World Cup 90--RP Thread

by **Juvencus** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 4:59 pm

The Second Great War of Unification(1876-1892)

The isolationism of the Juven populace in relation to the rest of the multiverse led to the creation of very unconventional and uncompromising tactics that were used in warfare that would normally not be utilised because they could be considered ineffective or outright dumb. As the starting battles of the war showcased, large armies of men marching towards big and walled cities and towns or tightly fortified trenches proved to be destructive and the death toll that followed any of them would be considered war-ending in any other situation. As such, came the rise of high-level skirmishes at the gateways of cities during dusk using very small forces with the sole reason of quickly capturing a position or encampment, sometimes even larger towns. Those would be not be as deadly, but certainly proved to be more effective as the war progressed for either side. Those battles would be called crép-dégueu.

Dead bodies post-battle at the entrance of Trata, as photographed by Vincenzo Cassetti

Chapter 7: Second Battle of Trata(July 25th, 1878)
"Having faith to the Lord never saved me from a bullet to the face, it did however save me from losing my sanity." Gabrielle Costa, 1901 at a soldier reunion in Serone

With the fall of Remeno, the collapse of the Independentist army followed suit with very small forces stationed back in Trata only positioned there to avoid complete and utter embarrassment. The Unionist attack to reclaim the town was in full swing at this point, but learning from the mistakes in the battles of Remeno and Pomena, they knew they had to avoid a standstill at any trenches or moronically charging at any city walls especially when artillery fire was directed towards them and towards the enemy in a big storm of mortar. Since Duke Gianluca IV, Terzi of Pomena was back at Remeno, tending for the wounded himself while also delivering shattering speeches to enhance the dropped morale of the devastated populace, Colonel Jean-Louis Corsair was put in charge of the 7th Land Brigade of the Pomenienze Army + the 5th Artillery Division and headed towards the city.

According to reports of troops and Corsair's personal aide-de-camp, Claude Renault, Jean-Louis Corsair often had "visions" regarding a type of combat that was unheard of and would become more frequent as the war went on. Upon being asked what it was he always uttered "Attack at dusk, attack at dusk. We attack at dusk." and on July 25th, 1878 the battle commenced with the Independentists actually firing shots first. Jean-Louis Corsair's command was to head straight to the western entrance of Trata where the battle became extremely violent and bloody. A large part of the troops enganged in hand-to-hand combat while being under fire from sharpshooters from both sides. The last remaining cannon of the Independentists in Trata fired rounds in the middle of the battle again and again, injuring multiple soldiers from both sides. Several barns in that same direction suffered heavy damaged, or were at least filled with bullet holes as there was no real cover for anyone in the field of battle. However, the Pomenienze's numerical and tactical superiority proved to be enough to outperform the Independentists and capture any remaining ones by midnight. In the fields at the entrance of Trata laid a lot of bodies which were picked up at a very slow pace while the remaining Independentists were captured but not a single one was executed, as was common after the end of battles.

Recapturing Trata meant that the city of Pomena itself was currently safe from any invasion, while the Independentists were to gather back at their positions in Razza, in the southeast as well as the villages of Villanuova and Levante in the east and would most likely create trenched positions to make the ensuing counter-attack of the Unionists even harder to succeed. Upon hearing news of the defeat in battle, King Alberto VI of Torona, who was still recovering from his battle wounds was so angered that he vowed not only to take revenge but crush the "western scum of the earth" out of existence.

Battle Outcome: Pomenienze(and by extension Unionist) victory, Trata was freed at last. Northwestern Theater of the war starts to shape up.

by **Pluvia and the Saxean Isles** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 4:59 pm

After AOCAF LXV

" -ya wee bastard!"

A loud thud was heard throughout the Pluvia and Saxean Isles locker room following the team's 2-2 draw to Aji no Moto and subsequent elimination from the 65th AOCAF. Finn Roberts, the reserve striker who frankly towered over Davis Kingsley, the Magpies' attacking midfielder, had just shoved him to the ground.

"The f*** was that, asshole?" As the words echoed through the locker room, Roberts toppled over. Bram Holger, the Magpies' keeper, had just socked him clean in the jaw.

The next moment, Kingsley jumped off the ground and tackled Holger. "I can handle myself, Holg!" He blindly flailed at his keeper as Tristan Baumeister and reserve midfielder Connor Robinson grabbed him around the midsection and pulled him off.

Laurent Chambéry entered to see approximately 20% of his team engaged in fighting or restraining others and unleashed a string of expletives in Saviglais, which had the effect mainly of confusing everyone, since everyone spoke Pluvian or Saxean. Axel Newman responded by placing his hand on Chambéry's chest and saying, "Back off, skip, this doesn't concern you."

"Ze f*** do 'ou mean, doez not conzern me?" Chambéry pushed aside Newman with a strength that belied his age and frame. He pulled Holger and Roberts off the floor with both of his arms, then strode to the middle of the locker room. "Everyone zhut up!"

"Maybe 'ou don' like me, becose 'ou are a bunch of Tootonic moronz 'ou wouldn't know cultoor if eet beet 'ou in ze ass, but 'ou cannot act like zis!" Chambéry stuttered a bit, then waved his arms at his translator. The man stood beside him and began translating simultaneously. "I know you loved your former coach, but that is no excuse for this piss-poor play and fighting. I am a fair man when you get to know me, which very few of you have done. First of all, this fight is a direct result of your play on the field. You miss passes, you don't play within the system, you are out of position on defense. You are obviously not united. You do not fix this by slugging each other in the locker room. I would rather one of you be shown a red card for hitting an opponent then fight each other here. At least you would show some fight out there."

He sighed. "I am not a man who is accustomed to discord on his teams. Very little has changed from the team that played in the last World Cup, but you cannot get along anymore. But I understand. Roberts, you are mad because I promoted Kingsley to the first team ahead of you. You are a target man type, which is not the kind of striker we need. I need you to come in late and use your gigantic Saxean body to push people around and score goals. Kingsley, you are frustrated because you are supposed to be the engine of the offense and we only scored as many as two goals in the last game. It is a lot of pressure. Holger, I admire your fight and drive to defend your teammates. But Kingsley does not need to be defended. He cannot be the little brother on the team anymore. He must stand up for himself and believe in himself. And lastly, Newman. You have done nothing but bitch and moan this entire tournament. And you have let it affect your play. Insubordination is one thing; we can always figure out what is the problem. But to let it make you play poorly, that cannot be allowed to happen."

He clapped his hands. "I have it! I am not happy with your play, as are you not. But this is to be expected, adjusting to a new manager and a new system. Three draws is not a terrible result, especially considering Aji no Moto and Delaclava are about as well-regarded as us. We will improve in time, but what we need is to bond as a team."

He proceeded to outline a plan by which they would undergo an intensive, Pluvian-style, training camp in the rough Northern Highlands, Carsten Francke country, with plenty of running and hiking. They would show him and each other what Pluvians were made of and what to appreciate about their country. Then a visit to the beautiful Lake Country on the Greater Isle, where they'd indulge in all sorts of traditional Saxean culture and work on the technical aspects of their game. Finally, they'd head to Trinité, Chambéry's home in Savigliane, learn about his people and his culture, including enjoying some fine Savigliane cuisine, and work on getting the tactics right. All facets of the game addressed, they would return unified and properly adjusted to the new system.

Newman grumbled under his breath, but most other players responded enthusiastically. This was going to be an intense year, balancing training camp and domestic football, but if they could pull it off, the rewards would be great.

by **The Cordian Isles** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:07 pm

The Cordasfjord Post

Cordians Break Goalless Streak, Win At Home

Our North Stars picked exactly the worst time to run dry on scoring. After a 0-0 draw with United Adaikes in the final match of the Wonder Cup, a match that was marked by impressive play from keeper Kristin Bergstrin, allowing one penalty on three shots to take the victory after 120 minutes. While that was impressive, goals were needed to get points in World Cup Qualifying, and they didn’t come in the first two matches, a 2-0 loss to Siovanija and Teusland and a 1-0 loss at Le Choix.

“It’s really frustrating,” said Sebastian Voll after the loss to Le Choix. “We’ve gotten chances to put goals on the board, and we just haven’t converted. That includes me, scoring is my responsibility.” The goals finally came in the Cordasfjord Colosseum last night against Muralos. Muralos center back Aleksandro Kim opened the scoring, surprisingly enough. Off a Mikhail Zheng corner, the Cordian back line could not get the ball out of the box, and the scramble blocked Jordi Jongen’s view. A shot from Rui redirected off of Redvin Chase and perfectly out to Kim. A hard shot was all it took, and Muralos took the 1-0 lead.

The half ended that way, Cordia scoreless for the seventh straight half of regular time, and the team visibly frustrated at its offensive incapability. Whatever happened in the dressing room, Voll took charge as the team returned to the field. He took a pass across from Ada Baan inside the box and leveled an absolute blast into the near top corner, five minutes into the second half. The scoreless streak was over, and Cordia pressed on the attack, determined to take its first win of qualifying. Hannah Andersen rang a shot off the crossbar in the 78th, but with just a few minutes remaining the attack continued.

It was Van Dijck, subbed in for a tired Anton Osterholt, with the winner, taking a perfect cross from Eriksen and heading it in for the lead and the match. The Colosseum exploded at the goal, the result of almost a full half of pressure where the North Stars could have scored at any time. Muralos might have managed a tie - goals can happen faster than you might think - but they were demoralized, all of their energy gone to some other place, and the energized Cordians gave them no space to take advantage of. The match ended, and the Isles took their first-ever World Cup Qualifying victory.

But Sebastian Voll is already looking ahead to the next match. Of the CIFA. “There’s a lot to do between now and next qualifying. Winning is great, and I want to do some of that on the domestic side of things, too.” His Brenville Blue have had a rough time of it, far from being the championship contenders they were expected to be this season. The next match of qualifiers, though, is one that many have circled on their calendars: Pemecutan. As Group 2’s Pot 1 team, they’ve not been playing like it and now sit at 1-0-2, tied with even us lowly newcomers on points. Of course, a win is decidedly unlikely, but the Melayu Archipelago nation’s performance lends some hope to an upset.

Want the full contents of the interview with Voll? The transcript is on our website.

Writer Kai Traviss sat down with National Team and Brenville Blue striker Sebastian Voll to get to know more about the national team’s top scorer.

KT: Hey, Sebastian, glad you could make time in your schedule to meet with me.

SV: No problem, no problem at all.

KT: Let’s start at the beginning. When did you get into football?

SV: My first memory of football was just with my father, kicking the ball around the backyard. I must’ve been four, maybe five? I know I joined a team at six, that’s when the program started.

KT: About your father. Was he a major part of your development as a player?

SV: Yeah, of course, both my parents were very supportive of my dreams. Driving back and forth to practices and matches is really a massive commitment, but they did that for me and I’m really grateful. And my parents also pushed me a bit when I didn’t feel like doing something, always pushing me to improve, and I think that’s shaped my work ethic now where I just do something because I learned from my parents that I should. And that’s the biggest thing I’ve learned from them.

KT: Thank you for that, always good to get an insight into players’ families and how they were helped by their families. Now, you obviously played youth football. Did you have any experiences in youth football that have shaped who you are today?

SV: So many I can hardly count them! When you’re changing coaches and teams almost every season, you learn a lot of different things from a lot of different people, and I certainly have. If I had to pick one, I’d say going to nationals when I was, what, 15? Showed me how far hard work can take you. I’m still in contact with a lot of the people from that team today, that’s how close we were.

KT: I believe you were signed to the Brenville academy team after that. What was that like?

SV: The competition there was incredible. Just the concentration of talent in the academy league was impressive, especially as a newer and younger player, it took a lot just to play on the same level as these players. That was another good learning experience, you find out there that nothing comes easy in football.

KT: And from the academy team… to one of the most storied clubs in CIFA history, and you started for them at 20. If the academy was a big jump, what was that?

SV: Bigger. Brenville’s a great club, and the way they’ve accommodated me has been great, including moving to the 4-2-3-1 when Brett Gilbertsen retired. The professional scene is just really cool, to be honest. Though right now I’d like to do a bit more winning with Brenville, as you probably know, we’re having a rough time this season and we need to turn that around if we want to make the IFCF again.

KT: Final question. Now that Cordia’s competing internationally, you’re one of the national team’s starters. How does it feel to represent your country and did you anticipate anything like this?

SV: Oh, no. I did not think this would end up happening, I was pretty pessimistic about the internationalization bill (by the way, that’s a terrible name, why do we put people through having to say that), but I love how it’s turned out. I feel blessed to be on the team myself, traveling and seeing the world has been wonderful and I look forward to more in the rest of qualifiers. Of course, business at home first. We’ve got a few matches to play in the CIFA before the national team heads overseas.

KT: And good luck with those. Thanks for being here.

SV: Thanks for having me.

MD4 Starters
Voll - Van Dijck
Heikkinen - Smits - Karjalainen - Karlssen
Verkerk - Chase - F. Johnson - Demov
Bergstrin
MD5 Starters
Rounds - Donders
Van Oers - Andersen - Karjalainen - Oosterhuis
E. Johnson - Chase - F. Johnson - Admiraal
Bergstrin

by **Saterun** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:24 pm

The Saterun National Team started their first ever World Cup, WC 90, with mixed results. A draw, win, and loss in their first three matches was to be expected, and the side currently sit at 5th in G16, behind Sharktail only on GD. The head coach, Martin Freeberg, was also the main man during the Claw's troubled IAC 14 campaign. It was slightly controversial, and there were many critics, but he kept his job. The Saterun FA released the following press statement after his appointment was made official:

"The Saterun Football Association believes that Coach Martin Freeberg should be allowed to continue his job as Head Coach/Manager of the Saterun National Team. His team's IAC 14 performances were better than expected, and he has earned the right to stay as Head Coach. His entire staff will also be retaining their jobs. The squad list is the same as the IAC 14, and is not subject to change. We hope that Coach Freeberg will have a more successful World Cup than IAC 14."

Then ensued the first group games. Saterun tied Garbelia, beat the Cheetahs and reptiles Coalison, and lost to Farfadillis. They came away with 6 points. Many fans would say these games are pretty easy to understand, but we'll dissect them anyway.

Garbelia 4-4 Saterun

This would be the first World Cup Qualifying game for Saterun, ever. Unfortunately, they would be playing on a Sunday League pitch without knowing the names of who they were playing, but it didn't really take away from the occasion. There was excitement in the air as the team walked onto the pitch, mud and all. They sported their red-and-green away kits, ready to play for their country. The game opened slowly. Both teams were playing unprofessionally, chasing the ball and giving away careless fouls. The Saterun team were obviously very excited, and that energy gave their touches a little too much power. A major breakthrough came when the Garbelia team put away a goal in the 22nd minute, through the post really had more to do with that than any of the players. After that, the score line bounced around. Saterun equalized, then Garbelia scored twice. It was 3-1 at halftime. Martin Freeberg didn't really have anything to say to his team except "Get out there and reverse that damn score line!". Words to live by. The second half started, and Coach Freeberg had really done it now. 5 minutes from the start whistle, Thiago Esparza scored a well-put freekick from the edge of the box. Mitzinho soon also fired home, though it was more of a cross tap-in than a screamer. Finally, Thiago did it again, getting point-blank to the goal and dribbling the keeper. Saterun had actually taken the lead. In the 86th minute, a Garbelian player scored a rather nice goal from outside the area, and the game finished 4-4. "We really got it together after the first half." -Martin Freeberg.

Saterun 5-3 Cheetahs and reptiles Coalison

The second group stage game, against Cheetahs and reptiles Coalison, would be almost as monumental as the first game because it was their very first international home game. During the IAC 14, they had played all of their games in a castle keep, with a maximum of 150 watching at any time. They were about to play in the 55,700 capacity Adam Antwerp Stadium. It was going to be Daxler AFC's home stadium after the current season ended, but for now, it was untouched. A game hadn't been played on it yet. The team was obviously tense. The stadium had a reported 50,000 people present, and nearly all of them wanted a Saterun win. They walked out proudly sporting their white home jersey, and were ready to play their hearts out. The players started the game a lot more professionally than against Garbelia, and got an early lead via Thiago Esparza. They quickly built on that, with Kaka Sarabola knocking home two before halftime. Head Coach Freeberg was understandably happier. A 3-0 lead at halftime was impressive, and the team felt great about the performance they had put up so far. After halftime, however, the defense fell apart. The visitors got 2 goals in rapid succession, and Timothy Shannon got a yellow for a bad tackle, of which the freekick led to another goal. It was back to 3-3 at the 71st minute. Around the 81st, something magical happened. Thiago Esparza got the ball in Saterun's half and just kept dribbling. Saterun pundit George Klsatya put it best: "He just didn't want to stop." Mitzinho got another in the 86th, and Saterun won 5-3. "It was the best thing I've ever seen." -Captain Kaka Sarabola.

Farfadillis 3-1 Saterun

This was to be Saterun's third qualifying game, and their second away one. Farfadillis was definitely the hardest opponent they had faced, and was the only one to beat them so far. They turned up to the 70,000 seater La Fantás, and the team were initially confused with the burning smell that seemed to be emitting from one of the stands. That was later cleared up when they were informed that it was on fire. The team was back again in their red-and-green away kits, and ready to face a certain-to-be tough opponent. The game opened with missed opportunities from both sides, with Thiago smacking the intersection from 15 yards out, but it was relatively quiet. That changed in the 44th minute, when Tôsgo Alxíkí slipped a goal passed the whole defense. Words were flying from the Saterun team, but there wasn't anything they could do. In the second half, two more Alxíkí goals followed, with Thiago getting the only consolation Saterun goal. "They were a tough team, and we knew it. We just weren't prepared." -Thiago Esparza

At the end of three games, the Claws sit at 5th place with 6 points and an even goal difference. The squad has looked back at their mistakes, and are hoping to have a little less diversity in their next three matches. "6 more points would go a long way." -Goalkeeping Coach Ethan Treh

by **Geektopia** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:30 pm

Categorium: Work (Curated by Migueis in Geektopia) edited by Atham Tasasubsil in Burur cak Noaqsi) <======= You are here.
Automobiles (Curated by Naumovic in Geektopia) edited by Christoffer Cappuyns in Chica Saw)
Amusement (Curated by Zahharov in Geektopia) edited by Corion Icepis Samarneta in Aimena)
Household (Curated by Palime in Geektopia) edited by Kalijat Hink in Unimon)
Good Physical Condition (Curated by Blard in Geektopia) edited by Edtacio Bezerra in Campo de Ervas)
Government (Curated by Podjasek in Geektopia) edited by Eskanova Singleton in Sponsertivity)
Faith (Curated by Nke in Geektopia) edited by Taire Ah Oak Guru in Sainterris)
Branch of Knowledge (Curated by Rehnström in Geektopia) edited by Aguilḻar Mendoza Sanafan Ţluknaṟbire in Islas Cardinales)
Competitive Games (Curated by Rifiño in Geektopia) edited by Andreika Rararch Sigi in Aimena)
Technology (Curated by Tschšppeler in Geektopia) edited by Shuan Zawadkun in Aimena)
Travel (Curated by Courtieux in Geektopia) edited by Tamir Tater in Aimena
Popular Media & Economy (Curated by Sulkumški in Geektopia) edited by Margharita Abbate in La Fiorita)
Multiverse (Curated by El Baraka in Geektopia) edited by Eva Mariska II Purrlicious Chowder Chocolate in Islas Cardinales)

History of Public Trading within the Kwandoan land, its subsequent Metamorphoses and Evolution into that of the Stock Market, and Top Five Publicly Traded Companies as of the Stock Market as well as their viewpoints on a historically important public trading document finalized by the higher-ups of BananaBlurbTrading CO., Ltd, that of "The Ten Vital Business Principles to Follow as far as Assetage goes", or T.T.V.B.P.tF.afaA.g (1 OF 2)

In the mid 3910s, leaders of business in christened lands Chica Saw and Kings Gate were getting nervous, to become frightened of their shadows. When it came to what the brightest economic minds in the both countries would come up with, the idea that would shine through of course wasn't an inspired one. An approach to publicly traded goods and services always existed, for one ancient example of this is depicted, where a tablet found in Olgatoto shows through the nuances seen in a series of engravings made by talented stoneworkers, according to geologists, illustrating multiple knowledgeable folks "buying the dip" to call it. In consonance with what the respected geologists think was going on in the pictures depicted, we see a few guys in a market buying bananas. Assuming this is tied in with the Great Banana Bonanza Famine of 28 which happened in the island next to Olgatoto, that of Heeheehuha, these geologists infer the banana buyers are buying what they need to eat for the coming weeks, but also keeping a surplus and shaving off what they and their families don't need to eat when it comes to bananas, this leading to the selling of bananas originally bought in bulk from the merchant at an exorbitant price. Of course, though, these are inferences made by the expert geologists behind the project, Nakaye and Fritto, a dynamic duo whose passions show themselves in different fields, Nakaye being a geologist and Fritto excelling in the area of knowledge that is archaeology. Both of them work for the Kwandoan Geological Scientific Showcases of Old (KGSSO) and published the study in 5880, so they can be ruled out as a secondary source. Even if such contact were to occur between tribes of Olgatotoan and Heeheehuhisiot origins, a credible historian surely couldn't imagine a market economy going on in either of the two small islands that any rich Geektopian such as the late Dingledine could purchase in a time as laughably unadvanced as 28.

Anyhow, even though the bright business leaders that starred the both of these countries may not have had the most original ideas, this group of left-brained thinkers augmented public trading to a level, not one person could have thought of by having made the first publicly tradable company. The company was sort of like a codependence between three people, sort of a tridependence if you want to sound technical. The three friends–– Vlasev, Derežija, and Blaumann (the former two of them had known each other since their schooling which taught elementary knowledge such as that of how to tie your shoes)–– partnered with their third business partner whose name was Blaumann, and whose knowledge of accounting was the greatest factor among the three as far as propelling Vlasev and Derežija's business into the stratosphere by using common accounting principles such as the accounting equation (assets = liability + equity) to make learned business decisions in real-time went.

Anyhow, with that, what would prove to be an influential publicly-traded company, given that it was the first one, came about in 3933 which would go about things a bit differently than businesses in the 3900s. How BananaBlurbTrading went about their business is a testament to them being the first publicly traded company in the continent, and it's a wonder how no one came up with the concept and applied it on a wider scale sooner than these three lads, not taking any credit away from them, of course. Going back to the state of nervousness and catatonia experienced in 3911, a prerequisite to this would be the timber industry being in a pretty bad way from multi-purpose companies in Chica Saw and Kings Gate abandoning the market for paper in general, instead appealed by 3D printed paper made by the Noveau Riche Group's (situated in Chohn-Singh Abirabishnu) children companies and of carbon fiber which could be written on even in the thinnest of varieties, that of two ten thousands of an inch thick, and whose benefits were true, as much as they sounded outrageous. Industry leaders who oft worked in the woods blamed the internal failure of their not adapting to a ruthless market on not this, but "raptorial" trade practices by companies from the nomadic country, and these industry leaders warned by the horn, making trumped-up inferences about what the pirates would do next, loudly notifying that it looked like, according to what these business leaders thought the Noveau Riche Group's intentions were, that they'd zero in on companies in Kwandoa that were playing parrot via their selling of carbon fiber paper by making more specialized paper, it's thickness measuring one twenty thousandths of an inch, where prototypes and the chemical formula of the paper exist on N.R.G.'s company website as of now. The timber industry's best hope for means of escape from liquidation and substantial net loss is, as gilded members of the industry say, a leg up from Chica Saw's national government via pork-barrel funding. The government, somehow, was listening, though fortune would have it that a better ending was attained for the two countries, especially in the case of Chica Saw, where the country was plunging from native companies neglecting the timber industry within their own country to outsource for better materials given to the companies by another company out of the country. Chica Saw's neighbor in Kings Gate was, in a proverbial sense, shifting around uncomfortably from the economic regression which had happened in a country not too far away from them.

The founding of BananaBlurbTrading in 3920 was nothing significant, as Vlasev's determination paired with Derežija's vision only made up two out of three traits that are seen in successful businesspersons. The pair didn't have a sufficient amount of tools or budget to put much thought into physically utilizing their ideas, or at least Derežija's ideas, where he saw the business approach N.R.G. was taking and made a mental note to mold a hybrid of one that shared similar values and objectives between that of the N.R.G. and many Kwandoan companies. While Derežija's visualization is flawed, it's ultimately close enough to accurately represent the business activities of a typical company that includes itself in the stock market while displaying similarities to one of that in 3900s Chica Saw or Kings Gate. By mid 3935, this being two years after the fact of an accountant looking for work in Blaumann joining together with two minds similar in greatness, the firm had gone about their business the same way as that of most acquired companies in the Noveau Riche Group had, not just including the parroting of products sold by another corporation. And so, companies had started to alter their shape and legitimately invest in the idea of they themselves becoming publicly tradable like BananaBlurbTrading did, and upon most economists learning that this was the N.R.G.'s business paradigm, every firm joined on while starting to make internal adjustments to fit the PTC quota and there after were technically awaiting the creation of a stock market exchange so as to see how well they'd placed when it came to this new innovation of public tradeability. From an industry perspective, it was all the more easier to breathe without finding an overseas company amplifying and banking on the material one and a half times more effectively, where from a government spending perspective, it was a breath of fresh air for most countries' knowing confidently that they'll have not heard the phrase "pork-barrel" a one time in the next thirty years, especially not from the mercilessly needy big timber.

Geektopia 0-4 Turori <> 25,866 @ Place of Valence, Mukladrue, Geektopia
Goals: 31' by Cuoabaza Orani’aoa (assisted by no one | TUR | free-kick), 71' by Daliora Toru'u (assisted by Biliki Rona'atu'i | TUR | right-footed shot), 72' by Cuoabaza Orani’aoa (assisted by Biliki Rona'atu'i | TUR | right-footed shot), 90+4' by Kentu Umaka'a (assisted by Amakli Inuro'o | TUR | header)

Substitutions: 14' | #9 Shammami in for replacement of #11 Zalie 'amquk
14' | #16 Witrago in for replacement of #8 Matkowski
14' | #17 Rolke in for replacement of #7 Abdill
24' | #30 Ponti in for replacement of #17 Rolke
30' | #26 Gerking in for replacement of #13 Julio

Player's Marks:
LERTORA: 6.0
AUTIANNA 'ARDIQUSWAA: 6.0
PITTER: 5.9
LIVENGOOD: 6.0
REBIMBAS: 6.0
GERMAINE SOPHIE: 6.0
MATKOWSKI: 6.0 ↓
ABDILL: 6.0 ↓
JULIO: 6.0 ↓
ZALIE 'AMQUK: 6.0 ↓
RINNERT: 6.0
----------------------------------------------
SHAMMAMI: 6.0 ↑
WITRAGO: 6.0 ↑
ROLKE: 6.0 ↑
PONTI: 6.0 ↑
GERKING: 6.0 ↑
LERTORA: 6.0
NANKERVIS: 6.0
OGRODOWSKI: 6.0
JAKIUS KRUTIQAYIR TARUN: 6.0

by **Mercedini** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:39 pm

90th World Cup Qualification MD2 Condensed Highlights
Jeruselem vs. Mercedini
@ Jerusalem City Stadium - Jerusalem, Jeruselem

Good evening one and all and welcome back home to the World Cup Qualification Group, today we're in Jeruselem for the second match of the group stage, which is anticipated to be a closely fought match against between two of the teams who are both fighting it out for the one and only auto-qualification spot. Jeruselem are seasoned veterans in situations like this, but so are Mercedini, so we have the best seats in the house for the blockbuster match in this round for Group 10. If you missed it, Mercedini kicked off their qualification campaign with a narrow 1-0 win over The Gothanita Isles, and they now take their three points over to Jeruselem for the clash of the titans. Billic has stated he has prepared as much as he could for this match, and if Dini were to win tonight, it will give them a massive leg up over their main rivals. The setting is certainly a grand one, and it's one they hope to leave with at least a point, or it's back to the drawing board for Billic's men at the attempt to take back ground throughout the qualification cycle.

0' - Out come the teams into a cauldron of noise and fanfare, both sets of fans are ready for this match in their distinctive colours, but there are plenty of flags flying for both nations for this Group 10 match. Mercedini have a large contingency this time with many travelling over to Jeruselem for this match, they will hope that Dini will be able to stay in contention at the conclusion in this match, so a win or a draw is beneficial in this case. No kit clash so Mercedini are in their familiar blue and black once again, showing their the national colours, while Jeruselem are in their fabulous pink get-up. Billic has named another full strength side, for a win to give his side all of the momentum. Both teams opened their accounts with wins on the opening night, so let's see if either of these teams pluck out a performance and make it two from two!

13' - (JER 1-0 MRC) -

Just like how it was two cycles ago, it's Jeruselem who takes first blood in this one with a sweet finish to the lower-left corner of the goal. Hindsight might be 20-20 but the Golden Eagles should have known to mark Hind Site as he lurked on the edge of the box. Diplo Pharm whipped it in with pace and was tamely punched out by Wandai. Site was in the right place at the right time to scoop up the ball and place it into the side of the net with a wonderful touch. I could say that it has come against the run of play due to the possession, but it's only the team in pink which has truly threatened. The good run looks like it will continue, it's 1-0 to Jeruselem, but with well over 80 minutes of the match still to play here in Jerusalem

25' - (JER 1-1 MRC) -

Mercedini find an equaliser through Chillotov with a well worked move into the box. He was put through by Karlovic with a nicely weighted ball, he laid it off to Dostalok who looked to score the goal himself, but he selflessly squared the ball to his strike partner, who made no mistake with the easy tap-in. The Mercedinian portion of the crowd celebrate in the corner of the stadium, and it seems that we have a game on our hands. One-all after only twenty-five minutes. It seems that the attackers are ruling the roost, while the defences need to buckle in for a wild ride and hope they are bailed out by their attackers. Will there be another twist in the tale?

42' - (JER 1-2 MRC) -

Up he steps and up he scores! GOAL! Dostalok sends the keeper the wrong way as he coolly slots to his left hand side of the net for the equaliser. It was a penalty given following a shirt pull in the box, Christian Armani certainly made a meal out of what looked to be minimal contact, but he managed to convince the referee that a foul was comitted. The Starling striker has finally proved his worth in this game after being relatively unseen throughout most of this first half. He does a knee-slide in front of the home fans, which isn't going down well in that part of the stadium. Billic is up from the dugout and adjusting some of the players positions before the restart, this match now takes on a new perspective. Both teams have scored, both teams ideally need to win to further their progression, but with 15 mins to go it's Mercedini who have the advantage!

45' - (JER 1-1 MRC) - No time to be added on for the end of the first half as Mercedini and Jeruselem fight toe to toe in a very close first half. Jeruselem raised the roof at the start of the game when they went ahead through a neat finish from Site. The Jeruselem attacker stuck his leg out to send the ball into the net for a great opener for the home side. Throughout the first half, Dini had the lion's share of possession, and that begun to show towards the end of the first forty-five. Dini were finally level just before the half our mark thanks to a well worked move down the middle which ended in Chillotov slotting it home from a few yards out. They then took the lead thanks to a converted penalty which came from a rather theatrical reaction to a shirt-pull from Armani. In the end, still plenty to play for. Half-time in Jerusalem, it's Jeruselem (with an E) 1, Mercedini 2.

HALF TIME
Jeruselem 1 - 2 Mercedini
Site 13' • Chillotov 25', Dostalok 42' (P)

Well, well, well, who would have thought that. Jerselem have been flying high in recent cycles but once again it's the Golden Eagles who are peggin them back in their own back yard. Dini are putting together a good performance away from home, let's see if they can see it out. Mercedini only mustered three shots on target throughout that whole first half, including that penalty which was converted, but that was enough for them to have a one-goal lead as the final fourty-five begins. There seems to be no tactical changes from Billic to begin this second period, it seems he has faith that these players can see out the game. It is a precarious position, if I we're a betting I would like to think that the Golden Eagles are going to overcome their original deficit and see out the game in their favour, but we thought that before and Jeruselem managed to pull out a 2-1 smash and grab at the Sports City Stadium. Dini will kick us off, kicking from right to left in Jerusalem as the sun begins to fade.

46' - (JER 1-3 MRC) -

GOAL! and Dini have doubled their lead in the opening minute of this second half, and it's Gucci who has capped off his terrific performance thus far with a goal, coming straight from kick off as they all pushed forward in a move off the training ground. Brindliev gathered the ball as it was passed to him from kick off, and held the ball for a few second before lofting the ball forward for the chasing attackers to run after. A poor header from Greenhorne meant the ball driblled in between the back line and the goalkeeper, and it was Gucci who pounced on the ball first and took it forward with no one else around. The Cazadores player had the freedom of Jeruselem and only had the goalkeeper to beat, but he took a touch outside before drilling the ball hard and low through the keeper's legs and into the net. Gucci's star has been rising in the Mercedinian world, and continues to go from strength to strength the more he is included in the big games. 3-1!

77' - (JER 2-3 MRC) -

GOAL! It's a goal back for the hosts which reignites the tie for their fans and the neutrals. It's Site again with a poachers goal inside the six yard box after Wandai couldn't keep hold of a spinning ball. Koyori Hatten looked up to cross the ball into the box for someone to latch on to. However, he scuffed the ball, meaning it spun in the air with a fair degree of ferocity at it approached the Mercedinian keeper. He went up to gather it but the ball seemed to bobble around in his grasp and break loose. It was a scramble for the ball, but Site was wise to the situation and swung a leg at it to knock it into an open net. 3-2, are things about to get interesting?

84' - (JER 2-4 MRC) -

Goodness me, is that the tie done and dusted?. After giving the home fans hope, it has now been cruelly taken away from them in the form of a Thomas Di Sansev goal from nowhere. This time it begun with Karlovic moving forward to run the clock down, but there were players closing him down left right and centre. Pushing for a way back into the game, Jeruselem committed many bodies forward to close the midfielder down, and so the only place the ball could go to was Di Sansev down the wing. Instead of passing it, Di Sansev just ran with it, using his teammates to pull attantion away from himself and onto any potantial pass he could make. The pitch opened up for him, so he decided to take a pop himself, and scored an absolute screamer from twenty-five yards out. I don't think anyone was expecting it, not least Di Sansev himself. He is now being mobbed by his teammates as he may have well won the tie with that strike. It's 4-2 now, will we have any more before the end?

90+1' - (JER 2-5 MRC) -

Just like how it was two cycles ago, Mercedini have ran up the score line in Jeruselem to put on an attacking masterclass away from home. It's Talisky with his first goal of the game, and Dini's fifth to put a cherry on top of this sweet sweet game. Another counterattack came with Jeruselem pushing for the two goals they needed to steal a point, but it all came to nothing once Wandai gathered the ball. It was a two-on-two as Karlovic was thrown the ball by his keeper, and he sent Talisky sprinting down the pitch to collect it. Talisky's fresh legs proved to be the difference against his defensive counterpart, as he turned on the afterburners to put space between him and the rest of Jeruselem. The youngster bounded forward and slid the ball past the approaching keeper, and with that, slid the home side out of the game. Two cycles ago it was four, this time it's five, and Dini will go top with tonight's result.

90+6' - (JER 2-5 MRC) - The referee blows his whistle for the end of what was a rather comfortable game in the end. Mercedini have been known to run up the scores against opponents in the past, and tonight's victims were Jeruselem who simply couldn't keep up. A Dostalok penalty gave them the lead before half-time, and the Golden Eagles never looked back. Goals from Gucci, di Sansev and Talisky were sandwiched by a second Site goal to keep the game close at that point. It was a spirited performance from the home side, but they fall to Pot 1 Mercedini by five goals to two. It's Dini's first major statement of intent against a top tier side!

FULL TIME
Jeruselem 2 - 5 Mercedini
Site 13', 77' • Chillotov 25', Dostalok 42' (P), Gucci 46', Di Sansev 84', Talisky 90+1'

Both teams are now firmly in contention for the top pot in the group, but it's Mercedini who draw first blood between the two sides, and the Golden Eagles will take a three point lead back to Zoloroni when they welcome the Ochre Islands! Will the win here tonight give the Golden Eagles a new found fire? We will see you in Zoloroni to find out, see ya!

by **Polkopia** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:54 pm

Polkopia's Road to the 90th World Cup - A Quiet Evening in Peeto Before the World Cup Campaign Resumes

Vladimir Hužyak's phone had been buzzing all day. With the team set to leave for Acceptably Normal in a couple of days, it was no wonder why. Surely, his friends in Valinkova were looking to spend some time with him before he left, or some of his teammates from the national squad were looking for others to join in some last-minute bursts of dopamine by way of alcoholism and partying, but Hužyak was never one to partake.

Had it been up to him, he would be spending his time in a cabin along one of the small, maritime towns that dotted the Polkopian coast, but the team's most recent practice had forced him to fly back to Peeto, away from his friends, where he would be surrounded by the unfamiliar hustle and bustle of the city.

Of course, Valinkova was a much larger city than the capital, but growing up in the area allowed him to feel more at home. The commotion and brouhaha of commuters and tourists in Valinkova sparked a sense of familiarity with Hužyak, who knew how to navigate the chaotic rush-hour traffic with ease, and strike a deal with even the must stubborn of hagglers in the city's public markets. Hužyak, naturally, was able to be more bold than most when naming his prices, simply because of his status as a familiar face within the community. As a child, he was blessed with a sense of charisma which came natural to him. Finding friends was easy for him, and he could smooth talk his way out of any tricky situation he found himself in. As the youngest of seven children, his brothers and sisters were all forced to work in order to support their family, but Hužyak found another way to provide for his household- petty theft.

Often times, his parents would tell their children to do what they could in order to bring home food for the day. For six of those children, that meant finding a source of income stemming from manual labor. During this time, Polkopia had just crawled out of a civil war which absolutely devastated the economy and rendered the Polkopian Dollar worthless. The war also left a shortage on able-bodied men and women, since many perished in the war, so much of Hužyak's family were only able to find work in physically-exhausting and dangerous occupations such as mining, logging, and construction. Hužyak grew up seeing his family return home from day-long shifts, faces covered in dirt, and only able to provide a sliver of beef for their efforts for the day.

Seeing this, Hužyak knew that there would have to be a better way to earn a day's worth of food for the household. Quite frankly, the sheer notion of having to be in the mines for a day scared the boy to no ends, and a tragic accident which left his older sister without an arm only solidified this fear. In order to avoid having to suffer the same fate as the rest of his siblings, Hužyak turned to petty theft to earn his food. Luckily, Valinkova operated like many other Polkopian cities in that open-air markets were the primary source of buying and selling goods. While many of these were often accompanied by a heavy police presence, Hužyak's natural athleticism gave him an upper-hand with outrunning and outmaneuvering many of these officers, who were quite clumsy by comparison.

Hužyak remembered the first thing he stole, an container of small, oily fish commonly known in Polkopia as klyaka, but known internationally as sprat. Hužyak left his school and wandered to the market with some of his classmates. Upon entering the grounds, he found himself sucked into the crowd, pushed, shoved, and thrown around like he was some sort of rag doll while hungry Polkopians were eager to spend what little money they had on the freshest catches for the day. Hužyak lost his classmates, but wound up in front of a stall selling all sorts of fish caught earlier that day. At that very moment, the shopkeeper's back was turned, and Hužyak's eyes were fixated on this small, metal tin that was sitting on the edge of the wooden surface of the stall. At the time, Hužyak didn't much care for seafood , but thirty six hours of no substantial meals can do wonders for an appetite, so in this very moment, this tin of klyaki seemed like the most delicious thing in the world to him.

Without another moment's hesitation, he swiped the tin from the table, but looked up to see the shopkeeper staring directly at him. "Hey! Are you paying for that?" The heavyset man's gruff voice seemed to paralyze him, and he stood there like a deer in headlights. "Drop that can and come back when your parents give you some money then, eh?" The man slammed his hand on the counter, causing Hužyak to jump. Without another moment's hesitation, he turned and ran. He didn't turn back when he heard the shopkeeper scream at him - he just kept running.

Down the cobblestone street, shoving past the people crowding the square, he turned down one of the streets in Staroe Grade¹ and kept running. The streets were narrow and old, imperial buildings threatened to close in on him as he kept running. Although there was no way he was being followed, he kept sprinting as fast as he could, warranting concerned looked from those he ran by. Hužyak knew the punishment for theft in Polkopia was public execution, a policy held since the Communists took power more than half a century ago, and Hužyak was terrified of being yet another body swaying from the gallows in front of the city hall. In order to avoid this fate, he ran.

Finally, he crossed the bridge over Federikskiy Kanal² and stopped. He approached the railing and hunched over, facing the water, retching as his body tried to push out whatever was left in his stomach, but he was left dry heaving for several minutes, as there was no substance in his stomach to force out. He turned and slid down the ground, propping his back up against the iron bars that lined the perimeter of the bridge and looked at his prize. He counted seven fish in his little tin. Seven! It was enough for him to burst out crying, grateful that he was able to actually eat this evening and not suffer in a hungry silence while the rest of his family picked at their daily earnings. Hužyak wiped away his tears as he grabbed one of the fish's tails and flung it into his mouth.

Hužyak smiled to himself as he thought about the struggles of his youth. Most look back at the days of their childhood and think that their struggles were so trivial compared to today, but for Hužyak it was the complete opposite. Like everyone, he has his own internal struggles; he didn't like being surrounded by too many people at a time, he often stuttered his words, and he often fell into bits of depression, but at least he didn't have to worry about where his next meal would come from.

But, as he sipped his tea today, he couldn't help but wish he was in a different city, really any other city, because, while the notes this tea left were a unique blend of hazelnut and fruity flavors and unmistakably Polkopian, he couldn't help but feel like a foreigner in this city filled with unfamiliar mindsets from people who were more concerned with the next foreign fashion designer's new collection than remembering the plights and hardships of their friends and family growing up.

by **Astograth** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:55 pm

A chime sounded and the number updated. 24, the screen blinked in red. Itziar Lévêque shuffled to the Astograthian border control window, at long last. His feet ached from the queue.

The officer glowered at Lévêque, an automatic scowl. Her uniform was all black and chrome. The only colour came from the lacquered metal badge resting against her chest, the royal coat of arms with a pair of crossed keys behind it: Ministry of Interior. The sight of it was enough to trigger unease in Lévêque. Memories of growing up during the Ugarte regency, that insignia bolded under decrees and leaflets pasted all over the neighbourhoods. Having to spell his surname ‘Lebek’ until he was twelve. His father living in fear that the Ministry would mistake the family as foreign-born.

The right-back grunted an acknowledgement, which was not returned. The moss-green passport slid across the counter, below the bulletproof glass, before it could be demanded. Lévêque knew the drill. He straightened up and took off the designer sunglasses, waiting for the officer to finish typing. It had been a long flight. Rozelle, Brenecia, to Rumiatzi was in fact one of the longest routes operated by Royal Astograthian. He had a few more hours to burn at Rumiatzi International before the connecting flight to Uertza, his sleepy hometown. Rozelle was fine – as fine as Brenecia could get, which wasn’t much, and certainly better than Lìbêrêtê – but he just wanted to spend some time with his family.

This was taking longer than normal. Lévêque shifted his weight from one foot to the other. His Barrertze Outranger watch (retail price: Đ10,520) marked 9:27 in the morning. The officer was still typing, with the occasional glance at the passport, then at him, then back at the computer screen. Tiny beads of sweat were forming on his brow and the bridge of his nose, though it wasn’t hot in the airport.

“Your name, sir?”

The question jolted him. It wasn’t normal.

“Itziar Lévêque,” he replied, as usual dragging out his surname to make it more clearly understood.

“Date of birth?” The woman’s eyes, mossy green, were fixed on his.

“26 July, 661”.

“And this is your passport”. It wasn’t a question.

“Yes. Is there a problem?” Lévêque felt his voice quiver at the end. A second later he noticed another border control officer, a man, stepping up to the counter from behind him. He took the passport and turned to Lévêque, looking dour.

“Please come with me, sir. Down this hallway, to the last door on the right,” he said, pointing at a dark blue rectangle embedded at the end of the hall, next to signs urging people to move along. Lévêque waited for the officer to start walking, but he didn’t move.

“Walk and I will follow you, sir”.

“Officer, I’m sorry, what is the p–“

“Walk.”

This was a mistake; they were making a mistake. Had he made a mistake? No, it was his passport. He’d looked at it while he was in the queue, it was the same passport he’d given the airline, the same passport on his boarding pass. It wasn’t an old one and he definitely wasn’t carrying anyone else’s passport on him. He started walking down the hallway, feeling the officer’s heavy black boots strike the ceramic floor behind him. This was wrong, but Lévêque would go along with it for now. Calm. Calmness. His agent and his lawyer were each a single phone call away.

The room he stepped into past the dark blue door was windowless and stark white, with a single table and four chairs. One other door, which stood ajar, led to a toilet and sink.

Lévêque took two steps inside, unsettled, and froze. This was, he realised, a holding cell. He felt the presence of the officer behind him, and heard the click of a lock fall into place.

by **Vdara** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 6:16 pm

(OOC: roster information obtained from here)

Leaving It Late

Fans at the VdarArena were treated to an explosion of activity in the dying embers of what up to that point had been an unenergetic display from both sides. Vdara had dominated for most of the match, with over 60% of the possession, but couldn’t get a shot past goalkeeper Edgard Hassen. That was, until a late flurry of shots and a few lapses of concentration made the match a lot more exciting…

88’: Mathaios Makrotsis, driving forward. Makrotsis looks to his left and attempts to cross the ball over to Andrianos Petras… but Edgard Hassen punches the ball with aplomb, launching it away from the head of Petras!

Unbeknownst to Hassen, he had just made a crucial mistake. Petras immediately ran over to the nearby referee to plead his case.

Andrianos: “Ref! REF! That’s a red card, that! He’s touched that outside his box, that’s a red! Get him off!”

Edgard: ”No, I punched that in my box! Don’t try and make things up like that!”

Andrianos: ”Swear on my life, ref. Check VAR if you have to, I saw it with my own eyes! My own two eyes, mate!”

Edgard: ”Oh, do behave.”

The referee asked the nearest linesman, who wasn’t quite sure. Hence, the decision fell to the referee once more, who received a message in his ear to go to the pitchside monitor.

VAR
POSSIBLE HANDBALL

To the dismay of Edgard Hassen, the ball - and in turn, his hand - had clearly left the box. His seart sank as the referee returned from the monitor, blew his whistle, made the unmistakable hand gesture of “this is my no-no square, you are in deep shit”, and began to walk over to him with a red card in hand. The home crowd’s cheers were deafening.

“OFF! OFF! OFF! OFF!”

DECISION:
HANDBALL

Hassen was shown the card, and he trudged off the pitch - but not before taking off his goalie shirt. You see, Ancherion had already made all three substitutions, and physically couldn’t play another goalkeeper. Hence, it fell to captain Sikim Arts to don the keeper’s shirt and try to hold onto the draw.

90’: After all that, the referee has signalled an additional three minutes of extra time. Tryfon Vlahiades is set to take a free kick, and the man in goals is a full back. Don’t turn away from this - this could get exciting. Vlahiades takes the run-up and blasts the ball… but it’s tipped over by Arts and it’s gone out for a corner!

A shocked expression was on the faces of both captains. How had he done that?

Vlahiades: *to nearest teammate* ”Can’t believe he’s saved that! You sure he’s not a goalkeeper?”

At this point, with a corner secured, Markos activated his trap card: Operation Lanky Bastard.

90+1’: It looks like Vdara have a trick up their sleeve - the tall defender David Xeniadis is coming on for winger Alkiviadis Manolakis. A last ditch attempt for a goal, maybe?

This would take up some valuable time, too - this really was their last chance to get something out of this game.

90+2’: Vlahiades steps up to take the corner, with every Vdaran in that box. In fact, even the goalkeeper’s in the box!

Yep. Feeling ballsy as ever, Zaharias Frangoglou had ran across the pitch and into the box - and yet, somehow, he had nobody marking him.

90+2’: Vlahiades swings the ball into the box… and it’s headed into the bar by Xeniadis!

Strike One.

90+2’: The ball lands at the feet of Tantalopoulos… who hits the post!

Strike Two.

90+2’: The rebound lands at the feet of Frangoglou… and it’s in! With the last kick of the game Zaharias Frangoglou, dressed in all-Anaian colours, has won it for Vdara!

Strike Three.

Putting the “goal” in “goalkeeper”, Frangoglou ran straight towards the crowd, pumping his fist in the air as he ran. He had pulled off something absolutely magical.

Frangoglou: ”YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERRAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHA LET’S GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO”

90+3’: It’s all over! Victory rescued from the jaws of a draw, and another close shave for the Vdarans ends in victory! The crowd are loving this, albeit they weren’t loving anything until about five minutes ago.

With the win now firmly secured, the post-match victory song was played across the VdarArena’s tannoy system.

Status Quo - Rockin’ All Over The World

♫ Oh here we are, and here we are, and here we go, ♫
♫ All aboard and we're hitting the road, ♫
♫ Here we go, oh, rockin' all over the world! ♫

♫ Ah giddy-up and giddy-up and get away, ♫
♫ We're going crazy and we're going today, ♫
♫ Here we go, oh, rockin' all over the world! ♫

♫ And I like it, I like it, I like it, I like it ♫
♫ I li-li-like it, li-li-li ♫
♫ Here we go, oh, rockin' all over the world! ♫

The jolly tune sent the already-delighted home crowd into a sing-song, with “Rockin’ All Over The World” being chanted from every direction. As it turns out, when Vdara wins, the crowd like it, they like it, they like it, they like it, they li-li-like it.

Home Team Dressing Room
VdarArena

Moustakakos: ”Please, lads - if you’re going to win, don’t leave it late next time, my wee heart can’t take it when you leave it so late. I mean, great win and all, but I think I’ll need to go for a lie-down to try and get over those last few minutes. I suggest you all do the same.”

by **Hapilopper** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 6:32 pm

All around Hapilopper City
Leading up to World Cup 90 Qualifying Match 4: Hapilopper v. Kimi-Suomi
At this point, Ernie Stevenson wanted to shoot Nathan Ellis. Since he was CC’d in that idiotic email after the last match, he kept getting emails at all hours of the day, no matter what he was doing, no matter where he was.

At the grocery store: *beedle beedle* “Please unsubscribe me from the email chain.”

Trying to change his twin children’s diapers: *beedle beedle* “Good job on that send all you did.”

Watching a movie with his wife: *beedle beedle* “Nathan, did you mean to send this to us?”

Sound asleep at three in the morning: *beedle beedle* “SHUT THE FUCK UP”

In the shower: *beedle beedle* “Just curious, how possible is it to send an email to someone from the Holy Empire?”

That was enough. Ernie emerged from the shower, got dried off and dressed up. His wife Wendy, feeding little Nate and Patty Stevenson, could tell that Ernie was terminally angry and wanted to whoop some ass. It took her precisely one second for her to realize that Ernie was pissed off at Nathan Ellis, and didn’t need to say anything. Ernie was out the door and on his way to Team Hapilopper HQ where he was going to give Nathan a piece of mind, regardless of if he was practicing on the pitch or not.

The Team Hapilopper Headquarters, Hapilopper City
25-55 minutes later, depending on the traffic
Ernie was even angrier as he parked his car and made his way inside Team Hapilopper headquarters. The receptionist looked up and saw Stevenson staring him down.

“You’re here to see Nate Ellis, right?” the receptionist asked.

“How’d you know?” Ernie asked.

“That’s all anyone’s asked for,” the receptionist replied. “Our phone system is blown up. Either reporters wanting to ask what the hell he was doing or players asking what he was thinking. I’ll let you past.”

So Ernie stormed his way over to Nathan Ellis’s office, where, acting as if he hadn’t done anything, he was reviewing data from recent training sessions. He looked over to see Ernie storming into his office.

“Hey man…”

“Hey Captain Dipshit, what the hell, man?” Ernie snapped. “You want to see how many emails I’ve gotten? You went to the trouble to make a fake tactical book, what the hell were you thinking?”

“Hey man, you suggested the email storm, this is on you, don’t get pissed at me!” Nathan shot back. “You were the one that suggested that we email everyone. So don’t get onto me when it was your idea!”

“I wasn’t the one that suggested the fake playbook!” Ernie shot back. “It’s obvious you spent way too much time on this, doing way too many things, instead of actually paying attention to what you needed to pay attention to. And what’s that going to get you?”

“What?” Nathan asked.

“Y’all gonna get your asses kicked,” Ernie said. “You’re paying attention more to that than to…”

Ernie looked at a calendar on the wall of Nathan’s office to figure out who the Haps were playing next.

“Kimi-Suomi,” Ernie snapped. “And you’re gonna pull that shit in front of our fans? That shit costs us a game, you’re gonna get your ass handed to you. It’s not gonna be my fault, Ellis, it’s gonna be YOUR fault. That instead of figuring out the best way to beat whoever the hell Kimi-Suomi is, you’re spending way too god damn much time doing this stupid shit. The team’s gonna get their ass kicked, you’re gonna lose a ballgame, and you’re not gonna fucking qualify AGAIN because you were a fool and spent too much time screwing around with dumbass fake tactical books instead of worrying about the actual match at hand.”

Nathan could only shrug.

“You want to qualify for a World Cup? Start acting like it,” Ernie snapped. “You want to act like a father to your men like you claim you want to be? Start acting like it. Quit this shit. You got your ass kicked by Audioslavia because you spent too much time trying to prove a point instead of treating the assignment seriously and they whooped your ass. The same god damn thing’s gonna happen here, Ellis. You accuse that one guy of not taking his assignment serious, well take YOUR assignment serious!”

Ernie turned around and walked off, but then turned around.

“I swear, if Kimi-Suomi beats y’all’s ass, I’m gonna make sure everyone points the blame on you screwing around,” Ernie shot back. “I don’t give a fiddler’s fuck what happens. They win, it’s on you.”

Ernie turned back around to leave, when he walked past a strange-looking guy who looked like a sleazy lounge singer in some cheap hotel. The man looked familiar. Instead of saying anything, Ernie shook his head and made his way towards the front desk.

“Who the fuck was that?” Ernie asked. “That lounge singer-looking guy.”

“Oh, he’s interviewing for a position with Team Hapilopper,” the receptionist responded. “Something on the coaching staff. One of our coaches’s wife is having a baby so he’s taking time off. But yeah, that guy seems a little strange, but he said he coached a national team before. He’ll be working alongside Nate Ellis.”

“Where’s he from?” Ernie asked.

“Not from here,” the receptionist responded. “He seemed a little strange. Interesting, but strange.”

“Hmm, interesting,” Ernie said.

by **Metherwoll** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 6:33 pm

”WEEEEE’VE GOT SEEEEEEEEEEEBOOOOOOOO
OH, HIS NAME’S SEEEEEEEEEEEBOOOOOOOO
I JUST DON’T THINK YOU UNDERSTAAAAAAAAAAAND
HE ONLY SPEAKS SLOVAK, OUR BEST MAN IN ATTACK
WE’VE GOT MIGHTY SEEEEEEEEEEEBOOOOOOOO”

The scenes in Wee Jamie’s back garden were unforgettable. Actual fitba teams were being dismantled by the one and only - the Seebster. After getting pumped by Banija, you’d think that Metherwoll would simply accept their status as a pishy wee team with absolutely no hope - but you’d be wrong. Metherwoll didn’t accept their status, they embraced their status. Their tinpottery was to be encouraged, their play was to be scrappy, and their fans were to be minuscule in number. It’s called tactics, innit. You wouldn’t understand. Anyhow, let’s get Tam’s opinion on the game:

”haw haw haw ya shower of diddies look who it is it’s me man haw hawwwwwwwwwwww
so ye’s might huv seen th’ results at th’ weekend but if ye didnae - we pumped folk! none of this “aw we fuckin lost because we’re shite”, naw! th’ other teams couldnae take us, and they couldnae take seebs especially. am chuffed to bits that we got they results against oberour the morra and cabo ashite, but our next game of fitba’s wi bren-irn bru. tae put it simply, if we dinnae get pumped - it’s a fuckin’ miracle. we’re shite, we’re gonnae sit back, an’ we’ll just see how it goes, awrite?

that’s aw yer getting. see yous next time. - tam”

Classy as ever, Tam. If you’d like to hear more from Tam, simply go into your bathroom, switch all of your lights off, and say “am a bawbag” three times into your mirror. If he does not appear, simply repeat the process until it works. Let me know how you get on.

by **Valentine Z** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 6:49 pm

Part 4 – The Long and Violent Pain.

The Valentian Kittens were back on their dropship, earlier this time as they were sitting around one Sammie Arif Raihan Bin Mohamamad Andika with a cast on his left leg. Lead Ambassador Germaine was sitting down beside him, holding his hand to check for a consistent pulse, as well as using a few other equipment to diagnose and ensure that he does not sustain more injuries than he stated on the field. "You need a day or two of rest," Germaine said with a smile as she adjusted her strands of hair blocking her eyesight, "Thankfully it's not that much. I mean yes, sprained ankles are painful, but at least it's not a fracture. Those will take some blasting to heal, you know?"

"Haha, yeah. Ah well, at least I am going to rest a little, then," Sammie remarked, lying down with multiple Valentians at his feet signing and writing on the cast. A few of them reads: "Get well soon, Sam!" "Ouch Sam, get better!" "We got this one, just relax."

And a nice little sticker to boot: "Nice going", followed by a little star. Sammie could not help but to chuckle and laugh a little, and it did help in a way. It helped from the fact that he got injured from the rough matches today, and it helped that he was relieved to not play for the near-second half of the match, especially not against them. "I mean, it sucks to have a substitute playing for me, not because I want Clemente / Guanyu over there to play, but specifically this match? Sorry to got you into this, man."

"Nah, it's all good," Clemente replied back with a smile and reassurance, "It was quite fun, albeit a little rough. It was tough today, ain't it? Like, I know the reports told us what to expect, but it's hard to wrap my head around it."

"Yeah, I know!" Clarissa replied, checking in on her team with a slight worry on her face, "I know there is no foul play involved from either of us, so you know, ruling that out, haha! Still, it's scary because that team was not only playing for keeps, but are very, very tough and intimidating! I was sitting at the technical area and yeah, I didn't mean to judge by their looks, but you know, one look and you know they mean mean business. Mean business, heh. The home advantage certainly does not help against the rough and tough players, that is for sure."

The Valentians all looked around and had a conversation to themselves quietly. It's one thing to lose just because - The match against Legalese was intense but painless. However, this was radically different with an injury thrown into the mix. Is this going to be their outcome for the rest of the tournament? The domestics certainly didn't prepare them for that, and so they have a lot to learn. "We will have quite a handful to learn, but hey, don't worry about it!" Clarissa continued on as the team gave back their attention to her, "I know a couple of tricks - nondirty ones - that we can try and use. And then speaking of tactics, Clarissa got reminded of the email that was sent to not only to her as a coach, but seemingly to everyone else. At least, that is what the email said when she saw the "To" and "CC" recipient list. "Oh dear, it's them again, haha!" Clarissa laughed lightheartedly. From one Nathan Ellis, the name that she might have remembered from a few matches back, perhaps back when the Valentians matched off against the Hapilopperians and then an accident happened. "Good times!" she thought to herself, not harboring any ill-will towards them. For all intents and purposes, the Valentians and the Hapilopperians have been cordial with each other this whole time, as far as from NSSCRA 8 that have happened decades ago for the Valentians. She fished it out of the Junk folder from her email, instructing the rest of the teammates to do the same. As they started reading more and more, they have gotten themselves more questions than answers from their mind. For one, Katarzyna was not buying it, "It seems.. strange. I don't know how he just accidentally sent the email to everyone. Admittedly, it's quite amusing."

"Ahh, definitely.. hey, check this one out," Holly sounded off, ""No more stripping naked in the middle of the practice," oh my! Well, at least they didn't do it at the actual match, at least not the ones we are in, haha!"

It went on for a few more hours as the Valentians - both amused and puzzled - were reading the PRD file page after page. It certainly looked like a purported accident, but at the same time it seemed a little too humored to be true. On top of that, the Valentians might not even need the tactics if they are not going to play against them anytime soon. Whichever happened along the way, they were simply laughing it off, having a good night with a few (non-alcoholic) drinks in order to balance and shook off the match that resulted in the first injury for the Valentian Kittens.

"It will get better, I promise," Clarissa said, another soft smile occupying her face as she looked at the somewhat tired and wornout players. Coming in this late into the world of international football on its 90th iteration, they have a lot of catching up to do. The first three matches were an indicator that they need a change of plans, and perhaps other than Clarissa ordering a midfielder to move forward to a now 3-3-4 formation (3 forward, 3 mid, 4 def). "Time will tell, I suppose!"

MD3 Significant Events:

- 08:32 - Katarzyna Violetta Zofia Aleks Polańska (#14, Mid, Valentine Z) launched a ball towards Joaquina Samanta Alonso Clara Lombardo (#10, Forward, Valentine Z), who then scored the goal. 1-0 for Valentine Z vs St Trinians.
- 16:20 - Poppy Appleton (#11, Forward, St Trinians) scored against the Valentians. 1-1.
- 25:26 - Alyson Granger (#10, Forward, St Trinians) scored against the Valentians. 1-2.
- 31:40 - Alyson Granger (#10, Forward, St Trinians) scored against the Valentians. 1-3.
- 40:53 - Holly Annemiek Gerrieke Van De Hoogte (#3, Forward, Valentine Z) scored against the St Trinians. 2-3.
- 49:20 - While getting tackled by Nonie Swindlehurst (#3, Defender, St Trinians) and Dottie Carmichael (#2, Defender, St Trinians), Sammie Arif Raihan Bin Mohamamad Andika (#20, Mid, Valentine Z) had a nasty trip and a fall. Sprained ankle and leg, but otherwise not career-ending. Valentians (including Sammie) passed it off as an accident, with no foul play involved.
- 55:51 - Poppy Appleton (#11, Forward, St Trinians) scored against the Valentians. 2-4.
- 90:00 - End of match. Defeat for the Valentians with 2-4 final score.

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 6:55 pm

Twenty-three downcast football players, a manager, two assistant coaches, several additional staffers, and two fans of the Dragoons, many muddy, all soaked, sit and stand in the parlor of Jamie's mothers house in Metherwoll. A fire crackles in the fireplace. Jamie's mother sits on the couch. All are drinking tea. The only other sound in the room is soft slurping noises and the clinking of china.

Team captain Nycollas Mauranghas feels the need to break the silence. "The tea's lovely," he offers to their hostess.

The assembled Oberours softly chime in "yes" "lovely" "quite". The room falls back to silence. Someone coughs.

Someone coughed. Peire de Baingneus, who had been getting stretched in the Regium Immortal training room after a long, frankly harsh practice, turned to see his teammate Renan Durerie enter and take a seat on another bench.

"Hey there National Teammate," he said in his most faux-chipper tone. "Have you been keeping up with qualifying?"

Peire shook his head and grunted. Still being forbidden from participating with the National Team had sapped his interest in multiversal football. Plus, there were other things on his mind.

Renan pulled out his phone and tossed it to Peire. "Check out this story."

Peire starting skimming "Perresson Coffriere Managing For Job" by Liçzenn Gestiau on the Antenne Sports app. Apparently the Football Management Committee were already considering sacking Coffriere after his three-loss start. Loizig de Charni's appointment to the top job might be imminent, said the article. Or the FMC might hire Lükækš Væñøœrëñbérghüïś, the former Vdaran national team manager they reportedly had been in contact with.

Piere ignored another Reply All Hapilopper e-mail and went back to the article. More teams were joining Regium Immortal's call-up strike. Invicta were asking that Maudez d'Annet not be called up until "substantial changes were made". Meridian were holding out midfielder Jozeb la Fauconniere and Sebastian Chapuisseur, the top sweeper in the pool. A Patrons fan group had protested before a match calling for their players to be held out.

Peire offered the phone back to Renan. "What a mess."

Renan took the phone back and shook his head. "This is absurd, Mouschard acting like he's worried about our health if we play national team games. All this while he's going to run practices like a tyrant through the day into the dead of night. You know I talked with Louen Forcetier: Sports hernia and he's out a month."

"A sports hernia? Ouch."

Renan lied on the bench and leaned his head back. "I just know that if we were playing the national team would be so much better. We'd be winning those games. And we would be just fine here as well." The midfielder sighed and sat upright again. "I'm heading out. Don't stick around too late, practice will start early tomorrow."

"Don't I know it?" Piere responded. "I wanted to catch up on some film before I leave. I'll see you tomorrow."

Renan turned and walked out, waving his hand as he strolled out the door. Piere sat in the silence before starting to head to the film room.

It had been a little over a week since he had visited the world of 0 A.M. with that woman. That woman had a real name, not just Cygnet, since then. Anna Closier, she revealed. "Needed to make sure I could trust you," she had said as she put her phone number in his phone. Piere wasn't entirely sure he could trust a woman that turned into a mechanical ballerina to fight the evil representation of a Oberour gendarme in some kind of mirror universe. Whatever happened there seemed to have some kind of an effect though. Piere had looked it up. In the real-world Alfred-Henri le Garsmeur had apparently resigned his commission the very next day.

Anna, Cygnet or whomever, had been pushing Piere, indicating that he could also harness some kind of power and fight the Vassals of the Castle. Piere still had his doubts about the whole thing. He had hoped that getting some explanation for the things he had been seeing and experiencing would give him some relief. So far there was anything but.

Piere made it to the film room and started reviewing his performance from Immortal's recent loss to Meteor. But he just couldn't focus. Practice had been so long. Merard Mouschard was the most brutal manager Piere had ever dealt with, and he was getting so much worse. Before he knew it, Piere had fallen asleep.

Piere woke up. Oh God. It was midnight, wasn't it? It was 0 A.M., again. Piere felt paralyzed in his chair, but the atmosphere was different. Still and heavy. The film room was gone. Instead of tapes and computer equipment there was gold and jewels. Instead of large screen that had been showing a football match, there was a massive mirror in an ornate frame. And reflected within it was a man.

Piere could hear the man breathe. It was raspy, clicking. And in the mirror, he could see the man standing stock still and staring at him. Staring with glowing red eyes. Then more eyes opened. Then more. And a spider like leg emerged from behind the man and started to reach out to him...

..."Piere?" And then the world abruptly shifted back to normal. Film room, film, computer, monitor, normal air. Piere jumped up and swung around.

Merard Mouschard, Regium Immortal Manager, stood at the doorway. Looking annoyed as ever. "What the hell are you doing here de Baingneus?"

"I uh..." Piere tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry. "I was watching film."

Merard's eyes somehow narrowed further. "It looks like you were sleeping in here. Wasting time."

"Sorry," Piere apologized.

"Sorry doesn't cut it around here," Merard said coldly. "Get out and come back tomorrow ready to run laps. Get your sleep at home like a normal person."

"So your football team manager is a vassal? And that's why he won't let you play on the national team and his practices are tough? And now you want in?"

Piere had called the only person he could call, and she wasn't impressed.

"There are people dying on the streets, being abused, being taken advantage of, and you're worried about your game?"

Piere was expecting a little dismissiveness but this was far too much. "I thought you were opposed to the Castle and its influence on humanity, and I have an actual example of this, and you're telling me to pound sand?" He took a deep breath. He knew how to get her help, as much as he wasn't excited about it. "If you want my help in the future, I'll need your help to stop Merard Mouschard."

Piere could hear Anna considering the opportunity. "If I help you with this, you'll work with me going forward?"

"You got it," Piere responded.

More silence on the other end of the line. And then, "Well then Piere, let's get to work."

by **Milchama** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 6:57 pm

Reply All"Darryl Lamarein"<coach@mfa.co.ml>
Reply All"Floren, Marc J."<alltimelegend@mfa.co.ml>
Reply-All"Cynthia Fairfax-Hazy"<cfairfax-hazey@zfa.co.zz>
Reply-All"Dollard Foster"<dolfoster@mfa.co.ml>
From: “Ellis, Nathan” <n.ellis@teamhap.co.hp>
To: “All WC90 Players” <wc90players.list> "All WC90 Coaches" <wc90coaches.list>
CC: “Perkins, Thomas” <t.perkins@teamhap.co.hp>; “Probst, Dominic” <d.probst@teamhap.co.hp>; “Ernie Stevenson” <estevenson@mailnow.co.hp>
Subject: Tomorrow's practice

Goddamnit Marc! Watch out when you reply all! People don't need all those tactics!

Darryl

Reply All"Floren, Marc J."<alltimelegend@mfa.co.ml>
Reply-All"Cynthia Fairfax-Hazy"<cfairfax-hazey@zfa.co.zz>
Reply-All"Dollard Foster"<dolfoster@mfa.co.ml>
From: “Ellis, Nathan” <n.ellis@teamhap.co.hp>
To: “All WC90 Players” <wc90players.list> "All WC90 Coaches" <wc90coaches.list>
CC: “Perkins, Thomas” <t.perkins@teamhap.co.hp>; “Probst, Dominic” <d.probst@teamhap.co.hp>; “Ernie Stevenson” <estevenson@mailnow.co.hp>
Subject: Tomorrow's practice

Nathan,

I don't think those tactics are very smart. The 4-4-2 formation doesn't really make sense against Kimi-Suomi's 5-3-2. I think you won't have enough fire power. They have 5 defenders and only 2 strikers can't really break down a defense like that. The advantage in the midfield is negated because your wings can't even go one on one but end up one on two. The best option is to use a 4-3-3 formation against those tactics because then your strikers can really start moving against those defenders and the midfielders, when they win the ball, can bomb forward, actually creating an even numbers game which would make it a lot better for you to win. Also, watch out who you send the tactical book to. I know that I'm in the Dreamed Realm right now and have always assisted smaller nations like yours with tactics but usually people ask me first instead of it being out of the blue.

Best,
Marc

Reply-All"Cynthia Fairfax-Hazy"<cfairfax-hazey@zfa.co.zz>
Reply-All"Dollard Foster"<dolfoster@mfa.co.ml>
From: “Ellis, Nathan” <n.ellis@teamhap.co.hp>
To: “All WC90 Players” <wc90players.list> "All WC90 Coaches" <wc90coaches.list>
CC: “Perkins, Thomas” <t.perkins@teamhap.co.hp>; “Probst, Dominic” <d.probst@teamhap.co.hp>; “Ernie Stevenson” <estevenson@mailnow.co.hp>
Subject: Tomorrow's practice

Hey Nathan,

I don't think you meant to send this out to everyone. Watch out when you do this in the future.

Cynthia

Reply-All"Dollard Foster"<dolfoster@mfa.co.ml>
From: “Ellis, Nathan” <n.ellis@teamhap.co.hp>
To: “All WC90 Players” <wc90players.list> "All WC90 Coaches" <wc90coaches.list>
CC: “Perkins, Thomas” <t.perkins@teamhap.co.hp>; “Probst, Dominic” <d.probst@teamhap.co.hp>; “Ernie Stevenson” <estevenson@mailnow.co.hp>
Subject: Tomorrow's practice

Please unsubscribe me from the email chain.

Best,
Dollard

From: “Ellis, Nathan” <n.ellis@teamhap.co.hp>
To: “All WC90 Players” <wc90players.list> "All WC90 Coaches" <wc90coaches.list>
CC: “Perkins, Thomas” <t.perkins@teamhap.co.hp>; “Probst, Dominic” <d.probst@teamhap.co.hp>; “Ernie Stevenson” <estevenson@mailnow.co.hp>
Subject: Tomorrow's practice

Alright folks, just as we did today I need you all to come in around 6:30 tomorrow for training. We've got a big game coming up against Kimi-Suomi and we need to be at our absolute best. Last thing we need is to embarrass ourselves when we're playing in front of our home fans. But there's a few things I need to point out:

-Enclosed is your tactical book for this week. Study it tonight and we'll go over everything when we go out to practice. If there are any questions about the right plays, feel free to give me a ring or text me and we'll go over it. I'll be at Center Street until 11:30 tonight and I'll be more than happy to talk to you about any plans you may have.

-To Kerry Spalding: I need you to take this assignment seriously. No more stripping naked in the middle of practice and loudly declaring "I AM NO LONGER AN ARTIST, I HAVE BECOME A WORK OF ART". That sort of behavior will get your ass red-carded, both literally and figuratively. Nobody wants to see that ever again. This isn't Jeruselem.

-To Jerold Dickman: When you get in tomorrow morning, or if you come by Center Street tonight, I need to talk to you about getting into what I call "good card trouble." There's a big difference between attempted mass murder and attempted manslaughter.

-Strikers: Be in contact with McNeil tonight, he's got something for you for the Kimi-Suomi match. He and I were reviewing videotape today and he thinks he found a disadvantage.

-All players: Be on the lookout for another email in an hour or so. There's something I want you all to look at in addition to the tactical book. I think y'all will like it.

Yours, Nate

1 Attachment: <HAP WC90 PLAYBOOK TOP SECRET DO NOT STEAL.prd>

NATHAN ELLIS
Defenseman/Assistant Coach, Team Hapilopper
Cell: (1245) 4022-5351-0805
Office: (1245) 4022-5226-4790
Email: n.ellis@teamhap.co.hp
Twii.Tur: @NateEllis

by **StrayaRoos** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 7:18 pm

MD3-Pale Intl' Stadium
StrayaRoos 3 (C.Kaiplo 18,57,Fitzsimmons 81)
The Sarian 4 (34,67,85,90+4)
StrayaRoos-Yesak-Okuna,Poalian,Kuyta,Turean (Forsberg 76),Fitzsimmons,Lopai,Hazard,Guala (Bale 90+2),L.Kaiplo,C.Kaiplo
The Sarian-Unknown
ATT:69,318 HT:1-1

We Lost but Kaiplo Scored his 7th and 8th Goals for the Emus, Fitzsimmons got off the mark and Eden Bale Played 2 minutes (Which is more than he's played in the SFL Cup Group phase This Season which will Find our Cup Winners Cup Representative) and is considering moving to StrayaRoos Barrier Islands who have only play 5 League Games a Season or turning to Golf and Even moving to Cedniavella with Cruz Kaiplo due to lying around on a Beach all day
Line up is same as MD2-3 But Cahill is omitted and replaced with Juric and Yesak is Captain

by **Valladares** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 7:25 pm

The imposing Alexander I National Stadium was brimming with life in the return of the Valladar national football team to the federal capital, as 94,600 boisterous fans were slowly taking their seats to watch the home debut of Federico Rassmussen's team in this World Cup qualifying stage following two away games. Those first games played by La Nacional in Group 13 (a thumping of Kingdom of Voidstania and a narrow loss in Hispinas) left a good impression on the fans and raised hopes for a possible return to the World Cup finals, but the first team to visit Valladares in WCQ was widely expected to offer the toughest challenge so far as they were no more and no less than the incumbent World champions Ko-oren, who came into this match with two out of two wins and were hoping to capitalize on any and every mistake by the Valladar players. Nevertheless, that good start to the qualifying campaign as well as the stature of the rival encouraged fans to buy tickets and attend the match

The match started as everyone expected, with Valladares exerting pressure and trying to impose their conditions on the pitch, encouraged by their fans. This was sort of a different approach to what La Nacional had exhibited so far, as they had felt comfortable relinquishing control of the ball to Kingdom of Voidstania and Hispinas at times in these matches, but it was understandable since they were playing at home this time. However, Ko-oren did not feel themselves intimidated by the full house at Swangard, and tried to get the most out of their post-football strategy: in practical terms, the incumbent World Champions were doing pretty much the same Federico Rassmussen applied in the Kingdom of Voidstania and Hispinas, being content enough to leave possession of the ball to Valladares, expect their midfielders and attackers to collide with the wall of 5 defenders they had mounted and take advantage of the ensuing counterattack. However, that didn't stop the Valladars from enjoying a couple of chances which lifted fans out of their seats: in the 22nd minute Fabio Betancourt tried a breakaway down the right flank and threw a pinpoint cross that found Thibault Benezet's head but eventually got deflected by Gudo Neihof, whilst twelve minutes later Alexis Durmisi fired a mid-range shot that went wide. On the other hand, the Dragonflies' counterattacking efficiency slowly diminished as the Valladars were able to regroup quickly and exert pressure on the Ko-orenite players to take the ball away from them. The first half reached its end with the defenses of both sides cancelling each other out and the goalkeepers watching the match, with the ball being played away from their respective areas.

The second half started in the same vein as the first half, although in the first few minutes Ko-oren and their post-football tactics managed to scare the Valladar NT members and local fans, with Aenemere Erisia managing to escape the pressure from Darwin Pico and Christian O'Brien in the 56th minute and speeding towards the goal defended by Lucien Chamoun, who managed to intercept the shot by the Ko-orenite striker and dispel the danger. By then, Valladar gaffer Federico Rassmussen had already noted that his team had been successfully contained by the rival defense and was thus looking for someone who could offer him something new, and so he looked at the zone next to the bench where Aymeric Fortin was warming up. The Montreal Koreana player, who until then had not played a single minute under Rassmussen, finally got his chance in the hopes he could provide some surprising breakthrough, replacing Thibault Benezet in the 64th minute. The thing is that Fortin's inclusion in the match seemed to reinvigorate the Valladar team as La Nacional started charging again against a Ko-oren side who were waiting for their chance to hit. Seven minutes after Fortin's entry, the Valladars were once again able to threaten the Ko-orenite goal in a play started by Paulo Ferraz (who replaced Darwin Pico in the 71st minute) who assisted Cristian Arango, who in turn managed to dribble past two Ko-orenite defenders to fire a shot that was saved by Neihof. And that play eventually became the preamble to what was to come in the 77th minute, where Alexis Durmisi was quick to thwart another attempt of a counterattack by the Dragonflies and fired a low shot which after ricocheting off Gudo Neihof's body found Aymeric Fortin's left foot which sent the ball to the back of the net, breaking the deadlock and sending the 94,000 Valladar fans present at the National Stadium into rapture as Valladares were now leading against the incumbent World champions.

Having taken the lead with only 12 minutes left on the clock, Rassmussen opted to take defensive precautions, taking playmaker Cristian Benítez out of the game and replacing him with Danny Barrichelli, who went to put together a line of four defenders who could make things even harder for the counterattacking Ko-oren side, especially now that they found themselves trailing. However, Ko-oren lacked the creativity needed to break through the reinforced Valladar defense, and the Valladar midfielders and attackers were able to keep control of the ball to themselves for the remainder of the game, securing a historic win to keep the Valladar spirits in the start of World Cup qualification while hoping to stay close to (or assault) one of the top two places of Group 13.

Hispinas 2-1 Valladares
(xxxx 35', xxxx 75'; Benezet 54')

Valladares: Chamoun - Acosta, Arboleda, Núñez - Pico, O'Brien - Betancourt (Abrigo 75'), Benítez, Durmisi (Pereira 68') - Petrasso (Riveros 80'), Benezet
Manager: Federico Rassmussen

Valladares 1-0 Ko-oren
(Fortin 77')

Valladares: Chamoun - Acosta, Arboleda, Núñez - Pico (Ferraz 71'), O'Brien - Betancourt, Benítez (Barrichelli 78'), Durmisi - Petrasso, Benezet (Fortin 64')
Manager: Federico Rassmussen

Ko-oren: Neihof - Grootenhuis, Van Schelven, Derjekhistun, Kitchingham, Van Kalvenhaar - Vaugrenard (Dhentingun 75'), Rouselle, Abbagan (Janoreirinthen 65'), Longchambon - Erisia (Aeganora 78')
Manager: Katherine Davenport

Venue: Alexander I National Stadium, Swangard
Attendance: 94,600

VALLADAR NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM SELECTION - MATCHDAY 4 & 5: GALLIENA (A) / ATHEARA (H)
Goalkeepers: 1 - Danilo Araúz (Stein-los Turkish, PAS), 12 - Steven Piatti (Fontvielle Impact), 23 - Ariel Fraser (Metropolis Alligators)
Defenders: 2 - Alejandro Acosta (Edmonton United), 3 - Danny Barrichelli (Canalave Dragons), 4 - Pablo Núñez (Marinos Metropolis), 13 - Bruno Mendes (AS Bezieres), 14 - Daniel Martín (Nacional), 15 - Luan Barbosa (Real Campo Grande)
Midfielders: 5 - Darwin Pico (Mar Sara FC, VAL), 6 - Christian O'Brien (Tanrısal, PAS), 7 - Andrés Abrigo (Urbizania Wanderers, ASG), 8 - Alexis Durmisi (Urbizania Wanderers, ASG), 10 - Cristian Benítez (Cazadores Cathair, AUD), 16 - Pablo Abreu (Metropolis Alligators), 17 - William Alonso (Oakstone, EUR), 18 - Fabio Betancourt (Hondo FC, VAL), 19 - Aldo Pereira (Marinos Metropolis), 21 - Marcelo Zamudio (Metropolis Alligators)
Forwards: 9 - Aymeric Fortin (Montreal Koreana, QUE), 11 - Thibault Benezet (Sabrefell Athletic, NPH), 20 - Mateo Foschini (Hondo FC, VAL), 22 - Alexis Ardouin (Fontvielle Impact)

Starting Lineup: Araúz - Acosta, Barrichelli, Núñez - Pico, O'Brien - Abrigo, Benítez, Durmisi - Fortin, Benezet

by **Schima Bas** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 7:44 pm

Match Reports

MD 2: Acceptably Normal @ Apollos Arena, Amanas (15,000) 2-1, Schima Bas

‘11 Bassel Adel
‘30 Acceptably Normal Player
‘63 Casildo Hana
MD3: @ Polkopia, Marshupov Arena, Peeto (42,285) 1-0, Polkopia

‘79 Yakoby Kosyo

Group 8 proving to be challenge for Golden Crescent

Following three matchdays, the Golden Crescent has found only 3 points. If we look back on WCQ89, however, the Basians should have much to look forward to. In that competition, the freshman squad only managed to find 1 point from the first three matches, losing to Eura 4-1 and Srednjaci 4-2, and drawing Lathamford 1-1, leaving them with a -5 goal differential.

In WCQ90, the Basians have tripled their points from the first three matchdays, and have been much more defensively cohesive, allowing only 5 goals as opposed to 9 in WCQ89. One might praise new manager Gaio Grieco for this change, playing a more defensive style than his predecessor Eugenio Tio. The team has scored the same amount of goals at the same point in the competition at 4, averaging 1.33 goals per game.

The best offensive performance of the tournament thus far came at home against the pink giants Cassadaigua, which, despite losing the match, proved that the squad had the strength to go toe-to-toe with the best the multiverse has to offer in footballing talent. With Bisma Shehadeh returning from his shoe-throwing suspension against Reçueçn, the midfield will be relieved to have their workhorse back in action. Shehadeh has not only been an exceptional force in recovering possession, but also has proved to be a goalscorer, finding the net against the Dagans in MD1.

Going into the next matches, the Basians have to find a way to find points against Mertagne, a team that has proved to be offensively strong, scoring a total of 7 goals against strong opposition Reçueçn and Electrum.

The Golden Crescent will also hope for a draw against Reçueçn away from home in MD5. Not much is known about that squad, but they currently sit third in the group, and have the most potent offensive in the group so far, scoring an average of 3 goals per match.

The next two matches will be a true test of manager Grieco’s defensive changes. It may prove a key opportunity if the manager wants to live up to the high expectations he’s set for himself.

Upcoming lineups
MD 4: Mertagne @ The Circle, Alquerdi (25,000)

Tebrum Bourreau,
Orgasni Azizi, Ausmil Trenuni, Gilles Bertrand, Khuld Montemayor,
(C) Makin Moghaddam, Abaddon Ghanem, Gaston Barracuda, Leonard Charbonneau,
Hideki Nazar, Bassel Adel
MD 5: @ Reçueçn, Unknown

Tebrum Bourreau,
Volfango Di Lello, Avery Cloutier, Gilles Bertrand, Khuld Montemayor,
(C) Makin Moghaddam, Bisma Shehadeh, Mukarram el-Muhammad, Araft Sergeant,
Jan Moustafa, Casildo Hana

by **Turori** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 7:45 pm

High-Scoring Eels off to Solid Start in Group 3

Eels Park, Eelandii, Turori :: It was a strong start for the Turori National Team after their surprise defense of both their Cup of Champions and Eagle's Cup titles in the build up to World Cup 90 Qualifying. After an opening matchday victory on the road to rivals Qasden, the Turori National Team had their second consecutive road game - this time against Geektopia. On paper it was probably as difficult a start as the Turori National Team could have had yet with the momentum of back to back trophies behind them, Turori made quick work of their opponents and ended their road trip with back to back victories.

With the momentum of the victory over regional rivals Qasden, the Turori National Team traveled over to Europeia for a match-up against Geektopia at the Place of Valence in Mukladrue. The Geektopians employed a unique tactic for the match, an all out press from the start that featured some of the players who endured the most strenuous pre-match preparations with the Geektopian coaching staff putting in 150% effort knowing that their time on the pitch would end after just 15 minutes, with fresh legs coming onto the pitch at that point. It was a bold strategy gave Geektopia two waves of first half energy where they appeared on the verge of capitalizing and scoring the games first goal. Edgeli's Eels weathered the storm, however, and kept the match goalless through the opening thirty minutes by which time Geektopia had exhausted their subs and had to settle in with their tactic. With Geektopia's opportunity squandered, the Eels would take advantage when Cuoabaza Orani'aoa opened the scoring on a free kick in the 31st minute. It was a stunning kick that had the Geek's goalkeeper #22 Lertora no chance and utterly silenced the crowd - particularly those who were keen to the tactical decision that Geektopia had executed and the gravity in which it had just backfired.

While the next thirty minutes covering either side of the half time break would play out rather even, the game began to tilt once more in the second half once Edgeli and the Turorian coaching staff began to make use of their own substitutions. With fresh players on the field for Turori and the home side unable to counter, it became easier and easier for Edgeli's Eels to generate quality goal scoring opportunities. It was the combination of Bilki Rona'atu'i and Daliora Toru'u that would double Turori's advantage with 20 minutes to play and then Rona'atu'i once more from the restart intercepting then delivering a hopeful ball over the top that Orani'aoa latched on to and quickly fired past Lertora once more. Just like that the match had gotten out of reach for the home side and the fans started heading for the exits. Having lost both the will and the energy to resist, it was Turori that was continuing to attack at the end and they would add one more to the misery on the final play of the game. It was a Corner Kick that had been earned through an optimistic long range shot from substitute Loala Inkabu. Amakli Inuro'o delivered the resulting corner kick which found the head of Kenu Umaka'a who wasn't going to miss from that range as Turori recorded their first Clean Sheet of the campaign in a critical road victory over Geektopia.

When the final whistle blew in Geektopia it was finally back home for the Turori National Team as they would head back to Eelandii for their first home match of the campaign against the relatively unknown team from Winnebogan. Group 3 was one of the few Groups in the World Cup 90 Qualifiers with no truly un-ranked teams amongst them but it didn't get much closer to being un-ranked then to be Winnebogan - with the joint lowest ranking of any ranked team in the World Cup Qualifiers. It didn't take long for the Eels to give the home fans something else to celebrate - after the pre-match ceremony unveiling banners to celebrate the recent triumphs in the Cup of Champions and Eagle's Cup competitions. Just five minutes after the kick off it was a rocket of a shot from Kinabo Telioa that gave Tarek Edgeli's side the 1-0 lead. It would be far from the last action of the night, however, as there were still six more goals to be scored in what proved an unexpectedly competitive first half. Telioa's second of the game gave Turori a 2-0 lead by Winnebogan would bounce back with a goal just before half time to cut the deficit in half and shift the momentum at the break. Winnebogan would leverage that momentum to tie the game early in the second half leaving the Eels supporters in disbelief. Thankfully Edgeli's Eels were in no mood to spoil the banner raising night. Turakia Diijelhma fired back with a quick fire double after the hour mark to restore Turori's two-goal lead and Nua'oma Aikiki was back on target in stoppage time to round things off as the high scoring Eels secured their third straight victory while scoring four or more goals in each. It was the first time that Turori had scored four or more goals in three consecutive matches in all competitions since the Qualifiers for World Cup 85 when Turori put together three consecutive five-star performances - a pair of 5-0 victories over Natanians and Nosts and Villablanca followed by a 5-1 triumph over TJUN-ia.

It was far from smooth sailing ahead for the Eels however as the three teams they already played were the three occupying the bottom slots in the Group 3 table. Turori's main rival in Group 3 was shaping up to be Drawkland, the team from Sonnel who had matched Turori's 3-0-0 record while also having scored 14 goals in the three opening matches. Turori's next opponent however would be third place Saint Eleanor who would be looking for an upset to shake up the Group Table while Turori look to keep up their winning and goal scoring streak at the start of the qualifiers.

 Turori [4] - [0] Geektopia
				
	GOALS:	Turori 	:: 31' Cuoabaza Orani’aoa:: 71' Daliora Toru'u:: 72' Cuoabaza Orani’aoa:: 90+4' Kentu Umaka'a           		
	STATS:	Turori 	:: Possession: 54%:: Shots: 9:: Corners: 20	Geektopia 	:: Possession: 46%:: Shots: 4:: Corners: 7
	Lineup:	[GK] Timaala Hualtia, [D.] Karek Edgeli, [D.] Amakli Inuro'o, [D.] Planio’o Nrujsa, [D.]  Biliki Rona'atu'i, [ML]  Kentu Umaka'a, [MC] Daliora Toru'u, [MC]  Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, [MR]  Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, [FC] Nua'oma Aikiki, [FC] Kala'a Yuliizala			
	Bench:	[FC] Turakia Diijelhma, [FC] Loala Inkabu, [M] Naraiza Ruaplal, [M] Kinabo Telioa, [U ] Moumouni Verre'elali, [D] Bvalis Amaanara, [GK] Derizi Amatopa

 Turori [5] - [2] Winnebogan
				
	GOALS:	Turori 	:: 5' Kinabo Telioa:: 34' Kinabo Telioa:: 63' Turakia Diijelhma:: 64' Turakia Diijelhma:: 90' Nua'oma Aikiki          		
	STATS:	Turori 	:: Possession: 59%:: Shots: 8:: Corners: 15	Winnebogan 	:: Possession: 41%:: Shots: 5:: Corners: 7
	Lineup:	[GK] Derizi Amatopa, [D.] Amakli Inuro'o, [D.] Biliki Rona'atu'i, [D.] Planio’o Nrujsa, [D.]  H’munao Cagomia, [ML]  Daliora Toru'u, [MC] Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, [MC]  Kinabo Telioa, [MR]  Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, [FC] Loala Inkabu, [FC] Turakia Diijelhma			
	Bench:	[FC] Nua'oma Aikiki, [FC] Lutara Makakio, [M] Naraiza Ruaplal, [M] Lati'ala Giaoka, [U ] Cusaram Sakeri, [D] Bvalis Amaanara, [GK] Timaala Hualtia

TURORI NATIONAL ✓

@TuroriNat
Diijelhma saves #Eels as Winnebogan nearly steal the show on Championship Banner night at #EelsPark Follow the Story Here...

#WC90Q - #TURvWBG - #BannerNight

by **Omerica** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 7:51 pm

SFRD News in Brief
West Calaverdian couple struck by lightning after voting
Two parents from the South Coast are currently in hospital after being struck by lightning. A thunderstorm developed while Sadie and Thom Reynolds were in a Falkenburg polling place for the House of Plenipotentiaries election, with both being hit at approximately 14:45 while at Grenfall Park. According to local paramedics, the Reynolds had taken their two children with them to the poll, but neither was struck. Sadie and Thom were transferred to Falkenburg City Hospital, with media not permitted to report on their current condition. West Calaverdian officials have urged residents to exercise proper thunderstorm precautions and to stay indoors for at least half an hour after the last thunderclap if at all possible. Read more ▶

Socialists suffer a setback as right of centre parties claim an upper house majority
Early returns are suggesting a disastrous result in the upper house with general elections due later this year, with the Socialists are currently running narrowly behind the opposition Democrats with approximately two-thirds of the vote counted and right of centre parties set to hold an upper house majority when the newly elected plenipotentiaries take their seats in January. If the result holds, it will mark the first time since the fall of the Jean Saint-Pierre government that the Socialists have failed to top a national poll. Beyond the upper house’s power to block proposed laws and select a tranche of important auditors and independent commissioners, the same-year poll provides a popularity test ahead of the race for Chasteauvieulx in June. Read more ▶

Stephanidis proclaims “our hearts weren’t in it” after bruising Kiltoch draw
Captain Max Tennyson levelled at the death for an unfancied Kiltoch side, denying Omerica a third win in World Cup qualification and preventing the Incorrigibles from moving to the top of Group 7. Manager Alexis Stephanidis later claimed that Omerica’s failure to capitalise on an early two-goal advantage came down to a lack of drive: “Our hearts weren’t in it today. To some degree, we just weren’t hungry enough for the win.” Needing to win the group to qualify, Omerica currently sit a point behind Astograth and a point ahead of top seeds Kelssek, who were stunned in Wreckeria. The Incorrigibles now host Wreckeria in Heathmoor before playing Kelssek at the Macquarie Docklands. Read more ▶

by **Saint Eleanor** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:06 pm

OOC: I openly admit to getting the idea for the second-to-last line of dialogue in this roleplay from Parents Are Winning. That’s Why Far Left Is Turning Us Into Bogeymen., which rather amusingly uses the phrase "right-wing evangelical" seven times.

Skirting the Issue?
Episode II

8:31am - Friday 7th March 1997

Yet another morning in Whitehammer, somewhere in the New Building. About thirty people are lined up outside one of many classrooms; most of them appear to be treating this like any other Friday. But not all. "You, sir," asserts a much larger intruder, "come with me. I'll give you my photocopied notes after staff's done with you."

Three, or maybe four, minutes pass. Nothing much happens, not even chatter - or further punishment. "You, sir," asserts a somewhat smaller colleague, "come with me. We've gotten more than a few people into the Reconciliation Room today."

Two minutes pass; we know this for a fact. Actually, just more than a few - probably seven or eight, and he didn't even think they'd gotten everybody there. Yet. It isn't like they needed everybody when they had "Big" Jon Holliday there, either. "Alright... you lot, isn't it? The rebellion I warned a few teachers about the other day has finally come to light - and everybody knows about it."

"I didn't!"

"You're good, Tommy; I'm told you're only here because you didn't bring any of your books or stationery. The rest of you, however, have some very big questions to be answering. So that none of you think 'like what?', I'll ask the first - are you aware of the Community School's Uniform Policy?" They nodded. "Second - why have you broken that policy?"

"We want to show solidarity with the oppressed, sir."

"What kind of solidarity? What oppressed people?"

"The leaflet - women, immigrants, people like that."

"We have a female vice-president and an ethnic Gladom Newion's the CEO of Torch Burgers. What the hell could you be asking for?"

"Too many bullies."

"Too many bullies... nice one, young lad. Are you aware of the Community School's Anti-Bullying Policy? If so, just what is the point of this whole... skirty thing?"

"People should be able to be whoever they want to be."

"And how is your breaking the school rules going to help that?"

"There are people here who can't express themselves."

"Express themselves how? Are you aware that defamation of the President carries a five-year jail term or thereabouts?"

"I'm talking about the bullies."

"Now we're going in circles here. Why is their bullying impacting on their self-expression?"

"It just is."

"There's a time and a place for jury nullification, as it were. This is neither of those and I have no interest in hearing you tie yourself into knots for the rest of this period. All of you, stay here until nine-thirty - and all of you who aren't called Tommy, you can expect a follow-up soon."

"And we will continue to wear this - the humble miniskirt - to school, every Friday of term, until the school adequately explains what measures it is taking to protect these students from harm!"

"The humble miniskirt... what is this, 1968? Don't give me that nonsense about 'but Head Girl Catherine Whatsherface wears trousers to school' either, you should know the Uniform Policy by now. Again. Seriously."

"But Head Girl Catherine Buchanan is a right-wing evangelical Christian!"

"I'd agree with that, but I wouldn't say she's as far-off to the right as some of the other specimens I've encountered over the years. Think about that while I'm off for the next five minutes or so... or don't; some of you may have shorter memories than I thought. Lessons should be learned."

by **Ranoria** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:11 pm

Introducing: The Teams of The National Alliance of Association Football!

In this series, we'll be giving a brief history lesson on all of the current members of Ranoria's domestic soccer league. So unfortunately, no focused article on the flash-in-the-pan Cold Hill Couriers. In our third edition of this series, we're going to introduce the first four expansion team in the NAAF: the Memphis Delta Blues!
*all stats as of 2028 season

1:Highport Heroes
2: Ranoria City Privateers
3: Memphis Delta Blues - you're here!
\/Coming Soon!\/
4: Port Kruger Cougars
5: Richardson Revolt
6: Ashialand Blizzard
7: Vricksinburg Thunder
8: Dietrich Dirks

Overall Record: 35-25-36 regular season, 0-4 elimination games
Best Finish: 7-4-3, lost in semifinal (2026)
Worst Finish: 2-2-6 (2021)
Championships/Appearances: 0/0

Consistently Decent: Memphis

After the Alliance’s initial season in 2019, two expansion teams came on. The short lived Cold Hill Couriers and the Memphis Delta Blues. This makes the Delta Blues the Alliance’s oldest franchise besides the original four. They debuted with a 3-2-5 record, however, and slipped further to 2-2-6 the following season. Followed up with a 3-2-5 and then a 4-1-5 mark in the following with campaigns, and everyone thought the Blues were doomed to be bad forever.

But that all changed when the league expanded the playoffs in 2025. In the four seasons since the Delta Blues have expanded from a one-game championship to a four-team playoff with a play in game, Memphis has been in the play in or in the playoffs. Now, the Delta Blues have never excelled enough to win any of those games - play in or playoffs, with an 0-4 mark in those contests hanging heavy over the club. That said, there’s a lot to be proud of here. The club has consistent been a winner since the expanded playoffs, fighting their way back from a deep losing franchise record to get to nearly a .500 mark in the regular season. Fans in the area - who would probably rather be watching the local gridiron team, the Memphis Steamers - can look to a team that seems to be an up-and-comer, even if they’re not ready to swing with the heavyweights quite yet.

With midfielder August Mueller and striker Tony Hamilton both being on the national team, there’s veteran talent to write home about on this squad. They’ve got a couple youngsters coming up behind Hamilton, too, in Claus Staebler and Miriam Wheatsilver. Both are backups on the U21 squad, and look to make this team a high-scoring juggernaut in years to come.

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:11 pm

The Kids Really Aren't All Right
Episode 1: The Ballad of Pee-Pee Bayer

Nikoro Ola and Arvi Lehtinen were not exactly what you'd call model citizens. They were a pair of the sort of teenage boys that sat as far toward the rear of the classroom as possible, when they bothered showing up to school at all. They were the sort of pair who spent their spare time dropping eggs off bridges at passing cars until the police were called, or sitting around all day listening to death metal at brain damaging volume smoking the weed Nikoro sneaked from his step-mother's sock drawer. They were the sort who, despite never seeming to have any money to pitch in for pizza or beer, always found a way to be in the crowd at the Olympiastad whenever the team was at home. They managed this, in fact, despite both having received multiple lifetime bans from the venue for hooliganism.

At the moment, they had algebra class, fifth period. Neither was there of course. Nikoro was spread eagle on his bed while Arvi perched on a chair across the room, panning back and forth and zooming in an out on a road map of Squornshelous, "Whoever came up with this qualifying schedule must really hate the idea of road trips, dude."

"It's the airlines, man. SCFA's taking a percentage on people who fly to all the matches." Nikoro had achieved a state of profound knowledge on the true nature of the world. He had done this at the expense of his ability to move. It seemed a fair trade to him, at least at the moment.

"Ha, yeah probably." Arvi continued to poke at the tablet screen.

One had to admit, the schedule for the Black-and-Reds' home matches was not exactly efficiently laid out for travel considerations. Their first match on home soil was tonight against Southwest Eastnorth in Arkintoofle. A major port, Arkintoofle was located on the eastern coast, in the roughly central state of Megabrantis. From there, the schedule next took them to the former Imperial capital of Vogsphere, located in the interior of the Isle of Squornshelous. Following that, the team would take a trip to the far northeast of the mainland, to the frigid coast city of Zarss, before heading all they way down to the extreme southeast to Brasta, on the tip of the Sivolvian peninsula, and then rounding out a stretch of three consecutive matches by heading to Damogran, in the far southwest of the nation. The last two matches would take place in Lutenblag, the state capital of Molvania in the western interior, and finally in Santraginus, on the Isle of Squornshelous just across the straights from Arkintoofle where the journey began.

For the team, who would have private flights chartered at the SCFA's expense, it was not so much of a problem. For those bound to the roads by the cost of air travel, the prospect of attending every mach was daunting.

"It's that middle bit that's really going to be the issue. Three home matches in a row all in opposite corners of the country," Arvi tapped on the tablet for emphasis, accidentally closing the app. "Shit." He poked at it again, trying to reopen the itinerary he'd been working on. "Maybe we can cut through Aboveland on the way?"

"Maybe, but two different trips to the Isle don't exactly help. Whose idea was it to give the damn Imps a match to host, let alone two?" Nikoro's gaze played across cracks in the plaster of the ceiling.

"Fuck's sake, Nikoro, they're the same as us now, you can't call em Imps anymore. Anyway at least they've got the ferry service started up now. I just wish they'd put the Vogsphere and Santraginus matches back to back, ya know? Now not only do we have to take an hours-long boat ride, we have to do it twice."

"If I can't call em Imps anymore what the hell am I supposed to call those assholes now?"

"Hell I dunno, Islanders? You'll come up with something, man, you're a smart guy."

"I kinda am. Remember when I came up with that nickname for Peetu Bayer?"

"Kinda wish I didn't, bud." Arvi had opened up the map again. "Anyway, the first leg after tonight isn't so terrible, it's umm, let's see, first we head down to the harbor and take the ferry to Santraginus, that's umm, eight hours."

"Nah man, you remember when I came up with it, that was so great."

"Then from Santraginus, umm, five and a half hours to Vogsphere. Gotta make sure we get there early, I hear they take security pretty serious over on the Isle."

"Hey, why you ignoring me, man. It's like you're not even listening to what I'm saying here."

"Ok yeah, I fucking remember, ok? Pee-Pee, great nickname, real stroke of genius, cmon man, we gotta head for the match if we're gonna get there before security get serious."

"Ha ha! Classic!"

"I fuckin hate you sometimes."

Matchday 2:
KAN 2–0 SRS

Scoring:
SRS: none

Lineup:
SRS: Shimski; V. Harkhan, W. Harkhan, Buczvarov, Achthoven; Tabur (Gerstlauer 80'), Hashemi; Naqvi, Takala (Damnagoras 75'), Yonte, Petrov (Shehu 84')

Matchday 3:
SRS 2–2 SWE

Scoring:
SRS: Yonte 19', Petrov 33'

Lineups:
SRS: Shimski; V. Harkhan, W. Harkhan, Buczvarov (Ciernik 45'), Achthoven; Tabur (Zazagan 72'), Hashemi; Naqvi, Takala, Yonte, Petrov (Gerstlauer 81')

Schedule and Results

FRND: SOL 3-4 SRS @ King Anthony Stadium (cap. 77,300), Branwen, SOL

MD1:  RWS 2-3 SRS @ Far out in the uncharted backwaters of the unfashionable end of the western spiral arm of the Galaxy
MD2:  KAN 2-0 SRS @ Empress Masumi Stadium (cap. 90,000), KND
MD3:  SRS 2-2 SWE @ Olympiastad (cap. 47,550), Arkintoofle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD4:  SDG  v  SRS @ Stadium Persekutuan (cap. 40,000), Kambang, SDG
MD5:  SRS  v  TSA @ Vogsphere Arena (cap. 90,000), Vogsphere, Vogsphere Urban District, SRS
MD6:  CHA  v  SRS @ Old Town Park (cap. 68,000), Billboard, CHA
MD7:  SRS  v  STR @ Estflanarena (cap. 31,200), Zarss, East Flania, SRS
MD8:  SRS  v  RWS @ Henkmar Field (cap. 29,850), Brasta, Sivolvia, SRS
MD9:  SRS  v  KAN @ Bridger Lane (cap. 72,406), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD10: SWE  v  SRS @ Pride of Virginia Stadium (cap. Yes, it probably has one, looks pretty big), Virginia, SWE
MD11: SRS  v  SDG @ The Lutenstaad (cap. 75,000), Lutenblag, Molvania, SRS
MD12: TSA  v  SRS @ TBA, TSA
MD13: SRS  v  CHA @ Admiral Cherenkov Stadium (cap. 71,200), Santraginus, Santraginus Urban District, SRS
MD14: STR  v  SRS @ Pale Football Stadium (60,000), STR

by **Brookstation** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:29 pm

WILL CHANGING THE FORMATION HELP CHANGE THE OUTCOME ?

by Roger Fripp

At the age of 71, a normal person would just enjoy his retired life, play with his grandchildren or count his days left but as far as things are concerned with Brookstation manager Soham Misra , he decided to alter the original formation Brookstation had been playing for the past few years, just after a comfortable win in their first match to make things way more complicated. No wonder why people don't consider him as a normal person. Appointed as manager two years back before the beginning of the World Cup 89, Soham Misra has always been playing with new tactics but without the benefit of doubt, it must be noted that the Brook football team has definitely excelled under him but again changing the team's formation all of a sudden is not something that is going to be approved by everyone. Although Brookstation had a pretty good start to their campaign, it didn't take long for them to see disappointing results in front of them. Thus Soham Misra's sudden change in formation has been the centre of controversy in the Brook football scenario recently.

Let us firstly take a look into how this formation works. The entire idea of 3-4-3 revolves around an offensive style of play. The 3-4-3 formation consists of three defenders, two wingers, two midfielders and three forwards, all of them playing crucial roles. In this formation, the defense has to be very consistent with their playing style. The central defender's job apart from being the main pillar of defense would also be to open opportunities for the central midfield. The other two defender's will also play a vital role as they are the ones who are going to open the very attacks from their respective sides. The wingers need to be constantly on the run as they have to provide support to the defense when the opposition starts an attack as well as provide width to the play by utilising the wide area under their occupation. Soham Misra will now be tasked with finding the perfect man for playing in the wings. In the last two matches, Jacks and de la Vega weren't as nearly impressive compared to how they were playing under the normal 4-3-3 formation. I personally believe that the person who will be fit for taking up the wings would be Dolphin and Polnareff. Dolphin has played with Richmond's 3-5-2 and thus he is definitely familiar with the playing under this formation. Polnareff on the other hand is Brookstation's best defender and thus he is expected to be the first one to learn and cope up with this new style of play. Polnareff specializes in long shots and has a pretty good stamina on the field. Putting Polnareff and Dolphin on the wings and playing Jacks and Veum in the centre would probably be a good strategy which Misra can build up on. The centre midfielders have pretty much their typical roles of acting as a bridge between the defense and the midfield. Out of the two midfielders, one has to play in an entirely offensive format creating as many opportunities for the strikers as they can whereas the other has to move behind the line and try to get the ball to his feet. The roles of the forward don't change under this formation and thus Soham can comfortably rely on Johnson, Cust and Robes for managing the forward line.

The 3-4-3 formation comes with it's own set of advantages and disadvantages. For instance the major advantage of this formation is that this would enable Misra to come up with more and more tactics to try out on the field. This formation would also create a very stable and diversified balance between the attack and the defense on a whole. The disadvantage of this formation, as pointed out by many by now is that it needs a very persistent team comprising of players who specialize in their position and who wouldn't make mistakes that easily. I believe that the players will be able to specialize in their positions under their manager Soham Misra's guidance and hard training and practice.

This formation is going to be advantegous for the team if they are able to make proper use of it. With three defenders at the back, Soham will be free to start attack from any side he wants. Based on Brookstation's playing style for the past few matches however it seems more probable that he will use Angeles and Caceres to start wing attacks rather than moving forward with Harlow. The wingers need to play a vital role assuming this is how things go on. The wingers would have two options with them to move the ball forward:- a) To make some passes and make the ball reach the wingers who then can continue with their attack or b) pass it to the central midfielders and let them advance forward. Knowing that Misra is a player depending on a possessive style of play, keeping the ball with the central midfielders would be most probable. If that is the case, one of the strikers need to drop down to receive the ball from the midfield before delivering it to Robes.

According to what I interpret, I would be inclined to say that this formation is a positive sign in the team. For me, this formation has worked if not for the others. Take the match against Yue Zhou for instance. We were up against one of the best teams in our group in their very home. A win was definitely not something that any Brook should have been expecting. In fact, the only result that seemed theoretically probable was a defeat. Here Misra's, 3-4-3 came into play. Throughout the first half, Brookstation had a quite offensive approach towards the game like always but this time, these attacks were much more organized than before. The exploitation of the wide wing area was successful which allowed Johnson to bring the balls forward constantly. The great Yue Zhou defense consisting the likes of Yuan minrong and Jiawei Chuan was not easy to cross but despite of all the difficulties, Robes was actually able to net the ball in the 28th minute of the match giving us the lead. Things changed after that and Yue Zhou were now playing some dangerous football. Attacks after attacks kept incoming. But it was thanks to the five defender strategy, who were also receiving help from one of the central midfielders (Veum) that Brookstation was actually able to keep the score levelled. Yue Zhou themselves played a pretty different style of football than us which caused a lot of confusion for our players on the field but again what is worth noting is that Yue Zhou themselves were playing with three defenders for majority of the game.

Now, many argue that this formation was the sole reason for our loss against Zwangzug but technically, which team has actually won against Zwangzug yet ? No one. We must not forget the fact that when we are talking of Zwangzug, we are talking of one of the elite football teams. We are talking about a country whose players have a champion's league title to their name. None of our attacks could stand out against the superpower but the formation is not to be blamed for it. In fact, we should appreciate the fact that in the duration of 90 minutes, we were actually able to sustain these many number of attacks from one of the best teams in the world and losing by a respectable margin.

Many will still keep harping on the fact that this is the formation which saw us and tie with Yuezhou and we might have got a better result had we been playing another formation and again there are many who will state that this formation is undoubtedly our only future but the actual implications of the formation will open in front of us as days pass by. Next we are up against South Newlandia and Lisander and let us wait for the some more secrets of this formation to be revealed in the upcoming matchdays.

by **Farfadillis** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:33 pm

Relevant roleplay, though perhaps better read after this one

“You know, I think it’s pretty hilarious, what you’re pulling here. Even more now that it appears to have become a trend.” Sêwansé told his teammate, the ‘Astograthian’ Tipi Izotzubia absent-mindedly. “Like, how can they not tell you’re no Astograthian? Seriously. Izotz Zubia! That’s an Audioslavian club. Props for Tipi, though, I had to look that one up. It’s actually Astograthian.”

Tipi sighed. “I’m not a fucking idiot. If I were to come up with an Astograthian name, I wouldn’t pick fucking Izotzubia as a surname. I’d go with, I dunno, something stupid like Baire Muhaberra.”

“Now that would’ve been funny. I wonder how Baraxil and Aire would’ve reacted.” He looked to the side for a second. “Still, the name’s not what’s most hilarious, if you ask me. We’re all getting a kick out of how you appear to have them fooled. They don’t get why you keep avoiding them. You don’t talk to them nor in front of them. They think you hate them!” With his teammate not responding, Çè pressed on. “For real, though, why don’t you speak to them?”

“Because I don’t speak a lick of Astograthian, and they’d catch onto my scheme here if they see me speaking in fluent Rulandese.”

“Come again?”

Tipi rubbed his face. “I know, I know. Look, I know little about my ancestry, ok? But I’m not Farf, that much is clear because I can only speak Rulandese. Talk about bad luck.”

“So you can’t just pick up Astograthian in a week or two?”

“I actually tried to pick it up over a few months.” He answered, sounding defeated. He shook his head. “Man, that language makes no sense at all.”

Sêwansé stared at the wall, pensive, for a few seconds. “You know, I always thought you had Fröndti blood or something, cause you’re way too white. And way too tall! You almost look like a BFG.”

“What’s a BFG? Please don’t tell me it’s weird porn shit. Why do you always bring up weird porn shit?”

“I don’t always—” He cut his complaint short. “BFG means Big Fucking Græntfjaller. Get on with the times.”

“And this is supposed to convince me you’re not talking about weird porn?”

Çè facepalmed. “Aaaanyway. How long do you reckon you can keep up this charade? I really wanna see where it goes.”

“I’m thinking I should just confess, to be honest.“ Tipi rubbed his nape, embarrassed. “It’s gone on for long enough, and I think I’ve already shown what I’m capable of.”

“Yes, but you could totally take this further. Why not try and make it as an Astograth international? A mute Astograth international, I imagine.” Tipi eyed him suspiciously. It always was hard for him to tell when Çè was joking. He didn’t seem to be.

… and the idea didn’t seem that crazy. He’d made it far enough, right?

He spoke up. “I don’t know if you’re being serious, but that’s… maybe not a half-bad idea. I mean, I can’t be that far from getting a call-up, right? Their team is shit¹.”

“Now we’re talking!” Çè looked ecstatic. “Tell you what, I can hook you up with someone who can accelerate the process.”

“You do? Honestly, my biggest worry would be that I’m, well, not Astograthian.”

“That’s exactly the kind of thing he can solve. If you want to make it to la Vherderoja one day, then this will help you, too, since he’s the manager.”

“I, uh, don’t follow.” He furrowed his brow. “Lele Manguele?”

“Yeah, he can really get around. Especially in Astograth. Hell, I know a way we might be able to make this even funnier…”

Tipi was almost scared at that last part. “Do tell…”

“Itziar’s life’s been hell since he first set foot on Lìbêrêtê, you know? And you’ve made it much worse. He’s the only Astograthian to have caught on, and they all wave him off because they think he’s jealous you took his spot! I’m thinking we could get Lele to add another little prank on top…”

Tipi knew that when Çè’s tone of voice started getting these ominous undertones, it was best to leave things be. He didn’t want a repeat of the burning poker chihuahua situation. “Fine, call him up. You’ve got my permission. Just… try not to make this blow up in my face, please.”

Çè smiled like… well, like someone who was up to no good. He stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. “Don’t worry, my friend. This will all play out perfectly². And hilariously³.”

¹: Sorry, Asto.
²: Çè is not necessarily right here.
³: Entirely dependent on my writing skills, so Çè is almost surely wrong here.

by **Savigliane** » Wed Jan 19, 2022 8:43 pm

FIND YOURSELF

4. Ufficio

Adrian Toscani didn't make a habit of entering the manager's office, especially not on the first day of training after a long hiatus. He liked and respected Tlanx-Nulzk Hal, as did most of his fellow Swans, but the Qusmi tended to keep their distance. Training was often delegated to a series of assistant coaches and staff, although Tlanx had supervised the first day of the 34-man camp, and tactics were introduced as a team or amongst the coaches.

The Qusmi's office in the del Piero complex was relatively sparse, especially considering the number of awards and accolades they had collected over a long and storied career. Old clippings from The Beet and a few small pictures that he assumed were taken in Qusmo cast solitary figures on the walls. The desk and two chairs that marked the room's only furniture were understated but clearly expensive. Toscani noted with some apprehension a whiteboard with Savigliane's 4-3-3, his #10 replaced with the #30 of Calliope Montevecchi, as he knocked on the door frame, the door itself slightly ajar. "Come on in, Adrian," the manager replied in a clipped tone.

"Hey, coach," Toscani started sheepishly, taking a seat in front of the desk.

"Welcome back, Adrian," they replied with a faint smile. "How was the flight from Cathair?"

"Great, thanks. Listen, I was going to ask you something. It's a little bit late, but I was just wondering."

Tlanx tilted their head with some interest. "Go ahead."

"It's, uh, I was wondering why Bianca isn't with the team."

A subdued chuckle marked the Qusmi's reply. "You're two years late, Adrian. Hasn't she retired from club football?"

"Well, we never learned why she was dropped. She was starting in the World Cup, I guess I just thought she would stick around a bit longer."

"It was time to move on. I recognize that Bianca is a legend of the game in this country. But she was thirty-three years old, and midfield has always been a position of strength for the Swans - there was a wealth of talent that fit our system better." They sighed, then continued: "I preferred for her go out a hero, a goalscorer in the World Cup, rather than slowly waste away on the reserves. She deserved a clean break."

"But, you know, we really that kind of calming presence in the clubhouse. And I don't think Bianca would've minded playing less, you know, given how stacked the midfield is. Me, Buva, Óceane, and all that." Adrian was briefly lost in fake thought, then perked up again. "Hey, I've got an idea. Why don't we-"

Tlanx-Nulzk interrupted as if pouncing. "-bring her on as an assistant manager? We considered it, the FA and I, before her latest political turn. But I think I know what this is about, Adrian."

His confidence abruptly cut off, Adrian leaned back. "Yeah?"

"You're from Porto Vecchio, correct? Il granario."

"Granaio in Italian...but yes."

"Bianca's new political party - God's Plan, if I recall correctly - has a pretty strong power base there. I'd imagine that can't be easy on you, seeing your hometown turn, hm?"

Adrian stood up, bristling. "Listen, I just thought the team-"

"I didn't expect this self-interest from you, Adrian. But I empathize. Your friend is astray, and you hope to forge her a path back to football."

"You have no fucking idea-"

Tlanx stood to meet him. "No idea? Adrian, do you see those pictures on the wall? This," they said, gesturing, "was KF Qastyr. That team was the finest I ever coached. I won my first Gálactico with them, not the Swans, you know. They were incredibly talented, but more than that. Brave. Loyal. Just." They traced a finger across one of the assistant coaches, standing next to Tlanx themselves in the picture. "I loved the," they briefly appeared to choke up, "time I spent there."

"Some of them were with the national team when it happened. The most well-regarded, like Ilinx-Kepex Zev, were out of the country at the time, and were able to survive. I myself had taken over Saltstead, and was managing away in Rushmore. The rest...well, the lucky amongst them died painlessly, senselessly gunned down in the opening moments of the war. The longer they survived, the more they had to witness. I consider myself the unluckiest of all."

"I'm s-"

"No," Tlanx continued, steely-voiced, "your country does not have a monopoly on pain, Adrian. I think I have some...idea."

"But that's not why we're here." Their voice softened again. "We are here because this sport brings people together. Because one miracle run from a football team can excuse years of hurt. I recognize your point of view, but I will not bring her hatred into this sanctum - that is not how we win, and we cannot heal if we do not win. I trust that we're done here?"

Adrian sighed, and sat back down. "Yeah, I suppose. Sorry."

Tlanx-Nulzk nodded, sitting back down in turn. "Thank you for voicing your concerns, Adrian. I apologize for losing my temper. And-" he stopped to laugh, gesturing at the whiteboard. "-don't worry about Calliope's name there. Just some idle thought - you'll be starting against Ko-oren."

"Terrific."

MD2: Galliena 0–5 Savigliane
Starting Lineup: D'Ambrosio; Palomer, G. Dutto, Blanco (C), Sauvageon (Romano 55); Chastain, Auvergne, Montevecchi; Roux, Rinaldi (Rossi 72), Barthelemy
Goals: Roux 12, Rinaldi 45+2, Chastain 52, Montevecchi 74, Barthelemy 88

MD3: Savigliane 1-0 Atheara
Starting Lineup: D'Ambrosio; Lamontagne, Garcia, Blanco (C), Vitale (Romano 73); Chastain, Buvalelli (G. Dutto 73), Toscani; Rossi, Squarciafichi, Barthelemy (Montevecchi 64)
Goals: Rossi 10

MD4 Starting Lineup (Garifunya): D'Ambrosio; Lamontagne, Garcia, Blanco (C), Vitale; Chastain, Auvergne, Toscani; Rossi, Squarciafichi, Barthelemy
MD5 Starting Lineup (Hispinas): D'Ambrosio; Lamontagne, Garcia, Blanco (C), Vitale; Chastain, Buvalelli, Toscani; Rossi, Squarciafichi, Barthelemy

World Cup 90--RP Thread

StrayaRoos 3-4 The Sarian

WC90Q MD2/3 Geektopia / Winnebogan

Skirting the Issue? - Episode II

WC90 MD2-3

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