Phoenixes curse DFA decision to play in Salem
The Delaclava national team has been in fine form lately.
The Phoenixes rebounded from a dull loss in Ko-oren to win its next two games, battling for a 1-0 win against rock-solid Gnejs before rolling into Xanneria and taking a 4-2 victory, dominating from start to finish. They are 6-6-1 in their last 13 World Cup qualifying matches; and 4-1-1 in this campaign, second place in Group 1 only behind Ko-oren and setting themselves up for an improbable qualification.
In short, they're playing well, and they want to show it off to their fans. But they don't see themselves able to do that in their next match.
"Salem is disgusting," said captain Lukas Meyer. "It's the worst place to play every single time we have to go."
The Phoenixes will indeed head to Salem to take on Sudilia, who currently stands a distant sixth with a 2-0-3 record. It's a favorable matchup for the Phoenixes, but the team sentiment is that the Delaclav Football Association isn't exactly doing its squad any favors.
"First of all, it's not a soccer city," explained Martin Bartoš. Bartoš played his youth career at Steckholl United, which is located in Quinniville, and traveled often to Salem for circuit matches. "There's no loyalty or passion, just indifference. They'll leave at halftime of a tie game to vape on the beach instead. And the people are nasty. You go to a coffee shop and the talk is nothing but the newest political trend they make up and get mad about. Shoplifting and pickpocketing has been practically decriminalized. It costs us ten times as much to stay here as anywhere else. And the streets are so dirty you have to get a pair of shoes just for that city and incinerate them when you leave."
"And yet millions unironically want to live here. Boggles my mind every time."
Delaclava has never won at DENFO Stadium, the site of the fixture, in three previous matches. They have lost to Acronius 1-0 in WC85 qualifying, drawn Murphtannia 1-1 in their opponent's only second international fixture, and fallen devastatingly to The Holy Empire 4-0 in WC86 qualifying. The stadium was originally built to bring in income to the city, but it hasn't exactly been the shining light that was planned.
"It holds about twenty thousand, right?" said goalkeeper George Ross. "Well, there are usually maybe two thousand there? Most aren't watching the game. It's muggy to play there. The field is wet and it's hard to see through the smog. Your eyes and nose sting. And then you get intruders crawling onto the field every so often. It's hard enough to play a full game here, let alone a quality one."
The Acronius fixture in particular was a sore spot for the team at the time. The referee refused to award a forfeit victory to the Phoenixes even though the Acronius squad could not produce any identity or eligibility verification, instead allowing the game to proceed. Meyer, one of the last remaining players from that team, now somewhat understands how the situation came about.
"It's a terrible assignment to come to Salem. No one wants to do it. So then you get some tool who isn't even accredited to come and do the game just so he can fuel his drug habit. I'm not even sure where that guy was from, he needed his own identity verification, so that's why he let that all go down. Then he crawled into a sewer and was never heard from again."
The DFA declined to comment specifically on the remarks of the players but have previously indicated increased marketing and promotions to draw a crowd, as well as increased security. And regardless, the players are intent on walking out with three points and moving on.
"We intend to give it our best out there," Meyer insisted. "This is a crucial game. Bad fields can be a real equalizer, but we're still better than this team. And hopefully after we get a win, the DFA will listen to our complaints and stop sending us here."
He snorted and shook his head, adding, "West Coast best coast, my ass."
/
