World Cup 90--RP Thread

by **Gyatso-kai** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:02 am

by **Estorvipa and Estorpiva** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:36 am

The town of Durdenville was located on top of a pair of hills on the edge of the Central Mountains range going through the territories of the rebel states of the Estorvipan Social Republic and the State of Estorpiva. It had begun life as a hilltop fortress guarding the valley from and protecting the chokepoint of the river down below, and while the old fortress itself was long buried under the structures of modern Durdenville, the town itself still retained some strategic value in the present day. It had been the reason why the Pivans had attacked and occupied Durdenville when they established their new "homeland" in the wake of the Estorian Civil War, and it was also one the reason why the guerrilla force known as the True Pivan Protection Forces wanted to attack the town. The other reason was the fact that there was currently a large detachment of Blue Skulls militiamen in the town recovering from the failed attack on Feuerstadt, and the TPPF wanted to wipe them out while they were still recovering from their defeat.

It wasn't going to be an easy task though, and everyone involved in the coming attack knew that. There were only two easy ways in and out of Durdenville, and that was the national highway passing through the way from northeast to southwest and basically bifurcating the town. The northeastern end of the road led back to Feuerstadt while the southwestern end was on a viaduct that passed the river valley down below and linked Durdenville to the Coastal Plain. The TPPF attack plan called for a two-pronged attack on Durdenville via the two ends of the national highway, but to do that, the forces meant to attack from the southwest had to make an arduous trek across the river valley just to put themselves in position to launch the attack. This meant that the attack to liberate Durdenville from the Skulls had to wait until nightfall to commence, and even then the TPPF waited until four in the morning the next day to actually strike. The TPPF had been informed by their Pridnestrovian "military advisors" that four in the morning was the best time to mount a surprise attack on an unsuspecting target. Initially, the commander of the TPPF operation had wanted to attack Durdenville as soon as the southwestern force was in position, but he was convinced by the Pridnestrovian "advisers" to hold and wait until well past midnight to attack. But once the time finally came, the commander made a single radio message to his troops, which simply said, "For the people of Durdenville."

Two men in an old beaten up locally made car made the long trek across the viaduct towards the southwestern entrance to Durdenville. Drivers coming into Durdenville from this direction were greeted at the city limits by massive propaganda billboard showing the leaders of the member states of the Inselberg Pact standing side by side and looking towards "the radiant light of a free future for Estorvipa," according to the text on the billboard. The message itself was laughable to say the least, but the biggest lie on the billboard, in the eyes of many Pivans at least, was the fact that the billboard implied that all membes of the Inselberg Pact were equal. If the reports coming out of the Estorvipan Commune were true, however, it would also imply that the Communards were actually the only side that the Imperium worried about, and that the rest of the Estorian rebel factions (the rump Estorvipan People's Republic, the fascist and kleptocratic Estorvipan Social Republic, and the neglected State of Estorpiva) basically had to fend for themselves. The only rebel state on this land that the Imperium would help was the north. And the Pivan people also did not want to fall under the hegemony of either the Imperium or the Communards.

The two men in the car drove up to the billboard, and then once they were there, they got out and planted explosive charges on the feet of the billboard. They planted their explosives in such a way that the billboard would tip over and fall into the valley below. Once they had done this, the two men got back into their beater of a car and drove some distance away on the viaduct. Once they were far enough away from the blast radius, one of the men took out a detonator and pressed the button. The explosions shattered the quiet night, setting off almost every car alarm in the city. The billboard with its ruined legs teetered on the edge of collapse before the whole thing finally caved in and fell over.

The explosion got the desired reaction from the Skulls in Durdenville. Almost immediately after the explosion happened, a column of Skulls armed to the teeth arrived at the scene. The Skulls pulled up to the site where the billboard once stood and inspected the area. But just as they noticed the car idling on the viaduct, two shots rang out, and two Skulls militiamen fell down dead. At the other end of town, Captain Gheorghe Ciprian listened to the start of the battle in the southwest, and he turned to his men and said, "Let's go!" The men under his command unleashed a loud war cry before they charged into the city. This caught the attention of the rest of the Skulls still in Durdenville, who went out to meet this new threat. But when the Skulls who responded to the explosion at the billboard tried to join their comrades in the fighting in the northeast, more sniper fire from across the viaduct forced them to keep their heads low. And then machine guns added themselves to the cacophony of battle, pinning down the Skulls in the southwest.

Captain Ciprian's men advanced rapidly through Durdenville, and they quickly occupied the southern half of the city as the Skulls put up little resistance to the invading TPPF after the initial battle in the northeast. Soon, Ciprian's vanguard was now engaging the rearguard of the Skulls who had deployed to investigate the explosion at the billboard, and for the southwestern force, this was the signal to move in on Durdenville as well. The journey across the viaduct was perilous for the men and women in this prong of the TPPF attack; there was little to no cover down the viaduct, making them all sitting ducks to the defending Skulls. The TPPF had some armored vehicles, of course, but Captain Ciprian had opted to put them in reserve during the initial attack and use them only once both prongs had entered the city. However, he did compromise on this and allowed two such armored vehicles to accompany the charging TPPF fighters in their charge across the viaduct towards the southwestern end of Durdenville. The machine guns mounted on the armored vehicles provided some covering fire for the advancing TPPF, along with the machine guns and snipers on the other side of the viaduct.

The Skulls soon realized that they had been outmaneuvered by the TPPF’s two-pronged attack, and the remnants of both of their forces were ordered to retreat back to the center of town towards the main plaza and the newly fortified police station. But while the description of a fortified police station was an apt one in this case, those words brought to mind a structure that was as imposing as the castles of old. In fact, the only fortification that had been done to the Durdenville police station had been the erection of a concrete wall in front of the first wall surrounding the station, essentially providing an inner and outer courtyard to the station. The concrete used to build the new wall was still thick and impenetrable to small-arms fire, but they also had one weakness: they were made from prefabricated segments, and attacking one of the joints could allow one such segment to be dislodged and open up the rest of the structure to attack. Ciprian got on the radio to the commanders of his armored vehicles, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, and ordered them to fire their 30-millimeter autocannons at the new walls. “Bring down those walls!” he shouted.

The booming report of the BMP’s autocannons shattered what little silence there was left in the night after all that fighting, and the thirty-millimeter rounds pelted the outer wall of the station. Concrete dust rose up from the walls where they had been hit by the rounds even as TPPF fighters positioned themselves in the high buildings near to the station in order to keep firing at the Skulls now holed up inside. The bombardment continued for a few minutes before one of the prefabricated concrete segments finally tipped over and fell down, opening a gap in the outer wall. “Into the breach, my friends!” Captain Ciprian shouted. “Kill these bastards right where they stand! That is what they deserve for sowing fear in our land and our people!”

At least a dozen brave and perhaps suicidal TPPF fighters charged into the outer courtyard of the police station through the gap in the wall created by the BMP-2’s autocannons. At the same time as the TPPF charged into the station, Captain Ciprian ordered the BMP-2s to shift to the other side of the wall and pound another hole there. Those TPPF soldiers who had made the first charge into the station were quickly felled by a line of waiting Skulls, but then more and more TPPF fighters entered the fray as well and some of those fighters were beginning to survive the barrage from the defenders. At the same time, the defenders were slowly being whittled down as the number of TPPF surviving the charge into the outer courtyard increased and they added their fire to the others. At the same time, a few TPPF on the rooftops of the buildings around the police station started firing on the defenders as well with their rifles and, in some cases, rocket-propelled grenades. Two guerrillas pointed their Type 69 launchers at the clump of defenders in the station and fired their RPGs, but because the RPG was notoriously unreliable, both RPGs didn’t hit their intended targets. One rocket corkscrewed high into the air and detonated harmlessly, while the other RPG suffered a motor failure late in its flight and turned towards the generator powering the station’s electric gates. The loss of the generator also meant the loss of all power in the station, and the locks automatically disengaged.

“Call in the other BMPs!” Captain Ciprian shouted. “Get them to continue bombarding the walls!” Then to the two BMP-2s already in Durdenville, he ordered, “Push open those gates and end these Skulls already!”

One of the two BMPs firing at the outer wall of the station turned around and drove straight towards the metal gates that had served as the only access point between the station and the outside world, and because the electric locks were no longer powered by anything, the BMP-2 drove through the steel gates like they were nothing. More TPPF guerrillas now poured into the station behind the cover of the BMP, which now found navigating inside the courtyard difficult because of the number of bodies from fallen TPPF fighters and Skulls. At the same time, more RPGs were launched at the inner station, but once again, the rocket-propelled grenades’ relative inaccuracy was proving more of a detriment than a help to the TPPF attackers now inside the station. One rocket however did manage to hit one of the fuel tanks powering the generator that had been taken out by an earlier RPG attack, and the resulting explosion burst open the interior wall of the station. But despite all of these setbacks, the Blue Skulls kept on fighting to the last man. Surrender simply wasn’t a word in their vocabulary, and some of them were also self-aware enough to recognize that the TPPF wouldn’t allow them to get out of Durdenville alive as well after all that their group had done to the Pivan people.

“Kill them all, my friends! Kill them all!” Captain Ciprian. “Today is the day that we start the liberation of the Pivan people from the oppressive yoke of the Estorvipan Commune and the Blue Skulls!”

 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 2 - 2 DELACLAVA 
      PRASUTAGUSIC (71')
            LEMISH (85')

 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 0 - 1 TROLLEBORG       
                               KROONQUIST (57')

 GRAINTFJALL 0 - 1 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 
                   ROBERTA (87')

 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 0 - 0 NAGORE 
          LEMISH (█ 69')

STARTING ELEVEN VS. GRAINTFJALL
GK: Enin; DF: Kessler——Birkov——Krasnenko——Krastenkovic; MF: Rodin——Potritskij; Roberto——Davydov——Roberta; FW: Prasutagusic

STARTING ELEVEN VS. NAGORE
GK: Vidanova; DF: Sergeyeva——Timnev——Ushkevich——Raileanu; MF: Atanackovic——Potritskij; Roberto——Davydov——Roberta; FW: Lemish

STARTING ELEVEN VS. JUVENCUS
GK: Shchetinin; DF: Sergeyeva——Birkov——Krasnenko——Raileanu; MF: Atanackovic——Rodin; Roberto——Davydov——Roberta; FW: Prasutagusic

STARTING ELEVEN VS. MONTAÑA VERDE
GK: Enin; DF: Kessler——Timnev——Ushkevich——Krastenkovic; MF: Vinogradovsky——Atanackovic; Zaluzhenko——Davydov——Ankov; FW: Prasutagusic

by **Indusse** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:47 am

IFA NEWS NETWORK
Developing Premises

Critics claim that the reason why the national team keeps on losing is the lack of proper amenities in the nation. Even though the board members claim to have quality amenities for sportsmen and sportswomen in Indusse, experts and critics say it isn't the truth. The claim came to the public attention when Sadaam Khokde, a sports writer and critic based on Plantation Valley's visited the National Sports City Project.

Sadaam Khokde wrote:While I decided to visit Indusse's prime sports complex and a place that was known to be a must-visit when you are around the locality, I had a lot of expectations. National Sports City Project as it is called should be and has to be an infrastructural project that has to be standing out from the rest. Before visiting National Sports City Project after landing at Shaktan Thampuran International Airport (Part of New Hind City Aviation Corporation), I decided to visit the newly renovated "Darbar Avenue Stadium". The Darbar Avenue Stadium Complex was a great experience of how our nations sports structures should exist. It must be because it's renovated but the way it's maintained is commendable. The Indussean Football Association with the help of New Hind City FC maintains the stadium with proper functions and amenities making it one of the top stadiums in Indusse. The stadium complex is been kept intact in a really notable way. The stadium lies close to the Sea, with a side to the waterbody, one side to the eateries, one side for the sports indoor complex and the front to the road. The Stadium has been maintained also as part of keeping the NHCFC History intact. After that, I decided to visit the National Sports City Project. I took the metro from the Darbar and got off at the NSCP Station. The entrance to the Sports City had fallen since a Six Wheeler hit the Pillars last month. That is never a good way to start a visit. It was not possible for people to enter through the front gate using any sort of vehicle. If you wanted to enter the city you had two ways, enter through the back gate or use the front gate by walking. I decided to walk through the front gate and the roads were in a really bad state. The roads were full of gutters and stuff. I decided to visit the Stadium Complex which was recently renovated. The stadium looks really good but the machines and equipment were just in the worst condition. The compound was not at all maintained. Stray dogs could be seen running around and entering the nearby stadium complex. I couldn't stand there anymore, I would've been killed by the dogs. I took the nearby auto and exited through the back gate.

The recent events have brought the board to work out the things and have asked them t get the issues fixed. They have appointed a seven member committee to study about the issues and bring a report down.

by **Sendhang** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:24 am

DAY 21 - MONTH 10 - YEAR 8

Raden Kartawijaya: Great job Teuku Irfan

Kambang : PS3 President Raden Kartawijaya described Sendhang's victory over the Squornshelan Remnant States as the testament of perseverance from the players and the excellence of the coaches.

“The caretaker coach, Teuku Irfan has handled the national team well and he has done an excellent job. I can see an improvement in our team's playing pattern," he told reporters after attending the graduation ceremony of the first batch of academy students from the Sendhang Football Development Program (SFDP) here today.

He was commenting on Sendhang's 1-0 win over the Squornshelan Remnant States in the Group 20 match of the 90th World Cup qualifiers at the Lutenstaad, Lutenblag, Molvania last night. KS Tapaklaboh striker, Teuku Salahudin scored the only goal of the match through a header in the 27th minute.

Meanwhile, the national team caretaker coach, Teuku Irfan was also very happy with the performance of his players. Teuku Irfan who joined the national team three years ago as the assistant head coach said he hoped the team's third successive victory would boost the morale of the players.

"They played well in the first half, just like in the previous match and we scored a good goal in the first half. I was not happy with their performance after the break but the players managed to get their rhythm back and kept a clean sheet," he said at a press conference after the match.

The match against the Squornshelan Remnant States was Teuku Irfan's fourth match as the national team caretaker coach. He was appointed as the caretaker coach after Teuku Syarkawi was sacked following the 1-0 defeat against The Sarian last month. The caretaker coach has recorded three wins and one loss in his four matches at the helm so far.

by **Acastanha** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:31 am

Has the Luck Gone?

Acastanha was facing two hard matches in the continuation of World Cup Qualifying Round. The first is against Krytenia. The team had understand the defeat is envitable. But they were shocked with the huge defeat. 0-3. The result which was larger than their first meeting.
"Defense. Defense. And defense. This is what I'm pressing the most from the start of this qualifying round. I'm seeing that our team lack a strong defense. And it can be seen yesterday when we're facing Krytenia."

- Jorge Garbano
Manager of Acastanha National Team

Their second match, which is against Sannyamathland, the team can't rebound their condition. Although in their firsth meeting, Acastanha surprised everyone with 2-0 win but the result can't hold on to their second meeting. Acastanha is indeed giving a fight in the match. Scored 3 goals from Yushankar, Gutna and Gothrado. But sadly, that's not enough for them. Their opponent, Sannyamathland, scored one more goal than them to secured 3 points.

These 2 negative results hardly affect their position at the group. They are dropping 1 place to fourth behind Valanora, Huayramarca and Krytenia although they have the same point with Krytenia. They will have to raise up in the last 3 matches to holding on their position. The upcoming matches are crucial. Against Huayramarca and Valanora, the second and first group placement. They have to fight for a draw or a win in order to keeping their position. Acastanhada players might looking for the same result as before when they met Huayramarca. They were surprisingly win by just 1 goal. But the possibility will be low as Huayramarca probably play offensively as they need a win to clench the top spot.

Unfortunately, the next matches will become more harder for Acastanha. Despite playing against a better ranked team, they are also losing some of their players. This is a big blow for the team.
"There are 3 players that can't be played for the next two matches. Andre Gajhipar and Ivan Gutna are injured after the last match against Huayramarca. While Urupao absent because of falling sick. They will be replace by Erunde, Kalchankar and Bravindo.

- Manuel Arkanda
Medic Head of Acastanha National Team

by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:42 am

By Peter Davis

After 2 big wins on the road, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia had entered a mode of seriousness unseen since our two playoff series of years past. With 5 games to play, the Jaguars were still top spot in Group 15 by 2 points, a position they have held for all bar 1 matchday. David Seems and Li Xiu Ying have both worked tirelessly in their quest to push TJUN-ia into the elite list of nations that have made a World Cup Finals, but the job at hand certainly wasn't done and everyone knew that the next 5 games would be utter hell for us all as we looked to end this curse and make the golden realm once and for all...

First up was Homecoming, our first home game since MD8 against Ethane, and Tiankong Stadium would host the glorious occasion against the United Adaikes, who we beat only by a goal to nil on the road in MD3. Everyone knew that Dylan Burke's side was quite deceptive in terms of their position in the table, so they were certainly treated with caution in the CEA Capital. The game actually got off to the best of starts when Kepo Ulawaya found his way past Abby Kidd after the first 5 minutes, but UA found their way back in via Joanne Lane before halftime. The 2nd half was all about who would blink first and in the end, that would be UA after, of course, Archer Andrews had a say in proceedings from the bench. It certainly was a good win to have on the books, pushing the winning run to 3 games, and with the pressure beginning to build, getting those 3 points was surely needed.

Then came Ranoria at Smith Field in Richardson, a team we love to beat but who beat us in Tiankong on MD4. Everyone knew that getting all 3 points here in the land of Krauts was very important indeed but instead, quite surprisingly, Mark Tilmann's side have actually become the bogey this time, with an ultra-defensive setup that is almost impossible to break through at all. Vincent Emilia wasn't challenged much during this contest as the Kraut backline smothered us at every turn, but the chances he did deal with were certainly great as well - a great day in general for the Kraut #4. Harold Gylfisson was certainly busy as well, but he and the backline certainly learned from their mistakes of the past to get the clean sheet. But the damage was already done - we had our first draw of the campaign, and Ranoria was almost certainly done. Oh, and HUElavia won as well.

TJUN-ia 25 (+14GD), HUElavia 25 (+9GD), Ethane 21, Ranoria 18. It's getting very fucking tight now and now, there is a distinct possibility that, for the 4th time in 5 WC Cycles, TJUN-ia could be deciding their fate in the Group Stage on the final matchday - something that past has warned us about time and time and time again. Darkmania in Szensky should be doable, but Ethane on the road will be where the real battles lie and with HUElavia also playing the top seeds next time, the Red Kites could effectively act as kingmaker for all 3 of us in the next 2 games. The pressure is mounting...we have to fight on...No one would forgive us if we didn't make it now, after everything we've been through. This is a football call-to-arms. TJUN-ia is heading to war for its footballing lives. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group 15)
MD1: vs United States of Great America (UR) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City W 4-0 (1st)
----------------------Boot It!----------------------
MD2: vs Aut-Ves-Nat (142) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City W 4-2 (1st)
MD3: @United Adaikes (244) W 1-0 (1st)
----------------------Boot It!----------------------
MD4: vs Ranoria (67) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong L 0-1 (2nd)
MD5: @Darkmania (104) - Nätionaljë Stëduÿm, Örkendrem W 1-0 (1st)
----------------------Boot It!----------------------
MD6: vs Ethane (14) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky W 4-0 (1st)
MD7: @HUElavia (41) - Estadio Nacional, Curumba L 2-4 (1st/W5-D0-L2/15pts/+9GD)
----------------------Boot It!----------------------
MD8: @United States of Great America (UR) W 3-1 (1st)
MD9: @Aut-Ves-Nat (142) W 4-2 (1st)
----------------------Boot It!----------------------
MD10: vs United Adaikes (244) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong W 2-1 (1st)
MD11: @Ranoria (67) - Smith Field, Richardson D 0-0 (1st)
----------------------Boot It!----------------------
MD12: vs Darkmania (104) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
MD13: @Ethane (14)
----------------------Boot It!----------------------
MD14: vs HUElavia (41) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City

by **Nephara** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 5:46 am

Milchama 3 - 3 Nephara
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Provost; 2 - Schrader, 5 - Clevinger, 6 - Turnbull, 3 - Lind; 4 - Timekeeper (18 - Tapper 75'), 8 - Cromwell; 13 - Reed, 14 - Fletcher (23 - Kvasina 67'), 11 - Considine (16 - Marinca 67'); 21 - Basilisk
Goals: Basilisk 2', Clevinger 12', Kvasina 83'

Nephara 3 - 2 Pekoland
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Provost; 2 - Schrader, 22 - Warden, 6 - Turnbull, 19 - Page; 4 - Timekeeper (18 - Tapper 71'), 15 - Sauber; 13 - Reed, 14 - Fletcher, 16 - Marinca; 10 - Harper
Goals: Marinca 23', Harper 30', Schrader 56'

THE HERALD
THE PIPELINE - REVIEWING THE CR JUVENIL CHAMPIONS PAST AND PRESENT
Gisela Rowan Football Correspondent

Turn to watchers of youth football, and you'll find people convinced; Nephara has had one Golden Age just pass, but another is coming. Their evidence: Nephara's U20s have contested two CR Juvenil tournaments, and won all fifteen games - all but one in 90 minutes, with only Graintfjall able to take them to penalties - conceding just three goals along the way, none in knockout stages.

It is, frankly, a ludicrous level of performance, and as ever with tournaments partly down to fortune. It isn't just that Nephara's young talent are that much better than anyone else, or that much better marshalled; indeed, one can look to each side and see points of weakness. So we've made the decision to go through the full 46, evaluating the promise each has shown - and the steps they've already taken.

Goalkeepers
J12 Sinric ASTON (Leichhardt), Toxothea SEBRING (Crisisbless), Medusa STRAND (Stahlburg City)
J13 Chary LONGSTREET (Barossia United), Clariza MEYER (Coret Hawks), Calico PINTER (Vermillion Rage)

The Juvenil 12 squad frontloaded. Or, technically, backloaded. In any case there is plenty of quality here, enough to suggest a real fight for the future. It's still very difficult to see which of Sebring or Strand will be the #1 going forward - Strand is already starting in the Zenith and was the choice for the tournament (bar the last group game) while Sebring's already enjoyed a productive loan spell abroad. None of the choices between the sticks inspired particularly in the Juvenil 13 squad; Pinter and Meyer are both third-choices at their Zenith clubs, Longstreet a backup in 1Div.

Stars in the Making Sebring, Strand
Fringe of the Flock Meyer
Long Shots Aston, Longstreet, Pinter

Defenders
J12 Rhyme BESLER (Brinemouth), Sven COPPERHEAD (Crisisbless), Anders KALUZA (Sabrefell Moths), Ettard MITTEAGER (AFC Treason), Anaximander SCALES (Stahlburg City), Anna SONNLEITNER (Crisisbless), Ellen WEBER (Sabrefell Athletic)
J13 Dismas ANDERSON (Brinemouth), Ash BETVA (AFC Corvistone), Kyri LEVERING (Aries Chariots), Solblindi RAKE (Sabrefell Moths), Druzhina SHARP (Chatswood), Safiya TELFORD (AFC Corvistone), Gandolf TURNER (Crisisbless)

The J12 squad was built, first and foremost, on a rock-hard core; Strand at the back was given the cover of Copperhead and Scales, both absolutely hulking, old-scale brutes. What sets Copperhead apart - and what makes him, at present, one of the first names on Crisisbless' teamsheet - is his dynamism and ability on the ball, with a deceptive pace having the ability to take strikers off-guard. Third-choice centre-half Mitteager may have been stronger than any of the fullbacks in the squad, but that's been made up for easily by the next squad's promotion of Rake on the right, a classic Nepharan fullback - niggling and bitey but with a lot to offer going forward - and the more easy, gliding Levering on the left. Safiya Telford isn't far off breaking through at Corvistone, but beyond that the core continued to fail to lay a glove on the J12 catchment.

Stars in the Making Copperhead
Future Cormorants Levering, Rake, Scales
Fringe of the Flock Kaluza, Mitteager, Sonnleitner, Telford
Long Shots Anderson, Besler, Betva, Sharp, Turner, Weber

Midfielders
J12 Kestrel ANHARBOUR (Vermillion Rage), Demeter CONSTANTINE (Vermillion Rage), Lienke COVOLAN (Vermillion Rage), Xanthe HAUSER (Starling), Maruschka KOERVER (AFC Treason), Lindse KVASINA (Sabrefell Athletic), Tamora RAVENWOOD (AFC Treason), Tasha SAUBER (Stahlburg City), Scalena WOODWRIGHT (Ballardine FC)
J13 Seeker BISCAN (North Sabrefell), Ana BLACKWOLD (Crisisbless United), Madita BREWER (North Laithland), Esther CADRE (Brinemouth), Mati CVANCARA (Sabrefell Athletic), Lysandra OSPREY (Crisisbless), Cassander SOUTHSEA (Brinemouth), Kurtis SWAINSONA (Southfell United), Laslo VOL BRININGER (Sabrefell Moths)

An absolute glut of central midfielders apparently awaits Nephara's future, and of these, it's the Sabrefell Athletic duo Lindse Kvasina - who, admittedly, plays on loan in Mytanija - and Tasha Sauber, signed on from the Smiths, who broke first into the Eagles Cup and now into the mainstream roster, with Kvasina especially established in what seems like Ramsey's favoured 23. Madita Brewer, meanwhile, is in everyone's eye, a truly unnerving talent who was the youngest player in the J13 squad; playing largely an impact role there, but the sky's the limit. There's one issue; both are attacking midfielders at heart. Sauber has a fair handful of caps already, looking excellent at EC and Zenith level, but hasn't quite enjoyed the most successful qualifiers thus far, though being a stand-in for Lothaire Cromwell is deeply unenviable. Constantine and Southsea are much in the same mould of calm, commanding defensive midfielders - think Michael Brandon, though they'll be lucky to be mentioned in the same breath when all is said and done - that Nephara has always relied upon. It gives Laslo Vol Brininger, adopted son of Moths legend Solara Vol, a tough order to crack into. Things are more shallow on the wings, with Lysandra Osprey, already a mainstay for Crisisbless, appearing the best of them thus far.

Stars in the Making Brewer, Kvasina
Future Cormorants Constantine, Osprey, Sauber, Southsea
Fringe of the Flock Anharbour, Cadre, Hauser, Vol Brininger
Long Shots Biscan, Blackwold, Covolan, Cvancara, Koerver, Ravenwood, Swainsona, Woodwright

Forwards
J12 Ariel BALLARD (Stahlburg City), Konrad BALMORAL (AFC Corvistone), Idina SLAZENGER (Sabrefell Mothers), Mette SONDHEIM (Crisisbless)
J13 Topaz CAULKER (South Laithland), Franziska LOCKE (AFC Treason), Claire RITTLER (Coret Hawks), Emile SCARLETT (Cranequin Wanderers)

Markedly thinner than other areas of the pitch; it would be unkind to call it a true weakness, but it is also generous to call Franziska Locke, easily the best forward in the J13 squad, a genuine star prospect - though it's conceivable Locke leads the line for country and perhaps even club, someday. It was Locke that the J13 squad was reliant on for goals, a clever, athletic forward. Two years ago it was... well... it was mostly the midfield. But Konrad Balmoral and Idina Slazenger did lead the line strongly, Balmoral as a true all-rounder who has already played most of a season for his club, while Slazenger is more the penalty-box poacher whose awareness of the game is only likely to skyrocket further.

Stars in the Making Locke
Future Cormorants Balmoral
Fringe of the Flock Slazenger
Long Shots Caulker, Rittler, Scarlett, Sondheim

Looking forward...
Auburn DELASRA (LB, Crisisbless), Arachne LOEHER (LM, Stahlburg City), Chandra ROSZITER (DM, South Laithland), Danilo SEVALJEVIC (CM, AFC Corvistone), Felixe VETIVER (ST, Chenoworth Harriers)

The next U20 squad is likely to be intensely competitive, and looking at the most recent U17 CR provides a few of the reasons why. Delasra is one of the many of a new generation of Crisisbless players being primed for succession, following in Copperhead's lead, while Loeher should break through for Stahlburg sooner rather than later, giving the side a much-needed cutting edge. Chandra Rosziter was thrown into the firing line more and more often for South Laithland in the midst of a relegation scrap and more than held her own. Corvistone continue to call on a remarkable crop of diaspora, and the highly-rated Sevaljevic - and his catchment-mate Mirko Hranilovic - has already been subject to a tug-of-war over international allegiance with Mytanija. But if you ignore inconvenient details like 'name' or 'ancestry' or 'culture' or 'birthplace', he's as Nepharan as cloudy skies and curried goat. Mercifully, Nephara will have no opposition for Felixe Vetiver, brewed and built in Chenoworth. Vetiver's been talked of in whispers in youth circles for years, now, managed not to look out of place in the Zenith at 17 and is now taking the First Division by storm. She, perhaps more than anyone else, is where Nephara will be pinning their hopes to a perhaps unhealthy degree.

A World Cup 93 squad?

Yes, I am proposing Nephara deploy in a back three for the first time in almost fifty years. Of course this will age horribly. Check back in in six years, after the ACL injuries have piled up.

NEPHARAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 7
Goalkeepers: 1 - Aranea Provost (Spartangrad, EUR), 12 - Raluca Garamond (Sabrefell Athletic), 20 - Tanith Arrowsmith (Dynamo Sjoedrhavn, SVJ)
Defenders: 2 - Ophelia Schrader (AFC Treason), 3 - Radeka Lind (Jinja City FC, BNJ), 5 - Reniira Clevinger (Herzegovina City FC, BNJ), 6 - Reina Turnbull (Kingsgrove, BRE), 17 - Pristina Soeringer (Stein-los Turkish, PAS), 19 - Caracal Page (Starling), 22 - Gawain Warden (Marinos Metrpolis, VLD)
Midfielders: 4 - Rook Timekeeper (Sabrefell Moths), 7 - Anselm Koerner (1830 Cathair, AUD), 8 - Lothaire Cromwell (AC Izotz Zubia, AUD), 11 - Kendra Constantine Ramsey (AFC Treason), 13 - Severine Reed (Raynor City United, VAL), 14 - Thalassa Fletcher (La Nueva Avenida, FFD), 15 - Tasha Sauber (Sabrefell Athletic), 16 - Lili Marinca (Chromatik, CMT), 18 - Feo Tapper (Aleuisia Capital, ZRH), 23 - Lindse Kvasina (Sabrefell Athletic)
Forwards: 9 - Ruby Gjasula (Bastion, EUR), 10 - Bravura Harper (Ulsa, EUR), 21 - Latona Basilisk (Mâ Âlâmëómë, FFD)

SCHEDULE
Indusse 2 - 4 Nephara
IA Quebec 0 - 4 Nephara
Nephara 7 - 2 Milchama @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Pekoland 1 - 0 Nephara
Nephara 6 - 3 New Zhengguo @ Phoenix Rise (Corvistone)
Barunia 2 - 4 Nephara
Nephara 6 - 3 Natanians and Nosts @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Nephara 5 - 0 Indusse @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
Nephara 1 - 3 IA Quebec @ Eagle's Club (Brinemouth)
Milchama 3 - 3 Nephara
Nephara 3 - 2 Pekoland @ The Gauntlet (Treason)
New Zhengguo vs. Nephara
Nephara vs. Barunia @ Farham Arena (Sabrefell)
Natanians and Nosts vs. Nephara

by **Brenecia** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 6:25 am

Brenecia 4 - 2 Oberour Ar Moro
(4-2-3-1) 1 - Finnan; 2 - Bravender, 5 - Leadbetter, 6 - Giltanan, 3 - Roscommon (c, 22 - Seeler 79'); 4 - Schofield (8 - Conway 79'), 19 - Mikoliunas; 7 - Carpenter, 13 - Garrard (11 - Brind 73'), 10 - Byrne; 14 - Tristram
Goals: Carpenter 19', Byrne 45+1', Schofield 61' pen, Brind 81'

Brenecia 1 - 1 Metherwoll
(4-2-3-1 / 4-4-2) 1 - Finnan; 2 - Bravender (17 - Lovibond 70'), 5 - Leadbetter, 6 - Giltanan, 22 - Seeler; 4 - Schofield (9 - White 82'), 8 - Conway; 15 - Fife (7 - Carpenter 82'), 11 - Brind, 10 - Byrne; 14 - Tristram
Goal: White 87'

THE ROZELLE OBSERVER
Increasingly skeletal national team leads to big questions
Tara Ousted

It wasn't always the case that Brenecia called up 21-year olds who played for lowly Guilder.

Nevertheless, that was the case for Iucharba Killen and Vaida Meskela. Nobody is denying the two aren't good talents, and one would stop short of calling the callups undeserved; certainly, Killen and Meskela would walk into most international squads around the world. One imagines Lathamford would have called them up.

Killen and Meskela joined Rozelle fullback duo Culpepper and Sidle, and winger Sylvia Marusak, in earning their debuts in a tight, fairly dire 1-0 win where Brenecia looked... like a team blooding a bunch of new players. None of those debutants made it onto the pitch against the EOT next match, where Brenecia still dropped crucial points after conceding two goals in quick succession in the second half.

One has to get concerned for the future, looking at Brenecia's side. All three goalkeepers called up to the CE were in their thirties. And in her attempt to blood some new talent, well, let's just say that Derdriu Wright had to dig... deep.

One issue: the A-League has sixteen teams. Not a tiny number, but neither is it especially large, and a short season leads to small squads and, bluntly, fewer injuries to make room for young talents to break through. And for those who have broken through, it's still fewer games. That isn't to say the A-League should be expanded - 16 feels about right - but it's a knock-on effect regardless.

In the past, this issue was generally resolved by players who couldn't break through backing themselves and leaving the island early. Brenecian players didn't generally need much encouragement to leave. But for whatever reason, the pipeline has slowed of late, and as a result the Brenecian squad looks increasingly incestuous of late. The same names; Kingsgrove, Union, Southern Star. And when you dig deeper, you get: Guilder. A lower-midtable club that was in enough position of comfort to back a couple of youth players, who were able to do the job, but are they really Patriots?

But in this environment, it's difficult to see who else Wright might have picked. This is not a future problem, the problem is here and now. Our best players are in their mid-30s, retiring internationally to focus on their club careers. Ronan Schofield remains, but there's a reason that RCU decided to get shot after Schofield was solid, but only solid, at the level of one of world football's most prominent clubs.

Who is Brenecia's best player at the moment? Leadbetter and Roscommon... 33 and 32. Okay, not in their 30s? Likely it's Kendra Carpenter, who has excelled in Chromatika, one of the league's best players. But a Lauren Cheney, she's not. Perhaps Byrne will be on that level someday, but there wasn't the opportunity to be patient with her, and she was receiving callups in her teenage years.

Bluntly, Wright has done well to stick with Banija with this squad. A lower-midtable Euraleague journeywoman in goal, a strong but aging defence, and a brutal midfield comprised of a pure destroyer in Mikoliunas and a deft, but largely sideways passer in Schofield. The aforementioned wingers are good, but not quite at the very top in Carpenter's case and not yet near her peak in Byrne's, and Garrard between them is a diligent and effective player but, again, more industrious than effervescent. Up front, we finally found our heir to Mhacha White, a permanently underrated and unfairly maligned striker. It's Danand Tristram, who is very tall, and her protege Lofthouse, who is also very tall.

And when you dig for alternatives, you find Guilder players.

Already, Brenecia's rank has cratered both domestically and internationally. Now, granted, any time Brenecia spends sending its third-placed side to the Champions League - or the Patriots in Pot One of qualifying - constitutes a massive overachievement given Brenecia's size and wealth, but it's an overachievement we'd grown used to. Becoming World Cup winners, a fantastic achievement, cemented high expectations with no expiration date.

Which leads to one conclusion: are we just going through a fallow period? And one question: in five years time, when the remaining holdouts like Bravender, Roscommon, Schofield and Carpenter have left, what will be left?

BRENECIAN NATIONAL TEAM SELECTION - FORTNIGHT 7
Goalkeepers: 1 - Anthea Finnan (Holdenberg City, EUR), 12 - Sorcha Tanner (Southern Star), 20 - Cairbre Dundalk (North Laithland, NPH)
Defenders: 2 - Clovette Bravender (Ulsa, EUR), 3 - Triss Roscommon (Revolutionaries, EUR, c), 5 - Finn Leadbetter (Holdenberg, EUR), 6 - Casey Giltanan (Workers Union, EUR), 17 - Felice Lovibond (Kingsgrove), 18 - Athelney Shrine (Southern Star), 22 - Mynah Seeler (Southern Star)
Midfielders: 4 - Ronan Schofield (Olympia Borograd, STL), 7 - Kendra Carpenter (Wirr Tsi, CMT), 8 - Iseult Conway (Northern Union), 10 - Katua Byrne (KT Itzalovalle, AUD), 11 - Felicia Brind (South Laithland, NPH), 13 - Consaidin Garrard (FK Metropola Borograd, STL), 15 - Mathgamain Fife (Rozelle), 16 - Rhona Leonard (Kingsgrove), 19 - Kurtis Mikoliunas (Mâ Âlâmëómë, FFD), 23 - Skaidrina Briggs (Southern Star)
Forwards: 9 - Mhacha White (Farrenton Athletic, EUR), 14 - Danand Tristram (Kingsgrove), 21 - Jadwiga Lofthouse (Northern Union)

SCHEDULE
Lathamford 2 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 5 - 3 EOT
Oberour Ar Moro 2 - 3 Brenecia
Metherwoll 0 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 3 - 0 Sangti
Banija 1 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 1 - 1 Cabo Azure
Brenecia 1 - 0 Lathamford
EOT 2 - 2 Brenecia
Brenecia 4 - 2 Oberour Ar Moro
Brenecia 1 - 1 Metherwoll
Sangti vs. Brenecia
Brenecia vs. Banija
Cabo Azure vs. Brenecia

by **Pluvia and the Saxean Isles** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:17 am

Magpies manager Chambéry vexed by national team's struggles

Christopher Teschner, Marienburg Herald

When Lucien "The Hammer" Hammerschmidt was dismissed by the Pluvian and Saxean Isles FA following the disappointing finish to World Cup 89, the search team intended to find a foreign manager who could bring a certain amount of prestige and, it was thought, footballing experience that Pluvian or Saxean candidates might lack. The FA eventually settled on Laurent Chambéry, former manager of the Swans of Savigliane and Kyethas Rivermen of the Tikariot Premier League. Although Chambéry had been dismissed as Swans manager, his time with the team was generally well-regarded, as well as his short stint in the TPL. The mood going into AOCAF LXV was one of optimism, which quickly dissolved when the team went 0-3-1, managing just five goals in seven games. There were even reports of fights in the locker room. Following a series of training camps in multiple locations over the next year, the Magpies were tipped by many domestically to finish top-three in their World Cup 90 qualifying group, and a renewed sense of hope pervaded the nation. This was suddenly shattered by a shocking 7-3 defeat at home to 236th ranked Soldera. This was a portent of things to come. At this point, with three games left in qualifying, the Magpies sit at 2-3-6, good for 9 points, and a minus-seven goal differential. I interviewed Chambéry to see what he felt has gone wrong and his hopes for the future. Some of the responses come in his rapidly improving Pluvian, while others are through his translator. No distinction has been made in recording the replies.

CT: Laurent Chambéry, welcome.

LC: Christopher, it's good to talk to you.

CT: A couple of disappointing results in the last two games for the Magpies. First, a 2-1 away loss to cellar-dwellers The Gothanita Isles, and then a tough 3-2 loss against Jeruselem here in Marienburg. You were seen swearing and gesturing a lot on the sidelines in these two games. How have they affected you?

LC: Yes, yes, this were excruciatingly painful losses. When you are on the sidelines, you get very emotional. Or at least I do (laughs). I wear my heart on my sleeve and I cannot bear to lose.

CT: Unfortunately, losing has been a big part of your first World Cup qualifying with the Magpies. Six losses in eleven games. To what do you attribute these losses?

LC: Christopher, I would not say losing has been a big part of this first campaign. We try to avoid that kind of negative focus. Wins are, of course, our goal, but we do not build self-confidence when we focus on losing. In my view, self-confidence has been one of our major deficits in this campaign.

CT: Self-confidence? These are professional footballers; they are at the top of their nation. Why should they lack self-confidence?

LC: You see, losing their former coach in the way they did was a big blow. They feel as though they let him down, and to have a foreign manager, a new system, etc., is a large adjustment. The team let it affect them in the AOCAF tournament, which further compounded the issue. Some unfortunate mistakes led to a poor performance against Soldera, which I believe set a poisonous tone for the rest of qualifying. But if you look at our campaign, that loss to Soldera and the road defeat to Jeruselem are the only ones which occurred by multiple goals. Defeats to Darmen, Jeruselem, Gothanita, and Kyzhurkistan were all by one goal. We have been playing competitively, but that has unfortunately not raised our self-confidence to levels that are sufficient to win games.

CT: This all sounds very emotion-based; is that really the proper way to evaluate a team's performance?

LC: I must admit, I thought that the training camps would fix the issue, I thought that we would improve as we went along, especially with the victory over the Ochre Islands to end the first half. I am puzzled at our uneven performance. Our self-efficacy appears to fluctuate wildly with developments in the game. But to answer your question, I believe that human beings and human capital are our most important resources, therefore it is important to treat them with respect and to evaluate them on that basis. For our next campaign and in youth sides, I believe that instilling the values of resiliency, self-efficacy, and solidarity will be key to managing our performance.

CT: Perhaps the problem isn't one of self-efficacy or confidence as you say. Perhaps the flaw is with the tactics or with the skill of the players themselves? What can you point to tactically or otherwise that you feel has been the biggest difficulty?

LC: I can see that patriotism only goes so far with football (laughs). To question the skill of the players is, I think, a mistake. They are highly trained, and it is not as if we are a club who can purchase a new player to address a deficit. I think we will be doing a performance review after the campaign and, I hope, the Cup of Harmony, to see if our personnel matches our potential.

But tactically, I do not think we are lacking. I am not wedded to the 3-4-1-2. With the retirement of Otto Pearce from international play, having a third striker was simply not the best use of our available personnel. I have been pleased with [Davis] Kingsley's performance at attacking midfielder. He has scored or had a hand in nine of our twenty goals this campaign; I believe this is a strong ratio and one that indicates he is settling in despite some initial nerves. Our premier issue has been finishing games. You saw that we played Darmen to a draw for nearly seventy minutes, conceded very late against Gothanita, and in between against Jeruselem. All of those games were tied until late. If we had drawn all of them instead of conceding, you would see us on 12 points and Darmen and Jeruselem on 16 points, which would give us hope for the last three matches of qualifying. So I think we must work on our final twenty minutes.

CT: You mentioned the Cup of Harmony. This is the tournament where teams who do not qualify for the World Cup go. What makes you believe your team should be selected for the CoH? After all, you are in a tie for last place in Group 10.

LC: Christopher, if you look at Group 10, you will see that it is one of the most competitive groups in the entirety of the World Cup. There are no minnows at the bottom against whom everyone may secure four or six points. The leader, Kyzhurkistan, is only on 20 points. This is indicative of an extremely competitive environment in which a few plays out of the entire group may determine who advances and who is left behind. I think the CoH organizers will take that into account. I also believe they will look at our commitment to giving all our effort; we have taken a number of close losses, but I do not believe that we have ever given up. This is a hard-working team, a lot like the people of my hometown, Trinité. I believe this hard work will be rewarded.

CT: One final question. Do you plan any changes in the last three games and in a potential Cup of Harmony appearance? Will we see younger lineups in the final matches against Mercedini, Kyzhurkistan, and the Ochre Islands?

LC: We have already made some changes, of course. Austin Davies is playing left midfielder in place of Matthew Fletcher, and Alistair Bradley has taken over for Axel Newman at right-centreback. I think we will attempt to give some of our younger players the opportunity to play a bit more in these last three games. But I do not wish to compromise the competitive integrity of this team or of Group 10. It is an exceedingly close group, and we do not wish to roll over for these teams which are competing for the top spot. We will play our best game, whatever personnel that looks like. As for the Cup of Harmony, that is a chance for advancement and prestige, so we will not trot out second-choice lineups in the name of future development. We will conduct a review after the qualifying campaign and select the best personnel for the job should we be fortunate enough to be selected.

CT: Well, Laurent Chambéry, it's been a tough qualifying campaign, but I wish you the best of luck as you finish it up. Thanks for agreeing to this interview.

LC: Christopher, thank you, and it has been my pleasure.

by **Flavovespia** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 7:27 am

Highland Park, Hadford Hill
3:00pm

Out of the dressing room had come Flavovespia and Tumbra. Flavovespia were in their home yellow shirts, with black shorts and black socks. Tumbra were in a reverse of that, the home black shirts paired with the amber shorts and socks to produce two contrasting kits for this match. The anthems were played, the final team talks given by the captains, and the teams were lined up ready to play, awaiting the first whistle.

Confusingly, the referee took the whistle away from his mouth without signalling the start of the game. He walked over to the touchline, to consult with the fourth official over something or other, the fans and players seemingly confused. A brief conversation with Yuan Zilai, manager of Tumbra occurred on the sideline. Then, the referee signalled for Augusto Rinaldi to come over, along with captain Steven Hall.

“Your kits are too similar to the opposition to play the game like this. Do you have alternatives?” the referee asked, in a rather matter of face manner.
“What, are you serious? We are the home side, why should we change?” replied a rather irritated Augusto Rinaldi.
“They only have that kit available to them”, the referee replied curtly.
“Well who said that was okay to wear then? Oh my days, this is not okay.” Rinaldi responded, frustrating creeping in. This is not what he needed to be dealing with right before kick off. Several of the Flavovespian players were wondering over now, confused by what the hold up was.
“So lads, uh apparently we’ve got a kit clash. Don’t ask me how, but yeah, we’re sorting it out. Just, do a bit of stretching, keep ready, we’ll be playing in no time,” said Steven Hall turning to his teammates, trying to keep them ready and focused on the game ahead.
“Oh for crying out loud!” Adrian Jones shouted out in frustration. “How’s that happened?”
“International football, truly the pinnacle of the game”, was the sarcastic reply of Lucky Diamond, jogging back towards his goal.
“You’re the keeper, you can’t complain!” was Robert Totten’s remark, amused by the nominative determinism of the situation for the goalkeeper.

Augusto Rinaldi had been in conversation with the referee, who’d asserted that he’d be happy with just a change of shirt colour, the black shorts and socks could remain. Augusto Rinaldi had flagged down a secretarial figure from the nearest executive box. “Do we have any of those purple shirts? With numbers on them?”, the manager asked, with a hint of impatience creeping into his voice.
“Errr, maybe, there’s normally a concession stall in the stand or outside the turnstiles”, said the suited man, somewhat confused.
“Well could you find a set, we cannot wear our yellow shirts” replied Augusto Rinaldi.
“Errr, okay….what should I say?”, replied the secretary.
“What do you mean? The shirts are for the players this is not rocket science, we need some shirts now to play the game! Can you get them?” questioned Augusto Rinadi, increasingly fed up with this farcical situation.
“Sure…fine will get them.” said the secretary, running back up the stand.
“Get a marker pen or tape if they do not have numbers!” Augusto Rinaldi shouted, hoping that was heard. “Oh my days, I thought this was international football, not amateur league.” The situation had certainly not gone down well at all with the manager of Flavovespia. The tannoy boomed into life, in the typically crackling sound of an old-time stadium “We apologise for the delay in proceedings, whilst a kit clash is sorted out.” Ironic cheers echoed around Highland Road, the fans bemused by the whole situation. At least a few fans took a more direct approach to solving the issue, by attempting to throw their shirts onto the pitch.

The whole situation seemed to have irritated plenty in the ground, but many of the Flavovespian fans decided instead to see the funny side. Within a minute or so, an improvised chant of “We’ll play in our pants, We’ll play in our pants, Flavovespia, We’ll play in our pants!” started echoing around the ground, to cheers and laughter. Louder cheers were raised as the fans saw 3 men in suits running out of the tunnel, holding a bundle of purple shirts in their arms. The Flavovespian players returned to the sideline, to dig out their respective purple third shirts from the pile, replacing their usual home yellow shirts. Finally, after what seemed like an age, but was less than 10 minutes delay in total, the game could get underway, Flavovespia playing a home game in purple and black, a rare and unexpected combination.

by **Ochre Islands** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:22 am

'Nnenne, please, you have to tell me what you know about all this.'

'We come from a long, long line of djeli. Storytellers, in a modern sense. But, for me and you, keepers of sacred knowledge, able to-.' nnenne stopped. 'How much has your mother told already?' 'Little bits, nnenne, but she said you would be best to explain it when the time came.'

nnenne – Ezinne – smiled. 'She's a good girl, your mother. Always took "respect your elders" to heart' she laughed, knowing she'd have to explain this to Alexandra from the start. 'Do you know the Djalia?' 'Of course nnenne, where the souls of our ancestors reside.' 'Precisely – now, we pass the stories of our ancestors down from generation to generation to ensure that those stories, and our ancestors, do not die with them.

'So we're storytellers, nnenne?' 'Oh, so much more than that. While most of us in Cobrio and Osarius do have links to the Djalia, the females that you are descended from – your mother, me, my mother, her mother and so on, we have a stronger link to the Djalia, we can, so to speak, tap into it, just as it can summon us if the ancestors feel the need.'

'Nnenne, would they ever... draw on paper?' 'It would be highly suspicious if they did. Why?' 'Look at this.' Alexandra pulled out the scrap of paper she'd brought with her from the press conference in the Ochre FA headquarters.

Nnenne stared in silence for a long while. 'We have many symbols, but... that is not one of ours, ada ada. Ah, do not look so disheartened child. When I knew you were coming, I sensed something a little different in you.'

'Different?' 'Yes! There were my usual strong feelings for you, and the energy of the Djeli that flows through your soul, but there seemed a more natural energy to you as well.' Nnenne eased herself up out of her seat. 'When I visited you in the Ochres not long after you moved there I do remember you falling over' Nnenne said, walking towards a bookshelf. 'Falling over?' 'Yes. Quite a cut you suffered.' Nnenne ran her finger across the photo albums, then pulled one out and flicked through it.

'Here. The spring up in the the hills above Axforth.' Hills was a little bit of an understatement, but once you were high enough up the slopes that you could clearly see the volcano's peak near the centre of the island, they may well have been hills. Nnenne handed the photo album over to Alexandra. 'Ohh yes I remember that – I slipped on a wet rock?' 'That's right. We were all quite worried at the time, especially with all how dirty your hand had gotten around the wound.'

Alexandra looked at the palm of her left hand. There wasn't any scarring but she remembered exactly where she had been almost sliced open by the rock, between her thumb and forefinger. 'What happened then, nnenne?' 'Below the pool where the spring rose was a small waterfall where it fell into another small pool, then flowed in a trickle down the mountainside. We took you down there, oh you were so upset at the time, we had to hold your hand beneath the flowing water to try and clean it as best we could. I remember this so clearly as I knew something was happening, though I wasn't sure what until now and even now I cannot believe what I saw, but as you held your hand beneath the water I am sure that the force of the water hitting your hand slowed down, instead dancing across your palm and treating you so carefully, cleaning your wound of the dirt that had gotten into it.'

'The water treated me carefully?' Alexandra said, in disbelief at what she was hearing. Nnenne nodded. 'Do you know about the Monks in the Ochres?'

'Of course, nnenne, I pass them quite often.' 'And they have temples to what they call the spirits of the water, correct?' 'Yes, nnenne.' 'The water spirits sensed the Djeli in your blood and looked after you.'

'But why reveal themselves to me in a football press conference?' 'I don't know, ada ada. That is a journey of your own to undertake.'

'Do you think that I am at one with the spirits that reside within the Ochres now?' 'I may suspect so. They chose to look after you then and then did so again recently. Perhaps your time to aid them in return is coming soon? I don't know enough about them to give you these answers.'

by **Tumbra** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 10:24 am

Tumbra 1-0 Alezian Union

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - John Lennon; 2 - Ryan Hughes, 4 - Harry Henderson, 14 - Stephen Kerr, 3 - Nigel Harris (19 - Chris Carter, 72'); 6 - Vincent Hicks, 15 - Trudy Harrison (8 - Craig McGrath, 82'), 10 - Phil Cole; 30 - Valerie Wells (7 - George Hilton, 66'), 9 - Robin Vaughn; 11 - Nick Riordan

Scorers: Nick Riordan (63')

Player of the Match: Nick Riordan (TMB)
Flavovespia 2-2 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - John Lennon; 18 - Michael Campbell (2 - Ryan Hughes, 61'), 4 - Harry Henderson, 5 - Ian Ashburn, 19 - Chris Carter; 6 - Vincent Hicks, 8 - Craig McGrath, 10 - Phil Cole; 7 - George Hilton (30 - Valerie Wells, 72'), 9 - Robin Vaughn; 22 - Nigel Erskine (11 - Nick Riordan, 84')

Scorers: Robin Vaughn (33'), Craig McGrath (41')

Player of the Match: Craig McGrath (TMB)

PREVIOUSLY ON DEFENDER MEETS MIDFIELDER
Life changes for Stephen and Trudy. Again. But in a good way this time.

Link to arc home
defender meets midfielder: season 5, part 7
the champions

Five points off Wirr Tsi with five games to go. One win in the last five — against a lackluster Knetyohai — had perhaps papered over a run of bad form. The common adage in Tumbran football — which held mostly true in football, really — was that if the gap between two teams exceeded the number of games left to play, then there was no chance of meeting that gap. The last five games of the season — against Tihon, Urrheddiao, Tor, second-placed Myana and local rivals Anomalies on the last day of the season — would prove vital if Chromatik ever wanted to win their first title in Chromatik history.

It had become a sore point for them — the biggest club in the biggest city, backed by some of the richest people in Chromatika, and spending heavily almost every season — and yet they had zero titles to their name. It was their bugbear, something that had always been used against them by rival supporters. Anomalies had the threepeat, and Crossroads had that one time they beat Chromatik to the title. They'd come so close, yet so far in the modern era; but here they were, having to be content with their one cup win during the days of the Chromatik League.

But for the two nascent lovebirds, football had taken a bit of a back seat to their burgeoning relationship, despite the two of them promising to put their careers first. It was unavoidable, really, no matter how hard they'd tried; because the two of them were now happy. Both of them had found a person in each other who loved them, accepted them for who they were, and for Trudy, someone she could feel really safe around. She hadn't felt this way since leaving home all those years ago, and even before then, she'd never really felt like she'd belonged anywhere.

Now she did. It was the little things — the kisses on the forehead, the hugs from behind, them whispering sweet nothings to each other at night, huddled under the blanket, before they fell asleep in each other's arms — that helped her feel safe. This was their two-person world, and they'd both grown to hate leaving it when they had to go and train, but it was a sacrifice they had to make. The cost of secrecy. But they were in love, and that was all that mattered to them.

The Tihon game changed all that. A storming hat-trick from the defensive midfielder Oscar Vincent, of all people, left the Chromatik defence disappointed when he scored a late equaliser in the eighty-eighth minute; leaving the team utterly lost. A fuming Cande Montalban would begin shouting at the defence in the changing room, with the Mytanar Kamil Jernejec coming to Stephen's defence; but it took the intervention of Robin Padilla and Cameron Win to separate the two of them, who legitimately looked like they were going to go to blows at one point. Kamil had urged Stephen to forget it, but Stephen understood; Cande had, after all, rescued them from so many losses, and seeing one more of his goals go to waste would probably have made Stephen angry, too. Their total for goals conceded now stood at fifty-four — twice that of league leaders Wirr Tsi. Seven points back with four to go; was their title challenge over?

Back to the drawing board it was, then; they'd try and play slightly lower next match, against Urrheddiao. And it worked — the back four no longer felt as much pressure, and they shut Urrheddiao out. Whether it was because Urrheddiao's offence just wasn't that good or whether the defence had actually shaped up, nobody knew; but it was an improvement over the many times they'd let so many goals slip through their fingers.

It all came back down against Tor; but they held strong enough this time, only letting in three and relying on the offensive strength of Lili, Cixin and Adrijana to keep them up. It worked; a two-goal margin separated them at the death, with Stephen popping up with a header to give Chromatik the advantage. He held himself back from celebrating too hard with Trudy; though the look in her eyes showed just how proud she was of him.

The game against Myana would end up being one of their finest performances; with former Tumbran manager Marco Hemmings giving the two a nod of appreciation and recongition after the game. Trudy would run the game, running everywhere, setting up essentially everyone; and this time, Cande's goal wouldn't go to waste...and somehow, just somehow, they'd managed to put themselves in contention for the title again.

They'd need Myana to try and pull off a blinder against the Shock.

They'd need to face off against Anomalies. And Nigel Erskine.

"Nervous?" Trudy quizzed Stephen. He'd been quieter since they'd returned from the training session. Here they were, lying in Stephen's bed, Trudy watching TubeFlix while Stephen was staring into the ceiling.

"I guess," came the quiet reply, that was confirmed by Stephen turning his back towards Trudy.

"It's Nigel, isn't it?"

"Mm...it's just that he's always scored against me. Always. He's a friend, but...hah. Somehow he always knows what to do."

"That's why Kamil's dealing with him tomorrow."

"I guess. But I'm not sure how it'll go. We could win the title, but it's not in our hands."

"Just because it's not in our hands doesn't mean it won't happen. Football's a funny sport, you know."

"Considering it's how we met..." Stephen smiled gently as he turned back towards Trudy.

"Exactly." Trudy beamed. She grabbed his hand, squeezing it to reassure Stephen. It'd become a way of telling him that she indeed loved him. Random moments, throughout the day, when she'd just come over to him, grab his hand with both of hers and squeeze it, and smile. "If the two of us could find each other through this game...then winning the title's definitely a thing."

"Maybe."

"C'mon, dork. Let's go to bed. No point in worrying so much about Nigel."

"If you say so." Stephen's gentle smile faded away into something that was a bit more tired. All he could think about when falling asleep, however, was not about the best way to shut down Nigel, but rather how lucky he was to have Trudy by his side.

Anomaly Tower
Anomalies FC Home Stadium
Minute 55 of 90

“"Tensions running high, still; we're nearly an hour into the match and the scores both at the Anomalies Tower and the Islander Dome are still nil-nil. If things stand as they are, Wirr Tsi will win the title on two points; Chromatik have to win their game against Anomalies and hope that the Shock drop points against Myana to be able to win their first title."
“Chromatik here have dominated the game for the most part, heavy pressing on the part of that midfield trio of Harrison, Nguyen and Burkhard keeping Anomalies from having too much of the ball. Iskender Nur, though, is the first and only reason why scores are still as they are. They are level with Chromatik because Nur has saved almost every shot that has come his way."
“You can see it, Marcus, in the way that Chromatik have been passing; they're looking for a way through. It's not desperation by any means, but it is very much higher-tempo passing from the Capitalizt; and there goes another misplaced pass. Chromatik aren't normally one for this kind of play, aren't they?"
“Jannick Kontiola, there, on the sidelines, waving furiously; telling his team to slow down, and be patient. And there's no reason why they shouldn't, let's be fair; they've still got an hour. Time is still on their side, and according to expected goal metrics Chromatik should be up three-nil by now. At least. There's the stat."
“Hold on, I think we're getting something from the Islander Dome - and yes, Wirr Tsi have extended their lead to four points in our live league table. It is, of course, Kendra Carpenter, the Brenecian star who's broken the deadlock there. Myana are one-nil behind, and the gap is now four points; and I think Kontiola will want to have the news not reach his players..."

The ball rolled out of play again, Trudy not being able to break out of the Anomalies press fast enough to reach the ball. Stephen turned to the fans behind, who were all looking rather worried, clutching radios to their ears; and immediately he got the sense that something was wrong. He looked back towards the touchline; there was Jannick frowning, of course, but as he waved away the aide who'd come up to him, he realised immediately that they were now on the back foot. Dropping back, jogging to take his place for the throw-in, he once again found himself near Nigel.

"Nigel."

"Stephen. Bit of a tough game, huh? For both you and me."

"Yeah, well, if your goalkeeper didn't suddenly fucking turn into Rowena Stride all of a sudden —"

"Mm-hm. No idea where Iskander's pulling this form from. It's working, though." He grinned.

"Bastard, you."

"Hey. When we're on the same team, wearing black, then we'll talk about it. But for now, when you're wearing teal and I'm wearing black, then my team comes first."

"That's fair, yeah."

The throw-in was taken quickly; a tough shield from Stephen as the ball was thrown in the direction of Nigel saw the ball bounce onto Nigel's leg but off it as he was unable to take control of it; and Stephen took the ball, quickly passing it away to Kamil, launching another attack from the defensive line. A sigh of relief — not too loud, or people would hear — followed, as he ran back next to Kamil.

Minute 81 of 90

Utterly bushed, Stephen and the defence found themselves pushing further and further upfield to try and box the Anomalies in, and keep play confined to their area. They were lucky the midfield was dominating play; a rogue pass or a misplaced long ball and it would be up to a very tired Stephen Kerr or a thirty year-old Kamil to try and chase the Anomalies attack. But it was working. Anomalies was under pressure; they were slipping.

“A very, very high line from Chromatik, here; as we've discussed many times on this show, previously, it's been the source of quite a few of their defensive problems. But with nine minutes to go, it's time to throw all caution to the wind, isn't it? This is your last chance. Do or die."
“No team's ever won a title by being overly cautious. Even the most defensive of teams have the most brilliant of moments, the sole moments that shine through."
“Montalban picks up the ball from Schlok. It's on side, yes, the flag's down; there's nobody to pass to, and he's not interested in passing, anyway; so he takes the shOT-oh, and it's parried, but it's rebounded, another superb save from Nur; and everyone's scrabbling for it; and words simply can't describe what's going on down there right now, but Harrison gets there first, and she can't afford to take multiple touches, she simply has to go for it —"

Stephen had stayed back, but even then he could see what was going on; Montalban's shot had been parried again, frustratingly enough; but everyone was out of position, and Trudy had simply run up to the ball. He'd seen this happen before. She wasn't one to take shots, or try and finish, but everyone in Chromatik knew that her curve was better than she gave herself credit for —

Trudy's adrenaline was pumping, sending her nerves into overdrive; she wasn't thinking anymore, simply acting on instinct. The ball was coming towards her; she was the closest player towards it, and she needed to get to it; whether it was offside or not, she didn't care, nor was it the time to worry. She ran. The world around her slowed, sounds merging into one. She reached the ball, pulling her leg back for a first time shot. She never liked shooting, but this wasn't the time to care about whether she liked doing something or not, doing was better than not —

Time seemed to stand still as the ball was launched into the air, curving and dipping in the direction of the goal, destined for the top quarter; for Iskander Nur, the saviour of Anomalies so far, he simply had to get to the ball. But even as he leaped, he knew it was too late; and as the dull sensation of the ball brushing his two longest fingers hit, he knew that it simply hadn't been enough, that he'd finally been beaten —

Seven year-old Tricia Lee's father had chosen this game to be his daughter's introduction to the club he'd supported since he was young. It was a bit weird, all things considered; most parents typically bled their kids in through bringing their kid to a home game, free from the hostile atmosphere. But here was a match that didn't come very often; the chance to see his club finally win a title. Tricia had clung to her dad for most of the match, scared and amazed by the atmosphere in equal measure; and had nearly begun crying at all the noises; but had largely abated after he'd put her on her shoulders to watch the game. She didn't really understand what was going on, of course, but years and years from now, as the ball went flying past Nur's fingers, landing in the back of the net with a solid thunk, she'd properly understand that what she'd just witnessed was a life-changing moment.

Capitalizt Chromatik had done all they could. Now all they could hope was for that wily fox, Marco Hemmings, to pull something out of their back pocket.

Islander Dome
Minute 92 of 90

This was not the end of the season Marco Hemmings was expecting.

Yes, it was going to be near impossible to land in the Champions' League next season; a task made even more impossible with Chromatik scoring, meaning that they could at best finish second if they'd somehow scored two goals in the time left. It was difficult, but at least a draw would salvage some pride here; them losing to the top two teams in the league wouldn't have been nice, and he wondered how safe his job was if the season did just end like this.

Quietly willing his players on while sitting, stony-faced, on the bench, Marco observed Zup — the young Rekan he'd built his midfield around when given the job — hit a beautiful long ball straight into the Shock's defences. It wouldn't go anywhere, but at least it was a corner; the ball hit Ipati Aimee's shoulder before bouncing out of play. Zup rushed over to take the corner — which was strange, since he didn't normally like taking them — but he floated it into the penalty area beautifully.

Convince Zup to take corners, etching a quick scribble on the clipboard he always held. Myana weren't the best at corners, but they always had the height advantage from Jens Clemence; the mass of black hair easily rising above a few other players. Still, though, he wasn't sure about what would happen.

Jens Clemence's head would meet the ball, full on; and he'd direct it past Kathie Begley, leading to wild cheers from that bit of Myana's stadium; but he didn't properly run onto the field, celebrating with his players, until the cannon sounded. Might have been strange for a manager to celebrate a tie-breaking goal, but he'd salvaged a draw. That, for now, was enough.

Anomaly Tower
Full Time

They'd done all they could. Jannick had gathered them round the substitutes area, waiting for the result of Myana versus Wirr Tsi. The celebrations for winning a Chromia derby had been more muted; a few of the players had gone to appladud the supporters for showing up and really bringing them the win today, but the Capitalizt supporters were staying still, all following the Myana game, hoping, hoping for that one goal.

Then they were delivered.

The cheers from Capitalizt supporters was enough to confirm it, the notifications on their phones showing the news following shortly after. Kontiola began celebrating wildly, secure in the knowledge that they'd done it, they'd just secured their first ever Chromatik title on the last day of the season, in the dying embers of it. The rest of the squad celebrated, too, now that they'd finally, finally broken the curse, and now had a title to call their own. It was a weight taken off their collective shoulders, a duck that had been broken; and now was the time to let it all out.

Stephen and Trudy took the opportunity of the noise, everyone focusing on everyone else to slip down the tunnel; into a nook they thought was far enough away from everything, and they leaned their heads against each other in silence. Trudy squeezed Stephen's hands as they leant against each other, enjoying the relative silence and each other. They'd come through it all to finally, finally deliver a title; and all they wanted right now was to get away from it all. It was risky, of course, doing this here; but they didn't really care, they'd won the title, and as Stephen leant in to Trudy's lips...

"Er-hem."

And just as suddenly, they were snapped out of their reverie. The tall figure of Jannick Kontiola stood in the tunnel, face obscured by shadow but mood obvious, said all that needed to be said. He shifted somewhat uncomfortably, perhaps unsure of what to do in the situation. Trudy hid behind Stephen, still holding on to his hand; Stephen made himself look bigger to try and cover her, though it was too late.

"We were looking for you two. For a picture."

"R-right."

"Though it seems that there are some things...we may need to discuss."

No response from either of them. Stephen could just make out a gentle smile on the wizened manager's face, as he gently motioned them back towards the real world. Stephen began walking, heart pumping; but before Trudy let his hand go, he received a gentle squeeze on it, and he knew everything would be all right.

It had to be.

Chromatik Football Club

Here they were again, in Jannick's office; and he'd been surprisingly relaxed about the whole matter. Tea, as always, had been offered; and while they were quietly sipping from the jade green tea cups, there was barely a sound heard from any of them. Stephen found his mind wandering; at just how crowded Jannick's office was, the stacks of papers and books, the small dehumidifier in the corner gently whirring away...

The clink of the teacup on the table surprised Stephen enough; and his attentions were focused back on Jannick, who seemed to be preparing his words. It had been less than a week since the finale of the Red League, and there was still a cup final left to play; but evidently this was a serious enough matter to have to deal with immediately.

"How long?"

"Uh. About two months," stammered Stephen.

"I had my suspicions, particularly when you changed your address, Trudy," he spoke, slowly. "But, ah, I will admit I was caught by surprise."

"Well..."

"But who am I to break up two young people in love? I'm not a cruel man. You two are...obviously in love. I won't be intefering in any of this, obviously, but I just want to remind you two that you are still professional footballers, and your performances are key to how our club does. Now, and for the forseeable future. If — and I understand this may and will be a difficult topic to broach, but it's one that needs to be talked about, sooner rather than later — your relationship threatens to harm the harmony of the squad, then I will not hesitate in moving either of you two on."

"We understand."

"Yeah."

"Well, then we're done here. You two may go. And...I won't ask you to tell the squad of you two right now. I understand that privacy is paramount for you two. If and when you try to tell the squad, though, you will have my full backing."

"Right."

"Thanks, coach."

The two practically sprinted out of the office, before sharing a sigh of relief. After checking they weren't going to be seen by anyone, they leant their foreheads against each other again; and all that needed to be said was the hand squeeze that followed.

Everything was going to be all right.

Tumbra vs The 14 Stars and South Covello vs Tumbra: Squad

Goalkeepers: 1 - John Lennon [Lakewood City], 12 - Nick Barker [FC Inter Nantwich], 13 - Frank Johnson [Abingdon Celtic, TLI]
Defenders: 2 - Ryan Hughes [Lakewood City], 3 - Nigel Harris [Lakewood United], 4 - Harry Henderson [Aleiuisia Capital, ZRH], 5 - Ian Ashburn [Lakewood City], 14 - Stephen Kerr [Chromatik, CMT], 19 - Chris Carter [Lakewood City], 20 - Douglas Moore [Lakewood United], 25 - Neal Diamond [Lanar, CMT]
Midfielders: 6 - Vincent Hicks [FK Metropola Borograd, STL], 8 - Craig McGrath [Serrapince FC], 10 - Phil Cole [Osarese Marcadia], 15 - Trudy Harrison [Chromatik, CMT], 23 - Andrew Fisher [FC Inter Nantwich], 38 - Leo Hooper [Myana, CMT]
Wingers: 9 - Robin Vaughn [Lakewood City], 17 - Neil Fraser [Lakewood City], 21 - Lynne Crossley [Strathcona Internationals, KSK], 30 - Valerie Wells [Swanguard Athletic, QUE]
Strikers: 11 - Nick Riordan [Serrapince FC], 22 - Nigel Erskine [Anomalies, CMT]

by **Polkopia** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:19 am

Introducing: Bi.Lingo! Bi.Lingo is Polkopia's newest language-learning app, designed to provide a brief overview of select words and phrases in a number of languages across the multiverse! In the coming weeks, we are going to walk through some basic lessons in Polkopian and show you some of the neat features you can expect to experience on this app!

We're starting out journey with the "Phrases" lesson. We had a quick little glimpse of the home screen from our last preview, but now we're going to delve in and explore this lesson together.

As you can see, we are greeted with our first instructor, Ol'ga. She is reciting a common Polkopian phrase and it's our job to match what she's saying to the corresponding phrase in English. As you can see, we have a list of options below to select from. Since this is simply an instructional video, we're going to select the correct answer, which is "Good morning." As you can see, each word is separated. encouraging users to really think about each and every word before they submit them.

Each and every word is important, and some have multiple meanings. It's vital that we pay close attention to the options, as the lessons will become increasingly more difficult as we progress through the Polkopian language class through Bi.Lingo.

For every milestone, users will receive a visit from one of the instructors, or Cocky the Cockatoo himself, to send a congratulations and to encourage users to keep progressing through the lesson. Some lessons will have dozens of exercises, whereas others will only have a few. As this is a beginner's lesson, this one will only have a few exercises.

There are several ways Bi.Lingo teaches languages to its users. Bi.Lingo features multiple choice, fill in the blanks, listening, vocal, and many, many more different ways to practice your language skills in order to bring you well-rounded experience!

We're glad that you took time our of your day to join us for this lesson. Be sure to check back next time, where we delve into more advanced lessons and continue our journey to learning the Polkopian language!

by **HUElavia** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:22 am

HUElavia 2-1 Ranoria
(Nascimento 22', Yamane 90+3' | Mueller 61')
(Nuevo Estadio del Rio, Rio de HUEska, HUElavia)

Darkmania 0-1 HUElavia
(Wu 52')
(Nätionaljë Stëduÿm, Örkendrem, Darkmania)

XI vs Ethane:
Lettmann, Mitarte, Coentrao, Pujals, Vogt, Doisneau, Fonseca-Mantovani (C), Yamane, Torrisi, Sol, Nascimento

XI vs United States of Great America:
Folliero, Regnard, Lavezzi, Pillpe, Larrangoz, Belluci, Ferreiro, Braz-Bittencourt (C), Leupold, Chanca, Fidanza

A Chef's Voyage

Gobbling in Gikoji

"Hi, my name's Antoine Brousseau. For several years, I've been a chef for many years, working in various restaurants throughout HUElavia. The sights and smells of cuisine have been a part of my life since I was very young. But now, it's time for a new change in my life. It's time to travel throughout the country and sample the various dishes this country has to offer. I don't know what's ahead for me, but I got the appetite to find out. This is A Chef's Voyage."

In the furthest Northwestern state of Curivavel, there lies a city towards the inland that is a younger city compared to others in the country, but has become an influential city nonetheless. Here is the city of Gikoji, with a population being of 11.7 million inhabitants, it has become the cultural capital of the Ibo people. Coming from the continent of Arica, these people have come fleeing from wars, dictatorships or tyrranies and disasters in the region and have setteled here in HUElavia, being the only black population of the country. Here, the vast majority of the people are Arican-HUElavian, where only 4% are Arican or Black, but it has become a major place of business and transportation hub between Arica and HUElavia. The city is filled with architecture that has a mix of Arican and Modern, keeping much of their traditions together with their way of life. It is here that I've come to meet with the most famous chef of the city, Adanna Nkechi, who was a refugee from the Ewhodia Empire that fell in tyranny, who has invited me to her restaurant The Night Owl.

"Hello Adanna, it's good to see you!" "Hello Antoine, I'm grateful to have you here today to try some of our traditional dishes!" "Thank you, I'm looking forward to it. It's been years since I've had Arican food." "Very well then, come on in and sit down, I got some good dishes that I believe you will enjoy."

For this meal, my opening dish is a popular one from the country: Chicken Yassa. A spicy chicken dish prepared with onions, lemon or mustard, hot chili pepper, olives, and rice that is very popular throughout West Arica. Time to eat! *Takes Bite* "Mmmmm! Wow, this is pretty spicy, but it has a nice taste to it." "What else do you think about it?" "The chicken is very tender and flavorful. Mmm, the spiciness gives a nice kick to your mouth and it really brings out a nice mix of flavors with each bite." "I'm glad to hear you've enjoyed this traditional dish of ours."

My next dish is one that was made popular by colonists from the country of Ainengemalia and has become popular throughout the Anglophone parts of the world, including Ewhodia: Meat Pies. Similar to the Empanadas that were brought in by Astellians, the meat pies by Ainengemalians are a tasty treat to have whether as a dish in itself or as a meal. *Takes bite* "Mmmmm, very delicious! The crust is very flaky and buttery, while the inside is salty and savory. You can also taste the vegetables in it such as the onions, garlic, peas and carrots. All in all, this is a great dish to have!" "I'm glad to hear that the dish satisfied you as well."

"Thank you for your time and for making these two dishes for me to have, I'm really stuffed from it." "Anytime Antoine, feel free to swoop on by whenever you visit the city to have more food of our culture."

I spend the rest of my day wandering around the city, seeing sidewalk attractions of music and dances, as tourists enjoy the attractions presented to them and offer hefty tips to the performers. I also took the time to visit the Museum of Ibo culture, as they showed off traditional items that had been donated by immigrants who wanted to share their story of their family and culture. I take the time to enjoy the cool breeze coming in from the ocean towards the city, as it passes through the trees lined up throughout the streets.

Finally, I feel a hankering for a snack, and I decide to enjoy a traditional Arican snack that was being sold by a street vendor: Chin Chin. This snack is donut-like where it is baked or fried dough of wheat flour, along with some nutmeg to add flavor to it. *Takes bite* Mmmmm, really does have a similar taste to the baked dough of a donut. Very sweet and has a slight crunch to it. I can see why people line up to buy this and go along their way. It's a pretty tasty snack and it's enjoyable enough for anyone to have.

Thus concludes my trip through Gikoji. While these are some of the more recent groups of people to have made HUElavia their home, they are a resilient group of people. They've given up on their homeland and went out to seek greater pastures, and now, they have found their home in HUElavia. While there are some famous figures in the city and region, I'm sure that in due time, they will also put in their influence throughout the country.

Join me next time, as we travel eastward through the northern coast to the historic city of Canternico, the cultural capital of the Tallians, who have been in HUElavia since immigrants started to arrive, and have made a deep imprint into HUElavian culture. Until next time!

by **Cassadaigua** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:49 am

Future Watch: Young Players Academy Bound,
By Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights TImes

Despite Cassadaigua having a disappointing sudden finish in the Di Bradini Cup, losing in the Round of 16 when quite honestly I thought it was one of the better teams we had sent to that tournament in a very long time, there is still plenty to be excited about in regards to our national team. “Upsets happen,” Di Bradini manager Amanda Bowman said of the penalty kick loss to Waisnor, “When a game is decided in a skills competition, the upset is even more likely to happen. Don’t let it disappoint you from the team that we sent there. Be excited for our future, whether it be in on the national team, or within the CSL (Cassadagan Soccer League).”

There were two big announcements that the CSL recently made, and here we have talked at length about Zack Pierce and the desire to get more men involved in the game at the high level. Not everyone is a fan of this, with Ava Brookdale, a 25-year old midfielder for Victoriaville City, recently posting on Spacebook and Twii’tur, that, “Yay! We’re going to dumb down the league! I’m all for men playing on teams that have earned their way there. But we don’t need any lame little programs out there that give them preferential treatment because they are a man. If they were so manly, they could make the league themselves. If they don’t like it, they can go play in some second rate league within our country or some other country’s soccer league that no one has ever heard about. Remember Tyler Abbott? Remember how pathetic he was in NSSCRA? That’s what happens when you force something to happen based on gender.” Brookdale’s posts have gotten mixed reviews with many condemning it, but also there is a group of people out there that are praising Ava for speaking out. CASE President Stephanie Sweeney suggested that Brookdale get sensitivity training in regards to this post but will not mandate. Instead, Sweeney is hoping that Victoriaville City management will take their own stand. The team’s manager, Kayla Torres, has not make a public statement about the post.

Victoriaville City was in news otherwise, being the first CSL club to officially provide a name for their Youth Academy, calling it that Greater Victoriaville JC (short for junior club), and then became the first team to officially make a big signing to it, naming 17-year old Maddie Spurrier to the side. Spurrier was a reserve on the Di Bradini team. Kayla Torres said of the signing that, “We love the idea that we will be able to pursue young talent in this manner, and any player that is eligible to be picked up by us that we feel is able to play in the CSL, will be hearing from us.” Victoriaville City’s name of the Academy is certainly effort to make it sound more prestigious than what Victoriaville South End figures to set up. If this is your first time hearing us talk about academies, then you probably missed the other big announcement from CASE, which eliminated the entry draft and created an academy system. We talked about this at length here in the Concord Heights Times, likely targeting our audience that showed more of an interest in following youth soccer, so more Di Bradini followers would be familiar with it. But in a nutshell, there is no more entry draft for players when they turn 18. Now, each CSL club will have their own academy set up for players between 14-17 residing within a certain distance of the club’s home base (so a player living near New Lakeland could not sign with an academy in Concord Heights) and will have first choice to sign them directly when they turn 18. There are a lot of details that I am going to leave out as it is not my intention to rehash all of that.

Other players from the Di Bradini side seem to be in discussions with CSL teams now that the Di Bradini Cup has come to an early end. For Spurrier, she said it was an easy decision, but for others it may be a little more complicated. Many players are eligible to sign with at least two or three academy club programs. The biggest fish, 17-year old midfielder Caitlyn Schneider met with White Mountain personnel immediately upon returning home from Valanora, “Yeah, the decision comes down between White Mountain and Grande Mountain, but I have been doing my homework and I like the situation that Erika (Morningstar) has put together and I really think I fit into it perfectly.” She wouldn’t be exaggerating, since the strength of Grande Mountain is in the back, and it is a weakness of White Mountain. Still, the prestige of Grande Mountain could win out.

The Di Bradini team itself only saw one male player, so that is something that we will hope changes in the future, but despite the premature exit, look out for these players in the near future. Then, don’t forget the people right behind them, the ones that play in the RTC Cup. Hopefully we will see better results in that competition in the future as well.

Checking out the recent games:
(Comprehensive coverage available on our website)

MD10: Cassadaigua 2, Acceptably Normal 1

With the Fillies in a tough battle with Polkopia in Group 8, you had to feel as though this would be the last opportunity for manager Brittany Byers to play people that aren’t otherwise considered the regulars, and that’s how it would play out. Katie Schnapper started in goal, behind a defense of Sarah Bayne, Shannon McCausland, Tara Keane, and Peyton Miller. Morgan Rosenbalatt, Danielle Porter, Tara Kriedel, and Sarah Giles started in the middle with the two youngsters, Chloe Anderson and Rachel Boldin up front. Making matters difficult for the pink and black would be a 13th minute red card to Tara Keane, leaving Cassadaigua a player short for the entire match afterwards. All things considered, Cassadaigua did well in this situation and never trailed in the match, Rachel Boldin scored a 22nd minute goal to relieve a little stress, and in the 57th minute, Tara Kriedel made it 2-0. The visitors got one back in the 70th. The one game suspension to Keane probably will not matter that much since she would not have played against Electrum, anyway.

MD11: Cassadaigua 2, Electrum 2

This was a disappointing result since the Turnipheads have struggled mightily during qualifying. That would not show in this match, a game in which Brittany Byers used the anticipated starting lineup going into qualifying. Cynthia Kerr would allow a 7th minute goal that she would want to have back, but the Android known as X4-TU faked a ball puncture well before taking the shot. “We may have watched a little too much game tape concerning the android, and it’s likelihood of puncturing balls, so I bit on the fake too much” defender Summer Speers said, “It’s not Cynthia’s fault, I should have contested the shot a little better.” Kerr momentarily complained to the referee that the ball was a little too deflated, causing it to not arc in the same manner it would otherwise, and the official did investigate the ball before declaring the play legal. The Fillies got one back, thanks to Bayley Stanton in the 37th, and the game was tied at one. In the second half, Julius van Buren used an unorthodox path to run around the field, confusing the Dagan defense, and scored in the 50th. Cassadaigua’s Krystal Sherwin scored the equalizer in the 65th.

Time is running out. And a home game to Polkopia is next. Get it done!

by **Graintfjall** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 11:56 am

Græntfjall – 0 (0)
Björnólfur; Michelle, Vigfús, Stefan, Jasmijn (69’ Arinbjörn ); Álfar (88’ Kjárr ); Tinni, Johanna, Ari (68’ Amanda ); Emilia (87’), Jason

Estorvipa and Estorpiva – 1 (0)
Roberta (87’)

Græntfjall – 4 (3)
Björnólfur; Michelle, Grímúlfur (90’ Stefan ), Hjörleifur, Emeli; Kjárr (90+1’); Tinni, Amanda (37’) (76’ Lana ), Sara; Lara (11’, 24’, 71’) (76’ Emilia ), Jason

Trolleborg – 0 (0)
Wolters (66’) (72’)

90 word match report: Roberta Kunaplenko snatched a late winner for the Estorians to hold the top of Group Four tight, but a massive win over Trolleborg coupled with Delaclava’s upset of Juvencus gave the Snow Wolves breathing room. Lara Auðunsdóttir scored her first career hat-trick in senior colors, and Amanda Guttisdóttir her first goal in more than a year. There was a major blow as Björnólfur Ernestisson was ruled out for two games with an abdominal strain, meaning a recall for Gabríella Hárlaugsdóttir ahead of a fixture with Juvencus that could decide qualification.

Posted on the Græntfjaller political news blog ElectionBONK.

All the news that’s fit to BONK
Kaija & The Wolves: Two Teams Nearly Over The Line – But Not Safe Yet

post-election reporting

karela

by **Mytanija** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 12:39 pm

MYTANIJA SQUAD FOR MATCHES AGAINST THE HOLY EMPIRE (H) & ERAMAN (A)
Goalkeepers: 1. Semir Besak (Mipojoseon [QUE]); 12. Pedja Kasun (Ararat Severyan); 23. Dragisa Lazarevic (Litala ’93)
Defenders: 13. Ermin Urankar (Anomalies [CMT]); 3. Grigorij Savicevic (AC Izotz Zubia [AUD]), 4. Bigger Mbala-Ekakia (Wirr Tsi [CMT]), 5. Amar Kovacevic (Ituraitz FC [ASG]); 6. Patrik Odonelec (CA Paulinthal [PAS]); 2. Damir Milcic (Anomalies [CMT]); 26. Mahir Kapetanovic (Liria Prizren), 15. Kamil Jernejec (Chromatik [CMT]), 16. Adnan Sulejmanovic (Atletik Thessia); 17. Antun Spiridonovic (Litala ’93)
Midfielders: 7. Mersudin Smajic (Stahlburg City [NPH]), 18. Dordo Urbanc (Spartangrad [EUR]), 30. Gavril Atsev (Atletik Thessia); 37. Bruno Ozmec (Liria Prizren), 8. Alen Hrdaljko (CA Paulinthal [PAS]), 10. Jasno Odonelec (Atletik Thessia); 35. Svetoslav Radozevic (Bakartirla Buccaneers [ASG]), 20. Omer Kuhar-Arh (Atletik Thessia)
Forwards: 9. Jezdimir Ocokoljic (Energija Chernovets [STL]), 11. Damien Gannot (Sabrefell Athletic [NPH]); 22. Vido Mehic (Ararat Severyan), 32. Zlatan Andrijasevic (Z’ai’ai [CMT])

Dear Nafuna,

It has been a while since we last spoke. I have to apologise for not getting in touch at an earlier juncture, but I am sure you can appreciate that there is a lot going on in Mytanija too. The election edges nearer every day and whilst we are confident of our chances it doesn’t make the campaigning any easier. There are sections of the media which are all too prepared to take us back to before the Conflict and re-establish Zentrian hegemony in the process, trying to negotiate a way through that sort of discourse to focus on the betterment of Mytanar society is a difficult process. I think we are on our way.

I have been following the peace talks from afar and I am sorry that they didn’t come at a different time, we have experienced peacekeeping forces on our shores and they did very little for the reconstruction of our country post-war. If I could have taken a more active role we might have been able to prevent their impact.

The Eurans mean well but you have to remember that each soldier is a normal person, they miss home, they miss their people, and they begin to resent locals. It will be the same for the others, though I would be especially careful of the intentions of the Græntfjallers and Tikariotians. Kaija Michaelsdóttir strikes me as the type who would happily privatise the air that your people breathe if she feels she could get away with it. I have not had many dealings with Tikariot, but their eagerness to steer the talks concerned me. The involvement of the United Republics is a kick in the teeth for Rushmori socialism.

When we win this election then my party will be able to offer whatever assistance that you need for your own upcoming elections. It is important that we stop the rising tide as soon as possible. I fear that certain nations might move against Mytanija or even Savojarna if they could extinguish the flame of socialism in Nyowani Kitara. They will not stop until there are none of us left, democratically elected or not, so we have to help each other where we can. My party are experienced in winning elections from a standing start, we did it in ’28 and we are looking to build on it this year. We can help you to do so as well.

There are also 500,000 Kitarans in Mytanija, mostly those who fled from DFLK and KFF held areas during the crisis. We can assist in repatriating those who wish to return home. I am sure that there will be a large proportion who wish to see you elected and a rebuild of your country in a manner which benefits everybody, not just the big corporations who will arrive should capitalism take hold. Some nations involved in these talks would prefer nothing else, they would rather see the parasites suck us all dry and line their pockets back home.

In Mytanija we will stand alongside the Kitaran people to prevent this. We will support you in any way we can, please let me know where our help might be beneficial. Keep our correspondence confidential, the last thing either of us need is further meddling from others.

They can cut all the flowers, but they cannot keep the spring from coming.

- Ana

With only three games to go in qualification for World Cup 90 it is perhaps time to consider just how the Hoops could make that final step and leapfrog The Holy Empire into the group’s leading position which brings with it automatic qualification to the finals themselves. Mytanija sit two points behind The Holy Empire, but crucially they have already got a difficult trip to the Dreamed Realm out of the way, emerging relatively unscathed with a hard-earned point. The 3-3 thriller between the sides in the first half of qualifying certainly provided entertainment aplenty for the neutral and with a Jezdimir Ocokoljic brace and a late equaliser from substitute Vido Mehic there was plenty to like about the Mytanar performance too.

A win against The Holy Empire – this time on home soil at Novi Zavej Park in Arsika – along with two more against Eraman and Pyazhnaya would see Mytanija seize the top spot and secure a place in the World Cup proper in Vilita/Baker Park. Anything less is unlikely to be enough given the two-point disadvantage the Hoops are currently at to their rivals. It should be noted that Sarzonia aren’t completely out of contention for second place and a chance to qualify through the play-offs. They currently lie eight points down on Mytanija and would need to win all three of their remaining games and see the Hoops lose all of theirs to leapfrog into the runners-up spot.

Lev Repin will hope that that is out of the question given the strong form Mytanija have shown over the second half of qualifying, a 100% record four games in is encouraging and forms a part of a six-game winning run which has been put together at just the right time. “It might seem unlikely that we can extend that much further, a loss always seems to be around the corner in World Cup qualifying,” Repin told journalists, “But you can be sure that we’re going to try our very utmost to make it seven, eight and nine. That’s what we need if we want to be sure of a place at the World Cup and this group of players has a taste of that stage now. They want to get there once again.”

Fighting talk, but would you expect anything less from Repin? Last time we split the blog post into three sections: defence, midfield and attack. We are going to do the same this time around as the big questions remain broadly the same. Will Lev Repin stick with Savicevic, Mbala-Ekakia and Kovacevic, introduce someone new or switch to a back four? Which midfield partnership will the gaffer go for in the middle of the park or will he switch to a three-man system? Up top who might come into the squad past Ocokoljic and Gannot? These are the questions the manager will have to get right if Mytanija are going to qualify to a second consecutive World Cup as group winners.

STICK OR TWIST WITH THE BACK THREE

This is arguably the key facet of Mytanija’s approach in the remaining three games of qualifying, ensuring that the defensive woes do not return at an inopportune moment. The Hoops didn’t keep a clean sheet up until matchday 10 and then kept a second a game later on matchday 11. The team has been a bit leakier than they would have liked and first choice defensive options have seemingly struggled to adapt to each other in the short period of time the team gets to work on things during each international break. Two clean sheets – against Dod Rava and Magnecia – are a good start, but none of the first-choice defensive options were involved in either. It is unlikely that Lev Repin will start a back three of Salihovic, Racic and Radozevic (a defensive midfielder who can fill in at the back); or Kapetanovic, Jernejec and Sulejmanovic against a side as strong as The Holy Empire.

The likes of Kapetanovic and Sulejmanovic might feature a bit more in the coming years, but right now they are definitely behind the likes of Grigorij Savicevic, Bigger Mbala-Ekakia and Amar Kovacevic in the pecking order. The issue is that those three do not appear to have struck up a particularly strong relationship so far during World Cup 90 qualifying. In the six games the trio have played together they have conceded 12 goals, exactly two per game. They demonstrated an improved understanding against Sarzonia in the second half of qualifying, limiting the Stars to a single goal and holding out against a late onslaught, but questions remain about their effectiveness as a group. The difficulty Repin has is that they are clearly his best three centre-backs right now and it is unclear if any of those behind them would offer a better option in the biggest matches at this moment.

Persevering with Savicevic, Mbala-Ekakia and Kovacevic might leave the team in a stronger position going forward. They might need to come through this rough patch to become the defensive unit which see the Hoops really become a top international team, but it could also come at the cost of a defeat against The Holy Empire and the end of Mytanija’s automatic qualification hopes. Repin isn’t afraid of unexpected selection decisions, but would he really drop Kamil Jernejec into the starting line-up for an enormous game despite his experience and decent form? He might be more likely to look at fixing other issues. Selecting more defensive wingbacks could be one, so we might see Ermin Urankar selected at left wing-back (although Milcic could feel hard done by; as could Bajalica who was superb on debut against Magnecia) with the super consistent Patrik Odonelec on the opposite side. This would offer the back three a bit more protection. A change in defensive shape to back four could also help with a three-man midfield ahead of them. Which leads us onto a second separate issue:

ESTABLISHING MIDFIELD DOMINANCE

It is worth noting that a lack of control in midfield – Repin’s worst nightmare – perhaps caused more problems for the back three in the games where they conceded several goals than their own understand of one another’s games. The first match against Sarzonia was characterised by this despite a central midfield pairing of Mersudin Smajic (Repin’s most ‘controlling’ midfielder) and Dusko Ocokoljic. The match against The Holy Empire was always likely to be a little end-to-end given the quality of both teams and the partnership of Smajic and Gavril Atsev was similar in that it ceded control of the centre of the pitch at times and Mytanija conceded on three occasions.

During Mytanija’s current winning run there have been more unusual midfield pairings with Repin sticking to the 3-4-1-2 throughout. There was the wholly expected Smajic-Hrdaljko against Eraman, but then against Pyazhnaya we saw Urbanc-Atsev; Smajic-Aganovic versus Eastfield Lodge; Urbanc-Atsev again versus Sarzonia; Mahovlic-Ajanovic against Dod Rava; and Hrdaljko-Aganovic against Magnecia. That is a broad range of possible choices and doesn’t mention solid performances from the bench from the likes of Bruno Ozmec, Zijad Kurtcehajic, Dusko Ocokoljic and cameos from Aganovic and Smajic in games which they didn’t start. Repin has the nice problem of several different options but selecting the correct one is difficult. His coaching profile suggests he would prefer to try to strangle these important games of life, but the end-to-end offering against The Holy Empire the first time around allowed the Hoops to cause the opposition problems too.

Is it possible that Repin could opt for a midfield three? It might necessitate changing the defensive set-up, going from a back three with wingbacks to a more conventional back four with full backs but the style of play would remain very similar. A midfield three would at its most basic provide Mytanija with another body in the centre of the pitch, allowing the team to restrict the space available to the opponent and to set-up nice triangles to play around their midfield. Thinking about the options available to Lev Repin it could also provide a nice blend in the centre of the pitch, Mersudin Smajic could sit and conduct the play whilst an Alen Hrdaljko or Dordo Urbanc type could hustle the opposition and provide a box-to-box threat. The third man would then be a playmaker, a Gavril Atsev, Edin Aganovic or Sefir Ajanovic (we’re yet to see Maks Shishkin play there, perhaps Lev Repin doesn’t read this blog…), they could provide Mytanija solid on-the-ball ability in the centre of the pitch and perhaps allow the team to get out of some tricky situations in the process. They would also give the number ten a bit more support in terms of creating chances.

A midfield three could solve some of the issues, but whether Repin is prepared to make the change at such a late stage in qualifying with the defence so used to playing as a back three with wingbacks is another matter entirely. Looking forward to future tournaments it might be that a midfield three is the go-to option, it is becoming increasingly difficult to leave either Gavril Atsev or Dordo Urbanc out of the starting line-up – a minor changing of the guard moment, particularly for Alen Hrdaljko – and Mersudin Smajic remains the best option for recycling possession and controlling the pace of the game. A lot depends on if Lev Repin decides to extend his contract with the national team, but he’s been tactically flexible throughout his time at the helm, and you imagine he will try to find a system to best suit the players rather than continuing with sub-optimal ones. The 3-4-1-2 served us well during World Cup 89 qualifying, but the Hoops might have to move on from it given that it hasn’t been as consistent in recent times.

KEEPING THE STRIKERS AT THE TOP OF THEIR GAME

We’ve mentioned this in previous blog posts, but it really is worth talking about again purely due to the brilliant group of strikers we have at the moment. Going from only really having Jezdimir Ocokoljic up front to score the goals to having several solid options at the top end of the pitch has been an impressive turnaround for the national team. The great man has been superb during World Cup qualifying, scoring 5 goals in his 5 appearances, all of those have been alongside Damien Gannot who has 6 in 6. The pair have struck up an excellent partnership and Gannot appears ready to take the mantle from Ocokoljic whenever he starts to slow down. It doesn’t look like it will be anytime soon on current form, though.

Enough about those two – we talk about them all the time – it’s time to focus on some of the others who have impressed over the past few months. We know all about Dejan Zgela being a like-for-like, off-the-shelf replacement for Jezdimir Ocokoljic but he is his own player too and his stooping header against Magnecia was a spectacular effort. Zgela has become a hero for Damogran FC in his time in the Squornshelan Remnant States and 2 in 3 appearances during World Cup 90 qualifying is the sort of record he has shown in his time over there. He’s an outstanding option to have to come into the team, he doesn’t affect the team’s style due to his similarity to other players and he’s a willing runner and brave enough to score goals like that one.

Zlatan Andrijasevic does change how the team must play a little, he’s a bit more physical and needs a different type of service, but he’s also always been good with his feet and able to play a creative role despite his size. He was solid against Magnecia too, assisting Jasno Odonelec as he scored his 44th international goal, a goal which wouldn’t have looked out of place on a Mytanar Top League pitch given the number of times the pair have set one another up for Atletik Thessia over the years. Andrijasevic has only played a couple of times during qualifying but on both occasions Mytanija have won, another excellent contribution.

We saw Mijat Simic for the first time during this international break and he played in both matches, starting and scoring in the 2-0 win over Dod Rava before coming off the bench to press a tiring Magnecian team from the front. His hard work led to Dusko Ocokoljic’s goal and was just reward for the effort of both substitutes. Simic has found his opportunities with the national team hard to come by at times, but he can still boast 4 goals in 6 international appearances. He hasn’t been the most regular selection but when he is in the team he generally delivers. He’s perhaps a little unfashionable amongst pundits despite playing for Liria Prizren and being successful domestically, he’s a mosquito-like forward, buzzing around defenders and poaching chances. His approach isn’t the most elegant, but it seems to work.

Finally, there is Fran Prpic-Bosanac, the youngster grabbed a brace on his international debut against Eastfield Lodge and he then showed a different side to his game versus Dod Rava by selflessly dropping into midfield in much the same way his hero Jezdimir Ocokoljic has done for a very long time. His through ball for Omer Kuhar-Arh’s opener could easily have been Ocokoljic to Odonelec, a comparison which bodes well for both the younger men with double-barrelled surnames. Prpic-Bosanac might feature more during the next World Cup qualifying campaign, but if Mytanija do get to the World Cup proper expect there to be a clamour for him to be on the plane too.

Repin must balance winning games with keeping all the attacking options sharp. You never know when there could be an unfortunate injury to Jezdimir Ocokoljic or Damien Gannot and Mytanija will need to have some of these options – all of whom have impressed – ready to come into the team and have the sort of impact which they have had from the start in some of these matches.

by **Chromatika** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 2:53 pm

Supplemental 1: the departure
Supplemental 2: the debate
Supplemental 3: the ideal Tumbran
Supplemental 4: the true story
Supplemental 5: the motivator

defender meets midfielder, Supplemental 6
the summit

With thanks to Tumbra, who's allowing me to write some of the background pieces that explain the world around the main story. This piece occurs two months after the champions, which is Season 5, Part 6.

Chromatik City Field
Chromia, Central District, Chromatika

After every season, the best Chromatik keepers in the Red League convened in a three-day summit to discuss the season, hone their craft, and furthermore enjoy each other's company. There was something calming about discussing goalkeeping without the pressure of results being in the way, and though there had been talk about inviting some of the better foreign keepers in the league - Katerina Olexander, Ramola Carolan, Lew Karlov, Nicole Watson - nobody wanted to ask them to take time away from visiting home. No, it was best if it was just Chromatik keepers - and so, the group met.

Iskender Nur had expressed his apologies for not being able to attend - he was visiting family in Timuria. Jared Baglowski was spending time with his newborn son, Michael James Baglowski. Gabrielle Dick was away on a honeymoon trip to Quebec, freshly married. Pence Harringbotn, the keeper of newly promoted Urrhed FC, had planned on coming, but was dealing with offseason surgery to his left hand.

That left three to attend this summit. Kathie Begley the longtime keeper for Wirr Tsi, Tania Vincent, the netminder for Chromatik, and Kimi Herrington, the legend of Urrheddiao. It was a small crew, but Begley and Herrington were the co-founders of the annual Goalkeepers' Summit, and to have Vincent attend, fresh off of winning Chromatik's first title, was a plus.

As the three gathered at midfield of Chromatik City Field, Begley and Herrington gave Vincent a congratulatory hand.

"Thanks," muttered Vincent, a bit embarrassed, "You two had better seasons than me, though. I got carried by the-"

"Never apologize for how your team plays, remember?" interrupted Begley, "If your team plays higher up, it's because you allow them to. You faced a lot more high-intensity situations than Kimi and myself, and you were a key part of why your team won. Don't discount yourself."

Tania nodded in acknowledgement, and then wheeled on Kimi Herrington.

"What is this nonsense I hear about you leaving Urrheddiao?" she demanded, "Red League isn't the same without you in it! I thought you were going to be with Urrheddiao forever?"

"Had a meeting with Management, decided it was the right time to move on," explained Herrington, "I know it's not what we planned, but I'd rather go out on my own terms than not. Besides, I think they found a suitable replacement."

"Who can replace you?" asked Tania, "You're a legend!"

"Oh, just the single person that almost kept the Breakers in the Red League," replied Kimi nonchalantly, "Jeremiah Allison."

Tania and Kathie nodded in agreement. Allison was a longtime Orange League regular, but he had proven his mettle - the Breakers had been relegated despite his best efforts to keep them afloat, not vice versa.

"Couldn't be here because his daughter just turned three, but sends his regards. I'm glad he gets to stay."

"We'll miss you," Kathie said, offering Kimi a hand, "But it's cool that Jeremiah can stick around."

"We keepers need to stick with each other," stated Tania, "Maybe we should start inviting Orange League keepers, too."

"Well, that'll be for you two to figure out now," answered Herrington, "Since I'll be leaving soon."

The conversation then turned to the state of defensive play in the league, all three of them agreeing that the free-flowing attacking play of top teams was making their lives difficult; though defensive teams like Urrheddiao, Felswyr, and Wirr Tsi were still having some success, most of the league were turning to more fluid football. This made a goalkeeper's life a bit more difficult, but they were professionals.

"It must be interesting to play in a team that wins even when you potentially concede two goals a match," Kathie commented in Tania's direction, "Though not for want of trying - that Kerr kid is pretty good."

"It gets harrying at times mentally conceding so many," admitted Tania, "But to know that it's only because we can take that kind of risk from time to time that we are able to play such attacking football is freeing."

They were going to lose one of their best, but it didn't take away from the fact that goalkeeping remained one of the most important positions in the Red League.

And, in a season where things were changing - six IFCF berths, Anomalies under new management - that constant was a comfort.

Sybill & Hellion, Part 1: The Opening Interview
Sybill & Hellion, Part 2: Walk First Before You Learn to Run
Sybill & Hellion, Part 3: The First Defeat
Sybill & Hellion, Part 4: Four of a Kind
Sybill & Hellion, Part 5: The Unavoidable Spin
Sybill & Hellion, Part 6: Gathering Momentum & Stray Thoughts

Sybill & Hellion, Part 7: The Moment of Truth

World Cup 90 Qualifying Matchday 10: Chromatika 0-0 Al Qurija
Goals: None.
Starting XI (4-1-4-1): Fillar, J.; De Saint-Pierre - De Aea - Anbient - Sayer; Armageddon (C); Wen - Hauser - Mora - Kuznetsov; Vidal.
Substitutes: Fillar, G. -> De Saint-Pierre ('62), Humphreys -> Wen ('77), Gainsbourgh -> Vidal ('82)

World Cup Qualifying Matchday 11: Eura 1-0 Chromatika
Goals: None.
Starting XI (4-1-4-1): Fillar, J.; De Saint-Pierre - De Aea - Anbient - Sayer; Armageddon (C); Wen - Hauser - Mora - Kuznetsov; Vidal.
Substitutes: Ken -> Anbient ('68), Zuniga -> Armageddon ('73), Fillar, B. -> Mora ('80)

Predicted Starting XI vs. Taksylvania, @ Geisenfried (4-2-3-1): Fillar, J.; De Saint-Pierre - De Aea - Anbient - Sayer; Armageddon (C) - Zuniga; Wen - Hauser - Kuznetsov; Gainsbourg.
Reserves: GK Kathie Begley, GK Jacob Descombes, RB Grayson Fillar, CB Giles Ken, CB Moira Ansov, LB Nina Pomeoy, DM Kaia Larriet-Cortes, RW Augustus Humphreys, AM Baillaire Fillar, AM Hermaeus Mora, LW Edith Fillar, ST Kara Oveni

Headlines of new agencies around Chromatika heading into Matchday 12:

From the Chromia Central Courier:

ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY MINUTES OF TORMENT: GOAL DROUGHT FORCES ANOMALIES INTO THIRD PLACE
Sybill's "Attack-minded Football" Under Threat as Anomalies Drop Tiebreakers to Sargossa, Eura

From The Islander:

CAN GOOD SAMARITANS PLAY SPOILER?
Group Six Doormat to Still Face Nyowani Kitara, Eura

From the Urrheddiao Tribune:

SARGOSSA-EURA CLASH TO DETERMINE GROUP LEAD
Should Anomalies Hope for a Draw, or Root for One Side to Win?

From the Wirr Tsi Oberrver:

OPINON: SHOULD SYBILL AND HELLION BE SACKED IF ANOMALIES DON'T QUALIFY?
Will Anomalies Fall Short for First Time Since World Cup 85?

From the Alnio Central:

IS EURA THE BOOGEYMAN? CHROMATIKA LOSES TO EURA FOR THIRD TIME IN FIVE GAMES, FALL TO 2-0-6 in HEAD TO HEAD RECORD
And Why That Loss Hurt More than Just Qualification Hopes

From The Rebel:

CHROMATIKA ON THE BRINK: SARGOSSA, EURA, NYOWANI KITARA CONTESTING TOP OF THE TABLE
Can You Believe Only Two Teams Move On?

Part 1: The Twin Meetings
Part 2: The Book Moves
Part 3: Twin Surprises
Part 4: The Cambian Horse
Part 5: Shaking Hands with the Devil

Mirroring Paths
Part 6: A Lost Soul

It can be said that modern Chromatik history started with the incorporation of the first national football team of Chromatika. Luuk Aart, the team's Captain, was under investigation by the Chromatik Party and the then-Chromatik government for masquerading as a Violet, someone in the upper castes of the Chromatik society, when he was born as a Red, a caste of laborers. When he was convicted despite not being complicit - Aart had had no knowledge - the Chromatik national team, led by Franscseca Larriet-Cortes, fled the country. They would spend a cycle using a stadium in Quebec as their home field, while events started to unfold in Chromatika.

The Rainbow Writers, a group of underground writers, started to spread propaganda supporting a free Chromatika while various rogue elements joined forces under the banner of what became known as the Rainbow Revolution. This Revolution, despite not having a singular leader, toppled the Chromatik Party, though Franscesca Larriet-Cortes was martyred in the process. The Chromatik Party was overthrown, and the Rainbow Revolution's interim government took power, finding an effective voice in Alina Krasnikova, the prior head of Chromatika's secret police that had turned her back on the principles of the Chromatik Party. Krasnikova became the first Premier of Chromatika, though she wasn't one that was voted into office.

Chromatika found itself facing multiple problems during the quest for its first free election not five years later. The remnants of the Chromatik Party had been spared due to keep the country's infrastructure intact after rudimentary inquiries were made to weed out the most offending members of the Chromatik Party regime. Now, many of them were proving to be a roadblock to Chromatika's future. Aided by an ally in Banija, Chromatika was successful in having its first free election, also employing the aid of The Chosen, a group of extraplanar angels whose fates had been tied to Chromatika by virtue of one of them interfering with Chromatik history. At the end, The Chosen were free to be their individual selves, and Chromatika had its first freely elected leader - Keri Wyse Aart.

Though Chromatika started to become a more stable nation, some underlying problems emerged. A group of people thought that the previous members of the Chromatik Party hadn't paid enough for their mistakes, while others looked at the plight of the previously oppressed population and claimed that the Rainbow Party wasn't doing enough to bring those people up to speed. Then, the Anaia-Atlantian Oceania split took the nation by storm, and though Chromatika decided to join the departing nations in Anaia, the fact that the country split from one of its closest political allies in Banija and the fact that most of the negotiations had been done behind closed doors wasn't taken well by the populace. Using this discordance as an ample opportunity, a crime syndicate called the Shadow Hand, a remnant of the Red Enclave that had been the first to oppose the Chromatik Party back before the Rainbow Revolution, started to make some bolder moves.

Recently, three events have shaken Chromatik politics to the very core. First, retired Chromatik footballer Han Ga-Yeong, a major supporter of the current Chromatik government and a spokeswoman for the rehabilitation of the previous ROYG community, was murdered. Not long after, a member of the Chambers of the Legislature, Chromatika's legislative branch, Jordan Lefebvre of the Traditionalist Party, was assassinated. Second, an explosion rocked one of the team buses of Chromatika's national team on the way back from Franscesca Larriet-Cortes International Airport, instantly killing the driver and injuring twelve others. Thankfully, none of the Chromatik footballers were badly injured, but the event proved to everyone that nobody was truly safe.

Finally, at the end of the most recent election, twenty-eight Representatives from the Rainbow Party and the Traditionalist Party joined forces to bring forth a new party, the Saebitdang, or the New Light Party. Hélène Embroise, the previous #1 confidant of Keri Wyse Art, the Premier, heads the New Light Party, breaking the supermajority of power that the Rainbow Party enjoyed and plunging the country into an uncertain future. (This RP has a good glossary of most recent events.) If you want a spoiler for what's really going on, click here.

Glossary of Abbreviations:
RP - Rainbow Party
Trads - Traditionalist Party
CP - (now-defunct) Chromatik Party
ROYG - Red Orange Yellow Green community (the previously lower class in the prior regime)
BIV+ - Blue Indigo Violet plus community (the previously upper class in the prior regime)
NLP - New Light Party (Saebitdang)
NYK - Nyowani Kitara
CFF - Chromatik Football Federation, the organization in charge of the Chromatik National Team and the Rainbow League System
(the) SH - Shadow Hand
BanAm - Ambassador to Banija
NewBanAm - New Ambassador to Banija
Cont - Controller

3098 Gilham Road
Myana, Myana Island, Chromatika

Henry Jackson was a man running out of time.

During the days of the Chromatik Party, Jackson had been part of the old regime's propaganda machine. In exchange for making sure that the Chromatik Party's agenda got told, he was able to maintain the Indigo level status, get a good stipend for his family, and stay off of the Chromatik Party's radar.

Then, as soon as the Rainbow Revolution happened, he jumped ship. Tucked his tail between his legs, said that he had been wrong, and turned in a lot of the worst of the Chromatik Party. For this, the Rainbow Revolution had spared him from the court of public opinion and given him a spot as a representative at the Chambers of the Legislature. It had helped that he was popular with the general populace; that had been a good enough cover story for why he was suddenly a member of Chromatika's governing body.

So, he had remained relevant in the sphere of Chromatik politics for a number of years. Hanging on by the skin of his teeth.

The Traditionalist position had eroded over time as democracy and the promise of free elections had taken a hold of the Chromatik people. They'd gone all-in on trying to stop the election of Alina Krasnikova, and failed. Then, the more progressive of the lot had jumped shift during the schism and the creation of the Saebitdang, and the Traditionalists were left holding the pieces. Numbering only fourteen out of eighty-one, they were too small to be able to do anything in the Chambers of the Legislature without help from either of the Rainbow Party or the New Light Party.

Now, the Premier had put the nail in their coffin. The CP Sponsorship Program would be the first in the government's attempts to try to hold the previous BIV community in check. Though there was talk about some people who had "given enough to the community" being exempt, the program would allow the government the authority to decide which ones would pay for the Sponsorship Program and which ones would not; this inherent divide would only make things worse for the Traditionalist Party, which had four seats up for grabs in the year-end elections, with Henry Jackson being one of them.

When the CP Sponsorship Program was announced, the Traditionalists had made a huge fuss about the fact that the Rainbow Party was going back on their word; it was too little, too late. Many had already joined the NLP which believed that reparations needed to be made, while others were tired of having the Traditionalists around as dead weight. Basically, in the battle between the RP and the NLP on just how to move forward while healing from the past, the spots taken up by the Trads were cannon fodder.

To make matters worse, he had just received the papers acknowledging the final proceedings of divorce between his wife of twenty years, Maria, and himself. She would be award the custody of their two children on the grounds that he had 'brainwashed them with Chromatik Party rhetoric', and she was taking 60% of all the assets. As she had been the breadwinner between them - she worked as an executive in Henza Architecture, heading their branch on Myana Island - the percentage was, admittedly, fair, but he had lost the battle to keep his family on his side as they had been inundated more and more with the beliefs of the current regime.

As he sat in his now empty house with a glass of whiskey in his hand, he looked back at his life and pondered just where things had gone wrong. He had done what he was told, and he had been very good at it. Then, he'd done everything he could to survive. Now, it seemed, everything was crashing down around him, though none of it was ultimately his fault.

As he took another sip of the dark liquid, his computer beeped with the acknowledgement of an email received through interparty channels.

It was from An Yeong-Han, the Representative of Z'ai'ai's Third District, the effective head of the Traditionalist Party:

To: Party Members
From: An Yeong-Han
Subject: Immediate Retirement

Effective immediately, I will be retiring from my position as a Representative of the Chambers of the Legislature and returning home to my family. It's been an honor to serve with you all, but it's come to my attention that I am only standing in the way of Chromatik progress. My position will be up for election in the year end election, and whomever wins will have to defend it after four years, per the laws of our nation. I implore you all to think hard and long about your current position in our country. Are we holding up progress? Do we really have a constituency to fight for that deserve to be defended?

Is it that radical to think that perhaps we deserve what is coming to us?

I plan on donating 95% of my income to the CP Sponsorship Program up front, and living an honest, meager life with my family in Z'ai'ai. I suggest many of you do the same.

With heartfelt sincerity,

An Yeong-Han

There was a chain of emails that followed, everyone shocked by the announcement; a few of the others mentioned that they were considering the option, hoping to find mercy at the feet of the NLP/RP coalition that had suddenly appeared overnight.

Henry Jackson threw his laptop at the wall in anger, and as the machine shattered, let out a long, exasperated sigh. It wasn't fair that they were the ones being punished for this. They had simply been soldiers following orders; wasn't it bad enough that they had somehow ended up being on the wrong side? Did they now have to suffer this humiliation in being dragged through the mud, being forced to admit that perhaps they had been wrong all along?

No, someone else would have to pay for all this.

He wrote a simple note to Hélène Embroise, the Head of the New Light Party, and Rebecca St. Jones, the de facto Head of the Rainbow Party (besides the Premier), stating that he would like a monthlong sabbatical to contemplate his future. They wouldn't mind - they would be happy to be rid of him, as he was another Traditionalist.

Then, he packed a simple suitcase with his things, and left the house into the evening rain of greater Myana.

There was one more thing that he could do before calling the entire cause a defeat.

They said that there was no scarier thing than a man with nothing to lose. It was time to put that statement into action.

His opponents would rue the day that they drove him up a wall. Yes, they would pay, indeed.

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:09 pm

TRAINING NOTES FOR MATCH AGAINST MYTANIJA

Summary:

The match against the Mytanars is crucial for our World Cup 90 campaign. Win or draw, and the Holy Empire is all but assured qualification. Lose, and there's a very real chance that the squad will be forced into the playoffs. We are facing a team well-known for their passionate and sometimes rule-bending approach to football, as well as a home crowd known for their robust support of their heroes; we can expect pyrotechnics, flags and lots of noise and alcohol. And yes, that may sound like a fairly typical evening out engaging in the unholy rituals of The Coterie of Bloodforged Slaughter, but in Mytanija no blood sacrifices of the unworthy are involved; it's just bog-standard hooliganism.

Key data:

We have managed to discover a document purporting to list the Mytanija squad for the crucial match against the Holy Empire at Novi Zavej Park. We assume that they have chosen one of their smaller national stadiums - the second-smallest venue the Mytanars are using to host qualifying matches - to build a more intense home crowd atmosphere to support their team.

The squad list reads as follows:

MYTANIJA SQUAD FOR MATCHES AGAINST THE HOLY EMPIRE (H) & ERAMAN (A)
Goalkeepers: 1. Semir Besak (Mipojoseon [QUE]); 12. Pedja Kasun (Ararat Severyan); 23. Dragisa Lazarevic (Litala ’93)
Defenders: 13. Ermin Urankar (Anomalies [CMT]); 3. Grigorij Savicevic (AC Izotz Zubia [AUD]), 4. Bigger Mbala-Ekakia (Wirr Tsi [CMT]), 5. Amar Kovacevic (Ituraitz FC [ASG]); 6. Patrik Odonelec (CA Paulinthal [PAS]); 2. Damir Milcic (Anomalies [CMT]); 26. Mahir Kapetanovic (Liria Prizren), 15. Kamil Jernejec (Chromatik [CMT]), 16. Adnan Sulejmanovic (Atletik Thessia); 17. Antun Spiridonovic (Litala ’93)
Midfielders: 7. Mersudin Smajic (Stahlburg City [NPH]), 18. Dordo Urbanc (Spartangrad [EUR]), 30. Gavril Atsev (Atletik Thessia); 37. Bruno Ozmec (Liria Prizren), 8. Alen Hrdaljko (CA Paulinthal [PAS]), 10. Jasno Odonelec (Atletik Thessia); 35. Svetoslav Radozevic (Bakartirla Buccaneers [ASG]), 20. Omer Kuhar-Arh (Atletik Thessia)
Forwards: 9. Jezdimir Ocokoljic (Energija Chernovets [STL]), 11. Damien Gannot (Sabrefell Athletic [NPH]); 22. Vido Mehic (Ararat Severyan), 32. Zlatan Andrijasevic (Z’ai’ai [CMT])

Analysis:

Facing such a crucial match against a well-led and passionate squad that's been overachieving this qualifying tournament, playing away in what promises to be an intimidating atmosphere, and with the Holy Empire MUCK squad singularly failing to bring about the apocalypse of the Great Old Ones via our hideous and unspeakable matchday rites, knowing that this may be the most difficult match we face this qualifying campaign, and with the Mytanija squad roster inadvertently falling into our hands, there can be only one tactical issue to focus on in the lead-up to the match.

How many of the Mytanars are virgins, and will they willingly sacrifice themselves in a post-match ritual to bring about the end times?

Our analysis - partially drawing on a reproduction full team information sheet - is as follows, with possible virgins highlighted in red:

Semir Besak, age 23: young, but popularity mitigates against the likelihood of his being a virgin.
Pedja Kasun, age 35: definitely not a virgin.
Dragisa Lazarevic, age 26: he's uncapped - we think 'uncapped' indicates a ritual symbol suggesting that Lazarevic is indeed a virgin (unlikely though that seems for a 26 year old footballer)
Ermin Urankar, age 28: most likely not a virgin.
Grigorij Savicevic, age 29: comfortable with his physicality, and therefore likely equally comfortable with his sexuality; not virgin material.
Bigger Mbala-Ekakia, age 24: come on... with a name like that he's far more likely to be a fellow cultist than a virgin. Try offering a secret cultist handshake at halftime, just in case.
Amar Kovacevic, age 24: anyone given a Young Player of the Season award has most likely been deflowered by football groupies; so probably not a virgin.
Patrik Odonelec, age 26: assume references to his 'impressive trophy collection' is most likely a metaphor for notches on his bedpost.
Damir Milcic, age 28: apparently the sex toy of manager Lev Repin (assume this is what's meant by 'endeared'); we're in no way judgemental, but therefore not a virgin.
Mahir Kapetanovic, age 22: 'uncapped'! Possible virgin!
Kamil Jernejec, age 32: absolutely not a virgin.
Adnan Sulejmanovic, age 22: another 'uncapped' possible virgin...
Antun Spiridonovic, age 27: the version of the team notes we have to hand states that he can 'occasionally fuck into midfield positions if asked', so presumably not a virgin.
Mersudin Smajic, age 27: an imposing physical presence like Smajic is unlikely to be a virgin.
Dordo Urbanc, age 22: how useful for the Mytanars to identify their virgins with this 'uncapped' euphemism.
Gavril Atsev, age 24: has only been 'capped' once, but once is enough; we only want pure virgins, not 'he was a virgin up until last week' substitutes.
Bruno Ozmec, age 26: a little bit old to be 'uncapped', but who are we to judge? Possible virgin.
Alen Hrdaljko, age 29: highly experienced, and you know what they say about small men having really big ... lunchboxes; not a virgin.
Jasno Odonelec, age 33: impossible to believe that the national team captain is a virgin.
Svetoslav Radozevic, age 24: they're really making it easy for us by listing their 'uncapped' virgins.
Omer Kuhar-Arh, age 25: another likely undercover mad cultist; make the Sign of the Nine Divines before kickoff to gauge reaction.
Jezdimir Ocokoljic, age 30: if even the team information sheet is boasting that his 'finishing is clinical', we can assume he's not a virgin.
Damien Gannot, age 25: I'm not sure why the team information sheet is so sex-obsessed, but another 'clinical finisher'; so not a virgin.
Vido Mehic, age 30: slightly surprised to see a 30-year-old 'uncapped' virgin, but hey... age has never been an obstacle to virgin sacrifice.
Zlatan Andrijasevic, age 31: is running around boasting of his 'impressive scoring record', so another non-virginal sex-mad Mytanar forward.

Conclusion:

By my count, that's seven possible virgins out of 25 players. Unfortunately, it takes 13 virgins to perform the Virgin Sacrifice of Final Summoning, so it doesn't look like we'll be able to bring about the final apocalypse after the Mytanija match. However, six virgin sacrifices is enough to perform the non-lethal Lesser Rite of the Desanctified Souls, so we should consider inviting Lazarevic, Kapetanovic, Sulejmanovic, Urbanc, Ozmec, Radozevic, and Mehic back to our dressing room after the match to see if they're willing to be introduced to a bit of fleshy lust.

On the plus side, there seem to be two possible undercover cultists on the Mytanar squad, so we should see if they recognise the Secret Signs By Which They Will Be Known.

Oh yes... and football tactics. 5-3-2; overlapping full-backs; frosty football; do what Tzimisces says; you know the drill. Cult stuff comes first, usually.

Shadow Whitmore
President of MUCK
Holy Empire World Cup 90 Captain

by **Legalese** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:22 pm

Dead last in the group. A not impossible outcome, but definitely not what Pedro wanted. At least they were at eleven points, one of only two sides to do that well in a bottom-dwelling effort.

He took some solace in that thought as he walked down the street to Sunny B. Martin Elementary School, on the corner of Hartnell and Bradley streets in Francis Town.

The game against Savojarna had been a disaster, and he felt responsible. While technically a defensive midfielder by position, everyone on the team knew that he would spend much of the game forward of the center line -- it was one of the key elements of the counter-press.

Unfortunately, the Savojar also knew that he’d be too far forward as well. They scored twice before Pedro had realized he needed to start coming back further, only to throw everything off-balance again, and give up a third goal.

The loss is what put Legalese where they were -- last in the group, and a loss, draw, or Kohnhead win away from the end of their World Cup dreams.

Falling short came as no surprise to the diminutive midfielder, but being the one to cause it wasn’t in the script. And that’s what brought him back to his roots, the elementary school where his team first got together, and due to a legendary paperwork snafu, ended up being the youngest players in National Team history to receive a call-up. For Pedro, it was the first time he’d been back since his class graduated to the High School, about six years before.

Wait, has it been six years or 130 since I was last here? Or maybe 260? Everything blurred briefly, as the weight of that thought hit him as if it was the first (and last time) he played goal against his older brother.

He shook it off, and his head cleared. He had apparently entered the school in the meanwhile, the halls of Sunny B. Martin as cheery and inviting as he remembered years earlier; the brown tiling with yellow-painted drywall, a red and black stripe running alongside it, as if pointing him forward.

He kept walking forward, following the lines to the cafeteria. The cavernous room kept the same color palette, but added on one wall, a large cartoonish picture of the Mighty Wombat, in full furriness. He marveled at the artwork -- it was a bit paint-by-numbers, but it was a project that he and Kerry worked on with their art class just weeks after the Jurassic Invitational. Mrs. Fee had picked it out for them in particular. “You all did so well for us in The Raptor Claw!” she had said. “Mr. Wombat deserves to go onto the wall, doesn’t he?”

Pedro touched the fur on the wombat, before quickly pulling his hand back in surprise. The paint felt tacky.

“Is something wrong?” A familiar voice called out.

Pedro, the unflappable leader, shook in place. “Mrs… Fee?”

“Pedro Vasquez! You really did a great job with Mr. Wombat, didn’t you?”

Pedro stopped and looked again down the brightly-lit hallway.

“It can’t be you! You died seven years ago!”

“Oh, I’m sorry dear, it’s been a lot longer than that.” The voice faded and the light dimmed.

Pedro could see a figure standing where the voice had stood. The figure was about six feet tall, had a pale, bluish skin tone, and an impassable face.

Pedro then heard a different voice, a deeper, booming voice. “I’m sorry, we did not mean to provoke a painful memory with her voice. We had it associated with your history, and wanted to provide some familiarity to you, as you start to realize that something has gone horribly wrong.”

Pedro gave the figure a hard stare. “I know we didn’t qualify, but I didn’t think that was going to be a problem.”

The figure smiled briefly, before his face betrayed some sadness. “It’s not. What is a problem, though, is that you’re qualifying for the wrong World Cup. I don’t know if we can fix that, but you can help us.”

The light brightened again, and Sunny B. Martin Elementary -- which had been demolished due to damage suffered during the Second Starblaydi Occupation -- disappeared.

by **Zwangzug** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:35 pm

The Kerlagrad Courier

Multiverse excused from following Zwangzugian goings-on

The world is a busy place. Dynasties rise and crumble. Individuals fall in love and fall into despair. Sports events follow the laws of probability, except when they surprise us. Even the most dedicated intelligence officers struggle to keep tabs on targets from every location. While we at the Courier cannot triage everything you skim, we endeavor to help the discerning agent in at least one way: you really don't have to follow anything that goes on in Zwangzug.

"I mean, let's face it," said disgruntled bureaucrat Edmund Gairn-Scheld. "It isn't like we have military, economic, or any other kind of influence to bring to bear on the whole...situation in Nyowani Kitara." He waved his hands vaguely at the last sentence. "See? Goodness knows I'm not keeping tabs on that whole debacle, it'd be pretty hypocritical to assume everyone's desperate for gossip on our internal affairs."

"No one's love life is at all exciting or dramatic," assured Ruth Delphinus. "I mean, Nancy Puyo-Sachar's married to that baseball guy, and he has some annoying Kwisatz Haderach complex, but still. They've been together for years. There aren't any sparks."

"And it's not like we'd even go to the trouble of plotting a long-term arc," added Callie Ostar. "Sure, the Divine Host of Archangels cult continues to pop up every once in a while, but let's be real. No one's going to go to the trouble of skewering them too directly, because it might make their sycophants overseas upset. Which I guess is ironic, because we shouldn't be having any sycophants for them or any other faction."

"We used to keep up with our own parliament," Gairn-Scheld reminisced, "but that wasn't really corresponding to any football news, and they never coordinated their timescales anyway. Not because of some noble sacrifice for the sake of other people's limited attention spans, but because they simply couldn't give a rip."

"Our football team is leading our group, and that's nice, I guess," Delphinus said. "But like, could I tell you the results in other groups? Honestly, no. You're not responsible for keeping track of our upsets, either."

Ostar noted that, while permission to ignore our internal affairs may come as good news for sports fans with limited leisure time, it might be disappointing for spies who actually have to monitor us for whatever reason. "Fortunately, our local politicians are too trusting that they probably won't notice if you keep it up," she said. "You could write something in cipher just for fun, but they'll probably assume it's part of a puzzle."

*

In other trifling and unimportant news, the Cugio District delegation claimed its first medal in the Vilitan Mountain Games--a gold for Wayne Chowdhury, in the subjective discipline of fire dance. "You might not normally associate fire performance with mountains, at least not our mountains," Chowdhury said, "but people used fire for warmth and light for hundreds of years, and needed to develop a respect for it and skills for living with it. Part of that involves incorporating in into your culture's aesthetics, whether consciously or not."

While Chowdhury's family does indeed have roots in Namiri, he has spent most of his life in Iwakemi. "Some people give me funny looks, like, isn't this dangerous?" he admits. "To which I say--yeah. But people in other countries do weird things like driving cars around at high speeds which could probably get someone killed. At least this way I'm only putting myself at risk."

Iwakemi's other representative, Sigur Folt-Jackson, is now in third place in the lumberjack competition, after taking sixth in the axe throw and fifth in the chopping. "It was nice getting to draw my own scarf," he admitted. "Makes you wonder whether executioners used to use that, you know, so they didn't miss." Mr. Folt-Jackson's lawyers quickly clarified that he was speaking purely hypothetically, and anyway, Zwangzug isn't the kind of country where we have exciting criminal trials or punishments to spectate [see above].

The petite Melinda Reise-Thrule won her first round of kleptochase; she was fortunate to become the thief in a Maze course which gave her Kriegiersien opponent, Alexa, little opportunity to pursue her.

(Kent-Maner 13, Nguyen 47, Waugh 68; Cust 31)
(Dulk-Fough 32)

by **Delaclava** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:41 pm

"The Colosseum Collapse": Phoenixes' frantic comeback stuns Juven

With ten minutes on the clock, it looked for all the world that the Delaclava national team would be bundled out of World Cup contention yet again, and Juvencus would pick up another three points to very nearly clinch a playoff berth - at worst.

Then, everything changed.

Lukas Meyer and Odhran O'Glissane combined for three goals in an eleven-minute span and Delaclava snatched an improbable 4-3 victory to stave off elimination in front of an overflow crowd at the Colosseum in Athens.

"I don't even think we saw that coming," captain Meyer admitted in the post-match scrum. "They're a very good team, were better for most of the game. But we never lost hope." Asked what he thought changed in the closing stage of the game, he replied: "We've understood the situation the last few games. We really think we can still qualify, but one or zero points won't cut it. So seeing the clock turn to 80 and we're not there yet, well we know it's time to get going."

The timing was none too soon, for Juvencus did appear to be the more potent offense for most of the game. They still finished the game with 22 shots to Delaclava's 10 and held possession for 58% of the game. Julio Campana opened scoring with a rocket from 24 yards that hooked from the left side and dipped past Joord Van der Beek. Although Ben Romeijn tied the game with a header off a Dathan Ingram corner kick, the Juven got off to a blazing start in the second half as Campana completed his brace on a breakaway just two minutes into the period. A mere six minutes later, Michelangelo Santini extended the lead in similar fashion after a blunder from Kazuo Martin sent the Juven counterattack the other way.

But as powerful as the Juvencus offense was, they were equally vulnerable to the counterattack and to penetration from the wings, and they struggled to adjust to a more lead-saving style in the late stage. A well-timed tackle of Campana by Rahmonberdi Zhusupov allowed the center back to find a quick outlet to Steffan Mikines, brought on in the 65th minute for Varlam Kovalev, who brought the ball down the right side before cutting back to the middle. His initial attempt was stopped by Taddeo Bulgari but fell right at the foot of Meyer, who took the open net and reduced the lead.

Odhran O'Glissane was then brought on in Ingram's place and made a near-immediate impact. As the Phoenixes pressed forward, the Port Tacassam FC sparkplug collected the ball at the top of the box and spun around and past Carlo Callejon. He took a few steps forward and tucked the ball inside the near post before Bulgari could adjust to his defender's gaffe.

With the lead erased, it was clear the Phoenixes intended on taking the comeback all the way. As jeers of "Juven blew a 3-1 lead!" rang out through the Colosseum, the fans were treated to a fast-paced finish with both teams now seeking a winning goal. Another long Campana strike forced Van der Beek to sprawl and knock the ball away from the left post in the 89th minute. But moments later, Campana's final shot of the game was far more easily corralled by the DD Porto Nowi backstop, who threw the ball forward to Josh Torres. Torres fended off a couple of tackles, giving Meyer time to get on the run past Pau Puig as Torres lofted a long pass into the Juven end. Meyer barely won the footrace long enough to take the ball to the top of the penalty area and chip the ball over Bulgari before the two and Puig all went down in a heap.

Juvencus could not generate a shot in the final minute of play after the ensuing kickoff, leaving the Phoenixes with a miracle victory in Athens that not so previously seemed improbable.

It was Delaclava's second home win in the dying seconds since Tim Landers took over as interim manager following the untimely death of Johannes Detmer. "I guess we have a flair for the dramatic," Landers laughed. "But the resilience has come so far in the past few years. We have a lot of players contributing to high-level teams and dealing with the adversity that comes with that, then bringing that all together. You can really see the results."

"It seems like someone on our side of the pond tries to say this every year, but I really think this team is on the verge of something special."

The Phoenixes continue a four-game unbeaten run, following draws against Estorvipa and Estorpiva (2-2) and Græntfjall (1-1) with a 5-3 away victory over Nagore. Along with E&E, they sit in fifth place in Group 4 at 15 points, just five behind second-placed Juvencus (20 points) with three games to play. The result also bolstered the qualification hopes of Trolleborg (17) and Bollonich (16) and even ensured that Montaña Verde (13) preserved a long shot.

If La squadra had maintained their lead, their 23 points would have eliminated Delaclava and Montaña Verde and left their nearest competitor, Trolleborg, six points adrift with only nine points left to gain.

"The numbers are against us," Meyer admitted. "But if we continue to play this well? We'll pick up our points, and that's all we can control."

DELACLAVA 4 — 3 JUVENCUS
Romeijn 35', Meyer 81' 90+2', O'Glissane 85' | Campana 15' 47', Santini 53'

by **Mertagne** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 3:41 pm

"Mathematically."

"Mathematically?"

"Yes, Kristie. Mathematically. We've been mathematically eliminated from being able to qualify for the World Cup."

"And there I was thinking it was Guanacasteca's fault."

The dimly lit cavernic booths of the fairly regular haunt that Kristie and Tyrell liked to frequent nowadays in Neorudo's Old Quarter were perfect for subdued, private chats. The stone-cut settlements in this ancient magma chamber were perfect for messing up phone signals, so you'd never find people glued to their screens. Furthermore, there chamber was underground, so the whole place felt like some strange, ethereal place out of time. Nobody lived in the old quarter any more, of course - that was something that, sadly, had only recently been outlawed by the fresh government, but the seedy smells and smothering neon signs that adorned this area of the sprawing metropolis that Neorudo had become over the last sixty years gave it both a stink and a specificity that people either loved or hated. Ettrick sat firmly in the former camp.

"I was never really any good at maths, if I'm honest with you Tyrell. Used to play hopscotch on the street, and that's about as far as it went. School was... on and off, to say the least." Ettrick said, nursing a pint on the stone booth-top and flicking a beer mat that advertised some gawky alcopop.

"Honestly Kristie, that's better than most people in your situation got in those days. I'm glad I escaped the brunt of it it, to be honest." replied Tyrell Gulliver.

"It wasn't all bad, which is something people who were in bad situations say to make you feel better. Like, I wasn't feral - my mother gave me an education, and so did the tradespeople she worked with, but that's sort of how it was back then. I'm sure as shit glad they don't let anyone live here now. I remember Mum used to make us go 'up top' for at least three hours a day in the daytime, to 'strech our lungs'. What sort of a phrase is that?"

Tyrell pondered. "Strange times for you indeed. And to have found football in all of that?"

"Oh, that wasn't hard. I got a job at Lehen - handing out water to professionals. I think that's the thing that people from other countries don't really get. They - very rarely, I might add, because I do not talk about this often - think 'Oh, poor Kristie Ettrick, she grew up underground like some sort of ruddy dwarf, she must have been so poor and had no shoes', but we weren't exactly poor. Poorer than most people, sure, but the world kept turning. People still worked, still played, still consumed media. It was just... A microcosm. Everything in Touchpoint was just that. In Touchpoint. If you were lucky you'd scarper off to Starblaydia and send money back home."

"Can't even do that one easily nowadays. You need an app or something now." laughed Tyrell.

"Fat lot of good an app would do down here." Kristie gestured around the room. "But, yeah. It seems a strange time now when you take a look at the big wide world. Child labour. People living underground. Families being essentially owned by companies. Guilds. Like, half of that shite went out with the ark in 'more civilised' nations."

"Do you reckon people see that when we go out on the football field?" asked Gulliver. "Sooty faces, poor worker children, a kind of 'aww, look at them'... vibe, as the kids are saying nowadays?"

Ettrick chuckled. "Absolutely. I live for it. I think there's a simultaneous overestimation and underestimation of the Mertagnian team. People look back and go 'Oh yeah, at one point they were pretty good, but their best days are behind them', but also go 'Oh yeah, at one point they were pretty good, and they could be again with a bit of effort'. I'm in the effort camp, because I'm the effort. Me, and you, and all our peons that go out and kick a ball for ninety-odd minutes each matchday."

Gulliver stroked his wispy beard, that he'd grown out since taking the management reigns back off of Kristie. "So, now that we've been mathematically eliminated, what's next on the cards? Looking forward to the Cup of Harmony?"

"Eh, we'll see about that one. If we are lucky enough to qualify for that, I've got some ideas to float your way. I want to... make some cuts. I'm feeling as ruthless as I'm purported to be with my street upbringing."

by **Nyowani Kitara** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:25 pm

Note: This government owned media source is the most biased media sources in the entire country, so read this media source, especially the other news section, with a critical eye. Foreign media observers would call it a KPWC propaganda outlet, a charge that they would most certainly deny. They routinely charge the Free Press with straight up fabrications, something the newspaper rigorously denies. Obviously, everything is strictly IC

The Kitara People's Free Press
The voice for the working people of Nyowani Kitara

Support pours in for the President as we talk to the people about what they would like to see in a Peace Treaty

VARAKOULA, TIKARIOT- With rumors circling that peace talks are 'close to wrapping up', mood in the country is up considerably as the destructive civil war, brought on by Malik Akongo and his allies, particularly Banija and the United Republics, is soon to be brought to a close. KPWC advisors to the President, who is making the heroic decision to negotiate this peace treaty herself, have told reporters that they expect to be back to Dewayo within the next few days. One, whose name had to be kept private due to a no leak policy from the Government, said that he was expecting a big win for the President. "Nafuna Akongo proved herself here, sitting among Rushmore's greatest powers. Banija was defeated and brought to its knees, diplomatically, while men like Malik Akongo were humbled. Despite it being well within her right, as a war victor, she took it upon herself to show mercy even to traitors, as she prioritizes moving forward, as opposed to looking back."

As a fair and balanced news source, we took it upon ourselves to go up to the people of Nyowani Kitara directly. What would they like to see in a peace treaty?

"Obviously, I want to see the end of the civil war." Said Sarah Potunga, a 23 year old civil engineer in the City of Dewayo. "I want to see groups like the Kitara Freedom Front pay a price for what they have done. The mood in this country is for revenge, some sort of justice." She started to cry as she said her next line. "My older brother, he was a KRF soldier. Just trying to defend his nation, fight for his country against colonization by the United Republics. And then- shot when he became a KFF prisoner of war." It is terrible what the KFF did in southern Nyowani Kitara. They were monsters. Once we explained to her that the President might have to show mercy, she nodded and understood. "This is why I am so grateful to have such a forward-looking President." She said. "If she was not in charge, we could descend into chaos. Mercy instead of vengeance... The right move, so no more families suffer at the hands of the KFF like mine did. "

We asked another citizen what they thought of a potential referendum in the north, like the DFLK has demanded. "The DFLK, for all I care, can incinerate." Britt-Louise Ahlander said. Ahlander is 31 years old, and a stay-at-home of triplet sons(all aged 2). "The idea of independence is disastrous. But I think that the President, even though I disagree with it, should accept them." When we asked her to explain further, she was willing. "Give them their referendum- so the people have exactly the opportunity to reject this fanciful idea. The people will understand why the President is forced to accept it. But don't get it twisted. There is only one possible result of independence, and that is a Græntfjall puppet state. The people in the north are every bit as Kitaran as you or me- they will surely tell their Græntfjall-lite overlords to get packing."

We asked yet another citizen about the potential for foreign troops on Kitaran soil, beyond Euran and Nepharan, for an experience to establish peace. "It's never great to see your nation occupied by foreign nations." Said Lisette Westermarck. Westermarck told us that she is an internal refugee, from Port Viljan. That when Port Viljan fell to the DFLK, Westermarck was able to escape, with a few friends, and get to Dewayo. "Sometimes, however, it is the price that we must pay. Remember, if the President, in her wisdom, were forced to accept these conditions, it would not be her fault. It would be the fault of the DFLK and KFF rebels- particularly, Max Ulf and Malik Akongo. Those two men are willing to tear the nation apart to the point of foreign occupation."

And lastly, we spoke to Mazi Ozioma, and asked him what should be done with Malik Akongo. "You know- I would not mind if we buried good ol' Malik." Ozioma then sighed. He is a 22 year old college student, and he hasn't been home, to Inhalo, for four years because of the war. He is preparing to graduate school at the end of the semester with a Music Education degree. "Malik does not deserve to set foot in this country ever again. He destroyed it. If he comes back, he should swing from the gallows. There has never been a Kitaran so responsible for violence, and a Kitaran that has been such an enemy of the people, than Malik Akongo. It is a supreme act of mercy, if the Comrade President lets him leave Varakoula with his head."

And there you have it. Folks want peace, and everybody still hates Malik Akongo. We'll see how well the President responds to the concerns of the Kitaran people when the final peace agreement is signed.

Other News
- NYK national team shocking upset win over Eura keeps World Cup Qualification hopes alive(see SPORTS; page 2)
- The All-Kitara Workers Council(aka the country's legislature), all filled with members of the KPWC, passed legislation, with the support of the President, ending the nation's requirement for a government license to practice journalism. Noted AKWC Member Susanna Opondo said that this legislation was passed to help facilitate the upcoming peace treaty at Varakoula. The President will sign the legislation when she returns home from Tikariot. Editors Note: Many say that this change in licensing requirements will change journalism forever in Nyowani Kitara. And I say that is objectively not true. It leaves workers open to the swooning words of the bourgeoise. We, as an institution, will attempt to rigorously fact check whatever pro-capitalist, foreign-funded news organizations pop up in Nyowani Kitara as a part of this legislation.
- The President, upon her victorious return to Dewayo, has planned a victory parade and the declaration of a holiday. "Victory over Traitors" Day, as her military parade and celebration will celebrate the closure of one of the darkest chapters in Nyowani Kitara. Pundits expect she will be greeted by hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of adoring Kitarans.

SPORTS- Nyowani Kitara shock Eura as they stay alive in their quest to make the World Cup Finals

Kitarans celebrate after their shocking upset win over Eura

TOVACA, TIKARIOT- It is never ideal to be playing your home games away from home soil. "The boys miss playing games in Nyowani Kitara." Said the team captain, Armoni Okombo. "We understand, however, that these are circumstances that are well out of our control. It is not the KWFA's fault that we have rebels, like Malik Akongo and Max Ulf, who are so hell-bent on the destruction of our country that they would not even foster that is safe for us to play the national sport in. But we are adults- we adjust as necessary." Okombo is certainly right. It would be one of the miraculous stories of World Cup Qualifying if Nyowani Kitara was able to earn a spot at World Cup 90, in Baker Park & Vilita.

But the show must go on. The KWFA, now ran by the manager, Liang Wei, decided to play their home games at the Thunderdome, here in nearby Tikariot. Because of that, despite not playing in country, they have still been able to gain a home field advantage. "Fortunately, we are able to work well with our gracious Tikariot hosts, to play home games at the Thunderdome. The Thunderdome is a fantastic venue to play in. The grass is well cut, and the Kitaran population here, with the refugees and people travelling from in-country, give us about as much of a home field advantage as we can ask for." The team has won back to back home games, as they get more and more comfortable competing on home soil. They, of course, lost to both Taksylvania and Chromatika at the Thunderdome, conceding six goals in each game.

That leads us to Matchday 10. Nyowani Kitara hosting 26th ranked Eura. A team that, of course, are former world champions. But that is not the only circumstance surrounding the team. "It is very rare, when you are in the midst of World Cup Qualifying, to have four starters abandon your cause mid-campaign." Liang Wei told reporters. "That's what Arendt Sundin, Johannes von Weber, Vilgot Westermark, and Omollo Ayange are. All of them, quitters, and traitors. They say they were 'in danger' here. But that makes no sense. We've been in Tikariot the whole time. There are no Kitaran police here that could have possibly arrested them. They simply do not love their country, and quit on them at an important moment in time."

We, at the Free Press, fact checked that, and it is true- just KWFA staffers at their hotel. All four men simply abandoned their country at an inopportune moment. "While it's rough to tinker this much with the starting XI throughout qualifying, and having to continuously acclimate new guys to the squad, I think that has united those of us who remained." Said veteran central midfielder, Ramah Abong'o. "Our team is extremely young right now- so there are always going to be ups and downs. But I think, on our best day, we can field a competitive squad against almost anybody in the multiverse. We beat Pasarga in World Cup Qualifying last cycle. We beat them at the most recent Copa Rushmori. And we just completed a double-sweep against the back-to-back Rushmori champions, Sargossa. We fear nobody, and have our firm belief in each other that we can take anybody on."

In what is possibly the most chaotic group of the World Cup Qualification cycle, Oslograd's squad came to Tikariot looking for three points. But suddenly, shockingly, it would be the Kitarans who would come out swinging. The match itself was interesting- especially the pre-match. "I heard Kitarans singing the Euran national anthem, and there was even a 'Thank You Ian Smith' banner in the crowd." Said a Kitaran TV analyst. "Shows how the Kitarans appreciate the support of the Euran Government during the Civil War." But it would be the Kitarans, rather than the Eurans, who would come out guns a blazing. Liang Wei told us after the match that his strategy was 'shock and awe'- get after them quickly, put them on the back foot early, and see how it goes.

Sometimes, it can work. It's quite an aggressive way to take on a team that has multiple World Cup titles. But if they want to make the World Cup, they have to go for it, right? And fortunately, Nyowani Kitara brought their finishing boots. Odede Angonga, shockingly, scored the opening goal on the first strike of the game, waiting just 53 seconds from the opening whistle to put the Kitarans up, 1-0. The teams had barely gotten into the match. Fans were still finding their way into their seats. And still- 1-0. It would not be much longer for Angonga to double his tally, as in the seventh minute, he nailed a brilliant diving header to put that into the back of the net. It was shocking. Liang Wei's men had 83+ minutes to hold down the fort.

And that, they did do. It was an almost unnatural state- have you ever seen a Nyowani Kitara team defend like that? I promise, you haven't. They love to get forward- but the early goals just completely changed the trajectory of the match. But the Revolutionaries did strike back. ANd the defense was not perfect. They didn't concede until the 68th minute, when Tommy Sutton scored from close range, but the Kitarans held out. A number of big time saves late by Oduor Bigombe, and an all-time upset win to revive Nyowani Kitara's World Cup hopes. "We don't need traitors like Sundin and Ayange in our squad." Said Bigombe, celebrating after the match. "The 23 players we have, men and women alike- we should rely on each other. There is plenty of potential success ahead of us, we just have to go out there and grab it."

Unfortunately for the team, they followed that up with an extremely frustrating away loss to Taksylvania, by a score of 1-0. The match was punctuated by the hero on the previous night, Odede Angonga, who skied a penalty in the 37th minute on a night where the Kitarans simply did not bring their finishing boots. Despite that, the team's World Cup Qualification hopes are still out in front of them. The team is sitting in the center of one of the most competitive groups of World Cup Qualifying. With three games left, Nyowani Kitara sit in 4th place, at 19 points. While fourth ain't great, they sit just two points behind Eura and Chromatika, who are tied for 2nd place with 21 points. And just three points behind Rushmore's defending champions, Sargossa, who have 22 points.

The nice thing, is that Nyowani Kitara hold head-to-head tiebreakers over Sargossa(whom we beat twice), and Eura(whom we beat once and drew once), although Chromatika holds a tiebreaker over us(they beat us by 3 goals, although we have a rematch in Chromatika on Matchday 14). "All we can do is control what we can control." Liang Wei said. "Don't worry about the table- just take things one step at a time. What matters is how we hold out against Geisenfried and the Good Samaritans." The Kitarans beat both teams away from home in the first half of Qualifying, by one goal in each game- which forecasts a similarly close match for this Qualification window.

We'll play Geisenfried at the Thunderdome on Matchday 12, and the Good Samaritans at the Thunderdome on Matchday 13. "We need to go in with an underdog's mentality." Odour Bigombe, the goalkeeper, said. "If you assume you're going to win a match in World Cup Qualifying- well, that's when crazy shit happens. I saw even 5th ranked Banija not even make the Playoff last time out. Take nothing for granted. We've got a chance to earn three points, and we're going to have to go balls to the wall to get all three points against Geisenfried." If results go well, of course, that would leave a humungous matchup, on Matchday 14, when the team visits Chromatiika- where two former players, Arendt Sundin and Omollo Ayange, ran away to when they ran away from the pressures of playing for the national team.

But, focus on what is ahead. Like the team- the only thing that matters is their next two games. If they blow them, then a much-anticipated trip to Chromatika will be rendered meaningless. Geisenfried. Good Samaritans. And re-assess from there.

by **Mercedini** » Fri Jan 28, 2022 4:33 pm

90th World Cup Qualification
Group 10: The Final Countdown
@ Zoloroni Sports City Stadium - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to Mercedini Sports Daily for another instalment of our Qualification Roundup. It has been a bruising campaign for the Golden Eagles, and indeed for the rest of Group 10 as we close in on the final three games. Games have been won, lost and drawn all over the place in our group, leading to one of the closest finishes in recent memory. Currently, the Golden Eagles sit in a rather dismal FIFTH place with three games to go, with the funny quirk of having the same point and better goal difference than the team in second. It's a funny old game, but we thought we would take the time to break down the contenders in our group, how they got there, and their path towards greatness.

What's Mercedinian For 'What The F*** Is Going On In Here On This Day?' Learn Now On Bi.Lingo

Let's begin with another group and how it looks so far, and it's very clear to see that Group 10 will end in the blockbuster finish that most people had wanted. Never has there been a group featuring Mercedini that has been so close. In the past it's been close between to or three, maybe four, nations, but never the majority of the group still in contention for the automatic spot AND the playoff spot. While the top dogs have faltered, it has certainly been the group of the underdogs with the likes of the Ochre Islands, Kyzhurkistan and Soldera all punching above their weight with some stellar performances leading them to the top of the table.

*Group 10                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Kyzhurkistan                       11    6   2   3    16   15   +1    20
2 Ochre Islands                      11    6   0   5    14   15   −1    18
3 Jeruselem                          11    5   3   3    26   23   +3    18
4 Darmen                             11    5   3   3    25   22   +3    18
5 Mercedini                          11    5   3   3    21   15   +6    18
6 Soldera                            11    4   2   5    22   19   +3    14
7 Pluvia and the Saxean Isles        11    2   3   6    20   27   −7     9
8 The Gothanita Isles                11    3   0   8     9   17   −8     9

Moving to the actual group table, and it's Kyzhurkistan who have risen from the depths to lead the group with three games to go with six wins, three losses and two draws. They have been one of the more consistent teams in a very inconsistent group and is the team which looks most likely to earn a top two spot thanks to their current position and their final three opponents. Kyz will first have to navigate a six-pointer against the Ochre Islands before rounding out their campaign with games against Pluvia and the Saxean Isles, & Soldera. It would almost certainly be the underdog story of the World Cup, and it's not the first time Dini have had to give way to an unlikely underdog.

The second pillar to this story is the Ochre Islands, who sit second and would grab the playoff spot if everything ended now, a major event for the unfancied side at the beginning of the campaign. Currently the only team to do the double over Mercedini, they have been a team which has capitalised on teams underestimating them. They certainly haven't been the most consistent team in the group, evidenced by the fact that they have beaten the top seed twice, but still hold a 6-0-5 record overall. Their final three games are against Kyzhurkistan (as previously mentioned), Pluvia and the Gothanita Isles which is arguably the easiest run of any team left in contention. That's not good news for Mercedini, as their head-to-head versus Ochre will go against them in the event of a draw.

Next, let's review Jeruselem & Darmen together since their runs are largely overlapping. So far in the group, these high-ranked sides have had solid runs, but their biggest mistake has been failing to capitalise on the failures of the top seeds. Usually when the favourite on paper doesn't live up to expectation, the second and third seeds are waiting in the wings to sweep in and clear up. However, it's clear that what is effecting us is also effecting them, to a lesser degree. Both are on 18 points with a 5-3-3 record and a +3 goal difference, but their head to head record is what leaves them outside of the Top 2 with three games to go. Jeruselem will have to play Soldera, Darmen and Gothanita; while Darmen face Gothanita, Jeruselem and Mercedini. Darmen have the unique opportunity of having to play both of the top seeds in their final two games. Two wins and they pave the way for themselves to qualify for at least the playoffs, two losses and they have dropped out at the death. Jeruselem has an easier path, but the inconsistency of both has shown us the path isn't as easy as it seems on paper.

Finally, we've saved the biggest disappointment of the group so far, it's us! That's right, in true Dini-style, we have gone into a group as the top seed, and go into the final three games in fifth place. What started off with a big win over Jeruselem has petered out into what could be another Cup of Harmony berth. To say that Mercedini have been inconsistent thus far would be an understatement when their only chain of wins were their first two of the campaign. Since then, it's been disappointing draw after shocking loss after promising win after another disappointing draw. They hold a 5-3-3 record in the group and end their campaign with matches against Pluvia, Soldera and Darmen, the latter of which will likely be crucial to their Qualification chances. With two losses versus Ochre and one loss already to Darmen, Dini will either need everyone around them to trip up or for them to win their remaining games and hope head-to-head tiebreakers are in their favour. It is already twisted that under a system that ranks teams based on goal difference, they would be safely in second, but that's beside the point. These will be cycle-defining matches for the national team. It's likely either a return to the World Cup, or another post-Quals cycle in the Cup of Harmony, where they will be looking for a second title.

So that's the state of play of Group 10 as we reach the campaign's conclusion. Mercedini have two of the group's easier opponents to play next, that being Pluvia and Soldera. Two wins will put the ball firmly in their opponents' court, with Jeruselem & Darmen playing each other, as well as Kyzhurkistan and Ochre Islands playing each other too. The pieces are far from together for the Golden Eagles, but the next couple of match days could be the glue to stick it all together. We hope you will join us for all of the action and reaction to those games, as well as what that means for the very final day, where it all could be decided. Andiamo!

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