World Cup 89 - Roleplay Thread

[HUElavia]

Drawing for Survival

HUElavia draws with Squidroidia in a draw after a heated match filled with tension.

Squidroidia 1-1 HUElavia
(Hideo 85' | Torrisi 35')
(Inkopolis City Stadium, Inkopolis, Squidroidia)

HUElavia once again was participating in the World Cup Qualifiers for a 16th time, looking to make another appearance in the World Cup. Their opening match was against Squidroidia, an opponent that HUElavia has played against in the past, starting in IAC 10. The team saw in the time leading up to the game how the Squidroidian team and supporters were hyping this match, seeing Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos as their biggest rivals in football- something that did not cross the minds of most HUElavians, including the team. The match was set to be played at Inkopolis City Stadium (50,000), in Inkopolis, with a sold out crowd of vast majority being Squidroidians, while a small section was dedicated for the visiting HUElavians supporters. The A-Teams were playing for both, along with both wearing their respective Home Uniforms, as this was one of the marquee matchups for Matchday 1 throughout the multiverse. The teams came out to a grand cheer from the crowd, the anthems were played, the coin was flipped, and the ball rolled to start the campaign for both teams.

The opening goal came in the 35th minute, when Guilbert gained control of the ball from Toki, sending a pass to Liebermann, running on the side, before sending a pass into the box, where Torrisi was found between Shigeko and Moronobu. Shigeko had the ball for a moment, but the deflection on his foot landed it in front of Torrisi, who gave a low shot to slot it past Shingen into the goal, making it 0-1. Torrisi celebrated with a Tallian jig with his teammates, while at the end, shushing the crowd, all while the stadium was essentially silenced (except for the loud, small supporters of HUElavia), with some fans even whistling and booing their disapproval at the goal. The game continued as an arduous affair, with both teams taking shots left and right to either tie the match or extend the lead. Fouls were committed by both teams, with yellow cards flying left and right. The Squidroidian crowd would boo at the referee for giving their players a yellow card, even more at HUElavians fouling their players, but that would change to cheers when the HUElavians would get yellow cards themselves. Squidroidia tried with everything they had, eventually getting a big chance in the 85th minute, as Colbert was being swamped by Guilbert and Fonseca-Mantovani when he decided to send the ball forward in hopes someone would get it. The ball went forward and the HUElavian defense was caught sleeping, as Hideo had the first touch to get the ball down and put it together, with Mendieta and Wentz (in for Resendes) were coming at him. Hideo took a blistering shot and it blasted past Vannier, who dived to block but could not reach in time, and the ball went into the top corner of the goal, making it 1-1. The crowd erupted to make the stadium rumble, with Hudeo being mobbed by his teammates, while the bitter looks fell on the HUElavian players, as they were feeling the same difficulty countless of opponents have felt when playing in HUElavian territory. Both teams tried some more after the goal, but nothing changed and both had to settle with a draw at 1-1, with the Squidroidians having wanted more while the HUElavians were satisfied with the result.

With the draw, HUElavia sits in 5th place with 1 Point, with both HUElavia and Squidroidia being the only teams in the group to draw on Matchday 1. Brenecia started their campaign with a 3-0 victory over Moliza to take 1st Place, while Kohnhead won 1-0 against Geisenfried to take 3rd Place in Group 2. The next two matches will be against the two aforementioned teams in Kohnhead and Gelsenfried. The first match against Kohnhead will be taking place at Estadio Banco de HUElavia (64,500) in Fuenteque, where it is expected to be sold out, and the second match will be at Gelsenfried. The A-Team will start once more against Kohnhead, but will be wearing the Special Uniform for the match, allowing Kohnhead to wear their Home Uniform for the match. Against Gelsenfried, the D-Team will play, with Huamani starting in goal and be the Captain for the match, while HUElavia wears their Away Uniform for the match. The fans are looking forward to the home debut of the team, putting up banners, televisions and chairs all around plazas and small streets to cheer on the team in their quest for their 4th World Cup appearance. Conavacio has given his confidence on the players and only time will tell if this young squad is up to the task of contending for a spot in South Newlandia and Tikariot. One thing is for sure, the team looks to face teams and light them up with goals and to make a statement that HUElavians are a team to be feared in the multiverse. Here's to a good set of two matches.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[The Jovannic]

The Jovannic 4-2 Aus-Ves-Nat: The Highlight Reel!

0' It's a beautiful day at the Grand Jovannica Stadium and The Jovannic will be kicking off their WCQ with a match against Aus-Ves-Nat! It's been two years since an international match was played here, let's see if the Emperors still have what it takes to pull off a victory! Looks like the home team will be starting the first half and......WE'RE OFF!

3' The Jovannic on the attack right from the start as Sami Ning and Juyt Dersa are blistering through the middle field. Jin Tze has the ball...beautiful lob over...JUYT DERSA CONNECTS...AhHhH! It clips the bar as it flops just out of play. Good effort by the young striker.

5' Aus-Ves number 9 moving steadily towards the penalty box, to number 10, to sev-That's a great interception by Raye Eng and he punts it up to the waiting Ilohil! Oh my he sprints past one and another, He's unstoppable! One on One......GOALLL! SLOTS IT IN WITH EASE!

20' Carunos Majaria with the ball now, blitzing one, oh Wow what a twist! Ball to Stockain Lelop and it's an ambitious shot from distance......just outside the right post as it curves outwards!

28' Aus-Ves number 9 collects the loose ball......he passes it back to number 5, now coming in with a deep cross......NUMBER 8 GETS A TOUCH IN BUT IT'S SAVED! What a dive from Tsumiki there.

30' The Jovannic pushing forward straight away, Carunos Majaria looking comfortable with the ball at his feet. He looks for Kish Dasny, up to Jovan Ilohil, then to Juyt Dersa, passin... THAT'S A WONDERFUL THROUGH BALL TO SAMI NING AND HE SCORESSS! 2-0 TO THE HOME SIDE!

33' Number 8 with the ball heading down the right wing. He's cutting in...that's a slide in by Kallin Yustat! The referee doesn't hesitate, yellow card! Definitely clipped the legs there.

42' Number 9 takes the ball from number 11, moving Pas...He's somehow wiggled through them all! He doesn't miss from these kind of distances...easy as you like, Aus-Ves-Nat has pulled one back!

45' And there's the Referee's whistle as he signals for half time. The Jovannic has been dominating with 68 percent possession and 11 shots on target compared to Aus-Ves-Nat's 3, but The Jovannic only leads by a solitary goal.

48' Nivario Wesh and Number 10 in a struggle for the ball, Nivario Wesh shrugs him off...Referee calls for free kick to Aus-Ves-Nat! Wesh may have pushed a little too roughly there. Yep, that's a definite push and it's a yellow card for Wesh.

56' It's a free kick for The Jovannic just outside the box here. Jovan Ilohil's taking it. He goes for goal...great shot but that's a greater parry by the Aus-Ves-Nat keeper! It lands towards Sami Ning and he takes a crack at it...but it's very far off.

58' Substitution for The Jovannic, Juyt Dersa coming off for Twatter Harring, the star currently playing for a Sylestone team. He slots into left back while Kish Dasny forms the third centre back. This seems like a defensive change, Gothal Mathee seems to be content with a one goal advantage.

65' It's a corner and Jin Tze will be taking it. It's a swing in right into the centre of the penalty box......RAYE ENG IS HIGHEST AND HE NODS IT IN! THE JOVANNIC EXTEND THEIR LEAD!

69' Substitution for The Jovannic, Jin Tze for Gavon Simoli. Jin Tze's done very well in all fields, Simoli will be on the field for the first time in two years, let's see how he does.

70' Number 9 coming at the Jovannic Defence once again, he's been a constant threat for the whole match. Yustat comes out of nowhere going for the ball with speed! Oh my, number 9 has fallen onto the ground, seems like Kallin has tripped him onto the ground! He has had a first yellow card earlier, and it's not a good time to get another! The referee is digging into his pocket, but he's definitely getting a second opinion there............and he's chosen to let off Yustat with a warning! A sigh of relief for himself and the whole Jovannican Team, he was cutting it really thin there. The referee has ruled that it was the Aus-Ves-Nat striker who tripped on Yustat's legs, and there wasn't major Contact between the two.

74' Patient passing play from the home side, Lelop to Ilohil and then Majaria. He tries to get through to Ning waiting deep in the defence, but to no avail! He's going to have a crack at it...That's not bad at all! It's parried away safely by the goalkeeper though.

79' Free Kick to The Jovannic. Gavon Simoli will take it. He readying up, and there's that swinging run up...AND IT'S A ROCKET! IT CURVES OUT OF THE GOALKEEPER'S REACH INTO THE TOP LEFT CORNER! BEAUTIFUL GOAL FOR 4-1!

82' Last Substitution for The Jovannic, Kallin Yustat being replaced by Huhigal Silgersti. Yustat's got one yellow card and almost got a second, so Mathee is playing it safe here.

86' Number 10's got the ball under his control, he's looking for options and he sees number 11 running in...Number 11 connects and attempts a shot but fumbles it backwards to number 9, who takes a...DEFLECTION BY RAYE ENG! IT'S NUDGED OFF BY TSUMIKI BUT NUMBER 7'S ON THE LOOSE BALL AND PUTS IT IN! AUS-VES-NAT GET A GOAL BACK! It's probably too late to change the scoreline by much but that's going to add up their goal difference.

90+2' The Jovannic are on the attack, maybe looking for a last goal. Sami Ning passing back to Stockain Lelop, trying to lob in deep into the penalty box...it finds SIMOLI, BUt he's taken off the ball by three Aus-Ves-Nat players converging on his location. That's the game! The referee has blown for full time, and The Jovannic start off their campaign with a 4-2 victory against Aus-Ves-Nat.

"Today was a great game." Gothal Mathee said in a press conference. "We pressed Aus-Ves-Nat really well, and created lots of great attacking chances. The only problem I can see is the defence may be a bit fragile from time to time, the Aus-Ves-Nat striker could break through with a well planned attack. We will be working on tightening up the defence."

Our next matches will be against Xanneria and Baker Park. We will first be travelling to 68th ranked Xanneria for our second match, before hosting 10th ranked Baker Park in our own Great Jovannica Stadium. These matchups will be a bigger challenge than Aus-Ves-Nat, and we hope to achieve the same winning results.

In other news in group 17, Eshialand held Jerusalem to a 1-1 draw and Flavovespia defeated Kiltoch in a 7 goal thriller.

Starting Eleven against Xanneria: Mavin Tsuniki, Kish Dasny, Raye Eng, Huhigal Silgersti, Nivario Wesh, Gavon Simoli, Stockain Lelop, Carunos Majaria, Thomas Behine, Sami Ning, Jovan Ilohil

Starting Eleven against Baker Park: Mavin Tsuniki, Twatter Harring, Raye Eng, Kallin Yustat, Nivario Wesh, Jin Tze, Stockain Lelop, Carunos Majaria, Juyt Dersa, Sami Ning, Jovan Ilohil

All Hail The Jovannic!

[Valanora]

All across the Eternal Empire, there is a sense of change, and has been now for a few years. Notably events have shifted the political climate as well as other things and the ripple effects continue ever outward, never quite knowing how far those actions might have consequences down the line or to what extent. Both good and ill can be born of those ripples, it is never known exactly what effect a single action might have on its surroundings, or how small or large that action and its effect might be. The largest rocks tossed into the water might make the smallest of splashes while the smallest of pebbles might have ripples extend beyond the reach of our eyes. It is perhaps this reason that the elves of Valanora always seemed to have a measured approach to what they took on, contemplating how those actions might set out the consequences and after effects, at least to the best that one might be able to predict these things. Even the elves in all of their greatness could not be said to have the power to predict the future with complete accuracy and some of the best intentions have had the worst outcomes and yet some of the most unlikely to succeed plans have yielded the most successful of results.

How does all this come to effect the Marauders though, surely they can only be minorly effected by the going ons of the nation and situation around them. To a certain extent, that is true, but then when a deeper dive is conducted, you get to see how the domino effect has come into play with the national team. As events have unfolded, different situations have arose, the most notable of which was that the VSC decided to cohost the Di Bradini Cup with Starblaydia and as a result decided to once again send a representative to the competition. It has been several decades since there has been a youth team sent to represent the Empire at the tournament, this despite the Eternal Empire being the home of the competition for three decades plus now. The reintroduction of the youth team not only provides some high level, high intensity for players at a younger age, but it also begins to expand the national pool to a greater range of players. A good showing in the Di Bradini Cup has been known to be the launching point for many a star player's career or national team aspiration, imagine if Lothas Ludwig would have had such an opportunity.

Taina Vääräniemi is one such individual who is a sign of that, after a pretty stellar performance by the Wexax United striker in the tournament has landed her in the national team pool and she may even receive her first senior cap in this qualification campaign. This also brings up a large point about the nature of the squad and the seemingly generational transition that looks to be underway, one which has already been mildly touched on. While everyone has known for years about Raynor City United's ability to produce good youth players, in large part thanks to their partnership with the Night Academy in the nation's capital, we are also starting to see other teams begin to produce truly remarkable players. FC Capri is one of those examples, having been the club responsible for the development of Pánfilo Veliz, Jaimes Ybarra, and Jutta Palminger, among others. This investment in the development of players will not only see dividends for the clubs, in either better results or profit from sales, but also should see good outcomes for the national team with the competition for places among good to elite talent brings out the best in the team.

The Marauders will need to be at their best as they head into another international weekend, as they will having their first road encounter of the campaign as they travel to take on the unranked Marianne team. Road games are always the most difficult of ventures, even if you are supposed to be a severely better team than the foe you are taking on, with no real knowledge of what sort of home advantages that the team might have, such as playing at altitude or in a humid environment. There is also the basic creature comforts of sleeping in your own bed and having the support of the fans and stadium behind you as you try to get the task done. It was a nervy game against Sendhang to open up the campaign and the Marauders will want to show it was merely opening matchday nerves rather than any real cause for concern against what should be an overmatched Marianne team. However one of the more difficult games is just a few days later as the side will be taking on Vdara in the Empire. Vdara was one of the best third pot teams and has quickly risen up the ranks of the tournament, with a clear amount of talent along with no small amount of grit. It is an early test for this Marauders side but that comfort of home might just have the advantage they will be looking for.

[Garbelia]

Drawkland (Unknown 5) 1 - 2 (Verhoeven 65, 68) Garbelia

0' KICKOFF Verhoeven rolls the ball back to Goodotter to start the game
5' GOAL! Unknown has far too much space on the right side of midfield, and smashes the ball past Snaijer.
9' CHANCE! Goodotter draws defenders away from Verhoeven, who races onto a chipped ball from Blisset, but Unknown recovers to make an excellent tackle.
19' GOOD SAVE! Unknown has space at the back post following a corner, but Snaijer's reactions are excellent.
27' YELLOW CARD! Blisset crunches into a midfield tackle, but is judged to have gone in unfairly.
39' CHANCE! The ball falls favourably to Kawauso at the back post, but the winger flashes over.
45' HALF TIME 1-0
45 SUBSTITUTION Otterata replaces McCat, who was struggling against Unknown's pace.
56' SUBSTITUTION M. Watanabe replaces Kawauso as the midfield was outnumbered.
65' GOAL! Otter gives the ball to Watanabe, who makes a driving run through midfield and leaves the ball for Vydra. She chips it into the box and Verhoeven's powerful header beats the keeper.
68' GOAL! Goodotter's intelligent ball into the space behind Drawkland's defenders is picked up by Verhoeven, who smashes the ball into the net.
79' WHAT A MISS! Unknown connects with a pacy cross from in the 6-yard box, but can't keep it down.
90' STOPPAGE TIME! One minute.
90+1' FULL TIME! 1-2

Lutra: Whoa. Vydri, are you sure we aren't making a habit of beating Drawkland? Our record is W2 L1!
Vydri: No. You're getting ahead of yourself Lutra. Drawkland clearly weren't on it, and as the statistics show, their passing accuracy was down 5.98% from their usual average.
Lutra: I know, but our players were brilliant! Verhoeven slotted in! It was amazing!
Vydri: It was good, I will admit. But the good stuff only started when Kawauso came off and was replaced by Watanabe.
Lutra: But Kawauso's one of our brightest creative sparks!
Vydri: I know, but how sustainable is it to play a defensive style with 3 up front and 2 attacking midfielders? Either Lutri will have to drop a forward player (maybe Vydra) and bring in a midfield destroyer like Otaa, or change style and sacrifice a defender.
Lutra: Vydra can't go! She's quality!
Vydri: Then who goes?
Lutra: A defender! Fullback is our weakest position!
Vydri: With our style? To strengthen the midfield, compromises will have to be made in creativity or defence.
Lutra: I guess. Let the boss decide. But for today, we can ignore the Otaas and the Holts. Verhoeven was amazing, and we spanked Drawkland!

Player spotlight on: Mariëlle Verhoeven
Goals: 2 (Team ranking: 1st)
Assists: 0 (Team ranking: Joint 3rd)
xG from chances: 0.73 (Team ranking: 1st)
xG from created chances: 0.23 (Team ranking: 5th)
Shots: 4 (Team ranking: 1st)
Shots on target: 2 (Team ranking: 1st)
Key Touches: 5 (Team ranking: 2nd)
Key Passes: 2 (Team ranking: 3rd)
Ball Losses: 6 (Team ranking: 2nd)
Tackles: 1 (Team ranking: 7th)
Interceptions: 1 (Team ranking: Joint 9th)
Clearances: 0 (Team ranking: Joint 6th)
Passes: 39 (Team ranking: 5th)
Crosses: 1 (Team ranking: 4th)
Headers: 2 (Team ranking: 3rd)
Player rating: 9.49 (Team ranking: 1st)


Predictions for games two and three:
Garbelia V Blouman Empire
Lutra: Back at home. The People's Stadium. Players motivated. Their possession-based style will be a challenge, but we can keep it up! 2-1 to the mighty Otters!
Vydri: I am optimistic for this team, but I think that they will just have that little bit of class we sometimes lack. 0-1 to Blouman Empire.

Atheara V Garbelia
Lutra: Atheara seem to hold that same 'Plucky' tag we used to have and our players aren't used to being the 'Superior' team. I still reckon we'll nick it.0-2 to the mighty Otters!
Vydri: I don't share your optimism Lutra but after that performance away from home, I reckon we'll do it away again. 0-1.

Prediction points:
Lutra: 0
Vydri: 0

Predicted points:
Lutra: 0
Vydri: 0
Real: 3

Team lineup against Blouman Empire:
Formation: 4-2-1-3
Snaijer; Otterata; Huron; Lutrison; Findus; Blisset; M. Watanabe; Otter; Kawauso; Goodotter; Verhoeven

Team lineup against Atheara:
Formation: 4-1-2-3
Snaijer; Otterata; Huron; Lutrison; Findus; Blisset; Otter; Kawauso; Goodotter; Verhoeven; O. Vydra

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

Havard Popov had not expected to be included in the postgame press conference. His substitute appearance in the Black-and-Reds’ 2-1 loss to Eraman had been pretty undistinguished in his view. He had felt he’d seen a few openings that might have led to an equalizer. On one occasion he’d misplaced a cross, sending it a foot or so too high for Petrov and Takala to do anything with. Another time, the gap he’d seen in the defense closed up rapidly, and Mahar Mina had booted his attempted through ball back out to midfield. The one that bugged him the most though, he’d been all but certain Petrov was launching a run, and lofted a ball over the defense. It had been perfectly weighted, set to bounce behind the back line but not stray so far that the keeper would beat Petrov to it. The striker was a good two steps slow to make her run though, and Mikla Kala easily gathered up the ball at the back. He was still getting to know this team, and it showed sometimes.

Still, despite his own personal disappointment in his performance, the press were apparently demanding to pose questions to the first footballer from Squornshelous proper (Havard had to make sure to avoid using that term, it seemed to rub a lot of people the wrong way) to be capped for the Confederate national team. Not for the first time today, he wished it had been Vang who got that distinction. She was so much better at answering questions that had nothing to do with football. While he stumbled over words and tried to avoid saying anything that would be misconstrued, Lyyti breezed through interviews with ease. She had a knack for saying what she felt, and any blowback her outspoken nature provoked never seemed to affect her.

Entering the press room, he walked over behind the table and seated himself next to Groothuis, who gave him a nod of acknowledgement. Good luck, just keep it short and simple and you’ll do fine. He remembered her words to him a few minutes ago as the first journalist stood.

“Havard, what does it mean to you to be the first player from the former Imperium to earn a Black-and-Reds cap?”

“Well it’s always a boost emotionally when your manager calls your name, so I definitely thank Anne-Sophie for having faith in me to help the team. Unfortunately we weren’t able to get that equalizer though.”

“But doesn’t it mean a little something extra for you given the political situation?”

“Well I don’t know a lot about politics. I’m definitely glad to be here, and I can say the welcome for those of us who are new to the team has been really great.”

“Havard, do you worry it’s going to be difficult to integrate Imperial and Confederate societiy and culture after being so long apart?

“Well I think that’s a little beyond my expertise to say, but first of all, we aren’t Imperial anymore, just Squornshelan. If that’s too ambiguous I guess I’ll leave it to the press to come up with a better term.”

"The match result wasn't what you were hoping for, can you say a little about how you're feeling?"

"We're all frustrated. We weren't our best out there and we definitely felt that we let that one get away from us. Taking nothing away from our opponents. The winner was really an impressive goal, and apparently that was Samara's first cap? If I weren't frustrated about losing I'd be excited for him."

“Havard, you seemed a little off out there on the field, any concerns that people will see your substitution as a PR move that backfired?”

“Umm, I’m not really sure . . .”

“Don’t answer that.” Groothuis broke in. “If you have an issue with my decisions as manager you can take that up with me, not with my players. Roster decisions are my responsibility, and I make them based on what I think will give us the best chance to win football games. I put Havard in because he’s a creative player with good vision and Ikra had picked up a bit of a knock and wasn't at her best trying to play through it.”

Harvard looked at Groothuis as she answered, then looked back out on the journalists, momentarily silenced. He wasn’t sure what to do next.

“I think that’s enough questions for Havard now. If anyone has anything further to ask please come speak to me afterward. I’ll make sure they get to Havard. We’ll continue with Anne-Sophie, Havard, thank you so much for coming down.” The team publicist, Karsten Pollans stepped in and gesturing, ushered Havard out of his chair and toward the door. He opened the door to allow Havard through and leaned in as the footballer passed. “Run while you can!” A conspiratorial grin, and then the door was closing and Havard was free.

This free press business is going to take some getting used to.

Home Schedule and Venues:

FRND: SRS 0-1 HUE @ Olympiastad (cap. 47,550), Arkintoofle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD01: ERM 2-1 SRS @ Daulapura Stadium (cap. 40,000), Daulapura, Daula, ERM
MD02: SRS  v  MTU @ Lugina Computing Field (cap. 20,450), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD03: HUA  v  SRS @ 
MD04: SRS  v  TMB @ Sunergy Field (cap 37,550), Hunian, Algolia, SRS
MD05: OSY  v  SRS @ Red Bull Stadium, OSY
MD06: SRS  v  NWK @ Malgacorp Arena (cap. 29,350), Hensha, Megabrantis, SRS
MD07: DEL  v  SRS @ Golden Phoenix Field (cap. 150,000), DNAC, Catherina, DEL
MD08: SRS  v  OCI @ Slavnarzeczpospolitastadion (cap. 61,230), Lublova, Molvania, SRS
MD09: NPH  v  SRS @ Farham Arena (cap. 88,046), Sabrefell, NPH
MD10: SRS  v  ERM @ Synesoft Arena (cap. 38,600), Syneca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD11: MTU  v  SRS @ 
MD12: SRS  v  HUA @ Raftel Park (cap. 59,870), Chalesm, Megabrantis, SRS
MD13: TMB  v  SRS @ Trenton Park, (cap. 74,500), Lakewood, Severn, TMB
MD14: SRS  v  OSY @ Eichlen Stadium (cap. 37,500), Rudlit, West Flania, SRS
MD15: NWK  v  SRS @ 
MD16: SRS  v  DEL @ Castle Street (cap. 57,300), Jaglan, Algolia, SRS
MD17: OCI  v  SRS @ Emperor Boston Stadium, (cap. 60,000), New Ranton, OCI
MD18: SRS  v  NPH @ Albrechtsson Park (cap. 65,400), Damogran, Algolia, SRS

[Farfadillis]

GENERIC FOOD MAGAZINE

[LEGAL DISCLAIMER: GENERIC FOOD MAGAZINE WILL NOT BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR INJURY AND/OR DEATH THAT RESULTS FROM ATTEMPTING TO CONSUME OR SUCCESSFULLY CONSUMING THE FOOD DESCRIBED IN THIS ARTICLE. GENERIC FOOD MAGAZINE ALSO WILL NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY INJURIES AND/OR DEATHS SUSTAINED DURING ANY TRIPS MADE TO FARFADILLIS AS A RESULT OF READING THIS ARTICLE.]

You'd have a lot of trouble trying to find a country with flora and fauna more vastly diverse than Farfadillis'. The little island has it all and then some more. Giant scorpions? Check. Spider-snakes? Yes, that too. And it's much more literal than you'd think. Frogs whose poison literally sends you to hell? Check. Wasps that explode like literal bombs? Check. The national animal is the flying jellyfish, and it's literally just a jellyfish with literal angel wings. The point is, there's a lot of animals (and a lot of plants) that you can eat. Couple that with the penchant that Farves have for... out-of-the-box thinking, and you get an astonishingly diverse culinary tradition. With this in mind, let's go over our selection of the best five dishes the little island has to offer, with one caveat: there are so many things one can try in Farfadillis, that this list can't hope to be exhaustive. There are probably better dishes out there; these are just the best five we could get our hands on.

#5: Butter Chicken with Fermented Hell Poison

This is a tricky one! It would be higher up the list if it weren't for the associated health risks if you're not very, very careful. Locals call it pollo loco, and you'll find it's ubiquitous in Farolera, though also widespread in Kruviš. The chicken itself is fairly standard, though Farf chicken does seem to be more tender, for whatever reason, and Farves seem to be very adept at cooking it at just the right temperature. What really makes or breaks this dish is the seasoning. Like, really makes or breaks it. When correctly fermented and subsequently cooked, fermented hell poison is an exquisite delicacy that we couldn't possibly recommend enough. It's the reason this dish is so popular despite the associated health risks. What, then, are the health risks? Well, if the cook botches the fermentation, you could accidentally consume a botched version of Hell Poison. The name is literal literal: if you were to touch one of those frogs we mentioned earlier—the ones that secrete this poison—you'd literally be sent to hell. Things are not so bad if you do feel daring, though: even if the cook fucks up, chances are most of the terrible effects of the poison will be gone. Death is unlikely, but you will have a very, very bad time. Basically, try really hard not to save money on food if you're planning on trying this. Also, don't be turned off by its unappealing blue color! The bluer, the better. If it's purple, do not eat it. Seriously. Do. Not. Eat. Purple. Pollo. Loco.

#4: Double Pizza

Locals call this one... pìzzâpìzzâ. It's originally Rulandese, but we consider it to be an ode to Farf bluntness in general. You won't find a recipe less subtle than this one: cook two pizzas, add lots of very, very, very hot spices on top of one, then stack the other on top of it. Specifics vary a lot, especially by region (it's a popular dish throughout the island), but the gist of it is that. It might sound a bit too simplistic, and like a generally poor idea, but the locals, somehow, really pull it off! They seem particularly adept at picking the correct ingredients. We seriously recommend you try it with giant scorpion meat in between the pizzas; it's popular in Szoirsia. All of this said, though, there's one very important warning for this one, too. No, don't worry, no literal hellfire this time. However, watch out for figurative hellfire. The spices Farves use are infamously hot, but they kick it up a notch with pìzzâpìzzâ, for whatever reason. If you're like us and you love spicy food, you really have to try this dish. However, if you're not a massive fan of spicy food, you'll have to spend a lot of time finding a not-super-spicy version.

#3: Larvae-infested Cheese

Found only in Tanazza, where they call it casu martzu*. Maybe it's not popular elsewhere because this one is a bit too far even for most Farves? Here's the deal: the cook grabs a piece of cheese and proceeds to let maggots fester in it for a while. The maggots flourish, hatching and numbering in the hundreds. They begin to eat the cheese, making it soft but with a very, very strong taste. Because natural selection seems to work in even more interesting ways in Farfadillis, the maggots used for this cheese have evolved to give the cheese a particularly palatable taste, with the only downside being that those who eat the cheese too often develop a crippling addiction to it, furthering the maggots' reproductive cycle. Nature is wonderful, huh? Anyway, if you're confident Farf maggots can't hijack your brain, this is a must-eat.

#2: Random Potato

Farf natural selection at it again. Farves have a natural affinity for the unpredictable, and this potato has naturally evolved to exploit that. It is literally impossible to know what this variety of potato (which is, technically, a different species altogether) will taste like until you try it. Generally, it's prepared by just microwaving it, since there's little you can do to alter how it tastes. The bulk of the taste will be random, as per the name. Locals call it papá sorpresé. About half the time, the potato will be intolerably spicy (not like the locals mind), but be prepared for anything. We tried many, from many different places, and they all seemed to be about equally tasty. If you can put up with a wide variety of tastes, you'll find this dish to be unfailingly delicious! Eighty percent of the time. You won't get your money back the other twenty percent of the time, by the way.

#1: Kraken on Fire

This is kraken meat that is literally on fire. Locals call it kraken au feu. Krakens exist in Farfadillis, they lurk in the Shango-Fogoa Basin, and they can be hunted. Beware, though: this is a delicacy, and it will cost you a lot, even in Farfadillis. We had the money to spare, so we tried a lot of kraken during our expedition. Farves like to cook it in many, many different ways, but this is, we believe, by far the best one... as well as the most expensive one. Sorry! Anyway, we're not quite sure how the thermodynamics work out here, but apparently Farves have access to low-temperature, eternal fire. They cook the kraken with it, then hand it to you on a plate like any other. You then eat it, not burning alive in the process. It tastes like really, really good squid. The best we've had, in fact. Do not worry about your stomach and/or intestines catching fire: for whatever reason, the fire seems to only burn the kraken. Interestingly, the fire seems to be able to detect the kraken in the food even after you've... digested it and, uh, expulsed it. The water in your toilet won't put out the fire, but don't worry: you can still safely flush the toilet. If you're a fan of seafood and have the money to spare, you can't miss out on this.

*: this actually exists and you should not Google it.

[Huayramarca]

Standing up with the right foot.

Written by: Domingo Saavedra.
1/02/1984 – 11:07 P.M.

The Huayramarcan National Football Team stood up with the right foot at the Distrito Metropolitano with a hard fought 2-0 against the Ochre Islands, a rival that didn’t make things easy for the Condors in their visit to the Huayramarcan highlands.

The Condors had a fresh remembrance on mind about the first half of the last World Cup Qualifier cycle, where the Huayramarcans underperformed badly and were only able to get 9 out of 27 points (33.33%) and letting direct rivals get points from home; despite a late reaction where the team was able to get a considerable 7 unbeaten games streak, it wasn’t able to recover the lost ground against the second and third seeds of said group. Despite that, the mindset looked radically different in the team, now focused to get as much points as possible at home and trying to get some golden ones at the road in order to be as close as possible of the group’s podium.

Omar Caicedo was suspected to make some changes in what the team was about to play, specifically, his tactical scheme was expected to mutate from a 4-3-1-2 to a 4-3-3, something that didn’t happened since Caicedo decided to stick to his always cherished ideal of “El Huayco” with fast counterattacks, taking advantages of Sayritupac and Mendoza’s speed in the wing. Meanwhile, Ochre Islands betting for a conservative 4-4-2 that aimed to keep control of any possible Huayramarcan counter and also to conserve energy, something that they would need for this match at Estadio Nacional and it’s 4,012 meters above sea level.

The game attracted significant attention, proving that the media campaign coming from the Huayramarcan Football Federation was effective indeed, it’s “Let’s Believe Again” motto was a quick spark across Huayramarcan football fans, who considered that their National Team needed them the most, considering that there’s a new World Cup Cycle incoming. 45,000 people crowded the stadium one hour before the kick-off.

A new World Cup Qualifier cycle began for Huayramarca when Mark Wilkinson kicked the ball for the Ochre Islands, right that moment, the Condors started to exert pressure on the rival side in order to get the ball as fast as possible and being able to regain the possibility to have initiative by themselves. The Ochre Islands managed to keep the ball for the first five minutes, mostly trying to examinate how Huayramarca was pressuring them, the islanders figured how to get rid of such circumstance doing passes in quick succession between defenders and midfielders, the rivals were about to get close to the defensive line of Huayramarca when Orlando Mina tackled Frederick Cummings. Mina was able to recover the ball and aim for a play transition with Gabriel Sayritupac, the winger ran through the right and was able to get into the area, serving the ball to Ian Mamani who kicked it without enough force to score past Zachary Henderson.

Huayramarca continued with the ball after some quick recoverings from Orlando Mina after Henderson did some goal kicks, Mina was proving to be effective in ball recovering duties as of now, he was handing the ball for midfielders such as Nicolás Allauca and Ian Mamani in order to get instant fluidity on movements, the team was able to advance through the midfield but was lacking that penultimate touch that would provide Bryan Tello a ball for he in the area. Abraham Mendoza had a chance at the 12th minute with a deflected cross from Leonard Burke, the Ochrean deflected the ball and turned it into something more like a shot, who almost surprised Hendersonwhen he was some meters away from the goal line; the Ochrean keeper was able to clear the ball with some effort over the goal, he conceded a corner.

After some irrelevant actions from Huayramarca at the 15th minute, it was clear that the National Team needed to break the Ochrean defense with some kind of movements, which haven’t been tried by the squad. The visitors regained some possession between the 15th and the 25th minute, enjoying two clear chances during that time window.

On the 17th minute, Bradley Watkins received a ball from Tristan Davey, the attacking midfielder was able to create danger when he sprinted towards the area, but Chumacero and Quispe were waiting for him, Chumacero fouled Watkins and that earned a dangerous free kick for the Ochreans. Martin Thomas took the ball and gave some steps back to impulse and kick the ball, the midfielder tested Juan Mamani in a venomous ball that was hungry for goal, a shot sent under the defensive wall and aiming for the left side of the goal, Mamani was able to send the ball out of bounds.

The visitors were enjoying freedom in the midfield as they broke the weak marks of Nicolás Allauca and Ian Mamani, on the 24th minute it was Watkins once again creating danger, but now he dribbled past Chumacero who didn’t foul in order to avoid him getting a yellow card, the offensive midfielder shot to Mamani’s goal, but the goalkeeper was able to deflect the ball. A corner was conceded to the visitors, Blue Gibson was able to jump and nod the ball right into the net, but the goal was disallowed because Gibson fouled Quispe while jumping.

Huayramarca was losing control of the match, but the 27th minute came as a foul from Carl Walker did against Ian Mamani, the midfielder was able to recover the ball and passed it to the Huayramarcan defense in order to retain it for some time, perhaps, the chances of creating some danger against the visitors’ goal could be moderate. At the 30th minute, Felipe Fernández sent a 60 meters cross to Mendoza, the winger ran through the left side of the pitch and entered the area after dribbling Phillip Lambert, Mendoza saw Ian Mamani rushing through the mid and passed him the ball, our captain was able to kick the ball as it came and sent it inside the goal of Henderson, a beautiful shot that flew some centimeters above the grass and went directly to the lower right post side of Henderson.

Huayramarca’s first risky chance against Henderson was converted into a goal, an efficient move that gave the Condors the lead and, for a moment, the initiative of the game. At the 36th minute, Sayritupac received a ball from until-that-second-disappeared Allauca, the somewhat fast Huayramarcan player rushed and send a cross to Bryan Tello, the striker tried to dive in order to nod the ball into the goal but he went blank, Mendoza recovered the ball and tried to shoot but Lawrence Gordon cleared the ball, Orlando Mina had the chance to kick the ball but went too wide on Henderson’s goal. The Condors were keeping the ball nicely, 55% possession and 145 passes, being accurate in 80% of those, they had room for improvement but also for more goal-scoring action.

The Condors had a last say in the first half, that was a cross from Ian Mamani to Bryan Tello, the striker nodded the ball right to the upper left corner of Henderson’s goal, the goalkeeper wasn’t able to save it but the ball went into the post, Mendoza tried to get the rebounding ball but Henderson came early and grabbed it. Huayramarca ended the first half with one goal advantage, but not a comfortable one as the Ochre Islands National Team was being active on creating chances, even they had one disallowed goal because of a foul, that’s why Omar Caicedo wasn’t satisfied with the situation and decided to do all three substitutions before the second half. Saul Castillo instead of Bryan Tello, Thiago Sepúlveda for Orlando Mina and Joshua Quispe for Nicolás Allauca.

The Ochrean team decided to keep their starting XI as it was, Jody Dontell didn’t consider that it would be necessary to make a substitution for a team that was working nicely despite the limitations of oxygen at Distrito Metropolitano. Saul Castillo kicked the ball to let the second half begin, Huayramarca’s intentions were clear and they decided to keep the ball and move the defense of four close to the midfield mark, the reason was to exert high pressure and suffocate the rival squad as fast as possible, at the 50th minute, Ian Mamani passed a ball to Mendoza, the winger entered deep into the box and crossed a ball to Saul Castillo who sent the ball to the right post, then Sayritupac kicked the ball but Henderson was able to block the shot and send the ball to the corner.

After the corner kick, Henderson took the ball and complained about the high pressure that Mendoza, Sayritupac and Castillo were performing, he asked the referee to send Castillo outside the box, something that he did but wasn’t enough to stop pressure. Henderson passed the ball to Lambert, Mendoza swept in blank and Lambert sent the ball away because Saul Castillo was close to him. Castillo took the ball as fast as he could, did the throw in and sent the ball to Mendoza, the latter crossed the ball to nobody as Castillo wasn’t where he was expected to be. Huayramarcan pressure was noticed by Dontell and she made a substitution, Leon Moore went to the pitch instead of Mark Wilkinson, it was a clear indication that she would turn their team into a 5-4-1 scheme to seek for counterattacks and protecting themselves as much as possible.

Omar Caicedo asked the team to press more the Ochrean defense, the team did so and that’s how Huayramarca took complete initiative of the offensive situations of the match, the visitors were trying to protect themselves and try for a counter in case Huayramarca went too offensive in certain moment of the match. Thiago Sepúlveda recovered a ball from Bradley Watkins, the midfielder passed the ball to Ian Mamani, the captain did a sprint to pass the ball to Saul Castillo, who didn’t find a way to shoot or move with the ball, Castillo passed the ball to Joshua Quispe who smashed the ball into the crossbar while Castillo tried to nod the ball, but fouled Henderson while on the effort.

75th minutes into the match, Huayramarca still controlled possession but wasn’t able to score another goal past Henderson. Being so offensive had some cons and Ian Mamani knew it when he failed to pass the ball to Sepúlveda, Cummings took the ball and crossed it to Gibson, the striker ran solo and faced Ian Mamani in a 1v1, Mamani wasn’t able to press as he would because he went outside the box, Gibson dribbled Mamani and tried to shoot but he slides on the grass while doing the kicking movement. Kevin Quispe was able to run and recover the ball to pass it to Mamani and then killing some time.

During the last 10 minutes of the match, Huayramarca was more careful with passing in order to avoid getting a counterattack from the Ochreans. That explains a play during the 84th minute where a quick succession of passes beginning with Ian Mamani, led to Thiago Sepúlveda break the Ochrean defense after receiving a filtered pass from Sayritupac, Sepúlveda lifted the ball over Henderson with subtlety and scored the second goal of the afternoon for Huayramarca, enough to letting the visitors unable to respond after said action.

Huayramarca has to relax for the second window of World Cup Qualfiers, where it has to visit the fifth seeded team of Eraman and receive Squornshelan Remnant States (the second seeded squad) in the always hot and humid coastal city of Guayaquil in what it is a key moment for the Condors depending the outcome they manage to get from those two matches. Omar Caicedo is aware that it will be something hard but not impossible to achieve for the Condors: “We are aware that we had a similar situation in the last World Cup Qualifier, second window and hard rivals, we weren’t able back then to get a great result, but that’s not written on stone, we will work to make things better this time, we don’t want to take unnecessary risks so early in a World Cup Qualifier campaign.”

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Strauss before facing Vilita: “A match like any other”

By Jaukka Halanen

Savojarna vs. Vilita is a matchup that has the potential to strike fear in every Savojar fan’s heart. Too often, a defeat or draw to the Jungle Cats meand the end of Savojarna’s World Cup hopes and dreams: In WCQ 82, Savojarna led their group for the entire back stretch of the qualifiers, only to be leapfrogged not only by Vilita, but also by Valladares as they lost 0-2 away to the Vilitans. And in the last cycle, 2-2 away cost Savojarna the pole position again, although in all fairness they only truly lost their chances when they failed to beat Devonta in the final match. And in the home game earlier in the same campaign, Daniella Strauss became only the second Savojarna coach in history to lose her opening game, 1-2 at the Bjurman to an invigorated Vilitan side that exploited a mistake in the second half to win the game. Savojarna’s last victory against Vilita dates back to WCQ 80, when Lise Asbeck’s women’s team defeated them 2-1 away en route to Savojarna’s first ever World Cup qualification; since then, the Northlights lost twice and drew three times when facing their tropical rivals.

Despite all the history, national and personal, Daniella Strauss insisted at the pre-match conference that there would not be any feelings of rivalry for her. When asked about what the game means, her response was dry: “Three points”. The coach then elaborated on the meaning of playing the top seed, stating that whoever won this game would shape the group’s run, but also emphasised that over eighteen games, individual matches on MD2 rarely decide final outcomes. It took specific questioning on Vilita as an opponent for Strauss to lose some words about their opposition: “They’re a tremendous team that is in a bit of a slump, but we have learned last cycle how strong they are if they are challenged. I’m not too concerned with revenge or anything, but I think that we have some duty to redemption to our fans. Not specifically because of Vilita, but I know the results haven’t really been what fans might have expected, and scoring a symbolic win here would certainly feel like redemption to them”. Captain Victoria Maersk, still present from the team that beat Vilita nine cycles ago, also echoed the same sentiment, refusing to speak of revenge but wanting to make good on past wrongs that cost Savojarna dearly.

Regardless of intentions to talk down the matchup, past results will make the game important as the Savojars dropped points at home to the low-seeded Mertagne. While Mertagne do, of course, have a history of footballing prowess, their current team was not expected to prove a stumbling block for the Northlights at home, and therefore the pressure is already on to not drop further behind in a competitive group. Hungry sides from lower pots have already proven they aren’t here to mess around when Fluvannia dispatched Devonta 6-1 last month, and Kandorith opened with a no less impressive 4-1 over Nyowani Kitara, who were named as a dark horse by some Savojars online. Meanwhile, Vilita may have struggled more than expected with Barunia, but ultimately asserted themselves, meaning the Jungle Cats currently hold an edge in the jockeying for top positions. The table will take more shape in the coming week, and for Savojarna, it is crucial to finish this double header with at least four, ideally six points to prevent losing touch early.

It will also be a special game for some players on the squad, most notably Lars Alvesen. The Partisan Sjoedrhavn striker came for 5.5 million NSD from FK Sjoedrhavn, where he had scored 17 goals on the way to promotion despite not being a starter at the beginning of the season. The 18 year old forward is a physical, clever player that has a good eye for deadly pounces, and uses his body well to shield the ball from opponents. With 1.88 m of height, and an official weight of 92 kg, he might not stand out too much against the traditionally tall and wide centre-backs of Savojar sides, but still has an impressive physique to his name that helps him secure chances. He will spend his first game in the Northlights jersey tonight as well, although we expect him to start on the bench. Nonetheless, he could become Savojarna’s joker - and has been touted as a potential starter three days later at home against Nyowani Kitara. Furthermore, after being rested in the first game against Mertagne, Krister Voynov will return into the team after missing the Cup of Harmony, officially due to injury but unofficially as a disciplinary measure after bad-naming the competition online. With replacement Steinar Aarsoy having played a strong CoH and Finn Östberg having nabbed an assist against Mertagne, Voynov will have more competition than ever before and might be invigorated by the prospect.

OOC Info: Squad vs. Nyowani Kitara (4-4-2)
Starting XI: Pakanen - Kiivälä, Zirkova, Nymark, Viipuri - Voynov, Maersk, Lundell, Jashkin - Alvesen, Smolov
Bench: Sharin, Virulainen, Pedersen, Forsberg, Dmitriev, Skov, Ilkkanen, Gyldenstjerne, Aarsoy, Gyldenström, Ehlers, Nweke

Same 23 man roster applies to Vilita, with Starting XI according to graphic.

[Nyowani Kitara]

Background Info on NYK
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8

President Nafuna Akongo and Gustav Isaksson at the Dewayo Presidential Palace

Gustav Isaksson was running around, having caught a grasp of the situation that was going on. Nyowani Kitara- or at least, the official government- was in meltdown. President Boaz Akongo had succumbed two days prior to the serious case of lung cancer that he had. He had basically spent the last week of his life in his bed, in pain, unable to move. Refusing to see people until his dying breath- Boaz Akongo had to go out the way he lived- in paranoia, without trust of anybody outside the Akongo-Isaksson circle.

Attempts to contact Malik Akongo proved futile, as he was unresponsive. Gustav Isaksson had a feeling that Malik Akongo had turned traitor when he got unconfirmed intelligence reports that he was holing up in Inhalo, but Gustav lacked the heart to tell Boaz before the former President had passed. And Nafuna, for the last two days, had been a wreck. A tough life. Her brother, abandoned her, and them having no idea what he was doing in Inhalo. Her Father, dead. Her mother, dead when she was just a young child. Yanked early from Tikariot. She didn't have many friends of her own.

Gustav knew that he needed to get her going. He trusted Boaz Akongo completely, even in death. But the girl was young- she needed to snap out of her current funk. He went down to talk to her. "Nafuna." Gustav said to her. "We need to get you out of this funk. You cannot sit here and mourn- you are the embodiment of the state. You are the continuation of the party, the link from one Akongo to the next. I know that you are in pain. I know that being an Akongo, in this situation, is the hardest path. But it is the path that you must take." He said.

Just then, he got a radio report on his walkie talkie. "Gustav, orders from the President?" A captain said. "The public radio broadcasting headquarters is under attack. I repeat- the public radio broadcasting headquarters is under attack." Gustav relayed orders to defend the radio station.

There were still tears running down the face of Nafuna. "Nafuna- no, Madam President." Gustav said. "You are the President. Your father had the best interests of this state at heart. You must stand and showcase the abilities that your father knew your had!" As she stood, but didn't seem very into it, they heard gunshots outside the palace. More radio reports on his walkie, that tanks were moving through Downtown Dewayo. "Nafuna- they will kill you. Those people fighting outside- they are launching a military coup. They will not let you live. You are the last loyal Akongo. They do not care about your age- you are now the head of the party, and of the state. If you do not fight for yourself, who will? "

That seemed to have the desired effect. Suddenly, the facial expression on her face changed. The last tears were wiped away. It was a face of determination. "We need to send somebody to save my brother, and find him. IF he's kidnapped in Inhalo, that's a liability. We need him here." Gustav nodded. He thought that Malik might have ran away, but he had no proof of that- he was just glad Nafuna was finally barking out orders. Just then, Nafuna finally grabbed her secure line, after two days. Hundreds of missed messages- from Generals, Mayors, members of the Politburo, from Yuezhou.

Nafuna Akongo left the room, and went downstairs to the Situation Room, where she met some members of the Central Military Commission. "Gentlemen." She said. "I am sorry to report- my Father is dead." The room was shocked. Remember, of course, outside of a select few, very people knew he was sick. "He has died of natural causes. And now- the revolution is under attack. We must rise to defend Nyowani Kitara!" She said. Everybody continued to look at her. They, of course, had the public radio on, considering the fighting was ongoing at the station.

Just then, there was a speech from the radio. "Hello." A voice said. One of the men who was missing from the room. "My name is General Lidstrom, and I am a member of the 'Democratic Front for the Liberation of Kitara(DFLK)'. Simply a soldier, who wants to fight for a free Kitara. Boaz Akongo has not been seen or heard from in a week." As he was speaking, yelling and banging was heard in the background, as the fight continued at the broadcast station. "While we have no confirmation, we have risen on behalf of the people and will soon take power in the Capitol. We want to end the tyranically Akongo dynasty, and bring democracy and freedom to to the people of Nyowani Kitara."

The Situation Room was silent. Was this how it would end? "We have 3 demands of the government, particularly of Boaz- if he is alive- and Nafuna Akongo. One-" He interrupted that with a high pitched scream, as the fighting outside the broadcast room entered the room. General Lidstrom had taken a bullet to the leg. The Government soldiers had turned the tide against those who styled themselves now as the DFLK. There was not much to do but wait in the situation room. Shots were fired at and by tanks from outside the Palace, as the actual Palace itself remained undamaged.

Three hours later, General Lidstrom was dragged into the room. With his leg wrapped and his face bloody by beating. Nafuna Akongo looked at him. "General Lidstrom." She said. "I actually liked you. I'm highly disappointed you decided to become a traitor to the state, to the party, to the people."

"I am a traitor to nobody" General Lidstrom rasped, as he was clearly in pain.

"General." Nafuna Akongo said. "Let it be clear- you will not be shown mercy. You will die, tonight, in your cell." She grew both more scared and more angry as she spoke- she never asked for this military coup, did she? "Who funded you, huh? Was it Banija? Was it Hattmark? Was it the United Republics?" He denied any foreign involvement, and said that he was a freedom fighter and would be glad to die for his country.

He was taken away after that, never to be heard from again. And then Nafuna Akongo decided- it was time to be straightforward with the people of Nyowani Kitara.

---

The very next morning

President Nafuna Akongo was sitting at the Presidential desk, with all TV channels in the country, and all radio stations, tuned in on her. Things had escalated quickly within Nyowani Kitara. Mayor Max Ulf declared himself the leader of the DFLK, and said that they should take over Nyowani Kitara. Their defeat in the capitol, of course, was a major setback. Police and soldiers in Port Viljan defected en masse to their popular Mayor, and large scores of troops and officers, in the north, were defecting to the DFLK. Those towns were dominated by the Osterland and Nordland ethnicity groups, as the racial and ethnic divides of the country, dormant for so long, were suddenly busting open at the seams.

President Akongo then began her speech. "Three nights ago, our revolutionary leader, my Father, a wondrous and glorious man, passed away peacefully in his sleep." Nafuna Akongo said. "It is a sad day for the country and for its people. We have always stood proudly in favor of the workers revolution- even as it slowly toppled away in this subregion, this nation has stood as a beacon. We have defeated counter-revolutionary movements time and time again, and we have proven that the Revolution is about more than just one man- it is about a people and a nation."

"With a humble heart, I have succeeded my father as the General-Secretary of the Kitara Progressive Worker's Coalition, and as the President. Which makes me also the Commander-In-Chief, and the Chairwoman of both the Politburo and the Central Military Commission." She paused after she finished listing her new titles. "But unfortunately, as a nation mourns, traitors are seeking to put their own ambitions above the safety of the nation. Self above country. The worst kind of people you can ask for. They call themselves the 'Democratic Front for the Liberation Kitara'. "

"There is nothing this nation needs to be liberated from. We are already a free people. They have convinced people that we need saving- they are wrong. The revolution sometimes needs to be watered with the blood of the revolutionaries. And unfortunately, we are being called upon again. Here is what these traitors are- paid spies of Rushmori capitalist nations that hate the idea of a free people. Free from their suits. Free from their corporations. The DFLK will be defeated, and soon will simply be a relic of the textbooks. But stand strong- the Kitara Revolutionary Forces will protect you, and we will prevail."

After she was done with her speech, she went back to another meeting of the Politburo. She wanted an update on her brother. "Did anyone find him? We've got to get him to Dewayo, where he'll be safe."

"No." Gustav said.

"Well." Admiral Isago Sakaria said. "We do have an update. But you're not going to like it." And as he said it, Gustav Isaksson sat there stunned. And at the end of it, Nafuna threw her glass to the wall.

"That mother fucker." Nafuna Akongo said, in a rage. "My brother has always been pretentious and self-righteous- are we going to let that partier take over? Absolutely not. We must re-group in the South." The rage in her eyes was at a place where people hadn't seen it in the past few days. "Somebody call Ren Qiang." She said. "Our darkest days may be ahead of us. But remember- it gets darkest before the dawn. And I promise everyone in this room- there will be nowhere in this country where my brother will not escape my wrath."

"Madame President." Said the Admiral. "Are you going to go after your brother like that? Won't that mean Civil war?"

"Admiral, with all due respect." She said. "War has already begun."

---

City of Inhalo

Malik Akongo had been hiding out in the city. When the reports of the coup attempt in Dewayo came to him in Inhalo, he knew that the time was now. He had absolutely nothing to do with the coup attempt. It was another group- the DFLK or whatever. But with everybody's focus elsewhere, it was time for him to move.

And that is when he did it. He took his own underground forces, naming them the Kitara Freedom Front- or KFF. They rampaged through Inhalo, as government posts and officials were not ready for the attack. Their minds were focused on Dewayo, not on what was happening here. And just like that, in a few hours, Inhalo fell. Soldiers and police officers were switching sides to the NYKFF. And it turned out, the NYKFF controlled a decent bit of the countryside.

And with Inhalo taken over, Malik Akongo released his letter to the world.

To: Nations of Rushmore and Beyond

Hello,

My name is Malik Akongo. Many of you may know me as the son of Boaz Akongo, who is now confirmed dead by my younger sister, the illegitimate sister. As you have seen over the years, my sister and my Father have run a Government that goes against the will of the people of Nyowani Kitara. They have committed countless atrocities against their own people in the name of "the revolution", which is really in the name of oppression.

I am here at the head of a revolutionary group, the Kitara Freedom Front. We have captured Inhalo and we will declare ourselves the legitimate rulers of Nyowani Kitara. We will eventually march on Dewayo, after taking over the rest of Nyowani Kitara. But this will be a long and bloody fight. We implore you to step in, and convince Nafuna Akongo to resign and hand over power to the KFF.

THat will save bloodshed. In the meantime, I ask you to recognize the KFF as the legitimate government-in-exile of Nyowani Kitara, as we work to stand for Rushmori values. This being, of course- democracy, economic choice, and freedom. The values of the Common Rushmori Community, which a NYK under the rule of the KFF will seek to join. Help the people of Nyowani Kitara taste freedom.

From,

Malik Akongo
Leader of the KFF

(OOC Note: Credit to Astograth for making the Rushmori map, as I simply cropped off of there)

Map Legend
Red- Nyowani Kitara territory Controlled by the Central Government
Pink- Nyowani Kitara territory Controlled by the DFLK
Dark Green- Nyowani Kitara territory Controlled by the KFF
Purple- Tikariot
Dark Blue- Græntfjall
Orange- Weatherdon
Dark Yellow- San Ortelio
Light Yellow- The Kytler Peninsulae

[Ethane]

Confident win just the start

Ethane have started the campaign well with a comfortable win against fellow Esportivans, South Covello.

The dynamic of the game was set almost immediately after the whistle blew, with a quick attack off the kick-off seeing Scott Burgess come close to the upright. The demeanour of the two teams could be seen for the first five to ten minutes following that. The Red Kites were playing confidently, holding their heads up high. In contrast, South Covello just lacked the energy you'd expect a good team to have. They were unable to really get the ball moving enough to break down the defensive wall that Ethane has, struggling to find opportunities to break them down. They were never really committing enough people forward.

This left South Covello a tad vulnerable at the back, but not enough to afford the Red Kites any great opportunities. On multiple occasions, Montoya or Burgess managed to get a break forward on the counter-attack, only to find the move cut-out because South Covello had too many people back. The South-Eastern Esportivans found some luck with a break down the left wing in the 14th minute. Toby Turner was fooled by a cheeky one-two which allowed the South Covello player space on the wing to break. A beautiful cross was whipped in to the feet of one of their strikers, who managed to connect with it and direct it towards goal. However, Donovan Velázquez was easily able to read the shot which had a lot of power on it, and deflected it out for a corner with a fairly decent save.

The Ethanians went close a couple of times in the middle of the first half, with the South Covello players clearly lacking in energy probably due to a lack of match fitness and preparation; the team are so disorganised that player names and line-ups weren't filed with the WCC in time for the start of qualifiers, meaning the only way to know the player's name is to look at the back of their shirts during the match. Max Wilburn-Mason, phasing into the game a bit more, was starting to wander forward and provide options. He went extremely close from a corner whipped in by Montoya but blazed it just over the bar. Montoya also had an opportunity in the 33rd minute, but sent it just wide, going for power over accuracy.

The break for Ethane came just after the 40th minute mark. The South Covello players were looking particularly dispirited, unable to string together a decent series of passes, but they had been mounting somewhat credible offensive moves. Defensively they'd probably been lucky to not concede a goal so far, but had also made some crucial blocks to deny strikes by Ethanians. The South Covello players had managed to string together a somewhat decent offensive move, breaking through the middle to get close to an opportunity on goal. Craig James was able to break up the play with a crucial tackle though and quickly divert the ball to Tyler Ellis-Wood. A quick through ball opened up the South Covellan defence after they'd broke forward with perhaps a few too many people, which Montoya was able to run on to. It was easy from there, as Burgess had broken with him to effectively make it two-on-one. Instead of going for glory, Montoya passed the ball across the box in front of the opposition keeper to Burgess, who was able to just easily tap the ball into the back of the net a couple of seconds before a defender from South Covello would have reached him.

If Ethane looked confident before half-time, they looked even more assured immediately afterwards. South Covello had very little answer to a determined side of players desiring a decent showing in the qualifiers, and found even less opportunity on the ball. The game was all Ethane for the first ten minutes. Toby Turner came extremely close a few minutes into the half with only a great save by the opposition keeper denying him a great goal in the first game of the qualifiers. Montoya also got a decent long shot off from outside the box, but it lacked enough power to beat the keeper. It was Thomas Carter that set up the opportunity for Ethane to go 2-0 up. A beautiful set of passes saw Carter pick up the ball on the right edge of the box - he was out of position but made the most of it. Not sure if he was going for goal or not, but Carter's ball in went across the face of goal with a few defenders caught out by the power and unable to get a touch on it. Dominic Johnson was able to pick it up at the other edge of the box after running in from the wing, finding space to tap it in at the back post.

From that goal in the 62nd minute, the game went out with more of a whimper than a bang. The Ethanians, clearly confident in their winning margin and ability to defend a lead, sat back for the rest of the game, perhaps a little tired from all the high-press counter attacking they'd been doing. The South Covello players looked demoralised and lacking ideas. They did foray forward on multiple occasions, but were just unable to break down a well-disciplined defensive team. A couple of speculative shots came somewhat close, but never really close enough to worry the goalkeeper. The wall held strong, which bodes well for the rest of qualifying.

It's a long way to go until the next 'big' game against one of the higher seeds in this group, but the team will face challenges against teams that aren't ranked as high. On numerous occasions in previous qualifiers, the Red Kites have been caught out and upset by lower-ranked teams determined to show what they are capable of on the international stage. Games against Pratapgadh and Murphtannia could be a challenge before the Red Kites face top seed Savigliane on match day 5. Yet the intent and level of performance shown against South Covello bodes well for these games coming up. The team looked united and resolute, determined to perform to their very best. They were confident in defence and able to comfortably defend a decent lead without too much nerve, and found opportunities on the attack, both on the counter and in the phases of the game where they had more possession.

South Covello is far from the toughest challenge the team will face in this group, but this is a statement of intent - Ethane are here, and are here to win.

Lineup

GK: Donovan Velázquez
LWB: Dominic Johnson (1 goal)
CB: Max Wilburn-Mason
CB: Craig James
CB: Elliot Stevens (Esteban Castillo '75)
RWB: Toby Turner (Mathieu Allard '68)
CDM: Thomas Carter (1 assist)
CM: Tyler Ellis-Wood
CM: Joe Taylor (Oliver Reid '85)
CAM: Josh Montoya (1 assist)
ST: Scott Burgess (1 goal)

Preview vs Pratapgadh

At home, the Red Kites should be able to build on their confident away performance against South Covello. With a strong defensive performance, they should be able to replicate it and sniff out most threats from their lower-ranked opposition. With the striker a little more clinical in front of goal, the Red Kites could be a looking at another comfortable victory if all goes right at the weekend.

Lineup:

GK: Donovan Velázquez
LWB: Dominic Johnson
CB: Max Wilburn-Mason
CB: Adrián Calvo
CB: Chris Stevens
RWB: James Dance
CDM: Thomas Carter
CM: Jeremiah Ruiz
CM: Kaedan Hunt
CAM: Josh Montoya
ST: Scott Burgess

THE SCHEDULE
MATCHDAY 1 South Covello 0-2 Ethane (Burgess '41, Johnson '62)
MATCHDAY 2 VS Pratapgadh (112)
MATCHDAY 3 @ West Zirconia (160)
MATCHDAY 4 VS Murphtannia (91)
MATCHDAY 5 @ Savigliane (19)
MATCHDAY 6 VS Greater Vakolicci Haven (UR)
MATCHDAY 7 @ Bahia Roja (294)
MATCHDAY 8 VS Osarius (209)
MATCHDAY 9 @ Trolleborg (36)
MATCHDAY 10 VS South Covello (75)
MATCHDAY 11 @ Pratapgadh (112)
MATCHDAY 12 VS West Zirconia (160)
MATCHDAY 13 @ Murphtannia (91)
MATCHDAY 14 VS Savigliane (19)
MATCHDAY 15 @ Greater Vakolicci Haven (UR)
MATCHDAY 16 VS Bahia Roja (294)
MATCHDAY 17 @ Osarius (209)
MATCHDAY 18 VS Trolleborg (36)

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC: I almost forgot about cutoff today!

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Local man narrowly meets submission deadline

Bob Houseman, a journalist working for The Reporter, has expressed his gratitude after he came within minutes of having one of his articles for the newspaper delayed - but survived with his dignity and reputation intact.

Houseman, who usually covers affairs in north-eastern Saint Eleanor city, was said to have been nervously fretting yesterday after realising, with just half an hour to go until the deadline for articles to be handed in, that he had not prepared an article for the next day. He has shared his response exclusively with The Reporter, in which he pronounced his fears that "I honestly didn't know there was anything happening in my local area because I wasn't paying enough attention."

Knowing that major delays in writing the article that fateful evening would have led to it being published two days later rather than the next day, he successfully wrapped up the article in a mere ten minutes. He added that "I thought why not get a couple of my colleagues on-board with this story that I'm writing and get it over and done with by 9pm today? It's not like the boss is going to keep me on if I keep getting paid to do nothing."

It has been rumoured that fellow Reporter journalists Sarah Bishop and Kevin Robertson - neither of whom were available for comment - read over Houseman's article before publication. While noting that it was short and relatively light on detail, it is understood that they supported its publication in today's paper. A subsequent spelling and grammar check found no obvious errors and the article was subsequently approved for immediate publication.

The Reporter's editorial board did not say which article just about got into today's issue before publication time. Houseman, however, hopes that the reader and publishers alike "will enjoy it a lot."

[The Licentian Isles]

Kimi-suomi 0-1 The Licentian Isles

Kimi-suomi Goals – N/A
Licentian Goals – A. van Oers (34 mins)

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The Kit Hipster

Hello, and welcome to my blog that, apparently, some fuckers will read! I have to say I am grateful to the literally tens of you who have subscribed to this blog, or left comments, most of them requesting that I review kits from your nation, and only three with abuse or threats on my person. I have shown the first group of them to the girlfriend I mentioned in the last post: I don’t know that she’s entirely convinced that this is a worthwhile endeavour, but when I tell her that people from Farfadillis to Mertagne have read this, that’ll show her!

It's time to look at a couple of sets of kits this time, as your requests keep flying in and I want to try and stay ahead of the game. We’re going to start with Chromatika, which despite having a name indicating something very colourful, has only black and white on the majority of their kits. Why’s that then? I wonder if the whole nation is monochrome or something. Anyway, kits.

This is another set of kits made by Kirola, and honestly it’s weirder than anything I’ve ever seen them do for the Licentian Isles. I can’t tell if the lighting in the image is some kind of retro marketing thing on the image, or an actual part of these kits: if it’s the latter, then Kirola have clearly got some fancy tech back in Audioslavia. Anyway, the kits themselves. The home kit is pretty cool. It’s got some intriguing geometric patterns on the main body of the shirt that perhaps seem designed to hypnotise the opposition. The flowers across the shoulders are nice too, and they bring some colour to the shirt (though not literally, obviously). I do wonder if it could do with tending more towards one pattern than the other, but overall, very nice.

The away kit is my favourite though. The halves make it look quite smart, with the angular lines on one side of the kit making it stand out, especially compared to the other half which is plain black. There are some cool subtle details as well, like the fact that the two halves around the collar have the black and white backgrounds of the section below, while seemingly retaining the colour of the hashes themselves. Very good looking shirt, and one that I have already ordered online and will hopefully arrive soon.

Then there’s this regional kit, which seemingly they shared with Audioslavia at one point, though I don’t know if they still do. I’m not going to get into the Anaia thing too much, because the last thing I want is to get cancelled by you, my tens of readers, so let’s focus on the kit. It’s certainly eye-catching, quite literally bringing some colour to Chromatika’s range of kits. The purple and neon green are a good contrast without being too grating on the eyes, and the kit certainly makes the regional symbols work as something that a person is wearing, and not just a flag draped over someone’s body as that could very easily be.

Overall, I rate Chromatika’s kits pretty highly. They draw the eye, they look good, and the away kit in particular is gorgeous. I do wonder what the designers at Kirola were on when they came up with the ideas, but I won’t ask if I can have any because that seems like the perfect way to get put on a list, and I doubt my girlfriend would approve.

Next up, let’s take a look at the kits worn by a fellow Esportivan nation, Tumbra.

Firstly, the Tumbran home kit. This is quite simple, but in a good way. The sash across the chest, this time in red and blue, is a bit of a classic design, and the way that they’ve fitted the badge within that sash looks neat in my opinion. I’m not certain of the gold on the colour, and wonder if it would be better as one (or both) of the colours on the sash, but overall this is simple and effective. It’s a nice palette cleanser after viewing some of Kirola’s weirdest and most beautiful kits.

I’m not so certain about this one. I don’t know if this saltire style cross has some sort of symbolism in Tumbra, but it feels like it could do with something else in addition to jazz it up a little bit. Perhaps it could do with some additional colour in the sleeves or side panels to explain where the cross ends. I will say that once again, including the badge in the cross is a very good choice, and one that makes the rest of the kit look very clean, which I very much like

Now, this is gorgeous. It’s a very different colour palette, but I don’t mind that at all: in fact, this kit is very much up my street. It’s complex while still being simple, and the white bolts separating the green and blue sections of the kit give it quite an aggressive look, in a good way. This is a kit that I would definitely wear, because it has that right mix of sleek design, bright colours, and a smart look.

I’ve also decided that as we go through this process of me reviewing kits, I’m going to give a ranking of my three favourite kits that I’ve reviewed so far. Here’s the ranking so far!

1. The Licentian Isles – Away
2. Chromatika – Away
3. Tumbra – Third

I promise that picking that Licentian kit isn’t just because I’m Licentian. As time goes on, this will get updated and we might see some flux in this top ranking.

That’s everything for today! Comment down below what you think about these kits, and maybe suggest some for me to review going forward that you think can beat the current top three. Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

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Cyan-and-Gold Squad to face Kelssek at the LTI Stadium, Montfort:
Starting XI – C. Fraser (C); C. Spijker, F. Watson, L. Allen, R. Findlay; S. van Duuren; M. Henderson, A. McGregor, A. Mazereeuw, W. Tuininga; T. Weiling
Bench – S. Heijnis, T. Ferguson, S. Thomson, F. Buchan, J. Williams, M. Louws, R. Grant

Cyan-and-Gold Squad to face Astograth at Grand Duke’s Stadium, Rumiatzi:
Starting XI – C. Fraser (C); C. Spijker, F. Watson, L. Allen, S. Thomson; S. van Duuren; M. Henderson, A. McGregor, A. Mazereeuw, W. Tuininga; R. Grant
Bench – S. Heijnis, T. Ferguson, R. Findlay, F. Buchan, T. Hughes, M. Louws, T. Weiling

[Kandorith]

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Shinonome Kyoai - International

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Kandorith shines in impressive victory over Nyowani Kitara.
First opponents overclassed by 4 to 1 victory
By Natsumi Miyasaki
Sports

^{SHARE THIS:}

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Group 3                               Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cabo Azure                           1    1   0   0     7    0   +7     3
 2 Fluvannia                            1    1   0   0     6    1   +5     3
 3 Kandorith                            1    1   0   0     4    1   +3     3
 4 Vilita                               1    1   0   0     5    4   +1     3
 5 Mertagne                             1    0   1   0     1    1    0     1
   Savojarna                            1    0   1   0     1    1    0     1
 7 Barunia                              1    0   0   1     4    5   −1     0
 8 Nyowani Kitara                       1    0   0   1     1    4   −3     0
 9 Devonta                              1    0   0   1     1    6   −5     0
10 Arjunnagar                           1    0   0   1     0    7   −7     0

TENKYO, KANYORI — Anxious was the atmosphere as Kandorith started their new qualification campaign with the recent results still fresh in the memory of many fans. As soon as the whistle signalled the start of the match a whole different Kandorese team was playing the ball across the field. Manager Michiyu already stated that there was lots of improvement on the training field of the Kandorese squad, but this was yet to be seen on the actual match field as of yet. The acknowledgement that the team had indeed improved came halfway the game as the first goal went in for the Kandorese and Nyowani Kitara were left searching for an answer. Two goals for Honda were among one of the pinnacles of the match who was showing all of the skills he had and why there's so much interest in this player. Because of the victory it seems that at the Kandorese are on track to return to former glory and possibly, return to the World Cup.

The start of the match immediately took a different turn. Kandorith started pressuring the Nyowani Kitara attack immediately and kept playing to reconquer the ball as soon as they lost or even if they lost the ball at all. Eventually the ball would fall to Kenji Ishida who went all in on the sprint and ran across the right field to cross the ball towards Yoburo Yoshida and with a quick flick the ball would end up in front of Takeshi Honda, who could easily control the ball and slide it passed the goalkeeper marking the 1 - 0 for the Kandorese. As Honda scored the crowd went absolutely wild as flags and banners were waved, a true storm seemed to be brewing.

Matsumoto and Honda controlling the play

It became silent on the other side of the stadium, where there was previously a roar coming from the Nyowani Kitara fans, there was now silence. This silence would endure, as the Golden Dragons made themselves up for more swift attacks and rapid punishing play. Once again the combination between the midfield to Yoshida and Honda proved to be a working strategy. Yoshida got the ball from Matsumoto who ticked the ball through the legs of Ramah Abong'o to reach Yoshida who then made a high cross into the box which was answered by a beautiful volley from Honda. The s core was racking up as the Kandorese were now 2 - 0 in front and in no way did they seem to have any intention to stop playing the way they were. The Golden Dragons would remain mostly in control throughout the first half and was more occupied with trying to tire the Nyowani Kitara players. Hiro Fujiwara was constantly running long on the right field to get the ball into the center as quickly as possible, Harumi Hamada would take a more winger like approach on the other side to try and pass the ball to either Matsumoto or Yoshida and Takeshi Honda would remain in the center to take on the target man role in an absolute lightning speed performance.

After an absolute stunning start it would be understandable that the energy and speed would be lower during the second half and this is where Kandorith let their guard down. An error in communication in the defense caused Kai Takai to pass the ball back to ichinori Tamatsuki who then instantly had to react to Odede Angonga running right at him. Tamatsuki could not keep his calm and tried to play the ball to Kaba, who fell back from the midfield to help. The terrible pass was picked on by Owino Odede who brought Kaba to the floor and managed to get in to goalscoring range and score an absolute screamer. The Kandorese captain, Matsumoto, tried to convince the referee that a foul had been made but the referee would have none of it and Matsumoto was waved away by the referee.

Closing down the match

The Kandorese would quickly pick themselves up after the embarrassing goal and got up to speed again leading to the next lightning-quick attack which cut through the defense of Nyowani Kitara as if it was a hearty snack. Hamada saw his moment to shine and quickly passed the ball around the defense to reach Kaba, who had snuck into the box, in response Kaba was taken down by a heavy challenge after which the referee pointed straight to the spot and showed Tage Hermansson a yellow card for the challenge. It was expected that Honda would take this chance to score his first hattrick in an international match but he left the penalty to be taken by Kaba himself. Hiroyuki Kaba approached the penalty spot with an ice-cold determination to finish the penalty, which he did. A low shot which absolutely rocketed into the goal was too quick for Oduor Bigombe, who dived towards the right direction but could not come close to the ball in time.

The team would not stop being impressive there, attack after attack came from the Kandorese side but mostly ended in the last 20 meters as the tempo slowed down and the team decided it was time to run the clock. Masuhiro Nakata came on for Kai Takai who had received yellow after a nasty foul on Nicholas Ekdahl and Takamoto Ishibashi was allowed to debut in the spot of Matsumoto. Kandorith running the clock was anything but boring as the team kept playing at a rather high tempo playing the ball around and from side to side. Several more chances would arrive for the Kandorese but none of them would fall in a favourable position for the three in front, who had now started to fall back a little bit to keep their hold on the midfield.

A moment of brilliance would arrive in the 82nd minute however as the fresh Takamoto Ishibashi was able to make a run passed the center mark and make a run towards the goal area. The run was followed up by a skilful flick towards Yoburo Yoshida who could then take the ball towards the left corner flag, where he would find fierce defensive resistance as he was closed down. Showing his skill Yoshida would fake a run and pass the ball to the approaching Mori Takayama for a quick one-two towards the penalty area, where Honda was already waiting for the ball. In very quick succession there would be two goal attempts. Yoshida as he got the ball back tested his luck and cannoned the ball towards the goal and hit the post at the crossbar. The rebound would be perfect for Honda as he took his position and an absolute stunner of a left foot volley would be the result which hit the net as Tage Hermansson was standing too far away from the ball and with a slightly stunned look on his face.

Honda would celebrate his first international hattrick in an explosion of joy as he ran towards the stands to celebrate the 4 - 1 with the Kandorese fans who were now in an absolute partying mood. Just before the final whistle Kimi Hakimoto, who just returned into the starting eleven, was taken down with a kick to the ankle. Just last week he recovered from a knee injury but other than just some injury fears, the damage seemed moderate.

With Michiyu jus in charge of the team the conclusion so far has been that not only has the team been performing way better than they did at the start of previous qualification campaigns, but the way they performed were more enjoyable to watch at the same time. Currently Kandorith is at the third place of the group after the first match and this might be the beginning of a beautiful attempt at qualifying. One thing is for certain among the fans, the whispers of Kandorith maybe making it the the final tournament have returned and they have smiles on their faces once again when their team is playing for national glory.

[Saltstead]

The Royal Saltsteadish Football Association
Royal House of Sport, Ashwell

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To the administrators of the Great Old Ones Friendship Initiative:

The Royal Saltsteadish Football Association is deeply honoured and humbled to have received your invitation to join the Great Old Ones Friendship Initiative. The Saltsteadish people have a firm belief in the power, the resilience and the endurance of friendship. In such trying times for our Confederation, we are pleased to have such an opportunity to build and promote international and interspecies amity as represented by GOOFI.

We are deeply disappointed that such a positive and worthy initiative as GOOFI has not been universally met with the enthusiasm it deserves. We echo the Holy Empire Football Association’s disappointment and concern over responses of fear, hostility and even outright abuse toward GOOFI and hope that partnership between the KSFB and GOOFI will mark a positive turning point in mortal–supernatural relations.

The Royal Saltsteadish Football Association will be taking measures to ensure that the Holy Empire’s visit to the Saltsteadish Confederation will not be met with the same kind of unfortunate and disheartening response as that displayed in India. We will take all measures to prepare players, staff and supporters for the mind-bending nature of the multiverse’s top-ranked team in hopes of avoiding any kind of unfortunate incidents like those which befell the Indian team. It is discouraging that the Great Ones were not received kindly in the RLstates universe, but we hope that the first Imperial visit to Ordinal Reality will be a pleasant one.

It will be a high honour and privilege for the Stallions, associated personal and KSFB directors to join the Imperial team for tea, crumpets and other baked goods ahead of the Holy Empire’s match in Ashwell. We are also pleased to offer freshly-baked muffins and bagels, as well as a gift of freshly-roasted Saltsteadish coffee for your players and staff.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Royal City and wish you all the best.

Sincerely yours,
Aleksänder Blåuveud
Executive Director, Royal Saltsteadish Football Association

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We are and shall be
SALTSTEAD
Nothing more, nothing less

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★
The Royal Saltsteadish Football Association
Royal House of Sport, Ashwell

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Equestria : Saltstead
World Cup 89 qualifying group stage — Matchday 2
Unknown Stadium, Unknown City, Equestria
— and —
Saltstead: Holy Empire
World Cup 89 qualifying group stage — Matchday 3
King William VII National Park, Ashwell, Saltstead
Starting line-up (4–5–1): Robert-Jan van Daal; Gunner Stepħenssen, Jan-Pijr Åudenberg, Serena van Middelkamp, Catharine de Vriħt (captain); Natasħa Aħterop, Benni Sħåul, Zacharias van den Slåp, Mina Ratmaker, Aleksa le Duc; Reinhard Åubreħtssen
Substitute bench: Kathrinita Äsħes, Julij Kåler; Micħäl Aurelius, Pijr Josefssen, Sebastien van Can, Victoria Rothöüf; Marina Jager, Constantijn van Bleck, Violeta Igesleven, Theodor Felicianus, Nico Joxepħssen; Stepħanie Withöüf

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[Vdara]

Early Dubs

Your commentary team for tonight are Mathaios Pardakis and Kyriakos Lazellis.

*referee whistle noises*

M: “And it’s full time here in Daehan, and the away side are victorious! They had to fight hard for that after the hosts’ early goal, but they’ll be happy to have come away with the win tonight.”

K: “Yeah, they really had to dig deep for that result, but their resilience and general winning attitude seem to have pushed them through this tough match.”

M: “Any specific players catch your eye, Mathaios?”

K: “Well, I thought Lazelis played exceptionally well tonight - absolutely running rings around the opposition defenders. Getting a goal and an assist isn’t too shabby either, but his movement and general coverage of the pitch was excellent.”

M: “Is he your man of the match, though?”

K: “Has to be, yep. Lambros comes a close second, though - he was picking passes left, right and centre out there! In fact, if you look at his statistics for the match, you’ll have noticed that he had a passing accuracy of 94%, which is almost ludicrous.”

M: “Fully agree with you on both points, but a special mention has to go out to Zaharias Frangoglou in nets - sublime performance. After his early mistake with the first goal, he pulled off some spectacular saves to keep his side in the game, and although his clean sheet record has already been tarnished, he can be proud of his performance.”

K: “Absolutely. Vdara’ll have to sort out their defensive issues for their next game, though - no games in this tournament are easy, not least a game against Legalese.”

M: “What about the game after that, though? Valanora away is going to be a tough ask, and then some!”

K: “If anything, they should be saying their prayers to Margaret for that game. Valanora are one of the best sides in this tournament, perhaps ever - if the Vdarans want a result from that game, they’ll have to dig deeper than they did tonight. A LOT deeper.”

M: “Well, that’s the end of our coverage for tonight. Up next on Vai Sports 1 is going to be a replay of our famous victory over Oberour Ar Moro in the U-18 World Cup final - but don’t get too tired of us, we’ll be back with coverage of Vdara against Legalese. See you next time!”

DAEHAN - 1
Unknown Scorer 5’

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VDARA - 2
Chirstoforos Lazelis 27’ (Assist: Tantalopoulos)
David Xeniadis 81’ (Assist: Lazelis)

[Rangers FC]

Awrite, folks? It’s me, your host, your favourite guy, you know me, you love me - Broxi the Bear! Now, tonight’s episode is going to be cut short tonight, as I have an active warrant out for my arrest. I didn’t do it, okay? I was just… in the area. Anyhow, onto my poetry!

We only lost 4-2
And although, that’s not so rad
That’s good, to me and you
Because we are quite bad

SKIDDLY DOO-WHOP BAH

Wow, I’m so good at poetry. You could call me the master of poetry. In fact, you should call me the master of poetry.

*police sirens*

Well, looks like this episode IS getting cut short, haha! I best get going, otherwise I’ll be in jail. See you all later! (maybe, if I’m not arrested for SOMETHING I TOTALLY DIDN’T DO)

[Graintfjall]

Four seasons, Jeremy? Four!? That's insane. Græntfjall has one season, winter, and then maybe a few chance days when it’s not shitting it down with rain and snow.

“If anyone has any objections speak now or forever hold your peace.”

Anna-Liisa Filipsdóttir’s dress was a beautiful work of white lace, but no less impressive was the tailoring of Hjörleifur Reynarsson’s suit, fitting a man with the approximate physique of a 7 foot Kijani mountain gorilla into enough fabric to provide a pretty decent yurt for any passing Kamdyr herdspeople. He turned around with the grace and speed of an aircraft carrier and surveyed the church full of hundreds of people, each of whom made very sincere eye contact with him and sat on their hands until their knuckles turned white in a bid to demonstrate just how strongly they did not object. The priest did not dally in the silence long either lest it be mistaken. The congregation visibly relaxed as the ceremony proceeded...

[South Newlandia]

Cutoff music

Notice:
It has come to our attention that one nation, Blouman Empire, has been plagiarising at least parts of recent RPs. This became most apparent when their most recent RP (the RP has been edited six hours later to change the player, but had included Jarrod Bowen) included a RLstates player never mentioned on either roster, but who had previously been in the exact same circumstance in this RLstates article. This is not an isolated incident – this has been occurring multiple times in multiple tournaments. Our executive decision, as hosts of World Cup 89, is that Blouman Empire will be stripped of all RP Bonus gained so far in this tournament, and will lose their rank as well, effectively resetting their scorinating rank to 0. Blouman Empire is welcome to gain RP Bonus later in the tournament with actual RPs that are not plagiarised.
This shall also be a notice to all other roleplayers – DO NOT, under any circumstance, PLAGIARISE THE WORK OF OTHERS TRYING TO PASS IT OFF AS YOUR OWN.

Also, I've mentioned my error in imputting the correct tiebreakers in the first cutoff post. Since xkoranate does not allow for tiebreakers to be changed mid-tournament, not all H2H-tiebreakers may be applied correctly in the early going of the World Cup. Be assured that they will be when it actually matters.


Results

[Kimi-Suomi]

We headed into our very first game at Pesä with no real expectations at all. Esko Laaksonen's Huuhkajat was just expected to get as many points as he could for this competition, but at least the first game was at home?

The Licentian Isles was our very first opponents and we lost by...only 1-0. WAIT, WHAT?! ONLY 1-0?!

Yep. Anne-Linde van Oers scored the only goal of the game in the 34th minute, but that was the only blemish on Kimin Armeija tonight. Chances were created, Kauko Loukamaa was alright between the sticks and Kimi Airo almost equalised the game in the 76th. All in all, we did lose...but we also played well, too.

Maybe we are good after all, but we still have a long road to go...the quest for points continues.

NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

[Darmen]

Government Publicly Announces Referendum On Status Of Southeast Region
Autonomy, Independence Or Union With Valladares Will Be The Only Options

SCOTT CITY - Secretary of State for the Interior, Katrine Knutsen, today announced that a referendum on the status of the Southeast Region will be held concurrently with next April's municipal elections to decide the future status of the region. The referendum is one of the major steps the government is taking in its efforts to improve relations with Valladares.

While rumors about the proposed referendum had surfaced as far back as several weeks ago, the government had not until now confirmed the referendum's date or details.

According to Secretary Knutsen's announcement, that status quo in the Southeast Region will not be an option on the referendum, leaving voters to choose between the establishment of a semi-autonomous regional government, independence from both Darmen and Valladares, or union with Valladares.

The option for independence is unlikely to get much support, as most of the major parties are likely to campaign for voters to choose the option for autonomy, while the Partido Valladar will without a doubt push for union with Valladares. The campaign is likely to become very divisive and bitter in the region and perhaps elsewhere in the nation too as opinions on the matter are likely to be extremely strong.

"I'm sure the campaign will be tough," commented Rogerton Liberal Party secretary Liam McLean. "There's a lot of people who for generations have thought one thing or another about the ethnic divide or the form of government in the region. Loyalties to Darmen or to Valladares are pretty strong, I suspect it will be extremely hard to get people to change their minds and there won't be very many undecideds to try to win over."

The government is expected to announce its plans for the form of autonomous government the region would be granted if voters choose that option in the coming weeks before the holiday period. The autonomous government is likely to be similar to that found in Esportivan Darmen, with a regional council and small bureaucracy overseeing the region's domestic affairs.

Other Headlines

• Government Monitoring Situation In Nyowani Kitara Very Closely
• Foreign Department Not Ready To Declare Support For Malik Akongo And KFF Just Yet
• Tyger Stadium And Darmen City Prepare To Host Srednjaci In Qualifiers Home Opener
• Food Safety Service Moves To Ban Casu Martzu

[Flavovespia]

Kiltoch 3 - 4 Flavovespia

PH: Hello and welcome to coverage of the first of Flavovespia’s 18 qualifying games. Coverage of this game is brought to you via the FTV (Flavovespia TeleVision) team, in conjunction with FFD (Flavovespia Football Daily). Joining me, Patrick Hammond in the studio as the special guest is former Flavovespian international, defender John Calvert. So John, much has been spoken about the squad selection, in particular the defence, with many having their say. What are your thoughts at the moment?

JC: Well I’ve defended this squad and I’ll do so again. I think there’s a lot of talk of change, we conceded too many goals, there’s too many individuals and not enough team players. However I think the performances at the last Qualifiers and the Cup of Harmony justify keeping the players around. If the worry is a lack of team cohesion, change doesn’t add cohesion.

PH:And your thoughts on the idea some of the players don’t care or don’t get along?

JC: I disagree. All these players are proud Flavovespians, wearing the Flavovespian shirt means everything to them. I think personally it’s an experience no amount of money can take away.

PH: And Kiltoch, they’re new to the qualifiers, as were Flavovespia when you played for them. How will they come into this game?

JC: Undoubtedly there’ll be nerves, but the excitement of being here makes up for that. I think they’ll not be afraid to attack, Flavovespia need to be ready and look to score early and not let Kiltoch settle into this.

PH: We’re minutes from kickoff, out in Kiltoch are your commentary team, the dynamic duo of H&H, it’s Stephen Hunter and Annabel Harris.



SH: Thanks Patrick. It’s 4-3-3 for both sides, a reminder of Flavovespia’s squad: Aarif Muhammad, Lyons-Cookson-Gardner-Blythe, Clark-Totten-Clarkson, Cole-Coleman-Hall.

AH: No squad rotation from McCormick, he’s put what he believes is his best 11 out for this game, he wants an away win, something Flavovespia are not known for. A lot has been spoken of early troubles, can Flavovespia banish those blues?

0 minutes: Kick-off, a big roar from the crowd as Kiltoch begin their World Cup Qualifying debut.

15 minutes: No goals yet so far, and on the balance of things Kiltoch will be happier. Flavovespia have struggled to get their midfield into the game much, with good pressing play from Kiltoch, and a defensive line not afraid to take risks. Limited room for Flavovespia to create much. Flavovespia so far have kept the ball almost entirely out of their box, very few opportunities yet for the hosts to have a good go at goal.

20 minutes: GOAL! The opener goes the way of Flavovespia. Kiltoch are exploited for having a high line. David Clark picks out Michael Cole with a lofted through ball. Michael Cole accelerates clear off the shoulder of the defence, leaving only Robert Michaels in goal to beat. He does so with a well taken right footed shot across the face of goal.

28 minutes: GOAL! Kiltoch have the equaliser. Max Tennyson plays a weighted pass into the path of Nicolas Candella, who holds off Stuart Cookson. The first real test for Aarif Muhammad, and he doesn’t pass it, he can only parry the ball onto the inside of the post and in. A disappointment for Flavovespia who only lead for 8 minutes.

30 minutes: Well Flavovespia did exactly what they shouldn’t do after taking the lead, relax too much and lose focus at the back. Neither the defenders nor goalkeeper covered themselves in glory, and it lead to an equaliser.

38 minutes: GOAL! And how crucial for Kiltoch could this be, they take the lead! Anderson Russel from on the left sends in a floated cross towards the right post. Justin Matthew manages to outposition himself to bat Stuart Cookson to the ball in the air, and from 10 or so metres out, heads it down low and past Aarif Muhammad. The Pokestar are going wild as they lead!

Half time: Kiltoch 2 – 1 Flavovespia. After taking the lead, Flavovespia will be very disappointed to have fallen behind. McCormick will certainly be asking questions, and maybe the worries about the defence were valid. Credit as well to Kiltoch not just in attack, but for stifling the Flavovespian midfield, Cole, Coleman and Hall have had little to work off.

47 minutes: GOAL! Whatever was said at half time clearly worked. Steven Hall gets down the right wing, jinxes past Rook Evans, before darting into the box. He pulls the ball back towards the penalty spot, and Scott Coleman is there to fire home. 2-2 now, exactly the response Flavovespia needed.

52 minutes: GOAL! Well Flavovespia came out with full force, and they’ve got the reward. Robert Totten’s long ball over the top found Michael Cole, in almost a carbon copy of his earlier goal. He darted into the box, and Michaels did well to block the shot. However the rebound flew back towards the centre of the box, Coleman was there first, and he had a simple shot to score. Flavovespia now come from behind to lead.

60 minutes: If nothing else, then Flavovespia can be pleased with the attacking output. Cole, Coleman and Hall could make the case for being the best 3 Flavovespian footballers at the moment, and even against a resolute midfield display by the hosts, have 3 goals on the board now.

64 minutes: GOAL! The lead is doubled now for Flavovespia. David Lyons plays it down the line to Michael Cole. Cole draws Johnny English out wide in pursuit, before switching the ball back into the path of Lyons, who’s run towards the box wasn’t tracked. Lyons takes the shot first-time, Michaels is caught off guard, and the full-back scores only his second international goal.

73 minutes: GOAL! Well Flavovespia aren’t running away with the win anymore. This goal definitely came a bit against the run of play. A clever corner routine saw the ball loop through the air to the far post, where Candella gets free to head it into the net. The Flavovespians in the box look at each other, asking who was responsible for that.

75 minutes: With Alexander May on for Stuart Cookson and Murad Ahmed on for Robert Totten, Marcus McCormick just wants to see out this game. A cautious move, but in the qualifiers 3 points is very valuable, a gamble to gain goal difference just not worth it yet. Kiltoch are pushing for an equaliser, especially with that 3rd giving them a second wind, can they keep up the intensity?

90 minutes: The minutes tick by ever slower for Flavovespia, but they’re almost there. A sea of yellow shirts seem to be in front of anyone from Kiltoch who gets close to the box, and there’s no way through. Cole came close with an attempt from just outside the box tipped over the bar by Michaels, but that’s been the main highlight of the past 15 minutes. Home fans buoyed by the 5 minutes of injury time

Full time: Kiltoch 3 – 4 Flavovespia. For Flavovespia, it wasn’t one of their finest performances, but they got the 3 points, and that’s more than can be said of the side at this stage before. Kiltoch will have plenty of positives to take away from the game, but sadly no points. That ends the coverage here, back to the studio



PH:So 3 points for Flavovespia, but was it a good performance or not? John, your initial thoughts?

JC:All the players will care about is winning, and so they’ll be happy. I do think the manager and the players may not agree on if it was a good performance or not. I think there were good parts and some not so good parts.

PH: As you pointed out they won, but do you see the need for any changes? And was there disharmony?

JC: I’ve never been a big fan of changing a winning formula personally. What I saw in attack I really liked, and I do think the players just need to gel more, in what looks like a new setup. Although as a defender, I do think Cookson was a bit of a weak spot, Gardner and Blythe as well have room for improvement.

PH: Well that ends our coverage here, join us next time in Hadford Hill as Jeruselem visit. Have your say on Hive, #KILvsFVA. Goodbye!

[Ko-oren]

Schedule
@ Montaña Verde
@ Baggieland
v Bollonich - Orange Bowl, Schemerdrecht
@ Britonisea
v Vajlahrys - Stade Amandine, Étouille
@ Ardelark
v Juvencus - Suzumebachi Stadium, Katashi
@ Omerica
v Oberour Ar Moro - Stade sur la Baie, Aminey

v Montaña Verde - Armskirk Municipal Ground, Maynard
v Baggieland - Rikalathen Arena, Maethoru
@ Bollonich
v Britonisea - Estádio Marítimo, Santa Teresa
@ Vajlahrys
v Ardelark - Northern Arena, Aevanna
@ Juvencus
v Omerica - Golhampton Grounds, Greencaster
@ Oberour Ar Moro

The geniuses behind the World Cup Qualification draw gave Ko-oren all of the top 100 nations back to back at the end of each half. It's 70th placed Juvencus, then 37th Omerica, followed by 59th Oberour Ar Moro. Looking at the schedule around halfway, that gives us this infamous trio, then three games against teams in the top 150 (Montaña Verde, 146th, and Baggieland, 104th), followed by Bollonich (124th). After that we get the Unranked Parade (and Barely Ranked Parade) until we get the triple whammy again. That means that the Dragonflies will need to get their point lead in the group in to allow for some unplanned losing of points - there's no way any team is going to get through 270 minutes of football against three good teams back-to-back-to-back and escape with 9 points.

After two away games, 'homecoming' will be against Bollonich in Schemerdrecht, in front of a wild, sold-out Orange Bowl. After that, home and away games are nicely balanced, and we'll jump to the stadium in the nicest weather in the world in Étouille for the Vajlahrys game. There has been a honest to goodness 'suck up to management' battle in the office for who gets to be sent out to the Stade Amandine to cover the team there - never mind the smaller stadium and the dreadful state of local clubs there. So far we have someone offering to work 30 hours of unpaid overtime, but rumours have it that some are preparing Operation Human Chair in a last-ditch effort to make the production team for Étouille, which has, it has to be said again, world's nicest weather. The first home game after that is in that hellish stretch versus the top 4 pots, with Juvencus traveling to Suzumebachi Stadium - a strange move by the KFA as that's the one 'home' venue that can turn outright hostile towards the Dragonflies if things aren't looking nice and easy. And Juvencus are not making us comfortable in that game. The last game of the half will take place in the flagship national stadium in Aminey. Expect a lively, sold-out, 100% supportive home crowd - but not that lively. To make up for the double away start, the Dragonflies get three home games in a row, making their way to Maynard and Maethoru after the Aminey game. For many players, Ko-orenite and Baggielander, this will be the first moment they play in the stadium of a champion (record champions Maethoru SC, that is). After trips to Santa Teresa (where Britonisea is our opponent in the Estádio Marítimo - not the Estádio Fortaleza - make of that what you will) and Aevanna, the final game, in the middle of the lethal triple, is at Greencaster, at the Golhampton Grounds, where the national team has only played a handful of times before. That's an odd choice - though while the stadium is listed as a 25000 seater, temporary seating should make it more like 35000. It's clear that the KFA wants to break into larger cities with larger venues rather than maybe spread out all games across the country.

For the team, much stays the same. The eternal battle between Palmgroen and Theshendan as starting goalkeeper seems to have panned out for the former this time, with the latter now 34 years old and still coasting on that World Cup final. Van Kalvenhaar is the starter at leftback, the first female starter in a long while, with the central defence featuring Kaplan and Parrott alongside eternal starter Van Schelven. Juliasterinthen isn't afraid to change up the three centrebacks, that much is clear. Ardouin and Benjamin are on the bench and ready to jump in to make a much more common Ardouin-Benjamin-Van Schelven back line - and would you look at that! Even Dennis Lampshire is back on the team, having (largely) overcome his differences with the head coach. Mizuno is the starter on the right side of the defence. That means the Aerellen duo of Aiamara and Aelisire is no more. Hellegeland, Linderood, and Hergulauthen also weren't called up. The Dragonflies are incredibly deep on the fullback position.

In midfield, Juliasterinthen contined the trend of calling up players for different positions, so you could make a LM-RM-AM, DM-LM-RM, or the typical DM-CM-AM configuration by shuffling around one player and substituting another, and then have one player left over to complete the four-man midfield. Janoreirinthen looks certain of the starting job no matter what, as does Longchambon, with Vaugrenard and Odgers vying for playing time in the third spot - and Ensaunden, Batchelor, and Forward on the outside looking in, expecting plenty of playing time as well. Up front Erisia has conquered the hearts of all as the nation's poacher, appearing as the sole striker once again.

In the meantime, The World Cup Qualification Fantasy is up for its god knows how manyth* cycle, with more players than ever*, with over 50% of players settling for Tumbra. Graintfjall and Mertagne have also been picked a silly* amount of times. In fact, most groups have a clear favourite in number of picks. Group A, however, has both Indusse and our eastern neighbours, Quebec, and who knows how they call themselves this time. Independent Athletes? Quebec and Shingoryeo? Players are completely lost when it comes to Group 8, as Savigliane, Trolleborg, and Pratapgadh are all picked about equally often. Group 14 also has a near-three-way tie, with Zeta Reka and the Spellcheckbreakers, San Ortelio, and Adab. Tumbra, as expected, is the easy choice in Group 9, with almost 60%* of picks in that group. Our very own Group 15 has Bollonich as the obvious choice (about 30% of picks), though Juvencus, Omerica, Oberour Ar Moro (aka the top-100 'Let's Upset Ko-oren Crew') also generating some clicks. An administrative mishap in the Blouman Empire saw some players switch to Valladares in the nick of time before the signup period closed.

*none of these values have been fact-checked

*in fact, all of these values are slightly off

[Kaldtfjell]

Dear diary,

There goes our first game of these qualifiers, and it did not go as well as I think we’d hoped it would.

I said last time we spoke that San Ortelio were a good team, and they proved that when we played. They were pretty dominant throughout the game, and so it was a little bit difficult for our guys to keep up with them a lot of the time. I was watching from the bench at the start of course, and I could see just how worried the boss was getting as they had more and more good attacks that were threatening Andor in goal. Eventually they managed to get a couple of goals through, one either side of half time, and it kind of took the air out of everyone in the stadium

The boss put me in after about 65 minutes: Odin was tiring, so it was time for me to get on, even if it didn’t look like a substitution would make any difference to the game. The Ortelians were just too good for us I think. Despite that, we did manage to grab a goal late on, which will be some sort of consolation to us, and it made the fans that were there to cheer us on pretty happy too. I am rather proud to say I actually got the assist! I could see a space in behind the Ortelian defence, so I looped it over the top, and Bjarne ran right into the box to get on the end of it and score. I’m pretty happy to have got that pass in, it was the best I’ve done in a while.

The end of the game was a real contrast. On one side, while we were still on the pitch, everything was very friendly. I think that our fans knew that we had been outdone but we’d done the best we could. The Ortelians were pretty friendly too, we shook hands with the players, and there were a few photos taken of the captains swapping pennants. I think Sindri is planning on hanging them all up come the end of the qualifiers, so we have a collection of pennants from every game we’ve played on this journey.

It was very different in the dressing room. Sverre went absolutely ballistic. At first I didn’t really understand it. It seemed obvious to me that we were just beaten by a better side, and there’s very little we can do about that. I’m not used to it playing for SFK, but I know it happens. Why would we be surprised that the 69th best team in the world had beaten us handily?

It took me a little bit of thinking afterwards to realise what it was that had him angry. I remembered the conversation the team had with the Hovding before all this started a couple of days ago. He seemed insistent on us qualifying. The more I think about it, when he said he wanted to see us qualify, his tone sounded a bit demanding, and I remember looking over to Sverre: he didn’t look entirely comfortable. Hopefully with some time, the pressure will recede a bit. Maybe the Hovding will even see that we’re making Kaldtfjell proud just by being here and competing!

We’ve got a couple of games coming up that will still be difficult, but perhaps a little bit easier than the San Ortelio game. We’re travelling to Damukuni first, another nation pretty close to home, and then Adab are visiting Hornungsvagr. I do hope we can get a decent result from at least one of those games. I know we’re coming into this as newbies, but I don’t like the idea of Sverre being under pressure if we keep losing. He’s a good guy.

Anyway, I should get back to practice, big couple of games coming up!

A. F.

[Malta Comino Gozo]

It's been a bit of a disappointing start to the World Cup for Malta Comino Gozo, they lost both their starting matches to Darkmania and Twicetagria. Thankfully they have managed to earn a point drawing 1-1 against Kimi-suomi.

Barton Software Arena:
Location - Colesham, Colesham Parish
Capacity - 47,000 capacity (42,000 seated)
Malta Comino Gozo 1-1 Kimi-suomi.

Kimi-suomi needed a stoppage-time penalty save from Kauko Loukamaa to come away with a 1-1 draw. Kimi Airo's goal had given them an early lead but a great strike from Rafi Farrugia levelled it before half-time.

Malta Comino Gozo then looked set for their first win but Kauko Loukamaa dived to stop Blake Bruffa s spot-kick. It is a blow to boss Robert Vella who had been looking for a boost from this match.

Kimi Suomi had a couple of early scares before making the breakthrough after nine minutes in a swift counterattack when they delivered a perfect chip to the back post and headed it home.

Malta Comino Gozo equalised in the 35th minute after some sloppy play by Kuomi Suomi. That was Malta Comino Gozo's first goal in the group

Malta Comino Gozo, without a win in 2 games, had a golden opportunity when their defender gave them a penalty but Loukamaa saved Kimi Suomi from an embarrassing defeat.

[Sarzonia]

The pressure was beginning to mount on the Sarzonian national football team. Sarzonia had not tasted victory in two pre-qualifying friendlies or in the Mike Sarzo Memorial Trophy before the World Cup qualifying campaign began and played to a frustrating draw at home to Equestria in what manager Nathan Hanifer lamented as a "lost opportunity" to steal points in the early going in World Cup 89 qualifying play.

The Stars were facing an unruly crowd at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock that was hungry to see their team come away with a victory. After the Stars stumbled a bit out of the gate and saw a routine back pass from defender Charlie King mishandled by second choice goalkeeper Trent Woodson for an early goal by Brookshire midfielder Andreas Roles in the sixth minute, the Stars faithful in the stands were starting to grumble.

Right then, team captain Clayton Wilson gathered the team together and told them to forget about the noise and play football.

"We've got our job to do right now," he said. "That's to start playing Sarzonia football. We're better than we've been playing right now. We got this."

As Jaxon Hennepin lined up to the immediate right of Wilson awaiting the boot of the Stars 10-shirt, he thought about the words of advice he'd gotten from manager Nathan Hanifer before the kickoff. Stop trying to be Brady Reynolds, Hanifer said. Be you. You're in the starting 11 for a reason. You don't have to replace Reynolds. You just have to be your own player. That's good enough for us." Hennepin drew in his breath and exhaled slowly before he caught Wilson's eye. He nodded, then the two men awaited the whistle from the Cassadagan referee. She blew the whistle. Wilson slid the ball to Hennepin with his left boot, then Hennepin used his right to get the ball where he felt comfortable striking it to start the offence.

In the 23rd minute, it was Hennepin who would help the Stars draw the match level. He anticipated a pass from Alexis de la Vega to Steve Dolphin and intercepted it, then fired a shot toward Ernie Mabree. He trapped the ball with his chest and volleyed the ball past a diving Joel Latibeaudiere in goal to draw the score level. The goal energised the crowd of 99,738 at Dave Wilson Stadium and Hennepin caught Wilson's eyes again, and then nodded ever so slightly when he could tell Wilson's glance carried a smile with it. "Nice work," Wilson mouthed to Hennepin after he'd congratulated Mabree on the tally. The Stars would stifle the Brookstation offence for the remainder of the first half and started a couple of counterattacking runs that were more about probing the defence for their best opportunities of the second half.

As the team lined up for the second half, Holly Cambrio stood to Wilson's right as she entered the match for Cayden Aguirre. The other striker, the ever-young Jake Campos stood to her right. The second half whistle started, and except for a brief attack effort that comfortably landed in the gloves of Woodson, the second half was more about Sarzonia finding the fluid play Hanifer wanted from his charges.

Mission accomplished. It would pay off with a goal in the 64th minute as Cambrio made a solid run to draw the defender who was tightly marking Campos away from him and leave an opening for her to launch the ball toward Campos. He took off and fired a majestic header into the goal past Latibeaudiere to give Sarzonia a lead. This time, the defence and Woodson would make sure to hold it. They walked off the pitch after the final whistle with a badly-needed 2-1 triumph before they boarded the team's charter flight to Ostankin.

Even though the Ostankin match was against the 336th ranked team in the multiverse, it was still an away match, which might have been beneficial as it took pressure off having to play well in front of the home supporters. Regardless, it saw Sandt return after a one-match break and earn the clean sheet and a 2-0 away victory with a three-save performance that saw the lower-ranked side barely challenge Sarzonia. Campos and Cambrio would score, marking the third goal for Campos and the second marker for Cambrio on the young qualifying campaign. The result would push Sarzonia into second place, no guarantee of a spot in the knockout rounds by any means, but it certainly felt better than an 18-match qualifying campaign in the previous edition that saw Sarzonia only win four times.

As Hennepin looked at the results and the Group 7 tables, his eyes widened when he saw Saltstead just defeated The Holy Empire 1-0 at home. Now, a No. 62 team pulling off a victory over the top ranked team in the multiverse wasn't necessarily shocking, as the Stars themselves pulled off a similar feat against then-No.1 Nephara during the World Cup 85 cycle. That shock result would propel Sarzonia to a return to the World Cup proper in just their second cycle after a lengthy absence. Granted, it was early yet, and Margaret has a habit of being especially fickle in the early going, but it was still a better start than Sarzonia were used to.

For Hanifer, he hopes the team can build on their momentum as they have matches against India and Zug um Zug on the immediate horizon. He said he wasn't giving the "trap match" speech just yet, although he might brush up on it for the Zug um Zug match since Saltstead followed it. He said he probably would have to repeat it considering the opponent who immediately followed.

Them. The Holy Empire.

"We can't get too distracted by the whole Saints v. Sinners motif, Catholics v. Convicts or whatever else you wanna call it," he said. "We've got a job to do and that's play football."

SARZONIA STARS (all home matches will be played at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock, capacity 105,900 unless otherwise mentioned). Opponent pre-World Cup ranks in parentheses. Home matches in BOLD.
MD1: D, 2-2 EQUESTRIA (63)
MD2: W, 2-1 BROOKSTATION (156)
MD3: W, 2-0 @ Ostankin (336)
MD4: INDIA (259) (at Shipyard Stadium in Wilmington, expanded capacity to 77,355)
MD5: @ Zug um Zug (UR)
MD6: SALTSTEAD (62)
MD7: @ The Holy Empire (1)
MD8: ACASTANHA (109)
MD9: @ Græntfjall (29)
MD10: @ Equestria (63)
MD11: @ Brookstation (156)
MD12: OSTANKIN (336) (at Mike Sarzo Stadium, Nicksia, capacity 79,211)
MD13: @ India (259)
MD14: ZUG UM ZUG (UR; at Nottingham Pavilion, capacity 18,200 in Woodstock)
MD15: @ Saltstead (62)
MD16: THE HOLY EMPIRE
MD17: @ Acastanha (109)
MD18: GRÆNTFJALL