Di Bradini Cup 51/U21WC72 RP and Scores Thread

[Eraman]

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Day 6 - Month 6 - Year 7

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SPORTS

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Buang ready for DBC challenge

The promising young Royal Puncakpura striker, Buang Ranawanya was excited when he was called to join the training camp of the national under-21 team for the Di Bradini Cup in Valanora and Starblaydia.

Buang Ranawanya is among the 23 names listed by Timun Mahabuma, the national under-21 team head coach to take on the challenge in Valanora and Starblaydia in which they were drawn in Group F alongside TJUN-ia, Chromatika, Barhe, Equestria, and HUElavia.

"I am very excited to be called up. I can't wait to see how the combination of the best young players in the country gives their 100 percent for the national squad.

"Everyone who represents the national team wants to win any tournament. My target is to give my best and achieve something in Valanora and Starblaydia.

"100 percent focus now is on training sessions so that everything runs smoothly on the day of the match," he said.

For the record, only group champions and runners-up qualify automatically for the knockout stage. Eraman will play newcomer, Barhe in their opening match of the Di Bradini Cup 51.

[Graintfjall]

On the Altendalur dockside, the passengers of the good ship Sunbeam were receiving well-wishes and Creator-sends from their families, real and adopted. Burgle squirmed as his mother and sisters applied sticky kisses to his velvety head. His father, the Foremole of Rauðurveggur Abbey, very nearly helped him wash the kisses off by patting him on the back with a hefty digging claw so firmly that the little goalkeeper nearly scooted right into the bay. Jessi did her best to fight off the tears as Sister Faith, who’d raised the orphaned harvestmouse nearly as one of her own, bade her farewell, and then gave over to blubbing when presented with a gift from the Dibbuns – who had been too young to make the journey to the city – in the form of a picture they’d made on bark paper, showing Jessi playing football. She’d had to promise before leaving them that she’d do her best to win what they were convinced was called the ‘Dibbun Cup’.

Provisions were being loaded. The staples of bread and cheese were to the fore, along with savory tarts and flans, packaged in waxed bark paper for easy reheating. Sacks of fresh vegetables to make tasty stews and soups. An immense deeper’n’ever pie that it took four trenchermoles to carry. Spicy shrimp and hotroot a plenty for the otters to cook up their favorite eye-watering dishes. Fruit tarts and pies, of strawberry and damson and gooseberry and greengage. And of course, there were barrels of cordial: oatmeal and pennycloud, dandelion and barley, bilberry and apple, and fizzy rosehip. Ash, Fizz and Jed were struggling with a particularly big barrel, a mighty paw descended from above and rolled the tun up the plank onto the boat as though flicking an acorn. The three looked up into the kindly face of Badger Mother Bluemeadow.

“A heavy barrel!” she said, her voice rumbling like gentle thunder.

“Thank’ee ma’am,” said Jed, wiping sweat from his brow.

Her paw descended on another barrel. Set aside from the others, and made of darker wood. “Should I help with this one too?”

The three hedgehogs exchanged nervous glances.

“That’s the… uh… wild cherry cordial,” said Jed.

“It has a marking on the side, ‘OA’?” she purred sweetly.

“It stands for … um … Our Abbey!” said Ash hopefully. Fizz was struggling to suppress giggles.

“Oh, silly me, there I was thinking it might stand for October Ale! Well, I’m in luck, because wild cherry just happens to be my favorite. You wouldn’t mind if I took this one back with me, would you?”

Skipper watched with wry amusement as the three hedgehogs tried to think up excuses.

“Ah, tis a shame, a drop of October Ale never harmed a young ’un,” he said.

Beside him, Queen Niamh Sunshade was twisting her paws together in anguish. Her niece, Lady Solissa Voyageur – was up in the rigging helping get the sails unfurled, her red tail flashing into sight and then disappearing again as she leapt one rung higher. Niamh was not afraid of heights, of course, but the Squirrelqueen was powerfully scared of the ocean and wished her niece had not taken the foolhardy assignment. She couldn’t concentrate on Skipper’s jokes. He was so laconic about his own nephew – Krill Thunderheart – embarking alongside her, but Krill was a powerful natural swimmer. Noticing her torment, Skipper laughed and slapped down his tail, the sharp sound on the cobbles making her jump out of her skin.

“Fret ye not, fair Queeny! Jace may not be much of footballotter but he’s the best skipper a boat could ask for,” he grinned, hugging the trembling squirrel. “Saving myself, of course!”

A furball blew by, unfurling into two tiny creatures, snarling at each other and thrusting rapiers at one another. Relieved to be able to think about something other than the roiling waters awaiting her niece, Niamh dived in and separated them while Skipper disarmed them with a couple of whacks of his tail.

“Now now, maties, what’s all this?”

Dimpy and Ginger began talking at once. Skipper wasn’t sure which was which, but he tapped the one wearing the blue headband. “You first!”

“I want the left cabin!”

“I want the left cabin!” interrupted the one wearing the red headband.

“Well that’s easy enough to settle. You’re going on a boat, maties! No such thing as ‘left’ and ‘right’! There’s larboard and starboard, so neither of you need worry about…”

“I want the larboard cabin!”

“I want the larboard cabin!”

The tiny shrews resumed their fighting, in no way unencumbered by not having their swords. Niamh shrugged, standing back to let them fight. Perhaps it was better to let them get it out of their system before the long voyage ahead. Chuckling, Skipper and Queen Niamh headed back to the wagon, where Foremole was conversing with Mother Bluemeadow (who was holding the barrel under one paw, the arguments of the little hedgehogs falling on deaf ears). Brother Jon, the most senior mouse to have made the trip – the Abbott had stayed home, taking counsel that the journey would be too hard on his ageing body – was seated on the wagon, alongside young Kit. The two looked troubled.

“What’s up, Kit, me hearty?” laughed Skipper.

“Kit has had a troubling dream,” explained Brother Jon. Kit had come to the Abbey as a babe orphaned by the Bloody Skull Legion of Grazadar the Ruinous, found in St Trynnian’s Church, and everyone in the Abbey was fond of him. Skipper found him a little bit serious and was always encouraging him to have fun, which was why he’d encouraged him to join the football team. The young mouse didn’t look to be having much fun.

“Dream, huh? Funny thing, dreams. Last night I dreamed I was a shrimp!”

“After seeing you stuff your face with shrimp at the Parting Feast, I’m not surprised,” chided Bluemeadow, cuffing him playfully about the head. A cuff from a fullgrown Badger Mother was nothing to be trifled with, and Skipper reeled back, affecting dazedness. With a face full of concern, she turned to Kit. “What was your dream?”

“I saw… a mouse. He was wearing Abbey robes, but when he turned around, he was wearing… armor.”

A bristle of unease raised the fur on the back of Bluemeadow’s neck. “Go on.”

“He spoke to me,” said Kit quietly. For the first time, he looked up. Such serious young eyes. “I think it was… Marteinn!”

Even Skipper wouldn’t break the deathly silence that followed with a joke now. The adults stood rooted to the spot.

Finally Brother Jon spoke. “Marteinn has not spoken to an Abbeymouse since…”

No one wanted to finish the thought, but Kit knew what they were not saying. “Since Grazadar the Ruinous was last seen in Rushmore.”

“What’n did zurr Marteinn say?” asked Foremole, rubbing his massive paws together.

“He told me that his sword had been missing. It hadn’t been needed, because it was a time of peace. But that now… I would need to find. To find the sword of Marteinn the Warrior.” Kit’s voice sounded that of a mouse many seasons older.

“Where did he say the sword was?” asked Niamh.

“Now, hold on, before we go looking for any sword. No one has heard anything of Grazadar in a long time. According to the Long Patrol, he left for the north lands and died several seasons ago.” Brother Jon’s sensible counsel held for almost a minute.

“He had a daughter. Darker and eviler than even her father,” muttered Skipper. And the spell of Brother Jon’s wisdom was broken as the four adults turned back to Kit.

“Where did he say the sword was?” repeated Niamh, more urgently.

“That’s just it, he didn’t. He said…” Kit sighed. “It’s hard to explain.” He looked to Jon for help; the mouse pushed his glasses up his snout and shook his head softly. This voyage was not his.

Kit breathed in deeply. “Here’s what he said…”

My first is from the orchard, but never from the pond,
My second of a sword, but never of a wand.
An otter’s tail my three and again my six,
My fourth you can build from three humble sticks.
A one to be… so shall you find my five:
Put together these clues will show where you must dive!

Where should Kit begin his quest to find the sword of Marteinn the Warrior?

[Valanora]

Your MD1 RP Cutoff for the Starblaydia based half

Group E
Starblaydia 0–1 Bollonich
Pemecutan 2–2 Græntfjall
Tumbra 1–0 Savojarna

Group F
TJUN-ia 0–1 HUElavia
Chromatika 5–2 Equestria
Eraman 2–1 Barhe

Group G
Kohnhead 1–4 Cabo Azure
Baker Park 2–1 Xanneria
Tikariot 1–1 Lathamford

Group H
Darmen 4–7 Krytenia
Bahía Roja 1–2 Lisander
Juvencus 0–2 Abanhfleft

[Vilita and Turori]

Vilita & Turori Take Shine out of Stars, Extend U21 Win Streak

Orange Gate Falls, Monaven, Valanora :: After suffering a 1-4 defeat to San Ortelio on the opening matchday of the 50th Di Bradini Cup, the Vilita & Turori Little Eel Kitties rebounded with six straight victories en route to their first Under-21 World Cup Title as a unified entity. Now a mix of players returning and making their first DBC appearance were tasked with defending the title that Vilita and Turori had earned with their 3-0 victory over Krytenia one cycle prior.

The Little Eel Kitties would begin their campaign against Atlantian Oceania regional rivals Sarzonia. Like they had done one cycle previously, Vilita and Turori head coach Purapal Eskiiy turned to Turori's Derizi Amatopa for the opening matchday. While it was Eastal Lunar's Zelkki Milake Jr. who had the better record during the 50th Di Bradini Cup - it was their performances since then that really influenced Eskiiy's decision to go back to Amatopa in goal.

17 Year Old Milake was still highly inexperienced, had yet to take over full time first team duties at Eastal Lunar FC and was well down the pecking order on the Vilitan National Team having started just one match during the World Cup 88 Qualifying Campaign. Amatopa on the other hand has quickly emerged as the goalkeeper of choice for Euran club Revolutionaries and at just 20 years of age, the Turorian WonderKeeper has already won the EuraLeague Title, the Under-21 World Cup, an Olympic Gold Medal and World Cup 88 with Turori. Amatopa wasn't just along for the ride either - at least when it came to World Cup 88. The Eura based netminder started half of Turori's World Cup Qualifying matches as well as their World Cup Finals opener against Yuezhou conceding just one goal of the five conceded by the Eels in the World Cup 88 Group Stage.

The level of experience gained by Amatopa even in the lone cycle since Vilita & Turori last contested the Di Bradini Cup made the Turorian the obvious first choice goalkeeper for the 51st Di Bradini Cup.

With many stars of the previous cycle aging out of the squad such as DiBradini Cup Final Game-Winning Goal-scorer Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, confident midfielder Lentali Purama and Audioslavia based Vilita National Team defender Inteali Koranjo, a number of new inexperienced recruits would join the squad such as 16 year old midfield prospect Fyin Miateal. While Miateal wouldn't get into the starting lineup against Sarzonia they were ready and waiting on the bench - a bench which had an average age of approximately 18 years.

The relative youth of the Vilita & Turori side matched up well with the slightly older Sarzonia squad that was still adapting to a new system under new manager Colton Longley. It was one advantage that Vilita and Turori had over Sarzonia was the consistency behind the bench with head coach Purapal Eskiiy returning from the previous cycle and expected to use largely the same tactical base. Of course, the added risk was that teams would have more than enough scouting material to review ahead of the match to familiarize themselves with the style of play Eskiiy dictated from the sidelines.

For large periods of the opening match against Sarzonia it seemed that the two factors were enough to cancel each other out. Sarzonia had familiarized themselves just enough with their opponents to limit the number of chances that Vilita and Turori could put together but weren't confident enough in their own formation to counter with quality chances of their own. It appeared up until the end that the match could be headed for a goalless draw until Tyoasi Klipark - playing as an advanced sunken forward with Clarana Refiami and substitute forward Lutara Makakio executed a rare wedge play to find space at the top of the box and fire the ball past a slow-to react Glen Baker giving Vilita and Turori the lead with little to no time left on the clock for the Stars to recover.

It would be an important three points to start off an extended group stage for Vilita and Turori in a match that differed greatly from their Di Bradini Cup opener one cycle prior. The match was also good for player morale with Derizi Amatopa able to overcome the memories of a four-goal thrashing from San Ortelio to complete the shutout against a formidible Sarzonia side. 16 Year old midfielder Fyin Miateal was able to make their Di Bradini Cup debut as a half time substitute and Treasvo Tlikara extended their formidible assist record which now includes three in five appearances or Vilita and Turori.

 Vilita & Turori U21 [1] - [0] Sarzonia
				
	GOALS:	Vilita & Turori U21 	:: 77' Treasvo Tlikara              		
	STATS:	Vilita & Turori U21 	:: Possession: 53%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 5	Sarzonia 	:: Possession: 47%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 6
	Lineup:	[GK] Derizi Amatopa, [D.] Narri Sebapilo, [D.] Kamarela Dzzara, [D.] Planio’o Nrujsa, [ML]  Naraiza Ruaplal, [MC]  Khrusan Mlianko, [MC] Trezisi Rokopolis, [MR]  Friika Diirotora, [FC]  Treasvo Tlikara, [FC] Clarana Refiami, [FC] Tyoasi Klipark			
	Bench:	[FC] Loala Inkabu, [FC] Lutara Makakio, [M] Kinabo Telioa, [M] Fyin Miateal, [U ] Kunaro Tlikara, [D] Karek Edgeli, [GK] Zelkki Milake Jr.

[Lathamford]

S p o r t L i n k

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Di Bradini Cup 51/U21WC72
Group G
Tikariot 1–1 Lathamford
Jhon Gustavino '69 ׀ Peter Ironstorm '66
@Iota "Big Eye" Arena, Silverlands, Stadii di Quercus

Game Report

1: Kick off
3: Jhon Gustavino takes a shot. That's off-target.
10: Mortimer Dinanga is shown a Yellow Card.
12: Orson Marfont takes a shot. That's off-target.
14: Peter Ironstorm takes a shot. It's on target but saved.
22: Lathamford gave a free kick.
27: Peter Ironstorm takes a shot. That's off-target.
38: Lathamford gave a corner taken by Sebastian de Axehelm.
41: Orson Marfont takes a shot. It's on target but saved.
42: Tikariot gave a corner taken by Pierre Sukunda.
43: Sebastian de Axehelm takes a shot. That's off-target.
47: Orson Marfont takes a shot. That's off-target.
48: Peter Ironstorm takes a shot. It's on target but saved.
49: Tobias Grandelius takes a shot. That's off-target.
50: Tikariot has given a free kick.
53: Tobias Grandelius takes a shot. That's off-target.
54: Boris Trafford takes a shot. That's off-target.
65: Lathamford has given a corner taken by Sebastian de Axehelm.
66: Lathamford scores! The scorer was Peter Ironstorm
67: Substitution by Lathamford player Orson Marfont make way for Styn Fyggs.
69: Tikariot scores! The scorer was Jhon Gustavino
74: Parramore Haigh takes a shot. That's off-target.
76: Tikariot gave a corner taken by Pierre Sukunda.
77: Substitution by Lathamford player Joe Dexs make way for Ander Sebastian-Claw.
78: Parramore Haigh takes a shot. It's on target but saved.
82: Styn Fyggs takes a shot. It's on target but saved.
85: Styn Fyggs offside.
89: Substitution by Lathamford player Boris Trafford make way for Owen Fike.
90+2: Final Whistle

After a week of SportLink reports revolving around the Baptism of Fire 76 tournament in the Republic of Bollonich and the Kingdom of Banija, this time our team brought in a report of the first match involving the Young Speedy Cat in the Di Bradini Cup 51 tournament in Valanora. Lathamford U21 is placed in group G alongside Kohnhead, Baker Park, Tikariot, Xanneria, and Cabo Azure. If you look at the countries in this group, it is clear that Lathamford is not comparable and may even be the lowest team in points.

But the spirit of our U21 team was fueled by the success of the national team that made it to the quarterfinals of Baptism of Fire 76, which to some extent injected their fighting spirit, this was proven when they managed to draw 1-1 with Tikariot. Seymour McCann's team is true to some extent inviting a sense of apprehension on our U21 players. Head coach Owen Blazesword has generally drawn up a plan to curb Tikariot’s full dominance.

Overall, the young national team managed to absorb the dangerous pressure of the opposing team, in the 3rd minute Gustavino managed to get past the Lathamford offside trap and almost managed to score, fortunately, Dynamo Buttercourt young goalkeeper Lucius Harridan managed to deny Gustavino's shot. Ironically, the player who traveled to Tikariot with Dhun Lagarr FC, Peter Ironstorm almost found the target in the 14th minute, but Daniel Bangoura's reliability negated his effort. Orson Marfont's header in the 41st minute also almost paid off, but sustenance was still not in the Young Speedy Cat's favor until the end of the first half.

After the break, Peter Ironstorm again had a chance to score in the 48th minute thanks to Alf Bryanson's accurate pass to Sebastian de Axehelm, and then de Axehelm's world-class cross was successfully shot by Peter Ironstorm but goalkeeper Tikariot once again became the hero. In the 65th minute, Sebastian de Axehelm, who was tasked with taking a corner kick, managed to put the ball in the left corner of Tika's goal, and Peter Ironstorm easily headed in, 1-0 for Lathamford, like a dream come true for the Blazesword players.

But with a bit of delay, Jhon Gustavino out of control penetrated into the Lathamford penalty box and continued to head in the volley from a Samuel T. Gladstone, 1-1, Tika managed to equalize. At the end of the game, Lathamford should have added a goal when substitute striker Styn Fyggs in the 82nd minute was only 1v1 with the goalkeeper, but his weak shot was easily saved by Bangoura

The official result, 1-1

Group G: MD2
Cabo Azure v. Lathamford

[Xanneria]

The flight over from Hawthorne to Starblaydia was rather uneventful for Kyle, but it also marked the first time he had to use a passport. The flight was fairly average but by far the longest of Kyle's short 19 year life. He had flown around from Jasperton to other locations every now and then, but usually they ranged from small to middling towns in places like Hazeltown, Orchard Park and New Arch, but it had its perks to Arlo was a lot of fun as the secondary hub for western gambling (granted a lot more casino have grown in the last 40 years since the Beta family payed off all those Senators, but thats another story for another time). Myrtle was always well regarded as a tourist spot and usually if you won in Myrtle, you got a beach day! And with the addition of former Semi-pro darlings of the Three Sisters Athletic Club in the northside of East End, you got to play in the XCT. So it wasn't like the halls of this narrowbodied jet that was transporting the players and their families was anything weird for Kyle.

It was just boring Kyle out of his skull. The flight was long , he had listen to his entire music library and going towards to front of the plane because he knew "Andy and Stooge" would be up there to mock him.

But towards the end of the flight, as the plane flew over Savigliane, he could see the cities of a country he had always said he wanted to visit. A friend of his who owned a pasta house in downtown Jasperton, that he frequently attended and even endorsed, had m been raving about Savigliano pasta and all the great noodles they had been producing recently. This made Kyle hungry and he made a mental note to make sure he got some after the flight landed. As he was thinking this, he got a tap on his shoulder. It was Calvin Shievike, the ROM of the team.

Calvin was a quiet 19 year old and if Piotr and Mark McMurdo thought Kyle was a country boy, then they would have had a massive field day with Calvin.

"I've always wanted to meet you, you are a hero to me."

"A hero" Kyle thought? Kids look my age..." was his inner monologue

"You see Kyle" Clavin went on to explain "I"m from a small village southeast of Faiserville. You may remember a couple years ago that area had a massive outbreak of Tornadoes. Well unfortunately my families farm was demolished in that tornado. I saw an article about you in the paper though and I realized something. I could sign a deal with a local club and make a bunch of cash and help pay the repairs for the family farm. So I signed with Agrarian AC when they stopped being semi-pro, I know they were so happy to sign me."
"It is such an honor to meet you Kyle, I was shocked to find you here but I'm so glad you are here and we're teammates" he went on to add "I've been trying to muster up courage to talk to you this whole flight, after twelve hours I finally did so"

The plane eventually touched down in Starbladyia and immediately Kyle went looking for a restaurant that served Pasta. He found one and to make the deal sweeter, they had a TV Playing the Campianato Esportiva match-up between Xanneria and Cyborg Holland....

[Adab]

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

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Friday, August 11, 2034 / 26 Jumada al-Awwal 1456
Adab 1-0 Sylestone
Akaptaha (87’)

NEWS | DI BRADINI CUP 51
By: Elymur Amwan

Adab get past Sylestone in unimpressive win

Adab’s Di Bradini Cup 51 campaign got off to an unremarkable – but nevertheless winning – start as the under-21 team eked out a 1-0 victory against Sylestone in a match that even their own fans felt should have gone the other way.

Rashid Abbas, in his debut as under-21 manager, no doubt would have preferred a much more convincing triumph to begin his managerial tenure. Instead he had to watch his team escape with a narrow victory at the River City Stadium in Bexar, Valanora, after being thoroughly outplayed for much of the match.

The young Adabians got off to a disastrous start, with Sylestone’s 3-5-2 formation strangling the midfield and allowing Adab little opportunity to go far with the ball. Emma Arthur and Alulim Sinmuballit, who had made a name for themselves in the senior team at their young age and were recruited to guide their less experienced under-21 compatriots, could only watch helplessly as Amelia Stanton and co slipped away with the ball like your crush disappearing into another relationship because you never had the guts to talk to them.

For much of the first half Adab found themselves chasing after the ball, with their paltry attempts at a counterattack instead opening themselves to yet another counterattack from the young Hawthorns, with Gemma Rodway playing a key part in stopping the winger threat of Said Anwar and Farah Salem and returning the ball to the midfield, who in turn were quick to drive the ball to the forwards for the kill.

Adab’s only saving grace was that the defenders were much more competent than the midfielders, with the tight defense proving to be the final obstacle that Sylestone just could not overcome. Jamie Hughes’ attempt at the goal in the 34th minute ended up flying far above the goalpost, with the Sylestone forward misjudging the power of his strike at the last moment as the Adab defenders converged on him. Kim Kearnes’ own try in the 43rd minute was saved by a timely leap on keeper Satchit Chandrasekar’s part, throwing himself onto the grass just as the ball seemed on the verge of crossing the line. As the whistle blew to mark half-time, some Adabian fans were booing their own team and Abbas could be seen gesticulating in frustration from the side of the pitch.

Adab were still on the defensive throughout the second half. Their attempt at a massive offense in the 63rd minute instead put themselves in danger, with the ball falling to Harry Love who then moved it to Riley Strathfield, who was pushing past and outmaneuvering the few Adabians who remained on their side of the pitch to carve an open path towards the penalty box. Realizing that this was Sylestone’s best chance yet, the Adabians scrambled back towards the box en masse, with defenders Adnan al-Tikriti and Sally Thomas haphazardly trying to isolate the forward duo of Hughes and Kearnes from each other, while Arthur and Sinmuballit quickly threw themselves in front of Strathfield to stop him. Strathfield easily went past them and passed the ball towards Kearnes. But Thomas had stopped Kearnes from advancing further, and the ball, though it entered the penalty box, found keeper Chandrasekar, who easily captured it.

Though the Hawthorns had not succeeded in scoring themselves, all sides of the stadium agreed that they were by far the better team in this match, with even some Adabian fans cheering for the Hawthorns as the match entered its final minutes, heading for either a goalless draw or a Sylestonian victory. Thus it was much to the surprise of the audience when it was their defense that fatally faltered in the 87th minute. With their opponents having expended themselves throughout the course of the match, the Adabians finally summoned the energy and teamwork required to blast through the Sylestonian lines, with Arthur gaining the ball and driving it away from Stanton, cutting through Sylestone’s right wing to link up with Kastiliasu Akaptaha, whose right-footed strike from just outside the penalty box sent keeper Georgina Fuller jumping for the ball, but not far and quick enough to actually catch it as it sped past her and into the net.

Such was Sylestone’s dominance of the match that even the Adabian supporters were caught off-guard by their own team’s goal. Though obviously many cheered, there were also many audible boos and gasps of shock. It was clear that Sylestone had been the better side, yet Adab had escaped with a goal.

None of that mattered, of course, to the Adabians, who held on for the last few minutes to clinch a victory which many of their own supporters felt were undeserved. As the stadium erupted at another mixture of cheers and boos at the final whistle, Rashid Abbas looked up to the sky and breathed in relief. His first match as under-21 manager could have gone better, but it was a win nonetheless.

[Tumbra]

Tumbra 1-0 Savojarna

TMB (4-3-3): 1 - Jones; 2 - Renton (18 - Finney, 68'), 4 - Kerr, 5 - Pritchett (14 - Wyatt, 79'), 3 - Mercurio; 6 - Harrison, 8 - Lawrence, 10 - Monaghan; 7 - Wells, 9 - Crossley; 11 - Riordan (22 - Hardaker, 91')

TMB scorers: Nick Riordan (22')

Player of the Match: Nick Riordan (TMB)

Link to arc home
defender meets midfielder: season 3, part 2
the quebecois and the tumbran

Straton

The air-conditioning hummed, providing a pleasing break in the silence that enveloped the air-conditioned conference room. Three people were in the room; two middle-aged men wearing suits, and one young adult wearing something demonstrably more casual. The location of the meeting, of course, was somewhere downtown; but for the hoodie-clad adult’s safety, it had been kept on the down low.

For it was that Stephen Kerr had found himself the equivalent of a persona non grata within the confines of the city of Straton. His announcement that he wanted to leave the club had generated a backlash he’d never seen before; and now he feared for his safety. So he’d adapted. A hoodie. A mask. Sunglasses. In the sweltering Tumbran summer he might’ve looked out of place — and possibly a textbook case for “someone doing something suspicious” in a policeman’s handbook — but it also rendered him anonymous.

And anonymity was what Stephen Kerr needed right now. Especially when he was about to be pitched to. Sat next to him was Kerr’s agent, John Whiting; opposite them, preparing a presentation, was someone from Lakewood United.

“Good morning, Mr. Kerr. Mr. Whiting. My name is Caleb Redwood, and I’m a representative of Lakewood United Football Club. I’m here today to discuss why you should join Lakewood United, and the opportunities as well as our initial offer for your contract should our bid for you be accepted,” the bespectacled man on the opposite side of the table droned. “Mr. Kerr, we have identified you as a target for our defensive setup, and we believe that should you join our club, you will become — either immediately or eventually — a key part in our defence as we seek to take back our place in not just the IFCF competitions, but the Tumbran title as well. I’ll first bring you through the history of our club…”

“Look. Uh. I don’t want to be disrespectful, Mr. Redwood, but we are a bit pressed for time. Not immediately, of course, but a more ‘in general’ kind of pressed for time. Mr. Redwood, I’m sure that your club has an extremely illustrious history — after all, I play for one of their historic rivals. I know you guys have 19 domestic titles, 12 cups, uh, countless else. But can we please get to the point?”

Impatience was not typically a word in Stephen Kerr’s vocabulary. Next to him, John Whiting, Stephen’s agent, reacted with a slight shock. The boy had never been this assertive before — not over his career, not over his football. For the three years he’d known Stephen, the defender took things as they came, reacting to life’s various events as they were thrown at him. It was perhaps a weakness of his; for him now to react in such a manner was new to him, certainly.

Glancing over to the defender next to him, there was something new on his face. Clad in a black hoodie, there was a look which John identified as something that wasn’t quite...steely determination. No, it wasn’t quite the look that came to mind when Straton went behind, or when Stephen was concentrating on defending.

It was a look of anger. A quiet rage hummed within. This was new.

Redwood shrugged and glanced over at John, seemingly waiting for approval to continue with the presentation. Whiting gave a noncommittal look, and Redwood sped past the next ten or so slides on the presentation. Black-and-white photos, pictures of trophies, players wearing the famed red-and-black kit, Johnny Brown…

“We think that you can step into our club alongside our captain, Johnny, and act as a long-term replacement for him when he does eventually retire. You two exhibit a lot of the same characteristics — determination, grit, leadership...we think that you could prove to be a capable successor to him.”

“Mm.”

“As for money, we’ll be offering you a basic salary of thirty thousand a week, plus performance bonus. The first copy has already been sent to your agent, Mr. Whiting —” Caleb gave a performative nod in John’s direction “— and he informs me that while he hasn’t gotten a chance to look through it properly yet, most of the terms should be satisfactory.”

“Well. I don’t really...I’m not in it for the money. If John thinks it’s okay for me, then, well, I’m most likely going to be okay with it too.”

“Well, then I think we will be able to reach a very quick conclusion to these talks.” Redwood put his hands together with glee, and flashed a massive smile at the gathered duo.

“Just one question, though.”

“And that is?”

“How much are you planning to offer Straton?”

“Well, I’d say it’s not our, uh, policy to reveal the transfer fees we’re planning to offer, to avoid…” Redwood’s voice trailed off upon seeing Stephen’s face and hearing the question., His smile vanished, replaced with a blank look — afraid, one might even say.

“I don’t think this is to stroke my ego, Mr. Redwood. This is very important. How much are you planning to offer Straton?”

“Two million will be our opening offer.”

Stephen pshawed, and looked to the side, seemingly in disbelief.

“I’m gonna take a break.”

Kerr sauntered out of the room. John, torn between following the young defender and getting Caleb to up his offer, decided to do the latter. Surely Stephen wouldn’t do anything daft. He motioned to Caleb to sit down, and began talking exasperatedly.

“Caleb, I thought we’d gone over this when we first talked. The price for his services is six million. Not a price he wants to set, mind, it’s just...it’s a price that the club wants.”

“It’s a bloody ransom, that fee. Club laughed when I first raised it. You and I both know Lakewood United are not paying six million for a nineteen year-old with half a season of senior experience. With just one year left on his contract, to boot. Two million was the best I could get them to agree to.”

“I know, Caleb. But, well, you’ve seen him play. People are already saying he’s the next Karl Varsteeg or Kohev Küngas-Vaga.”

“People say that all the bloody time. Every fucking defender with an ounce of potential gets hyped up. Six million is not a light sum, John. It’d break the fucking transfer record. We thought four and a half for [Pierre-Louis] Laishram was insane. They’d expect him to instantly step in, become the best in the world for that fee.”

“Look, I know this is tough. But I need you to realise that Stephen cannot stay at this club beyond this summer.”

“And I need you to realise that paying six million for someone who might just be able to come for free next summer is simply not worth it. Why don’t you wait? Straton does not hold many cards. They will fold, eventually. You just have to wait it out, and he’ll be signed for a cut-price deal. By us, or by someone else.”

“You’ve got other transfer targets on the table?”

“One.” Caleb raised a solitary finger, causing John’s face to change from serious to shocked. “Goes without saying I shouldn’t be telling you this. But if he’s signed, he’ll come on a free.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah. Fuck is exactly the word I’d use in this situation.”

“Who?”

“A Tikariotian from Murphtannia. They’re letting all their foreigners go, or so it seems…”

“Right bloody season to do so,” John muttered under his breath.

“Now, John. We’re all just looking for a deal.”

“You can submit this offer, but it’ll be rejected.”

“We won’t go any higher.”

“They won’t go any lower.”

"Then we've reached an impasse, no?'

“I don’t know. I don’t think Stephen will want to come back into the room if he hears you say that you’re going to open with two million with a straight face.”

“Then I think we’ll end things here. Apart from, well, that, the rest of the meeting went well. Shall I assume we have a preliminary verbal agreement that the terms are okay?”

“I’ll give the terms a read through, then I’ll get back to you. I trust you, Caleb. But you know what football clubs are like.”

Caleb grimaced. “Still that same person I went to business school with.”

“I didn’t finish top of my class for nothing.”

John strode out of the room, to find Stephen leaned against a wall, an annoyed look on his face.

“Stephen —”

“Idiot. What the fuck? Two million? They’ll never agree to that!”

“I know, Stephen, I know. Look, Serrapince are interested, too, maybe they’ll schedule a meeting. They’ve got some people in the pipeline, they’ve got a good portfolio, they’re spending hard this window. Not wrong to think they might be willing to shell out six on you.”

“I don’t know, John. Can we just go?”

“Sure.” He stepped over to the lift, and pressed the down button. “Let’s.”

The car ride home was filled with an awkward silence.

---

Chromia

Trudy Harrison clutched a small file, standing outside Jannick Kontiola’s — the Quebecois manager of Chromatik —office. Her heart thumped in her chest, sweat rolling down her face. It was a simple meeting, where they’d talk about her promotion to the senior team, and at the end of it she’d segue into the team’s future and...well...and trying to sign Stephen Kerr for it.

She’d already been assured by his secretary that Kontiola was free for the entire day. All she had to do was knock, and they’d begin. Kontiola didn’t know that Trudy was coming to talk to him.

Neither did he.

Her mind flashed back to another time in her life, when she stood in front of a door just like this. It was a conversation that ended in tears, anger, a renewed determination to forge her own path in life.

Thump, thump, thump.

You’re not there now. You’re at your place of work, not, well, back there. There’s nothing to be scared of. Nothing, nothing, nothing. So just raise your hand, knock, and turn the doorknob. See? It’s easy. Just raise...

She gulped. Took one step forward. Before she could knock, however, the oak door opened, with Kontiola’s wizened face smiling at the midfielder.

“Trudy? It’s nice to see you. Come in, will you? I was just about to make some tea.”

He opened the door for the midfielder, and she entered. Kontiola’s office was stacked to the brim with files, memorabilia, and others. A small electric kettle whirred, as Jannick motioned to the chair immediately opposite him. Trudy sank into it, the comfort of the sofa making her feel at ease almost immediately.

“Tea, Trudy? Back home they call it nokcha. Well, the version I drink, anyways. But tea explanations can be saved for another time.”

She nodded gratefully, and the small white porcelain cup was placed in front of her. Taking a small sip, she was taken aback by the heat; but the bliss provided by the tea outweighed all that.

“Careful. It’s hot.” He took a small sip himself, before putting his own cup down. ““What can I do for you?”

“Well, ehm, I thought we could have a chat.”

“About?”

“Life in general. And, uh, the future.”

“I’d say you’ve blended in very well since you first arrived here. Naturally, there were some teething issues, but no move would be complete without those, would it?”

“I...I guess.”

“And I’d say you’re part of my long-term future plans here. You’re a great fun to watch, and a pleasure to coach. You’re not going to tell me you want to go back to Tumbra now, are you?”

“Never!” The word escaped her mouth before she could restrain herself, surprising Jannick, who evidently wasn’t expecting a response that quickly. Attempting to ignore it, she blithely tried to move the conversation on. “Uh, well, it’s not really about me. I was thinking about, well, other parts of the squad, and I wanted, uh, I had a suggestion, well, really…”

“A tactician! Well, let’s hear it.”

“I, uh, I think the club would do great if we signed a new centre-back. I mean, Kattie Will is already thirty-two. Kamil Jernejec is thirty. I-I know that thirty’s not over the hill for a defender by any means, b-but…” Trudy, stammering, tried to get her point across.

“I completely understand what you’re saying. And, well, what do you have in mind? Or who?”

“Uh...his name is, uh, Stephen Kerr. He’s a Tumbran, like me. He’s 19, and, uh, he…” Trudy glanced down at the folder she was grasping. “I think this could, this could explain it better.” She put the folder on the desk, where Jannick put on his reading glasses, then flipped through it briefly.

“These are certainly some outstanding statistics for someone who’s nineteen years of age.”

“Uh, yep! Definitely.”

Kontiola typed two words into his search engine, before reading off the headlines section. “Wantaway defender Stephen Kerr on the market, could go for six million. Stephen Kerr, the next Kohev Küngas-Vaga? Stephen Kerr, wonderkid extraordinaire. Well, the reviews are certainly glowing.”

“This is certainly very interesting, Trudy, and you’re right — we have been looking for someone to fill in a hole in our defence. Though I’m not sure if we’ll be able to stump up six million, as what has been reported, but I’m sure we’ll be able to negotiate it down. I’ll forward this report to our scouts, and, well, they’ll know what to do with it.”

“Does that mean…?” Trudy’s ears perked up in anticipation.

“It’ll depend on what the scouts say, Trudy, but I wouldn't be surprised if he’s pushed to the top of the priority queue after this. We’ve been looking, but nothing’s been found so far. After all, we’re also trying to sign someone very famous. We’re going all in for him, in fact.”

---

Straton

Once again, they were on Stephen’s verandah, the verdant lawn filled with vegetables of all kinds — Stephen’s mom was an avid gardener — providing a nice backdrop and a veneer of privacy for the defender and his agent.

“I think I’d like to have a chat with your parents — with you around, of course — on what happened today.”

“Sure thing, John. I’m just tired, though. Fucking hell. Two million…”

“I know.”

Stephen opened the door, greeted his parents, and went in; while John waited near the threshold, waiting for when it was okay to go in. True enough, he went in just a while later; and soon they were all round the table, with a drink of water for all of them. True to his promise, John updated Bertram and Sylvia Kerr on the situation; Straton’s asking price in particular caused Bertram to momentarily flare up in anger. The apple certainly hadn’t fallen far from the tree on that count. But the conversation shifted to Stephen himself, with his parents revealing something that Stephen hadn’t known before.

“Stephen, your mom and I are going to Serrapince for a few weeks,” were the first words to come out of Bertram's mouth when he they walked in.

“What? Why? When did you…?”

“I’d like to say we had planned this earlier. And, well, we had. Just for a few days, however; to meet up with Stephanie ¹...she’s on her own summer break, after all. We wanted to spend some time with her, too. With the current situation, however, I think it’d be best if we all went. And for a few weeks. It’d do you some good, too, Stephen, you’ve barely gotten any sleep over the past few days. Maybe leaving Straton would help.”

Stephen’s mind flooded with thoughts, and he took several sips while concocting a response. “I…” he stuttered.

“You don’t need to come with us. It’s entirely up to you.”

“I...well...I don’t really wanna go. It’s an important time, and, well, Serrapince…”

“There are rumours that Serrapince may make an offer for him, and it’d be best for all parties involved if he stayed in Straton. The situation’s already quite bad; it’d only get worse if any more bad press got involved. Going to Serrapince would just set the rumour mills off.” John stepped in, delicately.

“...Yeah.”

Bertram nodded. “I understand.”

“Sylvia, Bertram, I want you to know that I’ll be responsible for his safety.”

“John, you don’t need to do that. I can take care of myself.”

John flashed a look at Stephen which was the visual equivalent of telling him to shut up, and Stephen duly complied. “I’m sure Serrapince will come through with an offer. After all, their two centre-backs aren’t exactly that strong, and Stephen will definitely—”

Bertram, Stephen and John’s phones buzzed at the exact same time. It was a notification. Aurora Sports’ app — what would it be?

AURORA SPORTS
BREAKING — Serrapince agree record-breaking ten million dollar transfer fee for Chromatik stalwart Hermaeus Mora, from Lhor; personal terms agreed, medical set to occur soon…

The colour drained from John Whiting’s face, as he stared at his phone screen in disbelief. Stephen closed his eyes, pocketed his phone, took a deep breath, and walked off to his room. Bertram simply swiped the notification away, and sat down.

The implications, though, were clear.

---

¹ - Stephanie Kerr is Stephen's younger sister. She goes to the Serrapince Institute of the Arts in, well, Serrapince. Rumours that she did so just to get away from her famous brother may be unfounded.

---

GRÆNTFJALL VS TUMBRA - DI BRADINI CUP 51, MATCHDAY 2
Starters: 1 - Jones; 18 - Finney, 4 - Kerr, 14 - Wyatt, 3 - Mercurio; 6 - Harrison, 16 - Robertson, 10 - Monaghan; 7 - Wells, 9 - Crossley; 11 - Riordan
Bench: 12 - Ager, 13 - Russell; 2 - Renton, 5 - Pritchett, 18 - Finney, 19 - Green, 20 - Hamilton; 8 - Harrison, 15 - Morris, 20 - Finnemore; 17 - McGarry, 21 - Baker; 22 - Hardaker

[Cabo Azure]

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by United States
10 October 2017 10:05 PM 
Forum: RLStates Sports
Topic: World Cup Discussion Thread (OOC, version II) 
Replies: 8538
Views: 470038
Russia wrote:
Trinidad and Tobago 2-1 United States
-post deleted-


Jump to post >

by United States
11 November 2017 9:12 AM 
Forum: RLStates Sports
Topic: World Cup Discussion Thread (OOC, version II) 
Replies: 8538
Views: 470038
The Holy See wrote:
Yeah, USA, go ahead and take a break. 30-day ban, don't let it happen again. Friendly reminder to everyone that this
is a game, and personal insults will not be tolerated.

Completely fair, I went off the deep end. Excited to get back into football 
Jump to post >

by United States
11 November 2017 11:15 AM 
Forum: RLStates Sports
Topic: World Cup Discussion Thread (OOC, version II) 
Replies: 8538
Views: 470038
England wrote:
Honestly, USA, I'm not surprised you didn't qualify. I obviously don't know Russia's RP metric grading, but you've
recycled the same roster, with a few exceptions, the two previous WC cycles. You had a story going with
Klinnsman and the foreign-born players, but you scrapped it as soon as you dropped a couple points and went
back to the same old, same old. I can't speak for how Qatar is going to grade RPs, but there are a number of things
you could do to make your own roleplays more compelling rather than gripe about host bias.

EDIT: To answer the obvious "like what", I'll give some suggestions:
-Revamp your domestic league. Maybe introduce pro/rel instead of arbitrarily moving teams between the leagues and
introducing a new team with the same name every few seasons
-Send youth prospects to foreign leagues and let them develop, instead of twentysomethings you're already convinced are "great"
-Try roleplaying your Gold Cup and ConcaChampions matches to build some momentum going into the next cycle
-In general, just get some new material. It doesn't have to be great. "Dos a cero" was a funny meme two cycles ago,
but it and the "I Believe" chant have both run their course

                                                    Honestly, I was pretty upset when I read this comment initially, but I've had some time to process, and I'm going to
                                                    implement some of your suggestions. Thanks for keeping it real.
Jump to post >

by United States
12 December 2017 5:47 PM 
Forum: RLStates Sports
Topic: International Domestic Soccer Discussion
Replies: 3858
Views: 221882
                                                    












                                                    &
Per England's suggestion in the WCDT, I want to put some more youth prospects in foreign leagues. Would anyone be interested in signing any of the 
following:

Timothy Weah FW 17 y/o, New York Red Bulls Academy
US-born son of the former Liberian international and current Liberian president George Weah. Good all-round striker, represented the United States
at all levels U15-U23, likely to make his debut in qualifying for Qatar. Signed by Paris-Saint Germaine, France

Joshua Sargent FW 17 y/o IMG Academy
Currently playing for the United States Development Academy in Bradenton, Florida, Sargent is a fast, skilled striker with a high ceiling.
Signed by Werder Bremen, Germany

Giovanni Reyna AM 16 y/o, New York City FC
Son of USA and Manchester City legend Claudio Reyna, a tall, athletic midfielder with a strong first touch. Signed by Borussia Dortmund, Germany

Weston McKennie MF 20 y/o FC Dallas
A versatile, aggressive box-to-box midfielder . Capable of playing almost any position, but does his best work in central or advanced midfield.
Signed by Schalke 04 (Germany)

Zach Steffen GK 24 y/o Columbus Crew
An athletic shot-stopper with great distribution Signed by Manchester City (England)
Jump to post >

by United States
12 December 2017 11:19 AM 
Forum: RLStates Sports
Topic: Football Friendly Scheduler
Replies: 8603
Views: 275465                                      &
 Looking for a couple of friendlies against any kind of opposition, thanks! Want to get these young guns some games ahead of the next cycle. Style mod +2, KPB 17.76

by United States
2 January 2018 1:23 PM 
Forum: RLStates Sports
Topic: Football Friendly Scheduler
Replies: 8603
Views: 275465







                                                    &
Thank you all for the help! Going to add some stats to these matches:
Saint Kitts and Nevis wrote:
USA 1-0 Paraguay
Bobby Wood 45' (pen)
Jamaica wrote:
USA 3-0 Bolivia
Walker Zimmerman 37'
Josh Sargent 52'
Tim Weah 57'

Alright, here we go: looking for two more friendlies, preferably one against a WC team.

by United States
5 January 2018 4:18 PM 
Forum: RLStates Sports
Topic: Football Friendly Scheduler
Replies: 8603
Views: 275465





                                                    &
Scotland wrote:
Alright mate, I've got ya.
Ireland 2-1 United States
Bobby Wood 45'+1

France 1-1 United States
Julian Green 44'

Thanks again everybody! Best of luck in the WC!

[TJUN-ia]

By Peter Davis

So then, here we are...with a historic WC89 on the horizon, a new era of Philip van Oosterend's Young Jags was about to begin in Starblaydia for the 51st Di Bradini Cup, the 72nd U21 World Cup to be played in U3 Sport. Only 11 players from DBC50 have come back this time around, with even PvO's younger brother Max being promoted to senior duties. 12 new players have now come into this setup, most of them pretty young and mixed-gender as well, and so many and expected a few teething problems for the first few games before this team can realise their potential. Kim Choi-Ya is now the captain at his final DBC and he was given two important jobs by PvO for this tournament: develop his new VC in Jose Lozano de la Cruz into a credible leader while also teaching the new boys and girls the ropes of international football as quickly as possible.

Our first game was in Hallad City Stadium against HUElavia, a team that plays similarly to PvO's style under Elisandra Moreira Marques (11 years PvO's senior), so this would be the perfect indicator of where this team was in its very first game together as a unit. Many expected our more experienced opposition to get the job done quickly and fairly easily but to be fair to this team, they put up a good fight for most of this game. Sure, Emilia Bourdain-McSheehy did give the opponents the lead after 20 minutes, but that doesn't mean we were bad out there. This team was starting the first 4 women to ever start a game for a TJUN-ian National Team (Chelsea Bluewood, Zelina Marquez, Kendra Robertson and Regina McDuff) and all 4 of them were simply brilliant today. The Bluewood-Marquez linkup on defence was pretty tough to crack for our opponents, Robertson certainly made her presence felt at CDM and while no goals were scored by the Jagaurs, Regina McDuff looked like a natural up the pitch at RM with some of the more well-known names of this team. Speaking of those names, they were producing chances as well and while the clean sheet wasn't going to happen, Alex McVerner did a good job in his first game starting in net. So yes, while today resulted in defeat, it also saw this team perform pretty well in Game 1 and many will hope that's a good sign for things to come.

With the tune-up game out of the way, PvO now expected points ad fast if his team was to make another playoff in this category of the sport. The Junior Anomalies of Chromatika is up next, a team built on the Three Fillars: defender Grayson, Captain Baillaire and attacker Edith. These three siblings are considered big-time players for the future of Chromatik football and so, the main aim will be to try and limit The 3 as much as we can. GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group F, All Games In Starblaydia
MD1: vs HUElavia - Hallad City Stadium, Hallad City L 0-1 (5th?)
MD2: vs Chromatika - Victory Park, Vecchio
MD3: vs Eraman - Bekkside Arena, Tabeck
MD4: vs Barhe (Empire of Joseon) - Bekkside Arena, Tabeck
MD5: vs Equestrian States (Equestria) - Victory Park, Vecchio

[HUElavia]

Starting on the Right Foot!

Bourdain-McSheehy's goal gives HUElavia a much awaited victory to set the tone in the DBC!

TJUN-ia 0–1 HUElavia
(Bourdain-McSheehy 20')
(Hallad City Stadium, Hallad, Starblaydia)

Entering Matchday 1, the team was looking to make something worth everyone's time, especially with the potential the players have for this tournament. Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos were facing off against TJUN-ia for their opening match, set to be played at Hallad City Stadium (49,000), Hallad, with a strong showing of HUElavian supporters showing up. HUElavia wore their Home Alternative Uniform for the match, while TJUN-ia wore their Home Uniform. Coach Moreira Marques opted to use the A-Team for the match, wanting to see how the main team would fare, with Yamane as the Captain and Huamani in Goal. Once the anthems were played, the coin toss done, the ball rolled and the match was under way!

The match was calm for the most part, with both teams taking chances, but playing cautiously. Huamani and McVerner made routine saves and blocks to prevents goals from going in, leaving both teams frustrated at the lack of goals being scored. The lone goal in the match came in the 20th minute, when Notario was being covered by al-Balochi, when she saw Bourdain-McSheehy sprinting across Marquez, where Notario gave a pass to her right, where Bourdain-McSheehy got the ball in front of Bluewood, did a 180* turnaround, and took a curving shot past the reach of McVerner into the top corner of the goal to make it 0-1. Bourdain-McSheehy celebrated with a dance with her teammates while the HUElavian crowd jumped up and cheered with joy for the goal. For the remainder of the match, both teams continued to take chances and make some moves, but Huamani and McVerner would deny any other goals being put in. While the first ever females in a TJUN-ia roster (Bluewood, Marquez, Robertson & McDuff) did give HUElavia some difficulties, the defense was able to keep them in check and did prevent anything severe from happening. At the end, the referee blew her whistle, and HUElavia took their first victory in the DBC, with the HUElavians satisfied at the result, while TJUN-ia was disappointed at the loss, but had optimism with their players.

The victory has HUElavia sitting in 3rd Place, behind Chromatika (who won 5-2 to Equestria) and Eraman (who won 2-1 to Barhe). The next match will be against Barhe, which will be taking place at Bekkside Arena (48,000), in Tabeck. Fans will be coming in the thousands looking to cheer on the team, as they look to keep up the good work and possibly inch closer to the team's first ever appearance in the Round-of-16 in the DBC. Coach Moreira Marques expressed her support and satisfaction with the team, having good faith that the team can continue with good results and continue to develop well. The B-Team will play, with Sanhueza in goal and as the Captain. The Home Uniform will be worn for the match. Here's to hoping we can get a favorable result against Barhe!

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Sylestone]

The Sylestonean > Sport > Football > DBC 51

OPENING LOSS TO ADAB PUTS HAWTHORNS IN TREACHEROUS PLACE

Adab (4-3-2-1): Chandrasekar; Al-Tikriti - Sharkalisharri - Akshak ((▮ 22’) - Thomas; Arthur - Sinmuballit - Emmita; Anwar ((▮ 75’) - Salem; Akaptaha

Sylestone (3-1-3-1-2): Fuller; Mornington - Lynn (▮ 36’) - Zezoni (McEwen 77’); Rodway; Stanton (c) - Love - Jones (Wells 82’); R Strathfield; Hughes - Kearnes (Fullers 68’ (▮ 90’))

BEXAR, VALANORA - Despite dominance throughout the entire game from the Young Hawthorns, Adab’s dogged defence led to a shock victory with an 87th minute goal following a series of mistakes from the Sylestonean defence, who had held themselves together for the entire game. Throughout the game, Sylestone maintained roughly 70-75% possession, barely letting the Adabians have a look in. But despite a myriad of opportunities being created by Sylestone’s powerful midfield, neither Jamie Hughes or Kim Kearnes could put any of them home, and when Kearnes was substituted for Fullers, the Halpenley midfielder acting as a forward could not, either.

The eventual 1-0 loss put Sylestone in a dreadfully treacherous place right away, with Adab one of the tough sides the Young Hawthorns would have had to beat in order to fulfil their dreams of a top two finish. Especially with the likes of Mytanija and the Licentian Isles also in the group, progression now seemed at long odds for the Western Esportivans, especially if their finishing issues continued. Because that needs a good look at before it’s too late. And it may already be.

The first sign that finishing may be an issue came in just the fifth minute, with a cross in from star midfielder Abigail Jones being deflected on from Riley Strathfield to Jamie Hughes, who shot for goal. However, with pressure from Adabian defenders, namely Sally Thomas and Manishtushu Sharkalisharri, the shot went wide of a diving Satchit Chandrasekar and missed the left post by a good metre and a half.

The Young Hawthorns continued to control the midfield, with young Gemma Rodway cutting down both attacking midfielders, Said Anwar and Farah Salem, with some determined passing and interception. Her, alongside the back line, provided solid support for the celebrated Sylestonean midfield, with the likes of Amelia Stanton, Harry Love and Riley Strathfield all having bright futures, and Abigail Jones already playing as a starter for Sylestone’s national team. Yet, despite this, some dogged defending held them at bay, with the following half hour only providing the Young Hawthorns limited opportunities at goal.

Hughes had another strong chance at goal in the 34th minute, when he broke past central defenders Sharkalisharri and Sarrugi Akshak, before shooting for goal on a one-on-one. However, with Chandrasekar in the way and a defender guarding the left-hand side of the goalmouth, Hughes’ only option was to go for the chip over the goalkeeper and into the goal. He tried, but got too much force on it as it flew a good half metre over the crossbar, missing a prime opportunity to go 1-0 up after continuous build-up play.

But it didn’t stop the Sylestoneans from going right back to the defence and working the ball back up the field. In the 43rd minute, Kearnes had her best chance at goal, with a shot from the edge of the box after dribbling past centre midfielder Alulim Sinmuballit and Al-Tikriti. Her shot was a powerful one, dipping and curling away from the centre of the goal and to her right post, but a well-timed dive from Chandrasekar saved what appeared to be a certain goal on the brink of half-time as the Young Hawthorns had to be satisfied with a 0-0 result after 45 minutes of football. They’d dominated, but were not able to put any of their several chances in the back of the net, which was something that required change for the second half.

Sylestone continued to dominate after break, with a series of opportunities in the 50th, 53rd and 54th minutes, including the latter from a corner which was tipped over the crossbar by Chandrasekar, continuing his brilliant game in the goalmouth with yet another denial, this time off the head of left-back Hugo Mornington. Finally an offensive from Adabian left-midfielder and captain Emma Arthur led to a shot at goal Kastiliasu Akaptaha, their second in the entire game and first on target. But it was not an issue for an in-form Georgina Fuller, with a counter-attack from Love and Riley Strathfield, making it past the Adabian defence and cutting the ball in from the left wing towards the penalty box. But the Adabians had recovered, with Arthur and Sinmuballit forcing the pass to Kearnes, where Thomas was able to get a deflection to it, stopping a powerful shot from the Dunkirk youth product and letting it dribble into Chandrasekar’s hands.

As the 80 minute mark passed, the game seemed destined for a 0-0 draw, despite complete and utter domination from the Young Hawthorns. Even the Adabians in the stands were barely cheering their own team anymore, instead watching on in awe at Sylestone’s clean, crisp passing and in the highly unlikely occurrence that an Adabian got the ball, the tackles were clean and flawless. However, despite this, they were tiring. About ten minutes earlier, Kate Fullers had been brought on in place of Kearnes, while Whitepool defender Aliyah McEwen replaced Capital FC reserve Harriet Zezoni in the right-back position. However, the substitution of experienced midfielder Abigail Jones in the 82nd minute was a blow for the Young Hawthorns, limping around with a possible hamstring sprain that could put her out for a match or two. Her substitute, Jamie Wells, could not live up to Jones’ supreme abilities, with the 87th minute allowing Arthur to break past him, Love and Stanton in the midfield and challenge Fuller for just the fourth time in the game. This time, though, it proved to be fatal for the Young Hawthorns, with Mitchell Lynn and McEwen’s inexperience costing them as Arthur cut a pass through to Akaptaha lurking just outside the penalty box. Rodway challenged him, but the Adabian got away and fired a powerful strike over Fuller’s diving hand and into the back of the net. For a moment, no one could believe what had happened, with everyone in the stadium completely shell-shocked with this twist after such one-way football for the entirety of the game. Akaptaha pulled off a half-hearted celebration, but even he and the rest of his team knew that they didn’t really deserve it.

They held on, despite desperate challenges throughout stoppage time from the Young Hawthorns, with the final whistle signalling Sylestone’s shock 1-0 loss. They’d dominated and deserved a victory of the same scoreline, and everyone knew it, too. Yet, they’d fallen to an opening loss, and their chances of making the top two had never been slimmer. Now, a victory over the Licentian Isles in an all-Esportiva matchup appears to be necessary, with Sabinal Stadium in Sabinal awaiting what seems to be a thrilling game between two sides who had to face the reality of tough losses in their opening games. The Young Hawthorns can do it, but there are some things that need fixing if they are going to accomplish their desired goal and with Abigail Jones confirmed to be out, it may prove a little tougher than what it could have been.

ADAB - 1
Akaptaha 87’

SYLESTONE - 0
-no scorers-

Lineup vs The Licentian Isles

Fuller; Mornington - Holt - Zezoni; Rodway; Stanton (c) - Love - Wells; R Strathfield; E Strathfield - Kearnes

Schedule:

Matchday One: Adab 1-0 Sylestone @ River City Stadium, Bexar
Matchday Two: The Licentian Isles - Sylestone @ Sabinal Stadium, Sabinal
Matchday Three: Sylestone - Maramaa @ River City Stadium, Bexar
Matchday Four: Usan - Sylestone @ Caddo Park, Caddo
Matchday Five: Sylestone - Mytanjia @ Caddo Park, Caddo

[Lathamford]

S p o r t L i n k

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Players lost focus in the last moments of the match, allowing the opponents to score an equalizer, which was one of the reasons why the Lathamford U21 team lost valuable points in the Di Bradini Cup 51 Group G match against Tikariot U21 at the Iota "Big Eye" Arena here last night. Lathamford U21 head coach Owen Blazesword admitted that the situation was detrimental to the team when he had to share one point after a 1-1 draw in last night's match.

He said the result was disappointing because the victory was very important to the team due to the position of The Young Speedy Cat's squad which is still not safe in what they call, group of death.

"This team is leading the match and should be able to bring home full points but due to negligence in the last minutes apart from missing the opportunity to score this goal is what caused us to have to bear the mistake. “I have faith in all my players and they are a very capable group of players. However, it was their first game after a very long time not in a team, and of course, they will feel the pressure.

"This is what I say we are 'abused' for not being mentally focused and letting the team be under pressure. When we are stressed again a lot of mistakes are made," he told reporters after the match. In the match, Lathamford U21, which faced the Tikariot U21, led the game through a goal scored by Peter Ironstorm in the 66th minute, but Tikariot managed to equalize in the 69th minute through Jhon Gustavino's goal. In related news, "Royal Farrowdraft FC is happy to announce the signing of Lathamford U21 captain, Sebastian de Axehelm, from Tractor Grasswind and keeping him at the club until 2024,” the Royale said in a statement.

DBC51-1		Harridan, Paulus, Chains, Dexs [Sebastian-Claw], Colfield, Fallenbelly, de Axehelm (C), Bryanson, Trafford [Fike], Marfont [Fyggs], Ironstorm	::1-1, Tikariot

Group G: MD2
Cabo Azure v. Lathamford

[PotatoFarmers]

Savigliane 4-1 Poafmersia
Savigliane Goalscorers: Onio 27'; Faucher 44' (assisted by Dutto); Abelard 61', 87' (assisted by Dutto)
Poafmersia Goalscorers: Bogdanić 72'

Poafmersia Lineup: Natalie Dircks; Kilikina Lee, Hildingr Duval, Anselm Paulis, Dae-Jung Sokol; Neilina Elzinga (DM); Padrig Dürr, Verbena Zoltánfi; Feidelm Lindsay (AM); Suada Bogdanić, Dagur Lawrence
Substitutes: Juliska Janson (Dircks 55'); Silvanus Kravchenko (Dürr 76'); Bolívar Tamura (Zoltánfi 76')

Prologue

The Musical Bridge
Chapter 1: Twins
Part 1

20 years ago, in one of the hospitals in Kistina, a set of twins were born into the Lindsay family.

The Lindsay family is probably one of your standard, average families in Poafmersia. Mr Lindsay is an engineer, working for the military to ensure the technical competence of the country's armed forces. Ms Lindsay is a Public Servant, working as a teacher in one of the schools in Kistina. Both of them didn't really have ties with famous people, and while they aren't exactly the poorest around, they also don't belong to the really rich group in the country. Just an average family. And that is why, if 20 years later, you tell them that the twins will be in positions to make themselves famous in Poafmersia, the couple would probably laugh and brush those thoughts aside.

To Mr and Mrs Lindsay, they don't exactly have expectations or requirements for their children. The most important thing for the parents is that the child should be doing something they are passionate about. Enough for them to survive, feed themselves, and then set up a family. Just like any average kid. But they knew the twins was going to be something different. The twins have an older brother, 2 years older than the twins, but he is following his father's path, taking direct masters at the Maximus Rochester Institute, for a Masters Degree in Computer Science. The twins also have a younger sister, and she is intending to study History and Politics at the University of Mancodas. More traditional, well taken paths. But not the twins. From young, the twins shown an interest in taking up some non-academic things. For the boy, it was being part of the Middle School Football Team, where he became the youngest Player-of-the-Season at 13 years old with 16 assists from 20 games in the U16 Inter-Schools Football Competition. For the girl, it was an interest in dance, signing up to learn singing and dancing outside of curriculum time. Even as they continued to do fairly well for their studies, their non-academic interests was clearly overshadowing their academic stuff. How the boy was called up by a slew of professional academies for trials. And how the girl was approached to become an idol trainee by a few companies.

And at 16, after the end of their middle school exams¹, both of them made really different decisions. Decisions atypical of students who are academically-inclined, and definitely really unexpected to the extended Lindsay family.

By now, you would probably have guessed who the boy is. The boy is none other than Feidelm Lindsay, the captain of the Under-21 Poafmersian team, who is the proud graduate of the Kistina Galaxy academy. Having shone so brightly for his Middle School football team, Kistina Galaxy extended an offer to sign him up to be an academy player. He was already participating in some of the academy training during their off time, but he continued to play in the Inter-Schools, so he didn't get the opportunity to play in the Professional Development League. When he took the offer and signed for the academy, he was immediately placed on the substitutes bench. And given some air time on the field. For someone who only officially joined the club when he was 16 (usually, players start when they are 14/15, playing for the lesser-known U15 academy league), his meteoric rise came as a surprise to the other players. But you can tell that Feidelm was born for success. When he got first appearance from the bench on Matchday 4 of PDL Season 10², he contributed his first assist for the club in the dying minutes of the game to allow them to clinch a 1-0 victory in the Camp of Power, against Mancodas U19s.

On the other hand, we have his twin sister, Janie Lindsay. Her interest in music was what convinced her to join the bubbling music industry in the first place. To many idol agencies, she is a raw talent. Being able to sing, with such a powerful voice, and that high levels of energy that she shows every performance - all the hallmarks of an idol. She is a powerful dancer, a talented singer, and has also shown interest in song-writing and dance chorography. The agencies understand she might potentially be an ace in the P-Pop industry, the representative of the industry, and usher in a new wave of interest in local Poafmersian music. Not the traditional kind, this time round. And so she became a trainee under the Yeehwa Entertainment group. One of the newer agencies, who promise to groom P-Pop idols of the future. For Janie, it was a dream come true. She has always wanted to be a professional dancer or a singer. Now she can be both at the same time. But of course, there are some lingering questions in her head. What does it mean to be a P-Pop idol? How would she be trained to become one? Will the general Poafmersian audience be welcoming of such a style of music? At that point, when she made the decision to become a P-Pop idol, the industry was just in its infancy. There wasn't a single group who did purely P-Pop styled music. Some of those people were just singers. Others were just newbies who had no previous experience whatsoever. The entire idea of integrating singing and dancing was just new to Poafmers. And now, Janie is trying to be a pioneer in something she knows little about.

Footnotes:
¹ In Poafmersia, the 12 years of pre-college education is split into 3 parts: Year 1-6 in Junior School; Year 7-10 in Middle School; and Year 11-12 in Senior School. At the end of every part, there will be standardization exams that also act as placement exams for some of the elite schools in the country. In particular, good results in the Junior School exam allows a transfer to High Schools, which is effectively a program that combines Year 7-12 into one school, without a need for the Middle School standardization exams. At the end of Year 12, a standardization exam (similar to RL A levels & IB) is taken, and that usually determines entry into college/university.
² PDl Season 10 is the 6th IFCF cycle, or the first season of the Poafmersian Apex. Typically, PDL isn't RPed as much, but if you want to follow the season, you can do it starting here. ICly, that is 4 years ago, which also explains why we are desperately doing recon to realign the domestic and international storylines in Poafmersia.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

© Sporting Times Daily 2021
U21's off to positive start
by Mindy Cartwright, National Soccer Editor

The first DiBradini Cup match that Baker Park has played outside of Valanora took place here in Corinth at the venue that has a symbolism for the FAC not usually remarked upon, as it was the scene of the Commonwealth's first ever win in the World Cup Finals during EquiStar World Cup 80, a 2-1 decision over Ceni on the final matchday.

Silverlands is gearing up for a big season that DBC 51 is just the kickoff for; the local side Corinthian Spirits will be involved the IFCF Challengers Cup, and the Starblaydi National Team have historically hosted a Qualifying match or two here.

The squad set up camp at the facilities of Penningworth United, currently in Liga Starblaydi 2; the city is located nearly due north of Jhanna City, close to the coast of the Nemyan Straight that separates mainland Starblaydia from its off-shore territory. Although the U21's will play only a single match at the club's home ground, the Iota 'Big Eye' Stadium, it was decided that the central location to the other venues (Silverlands and the Stadii de Quercus in Farca, which lies due east of Penningworth) outweighed other factors.

On this night, it was Baker Park facing Xanneria in Group G with about 60% capacity in the 71,000 seat stadium (which was probably closer to 90% of the available ticket allotment) coming out to around 45,000 spectators.

Liam Sullivan decided to put his strongest, most experienced lineup out against a Young Maroons team where 18 of the 23 in the squad could compete here and still go on to play in the Under-18's tournament later in the year; Beth Rossi wore the armband for the first time, along with the #1 shirt and the 8-10 thousand Gold & Black clad supporters sang 'Hear Our Voices' at a fairly restrained decibel level.

The ten newcomers on the bench received plenty of coaching from the staff assistants--Fredrica Baptiste begins her second year at Birkenfeld, while Max Littlejohn and Tom Jones are new to the FAC--through the match regarding positioning, responsibilities, and situational awareness.

On the pitch, Shonte Logan and Phan My Kieu scored on either side of halftime to secure the 2-1 victory and now the squad will head to Farca where they will face Kohnhead on Matchday 2. The Little Brains will be looking to bounce back from a shock defeat to the new boys from Cabo Azure.

Sullivan had no hesitation in re-affirming that normal service will be the order of the day, with a total swap of positions. "We've been doing this for long enough that percentages usually work out in our favor, and with extra group matches, it's a no-brainer."

[Abanhfleft]

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

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Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with The Man from Markovsky

WELL, THAT WAS ACTUALLY UNEXPECTED

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, now this is truly an unexpected development. I am really not used to seeing Abanhfleft do well, especially at the start of any given tournament. Combine that with the fact that we're playing in the Di Bradini Cup and success on our first game of the tournament is just unexpected, to say the least. Well, I say that, but Abanhfleft have won their DBC opener before, and on that occasion Abanhfleft went all the way to the final only to be beaten by Mapletish. Christ above, the football gods are back at it again! They're tempting us again with the hope of a potential repeat of DBC 43. Don't fall for it, lads! This is all a sinister plot by the football gods to make us all hope only to crush our collective hearts into powder! Don't fall for it!

However, let's not all discount the effort that our lasses put in to even make this win possible. Some of us were still doubting Kate Bernanos' ability to carry out a campaign after all of the failures she's experienced in the past few years, and I'm one of them. She can squeeze out of the group stage no problem, yes, but what about when it's time to get to the sticky end of things? What then? Which is why I still find it hard to take our chances of even making it past the Round of 16 in any competition seriously, but still, Bernanos deserves some credit in getting us out of the group stage (sometimes) in the first place. Yes, yes, oftentimes everything falls apart and collapses at that bastard point in time, but the fact that she managed to get us there in the first place is probably one of the reasons why the SFA still hangs on to her. If she could just get over that mental block, things would probably be finally peachy for us!

Now on to the game itself, where there's not much to report on. Juvencus had some early pressure on us in the first ten minutes, and the first shot in anger in the game was an attempted chip over Inocencia Pendergraft by Ignasi Aliprandi somewhere right around there. But after that, it was Abanhfleft all the way to the end. The press got us in the first half, not gonna lie, but by first half I mean the first half of the first half. You know, the period in between 00:00 and 23 minutes, and wonder of wonders, Abanhfleft would score right afterwards. The Juvens had us stuck in our own half pretty much before then, until Pendergraft finally found a channel in between the Juven defenders towards Ingrid Mindoro, who then found another channel towards Josefine Vitagliano, who turned on the jets and began running for the goal. In fact, Vitagliano was so fast that she left behind her strikers, forcing her to go at it alone, one-on-one against Fernando Lopez with Lucia Agnelli breathing down her neck. Well, there was one thing to do in this situation, really: side-foot the ball through the keeper's legs and wheel away waiting for either a celebration or a groan. And it was a celebration everyone got.

Not to say that there wasn't a lot of action in between Abanhfleft's goals though. Oh, no. There was a lot of bloody action indeed! No wonder my bumhole was clenched tighter than you-know-what for the rest of the game. In fact, I think it's still clenched right now! I would say that that explains my constipation but that's been going on for four days now even before the match started. I really need to get that checked. And, moving on from the topic of my bowels, there were still a fair few times that got me clenching even tighter than usual, like that corner kick where Ilir Limani booted the ball right over the bar, or when Jeremias Pesce managed to wrong-foot Pendergraft before Rose Bane denied the Juvens their equalizer. Abanhfleft also came close to doubling their lead a few times, most notably when Whitney Zilahi hit the far post square from her free kick. We were poking holes through Juvencus' press, but that didn't mean that they didn't get the better of us a few times and caused those aforementioned moments of chaos. But it would be from a set piece where Abanhfleft settled the match once and for all, Jordyn Bernardino popping in from nowhere to head home into the far post from Mavis McGlamery's left-footed corner delivery.

So now who do we have up next? Krytenia. You know, the side that just scored seven bastard goals past bloody Darmen! I mean, Darmen scored four against the Cyans, but then again, they're Darmen. We're Abanhfleft. I don't even know why we're going to try to expect anything other than pain this time around. But that's just me. Maybe there are people out there who still retain a hint of optimism even in the face of outright laughably terrible circumstances. Sometimes I even wish I could be one of those people. But then again, I won't be the Man of Markovsky anymore if I'm not a cynical bundle of nerves who shouts at a computer screen for nothing but entertainment value for you sick fucks.

Anyway, that's all that there is for me now. If you've got any comments or thoughts of your own about the game against Juvencus or predictions against Krytenia then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I've been the Man from Markovsky, starting to hope that maybe this time, I won't be disappointed in my country.

JUVENCUS 0 - 2 ABANHFLEFT
               VITAGLIANO (24')
               BERNARDINO (76')

[Sendhang]

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DAY 6 - MONTH 6 - YEAR 7

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Good start for Sendhang in Valanora

Sendhang U21 kicked off their campaign in the 51st Di Bradini Cup on a good note after beating Eastfield Lodge U21 in their opening match. The young Rice Farmers were made to sweat before claiming a 2-0 victory at the Turmondale Grounds, Raynor City.

Sendhang went into the game with a positive mentality attacking from the first whistle but the high level of discipline shown by the Eastfield Lodge defense who fielded 2 defensive midfielders to protect their back 4 managed to curb Sendhang’s attack.

Sendhang's best try in the first half came through a long-range shot by Fernandes Geong but the shot was successfully punched by goalkeeper Aryan Ross for a fruitless corner kick.

Sendhang returned with a more aggressive approach after the break and almost broke the deadlock but Antonius Konai failed to complete Teuku Zikri's beautiful pass in the 49th minute.

Despite continuous pressure from Sendhang, Eastfield Lodge stole an opportunity to counter-attack through Ghiyath Shields who broke an offside trap in the 56th minute, however, a cross to Bishop Mesa was headed wide by the striker.

The defensive wall of Toby Callahan's squad continued to show excellent performance on the night, this time Jazzmine Sky-Afzal blocking Tatang Suratang's shot with her body as the last bastion to ensure that the fort was not breached in the 62nd minute.

In the 73rd minute, Teuku Zikri cleverly passed the defensive line by launching an attack from the right-wing but was unlucky to put the ball inches wide of the post with his shot.

As the match entered the final 5 minutes of the match, Teuku Syarkawi's side was awarded a penalty kick after Tatang Suratang was fouled in the penalty box after being tackled by Aryan Ross.

Antonius Konai, who was given the responsibility of taking the penalty, did not waste the opportunity to put the team ahead.

In the additional time, Teuku Zikri ensured victory in favor of the young Rice Farmers after netting the second goal of the match.

It was a good performance all-around by the young Rice Farmers but there is still room for improvement especially in terms of chance creation and finishing. Up next for Sendhang is Hispinas who lost 2-0 in their opening match against the the host, Valanora.

[Starblaydia]

Matchday Two, Vanorian half

Group A
Hispinas 0–2 Sendhang
Poafmersia 3–1 Eastfield Lodge
Valanora 5–2 Savigliane

  Group A                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Valanora                       2   2  0  0    7   2  +5    6
2 Sendhang                       2   2  0  0    4   0  +4    6
3 Savigliane                     2   1  0  1    6   6   0    3
4 Poafmersia                     2   1  0  1    4   5  −1    3
5 Eastfield Lodge                2   0  0  2    1   5  −4    0
6 Hispinas                       2   0  0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group B
Eura 0–1 Vilita and Turori
Island of the Lost 0–3 Sarzonia
Quebec and Shingoryeo 0–3 Mertagne

  Group B                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Mertagne                       2   2  0  0    4   0  +4    6
2 Vilita and Turori              2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
3 Sarzonia                       2   1  0  1    3   1  +2    3
4 Eura                           2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
5 Quebec and Shingoryeo          2   0  1  1    1   4  −3    1
6 Island of the Lost             2   0  0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group C
The Licentian Isles 0–0 Sylestone
Maramaa 1–2 Adab
Usan 3–1 Mytanija

  Group C                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Usan                           2   2  0  0    5   2  +3    6
2 Adab                           2   2  0  0    3   1  +2    6
3 Mytanija                       2   1  0  1    6   6   0    3
4 The Licentian Isles            2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
5 Sylestone                      2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1
6 Maramaa                        2   0  0  2    4   7  −3    0

Group D
Euran Oceania Territories 0–0 The Kytler Penisulae
Pasarga 2–4 Sharktail
Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom 0–0 Cassadaigua

  Group D                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sharktail                      2   2  0  0    6   2  +4    6
2 Pasarga                        2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
3 Euran Oceania Territories      2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
  Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom      2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
5 Cassadaigua                    2   0  1  1    0   2  −2    1
  The Kytler Penisulae           2   0  1  1    0   2  −2    1

[Sarzonia]

Woodstock Daily Mail

Cristobal being treated for depression; Junior Stars roll

From Staff Reports

Sarzonian Under 21 national team manager Colton Longley announced during his press conference after the Junior Stars snapped a five-match losing streak in Di Bradini Cup play that he finally reached former manager Diego Cristobal and said his former boss was being treated for depression.

"It was good to finally talk with him and discuss things," Longley said after his team defeated Island Of The Lost 3-0 to mark their first victory in the Under 21 World Cup since the Round of 16 in the 49th Di Bradini Cup. "He explained why he suddenly left the team after he'd been retained and why he waited until the last possible second to depart.

"He had been battling depression almost since Day 1 as manager, but he never told anyone about it," Longley said. "He had a really bad episode and felt awful about our effort in the previous edition (Sarzonia lost all three matches, scoring one goal and conceding 11). He felt he didn't deserve to be managing the team, and so he went back home to clear his head. He told me his wife and youngest son staged an intervention and got him to a mental health treatment facility in Portland." Cristobal did not respond to phone calls, emails or text messages seeking comment.

Longley said the Junior Stars have shown glimpses of being able to adjust to the more defensive-oriented system he's been working through implementing for the team since he took over as manager. The Junior Stars limited Island of the Lost to five shots, with only one testing goalkeeper Glen Baker. The Junior Stars fired 14 shots, forcing Madisyn Good to make five saves.

Sarzonia got goals from forwards Thurman West in the 34th minute, Suzi Calderon in the 58th minute and Nick Raiden in the 78th to make things easier for the defence. Sarzonia dominated possession with 54 percent of their time spent in the offensive third. Longley said Good was the "primary" reason the Stars didn't win 6-0.

"She was better than her surname," Longley said of the opposing keeper. "She made some incredible saves, some of which I'd never seen on any level of football I've watched."

Sarzonia improve to 1-0-1, giving the Junior Stars three points, good for third place behind defending champions Vilita and Turori and Mertagne, which defeated Quebec and Shingoryeo 3-0. The Grim Reapers will be Sarzonia's next opponents, marking another contest between a current Atlantian Oceania mainstay and a former AO nation now residing in Anaia. However, Longley shut down any talk about regional intrigue.

"That's a team that just lost its match and they're fighting to stay in contention for the knockout rounds," Longley said. "The Grim Reapers are going to be fighting for their lives and we've got to match that intensity if we're going to stay in the race ourselves." Sarzonia will face Group B co-leaders Mertagne after the Quebecois on Matchday 4 with Eura to follow.

Raiden said the Junior Stars were feeling "a thousand times better" after their victory over Island Of The Lost.

"Oh, no question," he said. "It felt great to get off the schneid and really start playing a much better brand of football." He said the Junior Stars were getting the hang of Longley's new offence.

"I know it's a challenge to try to learn a new system, especially as last minute as we've been learning Coach Longley's," he said. "But we're a bunch of fast learners on this team and we appreciated the opportunity to play a game that's a little closer to traditional Sarzonian football." Raiden was asked about former manager Cristobal's condition.

"I mean, he and I haven't talked since before he left the team," Raiden said. "I hope he's OK and all, but we aren't exactly calling and texting each other talking about playing Call of Duty."

JUNIOR STARS SCHEDULE
MD 1 SARZONIA v. Vilita and Turori (L, 0-1)
MD 2 Island Of The Lost v. SARZONIA (W, 3-0)
MD 3 SARZONIA v. Quebec and Shingoryeo
MD 4 Mertagne v. SARZONIA
MD 5 SARZONIA v. Eura

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Stephen Kerr breaks Savojarna’s hearts again

By Jaukka Halanen

Stephen Kerr, Tumbra’s young star defender, had been wooed by the SFS but shattered hopes of Savojar gans when he opted instead for Chromatika’s Chromatik. Now, he has not only disappointed the fans of the teams that he was rumoured to join, but thwarted the hopes of all Savojar football fans as he has taken Lars Alvesen, Partisan’s star striker, into close custody and shut down the offensive centrepiece of the Young Northlights. In consequence, Tumbra’s defensive mastery won out over Savojarna’s offensive explosivity to secure a 1-0 in the Black Eagles’ opening victory.

Nonetheless, Savojarna have been a strong side after getting their nerves under control. An early mistake by Savojarna’s back duo of Martiainen and Vikarby saw nobody cover Nick Riordan, but Martina Erlandsen still got her leg on the ball. It didn’t work the second time as Riordan got his foot on a ball to get it past the SFS B keeper this time and celebrated his goal to get Tumbra ahead. It wasn’t supposed to be the end of a spectacular game, where Savojarna increasingly pushed themselves forward: Orakhin and Tretjakov dominated the midfield uncontestedly and secured a total of 62% of possession in the first half, but they rarely found the way to get a good chance. Alvesen couldn’t get past Kerr; Vedmark’s runs often ended in the feet of a defender as well; the many crosses of Antonia Nygaard and Láidná Olasdottir ended on the heads of Kerr and Pritchett more often than not.

Despite the Savojars playing a solid match, they just couldn’t get past the last bastion of the defensive line of Tumbra. Being kept outside the box almost every single attack, the Young Northlights were looking for an angle or a long-range shot, but it just was not going to work for the most part. Tretjakov got her biggest shot as she took aim from nineteen metres and forced Victoria Jones into a big save at the end of the first half, but saw it deflected past the post; with the following corner headed away from Alvesen and landing far away from the box.
Savojarna were trying to switch things up a little bit after the break as they started tinkering with the lineup as well. Gudjohn Magnusson coming in on the leftback side and the wingers pushing further up meant Tumbra were forced to stand wider, but at this point it seemed like Tumbra didn’t mind closing down the centre - and finding Lars Alvesen remained near impossible for the Young Northlights.

In the end, despite a possession dominance of 64% at the end of the match and more shots for the Savojars at 19-11, they could not get the required goal. Alexey Jotanov warned against over-valuing these numbers, however. “We are an offensive team into a side that we knew likes to sit back and force the counter, force us to move up and find a gap. It was always expected we would dominate play against Tumbra because they are not a side that likes to make the game, but in the end, the goals count and they were doing better on that front. We’ll have to come back stronger in the next game, that’s all. The boys and girls showed they have the skill to do that, and I am still confident in my team”, the U21 national coach stated in the post-match interview. They get four more shots to prove that as the group stage continues in Starblaydia.

[Chromatika]

Chromatika 5-2 Equestria
Goals: Fillar, B. ('5), Oveni ('28, '51), Fillar, E. ('71), Kruetzberg ('86)
Starting XI: Enax; Fillar, G. - Nodis - Bethea; Baum - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. (C) - Andersen; Kruetzberg - Oveni - Fillar, E.
Substitutes: Keel -> Andersen ('62), Petit -> Nodis ('68), Killian -> Oveni ('77)
Summary: A masterful performance by the Chromatik offense, as five goals are scored against Equestria. Baillaire Fillar opened it up on a free kick early, Karra Oveni had a brace, and then the dual wingers of Edith Fillar and Emilie Kruetzberg getting one apiece. A promising start as they lead the table after one matchday.
Next Match: vs. TJUN-ia (0-1) - TJUN-ia will be looking for their first points in the tournament and will definitely be a side to not be discounted. The Young Anomalies have put together a stellar first match - they just need to have it continue.

Part 1: (Un)welcome Surprises

the three.

In Chromatik football, they've shifted to having one or two AMs and side Wingers. However, in the U-21 ranks, they still use the 3-4-3, as the CCFA uses mostly traditional formations. This is a story about the three starting attackers on the squad.

Main Characters:
RW Emilie Kruetzberg, 20 - Z'ai'ai Institute of Technology (CMT)
Recognizable due to a magnificent mane of red hair, Emilie Kruetzberg is a dynamic playmaker who burst into the scene last season for the Hellcats. She is a swarmer, endlessly trying to be around the ball on the attacking end to tire out the defender and take the shot. She can be a tad overaggressive at times - she led the CCFA in offside calls last season - but she scores or contributes to scoring chances enough times to make up for it.

Amongst the three, she's the least experienced at the international level, and the shiest, preferring to let her actions on the field do most of the talking. She's learning lots from the other two in areas of confidence, patience, and knowing how to handle the spotlight.

ST Karra Oveni, 19 - Colonial Sile (VIL)
The model Chromatik striker of the new school, that is, the supportive striker, Oveni is someone who doesn't mind getting by on rebounds and letting other positions have a chance at goals. She can take over games by her persistent presence in front of the goal and her ability to work with other playmakers.

Amongst the three, she's the most easy-going, friendly, and good-natured. She's one of the only close friends that Edith Fillar has. She does have a surprising competitive streak in her, though.

LW/LM Edith Fillar, 16 - Shamrock Cathair (AUD)
The youngest of the Fillars, Edith is the next coming of Megan Kelly, or the Chromatik winger who's short but can run circles around would-be defenders and take over the game due to where she is on the pitch. She may not be the quickest off the ball, but she has the relentlessness that has been present on many great Chromatik wingers. With the mindset of a drill sergeant who is definitely the strictest on herself, Edith's career is just beginning.

Edith is the most competitive, hard working, driven player on the squad, and the most intense of the Fillars. She can be a bit stand-offish, but that's only because she's so hell-bent on succeeding.

Minor Characters
RB Grayson Fillar, 20 - Cazadores Cathair (AUD) Older brother of Edith
AM Baillaire Fillar, 19 - Cazadores Cathair (AUD) Older sister of Edith
GK Van Enax, 21, Workers Union (GK) Starting Goalkeeper for the U-21 Squad
Claude Pare-Achel, 59 (ZWZ), Chromia Central College University (CMT) Manager
Mikhail Dushov, 56), Chromia Central College University (CMT) Assistant Manager

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Part 2: The Contest

All events of The Three happened before the DBC, during Training Camp

As it turned out, everyone's expectations came to pass. The Goalkeepers Coach turned out to be Juxon Fillar, Defenders Coach Henri de Aea, Midfielders Coach Enigma Armageddon, and Forwards Coach Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov. The four men of Chromatika's new Golden Generation came to spend time with their positional equivalents in the Di Bradini Cup roster. For a better part of three days, the players all split apart and focused on their skills.

There was a scrimmage scheduled on the fourth day, with mixed teams from the first and second lines playing a full match. The teams were as follows:

Team A: Enax; Everson - Nodis - Mixon; Stauffer - Larriet-Cortes - Aleksandrova - Andersen; Hawthorne - Oveni - Womack.
Team B: Bautista; Fillar, G. - Pettit - Bethea; Baum - Chung - Fillar, B. - Keel; Kruetzberg - Killian - Fillar, E.

Though Team B had three Fillars and Team A only had none, the teams fought to a 2-2 draw, with Gerry Hawthorne scoring a brace for Team A and Baillaire Fillar and Edith Fillar scoring a goal apiece. However, this was just the appetizer, with the main event coming up.

First, Van Enax, Lauree Bautista, and Raoul Carpathia went to the spot to try to stop the Penalties taken by Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov. Kuznetsov scored on all three attempts against Bautista and Carpathia, but Enax was able to punch his second attempt away to win the contest and tickets for four to an Anomalies home game of his choice. As Bautista and Carpathia congratulated Enax, the three gathered together to go over what had gone right and what had gone wrong. This wasn't a surprise - the Goalkeepers, being that there were only three of them in the first place, were pretty close with each other and knew how to work together.

Then, Enigma Armageddon took his time trying to get by every defender on a one-on-one scenario, with it being stated that marking and playing man-to-man was only one part of a defender's arsenal. The two most apt at this proved to be Grayson Fillar and Mickie Everson, as Nodis and Mixon are more offensive defensive backs, Bethea overcommits a bit too much, and Pettit is more of a glue than a hammer. It took three overtimes for Grayson Fillar to beat out Mickie Everson, but it showed just how much depth Chromatika has at the Right Back position. Enigma commented that the two - and the rest of the six defenders - should keep practicing, especially against players like Baillaire and Emilie who would really go at them.

This was followed by the midfielder test - try to get by Henri de Aea, one of the better center backs in Chromatik history. Five of the eight players failed outright, with Baillaire Fillar, Regina Stauffer, and Moreno Keel being the only ones to go by de Aea even once. To everyone's surprise, it would be Regina Stauffer that would win the competition, as she used her height and size advantage to get by de Aea one more time than Baillaire Fillar. Well done, Stauffer.

Finally, the six forwards came to the penalty box to face off against Juxon Fillar with the entire squad watching. Everyone knew just how serious Edith took penalty kicks, and they weren't going to miss out on her having to face Juxon three times.

Before the competition began, Juxon Fillar asked the crowd, "Anyone else want to enter who isn't a forward?"

Edith visibly groaned just before she heard the answer that she simply knew would happen.

"I'm in!" shouted Baillaire Fillar, lightly prancing in. The ensuing gasps and guffaws were met by a smile from Juxon, who just simply nodded. It made sense for the Attacking Midfielder to participate, after all.

"Anyone else?" inquired Juxon. Nobody else stepped up.

First Try
LW Ladonna Womack - Known as a header and not much else, Womack committed too fast to the left, which Juxon read like a book. TRIES: 1, SUCCESS: 0
ST Hank Killian - Killian, a decent enough fundamental shooter, decided to go for the top left. Unfortunately, Kuznetsov's right arm was just enough to punch the ball out. TRIES: 1, SUCCESS: 0
RW Gerry Hawthorne - Hawthorne seemed a bit too hyped before he took to the spot. His shot went over the upper post, and he held his head in his hands. TRIES: 1, SUCCESS: 0
AM Baillaire Fillar - Always with some flair, Baillaire stutter-stepped before getting to the ball, and used her left foot to hit it to the right. That last-moment change of feet confused Juxon, and the ball slid into the goal. TRIES: 1, SUCCESS: 1
ST Karra Oveni - Oveni's shot was with power and precision, and though Fillar got a hand on it, the ball was too strong, leading to it bulldozing through. TRIES: 1, SUCCESS: 1
RW Emilie Kruetzberg - Was a bit too obvious with her take, with Juxon reading it all the way through. TRIES: 1, SUCCESS: 0
LW Edith Fillar - Edith's shot was clinical, to the upper right post. Juxon got there but was a split second too late to raise his hand. TRIES: 1, SUCCESS: 1

Starting the second try, those that had fallen behind went first, picked randomly in order.
Second Try
RW Emilie Kruetzberg - This time, Kruetzberg's shot was low to the ground and off-speed, which absolutely caught Juxon off guard. TRIES: 2, SUCCESS: 1
ST Hank Killian - Killian's attempt was low and to the right, and Juxon was able to kick it out. TRIES: 2, SUCCESS: 0
LW Ladonna Womack - Womack continues to show her inaptitude in short shots, with her shot bouncing off the left post. TRIES: 2, SUCCESS: 0
RW Gerry Hawthorne - Composing himself, Hawthorne's next try was directly down the middle. Juxon wasn't able to read the obvious call, and it skipped in without much ceremony. TRIES: 2, SUCCESS: 1
ST Karra Oveni - Oveni went for the bottom right corner this time, and Juxon was able to get a finger on it. However, it deflected off his hand and into the net. TRIES: 2, SUCCESS: 2
AM Baillaire Fillar - Baillaire went for the straight confrontation this time, and Juxon was able to match her angle for angle, deflecting the shot with both hands. TRIES: 2, SUCCESS: 1
LW Edith Fillar - Edith's plan was to fake to the left and shoot to the right, but a missed step meant she just had to go for it midway through her run; Juxon was on task to parry it away. TRIES: 2, SUCCESS: 1

Third Try
LW Ladonna Womack - Womack saved face by going to the middle-left in what was the most likely-looking of penalties, and Juxon went the wrong way. She does get one in the end. TRIES: 3, SUCCESS: 1
ST Hank Killian - Killian, a bit disappointed in himself, took no prisoners with his last take, going full power into the shot that went through Juxon's right hand with no issues. TRIES: 3, SUCCESS: 1
LW Edith Fillar - Edith, knowing that she needed to make the shot and hope that Karra missed, went for a difficult penalty, aiming high and to the right corner. Though Juxon went the right way, the ball still ended up diagonally to the back of the net. TRIES: 3, SUCCESS: 2
AM Baillaire Fillar - Baillaire's shot was beautiful, but Juxon's gloves were better. In a picture-perfect save, his dive to the left was enough to contain the would-be score, and Baillaire exited the contest with only one success. TRIES: 3, SUCCESS: 1
RW Gerry Hawthorne - Hawthorne tried the same thing twice, and this time, Juxon was the wiser. TRIES: 3, SUCCESS: 2
RW Emlie Kruetzberg - Left corner, called shot, beautiful. Even Juxon couldn't do anything about this one. TRIES: 3, SUCCESS: 2
ST Karra Oveni - Oveni had one chance to take the title by going perfect against Chromatika's #1 keeper. After taking two steps, her shot slid neatly into the net past Juxon Fillar's outstretched arm. Game over. TRIES: 3, SUCCESS: 3

Karra Oveni was the champion, and Edith Fillar had to contend with the fact that she had lost a competition because of her brother's prowess.

She was oddly silent after bidding farewell to the positional Coaches at the end of the day, with Juxon telling her per usual to lighten up a bit. She promised, as per usual, and then walked off back to her dorm.

There would be more contests, more chances to prove herself down the road. This was just a minor setback, and the fact that the opposition was her brother didn't help. No, she'd be fine - and Karra deserved her moment in the spotlight.

None of them knew of the news that would hit their ears seven days before flying to Starblaydia.

[Eraman]

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Day 8 - Month 6 - Year 7

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SPORTS

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Lucky escape for the young Ebony Falcon at the Victory Park

Vecchio: The young Ebony Falcon was almost embarrassed by newcomer, Barhe after they only managed to get a narrow last-minute 2-1 victory in the Di Bradini Cup match at the Victory Park here just now.

In the match, Buang Ranawanya and Kasturi Ekayawan became the heroes for Eraman after scoring valuable goals for the team in the 88th and 90th minutes.

The action in the first half was dull as both teams failed to break the deadlock after no shot on target was able to be made by any of the players.

Barhe, led by Kwon Hyeong Mon, opened the scoring in the 64th minute through 17 years old striker, Seo Woong In.

Seo Woong In continued to be a thorn in the flesh for Eraman when he once again almost added to their suffering in the 69th minute, but his powerful shot just went past the young Ebony Falcon's goal.

Shocked by the goal, Eraman tried to bounce back through several opportunities but failed to end up in the form of a goal.

Eraman finally managed to score an equalizer in the 88th minute as a result of a goal through a header by Buang Ranawanya.

Luck was once again in favor of Eraman when Kasturi Ekayawan scored the winning goal for Eraman in the additional time to grab all three points.

The win put Eraman level on points with Chromatika and HUElavia who both won their respective opening matches. The young Ebony Falcon will take on the challenge of Equestria in the second match. For the record, Equestria was beaten 5-2 by Chromatika in their opening match.

[Graintfjall]

The answer is of course C-O-R-N-E-R.

For all Queen Niamh’s fretting, the Sunbeam’s voyage to Starblaydia had been blessedly uneventful. Larry had spent much of the voyage below deck, complaining at great length of her seasickness, leaving her cabin only for breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, tea, dinner, supper, and the occasional other “spot of repast”; the crew treated Burgle, Bunko and Hanna’s respective seasicknesses, which did not seem to abate every time the mess bell was rung, with much more sympathy. Jace proved a sturdy tillerotter and, when the winds in the Sea of Champions abated and the sails slack, oars were pulled out and the whole crew pitched in to help row until they found a current on the way in. Lissa and Amya spent much of their time in the rigging, bouncing around among the ropes and canvasses.

Jhanna was the strangest city any of them had ever seen: as they pulled into harbor, some kind of “gurt mechanickle fuzzybumble”, as Burgle eloquently put it, flew overhead. Signing off lading proved difficult when the electronic scanner wouldn’t recognize any of their pawprints: the best fit proved to be one of Larry’s hindpaws, which she gamely supplied, hoisting herself upside down and rather inelegantly splaying a leg into the face of the bemused customs officer. Given some of the strangenesses they saw on the street, perhaps it was unsurprising that no one seemed to take great notice of them. Starblaydia had seen elves, and robots, and a giant courgette, in its time: a few otters and some hedgehogs chuckling that the ‘decoy barrel’ had worked as they rolled another dark barrel along the street towards their hotel were practically de rigueur.

The officials at the Ministry had supplied with a schedule and itinerary, and they’d discovered they were to play their first game against Pemecutan at a place called Foundation Road, which turned out to be the largest building anyone of them had ever seen. “I wonder how many monks live here!” asked a shocked Bavan; the rather more down-to-earth Krill’s first priority was finding the no-doubt well stocked cellars. They went off in search of them but were only able to find a changing room, where Señor Chacuzca was waiting for them with kits passed through his shrink ray. They proved a fairly good fit, although he hadn’t reckoned on the need for tail holes, and looked rather appalled as Larry set about them with her immense chompers, gnawing holes for those who needed them. They couldn’t find a pair of gloves to fit Burgle – a shrink ray was the last thing he needed for his huge paws – but he assured Señor Chacuzca that he was “not gurtly afeared” of his paws coming to harm against “yon harmless little ball, boo hurr!”

Señor Chacuzca ran through some tactics with them. Because of their considerable size disadvantage, he enjoined them that possession was going to be key. They needed to control the ball, and make the opposition work very hard to get it back. He was happy with passing back defensively rather than giving it away, something neither Dimpy or Ginger seemed to like the sound of, though neither speak up for fear of being seen to agree with the other. The animals were less receptive when he brought out an energy drink for them to try. “I’ll stick with me dandelion ‘n’ burdock fizz, thank ee matie,” said Krill, slapping his tail powerfully on the floor of the changing room. “Just the thing to wash down a half dozen of Jessi’s arrowhead and hazelnut cheese scones!”

Before the team headed out, there was one final thing. The animals gathered around as Molly said a prayer:

We give thanks to the Sunbeam,
Our faithful little ship.
We’re here to play as a team,
Bound by our great friendship.
May the weather shine fair,
And the ball fly true.
Let’s all of us share,
In the good works we do.
And when the game is done,
And we’ve given all we can.
Before the setting of the sun…

“Let’s have Jessi bake another flan!” cut in Larry’s voice.

The team giggled as they turned to run out onto the field. Only the serious little Kit lingered behind, reaching up to tug at Señor Chacuzca’s sleeve.

“What does that flag mark?” enquired the little mouse curiously. The animals were used to playing on a rough, unmarked pitch. The brightly coloured flags on the field were new to them.

In Tequiloan-accented Græntfjaller Señor Chacuzca, explained that it was the corner flag, and that his tactical plan for defending them was to have Duskborn hold down the centre of defence while Jed played as more of a zonal marker…

But Kit’s eyes had already fogged over. Corner! He understood Marteinn’s riddle at last!

---

The final whistle blew sharply. Burgle sat in goal covering his face with his massive paws, embarrassed at his mistake that had let Duwanibala Padurbansa score his second goal of the game to cancel out Lissa’s acrobatic strike. It had not been a great night for the shortsighted mole, who’d also scored an own goal when his own somewhat less acrobatic attempt at jumping to catch the ball had ended with him palming the ball into their own net. Some of the players felt 2 – 2 was a fair result and were exchanging kind words and meadowcream pie recipes with the Pemecutan players.

Burgle looked up when a kindly paw touched his shoulder. Smiling down at him was Duskborn’s calm visage. The stoical young badger helped the mole up to his hindpaws. “Come on, Burgle, Kit has something he needs your help with!”

“Gurr, oi’m sure maister Kit be better offen without moi gurt silly old paws,” moped Burgle.

“Actually, your paws are exactly what he needs,” said Duskborn encouragingly. Kit had explained things to him at half time, but Duskborn had advised the mouse to wait until the end of the game to start digging up the pitch. With the final whistle blown, Kit was now in the process of assembling a digging crew at each corner flag. Bunko was at one, Hanna at another, while at the third, Tumbles was furiously scratching at the earth. At the fourth, Kem, Bavan, and Molly were trying to help their mousefriend, but their small paws could barely break the surface of the pitch. Burgle wiped tears from his eyes as he approached and immediately ushered them to stand back with gentle pushes of his paws.

“Stand ee back yon mouserfriends,” he said. And he began singing a familiar mole digging song as his paws burrowed deep into the pitch and began spraying soil up behind him.

Oi bain’t no bird floi’in’ hoigh,
An oi bain’t no fish, swimmin’ deep.
I’m a trencher mole, and so say oi,
Yon loam and urth up shall oi heap!

In moments, the three mice were half buried beneath a shower of soil. Burgle’s stubby little tail was all that could be seen of him as he dug his full height deep into the earth. And suddenly announced:

“Burr, best tell zurr Kit oi moight ‘ave found summat…”

Ignoring the outreached yells of the Starblaydi groundskeepers who’d begun to notice what was happening, Kit came chasing up, with Jessi hard on his heels.

“What is it? Is it the sword?” he asked urgently.

“Bain’t no sword,” said Burgle. A paw appeared from the hole, clutching something. “Summat written but oi bain’t got moi reading glasses on…”

Kit snatched the scroll from his paw gratefully. “Thanks Burgle, you found the next clue!”

The mole graciously accepted the praise, glad he was able to help the team somehow despite his poor performance in the game.

“Zurr Burgle be Foremole in no toime,” said Bunko, who’d come up to join his friend. Hanna offered similar praise and a kiss on Burgle’s nose that reduced the mole to stammering, paw-wringing blushes.

Meanwhile, Kit was examining the paper carefully.

“What does it say?” asked Duskborn gently.

He handed the paper off to Duskborn. The mice and the moles crowded around the badger as he looked at the strange riddled.

You throw me out when you need me,
And gather me in when my use is at an end.
The sword of Marteinn you wish to see,
So to my resting’s place I shall thee send!

Duskborn scratched his head contemplatively.

“Burr, ee diggin’ a gurt ‘ole and all ee be foinding bee silly woirds!” chucked Bunko.

“They’re not silly words,” said Jessi, smiling quietly. “They tell us where to look next!”

Everyone turned to her expectantly.

Where?

[Valanora]

This is your MD2 cutoff for the Starblaydia half

Matchday 2

Group E
Bollonich 1–1 Savojarna
Græntfjall 1–2 Tumbra
Starblaydia 4–1 Pemecutan

P Group E              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tumbra                 2   2  0  0    3   1  +2    6
2 Bollonich              2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
3 Starblaydia            2   1  0  1    4   2  +2    3
4 Græntfjall             2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1
5 Savojarna              2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
6 Pemecutan              2   0  1  1    3   6  −3    1

Group F
HUElavia 1–0 Barhe
Equestria 1–2 Eraman
TJUN-ia 2–2 Chromatika

P Group F              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eraman                 2   2  0  0    4   2  +2    6
2 HUElavia               2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
3 Chromatika             2   1  1  0    7   4  +3    4
4 TJUN-ia                2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
5 Barhe                  2   0  0  2    1   3  −2    0
6 Equestria              2   0  0  2    3   7  −4    0

Group G
Cabo Azure 4–2 Lathamford
Xanneria 2–2 Tikariot
Kohnhead 2–4 Baker Park

P Group G              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cabo Azure             2   2  0  0    8   3  +5    6
2 Baker Park             2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
3 Tikariot               2   0  2  0    3   3   0    2
4 Xanneria               2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1
5 Lathamford             2   0  1  1    3   5  −2    1
6 Kohnhead               2   0  0  2    3   8  −5    0

Group H
Krytenia 0–0 Abanhfleft
Lisander 0–0 Juvencus
Darmen 3–4 Bahía Roja

P Group H              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Krytenia               2   1  1  0    7   4  +3    4
2 Abanhfleft             2   1  1  0    2   0  +2    4
3 Lisander               2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
4 Bahía Roja             2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
5 Juvencus               2   0  1  1    0   2  −2    1
6 Darmen                 2   0  0  2    7  11  −4    0

[Tumbra]

GRÆNTFJALL 1-2 TUMBRA

TMB (4-3-3): 1 - Jones; 18 - Finney, 4 - Kerr, 14 - Wyatt (20 - Hamilton, 84'), 3 - Mercurio; 6 - Harrison, 16 - Robertson (23 - Finnemore, 74'), 10 - Monaghan; 7 - Wells (17 - McGarry, 65'), 9 - Crossley; 11 - Riordan

TMB scorers: Lynne Crossley (13', 56')

Player of the Match: Lynne Crossley (TMB)

Link to arc home
defender meets midfielder: season 3, part 3
the journalist

EXPLANATORY OOC NOTES

Richard Cassidy is the Head of Sales at Straton Football Club, and the closest thing the club has to a Director of Football. In the previous season, he was the one notably in charge of negotiations with Whiting for Stephen's contract; and, well, suffice it to say that said negotiations didn't go to well.

There's a part in this which works best if you read it in the strongest Italian accent possible. Don't worry — you'll know it when you see it.

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Straton

“I am once again asking you to lower your price. Six million for Stephen is way too high — both of us know this, Mr. Cassidy, and I must ask you to lower your asking price.”

“Unfortunately, John — may I call you John? — we cannot. This price, we feel, is fair for someone of Stephen’s potential and age.”

“You set this price to drive everyone away.”

“If nobody bids for him, then, well, it is the market at work.”

“You’ll be lumbered with a defender who wants nowt more to do with your club and who will leave, regardless, at the end of his contract. If you lower the asking price, to say, two million, then you can get two million for him. Everyone will pay two million.”

“We don’t just want two million for him.”

Whiting sighed in exasperation. “But you will agree that the price you set is too high?”

“I said earlier that six million is fair. We will go no lower. Already we have rejected a bid from Lakewood United of merely two million.”

“You need the money more than you need Stephen.”

“Incorrect. We will take either.”

“Seems like we’re not making much progress. We’ll talk again soon.”

“Farewell, then, John.”

---

The house emptied steadily over the next few days. Bertram and Sylvia had left for Serrapince; and Stephen had to continually reassure them that no, he didn’t want to go to Serrapince to spend a few weeks even though there was almost no chance that they were in for him anymore. John had largely left him alone; evidently the agent knew that Stephen was in need of some alone time.

And he’d embraced it. It’d been quiet in the Kerr household, and Stephen took full advantage. Training hadn’t begun yet — though, understandably, Stephen was in no mood to go anyway. So he spent his days waking up late, gaming, going out on trips after dinner...long trips after dinner where he’d take the first bus that arrived and got off as he wished. Often he returned home after one in the morning.

What happened on those walks? Clad in a black hoodie, vanity spectacles and a face mask (he often coughed to pretend he was feeling ill), these long trips on buses, trams and trains often gave him the ability to, well, think. Think about his future. Here he was then, at the end of another one of those trips, making the long walk down to his house. No, he couldn’t drive yet; the cost of getting a drivers’ license in Tumbra was often obscenely expensive, and he had no wish to waste money.

Both Tumbran clubs that were in for him weren’t going to. Lakewood United’s pitiful bid of two million would be rejected immediately, of course; and Serrapince had just dropped ten million on Hermaeus Mora. The rest of the Big Six hadn’t expressed interest; and anywhere else would be a step down. It was a dead end, domestically at least.

Abroad?

Abroad, where he’d have to adapt to a new country, a new environment? Out of Tumbra, where he’d spent most of his life? Leaving his family behind, for a new start in some foreign country? And who would even go in for him? Tumbra’s league had only just entered the IFCF competitions. He was nowhere near high profile enough to gain moves to high profile places. It wasn’t a situation he wanted to find himself in — and more and more, he was beginning to regret his forceful attitude towards the entire situation. Maybe I shouldn’t have done this. Maybe I should’ve waited..

How’d the negotiations go?

No budging. They seem intent on the six million. Looks like your bridges are burnt, Stephen.

Where else can I go?

I’m working on something, Stephen. Promise. Keep your head down.

Bastards. Every time his motivation wavered, he’d turn on the television, read something on Aurora Sports, see something about himself being “ungrateful” or “greedy” and it’d just disappear. Was it really that bad to ask for first-team wages if he was playing for the first team?

The only good bit of news was the email from the TFF notifying him that he’d been selected for the squad for the upcoming Di Bradini Cup. It was nice to know that at least someone in football was looking out for him. Then again, given that there had been several calls for him to be lifted straight to the senior squad, perhaps it was still a bit underwhelming.

Whatever. The news was good. Being able to fly out to Starblaydia, focus on playing football, try and add a Di Bradini Cup — one of the hardest trophies in international football to win — to his shelf. No need to focus on contracts, salary, transfers to other clubs, whatever. Being able to reunite with Trudy on the pitch would be a good thing, too.

Trudy…

They hadn’t talked much. Again. It was a bad habit of his, letting their conversations fall by the wayside. But he missed her, still. Always was happier by her side, and even though he had to cut short their time in Chromatika together, he never felt as if she’d begrudged him that. After all, it was she who’d encouraged him to focus on his career. To hold him in Chromatika when his career in Tumbra needed attending to would be hypocritical of herself, after all.

Sure, they’d argued, especially after the Opening Ceremony and, well, other times, but they never felt as if their friendship would be torn apart by those arguments. They cared for each other, genuinely. He swiped past pictures of them in Lhor, Sanar, Chromia...and felt a smile on his face. Those were good times.
As he approached his house, though, he noticed a difference in the neighbourhood. There was a...yellow car sitting in the cul-de-sac that marked the Kerr household, amongst many others. Stephen didn’t talk to his neighbours much, but he knew that none of them owned a small, yellow, almost vintage-looking car.

Then he was tapped on the shoulder from behind, and Stephen Kerr — who was known for his composure and unflappability on the pitch — screamed.

---

Chromia

Once again Trudy Harrison found herself standing outside Jannick Kontiola’s office. There was a bit of hesitation, of course — he was her manager, after all, and the last time they’d met, she’d made a very brave suggestion to Kontiola — to sign her compatriot and friend, Stephen Kerr.

But this time, she knocked, confidently, and walked inside.

“Trudy! It’s good to see you. Have a seat, have a seat,” the shrewd manager welcomed Trudy. “I wanted to update you on, well, several things.”

Trudy took a seat opposite the Quebecois manager. His office was cluttered, of course, but it gave off an atmosphere of home.

“Tea?”

Trudy gratefully nodded, once more. Kontiola, it seemed, was a great appreciator of tea, and his brews were...perfection. One day she’d have to ask him what kinds of tea he used — but since Quebec & Shingoryeo was a major producer of the drink, she suspected she didn’t have to wait long to have that question answered.

“Now, I think there’s one thing that you’re most interested in...let me see if I can find the folder...here it is.” Kontiola withdrew the manila folder from a drawer in his desk. It had evidently passed many hands; and there were now many more pieces of paper inside it.

“Well, I received this just yesterday. I didn’t want to spoil it for myself, of course, so I decided to invite you here to read it along with me. I figured that since you were the one who recommended him, you’d want to know the results of the whole...scouting report. Let’s see…”

He flipped open the manila folder, past a few pages, and a singular eyebrow cocked up while reading a particularly long paragraph. Trudy’s heart in this moment seemed to want to leap out of her chest and onto the table — that was how hard it was beating. Would it happen? Would Chromatik sanction a move for her best friend?

“In the opinion of the scouting team, it is, we think, a great identification on the part of whomever recommended Stephen Kerr. We have examined his statistics when playing for both Straton Football Club and on the under-18 national team, and we feel he would be a great buy for the future and as a backup for now. We feel that we should keep an eye out on him, particularly his current situation…”

He glanced back up at Trudy. “Surely you can tell me more?”

“Well, uh, Stephen wants to leave. Club wouldn’t offer him a contract based on the terms he’s, well, really entitled to. I mean, they wanted to pay him ten thousand a week for a starting position on one of Tumbra’s biggest clubs!”

“That is a travesty, indeed.”

“But I don’t think he’s in it for the money, Coach. He just wants to play somewhere he’ll be respected.”

“I see. Yes, I think the report puts it well here too.” He looked back at the report and continued reading from it. “In short, we feel that should his asking price be lowered to somewhere along the lines of three million, then the club should put in a bid. As of right now, the rumours that his club are unwilling to part ways with him and have put an unreasonable asking price on him seem to be salient. But if the club decides to let him go, then Chromatik should go in for him at the earliest opportunity — already there are rumours that clubs all around the world are interested in him. Rating 92/100.”

“Is...is that good?” enquired Trudy meekly.

“Ninety-two is good. Excellent! It’s a great number. I think the main reservation that the scouting team has right now is merely the asking price — and I think we are rather confident that will be lowered — and that of his wages. Which, you’ve assured me, is no big deal as long as we offer him something that’s fitting for him”

Trudy felt her heart slow down a bit. She bit her lip before speaking. “So...does that mean…?”

“Yes, Trudy. I think we’ve found ourselves our first-choice target for the new centre-back of Chromatik.”

---

Straton

The scream Stephen Kerr let out didn’t wake up the whole neighbourhood, thankfully — after all, it was 11pm at night, and the sleepy suburb was nearly almost all asleep — but the hand that tapped him immediately withdrew — as if in shock of its own.

“Mannaggia! Jesus, you scream-a like one of those suckling pigs! Cosa sei, pazzo? Do you do that to everyone who says hello to you on the street?”

Stephen turned around, to see the figure had taken a few steps back, reeling in shock. “Who-who the fuck are you?”

“Me? You don’t know me? Everybody knows me!”

“I’m going to call the fucking police if you don’t tell me who you are right this moment!”

“Right-a, right, Okay. We calm down, yes? No need to call la polizia over this little misunderstanding, yes. You are Stephen, si? Stephen Kerr? Big, famous defender?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say big, or famous - Hey, what’s it to you?”

“Right, I haven’t properly introduced myself yet. My name is Francesco Raviolo. Everybody knows me.” The man let out a big smile, and took out a name card. He proffered it to Stephen, but Stephen didn’t take it. He was still extremely suspicious of the man who, less than a minute ago, had made him think he was about to be murdered.

“Clearly not me. I’ve never heard of you in my life.”

“That is a-nonsensico! Everyone on twii.tur has heard of me. I am a reporter. Specifically, I report on transfers. You have heard of my famous catchphrase, yeah? On the way?”

“No.”

“Aw come on, that is impossible! Everyone on twii.tur —”

“That’s your mistake, then; I don’t have a twii.tur account.”

“Ah. Well, then, friend —”

“I’m not your friend.”

“Well, signor, it is time for us to be introduced to each other.”

“How can I be sure that you’re not here to kill me?”

“Relax, eh! I kill nobody. I am just a humble journalist, but today I come here because I want to talk to you. You are very famous, Stephen, on football twii.tur. Very famous. Very polarising.”

“That last one does not sound like a good thing.”

“Well, it is twii.tur. You are either polarising or everybody hates you, there is no alternative. Come, take my name card. It proves that I am who I am, and that I am not here to, as you say, kill you.” He proffered the soft pink card again between two fingers. Stephen reluctantly stepped forward again and took it, and glanced at it slightly.

LA GAZZETTA DELLO CALCIO
56 Via del Giovanni Fusilli, Barilla, Grande Cucina

FRANCESCO RAVIOLO
Sports Correspondent, La Gazzetta Dello Calcio

Phone: +3981...
Email: francescoraviolo@gazzettadellocalcio.kgoomail.com
Twii.tur: @francescoraviolo

“So you’re a reporter?”

“Si, si, like I have been trying to tell you for the past ten minutes.”

“So why are you here today?”

“Because I want to talk to you. About your future.”

“I’ve talked with enough people over the past few days about that, and I’m really not in the mood to talk about it any more.”

“No, you misunderstand me. When I hear you say ’I want to stay in Tumbra’, it breaks my heart, you know? Because that is impossible. Straton, they say six million, but I tell you, they will not let you go even if someone meets that price. They are intent on keeping you from a domestic rival. If you are going to leave, you must leave Tumbra as well.”

“Yeah, I know. Not like they’ll be moving in for me, anyway.”

“But you do not know how many clubs are interested in you, overseas. It is frankly amazing how many clubs look at you, and they say, I want that player on my team. Everywhere.”

“Everywhere?”

“Si.”

“Tell me more.” Stephen’s interest had been piqued. How much had John been keeping from him, how much interest was he garnering? A sudden rush of hope began to flood his heart again, even if it meant that he wouldn’t be able to move to another club within Tumbra.

“No, this is not the place for it. I bring you somewhere. Authentic Grande Cucinan food. You will like it, I guarantee.”

“At this hour?”

“You are surely hungry, no? There is always time for Grande Cucinan food. It is the best in the world. I guarantee you, even if you are not hungry now, once you go to Vinny’s you will be. All you need to do is follow me. And don’t worry, I will pay.”

“You sure?”

“You Tumbrans, all the same. Someone says they will pay for your meal and immediately they are interested.”

“Hey —”

Francesco began walking back to his car, unlocking and opening the door of the stumpy yellow car. It whirred to life, emitting smoke from the exhaust; but there was something distinctly vintage about it all, and something that distinctly fit Francesco. “You coming?”

Even if this was a madman, a free meal wouldn’t hurt. Stephen was feeling a bit hungry, after all. He relaxed, and began walking towards the car.

“Yeah.”

Maybe, just maybe, things were looking up for him.

---

TUMBRA vs STARBLAYDIA - DI BRADINI CUP 51, MATCHDAY 3
Starters: 1 - Jones; 2 - Renton, 4 - Kerr, 5 - Pritchett, 19 - Green; 6 - Harrison, 15 - Morris, 10 - Monaghan; 17 - McGarry, 9 - Crossley; 11 - Riordan
Substitutes: 12 - Ager, 13 - Russell; 18 - Finney, 14 - Wyatt, 20 - Hamilton, 3 - Mercurio; 8 - Lawrence, 16 - Robertson, 23 - Finnemore; 7 - Wells, 21 - Baker; 22 - Hardaker