[Roleplays] :: World Cup 92

by **Montana Verde** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 9:58 am

Ganes Ame – 1 (0)
(64’), (89’ pen.)

Montaña Verde – 1 (1)
Dolfo; Roberto Dylan, Mandito, Cambeiro, Justin (28’) (73’ Castiglione ); Coco, Cristo Díaz; Primitivo (69’) (73’ Valentinha ), Emma (78’ Covarrubias ); Indiano (81’ Diego Marino ), Osito (5’)

Montaña Verde – 0 (0)
Dolfo; Castiglione, Mandito, Arquímedes (70’), Alcalá; Schutzán (79’ Abi ), Primitivo (72’) (79’ Tatiano ), Coco (79’ Aramis ); Valentinha (53’ Cristo Díaz ), Osito (54’) (73’ Tino ), Covarrubias

Soldara – 0 (0)

Breaking news on the AP wire:

Terrible tragedy strikes Montaña Verde

by **Wreckeria** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:04 am

GROWING PAINS: A former nation and its team struggles with its new identity
By Gord Radcliff

2: The former president
Nobody knew Arnold Martin was at the first match of the Independent Wreckerian Athletes’ World Cup 92 campaign. That’s how he wanted it. But he was there alright, sitting in a nearly-empty luxury box in the third deck of the stadium. He was here all alone, and this box was certainly not on the level of others, where Hapiloppian and Wreckerian businesses had rented boxes out for their employees who had acquired enough brownie points to get to enjoy the good life while watching their team battle for 90 minutes.

This luxury box, however, was dark, quiet and nearly vacant. There were no drinks, no food, no entertainment. The televisions were off. All that was in there was 40 empty seats and Arnold Martin, sitting near the back, taking in the surroundings.

He had done so much for the Wreckerian people. He had brought the nation out of the 54-year Civil War and served as a Solomon-like figure, attempting to find the perfect balance between what the True Wrecckerians and what the Party of Pride wanted. Occasionally, there were issues, and occasionally, Martin would lash out at members of either party. He was less of a “President” figure and more of a “Moderator” figure, where he would moderate the concerns from either party, in an effort to keep them at peace. It was something that kept Martin up late at night more times than he’d like to count. It was something that gave him enough gray hairs, and something that tested his nerves plenty of times.

There would be the phone call in the middle of the night, fearing that the True Wreckerians were posturing again, or the Party of Pride had threatened the True Wreckerians. But Martin wasn’t worried about any of that anymore.

When the Wreckerian economy tanked, the nation couldn’t pay its debts anymore, and volunteered to be absorbed into its eastern neighbors, Hapilopper. After a little bit of convincing, Hapilopper agreed to the scheme, it was approved by Wreckeria’s own parliament, and Wreckeria as an independent country was no more, but rather a part of the Dominion of Hapilopper. And Arnold Martin was no longer in a position of power. That was fine for him. He was on his breaking point, having dealt with the arguing and political wrangling between the two parties for way too long. Instead, he could go back to his family’s fishing camp in nearby Sprague. For the most part, that’s exactly where Martin had been. He had shunned interviews, shunned the limelight and just tried to be as reclusive as possible.

But he would make the drive from Sprague to Halsted to watch the Independent Wreckerian Athletes whenever he could. This was a source of pride for him. This was a team that bought into his theory of “Peace Through Sport.” Instead of being at each other’s throats, all of Wreckeria would stop whatever they were doing and watch this team play football. And to everyone’s delight, they were pretty good at it. They still are.

“Everyone I spoke to said this was the first time they could look at Wreckeria and not be completely embarrassed,” Martin says. “We were in awful shape. We had cities in ruins, people unable to find work, crime was out of control, and we were pretty much at the bottom of every metric in both Atlantian Oceania and the multiverse. But then people saw the team and realized that Wreckeria didn’t have to be a total embarrassment.

“I had more people than I could count walk up to me and say that the team convinced them to work harder,” Martin said. “They were motivated to better their lot in life. And then Wreckeria took the lead in that group a couple of years ago and everyone couldn’t believe it. Do you remember when we were at that old shithole of a stadium there in Halsted when Wreckeria beat Kelssek and took the lead in their group?”

Two years before, Wreckeria had done exactly that, taking the lead in their qualifying group in World Cup 90 with a win over Kelssek. As Martin suggested, the atmosphere at that game was about the wildest it had ever been at a Wreckerian sporting event.

“For so many years, we had been seen as the laughingstock of Atlantian Oceania, but now it seems like we’re on the verge of something great,” Martin said. “The simoleon was worthless. Nobody could buy anything. People are now getting paid more. There’s new businesses moving in and starting up shop in Wreckeria. More people are finding work. Halsted looks the best it’s ever looked. And that football team, man, they might be able to do something incredible this year. I sure hope so.”

Martin, sitting on a barstool in the luxury box, moves over to emphasize a point.

“And you know the best part?” Martin says. “For the first time in, what, 60 years? There’s stability here. There’s not a threat that the True Wreckerians or the Party of Pride are going to do something stupid. They’re trying to build themselves up too. They’re looking to the future, and they’re looking to what this little part of the world will look like. In five, ten years, this place will be on the level of Hapilopper City, I hope.”

by **Drawkland** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:05 am

These are the venues for Drawkland's World Cup 92 Qualifying home games.

WC92 Qualifying Home Schedule
Matchday, Opponent, Stadium Name, Capacity, City
Kick Corps record at stadium (plus a nickname if one exists)
Fun fact about venue

MD1 vs Schima Bas: Spartan Veteran Stadium (107,500), Sadeg
Kick Corps record at the Vet: 33-7-12*
The Kick Corps hasn't lost in Sadeg since the WC89 qualifying playoff against Eura.
Unless you count that "win" against those bastard Milchamans in the WC90 playoff...

MD3 vs Eshialand: Kanyo Pitch (164,000), Kayo
Kick Corps record at the Crown Ring: 5-1-2*
Kayo played host to Drawkland's group stage games in HUElavia's IAC-15.

MD5 vs Garifunya: Drawk City Stadium (175,000), Drawk City
Kick Corps record at the de facto national soccer stadium: 33-14-3
Why did DISC decide to assign a Pot 6 matchup for our largest soccer-specific stadium?
The first international match held here was a 2-2 draw against Garifunya (WC77QMD2)!

MD8 vs The Finntopian Empire: Castle Stadium (149,500), Raikennax
Kick Corps record at the Charge's Fortress: 8-1-1
Castle Stadium has hosted Drawkland once every cycle going back to WC86, excluding WC89.

MD10 vs Rouyoute: Roy Memorial Stadium (148,777), Cavsar
The Kick Corps has never played at the Cavsar Coliseum
This field is the home of the Cavsar University Gladiators gridiron football team.
Rouyoute's baseball national team played down the road at Cavsar's baseball park in WBC 55.

MD13 vs Squidroidia: National Pitch (149,000), Metropolon
Kick Corps record in NatPitch: 3-1-1
Last cycle, Drawkland defeated Squidroidia 1-0 in this very stadium.

MD15 vs Milchama: The Root Field (133,300), Elstrund
Kick Corps record in Elstrund's Shadow: 4-1-1
The Kick Corps is undefeated at the Root Field in qualifying play.
They went 1-1-1 in this stadium during the IAC-16 group stage.

MD17 vs Mystylands: Pitch of the Plains (101,000), Bellator
Kick Corps record in Bellator: 1-1-0
Last time the Corps played here was World Cup 87 qualifiers.
It was a 1-0 win, and the 300th official match played by the Kick Corps.

MD20 vs Macbon: Thunder Park (105,500), Jaffro
Kick Corps record in the Eye of the Storm: 1-0-0
This one match was a 3-2 win over Revlona in the WC88 qualifiers.

MD22 vs Starblaydia: Spartan Veteran Stadium (107,500), Sadeg
Kick Corps record at the Vet: 33-7-12
This stadium is the home of the Sadeg Spartans, a gridiron football team.
The Elite Eleven prefer it as they live in Sadeg, which doesn't have a pro soccer squad.

*As this has been posted following the MD3/4 cutoff, these records are updated to include the fixture from this Cup.

If you want more details about any of these venues, let me know and I'll be glad to provide them.

by **TJUN-ia** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 10:59 am

By Peter Davis

After a good 4-2 win at home against Talannua was paired with a tight 3-3 draw at Qasden, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia were now back in the WCQ groove and looking to push forward in their quest for a 2nd WC appearance in their history. David Seems was certainly feeling like he was taking more of the responsibility in this team as his co-manager and wife Li Xiu Ying become more and more anchored to home, but he didn't care...the bundle of joy they will soon welcome will be all worth it once this Qualifying campaign is over.

Up first was a nice trip to Zebra Stadium as Toropo (or Almadinat) would get to host a Top 100 team in the form of Saltstead. The Stallions had started poorly at 0-2 and here in a packed stadium filled with the passion this region is known for, things were only going to go one way. Poor Saltstead got experience first-hand what hundreds of vuvuzelas sounded like, as those hadn't been banned here in the AU unlike in other regions, and that wall of noise this stadium can produce certainly made things sure in this contest. It was almost smooth sailing, as our opponents certainly had a few chances in the direction of Maximilian Robertson, but it just felt like today was just...our game, you know? Kelo Ngwemanagawa managed to score directly off a 35th-minute free-kick while both Malhrani al-Kalhrani and substitute Jackson Smith-Scott ended up on the scoresheet in the 2nd half. 3-0, simple as that, and with that result, the Jaguars were up to 2nd.

After that, it was a trip to the mystical land of Sixty-ninE X, who was somehow managing to host both this game and the whole NSSCRA parade at the same time. This nation has gotten a lot of press since Ilya Tsunopin started racing and now, Seems was here to try and face this wacky team from this wacky city on Sonnel. The game itself was pretty simple and could be described as a repeat of the game against Talannua. Both Prince Carter and Archer Andrews scored in the first half before the hosts pegged one back. In the 2nd half, 69X would equalise the game but substitutes Yomakaji Shimigatsu and, surprisingly, 22-year-old Fernandino managed to make things certain. That was his first for the national team and the celebration was certainly deserving of that. 4-2 was the final score and with that, P2 is maintained.

Things are certainly looking good, but we still have a long way to go. Up next will be a key rematch against Ziwana in Roi Ville, a nation we failed to beat two years ago, before we head out to Stennköping to face the current surprise package of this group in the form of 4-0 Cap Nord. This split has certainly gotten more interesting over time, so this will certainly be an important one. GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group 9)
MD1: vs Talannua (227) - Tallawah Stadium, Port Town W 4-2 (T-2nd)
MD2: @Qasden (80) D 3-3 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD3: vs Saltstead (95) - Zebra Stadium, Toropo W 3-0 (2nd)
MD4: @Sixty-ninE X (UR) W 4-2 (2nd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD5: vs Ziwana (146) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville
MD6: @Cap Nord (176) - SendBank Arena, Stennköping
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD7: BYE
MD8: vs Cabo Azure (60) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD9: @Ancherion (113)
MD10: vs Mytanija (19) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD11: @Tumbra (4)
MD12: @Talannua (227)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD13: vs Qasden (80) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu
MD14: @Saltstead (95)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD15: vs Sixty-ninE X (UR) - Salam Liljamie Stadium, Al Kalifa
MD16: @Ziwana (146) - Ziwanicell National Stadium, Birnin-Likulu
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD17: vs Cap Nord (176) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas
MD18: BYE
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD19: @Cabo Azure (60)
MD20: vs Ancherion (113) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD21: @Mytanija (19) - Radnika, Esca
MD22: vs Tumbra (4) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City

by **Delaclava** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 11:00 am

DELACLAVA 1-0 Zwangzug
Meyer 51'
James; Baxayev, Champagne, Gouin, Barry; Bartoš (Zaitsev 63'), Romeijn (Demirjian 46'), Lindblad, Martin, Kovalev (Anagnakis 46'); Meyer.

The Phoenixes score a massive victory at home over top-seeded Zwangzug, its offensive-minded style prevailing in an intriguing match of contrasts against the more restrained yet difficult posture of the Zebras. Pocket rocket Vangelis Anagnakis proved to be the difference maker, injecting pace that was too much to tamp down and setting up Lukas Meyer for his fifth consecutive game with a goal.

Ochre Islands 3-4 DELACLAVA
Gibson 34' Builder 41' Walker 65' | Lindblad 14' Romeijn 22' Meyer 69' Gretler 82'
Cloarec; Baxayev, Champagne, Gouin, Barry (Zhusupov 83'); Bartoš, Romeijn, Lindblad, Martin (Gretler 46'), Anagnakis (Kovalev 46'); Meyer.

What was shaping up to be a clean win through half an hour quickly became complex as the home team settled into their possession style and controlled the flow of the game as they eventually ascended to the lead. The addition of Mathias Gretler to the lineup and a switch to a 4-2-2-2 formation put the teams back on even footing and the explosive attack of the Phoenixes finally sunk their foes for good.

Waringpost

Arbitration panel upholds MA's controversial XC championship

Marturak Azgiveratsum's first collegiate national championship has been upheld after an arbitration panel declined to grant any form of relief sought by Bishop's University following a controversial Delaclava University Sport Association cross-country championship meet in which some errant marching band equipment arguably altered the outcome of the competition.

Bishop's was the defending men's national champion and was a strong favorite to repeat at the DUSA championship meet held last November at the Adriatic Equestrian Grounds in Athens. However, calamity struck when Bishop's No. 2 runner, sophomore Mikey Metselaar, tripped on a saxophone case that had been placed on the course about four kilometers into the 10-kilometer race. The "halftime show" that took place between the women's race and the men's race featured performances from several collegiate marching bands.

It was later established that the saxophone case belonged to a member of the Arana State marching band. Arana State's men's team had not qualified for the championship and it was not believed that the placement of the case was intentional. The saxophonist had apparently been in the middle of putting her instrument away, but the saxophone section had instead engaged in a musical improv game with the trombone section, so she left her case open and it had been moved past the course boundary and onto the path.

Metselaar suffered a few scrapes from the accident; he was initially able to return to the lead pack but eventually faded to 29th place. Bishop's lost the team title to Marturak Azgiveratsum by just three points, 84 to 87. St. James senior Kristian Geiss won the individual title, while Bishop's and Marturak each placed two runners in the top ten: juniors Abed Horozian (3rd) and Viktor Morozyan (7th) for Marturak; seniors Landon Baker (4th) and Jackson Sharp (5th) for Bishop's.

Metselaar had been ranked number 8 nationally prior to the DUSA meet, and Bishop's argued that Metselaar's ranking and his placement in the lead pack prior to the accident demonstrated that Bishop's would have won the team title if not for the interference. The university suggested three solutions: DUSA could order a re-run of the race; it could adjust Metselaar's score to reflect his standing at the time of the accident; or it could declare Bishop's the co-champion alongside Marturak.

The panel rejected each of these remedies. A re-run, it wrote in its 16-page decision, "is not practicable several months after the running of the race, where it would be impossible to replicate the conditions of the meet. Runners have since moved on; most are pursuing training plans and racing goals either for the collegiate track season or as professional runners... We also note that while a re-run may have been doable at the time of the incident, DUSA's decision not to order a re-run was a proper exercise of its discretion."

The panel additionally decided that adjusting Metselaar's score and subsequently recalculating the team scores was "entirely speculative and entirely against the spirit of competition. The race was run on the course; we will not run the race on paper instead."

Finally, the panel concluded: "Awarding a joint national champion to Bishop's would undeservedly enrich a team who did not win the championship under the rules and format specified by DUSA, and would unfairly detract from the hard-earned achievement of Marturak Azgiveratsum, who ran the same race under the same conditions as all competitors and recorded the best team performance... This was an unfortunate incident, and although future meet organizers must take care to ensure that additional aspects of the events do not interfere with the central competition, we do not find that Bishop's University and Mr. Metselaar were so disadvantaged that they are entitled to an extraordinary remedy."

Marturak Azgiveratsum athletic director Adam Tsarian said in a statement: "While we respectfully wish that there were no controversy surrounding this meet, our team is entitled to feel great pride in what they have accomplished for themselves and for their school, and we are relieved that we, without further reservation or pendency, can claim the first national championship in any sport in this university's history."

by **Eshialand** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 11:07 am

What in the World?
Drawkland 1-0 Eshialand
Eshialand 3-0 The Finntopian Empire

"Ughh... this schedule is just so packed..."
"What's going on coach?" Melissa Carey asked, as Coach Morgan was looking through his timetable.

"Well, I'm trying to figure out when I can book a trip to Aleirave, but there just doesn't seem to be any good chance I can take... why's there match almost every week??"

"Heh, most other countries don't really have to deal with this, do they? After all, how many countries experience the World Cup every year? Not too many, that's for sure..."

"I guess so, Mel... time really is just another one of those mysteries of the multiverse..."
"Anyway, why do you even wanna go to Aleirave? Just wanna take a vacation?"

"Well, not really... Honestly, I kinda don't wanna say too much about what I'm doing, it's a bit of a private trip..."

"That's okay, you don't have to--"
"Aaaaa but I really wanna tell you so I will."
"Okay then coach--"
"Just keep it a secret, okay?"
"Sure."
"Okay... I'm gonna try to find the king."
"The king? Isn't he dead?"

"Well... that's what some people have been saying, but the truth is actually a lot weirder than that. He went with his girlfriend Summer on a bit of a trip, and they just... didn't come back."

"And you know about this how?"

"Michael Wylen told me... the king used to tell his assistant anything and everything, even more than he told me. Michael's a trustworthy source, I promise. The weird thing is though... he never told me they were going to Aleirave, so my trip there might be worth absolutely nothing at all."

"Wait, you asked Michael what happened to the king but you didn't ask where he went?"
"It slipped my mind at the time since I was absolutely sure he went to Aleirave."
"Why so sure?"

"It's pretty obvious that's where he'd go, isn't it? After all, he loved Aleirave, and he would always try to visit there whenever he could... it only makes sense that if he was going on a trip with his girlfriend, it'd be to the sunniest place in Eshialand... well, right about the only sunny place in Eshialand."

"Ah..."
"Michael was gonna fly me and him out there to try and look for him, but I just can't seem to find a good time to slip over there..."
"Wait, Michael's paying for your trip? Why wouldn't something as important as looking for King William be funded by the government itself?"
"Pfff, you think the government's gonna fund that? Hell no!"
"Why not, coach?"
"Because, after all, Fiona Reval's been setting the budget."
"Yeah, I remember that from when you told me why you were funding our road trips..."

"Well, as long as nobody finds the king, Fiona has unchecked power in the country. Sure, she could fund a rescue effort, but it's a lot better for her interests to just say she's gonna do it, dance around the issue for a bit, then just not do anything, acting as the dictator she wants to be for the rest of time. As long as the government's in limbo, she's happy. That's why we have to do this ourselves..."

A silence falls between the two as Melissa struggles to find the right way to respond. After a quick look at the schedule, however, Melissa had an idea.

"Okay, it looks like after the game against Rouyoute, out next match is in Starblaydia. You should have enough time to take a quick Anaian detour to Aleirave to dig into the truth then..."

"...you're right Mel, that's the perfect timing. Brilliant!"
"Heh, no problem. Just one thing... could I come with you two? Maybe there's something I could do to help..."
"I thought you'd never ask."

And with that, their schedule was set. Kenny, Melissa, and Michael would be heading to Aleirave to answer the question of what happened to the king.

by **Sarzonia** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 11:13 am

Charlie King woke up in his hotel room the morning after Sarzonia played to a 2-2 draw against Damukuni feeling sore.

He was fine during the match, even scoring on a free kick that both atoned for his misplaying a clear that led to Damukuni taking a 2-1 lead in the 58th minute of play. He struggled to get out of bed even though it was time to check out of the hotel and board the team bus to the airport.

The Stars were getting ready to face regional rivals Baker Park in qualifying and the team needed to be ready for an intense match. Whether the Stars qualified for the proper or not potentially depended on their ability to defeat a rival, even though their footballing history might be limited.

For King, the challenge was two-fold: He had to be ready for 90-plus minutes of football and make sure his aging body didn't betray him.

Now I know why I retired in the first place he thought as he began to feel the sweet relief brought by pain medicine kicking in. I'm getting too old for this shit.

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 11:21 am

We scored 0 goals on our WC return and nobody can agree whether that was actually good or not. On the one hand, scoring no goals in 2 games of football sounded aika paskaa and that opinion was certainly valid...but on the other hand, Esko Laaksonen's Huuhkajat didn't concede a goal either, so it was pretty much swings and roundabouts. How did these next two games go? Only one way to find out...

Up first was a trip to Omerikka, or Omerica, the nation ranked above us in Pots and one that also started their campaign with two draws. This game was expected to be a big one for the early going and Omerikka certainly knew that for a fact, climbing up to a 2-0 lead before the half-time whistle could even go. We did get one back via a superb effort from Tero Salo, but that would be that. This game was certainly belonging to the hosts.

Then we headed back to Pesä to take on the team we call Lakikieli but you may call Legalese. Grant Management was leading this ultra-attacking team into the tundra looking for their first win after going, yes, 0-2-0 to start their campaign but in the end, only one goal would be scored for the entire 90 minutes. That would come, surprisingly, from the bench as Huuhkajat newcomer Anne Marie Leppälä would score her first ever goal for the national team off a header via a Heidi Itälä corner. 1-0was the final score, our first win finally secured and pushed us up to 8th in the early standings.

With the top team only claiming 8 points thus far, this group is looking like one that may be decided by inches and not meters. Only one more game is to follow, away at Kuraita, before we embark on our first bye week. Can we enter that break on a high? I certainly hope so. NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

by **Starblaydia** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 12:34 pm

From the creative minds at Ozuwara Corporation comes the latest craze amongst Starblaydi kids (of all ages, let's face it) of collectable World Cup-inspired Monsters: Cupémon.

MatchDay One saw the release of the first of the brand new set of the Trading Card Game that's taken the Protectorate by storm.
Inspired by Qualifying Group 9 of the 92nd World Cup in Vilita and Electrum, it's time for everyone to play along at home and guess:

For MatchDay One it's... The Finntopian Empire!

The Finntopian Empire ~~Pokémon~~ Cupémon was generated by text-to-pokemon on Replicate with the prompt "A pink penguin with a star".

by **Mertagne** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:00 pm

Malcolm Noirot on Two Turbulent Years as Grand Regent

Two Years Ago, a decisive vote was held across the nation on whether to accept Mertagne's revised charter - a key constitutional document that served to change the way we look at governance and the balance of power across Mertagne's many states. With a majority vote that decided that change was vitally needed from the tried and found lacking 'Tricameral' system, Mertagne streamlined its government and found its new Head of State in Malcolm Noirot, the nation's first and only "Grand Regent". In this exclusive interview for Inkblot Magazine, Noirot reflects on two years as Grand Regent, Mertagne's increasing limelight exposure on the international stage, and how he continues to deal with the ever present threat of sabre rattling from Anaian nations and beyond.

I meet Malcolm Noirot in his home province of Freskovia - a location he's been sorely missed from over the last two years. The white, comb-shaped moustache on his face that has become the symbol for the subdued yet pivoting blend of politics he and his party, Aurrera!, have brought to the forefront of the National Forum. He invites me into his house - a detached bungalow in the suburbs of Bretsaar, not dissimilar from the homes that many have around these parts. He's dressed for the occasion, sporting a patriotic lime tie and a pin badge adorned with the pink lily of Aurrera!'s logo. The white shirt, rolled to the sleeves, paired with grey slacks and black shoes, gives off a business casual vibe, as if it was Friday at the office. I'm offered to sit down, given a equal chair at a small, low table, as a coffee machine hums in the kitchen, not too far away.

Noirot seems comfortable here - after all, it is his house, and I'd be worried if he wasn't - but I can't help but feel that he's almost over-compensating for something.

I open by asking him if he could describe his tenure as Grand Regent in a single word of phrase. "Educational" is the response, as he clasps a mug of coffee in two hands. He elaborates on his own volition. "The Regency has been a learning experience, and I think anyone would have found that the case. A new system of government is a large undertaking, and I'm happy to say that the National Government has delivered on that front."

The National Government has certainly delivered, and in doing so has over the last two years given new powers to the Regional Forums, experimented with direct democracy in the form of the Citizens Assemblies, and souped up the powers of senior Civil Servants by appointing the Meritocratic Council. Of these, it's the second one of which he is the most proud. "The Citizens Assembly - ultimately a method of sortition - was a core part of Aurrera!'s original promise, and a large reason that the block recieved support from voters that might not have been swayed by our other campaign pledges. I'm proud to have delivered that, and we have seen many people thoroughly engaged with the political process from start to finish. It's been a cleansing light on the government."

One of the issues of the previous government, governed by the Unified Mertagne Party was that it was slow to react to change, and seemingly ignored the regional voice. Is this something that Noirot has solved in two years? "We're well on the way. Giving greater powers to the Regional Forums has allowed those provinces to be more agile in their governance - no longer do they constantly have to pass things up to the National Forum to be scrutinised before they can be enshrined into law." Whether that has been enough to trim the fat of bureaucracy is yet to be determined, but Noirot seems to be enjoying the lion's share nationally in the polls at the moment.

When looking to international politics, Noirot seems to put on a sterner face. When I ask him what he thinks of Mertagne's current place in Anaia, he sets his coffee down and instead puts his hands together, almost looking to channel the heat he's built up outwards. "I believe Mertagne is seen as quite benign here in Anaia, and beyond. It's easy for a formerly isolationist nation to be built up in people's minds as just 'some folks over there that just get on with it', and we know we're so much more than that. We've been lucky enough to showcase the nation in sporting events over the last few years, such as the recent Baptisms of Fire and Cup of Harmony, but we still have a lot more to show for ourselves in some of the further areas of the AREIMA regions. In the heartlands of Calania, we're a familiar face - certainly one that I believe other nations may look up to, regardless of the noise of threats from the Ochres, for example. I hope that we can pivot to an agenda that emphasises our potential elsewhere as well."

And if pressed to name nations in which Mertagne would like to be more friendly with on the multiversal stage, Noirot does deliver. "There are key nations in Rushmore that Mertagne has historically enjoyed solid relations with that I would like to reaffirm a commitment to. Eura is the largest one, of course - you can't open a history book without seeing them in there. I'd like to see a modernised, renegotiated relationship with many Terranean nations - Eura, Nephara, and even Electrum."

Tumbra is name-dropped as a example of a nation that Mertagne already enjoys good relations with, and this naturally allows us to discuss Mertagne's tricky relationship with national border expansion. Noirot carefully espouses information on that fact. "It would be hypocritical of us to call nations out for expanding into adjacent ungoverned land. Mertagne did exactly that, and we have reaped the benefits that have come with doing so. Mertagne wouldn't exist without it. So we cannot police other nations on doing the same thing, be it the Tumbran Northlands expansion or the situation in North Cassadaigua."

This allows for us to also touch on Noirot's secessionist history. As leader of regional party Forward for Freskovia, he has previously advocated for the breakaway of Freskovia from the rest of Mertagne. As the nation's largest province, he argued that the region had its own identity that was being ignored in Dannin, and that the businesses and livelihoods of those working there would be better served by complete self-governance. After two years of keeping the country together, has he changed his tune?

"While I have previously campaigned for succession, I did so under the guise of ensuring more regional autonomy for the different cultural areas of Mertagne. In my time as Grand Regent, I've given enough powers to Regional Forums for them to make these decisions for themselves. Ultimately, in this current time, I feel that Freskovia is aligned to the current agenda for Mertagne. However, if the time comes in the future where this is not the case, any attempts to move away from that structure should be respected."

And if the electorate move away from Noirot? His opposition have claimed that he doesn't do enough to encourage economic growth, with the ducat continuing to slump against neighbouring currencies such as the Argental and the Credit. Business also continue to operate from nearby Starblaydia, finding ways to dodge tax effectively with loopholes that Noirot has been too slow to close, after tenously balancing a young and inexperienced national coffers. "People can and should voice their opinion on their representatives by voting in local and regional elections. As the Forum is proportionally determined, the lower levels is where the most difference is made. I have faith in the regional legislatures that are Aurrera! aligned, of course, and I am grateful to have not received too much resistance from those that are not. I know which way the wind is blowing, and currently it's a tailwind with which to steer this Mertagnian ship."

I push him a bit more on the current large scale problems that the nation is facing - homeless continues to be an issue, especially in cities. The nation's transport infrastructure is rapidly becoming outdated. The nation's rural citizens consistently rank lower on socio-economic metrics. Noirot seems to take these issues at face value. "These are problems that we are working to tackle, to make a difference to people. We are building more houses, more affordable housing for people, in an effort to utilise the land we have. Metro systems are coming to more and more cities, and we are making the shift to more sustainable methods of transport across the nation's road and rail network."

My last question to Noirot is on his legacy. When all is said and done, he will be the first Grand Regent the nation has ever had. He will be judged in a similar manner to Statesman Roper, who was so influential in the early days of the nation's reintroduction to the multiverse. What does that potential legacy mean for Noirot? "I want to be remembered as someone that tried. I don't like being lazy - in fact, it's simply not my nature. Mertagne now more than ever needs proactive leadership to keep itself current in a rapidly changing multiverse - and I want to be known as someone who delivered that positive change. I like to think I have done so, and will continue to do so well into the future."

Malcolm Noirot was interviewed in Bretsaar, Freskovia for Inkblot Magazine by journalist Itzalle Stihrrup.

by **Estorvipa and Estorpiva** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:18 pm

Senior Lieutenant Traian Pantilimon of the Federal Defense Forces felt more than heard the groaning of the Polnocny-class landing ship carrying the BMP-2 with Pantilimon and his squad inside as the Polnocny beached itself on the sandy shores near the former resort town of Cronos. There was a short pause as the loading and unloading doors in front of the Polnocny opened up to allow the BMPs inside to make their way out onto the sand. Pantilimon heard the diesel engines of the armored personnel carriers roaring to life, and then the BMP carrying him and his squad drove out of the landing ship with alarming speed, jolting the occupants inside. “Someone’s in a hurry to get back home!” Pantilimon said, eliciting a few laughs from his soldiers. But the mood soon turned to nervous anxiety once again, and everyone kept their ears peeled for the inevitable burst from the BMP's coaxial machine gun that would indicate resistance to the FDF's landings in Cronos. The soldiers waited and waited, and to their surprise, the machine guns never opened up. The BMPs continued moving at a brisk pace without pause across the sandy beaches, and soon it sounded like they were now driving on paved roads.

"What's going on, Lieutenant?" one of Pantilimon's soldiers asked him. "Why aren't they fighting us?"

"I have no idea why, Corporal," Pantilimon replied. "But if you ask me, I actually prefer it this way. It means that our own people are not so opposed to us returning to the homeland and freeing them from the yoke of the northerners."

Of course, it was at that moment that the BMP chose to stop. "Let's hope you haven't jinxed us all, Corporal," Pantilimon said.

The intercom inside the BMP buzzed to life, and the driver of the armored personnel carrier said through it, "Lieutenant, I think you're going to want to see this." At the same time, the red light inside the troop compartment went out and the doors were unlocked. The soldiers in Pantilimon's BMP moved out of the compartment with the smooth fluidity of a unit that had trained for this many times before. The squads inside the other BMPs were also getting out of their transports with the same fluid motions. The first soldiers out of the carriers immediately surrounded their respective BMPs while the ones following behind them proceeded forwards and took up firing positions in front of the vehicles. Traian Pantilimon followed his men out the vehicle and towards the front, and he was actually surprised by what he saw ahead of him.

Two Nestorovyets cars painted in the blue and white colors of the old Estorvipan Police Forces were parked diagonally across the road, effectively forming a barrier. Actual wooden police barriers had been set up in front of the police cars, and at least two more cars were parked on the road's grass shoulders. A couple of police officers were standing behind the doors of their vehicles with their pistols pointed at the Federal Defense Forces soldiers, but none of them were firing at the invaders just yet. Another officer was standing in the middle of the road with a megaphone in his hands. "Do not move any further!" the policeman said. "One step forward and we will use deadly force to keep you back!"

"Isn't it a little too late for that, don't you think?" Pantilimon asked in reply. "And are you sure you want to do that? Open fire on an entire regiment of armed soldiers, I mean."

"I have my orders, as I am sure you have yours," the policeman replied. "Mine is to hold invaders like you to the places where you've landed."

"From whom did you receive those orders?" Pantilimon asked. "Did you get them from Prime Minister Ihorovych or from the local Blue Skulls commander?"

"What does it matter to you if I got my orders from the Prime Minister or the Blue Skulls?" the policeman asked.

"It matters a lot to me," Pantilimon replied. "Because, if your orders came from Prime Minister Denys Ihorovych, I am here to tell you that he has given new orders not just to you but also to everyone in the Pivan Protection Forces." Pantilimon then turned to his deputy, Sergeant Arseniy Davydov, and said, "Find the Vodnik and have it play Ihorovych's speech."

"Yes, sir," Davydov nodded, saluting the lieutenant before running off to carry out his orders. Pantilimon then turned back to face the Pivan police officer once again and said, "I have a copy of the speech which I would like to read to you, if you don't mind." Pantilimon slowly reached for one of the pockets in his combat webbing and took out a sheet of paper. He unfolded the paper and showed it to the policeman to show that there was no trickery happening at all. "As you can see, it is just a copy of the speech," Pantilimon said. "You can even read it if you like, but I will understand if you would like to hear it from Prime Minister Ihorovych himself."

"The Vodnik is here, sir," Sergeant Davydov said as he sprinted back to Pantilimon and the police officer. Behind Davydov was a boxy vehicle painted in standard military olive green with the red, yellow, and blue tricolor of Kirill Fedorchuk's Federation of Estorvipa hastily painted on the sides. A number of megaphone speakers was mounted in a circular configuration on the roof of the GAZ-3937 Vodnik, indicating its purpose as some sort of propaganda-spreading vehicle. “Play the message,” Pantilimon ordered, and there was a bit of ear-splitting feedback as the speakers on the roof of the Vodnik were turned on. The feedback eventually cleared itself up, and soon the voice of now-former Prime Minister Denys Ihorovych of the State of Estorpiva started coming through the mounted speakers.

"My fellow Pivans, I address you all today not as the leader of our nation but as a fellow citizen and man seeking only the safety and security of our nation. The Pivan people have long been the forgotten sibling to our Vipan brethren. We have long been used to having our needs come second to those of the Vipans, which is why I decided to create the State of Estorpiva upon the outbreak of the Estorian Civil War. The Vipans are too busy fighting between themselves to take note of our own plight, which is why I took it upon myself to lead our people through this struggle. Though the Pridnestrovian Republic made the first offer to provide us with recognition and support in the form of men and equipment, I made the decision to side with the Imperium, believing their promises that they will bring unity, prosperity, and peace to our land once they have kicked out the invaders. I was a fool for believing them, my fellow Pivans. Despite all of their promises to treat all other members of the Inselberg Pact equally, the Imperium only sees the Estorvipan Commune in the north as their equals, for it was the Imperium that funded and fostered the north's revolution against the Estorvipan People's Republic, and they wish to see their substantial financial and military investment in the north pay off in dividends. All of the aid and wealth that the Imperium promised to give to the people of both Estorvipa and Estorpiva have all gone into the pockets of the leaders of the Estorvipan Commune. The leaders of the Communards continue to grow richer and fatter from the Imperial aid they receive!”

“And as for the order that the Imperium promised they would return to Estorian lands,” the recording of Prime Minister Ihorovych continued, “what happened to it? Where is the order in Estorvipa? Where is the order in Estorpiva? I see nothing but chaos still overrunning our once peaceful nation! To the north, the Communard leaders continue to congratulate themselves on a victory that they did not achieve by themselves even as the people that they claim to fight for struggle to live in a literal dog-eat-dog world! To our west, Vissarion Zhivkov still rules the last remnant of his old People's Republic, where he lives like one of the kings that he claims to hate with a passion while the poor people still under his rule wallow in poverty and sickness! To the east, literal members of the Imperial bratvakyuvi lord over the mountain passes and valleys and charge exorbitant tolls on those who wish to pass through their lands to the north, and when those travelers cannot pay the massively inflated fees, the bratvakyuvi shake down these travelers for all that they've got! And as for the State of Estorpiva, we all live under the cloud of fear, fear of the retribution that the Blue Skulls that infest our lands can and will dish out on us at the slightest hint of dissent!”

“What more is there for me to say about the Blue Skulls, my fellow Pivans?” the voice of Prime Minister Ihorovych sighed through the recording. “The Blue Skulls are nothing but a bloodthirsty and ruthless gang from the north, and they make no effort to hide this from anyone. But even if they were only criminals, their presence in our nation is yet another stain in a vast tapestry of stains from the north. But the problem with the Blue Skulls is that they are also racists and xenophobes! Take everything back from the north and add a good measure of racism and xenophobia to that and you have the Blue Skulls. The Vipans in the north already look down upon us Pivans as drains on their quote-unquote ‘limited’ resources, but the Blue Skulls truly take this to another level. If they had their way then they would have already erased us all from the map! It is only the fact that they know that they are not yet strong enough to go up against Anouschka Belicic and her allies that they maintain a fragile agreement with the north, in which they get to terrorize the Pivan people in exchange for their rivals in Belicic’s inner circle not making many moves against them.”

“But that is not the only crime that the Blue Skulls have done to the Pivan people, far from it,” Prime Minister Ihorovych continued. “I've already told you all of the hatred that the Blue Skulls hold for the Pivan people, how they would like to kill us all if it weren't for their alliance with the gangsters in the north. But if the Blue Skulls cannot kill the Pivans then they would rather enslave us, crush us under their thumb and keep us where we cannot go anywhere else. It is because of this that the Blue Skulls have begun treating Estorpiva as a dumping ground in which they could keep all of the Pivan undesirables in one place where they can oppress us whenever they want! To that I say, no more. No more repression. No more oppression. No more using Estorpiva as a place where the Communards and the Blue Skulls can dump the Pivans peacefully living inside their territories simply because they are Pivan! The State of Estorpiva has had enough with the Estorvipan Commune, the Imperium, and the Inselberg Pact!”

“Today, the State of Estorpiva formally announces its departure from the Inselberg Pact,” Prime Minister Ihorovych announced through the recording. “The State of Estorpiva formally rejects its membership in the Inselberg Pact, and it has formally ended all treaties between all remaining member states of the Inselberg Pact. In turn, the State of Estorpiva has opened diplomatic relations with both the Republic of Estorpiva and the Federation of Estorvipa in an effort to finally put an end to the suffering that the Pivan people have gone through in the Estorian Civil War. Thus, on this day, the State of Estorpiva also formally surrenders to both the Republic of Estorpiva and the Federation of Estorvipa. The time has come for the civil war ravaging our lands to come to an end, and after consultation with my fellow ministers and advisers, I have come to the conclusion that the Republic of Estorpiva and the Federation of Estorvipa are the sides best suited to bringing a satisfactorily peaceful end to this conflict.”

The recording of Prime Minister Ihorovych paused for a few seconds before he continued speaking once again. “My fellow Pivans,” he said, “by the time that you are hearing this, I will have already resigned from my position as Prime Minister of the State of Estorpiva, and at this point I am addressing you all, not as your leader but as a fellow Pivan and countryman. I made the mistake of thinking that the Imperium can be trusted with restoring peace to our country, which is especially funny considering that they are actually the ones who instigated the whole mess in the first place. I fell for the Imperium’s promises of equality between Vipans and Pivans, but I should have known that they would regard me, and all of us Pivans by extension, with suspicion after we had initially sided with the Pridnestrovian invaders in this war. Perhaps I should have remained allies with them instead of defecting to the side of the Imperium, and maybe then I would be addressing you all in person instead of through this recording. And now, as my final act as Prime Minister of the State of Estorpiva, I hereby command all police and armed forces of the State to cooperate with the armed forces of the Republic of Estorpiva and the Federation of Estorvipa. They are not here to occupy Estorpiva; they are here to liberate us from the influence of the Inselberg Pact. That is all, my fellow Pivans. Dyakuyu, and goodbye.”

The Vodnik’s speakers finally went silent as it played the last of Denys Ihorovych’s speech, and as silence descended over the town of Cronos once again, Lieutenant Pantilimon and the police officer stared at each other without saying anything. Eventually, the policeman did break the silence by asking, “What am I supposed to do with this speech of yours?”

“As I understand it, politsiyant, Prime Minister Ihorovych has given you and your men orders to cooperate with the Federal Defense Forces in liberating the State of Estorpiva from the influence of the Inselberg Pact,” Pantilimon replied, referring to the policeman by the official term of address mandated by the Estorvipan People’s Republic just before the onset of the civil war.

“But how can I be sure that these orders really did come from Prime Minister Ihorovych?” the policeman asked back. “How can I be sure that this isn’t just some sort of plot or trap to force compliance out of us?”

“Now why would we do such a thing?” Pantilimon replied. “If we really wanted, we could have already opened fire on you and your men as soon as we landed here. Why would we take the time to talk to you and let you hear the Prime Minister’s speech if our intent was simply to invade and attack? You and I are not enemies, politsiyant. We are merely on opposite sides of the same coin. All I want is to return peace and order from the chaos that has enveloped our country, and I am sure that you want the same thing. The Federal Defense Forces are not here to attack you; in fact, we are here to defend the territory of the State of Estorpiva from the forces of the Estorvipan Commune and the Estorvipan People’s Republic once news of Prime Minister Ihorovych’s surrender and resignation reaches them.”

The policeman looked like he was still willing to argue the point when one of his fellow officers called out, “Sir, I think that the Blue Skulls are here!”

“The Blue Skulls?” Pantilimon and the policeman asked at the same time. Pantilimon immediately ran back to his men and ordered, “Get ready, boys! The Blue Skulls are here!” One of the things that had been briefed to the invading forces was that they should expect a much more hostile reception from the Blue Skulls than they would the local police and protection forces. Meanwhile, the police officers themselves were still standing all over the road and milling around their cars. Some of them might have even wanted the Blue Skulls to arrive at the scene because it was clear to all of them that they didn’t have the firepower to go up against the invasion force that had arrived on their shores. As a police force, they were already lightly armed to begin with, but when the Blue Skulls came down from the north to ensure that the State of Estorpiva maintained its commitment to the Inselberg Pact, the Skulls further curtailed the Pivan police by taking away their rifles and leaving them only with pistols and, in some extreme cases, wooden batons and nightsticks.

A group of vehicles approached the checkpoint from the direction of the town center, and at first glance it was immediately obvious to whom they belonged. On their doors were painted the flag of the Blue Skulls, which was really just the gold-and-black flag of the Estorvipan Commune defaced with a blue skull with a dagger running through the top of its head. Some vehicles had the flag painted on their sides while others actually flew the flag on the antenna. But one thing the vehicles had in common was that they were brimming with Blue Skulls fighters. One of the policemen tried to approach the Blue Skulls while pointing at the invaders at the same time, but instead of dealing with them as he might have hoped, the Blue Skulls responded by opening fire, not just on the invaders but also on the policemen themselves.

“What the fuck are they trying to do?” the policeman who had confronted Lieutenant Pantilimon shouted as he was dragged behind the cover of the BMP-2.

“Do you really want to know the answer to that, politsiyant?” Pantilimon shouted back even as his men engaged the Blue Skulls. “This is the moment that the Skulls have been waiting for! Now they can kill us Pivans as they please!”

“Bastards!” the policeman cried out. “Now what are we going to do?”

“What we Pivans have always done before, Sergeant: fight back.” Pantilimon then ran over to his radioman and ordered him, “Contact the navy and tell them that we need fire support now!” He then took his rifle, shouldered it, and shouted, “For Estorpiva and Estorvipa!”

  OLASTOR 0 - 1 ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA  
                PRASUTAGUSIC (57')

  ESTORVIPA AND ESTORPIVA 1 - 0 SUDILIA  
             UDEANU (83')

by **Banija** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:35 pm

Omugabe Ssekamanya, in the Cardenao capitol, as a meeting ends

Omugabe Ssekamanya had traveled with the Banijan delegation, with their ceremonial battleship, for the official launch of the military alliance between the Cardenao Republic, and the Kingdom of Banija. Ssekamanya had been more low-key about things- not on the battleship itself, but mostly here as the senior representative, to take care of more technical things. He was in line for the throne- his grandfather was the Kabaka, and he was the first son of his first son. He would be the country's next Foreign Minister, and with Kabaka Mwanga approaching 90, everyone knew that he wouldn't be the monarch forever. Therefore, the Kabaka wanted to give Ssekamanya more of a direct role in the affairs of state- henceforth, him being the head of delegation for this visit.

"Any further inquiries?" President Otamendi asked. Omugabe Ssekamanya said no, as realistically, there wasn't much more to do. Toyuwa Okafor, who was the Banijan Ambassador, said no, as Maj. Gen. Tombe Kavubu, the head of the military mission, also said no. None of the President's aides had anything further to add, and therefore, the meeting was over. Omugabe Ssekamanya was deliberately slow to pack up his things as everybody started to mingle amongst themselves as they prepped to leave the room.

"Hey, Mr. President?" Omugabe Ssekamanya asked after a number of Banijan aides had left the room. "I've got a quick Q for you- privately." The President then led him to a corner of the room- it wasn't a state secret or anything, but the Omugabe knew that it was the things like this that would easily leak- and he wanted to prevent that as much as possible. As they got into the corner of the room, Omugabe Ssekamanya took a deep breath.

"I'm sure your security team has told you that I'm staying here for the next few days, as part of a vacation." The President nodded- there really wasn't any more work to do, but Cardenao was one of the multiverse's premier vacation destinations- and a favorite spot of well-connected Banijan tourists, due to the country's laid back culture. "I'm sure you know, but my girlfriend, Princess Muirne, is flying in tomorrow when we hit the resort. We're doing some traveling around the country- but I want to propose to her while I'm here."

He then pulled the ring out of his pocket- a glittery diamond, one that cost as much as maybe the janitor's annual salary. The kind of glitz that you'd expect from the Royal Family. "Nobody knows that I'm proposing- and I mean, absolutely nobody." Ssekamanya told him. "Just my grandfather, my father, and my brothers, of course, who are all back home. But you understand- I've got a reputation to maintain, as a Royal. I want to be in a place where I can 'accidentally' run into the press as this happens, of course. Scenic spot, of course- but I am the future Kabaka. My marriage is not only my own, but it'll secure the lineage of my family and it'll be an important marriage for my entire country. Just somewhere where we can get basically some tabloid coverage almost immediately- show the world, and my country, that I'm ready."

Kadongo Kamu continue to play well as Banijans start Qualifying with 4 consecutive wins

BUSUKUMA, NATIONAL CAPITOL REGION- Krytenia v. Banija. Not a storied matchup, of course- but an exciting one. The fact of the matter, is this- Krytenia are one of those teams that have a serious chance at legitimately challenging for the top spot in this World Cup Qualifying group. "Look, we understand- there are some opponents in this tournament, that really, the game is amplified when you are playing them. And Krytenia is always one of those nations." Said Banija's manager, Pam Scott. "A historic nation- creators of the AOCAFs, a founding member of both Atlantian Oceania and Anaia, have been playing in World Cups longer than many of our players have been alive. They've seen it all and done it all- have a fantastic footballing culture, and can truly beat anybody on any given day. We've got great respect for the Dragons, and it's going to be quite a contest."

It's always a special occasion when you're at the Stadium of the Restoration, and this case was no different. A packed house, of well over 91,000, came to support the Banijans take on the Dragons. With a pair of teams that like to get forward when they are in possession, there promised to be fireworks, and it was exciting from the get go. Wesoloski-Okafor hit the post in just the 3rd minute, and a few minutes after that, a header inside the six from their Jack-In-The-Box (aka Angus Jack), forced our 39 year old goalkeeper and team captain, Wanda Kouyaté, into a diving, full stretch save. The teams were getting up the field, but it would be the same 20 year old, future superstar Angus Jack, who would open the scoring. A bending ball from Liam Hayes found a diving Angus Jack in the 37th minute, and the Krytenians led 1-0, and took that lead into halftime.

But this Banijan team did not get rattled. "We know that the game is not 45 minutes- although we went into the halftime trailing, we knew that we had played well." Wanda Kouyaté told reporters. "We had to simply do a better job of finishing in the final third, and we were confident we could win this one." The first 15 minutes of the second half turned the game on its head. A foul in the 47th minute, in the box, led to a penalty, that Wesoloski-Okafor converted from the spot to draw the Banijans level at 1. Just 4 minutes after that, a header from Idi Dabo, off a corner kick, gave the Banijans a 2-1 lead. And the dagger was from open play in the 60th minute, where some brilliant one touch football on the counter left a wide open Bokate chipping the ball over the Krytie goalkeeper's head, for a 3-1 lead- and with that, basically was the contest.

"This game was tough, was difficult- but three points are three points." Pam Scott told reporters. "They matter even more when it's a team like Krytenia, who really can come out and win this group. But the points were well-earned. The goal in qualifying is to continue to earn three points, so we can get closer to Qualification. It's far too early to worry about the table- I'm all about just getting as many points as we can at this point, and seeing where we stand. So 9 points from 3, you can't go wrong. There's a lot we can work on, but the ability to work on them while we continue to get three points from matches is a skill in and of itself."

Matchday 4 Banija would travel on the road- this time, for a high-octane, 7 goal crazy fest against Geektopia. We started well in the match, taking a 3 goal lead into the half. We were dominant in the first half, taknig space well, attacking the goal, doing whatever it took. But the second half, was the exact opposite. When they scored just 13 seconds into the second half, there was a quiet applause- at least the hosts showed fight, right? But they showed a lot more than that, as they went for the legendary comeback. The thing about a three goal lead- it quickly turns into a two goal lead, and what's the worst lead in football, right? They scored again in the 59th minute to make it a 1 goal game, and then, absolute scenes in the 74th minute when they equalized.

Coming back from 3 down at half, to equalize in less than half an hour, against a Pot 1, is an insane accomplishment. "We were reeling." Pam Scott said. "No doubt about it- but we showed mental fortitude." Despite the impending headlines of a massive Banijan collapse, the team were able to keep their composure. Incredible celebrations were ongoing- but Pam Scott was plotting, still sensing that the game, despite all the momentum going against them, was there for the taking. And it was. Swapping out both of Banija's wingers gave the team a new sense of purpose, with new pace and determination on the outside. And they would create the final goal, as Gereh Kama turned a half-volley into the back of the net on a whipping ball in from Dembo Savaneh, in the 83rd minute.

What a game, what a contest, what a win. "Wow- I may have lost a few years off my life being part of that one!" Pam Scott said after the match, chuckling. "But that's the beauty of international football- anything can happen, and hell, three points are three points. Hats off to Geektopia after that one- they showed fight, and they showed heart, in their ability to comeback. But we showed the mental fortitude, the fortitude of champions- the same mental fortitude we showed when we won the AOCAFs. Even when the crowd and everything going against us, we never lost our belief, and we were able to re-gain what was once lost- our composure, and more importantly, our shape. We stayed disciplined, we stayed aggressive, we were not afraid, with the momentum going against us, to go for the winner- and we were able to obtain it."

Banija sit with 12 points, one of just 10 teams left who are a perfect 4-0-0 during qualifying. "Our record doesn't matter right now- far too early to worry about things like tables right now." Pam Scott told reporters. "I'm about the performances, and we'll worry about the table later on." In the upcoming window, Banija will host Estorvipa and Estorpiva, before traveling just across the water to face off against their archrivals, the Equestrian States.

by **Talannua** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:42 pm

The journey to the World Cup starts with a single point.

And once the Wild Horses got that single point with an inspiring 2-2 draw against Cabo Azure, they were off to the races - a full gallop, not a mere canter. First, they steamrolled Ancherion on their own turf, it not mattering at all that their players had won dozens of caps and this team was playing just its ninth game ever, not with the daring aggression of Thomas Brook and company. This time, it was actually David Woods who set the field on fire with two goals, with Brook happy to distract Sikim Arts as danger developed. William Shore even felt bold enough to put James Bull into the game, and Bull responded in kind with a delicate header to score his first goal.

But even coming back to Castaic, it would take a miracle to beat Mytanija, right? But Castaic was a small town that, although it had enjoyed its football, it was never all that tapped in to the happenings of international play, if only because Delaclava had hardly been a part of it. So they genuinely didn't know that the Mytanars were a top-20 team, the Top League one of the best in the world. Surely, instinctively, they could feel once the player known as Ocokoljic tapped the ball to the player known as Gannot and they pressed up the field, that this was a better squad than the Ancherites, but after all, they'd just won 3-0, so why couldn't they win again.

Above all, it was a treat for the fans who had gathered their stools around the perimeter of the field, to see the ball zip around the field with such speed and brilliance, intriguingly juxtaposed alongside the neighborhood kids who kicked a ball around behind one of the opposing nets. The Mytanar goalie known as Besak looked for a second mildly annoyed when the children's ball rolled into his crease, but the polite young lads and lasses understood the glare coming their way and apologetically made a safer distance from the field of play.

But in the late stages of the game, as the sun came down, they had stopped their kickaround and their attention was rapt as Talannua finally managed to string together some possession in the offensive zone. The Wild Horses made short, quick passes, crowding slightly but moving as a unit to find a spot for Brook to blast through. They found him a chance, but it was partially instructed by Sulejmanovic and it was a corner kick for Talannua.

Joseph Jester put his hand up as the crowd buzzed, dropped his arm as he took two steps forward and swung his leg through the ball. Matthew Plant and Besak both went up for the ball, Besak punching it out of the air as Plant shied away from the collision. It rolled out to Michael West, who had ventured quite far forward and stood around the eighteen. West, not wanting to risk anything coming back the other way, didn't think, just whacked the ball hard with his left foot. Remarkably, it floated through traffic and tucked just under the crossbar, rippling the net with about five minutes to go. The crowd was stunned; then they erupted. The Wild Horses converged around West to celebrate. The Mytanars were briefly stupefied by what had just happened. Although they rushed back into action promptly in an attempt to strike back, the Wild Horses were parking the bus like their life depended on it. The only objective was to clear, clear, and clear again.

Somehow, they managed. The referee blew the final whistle and the Wild Horses rejoiced again in the dusk. The fans cheered and then began to head in their different directions. Some wanted to stick around and talk to the team, the ones who'd been former students, children of the town. Some used the opportunity to catch up with neighbors and friends they hadn't seen in a bit. Other families went home to start dinner. And the kids, naturally, headed off to get up to no good, whether at the quarry or in the woods.

Nathaniel and Anna, meanwhile, headed down to the bridge crossing the river out of town. Anna looked at Nathaniel in the eye.

"Listen, babe, there's something I really wanna ask you."

"What's that, baby?"

"Well, we've been dating for two weeks, and it's been... really great. So I wanted to know..."

"Yeah?"

"Are you ready?"

But before Nathaniel could answer, there was a gurgling and whooshing coming from the river, and a huge glop of seaweed splashed up and coated Anna from head to toe. She screamed. A deep voice growled, "You have disrespected the River of Purity. You must leave."

Nathaniel, shocked, started to laugh. Anna gasped and screamed in frustration. "This isn't funny! Ugh, Mackenzie was right about you."

"Oh, really? Well, I'm not the one covered in River Monster goo."

"That wasn't the River Monster!"

"Yeah, it was! Dude, you totally just got soaked by the River Monster."

"Shut up! I'm leaving."

"Fine, I had plans anyway." Although Anna wasn't listening, she was running away, still screaming in disgust, seaweed flicking off her with every step she took. Nathaniel laughed. "Nobody fools the River Monster."

by **Cassadaigua** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 1:44 pm

Fillies Manage a pair of wins,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Team Cassadaigua rolled off a couple wins recently to improve their record to 3-1-0. They are currently at the top of the group right now because Nephara has only had three chances to get points at this time. It is also a tie with Pluvia as we continue the early stages of the tournament. The third game played by the pink and black saw them go to Koronavia, a nation that is fresh off of finishing second in Baptism of Fire 79. Like all other debutantes, they are quickly seeing how different things are in World Cup qualifying, itself. Some will do better than others in this environment, and eventually The Foxes will adapt. For now, however, they were 0-1-1 heading into the match, but had not played anyone like the Fillies at this point. Fans packed the stadium to see how their team could do against us, but Brittany Byers and the Fillies were not in the mood to play the role of gracious guests.

Cassadaigua took it to the Foxes, immediately putting pressure on goalkeeper Amadeus Endlinsberg. Only four minutes would tick off the clock before Kelsey Werth set up Chloe Anderson with a perfect cross that Chloe would be able to head into the net to make it 1-0. The fans had been loud and boisterous waiting to cheer on their team to an upset, but the quick goal silenced some of the festivities. Though, those fans came here with the intention of making noise, so it didn’t take them long to begin getting loud again. Unfortunately for them, while they were cheering for their team, they saw Rachel Boldin and Chloe Anderson make a couple of their defenders look silly (especially Jacob Zeus), to make it 2-0 on Anderson’s second of the game. Still, the home fans tried to get their team in the game, but the on-field action was all Cassadaigua. In the 25th minute, Zeus laid out Chloe Anderson with a big time tackle, only to see Chloe bounce right back up and give him a sarcastic hand. At that moment, Zeus may have also realized that things are different in the World Cup. Players are ready for that kind of thing. The Fillies managed two more goals before halftime, one by Morgan Rosenblatt in the 37th, and one by Kelsey Werth in the 44th.

In the second half, there was no let up by the pink and black, either, with Rachel Boldin getting her name on the scoresheet for the first time in the game, coming in the 55th. It was now 5-0, and now we would start to see some substitutions by Byers to rest some of the key players for another day. By the 80th minute, the Foxes took advantage of this to cut the lead to 5-2, but the scoring was capped off by Allyson Perry in the 86th, making it 6-2. Following the game, Morgan Rosenblatt said the start was key, “In a game like that, you always want to get the crowd out of it, or at least give them the understanding that they will not be seeing a win tonight. We did a great job establishing that right away.” Anderson was asked about her first half sarcastic clapping of Jacob Zeus, “It was good tackle, and clean. At first, I wasn’t going to do anything, but the way he and his teammate wanted to start celebrating it, I just wanted to let him know that I’ve been there, done that already in Cup qualifying. Our scouting report was to not mess with him, well, my scouting report that I gave to him there was that top teams aren’t scared of people like them. We’ve seen plenty like him over our years.” In their next game, Nephara gave them another reminder of how tough it is against top teams, as they also won by four.

Back at home, the Fillies didn’t light up the scoreboard against Xitizian States, but a clean sheet by Stacie Thornton allowed the 53rd minute Bayley Stanton strike to hold up. It was the first qualifying game played in Starksville in a very long time, and the fans at Cocoa-bo stadium were about as excited for it as the fans in Koronavia were. “We don’t get many chances to go to a game like this,” Starksville native Theresa Lanning said, “We can’t afford to travel to Concord Heights, and we could never afford the World Cup games when they were here. The qualifying game here was great, I hope that we will have more of them in the future.”

At 3-1-0, the next matches for our beloved Fillies are away to one-time great Reçueçn, and then a very appealing home match against Kelssek. That game is in Grande Mountain.

by **Kandorith** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 2:06 pm

Shinonome Kyoai - International

Kandorith dominates in ruthless fashion

When Michiyu stated the team would be vastly different in tactics no one expected what happened versus Pyazhnaya and against Boring Paradise. The Kandorese attack left nothing to the imagination and was mostly occupied with scoring as many goals as possible. The results were record-breaking for Kandorese football in general.
By Natsumi Miyasaki
Sports

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 P Group 2                         Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Kandorith                         4    4   0   0    19    9  +10    12
 2 Ranoria                           4    4   0   0     8    1   +7    12
 3 Yuezhou                           4    1   2   1     8    6   +2     5
 4 Squornshelan Remnant States       4    1   2   1     7    7    0     5
 5 Sargossa                          3    1   1   1     5    3   +2     4
 6 South Covello                     4    1   1   2     7    8   −1     4
 7 The Licentian Isles               3    1   1   1     4    6   −2     4
 8 Pyazhnaya                         4    1   1   2     8   10   −2     4
 9 North and South Vietnam           3    0   2   1     3    4   −1     2
10 Boring Paradise                   3    0   1   2     8   15   −7     1
11 Bongo Johnson                     4    0   1   3     1    9   −8     1

The game against Pyazhnaya was the largest surprise of the two previous games. In previous qualifiers, the Kandorese team normally gets disappointing results against much lower ranked teams, and this match seems to have put an end to that. Throughout the entire game, Michiyu's unit was dominant, fearless, and did not back down for a single moment. The Kandorese humiliated Pyazhnaya in their home stadium, defeating them 2-7.

Boring Paradise is the second part of the story against low-ranked teams. Boring Paradise is ranked at 240 currently and put up more of a fight against Kandorith. Playing at the Empress Masumi Stadium, it appeared that the curse of poor home performance had returned to haunt the Kandorese national team, but it eventually led to a second 9-goal game, with Kandorith winning 6-3. With these two results, Kandorith stands on top of Group 2 with 4 games played, right next to Ranoria. On top of having a goal difference of 10, and next to that, Kandorith is currently the top scoring team in the Qualifiers.

Michiyu's Kandorith will face The Licentian Isles next, who are number 90 in the KPB rankings. This will be the first time these two teams meet, and it will surely be a match to look forward to. Michiyu has already stated that the current morale is at an all-time high and the team can't wait to play in the rest of the qualification campaign. Overall, the current Kandorese team seems to be in perfect harmony when playing in matches. While these were only the first four matches, it is already apparent that the current players are more used to playing together than they were in World Cup 91.

by **Juvencus** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 2:13 pm

The Second Great War of Unification(1876-1892)

In this war, speed of action is winner. To win any battle, a lot of the times one had to act fast, change formations fast and most importantly, move fast. Monarchs and generals alike realised the importance of movement early on in the war. Trains, boats, horses and camels were all important ways to move large distances. Despite the knowledge of strategies like that, using them all at once for an oncoming siege was considered too risky, as fortifications in such areas around important cities would force a slowing down of the movement and from then on it would be a matter of quality of thought and actions in slow movement. However, in times of dire need, this means of besieging and swift decision-making was needed as it happened in Santo Domenico.

L'attaque sur l'est, by Antoine Bouchard ~circa 1899

Chapter 19: The Occupation of Santo Domenico(August 30th, 1881)
"I might not be God, but today I dictated the world more than He ever would." Prince Heir Michelangelo II of Scudelli

The Declaration of the Juven State just a couple weeks prior had shaken the entire region. On one hand, you had the now-Juven people fighting under the same banner against the dumbfounded Independentists. Indirectly they had achieved the unification they had long seeked, but the Juven were not done yet and the Independentists knew that. However, the war was not completely in the tide of the Juven and it could be seen as a reckless move on their part. Especially since the Siege of Santo Domenico was looming in the horizon, everything was set up. A massive Scudelliano army, artillery and fleet all gathered around one of the most important cities of the east. Under the guidance of Prince Heir Michelangelo II, the siege was already deemed victorious even before it began, even if it would prove to be difficult.

The Scudelliano Artillery formed in different beneficial positions all around the capital, with the Scudelliano fleet forming up at the same time in the seas around it. The spectacle was menacing for the Domenicans that were about to defend their town. The bombardment was as swift as the buildup, enough to force the inhabitants into desperation as there was nowhere to hide. Multiple parts of the city were razed to the ground in the blink of an eye and people died.

That's when Michelangelo II ordered an initial cavalry charge to the suburbs of the city to find any dissidents. Several seperate fights broke out, especially near trenchlines but the cavalry managed to kill or deter many Domenican defenders and push them further into the city. At the same time the Army was pushing onwards and they finally met in a big series of fights in all the different suburbs and surrounding villages around Santo Domenico. The fights were one-sided, however and with the morale and upper hand all being in the Scudellianos' side, they pushed further inward.

Meanwhile a desperate push idea had long been suggested by Admiral Baptiste Fiscella, on which several soldiers would climb the outer walls of Santo Domenico by the coastline in a surprise attack following the bombardment of the city. While Prince Carlo IV had initially declined, Prince Heir Michelangelo II managed to convince him to try this risky strategy. He accepted, but on the condition that he would execute both of them if the siege failed because of it.

As such, this surprise wall climbing attack was attempted on the 16th century walls of the city on the north side. Following the bombardment, there was not a sufficient Domenican force to hold onto them, which meant walls were flooded with Scudelliano soldiers and soon enough fights broke down in all sides of the city. While Domenicans heroically defended themselves, the fall of the city was now inevitable, since the deaths of many of its people forced Governor Giovanni Fabre of Santo Domenico to surrender the city. This was seen as a historic shame for the Domenican population and also it was the perfect answer of the Independentists towards the newly-found Juven State.

As news of the Occupation of Domenico spread all around the Juven State, they knew they had to counter-attack right in Torona while they had the chance. This was something that the Independentists were aware of and multiple fortifications had already been set up in the city. The surprise of the loss in the eastern theater however did strike deep within the ranks of the Juven State.

Battle Outcome: Massive Scudelliano win! Eastern Theater temporarily over.

by **Cap Nord** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 2:43 pm

"So, are you ready, Troels?"

In hindsight, it was strange that I could hear the question from Forseth so loud and clear. Eighty-five thousand fit in the Ziwanicell National Stadium but if someone told me it was twice as many, I would have believed it. Then again, I had no idea how such large crowds sounded. The Premier Division was one thing but this was next level. With four points out of a possible six, Ziwana knew that a victory over a newcomer as us would keep them in the race for the playoffs. As the favorites dropped points left and right, quite a few teams suddenly believed in their chances. Their fans did at least.

"Honestly, coach? Nope."
"No one is, at least you are smart enough to know it."

I do not know if the pat in the back was there to boost his morale or mine. For most of the game, the Scorchers looked superior but Leuwert stood tall and Steve Kalunga saw his attempt ricochet off the post. But ever since Anuiha Mikil dragged down Williams on route to goal (earning the former his second yellow), the balance had shifted. Just as the additions of Bissett, Veensma and Benkasar had been, the focus was on more energy now for the last five minutes. We had just won a corner, the fourth in ample minutes and as I darted towards my position after a high five with MacLean, Jonas was already starting his approach. I know we were in a hurry, but I was barely at the edge of the box when Persson crossed it. It landed in the middle of the bunch, bounced off someone and suddenly, it fell in front of me. Due to my lateness, I was isolated near the right post, just one man between me and the goal. Mussa could stay on the line or attack the ball and eventually did neither. He hesitated. I didn't and hit it with all I had.

One touch, one goal, Troels Poulsen skewing all the averages in international football on his first appearance for the Whalers!

The moment should have gone down in history for the phlegmatic commentary of Adeline Lagree. Should have.

Ecstatic, I darted to the small corner where the Capnordic fans had gathered and dove into their arms. Four wins out of four for the plucky outsider, what was happening here? As I got released from the jubilating crowd, someone shuffled a flag into my hand and proudly, I waved it around until the referee offered me a card. Still, the satisfaction of the red, yellow and blue rippling in the Ziwani night sky engulfed me. Afterwards, people told me that there was something with the way people cheered at that moment. Something different. Something off. I handed the flag back to some fan, who grinned widely and then I saw it. The feeling I had when walking back to kick-off was not what I had dreamed of.

"Welcome to Hot Topic, our weekly talk show where we focus on what has set the country alight this week ánd give you some advice on how to mix and match with black t-shirts. With us, we have football pundit Eric Crassé, political analyst Annette Boldsvik and NUP member Jonathan Farrell. And tonight, our Hot Topic is the action of football player Troels Poulsen who waved around the old Capnordic flag, with the royal insignia, after his match winning goal against Ziwana. Annette, is it fair to call this unseen?"

"I would not just go with 'unseen', I would opt for scandalous and disrespectful. It is now twenty-three years ago that our democracy was won. I say won, because despite the limited bloodsheds during the Silk Revolution, it was the final page of a long battle for freedom during which many people suffered, were tortured and lost their lives. Waving this flag is a spit in the face of those and many with them."

Eric took the word.

"It is not just an insult to the past for me. Who is this Poulsen? A year and a half ago, he played in the second tier and now he gets a shot for the national team. To play for our colours, for our flag. It is incredible that he abuses such a platform for his personal gain."

The host added her remark, immediately countered by the pundit and the analyst.

"Poulsen claimed it happened by accident, that he did not know it was a different flag.”
“Bof, I just think he is crawling back now he sees the backlash he receives for his foolish action. He realises how despicable his act is and now he tries to play it off. It is nonsense. He should be banished from the national team for life. There is no place for him in the squad that should represent our national pride.”
“Even more, this looks like a premeditated action to me. I would not be surprised if the flag had been handed to him by a friend or someone on his side. Moments like this should let us reflect on what we will do with the legacy of the Regime. I understand that in the immediate aftermath, a policy of reconciliation was chosen rather than revenge. It was, from a practical standpoint, the best way to handle interpersonal conflict. But this choice made us lenient, too lenient, about how we handle the Regime itself. And it shows how these symbols and practices creep back into our society. If a football player dares to wave that flag in front of the whole nation, where does it end? Mister Crassé pleads for a sportive punishment but this is not about football alone. This is an offence, a criminal offence and should be treated as such. Troels Poulsen should be handled harshly, as an example that this democracy will not let itself be torn apart.”

Jonathan Farrell so far had set back, folding his hands in front of his mouth, but now took the word with vigour.

“I hear mister Crassé about throwing Poulsen out of the team and miss Boldsvik wants him in jail, before knowing his intention and ignoring his testimony. It makes one think who the fascists in this country are, but that is an aside.” (he waves away the other two who try to interrupt and the host allows him to go on) “They talk about democracy but a man who wants to express his opinion is not allowed? What they refuse to see is that that flag does not represent a past but a future. A future with respect for the traditions in this country. A future without cabinets falling again and again without accomplishing anything. A future without politicians who are focused on retaining their job rather than actively improving our country. A future where one does not bow for every foreign country that complains about this or that, to not name Koronavia. In short, a future with a country that is proud of itself, of its people and of its flag. And it is a future that many Capnordians see themselves in. But it is exactly those Capnordians that are overlooked by our government. They are proud, as we saw in the reaction on the FMF decision during the Baptism of Fire, but the government is too busy pleasing Johnny Foreigner and their own pockets to listen to the regular man. That is the symbol Troels Poulsen was waving but he was gunned down immediately. But in his wake, thousands, hundreds of thousands want to wave that flag with the small crown and-”

Annette and Eric now loudly tried to take over the discussion and Jonathan Farrell let them. He had won already. The applause in the audience had been vast, surprisingly vast, even for Jonathan. Twenty years, the NUP had been struggling for every vote and now things just fell in place. It had been a longshot to send Adam to Ziwana with the flag. They had simply hoped for a bit of screentime, maybe a close-up but for him to put that flag in Poulsen’s hands was amazing. Two hours before, the anthem had already been an unbelievable success as well, with the fans singing the ‘Chanson du perce-neige’ over the tape and the players uneasily trying to ignore the resulting cacophony. It all was coming together and something was growing in the population. An uneasiness, a discomfort and a desire for change. Everything was going to plan but one thing.

It had been two weeks now since they last heard of Joachim Herklotz: the man assigned with the most delicate task, the linchpin of the whole masterplan.

by **Cardenao** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:01 pm

One draw, Two draw, One point, Two point

After splitting the opening two World Cup qualifying matches with a win and a loss, all eyes turned to perhaps Cardenao’s toughest back to back duo of opponents in Group 11, Juvencus and Ko-oren. There are, of course, plenty of over threats hanging over Cardenao like so many stalactites but in terms of back to back opponents, it would have to be the matchups against 53rd ranked Juvencus and the 12th ranked Ko-oren that posed the biggest challenges to our boys in blue and gold.That being said, though it would only be the third and fourth matches of the qualifying campaign and neither opponent had started with the bang they’d hoped for.

Our initial opponent Juvencus kicked off decently enough, with a 2-2 draw against 31st ranked Chromatika, but the second matchday against Sendhang was surprising to the Cardenaoan audience as they watched Juvencus get pummeled five to one in an uninspiring display. Cardenao National Team manager Scooter McNash must’ve been somewhat excited to see that, playing a team right after they get demolished is always nice as their heads might’ve dropped a bit. On the other hand, perhaps such a defeat would lead to a mighty rebound as the defeated players threw themselves into making amends for their performance. Either way the showdown between Juvencus and Cardenao proved to be an interesting affair, with the Cardenaoan’s eager to continue their bright start to international football. Both teams lined up for the match with their established starting XIs so there were surprises to be had as the kick-off whistle blew and the third World Cup Finals qualifying matchday was underway!

Right from the start it was clear that both team’s managers had assembled their players in the dressing room pre-match, sat them down, looked in all of their eyes and said, “Fuck defense.” Seriously, right from the get-go both teams were playing 100% attacking, fullbacks were recklessly bounding forward, holding midfielders suddenly became attack-minded trequartistas, both team’s strikers seemed to fancy themselves prime Laborious Hawk with the shots they were taking, it was incredibly entertaining though equally nerve wracking. Every Cardenao attack looked like it could end in a goal while every Juven attack seemed sure to end in their favor, the first fifteen minutes were some of the best football we’ve watched to date and it was all ruined in spectacular fashion when the Juven striker blasted the ball past Ray Holland to make it 1-0 for the home team. A few alarm bells might have been ringing but the great thing about total attacking football was that if you didn’t like the score, just wait a few minutes! Sure enough in the 28th minute, a Juven attacking movement was intercepted by ‘defensive’ midfielder Diego Valenzuela, who quickly laid it off for Haritz Larrainzar to take over play. A quick, aggressive dribble to establish position and possession in the attacking third, then a rocket of a pass along the ground to Ibai Acosta-Vargas, the most creative attacking force Cardenao had to offer and he showed why, with a dazzling one-two of step-overs enough to break through the Juven left flank and allowing him to whip a ball into the center, where goalscoring icon Juanma Saez scored with an amazing diving header to level the score 1-1. To their credit, even the Juven fans applauded his heroic effort, such was the quality of the Juanma Saez missile program.

AND HE DID IT AGAIN FOUR MINUTES LATER!!!! It was just crazy, the Cardenaoan fan section had just started to quiet down when Larrainzar chipped in an outswinging corner kick that looked to be bending away from everyone, but not Saez, who threw himself backwards, managing to deflect the ball enough with his head to send it lancing into the right side of the goal to hand to lead to Cardenao, 2-1, and sent the Cardenao fanbase into hysterics. The clock ticked towards halftime and, in the 43rd minute just when it seemed like we might head into the break with the lead, disaster struck when Shandon Grandillon lashed out and brought down a Juven midfielder within the box. A penalty was immediately granted and summarily rocketed into the back of the net to level the score at 2-2, a slight disappointment considering the nature of the game and Cardenao’s brief lead but to be level with a team ranked 50+ spots higher than Cardenao is meant there was little to actually complain about.

The second half got underway and it seemed that both managers had sat their teams down, looked them all in the eyes and said, “Look, I feel like you’re not hearing me now. Fuck defense,” because the tempo was turned up to 11. Crazy cross-field passes, direct attacking dribbling, first time shots from 20 yards, it was just insane and SO. MUCH. FUN. Seriously this was fantastic to watch, it was made even better by manager Scooter McNash and his Juven counterpart going absolutely ballistic on the sidelines as they watched their teams play like a U11 side sent out after doing mounds of cocaine. The first goal of the second half came in the 52nd minute when the home side from Juvencus slotted home a first time volley from a chipped through ball, those fucks. 3-2 and the fire was burning even brighter within the hearts of the Cardenaoan players. 64th minute and it was time for some changes, Graysaõ Sandora came in on the right wing for Fabrizio Viscarra, and Jayful Archer came into the midfield, replacing Giampetro Vera. The results were immediate, with the two newcomers combining in the 70th minute to set up Acosta-Vargas with an uncontested tap-in, which he dutifully dispatched to level the score at three apiece.

Scooter McNash made his final sub in the 74th minute, bringing in ball playing centerback Salmon Moncharetta for Shandon Grandillon, a move that would give a little more pace to the Cardenaoan backline and offer another avenue for build-up play to flow through thanks to Moncharetta’s ability on the ball. It can be challenging to deal with your national team debut and the new centerback experienced just that when he showed his nerves by immediately hacking down a Juven player for a freekick, which was only just barely saved by Ray Holland in goal. Fortunately he recovered well and was the source for Cardenao’s fourth goal in the 81st minute. Moncharetta won an aerial duel, passed the ball up to Valenzeual while he followed his pass, receiving the ball again. A quick pop of his eyes up to scan the field, followed by a head down blasted long ball diagonally to Acosta-Vargas on the left wing. The winger pulled off a brilliant bit of skill, putting his right foot behind his planted left leg and taking a velvet touch with the inside of his right foot before threading the ball along the ground to Juanma Saez. A fake shot to the right let him roll the ball to his left and blast a shot into the goal past the wrong-footed Juven keeper to make the score 4-3 in Cardenao’s favor with only a few minutes left on the clock. We were so close, so so close to a huge victory that it came as absolutely no surprise when the team from Juvencus equalized in the 90th minute.

Pain, just pure pain. It was objectively a good result, a draw against a much higher rated national team, but the nature of the game and Cardenao’s lead at two separate points made this a bitter result where fans were left wishing the match had ended in their favor. That being said though, a point is a point and it was on to our next match against the 12th best team in the world. Easy.

Ko-oren. All that now stood between Cardenao and the 20 other matches. The 12th ranked team in the world (how do they even determine that in the first place?) and the titan within Group 11. If you were under a rock for the build-up to this match, let me fill you in: the hype levels were simply unrecordable. You had national team players sounding cautiously confident in the press, you had every single Cardenaoan talking about the game, you had President Mihaly Otamendi wishing the boys good luck, you had a viral (to the ~15% of Cardenaoan’s who had access to the internet) ad campaign by TikiTequila where a van pulled up on some guys wearing Ko-oren jerseys and unloaded dudes in Cardenao jerseys and they held a dance off for tequila, it was all just insane and the nation was on fire. Thanks to an increase of sports related funding made possible by our new Special Relationship with Banija, President Mihaly had arranged for the construction of a plethora of viewing centers throughout Cardenao where citizens could attend public watch parties for the match (and the rest of the World Cup) and have government provided food and refreshments available in abundance, another sign of the progression Cardenao was making as a nation. But the focus was squarely on the match against Ko-oren and the country was ready for it!

So it was only natural that, with all the hype and fanfare in anticipation of this clash, that it ended as a scoreless draw. This is not a prank, or some sort of weird misdirection where I reveal that Cardenao won. No, of course it was a scoreless draw because that’s how it always goes in these sorts of matches. Now that I think about it, it must be a universal fan experience that your favorite team/player in sport XYZ lands up in a hot matchup against a big opponent and the hype is off the charts annnndddd it’s an absolute snoozefest that ends in a draw, one made even worse by its scoreless nature. At least the match against Juvencus gave us some action, but in hindsight perhaps it is that match that made this one so boring…allow me to explain.

See, the 4-4 Juvencus fixture showed insane attacking displays, the whole game had zero defense. While entertaining for fans, that certainly must’ve been a nightmare for manager Scooter McNash, so he wanted to fix that heading into a match against such a powerful opponent in Ko-oren. Turn the tempo way down, keep the fullbacks defensive and in shape, keep the midfield compact, defense wins championships and qualification to the World Cup! Now, Ko-oren must’ve seen that match and thought “what the fuck is this, let’s shore up a bit against this kamikaze Cardenaoans,” and adapted their goal plan. Play a little more defensively, wait for the blue and golds of Cardenao to charge in before cutting them off and quickly counter-attacking to secure a forgone conclusion for the 12th best team in the world. The end result?

Nothing. I mean…0-0. Both teams aggressively sat-back and waited for the other to make the first move. It took eleven minutes for the first attempt on goal, when Cardenaoan Giampetro Vera’s shot from 30 yards out went just that many over goal, hitting an unfortunate person up in the stands, too busy texting and having fun to pay attention to the rapidly unfolding ‘football to face’ situation. That was unironically the second-most exciting moment of the match, the third being when one of the Ko-oren players shot on their first touch of the game hitting the top beam, bounced off Ray Holland’s back, hit the side-post and landed perfectly centered on the goalline before getting cleared by Hendrix Salvador. The most exciting moment of the match was when the final whistle blew and everyone realized that the Cardenaoans had actually done it, well not done it in the sense they won but a draw was a draw and a point was a point! Fun sidenote, this is only the fifth time in our 32 match history where Cardenao has failed to score a goal…I think. Anyway, what does that mean for the team now?

It means Cardenao now sits in fifth place after four matches, with a mighty five points. We trail group leaders and infamous Chromatika by…five points, and we’ve scored seven (7) while conceding six times so far. Up next is the high powered Sendhang squad. The third placed team has found the net 11 times already while only getting scored on twice, good enough for eight points over the first four matches. Scooter McNash will be hoping the strong showings of his team can continue in the face of yet another of the biggest threat yets Cardenao has faced. Go team!

Mihaly’s Machinations (Part III)
(Part One, Part Two)

Ahhh a royal wedding. For a moment all thinking of geopolitics was forgotten as a rush of genuine warmth and happiness came over Mihaly.

“Oh my Gods that’s fantastic, congratulations to you! That’s just wonderful, you and Princess Muirne are such a lovely couple–I’m just thrilled you’ve chosen Cardenao as the spot to showcase that.” What an utterly unexpected yet superbly sweet twist this was! A royal proposal on Cardenao, what a treat and the opportunity for yet another political stunt, though one much softer and adoration gathering than his ‘battleship steaming out of the mist’ idea. Yes, a proposal with its public displays of love was perfect for softening Cardenao’s international image and showcasing the beauty of the country a bit more as it set the backdrop for a historical moment between a Banijan Prince and Brenecian Princess. Mihaly paused, feigning deep thought as if concentrating hard on a possible location though the answer was immediate.

Santa Catamullina. A beautiful island town of 250 lucky souls that was located within the larger city of Donostia, Catamullina was located on a small island in the middle of the Bay of Andorra in between two mediterranean bushed hills. Beyond the Bay of Andorra lay the city of Donostia, a heavily touristed town with its own beauty, but Mihaly’s mind was on Catamullina with its pastel and white little homes dotting the island. From a photographer's perspective, the town was perpetually bathed in a golden hour style light, with warmth radiating off the lightly colored walls and surfaces of the town. Jawdropping photos with the clear ocean in the background were as easy as point and shoot, and Point Loma de Sol y Mar was the best spot of the bunch and easily one of the most visited patches of earth in Cardenao.

Point Loma de Sol y Mar was a rock outcrop backed by olive trees that was situated in a way that made it jut out increasingly thinly over the Ocean of Ayes, offering dramatic photos from all angles with the best coming with the setting sun. It was then that Point was bathed in the gold and pink fingers to create the prettiest sunsets imaginable and it was, for some as of yet unexplained natural reason, prone to the green flash far more frequently than the typical beachside town. The entire result was an incredibly beautiful setting where the beauty of the sun and the sea were intertwined in a stunning and humbling display of the natural world. It was, in fact, the same spot where President Mihaly Otamedni had proposed to his wife, Miss Sophie Beumer de la Cruz, 17 years ago and that’s how he knew it was good enough.

“My friend, I have just the perfect location for you. There is a spot off the coast of Cardenao where the sun and the sea meet, it’s called Point Loma de Sol y Mar, it’s where I proposed to my Sophie. Allow me to take you there if you have the time, I’m sure you will find it perfect for what you are looking for.”

by **Trolleborg** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:03 pm

Greetings, compatriots!
It's TTV with a summary of two recent games of our national football team. In the first of them, some kind of home match curse seems to have worked again. After our lads beat EOT in the first round, many people breathed more freely, believing that since the series of failures at their home stadium was interrupted, it will not happen again, at least according to the probability theory. But it seems that now those of us who are more superstitious will have to guess whether, on the contrary, the event in the first round was exception to the emerging rule. Louder voices are heard about the transfer of matches to some other stadium and the conduct of cleansing rites on "1st December".

But, we must say, in defense of our stadium and our team, a draw with the Republic of Covelandia is just not the result of unsuccessful actions, unpreparedness or lack of will, but completely different factors that neither the players nor the fans can influence. The Covelanders did not perform too brilliantly at the BoF, and in Trolleborg they played their second match in the history of the qualifying tournaments, arriving with empty hands in terms of points, losing their only game, at home, to another debutant, Coconut Isle 1-2. Therefore, the fans expected success, and hoped for the largest possible score. And it cannot be said that the team did not have the opportunity to provide it. Mysterious, (if judging by the things written by guests in the game protocol and the Coveland media), the lineup of the opponents turned out to be not concealing special secrets. The game for the lads in green went fairly well, almost all of our field players had opportunities to score, but the team was desperately unlucky. When it seemed that the players would leave for a break without opening an score, and the fans wondered if the coach would change one of the forwards or add another one instead of one of the midfielders. But just then, our players scored a goal – no one then expected that it would be our only goal in the match. Windass rammed the defense from the left, slowed down slightly, took a closer look at the situation and made a cross into the box. The place where the ball arrived was just empty, but it was there that Kranforde had already grown, who only needed to gently transfer the ball into the net from two meters. This turn of events, of course, encouraged the fans, and they were even more encouraged by the fact that in the second half of the game things went about the same ... until ten minutes before the end, when our lads suddenly lost the ball in the middle part of the field, then somehow distributed themselves across the field so unlucky, so that none of them was next to the guests' forward, who ran for a long ball along the field right away, and when Jesper Loonstrup at least turned up to confront him, he acted somehow not very clearly, and as a result, the opponent approached him, ran into the penalty area and immediately fell there, and the referee pointed to the point. Disputes, objections and requests to see the VAR did not give anything - 1:1. And out of this the team could not fully recover at the time of final whistle, although there was still time to play and convert into the goal at least one more attack, as at the end of the first half. It is noteworthy that in the next round, Covelandia won the first victory in its history.

After that, Morten Trogil's squad was to travel to two islands, known collectively as Coconut Isle, which turned out to be one of the most exotic places where a Trolleborg fan has ever set foot. The team looked no less exotic. Yes, we have already seen elves, ponies, robots, knights in armor, but here the diversity was amazing: the defenders, each strange in their own way, and one of which was dug in on the flank and remained in our half of the field during second half, having broke the attacks of his colleagues twice, because he was in the offside by default, four relatives of the different sex in the center of the field, a wild-looking hipster in front, and a creature that was not visible at all at first, so the fans who did not watch the talk show of our football experts who analyzed this phenomenon, at first decided that the islanders were going to play with ten players. How our lads got out of the situations caused by these oddities, you yourself saw everything, so let's be brief: in the first half, Skrta hit the post with a long-range shot, but Reuzer, who made his debut in this game, was the first to reach the ball, and at the beginning of the second Windass in his own style went into the penalty area on the left and this time shot into the near upper corner. 2-0, and the team for the tour topped the group standings - for how many years we have not seen this pleasant sight, but it is still unknown whether we will be lucky to enjoy it again any time soon. The current tournament – so far, anyway – is not as rich in weirdness as several of the previous ones in which our lads had to participate, so things can turn out either this way and that. Among the surprises, we will find the weak start of Holy Empire, and several other strong teams did not play their first matches as convincingly as one might expect, however, there is still a lot of time before the end of the qualifying tournament, and we ourselves saw how teams collapse or, on the contrary, gain strength on the way from the start to finish of the tournaments.

by **Kelssek** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:05 pm

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING
Blitzed! Kelssek goes three unbeaten at the Dock

Macquarie Docklands was raucous and fans still in line for snacks and beer cursing their luck. After a tame first half, Kelssek came out of the locker rooms with unexpected ferocity and scored two goals in 115 seconds.

Where did that come from? The first 45 minutes had been plodding, pedestrian, and inspired a few scattered mutterings in the 39th minute when Gabriel Lapierre gave the ball away with a wooden first touch and put Heather Gell through on goal. A sigh of relief followed when the Inter Nantwich striker’s shot was fired straight at Ryan Terlock, but Mertagne should have been ahead.

Kelssek manager Jorge Guardia quashed speculation that he must have delivered some incredible team talk in the dressing room, crediting the players for anything that might have transpired.

“It wasn’t anything unusual, I reinforced some tactical instructions, some issues the coaching staff noted, if there was something, it was all the players”, Guardia said to NSN after the match.

In something that had the air of a pre-planned routine, Kelssek attacked from the second half kick-off, with Gabriel Lapierre pinging a long ball between midfield and defence that Loïc Maçon-Petrault ran onto. The Mertagne defence were slow to react and the Directus striker had all the time he needed to fire the ball low into the right from 20 yards. It took six seconds.

Mertagne kicked off and tried to come right back, but a misplaced forward pass was mopped up by Lily Marshall. The play moved onto the right wing and Bryan Hartpoach’s cross seemed speculative, but for an audacious half-volley as Colm Ó Tuathail stretched to meet it, that was half-blocked as it pinged into the box. Seamus Wylten was first to the loose ball and showed great composure to turn and shoot past the despairing goalkeeper.

Two minutes into the second half and two goals to the good, Kelssek were able to cruise along their disheartened opponents the rest of the way. Miles Mann added a third before Thor Ibrahim Ahmad stepped up to convert a penalty after the forward’s threatening dribble saw him chopped down unceremoniously.

The clean sheet, a second in a row despite a distinct rotation of players, will also be satisfying for the coaching staff. While the scoreless draw against Reçueçn was seen very differently at the time, having yet to concede three matches into the World Cup qualifying campaign can be taken as a sign of some much needed backbone in this side.

KELSSEK 4 – Maçon-Petrault (46’), Wylten (48’), Mann (77’), Ahmad (pen. 79’),
Terlock, Buené, Auiloquet, Marshall, Holman, dí Völará, Lapierre (Heer 74’), Ó Tuathail (Breault 82’), Hartpoach (Mann 74’), Maçon-Petrault (Ahmad 74’), Wylten (Maradrogba 62’)
MERTAGNE 0
Macquarie Docklands, Latrobe (attn. 51,663)

SATERUN 0
KELSSEK 2 – Ó Tuathail (4’), Maradrogba (62’)
Terlock, Bowler, Lambert, Bream, Holman, Lapierre, Bogdanor (Heer 67’), Lafrenière, Ó Tuathail (Ducharne 67’), Maradrogba (Karven 67’), Taleb (Ahmad 72’)

REÇUEÇN 0
KELSSEK 0
Gallagher, Buené, Auiloquet, Bream, Bowler, Heer, dí Völará (), Lafrenière, Amhill (Dufour 64’), Maradrogba (Ahmad 87’), Maçon-Petrault (Wylten 73’)

by **Mercedini** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:22 pm

92nd World Cup Qualification
Group 13 So Far...
@ Zoloroni Sports City Stadium - Zoloroni, Mercedini

Good evening one and all and welcome back to a special edition of Mercedini Sports Daily. Most eyes are on the Mercedinian Kingfishers as the World Cup Of Hockey reaches the knockout rounds, but we will return to World Cup Qualification where the Golden Eagles have picked up some big wins. Heads seemed to have dropped following a closely fought 1-1 draw versus Chartistan. However, Billic's team seems to have turned a corner since then, and have been chipping away at their early deficit. Matches against Great Korvax Empire and Al Qurija gave Mercedini a decent chance at earning some points, but we know that these teams can derail campaigns. Dini needed to ensure that they didn't drop points, as a shock loss or draw could spell disaster for the team's mentality.

A crucial game against the Independent Athletes is upcoming for the Golden Eagles, while the IAQ would also play Valanora during a touch set of games for the second seeded team in the group. Talisky, with pressure to perform, started well in this campaign with the opening goal in the draw versus Chartistan. So there was plenty of expectation to rack up the goals when his team needed it. Chillotov has moved into a more supportive role, allowing him to work with the midfield and wingers to feed Talisky chances. Chartistan proved to be a discaplined side, and only limited Talisky to a couple of solid chances in the game. Nevertheless, Dini were up and running with their first point, so let's see how they faired against their next two opponents.

World Cup Qualifiers: Eight Unanswered Puts Dini In The Hot Seat

What a way to come back into contention. Mercedini jump up to second place with a game in hand as they score eight goals without answer in their second and third games. A solid defensive performance combined with an attacking masterclass meant their comfortable away match against GKE was matched by a big performance at home versus Al Qurija. Talisky notched up four goals in those games, including the match ball in Zoloroni, to state the case to the rest of the group as to why they deserve that Top 3 spot. It is the perfect way to go into their six-pointer against the Independent Athletes from Quebec, although they will certianly need to pull out all of the stops to come away with something. Unsurprisingly, top seed Valanora lead the pack with three wins and a draw from their first four. Dini sit three points behind, but does have a game in hand to potentially send them level on points. IAQ, Chartistan and Oberour Ar Moro round out a quartet of teams currently sitting on seven points.

Over to the games themselves and we begin in the Great Korvax Empire who hosted Mercedini, with both teams coming into the game without a win. Granted, Dini were 0-1-0 while GKE were 0-0-2, so Dini came into this one as slight favourite to edge the match. On the pitch, it seemed like the Golden Eagles had finally woke up following their opening night draw, with Talisky being fed through on numerous occasions. However, his finishing was lacking in the opening exchanges. In the end, it took a fortunate rebound for Talisky to open the scoring. Chillotov worked his way through a couple of bodies, and took a shot from a narrow angle. The ball was dramatically parried onto the near post which ricocheted back into the box. Talisky was there at the right time to control it with his first touch and fire quickly with his second. The ball rolled low into the net, with the shot just about beating a last ditch sliding tackle from the Korvax right-back. 1-0 as the teams went into the break.

If the first half was relatively eve, then Mercedini twisted the knife in the second half, starving GKE of any chances to getting back into this one. In the 52nd minute, the Golden Eagles made a tough job even harder as Armani scored direct from a free kick to double the lead and all but give Dini the points. With 65% possession in the game up until that point, the travelling side made it a fairly routine performance, and gave the home fans no reason to dream of an upset. The Golden Eagles rounded out the game with a penalty scored by Chollotov as he drilled it low and to the right of the diving goalkeeper. Not much celebration from the Mercedinian as they congratulated the captain on his first goal of the campaign. Job done in Great Korvax Empire, a comprehensive 3-0 win away to breathe some life into the Mercedinian challenge.

It was back to the familiar surroundings of the Sports City Stadium, as Mercedini welcomed Al Qurija to the rather leaky Mercedinian fortress. Chartistan came away with a point at the first attempt, but now it was time to gain some momentum ahead of their crunch match against IAQ. Things began on the right foot with Talisky latching on to a Gucci cross to head home after only two minutes. That calmed some of the nerves inside the stadium, with some of the crowd even filing in late to see that they have already missed the opening goal. Al Qurija's confidence was clear to see, with many of their players seeing it as their big moment under the lights, Zakariya Mohammed on the right wing was especially catching the eye. With the 23-year old causing come problems with his fast movement and quick link-up play keeping Wandai on his heels.

Midway through the half, Karlovic opened his account in the campaign after scoring another rebound following a corner. Gucci whipped it in with pace, and it was met by a rather vicious flick by Brindliev towards the near post. Faraj Han was quick to get a hand on the ball to stop it from going in, but it only took the ball back towards the far post where Karlovic was there to tap it in from close range. It was proving to be another comfortable match for the Golden Eagles, but they knew the match was not done yet. Billic was looking for another goal before the break, and a beautiful ball from Nymark was there to serve it up. Appeals for offside were waved away by the referee as Talisky bounded forward. He timed his run to perfection as he met the perfectly weighted ball on the edge of the box, and simply dinked the ball over the approaching keeper to net his second and Dini's third of the game. With the teams going into the break at 3-0, it seemed the match was done already.

Nevertheless, Al Qurija came out swinging and had a very good opening fifteen minutes of the second half. Carpi and Mohammed combined to make it a tense time for the Mercedinian defence, since a goal conceded could lead to something more if the flow isn't stemmed. The closest they came was a goal mouth scramble following a corner which was gathered by Wandai following a fair degree of jostling in the box. With the ball now in Mercedinian hands, the Golden Eagles could slow the game down and stall any Qurijan advance. Once Dini got the game going again, it was open season on the visitors' goalmouth with Talisky looking for a hattrick and Billic looking to up their goal difference. Talisky got his match ball thanks to Armani who did all of the leg work. With nowhere to go, Armani worked his way to the by-line and drilled a low ball into the box. Talisky was speeding into the box and managed to get there first to toe-poke the ball in for 4-0. There were claims of a foul on the Al Qurija defender, however VAR ruled that there was no clear and obvious error, so the ball returned to the half-way spot.

In the end, it proved to be clinical match for the Mercedinians, with late substitute Dostalok getting on the scoresheet. The pitch seemed to open up for him as he pressed forward, and with no other options and the crowd urging him to shoot, he took his chance. The shot wasn't the best, but a wicked bounce in front of the goalkeeper took the ball past the keeper and into the net off the crossbar. The Al Qurija keeper tried his best to make it look like it didn't cross the line, but the referee's wrist was already vibrating, and Dostalok opened his account as the game was drawing to a close. Another big win at home for the Mercedinians, a 5-0 victory was exactly what they needed before their big match against the group's second seed.

QUALIFYING MD4
Mercedini 5-0 Al Qurija
Taslisky 2', 44', 65', Karlovic 27', Dostalok 83'

-  Group 13                          Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts
 1 Valanora                            4    3   1   0    15    9   +6    10
 2 Mercedini                           3    2   1   0     9    1   +8     7
 3 Independent Athletes from Quebec    4    2   1   1    13    7   +6     7
 4 Chartistan                          3    2   1   0     7    2   +5     7
 5 Oberour Ar Moro                     4    2   1   1     4    3   +1     7
 6 Elmyia                              3    2   0   1     4    3   +1     6
 7 Al Qurija                           4    1   1   2     5    8   −3     4
 8 Baggieland                          3    1   0   2     6    8   −2     3
 9 Arjunnagar                          4    1   0   3     3   11   −8     3
   Darkmania                           4    1   0   3     2   10   −8     3
11 Great Korvax Empire                 4    0   0   4     3    9   −6     0

We hope you will be able to join us for that massive match against the IAQ, the winner of that match takes a big step towards claiming at least a Top 3 spot in the group. We will be rounding up all of the action in every game, so you will not miss a single second of action throughout qualifying for the 92nd World Cup. The group is beginning to take shape, so we will be giving you all the permutations as we get them, plus all of the big shocks across the World Cup Qualifying stage. We hope you will join us again, but for now, goodnight!

by **Tikariot** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:25 pm

The by now familiar piano notes open up to sliding images of different areas of Tikariot, of restaurants, dishes, and more, before the logo superimposes itself over a collage of the various images.

The still then morphs towards what looks like a sandstone tower, where the host of Culinaria Tikariot, Susanna Wheymore, is standing in a fairly stiff breeze, which is whipping her hair and scarf around.

Susanna Wheymore: Good afternoon Tikariot, welcome back to Culinaria Tikariot! As promised last week, we are in the deep south of Tikariot today, more precisely in Tovaca, the capital of Taeria, the southernmost and together with Acrassia also the warmest province, even though the differences between the two could hardly be bigger. I am standing here on the highest tower of the Tovaca citadel and the view is just absolutely amazing, on one side you can see the Xandrian Sea in the distance, and on the other side lays the semi-desert and desert that covers parts of Taeria thanks to Tovaca's unique location at the highest point of the Tovaca plateau. But let's have a look at a bit more of the province before continuing.

This cues come video footage with Susanna once again switching to the role of narrator.

Susanna Wheymore: Taeria is one of the larger provinces of Tikariot, but its climate is responsible for the extreme differences in population density across the province, which mostly focuses on the very northwest along the Tovaca peninsula and the coast as well alongside the two major rivers that run through Taeria, the Rurras, and the Shass. Much of the province is semi-arid to arid with the northeast and east covering semi-arid foothills and then mountains and the south being the only desert of the nation that renders that portion mostly uninhabitable outside of some oasis towns and tribal encampments. The capital Tovaca itself is built on the highest point of the Tovaca plateau, which itself makes up most of the Tovaca peninsula, with its sharp cliffs leading towards the Xandrian Sea and other cities, such as Port Tovaca, which are at sea level and act as supply routes for Tovaca.

The areas along the Rurras and Shass also are very fertile thanks to yearly high waters and intricate irrigation systems that are optimized for fairly rich harvest yields, but also factoring in avoidance of the depletion of river levels even in dryer years, helping Taeria with not exactly being self-sufficient, but being able to rely on its own agriculture for good parts to feed the province. The true wealth of the province, however, lies far deeper. While Tikariot as a whole is one of the multiverse's biggest centres for renewable energies, the oil and gas that can be found in the deserts of Taeria still play an important role to the economy, even if a lot of it is directly marked for export due to the nation itself being able to generate the vast majority of its power through wind, hydro and solar generation.

With this, the picture returns to Susanna, who has moved into a high sandstone chamber with ample sitting room and tapestries adorning the walls. In front of her is a large table that is covered with different ingredients, both fresh and dried, with a gentleman in loose, white clothing next to her.

Susanna Wheymore: Here with me I have Gilbert Landreau, who is part of the Tovaca Culinary Institute, one of Tikariot's most prestigious and storied colleges, and a well-traveled explorer of cuisines across not just Tikariot, but also beyond. Gilbert, can you give us a bit of an idea of what typical Taerian dishes are all about?

Gilbert Landreau: My pleasure, Susanna, and thank you for the opportunity to be here, to begin with. Taeria's cuisine is actually quite diverse, but there obviously are some ingredients and preparation methods that stand out more than others. One thing that always surprises people is that despite the warm to hot climate, Taerians enjoy hot, spicy food.

Susanna Wheymore: I guess it fits the surroundings.

Gilbert Landreau: Yes, but most non-Taerians rather believe that spicy food makes them feel even hotter, making things uncomfortable, but here we are, haha.

Susanna Wheymore: So tell me what we have here in front of us. A bunch of these peppers looks quite threatening.

Gilbert Landreau: Some look worse than they really are, but with some of them, they do send out a visual warning, that's for sure. Taerian dishes use both domestic and also foreign strains. The most common foreign strains come from Montaña Verde, such as the extremely hot Tren de la Noche and a bit more temperate Alagoiró, and Quebec, like the milder One Hundred Hours of Solitude, while some of the common domestic examples are the Dunes of Taeria, which are fairly mild, the spicier Tovaca Tempest, and the slightly drastically named Scorched Earth variety, which really is not for the faint of heart or digestive system.

Susanna Wheymore: Some really try to warn you, I guess.

Gilbert Landreau: Yes, definitely. But it also depends a lot on how they are used and many street vendors give options on which of the peppers you would like to go for to avoid any capsaicin-related injuries.

Susanna Wheymore: So you mention street vendors. When walking the streets of Tovaca, especially in the older quarters and markets, you see stands and those hole-in-the-wall places everywhere.

Gilbert Landreau: Yes, street food has a very long-standing tradition in Taeria in general and it is not all spicy. But street food is not explored sitting here and talking about it, but by walking the streets and actually experiencing it, so let's go!

The picture cuts to the bustling old town of Tovaca, which is mostly a huge pedestrian zone, and just like Susanna had pointed out, there are food vendors everywhere from rickety shacks to surprisingly well-equipped-looking stalls. Gilbert points out one of the more ramshackle ones.

Gilbert Landreau: This here is one of the oldest food vendors in all of Tovaca. I know, it doesn't necessarily look very confidence-inspiring but wait until you taste it. The most common street food you will find around here is the pazzatat, which is almost an all-purpose weapon in terms of food. It's a pastry that comes mostly with savory fillings, such as chicken, fish, spinach, other vegetables, and/or ricotta mixes, but some will also offer sweet versions with honey or berries mixed with ricotta. For the savory ones many stands will also offer different heat levels and here is where you have to be a bit careful because what Taerians consider fairly mild here, takes a lot of people by surprise. So if a Taerian says that something is spicy, you can expect some serious spice. How is your heat tolerance?

Susanna Wheymore: I would think pretty good, even though you're making me a little nervous now.

Gilbert laughs out before ordering two chicken and spinach pazzatat of medium heat level. He hands one over to Susanna.

Gilbert Landreau: So as you heard, this is what they consider medium hot. Usually, that means that it contains Alagoiró or Tovaca Tempest peppers.

They both take a bite and at first Susanna doesn't show much of a reaction, which after a short time turns into her taking some deeper breaths.

Susanna Wheymore: I definitely start to feel the heat now, but it's actually a nice heat and not one that just sets your mouth and more on fire.

Gilbert Landreau: Up to medium that's usually the case. Those with a high tolerance for heat might say the same even with the Tren de la Noche or the Scorched Earth, but those two varieties really require you to have a high tolerance. If you do, however, they also are quite flavourful.

As they move through the streets, Gilbert points towards other stands and stalls as they pass.

Susanna Wheymore: Some other popular street foods around here are, believe it or not, soups, both hot and chilled, small kinds of pizzas called ftaret, which are quick-baked flatbreads topped with all kinds of things, like cured sausage, vegetables, different cheeses, and herbs. Those you find more in small, little bakeries that are tucked away under some of the many awnings. They're usually not so much subject to chilification, but still delicious at any given time of day.

With that he leads her to one of the bakeries, with the awning in Taeria's traditional red and white colours. When they exit a short time later, they are both holding a ftaret, which is about the size of a hand. Susanna shows her to the camera and it has a salami and sliced potato topping peek through the melted cheese.

Susanna Wheymore: Ooh, this is tasty! The flatbread is a bit crisp on the underside, but then towards the toppings is getting fluffy and the salami and potato just go together so well! You get the peppery spice of the meat and the potato that counters it and then the cheese that holds it all together!

Gilbert Landreau: Yes, they are quite flavourful and also not too filling, so it'll always leave some space to try something else around here. One beautiful thing around here also is the sheer wealth of fresh fruit, which mostly comes from the river valleys and is brought here every day. Many of the stalls get fruit and use them right away, so let's have something sweet. How about another pazzatat? I know a stall that has a great prickly pear/cream cheese filling that is to die for!

Susanna Wheymore: Prickly pear? That sounds delicious, lead the way, good Sir!

After threading through some of the smaller side streets, they arrive at a larger plaza with a big market in its centre and a lot of food vendors around the outskirts. Without even looking to find his bearings, Gilbert walks right towards a corner stall, which looks like it's been built to last, compared to some of the more mobile-looking places. As he returns with two pazzatat, he hands one right over.

Gilbert Landreau: They get their prickly pears, and other fruit, from one of the vendors here at the market every day and prepare everything fresh. And they never have any leftovers at the end of the day. So enjoy this!

Susanna Wheymore: Oh my God, this is divine! The sweetness of the pear, and the tanginess of the cream cheese, they just work perfectly together! Given everything that you get here, you could eat yourself through these stalls all day and never get tired of it!

Gilbert Landreau: Oh, definitely! And we didn't even try any of the soups or some of the other dishes like creamy chili chicken, skewers, wraps and more!

Susanna Wheymore: I think that I might have to try to get my editor to give me the green light for a second part of this, because what you're just describing sounds incredible, too!

She turns back to the camera.

Susanna Wheymore: So that is it from Taeria tonight, I am not kidding, I will try and see, if we can stay here for another week and go sample more of these incredibly tasty foods. I hope that you will tune in again next week to find out where we will be!

by **Montana Verde** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 3:44 pm

Article from Verdean news media.

Earthquake, tsunami cause massive devastation

by **Yakk** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 4:08 pm

www.Railphotos.xan - Photo tour!

RAILROAD: Empire Railways (Yak Empire)
LOCOMOTIVE: YER LW1002
LOCOMOTIVE #: YER #1002-091
LOCATION: outside of Mohkahnar
DATE: July 2nd 2018
DESCRIPTION: before the Ferroequine came to conquer the Yak River Valley and the surrounding Steppe. Once the Coastal Raiders took over the Turkish settlements in the western part of the Yak valley, they wanted to expand inland. That is what lead to the domestication of the horse in the Yak Valley. With horses, the Yak Empire grew, the red, green and golden yellow steppes soon became a playground to warriors on horses.

SCORECARD

YAKK - 0
GNEJS - 2 Wijk 13' Nes 69'

YAKK - 1 Orgaat 22'
CHROMATIKA - 2 Fillar 65', Xuen-Zhukov 76'

by **Ranoria** » Mon Oct 03, 2022 4:11 pm

Time To Start Getting Excited? Snow Bears Go Into Early Bye Undefeated and Untied,
Welcome South Covello For Week 6 Showdown

With 4 Straight Wins, the cautious will rightly say that this is a long qualifying stage, but Ranoria's vastly exceeded expectations to this point

We have to emphasize that this is only four games in and that over the last few seasons, this team has gotten into a habit of promising starts only to slip at the end and finish with a respectable record that doesn't really get them in position to threaten a qualifying run. That said, the win over Squornshelan Remnant States in particular stands out as one of the better performances by this team in its history, and with four wins early, they've done as well as they possibly could to build their case early. At 4-0, they're just behind juggernaut Kandorith in the standings, with their 12 qualifying points being more than twice that of Yuezhou or the aforementioned Black-and-Reds.

While naturally Tatiana Queen is drawing a good bit of media attention with her 4 goals scored so far, it's as always the back line that's really dazzling for Ranoria. Veteran Kris Reinhardt has been the steadying presence in the midst of a trio of athletic but green youngsters, with a few spectacular highlight-reel tackles to this point in the tournament.

For Ranoria, it's going to be a long qualifying stage - no one can expect a team as lightly decorated as they are to continue at the pace they're on. There's no opponent on their schedule that can't beat them despite their strong start, and that has to be acknowledged. This is a team that's overachieved so far, and while it's too early to say they've got a great shot to qualify, if this team wants to do that, they'll be banking on that strong start giving them the edge they need.

They've already shown their hand though, the strategy is simple - they will continue to lean on a defense that's tied for second (with several other teams) for the least goals allowed in this qualifying stage. (that Audioslavia team coming off a Cup of Harmony win is clearly pissed about not qualifying last-go-round, they haven't conceded a goal yet).

[Roleplays] :: World Cup 92

Qualifying "Preview"

Boot It!: Jaguar Fever Is Certainly Fun!

Now Things Are Looking...OK?

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