World Cup 94 [roleplays]

by **Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 4:01 am

Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer starts with 2 draws and 1 loss

Alikki-Corra, Vilita - After 3 matchdays, Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer has 2 draws and 1 loss. The Jean-Jacquois travelled to Flavovespia on matchday 1 and drew 2-2. Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer attacked at the 13th minute when Nathan Fauteux-McGrath passed to Louis-Philippe Berlinguette just outside the box who kicks the ball and it's a goal. The Tapirs were leading 1-0 at halftime. Flavovespia tied the game at the 67th minute when Michael Cole's shot went past Serge Bleau-Bean. 4 minutes later, Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer had a corner kick. Nathan Fauteux-McGrath kicked the ball in the penalty area at the near post and Louis-Philippe Berlinguette headed it past Aarif Muhammad and the Jean-Jacquois took a 2-1 lead. Flavovespia attacked again at the 81st minute when Jonathan Bagshaw made a cross to Michael Cole who kicked it into the net and the game was tied at 2-2. It was the final score.

On matchday 2, Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer received Trolleborg at home and the final score was 0-0. The weather was hot and humid. The game was delayed for 2 hrs because of the rain. Both teams had their scoring chances but failed to score. At the 17th minute Morten Kroonquist kicked the ball but Serge Bleau-Bean made a great save. Trolleborg almost scored at the 28th and 68th minutes but each time they were stopped. Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer had their chances too, at the 37th Frédérique Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau received the ball from Ludwig Baumgartner and kicked it but Morten Kerr made the save. At the 73rd minutes Louis-Philippe Berlinguette almost scored a header goal but it was denied by Morten Kerr. The final score was 0-0.

Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer travelled to Vilita on matchday 3 and they teached us a football lesson. At the 5th minute, Mikele Alasita scored from a free kick. Vilita increased their lead at the 19th minute when Trezisi Rokopolis made a header pass to Kunaro Tlikara who heads the ball past Serge Bleau-Bean. At the 36th minute, Narri Sebapilo takes a lose ball and passes to Letirpsi Vulitn who dribbles and kicks from 30 meters. The ball is in and Vilita takes a 3-0 lead. This is the score at halftime. at the 60th minute, Fyin Miateal kicks the ball and it touches Tristan Gibouleau-Beaudoin's arm, who was standing in the penalty area. Fyin Miateal takes the penalty, he kicks and it's a goal. At the 89th minute, Jakku’u Naboyavi made a short pass to Mikele Alasita who kicks the ball and it's a goal. This is Alasita's 2nd goal of the game and it's now 5-0 Vilita. This is the final score.

Tristan Gibouleau-Beaudoin received two yellow cards and was ejected at the 60th when he received his 2nd yellow card. He will miss matchday 4 against Dantopia but he should be back in the starting XI for matchday 5 against Euran Oceania Territories, which are located in Anaia. Javier Ordonez Rodriguez will replace Gibouleau-Beaudoin in the starting XI. The weather is expected to be cloudy for the home game against Dantopia.

Paul-André Veilleux

by **Graintfjall** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 4:19 am

OOC: Tonight's cutoff will be 2 hours later than scheduled.

IC: Tonight's edition of The Fußball Show with Jessika Jünkindietrünk featuring World Cup qualifying highlights will be broadcast 2 hours later than scheduled owing to the late addition schedule of an address to the nation by the Prime Minister.

by **Flavovespia** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 4:20 am

Tanirinthia 0–2 Flavovespia

Flavovespia faced another opposition in their debut World Cup Qualifying game, but this time a more assured performance saw them come away with the 3 points. A few newer faces in the squad stepped up, and delivered a solid performance.

The big change was that Nathan Crewe would now be starting in goal. Aarif Muhammad’s performance against Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer was below his high expectations, but some were surprised how quickly he was dropped. Youngsters Stan Scott-Wilson and Anthony Lane were in the starting XI, with Michael Cole moving back to centre forward. Flavovespia were kitted out in their black away kit for this game, paired with the black home shorts and socks for his game.

The start, much like the previous game, was going the way of Flavovespia. Tanirinthia had their crowd fired up to support the home side, but the midfield of Flavovespia were very assured, little was getting into the defensive third for Flavovespia. The relatively youthful right hand side of the defence, of Nazir Hussain and Stan Scott-Wilson, were coping with the pressure well. A testing effort in the 14th minute from just outside the box saw Nathan Crewe pull off a confident save, a good first test for him in this game.

At the other end of the pitch, Flavovespia were knocking on the door, but finding that Tanirinthia’s centre backs had the measure of any crosses going onto the box. Appeals for a penalty in the 24th minute, when Michael Cole was knocked over going for a header were waved off, a robust but fair challenge in the eyes of the referee and video assistant referee, even if Cole was smarting about the decision for a while. Cole would get his revenge however in the 36th minute. With the aerial route less effective, Anthony Lane played a well weighted through ball, and Cole gave his marker the slip. Into the box, the goalkeeper rushed forward, but with a deft little chip, Cole elevated the ball over the goalkeeper, and into the back of the net. 0-1 to Flavovespia, they had taken the lead and prevented Tanirinthia from going in at half time with a clean sheet. A late corner for Tanirinthia could’ve been a threat, but Crewe caught it cleanly.

Into the second half, and it didn’t take too long for Flavovespia to find their second. It was a loose attempt to play out from the back by Tanirinthia, and Anthony Lane intercepted the ball about 25 metres out. With a clear route to goal, he charged in, the keeper this time stayed close to his goal line, but Lane shot into the available space across the face of goal, and doubled the lead. Good game awareness from the young winger, and in just his second international game, he got his first international goal.

The second goal looked to have taken a lot of the wind out of the sails of Tanirinthia. It could’ve been 3 not long later, with Jonathan Bagshaw collecting a long ball forward over the top, but he made a rare error and shot way off target from around 15 metres out. A key player for Flavovespia, he’d be substituted off after 70 minutes, an uncommon choice, but maybe with an eye of preserving players for future games. Tanirinthia’s best chance came in the 73rd minute, with Nazir Hussain not getting enough power on a clearance out to the right. The ball fell to the left midfielder who charged forward. Hustled however by Stan Scott-Wilson, the midfielder couldn’t get the cross away before being dispossessed, not even they could appeal for a penalty.

In the end, it was an assured win for Flavovespia. 0-2 was not the biggest score going, but it was the sort of performance Flavovespia could be pleased with. 3 points on the road in the Qualifiers is crucial, and they entered their bye Matchday as one of only 3 teams in the group who had a win on the board. After 3 Matchdays were complete, Flavovespia were 4th, with only Ziwana, Vilita, and impressive debutants Dantopia ahead of them. The next 2 game could be critical for setting the tone of the Qualifiers. Pot 4 Trolleborg travel to Flavovespia, they’ve conceded just one goal so far. However, they’ve only scored one, having drawn all 3 games so far. Flavovespia then travel to Vilita, on paper the toughest game of the 20, and one Flavovespia would dearly like to avoid defeat in.

Provisional Lineups*:

MD4: Crewe, Lyons©--Cookson--Taylor--Scott-Wilson, Wassell--Player--Goldstone, Lane--Cole--Bagshaw
MD5: Crewe, Lyons©--Cookson--Taylor--Scott-Wilson, Wassell--Player--Goldstone, Lane--Cole--Bagshaw

*OOC: Should Flavovespia perform poorly in the first game of the scorination, RP'ing changes to the line up for second game are acceptable.

by **Ko-oren** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 5:31 am

A World Cup final, a World Cup win, two CAFA finals, an IFCF Cup Winners' Cup trophy for Maethoru, an IFCF Challengers Cup win for Straudum. Miradela and Kanatsu making the CC quarterfinals, Maethoru in two CL quarterfinals. Maethoru finishing 1st, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and Straudum finishing 2nd, 3rd in the CAFA LigAnaia - including one Maethoru-Straudum final. It's not a stretch to say that Ko-oren were one of the most successful nations in football across the last decade or so. A big achievement for a nation of our size that tries to balance excellence in so many sports.

But what goes up, must come down.

Architectured by Juliasterinthen and maintained by Davenport, the Dragonflies weren't always the highest ranked opponent but the reactions of our group mates whenever they landed in our group say enough.

[skull emoji][skull emoji][skull emoji][skull emoji][skull emoji][skull emoji][skull emoji]

Oh-noren

BAHABABABAHABAHABA FUCK ME

I hate my group

who let the Ko-orenite in here

As the top seed of group 6 is none other than Ko-oren, who famously hate football

I swear if we have to take one more 1-0 L

Then again, the reaction of a member of the organising committee, noticing that we had dropped down to Pot 2, also says a lot:

(Ko-oren are pot 2 !?!?!?)

Meaning: we've been good for long enough to trick people into thinking that that was our default mode. Older fans will recall how we were - as the kids say - hardstuck in Pot 2 and still did a lot of damage from there, as evidenced from the reactions to various group draws.

After years of going up, the years of falling down have started. The Top League was a top eight league for a bit, threatening to take top four, but the three most recent seasons were, in order, horrible, great, and below mediocre, and we have fallen to 12th. Still a great rank, still above Audioslavia, Valanora, Tumbra, Vilita, and Banija, and we still get that third CL spot, but it'll take a while for us to correct these two poor scores and only then will we be able to launch an assault at the top teams again - if we don't fall further in the meantime. In that span of three years, Maethoru have relinquished their stranglehold over the Top League trophy, allowing Aminey to come up, and Miradela has joined the top three. Straudum, for some time our most successful international club squad, has imploded as they had no way of maintaining their salaries the way they were.

The Dragonflies, during that span, went from two World Cup finals and a quarterfinal to a round of 16 exit followed by two group stage exits in 92 and 93. Our championship window slammed shut, hard, and we're just about back where we started. In the CAFA, after two finals, we still made two quarterfinals, but finishing top eight in a regional - assuming the big 5 regional tournaments - puts you at about top 40 (after all, there were 40 teams who equalled our accomplishments that cycle). In the World Cup qualifiers, we finished first in five of six years around when we made the final - and after that we were second and third. Sure, we qualified via playoffs both times, but either we finish fourth or we don't get lucky in the playoffs at some point.

After that third place, Davenport was fired, and it's very KFA to not find a replacement in time for the qualifiers. We're still on the lookout for a new manager, one who continues our defensive tendencies but either through tactics or through personnel brings us into the 90s. Davenport, being Juliasterinthen's understudy, had largely the same outlook on the game - fiercely tactical, systematical, and not much space for individuality. Will the KFA opt for more of that or will we get a more 'international' manager?

So far, there's a huge need for a new head coach. Ko-oren are fifth with one game in hand in Group 2 after a loss at Huayramarca - conventionally that would put our potential at second place and playoffs, tops - but we've only just started, and so have they. Jeruselem and Naixi have also started with plenty of intent, and then there's Ile de Richelieu and Pyazhnaya who shouldn't be underrated - but perhaps most fans who've been with us for over a decade will look forward to the rivalry versus Darmen more than anything. Defensively we're still solid, but scoring and results aren't going our way yet. It might not mean much, but we need help.

*Quotes all sourced from #live on the NSS Discord. Can't claim ownership of them other than meticulously combing through the channel.

by **Patriotlandia** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 5:52 am

20 years for Bo Napeti's

Having served more than a million meal across all it's locations last year, the chain of family restaurant is celebrating its 20th birthday. Founded by Basilio 'Bo' Napeti, the business has evolved from a local eatery to a franchising empire with more than 15 restaurants across the nation. A gathering to celebrate the milestone was held at it's original location in Planteau. The owner was present to share his thanks to all involved in the undertaking. "I want to thank my family and all the staff, franchisee and friends that have helped along the way", Bo said.

Known for its shoe based peninsula style cooking, Some of the original meals were set to their original price for the promotion. Diners could enjoy a bowl of the famous Bo's Pasta for five piastres or a large chorizo pizza for eight. The promotion is scheduled to end at the end of the month and the dining rooms are sure to be packed so reservations are recommended.

Box Score
Patriotlandia 1–4 Ziwana

First Half
- Glen Wills (7')
Richard Mumba (25') -

Second Half
Kiwini Mano (53') -
Richard Mumba (61') -
Paul Nkhata (82') -

Strange dreams and the sour taste of defeat

The national team was back in action at home hosting 67th ranked Ziwana at the Arène Alphone-Sintègne in Couen. The stadium was filled to the brim by a sold out crowd eager to cheer on the Blues on a second try in the World Cup Qualifiers. In a weird turn of events, plenty of fans in attendance reported having a dream that the match ended in a draw the night prior, leading to a few making their way to a bookie to try and cash in on the premonition. The actual result was not as great however as defensive woes led to a utter defeat to hands of the Ziwani allowing four unanswered goals.

"We heard about the dream, but we didn't read too much into it. We are used to strange rumors and I don't think it affected our play much", said team captain Elie Manahan. The first half made it seem like the premonition might come through with Glenn Wils breaking the deadlock at the seven minute mark on a great counter attack run. The Ziwani would answer before halftime bringing the game squared at one.

The premonition would be broken minutes after play returned as the Scorchers scored three unanswered to secure the victory on Patriotlandian soil. "Obviously we did not execute in the defensive zone", said Jean Alexandre Carignan. "I don't think anyone can be singled out. As a unit we need to be better at clearing the ball and not give second and third chances to the opposition in our own box." The manager added they would need to go back to drawing board on some strategies if they want to climb back up the standings and hope to qualify for the up coming World Cup.

by **Ile de Richelieu** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 5:56 am

Île de Richelieu starts with 2 wins and a loss

Port-Saint-Jean, Île de Richelieu - Île de Richelieu started off the qualifications on the right foot with two wins and a loss. On matchday 1, the Cardinals played against Mameath, a Baptism of Fire 81 participant. Before the start of the game, a ceremony was held to honor the women of Île de Richelieu who won the Jenna Raven Cup, which was given to the winner of the most prestigious women competition. The Richelois Jenna Raven Cup roster was also introduced to the fans in the stadium and on tv. Then the game against Mameath started. The score was 0-0 at halftime. At the 75th minute, Ulfhild Lillegard-Omdahl made a header pass to Jean-Christophe Gouin who heads the ball into the net and it was 1-0. At the 82nd minute, Île de Richelieu had a corner kick. Valkyrie Dahlen took the kick and the ball went into the net without touching anyone, it's a corner kick goal and the score is 2-0 Cardinals. This is the final score. Rasmus Hammer received a red card and Hugo Denommée will replace him in the starting XI against Pyazhnaya.

On matchday 2, the Richelois travelled to Pyazhnaya. Île de Richelieu attacked at the 16th minute when Asbjørn Lillegard-Omdahl made a short pass to Marc-Antoine Desgroseilliers who kicked it past Maksimilian Chupov. This is the only goal of the game and the Cardinals won 1-0.

Île de Richelieu received Huayramarca at the Stade national de la montagne de l'ours located in the capital city of Port-Saint-Jean, which makes half of the islands population. Huayramarca attacked at the 33rd minute when Carlos Cedeno made a cross to Gabriel Sayritupac who kicked the ball and it's a goal. Diego Uscamayta almost scored at the 58th minute but Bjørnar Grendahl-Kalberg made a great save. The final score was 1-0 Huayramarca. Valkyrie Dahlen injured herself against Huayramarca and will miss the next 4 matchdays. Tristan Charbonneau will replace her on matchday 4 and the team has a bye on matchday 5.

The naked princesses of Jeruselem are catching everyone's attention in Île de Richelieu. What a great start on the field! A 1-0 win against Darmen, another competitive team, followed by a 7-1 blow out against Greater Cebu and then an impressive 3-0 win against The Cherven Cities. They're also catching our attention off the field with their naked news: video views from Richelois IP addresses has skyrocketed since they became known in Île de Richelieu. However their presence on the island for matchday 10 is raising some concerns. Île de Richelieu is a prude nation and there is no law prohibiting public nudity because we've never faced this problem. The cold weather will be the best friend of those who are against their presence on the island. Île de Richelieu has always been a tolerant nation with good civil liberties. Booze is largely consumed on the island despite we're a catholic nation and our head of state and head of church Jean-René De la Sablonnière was allegedly seen smoking weed at a hockey game during the winter olympics in Quebec and Shingoryeo.

Jean-Guy Laframboise

by **Dantopia** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 6:17 am

DANTOPIA ✓

@Dantopia
These are your #Lions taking on @SJJSM away in the #WorldCupQualifiers

#Dantopia : #Lions : #WorldCupQualifiers

4 mins ago

Harold Northgate has named an unchanged starting eleven to face Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer at the Complexe Sportif Nationale located in the city state from Anaia. After surviving a harrowing apocalyptic event unscathed, the Lions were immediately thrown back in the fire – though metaphorically this time around – against the giant Valentine Z side. This time, they are facing a more traditionally sized team, so the side Northgate has selected will look to play to their usual strengths once again.

Harold Northgate's squad is expected to continue with the 3-2-4-1 formation, utilising a box midfield

The 3-2-4-1 formation employed during the qualification campaign will likely be utilised once more, with one of Shank or Runner moving into midfield, leaving the other three defenders to form a defensive line of three. Most often it has been Shank inverting, as his skill-set is suited best for the additional defensive midfield role Northgate has carved out alongside Dani Spaghetti. The attacking trio of Fodderingham, Michael Danchevy and Adeyemi will seek to penetrate the Saint-Jean-Jacques defence with their creativity, pace and direct play. Hopefully this combination will be enough to see the Lions victorious in the game. We will find out soon enough.

The Lions will have to watch out for in-form Saint-Jean-Jacques forward Louis-Philippe Berlinguette, who scored twice for the Tapirs in their match against Flavovespia. However, the Dantopian attacking line will not have to worry about defender Tristan Gibouleau-Beaudoin, who was sent off in the 60th minute for a deliberate handball in the penalty area in the Tapir's most recent game against Vilita, meaning he will miss this fixture. Javier Ordonez Rodriguez has been named as the replacement for the suspended C.D. Sagrado Corazon defender in the starting line-up.

Match-going Dantopian fans have been experiencing all that's on offer in Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer, a city state with a rich culture and history. It is named after Jean-Jacques Le Boucanier, a buccaneer of unknown North or Central Calanian origin. The lack of representative democracy in the nation is of concern to some in the Dantopian government, but the borders have been open to Dantopian visitors, and the people from the city state have been warm and friendly. The visiting Dantopian tourists have been enjoying the shopping and the cuisine on offer, with the tapir-based meat dishes of burgers, parmentier, meatballs and blanquette all proving popular amongst the travelling fans.

17 mins ago

Prior to Dantopia’s fourth fixture of the world cup qualifying tournament, DTV Sport presenter Harry Vinegar was able to sit down and have a chat with young Lion’s midfielder Ezra Cunningham, on how he thinks the qualification campaign has been going so far…

Harry Vinegar (HV):

Thank you so much for sitting down and talking to us Ezra. How are things going in preparation for the game against Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer?

Ezra Cunningham (EC):

Yeah, things are going well. The gaffer has been meticulous with his planning for this game. I think he takes the away fixtures even more seriously for some reason. I think he’s really committed to making sure we are showcasing our best football all around the globe and putting Dantopia in the spotlight in a positive way.

HV:

That’s interesting! I suppose our nation still has a ways to go in making a big splash on the international stage.

EC:

In many respects, yes, but I’m confident in the ability of this squad, and I know that Dantopian football is in its best place ever right now. I’m quite satisfied that we’ll be able to demonstrate our prowess in this competition, and hopefully in the World Cup Finals in Graintfjall and Kelssek as well.

HV:

It’s not been the easiest of group stages so far though, has it?

EC:

Certainly not! The first fixture against Ziwana was quite comfortable, we all played well in that. Given how Ziwana have responded in the next two games, we’re all even happier with the result now, because they have shown they are a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully we’ll be able to perform strongly in the reverse fixture later on too. However, after that, it’s been a bit crazy to be honest.

HV:

Definitely! Tell us about your experience in Neibeskiya.

EC:

Well, we literally survived the apocalypse, and I mean literally, not figuratively like some people mean when they say literally. We survived all that and we didn’t even get awarded the three points when the Neibeskiyan team didn’t even show up to the game! I don’t understand how that’s possible to be perfectly honest. Whatever arrangement that was made with that guy on the horse, I’m not satisfied with it, and neither is the rest of the team, or the coaching staff. Of course, there are no firm rules on apocalypses in the World Cup Qualification handbook, so we’ll have to take the rough with the smooth I guess, the smooth being that we somehow all miraculously made it back in one piece, thanks to the heroics of some of our fans.

HV:

Yes, the fans who piloted the military aircraft back to Dantopia with all the players, coaches, fans and match officials on board are truly heroes!

EC:

Absolutely! I know they are being recognised as such back home in Dantopia. I owe them a debt of gratitude for saving my life, for saving the entire team, and the other fans! Hopefully we can repay them by qualifying for this world cup and making them proud.

HV:

Following that insane turn of events, there was of course the match against Valentine Z…

EC:

Yeah, and boy, what are they feeding the people in Valentine Z? They’re all humongous! I honestly don’t know how we managed to scrape a draw in that match. I don’t consider myself short, but I felt incredibly minuscule in that game against the opposition! They were all just behemoths! Isn’t the average height of the squad like almost 8 feet tall?

HV:

7 feet, 10 and a half inches, but close enough. Well, all the very best of luck to you and the rest of the squad as they prepare for Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer. Hopefully you boys can prove victorious once again.

EC:

Thanks a lot, a pleasure as always Harry.

OOC: The views expressed in this player interview do not reflect my own views on the previous fixtures or the tournament as a whole. They have been dramatised for RP purposes only. I'm very much enjoying my part in the proceedings so far!

DANTOPIA ✓

@Dantopia
Just one change heading into the fixture against @Tanirinthia for your #Lions. #WorldCupQualifiers

#Dantopia : #Lions : #WorldCupQualifiers

2 mins ago

Following the away fixture against Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer, manager Harold Northgate has made one change for the match in Portland against Tanirinthia. DT Centre – the Portland Pirates’ stadium – will play host to the visitors from Terra XV, allowing the fans from Dantopia’s third largest city a glimpse of the Lions in action during this qualifying campaign. This marks the fifth game for the Lions so far in Group 15, as the team aim to finish in a strong position to secure qualification to the World Cup proper, the ninety-fourth edition of the competition.

Cliff Clamber makes his first start of the World Cup Qualifiers, and slots into Dantopia's attacking midfield line.

The sole change is in midfield, with Cliff Clamber replacing Brent-Bartholomew-Barnham. Clamber, a more traditional midfielder than Bartholomew-Barnham will be able to fit the box midfield formation like a glove. Hopefully his interplay with the other Dantopian forward players will prove effective against the Tanirinthians, who need a positive result of their own. Forwards Violet Bacchus, Bridget Payne and Lark Holt all pose a significant enough threat against Dantopia's defence however, so the Lions will need to be on their guard against the Tanirinthian attackers.

Tanirinthia's home loss to Flavovespia saw the visitors recover some form after only managing a draw against Saint-Jean-Jacques-Sur-Mer previously, and the Tanirinthians themselves were able to pull of a 0-0 tie against Trolleborg in their next fixture, so a victory for Dantopia today is certainly not going to come easily. However, the Lions have experienced a real whirlwind of events thus far in Group 15, so a non-apocalyptic home fixture against an averagely sized opposition should help calm proceedings down before consecutive fixtures against the expected powerhouses of the group Flavovespia, Trolleborg and Vilita for the national team. The Lions will certainly want a strong display against Tanirinthia today to set them up nicely before the following three fixtures.

by **Sylestone** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 6:30 am

Marbury Lad Not Sure Why Everyone Hates Him After Labelling The Sentients A “Disgrace” To The Country after 14 Stars Draw

Over the past few days, Marbury man Henry Peterson has caused quite a stir on social media platforms such as twii.tur after labelling the country’s national football team a “disgrace” when they failed to beat The 14 Stars in his home town on Monday, dominating every facet of the game save goals scored. While being told by hundreds of different people to “fuck back to your living room” as they momentarily forgot he was a couch potato whose life purpose was to cyberbully those who doubted his admittedly dubious opinions (see: “the world is flat”; “rushmore doesn’t exist”; “vaccines cause autism”) 25 hours a day, the local Wattle Bay Chronicle snapped up the chance to interview the 56-year-old within the confinement of his inner city shack, Peterson seemingly seeking any chance to validate his nonsensical takes. Mere hours after reaching a personal record breaking third like on his original twii.tur post after the Banija game that stated that the team “was the worst Sylestonean team he had ever seen” and that “he alone wouldn’t have lost 4-0 to fucking Banija”, apparently forgetting they were world champions who would go onto defeat the 14 Stars 6-3 and Starblaydia 4-0 in the coming days, reporters Joshua Boxall and Leah Blakely arrived at the place, prepared to lose all sense of sanity in the face of Peterson’s horrendous takes.

And look, it didn’t go as bad as it could have. At least, Peterson was kind enough to “offer” some shitty supermarket-bought coffee and some shitty store-bought chocolates down both reporters’ throats, ignoring Joshua’s complaints pertaining to his severe lactose intolerance and insisting that it was a “myth” and that his guest was an “attention-seeking coward”, even after the young man began turning green and constantly excusing himself to use the bathroom. Even though the interview was given a strict 45-minute limit by those in charge at the Chronicle, Peterson interrupted it briefly midway through as he responded to another logical-minded person stating that every team has their off days and realistically, the Sentients had not sent their very best XI to Marbury to take on their opponents and even then, still dominated. In fact, many agreed that despite the draw, the home side really could have won the match by two goals or so and no one would have batted an eye. Of course, the 14 Stars did put up a strong defensive showing after shipping six to Banija and deserve commendation to keep Hayden Blamey and co. from scoring, but ultimately, it would be the crammed section of away fans who felt the better of the two sides as they left the Marbury Stadium, with locals feeling nothing but frustration and disappointment despite keeping a clean sheet. Of course, as the Wattle Bay Chronicle discovered that their interviewee was far from the norm and was frustrated at his fellow countrymen’s appreciation for defensive football, with every game that does not exhibit ten goals classed as “boring” by the couch potato, mainly for the reason of causing social media arguments.

“You see, it’s simply ridiculous. The point of football is to stick the ball in the back of the other team’s net, not waste your fucking time preventing the other team from doing the same. If it were up to me, I’d just stick everyone up front and get them to score as many goals as possible. It’s plain obvious to me and while I’ve applied for many managing jobs throughout the country and abroad across Esportiva, Atlantian Oceania and Anaia, I think everyone’s just scared of the tactic and that’s why they didn’t respond to me.”

At this, Joshua and Leah shared a look as Leah checked her watch, for their allocated time was coming to a close and the two had been asked to ponder Peterson’s thoughts on facing a significant Rushmori powerhouse for the second cycle in a row, albeit this time in the form of Mytanija rather than Eura. However, as expected, Peterson’s response was one of scorn, and the same as last World Cup when Sylestone lost to Eura. “Hmmph, they’re all actors from Atlantian Oceania who couldn’t get into they’re national teams and developed their own accent to solidify this claim. It’s all a bloody hoax and the government knows. Hell, I don’t understand why people trust those Sentients in charge, all they want to do is…”

But a cough from Leah cut him short as they left the household, thanking the man, who was back on his phone finding someone else to troll the moment the reporters lost interest. Then again, they’d had to listen to his shit for an hour, so it was about time they were expended. Upon returning to office, both have requested significant pay rises, and are expected to be granted within the week.

Banija vs Sylestone @ Stadium of the Restoration, Busukuma, Banija

Banija (4-2-1-3): Rao; Ssambwa (Kolley 57’) - Luboobi - Wasawo - Kiryamunyolo; Achuka - Sowe; Atieno (Izuchukwu 57’); Bokate (Kagenda 88’) - Wesoloski-Okafor - Saveneh (Ikpeazu 72’)

Sylestone (4-4-1-1): Macleay; Cross - Mornington - Faucett ( 45’) (Hand Sanitiser 46’) - Keller (Toilet 46’); Holmes - Brown ( 15’) - Rodway (Blair 68’) - Jones ( 62’) (Lawson 68’); Fleetwood (Sarcav-Jones 68’); Strathfield

Banija 4-0 Sylestone
                            Wesoloski-Okafor 7’ (p)
                                         Atieno 28’
                                        Saveneh 41’
                                         Bokate 65’

Sylestone vs The 14 Stars @ Marbury Stadium, Marbury

Sylestone (4-4-1-1 → 4-2-3-1): Fuller; Holt (Cross 81’) - Nutt - Pearson - Statton (Keller 68’); Holmes (Ryland 81’ ( 90+3’)) - Bar Stool - Lawson - Fridge ( 59’) (Jones 86’); Fleetwood (Keyes 68’); Blamey

The 14 Stars (4-3-3): Princeton; Rafaelov - Zaratti ( 90’) - Serrano - Nolan (Edwards 90+4’); Bernard (Karazhan 90+2’) - Dupont ( 51’) (Espinoza 66’) - Ortega; Phillips - Fourseasons (Moonlight 66’) - Blade (Almeida 85’)

Sylestone 0-0 The 14 Stars

Starting Lineup vs Starblaydia @ Somewhere, Starblaydia

Brick Wall; Cross - Hand Sanitiser - Faucett - Statton; Stanton - Paterson - Barkman - Barclay; Keyes; Strathfield

Starting Lineup vs Al-Tamazgha @ Kitchener Stadium, Avondale, Sylestone

Macleay; Davis - Brown - Nutt - Keller; Stanton - Blair - Lawson - Fridge; Rodway; Eastwood

by **Valanora** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 8:29 am

"So remind me again why the Premiership had its entire season suspended, because that was a huge hit to the psyche when it was announced."

"Well, to put it bluntly, outside of the stadiums in the Premiership, the fields and pitches that the clubs in the entire pyramid have been playing in were in dire need of repair and renovations. Many of the stadiums had not had an upgraded in amenities in several decades, while some of the lower league pitches were in quite a state with the clubs unable to afford to relay their own pitches unlike the clubs in league football. While there is quite a bit of money flowing in the pyramid, getting it past the fourth tier is something of an issue, especially for those clubs that are in the sixth and seventh tier. The teams in the conference premier are usually alright but they can also benefit from a major boon now and then themselves."

"Wait, the entire pyramid was suspended, not just the Premiership?! I thought it was only the top flight that was effected! Does this mean that all football across the country is going to be gone for an entire year? I do not think I can bare such an awful thought, it is simply too horrible to even think about, that we might be without domestic football for an entire year. Surely this is some misunderstanding, right?"

"Once again, you are being overly dramatic and instead of reading the article, you simply saw a headline and have proceeded to completely and utterly freak out over what is at worst misinformation and at best merely bait for those such as you who do not afford themselves the time to properly educate themselves on the matter at hand. No, we will not be without domestic football for a year, it is estimated that the planned relaying of pitches as well as the upgraded to the various stadiums and just general maintenance is going to take a few months, six at most. It does mean that the start of the domestic season is going to be impacted but the pyramid should still be able to have a full season even if it means that two matches a week will be the norm to finish on time. However the IFCF stops for no one and all those matches will be played in whatever nearest already ready stadium for the effected clubs whose grounds are receiving the federation care. It is also why the hosting duties were split between ourselves, Banija, and the Busoga isles for the Di Brandini Cup, a temporary measure though it might be. All will return to normal in the next season or two."

"Did you just call me impatient?!"

by **Pasarga** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:08 am

Years on from the attempted coup, Pasarga feels like it is perhaps at last back to normal. The damage that was done to Torgos and Troubalose has been repaired for the most part, those who had participated in the attempted coup had been handed down their sentences in the courts and military courts, and the Queen was ruling as her father had done before her. Tourists had once again began to return to the dual islands, particularly of the sports variety as the nation's top clubs competed in the international domestic competitions and the national team was once more playing their home games in the Stade de Torgos rather than in Valladares and Sargossa respectively. The Queen had been seen at a handful of the games of the Wanderers, a show of return to normalcy and the distraction that sport brought to the otherwise mire and monotony that everyday life imposed upon the citizenry. For the most part, it seemed like all the disruption and damage that had been caused by the rogue parliamentarians and their mercenary forces had been more or less undone, despite continued views towards the CRC with scrutiny among the population despite the referendum vote that proved to keep the dual islands a part of the organization moving forward.

Yet, despite all of that, there still was an odd sensation now when traveling the streets of Torgos, when moving from city to city and town to town. The wounds might have healed, but there were scars left behind in their wake, scars that would no doubt fade in time as they are want to do, but whose impressions were all to visible if you knew where to look. Faith in the parliament now waned and more and more of the populace believed that the crown had the ultimate right to rule rather than a shared power with the elected representatives. In trying to turn the dual islands into a republic, if their manifesto was to be believed, the rogue parliamentarians instead had further emboldened and entrenched the royalists. The Queen herself was unsure what to feel about that develop, as the thought of greater power did entice but what would the cost of taking that power back be? Furthermore, if she did so or allowed it to happen on her behalf, would she be complicit in undermining one of her father's most important and lasting legacies from his rule? The crown did indeed weigh heavy upon her head.

And that was without getting into a matter that both royalist and parliamentarian alike kept pressing upon her at all the most unwanted of times, the need for her to marry and to have an heir. While the succession had been made clear with her ascension to the crown as well as the decree upon which the line should follow if she were to pass without having an heir, both factions were constantly pressing her to do so and it was starting to grate upon her nerves. Azra did not care if a grand, royal wedding would serve as a distraction for all of the elite nobility and aristocracy, as well as the average citizenry if she believed her councilors, it was her life that they were insisting on disrupting with the pressure to do so. Ruling the nation took up the largest parts of her time, she had not the time, care, energy, nor desire to seek out a partner, much less try to court some foreign noble to "strengthen the bloodline" as it was kept being put to her. As she wound down for most evenings, she oft wondered how her father and all her ancestors had managed to deal with the stresses of ruling a nation and the delicate nature of trying to have something of a social life.

by **Cassadaigua** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:20 am

Chen Huikang & Company: The first three games,
by Caitlyn Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

It's that most wonderful time, where a bunch of nations unveil 1-4 years of planning (depending on how fast the clocks move in their respective countries) and embark on a mission to win the World Cup. Before you can be one of those thirty-two nations, and don't get me started in discussions right now as to whether it's time to make that forty-eight, you must undergo a rigorous period of qualifying. This is just brutal for most nations involved, and I am not solely talking about the players on the pitch. For the most die hard of fans, hundreds if not thousands of dollars will be spent, whether simply on backyard parties or large beer tabs at their favorite drinking establishments. Vacation time that one may have earned can be used to take a trip to a country to watch their beloved national heroes, while never taking a moment to actually enjoy what makes that nation unique. Who cares about that? Maybe the significant other will, but not the crazed soccer fan. The only thing that matters about that other country is their soccer team, and all other opinions about the nation will be made exclusively over what happened at the stadium.

For the players, World Cup qualifying is the chance to realize a dream. If you ask a bunch of kids right now, "if you could achieve your biggest soccer goal, what would that goal be?" That's a tough question, though, isn't it? Because I do bet for many of them, the first thing that will come to mind (here in Cassadaigua) will be to be a champion in the Cassadagan Soccer League, and to have been the MVP of the league while playing for their dream team. We talk about the World Cup being a massive goal for anyone, but I think it takes a little more before that, as a goal, really sets in. Kids see their domestic league every day or every week. International soccer is not as frequent, so only once you get a little older, probably as a younger teenager, will the allure of being a national hero really set in. There are plenty of spots available in the CSL, but only one national team. The people on it are truly the best in the nation, and they have demonstrated that either by playing here at home, or starring abroad.

The stage was set at the Dagan Airways Stadium in Concord Heights for the opening matchday game against a solid opponent in #72 ranked Koronavia. Vendors surrounded the stadium, looking to sell the newest of team memorabilia for the World Cup 94 cycle, and the lines at each stand were long, showing that Fillies fans were ready to spend on the occasion. Kids arrived with their faces painted pink, hoping to catch a glimpse of their heroes, and maybe stumble upon one of them to get an autograph. But those heroes were in the locker room, going over the game plan with new manager Chen Huikang, a man that was brought here to make Cassadaigua one of those qualifying 32 teams, just like we regularly used to be. The story has been written enough now about Chen, and comparing him to Alexander Pappas, but if CASE went international, and brought in someone like to him to lead the team, then they are pulling out all of the stops to make it happen. So far, the early returns from Chen have been nearly perfect: winning the Copa Rushmori, winning the RTC Cup, and making it to the title game of the Eagles Cup (while winning the Cup of Champions), and finishing as the runner up. It is an impressive way, for sure, to begin ones career, but the World Cup is why he was brought here, and it's time for the World Cup.

Right now, in fairness, Chen Huikang does not have a major load of demands being placed on him by CASE. The organization is notoriously patient with managers as long as they show competency, and by winning the two championships that we have, Chen has already passed those tests with flying colors. Deep down, he knows the club is not going to kick him (ash)down the curb for the latest hot commodity of a manager as soon as they can. But he's not going to get a false sense of security. Sharing the locker room with him were a group of players looking to show that they can get it done at this level. This is an unusually young core of a lineup for the Fillies, with only two starters 30 years of age or older. And one of them is a 30-year old goalkeeper, so that would never be seen as an issue. 31-year old Krystal Sherwin is the other, but Krystal has never been about being a speed burner, so she'll be okay. In fact, she's coming off such a strong Eagles Cup, that you probably be surprised that she was 31 if you did not know any better. Others, like 24-year old Kaitlin Millikan were out there to prove that they should have been given a chance in the last World Cup. The flamboyant Lexi McGregor was now an undisputed #1- starter up front, and it was time for her to shine. You know she wants too.

It was time, now, to officially begin this era of soccer. Fans at Dagan Airways Stadium were ready to roll. Let's it started!

Right away, you could see that this was different. The Copa Rushmori was intense, and the RTC Cup was a fun cup to win. The Eagles Cup had a nice sense of history to it, but there is nothing like World Cup qualifying. This just hits different, and the opponent, Koronavia, has their own stories up and down their roster of players wanting to prove a little something and to move their national program forward. That's what makes opening day great: everyone thinks they have a chance!

Like we saw in many games that have managed by Chen Huikang, the pink and black made an aggressive push to score the games first goal. Shannon Cunningham had a great opportunity in the second minute of the game, and had the 34-year old goalkeeper, Amadeus Endlinsberg, beaten, but the shot sailed just inches away from the left post. The Fillies did a good job applying pressure, making the fans thrilled to see this level of intensity, but Endlinsberg was up to the task, making some excellent saves, and the back end for Koronavia was doing a great job. In the 22nd minute, this pressure would be rewarded on a great play by Lexi McGregor looking to set up Chloe Anderson, but the good news would be that Jacob Zeus would get to the ball first. Good news, why? Well, you know by now! Zeus made a valiant effort to try and stop the play from happening, but as can happen in soccer, the ball took an unfortunate (for him, not for us) deflection off this foot and ended up in the next. Goal for Cassadaigua, and a 1-0 lead! The rest of the match would prove to be evenly played, but no additional goals. It would be the fifth consecutive 1-0 result for Cassadaigua, not counting the impressive 3-0 friendly win over Polar Islandstates. After the match, you could see how much the game means for Koronavia, with the post game comments made by their manager, Tilman Holtz, about Jacob Zeus.

"You know, when you look at it my way, it's not as bad as it seems," said coach Tilman Holtz in a post-game interview. "They couldn't score against us themselves, it only took Zeus and his stupid right foot that I might kick 120 times for punishment later, but the worrying thing is him....." Really dude? This comment was looked upon very poorly by many Cassadagans, with the Fillies assistant coach, Kimberly Carson, a former defender, responding to Holtz, "I'm flabbergasted by the response of their coach. Zeus is a defender, in the heat of the moment looking to make a play for his team, when we have all kinds of sustained pressure on their back end, and he singles out an unfortunate bounce for Jacob. He's 29, a veteran for FC Sögelmaister, and representing his team, so he knows how to play the game. Lexi can make magic happen sometimes, and she made a nice play to try and set up Chloe. It happens so fast, and Chloe may very well have fired that home to begin with. Maybe another defender should have prevented Lexi from being able to make such a precise pass, to begin with. That's the way it is when you play defense, they'll notice you're good plays for a few minutes, but an unfortunate bounce gets treated like that. A forward gets a tough bounce, or is a step off sides on a great chance, and it's oh they were unlucky."

Rachel Morrow, the manager of Grande Mountain posted on her social media account that, "If Jacob wants to come play overseas because of the harsh comments by his manager to single him out, instead of supporting him after a play that will haunt him forever, then he is welcome to come to Grande Mountain, or probably anywhere in the CSL. We can appreciate the grind of the position." Morrow also pointed out, in regards to Holtz's comments about his team not scoring, that, "Well, dude, look at your tactical approach. I think any issues you guys have is in the manager's office if you want to be scoring more." That's just how intense these World Cup qualifying games can be.

Sometimes, World Cup qualifying will lead to you having great dreams. And by that, I mean when you are asleep. Prior to the match against Adab, our second of qualifiers, I had a great dream that Lexi McGregor simply exploded for four goals en route to a 5-0 win over the pot 4 rival. The dream ended with me being woken up by my alarm clock just as I was beginning to report about it. Wow, I really wish I could have done that. Instead, as you know, it was a 2-1 loss. The Fillies fell behind 1-0 in the 20th minute, before Shannon Cunningham got a 41st minute equalizer, ending the streak of 1-0 games that we were involved with at five. Rebekah Yissakar got the game winner in the 75th.

We could talk more about that, and there is more detailed coverage about what actually did happen there on this website, or on our app. But let's move on to the game that is still on everyone's minds: a 3-1 win over Nephara at Five Star Mobile Stadium in Brattleboro. You know, I didn't talk too much about this in the beginning, but there was no let up with these first three matches on our schedule, was there? It's good to see that the team was responsive to these high level opponents, but hopefully will not have a letdown once some of the lighter teams are the opposition.

Lexi McGregor did have to field some questions about it now being six straight non-friendly international games where she had not scored a goal. That's a long streak for Lexi, and in fact if you look at her time with Starksville United thus far, she has never gone six games in a row without a score. Yes, she did pot one home against Polar Islandstates in the friendly. Since World Cup qualifying is just beginning, I was not one of the reporters that chose to hit her with these questions, because she is doing all of the other things that you want a forward to do, and is setting up plays well. Some joke that she was the last Cassadagan to touch the ball that Zeus deflected in, so in a way, she should get some credit. If it were hockey, and not soccer, Lexi would have been credited with the goal, too! Nonetheless, when a player like her has not been on the scoresheet for a while, people are going to notice.

It took eight minutes for that streak to finally come to an end, beating Medusa Strand just underneath the crossbar for the opening score. It had been a while since we had seen one of her patented backflips after a goal, and you could tell that she had missed doing them as she would do so twice. The fans in Brattleboro loved it, as it was another result of Chen Huikang's style of an aggressive push right from the start. Throughout the first half, the Fillies were clearly better than the Cormorants, which was a surprising sight to see and hopefully a sign of good things to come.

In the second half, Nephara was stronger, and got a 57th minute goal by Felixe Vetiver, only to be answered four minutes later by Lexi McGregor, as she picked up her second of the match. Soon after in the 69th, Kaitlin Millikan added a goal to make it 3-1, and you know that feels really good for her. Kaitlin has a little more to prove, we think, not to Cassadagans, for to coach Chen, but to show that she should have been a starter in the last World Cup as well instead of former manager Brittany Byers opting for the aging Morgan Rosenblatt. With the two goal lead, Cassadaigua turned to more of a defensive focus, that proved to be highly effective. Cormorant manager Igrene Cantor was deep, very deep, in thought late in the match, we could only assume to truly figure out some sort of answer to rally the troops and mount a comeback, but on this day, the Fillies were the better team.

It's a 2-0-1 start, with three of the top four ranked opponents in the group that we will contend with accounted for. Now, this is a great chance for the Fillies to put their foot down and take charge in the group. It hadn't been that way under Brittany Byers for a little while, but maybe under Chen Huikang, that can be different!

(O.O) · by **TJUN-ia** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:31 am

After surviving the fires of Estelí with a point to our name, the Jaguars of TJUN-ia were preparing for the first whole fortnight of this WCQ process still in high spirits. Sure, they only managed a draw against la República Guanacasteca, but that point was earned against a crowd that might have wanted us dead at one point so it might as well be a success at this point. David Seems and Li Xiu Ying took positives from that performance but also knew improvements had to be made if they were going to rise up the table like everyone expects them to do. we still had a long way to go, but how would this full return go?

Up first was the first home game of the campaign - which this time was at the always-loud Beregozera Stadium in Szensky. The crowds would certainly be up for this one as it would be Pot 3 Delte who came to town in an early battle between two of the on-paper big boys in the group. We knew were going to get a tough game against Enor Perro's Representatives, who have managed to become a Top 40 team from pretty much nowhere, but this game ended up being ridiculous. We prepared to face their Home Team when in fact, we met their Away Team - and that ended up mattering. Seamus Awton (the Away Manager) could see that we were confused to be playing a team we had no real knowledge about and so, Henry Lightman would deal the blow in the 12th that got the home fans angry. We tried, tried and tried to break through with talent alone...but that wasn't enough. We lost on home soil to semi-professionals...and that left a sour taste in everyone's mouths.

Then it was back on the road to face Aleirave after what happened in Szensky, there was a huge emphasis on studying the tape to ensure what happened back home wasn't going to happen again. We even managed to score first as Malhrani al-Kalhrani headed home with about 10 minutes on the clock and things were actually looking good again. But Ivan Shakarov's Seagulls were an attacking team, +4 on the rating system, so when they conceded, they put the pedal to the metal to find as many goals as they can muster. The pressure would be too much to handle in the 66th as Neraveke Ho'uminalu tied things up before a late brace from Aleksandr Vraletsky sealed the deal in the end. We got overturned...and that means we are in hell. Literal hell this time.

1 point from a possible 9...it doesn't make for good reading, but we cannot give up with 17 games still to play. We have the biggest home game of them all coming up after all, with #3 Zwangzug heading to the National Stadium itself, before we look to gain some sort of victory in Sharktail. Things look bad...but things aren't set in stone yet. GO JAGS!

MD1: @República Guanacasteca (73) - Estadio Tiburcio Carías Andino, Estelí D 1-1 (T-3rd)
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD2: vs Delte (39) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky L 0-1 (T-6th)
MD3: @Aleirave (66) L 1-3 (8th)
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD4: vs Zwangzug (3) - National Stadium. TJUN-ia City
MD5: @Sharktail (85) - Stadium Biru, Sharktail
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD6: vs Kingdom of Castille (232) - Tallawah Stadium, Port Town/Portuaria
MD7: @Torisakia (298) - New Logan Stadium, New Logan
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD8: vs Hopal (109) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu
MD9: @Ethane (167)
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD10: BYE
MD11: vs Arjunnagar (205) - Zebra Stadium, Toropo/Almadinat
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD12: vs República Guanacasteca (73) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas
MD13: @Delte (39) - Ildemorton Road, Oswark-upon-Delte
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD14: vs Aleirave (66) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville
MD15: @Zwangzug (3) - ZS^3, Zwischen
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD16: vs Sharktail (85) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
MD17: @vs Kingdom of Castille (232) - Jaén FC Stadium, Atocha
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD18: vs Torisakia (298) - Salam Liljamie Stadium, Al Kalifa
MD19: @Hopal (109)
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD20: vs Ethane (167) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico
MD21: BYE
---------------Boot It!---------------
MD22: @Arjunnagar (205)

by **Brusseldorf** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:43 am

José was sat up the back of the bus, if one could consider it sitting. His chair was directly over the rear wheel of the bus, compromising the existence of a footwell. Any small bumps in the road were forcing José's knees to become acquainted with his adam's apple. Head tilted to the side, with his phone balanced on the window ledge, he was somewhat managing to watch the highlights of last night's world cup qualifiers. This bus trip usually constituted the part of his morning devoted to Duolingo, but he couldn't help but get a little swept up in the excitement of another edition of the world cup. Hopefully, this year, Brusseldorf would make it out of the qualifiers and on to the big stage. The commentators voice played out of his tinny-sounding earbuds:

Nick Riordan gave the Brusseldorfen fans a scare in the 2nd minute of added time, but the goal was ruled out due to an offside call in the build-up play. The game finished 1-1, a massive result for Los Alrededores against a Tumbran side that currently sits 170 places above them in the world rankings.

The outro music to the highlights played, followed by a blaring ad which almost burst his eardrums before he could rip the damned things out of his ears. The commotion caused the busgoer crammed up against José's left side to peer at him in their periphery, but only briefly. The stranger dismissed the excitement and returned to whatever uninteresting morning thoughts they enjoyed.

Match Results:
Brusseldorf 4 - 2 Stevencousin
Tumbra 1 - 1 Brusseldorf

Upcoming Matches:
Brusseldorf v Acastanha
Carpathia and Ruthenia v Brusseldorf

Due to an injury in the game against Stevencousin, Vindark Al Maghribī did not play against Tumbra, and will also be out for the matches against Acastanha, and likely Carpathia and Ruthenia
In an interview with Craig Foster at midday, it seems all but confirmed that Felix Kateb will step up to fill Al Maghribī's boots. More squad rotation will come into play after the fifth round has concluded.

by **PotatoFarmers** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 9:51 am

Poafmersia 0–2 Xanneria
Goalscorers: None
Lineup (4-3-3): Jessica Ardens, Kilikina Lee, Diamond Byan, Nacro Astro, Xenophon Robson; Michael Jackson, Sylvia Fusco, Aapeli Shea (c); Tessa Bjarnesen, Jordan Huerta, Leontiy Seet
Substitutes: Dagur Lawrence (Huerta 77'), Jackson Handris (Seet 83'), Erle Sartini (Jackson 86')

Natanians and Nosts 0–1 Poafmersia
Goalscorers: Jackson Handris 78' (assisted by Erle Sartini)
Lineup (4-3-3): Nicole Potts; Kilikina Lee, Nacro Astro, Cindy Oriol, Xenophon Robson; Erle Sartini, Min Berg, Aapeli Shea (c); Tessa Bjarnesen, Dagur Lawrence, Jackson Handris
Substitutes: None

Change: Two Decades of International Football in Poafmersia
Part 0

OptaPoaf: A letter to our international audience

To all our fans, domestic or international:
20 years ago, Poafmersia rocked the entire World Cup audience with three things - a squad playing such fast flowing football aiming to upset the pecking order, a group of die-hard fans who follows the squad wherever they go, and a group of football statisticians who calculated group permutations as though it was child's play. The latter group formed what would be widely known as the World Cup 84 Qualifiers Microsite, and we would be the very members that form OptaPoaf, Poafmersia's first statistical analysis company delegated to analysing sports statistics.

One blink and it has been 2 decades. The group of 8 founding members were just in their late 20s and early 30s, aiming to establish something new. Now, they are the senior leadership in a company that is looking to become the multiverse's best statistical analysis company. We have revamped our microsite information and presentation, working closely with our partners in the news agencies, and creating a trend of "football statistics" synonymous with our company name and our nation. While our football players and coaches contribute their blood, toil, tears and sweat on the football pitch, our analysts work hard behind the scenes to ensure that the most accurate and useful football statistics gets delivered to your inbox daily, whether it is through working with our news agency partners, or through our annual World Cup Cycle microsites. New teams to the World Cup foray may have remembered how we occasionally covered Baptism of Fire competitions as well, helping teams calculate their path to progress into the knockout stages, and letting teams understand about their current form and opponents' form ahead of every game. From the primative site in World Cup 84, we advanced to providing various services in our microsite last qualifiers, featuring form check, live ranking updates, as well as helping the Ko-orenite fantasy game with our results API, among others. For all the change we have done over these 2 decades, we are grateful to all the members who step through the gates of the OptaPoaf organisation, all our interns who give us new ideas every Summer, and all of you, our readers who have been giving us your unwavering support.

Heading into the new decade, we have been considering our role in the new decade. Our role in trying to shape the area of sports statistics. While we may have pioneered the calculation of group stage permutations and history trackback, there are many other agencies out there who now have the capability to do what we have been doing, with a stronger focus on analysing for their domestic audience, and to cater to their own share of audience. Other agencies have also been finding new ways of using this sports statistics, trying to use it to help their national team prepare their games, or improve the presentation of their domestic league as a whole. While we tried to market ourselves better to our international audience, it seems that we have been lagging behind in terms of a lot of the Research and Development into sports statistics as a concept. Over the past year, we have been taking a quiet break from this scene, aiming to figure out where we best fit in this emerging market, and how can we position ourselves and continue to be in the frontline of sports analytics. It is with all these self-reflections and research, that we came together to make a few important announcements:

1. On the future of World Cup microsites
Going forward, we would like to announce that the microsites would be discontinued in its current form for all our fans. This would mean that we will no longer be supporting a free-for-all live microsite for all our audiences during the World Cup Qualifiers and Tournament Proper. As we divert our attention into supporting other areas, we have decided that it would be best for us to divest some of the web-hosting effort to ensure that we continue to be able to support our other capabilities well. For our audiences in Poafmersia, this would not be an end to OptaPoaf microsites per se. Subscribers to our three news partners, namely the sports-oriented Sporting Daily, the national newspaper Poafmer Times, as well as paid subscribers to the Poafmersian Broadcasting Corporation (PFBC)'s Sports Bundle, will continue to gain access to a scaled-down microsite for this decade, under an agreement inked with our 3 major sports news agencies. This will continue to be live, with some automated permutation and rank calculation done for the fans. For our overseas audiences, unfortunately this will not be available outside of Poafmersia. However, if your local news agency or sports agency is interesting in getting this data in API form, we will be happy to hear out discussions about gaining access to the API. Our news partners will continue to provide periodic articles about some interesting statistics and occasional permutation calculations, which will definitely be available to all readers from Poafmersia and across the multiverse.

2. On our participation in Ko-orenite Fantasy and other games
We have not spoken to our Ko-orenite partners for this edition, presuming that they have their own sources for this edition. We have also decided not to send a submission for this edition, working locally to think about how we can make our participation more stats-oriented. Our participation in other prediction-oriented games will also be largely limited for this year, as we review our way of statistics collection and data analysis. If any partners are interested in getting results API from us for the creation of their prediction games, we welcome any discussions by direct contact.

3. On the future of OptaPoaf in other areas
Simply put, apart from World Cup microsites, the rest will continue as per usual. The Potato Statistics Machine will continue to update World Cup Statistics at the end of the tournament, while we will continue our services rendered to the Federations of Football Indepednents and the Independent Associations Championship by being their rankkeepers. We will continue with the IFCF rank-predicition system as well, maintaining status quo on these services. OptaPoaf is now in charge of statistics analysis with the national team, as well as providing our support for the entire Apex and Development League as a package. We would also be working on producing some new statistics matrix, and we will be trialing this with our partners. In due course, these statistic matrixes will be shown to everyone and made public, to benefit the entire sports statistic industry as a whole.

We would like to take this time to thank everyone for their support over this past 2 decades. We hope that our changes will allow us to head into the new decade with a fresh new look, and improve our services to cater to one and all in a better manner.

Yours,

The OptaPoaf Team

by **Turori** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 10:20 am

Turori Sport Report

World Cup 93 Qualifying Matchday 2 :: While the Turori National Team had come out winners on the opening matchday of World Cup 94 Qualifying on Milk Island, their performance was far from the dominating display that might have been expected for a team in the Top 10 of the World Cup Committee Rankings. The Eels normally tight defensive line was broken, conceding a goal and eliminating any hope of a clean qualification cycle at the very first hurdle. Still, it was a welcome light start to the campaign for Tarek Edgeli's Turori National Team who were less than impressive in an early exit from the Eagles Cup, a tournament which the Eels generally perform well in.

After taking their three points on the road, the Turori National Team would return home to Eels Park in Eelandii Turori to get their campaign kicked off properly in a critical matchup against one of the teams that could be in position to challenge the Turori National Team for the lone automatic qualification spot out of Group #5. Oberour Ar Moro, Turori's opponent for Matchday 2, were well placed to be a thorne in the sides of all qualifiers as a highly ranked 5th seed looking to get a handful of results throughout the campaign to upset the apple cart and break into the Top 3.

Edgeli would surprisingly turn to Inland Peaks FC goalkeeper Timaala Hualtia for the starting role against Oberour Ar Moro, perhaps looking ahead to an even more critical matchup with Ceni on Matchday 3. Otherwise, Edgeli put together a strong team and was rewarded with a goal just past the ten minute mark from midfielder Kinabo Telioa. The early goal really calmed the nerves on the team playing their first home fixture of the qualifying cycle. From there, Turori began to settle in and secure possession, playing their game and trying to deny the Oberour Ar Moro players space to be creative. There was a scare for the Eels midway through the first half when Jungle Strike FC attacker Nua'oma Aikiki collided heads with one of the opposing defenders when challenging a corner. The clash of heads resulted in the need for medical attention for Aikiki who would ultimately get substituted and replaced by H'munao Cagomia.

The report on Aikiki would come back positive by the end of the match, just getting the wound closed up and eventually re-joining their teammates on the sideline during the second half. Just five minutes into that second half, Aikiki and the rest of the bench would have reason to celebrate as the Eels doubled their advantage through veteran Kiidallen Aeroluzzi. There had been some question as to whether Aeroluzzi would return to the Turori National Team for the World Cup 94 cycle at the age of 36 but the Colonial Sile midfielder decided to make one more push for a second World Cup Title and was rewarded on the day of their 200th career appearance for the Turori National Team by getting on the scoresheet. The Eels would hold on to their advantage from that point, maintaining Hualtia's clean sheet and securing their first home victory of the campaign.

 Turori 2 - 0 Oberour Ar Moro	
	Turori Goals:	:: 11' Kinabo Telioa:: 50' Kiidallen Aeroluzzi             
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 59%:: Shots: 6:: Corners: 9 :: Oberour Ar Moro :: Possession: 41%:: Shots: 3:: Corners: 5
	Turori Lineup :: 	Timaala Hualtia, Amakli Inuro'o (Lutara Makakio 45'), Moumouni Verre'elali (Turakia Diijelhma 45'), Karek Edgeli, Biliki Rona'atu'i, Cuoabaza Orani’aoa, Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, Tulaki Rauogba, Kinabo Telioa, Nua'oma Aikiki (H’munao Cagomia 32'), Loala Inkabu (Planio’o Nrujsa 65')

World Cup 93 Qualifying Matchday 3 :: The opening schedule for the Turori National Team was kind from a preparation stand point, allowing the Eels to slowly ramp up the intensity of their opposition, from 202nd ranked Milk Island then 68th ranked Oberour Ar Moro and finally hitting the road on Matchday 3 to face 46th ranked Ceni in Esportiva. Although Ceni come in to the qualification cycle as the third highest seed in Group 5, many pundits had already pinned them as the biggest challenge to Turori's hopes of finishing atop Group 5 and securing Automatic Qualification. Under that assumption, it could be argued that the away fixture against Ceni was the Turori National Team's most important matchup of the cycle and they were being faced with it right from the start.

It would be a matchup of Attack vs. Defense at the Bicentennial Stadium in Cenial one of the modern stadiums right in the City Stadium that was built for Ceni's hosting of the World Cup 76 Finals - or so that was the idea. However, Turori National Team head coach Tarek Edgeli was fully aware of how the match was being promoted and decided to flip the script giving his Eels permission to attack against the Cenian lineup featuring a familiar name in Sofia Falcón. Much as they had done against Oberour Ar Moro on Matchday 2, the Turori National Team was on the scoreboard early and once again it was the cagey veteran Kiidallen Aeroluzzi getting on the scoresheet, netting their second goal in as many games. Aeroluzzi's goal would quickly be supported by a tally from Naraiza Ruaplal as Edgeli's Eels had completely stunned the Cenial fan base and the Ceni players with their attacking mindset from the outset that afford them an early 2-0 lead.

The early goals put the Cenian gameplan into turmoil, and as they pressed forward in a desperate attempt to get back into the game they would open the door for the Eels to strike again. Returning to the starting lineup after an injury scare against Oberour Ar Moro, Nua'oma Aikiki fired quickly past Joshua Kosokhan to put the Eels out to a commanding 3-0 lead. With the team down and out, Kosokhan argued fevereshly that Aikiki was offside and ended up picking up a yellow card for their trouble. A number of changes would come through at half time. Looking to change things up, Ceni would introduce Herzegovina City based goalkeeper Aneirin Woodbridge into the action while the Eels would make two changes, bringing Turakia Diijelhma and Lumlao Noauryua into the game in place of Karek Edgeli and Cuoabaza Orani'aoa.

Though already comfortably in front, the Eels had all the momentum and were not about to take their feet off the gas and would keep piling the pressure on a depleted Cenian squad with Aikiki adding their second of the game on the hour mark and substitute Turakia Diijelhma scoring for the second time this campaign with the final nail hammering home in the 72nd minute. It was a largely unexpected but welcome performance for the Turori National Team who passed their first major test of the cycle with flying colors, now switching gears to focus on their next opposition with an early 3 point advantage atop the Group 5 table.

 Turori 5 - 0 Ceni	
	Turori Goals:	:: 3' Kiidallen Aeroluzzi:: 9' Naraiza Ruaplal:: 39' Nua'oma Aikiki:: 60' Nua'oma Aikiki:: 72' Turakia Diijelhma          
	Stats :: Turori 	:: Possession: 81%:: Shots: 10:: Corners: 21 :: Ceni :: Possession: 19%:: Shots: 2:: Corners: 2
	Turori Lineup :: 	Derizi Amatopa, Karek Edgeli (Turakia Diijelhma 45'), Amakli Inuro'o (Lati'ala Giaoka 77'), Moumouni Verre'elali, Biliki Rona'atu'i (Lutara Makakio 75'), Cuoabaza Orani’aoa (Lumlao Noauryua 45'), Naraiza Ruaplal (H’munao Cagomia 75'), Kiidallen Aeroluzzi, Kinabo Telioa, Nua'oma Aikiki, Loala Inkabu

For their next matchup, the Turori National Team will return home to the Island Emirate hosting Eshialand at twii.tur Field in Mliona, home of Sokattack Mliona before heading back on the road to a slightly further than usual trip to Delaclava on Matchday 5.

Next Matchday Venue Information:

Mliona, Turori

Location :: Mliona is the largest city on Turori's secondary island. It is known as a modern tech hub with companies such as twii.tur based within.

Capacity :: 46,500

Stadium & Tenant History :: Sokattack Stadium started as a 3,000 Capacity single-stand stadium when Sokattack Mliona entered the Turorian Lower League system as an alternative local club to the much larger Mliona-Lpaka. When Sokattack Mliona were first promoted to the Declasse Division during the 35th Vilitan League Cycle, the club were required to make capacity improvements to the stadium to ensure a permanent seated amount of 14,000. They accomplished this by adding a large stand at the Eastern end of the ground with 11,000 seats with a future expansion plan to replace the original 3,000 seat grandstands along the sideline. Sokattack's immediate relegation from the Declasse shelved those plans, however, and another one-off season in the Declasse during Vilitan League cycle 39 did nothing to re-establish those plans.

It wasn't until Sokattack Mliona's promotion from the Tropicorp Lower League as runners-up to Tropicorp FC in the 12th Tropicorp Cup that expansion plans returned. The club added 5,000 temporary seats on the Western touchline to meet the league minimum seating then completed a 22,000 capacity primary grandstand in place of the old 3,000 seater, complete with a state-of-the-art concourse for vending, refreshments and souvenirs.

During Vilitan League Cycle 61 Sokattack picked up sponsorship from twii.tur who invested in further improvements to the ground. In addition to raising the stadium capacity to the current 46,500, twii.tur invested in the clubs Youth Academy and training facilities, purchasing land across from the stadium to be used as a training ground for both the senior and youth teams at the club. This investment paid off as Sokattack Mliona won the 18th Tropicorp Cup returning to the Vilitan Declasse once more where they remain to this day. While the Sokattack Academy does not participate directly in the Tropicorp Youth League, the team participate in regional competitions and have a partnership agreement with Mliona-Lpaka to provide Sokattack Players to the Mliona-Lpaka team for the Tropicorp Youth Competition. Four Sokattack Academy players were apart of Mliona-Lpaka's 17th Turorian Youth Group Championship.

Investments & Experience :: twii.tur is a short message communication service based in Turori allowing users to exchange content of 140 characters or less. The service originated as a way to allow officials to receive alerts and key information such as incoming weather notifications, major events and the ability to stay coordinated during a time of crisis but was under-utilized and doubts were raised as to whether the overhead of the infrastructure was worthwhile to maintain.

As capabilities of interconnected and handheld communication devices improved, the Turorian Weather & Information Interchange (Twii) was adapted into a public facing service where users could sign up to create their own twii nodes where users would sign up to a twii group to receive all the twii messages delivered by members of that group.

twii.tur are the presenting sponsor of the Sokattack Stadium, officially known as the "twii.tur Field at Sokattack Stadium". twii.tur invested heavily in improving not only the stadium but the surrounding infrastructure on the complex as part of a naming and kit sponsorship agreement with the club from Vilitan League Season 61. twii.tur made significant improvements in the technology at the stadium making it a hidden gem amongst small-to-mid size stadiums within Atlantian Oceania.

The Sokattack Stadium was a host venue for two group stage matches played during the AOCAF LIVe regional championships in Tropicorp. The first was the group 2 opener between Osarius and Iskandervale and the second was the Final Match of Group 1 that saw a 2-2 draw between Demot and Komarov-Thomiya. The venue would make its first ever appearance in the World Cup hosting the opening match of Group C during World Cup 90 between Zwangzug and Jeruselem. The Popular Stadium was also the venue for the recently contested Relics Trophy Competition Final contested between Northwest Kalactin and Eraman during Eagle's Cup XIII, reprising a role it held during Eagle's Cup XI as the host of the Newcomers Cup Final.

TURORI NATIONAL ✓

@TuroriNat
A Five-Star Display for the Turori National Team in Ceni puts the Eels atop the Group 5 Table. Next up for Turori will be Eshialand at the @twiitur Field in Mliona. Thanks to twii.tur we are giving away 500 tickets for the game to our followers, just interact with this twii to be entered in the drawing!

#WC94Q - #TURvCEN - #Group5

by **Aleirave** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 10:34 am

A Delayed Reunion

What was there that Haulafo could say?

Apologizing to the ones you love is hard, and Haulafo loved this team. He did them wrong by leaving, and he had to make things right, but how?

All he could do was watch their match against TJUN-ia, sitting in the back of the crowd at the old Lahaira football grounds... the team had 1 win and 1 draw in their first two matches, so it seemed like they were doing well with Shakarov... maybe they didn't need him after all...

"Okay, so things aren't going too great right now..." the Seagulls' manager told his team at half-time, "but they're strong opponents. We may not be winning this one, but you all are doing your best...

Katya Olayeva wasn't really moved by his words. Sure, he was an effective manager, but he didn't have that motivational spirit, that sheer oomph that Haulafo had before him. Something was off... she looked out to the stands, to see a 200-strong crowd trying to peer over at the match, children jumping up to see over much taller heads in front of them. And in the crowd... was that Haulafo? Was he still there?

"Guys, guys..." Katya told the team as she directed them away from Ivan. "Look over there--" she said, pointing at their old manager, who was still trying to think of how he could approach the team after the match.

"Look, Haulafo isn't gone. He may have quit, but he does still love us-- I can tell. He's here for us. His spirit can still guide us-- we can make him proud."

Haulafo looked in the team's direction, thinking he heard his name, but he dismissed it as nothing. It couldn't be, right? No, they didn't mention him. They clearly didn't.

He kept on watching as a fire burned under the team, allowing 0-1 to become 1-1, 2-1, 3-1... a massive upset against TJUN-ia, which, unbeknownst to him, was motivated by his presence. For all he know, it was Shakarov being a good manager, the manager that team deserved... maybe he wasn't right for the team after all... maybe it wasn't the right time... he went back home, wondering whether all of this was even worth it... he'd have to talk to the team another day- or maybe never...

by **Mytanija** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 11:05 am

Continued from:
PART ONE: JANA ANUSIC - ONE OF THE BOYS
PART TWO: JANA ANUSIC - ONE OF THE BOYS

PART THREE: JANA ANUSIC - ONE OF THE BOYS

We’ve run this football blog / online magazine for a few years now and we’ve had contributors from all sorts of backgrounds. Former managers and coaches; scouts; a former player or two. Your man or woman from down the pub, your server at the local restaurant, the kids’ schoolteacher. All sorts of people. We haven’t yet asked any current players to pen an article for us, mostly because they either get advised not to write them or because we don’t want to put them in a difficult position writing about something which could affect their current or future career. We’re good like that. Now, finally, we’re changing that and asking current Mytanija international Jana Anusic to write a series of articles for us because we think it’s important. There are not enough women making it to the Mytanar national team and it’s not because they don’t have the talent for sport. When Jana approached us we thought it was a great opportunity to look into why she, so far, has been the only woman to make it into a Hoops shirt and become one of the boys.

So, I was off to Chromatika and off to play football. Exactly what I had been aiming for. I was based in a place called Vitoron, which I had never heard of it prior to applying for Chromatik State, but it was located in the south of Chromatika’s Capital District. Chromatik State University also had campuses in Nonian, which I also had not heard of before, and Omnio, which I had heard of before. Omnio had a team which played in the Red League. Part of me wondered if the proximity to it, playing for Chromatik State, could eventually work in my favour. Would they send scouts to some of our games, perhaps? I certainly hoped so, it was the sort of opening I needed. I had great self-belief in my ability, despite the fact I hadn’t ever consistently played at a high level. I knew I was good, always a bit too good for most of the girls I played against. It was hard to know just how quickly I might be able to step up, things were clearly just about to get a bit harder.

Our coach during my time at CSU was a guy called Refugio Palazzolo. He was easy-going, laidback, he liked to give us our space and just wanted to see us develop. For him, winning was almost secondary, everything was about getting better as individuals and as a team. He viewed football almost as art, he wanted us to express ourselves, to play creatively, to try things and not be too disheartened if they didn’t pay off. He also recognised that we were students, too. That we had classes to go to, degrees to study for and other commitments away from sport.

There would be occasional hints of annoyance in my direction because I was a little too driven when it came to football. I would always ask for extra training assignments, I wanted to push myself and show that I wasn’t leaving any stone unturned if scouts were around to ask questions about me. He’d ask me to rest, to ensure I was recovering and remind me that if I couldn’t play then any scouts would have a wasted trip. He had a point. I liked Refugio, some of the Chromatik players found him to be a little eccentric, his views on the game not quite chiming with the general outlook on the game there, but I got on with him and he did a lot for my development.

My first year there, in Chromatika they call it freshman year, I had a couple of foreign teammates: Kiana Woo and Maryam Rowbury. Kiana is from Quebec and Maryam from Nephara. That was quite nice and allowed me to have a small group that were familiar with the experiences we were all going through for the first time. We were pretty inconsistent in that first year, finishing 8th, completely mid-table and exiting the play-offs in the play-in round. It wasn’t the start to life in Chromatika that I had wanted, not in terms of success, but I had performed well, and people were already starting to notice that I could be a bit of a jack-of-all-trades in midfield – despite playing as a striker at a younger age – and particularly my skill when crossing the ball off both feet. When you hear an opposition coach complaining to their players about allowing me to get crosses off on either foot it is a good feeling. They wanted the crosses stopped before they went in, whether I was on my right or left.

In my second year I stepped things up further and with the help of a very solid team around me we managed to finish 1st in the league in the regular season. I felt like the year of experience playing at a higher level had done me the world of good, things were coming to me a little easier. I was seeing things earlier and able to find my teammates with much quicker speed of thought. We were one of the most dynamic teams in attack, just as Refugio wanted us to be, scoring 70 goals over the course of the campaign. It was exciting to be a part of such a good team and people back home were sitting up and taking note, I received a call-up to the Mytanija squad for the Olympic Games, a real honour for me.

There was definitely a slightly bitter taste given the general lack of support the OKM offered women when it came to the lack of support for them entering the game at the highest level more generally, but playing for my country was what I had dreamt of as a child, and I would get that opportunity. Unfortunately, back at Chromatik State, things didn’t go so well in the play-offs. We just weren’t quite the same team once the pressure ramped up, losing in the quarter finals of the play-offs and having to go home empty-handed. It did make me resolve to further step-up the next year, when I would be one of the most experienced players, the one who people would be looking up to.

And that’s when things got real. Our team wasn’t as well-rounded in my third year at Chromatik State, we had lost all our international players other than myself, they had all graduated. But this meant that my role within the team was much larger. A couple of years ago I had been the freshman player looking for guidance, but now I would have to be the one giving it to many of my teammates. I relished the opportunity, it was a chance to show a different side to my game, outside of the technical and physical abilities. I could demonstrate that I could lead, that I could organise, that I could understand the tactical side of the game and get things across to colleagues. I did a pretty good job. We weren’t as consistent in the league, finishing 5th, but that meant we did at least comfortably qualify to the play-offs. When we got there, we became a different animal, seeing off opponent after opponent until we were in the championship game against our closest rivals, the Chromia Central College University Comets. I felt confident, our form in the big games had been excellent, but unfortunately, we didn’t quite have enough. The Comets won. Again, we didn’t quite have enough. People pointed towards the fact that I was the only international player on our team, that the Comets had five, they had a broader depth of quality in their squad, but it all meant nothing to me. I felt hollow.

Coming back from that was difficult. Mentally it was tough, I had taken on a lot of responsibility, and I blamed myself for not quite getting the team over the line when it mattered. Refugio tried to lift the weight I felt, but I think I understood at this point that I was the team’s talisman. That had been our best opportunity. It might not come again. We were going to lose more players over the summer and who knew what our injury and form situation might be in the new year. I was right to be worried, we finished down in 9th and whilst we managed to negotiate the play-in round of the play-offs we were then seen off in our next match. My last year was disappointing. I wasn’t happy with going out that way, even if they gave me a great send-off for my part in the impressive couple of years beforehand. Those years put me on the map in Chromatika, but I think coming so close to winning and then failing lit a renewed fire in me. I hadn’t succeeded just by getting to that point. I had nothing to show for it in terms of tangible success.

I had to go out and search for more opportunities to find it. Luckily my play had done enough to provide me with them.

MYTANIJA – SARGOSSA: MORE THAN A GAME

There are some big games in international football. Some whet the appetite more than others for a variety of reasons. They might be between two of the more successful nations in NSWC terms, they might be between nations which directly border one another, or – as in the case of Mytanija versus Sargossa – they are between a nation which was experiencing a bitter and bloody civil war and their regional neighbour that provided materiel support and refuge to the psychopathic dictator that oversaw one of the worst genocides in history during that civil war. Mytanija are the former and Sargossa are the latter, for anybody that doesn’t know.

The two nations had always had a competitive but healthy rivalry across various sports prior to then, particularly when it came to swimming. Sargossa had generally had the better of football and athletics, whilst Mytanija has always been – arguably – the country to beat when it comes to boxing. Historically Sargossa have been enormously successful in Rushmori football, much more so than Mytanija. The rivalry wasn’t really borne out of competition in any of these theatres, though, and indeed Mytanar and Sargossan coaches have regularly swapped places throughout time – seemingly regarding the other place as somewhere they could succeed given the resources both places pour into sport.

This slightly more convivial relationship changed, perhaps forever, following the Sargossan intervention in the Mytanar Conflict. It represented an unusual move for the Sargossans, perhaps an overreach into a part of Rushmore they couldn’t exert their authority quite as well as they believed. Natella Kalinina, the Mytanar Premier and leader of the country’s military, was struggling to quell unrest in Thessia, Visoravna and Rauchnya. These regions were suffering from Kalinina’s Zentrian nationalist agenda, with resources directed away from them to support Zentrian supremacy and the other, loyal regions of Magevskaya, Nasto and Avnalia and parts of Vojovitica. Eventually fighting broke out, with an irregular force, the Otpor formed in Mytanija’s north-western regions. The Otpor fought against Kalinina’s regime, sabotaging military movements and looking to regain control of vital resources – particularly energy.

The Otpor used terror tactics to try to drive Kalinina out of Thessia, Visoravna and Rauchnya, including bombings in Esca and Miago, targeted at high-profile individuals in the Mytanar state apparatus. This only emboldened Kalinina, who launched a full-scale military assault within her own country, taking land north of the Etva (including the entirety of Rauchnya) and laying siege on Thessia. Concentration camps were set-up and her soldiers were ordered to dig mass graves and the numbers killed by her forces which ended up in those graves eventually escalated into the millions. The siege of Thessia was particularly chilling, with Kalinina attempting to both starve and bomb the population into submission. To do this she used Sargossan weapons and later, when the Otpor turned the Conflict and launched a Euran-backed counter-offensive, there was even Sargossan support on the ground and in the air. That provides us with the background in which this game is now played.

Many Mytanars will never forgive the Sargossans for what they did during the Conflict, feeling that there was clear evil on display and that the Sargossans tried to allow it to remain in power. However, there are small but not insignificant populations from both countries calling the other home. Indeed, there are now even Mytanar-born Sargossans who compete in the Sargossan national team and there appears to be a couple who might appear in the Mytanar national team in the coming years – Lucho Cortes is a particularly tantalising proposition in attacking areas. Names like Juan Esteban Collazo and Nicolas Riesgo are household names in Mytanija, players born in Dekra and Esca who now pull on the Sargossan shirt in the international arena. It appears Elias Pozo might be one of the next to do so, born in Thessia and coming through Atletik’s fabled youth system. He is from the heart of one of the cities which suffered the most at the hands of Kalinina and has spoken quite eloquently on the subject previously:

“It is an interesting background, growing up in Thessia and being very proud to be from the city, but also having that Sargossan heritage which marks me out as very different. Some people in Thessia do still feel quite hostile towards Sargossa. The Conflict is still sore, the siege of Thessia left lasting scars on our beautiful city. You do occasionally get a bit of stick for that if people know your background, but it’s also changing, a lot of people want to try to move past the divisions of the Conflict both in Mytanija and with other nations overseas. The football pitch can often become a lightning rod for the issues of the past, but it’s better them coming out there and people hating each other for 90 minutes than beating up a kid from a Sargossan family just for being Sargossan, as might have happened years ago. Things can change.”

Perhaps most interestingly there is even a return to coaches being attracted from one country to the other, long-time CDSA head coach Slavko Jelic has now been Sargossa manager for several years and is supported by Momchil Klemetic. Jelic was rather embarrassed when meeting Mytanija head-to-head and suffering defeat, with the Mytanar fans unfurling a banner reading ‘GOOD JOB SLEEPER AGENT JELIC – AWAIT YOUR NEXT ORDERS’ following the win, but he has generally been good for Sargossan football and has returned them to being a regular contender at the Copa Rushmori without yet finding the necessary consistency in World Cup qualifying. That’s the next step for him and he’ll both get a chance to take a big step towards that consistency in the match versus his homeland and potentially get one over those who made that banner when the two nations meet at the Novi Atletskistadion at the weekend.

FROM KITANCHEV TO RAVNJAK – CAN MYTANIJA PRODUCE ANOTHER TACTICAL MASTERCLASS AGAINST BANIJA?

It doesn’t feel that long ago since Dzvezdan Kitanchev conjured up his ‘magic square’ 3-2-2-3 formation to defeat Banija in the first half of World Cup 93 qualification, when Mytanija looked like they could really challenge the #2 ranked country for the top spot in the qualifying group and before the wheels rather quickly came off for Kitanchev. That 2-1 win was probably the real highlight of Kitanchev’s tenure, it was when Mytanija looked the most dangerous against a top team and it demonstrated that he could outcoach the very best players in football with a less impressive team and no small amount of wit and determination.

The 3-2-2-3 was regarded as a tactical plan designed specifically to beat the Banijans. We didn’t see it again during Kitanchev’s tenure (perhaps if we had he might still have been in the job? Who knows), and we’re unlikely to see it again with Misel Ravnjak now in the hotseat. Ravnjak will provide Banija with an entirely different challenge, albeit one they have the players to deal with and, it should be said, one they are unlikely to be unused to. Mytanija had one of the best defensive records in World Cup 93 qualifying when the teams met for the first time too, so Banija know what Mytanija can be about. They perhaps haven’t had to deal with a Ravnjak team before, though, nor have they had to deal with his media quips or mind games.

Under Kitanchev Mytanija mostly played in a 4-3-3 formation which became a 4-4-2 once Mytanija lost the ball, that was their pressing shape and then when they were in the final third it would often become a 3-2-5 or even a 3-1-6 dependent on how much the Hoops needed a goal.

When Mytanija have the ball under Ravnjak that 3-2-5 will remain, he’s not quite the defensive evangelist many make him out to be and his Ararat side did play attractive attacking football when they had opportunities (and the players) to do so. A minor difference will be that it is the wing-backs that are expected to provide the width in the attacking areas rather than Kitanchev’s wingers. This means that the wing-backs are absolutely crucial in Ravnjak’s system, tasked with covering a lot of ground and even often popping up at the back post with a goal or an assist. There is also an extra striker on the pitch, Drazen Skara was a lone striker under Kitanchev but following Sabrefell Athletic’s success with the Skara and Gannot partnership at club level Ravnjak has said that ‘[he] would be stupid to play without those two on the pitch together’. Ravnjak’s ‘5’ is the two strikers, the two wing-backs and the most advanced of his midfielders (usually Ovsyannikov, Anusic or Mujezinovic). Kitanchev’s was the striker, the two wingers, a number ten and usually an attacking, overlapping full-back. Minor differences but potentially important ones in terms of having finishers in key positions.

Out of possession is arguably the major difference here. Ravnjak is unlikely to come up with a specific tactical plan to combat Banija’s strengths. Kitanchev is very much in the Repin oeuvre, holding a desire to tinker and strategize. Ravnjak believes in The Plan and will look to implement it until the end. Ravnjak’s Mytanija will play in a 5-3-2 shape out of possession and will defend very, very, very deep. They will look to make it impossible for them to be broken down. It could lead to some particularly turgid games, but it is also the approach Ravnjak believes in because he thinks limiting the opposition’s goals allows his team the best chance of winning – after all if you concede zero you only need to score one. This 5-3-2 will necessarily see a lot of hard-running in midfield and on the sidelines. The aim will be to funnel the opposition into wide areas before then activating ‘pressing traps’ where the wing-back and widest midfielder on that side go out to shut a player down in unison, aiming to win the ball back or at least force a poor pass.

The three central defenders will be strung across a distance no larger than that of the width of the 6-yard box. In front of them the midfield three will do the same unless operating the pressing traps into wider areas. There will be opportunities for teams to overload wide areas here as there will be space available directly to the side of the Mytanar midfield three. Ravnjak is happy to cede those areas to the opposition and there could be potential for teams to cross into the penalty box from those sorts of areas if they have a suitably skilled crosser of the ball. The Mytanar wing-backs could also be targeted with overloads, with overlapping runs being especially dangerous given that the central defenders are tasked with defending a narrow area and not with offering support to the wing-back to their outside.

Clearly Ravnjak is very different to Kitanchev. Nobody should expect a left-field tactical plan tomorrow, there will be no Patrik Odonelec playing at left-back to go into midfield alongside Nurija Papez this time around. Ravnjak’s Plan A will be the 5-3-2 and that’s what we will see out on the pitch, with whichever personnel he decides are best suited to the game. There might be changes within the game, after all Ravnjak has used a variety of formations previously (4-4-1-1, 5-4-1, 4-5-1, amongst others), but Banija will be expecting the 5-3-2 and that’s what they will start against. Mytanija will need to be well-drilled enough within that shape and offer enough to defeat the Banijans without any tactical trickery. That’s the real test for Misel Ravnjak now.

by **Adab** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 11:27 am

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Friday, October 14, 2044 | 22 Dhu al-Qa’dah | 23 Tishri 5805
Adab 2-1 Cassadaigua
Enlilbani Yargab (20’), Rebekah Yissakar (75’) | Shannon Cunningham (41’)

NEWS | WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
By: Saddam Abbas

Adab Win Over Cassadaigua Despite Interruption by Cryptic Protestor

The Adab national team won 2-1 against a hardworking Cassadaigua squad in front of a raucous home crowd at Adab City Stadium to give their World Cup qualification campaign some much-needed momentum, despite a protestor entering the pitch at the 50th minute.

The first twenty minutes of the match were evenly balanced between both teams, with both teams creating chances that were halted by each other’s defense. Cassadaigua keeper Stacie Thornton showed why she is the Fillies’ first choice at the position, blocking a series of terrific shots from Adab’s forwards before the great Enlilbani Yargab got one in at the 20th minute.

The Fillies did not yield easily and responded with a counterattack, grinding down on Adab’s defense. The 45-year-old Yargab was pulled out to make way for Nadje Barzani in the 35th minute and provide more attacking impetus, but Cassadaigua nevertheless equalized six minutes later with an excellent left-footed volley by Shannon Cunningham to balance the score as the half-time break approached.

The early part of the second half was marred by the entry of a protestor in the 50th minute, jumping out of the crowd and onto the pitch and running towards the center circle while shouting “Bring down the leeches and officials, 1028 days until the sun” repeatedly to a mixture of boos and cheers from the bemused crowd.

The protestor was chased and wrested down to the ground by security guards before being dragged away.

Kayla Kassaya, who had impressed in the first match of the qualification campaign last week against Ascvalion, was introduced in the 55th minute in place of Alulim Sinmuballit and her presence brought some much-needed poise and control at the midfield, allowing Adab to nullify Cassadaigua’s continued attacks.

Rebekah Yissakar then put Adab in the lead again in the 75th minute with a curled shot which sped past Thornton. Cassadaigua continued pushing forward in search of another equalizer but Adab’s defenders and keeper Satchit Chandrasekar held their nerves to close out the match with a 2-1 win. Emma Arthur’s replacement by Ephraim Orlev in the 90th minute was little more than a symbolic gesture to allow the 45-year-old midfielder to begin what is widely expected to be his final international campaign at his home stadium.

by **Kimi-Suomi** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 11:53 am

Currently, the Huuhkajat of Kimi-Suomi had 3 points in the bag...ja se oli hyvä asia. It was the most convincing return of all time, but 3 points were 3 points and that's all people cared about. Esko Laaksonen was certainly happy to get a win on the board, but he also knew that the remaining 19 would certainly be tougher tests to deal with. We knew that things would get tougher, as they always do, but would we be ready for the 1st fortnight of this cycle?

Up first would be our first road test of this WCQ cycle, against Katterimunk, and...let's just say things were a bit interesting. As you would expect, the hosts (led by manager Stephan Cholke) put up a good fight in this game as they were looking for some early points, but it ended up being...by the numbers? It was tough, of course, but we had most of the possession and we scored the winner in the 56th thanks to Mika Noronen. It was that simple to understand...not pretty, but 3 points are 3 points.

Then it was back to Pesä for our date with one of the masters of Chaos - Pot 6 StrayaRoos, managed by Klaus Meyer and a lineup that had no declared formation. That mystery, the prospect of facing a team that could do well in any formation they wished, was something that put a hint of nervousness through everyone's mindsets. The Kangaroos certainly threw some attacking flair at us from their old stars, with Captain Harry Cahill and Mile Kajioup certainly trying to spark plays of the past, but it would be Valtteri Nordström who got the last laugh as his winner in the 34th minute sealed the deal for us after all. Once more, this wasn't a pretty game to watch, but 3 points were 3 points - and 9 out of 9 sounds pretty fucking good, if you ask me.

Kolme pistettä on kolme pistettä. That seems to be the overarching theme of this group so far. Can this continue? Maybe not...but can we make it back to the Top 3 again? We are 2nd right now, so it's certainly not impossible. We only have one game next time, against Atheara, before our first bye of the campaign on Matchday 5. It is a break we will need...but how will we feel entering it? NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

by **Tumbra** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:34 pm

Mertagne 1-1 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - N Barker; 28 - N Moss (2 - A Renton, 81'), 5 - S Kerr, 20 - C Whitfield (4 - I Ashburn, 81'), 3 - T Mercurio; 6 - T Harrison, 32 - L McCormick (8 - V Hicks, 73'), 16 - I Robertson (35 - N Coleman, 73'); 7 - V Wells, 9 - L Crossley; 11 - N Riordan (22 - C Henshaw, 85')

TMB scorers: Charlotte Henshaw (90' + 4')

Player of the Match: Txomin Huon [MRT]
Tumbra 1-1 Brusseldorf

TMB (5-3-2 → 4-2-3-1): 1 - N Barker; 2 - A Renton (28 - N Moss, 79'), 4 - I Ashburn, 24 - Y Lawson, 20 - C Whitfield (10 - P Cole, 75'), 3 - T Mercurio; 6 - T Harrison, 16 - I Robertson (9 - L Crossley, 75'), 8 - V Hicks; 7 - V Wells (40 - N Fraser, 79'), 11 - N Riordan (22 - C Henshaw, 84')

TMB scorers: Vincent Hicks (38')

Player of the Match: Yvonne Lawson [TMB]

"Experiment that didn't pay off," says NT manager Peter Gabriel as Tumbra slumps to draw against Brusseldorf

File photo of Tumbran NT manager Peter Gabriel. [OOC faceclaim: Gregg Berhalter; image credit: Getty Images]

FONTWELL: Tumbra's 1-1 draw against Brusseldorf sparked concern amongst fans of the Black Eagles on Thursday, as the top seeds of Group 1 slumped to fourth in their group after struggling to create opportunities against the lower-seeded side. For most of the game, Tumbra were less than creative in their attacks; left-winger Valerie Wells, deployed up top, looked distinctly uncomfortable functioning as a supporting striker and quasi-left winger for the Black Eagles, while the lack of a dedicated attacking midfielder meant that Tumbra's attacks through the centre lacked a focal point for distribution.

"I think it was an experiment that didn't pay off," said Tumbran national team manager Peter Gabriel after the game. "We'll be re-examining our gameplan for the next set of international matches, and while I think there was some potential in the five-at-the-back formation that we trialled today, it'll take some time before we can ease players into a new playstyle." Gabriel faced criticism after a game against Mertagne that was thought to be easily winnable (some pundits even went so far as to claim that Tumbra would beat the Anaians by four goals) required an injury-time goal by Nick Riordan to pull the side level; the game against Brusseldorf was thought of to be a missed opportunity for the Tumbrans, with a late, controversial goal by Brusseldorf pegging the Black Eagles back to two points from a possible six at the end of the window.

There were some bright sides to the performance, however; Gabriel publicly praised Yvonne Lawson for 'adapting quickly to a role that's not seen very often in the modern game'. Lawson was deployed as a libero, and she ended the match with the highest number of dribbles completed by a player on either side of the pitch; mainly carrying the ball into midfield, Lawson's performance was described by pundits as "awe-inspiring".

Gabriel also acknowledged the criticism of his performances in the hot seat of the manager's job thus far during the press conference. "I know that our performances haven't been up to par in the Campionato Esportiva and the Eagles' Cup," he said, referring to the team's defeat in the Campionato Esportiva 35 final and failure to make the final of the Eagles' Cup. "But I would humbly like to request for patience as we get things moving, up to speed, and gear up for the rest of the World Cup qualifiers." In keeping to a long-acknowledged tradition dating back to Marco Hemmings' time in the position, Gabriel publicly refused to comment on the chances of Tumbra qualifying, in a move widely seen as an attempt to avoid jinxing the team. Confidence in the national team manager seems to be polarising; where some fans have labelled Gabriel as a "bald fraud," others have nicknamed Gabriel "Lord Almighty Gabriel" and pledged their "undying support" for the manager.

Tumbra's next two qualifiers will take place against United Hawkland and Kharakia, two newcomers to the international stage that Tumbra will likely be deploying a full-strength squad for in a bid to get two wins under the team's belt and get momentum back on the club's side.

26-PLAYER SQUAD FOR WORLD CUP 94 QUALIFIER MATCHES vs UNITED HAWKLAND and vs. KHARAKIA
Link to full roster
Goalkeepers: 1 - Nick Barker (FC Inter Nantwich), 12 - Victoria Jones (Lakewood City), 13 - Richard Russell (Lakewood United)
Defenders: 2 - Annie Renton (Victoriaville City, CDG), 18 - Chris Finney (Serrapince); 4 - Ian Ashburn (Lakewood City), 5 - Stephen Kerr (Chromatik, CMT), 14 - Wendy Pritchett (Grande Mountain, CDG), 20 - Christine Whitfield (Myana, CMT), 24 - Yvonne Lawson (St. John's Arsenal, QUE); 3 - Tracey Mercurio (Kingston FC, QUE), 46 - Mike Sheppard (Lakewood United)
Midfielders: 6 - Trudy Harrison (Chromatik, CMT), 15 - Mark Finnemore (Couno Rangers), 32 - Lucas McCormick (Lakewood City); 8 - Vincent Hicks (Couno Rangers), 16 - Ian Robertson (Ridgewell Rovers), 33 - Wendy Thomas (Alnio, CMT); 10 - Phil Cole (Osarese Marcadia, AUD), 23 - Susan Monaghan (Sabrefell Athletic, NPH)
Wingers: 7 - Valerie Wells (AFC Treason, NPH), 17 - Rebecca Haines (FC Inter Nantwich, TMB); 9 - Lynne Crossley (Crossroads, CMT), 21 - Julie Hardaker (Myana, CMT)
Strikers: 11 - Nick Riordan (Sabrefell Moths, NPH), 22 - Charlotte Henshaw (Lakewood City)

by **Milchama** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 12:36 pm

"So how we doing so far in the Cup?"

"We've won all our games and haven't conceded a single goal"

"Wait, I'm looking at the paper right now and it says we won 2-1"

"Yeah well if you look at the paper I got earlier it says we won 2-0"

"You're wrong"

"No you're wrong"

"No you're wrong"

"No you're wrong"

"No you're wrong"

"No you're wrong"

"Ok this is getting boring and annoying maybe it's Schrodinger's goal?"

"That is possible"

"After all all things are possible under God"

"And most things are possible under Margaret"

"So there could be two scores"

"That's what I'm telling you"

"How do you feel about that?"

"I like the new results better"

"Why?"

"Because last time we were in second but only in first based on points per game but this time we're in first place"

"Oh that is better despite giving up Schrodinger's Goal"

"Is that the name of the player or the physicist?"

"Yes"

"That makes sense"

"How do you feel about Schrodinger's cup?"

"It both does and does not exist simultaneously"

"Kinda like Milchama's World Cups"

"Well we've never won one"

"Maybe we did in Schrodinger's universe"

"Oh yeah good point"

"I know"

"So then, how do we feel about this Schrodinger's goal?"

"It was a good goal, it needed to happen"

"Yeah, I agree with that"

"Well where's the fun in that?"

"I mean we could just have the same thoughts about something"

"True but that doesn't make a good RP does it?"

"Are we RPing right now?"

"What did you think we were doing?"

"I hadn't considered that, ok I disagree"

"Why would you change your opinion like that?!"

"You just asked me to!"

"No I did not, I would never do such a disgusting thing"

"Oh my god you suck"

"I am an excellent steel horse"

"You're not even from Rock Plaza Central!"

"Good band though"

"Agreed"

"You know what"

"What"

"This is all getting a bit silly"

"Should a colonel end it?"

"Yes"

*Colonel shows up*

"THIS ENDS NOW!"

by **Huayramarca** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 1:31 pm

Palacio del Altiplano, Chuquiago - 06/02/1989, 5:30 p.m.

Huayramarca has had some calmed years after the revolution against Hugo Mina and the costeño entourage, a period of time where Augusto Buendía and Marta Mamani managed to consolidate themselves into power, thanks to the help of a strong popular mandate. During that time, both had alternated presidency and managed to pass sweeping reforms that helped to consolidate a state of democracy, a functional government, and a solid perspective for Huayramarca; although there was something missing, a key piece of the jigsaw that could bring up some discord among Huayramarcans, something that Mamani didn’t took care of, nor Buendía who uses to be extremely methodical.

The Huayramarcan Civil Charter, the text that acts as the national constitution since its approval in 1982, didn’t considered that re-election could be possible, nor it didn’t reject the possibility entirely, as it only limited to mention “A system that procures the alternation of power, a checks and balance system to make sure the Huayramarcan democracy can work.” Words not enough to limit somebody trying to venture into said project.

In the last couple of weeks, Mamani has mentioned that she wants to run for office again, she hopes to be re-elected by virtue of a sweeping mandate given in the past election, betting on how some of her most important programs, specifically in the areas of technology and energy, could help her in that purpose. What she didn’t calculated is the loophole that the charter has, nor the reaction of the people and followers, she was attacked from all fronts due to that mistake… What it can be worse for her is that she didn’t expect what is about to happen.

Marta talked with her daughter, as she usually does before any speech, but things looked to be different as the daughter was somewhat distressed, Marta quickly noticed it and asked “What’s going on? Sweetheart” Laura, the daughter, replied. “Take care mom” Mamani was dubious on that remark, she asked “of what?” Laura said “There’s a lot of backlashes in social media after your message, somebody could do something against you.” Marta said “I highly doubt it, we are strongly supported and respected, nothing can go wrong.” Marta walked to the balcony where she uses to provide speeches, this one was an important one after the re-election remarks, she needed to clarify important movements.

“Marta, calm down and ignore the bad feelings. Just do your job there and talk, be sincere and respect the power of the people.” Said for herself, the security guards opened the doors to the balcony, Marta was feeling nervous because of what Laura said, still, she ignored that and decided to provide an important speech for her. The cameras pointed her, the broadcasting was about to start, she cleared her throat and received the instruction to start speaking.

“Dear Huayramarcan people. During the last couple of days, some of my remarks have been taken out of context, as I never intended to accuse a whole region of this nation, specially an important one for us such as the Coast, as traitors or people who stand against progress from our movement. I want to make clear that I still plan to run for the re-election, as I consider that we have a lot of transformational decisions ready to be done, as Huayramarca needs a resolute hand to improve some of the most basic conditions of the nation, such as health, economy, and industry.” Said, then she drank a couple of glasses of water.

Mamani then continued “We know there’s a gap in the Civic Charter, as there’s not a clear definition of a re-election, not a clear indication for or against it. I just want to help Huayramarca, and the people’s opinion is pointing towards the direction of me helping them in what they need. That’s why I will seek for re-ele…” From the bushes in front of the street, an armed man appeared and screamed to her “Democracy will continue its path of alternatives, we won’t allow power grabbing, we won’t allow you to rob us oxygen.” As he shot towards the balcony with a rifle; Mamani fell to the floor, the broadcast was interrupted and channels went into news mode.

The individual was arrested, Mamani was badly hurt as she received a bullet impact near the centre of her chest, the police officers tried to provide vital support for Mamani but they weren’t able to react as soon as possible, she was collapsing and died. A police officer came to the rescue and performed RCP manoeuvres on her, being those effective enough to revive her. She was conscious back again, but she suffered to breathe, it was time to take her to the hospital.

Laura was wandering around, she was impatient because her mom hadn’t finished the speech, so she decided to take her phone and check social media, something that was a big mistake… She logged into Twii.tur and her timeline was flooded with reactions such as “BREAKING NEWS: Marta Mamani has been shot dead.” Laura cried and ran through the hall, opened the balcony and her nightmares came to light, she spotted blood in the floor, she was in shock and asked a paramedic for her mother, he pointed to her, Laura was relieved to see Marta conscious, trying to resist what she is suffering after being shot.

“¡Mamitay! Stay with me, I need you.” Said Laura, then Marta said “Be strong, accept the will of God if I manage to survive or if I die. Be aware that I just want the best for this country.” Marta was taken to the National Emergencies Hospital of Huayramarca, located a few kilometres from the Palacio del Altiplano. Laura cried, as she was fearing for the worst-case scenario.

Meanwhile, the police officers were holding the perpetrator to interrogatories in a dark room… It didn’t help to his chances the fact that most of the bodyguards of Mamani were old guerrilla fighters, people with extensive knowledge of torture methods. In a nearby room, the match of Huayramarca vs Ko-oren was being aired, Bryan Tello just have scored a goal at the 36 ^th minute, but the officers had to unplug the TV and took the electricity cord to the room.

“What’s wrong with you?!” said a guard, while waterboarding the perpetrator, then hitting him with the electricity cord at his face. “You’ll know it soon.” Said the individual, named Carlos Acasiete. One of the guards said “Not wishing to talk?” then he asked to somebody else in the room to turn on the lights in the room; as soon as he did, Acasiete started to scream in agony as he was being subjected to electric charges through water, he said “Truth can’t be killed. la india has to die” (pejorative for Serrano).

Considering the answers and the lack of cooperation from Acasiete, the officers in the room said “Turn on the lights”, a guard walked again to the switch, turned it off and on several times, that caused a series of electric discharges in the water that made Acasiete scream and ask for mercy “Stop it, please, stop it!” The officers then slapped him, telling him “Say the truth or you’ll be silenced forever.” Acasiete said “Mamani-Hastings sent me here.” The eyes of the officers looked at the perpetrator, surprised, as he continued to say “I’m not lying, Mamani-Hastings has said that he doesn’t wants Serranos in power anymore, he wants to make sure that the Jungle inhabitants can be truly represented at power for the first time in history.”

Part of what Acasiete implied about the history of the Jungle region is right, as that zone has always been some sort of left-over when it comes to the big scheme of things. It is always the Coast, the Sierra, the regions that monopolize power and tries to fight for it when one of them is holding it out. A left-over that has a lot of resources, including oil, that wants to play the role like the other two regions have done historically, and William Mamani-Hastings, previously a contender for the Presidence in the 1985 elections, was thinking about taking a chance for the primary elections, but this time taking a role that nobody expected from him, an aggressive one.

To understand things better, William Mamani-Hastings is one of its kind, a posh-y child who grew with commodities and privileges as his parents were investing heavy quantities of money in real estate and some shady business related to product smuggling between Krytenia and Huayramarca. He lived to the high standards that his parents wanted to provide him, that’s why he migrated to Québec & Shingoryeo to study Economics and then taking several Masters in order to increase his experience in macroeconomics. Despite his parents had some shady businesses, he always wanted to do things smoothly, into the boundaries of law and order…

But a series of events changed his attitude dramatically. First, he lost the election and got recriminated by some colleagues because “he is too soft”, then he pretended to be mayor of the City of Sechura, he failed because “He didn’t represent the real values of people in the Jungle region.” After all those happenings, he was left wondering on what he could do to improve his chances in politics… He started to catch in some history and noticed how Lex Crowley had the same issues when he was trying to be a politician in neighbouring Mertagne several decades ago. What Crowley did is to change his approach towards a more populist one, appealing to the feelings of people and trying to capitalise on people’s frustration against a particular moment or movement of politics.

Mamani-Hastings has taken notes pretty carefully, and in the last couple of months, his rhetoric has changed from “We want the progress of Huayramarca to be egalitarian.” To “We, as Jungle inhabitants, must stand against those pesky indigenous people of the mountains, against those [insert slur] called Coastals. We must dominate Huayramarca, as we know how do it better.”

People in the room, specially those versed in intelligence, were now worried because this was not a single attempt of Mamani-Hastings to get himself notorious, or it could be a trap? Acasiete then was asked to be subjected to polygraph tests in order to detect if he was lying or not, tests that he passed, aside from an interview with a psychologist. Acasiete is, for the matter, a lunatic that has been converted by Mamani-Hastings into a criminal, as of now, but it could be a test to see how things can escalate against him and make himself a martyr, a spark to ignite a fire among Jungle inhabitants, something that Huayramarca wasn’t ready to revive.

One of the officers said “So, Mamani-Hastings looks to be playing the Lex Crowley handbook, that’s something we must be aware and careful of. We must not take any decision without proper thinking.” Another officer said “Is he wanting to play the martyr role?” Another agent said “Maybe”.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Marta Mamani was quickly stabilised, yet about to be subjected to a surgery to recompose the affected area. She wasn’t aware, but the Minister of Security and Augusto Buendía were now being informed of the Acasiete foundings, Buendía then said “Mamani-Hastings? Interesting.” The Minister of Security and the Minister of Justice said “We can’t open a cause against him, as we are recollecting proofs.” A political strategist there said “Take some time and let’s see what his next movements are, he could want to play foul games, so we don’t need to fall off in that trap, we must be careful enough to avoid any of those tricks.” “What do you mean?” said the Minister of Justice, the strategist replied “He may want to test us, he may want to prove a point if we act against him, as he could say that we’re a government floating in autocratical waters, which is dangerous for our electoral plans.”

The people in the room sighed, but they were expecting on what other nations in Anaia could say or support in this case, as things seemed to be just starting in the breeding of a new monster in the shape of William Mamani-Hastings.

OOC: This is the beginning of a collaborative piece, as the Huayramarcan elections are looming and there’s a troublesome candidate in the making. Nations can take some of their stance in regards of this, and the attempt of assassination of Marta Mamani. PM me for more info just in case.

by **Brookstation** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 1:39 pm

Isn’t it funny to think how we stepped into this beautiful world kicking our mother’s womb and then falling in love with a game where players eventually have to kick a ball around the field. Yes, I love football. I have loved it since my father took me in his lap and sat on the crouch to watch a World Cup game and I will love it for the rest of my life. I believe everyone falls in love with the game at some point of their life but for me, it just happened too early.

As a result, I started receiving all sorts of football gifts since my fifth birthday. In fact, even at this old age, I keep receiving football cards, scarves and postcards from all my relatives. I am glad that I got an opportunity to write this blog because I have lots to tell, so much so that it won’t fit in a book. I can go on for hours talking about my early years as a football fan but there is always this point where I am bound to come to a halt. That is when someone asks me the question, “Which club do you support.”

It might be the first question that comes to one’s mind but I am someone who is not prepared to answer it because frankly I support no club. Growing up in the late 70s and 80s, I was not influenced to develop a strong bond with the sport. Apart from my father, nobody else in my family had the slightest interest in the game of football so I was pretty much a standout. But being the only child of my parents, it was difficult for me to find a partner with whom I could discuss my hobby so I spent most of my childhood playing street football with my friends in the barren land just adjacent to my house. As days passed by, my love for the sport just kept growing and indulged myself further into the game.

In my early years, I was able to witness a formidable dominance in Brook football by a single club. Winning six Harrison Shields in a span of nine years, Other side of Paradise had established themselves as the sole dominator in the Brook football hierarchy. It was in this era, that I found most of my friends convert into die hard supporters of Other side of Paradise and then with time, the number of AC Dason supporters also kept increasing. I, on the other hand hailed from a village which didn’t have a club of its own and the nearest city was around 40 miles away from my residence-Essidise, so I spent my childhood playing with Essidise supporters.

Football clubs were nothing short of cults which attract people towards them and the frequency of conversion was rapid. My friends kept changing from one club to another but I on the other hand refrained from coming out as a fickle minded supporter. More than love, I possessed a respect towards the game thus I believed that it would be morally incorrect for me to keep switching sides. I don’t think there’s a problem with that either because if your adobe doesn’t bear a football club and there’s no ancestral football culture passing down your family line, I think it makes more sense to stay neutral.

But it wasn’t like I didn’t try. I tried my best to convince myself to support Regiis Dreamland but no matter how much I tried, I had to accept my fate at last. I just couldn’t commit myself to a club because all the clubs had an equally great lineup and an equally great atmosphere. In other words, football was somewhat similar to my teenage love life. No matter how much I tried to get a girlfriend, there would always be some issue or the other that would halt my relationship and thus at a certain point, it was just better to give up. I could’ve supported any Brook side for that matter but I just decided to keep out. The one thing that lured me towards the game was talent, usually at an individual level and that is the reason I always admired players from every club from every corner of the earth. If anyone stepped into my childhood bedroom, they would easily be baffled after witnessing posters of players from literally rival clubs but I didn’t care. At the end, they were the ones who made me enjoy the game or inspired me to become a better footballer myself. It was hell of a task to explain my friends what my views on football actually were but no matter how much I tried, they would always shrug their soldiers and call me a fool who didn’t understand the game.

I would go on to spend my childhood with the great Brooks, Tomaso Cohen, Roger Boyd and Bruno Pucci and I would eagerly wait for the next day’s newspaper which provided beautiful pictures from the game. I would then sit down and cut those pieces out and collect it in a diary, which I still possess. But my appreciation was not restricted to my own nation. Although international broadcast was limited, I got a chance to witness a few international games as well. I can never go without appreciating the great Kaeton Fishsnapperbottom from Sorthern Northland or Aguazul’s Juan Oraglio or the immortal Laborious Hawk. There are so many players that defined my childhood and made it infinitely more exciting.

Even to this day, I support no club. Sometimes, I have the fear of missing out of my friend circle that go on ranting about why their club is the best in the world but I on the other hand have experienced something different, an opportunity to appreciate the greats of the game. As a result, I have lived more peacefully, having never cried after a football match or returning home completely immersed in alcohol after a victory. My indifference towards supporting a particular club has allowed me to experience the game in its purest form without any hatred towards a certain team. I don’t belong to a team or a fanbase, I belong to the almight cult of the beautiful game and I am proud of that.

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 1:44 pm

Imperatorskiy Rossiya - 0
Squornshelan Remnant States - 1

Goals:
SRS: Volam 44'

SRS Lineup: Shimski; Norling (Bakken 69'), Titov, Van, Halfariani; Hashemi, Zazagan (Hedberg 78'); Stern, Volam (Zazagan 78'), Yonte (Ditou 90'); Ness (Sargsa 69')

Squornshelan Remnant States - 0
Bareder - 0

SRS Lineup: Blaha; Nyberg, Titov, Jagdish, Sauber (Halfariani 65'); Hashemi, Sevet-Ibilx (Byqvist 84'); Bondarov, Volam (Ness 89'), Maksimov (Yonte 89'); Nedeljkovic (Fridtjofs 84')

MD01: SRS 11- 1 BRS @ Killough Grove (cap. 31,400), Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS
MD02: ROS 0 - 1 SRS @ TBA
MD03: SRS 0 - 0 BAR @ New Rudlit Arena (cap. 31,200), Rudlit, West Flania, SRS
MD04: KRY   v   SRS @ TBA
MD05: SRS   v   INS @ Synesoft Arena (cap. 46,950), Syneca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD06: DOR   v   SRS @ TBA
MD07: SRS   v   TGI @ Overburg Arena (cap. 46,222), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD08: CPT   v   SRS @ Captina Company Sports Ground (cap. ), Geneva City, CPT
MD09: SRS   v   PUG @ Viltvodle Civic Arena (cap. 58,300), Viltvodle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD10: CBA   v   SRS @ TBA
MD11:      BYE
MD12: BRS   v   SRS @ TBA
MD13: SRS   v   ROS @ Smolak Systemy Stadion (cap. 31,200), Sjerezo, Molvania, SRS
MD14: BAR   v   SRS @ TBA
MD15: SRS   v   KRY @ Striterax Cybernetics Arena (cap. 64,325), Striterax, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD16: INS   v   SRS @ Aditya Varma Kulashekara International Stadium (cap. 131,561), New Hind City, INS
MD17: SRS   v   DOR @ Emerald Coast Colliseum (cap. 38,500), Vassilian, Algolia, SRS
MD18: TGI   v   SRS @ TBA
MD19: SRS   v   CPT @ Black Raven Field (cap. 35,400), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD20: PUG   v   SRS @ Kejm Park (cap. 28,000), Port Kejm, PUG
MD21: SRS   v   CBA @ Radlov Arena (cap. 76,800), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD22:      BYE

Wild Squornshelous
Part 2: The Tundra

On the other side of the North Reach mountains from the vast taiga forest, some trees also grow on the northern slopes, where mountain streams provide enough water for their needs. Further north, however, no trees grow. Here, at the northern extremity of Squornshelous, only mosses, lichens and grasses can be found on the Flanian tundra.

At first guess, one might suppose that this barren-looking land cannot support much life. But it is here, on this seasonal grassland, that the largest animals in all of Squornshelous make their home.

Mammoth!

Their large size and dense hair keeps them warm even in the harshest winter weather. Long spiral tusks let them push down trees and clear deep snow to get at vegetation that would otherwise be out of their reach.

Their lives are spent in constant wandering over the northern tundra in search of the nearly 200 kg of vegetation each adult needs to eat every day. Now, in early spring, the herd is still roaming its winter range, in the northern foothill of the North Reach. Here, they patrol the borders of the great grasslands. Young shrubs and trees have made inroads onto the lowlands over the prior summer and autumn. Not so tough and woody as fully grown trees, these are good eating, while winter has made grasses scarce.

With them is a calf, born the prior spring. At almost one-year old, she is still totally dependent on her mother. It will be 18 more months before she begins to eat solid food, and another six after that before she’s fully weaned off her mother’s milk.

A healthy, fully-grown mammoth has little to fear from the predators of the tundra, but she won’t achieve full adult size for nearly 15 years. Until then, she sticks close to her mother, and their family group. Though she already outweighs any predator she’s could encounter here, her lack of experience makes her vulnerable.

The calf’s herd is a fairly typical one. It includes six adult females, two adolescents, and the yearling. They are led by the eldest female, known as the matriarch. She has roamed this land for 50 years, and might live for another 10 or more. Most of the herd are her daughters and granddaughters.

Her life experience is an invaluable resource for the herd. She knows where to find food and water in times of scarcity. Now, with the sun rising over the peaks of the North Reach for longer and longer days, she knows it’s time to head north. While deep snow still covers the tundra, it will soon begin to melt. The abundant water and increasing sunlight will trigger the greatest seasonal transformation of any landscape in Squornshelous.

Grasses and wildflowers that have lain dormant through the long winter months burst up through the thinning snow. Reeds and sedges line the edges of pools and marshes formed by snowmelt. All this growth draws vast herds of grazers following the trails blazed by the mammoths. Wooly rhinoceros, antelope, caribou, and wild horses join them for the feast. Predators follow in their wake.

A pack of wolves has picked up the scent of the mammoth herd, and follows along their trail. Here on the tundra, wolves patrol a vast area in search of food. Naturally, they follow the same seasonal migration pattern as their prey. This pack numbers seven individuals, led by a dominant pair. It's been hard going this winter, and they are hungry. A mammoth, is no easy meal, however. As the wolves draw near, the adult mammoth impose their bulk between the predators and the calf. Working together, they form a wall of bone and muscle. It is simply too much for the wolves. After a few hours of probing the edges of the herd, they move on. After all, with spring's new growth on the horizon, there will soon be plenty of food on this vast plain.

by **Cardenao** » Sat Jul 01, 2023 1:49 pm

Headlines Around Cardenao

National Football Team

The Cardenao national team is continuing their World Cup qualification campaign with matches against Estorvipa and Estorpiva and the nation of Camerania. The team did well to hold Estorvipa et al to a scoreless draw while it was Chímo Ventura and Đạt Guy who saved a 1-2 victory against Camerania. Perplexingly there have been different reporting and recollections on the results of the matches, with some fans staunchly claiming the draw against Estorpiva was actually a comfortable win for the Cardenaoan side, while some fans at the Camerania match are fanatically claiming the margin of victory was actually much larger for Cardenao. Various mental professionals have descended upon these fans in an attempt to discover the source of this apparent Mandela Effect.

Official Apology to the Ochre Islands Likely

More whispers are emerging from President Mihaly’s office where it seems more or less confirmed that he will be issuing an official apology to the government of the Ochre Islands. Those of both countries will be happy to see this animosity set behind them after six long years of staring across the Iceethuh Sea wondering if we would see an attack from across that narrow stretch of water. The most concrete evidence for this softening of positions was a tacit statement out of the Department of Defense confirming what the Ochren’s had been saying this whole time, that they had nothing to do with the affair and it was instead the doing of several nationals unaffiliated with their government.

Despite the tension of the last years, our relationship with the Ochre Islands has always been positive, and this move from President Mihaly will be greeted very positively by the Cardenaoan population. Ideally this apology will also contain a recommitment to the special relationship that exists between our great nations.

Cardenao Military Buildup In Discovery Bay, Joined By Forces From Quebec and Shingoryeo And Banija

After several days monitoring rail and road traffic, we can exclusively confirm a large buildup of Cardenaoan armed forces near Discovery Bay at the westmost end of Cardenao. This force has been built up over the period of roughly five months and contains members of the navy, army, and air force, so it seems to be quite the ordeal. Judging by their positioning, it seems fair to anticipate some sort of training activity centered around the uninhabited Isla Aloshaki. Of particular note is the recent increase of transport vessels bearing the flags of Quebec and Shingoryeo and the nation of Banija arriving in the area, lending weight to theories that this will be a joint military exercise between these closely allied nations, whether those forces will consists of the typical military advisor cache or a more dedicated force remains to be seen. Of additional note seems to be an increase in reported production from the Cherniy Zamok complex in Pyazhnaya, the military equipment hub where much of the Cardenaoan military procures technology from, and how that might fit into training and/or future plans. Furthermore, a military delegation from Ko-oren has arrived in Cardenao ostensibly for this military exercise.

The question remains though, what exactly is the reason for this sudden exercise? There are plenty of un or minimally inhabited islands in Cardenao that could be made available for this military action, why does it have to be this specific island? There are theories speculating that Isla Aloshaki is rich in natural resources, but then one must ask why didn’t we take action earlier if that’s the case? There is always the need to expand to secure more resources and land for the national population, however this case seems to defy logic. It’s an empty island, what is the reason for this multinational military exercise coalition?

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