AOCAF Cup LXIV - Everything Thread

[Banija]

Banija National Team- The Kadongo Kamu

Information
Country code: BNJ
Denonym: Banijan(s)
Association: Royal Banijan Soccer Association(RBSA)
Nickname: The Kadongo Kamu
Manager: Marcus Waters, 59 years old, native of the Equestrian States. Took over the interim manager role after Matchday 9 of World Cup 80 Qualifying; became the full-time manager at the end of that World Cup Qualification campaign.
Senior Assistant Manager: Kausu Gassama. 52 years old, Banijan native. George Wangolo, the former assistant manager, has left after the team's World Cup 86 title to go and become the senior manager for the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. That will leave Kausu Gassama hired as the new senior assistant manager. He started in this position ahead of AOCAF LXII. It is a prestigious position in Banija- the RBSA traditionally chooses the Senior Assistant manager, to be the head coach/manager for the youth national teams, and there is no exception in this case. He was the senior assistant manager at Istria City FC the past two seasons, where the club in Banija's biggest city reached new heights, winning the League and then following that up by winning the AOCL.
Captain: Mzukisi Nzo
Alternate Captain: Idai Uster
Home Kits: Green
Away Kits: White
Alternate: Orange

RP Permissions
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
RP Injuries to my players: Yes(please state what injury they have suffered and how many games they will miss).
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes(please state what injury they have suffered and how many games they will miss).
Godmod other events: Yes(However, there is a hard ban on any Banijan nationals, player or fans or whoever, from catching a pandemic).
Style modifier: +2

Brief National Team History
The Kadongo Kamu have played in exactly 486 games, as of the beginning of AOCAF LXIV. This will be mark the beginning of our 16th World Cup cycle overall. We have entered in 13 previous World Cup Qualification campaigns(WCQ73, WCQ74, WCQ75, WCQ76, WCQ77, WCQ79, WCQ80, WCQ82, WCQ84, WCQ85, WCQ86, WCQ87, and WCQ88), and have made 9 consecutive World Cup Finals appearances(WC80-88). We have also participated in Baptism of Fire 60, and been a participant in three different Cup of Harmonies(CoH 66, CoH 67, and CoH 71). In three Cup of Harmonies, Banija has never once moved past the group stage in the competition, and in their lone Baptism of Fire, they earned a lone point.

After not competing at all during the World Cup 78 Cycle due to the RBSA's bankruptcy, they re-entered the world of international football in World Cup 79 cycle. A shocking World Cup 79 Qualification campaign saw them on the brink of qualifying, but the team simply ran out of gas and lost 4 of their final 5 matches to not make it to Ceni/Drawkland. Since then, the U21 team got 3rd place at the 42nd Di Bradini Cup, and the national team advanced to the quarterfinals of AOCAF LV, AOCAF LVI, and AOCAF LVII, establishing themselves as a strong regional side, falling to the eventual champs in the latter two tournaments. They stunningly qualified for World Cup 80, after starting poorly by losing 5 of their first 9, to going unbeaten in the second half of qualifying, where they won 7 of those games. In the World Cup 80 Qualification playoffs, a 3-0 first leg victory in Montreal, Royal Kingdom of Quebec, powered the team through to their first ever appearance in the World Cup Finals, advancing to sport's pre-eminent competition 5-3 on aggregate over Mercedini. While a pair of one goal losses saw them eliminated after two games, they earned their first ever victory at the World Cup Finals in a 2-0 win over New Gazi in their final group stage game. As they hosted World Cup 81, they went directly to the tournament, and went to their first ever knockout stages, winning Group A before falling, 1-1(2-1 AET) to Turori in the Round of 16. They cruised to qualification in World Cup 82, maintaining a top two spot in their World Cup Qualification group behind Brenecia for the entirety of the World Cup 82 Qualification campaign, getting to the tournament with relative ease before bowing out in the group stages.

The World Cup 83 cycle was their strongest yet. Starting with AOCAF LVIII on home soil, co-hosted with the Commonwealth of Baker Park, the Kadongo Kamu won 6 consecutive matches to open the tournament, taking their winning streak all the way to the final. Unfortunately, they were felled, 4-2, at home to their archrivals, the Equestrian States. Co-hosting World Cup 83 as well, the Banijans made a miraclous run at the World Cup, upending 5th ranked South Covelllo on penalties, and defeating the then two-time defending world champions Vilita in the quarterfinals, before falling, 3-2, at the national stadium to Starblaydia. They added to the trophy case, however, earning a bronze medal after defeating Cassadaigua in the 3rd place playoff game.

The World Cup 84 cycle, the first with real title expectations for the Banijans, was a disappointment in the regionals, as we fell 1-0 to Ko-oren in the AOCAF Round of 16, although we advanced to the quarterfinals of World Cup 84 before dropping to Eura in extra time. The World Cup 85 cycle seems to be a promise of hope for the Banijans. Although AOCAF LX was a rough tournament for the Banijans, it was surrounded by two excellent tournament performances for the Banijans. We won the U21 World Cup(DBC 47), and are just coming off earning our first ever senior-level trophy, by winning the 8th Eagle's Cup to be admitted as a full, permanent member of the Eagle's Club right before the beginning of World Cup Qualifying. Following that, the Banijans dominated World Cup 85 Qualifying, going wire-to-wire as the first place team in their World Cup Qualifying group, as well as earning more points in World Cup Qualifying(67) than any other team did throughout the entire campaign. Those strong performances both in the Eagle's Cup and World Cup Qualifying have caused fans to put an up and down AOCAF behind them, and heighten the standard for World Cup 85. While they escaped the group stages with four points, strong wins over Vilita and Zwangzug in the knockouts put them on course for a medal, as they eventually beat allies Baker Park in the bronze medal match, after falling 3-2 to the eventual champions Free Republics in the semifinal.

After a return to the AOCAF LXI Quarterfinals, their first quarterfinal appearance in the last 3 editions of the regional championships, they fell to Chromatika on penalties. The World Cup 86 Qualification campaign went rather swimmingly- the national team went a perfect 18-0-0 in World Cup Qualifying, the first time that had happened in well over 10 cycles. The multiverse's #1 ranked squad was brimming with confidence, the two-time bronze medalists entering World Cup 86 trying to win the biggest trophy in all of sports for the first time.

Marcus Waters has always preached the following- "you've got to win at home before you can win the World Cup." It's always meant you've got to win in Atlantian Oceania before you can expect to win the World Cup. And while we've never won the AOCAFs, our group was all Atlantian Oceania sides- Ko-oren, Chromatika, and Mriin. We finished in first place with a 1-0 win over Ko-oren, a 2-2 draw against Chromatika, and a 0-0 draw against Mriin being enough to earn 5 points. Then, we faced a gauntlet of former World champions. A 1-0 win over them put us in our fourth consecutive World Cup Quarterfinal, against 5 time World champions Valanora. A thrilling 4-3 win put us in the semifinal, again facing a GSW rival- World Cup 84 winners Farfadillis. In one of the wildest World Cup semifinals ever played, Banija came out on top 7-6, with a stoppage time winner to put them in the Final against the World Cup 85 winners Nephara. It was a true game of the century- neither team had lost a competitive match since the start of World Cup Qualifying, neither losing during Qualifying or the Finals. And in that thriller, it would be the Banijans who would win, taking a lead and holding onto it, winning by 3 goals to 2 against Nephara to lift the trophy and declare themselves World Cup Champions.

The ensuing AOCAF was strong, but not as strong as they wanted it to be. After starting slowly and losing their opening two games, they finished well done the stretch of group play, and even won a pair of knockout stage games before eventually falling to the champions, Baker Park, in the Semifinals. The Banijans redeemed themselves by earning a bronze medal against Sarzonia. The team took a B squad to Eagle's Cup IX, but a strong performance there landed them a silver medal, losing in the final to Valanora. World Cup 87 did not go the way they expected, getting eliminated in the group stages for the first time since World Cup 82. But we recovered in the World Cup 88 cycle. While a quarterfinal elimination at both Eagle's Cup X and AOCAF LXIII were not great, we were unbeaten in World Cup 88 Qualifying, and reached the World Cup 88 Semifinals, eliminating the defending champions Nephara and falling to the eventual champions Turori along the way.

Statistics(All up to date as of the end of World Cup 88):
All-Time Record: 278-144-64(W-L-D)
All-Time Winning Percentage: 57.20% (Wins over total games played)
All-Time Points Percentage: 61.59% (Wins plus 1/3rd of draws over total games played)
Current WCC Rank: #5
Current AOCAF Rank: #1
Top 10 All-Time Leading Goal Scorers: Italicized players are retired from international duty.
1. Ilman Jawara(110 goals)
2. Ilman Jawara(109 goals)
3. Idai Uster(68 goals)
4. Namakula Kawesa(59 goals)
T5. Chibuzo Afolayan(54 goals)
T5. Madu Okparra(54 goals)
7. Mzukisi Nzo(44 goals)
8. Kiggwe Mavuto(43 goals)
9. Toyuwa Okafor(37 goals)
T10. Assefa Yitebarke(35 goals)
T10. Nwabudike Ugonna(35 goals)


World Cup Appearances: 9- World Cup 80, World Cup 81(co-hosts), World Cup 82, World Cup 83(co-hosts), World Cup 84, World Cup 85, World Cup 86, World Cup 87, World Cup 88
Times Ranked #1 in the KPB- Pre-World Cup 86 Qualifying, Pre-World Cup 86 Finals, Pre-World Cup 87 Qualifying, Pre-World Cup 87 Finals

Trophy Cabinet:
Senior-Level
Champions of World Cup 86
Champions of Eagle's Cup VIII
Winner of the Afro-Carribean Heritage Festival
2nd Place at AOCAF LVIII
2nd Place at Eagle's Cup IX
3rd Place at World Cup 83
3rd place at World Cup 85
3rd Place at AOCAF LXII
3rd place at the United Valhaven Regional Football Championships

Youth Level
3rd place at 42nd Di Bradini Cup
Champions of the 8th Sporting World Cup
Champions of the 47th Di Bradini Cup

World Cup Hall of Famers
Adama Sowe(former RBSA Chairman, current WCC Vice President)
GItonga Kahara(all-time leading goalscorer, World Cup winning captain, all-time cap leader)
Marcus Waters(Banija's winningest manager, has led Banija to 100% of our World Cup Qualifications, and has never failed to qualify for the Finals)
Namakula Kawesa(first female star, 3rd all-time leading goalscorer at time of retirement)
Kuma Bultum(Champions League Winner, World Cup winner, most appearances on the Galacticos list for a Banijan)

List of National Team managers
1. Kizza Kabila(Banija). Manager for Baptism of Fire 60 and the World Cup 73 Qualification Campaign. Overall record of 0-14-1(W-L-D).

Kizza Kabila is the only Banijan to have ever managed the national team. Hired for Banija's first foray onto the international scene in this sport, his reign was universally derided as a disaster. Managing 15 games, he drew his first game in the Baptism of Fire, and not only lost the next two, he then lost ever single match in the 12 game World Cup Qualification campaign for World Cup 73, with the side only scoring 5 goals across the entire campaign. Unceremoniously fired after becoming one of few managers to go through an entire World Cup Qualification campaign without earning a single point, he, alongside the entire board of the RBSA, resigned after the last game. He was disgraced in the sport after the campaign, and, to this point, has never returned to top-level soccer.

2.Jan Cassallerus(San Llera): Hired before the start of the World Cup 74 Qualification Campaign, managed through the World Cup 77 Qualification Campaign. Overall Record of 27-32-16(W-L-D).

Banija put its eyes abroad, searching for a foreign manager before the World Cup 74 Qualification campaign, and found Jan Cassallerus. He is Banija's longest ever serving manager, being at the helm for four entire World Cup cycles, and being at the helm for 75 total games, a kind of longevity unheard of in the modern game, especially managing the national team. He started winning a game at the Coupe D'Esquarium, in what was known as the group of death. He was largely celebrated for bringing the team into relevancy. The expectations were through the floor, following Kizza Kabila, but he brought the team to Cup of Harmony 66 and Cup of Harmony 67, as well as advancing in Olympic Qualifying and getting third place at the United Valhaven Regional Football Championships. He was forced into retirement after the World Cup 77 Qualification campaign, when the RBSA declared bankruptcy, and could not participate in the World Cup 78 Qualification Campaign due to their inability to compensate players and staff.

3. Randolf Cherry(Drawkland): Hired before the start of the World Cup 79 Qualification Campaign. Overall Record of 20-24-2(W-L-D)

Randolf Cherry, after the RBSA got its act together, was hired- controversially- as the manager of the national team. Not that his own hire was controversial, it was applauded across the sports spectrum here at home. He was given a 3 cycle contract, and everyone knew what the goal was- to make the World Cup Finals at least once over the course of the contract. They understood that it would take time to climb the rankings, and they were willing to give him the leash. However, he came in a very awkward situation. Adama Sowe, the Chairman of the RBSA, allegedly first offered the job to Sarah Owens, out of the Equestrian States. Of course, it is illegal in Banija for women to coach men's professional teams, and that caused controversy. And yet, here he was- the manager of the national team.

His own home country of Drawkland is, of course, very progressive in that area, where the sport is dominated by the ladies. Regardless, he had an excellent start to his reign as a manger, and was initially extremely popular. He won his first game, in a special Eagles Club match, against Aggrey-Fynn Land. He lost his first few qualifiers, but he went on a dear through the middle of qualifying, which included a 7 game winning streak on home soil. Big wins against then 4th ranked Chromatika at home and then 32nd ranked Eshan, put them in the conversation of World Cup Qualification, though they were simply not strong enough.

The Cup of Harmony was considered a disaster, finishing in dead last in their group. The competition maybe simply isn't for the Banijans, eh? But they were strong throughout the offseason, making a surprising quarterfinal run in AOCAF LV and bringing high hopes to the squad going into World Cup 80 Qualification. Hopes were through the roof for the national team, maybe even bordering unrealistic. They struggled, and the campaign got worse as the pressure built, as the squad lost their final four qualifiers of the first half of qualifying. With the campaign seemingly in free-fall, he was fired, as the RBSA said they wanted time to conduct "an open, thorough, search."

4. Marcus Waters(Equestrian States): Hired after the 1st half of World Cup 80 Qualifying, present manager of the national team. Overall record of 231-74-45(W-L-D). All-time winning percentage of 66.00%. All-time points percentage of 70.29%.

Marcus Waters was the national team's assistant manager with Randolf Cherry above him, and the manager of the youth national teams. He first gained notoreity in Banija after successfully leading the U21 team to a 3rd place finish at the 42nd Di Bradini Cup. With his abilities clear, it made sense to move onto him as the interim manager as they searched for a permanent manager ahead of the second half of World Cup Qualifying. However, he was able to complete a stunning turnaround of this team. His first game in charge, he changed nearly the entire backline, and had a massive upset, away to Qasden, by a score of 3-2. A 3-0 victory over Razenthuria in the other mid-qualifying friendly got high hopes for him.

Marcus Waters went out with an intent to keep his team focused, despite everything going on at home. He has proven adept at navigating the political minefield that is this job, especially with his own country of origin essentially at war with Banija. He didn't lose a single game in the second half of qualifying, winning 7 games to get to the playoffs, including when the team was forced to play home games in Montreal due to ongoing violence within Banija. He was widely applauded for getting the team ready to play in Montreal, and winning 1-0 against Turori, the group's top seeded squad, and a 3-0 win in Montreal in the Qualification playoffs. While the RBSA interviewed four other candidates, his successful push through the World Cup Qualification playoffs and into Banija's first-ever World Cup Finals essentially clinched the job for him, as he put pen to paper to take the interim tag off of his title ahead of the 80th World Cup Finals.

Since then, of course, he has done a lot to garner the confidence of the higher-ups, and of the fans. Falling to the eventual champions in the quarterfinals of both AOCAF LVI and AOCAF LVII was widely seen as a positive. As well as, of course, a surprising Fourth Place finish in the Cup of Champions Six, highlighted by a surprising point earned in their matchup against Nephara, while also pushing through to the Round of 16 of World Cup 81, pleasing the home fans. A different sort of pressure faces him this campaign, however.

For the first time in his reign, you could say that Banija had a disappointing tournament, failing to advance in World Cup 82 beyond the group stages. It might be harsh to say that- on paper, advancing from a group with both Pasarga and Farfadillis is a tall order if your team is not Pasarga or Farfadillis. They responded well, however, winning six consecutive games at AOCAF LVIII, and knocking off major nations including Cosumar and Mriin at the tournament, before being felled in the final, in their own capitol of Busukuma, to Equestria. Following up with a World Cup on home soil, they continued that momentum forward from AOCAF LVIII, as the Banijans took on the role of giantslayers on home soil. They beat the 5th ranked South Covello side, and the then two-time defending world champions Vilita, before eventually falling to Starblaydia in the semifinals, though they still earned a bronze medal. Although momentum was blunted after a tough 1-0 defeat to Ko-oren that secured an early exit from AOCAF LIX, they followed that up with their second straight appearance in the World Cup Quarterfinals, where they fell to Eura in extra time.

The last two cycles he really got the team to rise above themselves. The last two World Cup Qualification cycles, Banija has finished as the best team in World Cup Qualifying by points earned. And he has the silverware to match- a bronze medal earned in World Cup 85, followed by a gold medal in World Cup 86. Having risen from basically nowhere in Equestria to household name status in Banija, he has truly made a name for himself as one of the world's premier international managers. While World Cup 87 was disappointing, the quarterfinals appearance at AOCAF LXIII was more encouraging. After making a number of changes to the team ahead of World Cup 88 Qualifying, the Hall of Famer will remain ambitious for more glory at World Cup 88.

1. The Equestrian States. All time Banijan record against opponent- 0-7-2(W-L-T).

The Equestrian States are easily Banija's biggest rival, and by a country mile. It has all the makings of a good international sporting rivalry- plenty of matches played, history of competitive matches, geopolitical rivalry, player familiarity, and, of course, geographical proximity- all those boxes are checked. They've played each other 5 times, and Banija has come out on the losing end each and every time, most recently a 4-0 clobbering at the hands of the Equestrian States during Banija's final friendly before this qualification tournament began.

Three times have they played in competitive competition, and three times Banija has fallen. The Equestrian States eliminated Banija from Cup of Harmony 71 in group play, while also defeating the Banijans in both the opening match of World Cup 80, and the final group stage match of AOCAF LVI, though the Banijans still advanced to the quarterfinals of that tournament. The familiarity of players between each other is strong. Banija's present and most successfull all-time manager, Marcus Waters, is Equestrian. A number of players in each country play in leagues in the other. Famous Equestrian NT players like Aaron Aiza, Rosie Tyler, and Josef Lawrenz, ply their trade in the Banijan Soccer League, with Aiza particularly growing to superstar status while winning league titles at Herzegovina City FC.

Banija's first ever major final in this sport, at the senior level, was against none other than Equestria at the national stadium, with the winner to be crowned champions of AOCAF LVIII Final. In front of a decidedly pro-Banijan crowd, it was the Equestrians who dashed Banijan dreams of glory on their home turf as they picked up their first ever major international silverware, with a 4-2 victory. That victory has made the Banijans just that much hungrier to defeat their bitter rivals, and though the history is lopsided in favor of Equestria, that has just fueled the fire on this side of the matchup. The two sides co-hosted World Cup 83 together, and almost had a rematch of their AOCAF LVIII Final in the World Cup Final, though Banija could not fulfill its end of the bargain as they fell to a stronger Starblaydia side in the semifinals. Equestria, of course went on to win the World Cup, and the next AOCAF to boot, establish a fully fledged dynasty. The Banijans, in pre WOrld Cup 84 Qualification friendlies, got their first ever result against the Equestrians, a 0-0 draw in Everfree.

Equestria and Banija were in the same group at AOCAF LXII, with the opening match of the tournament being a repeat of the AOCAF LVIII Final. Banija, we thought, rising high and champions. But Equestria came to rain on the parade. They won on Matchday 1, by a score of 2-1 in Busukuma, and we could only manage a return draw. Our fiercest rivals, and yet, we've still never managed to have beaten them, in a competitive or a friendly match. That search for the elusive win against Equestria continues.

2. Farfadillis. All time Banijan record against opponent- 2-5-0(W-L-T)

What makes a good international rivalry? You need a mixture of history and luck. Luck, to have played in plenty of high stakes matches against each other on the biggest stages- World Cups, AOCAFs, and the like. But you also need nearness. What makes these two know each other so well? We've played in twice as many competitive matches against Chromatika as we have against Farfadillis.

Well, let's go with the political intrigue. Of course, there's geography- Farfadillis is the closest nation to Banija that does not share a land border with Banija. Their former capitol, is on the northern tip of their island, which is just south of Busukuma, the Banijan capitol city. So of course, there's that familiarity. And when the Farfadillis national government fell apart and they fell into some sort of a controlled chaos, many refugees fled Farfadillis for the stability of Banija. Busukuma became the natural landing place. There are no official numbers, but there an estimated 100,000 or so Farf refugees across the country, but with over half of them, around 60,000, residing in Busukuma.

So there's that familiarity on an intimate level, especially in Banija, and especially in Banija's capitol. Especially in the capitol, it's always a huge deal when these two meet. And besides that? Well, of course, we dropped a few nuclear warheads on Farfadillis, where Banija's nuclear weapons got both hacked and stolen by operatives. While, surprisingly, it didn't cause as much damage as one would expect, 5 nuclear weapons are still quite a bit to get hit by. Farf citizens weren't exactly appreciative, and that is fresh in everybody's mind.

Lastly, look at the integration of our footballing systems. We have a combined league. With the combination of our top flights in the Shango-Fogoa Premier League, Banijan footballing fans and Farf footballing fans interact every single week. Sometimes peacefully, sometimes violently, always loud and passionately. For two seperate nations(plus Busoga), they have a very integrated league system. And that, of course, will mean that the rivalry is played out every week. Banijan teams v. Farf teams. Farf teams got the better of their Banijan opponents, by and large, throughout the inaugural season, but there is still plenty left to say on the subject.

This is Banija's clear #2 rival, ahead of anybody else, besides Equestria. And as the S-FPL continues, this rivalry will continue to be competitive for years to come. Not to mention, the two have played a pair of thrilling World Cup Finals matches against each other- Farfadillis being victorious in World Cup 81, and then being victorious again in World Cup 84, where they went on to win that World Cup. What'd be more fun than another Finals matchup between these two juggernauts, right?

3. Chromatika. All time Banijan record against opponent- 6-3-2(W-L-T)

This is, admittedly, not the first nation you think of when you think of Banija's rivals. But There is a long-time history between these two nations. These two have more shared history than Banija and any other opponent, at least in competitive matches. Banija and Chromatika have faced off a grand total of 9 times competitively- all in the modern era of Banijan soccer, which is WCQ79-present. It was that first campaign back, after the RBSA bankruptcy, where it was established.

Banija had one of their biggest ever all-time wins in that Qualifying campaign, our first ever win over a top 5 opponent, when we beat then #4 Chromatika 2-1 in Jinja City. It's a night that has gone down in Banijan history. Looking back, many see it as Banija's first true launch towards where we are now- from a consistent middle of the pack nation in Qualifying, who couldn't do anything in the Cup of Harmony, to demanding a seat at the table by being an elite squad.

And we've played plenty of times since, as well. AOCAF LXI- we beat them in the group stages, only to fall to them in the Quarterfinals, on penalty kicks. We each got clean sheet victories over the other team at Eagle's Cup VIII, a tournament that we ended up winning. And we played them twice in World Cup Qualifying for 86, beating them twice en route to a perfect 18-0-0 Qualifying record. We played them again at the Finals, and we battled out a 2-2 draw.

They're a tough opponent, and considering the frequency of our matches in recent years, meeting up in the Finals would not be that unexpected. We know each other well, have played with plenty of stakes on the line. And, of course, there's those cultural and political connections that make the greatest international rivalries- a Banijan delegation, led by present Banijan Ambassador to Chromatika and former Banijan Minister of Justice, Xolile Lubabalo, helped shepherd Chromatika's transition to democracy. It's friendly, but there's plenty of history to make it interesting.

Honorable Mentions
Nations mentioned here are considered key rivals, but there is not enough competitive match history to really define it as a rivalry. Nations are not listed in order.
- Siovanija & Teusland(Geographic proximity, cultural + political ties)
- Valanora(geographic proximity)
- Royal Kingdom of Quebec(general history and close political/cultural ties- Banija is a former colony of Quebec and they have been close ever since)
- Sarzonia(General sporting rivalry, history with 3 AOCAF matches against each other, 2 World Cup Qualifying matches, and a World Cup Finals match)
- Baker Park(cultural plus political ties)

Jerseys
Full credit to Filindostan for the design and production of these jersies. Thank you very much!

Do whatever you want besides godmodding the actual goals(I prefer the actual goals to be real). If anybody dies, please TG me who so I can replace them.

http://lineupbuilder.com/?sk=vy2jy0

Roster for AOCAF LXIV

Starters: 3-4-1-2
Players who are based in a foreign league are bolded.
Players who have their first ever competitive callup received in this tournament are italicized.
BSL = Banijan Soccer League, Banija's second tier. National league. S-FPL is the joint first tier soccer league for Farfadillis, Banija, and the Busoga Islands.
GK #23 Wanda Kouyaté. Age 31(Female). Plays for Jungle Strike FC in Vilita. Only player on this team to be a world champion at every level- U18 World champion(Sporting World Cup , U21 World Champion(DBC 47), and World Cup Winner(World Cup 86).
RCB #5 Demba Kinteh. Age 29. Plays for Dí Maozöxê(Farfadillis) in the S-FPL. Captain of the U18 Sporting World Cup 8 championship squad.
CB #3 Samba Ogunsola. Age 28. Plays for Holdenberg City in Eura.
LCB #2 Chiokie Uchie. 29 years old. Plays for Marine Coast United in Vilita.
RM #7 Sarafina Ikpeazu. Age 22. Plays for Guerilla Cathair in Audioslavia. Female.
RCM #6 Mzukisi Nzo. Age 31. Plays for Crisisbless in the Nepharim Premiership. Captain.
LCM #8 Gereh Kama. 21 years old. Plays for Kitara AA in the S-FPL.
LM #18 Babaja Mboob. Age 32. Plays for Herzegovina City FC in the S-FPL.
CAM #10 Abigail Admassu. 29 years old. Plays for Energie Thorsborg in Savojarna.
ST #19 Kausu Dione. 28 years old. Plays for KT Itzalovalle in Audioslavia. Starter on both the DBC 47 and SWC 8 Championship Teams.
RS #9 Idai Uster. Age 28(Female). Plays for AFC Treason in the Nepharim Premiership. Formerly wore #19 until this tournament.
Bench:
GK #35 François Tantoh. Age 35. Plays for Herzegovina City FC in the S-FPL.
GK #39 Akabueze Okparo. Age 34. Plays for Istria City FC in the S-FPL.
CB #20 Tairu Conateh. Age 20. Plays for Raynor City United in the Elven Premiership in Valanora.
LB #4 Lama Nyang. Age 30. Plays for Jinja City FC in the S-FPL.
CB #62 Kemo Jawara. Age 24. Plays for Wexax United in the Elven Premiership in Valanora.
CM #14 Cyper Corr. 28 years old. Plays for the Northern Stallions in Brenecia.
CM #15 Immaculate Kaba(Female). 28 years old. Plays for Kitara AA in the S-FPL.
CAM #49 Kebba Kargbo. Age 27. Plays for Jinja City FC in the S-FPL.
LW/LM #17 Orji Uzoma. Age 20. Plays for the Busembe Timberwolves in the S-FPL.
RW/RM #12 Nfansu Kandeh. Age 27. Plays for Hornchurch in Eura.
ST #17 Akachi Orjee. Age 19. Female. Plays for the Busembe Timberwolves in the S-FPL.
ST #23 Kamara Touré. 22 years old. Plays for Mar Sara FC in Valanora.

Notes:
- Our free kicks are taken by Mzukisi Nzo. Our corner kicks are taken by the winger on whatever side the corner kick is on.
- Our penalty kicks are taken by Idai Uster.

Player Bios

1. CM Mzukisi Nzo

Nzo is one of those Banijans who has essentially spent their entire careers abroad. Playing and starring in Taeshan for a number of years, he has essentially been a permanent fixture in the center of the Banijan midfield for a while. Marcus Waters tries all sorts of combinations next to him, to try and get that perfect central midfield pairing. But Nzo is one of the most talented Banijans on this team, and his spot is written in ink.

Nzo was young, of course, but now looks around and finds himself as a veteran. As the leaders of the World Cup winning generation take a step back, he is one of the last starters from that generation on this team. And now that gives the man who will give Kahara a real chase for Banija's international caps records the thing he has always wanted- the captain's armband for the first time. The question for him is this- can he serve as an effective mentor to Gereh Kama, who is the next star Banijan central midfielder in waiting? And, of course, can he captain the side effectively enough for them to lift their first ever regional trophy?

2. ST Idai Uster

One of the national team's two star strikers who play up top. Idai Uster is unique among her teammates for this- instead of playing for a club and going professional at such a young age, she is the only Banijan(And remains so) in the post bankruptcy era(World Cup 79 forward) to play college soccer. Having played at Loyola-Istria for a single season, she was dominant as a freshman, meaning many thought that she made a foolish decision to play for them and not go play for a paycheck immediately. However, she got noticed by Marcus Waters, and got her first national team callup at AOCAF LIX.

Ever since then, she has been a fixture for the national team coming off the bench. No matter- the young female striker was quickly lapped up to go and play in the Schottic Premier League, and she had strong performances there. After playing in Schottia, she eventually hit the transfer market to go play for a massive club in the world's best league- and she was signed to wear the #9 jersey for AFC Treason in Nephara. To say that the signing paid off is an understatement.

Increasingly, of course, there is all sorts of competitiveness for spots on the national team. But as Ilman Jawara had a stranglehold on the starting striker role, Uster chose this past season to really explode onto the scene. 24 league goals in the last season of the Nepharim Premiership- good for third in the league, and more importantly, helped lead her team to a double, as they won both the Premiership and the Copa de Campeones. She played a starring role their as well, scoring a hat trick in the CdC Final to put them over the top.

Coming to the national team in top form, Marcus Waters faced a question- how could he not play her? But he didn't' dare mess with the lineup that he had. She was the first person off the bench, playing in all 7 games in World Cup 86 without recording a start. But no matter- even in limited time, she made her presence felt. She scored three goals, including the game-winning goal on Matchday 1 against Ko-oren, and scoring in the World Cup final against Nephara. But it begged the question more- for someone who was clearly hitting their prime, how could he afford to leave her on the bench?

Her performances caused Banija to full-time switch to a Back 3 for the first time ever. With players like Gitonga Kahara retiring, Marcus Waters knew that he'd have an opportunity to play his strikers together, and he is doing just that. And she's been a fixture in the starting XI since the World Cup 86 Final. At 28 years old and in firm possession of the #9 jersey, she is in her prime. She will look to be the prime focus of a multi-faceted attack from the Kadongo Kamu, as she looks to chase down a regional title.

3. ST Kausu Dione

And now, for the other starting striker. Ilman Jawara has been the main man up top for so long, the days of Assefa Yitebarke leading the front lines feel like an eternity ago. But all good things must come to an end, and at 35 years old, Jawara simply cannot be expected to be the #1 man up front for club and country. So he is relegated to the bench, with fierce competition upcoming to eventually replace him. But Kausu Dione has leapfrogged the pecking order, going from not making the roster for World Cup 87 Qualifying or the most recent AOCAFs, to take Cyper Baldeh's roster spot and land himself a starting role.

He's a world champion at two levels- a starter on Banija's U18 World championship team, and a starter on Banija's U21 world championship team. While Kadongo Kamu teammate Wanda Kouyate is the multiverse's only three-level world champion(U18, U21, Senior) Kausu Dione is going to go for a more impressive feat- become the first person to be a three-level world champion as a starter on every level, since Kouyate was only a starter on the U21 squad. But with the regional championships here, he will look to win his first ever trophy on the senior level as the country continues to desperately search for our first ever regional title.

AOCAF LXIV Group Stage
Matchday 1: Banija(1) v. Freeport(23)
Matchday 2: Qasden(10) v. Banija(1)
Matchday 3: Banija(1) v. Geisenfred(51) (Kuanen RiverDerby)

[Busoga Islands]

Busoga Islands National Team

Information
Country code: BUS
Denonym: Busogans/Busoga Islanders/Islanders(Busoga Islanders is the formal term; many Banijans call them Busogans, while locals refer to themselves simply as Islanders, which will be the terminology used by the journalists of this country)
Association: Busoga Islander Soccer Association(BISA)
Manager: Winad-Lenpi Xlo(Qusmo). 72 years old. First tournament in charge of the Busogan national team. Spent the best part of 9 seasons at the country's biggest club, Lakiska SC, having relative success both in the Banijan Soccer League era and in the S-FPL era. However, Lakiska's lack of resources and talent eventually saw them relegated, and Winad-Lenpi had to bear the brunt of it.
Senior Assistant Manager: Xavier Mosobo. 48 years old, male, native of Banija.
Captain: Govind Nigam
Alternate Captain: Barkha Visariya

RP Permissions
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
RP Injuries to my players: Yes(please state what injury they have suffered and how many games they will miss).
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes(please state what injury they have suffered and how many games they will miss).
Godmod other events: Yes(However, all Busogan nationals, players or fans or whoever, are banned from catching a pandemic).
Style modifier: -3

Do whatever you want besides godmodding the actual goals, or give my players a pandemic(I prefer the actual goals to be real). Please do not kill any named characters(players, coaches, politicians, etc...) or their family members without my consent via TG. Unnamed fans dying in fan violence or something like that, however, is fine.

Jerseys
Jerseys designed by uni·q of Qusmo

Roster for AOCAF LXIV

Starters: 4-4-2.
The six professional clubs on the Busoga Islands are all part of the Banijan soccer pyramid.
Players who are receiving their first call-up during this tournament are italicized.
Players who do not play within the Banijan soccer pyramid are bolded.
BSL = Banijan Soccer League, the second from top-flight for Banija & the Busoga Islands.
S-FPL is the Shango-Fogoa Premier League, the joint top flight for Banija, Busoga Islands, and Farfadillis.
GK #1 Mustafa Taal. 29 years old. Banija/Busoga Islands dual-national who is now cap-tied to Busoga. Plays for the Herzegovina Phoenix in the S-FPL.
RB #16 Abdullah Guennoun. 33 years old. Plays for the Hawabark Boulders in the BSL. Male.
CB #5 Govind Nigam. 32 years old. Plays for Lakiska SC in the BSL. Male. Captain.
CB #3 Hassan Thiaw. 31 years old. Just signed for Lakiska SC in the BSL. Male.
LB #4 Mohammed Gassama. 33 years old. Banija/Busoga Islands dual national, chose to play for the Busoga Islands. Plays for Workers Union in Eura. Male.
RM #17 Habib Fadika. 26 years old. Graduate from Northern Moravica University. Backup for Herzegovina City in the S-FPL.
RCM #6 Delbin Kasekende Jr. 25 years old. Plays for 1912 Stelburg in Teusland. Son of former NT captain and the present President of the country, Delbin Kasekende. Male. Much more of a defensive midfielder.
LCM #8 #23 Cicek Aga. 27 years old. Plays for Ausharmuj Marusi in Farfadillis. Female. Much more of an attacking fielder than her counterpart.
LM #20 Barkha Visariya. 33 years old. Starts for Lakiska SC in the BSL. Female.
RS #12 Artem Kohut. 26 years old. Plays for Unamaꞌkik Inverness 1877 in the Royal Kingdom of Quebec. Busogan/Delaclav dual-national- switched his allegiance to the Busoga Islands following World Cup 87 Qualifying.
ST #11 Servet Ornet. 32 years old. Comes off the bench for Istria City FC in the S-FPL. Female.
Bench
GK #35 Kylian Jawara. 33 years old. Plays for the Tripoli Foresters in the Northwestern League. Male.
GK #23 Juba Kaba. 28 years old. Backup for Jinja City FC in the S-FPL. Female.
RB #2 Yashpal Gopaal. 34 years old. Plays for The Herzegovina Phoenix in the S-FPL. Male.
CB #18 Ami Biri. 33 years old. Plays for Bwubanza City SC in the BSL. Female.
CB #19 Ismaela Senghore. 23 years old. Plays for Aissa United in the BSL. Male.
LB #14 Ibrahim Karakaya. 28 years old. Plays for Lakiska SC in the BSL. Male.
CM #6 Ilke Akgun. 24 years old. Plays for Lakiska SC in the BSL. Female.
CAM/ST #10 Ozkaya Tarhan. 21 years old. Comes off the bench for KItara AA in the S-FPL. Busogan/Equestrian dual-national.
CM #23 Kara Yesilnil. 28 years old. Plays for the Busukuma Force in the BSL. Female.
RW #7 Isa Kujabi. 24 years old. Comes off the bench for the Hoima Warriors in the S-FPL. Female.
LM #39 Olcayto Aldemir. 30 years old. Plays for Kabakono City in the BSL. Male.
LS #9 Sarika Birla. 28 years old. Plays for Suwawa FC in the BSL. Female. Took a bullet on MD1 of WCQs, out for the entirety of the WC88 Qualifying Campaign. Will return off the bench for the Cup of Harmony.

Notes:
- Our free kicks are taken by Cicek Aga. Penalties are taken by Artem Kohut.
- In terms of substitutions, anybody is OK to substitute off the pitch besides Artem Kohut. Since he moved to Busoga, he is seen as the focal point of the Busogan offense.


AOCAF LXIV Group Stage Schedule
Matchday 1: Jabal Akhdar(28) v. Busoga Islands(9)
Matchday 2: Valanora(3) v. Busoga Islands(9)
Matchday 3: Busoga Islands(9) v. The Jovannic(44)

The Domestic Football Situation

It's been a bad disastrous cycle for Busogan football, even if their knockout stage appearance at the AOCAFs was a high point. Why, was it disastrous? Well, the country's lone team in the Shango-Fogoa Premier League, the joint venture between Banija, Busoga, and Farfadillis, was relegated. Lakiska SC never seemed long for the joint venture- a defensive minded team without a ton of talent, a lone island against the most aggressively offensive league in Atlantian Oceania, and probably in the entire multiverse. As the country's biggest club, they are the biggest contributor to the national team- presently five members, including three starters, play for Lakiska SC.

That's five key contributors no longer playing in the top-flight. What makes it worse? Busoga had two teams in the second flight, but one of them got relegated as well. So there are still just two teams in the second tier, Dukuma SC and now Lakiska SC. It may be a long time before another Busogan team gets promoted. What does this mean for the national team? Well, it will be harder to recruit talent, and BISA will have to be more aggressive about getting S-FPL squads to scout the Islands.

They very nearly qualified for the World Cup, however, they ran out of steam at the end of Qualifying, falling backwards into the playoffs. A tough 1-0 loss on aggregate over two legs to Hampton Islands saw them fall back to the Cup of Harmony, where they won all three group games and dominated their Round of 32 tie, before being taken apart by Græntfjall. Following the failure to advance past the Round of 16, BISA announced that the national team would not enter World Cup 89, as they'd focus on improving the domestic football situation(aka getting a Busogan squad back to the S-FPL) before re-entering WCC competition.

[Jabal Akhdar]

Nation name: Jabal Akhdar
Trigram: EJA
Adjective/demonym: Akhdari
Nickname: Green Falcons

Players in red are new to the squad. All players are domestic unless otherwise noted.

Coach: Maajid al-Shaer

al-Shaer took over for AOCAF 63 and seems to have turned things around a little after a disappointing World Cup campaign. The team did not win any games and finished bottom of their group, but netting three draws was still an above-expected finish. The former manager of Salayrah, he isn’t a tactical genius but has put a strong emphasis on discipline and fitness, getting rid of some of the flashier players and favouring dependable domestic workhorses.

Goalkeepers

1 – GK – Mamdooh el-Abdul (Salayrah) – 23
12 – GK – Abdul Kader el-Sham (Souday) – 23
23 – GK – Ashraf Muhyddeen al-Hammoud (AOPIC Greens) – 24

el-Sham, a promising young talent, was picked for the last AOCAF and immediately disappointed with a disastrous showing against Tropicorp; he was dropped for el-Abdul, a controversial but acrobatic figure who surprised everyone with some great showings, so he retains the #1 jersey. el-Abdul has served a doping ban in his short career and can be indecisive in managing his defensive area, but as a pure shot-stopper he’s the best option. al-Hammoud had a good season in the second division and was bought by the richest club in the league, but is yet to play international football.

Defenders

2 – DL – Abdur Razzaaq el-Wahba (Kalbam) – 25
3 – DR – Rayyan Noor Zaman ( Maigburg) – 23
5 – DC – Haneef Mushin al-Sharaf (Ashkarqa) – 23
6 – DC – Shukri Ya’qoob al-Reza (Al Maidura) – 28
15 – DR – Awf Shaheed el-Nagi (AOPIC Greens) – 20
18 – DC – Zaahir Kamil Abdullah (Kalbam) – 25
21 – DL – Mu’min Humam Kassis (AOPIC Greens) – 24
22 – DC – Nizaar el-Aslam (Salayrah) – 30

The back four have been fortified a bit with the addition of experienced domestic pros al-Reza and el-Aslam, neither of whom are world-beaters, but willing to do the unglamorous work of lockdown marking a little more than some of those who’ve played there in the past. More interested in charging up field to score, Zaman is a pacy wingback who’s a regular threat to cross or even shoot; unusually for a full-back, he was the team’s leading scorer in World Cup 87 qualifying and parlayed his campaign into being signed by GPL club Maigburg, where he has continued his scoring streak. el-Wahba isn’t especially quick for a wing-back but has been brought in as a more solid defensive option over Kassis, whose inconsistency isn’t enough to make up for his popular, flashy style which includes front-flip throw-ins and quick spin moves.

Midfielders

4 – DM – Saadiq Badr el-Matar (AOPIC Greens) – 32
7 – MC – Abdul-Majid Jarir Hakimi (AOPIC Greens) – 26
14 – DM – Mutlaq el-Basha (AOPIC Greens) – 19
16 – MC – Dhaafir el-Moustafa – ( Khupolole Leopards) – 26
17 – MC – Sidqi Zuhair el-Afzal (AOPIC Greens) – 22
20 – MC – Shaddaad el-Hashemi (Kalbam) – 25

The midfielders play in front of the back four, partly to cover for the offensive proclivities of the full-backs, partly because they can’t be bothered to press forward. Of the two, el-Matar is more of a true defensive midfielder, tough tackling without the indiscipline that has plagued the team; el-Moustafa is more of a holding midfielder, shuttling up and down the pitch. He has a good work rate but a poor final touch can let down his passing. Hakimi has been the team’s best player for a while, at least on his good days. He’s a popular young player who holds down an attacking position most of the time. He alternates between filming trick videos showing off his talents and getting suspended for on-field violence and off-field ill-discipline. el-Hashemi has already amassed a long and depressing injury history in his short young career as a playmaking attacking midfielder; el-Basha and el-Afzal are new to the team, but both have experience playing with el-Matar and Hakimi at the AOPIC Greens.

Forwards

8 – LW – Ghassan Kedar Kanaan (Madufi) – 29 – captain
9 – CF – Abdul-Hadi Anis Haddad ( Rome Beach) – 33
10 – RW – Mu’awiya el-Burki (Souday) – 30
11 – LW – Misfar Akram (AOPIC Greens) – 23
13 – CF – Dhaki Raashid al-Shaheed (Khamad) – 22
19 – RW – Najeeb Ghaalib el-Farooqi (AOPIC Greens) – 25

The team has moved back to playing three forwards, so el-Burki, an irrascible figure who often feuds with his teammates but has a powerful right boot, is back into the starting line-up, while the graceful Kanaan, a working class kid from the slums who’s risen to captain his country at the World Cup, is back to his preferred left-wing role. The big change sees Haddad slide to the bench; never a goal machine, he’s been a tolerable presence as a big-bodied target man holding up play and letting the quicker players work around him; instead, al-Shaheed, more of an instinctive striker, is in after a breakout season with Khamad. The el-Moghaddam brothers are dropped and instead yet more AOPIC Greens make the team, with the pacey Akram and reliable el-Farooqi.

Style modifier: +1

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes
If you use photographs for your RPs, please do not say the photographs represent my players without asking me first.

[Mlima Kijani]

Nation name: Mlima Kijani
Trigram: MLK
Demonym/adjective: Kijani
Nickname: Kings

Staff

Coach: Enoch Apolo (63)
Assistant coach: Canaan Okungu (36)

Goalkeepers

1. Samson Mwinyi (29) KPMG
13. Kĩbachia Theuri (26) KPC Sharks
18. Mindika Nyang’o (21) Kibungama

Defenders

2. Michael Odhiambo (22) Navy
3. Taamiti Bingamu (22) Bujuyaga Stars
4. Emanuel Ngigi (21) Anti-Colonialist Boys
5. Mũthũngũ Watene (20) Fliserboding
12. Jordan Adongo (26) Mpiyunga
15. Thuũ “Combo” Ngũnjiri (20) Khupolole Leopards
20. Mumbya Ibulaim (23) Estdal

Midfielders

6. Mindiwo Ochuka (20) Khupolole Leopards
8. Manoah Akeyo (24) Anti-Colonialist Boys
11. Jubal Ogweyo (19) Bugebanda
14. Ndũn’gũ Gĩtaũ (22) Kibungama
17. Hamad Nyamu (26) KPC Sharks
19. Rajabu Husein Obama (26) Bugebanda
21. Gĩchikũ Mũrĩranja (20) Kigu City

Forwards

7. Rufus Abong’o (22) AOPIC Greens
9. Wanyanga Obonyo (22) KPMG
10. Mrefi Msekwa (24) Khupolole Leopards
16. Yakobo Obimwe (21) Bujuyaga Stars
22. Joseph Odikinyi (26) Maigburg
23. Moses Luwandi (21) Kibungama

Permissions:

Y…

except for:

Please don’t use unedited photographs and say they’re my players.

Style modifier: 0

[Sarzonia]

When Sarzonia national team manager Nathan Hanifer saw the group draw for AOCAF LXIV, he grimaced.

He felt -- relief? Disappointment? -- something in between? When the group draw saw Sarzonia as the eighth ranked team in the tournament, that didn't really register. Many of Atlantian Oceania's preeminent footballing powers were now part of Anaia. That meant the natural rivalry between Sarzonia and Starblaydia, and to a lesser extent, that between Sarzonia and Krytenia would no longer be a regional affair. If the Stars were to renew acquaintances with those nations, it would have to be in the World Cup or perhaps another tournament.

Even though some natural rivals were gone, one was returning after an eight-year absence. Pacitalia. Delaclava were also back and in the same group, Group A. Meanwhile, the Stars were in Group C, so they would not face either of those teams unless that meeting happened in the knockout rounds.

That would give Sarzonia close in rank rivals Dogsmouth and Pluvia & The Saxean Isles as opponents. But there was one name that piqued Hanifer's interest.

Milchama.

Yes, the Warriors were back with their ridiculously long newspaper names and aggressive, warlike mentality. The Stars and Warriors didn't have an enormous history, but they had a history. The name was a familiar one to Stars supporters.

"We're going to approach this like we always do," Hanifer said. "We're going to have to focus and play our brand of football."

Hanifer didn't comment on the prevailing feeling of disappointment Stars supporters apparently feel at not facing Pacitalia or Delaclava in AOCAF group play, but midfielder and team captain Clayton Wilson did.

"We feel we're ready for whatever challenge we're dealt," he said. "That said, we would have loved to have faced either Pacitalia or Delaclava and we would have been thrilled to face both countries. We can't control the group draw, so we have to do what we have to."

Goalkeeper Carlton Sandt pointed out that the three Queer Belt nations were taking the field at the same tournament for the first time in many years.

"We're glad that all three of our countries are playing, even if it's not against each other," he said.

[Milchama]

"We have a rank!"

"Wait, how?"

"I have no idea. Who knows the last time we were in one of these things and even more importantly, I figured even with that there is no way we could end up with a rank"

"Maybe it's a mistake"

"No there are several teams that are unranked in the group stage"

"Interesting"

"Yeah, it makes no sense, like I got nothing"

"Well anyway, who is in the group?"

"It's Sarzonia, Dogsmouth, and Pluvia & The Saxean Isles"

"I think it's unfair that they get both Pluvia and the Saxean Isles. They should just get one"

"We tried that protest and it didn't work"

"How do you know?"

"Well I don't know but it seems kinda irrelevant"

"Well we might be better than Pluvia or we might be better than the Saxean Isles but there's no way we can beat both of them"

"You're not worried about Sarzonia?"

"Oh we were always going to lose to those guys. They're too good for the young team we have right now. Maybe we can beat them in baseball but not in football. Though I quite like our changes against Dogsmouth. I figure we can beat one Dog's mouth"

"Apparently they're an entire country with citizens and everything. They're also ranked 13th and we're 51st."

"Yeah but the 51st is just for inactivity, we should be better than our rank"

"I mean sure we'll be better but that doesn't mean we can beat these current international footballers"

"Stop being so negative!"

"Look you know there's only one thing to do right now"

"Yes! We must kill everybody!"

"No! We must consult Margaret!"

"Oh my god, you're right! We must do that at once! FETCH THE RUBBER CHICKENS!"

"FETCH THE RUBBER CHICKENS!"

"Do you have the chickens?"

"Yes"

"Let's go!"

"O Ale ale!"

"O Ale ale!"

"Ale a tiki tumba!"

"Ale a tiki tumba!"

"A wassa wassa wassa!"

"A wassa wassa wassa!"

"Ta'aseh devarim tovim!"

"Ta'aseh devarim tovim!"

"Ten Lanu Nitzachon!"

"Ten Lanu Nitzachon!"

"Come on Margaret help us please!"

"Come on Margaret help us please!"

"Milchama Nitzachon!"

"Milchama Nitzachon!"

*Cuts off the rubber chicken's head*

"HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"COME ON YOU WARRIORS!"

"LET'S GO MILCHAMA!!!"

[Torisakia]

Absolutely Disgustang: 11 Men Prepare For Yet Another Rear Blasting

Some people just never learn from their mistakes. You know who we're talking about. Yes, you. You there in the neutral-tone t-shirt, slim jeans, and socks with unkempt hair and that resting asshole face. We're talking about you! You clearly have never learned from your mistakes, or at least your mom didn't given that you have two siblings. Anyway, the point we're getting at is that a certain specific soccer team has yet to learn from their mistakes in that they have chosen yet again to have their rear-ends decimated and cremated in a multi-round group nook-fest. Originally we believed this to be done against their own will by being forcibly trafficked by a gang of smelly, socially inept neckbeards who lived in a central part of the capital. But The Torisakia Inquisition has since learned that this is not the case. Instead, these 11 men choose to do so out of their own will. The biggest question is: WHY?

We are not the type of people to kinkshame. If you have an attraction to people in Ice Bird costumes eating pancakes on the front lawn of The Tokai House, all the power to you. But this seems to take things a bit too far. Like these guys willingly choose to be violently torn apart and mutilated for the sake of "sport". Eleven men, who have hopes and dreams and promises, embarrassed in an international spotlight. But to be fair, for them to be embarrassed we first had to expect something good from them. So the more we think about it, the more we come to realize that this is actually what they deserve. In fact, a lot of people agree that this is a well-deserved treatment. An Ogino man told The Torisakia Inquisition: "I think they get what they fucking deserve. Anyone who chooses to get rear blasted deserves their fate. If they were into people in Ice Bird costumes eating pancakes on the front lawn of The Tokai House, then I would have sympathy for them. Everyone would". A poll run by The Torisakia Inquisition showed that 99.9% of people held no sympathy or concern for these 11 men, with the other 0.01% simply not caring.

So why did we write this story? No clue. The bigwigs just wanted a story put out. This is the best we can do, folks. This is what we have to offer. It's what our system produces: garbage in, garbage out. Which is a really good metaphor for Torisakian sports as a whole. It's just one big pile of garbage. They are the sole reason that the environment is the way it is now. They are directly responsible for global warming, species extinction, and crop circles. They are the enemy of the people, but we already knew that. It's good to see where our tax dollars are going: straight to mediocrity. Maybe those sanctions weren't such a bad idea after all. Maybe there will be some new big conspiracy occur and sink Torisakian sports for good, although those smelly, socially inept neckbeards I mentioned earlier would probably try and avoid it. Anything to please the masses who don't actually care but want to pretend they do for the social clout and gratification.

Back to the matter at hand. This time these 11 men get to be passed around between three different teams, but thankfully(?) only once(??). The damage will be kept to as much of a minimum as it can, but we all expect a massive catastrophe. Even worse, the three other teams are all some of the best in the world. There will be maximum over-blasting this time around. But from what we have heard, they all get to have coffee and doughnuts afterwards so maybe it's not all that bad. After all, Crispy Kream is having a sale on all dozen doughnuts for the next few weeks. Like Torisakians need any more fattening sugar in their diets. Have you seen some of the people that shop at Malwart? They are literal land whales. The local sea lab needs to do their damn job and get these beached creatures back into the ocean where they belong. We preach species conservation but let these abominations walk around freely. Nothing makes any sense in this country.

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[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Football Association of the Commonwealth

Major Honors

Winners
5th Under 18 World Championship
9th Under 18 World Championship
62nd AOCAF Cup
Runner-up
67th Baptism of Fire
Third Place
58th AOCAF Cup
60th AOCAF Cup
Fourth Place
World Cup 85
63rd AOCAF Cup

Established in 1901, the FAC is the governing body of the sport in Baker Park, maintaining a registry of over 24,000 players between the ages of 11 and 80; 3,500 officials; 128 full member clubs and 350 associate member clubs; sponsoring 12 National Championships for men & women across all levels. in addition to 6 domestic cup competitions; and offering training programs for coaches and physiotherapists covering youth to professional certification.

All time match record—409 wins, 243 losses, 128 draws (current through beginning of AOCAF 64)

NS Record—230 wins, 81 losses, 59 draws (370 matches)
AOCAF Record--44 wins, 12 defeats, 7 draws

style--+2.2
Formation--3-4-1-2
AO Ranking--30.22 (2nd)

National Anthem--"Hear Our Voices Commonwealth"

Nickname--since the end of the 1960's the National Team has been known as "The Bees", a period when the team's uniforms consisted of alternating black and gold hoops. While the bee is an element on the coat of arms of the Commonwealth—a long accepted heraldic symbol of industriousness--the association was actually a reference made in an Italian newspaper game story when the senior team was wearing the hooped shirts, referring to the BP team as il Bombi (the bumblebees) for their perseverance and swarming tactical play.

Colors--Black & Gold (while they are just 2 of the 5 main colors on the flag of Baker Park--Blue, Red and White are the others--black & gold have been closely associated in the nation's consciousness as representative of the country since its founding.)

Manager—Jennifer Prescott
Assistant Manager—Tony Weiss
Coaches—Ryan Zavaros, Steven Tseng, Rich Gabriel

GK
 1 Ben Kelley		27	Hillsborough FC		 9 (2)
21 Rob Callaway		24	Newport City FC		 0

DEF
 2 Darren Flowers	28	Brentford FC		27 (8)
 4 Jerome Brooks	26	Dalton Town FC		29 (6)
 5 Liam Hughes		26	Gunzlach (GRF)   	 2 (1)
 3 Jerrol Allen		24	Real Atlantea (TAE)	 0
16 Jon Schulman		23	Fairport City FC	 0
17 Joe Finnegan		21	Asbury Park FC		 0
18 Samuel Obodime	23	New Bremen FC	         0

MID
 8 Marcus Milton	28	Llewellyn Turnpike FC	23 (8)
 6 Kelvin Buxton	27	Monmouth Park FC	33 (11)
12 Freddie Altman	21	Clayton City FC		10 (8)
 7 Alonzo Boyle		22	Southend AC		 0
11 Park Jae-Sung	21	Monmouth Park FC	 0
15 Grant Myers		28	Kohnhead City FC (KHD)	 4 (2)
20 Luke Olivera		23	Korsbach (GRF)		 0
19 Paul Vetter		22	Linden Woods FC		 0

FWD
24 Quinton Harris	24	Meadowdale FC		 7 (6)	
10 Tim Cassell		26	New Bremen FC  	        18 (9)
 9 Desmond Garvey	28	Blackfields FC (EUR)	28 (10)
13 Kyle Baum 		25	Bayern-Algaer (TAE)	 0
14 Ben Moorman		23	Nor-Dale AFC		 0
22 Peter Obulundi	21	Newmarket Saxons FC	 0

kits

The Commonwealth of Baker Park will field one of most inexperienced senior squads they have ever sent to a major tournament in AOCAF 64, with 12 uncapped players and 2 others who have fewer than 10 appearances. Several “cappies” have been called in from their clubs overseas, while three others will forgo their final opportunity to play in the DiBradini Cup, waiving their Under 21 eligibility to travel to Equestria.

They will face 10 time Regional Champions Pacitalia in a friendly at the BBP Stadium before departing for the tournament; the Blue Wolves are returning to competition after a long hiatus and the match will provide both squads an opportunity to iron out the kinks before their group matches.

Baker Park will face Aji No Moto, Tropicorp and Squornshelous in Group E, as the tournament will have 32 participants in the wake of the Foxchester departures; the Bees enter as the #2 ranked nation in AO, equaling their highest ever spot prior to a tournament and their fourth place finish in Siovanija & Teusland means they are the highest placed returning side.

This will be the third time in their eight previous regional appearances that the competition will take place in Equestria; in their debut in AOCAF LVI, they won two of their three group matches but failed to advance to the knockouts, and their victory over Busoga Islands on MD 3 was the 200th in FAC history; in AOCAF LXI, Ichi Tuzzio fielded an all-male squad that swept through the group stage unbeaten, only to fall to Chromaitka in the Round of 16 at Derby Field in Manehattan.

BP have played 63 AO tournament fixtures, winning 44 and drawing 7 against just 12 defeats, and reached the semi-finals in 4 of the last 6 editions, with a victory, a third place and two fourth place finishes to show for it.

In the event my opponent RPs first, they may...
Choose my goalscorers: YES
Godmod scoring events: YES
RP injuries to my players: YES, but those that would be for just the duration of the match (TG in advance would be appreciated as well)
Godmod injuries to my players: See Above
Hand out yellow cards to my players: YES
Hand out red cards to my players: YES, but again, a heads up in advance is appreciated, as I would do for you.
Godmod other events: TG what you have in mind, I'm easy to come to an understanding with

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

The Official National Football Association Of Twicetagria

Twicetagrian National U-21 Football Team

LOADING COMPLETE!

Helpful Information
Manager: Tiyga Rosanov
Nickname: The Lieutenants
Formation: 3-5-2
Style Modifier: -3
National Squad
Goalkeepers

1  | Janik Harleyv          | Яник Харлейв          | 20 years old | provisional Starting XI
12 | Andrei Sorlov          | Андреи Сорлов         | 21 years old
22 | Jannu Carlesin         | Янну Карлэсин         | 19 years old

Defenders

2  | Daniil Agrgov          | Даниил Агргоб         | 20 years old | LB    | provisional Starting XI
3  | Hugo Idana-Vasirtekiev | Хюго Идана-Васыртекев | 20 years old | CB    | provisional Starting XI
4  | Adan Bushiny           | Адан Бушинь           | 19 years old | CB  
5  | Adelfi Kartini         | Аделфи Картинь        | 21 years old | RB    | provisional Starting XI
13 | Tekan Veskovit         | Текан Весковить       | 20 years old | CB  
15 | Jadan Isaaiy           | Ядан Исааий           | 19 years old | LB
18 | Gavin Yugyinns         | Гавин Юджинс          | 20 years old | LB/RB
20 | Kappi Oostavan         | Каппи Оставан         | 20 years old | RB

Midfielders

6  | Yusef Tyga             | Юсеф Тийга            | 21 years old | CDM   | provisional Starting XI
7  | Nidanshi Hardan        | Ниданший Хардан       | 20 years old | LM    | provisional Starting XI
8  | Ellis Dahannasi        | Элис Даханнаси        | 20 years old | CM    | provisional Starting XI
9 | Dhairon Schani          | Даирон Щани           | 21 years old | RM    | provisional Starting XI
14 | Hegeas Sunurovic       | Хэгяс Цунуробич       | 19 years old | CM    | provisional Starting XI
16 | Arlatan Govin          | Арлатан Говинь        | 21 years old | CM/CDM
17 | Kivi Juric             | Киви Журич            | 20 years old | RM
21 | Aniily Guronmov        | Анилий Гупонмов       | 19 years old | LM/RM   
23 | Junni Saltsei          | Юнни Салцей           | 20 years old | CDM

Forwards

10 | Ivan Idana-Vasirtekiev | Иван Идана-Васыртекев | 21 years old | provisional Starting XI
11 | Nikita Kalyati         | Никита Калять         | 19 years old
19 | Shaun Brinitov         | Шаун Бринитов         | 20 years old

RP Permissions

Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Choose Scoring Events: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events: No
RP injuries to my players: Approach me first
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out Yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out Red cards to my players: Approach me first
Godmod Other Events: No

[Twicetagram and JYPe]

Home >> Domestic >> AO

---

Reformed FA imposes new changes

By Kanni Vartov

After the previous FA was raided, and the leading people arrested over money laundering charges, people wondered if Twicetagrien football was ever going to see the light again.

The Lieutanents' maiden World Cup appearance last year brought great joy to Twicetagrien football fans, but it was overwhelmed by said scandal, and Argavarin's conviction over helping out in the assassination of national star and alleged best friend, Augustin Vladimirescu. Brawls between football fans and Twicist practitioners saw the crime rate in Twicetagria skyrocket to an unknown high.

To add fuel to the fire, Raiche Ryoviste mysteriously resigned and vanished right after Twicetagria's World Cup exit in the group stage. Most people agree that Ryoviste most likely unofficially retired, or at least was taking a hiatus, but didn't inform the public. However, online rumours arose that the FA then expected Ryoviste to lead the Lieutanents' to at least the quarterfinals, but because of his failure to do so, Ryoviste fled. This view has been rejected by the general public.

Earlier this year, the Ministry of Culture and Social Affairs announced that they would be refreshing the FA backboard, with new people coming into the helm of everything related to Twicetagrien football. Along with the revamp, however, was also the fact that the FA would go under the hands of the MinCSA. The new FA chairman, Jani Daigrov, has a history of being involved in Twicetagrien football, as he was a major shareholder in Unitopia FK, a now defunct team in the equally defunct Twicetagrien Premier League.

Yesterday, Daigrov announced some changes that would shape up the profile of domestic and international football here. He announced plans for the commencement of a youth league. The teams in the aforementioned league will most likely be new teams with no affiliation to former professional teams, but Black Swan, previous owners of Black Swan Raichovskiy, has been rumoured to make another appearance in Twicetagrien football. Daigrov also mentioned that professional leagues for men's and women's football respectively was being actively discussed as of then.

One other change that the FA implemented was the separation of all national teams into men's and women's teams. This would take into effect from the upcoming AOCAF onwards.

[Delaclava]

Unlikely emergence of Harvey culminates in AOCAF callup

There aren't a whole lot of surprises to the team selected to represent Delaclava for the 64th AOCAF Cup in Equestria. There are some big names missing, perhaps - Sargis Nazaryan? Martin Bartos? Keaton Durbridge? - but this squad consists of young but highly credentialed stalwarts, or even younger prospects whose selections are a predictable next step in their development.

Then there's Malcolm Harvey. At 29 years old, he is the second-oldest player on the team, one of the oldest debutants in national team history. He was rostered for one Mike Sarzo Memorial Trophy, in the pool for World Cup 86, but never saw time. He's never been a prospect or a priority, always an afterthought.

Then how, in an era where the Delaclava Football Association has notably failed many of its brightest talents, has Malcolm Harvey seemingly emerged entirely on his own to not only make his first major competition team, but to do so as one of the top players to watch?

Harvey was born to a middle-class family in Catherina and entered the Catherina FC youth system. He credits the well-staffed and structured approach for his success: "I was never the most talented or quickest player. But there was never a shortage of good teammates and coaches to work together and get better... When I was old enough to play for the senior team, I was ready for my time."

As a 6-foot-2 outside and attacking midfielder, Harvey was rostered on the A team for seven seasons, starting the last five, as Catherina FC came through some leaner years back to their historical position at the top. Harvey's last season culminated in a record-setting title campaign in which Catherina FC averaged 5.6 goals per game and compiled a goal differential of +190 in 44 games. Yet Harvey's contributions were well overshadowed by teenager Artem Kohut's 97-goal season, 20-year-old Dathan Ingram's MVP campaign, and one last spectacular season from George Ross, a childhood friend of Malcolm one year his junior. Even in the midfield, captain Javor Milic received more of the accolades for his play.

And as Delaclava reopened its borders and fielded its first national team in six decades, Harvey too went unnoticed, not even whispers about his potential selection. "I can't blame anyone but myself for not getting the call sooner," Harvey admitted, "but those first teams, AOCAF 60, World Cup 85, they were really kind of all-star teams. So you needed to be an international player or have the home name recognition to get the call. I'm proud of the role I played in Catherina for years and to finish off with a title was special, but it didn't open a whole lot of doors for me."

So in a transfer window where players such as Kohut, Ingram, and Ross, Lukas Meyer dominated the news cycle, Harvey quietly signed on a free transfer with Euran club Callodown, who had barely avoided relegation from the Silver League in the season prior. While many of his contemporaries struggled abroad or atrophied under lack of competition back home, Harvey helped his new team to fourth place, only missing out on a promotion to the Gold League on tiebreakers. In his second season, Harvey broke out with 12 goals and a team-leading 16 assists in 38 games, and Callodown got over the promotion line despite a negative goal differential. Although Callodown would be relegated in last place, Harvey greatly benefited from the increased level of competition and managed six goals and ten assists, playing well enough to earn a transfer to Marketville for a handsome 2.4 million pound fee.

Unfortunately, Harvey was back on a losing horse as Marketville too finished last. Some players might find it stressing to spend their peak years in lower-tier football, but Harvey is content to give it another year with Marketville, and trust the process - for his team and for himself. "I'm confident we have a Gold League quality team here. Having to defend your position can be tough, but we can make it back, I'm sure of it... as for me, I don't feel in too much of a rush. My football IQ and technique keeps getting better, I keep getting faster and stronger. I'll keep working and improving. I believe everyone in this game gets the opportunities they deserve."

Harvey has some training philosophies to which he credits his continued physical development, growing into a formidable 185-pound midfielder capable of blazing speed on the outside and strength in the middle. "Lift heavy for just a few reps. Run long and slow, and sometimes do some sprints. It makes you stronger without ruining you for the next day... Never take time off. It's so easy to just get a few touches and laps in year-round, and so hard to come back from even a few rest weeks. I have plenty of time to improve, but I have no time to waste."

Harvey fills the role of left attacking midfielder, a position first played in this era by Ingram; after his repurposing into a split striker, it was Nazaryan who took on the role. But Harvey knows better than anyone that progress can be nonlinear and inconsistent, and Nazaryan finds himself at somewhat of a standstill in Vilita when the 25-year-old should be entering his best years. It's an interesting contrast - Nazaryan is smaller, a technical wizard with aggressive tendencies he learned to rein in. Harvey is bigger, a physical beast who can impose his will on both ends of the fields, yet offers a maturity and deliberate approach this team arguably needs.

This AOCAF Cup will be Malcolm Harvey's very first games taking the field in the red and gold, and while he wouldn't be one to take anything for granted, hardcore fans who have paid attention to his career would wager it won't be his last. But Harvey is optimistically focused on the immediate future. "We have a real chance to play our way into this tournament. We're coming in with belief in ourselves without any wild expectations. We won't be careful, but if the chances are there, we're going to take them."

[Gyatso-kai]

Gyatso-kai Men's National Football Team,
凯海洋国家足球队
Kaihaiyáng Guójia Zúqiú Duì
Gyats'kai Tsad droten Taab’rugam

Official Name: Gyatso-kai Men’s National Football Team
凯海洋国家足球队 (Kaihaiyáng Guójia Guójia Zúqiú Duì)
Gyats'kai Tsad droten Taab’rugam
Official Nation Name: The Avatarian Republics of Gyatso-kai
凯海洋降世神通共和国 (Kaihaiyáng Jiàngshì Shéntong Gònghéguó)
Tsad Gyats'kai Jettise
Country Code: GKI
Officiating League: The Republic Premier Football League (RPFL)
Founded: 1876 (228 AKy)
Regional Officiating Body: The Atlantian Oceania Confederation of Association Football (AOCAF)
Year of Membership: 2019.2 (63 AAg)
Records:
AOCAF:9-7-18 (WDL)
World Cup: 152-60-87 (35-20-42 Post Silence)
All-Time: 177-73-120
Titles: 0
Rank:
AOCAF: 24th (After AOCAF LXII)
World Cup: 84th (After WC LXXXVIII)
Nickname: Bisons

***************
The Roster

When RP'ing, the name of my players in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS AND BOLD are the player's family names. These are the names on their jersey and the name professional commentators would call out when making observations. Also, do not write the names in all capital letters, as this is somewhat annoying when reading; I just imagine someone reading calmly along then suddenly SHOUTING the player's name. For example, if writing about FENG Shaoli making a long shot, one would write "Feng made a long shot..." as opposed to "FENG made a long shot..." If you have any further questions regarding names, please feel free to telegram me.

Players age ONE YEAR in-between cups.

Starting players will have their names in GREEN type
Alternate players will have their names in BLUE type
Reserve Players will have their names in STANDARD type.
Travelling Players will be in tables.

22- ARMOK Hikari
Height: 177cm - Weight: 80kg – Age: 28 years old - Team: Southern AFC

Coming off a successful sixth season with Southern AFC, Armok Hikari has continued to develop rather nicely when compared to his style back at his alma mater, University of Omashu. After the announcement of Zhao Baoli taking off the 2021.2 Campaign to rest and regroup after his disastrous performances in both World Cup 87 and Cup of Harmony 79, it was to be expected to see Armok promoted to starter.

Unlike Zhao and his sniping mid-range clears, Armok tends to favor the long-range kicks out to midpitch so as to clear as much action from the back end as possible. Also, Armok is a much more traditional goalkeeper when compared to the very ball-heavy play styles of the former starter for the Bisons; he firmly believes that his primary goal is to stop balls from getting to the net, and by clearing out the attacking zone quickly, it gives him a chance to set the team up more defensively as he does tend to hand over possession often, but that allows him to focus on the main job of stopping balls and not worrying about diving out of the box and going for more ‘flashy’ plays.

Rating: B - Team Relationship: B - Morale: B - Form: B
CAPS: :: 54 GOALS: N/A :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 61-63, WC 85-88, CoH 79

44- HAMADA Roshi
Height: 181cm - Weight: 90kg – Age: 24 years old - Team: Concord Dusk AFC

After signing a three year, ¥15 million contract with Concord Dusk AFC, Hamada Roshi has essentially made it as a goalkeeper in Gyatso-kai. Coming onto Concord Dusk to backup the aging Kjotvi Bar’kad is no easy assignment, however, with most analysts seeing Bar’kad retiring in no more than two years, soon Hamada may see himself starting for the Black & Gold.

A player who developed an odd style in the Fire Nation, Hamada is known for stepping way in front of the net and attempting to use his physique to stop an offensive player before getting to the ball. Many attribute this odd quirk to Hamada and his twin brother Yoshi having grown up playing ice hockey; whereas Roshi would go on to find his love in football, his brother Yoshi continues to attract scouts on the ice at the University of Kyoko in the Fire Nation. Equally adept at his position as a younger Kio’los, the 2021.2 Campaign is now the time to prove to the nation that he is the right player chosen to succeed Zhao.
Rating: B - Team Relationship: B - Morale: A - Form: C
CAPS: 8 :: GOALS: N/A :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 62-63, WC 87-88

31- LEE Findao
Height: 191cm - Weight: 94kg – Age: 21 years old - Team: Academy of South Kibago

An incredibly young and underdeveloped player – at least in terms of multi-verse play – Lee Findao took the Avatarian Football world by surprise when it was announced after The Combine that they would be taking the Reserve Position on the National Team ahead of suspected replacement Pao Lishin. Such a surprise that on the day the rosters were set to be announced, Lee had already packed themselves up and was boarding a transport out of the National Sports Complex.

Not the most confident way to start your journey to the AOCAF Cup…

With a collegiate style typical of players his size – wide stance, quick to try and muscle defenders out of the ball, and making saves from deep out of the net – we can only hope that has time goes on, Lee will continue to mature under the tutelage of Nishimura on the National Team.

Rating: C+ - Team Relationship: B - Morale: B - Form: C
CAPS: N/A :: GOALS: N/A :: TOURN. PLAYED: None

Travelling With the Team

Name		Age		Team					Nation              .
PAO Lishin	25		Mando FC				Earth
TSUTSAMA Yen	22		University of Adirolf			Fire
TSUNADE Ki’sae	21		Kyoshi State University			Mandalorian

As had been done under Vhett, Head Coach Tay’haai has instituted a Travelling Corps so as to bring young and upcoming players along with the Bisons to show them what Multiverse Play is all about. Pao Lishin, still a bit bitter about being passed over last World Cup and now for AOCAF, is a surprise to see return on the travelling corps. Last campaign, it was reported that Pao spent most of the practice days away from the other members of the goalkeeping unit; in the weeks leading up to the AOCAF Cup, it is being reported he is talking more with Goalkeeping Coach Nishimura Kenshin.

Tsutsama Yen, is a relative newcomer to the multiverse; having a somewhat average season at UA, he came to the National Team tryouts before World Cup 87 and put up some impressive physical numbers through the Combine, and thus found his way onto the Corps. Showing great promise as a younger player, he signed on with Gaoling Union after graduation and has already begun to cement himself as a strong back-up to franchise keeper Mit Wasan’i

With the promotion of Lee Findao to Reserve, the third spot on the Corps was awarded to Tsunade Kise, a young Mandalorian keeper out of Kyoshi State. At 21-years-of-age, he is set to graduate following this campaign cycle, though it is uncertain where he will wind up. Tsunade has shown a similar style to the former Bison Aki Kio’los, and of the three members of the Travelling Corps, he is the most likely to see promotion.

Left Defenders:
16- TERCAR Shuajo
Height: 180cm - Weight: 84kg – Age: 26 years old - Team: Mando FC

Tercar Shuajo, who signed a four-year contract with Mando FC after graduating from Northern University, has added 8kg to his frame in muscle, yet still retains his speed. A very quick and agile defender, Tercar uses his feet and agility to outmaneuver most other players instead of relying on sheer mass to take away a ball, a tactic he learned from pairing with Itawaku during exhibition games prior to World Cup 86.

Now into his third campaign as starting defender, Tercar is looking to further cement himself into the team. With both Hashimoto Isamiru and Somchai Kikwan both growing older with every passing game, soon it may be time for Tercar to take his speed and agility to the centre of the pitch. Tercar bares the distinction of being one of only two players to score a goal during the last AOCAF – the lone goal against Vilita & Turori on the opening day of the tournament.
Rating: B- - Team Relationship: B - Morale: B - Form: C
CAPS: 56 :: GOALS: :: 16 TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 63, WC 86-88, CoH 79

12- PAM Kai
Height: 183cm - Weight: 86kg – Age: 26 years old - Team: Senlin Timbers

Formerly the backup to the Beast of the North, Pam Kai spent five tournaments in the shadow of Itawaku, hoping to one day earn the starting spot from him or to replace him. However, at the tryout camp, it was Tercar Shuajo who shined, and received the Starting Spike from Tay’haai. Following another lackluster season in Senlin, Pam has shown himself to be a perennial backup defender; though this time, he has been kicked out of the limelight by a former classmate and teammate of his from Northern University… One has to wonder how that will play out during the tournament.

Rating: B+ - Team Relationship: B - Morale: B - Form: A
CAPS: 54 :: GOALS: 16 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59, 61-63,WC 84-88, CoH 79

26 – Khánh KA’LOMI
Height: 190cm - Weight: 94kg – Age: 22 years old - Team: Island FC

A young Southern Watertribesman who signed a professional contract with Island FC at just 20-years-of-age, Khánh Ka’lomi is already making waves in the Avatarian sports community. With an impressive size for such a young player, many see him as the next Itawaku, and some have already started calling him “The Beast of the South”. In his first season at Island FC, Ka’lomi put up impressive numbers for a defencemen; ending his season with the highest involvement in goals by a defender with 2 goal and 7 assists to go with 6 clean sheets. Given the way the Bisons have been playing in tournaments prior, don’t expect Ka’lomi to find himself sitting in the press box too much, with a late series call-up likely should Pam or Tercar start to tire or fail to produce.
Rating: B- - Team Relationship: B - Morale: B - Form: C
CAPS: 18 :: GOALS: 3 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 62-63, WC 87-88, CoH 79

Central Defenders
5- HASHIMOTO Isamiru
Height: 178cm - Weight: 75kg – Age: 35 years old - Team: Ba Sing Se UNITED

One of the most highly-rated player for the Bison defence, Hashimoto Isamiru, or “Hashi” as he is loving called by fans, has shown himself to be a very valuable asset to the team. A strong defensive player who often falls in to a full-back position, Hashimoto has made great strides in improving his passing and marking skills since he was traded to Ba Sing Se UNITED from Keldabe FC after a very disappointing season which saw Kelabe not advance to the playoffs for the first time in five years.

However, as time as worn on, so too as age on Hashimoto. Set to turn 36 during the 2021.3 Campaign, many have been calling for Hashi to step down gracefully and retire. However, in previous interviews over the 2021.1 Campaign, Hashimoto has already said he would not even entertain retirement until he had earned his century-and-half cap for the National Team.

Only twenty-eight more caps to go…

Rating: A – Team Relationship: A – Morale: A – Form: A
CAPS: 122 :: GOALS: 23 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59-63,WC 84-87, CoH 76, 79

15- UTHAN A’den
Height: 185cm - Weight: 83kg – Age: 24 years old - Team:FC Beijing

A large and physically imposing player, Uthan A’den does not play a very physical game like Auranaq or Hashimoto, but instead proves himself to be one of the fastest players on the team; one who uses that speed to outpace and overtake many of his opponents. Less prove to tackle and trip, and more likely to simply run up from behind and steal the ball mid-dribble, expect to see Uthan engaging opponents closer to the net than you will be comfortable with from previous Bisons campaigns.

Having reached his century mark during the 6-2 win at home against The Juniper Union during World Cup 88 – and also scoring his first multiverse hat trick – Uthan became one of the youngest players to reach the milemark, following in the footsteps of Akiyama Qiangyu and Bralor Kotyc’e to reach a century before 25.

And given his presence, Uthan is expected to play for a very long time.

Rating: A- - Team Relationship: B - Morale: A - Form: A
CAPS: 108 :: GOALS: 31 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59- 63,WC 84-88, CoH 76, 79

15- Ganham Ri’om
Height: 175cm - Weight: 70kg – Age: 27 years old - Team: Concord Dusk AFC

Though not as fast as Uthan, Ganham Ri’om is a full-back more focused on the offence, who uses his skill with the ball to often drive the offence from the backfield. Though Ganham can have some minor difficulties when tasked with defence (given that he played his entire career at Hatsu State as a offensive midfielder before switching to defence when drafted), he is a very dedicated player and works hard to improve where he knows there are weakness.
Rating: B+ - Team Relationship: B - Morale: A - Form: B
CAPS: 41 :: GOALS: 11 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59-60, 63,WC 84-88, CoH 79

Right Defenders:

3- SOMCHAI Kikwan
Height: 187cm - Weight: 83kg – Age: 33 years old - Team: Itakawai City

While certainly not the oldest player in the defence, Somchai Kikwan does serve as the counterpoint to Uthan’s youthful excitement. Having graduated from Kyoshi State, Somchai is very familiar to the style of play Uthan is used to, and the two of them communicate very well on the side of the field. Very adept at playing the middle of the field, when pushed to the right side, Somchai is quick to adapt and has the endurance and stamina to keep up with the demands.

Having made his multiverse debut in World Cup 85, Somchai has continued to play through a nagging lower body injury. While he has shown signs of improvement – as well as the additional reports of him seeing a Northern Healer for therapy, he continues to play a On-Off schedule; starting one game, resting the next. Many felt he should be taken out of the starting line-up, however, after being the only player to score in four of the Bisons’ five World Cup 86 victories he seems to have garnished a bit of faith from the ASPN team of commentators. Though in World Cup 87, he hit a bit of a dry spell and then during the Cup of Harmony 79 scored three of the team’s eight goals.
Rating: A – Team Relationship: A – Morale: A – Form: A
CAPS: 57 :: GOALS: 24 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 63, WC 85-88, CoH 79

23- HUANG Aodhán
Height: 183cm - Weight: 84kg – Age: 27 years old - Team: Makapu ERUPT

With Mi’rez Yiman retiring, Huang Aodhán would find himself moving up on the list of right defenders. Signed onto a Taap-A team right out of college, Huang was quick to mature and found his way onto the Makapu ERUPT three season ago. A quick study, he adapted well to his new team and soon made it to their starting eleven. Huang is a natural athlete, with impressive speed and stamina to match, and we can expect to see that natural athleticism on display as the tournament wears on and fatigue sets into the Starting Eleven.
Rating: C – Team Relationship: B – Morale: B – Form: C
CAPS: 28:: GOALS: 7 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 60-63, WC 84-88, CoH 79

15 – Tarou ADEEN
Height: 189cm - Weight: 90kg – Age: 23 years old - Team: Royal Flames

With the retirement of a couple of the Bisons’ core defenders, the Travelling Corps has produced another potential feature player in the form of Tarou Adeen. A product of both the Royal Fire Developmental Programs as well as serving under the tutelage of Fujimoto Zhong at Omashu State, Adeen is sure to see his number called in future tournaments. Much like his counterpart on the left, Tay’haai seems to be wanting to bring size into the game; Adeen stands at just under 190cm and weighs a little under 90kg. Combine that size with his speed and vision on the pitch, and you have a defender who can knock an opponent off course and redirect a ball to a forward without even lifting his head from his target. As with others in the lower levels of the team, expect to see Adeen as the tournament progresses.
Rating: C – Team Relationship: B – Morale: B – Form: C
CAPS: 4 :: GOALS: 1 :: TOURN. PLAYED: WC 88, CoH 79

Travelling With the Team

Position	Name		Age		School / Team			Nation                |
RD		KATO Zhao Ling	23		Enceri FC			Mandalorian	
RD		YAMADA Goro	22		Ba Sing Se UNITED 		Fire
CD		ZHOU Hiroto	22		Concord Dusk AFC		Earth

The Travelling Corps for Defense is all small trio of defenders who are all potential future Bisons.

Kato Zhao Ling, who graduated from Enceri University and signed an entry-level two-year contract with FC She Pass, is coming off his first RPFL All-Star selection and a third-place finish in the 2021.1 Season, having been traded to Enceri FC before the end of his contract and signing on an entry-level single-year bridge pending the conclusion of the 2021.3 Season. Yamato Goro surprised the football world upon graduation, having signed with Ba Sing Se over Itakawai; Yamato is certainly being watched to replace either of the aging defencemen in Hashimoto and Somchai. Zhou Hiroto, who helped Kibago University win their third consecutive Earthen Shield tournament in five years, also is vying for an eventual spot on the national roster after signing an entry-level two-year contract with Concord Dusk AFC.

Defensive Midfielders:

7- TAKAHASHI Hikaru
Height: 178cm - Weight: 76kg – Age: 36 years old - Team: Northern AFC

A strong defensive midfielder. Takahashi Hikaru’s strength lies in his kicks; easily able to send a ball soaring across the pitch with surprising accuracy, Takahashi is known for feeding the ball to the strikers and catching many opposing defences off-guard. He often has great vision, and he is easily able to read the play and can adapt accordingly.

Now, Takahashi has to step into a new role, as the oldest player on the team. With the retirement of so many of his fellow over-30 players, some feel the pressure is on Takahashi to produce more in this upcoming World Cup… or hang up the Number Seven jersey for the last time.
Rating: S – Team Relationship: S – Morale: A – Form: A
CAPS: 125 :: GOALS: 57 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59-63,WC 84-88, CoH 75, 79

6- MA Haijiang
Height: 187cm - Weight: 85kg – Age: 33 years old - Team: Northern AFC

Head Coach Tay’haai made the unusual selection of having both of his defensive midfielders come from the same team, for reasons most can ascertain. A proven veteran on the pitch, Ma Haijiang complements Takahashi’s strong kicks and accuracy with the speed to overcome most opponents; if he can not strike a ball deep, Takahashi will often send a volley up to Ma who will then run it into the offensive zone before lasering the ball to an open forward. Expect to see either Ma or Takahashi in the assist column for plenty of goals.

Though, now with both players into their 30s, and many calling for younger blood to take the reigns, one has to wonder how much longer the ‘Northern Duo’ will continue to play together… or worse, who will be the first to retire…
Rating: A- – Team Relationship: A – Morale: B – Form: A
CAPS: 124 :: GOALS: 42 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59-63,WC 84-88, CoH 76, 79

17- YOSHIDA Arata
Height: 177cm - Weight: 80kg – Age: 30 years old - Team: Royal Flames

Yoshida Arata is a dedicated player who has worked incredibly hard to make his way to the national team; having spent several months training with one of the greatest Avatarian midfielders to ever play the game, Bralor Kotyc’e. Time spent with Bralor has proven to greatly improve his game, seeing Yoshida climb up the ranks during the Trials for the national team.

Though, Yoshida is not a player you will often notice. He is not one for showboating, and very rarely makes a goal or garnishes an assist. Instead, he focuses his time on the pitch by setting up the offense for a great pass, a decisive tackle that often swings the game’s momentum, or just being able to intercept the ball at the most opportune time. One of the best midfielders in the Southern Conference of the RPFL, Yoshida is sure to see time on the pitch by relieving Takahashi or Ma in the later games of the competition.

Rating: B+ – Team Relationship: A – Morale: B – Form: B
CAPS: 56 :: GOALS: 12 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59, 60, 62-63,WC 84-88

Neutral Midfielders:

18- HISAKAWA Si Woo
Height: 183cm - Weight: 84kg – Age: 33 years old - Team: Senlin Timbers

An extremely technical midfielder, Hisakawa Si Woo is not one to shy away from trying for goals. More adept at reading the play and setting up his forwards, Hisakawa is a bit more impatient than one would like, and he posseses the speed and agility to run through a good defence and find the back of the net on occasion. He is also the only player on the Bisons who is currently unsigned; his contract with the Taap-A team Omashu Athletic ended after AOCAF LX, and with nothing really to showcase his worth, Omashu Athletic chose to not sign Hisakawa; a fact that has certainly hurt his morale going into the last World Cup. However, an impressive showing, including four goals at WC 85, saw Hisakawa sign a two-year contract with the Senlin Timbers just days after the completion of the group stage.
Rating: B+ – Team Relationship: B – Morale: B – Form: A
CAPS: 94 :: GOALS: 26 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59-63,WC 84, 86-88, CoH 76,79

Attacking Midfielders:

8- YU Shichiro
Height: 183cm - Weight: 85kg – Age: 28 years old - Team: Keldabe FC

With a very offensive-minded footballing style, Yu Shichiro works as the last link between the midfield and the offence. Much like Hisakawa, Yu has been known to even advance from the midfield to score quite a few key goals in pivotal games, including the 2019.2 Ve’vut Cup winning goal against Concord Dusk AFC. He has a powerful long shot and is exceptional at heading, both of which are aided by his height. However, as skilled as he is in offense, Yu still prefers to pass the ball up to forwards for an assist in a goal as opposed to being the star player.

Rating: A- – Team Relationship: A – Morale: B – Form: A
CAPS: 94 :: GOALS: 15 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59-63,WC 84-88, CoH 79

11- GUANYU Jun
Height: 185cm - Weight: 81kg – Age: 26 years old - Team: Omashu Athletic (Taap-A)
A very creative midfielder, Guanyu Jun is very capable of making plays on the fly; with great vision and quick feet, he often can set up his forwards for a great goal or keep the ball moving through the middle. Though having graduated from Heibai University right after AOCAF, Guanyu, who managed to only appear in a single game during AOCAF, started in the next two World Cups as well as AOCAF 60, before being knocked off his starting position by Yu Shichiro coming into AOCAF 61. Who knows how that will play out, seeing as how many in the sports world see Guanyu as more of a playmaker than Yu and a bit more skilled despite being three years his junior.

Rating: B+ – Team Relationship: B – Morale: B – Form: A
CAPS: 45 :: GOALS: 10 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59, 60,62-63,WC 84-85,87-88, CoH 79

14 – Fei’kao SONG
Height: 185cm - Weight: 81kg – Age: 25 years old - Team: FC Mando

Relatively young when compared to his teammates, Fei’kao Song chose to forgo his collegiate career, getting drafted by FC Mando the day before his twentieth birthday. Despite all the fanfare of his first season behind him, Song has not had a promising start to his sophomore season. Given his still-developing skills in midfield, his is seen as a comparatively weak player and often spends more time with the coaching staff than other more-seasoned players. Song, much like Hisakawa, is a technical player by nature whose greatest asset is not in his aim or power, but in the art of dribbling which he uses at every opportunity. While more prone to provide assists on plays as opposed to goals, Song has proven himself through Trials to Tay’haai and earned a spot on the National Team, albeit a reserve position.

Rating: B- – Team Relationship: A – Morale: B – Form: C
CAPS: 18 :: GOALS: 4 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 60, 63, WC 87-88 CoH 76, 79

Travelling With the Team

Position	Name			Age		School/Team					Nation
DM		INOUE Anernerk	25		R.C UNITED				Water
DM		Kal ITOWA		25		FC Beijing				Water
NM		Penlu SAITO		22		Omashu				Fire
OM		SHAO Mi’ka		24		Solus FC				Water
OM		DIK Up’lis		23		Northern AFC				Earth

Mostly comprised of Water Tribesmen, the Midfield Travelling Corps is a grabbag of talent. From the University of the Northern Tribes come home-grown Inoue Anernerk, who at just like his father, the famed Inoue Kuruk, completed back-to-back double-digit scoring seasons in his last two seasons of college; impressive for a man who is supposed to be on the defensive midfield. From UST, Kal Itowa mirrors the success of Inoue, though a career less filled with goals and more with assists. Penlu Saito, a young player from the developmental Chomain State Academy, hopes to see a professional contract within the year, and with such a great season in the ADFL, you can be sure he will at least entertain some good offers. Out of the University of Kibago, Shao Mi’ka is a relatively quiet player who has had offers from both Gaoling Union and Senlin Timbers. Dik Up’lis rounds out the Travelling Corps, bringing from Omashu State a drive for excellence many teams would love to have, even if it comes with a bit more maturing to be fostered.

9 - Dag’da SKIRATA
Height: 185cm - Weight: 85kg – Age: 26 years old - Team: Ba Sing Se UNITED

From the fabled and illustrious Skirata family, Dag’da Skirata continues to show why the Skirata’s are the most famous Avatarian family in sports; from his grandfather Kad coaching the Men’s National Ice Hockey Team to his father A’den’s 59 goals in 190 caps for the Bisons, Dag’da has some massive shoes to fill. Though his youthful energy often times shows itself in classic mistakes, Skirata is able to power his way through many the defender and be it by foot or by head, he finds the net more often than not. Earning his century in the abysmal Cup of Harmony 79, Skirata hopes to redeem himself in the next campaign set to begin in Atlantian Oceania. In-between the 2021.1 and 2021.2 Campaigns, Skirata has shocked much of the Avatarian Sports world, forgoing the expected signing with his hometown FC Itakawai and signing with their interleague rival Ba Sing Se United for an undisclosed amount; however, the six-year contract is likely one of the most expensive to be signed in recent memory.

Along with Tercar Shuajo, Skirata was one of only two players to score any goals; with Skirata scoring three goals, including a pair against Sylestone in the only victory the Bisons were able to achieve during AOCAF 63. Also of mention, Skirata achieved his century during Cup of Harmony against Electrum, just weeks after turning 25…Something fellow Mandalorian Uthan Aden holds over Skirata’s head.
Rating: S – Team Relationship: S – Morale: S – Form: A
CAPS: 125 :: GOALS: 70 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59-63,WC 84-88, CoH 76,79

10 - SONG Kaoru
Height: 178cm - Weight: 74kg – Age: 28 years old - Team: FC Mando

Much like Skirata, Song Kaoru comes from a sports-centric family; with his father a coach in the RPFL, his mother a third-line winger for the Ice Bisons and his younger brother the star goalkeeper for Itakawai City, fans and critics have come to expect nothing but greatness from Song. They have certainly not been disappointed in domestic play, with Song showing a near-effortless game on the pitch. Dodging defenders as if they were standing still, sniping balls past nets which might as well have been empty, Song has quickly become the media’s favorite player... especially with how he loves to be interviewed.

Rating: A – Team Relationship: A – Morale: A – Form: A
CAPS: :: 124 GOALS: 50 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59-63,WC 84-88, CoH 76, 79

29- LI Yuuta
Height: 185cm - Weight: 85kg – Age: 29 years old - Team: Island FC

Older than both of the starting forwards, Li Yuuta also finds himself the oldest member of the Forward Corps. Playing the last six seasons in Island FC, Li has continued to develop as a well-rounded secondary striker; able to shield the ball from the other team and hold them off long enough for either of the Bisons’ primary stikers to get into position for a great shot. Li is very adept at striking himself, having led Island FC in Goals Scored last season.

Rating: A – Team Relationship: A – Morale: B – Form: A
CAPS: 32 :: GOALS: 10 :: TOURN. PLAYED: AOCAF 59, 60,62-63,WC 84-88, CoH 76

19 - KIM Vinh Lành
Height: 185cm - Weight: 80kg – Age: 27 years old - Team: Island FC

A seasoned pivot man through five seasons at Island FC, Kim Vinh Lành is known for his ability to read the pitch and place himself ahead of a ball to bring in an attempt --- even if the pass is terrible --- through his excellent ball-handling skills. Albeit not the most conditioned player, with stamina that often finds him at the back of the pack during running exercises, Kim makes up for his endurance with incredibly fast bursts to the goal.

Rating: B – Team Relationship: A – Morale: B – Form: A
CAPS: 24 :: GOALS: 6 :: TOURN. PLAYED: WC 86-88, CoH 79

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Captain: TAKAHASI Hikaru
Vice-Captain: HASHIMOTO Isamiru
Third Captain: MA Haijiang

Kick Takers (in order of ability)
Free kicks: SONG Kaoru
Right corners: GANHAN Ri’om, UTHAN A’den
Left corners: TAKAHASHI Hikaru, UTHAN A’den
Penalties: Dag’da SKIRATA, TAKAHASHI Hikaru, MA Haijiang, GUANYU Jun, HASHIMOTO Isamiru, YU Shichiro, SOMCHAI Kikwan

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Head Coach: .:: VACANT ::.

Following the completion of the 2021.1 Campaign and World Cup 88, the initial contract for Head Coach Kad’e Tay’haai had reached its conclusion. In no surprise to anyone in the Avatarian Football Community, Director of the National Sports Council and President of the Avatarian Leagues of Association Football Vhett Boba accepted the completion of the contract and formally dismissed Tay’haai after twelve tournaments. The first Head Coach after The Silence, many had expected Tay’haai to bring glory back to the Bisons on the multiverse stage; instead, the National Team held a 36.08% Winning Record, including multiple losing streaks of three games or more, including the winless 79th Cup of Harmony and the single-win AOCAF 63.

Not exactly how the former star player for the Bisons Pre-Silence and collegiate coach wanted his national coaching career to transpire, and certainly not how he envisioned it ending… a 3-1 loss at home after winning just six games out of eighteen.

Interim Head Coach: WONG Haru
Height: 185cm – Weight: 88kg – Age 50 years old – Team: FC Itakawai, Assistant General Manager

Once a star defender for the Bisons, following his retirement from national and multiverse play, Wong Haru made a name for himself with a brief stint in coaching professionally; first as a Defensive Coach for Solus FC for two years and then FC She Pass for another four. However, when Wakahisa Hikaru – whose infamous knee injury in the championship game for the Republic Chalice brought the nation to tears and ended his professional career – called Wong, as the General Manager for FC Itakawai, to hand him the reigns of the infamous team right when they shifted ownership, it was a call Wong could not pass up. Being the head coach of one of the RPFL’s best teams for nearly 8 years truly honed his knowledge of the game as well as his abilities to analyze and coach players to greatness, all before he was promoted within to the role of Assistant General Manager under Wakahisa. After being both a player, a captain, positional coach, head coach, and assistant general manager, the only two roles left for Wong were to be either the National Team Head Coach, and the President of the ALAF. Thanks to Tay’haai - who brought Wong on as the assistant coach for the team back at the start of his tenure - one goal was soon to be achieevd. Though for now, the title of "Interim" hangs over Wong, and it is up to him to guide the lost ship back on course until a more permanent coach can be chosen... or he can earn the title himself.

Rating: B - Team Relationship: A - Morale: B - Confidence: B
Tourn. Coached: As Assistant – AOCAF 59-63,WC 84-88, CoH 76, 79

Coaching Assistants:
Forwards: KUSONAGI Batou, PHAM Vinh Lành, KRYSE Pre
Defence: NAKAMURA Batou and MAKI LI
Goalkeepers: KITA Bai’a, NISHIMURA Kenshin

Head Medical Officer: Doctor FONG Jintao
Height: 190cm – Weight: 82kg – Age 36 years old
Following the retirement of Wen Wuchin after the 85th World Cup, the much-younger Doctor Fong Jintao replaced the “Ol’Doc” as he was so lovingly referred to as by the team. Having served through the Grand Army of the Republic, Doctor Fong is a veritable successor to the Ol’Doc’s history as the last member of the Old Guard – all staff appointed by former-Head Coach and now Director Boba Vhett. When not travelling with the team, Fong carries the rank of Captain, First Class and serves in the 501st Legion in the First Territorial Army, stationed in Republic City; specifically, he is a resident Surgeon within the Third Avatarian Guard, and is seen as a competitor for the soon-to-be-vacated position of Head Assistant Surgeon in the Capital Medical Facility, thanks to another former member of the Old Guard retiring from that post.
Rating: A - Team Relationship: A - Morale: A - Confidence: A
Medical Assistants: HU Haicheng, HONG Sujin, LEE Jiabao

Security Chief: Captain AKAAN (RC-4868)
Height: 183cm – Weight: 81kg – Age: 47 years old CHRONOLOGICAL (50 years old BIOLOGICAL)
A clone officer within the Grand Army of the Republic, RC-4868 was appointed Chief of Security for the National Team in 2011.1. Each time the team travels abroad --- so long as he is not engaged in a mission --- RC-4868 is pulled from service and placed into the spotlight of security. He is battle-hardened, having been raised since birth for war and combat, and as such often views these assignments with true boredom. The seven men he brings with him on assignment share the same sentiments of the ‘mission’, however, their ‘unwaivering loyalty’ to the Republic prevents any negative speak during the assignment. Each is a member of the Avatarian Guard, whose sole responsibility is to defend the Avatar at both home and abroad; this protection then extends to all sports teams travelling beyond the borders of the Five Nations.
Rating: A – Strength: A – Tactics: A – Skill: A
Security Assistants: CT-2234, CT-45-9934, CC-8341, CT-2401, CC-75-3341, RC-1346, RC-4321, RC-4555

President of the ALAF: HIS RIGHT HONOURABLE VHETTBoba
Age: 75 – Time in the job: 8 Years (34 jì)

Once the longest serving Head Coach in Avatarian History – with a record spanning 261 games, ten World Cups and multiple other multiverse competitions – it was only right for Vhett to step into the role of President of the Avatarian Leagues of Association Football. Having brought a team from nothing to the quarterfinals in 8 World Cups is not something to look away from, and although his career was tarnished slightly by the final performances of the Bisons – going 5-7-1 in his last World Cup – Vhett is confident that soon glory will be returned to the Avatarian Republics, although initial performances in all seven tournaments to date have been far from promising.

Rating: S - Influence: A - Morale: A - Confidence: A – History: S

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Kits

For the Sixty-Fourth Edition of the Atlantian Oceania Confederation of Association Football Cup, the Bisons will be wearing the uniforms they debuted in the 2021.1 Campaign at the Eighty-Seventh World Cup.

The Third Kit will not be utilized this tournament.

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While under Tay’haai and Vhett, the Bisons utilized the modern standard of the 4-4-2 Formation. Giving the Bisons a strong midfield presence while pairing two quick strikers – in the last cup being Skirata and Song Kaoru – the 4-4-2 allowed many of the Bison games to keep low goals for an oppoenet while giving them a chance to rack up high goals.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t always the case…

Under Interim Coach Wong Haru, the Bisons are changing up their usual style and taking out the second forward and replacing them with a stronger midfield presence in what is known as a 4-5-1 Formation. Usually taken by teams wanting to secure a lead, the 4-5-1 is often seen as a more ‘defensive minded’ formation. The extra midfielder – in this case Hisakawa Si Woo – often will float between a defensive position and a support position for the remaining forward. In choosing the speed of Skirata over the accuracy of Song Kaoru, Interim Coach Wong is giving up offensive capability to shore up defence. Especially considering that Song was the lead goal-scorer in the last World Cup, the focus on a slightly-younger Skirata may be a look to the future and keep Song on standby should the offence need a boost.

Expect to see the two men swapped out from game to game until the team solidifies. Of course, in a tournament with just four games, the team may not be able to completely figure out its new strategy in quick-enough fashion.

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.:: COMING SOON ::.

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Style: +2.0 out of 5.0
Choose my goal scorers: Yes
Godmod Scoring Events:[\/b] Yes
[b]Injure to my players: Yes for minor, one-game-out injuries. I will decide and RP any further inactivity for a player caused by your injury.
Godmod injuries: Yes for minor, one-game-out injuries
Hand out Yellow cards to my players: Yes, within reason
Hand out Red cards to my players: Yes (1 MAX PER GAME)
Godmod Other Events: Yes, within reason. Please telegram me if you’re in doubt.

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[Qasden]

IC crest courtesy of Krytenia and kits courtesy of Siru (Home) and ZSports (Away) of Tikariot and Ziwana respectively

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Long ago, in a past that was so old it was essentially the future, the Qasden Association Football Association (QAFA) was formed from the cosmic tarpit of the ethereal plain, forged with the concept of but only one goal: to scour the multiverses in search for the greatest athletes known in all of existence and destroy them in matches to the death (of their reputations). In its first years alive, the organization had catapulted to a commanding position in the future of association football, edging ever closer to achieving the peak of a World Cup title. However, after such a stark rise, the Vans' conquest slowly began to fizzle, simmering into mere crackles in the universe's furnace, only to erupt when a piece of the space-time firewood shifts unsettingly. And just as Qasden's remaining hopes were settling into the mountainouos ash of forgotten history, the log fell out of the damn furnace altogether; resulting in an eruption of astral flames so chaotic and furious, the Vans were reborn like feline phoenixes, to make their journey for regional domination heard once again...

...Today, our story takes us to Qasden a few years following the national team's stunning success at AOCAF 62 in Banija. Sylvia Zimari, leader of the Vans, had since greyed from her status as an overnight sensation, having led unsuccessful campaigns in World Cups 87 and 88; though that isn't to say she hasn't stayed a dominant force in Qasden Football. From the very moment the team returned home from Busukuma, the young manager was flooded with offers and opportunities powerful and lavish enough to make King Midas blush in inferiority; precisely, she was given high appraisals from the nation's ruling party, spear headed by the former president of QAFA, Prime Minister Zachary Sedsten, for her role in diversifying and excelling the team's titular program, resulting in her achieving near royal levels of notoriety in jetsetting T.V. City.

Granted, even with the fame and glory of the job, Zimari herself never felt that she had truly quite accomplished enough to be compared to the Jon Merritt, and that ill-fated match against Baker Park was the proof in the pudding that she still needed to work extensively to revive a team long dead on the competitive scale. With the assistance of former national team captain, Icarus Darsten, Sylvia is hoping to change her fate for the better by finally winning a title to call her own; and with the cosmic wood having shifted once more, a field of enemies once challenging her chances had suddenly been snapped in twain, making the Qasdonian comeback she dreamed of turn into a serious reality theory.

Can Sylvia Zimari and the Qasden Vans return to the regional showdown with a gold-worthy performance? Or will the sands of time continue to drown a once raging fire in the Azeurian subcontinent? Stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for the Blue-Reds and more right here at the 64th AOCAF in Equestria!

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KPB: 13.38 (10th)
Style: -4
Preferred Formation: 4-4-2
Nicknames: The Turkish Vans/Vans | The Calicos (Used for Away Matches) | The Qads

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Choose Your Character
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Sylvia Zimari

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Age: 42|Position: Manager|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
Diligent, courteous, and determined like hell, Sylvia Zimari had mentally raised herself with one goal: to win glory. From the very moment her eyes first laid on a pitch, she knew that football would be the way that she'd earn her stripes; and she was confident in doing so quick and better than her peers. Despite not being athletically blessed, Zimari proved her talent in management by working with small town clubs and organizations that would soon foster some of the beefier names of Qad football, such as Ryan Xandreas and Macron Abbott. Upon promotion to general manager following the fall of David Bjarnasson, Sylvia had proven worrying naysayers wrong at the 62nd AOCAF tournament, where her newly formed crew took home 2nd place, the highest the nation had ever finished.

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Icarus Darsten

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Age: 38|Position: Assistant Manager|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
The former captain of Qasden, Darsten has been involved with the club from its very conception. As a hard working player whose honor and respectability could shatter diamonds, Icarus wasn't ready to part ways with competition after Sylvia's overhaul of the old team, and was enlisted as an assistant manager in her new administration.

12- Tommy Waluigi

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Age: 27|Position: Goal Keeper|Last Known Affiliation: Crossroads (CMT)
Smart, loyal, and a skilled keeper who was vital to Qasden's success in Banija and a main attractor for Chromatika's Crossroads. Despite this, Waluigi's drive has also left him blind to a goal every now and then, and if it weren't for dumb luck, he'd probably still be a substitute.

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Substitute Goal Keepers
1- Zinnia Thurstan|24
23- Meghan Maurie-Cane|20

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5- Joanna Rigby

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Age: 29|Position: Defender|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
Her appearance and bubbly nature would entrance anyone into believing she'd be an easy opponent, but don't let that façade fool you. The second that first whistle is blown, her attitude takes a complete 180, and suddenly those who doubted her are suddenly running for the hills!

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7- Alva Simmons

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Age: 26|Position: Defender|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
The shortest player on the team, but one hell of a challenger when it comes to defending. Simmons is a divine beast on the field, monstrous in his maneuvering, yet graceful and cunning in the manners he does it. He's also the biggest cat-lover among the Vans, instantly diverting any conversation the second a feline enters the room.

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4- Cora Varnham

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Age: 28|Position: Defender|Last Known Affiliation: Stahlburg City (NPH)
Skillful, fierce, and a smartass above all, Varnham was brought up from depths unknown and displays tremendous tenacity when it comes to letting opponents past her. She serves as a pivotal player in Zimari's push for a strong defense, though her gastronomy does serve as a strong plus.

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2- Rufus Lester

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Age: 30|Position: Defender|Last Known Affiliation: Free Agent
A talented and agile defender in his own right, though his main rise to fame was a result of happenstance: having the insignia "DIX" when the new team donned roman numeral kits. Being a funky guy, Lester squabbles among the team's comedians in an effort to assert himself as the rightful king of jokes, even if it means risking an unsavory punchline for a bit.

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Substitute Defenders
3- Pace Crawford|33
8- Aristide Quickley|26
9- Emy Darwin|29
31- Kaitlyn Cecil|21
32- Gregory Nana|19

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11- Michelle McCracken (C)

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Age: 27|Position: Midfielder|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
By far the most dominant of the NewVans. McCracken was recruited as part of a shortlist of female players drafted by Zimari and Valentijn Munson, the first woman of the National Team. Michelle is professionally competitive, and was quick to assert herself as the commanding individual on the field, gaining Darsten's trust in her taking over as Team Captain. She's easily one of the bigger role model figures on the team, given her ability to mask the difficulty of balancing an intense work-life schedule as something with ease.

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15- Osmund Blackbourne

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Age: 30|Position: Midfielder|Last Known Affiliation: Free Agent
Easily the most reserved of the starters, Blackbourne is still a fun individual. He's kind-hearted and respectful to all, but terrifying beyond all known realms of reality when being confronted on the pitch. Not much is known of him outside of football and manners, but the man still plays a big part of Zimari's NT.

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12- Aldous Greene

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Age: 32|Position: Midfielder|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
Prior to joining the international frontier, Greene had been a childhood friend of Onyx Foster, one of Qasden's OGs. While he did love football, Aldous had never intended for it to be his career, having long desired to join the entertainment and political industries of T.V. City. Given how extraordinary his talent was at the game however, he decided to continue playing, seeing the team as a springboard for future opportunities once his athletic days are over.

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17- Shug De La Fontaine

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Age: 28|Position: Midfielder|Last Known Affiliation: Free Agent
This is the kind of a man that can make one question their own sexuality. An absolute chad on and off the pitch, Shug knows how to score goals as well as he does women. Sure, he can come off as a bit of a douche because of it, but he's as respectful as his mentality can allow most of the time.

---

Substitute Midfielders
13- Lori Way|28
14- Paige Homewood|25
16- Marco Bruno|19

---

---

69- Ike Sexton

---

Age: 30|Position: Forward|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
Good Marlene, don't be in a room with this man if you don't want to hear the history of anything and everything I can't contractually say. Ike, a staunch advocate for his current number, is a formidable player in his own rights, having become one of the nation's top scorers in a matter of tournaments. If you can really get past his nonchalant attitude towards the risque, he's by far the most interesting of the lot.

---

20- Jaylyn Bone

---

Age: 24|Position: Forward|Last Known Affiliation: Qasden NT
Think Ike Sexton, but actually pleasant to be around. Jaylyn was brought about as a prodigy from Chevlin, an eastern city bordering Dogsmouth responsible for the subpar sporting organization, Eastern Athletic. Bone had grown fond of Ike as a friend, and the two occupy each other most of the time, much to the thankfulness of others around them.

---

Substitute Forwards
21- Willow Harland|29
22- Vin Pryor|24
77- Archibald|23

---

---

I Give My Opponent Permission To

---

Choose My Goalscorers: Y
Godmod Goalscoring Events: Y (The crazier the better!)
Injure Players: Y (tg me first)
Godmod Injury Events: N
Red Card Players: Y (tg me first)
Yellow Card Players: Y (tg me first)
Godmod anything else: No harming my players and venues. Other than that, it's fairly fair game.

---

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[The Jovannic]

The Jovannic National Team Roster for AOCAF!!!

Jerseys GEN 2.0
Home and Away


Goalkeepers
#23 Mavin Tsuniki, 36, Nationale Jovannica, 20 Caps
#1 Joshua Li, 27, Marli Town, 10 Caps
#24 Seintat Fele, 20, Varla Crlak United, 6 Caps
Joshua Li is the Sliver Lining for Marli Town amid a struggling season. He is a superb sweeper keeper and inhuman reflexes. This is his first season as first choice keeper for the national team. Mavin was first choice keeper for 6 years before he had injury problems. He should be able to play a few matches at the world cup as he has gone back to fitness. Seintat is a homegrown talent who is in the team for first hand experience. We have kept the smae lineups.

Defenders
#12 Kish Dasny, 29, Nationale Jovannica, 17 Caps, 1 Goal
#3 Raye Eng, 28, Chan City, 29 Caps, 2 Goals
#4 Kallin Yustat, 30, Chan City, 27 Caps, 1 Goal
#14 Nivario Wesh, 24, Nationale Jovannica, 18 Caps, 5 Goals
#2 Korion Messitawa, 24, Duckingham Town, 0 caps, 0 goals
#13 Huhigal Silgersti, 32, West Juxe United, 24 Caps, 0 Goals
#5 Twatter Harring, 22, Sylestone, 0 Caps, 0 goals
#15 Io Castra, 22, New Hope City, 6 Cap, 0 Goals
Maruo is a veteran defender with a towering presence. He is able to fight for a tackle and can push up when needed. Raye is the Star defender of the Jovannic, His plays and passes has set up many a goal.He is also aggressive and can score goals Kallin is the perfect combination with Raye, Himself being a strong and able defender, with fans calling him 'The Wall'. Tong Fao is a more supportive defender, always ready to intercept loose balls. Kish is a solid defender with a steadfast mentality and good tackling abilities. Huhigal is a old starter whom had a bad season with West Juxe United. He is still strong and able to do well. Nivario is a Great Talent who has played extremely well with Nationale Jovannica. Io is a underrated defender who can speed down the wing threatening defenders of the other side. Changes include fiesty defender Korion after Maruo's retirement and Twatter Harring replacing Tong Fao due to his superb performances in Sylestone.

Midfielders
#17 Stockain Lelop, 28, Masting United, 16 Caps, 12 Goals
#8 Jin Tze, 30, Chumitan United, 24 Caps, 7 Goals (VICE-CAPTAIN)
#7 Viszier Felon, 25, Nationale Jovannica, 6 Caps, 1 Goal
#16 Luo Xiang Mao, 29, Varla Crlak United, 0 caps, 0 goals
#6 Gavon Simoli, 26, New Hope City, 11 Caps, 5 Goals
#18 Huli Maringar, 19, Varla Crlak United, 7 Caps, 3 goals
#19 Santi Clafus, 29, Chan City, 4 Caps, 3 Goals
Gavon is a wonderful Midfielder with heaps of talent.He has tons of Dribbling skills and has a knack for Free Kicks. He is also able to tackle well. Jin Tze is a experienced passer who is able to hold the ball well and sets up attacks with ease. Viszier Felon, bought from 2 division club Toisipi is a young speedster who can speed down the lines, cutting in or crossing. He can shoot from any distance. Huigen is a first choice midfielder with tons of experience and is able to tower over enemies. He has been replaced by Sua Chow, the talent from Horimat Academy doing well at The Zebras United, and is raring for some proper first team experience. Stockain Lelop was unknown until a few months ago, where he pushed Masting United to Promotion to the first Division. He is able to push through defenders with ease. Huli has been making strides at club level and has been given a place into the team. Santi is a Midfielder who has excelled in club but not in country. He may be able to make a breakthrough after improvement in his last national Matches. Luo Xiang Mao enters the team after a star breakthrough in the lower leagues.

Forwards
#21 Carunos Majaria, 22, The Zebras United, ) caps , 0goals
#9 Juyt Dersa, 19, West Juxe United, 12 Caps, 10 goals
#20 Sami Ning, 21, Nationale Jovannica, 2 Caps, 0 Goals
#11 Jovan Ilohil, 26, Nationale Jovannica, 30 Caps, 20 Goals (CAPTAIN)
#10 Thomas Behine, 26, Ninhein United, 11 Caps, 6 Goals
#22 John Crackers, 21, Chan City, 0caps, 0 Goals
Thomas is a quick attacking forward able to dodge defenders and score goals. Ianu is a false 9, able to hold the ball and pass it around. He has let Juyt Dersa take centre stage, the phoenomenon making waves in both the SWC and DBC. He is looking to get Senior team experience. He has a good presence on the field. Jovan is the best player of the National Team, able to dribble, pass and wriggle out of impossible situations, He has a knack of being at the right place at the right time. Sami is like Ianu, able to hold the ball and pass well. He needs to work on his recent goal drought. Rivilia is an experienced forward with good balance of speed and strength. Deingh is a veteran Winger able to cross extremely well and able to hold his own against 3 to 4 defenders. After the death of Rivilia, the tricky Carunos took his place. John Crackers is more solid and straightforward and will be a interesting talent.

Coach: Gonzal Mathee
This coach style is a quick passing, innovative, and fluid style of game, weaving chances for his prolific strikers to strike. He is able to use training to the right extent to train the team to a well-oiled machine. He is very emotional, crying and celebrating along with his team. In his Prime, he played for Varla Crlak United. He is able to understand the plight of his players, and is able to help players. He has attention to detail, and often travels to scout opponent tactics and such.

Asisstant: Denigh Kian
He has become a assistant coach after retiring.

Stadium: Great Jovannica Stadium (Nationale Jovannica)
Capacity: 65,000

Formation: 4-2-4

Nickname: The Emperors

Summary: This Team is a well oiled Team, able to melt and solidify positions in a instant. The team's strength is its ability and push forward and backward in an instant, with leaders in all lines. They attack particularly well, with thrusts in all sides and passing that can ruin enemy defences.

We had a superb WCQ 86, only losing by one point. We are hoping to come back with a bang!

The Jovannic National League is a well-established League with a Long and Illustrious History. the Top teams include Nationale Jovannica, New Hope City, Varla Crlak United, Chan City and West Juxe United.

Style Modifier:+2.5
Permission: Injuries Ask Me First. Red Card Tell me First, Godmod ask me first though I will allow most. Everything else is fine.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2021
BPNT to go men-only in AOCAF
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Editor

The FAC and National Team boss Jen Prescott have been using the post-World Cup 88 period to make an evaluation of the current player pool, in addition to running the rule over the group of potential additions to that group as more senior players decide on their NT future participation.

The Jenna Raven Cup organized and hosted by Sarzonia, with an addition designation as Women's World Cup 14, provided just the right competitive element for a relatively inexperienced squad, with a core of solid veteran leadership; the format allowed for enough playing time for everyone on the roster, and finishing atop their group giving them a path into the quarterfinals.

At the inaugural match for Vonnie Butler Field in Wilmington, Atheara outlasted the Lady Elks on their way to taking the title; although the team considered themselves one of the favorites to earn the trophy, the ladies recognized that sometimes on the day you're only second best.

Under-21 manager Liam Sullivan took charge of the women, meaning that Prescott would either have to helm the regional squad or allow one of the top assistants to take a shot; it was decided she will lead the all-male roster to Equestria in this edition of the tourney, as Maestro Izzi Tuzzio did with a men's only team the last time the championship was played in the Pony Principality.

Like the JRC group, there will be a significant percentage of 'cappies'--uncapped first-timers to the senior level--balanced with a group that have 25+ senior caps who are on the threshold of NT leadership for the mixed gender group.

In reply to a short message inquiring about certain topics central to the overall circumstances & mindset heading into this first post-Foxchester iteration of the "Toughest Tournament not Called the World Cup", Prescott graciously shared a few thoughts with the Sporting Times.

Could you distill the thought process about split, single gender teams taking out the (Jenna) Raven Cup as a factor?
"We were very excited when the Sarzonia FA (actually the Incorporated Football Federation) contacted us about their intent. Especially on the women's side, we need to find some more squad depth sooner rather than later, and we have a few players--male and female--playing abroad that we've not seen in international play since their last DBC. All of us at Birkenfeld agreed that we were letting too many potential NT squaddies slip through the cracks."

In this first AOCAF under the new political reality, was there a thought process that a World Cup strength team might have a much better chance to win a second championship rather than a good yet unproven squad?
"We've always maintained the philosophy that the AOCAF is an important part of our overall goals, and that we believe it's the perfect showcase for the depth of talent we possess in the Commonwealth. We've been to four semi's with so called 'B team' talent, against the most successful nations in history. Our thinking never changes--we don't have a fear of anyone, and we have a clear mind about every opponent.

Marcus Waters (Banijan NT Manager) has said to me, to Pam (Scott), to Trevor (Richmond)--I don't know if he needed to say it to Tuzzio--about his philosophy...we absolutely appreciate the friendship, respect and advice he's been generous to share with us through the years.
He believes as a pillar of his entire tenure in Banija: "before you can win the World Cup, you have to be able to win at home." Not on your home turf, but in your region, against your friends, neighbors, allies.""

Will you bother to put emphasis on the fact that Baker Park are--in some bizzaro world interpretation--the defending "holders" of the regional title?
"It's way too early for you to be drinking Mindy, you should know that.
We're one of the 32 nations signed up. Whatever happened last time has no relevance. Only half as many previous World Cup champions are potential opponents at some point now. Are you guys covering the CAFA tourney?"

[Geisenfried]

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Der Geisenfried Königlich Fußball-Verband Präsentieren:
(the Geisenfried Royal Football Association presents)

DIE OFFIZIELLE GEISENFRIED NATIONALMANNSCHAFT FÜR AOCAF LXIV
(the Official Roster of the Geisenfried National Team for AOCAF LXIV)

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Team Nickname: Die Steinadler / The Golden Eagles
Style Modifier: -2
Base Formation: 4-5-1

Primary kit has a red and black checkered front, with black sleeves. Back is red with black numbering and lettering, and the shorts are also black. Socks are red with black tops.
Secondary kit has a white and red checkered front, with red sleeves. Back is white with red numbering and lettering, and the shorts are also red. Socks are white with red tops.
Goalies wear a gold jacket with long black sleeves and black numbering and lettering. Shorts are also black. Socks are black with gold tops.

---

GOALKEEPERS:
GK 1 Loewen JUERGENSEN - Darnesmark FC (31)
GK 12 Niko SAUBER - VfS Königseifert (23)
GK 23 Adam WEXLER - Königs FC (20)

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DEFENDERS:
RWB 2 Dierk MESSER - 1. FSV Dözel (25)
LWB 3 Kaspar EBERHARDT - Königs FC (19)
RCB 4 Dominik SCHROEDER - Club Kalffe (24)
LCB 6 Bastian THÄLMANN - SV Silbern Sileväl (28)
LDF 13 Marco BOSCH - August Gründer (23)
CDF 14 Hannes HÜBER - 1. FSV Dözel (22)
RDF 22 Paul KEMPF - Heimüller SC (21)

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MIDFIELDERS:
DMF 5 Seth DRESCHNER - August Gründer (27)
RWM 7 Raffaele GRÜNEBERG - Kaiserstadt Altien (25)
RCM 8 Josef VOIGHT - Heimüller SC (22)
LCM 10 Ferdinand ROESSLER - VfS Königseifert (22)
LWM 11 Djibril KAYODE - Eintracht Rödis (21)
DMF 15 Lorenzo HIRSCH - FC Alster Alba (23)
LMF 16 Julien FALKENRATH - Gryphons FC (18)
RMF 18 Ekweume IHEJIRIKA - Lüthessien Sportlich (20)
AMF 20 Matthias AMSEL - Königs FC (17)

---

STRIKERS:
CF 9 Mikkel CHRISTENSEN - Königs FC (25)
RS 17 Felix SCHNEIDER - VfS Königseifert (20)
CF 19 Clement HOLST - Gryphons FC (21)
LS 21 Olamilekan ADEBAYO - Kapetägien Verein (19)

---

Starting Lineup

Mostly, just be reasonable. Don't kill or maim anyone on or off the field, keep cards and injuries reasonable unless cleared with me first, and mostly just keep things within the realm of realism, and you should be good.

[Aji No Moto]

OOC: Add two to the ages in this roster for correct ages. Image links to be updated whenever

[img]fthmds[/img]
AJIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM
味の素サッカーチーム

Official Record - Post-Timelock
2-0-4 - not updated

Coaching Staff
Manager: [img]fthmds[/img] Hideyuki Kikkawa (Male, 40) [Style Mod: +1.38]
Assistant Manager: [img]fthmds[/img] Eriko Oichi (Female, 49)

The Team

No | Ro | Pos | Name                            | Gender | Ag | Club                                                      
 1 | GK | GK  | Mitsumasa Tatsuko               | Male   | 24 | [img]fthmds[/img] Redemption Joshuyo
13 | GK | GK  | Harunobu Kiski                  | Male   | 26 | [img]fthmds[/img] Spartan H-Kyouka
23 | GK | GK  | Narumi Tayama                   | Female | 30 | [img]fthmds[/img] Serizawa Birdy
 2 | DF | RB  | Chisato Takizawa                | Female | 20 | [img]fthmds[/img] Iwaya Blue Rhombus
 5 | DF | RCB | Aina Mazuka                     | Female | 30 | [img]fthmds[/img] Redemption Joshuyo
17 | DF | CB  | Sadazane Fugunaga               | Male   | 19 | [img]fthmds[/img] Serizawa Birdy
16 | DF | CB  | Emiko Yasuhiro                  | Female | 33 | [img]fthmds[/img] Spartan H-Kyouka
 6 | DF | CB  | Ruriko Kobi                     | Female | 36 | [img]fthmds[/img] Iwaya Blue Rhombus
19 | DF | LCB | Takeaki Nataga                  | Male   | 19 | [img]fthmds[/img] Vortex Kashigawa
 3 | DF | LB  | Eriko Egami                     | Female | 20 | [img]fthmds[/img] Redemption Joshuyo
 4 | MF | CDM | Yasuko Murase                   | Female | 35 | [img]fthmds[/img] Iwaya Blue Rhombus
 7 | MF | RM  | Takeru Raikatuji                | Male   | 27 | [img]fthmds[/img] Spartan H-Kyouka
12 | MF | RCM | Honami Sekigawa                 | Female | 37 | [img]fthmds[/img] Serizawa Birdy
14 | MF | CM  | Tatsunori Yasuhiro              | Male   | 23 | [img]fthmds[/img] Redemption Joshuyo
18 | MF | CM  | Yasuyuki Muraoka                | Male   | 34 | [img]fthmds[/img] Hirohata T-Avionos
21 | MF | LCM | Mao Ichisada                    | Female | 19 | [img]fthmds[/img] Spartan H-Kyouka
11 | MF | LM  | Mayu Urogataya                  | Female | 21 | [img]fthmds[/img] Serizawa Birdy
 8 | MF | CAM | Mari Ui                         | Female | 30 | [img]fthmds[/img] Iwaya Blue Rhombus
 9 | FW | FW  | Akihiro Nakayama                | Male   | 32 | [img]fthmds[/img] Hirohata T-Avionos
10 | FW | FW  | Asami Eto                       | Female | 29 | [img]fthmds[/img] Redemption Joshuyo
15 | FW | FW  | Sawako Takudo                   | Female | 22 | [img]fthmds[/img] Spartan H-Kyouka
20 | FW | FW  | Jinpachi Santo                  | Male   | 25 | [img]fthmds[/img] Iwaya Blue Rhombus
22 | FW | FW  | Shigemi Siagyo                  | Male   | 30 | [img]fthmds[/img] Serizawa Birdy

List of 13 and under players:

GK | GK  | Muneo Nakata                    | Male   | 11
GK | GK  | Suzuko Mitzusaka                | Female | 13
GK | GK  | Hisahito Hattori                | Male   | 11
DF | RB  | Shigeharu Taguchi               | Male   | 10
DF | RCB | Haruaki Ichisada                | Male   | 12
DF | RCB | Asako Uchida                    | Female | 13
DF | CB  | Yoshikane Shimazaki             | Male   | 13
DF | CB  | Munenobu Utagawa                | Male   | 11
DF | LCB | Maiko Yamanaka                  | Female | 13
DF | LCB | Chinatsu Mitsuharu              | Female | 11
DF | LB  | Fusako Maeda                    | Female | 13
MF | CDM | Norihiko Toshusai               | Male   | 11
MF | RM  | Tomoki Odaka                    | Male   | 10
MF | RCM | Rika Ogyu                       | Female | 13
MF | CM  | Yasurou Chishu                  | Male   | 10
MF | CM  | Fuyuki Minabuchi                | Male   | 10
MF | CM  | Miiko Akutagawa                 | Female | 13
MF | LCM | Kawai Sugita                    | Female | 13
MF | LM  | Masahito Nataga                 | Male   | 10
MF | CAM | Miyumi Teshigahara              | Female | 11
FW | FW  | Anzu Miura                      | Female | 12
FW | FW  | Sumiko Tokaji                   | Female | 13
FW | FW  | Ken'ichirou Matsushina          | Male   | 11
FW | FW  | Yasurou Akita                   | Male   | 11
FW | FW  | Tadaaki Hashimoto               | Male   | 10

Lineups

Primary lineup (3-4-3)
[img]fthmds[/img]

Secondary lineup (4-2-3-1}
[img]fthmds[/img]

Kits by Meski

Home - Away - GK
[img]fthmds[/img]

RP Permissions
Full RP permissions granted to opponents except for killing.

[Pluvia and the Saxean Isles]

Royal Marienburg University, Marienburg, Pluvia and the Saxean Isles

Prof. Charles Cunningham of the history department at the Royal Marienburg University had just concluded his meeting with the pretty blonde grad student about helping him with his research. He'd been somewhat vague, and more than somewhat flustered, stumbling over his words for a bit and having to pause and start over more than once. But she'd been quite enthusiastic about assisting him, and he supposed that some level of opacity and awkwardness was par for the course in the academy. That was all that sorted, then. He felt a slight twinge of conscience regarding his wife for some reason, but reasoned that there was no grounds for objection. Back to the diary.

The last diary entry saw William II's feelings after making his speech to the National Assembly. On the one hand, major newspapers and working people alike endorsed his program, but on the other, the National Party, which controlled the Assembly, still had not come out in favor of it. Additionally, the Saxean question was threatening to sink the whole debate. The king had received communication from Saxeans asking him to support a devolved legislature for the Isles, which he sympathised with, but felt opposition within Pluvia was too strong to come out in favor of it. It pained him, but it was the expedient thing to do.

April 2, 1885

It has been three weeks since I have written in this diary. During that time, I have been far too consumed with matters of state, with my political reform programme and with establishing ties with other nations in our region. I have received many ambassadors and discussed with eminent men the possibilities of commercial intercourse in our region. But it is the political reform programme that has consumed most of my time. I have met with members of the National Assembly, convened the Praesidium to discuss strategies, and argued with titans of industry and learned men alike over the benefits of my programme. Today the National Assembly has unveiled their proposed political reform bill. It is both exciting and disappointing.

In my speech, I asked for five things: the repeal of the poll tax, the granting of suffrage to certain women, the abolition of so-called "rotten boroughs", a proper census and re-apportionment of seats by population, and the right to both vote on decisions taken by the National Assembly and on particular ills affecting the citizens as they shall petition. Some of these have been granted, some of them have been ignored, and others mangled. In the first column, the repeal of the poll tax and abolition of "rotten boroughs" are in the bill as asked for. In the second column, women's suffrage has been left out entirely. And in the third column, all the rest. The National Assembly proposes not to take a census and ensure equal population in each seat, but simply to re-draw some of the boundaries around where rotten boroughs existed in order to maintain the same number of seats. They further have reduced the right of plebiscite to a non-binding vote on certain issues before the National Assembly (whether or not the plebiscite shall occur is up to the National Assembly, not the people), and have eliminated the right to have a plebiscite after a petition, instead placing the opportunity to pass (or not pass) a law on the issue in the hands of a special session of the National Assembly.

The effect of this is to dilute entirely my programme and the power of the people. I do not propose a restructuring of power between men and women, only that certain qualified women be eligible to vote. I do not ask that traditional centres of power be abolished, only that all parts of the country have some influence and that it be distributed fairly. And I do not ask that the people rule on their own (what folly!), but only that they be consulted on issues of monumental importance and that their decision be respected. It is time for an offensive. I will instruct trusted members of my Praesidium to find ways to aggressively persuade some of the members of the National Assembly, and those who cannot be aggressively persuaded will be charmed by personal meetings with the monarch. I will have my reform bill, not some milquetoast imitation. Do they think that because I am a young man, I may be dissuaded from my instincts by shadows and puppetry? If so, they will soon learn with whom they are dealing.

[Delaclava]

Well, AOCAF 64 is upon us, and so are the AOlympics! Delaclava is sending a reduced presence to this amalgamation of regional sporting championships - curling and Quidditch entries but not baseball, football, or lacrosse?? - but that doesn't mean we can't have a little additional fun, right?

Here's what I mean. The Delaclava soccer team is, let's be honest, terrible. They know this too, and they don't particularly care. They're all making enough money at the club level, the national team break is just a bit of vacation, of traveling and revelry. So instead of training harder, why not do something more useful? Like their own Olympics? Sure, that'll work out great!

We start with the sack race. 24 participants - the full 23 man roster and the non-playing goalkeeper George Ross - will take part. The coaches have given up and gotten far, far away from the practice venue. We start with qualifying heats, four groups of six. Then the groups will be shuffled and everyone gets a second run. Both place and time qualifiers will move on to the round of 16. The length of the course is about 50 meters, and for the heats they'll go out and back. Heard enough? Let's get started!

Run 1

3	DF	Rahmonberdi Zhusupov	40.07	Q
1	GK	Joord Van der Beek	43.10	
4	DF	Minotauro Meñica	52.47	
5	MF	Kent Lindblad	        54.53	
6	MF	Ben Romeijn	        56.89	
2	DF	Josh Torres	        63.43	
				
12	MF	Varlam Kovalev	        42.67	Q
11	ST	Lukas Meyer	        47.98	q
7	ST	Dathan Ingram	        49.18	q
8	MF	Malcolm Harvey	        56.86	
9	MF	Rubèn Albert	        65.77	
10	MF	Donato Girardi	        65.91	
				
16	MF	Kazuo Martin	        47.91	Q
17	DF	Durgali Baxayev	        50.58	
14	GK	Toby Curry	        52.27	
13	DF	Luke Lemieux	        53.55	
15	MF	Emil Mišalko	        53.90	
18	DF	Arnau Mata	        54.16	
				
23	MF	Drystan Tudor	        42.56	Q
22	MF	Sanson Eisen	        45.18	
20	ST	Amaury Racette	        57.52	
19	ST	Dashaun Howard	        65.82	
21	GK	Reginald Spencer	66.24	
24	GK	George Ross	        69.91

These heats were drawn simply by jersey number (Ross assigned #24), and unsurprisingly, the fastest guys on two legs also did well on one burlap stump. 22 year old Rahmonberdi Zhusupov, making his senior team debut, automatically qualifies with the fastest time of the round. Rising midfield star Varlam Kovalev wins a fast Heat 2. Kazuo Martin, arguably the most credentialed player here, takes his mind off his Parrhesia United woes and the fact that he couldn't find a new home with a solid sack run, and he goes out and takes Heat 3. Drystan Tudor wins the last run, a more powerful and plyometric athlete, nevertheless great in the sack. Joord Van Der Beek surprises with the fastest non-winning time, so will qualify anyway. Repping the goalies! Sanson Eisen also moves on, while stalwarts Lukas Meyer and Dathan Ingram wait to see if they can sack up and improve their performances.

Run 2

22	MF	Sanson Eisen	        49.02	Q
17	DF	Durgali Baxayev	        55.65	Tq
23	MF	Drystan Tudor	        58.71	
15	MF	Emil Mišalko	        61.12	
5	MF	Kent Lindblad	        62.29	
21	GK	Reginald Spencer	70.85	
				
4	DF	Minotauro Meñica	38.44	Q
3	DF	Rahmonberdi Zhusupov	52.36	
19	ST	Dashaun Howard	        53.23	
16	MF	Kazuo Martin	        63.82	
20	ST	Amaury Racette	        66.74	
14	GK	Toby Curry	        78.77	
				
1	GK	Joord Van der Beek	40.45	Q
12	MF	Varlam Kovalev	        47.13	
9	MF	Rubèn Albert	        49.26	q
11	ST	Lukas Meyer	        50.26	
6	MF	Ben Romeijn	        52.53	Tq
7	ST	Dathan Ingram	        74.80	
				
8	MF	Malcolm Harvey	        39.44	Q
18	DF	Arnau Mata	        42.47	q
2	DF	Josh Torres	        50.50	Tq
24	GK	George Ross	        53.78	
13	DF	Luke Lemieux	        58.83	Tq
10	MF	Donato Girardi	        64.84

They say "age before beauty", but that doesn't really make sense, because we're doing the young guys first, and the veteran Donato Girardi is easily the most beautiful player on the team. But I digress... the 5-foot-8 midfielder Sanson Eisen stays low to the ground and upgrades to an automatic qualifier in the youngest heat. The even smaller Minotauro "Jumping Bean" Meñica at 5-foot-6 flies across/through the grass for the quickest time of the day, 38.44 seconds! The keeper Van Der Beek also bounds out of the sack and upgrades to an automatic qualifier in Heat 3, while Malcolm Harvey makes the most of his first national team callup at 29 years old by posting a remarkable time of 39.44 seconds. The fleet-footed Girardi surprisingly does not translate his quickness to the sack race, but he's still got his looks. Meyer and Ingram will take those time spots from Heat 1; the muscular midfielder Ruben Albert and defender Arnau Mata show great improvements to get the time spots out of Heat 2. And rounding out the field of 16 on the strength of their combined performances: the youngest player on the team in Baxayev; burgeoning Euran superstar Ben Romeijn, come(right)back kid Josh Torres, and beloved thicc boy defender Luke Lemieux.

Standings

#	Pos	Player	                Age	R1Q	R2Q	TotQ	R1 Time	R2 Time	Total	Seed
1	GK	Joord Van der Beek	26		Q		43.10	40.45	83.55	1
12	MF	Varlam Kovalev	        24	Q			42.67	47.13	89.80	2
4	DF	Minotauro Meñica	22		Q		52.47	38.44	90.90	3
3	DF	Rahmonberdi Zhusupov	22	Q			40.07	52.36	92.43	4
22	MF	Sanson Eisen	        20		Q		45.18	49.02	94.20	5
8	MF	Malcolm Harvey	        29		Q		56.86	39.44	96.30	6
23	MF	Drystan Tudor	        20	Q			42.56	58.71	101.27	7
16	MF	Kazuo Martin	        23	Q			47.91	63.82	111.73	8
18	DF	Arnau Mata	        27		q		54.16	42.47	96.63	9
11	ST	Lukas Meyer	        24	q			47.98	50.26	98.24	10
17	DF	Durgali Baxayev	        19			Tq	50.58	55.65	106.23	11
6	MF	Ben Romeijn	        24			Tq	56.89	52.53	109.42	12
13	DF	Luke Lemieux	        32			Tq	53.55	58.83	112.38	13
2	DF	Josh Torres	        29			Tq	63.43	50.50	113.93	14
9	MF	Rubèn Albert	        26		q		65.77	49.26	115.04	15
7	ST	Dathan Ingram	        25	q			49.18	74.80	123.98	16
15	MF	Emil Mišalko	        19				53.90	61.12	115.02
5	MF	Kent Lindblad	        21				54.53	62.29	116.82
19	ST	Dashaun Howard	        23				65.82	53.23	119.04
--	GK	George Ross	        28				69.91	53.78	123.69
20	ST	Amaury Racette	        23				57.52	66.74	124.26
10	MF	Donato Girardi	        27				65.91	64.84	130.75
14	GK	Toby Curry	        23				52.27	78.77	131.04
21	GK	Reginald Spencer	21				66.24	70.85	137.09

(You know how many times we've said "sack" already? Jeez...)

Round of 16

We change up the game slightly, and the octofinal and quarterfinal will be a one-way sprint. But it's all single-elimination from here. Winner moves on, loser gets sacked!

1	GK	Joord Van der Beek	18.46
16	ST	Dathan Ingram	        23.68
			
8	MF	Kazuo Martin	        24.90
9	DF	Arnau Mata	        21.73
			
4	DF	Rahmonberdi Zhusupov	19.05
13	DF	Luke Lemieux	        24.14
			
5	MF	Sanson Eisen	        20.48
12	MF	Ben Romeijn	        21.48
			
6	MF	Malcolm Harvey	        17.68
11	DF	Durgali Baxayev	        18.02
			
3	DF	Minotauro Meñica	22.59
14	DF	Josh Torres	        22.30
			
7	MF	Drystan Tudor	        26.29
10	ST	Lukas Meyer	        25.57
			
2	MF	Varlam Kovalev	        22.48
15	MF	Rubèn Albert	        17.52

The keeper Van Der Beek holds his form as the 1 seed with an impressive sacking straight out of the gate. Zhusupov recovers from a poor second run and may well be a favorite to win it all. Then, an absolute firecracker of a heat between Harvey and Baxayev, and Harvey has a bit more muscle and a bit more sack in the end. Next, a massive upset as "old" defeats young, Torres overcomes a slow start and uses that slightly longer bound to outsack Meñica by half a leap! Meyer and Tudor both struggle to get going, but Meyer keeps his composure like a penalty kick and moves on anyway. And finally, the 2 seed Kovalev stumbles a little, but it doesn't matter as his Chatswood teammate Albert blazes the fastest time of the round. The competition's just heating up! Pack a sack lunch and don't go anywhere.

Quarterfinals

1	GK	Joord Van der Beek	20.54
9	DF	Arnau Mata	        18.18
			
4	DF	Rahmonberdi Zhusupov	20.38
5	MF	Sanson Eisen	        21.66
			
6	MF	Malcolm Harvey	        26.91
14	DF	Josh Torres	        18.16
			
10	ST	Lukas Meyer	        27.06
15	MF	Rubèn Albert	        16.93

The keeper finally gets stopped himself - it's a respectable time from him, but Mata's really coming into his own in this competition. Zhusupov punches his ticket with a nice, controlled run. He sees that Eisen can't keep pace and eases up, clearly with the next rounds in mind. Forget the sack race, this guy knows how to run 100-meter rounds! Conversely, Malcolm Harvey pays for a fast octofinal; Torres is all bounce and Harvey is all sag in a blowout of a quarterfinal. And finally, Meyer shows his limits and bows up. Albert keeps charging forward like an incensed racehorse and powers through the line. 16.93!!! Someone drug test this man! (No, seriously, our hockey players use EPO. Albert's got something hidden in that sack.)

Semifinals

We work our way up in distance, the round trip of the heats. 100 meters. Who can get their legs back under them and pace themselves to the sack race final?

9	DF	Arnau Mata	        54.28
4	DF	Rahmonberdi Zhusupov	41.46
			
14	DF	Josh Torres	        47.99
15	MF	Rubèn Albert	        35.70

Zhusupov has been one of the consistent performers of the day, and he puts aside his fatigue for an easy victory. Mata is absolutely gassed and rolls his sad sack across the line a good 13 seconds back. (Wait, is this good conditioning? Could this help us win? Probably not...) In the other semifinal, Torres puts on a respectable time, but he's not one of the most talented sackers here, and he's no match for Albert, who remarkably sprints a 35.70 over the distance, then takes a leak in the corner of the field that lights the grass on fire. Come on, I know this is all to celebrate the Olympics, but couldn't we at least have better doping control than them?

Third Place Playoff

The third place playoff and final will be two round trips, 200 meters total. Twice the sack, twice the fun, Twicetagria's going down! What?

9	DF	Arnau Mata	102.83
14	DF	Josh Torres	88.40

Torres and Mata are both unfamiliar with the distance, and take it slow at first to save their energy. Torres seems to be moving just slightly more efficiently, with the taller Mata having too much up and not enough out. Torres picks up speed through the laps and defeats Mata by a good 60 meters. Two consistent performers who put a lot of work into the legs today. They'll be ready to stick with the region's best strikers up and down the field. (Or, more likely, not be able to get out of bed tomorrow.)

Final

This is for the whole sack of marbles here! Albert and Zhusupov, two household names (in their own households), going toe to toe. Who will fall short here, and who will become the Sack King?

4	DF	Rahmonberdi Zhusupov	85.78
15	MF	Rubèn Albert	        86.76

Albert, veins still bursting out of his skin, blitzes to the lead at the turn. Zhusupov starts slow but shows urgency just trying to keep up with this animal. Albert takes a three-second lead at the halfway point, but that appears to be his critical mass, and he hasn't broken yet, but he is tiring! Zhusupov increases his cadence and this is a close race at the final turn! Albert is tying up and Zhusupov has a kick! The Ming center back passes him and is going to win this whole sacking thing by about a second. Zhusupov is jubilant and Albert is gracious in defeat as these two totally-clean-yet-also-not-breathing-hard-at-all athletes - no... sack-thletes - congratulate each other.

Well, there's the first event of the Delaclav Soccerlympics. Will there be more events like this? Will these Games help the athletes with the tournament they actually signed up for? I have no idea. Thanks for following along!

[Euran Oceania Territories]

OOC: Foreign contributions to the E.O.T referendum debate are more than welcome, please TG or Discord me if you want to discuss.

emplor.eur/main/worldnews
BATTLE LINES DRAWN AS E.O.T REFERENDUM CLOSES IN
Polls split across Territories; campaigning continues to escalate
Our correspondent Bradley Harford reports from Fligsive

The Euran Oceania Territories is counting down the weeks until one of the biggest dates in its short history, as a large electorate of 36 million out of its 45 million population get set to vote on a simple question; should the thriving Euran territory align itself with Atlantian Oceania or Anaia? What was seen early on by the Euran government as an uncontroversial and easy solution to the question – a ballot saying “Would you rather the Territories were a part of Atlantian Oceania or Anaia?” - has quickly escalated into a hugely topical national debate, splitting the country along lines of identity, ideology and principles, and even threatening to polarise it before the dominion has ever had a proper election.

Factions emerge

In the emerging politics of the Euran Oceania Territories, there are two distinct camps starting to form. Firstly, there are the Atlantians – campaign slogan, “Let’s Go AO!” - who support a vote for Atlantian Oceania on the basis of cultural similarities, Anaian countries not being democratic enough, economic opportunities, and making the Territories safer from the suspicious behaviour of Anaian neighbours. Then there are the Anaians – campaign slogan, ‘Anaia World Is Possible!’ - who support a vote for Anaia on the basis of cultural similarities, Atlantian Oceanian countries not being democratic enough, economic opportunities, and making the Territories safer from the suspicious behaviour of Atlantian Oceanian neighbours. All very simple then.

On the ground we hear a different story, depending on who you are, how you identify and where you live. One of the few reliable trends seems to be that different national groupings are largely voting on the basis of what their “home country” has chosen, such as the heavy Audioslavian support for an Anaia vote in Burgess, which has a large Audioslavian population. On the other hand, the fairly large communities of refugees from Farfadillis on the coast reportedly lean heavily towards a vote for Atlantian Oceania. Pierrhe, a lumber whisperer from Judgetown, was scathing about the Anaian campaign; ‘Its all a load of bullshit, designed to sell us a dream. I won’t be fooled.’

The key such demographic though is ethnic Mertagne citizens – that is, people from the original Calanian Union, Mertagne and Inevitable Syndicate who still live in the Territories borders – who are overwhelmingly pro-Anaia. ‘We’ve just got more in common’ said Rick, a basket juggler from Fligsive who we spoke to, ‘It’s AO but more new and dynamic. And who’s more new and dynamic than us? We should be joining them.’ Of course, that’s not the only motivation at hand. ‘We could be closer to “New” Mertagne, that’s really important to me.’ said Sally, Rick’s personal picture frame manager. Whereas most of these other national groups are represented in the hundreds of thousands at most, there are millions of Mertagne natives, which has given some momentum to the Anaian camp.

However, the battle for the Territories future will ultimately be won among the Eurans; ethnic Eurans, an increasing number of whom were actually born in the Territories in addition to those who immigrated to the Territories over the past couple of decades, make up a sizeable majority of the population (the nickname and unofficial demonym is “Expat” for a reason). This demographic are more split, with polling data so far giving no clear picture of which side is in the lead among this group. While canvassing for this article I found many Eurans for Atlantian Oceania and plenty of others for Anaia, but there were also many undecideds. Rob, a horse accountant originally from Falourr, summed up their feelings neatly; ‘I don’t know. It just feels like there’s a lot of shouting going on, and I don’t really understand any of it. What are we voting for again?’

Even civil society has been cleaved in two by the campaign, even though they can usually be relied upon to give us a good idea of which side in such a polarising debate is telling more of the truth. Few civic organisations, trade unions, academic institutions or business sector representatives have set out a clear preference on the question or even gone through the issue in its full complex depth. Instead, they have so far chosen to sit at the side lines and issue cautious statements about the potential risks of both outcomes, padded out with ominous corporate speak about “challenges” if the result causes instability and uncertainty over the Territories future.

Trouble on the home front

Back in Eura, where the political class pushed through this referendum in order to delegate a problem too complex to solve themselves, they are finding that the referendum itself has become a problem too complex to solve themselves. ‘It’s a hot mess! We have no idea what we are doing.’ said a senior source in the Liberal government, who did not wish to be named given their blunt language. The creaking government of Ian Smith is not hiding its troubles well; the party is officially neutral on the question of the Territories alignment, but individual MPs are increasingly starting to voice unhelpfully strong opinions on the matter, despite warnings from the party leadership.

Their main problem is that the Territories referendum is a sideshow to the domestic political gamble in Eura itself that it has been attached to; referenda on the voting system used in Euran general elections and the future of former Sameba within the enlarged federation. The former has been a simmering cause for many Liberal politicians over the years, but was on the agenda of even the Social and Capital parties pre-Endemian War. The latter is an issue of the last ten years alone and one that has lit the touchpaper on a new, unsettling kind of nationalism in Euran politics not seen for many, many decades.

It follows then that the Euran opposition parties’ views on the vote in the Territories reflect their priorities at home. The centre-left Social Party, which made crucial advances toward breaking the never-ending cycle of Liberal victories at the last election, is leading in the polls and its leader, Harry Barnham, is becoming established as a Prime Minister in waiting. For those reasons the party has been cautious and government-like, taking an officially neutral stance but subtly different of that from the Liberals, supporting whatever the voters of the Territories decide their fate should be.

Stronger opinions can be found with the smaller opposition parties who are all scrapping for relevance by shouting the loudest. The once mighty centre-right Capital Party, now languishing in national polls after a series of devastating election results, has come out strongly in support of the Territories reaffirming its membership of Atlantian Oceania, to the point of making donations to the pro-AO campaign. This represents the latest about-face turn the party has taken after several swings back and forth from moderate liberal conservatism to nativist nationalism, all of which have ended with a beating at the ballot box.

The party’s pro-AO stance is a reflection of the business-friendly moderates being on the top at the moment, seeking to build bridges with the established order of Atlantian Oceania. They criticised the Anaia breakaway from Atlantian Oceania as a destabilising farce that could herald inter-regional protectionism. In contrast the Unionist Party have taken a pro-Anaia stance. The Unionists are a dangerous concoction of state-led economic centrism and socially conservative nationalism (with a counter-intuitive pan-Rushmori sentiment), clipping at Capital’s heels in the polling race to be the potentially coalition-building third party. Their view is that the Anaia breakaway is a good thing which serves Eura’s strategic interests and that the initial reaction of Atlantian Oceania vindicates their view. Nevertheless, these parties will be spending most of the campaigning period focusing on Sameba and proportional representation, not the Euran Oceania Territories.

Battle commences

The campaign is now racing into its most exciting stage as a series of set piece television debates arrive soon, alongside a whole host of other coverage pitting the Anaia and Atlantian Oceania campaigns against one another. There will also be events designed to engage the voting public directly, such as citizens forums in cities, towns and settlements across the Territories in the run up to polling day. The Governor General and other key Territorial Administration figures won’t be fully silent either, as they will present a series of public information programmes on the voting process and the history of Euran democracy. Meanwhile, the national level parties in Eura will hold debates of their own, though most eyes will likely be focusing on what they have to say about the other two referenda running on the same day.

[Qasden]

---

---

Once upon a time, on a world far far away, our story begins in the sleepy realm of Atlantian Oceania.

Throughout their daily lives, the many inhabitants of this land go through their journeys of fulfilling their dreams to their hearts' content. Some become artists, others cocoabo experts; but most of all, some become key components within the cosmic game of hexa-pentasphere, locally known as football. Throughout the ages, the sport would stand as a beacon of peace within the region, as the many citizens of this great land would compete against each other to determine who among them were the best.

Within a moment's time, the region's biggest tournament, AOCAF, would be starting it's sixty-forth showcase, bringing about the teams of thirty-two separate nation states, all vying for the coveted title of champion. Among the crowds stood the delegation of Qasden, led by the kind and noble Sylvia Zimari.

Zimari: Alright, everyone! Let's show the region what were really capable of!
Darsten: Like they hadn't seen us last time?
Zimari: Hey! Last time doesn't count, ok? Besides, third time's the charm; everyone knows that.
Darsten: Someone's a bit optimistic today. What, did the coffee finally kick in?
Zimari: It's not like your own excitement for the tournament was left on the plane here. Now hush, the ceremony is about to begin!
Darsten: hmph...

All around them, the stadium erupted in an immaculate showcase of lights, music, and all sorts of festivities to hype up the crowd. The anthems of a billion voices roared in a harmonic chorus as the ceremony reaches its zenith, and with it, the reveal of the show's opener. From a stage, an alicorn appeared in a magnificent fashion: Cadence, the ruler of Equestria, stood in all her glory, ready to introduce the tournament once more for the rest of the world.

Cadence: Welcome, one and all, to the realm of Equestria! It is my honor and privilege to stand here in front of you all tonight as we celebrate the sixty-forth AOCAF tournament!

The crowd exploded into a loud cheer.

Cadence: Throughout our history together, no matter how dark nor tense the era, hoofball (football) has been something that has united all of us in the spirit of the game. Without it, the friendships we have made today would be— W-WHA???

In a sudden turn of events, the princess's speech was cut short with the appearance of a gargantuan, mysterious light, beaming high above the stadium. At first, people cheered and awed at the sight of it, believing it to be part of the show itself. The light's size and colors shifted rapidly and drastically, illuminating the whole sky in a flood of wayward luminosity. As soon as people began to realize its potential danger, the light had already consumed everything, engulfing everyone into its aura.

Within the blink of an eye, Sylvia, as well as the rest of Team Qasden, had seemingly teleported to another dimension! The stadium, in all of its grandiose magnitude, had been replaced by an empty hill, with the closest place to the once encompassing Canterlot being a small village at the base of the knoll.

Rigby: Wha—Where...Where ARE we?!
Zimari: The stadium, the city, its all...gone?
Simmons: Maybe there's someone down there that could help us.

As the team began to descend towards the town, some began to notice small...defects of this new world. Well, unorthodox to them, anyways, like the rainbow-stained sky and picturesque pastures that surrounded the village. It was nothing like dreary Qasden, nor anywhere they've visited in all of Atlantian Oceania.

Lester: Are we in...Anaia?
Darsten: Doubt it, not enough people screaming about colors and nonsense.

Finally, the team made it to the village. As odd as it was, the place seemed like a near ghost town on arrival, barring maybe this land's equivalent to a rodent scurrying around every now and then. The closest thing to a sign Zimari could find was a wooden post near an intersection with the word "Inn" and an arrow scratched onto it.

Zimari: Guess we'll travel yonder. Though I do see someone up ahead, maybe we can ask them?

Ahead of Sylvia stood a tall, brawny figure, clad in a dark uniform. The only hint to the being's details were a mane of brown, feather-like hairs pillowing out from beneath the lad's cap, though it didn't seem as if that were all of it.

Zimari: Hey! Sorry to bother you and all, but we're looking for Canterl—EEEE.

The figure turned around and revealed themselves to be a large avian! The bird's eyes glared hawkishly at Sylvia, much to the chagrin of the rest of the team coming to her defense.

?????: Who are you?! *ahem* Name and affiliation, miss.
Zimari: Errr Sylvia Zimari, head of the Qasden National Football Team. Sorry to bother you, sir, but we seem to have appeared here after a swarm of light swarmed our—
?????: Light? What kind of light?
Zimari: I don't know, prismatic and all-encompassing?

The creature stared at her in confusion, then quickly snapped back to his original stance.

?????: Prismatic and all-encompassing, you say? Who sent you?
Darsten: If we knew, we probably wouldn't have showed up in the middle of nowhere? Who are you, anyways?

The bird sighed and lowered their shoulders. No spies would even try to be this ignorant.

Steinadler: Steinadler, Captain Regent of her majesty, the queen's Geisen. Ages ago, I was tasked to lead an infantry through the mountains of our north in a mission to sabotage our neighbors, Nokia, but our mission was cut short when a beam of light took us out from our camp.
Zimari: Geisen? As in Geisenfried? Aren't they subjects to a king?
Darsten: So it looks like you were taken here, too.
Steinadler: Affirmative, we've been trying to find a hint, any hints, to what transported us here, but so far our leads have dried up. Tried searching the town, but nothing noteworthy has been found, save some people that may have clues. But their locations here are classified, and I can't allow outsiders like you lot to interfere with them.
Zimari: (To Darsten) They may be our only way out of here. We've gotta do something.
McCracken: Captain, sir, you wouldn't happen to participate in any games, do you?
Steinadler: War games, yes, but I don't see any of you equipped with any equipment of that sort.
McCracken: What about...this?

McCracken equips a football!

Steinadler: Where in caw's name did that come from?
McCracken:It's a football, you kick it into a net, surely you've heard of it?
Steinadler: Looks more like a talonball to me, but I assume that's just your way of pronouncing it.
Darsten: This guy...
McCracken: How about we play a little scrimmage, hmm? Ninety minutes, if we win, we can talk to the civilians. If you win, we'll get out of your hair...err, feathers.
Steinadler: Hmm, a risk for intelligence, but if its something to keep my flock busy, then maybe it'll be worth it. We saw what looks like a pitch not too far from here, we'll play there, roger?
McCracken: Roger.

Cpt. Steinadler heads towards a building particularly full of his troops, keen to inform of some potential morale boosting.

Darsten: Michelle... was that necessary?
McCracken: I'm not letting our training go to waste just because we were teleported to another dimension!
Lester: Man, and I was starting to think this was a vacation...
Darsten: Sylvia, you're call on this matter.
Zimari: Well...wouldn't hurt to try. Maybe that intel can help us get back to Equestria, back to Qasden, even.
Everyone: *groans and sighs*
Varnham: This better be worth it.

To Be Continued...

---

None of the aforementioned scenes were canonical in the IC tournament in of itself, unless desired by others. Feel free to RP Qasden as a "normal" team throughout AOCAF 64. If you have any comments or requests for how this story should go, by all means dm me. Cheers!

[Geisenfried]

Königseifert, Geisenfried
Gesundheitsministerium
1012 Uhr

What made the world go round?

The scientist's answer would probably be something involving gravity, tidal forces and angular momentum - that when the world was new and being born, the slow aggregation of massive rocks that turned into the planet upon which the chair he was sitting in, the office he had come to work for, and building the Ministry occupied were all built upon started spinning and had never stopped. And yet the earth did not seem so constant - the continents he had grown up knowing as "Atlantian Oceania" had been recently split from this Anaian crisis that had taken the political world by storm. Countries that had been near neighbors for years suddenly might as well be a world away, now, torn out of the very earth and deposited elsewhere. It had been in the spirit of solidarity with the region that had been left behind that had brought Geisenfried back into the spotlight of sporting competition that so often seemed to be the lifeblood of AO. Though Auzeria had been left more or less completely unperturbed - indeed, Geisenfried would start competition against one neighbor, Qasden, and likely end with another, Banija - the disappearance of names such as Legalese, Krytenia, Audioslavia and Starblaydia from this long-standing competition seemed to reflect that momentum was not so stable and immutable a force as it might initially seem, that the earth was not so solid as a rock.

Perhaps time, then? Intrinsically and inexorably moving forward, surely something so constant and so daunting was what made the world work, right? And yet time seemed to ebb and flow with just as much uncertainty as everything else. There was much hubbub being made locally that this edition would mark the return of not only Geisenfried, but their fellow World Cup 32 hosts Milchama, also waking from a long period of slumber. But the World Cup was about to enter it's 89th competition - a full 56 tournaments had come and gone since Ariddia, who had themselves help found the competition another 30 editions prior, raised the Cup at the Königskronestadion just a few miles away from his very location. Surely there must have been a couple centuries between now and then, right? And yet the World Cup still seemed to be within living memory - the stadiums that had held them had not fallen to disuse and disrepair, had not collapsed from the inevitable passage of years. Many had been used in other qualifying campaigns and even the hosting of a previous AOCAF, the 37th edition. But it couldn't have been, could it? There was no way so many sporting competitions could be held and pass in such a small time frame. Time then, in this crazy world he lived in, must be fallible, and could not be the constant in which this crazy world worked.

The answer, he decided, must be bureaucracy. If the world was ever-changing, and time unreliably fluid, then the only thing that could prove their existence was that which could be put down in writing (or, as it were, typing). Were it never written down, then there would be no proof of it ever happening. These little accumulated scraps of information, when read through, were the only thing that preserved its legacy - its entire existence. If it weren't for his position, in the subsection of the Ministry of Health that, in line with its mandate of promoting active exercise, kept a regulatory eye and oversaw all of the major national sports federations, there would be no record of the competition actually existing. Or at the very least, that Geisenfried had ever competed in them.

Or perhaps he was trying to justify his existence while slowly going crazy in the endless drudgery of doing all this paperwork. Athletes didn't register themselves for these competitions, after all.

Probably that.

[Gyatso-kai]

.:: The Stone Tankard Public House, Shunyi District, Republic City, Gyatso-kai ::.
0040 hours local time, 23 July 2021.2

A familiar place for a familiar role… or at least in lesser capacity…

Wong Haru – the Assistant General Manager for the FC Itakawai football team and currenty ‘Interim Head Coach’ for the national team – found himself in the usual pub for the start of any multiverse campaign. Back when he was a player for the Bisons, Wong would often find himself at The Stone Tankard with several other players enjoying one final ale before shipping out. As a player and coach for other teams outside of Republic City, whenever the team would visit the Shunyi District, he would make a point to visit the place after the game and meet-up with any of his old friends who happened to be in town. Even when he became a front office man, taking on the role of Assistant General Manager, Wong would still drag his shebs down to the ol’ Choruk Galgai’ka for a pint or three any time he was in town.

Though now… it is different…

Wong was sitting at the usual corner booth… Table 42, the servers call it … and for the first time in several years, he was alone in that booth. For the past 8 jí, he always fond himself in this booth with the Head Coach of the National Team; a member of the Bisons from before The Silence, Kad’e Tay’haai was a man of tradition and superstitions. He would come into Republic City, wearing full Mandalorian armor, take a rental car from the airport to this public house, wait for Wong to arrive, drink exactly 8 tankards of traditional ne’tra gal before sleeping off the ale in one of the rooms upstairs. Wong would always join him around the third ale, drink three in quick succession to ‘catch up’ before going drink-for-drink the rest of the night. They would talk about the upcoming campaign, go over some strategies, some game plans, sing a few traditional war songs, and always end the night with a good solid hug between two Mandalorians in full armor before going to their rooms.

Not this AO Cup… Not this campaign..

It still hurt him to think about, and he could vividly remember the last game Tay’haai coached. He could remember the look on Tay’haai’s face as the final minute wound down, the referee’s whistle piercing through the night air as the Bisons walked off the home pitch at Stadia Capital in-front of a soldout crowd, losing 3-1. He remembered how it felt when he saw Tay’haai approach the tunnel to the visiting locker rooms and remove the Beskar Kar’ta gifted to him by Vhett Boba right before his first campaign; only to palm it and not be seen with it at any time from the time he left that pitch to the last time Wong saw him at the National Sports Complex. Any attempt Wong made at reaching the former Head Coach was met with silence or diversion; twice he called his personal office at the University of Adirolf and both times he was met by an assistant who didn’t know when their boss would return, but they’d pass on the message. Wong tried to call Tay’haai’s personal phone, but got a message about it no longer being in service.

Almost as if he no longer existed…

Just a day away from the first match as Interim Head Coach, and already, Wong had four empty tankards on the table, and he was soon to add a fifth. His armor, a traditional green and black combination with silver accents, all to honor his mother who was from the Earth Kingdom City of Gaoling. His father was not from any of the Home Nations, and it was something that, when he was younger, he took great diligence to hide until he came onto the multiverse scene at just seventeen-years-of-age during the Forty-Fourth Baptism of Fire, when he was told by Vhett to embrace his heritage. Being the son of a clone trooper in the Avatarian Republic was not exactly common, which just meant children had all sorts of wonderfully-creative names to call you through school. “Vat-baby” was Wong’s favorite, and he remembered a time where he broke a kid’s nose with his forehead in the third grade over it. His mother had fussed over him greatly, and even demanded his father put him into a military school where he wouldn’t be the only “FIC” child – Father is a Clone, the more ‘polite’ terminology – in a class of 20. But his father, who had retired shortly before he was born at the rank of Senior Warrant Officer, insisted he not be shielded from life and kept him in that school.

Let me have a giant piece of uj cake as soon as I got home as a reward for sticking up for myself…

booonngggg

As was common place in most Mandalorian taverns and public houses, whenever the beskar’namuiit would be rung by an arriving guests, you would look to see how had so brazenly announced their entrance. Those who entered without a hefty punch to the steel bell were trying to come in unnoticed, something frowned upon in a polite society that had made its mark on history through its people’s skills as bounty hunters and mercenaries. Wong thought to the old texts his father spoke of … the name escapes me… ‘Words of ‘ something or someone … and how a true warrior does not slink in shadows or kill from behind. A true verd would come at you in plain sight, broad daylight, and gun you down just a step or two away.

Wong looked to the door, though from his table he could not make out who it was coming in or how many of them. He could see the barkeep’s hands waving, before the brief glint of steel caught his eyes. Whoever was at the door was a Mandalorian, and as was custom, you would flash an unpainted copy of your Beskar Kar’ta to identify yourself. A 10-centimetre long piece of steel, often engraved on the back with a clan or family sigil and your Alii’tolase. The social hierarchy of the Mandalorian Clans, the Alii’tolase was basically a list of your family and indirect relatives, both through blood and ancient treaties and agreements. The smallest unit of the Alii’tolase was the Family, to which for him was the Family Wong. Wong was the surname his father took upon graduating from training, and as he was told growing up, it came from an old training sergeant who had told them he would gladly sign any papers needed to add the soldiers to his Aliit’ika. After Family Wong, came your Aliit, or ‘Clan’, which was comprosed of distant relatives; aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents. For Wong, as the son of a clone, his ‘distant family’ was vast, with thousands upon thousands of genetic ‘uncles’ all living and working throughout Gyatso-kai, spread across nearly every Mandalorian Family, Clan, and House. So, when it came to clones, they would often belong to one of seven houses, each numbered and combined with the word for “bloodline” in Mando’a. For Wong, he was of Clan Solus’taldin, and that Clan was rather massive. The House for a clone son was dependent upon history; the major houses of Mandalorian society had taken it upon themselves to adopt one of the seven clone clans and consider them part of their families. For Clan Solus’taldin, it was House Buruk’bes’bavar, a House descended from a long line of traditional soldiers, warriors, and even the occasional bounty hunter thrown in. His Beskar Kar’ta contained the sigil of the Family Wong – an eagle holding a viper – imposed upon the bendu symbol of the Grand Army, which was then stacked atop three horseshoes. The names of each unit in the [i[]Alii’tolase[/i] was engraved on three borders of the hexagon, while the other three bore Wong’s name, his father’s name, and the name of that training sergeant.

That is quite a piece you have there… ain’t seen it in months. The barkeep spoke, Wong coming back to reality after a brief zoning out.

Is he here?

You know I cannot answer that.

I’ll look myself.

The exchange seemed heated, but Wong underestimated how hot it was. As soon as the visitor tried to step past the barkeep, a large polearm came down. On one end, a recurved steel blade, and on the other… a 180-kilo rather-upset man. The visitor ducked before pulling out a firearm – Mk57, by the looks of it – and the barkeep released the polearm. A couple of other patrons stood, each reaching for sidearms and backup weapons – culture dictates you leave your primaries at the door – before the barkeep waived them off.

I told you last time not to come back… Why can’t you listen?

My ehn’ba’buir helped rebuild this tavern after the fire in 1870. Our family was told we would never be barred from here.

Wait… I recognise that voice, Wong thought as he pushed his way out of the corner booth. He unclipped his sidearm and kept it in the holster; a similar Mk57 as the guest, it was the service pistol for the Grand Army and as such was incredibly common amongst anyone with formal training. Seeing as how his father was born and bred for military life, Wong had been holding firearms since he was four, and he had completed his two-year Mandatory service in the GAR right after college when he was signed by FC Itakawai, the same team he now worked the front office for. He pushed through a small crowd that had gathered by the entry way, all wanting to see a good old-fashioned Mandalorian Bar Fight. He still was not through the group when the two men resumed their arguing.

I even paid monthly tributes to this place for the last ten years in honor of Olps after he passed.

If he was here, he’d throw you out himself, may Ha’rangir teach him well.

He’d throw you out! Even still… I am…

I don’t care who you are or what you’ve done for us all. The last fight you were in costs me damn-near two-qian-yen. And that was just days after you were ‘let go’ by Vhett… Or do I have to roll the footage back of the two of you getting into it.

As Wong stepped within reaching distance, he could finally see who it was. A deep red armor, hidden beneath a thick coat to cover it from the heavy rains during this time of year that were common in Republic City. The middle of his chest, where the Beskar Kar’ta would be was empty – a Mandalorian who did not want to show his family – and as his eyes drifted to the counter where the keep was, he could see the all-too-familiar diamond that he had seen removed from that spot months prior.

”Kad’e,” Wong spoke in shock. ”What are you doing here?

Holstering his side arm, Kad’e Tay’haai – former Head Coach of the Gyatso-kai National Team – gave a slight smile.

”I didn’t want to break tradition.”

[Siovanija and Teusland]

Siovanija & Teusland National Football Team

Facts

Nation Name: United Republics of Siovanija and Teusland
Short Names: Siovanija and Teusland, the United Republics
Demonyms: Siovanijan, Teus
FA: Siovanija and Teusland Football Association (STFA)
Colours: Blue and gold
Anthem: ‘High Mountain Skies’
Capital City: Borograd
Other Major Cities: St. Jakob, Stelburg, Vlaikograd, Chernovets, Felsenkirchen
Highest Domestic Youth League: Republikaliga
Nicknames: The Goldhorns
Style Modifier: +1.5

Manager: Robert Feicke

It’s official: Feicke is the new man in charge. Appointed at the end of a disappointing Cup of Harmony campaign, the former SV Preisfeld man is looking to right the ship for the Goldhorns. And for a new-look AOCAF, it’s a new-look squad: a much more structured shape, a new formation (4-2-3-1) and the beginning of a new era personnel wise as well. Numerous players will have big new roles to play, including perhaps the nation’s newest star: forward Wilhelm Hielscher-Zendagorta, a Teus/Audioslav dual national who helped Cazadores Cathair to the IFCF Champions League title. A new era begins.

AOCAF Squad

Goalkeepers

GK -- Ewald Heuser -- Brinemouth (NPH) -- 30y/o -- 96 caps, 20 clean sheets
GK -- Anatoli Sveteikov -- Olympia Borograd -- 36y/o -- 30 caps, 7 clean sheets
GK -- Lino Kaberle -- Sporting Iturributa (ASG) -- 23y/o -- 12 caps, 2 clean sheets

Ewald Heuser has proven himself one of the greatest goalkeepers in the world, the #1 for his club, Brinemouth, and a key part of their march to the Premiership title two seasons ago. A sweeper-keeper, Heuser is is the all-time most capped goalkeeper for the national team, and could hit the 100 cap mark this tournament. Anatoli Sveteikov is ever-reliable, and probably deserved more than his 30 caps to date in his career - but he’s managed to always be the second-best keeper, never the best. Lino Kaberle has done very well in Astograth and is likely the next #1 after Heuser. Strong and agile, Kaberle has the strange distinction of being incredible at penalties - dating back to his time as a forward in the TSV Marzig youth academy.

Left Backs

LB -- Edgar Steimle -- 1912 Stelburg -- 31y/o -- 119 caps, 6 assists
LB -- Lyubomir Dimitrov -- FK Metropola Borograd -- 34y/o -- 69 caps, 4 assists

Edgar Steimle is the main man for the Goldhorns here on the left side, a very quick and dangerous player down the flank. Concerns that he may have been losing some of that pace at the last AOCAF were thrown out after a brilliant season in the league with 1912 Stelburg, and he’s hoping to find his form again at the international level. Lyubomir Dimitrov was once a very similar player, but through injuries and a loss of pace thanks to age, he’s transformed into a very solid defensive fullback, and found a home once again in the national team after being named to the Republikaliga’s Best XI.

Centre Backs

CB -- Karl-Heinz Jager -- Raynor City United (VAL) -- 31y/o -- 140 caps, 13 goals, 4 assists
CB -- Taras Maksimov -- Energija Chernovets -- 27y/o -- 35 caps, 2 assists
CB -- Tristan Niedermayer -- AFC Corvistone (NPH) -- 29y/o -- 38 caps, 1 goal
CB -- Paul Steinhausl -- FC Felsenkirchen 1879 -- 22y/o -- 9 caps

Karl-Heinz Jager, of course, retains his spot as a key member of the squad. The centre back won the Premiership again with the Rockers last season, and is on track to be the most-capped defender in national team history by the end of his career. Good on the ball, and strong on the tackle, Jager is a leader on this team. Taras Maksimov had an incredible season with Chernovets in a title-winning campaign, and has cemented himself as Jager’s main partner and the future leader of this backline.. Tristan Niedermayer will want to impose himself in that conversation too, however, and the Corvistone defender will have every opportunity to do exactly that. Young Paul Steinhausl has a big future and has impressed on 9 caps.

Right Backs

RB -- Darijen Vesele -- Rene Skae (FFD) -- 29y/o -- 68 caps, 2 goals, 9 assists
RB -- Nico Elsberg -- FC St. Jakob -- 21y/o -- Uncapped

Darijen Vesele is arguably the best right back in the world right now and is an incredible piece for this team to have, so fast down the wing and with an excellent cross. It’s made him a standout for his club team, too, where he was one of the best players in the new Shango-Fogoa Premier League. He was a bit of a late bloomer on the international level, though, and now that he’s really in his prime, it’s time for him to dominate. Nico Elsberg is a bit of a surprise pick here, but the young St. Jakob defender is quick on the ball and a strong, confident defender - a real statement of intent from Robert Feicke as to his future.

Centre Midfield

CM -- Thorsten Kramer -- 1830 Cathair (AUD) -- 34y/o -- 222 caps, 74 goals, 90 assists
CM -- Todor Mihailov -- Revolutionaries (EUR) -- 30y/o -- 112 caps, 8 goals, 17 assists
CM -- Heinrich Bahr -- FC Teussen Stelburg -- 29y/o -- 63 caps, 7 goals, 4 assists
CM -- Jesper Porsche -- FC Felsenkirchen 1879 -- 21y/o -- 10 caps, 2 goals, 1 assist

Thorsten Kramer is the greatest player in our nation’s history, and his legend continues to grow as his career carries on at 1830 Cathair. He’s still missing, however, more international success - perhaps this AOCAF, with a smaller field than usual, is that chance. Captain of the national squad, Kramer is undoubtedly the face of football in this country. Todor Mihailov was excellent at his new club, helping Revolutionaries to a Euraleague title, and hopes to continue his excellent career beside Kramer here. Heinrich Bahr has always been reliable as well for the national team, and could perhaps surpass Mihailov with strong play here. Jesper Porsche is a star renowned across the nation, having already been compared with new international teammate Thorsten Kramer, and he has been class on 10 caps so far, very much the future of this national team.

Left Wing

LW -- Lojze Kokalj -- Olympia Borograd -- 28y/o -- 60 caps, 13 goals
LW -- Andrey Bunev -- FK Metropola Borograd -- 27y/o -- 13 caps, 3 goals

Kokalj has been a key part of the national setup for many years, and with Mario Kogler dropped as he continues to age, Kokalj was expected to be the top man going forward. But after a disappointing domestic year, and a massive rise to stardom for cross-town rival Andrey Bunev, it’s well and truly anyone’s guess as to who holds the advantage here.

Centre Attacking Midfield

CAM -- Leopold Bliznakov --Oakstone (EUR) -- 28y/o -- 51 caps, 10 goals, 20 assists
CAM -- Zdeno Stajskal -- Vrnovo Mesto -- 20y/o -- Uncapped

Here’s the first big shot. Not Witzel, not Werner, but Stajskal on the plane. The Young Player of the Year last season, Feicke has opted to give him some international experience going into the next round of Qualifiers - and Stajskal has the opportunity to prove he belongs on the world’s biggest stage. Bliznakov, meanwhile, was the anointed heir of Viktor Dimitrov, but his time as Goldhorns’ talisman has not gone smoothly - the team struggling in WC 87 and 88 Qualifying as well as in the AOCAF. He must be careful of young Stajskal.

Right Wing

RW -- Lukas Tauscher -- Brinemouth (NPH) -- 29y/o -- 107 caps, 31 goals, 21 assists
RW -- Florian Krukenberg -- FC Felsenkirchen 1879 -- 24y/o -- 19 caps, 8 goals, 12 assists

Lukas Tauscher is the dominant player here, and maybe the best attacking player in the team. His move to Brinemouth proved fruitful, the club winning the Nepharim Premiership title in his first season, and Tauscher won the Iron Fist as debutant of the year. While Brinemouth could not make it 2 in a row, Tauscher took home the Iron Ball as Player of the Year. He’s a true star, and one the Goldhorns can count on. Florian Krukenberg has been incredible for Felsenkirchen, and has been a star at the youth level as well. His break-out, alongside Vanorian Young Galactico Lothas Ludwig, helped lift Felsenkirchen to a title fight - and Krukenberg could make an incredible impact here, already nearly 20 caps to his name.

Centre Forward

CF -- Stanimir Ilev -- CA Paulinthal (PAS) -- 34y/o -- 50 caps, 30 goals, 1 assist
CF -- Michael Ribbeck -- AFC Treason (NPH) -- 33y/o -- 132 caps, 107 goals, 3 assists
CF -- Wilhelm Hielscher-Zendagorta -- Cazadores Cathair (AUD) -- 20y/o -- Uncapped

Ilev has been absolutely lethal in the Pasargan league, unplayable on his day, and winning the Golden Boot each year he has been in the league. And in the national shirt too, he has been excellent with 30 goals to his name. Ribbeck, meanwhile, is the country’s all-time leading goalscorer, and its most-capped forward. He led his AFC Treason side to a Zenith title last season, also earning Iron Boot and Iron Fist honours. He helped lead his team to a Champions League final as well. Wilhelm Hielscher-Zendagorta, however, won said CL final with Caza, and the young dynamic forward gets a debut here. Perhaps the most anticipated debut in Goldhorns history, after the debate over which nation he would play for between his two nationalities and then his success in the National League and Champions League, helping Caza to both trophies. Remember the name - or, in this case, the initials, WHZ.

Set Pieces:

Free Kicks: Lukas Tauscher, Leopold Bliznakov, Thorsten Kramer
Penalties: Stanimir Ilev, Lukas Tauscher, Thorsten Kramer, Lojze Kokalj, Heinrich Bahr

Captains

Captain: Thorsten Kramer
Vice Captains: Stanimir Ilev, Karl-Heinz Jager

Kits

The home kit will be gold with black lettering and a black collar. It will feature black shorts as well as gold and black socks. The away kit will be white with gold lettering and a gold collar. It will feature gold shorts as well as white and gold socks. The goalkeeper kit will be green with gold lettering and a gold collar. It will feature green shorts as well as green and gold socks.

RP Permissions

Choose my goalscorers: Y
Choose Scoring Events: Y
Godmod Scoring Events: N
RP injuries to my players: Y, I determine length/severity
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players: Y
Hand out Red cards to my players: Y
Godmod Other Events: N (TG me if you want to discuss something, however)

Schedule

MD1: Siovanija & Teusland vs Cote d’Saphir
MD2: Euran Oceania Territories vs Siovanija & Teusland
MD3: Siovanija & Teusland vs Demot

Expected Starting XI MD1: Heuser; Steimle, Jager, Steinhausl, Vesele; Kramer, Bahr; Bunev, Stajskal, Krukenberg; Hielscher-Zendagorta

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

AOCAF opens new era for region
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail National Soccer Writer

It will feel like business as usual on Match Day 1 of the 64th Atlantian Oceania Confederation of Association Football Cup in Equestria, but it will be a different world from where the region was at the conclusion of the last edition.

When the Commonwealth National Team take to the pitch at Derby Field Field in Manehattan against Aji No Moto--the small island nation lying between the Busoga Islands and the northeastern most part of Valanora--there will be the results of seismic changes in the international political situation as well as the sporting world to contend with.
This tournament sees the return of several nations who were the original power centers within the region, which could certainly throw open the field of potentials contenders for the title beyond the top 7 or 8 usual suspects; the two top ranked AO sides--Banija and Baker Park--represent a "New Guard" in a post Foxchester AO (along with Siovanija & Teusland), but it would be a mistake to discount the established royalty of the sport--Valanora, Vilita, World Champions Turori, hosts Equestria--from being in the picture when the knockout stages get underway.

Jennifer Prescott will field a strong starting lineup for the debut, with the expectation that the cohort who have played overseas will show their experience and translate it into the existing structure of "The System" as it has evolved since their last exposure in age-group camp. Debuts will be given to Park Jae-Sung at left wing, with Jon Schulman and Jerrol Allen in defense.

Lineup:
Kelley; Brooks (C), Allen, Schulman; Park, Milton, Buxton, Altman; Myers; Garvey, Cassell