club season. But as an international manager, you always had to find new ways to get through your team.

Banija was at the top tier. Ranked 5th in the multiverse, they had consistently spent the 80s making deep runs in the World Cup. But even top teams can struggle. World Cup 87 saw that happen for Banija. We bombed out and got last place in our group. But Marcus Waters didn't want that to be a sign of the beginning of decline- instead, he wanted it to be a blip in the radar of proving this country belonged at the top. And what better team to prove it against than Nephara? They had played in three consecutive World Cup Finals, were the three-time defending champions of the Copa Rushmori.

That meant, between regionals and the World Cup, they had played in an incredible six consecutive major tournament finals, with three Rushmori titles and a World Cup title to show for it. A destiny if we've ever seen one. And so Waters, after talking with his coaches, felt that he had a good mantra for his players. And so when they came in for their team meeting the day before their massive game against Nephara, he had brought the prop. A unique one? Of course.

"Banija!" He yelled. His team looked at him. "This game is one of the greatest challenges of our lives. Nephara. Six straight Finals. One of the greatest runs of international football that we've ever seen. Defending champions. Dynasty. It is unlike any challenge that we have ever faced. Can a run like this be put to a stop?" Just then, Marcus Waters motioned to a coach, who dragged in a log. The log was painted in the colors of the Nephara flag. A specially prepared log, just for this moment.

"But I remember the last time we faced the sport's biggest giants." And then, he pointed to the television. Just like that, the assistant clicked play on the remote. The highlights of one of the most important games of the age played- when Banija upset the then two-time defending world champions Vilita. Everybody recognized it from the beginning. After the 4 minute highlight video played, and the ensuing cheering and clapping, Marcus Waters got people to quiet down.

"I was there for that moment. So was Ilman." Jawara, who had scored the matchwinner against HUElavia, simply nodded. "What did that team have? Heavy underdogs. Faced with the specter of facing what seemed to be an unbeatable giant. But yet- we came together and got the job done. The country behind us. We rose to the occasion. We bowed to no man. And we slayed that dynasty. We prevented them from winning their third straight World Cup that day. And two tournaments later, we put the nail into the coffin of their dynasty. It is that spirit that we will need tomorrow. This is no joke- this is the best team international football has seen since the Vilita of World Cups 81-85. The challenge is the same. We can build our reputation."

Just then, another assistant brought an axe to Marcus Waters. "You see what's going to happen? We will do what we must. And what must we do? We must slay this dynasty." He lifted the axe with his right hand. "Remember this- we win tomorrow, and the Kadongo Kamu will forever be known as the graveyard where international football's greatest dynasties go to die." The players all cheered.

Banija v. Nephara, Marcus Waters in the 55th minute

This match had been hyped up going into the match, and the energy and the electricity at the stadium did not disappoint. The last two world champions, a rematch of the World Cup 86 Final, two of the most accomplished nations of the World Cup decade- it had gotten the attention worthy of it. Neither team was going to sit back and let the other dictate, either. With both having won a recent title, neither team was going to sit back and be afraid. The two World Cup winning managers were going to get their teams to go after it.

This was one of those matches where you are happy that the S-FPL was created. Playing every week with the streetwise Farves prepped you for a game like this. Win at all costs. Hard tackles. Free-flowing creativity. Tantoh recorded four saves in the first half, but in the 35th minute, could not record another. Nephara probably have the most devastating strike partnership in international football, with Konrad Lovelace playign next to Latona Basilisk. We see Basilisk every week tear it up in the S-FPL, and the pacey Lovelace is a perfect strike partner. So was it a shock when they would combine for the opening goal? A brilliant ball towards the backpost by Basilisk found Lovelace, who smashed the ball with his head toward the near post and into the net. He was about 4 yards out- Tantoh could do absolutely nothing about it. 1-0 Nephara, and that was the score at the half.

Still, Banija were creating their fair share of chances. World Cup champion Aranea Provost made a particularly outstanding sliding save off of a one on one with Kausu Dione, a stellar effort to keep her squad in the lead. The Banijans were getting increasingly desperate, even with 35 minutes left. Marcus Waters looked down his bench. Who could make the difference? Jawara did the other day, but he'd need something else today. "Gereh!" Waters yelled. The teenager, the 19 year old Champions League winner, got off the bench and ran to the coach.

"You're going in for Immaculate." The future was now, eh? He wanted a change of pace, and thought the teenager could bring it. And boy- was he right. Gereh Kama certainly played fearlessly, as he was young, and took generally more risks than you'd want from a CM. But he had all the talent in the world. And in this spot- well, why not? And Gereh Kama came in and changed the game. Constant attack mode, he was able to rally the Banijans forward and keep sustained possession in Nephara's end.

The 62nd minute would bring the equalizer. A shot from Kausu Dione was blocked by Nephara defender Brabanzon, and the ball bounced back to Kama. Kama played the ball to Uster and then ran towards goal. She one timed it sideways and Kama got the ball, took a step past Brabanzon, and was in on goal. With composure beyond his years and Provost bearing down on him, he simply slotted the ball home with his weaker foot into the corner of the net. Just over an hour played, and back to where they started- all level again, at 1-1.

Marcus Waters thought the opportunity had come to take the lead in the 73rd minute. A great combination by Momodou Sene and Dione had set Uster free towards goal, and a near one on one with the keeper with the defender on her back. The left back, Radeka Lind, was not simply going to let Uster in on goal though. She slid, almost making a great tackle- but got a lot of body and very little body. In the box. Ultimately, the referee had to point to the spot. Massive spot. 73rd minute penalty, game tied at one. Lind shown a yellow. The entire Banijan bench had taken a knee. The Banijan fans falling silent while Nephara's trying to make as much noise as possible, to possibly throw Uster off her game.

Banija was attacking towards the Nephara fans in the second half, because that's how the dice rolled. Uster looked straight at "The Godhead" figure in the center of the Nephara supporters section. A flare squarely in the mouth of the boulder. That might have been enough to rattle her? Uster went to the keeper's right for the penalty. But Provost was all over it. Provost got a good leap, and got two hands to the ball as she was able to catch the pacey shot. Nephara fans roared, while Banijans groaned. "C'mon guys, let's get another chance!" Waters said. He knew those were the types of moments that could deflate a team.

But, kudos to his team, they had kept their momentum going. And in the 86th minute, had earned a corner kick. Ball in. Kuma Bultum, the 34 year old center back and captain, who will go down as one of the greatest Banijans to ever play, finally had his moment. He rose up and smashed the ball home powerfully with his head. Provost dove for it, but didn't have a chance. Bultum's moment. Banija's fans going absolutely nuts. The lead was theirs. 2-1 on the day.

The Kadongo Kamu were able to hold on. Marcus Waters gave tribute to Nephara's accomplishments over the past three cycles. "Back-to-back-to-back Rushmori champions. Three straight World Cup Final appearances. This team of the last 3 cycles, this Nephara team- one of the greatest to ever do it." He told reporters. "To have this level of success over the course of multiple cycles, like they had, is truly insane. It is rare the stars align like this in international football- and even if they do, it is even rarer that you are able to take advantage of it once the stars do align. To have that kind of consistency- what they have done over the past three cycles is where everybody aims to be. Congratulations to them."

Meanwhile, he also praised his own side. "This national team has a fighting power and spirit unlike any team I've ever coached." He told reporters. "This was the challenge of a lifetime- and they rose to meet the challenge. Every player was important for it- in the weight room, in the film room, on the training pitch. This is a result of everybody buying into the vision. And now, we're in the Quarterfinals. Tonight, we celebrate. Tomorrow? Back to work." And in the locker room, Marcus Waters gave the axe to man of the match, Kuma Bultum, who led the team in chopping up the Nephara flag log.

Marcus Waters would savor this one- beating a team like this was an extremely rare feat. The question was, after this big upset, could he turn this team around and get them ready to face off against the Commonwealth?

[Ko-oren]

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

[Audioslavia]

"Watcha doin" came a voice behind Jeremy.
"Er... nothing."
"That doesn't look like nothing" replied the voice. "That looks like a two minute YouTube video made in an amateurish fashion"
"I'm not capable of doing that" said Jeremy, trying to cover the screen.
"Yeah" said the voice. "Not even that. What on earth is a Roleplay?" asked the voice. Jeremy thought for a moment.
"It's what we call a wrestling match in Audioslavia" he replied, with a slight grimace, expecting the owner of the voice to clearly see that he'd made that up on the spot.
"Oh?" came the voice.
"Yeah" said Jeremy. "It's like a play... and everyone... everyone has roles"
"So what is this?"
"Honesty" said Jeremy...

"...it's nothing"

[Nephara]

[Chromatika]

Turori 1-0 Chromatika
Starting XI: Fillar; Xiao - de Aea - Anderson - Ilya; Marc - Armageddon (C) - Kuznetsov; Hauser; Vidal - Gainsbourg.
Substitutes: De Saint-Pierre -> Xiao ('56), Zuniga -> Armageddon ('72), Thibodeaux -> Vidal ('83)

---

CHROMATIK EXIT
Despite Early Exit, Future Looks Bright for Anomalies - Next Tournament to be Crucial

THE JUNGLE, EYRODS, MYANA ISLAND - For ninety minutes plus some, the Chromatik side tried and tried again to get one past Wiyauw An'maude. Time and time again, they failed. Turori got the one goal, and it was enough. In front of a home crowd, in front of a nation that so desperately wanted the Chromatiks to get past the second round again, they fell just short.

Despite the losing record of 1-1-2, despite scoring five goals and conceding eight, the air of optimism still persists. After the absolute disaster of World Cup 85, Chromatika had to rebuild; World Cup 86 had them make it to the Group Stage but fall short. World Cup 87 and 88 have seen the Anomalies get to the second round.

Now, they must crack it.

Richard Valens and Tim Landers have stated that the team will undergo a tactical shift beginning with the very first CAFA. By changing to a 4-3-2-1 - with both Mora and Hauser as Attacking Midfielders and Baillaire Fillar on call - Chromatika will be able to make better use of the crop of midfielders that they now possess along with the next generation. If needed, one of the attacking midfielders can be swapped out by Kateryna Zuniga - who is now a captain of Zenith side Sabrefell Moths and would be a starter if it wasn't for the greatness that is Enigma Armageddon. Yes, the team would be short one striker, but since Keira Andisori's departure, and with Rowena Sierra and Olimpia Vidal also getting a bit older, it makes sense to get down to one striker.

Will that be the solution that the team needs to gain momentum before they stagnate? What's apparent is that if they were to take too much longer, things will only get harder. The fan base will demand an answer, and pressure will only grow.

Chromatika is, for now, content with hosting the World Cup. Where it goes from here will tell a lot.

[Valanora]

OOC: Set to the tune of Anne Bonny

Serene Elune

Oh I will sing you a tale of an Elven Queen
A she-elf who reigned the great grass sea
With bow at the ready and sabre keen
The industrious, illustrious Serene Elune

Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune

Born in the Cosmos radiantly
Enlightened daughter
To a prosperous Goddess
Shunned suitor and society
For the love of nature

So Silverymoon and our dear Elune
Passioned partners
Industrious growers
Set off for a life of prosperity
On a trail, The Way, Eureka!

Oh I will sing you a tale of an Elven Queen
A she-elf who reigned the great grass sea
With bow at the ready and sabre keen
The industrious, illustrious Serene Elune

Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune

However this was the dawn of time
Where men made rules
And women made wives
So Elune made herself to be
A wise being

Oh she plowed and cultivated and protected the grass sea
With bowstring roaring
Sabres warring
She ravaged raiders mercilessly
Oh Serene Elune

The a fellow elf caught a glance
Her bare chest
A woman's breast
So she took her sabre and made a scene
To be Elune the Elven Queen

Oh I will sing you a tale of an Elven Queen
A she-elf who reigned the great grass sea
With bow at the ready and sabre keen
The industrious, illustrious Serene Elune

Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune

That's when Elune met Gladerial
An elven Goddess
Celestial being
Together they protected the lands
An enlightened team

Oh they plowed and cultivated and protected the grass sea
With bowstring roaring
Sabres warring
She ravaged raiders mercilessly
Oh Serene Elune

In the coming century
Prosperity the elves took
So the team overlooked
An easy opportunity
For an elf to go missing

And the elves were lost
Put to their own way
Live by doing
But Serene Elune was not alone
For she had ascended to her celestial throne

Oh I will sing you a tale of an Elven Queen
A she-elf who reigned the great grass sea
With bow at the ready and sabre keen
The industrious, illustrious Serene Elune

Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune
Industrious, illustrious Serene Elune

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Lothas, what is that you are doing there? Shouldn't you be getting ready for the match on the morrow? It is a big one after all, a victory and we are in the quarterfinals again." Otto Lyecht asked the star striker of the team, having caught his teammate with a few old looking books and some scraps of paper on his desk inside the hotel room. The entire team was in the hotel room, prepping for the match ahead, not keen to be out past curfew and be robbed of possible starting position in the game.

"Tell me Otto, how much did you pay attention to the tales they told us during the history and mythology lessons back in the academy?" Otto squinted his eyes at Lothas, wondering where his friend was getting at.

"Not a whole lot to be honest. The whole tale of elves coming from somewhere in a different plane of existence or something seems like a lot of lunacy if you ask me. History lessons were more the time for a nap if anything, truth be told."

"I see. I did not pay much either, but I have seen the way that Hawk prays to Elune every morning, every evening, then before and after every match. Makes you wonder a bit, that if a person like that who has gone and done things that the rest of us barely can even dream about doing and yet still holds reverence to those tales and the Goddess, there has to be something to them, right?"

"I mean, he is one of the few elves left from what my father was telling me. Details are still weird about what happened the rest of them, going from millions upon millions to some thousands in seemingly over night. I know there was a lot of talk about some sort of God or something and returning back to where they had come from, but that just seems to fanciful to be true."

"I thought so to, but I have been having strange dreams the last few weeks, same dream every night. There is a woman in the dream..."

"Oh I see where this is going!" Lothas shook his head and punched Otto in the arm, disgusted that his friend's mind immediately went there.

"Nothing like that you nikumpuke!"

"Sorry, sorry! I'll behave, I promise!"

"As I was saying, there is a woman in my dreams, dressed in strange clothing, almost like that of the priests but not quite. She is fair skinned and looks a lot like the pictures of the elves, a bit more lighter skinned than the new Empress is said to be and with long, radiant blonde hair. This is where is gets weird though, she seems to have a backdrop not of some city or town or field or anything quite like that, but of space itself, with the world between her hands, eyes cast down as if she was watching it. I was doing some reading and well, the description sounds an awful lot like how the religious and history texts," Lothas nodded towards the old books beside his right arm, "described Elune. It's a bit weird isn't it?"

"Yeah, a wee bit. Maybe you are just under too much stress, you know? I mean, you hit the ground running the moment you have had every opportunity, when was the last time you have had a vacation or break?"

"Maybe. Still, I couldn't get the image out of my head, so I decided to try and draw it. However, you know me, no artistic talent in my bones at all, unless you count whatever we do out on the field, and yet..." Ludwig's voice trailed off and he slowly pushed himself out of the way to reveal the drawing that he had made of Elune.

Otto was left speechless and quickly flipped through the books, until he came to another rendition of the Goddess, stunned to see an eerie resemblance. Both stared at one another and wondered what it meant....

[Banija]

The Lion's Den
A Banijan fan Community

Welcome to the Lion's Den! Named after our national animal, the Lion. This is an online fan community for Banijan soccer.

We're going to come at you with- the best memes about our national team from this World Cup so far!

[Pasarga]

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

Dear Miss Fëanáro

We're so excited to be playing you in the World Cup 88 Quarterfinals. Will your team be our friends? Will you join us for tea and crumpets before the match and become members of GOOFI - the Great Old Ones Friendship Initiative?

GOOFI exists to build links of cuddle-based friendship between ordinary mortals, Great Old Ones, and Elder Gods.

Even though you're so very, very young at a mere 4,081 years old, and have only been managing Starblaydia for 21 tournaments now (Mr Tzimisces referred to you as a 'newb' at training the other day; we're not entirely certain what that means, but we're sure it must be very nice; we're such a friendly bunch, after all), we know that you'll agree that cuddle-based friendship between Starblaydia and the Holy Empire is all for the best. Why, Mr Dr Bradini is originally from Starblaydia, though when we asked him to write to you directly, he just said 'leave me out of this'. We can't imagine why. Perhaps he didn't get enough cuddles when he was a wee lad? The solution to not having enough cuddles as a child is to have even more cuddles as an adult!

Anyway, we digress. We just think that, what with the long history between our two nations, the fact that Starblaydi media have already declared that 'the Great Old Ones are the best ones' (a sentiment with which we heartily agree), there's just ever so much scope for the Starblaydi football team to join GOOFI. Why, our captain - Great Cthulhu - has even declared that you're a 'suitable vessel for his seed', and he doesn't say that about all the females in Ordinary Reality, believe us! Though we think we should stress that he's not expecting that to lead to anything should you join us for tea and crumpets and cuddles; it was a general observation (and a very flattering one at that, if you don't mind us saying so) rather than a statement of expectation or intent. Don't want any misunderstandings there!

You know who else has joined GOOFI? Vilita, that's who! They shared tea and crumpets with us for our final group stage match. They even brought along their own tea and crumpets! What a friendly bunch those Jungle Cats proved to be!

We're also hoping that Poafmersia will join GOOFI; and gosh, wasn't that an exciting second round match against the red thingies, what with the lead changing twice and everything, and both teams scoring a penalty. International football can be so much fun! And provides ever so many opportunities to form new friendships over tea and crumpets. If you join GOOFI too, that might mean that four teams have joined GOOFI - the Holy Empire, Vilita, Poafmersia (maybe), and Starblaydia! What larks we can all have together over tea and crumpets and cuddles!

So please join GOOFI! We can have ever so much fun together! It'll be ever so jolly! With tea and crumpets and cuddles!

In the meantime, here are 100 plush cuddly Cthulhu toys to show you how much we care.

Thank you ever so much,

Your new friends in GOOFI

[Pasarga]

Two straight trips to the World Cup Quarterfinals, it was a promising return to glory for the Wanderers many back in the dual islands had thought. And yet, for the more cynical fans, they would point to how the national team had on both occasions been one wrong kick away from having missed out on the World Cup tournament entirely. That was the margin for error these days in the World Cup, so razor thin that one bad step was all that it could take to send a good team completely out of the contention for qualifying. Eura as well as several others could testify to that, having entered into the World Cup or the qualifiers recently only to have been dismissed by a few pointed encounters having been flipped on their head. It would be quite difficult to try to come up with another period in time where the competition was as hyper competitive as it was in its current incarnation, with even low ranked and unranked teams having the dreams as well as the capabilities of pulling off the sort of upsets that could put them in contention and the favorites scrambling to try and maintain their positions at the top.

The Wanderers were one of those at the top looking to hold onto their position in the Round of Sixteen, taking on a Hampton Island squad that was looking to play the role of spoiler much the same way that they had been able to in their group. Advancing out of a group that contained both Nephara and Brenecia is a fantastical feat in its own right and spoke to how comfortable and ready their foes were in playing that similar role, but now in the extremely difficult and tense landscape of the knockout rounds. A nearly impossible to beat defense meant that the Wanderers were going to have to be clever and relentless in their attacks against the defensive unit of Hampton Island if they were going to be able to break down such an elite defense. However in that turtle mentality, they presented the Pasargans with an all too familiar tactic that they have had decades in perfecting to defeat, having had numerous run ins with a similarly minded Taeshan side throughout the history of the Copa Rushmori, including in a semifinal of one where they put seven past that defensive unit, and then in last World Cup's Playoff against Reçueçn.

Dressed in their all black kits, avoiding a kit clash against the white and green of Hampton Island, the Wanderers looked to get started against their opponents early. Júlia Müller had an excellent effort just inside two minutes parried past the post by the Hampton Island keeper as the Wanderers signaled their intention to pepper the Hampton Island net at every opportunity. Edwin Conney's old bones were going to be put to the task time and time again as the Wanderers attacks crashed in on the Hampton Island area like the waves of a tide, rolling in, drawing out, and then crashing back in on the defensive shape of the opposition. It seemed apparent that Hampton Island intended to see out the game much in the same manner that they did against South Newlandia and Brenecia, however that would fall apart just before the halftime whistle when Nagy received a ball from Szölösi and made no mistake in placing the shot outside of Conney's reach into the upper right corner, giving the Wanderers' the lead in the forty-first minute and into the half with lead in their pocket.

Despite employing actual bears against the Wanderers, the Pasargans were holding their nerve and still pressing hard on the Hampton Island area in the second half, not content nor comfortable with just a single goal lead against a foe that was known for deadly counters in opportune moments. The backbreaker for Hampton island came in the sixty-fourth minute, after a shot by Nagy was deflected off of the knee of Hector Rivera and out for a corner kick. Erik Földessy collected the ball and set up for an inswinger from the right side, which he put towards the near post where both Szalyk Földessy and Laborc Szöllössy were waiting, the defender having shaken off his mark from a routine that clearly had been worked on in the training sessions. With a perfectly placed header, Laborc powered the ball into the near post and Conney not able to reach up in time as the lead was doubled. Two goals down, Hampton Island was in a position they were not comfortable with, having to attack. Opening up was not their forte and they were fortunate when Nagy's effort in the eighty-first hit the wrong side of the post and went out for a goal kick. It was all over a few minutes later though and the Wanderers had progressed.

The team enjoyed a recovery session the next day, watch a bit of tape as well as keeping tabs on the scores of the rest of the knockouts going on, surprised to see both fellow Rushmori nations in the knockouts having been taken out. The biggest surprise was that Nephara was felled by Banija, the same Banija side that the Wanderers had been able to defeat in the group stage. It did seem very surreal to have been so close to not qualifying for the tournament and then to turn around a few months later and be the last representative of their proud region in the Quarterfinals. However their task was far from a pleasant one, they were having to play against Turori, who extended their unbeaten record in the cycle when they able to edge out the cohosts of Chromatika a few hours before the Wanderers had their own game. Thoroughly efficient and with a hunger of a long term team to have never tasted the triumph of the World Cup Final, Turori were going to be a difficult challenge, as would any game left in the tournament if they were to advance. Perhaps the difficulties of qualifying had toughened them up to handle the gauntlet of the knockouts...

[Eura]

[Turori]

Turori Shutout Hosts, Advance to Quarter Finals

The Jungle, Eyrods, Chromatika :: It was a beautiful day in Eyrods as Chromatik fans descended on the Jungle to watch co-host nation Chromatika duel with the Turori National Team in the World Cup 88 Round of 16. The hosts were looking to change their fortune after having won just one of their group stage matches and suffered a 4-2 defeat at the hands of the Commonwealth of Baker Park during their most recent fixture to close out Matchday 3 of the group stage. The Turori National Team on the other hand came into the match riding a record unbeaten streak and were hoping to utilize that momentum to overcome the home field advantage and boisterous support at the stadium for their opponents. Nigel's Army was relegated to one end of the pitch though their Lime Green supporter section was doing their best to get a chant or two timed right to overcome the crowd noise created by the locals.

One of the biggest questions heading into the match for the Turori National Team was whether or not they would be able to regain their form defensively. Under head coach Tarek Edgeli, the Eels were not afraid to press forward in attack doing so on average more than they had done under Klaillal Tuirma. However, the more the Eels went on the attack the more vulnerable they left their defenders. After having at times shaken things up and experimented with a 4-3-3 or even partial 3-3-2-1 formation, For the match against Chromatika head coach Tarek Edgeli would stick to the traditional Turorian 4-4-2 formation. Wiyauw An'maude would remain in goal for the Eels despite having conceded four goals across two games played thus far in the World Cup Finals. The biggest surprise would come in defense however where Lulu Pumaziiri - who had started in each of Turori's three group stage matches and who was the Turori National Teams co-leading goalscorer at the World Cup 88 Finals with 2 goals - was completely out of the lineup against Chromatika. Unlike star striker Meldi'ita Mungwaii who was left out of the starting lineup for the second straight match as they overcome a nagging injury - but remained available for selection from the bench, Lulu Pumaziiri was not even available in the dugout with Yitizo Mpala'a and Biliki Rona'atu'i the only defense minded players available for the staff to introduce during the match. With Pumazurii absent it left a hole in the starting lineup that Edgeli somewhat surprisingly opted to fill with their namesake, Karek Edgeli. The younger Edgeli had proven to be a formidible defensive option for the Eels making seven appearances during World Cup 88 Qualifying as well as starting Turori's Group Stage matchup with Farfadillis for their first ever World Cup Finals appearance.

The other notable change for the Turori National Team would be the introduction of Farfadillis based Tulaki Rauogba into the starting lineup against Chromatika. Rauogba, who plays for René Skaé, took the place of Broadview AFC of Baker Park midfielder Naraiza Ruaplal who had scored the game winning goal for the Eels during a 3-2 victory on Matchday three of the group stage against Newmanistan. After appearing in fourteen of Turori's eighteen qualification matches, Ruaplal has made just the one appearance during the World Cup Finals and no information was made available regarding the health of the Broadview midfielder or whether the substitution was tactical or injury based.

Wiyauw An'maude would make their third consecutive start for the Eels in net with the Anomalies likewise sticking with their primary goalkeeper Juxon Fillar. Chromatika would make two notable changes of their own as they looked to shake up the squad that could not keep pace on the scoresheet against the Commonwealth of Baker Park on the previous matchday. Former Hondo FC winger Augustus Humphreys who had been nursing a lower body injury was left out of the roster to permit a healthier Orianne Marc slide into the starting lineup. Marc who plays for AFC Serpentine in the Nepharim League is expected to cause problems for Turori on the wing and is well known for the quality of service they provide from the wing over the top to the forwards in generating goal scoring opportunities for the host nation. The second change of note for the host nation will be the introduction of 24 year old Eura based Attacking Midfielder Haley Hauser who replaces the experienced Hermaeus Mora. Mora has been cruising in route to the century mark for International Appearances for the Anomalies but may be temporarily held up at 97 with manager Richard Valens looking to see Hauser put more attacking pressure on the Turorian defensive line.

After dropping points to low ranked Yuezhou on the opening matchday of the group stage, Tarek Edgeli adjusted the Turorian strategy to a more attacking mindset which resulted in 8 goals scored across two games but also 4 goals conceded - an average of two per match. The strategy didn't exactly play to the Turori National Team's defensive strengths but it was necessary to ensure Turori avoided a second, unrecoverable slip up in the Group B standings. It was effective, however in ensuring victory for Turori in both of their remaining Group stage fixtures against Farfadillis and Chromatika, earning the Eels a date in the knockout rounds.

With the slate wiped clean and the only thing mattering the result on the day, both teams took a more measured and purposeful approach to the game. The Anomalies hoped to impress their home fans with a deep run into the World Cup knockout stages while the Eels were hoping to dispatch the hosts and advance to the World Cup Quarter Finals where they would hope to win their first Quarter Final match since losing the World Cup 82 Final and establish a new history of not losing in the World Cup Quarter Finals under a different coach for the first time in their history.

The result of the tension was a first half filled with a number of speculative but unfulfilling goal scoring opportunities. Both sides and a handful of scoring chances go by the way side through missing the target or misplacing the final pass. The shots that did make their way to the goalkeepers An'maude and Fillar was easily dealt with by the experienced goalkeepers on both sides. It would be just the fourth time in 22 matches played during the World Cup 88 cycle that the Turori National Team was held without a goal in the first half with the Host Nation doing their best to repel the Turorian threat and counter with their own goal scoring opportunities, spurred on by the local crowd.

Turori made one change at the half time break with the youngster Karek Edgeli being replaced in a high defensive role by the more experienced Yeaddin Owls defensive midfielder Lati'ala Giaoka. It was perhaps a slight shift to a more offensive formation for Edgeli's Eels but largely resulted in adding more experience to the Turorian back line as both sides were likely to ramp up their attacing pressure in the second half.

The teams changed strategies from peppering in speculative attempts to determine where there opponents strengths and weaknesses were to playing thee extra pass that sometimes resulted in a defensive clearance and sometimes resulted in an even higher percentage opportunity to score. The match proceeded past the hour mark and remained scoreless as the mood within the stadium grew more and more nervous. Turori would make a pair of changes shortly after the hour mark to provide a competitive spark with Jungle Strike FC attacker Nua'oma Aikiki entering the fray along shortly after with Inura Forests AFC midfielder Cuoabaza Orani’aoa who was making their first appearance in the Finals since the opening matchday raw with Yuezhou.

Both of Turori's substitues would be involved in what would turn out to be the games only goal. Orani'aoa proteted the ball in the midfield while attackers ran into space looking for the delivery. Instead of direct service into the box, however, Orani'aoa passed directly to Aikiki instead and Aikiki executed an audacious flick pass that allowed the veteran Wiztsana Iretziia to latch onto the ball and quickly fire it past Fillal to give Turori the lead. It was the second goal in as many games for the Eels attacker who has started two goals in as many matches as they made the most of the opportunity granted to them by the absence of fellow veteran attacker Meldi'ita Mungwaii. Over the final ten minutes the Turori National Team had to work extra hard to keep the home side from breaking through in spite of the increasingly vocal support from the supporters in The Jungle. Turori did do just enough to hold on, however with Iretziia's goal being the difference nad the Turori National Team surviving an encounter with the co-hosts to advance 1-0 over Chromatika and into the World Cup 88 Quarter Finals.

 Turori [1] - [0] Chromatika
				
	GOALS:	Turori 	:: 81' Wiztsana Iretziia              		
	STATS:	Turori 	:: Possession: 52%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 6	Chromatika 	:: Possession: 48%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 6
	Lineup:	[GK] Wiyauw An'maude, [D.] Mikki Mayelli, [D.] Moumouni Verre'elali, [D.] Karek Edgeli, [D.]  Amakli Inuro'o, [ML]  Kentu Umaka'a, [MC] Daliora Toru'u, [MC]  Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, [MR]  Tulaki Rauogba, [FC] Wiztsana Iretziia, [FC] Turakia Diijelhma			
	Bench:	[FC] Meldi'ita Mungwaii, [FC] Nua'oma Aikiki, [M] Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, [M] Lati'ala Giaoka, [U ] Biliki Rona'atu'i, [D] Yitizo Mpala'a, [GK] Timaala Hualtia

In Cassadaigua, Six guests of Cocoa-bo and twii.tur - the three contest winners and whomever they opted to give their second ticket to were in attendance at the Cocoa-bo Stadium in Starksville when Starblaydia - the team of yesteryear squared off against a solid team of the future candidate in Savigliane. While little information from the match has leaked out, initial reports suggested it was one of the most exciting of the Round of 16. With the two teams exchanging seven goals over the 90 minutes it was the Starblaydi veterans that got the job done denying Savigliane a place in the Quarter Finals. The Purple Peril won 4-3 to set up a Quarter Final Fixture with The Holy Empire. Cuddly Cthulu and friends at the Great Old Ones Friends Initiative (GOOFI) have already jumped upon the opportunity to invite Starblaydia for Tea and Crumpets though some have quietly grown skeptical as to whether accepting Tea and Crumpets was a good idea.

Host nation Cassadaigua was ousted by Audioslavia, the nation with more World Cup Final defeats than any other in history. The Cassadaiguans looked to have a strong presence at the Dagan Airways Stadium in Concord Heights but the match would run through the ninety minutes goalless. Audioslavia would eventually win the game with an extra time goal - one of two matches in the Cassadaigua half that required extra time. The other match would see Five Time World Cup Champion Valanora face off against one of the surprise stories of World Cup 88, long time competitor Jeruselem. Coming into the tournament ranked 50th, Jeruselem scored a big victory over five-time World Cup Champions Vilita on the opening matchday and kept up that momentum to earn a spot in the Round of 16. They kept up the fight with a pair of goals against the Marauders forcing extra time at the Five Star Mobile Stadium in Brattleboro. That would be the end of the line for the Jeruselem Train, however, as Valanora managed to score three times in the extra session ending the Princesses run in the World Cup 88 Finals the same way that it started in a 5-2 result.

The resulting fixtures in the Quarter Finals on the Cassadaigua Side read like a who's who of the Greatest Old Nations in Existence (GONE). The Capital City will be treated to a matchup between two-time World Cup Champions Audioslavia and five-time World Cup Champion Valanora at the Dagan Airways Stadium. The other Quarter Final fixture in Cassadaigua will also feature a five time World Cup winner in Starblaydia who will face off with four-time champions The Holy Empire. The four remaining nations in the World Cup 88 Quarter Finals on the Cassadaigua half account for a total of 16 World Cup Titles - nearly 20% of all the World Cup Trophies ever awarded. By comparison, the remaining nations in the Chromatika half of the draw account for just 2. Total.

Overall matches in the Chromatika half of the draw were lower scoring affairs with only the game between the Commonwealth of Baker Park and Newmanistan seeing each team scoring at least twice. Baker Park would end Newmanistan's strong World Cup 88 showing with a 3-2 victory in Urrheddiao. Just one match on the Chromatika Side of the draw featured two former World Cup Champions playing against each other in the Round of 16 with Nephara facing Banija at the Tidal Wave in Tihon. Half of the total World Cup Titles left in Chromatika were eliminated when Nephara were defeated 2-1 by Banija setting up a World Cup Quarter Final match between Baker Park and Banija at the RCK Field in Alnio.

Nephara's defeat would also leave Pasarga as the last Rushmori team remaining in the competition. The Wanderers defeated Hampton Island 2-0 in Myana and would advance to face Turori at Chromatik City Field in Chromia. It will be just the fourth meeting between Turori and Pasarga and the first since the World Cup 82 Finals where Turori came the closest they ever have in their history at lifting the World Cup. In a matchup that nearly de-railed Turori's best ever World Cup showing before it even started, The Eels survived 4-2 in a penalty shootout to keep their World Cup 82 run alive before ultimately losing the World Cup Final to rivals Vilita. The two sides will enter the World Cup 88 Quarter Finals in Chromia with a nearly identical placement in the World Cup Committee Rankings as they had during their meeting in World Cup 82 and it is likely that the match will be an equally hard fought sock-battle in the trenches with both teams looking to revitalize their National Teams and leverage their traveling fan base to take advantage of the fans arriving through to the Capital City of Chromatika to pack Chromatik City Field - one of the largest in the nation and with a capacity nearly 3 times that of the stadiums that the Turori National Team contested their three group stage matches.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

World Cup 88 Quarterfinal Fact Sheet
for immediate release, contact Sasha Henderson, FAC Director of Media Relations for further details


--The Commonwealth of Baker Park National Team will face Banija for the third time in the last four World Cup Finals in the quarterfinal at RCK Field in Alnio, Chromatika; the matchup assures that there will be at least one Atlantian Oceania nation in the Semi-Final. Along with Turori and Valanora, half of the final eight are from AO, with Starblaydia, Audioslavia (Anaia), Pasarga (Rushmore) and The Holy Empire (Independent Associations) rounding out octet.

--The Kadongo Kamu and il Bombi will meet for the thirteenth time—most of any BP opponent-- and the fourth in a competitive match. As mentioned, it will mark the third time since World Cup 85, that was in the Third Place Playoff at La Gran Aveneida, won by the Banijans; their most recent meeting coming during the Group Stage at World Cup 87 played at The Marianne Detreux Stadium in Ethane, a 1-1 draw on matchday 2.

---The Baker Park form chart against the World Cup 86 Champions has a distinct pattern over the last six matches: WLTWLT. Prior to that, Banija had won two matches and there had been four draws.

---Like Baker Park, Banija needed a final matchday scramble to make it through into the knockouts, and then dethroned holders Nephara in Tihon in the last round, a rematch of the World Cup 86 Final.

--It will be the second visit to Alnio for the Black & Gold, as they faced current co-host Chromatika at RCK Field in a friendly ahead of World Cup 85 that ended 2-2, with Antonio Sotolongo and Lainey Wadsworth scoring; DeAngelo Simmons & Danielle Gaines also started the match and Junior Ngoba came on as a sub.

--The 3-2 victory over Newmanistan was the 195th WCC sanctioned match played by Baker Park, raising their record in those matches to 133 victories, 36 defeats and 26 draws; the quarterfinal appearance has also pushed Baker Park provisionally up to ninth in the KPB rankings, meaning Audioslavia (17) is the only quarterfinalist not presently in the Top 10.

--The FAC have opted to have the BPNT wear the black & gold hoop shirts for the third consecutive match as the nominal home team; additionally, Head of State Timothy Wentworth has sent along a congratulatory and good luck message to Kabaka Mwanga, as well as both squads; the Head has expressed the hope at home that everyone in the Commonwealth will continue the mutual respect that Banijan ex-pats living in the country and BPNT fans have shared over the years.

--Alicia Craig regained the squad goal scoring lead against Newmanistan, notching her 5th tally, while Reggie Laing's goal off the bench moved him to second with his fourth; Ayana West, Annabeth Westmoreland, Daniel Pryor and Nicole D'Amico have all scored three times during the qualifying and finals cycle.

--Alan Wiseman was a surprise choice to captain the side at the United Center, his club home in the Chromatik Red League and he took time to acknowledge some of the Urrheddiao FC faithful in the crowd before and after the match.

--A win would put the Commonwealth into the semi-finals for third time in the last four tournaments,
against the winner of the Turori-Pasarga match; that would be at Anomaly Tower in Chromia, with the Final at the Capitalizt Dome in the nation's capital. BP currently have a 6 match winning streak in quarterfinal matches in major tournaments, losing only to Equestria in AOCAF 57.

The Lineup: Zach Johnston; Kelly O'Connell, Pryna Rasanamira, Derion Hutchins; Travis Grimaldi, Marcus Nolan, Antonio Sotolongo, Junior Ngoba; Annabeth Westmoreland (captain): De Angelo Simmons, Lainey Wadsworth.

[Cassadaigua]

Time to narrow this field down to six! Cutoff for the quarterfinal, A-D side!

[Chromatika]

Time to determine who the other semifinalists are! Cutoff!

Results

[Starblaydia]

When you look through 14,000,605 possibilities of how the Quarters could have turned out, there were only two where Starblaydia went through. If that had happened, we could have seen one of these...

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

[Banija]

Banijans down rivals Baker Park by 2 goals to 1 to reach 4th World Cup Semifinal in Six Cycles


Banijans celebrate their opening goal of the game

ALNIO, CHROMATIKA- Consistency. The most important thing in this sport. And yet, in this game, at this level- the absolutely hardest thing to achieve. One of the hardest things to do at the international level, where you comparatively get so little time with your players, and yet, have the pressure of a country behind you and the world around you. You don't have the marathon pace of a season, with 45, maybe 50 games if you include IFCF and AOCL(or equivalent) play. That's a ton of time to figure stuff out. But in international football, you have the long haul of World Cup Qualifying, and then a short burst- 7 games in 30 days, a major tournament. All high stakes, all high pressure, you have to string together wins in that environment.

That's why, even in the midst of great runs, teams occasionally face plant. Let's go back one cycle, to World Cup 87. Part of the run that we are on now. Four straight appearances in the Quarterfinals prior to that tournament, including two third place finishes and winning it all at the previous tournament in World Cup 86. We were ranked number one in the multiverse going into World Cup 87. Defending champions. We had a strong run at the previous AOCAFs, reaching the semifinals before being eliminated by (guess who!) Baker Park, and earning a bronze medal with a 1-0 win over Sarzonia in Lakiska. Strong momentum towards World Cup 87. And we started that Qualifying campaign strong, starting 9-0-0 and just rolling through our group.

But then, the wheels started to come off a little bit. Hard to say exactly what happened. But we slowed down. Second half of Qualifying, we went 5 wins, 1 draw, and 3 losses, not the type of form we really want to be in going into the tournament. And then, in our final warmup, we lost 1-0 to, of all teams, Ranoria. Half their fans barely understand the sport, just thinking of gridiron all the time. That should have been the alarm. We beat Geektopia and drew Baker Park, as expected, but got rocked by Savojarna on the final day of the group stages, taking our first group stage knockout since World Cup 82.

Following that up with a quarterfinal run at the AOCAFs. Not terrible, of course, but not exactly confidence inspiring either. "The margins for error in international football are extremely thin." The captain, Kuma Bultum said. "A couple of moments can mean the difference between an excellent run and a failure of a campaign." And he wasn't wrong. Qualifying went well- we went undefeated. But what mattered was the World Cup. An opening win against Tikariot was good, but the Matchday 2 L against Pasarga was not. It all came down to the final matchday.

Could this team, unlike last cycle, respond to the pressure of needing a result to push through? Well, we did. Despite HUElavia coming back from two goals down, we kept our heads and veteran striker Ilman Jawara finished them off late. In the Round of 16, we were drawn against Nephara, the defending champions, winners of four major tournaments in the last six cycles. But we were without fear, and a late goal from our own captain downed them. World Cup 87, forgotten. All eyes on World Cup 88. If we could beat the team who just went to three straight World Cup Finals, and claim the Unofficial World Championship to boot, well- exactly how far could we go here in Chromatika?

It's a friendly rivalry, for sure. Not one built on actual political animosity, like Banija and Equestria. One built on familiarity and simply wanting to be better than your friends. Baker Park is even more popular than ever in country ever since they publicly declined their invitation to Anaia to stay in Atlantian Oceania. President Wentworth of the Commonwealth sent a good luck message to the Kabaka, who sent one right back to Belle Haven. Executives from both the FAC and RBSA sat together at the match, showcasing the long-standing partnership even in sport between these nations.

But a rivalry is still a rivalry. Neither team wants to lose to the other. "It's like playing against your brother." Ilman Jawara told reporters in a pre-game press conference. "You love your brother. You want nothing but the best for him. And no matter what happens, afterwards you will still be brothers. But also- the last person you want to lose to is your brother. We compete fiercely. Both teams are going to want to win. Especially when you talk about the stakes. They beat us in an AOCAF semifinal not that long ago, preventing us from playing in a AOCAF Final on home soil. This is for a trip to the World Cup Semifinals. Those come few and far between- when you get this far in a World Cup, you've got to play like its the last time you'll ever get this far. Because the future promises you nothing."

Both teams played with that energy. Handshakes all around even before the game, Waters and Jennifer Prescott shook hands. But when the game started- it was as intense a match as you've ever seen. Neither team wanted to lose. The tackles coming in hard- clean, but hard. All the free-flowing energy, you could see it every time a player got a legitimate chance either saved by the goalkeeper or just missed the frame of the goal. The most controversial moment of the first half, a chance to be a game changer for Baker Park, was in the 32nd minute. Still 0-0, Ngoba cut from the edge of the box and tried to whip a cross inside. The ball went to the arm of Tibamba, and was deflected significantly, so Nzo could clear it.

Baker Park players cried for a penalty, but the referee refused to give it. They did not even go to VAR- a highly controversial moment. While after the match, the referee said Tibamba's arm was close enough to his body to be in a natural position, although many TV commentators on both sides disagreed. Questions of why they didn't take a closer look, but, we caught a break. Hard luck to the Bees, but 0-0 at halftime. In the second half, both sides were doing whatever they could to try and break the deadlock. 0-0 an hour in, 0-0 70 minutes into the game. Basically even both ways.

Marcus Waters then made two changes in the 70th minute to try and break the game open. Gereh Kama for Immaculate Kaba, and Sarafina Ikpeazu for Madu Okparra, who was clearly wearing down. Would the fresh legs make a difference? Just a few minutes in, the answer would be yes. A long clearance from Kuma Bultum saw the ball go to the corner, and Ikpeazu simply flew down the field, her fresh legs winning a foot race with Kelly O'Connell. All of a sudden, the opportunity. Ikpeazu took a couple of dribbles, and whipped in a wicked cross towards the middle. Kausu Dione was on the other end of the cross, and he headed it towards the far corner. The goalkeeper could not get there in time, and he ran to the sideline to celebrate the newfound 1-0 lead.

Demba Kinteh then came on for Idai Uster, as the Banijans switched to a back four and just one roaming striker to maintain the lead. Baker Park, of course, had to try and push forward at that point. But the Banijans on the break are absolutely deadly. An interception by Mzukisi Nzo in the 82nd minute saw him play a perfect through ball to Idai Uster, who timed her run perfectly to get behind the Baker Park defense. In what was basically a two on zero, the goalkeeper came up to her and she passed it across, as Babaja Mboob simply passed the ball into an empty net. Ecstasy. 2-0 to the Kadongo Kamu.

Terribly unfortunate for Baker Park on the day, who had a number of opportunities themselves on the day but who simply could not finish. Westmoreland scored in the 88th minute to make it 2-1, but Baker Park could not find a great opportunity to equalize, and after six long minutes of stoppage, the final whistle blew. The Banijans celebrated, while pain hit the faces of their opponents. Marcus Waters and Jennifer Prescott exchanged words, the two friends with great respect for the other's accomplishments. Kuma Bultum exchanged jerseys with the retiring Baker Park captain, Annabeth Westmoreland, as a number of Banijan players went to pay their respects to her. She was in tears- it would be her final international for Baker Park.

Banijan fans, as a show of respect to Westmoreland, chanted her name alongside Baker Park fans a few minutes after the final whistle. Antonio Sotolongo too was well received by Banijan players after the final whistle. That national team would be led by DeAngelo Simmons now- the final member of the Bees Golden Generation to likely continue onto the next cycle. They've got a great future ahead of them- lots of players coming of age, a major tournament title already won, their performance here has to see them as among a handful of favorites for both AOCAF 64 and World Cup 89.

But what a showing for this team. What an era of football. Our fourth semifinal in our last six World Cups- a truly astounding feat. Across generations too. Ilman Jawara and Bultum are the only ones to appear in all 4? A glass raised to the national team. But for the team themselves- back to work. It is hard to get to this point, and once you are here, you have to go for it all, of course? What a game, what a tournament. But the show goes on. All eyes will be on Chromia in a few days time when the Kadongo Kamu take on Turori for the right to play in the World Cup Final. Does it get much bigger than that?

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Last Train to Chromia--Baker Park 1-2 Banija
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail National Soccer Writer

They say that empires don't fall overnight, that eras don't come to an end in real time, only when we look back and decide on the final point.

David Carlson, Pamela Scott, and Trevor Richmond came up with a long range plan to change the entire structure of player development in the Commonwealth, with emphasis on technique, skill, and making basic concepts instinctive and habitual.

The course that the Football Association of the Commonwealth took following their initial exposure to mixed-gender play at the DiBradini Cup in Valanora has unquestionably been the single most important decision in the history of sport in Baker Park; the Under 18 Championship, followed by the Baptism of Fire, followed by qualifying for the World Cup on the very first attempt.

While it was the players from single sex national teams that maneuvered through the initial compromises, adjustments, trust building, and eventual coming together in mutual trust and squad togetherness, the first fruits of the Development Charter's careful cultivation of 13-18 year olds who came from outside the professional club academy system were becoming a source of optimism within the FAC Development Center in Birkenfeld, located in BP States' Charter Township.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________
The National Team's list of most capped players all time is made up exclusively of men and women who came of age during the dawning of the NSWC Era in this country; the veterans who were the core of Scott & Richmond's women's and men's NT respectively, had a sense that they were on borrowed time and needed to do everything they could to pass along the collective knowledge, the situational experience, the sense of pride that had been the slender, common thread that provided a tiny bit of confidence to a merely average, barely successful country in the sport over 75 or so years that it had fielded a team.

The final whistle at RCK Field almost certainly called time on the FAC's "Golden Generation"--personified by two of its most prominent members who neither played in college, nor were developed at academy level.

Annabeth Westmoreland only signed for Ridge Raiders on an youth contract after she'd played 2 years of high school in Jamestown; Antonio Sotolongo played all four years, and graduated from Richmond County HS before signing with Maritime Athletic.

They'd been the co-captains of the squad throughout the ups and downs of this cycle, now with a chance to reach the final four of the World Cup for the second time ever; the general atmosphere surrounding a Banija-Baker Park match was on display during the anthems, with the flags of both nations waved by supporters--by groups nearly side by side in a greater concentration than would be the norm at many other internationals--along with a noticeable number of Atlantian Oceania flags mixed in.

Once the whistle sounded and Lainey Wadsworth tapped the ball to DeAngelo Simmons, the two sides set out to establish a presence against one another that would carry both through 90 minutes. There were many instances of individual brilliance at both ends of the pitch, and as the contest progressed long into the second half, the tension built around the stadium as it seemed that regulation might not be enough to separate the side.

The Kadongo Kamu finally broke the stalemate in the 72nd minute, then added a second ten minutes later; Reggie Laing and Nicki Stone came on to give the Bees additional scoring options, but it would only be a Westmoreland consolation goal in the 88th minute--her 40th NT strike--that would represent the offensive effort.

The scenes of celebration from the team in white contrasted with those of the team in black & gold, most of whom had gone down on the pitch in disappointment; the goal scorer sat with her hands covering her face until several of the victorious Banijan players kneeled down along side to express their commiserations and pay their respects.
Banija's captain, Kuma Bultum helped her up, the two sharing an embrace before swapping shirts, and around the stadium the chants of 'Ann-a-beth' rained down. It was a fitting and proper salute to the woman who was Baker Park's first ever Galactico, who has represented the country in nearly one third of all the matches the NT have played in the mixed gender configuration, and provided fans many iconic moments that will live on forever.

[Audioslavia]

Dear GOOFI

I have heard so many lovely things about your friendly gang of loveable intra-dimensional monsters (intra-dimensional monsters seems such a pejorative term. I prefer bounce-buddies) and I’m just so delighted that our football teams have the opportunity to have a nice game of football together.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Coothulhu, and I am a coo who is in training for eldritchhood.



That’s me with the green tentacles. I’m told the mere sight of me invokes madness in mere mortals and I believe it, because whenever a human looks at me they stop what they’re doing, clasp their hands together and go ‘d’awwwwwwwwww’ when previously they had been chatting to their friend about how the local windmills are all inoperative and used largely for tourism purposes. People say I can’t be an unfathomable supernatural sea-colossus simply because I’m a wee coo who lives by a windmill, but as your friend Simbadandy di Brandinki once said, ‘if you’re old enough, you’re good enough’, and I think that stretches to ‘if you try really hard to be an unknowable sub-pacific cephalopodian god-priest then you’re good enough’. I hope Simbobdi Bergenie is doing well please tell him I like his shoes.

As our two teams are meeting in the semi-finals of the World Cup (I’m so excited! I’ve had to wait so long to see the Audioslavian Bulls in the World Cup! I don’t think they’ve ever been past the second round since I was born, which was admittedly few weeks ago) I was wondering if you would do me the honour of coming to tea? “Audioslavian tea” is just so scrummy and it’s much nicer if you can share it with friends. It’s tea and scones with jam and clotted cream. Lovely! You naturally have to put the jam and the cream on the scone in a certain order, which is naturally [this line of the letter is obscured by a fresh green smudge, as if the coo’s “tentacles” have brushed over the page] so I hope you don’t get that wrong! I think the cream is made from coos like me, so I hope one day I can make some myself. People tell me I’m not allowed to because I’m more of a wee bull than a coo so I don’t have any of the ingredients to make cream. When I told them I was sure I could improvise they giggled for a second but stopped suddenly and grimaced and lead me back to the field away from the hoose. I assume I simply caused their mortal minds to slip from this reality like pieces of wet cake from an upturned plate.

Ooh, that reminds me, I’ve been learning some of your language. Let me try some.

Ṕh̨'n̵gl̡u͢i ̴ḿglw'̛nafh́ Ct͡h̶ųl̴h̷u͟ ͡R'̵l̸ỳeh̡ w̕g͠a̷h'n͞ag͝l ̵f̨ht̢a̷g̨ņ

I hope I spelled everything okay. I think it means “The wee coo is tucked up in bed having a little snooze”

I’d also love to invite you to a pre-match meal along with the Audioslavia team. They’ll be eating an Audioslavian dish made by the chef the team has brought over (we love Cassadaiguan food, but some traditions are sacred, as I’m sure you know!). It’s really scrumptious and it’s called Polvorice which I’m sure you’ll love because it sounds like ‘pulverise’. I’d tell you what’s in it but we should keep it as a surprise!

Lots of love and hugs and a big moo.

Coothulhu.

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

Dear Coothulhu,

Wow! I'm really excited to be writing to you, the Heilan Coothulhu!

Let me introduce myself! I'm also in training for eldritchood. I'm Shet-Niggurath, the Pony of the Fields With A Thousand Young!



That's me in the picture, striking fear into ordinary mundies! The bounce-buddies at GOOFI have asked me to write to you because we have so much in common! We're both in training for eldritchood, and when a human looks at me, they also go ‘d’awwwwwwwwww’, though in my case it has nothing to do with windmills, and everything to do with being exhausted after the long journey required to reach my isolated island home. Not that my island home is as exciting as R'lyeh (that's where dread Cthulhu lives, don'tcha know), but isolated islands in the middle of nowhere are just the bestest places for the eldritch-in-training, don'tcha think?

I'd also like to introduce you to my thousand young! They're ever so tasty when cooked properly! I call them 'haggis'. Here's a picture of one of my wild haggi!



I know they look super-cute, but you wouldn't want to get in their way when they're on the rampage, those wild haggi. Here's a picture of my thousand wild haggi young ravening for delight!



It's said that they can strip the flesh from the bones of a human in just 30 seconds! I'm so terribly proud! But also sad; because I don't want anyone to suffer just because my thousand haggi young are on the rampage. That would be bad.

Anyway, I'm so pleased that Coothulhu and your buddies from Audioslavia want to join us for tea and scones with jam and clotted cream. We all want to try scones with jam and clotted cream! This sounds so much better than tea and crumpets! Just please tell us that there will also be cuddles!

Polvorice sounds super-yummy! We'd love to have some before the match, thank you! Cthulhu has also offered to bring tasty delectables that he calls 'Forfar bridies' and 'Scotch pies'. He says these are the bestest foods evah! Cthulhu says that everyone should try some!

I think Cthulhu is still upset about the Starblaydia match. I mean, yes we won and everything, but there was that awkward episode with Miss Fëanáro. Cthulhu says that in the past when he's thought that a mortal female is a suitable vessel for his seed, he's always sent Nyarlahotep as his herald to inform the lucky mundy. But it always seems to lead to misunderstandings, what with Nyarly always referring to 'dread seed', and 'unholy seed', and before you know it, the spawn of the impregnated female has led to the total collapse of the civilisation involved in an orgy of horror!

Well, this time Cthulhu thought he'd cut out the middleman, tell Miss Fëanáro himself, and she'd be sure to take it as a compliment rather than as a sign of the impending apocalypse. Instead she was really offended! Can you believe it! She slapped Cthulhu! He had to spend the next 30 minutes apologising profusely! He was so embarrassed. I mean, it was just one of those little cultural misunderstandings that lend so much richness to international football; but unfortunately it meant that Starblaydia didn't join GOOFI, despite all of the historical connections between our nations.

But still, Audioslavia want to join GOOFI! We'll have so much fun together, what with tea and scones with jam and clotted cream (all applied in the correct order), polvorice, Forfar bridies, and Scotch pies! And cuddles! Don't forget the cuddles!

It'll just be the bestest time evah!

Yours in GOOFIness,

Shet-Niggurath, the Pony in the Fields With a Thousand Haggis Young

[Audioslavia]

Previously in Concord Heights

Before World Cup 88, Audioslavia had visited Concord Heights on three prior occasions, losing twice and “winning” once, and all in the mid-sixties - a far away time when Audioslavia’s national team were quite good at football for a bit.

The Bulls’ introduction to Concord Heights came in World Cup 65. Fresh from two regional championships and two World Cup titles won back to back, with only one loss to their name over the previous forty competitive internationals, Audioslavia were defeated by a strong Cassadaigua side by two goals to nil. The Bulls were still odds-on for qualification, and were still reigning World Champions, so naturally the nations media allowed them this one defeat against a side of equals.

"...utterly devoid of ideas, tactical nous or even, on occasion, a single hint of a desire to chase the game..."
"...Klimt's team selections have raised more than a few eyebrows, and with departed assistant David Radic having delivered sound thrashings to allcomers from his new post at Falconwhereveryouare, the jury is out as to who *actually* was the brains behind Audioslavia's recent triumphs..."
"...now with just two wins in their last five, with three defeats coming against opposition ranging from 'modest' to 'middling'..."
"...despite all their amazonian bragadocio, broad-shouldered posturing and brash vulvas-to-the-wall style, this Dagan side still played like less than the sum of their parts, let alone their former glories, and that the Bulls have failed to even worry this most pedestrian of sides is nothing short of preposterous..."
"...an incomprehensible cluster-shambles from start to finish, and a measure of how quickly a team can fall from grace..."
"...rubbish. Just rubbish...."
"...assistant manager Alvaro Mozo is evidently utterly out of his depth at this level, as well as looking like he should still be in school...."
"...a terrible appointment by the FFA. Overtures should be made to Radic immediately..."
"....Tragedy. A f***ing tragedy"

Oh right yeah, Sue Dysos was writing the reports at that time. Never mind. Their next visit to the stadium would be a happier one.

”/hu·​bris/ /hyü-brəs/ : exaggerated pride or self-confidence, usually followed by a fall”

Polar Islandstates had won their semi-final against Valladares over in Equestria and were awaiting the victor of the Dagan semi-final. Whomever their opponents would be, one thing was for sure: Polaria would be second favourites. The puffin-botherers (no, auto-correct, not puffin-motherers) had ‘done an Audioslavia’ in previous cycles, losing two finals and remaining trophy-less on the grandest stage. Both Audioslavia and Valanora had won a World Cup or two in the preceding cycles, and so the final would very much be theirs to lose. Yeah I know.

The opening line of the preview of Audioslavia’s game against Valanora ran Oddly, for two nations without so much as a whimper of animosity between one another, Audioslavia and Valanora…, which is very much a ‘how times change’ thing. Okay, brief pause to have a glance at the elephant in the room. Yup. Still there. Okay? Now, back to me.

As for how the match went, I refer you to our elven cousins, who proclaimed that it ”…was was a stalemate, the tactics that the Marauders had employed were perfect, and the players performed all up to their abilities... …Officially, the match will go down as a draw between the two sides, in their sixth meeting, and one that unlike the previous five, can not be construed as any sort of defining humiliating moment in their history.” We’re inclined to agree. Whereas previous games between the Bulls and the Marauders had finished with heavy defeats or losses in major finals, this was an uptempo draw decided by kicks from the penalty mark. Audioslavia just about managed to parlay the draw into a ticket for the final.

Music Suggestion: Broken Windows, Locks of Love Part III

Immortalized in Episode Three of The Idiot Project, Audioslavia’s final against Polar Islandstates was one for the ages, and a game that cemented Polaria, not Audioslavia, as the iconic team of the era of the mid-sixties. The last eight minutes of the video paint a better picture of the game than we can manage here (if much, much more slowly), but the summary is this: Polar Islandstates were the better team, and secured one of the most cathartic of two-nils in history. Similar to the way the Bulls had put away Starblaydia in the World Cup 63 final, Polar Islandstates, one-nothing up, broke clear and scored in the dying moments of the game to secure victory and send their fans into raptures.

It is the best way to win a match at Concord Heights. Cassadaigua did against the Bulls, Polaria did it against the Bulls, and then, many decades later…

---

Once Upon a Time in Concord Heights

Audioslavia 1-0 up, the game entering its final stages with the national team just about holding on against Ko-oren, who were desperate for an equaliser that would send the Dragonflies into the second round at our expense. Instead, Thiago Brown dragged his tired muscles into a sprint for one last time, rounded Tij Breukelaar and squared for Rijsbergen to score and cement Audioslavia’s place in the next round of the competition, sending the travelling Audioslavian fans into frenzied delight. It really is the best way to win a game at Concord Heights.

The sixties, however, are long, long over. The idea of meeting a side like Valanora, Cassadaigua or Polar Islandstates face-to-face, man-for-man/woman/elf/polar bear seems ridiculous these days, given the relative strength of Audioslavia’s first eleven against the top teams. For years, supporters of the national team have had to accept the glass ceiling over their heads. A team good enough to qualify, if sometimes via the playoffs, but not quite strong enough to compete at the highest level, for decades now Audioslavia have been merely gatekeepers to the upper echelons of sport. Are you a good team? Yes? No? Well I tell you what, beat Audioslavia and you’re in. Lose, and you’re out. Banija and Poafmersia have ran that gauntlet countless times with barely a falter, and those two teams, both debuting during Audioslavia’s era of mediocrity, have far outshone our star in recent years.

From cycle 77 to cycle 87, Audioslavia were underpowered and outplayed. A footnote in world football, as the likes of Baker Park, Brenecia, Bonesea and Banija all surpassed them, if sometimes only briefly. If teams drawn against Audioslavia felt a buzz around the game it wasn’t because they felt they were pitting themselves against the world’s best, it was because they’d maybe heard stories of Audioslavia from history and felt a sense of nostalgia about lining up against the once-famous Claret and Green. The idea that they were going up against a once-great side was, if anything, more of a nostalgia for a time that never really existed in the first place. Audioslavia’s two World Cup titles can be attributed to the luck of the draw and a dearth of opposing teams in their prime. Starblaydia are an all-time great team, sure, but that Starblaydia team from cycle 63? Not so much. World Cup 64 saw the side defend their title against Andossa se Mitrin Vega, who while in their prime were not a side that history was particularly inclined to remember.

And so, the Bulls trotted through the eighties with only brief false dawns - a great start to World Cup 82 ended quickly by Cassadaigua, wins over Nephara and Baker Park that ended up being for nought. So when the side lined up against the Dagans again, in their home stadium no less, the Audioslavian fans were largely just happy to be there.

---

Twice Upon a Time in Concord Heights

Thiago Brown has been a revelation for Audioslavia. Initially dismissed as a one-trick pony as teenager and released from 1830 Cathair’s youth system, the alarmingly fast and muscular Brown found a new lease of life as a full-back for Cazadores where he’s become accomplished enough as a defender to warrant a starting place for club and country. That sheer acceleration and hellish top speed remains, though, and has made the right back one of the national team’s most potent threats on the counter. The provider against Ko-oren and a goalscorer in Audioslavia’s unlikely march to the AOCAF Cup final two years back, Brown was instrumental this time in defence, keeping Dagan winger Morgan Rosenblatt just about in check over the ninety minutes.

In extra time, with the game still balanced at nil-all, the Audioslavians’ fitness came into play. After weathering the storm, the Bull began to charge, Rijsbergen, scorer of both goals against Ko-oren, shielded a high ball from Brooke Sutter’s attentions and laid it off for Erwin Spijkers to drill home past a forlorn Danielle Cotter for the only goal of the game. The Concord Heights stadium, usually so deafening with its eighty-odd thousand fans, fell into momentary silence. Audioslavia, second favourites for the tie by a country mile, had taken the lead and, with the Dagans tiring, were looking to set up a quarter-final tie against….

---

Thrice Upon a Time in Concord Heights

If Valanora had played a perfect game in the two sides’ last meeting in the Dagan capital, you might imagine they fell far, far short of it to lose to this Audioslavian team. In reality, this result was less to do with Valanora and all to do with Audioslavia. It was, for want of a better word, a good old fashioned Audioslavian mugging.

The term mugging comes from boxing. Well, yes, okay, it comes from robbing someone in the street, but bear with me. A mugging happens when a less talented boxer lands a fortunate blow on a more skilled one early on in a fight. It’s a punch that doesn’t topple the better man, but does rather discombobulate them for long enough for the plucky underdog to capitalise. In football, a mugging takes the form of an early goal and a subsequent parked bus. It's not very fun to watch and not very honorable to do, and is therefore the most Audioslavian of tactics.

The usual pre-match festivities you might associate with a World Cup quarter-final had been done away with in light of the elephantine tension between the two competing nations, with Audioslavian ministers critical of the elephant’s attitude to foreign workers and Valanora insisting the elephant lives in an alternative universe of elven creation. Both sides agreed to arrive to the stadium late, already warmed up and dressed, to blast each national anthem quickly, to get on with the game and to leave shortly after the final whistle, before the crowd had gotten a chance to shuffle towards the exits. It turned out that the game’s defining moment came before the crowd had had a chance to flip their seat down. A throw-in on the far left in the first minute was taken quickly by Cotescasees towards the goal-line where Brannigan Burley was sprinting. Just about keeping the ball in play, Burley hit a low cross which deflected off a Vanorian ankle before falling to a surprised Koenraad Rijsbergen, who turned and swept the ball into the roof of the net for the opening goal. A crowd largely sympathetic to the Vanorians weren’t silenced like they had been for Spikjers’s goal five days prior, but they were certainly put out. Valanora took the first half to regain their composure and start to make inroads into the Audioslavian defence, but the second phase of the game saw the Bulls stay back and refuse to be drawn out of position. Like in the side’s previous meeting at the same stage of the AOCAF Cup (one where Audioslavia’s media had joined Valanora’s in maintaining radio silence on the game in a show of solidarity. Again: how things change), Valanora could not unbolt the door.

And so, Audioslavia have shit-housed their way to a 3-1-2 record at Concord Heights, a stadium which is quickly becoming a favourite for claret and green clad fans. Next up comes an old - and we use that word carefully - foe.

---

Fource (Force? Quarterce? Quaterce?) Upon a Time in Concord Heights

It's peculiar that, for two sides that have been playing World Cup football since the earliest cycles, Audioslavia and The Holy Empire never played one another before World Cup 66. The two teams duly made up for that over the next four cycles, meeting one another in the finals tournaments of cycles 67, 68 and 69. Only four goals were scored in total over those four games - two for the Bulls in a pair of 1-0 wins, two for the Empire in another pair, the latter of which coming in the World Cup 69 final, the game that cemented The Holy Empire, not Audioslavia, as the team of the entire 60s.

This time out, there has been some consternation about the line-up that The Holy Empire have selected. Rather than their usual uncontroversial choices (jumping beans, sweet old grannies, Simulacra Dobra Beanie), the side have gone with a team of horrific pan-dimensional monsters who seem hell-bent on giving everyone a pat on the head and telling them just how delighted they are to have a new friend. On one occasion, team captain Cthulhu offered to feed Ázëwyn Fëanáro's budgies by proxy (or so we gather from the phrase 'vessel for his seed') which rather reminds me a little too much of that little set-to in World Cup 49's final, with the evil aztec gods and the hellfire and honestly this is something better explained elsewhere. To summarize, the atmosphere of World Cup 49's final was rather ruined by the destruction of space-time as we know it, and it was all rather The Holy Empire's fault.

There is, understandably, some concern that The Holy Empire's player might unmake reality again. For the second time since World Cup 49. That first re-offence? Their previous game against Audioslavia.

It could not be called a voice. The sound didn’t so much vibrate the air as tear it from the moorings of its very plane of existence and compel it to destroy itself. You did not hear the voice, you heard the black void where sound once was, and thus your eardrums rattled to the inverse of the sound you had heard. The voice, if we’re still pretending it was such a thing, sounded like thirteen damp gravestones tumbling slowly down a stone spiral staircase at midnight. Sean Patterick caught a glimpse of the voice’s origin before his eyes poured from their sockets and the skin sloughed from his cheeks like fallen leaves in the wind. Mictlantecuhtli’s giant countenance blocked the sun. Each and every player on the field looked up in admiration, their souls long since cast to the wind like ash, their empty, lifeless bodies rooted to the molten earth. So it had been commanded, so it would be done. The sun was plucked from the sky and placed before what was once Alan Belmores, whose husk stared in awe at the orb as it was lowered to his right foot. A void where sound should be commanded the vessel. END IT. Alan Belmores’ dried carcass lurched towards the sun, its right leg twisting backwards, snapping free of the scored earth like twigs from a dead tree. What was left of the striker’s right leg swung slowly at the orb, burning on impact, sending it on an arc towards…

There was a whistle.

Mictlantecuhtli’s giant countenance contorted into a furious frown. He scowled down at the ground at the small balding Euran below. It was a referee. He was standing with his hands on his hips, shaking his head and tutting.

“You can’t do that. That’s a yellow card, sonny jim.”
“I AM MICTLANTECUHTLI. I COMMAND THE DEAD. YOU WILL JOIN THEIR RANKS. YOU WILL BECOME ONE OF MY TRIBE. YOU WILL BECOME NOTHING”
“I won’t be spoken to like that, young man…”
“YOUNG MAN? I AM MICTLANTECUHTLI. I AM UNBORN AND UNDYING. I AM ETERNAL. YOU ARE NOTHING TO ME”
The referee shook his head.
“Any more of that, sunshine, and you’ll be having an early bath”
“I AM MICTLANTECUHTLI. I DO NOT TAKE BATHS. I AM BATHS”
“What”
“…NOTHING. SHUT UP”
“Well you were warned” said the referee, rolling his eyes and fishing in his back pocket for what would be a red card.
“I AM UNWARNABLE. YOU HAVE NO POWER OVER ME. YOU WILL KNEEL”
“I won’t Neil” said the referee. “I am Neil. Neil Grounds. And you’re having an early bath. Off you pop”

“…well within his rights there, the referee, that was simply an awful challenge from the midfielder. We’ve got a replay here, Barry”
“We do.. here we go.. yeah Eurico Da Rosa’s got the better of Miguel Tzanicites there, and Tzanicites has retaliated, he’s summoned the ancient aztec god of the dead, I think that’s Mictlāntēcutli, Jeff, and he’s scorched the earth and turned the air to ash in full view of the referee”
“There’s a tug on Da Rosa’s shirt too”
“There is, but the foul’s already been committed”
“The turning of the o’erhanging firmament to hellfire, that’s what you’re saying is the initial indiscretion?”
“Yeah. Yeah honestly the shirt tug is incidental, I think the referee’s blown for the first infraction”
“Fair enough. Da Rosa’s being treated, I think he’s taken a knock there”
“Yeah… yeah it looks like his heart has been annihilated by the very word of God. He’s being looked at by the physio”
“Is it bad, do you think?”
“That’s usually pretty severe but it looks like he’s recovering. I think he’ll be able to run it off after this new plane of reality is properly unfolded. He won’t even remember the incident, probably. Hopefully.”
“Yeah he looked to be affected by the sudden transmutation of this very plane of existence into that of a fiery hellscape and he might have gone over on his ankle. Might they bring him off?”
“Nah that’d just tire him out. They’re better off just substituting him”
“Who would you put on in place of him?”
“Honestly… I don’t think they’ll make any changes. All the Audioslavian players have had the same injury and they’re all just about getting to their feet now and unsticking their studs from the turf”
“Has the sudden ossification of the earth, and its equally quick mutation back into grass, had an affect on the playing surface, do you think?”
“Well it can’t have helped.”
“We resume then, Audioslavia still a goal to the good here with ten minutes left to play. That free-kick is floated in and… AND.. AND Santiago Rosel! Rosel! It’s 4-2 to Audioslavia! And really now they look to have secured second place!”
“Awful defending from The Holy Empire there.”
“They clearly haven’t properly recovered, mentally, from what they’ve just seen”

“The free kick?”
“No the… the.. the what happened again?”
“There was a free-kick given for… I think it was a shirt tug”
“Yeah… yeah Eurico went over on his ankle?”
“Foul from Tzanicites, yes. In all the excitement I rather lost track of the game. 4-2 for Audioslavia though as we go into the eightieth…”

With Concord Heights being such a lovely stadium, it would be a shame if it were ossified and blown into a fiery wind by an unfathomable eldritch horror, and so Audioslavia will be looking for as quiet an upset as possible. Whoever wins will be playing in a record tenth World Cup final. Whoever loses will be brought back to Concord Heights for the third-placed playoff. If, of course, it withstands the cuddly might of The Great Old Ones.