21st Under-18 World Cup (sponsored by RTC) 3 March

[Srednjaci]

21ST UNDER -18 WORLD CUP-TUMBRA

Dear viewers, good day and welcome to the U18 WC in Tumbra!
This year started very successfully for our sport. In general, our athletes entered the new sports calendar year really fantastic.
At the IBA Sports Championship, our athletes won a fantastic total of 22 medals, of which 10 were gold medals.
After that, Lucija Bagarić achieved great success, winning the first Grand Slam of season, the Cenian Open . Lucija is also the only tennis player from our country with a Grand Slam title.
At the moment, at the Winter Olympic Games, our delegation, Srednjaci Olympic Committee , has won 37 medals, and by the end of the Games there are still many more medals to be distributed.
We did not have a good result in ice hockey because the preliminary matches at the Olympic Games were held in parallel with WC. Part of both teams (female and male) had to leave the world championship and go to Liventia. Although it didn't pay off in WC because we didn't pass the group, but that's why it did in the games. Both our teams are in the fight for medals.

The U18 World Championship is currently being held in Tumbra. Our best result ever was fourth place, and it was Tumbra that was better than us in the match for third place. How strong is our national team this season?
This season we have several good players, but that generation is not as strong as when we played and won fourth place. At that time, the team included players who today form the backbone of the national senior team.
The first game of our team against Chromatika showed all our strength but also weaknesses. Although we only won 1-0, there were many opportunities for a bigger and better result, but precision was not our strong point.
And when we thought that we would remove the weaknesses, a shock occurred. The 3-2 defeat by the Vyktoria team brought us down to earth.
This defeat came at the worst possible moment.
We hope that our players will find strength and improve their game against Cardenao in naxt match.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia 2–1 Sarzonia
(Paiva 12', Kuramoto 26' | Moreau 53')

To Explore the Multiverse, One Flight at a Time

Multiverse Airline Alliance Bid for Sponsorship Rights for the U18 World Cup

The Multiverse Airline Alliance is an airline alliance that serves to assist passengers traveling throughout different countries throughout the multiverse to get to their destinations through many codeshare agreements. Founded in 2100, the Multiverse Airline Alliance has expanded over time to involve 9 airlines (pending a 10th) that travel to each other and facilitate to other international destinations. While still relatively small compared to other alliances in the past, MAA seeks to grow and make a name for themselves throughout the Multiverse.

The Multiverse Airline Alliance seeks to have sponsorship rights due to the opportunity to assist in transporting teams and fans to various nations throughout the multiverse. Given that these young players are early into their journey as football players, the MAA would love to assist in transporting them for future editions, as well as the colorful and proud supporters of these various teams. On top of that, the MAA is willing to assist in helping these players take flight on their careers.

On top of that, the MAA seeks to give fans some destinations to consider traveling to on their next vacation. The MAA also seeks to get more passengers to travel to more countries to experience the rich and vast culture these countries have to offer. With the sponsorship, these airlines would expand on more flights to the different nations participating in the U18 World Cup and seek to encourage tourism boosts to all the nations involved. The MAA only wants to have commercials broadcasted during commercial breaks broadcasted to participating nations and have the logo on the sponsor boards around the pitch to appear periodically.

In general, the Multiverse Airline Alliance wishes to promote travel/tourism, culture, and sports through their sponsorship with the U18 World Cup. The MAA is willing to answer questions pertaining to our bid and hopes to serve the multiverse well.

[Abanhfleft]

Abanhfleft versus HUElavia. At this point, both countries from the fans down to the players must have been sick of having to play against each other in what felt like literally every single sporting tournament ever. There was no question that the fans still loved watching these games as, while both Abanhfleft and HUElavia had become sporting rivals simply by the sheer number of times they had played each other, the rivalry itself had turned into a friendly and respectful one, but in the back of their minds, at least a few fans had to be wishing that they could finally face someone else instead.

In fact, this rivalry had been going on for so long and across so many sports that no one could really keep track anymore of who had the upper hand. But certainly the most memorable match between the two so far (at least in football) was in the final of the 3rd Jenna Raven Cup, with the Lady Revolutionaries emerging the victors in a tight five-goal thriller. The stakes weren’t quite as high in this latest meeting between the teams in blue and yellow, but it was still their respective opening matches of the 21st Under-18 World Cup, and whatever result they got here could very well influence the rest of Abanhfleft’s and HUElavia’s campaigns in Tumbra. There was already some apprehension hanging over the tournament itself as pretty much all of the teams had been acclimating themselves to the colder climate of Graintfjall before hosting rights were shifted to Tumbra for reasons still not yet clear the rest of the associations.

The match itself was nothing to write home about, a back and forth affair in which neither side really had full control of the entire game. There were spells in which Abanhfleft dominated, and then there were spells where it was HUElavia that was taking command, but neither team really asserted themselves over the whole of the ninety minutes. Nerves were also apparent on a lot of the players on both sides, and it told in the quality of the play. Shots were going wide, tackles were being missed left and right, and it was because of the aforementioned issue with the shooting that the scoreline wasn’t higher than it actually ended up being. If everyone had been a little more accurate or at least a little less nervous, the score could very well have read 4-4 or even 5-5 instead of 2-2. Even then, when they weren’t letting the occasion get to them, the defenders definitely covered themselves in more glory than the forward players, but they also could have done better to help their respective sides to all three points instead of having to share the spoils.

Arnel Laktaw was one of those players who stood out on the pitch on that day, and even then, that was more on the fact that he was able to do what he was supposed to do out there properly. Arnel would be lying if he said that he wasn’t nervous, but all throughout the game he regularly reminded himself to just keep doing what he was doing. Whether it was sending in crosses into the middle of the box or running towards the goal line and then cutting it back, Arnel just did what he had done before back in Abanhfleft, and it actually netted him his first assist in an international competition for the Young Revolutionaries. It was nothing fancy, just a simple cutback towards Lance Capinpin to net what everyone thought was the winning goal, but for Arnel it was still a momentous occasion nonetheless. It proved to himself that he was capable of and deserving to be in the Fleftic national team, even if it was just the under-18 team at the moment. And just when Arnel thought that this was as good as it was going to get for him, he was about to be in for a pleasant surprise.

“…the Young Revolutionaries of Abanhfleft continues to entertain here in the 21st Under-18 World Cup in Tumbra. It’s been end-to-end football so far whenever the Fleftics are playing. It was end to end when they played HUElavia, and once again it’s end to end against Devonta, even if Abanhfleft had certainly been more dominant this time around. A lot of these talented young people can take credit for that, like Lance Capinpin, Juliano Lazaro, Dionisio Cajulao, even Egay Maquindang. But me personally, I’d like to tip my hat to Arnel Laktaw. He may not have any goals to his name in this tournament just yet, but just in this game he’s already looking at a potential hat trick of assists, and given how Abanhfleft have dominated Devonta in this game, it really feels like a matter of when, not if Laktaw gets that third assist…”

Both Abanhfleft and Arnel Laktaw appeared to have picked up where they left off after their draw against HUElavia once it was time to play the United States of Devonta. Devonta, like HUElavia, was a country which Abanhfleft had already met on the field of sporting battle more than a few times, but unlike HUElavia, Abanhfleft versus Devonta was a match-up that hadn’t occurred nearly as much as the other one had. In any case, while both teams were looking for their first victory in the Under-18 World Cup, there was a feeling that this match was not going to finish honors even, and that feeling proved to be well-founded as Abanhfleft stormed to a 3-0 lead within the first 25 minutes. Arnel himself was instrumental in two of those three early goals, as it was thanks to his wicked good left foot. Arnel’s crosses may not always have the perfect weight and heft behind them, but the mere fact that he was sending in those crosses made the Devontan defense think twice, thus opening up space in the box for the Fleftics to score. First it was Lance Capinpin, and then it was Dionisio Cajulao who found themselves at the receiving end of Arnel’s crosses to turn them into goals. Eventually though, the Devontans got wise to this tactic and began marking Arnel more and more, and the amount of crosses that he could put into the box dwindled, but Devonta couldn’t cut it off entirely.

Devonta themselves tried to find a way back into the game, and to their credit they did have more than just a handful of chances of their own to score, but it did seem that for every Devontan attempt, Abanhfleft would respond with two or even three shots. Devonta did get an early goal in the second half to cut the deficit, only for Abanhfleft to swiftly restore their three-goal advantage courtesy of a Juliano Lazaro screamer. As for Devonta’s second goal, it could be argued that it really shouldn’t have happened had it not been for Egay Maquindang who, for some inexplicable reason, ended up heading the ball into the back of his own net. Maquindang, who had been the most solid member of the Fleftic back line up until that point, really should have been able to send the ball well clear of the crossbar or the goalposts as he had been doing previously, but instead he ended up being solely responsible for Devonta’s second goal of the game instead. Nevertheless, Abanhfleft immediately regained control of the match afterwards, and it was clear that they wanted to restore their three-goal advantage yet again.

Arnel Laktaw had been on the receiving end of some very tight marking from the Devontan defense for much of the second half, but now that it was clear that Abanhfleft was going to be the team with the upper hand for the last ten minutes, the Devontans backed off of him in order to focus their attention inside the box. Sure, he would once again be able to send crosses into the penalty area, but he also had an equal chance of sending the ball straight onto a Devontan forehead instead of a Fleftic one. At least that was the risk that the Devontans were willing to take against Abanhfleft in order to ensure that this defeat wouldn't get more embarrassing than it already was. But conversely, more Devontan clearances in the twelve-yard area also meant more Fleftic attempts to breach their defenses, whether it was from throw-ins or corner kicks.

Speaking of corner kicks, Arnel hadn’t been taking the left-handed corners because the manager wanted in-swingers from the left hand side corner flag and not the out-swingers that Arnel actually provided. But because most of the usual set piece takers had been subbed off, Arnel now had the responsibility of taking the corner kicks (at least the ones from the left side), and though he was capable of taking the corners, there was a reason why he wasn’t on them in the first place. Nevertheless, he was the one best qualified to take the corners out of the eleven Abanhfleft players currently on the pitch, and he did what he was supposed to do. That was the main reason why a lot of people believed that Arnel was due to get his hat trick of assists sooner than later, and with only a minute and a half left of the ninety, Arnel finally managed to find a teammate inside the clusterfuck that was Devonta’s penalty area.

“…this is Abanhfleft’s tenth corner of the game, and fifth in the last five minutes. They’re knocking on the door of restoring their three-goal advantage, but Devonta remains firm in their resistance. It’s the best that the Devontans have looked in quite some time now, but they’ve got to stand firm at least one more time. Laktaw to swing it in from the corner… and it’s in! Kory Lakandula, off the bench, scores his first ever goal for Abanhfleft! And Arnel Laktaw has got his hat trick of assists as well. Surely this must seal all three points in the Young Revolutionaries’ favor, unless Devonta does the impossible and score three or even four goals within the next five minutes of time added on. We all know the old cliché that anything can happen in football, but surely such a thing would be an impossibility now, right?”

Arnel Laktaw and the rest of the Fleftic under-18 national now had something to celebrate in Tumbra after a middling start to life in the Under-18 World Cup. Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said for Arnel’s older brother James and the Fleftic under-21 team in the Di Bradini Cup in Valanora…

  UNITED STATES OF DEVONTA 2 - 5 ABANHFLEFT          
                     (49')       CAPINPIN (9)
     MAQUINDANG (74' o.g.)       DI-ANO (18')
                                 CAJULAO (25')
                                 LAZARO (56')
                                 K. LAKANDULA (89')

[Tumbra]

Chromatika 0-4 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 12 - R Patel; 18 - C Herlinger, 20 - E Diamond (4 - S Tobin, 88'), 24 - C Wilson, 19 - B Evans; 15 - D Byrne (6 - K Hawksley, 83'), 23 - D Fleming, 10 - V Brown (25 - L Chen, 83'); 17 - C Tartwell, 9 - D Brent (21 - M Ofpool, 78'); 22 - D Fox (26 - R Schneider, 78')

TMB scorers: Chelsea Tartwell (9'), Duncan Fox (18', 58'), Damon Fleming (80')

Player of the Match: Duncan Fox [TMB]

The Holdout: Stephen Williams' Last Stand In Yarwood
The former Prime Minister was removed from the United primary ballot in his constituency in controversial circumstances. Now he's fighting for his political life as an independent.

Former Prime Minister Stephen Williams at home in Yarwood.

NATASHA WOOD
for the Serrapince Post

DEBBLETON — It's not easy to turn down an invitation to interview a former Prime Minister. Even more so when it's a former Prime Minister exiled from his own party, now fighting for his political life.

In the midst of a federal election campaign, it's easy to forget that the 99 million registered voters aren't directly voting for one of Max Young or Bertram Andrews, but for one of six hundred and fifty Members of Parliament. Most of them, if they never rise to national prominence as a member of Cabinet, tend to fade into the background, voting as their party demands, no question or space for stepping out. Attention is focused on the men and women at the top; it's what a few political scientists describe as a "presidential premiership," where the real power is concentrated in the hands of the Prime Minister, and his Cabinet members merely functionaries to carry out his will.

Stephen Williams was on one side of that equation. For six years, he led Tumbra through some turbulent years as Prime Minister — first fighting two general elections in the span of four months, and then facing down intra-party struggles for almost the entire duration of his premiership which included a third, more decisive, electoral victory. He was a centrist in a party of right-wingers; the Liberal Party faithful wanted him to win them elections, but somehow not govern to how he promised to. But he held strong, even as his party cracked — when former Vice President Julian Munro resigned and his junior coalition partners, the Nationals, elected a leader who wanted to break with established precedent and replace a National vice-president with another National vice-president, he held firm. The result of that spat would see the Nationals formally break apart the coalition of the centre-right that had existed for over ninety years; though it also led to internal splits, as the entirety of the northeastern Nationals decided to join the Liberals in response. The party held onto its parliamentary majority thanks to, in hindsight, a brilliant move to keep the centrist Moderates in government even though the Liberals and Nationals had enough to govern alone.

Then, in 2035, his frontline political career was brought to an abrupt end; the faithful were deserting him and his self-proclaimed pragmatic style of governance for the populist Federalist Party. It was the albatross that dogged him for the last nine months of his career; and finally, after a devastating parliamentary defeat on a bill on welfare reform, his party quickly couped him and replaced him with his erstwhile worst enemy, Lawrence Newell. Relegated to the sidelines, Williams has stayed there ever since. He eventually did join the new, unified, right-wing political party (appropriately called the Moderates), and declared his intention to stand for re-election to his old seat in Yarwood. But just a week before the unified primary was meant to take place, he was removed from the ballot — with a message from central party headquarters that he had "betrayed" the party by disagreeing with Newell on the issue of defence spending. And so now he finds himself on the other side of the equation. Or, more accurately, removed from that equation entirely.

My interview with Williams takes place in his suburban home in Debbleton, in Napier; he's lived here for almost his entire life. He welcomes me to his house gently, and offers to make me a cup of tea. It's very sweet. "Sugar keeps me going still," he says as we sit down. "I tend to go a bit overboard. It's something that stays with you." He gets me a second cup with much less sugar, but notably keeps the cup he originally made for me on the table. I half suspect he's going to drink it once he's done with his first cup.

"Were you surprised by the decision to kick you off the ballot?" I decide to start incisively. It might come off as a little rude, but Williams was never one for long, drawn-out speeches and niceties.

"No. Not in the slightest. I don't think neither Lawrence nor Max Young wanted me in the party anymore. I am a former Prime Minister; to be a bit proud and talk myself up, I would like to think my word holds weight. The moderate faction within the United Party may have been decimated, but I don't think they want to take a risk." He takes a sip. "The few moderates they kept around are those whom they can show the centrist swing voters that they do listen to them. But otherwise they hold little power, and they will hold none if Young wins in a month."

His house, though well-kept, shows obvious sign of being a sort of second home base for a political campaign; Williams' face is plastered all over election signs; though instead of the blue he's used to emblazon his campaign literature over the past thirty-six years of being an MP, he's chosen a dark green. "Re-elect Williams." "A local MP for Yarwood." "Independent Liberal Voice — Stephen Williams."

"I chose dark green because Jon [Blair] asked me to," he says with a laugh. The former deputy Prime Minister, who was one of those who defected from the Nationals to the Liberals when they split, is a close friend and ally of Williams'. Blair, the MP for Lynham in Clearmont, isn't running for re-election this year — he chose to stand down rather than face a humiliating primary election defeat, and became Williams' campaign chairman. "I originally wanted to go for another shade of blue, but Jon said 'no, you have to show that you really are not beholden to any party anymore.' My first response was 'Really? And so we go for your party?' And then he pulled out the statistics that showed that the last time a National candidate ran in this electorate was in 1942. So I was like 'yeah, I cannot argue with you on that.'"

Williams is facing a crowded field of candidates — as most Prime Ministers and former Prime Ministers tend to do — but his declaration of entry into the race saw quite a lot of the major parties reducing their campaign presence in the constituency. The Moderate candidate, one Dr. Richard Hurley, has explicitly told Moderate voters to preference Williams second. When I drove around Debbleton town centre, I barely saw any Labour red; their candidate, Paula Watkins, hasn't campaigned much in the area too, locals told me. The race is slowly shaping up to be a straight fight between him and United primary winner Debbie Latimer, who has campaigned on bringing real conservative leadership to Yarwood, which encompasses the towns of Yarwood, Debbleton, and Carleford. The seat has been a safe right-wing seat for the past sixty years; the last time it went to Labour was in 1975, when Malcolm Haywood swept the east of the country. The seat has an above-average household income, and 82% of voters in the seat are homeowners. Williams has consistently won over 50% of first preference votes in the seat, dating back to when he was first elected; in 2033, which he termed his "greatest electoral triumph," as he beat the polls to win an overall majority of four, he hit 60.13% of first preference votes alone.

"It's a bit surreal," he responded when I asked him about campaigning against his former party. "If I win, I'll have done it on the backs of people who will have preferenced me last every time they have voted in their life. But that's the beauty of our preferential system."

Williams, unlike his opponent, Ms. Latimer, has fixated his campaign around being a local voice, unbeholden to any party. Though, he admits to me, he'll probably be an instant outsider in the new Parliament unless he caucuses with, or outright joins, a party. That means a high chance he gets to sit on no committees, an allocated seat far away from the frontbenches in the House of Representatives, which means he will have trouble attracting the attention of the Speaker, and having to fight his battles alone. "But those are things you learn to get around."

Reception to Williams' candidacy has been largely positive, although there are misgivings about the power of an independent MP in a parliament widely expected to be hyper-dominated by the two largest parties. This election has been happily billed by both major parties as a "fight for the soul of Tumbra," with the two men at the heart of the battle representing two very different versions of the country they hope to lead. Third-party votes are expected to hit an all-time low. The centrist Moderates could reportedly lose up to eleven of their fourteen seats; the environmentalist Alliance, ten of their twenty-one. They have struggled to make their voices heard, a quite literal example came during the first television debate, when most of the speaking time was dedicated to Andrews and Young, even when all five major party leaders were on stage.

But Williams has pressed on; he is banking on his long-standing reputation as a constituency MP, with a political career stretching back three decades. Even when he was Prime Minister, he often dedicated two nights a week to constituency work, doing his very best to show up at constituency surgeries in the three towns that make up the constituency. Funerals often got a wreath from his constituency office, and in particular cases when he was in the area, a personal visit from him, and a signature in the condolence book; when he ran for Leader of the Opposition after the Liberals suffered their third consecutive electoral defeat in 2025, he made sure to hold a series of town halls in his constituency first explaining his rationale, and promising to dedicate his focus on his constituency if he lost in 2029. Seat-by-seat polling is notoriously unreliable in Tumbra, but Latimer and Williams are very evenly matched in polls; Labour and Moderate preferences could be key to winning Williams the election.

I follow his campaign for a few more days after the two hour-long interview, during which we discussed his relationships with the other people who have occupied the job (Kenneth Everett: occasional letters, Michael Kirkland: always up to chat, and did offer to help campaign for him — an offer Williams respectfully declined, Lawrence Newell: radio silence; the two haven't talked since 2035), his favourite part of his constituency (a small lake five kilometres outside of Carleford), and whether his children would seek to succeed him in politics (his older son, Fabian, is heavily involved in his campaign, and they briefly discussed him running in a neighbouring seat). The last day of me accompanying his campaign sees him go to hustings, where he is accompanied by the other candidates in the election; Williams dominates proceedings, using his knowledge of local conditions to answer constituents' questions easily, while Latimer notably stumbles when asked about a plan to allow private clinics in town.

But he still knows that there is a very high chance he will lose. "I've been told during walkabouts. Stephen, I know you, and I deeply respect the job you've done for us over the past thirty years, but we cannot let Bertram Andrews become Prime Minister. We cannot let a Labour government in. And et cetera," he says. "Party loyalty is probably the biggest obstacle I have to overcome, and its ironic, because I was the one who helped build up that party loyalty, even as an MP and as PM," he laughs.

"Do you think you will win?" I close our interview by asking.

"I'm not a soothsayer," he chuckles, as he does end up drinking the second cup of tea he originally made for me but I rejected for being too sweet. He did, however, ask me for permission first. "If I lose, I leave politics with my head held high, knowing I've done all I could. If I win, this beats out winning the entire country."

"Thrice?"

"Thrice." He responds.

Lineup for Tumbra vs Amenria

Starters: 13 - L Rand; 18 - C Herlinger, 5 - L Pohl, 14 - V Ramachandran, 3 - J Henderson; 6 - K Hawksley, 16 - T Crosby, 23 - D Fleming; 7 - E McVeigh, 9 - D Brent; 22 - D Fox
Bench: 1 - K Broughton, 12 - R Patel; 2 - J Howlett, 4 - S Tobin, 20 - E Diamond, 24 - C Wilson, 19 - B Evans; 15 - D Byrne, 25 - L Chen, 8 - S Curtin, 10 - V Brown, 17 - C Tartwell, 21 - M Ofpool; 11 - P Hargreaves, 26 - R Schneider

Schedule: v CAD, v CMT, v AMN, v SRE, v VYK

[Tumbra]

Cutoff. Scores will be edited into this post.

Group A
The 14 Stars 1–0 Conania
Græntfjall 0–2 Juvencus
Cassadaigua 1–1 Tikariot

. Group A                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The 14 Stars                                3   3  0  0    4   1  +3    9
2 Cassadaigua                                 3   2  1  0   12   3  +9    7
3 Juvencus                                    3   2  0  1    5   3  +2    6
4 Tikariot                                    3   1  1  1    3   2  +1    4
5 Græntfjall                                  3   0  0  3    0   7  −7    0
6 Conania                                     3   0  0  3    3  11  −8    0

Group B
Abanhfleft 3–3 Comonwealth of Baker Park
Sarzonia 4–0 United States of Devonta
Crpostran 1–2 HUElavia

. Group B                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                                    3   2  1  0    6   4  +2    7
2 Abanhfleft                                  3   1  2  0   10   7  +3    5
3 Sarzonia                                    3   1  1  1    7   4  +3    4
4 Crpostran                                   3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
5 Comonwealth of Baker Park                   3   0  2  1    4   5  −1    2
6 United States of Devonta                    3   0  1  2    3  10  −7    1

Group C
Vyktoria 2–2 Chromatika
Cardenao 2–3 Srednjaci
Tumbra 4–2 Amenria *scorination witnessed in public forum by Juvencus

.  Group C                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tumbra                                      3   3  0  0   12   3  +9    9
2 Amenria                                     3   2  0  1    9   6  +3    6
3 Srednjaci                                   3   2  0  1    6   5  +1    6
4 Vyktoria                                    3   1  1  1    7   7   0    4
5 Chromatika                                  3   0  1  2    2   7  −5    1
6 Cardenao                                    3   0  0  3    3  11  −8    0

Group D
Natanians and Nosts 0–2 Lisander
Semarland 2–1 Coringlaan
Siovanija and Teusland 4–6 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove

. Group D                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Lisander                                    3   3  0  0   11   1 +10    9
2 Semarland                                   3   3  0  0    6   1  +5    9
3 Natanians and Nosts                         3   1  0  2    3   4  −1    3
4 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove      3   1  0  2    7   8  −1    3
5 Coringlaan                                  3   1  0  2    3   8  −5    3
6 Siovanija and Teusland                      3   0  0  3    4  12  −8    0

edit notice: details of public scorination

[Cassadaigua]

Path for the youngsters,
by Caitlyn Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

On the heels of putting up eight goals against Conania, with Mikayla Thompson picking up a hat trick in the game, and a typical game against Tikariot where ninety minutes could not decide a winner, I had to wonder what exactly is the path for the younger players in terms of not just getting to the senior team, but for regular CSL sides as well. Up to this point the goal scoring has been very balanced, as of the twelve goals, three are by Mikayla Thompson, three are by Crystal Bowers, two by Baylie Crawford, and one by four other players. It was Crawford who picked up the goal in the 1-1 draw against Tikariot, a 22nd minute strike that at the time gave the Fillies a 1-0 lead. That game in general was typical Cassadaigua vs Tikariot. For those who don’t know what typical Cassadaigua vs Tikariot is on the soccer field (or any sport, it seems like), games pretty much always need extra time, or in the case of baseball playoff series, go to a deciding, winner take all game. Since during the group stage, there is no extra time, it comes as no surprise to anyone that the game was a draw, given our history. But let’s backtrack to the point of this article....

When Cassadaigua won RTC 18 and RTC 19, Lexi McGregor, the Engle twins, and Rachel Wyman were all part of at least one of those teams. We knew they were going to be fast tracked to the national team, and we have seen that. Lexi McGregor is on her way to becoming one of the best forwards in Cassadagan history even if the national team itself, seems to be on a downswing. She will be 26 for the upcoming World Cup, so is still very much in her prime. The Engles will be 22. Where, then, is the room for this current crop of players? This is the reason that we are not really hearing about these players in terms of the national team, because they were simply born at the wrong time. The Starksville Coastal Academy just won the IFCF Rising Stars Cup, and that’s a pretty damn big deal. That academy has five players on the current RTC World Cup roster, with three of them starting. Two of those starters are in the midfield: Baylie Crawford and Kellie Guzman, who are each 18 years of age. Unfortunately, that means they are four years behind the Engle twins and Rachel Wyman, and those three combine for two of the three starting midfield spots, and one “substitute” spot by going off the World Cup 95 roster. Now, there may be changes to the World Cup 96 team, as some feel like Chen Huikang may pivot away from the 4-3-3 that has been employed recently to a slightly more conservative 4-4-2 look (or variations of that base formation). Let’s assume then, that four starting midfield spots are available. Lauren and Chrissy Engle, as well as Rachel Wyman, are going to be long term fixtures there. The other starter is Kaitlin Millikan, who will be 27 for the next Cup, so she’s going to be around for a little bit too. Chen likes Kaitlin for her ability on set pieces and setting up the bigger names, so expect him to have loyalty to her for a while. It’s possible that some other spots on the roster could be vacated for Crawford and Guzman, but starting spots will be hard to come by.

Now, let’s look at the CSL for these two. As members of the Starksville Coastal Academy, Crawford and Guzman (and everyone else on that team) are eligible to sign with the following CSL sides: Starksville Coastal, Starksville United, Rutland FC, and Rutland Dockside. (Quick crash course on CSL/Academy relations: academies are regional, despite their names, so players can sign with any professional side that is within their region. This is done to protect small market teams who don’t have the same funds to operate a large academy). If they do not sign with them, they go on the transfer market, where they can be picked up by any CSL team for a $250,000 fee, or can go on the international window, where they can be picked up for a minimum bid of $100,000. Okay, so having said that: the midfield of both Starksville clubs is absolutely loaded. That’s not the case with the Rutland sides, so that could be where they go, but don’t be surprised to see them look at international options.

The two starting forwards on this team are Mikayla Thompson and Crystal Bowers. Mikayla is interesting, being with the Winchester Academy, and that sets her up to be eligible for each Winchester side, which both play an extremely defensive minded system. That’s not going to be appealing to Mikayla, but some smaller teams (and further down the CSL standings) are in her eligibility window: like Brunswick, Jefferson United, North Granby, and Northbury FC. There’s room for her on sides like that for sure, but it is suspected that the still 16-year old forward will be all over the transfer window when that time comes. Crystal Bowers, from the New Lakeland City Academy could be in a nice spot to slide right into New Lakeland SC. Now, what about the national team for these two? Lexi McGregor isn’t going anywhere, then you have Shannon Cunningham who’s 25 and Lacey Sherwood who is 26. Starting opportunities are not going to be there, but it is possible that they could be lined up to replace the likes of Chloe Anderson, Rachel Boldin, and/or Carly Patterson in a few years. However, they still have to bypass other Cassadagan talent that may not be on the national team roster now, but have paid their dues for consideration. People like Hannah Chapman, Callie Henderson, Katelyn Morgan, Connor Elliot, and Danielle Watson all definitely deserve a look before Thompson or Bowers.

It’s not a lost cause for players on this roster, because looking at the back end, there could be a lot of turnover in terms of defenders by the time these RTC players would be ready. If the World Cup 95 roster was all brought back for World Cup 96, and we know that is not going to happen, but let’s just use that as a basis, you have two 28 year olds, one 29 year old, and one 32 year old starting. The other four defenders from that roster will be 30, 30, 25, 22 by time World Cup 96 rolls around. This is where the best opportunity really is, but when it comes to young players, it’s not defenders that get the biggest press. Emma LaFolette, Jamie McKenna, Sarah Robertson, and Stephanie Kaplan may have been born at the right time unlike their peers on this team if they have immediate or close to immediate senior team aspirations. There are some others who are a little bit in front of them, like Gabby Savarese, Emma Spinale, Jenna McKay, and Krissy Grasso, among others, who are going to make sure they get a lot of consideration, too.

We know that CASE has decided that the Di Bradini Cup is no longer valuable for the team due to the cutoff at 21 years of age, but it would have been interesting to see some of the names we mentioned here that are not on the RTC team due to being between 19-21, have their own chance to showcase their skills.

The tournament rolls on in Tumbra, and the fourth opponent for Team Cassadaigua is Juvencus. They are 2-0-1 now, and in third place.

[Sarzonia]

The sense of urgency felt within the dressing room before the Sarzonian Under 18 national football team was palpable.

They were two matches into the group stage and had yet to taste victory. Sure, the first match was a draw and literally everyone in Group B walked off their respective pitches with one point in the table to show for their troubles. Their extensive troubles. Getting on a flight to Græntfjall and then another flight to Tumbra and only playing their third group stage match when they expected to have the tournament nearly over with was a "pain in the butt," according to many Toddler Stars.

The pressure was on because the team's initial goal of earning the group crown and bypassing the play-in round to qualify directly for the quarterfinals seemed to be slipping away. Now the objective was simple.

"We just want to win," defender and team captain Max Wilcox said. "If we don't take care of business, we won't even get to the knockout rounds in the first place."

Sarzonia could breathe a little bit easier after Matchday 3. The Toddler Stars rolled to a 4-0 triumph over The United States of Devonta, getting goals from Emil Moreau, Jorge Acosta, João Gomes and Marco Amato and making things easy for goalkeeper Dalton Collier, who only needed two saves to preserve the clean sheet.

Associate manager Janice Camarillo said she was pleased with the team's effort against Devonta. She filled in for Walter Garrison, who sat out a red card suspension incurred against HUElavia.

"I thought we played a crisp, efficient match," she said. "We had a lot of energy and enthusiasm out there."

The team will need to maintain their energy and focus with Abanhfleft up next. Even though it had been several competitions since the then-Baby Stars competed in the Under 18 World Cup, all the players are familiar with the sporting history between the two countries.

"I watch like everything," Gomes said. "So I've seen a lot of matches between Sarzonian team's and Abanhfleft's. It's a pretty intense rivalry across a lot of sports."

Abanhfleft (1-2-0) currently sit in the runner-up position I'm the Group B table behind HUElavia at 2-1-0. Sarzonia (1-1-1) moved ahead of Crpostran due to goal differential (plus-3 to 0). Baker Park are in fifth place at 0-2-1 and Devonta are dead last at 0-1-2.

"We're in the home stretch," Wilcox said. "If we're going to make a run, now's the time."

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

U18's in win or else position
Scott McCrae
The Daily Mail Chief Soccer Writer

The Baker Park Under-18 National Team are running out of time of they hope to advance to the knockout stage of the current edition of the U18WC here in Tumbra.

A pair of draws and a loss have left BP with a substantial gap to make up with only two matches remaining against long time rivals Sarzonia and HUElavia, with the likelihood that all six points will need to be had to secure advancement.

U18 boss Matt Villareal expressed a sense of frustration with the performance of the squad thus far considering the overall experiences of team.

"We should be level on points with Abanhfleft right now. Not to disrespect either Devonta or Crpostran but we should've gotten at least four points from those fixtures. Now we're going against the group leader (HUElavia) who have little incentive to do anything but play out a safe draw while we need to take all three points."

The 3-3 stalemate between the two nations that have more tourney appearances, fixtures played and wins in the history of the competition was everything that could be expected--end to end action with scoring chances by the bucketful in front of both goals.
The Young Revolutionaries and the Junior Bees added another chapter to their rivalry that dates to the 5th U18WC hosted in Abanhfleft and Villareal stressed the importance that the FAC place in their respect for the only side that has been a part of every U18WC since the beginning.

"Every single youth player that comes into our national team program learns the history of BP & Abanhfleft together in this tourney. I hope that showed through in the pre and post match handshakes."

[Abanhfleft]

Abanhfleft versus Baker Park. Not a common match-up, but it’s also becoming not an uncommon one in recent times. Once again, the most memorable match between these two teams happened between their respective women’s teams in the Jenna Raven Cup, specifically the third edition of that tournament hosted in none other than the Commonwealth itself. That particular match ended in a 4-4 draw, but because it happened in the quarterfinals of the competition, a penalty shootout was required in order to determine who would actually advance to the next round. A shootout wouldn’t be necessary this time around since Abanhfleft and Baker Park were only meeting each other in the group stage of the 21st Under-18 World Cup, but everyone was still stoked to see the next chapter of what looked to be a budding rivalry play out before their very eyes.

Thankfully for these fans, the match itself lived up to the hype. As for the players themselves though, both sides would be forgiven for thinking that this was two points dropped. Abanhfleft had only one victory to their name in this competition so far, and Baker Park was looking for their first win. Maybe it was wishful thinking for both of these teams to think that they could have gotten a victory over a team like Abanhfleft or Baker Park, but it had happened before so there was no harm in thinking that it couldn’t happen again. Unfortunately, no one would actually get to win today, except maybe for HUElavia, who were now sitting top of Group B after winning over Crpostran. The Young Revolutionaries’ draw against Los Amarillos was looking it was going to be of vital importance going into the final run-in.

As for Arnel Laktaw, he was still instrumental for Abanhfleft in this game, though perhaps not to the extent that he was against Devonta. No assists for him this time around, but he was still a menace for the Baker Parkians down the left flank, but he did score his first ever goal for Abanhfleft. It wasn’t anything special, at least not from an analytical point of view; it was literally a tap-in from a Dionisio Cajulao cutback, but it was his first ever goal in international football. Of course Arnel was going to celebrate it like the milestone achievement that it was. But in the grander scheme of things, Arnel’s goal was just that, a goal, and it was soon overshadowed by the fact that Baker Park was somehow able to keep coming back against Abanhfleft despite the latter’s attempts to pull away from them. By itself, it was merely another chapter in the story between Abanhfleft and Baker Park, the Junior Bees doing all that they could to claim at least a point against the Young Revolutionaries, but just a few hours before, practically the same thing had happened to the Fleftic under-21 team in Valanora, but against newcomers Conania. Most people would just see it as two teams coming back against the odds, but from the Fleftic side, the narrative was about the fact that their teams just couldn’t hang on to their leads, and this was especially notable in the Di Bradini Cup because of that tournament reportedly being the last one for the under-21s’ manager Roman Aydarov.

The consequences of the Abanhfleft-Conania match in Valanora were not yet being felt over in Tumbra, mostly because the Fleftics there were focused on their own campaign, there were still two more games for them to play, and the team was in a better position to actually make it out of the group. But the under-18s themselves were also beginning to realize that they could be standing on shaky ground as well. Drawing against Baker Park was not as devastating as some of the more hardcore (some might say deluded) fans of the Democratic Republic would claim, but after the Young Revolutionaries had opened their campaign with another draw against HUElavia, there were definitely some murmurs that they were about to throw away this campaign as well. That was something that Arnel Laktaw didn’t want to think about because this was something that he had already seen before just a few months previous, and he didn’t want to feed into that particular brand of negativity.

The under-18 team had just finished eating their respective dinners when Arnel received a call from his older brother James, who was part of the aforementioned under-21 team struggling in the DBC. “Hey, Arnel!” James called out once Arnel answered the call. “Congrats on scoring your first ever goal for the country, kid. Hope it’s going to be only the first of many. Anyway, how’s your time been with the team? Are they treating you all right? No one’s bullying you or anything?”

“Yeah, I’m just fine, kuya, thanks,” Arnel replied. “I saw your tackle against that Vdara guy too, whoever it was, stopped them scoring. Oh, and no, nobody’s been giving me a hard time here so far. Well, there was this one guy, this one time, but that was back in training camp, going on about how the two of us are going to make Abanhfleft lose again.”

“Wait, what?” James asked. “What was he talking about? Is he saying that we’re freaking bad luck for the national team?”

“I don’t really know,” Arnel shrugged. “Someone else said that he just says that to mess with everyone, but I don’t think I’ve seen him do that with anyone else after I came there. I don’t know. Maybe I’m just too suspicious or whatever.”

“Well, as long as it was just that one time and it didn’t happen again,” James trailed off. “Anyway, I was just asking about how you were doing over there because, well, I don’t know if you’ve see what happened with us versus Conania yet, but things are kinda getting a little bad over here.”

“Um, how bad are we talking about here?” Arnel asked with some concern. “You’re not punching people over there already, are you?”

“What?! No!” James immediately retorted. “Nobody’s punching anybody! What I meant to say is that meant to say is that people are getting restless over here. I mean, you understand, right? Lost to Vdara, drew against Conania, and then in a few days, this team of ours has to find a way to win against Tumbra of all people. Naturally, people are panicking, and I just wanted to make sure that you guys over there aren’t panicking like some of us over here are.”

“Panicking? Why would we be panicking, kuya?” Arnel asked.

“I don’t know why too,” James admitted. “I’m just saying that you should, you know, try to keep your eyes open at all times. Just… don’t get involved in anything bad, yeah?”

“What are you trying to say?” Arnel asked.

“Don’t piss off anyone over there,” James replied, “and if anyone gets pissed off, make sure to never get in their way. Take care of yourself out there, Nel,” the older Laktaw added before ending the call.

“Wait!” Arnel called out, but he was no only speaking to his phone’s home screen. If James had intended to reassure Arnel and keep him out of harm’s way, wherever that might come from, then it hadn’t really worked, at least not the first part. Arnel didn’t even know that he had any questions at all, but now all he could think of were questions. What was his brother talking about? What trouble was maybe supposed to happen? Was James already in some sort of trouble over in Valanora because of his team’s results? What in the world was happening?

Arnel Laktaw tried to shove those worries into the back of his mind and focus on the next game for the under-18s, but that was hard to do when he was in an environment in which he was surrounded by all sorts of potential flashpoints. The way that James had talked, it seemed as if the under-21s’ precarious position in the group stage of the Di Bradini Cup was a powder keg just waiting for the spark to ignite it. In Arnel’s honest opinion, things hadn’t yet gotten to that point with the under-18s, but another draw or even a defeat could very well be the tipping point. And after having already seen the ramifications of those before, Arnel realized that he had no intention at all of getting caught up in such a situation. He was still going to play as best as he could, but then he thought about what could happen if his best wasn’t good enough, and he felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. That would suck really, really bad.

         ABANHFLEFT 3 - 3 BAKER PARK        
    LINSANGAN (13')       ANTHONY (27')
    A. LAKTAW (56')       GAULETTE (59')
  PINAGBUKLOD (80')       BELLINGHAM (83')

[Tumbra]

Tumbra 4-2 Amenria

TMB (4-3-3): 13 - L Rand; 18 - C Herlinger, 5 - L Pohl, 14 - V Ramachandran, 3 - J Henderson (19 - B Evans, 80'); 6 - K Hawksley (25 - L Chen, 75'), 16 - T Crosby, 23 - D Fleming (8 - S Curtin, 75'); 7 - E McVeigh, 9 - D Brent (21 - M Ofpool, 80'); 22 - D Fox (26 - R Schneider, 83')

TMB scorers: Tim Crosby (16'), Duncan Fox (32', 48', 80')

Player of the Match: Duncan Fox [TMB]

"Most negative federal election campaign in history," as ad spending on negative ads quadruple

STRATON — The 2037 federal election campaign is shaping up to be the "most negative in history," as spending on negative ads has reportedly quadrupled amongst major parties; with Bertram Andrews and Max Young look increasingly to convince the supporters of either party why they should vote for them in the federal election, which is now just four weeks away. Discontent with the two parties is "still rising," according to a recent poll released by StewartCampbell; but there has barely been an uptick in support for third parties, the same poll noted. Key to this has been the "atmosphere of negativity" fostered by the two main parties; a whopping 62% of potential United Party voters and 48% of Labour Party voters responded to questions asked of them regarding the "a vote for the other party could possibly lead the country down the wrong path."

Neither Labour leader Andrews nor United leader Young responded directly to questions on the increasingly negative tone of the campaign during press stops, both blaming the other for starting the descent of the campaign from one of ideas into a negative campaign. The two, however, reaffirmed their participation in the one-on-one debate to be held on national television; both claiming that talking to voters "directly" would help them get their policy proposals across to the country better. On the same day that these interviews were given, the United Party launched an attack ad on Labour's plan to increase Tumbra's suburban railway capacity in multiple municipalities; calling the plans "a war on motorists" which would "take valubale funds away from the maintenance of Tumbra's roads."

Early voting for the federal election is set to begin in two weeks, though it is not expected to be an option that is widely taken up; this means that the chance of these negative ads letting up the closer the country gets to polling day is near nil.

Lineup for Tumbra v Srednajci

Starters: 1 - K Broughton; 2 - J Howlett, 14 - V Ramachandran, 20 - E Diamond, 19 - B Evans; 25 - L Chen, 23 - D Fleming, 10 - V Brown; 17 - C Tartwell, 9 - D Brent; 26 - R Schneider

[Tumbra]

Cutoff. Scores to be edited into this post.

Group A
Conania 1–0 Tikariot
Juvencus 0–4 Cassadaigua
The 14 Stars 2–1 Græntfjall

. Group A                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The 14 Stars                                4   4  0  0    6   2  +4   12   Q
2 Cassadaigua                                 4   3  1  0   16   3 +13   10   Q
3 Juvencus                                    4   2  0  2    5   7  −2    6
4 Tikariot                                    4   1  1  2    3   3   0    4
5 Conania                                     4   1  0  3    4  11  −7    3
6 Græntfjall                                  4   0  0  4    1   9  −8    0   E

Group B
Comonwealth of Baker Park 0–0 HUElavia
United States of Devonta 1–3 Crpostran
Abanhfleft 1–2 Sarzonia

. Group B                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                                    4   2  2  0    6   4  +2    8   Q
2 Sarzonia                                    4   2  1  1    9   5  +4    7
3 Crpostran                                   4   2  1  1    7   5  +2    7
4 Abanhfleft                                  4   1  2  1   11   9  +2    5
5 Comonwealth of Baker Park                   4   0  3  1    4   5  −1    3   E
6 United States of Devonta                    4   0  1  3    4  13  −9    1   E

Group C
Chromatika 1–2 Amenria
Srednjaci 1–3 Tumbra scorination viewed in public forum by Lisander
Vyktoria 1–1 Cardenao

. Group C                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tumbra                                      4   4  0  0   15   4 +11   12   Q
2 Amenria                                     4   3  0  1   11   7  +4    9   Q
3 Srednjaci                                   4   2  0  2    7   8  −1    6
4 Vyktoria                                    4   1  2  1    8   8   0    5
5 Chromatika                                  4   0  1  3    3   9  −6    1   E
6 Cardenao                                    4   0  1  3    4  12  −8    1   E

Group D
Lisander 2–4 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove
Coringlaan 4–3 Siovanija and Teusland
Natanians and Nosts 0–1 Semarland

. Group D                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Semarland                                   4   4  0  0    7   1  +6   12   Q
2 Lisander                                    4   3  0  1   13   5  +8    9   Q
3 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove      4   2  0  2   11  10  +1    6
4 Coringlaan                                  4   2  0  2    7  11  −4    6
5 Natanians and Nosts                         4   1  0  3    3   5  −2    3
6 Siovanija and Teusland                      4   0  0  4    7  16  −9    0   E

[Juvencus]

You may have thought 11 nameless creatures would be representing Juvencus on the Under 18 world cup and you would be correct. Nobody knows about the country's participation in this Under-18 World Cup besides those 11 nameless creatures. However, for the competition's sake they will be given code names so that they can be distinguished. Unlike the team that showed up at the Independents Cup, this team isn't hooded, instead opting to use tactical masks to cover themselves.

Without further ado here's Juvencus' representation??? for the Under-18 World Cup.

Goalkeeper: Mega Llama Enforcer (Age ???)

Defefenders: Samir Buonpomeriggio (Age surely under 18)
Marco Buonpomeriggio (Age approximately 16)
Daniella Buonpomeriggio (Age not disclosed)

Midfielders: Ricardo Tacklesemall (Age 18, he was adamant)
Rafaella Passtheballforward (Age 17, she's a student)
Simona The Great (Age I wish I knew)
Randall the Dino (Age 17, he isn't a dino)

Forwards: Mister Shootsalot (Age 12, no he's not human, no he's not a cat either for God's sake)
Suva Suva (Age 15, looks like a waterbottle from a certain RLstates island chain)
Rocket Scientist (Age 17? maybe)

Do they have a coach? Nobody knows...

The Juven national team supports and will always support a free Qusmo! Thank you for the kits, uni-q!

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
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes
Style modifier: +5

[HUElavia]

Crpostran 1–2 HUElavia
(Chan 87' | Oh 13', Uchee 52')

Comonwealth of Baker Park 0–0 HUElavia

These Kids are Alright.

A Solid performance in two matches shows much promise in this young roster of players!

Youth Tournaments have been a set of mix bag results for HUElavia over the years. Either deep runs or early crashes for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos, much like the senior team in most tournaments they'd participate in. But so far, the Group Stage has fared well for the team. The matches have not been barnburners with many goals, something that is characteristic of the senior team. Despite this, the team has been playing very well on the pitch, getting solid results left and right up to now. Against Crpostran, the team was very great, dominating in possession and shots, making life miserable for The Sapphire Eaglets with the players going for strong shots and making it rough for them. A fantastic free kick by Oh opened up the scoring in the 13th minute, and a corner taken by Oh in the 52nd minute allowed for Uchee to head unopposed into the goal to double the lead. A shot by Chan in the 87th minute was deflected off the gloves of Ancel as it went in for the final score of 2-1.

The second match was more of a defensive showcase, with Ventura and Nikolaou making saves left and right. On top of that, Tan and Lobo made fantastic blocks that had the crowd applauding their efforts, while Perkins and Lanórsdóttir put on a clinical on the defense, which also was impressive. Overall, it was a frustrating day for the attack of both teams as the match ended in another 0-0 scoreline. Despite the dull draw, it was enough for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos to clinch a spot in the knockouts, joining the likes of The 14 Stars, Cassadaigua, hosts Tumbra, Amenria, Semarland, and Lisander.

The next match is against The United States of Devonta, who only has a point and is already eliminated, so there may be a chance to see an entire team of backups coming onto the field to get minutes and experience in the match. While it may be a match with less intensity, the team still will play it cautiously in order to get a direct spot to the Quarter-Finals, and avoid having to go through the Round-of-12, where it could involve the likes of The 14 Stars, Cassadaigua, Juvencus, Tikariot, or Conania. Already among those 5 teams, there's 4 heavy hitters that can bring a very difficult match.

Regardless of what happens, there will be at least two more matches for HUElavia to be played and it has been a quiet, but pleasant experience for the Young Jaguars, as some in the media have taken to call them. One can only hope this could be a good run and a good starting point for many of these young players.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Cassadaigua]

Fillies score another win,
by Caitlyn Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

As Team Cassadaigua took to the field for their pre-game warmup session, 18-year old forward Crystal Bowers did not run directly onto the pitch. No one was going to say anything about her going over to a man who was sitting near the tunnel for a conversation that took at least five minutes. That is because that man was Julio Campana, the two-time CSL MVP, and three-time Golden Boot winner (most of those before Lexi McGregor burst onto the scene) with New Lakeland SC. While there are many international players who have success in Cassadaigua, and some with a significant amount of it, Campana is arguably the most successful. Julio had a lot of interest in this match, as after all, the Fillies were taking on Juvencus, which of course, is the nation that Campana calls home. But so much more was going on with that conversation. As after all, Campana may be about to play his final season as he rumored to be hanging up the cleats to enjoy a well-earned retirement. Crystal Bowers, from the New Lakeland City Academy, is a logical person to replace Campana when he does. Crystal has not formally signed on with New Lakeland SC, as both of the Victoriaville sides are also in this region and are likely to at least try to make a push.

It was not the first time that Campana and Bowers had gotten together to have a chat, and it is not the first time that Campana has seen her play. Naturally, New Lakeland SC has had their eyes on Crystal for a long time, and even though the Victoriaville teams are eligible to sign Bowers as well, New Lakeland SC is allowed to have as much communication with her as they please since she plays specifically for their academy. Bowers is from suburban New Lakeland, and it has been her dream to play professionally for New Lakeland SC. A few months ago, Crystal was quoted by a publication from New Lakeland that, “It’s either going to be New Lakeland SC or I go play in another country. I have never dreamed of playing for Victoriaville City or Victoriaville South End. I have only dreamt of playing against them. If I can’t get the deal I want, then I will explore international options. I have had some thoughts about playing in some of the great leagues of the world, too.” That didn’t make fans of the Victoriaville teams very optimistic, and why everyone feels Bowers going to New Lakeland SC is a foregone conclusion. Julio Campana clearly wants that to happen, “Crystal is one heck of a player. Looks great on the ball, great all around field vision, with that scoring touch. I wanted to see her play, and when I saw that there was going to be a game against Juvencus, naturally that was the one I chose.”

It has been a good RTC Cup for Bowers thus far, as the forward had three of the twelve goals scored by the team prior to the match. That speaks of the overall balance of the scoring thus far for the pink and black, and now with one of her biggest fans in attendance, she was ready to shine. “It was great to be able to talk to Julio for a while today,” Crystal told reporters, “Obviously, I knew he was going to be there, so we had exchanged texts beforehand and all that stuff, and will talk about things a little more after the fact, too. He was one of my idols growing up. Watching him score all those goals, and the CSL title that he led the team to years ago, when I was a younger and in middle school. I had posters of him on my wall. It’s a little different now, as he is not really an idol but a mentor, and the more I talk with him about the details of the game, the greater that I will become.” Campana has not stated that he plans on retiring yet but has acknowledged that the “writing is probably on the fall for that”. Julio has said that he would love to play with Crystal for at least one year, to possibly allow there not to be so much pressure on the young forward once she inevitably signs with New Lakeland SC, which we all know she will do.

Juvencus came into the match at 2-0-1, and whether or not they have any future Julio Campana’s on their roster will remain to be seen. The team had not revealed the names of their players before the game, and they still kind of haven’t. However, at least we were provided some code names for them, and that they were wearing masks. Campana was asked about that, and he replied, “well, certainly we do some unusual things as a nation, don’t we? I am not really in favor of that, but they have their reasons. Wearing a mask has got to hurt the peripheral vision of the players, though. It’s not a strategy that I would employ, personally.” While no one may really know if Juvencus has a manager, Campana laughed when asked if he would want to be. He did not further reply, so we’ll take that at face value.

The game itself was evenly played for about 20 minutes, but after that point, the Fillies took control of the game. A 23rd minute goal Izzy Beauford got the team started, as she converted on a free kick just outside of the penalty area. Later in the first half, Crystal Bowers made New Lakeland SC fans excited with her 42nd minute strike. In the second half, the pink and black got goals out of Mikayla Thompson (58th) and Tara Guernsey (83rd) to account for the remaining goals in the 4-0 win. Once again, the goals were spread out, as four different players put their name on the scoresheet. Chen Huikang says that is becoming a staple of this team, “Opponents don’t know who to key in on. And that’s making us even better, we have so many players on this squad who can be the hero in every game when it comes to scoring the game winner. Plus, the consistent defensive play added on to it. I really like this team.”

The final game for the Fillies will be a battle for first place in Group A as they take on The 14 Stars, who are 4-0-0. They’ve only allowed two goals, which is the second fewest of any in the RTC Cup. Cassadaigua, meanwhile, is the highest scoring team out of anyone. So it will be a good test for each unit, for sure.

[Sarzonia]

Walter Garrison paced the sidelines in front of the Sarzonian Under 18 national team bench during the 80th minute of the team's match against Abanhfleft.

Each team earned goals, with Emil Moreau finding paydirt against Fleftic goalkeeper Kyrie Mangubat in the 12th minute and Abanhfleft striker Lance Capinpin blasting a direct free kick past Toddler Stars keeper Dalton Collier in the 48th. Garrison hadn't yet made an offensive substitution, opting to send out Carter Williams for Danny Haley in the 52nd minute. He nearly had to make another substitution three minutes later when Williams launched an aggressive tackle in the box. He breathed a sigh of relief when the Græntfjaller referee only cautioned Williams.

But now, Garrison was considering whether to send on Gregg Anderson for Williams as a third attacker, essentially adopting a 4-3-3 formation in an effort to strengthen the attack and prevent the risk of an already agitated Williams getting sent off. He turned for a moment toward associate manager Janice Camarillo when he heard the Sarzonian crowd roar. He looked and saw the team celebrating what turned out to be an extraordinarily lucky bounce.

Defender Max Wilcox fired what he intended to be a cross to keep the team in the Fleftic end of the pitch, but he hit it slightly inaccurately. However, the mistake caromed off the crossbar and into the back of the net. An incredulous Wilcox was soon overwhelmed by teammates congratulating his unlikely strike. The Fleftic defender nearest the goal stood stunned for a second before he realised that his team now had to play from behind and sprinted into the goal to retrieve and launch the ball to the centre circle.

"I couldn't believe I scored that," Wilcox said. "I was trying to keep it alive for the team, but next thing I knew, lads were coming up and celebrating. I was so happy!"

So was Garrison, who admitted shouting, "No!" when he saw Wilcox launch the ball and then, "Yes!" after the unlikely tally. Now, he was pondering a five-man defensive line, but decided against it because he realised that was antithetical to Sarzonian football, no matter the level.

"We'll take the result," Garrison said of his side's 2-1 victory over Abanhfleft that left his Toddler Stars one point behind HUElavia, which already punched their ticket into the knockout rounds with eight points on two winsandtwo draws from four matches. Sarzonia, meanwhile are level with Crpostran on points, but have the advantage in goal differential as those teams drew on Matchday 1.

Both HUElavia and Sarzonia are facing the two teams already eliminated from knockout round contention. Los Armarillos face the United States of Devonta, who thus far only have one draw to show for their troubles. Meanwhile, Sarzonia will face Baker Park in their finale.

"Baker Park, loser!" Williams said with a smile, hoping to recall an unfortunate incident during the Atlantian Oceania Lacrosse Classic in Sarzonia when event organisers forgot to remove the word "loser" from a tournament bracket update.

"Dude, shut up!" Wilcox snapped! "We don't need to give those folks bulletin board material!"

[Tumbra]

Srednjaci 1–3 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 1 - K Broughton; 2 - J Howlett (18 - C Herlinger, 65'), 14 - V Ramachandran, 20 - E Diamond, 19 - B Evans (3 - J Henderson, 84'); 25 - L Chen, 23 - D Fleming (16 - T Crosby, 73'), 10 - V Brown (8 - S Curtin, 65'); 17 - C Tartwell, 9 - D Brent (21 - M Ofpool, 73'); 26 - R Schneider

TMB scorers: Ruth Schneider (18', 72'), Chelsea Tartwell (80')

Player of the Match: Chelsea Tartwell [TMB]

Speculation rife over Lennon's long-term future as manager reveals contract ends at end of cycle

LAKEWOOD — Ahead of Tumbra's final Under-18 World Cup group stage match in Lakewood, against Vyktoria, Under-18 manager John Lennon has revealed that his managerial contract is up at the end of the cycle, sparking speculation over whether Lennon will be seeking to move on to a job in club football or ascend up the hierarchy of the national team ladder. "It's something I don't think about, really," he said in the pre-match press conference against Tumbra's final group stage opponents, Vyktoria. "Or at least, I'm not thinking actively about it. Right now, I want to finish this tournament with the best possible result, and hopefully win Tumbra's second-ever Under-18 World Cup." Tumbra have been one of the most successful Under-18 World Cup teams in recent years, scoring five semi-final appearances from eight appearances in the tournament. They have only won the tournament once in that time, however, with Mertagne and Cassadaigua winning two, as well as Græntfjall, Chromatika, and another nation winning the other three titles. All five semi-final runs, however, were achieved under Lennon's predecessor, the current manager of Newark Argyle, Toby Barton.

"It's something that definitely...well, it hangs on you, that perhaps you're not able to bring as much success to the table as your predecessors. But youth football is unpredictable — one cycle's champions could mean going out in the next tournament's group stage," he said, referring to defending champions Chromatika, who have been eliminated early in this tournament, to the general shock of most followers. Also out in the gruelling group stages is the Commonwealth of Baker Park, who were the losing finalists from last cycle's edition; both of last cycle's third-place playoff participants, Quebec & Shingoryeo and Elmyia, did not turn out to this edition. Similar rumours about leaving the national team set-up have surrounded under-21 manager Thomas Branting, who is reportedly being sought after by multiple T-League clubs as his three-cycle contract also runs to a close at the end of this Di Bradini Cup.

Tumbran Football Federation likely to re-elect President at closed-door meeting

STRATON — When the governing body of Tumbran football meets on Saturday at the Steinhardt Grand Hotel behind closed doors, not one member of the press will be present for a secretive election which will likely see incumbent President Joseph Beresford re-elected. The Tumbran Football Federation (TFF) looks set to re-elect Beresford, 70, for a full six-year term, after internal sources from within the TFF confirmed that there was "no significant opposition" to Beresford's re-election bid. The former football player, who was active from 1983 till 2005, has taken steps to increase the posture of the Tumbran national team, including "significant funding appropriations" for the national team. Beresford was elected as President in an emergency meeting after former President James Flynn resigned just two years into his own six-year tenure, after failing to prevent a split of the T-League from the auspices of the Tumbran Football Federation. Beresford took steps to heal the open wounds between himself and former TFF President Heather Cartwright, allowing for clubs to sit on and vote for TFF President.

Beresford is set to be re-elected in an arcane electoral college process which weights the votes of Tumbran football clubs, state football associations, and board members; the exact process and voting weights is said to differ from election to election and are reportedly decided before the congress in backroom meetings. "The election of a president of the TFF is surprisingly esoteric and papal-like," says author Bridget Bennett, the author of How The TFF Really Works, a groundbreaking work and a key work in unravelling the complicated internal mechanisms of the TFF. "Beresford has had to juggle and build a complex coalition of allies in order to secure his position at the top, but he seems to have done so with aplomb." The President, however, is expected to field questions over the hosting of the Under-18 World Cup, which was moved to Tumbra on short notice.

[Tumbra]

Cutoff. Scores will be edited into this post.

In the results table, purple indicates a group winner that has advanced to the quarter-finals. The teams in second and third who have progressed to the playoff round will be labelled in red, blue, green, and yellow to denote the playoff they have progressed to. Eliminated teams will not be marked.

Group A
Græntfjall 0–2 Conania
Cassadaigua 5–1 The 14 Stars
Tikariot 1–2 Juvencus

. Group A                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Cassadaigua                                 5   4  1  0   21   4 +17   13   Bye
2 The 14 Stars                                5   4  0  1    7   7   0   12   A2vB3
3 Juvencus                                    5   3  0  2    7   8  −1    9   B2vA3
4 Conania                                     5   2  0  3    6  11  −5    6
5 Tikariot                                    5   1  1  3    4   5  −1    4
6 Græntfjall                                  5   0  0  5    1  11 −10    0

Group B
Sarzonia 1–0 Comonwealth of Baker Park
Crpostran 2–1 Abanhfleft
HUElavia 2–1 United States of Devonta

. Group B                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                                    5   3  2  0    8   5  +3   11   Bye
2 Sarzonia                                    5   3  1  1   10   5  +5   10   B2vA3
3 Crpostran                                   5   3  1  1    9   6  +3   10   A2vB3
4 Abanhfleft                                  5   1  2  2   12  11  +1    5
5 Comonwealth of Baker Park                   5   0  3  2    4   6  −2    3
6 United States of Devonta                    5   0  1  4    5  15 −10    1

Group C
Cardenao 0–2 Chromatika
Tumbra 5–3 Vyktoria scorination viewed in public forum by Mertagne
Amenria 1–3 Srednjaci

. Group C                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tumbra                                      5   5  0  0   20   7 +13   15   Bye
2 Amenria                                     5   3  0  2   12  10  +2    9   C2vD3
3 Srednjaci                                   5   3  0  2   10   9  +1    9   D2vC3
4 Vyktoria                                    5   1  2  2   11  13  −2    5
5 Chromatika                                  5   1  1  3    5   9  −4    4
6 Cardenao                                    5   0  1  4    4  14 −10    1

Group D
Semarland 4–2 Lisander
Siovanija and Teusland 2–0 Natanians and Nosts
Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove 4–3 Coringlaan

. Group D                                   Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Semarland                                   5   5  0  0   11   3  +8   15   Bye
2 Lisander                                    5   3  0  2   15   9  +6    9   D2vC3
3 Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove      5   3  0  2   15  13  +2    9   C2vD3
4 Coringlaan                                  5   2  0  3   10  15  −5    6
5 Natanians and Nosts                         5   1  0  4    3   7  −4    3
6 Siovanija and Teusland                      5   1  0  4    9  16  −7    3

Playoff/Round of 12 games

Red: The 14 Stars vs Crpostran
@ the George Bowen Stadium, Hesham. The winner of this game will face HUElavia, the winner of Group B.

Blue: Sarzonia vs Juvencus
@ the Couno Port Stadium, Couno. The winner of this game will face Cassadaigua, the winner of Group A.

Green: Amenria vs Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove
@ Kensington Stadium, Ridgewell. The winner of this game will face Semarland, the winner of Group D.

Yellow: Lisander vs Srednjaci
@ Bencoolen City Stadium, Bencoolen. The winner of this game will face Tumbra, the winner of Group C.

A reminder to all that all games will not have extra time, going straight to penalties!

edit: reminder on no extra time

[Cassadaigua]

Fillies continue to impress; win Group A,
by Caitlyn Dufresne, Concord Heights Times

The final game of the group stage for the pink and black was the nation of The 14 Stars, an Esportivan nation that jumped out to a 4-0-0 start. While that fact alone is impressive, the way they went about it opened a lot of eyes. Known as The Young Wolves, they had only conceded two goals for the entire tournament. Surely then, a lot of international eyes were on Kieran Elliott, the 16-year old keeper who was most responsible for that start. Naturally, he had a lot of help, with the defenders in front of him also making a lot of key plays. You may think that a team with these goals for and goals against would be playing a boring, Winchester Traditional SC like extremely defensive system, but that is not the case. The Young Wolves use a base 4-3-3 formation and manager Julio Reyes seemed to be on the neutral side of tactics, though slightly favoring offense. All that made Kieran Elliott and company all the more appealing for only allowing two goals behind them.

However, they were about to face their greatest test. Cassadaigua has been able to score during this tournament, as their sixteen goals through four games ranked highest in the entire RTC Cup. Even though half of them did come against Conania, the Fillies have been able to consistently score, other than the 1-1 draw against Tikariot. It was that game that prevented this from being a showdown of 4-0-0 sides, but it would still be for the group title and the potential first round bye. National team manager Chen Huikang may be starting to field questions about the World Cup 96 roster now, but his complete focus was on this match, and finding ways to generate offense against a stout defensive opponent. Prior to the match, Chen was tightlipped as usual, but the impression was that he was very confident heading in. “The team has had a great couple days of practice for this game, and they are ready to take on this challenge, which will be the strongest of the tournament. We’re playing a team that has a perfect record against the same opponents that we have played. Now is the time to showcase our abilities, and get a win out of this.” This was not a meaningless game, as the format means that the group winner will get a first round bye, something that is always a great reward when it is available to you.

From the opening whistle, the Fillies aggressively pushed for the first goal. This type of approach was a staple of Chen Huikang early in his Cassadagan tenure, but he has gotten away from doing this with frequency as to not be too predictable. However, statistical nerds will tell you that the Fillies have a lot more success under Chen when they play in this manner and are able to score the first goal of the match. While the team owned possession early in the game, they did not put many shots on goal, and after the game, we learned that this was all part of the plan, to study how the defense was reacting to certain plays for purposes of pouncing later. When the first fifteen minutes of the game went by without a goal, some where probably thinking that the Young Wolves had dodged the early bullet. But in the 17th minute, Izzy Beauford took advantage of the defense forgetting to account for her, and was wide open for a cross by Mikayla Thompson. It was executed perfectly by the players, and the pink and black had the early advantage. Seven minutes later, Thompson again picked up an assist, this time on a Crystal Bowers goal to make it 2-0. Just like that, The 14 Stars had conceded just as many goals through 24 minutes of this match as they had for the entire tournament.

You had to be feeling really good about Cassadaigua at that point. The Young Wolves were not used to being in this type of hole during a game, and you could start to see them start to unravel as the first half wore on. That sloppiness would cost them, as Jamie McKenna’s long run and subsequent long range shot made it three-nil in favor of the Fillies in the 38th. Jamie’s goal was the first by a Cassadagan fullback during this tournament.

Things only got worse for the Young Wolves in the second half, as Mikayla Thompson quickly extended the lead to four just two minutes after the half began. At that point, the group seemed to be in the bag, and when an impressive individual effort by Kaylee Maxwell made it 4-1 in the 57th, no one was going to get concerned. Hannah Lindgren closed out the scoring in the 82nd minute, and with that, another game came to a close with balanced scoring, as five different goal scorers found their way to the scoresheet for Cassadaigua. Of course, Mikayla Thompson was the star of this, with a goal and two assists. The old saying may be that a good defense stops a good offense, but on this day, it was the good offense smoothly taking care of business against a good defense.

This victory means that the team will have a first round bye, and will take on the winner of a game between Sarzonia and Juvencus in Couno. The Fillies will be in attendance at the Couno Port Stadium to watch the game.

[Srednjaci]

21ST UNDER -18 WORLD CUP-TUMBRA

Dear viewers, good day and welcome to the U18 WC in Tumbra!
Big sports competitions are behind us and some are ongoing like this one now and some new ones are still waiting for us.
Our athletes returned from the Winter Olympics having won an incredible 47 medals! The most in the history of our Olympicism!
With that number, we won second place on medal tally of total medal won. Liventia was the only one with more than us, 52 medals and a new world record!

But let's get back to this sport now. In the last round of group play, our young footballers beat their peers from Amenria with a score of 3-1!
This win pushed us forward into the playoffs to enter the top eight. The winners of the groups have already qualified for the quarterfinals, and the rest of us have to fight hard for the remaining places.
Our next opponent is Lisander.
Of the 23 registered players, 14 of them come from U18 national champions AFC Rovers! That is very significant! It means that the team is well-coordinated and that the players know each other quite well. There is the strongest strength of our next opponents, Lysander.

On the other hand, our team plays fantastically when they have enough space on the field. We like to use the whole field and play quick deep balls into empty space, which will be difficult for the Lisander players in the back line to follow.
Thomas Navarro is their best player in the back line of defense. But our defense players will have to watch out for the duo of Lucas Amandier and Marian Alfort. It was this duo that scored 13 goals out of 18 in the national championship for their club.

Here's what our coach says about the upcoming game.

"We had ups and downs in this championship. We didn't manage to stabilize. But we were outplayed in only one game, and that was against Tumbra. However, the knockout stage is ahead of us. Lose and you go home. The opponent is well-rounded and very unpleasant. Lisander is playing well football, but they have their flaws that we have noticed. We hope that we will be able to use their weaknesses in the game and that we will be able to impose our game," said Robert Utvardić.

Dear viewers, stay with us and support our players in the next match.
The match will be played in the city of Bencoolen, at the Bencoolen City Stadium, and the winner of this match will play against Tumbra in the quarter-finals.

[Semarland]

sportsat.SEM

REVIEW: SEMARLAND U18S TOP GROUP D - CAN THEY BRING THE TROPHY HOME?
by Tahmarl Bolton

It seems like a lifetime ago when Semarland took part in the inaugural U18 World Cup. A team that included the likes of Semar footballing legends, such as Kwame Nelson, Eric Nti-Bonso and Amani Chimbonda took the trophy home, with the majority of the squad going onto have respectable and successful careers at a good level. Of course, not all made it to the senior side, but the vast majority of those that did were part of arguably Semarland's golden era. Whilst Semarland have only been back on the international scene for a few years now, they're still a long way off another bronze era, let alone gold or silver - but judging by the U18 side's performances at the 21st U18 World Cup, could this be the side that comes as close to or even exceeds the first U18 World Cup squad's achievements?

Whilst that first squad back in the day had more individual star quality, this side is driven by team cohesion as much as individual talent. Manager Magnus Larsen-Jacobsen noted in a press conference his players seamlessly gelled alongside their colleagues, despite having little experience of playing with each other on the international stage. Every player has started at least twice (bar goalkeeper Solomon Tsehaye, who made just a single starting appearance keeping a clean sheet against Natanians and Nosts), and in fairness, everyone has impressed enough to be given a chance to start again. Larsen-Jacobsen wanted to rotate as much as possible during the group stage, so if Semarland made it out, everyone would be ready for the knockout stages in case of injuries or suspension. Fortunately, neither scenario is applicable - even with midfielder Courier who was tipped to miss the first two games fit enough to return for the second - and with no players accumulating any red (or yellow) cards to see them suspended.

It's hard to pick out a standout player so far, but striker Gokhan Enevoldsen is in the running. The FC Jansberg youngster leads the scoring charts with three goals from four games - his first a simple tap in from Jykese Bridge's low cut-back against Siovanija and Teusland, the second a looping header again assisted by Bridge for the only goal of the game against Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove, and the third the best of them all - a powerful, rasping shot from just inside the box after Tre Sembie-Parris' shot was initially saved by Lisander goalkeeper Daniel Sevres. Wingers Bridge and Sembie-Parris have also impressed - the latter's floating cross from the right hand side setting up Mikael Montpelier's volley for arguably the most impressive goal scored so far against Lisander - as have playmaker Montpelier and midfielder Marlon Barnes, whose energy in midfield has been a vital component of the footballing system employed by Larsen-Jacobsen.

Really and truly, everyone has put in a shift so far. Captain Paul Akinsegun is very highly rated at FC Kolberg and strikes you as the type who'll be around the senior side one day, as does right-back Rahmell Pascal of FC Nuholm. Pascal likely has high competition in a few years time, with Karl Kvist still likely to be around as well as Eikborg Club's Jaden Hamilton, but Pascal's performances down the right hand side put him in the running for Semarland's player of the tournament so far. "More modern than a modern day full-back" hailed coach Mekhi Gunness, whose encouragement of Pascal to drift into the centre and almost dual-operate as a third central midfielder working wonders in the win against Siovanija and Teusland, allowing Barnes to push forward a bit more and the freedom to make those late runs into the box, with the Sporting Saint Adrensburg midfielder rifling home just after the hour mark to double Semarland's advantage.

Not forgotten the goalkeepers and the rest of the defenders, with remarkably everyone attaining at least one clean sheet so far. D'Quim Marshall's performance against Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove earned him a deserved man of the match award plus praise from the opponents' media outlets, whilst both centre-back pairings of Mohammed Wilkinson and Lars Outerbridge, and Dion Fenchurch and Quon Ferriby-Green have done their jobs well. Whilst not as technically assured as some Semar defenders, their physicality is unmatched and it actually works in favour of the more technically-skilled full-backs such as Pascal to push forward a bit without the worry their colleagues in the centre will have the same idea. It's an interesting tactical shift, with ball playing defenders usually favoured at youth level, and one to keep an eye on to see how it pays off in the future.

Five wins from five and a 100% record so far, focus turns to the playoffs, with either Amenria or Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove set to face Semarland in the next round. Amenria finished second in a strong group that included hosts Tumbra - the only other nation apart from Semarland to maintain a 100% win record, whilst Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove were arguably Semarland's toughest opponent in the group stage. Larsen-Jacobsen will likely call upon D'Quim Marshall between the sticks and set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with the 4-3-1-2 he initially elected to go with struggling to break down the opponents. That's if Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove win, and shoud Amenria make it through, he may feel more inclined to go with the 4-3-1-2 again, with the partnership of Isaac Boakye-Wilkins and Kyriq Barton a good match for Amenria's defence. Either scenario will leave Larsen-Jacobsen and his staff confident, and rightly so given the team's performances so far.

Semarland 3-0 Siovanija and Teusland
Enevoldsen '26, Barnes '63, Montpelier '82
Bradshaw; Bright (Jorgensen-Mavoungou 75), Wilkinson, Outerbridge, Pascal; Barnes (Adu-Kuffour 75), Akinsegun; Bridge, Montpelier (Richie 86), Sembie-Parris; Enevoldsen.

Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove 0–1 Semarland
Enevoldsen '72
Marshall; Jorgensen-Mavoungou, Fenchurch, Ferriby-Green, Mackie-Bright; Courier, Adu-Kuffour, Lindegaard (Bridge 60); Richie; Boakye-Wilkins (Enevoldsen 60), Barton (Sembie-Parris 60).

Semarland 2-1 Coringlaan
Barton '17, Boakye-Wilkins '44
Marshall; Jorgensen-Mavoungou, Fenchurch, Ferriby-Green, Mackie-Bright (Pascal 78); Courier (Barnes 78), Adu-Kuffour, Lindegaard; Richie (Montpelier 78); Boakye-Wilkins, Barton.

Natanians and Nosts 0–1 Semarland
Akinsegun '27
Tsehaye; Bright, Wilkinson, Outerbridge, Pascal; Barnes, Akinsegun; Bridge (Boakye-Wilkins 84), Montpelier (Richie 55), Sembie-Parris (Barton 84); Enevoldsen.

Semarland 4–2 Lisander
Pascal '15, Enevoldsen '41, Bridge '67, Montpelier '73
Bradshaw; Bright, Wilkinson, Outerbridge, Pascal; Barnes (Courier 83), Akinsegun (Lindegaard 83); Bridge, Montpelier, Sembie-Parris; Enevoldsen (Richie 79).

[HUElavia]

HUElavia 2–1 United States of Devonta
(Jacquet 19', Narita 80' (P)| REDACTED 54')

Bring On The Knockouts!

HUElavia edges out Devonta to clinch 1st Place and a direct spot to the Quarter-Finals!

Entering Matchday 5, HUElavia came in already qualified for at least the Round-of-12, giving some breathing room for Coach Nascimento to tinker with the formations and players on the pitch to see how good the players are. With this, the B-Team came out, looking to make the most of the time they were given, while having a good opportunity to show off their skills and strengths, all while having a sizeable crowd of HUElavians present to cheer them on.

The match was another bit of a slog, with HUElavia getting more of the better opportunities compared to Devonta. Arakawa had the start in this match, making saves and blocks from REDACTED and REDACTED to prevent the opening score. In the 19th minute, a cross by Alekseevna went into the box, where REDACTED headed the ball out, but it fell to the feet of Jacquet, who gave a curving shot past REDACTED into the goal, making it 1-0, with the HUElavian crowd cheering loudly for the goal while Jacquet was mobbed by her teammates in celebration. Despite some shots taken by Narita, Angeli and Ch'u, the half ended 1-0, with HUElavia satisfied at the lead. In the second half, Devonta started to put the pressure in, where in the 54th minute a cross by REDACTED went into the box, where REDACTED towered over Makarovich to head the ball past Arakawa, who just barely got a fingertip to the ball, into the goal, making it 1-1. REDACTED was mobbed by their teammates while the small crowd of Devontans were in joy for the goal. Despite some back and forth shots from both teams, it looked as if the team was going to finish in yet another draw, when in the 80th minute, a foul by REDACTED over Ch'u in the box gave way for a penalty kick that the referee did not hesitate to point out. Narita stepped up and sent REDACTED the wrong way, as the ball went into the goal, making it 2-1 and the HUElavians were in joy once more while Narita was mobbed by her teammates and they did a dance together to celebrate the victory. At the end, HUElavia held out and snatched the victory, clinching 1st place in the group and getting that much needed bye.

For the next set of days, the team will continue to train and study film, as they await their opponent in the Quarter-Finals. Their potential rival will be the winner of the The 14 Stars vs Crpostran match, where the latter would be a possible rematch in the Quarter-Finals. Regardless, the team will be present in the stadium to watch the match and study their opponents first hand. For the time being, it has been a quiet but fruitful tournament up to now, where the team has focused on getting results over the quality of play. Here's to hoping we can do well in the next round!

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[A m e n r i a]

Origins: Malvina

Part 3

The light of the moon and the nearby streetlamps sneak into the space between the curtains on Dr Kang's window. As he turned in his bed, he felt a nearby presence and blinked his eyes a few times before waking up and backing away to the corner of his bed in surprise. "Oh, Jieun! You scared me! What do you need, dear?" The blue-haired robot simply shook her head with her blank expression, eyes still fixated on her creator. "I am still functioning at a high capacity and have no need for recharging. Therefore, I found it prudent to stand in guard in your bedroom. Are you displeased with my decision?" Jieun answered, monotonous as one would expect a machine to speak. "Well, it's just..." Kang began, trying to find his words as he rubbed the sleep off his eyes. "I'd rather you didn't pick my lock..." "I see. Would you rather I enter through the window next time?" "No, no, it's not that. You can't just sneak into other people's rooms like that. I get that you mean well, it's just inappropriate. If you really wanted to keep watch, could you at least do it from outside my room next time?" "Understood, I shall leave immediately." With that, Jieun left the room, closing the door behind her.

Dr Kang put his hand on his forehead and started rubbing it. "I have got to start fixing her programming."

[Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove]

Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove wins 3 in a row, qualifies for the round of 12

Serrapince, Tumbra - After two losses, Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove explored in matchday 3 with a 6-4 win against Siovanija and Teusland. We're gonna run out of ink if I describe every goal so let's just name our goalscorers. Kayden Klingenberg (16th and 78th), Cédric Werzberger (21st), Alexandra Gutierrez Krawiecki (29th), Louis-Félix Mongrain (38th) and Zhang Yu Tong (55th).

On matchday 4, Jean-Gilles Grand-Pierre and Cédric Werzberger were still in the starting XI and the Tapirs beat Lisander 4-2. The Jean-Jacquois and Burnhamese attacked at the 6th minute when Alexandra Gutierrez Krawiecki made a cross to Louis-Félix Mongrain who kicks it into the net. Zhang Yu Tong scored on a free kick at the 19th minute and the score was 2-0. At the 34th minute, Diego Guénette-Velazquez dribbled with the ball and passed to Kayden Klingenberg who made a short pass to Zhang Yu Tong who had a better angle. Zhang kicks and it's a goal. The score was 3-0 at halftime. Lisander played better in the 2nd half but it was kinda late for them. At the 52nd minute, Alexi Jacquet made a header pass to Lucas Amandier who heads it into the net and it's a goal. Eric Lisle tried to pass to Marian Alfort at the 68th minute, but Jean-Gilles Grand-Pierre intercepts the ball and made a long pass to Alexandra Gutierrez Krawiecki who kicks it past Daniel Sevres. The score is 4-1 Tapirs. Eric Lisle scored a goal on a corner kick at the 85th minute and the final score was 4-2 Tapirs.

GAME SUMMARY

6th    GOAL SJJsM et BoS   Louis-Félix Mongrain assisted by Alexandra Gutierrez Krawiecki
19th   GOAL SJJsM et BoS   Zhang Yu Tong (free kick)
34th   GOAL SJJsM et BoS   Zhang Yu Tong assisted by Kayden Klingenberg
52nd   GOAL LISANDER   Lucas Amandier assisted by Alexi Jacquet
68th   GOAL SJJsM et BoS   Alexandra Gutierrez Krawiecki assisted by Jean-Gilles Grand-Pierre
85th   GOAL LISANDER   Eric Lisle (corner kick)

Next was a matchup against Coringlaan on matchday 5.We have very few information on this team, but they weren't the worst team in the group. Catalina Ramirez Espinoza, who wasn't in the starting XI for the last two games was back but not Félix Vertefeuille. Jean-Gilles Grand-Pierre remained in the starting XI. Rosalie Chenette-Ladouceur didn't play and Alexandre Barbeau replaced her in the starting XI. Maggie McClenahan was in goal instead of Faith Coghill. Coringlaan scored the first goal of the game at the 13th minute when #7 made a header pass to #11 who heads it past Maggie McClenahan. The Tapirs tied the game at the 29th minute when Zhang Yu Tong made a short pass to Louis-Félix Mongrain who kicks it into the goal. Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove took the lead at the 45 + 1 minute when Diego Guénette-Velazquez kicks the ball on a corner kick and it goes directly into the net without touching anyone. Coringlaan attacked at the 59th minute when #9 had the ball in the penalty area and Jean-Gilles Grand-Pierre tackles him too hard. It's a yellow card and a penalty. #11 shoots and it's a penalty goal. Coringlaan had the momentum and took the lead at the 64th minute when #10 scored from 30 meters. The Tapirs tied the game at the 87th minute when Diego Guénette-Velazquez dribbled with the ball and kicked it from 45 meters and it's a goal. Jean-Gilles Grand-Pierre made a decisive pass. The Tapirs took the lead during added time when Catalina Ramirez Espinoza made a cross to Kayden Klingenberg who kicks it past #1. The Jean-Jacquois and Burnhamese won 4-3.

The Tapirs took the 3rd place in group D and made the round of 16. They will play against Amenria in Ridgewell. Coach Jorge Santana Lopez have decided to keep Maggie McClenahan in goal. Rosalie Chenette-Ladouceur will be back in the starting XI while Jean-Gilles Grand-Pierre and Ramirez Espinoza will remain in it. Starting XI will be McClenahan in goal. Jimenez-Sanchez-Grand-Pierre-Blouin-Chenette-Ladouceur in defense. Guénette-Velazquez Gutierrez Krawiecki-Ramirez Espinoza-Zhang in midfield and Klingenberg-Mongrain are the forwards.

GAME SUMMARY

13th   GOAL   CORINGLAAN   #11 assisted by #7
29th   GOAL SJJsM et BoS   Louis-Félix Mongrain assisted by Zhang Yu Tong
45th + 1   GOAL SJJsM et BoS   Diego Guénette-Velazquez (corner kick)
59th   GOAL   CORINGLAAN   #11 (penalty)
64th   GOAL   CORINGLAAN   #10 assisted by #5
87th   GOAL   SJJsM et BoS   Diego Guénette-Velazquez assisted by Jean-Gilles Grand-Pierre
90th + 4   GOAL   SJJsM et BoS   Kayden Klingenberg assisted by Catalina Ramirez Espinoza

Pierre-François Montreuil

[Sarzonia]

A team of 18-and-under footballers doesn't usually have the maturity to handle an opponent once they've given bulletin board material to them.

For one matchday at least, the Sarzonian Under 18 national team showed that level of maturity. Emil Moreau scored the only goal of the match in the 53rd minute on a direct free kick and Sarzonia outlasted Baker Park 1-0 to punch their tickets to the knockout rounds.

Sarzonia finished the group stage with a 3-1-1 record, but all three victories came after they'd drawn and lost the first two contests. They earned the runner up position in Group B when HUElavia defeated Devonta 2-1. Crpostran.clinched a third place finish with their win over Abanhfleft. Sarzonia will face Group A third place side Juvencus in the playoff round. The winner of that match faces Group A champions Cassadaigua.

"They all get tougher from here on out," defender Max Wilcox said. He said one of the biggest challenges in facing Juvencus was identifying the players they'd be playing against.

"It was nice of them to give us a squad list," he said. "We do know they're an extremely attack-oriented side. We'll have to be more responsible defensively against a side like that."

Sarzonia emerged from the dressing room to start the second half with the same starting 11 they began with. Manager Walter Garrison wanted his team to grab onto and hold the lead, especially against a team that was of no threat to their qualifying chances. Midfielder Marco Amato drew a foul with nifty footwork and essentially taunting the Baker Park defence by daring them to go after the ball.

Moreau sized up the kick and noticed what looked like a tell.

"[Harry] Nikolaus did this thing I couldn't describe when he's going to jump to his left," Moreau said. "I thought I could make like I'm shooting to my right and then hit it in the opposite direction. Hey, it worked."

Garrison said he was pleased with how his team responded to the first two matches with three wins and was even more delighted about escaping the so-called Group of Deaths.

"That was not an easy group," he said. "Three wins, seven goals scored, one conceded. It was definitely good on the players to bounce back."

[Tumbra]

Tumbra 5-3 Vyktoria

TMB (4-2-3-1): 13 - L Rand; 2 - J Howlett (18 - C Herlinger, 81'), 14 - V Ramachandran, 24 - C Wilson (20 - E Diamond, 72'), 19 - B Evans (3 - J Henderson, 81'); 25 - L Chen (23 - D Fleming, 72'), 8 - S Curtin, 10 - V Brown; 7 - E McVeigh, 9 - D Brent (21 - M Ofpool, 90'); 22 - D Fox

TMB scorers: Duncan Fox (12'), Everton McVeigh (35'), Vicki Brown (48', 75'), Dominic Brent (83')

Player of the Match: Vicki Brown [TMB]

A BRIEF BIT OF CONTEXT
For further context, refer to this roleplay and the first half of this roleplay. To summarise, it's election season in Tumbra — and one journalist has her hands on some very explosive information that could alter the course of the federal election. It has to do, of course, with the right-wing United Party's prime ministerial candidate Max Young, and a potentially spicy secret of his regarding indiscretions in his personal life. What will Bencoolen Globe (read: the Guardian) journalist Jennifer Lee do with it?

Minford, Thornton

"...and it is by deepening our commitments to the middle class — you, who keep our economy going, who work the hardest for our country, whom this election is truly about — that we can create a more prosperous country. One that prizes individualism; one that prizes letting people keep around the fruits of their work; and one that keeps you safe and secure..."

Max Young was in his element. It was a small event in a small town in a somewhat marginal seat — the seat was held on a 5.6% margin — and he was once extolling the virtues of his brand of conservatism to an electorate that was eagerly lapping it up. There were about two hundred people present; though the camerawork and noise would make it seem like there were a bit more, if this even made it to the news.

The news...

Deep down, he regretted asking Lawrence Newell for an eight-week campaign. The Prime Minister had expressed reservations over the length of the campaign — he'd recommended five-and-a-half, which was the standard length for federal election campaigns, but Max felt that he needed to become more known if he was to fully become Prime Minister. Lawrence had shrugged and penciled the campaign down for eight weeks; but it had been a long and gruelling one. What had initially started out as a campaign brimming with enthusiasm and whistle-stop tours to markets and bus interchanges had quickly turned into day after day after day of the same stuff. Constantly on the move; constantly making the same statements about national unity, free markets and free trade; of the potential for a third aircraft carrier to add to Tumbra's already-stacked naval arsenal, of sending off messages about stronger borders while simultaneously reassuring people that Tumbra was "open for business."

It was tiring. And it wasn't just him that felt it; voters were beginning to feel the same way. There was a sense of fatigue about the United Party, and around him; he'd upped his caffeine intake but was crashing into beds with scarcely a word to his wife most nights. Not that they were spending that much time together anyway; the boffins at HQ had informed him that the United Party was lagging amongst women, and so had deployed his wife Tricia to start campaigning, too. She herself had expressed reservations, but eventually gave in; but Max felt that she always felt more comfortable when she was standing a half-step behind him, eager to burnish his credentials of focusing on family values.

"...and my personal appeal to you, now, the voters of Minford in this seat of Harding. To make sure that we can keep the good work going, to fight the good fight, I must ask you to put your first preference vote next to Michael here." He motioned to his left, where the fresh-faced parliamentary candidate Michael Barker was standing. There was polite applause as Barker waved to the assembled crowds and was given the microphone to campaign on issues that would be more pertinent to his prospective constituents. This seat was crucial; the incumbent MP was retiring, and Barker had somewhat struggled to make himself known, and there was a perception about him that he was a toff. And, being honest to himself, Max could see why.

He stepped off the stage and dabbed a bit of sweat off his brow with a handkerchief. He'd done alright, he reckoned; but giving the same identikit speech was growing tiring. He let himself unfocus a bit, smiling and waving when his name was mentioned — it was something along the lines of "I will work with a Max Young government to bring opportunity..." — and let his eyes scan over the crowd.

Then he felt his heartrate increase spectacularly.

In the crowd, grown some ten or so years but still holding some of that charm, was Sarah Turner. Her looks were unmistakable; after all, she had worked very closely with him that summer when he was still Leader of the Opposition in his state; and she had, after all, accompanied him to that fall's Party Conference in Ridgewell, where they'd...

Da-dump. Da-dump.

She was looking at Michael, who was now rattling off figures about tax policy, but he felt a sudden need to get off the stage. Anywhere, anywhere but here, where she was but ten, twenty metres from him, where she could potentially walk over, and remind him of the greatest mistake he'd ever made. He'd given in to the pleasures of the flesh, and had regretted it; but in the moment, it had felt...natural. But that wasn't the focus. Why was she here? Last he checked, she was in Hannasea. Working as Vice President at some investment bank. Thanks to a recommendation he'd written for her to get her in as an associate in the first place. He was almost certain someone powerful knew; but who had it out for him? Not the Harrisons; he'd paid due tribute to them. Nor the Ashburns; the father, John was against dirty tricks in politics, and the son, Ian, was a footballer with more things to worry about. He racked his mind for a list of potential enemies, but came up short.

The speech ended; there was applause, though how genuine it was was probably tempered by the fact that most people here were United supporters anyway. He stood up, stood next to Michael, and waved with him; and then he saw Sarah looking straight at him, with a knowing look. They walked off the stage, shaking hands, making small talk about the economy; it was almost inevitable that the two would make contact.

And they did.

"Max," she said in a voice that betrayed that she knew far more than she was letting on. "It's so good to see you."

"Well, yes, I —"

"It's been so long, too. I've missed you so."

"I'm sure. Listen, I never knew you were back in Tumbra —"

"I wanted to see your campaign, Max," she smiled. Nothing had changed, he reflected; it was still the same smile that had made him want to — "After all, the man I once interned under is about to become Prime Minister."

"W-well, it's a long campaign yet," he chuckled, with some difficulty. "You live here?" He said, careful not to let some incredulity into his voice.

"No, I'm just visiting," she smiled. "A friend helped me get tickets to this event. I figured I'd come, see how you were doing. You know?"

"Yes. It's good to see you, Sarah." A smile appeared, one that he forced himself to bear.

"Are you alright? You seem quite tired."

"Well, I'm just —" he searched for the right words. "— surprised, that's all, at this chance encounter. Yes, surprised!" He said, offering his hand for her to shake.

"Oh, Max. Chance?" She laughed. "No, I don't think it's chance at all. But I think I'll let you continue now. After all, you are the man of the hour." She took his hand, shook it, and then slinked back into the crowd. That was it for the interaction; he was mobbed next by a middle-aged woman who seemed very keen on having her nine year-old son meet the man who would probably be the next Prime Minister. The rest of the rally went fine, but he couldn't sleep that night; he was thinking about who, possibly, could have it out for him.

Da-dump. Da-dump.

Outside

"Well?" the journalist asked Sarah as she exited the function hall through a side exit. She had been waiting there for the other woman; her press tag read "Jennifer Lee: Bencoolen Globe."

"Oh, he knows. He's guilty," Sarah sighed. "Listen, I don't know if it's really — I mean, it was all in the past, and it was consensual —"

"How consensual could it really be, when he was your boss, and you were, what..." Jennifer prodded Sarah to answer her question.

"Twenty-three. Right, you're right, there was a power disparity, but I still don't know — I'll become known as the woman who —" Sarah put her hand on her face.

"But we need to hold these men to account." Jennifer looked up at Sarah. "What do you feel when you see him on stage, talking about traditional family values when you know that he broke his own vows to stay faithful?"

Sarah looked back at Jennifer, and shook her head. "You know how I feel."

"Right," she said, more urgently.

"It's just that — seeing him again, I — I did as we planned, just that..."

"You did amazing, Sarah."

"Are you going to torpedo his campaign?"

"It's not my fault I only got the information a few weeks ago," Jennifer said, somewhat lying. She'd been sitting on it for a while now. But the definition of a few weeks could be stretched.

"I thought this was just...between us. That nobody would realise."

"I'm sure he thought that, too. But...that's politics," Jennifer said, non-committedly. "Thank you for coming down from Hannasea just for this. You'll remain anonymous, I assure you —"

"And if this goes to the courts? Will I have to testify then? Was it really a good move to try and — what was it you said, send a message that his past was about to catch up to him?" Sarah looked more worried as they continued talking. "I — I don't know, Jennifer, he seems pretty scared, but so am I."

In hindsight, it was probably a reckless move to get Sarah down. And for what? Now Jennifer had just given away the element of surprise. Let him prepare...but would he? Someone as pious and eager to portray himself as infalliable probably wouldn't tell his campaign staff about his personal indiscretions. And how many knew of the manila folder that that man had passed to her on the train, anyway?

"Sarah," Jennifer said. "It'll be fine. I just — it's a complicated web, but this will end with him being forced to take accountability. And I promise to keep your identity secret as much as possible."