[Roleplays] :: World Cup 92

by **Delte** » Tue Oct 25, 2022 9:48 am

Eura 2-1 Delte
Train conductor & Temporary Player-Reporter Athwort Morrow in Bastion for the Oswark Parish Advertiser

I've been briefed not to dwell overly long on the finer details of our match here in the Rushmore region (close to the nuclear fallout but safe from the Dagan war machine) so suffice it to say the Away Team Mission could not come up with a miracle in Eura. I watched from the bench as my colleagues battled admirably against the far superior once and future champions, with one eye on the ball and one eye on the plane home. I think they took it easy on us, probably resting all their best players for next week's World Cup finals. It should have been six, at least. Even the home fans lost count of the number of 'olés' they sang for each completed Euran pass - it was like chasing shadows. Morse Angalunde is the fittest player in the squad and he said he was worn out by the time the home team scored the first goal in the eighth minute.

I can't wait to get home. It's been an exciting time and Coach Cerrough told us we should all be proud of how well we've done, but no amount of ediraf swapsies can make up for a night in your own bed after a brown trout mash for supper.

Corrections & Clarifications
A small corner on page 9 of the Toddwardine Beastmarket Journal & News of the World
in .85-weight typefont

25 October 2022 Eura is not, was not, never has been and likely never will be the Federal Socialist States of Owen, and their citizens are not known by the demonym 'Owens' and their national team is not nicknamed 'the Owens'. Former sports correspondent Polka Lunn has confirmed she was 'just joshing' with readers by supplanting fact with apocrypha and had no intention of causing offense. However the Toddwardine Beastmarket Journal & News of the World is not, was not, never has been and likely never will be a source of 'made up shit', as Polka described it, and is not prepared to be associated with fake-RP. To this end, said correspondent is to undertake a period of retraining at a sister publication in a minor role, and will be removed from the sports desk until further notice.

Old Wives' Gala Queen Election Special
Junior Trainee Intern & Pencil Sharpener Polka Lunn at the Women's Institute in Rake Teinton for the Shingarter Herald

New Gala Queen Betty Ormray hopes to steady the ship here at the WI after a few days of intrigue and drama, culminating in her coronation after receiving literally no votes in the election. This follows a pleasing but not outstanding peanut butter jelly cheesecake she presented to the electorate last week. "Things have changed dramatically over the last few days," she said, "following the collapse of Mrs. Taughtpurse's ill-fated orange coffee turnover. Mistakes were made. What is needed now is a steady hand and a light sponge, and that is something you all know I will strive to produce. The cupboard is nearly bare so we will have to get some sugar in, and perhaps a little less vanilla essence than we would all like, but the WI will come through this, stronger together."

Initial approval ratings are cautiously dismal. "Let us eat cake," said Betty.

by **Squidroidia** » Tue Oct 25, 2022 1:06 pm

Like "Destiny Calling" for World Cup 89, a "Squidroidian Anthem" for the World Cup was commissioned by the Squidroidian National Team Association (SNTA). Instead of inviting multiple artists to submit prospective entries, they invited one artist, the Calamari County based band Urchin Nights, to do the anthem. Unlike "Destiny Calling", the World Cup 92 Squidroidian Anthem, known as "Bleeding Blue and White", was not used for the Squidroidian Broadcasting Network's (SBN's) coverage of the tournament, as the broadcaster instead opting for a different tune. The hard rock band, with front man Kichiro Yoshioka on vocals, were heavily inspired by the Squidroidian kits as well as the nation's past history and the Squidward Roids when writing the song.

"Bleeding Blue and White"
The Official Squidroidian Anthem for World Cup 92
By Urchin Nights

Tune - "Judas" by FOZZY

The music video mainly takes place in the home locker room of Inkopolis City Stadium, home of the Squidroidian national team. Yoshioka can be seen putting on his football boots as if he was playing for the Squidroidian national team.

The glory, the glory, the emotion...
The glory, the glory, the emotion...

As the beat drops, the locker room is populated by the other members of Urchin Nights - Noburu Aoki on drums, Arata Moriyama and Ayumu Ueda on guitars and Haru Kubo on bass. All 5 band members were wearing Squidroidian kits, with the numbers on their shirt all saying 92 - As this was the 92nd World Cup. Clips of them performing the intro are intertwined with clips of the Squidroidian team walking onto the pitch and singing the national anthem.

You've been dreaming of this for your whole life...
You've been quick, nimble, faster than light...
The stage is weighing down, you're down and out...
Not today.

Clips of the Squidroidian players not having the best of days during qualification, including during their loss to Drawkland and terrible misses throughout the campaign, were again intertwined with the band's performance.

They've been haunting those wanting gold...
They have searched through the lands wanting more...
And they are weighing down, you're down and out...

The clips now show the three times previously that Squidroidia were knocked out of the World Cup proper - 89 after losing to Cthulhu and The Holy Empire in the Quarter-Finals, 90 after knowing Ko-oren and Kandorith were to advance past the group stage and 91 after the Shayol training Holy Empire beat them in the Round of 16. Hideo staring at the ground, Akiyama looking back at the goal he occupied, Henriette Brooks sapped of all the joy from qualifying in 89...

It's not getting higher, so try all you might,
No matter what you have to fight...

As the buildup increases, the clips show heavy breathing and focus from the Squidroidian team, especially before free kicks and corners like the one that sent Squidroidia through to World Cup 92. Before the chorus, a clip of Tomomi Hamasaki taking his shot against Starblaydia is showed...

Nation on your back, nation that you name,
Teardrops from the blind attack, rubble from yesterday,
The fighting from chaos, you're bleeding blue and white,
Is it right to meet for séance when the séance is right there, behind?

The emotions of the clips being shown now between the performance are those of tenseness and joy above most. Some clips used are from the 3 previous World Cups, like Akiyama saving a shot against Græntfjall in World Cup 91. Others are from qualification for 92, again like Hamasaki's shot against Starblaydia or Muto Toki of Squidroidia's blue wall blocking a shot. Then the clips show to the Squidward Roids supporters group...

The glory, the glory, the emotion,
The glory, the glory, the emotion...
Bleeding blue, bleeding blue and white!
The glory, the glory, the emotion,
The glory, the glory, the emotion...
Bleeding blue, bleeding blue and white!

Teal smoke, banners, singing. The Squidward Roids doing what they did best during Squidroidian home matches are shown, with Kichiro Yoshioka carrying a teal flare himself as he performs. Some more powerful members of the Squidroidian ultras group are lined up behind Noburu Aoki, characterized by their long teal noses.

Bleeding blue and white!

As the chorus ends and the beats pick up again, clips of the defensive, possession minded Squidroidian playstyle throughout the qualifiers are shown. A clip of Coltfield doing her best "Who do you think you are, I am" look is also presented for... Some reason...

Yeah the grounds are not set in stone...
It's a test of who wants it more...
With time winding down, it can't be you!

The clips intertwined with the Urchin Nights performance begin to show even more of the aggressive side of football. Harsh tackles, bodies on the floor, pure and utter attrition. Yoshioka also has some blue paint on his face as if he's bleeding along with the team.

It's not getting higher, so try all you might,
No matter what you have to fight...

Yoshioka closes his eyes and lifts his microphone high, as the Squidward Roids also present lifted up the Squidroidian flag and placed it on Noburu Aoki's drumset. Thankfully it didn't hurt the performance in any way.

Nation on your back, nation that you name,
Teardrops from the blind attack, rubble from yesterday,
The fighting from chaos, you're bleeding blue and white,
Is it right to meet for séance when the séance is right there, behind?

With the chorus in full bloom again, Yoshioka and the guitarists of Moriyama and Ueda jump up before gravity pulled their feet back to the floor. Marianne McKay's first goal against Mystylands in a barnburner during qualification is shown before Aoki gets off of his drumset and joins the other members and their performance. Naturally, one of the Squidward Roids picked up where he left off.

The glory, the glory, the emotion,
The glory, the glory, the emotion...
Bleeding blue, bleeding blue and white!
The glory, the glory, the emotion,
The glory, the glory, the emotion...
Bleeding blue, bleeding blue and white!

Yoshioka, Moriyama, Ueda, Kubo and Aoki all march out of the locker room as one unit, much like how the Squidroidian team marches out to the tunnel. Easter eggs of past World Cup and Cup of Harmony moments can be seen on posters - "The Mito Nightmare" refers to Cup of Harmony 79, where the first Squidroidian manager, Ryūzaki Mito got sacked. A poster of Henriette Brooks hoisting the FFI League of Victors trophy, back when the competition was known as the FFI Liga dos Vencedores, in a Calamari County FC shirt can also be seen among a host of other posters.

Bleeding blue and white!
Bleeding blue and white!

The bridge's completely different tone would see the Urchin Nights members line up in the tunnel like their Squidroidian brethren. Nobody was besides them like a traditional football match, but the band's members marched out onto the Inkopolis City Stadium pitch.

As the beat picks up and the 5 of them end up on the grass, clips of do-or-die moments throughout Squidroidian national team history are shown. Makino Hideo's handball in the IAC X Quarter-Final against Worryand, Takara Ashihei scoring against Sajnur in IAC 12... As the chorus nears, Florianne Meuwessen takes her corner against Garifunya, complete with Helmuth Behrend's commentary up to the Sora Iwai header.

Nation on your back, nation that you name,
Teardrops from the blind attack, rubble from yesterday,
The fighting from chaos, you're bleeding blue and white,
Is it right to meet for séance when the séance is right there, behind?

All of a sudden the members of Urchin Nights are surrounded by cheering Squidward Roids supporters, holding their hands high as the members continue their performance. Some are flying Squidroidian flags, others are holding teal flares, while others sing the very song the band are singing.

The glory, the glory, the emotion,
The glory, the glory, the emotion...
Bleeding blue, bleeding blue and white!
The glory, the glory, the emotion,
The glory, the glory, the emotion...
Bleeding blue, bleeding blue and white!

As the song nears its conclusion, the clips shown are those of celebration. Makino Hideo wheeling away after beating New Lusitania in IAC 12. Sora Iwai losing his mind after scoring the goal that qualified Squidroidia to this very tournament. And of course, as it had to be in there somewhere, Henriette Brooks scoring the penalty to send the Inklings to World Cup 89. The tournament was being held somewhat in Vilita after all.

Bleeding blue and white!

With the outro being played, Yoshioka jumps into the crowd of Squidward Roids as they hoist him up, all while the other 4 group up against them. With one member holding a large waivable Squidroidian flag, the frontman grabs it. After the song ends, he waves it above him in a circular motion, a smile on his face as if he became a member of the Squidward Roids himself.

The video, naturally, would fade to black.

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Tue Oct 25, 2022 2:07 pm

We were ready...and so were they.
We struck first, a lovely strike by Kimi Airo in the 43rd.
The Voyagers struck back in the 49th through Thor Ibrahim Ahmad.
We hit back again in the 77th thanks to one Mika Noronen.
That would stick until the end of regulation...so onto extra time we went.
Things stayed the same after half an hour, so penalties would hold all the cards.
In the end, Cathal Gallagher made two saves to finally send us to sleep.

It was painful to go out that way.
Certainly painful.
Penalties seem to be our kryptonite.

But the pain we feel will only make us stronger.
And the run we made to make it here, to be denied the WC by penalties as a Pot 5 team, will never be forgotten.

We may be down...but not out yet.
We are not a meme anymore. Or a joke.
We are Kimi-Suomi.
And if the Cup of Harmony sends us an invitation...then we will be ready for war.
We will be back.
NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

by **Vilita and Turori** » Tue Oct 25, 2022 6:07 pm

The Tropics of Vilita invite athletes from across the multiverse to further complicate an already jam-packed schedule of sporting events in the Vilitan Cove region by competing in the Vilitan Mountain Games, a collection of competitive athletics, specialty events and local traditions from the Vilitan Mountain regions. Spectators and family are welcome to attend to take in the entertainment including traditional dance and entertainment, food and casual games for all ages over the duration of the celebration. For a look back at the previous edition check out the prior Vilitan Mountain Games Topic.

For this edition the games will be separated into Six major categories: The Heavy Athletics, Lumberjack Competition, Strongman Competition, Kleptochase Championships, Tug of War and Open Events. In the Heavy, Lumberjack and Strongman competitions a single athlete will compete in five distinct events of that discipline with the goal of earning the title in each category. The open events are all contested on an individual basis with no requirement that an athlete compete in multiple events. While many of the events are longstanding traditions in the Vilitan Mountains, some of the games originated elsewhere in Atlantian Oceania including Kleptochase - a head-to-head competition combining maze running, escape room and capture the flag in a thrilling competition that originated in Az-Cz before spreading to Miceland, Bazalonia and further throughout Atlantian Oceania.

Due to the Confliction with the World Cup 92 Finals, this edition of the Vilitan Mountain Games will be streamlined and the Open Events will operate as their own category with condensed Events with matchdays mirroring those of the World Cup Finals. To Celebrate World Cup 92, the Tug-of-War Competition will be contested by the teams competing in the Vilitan Half of the World Cup 92 Finals - Participation will be confirmed first and nations may opt out. Other Nations may apply to send a Tug-of-War team on a first-come first-served basis in the event a World Cup 92 Participating Nation opts out OR if there is enough interest from non WC92 nations a parallel Tug-of-War Competition may be held.

Click Here to Signup for the VMG via Google Sheets
(You may also sign up via TG to Vilitan Mountain Games and an entry will be created for you.)

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twii.tur Partnership allows fans to vote on venues for their teams Matches!

Alikki-Corra, Vilita :: Turorian entity twii.tur have announced an exciting parternship with the Football Associations of Vilita & Electrum World Cup 92 Organizing to enable fans to vote on the information exchange platform to determine which venues will be used to host World Cup 92 Group Stage matches in the Tropics of Vilita. Fans will be given a number of choices depending on which group a single team is drawn into and venues with the most votes will be announced as the host venue for matches in that group on that matchday. Fans looking to buy tickets for matches ahead of the announcement of official venues can rest assured that the organizing committee have group Vilitan venues geographically such that the outcome of an individual vote should not change the distance to a particular stadium venue by too great of an amount. Except in Group C. And possibly Group D And surely there is nothing that could go wrong like write-in ballots and matches hosted in Stadium McStadiumface, because there is no such place in the Vilitan Cove that we know of. Yet.

Map of Vilita & Turori

(Click Here to Access the Vilitan Stadium Selection Tool to choose your Group Stage Venues)

Group A: Cove / Capital Region

Lighthouse Stadium, Lonngeylin, Vilita :: Capacity: 98140 [ Primary Tenant: Lonngeylin Coast ]
Lonngeylin Coliseum, Lonngeylin, Vilita :: Capacity: 141500 Primary Tenant: Jungle Strike FC
Tivali Ring Stadium, Alikki-Corra, Vilita :: Capacity: 87000 [ Primary Tenant: Vilita National Team ]
Council Stadium, Tivali, Vilita :: Capacity: 62000 [ Primary Tenant: Tivali City ]
Marine World Park, Crosaibi, Vilita :: Capacity: 57500 [ Primary Tenant: Marine Coast United ]
Sissil Bank Stadium, Sissil, Vilita :: Capacity: 55000 [ Primary Tenant: Rammsissil ]
Canopy Gate, Seraai, Vilita :: Capacity: 72000 [ Primary Tenant: Jaguar Moreda ]
Lunar Park, Seraai, Vilita :: Capacity: 129500 Primary Tenant: Eastal Lunar

Group B: Turoki Island

Turoki Community Complex, Turoki City, Vilita :: Capacity: 125000 [ Primary Tenant: Turoki Tide ]
Turoki National Stadium, Turoki City, Vilita :: Capacity: 120000 [ Primary Tenant: Turoki Isle ]
Colonial Field, Sile, Vilita :: Capacity: 87500 [ Primary Tenant: Colonial Sile ]
Track Venture Field, Sile, Vilita :: Capacity: 86000 [ Primary Tenant: Makosile United ]
Bear Claw Stadium, Mavaloiao, Vilita :: Capacity: 69000 [ Primary Tenant: Mavaloiao FC ]
Tropicorp Park, Tropicoast, Tropicorp :: Capacity: 75000 [ Primary Tenant: Tropicorp FC ]

Group C: Northern Region

Kionao Minor Field, Kionao, Turori :: Capacity: 107000 [ Primary Tenant: Kionao Locals ]
Cednia Beach Center, Cednia, Turori :: Capacity: 103000 [ Primary Tenant: Cednia Beach AFC ]
Iobabao Legendary Park, Mliona, Turori :: Capacity: 90500 [ Primary Tenant: Mliona-Lpaka ]
Almintora National Stadium, Almintora, Turori :: Capacity: 79000 [ Primary Tenant: FC Almintora ]
Eels Park, Eelandii, Turori :: Capacity: 68000 [ Primary Tenant: Turori National Team ]
twii.tur Field at Sokattack Stadium, Mliona, Turori :: Capacity: 62500 [ Primary Tenant: Sokattack Mliona ]
Lirai Asku Castle, Yeaddin, Vilita :: Capacity: 62000 [ Primary Tenant: Yeaddin Owls ]
Kolosaio Voreios Yeaddin Olympique, Yeaddin, Vilita :: Capacity: TBD [ Primary Tenant: Vilitan Union Olympic Committee ]

Group D: The Rest

Vilaye Field at Malaveisa Stadium, Vilisorma, Vilita :: Capacity: 72000 [ Primary Tenant: Yutzie Sorma ]
National View Stadium, Morata Valley, Vilita :: Capacity: 126000 [ Primary Tenant: Inland Peaks ]
Lopinka National Stadium, Lopinka, Vilita :: Capacity: 100000 [ Primary Tenant: Lopinka Rovers ]
Irottea Unity Field, Irottea, Vilita :: Capacity: 91000 [ Primary Tenant: Irottea Exiles ]
Arcticala Electrical Stadium, Arcticala, Vilita :: Capacity: 90277 [ Primary Tenant: Arcticala Inlet ]
Lirai Asku Castle, Yeaddin, Vilita :: Capacity: 62000 [ Primary Tenant: Yeaddin Owls ]

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Wed Oct 26, 2022 4:43 am

By Peter Davis

After the record went up to 10-11-0 in Kambang, the Jagaurs of TJUN-ia knew what they had to do in order to make it to their 2nd ever WC. The 1-1 result in Sendhang's capital of Kambang meant that, in order to reach the golden gates once more, we had to win back home. No matter what, tonight had to be the night...and the evil spirits would have to be vanquished at last. David Seems, all alone with days before Li Xiu Ying's due date, didn't need reminding of the struggles this nation had faced in the Playoffs and in making the WC itself. WC86, Playoff loss to Chromatika. WC87, the last time the Playoff 2nd leg was here, was that infamous tie against Siovanija and Teusland which ended 8-8 on aggregate but saw S&T advance on away goals. After that, back-to-back 4th-place finishes in WCQ groups before WC90 finally saw the curse broken by winning the group on the final day right here in the National Stadium. Last time, Zwangzug killed us off in the playoffs...but now, we have a chance of redemption. The away goals rule wasn't in effect, so that was all good...but that didn't mean the whole nation wasn't nervous when the game day arrived. What type of finale would we get here in the JagBase...WC90 or WC87?

The National Stadium was certainly ready for this fixture and ready for anything Teuku Irfan was going to throw at us, not because we hate the Rice Farmers or Sendhang (many actually respected them as Playoff opponents fighting for a debut WC) but because this crowd did not want to be denied in the Playoffs for a fourth time. The game that would be played would be, as expected, quite tight as both teams certainly didn't want to fall into the Cup of Harmony at the final hurdle. The first half would see chances galore, with the biggest from Archer Andrews and Teuku Hassan Al Qari being sharply denied by both Maximilian Robertson and Albertus Wageo. The stalemate would last right to half time and you could cut the tension with a knife at that point. The 2nd half, however, would start with a bit of a bang as the 47th saw the dam burst and Kelo Ngwemanagawa struck through the defence and sent the National Stadium into a frenzy. The rest of the second half would be a bit of siege, as Seems focused on trying to not do anything studied and Irfan focuses on trying to send this game to extra time. Robertson certainly received a ton of pressure in the final few minutes, with an entire barrage sent in his direction and an entire nation's hopes resting on the Galarian's shoulders. But, in the end, his shoulders were certainly sturdy...sturdy enough to withstand the rest of the team rushing in celebration and a lot of fans too. The pitch was stormed...but nobody cared. TJUN-ia had finally beaten their playoff duck. TJUN-ia had ended the pain of the past.
For only the 2nd time in history, TJUN-ia shall play in the World Cup Finals.

The draws will come soon enough.
Just after the due date, of course.
But for now, we must rest...but then we will prepare again.
Prepare for either Electrum or Vilita, doesn't matter which.
TJUN-ia is back...and we want to win a game.
Simple as that.

GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group 14)
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 D 2-2 (2nd)
MD6: @Cap Nord (176) - SendBank Arena, Stennköping D 3-3 (2nd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD7: BYE (3rd)
MD8: vs Cabo Azure (60) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong D 2-2 (5th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD9: @Ancherion (113) W 2-0 (4th)
MD10: vs Mytanija (19) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky D 2-2 (3rd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD11: @Tumbra (4) D 0-0 (3rd)
MD12: @Talannua (227) - Castaic High School, Castaic D 2-2 (4th)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD13: vs Qasden (80) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu W 6-2 (4th)
MD14: @Saltstead (95) W 2-1 (2nd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD15: vs Sixty-ninE X (UR) - Salam Liljamie Stadium, Al Kalifa W 1-0 (1st)
MD16: @Ziwana (146) - Ziwanicell National Stadium, Birnin-Likulu D 3-3 (3rd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD17: vs Cap Nord (176) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas W 4-1 (2nd)
MD18: BYE (3rd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD19: @Cabo Azure (60) D 3-3 (3rd)
MD20: vs Ancherion (113) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico W 7-1 (T-2nd)
-----------------Boot It!-----------------
MD21: @Mytanija (19) - Radnika, Esca D 1-1 (T-2nd)
MD22: vs Tumbra (4) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City W 2-0 (2nd/10-10-0/40pts/+26GD)
--------------------------------------------
Playoff vs Sendhang (46/3rd in Group 11)
Leg 1 (@Federal Stadium, Kambang): D 1-1
Leg 2 (@National Stadium, TJUN-ia City): W 1-0 (2-1 agg)

by **Nyowani Kitara** » Wed Oct 26, 2022 2:32 pm

NYK manager Liang Wei, in the 78th minute of the penultimate matchday of World Cup Qualifying

The through ball to Zack Dawnbridge had been sensational. Dottier had hit it with the perfect amount of power, and it looked as if Atheara #9 Dawnbridge had timed his run perfectly. He was suddenly in behind the Kitaran defense, and Bigombe came up heavy, trying to make the 1v1 save. But the goalkeeper didn't have a chance- Dawnbridge had chipped the goalkeeper for a cheeky finish, as the home crowd at Schengen Stadium exploded. "Fucking hell." Liang Wei grumbled to himself. The Kitarans were down, 1-0, and it was in the late stages against the best defensive side of the group. Nyowani Kitara needed, at absolute worst, a draw- but a loss, especially a late loss, would be an abject disaster, and throw their plans for getting to Vilita & Electrum into chaos.

Just then, the 62 year old Delaclav referee, Clarence Cooke, made every soccer fan's most dreaded symbol with fans- asking for a VAR review. "What's he reviewing?" Liang Wei asked his assistant manager.

"Looks like it might've been offside. The guys upstairs think he might have mistimed his run."

"Hopefully." Liang Wei said. Playing for a draw went against everything he stood for, went against how he knew to manage this team- even in the final away qualifier, unless they made the playoffs. And the team, while holding up in the first half, was starting to wilt under the pressure. And now, assuming the goal stood, he would have to set up his team to chase. But against a team that was this defensively ferocious? They would be fortunate to even score one to equalize. He whipped out his phone, checked some of the other scores.

Look at that live table. Brutal. If this Atheara goal stood, then there would be a 4 way tie for first, at 40 points each, heading into the final matchday. Chaos. Utter chaos. Liang Wei looked at his bench. "We've gotta go out and get this goal. If we lose this one- we could miss even the playoffs entirely. We've worked too hard to get here." He looked up and down his bench. The vaunted triple substitution. Josef Sparv in for Owino Odede, at striker. Mhara Vera in for Farmen Ekberg, at central midfield. And then, Olaf Svante, in at left midfield, into the game for Rudolph von Katzenstig. All attacking substitutions. Just as they came up to the touch line, the referee came out from under the hood, and blew his whistle.

And then, he made the signal- no goal. Atheara fans were irate- it turned out Dawnbridge was just barely offside, by about his toes. The boos were loud. Atheara players and their manager were incensed, arguing with the referee. But Cooke stood his ground. Liang Wei's assistant manager jogged up to him. "Hey, do you still want these substitutions? Since we're no longer down?"

The score, indeed, was 0-0. "Well, you know- this game isn't going to end 0-0. They are getting far too close. And look at them. They're all pissed off. Smarting over that decision. A brutal one? Yes. But they're gonna be pissed. They're gonna lose focus, at least for a little bit. Let's take advantage of that, and go for the kill." The triple substitution happened. And suddenly, Nyowani Kitara was brought to life. It was just three minutes later when the biggest goal of the campaign would occur. It was a beautiful counter up the left wing, with numebrs, as Svante was taking all the space in front of him.

He hit a brilliant cross- and who would be there other than the talisman himself, Odede Angonga? The ball was hit, and it was a brilliant header- back across the face of goal, a leaping, looping header. All Atheara's goalkeeper could do was watch as the ball landed in the back of the net, for the game's opener. There was no VAR necessary here- The Kitarans exploded. "YESSS!!!!!" Liang Wei jumped up and down, in celebration of the feat. The stadium turned into silence exxcept for the 4,000 travelling fans, who exploded. The bench cleared as the rest of the players sprinted down to the corner flag, to celebrate with Angonga. "I''LL SEE EVERYONE AT THE FUCKING WORLD CUP!!!" Liang Wei yelled.

That killed the game for the Athearans, as Nyowani Kitara were more than ready to defend for the final 10 minutes plus stoppage time. A massive win- NYK's first 1-0 win of the cycle. And it put the Kitarans on the brink of World Cup Qualification- just one point, at home, on Matchday 22, would put Nyowani Kitara into the World Cup Finals. Liang Wei was motivated, but grinning- would his team finish the job in four days time?

OOC Note: This newsletter has a slight anti-socialist bent, but they are fairly strict about the whole 'sticking to sports' thing

Nyowani Kitara Football Weekly
The voice for the working people of Nyowani Kitara

Nyowani Kitara emphatically punches their ticket to World Cup 92 with stunning 8-3 victory over an 8 man West Barack and East Obama

Nyowani Kitara players celebrate Odede Angonga's opening goal of their final World Cup Qualifier

DEWAYO, NYOWANI KITARA- It was the final day of World Cup Qualifying. With Nyowani Kitara's stunning late win over Atheara, NYK had clinched a spot in the World Cup Qualifying playoffs- and were on the brink of the World Cup Finals. "Look, we're playing at home, we've got a huge crowd behind us tonight." Liang Wei told reporters. "We're not here to play for a draw. We're not going to back into the Finals. We're here to get to the Finals in style, to show the world exactly what football in Nyowani Kitara is all about."

WB&EO came with a history. The first time these two played, it was a high-scoring chaotic match in WB&EO on Matchday 11. The Kitarans ended up the winners, as the 7 goal fest was won by us, 4-3, as we took all the points. But although it was a spectacular contest from that front, that wasn't even the main story. A total of three red cards were handed out through that match, as the game finished with some good, old fashioned 10 on 9, with Malmquist earning a red card for our squad, while two players on WB&EO earned a red card for the home team.

"Look, obviously, a game where the teams split 7 goals, and three red cards, is a chaotic matchup." Liang Wei told reporters. "Obviously, West Barack and East Obama are going to be aggressive. That's their nature. They are fierce defenders, even though we were able to open up at their own home field. We've got to make sure that we don't go down early, on the scoreboard or in terms of players on the pitch. This is the type of match where the pressure will continue to build as the match goes on. We've got to make this easier on ourselves. Start fast, start quickly, and keep our foot on the gas."

And boy, did they take his advice. It was Nyowani Kitara' getting forward, and quickly. The fastest goal in Nyowani Kitara history- just 48 seconds, as Odede Angonga finished up a move while the crowd was still getting into their seats. The absolutely electric atmosphere at the Revolutionary Grounds absolutely lost it, as the whole place exploded. Nyowani Kitara needed just one point, and yet, less than a minute in, they were already leading. It was clear that Nyowani Kitara wanted to get ahead early, and they had every intention of doing so. A few minutes later, in the 7th minute, Wang Jiahui bent in a free kick, as they were off to a flying start. 2-0 up already, with visions of the World Cup dancing in their eyes.

It was the 10th minute where the Obamen had their first opportunity of the match, and it would prove to be the most controversial moment of the match. The visitors were chasing, desperately, and they were certainly out here trying. A brilliant cross from Jean-Marie Ouibama found a diving Harvey Chobamya, as Chobamya finished the diving header for a brilliant goal. Lead halved, 3 goals in the opening 10 minutes. About to have all sorts of fireworks in the game, right? Well, yes- but of a different sort.

45 year old Cardenao referee Lemoyne Bailey, was the linesman. He had his flag raised high into the air- for offsides. The call was egregious- and the players were pissed. Before the head referee could even ask for a VAR review, Chobamya sprinted towards the linesmen and got right up into his face, and started arguing. He was joined by his teammate Fred Olibama, as they were berating the linesman. They were joined quickly by NYK left back and captain Armoni Okombo, as well as goalkeeper Odour Bigombe. But instead of lowering tensions, the temperature rose among the five.

Suddenly, it looked like an ice hockey game- the fists started flying. All of them could be seen swinging their fists. Bailey, the linesman, landed a right hook on Bigombe, our goalkeeper, and dropping him. Okombo and Olibama both landed punches on each other. Bailey swung at Chobamya and missed, before Chobamya lifted Bailey and slammed him to the ground. At that point, other players had gotten into the fray, to pull everybody apart. 48 year old main referee, the Quebecois Fedor Douglas Arseniev, had a lot to sort out to re-gain control of the match. Okombo, Olibama, and Chobamya, who all landed punches, were all shown red. Bigombe, who got dropped by the referee, was only shown a yellow- he didn't throw a punch.

Bailey, after being body slammed into the ground, had thrown two punches as a referee. Arseniev, in a stunning and questionably legal move, even gave his assistant referee marching orders. Bailey limped off, as the Busogan fourth official replaced Bailey as the linesman. And after all that, Arseniev was finally able to look at the goal- and the offsides call was reversed, and it was granted. It was 10 on 9, and the score was 2-1. While those red cards were given, those three players could be facing even more discipline from the WCC. And Bailey, as a referee... Punching players? His refereeing career might be over.

With the man advantage, Nyowani Kitara simply had too much behind them for WB&EO to stand a chance. They scored twice more, taking a 4-1 lead into halftime. Going into the half, WB&EO had a bizarre red card. Barack Denovitz ninja kicked a traveling fan, who had been heckling him. It must've been rough to be a traveling fan, to travel all this way only to see your team get slaughtered. And it must've sucked to be that fan specifically. Ninja kicked by your own player, having to go to the hospital. The referee had to give Denovitz a red card for kung fu kicking a fan, and in the second half, Nyowani Kitara would play with 10 men- and WB&EO, only 8.

As one would expect, Nyowani Kitara simply kept piling it on, as WB&EO simply didn't have enough players to adequately defend against an offense as high-powered as ours. We led by as many as 7-1 at one point, while finishing with a final score of 8-3. An insane game- finished with victory. To the World Cup we go! "Well, that's not exactly how we drew it up." Said Liang Wei in interviews later, laughing. "But I said before the match that we wanted to finish Qualifying emphatically, to leave a lasting impression about what NYK football is all about. And I'd say we did so, right? Attacking with power, finishing with ferocity, showing how we're the best damn team in this group, and how we are capable of lighting up any scoreboard, against any team, in the multiverse. I'll see you guys in Vilita & Electrum."

Okombo will have his case reviewed by the WCC, and likely have games added on, but- the left back and captain, will at the very least, be suspended for Matchday 1 of the World Cup Finals.

by **Squidroidia** » Wed Oct 26, 2022 3:49 pm

The Inkopolis Times

ESPORTS

TOO TIED TO UNTANGLE

StrikeLeague League B tiebreaker game to clash with World Cup 92

Game 13 of Map 2 of the StrikeLeague League B Third Split clash between ByteLeft Esports and INKSTAR Gaming has shaped up to be the most controversial game in a StrikeLeague season that hasn't been short of controversies, albeit with none escalating to the point where the national StrikeForce league, funded by game creators Studio Polaris, has been dealt harm. With the chaotic, day in day out nature of the 5 StrikeLeague splits, 4 Majors and the StrikeLeague Finals in Inkopolis, most drama, backlash and behind the scenes tomfoolery has been fizzled down by the time the aforementioned thingamarole was 3 days old. However, just the fact of a tiebreaker deciding who would be the 8th and final team in Split 4's League A has been receiving more outcry from StrikeLeague fans and players than ever before.

As it has done for every even-numbered season, StrikeLeague Season 6 would have a month-long break between the end of Split 3 and the start of the Calamari County Major, the 3rd Major of the season, due to the World Cup. The league, while having the most popular tactical first-person-shooter game in the country at its core, was deemed to be little more than fish-fry compared to the monumental spectacle of the World Cup, and as thus allocated what would be in odd-numbered years to be a month of the Offseason into a break meant for rest and training for players. This break, however, didn't account for the practice of tiebreaker games - Games meant to decide split titles, promotion and relegation spots or pot allocation for Majors.

STRIKELEAGUE SEASON 6 - The Story So Far
Split 1 League A Winners - Polaris Supernova Esports
Newton Major (Major 1) Winners - Booyah Gaming
Split 2 League A Winners - Inkopolis FC Esports
Midnight Major (Major 2) Winners - Grizzco Games Club
Split 3 League A Winners - Booyah Gaming

The 8-5 victory on the 2nd map of their final game of the split, coupled with Inkopolis eWave beating Team UpTop 2 maps to 0 thanks to expert Force Stone handling by the eWave team, has seen ByteLeft add a game on their slate that could not only decide promotion to League A, but a Pot 2 seed in the forthcoming Major. There's only one problem - The match has been slated to clash with the very thing that Studio Polaris wanted to avoid.

A quick rundown on StrikeForce scheduling - Usually in a split League A and League B would alternate days inside the StrikeLeague studios for their LAN play (Leagues C and D play online), leading to 4 weeks of play, back to back to back, comprising each league's 14 matchday slate. Usually for training and server relocation purposes there is a 2 week break between Splits and Majors, but usually when tiebreaker playoffs for Majors (Splits 1-4) and Finals (Split 5) qualification, promotion to a higher league, relegation to a lower league, league titles or pot allocation for Majors/Finals occur after the usual tiebreakers don't produce a break (Map difference, maps for, head to head map difference, head to head maps scored, and head to head wins), a 3 day long break occurs before the aforementioned tiebreaker which, no matter what the league is, is held in the StrikeLeague studios for LAN play as a Best of 5 series (Unless it's a 3+ way tie in which there's a single round robin best of 3 league).

ByteLeft Esports v Inkopolis eWave is a tiebreaker playoff for promotion to League A for Split 4, as well as determining who rounds out Pots 2 and 3 for the Calamari County Major. And is slated to clash with the World Cup.

MAJOR POT ALLOCATION - A Guide
For the 4 Majors, held after their respective splits, the following teams qualify for the specific Major:
-All 8 teams in League A (Regardless of league status)
-Top 6 teams in League B (Non-relegated teams)
-Top 2 teams in League C (Promoted teams)

For pot allocation, things are done differently. As each Major is 4 groups of 4, the teams are divided into 4 pots, which are allocated as follows:
-Pot 1 - 1st to 4th in League A
-Pot 2 - 5th and 6th in League A, 1st and 2nd in League B
-Pot 3 - 7th and 8th in League A, 3rd and 4th in League B
-Pot 4 - 5th and 6th in League B, 1st and 2nd in League C

With the last of the League A fixtures being held the day before the World Cup, no matter what the 3 day rest period, which in fact starts after League A wraps up their Split play, will conflict with World Cup fixtures, although the match will not conflict with Squidroidia's first World Cup group game against Flavovespia as some may have feared. The clash between World Cup fixtures and a game that not only decides the final promotion place to League A (ByteLeft won League B handedly with a 12-2 record), but decides the final Pot 2 team for the Calamari County Major. With low viewership expected due to the conflict with the World Cup, Studio Polaris may be pressured to make sure that this doesn't happen again.

"What's the point of a World Cup break when we will absolutely have a match played during the tournament? Is SP out of their mind? Some of us actually support the Inklings," one ByteWave supporter said after the tiebreaker playoff was announced. "The last thing we want is to reject our favorite Esport in favor of the World Cup. The SL scene needs all the love it can get." The league, which has expanded from its original 12 team, single-league structure up to 32 teams in time for the new season, had announced that any further expansion would be halted in favor of seeking out an international event with StrikeForce teams from other nations.

Studio Polaris hasn't responded to these calls to reformat how playoff ties and potentially pre-World Cup splits are played and scheduled, but it's likely that they'll announce changes before Season 8.

The tactical FPS, which is consistently the most popular FPS in Squidroidia, sees 2 teams of 5 face off in a capture-the-flag like game, in which the team who steals the Force Stone and holds onto it for 10 seconds straight without the holder being killed win a game. In the event of the Force Stone is not held onto before the time runs out, whoever has held it on the longest in total wins the game. If neither team held the Stone before the time runs out, whoever touches it first wins the game for their team. Games usually last around 2 minutes and 30 seconds with a 30 second cooldown period, and maps are decided by whoever wins 8 games first.

Around the Dominion
WORLD CUP 92: Official Preview - Will Tumbra win their first title?
INKOPOLIS: Flights to Electrum spike ahead of World Cup fever
TRAVEL: Welcome to Electrum, now get out
BUSINESS: Mako Mart's Squidroidia Inklings card collection sells out in minutes
INKLINGS: The pattern doesn't lie - Squidroidia will win the World Cup

by **Tumbra** » Wed Oct 26, 2022 9:06 pm

Bonus Box Score! Throwback Edition
World Cup 91 Third-Placed Play-Off
Brenecia 4-3 Tumbra (a.e.t.)

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - Nick Barker; 2 - Ryan Hughes, 4 - Stephen Kerr, 5 - Harry Henderson, 3 - Nigel Harris; 6 - Trudy Harrison, 16 - Andrew Fisher, 23 - Susan Monaghan (10 - Phil Cole, 112'); 17 - Valerie Wells (7 - George Hilton, 74') , 21 - Lynne Crossley; 11 - Nick Riordan (22 - Bruce Nolan, 108')

TMB scorers: Nick Riordan (12'), Lynne Crossley (63'), Andrew Fisher (79')

Player of the Match: That'll be for Brenecia to decide if she decides to RP the game
Tumbra 3-0 Cap Nord

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - Barker; 2 - Moss (25 - Finney, 73'), 4 - Kerr - inj (26 - Henderson, 45'), 5 - Ashburn, 27 - Green; 6 - Harrison - inj (15 - Finnemore, 78'), 16 - Fisher, 10 - Cole (23 - Monaghan, 78'); 17 - Hilton (7 - Wells, 84'), 9 - Vaughn; 11 - Riordan

TMB scorers: Robin Vaughn [10', 63'], Andrew Fisher [70']

Player of the Match: Robin Vaughn [TMB]

TJUN-ia 2-0 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - Barker; 25 - Finney (2 - Moss, 75'), 14 - Pritchett (26 - Henderson, 75'), 31 - Perry, 3 - Harris; 15 - Finnemore, 8 - Hicks (16 - Fisher, 81'), 23 - Monaghan; 7 - Wells, 9 - Vaughn (21 - Crossley, 81'); 22 - Nolan (33 - Henshaw, 45')

TMB scorers: None

Player of the Match: [TJU]

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SPORT > Football > World Cup 92
Tumbra's Final 26-Player Squad for Vilita and Electrum Announced As Yuan Announces Target — Win

STRATON — A final matchday slightly tarnished by a loss to TJUN-ia did little to dampen the spirits of travelling Tumbran fans, as the Black Army celebrates not having to go through the gauntlet of the playoffs containing all of the podium finishers at the previous World Cup — and, for that matter, four of the top ten ranked sides in the world. Eschewing normal procedure after a World Cup qualification — typically the Black Eagles play five or so friendlies in the lead-up to the World Cup — Black Eagles manager Yuan Zilai has instead opted to go into the World Cup with no friendly match preparation, citing the "demanding schedules" already placed on national team footballers.

With new rules put in place that allow managers to name up to twenty-six players in a tournament squad, Yuan Zilai has chosen to take a leaf from his Campionato Esportiva 33 winning squad and bring an extra central defender, central midfielder and an extra striker. As Tumbra embarks upon its fourth World Cup campaign, ranked fourth in the world and with a real chance of winning the tournament with a favourable group draw, the 26 men and woman that will be on the plane to Vilita and Electrum will have the entirety of Tumbra willing them on — but will they do it?

Goalkeepers

#1 - Nick Barker

CLUB: FC Inter Nantwich AGE: 32 CAPS: 70 C.SHEETS: 37

First Appearance: vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom, Friendly (Match 27)

Now entering the latter stages of his career, but arguably still at the top of his game, Nick Barker's command of the net has gained him massive plaudits — his saves have often been the reason why Tumbra's clean sheet record is as impressive as it is. He has come in for some warranted criticism, like for his performances in Tumbra's two losses of the qualification cycle against Ancherion and TJUN-ia — but nine clean sheets in fifteen appearances marks him as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He'll be Tumbra's first-choice goalkeeper; and he'll be sorely hoping that what went on in the third-placed playoff final against Brenecia won't repeat itself. Nick is looking to prove himself as one of the, if not, the best goalkeepers in the world — will he be able to pull off another set of acrobatic performances as he enters his fourth World Cup?

#12 - Victoria Jones

CLUB: Lakewood City AGE: 25 CAPS: 10 C.SHEETS: 5

First Appearance: vs Sharktail, Eagles' Cup 12 (Match 103)

Jones' career looked to be in danger as she floated around from Brenecian team to Brenecian team, before City decided to take a punt on the goalkeeper that won both under-18 and under-21 World Cups. She proved her worth almost immediately — winning the Golden Glove on her first season back and managing to properly stake her place in the national team. At the age of 25, she's still fairly young for a goalkeeper — and will merely be staking her time to claim her place as the national team's undisputed number 1 goalkeeper. Four appearances and two clean sheets showed her undoubted quality — and her more attacking style of goalkeeping, and deftness with the ball at her feet, makes her a tantalising alternative for starting attacks from the back.

#13 - Richard Russell

CLUB: Lakewood United AGE: 25 CAPS: 5 C.SHEETS: 3

First Appearance: vs Flavovespia, Eagles' Cup 14 (Match 191)

Richard Russell was always bound to end up here sooner or later. Stepping into the shoes of Louis Addison, the at-times unfairly maligned former great of Lakewood United, was always going to be a difficult task — but he's managed it with aplomb and earned himself a berth in the national team. A winner of the Eagles' Cup, the goalkeeper displays a magnificent command of his area, and due to his height has an almost inhuman reach. He'll likely not see any playtime this tournament bar the most serious of circumstances, but he acquitted himself magnificently in his one appearance in green this cycle against Saltstead.

Defenders

#2 - Nicholas Moss

CLUB: Miruan City AGE: 25 CAPS: 42 GOALS: 0

First Appearance: vs Ochre Islands, Eagles' Cup 12 (Match 99)

The breaking out of names such as Chris Finney and Annie Renton across the cycle made the position of left-back uniquely hard to choose; but Yuan seems to have preferred stability, bringing Moss to the World Cup. The defensively-oriented left-back prefers to hang back and float into the centre of midfield or defence if required; but he's not really done much wrong since his introduction to the national team in their debut Eagles' Cup adventure. Now quickly approaching a half-century of caps, Moss is the pinnacle of the unexciting yet solid player that forms the heart of any World Cup squad; as an old Youtube video of his noted, he's "solid, reliable, and he'll get you home by midnight."

#3 - Tracey Mercurio

CLUB: Kingston FC AGE: 25 CAPS: 16 GOALS: 1

First Appearance: vs Esportivan Darmen, Campionato Esportiva 33 (Match 184)

Mercurio's inclusion in this team wasn't shocking to most — almost everyone expected she'd make it — but few thought that she'd be thrust into the starting right-back role in place of an unceremoniously dropped Nigel Harris, whose transfer to the recently-promoted Newton Argyle also seems to have ended his national team career. Fast, flighty and quick on her feet, Mercurio is key to Yuan's counterattacking strategy, and her fast-formed partnership with long-time stalwart Robin Vaughn on the right is also a big plus. Giving the starting spot to someone who made her debut only a year ago feels like a risk on Yuan's part, particularly with her relative rawness on the international stage; but they've got to break through at some point.

#4 - Stephen Kerr

CLUB: Chromatik AGE: 26 CAPS: 92 GOALS: 4

First Appearance: vs Delaclava, World Cup 89 Qualification (Match 72)

One of Tumbra's best defenders, Stephen Kerr returns for his fourth World Cup wearing the vaunted #4 jersey. To be fair, he's occupied it since the start of the cycle, but rarely has someone become so quickly associated with it as Kerr has. A jack-of-all-trades in defence, being astute in almost all areas of the game, Kerr's game is near complete — and he's well on the way to joining the rapidly-growing Century Club of players. Alongside Ashburn and almost everyone else, he'll play as the tackling defender; alongside Henderson, he'll play as the passing defender. His playing chemistry with defensive midfielder Trudy Harrison is unrivalled, too; and the two are being set-up for the future captaincy and vice-captaincy when current captain Robin Vaughn finally decides to hang up his international team boots.

#5 - Ian Ashburn

CLUB: Lakewood City AGE: 30 CAPS: 110 GOALS: 3

First Appearance: vs Regmotto, World Cup 87 Qualification (Match 3)

He's had to deal with accusations that he became a footballer and rose through the ranks at Lakewood City only because his father, John Ashburn, is owner of Lakewood City; but Ashburn, over the past decade, has quickly put those concerns to rest. One of the most composed and purest ball-playing defenders Tumbra knows, Ashburn's prodigious skills have made him one of the best defenders in Tumbra. It's made some football fans do a double take when they realise he's already 30; but he's shown no signs of slowing down, yet.

#14 - Wendy Pritchett

CLUB: Grande Mountain AGE: 24 CAPS: 15 GOALS: 1

First Appearance: vs Appalachia, Campionato Esportiva 33 (Match 185)

Pritchett took long enough to break out onto the national team; but she's grown a lot physically and mentally since she went to Cassadaigua. Firm on the ball and quick off it, her off-the-ball movement is unparalleled, and she registered the highest number of interceptions per 90 across the cycle. It's something that's given rise to the "third" school of Tumbran defenders; they play like the dirty-shorts, tackling defender, but instead of tackling just intercept the ball before anything even happens. It's something that has proven a tad difficult to fit into Yuan's system; but he tries, and by all accounts it's working.

#18 - Chris Finney

CLUB: Serrapince AGE: 25 CAPS: 13 GOALS: 0

First Appearance: vs Flavovespia, Eagles' Cup 14 (Match 191)

Finney made his debut in the national team relatively recently, but he's a name that's been floating around the national team ever since he made his professional debut for Ridgewell at the age of 18. Earning himself a five million dollar transfer to Serrapince after years of displaying that he had the potential to be the next big thing at left back, Finney's determined performances throughout the cycle have led to him displacing Sabine Kemp as the national team's second-choice line-up. Fast and agile, equally adept at defending as he is at attacking, Finney looks to stake a claim on the first-choice lineup this cycle — and he's certainly got the chops to do so.

#19 - James Green

CLUB: Bavingtor FC AGE: 24 CAPS: 18 GOALS: 1

First Appearance: vs Esportivan Darmen, Campionato Esportiva 33 (Match 184)

A lesser-known member of the team that won the Di Bradini Cup, the Couno-born rightback decided to cast his net wide after searching for more playing time and ended up at the Flavovespian champions. It's a move that's paid off — he's been able to showcase his talents on a high stage, and got a call-up to the national team as a result — and has bedded himself into the national team very easily. With Nigel Harris missing out — one of the real shocks this cycle — Green steps in, fresh-faced but ready to dribble and attack. There are questions over whether the lack of a defensive right-back could leave Tumbra exposed, but that's why Moss is here, after all — as a safe pair of defensive hands.

#20 - Harry Henderson

CLUB: 1923 Esca AGE: 34 CAPS: 135 GOALS: 3

First Appearance: vs Pasarga, World Cup 87 Qualification (Match 1)

Of the five centrebacks on this squad, Henderson's inclusion was possibly the one that surprised most; by all means he was already intending to announce his retirement after the TJUN-ia game, before being advised to hold off in case Yuan wanted to call on his services one last time. Henry Holden Henderson was never meant to make it this far; the defender overcoming an injury early on in his career to start for the Tumbran national team in its first-ever World Cup Committee-affiliated match. Now just one of three players on that squad to still be playing for the national team, Henderson knows this will be the beginning of a long send-off, having announced that this tournament will be his last for the Black Eagles; but he'll undoubtedly be attempting to ensure that this will be a tournament to remember.

#24 - Raymond Perry

CLUB: Serrapince FC AGE: 30 CAPS: 42 GOALS: 2

First Appearance: vs Pratapgadh, Friendly (Match 26)

Raymond Perry has always been an underrated part of the national team set-up; he's here one tournament, gone the next, while continually putting in performances on the domestic level. He made it onto the plane to Graentfjall and Farfadillis last time out; and quiet, confident performances in the two years since have essentially guaranteed him a spot on the team. He's more adept at passing than tackling, which does add to a slightly uncomfortable unbalancing of the defensive roster in favour of ball-playing defenders; but he's also got a strong tackle in him that he can unleash, though even at age 30 he's a lot rawer in that aspect than, say, Pritchett or Ashburn.

Midfielders

#6 - Trudy Harrison

CLUB: Chromatik AGE: 26 CAPS: 104 GOALS: 2

First Appearance: vs Delaclava, World Cup 89 Qualification (Match 72)

The beating heart of a Tumbran team that has steadily broken wall after wall after wall on their course to fourth in the world rankings, Trudy Harrison is the rock in midfield that attacks from opposing teams tend to crash upon. An injury scare against Cap Nord had the nation on tenterhooks; but it turned out that she just wouldn't be available against TJUN-ia, and would be at full fitness for the World Cup. Relentless, fast, a hard tackler with a harder personality and mouth on the pitch, Harrison is the one name that should strike fear into most attackers. Expect her to play a crucial role in any Tumbran deep run, if they make one; she's the linchpin for both club and country, and she knows it.

#8 - Vincent Hicks

CLUB: Lhor AGE: 30 CAPS: 146 GOALS: 17

First Appearance: vs Pasarga, World Cup 87 Qualification (Match 1)

Vincent Hicks has been around the block, convincingly so too. The Hesham youngster always knew that he would be on the path to overseas stardom, and he promptly achieved it with FK Metropola Borograd. Now at Lhor, earning both plaudits and criticism for willing to spearhead the moneybag team's attempted rise to the top of Chromatik football, while also rejecting moves to Brenecia and Valanora in favour of that giant pay-packet he'd receive in Chromatika's northeast. Calm and composed on the ball, Hicks serves' as the team's main redistributor — starting attacks from deep, while remaining as a conduit for counterattack pushes. He dictates the tempo of the game, and does so magnificently; and is one of three people on this team to have played in Tumbra's first-ever World Cup qualification match.

#10 - Phil Cole

CLUB: Osarese Marcadia AGE: 31 CAPS: 145 GOALS: 24

First Appearance: vs Damukuni, Campionato Esportiva 29 (Match 22)

So associated has the space just outside the opposition's penalty box has become with this attacking midfielder that it's been nicknamed Phil's office; the Osarese Marcadia superstar, playing alongside up-and-coming Audioslavian talents like Helios Roy whilst being under the capable tutelage of Fabio Mancini. The attacking midfielder, who came through the Lakewood City youth system, has an uncanny ability to play almost anywhere in the attacking half and creating from there; though nobody's dared to try him out as a False 9, even though he's proven on several occasions that he can, and he will score lots of goals when given the chance. The creative output from Cole is what makes Yuan's counterattacks tick; and although he may seem and feel like a luxury player at times, he's always shown a willingness to drop deep and work hard in the defensive side of the game as well.

#15 - Mark Finnemore

CLUB: Couno Rangers AGE: 26 CAPS: 34 GOALS: 2

First Appearance: vs Independent Athletes from Quebec, Eagles' Cup 13 (Match 141)

As a defensive midfielder, Finnemore couldn't be more different from the player he's acting as understudy to. Harrison is loud, brash, fast; Finnemore is, well, not. Where he does excel, however, is positioning and reading the game. Couno's midfield wouldn't be the same without the security that Finnemore offers to the two more attacking midfielders in the side — and while that may seem to be a truism, Finnemore's less visible than most defensive midfielders. He does know, however, where to be at the right time; a skill for off-the-ball movement, positioning, and interceptions unparalleled by most in Tumbra. Couno manager Marco Giuliani has gone on record as calling him one of "the most important" players on the team; and while he's not flashy, he sure does get the job done.

#16 - Andrew Fisher

CLUB: FC Inter Nantwich AGE: 30 CAPS: 70 GOALS: 10

First Appearance: vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom, Friendly (Match 26)

The midfield jack-of-all-trades, Andrew Fisher's been deployed everywhere in central midfield for the national team, and even more than that for his club side. Fisher's value lies in his versatility; throughout his playing career he's been deployed in almost every position on the field, except in goal. He's got, according to some, the "pace of Harrison, vision of Cole, and pass of Hicks," which makes him almost a shoo-in for the national team. The only problem with him is that he doesn't individually stand out in any of the roles that Tumbra's midfield demands, meaning that for almost all of his time on the national team he's never worn the #8 jersey. He is still exceptionally skilled at what he does, however; and where he's deployed often is an indicator of whether Tumbra is looking to be more offensive or more defensive.

#23 - Susan Monaghan

CLUB: Sabrefell Athletic AGE: 26 CAPS: 42 GOALS: 7

First Appearance: vs Chartistan, Eagles' Cup 13 (Match 142)

By far the shortest player on the team, Susan Monaghan made a name for herself on the rough-and-tumble pitches of Brenecia, where she was toughened up and learned a little gamesmanship on her own. Now playing for Nepharan giants Sabrefell Athletic, the diminutive attacking midfielder may not have grown too much in size, but she's gained a temper and a skill that far outstrips her small size. She's extremely slippery and agile, too; it's difficult to pin her down when she's on the pitch. She's got a mean curve on her, too; which makes her an extremely interesting tactical option if Tumbra ever finds themselves stonewalled by a would-be member of the opposition.

#25 - Valerie Morris

CLUB: Lakewood City AGE: 26 CAPS: 16 GOALS: 1

First Appearance: vs Sargossa, Eagles' Cup 12 (Match 100)

Most thought that it would be Couno starlet Natalie Coleman occupying this spot, since she appeared so many times in qualifying and really displayed her skill; but Valerie Morris, midfield battler of Lakewood City, takes the last midfield spot thanks to her being able to play in more places than Coleman. When so much can go wrong in a World Cup, Yuan wants options — and Morris provides them. It's difficult to place what she is as a footballer exactly, apart from "she plays in midfield"; but for City, similarly to Fisher, she's played almost everywhere in midfield for the Skyblues. She can tackle, she can create (though, her detractors will say, not as well as Coleman), she can shoot; and her reputation as a latter-day Andrew Fisher probably gives her an edge over Coleman — who probably outstrips her in skill but can really only play in an attacking midfield role.

Forwards

#7 - Valerie Wells

CLUB: AFC Treason AGE: 26 CAPS: 80 GOALS: 11

First Appearance: vs East Murbley, Campionato Esportiva 31 (Match 91)

Once a one-dimensional winger known only for cutting in on the left with her right foot, now regarded as one of the best players in the Nepharan Zenith; Valerie Wells has become an almost entirely different player in the past ten years. Cutting her teeth on the windswept pitches of Brenecia, Wells has grown into Tumbra's first-choice option on the left at last. She's gained a few more tricks since that time when cut-in-and-shoot was her preferred tactic; but the inside forward knows that she can rely on that reliable tactic whenever the team needs a goal or two.

#9 - Robin Vaughn

CLUB: Lakewood City AGE: 34 CAPS: 179 GOALS: 63

First Appearance: vs Pasarga, World Cup 87 Qualification (Match 1)

He's not said anything about it yet, true to form, but the rumours that this will be Robin Vaughn's last ever World Cup continue to seep through the media. He's 34, and hasn't looked like slowing down yet, but four goals in eleven starts this cycle has been the worst his output has been so far. Several times he's been accused of phoning it in — just four years ago, this would have been seen as a heinous accusation — but in one of his rare press appearances, he's been surprisingly frank about the fact that his career will be coming to an end sooner rather than later. Perhaps the long-serving Tumbran captain is trying to ensure that the country's ready for his long goodbye; perhaps he's just giving the media something to talk about. Every move he makes at this tournament will undoubtedly be prefaced by warnings that this may be the final time we see him in this black shirt, sporting the red armband; but that, in itself, is probably more of a sign of just how much he's fêted by the Tumbran football-watching public.

#11 - Nick Riordan

CLUB: Sabrefell Moths AGE: 27 CAPS: 115 GOALS: 56

First Appearance: vs Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom, Friendly (Match 27)

The other Nick of the team — technically there are three, but Moss prefers to go by Nicholas — Riordan is probably the biggest talent on the team, with Vaughn finally showing signs of slowing down. He's also the most expensive Tumbran player on record; that twenty million dollar transfer to Sabrefell put a lot of pressure on him, but he responded brilliantly and is now one of the best players in Nephara. And, some might say, the world. A veritable scoring machine and deceptively fast for someone of his height, Nick will be the focal point of attack for Tumbra; and he's hungry to go one further than he did last time out, too.

#17 - George Hilton

CLUB: Serrapince FC AGE: 30 CAPS: 95 GOALS: 12

First Appearance: vs Pratapgadh, Friendly (Match 26)

Demoted from 7 to 17, Hilton knows that his national team career is on the wane. Already 30, the left winger renowned for dropping back, making him a natural fit for Yuan's tactical system, knows that this may very well be his last World Cup. A key player at club level for Serrapince, he was one of the members of the attacking trio of Hilton-Riordan-Horvat that lost only one game in the third IFCF season of the Tumbran Premier Division. Calm-headed and reasonable, the left winger is looking to provide a more defensive alternative to Wells as and when he's needed — but don't look past his very present attacking capabilities either. Twelve goals in ninety-five matches is nothing to sniff at, especially for someone playing on the wing.

#19 - Lynne Crossley

CLUB: Strathcona Internationals AGE: 25 CAPS: 50 GOALS: 12

First Appearance: vs Delaclava, World Cup 89 Qualification (Match 72)

Being the understudy to Robin Vaughn sounds like being the successor to a monarch that just goes on and on and on. Ask Charlie Baker, who lost patience and requested a transfer to Straton after getting fed up with playing second fiddle for Vaughn. Still, Lynne Crossley returns, closer than ever to taking the first-choice spot as Robin Vaughn inches closer to retirement from the national team. A player well-renowned for her nerves of ice, she's evolved from her humble beginnings as a winger relying purely on her speed into a well-rounded right winger able to be deployed almost anywhere on the attacking right. With twelve goals in fifty appearances, she'll be looked upon more and more as Vaughn gets older and older; and there are rumours he may push for her to be the starter at this World Cup instead of him.

#22 - Bruce Nolan

CLUB: Couno Rangers AGE: 27 CAPS: 19 GOALS: 7

First Appearance: vs the Gothanitan Isles, World Cup 87 Qualification (Match 17)

There's an image floating about of an eighteen year-old Bruce Nolan, hair shorn offensively short and in a shirt that looks like he's stolen it straight from his father's closet, standing next to Marco Hemmings as they're shaking hands. That image would be from 2019, when Marco Hemmings first became Tumbran manager; and that image comes from Nolan's first-ever call-up for what would be Tumbra's last-ever Tamarind Trophy qualifiers. Barely a year later, Tumbra would have left that association of footballing nations, joined the World Cup Committee, and Nolan's fast rise would be stagnated by the presence of Philip Cohen, Marcus Sheldon, and then the near-meteoric rises of Nigel Erskine and Nick Riordan. Nearly ten years on, and Nolan has about a fifth of the caps of Nick Riordan, and about an eighth of the goals; but that's not to mean that Nolan's a bad player. If anything, it's the opposite; Nolan's been racking up the numbers for Couno Rangers back home, though he has received a bit of flak for supposedly being unable to perform in black. It's something that his team-mates have defended him for; they know he's just as good, and just as lethal, as the rest of the attackers on this team.

#26 - Charlotte Henshaw

CLUB: Lakewood City AGE: 23 CAPS: 14 GOALS: 7

First Appearance: vs Flavovespia, Eagles' Cup 14 (Match 191)

A perhaps surprise appearance given her age and relative lack of experience, Charlotte Henshaw looks to be the next big thing when it comes to Tumbran strikers. The blonde-haired bombshell, as she's been called by some tabloids, has had something of a break out in recent years as she burst onto the stage with City, proving to be as deadly in front of net as predicted. Her time in black has proven to only steel her and push herself to a higher level — seven goals in fourteen matches, including three goals in qualifying — has meant she's landed herself a ticket to the World Cup.

The Opponents

It's a group of familiar faces; two of the three opponents Tumbra will face were also in their group at the 90th World Cup, where Tumbra barely escaped the group after a victory over TJUN-ia and two draws. The last opponent, of course, is the ever-present Nephara; who have earned the erstwhile status of always challenging to win the World Cup.

Baker Park

Previous Appearances: 12 First/Latest Appearance: 80/91 Best Result: 4th (85)
Manager: Jennifer Prescott Key Player: Ayana West
vs Tumbra: Matchday 1 @ Sile

SKIN OF THEIR TEETH — The Bees were taken to extra time in a playoff by Adab, but they've managed to keep their immaculate World Cup record secure. Baker Park are a not-unfamiliar foe of Tumbra; they've played on two occasions prior. The first was the World Cup 90 group stage game, where Nigel Erskine scored a penalty in injury time to send the Black Eagles to the second round; the other was the final of the thirteenth Eagles' Cup, where Nick Riordan scored in extra time to secure the much-desired trophy for the Black Eagles. This time, they're under the tutelage of Jennifer Prescott, the Bees' most successful manager; they'll be bringing a 3-4-1-2 formation to the World Cup, with stalwart Ayana West leading the line for them. Behind her, Christa Vuckovic is probably the biggest threat that Tumbra will have to deal with. The Black Eagles and the Bees will meet in Sile to start off their campaign; it'll be a much-anticipated clash as the two burgeoning rivals vie to make it out of the group.

Nephara

Previous Appearances: 23 First/Latest Appearance: 67/91 Best Result: Champions (74/87)
Manager: Igrene Cantor Key Player: Felixe Vetiver
vs Tumbra: Matchday 2 @ Turoki

CORMORANTS RISING — It says a lot about how strong a nation is that they're always in the conversation for possible a possible World Cup run. Hailing from the Terrenean Coast in southeastern Rushmore, the Nepharan Cormorants will provide a good, evenly-matched game for the Tumbrans, as they look to capitalise on their new manager — who, lest Tumbrans forget, was in charge of the team that consigned Tumbra to the third-placed playoff last cycle — and their wunderkind up front, Felixe Vetiver. They'll likely sport a 4-2-3-1 formation that a mid-qualifying slump forced a change to; placing Vetiver front and centre of their attack. The Cormorants' attack will probably be the most feared part of their team; Vetiver aside, they've also got Wirr Tsi wonderkid Arachne Loeher on the left, dual national Madita Brewer on the right, and Kurtis Swainsona right behind Vetiver. Whomever wins this match will likely occupy first in the group; and will likely get a much easier run-in in the later stages of the World Cup.

TJUN-ia

Previous Appearances: 1 First/Latest Appearance: 90/90 Best Result: GS (90)
Manager: David Seems Key Player: Archer Andrews
vs Tumbra: Matchday 3 @ Mavaloiao

THE JAGUAR'S UNITED NATIONS have come to occupy a sort of nightmarish space in most political scientists' analyses of what a state constitutes. Not many really know what nations they're attempting to unite; fewer know how they manage to do so. Even less speculate on the nature of the mysterious Jaguar, and some conspiracy theorists have said that the "United Nations" part of their name refers to a desire to unite the world beneath them. They do seem to be fairly good at football, all things aside; after all, they were one of two teams to defeat Tumbra during the qualifiers. Outside of the 0-0 draw and 2-0 loss this cycle, Tumbra last played TJUN-ia during the 90th World Cup; that time, a Nick Riordan goal managed to separate the two sides. Tumbra will approach this match with caution, especially after the defeat in TJUN-ia; but most pundits do say that the previous loss in TJUN-ia was down to a combination of not having Kerr and Harrison at the team's disposal, and a lifting off of the gas after securing direct qualification to the World Cup.

Tumbra vs Baker Park: World Cup 92, Matchday 1

Starters: 1 - Nick Barker; 2 - Nicholas Moss, 4 - Stephen Kerr, 5 - Ian Ashburn, 3 - Tracey Mercurio; 6 - Trudy Harrison, 8 - Vincent Hicks, 23 - Susan Monaghan; 7 - Valerie Wells, 21 - Lynne Crossley; 11 - Nick Riordan

Bench: 12 - Victoria Jones, 13 - Richard Russell; 14 - Wendy Pritchett, 18 - Chris Finney, 19 - James Green, 20 - Harry Henderson, 24 - Raymond Perry; 10 - Phil Cole, 15 - Mark Finnemore, 16 - Andrew Fisher, 25 - Valerie Morris; 9 - Robin Vaughn, 17 - George Hilton; 22 - Bruce Nolan, 26 - Charlotte Henshaw

by **Ko-oren** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 11:37 am

Everything a player needs to create heroic characters for the world's greatest roleplaying game!

"Mum! Can I have that?"

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At home:

by **Mytanija** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 12:32 pm

The noise inside the stadium was unnerving, a mix of anguished howls, people yearning for just one more chance and shrieking whistles, people who would like little other than for the referee to blow his whistle and call time on the match. Neither would sway Quebecois referee Ned Conacher, he had added five minutes on, and they were going to play five minutes. The way that the Mytanars had tried to waste time was admirable to a degree, they seemed to find new and innovative methods every few minutes, but it did mean that they would have to endure a longer amount of injury time. They had rather brought it on themselves.

Pasarga held a 1-0 lead thanks to a first-half strike from Vojmil Topić, it was a well-worked move, shifting the Mytanar back-line across to one side of the pitch and then exploiting the space on the far side. A clever switch of play left Adnan Sulejmanovic with a lot of work to do to recover and a deft touch to control the ball and a sweeping finish a moment later had Pasarga ahead and halved their aggregate deficit. Mytanija’s 2-0 lead suddenly appeared to be a little bit more precarious. Dzvezdan Kitanchev shook his head on the sideline, ‘get the first goal’ had been his instruction to the players throughout each day in the build-up to the game. That instruction had been undone clinically here.

A lesson to be learned, you could plan all you wanted ahead of a game, but plans didn’t last long when somebody walked out and smacked you in the mouth. Mytanija’s plan had lasted just over twenty minutes. Kitanchev was pleased with how they retained their shape after the concession. He had decided to play three in central midfield, instead of playing with a number ten they would pack the centre of the pitch and try to force Pasarga into wide areas. From there the idea was to force futile crosses into the middle, where Mytanija’s three central defenders were stationed like sentries guarding the penalty area. No Omer Kuhar-Arh did mean that they were less creative, Blazhe Gjorgjioski was good at many things but playmaking – he would admit – was not one of them.

Kitanchev had perhaps come with the reputation of a Repin acolyte, somebody who had been brought up with the legendary manager’s coaching instilled in Mytanar football, but he had demonstrated the difference between the two regularly. Kitanchev was more pragmatic in the commonly understood meaning of the word when related to football – although Repin would argue that, in his view, most of his tactical decisions were pragmatic.

This play-off match against Pasarga was a good example, with Kitanchev going more defensive to shield the 2-0 lead his team had built on home soil and try to hit their Rushmori rivals on the counter. Repin would never have wanted to cede control of a match by allowing the opponent more possession. To him, having the ball was the ultimate demonstration of pragmatism, simply because the opponent could not score themselves without it. For Kitanchev there was utility in allowing the opponent the ball and forcing them to do something with it. Gjorgjioski, Atsev and Smajic sat in front of Savicevic, Mbala-Ekakia and Sulejmanovic and dared Pasarga to use the ball.

After the opener, this plan seemed to work well, Mytanija sat in and frustrated their opponent, they would cynically foul to break-up the play and every so often they would attack at lightning speed, threatening the Pasargan defence which had perhaps been lulled into a false sense of security by Mytanija’s passivity. Kitanchev had selected Drazen Skara for his pace, partnering Ocokoljic at the top end of the pitch and the pair caused problems for Pasarga’s defenders. A direct pass into Ocokoljic’s feet forty yards from goal was dangerous, he could easily turn and make a pass which could turn into a goal, so stopping him from turning had to be the objective. Failure to do this could result in a goal and after a direct pass from Bigger Mbala-Ekakia, Ocokoljic got on the half-turn and instantly sent Drazen Skara haring in behind. The 1923 Esca forward used his strength to hold-off Michel Sarrazin and rattled off a fearsome shot, grazing the post after leaving Tomáš Přibyl stranded.

Whiskers away from equalising and leaving Pasarga a mountain to climb. Pasarga continued to play, but as time wore on this became more desperate, players became more frustrated, and it started to look like the Hoops would hold on to their narrow 2-1 aggregate lead. Whenever Mytanija won the ball back they would take a touch to take the ball away from their opponent and then, as soon as they felt the lightest touch, throw themselves down to draw attention to a foul. Some warranted the referee’s intervention, but others were rather clear dives – though you’d never have guessed if watching Mytanar coverage. The dives were convincing, though, and Mytanija could waste a minute or two and break-up the flow of the game. This raised the temperature in the stands, supporters becoming more and more irate as they felt the game slipping away from their country.

The noise rose and rose, eventually reaching a level which felt a little bit like a crescendo, albeit one which seemed to last the entire last-third of the match. Desperation from all angles, the Pasargans wanting a goal and the Mytanars wanting the game to end. When they couldn’t dive the Mytanar team would foul. They would do this intelligently, rotating through their team to ensure that no one player was caught doing it twice in a row, but eventually Ned Conacher decided that there were some repeat offenders. Grigorij Savicevic was booked after clattering through the back of Elek Salai, probably for the fourth or fifth time, and Conacher decided to bring the yellow card out despite Savicevic’s protesting his innocence.

The veteran defender pointed to himself with a look of pure shock written across his grizzled features: ‘me, ref?’ When the yellow card was thrust high into the air he waved his arms and then brought his hands together, looking up to the sky and asking for divine guidance on the detail of his sin.

Savicevic wasn’t the only one, though, the midfield was also well-versed in the dark arts and Blazhe Gjorgjioski found himself on a yellow after fouling Ilona Kárpáty and then – once Conacher had played advantage – bringing Csongor Sebeôk down for good measure. Mersudin Smajic was booked for pulling back Katinka Pálffy just when it looked like Pasarga might have a good opportunity to get on the counter-attack. It was the sort of play which some might brandish as ‘dirty’ or ‘unsportsmanlike’, but Mytanars would claim to be ‘clever’ or ‘determined’. Winning was the end goal, the way they played didn’t matter if they got there in the end.

Pasargan frustration threatened to boil over, perhaps understandably so, with players frustrated with the neanderthal style of play Mytanija were employing. Sebeôk waving an imaginary yellow card when Jezdimir Ocokoljic clipped his heels was met with a stern telling off by Conacher, whilst Eustacio Corral Magana was booked himself for clipping Nemanja Ovcina after the wing-back had fouled him to win the ball back without punishment. Tempers were fraying, it was resembling a football match less and less, morphing into the sort of scene which could be witnessed on the streets of any Mytanar city after two groups of angry people had spent a day drinking. But that was pretty much what Mytanija wanted.

The ball spent more time out of play than in it and the minutes ticked by. Every minute less left on the clock represented less time for Pasarga to score and level the tie on aggregate. Kitanchev played his part, introducing substitutes to eat up precious seconds. Those on yellow cards were withdrawn, with fresh legs and a fresh rap sheet enabling them to continue the anti-football approach. Dordo Urbanc entered the fray for Mersudin Smajic, whilst Svetoslav Radozevic came on for Blazhe Gjorgjioski and Mytanija sank deeper down the pitch. Grigorij Savicevic was kept on, his experience deemed invaluable in the high-pressure environment of Stade de Torgos. Urbanc quickly obliged in his mission, picking up a yellow card for smashing through 1896 Ebor’s Michael Baer, a second-half substitute, with an agricultural challenge at best and one which perhaps deserved a different colour card at worst. Some might wonder if this was all worthwhile for mere World Cup qualification, surely these were the tactics you’d employ at a much more important stage? Those people would be told that the Mytanars would use these tactics then too, and when they were playing a Sunday pub league game, as well.

As Mytanija sank deeper down the pitch, Pasarga regained a little bit of composure and began to try to shift the Hoops from side-to-side. Minds were focused when the announcement was made about the amount of injury time and both teams seemed to find a new level of concentration. Ilona Kárpáty was pulling the strings, appearing everywhere and able to evade Dordo Urbanc’s attentions after his yellow card. Each time the ball was crossed into the Mytanar penalty area a Mytanar head found it and sent it away. Every time the ball was driven into the Mytanar penalty area a Mytanar boot sent it out of play. The seconds ticked by.

Then Michael Baer had the ball and was able to drive between Grigorij Savicevic and the tiring Nemanja Ovcina, as they got to the by-line Savicevic was able to haul his ageing frame across to block the cross – the ball cannoned off him and went out for a corner. There was life in the old dog yet. He looked up at the scoreboard, 93:43, Pasarga could have a few more opportunities yet. He spat on the ground and summoned up the energy for a jog, moving to the centre of the box and beginning to organise his teammates.

“Bigger, Adnan, we take the big three. Everybody else in your zones!”

Baer had wasted no time to place the ball down and ready themselves to cross the ball in, but he had to wait a few moments for his teammates to get themselves into the right positions. A set-piece at this stage of the game was a valuable resource, they didn’t want to waste it. Eventually everybody was set and Baer swung the ball in high, towards the back post and Adnan Sulejmanovic managed to rise above Mozes Szölôsi to head the ball away. It looped high off his head and towards the edge of the box, Mytanija had brought people back deep to defend the cross and as it looped back towards the ground Grigorij Savicevic realised with horror that Kárpáty was going to reach it first.

Everything seemed to move in slow-motion, the ball dropped and Kárpáty met it, swinging her right boot towards the ball and directing it towards the goal. Savicevic began to drop back towards his own goal, covering the side of the net to Semir Besak’s left which he had left unattended after moving towards the back post. Savicevic hoped the ball would be deflected away by one of the sea of bodies in front of him, but Kárpáty’s shot was good, heading towards the top corner of the net. There was nobody on the post. Savicevic was the only player between the ball and the goal. For a moment he thought about trying to head it away, but he realised it was already moving too fast for him to contort his body to put his head in the way.

Instead, he raised his left hand and put it in the way, he felt the ball smash off his left wrist and fly out for a corner. Immediately the noise pierced the slow-motion experience, the Pasargan crowd roared in disgust, demanding that the referee give them a penalty. The Pasargan players all turned towards the referee, some sprinting towards him. Ilona Kárpáty’s shot had been going in, Savicevic had used his hand to stop it from going in. Savicevic stood still, some of his teammates sank to the ground, exhausted. The referee pointed to the penalty spot. Savicevic began to trudge off the pitch before Ned Conacher even had a chance to pull the straight red card out, eventually brandishing it at a distant Savicevic who was halfway to the sideline. It felt a long time ago that he had been worried about having to play a chunk of time on a yellow card.

He had one look at the scoreboard as he left the field, 94:16. It had taken just over 30 seconds for things to change from Mytanija withstanding the pressure to Mytanija on the brink of being taken to extra time, a man down and exhausted from over 90 minutes of Pasargan pressure. Savicevic passed Kitanchev and grimaced at his manager. Kitanchev patted him on the back as he walked by. There had been little choice, it was either let the ball in or stop it, at least this way Semir Besak might have a chance at saving the effort. The whole Mytanar bench was silent. The Pasargans moved off the bench and towards the side-line, anticipating an equaliser.

Conacher urgently tried to calm things down, but the Mytanar players were now in pure chaos mode, young Nemanja Ovcina could be seen scuffing the penalty spot, Jezdimir Ocokoljic was arguing with the decision to give a penalty, a Pasargan player had tried to retrieve the ball from behind the goal only for Semir Besak to punch it out of his grip and hoof it into the crowd. Bigger Mbala-Ekakia and Adnan Sulejmanovic were pushing Pasargans out of the way, players who were only trying to allow their teammate a chance to take the penalty in peace. Once Nemanja Ovcina had been dragged away by a couple of Pasargan minders, Svetoslav Radozevic took over gardening duties.

The referee eventually had no choice but to dish out more yellow cards, Jezdimir Ocokoljic was handed one for his argumentation. The linesman advised of Semir Besak’s antics, hoofing the ball away and Conacher booked him as well. Svetoslav Radozevic was admonished and handed a yellow, though Nemanja Ovcina somehow managed to avoid a booking. By the time the referee had managed to calm proceedings down the clock on the scoreboard read 96:42, over two-and-a-half minutes had passed since the penalty had been given. Two-and-a-half minutes for the penalty taker, Elek Salai, to think through where they were going to put the shot. Two-and-a-half minutes for Salai to think about the pressure on the kick. Two-and-a-half minutes for Elek Salai to potentially change their mind about how they would take the penalty.

Conacher cleared the penalty area of players, handed Salai the ball and pushed Semir Besak away from the penalty spot. Besak paid little attention, backing off slowly and yelling insults towards the forward, trying anything to put them off their game. Besak eventually found himself on his goal line and now decided it was time to ask the referee several questions. He wanted to understand every rule there was to know pertaining to penalties. Conacher humoured him for a moment, before recognising what he was doing and stepping away. Besak smirked and then shouted at Salai again, thumping the crossbar with his big, paw-like hands. The Pasargan crowd was electric with nervous excitement, surely if Elek Salai put the ball in the goal they would go into extra time and wear this Mytanija team down?

Salai deliberately placed the ball down, trying to avoid the scuffed-up penalty spot as best possible, Besak continued to roar at him. The clock read 97:13, there would not be very much more time, even with the penalty decision and the chaos that ensued after its award. Besak waved his arms, trying to do anything to put the forward off. Salai took a couple of steps back and Conacher blew the whistle. The striker stepped up, one step forward, two steps forward, and hit the ball to Besak’s right. The goalkeeper guessed correctly, diving right, the ball was hit well but at a comfortable height and Besak managed to get both gloves to the ball to parry it away. The ball was still in play, heading back out towards the players who were all storming towards goal. Chaos.

The ball was looping out again and Besak could only hope that somebody would smash it away, anywhere but back towards his goal. As it was Kat Földessi got her head to it, Besak was left scrambling, and the ball smashed against the crossbar and back out. Andrija Hrvatin got to the ball first, switching the ball from their right foot to his weaker left and swung his boot at it, sending the ball flying high over the crossbar. Besak let out a guttural roar, the Mytanar team mobbed him, Conacher put the whistle to his lips and blew for full-time. 97:31. The whole Mytanar bench ran towards the players on the pitch, the Pasargans sank to the ground, Grigorij Savicevic emerged from the tunnel – where he had been watching from covertly – and ran towards his teammates in celebration. He wasn’t meant to be there, but he wasn’t going to miss this celebration.

The Mytanar section of the stadium was jubilant, pyrotechnics were being lit-up and the giant flags were being waved in celebration. They would be going to the World Cup. Dzvezdan Kitanchev had to compose himself, though he couldn’t see Pasargan coach Kurtis Rakeruth to shake his hand. He doubted that the Nepharan would want to after the way the Mytanar team had progressed, their play beforehand perhaps being enough to cause that sort of disregard, never mind the eventual handball to prevent a definite goal and missed penalty. Kitanchev strode out and consoled a couple of Pasargan players, thanked the officiating team – who sternly told him to expect a lengthy report about his players – and then joined his team celebrating in front of the joyous Mytanar support.

He wasn’t the man who failed to qualify for the World Cup post-Repin. He was the man to continue along the path that Repin had laid.

by **Flavovespia** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 1:23 pm

Flavovespia (3) 2 - 1 (2) (AET) Yuezhou

It was tense, it was tough, and it nearly went all the way to penalties, but in one of the most historic games for Flavovespia, they secured a second appearance in the World Cup in extra time. No matter what expectations were laid on the side prior to the beginning of the Qualifiers, this playoff win will be remembered for a long time, as Flavovespia look to continue a halcyon era.

The same starting 11 who drew in Yuezhou would start in this second leg of the playoffs in Hornet’s Nest, Waldster. The atmosphere was electric, the national anthems seemingly louder than ever, and most of the ground was a sea of yellow and black to cheer on the home side.

Despite the atmosphere, the action on the pitch could hardly be described as thrilling in the opening 15 minutes. The players seemed to be feeling the tension, and decent opportunities were being snuffed out by loose passing as opposed to particularly good defending. In fact no shots on target were even registered until the 18th minute, and Adrian Jones hardly tested Zhao Deliang with a soft shot straight at the goalkeeper.

It would be the 32nd minute when the first goal came, and it went to the visitors. It came from a free kick about 30 meters out, whipped in towards the penalty spot. Wan Sheping timed their run to perfection, leaping in stride before getting firm contact on the ball with the head, and directing it into the goal, just inside the post. A well worked set piece, and the visitors took one big step towards World Cup 92 with the lead in the match and on aggregate. They saw off a quick flurry of attacks to try and equalise before half time, making it 0-1 at the break.

Flavovespia were hoping for a quick response in the second half, but if anything it was Yuezhou who looked the more likely to score. Liu Huiying forced a good save out of Aarif Muhammad in the 56th minute, and a few minutes later was off target from a similar position. The momentum was with Yuezhou, as they searched for a second to confirm their spot in the World Cup, with Flavovespia now on the ropes. Flavovespia dug in and avoided conceding, but needed to find the goal to get the tie back level regardless.

With 14 minutes to go, Flavovespia made their first real clear cut chance of the game pay off. Adrian Jones just outside the box drew in the centre back marking him. Thisopened up the space for Jonathan Bagshaw, who got goalside of Jiawei Chuan. He only had Zhao Deliang to beat, and with a brilliantly palced effort slotted the ball into the left hand side of the goal from Bagshaw’s persoective. 1-1, and with not a lot of time left, the tie was back level. Extra time suddenly looked a lot more likely, and the home fans found another level to their voice inside the ground, sensing the turnaround was on.

The final minutes of normal time were a thrilling yet nervous affair. The ball seemed to fly from end to end, often without much end product, but 3 minutes from time, a cross flashed across the Flavovespian box from Luo Nanwei. Jiang Jueren was mere centimetres away from sliding in and getting contact on the ball, but it rolled past them and was cleared by David Blythe. At the full time whistle, it was 1-1 here, 2-2 on aggregate, and as the two teams gathered themselves on the pitch, they had to prepare themselves for another half hour to potentially decide who goes to World Cup 92. If not, it’d be penalties.

It was incredibly tense both on and off the field. Fans of both sides were in full voice, but plenty were struggling to watch. Several of the players as well seemed to be suffering from nerves or fatigue, the quick fluidity of the game seemed to have been replaced by a more direct approach, yielding fewer results as defences and goalkeepers mopped up loose balls. For the first 15 minutes of the first half of extra time, no real clear cut chances were made, and it was 1-1, just another 15 minutes to go, before penalties.

The moment to remember came in the 108th minute of play. It was Michael Cole feeding off of David Lyons long ball that ran down the left wing, towards the Yuezhou goal. He was kept wide and unable to cut in, but was able to send in a low driven cross, aiming between the penalty spot and the edge of the box. Adrian Jones had timed his run to perfection, and was the first to the ball. With a first time strike, he got the ball above the sliding, outstretched Zhao Deliang, and the ball flew through the air, over the goal line, between the posts and into the back of the net. The crowd erupted, Jones was mobbed by his teammates and the substitutes, coaches and manager Augusto Rinaldi were off the dugout and celebrating on the touchline. 2-1 now, Flavovespia were leading and just 12 minutes from a second appearance at the World Cup.

The last 12 minutes were all defence for Flavovespia. Arely a yellow shirt ventured across the halfway line, as Yuezhou threw everything forward searching for an equaliser. Often it seemed the ball fell to a yellow shirt who simply put their laces through the clearance, and a Yuezhou defender or even goalkeeper would recycle possession and restart. The minutes ticked on, and the belief began to grow. There were 2 minutes of injury time, and one last Yuezhou attack was cleared away, with Jonathan Bagshaw practically one on one with the keeper on the counter attack. He didn’t go for glory, instead going to the corner flag to run out the final seconds of the game. Yuezhou couldn’t win the ball back in time, and the final whistle shortly blew to jubilation from the crowd. Flavovespia had done it, they were going to World Cup 92.

The celebrations on the pitch, in the stands, and across the nation lasted for a long time. It may not quite have had the same level of emotion as the first ever World Cup qualification in the last cycle, nor the CAFA Cup 4 victory, but this was still a moment to remember. As Flavovespia began to ready themselves for a journey to Vilita or Electum to take part in their second World Cup, the nation began to reflect on the halcyon era the national team found themselves in, and all the stars and memories in the making.

by **Chromatika** » Thu Oct 27, 2022 8:54 pm

ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
ALICE
EIGHT
NINE
TEN

MD21: (31) Chromatika 3-0 (290) Atetancillo
Goals: Kuznetsov 19', Xuen-Zhukov 58', 68'
Starting XI (3-4-1-2): Fillar, J. (C); Ansov - de Aea - Anbient; Fillar, G.- Zuniga - Hauser - Fillar, E.; Kuznetsov; Killian - Xuen-Zhukov.
Substitutes: Coulibaly-> Ansov (49'), Nodis -> de Aea (49'), Baum -> Fillar, G. (66'), Larriet-Cortes -> Zuniga (66'), Oveni -> Killian (85')
MD22: (77) Brookstation 0-3 (31) Chromatika
Goals: Xuen-Zhukov 11', Fillar, E. 61', Fillar, B. 85'
Starting XI (3-4-1-2): Fillar, J. (C); Ansov - de Aea - Anbient; Fillar, G.- Zuniga - Hauser - Fillar, E.; Kuznetsov; Killian - Xuen-Zhukov.
Substitutes: Mixon -> Anbient (52'), Fillar, B. -> Hauser (52'), Delaya -> Killian (68'), Ighv -> Fillar, E. (68'), Phoen -> Kuznetsov (88')

WC Proper MD1 vs. (1) Turori
Predicted Starting XI (3-4-1-2): Fillar, J. (C); Ansov - de Aea - Anbient; Fillar, G.- Zuniga - Hauser - Fillar, E.; Kuznetsov; Killian - Xuen-Zhukov.
Reserves: GK Kathie Begley, GK Lorée Bautista, DCR Ami Coulibaly, DC Klavida Régine, DC Gwina Ansoll, DCL Ipati Aimée, DCL Cylie Nodis, WBR Emilie Kruetzberg, WBL Ha'nei Ighv, WBL Manda Iara, BWM Kaia Larriet-Cortes, AP Baillaire Fillar, AM Alissar Phoen, SS Kara Oveni, CF Candice Delaya

The Red League All-Decade Team
11: Managers

By: Jordan Lawless, Chief Correspondent

By what measure do you determine a Manager of the decade - the number of titles? The amount of hardware? The work that they've done to bring their club up from the ashes? We here at The Rebel think a mixture of all three is needed, but the most important of all is if they have lived up to the culture of the club and made it better by their presence. By this metric, we think we've found the two best Managers of the last decade to round out the team.

The Red League All-Decade Second Team Manager:

Jannick Kontiola, Chromatik

You can hate Chromatik the club, but you won't find many that hate their Manager. Loyal to the team, Kontiola had to wait multiple seasons before he could make good on his promise to win the first title for Chromatik. He committed to two things: Building a program based on the youth and getting unheralded players from up and coming nations. He made a gamble on Trudy Harrison, and she ended up being so good that Leysa Burns left of her own volition; Harrison was responsible for bringing in Kerr. They had a great striker in Montalban, and now look poised for more success with Singh. They've signed some great players from the CCFA - namely, one Cixin Nguyen. Kontiola has a can-do attitude and an easy confidence that really has his players believing in the system, and though it took a while to get this going, the Chromatik juggernaut is just getting started.

The Red League All-Decade First Team Manager:

Zhanxi Nanlei, Wirr Tsi

Did you know that Zhanxi Nanlei has only made one All-Decade Second Team in his tenure? It's not because he is a bad Manager; on the contrary, it's because he's so consistently good that better stories often win the award in front of him. What has the Yue Manager done? He's lifted Wirr Tsi, with the help of Calania Motors, from an also-run club to a perennial contender that had one of the most dominant seasons in history. They've won three Red League titles under his tutelage, as well as an IFCC title, the first in Chromatik history. He brought Wan Sheping in with him, and after the acquisition of Sara Kristoffersdóttir and Kendra Carpenter, they were ready to go; the acquisition of veteran defenders and Bigger Mbala-Ekakia to shore up the bakc line was also great. Nanlei has also been one of the biggest reasons why Kathie Begley has stayed with the club - she and her Manager get along very well. Uncertain days lie ahead for the Shock, but with Nanlei at the helm, they'll always be a contender.

The completed All-Decade Teams:

First Team: Zhanxi; Begley; Rostock - Wiseman - Clemence - Roy; Kristoffersdóttir - Harrison - Zup; Dannysdóttir - Wadsworth - Hanson-Conavacio.
Second Team: Kontiola; Harrington; De Saint-Pierre - Kerr - Callejon - Strasbourg; Burns - Hashemi - Nguyen; Erskine - Haodao - Carpenter.

The Third Chromatik Premier Election

Primary Results

Tkacho, Lemańska, Buxton Confirm Candidacy

As expected, the candidates for the Red Party and the Spade Party, as well as the Independent candidate that had obtained 500,000 signed signatures, obtained confirmation to be candidates on the third Chromatik election with ease.

The easiest was Antoine Buxton, who had to grab 500,000 votes to even be considered; Mr. Buxton made his way to the Hall of Justice in Chromia and turned in 718,291 signed signatures. According to Buxton's campaign manager, Jacquline Monet, "Mr. Buxton knows that his chances of winning the election are slim. However, by his being there on the ballot, every Chromatik will be reminded of what he stands for and what Chromatika must not forget."

For Svyatopolk Tkacho and the Red Party, it was rather simple. Having the smallest number of registered voters in a party, Tkacho obtained 99.4% of the votes cast in the primary, to a tune of 1,718,291 votes - trouncing the needed voting percentage of 85% for single-candidate parties. Tkacho is hoping to lead the Red Party to new heights - including a move to generate more seats in the Chambers of the Legislature. Mariola Lemańska obtained 91.5% of the votes cast in the Spade Party primary, to a tune of 2,121,256 votes. It ended up being a little closer to the 85% threshold than she intended, but the strength of the Spade Party is the number of voters who don't bother register, or don't even know that they are a party that can be registered with. Expect the Spades to be more out in force when the actual election hits. The Spade Party and the Red Party are expected to work together this election, as their podiums don't contradict each other and they could use each other's numbers. It will be fascinating to see just how things shake out between the two of them.

Li Xiyiang Wins Rainbow Party Candidacy with Dominant Showing; Jung Falls in Line, Kornhäusel Refuses to Endorse Li

For the Rainbow Party, these elections are the first real chance of them losing the Premiership, after they'd already lost the Chambers of the Legislature to the New Light Party due to the split. With Li, Jung, and Kornhäusel vying for the candidacy, it was a very lively election season. Though it looked like Kornhäusel could cause some damage, Li's standing with the rest of the Rainbow Party, the voter base that sided with Quebec and Banija, and the older voting base was too much to overcome. Winning 68.2% of the 4,589,651 votes cast in the Primary, Li, the "Royal Apologist", became the Premiership candidate for the Rainbow Party.

Coming in second behind Li was Finnja Kornhäusel, the candidate that wanted to promote defense of Chromatika, the one who had spearheaded Chromatika's acquisition of the Euran aircraft carriers. Getting 30.5% of the votes, Kornhäusel looked like she had some of the momentum early - especially among the young voting base of the Rainbow Party - but as the election moved past the Capital District, she fell behind Li. Jung finished in third with 1.3% of the votes, only drawing the adventurous as she has been pushing for a while to get that expedition started.

Jung immediately accepted her defeat and endorsed Li as the party's main candidate. Interestingly, Kornhäusel did not. In fact, at the time of writing - more than two days since the end of the primary - Kornhäusel still hasn't officially endorsed Li. There are rumors that she may instead ask her voting base to consider voting for another candidate - and if that's the case, the shift of power in the election could be compromised for the Rainbow Party.

This win is expected to be received positively by the major allies of Chromatika in Banija and Quebec - or at least, by their respective monarchies. However, with Kornhäusel's status still pending, not all is well within the Rainbow Party camp.

Embroise Dominates New Light Party Primary, Embraces Basketerina and Chisuzu Immediately

It has only been a few years since the New Light Party burst onto the scene, and though the demise of the Traditionalists has caused some room for the party to splinter, they've remained true to each other at large. Basketerina and Chisuzu rose as challengers to Embroise, but it was understated throughout the Saebitdang camp that it would be Hélène Embroise that would be the absolute favorite.

Embroise came through. Winning 81.3% of the 4,125,452 votes cast in the primary, while Basketerina had 10.5% and Chisuzu at 8.2%. Embroise took a huge lead from the Capital District and extended it through most of the Districts, only losing a few cities and not losing a single District or Island in the process. Both Basketerina and Chisuzu were quick to endorse their party leader, and the Saebitdang will, at least up front, be a united party headed to the election.

There is a bit of a chance that some of Basketerina's base may shift to Li in the Rainbow Party, but Ilyana has done her job of asking them to stay within the bounds of the Saebitdang; Chisuzu's base has been placated by him promising to run again in the future when he has gained more power. Hélène will continue to help Ilyana grow - while keeping an eye on her - while also trying to do enough to keep Chisuzu's voter base happy, as he is an influential professor. This seems very doable for someone as politically savvy as Embroise.

It remains the case, though, that Embroise has done enough to keep her party as a cohesive unit; with the fact that the Rainbow Party is splintering, all things are looking up for the Saebitdang.

The Fourth Premier Election Candidates:
Svyatopolk Tkacho, Red Party
Mariola Lemańska, Spade Party
Li Xiyiang, Rainbow Party
Hélène Embroise, New Light Party
Antoine Buxton, Independent

by **Ko-oren** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 9:04 am

After a cycle that was perfect on the surface - 1 loss, 6 goals allowed - some changes are made by Katherine Davenport and her staff ahead of the World Cup group stage. Finshing second in the qualifiers is one thing (but excusable), but having that happen on the back of six draws was a little unnecessary. The team got noticeably better towards the end and qualification was never in doubt in the playoffs - 0-0, 2-0 - it's just that we could have been more comfortable. At the same time, comfortable just isn't our style. We stop scoring when we're 1-0 up, so if we ever do concede, grabbing a win becomes that much more difficult. Either way, our defensive gameplan was fine, our goal difference was good enough, and our goal production was sub-par as always and completely reliant on the killer form of two (or sometimes three) good strikers, which consequently is the one position where we see turnover.

That's not to say that our play style hasn't changed: since taking over for Juliasterinthen (forced out by a little thing called WCC Presidency), Davenport has made the team more possession-oriented, with a slightly higher press, more resilient against the counterpress, which some teams do employ against better judgment. In attack, we're a little less deadly on the counterattack, which was our bread and butter for most of the 60s and 70s, up to the early 80s, but we're better at keeping the ball, scoring from open play, and we got much better at scoring from set pieces. Employing a designated free kick taker is a no-brainer now.

And so, the 26-man squad for the Round of 32 will be different from the originally named squad at the following positions:

1) Rightback: Kaji out, Betteridge in. Kaji, backup to Mizuno, was barely used and when Mizuno came off - which happened fairly frequently - he was replaced by someone else to play a very specific role. Needed an attacking impetus? Laza came on. Needed defence? Benjamin or Hoevink came on. Needed a fullback? Grootenhuis came on and switched sides from his usual left side. Kaji just wasn't needed and didn't seem to be trusted by the staff to fill the position. More often than not, the Dragonflies needed some attack which gave Laza far more playing time than anyone would have expected based on the depth chart ahead of the qualifiers. Listed as the backup right midfielder, where the midfield sees a lot of shuffling around of 5-6 players (and Laza not being one of them) looked to doom the youngster, but then he saw playing time on the right side as a free-ish player anyway. Betteridge better fills the possession role of the fullback, with speed and control - though not exactly the defensive side of the role, but Mizuno hasn't played that role like that much either.

2) Centreback: Aedil out, Derjekhistun in. Aedil also saw limited use: with the team leaning on defence you can't really have an 18-year old playing there. The Ko-orenite defence operates on 'getting better with age' anyway, so the 25-year old Derjekhistun is a better fit. Then again, Derjekhistun has earned some callups earlier in his career and didn't disappoint. He simply vanished behind a group of current stars, all in their early 30s.

3) Defensive midfielder: nobody out, Uozumi in. Davenport tended to operate with a 25-man squad (each position twice, plus a GK, plus two strikers) and saw that 26-man squads are the new big thing. The obvious position to call up as an extra is a midfielder, which is the main line to shift around based on gameplan and situation. There's the standard RM-CM-LM-AM configuration with ranging wingers Vaugrenard and Abbagan, or a modest DM-RM-CM-LM with Dhentingun behind the adventurous Parsons, or playing guys out of position, to make a DM-DM-AM-AM block, the possibilities are endless. And the best man to add is Uozumi, an extra defensive option (to be fair, an extra winger also wouldn't have hurt). Davenport knows more than anyone that the position is one thing, but the way a player fills that position is more important, and Uozumi complements Dhentingun pretty well.

4) Winger: Aoriene out, Wormstal in. Aoriene, who likes to play in the middle of the field, didn't prove to be effective as most dangerous moments came from the wings - which only shows how good Longchambon has been given he also plays in the centre and produces so many tense moments - and so Wormstal comes in as a more traditional winger. The Metropolis Alligators winger has topped lists of 'top 10 players who got SNUBBED for the Dr*gonflies' for half a decade now, and it's high time he gets to do his thing at the highest level. He'll have to immediately impress, though. Wormstal doesn't shirk his defensive duties, making him an even better candidate for the WC93+ squads.

5) Striker: Sawyer out, Aomelirea in. Sawyer and Aomelirea are of the same make: tall target men who score lots of goals. Sawyer wasn't very efficient in the minutes he got, and Aomelirea has been very effective in previous cycles. He is to complement a group of Bonstirthinden (creative, puts midfielders in scoring positions), yOraenaig (inexperienced but has been good for stretches), and Archer (starter, mostly used as a finisher but has a better sense of spacing than any striker at the moment). There are more decent strikers from the northwestern Anaian archipelago, but we have to go with whoever is good right now. You don't get a lot of chances and you have to score - or give others a way to score. With more possession, we are creating more chances, but they're not necessarily of a higher quality. The good set pieces are supplementing that, so we also need a striker to be at the right place at the right time to create danger from distant free kicks.

by **Valanora** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 10:09 pm

The decisions made in order to get the team ready for the flight for the Finals are always the most difficult for a manager. Which players have had the form and have the skill as well as the chemistry with the rest of the squad to enable the best chance at the team coming away with success in the crucible that is the World Cup Finals. In many ways it is a guessing game, hoping that the form that a player might have had with their club side or during the qualifying process will be able to transfer itself into the more intense scene of the group stage of the "main" tournament. However history is littered with a plethora of stories of those manager who thought they were bringing in completely in form players who they believed were the right combination in order to come away with a title and yet are eliminated far earlier than they would have believed, some even not making it out of the Group Stage. The Marauders are hoping to not be adding to that long list of teams those, especially after being the first team to clinch their qualification for the Finals during the Qualifiers for Electrum-Vilita.

Let us look at the supposed weaknesses of the squad that is getting ready for the venture to Electrum, which naturally is the defensive half of the team and something that at least on the eye test would be the weakest link of the Marauders. During the Qualifiers, the side conceded thirty-three times in a twenty game campaign, which is not the most impressive of records but it adequate enough for most matchdays and allowed the terrific talent that the team has in the midfield and attack to orchestrate the goals to get results from all but a single match. One defeat during the campaign will be a mark that the side will be able to quite proud of but also a show that a little bit more of focus from the team in their away games and they could have added another unblemished qualification campaign to the already quite illustrious history of the team. That four goal concession away from the Hatire Memorial will constantly be in the back of the minds of the defense and keepers and should be not a source of depression but one that will hopefully push them to be more disciplined from start to finish to see out matches and concede the necessary foul if required to break up a promising attack from the opposition.

Didrik might be accused of some bias for his selection, with three of the six defenders that have been named to the twenty-six man roster for Electrum coming from Raynor City United, the club team that he had managed before being appointed as the manager of the Marauders. However the players in question have no doubt earned their way into the team, with the fact that United is the best team in the Empire, as well as one of the best club teams in the entirety of the sport, domestic talent from the team will have more than earned their place in the team so long as United continues that elevated standard. Claudia Moench also adds a bit of a steady head and something of another captain on the field with her leadership presence, making for quite the partnership with former Champions League winner Ralph Winter. It is not the talent that is lacking in defense but rather if they are overwhelmed due to the three at the back system with only a single player in the midfield who looks to be playing a screening role to try and augment the defensive presence. It has won championships in the past, can it do so again?

Fortunately for the Marauders, that screening presence is none other than Gideon Riemann, who despite only being twenty-eight is a grizzled veteran both at club and country level and one of the most dynamic destroyer mold of midfielders that the team has. His time in Valladares has sharpened his skills and ability to play the pivot role in the sunken midfield role while providing cover for the back three. This is unconventional but it allows the extremely talented talents of Hawk, Schoß, and Söderström to use their playmaking abilities to great effect. Being tied for the most amount of goals in all of the Qualifiers is a testament to the immense skill of these attacking talents, which with Söderström does mean she is quite lax on her defensive duties but the crossing ability she has more than makes up for it. On the right Miriam Troegner is more keen to provide some defensive cover when called upon but would prefer to be with the rest of the midfield and pressing into the attack and overloading the opposition defenders and forcing them to pick their poison and who they want to allow to beat them.

Of course all of that creative talent in the middle means little if there is not someone to be the tip of the spear and there to convert the chances created into goals. That of course is Lothas Ludwig, who finished with nineteen goals in the qualifying campaign, while his strike partner in Jutta Palminger added another nine to her tally despite being a completely different type of striker than Ludwig. At this point in his career, Ludwig is a known quality and will likely be keened on by the opposition defense, though in doing so that can allow Hawk in that attacking midfielder role to run riot, a role that the captain is quite happy to engage in especially with a player like Palminger who is capable of holding up play. Taina Vääräniemi and Hadi Lundström both offer pace and lethality in front of net if called upon, while Elias Hammer can offer a similar role to Palminger, but more capable in taking on the defense though not nearly as skilled as Ludwig in doing so. It is an effective strikeforce and one that many would be jealous of, the goal tally during the qualification campaign a true sign of that. Perhaps a squad too much based on players not in the Premiership but in the hunt for six, Didrik is gambling on those players in form and who should more or less be at the peaks of their careers.

by **Pemecutan** » Fri Oct 28, 2022 11:22 pm

MD 21
Kimi-Suomi   2 – 3   Pemecutan

Goal scorers:
Wisnu Pramana (31')
Agus Kusumawijaya (52')
Komang Trisna Mahayana (77')

Substitutes:
Yuhabani Nehusandak <—> Gede Arya Wisesa (63')
Sorabala Aksapadan <—> Surya Brata Wijaya (79')
Samsul Hermawan <—> Kadek Rai Partha (81')
MD 22
Pemecutan   2 – 1   Hapilopper

Goal scorers:
Agus Setiahadi (40')
Pandu Oka Jaya (73')

Substitutes:
Samsul Hermawan <—> Kadek Rai Partha (71')
Wisnu Pramana <—> Arya Tungga Wijaya (84')

Saniscara Pon Wuku Sinta, Pawukon 1784

The Road to Pagerwesi
The Completion of New Year Celebration

Pemecutan Puri - The new year has arrived to Pemecutan. It's year of 1784 now. And continuing to our previous article about new year celebration, there are still 3 days after Banyu Pinaruh before the celebration is ended. These days are started with Soma Ribek in the first Monday. Then continued with Sabuh Mas on the Tuesday. And it is closed with Pagerwesi which fall on the Wednesday.

Soma Ribek literally can be translated as the Monday full of blessings. Based on Sundarigama Scripture, this day have a close connection with Goddess Sri, which is the representation of Goddess Lakshmi as the protector or provider of food. Goddess Sri is associated with rice, jineng and pulu. The day which fall on Soma Pon Wuku Sinta based on Pawukon calendar is guarded by notable Gods. Soma, association with God Vishnu which is represent life. Pon is associated with God Mahadev as the embodiment of apah (water). And Wuku Sinta is shaded by God Yama as the embodiment of agni (fire). These 3 elements are important for the humans. According to Pawukon Scripture, Soma Ribek is the day when Goddess Sri give the blessings. Most of the ritual during this day is focused on rice, jineng and pulu. Jineng is a place to stored paddies after the harvest. And pulu is what the traditional rice container. In this day there is also a rite that forbids everyone to pound the paddies and sold the rice. In some places the prohibition is broaden which also includes not harvesting fruits and vegetables. Written in Sundarigama Scripture;

ᬳᬶᬓᬂ ᬯᬂ ᬢᬦ᭄ ᬯᭂᬦᬂ ᬳᬦᬸᬫ᭄ᬩᬸᬓ᭄ ᬧᬭᬶ᭞

ᬳᬗᬤᭀᬮ᭄ ᬩᭂᬭᬲ᭄᭞ ᬓᬢᭂᬫᬄ ᬤᬾᬦᬶᬂ ᬪᬢᬭ

ᬲ᭄ᬭᬶ᭟ ᬧᬓᬾᬦᬜ ᬯᭂᬦᬂ ᬗᬲ᭄ᬢᬸᬢᬶ ᬲᬂ ᬳ᭄ᬬᬂ ᬢ᭄ᬭᬶ ᬧ᭄ᬭᬫᬦ᭟

ᬳᬗᬶᬲᭂᬧ᭄ ᬲᬭᬶ ᬢᬢ᭄ᬯ ᬳᬤ᭄ᬜᬦ᭞ ᬳᬚᬾ ᬳᬢᬸᬭᬸ

ᬭᬶᬂ ᬭᬳᬶᬦᬦᬾ᭟

Transliteration
Ikang wang tan wenang anumbuk pari, angadol beras, katemah dening Bhatara Sri. Pakenania wenang ngastuti Sang Hyang Tri Pramana. Angisep sari tatwa adnyana, aje aturu ring rahinane.

Translation
It is truly forbids to pound the paddies, selling rice, which will erased the blessings from Bhatara Sri (Goddess Sri). It is (the blessings) directed to worship Sang Hyang Tri Pramana (The Three Great Gods). To absorb the essence of the vast truthful thoughts, which is bestowed during the day.

The day of Soma Ribek is also known as Pemecutan Food Day. Where the Sanatana Dharma believers worship to thanking for the abundance of food.

Typical offerings for Soma Ribek

Sabuh Mas is fall on Anggara Wage Wuku Sinta in Pawukon calendary system. On this day, the worship is focused towards God Mahadev as the giver of wealth and prosperity. The day is to remind human to avoid greediness and to be grateful for what they have. On Sundarigama Scripture;

ᬅᬗ᭄ᬕᬭ ᬯᬕᬾ᭞ ᬲᬩᬸᬄ ᬫᬲ᭄ ᬗᬭᬦ᭄᭞ ᬧᬲᬸᬘ᭄ᬬᬦ᭄

ᬪᬢᬭ ᬫᬳᬤᬾᬯ᭞ ᬧᬓᭂᬃᬢᬶᬜ ᬭᬶᬂ ᬭᬚ ᬩᬾᬭᬦ

ᬳᬾᬫᬲ᭄ ᬫᬦᬶᬓ᭄᭞ ᬫ᭄ᬯᬂ ᬲᬃᬯ ᬫᬸᬮ ᬭᬢ᭄ᬦ ᬫᬦᬶᬓ᭄᭟

Transliteration
Anggara Wage, sabuh mas ngaran, pasucian Bhatara Mahadewa, pakertinia ring raja berana emas manik, mwang sarwa mula ratna manik.

Translation
Anggara Wage, Sabuh Mas is the name, the holy day of Bhatara Mahadewa (God Mahadev), the medium are in things made of gold, or all the valuable things.

Despite focusing on valuable things, the ritual actually reminded everyone to see the valuable things beyond gold, money or other similar objects.

Pagerwesi, the last day of Pawukon new year ceremony is fall on Buda Kliwon Wuku Sinta. It is literally means iron fence. Pager or Pageh is Hanacaraka word for fence. And Wesi is means iron. On this day, Sanatana Dharma believers focusing their worship towards Sang Hyang Pramesti Guru, the one and ultimate teacher. As the last day of Sarasvati or new year ritual, the day has a philosophical meaning for the humans to asked guidance from the Ultimate Teacher in order to controlling the knowledge that are given. So these knowledge will always be use for good things. Everyone should fence themselves from doing the bad things. And fence themselves from negativity that might affected their decision in using the knowledge that they have. To be able to fence themselves, they needs guidance. The guidance is in the shape of Sang Hyang Pramesti Guru which can be actualized through Catur Guru.

Catur Guru is 4 teacher that have to be respected based on Sanatana Dharma teaching. These Guru are believe to give lessons throughout the live of a person. The 4 Guru are Guru Rupaka or our parents. They are the first who teach and guide us as we are born. Every firsts are teach by them. Second, Guru Pengajian or the school teachers. After we are teached basic life from our parents, the teachers, school teachers will give us a broader knowledge of everything around us. From nature to history. From social life to medical. Then we have Guru Wisesa or the government. From them, we get the knowledge on how to politics. How to be in a more complex association or organization. How to abide to law. How to govern and how to be govern. Lastly, Guru Swadyaya or God. Here, we learn more broaden things of how life is. What is we aim for in this life. We learn about karma and how it affected our life. These 4 teachers are from whom we can asked for guidance to use our knowledge in a good way.

With the ends of Pagerwesi, the new year ritual of Pemecutan is completed. These rituals or ceremonies are believe to prepared them in the upcoming and uncertain year. And with the knowledge that we have, we can overcome any obstacles ahead of us.

Group D – MD 1

Pemecutan v Kandorith
@ Vilita

Meeting record
No record, first meeting
Starters: Benches:

1  GK Herman Putrawan Aksabala Jandisuga GK 12

2  LB Yuhabani Nehusandak Gede Arya Wisesa LB 24

3  CB Sorabala Aksapadan Surya Brata Wijaya CB 13

4  CB Satya Putra Laksamana (C) Jaka Wiryawan RB  5

14 RB Alvino Bastian Agus Setiahadi CM 19

6  LM Agus Kusumawijaya Kadek Rai Partha RM 30

7  CM Rama Karyadi Arya Tungga Wijaya AT 22

8  RM Samsul Hermawan Reserve benches:

20 ST Wisnu Pramana Gery Afilianto GK 33

10 ST Leo Olivando Putra Eka Laksana CB 18

11 AT Komang Trisna Mahayana Basuyuha Padurjana LM 15

Ngakan Putu Suweca CM 29

Pandu Oka Jaya ST 32

World Cup 81/82/83/84

Football Association of the Commonwealth
World Cup 92 Finals Factsheet
contact Sasha Henderson, FAC Director of Media Relations for further details

Triskaidekaphobia? No problem.
The Commonwealth of Baker Park National Team survived a 2 legged playoff against Adab, winning the tie 5-4 on aggregate after the second leg finished level; without a change to the format, Baker Park would've been eliminated on the away goals rule.
As it is, the Commonwealth extends their record of having qualified for every World Cup Final since their debut in the Baptism of Fire 67/World Cup 80 cycle to 13 in a row, the only currently active nation to have done so.

11 goes into 13
BP have now gone 11 straight matches without a loss since their 3-1 away defeat on matchday 12 to Cheetahs and reptiles Coalison, outscoring their opponents 27-14 over that span. The goalkeeping trio of Zach Johnston (5 wins), Rose McCormack (1 win & 3 draws) and Rod Callaway (2 wins) regained form after a disappointing first half of qualifying where each won only a single start, with Beth Rossi earning the other.

Long & Winding Road
Coming into WCQ 92, the Bees had played 93 away matches in qualifying, losing 12 and drawing 15, but this tournament has seen an increase by 25% of both numbers, as Baker Park lost three matches and drew four away from the Commonwealth. Only Sarzonia's 1-0 win at Rogers Stadium prevented the Bees from a second straight unbeaten home record in qualifying, having won all 10 fixtures in WCQ 91.

Old faces, different places
The draw for the Group Stage found Baker Park in Pot 3, from which they were placed into Group B, to be played in Turori against three opponents that are no strangers to the National Team.
Tumbra (matchday 1) and TJUN-ia (matchday 2)--who played one another twice in the qualifying for this World Cup—will again face the Bees for the second time in three WC appearances; both sides played BP to 1-1 draws at the BBP Stadium in World Cup 90, which was the first meeting for both nations and since then Tumbra has defeated Baker Park in the final of Eagles Cup 13.

The fourth member of the group will be none other than Nephara, on the final matchday; the Cormorants will be an opponent for the seventh time, going back to World Cup 82 Qualifying when they swept BP en route to winning that group, followed in World Cup 84 with a group stage match—at the BBP Stadium!--won by the Rushmoris, and then the Semi-Final of World Cup 85 in Mriin where they prevailed again. Since then the sides have only met in Eagles Cup 14, where Baker Park earned their first win in the series, a 5-1 home match at the national stadium in Belle Haven followed by a scoreless draw in the return leg at the Eagles Club in Brinemouth.

Home away from home
With their first two matches being played in Sile, the BPNT will base in the city, with Makosile FC generously allowing use of their training facilities; the Nephara match will take place in Tropicorp, where Christa Vuckovic plays her club soccer. It will be the first time Baker Park have played on Turoki Island, as well as the first time they've played anywhere in the Vilitan Cove other than Turori.

Numbers Game
The cycle saw quite a few milestones reached by players both in caps and goals scored, beginning with the opener against Cheetahs and reptiles Coalison, when Alan Wiseman came as on a sub to make his 75th appearance for the National Team at Hamilton City Stadium, where he now plies his trade in the National League; Wiseman was named to the Chromatik Red League's All-Decade First Team in recognition of his years at Urreheddio. Sam Harrison also hit 75 caps when he came on at the Queen Victoria Stadium against Damunkuni on matchday 17, while Jerome Brooks won his 75th cap in the first leg of the playoff against Adab and Julia Edmonds & Amy Freeman both made their 50th appearances, the former captaining the side on matchday 2 against Delte with the latter joining the half-century mark in the finale against Darmen.

The defense weren't the only honorees, as Daniel Pryor started in the forward line against Sarzonia in match 5 then came off the bench in the following fixture away against Damukuni to score the game tying goal in the 4-4 draw, his 31st international tally coming in his 86th appearance; his long time NT linemates both hit cap and scoring milestones, with Alicia Craig scoring her 25th international goal against Darmen in Scott City, then reaching her 75th cap at home against Farfadillis and Ayana West reaching the 100 cap plateau in Ezriquay and moving to within 1 goal that would make her the third player in history to score 50 times in Black & Gold with the winning score in the second leg of the playoff versus Adab.
The Farfadillis and Adab matches were also memorable for Desmond Garvey as he scored his 25th international goal in the first, and made his 75th appearance in the second—in which he scored and helped set West up for the extra time winner. Chandra Mack became the fastest player to reach the 30 goal plateau when she knocked in a rebound off a Paige Eichorn shot against Delte, her 60th NT appearance; Jamari Bozeman scored his 30th NT goal in his 62nd capped appearance.

Freddie Altman made his 50th appearance against Sajnur on matchday 4, while Marcus Milton was the study in efficiency when he made his 75th cap and scored his 25th goal—the lone BP tally--in the win over New Gelderland on the penultimate matchday and Nicole D'Amico scored her 25th against The Jovannic on matchday 3, and enters the World Cup Finals just 2 caps shy of joining the list of 100 cap players for Baker Park.

More numbers
--Fifty players made at least one appearance in the Black & Gold over the 20 match tournament, yet no uncapped player made their debut, a first in BPNT history.
--Baker Park kept only 3 clean sheets during qualifying, as Rose McCormack, Zach Johnston and Rod Callaway all kept the opponent off the scoreboard once; after allowing 24 goals in the first 11 matches, the Bees surrendered only 10 over the final nine matches in qualifying.
--Four players—Julia Edmonds, Kelvin Buxton, Marcus Milton and Quinton Harris—played in 9 of the 20 qualifying matches, with another 3—Christa Vuckovic, Victor Onikambe, and Carly Logan—being involved in 8 fixtures.
--Five players lead the squad in scoring—Buxton, Vuckovic, Nicole D'Amico, Desmond Garvey and Alicia Craig—each with four while 5 others have 3 goals each.
--The six goals against Sajnur marked the 25th time in the mixed gender era that Baker Park scored at least that many and it was the ninth time in 11 qualifications that they've scored as many in a match, only in World Cups 83 and 87 did BP fail to reach the mark in a qualifier.

Old ~~Boys~~ (Girls) Club
Once again, Baker Park will have more than one connection to the Finals as both Banija and Zwangzug came though to qualify under the management of Pamela Scott and Kate DiMarini respectively; Jennifer Prescott was women's Under-21 manager and Zoe Montgomery (now manager at Bakermouth FC in EOT) helmed the Under-18's while Scott and DiMarini led the senior team prior to mixed gender play and the BPNT boss commented on the fact that all four were now in charge of their own successful sides.

“Pam would've mocked the idea out loud if someone had predicted it back then, just because she never let Kate off the hook in public, but she had a maternal love for her just among us, having coached Kate; and I'm pretty sure deep down she certainly believed in Zoe & I as well, based on everything that we worked together on. Pam was really super emotional and proud of Zoe and Darren in Siovanija (for the 9th Under 18 World Cup victory) I think in part because they'd been pushed off to the side for the first SWC. I've talked about that with Darren on a couple of occasions where he's said that both he and Zoe got past their initial disappointment after Dave (Carlson, former FAC Executive Director) reassured them that they both were important in the (NT) setup.”

Finals Squad
Manager Jennifer Prescott announced the 26 players that will travel to Vilita:

Goalkeepers: Zach Johnston, Rose McCormack, Rod Callaway
Defenders: Jerome Brooks [LB], Charlotte Bauer [RB], Julia Edmonds [CB/RB], Amy Freeman [RB], Victor Onikambe [CB], Susie Knight [LB], Emily Bruce [LB]
Midfielders: Paige Eichorn [LW/LM], Carly Logan [LW/LM], Marcus Nolan [L/R/CM] (Co-Captain), Kelvin Buxton [R/CM/RW/CAM], Marcus Milton [R/CM], Christa Vuckovic [LM/CAM], Nicole D'Amico [LM/CAM/LW], Freddie Altman [RW], Amy Reynolds [RW]
Forwards: Ayana West [ST] (Co-Captain), Desmond Garvey [CF], Quinton Harris [ST], Alicia Craig [CF/CAM], Karrie Price [ST/CAM], Chandra Mack [CF], Serena McDavid [ST/CAM]

Explanatory notes on positional determination and overall tactical theory:

In the “BP System” or the “BP Way” (neither of those should be considered as something used officially or unofficially—if you wanted to term it as such as something of your own IC creation, go for it) the 3-4-1-2 is more literal than the manner in which it's used RL.
A discussion I had with another user made me contemplate providing a bit more concrete info on just who plays where when you see my lineups/bench for individual matches.

Defense: the three backs play tight to one another when the ball is in the middle or defensive thirds—they should really be termed LCB/CCB/RCB. The outside pair will never be wider than diameter of the center circle. They both man-mark (unless there is an IC tactical reason they don't) and the centerback zonal marks (usually helping one of the other two). The CB is technically a fullback as they have more freedom to move forward with the ball at feet. In a pinch, an emergency situation as a sub, they could all play any of the three positions.
Midfield: there is a good deal of set responsibility among the four across midfield, but the one thing that is always a constant is the wings are the workhorses, they cover more distance than the other players. I've hinted at or flat out said in match reports in the past that left wing (and they are 99.9% of time always left footed) is THE talismanic position in The System, as right fullback is considered (in BP) as usually the weakest position in a flat back four.
The two central midfielders usually have a specific role, one as the playmaker, the distributor and the other as the defensive, hard tackler, disruptor, ball winner.
The preferred position is listed first, but the ones that follow show how versatile that player is. For CM's the left/right designation is the stronger side for that player, but in theory almost anyone in midfield can play in the center of midfield.
Forward: Ah yes, the wild card element. In this case, the differentiation should be looked at from the perspective of another sport—basketball.
The three positions are almost adapted from the indoor game: the center forward, the target man, the number 9—the one who plays up front but facing away from the goal. Mostly it's men who hold down this role in the NT, although not always.
The striker—they want to be played into an area by a pass, or want room to get a touch before shooting. They face goal, but usually in or very close to the box.
The 'slot'--what a lot of people call the attacking midfielder or the CAM. This is a player that can dribble and create their own shot, or draw defenders and find others. There's a reason why this position can be played by a midfielder or a forward and the rationale usually depends on a chemistry between a pair or trio. West, Craig & Pryor will go down in history as the most prolific combo because the man developed a good rapport with the women who were club teammates.

In conclusion—BP should always be RP'd (of course at your discretion, and I will always adapt to anyone who RP's first if something that's not necessarily canon is mentioned) as--

*fast, short passing
*high lines & pressing
*offside trap
*technically sound
*not easily intimidated
*willing to play anyone, anywhere

by **Savigliane** » Sun Oct 30, 2022 2:40 pm

"Got it. Thanks," Ichi Tuzzio said, tossing the cell phone back onto his office desk.

"How's Adrian?" Friekder Dandalleion replied, to which the Swans manager shook his head. The Cazadores Cathair star, whose ten assists during the qualifying campaign had led Savigliane, was out for the entirety of the World Cup.

"Could've come in handy against Kandorith," Dandalleion added.

Toscani had been the team's best player in Savigliane's group-stage loss to Kandorith the prior World Cup. The Swans, just like WC91, faced an MD1 match against an underdog pot-4 side, followed by a pivotal MD2 clash against Kandorith that could decide who advanced to the knockout rounds, and if that went poorly, one last chance against the group favorites, this time Pemecutan. With Toscani out, that MD2 battle loomed all the larger. The attacking midfielder hadn't been the greatest fit in Tuzzio's system, especially with the emergence of Gianni Esposito at right-wingback - Esposito and Toscani liked to occupy the same sort of half-spaces on the attack, unsettling the right flank. Still, though, he was undeniably the team's most gifted creative force, and a huge miss as Savigliane tried to make the knockout rounds for the first time in eight years.

"Sure, but we've got a few options in that matchup at least. Collomb should still be best for Geektopia, but against Kandorith...someone more dynamic, perhaps," Tuzzio mused. "Nothing against the boy - he and Gianni have great chemistry in training - but we might want a more proven force in the harder matchups. Gastaldo's been good."

"She's been sublime on the left flank. But is she good enough to play out of position like that?"

"She's done it for her club and for the U-21s. But she cuts inside a lot when she plays on the right. I'm not sure if it'll be the best with Gianni, even if Kandorith should leave her plenty of space."

"I don't know," the assistant manager replied. "I'd like to see her do it in our system. It's something we can think about in training, at least."

"We could bring somebody trickier with the extra attacking position now that Toscani needs a replacement. We'll need another winger now, especially if we were using the second slot on Couffignal. Mercanti, perhaps?"

"You were still worried about her crossing and tracking back, right? She's tricky as anyone when dribbling, but all that time with Savigliano media calling her a 'human highlight reel' in a lower-profile league..."

"Yeah, builds up bad habits," Tuzzio said, pensive. The two sat there for a bit before the bomb dropped.

It was Dandalleion to bring it up. "Why don't we just bring back Rossi?"

"Fuck off. We just had a debate on whether or not to even call him up, and you want him starting? He doesn't fit the system, and he never has."

"Would you prefer Collomb start? Because nobody else seems to fit the system. There's no way we've landed in a country of nine million people and two normal right-wingers."

"Could call up Fiore," Tuzzio quipped, before shaking his head. "If we're going to have someone at that position who doesn't partner Esposito well, I'd prefer Gastaldo. She's not a goalscorer like Rossi is, but do we really trust Rossi like that? He's a raging asshole who everyone on the team hates, and he always has been."

"What, did Baker Park mess with your head that bad? He's not well-liked, but he's pretty tame compared to the other shit you've put up with. And besides, we've been playing well this cycle, but we're still not favored in the last two matches. And when you're underdogs, you need to shake shit up. You don't want a 20-goal-a-season guy on the bench?"

Tuzzio sighed. "Fine. Collomb and Gastaldo are there to start. But we'll leave a spot for him."

by **Zwangzug** » Sun Oct 30, 2022 7:44 pm

(Qualifying matchday 22: Clearedway 50; Waugh 28, Ginoud-Sachs 41)

The Arlington Moon-Tribune

World Cup fever means historians and archivists are reaching for their slates to tally up the records of the past, and you know what that means--it's time to award the Silicon Boot for the last two cycles! As You Know, Bob, the Silicon Boot is an unofficial trophy bestowed upon the player believed to have scored the most goals at the World Cup proper, but we acknowledge that there are many gaps in the records. We extend our thanks to sportscasters in Kelssek, Quebec, and around the world for their labors in gathering many of these statistics.

World Cup 90: Leo Olivando, Pemecutan (7 goals). The "White Myna"'s run to the final captivated spectators around the world, and the Royal Pasirpura striker was a big part of their offense.

World Cup 91: Röémün Çídh, Farfadillis (9 goals). In a tournament that featured dynamic performances from the wunderkind Felixe Vetiver, Turakia Diijelhma, Lothas Ludwig, and many others, you might expect it to be difficult to stand out. Or at the very least, you might worry about "what's the deal with Græntfjaller patronymics, are we gonna have to go through everything twice because someone might be 'Sara' in one game and 'Kristoffersdóttir' in another?" We didn't have to do that because Röémün scored more, on his own, than the Snow Wolves scored in all their matches combined. (The World Champion Snow Wolves.) We did, however, have to go back and disambiguate him from his brother, Edmün Çídh, as well as all the other Ç names. Funny old game.

---

And now that we've just finished talking about how absurd Farfadillis' offense is, this is the part where we talk about...getting drawn against Farfadillis yet again! So exciting! But before we dwell on that, there are two other opponents who are plenty intriguing in their own right.

Kelssek may be better known for their logistical efforts--they cohosted Cup of Harmony 77 with us, and in the more distant past, have experienced their hospitality in the Olympics on multiple occasions. But while we haven't met their football team that often, the history we do have goes back. Way back. Like, to the beginning. In the Baptism of Fire prior to World Cup 33, sixteen nations were drawn in groups of four that played a double round-robin...but then they all moved on to the knockouts based on group seeding. Through four matches, Zwangzug had yet to score--never mind win or draw--in Group A, while an undefeated Kelssek led Group B. When the group stage ended, Kelssek, as group champions, were drawn against fourth seeds Zwangzug. The Northern Bettia press described us as "hapless," and based on the group stage performances, they had a point.

And then? Out of nowhere, a stunning 3-0 victory for the underdogs. "Having hap is happy" boasted the Lipogram (yes, they were around and making inscrutable puns from the very beginning). Zwangzug advanced to the quarterfinals, where they were eliminated by Quintessence of Dust (years before they became baseball frenemies). So while BoF 25 may not be the oldest tournament of its type to have multiple debutants still going at it, the memories are still fond.

We have not played Nyowani Kitara, and don't know much about their team. Actually, let's face it, we don't know much about their country, which is kind of impressive because a drastic civil war claimed countless lives and roped many bystander nations into the struggle. The isolationist policy of "let's hide our heads under a rock and if we can't see the problems of the world, they can't see us" proves to be a winner yet again!

That being said, two of their national team play in the 1./, so we're familiar with Catarina Malmquist and Zhou Mushonga. Pia Leykauf, Malmquist's center-back partner at FTC United, credits the new arrival on raising her game--"I had plenty of energy before, but I've learned by watching her how to use that more effectively, how to communicate on the field and divvy up the areas we're responsible for defending. It'll be weird playing against her, but I look forward to the challenge, and hopefully for bragging rights back home." Ketevan Igreli was more reserved on the prospect of facing her Keppal Cosmos teammate: "It was a little weird when he came, at first, because, like, what do you say to someone whose homeland is in the midst of--" her hands flap awkwardly, "whatever? But then, I don't want to downplay what he's been through, but he's also a footballer? He plays in the World Cup and goes to all these random countries in qualifiers, so, like, people who have never been on the national team want to hear about all the stuff he's seen there. There's a lot of good stuff in the world, too."

And now, the flammable, diacritical, elephant in the room. Farfadillis and Zwangzug have faced each other in four of the last eight World Cup group stages (and, our Farf counterparts note, Zwangzug only qualified for seven of those, so that's more than half the opportunities). The results were as follows:

84: Farfadillis 3, Zwangzug 1; in a group stage where Zwangzug's other defeats were last-minute nailbiters, this result at least didn't play with our nerves first. The Farves went on to win the World Cup.

85: Farfadillis 4, Zwangzug 4; Xíxì Êns scored all four in his final international match, but it was Riley Kivrin who came up with the equalizer, sending Zwangzug into the knockouts for the first time in the modern era.

89: Farfadillis 3, Zwangzug 1 Lele Manguele didn't exactly silence his critics, but a confident display in the opening match was nothing to complain about.

90: Farfadillis 3, Zwangzug 3 To neutrals' dismay, Esther Axelrod-Conway's equalizer sealed the fates of both nations, eliminating the country where she plays professionally along with her homeland.

It will be immediately clear that one barrier in the way to calling this a "rivalry" is that, technically, Zwangzug have yet to win any of these matches (although you could give us credit for a moral victory in 85). Of course, Zwangzug aren't a country that like to talk about rivalries in general--putting too much weight on relationships with some nations only makes it sting more when one or both drop off the map. Yet it can't be denied that both parts of the world share an intriguing, if not always mutually comprehensible, dynamic. Several young Farves have made the journey to play in our university system and generally seem to thrive here, being mentored by our academics in the classroom and discovering all the cool opportunities a math degree can bring you. On the other hand, they may just be here because their homeland is an anarchic failed state. Some of us may admire their linguistic diversity and sophisticated manner of being above such outmoded concepts of a nation. But if you look closer, you realize that there isn't a single nation because...they're a collection of anarchic failed states. The bluster, pyromania, and dangerous levels of Cabañas effect will remind some fans of Aguazul, and while that's not a perfect comparison either, it's telling that our go-to to project on is our multiassociational league doppelgangers, once upon a time. We can't say whether it's better to be feared or loved, but this pseudo-rivalry seems to have some of each.

---

Nancy and Griffith Puyo-Sachar are happy to announce the birth of their daughter, Charlotte. Mother and baby are both healthy, although Griffith reports that the "flags of nations competing in the final 32" mobile may have been "more of an eyesore than a stimulus to visual engagement." Anyway, if fans in Cham start making unusual predictions based on which brightly-colored blur her chunky little fists gravitated towards first, you'll know why.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sun Oct 30, 2022 8:45 pm

Qualification and an interesting draw,
by Chelsea Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

Getting to World Cup 92 was not easy, but in the end, the Fillies are heading back to the biggest competition in the world after one edition away from it. By finishing third in the group, Cassadaigua was able to participate in the playoffs, where they met up with Poafmersia and in the end, our qualifying group will hold the honorable distinction of sending three nations to the Cup itself. Nephara, as we know, qualified by finishing first, and Kelssek also took care of business in their playoff. We are now aware of what the group draw will be, and it’s quite a doozy.

Before we get into that, let’s put the final touches on talking about the second qualifying match against Poafmersia, which the Fillies won by the score of 3-2 at Libira National Stadium. This was a more complete match for our team on both ends of the field, with the team jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first half hour of the match. It’s encouraging to see some of the players that finished off qualifying in a scoring slump breaking out of it now. Morgan Rosenblatt expertly set up two each of the opening goals, the first coming off the foot of Rachel Bolden in the 16th minute. This would not have happened if not for the acrobatic footwork of Rosenblatt in the middle of the field and into the attack. Her precise pass caught Bolden in stride, for the striker to not have to miss a beat before delivering the strike that found the back of the net. In the 29th minute, Rosenblatt’s work was a little different, this time being an impressive aerial cross to set up Chloe Anderson, that the forward capitalized on to put the team up by two. For Chloe, who had not scored since returning from injury midway through the second half of qualifying before the playoff began, she now had three goals in two games, looking like the player that Quebecois fans have become accustomed to seeing. Defensively in the first half, we saw much stronger play, and the team would head to the intermission with the clean sheet still in tact.

While the Red Panjias did get their fans something to cheer about in the 55th minute to close the lead to one, it was not the type of play that you would look at as an observer and think that momentum was about to change. Poafmersia was playing with a little more urgency, as after all, qualification was on the line, and they got a bit of an energy boost from the goal. However, what I really liked about this is how the Cassadagan defense was up to this challenge, and did not seem to waver from the game plan, or from what had worked before the goal. Withstanding this push, Kelsey Werth caught the Red Panjias with too many players forward in the 70th minute, and set a beautiful long ball forward that Rachel Bolden expertly hauled in. Bolden’s shot was initially stopped, but Bayley Stanton was in the perfect spot for the rebound and executed the goal, restoring a two goal advantage for the Fillies. The home side did everything they could to try and make a comeback, and we must give credit to the back end of our team again for the way they withstood this pressure. Yes, they did get one back in the 84th to make for some late drama, but with the score still 3-2, the only way Cassadaigua was possibly not going to qualify for the World Cup was if they conceded too more goals, and not just one. Therefore, the defense seemed relaxed, knowing all the pressure was on the Red Panjias, and Poafmersia was not able to draw level.

Just like that, with this big victory, most of the talk about Brittany Byers possibly being fired will come to an end. However, we do realize that there are going to be pockets of fans who might still call for it if the team does not play well in the group stage. The players themselves did well to steer clear from any such controversy, and with all of the slumping players breaking out of it in these two games, we can be confident that the team may make some noise in the World Cup. Some have gone as far to say that playing in the playoff may have been a blessing in disguise for this group, because if they had made it to the World Cup on their form without the playoff, you would be very concerned about many different things and there would be several questions as to whether or not Brittany Byers should tinker with the lineup. These games provided an opportunity for those players to get their form back, and they passed that test with flying colors. Now, Cassadaigua is going into a World Cup where they are still a pot 2 team, so fans will still feel that a strong run, if not a title, in this World Cup, is very possible.

We, of course, know the group draw and we’ll start with the two opponents that we will be facing off against that will not have added drama associated with. One of them is Chromatika, our former co-host that we seem to get paired up with all too frequently in the World Cup. That’s fine for us, because we have an excellent head to head record against them. We know that the Chromatiks have one of the best domestic soccer leagues around, but may be a bit of an underachiever in the World Cup itself. We will play them as a part of the third matchday, and it is possible that there will be a whole lot on the line for the match. The game right before that is a tilt against Turori, and since we are playing them in Electrum, they won’t have the “close to home” advantage that they might have otherwise had. That’s a good thing, because they are a team that most will predict to advance to the round of sixteen from this group.

Then, there is the other game. When we saw the pots before the draw, we knew it was possible to end up playing Eura, and now it is a reality. Over the last couple years, we’ve been close to a head to head, late round matchup with them in both the Cup of Harmony and the Copa Rushmori, and now it will happen. Three to four years ago, this would not have been a matchup with any added backstory. We were not rivals with them, and players and fans did not have an axe to grind with one another. It would be all about the game. Now, I don’t think that will be possible, especially with the recent sanctions that the Euran government has placed on us because they wish us to become a corrupt democracy. Kelsey LeClair, our current events write here at the Concord Heights Times will go more in depth about them, but this will be the first time in a long time, if ever, that we will go into a World Cup matchup with a genuine dislike bordering hatred for the opposing team off the field.

Electrum officials have chosen a city known for partying and drinking to host the matchup between us and Eura, and while I love the city of Prescott, there may be some concern about the combination of a lot of alcohol and two fan bases that are not going to be getting along with one another. Playing in Electrum for this match against Eura is obviously a disadvantage, since they border one another, but that is actually providing a lot of inspiration for Cassadagans to make the trip. We’re sure that stadium officials have noticed an impressive amount of ticket purchases from Cassadagan addresses and fan groups across social media are emphasizing that it is most important to be loud and supportive of the team for this game. They are valiantly trying to encourage fans to not negatively engage with Euran fans, as after all it should not be the fan groups at battle with one another. But there will be alcohol, and soccer, and a game that is actually going to be extremely pivotal in the standings to see which one will get off on the right foot to end up advancing. Prescott has hosted the Olympics, so they know a thing or two here about stepping up security efforts when situations call for them and that will probably be a good thing here.

As we know, our players have a strict “No Politics” policy, and captain Morgan Rosenblatt said that they will not stray from that thought for the opening game, “It’s a big game, we need the three points. We can’t get bogged down on things that politicians and monarchs are doing. We didn’t like playing in the Cup of Harmony last cycle, and an early group stage exit here would not be much of an improvement.” Rachel Bolden added in, “The war of words and sanctions will go on elsewhere, but the war on the field and getting three points will be a giant victory and the one that we can control.” Brittany Byers promised her team will be focused on the field to the task at hand.

Tensions heating up a bit,
by Kelsey LeClair, Concord Heights Times

As The River Republic tries to wage small successes in the Northern Territory, the propaganda war is heating up as the terrorist organization claims that we are killing civilians with the air strikes that are taking place to try and defeat the group. Unfortunately, there will be civilian lives lost in war when they live too close to military targets, but when they are mobile as The River Republic tries to be, it is more likely that their will be a loss of innocent life. However, Bastion is forgetting about the civilian lives being lost with the actions that are being taken by the terrorists that they support. The River Republic is trying to cause some of the larger headaches along the highway 41 corridor, with an explosion outside an under construction shopping plaza twelve miles north of our traditional border killed ten construction workers and injured many more. Apparently, it seems as though Bastion feels this loss of life is acceptable. It is also pretty apparent that the terrorists are trying to use innocent civilians are shields to try and disrupt airstrikes that have been taking place. These airstrikes have been successful, with sources claiming that The River Republic has sustained considerable losses to their weapon stockpiles, thus necessitating their call for more weaponry from the international community.

Princess Brianna, seeing how the terrorists are trying to use humans as shields sent out a call to anyone living in the area that might hear to “insist to the terrorists that you wish to live a peaceful life in your area and for them to leave the area. You will also be able to seek refuge in Cassadaigua if need be. Due to the actions of the terrorists, we are forced to undergo these air strikes and we realize that they are very concerning. But they are only targeting weapon stockpiles or bunkers where we believe the terrorists are hiding out.” It is also believed by many with the country that The River Republic is staging incidents to make it appear as though innocent civilians are being killed when they were in fact, members of the group. “These people have nothing to lose,” military expert Rachel LaSalle said, “and the international community is far too intelligent to believe everything that they are claiming. So, we can be grateful. Only a very naive nation would have to trust everything being stated and orchestrated by a group with nothing to lose as they do.”

Euran officials have increased the level of sanctions against us, and Queen Cassie III said of that, “It is an unfortunate undertaking by Bastion, but it is also not surprising. They have a goal to defeat the Cassadagan monarchy, and to harm Cassadagan citizens. We will not back down from our beliefs in light of this.” Some people within Cassadaigua are starting to be concerned about whether or not a larger battle may be on the brink of happening with Eura. The Queen was sure to ease the thoughts of any concerned citizens, “The enemy of Cassadaigua right now is The River Republic. That is where our focus will be in terms of military operations. I am very hopeful that diplomacy will win out between us and the Eurans.”

Making things even more interesting is that Cassadaigua and Eura will soon be kicking off on the first matchday of World Cup 92. Queen Cassie said of this match, “While we greatly disagree with the leadership in Bastion right now, I think the one thing we can agree on right now is that we need to respect the great competition that the World Cup is. Let it be a soccer match to enjoy, with the players on each team battling hard and the fans being passionate, but behaving in the stands.” The location of the game in Prescott, Electrum would make it easier for Eurans to get to than Cassadagans but both sides are going to be well represented in the stands. The game itself is important for both sides as each wishes to make it to the round of sixteen in a group that also sees Turori and Chromatika.

by **Banija** » Sun Oct 30, 2022 8:55 pm

Banijan World Cup 92 Preview- a tricky, wide open group where the Kadongo Kamu ar efavorites to end up in the top two

AGRI, ELECTRUM- The World Cup Finals are upon us. And Banija, well, has been drawn into the group everybody wants to be drawn with- the host. Despite being ranked 14th, we sit as the highest ranked team in our group, as we are joined by 19th ranked Drawkland, 37th ranked Electrum, and 38th ranked Tikariot. This is a curious group. We've never met Drawkland, a fierce rival in almost every other sport we play, on the pitch- so that World Cup match, on Matchday 3, is going to be a spectacular one. We're also going to open this tournament with a matchup against Tikariot. All four teams will be fancying their chances of getting through. Banija and Drawkland, obviously, as the top two teams ranked in the group. Electrum, naturally, as the tournament hosts, and all that comes with it (particularly playing all of these games at home). And, lastly, Tikariot as well, having avoided any of the big boys.

Is the future world champion likely to come out of this World Cup group? No. But Pam Scott said that this group will be wide open. ."There's no overwhelming favorite here. Not like we've got the Snow Wolves in here or anything, one team clearly going to dominate. There's a bunch of equal teams, all with strengths- because, of course, you need to be good at something to even make this tournament. And then, we all have weaknesses as well. We've got high expectations for ourselves, so I believe that a top two finish in the group is the absolute minimum of what's required of us here. But it is all about getting off to a strong start, and making sure that we don't begin the tournament chasing. Historically, Banija has had troubles starting quickly at a World Cup, as we generally grow into the tournament. But we want to start fast, and put petal to the mettle almost right away."

So what does that mean from a game by game perspective? Let's talk about our Matchday 1 opponent...

Matchday 1- Tikariot

We're going to take on the Rushmoris at the very first game of this tournament. They actually had one of the most impressive World Cup Qualifying campaigns that we've ever seen. Entering World Cup Qualifying as a Pot 3 team, they were thrown into a group with Graentfjall, who are the defending world champions, as well as Audioslavia, who have multiple World Cup trophies of their own. So the lines were drawn in this group already- Graentfjall runs away with it, Audioslavia comfortably slots into second, and Tikariot is fending off a horde of ambitious, lower ranked nations(like Eraman and Astogroth, as well as North Cassadaigua), for the third and final playoff spot.

But somebody forgot to show Tikariot the script.

We did say that they had one of the most impressive Qualifying campaigns? Well, they turned that aforementioned script on its very head. They went out and earned 50 points in Qualifying- one of just 5 nations, throughout the entirety of this campaign, to break the 50 point barrier. Despite a ferocious challenge from the defending world champions, Tikariot showed the world that everything was earned, and nothing was given. They sent both Audioslavia and Graentfjall packing to nerve-wracking playoff ties, while they slid into the automatic playoff spot.

And they did it by scoring a bevy of goals. They scored 58 goals over 20 games, just shy of 3 per game. They're going to cause problems for Banija in the back end. "They can really get after it offensively. While we anticipate we're going to have opportunities to score, they are also going to have the same- it will surely be a wide open contest on Matchday 1." Pam Scott told reporters at the press gaggle. "Look at the players that they've got going forward for them. Look at that front 3. Nighthorse and Nurmsalu on the wings- who, somehow, is only 20! They pair excellently with Gary Conway as the number 9. Nothing easy, nothing open, nothing given. If they have a crazy hit from 30 yards, well, it happens. But they get you because they create high percentage chances in front of goal, and then finish with precision. IF we want to beat Tikariot, we've got to ensure those don't happen."

Tikariot's NT is certainly a young one, with only two starters above the age of 25. One of those two starters, of course, is their goalkeeper, Brian Merson- who famously won the IFCF Champions League with Kitara AA. A feat that, as we go further and further away from it, seems more and more incredible. Back-to-back seasons, S-FPL champion to CL winner, he was the number one for what was arguably the best team in the multiverse(at least for a short period of time). Banija's got teammates from that run on his team, including our #10, Gereh Kama. "Look, obviously 'we had some beautiful memories on that Kitara AA team." Kama told reporters. "We won the freaking Champions League together! We're certainly friends. But for one day, I'm all about beating him, and him about beating me."

So while a young team, they're captained by a goalkeeper who has been to the absolute pinnacle of club football. And what about their coach? Brian McAllister has a rare accomplishment as well, winning back-to-back Copa Rushmoris with Sargossa's national team, before returning home. "McAllister is definitely one of the rising football minds of the multiverse." Pam Scott told reporters. "I've got great respect for his resume. Not just qualifying for this World Cup- but how they did it. Playing fearlessly against the defending world champions, as well as an Audioslavian team, whose very name sends shivers down the spine of their opponents. He's got this team being on the front foot against almost anybody, and that's why they'll probably spike up the rankings after this tournament."

What's our own key to the match? Not letting Tikariot get a full head of steam. They've got pace everywhere, but both of their wingers, especially, could've probably been hanging out in Prescott last Summer as track Olympians, if they had decided to take an athletic career path outside of football. That's what they're good at- they want to get players like Nighthorse the ball, in space. Playing it over the top, allowing them to use their dazzling pace to simply overtake our defenders, pulling defenders out of position, and then killing us by putting the ball into the gaps that they create. That means we've got to dominate in the midfield, don't let them get those clean passes off. And? That means we've got to press.

Who's in our midfield? Behind Kama, we've got Aquila Hongo, and Tijan Sowe. "While they aren't generally heralded as the stars of this team, them winning the battle in the midfield is probably what will decide this contest." Said a Banijan TV commentator. "Expect Pam Scott to be flexible here- with the use of 5 subs now the norm, all 4 central midfielders on the roster will likely see the field in this game. They've got to consistently be applying pressure, whenever Tikariot get the ball. If their midfielders have time and space to play balls to those speedy wingers, that front 3 is going to kill us. But if we can prevent the service, then that fearsome Front 3 will be dealt with before they even get going."

No score prediction here for team Banija, per usual. But you've heard it all and now read it all. Can the Banijans start off World Cup 92 with a win?

Other News
- This will be Banija's 12th appearance in the World Cup Finals. In the previous 11 tournaments, the national team has won at least one game at every single World Cup- and they will look to continue that streak here at World Cup 92.
- Banija finished top of the theoretical qualifying table this past cycle, earning 54 points to lead all participants. Banija was also unbeaten throughout the cycle (17 wins, 3 draws). The team also, for just the second time ever, had an 100% win rate in their away qualifiers, going 10/10 away from home. Pam Scott said that experience was 'crucial', as the team was in the same group as a host nation.

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Mon Oct 31, 2022 5:44 am

By Peter Davis

After we managed to survive Sendhang to reach a 2nd World Cup in 3 attempts, the Jagaurs of TJUN-ia were back in the big time and everyone was certainly happy about that at least. Now, representatives of the FA-TJUN-ia made the trip to a nice hotel for a WC draw many would be keeping their eyes on. Of course, whatever opponents we get in the draw would determine our fate in the quest to finally win a game at this tournament. David Seems, as co-manager, would normally go to events such as this, but as he is currently taking care of both his wife (Li Xiu Ying) and their new daughter (Amethyst Li Seems), Captain Prince Carter and Vice-Captain Peter Ørberg would take his place for the ceremony. So...who did we get?

MD1: vs Nephara (11/Pot 2) @Turoki National Stadium, Turoki City
Kimi-Suomi could only be killed on penalties by Kelssek, who were only in the playoffs because Nephara won Group 3. We've played a team from Nephara before...but only in the World Cup of Hockey, meaning this MD1 showdown will be the very first taste many in TJUN-ia will have of The Cormorants. They play in a 4-4-2 but can play in a 4-3-3, both in a playstyle that is considered defensive with a score of -1 compared to our +1.5, a style manifested by the legendary Igrene Cantor - one of the few people to win this tournament as both player and manager. This team are always in the conversation to make a deep WC run and with weapons like Vasya Reisinger and Bravura Harper at their disposal, this game will certainly be tough.

MD2: vs Commonwealth of Baker Park (25/Pot 3) @Track Venture Field, Sile
The Commonwealth of Baker Park, or CBP or just Baker Park, nearly didn't make it here after finishing 2nd in Group 7, but they were just able to overcome Adab in Extra Time to make it here...and face us again! Jennifer Prescott, the most successful manager in the history of the Bees, is in charge of a 3-4-1-2 formation that is more attacking than us, 2.65 vs 1.5, and one we are certainly familiar with. We played CBP the last time we were at a WC when they were co-hosts and that game ended up in a 1-1 draw, but that was in the Commonwealth...how will round 2 go in the Tropics?

MD3: vs Tumbra (4/Top 1) @Bear Claw Stadium, Mavaloiao
Oh no, not you again. It would appear that, in our quest for WC relevancy, we must face these Black Eagles over and over and over again. We are certainly familiar with this team by this point - Yuan Zilai, -3, 4-3-3, you get it - and now, we must face them for the 4th time in 3 cycles. WC90 was the first time, a 1-0 win for them in our first-ever WC game that ultimately decided our overall fate, and we've just had two very tight contests with them in Qualifying - drawing 0-0 at theirs and beating a group champion 2-0 at our ours, only the 2nd loss they took that campaign but without some of their biggest names. If things are still interesting by this point, then who knows what might happen.

This group is certainly interesting, filled with old and new and certainly filled with opponents that will test us to our very limits. The aim is simple: win a game. Doesn't matter which one, just win one and anything else is just additional cherries on the cake.
We will try no matter what. Because that's what this place demands of everyone.
Welcome back to the Games. Now, you must fight for your place.
May the odds be ever in your favour. GO JAGS!

WC92 SCHEDULE (Group B - Vilita/Tropicorp)
MD1: vs Nephara (11) - Turoki National Stadium, Turoki City
MD2: vs Commonwealth of Baker Park (25) - Track Venture Field, Sile
MD3: vs Tumbra (4) - Bear Claw Stadium, Mavaloiao

by **Kelssek** » Mon Oct 31, 2022 6:15 am

THE FOOTBALL MAGAZINE ALL THE COOL KIDS ARE READING
REFUSING TO COME ON AS A SUBSTITUTE SINCE 183 FE

Legacy questions weigh on Kelssek’s big names

Extra time in the World Cup 87 quarterfinal. Lothas Ludwig’s goal puts Valanora ahead. It’s not that anyone playing for Kelssek gives up at that point, but the way the players’ heads drop as they’re faced with the task ahead of them, it’s hard to see the match having any other outcome than Valanora holding on to win.

The disappointment is bitter, of course, but Valanora were always favoured to win – and in fact Kelssek have never beaten them in the post-80 era in a series of frustrating encounters. The quarterfinals is the furthest that Kelssek have ever gone in the World Cup, and it marks a sense of comeback to the standards of the previous era that for seven cycles the national team had been striving to match.

In the aftermath there’s hope and expectation that this could be the start of something bigger for Kelssek. Colm Ó Tuathail, to whom the captain’s armband passes when Ruslan Demetriev calls time on his international play, is already an established star. There is Gabriel Lapierre and Loïc Maçon-Petrault, too. Surely they are capable of leading Kelssek to the next level and within reach of glory.

It didn’t quite turn out like that. It’s a gradual process but as that generation steps back and the next one steps forward, the team goes backwards. They embark on a series of uninspiring group stage exits. Maçon-Petrault is dogged by chatter about him lacking composure, Ó Tuathail – who has won titles in Audioslavia and Eura – is slated as wilting on the big occasion despite a formidable club football resume stating the contrary. Then Mason Blueman storms out on the team after being subbed off and quits the national team before Football Kelssek can kick him out.

Add to that, Cathal Gallagher loses the starting goalkeeper spot he thought was his as Sébastian St-Gerlais emerges instead, while Ashley Douglass surveys the wreckage of a meek Cup of Harmony 83 exit and decides she’s better served lounging around in Outineau on international weeks. Jorge Guardia keeps his job to howls of derision that had already sounded prior to that tournament, the first failure to qualify for six cycles.

The state of the Football Voyagers actually sounds a lot worse when you summarize it like that. A lot can be forgotten when the team has put together a good run through the qualifiers. They got a win away in Nephara, and were galled to miss winning the group by goal difference. They got a scare in the playoffs but held their nerve to win the penalty shootout against Kimi-suomi. What a different story this might be had things gone all haywire in that one.

Now the torch is set to pass again, as Ó Tuathail and Lapierre go into what might be their last major tournament, with a new set of players stepping into the spotlight. Some are already well known: Bryan Hartpoach, Êzêkíl dí Völará, Phillip Lozic, Naucémiró Buené, and Danielle Maradrogba. There is a lot of ground to make up.

The pressure, at least, is not as withering as it could be. Fans and pundits have been chastened by the way the last cycle went, perhaps. There’s not a lot of recriminations if Kelssek fails to get a result against Farfadillis or Zwangzug, but that’s exactly the problem. Nyowani Kitara are lurking there too. Having struggled in the past in that group stage fixture against nations on the upswing like Savigliane, Twicetagria, and Tumbra, this is likely the landmine – and that’s not a bad joke about that country’s internal conflicts. It’s simply the fixture where failing to get a result would likely be fatal for both advancement and morale. Also, maybe their supporters have strong opinions about the time our government only cut off crowdfunding for one of the civil war factions, who knows.

While much of the squad will be familiar to national team watchers, the presence of players like Ingrid Lambert, Miles Mann, and Cassie Myrthe is a signal of what’s to come. It remains to be seen if Jorge Guardia will stick with the old or trust the new when it comes time to decide the starting eleven – and he’s told the media that there’s no preconceptions about the line-up. We’ll see if that turns out to be anything more than warning the veterans to look lively.

Whatever happens, well, short of abject humiliation and/or hamster uprising, this tournament is likely to be a passing the torch for Kelssek, as veteran stars strive for a good last hurrah and the next generation pushes its way onto the scene.

by **Savojarna** » Mon Oct 31, 2022 7:22 am

SavojarSports.sj - inside reports from all Savojarna
Group of Death or Trial by Fire? World Cup Preview Group A

By Jaukka Halanen

There are no easy groups in the World Cup, and this is doubly true for a team listed in Pot 4. Still, there were better prospects before the draw than a group consisting of six combined World Cup titles, and an Independent Athletes from Quebec side that have just overcome Brenecia twice to qualify (okay, so have the Northlights). Group A is shaping up to be a tough trial for Savojarna, although the records for the Northlights are surprisingly positive given the prestige of their opponents. We will put in a look at the three group opponents Savojarna have in the order we will play them

Ourselves: Savojarna’s WC92 team

It has been a long ten years since the last time Savojarna have played in a World Cup proper. Back in WC87, in Ethane, Savojarna started out with a brutal 4-1 loss to Baker Park and disappointed as they lost their game with Geektopia 3-1, being out after only two games. They still surprised with a victory over world number one Banija, courtesy of half-Banijan striker Sergey Nweke, which dragged Banija down with them; however, that remained a side note as far as Savojarna were concerned. Six of that squad are still around: Mikhail Jashkin and Morten Poulsen went from pillars of that side to being elder veterans looking for one last dance (Jashkin in particular is expected to potentially retire from international football before the next World Cup, as he is increasingly moving away from being a starter for Savojarna); Aleksandra Virulainen and Polina Zirkova have moved from young talents groomed for future greatness to the captains of Savojarna’s defence; and for Vidkun Nymark and Milla Viipuri, they return to the tournament where they had their first outings on the global stage as seasoned starters. On top of that, Victoria Maersk had led the Savojars as captain in Ethane; now, she will lead them again as a manager.

This year’s Savojarna is a mix of young and old: Veterans like Poulsen, Virulainen, and Zirkova - all in their early to mid thirties - are looking to lead the team on what might well be their last dance on this big a stage if the Northlights’ patchy qualifying record continues. Misha Jashkin adds to this group, having already fuelled rumours about his retirement from international football after the campaign on twii.tur, and is likely not even starting anymore as Kaisa Gyldenström comes off a pretty good season in Nephara, whereas Jashkin has been phased out more and more at Directus. The team is bolstered with young SFS A talent especially up front, where Lars Alvesen - having his first season abroad at Stahlburg City under his belt - and Rasmus Medberg Hansen, who lifted the Champions League trophy with CASK, are two U-23 options for the Northlights. This team lacks a true superstar, but has a good organisation and no real weak point, and will make any opponent work for their points.

Ko-oren: Battle for first goal

First off, Savojarna will face Ko-oren in a crucial battle against the second seed (although with the highest ranking) of the group. The Dragonflies faced the Northlights twice before, and both games ended 0-0, setting the expectations for this duel. With Maersk’s football being not particularly attacking, and the qualifying campaign being incredibly solid defensively (Savojarna conceded only 11 goals in 20 games, and five of those were in their complete meltdown against Adab on the penultimate matchday), a single goal might well decide this game. Their brand of post-football should match up against Maersk’s disciplined chains of four in a way that is good for the coaches and terrible for everyone else. If Savojarna keep their cool heads, they might well grind out another scoreless draw, but if they overstep, it will be punished swiftly. Chances are that we will see Hartikainen start on the left for more forward pressure. The pressure is on Sven Ehlers - the closest Savojarna have to a star player - to move between the lines and open spaces for Alvesen to poach from. In what is likely to be a war of attrition, both teams should profit from the fact this is the first game of the tournament.

SavojarSports.sj prediction: KOR 1-0 SVJ

Vilita: Old rivalry on a new stage

Savojarna vs Vilita is the most played matchup in Northlights history, which is doubly impressive once you consider that these teams are not sharing a region. Having been drawn into the same qualifier group five times, the ten matchups are completely even on goals with 16 goals scored by each side. In terms of results, the Vilitans are slightly favoured with 4 wins to Savojarna’s 3, with 3 draws to complete the picture. Memorable is the last time those two played on Vilitan soil, as the Northlights demolished their opponents with 4-0, the highest victory of either side in this rivalry; Vilita did get the last laugh, however, as their 3-1 victory in Sjoedrhavn cost Savojarna the World Cup qualification back in 89. We haven’t seen Vilita play in qualifiers, but they have slipped somewhat in the KPB rankings as well as having struggled with Savojarna before. We are sensing some hope, but ultimately, not considering Vilita as favourites is a mistake here.

SavojarSports.sj prediction: SVJ 1-2 VIL

Independent Athletes of Quebec: Potential for drama!

Savojarna never played the IAQ team before, but this is the most likely victory for the Northlights as the two are not too far apart in the KPB table, and the IAQ’s qualifying saw them third behind Valanora and Mercedini. They then edged out two wins over Brenecia that were much more convincing, but still not on the level of a Ko-oren or the history of a Vilita. The big topic here, however, will not be football - Savojar twii.tur has already branded this the “Battle of the Mjölnir”. Reports have it that the Quebecois team is motivated by the threat (and apparent enaction) of spankings with a hammer proclaimed to be the actual hammer of Thor - a practice that sparks repeated outrage among Savojar religious organisations. Brynjar Islason, Veseti of the National Union of Folk Believers, has stated in an interview: “This application of a millenia-old relic of our traditional religion is tasteless at best. The use of sacred artifacts for punishment shows no respect for our cultural practices and disregard for the history behind them”. Stricter words had been found by the Ejanan Group of Worshippers of Thor, who were not as much offended by the use of the artifact but the sheer proclamation of the hammer being real, claiming it implies that the Quebecois staff equate themselves to Thor himself, a grave offence and hubris in their eyes. On the pitch, this should be chaotic and potentially dramatic as well, as Quebec are likely to attack wildly, but are vulnerable: They conceded 35 goals, more than three times the number of Savojarna, but also notably outscored the Northlights. Much will depend on Savojarna’s ability to withstand their attacks.

SavojarSports.sj prediction: SVJ 3-2 IAQ

Other predictions: Group A

IAQ 1-2 KOR
IAQ 2-2 VIL
VIL 0-1 KOR

1. Ko-oren (9 / +3)
2. Vilita (4 / 0)
3. Savojarna (3 / -1)
4. Independent Athletes from Quebec (1 / -2)

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Mon Oct 31, 2022 9:22 am

The Ecstasy of Electrum
Salwan Mynhier

Well, you can take back all the good things that have been said about the Audioslavian back line, and all the finger pointing declaring their anemic attack as the reason for their shortcomings in qualifying. The Bulls looked like a team not really properly prepared for the do-or-die fight that the second leg of the playoff was for them, while the Black-and-Reds looked like, well, like a team that hasn't lost a competitive match at home in over two years. Now off to the neutral grounds of Electrum and Vilita, they'll carry that record into World Cup 93 after clinching their third straight finals qualification. Heading into the current tournament, the Black-and-Reds are still riding the unbeaten streak they've been on since matchday two of qualifying, which has now stretched to 21 matches.

The first half was relatively closely contested, not unlike the first leg overall, but Groothuis’s early second half substitution changed the equation. With Ausioslavia’s dysfunctional attack unable to muster much in the way of scoring chances, the Black-and-Reds skipper took a chance, putting in attacking specialist Damnagoras for all-rounder Zazagan, who has become the preferred starter at attacking midifielder. The uncanny raumdeuter scored on their second touch, falling back into some space near the top of the box to receive a layoff from Bondarov. The predictable Audioslavian pushback came on the ensuing kickoff, but an untimely turnover led to a rapid counter and the outnumbered Audioslavian defense had to pick and choose who they’d run with. Halfariani was the open option, and finished very well for a fullback, drilling it to the top corner to double the lead.

Down three goals on aggregate, and not looking very likely to get even one of those back, you could see a defeated mindset begin to take hold for the Bulls, and it isn’t surprising that the number of shots and dangerous attacks dropped off after that. Audioslavia still pushed forward on the ball, yes, but many of their hearts didn’t seem to be in it by this point. The Black-and-Reds, meanwhile, were generally content to hold the ball unless a clear-cut opening presented itself, as when Yonte found some space around the edge and was in alone against Creighton for the last goal in the dying minutes.

So yes, it’s once again Squornshelous four, Audioslavia nil, though it took 180 minutes to reach that score this time around. Hopefully we won’t have to wait another 72 cycles for the rivalry to be renewed once more.

Squornshelan Remnant States - 3
Audioslavia - 0


Goals:
SRS: Damnagoras 61’, Halfariani 66’, Yonte 88’

Lineup:
SRS: Shimski; Nyberg, W. Harkhan, Titov, Halfariani (Malgos 90’); Tabur, Hashemi (Nisarizo 71’); Bondarov, Zazagan (Damnagoras 55’), Yonte; Fridtjofs (Hedberg 71’)

Schedule and Results

FRND: SRS 0-0 DRK @ Ripper Stadium (cap. 40,000), Constantinople, New Gesem
FRND: SRS 1-2 CBP @ Ripper Stadium (cap. 40,000), Constantinople, New Gesem

MD01: RAN 2-1 SRS @ Smith Field (cap. 19,050), Richardson, RAN
MD02: SRS 3-2 SCO @ Radlov Arena (cap. 76,800), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD03: YZH 3-3 SRS @ TBA
MD04: SRS 0-0 PYA @ Black Raven Field (cap. TBA), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD05: BRP 3-3 SRS @ TBA
MD06: SRS 4-3 TLI @ Castle Street (cap. 57,300), Jaglan, Algolia, SRS
MD07: KAN 0-1 SRS @ Empress Masumi Stadium (cap. 90,000), Tenkyo, KAN
MD08:     BYE
MD09: SRS 1-0 BGJ @ Synesoft Arena (cap. 46,950), Syneca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD10: NSV 3-5 SRS @ Tiên Sơn Stadium, Đà Nẵng, NSV
MD11: SRS 2-2 SRG @ Chernov Stadium (cap. 57,600), Viltvodle Megabrantis, SRS
MD12: SRS 0-0 RAN @ Raftel Park (cap. 59,870), Chalesm, Megabrantis, SRS
MD13: SCO 3-3 SRS @ SuperNerd Wants To Fight Video Game And Computer Store Stadium, (cap. 42,000), Riverview, SCO
MD14: SRS 3-3 YZH @ Slavnareczpospolitastadion (cap. 61,230), Lublova, Molvania, SRS
MD15: PYA 1-5 SRS @ TBA
MD16: SRS 4-1 BRP @ New Rudlit Arena (cap. 31,200), Rudlit, West Flania, SRS
MD17: TLI 0-1 SRS @ LTI Stadium (cap. 75,000), Montfort, TLI
MD18: SRS 2-2 KAN @ Vogsphere Arena (cap. 90,000), Vogsphere, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD19:     BYE
MD20: BGJ 1-4 SRS @ TBA
MD21: SRS 2-1 NSV @ Ralph Wilson Memorial Stadium (cap. 48,700), Han Dold City, Han Dold, SRS
MD22: SRG 1-2 SRS @ Estadio Generalissimo Joaqín Delgado (cap. 108,879), Soluca, SRG

PO01: AUD 0-1 SRS @ TBA
PO02: SRS 3-0 AUD @ Albrechtsson Park (cap. 65,400), Damogran, Algolia, SRS

GS01: VAL  v  SRS @ Fairleigh Field (cap. 25,000), Farleigh-Warburton, ETM
GS02: FVA  v  SRS @ Sailor's Stadium, Port Grenville, ETM
GS03: SRS  v  SQR @ Northcote Oval (cap. 75,000), Prescott, ETM

What's a little Death in your Group Anyway?

The second best team from Pot 1, the very best from Pot 2, third best from Pot 3, and second best from Pot 4. Only Group F compares in terms of sheer concentration of KPB ranking points. (average KPB of 32.9 in Group H, 32.8 in Group F) The Black-and-Reds, in recent memory, have more of a history of playing in less impressive groups, so this slate of opponents will be a major challenge. Not only is there no “easy” match, event to the extent that there can be easy matches in the World Cup Finals, but as one of only two groups with both higher seeds ranked in the top ten, Group H will be a particularly difficult one for either the third or fourth seed to sneak through to the knockouts. Most predictions will be for three points at best, and another group stage exit for the Black-and-Reds.

Valanora (3)
In the modern era, Valanora and Squornshelous have only met once. It was a match with the very highest of stakes, but unfortunately for the Black-and-Reds not a particularly closely contested one. The final of the Sixty-Fifth AOCAF Cup saw a sterling display from Laborious Hawk, with the eternal attacker assisting on two goals as well as scoring two of his own en route to a lopsided 4-1 Marauders victory, securing his nation's fifth AOCAF title over an SRS team participating in its very first Atlantian Oceanian tournament. Of the current Squornshelan roster four players, Nyberg, Bedrosian, Damnagoras, and Bondarov were on the field for that final, so while there will be some familiarity, this is definitely a very different Black-and-Reds team that will head out to face the tournament's second overall seed. Does that give us the advantage? In a word, no. The Vanorians are ranked third in the multiverse for a reason, and while the scoreline should be a good deal closer than the last time we met, it's not a match many people, if anyone, will be picking the SRS to win.

Squidroidia (9)
Somehow, despite both featuring among the better teams in the ranks of the Independents during IAC cycles 11, 12, and 13, Squidroidia and Squornshelous have never met on the pitch before. This is likely due in part to the Black-and-Reds' old habit of seriously underachieving at the IAC, often failing to advance beyond the group stage and frequently losing to lower-ranked opponents on the occasions they did make the knockouts. While the Squiddies have yet to hoist that tournament themselves, they placed second at IAC12 and third at IAC15 so it seems only a matter of time before their name is etched onto a set of winners' medals. I'd like to flatter the Black-and-Reds by implying that this matchup represents a sort of Indie heavyweight "might-have-been" clash should the SRS have remained a football Independent, our awful IAC mojo likely wouldn't have allowed for anything more than a chance meeting in the group stages, and one that likely would’ve gone the way of the Squids. That’s the most likely result here as well, though we’ll certainly be holding out hope for an upset draw. If this Black-and-Reds team can manhandle Audioslavia the way they did, perhaps there’s hope, even against the top ten.

Flavovespia (31)
Despite Squidroidia and Valanora being perhaps more immediately recognized names in the SRS, Flavovespia are in actual fact the group opponent against which the Black-and-Reds have the most modern-era meetings, albeit only two. The sides met in World Cup 84 Qualifying, including a 0-0 draw in the opening matchday that started off the run of bad form that saw then-manager Bethany Donnell sacked by the halfway point, and a 2-1 Squornshelan victory in Flavovespia. Featuring on the roster longlist for that qualifying run were Lyzolda Petrov and Walda Harkhan, though neither player featured in the matches against Flavovespia, so this history is of questionable relevance at best. The current Flavovespian team finished qualifying also on 41 points, albeit with many fewer draws, and on the whole had slightly lower scoring matches. They needed extra time to get past Yuezhou in the playoff, similarly to our own inability to get more than a pair of draws against that opponent this cycle. As you can see, there’s very little to separate these two sides on form right now, even if the Black-and-Reds have perhaps a slim advantage on paper. A draw seems the most likely outcome, and would unfortunately do neither team much good in the hope of advancement.

by **Tikariot** » Mon Oct 31, 2022 12:48 pm

OOC: The sounds described go hand in hand with this video, so for the full experience, have that playing as you read on.

Agri, a city in the northeast of Electrum. Night has fallen and the shoreside lies dark and quiet. Suddenly a horn and drums begin to sound and out on the waters some flickering lights can be seen. Almost like a response to the rhythm, a series of torches springs to life on the shore, illuminating a sea of people, some of which are carrying Tikariotian flags. As the flickering lights move nearer, the crowd begins to sing.

Ships on vigor of the waves are skimming
Barren summits to the verdant plains
Each horizon is a new beginning
Rise and reign

It quickly becomes obvious that the flickering lights out on the water belong to a large boat, but no sound of a motor can be heard. Only as it draws close to the shore, the striped sail becomes visible.

Far from the fjords and the ice cold currents
Ravens soar over new frontiers
Songs and sagas of a fate determined
Shields and spears

As the chant continues, the ship runs aground, gliding towards the shoreline on the sandy beach before coming to a halt only a few metres from the gathered crowd. The prow of the boat is carved in the shape of a snowy owl in full flight, the sail is striped black and white. One by one dark clad shapes jump off the side of the ship, wading through the shallow water, gathering at the shore.

Vows of favour or the thrill of plunder
Pull together for the clan and kin
Clank of hammers and the crash of thunder
Pound within

The men and women that have come ashore are all clad in black, many wearing black fur coats, their faces obscured by black, white and burgundy war-paint, making them almost unrecognizable, but those familiar with international football quickly identify them as the members of the Tikariotian national team arriving in Electrum. As the chorus begins, they join into the crowd's enthusiastic choir.

Oh-ho-oh
The echoes of eternity
Oh-ho-oh
Electrum calling me
Oh-ho-oh
To pluck the strings of destiny
Oh-ho-oh
Electrum calling me
Electrum calling me

As they advance, the sea of people ahead of them parts to allow them through before closing again and following them on their journey into Agri, the site of their first match against Banija.

The familiar piano notes of Culinaria Tikariot open up to the 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 collage morphs into the view of Guillarim, the capital of the province of Frahaul, nestled into a large bowl-like valley in the mountains, with the high peaks of the Frahulian Range giving a spectacular backdrop to the scenic setting. The picture cuts to a large campfire, located somewhere in a forest as there is no sign of civilization anywhere nearby. Close to the fire we can see the host of Culinaria Tikariot, Susanna Wheymore, who looks positively frozen.

Susanna Wheymore: Good evening Tikariot, welcome back to Culinaria Tikariot and welcome to Frahaul. As you can see, we are not in a market or a restaurant or any kind of hint at civilization, but instead are somewhere within the Frahulian forests and no, it is not warm or comfortable. I know that last time at the Emerald Coast I had quoted the old Tikariotian saying of 'There is no bad weather, just insufficient clothing', but this is putting the spirit to the test, as this was not what was predicted in the forecast. But let's have a look at where we are at first.

The picture cuts away from Susanna and into the trademark feature video about Frahaul.

Susanna Wheymore: Frahaul is the smallest province of Tikariot, both in terms of area size and also population. Almost completely encircled by Dhaencunor, Frahaul is located in the central north of Tikariot, just east of Khazagh and similar to that province mostly consists of mountains and hardy people that have a reputation for being quite rugged headstrong and a breed of their own. The climate matches this with cool summers and brutal winters, with both the spring and autumn seasons often being fairly short and wet and in most cases not very warm.

Economically Frahaul is mostly known for hydro-electric energy and some mining, with tourism starting to play a bigger role as both Tikariotians and foreign visitors are expressing a larger interest in the rugged, mostly untouched nature of the mountains and forests that make up the vast majority of the province.

The picture returns to Susanna trying to warm up close to the fire.

Susanna Wheymore: One of touristic concepts of Frahaul is to experience nature and camp out without any of the amenities of glamping or a more traditional vacation, so we decided to give this a shot and combine it with a dive into the cuisine of this province, however we did not anticipate that Mother Nature seems to be holding a grudge and sending some early samples of the oncoming winter our way. I guess it is her way of allowing us to get the 'full experience' of Frahaul. With me tonight is Xamuel Erlandsson, owner of Pure Frahaul, a company that organizes these nature camps, and also our culinary host. Thank you for having us, Xamuel.

Xamuel Erlandsson: My pleasure. Even though I must say that it seems as if I am enjoying it a little more than you right now.

Susanna Wheymore: I'll be fine once I get warmed up. So tell us more about what the Frahulian cuisine is about.

Xamuel Erlandsson: Well, as you know, the people of Frahaul are a very proud bunch and we try to live in harmony with the nature that surrounds us. With that comes a cuisine that also is very close with what you can find within the province and if you go out onto a hike or camp such as this one, one of the main components is to live off whatever you can find around you.

Susanna Wheymore: So in other words, if you have absolutely no talent for hunting or foraging, you are pretty much going to die from starvation.

Xamuel Erlandsson (laughs): That is the most extreme of descriptions I've heard so far, but the direction is correct. But rest assured that if you come to one of our camps, there are enough people around that can teach you how to avoid the ultimate consequence.

Susanna Wheymore: Reassuring. So what can you generally find around here?

Xamuel Erlandsson: We have a lot of mountain streams and small lakes, so we have a lot of fish, which are fairly easy to catch, if you are more skilled in hunting you could get yourself a deer or a boar and there also are tons of berries and mushrooms throughout the forests, so you can actually get yourself some nice meals just out of that.

Susanna Wheymore: As a city girl, I'll put my full faith in you and your abilities to hunt and gather whatever we need, because I can pretty much guarantee that I will not catch anything and likely pick the most poisonous mushroom you can find.

Xamuel Erlandsson (laughs): I love your confidence. But don't worry, I have everything we need right here, so we don't have to go out and forage tonight, but can focus on the actual cooking. The plan for tonight is for three dishes, one of which I have already prepared ahead and is cooking as we speak, but the other two I can show you right here.

Susanna Wheymore: Only if it does not involve getting too far from this fire.

Xamuel Erlandsson: I think we can keep you close, yes. So the dish that is cooking right now, is a wild boar stew. This one has to cook for several hours to become fork tender and really allow it to soak up the juices and give you this warm and homey feel. What I like to do is to braise the boar in a cast iron pan first and then add it with the other ingredients into a large pot.

Susanna Wheymore: I have heard that boar can be a little tough depending on the age.

Xamuel Erlandsson: Exactly. Which is why it has to cook long and slow, to get this tenderness. If you manage to catch a young boar, you will get more tender meat, but out here it's hard to gauge what age of a porker you'll come across, so you have to be prepared to think a little bit longer term. I did bring some onions, carrots, celeriac root, tomatoes and potatoes from the market to go into the pot as well, everything cubed and diced like the meat, as those don't really grow out here, but the boar and the mushrooms are right from the forest here.

Susanna Wheymore: Is there any particular kind of mushrooms you go for?

Xamuel Erlandsson: No, because even if you know the forests, there's always a certain amount of luck involved which kinds you can find as many animals also enjoy them, but this morning I found a very nice bunch of chanterelles, which pair really nicely with the boar.

Susanna Wheymore: What do you do for sauce?

Xamuel Erlandsson: Water and the tomatoes give some liquid as well, the rest just comes from the pan in which I braised the meat as well as the herbs.

Susanna Wheymore: So you said that this one has been cooking for a while?

Xamuel Erlandsson: Yes. It has been on the fire for about 5 to 6 hours now, so it should be ready fairly soon, but still give us enough time to prepare the second main dish.

Susanna Wheymore: You had mentioned the rivers and lakes, so is it safe to assume that this will have to do something with fish?

Xamuel Erlandsson: Correct, rainbow trout to be precise.

Susanna Wheymore: So what are we going to do with them?

Xamuel Erlandsson: Well, I have taken the freedom to gut them already, but we are going to prepare them to be grilled on spits over the open fire.

Susanna Wheymore: Alright, so what do we have to do?

Xamuel Erlandsson: First off we put some salt, pepper and some herbs into the cavity of the fish.

Susanna Wheymore: Only inside?

Xamuel Erlandsson: For now, the rest we'll do after the fish is on its spit to avoid it getting even more slippery than it already is.

Susanna Wheymore: OK.

Xamuel Erlandsson: Now we take the spit and skewer the fish with it. This will be a bit trickier than it seems, because the spit should not pierce the skin of the fish.

Susanna Wheymore: One interesting thing right here is that the spit is square.

Xamuel Erlandsson: Yes. This is actually something simple, but important, because a square spit will give you more control over which side of the fish you are grilling and it makes it easier to turn instead of something round that can roll into the same position all the time and either burn or overcook certain parts of the fish. Basically you insert the spit through its mouth like this, then move it up a bit and push it along its backbone. Yes, like that, just be careful to go slow and not to go through the skin. Very good. Now the spit should come back out right here, just before the tailfin. Excellent! You're a natural!

Susanna Wheymore: Thank you!

Xamuel Erlandsson: Now we can salt and pepper the outside as well and then allow it to rest for about half an hour.

Susanna Wheymore: Because it was so exhausting for it to be prepared?

Xamuel Erlandsson (bursts out laughing): No, just for the seasoning to do its work. Now while this is happening, let's get the dessert prepared.

Susanna Wheymore: Ooh, I like desserts! What are we having?

Xamuel Erlandsson: A berry crisp.

Susanna Wheymore: I like the sound of that!

Xamuel Erlandsson: Good, because it tastes even better than it sounds! First off we'll put the berries, I found some really nice fresh wild blueberries and raspberries out there, then we add some sugar, some cinnamon and some flour and pour some water over it.

Susanna Wheymore: So this is the foundation?

Xamuel Erlandsson: Exactly. Then take this bowl here and mix the oats, the flour, the brown sugar, the baking soda and the butter together, please.

Susanna Wheymore: Like this?

Xamuel Erlandsson: Yes, just like that. And then crumble the mix over the berries. Great! Now we just have to cover it all and put it over the fire. It'll take about 45 to 60 minutes to cook all the way through, but trust me, it's worth the wait! Now back to the fish. We start it off by grilling the stomach opening for a few minutes, then turn it to one side, until it has turned brown. Then we will turn it on the other side and put some herb butter onto the browned parts. At the end we'll turn it onto its back.

Susanna Wheymore: And how do we know when it's done?

Xamuel Erlandsson: That's actually pretty easy. Try to pull out the back fin. If it comes out easily, the fish is done!

Susanna Wheymore: Oh nice!

Xamuel Erlandsson: Yep. So now that the fish is on its side, let's have some of the stew while we wait.

Xamuel opens the lid of the large pot with the stew and ladles out some of its contents into a bowl before handing over the steaming dish to Susanna.

Xamuel Erlandsson: Now if this doesn't warm you up, you're a lost cause.

Susanna Wheymore: That's reassuring, haha. It smells heavenly! Now let's try it, though. Oh this is nice! That meat really just falls apart!

Xamuel Erlandsson: Told you it'd be tender.

Susanna Wheymore: And the taste is a lot less gamey than I thought it would be.

Xamuel Erlandsson: That's a common thing with boar. It can have a really strong taste, but if you get it fresh and know how to prepare it, it has a lot less of this gamey taste.

Susanna Wheymore: Definitely! And the chanterelles are a really nice complement to the meat and also the sauce, this is wonderful! And yes, it definitely is warming me up!

Xamuel checks on the fish.

Xamuel Erlandsson: These are ready, too! Now you don't take out the spit while you eat it, you just work your way around it. It's a little awkward at first, but it beats trying to pick out potential splinters from the wood.

Susanna Wheymore: Comes with built in toothpicks.

Xamuel Erlandsson: (laughs): That's one way to look at it!

Susanna Wheymore: This is also really tender and the herbs really have sunk into the meat. I'm normally not a fan of fish skin, but the way this is grilled and browned, it's nice and crisp.

Xamuel Erlandsson: It's one way not to waste anything.

Susanna Wheymore: This also is quite filling.

Xamuel Erlandsson: Only if you've had a full portion of stew before.

Susanna Wheymore: Touche.

Xamuel Erlandsson: Do you still have room for dessert?

Susanna Wheymore: I always have room for dessert!

Now Xamuel pulls the cast iron pan from the grill and places it on a tree stump in front of them. He removes the cover to reveal the still bubbling contents. Susanna places herself above it to catch the smell.

Susanna Wheymore: Oh, this smells so good! Just looks a little hot.

Xamuel Erlandsson: Let me scoop some out into a bowl, it doesn't take that long to cool out here.

He places a generous scoop into a wooden bowl. After a short while Susanna gingerly tests it for heat.

Susanna Wheymore: Still a little hot, but I'm going in! Very nice, the topping has crisped up just a bit and the fruits underneath are so nice and juicy! I will say that I was a little apprehensive at first cooking out here, but this is some really nice, down-to-earth stuff that really delivers in flavour!

Xamuel Erlandsson: Thank you. I know that it's a somewhat unusual initiation to Frahulian cuisine, but as I had said, we as people in general are very close to nature here, so what better way than to prepare it surrounded by the very same nature.

Susanna Wheymore: Very well said! So, we've come to the end of our Frahulian adventure, I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I did and will join me again next time, when we will dig into the cuisine of the mysterious Bashperian Darklands!

[Roleplays] :: World Cup 92

WCQ-92 PO-2

A FINAL STRIKE

Boot It!: Playoff IV, pt 2 - There Is A God

Boot It!: Our Group Is Certainly Familiar

World Cup 92 Playoff Leg 2 & Group Preview

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