World Cup 89 - Roleplay Thread

by **South Newlandia** » Fri Sep 03, 2021 10:18 am

WORLD CUP 89 - ROLEPLAY THREAD

The World Cup Finals. 32 teams arrive in Tikariot and South Newlandia. Who will take home the title?

Pots:

Groups:

Groups A-D (ICly in South Newlandia, scorinated by Tikariot)

Group A
South Newlandia (24)
Ethane (34)
Squidroidia (53)
Brenecia (16)

Group B
Pemecutan (55)
Krytenia (32)
Commonwealth of Baker Park (10)
Turori (2)

Group C
Kelssek (13)
Vdara (41)
The Holy Empire (1)
Twicetagria (27)

Group D
Eura (23)
Nephara (3)
Kandorith (45)
Chromatika (14)

Groups E-H (ICly in Tikariot, scorinated by South Newlandia)

Group E
Tikariot (19)
Tumbra (61)
Omerica (36)
Pasarga (9)

Group F
Ko-oren (12)
Audioslavia (7)
Electrum (43)
Mercedini (25)

Group G
Polkopia (115)
Starblaydia (6)
Cassadaigua (8)
Graintfjall (21)

Group H
Zwangzug (30)
Mytanija (38)
Valanora (4)
Farfadillis (11)

Schedule:

7th of October – Group draw (7 pm UTC)
12th of October – MD1 (1v4, 2v3)
14th of October – MD2 (4v3, 1v2)
16th of October – MD3 (2v4, 3v1)
19th of October – Round of 16/Octofinals [A1-B2, B1-A2, C1-D2, D1-C2, E1-F2, F1-E2, G1-H2, H1-G2]
21st of October – Quarterfinals [O1-O3, O2-O4, O5-O7, O6-O8]
23rd of October – Semifinals [Q1-Q2, Q3-Q4]
25th of October – 3PPO
26th of October – World Cup 89 final

Cutoff times (please pay close attention to those - your time will switch once at the halfway break!):

South Newlandia: between 7-8 PM UTC (3-4 PM EDT)
Tikariot: between 3-4 am UTC (11-midnight EDT)
Cutoff times will be on the given day in EDT, which may be early the next morning in UTC or other timezones.

RP Info:

As promised in our bid, we are going to include some guidance and examples for roleplays to make the entire process a bit more transparent.
For starters, the old saying “quality over quantity” is still valid. What we mean by this is that a long roleplay is not necessarily good, and short, well-written ones will probably get a better grade than long, poorly-written ones. What we’re trying to say is - don’t just write words for the sake of having more words, that does not work.
Another very important thing is to point out that there is no set formula for what to roleplay about. Many users roleplay about the matches themselves, or about the match and stories behind it, and obviously it’s worth pointing out that it is what we’re here for, you can also work into your narrative stories unrelated to football, wars, or entirely different things. The possibilities are endless.
It’s important to point out that those roleplays largely come from experienced, often well-decorated users. You don’t need to be an experienced roleplayer to achieve good grades. New users are just as capable of writing good match reports and good storylines, as evidenced by these two roleplays that would also score highly for us.

On another note, we would also like to warn you that the moment this thread is posted, we start to grade rosters and roleplays. If you want to edit your roleplay and roster after having posted it, we may have already started grading it. If you already know you’re going to edit your roleplay later, please attach a note in your post (or wait with the post altogether). If you edit your post unexpectedly and want to make sure we see the edit, please feel free to message us on Discord or via telegram.

by **Tikariot** » Fri Sep 03, 2021 10:18 am

Tikariot at a glance

Tikariot is a nation in Rushmore of approximately 49 million people, bordering The Kytler Peninsulae to the west, Græntfjall to the north, Weatherdon to the northeast and Nyowani Kitara to the southeast. Its 15 provinces stretch from Nordic and partially tundra climates in the north eastern province of Viljamark to hot and humid Acrassia in the far west and the tropical Cardannon Archipelago, with both majestic mountain ranges and fertile grasslands providing for a big variety of industries. Despite having a thriving economy, Tikariotian businesses are bound by strict environmental laws to preserve the country for generations to come.

Tikariot's by far biggest and most popular sport is football, with the Tikariotian Premier League as its highest level with the national team also enjoying some nice successes, winning the first edition of the IFC, reaching the quarter finals of the Baptism of Fire 73 and qualifying for the group stages of both World Cup 87 and 88, even advancing to the Round of 16 after winning their group at WC87.

Before you arrive

While being a quite liberal country, there are some restrictions on what is allowed to be brought into the country. Hard drugs are forbidden as are any kind of weapons or endangered animals (dead or alive). Alcohol and tobacco can be brought into the country in limited quantities. It is also advised you familiarize yourself with the climate of the region(s) you travel to as the weather and temperatures can be very different.

Main port of entry is Port Rhovanyon International Airport, also the hub for Tikariot Owlways, with Alcassar and Tikariot City the two other major airports.

Getting around

Tikariot is a fairly large country, but has a very well developed transportation network. Tikariot Owlways operates several daily flights between all provincial capitals with some provincial subsidiaries taking care of flights to smaller destinations. There also is a high-speed train network connecting the larger cities, mostly powered by solar energy, making them a viable alternative to aviation. Most big cities have very well developed public transit with both underground and light rail trains, buses, bike rentals and more, encouraging Tikariotians to leave their cars at home. In the more rural areas trains and buses will connect with smaller communities as well.

Wildlife

Large parts of Tikariot are wilderness, be it the large forests of Viljamark, the plains of Taeria or the subtropical forests of the Emerald Coast. There are clearly marked roads and paths in these areas, straying from them could result in encounters with wild life, friendly or hostile, the worst of which is the dangaroo. Breaking environmental laws is met with strict fines, especially in designated natural park areas.

Cuisine

The Tikariotian cuisine is as diverse as its climate, ranging from hearty Nordic stews and roasts in Viljamark and Xark to the exotic dishes of Acrassia. Street foods are an important staple of Tikariot, with vendors selling all kinds of delicacies off carts or take-out windows. The diversity also has seen an influx of vegetarian and vegan options, so almost any tourist should be able to find something to their liking.

Cities and stadiums
Oceanview Stadium (Port Rhovanyon, Rhovannyr), Capacity 63,000
The Oceanview Stadium is part of Port Rhovanyon's Sports City complex on the city's waterfront, which unites several sports venues, including the baseball stadium Oceanview Park as well as a multi-sports dome housing the Port Rhovanyon Kraken (Tikariot Hockey League) and Port Rhovanyon Attack (Tikariot Lacrosse League). The Oceanview Stadum is the home of reigning Tikariot Premier League champions Port Rhovanyon AFC and is a modern all-amenities arena with great acoustics to intensify the atmosphere.

Port Rhovanyon is the capital of Tikariot and is located at the edge of Rhovanyon Bay. Other than being the political centre of the country, it also is one of its busiest and most important sea ports, playing a major role in the export of Tikariotian products and resources. The old town around the harbour is a major tourist destination and is a designated "Area of Special Interest" with very tight regulation concerning construction to ensure the integrity of the historic quarters. The city also serves as transportation hub for the highspeed trains, going west to Morannon, north to Oriannor and west to Tikariot City.

MD 1: Tumbra - Omerica (Group E)
MD 2: Pasarga - Omerica (Group E)
MD 3: Tumbra - Pasarga (Group E)
Round of 16: G1 - H2
Semifinal

Dragonscrest Stadium (Port Tacassam, Acrassia), Capacity 79,000
Located in the Acrassian port city of Port Tacassam, the Dragonscrest Stadium is one of Tikariot's architectural marvels when it comes to sports venues. Due to the often hot weather in Acrassia, the stadium has not only been built right into the north face of the impressive Dragonscrest Hill in the centre of the city for some protection against the searing sun, but also into the ground, making the concourse level with the surrounding area and a sunken in pitch, giving the stadium a unique feel, also due to the sheer rock face of Dragonscrest Hill towering over the south stands.

Port Tacassam is, as the name implies, another harbour on the east coast of Acrassia, facing the Gulf of Yavash. While always having stood in the shadow of Alcassar, also the Acrassian capital, to the west the city has carved out its own niche as one of Tikariot's two main shipyards together with Port Taras. There is not a lot of places of interest to the casual tourist other than the funicular up Dragonscrest Hill, which gives a great view over the city and the Gulf.

MD 1: Ko-oren - Mercedini (Group F)
MD 2: Ko-oren - Audioslavia (Group F)
MD 3: Electrum - Ko-oren (Group F)
Round of 16: E1 - F2

Dhaencunor Arena (Tikariot City, Dhaencunor), Capacity 84,000
The biggest of the four Copa Rushmori venues in Tikariot is the home to the Tikariot City FC. It is one of the most modern arenas in the country, with a retractable pitch that allows the arena to host other events such as concerts without any damage to the playing field. The arena facade is constructed of ERFE foil air panels that are kept inflated with dry air to a differential pressure of 3.5 Pa. The panels appear white from far away but when examined closely, there are little dots on the panels. When viewed from far away, the eye combines the dots and sees white. When viewed close up however, it is possible to see through the foil. Each panel can be independently lit with different colours. It also has integrated solar panels that power most of the stadium's electricity supply, making the Arena almost self-sufficient.

Tikariot City is the historic heart of Tikariot, with the citadel built on a rocky hill protruding into the Rhovanyon Bay at its centre. At the foot of the hill is the historic Old Town with many preserved buildings and the busy (and narrow) shopping street Fylkir's Lane, which is characterised by numerous high town houses side by side with its wrought iron guild signs. Many buildings contain picturesque passageways and courtyards. While a fairly large number of the historic residential house has been turned into commercial premises in recent decades, the Tikariot City administration has put strict laws into place to retain the street's authentic character.

MD 1: Tikariot - Pasarga (Group E)
MD 2: Tikariot - Tumbra (Group E)
MD 3: Omerica - Tikariot (Group E)
Round of 16: H1 - G2
Final

Citadel of the North (Fort Viljan, Viljamark), Capacity 40,000
Despite the "citadel" in its name, the Citadel of the North is not really a fortress, but an innovative stadium located in the Viljan capital of Fort Viljan. Home to second division Fort Viljan Northern FC it is located at the edge of Lake Viljan and has a very unique feature, which is heating underneath the seats powered by geothermal power, taking the bite off the often cold winds coming in from the lake.

Fort Viljan is a picturesque town on the edge of large Lake Viljan, which serves as border with Græntfjall, Weatherdon and Nyowani Kitara. The city stretches across seven islands that extend into Lake Viljan, giving it a unique flair and during winter, when the bay Fort Viljan is located on, freezes over, locals and tourists alike use the canals between the islands for skating. The city is also renowned for its ice sculpture festival that takes place on the frozen canals every January. On the biggest of the islands you can find the old Fort Viljan, which once was an outpost of Viljamark, built to withstand attacks. It now serves as a museum of Viljan history and culture and is a popular tourist attraction.

MD 1: Starblaydia - Cassadaigua (Group G)
MD 2: Græntfjall - Cassadaigua (Group G)
MD 3: Starblaydia - Græntfjall (Group G)

Mountain Fortress (Oriannor, Khazagh) Capacity 54,000
The Mountain Fortress in Oriannor is the home of the Tikariot Premier League's Oriannor Mountaineers. The aptly named stadium is considered one of the most impressive settings in Tikariotian football, with part of the stadium blasted out of the side of one of the many towering mountains of the Khazagh Range that completely surrounds the city. It is one of the rotating stadiums to host national team matches, the last of which to date had been the first leg of Tikariot's playoff brace against Drawkland for the qualification for World Cup 88. It is easily reachable via the Oriannor subway system, which is the likely most modern and advanced in all of Tikariot, and has received several awards for its integrated design making it seem almost one with the mountain from outside, but offering state-of-the-art facilities combined with truly majestic views.

Oriannor is the capital of Khazagh and the heart of Tikariotian mining, which is the lifeblood of both city and province, which is only rivalled in mineral richness by northwestern Viljamark. Due to its unique setting, Oriannor's appeal to tourists is theh way the city is built into the mountains and how it is adapted to its setting, other than obviously being a paradise for the mountaineers, of the mountaineering kind, obviously.

MD 1: Polkopia - Græntfjall (Group G)
MD 2: Polkopia - Starblaydia (Group G)
MD 3: Cassadaigua - Polkopia (Group G)
Quarterfinal

Paladon Park (Avanaroch, Paladon) Capacity 78,000
Avanaroch's Paladon Park is the home to the Avanaroch White Wings, who shockingly were relegated to the Tikariot Second League last season, but the stadium itself remains a top-notch facility, which has most recently seen a facelift in anticipation of the World Cup coming to town. The main architectural feature of the stadium in Samara is its metal dome, which has a minimal curve, rising above as a nearly flat surface, giving it a quite unique look. It also is the only stadium with a retractable roof.

Avanaroch itself is a city of opposites. On the one hand is the extensive old town, picturesque and historic, on the other hand it also has a very modern, futuristic New Town, which is the home of much of Tikariot's financial services. Throughout the centuries it also has maintained its status as multimodal traffic and goods hub just due to its location, serving as a distribution centre for cargo movements into and out of parts of Pavola.

MD 1: Audioslavia - Electrum (Group F)
MD 2: Mercedini - Electrum (Group F)
MD 3: Audioslavia - Mercedini (Group F)
Round of 16: F1 - E2

Jewel of the Coast (Carathyr, Emerald Coast) Capacity 72,000
The Jewel of the Coast is one of the older stadia in the league, located in Carathyr, capital of the Emerald Coast and home to the Carathyr Emeralds. It is not part of the high-tech, gleaming glass and steel generation, but rather exudes tradition and southern charm with its red brick exterior and arched entryways. The inside, however, still has all of the modern amenities one would come to expect from a World Cup calibre stadium, just not necessarily looking as modern.

Carathyr itself is Tikariot's biggest port and has been a major port in Rushmore for centuries past and likely centuries to come. It has long been a central for almost anything under the sun and has served as point of entry for both goods, merchants and travelers and has one of the most diverse populations of all of Tikariot as a consequence, which has translated into a very open and multi-faceted society and one of the, not only according to locals, best and most varied cuisines one can find, including a plethora of street vendors hawking foods from all across the multiverse.

MD 1: Zwangzug - Farfadillis (Group H)
MD 2: Farfadillis - Valanora (Group H)
MD 3: Mytanija - Farfadillis (Group H)
Quarterfinal

Temple of the Crow (Bul Khungur, Dhaencunor) Capacity 26,000
By far the smallest stadium of the eight, a Tikariotian World Cup without the Temple of the Crow would be unthinkable. Located in the quite remote mining town of Bul Khungur in the Dhaencunor province, the home of the Bul Khungur Miners is likely the most iconic stadium of the country, even beating Oriannor's Mountain Fortress. Mostly built out of black basalt, the Temple of the Crow at the outskirts of Bul Khungur is partially built into the side of a mountain, but with its steep and narrow stands it creates this dark, almost oppressive atmosphere, where each seat feels close to the pitch. Its most unique feature, however, is the large crow's head jutting out over the turnstiles that lead into the stadium proper, adding to the foreboding feeling.

Bul Khungur itself does not really have much that tourists could be interested in, having started out as a mining town and to this day still being a mining town, but there are plenty of accommodations close to the Temple of the Crow and both rail and bus terminals for fans traveling here for the games.

MD 1: Mytanija - Valanora (Group H)
MD 2: Zwangzug - Mytanija (Group H)
MD 3: Valanora - Zwangzug (Group H)

by **South Newlandia** » Fri Sep 03, 2021 10:18 am

WELCOME TO SOUTH NEWLANDIA

Map:

In a nutshell
South Newlandia is a small Esportivan island with about four million inhabitants, located approximately between the Nova Anglican Admin Zone of Esportiva, Tumbra, and Lisander. South Newlandia is known for democracy, elephants, regulated capitalism and environmentalism, and the friendly population, happy to help you out if you run into any problems.

Overview
In general, you can divide South Newlandia into a Southern and a Northern Part, each consisting of five general areas. You can reach a few of those directly with an airplane, via the airports in Elephant Valley, Walstreim and Newport, but for most of the areas, you will have to take an additional ship or train, or a bus. Fortunately for you, public transport is almost free in South Newlandia, while renting a car can be more expensive.

Your stay at the World Cup
South Newlandia is a very small country. Therefore, expect that for the average fan, getting a hotel room on short notice will be difficult, and tickets will definitely be in short supply. Remember that re-selling tickets for more than the original price is banned in South Newlandia, so if you see someone ripping people off, alert the authorities by dialling or texting 123.
Even if you can’t get a place in the stadiums (tickets will be divided 40%/40% between the two participating nations, with 20% being available to everyone else), that isn’t that big of a deal. In many spots around the country, opportunities to watch the games on a big screen, often outside, with hundreds or thousands of other fans. The atmosphere at those events is often almost as great as being in the stadium, and in many places, it’s completely free of charge.
If you need any help or assistance with anything, feel free to ask the populace for help. South Newlandians are known to be eager to help, as long as you follow a few basic rules, such as not being an embarrassment for everyone and not being a butthole. If you fail to clear this smallest of hurdles, you probably won’t have much luck getting help from the general public, but you can still get help by texting or dialling 321, where people are paid to deal with you. You can use this number to get all kinds of help and get answers to your questions. On an unrelated note, please don’t make North Newlandia jokes. Nothing bad will happen, but everyone has heard that one already.

Rules and Laws
If you plan to visit South Newlandia, there are a few things you should be aware of beforehand. Laws on imported goods are rather strict, and things you’d expect to not be allowed to take into other countries are usually banned in South Newlandia as well. Examples for this include dead animals, living people unwilling to enter and bombs of any kind. The same regulations will also apply if you go to leave the country again.
Special note should be made of South Newlandian drug laws. While all drugs, and this means all drugs, including alcohol and tobacco; are decriminalized in South Newlandia; this does not mean you are allowed to deal drugs. Selling or giving away drugs for any reason is strictly banned; this includes, again, alcohol and tobacco. However, you are allowed to take any drugs you want to without punishment, and are allowed to own any that are only for your own consumption. You are probably going to be treated like an addicted person though, so people might attempt to get you professional help to fight the addiction they perceive you to have. This is rare; most people are aware that different customs exist in other countries. In short, you are allowed to take any drugs into South Newlandia as long as you can convince officials that you aren’t addicted to them and do not intent to sell them.
Bribing South Newlandian officials is basically impossible; border control is a very well-paid job in South Newlandia. Otherwise, the South Newlandian legal system is similar to the legal systems of most other civilised places; with the exception that jails and prisons have been outlawed a few years ago.

Travel
Getting around inside South Newlandia isn’t a huge problem, it is often more difficult to arrive in the first place. That’s the case with all islands, but South Newlandia has rather few flights and ships exiting and entering, mostly because of environmental regulations. If you do arrive in South Newlandia, you are likely near the coast or even on an island now; your options are Elephant Valley, Newport, Walstreim, Kinjestad or Ineton.
When you arrive, the probably best options are the multiple high-speed trains that can get you almost everywhere in the country fairly quickly. Unless you want to go to a really remote place, you can probably expect your journey to your destination to take two hours at the very most. If you want to connect between two of the big cities, like from Walstreim to Ratzupalfu, you can expect it to be even quicker. If you don’t like trains, for some reason, there are also busses and cars to rent, but the streets aren’t always in perfect condition, and are far less convenient, to be honest.
Flights inland are banned in South Newlandia. If you want to be mobile within a city, you can rent bikes for free, or you can take the underground if you are in a bigger city and the bus if the city is smaller. There are also busses and rental cars in the bigger cities, but unless you really need to, we wouldn’t advise you to use them. The bus is slower than the underground, and the underground gets you pretty much everywhere within a city. Cars can get very inconvenient because they are banned in many areas, and where they aren’t, there are rarely any parking spots. Seriously, don’t try to drive a car in South Newlandia. Most of the citizens don’t either; a lot of them don’t even have a license.

Weather
The climate typically stays the same in South Newlandia throughout most of the year, with moderate winters and warm summers. In the places where games are hosted, temperatures around 20-25°C can be expected, and although it may rain a bit, there are no big storms forecast during the duration of the World Cup. Weather extremes of all kinds are rare, too; don’t expect any windstorms or floods or anything like that.

Animals
There are some wild animals in South Newlandia, but they will generally don’t disturb you if you don’t disturb them. Basically, just stay on the outlined paths in the forest and don’t do anything to anger animals, and you’ll be fine. Most of South Newlandias wild animals are friendly, like the elephants, for example; in the unlikely event that you meet a bear, probably the most dangerous animal you could meet in South Newlandia, in the woods, you should follow standard bear safety guidelines. In any emergency, you can call or text the number 123 to get immediate help, or the number 321 if you just need less urgent, but still important advice.

Cities and Stadiums

Elephant Valley

General
Elephant Valley, the capital of South Newlandia, makes up about an eighth of the country’s population. The city has relatively few skyscrapers, but is built over a large area instead. The city used to be more industrial, but is mostly focusing on providing entertainment for the rest of the country; most of the biggest media outlets, like the “Elephant Valley Mail” or “South Newlandia One” are having their headquarters here, but there is also a lot of other IT-related industry here.

Sports
Elephant Valley is the centre of South Newlandian sports. They had two elite soccer teams between Elephant Valley FC and the Valley Wanderers, still have two elite baseball teams in the Homers and United, and are also the host of most South Newlandian home games in baseball and soccer. Additionally, Gridiron football is bigger nowhere than in Elephant Valley, home of the national team and the NSCF team Elephant Valley University Red Elephants.

Other attractions
Other than sports, Elephant Valley is by all accounts the heart of South Newlandian politics and culture. The South Newlandian government, a common sight to visit, is here, as well as some parts of the administration of the Esportivan Union. Elephant Valley also has multiple large universities, with the Elephant Valley Science Institute and Elephant Valley Sports College next to the aforementioned EVU. Other sights to visit in Elephant Valley include the biggest water park in the nation, as well as a massive statue of an Elephant painted in the colours of South Newlandia.

The people
Like in most of South Newlandia, many inhabitants of Elephant Valley are immigrants either in first, second, or third generation, creating a melting pot of all kinds of different cultures. In recent years, other cities have surpassed the growth rate of Elephant Valley, which has caused a once rapidly shifting city to settle down a bit.

Weather forecast:
Temperature: ~20°C
Chance of rain (MD by MD): | 5% | 15% | 30% | 35% | 50% | 55% | 70% |

Stadiums:

Stadium of Friendship (41,093)
The Stadium of Friendship is by far the biggest stadium in all of South Newlandia. It was, very expensively, built by Valentian Constructions Limited, but it has all the bells and whistles of a modern stadium, including a retractable roof and the best available technology everywhere. It stands just outside the city limits, and is easily reachable using all forms of transport.
MD1: South Newlandia – Brenecia (Group A)
MD2: Eura – Nephara (Group D)
MD3: The Holy Empire – Kelssek (Group C)
Round of 16: B1-A2
Semifinal: Q1-Q2

Elephant Dome (21,500)
The Elephant Dome used to be the biggest stadium in South Newlandia, having been host to the final of the 28th Campionato Esportiva. The retractable roof allows the stadium to be dry regardless of weather, and it stands closer to the center of the city, easily reachable from everywhere.
MD1: Ethane – Squidroidia (Group A)
MD2: Chromatika – Kandorith (Group D)
MD3: Vdara – Twicetagria (Group C)
Quarterfinal: O1-O3
3PPO:

Elephant Town

General
Elephant Town is right to the west of Elephant Valley, and the two cities have grown together over the years. Compared to Elephant Valley itself, the city is slightly more industrial and poorer than Elephant Valley, but it remains one of the most important cities in the nation. Outside of sports, many people don’t think of the two cities as separate anymore, and Elephant Town has received much support by the government in recent years.

Sports
Elephant Town used to have a solid, workers-club style soccer team in the Elephant Town FC. There are hardly any other sports here, as many young people here simply prefer football, and Elephant Town is not playing a role in many other sports.

Other attractions
Top attractions in Elephant Town include many museums showcasing the history of South Newlandia, including many of the old industrial buildings. Today, not much industry remains in South Newlandia, and it’s possible to visit many of the former factories, many of which have been built into museums today. If you’re looking for the harbor of the West Coast, that’s also just nearby.

The people
People from Elephant Town generally have a greater sense of community compared to most of the rest of the nation, and people are helping out each other more often than anywhere else. This is also the most likely city on the mainland for you to be greeted by strangers.

Weather forecast:
Temperature: ~20°C
Chance of rain (MD by MD): | 5% | 20% | 35% | 45% | 55% | 60% | 75% |

Stadiums:

Coast Stadium (14,600)
The Coast Stadium has previously been host to games in CE28, but the formerly old stadium has received an upgrade in the last years, both increasing the modernity and seat count. Nevertheless, it kept most of the charm of the historic stadium, its scenic view of the coast, and the open roof allowing the game to be influenced by the elements.
MD1: Kelssek – Twicetagria (Group C)
MD2: Pemecutan – Krytenia (Group B)
MD3: Ethane – Brenecia (Group A)

New Colk

General
New Colk is located on the Elephant Island only just off of the coast, but already technically in the Strele Channel separating South Newlandia and Tumbra. New Colk, having a population of roughly 40,000, has a large Grearish population. Although many of them have assimilated with the South Newlandians into one, many Grearish influences remain today, and that is making this city extremely special.

Sports
The Kinetik Islanders used to take the SNSL by storm, but since then, it has been a bit quieter around sports in New Colk. Recent developments suggest they’re looking to lure a baseball team into the city.

Other attractions
As mentioned earlier, New Colk has many Grearish influences. This includes rare wildlife, such as the yellow-billed kingfisher and Grearish harrier, as well as, in extremely rare circumstances, black dolphins being sighted from the Island. Other than that, Grearish support, including through the energy drink company ‘Kinetik’, has given the city a massive boost. Among the host cities, New Colk also has the nicest beaches to visit; like every South Newlandian beach, they are subject to strong environmental regulations.

The people
Graerish folks are some of the nicest people you could ever meet, and that is reflected in New Colk.

Weather forecast:
Temperature: ~23°C
Chance of rain (MD by MD): | 15% | 20% | 25% | 30% | 45% | 45% | 55% |

Stadiums:

Kinetik Stadium (16,000)
Kinetik Stadium, sponsored by Kinetik, has also hosted CE28 games. Kinetik built a top-notch modern stadium with everything you could possibly want. It is very close to the sea, so this stadium always looks fantastic on photos. For WC89, they upped the seat count once again.
MD1: Vdara – The Holy Empire (Group C)
MD2: Turori - Commonwealth of Baker Park (Group B)
MD3: Squidroidia – South Newlandia (Group A)
Round of 16: D1-C2

Newport

General
Newport is located on the East coast of South Newlandia, and is the second-biggest city of the country at about 330,000 citizens. It used to be a very industrial city, named after the port that is the biggest in the country today. If anything is getting shipped to South Newlandia, odds are, it arrives in Newport first. In recent years, Newport has been the fastest growing city in the country, as job prospects have quickly attracted people from around South Newlandia and the multiverse.

Sports
Newport has always been an important city for South Newlandian sports. Before the end of SNSL, there were two strong football teams here, Jecken Newport, and Newport United. Newport also has a strong baseball presence, with the Newport Owls and Newport Dolphins in Llamaphant Pro Baseball.

Other attractions
Newport has basically everything you’d expect a city to have, including food from around the multiverse, malls, and everything else. Two of the most well-known attractions of Newport are the East-Newport minigolf course, considered the best in the country, and suitable for all ages and skill levels; and the Newport Cineplex, one of the biggest cinemas in the nation, featuring all the currently relevant movies and blockbusters. If you’re more interested in culture, you can visit the highest court of law here, or the Newport College for International Relations, or the Newport Law School, or the Newport Politics Institute…

The people
The citizens of Newport are relatively normal for being South Newlandian, friendly, and commonly welcoming toward foreigners. Of course, many citizens of Newport are immigrants themselves, moving to South Newlandia for job prospects or whatever else. They do have a reputation for being a little bit less open than South Newlandians from other places, but that’s mostly a myth.

Weather forecast:
Temperature: ~20°C
Chance of rain (MD by MD): | 10% | 30% | 60% | 55% | 35% | 40% | 20% |

Stadiums:

Jecken Arena (16,250)
Jecken Arena, sponsored by the Jeckish chicken brand, has previously hosted a CE Semifinal, and remains one of the biggest stadiums in South Newlandia. Jecken had purchased the naming rights for many years in advance.
MD1: Nephara – Kandorith (Group D)
MD2: Twicetagria – The Holy Empire (Group C)
MD3: Krytenia – Turori (Group B)
Round of 16: A1-B2

EsportivArena (14,000)
The EsportivArena is the other stadium specifically built for this World Cup. In honour of the Esportivan Union, South Newlandia represents the region with this stadium. It’s also just about as modern as it can get.
MD1: Eura – Chromatika (Group D)
MD2: Kelssek – Vdara (Group C)
MD3: Commonwealth of Baker Park – Pemecutan (Group B)

Walstreim

General
Walstreim is located on the very South coast of South Newlandia. You probably recognise the name from the club team, but more on that in a bit. Walstreim, one of the drier cities in the nation, has been very industrial in the past, and is widely considered to be the home of South Newlandin football. Having more than 200,000 people, it is the third-biggest city in South Newlandia, behind Elephant Valley and Newport, and that’s largely what it is thought of. Most of the important stuff is in one of those two nations, but there are many important things here as well.

Sports
The Walstreim Lions, home of South Newlandian sports, won the last four SNSL titles, and took the footballing multiverse for a ride when they qualified for the Ro16 of the Champions League on the first venture of South Newlandia into domestic sports. Their youth team later won the Rising Stars Cup, and the Lions also have won a CEdC. There’s also a decent baseball team in Walstreim, the Stingrays.

Other attractions
Walstreim, although not the most interesting city, still has a couple of interesting things to visit, such as the largest mall in South Newlandia and a very interesting museum about marine life, or Walstreim Business University.

The people
People from here are honestly rather boring until you get to know them better, which is usually worth it. Also, people are crazy about football here.

Weather forecast:
Temperature: ~25°C
Chance of rain (MD by MD): | 5% | 10% | 15% | 20% | 10% | 15% | 5% |

Stadiums:

Walstreim Park (15,000)
Walstreim Park, formerly Walstreim City Stadium, has been the stadium where the Lions fought their CL run, and there’s also been the third-place-playoff of CE28 here. Since then, the stadium has been modernized for the tournament, and is regarded as the stadium with the most comfortable seats.
MD1: Krytenia - Commonwealth of Baker Park (Group B)
MD2: Brenecia – Squidroidia (Group A)
MD3: Kandorith – Eura (Group D)
Round of 16: C1-D2

Ratzupalfu

General
Ratzupalfu, with a population of 175,000, located near the center of South Newlandia, was always a city trying to work with nature instead of against it, and it works out fairly well for them. The city is surrounded by jungle, with wild animals often not far away, and it will be your best bet if you want to see wild Elephants. Ratzupalfu is located at the edge of the South Newlandian jungle, encompassing most of the central portion of South Newlandia.

Sports
The Ratzupalfu Rhinos used to be a strong South Newlandian soccer team, and although they lost their baseball team due to the reduction through Llamaphant Pro Baseball, they are set to regain new life with the Ratzupalfu University of Nature Egrets set to start playing in the next NS College Football Season.

Other attractions
Other attractions, beside the jungle and the animals, include the aforementioned Ratzupalfu University of Nature, as well as many sources of information about South Newlandian wildlife, including the two biggest museums of South Newlandia.

The people
People from Ratzupalfu are more nature- and animal loving than any other in South Newlandia, and are going to tell you about their pets, and want to know about yours. People from here are willing to work together with nature, giving back more than they take.

Weather forecast:
Temperature: ~25°C
Chance of rain (MD by MD): | 45% | 55% | 65% | 75% | 65% | 60% | 60% |

Stadiums:

Ratzupalfu Colosseum (16,000)
The Colosseum was built from scratch for the Campionato, partly by the government and partly by the Rhinos. Different to the old stadium, the colosseum is not only much more modern, but also has some reasonably decent connections to the rest of the country. Rain is pretty much the natural state here, but it’s also dry reasonably often. The stadium surely won’t shield the players from the rain. It has also previously hosted a CE semifinal.
MD1: Pemecutan – Turori (Group B)
MD2: South Newlandia – Ethane (Group A)
MD3: Nephara – Chromatika (Group D)
Quarterfinal: O2-O4

If you need any additional information, feel free to drop me a telegram or a message on discord.

by **Savigliane** » Fri Sep 03, 2021 2:20 pm

FIND YOURSELF

Prologo

Cocoa-Bo Stadium, Starksville, Cassadaigua
After WC88 Ro16 Match 4

The rest of the team sunk to the ground in defeat as the referee’s whistle marked Savigliane’s elimination from World Cup 88, but Bianca remained standing, hands on hips, one thought inconsolably floating around her mind. It wasn’t supposed to end like this. It wasn’t supposed to be the purple shirts celebrating, the late heroes Cellaeron and Damocles being swarmed. It wasn’t supposed to be her opposing #8, Jewel Maddison, wearing the armband in a quarterfinal against whatever eldritch abominations The Holy Empire were sending this cycle.

And yet, it was anyways. The two-cycle Cinderella story hadn’t come to an end, but after leading 3-2 against Starblaydia with minutes left on the clock, a quarterfinals berth - and maybe more? so close that they could taste it, even to have it on pause felt like the end of the world. She had basically fallen out of the sky and driven herself directly to training camp, pushing ahead through all the trauma, the lost years, the national team that didn’t need her anymore - all for a Round of 16 exit. Sure, there’d also been all the international attention as the world’s eyes turned northwards. But as she acclimated to her new world, she had quickly remembered how little all of that meant to her when she couldn’t win.

Despite a screamer of a goal from Jewel Maddison and a powerful header from April Hoyt that bookended the first half, Savigliane had levelled the match, each time from a player with something to prove. Gabriel Buvalelli, in one of his first starts with the Swans, had pounced on a penalty-box scramble for the team’s first, while Calliope Montevecchi, struggling to make the right-wing position her own, curled a close-range effort around Ruby Narvaez for the second. And despite a number of close calls, it was Bianca herself to come next, a late substitution for the flagging Buvalelli, running in behind the defense on the counterattack to receive a beautifully weighted pass from Adrian Toscani. Cool as ice, she’d rounded Narvaez and given Savigliane their first lead of the night with just ten minutes to go.

It had been the late substitute, Layla Cellaeron, to strike back, almost seconds after Fiore had put the Swans 3-2 up. Starblaydia had wasted almost no time in pouring forwards and relentlessly pressing, and despite Tlanx-Nulzk’s dogged insistence that they attack in return, leaving too much space in behind in pursuit of a fourth, the Swans were running on fumes. It had almost been too easy for Cellaeron to receive in space, turn through Chiara Blanco, and find herself with an open shot sixteen yards away from the terrified Nico D’Ambrosio. Just five minutes later, Lucian Damocles’ sword finally fell on the Swans. It was a cruel twist of fate that the same late penalties that had gotten the Swans to the World Cup and to the Round of 16 had now turned on them. But these twists of luck had always been ephemeral, and when Cellaeron had been sloppily brought down by Adélaïde Garcia in the area, everyone somehow knew it was over for the Swans.

And so it ended for Savigliane in Cycle 88. But not for Bianca Fiore. If she could score two World Cup goals just weeks after falling into a new dimension, who knew what she was still capable of at full strength? And although Tlanx-Nulzk Hal’s new system had brought Savigliane to their footballing peak, with their midfield heart back, who knew what heights they could reach? Bianca’s only consolation in defeat, as she finally found Jewel Maddison to shake hands, was that she would be back next cycle. And then, the world would see what Savigliane could do when finally united - it would be time for the real storybook en

LA REPUBBLICA
Where The Capital Gets Its News
FIORE DROPPED FROM WC89 ROSTER
”It’s Time to Move On”, says Tlanx
MATTEO CAMPARI, sports

by **Bollonich** » Sat Sep 04, 2021 4:20 am

The Vreton City Journal

Looking ahead to Qualifying as youngsters will be looking to seize these opportunities

The Bollonischian Football Team begun its journey two years ago in World Cup Qualifying as we entered the tournament as an unranked side fighting to not only show our worth but also rise up the ranks. Times have drastically changed since the last time we took part in World Cup Qualifying and looking ahead to World Cup 89 Qualifying there are lots of things to talk about here.

How our nation is viewed by the larger footballing multiverse has also changed. This change can be seen best in our hosting of the 76th Baptism of Fire an incredibly prestigious competition along with Banija. This announcement to host the Baptism of Fire came following our Copa Rushmori elimination. This bid received positive review before triumphing a very good competing bid by Baker Park and Twicetagria. Hosting a major WCC sanctioned tournament not only helped up our reputation in the multiverse also provide a good boost to football as a sport.

Preparation will be key as we look towards the upcoming 18 games of the Qualifying campaign. With months yet to go and the TPL not underway the players will get a crucial break from football while some of the younger players shall try out their luck in youth competitions such as the Under 18 World Cup and the Di Bradini Cup also known as the Under 21 World Cup. With no major tournaments on the horizon and still months to go for Qualifying, the Bollonischian Football Federation has made the decision to have the players go on a friendly Rushmori tour where we’ll play against teams all over Rushmore such as World Cup winners Nephara and also heavyweights such as Græntfjall and Pasarga. We will finish this tour playing against Nyowani Kitara our Pavolan neighbour whom had previously made their way to Bollonich to participate in the 76th Baptism of Fire where they made an early exit. In addition to the Rushmori tour our players will embark on, we also have a stint of home friendlies with teams from all around the globe such as Quebec and Shingoryeo, Sylestone, Ko-oren and The Gothanita Isles, all of whom will be travelling to Bollonich to participate in these series of friendlies against us.

The 89th edition of World Cup Qualifying will mark the two year anniversary of Bollonischian involvement in international football. This journey for us started with World Cup 88 Qualifying where we started the campaign with an away fixture against Al Qurija. We caused some of the biggest upsets in our Group defeating Zwangzug away and holding them to a draw at home. Such performances gave us much needed momentum after what was a slow start to the campaign with only one win in our first seven matchdays. We soon bounced back following that difficult stretch with four back to back wins as we won 7 of the remaining eleven games losing three and drawing one. World Cup 88 Qualifying was very successful for us as we finished 5th with 27 points and a positive goal difference. Our performance at the Qualifying campaign earned us an invitation to the 80th Cup of Harmony in Græntfjall and Krytenia. In the Cup of Harmony where we were drawn with Baggieland, Barunia and hosts Græntfjall. In the Cup of Harmony we managed to start the campaign strong with a win over Baggieland however it all went downhill from there as we lost our next two games eliminating us in the group stage. After the Cup of Harmony our focus shifted to the upcoming tournament the 38th Copa Rushmori being held in Mytanija. Similar to our Cup of Harmony campaign we started our Copa Rushmori campaign with bang against Darmen as the match was a 4-4 thriller. Our next two games against San Ortelio and Savojarna however didn’t go as well as we suffered tight defeats to both teams again putting us out of the competition in the group stage itself. These competitions provide us with much needed experience which will come in very handy while facing teams of similar caliber to us like we had two years ago. We come into the Qualifying campaign with not the best record behind our backs however we know we can compete at the highest level.

This edition of the World Cup Qualifying will also be a huge opportunity for lots of youngsters as following a great quarterfinal run in the U-18 World Cup, a number of youngsters have been called up who will be looking to make their mark on Bollonischian football. Debutants include Linnie Huxley, the 27 year old who’s incredibly successful season at Mcarthur City in Tumbra’s domestic football league has resulted in her being called up. She secured her move to Mcarthur City following Fermontino’s difficult financial season right now despite an electrifying performance winning them the Liga Dos and granting promotion to the BPL.

by **Juvencus** » Sat Sep 04, 2021 4:53 am

The Second Great War of Unification(1876-1892)

Photography in Juvencus was invented in a different era than the rest of the world and already by the 1810s, several photographs had been taken by the inventor of photography, Stefano Titano with some success, while the whole process was improved upon Jules Mongeau in the form of a daguerreotype that got popularised around the 1830s and eventually further improved upon by other photographers. However, war photography from wars in Juvencus was of poor quality since it took a while to get in a great setting for a photograph thus the very first pictures of war were never shown to the media and instead were kept as memorabilia by the first secret war photographers. However, in an attempt to shake the people and given them a call in arms, albeit cautiously, war photographers were hired to encapsulate the horrors of war to showcase to the public that this is no easy feat and that indeed it is glorious to fight and die for the great cause. Firstly, the Confederation of the West came up with the idea as was captured in the Battle of Melposa in the Sud, the first publicly shown war photography in Juvencus.

The horrors of war were shown to the public in the form of photography, as shown in this picture of the aftermath of the Battle of Melposa by Cristoforo Cristobal of the Vilan Times

Chapter 4: The Battle of Melposa(May 5th 1878)

"I believe that the bravery of the journalists is near identical to that of the soldiers, because, not only do they show up to the battlefield unarmed to capture its wild beauty, they also need to avoid fire without fighting back, as it is not their duty." ~Writer Prodromo Italieni in his autobiography titled "My life: Here are my lessons" which he published in 1902

While the Order of Sud was the side to have any major battles last, it had conducted a lot of guerilla warfare in order to find enemy positions out of guard in or near the borders with Tiscan-Demene and the Crescent. The official army was in defensive readiness at all times for any ensuing invasions, knowing full well a full scale invasion would not work in their favor, despite the multiple militias and guerillas both in their nation and in the borderlands.

The Tiscanodemenese were fully aware of that and they had planned an invasion to take place in May, should attacks in Pacgliari were to fail or get delayed. The Tiscanodemense 6th, 8th and 9th infantry divisions as well as the 2nd, 3rd and 5th artillery divisions and the Demenese 2nd cavalry division all of which were escorting them, a combined force of 12,000 infantry, 500 cavalry and 21 mortars were heading towards the Sud, split into 3. Their first stop would be the farming town of Melposa on the west side. The 5th artillery division would shell the town while the 6th infantry division would storm in and kill any remaining defenses. All of this would be overseen by colonel Josep Cardinalio. On the other side, there we not just feeble defensive militias, it was the 1st Army of the Sud's 3rd and 4th divisions with the 1st artillery division as well, overseen by General Marchisio Dimitrelli, which had dug several trenches nearby.

The attack commenced immediately upon arrival at 7:30 AM local hours, the 7 mortars of the 5th artillery division would mercilessly bomb Melposa and the Sud positions for an hour, causing panic among the locals and soldiers alike. Eventually a charge was ordered in the trench lines and a hail storm of bullets and mortar shots from both sides followed. The Tiscanodemenese would eventually reach the trenches however, despite the big losses and a melee combat would ensue with some positions staying to the Sud while others falling to the Tiscanodemenese. However, they would not hold their newly captured positions for too long as the Sud would immediately launch offensives towards the majority of these positions instead of pulling back. This resulted with the 6th infantry division to return to its original positions or the few remaining newly captured trenches, finishing the battle right then and there, on a stalemate.

The Sud would see this battle as a defensive victory, despite losing several trenches while the Tiscanodemenese would see this was a tactical victory seeing as they got a better and clearer positioning very near Melposa and the Sud side.

Battle Outcome: Both sides claim victory, original sources state tactical & pyrrhic Tiscanodemenese victory.

by **Atheara** » Sat Sep 04, 2021 6:38 am

Back To The World Cup

Time: -
Type: Dialogue

After 1. FC Kotzellach vs Astena Rangers, Away Leg, LigAnaia Playoffs

That's it. The Rangers lost 4 - 2 on penalties, and they are going home empty handed. Because the league season had ended, the World Cup was going to be the only route for more football. Mugel Krygorf was sitting in the plane back to Atheara, listening to "Take Home the World" by Athearan singer Jamies Danathen. "Take home the world, you keep it so close yet you got sso far away." "Take home the world, you got so near yet you lost to fear." "The world is yours if you can dream." "The world has your dream in full of gleam." Mugel was already asleep at this point. Until literally one man decided to wake him up, not a good idea. Since Mugel is a heavy sleeper who takes sleeping pills due to insomnia.

"Mugel, wake up! I have some news! More like rumors, but still!" Frederic Van Lieser literally screamed in front of him. "What is it man? I am trying to sleep here." Mugel just calmly says. "The League system will be changed! A 36 team league coherrently named the "Super League" will be formed! The entire tournament system for the Championship will be changed! From what i heard anyway, but it's still a huge rumor!" Fredeic just screamed again. "You say what now?" Mugel suddenly up and awake, after hearing "Super League," "Tournament system," and "Championship." "That's what the rumors say, but just look at the article i found." Frederic says. Mugel immediately looks and reads it.

It reads as League 1 and League 2 director Jose (Yemader, as he changed names again) and Manuel Heverz have agreed to with the permission of the Athearan Football Association to merge the two leagues into a new "Super League." Everything stays the same except for how to get into the Championship. A group stage will be made, with four groups of four teams. The teams are decided by your team rank finish in the Super League. The Top 2 of each group will go through into a single leg fixture playoff match until the finals. Each math fixture will be based on your group finish. Group A finishers will face Group C, and Group B will face Group D. All matches are played at neutral venues.

"Damn me."

Many months later...

"Now for the National Team Goalkeepers. After heavy discussion, we have decided to once again call up Mugel Krygorf for the starting goalkeeper, and a new member for the National Team and acting substitute goalkeeper, John Harper. Thank you all for your time." That was what everyone heard when Kristian Johansson and Lyzen Oddenorf announced the members of the Athearan National Team for World Cup 89. Mugel was a starightforward and expected pick, as he was the captain of the team and by far Atheara's best goalkeeper. But John Harper? From former League 2 side Mugendar City? People was sleeping on him, Kristian said. Despite being mute, and having to speak with sign language and body movement, he was more than a capable goalkeeper. He was also young, something Atheara needed. Young blood with loads of talent.

"Mugel, how do you think Harper will perform for the team?" One Rithe (a popular social media in Atheara) follower asked. "I think he will do well, even with the setback he has." "Do you think he has your goalkeeping mindset?" "I think he absolutely has." These were just some questions the fans asked, and Mugel was enjoying himself by ansewring these questions. But, one question suddenly stood out to him. "About Harper, what is your opinion on the way and style of his goalkeeping?" and the user had also posted some videos of Harper making saves. He tends to block and punch away rather than stop and catch balls. Harper even plays in a sweper keeper role for Atheara. Something very common amongst Athearan teams and goalkeepers in general. Harper also seems to be a more flexible and pacy kind of goalkeeper. Not only that, he is also left handed, something rare for goalkeepers in Atheara.

"I think it's a good change from the usual goalkeepers Atheara has. Though i question him about being left handed, he is more of a flexible and moving shot stopping wall rather than a speedy and strong long shot catcher. Both of our playstyles will suit well to the two completely different teams we usually play with. I am really looking forward to seeing him play with me!" short video recorded, and sent. That was enough for today, Mugel thought to himself. Group draw is literally next week. Good, he can rest for tomorrow and go play some "Heroic Calling: Desert Warfare" on his Gamesystem 8X. Afterall, everyone needs some rest and recovery.

Let's meet the team next week too.

by **Geektopia** » Sat Sep 04, 2021 10:53 am

in cooperation with
"Geeks scalded by the searing hot heights of expectation three rounds before time" - A vantage point of what the gazettes saw in crushing Electrum defeat | Written by Facciolo, Athletic Activities News Overseer

The harrowing hurt of Geektopia's neutrally entertaining defeat on Matchday Fifteen of World Cup 88 qualifiers dominated the front sections of gazettes, newspapers, and tabloids in Mordecai as much as the headlines captured attention from other morbidly disappointed football junkies. On a high, newspaper sales rose to their third highest peak, still behind badgered behind news stories such as the dissolution, coordinated confrontation, and government-funded execution of one Alphabet Association after their central headpiece Agent November brought down his or her horse with them while trying to mount it and subsequently suffocated theirselves in mud — still, this series of events in regards to how much cash Geektopian newspaper companies raked in is one place below the encapsulation and annexation of the Mordecai capitol building by Aimenan insurgents and the governments cowardly and sheepish decisions King R. Duckstein issued to the government prior to the most cowardly decision of all - compromising with the savages and standing idly by as they try to build a republic in the southeast quadrant of Kwandoa. This is what the king did, of course, and newspapers condemned him and covered these events with great tones of sorrow and anguish. Sixty percent of Geektopians narrow-mindedly lapped the papers up while giving print companies currency worth more than a few Cardinal Isles in present!

The latest football caption from Signal Summons reads "Oh, the pain of mediocrity! Greens wave goodbye at Electrum to a nearly-dead manager who could have toed them over the line for at least nine hundred more years." on the bottom of a postage stamp sized illustration showing Dingledine ride off into the sunset with his yacht. Sitting on a stationary table was the only piece of metal he guided his team to win; The National Cup's remunerated gold medals. Augelli, the paper's feature writer uses choice words to describe the fall in grace, "They, the boys were about to get that moment of closure to the match that they needed, although just like Icarus, the team was too close to the sun; the sun in this case being complacency."

MBox also shares similar feelings of dread, with a less indistinguishable photo besides the headline, "Not Much to be Said". This feature also entitles it's reader to a forty-eight page pop-up book, perhaps fitting to the sporadic use of substitutions by Dingledine that, let's just face it, didn't retain it's powers of recovery as it had in 86 and 87 but still kept the board angry enough to forget how to think straight. Illustrating his beautiful calligraphic cursive skills, Fahnestock claims that the Centralis Arena was "as quiet as a fishing expedition at five in the morning" when Julio led the Riverbed via his rebound from Foletta's saved attempt but Geektopia were undone by "PTSD seizures from that one game against Bostopia" which came around the corner in unfortunate style, while the ultras hadn't noticed a thing, apart from them picking up theirselves yelling their heads off as they always had. For Fahnestock, it symbolized a need for change as Geektopia had after World Cup 85 and 83 in times of complacency.

Geektivities' picture depicted in the size of a poster too stars the artwork in Signal Summons with the headline below it reading "Time to Adapt". Applauded Chief News Overseer Loeffort thinks he's in the minority as he finds the change in post a positive one, yet later in his writing hopes that the brilliant tactical stratagem Dingledine made is "passed on to future managerial generations" and not "lost in time". He also finds assuagement in the way which Geektopia and company lost to an "on-the-rise footballing nation", stating that "As Savojarna carved out our path for us, it was always going to be hard not to carve out a path for the World Cup winning country of Electrum, who in more recent cycles seemed unsteady in getting back up, although one could say that they saw a defeat such as this coming in a group stacked with talents from Abanhfleft, Eastfield Lodge, Adab, and first seeds Valanora."

One of the only newspapers in the multiverse that has a direct command as it's name, Suck a Lemon, tried to assort more of the positives that were survived from Electrum so much as to excuse the Geektopian outfielders for sucking ass from the miserable last few fixtures of the tournament, last grabbing a result that can be utilized to prove a point in their scoreless draw with Valanora. The SAL executive publisher-in-chief Eldringhoff made lemonade when life gave him lemons and tried to look on the optimistic side of things, with the front page headline reading "A silver lining's waiting somewhere".

And one of the only newspaper companies in Rod Guafre, The Blot, encouraged the country to be proud of what the team had done until now, and expectant ahead of an upcoming Di Bradini Cup, as well as a potentially famous first debut in the thirteenth edition of the Independent Association Championships.

WET and Degenerencia, who were known as newspapers that published expressive and extraneous headlines only titled this slew of football "BAM! Geektopia, don't go breakin' my heart". Yeah, I know it's crazy, but both of them, WET churning out papers at the west end of the country and Degenerencia operating near Burur cak Noaqsi, had the same thing to say about what went down in Centralis. Just last night, actually, a verified magazine that was told to have predicted the future once before, told it all in their edition which revealed that they would then on operate under the name of Soothsayer Spiritualis. S.S. also told their readers that a merger is going to be announced by WET's owner Winterringer, in which they will combine with Degenerencia to establish a journal whose quest it would be to cover all of modern news in conjunction with it's goal to attain more readers from outside of the country than one newspaper had done in the history of Geektopia news-wise.

Geektopia 4-1 The Grearish Union
Goals: 1' (#5 Callum Frank | TGE | left-footed shot | assisted by #8 Layla-Mae Potts), 2' (#19 Thorud | GEE | right-footed shot | assisted by #37 Foletta), 9' (#8 Matkowski | GEE | header | assisted by #19 Thorud), 25' (#5 Dargy | GEE | left-footed shot | assisted by #33 Pitter), 81' (#30 Ponti | GEE | penalty)

Player Ratings

LERTORA: 8.0
DARGY: 8.0 (↓ 33' for #30 Ponti)
LIVENGOOD: 8.0 (↓ 12' for #33 Pitter)
GERMAIN SOPHIE: 8.0
THORUD: 9.5 (↓ 12' for #15 Lazzari)
GERMAINE SOPHIE: 7.9
MATKOWSKI: 9.0
ABDILL: 8.0 (↓ 21' for #10 Nankervis)
FOLETTA: 8.5
SDAO: 7.9
RINNERT: 8.0
PONTI: 8.0
NANKERVIS: 8.0
LAZZARI: 7.9
PITTER: 8.5

by **Ranoria** » Sun Sep 05, 2021 9:50 am

Something To Prove:
Krauts Enter World Cup 89 Looking to Stake Claim As Best Non-Gridiron National Team in Ranoria

Felix Graf seemed to be humored at the idea of potentially being the second best national team to represent Ranoria

We all know that Ranoria is a ~~football~~ gridiron nation. Represented by two powerhouse programs in the NSCF and the reigning champions of the World Bowl, that will never be in question. Who's up next? Well, we never thought that would be in question either.

By rights, it should be the hockey team. Sure, there's MMA, but we're kind of slotting that as different from the other team sports. Hockey is the second biggest sport in the nation, profitable as hell, and it's gotten quite a bit of financial investment. Why that hasn't translated into international success is clear as mud, but fortunately, we stepped up on the diamond.

On the backs of guys like Leonardo Harrison and Tommy Verona, our Krauts went from a .500 team in WBC 49 to a 19-11, knockout stage game winner in WBC 50, and seemed to immedietely establish themselves as a rising power in the tournament. It even inspired a ton of investment viewership at home, with new stadiums and facilities now being affordable due to their projected success. Only...they it didn't happen. A 14-16 follow up came next. Many attributed it to the team's 10-1 finish in the WBC 50 group stage making them feel they could make up ground late, but they came back with a 13-17 run in the latest edition. They aren't going anywhere fast.

Arena Football? Doesn't really count. And they've only shown up once anyway.

Lacrosse? Don't make us laugh.

Basketball? What did we just tell you?

So...who comes next?

Oh, right. The soccer crew. The real football crew.

We're not going to sit here and tell you it's all been sunshine and roses. We were mediocre in the Baptism of Fire, going 2-2-1 with a first round exit in the first round of the knockout stage, and followed it up by going a meager 6-1-11 in the following World Cup. But in our second appearance, things really seemed to take a turn for the better.

Moving to Smith Field's now iconic red turf, the Krauts went a nice 11-2-5. Not quite enough to make the knockout stages - and we sure as hell wouldn't have done much if we got there - but that's a very much winning record in the most prestigious sporting competition in the multiverse. The best sport of the vast majority of nations coming to play and show what they can do on their turf, and we had twice as many wins as losses.

And frankly - for the purposes of this article anyway - we don't need to do much better than post a winning record. The diamond's Krauts haven't posted better than a losing record in two cycles, our basketball team debuted last cycle and got eviscerated repeatedly, and our hockey team is just bad for one reason or another.

And we get it, there's going to be naysayers if this team goes out and finishes with a marginally winning record, but that would at least start the conversation. If we can go out and finish, oh, say, 10-2-6? Boom. Conversation's over. Suddenly our soccer squads are the only ones in the country - short of those brutes over there playing gridiron - to post two winning seasons against international competition, much less two in a row.

When asked about the possibility after practice, Barry Chlorid - who's also a placekicker for both the Ranorian Football League and our national gridiron team, laughed, "Yeah, well, I don't think any of us thought of it that way, but that'd be cool I guess. I'd normally tell you we want to be the best without an asterik of the gridiron team, but I'm part of both, soooo," he shrugged, "I guess I can have my cake and eat it too?"

"Barry," fellow striker Felix Graf shot him a look that couldn't quite conceal the beginnings of a laugh, "That has to be the single stupidest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth. And that's saying something, as many concussions as you've racked up by now."

"You're just jealous of my rings," Chlorid grinned, referencing several titles with the Cold Hill Buffalo both domestic and international as well as a recent World Bowl title, "It's alright buddy, one of these days we'll get there."

Our reporters let the guys go after that, but hey - banter aside, it's on the table if they can pull this off. So what's it gonna be? Back to the mediocrity of most squads (most likely if we're being brutally honest), or a rise to the spot just under the pinnacle of Ranorian national teams?

by **Juvencus** » Mon Sep 06, 2021 7:10 am

The Second Great War of Unification(1876-1892)

The Second Great War of Unification was a war marked with multiple transitions, from technology, to outfield warfare tactics changing and the introduction of massive urban warfare with multiple sieges in a lot of villages, towns and cities. The usage of newly-created canons significantly improved the position and importance of artillery in a war where the best artillery is the champion. It allowed for the victors to open the gates to otherwise hard to capture towns without the cost of much human life on their part, allowing them to attack multiple positions and even further than they could.

The Toronese met fierce resistance in the entrance to Trata, as portrayed by Magistrato Castro in this paininting made circa 1899

Chapter 5: The Siege of Pomena(April 28th-July 2nd 1878)
Part 1: Battle of Trata(April 28th 1878)

"Nevermind ambition, to be cocky is this man's trait." Geronimo Caballere, a soldier about King Alberto VI of Torona before his execution by hanging on the morning of April 29th, 1878, 1 day after the battle

With the success at Razza, the Independentist force got excited to follow through and go ahead with the siege of Pomena, as planned. However, there was a series of big obstacles in their plans, firstly, the trading outpost of Trata, then the city of Remeno, both must-captures if they wanted to to secure the most beneficial positions against the Pomenienze on land.

While victory at Razza was secured by the 17th of April, a massive heatwave and subsequent fires all over the Pomena valley put a halt on the initial speedy plans of the Independentists. A lot of casualties were recorded in the blistering heat as well as a number of illnesses ravaged a number of divisions. This, in turn made Toronese King, Alberto VI furious, because in his plans, April 20th would be the day of the siege and the city would have to be captured within a week's window, including fast wins at Remeno and Trata. The Pomenienze had taken notice of this plan and had sent a small number of divisions at both Trata and Remeno for the sake of evacuation of people and for delaying purposes during the heatwave. King Alberto VI's advisors on the other asked him for a slower attack with reinforcements in mid-May, something he ignored.

First stage of the attack starts at Trata, a Pomenienze Uhlaner force met with a Toronese Spirezi division just outside the town, the superior Uhlaner drove them out of harm's way back to the protection of their lines, not many casualties were reported.

This phase was played out as such, a reconnaisance baloon was spotted by the 2nd Pomenienze Uhlaner division around 10:00 AM. They quickly organised themselves and headed back to Trata, the 4th Toronese Spirezi Division had plans to ambush them along the way which it put to fruition around 10 minutes or so after the spotting. They immediately encircled the Uhlaner and charged in to cause panic, something which initially seemed to work for the Spirezi. However it was to no avail after the Uhlaner created a hole in the Spirezi lines and got space to showcase their superiority, killing and injuring dozens before pushing them back to their encampment. First stage was a major failure, despite the cunningness of the Spirezi, since they did not approach Trata.

The second stage of the attack started just an hour after the cavalry charge, the combined forces of the Toronese, Cuori and the Crescent in the form of the Combined Corps headed straight into the town, accompanied by light artillery shelling, which caused havoc. On the other side, the 12th and 38th Pomenienze infantry divisions, remnants of the 2nd Army which was tasked to defend both Trata and Remeno, an impossible task without splitting up, were waiting. First opening for the Combined Corps was found in the eastern side of town, once a series of homes dropped on Pomenienze soldiers, crushing them to death. In the ensuing charge the first hints of urban warfare would ensue, Pomenienze soldiers masterfully using the houses as cover, which the Combined Corps picked up on and eventually did as well. Eventually, a charge led by a Toronese ranking officer, called Alessandro Di Pietro wa enough to push the Pomenienze off the eastern side of the town, however at a high cost of men for both sides, as the bayonet and street shooting in the tight roads proved to be a bunch of "easy" kills. This also signified that the Pomenienze would have to slowly leave the town soon, if they wanted to avoid more casualties. The second stage was a Pyrrhic victory but the battle was not over yet.

The third and final stage of the battle of Trata was the shortest. With the eastern side of town now secure, the artillery shelling could focus on the western side now, causing massive casualties to the Pomenienze should they stay. However, since the eastern side of town was lost, it would only be a mtter of time for the western side to fall too, only a few remnan units would remain to provide a distractiuon, with the support of a small local militia. At 4:00 PM local hours, eveny last unit was captured, alongside with the militias, which were executed by hanging. The retreat of the major part of the divisions would be of pivotal importance in the ensuing battle at both Remeno and especially at the defence at Pomena. For the Independentists, that was a huge victory and a step closer towards achieving King Alberto VI' s ambitious plans.

Battle Result: The Independentists win but at a large cost. Push to Remeno is assured, however!

by **HUElavia** » Mon Sep 06, 2021 8:13 am

The Future is Now

HUElavia enters the Qualifiers for World Cup 89 with a massive overhaul of the roster filled with youngsters.

After the defeat to Indusse in the Final of IAC 13, the HUElavian Football Association knew it was time for some changes. It is reported that they sat down with Coach Leonardo Conavacio and gave him praise for taking a team of veterans all the way to the Final one last time, and giving a hell of a tournament. They said that they were not going to sack Conavacio since he was selected for a long-term rebuild, and they emphasized that now was the time to truly begin the rebuild of Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos. They ended up offering another 2-year contract for Conavacio, giving the one reason for possibly sacking him would be if the team has a horrendous start to the Qualifiers, much like how the team did during the World Cup 87 Qualifiers. A few days later, Conavacio was seen with the HFA President, Rebecca Fonseca Nazário, signing the new contract to keep him in place.

Days after the renewal, various players from the historic run in World Cup 83 and 84, as well as the four consecutive IAC Finals runs announced their retirement. Captain Marc Navarro announced his retirement from the national team, as well as his wife and the greatest HUElavian female player, Ayuka Hamada-Navarro announced her retirement. Both of them stated they felt they gave what they could to the National Team, as well as they wanted to focus on club matches and raising their three Children. Aurora Conti-Esposito also cited she wanted to focus on club matches and raising her two daughters with her husband. Emilia Gagne-Leblanc also announced her retirement, as well as Ricardo Patricio-Leite, both citing they wanted to fully retire from playing and seek managerial positions within the sport. Carolina Almeida and Antionio Rossi also announced their retirements.

Thus, Conavacio was tasked with picking the finest players from throughout the country, with a strong emphasis on young players. And boy, were many youngsters picked out, likely being the main players for the 2090s now. The only two players that are in their 30s at this moment are Vannier and Mendieta, who are 30 and 32 respectively, but after the qualifiers, a total of seven of the 46 players selected will be in their 30s. When accounting for the ages of all the players, the average age of this squad is 22.6 years of age, one of the youngest rosters ever selected.

The notable players to look forward to includes Vannier, Resendes, Torrisi, Yamane, and Nascimento, to name a few. There were some criticisms of the team selected, but Conavacio offered his support and confident on the players selected, stating "We're in a phase where we need to rebuild for the future. Much like the historic young team in World Cup 83, now is the time for a new generation of players to make their mark. I don't know how good they will do, but with training and playing matches to earn experience, I'm confident things will work out well for this team."

HUElavia is ranked 28th in the Multiversal Rankings, thus they are a Pot 2 team once again. There are a wide variety of teams they could be facing off against for the qualifiers, but according to fan polls, they desire IAC Teams for these Qualifiers. In particular, they could face off against Poafmersia (15) or Indusse (93), which the crowd will be very rabid and give a very hostile atmosphere to either teams, should HUElavia be drawn with them. Looking at the possible opponents, there is certainly interest from the players and fans to see HUElavia play in a bunch of exotic nations for the first time ever or in a very long time, and they look forward to the Group Stage draw.

At the moment, only Estadio Capital (90,000) in Curumba has been confirmed for matches in this cycle, with Estadio Nacional (100,000), also in Curumba being chosen to host the playoff home leg, should there be a match. Once the Group Stage draw is done, the 9 home venues will be announced and allocated to each opponent. Here's to what can be an exciting Group Stage draw, and may HUElavia make yet another World Cup.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Lathamford** » Mon Sep 06, 2021 9:33 pm

The selection of Pedro Menendez-Sutra d’Ame as the head coach of the national team proved fruitful when the national team managed to place themselves in third place at the Baptism of Fire 76 tournament held in the Republic of Bollonich and the Kingdom of Banija. Placed in Group F alongside Aix les Filles, Saint Eleanor, Rizealand, and Usanguk, the Speedy Cat proved their superiority by winning the group stage with 13 points as a result of 4 wins and a draw. They did not lose at the group stage, and subsequently qualified for the knock-out stage 16 teams. Their opponent in KO16, is Ardelark, who occupies third place in Group C with 9 points from three wins and 2 losses. The Speedy Cat once again delighted their fans by beating Ardelark 3-0, a hat-trick by Lathamford star Farrowsteam, and directly we qualified for the quarterfinals, our opponent was Milchama, who they beat Moliza 2-1 in the knock out stage 16.

Once again good luck with us, the Speedy Cat managed to beat Milchama 4-3, in a very thrilling match. However, the journey of the national team came to a halt in the semi-finals when they lost to Cabo Azure 0-1 at The Stadium of the Restoration, Banija. Despite the loss, the FA was very pleased with the performance of the head coach, coaching staff, and players for surpassing the set targets. The 3rd and 4th place play-offs took place at The Keystone Stadium between Lathamford and Torisakia. In the 61st minute, Otto Farrowsteam's lone goal put Lathamford in third place by winning the match, it also directly gave exposure to the players to get past another important tournament which is the 89th World Cup qualifier. The 3PPO match was also the last match for national goalkeeper Otto Baymartin who recently retired, the former Featherwood FC Locomotive goalkeeper turned 34 and decided to retire. Another national player who decided to retire was Goldfinger United FC striker, Bruno Caskwoods, while at the BoF76 tournament, he scored 4 goals with the national team, happy retirement to them.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Crossroads for the Commonwealth, or steady course maintained?
by Oliver Stanley
The Post Chief Soccer Correspondent

Commentary from Birkenfeld, Charter Township, Baker Park State

The Football Association of the Commonwealth held its media event to mark the beginning of the upcoming World Cup Qualification tournament yesterday with the usual program of remarks by Executive Director David Carlson, Sporting Director Trevor Richmond, Manager Jennifer Prescott and Co-Captains Nicki Stone & DeAngelo Simmons, followed by questions from the assembled journalists and ending with a light lunch buffet.

There is a school of thought in the press that since the end of World Cup 88, the entire National Team setup has fallen into a malaise of underperformance, that everything at FAC Development Center has gone stagnant; the most recent showings in the two major age group competitions look bad on paper--a 6-0 defeat on the Round of 16 at the Under 18 World Championships and failure to make it out of the group stage in the Di Bradini Cup--but the bigger picture of player development paints a different story; the results from the two senior competitions, where squads were split along gender lines, were within the range of expectations given the makeup of the rosters--quarterfinal berths in the Jenna Raven Cup and AOCAF 64 for sides light on experience but enormous room for growth.

The road to the World Cup Finals has become much more dangerous over the past few cycles, as the level of competition in the Baptism of Fire has risen, bringing teams into the qualification pool that are more battle tested and confident, coupled with nations that are coming into their second or third attempt with experience in getting results over unsuspecting top 50 ranked sides.

Of course when the discussion begins down the path of recent results and the current NT player pool, you know the underlying issue is something that's become a regular theme amongst the media--television, broadsheets and tabs alike--ahead of the qualification draw.

Will this be the cycle that the Commonwealth won't make it to the World Cup?

There's a pretty small group of nations that currently have continuing streaks for qualifying for the Finals that are longer than Baker Park's (and also Banija, both nations making their first appearance in EquiStar World Cup 80), but as nearly every person in the Commonwealth--and probably most of the multiverse as well--knows, there is currently only one side that has never failed to advance.

I posed a question to a few people that I spoke with during the luncheon to try and gauge what the overall mood heading into this tenth campaign that the BPNT has entered, and weighed the replies based on upon the relationship each had with the senior directors: would it be a catastrophe if the team didn't make it to South Newlandia & Tikariot?

There are just three senior team players who have reached their 30th birthday, while at least 50% of the potential callups for the qualification cycle are between 25 and 28 years old. The first inquiree pointed to downsides related to the wider material issues.
"Nations that miss out on the Final, or go out in the group stage that are in the top 25 lose around five spots in the rankings even if they go on to win the Cup of Harmony; once you start losing ground in the KPB, it takes a while to regain those points. The financial hit for missing the Finals would be significant, losing out on TV and prize pool money and affecting domestic TV rights. The psychological blow to the (FAC) as a whole would be something that would have to be overcome in the short term."

Another respondent focused more on the impact to the pool and the more immediate challenge of a tactical reassessment.
"The alignment and the responsibilities of different positions pre-dates the mixed gender era, and the biggest thing that's being worked through at the moment is the fact there aren't half a dozen players who can play behind the front two who are all potential Galactico quality. Bozeman, Sotolongo, AB, LeClair, Patton...it was easy to fill out the lineup with one them playing in the slot. There was a lot of attention paid to that area of the formation during the (JRC & AOCAF) period, and there are about four or five players the staff are really high on--not including (Alicia) Craig, who brings a different dimension when she, (Ayana) West & (Daniel) Pryor are in the lineup. I don't think missing out would set things back as much as you might think at first glance."

Another pundit approached the question from a more emotional perspective.
"I think it would be devastating from the view of the supporters, and maybe even some of the players. I think you'd start to hear disgruntlement about petty issues that winning and success usually drowns out, people wondering if maybe some major changes should be made--I want to make clear I wouldn't support anything like that--maybe paper talk about Pam (Scott) being available, or the prodigals (Kate Di Marini, Shane Newman, Will Barnard) coming back."
__________________________________________________________________________________________

I was happy to have the chance to speak with Hailey Reinhart-Zavaros, the national team assistant coach who has been working her way back to normal duties after going on maternity leave immediately at the end of the last qualifying campaign; she and husband Ryan--FAC Director of Coaching Development--welcomed their first child, Nicholas Andrew Zavaros, about 18 hours after the conclusion of the 4-2 victory over the co-hosts Chromatika in Depri Sanar in World Cup 88.

OS: "How recent is this picture? (I've picked up a frame with a photo of mother and son)"
HRZ: "Oh gods, he's twice that size now! (laughs) I love everything about that picture, because Ryan took it unprompted and I just think it's a portrait of pure joy."

OS: "I can't disagree. He's a beautiful boy."
HRZ: "Thank you Ollie."
OS: "I understand that once you came back you got some more responsibility and a new title, and of course this nice office."
HRZ: (laughs) "You know who had this office before me? Ryan, and Chris (LaRue, U18/U21 assistant manager). The facility people didn't say why they had to move out, so the first day I came back there might've been some good natured teasing at Chez Zavaros. (laugh) But I worked a lot with Don (Alvarrez, the Associate Director of the Technical Department) picking up some of Jen's workload. I also did a good deal of video evaluation of the players."

OS: "But you'll be back in your on-field role in training when camp opens up?"
HRZ: "Yeah. The youth development coaches picked up the slack while I was gone, and everyone thought it was a really beneficial experience. But I'm excited to get back to working with the squad, having that everyday routine, being back with Tony, Elaine and Darren."

OS: "Looking at a lot of the newer players that got time during the two competitions, from an outside looking in perspective, what thoughts or ideas did you develop?"
HRZ: "It was really exciting to see the improvement among the girls I had at the Olympics (as the manager), and with the guys how much technical maturity they exhibited. The greatest thing about coaching players when you see them up close, then they go away and come back is that growth in the intangible elements. No one goes from being pretty good technically to all of sudden being AB level, but the things they learn training & playing for their clubs will jump off the screen on video."

OS: "Hailey, thanks so much for the time. Best wishes to you and Ryan and Nick, and I look forward to seeing you as we get back to soccer."
HRZ: "It's been fun, and thanks for your well wishes, Ollie."

by **Ko-oren** » Tue Sep 07, 2021 6:30 am

To trick more fans into paying attention to the Top League, the KFA put together some short bios for the top 12 clubs, after similar texts were composed for the 12 clubs at the second level.

Advance Alara
Club history: As one of two clubs that never played in the Yoshiman championship but went into the Ko-orenite league, Alara has always been the underdog, the outsider. They've had to fight for recognition, for their place in the league, but have persevered all this time. Alara is the stereotypical all-out attack club, with many famous strikers and assisters representing its colours.
This club is perfect for: Fans of underdogs, fans of different approaches, and long club histories full of likeable and less likeable people. They're cup fighters, too.

Aminey CS
Club history: While they're not the oldest francophone club (that's Tanques), Aminey was founded as the club of the City of Entertainment, the largest city of its region. The club has always had high-profile fans, lots of money... and lots of expectations. Even third stringers are picked apart by local media - and those stories then turn national fast. Big name transfers are a necessity. Who keeps interrupting important celebrity gossip with these dumb weekly matches?
This club is perfect for: Those who like big names, glamour, and (good) players that are more like movie stars at times.

Couziers-Olympiques
Club history: Couziers is one of three clubs surrounding Willowbourne that have historically vied for that city's soccer fans - in addition to catering to their local fans in Linieux. Originally, the club had teams in multiple different sports - hence 'Olympiques' - and is still paired to the Linieux Harriers to an extent.
This club is perfect for: If you want a 'family' club, that's inextricably linked with its fans and players despite being in such a modern, well-connected city.

Castelo e Calvente CS
Club history: Spent decades as a feeder club to both Miradela and Branvon, many great players that would later be legends at those clubs first passed through C&C. Ferrovente is not a small city either, and some players never went through to the Santa Teresan greats, and stayed beyind to make C&C better instead. This culminated in their promotion to the Top League where they are now level with both teams that once looked down on them.
This club is perfect for: Fans of underdog stories, comeback stories, or revenge stories.

Miradela GD
Club history: Santa Teresa was the first soccer capital of Ko-oren - regardless of whether trophies just flowed to Maethoru anyway. Miradela is the upper class club of the city, representing the business owners and most of the middle class as well. They long looked up to Branvon's trophy cabinet (until winning a few titles when Maethoru wasn't looking) but have always looked down on Branvon's fans and followers. Money's rarely a problem for them, though they value a manager with a plan over just buying every player they want.
This club is perfect for: Fans of results, the upper class, nobility, looking down on peasants.

Branvon CD
Club history: Santa Teresa was the first soccer capital of Ko-oren - regardless of whether trophies just flowed to Maethoru anyway. Branvon is the working class club of Santa Teresa, representing the harbour and the coast guard, without any of the military pretenses. The biggest rival is Miradela, from the same city, and fans will take two wins over them rather than a title.
This club is perfect for: Anyone who likes a club of the people. Hard working, honest football.

Schemerdrecht SVV
Club history: The north's most famous club has put the city and the region on the map. Somewhat defensive, Schemerdrecht has a history of suppling the national team with good defenders, holding midfielders, and captains. Their rivalry is with nearby clubs instead of with the regular Aminey or Maethoru. The club is often up there in the championship debate and easily keeps pace with the other contenders.
This club is perfect for: Supporters of sensible football. If you want a club with no surprises, hijinks, or problematic personalities, Schemerdrecht is it.

Katashi-Kanatsu
Club history: They were one of two clubs that predated the Yoshiman championship, and therefore entered into the national, Ko-orenite league. There they established themselves as a somewhat attacking, but always well-led squad with a Yoshiman-only policy right up until modern times. While their trophy cabinet is a bit empty, they've always been up there with plenty of UICA/IFCF berths. They represent the east and its slightly combative stance towards the Gehrennan, meritocratic, government.
This club is perfect for: Rebels: both tactically (heavily geared towards attack) and politically. That said, Katashi is part of the 'establishment' as one of the original eight clubs as well.

Maethoru SC
Club history: The club to beat ever since its inception right into the modern era. Record champions. The only club (so far) to go deep into UICA/IFCF tournaments. Name a record, and it's likely Maethoru's. The success is built on an amazingly competent front office, buying and selling the exact right players for the job - even if they're not big names. The club's never been far away from meritocratic politics, as a club located in the heart of government.
This club is perfect for: Gloryhunters, bandwagoners, fans of efficiency.

Straudum VV
Club history: Straudum, despite the humble size of its stadium and fanbase, is one of the eight historical clubs of the country, and yet is the most overlooked team out there. Straudum is the moneyball club, playing incredibly defensive football, finding ignored talents all over Ko-oren, and plugging them into their squad on the cheap. As it's also up in the north, beyond Schemerdrecht (their biggest rivals), it's dark and cold and miserable. "Could he do it on a rainy Kuhrathu in Straudum" applies.
This club is perfect for: Fans of defensive football. If you agree with the Dragonflies' outlook on how the game should be played, Straudum's your club.

Bruncester United AFC
Club history: The club has all the makings of a historical, long time contributor to the Ko-orenite soccer scene. And while Bruncester is old, it's not historically old, but the club has made a name for itself nonetheless. Back when the southeast was thriving, the club was founded, and was an immediate success though they couldn't get over the hump. Their rivalry with Cirelbourne was the strongest in the country, before the southeast crumbled economically and both clubs lost their relevance a little bit. Nowadays, Bruncester is a defensive club, trying to get the best players from all over Surbourneshire, hoping to establish itself as the anglophone club.
This club is perfect for: Nostalgians. Fans of that old-timey feeling. Traveling to away games by train. No-nonsense play.

WSR AFC
Club history: Rising from the fourth division to the Top League, just as the latter opened up to promotion/relegation, WSR's story is one of a lot of luck and some planning coming together. WSR is from the west coast of Ko-oren, which is remote and empty. The fans are just happy to be here, knowing things can't always be good.
This club is perfect for: If your perfect holiday destination is a faraway, rainy, narrow strip of somewhat liveable land, and you like taking life day by day as it comes, WSR's for you.

by **Srednjaci** » Tue Sep 07, 2021 7:04 am

WORLD CUP 89 -South Newlandia

ATTACK ON WC UNDER THE LIGHTS OF THE FOOTBALL STAGE
by

IVAN BOŽIĆ

Dear viewers, good day and welcome to the show dedicated to the World Cup.
In anticipation of the qualifying groups, we decided to bring our football team and our football closer to the general public.
The Olympic Games are behind us, and new sports excitement is ahead of us. Football World Cup, its eighty-ninth edition.
Our national team played qualifiers for the last World Cup. Our footballers recorded eight victories with the same number of defeats, but also one draw.
But a whole year has passed since then. Our footballers are more experienced and older by one year. They have achieved a lot of success on the international football scene.
Of course, first of all we have to point out the bronze medal at the Women's World Cup. Several players will also play in this mix team. Then we must point out the semifinals for the players of the U18 selection as well as the quarterfinals of NK Dinamo Katanija in the IBA Champions League.
We didn’t get into a medal fight at the Olympics but both of our selections played great football.
As I said before, a lot has changed since last WC 88 qualifications. Our game progressed rapidly.
Our football selections have brilliantly represented us in competitions after the World Cup 88 qualifications. At the time we thought the campaign was a failure but later it turned out that the campaign was very successful. We got several new great names in the national team such as Ante marinković, Petra Marinović, Leona Jurković and Vjekoslav Talić. for some more places are not in the wider list such as Perica Lozančić.
our national team is currently 117th in the world. We are in pot 6 with other national teams between the 107th position and the 130th position.

GROUPS

When we look at pot 1 in which the strongest teams are ranked from number 1 to number 19, the Srednjaci's played only against the fifth football nation in the world, Banija.
We lost both times, 1-4 and 3-4.
In the second pot are selections from number 21 to number 42. In that pot we played against HUElavia (28) and won 1-0 in IAC 13. Against Sargossa(41) we also played but lost 2-0 in the Cup of Harmony 80.
It will be very interesting who we will get in the group.

by **Atheara** » Wed Sep 08, 2021 2:25 am

Shit, Not Again!

Type: Analysis
Time: -

Group four, F for Farfadillis!
Group 4 will see Barhe join Farfadillis.
Group 4 gets Usanguk.
Torisakia is going into group 4.
Atheara, the 3rd-placed team of BoF75, will be in group four.
Eastfield Lodge into group 4.
Garbelia will join group four!
Rushmore detected in group 4 with Valladares.
Now we have group four, and that'll be Blouman Empire.
Now for group 4, Sonnel take note: Drawkland.

"The World Cup is going to roll around for once again! This is your Athearan Sport Ordering News, yes we have a name now, reporter Kaneer Laiping Shaek! Ah, what a wonderful, and maybe not wonderful time to be alive! Atheara gets Group 4 once again. Last time we did, we finished 9th." Another person then says "And joining Kaneer is i, new player of the game, Adam Guhrenger! This Group by far seems like a huge challenge for our national team! Last time we expected something from them, they underperformed! So this time, we won't make expectations, but guesses on how Atheara will fare!" Kaneer then eyes him and says "That is very much true! This time, we will make guesses on how Atheara will fare. Adam, take it away and start with the F for everyone in this group, being Farfadillis!" Adam sweats a bit, reads the notes about Farfadillis, and then says...

"Well first of all, they are in fact, ranked 12th in the world! Not a really good sign for everyone in Group 4. Though to be fair, every team that is Pot 3 and above is not a good sign. Anyway, we will be playing them in the Astena Stadium. My expectations for the two games? Not a lot of hope. I would be guessing two losses, and maybe one loss by three goals or more. What do you say, Kaneer?" Adam looks at Kaneer, and he then proceeds to say, "I have to agree with you. Despite the fact that i want to support and i do support our National Team, i just cannot see Atheara winning or drawing these two matches. Two losses i guess. So that would be a 0 - 0 - 2 record for this WCQ. What's next Adam?"

"Well next is a big one according to everyone, Drawkland. Heh, Drawks. They do only rank 38th however, so that's a 26 rank gap from Farfadillis, who is Pot 1, so Drawk is i think Pot 2. Again, i do not have much hope, but maybe, just maybe i think Atheara can make a draw out of the two games. Oh yes, the home match will be played in the Rekozia Arena for this one. Almost forgot about it. So yeah, i am going to guess Atheara can pull a 0 - 1 - 1 just like they did with Geektopia last cycle. Any words you want to say, Kaneer?" Kaneer thinks for a moment then says "Yes, i have to agree with you. I do guess Atheara can make a draw out of the two games, so that is so far a record of 0 - 1 - 3. Alright, now for the more "can make an impact" kind of teams. Who is next on the list for this time around, Adam? Is it what i expect?"

"No. Next is a bit of an unexpected one in what we call the Blouman Empire. Currently ranked 60th and that's a 22 rank gap from Drawkland! What is with this Group and many large rank gaps? Anyway, this home match will be played in the Rekozia Arena. So, my predictions? I have the kind of feeling that Blouman is the kind of team that does a one up mess up or maybe even several. I don't know why i am feeling bright right now, but my mind is predicting a 1 - 1 - 0, similar to what Electrum was last cycle to us. Anything to say about it, Kaneer?" Kaneer immediately says "Eh, i have a different guess. But i have to also agree with you, Adam. I also have this small feeling that Blouman is the kind of team to bottle things, i don't know why. But they might end up qualifying like what Abanhfleft did. So that is a 1 - 2 - 3 record. Onto the next game maker."

"The next slightly big fish everyone might try to fry here is Valladares. Ranked 77th, finally we have a nation who has a rank gap of less than 20 here. Anyway, Astena Stadium is where the home match is at. They are also, the Pot 4 team in this Group 4. My guess is a wild guess here is a wild one, it's a 1 - 0 - 1, simply because we tend to bottle some games here and there when at the times we are confident when we are going to win it. Mytanija, ehem. Anyway, Kaneer, do you have a rebuttal against this wild of a guess?" Kaneer thinks for a bit, and then proceeds to say "Eh, can't agree on you, but i also can't disagree. We tend to be a kind of bottling team, like what Abanhfleft is usually is. And if your wild guess is true, Atheara would have an abyssimal record of 2 - 2 - 4. Which looks like 8 points in 8 games. Not too good, but certainly better than what last cycle was. Do your worst for the next one, Adam."

"Next we have the seals and otters i think, in what we know as Garbelia. Currently ranked at 95th, which is 20 ranks away from our next Pot based opponents. Oh yeah, once again, Rekozia Arena for the home game. Now, i would like to give a guess of 0 - 2 - 0. Since i really think Garbelia is that one team that can make a bunch of surprises. I also have a bit of a weird feeling when i hear that name. And to be fair, i have a reason to. So, Kaneer, do your best and try to disagre with me for once." Kaneer just says "I can't disagree with you, you know that right, Adam? All your guesses are the more logical and sometimes unorthodox ones. I do would guess a maybe shitfest of draws like a 3 - 3 and a 4 - 4 draw just because the team can sometimes just fuck things up when they try not to. That would be a 2 - 4 - 4 record. Where is our next opponent this time? Does this relate to WCQ 88 again Adam? Please say no."

"Sadly, it is related to WCQ 88." You can hear Kaneer say "Shit, not again!" "Because we have the Eastfield of Lodge this time. This is the 2nd time we get them in a WCQ Group. Astena Stadium is the home venue for the Eastfielders we face. I predict a 1 - 0 - 1 just like last time we faced them. Somehow we clinched a 2 - 1 win against them the last time we face them in our home and away game. Embarassing eachother in our home venues. Anything to say for yourself about this Cycle 88 rematch? Or do you want me to continue?" Kaneer stays silent, then in a calm yet eccentric demeanor, he says "I have nothing to say, to say. Eastfield Lodge is a good team, but we can be quite unexpected. I agree with your guess of a 1 - 0 - 1, as usual, they might receive a scorigami and which i mean a hammering again this cycle. They got punded 8 - 2 by Electrum in the match after Atheara vs Electrum. Certainly, nothing to say, but i did just say some stuff. Also, you forgot to mention EFL is a Pot 6 team. A 3 - 4 - 5 record, next?"

"I did. Also, next we have is Torisakia, who got knockijerred in the semifinals of this most recent Baptism of Fire by eventual champions Pyazhnaya if i am properly remembering. I probably won't even remember this analysis tomorrow as well. The Pot 8 team of this Group. I predict we get thrashed 0 - 0 - 2 because most of the time we get confident about things, and we somehow find ourselves on the back of the wall, and get proceeded to be killed seamlessly. What would you say, Kaneer?" Kaneer was staring at the camera for 10 seconds, saying that "you better listen" and proceeds to say, "I have to agree at this point. Last time it was Deniria, and now, it might as well just be Torisakia. So, that would be a 3 - 4 - 7 record, now, please just tell me the final two Adam, i really need some sleep."

"Alright then. We have Usanguk and Barhe as Pot 9 and Pot 10 respectively. The two matches would be played in Astena and Rekozia respectively. To be fair, i never heard of these two until now and probably will forget about them tomorrow. My guess is that if everything sails smoothly, that would be a 4 - 0 - 0 record for us. Just keep it short, Kaneer." Kaneer reads the notes and says "Okay, keeping it short, i would agree on your guesses. And that would be a 7 - 4 - 7 record, which would be 25 points if everythiong soothly sails, and we could even finish 7th or 6th if so. Also, another note, you guys never knew that there was an Eshialand vs Atheara friendly during the Baptism of Fire, didn't you? It was for the 1st anniversary of the El Recentico, and i have nothing much to say. Another 1 - 0 loss. Okay. Well that is what ASON has to offer you today, i guess, see you guys at the start of the Cup. I really need a break."

by **Juvencus** » Wed Sep 08, 2021 8:13 am

Juvencus 3-1 Sylestone

THE MATRIARCHY SAVES THE DAY!

Portieri's amazing individual performance shines through as she netted 2 out of 3 goals scored against Sylestone. In picture: The players celebrating after the victory.

A friendly commenced at Il Porto in Serone between Juvencus and Sylestone. The Sylestonian team, which has quite the reputation in Juvencus for being a bunch of appliances and other commonly found items in the household never fail to amaze and stun our players as well as the fanbase. It was an exceptional performance from the team and a showcase of a new type of "matriarchy" on the pitch, a test Dudu Madeiros wanted to see in action before the qualifiers, using young Portieri in the center.

Gli attaccanti cut straight to the chase in the starting moments of the game, very quick passes back and forth around the field, making it impossible for the Sylestonians to react in any other way but to hold a defensive position. You would think they would try to be more careful considering they are playing against really dangerous opponents like a moving Knife or a Wok ready to knock you unconscious but no. In the 4th minute, Josefina Portieri put a beautiful solo effort dribbling through Air Conditioner before shooting a rocket in the top right corner of the goal, rendering the Table unable to bounce on time to catch the ball and thus scoring the first goal of the game from very early on. Once the ball got on Sylestonian control, things got a little bit odd, the Knife starting running around like crazy, scaring every single player on the Juven side, because they were all trying to avoid it so they would not get injured, luckily nobody got hurt. Eventuall the Stove was in possession of the ball and suddenly everything got really hot, the ball caught on fire and because of fair play it had to be given back to them. A small mistake by the Wok saw Santini having the ball on his feet and with a swift cross managed to find Limene's head, but to no avail as his header and subsequent rebound shot both got saved by the Table. A few minutes later, Santini was able to dribble past the Dishwasher and crossed the ball in, with Joao Pereyra unable to convert the volley as it was saved by the Table and "headed" elsewhere by the Toilet. Santini however had other plans and regained possession of the ball and backheeled it to Portieri with her amazing technique shining through once again as she curved the ball in an impossible to catch angle for the Table yet again. The Sylestonians managed to finally attack with a shot from the Vent which was well-kept by De Pesca. On the follow-up corner surprisingly taken by the Mixer, who is not a very renown passer was put to the net by the Dishwasher after everyone was distracted by the Toilet making a mess spreading poop towards everyone. Thus the first half finished in a 2-1 scoreline.

In the backstage, rumors of Carlo Callejon using the Toilet out of anger spread around with everyone trying to relax him and the Toilet before everything got even more heated, eventually they shook hand to lid, after the lid was cleaned of Callejon's excretions.

The second half saw gli attaccanti once again sticking to a very aggressive passing game, but only to avoid injury since those appliances felt particularly aggressive in the second half. Giordano Limene was eventually subbed off for Brunella Tafani in the 60th minute in a change of tactics, perhaps Madeiros wanted to see her pull a clutch as she often does when she comes off the bench. A beautiful Simon Oliveira through-ball found Brunella Tafani one-on-one against the table, but the area she received the ball on was bogged by the Washing Machine and it was very slippery resulting in her losing balance as she was about to shoot the ball. Which cause a significant amount of unrest among the Juven players, but the referee kept the game going. A few minutes later, a beautiful through-ball by Spiderwebs and subsequent woosh of air by the AC Vent that distracted everyone but Carlo Callejon let to AC Vent missing a chance at the equaliser as Carlo Callejon slid to save the ball on the goal-line. At the dying minutes of the game, a beautiful Giuseppe Conte cross across the field found Tafani one-on-one with Table once more but this time, while maintaining her balance managed to chip it over the Table's head, sealing the deal. Juvencus 3-1 Sylestone, a perfect start to the world cup preparations of the Gli Attaccanti.

Other headlines:

Politics: Juvencus becomes the newest member of the Coalition for Trade, Diplomacy and Democracy in an attempt to strengthen its position on international affairs.
Sports: AC Pomena become the first team to complete the double after winning Herona Calcio in the final in a 0-1 scoreline! Here's how they did it:
History: Photography in the Second War of Unification: Battle of Melposa(May 5th, 1878)
Miscellaneous: A tourist guide to Pacgliari, as seen by a Pacgliarese's eyes

by **Ko-oren** » Wed Sep 08, 2021 8:25 am

NS World Cup Fantasy Qualification
Sign up and play now!

Powered by Jarongi Sports Statistics, a company in Eaglebury, West Strand Riding. They deliver simple match statistics and advanced metrics alike for the Top League and the Dragonflies, and have been a household name for a good decade by now. The company even partnered up with World Cup 83, and with their smash hit Fantasy game, they might be here to stay.

Jarongi Sports Statistics

The game is found here, and it's simple enough. Pick a team from every group, and see how your choices match up with the choices made by other players across the Multiverse.

We can always still use more players!

Make sure to follow us @Jarongi and @WCQFantasy on twii.tur and quac.kor for the latest updates.

@WCQFantasy (1h ago)

Early signs indicate that Le Choix is... le choix for this World Cup. BoF toppers Pyazhnaya are always a good shout. Mertagne are everyone's unranked darling. Popular.

204 replies - 44 requacks - 483 likes

@WCQFantasy (1h ago)

240 KPB across 18 groups - that's 13.333 (recurring) points per team. You could pick Mriin (KPB 13.13) exactly 18 times, if only they signed up. Neat.

77 replies - 19 requacks - 106 likes

@WCQFantasy (1h ago)

The debate between low and high St.Dev rages on. Pair cheap picks with pot 1s, or go pot 5/6 across the board?

184 replies - 78 requacks - 501 likes

@WCQFantasy (1h ago)

The group with the highest combined KPB is Group 7 (125.87 KPB) with Sarzonia, Saltstead, the Holy Empire, Graintfjall, and Equestria. Despite that, Graintfjall is the near-unanimous choice there.

266 replies - 71 requacks - 594 likes

@WCQFantasy (1h ago)

KPB towards Group C as the group of life with only 100.95 combined KPB. Names like Cabo Azure, Kandorith, Barunia, Savojarna, Mertagne, Vilita, Nyowani Kitara, Devonta, and Arjunnagar don't make it sound like a group of life, however...

190 replies - 38 requacks - 299 likes

by **Sarzonia** » Wed Sep 08, 2021 8:56 am

Nathan Hanifer looked out at the training pitch a few metres down from Dave Wilson Stadium. His team had already assembled and were beginning their training regimen before he and assistant manager Eric Dent had poured their first cup of coffee.

He heard the unlikely (to him, anyway) sound of Clayton Wilson's voice calling out instructions to the team. Wilson, of course, was the captain, but he wasn't especially vocal. At least not to this extent. Hanifer walked toward the pitch, coffee mug in hand with Dent beside him. He heard Wilson telling the team what he expected. And what he heard sounded very much like his own instructions to the team.

"Charlie, I need you to be more crisp in your marking," he'd heard Wilson tell Charlie King, the defender whose mouth once got him and the country afoul of the Imperium of Squornshelous. You're letting Holly run right past you time and time again. We can't have that when qualifying begins!" Hanifer gave a knowing nod as he looked out and caught Wilson's eyes.

You sound a lot like me, he thought. If Hanifer'd known Dave Wilson, Clayton's great-grandfather, he'd also know he sounded very much like his old Grempy too. As much as he also sounded like Pop Pop Brian Wilson or Uncle Kevin (great-uncle and former Stars interim manager Kevin Wilson). Long story short: Clayton Wilson was sounding like a manager in the making and Hanifer was here for it. But still, now that both Hanifer and Dent were coffee'd up, it was time for the actual manager to put the team through its paces.

Hanifer gathered the team around as he had Dent present him with the list of the team's schedule for World Cup qualifying. The 87th ranked Stars would face a challenging, but generally manageable schedule where a few right bounces might deliver a pleasant surprise or two except for one thing.

One of the teams in Group 7 was The Holy Empire. The number one ranked team in the football multiverse. The defending runners up. Sinners v. Saints. Catholics v. Convicts. The most religious-seeming country in the multiverse versus the most secular.

That pair of matches was sure to test any team, let alone one that was returning for its second consecutive World Cup qualifying campaign after sitting out World Cup 87 qualifying in protest of Taeshan being named a co-host. It was a return from the wilderness for a team that once saw a team vault from the depths of the unranked to the mid-60s after upsetting a former world champion and then making an improbable run to the Cup of Harmony semifinals. Even though there would be a few matches that count before the true baptism of fire awaiting them on the seventh matchday as the Stars prepared to travel to the Holy Empire. The return leg in Woodstock wasn't going to be nearly as interesting, needless to say.

"We've got our work cut out for us," Hanifer said. "Let's get started."

"Clayton just said that," came a few replies from some of the players.

Figures, Hanifer thought.

by **HUElavia** » Wed Sep 08, 2021 1:43 pm

Favorable Draw, Favorable Results?

HUElavia are drawn into Group 2 with a strong chance to make World Cup 89.

After the recent changes announced for the National Football Team, from Conavacio's contract extension to the various retirements of stalwarts of the team, all that was left for the time prior to the World Cup 89 Qualifiers was to see who HUElavia was going to be drawn with for the Group Play.

HUElavia was among the last group of teams that was selected for the draw, as Pot 1 was drawn first, followed by Pot 10 upward. HUElavia (28) was drawn into Group 2 with the following opponents: Brenecia (17), Garifunya (108), Le Choix (102), Squidroidia (61), Kohnhead (64), Geisenfried (UR), Txakhaxi (139), Britland (320), and Moliza (239).

The fact that HUElavia got one of the lowest ranked teams of Pot 1 in Brenecia and Pot 2 in Squidroidia brought a nice smile to Conavacio during the draw. He was quoted after the draw saying "We can't complain of our group, there is a good chance we can do well in the group, and we feel optimistic that the team will be fighting for a direct spot in Group 2. This is a perfect test for our youngsters starting out for these qualifiers." The fans in HUElavia widely view the draw as one that is very manageable and there is strong optimism that Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos should be contending for either a direct place in the World Cup or for a playoff spot.

With 18 matches to be played once again, the HUElavian Football Association and the Governments of various states and cities in HUElavia negotiated for which venues would be selected for the qualifiers. Ultimately, these are the 9 venues that have been announced to host matches in this cycle: Estadio Capital (90,000) in Curumba, Estádio Costeiro (78,000) in HUEsilia, Estadio Banco de HUElavia (64,500) in Fuenteque, Nouveau Stade de Lourdes (60,000) in Lourdes, Al-Rahid Stadium (60,000) in Hamar, Yeugsaiwai Stadium (50,000) in Yeugsaiwai, Chetka Arena (45,000) in Chetka, Estadio Pereira (45,000) in Fronde, and Sueji Stadium (39,500) in Sueji. For all the matches, 15% of tickets will be sold to the opponents so their fans can visit to the matches, while 85% will be for the HUElavian public.

Thus, the schedule for the World Cup 89 Qualifiers will be as follows:

Matchday 1
Squidroidia vs HUElavia

Matchday 2
HUElavia vs Kohnhead
(Estadio Banco de HUElavia, Fuenteque)

Matchday 3
Geisenfried vs HUElavia

Matchday 4
Moliza vs HUElavia

Matchday 5
HUElavia vs Txakhaxi
(Al-Rahid Stadium, Hamar)

Matchday 6
Britland vs HUElavia

Matchday 7
HUElavia vs Brenecia
(Estádio Costeiro, HUEsilia)

Matchday 8
Garifunya vs HUElavia

Matchday 9
HUElavia vs Le Choix
(Nouveau Stade de Lourdes, Lourdes)

Matchday 10
HUElavia vs Squidroidia
(Estadio Capital, Curumba)

Matchday 11
Kohnhead vs HUElavia

Matchday 12
HUElavia vs Geisenfried
(Sueji Stadium, Sueji)

Matchday 13
HUElavia vs Moliza
(Chetka Arena, Chetka)

Matchday 14
Txakhaxi vs HUElavia

Matchday 15
HUElavia vs Britland
(Yeugsaiwai Stadium, Yeugsaiwai)

Matchday 16
Brenecia vs HUElavia

Matchday 17
HUElavia vs Garifunya
(Estadio Pereira, Fronde)

Matchday 18
Le Choix vs HUElavia

All home matches are expected to be sold out throughout the Qualifiers, showing how much this means to millions of HUElavians. For the opening match at Squidroidia, the Home Uniform will be worn, with the A-Team playing, with Vannier in goal and Mendieta as the Captain. Here's to hoping this can be a successful qualifying campaign.

FORÇA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Lathamford** » Wed Sep 08, 2021 4:29 pm

International Friendly [Pre WCQ 89]
Sharktail 2-1 Lathamford

Zaman Sahami '74 , '80 ׀ Otto Farrowsteam '40

@Stadium Biru,Kota Lama, Sharktail

Match Report

1: Kick off
3: Adolf Wyvernchaser takes a shot. It's on target but saved.
5: Otto Farrowsteam takes a shot. That's off-target.
9: Sharktail has given a free kick.
10: Carter Colfield caught offside.
24: Zaman Sahami takes a shot. It's on target but saved.
28: Lathamford is given a corner kick.
29: Carter Colfield takes a shot. That's off-target.
39: Lathamford has given a corner kick.
40: Lathamford scores! The scorer was Otto Farrowsteam
46: Zaman Sahami takes a shot. It's on target but saved.
47: Adolf Wyvernchaser is shown a Yellow Card.  ▍
49: Lathamford has given a corner kick
51: Dustin Skelmersdale is injured and down on the field
52: Dustin Skelmersdale has recovered and rejoins the match
57: Thet Haikal is shown a Yellow Card.  ▍
64: Wan Qairii takes a shot. That's off-target.
65: Lathamford has given a corner kick.
66: Otto Farrowsteam takes a shot. That's off-target.
68: Twin Zairo caught offside.
73: Sharktail given a cornerkick
74: Sharktail scores! The scorer was Zaman Sahami
78: Substitution by Lathamford player Jonah Hargreave make way for Theodore Ashleigh.
79: Wan Qairii takes a shot. That's off-target.
80: Sharktail scores! The scorer was Zaman Sahami
83: Substitution by Lathamford player Matt Falconderry  make way for Morten Clawbrand
85: Substitution by Lathamford player Dustin Skelmersdale  make way for Bradley Barrington
88: Morten Clawbrand takes a shot. It's on target but saved.
90: Sharktail has given a free-kick.
90+2: Final Whistle

An international match involved Lathamford against Sharktail at Stadium Biru, Kota Lama, Sharktail, which the Speedy Cat squad lost to The Blue Predator 1-2. The match seemed balanced as both teams counterattacked each other. Adolf Wyvernchaser almost opened the scoring in the 3rd minute, but his half volley was caught by Sharktail goalkeeper Zaid Jahir. Zaman Sahami also almost gave Sharktail his first goal but his shot was a bit weak and easily caught by Terry Glowsnarl, the Royal Farrowdraft FC goalkeeper who had just been absorbed into the national squad. Stemming from a corner kick taken by Joe Wymondham, Otto Farrowsteam easily headed the ball into the opponent's net, 1-0 to Lathamford.

The second half saw Sharktail double the pressure to chase the equalizer. Their efforts paid off when stemming from a corner kick as well, the uncontrolled Zaman Sahami managed to shoot the ball into Lathamford’s goal and made Glowsnarl drop his body in the other direction as there was refraction. Seeing the ball scramble situation in the midfield area more to the opponent, head coach Pedro Menendez included ball-winning midfielder Theodore Ashleigh to replace box-to-box player Jonah Hargreave to strengthen the midfield, but Zaman Sahami once again became the hero of The Blue Predator by scoring a goal. Sharktail's second goal stemmed from Wan Qairii's shot which was deflected by the goalkeeper falling right in front of Sahami, and he didn't waste the opportunity then shot into the goal that was wide open, 2-1 for Sharktail.

by **Hapilopper** » Wed Sep 08, 2021 5:11 pm

Team Hapilopper Headquarters, Hapilopper City
A few days after the World Cup 89 Group Draw
As Nathan Ellis pulled into the parking lot of Team Hapilopper HQ, he wondered just what he was getting himself into. He had already heard that he was the last player left out of the original squad, that squad that went to the Free Republics and Saintland and put on one of the most dominant performances in the history of the Baptism of Fire, winning every match, some by a wide margin, en route to taking the trophy. Everyone predicted the team would go on to bigger and better things, and for the most part of the next World Cup qualifier, it seemed like the Haps were on their way to doing what very few nations had done – gone right from the Baptism of Fire into the World Cup.

But it didn’t happen. The Haps never made it to the World Cup. After beating Brenecia 3-0 in a match that got the Haps really recognized by the rest of the multiverse, it seemed like they peaked. But that was OK, they weren’t heavily favored to make the World Cup anyway. World Cup 84 was frustrating, coming one point shy of qualifying. But World Cup 85 was the beginning of the end. The Hapilopper National Football Team was embroiled in a match-fixing scandal that the team never recovered from. The team didn’t send a team to World Cup 86 or 88, and there was a very real fear that Hapilopper would never send another team to another World Cup again.

But then the last AOCAF happened, and it seemed like Team Hapilopper was fighting for its very existence. To the shock of everyone, they made it to the semifinals of the AOCAF, and to an even bigger shock, took the Banijans to the very limit. It was one of the greatest matches anyone had ever seen, and it was a throwback to those days when the Hapiloppians were just off the Baptism of Fire, ready to kill some giants. Were it not for a botched penalty kick, they might have just slayed the biggest giant of them all.

Nathan pulled his car into his designated parking spot, got out and worked his way towards the locker room. He wasn’t sure what he’d find. He wasn’t sure if the quality of player would be inferior to his generation, that generation that included so many heroes – guys like Ernie Stevenson, the Midnight Express trio, Cooter Harris, Pancakes Taggart, Colin McLain. He wasn’t sure what kind of enthusiasm would greet him, what kind of excitement his new teammates would have for the qualifiers ahead.

When he walked into the locker room, he got a little bit nervous. Nathan was the only one in the locker room, and he wasn’t entirely sure if he would be surrounded by a group of malingering slackers. But then Anthony Welch, assistant manager for the squad, walked in.

“Where is everyone?” Nathan asked.

“They’ve been out there for two hours already,” Welch said. “All of them. I know we said get here at 8 in the morning, but they were here when we got here. The sun wasn’t even up this morning when we came in and they were already here.”

Nathan’s eyes lit up.

“Really?” he asked.

“Absolutely. Kind of reminds you of something, eh?” Welch asked.

“Sure does.”

When Nathan walked out onto the practice field, it was as if he had gone back in time. He saw his new teammates giving it their absolute all. Billy Solomon, the new goalkeeper, looked like he throwing himself at everything, risking his body for anything. Ace Boone looked just as irritating of a defenseman as anyone he had ever seen. Herb Northrop, Peter Robson and Toby Bryson looked like they were hauling ass to put the ball in the back of the net, and there was something about Robson that looked special. Almost like Ernie Stevenson.

And then there was Jerold Dickman. Jerold looked like he had a scary look on his face, like he wanted to go out there and kill someone. Oral Roundtree, a backup midfielder, was having one hell of a time defending Jerold. Nate ran onto the pitch and decided he wanted to see what Dickman was like.

“ROUNDTREE!” Ellis shouted. “Let me have him.”

Jerold looked over to see who called it. When he realized it was Nathan Ellis, a huge smile ran over his face. Part of it was hero worship. He had watched Nate play as a child, and he idolized him. He mirrored part of his play out of how Nathan played. But the other part was a sickening slasher smile. Jerold knew this was his chance to prove himself, and this would be his chance to get over whatever hero worship he was experiencing. Nathan took the ball and decided he would try to get past Jerold. Nathan tried to dribble the ball past Jerold, and it seemed like he would go on to get past Jerold. But Jerold had other ideas, hauling back and leveling Nathan with a vicious clothesline.

It was such a dirty play, and everyone stopped what they were doing. Was that NATHAN ELLIS just getting cheap-shotted in an inter-squad practice? Who did this Jerold Dickman fellow think he was?

And just as Buddy Martinez and Thom Perkins were on their way to rip Jerold a new one, Nathan got right up and chuckled, before smacking Jerold right across the face.

“Don’t wreck your own teammates, Dickman,” Nathan said, sounding only slightly annoyed.

“Ain’t nobody gonna score on me, man,” Jerold explained, seemingly unfazed by the slap. “Nothing personal, man. But you’re not scoring on me. I can’t go light on you, can’t go light on anyone. If I do, they’ll score on me.”

Nathan smiled. That was the kind of attitude he was looking for. And as Martinez and Perkins got to the two, Nathan waved them off.

“We’re fine,” Nathan said. “That’s the kind of attitude I’m looking for. If we keep that kind of attitude, we’ll be just fine. He’s got fire and that’s what I like. Everyone else? I want that kind of fire from them.”

Nathan looked at Jerold and smiled.

“Dickman, stick with me, man,” he told his new teammate. “You’ve got it. You’ve got balls, man. You’re gonna go far.”

World Cup 81/82/83/84

FAC skip WCQ draw, still like what they see
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

(editors note: we are proud to announce Scott has agreed to a new contract and that he will take up the title held previously by Frank Armitage, an honor he has earned with his outstanding journalism.)

When they put on the spectacle that is the draw for the World Cup Qualifying tournament in South Newlandia, one notable absence from the broadcast was the presence of David Carlson, Executive Director of the FAC, who has been a regular at the proceedings in the past; this time he watched from the conference room at the Development Center in Birkenfeld along with several other staff members.

It's become an almost expected occurrence that Baker Park will defy the probability norms and be near the end of whatever selection happens to be on hand--in fact, it's almost considered something of a lucky omen--so when the top seeds for the 18 groups were front and center, it came down to the final two nations in Pot 1 before the Commonwealth were shown on the big screen, leaving Chromatika the last in line. It also meant that there would be a wait to learn the opponents for Group 17 in every round, resulting in one of the most interesting collection of opponents BP have faced yet.

As drawn, from Pot 10 to Pot 2:
Polkopia (unranked) were among the nations that entered World Cup 84 qualification; those who follow the WorldVision Song Contest will be more familiar with them, but the Esportivans are a wild card not to be underestimated.
Kiltoch (298) participated in the most recent Baptism of Fire, winning one and drawing two in the group stage; they will look to play with nothing to lose.
The Jovannic (215) appeared in the last AOCAF in Equestria having been away from the international scene for a bit; their geographic proximity to the Commonwealth will certainly drive some extra attention to the matches.
Aut-Ves-Nat (172) made their debut in the previous cycle, and certainly took away a confidence that carried them to the inaugural CAFA title, stunning a strong field; with no permanent home ground, the matchday 17 fixture could take on huge ramifications.
Eshialand (122) are another lurking danger, as the BOF 75 Champs are on a trajectory that looks strangely familiar; will be the most thorough scouted first time opponent in BPNT history.
Sajnur (83) is one of three group members that Baker Park have faced off against previously, as the nations played a home & home series during the WC 84 qualifying tourney, and in warm-up friendlies ahead of the World Cup 83 Finals and AOCAF 59.
Xanneria (68) is surely biggest wild card in a group full of them; there is a good possibility that half their starting XI on MD1 at the XannAir Stadium in Dominica City will consist of players who feature prominently in the National League/Women's National League here. They still seem to have yet to come to grips with the result of the last meeting--Annabeth Westmoreland's hat trick in the final match of WCQ 87.
Flavovespia (55) will certainly be thinking of scheduling the MD 13 fixture at some other venue than Highfield Road in Haddon Hill, scene of two BP victories in AOCAF 62; they are the second CAFA nation drawn into the group,
Jeruselem (22) was the highest ranked Pot 2 nation, yet they will probably be the most popular opponent across a wide swath of supporters, not only of soccer but SatTV, cryptocurrency, and fun-loving; The Princesses reached the Finals last time after an extended absence, and the fixture list has worked out that the sides will conclude Group 17 play against one another in the Commonwealth.

You could ask twenty random people from across the country to give an opinion based on the info provided here as to whether they objectively thought that this was a difficult or easy slate of opponents, and you could ask twenty random people from twenty different nations the same thing; the answers would probably revolve around the perception of what the BPNT is at this moment.

Jen Prescott has elected to "take the show on the road" ahead of the start of qualifying, scheduling several away friendlies ahead of the first matchday, which will also be away as mentioned in the Xanneria notes above; like Pam Scott before her, Prescott believes traveling and tight away trip routines are the best type of mental training for focusing on the immediate goal, which seems to be a good plan--from WCQ81 through 88, Baker Park have lost only seven away matches of 63 played.

Home Fixture List--Group 17
MD2--Eshialand @ BBP National Stadium, Belle Haven (76,000)
MD4--Flavovespia @ President's Park, Shirley (26,145)
MD6--Polkopia @ Old College Park, Southend (19.600)
MD8--Aut-Ves-Nat @ Newport City Stadium (32,000)
MD10--Xanneria @ State Fairgrounds Stadium, Springfield (44,000)
MD12--The Jovannic @ BBP National Stadium, Belle Haven
MD14--Sajnur @ BBP National Stadium, Belle Haven
MD 16--Kiltoch @ Collins Park, Oceana (47,000)
MD18--Jeruselem @ BBP National Stadium, Belle Haven

by **Lathamford** » Thu Sep 09, 2021 3:54 am

Pra-WCQ Friendlies

Fr01		Hundredstar 1–1 Lathamford	                @Snowdrift Stadium, Bledllyn			Otto Farrowsteam
Fr02		Sharktail 2-1 Lathamford			@Stadium Biru,Kota Lama, Sharktail		Otto Farrowsteam
Fr03		Lathamford 2-1 Oakwood Landing			@Thousandforks National Arena, Thousandforks	Giles Kingsley, Carter Colfield

LATHAMFORD HEAD COACH COMMENTS, PEDRO MENENDEZ

"It's not perfect yet. We still need to improve on some things. But what's important, the players have shown their character and commitment throughout this match. "We always allow our opponents to score first and this makes the players have to struggle to get up. So we have to stop making mistakes especially conceding easy goals.

"After taking the lead at the beginning of the second half, of course, we wanted to add goals. But the opposition was difficult for the players and of course I didn't want to lose any more players due to injury and fatigue. That's why I made some changes. "Overall, a better performance was put on by the players. I can't say I'm happy enough but for me, this is a pretty good result.

by **Garbelia** » Thu Sep 09, 2021 11:12 am

Lutra: Hello and welcome to the new campaign! This year, we'll be hearing from former players, celebrity guests and master statistician Vydri Otto.
Vydri: Hi! No matter how well this goes, we're already looking at some nice stats here in Group 4! The GPL season has got off to a nice start, with several players having staked claims to a squad spot.
Lutra: Yep, omission of in-form young Vytri Holt and Vyi Otaa will raise eyebrows, but they can play their way into the team while the big fish are away!
Vydri: Indeed. This is their big chance to make Otterdottir notice, especially if something... goes wrong.
Lutra: Anything could happen. The team is missing an Otaa, a physical engine in midfield. But then what formation do we play? Does Blisset stay? Surely they can't drop Kawauso?
Vydri: Personally, I reckon that we'll leave the 'Goodotter as a winger' notion in the bin, shift Kawauso over and put Otaa in the driving seat.
Lutra: We'll have to see. Lutri likes a surprise, like when she randomly played Kato against Kandorith one time! That particular one was genius, the the sudden removal of Goodotter for one game was.... not.
Vydri: So shall we get to predictions? This year we're doing it differently, with 1 prediction at a time.
Lutra: Yes, and the predicted total will build over time.
Vydri: Last time out, you were far too optimistic (in my statistical opinion) and I ended up closest.
Lutra: Hmm.... We'll see about that. We'll be running 2 sets of scores. Prediction points, with 1 point for a correct result, and 3 points for a correct score. And, of course, the predicted total, which is the points total of all our predictions if they came true (which they won't).

Predictions for game one:
Drawkland V Garbelia
Lutra: Tough one. I'd back us to nick a point at home, but away, I think we'll have a narrow loss. 3-2 to Drawkland. Put up a fight.
Vydri: We got 2 flukes when we played them last time out. This time their offensive tactics are guaranteed to SMASH US. 4-0 to Drawkland.

Prediction points:
Lutra: 0
Vydri: 0

Predicted points:
Lutra: 0
Vydri: 0
Real: 0

World Cup 89 - Roleplay Thread

World Cup 89 - Roleplay Thread

Garbelistats! Ep. 1 'Ere we go again!

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