Copa Rushmori 44 - Everything Thread

by **The Askari Union** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 5:21 am

THE ASKARI UNION
Preferred Formation: 4-2-3-1
Style Modifier: 3
Playstyle: The long spectre of Skorjiball has left a mark in a nation now trying to play more aggressive, fast-paced, energetic style.
Kit Supplier: Cloaker
Captain: Hortense Agustine
Nickname: la Delfenoj

Having survived the whirlwind of S K O R J I B A L L, the financial implosion of their league (which limps on still, just, without room for foreign players) and three political coups in short succession, the Askari belatedly limp on to new pastures. Having achieved mediocre results in the past at the regional level, it's, well, unlikely that can maintain.

Without foreign players or investment, the Legaskari is a shadow of its former self, which was in its heyday... not very good. All the best Askari players are abroad, and those who aren't yet, aspire to. There have been extensive recent overhauls, however, as the prior 'golden' generation has simply aged out. This is the weakest side in recent memory, and they'll be lucky to pick up a point.

I Give My Opponent Permission To:
=================================
Choose My Goalscorers:        Y
Godmod Goalscoring Events:    N
Injure Players:               Y
Godmod Injury Events:         N
Red Card Players:             Y
Yellow Card Players:          Y
Godmod Other Events:          N
=================================

Tactics

First-choice lineup. Replace Soumare with Combeferre.
The Askari have gained in confidence now, and are now able to play to their strengths. The Askari themselves tend to be smallish and more technically gifted than athletic, but a newfound emphasis on 'getting it up there' has taken over, and big lads from Eura have stabilised the spine of the team. Prior Askari sides have been more defensively focused and with an emphasis on pace, but Oslograd had taken to repeatedly yelling "THE BALL IS ROUND" at athletically-oriented plays in training, and it stuck.

Staff
Manager: Jehanne Scaletta - Age 45

Something of a coaching prodigy within the nation, Scaletta's ascended to the heady heights of being a first-team coach in the Nepharan second tier. She ... remains a coach there, but is moonlighting here in order to try and get a management job somewhere.

Goalkeepers
1 - GK - Gianluca Combeferre - Age 26 - SSC Honneur
12 - GK - Selune Couronne - Age 18 - Stade-National
18 - GK - Bruno d'Alencon - Age 25 - Hussards

Defenders
2 - RB - Iohana Mercado - Age 30 - Athletic Club Olarria (ASG)
3 - LB - Charlotte Aquilina - Age 26 - Grigio Calcio
4 - CB - Corrado Gavroche - Age 33 - Grigio Calcio
5 - CB - Tessa Giaccherini - Age 23 - Stade-National
13 - LB - Riga Carcassone - Age 22 - BT Ming (CMT)
17 - RB - Estelle Condotta - Age 23 - AS Sainati
19 - CB - Hortense Agustine - Age 31 - Bul Khungur Miners FC (TKT)
24 - CB - Armosino Farnese - Age 23 - LSC Dunelan

Midfielders
6 - HM - Guy-Fiore Riverina - Age 22 - LSC Dunelan
8 - AM - Camoa Villanelle - Age 25 - Blades ex Magnaeus (EOT)
10 - RW - Alessander Digne - Age 31 - Estdal (GRF)
11 - LW - Montblanc Farina - Age 22 - SSC Honneur
14 - CM - Tarantella Reynard - Age 21 - AS Sainati
15 - AM - Annabellini Tifosa - Age 24 - Hussards
16 - CM - Pierrick Chinotto - Age 27 - SSC Honneur
20 - LW - Donatella Fontaine - Age 30 - Ming (CMT)
22 - RW - Voltaire Hernandez - Age 22 - AS Sainati
23 - DM - Petratella Turturro - Age 21 - Dinamo Sainati
26 - HM - Castille Blanc - Age 23 - Dinamo Sainati

Forwards
7 - ST - Valletta Como - Age 18 - AS Sainati
9 - ST - Renate Eskalza - Age 34 - Suttonville (EUR)
21 - ST - Olympe Riva - Age 29 - CFF Monthuez (KRY)
25 - ST - Bianca Corbeau - Age 23 - Aznavour OSC

by **Trans-Dniesters** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 6:51 am

THE DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF THE UNITED SOCIALIST STATES OF PRIDNESTROVIA
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL TEAM

The Democratic People's Republic of the United Socialist States of Pridnestrovia is a lot of things, but one thing it is not is tolerant of failure. Basil Santa Cruz was brought in to be the manager of the Pridnestrovian national football team in order to win the Copa Rushmori, and while he came very close in his first two attempts, everything else after that has been nothing but failure. The Pridnestrovian Football Union had had enough of this tomfoolery and decided to sack Santa Cruz and replace him with a manager who actually follows the classic Pridnestrovian footballing ethos of "defense wins."

BASIC INFORMATION
Name of nation: The Democratic People's Republic of the United Socialist States of Pridnestrovia
Demonym: Pridnestrovian
Team colors: Green and red
Style modifier: -3.00 (beautiful attacking football didn't work out so now it's time to go back to the tried and tested method of defensive and counterattacking football)
Formation: 3-5-2
Head coach: Oleksii Cheryshev (40 y/o, Pridnestrovia)

STARTERS
GK: Valeriy Igorevich FALIN 35 y/o, Atletico Bed Deg

(Copper Cuprum)

RCB: Jonas Heinrich BÖDEKER 29 y/o, Bierburger SV

CB: Osip Petrovich KOVALENKO 32 y/o, FK Spartak Rybolovlev (Estorvipa and Estorpiva)

LCB: Timofey Vissarionovich ASSONOV 28 y/o, FK Traktor St. Paulsburg (Estorvipa and Estorpiva)

RWB: Christopher Maria Josephus UNGERER 29 y/o, Dinamo Macaresti

RCM: Vasiliy Akhmetovich OGORODNIKOV 30 y/o, Bananas FC

(Abanhfleft)

CM: Temirlan Timurovich ZHOLDASOV 29 y/o, Sarvusadalamoive

(Abanhfleft)

LCM: Levon Mehmet PEKKOR 31 y/o, Gryphons Nubalochi

(Sultanate of Oontaz)

LWB: Vladislav Timofeyevich KUZNETSOV 30 y/o, Rotor Dnistrosh

CF: David Andreyevich NEDELYAYEV 27 y/o, Admiral Novorossiysk

CF: Viktor Fyodorovich ASTANKOV 29 y/o, Pasargad Manitogoro

(Sultanate of Oontaz)

RESERVES
GK: Yevgeniy Semyonovich KRASNOV 34 y/o, Mah Deg Diamonds

(Copper Cuprum)

GK: Kuzma Filippovich BOGACHYOV 33 y/o, Thereisnogodistan

(Abanhfleft)

DEF: Andrey Dmitriyevich SHCHEDROV 24 y/o, Paulsen FC

(Abanhfleft)

DEF: Lavrentiy Rostislavovich YEVSEYEV 24 y/o, Vay Deg Eels A.F.C.

(Copper Cuprum)

DEF: Rostislav Saveliyevich LESHEV 32 y/o, FK Chornyy Volodymyrivka (Estorvipa and Estorpiva)

DEF: Maksim Ruslanovich RODCHENKO 27 y/o, Bierburger SV

MID: Genadi Todorov RAICHEV 22 y/o, Metallurgist Beledor

on loan from CSKA Tiraspol

MID: Timofey Timurovich SALAGIN 31 y/o, Fortuna Novonikolaysk

MID: Oleg Maksimovich SIYASINOV 28 y/o, Vay Deg Eels A.F.C.

(Copper Cuprum)

MID: Aleksey Dmitriyevich MEKHANTYEV 26 y/o, CSKA Tiraspol

FW: Andrey Timofeyevich YUSUPOV 23 y/o, Dynamo Ja

(Abanhfleft)

FW: Foma Filippovich ZYUGANOV 25 y/o, Rotor Dnistrosh

STARTING LINEUP (Massively Outdated)

KITS (by Adidulas)

IMPORTANT STATISTICS
Win-loss record: 57-20-57 (penalty shootouts are counted as draws regardless of final result)
First international match: VS Aynard (W 6-0)
First win: VS Aynard (6-0)
First loss: VS Fratton (0-1)
Biggest win: VS Nurkama (9-0)
Biggest loss: VS Pasarga (2-6)

SCHEDULE
WIP

HOME STADIUM (NEW ARMY STADIUM, TIRASPOL)

New Army Stadium in Tiraspol is the home stadium of CSKA Tiraspol and can comfortably seat over 80,000 spectators following a three-year capacity expansion project.

RP PERMISSIONS
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes (but I decide the severity and length)
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes (maximum of 5 per game)
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes (only 1 per 2 games)
Godmod other events: Yes (TG me first before posting anything)

Style modifier: -3.00 (Negative three point zero zero)

by **Naixi** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:09 am

CELESTIAL COUNCIL DISPERSE TO NAIXI'S CITIES FOR OPENING DAY FESTIVITIES

A council of eight persons makes up the head of state for our grand Celestial Empire here in Naixi, where the Copa Rushmori is set to begin shortly. They represent the ceremonial king or queen another parliamentary democracy might have, only we prefer the more democratic-and-administrative term "councilor." But this is truly a mere manner of speaking; for all of the Celestial Councilors don ostentatious and pompous garbs in public outings to signal their prestige, and in private they nod curiously and ambitiously when underlings and elected politicians tell them public appetite is high for them to adopt new titles: emperors, or huangdi.

But are they truly royalty? Despite their apparently historical garment choices, all are merely the descendants or close relatives of the now-deceased Zhong Xian Xu, a self-declared general and resistance fighter from the independence conflict not a dozen years ago. These are hardly royalty in the sense that their positions have been passed down for many generations... on the contrary, twenty years ago the members of this family were working middle-class jobs (or at least the older ones were; the younger ones have indeed enjoyed a luxurious lifestyle for most of their lives).

Regardless of the authenticity of their regal claim(s), Naixese citizens hold the Council in extremely high regard. The reduction in the Council's administrative and political power over the past decade has caused reactionary forces to rise within the electorate and the most recent polls thrust the Monarchists sect of the N4N Party, and its leader Ru Ping Lai, into office. Lai's platform, and the platform of her party allies, was nothing short of a restoration, partial or full, of the authority of the Celestial Council. Upon victory, she has set about delivering on that campaign promise, and the Council is beginning to flex its muscles as democratic counterweights to the power of the monarchy wane.

The start of CR44 (as branding materials have dubbed this Copa Rushmori) is a massive coup for the Celestial Council, who correctly see the tournament as a gargantuan domestic propaganda opportunity. They have spread out across the land, with each of the major host cities receiving one Councilor for opening day.

Except for one city, the far-southeastern town of Bao. Why is that, you ask? Unfortunately, about a year and a half ago, one of the Celestial Councilors was assassinated in a brutal terroristic act. The perpetrator, found to be one of the hated Golden People, was caught, but the nation is in many ways still in mourning. Though it has been suggested that the Council replace the vacant "seat," the general opinion is that the nation is still too deep in its grief to accept a new monarch. As such, Bao will miss out on hosting a member of the Celestial Council. It is just as well... in many ways the city is nothing more than a military encampment on the border with the Golden People, anyway. Perhaps it would not have been prudent to send a head of state there, anyway.

HER MAJESTY THE COUNCILOR ZHI HONG

BAO

General Xu's older sister was to have gone to the far-eastern military camp city of Bao for the tournament's opening day, but was tragically killed eighteen months ago. She would (and should) have celebrated her 79th birthday during the tournament, but died in the explosion engineered by the foul assassin Fred Irving. She was known for being stern but motherly.

HER MAJESTY THE COUNCILOR JAI

QIAWUTIAN

In the nation's largest city, the late General Xu's twin sister Jai will open proceedings on the match between the host country and San Isidro Labrador. She will likely be a participant with a very light footprint; her health has been poor in recent years as she struggles win an unknown malady. Rumors abound that she may soon follow her brother and sister to the grave.

HIS MAJESTY THE COUNCILOR TIN JONG

FUTENGMA

An armchair general to end all armchair generals, Tin Jong grew up obsessed with military history. Though he was still in diapers during the Naixese independence conflict, he still dresses as though he fought alongside his grandfather. He will be deployed to the wretched City of Mud, Futengma, where he will have to work hard to keep the muck off his fancy uniform.

HER MAJESTY THE COUNCILOR XIAO JUN

CHUMEICHANG

Tin Jong's mother Xiao Jun is, some say, a bit touched, but General Xu's middle child is nonetheless quite beloved across the nation. A lover of gardening and a legendary cultivar of positive feng shui, she is sure to receive a warm welcome in the capital. She will attend the Nephara v República Guanacasteca match at the Xuanwuyan Zhu, in the northern outskirts of town.

HIS MAJESTY THE COUNCILOR WAN FANG

YAFEI

In the dying, half-empty city of Yafei, General Xu's youngest child, the deranged and permanently single Wan Fang, will open proceedings. An avid fan of European medieval warfare, Wan Fang is said to have a massive collection of swords, chainmail, maces, and shields. Unconfirmed but hilarious rumors that he may throw a culturally incoherent joust have swept the region.

HER MAJESTY THE COUNCILOR SHU KIAN

WANQIANGANGA

The city of Wanqianganga revolves around the aviation engineering industry, meaning it is swamped with young, college-educated liberals. For Xiao Jun's daughter and Tin Jong's youngest sister Shu Kian, who has a curious (and entirely disturbing) reputation for violent sexual deviancy, this is perhaps the most tolerant place to attend an opening ceremony.

THEIR MAJESTY THE COUNCILOR JIAN GUN

BIJIBEN

Some say General Xu's eldest is not in fact the progeny of a national hero but an imposter, a blind, time-traveling sorcerer from centuries ago. This is, of course, nothing more than thinly varnished transphobia; Jian Gun has asked that they be addressed with they/them pronouns for decades. In conservative Naixi, all that gets you is a deployment to lonely Bijiben.

HER MAJESTY THE COUNCILOR NAI JIAN

FUZAIDAI

By far and away the most politically serious and self-consciously ideological of the remaining seven Councilors, Nai Jian is the middle child of a middle child (her mother is Xiao Jun) and has had to set herself apart by being an intellectual. Opening the tournament's events in the remote town of Fuzaidai - by choice for some reason - Nai Jian is a university-educated expert in genetics and is a prominent supporter of the Naixese Genome Project.

OOC Note: Councilor portraits generated by WOMBO Dream AI art generator.

by **Polar Islandstates** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 8:48 am

The TRUE VALHALLAN FEDERATION of POLAR ISLANDSTATES, Roster for COPA RUSHMORI XLIV
Nation Name: The True Valhallan Federation of Polar Islandstates
Demonym: Valhallans (or Polarians)
Team Nickname: The Terns
Official Supporters Group: ~~Outlawed~~

KIT COLOURS:
AWAY - HOME (w/ Reverse) - KEEPER

STAFF:
Manager: Iosef Miroshnichenko, 56

Record in Charge: P 30, W 12, D 6, L 12, GF 25, GA 29, GD -4, WP 40%
A True Valhallan, Iosef played for the Terns way back in Copa Rushmori XXVII, albeit mostly from the bench. Never quite hit the heights that people expected from him whilst he was an international player, but has turned out to be quite the astute tactician during the long decades of closed borders. If by 'astute' you mean 'defensive'. Has been handed the reins of the national team by the recently re-branded VFA after his "streetwise and resilient" tactics secured East Franz their most recent title, and the OO have been watching him closely ever since. He's actually unaware that he's being used by the establishment as something of a scapegoat, but as nothing has yet hit the proverbial fan everyone is just cracking on. All he knows is, he's under pressure to succeed and succeed quickly.

He has a distinctly average record in charge so far, which would normally be a very positive thing for a nation just re-emerging onto the international scene. However, his growing reputation for chocking and overthinking things in the big moments is beginning to be a weight around his neck. So when his side lost at home to Saint Eleanor in the last WCQ stage game with a playoff spot on the line...? Or got hammered by Cardenao with a spot in the CoH knockout stages at stake...? Or even the last time we played in the Copa Rushmori...? Yeah. It's fine. It's no big deal; it's only our international reputation at stake.

The selection process has been complicated slightly this time around by happening, ICly at least, at the same time as the DBC, which means Erik Zhamaletdinov got in there first and was able to nab all the talented u21s players from under the nose of Miroshnichenko. All but one, anyway...

Now, sit up straight, get your hand on your heart, and sing the national anthem. Louder! And hold still, I'm trying to stitch a bit more gold braid onto your epaulettes...

Assistant Manager: Federico Aalto, 51

A True Valhallan, Aalto's Külmsaari background means he is born from the same cradle that supported the Party in their rally against Sargossan influence and used it to gain power in the Federation. The Party will be relying on his presence to remind the players of what is at stake this campaign - i.e. the mission to prove to the Multiverse that Valhalla Stronk. Indeed, they've made sure of that by giving him secret instructions to contradict Miroshnichenko whenever they think it would pay to have the national team coach look undermined. The slightly purer or more naive VFA members however will simply be hoping that his attacking tendencies temper Miroshnichenko's conservative leanings. Clean sheets are important, sure, but scoring is fun. Now, sing up! Aut pax, aut bellum!

PLAYERS:
#1 - GK - Hans Aigner - Age 29 -

East Franz Athletic

- 28 Caps
A True Valhallan and a truly safe pair of hands. The Terns might not have covered themselves in glory since their return to international football, but without Aigner in the goalmouth, things could have been a whole lot worse. Has proved himself over and over for the Terns when he was so often the different between a one-nil win and something far less satisfying. Still young-ish for a goalkeeper, Miroshnichenko will be hoping that Aigner can be the bedrock of the Terns' defence for years to come, as he was for the Spires when he was Aigner's club manager. It would take a very good player indeed to unseat him, that's for sure, although there is a young man from Jan Mayen who might fancy his chances.

#2 - WBR - Rafael Kowaleski - Age 31 -

SK Aasiaat Harbour

- 14 Caps, 1 Assist
A True Valhallan, there isn't much that Kowaleski can't do with a football. It seems at times like he was born with an innate knowledge of whereabouts the football and both goals were at all times. He does sometimes lose concentration and forget where he's supposed to be, or who he's supposed to be marking, but for a mostly risk-free option that you don't need to worry about, he's hard to beat in the Federation right now. This fact was borne out in practice when he was one of the star players of Aasiaat's title push last season, putting in unheralded but solid performances week after week, making the VFA Team of the Season as a result. His reward? Snatching the number two shirt from Johannes Braun. Just for a bit. Just to see how he gets on. After all, with a few inexperienced faces in the backline this time around, that calmness might be more useful than Braun's excesses. To Miroshnichenko's eyes, anyway.

#3 - WBL - Vagn Mortensen - Age 27 -

FC1. Bjarnarey Flotilla

- Uncapped
Not for the last time this roster, you're going to see a Bjarnese newcomer to the Terns. Simply put, the Flotilla got to a certain point last season and then just decided to stop conceding goals, really. Ten wins in a row saw them lift the title, and a series of deeply impressive defensive performances meant players like Mortensen had to be considered not only for the Team of the Season, but for the Terns as well. And Mortensen received both such honours. Rangy, powerful, pacy, and intelligent, Mortensen will have bigger teams than Bjarnarey interested if he repeats those kind of performances in Naixi. So it's a shame the transfer window just shut, really...

#4 - DC - Aapo Miroshnichenko - Age 23 -

East Franz Athletic

- 9 Caps
A True Valhallan, and yes, the manager's son. He is actually good, though. Really good. Assuming he eclipses his father and manages to live up to the expectations that many hold for him, then a very bright future awaits indeed. Was a runner-up at DBC55 and East Franz vice-captain already, he joins his club captain and teammate Onni Boes in the starting line-up of the Terns as a result of Magnus Dahm's international retirement in order to prolong his club career. There used to be a sense that 'young Aapo' wasn't quite ready to take on the Multiverse, but that's all evaporated now. One of a handful of players to have signed pre-contract arrangements with foreign clubs ahead of the anticipated relaxation of labour laws next year, this might be the last time Spires fans get to see their coveted defensive partnership appear together for the Terns before Aapo moves to Tikariot City FC. Depends how quick the WC comes around...

#5 - DC - Odbjorn Ohm - Age 22 -

FC1. Bjarnarey Flotilla

- 26 Caps, 1 Goal
A True Valhallan, Ohm was one of the stars of the last DBC campaign in Valanora and Banija, where he played alongside Miroshnichenko Jr.. He had already shown enough in the squad at the last Copa to usurp Olsen in the starting eleven by the time the crucial game against Sargossa rolled around, and following the DBC campaign that did him no harm whatsoever, Ohm has gone onto star in the Flotilla's title win and also become a key part of the Terns' first choice defence. Much is hoped for in Bjarnarey from this kid, and he's going the potential to be one of the Bargemen's all timers if he keeps up this trajectory.

#6 - DC - Onni Boes - Age 30 -

East Franz Athletic

- 28 Caps - Vice-Captain
A True Valhallan. Onni Boes is one of the biggest characters in the dressing room, famously being discovered halfway out to sea on a Kuril fishing vessel three days after the last time East Franz won the league title, alongside two circus acrobats, a stuffed fox, no memory of how he got there, and a crushing headache. Elaborate and flamboyant, he's more like an attacking midfielder trapped in a centre-back's body sometimes, but he makes the game fun to watch. And with Miroshnichenko's emphasis on defence, that might be crucial to watching audiences this campaign. The fans love him, and so will your television editors. You know the phrase "if a defender has to make a tackle then they've already made a mistake"? Yeah. Not that. Boes loves a slide tackle.

#7 - AMC - Sebastian Nylund - Age 24 -

Northbrook Diamonds FK

- 30 Caps, 3 Assists, 4 Goals
A True Valhallan, Nylund can operate as a number ten but does tend to drift wide, a fact that the tactics are set up to exploit. Expect to see him pop up when and where you least expect him too, and good luck trying to mark him. He was going to be the attacking fulcrum for the Diamonds for many years to come, but has signed a pre-contract agreement for a high-profile move to Mytanija in a season's time, and fair enough. He has the talent to play anywhere he wants to, and only the performances of Oscar Pallasmaa stopped him running away with Player of the Season last year. Capable of playing across the front line if you wanted him to, and on more than one occasion has operated as a second striker for the Terns. Nimble, agile, full of tricks, and with the physique to ensure he can't get pushed around; this kid isn't a kid anymore but a potential superstar in the making.

#8 - DMC - Ragnar Holst - Age 27 -

SK Aasiaat Harbour

- 28 Caps, 1 Assist, 1 Goal
A True Valhallan, Ragnar Holst was only a teenager when he helped propel Aasiaat to their only Divisjon One titles so far. Aasiaat may not have quite maintained that form, but Ragnar himself has. He's got fierce competition now from yet another teenager attempting to oust him from the starting line-up, but it looks for now like he's got the number eight position locked down after a series of outstanding performances at the CoH where he was arguably the Terns' stand-out performer in what was a disppointing campaign. Smart, clever, lets his feet do the talking particularly on the edge of either box, and looked at one point like he was going to captain the Pilots to a shock Divisjon One title. Alas.

#9 - ST - Dmitry Eisenhauer - Age 30 -

SK Franz Josef City

- 28 Caps, 1 Assist, 9 Goals
A True Valhallan, Eisenhauer is probably the closest the Terns have come in recent years to emulating Timo Skye. At least, in terms of ego. Unlikely to be remembered in the same breath as the great man, or even in the same breath as the next six or seven great men to have scored goals for the Terns, he is nonetheless as very capable and skilful striker who is extremely good at hitting the ball cleanly, and incredibly hard. When Eisenhauer kicks it, it stays kicked. Was snapped up by SK from Sibir at a young age, his ego is now befitting the team that thinks they have a Thor-given-right to win everything every season, which is at least something else he has in common with Skye. Knows he's got competition, and has raised his game as a result, so whilst one goal every three games might not sound impressive, in a Miroshnichenko Sr. side it isn't to be sniffed at at all.

#10 - MC - Oscar Pallasmaa - Age 27 -

FC1. Bjarnarey Flotilla

- 30 Caps, 7 Assists, 2 Goals - CAPTAIN
A True Valhallan, Pallasmaa is possibly the most talented all-round midfielder the Federation has produced in a generation. Adept at holding, knowing when to press forwards, and when to let loose with one of his famous raking long range passes, it is impossible to imagine the modern Bjarnarey without him, such is the club and even the city's reliance on him as a talisman. Grew up within sight of The Barge, he is a local hero to the Bjarnese, and fast becoming a national one, too. So, it's going to be somethign of a shock to both with he moves to Mytanija at the end of next season. Until then however, he plans to leads by example and is the first name on the teamsheet every time. A potential all-timer, but will need to replicate his goalscoring habits for the national team on a more consistent basis first.

#11 - AMC - Einar Heimark - Age 22 -

East Franz Athletic

- 28 Caps, 5 Assists, 1 Goal
A True Valhallan, Heimark was the only member of the DBC runners-up squad to have already been a starter for the senior team at the time, so it was slightly surprising that he wasn't necessarily the stand-out star of that tournament for the Chicks back then. Nonetheless, he is an energetic and direct attacking midfielder who does need other players to do some of the legwork for him but is outstanding when given that license to perform. Operating almost as a second striker for his club side, his ability to draw defenders out of position should in theory create plenty of space for Eisenhauer to exploit. One of two players moving to Tikariot City FC in a year's time after they pulled off a double-swoop on the Spires.

#12 - GK - Tord Alexandersson - Age 25 -

SK Franz Josef City

- Uncapped
Selected but never used in the last Copa squad, Alexandersson has made the move from FC1. Surtsey Island Gulls to SK Franz Josef City in the meantime, and now finds himself back in the national team fold and with something to prove. And with the group stage at XLIV being longer than your average regional tournament group stage, he might just get that chance. Depends how we get on, I suppose. Didn't exactly set the league alight with his performances in Divisjon One last season, but SK plucked him from Norscelt for a reason, and he's certainly got the ability to do well for the Terns.

#13 - GK - Jori Sipp - Age 23 -

Jan Mayen Islanders

- 1 Cap
A True Valhallan, Sipp's performances at DBC55 impressed Miroshnichenko enough to earn himself a call-up into the senior squad, and he's been here ever since. Is unlikely to provide much more than depth and competition for Aigner, but is certainly destined for big things. A nimble and cat-like penalty specialist... which might be useful if there are shoot-outs on the horizon...

#14 - AMC - Jere Karschner - Age 25 -

East Franz Athletic

- Uncapped
It looked at one point as if, with their defence uncharacteristically out of form, East Franz were going to be dragged to the title by Karschner and Heimark alone. Of course, we know how things evened out in the end, but if ever there was proof of the ability of Heimark and Karschner, it's the fact that East Franz striker Jori Sipp was in the discussions for a Terns spot. Capable of pulling a defence apart singlehandedly, but prefers to work alongside a partner-in-crime, Karschner's bootful of assists last season proved his eye for a pass, and with his dead-ball skills proving deadly as well, he could be a very useful last introduction from the subs bench.

#15 - WBL - Jens Carlquist - Age 30 -

Northbrook Diamonds FK

- 28 Caps
A True Valhallan, Northbrook captain Carlquist is a strong, no-nonsense kind of wing-back, who is usually happy to let others do the running. He's as fast as the modern game requires a player in his position to be, but his strength lies not in dribbling. Instead, he acts as a wide anchor in attack; pinging cross-field diagonals and possession retaining short passes as and when required. Has lifted two of the last three Divisjon One titles with the Diamonds, and hates losing. Lost form a bit during the CoH campaign, and has lost his spot accordingly, but as we say; he hates losing...

#16 - WBR - Johannes Braun - Age 28 -

SK Nasjonale Hauker

- 27 Caps, 2 Assists, 1 Goal
A True Valhallan, Braun's emergence as a right-back in the same mould of the legendary Moses Luc Bjerregaard can be traced back to the money they invested in their youth academy following their hot streak of league titles. Excitingly for both Hauker and the Terns, he isn't the only player in this squad that you can say that about. Lightning quick, he sacrificed a promising track career to concentrate on football, and his pace makes up for his lack of pure tactical awareness. Was made a bit of a scapegoat for fans of both the Terns and Hauker last year, but that's only because he's set his own bar so high. Is out to reclaim his spot from Kowaleski.

#17 - DMC - Valentin Brunel - Age 18 -

FC1. Surtsey Island Gulls

- Uncapped
With Nic Dementieva and Carl Urdahl ahead of him at the u21s, Valentin Brunel probably thought that was his chance of international football done until one or other of them were too old for the Chicks and 'graduated' to the Terns. Psych! Injuries to Uwe Grendahl and Phillipp Zeglin mean the young man with Ursczar heritage has bypassed the Chicks altogether and has made the jump to the Terns already. Which... well, we'll have to see how it goes, I guess! For whatever reason, Norscelt clubs are awash with international standard youngsters in defensive midfield at the moment, and we ought to just embrace it. At least until they all come of age and Miroshnichenko tries to play them all at the same time. With Holst sitting in behind... Anyway, that does a disservice to Brunel, who is always keen to get forwards and support the rest of the midfield, and is creating a different kind of role for himself in the Gulls' midfield. We await Miroshnichenko's interpretation of his talents with baited breath...

#18 - ST - Isak Harju - Age 25 -

FC1. Bjarnarey Flotilla

- Uncapped
With Niemi and Nijgaard off to the DBC, and Eisenhauer a clear first choice still for the number nine jersey, that left two spots in the squad on the bench for other strikers to stake their claims, with any two from Jori Sipp, Nico Wickenheiser, Matteus Henschen, Isak Harju, and surprise candidate Matias Langager being mentioned in the press. After Bjaranrey won the league though, it's not a surprise to see Harju take that first spot. Playing beautifully off NIjgaard all season, Harju's ability to instinctively know where the goal is and apply one or two deadly touches to finish off a move were almost unmatched in the league last season. If he can recreate that form for the Terns, he might even give Eisenhauer a run for his money.

#19 - MC - Noah Leonhardt - Age 28 -

SK Franz Josef City

- 8 Caps
A True Valhallan, Noah Leonhardt has a bit of an unfair reputation for being the most boring man in Polarian football. A classic watercarrier, or shuttler, he doesn't stand out or appear to do anything particularly noteworthy at either end of the pitch. He scored once for SK the season before last - his first in three seasons - and some commentators genuinely didn't have the stats for his last goal totals in even their back-up notes. Fans have been known to groan when he is announced in the starting line-up, or when coming on as a sub, and yet he keeps plugging away. Managers love him, and you'd miss him if he wasn't there.

#20 - ST - Matteus Henschen - Age 29 -

SK Aasiaat Harbour

- Uncapped
When Finn Kirkkegaard's Aasiaat Harbour team raced into a Divisjon One lead that they held almost to the last, many pundits and commentators rightly pinned a lot of that success on their unprecedented abilities to score from set piece situations. Which, whilst impressive, did mean that Matteus Henschen's performances went somewhat under the radar. At least at first. And then come the end of the season when it became apparent that Henschen had somehow managed to end up as top-scorer? Well, that just felt 'right' somehow, especially as the league title and Latitude CUp both fell away from them at the last moments. A powerful and all-action striker, Henschen likes to drop deep and make sure he gets plenty of the ball, and will act as the first line of defence for Miroshnichenko's side if he gets on the pitch. Which, knowing Miroshnichenko, he probably will.

#21 - MC - Gustav Kommersen - Age 28 -

SK Aasiaat Harbour

- 8 Caps, 1 Assist
A True Valhallan, Gustav has been Aasiaat's chief playmaker for three seasons now, and the Victorrinn club is being built around the midfield combination of him and Holst. The pair have been split up in the national team thanks to the strength of Pallasmaa in Kommersen's position, but Kommersen is taking it in his stride, happy instead to provide cover and competition for the Terns captain. A free kick specialist, so don't be surprised to see him thrown on in the last few minutes if Miroshnichenko decides to play for set pieces in search of a late winner or equaliser.

#22 - DC - Heino Olsen - Age 27 -

SK Franz Josef City

- 10 Caps
A True Valhallan, Olsen was in the starting line-up at the start of the last Copa, and was naturally disappointed to see his place lost to Ohm. Is on a mission to claim his spot back as a result, and appears to have doubled his levels of professionalism. Tall and gangly, he looks like he'd be easy to outmuscle in the box, but possesses a wiry sort of strength that has surprised many an attacker not just with his ability to hold them off, but also with the length of his legs - that seem to have just the extra inches required to beat them to the ball when it really matters. So far hasn't managed to win back that spot, but, he's working on it.

#23 - DC - Sigmunder Aalstadt - Age 28 -

FC1. Bjarnarey Flotilla

- Uncapped
The final part of the "oh hey turns out Bjarnarey are really good at the moment, especially at the back, perhaps I should scout them for the NT" brigade, Aalstadt is still something of a shock call-up to the Terns. Shorter than your average Valhallan, he nonetheless has springs in his heels or something, and is very hard to beat in the air as a result. With Ohm alongside him, won the league with the Flotilla, and brings a winning mentality and a monstrous desire to win the ball with him to the Terns. Should he and Boes play at the same time ever, I'd be concerned about who that left at the back alongside them...

TACTICS: 3-4-2-1
The Polarian game was famous for being methodical in its approach, calmly assessing where the weaknesses of the opposition lay before ruthlessly attacking and exploiting them mercilessly, all whilst being technically superb and abrasive in defence. Miroshnichenko has started his reign however by making sure that this internationally naive bunch of players are, first and foremost, hard to beat. Still finding their way on this return to the international stage, they will attempt to frustrate the opposition in order to avoid humiliation rather than play any sweeping attacking football that leaves us open at the back. To be fair to Miroshnichenko Sr. though, even though he lost his nerve at several points during WC94 Qualifying and went against his own best instincts, it did nearly work first time...

The back three of Miroshnichenko Jr., Ohm, and Boes will not be taking unnecessary risks ("will they, Boes..."), and will sit back at almost all times, only really going beyond the halfway line should a corner be taken. Kowaleski and Mortensen will often be the first line in attack when a counter-attack is sprung, rushing forwards quickly to support Nylund and Heimark in their task of supplying throughballs and chips forward for Eisenhauer - a skilled technical finisher and extremely capable physical player. The midfield of Pallasmaa and Holst will largely be tasked with protecting the defence and breaking up the attacks of the opposition, although Pallasmaa's eye for a pass means in games we dominate he will often be the metronome in the heart of the field.

Likely frustrated by this conservative approach will be assistant manager Federico Aalto, whose basis in the Külmsaari game means his base instinct is to always attack. With one coach hellbent on defending, and the other on attacking, the newly rebadged Valhallan Football Association have hired the perfect combination of talent to advertise Secretary General's 'True Valhallan' way of life to the outside multiverse for the first time in nearly three decades.

Note also that with the labour laws being relaxed in the near future and some players already signing pre-contract arrangements with foreign clubs, many of the squad will also have half an eye on putting themselves in the shop window for a move abroad.

Penalty Taker: Oscar Pallasmaa/Dmitry Eisenhauer/Einar Heimark
Free Kick Taker: Einar Heimark/Sebastian Nylund/Oscar Pallasmaa
Corner Taker: Einar Heimark/Sebastian Nylund/Oscar Pallasmaa

Modification: -4

Record going into Copa Rushmori XLIV:

THE OPPONENT CAN
Choose my goalscorers? Yes.
Godmod scoring events? Yes.
RP injuries to my players? Yes, within reason, and I reserve the right to change the severity in a follow-up RP.
Godmod injuries to my players? Yes, as above.
Hand out yellow cards to my players? Yes.
Hand out red cards to my players? Yes, but only 2 per match maximum, and never to my captain or vice-captain.
Godmod other events? I'll have a lot of my own story going on this cycle, so TG me first, please, but I'm always open to ideas.

Style modifier: -4

A quick IC note for your RPs:
The Federation is no longer the bastion of civil rights and political freedoms that you might remember. The long absence from international sport is thanks to an isolationist and paranoid military police state taking over, using whipped up fear against the Sargossans' claim to Külmsaar and Terra Scotia as both carrot and stick. Citizens are now preoccupied with achieving the title of True Valhallan, which is acquired through either military service, civil service, outstanding conduct, or as of recently, representing your national in international sport.

Quite why they've done all this is yet to be ascertained/revealed exactly, but the exercise is being externally described as a good way to advertise the new Valhalla to the outside world. In actual fact, Secretary General Orion Lund has an ulterior motive, one which was revealed to the reader and the reader only at the end of the WCQs campaign. There is no reason that your characters would know for certain what Lund has planned for Miroshnichenko or the nation in general, though you are free to speculate - particularly where the reappearance of Alexsandr van Sorensen is concerned.

As an aside, the nation has also taken a rather more bullying tone towards the rest of the Valhallan Union, with Minor Valhalla now very much pressured into living up to the definition of its geographical title, and not best pleased about it.

So, the nation is no longer closed, but Valhallan fans will not yet be permitted to travel in large numbers, and organised supporters groups are currently illegal. Expect plenty of shady support staff to follow the Terns abroad, too, despite the pending relaxation of labobur laws being an intended distraction lobbed in from the sidelines by The Party.

In short; it's Valhalla, Jim, but not as we know it...

Aut pax, aut bellum!

by **Tikariot** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 10:57 am

In CR 42, the Snowy Owls managed to hoist their first-ever trophy, a feat they were not able to replicate. Now, they are back. With a vengeance!

The fans of the Snowy Owls also deserve particular mention. Not only are they renowned for their chants, but they are also bringing the Thunder Clap (Click here for example) to the stadium, something that the players join in as a pre-game ritual that has left an impression on the opponents and opposing fans more than once (OOC: similar to the Haka of the New Zealand All Blacks). The players will form a triangle near the kick-off circle and lift their arms, which the fans do as well. Then a lone drum will start to signal the rhythm and both players and fans alike will move in unison, each clap accompanied by a loud cry, the claps (and cries) speeding up, creating an overwhelming sense of impending doom.

Brian McAllister - 51

With the victory at the Copa Rushmori 42, Brian McAllister now has three trophies under his belt after winning twice it twice with Sargossa before. He is generally a proponent of the same flexible 4-3-3 setup that his predecessor Stuart Ekstrom had almost perfected to a point, which can fluidly be morphed into a 4-5-1 or 4-4-2 to either adjust to the situation or just to screw with opponents' tactics.

GOALKEEPER

GK | Conrad HURST | 27 | Carathyr Emeralds FC | 5 caps
not the tallest keeper, but is very quick and agile, compensating for the relative lack of reach

DEFENDERS

LB | Anthony WALLACE | 27 | Carathyr Emeralds FC | 51 caps | 4 goals | 6 assists
marauding LB, likes to move into LWB role, sharp crosses and wicked free kicks

CB | Mortimer DINANGA | 26 | Khalgarh Valley FC | 19 caps | 2 goals | 2 assists
very no-nonsense defender, hard but fair, also with strong headers

CB | Connlaodh MACGOFRAIDH | 19 | Tikariot City FC | 0 caps | 0 goals | 0 assists
physically imposing but very agile, not the best technique but very fierce and fair tackler

RB | |James WINTERSHAM | 27 | Guillarim Blades FC | 0 caps | 0 goals | 0 assists
speedy and tenacious, with a strong offensive streak, can pull inside after a run and use his left foot to score

MIDFIELDERS

LM | Aneurin SALLIS | 26 | Crimsonhawke FC | 0 caps | 0 goals | 0 assists
marauding left midfielder with a great eye for the teammate but also a mean shot

CM | Michael GAFFIGAN | 30 | Eivora Athletic FC | 33 caps | 4 goals | 8 assists
has grown into a top orchestrator in midfield, great vision and passing, vicious set pieces

RM | Yosvani FERNÁNDEZ | 20 | Guillarim Blades FC | 4 caps | 0 goals | 0 assists
tireless worker that will follow the opposing players into the changing room if needed, decent technique, devastating tackles

FORWARDS

W | Morris NIGHTHORSE | 28 | Port Rhovanyon AFC | 178 caps | 112 goals | 67 assists
fast, technically strong, can score goals out of nowhere, defender nightmare

CF | Daniel SANKALIN | 21 | Fort Viljan Northern FC | 14 caps | 7 goals | 4 assists
quick, strong technique, can equally lay ball off for teammate or score himself

W | Adrian GRIMAUD | 32 | Port Tacassam FC | 97 caps | 39 goals | 23 assists
very good technique, can score from anywhere, also great eye for teammate, all-rounder

GOALKEEPERS

GK | Vincent LITMAN | 29 | Parakleion Firebirds FC | 37 caps
fantastic reflexes, has been working on high balls, good direction of defense

DEFENDERS

LB | Zsuzsanna SZOMOGYI | 25 | Sporting Transvers (ELM) | 25 caps | 0 goals | 4 assists
not the tallest, but makes up for it with determination. rarely goes forward, but with good passing out the back.

CB | Santeri MATINPALO | 25 | Capitol Athletic (SYL) | 9 caps | 0 goals | 2 assists
towering centreback, who doesn't have much technical finesse, but is very efficient, rocket of a shot

CB | Sebastian KARLSBAKK | 24 | Fort Viljan Northern FC | 14 caps | 3 goals | 2 assists
tall, good aerial abilities, can open up the game with strong diagonal passes

RB | Kaisa SÄFQVIST | 22 | Fort Viljan Northern FC | 14 caps | 0 goals | 2 assists
powerful with great acceleration that she can use to run opponents off the ball, also has a strong shot

MIDFIELDERS

LM | Jayden IRVINE | 29 | Port Rhovanyon AFC | 12 caps | 1 goal | 6 assists
hard-nosed midfielder with hard shot and crunching tackles

CM | Mikael DANDERYD | 21 | Fort Viljan Northern FC | 8 caps | 3 goals | 3 assists
surprise shooting star, deadly passes, great read of game, also can shoot a wicked freekick

RM | Adelaide CAITLIFF | 20 | Crimsonhawke FC | 15 caps | 1 goal | 7 assists
versatile player that can also play in centre, quick, agile, excellent technique

FORWARDS

W | ÞURÍÐUR HREFNA Bjarnfreðarsdóttir | 28 | Fort Viljan Northern FC | 7 caps | 3 goals | 3 assists
quick and agile winger that can weave through defenses and has a penchant for curving shots from the edge of the box

CF | Mathias VERCAUTEREN | 19 | Liria Prizren | 0 caps | 0 goals | 0 assists
fast, agile, powerful, can score from any position, has uncanny scoring instinct

W | Simon ARROWSMITH | 31 | Guillarim Blades FC | 29 caps | 11 goals | 10 assists
compact and strong winger that uses his body to make space, has great foot to circle balls into tight spaces

+4

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes-ish (TG me and I can give you the names for scorers, assists and more, but we'll figure this out one way or another)
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes (just please be reasonable)
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes (again please be reasonable)
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes (same deal)
Godmod other events: No

by **Cabo Azure** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 1:12 pm

Succession, pt 1
“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
-Acts 2:38 (NIV)

When Princess Alexandra agreed to convert to Judaism in order to marry Francois, the love of her life, succession to the throne was the last thing on her mind. Although she found out her true heritage around the same time as she met Franck, at the time the royal family was little more than a historical footnote from her perspective. The coup that overthrew her uncle, King Reinaldo II, occurred eight years before she was ever born, and the Gang of Seven had ruled Cabo Azure for two decades by the time Alex emigrated to Quebec for university. Even if she had considered it, at the time her mother, Queen Abigail, was the rightful queen of Cabo Azure, and Manuel would replace her, followed by his children, or so she thought.

Instead her desire to convert originated in Quebec rather than Cabo Azure, and stemmed from her wanting to be accepted by Franck’s family. Despite his misgivings about other facets of Azurean life, Alex’s father Luis had always been a man of faith, bringing the children with him to church every Sunday when they visited him. This hadn’t gone exactly how he hoped, however; Ronnie and Manuel maintained only a perfunctory relationship with the Church, while Alex actively avoided going. Celebrating Jewish holidays with Franck’s family filled a void Alex hadn’t known she felt, and the decision to convert had been the easy part. Despite coming from a relatively progressive synagogue, Franck’s rabbi and family pulled out all the stops to ensure Alex’s desire to convert was sincere; when the dust settled and she remained resolute, they acquiesced.

After Manuel was crowned and she saw the impact that being king had on him, Alex made up her mind she would never be more than a princess, and that only because it aided her medical practice. Her outpatient gynecological clinic was the only female-owned medical practice in Cabo Azure, and she knew she would have a harder time recruiting staff and patients were she not also a princess. She had long since stopped taking regular call shifts at the hospital where Francois worked, because young mothers would try to game their deliveries so that she would be the attending physician. Her influence had also been crucial in forging an agreement that allowed Quebecois family medicine residents to rotate in Cabo Azure, providing a much-needed manpower boost to the country’s limited outpatient capacity.

Being a member of the Azurean Catholic Church had never been formalized as a requirement for being monarch, but in truth, few things had. When Sebastien di Portelo, then the commander of the Knights of St. Simon, declared himself King of the Azurean Islands some eight centuries ago, he also declared that the small network of Latin churches that had sprung up in the islands was a separate denomination, with his personal priest as its patriarch. The patriarch had, in due course, crowned Sebastien king, and the symbiotic relationship between church and state continued until the coup against Reinaldo II, during which the then-patriarch wisely stayed quiet. Manuel was quietly baptized shortly after his birth in Luis Fonseca’s childhood church on Sao Vicente, and both his sisters were baptized in Portelo.

It wasn’t until she met Solveig and took the trip to Quebec with her that Alexandra realized she had, in effect, been crown princess for almost a decade. Thinking about Manuel’s death seemed morbid, even for a physician, and she’d never been one to consider hypotheticals. It was a relief to see Solveig navigate the Quebecois social season with the same grace and poise she showed on the ice. Manuel and Alex were often at odds over Alex’s role in governing, but in Solveig they saw the same thing: the future. It was on the plane home from a sojourn in Quebec that she began thinking through the logistics of what investing Solveiga as the crown princess would actually entail.

While the royal family and those close to them knew Solveig’s purpose for being in Cabo Azure, to the layperson she was simply an exceptional athlete who’d been brought to court as a reward for winning gold. Succession for the throne was always murky, which had caused two major crises in the space of a century; first King Carlos IV’s failed succession to the throne after his father was lost at sea, and second the botched assassination attempt against King Reinaldo II that had sent Alex’s mother into exile. There must be a formal investiture, Alex thought, and anyone with a claim on the throne must be part of it; her, Ronnie, and even Solveig’s father Prince David.

by **Mytanija** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 1:40 pm

AN UNUSUAL FORMAT, MISEL RAVNJAK AND LITERALLY ALL THE CENTRAL MIDFIELDERS WALK INTO A BAR...

The Copa Rushmori gets underway in a couple of days’ time and a lot of people are talking about the larger group format; even more are talking about Misel Ravnjak and how this is an opportunity for him to put the disappointing showing at the World Cup behind him and his team; and just about everybody else is talking about how Mytanija have managed to get all of our top-class midfielders into the same squad at the expense of every single international winger we have. It’s sure to be interesting. The tournament is being held in Naixi, a country we’re all becoming more familiar with as we watch the exploits of Dragomir Lazic’s Chongjibo, and it should be an adventure for Mytanar fans with pretty much all fun FORMALLY ILLEGAL. The ultras will be quaking in their boots (or perhaps more likely trying to work out how to break as many of the rules at the same time as possible!).

Mytanija come off a World Cup group stage showing which Drazen Skara eloquently described as ‘fucking shite mate’ and it could be a tournament which – should it end up in further disappointment – signals the beginning of the end for Misel Ravnjak, with a governing body which has reportedly been torn on the national team coach for a while needing to provide answers on why such a talented group of players cannot be made to perform together at international level. The Hoops have a number of IFCF Champions League winners in their ranks, players recognised as Testiculos young and old, but there hasn’t been a coherent, successful team put together since Lev Repin departed for the Chromatika managerial role. There is a feeling that the requisite parts are there, albeit perhaps a little inexperienced at wing-back and in trying to find the third central defensive partner for Bigger Mbala-Ekakia and Bosko Pestotnik. It’s a decent generation of players and there’s another one coming through. A manager who can harness that is what is needed. Ravnjak needs a good tournament showing to provide a bit of belief that he can.

He’s got a good track record, but that won’t save him in the face of a number of suits who never wanted him in the position in the first place if results of that standard don’t follow.

The larger group format than usual is an interesting talking point, but it’s not something we haven’t seen before. It resembles a World Cup qualifying group quite closely and that’s something which could provide some comfort to both Ravnjak and his players. In the last two qualifying cycles Mytanija have been a fairly dominant runner-up behind Banija each time. Banija aren’t here, they aren’t Rushmori. A small degree of confidence can perhaps be taken in that Mytanija usually cope reasonably well with this amount of games against varied levels of opposition. Group 1 also contains Nephara and Darmen, along with tricky matches against San Isidro Labrador and Eastfield Lodge, but none of Mytanija’s more traditional ‘derbies’, although an all-Goose Coast clash against lowly Ketiou could provide a little spice.

This format could make things interesting in the knockout rounds in particular, with the top four from each of the four groups qualifying to the next stage. Larger groups and more games usually means that results go in favour of the teams with the greater quality, they simply have more opportunities to demonstrate it and therefore outlier results will not affect the standings quite so much. That being said, it could also mean that we see the teams that qualify a little more ‘jumbled’ in terms of quality. The top teams might reach the knockout rounds, but with more opportunities to lose or gain points we could see them in a slightly unexpected order when compared to the standard group of four teams. That could present some interesting knockout ties, too, but we probably shouldn’t dwell on the subject of knockout football for too long given that the Hoops have not put in a truly stellar knockout performance in recent memory.

These pages started life as a tactics blog, so we had probably better look at some tactics rather than speculating on format and what it might ever so tenuously mean for our beloved national side. Misel Ravnjak appears to be sticking with his tried-and-tested 5-3-2, with no wingers in the squad and a whole host of options in the centre of the pitch. The starting three of Papez, Skenderovic and Ovsyannikov probably picks itself based on last season’s form, with Gavril Atsev earning himself a recall following his stunning conversion into one of the finest deep-lying midfielders in the sport. Ismet Zmiric is a like-for-like replacement for Jasno Skenderovic and only falls behind him due to Skenderovic having a Zmiric-esque season of his own. Interestingly it seems like Muharem Hajdarpasic is considered to be the back-up option for Ovsi, rather than Jana Anusic, but we’re basing that off squad numbers rather than anything tangible at this point. Looking at those names you can’t help but marvel at the real depth of quality midfielders we have at the moment, players who have competed at the highest level and those who are still doing so. It’s a strong suit for Mytanija right now and Ravnjak has effectively gone all in on it, foregoing any wide players in favour of literally all the central midfielders.

It's a bold strategy, pamuk, let’s see if it pays off.

Atsev being a good like-for-like replacement for Papez is a welcome development and it’s true that Mytanija have a nice balance of profiles in midfield, with complementary options in abundance, but should the Hoops fail – with failure not really being defined as yet – in Naixi then you can be sure that Ravnjak will have questions asked of him. Tactical flexibility has been something of a watchword for Mytanija in the last couple of decades and Ravnjak plumping for seven central midfielders of different varieties and no wingers appears to be something of a rejection of that flexibility – or at least a rejection of a flexibility which includes wingers, anyway. There are still tactical options for Ravnjak, but they will likely come within the 5-3-2 shape which is his chosen formula and has been for a very long time.

These probably relate mostly to what Mytanija do when in possession of the football. Most of the time the 5-3-2 defensive shape morphs into something akin to a 3-2-5, with both wingbacks pushed high up the pitch and Denis Ovsyannikov joining the forwards in the centre of the pitch. This is aimed at creating an overload against the opposition defence, either in the middle of the penalty area, or by an underlapping or overlapping run. These runs will be exploited by the wingback once they’re one versus one against their opponent by playing an incisive pass to – usually – Ovsyannikov or Gannot making a run to the inside or the outside. This should allow the player receiving the pass space and time to pick a pass or cross into the middle of the box and has worked reasonably well for Mytanija during World Cup qualifying at least.

Ravnjak would probably like some more options, particularly after some of the disappointing group stage results at the most recent World Cup, though he has in the past been criticised for his relatively rigid methods. Mytanija were on the receiving end of a couple of tough defeats, conceding bunches of goals in quick succession, usually from quick counters being finished off by technically proficient opposition. A different shape in possession could assist with this, whether by playing a little more conservatively with Denis Ovsyannikov not joining the front line or perhaps only sending one wingback up the pitch at a time. A 3-3-4 is something which has been mooted by pundits, with Gvardjancic operating higher up, Damien Gannot pulling left to operate as an auxiliary winger and Ovsyannikov joining Skara in the front line. This could have the added bonus of getting Ovsi right in the middle of the goal, too, but would mainly be about providing another player in the middle of the pitch to prevent against counters, in this case Idris Beganovic moving into midfield from left wingback to stiffen up that area.

That would be one way of doing it. Ravnjak could also maintain the 5-strong forward line if he felt it necessary, but actually push a central defender into midfield to try to snuff out counters at source before having to deal with them further into the Mytanar half. Nnamdi Lusamba could be well suited to this, and it would still leave Bosko Pestotnik and Bigger Mbala-Ekakia there to deal with any problems which might arise. This would also mean that there’s one less moving part operating in the Mytanar offside trap, something which has been a feature of Ravnjak’s version of the national team, but also one which has been exploited by teams with quick strikers. However, playing a 2-3-5 shape is also a dangerous way to live, particularly against any team which plays with two strikers and is willing to gamble on leaving them up there. Always having one extra player than your opponent in any area of the pitch is something of a Mytanar coaching mantra, and this could fall foul of that rule quite easily.

There’s options for Mytanija, whether Ravnjak avails of them is a different question, but the one which has come up in the TO1B office and won the award for Most Galaxy Brained But Wait That Actually Might Work (only against low blocks), is a 2-2-6 shape in possession. It’s exactly the sort of thing you’d expect to see a 3,000 word exposition on in The Aesthetic, but that also makes it quite Mytanar, really. Once again Nnamdi Lusamba would offer the opportunity for tactical perversion, able to push into midfield alongside Nurija Papez from his usual central defensive position, in turn this would free up not only Ovsi to push into the Mytanar attack, but also Jasno Skenderovic (or whoever partners him in the other advanced midfield role). This would provide another player to break down the low block, albeit requiring intricate passing as there wouldn’t be too much room. It would have to be partnered with concerted efforts to shift the opposition defence by switching the play from one side of the pitch to the other, as well as rotational movements designed to shift the opposition defenders out from the middle of their penalty area, otherwise it just further contributes to clogging up the space. However, it does open up an opportunity to get another talented player close to the goal if done correctly and could work against stubborn defensive opponents.

Will Ravnjak use this hare-brained scheme? Knowing him probably not, but there will have to be some tactical flexibility during this longer group stage. You can’t just go in with the same plan for every team, because they’re going to present you with very different problems and you need to be prepared to negotiate them. In a three-game group stage having one plan and sticking to it is forgivable, there isn’t much time to try different things and you need a degree of consistency to keep players on task. Here, with nine matches, that’s a bit less justifiable.

Unless you’re from Graentfjall, perhaps.

Sem · by **Glazgo** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 2:39 pm

For Zahir Mulahalilović, there was nothing more he could have dreamed of than to see his name on the teamsheet for Glazgo - even more so wearing the precious #11 shirt he had longed for back as a wide-eyed youngster freshly signed by his local club. Those days in North Drumgelloch Athletic's U11s seemed an eternity ago, yet Zahir was still only 21. Wise and mature beyond his years perhaps, especially considering the majority of Premier Division players seemed to be over thirty. No, Zahir represented that youthful spark, a reminder to the nation that the candle would stay burning, ready for when Glazgo would come back to the international stage.

Zahir was only 8 years old when Glazgo entered the Baptism of Fire. Only 9 when North Drumgelloch were promoted to the Premier Division, and only 10 when he trialled successfully and was accepted into the academy's inaugural U11 side. Back then, the coaches knew he had something, but with Glazgo seemingly disappearing off the face of the multiverse, many were unsure whether he'd get to put that talent onto the bright lights of the big stage. Should Zahir make the grade of course, but was there any doubt? He was brushing past defences with ease, fending off the challenges just as he would smile humbly and brush past all the congratulations and fussing from his many uncles, aunties, cousins and other assortment of distant relations.

"Mashallah, young Zahir has such talent," his uncles would say to his father. "If only my son had half the skill as he did..."

He never let it get to his head. He put his head down, worked hard, and was fortunate to make his debut the same day as his best friend Bakir. Who was living the same dream as him - just on the opposite flank. Despite all their recent successes in the league, the two were the only North Drumgelloch players to receive a callup from Glenn Tamnavulin. The Bosnjak community of Drumgelloch were hoping for more, especially since the word got out that Tamnavulin wouldn't be recalling any of the still-active players from the BoF era - McKendrie, Cederland, Kalashnikov...all still performing to a high standard but not considered for the team. Amer Imamović, Ismet Lulić, Mirza Džananović. Many believed those three should have been called up ahead of Baraban, Sando and Panesar, but they were happy to see youngsters like Izmal Barbarez and Hadžo Medunjanin get a callup, even if they played for other clubs.

Zahir knew it would be very hard. Alas, the nation weren't expecting much, especially being in the "Group of Death" as it were. Pasarga, Tikariot, Valladares, Græntfjall, Polar Islandstates and that was just one half of the selection of teams they'd have to come up against. Zahir was a realist. They were the lowest ranked, the least experienced, they'd surely not make it out. But he was ready for the challenge, and the chance to pull on the national shirt of his beloved country was more than enough compensation. Even if they lost every game 10-0 he'd still have a smile on his face, knowing he'd give it his all and the rest of the squad would do so too.

When that day came in Naixi, for the first match against Tikariot, Zahir felt at peace. He looked over the dressing room to Bakir, who also seemed in a state of tranquility. The others all looked ready. He watched as Sol de Marko laced his boots, unlaced them, then laced them again. Joakim Srna tucked some scraps of paper into his shin pads - what was on them, he had no clue. Didrik Karzharenko poured half a bottle of water over his head. Zahir wondered if the others had these strange pre-match customs in the league.

Next thing he knew, he was in the tunnel. Standing towards the back of the queue, he waited until Gunnar Strathness began to lead the team out. Anders Khamidouline followed, and one by one the rest of the team shuffled out onto the turf. Zahir brought up the rear along with Bakir and Didrik, and he glanced over to the sidelines where Glenn Tamnavulin and the rest of the bench watched on.

He jogged onto the field, and took his position on the left hand side. He knew the plan. Cut in when he had the chance. He and Bakir would roam freely and drift into the centre when they saw fit. Tikariot were a very strong side, and he knew James Wintersham would have the physical edge over him slightly. The whole defence looked strong. He'd analysed clips of Mortimer Dinanga and Connlaodh Macgofraidh and hoped he could draw them out to allow Didrik and Joakim Srna to exploit the spaces in the centre. All of a sudden, he didn't feel as content as he did before.

The shrill burst of the referee's whistle interrupted his thoughts. No time to get bogged down with negative thinking. The next 90 minutes would be like a challenge he'd never faced before. The excitement returned, and as Joakim sprayed the ball out to his left hand side, Zahir trapped it with ease before making his way into enemy territory.

Starting XI v Tikariot (4-3-3): Khamidouline; Cardwell, Blazevic, de Marko, Lybeck; Strathness; Slatkin, Srna; Mulahalilović, Karzharenko, Hadžiadmirović.
Starting XI v Græntfjall (5-4-1): Hale; Sando, Baraban, Radosavljević, Shubukin, Kerla; Mulahalilović, Hesso, Strathness, Hadžiadmirović; Sorensen.

by **Polar Islandstates** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 3:19 pm

SOUR CHERRIES
Part i
A prologue, to a future yet to pass
i - ii - iii - iiii - v - vi - vii.a) - vii.b) - vii.c) - vii.d) - vii.e) - vii.f) - vii.g) - viii
Volume Two
** ** ** ** **

The mist rose slowly but steadily across the bleak landscape. He took a step forwards and sank an inch or so into the peat when he placed his foot back down again, the brackish water oozing around the soles of his batter old boots.

How long had he been walking?

He looked around. Glaciers would have lay here a long time ago. In their retreat they left behind tepid pools and vistas that gave way to swamps like this, with pockets of ponds clustering together and giving the plain an appearance something akin to a well used target at a shotgun range. A dry wind was blowing in from the north and sucking the ample moisture out of the ground beneath him. Somewhere in the distance, a bird called. Either a cry for food, a challenge for a fight, or an act of seduction. He wasn't sure which, but he sympathised with all three.

How did he get here, anyway?

The sun had set, but wasn't yet giving up its claim to the sky above him. A faint glow on the horizon gave away the presence of a ring of hills around him that the gloom across the rest of the compass was doing its best to obscure, and the stars were fighting to emerge from the sky.

And what was he doing here, for that matter?

He felt like he'd been here before. Not just physically, but spiritually. He'd walked lands like this before, he was sure of it. He was less sure of who he was back then of course, especially on one notable occasion, but he'd grown to know himself, and this was an experience he remembered in terms of pure sensation. Not details, but context. A walk towards an unspecified destination, from hazy origins. Surely he was not alone in relating to that. Deja vu for the unknowable.

So who was he?

Wasn't that the point? He trod on, initiating scurries in the reeds and long grass that flanked every fetid pond. Little beasties wanting no part of his world and choosing instead to remain in the safety of theirs. He didn't blame them. Each footstep left a mark on the land as he tore his boots up, a trail of markers indicating supposed progress, filling slowly with the inky water of the bog. A gust of wind blew stronger than the rest and brought a chill with their billows of mist. And then, stillness.

What was his plan, exactly?

He swore to himself as his foot fell further through the sphagnum than usual on his next step. Feeling the icy drag of the water around his ankle, he put his arm across his other knee in attempt to brace himself whilst he pulled his errant limb free with a wretched 'thuck'. Righting himself, he almost overbalanced and toppled into one of the pools, only managing not to by sinking almost to his knees again to arrest his momentum. He wiped a globule of peaty mud that he'd disturbed onto his cheek in his chaos, and looked up suddenly as a calm, steady, slapping noise could be heard approaching him from the dark mists behind him. Something was walking. One, two, one, two. Slap, slap, slap, slap.

What was that?

Turning his head from the approaching noise to look for any possible escape route, he noticed that the sun wasn't setting. It had already set, of course, but it wasn't setting any further. The murk that threatened to overtake the entire sky remained trapped, unable to push through the last vestiges of the day that had just passed. Eternal twilight, and he was heading for the light in an attempt to outrun not just the darkness but also whatever that was approaching him. He hauled himself forwards, but his progress was slow, and the slapping was getting closer. As if he needed another reason, he went towards the light.

But what was the original reason?

The slapping noises slowed as they got closer, and the hairs on his neck stood on end as he anticipated their arrival. Instead, they seemed to change direction, and in the mist he heard the sound moving around him. Quicker, now. Whatever it was was adept at moving through this environment, far more adept than he was, and he held his breath as the creature came full circle until it was now in front of him. Now silhouetted against the endlessly dying light, a figure could be seen through the wisps. Getting closer, he felt unimaginable fear as its form began to take shape before him. A fear he could not understand, as the form was familiar, and should have been benign, but no. This wasn't a fear borne of logic, this was primal. This was unexplainable. This was.. was.... a goose.

A pure, white goose stood before him. Of average size, but wearing a slender golden crown.

He blinked. The goose blinked too.

"YOU DON'T WANT TO GO THAT WAY, PAL." the goose seemed to say with its eyes, and then honked.

"Why not? Who are you?" he asked back, quickly.

The goose turned its head and spread out its wings in an action that seemed to say, "COME, COME. SURELY YOU RECOGNISE DEATH WHEN YOU SEE THEM?"

"Well, that feels like a leading question."

"AND YET, HERE YOU ARE, ATTEMPTING TO WALK TOWARDS THE LIGHT LIKE YOU'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE."

He looked at the goose. Outwardly, their demeanour hadn't changed, but he nonetheless felt an intensification of the dread he'd felt earlier. If 'Death' was angry, he was feeling it.

"Ohhh, that's what is it," he said, realising, "it's funny you say that, because I felt like I had."

"I CAN SEE THAT. I KNOW THAT, IN FACT. THE OTHERS WARNED ME ABOUT YOU."

"Others?"

"YES, OTHERS. THIS IS JUST MY PLAIN OF EXISTENTIAL DREAD, THERE ARE OTHERS. I HAVE INNUMERABLE BROTHERS AND SISTERS."

"And which are you?"

"SORRY?"

Honk.

"Which are you? A brother or a sister?"

"NEITHER."

"Oh."

"YOU EVER SEXED A GOOSE BEFORE, PAL?"

"Er, no?"

"THEN THAT'S WHY, THEN. I CAN'T APPEAR AS ANYTHING YOU HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED."

The man looked the goose up and down. Relatively speaking. "Well you say that, but I can't recall ever seeing a goose in a crown..."

"OKAY WELL I HAVE TO HAVE SOME PERKS."

"Right. Sorry, why are you here?"

"TO STOP YOU ESCAPING THE PLAIN AND RETURNING TO THE LIGHT. IT IS YOUR TIME, TIMO."

"Okay, but," said the man, putting one and seven together and nonetheless getting four, "what if it isn't?"

"IT ABSOLUTELY IS. LIKE IT WAS THE LAST TIME. AND THE TIME BEFORE THAT. AND THE SEVEN OR EIGHT TIMES BEFORE THAT."

"Right, but I've literally ended up in an inverted country to escape you lot before, so surely I'm a special case."

The goose looked at him, silently. "IT IS CLEAR YOU BELIEVE YOURSELF TO BE, YES."

"Well then, I'll be off. Ta-ta."

"WILL YOU BOLLOCKS."

"I think I will, actually. You're a goose," he said scornfully, attempting to walk around it.

The goose stretched its wings back out again and flapped him back, menacingly. "A GOOSE THAT CAN MAKE SPEECH APPEAR SILENTLY IN YOUR HEAD, THOUGH. A GOOSE THAT IS A REAPER OF SOULS. A GOOSE THAT KNOWS ALL AND SEES ALL."

"In a cute lil crown, too," he grinned.

"...I AM RETHINKING THE CROWN."

"Oh, don't get rid of it on my part," he said, "I like it."

"IT UNDERMINES MY AUTHORITY."

"What authority? Again, you're a goose?"

"YOU EVER FOUGHT A GOOSE BEFORE, PAL?"

"I refer you to my precious sexing statement."

"WELL THEN."

"Look, I don't want to rude... Death," he said hesitantly, "but I really do think it'd just be better for us all of you let me past. I know, I know you have a job to do, and I respect that. I respect your culture. But, I'm just not ready to die yet. I think you should let me past. I'm Timo Skye."

"I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU'RE STILL DEAD."

"Am I, though?" Said Skye, waving his hands around. "This all looks and feels pretty 'not-dead' to me. I wiped a bit of something off my face just before you turned up. That smelt pretty undead to me. In more ways than one"

"LOOK A GOOSE HAS GOT TO GO WHEN A GOOSE HAS GOT TO GO, OKAY?"

"Gross."

"WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE YOUR TIME ISN'T NOW?"

"Erm, I don't know really," thought Skye, quickly. What was it they said in movies? "I just feel like I have unfinished business."

"OH, A HAUNTING, WELL WE CAN SET YOU UP WITH A HAU-..."

"No no, not a haunting. I really feel like I need to be, what's the word... corporeal, for this job."

"WHAT SORT OF JOB?"

Skye puffed his cheeks out, "Ohhhh, yknow. Big stuff. Nation defining stuff. Very influential. Not sure a goose would understand."

"YOU MEAN, TO SAVE YOUR NATION?"

"Err..." Skye thought on his feet, "yeah. Sure."

"WELL THAT WOULD BE A NOBLE QUEST." Acquiesced the goose. If that was something geese could do.

"I thought so." smiled Skye.

"WE HAVE BEEN WATCHING AND WAITING, WONDERING WHEN SOMEONE WOULD BE ABLE TO ASSEMBLE THE DIFFERENT PARTS NEEDED, AND BRING THEM TO THE BEACON."

Skye felt that the word 'Beacon' would've had a capital letter were it not for having been said in all caps already. "Oh, absolutely, a tough task."

"MMMM," pondered the goose, "IN THAT CASE, PERHAPS AN EXCEPTION COULD BE MADE. FOR EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES."

"Oh, I am exceptional, don't you worry about that. Have I ever told you about th-"

"LET ME JUST STOP YOU THERE. I ALREADY KNOW. AND I ALREADY SAW. AND I DONT NEED TO HEAR IT FROM YOUR POINT OF VIEW." Blinked the goose. "JUST GO BACK AND GATHER THE PEOPLE. BRING THEM TO YOUR FRIEND."

"I will, I will "

"WE WILL BE WATCHING, TIMO. WE CAN UNDO THIS FAVOUR..."

"I believe it," Skye replied, staring into those beady little black eyes and feeling that sense of dread once again.

Turning against the darkness, Timo Skye steeled himself against the cold and pressed on back to reality. Find some... people? And bring them to a Beacon. His friend, apparently. His friend the Beacon.

How hard could it be?

Back in the swamp, a second goose emerged from the mist and slap-patted it's way up to the first.

"DO YOU THINK HE WENT FOR IT?"

"HE IS A VAIN, EGOTISTIC, PAINFULLY SELF-CENTRED HUMAN BEING, AND YOU MADE IT ALL ABOUT HIM. OF COURSE HE WENT FOR IT."

"BUT WILL IT WORK?"

"TIME WILL TELL, I SUPPOSE."

"TIME WILL TELL."

"NICE CROWN, BY THE WAY."

"THANK YOU."

** ** ** ** **
Volume Two
i - ii - iii - iiii - v - vi - vii.a) - vii.b) - vii.c) - vii.d) - vii.e) - vii.f) - vii.g) - viii

by **Tikariot** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 3:52 pm

- = Aiden Donaghy reporting from Wanqianganga, Naixi = -

The 44th edition of the Copa Rushmori is upon us and we are reporting from Wanqianganga, the site of Tikariot's first game against Glazgo. After winning the CR42, Tikariotian football fans are yearning for a return to the limelight and hope that they can hoist the silverware again.

Brian McAllister has invited four players that have yet to be capped with James Wintersham and Aneurin Sallis being relatively late to the game, the roster also features two of Tikariot's brightest hopes for the future with centreback Connlaodh MacGofraidh and Mathias Vercauteren, the new offensive wonderkid that took the TPL by storm and now has been the biggest transfer out of the league with his much talked-about switch to Mytanar Liria Prizren.

So what can we expect? With McAllister's unwavering belief in the dynamic 4-3-3 system and its success throughout the years, we believe that with the influx of new, exciting talent that will have an opportunity to prove itself on the international stage, Tikariot has a good chances to at the very least reach the knockout stages and from there on, it's pretty much everybody's guess.

Good morning, afternoon, evening or night, where- and whenever you are reading this, with the transfer window done and over with, we want to take a look at the comings and goings this season and their possible consequences.

Let’s look at the big ones at first before digging into a team-by-team analysis because there were a few quite memorable transfers, including both inbound and outbound transfer records.

Out of the players leaving the TPL, the name Mathias Vercauteren has been the most prominent one. After weeks of back and forth between Miruan City and Liria Prizren, the new wonderkid will play in Mytanija, with a new record transfer fee of ₳7.5 million. Joining him on the move overseas is national team centreback Santeri Matinpalo, who just won the TPL with Fort Viljan. He will move to Esportiva to join Capitol Athletic in Sylestone for ₳5 million.

Looking at incoming transfers, Tikariot City FC has shattered all records by shelling out ₳10 million for Connlaodh MacGofraidh who had left Alcassar 1896 FC for Lydholm Forened in Cap Nord three years ago for a mere ₳1.4 million. In the meantime, he has matured into one of Tikariot’s prime defensive prospects with everything you could look for. Tikariot City is also responsible for one of the tied second-highest transfer fees paid, with Sargossan Martín de la Cavallería joining from Dínamo Maturín for ₳4.5 million, the same amount that Crimsonhawke FC shelled out for Capnordian star striker Till Myrrheim, who joins the black and burgundy from Sandfjell Fotboll.

In third position, with ₳4 million transfer fees each, are incoming Nepharan goalkeeper Deniza Kresinger, coincidentally also coming to Tikariot City after Raoul Carpathia moved on to Avanaroch, hoping for a second Jess Oaktree. The other two transfers commanding this amount are intra-league transfers, both Mytanars and both going to Port Rhovanyon. Veteran Vuk Bajalica is coming over from Tikariot City and will add his firepower and freekicks (he will deputize Cardenaoan Haritz Larrainzar) and young hotshot Miran Zakubovnik will replace Theodor Armitage as second forward next to Morris Nighthorse which could become a devastating duo in the coming season.

Next time, we will go through the teams and see how they have fared in the off-season and if they will be considered winners or losers of the window.

by **Graintfjall** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 4:27 pm

I'm a pretty normal guy. I do two weird things. This roster is one of them. Do not ask what the other one is.

This is a team of Græntfjallers (or Graintfjallers if you can't do the æ). They're more commonly known by the nickname of Snow Wolves, though. Yes, it's a stupid nickname, but after a World Cup, Copa Rushmori, and two Eagl'e's' Cup titles, it's what we're sticking with.

Græntfjallers usually go by their given names but surnames can be used. Those who vary from the country's patronymic naming tradition have been marked. Players with -dóttir names are women; if you find this immersion breaking you can soft ignore their presence, but I won't be putting out alternative teams to face men-only sides.

The Snow Wolves play in a pretty snazzy blue-and-white kit (designed by Tikariot) or a much less snazzy alternate white-and-blue "kit" (designed by me, no shit).

The team is physically fit and strong. Most players play at a reasonably high level (except those based domestically, as the GPL is currently in the doldrums). Players are fair professionals, not given to histrionics, not above the odd tactical foul either.

The Snow Wolves are coached by the legendary Pasargan striker Ingþór Auðbjörnsson, colloquially known as "Thor". Having been in charge for three cycles, his contract has been extended for this tournament but no further on something of a "use it or lose it" basis. Given he's taken the team to two World Cup semifinals and two Copa Rushmori finals, KG might be judged a little ungrateful to his service. Thor has brought a more attacking style to the once rather defensive set-up and cultivated a new set of young strikers.

The standard formation being used here sets up as a classic 4-4-2 but with both wing-backs in aggressive mood and with a true defensive midfielder, can become more of a 3-5-2.

Set-pieces tend to be taken by Kæja, or occasionally Hermione or Sara V. Járngrímur is a good penalty taker. Throw-ins generally come from the full-backs.

RP PERMISSIONS
If my opponent role-plays first they may:
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: N
RP injuries to my players: Y, I decide severity
Godmod injuries to my players: N
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Y (no more than 4 without asking)
Hand out red cards to my players: Y (no more than 1 without asking)
Godmod other events: N, but always happy to collab

Style modifier: +3

Despite the presentation of 11 starters here, you have a little reasonable latitude in varying my starting lineup (as do I) to allow for rest and rotation over the group stage, account for injuries and suspensions, or just RP a slightly different side. In fact, there is only one player who should be expected to start absolutely every game.

by **Astograth** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 4:28 pm

The players of the Astograthian national football team had decided that the view from their training ground qualified as ‘breathtaking’. Just out of Bijiben in northeastern Naixi, the camp sat on a bluff that overlooked the town, with sight of the mountains on the other side.

When captain Baraxil Muhaburu looked out from this vantage point, all he could think of was that there wasn’t a drop to drink in all this land. When he’d heard that stipulation about Naixi he’d come dangerously close to volunteering for the Brevity Cup instead. This was a mammoth tournament and they couldn’t even have some champagne to celebrate? A nightcap after a major match? A little tipple after training? A shot of liquid courage before leaving the dressing room? A pint with breakfast? To what kind of authoritarian hellhole had the CRF taken the Copa Rushmori? For all its faults, the good thing about Astograth was that people had freedoms. That was also why Muhaburu loved living in Ruland: the freedom to live your life however you wanted.

It was the team doctor that had convinced Muhaburu to stay in the squad, claiming to have special pills for the shaking. He’d been that close to quitting, though, this captaincy that everyone else held in such reverence be damned.

The situation underscored that Muhaburu had never been more alone on the team. Epherra was long gone. Bedigax, Remondegi, also retired. His best friend, Alarabi Labeaga, cut from the team last cycle. All the people who knew how to party, who always had his back, who got what he was about. Gone. In their place he had the captain’s armband, as if it were a salve or a medal. Pointless and hollow. He had won people’s respect for his talent and achievements, but never for his leadership. Vice-captain Hurko Germain would in time replace Muhaburu, and everyone was already looking to him for guidance instead.

Who was left that even cared about this wretched team? Not even his loved ones had come out to Naixi. His boyfriend, Silban, had refused to travel on the grounds of ‘boring’ and ‘possibly illegal?’. His mother was gambling somewhere in international waters. His sister was an insect biologist in Ko-oren. That was… AO? Anaia? Geography had never been his strong suit. At any rate, she was far away, busy, and not remotely interested in his little games.

Captaining his national team at a dry Copa Rushmori was possibly the bravest thing Baraxil Muhaburu had ever done.

“So a Last Dance, is it?” asked Bermichea, kicking a pass to Muhaburu.

“What?” he replied, tapping the ball back to Bermichea.

“That’s what the media’s calling this, the Last Dance”, she said. “One last time for you and Ishimoda, your generation,” she added, seeing his puzzlement.

Muhaburu scoffed. “What, they think I’m retiring?”

“You’re not?”

At this, the captain stopped the ball dead.

“I keep going until I drop”, he said, “and that’s with everything”. He resumed the passing exercise.

Olibondeka manager Xiao Cheng Li, incidentally a native of Naixi, had decided that the team needed ‘bonding’ and allocated a block of training time to these one-on-one pairings. Muhaburu had been stuck with this girl, Dulanto Bermichea, the newest and by far youngest member of the team. A centre-back from Blue Mountain Range, who had apparently just won the First Division; Muhaburu had not watched a second of Astograthian domestic football in ages. It hadn’t been worth watching in ages.

Moreover, he didn’t have shit to teach a centre-back. She was tall – taller than him – and seemed to have a decent touch to her game. A shockingly good touch, honestly. From his personal recollections, BMR-trained defenders were skilled at leaving you without the ball or without legs but were never much for building play. Maybe there was something to work with here after all, but a defender… that was never the life Muhaburu had led. He just couldn’t relate to staying in one position, one line. Muhaburu wandered where he willed, tackled whom he wanted, did with the ball whatever was necessary to get it forward and score. He’d never been taught to do this – it was simply what he did, and no one had succeeding in stopping him.

“You haven’t talked with Ishimoda, then, have you?” asked Bermichea after a series of quiet passes.

“I talk to everyone, I’m the captain,” lied Muhaburu, his eyes fixed on the ball.

“He’s said this is the end of the line for him with Olibondeka. I guess people make assumptions”, she said. “You’re the same age, too, aren’t you”.

She knew they were, that wasn’t a question. This girl had a lot of guts for being 21 and getting her first call-up.

“It’s bullshit, I’m not retiring,” he insisted, and changed the subject. He nodded with his head out past the cliffside. “What do you think of this place?”

“Bijiben? I don’t know. It kind of reminds me of Echegoyan,” said Bermichea.

Muhaburu grimaced. Of course it would, her being from Blue Mountain Range. Two shit mountain towns. He’d grown up between hills but harboured no love for them. Garitzeta was a shit town. Getting away and down to Iturributa, to the coast, had always been the dream. Family holidays on the crowded beach, scooping out the insides of whole green melons, were some of the good memories from that time.

“I don’t like Echegoyan, though,” she added.

That coaxed a smile from him. “Aren’t you BMR? I thought people there had more hometown pride”.

She frowned, then laughed. “I’m from Urbitzo, dude”.

That was the other side of the country, on the lake. Shit in its own way, but not like Echegoyan at all. That tracked, then.

She kept laughing. “Did you think I’m from Echegoyan just because I play for BMR? Man… things have changed a lot since you were in the league”.

Bermichea seemed to like making a fool of him. Not quite banter, but it stoked something in Muhaburu. Respect? She had to be put in her place for the moment, but perhaps there was still something to be made of the younger generations. He paused to make his next point dramatically, foot on the ball, hands on hips. Berrmichea was still smiling, framed by the mountains of Bijiben. She had warm eyes and the face of someone well-adjusted, unlashed by loss.

“You look like you’ve never seen a man die”.

That took Bermichea by surprise, and she struggled to reply. “You’ve- uh. Seen people die? Where, in Ruland?”

Muhaburu kept a straight face until her sombre gaze made him break out laughing.

“No,” he said, “of course not. My security detail is great, you should see them. I’ve only heard people die.”

by **Pasarga** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 4:40 pm

Change is a constant in the game, either by choice or by force, there is nothing that remains constant within the beautiful game of football that we all so cherish and enjoy. Stadiums change, players change, staff change, and even the songs sung in the stands and the traditions leading up to the opening kick off all change, nothing remains as it was forever. The Wanderers have felt change's embrace heavily over the last decade or so with fortunes waxing and waning like the moon and their once mighty stature within the region as a power to contend consistently for the Copa title been decimated to the point where the Wanderers will be entering into the regional championship merely looking to get a few wins and perhaps escape from the group. Three straight regional outings where the Wanderers have been far from their once prestigious and championship winning self, with multiple teams upsetting them on their own rise have seen the shine that once illuminated the crescent moon of the Wanderers brightly turn to but a minor shimmer that threatens to dim greatly ever more if the current team is unable to reverse recent fortune.

Change is not always for ill however, as was seen during the Qualifiers which the Wanderers were able to navigate and qualify for the Finals. Much to great surprise, the Wanderers were then able to escape from a rather challenging group to make it to the Round of Sixteen, unfortunately their impressive journey was stop there when they once more fell victim to the "upset". Despite the sour and bitter feeling that the team and fans might have felt at the time of the loss in the first knockout round, some weeks later we can look back and acknowledge that despite how the run ended that the team itself performed admirably in accomplishing what they were able to in the Finals and having made amends for their failure to look competitive in the previous Copa and Finals before it. The want to erase those performances was quite heavy and plain on the players faces, those that had been gifted the opportunity by the Banija manager to have the attempt at doing so. Orengo was careful in choosing which players to recall and which to have lost their place from the squad and the results showed that for the most part he made the right choices.

And thusly we come into this Copa and where those in the Dual Islands are questioning the roster choices by Orengo, as a handful of veterans have been dumped from the team that last month was part of the World Cup Finals. While it is acknowledged that much of the squad is perhaps on the wrong side of thirty and starting to hit the decline in their careers and performances, that they had performed so well not too long ago and yet were dropped so easily by the manager does still ring a bit painful to those accustomed to the old ways of doing things with the Wanderers. The defense has seen the most renovation and it was in that unit where the age of the players was exposed the most in the Wanderers during their stint in the Finals, as they were torn apart for goals even in the matches that they earned points, notably the double digit goal affair with Squornshelous. Injecting players who have seen substantial playing time and success in the SuperLiga, which appears to be on the rise, seems a natural attempt of a remedy for a squad who keep trying to perfect the parts of it that do not play up to standard. Elek Salai having found his scoring boots in the Qualifiers and Finals showing that a bit of faith can also be rewarded, if placed wisely.

This Copa will test the depths and rotation of the team with a nine match group stage before the knockouts begin, as the ten team groups will see the top four from each group advance into the knockouts. On paper, this should be something that the Wanderers are quite capable of, being in the fourth pot of the group, but as the Finals showed that pot seeding means only a little when it comes to results. If a lower seeded team plays better, wants it more, is in better form, and/or has a bit of luck on their side, they may win the day and eventually their way into the qualifying position. When dangerous low seeded teams like Polar Islandstates, Isle Noire, and Valladares, and Southwest Eastnorth are coupled with formidable high seeds like Tikariot, Græntfjall, and Nyowani Kitara, you start to realize the difficulty of the group and the odds of advancing out of it not being as well as those within the dual islands would like. However if the past year has taught us anything, is that all things do change and the Wanderers are due a change in fortune when it comes to their regional results as of late and the form they found in the Finals might yet find itself here in the regional tournament. If that were so, it would so excellently highlight the one thing that does not change, the love for this game that we play.

by **Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 5:32 pm

Team name: Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland
Trigram: SWR
Demonym/adjective: Schutzenphalian*, Schutzi (colloq.)
* Technically, players such as Srðan Verdnik are Ruhntuhnkuhnlander, but in practice, ‘Schutzenphalian’ is used as an omnibus descriptor for everyone from the United Iron Principality.
Team nickname: Mountaineers

Staff

Head coach:

Andrin Franklínsson
Assistant coach: Theodor Bergmann

A first NT coaching job for Græntfjall's Andrin Franklínsson sees him take over the Mountaineers. The BoF86 winning left winger was known for his hot temper on the pitch but proved his leadership credentials as an elder statesman club captain at Altendalur, and served as assistant to the Snow Pups. He's supported by Schutzenphalian former defensive midfielder Theodor Bergmann.

All players play in the Schutzenlige unless otherwise stated.

Goalkeepers

1. Niklas Kaplan (Obernbrück)
12. Basti Glöckner (Saalstein Freihöring)
21. Thomas Bauer (Lengenbrück Gudenfeld)

Defenders

2. Benedikt Schopenhauer (Lengenbrück Schmalbüren)
3. Xaver Bruckner (

Sporting Transvers)
4. Kilian Vorgrimler (TSV Stralschau)
5. Benjamin Schlager (Sankt Margrethe’s)
6. Nathanaël Ndòsi (

Corinthians No Longer)
18. Emil Keppler (SV Klagenzell Vólkerheim)
19. Viktor Makart (1910 Königmold)
23. Laurenz Hassler (Tischler Gladenkamp)
24. Christoph Vogl (

Hagejoki)

Midfielders

7. Srðan Verdnik (

Caralanian Caralania)
8. Tom Klor (Lengenkamp SC)
11. Noah Frankenberger (Saalstein Freihöring)
13. Gunnar Kasparsson (

Hinteram)
14. Robin Ehn (Tischler Gladenkamp)
16. Michael Wahrmann (TSV Stralschau)
20. Kasper Engel (Saalstein Freihöring)
22. Linus Oberhauser (Sankt Margrethe’s)
26. Lukas Scharff (Mistlestein 1882)

Forwards

9. Tommy Bernauer (Lengenbrück Gudenfeld)
10. Daniel Reiter (

Maigburg)
15. Laurenz Boltzmann (Obernbrück)
17. Lucas von Wolfberg (

Rosenpfelblatz City)
25. Joel Manz (Vöcklaweil FV)

Captain: Bruckner
Penalties: von Wolfberg, Reiter
Free-kicks: Klor, von Wolfberg
Corners: Klor, Frankenberger

RP PERMISSIONS
If my opponent role-plays first they may:
Choose my goalscorers: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod injuries to my players: Y
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Y
Hand out red cards to my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y, but no violence, and no photographs of my players

Style modifier: 0

by **Gatchingerrak Union** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 6:22 pm

Football Federations of the Gatchingerrak Union of Nations (FFGUN)

Gatchingerrak Union Football Team
Trigramme: GGU
Denonym: Gatchin/Unionian
Nickname: Seven Stars

Gatchingerrak Union of Rushmori nations, shortened as the Gatchingerrak Union, is a cultural and political alliance of four countries of the Quebecois Commonwealth located in mid-southern Rushmore (Norrskie Zasousti, Norrehavn, Gatchinovo and Novopetrograd). The three kingdoms and the citystate, while independent nations of own, do have the Gatchingerrak Union as a way to establish their common zone, where their main goals are to advance co-operation in military, cultural, economic and energy matters. It shares land border with Vaugania and Norrhem to the west, while bits of the east touch Phoenigetzusta. Combined population of the union are estimated to be around 81 million.

While its trio of nations have always fought with one another for centuries, Gatchingerrak Union is a culturally diverse nation with growing importance outside to that of the Quebecois Commonwealth. Its population is ethnically diverse, with the eastern, Novopetrogradian half of the realms primarily Slavic, while the Western half is divided to primarily Nordic Norrehavn on north and slavic Norrskie Zasousti on the south. Somewhere in middle of the lake, which faces all of the three nations, stands the island that is nowadays known as the citystate of Gatchinovo, the ancient place known for its significance on trades and diplomacy among the Rushmori realms of the Quebecois Commonwealth. It is where the Accord between the 4 states were signed in year 2030 (around the time of WC78), to promise co-prosperity among the rivalling states whose cooperation is needed more than ever. Its economy is a mix of natural resources and heavy manufacturing for it.

A no stranger to international sport, Gatchingerrak Union does have a past history of international football and hockey, where its western realms were represented as Norrehavn. It has hosted a Copa Rushmori and a World Cup of Hockey, and both sports are extremely popular. Unfortunately, the long years of absence from the international sporting circuit does mean that it is expected to be a long way back to relevance for the seven-stars.

Formation: 4-4-2
Style Modifier: +1

Manager: Levi Gazdanov, 56 (NPG)

Major Stars: GK J. Furman, DF M. McGrath, FW V. Sharipov
Emerging Stars: GK P. Belohlavek, DF S. Romanchouk, MF B. Kaniatarii, MF S. Gouseff, FW C.M. Nygaard
Playing style in nutshell: Slow-paced, long-ball. Mid-block engagement and low defensive line. Strong on counterattacks. Fullback use is strong. Goalkeeper stays on more traditional role with Julien Furman serving those functions.

Captains: GK Julien Furman -> DF Mary McGrath -> FW Anatole Zubok
Penalties: A. Zubok, C.M. Nygaard, K. Nam, S. Goussef, M. McGrath
Free Kicks: K. Nam, E. Kjaer, S. Romanchouk
Corners: P. Ssekendi, V. Sharipov, A. Zubok

No. Pos. Nat. Name                 
Age  Nat. Team
01  GK    NPG  Julien FURMAN C          30  QUE  Montreal City
12  LB    NPG  Gennadiy POLUNIN         22  QUE  CSKA Quebec
03  CB    NHV  Jan SIGURDSSON           31  QUE  Zenit Attawapiskat  
04  CB    NHV  Mary McGRATH             27  TKT  Port Rhovanyon AFC   
06  RB    ILY  Stepan ROMANCHOUK        24  ILY  Armada Petrograd
08  LM    NHV  Marina HARALDSSON        30  NHV  Österby FF
05  CM    NPG  Serguei GOUSEFF          21  NPG  Armada Petrograd
07  CM    GVO  Kiril NAM                25  GVO  Gatchinovo IFK
19  RM    NPG  Vyacheslav SHARIPOV      27  QUE  BK Klampenborg
11  CF    NHV  Corneille Marcus Nygaard 18  NHV  Boldklubben 1946 - NEW
17  SS    NPG  Anatole ZUBOK            27  QUE  Olympique de Rimouski
--
20  GK    NZS  Patrik VELOHLAVEK        23  NZS  Sokol Deblín
29  GK    NHV  Marianne SJOLUND         25  NHV  Boldklubben 1947
02  LB    GVO  Vassili SCHMIDT          30  NPG  Partizan Ivangorod
22  CB    ILY  Davide MOZIC-PRIAMO      20  ILY  Belmorets Palmyra
30  CB    NZS  Patrik ZAGODORNIY        19  QUE  St. John's Arsenal - NEW
06  RB    NHV  Rasmus PETTERSON         29  QUE  Nakdong Athletic
18  RB/DM NHV  Beka KANIATARII          22  NPG  Partizan Petrograd
16  DM/CM NPG  Karina SUNG              28  NHV  Boldklubben 1947
24  CM    NHV  Filip GRANBERG           31  NHV  IF Kristiansund
15  CM/CB NHV  Diderot HJALMARSSON      19  QUE  Zenit Attawapiskat - NEW
13  LW/AM NZS  Svita LASKOVA            23  NZS  Atalanta Lubossa
21  CF    NHV  Jules KABONGO            22  NHV  Boldklubben 1947
-----
15  DF    NPG  Andrei SCHNEIDER      26  NPG  Club Avangard
23  MF    GVO  Claudio BARRETA       26  NHV  FC Langeland
09  CF/RW NHV  Emilia KJAER          25  QUE  Wansan Noksaekjeonsa

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Duh
Choose my scoring events: Y
Godmod scoring events: N
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod Injuries to my players: N
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Y, 5 at very most
Give Red Cards to my players: Y, 2 at very most
Godmod other events:N

by **Graintfjall** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:03 pm

Græntfjall – 0 (0)
Ásólfur; Alyssia, Eyvar, Asbjørn, Harmony (80’ Sarína ); Hrútur; Kæja (c), Sara V (73’ Sarína ); Amandara (58’ Joel ), Járngrímur (66’ Kristmar ), Benjamín (58’ Rebekka )

Farfadillis – 2 (1)
Trlimándã Wôl (4’), Robineau (63’)

Alcohol consumption is prohibited

Drinking culture under scrutiny as Ebergsson ruled out of Copa Rushmori

Coach Ingþór Auðbjörnsson was forced to deny that Græntfjall’s national football team has a “problem culture around alcohol” after a drunken misadventure involving Anarr Ebergsson ruled the star centerback out of the forthcoming Copa Rushmori. Ebergsson sustained a deep tissue bruise on his thigh that has left him unable to compete; initially reported as resulting from ‘off-season cross-training’, the truth of the circumstances of the injury, that he drunkenly fell from a hotel balcony, has cast an embarrassing light on a team for which this is hardly an isolated incident. Thor, a model professional and from a Pasargan culture with a very different attitude to alcohol than that found in Græntfjall, has privately been reported as being “furious” with Ebergsson according to sources close to the Snow Wolves’ camp, but in public has backed his team.

In a brief statement, the manager said that drinking will “not be an issue” in Naixi, a sentiment the authorities in the repressive host state of the Copa Rushmori tournament no doubt strongly agree with. But questions will doubtless linger about why a player in training for the second most important tournament in Græntfjall’s international cycle was drinking so heavily mere days out from the first fixture, as well as whether a culture of drinking persists in Græntfjaller football. Among the squad members are Hrútur Melkíorsson, himself previously disciplined for breaking curfew to drink during the Di Bradini Under-21 World Cup, Danny Oddkellsson, who was this year banned from driving in Græntfjall after a third successive drink-driving offense, and even captain Kæja Finnvarðsdóttir, who has spoken of resorting to alcohol to cope with the pressure and scrutiny surrounding her controversial move to Bastion.

Upon the awarding of the hosting rights in Naixi, KG issued an emphatic statement cautioning traveling Græntfjaller fans against breaking the country’s strict prohibitionist rules. In the face of strong domestic pressure from the Liberal-Conservative Alliance, the government issued a weak memorandum urging “cultural sensitivity” from the Celestial Empire, but with little expectation of any special accommodations being made. The official Snow Wolf Pack travel plan has made expressly clear to those buying its package deal for the Copa Rushmori that any transgression of local drinking laws will lead to immediate ejection from the tour group. Despite this, online fan forums are littered with discussion topics about inventive ways of evading the laws. Airport officials have already detained one person who was attempting to board a plane to Naixi with an artificial leg containing a drinks storage apparatus, though they clarified that they thought he “probably” was already an amputee and “almost certainly hadn’t sawed off his own leg just for this”.

The issue also raises wider questions of social responsibility. The image of Græntfjallers quaffing horns of ale is regarded as a crude but not wholly inaccurate stereotype; but for all the jokes about Græntfjallers and their beer, it is harder spirits that have proved a more enduring problem. Following the collapse of communism, alcohol consumption spiked as restrictions on distilling liquor were among the first regulations removed by the new libertarian government. Stories of workers insensate as they operated heavy machinery, when they were not too drunk to show up at all, became the stuff of hand-wringing social reformers’ pleas, including the iconic “Please stop drinking, Pabbi [Daddy]” television advert that shocked the nation with scenes of a small girl attempting to drag her drunken father home. Campaigns against alcohol abuse have had mixed results, with shockingly high levels of alcoholism in the South and West persisting despite progress in the cities of the North.

And it comes as Græntfjaller sport continues to wrestle with issues of inclusivity and diversity. Only two Muslim players have represented the Snow Wolves – one, Hanif Anwar, will be on the plane to Naixi; the other, Ayaan Kabir, will not – but both are non-religious and drink alcohol. The Ministry of Culture has criticized the drinking culture in Græntfjaller recreational leagues as excluding Muslims and those from other teetotal creeds or practices. “After-match drinks as a standard leads to players, even in amateur leagues, being excluded,” writes a civil servant in possibly the least fun government report ever written. Zakwan Aslamsson Daoud of the Græntfjaller Islamic Anti-Defamation Society says that there is “no question” that the association of alcohol and sports is a barrier to integration, and cites alcohol sponsorship of clubs and traditions of pouring horns of ale over each other (spraying fizzy wine is a less common custom in a country whose wines are considered excellent, if you have some paint in need of stripping) as “part of the every day experience that tells us that we don’t belong”.

Within the team camp, Græntfjall’s players are defensive. “Of course we’re going to respect Naixi’s laws, the same way we would expect players from Naixi to respect our laws if they came here,” says midfielder Sara Vatnarsdóttir, who describes herself as a “light drinker, socially”. “But I think taking one unfortunate accident and making a big deal of it is taking things too far.” Captain Finnvarðsdóttir, whose nightclub exploits have been heady fodder for Eura’s tabloids, said that drinking was “not an issue” in the team. Olympic defender Friðjón Manfreðsson, expected to start in Ebergsson’s place, said he hoped to “raise a glass to a successful tournament” but that “that was a long way away”. Oddkellsson also dismissed notions that the squad’s drinking was a problem as he packed a mysteriously clinking suitcase labelled “Boks To Read” [sic] in the team bus.

Also in the paper:

NEWS: Younger generation drinking less, reports health charity, but binge drinking still an issue
BUSINESS: Brewing giants mull merger amid changing tastes
POLITICS: Social Democrats celebrate return to government after ten years in the cold at champagne reception
ENVIRONMENT: Recycled beer all the range as festivals report surging interest in “eco-ale”
SPORT: Marshlily fails to recover from ACL, to miss CR

by **Eura** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:19 pm

EURAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
Copa Rushmori 44 Squad

STAFF

Manager: Glen Merson (44,

Eura)

Glen Merson watched with horror like many Eurans as another disaster unfolded when Eura failed to qualify for World Cup 93. Simultaneously, his Harkdown team were getting relegated from Gold League in their first season back for many years. But Merson’s stature was enhanced by getting them there in the first place, so the EFA thought he would be worth a punt as caretaker manager for Cup of Harmony 85 – they were blocked from making a permanent appointment while the Euran government carried out a review of the EFA during the Cup of Harmony.

In line with Merson’s preferences at club level, Eura played a rather old fashioned and very Euran 4-2-2-2 formation…and it worked. Eura recovered from a poor start to the tournament to finally win it for the first time, having lost their previous three Cup of Harmony finals, defeating Eshialand. With the government review prolonged by political factors and his appointment having been seemingly vindicated, Merson was offered a full year extension.

An implosion against Naixi early in the knock out rounds of the next Copa Rushmori put a dampener on the idea that Glen Merson was going to save Euran football from nowhere, and World Cup 94 was a reminder of how far there is to go; Eura won automatic qualification from the qualifying stage – progress! – but fell short in the group stage of the tournament proper, as their sorry luck in group draws continued.

Nevertheless, Merson remains in place after the completion of the football review, which mainly targeted the domestic league for change. He is now taking Eura into his fourth tournament in what feels like no time at all, and suddenly the pressure is on; the squad is relatively young (though in midfield a couple of veterans have returned), but not inexperienced. There’s little pressure of high expectations, but there’s lots of pressure for a performance that will raise them in future.

Lucy Almwood’s final retirement from international football has come and Adam Woodman is likely to follow after this tournament, though Jack Menard could soldier on forever at this rate. That leaves the future to the duopoly of Alex Sharp and Sophie Singh, on whom Eura have become hugely dependent, to wrest Eura from its historic slump while they are still in their prime. They may fancy their chances in an unusual Copa format that resembles a World Cup qualifying stage, right after they bagged almost a goal a game in such a campaign.

Assistant Manager: Roland Hopkins (48,

Eura)

Merson initially kept on Rose’s assistant Roland Hopkins for the duration of the Cup of Harmony but has decided to retain Hopkins for as long as he has the role. Hopkins is mainly a disciplinarian rather than much of a tactician; its Merson who runs the show.

STYLE AND PERMISSIONS

Style Modifier: +3

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:

Choose my goalscorers – YES
Godmod scoring events – YES
RP injuries to my players – YES
Godmod injuries to my players – YES, but only how the injury happens, not the extent of the injury.
Hand out yellow cards to my players – YES
Hand out red cards to my players – YES
Godmod other events – YES, provided you keep events within the realms of realism, so no deaths etc.

SQUAD
Shirt number – name (F if female) – position – age – international caps – international goals – club

Goalkeepers

1 – Tom Hammond - GK - 28 – 68 caps -

Directus

13 – John Hewitt – GK – 30 – 31 caps -

Farrenton Athletic

30 – Sam Norman – GK – 25 – 4 caps -

Spartangrad

Defenders

2 – Ana Mason (F) - RWB - 29 – 99 caps – 6 goals -

Spartangrad

3 – Molly Taylor (F) – LWB/LB – 26 – 29 caps – 1 goal -

CF Outineau (Kelssek)

4 – Jack Menard (CAPTAIN) - CB – 31 – 211 caps – 10 goals -

1830 Cathair (Audioslavia)

5 - Quentin Phillips - CB - 28 – 70 caps – 2 goals -

Holdenberg

15 – Kevin Sherwood - CB – 29 – 136 caps – 3 goals -

1830 Cathair (Audioslavia)

19 – Jack Bedford – CB – 29 – 10 caps – 0 goals -

Revolutionaries

21 – Kingsley Mills – RWB – 27 – 15 caps – 0 goals -

Makosile United (Vilita)

23 – Isaac Doherty – LB – 28 – 11 caps – 0 goals -

Revolutionaries

25 – Morgan Hart – CB – 29 – 42 caps – 1 goal -

Farrenton Athletic

27 – Martin Pearce - CB – 26 – 28 caps – 0 goals -

Starling (Nephara)

Midfielders

6 - Jermaine Gates - CDM/CM - 28 – 100 caps – 4 goals -

Directus

7 – Adam Woodman – LW – 31 – 141 caps – 47 goals -

Directus

8 – Oscar Vincent - CM – 29 – 130 caps – 20 goals -

Holdenberg

11 – Owen James - RW/LW – 27 – 75 caps – 21 goals -

Chromatik (Chromatika)

12 – Dean Barnes – RAM/RW – 24 – 40 caps – 7 goals -

Directus

16 – Bobby Malone – RW – 32 – 122 caps – 43 goals –

Holdenberg

18 – Ben West – AM – 27 – 43 caps – 8 goals -

Falourr

20 – Trent Roberts – LM – 28 – 9 caps – 1 goal -

Spartangrad

22 – Jim Guta – AM – 26 – 0 caps – 0 goals -

Holdenberg City

24 – Taron Matthews – CDM – 33 – 34 caps – 1 goal -

Crossroads (Chromatika)

28 – Flora Brown [F] – CM – 29 – 48 caps – 2 goals -

Sabrefell Moths (Nephara)

29 – Lewis Coates – CM – 27 – 0 caps – 0 goals -

Ulsa

Forwards

9 – Alex Sharp - ST – 27 – 90 caps – 48 goals -

1830 Cathair (Audioslavia)

10 – Sophie Singh (F) - AM/ST - 27 – 99 caps – 45 goals -

Chromatik (Chromatika)

14 – Kate Archer (F) – ST – 28 – 23 caps – 7 goals -

Crossroads (Chromatika)

17 – Tess Miller (F) - AM/ST - 24 – 27 caps – 8 goals -

Brinemouth (Nephara)

26 – Owen Holden – ST – 25 – 18 caps – 3 goals -

Brigham

Preferred starting lineup
Note: this does not take into account suspensions, injuries or any other change.

GK - 1. T Hammond
RWB – 2. A Mason
RCB - 4. J Menard
LCB – 5. Q Phillips
LWB – 3. M Taylor
RCM - 6. J Gates
LCM - 8. O Vincent
RW - 11. O James
LW – 7. A Woodman
RS - 10. S Singh
LS – 9. A Sharp

Player Roles

Squad Captain: Jack Menard
Vice-Captain: Jermaine Gates
Direct free kicks: Sophie Singh (Right footed)
Indirect free kicks: Sophie Singh (Right footed)
Right corner: Sophie Singh (Right footed)
Left corner: Sophie Singh (Right footed)
Penalties: 1. Alex Sharp 2. Sophie Singh 3. Oscar Vincent 4. Jack Menard 5. Owen James

Stadium

Eura play their international home games at the Bastion Arena, the 110,000 capacity all-seater stadium at the heart of Eura's capital.

Kits

by **Eura** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:32 pm

WORLD CUP 94 – GROUP A – MATCHDAY 3
Ko-oren 1-0 Eura
Scorers:
N/A
Lineup:
1. T Hammond
2. A Mason
4. J Menard
15. K Sherwood (sub West 90+1)
3. M Taylor
6. J Gates (sub Clarke 65)
8. O Vincent (sub Stewart 77)
12. D Barnes (sub James 63)
10. S Singh (sub Miller 82)
7. A Woodman
14. K Archer
9. A Sharp

emplor.eur/main/sport/football
WHO THE FUCK IS THAT BLOKE IN MIDFIELD?
Pudgy mid-table trundler “too mediocre” for present day Eura, say critics, hahahaha

Glen Merson’s selection for Copa Rushmori 44 has raised eyebrows around the country after he selected uncapped Jim Guta of Holdenberg City, a portly 26-year-old who was playing in the lower leagues just four years ago, and who only has two full seasons of first team football in Gold League under his belt.

Guta’s modest return of 6 goals and 6 assists in Season 54 of Euraleague did not attract much attention. But he became a fan favourite in Season 55; his beer belly swayed from left to right under his number 22 shirt, hardly the most iconic for an attacking midfielder, as he scored one better and assisted 12 this time around. Operating in an attacking midfield three with Chromatik Valya Albert and Ko-orenite Gus Longhurst, Guta provided good service to support Quebecois striker Malik Kiefer in bagging 19 league goals.

Yet not a pundit in the land would have predicted that Guta would receive the call from Merson, who has previously leaned heavily on promising youth. Merson’s changes for this tournament have little affected the back, where Eura have mainly undergone a reshuffle of sorts, Morgan Hart dropping down the order (and Martin Pearce to a lesser extent) while Quentin Phillips and Jack Bedford are rewarded with promotions for their domestic and international form. Phillips takes the coveted number 5 shirt that analysts have called for him to don for many years.

Nor has there been much change in attack, even though Alex Sharp and Sophie Singh scored 23 of the quintet of strikers 28 goals during the last World Cup campaign. Kate Archer, Tess Miller and Owen Holden are all top class players for their clubs, prompting much rancour at their failure to score more. Holden is under particular pressure as a domestically based golden boy expected to make a big move in the coming transfer window. In form Phil Pollard, Chris Stroud-Williams and Tina Long wait in the wings, and wildcards like Kelvin Browning and Calvin Lawson are not entirely out of the picture either.

It is in midfield that Merson has really shaken things up. Guta has slotted into the squad, nominally in place of George Stewart as he retires from international football. More practically he is replacing Robert Marshall by the thinnest of margins, who is dropped along with Marvin Cole and Ed Clarke, all deemed to have underperformed during World Cup 94. Ben West is deemed lucky by most to have survived after failing to score in 10 games during that cycle. Trent Roberts has been promoted after a promising start, though Flora Brown’s limited domestic gametime has prevented her ascension to a bigger role.

The newly created holes are filled then by Guta, a slightly less maverick wildcard in the form of uncapped Ulsa central midfielder Lewis Coates (beating the emerging Tom Hussain, who must surely move to a bigger club), and the return of two veterans. Taron Matthews is back in the latest chapter of his yo-yo international career, perhaps for one last rodeo at 33, after being out of the squad since the Copa before last. He is joined triumphantly by Bobby Malone, the supremely talented winger who was dropped after World Cup 93 having been deemed to be past his peak, and with Eura already possessing two dynamic wingers able to play on the right in Dean Barnes and Owen James.

But James and Barnes misfired in the World Cup for the most part, prompting Merson to boost his attacking options with Malone (who has 43 international goals to his name), allowing James to be used more interchangeably across the frontline. Its bad luck for Rowan Patrick – the meteoric rise of the Hornchurch winger who played recently in the Euran Oceania Territories will have to wait for its next step. Roy Champion must also be frustrated to have been beaten into the squad by the aforementioned Coates after a fantastic season for Holdenberg.

It is Guta though who has deservedly stolen the headlines. This relative unknown has seen off a host of alternative attacking options at a time when Merson needs goalscoring midfielders – new talents like Bryan Sykes, Rachel Lambert and Harry Anderton, veteran domestic players like Rob Ricketts looking for one last international redemption, not to mention the players who have dropped out of the squad. Perhaps “Sir Porkalot”, as City fans have dubbed him, can prove the doubters wrong.

by **Naixi** » Mon Sep 04, 2023 7:35 pm

MATCHDAY 1

Group 1
Mytanija 1–0 The Kytler Peninsulae
Darmen 2–2 Rea San Vegas
Nephara 2–0 República Guanacasteca
Eastfield Lodge 0–2 Ketiou
San Isidro Labrador 2–3 Naixi * scorinated by Tumbra

   Group 1                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Ketiou                    1    1   0   0     2    0   +2     3
   Nephara                   1    1   0   0     2    0   +2     3
 3 Naixi                     1    1   0   0     3    2   +1     3
 4 Mytanija                  1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
 5 Darmen                    1    0   1   0     2    2    0     1
   Rea San Vegas             1    0   1   0     2    2    0     1
 7 San Isidro Labrador       1    0   0   1     2    3   −1     0
 8 The Kytler Peninsulae     1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
 9 Eastfield Lodge           1    0   0   1     0    2   −2     0
   República Guanacasteca    1    0   0   1     0    2   −2     0

Group 2
Pasarga 0–1 Polar Islandstates
Southwest Eastnorth 3–3 Gatchingerrak Union
Isle Noire 2–2 Nyowani Kitara
Tikariot 2–1 Glazgo
Græntfjall 3–2 Valladares

   Group 2                                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Græntfjall                                    1   1  0  0    3   2  +1    3
 2 Tikariot                                      1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
 3 Polar Islandstates                            1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
 4 Gatchingerrak Union                           1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
   Southwest Eastnorth                           1   0  1  0    3   3   0    1
 6 Isle Noire                                    1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
   Nyowani Kitara                                1   0  1  0    2   2   0    1
 8 Valladares                                    1   0  0  1    2   3  −1    0
 9 Glazgo                                        1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
10 Pasarga                                       1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0

Group 3
Cabo Azure 6–3 Captina Island
Olastor 1–0 Astograth
Thibaea 0–1 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland
Stvoto Latoli 3–3 Sargossa * scorinated by Tumbra
Gnejs 0–3 Elmyia

   Group 3                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cabo Azure                                  1    1   0   0     6    3   +3     3
 2 Elmyia                                      1    1   0   0     3    0   +3     3
 3 Olastor                                     1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
   Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland    1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
 5 Sargossa                                    1    0   1   0     3    3    0     1
   Stvoto Latoli                               1    0   1   0     3    3    0     1
 7 Astograth                                   1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
   Thibaea                                     1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
 9 Captina Island                              1    0   0   1     3    6   −3     0
10 Gnejs                                       1    0   0   1     0    3   −3     0

Group 4
Eura 3–0 Savojarna
Aerágny 5–4 Zenic
Yuezhou 3–0 The Askari Union
Norrhem 0–2 Cassadaigua
Pridnestrovia 0–1 Oberour Ar Moro

   Group 4                                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Eura                                          1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3
   Yuezhou                                       1   1  0  0    3   0  +3    3
 3 Cassadaigua                                   1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
 4 Aerágny                                       1   1  0  0    5   4  +1    3
 5 Oberour Ar Moro                               1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
 6 Zenic                                         1   0  0  1    4   5  −1    0
 7 Pridnestrovia                                 1   0  0  1    0   1  −1    0
 8 Norrhem                                       1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
 9 Savojarna                                     1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0
   The Askari Union                              1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0

MATCHDAY 2

Group 1
The Kytler Peninsulae 0–1 Naixi * scorinated by Tumbra
Ketiou 0–2 San Isidro Labrador
República Guanacasteca 1–1 Eastfield Lodge
Rea San Vegas 0–1 Nephara
Mytanija 3–1 Darmen

   Group 1                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Mytanija                  2    2   0   0     4    1   +3     6
 2 Nephara                   2    2   0   0     3    0   +3     6
 3 Naixi                     2    2   0   0     4    2   +2     6
 4 San Isidro Labrador       2    1   0   1     4    3   +1     3
 5 Ketiou                    2    1   0   1     2    2    0     3
 6 Rea San Vegas             2    0   1   1     2    3   −1     1
 7 Darmen                    2    0   1   1     3    5   −2     1
 8 Eastfield Lodge           2    0   1   1     1    3   −2     1
   República Guanacasteca    2    0   1   1     1    3   −2     1
10 The Kytler Peninsulae     2    0   0   2     0    2   −2     0

Group 2
Polar Islandstates 3–2 Valladares
Glazgo 2–4 Græntfjall
Nyowani Kitara 2–2 Tikariot
Gatchingerrak Union 2–4 Isle Noire
Pasarga 2–1 Southwest Eastnorth

   Group 2                                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Græntfjall                                    2   2  0  0    7   4  +3    6
 2 Polar Islandstates                            2   2  0  0    4   2  +2    6
 3 Isle Noire                                    2   1  1  0    6   4  +2    4
 4 Tikariot                                      2   1  1  0    4   3  +1    4
 5 Pasarga                                       2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
 6 Nyowani Kitara                                2   0  2  0    4   4   0    2
 7 Southwest Eastnorth                           2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1
 8 Gatchingerrak Union                           2   0  1  1    5   7  −2    1
 9 Valladares                                    2   0  0  2    4   6  −2    0
10 Glazgo                                        2   0  0  2    3   6  −3    0

Group 3
Captina Island 0–0 Elmyia
Sargossa 3–2 Gnejs
Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland 0–3 Stvoto Latoli * scorinated by Tumbra
Astograth 1–0 Thibaea
Cabo Azure 5–2 Olastor

   Group 3                                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Cabo Azure                                  2    2   0   0    11    5   +6     6
 2 Stvoto Latoli                               2    1   1   0     6    3   +3     4
 3 Sargossa                                    2    1   1   0     6    5   +1     4
 4 Elmyia                                      2    1   1   0     3    0   +3     4
 5 Olastor                                     2    1   0   1     3    5   −2     3
 6 Astograth                                   2    1   0   1     1    1    0     3
 7 Schutzenphalia and West Ruhntuhnkuhnland    2    1   0   1     1    3   −2     3
 8 Captina Island                              2    0   1   1     3    6   −3     1
 9 Thibaea                                     2    0   0   2     0    2   −2     0
10 Gnejs                                       2    0   0   2     2    6   −4     0

Group 4
Savojarna 0–2 Oberour Ar Moro
Cassadaigua 2–2 Pridnestrovia
The Askari Union 2–0 Norrhem
Zenic 0–2 Yuezhou
Eura 5–1 Aerágny

   Group 4                                     Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
 1 Eura                                          2   2  0  0    8   1  +7    6
 2 Yuezhou                                       2   2  0  0    5   0  +5    6
 3 Oberour Ar Moro                               2   2  0  0    3   0  +3    6
 4 Cassadaigua                                   2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
 5 The Askari Union                              2   1  0  1    2   3  −1    3
 6 Aerágny                                       2   1  0  1    6   9  −3    3
 7 Pridnestrovia                                 2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
 8 Zenic                                         2   0  0  2    4   7  −3    0
 9 Norrhem                                       2   0  0  2    0   4  −4    0
10 Savojarna                                     2   0  0  2    0   5  −5    0

EDIT: Corrected MD1 spelling error from San Isidoro Labrador to San Isidro Labrador

by **Gnejs** » Tue Sep 05, 2023 2:57 am

Area Man confuses Copa Rushmori with Brevity Cup

I’ll be brief. They played the game, and they did so reasonably well. There was a bit of skill and determination, from both ends. A few opportunities, and some heroics here and there. Nothing excessive. The final whistle blew with a 3-2 scoreline. We all left, some happier than others.

- - -

Starting lineup MD3 and MD4

GK #27 Svendsen

RD #3 Grålum
RCD #9 Naess
LCD #8 Bjørneboe
LD #17 Benedictsen

RM #18 Hansen
M #25 Åboo
LM #24 Falkmar

RF #29 Fjällstrand
F #23 Ceder
LF #22 Clavell

by **Savojarna** » Tue Sep 05, 2023 3:33 am

Savojar Roster for Copa Rushmori 44

RP PERMISSIONS

STYLE: -1.25

Choose Goalscorers: Y
Godmod Scoring: N
Injure Players: Y (no longer than the rest of the tournament)
Godmod Injuries: N
Yellow Cards: Y
Red Cards: Y - not more than one
Godmod other events: N

I am open to discussing all RP permissions via TG or Discord, if you have a specific plan.

TEAM

STAFF
Coach: Victoria Maersk
Age: 47 // Coach since: WCQ 92
A legend of the Savojar game, Victoria Maersk has been playing for the relatively unknown women’s team of Amazonia Valdhavn, when two things happened at the international level: The Savojar Women’s National Team won the Copa Rushmori 31 with a 23 year old Maersk playing a relevant role as a utility sub in the midfield, and Savojar pro football was fully integrated, resulting in the dissolution of her team. As a result, she was picked up on a free transfer by North Sabrefell in Nephara, the first player to move from Savojarna to the then Premiership. From then onwards, she captained the Savojar National Team at two World Cups and wore the armband for Vermillion Rage in the Zenith - and after her retirement, went into coaching training, being called up surprisingly to the Northlights now. Tactically somewhat of a wildcard, she works together with a large batch of the team that followed her when she did her coaching training in the Rotor Värstjö youth system and the Högvald national academy and is likely to employ a solid, flexible 4-4-2 relying on quick vertical play.

Coaching Team: Ingmar Söderby, Nicolai Kruul Jensen, Knut Sörensen, Lasse Tjoer, Valtteri Andersson
Ages: 56, 44, 47, 55, 62 // Special functions: Head Scout, Video analyst, Technical coach, condition trainer, GK Coach

Ingmar Söderby has been working in the system of Libertas Bergheim for a while, where he has found gems such as Knud Vingegaard and Jakub Jaranski. He changed over to the SFFB to work at Högvald, where he was working with Maersk during her coaching education. He has been taking a more active role in the selection committee as well as strategic coaching alongside Maersk.
Nicolai Kruul Jensen and Knut Sörensen have been co-coaches with Maersk at Rotor, and for Sörensen also at Högvald. Having been signed away from the SFFB after being a technical coach at the Academy, he now returned to the national federation alongside his friend and head coach Maersk. Kruul Jensen has been the video analyst at Rotor and a former striker in the SFS B, taking a somewhat more active role in the offence while Maersk orients her focus more on the work off the ball.
Lasse Tjoer is the physical coach and condition trainer, and has previously worked for multiple SFS A teams. He places a lot of emphasis on discipline, but gives the players a large amount of freedom to tune their practice regime to their own tastes as long as they stick to the targets. He is quite popular in the team, and a good motivator.
Andersson was a long-term goalkeeper for Energie Thorsborg and got directly transferred into the club's youth department when he retired at age 33. Following some good work with the club's youth department, he got trained as a GK coach and worked with the first team and the U21 of Energie for a while before being brought onto the squad of the NT early on. He still works with Energie on the side and is reputed to be very good at developing a goalkeeper's weaknesses.

SQUAD

1	GK	Aleksandra Virulainen	Partisan Sjoedrhavn	F	36
2	LB	Johanna Zetterberg	Dynamo Sjoedrhavn	F	23
3	CB	Sven Vikarby     	Partisan Sjoedrhavn	M	29
4	CB	Brynjar Hatun   	CASK Thorsborg         	M	29
5	LB	Milla Viipuri      	AFC Corvistone (NPH)	F	33
6	CM	Roman Sadianov        	Lokomotive Jarnstad	M	24
7	LM/RF	Ruslan Novikov  	Starling (NPH)   	M	26
8	CM	Vladimir Orakhin	Goodfeather FC (NPH)	M	29
9	ST	Rasmus Medberg Hansen	CASK Thorsborg         	M	25
10	CM/OM	Jelena Tretjakov	Dynamo Sjoedrhavn	F	28
11	ST	Sven Ehlers       	Falourr (EUR)    	M	32
12	GK	Jonas Hilde       	Libertas Bergheim	M	24
13	CB	Artjom Sobchuk         	Lokomotive Jarnstad	M	27
14	CB	Thea Leifsen     	Partisan Sjoedrhavn	F	23
15	RB	Alvin Strid         	Libertas Bergheim	M	29
16	DM	Jakub Jaranski  	CASK Thorsborg         	M	27
17	RM	Johan Larsson   	CASK Thorsborg         	M	25
18	CM/OM	Knud Vingegaard       	Libertas Bergheim	M	26
19	ST	Lars Alvesen      	Stahlburg City (NPH)	M	26
20	GK	Olga Valujev     	CASK Thorsborg         	F	28
21	RM	Alicia Kronberg 	Partisan Sjoedrhavn	F	27
22	RB/LB	Gudjohn Magnusson	Ulsa (EUR)        	M	29
23	RM	Kaisa Gyldenström	Sabrefell Moths (NPH)	F	31
24	CB	Kenneth Röysveit	AFC Treason (NPH)	M	23
25	LB/RB	Henrik Halvorsen	CASK Thorsborg         	M	30
26	LF	Arnar Hrafnarsson **	Felswyr (CMT)   	M	26

STARTING XI:

TACTICS

ROLES
Captain: Hatun - Viipuri - Tretjakov - Ehlers
Free Kicks (direct): Ehlers (left, centre), Gyldenström (right)
Free Kicks (long): Viipuri, Tretjakov
Corners: Novikov (left), Gyldenström (right)
Penalty Kick: Medberg Hansen, Tretjakov, Orakhin, Alvesen, Ehlers, Novikov, Hatun, Gyldenström [also progression for shooutouts]

KITS

Designed and manufactured by NDCS

by **Southwest Eastnorth** » Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:53 am

SWEN PIONEERS/FRONTIERSMEN ROSTER

FORMATION 3-4-3
Style Modifier +4
COACH: Chris Houton (Age 51)
ASSITANTS: Dennetter DiMore (Age 59), B.J Rotheborune (age 57),

FORWARDS

#7 Keon Crust (28)- Montreaux Jazz
#11 Chris Houton (51) - Unattached
#4 Hoyer Harbors (33) - Synetica AC (SQUORNSHELOUS)
#17 Ulysses Barnett III (33) - Auberlein Originals
#40 Ian Gordon (33) - Montreaux Jazz
#99 Austin Navarro (23) - Auberlein Originals

MIDFIELDERS

#2 Mark Sternes (37) - Oasis Blur FC
#5 Ben Jackson (25) - Hartlespool Hurricanes
#10 Jermaine Preston (26) - New Baltimore City
#13 Ken Luckworth (27) - AWAC Express
#19 Alexandria Collins (21) - Amarock University
#20 Roberto Fillipe (34)- Hartlespool Hurricanes
#49 Jimmy Thompson (24) - Chester Engineers
#60 Sixto Zaracudo (28) - New Baltimore City

DEFENDERS

#4 Mike Donaldson (28) - Virginia United
#13 Mary Gill (29) - Chester Militia FC
#14 Allison Benson (24) - New Baltimore City
#38 Jacque Labrador (34) - Southwest Rangers
#50 Jace Arnold (33) - Rutland FC (CASSADAIGUA)
#92 Dino Andretti (38) - Eastria FC (ATHERIA)

GK

#1 Orenthal Onassis (31) - Virginia United
#0 Jessica LaRioux (34) Galaxy SC (XANNERIA)
#01 TreyVon Hoag (29) - Auberlein Originals

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes But keep it infrequent
RP injuries to my players: Yes Typical injuries, that will not result in heavy losses
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes Keep it infrequent
Godmod other events: Yes

by **Rea San Vegas** » Tue Sep 05, 2023 11:43 am

Matchday 1
Jevon Moulden was interviewed on the draw with Darmen
Not the best result but we showed improvement. Fidenzio 'The Grin' Bommarito needs improving

Matchday 2
Jevon Moulden was interviewed on the loss with Nephara
Bad result but Nephara is very good credit where is due improvement need to be done with this team

by **Isle Noire** » Tue Sep 05, 2023 7:47 pm

INS Indomitable
Off the Coast of Latair, Isle Noire

Mario Establle was a wanted man.

He had known it for three years that this day would come, eventually. What he knew was too important, too crazy, too weird to not matter.

Three years ago, he had been there when the mad scientist had made the move to make the condition of the Isle permanent. They had had one shot to change all of history, and the mad scientist had decided to just keep the status quo - no, make it stay. For what reason, Mario didn't know, but he was guilty by association.

Ten there had been, and eight of the other nine were dead - all under mysterious circumstances, of course. Mario suspected that it was the mad scientist that was behind their disappearances, but he had no proof. Should he allow himself to be caught by the mad scientist or the government? That was the question that plagued Mario's mind. Sure, the government could try to protect him, but would they be successful?

One thing was for certain: his time was running out. He had a week left on tour on the Indomitable, and then he would be let go. He had tried so many times to try to extend his stay on the ship, but the Navy wasn't having any of it. As a civilian scientist, he had exhausted his time serving on naval vessels, and now he would be put back on the island.

Which would mean that he would be back in play after three years. Away from all the protection, the secrecy, the remoteness.

He would have a choice to make soon. To turn himself in, or to hide some more? And if so, where?

As he took another puff of his dwindling cigarette, his brain working in overdrive, he reached a conclusion.

He had work to do.

by **Zenic** » Tue Sep 05, 2023 10:55 pm

In a decently lit office, lined with photos of top sporting moments in the Empire’s history, sits a tall, toned olive-skinned woman in a pinstriped suit with raven black hair behind a metal desk. This is newly appointed Minister of Sport Alaia Dimi. who was selected by Emperor Cuauhtémoc for her proposed plans to bring back consistent sport to the Empire which she published during her time in the Senate representing the major city of San Valerie. Her appointment was a bit of a surprise to the public as there had not been a MoS in around 30 years due to the ZSF conflict and no real previous indication from the Emperor or his office that they were contemplating the return of sport.

At the moment, Alaia was reviewing a scouting report covering the first two matchdays for Group 4 in the 44th Copa Rushmori. She was impressed with how competitive these young players were in the first competition in decades. Many of the tv pundits, and even some of her in-house analysts, predicted this team to struggle against the higher ranked teams in this group and to potentially steal a game or two from the lower ranked teams. For a squad this inexperienced to start this return tournament with back to back close games was exceeding expectation. Of course, her ultimate goal was winning championships again but she was content for now knowing that they could still be competitive so early.

She didn’t see anything inherently bad with the team and individual statistics considering who they faced and the fact that they weren’t in dead last. However, she wasn’t afraid of discussing changes to the lineup later in the group stage should things start to go as the pundits expected. It would give the ministry a chance to see what they had with the rest of the currently selected squad before the start of the new World Cup cycle.

*Ring. Ring. Ring*

“Minister Dimi, Manager Zys on line three for you,” spoke Alaia’s secretary over the phone’s intercom. “Also, Soo-min called in and left a message saying he was having lunch with a potential head coach for the Ice Hockey national team. So, he’ll be a bit late getting into the office.”

“Thank you, Zaria.” Alaia moved the scouting reports to the side and picked up a new folder that had been dropped off this morning alongside the Matchday 1 and 2 report. On the folder, it stated “Matchday 3 and 4”. Alaia opened the folder as she picked up the handset and pressed ‘line three’ on her phone. “Ministry of Sport, this is Minister Dimi speaking.”

“Ah, Mr. Zys. Great to hear from you again. We have lots to discuss.”

Copa Rushmori 44 - Everything Thread

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