Independents Cup 15- EVERYTHING THREAD

by **Kriegiersien** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 6:36 am

Kriegiersien wins first match against United Adaikes 4-2 at the Independents Cup XV. Xian Cheung with four goals.

It was the day of the newcomer Xian Cheung who showed his will to score at any moment.
After Dashi (Viktor Vorontsov-Dashkov) had played a perfect pass, Cheung scored his first goal alone in front of the goalkeeper, looping him (15th minute). Shortly afterwards he took the ball away from Daniel Werner, who was ready to score himself, for another goal only 2 minutes later (17.). And tanked his way to a hattrick in the second half after being blocked with his first two attempts (65.).
When his teammates were discussing who should take the penalty in the last minute, he just grabbed the ball and scored the 4-2 (90.).

While he was celebrated by the fans, the downsite of 2 goals conceded fell under the rug. The defense from both sides was pretty feeble.

"With this victory over one of the hosts in group F the way for another good campaign is built. I am confident that we are better than ever now, with Cheung at our site", said the Coach.

“This time we want the title, time to go to space”, an overconfident Cheung shouted into the mics.

The next match will be against the unsteady playing newcomers, the Football Tigers, who lost their match against Sajnur 2-1. Kriegiersien is the clear favorite.

by **Forbidden Territories** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 8:02 am

Knott Scores 2 as Forbidden Territories overcome The Quintessential First Match

By a Staff Correspondent

Tigres: Jubilant celebrations roared alongside fireworks and dancing, as The Forbidden territorities had won their debut match in The Independents Cup. After 2 years of footballing absence, the nation finally got to see some action on Monday evening. The first match against Quintessence of Dust was highly anticipated, the two nations had never clashed before, so their was very little practical experience and information available about them.

According to Coach Matt Ress

I had instructed the boys to play very defensively as we had no idea about the terrain and experience about the opposition. I needed to properly analyse the bounce of the ball alongside the drift and spin in the ground so as to give them better strategy during the second half where I hoped we would counter attack. At the same time, the 4 - 4 - 2 formation made the style of play suitable to us. Extremely glad of the result and proud of the boys, the next match against Muralos is going to be tough one , so we need to prepare for it asap.

For the spectators, it was worth its money, as the match had some really great counter attacks as well as fast paced play albeit not in the same vein as Macbon Vs Valkyriah or Almuzahara Vs Drawkland. Quintessence of Dust began the game aggresively aiming to get the first goal as soon as possible, however through some excellent defending as well as missed passes, the chances of a goal were nullified. By 40th minute, it 0 - 0, as the tempo went down, and both of the teams started to slow down. By 44th minute, however, a corner from Quintessence of Dust resulted in an counter attack by Forthers. Herman Miller passed the ball to Alex Knott as he shot the ball into the back of the net.

Forbidden Territories Scorers
44 ' Knott
65 ' Knott
84' Marcelinho

After half time, though the opposition bounced back as a brilliant play from their midfielders resulted in a goal scored by the forward in 57th minute. In the 65th minute, a defensive manuever by Alan Shephard resulted in FTS getting back the possesion of the ball, after which Alex Knott netted another ball through yet another counter attack. In the 84th minute, Marcelinho scored a free kick goal after being tackled by the opposition defender.

When the referee blew the whistle Forbidden Territories had won by 3 - 1.

by **Macbon** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 9:18 am

Il Giornale Macboniano

I leoni wining their first game in the 15th Independent Associations Championship

After a challenging game against Valkyriah, I leoni have won their first game in the 15th Independent Associations Championship by the score of 3-2.

The game starts with an early goal from Cristian Perazzo in the 5th minute and in the 12th minute Valkyriah and again in the 30th making the first half 1-2.

Bernard Dieudonné after first half said that the team played fair but they need to make sure to play perfectly:

Well team played fair but in my opinion for the second half they need to make sure to play perfectly as I told keepers to keep your eye on the ball and the defenders to make sure to always pressure and pressure.

and in the second half the team talk worked as planed and after defending it was time for attacking.

in the 52nd minute team went for Tiki-Taka until Gionata Mariani scored the second goal with the third scored by the same player with a header after a Clayton Bruno Corner in the 89th minute.

after the referee whistle for full time players celebrated with the fans for their first win in the tournament and in history.

Macbon Scorers
5 ' Perazzo
52 ' Mariani
89' Mariani

by **Trolleborg** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 11:05 am

Greetings, compatriots!
It's TTV with a completely unencouraging news from the football fields.
As you all know, our team already add another one to the string of strange defeats, and lost game on their own field. Another time, it must be noted.

Looked like if someone just cancel home advantage once and for all. Due to some ridiculous religious superstitions on the part of guests we don’t provide you with usual 3D broadcasting of the game. But nevertheless they are guests and in any case we accept and respect other nations cultural traits.
And all in all, compatriots, you don't lost too much due to inability to watch this game in 3D. Well, maybe, except that you missed inventive and beautiful firework before the game. Yes, our team played quite decently, and could have expected something more than a defeat in such a match with such an opponent. The guests played cautiously, pay much attention to the defense, and while not demonstrate anything special or peculiar inventions, but do their part diligently and attentively. And this was enough to win. However, not without a lot of luck, it should be noted. Our players, with a lineup with a heavy prevalence of the second generation of the international players, could and should have scored, even in the first minutes the ball hit the bars twice, two dangerous moments in a row happened in the middle of the first half. Just before the break, the ball hit the crossbar after a free-kick. At the beginning of the second half, the defender of the guests knocked the ball out of an empty net. In the middle of it, after a corner, a few centimeters were not enough for Kranforde to send the ball into an empty corner. And almost immediately, fast-moving Lucas Meilling, having entered into single combat for a ball after a long ball, was knocked down very close to the corner flag. And after a free-kick, the ball ended up in the goal of our team after an accurate header from Jacob Harran. It cannot be said that our team simply stopped playing - far from it, it tried to score and shed a lot of sweat in the effort. But no, there was no luck for us - another hit on the post, two dangerous shots from outside the penalty area - and no result.

Audience accept final result with deadly hush. No one can say team played bad. It’s impossible to say that players are not enthusiastic. But nevertheless team lost at home… again.

Yes, we must say that this state of affairs looks rather discouraging. Maybe it is time to reconsider the
the need to participate in international competitions. But let’s put this discussion on hold while games of IAC continue. At the same time, our team really needs the support of all the fans, and TTV asks to provide it as intensively as possible.

by **Muralos** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 11:33 am

About Muralos
Muralos is a collection of islands in the Far East known as Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. It is home to a population of Russian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and indigenous (Ainu, Nivkh, and Orok) origins. The official language of Muralos is Esperanto- a language designed to be universal and easy to learn- but the population is exceptionally multilingual, with each citizen knowing an average of 4 languages.

The Muralosian National Soccer Team
(also known as the Hawks, after Muralos’ national animal, the Muralosian Hawk)

The Muralosian national soccer team represents Muralos in association football (or soccer, as Muralosians call it). It is controlled by the Muralosian Soccer Association, the governing body for soccer in Muralos. Muralos' home ground is the Komcatt Arena in the capital city of Urbego, and its current coach is Jozefo Koltakov, former striker for CSKA Urbego and later Muralosian national team captain. Hina Kageyama and Pavel Li serve as assistant coaches.

Kits
Unusually, the Muralosian national soccer team uses only one kit with two of the national colors of Muralos. These uniforms are brand new, as the Muralosian populace voted to adopt a new flag in 2022.

Kit made with the kit maker at Owayo.

Roster
The Muralosian roster is built around the former Muralosian men's national soccer team, whose members comprise the starting lineup. The starting players were quite young when they joined the roster in 2016. Now, they are tried-and-true forces, who (as part of the former men's team) won the Second International Football Cup in Squidroidia in 2020 after 4 years of not facing competition.

The former Muralosian men's national team and former Muralosian women's national team merged in December 2020 to form the current co-ed team. In doing so, the Muralosian Soccer Association preserved the starting lineup of the former Muralosian men's national team, while adding players from the former Muralosian women's national team to the reserves. To make up for this haphazard arrangement, the Hawks' management frequently starts its female players– including Tanya Lubimova, Rebeka Mori, Aminda Mori, Galina Shchedrina, and Valora Lin– not only in the interests of gender equity, but also because of these players' exceptional skill.

The co-ed Muralosian national team has found success, though it has not earned any titles yet. The co-ed Hawks reached the Round of 16 in the 74th Baptism of Fire, as well as the Round of 16 in the 12th Independent Associations Championship, which Muralos co-hosted with Almuzahara. Most recently, they reached the Round of 32 in the Cup of Harmony, before losing 5-4 on penalties against Poafmersia.

Starting Lineup of the Muralosian National Soccer Team
The Muralosian national soccer team typically plays in a 4-4-2 formation, but since the 90th World Cup qualifiers, they often play in a 4-3-3 formation.

#1- Rodion Markov - Goalkeeper - as part of the U-20 Muralosian squad, he was nicknamed "the Prophet" for his formidable accuracy in guessing the direction of penalty kicks and capability to pass very wide, "seeing beyond" any obstacles.
#2 - Ryo Takeda - Right back - a quick, agile defender who is a key piece in all of the Hawks' counterattacks, though his explosiveness can lead to costly fouls. The only (but not the first) player on the Muralosian national team with Ainu ancestry, Takeda is Japanese on his father's side and Hokkaido Ainu on his mother's side.
#4 - Aleksandro Kim - Center back - born in Kurilo of Korean descent, Kim moved to Urbego at the age of 13 to attend Urbego's Zamenhof High School and was part of the team that won the FIS, Muralos' premier high school championship, in 2008.
#5 - Rikardo Lei - Center back - his grandparents were Fengjieans who were doctors during the Muralosian Civil War. (Unfortunately, the nation of Fengjie ceased to exist.) Exceptionally strong defender who played a very large role in the Asian Archipelago Regional Cup, most notably in the match against Elbaron in which the Hawks won 2-1.
#3 - Koralo Petrov - Left back - another player who rose to fame through an FIS championship. Makes very wide passes and is regarded as a good team player.
#6 - Mikhail Zheng - Left midfield - part of the same FIS-winning team as Aleksandro Kim. Had a brief stint playing in the Premier League of Li Qing (now the Confederation of Australian States) before returning to become a member of the Hawks.
#7 - Johano Abramovich - Center midfield - Formidable dribbling skills, also the leader in assists during the Asian Archipelago Regional Cup. Jokingly dubbed "the creative type" by coach Koltakov, Abramovich is well known for his long-range, curved shots, which proved useful in Muralos' 7-4 victory against Li Qing in early 2016. In recent years (since the 11th IAC), Abramovich has taken fewer of these shots, but he is still effective at assisting the Hawks' strikers.
#8 - Nikolaj Granda - Center midfield - No relation to Walter Granda, who represents Muralos in professional tennis. Despite what his last name may suggest, Granda is a rather petite player. At only 5'7", his shorter stature allows him to be more agile and less injury-prone compared to taller opponents.
#11- Vilhelmo Lumin - Right midfield - a cum laude graduate of Urbego National University, where he played in the Muralosian University League, Lumin made his first international appearance as a substitute player during the Asian Archipelago Regional Cup. Following the retirement of veteran Klaus Sverov, however, he joined the starting lineup in Muralos' match against New Zhengguo in the Embassy Cup.
#9 - Rui - Striker - Born Rui Zhang, he changed his name legally to Rui in July 2014. Remarkably fast and shoots penalties with good accuracy. One of the more underrated members of the team.
#10 - Adamo Brava - Striker - the 30-year-old team captain, widely considered to be the star player of the Muralosian team and an answer to some premier overseas soccer players. Despite his status, however, he is also known for his maturity and humility, often representing the Muralosian team in interviews and awards ceremonies.

Reserves of the Muralosian National Soccer Team

#18 - Tanya Lubimova - Goalkeeper - starting goalkeeper for the former Muralosian woman's national soccer team, Lubimova's performance has long been regarded as equal to Rodion Markov's. Her role in the 74th Baptism of Fire tournament, in which she often substituted for Markov, proved that further, and now she often starts matches.
#17 - Ji-yong Park - Goalkeeper - starting goalkeeper for FC Havenurbo, a top-tier team in the men's Muralosian Premier League, usually second to CSKA Urbego. The 24 year-old Park uses "he" and "they" pronouns interchangeably, and they are one of Muralos' most notable non-binary athletes. Park is a capable goalkeeper who has plenty of athleticism and skill, without being as flashy as Markov or Lubimova.
#16 - Feodor Tanaka - Goalkeeper - starting goalkeeper for Gastello Giants FC.
#28 - Rebeka Mori - Left back - played for Nord-Urbo High School and now studies microbiology at the University of Oleo, where she plays for their University League team and works in the biology department's Permafrost Research Center.
#27 - Elena Kuznetsova - Center back - a senior at Nord-Urbo High School and a defender on the girls' soccer team there. She is also a member of the Muralosian U-21 national soccer team and a prospective University League athlete. At 18 years old, Kuznetsova is the second-youngest player on the Muralosian national team.
#26 - Smedun - Center back - Smedun is a defender for CSKA Urbego, the reigning men's Muralosian Premier League champions. He is, therefore, teammates with Muralosian national team members Adamo Brava, Johano Abramovich, Ryo Takeda, and Rodion Markov. Smedun is often referred to in Muralosian media as "the most attacking defender"; in the most recent Muralosian Premier League season, he scored 8 goals in 32 appearances for the team. Smedun is of Nivkh descent, and following Nivkh custom, he does not have a surname.
#29 - Aminda Mori - Right back - Rebeka's fraternal twin sister, she plays for the University League team at the University of Havenurbo, where she studies digital art and design. The women's teams of U. Havenurbo and U. Oleo have a long-lasting rivalry, and recently faced each other in the June 2020 women's soccer University League final. (U. Oleo won 1 - 0.)
#30 - Daniel "Lerta" Donaldson - Left midfield - played for Zamenhof High School and made major contributions to their semifinal and runner-up finishes in 2018 and 2019, respectively. In 2019, he enrolled at the Havenurbo Institute of Technology, where he studies mathematics and plays for the soccer team – reigning University League men's soccer champions. In the summer of 2020, he was invited to practice with the former Muralosian men's national team, becoming the second African-Muralosian player in the team's history and the youngest player with the squad.
#32 - Yonghua Liang - Center midfield - a starting midfielder for the Nogliki Wolves and a former winger for the Muralosian women's national soccer team. Liang grew up learning the clarinet and was adamant about learning a sport that didn't require much arm movement, for fear that she injure an arm and be unable to play clarinet. (This is why she started soccer.) She reached the University League final with the University of Oleo's women's soccer team, and was also in the concert band that performed Muralos' anthem at the match.
#21 - Georgo Zhong - Center midfield - a current teammate of Lerta Donaldson at Havenurbo Tech and an economics major there. While a student at Nord-Urbo High School, he scored a hat-trick against Urbego High School, securing Nord-Urbo's first FIS qualification in 10 years.
#23 - Galina Shchedrina - Right midfield - a recent graduate of Urbego National University like starting midfielder Vilhelmo Lumin, Shchedrina made a splash with her debut in the 74th Baptism of Fire. She is known to play well in high-pressure situations, making accurate passes even when surrounded by opposing midfielders and defenders. Currently playing for the Valnohar Rovers of the Tikariot Premier League, Shchedrina is the only member of the Muralosian national team playing overseas.
#20 - Valora Lin - Striker - a starter for the former Muralosian woman's national soccer team, Lin's presence on the new co-ed team is a boon for Muralos' efforts in international competition. She is sure to hold her own against starting strikers Adamo Brava and Rui, and following the 90th World Cup Qualifiers, she often starts as a third striker on the field.
#22 - Daniil Lee - Striker - formerly a defender and sometime striker for Nord-Urbo High School, Lee transferred to Urbego High School this year due to its more forgiving academic calendar. Now-national team coach Pavel Li noticed the 16 year-old at a U-20 national team tryout; after the Hawks' exit from the Baptism of Fire, Lee was granted a spot on the reserves as a striker. Lee scored his first goal for the Hawks in April 2021, during Muralos' group stage match against Grey County in the 12th Independent Associations Championship.

Style Modifier and RP Permissions
Style modifier: +2

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
- Choose my goalscorers: Yes
- Godmod scoring events: No
- RP injuries to my players: Yes
- Godmod injuries to my players: No
- Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
- Hand out red cards to my players: Telegram first. (This Muralosian squad isn’t infallible, but they have been pretty sportsmanlike through the years.)
- Godmod other events: No

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 2:08 pm

By Peter Davis

The National Stadium...decked out in IAC Black, Red. White and Yellow. A new era was beginning for TJUN-ian football, one year out from reaching our first ever World Cup, and what better way of doing that than this stadium, TJUN-ia's Footballing Heartbeat, would be one of the 16 co-hosts of IAC15. It seemed fitting that the first 5 games of this new TJUN-ia, one of 4-2-3-1 and a whole new starting 11, would be played on home soil in front of their fans and when the teams came out to take on Hebitaka, the atmosphere certainly rumbled towards pure thunder - and it certainly felt good. David Seems and Li Xiu Ying felt new too, both because of the new formation and because of their much-publicised wedding a few months ago - which was certainly a day of celebration for the TJUN-ian footballing world, with all current and former players attending the ceremony. Their new team was filled with players looking to show why their opportunity was certainly deserved and with so much change in the lineup, it's only fitting that after the anthems were sung the attention turned to the player introductions.

and now, the Starting 11 from TJUN-ia!
Goalkeeper, #1 - Vice-Captain David N'kude! *cheers*
Leftback, #2 - Peter von Krjker! *cheers*
Centerback, #3 - Hwang Syong-ya! *cheers*
Centerback, #4 - Mohammad Malsharma! *cheers*
Rightback, #5 - Peter Ørberg!
Central Defensive Midfielder (*cheers*), #6 - Petor Szektkovsky! *cheers*
Left Mid, #7 - Manu Kepelewako! *cheers*
Right Mid, #8 - Kelo Ngwemanagawa! *cheers*
Central Attacking Midfielder, #9, formerly of Galar - Captain Prince Carter! *very loud cheers*
Striker, #10 - Carlos Pique! *cheers*
and finally, Striker #11, formerly of Galar - Archer Andrews! *louder cheers*

Those were the 11 new players who kicked off our IAC15 journey and the new era of the TJUN-ia Jaguars and while our aspirations long term were to make it back to the WC, today was all about getting used to the new system while going as far as possible in this Multiversal IAC. Hebitaka as a first opponent, ranked 46th in the IAC Rankings, were a good opponent to start with - a team the old guard would've been expected to crush, but the new guys could play them more equally and with less status upon their shoulders. Of course, all eyes would be on the two Galarians, Captain Carter and his link-up buddy Andrews who have been goal-scoring threats off the bench for years now and finally had a chance to showcase fully what they were made of. Today would see them get the new era on the right track with a goal in the 33rd, Carter finding Andrews for the goal they all wanted to see. Hebitaka weren't exactly pushover and had a few chances at the game but N'kude, trying to fill the big boots of Harold Gylfisson, had a good first game as a starter. Of course, everyone also hoped that the new formation didn't mean a reliance on Carter and Andrews for the goals and the 76th would quell those fears, a corner from Kelo Ngwemanagawa headed home by CDM Petor Szektkovsky in the debut of that position in the senior side. That would be that, a 2-0 win to kick off the new TJUN-ia on the right track.

It certainly was nice getting the dub, but better opposition will come to TJUN-ia City in hopes of taking the hosts down. The biggest threat? #10 Sannyamathland, who be looking to bounce back in a big way after being upset 1-0 by other Group E hosts Britonisea. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group E, all matches at National Stadium, TJUN-ia City, TJUN-ia)
MD1: vs Hebitaka (46) W 2-0
MD2: vs Sannyamathland (10)
MD3: vs Valkyriah (UR)
MD4: vs Britonisea (28)
MD5: vs Macbon (UR)

by **Squidroidia** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 2:38 pm

The Inkopolis Times

SPORTS

THREE PAST THE BARRIER

Inklings open up IAC 15 campaign with 3-0 thumping of StrayaRoos Barrier Islands

With a completely sold out crowd of 50,000 spectators, the Inkopolis City Stadium saw the curtains raise on Squidroidia's campaign in the 15th running of the Independent Associations Championship, and Squidroidia's first act resulted in a resounding success for this "new look" Inklings team, beating fellow co-host StrayaRoos Barrier Islands by a score of 3-0 under an unique "no-captaincy" method that manager Adam Johnson introduced following the retirement of Takemoto Shingen at the end of the World Cup 90 campaign.

In interviews with SBN, Johnson said that this Inklings team will spend the tournament without a real, tangible captain, a position which will change for the incoming World Cup 91 qualifiers. "I feel like, with Shingen gone, that this team has to find a real tangible captain that they can all get behind, and the best way, as my assistants have been telling me, is to have no captain at all and let the team find their own." If Squidroidia were to win the IAC, Adam Johnson will be the one lifting the trophy, which would be his first piece of silverware as an international manager, not counting his time in the Barunian X-League. But nevertheless, the unique strategy worked.

From kickoff to final whistle, it was the Squidroidia Inklings Show, the home team giving their crowd what they wanted - Goals, goals, goals. At the peak of his powers, Makino Hideo would open up the scoring early in the first half, receiving a floated cross from the Squidbreak faithful's most hated man Shiba Tetsuo and slotting the ball past Hamish Loian to open up the scoring just 12 minutes in. Although the members of the SBI national team range in age from 9 years old to 27, it is important to note that this team indeed plays like a consistent unit and isn't just a Space Laser Dinosaur Robot Pirate Land team from World Cup 105 time-warped to the present day. But on the day, Squidroidia were the better side.

The 2nd goal would come in near the end of halftime thanks to the 35 year old Uda Haruko, who rose his head up high from a corner and put it back into the net. From there, apart from the emu substitutions reminding us more about those car insurance ads with a cop and his emu pal which is somehow listed first on the title, Squidroidia kept the pace up in the 2nd half, and a 79th minute sealer by Sho Itō secured all 3 points for the home team. It was an emphatic win to start the campaign, and with Quintessence of Dust on the docket, the Inklings might extend that run of form and keep the dice rolling.

Speaking to the Inkopolis Times:

"I feel like that goal was the highlight of my career, and I was there for the World Cup 89 playoff shootout with Vilita. To score a goal for your country is something you cherish for the rest of your life." - Uda Haruko on his goal to send Squidroidia up 2-0

"Today was really a statement for me as a goalkeeper. First real game as the starting goalkeeper for your country, in the IAC, AND you keep a clean sheet against Jai Kunai and the Emu Crew? Must be a great day." - Kaede Akiyama after his clean sheet performance

"What? I didn't say it wouldn't work!" - Adam Johnson commenting on his captainless team strategy

Around the Dominion
SPORTS: Kōji Katou joins Squidroidia-owned Newbanks United
INKOPOLIS: Sold out crowds across the board for ICS games for IAC 15
TRAVEL: What to expect from every IAC host city and stadium
BUSINESS: The Finances of the IFCF (And why every team wants to make the Champions League)
IAC 15: Matchday 1 Recap: Abanhfleft on fire, Poafmersia, Adab scrap it out in Fiskadaha City

by **Zwangzug** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 3:10 pm

The Arlington Moon-Tribune

Here is a phrasebook for our Picksalladed fans visiting Montaña Verde! Please use these handy translations to avoid any cultural misunderstandings in our "host" nation. We do not vouch for the quality of these translations in any language. [Editor's note: make sure we include the Verdean equivalent before this goes to press. Get one of the interns who can speak Farf or something.]

Kā vepo efkamak efdo amēkab! This is my identification card!

Yepēk būbēkok nebadokab kē mogwed ōwēm. The train from Santa Margarita has not arrived.

Būdēefma fevokab faēgkab naf pūfkab kēbin. Don't eat the [inedible part, peel] of the yellow fruit.

Ihedē dūp bo yad dūmafkag. You are tall for a Verdean [green one].

Hūfōkod yogaēbinkab bempēdi hūpin damdō. The cook burnt all our fish.

Ōbwikod Ūyēnu kedkab if ebyedkab! Ūyēnu sent the ball into the net!

by **Saterun** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 6:20 pm

An initial loss was not how you wanted to start a tournament. Abbas Yousafali knew that. It was why he was bent over his desk, furiously figuring out what had gone wrong.

The match had started well enough, but it had quickly delved into chaos from there. He was wondering how to fix Hans-Jürgen Becker's late marking when a knock interrupted him. "Come in!" he called. His goalkeeping coach, Ethan Treh, poked his head inside. "Ethan, come in." Ethan made his way over to the head coach.

"Sir, I wanted to give you some advice. I think you should play Rahul in the starting XI over Ralf for the rest of the group stage."

Abbas had to think a little on this one. Ralf was a very celebrated goalkeeper, but he was getting old. The past WC cycle also hadn't been the best for him. Maybe it was time to let Rahul shine. "Put him on." Ethan looked genuinely surprised. Abbas had heard of how Martin Freeberg had kept Ralf on for an entire WC cycle, even though he declining. It now seemed like Ethan might have tried to convince the former coach, and that Abbas actually listening to Ethan was not expected.

"Oh-ok" was the stammered response that the goalkeeping coach made. He quickly left the room. It was back to work for Abbas. He decided that he needed to up the pressing in all of his players. He quickly scribbled "Up pressing" on the side. Next, the opponent had gotten too many crosses into the box. "Watch the wings" was written next. Finally, not enough through runs and passes were made. "Take the opportunity" was scrawled right on. Abbas straightened. He hoped his team could perform better in the next match. This was not a good result for his first match, but hopefully a lineup and some tactical changes would help.

by **Hopal** » Tue Mar 22, 2022 6:42 pm

The Hopal Herald Sports

Team Hopal Begins IAC 15 with 1-1 tie against Kencana

Hopes were high for Team Hopal going into this 15th edition of the Independent Associations' Cup, it was the first time in a while that the full Hopalian Soccer team would be competing together at a major international tournament. The last international event the team competing at was the Olympics, in which the men and women competed separately. There was also much hope that Team Hopal could also see some international success, something that the team hasn't really seen up to this point, at the last Independents' Cup that the team competed in, the 10th edition of the tournament, the team ended dead last in their group, without a single win. It would also be the first international tournament with Tom Villiers as Head Coach of Team Hopal, having taken over the Hopalian National Soccer Program this year. He shook up the team and the program, cutting some veterans, and bringing in and putting trust into youngsters and newcomers. This would be the first international tournament in years that the full Hopalian team competed in and it would be the first test of Villers' tenure as head of the national program. Villers was jubilant going into this first match saying before the game, "I'm excited to finally see this team on the field, it's a good group that we've assembled, and I think you'll be surprised to see what they'll do."

The first match for this team started out well for Team Hopal, the team held possession of the ball for the most part. The team was defensive and cautious with their possession of the ball, passing between themselves very often, and waiting for their opportunity to push forward. It was a testament to the defensive strategy and playing style that Tom Villers has brought in, and the faith that he and the team puts into defensive coach, Allison Woodville, who has brought results here and in the past for the team. Another notable thing about the opening of this match was the leadership role that Kay Redford has taken on in leading the defence side of the team, and the team more broadly. Redford, who has been rather a forgettable player in the past has really come into her own, as seen in this match, as she takes her role as one of the veterans of the team, and it was very clear the role that she took on the field, guiding and coordinating the rest of the team. Another notable player in this match was Peter Fikudal, who has been a bit of a late bloomer on the team, he's been on the reserves for most international tournaments in the past. It was only in the past few years through training that Fikudal has really come into his own, at 27 when most players are getting past their prime, he's just beginning to prove why he's worthy of a really permanent role on the Starting 11. He kept the ball, and really talented in keeping the ball away from his opponents, and taking it away from his opponents, he really moved possession and the team forward into attacking territory, and was able to make the best of opportunities when they opened up for him, and overall is a really smart player. Fikudal through caution, and then speed was able to get the ball up to Tommy Sanchez who was able to score on Kencana at the 19th minute.

A lot of the rest of the game was quite boring, with Hopal holding the ball cautiously and conservatively, waiting for opportunities, which never really did come, or which the Hopalians couldn't utilize. The Kencana team really tried to push and pressure the Hopalian, and Hopal really was on the defensive for a lot of the game. The team from Kencana was able to score in latter half of the game, off of the mistake which they were able to take advantage of the Hopalian defence. None of the teams would be able to get another goal for the rest of the game, with Hopal and Kencana getting a tie at 1 goal a piece.

Reaction was mixed after the game, Head Coach Tom Villers said, "A good start for the team, I think we did rather well, we'll always have things to learn, but overall I'm proud of the team, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they have in store." Team Captain and Goalkeeper Adrian Turcotte said, "A solid game, and basis for this tournament, but we have a lot to learn and work on, and we'll be learning from our mistakes going forward." There were a few changes to the Starting 11 made by Tom Villers going into Matchday 2 against Drawkland. Two of the defensive players involved in the mistake which led to the goal by Kencana, Kaylee Haboshinter and Helen Briere were shuffled out, with Hector Cruz replacing Haboshinter as an FB, and Kay Reford becoming a CB. Henry Gowen who was also involved in that mistake was not shuffled out of the Starting 11. Wendy Stein became a CM in place of Kay Redford, and the young star of U-18 team Uma Frey would take her place as OM. Justin Gubre will also switch in with Lewis Archer, with the veteran Gubre earning his place back on the starting 11 after that exact substitution and a bit of an underwhelming performance from the newcomer Archer, who was making his internationally debut.

Starting 11 for MD2
GK Adrian Turcotte 28 M
FB Hector Cruz 19 M
FB Allison Terrace 19 F
CB Henry Gowen 26 M
CB Kay Redford 31 F
CM Wendy Stein 24 F
CM Peter Fikudal 27 M
CM Justin Gubre 25 M
OM Jake Gonchar 27 M
OM Uma Frey 18 M
CF Tommy Sanchez 26 M

Schedule
MD1: vs Kencana - D 1-1
MD2: vs Drawkland
MD3: vs Sixty-ninE X
MD4: vs Almuzahara
MD5: vs Togonistan

by **Reginalida** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 1:59 am

RIFT is here to compete in the IAC for the first time!

The Reginalian International Football Club (RIFT) joins the IAC competition for the first time in history. Coming from the capital city of Stephenage, the men's team and travelling with their managers and coaching staff to the United Adaikes for the tournament. We Rifities look forward to seeing our team compete against other nations!

Nation Name: Reginalida
Denonyms: Reginalidan
Nicknames: Rifters
Association: Football Association of Reginalida (FAR)

Position	Name
Manager	Raul Tunnus
Assisstant Manager	Alano Centajun
Coach	Prospero Conti
Fitness Coach	Lalo Nieves
Physiotherapist	Luciana Khannia

The Roster:
Formation: 5-3-2

CM #1 Camilo Galinoba (Team Captain), age 28
LWB #2 Calvin Eneide, age 30
CB #3 Max Vannes, age 20
CF #4 Alberto Methus, age 30
GK #5 Gaspar Lizardo, age 18
CB #6 Alfeo Luoni, age 22
RWB #7 Nico Brises, age 17
CM #8 Martin Salberco, age 24
CM #9 Beniamino Donini, age 25
CB #10 Romeo Sandon, age 25
CF #11 Eloy Perales, age 24

Roleplay Permissions
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
Roleplay injuries to my players: Y
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Y
Hand out red cards to my players: Y
Godmod other events: N
Style modifier: -4

About the Team:
The RIFT was founded under the name 'international' team instead of national team due to the fact a large part of the team's purpose was to increase friendly relations between Reginalida (a country typically isolated from the rest of the world) and other nations. While the name RIFT technically covers both the men's and women's team, unless specified to be the women's team, it is safe to assume that someone is talking about the men's team when they say RIFT.

The current manager of the men's team, Raul Tunnus, has been in charge for the past year, after having only a brief 2-year break from the world of football after he suffered an injury to his ribs during his time as centre-forward for the team. It was seen as a questionable choice to replace himself with his young and inexperienced nephew, Eloy Perales, so as the first major tournament since should prove a real test for the skill of Perales - and the management ability of Tunnus.

Playing with Space

FAR News

International News

We don't have a space program ourselves, but today, we're still playing with Space! During their first match in the IAC, Reginalidan players faced off against the Space Team, a match that eventually ended in a draw! A particularly interesting result, all things considered. The other team are literally from space, after all. With the match against Sajnur coming up very soon, we can only hope that two not-space-dwelling nations might be a little more... similar in terms of skill, so we can have a better insight into what on Earth (pun intended) could have us draw with the players from Space.

by **Macbon** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 6:05 am

At the press conference

Journalist: So Bernard after a 3-2 win against Valkyriah, your next game is against Britonisea one of hosts in the championship, what do you think about the game?

Bernard Dieudonné: Well we won't have to worry because we play bravely, yeah they are 28th in the rankings but even if the
team is higher in the rankings there will be weakness in that team.

Starting XI:
1 Lombardi
39 Lucas, 7 Tortorelli, 20 Vittone, 8 Fittipaldi
12 Mendola(c), 15 D'Alesandro, 19 Perazzo, 32 Maltese
9 Montagna,24 Mariani

Roles-
Captain: Mendola
Vice-Captain: Lombardi, Mariani
Free-Kicks: Mendola
Penalties: D'Alesandro
Corners: Bruno, D'Alesandro

by **Eshialand** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 7:21 am

Opening with a Triumph
Trolleborg 0-1 Eshialand

Starting off the group stage with what was almost guaranteed to be the toughest match of the tournament wasn't exactly how the Owls wanted this to go, now was it?

Luckily, Eshian teams certainly had more than a little experience with tough starts to tournaments. After all, both of their last two World Cup Qualifying runs saw them play the top three seeds in the group in some order or another, and IAC 14 began with Eshialand squaring off against 1^st-ranked Poafmersia. They knew that the key was not cracking under pressure. Against a team like the Trolls, this would of course be a challenge, but nothing completely unmanageable.

Things very much could've gone either way from minute one to stoppage time. Both teams had plenty of opportunities to score, but Alexander Kolek and Finnsness Soderhelm kept things completely clean, so much so that fans watching from 1^st December Stadium couldn't imagine this match ending in any score other than 0-0... until Jake Harran did some Jake Harran things.

Receiving the pass from Melissa Carey, Harran decided that this match wouldn't quite be complete without a fair few shenanigans. In specific, these shenanigans involved a strange tactic he learned from watching hockey games back home. How, you may ask, could hockey plays translate well into soccer? Well, who really knows. All we know is that, in the 62^nd minute, Jake intentionally shot the ball just a bit high. Soderhelm couldn't stop it, so it just bounced off the crossbar, straight towards Harran's head. The rebound header went in, and the tie was broken. Thanks to Alex Kolek's impeccable work in goal, the tie would never return, and Eshialand opened the 15^th IAC with a 1-0 upset over the second seeds. So... now what?

Well, their next match is slated to be against Tjorl, an unranked team playing out of Pot 5. While some may be relieved to hear about that, others remember IAC 14, which had a mostly clean group stage that included a win over Poafmersia and a draw to Omerica... but was stained by a defeat to the unranked United States of Great America. Unranked doesn't mean bad; it just means unpredictable. Let's just hope that the match against Tjorl doesn't backfire too badly.

Trolleborg - 0
Eshialand - 1 (Harran 62')

by **HUElavia** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 7:35 am

Opening Glory

HUElavia opens IAC 15 with a late victory to take the first points of the tournament!

The 14 Stars 0-2 HUElavia
(Navarro-Hamada 81', Honda 88')
(Estadio Nacional, Curumba, HUElavia)

Starting XI at The Republic of Dansen:
23 Casillas (C), 15 Regnard, 18 Ardance, 16 Pillpe, 12 Larrangoz, 19 Mayordomo, 14 Noffke, 22 Duarte, 17 Yom, 20 Lopes, 21 Balderas
Away Uniform will be worn

After many weeks of preparation, between the team and the country, the day had finally arrived: The start of IAC 15. HUElavia was buzzing once more with interest and optimism for the tournament, the one that gave many heartbreaks for the team and country over the years. For the second time, HUElavia was hosting the IAC, but this time in a different manner: Being one of 16 different hosts hosting matches throughout the multiverse. With this, Estadio Nacional (100,000) in Curumba was once again draped in the colors of the IAC, with the banners and signs dedicated to the colors of the tournament. Today, the first opponent for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos was The 14 Stars, who was coming in looking to make a strong name for themselves and improve from their previous appearance at IAC 14. Due to The 14 Stars playing as the "home" team for the match, HUElavia was forced to wear their Special Alternative Uniform, the Whites with Blue Trim. Despite this, the stadium as a whole was a sea of Yellow and Blue, with the only thing differencing the two teams were the flags seen on the endzones and throughout the stadium. Conavacio put forward the A-Team, looking to get the best of the best to get out there and get a favorable result from the start. The teams came out to great fanfare, the anthems were played, the coin toss was done and the ball rolled to start out the campaign!

The first half saw both teams take shots left and right, but solid goalkeeping from Princeton and Lettmann kept the match scoreless. The best chance from HUElavia came in the 28th minute, when a corner was taken by Brousseau, where it went into the box and Lavezzi leaped over Rodriguez to head the ball before it hit the underbar and bounced down to hit the ground before being cleared by Yale. 14 Stars had their chance in the 41st minute, when a pass by Garcia made it through Higashi, and left Moonlight one-on-one with Lettmann, giving a low shot that just narrowly go past the empty net, out for a goal kick. At the half, it was 0-0, and the teams and fans alike felt there was more to be expected in the match.

The second half saw both teams still going on the attack, trying to open each other's defense, but neither team letting it happen. Substitutions were made, with HUElavia seeing Pillpe, Noffke, and Balderas come on in exchange for Higashi, Brousseau, and Chanca respectively. 14 Stars saw Wellington, Sodorsund, and Neville come on for Garcia, Redwood and Yale respectively. Both teams were seeking the victory with close shots, but it was a pressure that everyone knew it was going to go off. In the 81st minute, Mitarte was on the ball, being covered by Ray, where she gave a pass to Font, who then passed it to Balderas. Being covered by White, he passed it to Navarro-Hamada, where he gave a curving shot with his left foot to go out of the reach of Princeton into the top corner of the goal to make it 0-1. The crowd erupted, jumping around and cheering to make the stadium rumble, singing along to the goal song, while Navarro-Hamada gave a run to do a knee drag and get mobbed by his teammates for the goal. Much like his parents many years ago, Navarro-Hamada set his name ablaze with the opening goal for the team in a major tournament. The match was now in strong favor of HUElavia, with the crowd chanting and cheering, whistling and booing each time The 14 Stars had the ball, while cheering and chanting when HUElavia had the ball. This pressure culminated in the 88th minute, when Nasicemento was on the ball, facing a coverage by White, where he took a shot that hit the post and deflected out, where it fell into the feet of Honda. She took a blistering shot and it blasted past a Princeton, that could not move back in time, into the goal, making it 0-2. The crowd erupted once more, jumping and cheering to rock the stadium, singing to the goal song, while Honda was mobbed by her teammates and the bench in great celebration. Minutes later, the referee blew her whistle and the match ended, with HUElavia taking a much suffered but well earned 3 points.

In the other matches in Group C, Freeport Isles dispatched The Republic of Dansen, 3-1, while Abanhfleft obliterated debutants Sudilia in a 6-2 beatdown. Thus, Abanhfleft leads Group C with 3 Points (1-0-0) in a +4 GD, followed by Freeport Isles with 3 Points (1-0-0) in a +2 GD, and HUElavia sits in 3rd Place with 3 Points (1-0-0) with +2 GD. HUElavia will play against The Republic of Dansen next, where it seems Conavacio will opt with the B-Team for the match, in order to give some fair playtime for the bench, as well as preparing for the big match on Matchday 3 against Abanhfleft. The team had plenty of smiles in training, knowing that their hard work can pay off, and they felt motivated that they could give a strong run in this tournament. Curumba is enjoying the influx of fans, taking the disposable income of the fans through the many restaurants and stores around the city. Overall, all is well in HUElavia at the moment, but we can only take it a game at a time and hope for the best.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

by **Sudilia** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 8:02 am

Opening Blues

Sudilia's first ever official match ends in a 6-2 beatdown in the IAC.

Sudilia 2-6 Abanhfleft
(Labelle 7', R. Grant 87' | McGinnis 14', 20', 25', Segovia 49', Kellerman 70', 75')
(SM Bank Field, Manchbury, Sudilia)

Entering their first ever international football tournament, Sudilia was looking forward to getting a memorable experience for their football team and their country, after a series of friendlies with the IAC juggernaut of HUElavia that saw the two teams split the matches at two wins a piece (2-1 Away Loss, 3-1 Home Win, 1-2 Away Win, 5-1 Home Loss). Thus, the team and fans were looking forward to the opening game against Abanhfleft, the only team to appear in all editions of the IAC. In a sold out crowd at SM Bank Field (35,000) in Manchbury, The Reds/Les Rouges were hyped for their first ever international game.

The match as a whole, while exciting at the start especially with the opening goal score by Labelle, the first official goal for Sudilia, was one for the fans to forget. Despite the 1-0 lead, Abanhfleft scored 6 unanswered goals in the span of 61 minutes to take a commanding 1-6 lead. Late in the game though, a corner by Latour went into the box, only for Grant to head the ball past Churchill into the goal, ending the match at 2-6. After the game, Head Coach Thompson had this to say: "While we had some moments of brightness, our inexperience and amateur skills showed, with Abanhfleft dominating the game and just about scoring at will. We were humiliated and humbled in front of a grand team, in front of our home crowd. We intend on learning from this and taking the time to practice and study in order to perform better for the remaining games in the group. All we can do is do out best."

Sudilia plays Freeport Isles next, where they hope they can give a better game and maybe get a point at the least. Once again, the team can only learn from this match and play better the next time around.

Go Sudilia! Allez Sudile!

by **The 14 Stars** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 8:49 am

Starsian Loss but nothing wrong yet

After a defeat by HUElavia the teams moral wasn't down, in fact it only became better because they were back in reality with the fact they still had a long way to go as a team and HUElavia was pot 1 for a reason ofcourse.
While Landry and Young debated on what to do the rest of the squad was training for the next match and former member Flare did pay them a visit to give them some moral spirit along with Nicolay Moon aswell.

Both former members knew the pressure of international games, Flare had been the ace striker for many years and he especially took the time to talk a bit with Holly Moonlight who was his replacement.
She felt guilty for not scoring even once, but he told her it was alright, everyone made mistakes and he himself had been no exception throughout his career and he and Moon knew that their attendance was a good boost now.

Next

They already were preparing for next game, their group wasn't exceptionally strong but not weak either and there was no weak team to take lightly from what they had seen so far in the replays of the matches.
Furthermore the domestic season also was almost starting, it was unsure when it exactly would start yet but it would be right after the IAC because the players had an extremely tight schedule in the Super League.
Morris Valerian arrived later that day, he has now a job as youth coach and is very motivational, Landry also asked him what he thought about the current team and they had a long good talk.

Landry was the person with the most pressure here, if he did not make this team a good result people in his native country would just laugh at him for becoming their coach more then anything at all.
Young was atleast with him here but sometimes that pressure really was there with him, he really knew he had to get results and thats also why he has now started to look to set out a plan to bring atleast a decent result home to the country.

by **Adab** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 9:17 am

Sunday, June 13, 2038
Poafmersia 2-2 Adab
Adab scorers: Barzani (49’, 85’)

A Dance with Football
Snapshots of the lives of the people involved in Adabian football and those associated with them
For a full list of chapters click here. To read all the chapters in one go click here
For an (incomplete) list of major/prominent characters in this story click here and scroll down to the ‘Football’ section

Chapter 58: Landing, Part 2

November 11, 2036
Above Adab City International Airport, Adab City

“I expected nothing less from you,” Saad Kaykali said into the phone, his voice imbued with a dark, sinister tone. Around him, onboard the plane, the cacophony had reduced somewhat as they listened to the Boss’ words. And tried to guess the reaction from the other end of the call.

On the other end of the call was another leading figure in the whole drama. The man some of the players were now trying to overthrow. If he was offended or enraged, that was not apparent from his calm, if starkly cold, voice. “I have nothing to do with this, Saad,” Naram-Sin, President of the Adabian Football Association, answered through the frankly terrible cell phone reception. “If I had to clue you in, I would say the order probably came from the Imperial Palace. I mean your arrival has caused quite the commotion. Can you access the web from up there? People are crowding the streets, they’re marching here, they’re marching to the airport, I’m guessing the police just got overwhelmed.”

“Are you now blaming us for all this?” Saad demanded, trying to stay calm even as the fire began to rise inside him with every word Naram-Sin said.

“I’m not blaming you,” Naram-Sin calmly countered. “Are you blaming me?”

“Look,” Saad sighed, “let’s just do away with all these pleasantries and get to the point. Now, I’m not part of the plan, but I can’t prevent my players from doing… whatever they want to do. The players want you out and lots of people are rallying to them. You’d do well to reflect on what it has come to this.”

“I have been reflecting all my life,” Naram-Sin said, tone almost flat and unchanging. “You know everything I have done, I have done for the good of Adabian football. I’m just doing my job.”

“Which I am sure is why you have been interfering in the personal lives of our players,” Saad continued, rubbing his head in exasperation and almost breaking into a sarcastic laugh simultaneously, “while our stadiums are neglected, there are hooligans running around, our national teams are often short of funding, you sit back and do nothing as the press goes after Arthur and Sinmuballit, you do nothing to separate your organization from the meddling of the Palace and politicians-“

“You do actually support them, don’t you?” Naram-Sin cut him off, a small hint of exasperation in the voice the first break in the calmness which had marked his words so far. “Look, about those two, I assure you I have done nothing to intervene, but you also know that they are examples of the immorality which is damaging our society today.” Naram-Sin’s voice steadily began to rise as he emphasized his points. “You do remember that Sinmuballit was sleeping with two people simultaneously, one of whom being your own daughter, and he and Arthur are not exactly setting a good example of our society and damaging the unity of our team and the unity of our society-“

“ENOUGH!” Saad finally exploded, shouting towards the window with a roar reverberating through the body of the plane. “Listen to me carefully, Naram-Sin. You are not that dumb. You know many people are opposed to your leadership and want to see you gone. And I know why you still feel comfortable after all this, because you have the support of the Palace. All our success has been achieved in spite of your inaction – no, don’t cut me off here, you listen to me now – and now everyone is marching on the streets and demanding your head. You can do nothing but they will storm your place and cut your head off. You can fight and they will fight back and it will be chaos. God knows what’s gonna happen if you lot decide to bring in the police.”

Saad expected another quick response from the AFA President, so it was actually unsettling to him when he was greeted with nothing but silence. Maybe, just maybe, Naram-Sin was actually listening. “Look, once again, I am not picking sides in this. This is between you and the people who want you out. But here’s my suggestion: if you want to clear the air, if you want to put this whole thing behind us, if you want to… well, whatever, just tell the Palace to let us land. Or the Ministry of Transportation. Or whoever is in charge of this mess. You keeping us flying around and around will just help the media circus. Then, well, I don’t know, maybe you fancy meeting these people who want you out? I mean a little conversation, a little negotiation never hurts anyone.”

He waited for an answer, waited patiently even when faced with another unexpected period of silence. And when that silence ended, Naram-Sin’s voice was lower, even – Saad thought – a bit unsure. “I’ll talk to the Palace.”

That was the last thing he said before he ended the call.

Adab lineup for IAC 15 MD2 (June 17, 2038, vs. Octapolis)

Starting lineup: Chandrasekar, Altun, Enmerkar (VC), Issou, Sharkalisharri, Arthur, Samanu, Orlev, Akaptaha, Yissakar, Yargab (C)

Substitutes: Shulgi, al-Tikriti, Akshak, Thomas, al-Muntar, Emmita, Uhwan, Zambiya, al-Kufa, Barzani

by **Tjorl** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 10:47 am

NS-verse Tjorl Lore

Tjorl's Primary Online Sports Commmunity

Tjorl's debut in the IAC ends in a draw
By Nicolina Dahlin

While De Frostkjemper was certainly excited for their first match in IAC 15, it was a bittersweet ending at the end of Matchday 1 as they drew against fellow unranked nation East Slavona. East Slavona's Ante Hanžeković opened the scoring with a composed finish 15 yards out. After the opening goal, East Slavona shifted to a defensive stlye of play, putting high pressure on the Tjorlish offense and making sure their 18-yard box was devoid of players. This proved effective until halftime, as the Tjorlish were left a lot of work to do as they went in the locker room. However, Nikolaj Eriksen opened his IAC goal account with a screamer of a shot from nearly 30 yards out, bringing the game back to where it started. De Frostkjemper kept trying and trying to get a second goal past East Slavona's goalkeeper Danijel Surtović, yet they just couldn't find it, and had to settle for a single point.

Tjorl will not bow down easily, as they will compete at their best against World #19 Eshialand, to keep their dreams of a knock-out spot alive.

Comments
- dastarig
sweet, not the best i could've hoped for, but i don't mind for now

- Andrei I.
I can't believe I'm living in a time when the Frost Giants are finally competing in international tournaments like these!

- damuro20
ah naw, we're gonna have a hard time giving stronger teams a challenge

by **Drawkland** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 3:29 pm

E X P E D I T I O N . . .

Jack Hoy and Leo Cross walked uneasily into town. It was dark, of course, but the light of various torches and lanterns illuminated the town's main thoroughfare enough that they could see where they were going. The road itself was even cobbled a little bit, rather than just being dirt packed down by generations of inhabitants and visitors walking it. They'd brought the cloaks they procured the day before, and being somewhat obscured in the darkness helped them feel a little less out of place. After all, they were far from local to the area.

"Where should we start?" Jack murmured to Leo as they strode towards the center of the town.

"They couldn't have come here before dark," Leo reasoned. "Most places here probably close after sundown. It would have to be someplace that would remain open for visitors despite the late hour."

"Hmmm ..." Jack pondered to himself, trying his best to look at every building they passed without looking suspicious. He then chuckled a little bit. "Think they went to a brothel?"

"First off, you're disgusting." Leo didn't laugh, but his normally stoic voice had just a tiny lilt to it. "Second off, no, that doesn't make sense. Third, I'm not going into a brothel here even if that's where they happened to be."

"Alright, point taken." Jack huffed. Looking around again, he saw what appeared to be a tavern. It looked similar to the inn they stayed at the night before, but this one was clearly operational. Lights shone through the doorway and windows, and the faint sounds of people could be heard.

"This could be a good place to start. Maybe somebody there saw them." Leo pointed at the place.

"Let's give it a shot." Jack led the way and the two slowly walked over and entered the tavern.

Despite giving off the appearance of a place filled with people and merrymaking, it appeared to be quite empty. There were a couple occupied tables, and a few lonesome souls sat at the bar, but ultimately it didn't seem to be a very hip place. As they walked in, the bartender looked up and gave them a wary eye.

"Hey, you two. What brings you here tonight?" The bartender barked out, and a couple of the supposed regulars turned from their seats to regard the strangers.

"We're looking for a couple of friends of ours who got lost." Leo began speaking immediately, before Jack could start talking. "Two women, about our height. Probably wearing similar garb. Seen anybody like that tonight?"

"Not tonight. You ought to try Grayson's down by the city center. Most travelers like you prefer it." The bartender seemed to add pointed emphasis to the 'like you' part of the sentence.

"Appreciate it, sir. We'll get right on out of your hair!" Jack said quickly, and they both turned to leave.

As they left the tavern and began walking towards the city center, Leo gave Jack a sharp jab in the ribs.

"The hell was that for?" Jack exclaimed, a little too loudly.

"Don't talk like that. We look out of place enough, you're going to attract more unwanted attention."

"I thought it was fine," Jack sniffed and rubbed his side.

"Just follow my lead. We don't need to make any more noise than we have to."

As they approached the town center, which seemed somewhat similar to the center of the ghost town of the day before, they began to hear a little more noise. One of the buildings in particular had light coming from the inside, and what sounded like music.

"That sounds like the place the guy was talking about," Jack gestured to the place by jutting his chin out.

"Indeed." Leo brought his hand up in a sort of facepalm. "Do you think they went there to get drunk?"

"Ohhh, that would make sense!" Jack nodded and smiled. "They probably wanted to get turnt up before having to deal with all this maze bullshit."

"Let's get in there quickly. Hopefully we'll find them and get them back easily."

The pair of gridiron guys strode into the place a little more confidently than the last one. The dilapidated sign above the door indeed said "Grayson's," so it was definitely the place the bartender had referred to. When they walked in, nobody seemed to notice. There was a trio of people on a small stage playing lively music, and several tables had been pushed aside to make room for dancing in the middle of the room. People were clapping, singing, laughing, and drinking with reckless abandon.

"Geez, how are we gonna find them in this place?" Jack had to nearly shout to be heard by Leo. "There's like a million people in here."

"Not sure. Take off your hood though, we look out of place." Leo dropped the hood of his cloak and Jack followed. Again, not many people seemed to give them a second glance.

The boys started shimmying past tables, chairs, patrons, and slipping past dancers to get to the other side of the room. They arrived next to the bar and gave each other a look. They hadn't seen Katie or Allison, but there was still a huge clump of people dancing and moving about.

"Hey, do you have any of the money that we took from those bandits?" Jack said to Leo.

"No. Why?" Leo asked, giving him an odd look.

"Kinda wanted to get a drink right now." Jack motioned to the bar behind him, which already had a person sitting at every stool.

"I'm glad we don't have any." Leo rolled his eyes. "It's bad enough that the girls might be drunk, I don't want to deal with Drunk Jack either."

"Come on, Drunk Jack is a fun guy!" Jack raised his hands and grinned. "At least it would make this shit a little more entertaining."

"Wait, shut up," Leo said suddenly, and he craned his neck forward. "There they are! They're dancing with some guys right in the middle."

"Bingo!" Jack said. "Let's get them!" He immediately starting moving into the gaggle of dancers on the floor.

"Wait-" Leo tried to grab him and slow him down, but he whiffed. "Damn elusive running back," he muttered to himself.

Jack slid and spun through the dancing floor until he came up on Katie and Allison. He started dancing a little to look more in place, and tapped on the shoulder of the guy dancing with Katie.

"Mind if I take this?" he asked innocently, and the clearly plastered man smiled and nodded, dancing away to find someone else. Jack grabbed ahold of Katie's hands and started dancing with her. She didn't notice for a moment, but when she looked closer she recognized him.

"W-wait, huh?" Katie slurred, still dancing along to the music. "What are you doing here, dude? Came to party like us?"

"We came to take you back." Leo had managed to bulldoze his way through the crowd to catch up with Jack. "We're annoyed you snuck out on our watch and we're not about to let you wander around in a town you've never been to."

"What's going on?" Allison looked over, then recognized the Grid Corps guys. "How did you get here?"

"Not important right now!" Jack grabbed Katie and Allison by the arm. "We just want to get out of here before something bad happens!"

"But we don't want to leave!" Katie shouted back. "We're having fun right now!"

"You're not supposed to be here anyway!" Leo helped Jack corral the two towards the door. "You're supposed to be on watch back at camp!"

"We missed our shift?" Allison exclaimed. "Fuck, we were supposed to be back by now, Katie! I told you that you'd lose track of time!"

They all moved to leave the place, when suddenly a bartender noticed them on the way out.

"Hey! Those girls didn't pay their tab!" He yelled, and a couple people turned to look at them.

"Oh shit," Jack said simply, while Leo turned to the girls, clearly pissed off.

"You didn't pay for your drinks?" Leo exclaimed, but Jack tugged on his cloak.

"Yell at 'em later, dude, we gotta go!" Jack yelled, and pulled all three of them out of the tavern. A couple Grayson's employees followed them out.

"Right. Let's run!" Leo shoved the girls, and they all started running back towards the city gate where they'd entered.

by **HUElavia** » Wed Mar 23, 2022 4:25 pm

Feeling down after your first game? Get over it! Feeling happy over your first game? Don't get your hopes up! There's still plenty of this tournament to go, and there's one important rule that's valid in the IAC: You gotta fight for your right to party!

Welcome to Matchday 2.

Group A
Adab 2–0 Octapolis
Saterun 4–0 Gyoric
Poafmersia 6–2 New Zhengguo

  Group A                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Poafmersia                      2   1  1  0    8   4  +4    4
2 Adab                            2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 New Zhengguo                    2   1  0  1    4   6  −2    3
4 Saterun                         2   1  0  1    4   2  +2    3
5 Octapolis                       2   1  0  1    2   3  −1    3
6 Gyoric                          2   0  0  2    1   6  −5    0

Group B
Belnegau 0–0 East Slavona
Eshialand 3–2 Tjorl
Magnecia 0–4 Trolleborg

  Group B                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eshialand                       2   2  0  0    4   2  +2    6
2 Belnegau                        2   1  1  0    3   0  +3    4
3 Trolleborg                      2   1  0  1    4   1  +3    3
4 East Slavona                    2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
5 Tjorl                           2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1
6 Magnecia                        2   0  0  2    0   7  −7    0

Group C
The Republic of Dansen 1–4 HUElavia
Abanhfleft 2–3 The 14 Stars
Freeport Isles 4–2 Sudilia

  Group C                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                        2   2  0  0    6   1  +5    6
2 Freeport Isles                  2   2  0  0    7   3  +4    6
3 The 14 Stars                    2   1  0  1    3   4  −1    3
4 Abanhfleft                      2   1  0  1    8   5  +3    3
5 The Republic of Dansen          2   0  0  2    2   7  −5    0
6 Sudilia                         2   0  0  2    4  10  −6    0

Group D
Quintessence of Dust 1–3 Squidroidia
Omerica 1–2 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands
Forbidden Territories 1–0 Muralos

  Group D                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Squidroidia                     2   2  0  0    6   1  +5    6
2 Forbidden Territories           2   2  0  0    4   1  +3    6
3 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands      2   1  0  1    2   4  −2    3
4 Omerica                         2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
5 Muralos                         2   0  0  2    0   2  −2    0
6 Quintessence of Dust            2   0  0  2    2   6  −4    0

Group E
Sannyamathland 3–4 TJUN-ia
Valkyriah 1–0 Hebitaka
Britonisea 1–1 Macbon

  Group E                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 TJUN-ia                         2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
2 Macbon                          2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
3 Britonisea                      2   1  1  0    2   1  +1    4
4 Valkyriah                       2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
5 Sannyamathland                  2   0  0  2    3   5  −2    0
6 Hebitaka                        2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0

Group F
Kriegiersien 6–0 Football Tiger
Reginalida 1–1 Sajnur
United Adaikes 4–4 Space

  Group F                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kriegiersien                    2   2  0  0   10   2  +8    6
2 Sajnur                          2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3 Space                           2   0  2  0    4   4   0    2
4 Reginalida                      2   0  2  0    1   1   0    2
5 United Adaikes                  2   0  1  1    6   8  −2    1
6 Football Tiger                  2   0  0  2    1   8  −7    0

Group G
Drawkland 2–3 Hopal
Sixty-ninE X 1–2 Kencana
Almuzahara 1–0 Togonistan

  Group G                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Hopal                           2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
2 Kencana                         2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3 Drawkland                       2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
4 Almuzahara                      2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
5 Sixty-ninE X                    2   0  1  1    1   2  −1    1
6 Togonistan                      2   0  1  1    0   1  −1    1

Group H
Kyzhurkistan 0–1 Picksail Islands
Garifunya 3–3 Montana Verde
Juvencus 0–4 Indusse

  Group H                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Indusse                         2   2  0  0    6   1  +5    6
2 Picksail Islands                2   2  0  0    2   0  +2    6
3 Kyzhurkistan                    2   1  0  1    3   1  +2    3
4 Garifunya                       2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1
5 Montana Verde                   2   0  1  1    3   4  −1    1
6 Juvencus                        2   0  0  2    0   7  −7    0

by **Forbidden Territories** » Thu Mar 24, 2022 2:55 am

Forthers Edge Past The Hawks in a Battle Of Attrition

By a Staff Correspondent

Tigres: Wednesday night saw the spectators in The Inkopolis Stadium, Squidroidia witness a gritty and hard fought match between Forbidden Territories and Muralos.The Forthers coming off high with their win against The Quintessence of Dust were looking to make it 2 in 2 , whereas Muralos who had suffered a 1 goal defeat against Omerica will be looking to get back on track. The Forthers' supporters donning ultramarine and yellow jersey alongside the Hawks supporters having medium blue and white jersey decorated the stands of the stadia.

The Stadium was nearly jam packed with a diverse supporter of both sides looking to cheer on their team. The Hawks had the early advantage as they played posession football passing the ball among themsekves while looking to attack through any gaps in the defence of The Forthers. By 32nd minute, there was no penetration , however that was to change as Nikolaj Granda edged past Marcus Cross and passed it to Adamo Brava who had a shot at the net, however the ball bounced off the railing and went back to Klein Harowitz. By half time, both the teams were at a deadlock, with none of them even having a shot going in the goal.

This news article is sponsored by Motorad. The Official Sponsor Of Forbidden Territories Football Team

After half time, The Forthers were at the agression trying to break the defence of The Hawks, Matt Ress had instructed the forwards to conserve their energy and planned on counter attacking when the wind was favourable in their direction. It resulted in a couple of shots, but none of them were close to the goalpost. A foul by Alan Shephard in the 57th minute resulted in The Hawk getting a free kick, however the ball got deflected off the body of Mandrake Manson and going towards Alberto Sanchez who dribbled past Ryo Takeda and shot at the right of the goalpost. Rodion Markov leaped towards and caught it just in time. After that, the attack slowly started to cripple. By the 84th minute, it started to seem that the match would end in draw, however Matt Ress substituted Alex Knott who had been tired with the agile Olbert Schulz who drove through the defence of The Hawks . He then passed it to Alberto Sanchez who netted it at the 89th minute, thus giving Forbidden Territories their 2nd win in a row.

Forbidden Territories Scorers
89' Sanchez

Coach Matt Ress was very pleased with the result and said :-

I want the team to keep on improving . I hope for atleast a 4th place finish in group if not a round of 24 finish in the tournament since it is our first tournament and we are against some of the heavyweights. At the same time, I expect that anything can happen since we have not even gone into the Hors-d'œuvre of the tournament. Reallyhappy with the way Sanchez played. Some great defence by both team, happy that we came out on top. The next match will be very important for us as it could be our make or break. Anything but a loss will be important for qualifying. A loss will make things a lot more difficult for us to qualify.

The fans are really looking forward for the next match against host StrayaRoos Barrier Island which will be a really interesting match to look forward to. So far, the team has looked settled , however certain analysts have been seing cracks beneath the surface . Chief Star Sports Analyst Kurt Hogan says :-

In this possesive football strategy ,there is over reiance of defence due to which a single error can result in a collapse of the entire structure. If there is an early goal, then the strategy is no longer feasible. And in case of attritional matches like this where no goals are scored for a long time, the nerves are very high, and the chances of mistake becomes exponentially higher. I expect coac Matt Ress to have developed a counter to this, because I won't be long before teams exploit it, especially since the last two matches are against the toughest two teams in the group

And he is absolutely right, for the final two matches of the Forthers are in fact against Omerica and Squidroidia, two of the highest ranked teams and arguably in the reckoning for the cup. Much hype is building up for the match against Squidroidia which the fans expect will be a litmus test of the team.

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Thu Mar 24, 2022 5:36 am

By Peter Davis

After starting off the new age in the right way on home soil, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia were certainly building on the passion of the crowd - certainly happy to have the IAC on home soil for the very first time. You certainly feel a different atmosphere to TJUN-ia City with the Regional Championship in town, more of a buzz around streets bustling with so much culture where ever you look. David Seems and Li Xiu Ying thought the backing of the crowd certainly helped the New Age Jaguars (NAJ) get that 2-0 win over Hebitaka but the true test was certainly coming today as #10 Sannyamathland, seething after a 1-0 defeat against Britonisea, was coming to town.

Jaguars vs Lions, Seems and Li vs Sergey Kramnik, White and Blue vs Orange and Blue - everyone here in the National Stadium, either TJUN-ian or Soviet, knew how important this game would be for both teams and for the group as a whole...and the match certainly reflected that. The first half saw both teams score twice as both David N'kude and Dmitry Karjodov both came under constant pressure. Archer Andrews found the lead in the 17th, only for Ivan Sandiev to level things up in the 21st. Sandiev would get his brace in the 34th to take the lead for the Lions, but the eternal backup in Carlos Pique was having none of that and struck home in the 42nd to send everyone into the changing rooms at 2-2 - the game still in the balance.

Many would feel that the substitutes may decide this game and in the end, they would be absolutely right. Sergey Tymchenko was making his debut for the Lions off the bench at age 19, but that didn't mean he couldn't nutmeg poor Mohammad Malsharma on route to the 3rd for the Soviet in the 56th, a play so majestic that no one in Blue and Orange could complain at conceding that one. But we had to fight back ourselves and stepped up Kim Choi-ya, who managed to shoot the ball from 25 yards out straight into the top left corner to level us up in the 75th. Karjodov wasn't saving that even if he tried and suddenly, things were going to be very tense for the next 15 minutes. Indeed, it was very tense...but another substitute would end up sending the roof off the joint. His name was Malhrani al-Kalhrani, the OG striker threat for the U21s back in the day, and he headed home a corner from Kelo Ngwemanagawa in injury time to win the game for the Jaguars and send us to 2-0 on home soil.

That win certainly felt good and with the biggest threats out of the way, the focus now was on trying to win this group. Up next will be debutants Valkyriah, who are 1-0-1 right now and we will make sure to not underestimate what this UR can do - we've been burnt before. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group E, all matches at National Stadium, TJUN-ia City, TJUN-ia)
MD1: vs Hebitaka (46) W 2-0 (1st)
MD2: vs Sannyamathland (10) W 4-3 (1st)
MD3: vs Valkyriah (UR)
MD4: vs Britonisea (28)
MD5: vs Macbon (UR)

by **Kriegiersien** » Thu Mar 24, 2022 6:38 am

The Moon
True news for the people

What a Win!

Kriegiersien 6–0 Football Tiger

Cheung unstoppable???????

With further 4 goals from Cheung in a 6:0 trashing of newcomer Football Tiger Kriegiersien is now number 1 in the table.
It was the 16th minute when Cheung had scored his first goal in a one sided game for the favourite, before Dashi scored the second with one of his trademarked ‘curved headers’ (22. minute).
Cheung fought back with close ranged goals after a freekick in the 40th minute and after a corner in the 51st.

The Kriegiersien team didn’t lift the pressure on the opponent and earned further scoring opportunities nearly by the minute.

A long range shot straight as a line slammed into the corner in the 62th, giving Cheung his fourth goal again, now standing at 8 in the competition already. When he was replaced in the 70th minuted for Vanyaaar Starrrgoal, he was furious.
Starrrrogal then scored the 6:0 with a penalty in the 80th minute.

“I wanted to give him some rest. The tournament is still long and the others want to score, too. Xian was angry at first, but then he accepted it”, said Coach Viveka Schweizer.

Now it is going into space against Space. That could be already a deciding game for the Top Placement in the group.

“The last time space destroyed our dreams in the group stage, now it is time for revenge”, said Assistant Manager Riso Becker, who had watched the match at the TV, when the Women’s Olympic team was trashed 3-1 by space in a disastrous IAC-11 in Havynwilde.

by **The 14 Stars** » Thu Mar 24, 2022 7:13 am

Stars back in form aren't they?

Today we have witnessed a game between the Starsian team and the team known as Abahnfleft the team that we keep being drawn against and also keep winning against no matter what as always.
Abahnflefts team was not one to take lightly but given past wins the players knew how they played and knew their chance to win this one was very high compared to their chances against HUElavia for that matter.

Also with an old geezer as manager and a full womens team there ain't alot to expect from them right?
While many anticipated on what would happen only the players knew.

First half

Both teams entered the field sang their national anthems and as they lined up the Starsian looked hungry and confident for victory against this Abahnfleft which was by now a direct rival to the Starsian.
In the first half after kick off the teams had to adjust to eachother but none of them had really big chances aside from a few shots past the goal here and there as they looked for weaknesses across eachothers line-ups
Last time the Starsian were able to use their special tactics and so would they know aswell.

the whole midfield and the attack of the Starsian gathered around on the Abahnfleft half but instead of attacking they were passing around and as they did that they created control over their opponents moving patterns.
Abahnflefts team had to adjust to defend against this great teamplay, but they forgot that by marking the players they left a very big hole in the center of their formation which the Starsian had been forcing them to do with their tactics.

With a great run Holly Moonlight rushed into the center and the long pass was given leaving the defence with no choice but to go after her while she already was about to go one on one with the goalie, but instead of a low pass she did a high ball over the goalkeepers head into the goal scoring the first Starsian goal of the game leading with one.

RCounter

Before halftime the Fleftic team countered with solid attacks and despite Princeton being a great goalie McGinnis managed to score the equalizer and also put Abahnfleft in a one goal lead before halftime.
Their second goal was a defensive mistake by Salisbury allowing a pass from the side and McGinnis to score with a flying header past Princeton who despite diving the right way couldn't stop the shot anymore.

Second half

In the second half Olivia Salisbury, Becky Ray and Jude Redwood were taken off and Xavier Esscher, Amanda Forsberg and Raoul Fereira were replacing them and for Raoul Fereira it was his official debut.
He had waited a long time for it but he definetly deserved it after the hard work he has put in and consistently showing skill of a high level and this showed during the second half.

Abahnflefts team did barely touch the ball, the Starsian played with them as if it was nothing and the pace was very high resulting in both McGinnis and Yarnall not being able to complete the match due to cramps.
Its not over either because Holly Moonlight scores two more goals, one from a corner with a beautiful bicycle kick and another from a penalty directly into the goal making it a Starsian win in the end but narrowly.

by **Indusse** » Thu Mar 24, 2022 7:55 am

IFA NEWS NETWORK
The Son of the King

This edition of Independents Cup also got to be the first IAC tournament in which the Indussean National Team didn't have Baskar H Kumar. Baskar Kumar, who's literally the best player the nation had seen retired after the team was knocked out from the world cup. The Federation found a replacement for him in the team which ended up to be his own son, Rahul B Kumar. Rahul's appointment in the team brought up controversies saying that it was another plan of Baskar to keep on having his inteference in the team's matter. But every controversies came into a full stop after Baskar declared that it's a sole decision of the management and he has nothing to do with it. It was also said that Rahul isn't going to be the new captain and the new captain would be announced only at the next World Cup's starting.

Rahul B Kumar was born to the legendary soccer star, Baskar H Kumar as his only child in Derasar, Hind. Derasar is an offshore resort island owned by Baskar Kumar and David Beckem. Rahul was born to him when he and his wife was spending their vacation in Derasar. Rahul was send to Valley Bound International School in New Hind City to complete his primary education. At the age of 8, he got himself in the school's junior team and his performance got him to be the captain and at age of 12 as the School team's captain. Just like his father, Rahul took the path to be a striker and sharpshooter. At the age of 15, he got to be part of Hind City FC's B Team and also the Under-16 National Team. His colleague Goblin Grundjee got themselves to the national team. His performance for the under-16s and 19s brought them to the spotlight making way to the national team. They currently play for Neagra FC in the Liga Prime and at the same time they're taking BTech in Sanātana Dharma College, Hind City.

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