Cup of Harmony 82 [rosters/RPs/scores]

[Legalese]

When thinking of a party for the competition draw, one may envision bright lights, a stage, maybe even a red carpet and some celebrities; a night full of champagne wishes, caviar dreams, and as much panache as the cameras can take.

If one were to send a team full of teenagers to the Cup of Harmony, the draw party may look a little different. A room, a TV, a bunch of kids dressed casually, and some pizza and soda -- a break from the training diet, a little easier for growing kids to get away with.

But for now, the pizza would have to grow cold, as if it were being saved for breakfast. The room’s attention was focused instead on the TV wheeled into the room.

“Legalese will be in Group K…”

Arturo Aubry looked around at the crestfallen faces of his underage compatriots, and felt as if they had just been introduced to the concept of a grim man’s evening -- even if he was still at least a decade away from being old enough to experience one himself.

“Aw, Poafmersia! They almost made the World Cup!”

“And Eshialand! They’re really good!”

No mention of Guanacasteca, who also finished better in their group than Legalese, albeit on fewer points. This is going to be a tough group, Arturo thought, hoping his face would not betray the same.

Fortunately, his mind was occupied by a different emotion: confusion. Just one cycle ago, Legalese was on the cusp of qualifying for a World Cup -- they got in due to the situation in South Osettia, but otherwise would have fallen short had they not been taking on hosting duties in SO’s stead. Yet now, just four years later, here they were, playing against three nations that must be brand new to the occasion, and yet two of the three were ranked above Legalese.

He took a second to ponder the disconnect, before shaking it off as being so ridiculous, it couldn’t be true because it made no sense.

“Listen up, kiddos,” he said to the room. “We knew going into this that we’d be the underdogs. Hell, you’ve been facing that your whole lives. The first time you took the pitch, the Starblaydi side was so dismissive of you, they thought that four men could beat up on eleven elementary school kids. And what did you all do? You played them to a draw!”

“You know what to do when your backs are against the wall -- you push back and find your way forward. And these teams are just the teams to do that against -- both of the higher seeds like to attack as well, which means they’ll take some risks in the back, and make a mistake. What are we going to do?”

“Press the advantage!” The room cried.

Arturo smiled. Maybe I should get into this managing thing.

[PotatoFarmers]

Poafmersia's squad for CoH82

Other name: The Red Panjias (Panjia is the Poafmerian equivalant of a horse)
Kit Colours: Red, Orange

Poafmersia will present the following 23 players for the 82nd Cup of Harmony. Caps and Goals are still updating from the WCQ90/IAC14, where we didn't do much box scores

Num  Player Name         Age Pos(s)      Sex  Current Club                 Caps        Goals   Assists
1    Nicole Potts        29  GK          F    St. John's Arsenal (QUE)     24 (1)         0       0
12   Suzanne Trengove    32  GK          F    FC United of Mancodas        13 (0)         0       0
23   Shirou Amatore      28  GK          F    Kistina Galaxy               6 (0)          0       0

2    Mitchel Rosales     30  LB          M    Crisisbless (NPH)            50 (3)         3       0
3    Natalia Abbott      30  RB, DM      F    Dury FC                      51 (0)         1       0
4    Nasri Sanchez       33  CB, LB, LM  M    Bikarish                     77 (7)         4       0
5    Hollis Stephenson   31  CB          M    Sabrefell Athletic (NPH)     31 (5)         0       0
13   Ariel Casey         30  LB, RB      F    Mancodas Athletic FC         19 (0)         1       0
14   Diamond Byan        25  CB          M    Bikarish                     0 (0)          0       0
15   Ali Berger          28  CB          M    Mancodas City                3 (4)          0       0
16   Mac Rojas           29  LB, RB      M    Ausharmuj Marusi (FFD)       1 (3)          0       0

6    Michael Jackson     26  CM, ACM     M    Mancodas City                11 (3)         0       3
8    Min Berg            27  DM, CM      F    Mancodas Athletic FC         6 (2)          0       0
10   Lesia Astrauskas    26  CM          M    Trimidau Rukiya              0 (0)          0       0
17   Leonora Hall        27  LM, LW      M    Dury FC                      0 (0)          0       0
19   Sylvia Fusco        22  CM, DM      M    Fiskadaha FC                 0 (0)          0       0
21   Valentin Gotti      27  RM          F    Leiderkranz Ladies FC (CBP)  0 (0)          0       0

7    Aleka Dufour        31  CF          F    Dalaris City                 22 (5)         15      3
9    Makana Tuft         32  CF          M    Dalaris City                 56 (14)        46      8
11   Iulianus Innocenti  33  CF          M    Fiskadaha FC                 17 (9)         22      4
18   Kirsti Nieminen     30  CF, AM, CM  F    Dalaris City                 3 (3)          1       0
20   Agapito Murphy      27  CF          M    Mancodas Athletic FC         0 (0)          0       0
22   Jordan Huerta       28  CF, AM      M    Sarim Potato FC              7 (2)          1       1

Note:
*Stats might take some time to be updated.
*Player ages are as though the qualifiers are held before the 11th IFCF cycle, as it is in our calendar.

Captain: Makana Tuft
Vice-Captain: Nicole Potts
Penalty Taker: Iulianus Innocenti (1st), Aleka Dufour (2nd), Agapito Murphy (3rd)
Free Kick Taker: Michael Jackson
Corner Takers: The prevailing LB/RB (in the case of a 4-3-3) or LM/RM (in the case of a 3-4-3)

Head Coach: Adnan Suliaha, 60
Assistant Head Coach: Katiri Hedge, 66
General Playing Style: Being a nation which emphasises on fast paced attacking football, Poafmersia would prefer to attack rather then defend. The players can be quite aggressive in getting back the ball, yet they do not keep high amounts of possession and they are very good at making use of mistakes by the opposition team to punish the opponents. Although this team has a weakness in defending set pieces, they are more fond of scoring through set pieces. Another way of scoring is often pressuring opponents through high defensive lines. This team, however, is likely to push forward even more attack, going even further to try to score more goals. The more goals, the better.

Formations: 3-4-3, 4-3-3
Style Modifier: +3.142
Note: Please refer to preview before match to know the predicted lineup for the day. If one is not posted, you may utilise the last posted lineup, and make any enforced changes as you like. (due to injuries, suspensions, etc.)

Recent International Records
BoF 71: 3rd place, with a W-D-L ratio of 9-0-1, GF/GA of 34/12
WCQ 84: 3rd in Group 5, with a W-D-L ratio of 10-4-6, GF/GA of 45/36
CoH 76: Group Stage (3rd in Group 7), with a W-D-L ratio of 2-12, GF/GA of 14/12
IAC 9: 4th place, with a W-D-L ratio of 5-1-1, GF/GA of 22/13
WCQ 85: 5th in Group 15, with a W-D-L ratio of 13-6-5, GF/GA of 62/43
CoH 77: Round of 16, with a W-D-L ratio of 2-2-2, GF/GA of 10/11
IAC10: Champions, with a W-D-L ratio of 6-1-1, GF/GA of 18/9
WCQ 86: 3rd in Group 6, with a W-D-L ratio of 9-5-4, GF/GA of 36/30
CoH 78: Round of 32, with a W-D-L ratio of 2-3-2, GF/GA of 11/11
IAC 11: Champions, with a W-D-L ratio of 7-1-0, GF/GA of 19/9
WCQ 87: 2nd in Group 7 + PO Winners, with a W-D-L ratio of 13-4-3, GF/GA of 55/36
WC 87: Quarterfinals, with a W-D-L ratio of 2-0-3, GF/GA of 9/10
IAC 12: Quarterfinals, with a W-D-L ratio of 5-0-2, GF/GA of 26/5
WCQ 88: 1st in Group 5, with a W-D-L ratio of 14-3-1, GF/GA of 46/24
WC 88: Round of 16 with a W-D-L ratio of 2-0-2, GF/GA of 8/8
IAC 13: Quarterfinals, with a W-D-L ratio of 5-3-1, GF/GA of 19/10
WCQ89: 3rd in Group, with a W-D-L ratio of 12-2-4, GF/GA of 40/24
CoH81: Quarterfinals, with a W-D-L ratio of 7-3-2, GF/GA of 9/6
IAC 14: TBC
WCQ90: 2nd in Group 14 + PO Losers, with a W-D-L ratio of 9-3-4, GF/GA of 39/29
Overall: TBC

First Match: Poafmersia 8-2 Barfleur, BoF 71 Group Stage Matchday 1 @ Zwangzug
First Win: Poafmersia 8-2 Barfleur, BoF 71 Group Stage Matchday 1 @ Zwangzug
Biggest Win:
(Only WCC-sanctioned) Poafmersia 8-2 Barfleur, BoF 71 Group Stage Matchday 1 @ Zwangzug
(All) Poafmersia 8-0 North Alezia, IAC 12 @ Almuzahara
Heaviest Defeat:
(Only WCC-sanctioned)
Farfadillis 5-0 Poafmersia, WCQ 87 @ Farfadillis
(All)
Poafmersia 2-8 Commonwealth of Baker Park, International Friendly @ Poafmersia
Baker Park 6-0 Poafmersia, International Friendly @ Baker Park
Highest Scoring:
(Only WCC-sanctioned)
Poafmersia 8-2 Barfleur, BoF 71 Group Stage Matchday 1 @ Zwangzug
Shokpos 3-7 Poafmersia, WCQ 85 @ Shokpos
(Everything else)
Poafmersia 2-8 Commonwealth of Baker Park, International Friendly @ Poafmersia
Qasden 4-6 Poafmersia, International Friendly @ Qasden

Fans
Poafmersian fans are crazy about football, and their loud cheers ring about in the stadiums they visit. They are very willing to disturb the peace in the area to celebrate their win after matches, so matches are best held in the afternoon or early evenings. You can spot Poafmers booking large meeting rooms in hotels, going to bars in groups. Apart from that, they do pick up after themselves, and prevent causing much trouble apart from celebrating. You can be assured, however, that they would be traveling around to support their team, so do reserve half the spots in stadiums for them because they would pack it to the brim.

Home Stadium (if required)
For the entire duration of the qualifiers, Poafmersia will be playing their home games at the Libira National Stadium. To accommodate a rising interest in football, there was a slight layout change and stand refurbishment being done prior to the qualifiers, and as such, the stadium capacity has been increased to 70 thousand seated pax. The stadium is located in Fiskadaha City, capital of Poafmersia. To travel to the city, direct flights are provided from many major capital cities around the world. Within Poafmersia, however, public transport, such as trains and buses, are the preferred mode of transport, and there are rail lines available between Fiskadaha and many major cities in the country.

RP Permissions
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers - Yes
Godmod scoring events - Yes (Realistic events only, such as long range shots)
Roleplay injuries to my players - Yes (You determine what happened, I decide the severity.)
Godmod injuries to my players - Yes (As above)
Hand out yellow cards to my players - Yes
Hand out red cards to my players - Yes (1 more than what you give yourself)
RP any pandemic-related events - No pandemic exists in Poafmersia, or on Poafmers.
Godmod any other events - Yes (TG/Inform me before hand)
Note: If your RP permissions are more restrictive than mine, then I will take your RP permissions. (With the exception about the pandemic events)
I am very open to cooperative RPs, such as joint press conferences, match-side drama, out-of field events, etc. Do drop me a Telegram in-game (to this account or Poafmersia) or a DM on Discord (You can find me on the NS Sports Discord - Freg#0420).

[Nyowani Kitara]

NYK Manager & KWFA Executive Chairman Liang Wei in a meeting with President Nafuna Akongo

Liang Wei was in a position that was irregular, to be exact. There were not many countries where the manager also doubled as head of the country's FA. But after the previous Executive Chairman of the KWFA saw himself fired after his heavy-handed approach to players who publicly expressed opposition to Nafuna Akongo and her Government, Nafuna Akongo herself had that person fired and appointed Liang Wei as the interim Executive Chairman of the KWFA. After World Cup Qualifying was over, she decided to say screw it, and give him the full reigns. She saw that he was quite good at winning games, so he'd have popular support to be empowered. He was a strong supporter of her and Ren Qiang, so that was also helpful. But frankly, she didn't have time to conduct a search, nor did she really want to empower anyone else to do so.

Why was she so involved in the affairs of the KWFA? Whereas she came close to skirting WCC rules regarding state interference in football, she kept herself out of the day-to-day affairs of the KWFA. However, the KWFA, ironically, was not a body formed by an Olympic committee, or empowered by the state, or anything like that. The KWFA was actually formed, shockingly, by the Kitara Progressive Worker's Coalition itself. Formed in the early days of the KPWC, it was formed as a rival organization to the NYKFA, which was the governing body of the sport in the country at the time of the nation's workers revolution. Once the revolution was successful, of course, the NYKFA was dissolved, and the KWFA remained as the nation's sole football authorities. But the power structure did not change. It did not need to, in a sense. In a state with a dominant party system, what was the difference between party and state?

Of course, these were different days. Nafuna Akongo may have won the war, but she may not have won the peace- although she had ensured that her head would remain firmly on her shoulders, something which was not guaranteed if her brother had won the civil war. But the KWFA was, from a legal perspective, still a party institution- and with all the reforms to state that the party was busy making, nobody was really going to bother moving the KWFA's control from the party to the state. So Nafuna Akongo, in her role as General-Secretary of the Kitara Progressive Worker's Coalition, was the ex-officio President of the KWFA, and she held the power to appoint the KWFA's Executive Chairman. And she had appointed Liang Wei.

Which meant that, these two were to have a meeting. There were very few NT managers who functionally ran their nations FAs- which made him, in a way, his own boss. Was there a job more secure than Liang Wei's in all of international football? As long as Nafuna Akongo held power, then the answer was no. There were even fewer managers who regularly met with their nations head of state. But of course, this meeting wasn't even about politics. Liang Wei came to spend a majority of the meeting talking about how to revive domestic football within the country, and the two hashing a plan to get league football going. Nafuna Akongo was desperate for a return to normalcy, so bringing back domestic football would be a major benefit to her.

Return to normalcy, make sure it was connected on her end, make sure she was a visible part of it. Everything she'd do for nearly the next year was all part of the campaign strategy. But Liang Wei had one request for her.

"So, Comrade President." Liang Wei said. "I have a final request of you."

"Yes?" Nafuna Akongo said.

"Do you remember Wang Jiahui?" Liang Wei said. "I pointed him out to you a few years back, of course. The Yue footballer who stayed loyal to the revolution, to our comrade, Ren Qiang- may he rest in peace. The one who held that fundraiser back for the KPWC, towards the beginning of the war."

"Yes, yes I do." Nafuna Akongo said. "A loyal man, a good man. When we were teetering, he was out there, vocally supporting the cause. So much of the world was tricked by what they saw... They saw my idiot brother and that fool, Max Ulf, was revolutionaries. But Wang Jiahui was one of few who saw them for what they were. They are of the same cloth, really. Foreign puppets who are prepared to sell the country's soul off to the highest bidder. Malik to Busukuma, and Max Ulf to Hattmark."

"Well, I spoke to him." Liang Wei said. "He wants to get back into the international game."

"Really?" The President asked in a curious way. "I'm surprised. I was under the impression that he had disavowed representing Yuezhou for the rest of his days, since that government are the butchers of Ren Qiang."

"Oh yes, he absolutely has." Liang Wei said. "But he wants to represent this country." The President and Liang Wei simply stared at each other. "You have the ability to award citizenship for special services to the state, right? What's more special services than standing up in a country like Mytanija for your Government?"

The President was silent, so Liang Wei pressed his case. "Think of it like this. We lost Westermark. Unfortunately, we missed the World Cup. The story entering the Cup of Harmony may still be about the players who abandoned the national team. We need a right winger, with Westermark deciding to abandon Nyowani Kitara for greener pastures in Tikariot. But you grant Wang Jiahui citizenship- and now, the side is strengthened. We've got the potential to make the Cup of Harmony knockout stages for a second straight tournament. And with that... potentially make a run. The offensive firepower that we'd be carrying- it would be quite impressive."

"Alright." Nafuna Akongo said. "Call him up, bring him to Dewayo. You'll have your wish." Liang Wei beamed. "I've got one question, though. Is this legal? Will the WCC actually allow this?"

"Players get naturalized all the time!" Liang Wei said. "I'll handle the WCC. What are they gonna do- invalidate our roster? He'll be a card-carrying NYK citizen. It's not like we drew up a law regarding citizenship for special services to the state yesterday. That's a long-standing part of NYK law. Ergo, since it is a relatively normal process to get citizenship, they can't say shit." And that, was true. Whereas in some countries you could get automatic citizenship for investing large sums of cash, NYK had citizenship laws allowing for citizenship for 'special services provided to the state'. This was mostly used in the days of Zelotes Akongo, with pro-communist mercenaries who came to the state from neighboring countries to help put down the country's anti-Government protests at that time.

The meeting was over. Liang Wei was beaming. He had his man. Next stop? The Licentian Isles.

---

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. With recent legalization of opposition outlets within the country, its reach will inevitably decline, but in response it is doubling down on its loyalty to the President, and particularly, the party. Obviously, everything is strictly IC.

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

SPORTS- Wang Jiahui awarded NYK citizenship for 'special services to the state', will join NYK National Team ahead of Cup of Harmony 82


Liang Wei coaching on the touchline in Nyowani Kitara's 3-0 loss to Ethane in the second leg of the World Cup 90 Qualifying Playoffs

DEWAYO, NYOWANI KITARA- A new star footballer has made his way to Nyowani Kitara to don the red and black of this nation. Where did we find him, of course? Very recently, Wang Jiahui has not been playing international football. He declined to play for the United Republics, as he considers them an illegitimate government of Yuezhou- just like most of the freedom-loving people of that nation. They live, unfortunately, in what can only be described as an occupied nation, as the suits and capitalists who rule that nation are truly just puppets of larger capitalistic nations.

Meanwhile, he has been on the path to true stardom. At the club level, he has been dominant with Litala '93 in Mytanija. A country where two of our own play, with Odour Bigombe and Armoni Okombo also playing club football there, it is a country that is seen as friends of this nation, and this revolution. Mytanija has publicly declared its support for the KPWC and Nafuna Akongo's Government, and the President returned the favor, saying that the Mytanars are 'forever friends of the workers revolution'.

But very recently, his fortunes changed. With lobbying from manager Liang Wei, another Yue who is loyal to the late Ren Qiang, Wang Jiahui has been awarded citizenship in Nyowani Kitara for special services to the state. "Wang Jiahui, although he is not born in this country, has exemplified the exact type of character that you'd want in a Kitaran citizen." She said in a public ceremony. "He held a fundraiser for the KPWC in the beginning of the civil war- which is the special services that we speak of. Citizenship for that can be awarded at the discretion of the President, and of course, I have exercised that discretion. He was one of few foreigners who stood by the state when we were at the highest of falling, of our nation being overrun by despots like my brother."

In a short speech at the citizenship ceremony, he thanked the President and spoke about how excited he was at the prospect. "Today, I am able to call myself a Kitaran- a citizen of a nation that actually embraces the workers revolution. I will compete for the memory of a revolutionary like Ren Qiang, who fought for Nafuna Akongo's government to stay up. And I look forward to beginning that at the Cup of Harmony. I plan on joining camp, and then travelling with the team to The Licentian Isles ahead of our first game."

[Tikariot]

The studios of Tikariot Sports TV, two podiums are set up, one decked in red, the other in black, with a logo on the big screen in the background.

On the right side, outlined in red, a rather diminutive man in his 60s, a chock full of white hair to the shoulders, black rimmed glasses, who speaks first.

Blake Church: Good evening ladies and gentlemen, welcome to a new edition of Church vs. State and the burning question tonight: Did Tikariot deservedly not qualify for the World Cup 90?

To his left a tall, square man, bald, gold earring, black sunglasses, black suit, nods in acknowledgement.

Blake Church: For me the answer is: Yes.

Charles State: For me it's a no.

Blake Church: So we agree?

Charles State: Yes.

Blake Church: OK, thank you very much for tuning in, ladies and gentlemen, to our battle of the wits and strong arguments, hope to see you ag-- What do you mean "Are you joking?"

He looks past the camera, from where some agitated mumbling can be heard. He sighs and turns back to the camera.

Blake Church: What do you mean it's not enough? Usually you complain that we keep arguing too much and run out of time, now we finally for once agree on something and you're not happy either! Can you please make up your mind?

More off-screen mumbling.

Blake Church: Isn't that your job?

Mumbling.

Blake Church: But we--

Angrier mumbling.

BC (sighing): Ladies and gentlemen, I have just been informed by our producer that apparently despite our full agreement on the topic tonight, a borderline unprecedented occasion, we don't quite seem to have hit the "desired length" of our segment and to come up with something additional.

The dripping sarcasm doesn't seem to be helping the situation as the tone of mumbling from the off signals.

Charles State: How about the Cup of Harmony itself? Is it a tournament with full honours or "just" a consolation invitational for nations that did not make it to the World Cup?

Blake Church: Hm. Interesting idea, Charles, let's see where this will take us. So, since you came up with this, why don't you take the lead?

Charles State: Alright. I think it is a consolation invitational for nations that did not make it to the World Cup with full honours.

Blake looks over at his co-host with a blank look on his face.

Blake Church: OK, are you doing this on purpose now?

Despite his usual stoic self, Charles has a really hard time keeping a straight face.

Charles State: Oh, totally! Sorry, Blake, but you should have seen your face, so worth it! OK, but all seriousness aside, I think that it has its merit as a full-fledged tournament, even though I can see why some people view it as the "Losers' Cup," as I have seen it being described as.

Blake Church: Some people argue that it's just an inferior product even just by the fact that the 32 best nations will not be participating in it, no matter what.

Charles State: Well, I'd be careful with phrasings like this, because for one, as with many tournaments that require qualifying--and I am referring to the World Cup right now--there is a lot of luck of the draw for the group stages of qualifying as well as the exclusivity of the World Cup per se, which means that you will have a lot of nations on the outside looking in and for the other, just look at who will be participating in this Cup of Harmony, for example. Starblaydia, South Newlandia, Chromatika, Poafmersia, Tikariot, Savigliane, Mercedini, Omerica, Electrum, Trolleborg, Quebec, HUElavia, Krytenia, Savojarna--and that's just pot 1. Each and every one of these nations would not look out of place in a World Cup proper, some have even won the World Cup before, so say what you want, if you manage to come out victorious out of a field like that--and you have three more pots worth of strong opponents on top of it. You're not a loser, if you get through this!

Blake Church: I see your point and the names and quality surely is quite impressive, but I still feel that it's somewhat of a second hand competition, if you want, one that you enter, or rather accept an invitation if one is extended to you, but still only because you weren't good enough. So how much pride can you really have in potentially winning it and 55 of the nations will not even have that going for them. It just doesn't have the prestige.

Charles State: Let's see. Exhibit A: Ooh, we qualified for the World Cup! Sure, we lost all three of our games, didn't score a single goal and conceded 15, but still, we qualified! Exhibit B: We didn't manage to qualify, but we beat three other very good nations in the group stage and then five other very good nations through to win this trophy (or one or two less for those that fall somewhat short). As a fan of this nation I'd still be happy and proud of what they achieved and I would argue that most fans would think the same unless they'd be some entitled elitists that see it as their God-given right to be perennial qualifiers and cannot accept that sometimes others are just better or luckier or maybe both.

Blake Church: Now surely--

Charles State: Sure, anybody has a right to be disappointed not to have made it to the actual World Cup, but boohoo, it happens to the best sometimes. If it happens, you just shut up, hold on and buckle up for the ride of what's coming next, because if you give up then, you're nothing but a fairweather fan that maybe should rethink their status as a "fan".

Blake Church: Yes, but--

Charles State: But, my ass. It is what it is. If you didn't make it, you didn't make it, who cares about what the reasons were? Nothing you can do anymore, focus on what you still have influence over. Get a new coach, swap out some players, fire the whole board, burn down Reneegrad, wait, that wasn't related to this, nevermind that then, but look forward!

Blake Church: Well, you--

Charles State: And as a fan other than complaining you don't even have influence over this--and I am not endorsing people picking a stadium and turning it to shreds or cinders, #keepyourpawsoffyourstadium--, but you just try what you can to support your team in the next step. Just like a real fan would do. I rest my case.

Blake Church: Alright, so now I can--

Some mumbling from the off can be heard and at the same time the look on Blake's becomes both bleaker and angrier.

Blake Church: Oh, so now suddenly we're out of time? Are you kidding me?

He takes his notes and throws them into the air, scattering them around his podium as he walks off the set. The camera moves between him and State before settling on the bulky man.

Charles State: So looks like we did reach the end of our discussion here tonight, feel free to send in your thoughts on the Cup of Harmony, we'd love to read them. That's it from us, well, me, but make sure to tune in next time and maybe I'll let Blake talk a little more then. Good night and stay safe!

[Saint Eleanor]

Could Saint Eleanor's next star midfielder already be a household name?
William Simon, one of our many Deputy Football Correspondents, casts his eye towards the beautiful monarchy of Atoccia and one of its more unexpected footballing prospects
Originally published on Sunday 2nd August 1998

It would be safe to say that - like many other areas of the squad - the national team's centre midfield is aging and almost in desperate need of a rebuild. Harriet Williams turns 29 on Monday, the day after Saint Eleanor's first group game against Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom; her classmate Alice Christopher follows suit in January. James Trott is not only on the precipice of his 34th birthday, older than any of the Esportivans in red and yellow, but has been widely criticised for being lacking in creativity or simple grit too.

Only 20-year-old Steve Pilchard, an instant Occidental Olympic fan favourite, looks or feels like a regular starter beyond the next half a decade or so. Yet he has only been guaranteed a couple of Cup of Harmony starts in an attempt to placate the FA board, rather than to delight the 7,000 Eleanorians who have the misfortune of holidaying in Montaña Verde this August. This would surely imply that there is a major hole next to him that must be filled sooner rather than later. But not too soon.

The lack of urgency surrounding this situation came to this reporter while enjoying a double-shot espresso along the somewhat more peaceful coast of Atoccia, a constitutional monarchy located on the peninsula of the same name which boasts of nearly two million inhabitants. Just sixty miles away is the island state of Clarine, which has similar constitutional circumstances yet is much richer and has seven times the population. Although neither country is registered with the World Cup Committee, to say that Atoccia makes up for their underdevelopment with a deep love of football would be a gargantuan understatement.

Fast facts about Atoccia

Location: West of Clarine (Saint Eleanor: northern Anaia)

Area: 1,674mi² (Saint Eleanor: 2,913mi²)

Population: 1,712,810 (Saint Eleanor: 456,327)

Capital city: Cotadora, population 156,187

Head of state: King Andrew IV, age 45

Currency: the Atoccian dollar

Flag:

Much like Saint Eleanor city, it has a well-oiled football structure at the high school level (packed into seven convenient divisions of sixteen, almost every Saturday of term at 1pm) as well as for adults. This sounds simple when you can drive from the southernmost Cape of Dignity to the Atoccian capital of Cotadora in ninety minutes, and then to the border in another twenty, although trains are available. It becomes simple when you realise that you'll spend that journey on the A1, which has more roundabouts than humanely necessary, each directing you to the towns around the peninsula and maybe a fuel station on the side. More so since the peninsula is 110mi (180km) long but only 15mi (24km) wide, almost as flat as a pancake, and surprisingly dense.

That I even managed to find a quiet spot in one of the capital's many cafés, especially after the National Academy's rampant 4-0 win against the Northern Cotadora School, is remarkable. The score was unsurprising: this is the Northerners' first season in Division 1 since 1964, and they have lost 80% of their games so far. The Academy is Atoccia's only selective school, has a longstanding focus on extracurricular activity as well, and has never finished outside the top six in 91 years. Yesterday afternoon was, in fact, largely an excuse for a couple of bored Atoccian scouts and I to focus on Sylvia Hollenberg - or, to use her Sunday name, Her Royal Highness Princess Sylvia of Atoccia.

Princess Sylvia is next in line to the throne and arguably the third most famous living Atoccian, after her father King Andrew IV and prime minister Mark Hallbridge. You are certainly expected to deliver whenever you appear in public if you are this important, even on this scale, and deliver she did. As if carrying out the basic tasks of possession, distribution, and interception were routine to her, which they frankly were, she scored from fifteen yards out with half an hour gone: given too much green space by the NCS centrebacks, who were easily distracted by a badly-positioned Academy front line, she received a cross from the left wing, cushioned the ball on her chest, hit a right-footed volley forwards without much fuss and watched on as her shot struck the underside of the crossbar and landed securely in the back of the net. Even she couldn't believe her luck.

It could well have been five without reply towards the end. After a short move from a throw-in, Sylvia holds up play for a bit and then drags the ball away from a wide player cutting inwards at exactly the right moment. She passes to the Academy's other central midfielder, who - to his surprise - manages to slide the ball to their overlapping right-back; she, in return, gives it back to Sylvia, once again the beneficiary of sloppy Northerner defending as she glides past a couple of their players before donating it to the taller of her team's strikers.

Gathering the future monarch's through pass with his first touch, the Academy's target man inches towards goal with his second and cannons it into the side netting with his third, all the while probably dreaming of the hat-trick that could and should have been. If you knew nothing else, surely you must have been convinced that this woman was destined for much greater things. There are some bright young midfielders in the Saint Eleanor League, but few can hold a candle to Pilchard, never mind the Princess.

That Sylvia was born in May 1981 to King Andrew and his wife, Queen Rebecca, is widely known. What fewer people realise is that Rebecca is actually an Eleanorian citizen who left the country for Atoccia in 1977, the year of Pilchard's birth, and married into the royal family two years later. Some say they met on the very balcony I was perched at this Saturday, but that is irrelevant: Sylvia is a perfectly valid citizen of both Atoccia and Saint Eleanor and - whisper it quietly - may well find herself drawn towards representing the Eleanorians should her football career progress further, even should this come at the cost of infuriating some Atoccian loyalists (or at least those who had not already written the cause off after October 1996, when she was first pictured with her blonde hair cut above her shoulders).

My compatriots have taken notice. In a presser last week, although Sword and Shield were detached from the University of Saint Eleanor long ago, manager Abraham Straw urged Sylvia to attend the Uni from 2000 regardless "so she can get a good education and do what she really loves at a high level." At least nominally, Sylvia declined a post-match interview, but was surprisingly willing to offer a few words: saying that she "had a good game" (an assessment I fully agreed with), helpfully clarifying that "I'd like to study and think about my options, what I can do while my dad's still around," over the next two years and - of course - predicting that "I think Saint Eleanor are going to have quite a nice summer."

Many have tried to draw comparisons between Sylvia and Princess Laura, herself the 24-year-old heiress to the Clarinean throne - but, although they share a dry sense of humour, a sincere desire to become relatable royals, and (should certain news outlets be believed) a penchant for drinking coffee, such parallels are otherwise often grossly unfair. Laura's father has well-documented fitness issues and always seems to be no more than a month away from passing; Sylvia's is perfectly healthy and will likely serve for a few more decades. Laura has surprisingly little interest in football, preferring to pay attention to swimming and the occasional, verging on stereotypical, spot of horse-riding. She has no obvious Eleanorian connections on top of that, either. I know who I'd be having on my team if I were Straw - or, for that matter, Priscilla Evans.

[Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom]

RekanSport
Cup of Harmony 82 Preview
By Xaver Lulling

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After a difficult qualifying campaign, Zeta Reka sat in the lower half of the table. A growing discomfort has been shown to head coach Jialan, who has to perform remarkably to continue his gig. The lineup for the Cup of Harmony sees three changes to the first choice ranks, some minor quality of life adjustments to the tactics, and a desire to be a success again. Can Zeta Reka make it through Cotata, and all the way into Montfort?

Keeper Zlatko Wukowić returned to the starting rotation. The Lonngeylin City man moved up at the expense of the domestically stationed Dejan Wasić. The pair’s rivalry has grown more intense according to reports, but neither man has made any comments to the press, or on social media. Wasić did however, cite “unforeseen circumstances” to explain not appearing in Montaña Verde. The former starter Wukowić will be eager to reassert dominance of the number one shirt. Should injuries become a factor, Aleksander Basilić of Sword could prove useful, but he is still a green horn. Veteran keeper Andrejow Werisokić was selected as the third keeper, and has height on his side for sure.

With immense success the center back trio was unshifted. A defense that kept opposition nations from scoring had to be rewarded. The other sides scored a goal per game. After a snag in qualifying, starting players chosen proved to be more useful down the middle than others. Wing back Zaur-Luka Igorić had a row with head coach Jialan. The ever confident Igorić was booted onto the bench for Yuri Kewić, who had nothing but class performances in qualifying. Ali Faruq was a notable snub. The older S-FPL player ended up not impressing Zeta Reka's braintrust. The opportunity for fellow Farf signee Barto Milosawljewić is immense. Another low cap player, Sigmund Hafner proved competent for Jialan, and was selected again.

Perhaps the biggest change to the side was out of Jialan’s control. Stani Gröss announced an end to his captainship. Stani will remain a starter, but this could be strictly on paper. Nikola Branić continues to rise through the ranks, and may take over the Rekan midfield soon. The central midfield pairing, with one a tad forward, is continuing, but wild man Marko Zup moving to the bench for Aleiusia Capital upstart Tim Ulrich. “Zup was playing too much in the center,” an unnamed staff member told RekanSport. In addition, Stanimir Rekawić will need to prove his active national team career is not a fluke. Wladoslaw Dorboslawić, young brother of a former national team starter, will play in his second CoH event as a utility player with a full toolbox.

The front two remarkably went unchanged. Fenstermacher Schwartzhammer and Bogdan Rawić are top producers for the side despite stylistic limitations. Scwartzhammer continues to be Zeta Reka’s most physically gifted player. Fen, as he's known to the locker room, employs explosive, rugby like, athletics with the instincts to avoid offside calls. Rawić scored a double in qualifying, and has a cool 69% combined goal and assist ratio all-time. Not bad for the nation’s all time most capped player. Fittingly, Rawić is now the team captain in a major event. Backups Jakow Krstowić and Wladmir Kazi are not often seen, but both played hard in the Rekan league. Krstowić was making a few cameos for Zeta Reka and usually scoring.


Overall, the side is a counter attacking and counter pressing team. Maneuvers to win the game will be swift, without milling around the pitch. The tactical outlook of the Rekan side is thus not shifting, “The personal are not being trained in significantly different ways,” an unnamed source told RekanSport, “However, some players have been told to change their decisions.” As an example, defenders were in the hot seat for poor tackles, “No commenters [sic] were for me,” claimed one anonymous player from the team in a past article, “But an order was given as not to collect foolish cards again.”

The center backs will continue to be early ball players when the keeper has possession. Djordjewić and Kewić will be entrusted with a lot of defensive duties as the opposition sides will be forced wide. On top of needing to be solid crossers. Stani Gröss will be a less defensive man according to pundit predictions, according to RekanSport tactician and former Federal Football League winning coach Petar Luwić “Gröss was better in the role deeply helping the playmakers. Age is an issue now, and he’ll need to pick battles more.”

The more attacking members of the side, or creators like Stanimir Rekawić, will still need to follow the pressing triggers laid out by Lu Jialan. As attackers, their ability to move into counter attacking spaces will be just as vital. Moving into space is doubly important for Tim Ulrich, who has a lot of ground to cover. “I’m concerned,” Luwić said to RekanSport, “There isn’t one playmaker, is it Ulrich? Perhaps Rekawić? Even Bogdan Rawić plays like a false nine some days.” The forwards also need to harass the backline. The agility and pace of Rawić contrasts with Scwartzhammer’s power.

RekanSport Minibox

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Cup of Harmony 82, Group C

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MD1: Starblaydia vs. Delaclava — ZR&H vs. St. Eleanor
MD2: Delaclava vs. St. Eleanor — Starblaydia vs. ZR&H
MD3: ZR&H vs. Delaclava — St. Eleanor vs. Starblaydia

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Nation         GP  W  D  L  GF GA GD PT
1 Starblaydia   0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0
2 ZR&H          0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0
3 St. Eleanor   0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0
4 Delaclava     0  0  0  0   0  0  0  0

The team and tactics of side are looking respectable, but what is the goal for the tournament? For columnist and tv presenter Djoko Weljkowić, the goal appears clear, “Lu Jialan was hired to qualify for a World Cup,” Weljkowić said, “He hasn’t, but he may be able to argue his system works, if he can do better in the Cup of Harmony than any other Rekan team.” To meet Weljkowić’s standards, Zeta Reka would need to do better than Cup of Harmony 80’s top sixteen finish, and probably want to win the group too. Zeta Reka was a round out of the top sixteen in CoH 81, and finished second behind the suns from Barunia.

Winning a group over Starblaydia? Football fans have seen odder Reka-Starblaydi moments before.

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RekanSport Top 6:

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• Cup Of Harmony 82 Preview Special Free Article
• Ogroven's People of Sport Editorial by First Deputy Jurica Vasiljević
• Transfer rumors; Aleiusia, Porto Nowi, and more!
• Former NT player hints at basketball comeback
• Breakaway league rumors in two sports
• Der Berg PREMIER breaks season ticket record

Free Articles remaining this month: 5

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Home — Contact — Jobs — Legal — Cookie Policy — Languages (English — Rekan — Hügeltalian)

[Muralos]

OOC note and possibly over-the-top disclaimer: My RPs about players' mental states touch on mental illness and are based on my own experiences with mental health trouble IRL. They may be triggering as a result. Also, I am not a therapist or psychologist; the things that Muralosian NT players do should not be considered medical advice, even though they are based on personal experience.

A quick skim through this RP from the JRC gives a little extra context for this RP too.

~ ~ ~

It was 8 a.m. on a Monday, and Valora Lin was in the bedroom of her apartment in Urbego. The winter sun streamed through her curtains. If she were to draw them back, she would see the park outside her apartment complex dotted with exercise structures for people of all ages: ones with two swinging platforms you stand on to walk back and forth, ones with a moving bar you can grab onto and pull toward yourself while lying down, ones with handles you grasp as you run on a row of spinning cylinders on an incline, mimicking the effect of a treadmill. A little off to the side were some children's play structures: a twisting slide, a spinning structure kids could sit on, a jungle gym. It was February, and all of these things were covered in snow that had fallen before, when Lin was at her parent's home for Lunar New Year.

Just days ago, Lin thought that she wouldn't have to worry so much anymore. How was Lunar New Year just days ago and not a century ago? The warmth of her parents' homemade dumplings, the adrenaline boost she got from playing a Muralosian-made Kleptochase video game against her brother (Ludovico, who competed in the Kleptochase event of the Vilitan Mountain Games not long ago), the comfort she felt looking at the falling snow and the festive new year messages that lined the doors - all those things felt like such distant memories. Even more distant were the World Cup qualifiers. The Hawks may have lost that day, but the energy she felt scoring the indirect free kick against Pemecutan was exhilarating... in the moment, not after it dissipated. To Lin today, it was a memory she could vaguely treasure but couldn't mobilize in the way she wanted; it couldn't boost her self-esteem or quell the anxiety and frustration she felt in the moment.

Valora Lin thought she would finally climb out of the hole she had been in for a while, but it was not to be. Sure, she was able to feel happiness and excitement much more intensely than before, but she still felt like something was amiss. That same desire of hers was burning, to return to the Valora Lin of late 2020. Could she go back to that state of mind? Was she getting there? Of course, she knew she couldn't answer any of that, as painful as it was to admit.

The worst thing about these questions is that you can't give them satisfactory answers. In fact, you really shouldn't. Lin thought of it like scratching a bug bite or popping a zit – yes, it's your first impulse to do those things, but you'll wind up with something much nastier if you do them. If Lin were to tell herself "I'm fine! Everything is fine, really!" ..... she would then have to work overtime trying to continually convince herself of that.

She could at least, while lying on her back and still enjoying the soft sunlight, think a little bit about the groupmates Muralos would face in the upcoming Cup of Harmony. The Muralosian manager Koltakov had sent ten long voice messages to all the Hawks about his thoughts on the group draw, but Lin hadn't opened them yet, and she preferred to meditate on the draw herself, anyway. A stream of unrelated thoughts flowed through her mind first: This used to be much easier. This used to be much more exciting. No, I can't think like that if I still want to play soccer. I still want this, right? This matters to me, right? Okay, enough. She reached for a nice Muji pen and her daily journal, and began to write.

• Tikariot (highest ranked in group) - super attacking. We did beat them in a friendly once okay, stop getting sentimental!!! strong attack, strong defense, will do just about anything to create a chance. Best bet against them is to play just as attacking, make sure we keep ball on our attacking 3rd much as possible, keep possession amongst attackers and not wear out defense as much. Need to block and make passes to Adamo, Rui, even midfield when playing them, for best scoring chances. Must be unselfish. Pressure is still a lot. [drawing of a faucet with a few water droplets coming out, in reference to that song]
  
• Geektopia (second highest ranked) - some vulnerability in defense (well, in two people really)... they're otherwise a strong team. Super attacking as well, really picked things up in the 2nd half of WCQs... W against Drawkland is a big deal and they finished 3rd in their WCQ group.
  Will be important for midfield to defend, even block throw-ins specifically - a lot of their plays seem to be made this way. Then creating as many chances from crosses once midfield does its thing. I think I could be slightly more selfish against them.
  
• Cabo Azure (third highest ranked) - not as consistent as the other two but they held their own against Banija and Brenecia.
  DEEP BREATHS
  Notably good goalkeeping, so that might call for shots from range and with enough speed and arc. Something to practice again once everyone gets in the swing of things. Branco is one to watch because HE CAN SCORE. Defense needs to simulate this in scrimmage. How to defend an attacking defender?
  
  Note for all teams: attack mindset but ofc defense will do their thing and do it really well. Should also remember to create chances for defense to score, if possible or desirable. Ryo is probably best for this, Rebeka and Aminda up there too.
  
  Other note: What are the other teams saying about us?

Lin stretched. She felt accomplished. She could have sworn that at one time, after musing about stuff like this, she would also become absolutely euphoric and excited, and she was ready to mourn the momentary loss of that feeling. Still, she left her bedroom and got to making some breakfast: millet congee and some scrambled eggs with mixed vegetables and mushrooms. She would lift with the rest of the Hawks, run, breathe, chat with an old friend, jog in place on one of the playground structures at sunset for fun, and things would not be half bad, at least.

[Gyatso-kai]

╠A JOURNEY THROUGH THE PORTAL╣
A Multi-part Series

.:: TABLE OF CONTENTS ::.

|Chapter I | Chapter II | Chapter III | Chapter IV | Chapter V | Chapter VI | Chapter VII |

::: Office of the Director, The National Institute of Cartography and Vexillology, Fengxian District, Republic City, Gyatso-kai :::
1020 hours, 30 January 2022.1

Standing in the Director of the National Institute of Cartography and Vexillology’s office was not the way Commander Shercru Li had wanted to spend her morning. Sure, the impressive marble columns and dark oak accents in an otherwise obsidian room were design choices she could appreciate, but this was not how she was supposed to start her day. Rather, she was supposed to be enjoying a quiet day away from her own ‘Institute’ as it were – the Institute of Multi-Verse and Temporal Studies – where she had been continuing her research on multi-verse travel and displacement for nearly five months interrupted; the idea of shifting someone from one multi-verse to another and then back. Over the last several years, Li had seen over two dozen people who had ‘jumped’ across multi-verses, each one having all the memories of a life in a ‘Gyatso-kai’ that was not the one she had known for the thirty-six years of her life. Each Gyatso-kai was different and their history just as varied; from one where The Avatar no longer existed to one where The Avatar was a dictator ruiling through an iron fist, to one where each of the Home Nations was independent and the ‘Great War’ was still ongoing.

I wonder what they think of our home… our Gyatso-kai…

As Li paced, listening to the Deputy Director of the NICV talk to a few other more clandestine members of various organisations all surrounding a large digi-table displaying all sundry of images, she could not help but look to the only person in this room she could trust. Lin Zhao, a former ‘subject’ of hers who, after leaving the institute following his arrival, had joined the military and climbed the ranks, only to find himself in the midst of one of the NICV’s most exciting times. He had come from a Gyatso-kai that was drastically different than the one he landed in; a collection of islands that spanned tens of thousands of kilometres across the eastern expanse of Atlantian Oceania, his Gyatso-kai was one most impressive. There were dozens of Earth Kingdoms – er, sorry, Earth Republics – that Li had never even heard of, a multitude of Mandalorian Clans that Zhao could name that she knew nothing about. His own handdrawn map was something Li studied the weeks that Zhao was at the institute, and she found it utterly fascinating. To think of all the great history that nation had – especially with an Avatar who was not Aang, but rather, an unknown Watertribe child who was but six years old and not yet revealed – and all of the great stories she was sure Zhao could tell. Yet, as far as she knew, Zhao had all but forgotten his life in that Gyatso-kai, and instead had fully integrated into his new life. Back in his multi-verse, Zhao had been going to the Omashu State University with the hopes of earning his bachelor’s in History and eventually becoming a professor. Now, he had ditched his dream and found a new one; serving in the Grand Army of the Republic, obtaining the rank of Captain, and being deployed to the NICV, first as the head of the security detail in 2021.1, and now a special assignment in Cartographical Research that saw him reporting directly to the Head Director of the NICV.

Impressive for someone who had so much fear over life in this new world at the start…

”Commander Li, what do you think?”

Li shook her head, bringing herself out of thought and back to the present. The Deputy Director of the Earthbending Corps of Agricultural Development looked to her for imput, and she was a bit lost. Zhao Feng was an impressive man, especially when he wore the dark greens and blacks of the ECAD uniform, heightened by the long silver dao at his hip – ceremonial, I am sure – and his voice filled the room. Li smiled, before looking to the map displayed on the table.

”Such a project has never been undertaken before in our history.”

“But is it possible?”

“I honestly don’t know, General,” Li addressed Zhao by the rank he had held in the Grand Army before leaning on the digi-table that was displaying all sorts of various temporal calculations and maps of Gyatso-kai. ”The idea of creating temporal anomalies specifically for the purpose of bringing a person through from another multi-verse is one thing… but to bring entire landmasses…”

“Would be an entirely different undertaking,” Lin interjected, his own voice breaking through the silence of a room focused on Li. ”Not to overstep my limit here, but as the person here who has travelled from another multi-verse… The portal I went through…”

“Was just over two metres in diameter,” Li jumped back in, ”And as far as we can tell, entirely naturally-occurring. What temporal portals we’ve created so far within our labs have been a metre or so in size, and never stable long enough to get anything through them.”

“What about the ponyists?” Zhao spoke, standing from the table before turning back. Not often would Li hear of The Ponyist Realms and its inhabitants brought up. Ever since the arrival of the ponyist refugees in 2012.2, they had mostly kept to themselves, finding peace in an autonomous region known as the Ponyist Realms, and seldom would they venture outside of those areas. Li had interacted plenty with the ponyists, and had seen more than her fair share of their powers on display throughout the years, and she knew where Zhao was going. Zhao cleared his through before stepping closer once again. ”We have had experience with them before and the use of their portals.”

“Yes, to cross our current multi-verse, not to jump between them,” Li spoke before taking a stylus from her breast pocket. A quick flick and she cleared the map that was on the table and began drawing. A group of three circles were in a line – labelled Rushmore, GKI ‘, and Esportiva – with green arrows between them. Above and below the central circled labelled GKI ‘ where two other circles – labelled GKI ‘’ and GKI ‘’’ – with red arrows between them and the center circle. ”Currently, each region is in its own ‘verse, which is why we have termed it the ‘multi-verse’, and travel between the two is easily doable. We are on the same plane of the infinite multi-verses, and as far as testing has shown, every living thing on this plane all resonates on a specific frequency, which allows us to essentially fit like puzzle pieces through the portals between regions without any ill effects…”

“But there are those who do get sick on regional travel,” stated the Director of the NIVC, a portly man by the name of Kimura Halldor, as he looked to the drawing. ”Is there a reason?”

“The best we can tell, Director, is that those people naturally resonate at a slightly different frequency; just barely detectable by our instruments, but just enough that when they go through the portal, they experience very minor side effects similar to those we have witnessed in our ‘temporal jumpers’ as they’ve called themselves.”

Lin shivered slightly, no doubt remembering his own experience when he first came through. Li remembered it all too well; the time displacement, the phasing through floors and walls, the non-stop sickness and memory-loss. Li always felt horrible for the ones she had met – twenty-eight in total since first joining the Institute– and she always sought to treat their sicknesses first before dealing with the psychological effects of winding up in a new ‘dimension’ as Lin was found of saying. Better to have a strong mind and then worry about the logistics.

”Would it be possible to change the frequency of an entire island? To flood it with those particles…what are they…”

“Chronitons.” Li interrupted. ”And could we flood an area with them? Yes, but we have no idea what would happen… and then of course there are the moral implications…”

“Moral?” asked Zhao as he turned from the table and brought his eyes on Li.

”Yes, General, moral,” Li nodded before swiping the digi-table clear. ”The idea of bringing an entire landmass through a temporal portal is one thing, but to subject everyone on that island to the physical and psychological dangers of temporal and special displacement…”

“Having experienced it,” Lin sighed, ”It is not exactly a fun experience and would put an incredible burden on the IMVT as well as the Republic Health System budgets that are already stretching under funding issues…”

Zhao seemed to wave them off before Kimura reached for the digi-table. ”The fact of the matter is, this is something that has been suggested and discussed from us all the way to the top of the Council of Nations. The idea of increasing our territorial and political influences is not something the Council is taking likely…”

“But, there is a possibility that, Lin was quick to jump in, ”should we shift some entity into our multi-verse, they may not be supportive of our agendas, or even aligned with us on any terms. For all we know, we could shift over a very hostile entity.”

“We are talking something a third of our size…” Zhao dismissed the concern, but Lin was not going to give up. She knew the implications of such an endeavor, and could only wonder why the Council of Nations would have discussed such a plan and not thought to bring up the inherent moral dilemma with it. She sighed, leaning into her chair and looking directly to the standing general on the opposite side.

”And we have no idea what military assets that entity could have, what technology level they are at. Who knows… We might shift over some neolithic people or the entire nuclear arsenal of a warmongering Avatarian Empire.”

Kimura raised an eyebrow, the words ‘nuclear’ and ‘Avatarian Empire’ had definitely caught his attention, and the look on Zhao’s face was just as indignant as it was before. Li knew she needed to drive home the point, as clearly no one had bothered to consult her Institute about this plan, and suddenly there was an air bison-sized hole blown straight through this plan that she needed to keep open and not allow it to be shuffled beneath a bureaucratic cover-up .

She needed to get Guo Jingyi on the line...

[Brookstation]

RANKING BROOKSTATION'S TRANSFER WINDOW
PART-I

This video was uploaded on Wetube on Scott Parker's channel.

Disclaimer: Everything mentioned in the video was based on my personal opinions. Anything in this video doesn't reflect on the Brook Football Association's or the Twin Premier League's opinions.

Right so welcome back to the channel - your boy is back with another new video. My name is Scott Parker and I make videos on everything related to sports. So if you are a Brook and a sports lover, go and change the colour of the subscribe button.

As we all know, it's time for the fourth season of the Twin Premier League and that means it's time for yet another transfer window review. Let's take a look at all the clubs and rank them between 1-10.

AC Dason

AC Dason made a number of sensible moves this season starting with Donnaconan national Greyson Gregoire. Gregoire is a good and talented footballer and he is a player who intelligently plans the game. His move to Dason will be a blessing for the club and this move is definitely a good substitution for Michail da Costa who departed the club for FC 69 Norweigan wood. Alongside Banfi and Villaverde, Gregoire is definitely going to bolster the midfield of the team. Maxwell Diakhate had a terrible season and spent most of his time on the bench owing to the large number of injuries he suffered. They needed to find a striker to fill up that empty spot and thus we saw Daniel Kerlov making a move to this club. Something which must be appreciated is the way in which the club planned everything out and made up for the players they lost. Daniel Kerlov is a good player but his age is not a positive factor. This would imply that Kerlov won't be able to stay on field for the entire duration and thus they needed a substitute. But my man, Alexander Pale had everything planned out and he immediately ran after Johan Edling of Essidise who eventually made the move thus giving Dason their replacement for Kerlov. The only loss they could not make up for was losing their best defender Kearyn Caceres who made a quite late move to Steinaux in Graentfjall. Well, buying a replacement on the last day of the window is practically impossible but with the new signings, the club definitely has a bright future ahead of them. A brilliant window for them which is why they deserve third place.

AFC Richmond

AFC Richmond, a.k.a the club which has always reminded us of the power of money. A club that found themselves in the Thrid Division managed to reach the Twin Premier League. After supposedly completing their mission, they set out for their debut season in the TPL completing the most number of transfers. Well, money doesn't serve every purpose and eventually they had to see a terrible finish to their debut season. However, they still managed to retain their position in the TPL (I guess we know how ?) thanks to the conference. But they won't be satisfied until and unless they have the trophy with them and thus they made another round of transfers with the surplus money in possession. Their biggest transfer was probably buying Sylestonean striker Mukkhali Ratnasingham from North Chamberley. North Chamberley managed to get promoted to the Toilet League in Sylestone and Mukkhali had definitely helped his team to that title. He is a young player and thus he will be a good option playing alongside Higginsbottom and Leonhardsen. I really don't know why but for some reason they decided to sign Quincy Poe. I mean, what the hell ? Quincy Poe had a bright future ahead of him and suddenly he decided to make a move to AFC Richmond just for money. Poe wouldn't be the starting option for their team and that is not something a young player would be looking forward to but anyway it's his decision after all. However, Poe would be a good substitute and thus AFC Richmond would have a number of players to come to the rescue if anything goes wrong. Apart from that they also signed Manuel Ansaldi from AC Dason who is going to be another substitute striker. They also acquired a second goalkeeper, Jose Carter from Moukamthorpeles. They needed some money though, which resulted in Stefan Diev making a move to champion club Dreamland City. Well they lost a young potential defender and a brilliant striker Soren Rhine and Markus Lekas who was not satisfied with Richmond and he departed from Astena Rangers and Essidise Titans respectively. So one thing that I would like to tell them is it is necessary for any club to provide proper facilities and game time to the young players because they are the ones who are the future of the team. Overall, their transfer window was good but they made a lot of unnecessary transfers as well and to put it in short, they deserve seventh place.

Clube de Norweigan wood

Clube de Norweigan wood, the club which finished last in the previous season. Firing their manager, Tomas Mader would just be their first move in reforming their team.
Apart from that they needed to bring in new players. They signed youngster, Daniel Muller from The 14 Stars, who is going to be the replacement for Brook international, Ashton Must who announced his retirement last December. Apart from Ashton Must, there was another man, Gregory Hammond who was not able to handle the depression of that terrible season and he also decided to retire from the sport. They were able to find the replacement for Hammond and signed Nakamura from Poafmersian club, Dalaris City. Nakamura is a national team player for Hebitaka. He has a habit of launching balls from the back and prefers to stay wide. This was perfect for the club as Norweigan's playing style is more or less similar. One of their best defender who had been playing for the club for around a decade, departed the club for their arch rivals FC 69 Norweigan wood. This move had definitely caused a lot of controversy and Brown is now considered as a traitor in Norweigan wood. I really like that player and I sincerely hope his career doesn't get affected due to these reasons. Anyway coming back to the point, to fill up the position of Brown, Clube signed Tjun-ian youngster Alexander Lopez who is going to be a good option to play alongside Devilliers and Zefirov. Another great striker they signed was Young Brandonson from Chartistan, the team whose national animal is "Drake" but more importantly the team who made a brilliant run in last year's Cup of Harmony reaching the semi finals.
It has to be admitted tha Clube has definitely put in a lot of effort to bring in a change. They not only brought an influx of young talents into the quite old team but also signed players on free which saved them a lot of money which can be spent on other training facilities. The club's willingness to develop with the limited resources in hand is quite remarkable due to which I am placing them sixth.

Dreamland City

The champion ! The club that defied all odds . Yes, I am talking about Dreamland City. Ideally if I was the manager, I wouldn't be making any change to the team which fulfilled my dream but you know how football leagues work right ? Dreamland City have brought in Andrew Dalton from Avondale City FC. Andrew Dalton is an attacking player who will fit into the squad of Dreamland easily. He also has a great potential on the field and possesses a great footballing knowledge and thus Dalton's move is a beneficial one for the club. Apart from that, they also managed to sign young Rottenham United midfielder Jean Cuyper and AC Dason striker Anicet Lukoki. Dreamland City winning the TPL backfired at them as defenders Geovani Angeles and Ewerton Custodio departed the team along with substitute striker Maksin Tarasov. The main point to realize at this point is that this club has failed to make any changes to the defense. When a club wins the league by surprise, it's main aim should be to retain that position by having a stable starting eleven as well as a good bench but Dreamland did nothing to strengthen their defense. This just implies that with Oskar Graves retired, Nate Harlow is going to be under a lot of pressure throughout the season. Their goalkeeper, Mitch Bailey hit 36 just recently and thus having a reliable second hand option would have been crucial for the club. With such a poor planning and a poor defense, it would be safe to say that Dreamland City didn't utilize the transfer window to their advantage which is why I place them at ninth place.

Essidise Titans

Essidise Titans had a remarkable season under new manager, Jose Fowler and as a team which was expected to fight the relegation battles,, they somehow managed to keep themselves ahead of the relegation battle. Following the success of Essidise, Jose Fowler decided to make some further changes to the squad. They brought in centre back George Taylor from Bavingtor FC. According to me, this move was a necessary one as Essidise's main weakness was their defense and bringing in The biggest loss the club suffered was losing their goalkeeper again. I mean seriously ? Joel Latibeauderie, Brookstation's starting goalkeeper departed the club just previous season and now youngster Lance Logan made history by making the biggest Brook move of all time. He was signed by 1830 Cathair which is undoubtedly one of the premier teams for free. I am really happy for this man and this just makes me hope that a day will come when I don't have to mock our losses but actually praise our wins. The club signed young Brook national Markus Lekas from AFC Richmond who is going to be a potential replacement for Quincy Poe whom they ironically lost to AFC Richmond themselves. The club made two huge signings which includes Other side of paradise defender George Athey who had been a crucial player for the side for a long time. Athey alongside Taylor is definitely going to bolster the Titans' defense. They made a somewhat trade deal with AC Dason swapping Johan Edling for Sokole Ake. Essidise have undoubtedly made full use of the transfer window and have increased the overall potential of the team to have a better season. Due to that, I am ranking them at fourth place.

That was all for today. I know that you people are going to make contradictory statements in the comments but again, this was just my opinions. Stay tuned to see which clubs fill in the remaining spots. Till then, signing off, Scott.

[Electrum]

The Turnip: Electrum finally manages to qualify for the Cup of Harmony
by Billiam Maskey, chief-editor-in-chief

After a disappointing cycle last edition where Electrum failed to qualify for the Cup of Harmony, and instead qualified for the undercard World Cup tournament, it's finally good to see Electrum where it finally belongs. Remember, the World Cup is so pathetic that the sole team that beat the 'winner' of the World Cup did not make it out of the group stage. This indubitably makes you contemplate.

Anyways, with that context out of the way, let's get into the meat and bones of this article: who is going to advance out of the next episode of the Great Electrumite Bake Off? There are but four contestants but only two may advance into the finals.

Clayton Wilson
Wilson surprisingly shares the same name as the current Sarzonian captain of their football team. Wilson is well known as a pastry chef but when it comes to the savoury dishes, just as we saw in episode 5 of this season, it can go all wrong. His white chocolate and goat mince vol-au-vent drew particular scorn from the judges for being very unbalanced and very salty. Meanwhile, Wilson's desserts drew praise, like the deconstructed macarons which tasted like consumerism and a class of cuisine called French (this is also where we get French fries). If the judges set a dinner and dessert challenge, i.e. a match consisting of two halves, it can all go downhill in the second half.

Nindethana Nindethana
Surprisingly, this Nindethana Nindethana is not the same Nindethana Nindethana that is captaining the Electrumite football team. Nindethana squared is known for being a balanced home cook, but unable to reach the refined heights of some of her competitors. While her competitors make deconstructed macarons, she plates simple dishes like jungle curry meat pies. In fact, she's the queen of making stews from toad-in-a-hole-pie (apparently you can call anything a pie as long as you top it with a sheet of puff pastry despite the fact it's still in a casserole dish) to Shephard's pie which she humbly creates by personally slaughtering the lamb on set. She is likely to go far in this tournament as the judges like her classy style of being humble. Reminds me of the Electrumite football team who are so humble they would rather the multiverse forget their failure in losing World Cup 78.

Alexis Budtedjson
While the other two chefs were coincidentally named after the captains of the teams in Electrum's current Cup of Harmony group, Alexis Budtedjson is actually Indusse's captain. How she made it into a bake-off with three other Electrumite chefs, we don't know. One day Alexis wasn't there, the next, she falls out of a wormhole and enters the competition. Electrumite sports fans might be familiar with this surname as she shares a name with tennis player Samantha Budjedtson. Kind of. The t and the j are swapped, which only confirms the reality that she fell out of a wormhole. Out of the infinity of multiverses, Alexis comes from the one where the only non-trivial difference between their and our multiverse is that they spell Budjedtson as Budtedjson. Alexis will undoubtedly be stressed by the fact that they are participating in two competitions at the same time.

Chris Houton
Now Chris Houton shares his name with a member of the Southwest Eastnorth team, although it was difficult to check whether this name was the same one as the captain as there was no indication whatsoever in the roster. We're going to assume so since we've had the cosmic coincidence of having the last three bakers share the names with the captains of their respective football teams. Houton has deliberately broken the rules of the contest by submitting a toothpaste pasty (considered 'in bad taste' by the judges) and claiming it was a Licentian delicacy on the account of their lack of teeth. Ouch. Nonetheless, Houton is the dark horse in the top four as he's had as many good dishes as he's had bad ones, like the cheese soufflé made entirely of cheese from a can. It's this sort of creativity that can make you win the competition but it's only a fifty-fifty shot.

So there you have it, that's this week's preview of Bake Off. Now, time to preview the Cup of Harmony. Oh would you look at that, we've run out of time. Until next time, get some turnips down ya gob!

[Indusse]

This Week in History
Pareekshit Thampuran II

---

Every day we must have something or the other happening. It must be the day your team played its first match, it would be the day when someone great was born or died. As a well-known figure said they say, "history is a set of lies agreed upon". Is that true or was "History is written by the victors" the right quote? Keep on thinking and today on our list we have the late highness Pareekshit Thampuran II (Pareekshit the Second). Ninety-Nine years ago, this week Pareekshit Thampuran was shot dead at Dhalopura in Azadeshia.

Pareekshit Thampuran II, was born to then emperor HH Shaktan Thampuran IV and queen consort Mayadevi. In his early days, he was very fond of religion and philosophy. He used to read a lot on religion as well as attend seminars by Philosophers. He was an excellent swordsman and excelled in warfare. At an age of 29 after the death of HH Shaktan Thampuran IV (Aged 71) due to Pneumonia, Pareekshit took over the throne of Indusse. He took over a lot of enemy lands and established a strong base for the growing educational system. At the age of thirty-three, he married Nalinidevi Khokde who was a well-known cine artist at the cinemas of then. She later got to be the Queen Consort of the monarch. Within three years she gave birth to Prasennajith Thampuran who later got to be the successor to the throne. After twenty years, he abdicated the throne and made Prasennajith Thampuran the heir. He withdrew himself from the royal life and moved to the forest for severe penance.

Pareekshit Thampuran was not seen for about six months anywhere in the nation. The new king send out parties looking for the former king but it never found fruition. At the seventh month, the king received a telegram from the leader of Azadeshia saying they need to meet as soon as possible. At Azadeshia, the king got to know that Pareekshit Thampuran took over a new name of Satyaananda Teertha and has decided to setup his ashram out in Dhalopura. His Highness, who's now His Holiness setup his Ashram in Dhalopura under the institution known as Sathya Religious Trust and Ashram. Satyaananda Teertha, with his speeches and seminars all over India rose to fame.

Just as the fame rose, leaders all over the land came to visit him. On the age of sixty one, he was giving a seminar at Khagargan Town where a fellow man from the crowd shot him in his chest. The killer was caught by the police out there and was send to the Jail. The body of Sathyananda Teertha was taken to the ashram at Dhalopura for the final rites. His Highness Prasennajith Thampuran arrived at the ashram for the final ceremonies and at the time when he was doing the final rites, another man from the crowd shot the king on his arm. The king fell down but the criminal was caught. Both the criminals were found to be related and the king was taken to the hospital. The king after discharge got to know that the criminals were related to the Aryan Clan and was trying to take over the throne. With this, the Kulashekaras and Aryans started fighting and lost the unity in the nation. This resulted in Prasennajith being the final king of Indusse and saw the Al - Shayarid Invaders taking over the nation.

[Kyzhurkistan]

“As long as you do a good job for the atmosphere, I will be a satisfied coach.”
It was not the most inspiring statement ever with which Kadyr Chinbayev had invited Sanzhar Ayetbaev to the Cup of Harmony. He even suspected a minor sigh in his voice and in all honesty, there was one of those for both. As Sanzhar held the phone in his hand, pacing through the living room, his wife lashed her eyes to the ceiling. The holiday to Erk-Uzhar, a village by the lake that could almost go for charming if one ignored the power plant in the background, had been planned and the kids were thrilled for the time off. But it would be without their father as for him, a plane awaited the very next day to St. Bart’s Parish.

Engaged in their inaugural tournament, the stress could even be cut with a spoon. The training bouts turned grim for no reason and some became annoyingly rigorous in their diets. But Sanzhar did his best to live up to his promise. On the pitch, he played his role with industriousness and heart. By all accounts, Ayetbaev was a late bloomer, only making the step up from the amateur ranks at twenty-eight. But since the very first day, he had become a part of the furniture on the midfield for his squad. The Dinamo Zhachek fans would never sing his name in ecstasy but they all knew that their team needed a guy who axed down opposing attacks and handed in the leather with someone with more talent. Doing the same in a red-and-yellow jersey on a Licentian pitch felt pretty much like a nine-to-five for Sanzhar.

In the evenings, he kept himself far from any discussion and when the snide remarks came to him, he did his best to defuse them. But as the second oldest of the selection, he could not just ignore the tension and ambivalence in the group: because everyone wanted to do it so well, things were lining up to fall apart.
“We need to take the edge off these guys or they might try to scoop out one another’s eyes.”
The art of bringing a tactful message had been lost on Ayetbaev, but the gaffer knew what he meant. Sanzhar, not afraid from a sip himself, suggested an all-night bender whilst Chinbayev felt more for a trek along the hills of St Marnock’s to get a bit of fresh air in the lungs. So the next day, with the clash against first seed IA of Quebec already looming in the distance, they put on their walking shoes and after a short ferry ride, they were quickly surrounded by nothing but unspoiled Licentian nature.

Of course there had been complainers, not in the least due to the early starting hour of the trip. But after a while Zhuraev and other less outdoorsy members of the selection swallowed their complaints. Maybe it was the environment, maybe it was the lack of breath, but for a first time since setting foot on the Licentian ground, they looked like a team rather than a bunch. The coach was rather delighted and smiled to Sanzhar as they scaled a small ledge along the seafront.
“This was a top plan and on top of it, it brings us in touch with our opponents who will walk to the Oval!”
Somewhere near his last vowel, a beastly cry could be heard from the front of the troop. With the sort of reflex that gets you the stature of national goalie, Chyngyz Halikov still held on to an arm of Tamirlan Atabaev, otherwise the unfortunate midfielder would have fallen several meters. An unstable part of the path had given way and he hung there, saved by only one hand of the towering goalie over the abyss (or at least, that’s how the pub version of the story would go later). Atabaev was quickly hauled ashore and still a little shellshocked, he looked to his ankle.
“It’s twisted! It’s hurting like hell.”

And all of a sudden, the difficult questions returned.
“Whose idea was this?”
“Who will replace Tamirlan?”
“Who can stop Jean-Christophe Babin?”

And a whole lot of eyes turned to Sanzhar Ayetbaev.

[Barunia]

Barunia find themselves in a situation which is all too familiar. Entering the Cup of Harmony after finishing in 5th or 6th place in qualification. Add to that the fact that they were challenging for the lead at one point, and World Cup 90 feels a lot like a repeat of World Cup 89, and 88 as well. The Suns did well in both of the associated Cups of Harmony though, making it through to the group stage. They’ll be looking to do the same here, and perhaps pick up that elusive Cup of Harmony trophy.

Fast wins will be crucial, as always in the short form tournament. There’s no double round robin here, so every point is vital. Even a draw could spell disaster. Barunia’s habit of slow starts in world cup campaigns cannot be followed here. Coach Liesel McLelland will be driving the point home. The back three must keep things together. Liesel had spent a lot of time focusing on the defence of late. They had been sloppy, and it was costing the team. Liesel had been there. She knew their frustration. A former Suns defender herself, she’d felt the agony of believing you’d let your teammates down. But she knew that they could rise above it. She remembered one of her earliest tournaments, feeling so disappointed that they’d not made the World Cup. That year, they went all the way to the final of Cup of Harmony 69. She’d done her job there, and it had taken a penalty shootout to split Barunia and Qasden, with the Suns left broken-hearted, as their 2nd chance at the trophy slipped through their fingers. That just meant that Liesel wanted that trophy. Her chance as a player was gone, but she could still lift it as coach.

The first opponent for the Suns was the Golden Crescent of Schima Bas. The team are new to the international scene, and are still finding their way under new head coach Gaio Grieco, as he puts his stamp on Basian football. It’s something the Suns, and this team in particular, are familiar with, having undergone a similar shake-up under Liesel’s predecessor, Rafael Barrios. That did not work out for the Suns, and they quickly returned to their traditional style. That doesn’t mean that Liesel isn’t prepared to make changes, but those changes will be in keeping with the overall philosophy of Barunian football. A possible formation change is on the cards, with a return to a four-person back line. More radical may be a switch to a more defensive style, where attacking plays start at the back.

It's certainly not uncommon for Barunia to launch attacks from the back. Liesel herself was a right back, and often found herself charging up the win. She’s had more than a few shots on gaol, although she never scored any. But she can claim multiple assists, mostly from whipped crosses into the area. But the team itself hung on the midfield, as it had done from the moment the Suns lined up with a 3-5-2 formation for Baptism of Fire 51. The midfielders controlled the game, setting up the forwards with the fluid, attacking style that the Barunians had become known for.

Liesel’s idea was to shift the team’s focus to the defence. Let them dictate the pace of the game. It would mean a less attack-minded team, but if it meant fewer goals scored against them, it could well be worth it. The concept was all hypothetical of course until it was tried, and Liesel knew the team wasn’t ready. It would need a lot more training to get used to the idea, and she also needed to make sure it would actually work. It was the type of change made in the leadup to a campaign, not days before the Cup of Harmony. There would be no major style changes for the Suns this round. Maybe a formation change, but McLelland had decided to stick with the same formation as the qualifiers for now. She just hoped that would prove to be the correct decision.

[Guanacasteca]

Servicio Guanacasteco de Noticias

Cup of Harmony - A Test for The Pigs

Camilo Gutiérrez, on coverage of the 82^nd Cup of Harmony.

The Guanacastecan National Team managed to uplift their image during the last match days of the World Cup Qualifier, despite having a string of five matches without being able to celebrate a single goal (but they didn’t receive one against in three of those five). Guanacasteca was, for sure, a team that didn’t managed to solve results where they had some kind of advantage and that was something expectable for a team that had just experienced their first Qualifier ever, it was like a slaughterhouse after their triumphant mood after finishing third in the latest Baptism of Fire.

People would define this in different ways, all of those respectable but not agreeable, ranging from: mediocrity, noob-team and some others that point out lack of management or decision-taking issues; but the one I liked the most was published by another colleague in social media, Carlos Vásquez used the magic phrase “Reality check”. Why our National Team performance was a check? Let’s consider the reasons one by one via dissection:

• BoF and Qualifiers are two different worlds: This argument may look foolish for those seasoned with Multiversal Football and, to be fair, it’s foolish and understandable as we are not a nation seasoned in this sport nor a nation that has had enough connection with the outside world during the last century. We are discovering new things and this was one of those, there’s a gigantic difference between facing more nations that didn’t knew about football until a couple of years ago to the odds of Electrum and Cassadaigua, both nations with World Cups in their accolades.

• Infrastructure and actual support towards athletes: These points are a no-brainer, Guanacasteca hasn’t the money, resources, political will nor enough infrastructure to perform like the odds of those teams, or even Poafmersia, Eshialand or Legalese. Let’s consider the fact that Legalese has hosted a World Cup like a hundred years ago… They have a CENTURY working with appropriated conditions, meanwhile, Guanacasteca was born less than a year ago. Eh… Let’s face it, we might have a great plan to form new generations, but it’s good enough to ensure they have enough quality.

• Getting to know the drill in the Multiverse: Like somebody getting their first ever job, or has opted to change it, there’s a period of adaptation to the new environment you don’t know. Getting used to deal with certain kind of people, procedures and the interactions you have to face from the environment is not an easy task. People might take months or even years to get used to those “struggles”, as they need to adapt their mindset to those unchangeable circumstances. The same principle goes for us, as they players have gathered insights in order to perform in the best way possible for this kind of competitions, by getting used to the physical demand, tactics and schemes from football that differ wildly from place to place.

Reality checks aren’t bad as one would imagine after reading the last couple of paragraphs, instead, might help to build strong enough foundations for the future of football in the República Guanacasteca. To be honest, this reality check came in a good moment for the team, as it’s still building their foundations and might help to empower the players, managerial staff and the Federation members to analyze the current state of football and promote initiatives that might help us to compete in the fore coming championships, such as the Cup of Harmony.

Han Ruoyang has given some interesting declarations to press during the last couple of days, most of those going in the same direction: “Don’t rush.” As he argues that “The first cycles are suffering, but also worthy a lot for future experience for players in order to forge out character and abilities.” Guanacastecan fans have been a quite divisive bunch, as many of them are already claiming the head of Han while the players and the Football Association supports his tenure, while another big group asks for keeping him for more time and build a game philosophy.

The FA has said multiple times “We will support Han, as he will support the building of what we need to have in order to make Guanacastecan football competitive enough in World Cup Qualifiers, even for domestic ventures in a near future.” All things considered, that’s perhaps the best decision that the FA can do in this moment; you don’t want to cause unnecessary turbulence in a nation that’s only doing their baby-steps in football, let’s keep the person that teach us how to stand-up in the path of football and walk with him.

There are a lot of managers that have had victories in that condition, perhaps the clearest example is one of the newcomers in the 90th World Cup, Huayramarca, they have kept their initial manager and reinforced him with a great footballer from times past in the shape of Rodolfo Zelaya, they have qualified for WC after heavy spending from the Government and fan support. Instead of demolishing the few things we have, we should focus instead in building stronger, in unity, as Guanacastecans, a team that will make us proud in a future, a team that excels in the big scene of football as a competitive enough squad.

We aren’t asking a World Cup Champion squad; we’re just asking for respect towards a process that will make us feel happier when it comes to fruition. Let’s see how the matches against Poafmersia, Eshialand and Legalese fare for the Pigs in this new adventure of improvement and lesson-learning in the shape of the Cup of Harmony 82.

[South Newlandia]

South Newlandian Roster

(kit made by Tikariot)

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose scorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes, but please ask first.
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes, but please ask first.
Godmod other events: Yes, but please ask first
Style mod: 0

Irving will do penalties, Young does free kicks, and Green does corners.

Cup of Harmony

The sound of change happening.

Coaching team:
Head Coach: Dale Hartford-Phelps, Zwangzug (51)
Following the resignation of Robert Wolverine following the Elephants failing to qualify for World Cup 90, the South Newlandian Football Association talked to a variety of potential coahces, ultimately deciding on Hartford-Phelps, former manager of the Twineur Bugs, a team he managed to lead into the Challengers' Cup following a great turnaround. He was immediately liked thanks to his fast-paced style of play, his willingness to do a rebuild with the aging Elephants, and his dry humour. However, even before any games were played, some fans found those changes not very funny. Hartford-Phelps will be running a 4-3-3 system, contrary to the 4-4-2 diamond we saw with Wolverine.

Assistant Coach: David Watts (56)
As assistant coach, Hartford-Phelps hired the former manager of the Walstreim Lions, which were led by him to four league titles, a CEdC title, and a Round of 16 berth in the Champions' League. Watts was also a candidate many believed capable of the head coaching job, but even in this position, he should be a good fit.

Goalkeepers Coach: Mikhail Trischuk (36)
Going into those changes directly, Trischuk was imformed by Hartford-Phelps that the former Longlist Galactico would not be considered for the Cup of Harmony Roster, with the captain and undoubted leader from the squad dipping in performance recently. Trischuk, who is still employed at the club level for Libertas Bergheim, was instead offered the job as Goalkeepers Coach; a turn of events that made many fans quite unhappy with Hartford-Phelps.

Athletic Coach: Josef Salazar (35)
Was brought back from the old coaching staff.


Expected starting eleven:

GK: Olly Evans (30) Korsbach (Graintfjall)
Previous tournaments: WC88, WC89, WCQ90 (tournaments started in bold
Evans has won consecutive golden gloves in his resurgence in Graintfjall, moving him up to second in the depth chart. With Trischuk out of the picture, Evans was elevated to the starting spot; and while this will be his first tournament with great responsibilities, he seems to be up to the challenge.

(C) LB: Dhruv Roy (34) Crossroads (Chromatika)
Previous tournaments: BoF72, WCQ85, CoH77, WCQ86, CoH78, WC87, WC88, WC89, WCQ90
Roy is one of the Testículos longlisted player on this squad, and the left side of the defense tends to be stronger mostly thanks to him. He’s also not an infrequent threat up front, and can often be dangerous especially after corners. He’s positioned himself well with Crossroads, and is considered the leader of this defense.

CB: Tommy Anderson (31) Couziers-Olympiques (Ko-oren)

Previous tournaments: BoF72, WCQ85, CoH77, WCQ86, CoH78, WC87, WC88, WC89, WCQ90
Anderson has locked up the starting role in the defense in recent years, and the pure defender is likely the best tackler on this team. It’s going to be hard to get past him for scoring opportunities, although he’s one of the more frequently carded players, which, as a whole, South Newlandians rarely are. His recently strong seasons earned him a spot on the Testículos longlist.

CB: Jay-Jay Driscoll (26) Buffalo Niagara FC (Eshialand)
Previous tournaments: WCQ90
Driscoll impressed in limited appearances in the last qualifier, and with Hartford-Phelps intending to run a fast system with faster players, Driscoll is given a chance to prove himself in the Cup of Harmony.

RB: Filip Barker (33) Cranequin Wanderers (Nephara)
Previous tournaments: WC87, WC88, WC89, WCQ90
Barker is another player who only had his career take off late, but after solid play in Tikariot, he managed to land a spot in Nephara, so he definitely can’t be bad. He does get carded on occasion, but is a very solid defender capable of helping out a weak right defensive side. In the qualifiers, he played at CB, which he also does for the Wanderers, but Hartford-Phelps is going to move him back to the right side, which desperately needed help.

LM: Corban Green (29) Rockridge Phoenix (Brenecia)
Previous tournaments: BoF72, WCQ85, CoH77, WCQ86, CoH78, WC87, WC88, WC89, WCQ90
Green is one of the players that have been around since the beginning, and he can’t even be stopped by a coaching change. He’s a phenomenal midfielder, and that has earned him a sizable contract in Brenecia. His biggest weakness is being very prone to injury, to the point where his knee is broken more often that not, which may have been one of the factors keeping him out of a permanent starting spot with the Phoenix. When he’s healthy, he’s elite, but that’s far too rarely the case. For now, he seems mostly fine, but things can go wrong with little to no warning.

AM: Bentley Levy (27) Porter City (Kohnhead)
Previous tournaments: WC89, WCQ90
Levy has been good in Kohnhead recently, and was shoved to the starting 11 immediately, but hasn’t been quite able to back that up. Certainly, he’s also one of the weak spots of the team, but he just seems to be in a bit of a slump. He’s still a dangerous player, capable of scoring lots of goals.

RM: Marcus Young (28) Avenida Leal (Farfadillis)
Previous tournaments: WCQ86, CoH78, WC87, WC88, WC89, WCQ90
After sitting on the bench behind McMora for long, Young has finally ascended to the starting role in the team. He’s been really solid for one of the best teams in the Shango-Fogoa Premier League, including multiple Challengers Cup trips, and he can really play. After further success with Leal, along with using his chances, he has emerged as the newest key player of the offense.

ST: Bjorn Cohen (29) Marque (Brenecia)
Previous tournaments: BoF72, WCQ85, CoH77, CoH78, WC87, WC88, WC89, WCQ90
Cohen, injury prone as he may be, is the most likely player to succeed McCabe after the tournament. Even when he’s not starting for the Brenecian top team, he’s a very solid player, bouncing between the starting lineup and the bench. The switch to 4-3-3 opened up a spot for him.

ST: Reid Gomez (24) St. John's Arsenal (Quebec and Shingoryeo)
Previous tournaments: WCQ90
Gomez is the newest addition to the squad. The young man has gone on an absolute tear through Quebec and Shingoryeo, which has gotten him lots of praise both in Quebec and South Newlandia. The young striker has scored 29 goals in the Q-League, more than any other player. His skillset translated to the World Cup, where he scored a bunch of goals in qualifying, far outdoing any of his teammates; to no avail.

ST: Brandon Irving (31) Urbizania Wanderers (Astograth)
Previous tournaments: BoF72, WCQ85, CoH77, WCQ86, CoH78, WC87, WC88, WC89, WCQ90
Irving has always been there for the Elephants, and accounts for a solid portion of the Elephants’ goals in their WC history. Despite some inconsistencies for his club teams, mediocrity with Barnley before moving on to Astograth for a (tied) South Newlandian record 6 million, his highs are as high as few other players, much less South Newlandian ones – getting there is the problem.

Bench:

GK: Rufus Rigby (29) Barnley FC (Kohnhead)
Previous tournaments: BoF72, WCQ85, CoH77, WCQ86, CoH78, WC87, WC88, WC89, WCQ90
Some joked that Rigby will still back up Trischuk when he’s 40, and that might be closer to the truth than you think. When Trischuk sustained an injury during WCQ88, Rigby stepped in, performing well but not as well as Trischuk, who was promptly back ahead of him for the Finals. Now, he’s backing up Evans. Tough scene.

GK: Jodie Norris (20) Abingdon Celtic (The Licentian Isles)
Previous tournaments: none
Norris is a strong penalty killer, and despite her being a bit on the small side, she’s going to get a shot to travel with the team. She’ll also represent the first women being added to the Elephants’ squad in football, alongside Nita Hanson.

LB: Jet McBride (29) Urrheddiao (Chromatika)
Previous tournaments: WC89, WCQ90
A lot of players have backed up Roy over the years, but McBride might get the closest to eventually getting the job full-time. He’s been awesome in Chromatika, and he’s five years younger than Roy, so he’ll probably see the field a couple of times in this World Cup. He’s on the roster the first time, having had trouble breaking into the only available spot behind Roy on a competitive position.

CB: Andre Hall (28) FK Stassengrade (Zeta Reka & Hugeltaldom)
Previous tournaments: WC87, WC88
After a long absence, Hall has climbed back into the Elephants’ squad thanks to good results with Stassengrade and the cumulative failure of the defensive unit in qualifiers.

CB: Marvin Peters (20) CSKA Quebec (Quebec and Shingoryeo)
Previous tournaments: none
One of Hartford-Phelps’ new additions is fast and likes to play flashy. However, he is widely disliked in the South Newlandian public after he supported the unlawful Tumbran plundering of the Northlands.

RB: Mark Lamb (20) Astena Guards (Atheara)
Previous tournaments: none
Lamb is another one of those additions, a strong young player who can be dangerous up front with headers.

LM: Lorenzo Oreales (23) FC 69 Norweigan wood (Brookstation)
Previous tournaments: none
Oreales also fits this mould, a young, talented, fast guy.

RM: Mo Moss (29) La Querida (Farfadillis)
Previous tournaments: WC89
Bringing back someone that plays for La Querida to the Elephants evidently is something Hartford-Phelps thinks is funny.

ST: Nita Hanson (24) Fraser Valley FC (Tumbra)
Previous tournaments: none
Is fast.

ST: Wasif Gogh (22) Vilitan League TBD (Vilita)
Previous tournaments: none
Is faster.

ST: Russ Shaw (19) Montfort Wanderers (The Licentian Isles)
Previous tournaments: none
He’s fast and good at football.

[Independent Athletes from Quebec]

The Taegukgi: The Korean-language voice of the Québécois Commonwealth

Arsene Pineau Kim back to 11 Gwangmoo Boulevard for third term, the PJLQ-IA with a dominant majority

Theo Moh

QUEBEC CITY, CAPITALE-NATIONALE - Arsene Pineau Kim looked comfortable staying in 11 Gwangmoo Boulevard early today, on the aftermath of a massively successful election for centre-left PJLQ that not only gave the PJLQ-Indigenous Alliance a majority, but also the worst defeats for centre-right PQ since 2009 and Greens 1996.

Opposition leader, Pierre 'Peepee' Pointon-Grey, nonsense-speaking, hard-right hawk, who described this election as 'an attempt to take Quebec back from the evil reaches of internationals', as well as five members of Shadow Cabinet led by Parti-Quebecois (PQ) led by Julien Hausmann and Kim Dong-Joon, were part of the casualties even though Alain Vadnais, the leader among centrists on the party, was comfortably re-elected for his fifth term.

At 2:30 in the morning Pointon-Grey, NPD leader Celine Herrera-Goh, and Greens leader Ondine Le Normand telephoned Mr. Kim to concede their defeat and to congratulate Arsene Kim for being the first Quebecois Prime Minister since Thierry-Robert Saganash in 2034 election to be leading three straight ministries. While promising to stand 'strong, accountable opposition to the majority rule', Pointon-Grey's expected to fail a major leadership review on the next week or two, likely suggesting that he will be expected to resign from the party leader position.

Following the mostly-unpopular push that have brought Quebec & Shingoryeo to join Anaia region, Mr. Kim had little option but to push relentlessly for a decisive election that could decide his legacy. His policies have shifted with more domesic, centrist platform than most of his first two Ministries, and the appeal for 'Quebecois First' platform whose originality remains in question. The unpopularity of the opposition and the implosion of the far-left Nouveau Parti Democratique (NPD) have also served quite well as the parties also saw significant losses in rural ridings, as well as and urban ridings with heavy indigenous/coop presence, to the Indigenous Alliance. It had meant that the PJLQ, the party usually known for its urban, middle-class identity, ends up in an interesting position with their coalition, as they face higher expectations with wider supporter base in mind.

Regardless of the challenge, however, it was once again Mr. Kim's night, extraordinary turnaround of his fortune that have come about since the mid-term struggles of his second ministry after winning the elections in 2043.

In an emotionally moving address to his loyal party members, the Prime Minister of eleven years thanked friends and family, but most importantly his mother, Agnes Pineau (who, marked with her longstanding loyalty to the NPD, ironically enough wasn't present at the occasion). He said: 'Thank you once again for placing your absolute trust in not just me, but our country and the brave peoples who lead it.

'Having been here before, and having watched the fortunes exchange over the years, I find tonight to be extremely humbling. The honour and duty that comes with being the Prime Minister, your Prime Minister to be specific, is immeasurable, and the weight of your faith is what I hope to weigh and carry with absolute pride and dignity.

'In the past eleven years, we have done well. But there is lot more to come in the future. This is not a vote for the present, but the vote for the future. We do not run on votes of unacceptable hatred or blatant ignorance in this Anaian nation. Our nation have always been run on common sense and what's good for us, and will continue to do so. Our dreams will not be limited to our own boundaries, and we will continue challenging the boundaries of our own dreams.'

At eleven in the evening, as the trickles from Newfondland long subsided and were replaced by massive waves of votes in the central regions, it became more than clear that the polls rang even clearer. Mr. Kim's coalition is expected to command 90-100 seat majority in the House of Commons.

Celine Herrera-Goh, who watches the party fall from 74 seats to 57 but is safely re-elected at her home riding of Attawapiskat-Aspen, originally predicted this to be either a make-or-break election in terms of constitutional reform. Whether her prediction rings true, now that there is a dominant coalition on the Parliament, remains to be seen, however.

House of Commons Results - 480 SEATS (PJLQ-IA: MAJORITY 95)
Parti Justice et Liberal du Quebec: 188 -> 239
Indigenous Alliance: 58 -> 96
Parti-Quebecois: 136 -> 71
Nouveau Parti Democratique: 74 -> 57
Green Party: 21 -> 9
Independents: 3 -> 8

[The Licentian Isles]

This is your first cut-off for both halves of Cup of Harmony/Copa de la Armonía/Cupa na Còrdadh/Beker des Eendrachts 82! Expect results from Montaña Verde and the Licentian Isles shortly.

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Group H
HUElavia 2–3 Valentine Z
Nyowani Kitara 1–0 Brookstation

Group I
Trolleborg 1–0 The Cordian Isles
Eraman 2–4 Astograth

Group J
Mercedini 4–0 Alezian Union
New Lusitania 2–2 Acastanha

Group K
Poafmersia 1–0 República Guanacasteca
Eshialand 1–1 Legalese

Group L
Independent Athletes from Quebec 2–1 Kyzhurkistan
Oberour Ar Moro 3–1 Sendhang

Group M
Omerica 2–2 Wreckeria
Valladares 1–3 Pluvia and the Saxean Isles

Group N
South Newlandia 0–1 Kimi-Suomi
Barunia 1–3 Schima Bas

[Montana Verde]

Grupo A
Tikariot 1–1 Muralos
Geektopia 4–3 Cabo Azure

Grupo B
Savojarna 1–0 Soldera
Chartistan 1–2 Flavovespia

Grupo C
Starblaydia 6–2 Delaclava
Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom 1–0 Saint Eleanor

Grupo D
Chromatika 2–1 The 14 Stars
Drawkland 0–3 Qasden

Grupo E
Savigliane 4–1 Saterun
Yuezhou 1–1 Mertagne

Grupo F
Electrum 2–3 Southwest Eastnorth
Sarzonia 0–0 Indusse

Grupo G
Krytenia 1–0 Estorvipa and Estorpiva
Abanhfleft 0–2 Gyatso-kai

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RP bonus info

Both hosts are grading all RPs to produce an average score. For the purposes of these stats, multiple RPs by one participant within a cutoff window are treated as one combined RP.

43 participants earned RP bonus.
18 participants earned max RP bonus.
The mean RP earned 70% of max bonus.
The median RP earned 90% of max bonus.

Additionally, despite not having a roster to signup requirement, 100% of participants rostered prior to MD1!

[Starblaydia]

Episode 8 - The Return
S01 | E01 | E02 | E03 | E04 | E05 | E06 | E07

After being away for a decade, the team returns
to international football and the Baptism of Fire,
where they come face to face with a very familar name.

Lex Panarii, Midfielder,
Baptism of Fire 25
for World Cup 38

Narrator: By the time of the 38th World Cup, it had been more than ten years since Starblaydia had competed in international football. A coup d'etat at home had brought about a government which isolated itself from the world at large, taking the decision to withdraw from all international organisations, including the World Assembly and World Cup Committee. But, with the return of a true and just government to take the reigns of power in the country, it was time for the two-time World Champions to make their return.

When you suddenly pull the rug out from a generation of football players, and every up-and-coming star, and say to them "Sure, you can play at club level, but you're never going to be on the international stage and wear your country's colours", that immediately becomes very demotivating, and turns people away from one of the real pulls of playing sports. So there was this whole raft of players who suddenly had to decide if losing out on their biggest career goal was acceptable to them or not. Suddenly a large number of players have so much less to play for, so it becomes a game for dedicated amateurs, not for those who want to reach the greatest heights of sporting achievement. All these careers just cut down, it was really rather sad.

Some were probably nearing the end of their careers, like Zamoskao, dos Santos, Rekeseski. There were a number right in their prime, who suddenly found they'd never get any further: Tommas Coalville the striker, captain Betanii Marrones, Rafael Diaz, Jiino Graikalonii in goal. The worst was for players who were just breaking into the international squad picture, that striker duo of Indigo Liileiko and Crystallee Galindez had such potential, but neither of them would ever wear the shirt for their country again. Ten years, three Cups, came and went, before all the trouble at home was put back together. Suddenly every player was well into their thirties and beyond in many cases, so they had to turn to a whole new generation who had never expected to play on the world stage themselves.

So what you had, when the SFA were allowed to pick up a team again, was a couple of old warhorses that considered themselves ready to go. Mostly it was the dwarves, like Kili Izretar, who was made captain as he had the experience, and the full-back Fain Ugrubolgdam. They were joined by a bunch of mostly journeymen, and then this surge of young players who were just at the points where they'd have to decide if football was their career, or something else. Lii Chong-sun, Kalia Canildo, Roque Bravo and the like. But one man who stood out was Lex Panarii. He was just into his thirties, using his time outside of football as a Professor of History at Jhanna Praetoran University, but he was a good athlete, a strong presence in the midfield, and he was picked for the squad, but no one knew quite how important a role he would end up playing for his manager.

Starblaydia's first female manager of the national team, Betanii Marrones was a highly skilled Centre-Back who went to three World Cups and made her name as the first-ever female captain of the World Cup side in Starblaydia's last campaign before their international hiatus.

Now here was Betanii Marrones, leading a squad to return to the promised land. It was quite poetic, really. Even if the promised land was Miceland, it was still the Baptism of Fire. Kili Izretar was the only one who came into this tournament with double figures in appearances, 37 to his name, while everyone else had eight or less. There was the brand new kit, what looking back we'd refer to as the third generation of ediraf kits, but at the time it was simply 'new'. The white one with those aggressive purple and gray shapes up the side. It was all set up to be a fantastic re-entry, in the form of a new debut for the whole team and the whole nation... then Starblaydia lost their opening match 3-2 to Merovis. Brilliant!

Narrator: After their unsteady start, Starblaydia recovered to win three of their next four matches, coming in third in the group - known as Group Circle - behind undefeated Jey and Merovis. It was, however, enough to qualify them for the second group stage.

In their sixth game in the tournament, Starblaydia really came alive and began a five game winning streak to the Final where they didn't even concede a single goal. Except for the three let in against Merovis, they'd conceded one to Jey in that 1-0 loss, and one to Mallatarsland in that storming 4-1 win that closed out the first group stage. Tarquin Fullbright was simply unleashed on Tuaim as Starblaydia tonked them 7-0, then it was 3-0 against Nire and Nire as they went into the Third Round and the Knockouts.

On this display - in which Starblaydia were as excellent as Tuaim were woeful - they definitely are in the running for the title along with, most likely, Jey and the Pazhujeb Islands.

The journalists would prove to be correct, as Starblaydia, Jey and The Pazhujeb Islands made up three of the four Semi-Finalists, along with Bergelland. For Betanii Marrones' side, they had themselves the closest thing that could be a grudge to settle: a rematch with Jey.

Narrator: The Allied Empire of Jey were represented by the Tildes Skills School at Universitus, where the staff and graduates of the Hoya Tildes Skills School College of Soccer were ale to call themselves the finest Jevian proponents of the beautiful game.

They were the Prefects, and they were to a man the most arrogant, entitled schoolchildren you'd ever seen. They'd never played outside their region before, but seemingly expected to blitz all before them in some whirlwind of domination. The problem was, however, that other than a 2-2 draw with Merovis, they absolutely dominated the first Group Stage, scoring 17 times and conceding just 3 in their five games. In the second Group Stage they pulled out 1-0 wins successively against The Pazhujeb Islands and Hopeless SC to make it to the knockouts, before immolating 95X by four goals to nil, then Scotchpinestan in the last eight but three goals to nil. This team, this University graduate team, hadn't lost a single game in the tournament yet, and here they were proving all their pre-tournament hype entirely accurate. The mind boggled!

Throughout the Allied Empire of Jey, only one thought is recurring through the people's heads: Jey vs. Starblaydia. To not have this match on every television set would be considered a sacrilege. The only concern of any Jevian at this moment, on this night, is defeating Starblaydia and pushing forward to the Baptism of Fire final match.

"The Emperor may say he's proud of whatever finish," Head Coach Dr. DelMardo, preparing his final speech for his players, said, "but for us, anything other than a defeat of Starblaydia and winning the final will be considered a huge disappointment. We know we are the best team in this tournament--it's no wonder we are ranked first. To lose would have to come at the hands of an upset."

Before the match, they called it "the game of the tournament". After the final whistle went, they called it "the biggest sham in Jevian Sports". Having three goals ruled out for offside during the match, the Jevians were already seething, but when 20 year old substitute Alfonso Di Angelo surged through the offside trap with a minute to go, they were expecting the flag to be raised yet again. But it stayed down. That goal was described as, and I remember this line distinctly, "an abhorrent representation of the finest institute for sports education in the world". Like, what planet are were these people on? It got even better a few days later when Jey withdrew their team from the World Cup and barred the players, strategists and coaches from ever setting foot back at their University again - such was the price they paid for defeat.

What it did lead up to, however, was a fairy-tale final for those in purple, both those of Starblaydia and of the Pazhujeb Islands. One thing connected the two sides, other than their national colour, and that's Starblaydi two-time World Cup winner Jaime Oberlander. Just 22 at the time of World Cup 25, and 34 at the time of World Cup 28, Jaime Oberlander was the only player to have been in both championship squads. With those two medals to his name and a wealth of experience, he'd been Starblaydia's manager right before their international hiatus, taking charge of World Cups 31 to 34. During the international hiatus he'd moved around a lot as a coach, and ended up as the Pazhujebi team's manager.

Oberlander actually refused to speak to the media in the run-up to the final, and all sorts of media from both sides focused on him. Would he be able to overcome years of patriotism to defeat his own homeland, would he know all the secrets of the Starblaydi game and be able to unlock them like no other? His opposing manager was someone he'd made captain of his own side - how would that play into the narrative of master and apprentice? It was, frankly, probably all too much for him, and certainly unfair to ask anyone to make that choice and be the man in the middle of two nations, torn towards both.

(All excepts translated from the original Pazhujebi to English by Tertius Shajarrayam)

Whatever the result be, Jaime, you have won our respect on the Pazhujebs, and we salute you. Good luck, sir. Good luck.

For Starblaydia, they had reconnected with two traditions. The first, most obviously, was football itself. But the second, spurred on by the research of Lex Panarii, was the Raiigar.

Kili Izretar, their captain, began to beat his chest with his right fist. Within moments the entire squad followed with hands slapping the outside of their thighs: in the tightly-packed atmosphere it was as if a thousand hands were brought together. Kili looked around and up at the faces of his team.

"Hati se kalonii!" He called, in time with his beat. I am of the sword!

"Huhti se kalonii!" They replied, feral and pumped-up. We are of the sword!

Narrator: Starblaydia had discovered their cultural heritage, a war dance from ancient days, and performed it on the pitch, in the centre circle, at the beginning of each match from the beginning of the second group stage. Panarii himself would score just a minute into that match, against Tuaim, as his pumped-up side would run out 7-0 winners. It is a tradition, a spectacle, and a psychological invigoration that continues to this day.
And what would the Final bring? An incredibly close match.

When Xussanikara Ghur caught experienced Starblaydi defender Roque Bravo standing around during an incoming over-face-of-goal cross in 78th minute, the fantastic midfielder delivered a soft but beautifully placed header back past goalkeeper Fernando Rodriguez. The ball gently settled into the right side of the goal, and the Pazhujebi team, its staff, and supporters went into a screaming, jubilant state of fervor.

The goal would be one of the only scoring opportunities in a very defensive match, but Xussanikara Ghur's goal easily crowned him the player of the tournament. When the whistle blew at 92 minutes, the ecstatic fans screamed once again and the team grabbed the young man in the number eleven shirt, lifting him above their shoulders.

It wasn't the fairy-tale ending that anyone in a Starblaydi shirt - except for maybe Jaime Oberlander - wanted. Even then, you could see he was split in two, by personal success tearing away from national pride. But even though he couldn't lift the trophy for his country of birth, he could lift it on behalf of a country who now accepted him wholeheartedly.

We at Eenadu cannot be more supportive of one man. When he was first brought in to manage the adult national squad, many were fearful that this was a sign the staunchly important traditions of our culture were beginning to be compromised. Qinekha xdegmi j'et, we say; it means 'move no faster than the sun,' and yet, Jaime Oberlander, you have taught 23 of our young men to fly at the speed of lightning. For that we no longer distrust you, nay. We have lifted one of the most prestigious sports trophies in the world: and now perhaps we have you to thank for ushering in a new national tradition, this one of prosperity and trust, of progress and optimism, of pride and peace.

Narrator: As Starblaydia finished their attempt at the Baptism of Fire in second place, they would perhaps in future years rue the fact they weren't able to go all the way and take the trophy in their only attempt at it. Runner-up is no mean feat in the Baptism of Fire, but for Betanii Marrones' team it was so near, yet so far. The entire multiverse only looked to one man for comment, and his words have echoed throughout the centuries ever since; one of the most-quoted lines in Starblaydi sports history.

When asked how he felt about defeating his home nation of Starblaydia in the final match, a country which he led to two World Cup victories as a player and four World Cup appearances as a manager, Oberlander simply paused, looked softly down at his feet, and then said quietly:

"I'm still wearing purple."

Final score from The Mice of Miceland:
_Starblaydia_ 0-1 _The Pazhujeb Islands_
_None_ - _Ghur 78_

[Eraman]

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Day 7 - Month 1 - Year 9

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SPORTS

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Agung Suryanantha urged players not to panic

Port Arran: The national team players are reminded not to panic with the results of the opening match of the Cup of Harmony and the expectations of the fans, instead focus on continuing to improve their game, said the national team's new head coach Agung Suryanantha.

Agung said he understood the fans' hopes for the national team to win every match but urged the fans to remain patient as he is still in the process of identifying the weaknesses and strengths of each player to prepare the team for the 91st World Cup qualifier.

According to him, Eraman's 4-2 defeat to the Rushmori side, Astograth in the opening match of the 82nd Cup of Harmony at the Grayson Stadium, here last night should not be used as an excuse to put pressure on the players, but instead, be a lesson in improving the team's game.

"Our team lost to a very good side, this will definitely give us a lesson. For me, this is only the beginning and there is no need to push the panic button. We just have to learn," he told reporters after the match last night.

Meanwhile, Agung said the next match against group favorite, Trolleborg will be more challenging for the national team and hoped that all the players could perform better in the match.

The 4-2 defeat at the hands of Astograth was Agung Suryanantha's first match as the head coach of Eraman. He was appointed as the national team head coach prior to the 82nd Cup of Harmony. He was the former head coach of the Pemecutan national team who guided Pemecutan to its first World Cup appearance.

[Saint Eleanor]

Zeta Reka 1-0 Saint Eleanor: Eleanorian campaign suffers from an expectedly nervy opening
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers reports on one of Saint Eleanor's most unremarkable tournament performances in recent memory
Originally published on Sunday 2nd August 1998

Fen Scwartzhammer's first-half header proved the difference for Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom in Cotata - not only consigning Saint Eleanor to an unsurprising narrow defeat, but also putting the job prospects of manager Priscilla Evans under serious scrutiny.

Nobody will be remembering today's game as a classic performance from either team. It took until the twelvth minute for Jessica Martin to create the first real chance - an opportunistic shot from the far edge of the penalty area that coasted over the crossbar without so much as troubling Zlatko Wukowić. You couldn't move your washing machine load to the tumble dryer in the time it took for Wukowić to pump his goal kick towards Karlo Gabrielstein, Gabrielstein to hammer the ball to captain Bogdan Rawić, Rawić to go on a short yet barnstorming dash and attempt a much better-placed shot that required heroics from John Bailey to keep out.

Much of the rest of the first half was torrid, for want of a better word. Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom had a plan: get the ball as soon as possible and recycle it as quickly as possible. Saint Eleanor did not, and if they did, it would have been "hold onto the ball for as long as possible, for as little reason as possible, with as little return as possible." The Rekan charge paid off shortly before half-time, when an otherwise anonymous Steve Pilchard - after carelessly losing possession - made a fatal defensive error 25 yards out, gifting Stanimir Rekawić a free kick in prime Eleanorian territory. Despite appearing to curl his effort wide at first, Scwartzhammer was there at the near post to nod in a simple goal.

On paper, this match went as would have been expected between two somewhat defensively-minded teams, one around 60th and one around 80th in the official rankings. In reality, the Rekans almost certainly deserved to double their lead. Paul Johnson was quick to make an impact on the game after being substituted on before the second half began, committing a horribly-timed foul that got him a booking and Rekawić another free kick; Bailey nudged that effort onto the bar and managed to smother the ball before a rebound could be capitalised on.

Paul Ferry, the best Eleanorian on the pitch, thwarted two subsequent attempts: an excellent slide tackle to stop Rawić from latching onto an equally well-timed pass, followed up by a headed clearance in a corner-kick duel with Wlad Wlad to prevent what seemed like a certain goal - impressive, given that Ferry is five inches shorter than Wlad. Scwartzhammer himself could have added another in stoppage time, but could not control the ball and allowed it to slide past the goal line out of play.

The White Stars never seriously looked like scoring, by contrast, easily squandering both opportunities they had to level. Harriet Williams teed up a corner after 63 minutes, the result of a fortitious deflection off Gabrielstein, and swung it towards Liam West; he could do nothing more than force a reflex save from Wukowić, however, and Aidan Harris' half-volley in reply was possibly even more disastrous than Martin's attempt. Harris struck the post with a quarter of an hour to go, too, but was about five yards offside - as fitting a summary of Eleanorian predicament as you can possibly get.

Why did Saint Eleanor perform so poorly in their opener? Some have argued that the Big Four-heavy squad, which is arguably splitting into club-based cliques, is feeling too comfortable with itself to want to challenge. Evans, at first a grudgingly-respected manager, is under fire for these selection choices, widely seen to be based more on reputation than form, as much as for the results her team gets. Nobody seriously thinks that Pilchard was entirely to blame for his sloppy showing today, to use the most salient example, especially not when he has gotten nowhere near the international playing time his league efforts have merited since 1996.

SEFA President Donald Lucas went on record on Friday claiming that Saint Eleanor would have to put in "high-quality performances" in the group stages if Evans, herself a Cup of Harmony champion as a player, were to stay in charge for a third cycle - as if this had not already been divined by dozens upon dozens of football analysts. A match against crestfallen bottom-seeds Delaclava follows today's loss, yet so does a final-day showdown against Starblaydia, the highest-ranked team in the Cup of Harmony. Axes will likely be sharpened until further notice.

Zeta Reka and Hügeltaldom 1 (Fen Scwartzhammer goal 39')
Saint Eleanor 0

[Soldera]

It's all about the journey.

That was the mantra Solderan national football team manager Norm Carricker repeated as Soldera began to take the field against Savojarna in their opening match in the 82nd Cup of Harmony in Montaña Verde. It would feature a 124th ranked Soldera side that was badly outmatched on paper against the highest-ranking team in Group B, or Grupo B as the natives put it.

The Snakes would put on a brave fight, and the match went 82 minutes without a goal. However, Carricker made a decision to leave defender Davis Perez on the pitch instead of making a substitution for a more attack-minded player. He reasoned that Perez and his experience in the Solderan back four would be critical to the team preserving its chance at stealing a valuable standings point from the heavily-favored Savojars. However, he hadn't spotted Perez making a hand signal in the 76th minute, one player and manager both agreed would signal to Carricker that he needed to substitute for the 33-year-old defender.

It was a miscommunication that proved to be costly. Sven Ehlers decided to go back to a move that Perez easily thwarted in the 16th minute to force a turnover and prevent the Savojars from gaining a scoring opportunity against Snakes goalkeeper George Rollings. However, this time, the move caught a tiring Perez flat-footed. Ehlers darted past Perez, who could only flail in his attempt to catch up to the still-fresh Ehlers. By then, however, it was too late. Ehlers fired a low-rising shot that saw Rollings mistime his dive and the ball floated over his outstretched arms and into the net.

Carricker sent on reserve forward Don Bynar as the Snakes essentially adopted a 3-4-3 formation and launched a desperate attempt to equalize and wrest back the standings point they'd now seen slip from their grasp. Alas, it was not to be. The final whistle's three blasts in the fourth minute of stoppage time told the story. 1-0 to Savojarna. Flavovespia managed its upset, defeating Chartistan 2-1 in the other Group B result. The results meant the Snakes would be the only team of the four in Grupo B without a goal. It would mean that the team's goalscoring struggles during their four-match friendly schedule continued when the whistles blew for real.

It's all about the journey.

Carricker would remind the media that the Snakes were still developing. They were still learning what it took to build a football program from the ground up. They were still trusting the process, even though it felt like a long road to the top. They were still trying to establish an identity, both on offense and defense. They were still trying to find the pieces they'd integrate into the next team with both Perez and team captain Joey Westway retiring. They were still trying to find the right balance with erstwhile defender Eli Bingham's fight regressing from merely trying to get back onto the pitch and into the starting 11 to merely being able to walk again without needing a prosthetic leg. They were still trying to figure out if Carricker would be the right man to shepherd the team to the next phase of its existence.

Carricker would remind his players that there would be times when they'd play well, sometimes, extremely well, against strong opposition. And sometimes, those great matches and that competitiveness would be rewarded with a hard-luck defeat. Sometimes, they would give their best effort and they'd get slaughtered by a team they had no business even competing against. And there'd be times when they'd walk off the pitch with their heads hung low. The present was a bitch. The future might be bright someday, but the present was dark.

The post-mortem of this match with the coaching staff, with technical director Dahvid Leib, and within his own mind would be a lot of hashing and rehashing decisions. He'd see the video of Perez waving his signal to Carricker to substitute for him. He would see Perez make a physical error that he'd know from his conversation with the veteran defender was a physical mistake. It was a mistake borne from exhaustion, and Carricker would remember what he was doing and what was on his mind when Perez tried to signal him to send on a substitute.

No matter where Soldera's run in the Cup of Harmony would end, Carricker knew the work to build a program would continue. He'd have no way of knowing what his role would be in the future, whether it would be for a second tour of duty in World Cup qualifying or even a second Copa Rushmori. He wouldn't know if he'd be fired as manager or he'd be booted upstairs to join Leib or replace him as technical director. But the work remained the work. The players might well be different; they were guaranteed to be as Westway and Perez were both retiring. Bingham very well may have to; it would be a decision Leib or Carricker or both might have to make. But the work would still remain the work.

Carricker admitted to himself what many suspected all along. That he was jealous of his baseball counterpart, Ned Willingham. Willingham's journey started out similarly to Carricker's: Take a team that had never competed internationally and try to guide it on a path toward eventual success. Unlike his own journey, however, Willingham's hit the fast lane after the team lost two out of three at home to the then-fourth ranked Sarzonian national team. After they'd dropped to 5-7, the baseball Snakes went on an almost unprecedented tear, winning 16 of their next 18 games -- including a three-game sweep of the Stars in Woodstock -- to win the group at 21-9. They would then shock two more opponents in the knockout rounds, advancing to the semifinals before finishing third. Carricker wasn't able to garner that kind of glory for his team. That made his message about trusting the process and respecting the journey a much harder sell. Because Willingham preached patience and it was rewarded at a much higher pace than anyone realistically had a right to expect.

But that's where Carricker was. He took on a realist's approach to team-building. He knew the road was going to have its stops and starts. There would be times when it'd appear the Snakes would take one dramatic step forward, only to fall two steps back. There would be head-scratching losses to bad teams and eyebrow-raising victories over strong ones. There'd be injuries and acrimony. There'd be trials and tribulations. Through it all, Carricker knew there would be work to do to build a program from the ground up. Football was arguably the least forgiving of all the major sports for a newcomer side. But Carricker knew better than to seek instant gratification. He figured the eventual reward would be there, and his place in history would eventually be remembered fondly for what it was.

It's all about the journey.

[Mertagne]

"You've managed to prove that Vilita doesn't exist?" Hannah asked, sarcastically.

Graham stumbled over to the wall, where he gestured at his work. "Yes."

A discerning look was given to this haphazard scene from the woman dressed in black. "Vilita. That big nation just southwest of us. Well, at least they were."

"You're getting it already, Hannah. They were. Oh, Vilita might have existed in the ancient past, for sure, but it hasn't existed for a long, long time. It's a cover up from those in Atlantian Oceania, if you can even believe in that any more. This conspiracy runs deep, sis. It. Runs. Deep." Graham wiped his glasses on the corduroy sofa.

"Humour me, please. Give me one nugget of truth that you can frame this entire conspiracy around, will you?" Hannah perched on the other edge of the sofa and sipped her tea. "I'm amazed and annoyed that you've done this. I thought a proper journalism job would get you writing about real things, real stories, real people. Not this, which is real things, real stories, and real people, but you're saying they're not?"

"Alright. You asked for it. It'll probably be good to go through a dress rehearsal of the key points before I put this on the website anyway." Graham took in a deep breath, took off his glasses, and began.

"Vilita, by all accounts, is a terribly old nation. They've existed for a really long time, probably even longer than Krytenia. But, the difference between our cyan friends to the south and our teal troublemakers to the southwest is that, based on my findings, I posit that Vilita sunk into the ocean hundreds of years ago, and everyone's just gone along with it existing since. A convenient scapegoat for who's really pulling the strings."

"And who is pulling the strings?" asked Hannah.

"That's irrelevant. Anyway, take a look at this, right. This is the smoking gun - their sports team. That's been the shadowy cabal's big point - the bit that props up the rest of the nation."

He pulled out a leaflet that had been pinned to the wall and tossed it in the direction of Hannah.

"Look at that. It's it's a matchday programme from a couple of Di Bradini Cups ago. Mertagne vs Vilita and Turori. There's us - nice and normal, right, and then look at them. In the forwards section. Couldn't even be bothered to make up another surname! There's two Tlikara's! That can't just be a print error either, as I've found footage that has it on the back of both of their shirts! Also, we're missing the South Newlandian in the room - WHAT EVEN IS AN EEL-CAT THING?! It's a conspiracy, that's what."

"Right. So I'm supposed to believe that Vilita doesn't exist because... of a possible typo on a matchday programme?" Hannah asked, quizzically.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg, Hannah. The tip. Of the iceberg. Nobody knows what an Eel-Cat thing is. They don't exist. A bit on the nose if Vilita didn't exist, right? But there's more. Take a look at this. It's a list of WCC Competition Winners. What do you notice? You notice that Vilita is on there, having won the World Cup several times and even the Cup of Harmony once. One of the most successful World Cup nations, you could well argue. But, what do you notice? Let me spell it out:

- Cup of Harmony 6, won by Vilita and hosted by Vilita & The Belmore Family
- World Cup 20, won by Vilita and hosted by Druidia & Starblaydia
- World Cup 68, won by Vilita and hosted by Legalese & Free Republics
- World Cup 77, won by Vilita and hosted by Quebec & Shingoryeo & San Jose Guayabal
- World Cup 81, won by Vilita and hosted by Banija & Free Republics
- World Cup 82, won by Vilita and hosted by Apox & Valanora

What do all of these tournaments have in common? When they haven't been 'hosted' by Vilita themselves, they've been hosted by at least one Oceanian nation. How convenient. And their first win? In a cup that had the tagline 'Craziness Encouraged'. It doesn't get much more convincing than that." Graham sighed, as if he'd dealt a death blow to an institutional argument that appeared to have been going on for years.

"But surely that means that other nations, even Mertagne, were complicit?" asked Hannah, necking the last of the tea and placing the mug gently on a dining table across the room, near a balcony that clearly hadn't been entered onto in quite some time. "And look after your plants, for crying out loud, I think Mum bought you a few of them. Keep rambling and I'll go get the watering can."

[Sarzonia]

In a three-match group stage, whether it's the World Cup proper or the Cup of Harmony or any other tournament, losing an opportunity could be a fatal mistake.

As Sarzonian national team manager Nathan Hanifer told reporters before the Stars played a scoreless draw against Indusse to open Grupo F play at 0-1-0, there was no room for error. He would insist on his team playing fluid, attacking football. He would insist on getting his back four to communicate and squelch threats as Indusse attempted to push them to goalkeeper Carlton Sandt's doorstep. He would expect his goalkeeper to play one of his better matches now that both Trent Woodson and Paolo Gomes were there to push him.

And he'd get two out of his three objectives in the draw. Sandt was sharp, turning aside four shots from Indusse. The back four prevented their opponents from getting good looks, so the four saves Sandt had were fairly routine. The defensive midfield chipped in and made life exceptionally difficult for the Indusse offence. The problem lay in the offence, as the Indusse defenders pressured forwards Holly Cambrio and Jake Campos. Midfielder Clayton Wilson joined in the frustration, in particular in the 33rd minute when he sent a through ball that Cambrio sliced into the back of the net past goalkeeper Steve leghourn. However, the Baker Park linesman had the offside flag up, much to Wilson's shagrin.

"I waited until Jake was just ahead of [defender] Mathias Paulson before I struck the ball," Wilson fumed. "[Campos] wasn't in an offside position when I struck that ball." Replays were inconclusive, but Cambrio was incensed about the call.

"They took a perfectly good goal off the board," she said. "You don't often get a better chance to put one of those away."

Indusse would get their own frustration in the 69th minute after Djetson Hasle fired a nice, blistering free kick that Sandt was just barely able to graze over the crossbar and out past the end line for a goal kick. The shot just missed giving the attack-minded Indusse a surprising 1-0 lead over the slightly favoured Stars. The midfielder was seen staring up at the sky with his palms extended saying, "Why, God, why?" The teams would exchange furtive chances with neither one showing much conviction for the remaining 20-plus minutes including stoppage time. The three blasts of whistle would prove to be a frustrating result for the Stars. Sure, they didn't lose to a slight underdog. Sure, they didn't concede a goal, but they didn't score either. And they would face the group's heavy in Electrum in their very next match.

If Sarzonia are going to qualify for the knockout rounds after missing out in the previous Cup of Harmony, they'd better find the range fast.

"We can't afford to sit here and talk about what might've beens," Hanifer said. "We've gotta do better, and that starts right here with me."

[Flavovespia]

Chartistan 1 - 2 Flavovespia

Flavovespia began their Cup of Harmony 82 campaign with a one-goal win against Chartistan in Montaña Verde. Amidst the backdrop of the industrial backdrop of the La Cerida area of the capital Santa Margarita, it was an industrious performance for Flavovespia. A vintage match for the ages it was not, but it was a hard-working, determined level of play that saw them take a crucial opening win.

The squad Augusto Rinaldi put out was largely similar to that of the one that made a decent run in the second half of the Qualifiers. The main change was the return of Scott Coleman as the main striker, with Adrian Jones dropped to the bench. A slightly controversial choice given the relative performances of the two strikers, but Augusto Rinaldi staked faith in the Aries Chariots striker. Faith was also kept in Lucky Diamond, the starting goalkeeper ahead of Aarif Muhammad.

With only 23’000 capacity in this stadium, tickets were at a premium for travelling fans, but thousands of Flavovespians made it anyway to the ground, and were a sea of yellow and black in the stands. Their side however faced an early test. Gabby "Alphafu" Yves broke downfield in just the 3rd minute of play, and whipped in a fierce cross. Anna Delphine got the right side of Stuart Cookson, but before she could get a head on the ball, Lucky Diamond came charging out and sent the ball to safety with a fierce punch.

Chartistan were finding early success down their left flank, and nearly got a golden opportunity in the 17th minute. Wank Hesky (no, not a typo according to our sources), played a lovely through ball along the ground, which Anna Delphine was almost able to run onto just outside the box. That is, if Lucky Diamond, showing why he’s a renowned sweeper keeper, came out of his box entirely, sliding in to knock the ball away, and David Blythe followed it up with a hefty clearance.

Flavovespia’s midfield was struggling to get going in the first half, so it maybe wasn’t a surprise to see a full back create the first opportunity. Nearing the end of the first half, Kishan Rees played a good long ball in for Jonathan Bagshaw. Bagshaw got downfield, and whipped in a cross, beating Walter Walter (aka Walter). Elieen Beyblade just got a foot to it, deflecting it up and causing Scott Coleman to scuff his shot into the arms of Charles Viviano. Viviano didn’t have a completely quiet first half, but wasn’t test to his full abilities. No goals at the break, but not the dullest of games.

The start of the second half was a relatively slow affair. Flavovespia were getting more of the ball in the midfield, but Chartistan were able to block any attempts to play in any of the forwards. At the other end, the Chartistan attack had just lost a little bit of energy and pace, and the back four of Flavovespia didn’t feel as strained. Fans, despite a lively atmosphere, were beginning to wonder if this would become a scoreless draw.

The deadlock was broken in the 64th minute, and it was Flavovespia who did it. Robert Totten found club teammate Steven Hall with a killer through ball, taking most of the defence out of the equation. Steven Hall only had Viviano to beat, and a well placed shot was put into the far side of the goal, to open the scoring. 0-1, and after maybe being the slightly weaker of the 2 sides until now, Flavovespia had the all-important lead.

As with any one goal lead, the pressure mounted on the Flavovespian defence as a wave of Chartistan attacks came their way, with increasing number of purple shirts charging forward. Nevertheless, with Kieron Player and Daniel Lansdell subbed on for David Wassell and Stuart Cookson respectively, there was a bit of fresh energy in the Flavovespian defence. Lucky Diamond was also in good form, mopping up almost any cross or loose ball sent into the box, and commanding the players in yellow well.

5 minutes before the end, Flavovespia got a second. All it took was a counter-attack, triggered by a long ball by David Clark. Scott Coleman and Steven Hall ended up on a 2 vs 1 with Viviano. Scott Coleman took the selfless option, squaring the ball across the face of the goal to Steven Hall, who with a tap-in got his, and Flavovespia’s 2nd of the game. Flavovespia seemed very confident of the 3 points.

Chartistan weren’t going down without a fight. 3 minutes later, and they had what seemed like most of their team in and around the box in attack. Little Exnash fired the first cross in, Anna Delphine’s header was parried away by Lucky Diamond, Plasticium Amphibia then had a shot blocked by Tony Gardner, but Wank Hesky smashed the rebound into the net from close range. Third time lucky in that attack, and the deficit was down to just 1 goal, with 2 minutes plus stoppage time to go.

Despite the efforts of Chartistan, they couldn’t get a good chance in injury time. Augusto Rinaldi had dropped all pretence of attack, subbing off Scott Coleman for defender Alexander Evans, and it seemed everyone but Bagshaw and Hall were playing some form of defence. It worked though, and in the end, 1-2 to Flavovespia it was.

In the other group game, a valiant effort by Soldera saw them nearly hold Savojarna to a goalless draw. However a tiring defence made a critical mistake that Sven Ehlers to score a winner after 82 minutes. Flavovespia will go into the game against Soldera, a short distance away in Estadio Centenario Nerio Negrón Aponte, knowing if they can get a win, they’ll almost certainly be assured of a knockout spot.

Elsewhere across Montaña Verde and co-hosts The Licentian Isles, it was Pot 1 vs Pot 4 and Pot 2 vs Pot 3 in all groups. Barton Software Arena in Colesham saw arguably the biggest upset, as the second highest seed in the whole tournament, South Newlandia, fell to a 0-1 defeat at the hands of Kimi-Suomi. Southwest Eastnorth also caused a surprise, the attacking side taking the win in an entertaining 5 goal game against Electrum. Meanwhile for fans of Loxthorpe Rovers, a result to turn away from, their defender Minotauro Meñica was hit for six as Starblaydia proved why they come into this tournament as the favourites.