World Cup 93 Team
Ages correct as of World Cup 93 Finals/Cup of Harmony 85. Subtract 1 year for World Cup qualifiers.
Goalkeepers
No Pos Player Sex Age Club Traits
1 GK Rhiannon Fawn [vc] F 24 Starling Centred, Forthright, Stringy, Workhorse
12 GK Damien Gannet M 26 Keers Kannoneers Sceptical, Contrarian, Agile, Leader
23 GK Cedric Millard M 22 Papillio Mertagne FMFC Impassioned, Formulaic, Quick, Showman
No Pos Player Sex Age Club Traits
2 LB Corrie Kidman F 28 Fligsive FC Bright, Anxious, Powerful, Trickster
3 CB Briac Lewis M 28 Expats Endeavour Loyal, Nice, Beefy, Leader
4 RB Sabrina Aikman F 24 Capital FC Cunning, Quiet, Pacy, Shadow
13 LB Riche Muguerza M 27 CS Saint-Remy Encouraging, Chatty, Hard-hitting, Zone Marker
14 CB Txomin Huon M 25 Lakewood City Proud, Erratic, Gigantic, Artist
15 RB Margaret Harlow F 28 Alnio Quirky, Capable, Hard-hitting, Daredevil
24 CB Lloyd Seddon M 23 Osarese Marcadia Indifferent, Circumspect, Petite, Man Marker
Midfielders
No Pos Player Sex Age Club Traits
5 LM E* de la Fontaine [c] F 30 Avanaroch White Wings FC Private, Clever, Bony, Leader
6 CM Pia Aziz F 29 Bakartirla Buccaneers Frank, Cunning, Tiny, Dynamo
7 CM Lee Margas M 27 Carsby Inventive, Moralistic, Lithe, Clown
8 RM Rowan Emberson M 27 Frenei Tor Gossipy, Grumpy, Skinny, Dissenter
16 LM Stewart Bickley M 22 Lehen Neorudo Assertive, Berserk, Tiny, Opportunist
17 CM Graham Ellerby M 25 Osarese Marcadia Benign, Awkward, Thin, Professional
18 CM Kyra Mijancas F 23 Mazinaw Vanorian Optimistic, Friendly, Squat, All-rounder
19 RM Jake Inxaugarate M 28 Vantanoch FC Cocky, Kind, Stocky, Glass Cannon
25 LM Owen Woodhouse M 25 Blades de Bretsaar Rational, Outspoken, Bony, Thinker
26 RM Robin Darr M 22 Century Mertagne FMFC Silly, Fiery, Stringy, Interceptor
Attackers
No Pos Player Sex Age Club Traits
9 ST Tara Number F 31 Branvon CD Helpful, Solemn, Towering, Technician
10 ST Holly Eveson F 24 Carthage United Fiery, Driven, Beefy, Clown
11 ST Burro Curwood M 21 Polaris Humble, Good, Fast, Workhorse
20 ST Tevente Kings M 24 Blades de Bretsaar Hard-working, Doubting, Fast, Cheater
21 ST Gordon Isbill M 22 Lehen Neorudo Winning, Absent-minded, Skinny, Box-to-box player
22 ST Niki Barnard F 22 Signal Dannin Bureaucratic, Frustrating, Quick, Clown
Support Staff
Manager: Ázëwyn Fëanáro, 41XX, Calming, Sensible, Lithe, Architect
Ass. Manager: Kristie Ettrick, 46, Aggressive, Intense, Compact, Dissenter
Media Consultant: Ellis "Lis" Lawrence, 28, Entrepreneurial, Duplicitous, Bony
Traits follow a [mental][mental][physical][style] format.
Formation: 3-4-3
Style Modifier: +3. Score more goals than you can.
Free Kickers: Tara Number, Jake Inxaugarate, Tevente Kings
Cornerers: Jake Inxaugarate, Pia Aziz, Erdotza de la Fontaine
Penaltiers: Holly Eveson, Burro Curwood, Erdotza de la Fontaine
Mertagnians have a bit of football fatigue at the moment, and it's not the fault of the Mertagnian football team. The FMF can certainly be blamed, signing away soul sucking contract after soul sucking contract and delivering no less than five football tournaments on Mertagnian soil in the last five years. Mertagne's national team have appeared in two of them, and as such national team fans living in the nation's bustling cities have been overexposed to the best in new blood in the multiversal competition. Half of them are contented with the relative calm that the Mertagnian side provides, yet discontented with the lack of threat that it provides, and the other half are up in arms that the national side isn't emulating the latest and greatest in tactical breakthroughs pioneered by these new squads.
That said, Mertagne are in the best position they've ever been before a World Cup qualifiers in the modern era. The work of Ázëwyn Fëanáro, Starblaydia's second finest footballing export*, this team has been drilled and will be looking to make a strong qualifying run, hoping to unseat teams that believe they may be well cemented into the play-offs by virtue of being in the top two pots. While last cycle was touted as 'the one' for qualification, Mertagne were pipped to the post following a valiant fight against three of the multiverses top national teams in Nephara, Cassadaigua, and Kelssek. This cycle, however, after a strong Cup of Harmony where Mertagne were eventually defeated by the tournament winners, on paper the team is certainly strong enough to break though to the playoffs at the very least. An ultimatum has been delivered to Fëanáro as an impatient fan-base grows, however - should she fail to reach the play-offs, the threat of her removal from the squad is certainly something that has been sent her way. Cool, calm, and collected, however the Starblaydi elf is so well ingratiated into the movements of the FMF it is likely the institution would collapse without her. Time will tell if the threats from the FMF board actually come to fruition.
Mertagne's style of football has affectionately been referred to as 'pre-football' by eminent journalists across the region, focusing on the fundamentals of making ball go fwoosh towards goal in front more times than the other folks on the pitch can. Helping the squad do that will be players such as Erdotza de la Fontaine, who will be taking the mantle of team captain after a long and successful career both for Mertagne and for the domestic league of Tikariot - and she shows no signs of stopping just yet. Also in command is Rhiannon Fawn, who finds herself increasing her presence in the national team after a stellar bout of play in the last CAFA. While the team went out in the Ro16, Fawn was vital in the group stage, keeping enough goals out against some very attack-minded teams to put Mertagne through the stage undefeated. Mertagne's defence contains names such as Sabrina Aikman, one of the fastest defenders to grace the team sheet, and EOT stalwarts in Corrie Kidman and Briac Lewis, who make the journey up north to play for the homeland once again.
The midfield is truly the core of this 3-4-3 side, and several big Mertagnian names continue to play here. Many have said that the midfield is suffering from an advanced age problem, but new ideas and players continue to float through the set, including Stewart Bickley, one of Lehen Neorudo's most erratic yet effective players, and Kyra Mijancas, who is garnerning a solid career in Kelssek.
If the midfield is the core of the side, the attackers make the point and they make the point well. The pool of front-fielders is capable of placing shots that hit the mark, and the Mertagnian side is no stranger to scoring from set-pieces, although it finds this conversion difficult in corners, preferring close free-kicks or penalties. Spearheading the attack is likely to be Holly Eveson, but young Burro Curwood has often found himself in the right place at the right time to score a goal. Tara Number provides the wisdom up front and the skill to boot, often serving as a cooler option than the pairing of Eveson and Tevente Kings, who have a habit of pushing themselves too far in competition with each other before getting under each other's skin.
Kits lovingly provided by Kirola Sportswear of Audioslavia.
For the World Cup Qualifiers, The FMF has given rights for four stadiums to host nations coming to Mertagne. If you RP the match first, you are welcome to choose any of these stadiums for your game to have taken place in. They are, in ascending order of capacity:
The Ring Tank Stadium, Ostosaide, Harridan (Capacity, 54,000)
Located in Ostosaide, this stadium is home to Octosaide, and as the name suggests, boasts the region's largest enclosed aquarium on the outside of the stadium. Large enough for sea creatures of all types to enjoy their lives, the aquarium is carefully maintained by a complex climate control system, which has recently been upgraded in an effort to avoid promoting the growth of a thick green algae that had previously covered the stadium. Visitors to the stadium can view the aquatic flora and fauna from two angles - outside the stadium, with binoculars at regular viewing points around it, or from the inside at the Ring Tank Aquatic Viewing Centre. The pitch, located inside and away from the view of the aquarium, is well kept and its 54,000 seats are coloured in the blue and yellow of the local side.
Nine Star Arch, Webster, The Forkelands (Capacity: 66,500)
The Nine Star Arch is an imposing sports stadium found in the city of Webster, and is home to a source of national pride - the fierce domestic football club FMFC Ninestar. The nine large spotlights that adorn the Nine Star Arch’s titular arch have many uses; two of them during games played at this stadium are to spin and provide a light show whenever a team scores, and to provide those living in and around the city of Webster with a live score graphic, with a number of lights on opposing ends of the arch lit with the corresponding team’s home colour depending on how many goals they have scored. Many teams that play here have the dream to 'capture the arch', which is achieved by scoring more than five goals in a game, so that a majority of the nine lights on the arch are in your team's colours. Two teams have captured the arch in WCC competition - none of them Mertagne. Will your nation be the third?
Dannin City Stadium, Dannin (Capacity: 85,750)
Dannin City Stadium sits in the heart of Mertagne's capital, and its unique look ensures that it's both an art piece, a functional stadium, and an eco-friendly statement all at once due to its assortment of solar panels, which wax and wane with the passing of the sun - an event that happens on occasion here in the wetlands. Home to top-tier domestic team Century Mertagne, the patriotic lime and dark green seating is sure to excite any nation that comes to play here. The stadium, shaped like a question mark or a tadpole(?), with its tail end facing south, also boasts an entertainment complex and is a hub venue for the local community.
Flynn Ar3na, New Fligsive, Plitterland (Capacity: 88,750)
A project that could be considered the crucible of New Fligsive, Mertagne, the Flynn Ar3na (named as it is the third stadium to bear the name) was built as a multi-year construction project between regional construction giant Flynn’s, and the Mertagnian government. The Flynn Ar3na boasts a unique design that iterates on the design of its predecessor, the Flynn Arena in Fligsive, Euran Oceania Territories. This incarnation of the stadium has sacrificed some of its seats in order to incorporate a unique art section - where the old Flynn Arena’s upper ring would have been, here instead sit thousands of individually cast faceless metal statues, each inscribed with a names of Fligsivi civilians and combatants during the Corvidae War and associated Fligsive Incident. The unique acoustics that these metal statues cause in the upper ring creates a scintillating echoing effect when sound is broadcast from the top, which provides unique opportunities in this multi-purpose stadium, home to club side New Fligsive’s Memory. It is said that sometimes, the statues create the echo of a crowd lost to time.
Style Modifier: +3
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: Yes, but no outright killing.
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes