World Cup 96 - Roleplay Thread

[StrayaRoos]

"Moments remain in extra time here at Avondale International Stadium, and a Brenecian corner is a golden opportunity to get them through to the World Cup. Taken by Byrne, sent up towards the centre of the box, received by Lofthouse, Kuyta attempts a tackle, which sends the ball out to Keane, who boots it upfield towards Kerr immediately, but it mght as well be over! The referee's pointed to the spot, and it's a penalty for Brenecia! Kuyta's tackle on Lofthouse seems to be the cause. What a heartbreaking ending for this Roosian side..."

---

Time doesn't heal certain things. Missing out on a World Cup to a heartbreaking penalty decision is one of them. The wound opened that night was one that the side carried through the bizarre tournament that was CAFA 8, where they finished in the bottom 5. Although the squad is still quite similar to the one that went out on that rainy night in Avondale, some notable changes that have happened since then have included:

• Tim Kewell retiring and being replaced by 22-year-old Zane Shalik
• A major reshuffling of Calixo Conti's backroom staff, the most notable appointment being Roosian NT legend Harry Cahill being appointed Assistant Manager

Despite all this change, nothing is guarenteed heading into WC96, especially with the tough qualifying group StrayaRoos has been given. Their list of qualifying opponents include Flavovespia, Adab, Astograph, Kandorith, as well as Zeta Reka & Hugeltaldom, Group 7 is a solid pick for the 'Group of Death' label, and it will be difficult (but not impossible) for the Emus to get anywhere from it.

[Recuecn]

De Chefderue Solid but Licornes' Offense Lacking
The Reçueçn Times

Reçueçn City, Reçueçn--One week before World Cup qualification, Gerauld Firaut, Les Licornes' star goalie, was struck by a car and injured while cycling, and while he recovers, he will be unable to play for the équipe nationale for the foreseeable future. Firaut is widely regarded as the best player on the squad, and his absence has caused deep worry over Reçueçn's already slim qualification chances.

Firaut has been temporarily replaced in the starting line-up by Estienne de Chefderue, FC Harrim's first-string goalie. De Chefderue has shown impressive form, exceeding expectations in Reçueçn's first two qualifying games with clean sheets in both, including away against top seeds Mytanija. Of course, he has a strong supporting cast in Les Licornes' defensive line. Cutrona and Kayserling have often helped Firaut out of a dangerous place and they have been able to do the same for his replacement.

Unfortunately, at the same time as Reçueçn seems to have found a working defense in the face of setbacks and injury, l'équipe nationale has been unable to find a working offense, or at least the back of the net. The two wonderful opportunities presented in the opening matches were instead allowed to escape as scoreless draws. Against Mytanija, and on the opponents' home turf, this is respectable, but the same cannot be said of Reçueçn's opening game at the Stade National against The Erishlands, the lowest-ranked nation in the group. A combination of manager Bonheur Relié's apparent reluctance to commit his men to the attack and a few painful missed chances, including one ball from Helibert Wolf just over the crossbar from 30 yards out, meant that Les Licornes missed out on perhaps their best opportunity to earn three points early on.

Elsewhere in the group, a draw for Mytanija and a round two bye for Cassadaigua means that after two matchdays, no team has more than three points. Of course it's still incredibly early, but this alone would be enough to make Group 20 the tightest group in World Cup qualifiers. It's even a little closer than that, though, since every team has earned at least one point, meaning the whole group is within two points of first place. This marks two cycles in a row that Reçueçn has been in the tightest qualifying group. (During Qualifiers for World Cup 95, the tightest group was Group 3, which also happened to contain Mytanija.) Of course, we're only two games in, so we'll see if it lasts.

During remarks to the press after the latest game against Mytanija, Relié said, "Of course with such beautiful defending, and another great performance from Estienne, it's a little disappointing that we couldn't pull off a victory. But you have to look at the big picture and remember who we're playing against. Mytanija is a very challenging opponent, and we're here in their country, so this is not a bad result. And you have to look at the group as well--the best we can hope for is that it remains a tight race and that all our games are meaningful, right up until the end of qualifiers."

When questioned as to when Firaut can be expected to return to his position in goal, Relié could only give vague answers. "I shouldn't have to remind you that he had a double fracture in his ankle and he can't even walk on his own feet right now, let alone guard a net. He and his doctors are keeping me in the loop, but it is going to be months before he can play again. We're all just very thankful that he wasn't more badly hurt and that he was wearing his helmet when he was hit. Cycling is very dangerous and we're glad he's alive and recovering. Like I said, Estienne is doing great; Les Licornes can get by just fine until Gerauld gets back."

For Reçueçn's next game the team returns to the Stade National where they will face off against visitors from Anaia in the form of Legalese. Then it will be back on the road for a visit to Kimi-Suomi, the other Anaian side in the group. The ÉNRF has never played against either nation before, but both games are certain to be crucial, hard-fought, and not to miss!

[Cabo Azure]

Audioslavia 2-3 Cabo Azure
Starters: Gomez | Soares, M'bah-Pinho, Furtado, Branco | Gontijo, Bastos (goal 36'), Florencio | Santos, Mendonca (goal 55'), Gouveia (goal 83')
Subs:

An offensive shootout against a strong opponent to open World Cup qualifying on a high note. The Macaricas and Bulls traded goals for the first three-fourths of this match, with Bastos scoring a howler to both equalize the match and open his own account scoring for the national team. The Bulls would go up again before half, only to be put to rights early in the second with a by-the-book finish from Mendonca off a lob in from Rolando Florencio. Tied
2-2, the match became a slog, with both sides probing and seemingly prepared to split the points, until Vasco Gouveia scored a characteristic tap-in on an empty net to win it.

Projected Starting XI vs. Saltidia: Leitao | Soares, M'bah-Pinho, Araujo, Ferraz | Andrade, Rathbone, D'Cruz | Silveira (C), Magalhaes, Ventura
Projected Starting XI @ Saterun: Gomez | Soares, M'bah-Pinho, Furtado, Branco (C)| Gontijo, Bastos, Florencio | Santos, Mendonca , Gouveia

Crown Princess Solveig was the only senior in Dr. Victor de la Cruz’s introductory economics seminar. Twenty-two years old, straw-blond always hair pulled back in a claw clip, with a penchant for wearing racerback shirts that displayed her well-muscled shoulders, she might well have been “big woman on campus” even if she weren’t the future queen of the Azure Islands. Like most seniors, she had already determined her next step–grad school in archeology at Inteachan in Quebec–and was biding her time on campus until she could officially walk across the stage. She lifted weights, swam in the pool and the ocean, attended meetings of state with Manuel, andregularly made the trip across the water to Sao Simone to visit her parents and Queen Abby, who’d recently taken a tumble that had limited her mobility.

As for Dr. de la Cruz’s class, that was Abby’s influence, too. Abby had known Victor some decades before when they were both members of the Maritime Mafia, the influential circle of academics that had eventually brought down the Gang of Seven junta, along with Abby’s now ex-husband Luis. Victor had gone with Luis in the divorce and in the subsequent ideological split that developed in the Mafia between those who supported Abby’s goal of restoring the monarchy and those who wanted to pursue a republican agenda exclusively. Nevertheless, the queen mother respected Victor for his economic mind and his contributions to Azurean society, so she prevailed upon her young cousin to take his class in her final semester at Maritime University.

“Your Highness,” Dr. de la Cruz began his lecture without preamble. Professors usually addressed Solveig by her title, but otherwise treated her the same as any other student. “Your parents live in Playa Silva, correct?”

“That’s right,” Solveig said with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. What was he driving at?

“Their house. Do you like it?”

“I do. It’s very nice.”

“Probably closer to what you’re accustomed to in Graintfjall, am I right?”

“It is,” Solveig agreed. “Although, I have to say it pales in comparison with the royal palace.” That elicited a chuckle from her classmates that wasn’t totally forced. The economist grinned broadly, evidently pleased by the banter, but nevertheless moved forward in his script.

“Do you know how the Silvas built those houses?”

Solveig considered for a second in case the answer was obvious, but came up with nothing. “No, I’ve never asked.”

“It all goes back to the early years after the monarchy was restored,” Victor explained, directing his attention to the rows of students behind Solveig. “The government was cash-strapped and needed to reestablish international connections that had been severed under the CGT. The way they chose to do so was to revisit an old proposal to allow a foreign military to build a base on an Azurean island–an ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’, they called it. That proposal became Camp Canarinho, and it had the desired effect of increasing security while bringing a windfall of cash to the Azurean market. Who benefited the most from that windfall was the late Dom Carlos Silva, then the head of Silva Holdings. Dom Carlos won an exclusive contract to build the whole of Camp Canarinho, which grossed hundreds of millions of escudoes, all told.”

He paused, took a sip of coffee, scanned for questions. None.

“Dom Carlos passed before the construction was complete, and he left two of his granddaughters in charge of his empire, Marisol Silva and Janice de Galma. When Camp Canarinho was complete, Marisol found she had an unprecedented problem in Azurean history; too much construction equipment and expertise. Over the years it took to build Camp Canarinho, Silva Holdings had hired and trained equipment operators, tradesmen, and project managers, and they bought all kinds of equipment to build the camp quickly, and now it was all sitting dormant, costing her money. What was she to do?”

A hand went up from the back row. “She built Playa Silva.”

Victor nodded. “Very good. She had some ancestral land outside of Sao Simone, some of it waterfront, and it had always been Dom Carlos’s dream to develop it, so with the equipment and the crews her grandfather hired for Camp Canarinho, she started building houses in what became known as Playa Silva. But then what problem did she have?”

Silence. Students looking at each other.

“Demand.” Victor led the words sink in. “Cabo Azure is unusual for a developing country in that we have near-zero population growth and while we don’t all live in palaces–” here a wink to Solveig “--our housing stock is old and well-built, and not easily replaced. So in short, there was nobody to buy the houses. Immigration all but ended during the Interregnum, and most young Azureans either live at home or are comfortable living in apartments until they inherit their parents’ houses. So let’s go back to our Playa Silva resident. Your Highness, who are your parents’ neighbors in Playa Silva?”

“It’s a mix,” Solveig said diplomatically. “But there’s a good number of foreigners. Eurans, Olastorians, Cenians. A lot more Cenians recently have come back through the portal.”

“Anyone else from Sao Simone?” A couple of hands went up. “Have there always been that many foreigners living there?” A chorus of “nos” and shaking heads. “Do you know what changed? I’ll give you a hint. It’s not the restoration of the monarchy. It came a while after that.”

A hand in the back. “The Euran trade deal?”

“Exactly. The deal was proposed by the Partido Sindicalisto, who are the opposition, and had little support until Marisol Silva weighed in, and suddenly it passed with flying colors. With the liberalization of trade between Cabo Azure and the mainland, the door was opened for small numbers of immigrants, relative to the populations of places like Eura and Ceni. For Cabo Azure, the numbers were massive, and changed the demography of the city.”

[Flavovespia]

Delitai 2 - 2 Flavovespia

Flavovespia didn’t get off to the start they wanted, a sluggish start saw them left wanting at Delitai. The hosts looked impressive, making up a difference of over 200 ranking spots in a 2-2 draw.

Early probing pressure from Flavovespia lead to some shots, but nothing Daniel Martinez seemed incapable of handling. Jonathan Bagshaw produced a testing curling shot on the quarter hour mark, but it was well spotted and well saved by Martinez.

24 minutes in, and Delitai had a shot on goal. Kwame Mensah shot from long range, with the Flavovespian defence sitting deep. Nathan Crewe fumbled the save, and the ball rolled into the net. 1-0 to the hosts, the goalkeeping error giving them the lead.

Flavovespia seemed to be knocked back by that, and far from reapplying pressure, fell away in the rest of the first half. By the break, the 1-0 lead for Delitai looked well deserved, Flavovespia seemed off the pace.

Into the second half, and for Flavovespia it felt half time was a wake up call. They attacked in numbers and got the equaliser in the 53rd minute. Jonathan Bagshaw danced down the wing, and whipped in a low cross. It beat everyone in the centre, but Amrik Singh running in at the back cross tapped it in with a composed finish.

Delitai were undeterred and 5 minutes later restored the lead. James Wilson once again beat Andrew Dance on the flank, and his cross found Liam Johnson to head in. With just over half an hour to go, the upset was back on.

Jonathan Bagshaw took on responsibility himself and in the 63rd minute got on the scoresheet. A similarly great run down the wing saw him cut inside. He got a shot away, it was on target and it was too far for Martinez to reach. 2-2 it was.

Whilst there were chances late on, neither side seemed to be composed enough to capitalise. The 2-2 result will please Delitai, but Flavovespia have questions to answer. Plenty of players needed to step up to perform, to avoid a qualification fight.

Flavovespia 1 - 1 Strayaroos

Flavovespia were improved, but failed to make chances count and dropped 2 pointa as StrayaRoos found a late equaliser. 2 from 2 leaves Flavovespia looking up at the top spot, as they make a winless start after 2 games.

StrayaRoos were a more familiar face to Flavovespia, and the opening exchanges in Hadford Hill were tentative. Flavovespia had a few free kicks and two corners, but Kieron Player couldn’t produce a chance to test the keeper Thomas Yesak. At the other end, Nathan Crewe looked more comfortable after errors in the last game.

It was captain Jonathan Bagshaw who found the net in the 27th minute. Peter Langdon did the hard work, and should’ve scored but blasted his shot straight into Yesak. It bounced away and Bagshaw was there first, an instinctive shot found the net, despite Yesak doing well to get up and back in position. Both Bagshaw and Langdon would test Yesak again, but at the break, it was 1-0.

The second half saw Flavovespia nearly score after just 90 seconds from the restart. Stan-Scott Wilson picked out Langdon’s run, and Langdon made no mistake with the finish. However hands went up for offside, which the review confirmed. So the goal was chalked off

Flavovespia were steadily making chance, but just couldn’t finish them. Langdon and later substitute Richard Birmingham both put headed chances wide, as the lead remained a nervy 1-0.

With 84 minutes played the hosts fears came true. A free kick gave StrayaRoos a chance to get platers forward. The ball was launched into the box, and Cruz Kaiplo got a head on the ball to steer it past Nathan Crewe and Stan Scott-Wilson on the line. 1-1 with little time left, a big blow for Flavovespia.

StrayaRoos were resolute in defence and despite Michael Cole coming on and Flavovespia finishing in a 4-2-4, there was to be no winner. After 2 games, its 2 points for Flavovespia. With Pot 2 side Kandorith on 6 points already, Flavovespia travel there on Matchday 3 knowing a loss could already be a serious blow to their chances of a group win. Ekhistan will then visit Hadford Hill for Matchday 4, where the fans will hope for a home win.

[Srednjaci]

WORLD CUP 96 MERTAGNE & HUAYRAMARCA

START WITH DEFEAT !

Brookstation 3–0 Srednjaci

Dear viewers, good day. My name is Bojan Ivić and I am your host in the tv show dedicated to football. More precisely to the new cycle of qualifications for WC96!
Our national team is placed in group 8 with other teams Juvencus, Qasden, 14 Stars, Wight and Brookstation. It was against Brookstation that our national football team played its first match and recorded a convincing defeat.
That wasn't a football night to remember. Brookstation was a far better opponent on the field. They were dominant in every segment of the match. Our players just couldn't manage to impose their game and they looked out of sorts.
However, this is the first match, but sometimes that first game is an indicator of the direction in which things will develop further.
Takanobu Tavano was completely unseated, Isidor Matković was ineffective and the defense was leaky on the left and right back sides.
Two goals were conceded due to the slow reaction of the backs who did not follow the actions and stopped the opponents.
The other segments of the game were not good either. There were too many errors and loose balls and wrong passes.
All in all, there is a lot left to play.

Our sports year started phenomenally and we hope that the rest of the sports year will be on the wings of this year's successes. We were very successful at the IBA Sports Championships II. Our athletes returned from this competition with a total of 22 medals won. Of the 22 medals won, 10 of them were gold. We were the second sports nation in terms of medals won and gold medals won, right behind Britonisea.

At the Winter Olympic Games, our athletes won an incredible 47 medals! Until those Olympic Games, our NOC won a total of 46 medals at all the Winter Olympic Games we participated in, and in Liventia we won 47! Fantastically !

At the NSTT competitions, Lucija Bagarić won the first tennis Grand Slam of the season, the Cenian Open. And currently the Burnton Classic is being played, where Lucija Bagarić and Tena Špiričić Tavano reached the semi-finals in the singles competition, and Tena, paired with Alina Koreleva, also reached the semi-finals in the doubles competition.

At the World Handball Championship 28, which is played in StrayaRoos, our handball players reached the quarterfinals. In the match for the quarterfinals, our players beat Lisander after overtime. The Master Bears is expecting a semi-final match against the Daharia team.

If we add to that the quarter-finals of the U18 football players in Tumbra, then we can see that this season is very successful so far. We hope that the success will continue with the football team.

[Eshialand]

Back in the Swing of Things
Eshialand 3-1 La Pizza de la mama
Ile de Richelieu 0-1 Eshialand

"Well Karsten, I'd say that stadium debut was a big success!"
"Tell that to the remains of my chicken bucket sitting on the floor of the press box..."
"Just leave the vomit there and make it the Aleiravans' problem!"

Despite Karsten Rhodes' seasickness, he and Josh Seametzle had a lot to be happy about with the Owls' first performance, and indeed with the second as well, with Eshialand cruising to a 3-1 win at home in game 1 and edging past Ile de Richelieu away in game 2. Now, Eshialand would have a bye week before heading back to Eshialand City to square off against Captina Island, which was a match that Kenny Morgan, for one, was looking forward to.

"Obviously, we've proven that we can play well in any conditions... rocking back and forth on a ship, freezing cold weather... but what we haven't proven yet is how good we still are on solid ground and good weather, which is where we really bite. Sure we've already played a home opener at Union Stadium, but the SuperDome is our real home, and that's where we shine the most. Always has been, always will be."

And when asked about his prediction against Captina Island?

"They're a tough team, but we're tougher. I'm not a betting man, but I like our odds."

---

"So, William, how do you think that went?" Tony Beaujoleil asked the king as Union Stadium prepared to leave port.
"Well, I have to admit, I had a lot of doubts... but that went really well. It really did go well."
"Told ya a floating stadium could work out... just needed a little bit of R&D."
"You mean my secret government R&D--"
"Shhhhhhhhhh nothing shady happened I promise!"
"Yeah, sure, whatever, I believe that totally." the king replied with sarcasm laid on thicker than the cream cheese on a Jim Morton's bagel.

"You know, actually..." Tony said, "I think there's one thing we should check out."
"Hm?"
"Union Stadium isn't just for sports after all, it's got a couple pretty comfortable suites below deck for us to travel in!"
"You want us to go to Aleirave on this thing?"
"Of course! After all, we need to see the stadium's debut there as well!"
The king paused for a moment before replying "well, fine I guess, but nothing better go wrong..."

---

CRACK!
"Oh dear."

"Don't worry, I'm alright... I think..." the king said as he emerged onto the pitch to meet Haulafo and the groundskeeper.
"King William???" Haulafo said in disbelief. "Wh-what are you doing here???"
"Tony Beaujoleil thought it would be a bright idea to invite me along on a little cruise on this thing... didn't expect it to end with a ceiling beam almost hitting my head!!"
"Oh dear Margaret I'm just glad you're okay..."
"Yeah I'm fine... but what the hell is going on with all of these tourists???"
"Tony didn't really invest in security..." the groundskeeper explained. "I promise everything will be fine though..."
"I ALMOST DIED AND YOU SAY THAT??"
"Just... trust. I promise."

[Sylestone]

SENTIENTS “PERFECT” WIN KICKS OFF WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS IN STYLE AS DIFFICULT TESTS AWAIT

AVONDALE, SYLESTONE - To thirty million Esportivans that just happen to inhabit one specific large island in the region’s far west, there’s nothing quite like a 1-0 win. Sure, many 1-0 wins don’t have the sheer goalscoring intensity of a 3-2 or 4-2, but there’s just something about them. You’ve managed to score, and you’ve kept a clean sheet. And you’ve done it in the most minimalistic way possible. It’s clean, it’s easy on the eye and it displays a remarkable confidence in oneself.

It may not be the 7-3 or 2-1’s that frequent national footballing powerhouses such as Farfadillis, Banija and Valanora, but to be able to reliably string together 1-0 triumphs shows an underlying tenacity and belief within a squad that is hard to replicate elsewhere. That’s what makes this particular Sylestone team so special under the careful tuition of Mojmir Anac, who has over the past six years established himself as one of the best defensive football coaches in the world, if not straight up one of the best managers in the modern era.

Despite failing to record a 1-0 win in three pre-qualifying friendlies against Oberour Ar Moro, the Independent Athletes from Quebec and United Hawkland in order, the Sentients struck when it mattered most, opening up their campaign on the correct foot by dismantling a strong Zenic outfit - one that will surely contend for the illustrious top spots in Group 12. Ranked 127th in the official world rankings, on paper Sylestone would really be expected to put a foot down against their opponents, particularly with a crowd of 86,000 behind them every step of the way in the nation’s capital. But Zenic weren’t any regular pot five team; no, they were a side that on the pitch, have transcended all rankings formulae and shown the world that they are capable of defeating the very best - a bit like the Hawthorns back in the early days, really, but to the next level.

No, Zenic is good. And by good, I mean, they are good. Under manager Geraldo Zys, the Survivors lifted their first trophy in Græntfjall a couple of months ago in arguably the toughest regional out there in modern times, eclipsing giants such as former World Cup winners Græntfjall, Pasarga, Eura and Cassadaigua, as well as modern powers in Tikariot, Yuezhou, Mytanija and Naixi. Spearheaded by a 6-2 obliteration of Oberour Ar Moro, Zenic went on to top their group, ripping the recently returning Polar Islandstates apart in another impressive show of sheer midfield dominance and drawing Pasarga. Even with a loss to the hosts on the final matchday, the Survivors were able to top their group and progress to the knockouts, where they would continue their legacy in the most brilliant way possible.

Keep in mind, this was just their second tournament in aeons, after the preceding Copa Rushmori where they didn’t do much (or the editor couldn’t be bothered checking). Despite featuring regularly many years ago, well and truly before the Sentients stepped foot onto the scene in World Cup 85, there still wasn’t much expectation on this outfit to do too much. But when they beat Darmen, everything changed. A 4-1 rout of the experienced campaigners showed that they were bent on going the distance and from that point on, they were in with a genuine shot. Although Rea San Vegas took them to penalties, a thrilling 6-5 win from the spot saw them reach the semifinal, where Cabo Azure cowered in their path of destruction. Then Cassadaigua in the final and even though they were dominant, the Survivors did much more than their nickname, putting three past the celebrated Fillies and in heroic fashion too, captain Fabricio Dejulio scoring Zenic’s final goal to seal the trophy once and for all.

Copa Rushmori champions in their second appearance and from outside the world top 100. Unreal stuff, and they weren’t done yet. Accepting their invitation to the International Confederations Cup, Zenic went on to top their group, reaching the final four with aplomb with a second title in their sights.

That’s where the Sentients enter the story and spoiler, they wreaked havoc on the Survivors turned Destroyers in the only way they knew how: you guessed it, a 1-0 win. It was a Charlotte Eastwood goal just after the break that separated the two teams as Zenic’s scoring spree came to a shuddering halt against Sylestone’s brilliant defence - before this game, they had not failed to put the ball in the back of their opponent’s net since World Cup 95 Qualifiers.

And having played Sylestone twice now in three games in two completely different competitions, Zenic’s run of scoring has continued, they remain the only team thus far to have shut out Zys’s side in the past two years. The more you think about that statistic, the more incredible it sounds, but it’s simply the truth. Sure, Zenic will feel as though they have been a bit wasteful, but just as much goes to the Sylestonean defence and tactics that have shut down their opponents so well.

Once again, Charlotte Eastwood sunk Zenic hearts inside the stadium and back at home, the Sentients playing that “perfect game” once again. Despite conceding in two of their three friendlies, albeit with experimental starting lineups, they would not do so here against the Survivors, much to the frustration of their manager. Even with fifteen shots all game - including six on target - only one or two really troubled Ryan Macleay between the sticks, the rest going wide or being shut out by the seemingly millions of blue and orange shirts inside the box.

It all went to Mojmir Anac’s plan, really. In the 73rd minute, Hugo Mornington’s block tackle on Nelson Seamers on the edge of the box was quickly cleared out to Cameron Milligan by the Sylestonean skipper and with plenty of Zenician shirts within the Sylestonean penalty box, found himself with plenty of space to work with as he charged down the left hand side at his home club stadium, a little region of the world he has become so familiar with over his years with Capitol Athletic in Sylestone’s League Number One. Up front, Charlotte Eastwood had charged off in the wake of defenders, carefully keeping herself onside but reading her former local rival’s mind well. The sign from Milligan and she was off, tearing past Thuan Byfrod to collect the pass, the crowd waiting in front of her in baited breath. Eastwood, though, was a clinical striker. One touch was all she needed, casually deflecting the cross to Saúl Mosley’s outstretched leg, nestling in the back of net.

It wasn’t often that Charlotte Eastwood’s goals at the AISS brought about an eruption of elation from the majority of the crowd, but scoring the blue and orange of Sylestone was very different from doing so in the lime green and yellow of her old club, Avondale City. Having famously netted a hat-trick here in the Lime Greens’ 6-0 drubbing of their fierce rivals, Milligan’s Capitol Athletic a few years ago, she was a villain of the region, but that didn’t stop the fans from Sylestone’s two most decorated clubs locking arms whenever the blue and orange was worn. It was about the only thing fans of both clubs could agree on but when locked together as a unit, they were almost unstoppable.

Perhaps it is charming that Sylestone’s first World Cup Qualifying goal of the campaign was at Avondale and caused by the linkup of one former Avondale City player, one current Capitol Athletic player and a second former Avondale City player, but that was the least of most people’s worries at the time. Against probably the best pot five nation out there by some distance, the Sentients had taken a crucial 1-0 lead with just quarter of an hour remaining on the clock.

And they would hold on, even though Macleay was forced into a one-on-one save from a tight angle in the 88th minute that saw Sylestonean hearts enter their mouths for a millisecond after Holly Statton found herself in no man’s land tracking inside. But the score remained 1-0 and by the time the referee blew his whistle at the end of five minutes of stoppage time, it was still that way.

The effects of the game had repercussions far beyond the the ninety minutes at the AISS, though; at the hotel after the game, Zenic manager Geraldo Zys's famous temper got the better of him, the five star Avondale hotel having to cover costs for several holes in walls and broken appliances. Usually that'd be fine, but little did Zys know that this hotel was frequented by Sentient Objects, and even had a couple of workers. The result? SA couple of shocked Sentients as Zys accidentally laid into them, not telling them apart from the inanimate appliances. Though neither have pressed charges, there have been calls for greater awareness of the species when travelling to Sylestone, and whether anything official is to be done is unknown. For now, players and managers are asked to keep their tempers in control to prevent anything like this from happening again in the future.

It had been a bit scruffy but all things considered, an excellent start to their campaign. The first challenge had been overcome, and it was now time to bring on the next two: Jeruselem away and then Raspotochje in Kirkham. While this will mark the first encounter between Raspotochje and the Sentients, Sylestone have crossed paths with the Princesses twice before, back upon their return to football in qualifiers for World Cup 93. At the Dazza Dallas Stadium Jeruselem call home, Sylestone have a 1-0-0 record, having defeated the Princesses away that cycle after a 2-0 home defeat to kick off the campaign. So yes, they’ve crossed paths before, but this time the roles are reversed: the Sentients are an established footballing power, ranked 17th in the multiverse, while the Princesses are 57th, without a qualification for several cycles now. Can the Sentients repeat the dosage, or will the hosts enact revenge? It won’t be easy, particularly with Jeruselem’s last home fixture being a 5-1 loss to the Commonwealth of Baker Park, but with a determined mindset, anything is possible.

Hopefully, another 1-0 win. Although a 2-0 or 3-0 win would be quite handy, too. It’s not a 1-0 win, but those kinds of wins do, after all, have their perks. Just don’t let them score, and we should be all good.

---

Sylestone vs Zenic @ Avondale International Sports Stadium, Avondale

Sylestone (4-4-1-1): Macleay; Wettenhall - Mornington - Blackall - Statton; Ryland (Milligan 64’) - Rodway (Woodfull 80’) - Lawson - Arnold ( 43’) (Jones 64’); Sarcav-Jones (Dowie 80’); Eastwood

Zenic (3-5-2): Mosley; Trac - Hodge (Pekko 56’) - Byford; Shuji (Aeneas 84’) - Devor ( 75’) - Dejulio - Seamons (Lawal 84’) - Dettmann; Maruscak - Gentile (Nori 84’)

Sylestone 1-0 Zenic
                                           Eastwood 73'

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FRIENDLY BOX SCORES TBA

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Starting XI vs Jeruselem @ Dazza Dallas Stadium, Jeruselem City

Macleay; Holt - Mornington - Blackall - Molineux; Ryland - Hellyer - Lawson - Jones; Sarcav-Jones; Eastwood

Starting XI vs Raspotochje @ Sentient Oval, Kirkham

Brick Wall; Wettenhall - Mornington - Faucett - Martin; Milligan - Gallagher - Woodfull - Jones; Rodway; Strathfield

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

Undertow
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Jarek

OOC Acknowledgement: This chapter uses part of the hook and takes inspiration from some of the imagery of "Legerdemain" by Aesop Rock. (the meaning of the hook is quite different here though than in its original context), oh also, CW: 'bout to test the limits of this forum rule update

It was an unseasonably cold morning, if you one to put much stock in seasons. The heavily notated calendar hanging beside Jarek's desk at the station trumpeted spring with an image of white and purple blackberry flowers, but outside a blackthorn winter held sway over the elements. Overnight, fast-scudding clouds had sprayed powdery snow across Lublova and in their wake, thermometers had plunged deep into the negative. When the front eventually made its way across Molvania and crossed the border into Megabrantis, the heartlanders would grumble about takatalvi and puff their breath out in front of them, shuffling in express down city streets. In Lublova, though, people took this sort of thing in stride.

Those who'd grown up with it anyway. Back in Chalesm, Jarek had liked to make out that his Molvanian heritage made him tougher against the cold than his Brantid classmates. In Lublova, where there was little more than a line on the map between the city and the icy gales of the Blood Sea, he'd been forced to be a little more honest with himself. Eagerly eyeing the steadily climbing temperature, he'd been counting the days until he could start packing away his boots, coats, thermals, all the cumbersome accoutrements of winter. And so when Fermin's call had woken him early, he'd taken a moment to stare out the window and sigh, lips pursed, at the white dusting shining in the yellow streetlight glow. Fermin's tone had been quiet and urgent though, and he'd refused to say why, other than that he would be there to pick up Jarek in 20 minutes. In the eight months he'd been working at the narcotic's division's Lublova office, Jarek had only heard that tone from his partner once: when one of Jarek's informants had been exposed by a careless local police chief. They'd managed to get the man and his family out, but only ten minutes ahead of a pair of bratva przewoźniki. Walking out the door in answer to Fermin's quick double honk, Jarek braced himself for the cold, and for a long day ahead. Fermin hadn't said much on the way. There'd been some kind of shootout in Marasha district, the locals were handling the investigation, but Colonel Radski had bent someones ear to get Fermin and Jarek access to the crime scene to see if they could identify any of the dead. It wouldn't been the first time they'd seen the aftermath of one of their suspects coming to a violent end, even if this seemed to be a on a larger scale than anything they'd worked together before. It wasn't enough to explain why Fermin was so on edge. Clearly there was something more to it.

Fermin pulled over half a block down from a pair of Lublova police cars parked across both lanes, lights flashing. A pair of uniformed officers attempted to wave them off at first, but stepped aside when Fermin and Jarek produced Confederate Bureau of Police badges. One of the very young men, Jarek wondered if they were even 20 yet, clearly took it as a great offense that the CBP was here interfering in their investigation. He scowled at them as the other helpfully lifted one of the many strips of plastic tape that stretched between seemingly every streetlight and traffic sign on the block. The neighborhood they'd entered was mixed residential. Three to five story buildings lined the street, shoulder to shoulder with small shops at ground level and apartment windows peeking out between fire escape ladders up above. The buildings were old, but reasonably well-kept. Brick or plaster facades over the structures' cinderblock bones were weathered but clean, and there was only sparse litter on the sidewalks and street. It was clearly not a rich neighborhood, but also not one blighted by abject poverty. A working class place where people sometimes struggled but overall got by all right. At least it had been. Now the clean, smooth sidewalks were covered in the shattered glass of shop windows, spilled where gunfire had smashed its was through. The gutter, empty of trash, had been filled by dark puddles of blood. Jarek liked to think he was pretty hardened after over three years in drug enforcement, but he'd never seen so many bodies in one place.

I found something in the woods I wanna show you
just might change the way you float around the O²

Past the blockading police cars and with the glare of their lights behind him, the dim morning street was splashed in harshly alternating red and blue tones. The colors fell heavily on white shrouded figures that stretched here and there down the block between the sparkling glass shards. This one half in half out of the gaping socket that had been the sliding glass door of a laundromat. That one half sheltered under the rear bumper of a sedan now peppered with holes, as if still seeking what meager cover could be found there. That one . . . jebote, that one was too small. What the hell had happened here? Jarek found himself trying to think back to the academy, think of some similar case from the Confederacy's recent history. He came up blank.

drove 20 minutes
looked for 30 seconds

"Hey Jarek!" Fermin beckoned. Jarek hadn't noticed that his partner had walked across the street to speak to a uniformed officer with a trio of silver bars on his lapel. How long had he been standing there staring blankly? Shaking his head to clear it, Jarek tucked his quickly numbing hands into his pockets and stepped down off the sidewalk. "Jarek, this is Major Hrnčár, he's in charge here. Major, Detective Lieutenant Jarogniew Brixen, my partner." Jarek nodded to the major, dragged his eyes away from the street and onto the man's face. Heavy-lidded eyes over a plug nose and dense black mustache stared back at his for a moment. Jarek wondered how long he'd been awake. Somewhere in the background, Fermin was talking to Hrnčár. The usual back and forth with the locals. Not here to step on your toes, we just need to see if any of our guys are here. We find a lead we'll tell you of course, of course, share and share alike. Some enterprisingly detached, analytical part of Jarek's brain started counting the figures under the sheets, lost track almost immediately.

can I get a witness?
went home different

"Jarek!" Jolted again. Fermin rested a hand on Jarek's shoulder blade, gently propelled him off the curb again. "Stick with me here kid, it's ugly, I know, but you're scaring the locals. We're supposed to be a couple of Confederate hard men, remember?"

"Sure, right." Jarek wiped his face with once gloved hand. Something in the fabric caught and scratched across his cheek. It woke him up a little, blessing in disguise, maybe. Accompanied by Major Hrnčár, they crossed the street again to where three shrouded figures were clustered together, watched over by a pair of uniformed locals. As they arrived, one of the officers reached down and twitched the sheets back to reveal the faces.

"What do you think Jarek, anyone we know?"

"I don't know this one, but that's Skarbie. This other one, I dunno, could be Misio but," Jarek's voice caught for a moment and he cleared his throat before continuing, willing evenness back into his tone. "Could be Misio but its hard to be sure with the way his face is . . ." he trailed off.

"Those two never go anywhere alone. 10 to 1 it's him. And can we turn off that fucking radio already?" Fermin filled in.

Jarek hadn't realized, a radio in the ruined laundromat had been left on, a spare bass and high-hat instrumental layered with rapid hip-hop wordplay carrying out into the street. Some young officer had maybe taken the order not to touch anything at the scene a little too literally. "Yeah, probably."

"Should I know these assholes?" Hrnčár asked.

"Favorite enforcers of Zabko Pašagić. Guess we better see if he's here too."

As it turned out, he wasn't.

Jarek let Fermin make the report back to Colonel Radski. Someone had tried to hit Pašagić and missed, but who? By all accounts things between the mutri and jopok were smooth as they'd ever been after the meeting Jarek and Fermin had observed last fall. But who else would have the means and motive, not to mention the willingness to make this big a mess?

went home different

SRS: 1
JFV: 4

Goalscoring:
SRS: Sargsa 8'
JFV: Simonovski 34', Bajrami 41', Trajkovski 70', Vujić 75'

SRS Lineup: Bláha; Drenel (Arda 80'), Van, Norling; Shakhnovich, Sevet-Ibilx, Saigir (Avachinsky 72'), Khachat; Ksudach (Fridtjofs 72'), Sargsa (Hjort 85'), Aaltonen (Koshelev 80')

A flat performance, with the team lulled into a false sense of superiority after an early goal from Sargsa. Tadić rallied the troops for the hosts and led by example, assisting on both the tying and go-ahead goals before halftime. Madeiros failed to inspire his team or make necessary adjustments at the half, and the strong physical play of the Josifski broke down Squornshelan attacking efforts and eventually led them to extend their lead on the counterattack. A disheartening beginning, but certainly not the end of the world. There's a long way to go to conclude this qualifying campaign, and the Black-and-Reds recovered from a similar loss to Tkakhaxi to open their ARC1 campaign. We all know how that tournament ended.

SRS: 7
USD: 2

Goalscoring:
SRS: Ksudach 21', 88', Van 25', Sevet-Ibilx 27', Sargsa 59', Drenel 73', Aaltonen 80'
USD: RW 53', ST 77'

SRS Lineup: Bláha; Drenel, Van (Tirel 82'), Norling; Shakhnovich (Tulyakbay 75'), Sevet-Ibilx, Saigir (Amjol 75'), Khachat; Ksudach, Sargsa (McGill 86'), Aaltonen (Sgro 86')

Pretty brutal. It was always a mismatch on paper but you don't usually expect them to get this far out of hand. After a slow start, three goals in six minutes put the visitors almost out of the picture before half an hour had elapsed, and even an answering goal shortly after the half only seemed to make the Black-and-Reds angry, as they responded to extend the lead before another handful of goals late in a second half that had a good 20 minutes of what many might call garbage time.

Qualifying Schedule and Results:

MD01: JFV 4-1 SRS @ Stadion Ljubco Savevski (cap.  24,000), Samuilovo, JFV
MD02: SRS 7-2 USD @ Flanoil Arena (cap. 50,350), Traal, West Flania, SRS
MD03: ZWZ  v  SRS @ Wayr Stadium, Rackham Range, ZWZ
MD04: BYE
MD05: SRS  v  CEM @ Black Raven Field (cap. 35,400), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD06: SEM  v  SRS @ Natunolstadion (cap. 86,000), Jansberg, SEM
MD07: SRS  v  BRS @ The Lutenstaad (cap. 75,000), Lutenblag, Molvania, SRS
MD08: SRS  v  JFV @ Admiral Cherenkov Stadium (cap. 71,200), Santraginus, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD09: USD  v  SRS @ TBA
MD10: SRS  v  ZWZ @ Megabrantid Financial Field (cap. 69,245), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD11: BYE
MD12: CEM  v  SRS @ TBA
MD13: SRS  v  SEM @ Bridger Lane (cap. 72,406), Damogran, Algolia, SRS
MD14: BRS  v  SRS @ Wimbley Stadium (cap. Various), Council Groves, BRS

[Abanhfleft]

Gennady Yakovlevich Chernenko was a man who was familiar with legacies. It comes with the territory of being the son of one of the most prominent managers and coaches in Pridnestrovian history. Not to say that Yakov Ivanovich Chernenko wasn’t a successful manager; he was that as well, although most of his success did come with football clubs rather than national teams. But it also couldn’t be denied that Yakov Ivanovich did help lead Pridnestrovia to its highest ever ranking in the Copa Rushmori back when he was in charge of the country’s national women’s team, even if he only managed to get to the final of an international football tournament once. And even then, the one time that Yakov Ivanovich did get the Pridnestrovian women’s team into a final, not only was it in a relatively minor tournament that ran three times before being forgotten about, but Pridnestrovia also lost that final. Despite all that, Yakov Chernenko was still sure to go down in history for his achievements in management, both with CSKA Tiraspol and with the Pridnestrovian women’s football team.

The thing though was that Gennady Yakovlevich Chernenko didn’t intend on being a manager in football, at least not when he was still starting out his career. There were some people who claimed that a certain amount of nepotism had been involved when Gennady went into CSKA Tiraspol’s youth academy, considering that his father was a literal walking legend for the capital city club, both as a player and as a manager. But even in his youth, it was clear that the name wasn’t the only thing that Yakov had passed down to Gennady; much like his father, Gennady was developing into a big-bodied bruiser operating in front of the defenders to provide their opponents one more line that they had to get past. By 20 years old, he had already broken through into the first team of CSKA, and though Gennady’s arrival coincided with a general downturn in the Army Team’s fortunes in the Pridnestrovian Super League, a lot of people had been turned from doubters to believers, and there were even whispers of a call-up to the senior Pridnestrovian men’s national team.

But that was before Gennady tore his right ACL during a preseason friendly when he was 25 years old.

Gennady Chernenko was never the player that he used to be after that injury. Not only had he become rusty during his year in rehab, but after only a few months of coming back he was once again back in the physios’ room for another knee injury. It was in or around that moment that Gennady realized that maybe he wasn’t really supposed to carry on the family legacy on the pitch; instead, he was meant to be in the dugout. That was why Gennady decided to start studying for a coaching license during his second stint in rehab, and by the time he called quits on his playing career at the ripe young age of only 30, Gennady had a international-level license, meaning he could manage any club in the multiverse that he so wished. Of course, he didn’t immediately jet off to anywhere and anyplace just like that; he started off with CSKA’s academy, specifically the under-18 side. After three years and one youth league trophy, Gennady moved up to the under-21s, where although Gennady went trophy-less for four years, his side was still runner-up twice.

There were rumors that Gennady was first in line to take over the senior CSKA team after their latest manager failed to win the Super League title despite having a twelve-point lead in the last four games of the season, only for the man to end up going down the coast to manage FK Pridnestrovskaya Gavan, a newly promoted side hoping to become a more established Super League team. His record in Prigava wasn’t really the best, but at the same time, it wasn’t the worst. Gennady got mired in a relegation battle in his first two seasons with Prigava, and he even had to play a relegation-promotion playoff against the third-best team from the National Premier Football League (the second tier of Pridnestrovian football) in his second season, but he won that playoff, and that was what allowed him and the club to make a spot for themselves in the lower reaches of the Super League’s mid-table.

After six years of managing Prigava, Gennady decided that it was now time to test himself anew, and he signed with Sub Deg Raiders of the Chiefdom of Copper Cuprum. In terms of win-loss record, Gennady Chernenko’s four seasons with the Raiders was among the best that he had ever had in his career, but in terms of the actual club objectives, many would say that he was a complete and utter failure. He never won the Copperite League One title, finished in second place only once, and the club didn’t feel like a factor in the title race in the other three seasons that he was in charge. Gennady did win the Raiders one piece of silverware during his tenure, the Chief’s Cup, but it was a classic case of “too little, too late” and the Raiders didn’t extend his contract beyond the four years that he had originally signed for. Gennady would be lying if he said that that experience wasn’t a humbling one for him, and once his stint in the Chiefdom was done, he went back to Pridnestrovia and became a journeyman, managing clubs all over his motherland, mostly those in the second tier.

Eventually, Gennady did finally get the chance to become manager of CSKA Tiraspol. Unfortunately, there were those who felt that that particular window of opportunity should have opened a lot earlier than it did, and now nobody was really going to benefit from such a partnership, especially now that Gennady Chernenko had developed a reputation of only managing second-tier and lower mid-table Super League sides. Nevertheless, Gennady still decided to take the job, but he would last only two years before he was sacked for the same reasons why he was never really able to elevate his managerial career to the next level: his managerial skills just weren’t good enough to carry a title-contending team over the line with any sort of consistency. And now, because he was the first relatively well-known that happened to be available at the time, Gennady Yakovlevich Chernenko had become the new manager of the Abanhfleft women’s national football team.

It was clear to anyone with one working eye and half a functioning brain cell that the Samahang Futbol ng Abanhfleft hired Gennady Chernenko to replace the outgoing Kate Bernanos at the helm of the women’s team was purely because of his name association. After all, it was Yakov Chernenko who had led the Pridnestrovian women’s team to heights in the Copa Rushmori that they had never been able to reach since, so it stood to reason that his son could do the same thing for the Fleftics, right? Unfortunately for the SFA though, the world didn’t really work that way. Yes, Gennady Chernenko had won trophies with many of the clubs that he had managed, but those were exceptions to the rule, and the rule with Gennady was that winning league titles and cups wasn’t really in his wheelhouse. And he was the manager whom the SFA had hired to manage a team that was notorious for choking at the most inopportune of moments.

Then again, the SFA had tried (and failed) so many times to get winning managers to take charge of the national teams only to see them all stumble around. Maybe two negatives could be put together to form a positive this time around. It wasn’t much, and perhaps such a sentiment was merely the result of fans huffing on pure uncut copium, but they had literally tried everything else and come up short more times than anyone cared to count. What else other than this “Hail Mary” play was going to finally bring good luck and trophies to the Revolutionaries?

---

  WEST BARACK AND EAST OBAMA 3 – 0 ABANHFLEFT  
      OBAMADEUS-MOZART (14’)
               OLIBAMA (36’)
           L. CHOBAMYA (58’)

[Tumbra]

Darmen 0-1 Tumbra

TMB (4-3-3): 1 - V Jones; 2 - A Renton (18 - H Kennedy, 85'), 4 - S Kerr, 20 - Y Lawson (30 - B Byrne, 78') 19 - J Green; 6 - T Harrison (47 - S Philips, 82'), 8 - I Robertson, 16 - V Leighton (15 - L McCormick, 82'); 7 - V Wells, 9 - L Crossley (37 - M-C Gill, 78'); 11 - C Henshaw

TMB scorers: Valerie Wells (29')

Player of the Match: James Green [TMB]

Tumbra begins World Cup qualifiers campaign with "confident" 1-0 win over Darmen; Lennon set to be appointed as Under-21s manager for three cycles

SCOTT CITY, DARMEN: The scoreline may have been a narrow one, but Tumbran national team manager Michael Campbell praised the Black Eagles for a "confident" showing as Tumbra got off their World Cup 96 qualifiers to a strong start with a 1-0 win over third seeds Darmen. The only goal of the game would be scored by Valerie Wells, on the half-hour mark; but that goal was enough to see off the Darmeni national team in the Rushmori nation's capital of Scott City.

The game — Tumbra's first of twelve across seven international windows — saw a Tumbra team, now without established stalwarts such as Ian Ashburn in defence and Vincent Hicks in midfield, both of whom had declared their international retirement after Tumbra's World Cup final loss to Delte at the previous edition, play its usual style of counterattacking football against a Darmen team which seemed eager to impress their offensive credentials upon the Black Eagles. Despite that, Tumbra played smooth football — perhaps due to the overwhelming amount of continuity from the squad which went to the World Cup. After a cycle of being out in the cold, Myana forward Julie Hardaker seems to have reclaimed a spot on the national team; so, too, has Lakewood City midfielder Victor Leighton, whose dictation of the run of play was singled out for praise by Michael Campbell after the game.

"I think it was a very confident, very well-composed performance," said Campbell in the post-match press conference. "I think quite a few people were worrying about the lack of Vincent Hicks after his retirement from international football, but I think Tumbrans need not worry. We're always going to have youth; we're always going to be able to rely on our strong culture of youth football to produce the next generation of star Tumbran footballers, whether they develop in Tumbra or not." Campbell has consistently refused to offer a take on the ongoing debate on Tumbran youth development, but this latest statement seemingly indicated his sympathies lay with Tumbrans going overseas to develop themselves.

The game was close, even if Tumbra were able to soak up pressure from Darmen throughout the game; right-back James Green, who would win Player of the Match, was key in making sure Tumbra left Scott City with all three points. In the hundred and two minutes of play, he made three crucial interceptions and largely kept left winger James January quiet throughout the game. Keeping January, who would be restricted to only three shots the whole game, quiet was a large part in Tumbra's eventual clean sheet.

The Black Eagles, perhaps in an overly cautious mood, did not make too many excursions forward. Wells' goal on the half-hour mark, in which she received the ball from a cross from Lynne Crossley, would be one of only six shots Tumbra made on goal the entire game. The cautious attitude persisted through the whole game, and the midfield seemed to make a deliberate choice to slow the game down when they were in possession. "I trust my players to do what's right on the field. I think they made the right calls; ultimately, we came out of it with all three points, which is the most important thing to me."

The game was otherwise notable for two debuts; one for centreback Benjamin Byrne of Lakewood City, whose sister Georgina plays for cityside rivals Lakewood United; and one for winger Marie-Claire Gill, who went through the Chromatik university football system before joining Squornshelan side Chalesm. "I'm very happy to finally wear the black and gold of the senior team," said Gill after the game. "It's a very humbling experience being able to play alongside my heroes like Trudy Harrison and Valerie Wells, and I hope I'll be able to return in the future," said Gill after the game.

Tumbra's next international window will see games against the bottom two seeds of the group, but Michael Campbell has already cautioned against complacency in their encounters with debutants Auprussia, and on-again-off-again participants Arjunnagar. "We're well informed of the need for us to take all six points from these two games. I'm also well aware of our need to avoid being complacent, which is something I stress ahead of essentially every game, but particularly this window," said Campbell. Tumbra will play Auprussia in Couno, with a capacity crowd expected, before heading off to Arjunnagar to play away from home.

In other football-related news, former Tumbran under-18 manager John Lennon is expected to be appointed as manager of the national under-21 team on a three-cycle contract. Lennon, who won the most recent Under-18 World Cup hosted at home, is said to have "welcomed the opportunity" to take a step up the ladder of football management while hoping to emulate the successes of his predecessor, Thomas Branting, who won the most recent Di Bradini Cup.

Early voting begins in Tumbra as result still deemed too close to call; photo finish in federal election expected as United close gap to Labour in polls

A summary of polls conducted since the start of the federal election campaign seven weeks ago. The left graph shows first-preference votes, while the right graph shows the trajectory of the two-party-preferred vote between the Labour and United parties. The solid lines represent a seven-poll moving average trendline, while individual dots represent data from individual polls.

STRATON: What seemed to be a relatively clear election result just two weeks ago now seems to be fully in doubt as up to 20 million Tumbrans — a fifth of the estimated 99 million Tumbrans registered to cast a vote at this federal election — are set to send in early votes through the post starting today in an election which has been described as a referendum on the past eight years of centre-right government. The eight-week campaign — one of the longest in modern history — has seen a decidedly negative tone marred by a health scare incurred by opposition Labour leader Bertram Andrews, which may explain the slip in the Labour Party's first preference vote in the final few weeks of the campaign.

"United's campaign has been relatively weak and policy-light, even up to the end," says Associate Professor of political science Prakash K. Jeyaretnam of the University of Couno. "The health scare on Labour's end, however, managed to transform the party's fortunes, and a relatively weak debate performance from Labour leader Bertram Andrews might have given United some momentum. United have begun to register poll leads in both the first-preference and two-party-preferred votes, but will have to pull out a two-party preferred gap of about 3% over Labour to retain a parliamentary majority.

"The important thing, really, is United's first preference votes. If they can hold a sustained lead of about 5%, 6% over Labour, then they're well on track to win a majority. Because they won't be getting too many preferences from the other parties, they need to shore up their votes to avoid losing on preferences," says Professor Jeyaretnam, one of the authors of Federal Election Studies, a long-running publication which analyses federal elections in Tumbra.

Perhaps keen to shake off the health scare, Labour leader kicked off what he termed as a "last-week tour of our important north" in Readale, with the whirlwind whistle-stop tour set to bring him to Ridgewell, Millsburgh, and Fontwell. The north, which is home to a plethora of marginal seats that the centre-right wrested from Labour in 2029 as they won government, could determine the difference between a majority or minority government for either major party. Should the election head to a hung parliament, where no one party is able to win the 326 seats required for a majority, Labour will have the advantage, with the environmentalist Alliance leader Michael Berkeley promising that he would speak to Andrews first to see if a confidence deal could be reached.

United leader Max Young, on the other hand, seems to be focusing on his home state of Georgia, where he served as Premier for 4 years. Having sold his campaign as a "Tumbran renaissance for the middle classes" through promises of modest tax credits and lessened regulation, he will be hoping that voters in suburban seats will listen to his message. Young, however, still lags behind in preferred Prime Minister ratings against his opponent, Bertram Andrews, who served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2027-2029, and the incumbent Prime Minister, Lawrence Newell, whom Young beat in a primary election to be declared as the United Party's prime ministerial candidate.

Seat projections which previously had Labour as the largest party or close to a majority have now been exceedingly more modest in their projections, with multiple proclaiming a hung parliament. Polling forecaster and aggregator electoral-algebra.tmb, which uses multilevel regression with poststratification (MRP polling) to project seat numbers from polling numbers, gives the United Party a 47% chance of finishing as the largest party, while Labour are slightly higher on 49%. The chance of a hung parliament, however, looms large at 34%.

Foreign Ministry advises avoiding travel to Græntfjall as leaked cable describes "intermittent power failures" in country*

STRATON: In an unprecedented situation not seen since the fall of the Communist regime in Rushmori nation Græntfjall, the Tumbran foreign ministry has issued an advisory that advises avoiding all travel to Græntfjall, even if essential. The news comes after a diplomatic cable from Ambassador to Græntfjall Thomas Ratcliffe was leaked online, describing Græntfjall as being having "intermittent power failures" creating an "environment of fear" in the country's urban areas. The cable also described Ratcliffe's difficulty in gaining an audience with the Græntfjaller government, and recommended that the Ministry should be prepared to take "precautionary action" to evacuate diplomatic staff from the Rushmori superpower. Rumours of strife within Græntfjall were rumoured as far as a few months ago, when hosting rights for the 21st edition of the Under-18 World Cup were transferred from Græntfjall to Tumbra on short notice. The Rushmori nation also withdrew from World Cup 96 qualifying on short notice, which sparked worry amongst fans of the Snow Wolves.

The diplomatic cable's veracity was authenticated by the Foreign Ministry, who described the breach as a "serious matter" which would be dealt with internally. "We were originally going to wait for a few more days before issuing the advisory, but the leak has made the situation untenable. We do not advise no-travel advisories often; but this seems to be a special, rapidly deteriorating situation which could cause further confusion and panic," said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson. "We therefore felt it best to issue the advisory now." A similar advisory, urging Tumbrans in Græntfjall to head to their nearest consulate in Græntfjall to apply for special repatriation, was issued a few hours later. While the main Tumbran embassy can be found in the country's capital of Háttmark, consulates can be found in the northern exclave of Hofvinger, as well as the cities of Altendalur and the southern municipality of Hartburg. "We will be keeping a close watch on the situation in Pavola, and will be in close discussions with the governments of Tikariot and the Kytler Peninsulae in case an international response is needed," said the spokesperson. Rushmore has seemingly been hit with a wave of isolationism in recent years, with Nephara — a country of similar stature to the Græntfjallers — choosing to turn inwards.

Tumbra, which in recent years has become one of Græntfjall's closest allies on the world stage, is expected to be moderately hit by a decrease in bilateral trade between the two nations. A statement from the Ministry of International Trade and Development stated that the impact on Tumbran trade was expected to be "moderately significant," but that it would honour all existing agreements between the two countries until further notice.

*OOC notice: I understand that not everyone will have the same perspective on what-is-happening-in-Græntfjall. Other people roleplaying the country's sudden withdrawal from international society are welcome to ignore this roleplay. The inspiration for this particular news section came from his bid for the Under-18 World Cup, which raised this as a distinct RP opportunity (which I have now decided to act upon)

WCQ96 QUALIFIERS SQUAD FOR TUMBRA V AUPRUSSIA, ARJUNNAGAR V TUMBRA -- Full Roster
Goalkeepers: 1 - Victoria Jones (Lakewood City), 12 - Richard Russell (Lakewood United), 13 - Branko Cvitkovic (Serrapince)
Defenders: 2 - Annie Renton (Serrapince), 28 - Mátyás Boullogne (Kingsbury United); 4 - Stephen Kerr (Chromatik, CMT), 5 - Wendy Pritchett (Lakewood United), 14 - Christine Whitfield (Myana, CMT), 20 - Yvonne Lawson (St. John's Arsenal, QUE), 30 - Benjamin Byrne (Lakewood City); 3 - Tracey Mercurio (Kingston, QUE), 31 - Shim Seo-yeon (Sareña, CAD)
Midfielders: 6 - Trudy Harrison (Chromatik, CMT), 15 - Lucas McCormick (Lakewood City), 42 - Heather Hindmarsh (Newark Argyle); 8 - Ian Robertson (Ridgewell Rovers), 16 - Victor Leighton (Lakewood City), 34 - Esekíel Sváfnisson (1896 Ebor, MYT); 10 - Susan Monaghan (Lakewood City)
Wingers: 7 - Valerie Wells (Lakewood United), 17 - Erin Robertson (Couno Rangers); 9 - Lynne Crossley (Chromatik, CMT), 21 - Audrey Pearson (Rülândéá Kôstä, RÜL)
Strikers: 11 - Charlotte Henshaw (Lakewood City), 22 - Edward Maddison (Avondale City, SYL), 26 - Julie Hardaker (Myana, CMT)

Schedule: @ DAR, Bye//v AUP, @ ARJ//v EOT, @ EXT//v ERA, v DAR//Bye, @ AUP//v ARJ, @EOT//v EXT, @ ERA
v ARJ: Fontwell; v EOT: Nantwich; v DAR, v AUP: Couno; v ERA: Lakewood; v EXT: Straton

[Kamijiro]

First two matchdays are complete. The Lightning have taken two points from two matches - a solid opening to the qualifiers for first-time manager Raiji Kagawa.

As you may remember, there were quite a few difficulties in putting together a roster for this World Cup following the separation of South-Central St. Jerome from the rest of St. Jerome - which prompted a move by the federal government to Raijin-shi, where the King resides. Although it was derided as a power play by the throne to bring the government to it's side of the island, parliament is still operating at the same level it was before. However, due to rules about which players can be called up, requiring a minimum of two players from each department, the new department of South-Central St. Jerome had to find two players to call up. Neither player has any high-level experience outside of some trial periods at clubs around the country. When asked how it felt to be called up, Kieran Walker said: "Honestly, I didn't want to be called up. I feel as if there's going to be too much tension in the air at training camp, and I don't think [Raiji] Kagawa will know how to deal with it. He's a brand new manager and there are very few managers in the world that could handle a national team right after a mas- [redacted]*. Either way, I just hope there's nothing personal between myself, [George] Campbell (also of S.C. St. Jerome) and the St. Jerome loyalists on the roster."

*Note: the government has requested that part of the transcript be redacted - for purposes of keeping the peace.

We reached out to ask both Marcus Aldridge and Thomas Beal - the two St. Jerome-born players on the roster - how they felt, but both of their agents sent blanket responses to our questioning.

There have been a few scuff-ups in practice, most notably between the Chamonix-born Kevin Charles and Nikos da Silvão, a Porto de Kamijiro resident who was born in the disputed area between Chamonix and Porto de Kamijiro. The two had to be separated by players and coaching staff, with Kevin walking away with a black eye and Nikos receiving a broken nose. However, the two later made up and have been seen hanging out in their free-time.

Despite this, the team has meshed well on the pitch, getting two points through two matches - including an exciting 2-2 draw with The Kytler Peninsulae, a higher-ranked squad internationally. The other match, a much more boring 0-0 affair with Krytenia, was marred with a succession of fouls by both sides. Both squads in that match seemed to have bad blood to start, although it's unknown why.

The box scores are listed below.

Matchday One:
Kamijiro 2-2 The Kytler Peninsulae
Events:

GOAL 29'   | (KJR 0-1 KYT) - D. Markusson
Yellow 29' | (KJR) Dissent - T. Beal
GOAL 38'   | (KJR 1-1 KYT) - C. Muramoto
Yellow 45' | (KJR) Excessive force - M. Aldridge
-- HALFTIME --
GOAL 59'   | (KJR 1-2 KYT) - Vincent
Yellow 69' | (KYT) Pulling shirt to stop attack - T. Donk
Yellow 69' | (KJR) Retaliation shove - S. Demizu
Yellow 69' | (KJR) Manager misconduct - R. Kagawa
GOAL 87'   | (KJR 2-2 KYT) - P. Seraphin
Yellow 90' | (KJR) Time-wasting - P. Seraphin

--

Matchday Two:
Krytenia 0-0 Kamijiro

Events:
Yellow 11' | (KJR) Cynical foul - H. Joshita
-- HALFTIME --
Yellow 54' | (KJR) Dissent - K. Charles
Yellow 67' | (KJR) Dissent - S. Demizu
Yellow 88' | (KJR) Time-wasting - J. Simões

--

Following the matches, the current leaders in each stat (as well as other info) are...
Goals: Chikayoshi Muramoto and Phillipe Seraphin (1)
Assists: Katsuaki Fujiwara (1)
Yellow Cards: Saiichi Demizu (2)

Saiichi Demizu is suspended for next match due to yellow card accumulation.

Article written by Allen Pierce of St. Jerome's Sports Journal.
Edited by Pierre LaDae of Chamonix Publishing Office.

[Milchama]

"I can't believe we had to start with Yuezhou"

"I know, starting with the top seed in the first game, what a terrible start schedule wise"

"Sure but it was a great start playing wise"

"Definitely, I mean up 2-0 within 20 minutes is great"

"But then we couldn't defend"

"I mean they were always going to get one back, look at the xG numbers through those first 20 minutes"

"That's fair at .82 xG you would expect them to get something back"

"Exactly"

"So giving up one wasn't necessarily the problem"

"No it was that second goal"

"That was calamitous defending, I mean how do you give up a back pass that light that Entersher can't even get there so suddenly it's an easy tap in for them"

"Yeah and then messing up an offside trap so that Luo is one on one with the keeper. Of course he'll score that"

"Just terrible stuff all around, of course we got one back in the 48th minute"

"I will say our new coach has done great"

"Yeah, I really like Fetakela Manuta and his half time talk must have been something"

"Certainly considering what happened after we got out"

"Yep, Zhao made a great save"

"And then another save but you can't do it forever"

"Not with how we were pressing and finally Koureia was breaking it down and just that easy slip pass to Benbemore and suddenly a tie game"

"And now it came down to defending"

"Well that and hopefully scoring another goal"

"I thought we had one too"

"Agreed, that 71st minute goal looked good to me"

"Unbelievable how the ref called that offside"

"I mean it was close"

"Yeah but I think Kaleten was onside"

"Me too but what can you do"

"Fair enough"

"And it wouldn't have mattered anyway"

"Well I don't think they score 1 minute later if we score"

"You know the stats on goals after scoring"

"True but considering it came off the literal free kick it seems unlikely"

"We had 11 people behind the ball and they still just ran rings around us, it could have happened anyway"

"True but there's really no blame on that last goal"

"Nah, nothing you can do about a banger from 40 yards out"

"That just happens sometimes"

"Yep and we were on the wrong side of it"

"Unfortunate, but nothing that we can do"

"Still not a terrible start"

"Yeah, I think if we had gotten Youzhou in the third game or whatever we would've won, or at least gotten a draw"

"Certainly, it's a good start to the campaign"

"I hope we do better in the next game"

"It certainly seems likely, I mean our opponents should be worse and if we play the same way it should be an easy W"

"Yeah, so all in all not the best but not the worst"

"Exactly"

"So let's do that"

"Sounds like a plan"

"Sounds like a plan"

[Sarzonia]

There's one common thread in any sport with a successful Sarzonian national team competing in it. There's a universal experience for every manager, head coach, or whatever terminology one uses.

The "trap match," or "trap game in some rather less civilised nations.

What do we mean, you ask? Simply put: It's the notion that a team facing a lower-ranked side in the match immediately preceding the contest against either a higher ranked opponent or a huge rival causing a team to lose focus.

In some cases, this involves thinking about the more highly regarded team, about the matchups involved and taking the lower-ranked foe less seriously. At the very least, it could involve focusing less on the next opponent and doing what needs to be done against them.

That was what the Sarzonia national football team was up against when they arrived in Rea San Vegas for their first away match of World Cup 96 qualifying. They had a bye on Matchday 3, but Caleb Rush, the Sarzonian national football team manager, knew his players had their home match against Ko-oren top of mind.

"We can't afford to get ahead of ourselves," Rush told the Sarzonia players assembled in the dressing room after their final training session prior to the Rea San Vegas match. He had been talking about focusing on the now, on the immediate task at hand and not getting ahead of themselves. In short, he was giving the "trap match speech" that nearly every Sarzonian manager is required to at some point in their tenure.

Did it work? The Stars were forced to rally from a 2-0 deficit after a scant nine minutes of play, but somehow did just that, thanks to second half substitute Spencer Wilson scoring twice, including an 89th minute penalty that allowed Sarzonia to sneak out of there with a crucial point.

"I'm disappointed with how we started," Rush said. "We talked about focus, intensity and concentration every few minutes before, during and after training. At some point, you have to be professionals and play like you belong at this level."

A reporter asked Rush if he was considering moving Wilson to the starting 11, but snarled, "don't be ridiculous!" However, when he got back to his hotel room before the flight back to Woodstock, he realised what happened. He thought the reporter was asking if he wanted to adopt a three-forward lineup with Wilson in it when he re-read the question. He saw it again. That wasn't the question. The question was simply if Wilson was being considered to start.

Had he understood the question as asked and not how he inferred, he would've said publicly that he's always assessing what he feels is best for the team, and evaluations of each player remain ongoing. Privately, however, he was seriously considering it. Yes, it would be the latest in a long line of Sarzonian football's royal family earning a place in a starting 11, but Rush knew Wilson's production was making this choice not much of a decision at all.

The only question was when Rush would pull the trigger.

[Adab]

Monday, October 5, 2048
StrayaRoos 0-1 Adab
Abbas (80’)

---

Monday, October 12, 2048
Adab 2-3 Kandorith
Adab scorers: Barzani (35’), Yargab (70’)

KickTheBall.com
Bringing you the latest news and rumors in football, in Adab and abroad

---

Monday, October 5, 2048 | 26 Dhu al-Hijjah 1470 | 28 Tishri 5809
StrayaRoos 0-1 Adab
Abbas (80’)

NEWS | WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
By: Saddam Abbas

Adab begin WC qualification campaign with unimpressive win

Adab’s World Cup qualification campaign began today with a narrow 0-1 win at StrayaRoos, but the manner of victory clearly failed to satisfy manager Saad Kaykali, who insisted that the team must improve for future matches.

With a healthy contingent of Adab fans having made their way to the StrayaRoos stadium, the national team relied on their hearty cheers as they got off to a slow start, with the Emus dominating possession in the first twenty minutes and creating several threats at the Adab goal. Cruz Kaiplo came the closest to breaking the deadlock in the 19th minute, with his shot just barely parried away by Satchit Chandrasekar, a bright note in Adab’s otherwise unimpressive start.

The Adabians settled down as the match wore on, with Emma Arthur and the midfield increasingly connecting with the forwards. Nadje Barzani was at the forefront of this offense, with her impeccable positioning presenting a threat at the front, allowing her to receive balls from Kastiliasu Akaptaha and Rebekah Yissakar. Nevertheless the score remained unchanged at the end of the first half.

Adab’s performance continued to improve in the second half, with the offense gaining renewed impetus after Kaykali brought in Omar Abbas in place of the visibly tired Yissakar in the 68th minute. It would fall to none other than Abbas to secure victory for Adab in the 80th minute, slotting the ball in off of a Sarrugi Akshak long ball.

Despite the win, Kaykali made no secret of his displeasure with his team’s performance in the post-match press conference.

“I feel like we could have won by a bigger margin,” Kaykali stated. “The Emus played great but we were able to match them.

“We definitely could have converted a few more chances.”

Kaykali continued, “When we look at our group – Kandorith, Flavovespia, Zeta Reka, among others – this is a pretty strong group and we’ve got to do our best in order to complete.

“Nevertheless, with proper training and drills I am confident we can rise to our desired level.”

[Crpostran]

---

POLITICS

Tories Unveil Ambitious Plan to Boost Small Businesses

The Conservative Alliance, as part of its series of "Common Man Promises", announced a bold strategy to empower small businesses, focusing on tax breaks, lesser red tape, and increased startup funds. This move aims to "bring about grassroots innovation, increasing prosperity across Crpostranian neighborhoods".

FFP Leader Benjamin Rivers Proposes New Education Reform Bill

FFP P.M Candidate Benjamin Rivers promised what could be a groundbreaking Education Reform Bill aimed at modernizing the nation's educational system. This proposed legislation seeks to prioritize STEM & holisitic education, enhance teacher training programs, and introduce innovative learning technologies. Rivers emphasized the bill's potential to cultivate a skilled workforce & increasing the value of human capital.

---

ECONOMY

Crpostranian Central Bank Announces Interest Rate Cut to Stimulate Economic Growth

The Crpostranian Central Bank has announced a massive reduction in interest rates from 4% to 2.5%. This comes as the Finance Ministry released economic figures earlier this month, which showed reduced inflation rates as it fell from 7% to 4.2%. This is geared towards increased borrowing and investment activities, thereby boosting economic expansion. By making borrowing more affordable, both businesses and consumers are expected to capitalize on this opportunity for growth and drive economic prosperity.

---

INTERNATIONAL

Crpostranian President leaves for Suomalainem for State Visit & Celebrating the Golden Jubilee of Diplomatic Relations

Crpostranian President Ankit Mohan departed for Suomalainem today to mark the Golden Jubilee of Diplomatic Relations. This state visitwill strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation between the two nations. Analysts also predict a FTA to be signed during the visit.

---

SPORT

WC96-QUALIFIERS

MD1

GAME STATS

+------------+-------------+------------+
| Crpostran  |    Stats    | Britonisea |
+------------+-------------+------------+
|     12     |    Shots    |     13     |
|     4      |   SoT       |     2      |
|    55%     | Possession  |    45%     |
|    550     |   Passes    |    600     |
|    90%     | Pass Acc.   |    84%     |
|     3      |    Fouls    |     1      |
|     0      | Yellow Card |     0      |
|     0      |   Red Card  |     0      |
|     0      |   Offsides  |     2      |
|     4      |   Corners   |     7      |
+------------+-------------+------------+
ATTENDANCE: 88,032

MD2

GAME STATS

+------------+-------------+------------+
| Delaclava  |    Stats    | Crpostran  |
+------------+-------------+------------+
|     10     |    Shots    |     18     |
|     3      |   SoT       |     9      |
|    40%     | Possession  |    60%     |
|    420     |   Passes    |    580     |
|    75%     | Pass Acc.   |    88%     |
|     5      |    Fouls    |     2      |
|     1      | Yellow Card |     0      |
|     0      |   Red Card  |     0      |
|     1      |   Offsides  |     0      |
|     3      |   Corners   |     6      |
+------------+-------------+------------+
ATTENDANCE: N/A

---

UPCOMING.....GET READY FOLKS!

[TJUN-ia]

The Random Rambles of a Jaguar - World Cup 96 Edition
with Killian Looker

Feck. Here we go I guess. How in the fuck did I end up getting the approval to do my shit during the World Cup?. Taking the air time of Boot It! wasn't something I was actively considering when I started this thing...but I guess the FA-TJUN-ia have faith in me, which must be a good sign if nothing else. What will this show look like during this crucial time for all of TJUN-ia? Well, I'll talk about the games of course and maybe some other things too! So let's see what we can do here...starting with the results.

MD1: Delte 1-0 TJUN-ia (Tai Cerotha 66')
MD2: TJUN-ia 2-2 Sudilia (Jackson Smith-Scott 23' + Kristina Bay 81'|Daniel Bourne 44', 67')

My Take
No wins in your opening two games usually spell disaster and is deemed a massive hole that we have to climb out of already. But for these opening two games, not so much. Delte, remember, are the defending World Champions, ranked #3 in the WCC and riding the biggest high in their history. The fact we went to Ildemorton Road, the home of the World Champions of this sport, and only lost 1-0 is something we can't just push away. We held our own here...it's just that Tai Cerotha took advantage of a moment of weakness with the crowd on our backs. We performed well to only lose 1-0 to a Top 3 side in the world...that may show how far we have fallen, but it's a commendable performance either way. The Sudilia game was certainly a little bit bonkers, young Daniel Bourne stealing the show, but a draw seemed fair, I guess?

Reactions
The 1-0 loss was pretty understandable to the average TJUN-ian, so that's fine. But over in Roi Ville? Mixed feelings. Some were happy we recovered for the draw, others felt we should be beating teams like Sudilia by 2 goals or more and that a result of this ilk was yet another sign that David Seems and Li Xiu Ying were on their way out as managers of this national team. Some do feel that TJUN-ia's switch to Esportiva gave the pair more time but I honestly feel that they will go out on their own terms. They've given too much to our game to be forced out by the FA, in my opinion. I know with 10 games to go, one point isn't great...but things are far from over and we all know it.

Next Fixtures

MD3: @Ishadonia (7th, 0pts)
MD4: vs Gnejs (3rd, 3pts) - Szensky

If we don't beat the BoF team in this group, things will really turn sour. Szensky and KS will be ready for a 1st home win and the pressure will certainly be on there no matter what happens the game before.

10 games to go. See you all next time.

---

SCHEDULE (Group 14)
Revert to this post for stadium information.
MD1: @Delte (3) - Ildemorton Road, Oswark-upon-Delte L 0-1 (5th)
MD2: vs Sudilia (77) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville D 2-2 (5th)
---------------------------------------------------------------
MD3: @Ishadonia (269)
MD4: vs Gnejs (42) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky
---------------------------------------------------------------
MD5: @Conania (236)
MD6: BYE
---------------------------------------------------------------
MD7: vs United Hawkland (142) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas
MD8: vs Delte (3) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City
---------------------------------------------------------------
MD9: @Sudilia (77)
MD10: vs Ishadonia (269) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu
---------------------------------------------------------------
MD11: @Gnejs (42) - Kejm Park, Port Kejm
MD12: vs Conania (236) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong
---------------------------------------------------------------
MD13: BYE
MD14: @United Hawkland (142) - Østad Colliseum, Østad (TBC)

[Brookstation]

---

AFC RICHMOND

AFC Richmond was formed in 1961 but the club which ultimately transformed into the football club, Loxhalgh Hockey Club, were established back in 1902 and were the renowned names when it came to the game of hockey. By the time of the shift from hockey to football, the club had already found itself under a massive dept, resorting to all sorts of small sport contests here and there, just to keep themselves alive. The change however brought a sense of positivity into the city when prominent businessman and local football lovers gained ownership of the club. After changing their discipline from Hockey to Football, the club was immediately welcomed into the newly formed second division of association football, without having played a single game prior to that.

Richmond's home is the Yale Road which dates back to the 1880s when it existed mainly existed as a small hockey stadium. The inclusion of Richmond into the league saw a full scale renovation of the Yale Road, changing the very nature of the stadium from a hockey field to a football field. This was a massive investment and perhaps one of the biggest in the club's early history. Despite most clubs changing their original stadiums to shift to a much well-developed urban location, Richmond have stayed loyal to their original home, renovating the ground from time to time to an extent that the current capacity of the ground is 21,000 while in its premature stages, it held a maximum volume of 4000 people. As a result, the loyalty of the club as a whole and the constant backing of the fans have also given rise to one of the most ambitious and loyal fanbases across Brookstation.

Richmond is one of the clubs in Brookstation to wear red and blue. The colours were inherited during the very period of shift and has stayed true to the club much like its home ground but till date, there exists no reasonable explanation behind the choice of these colours. In fact, even Loxhalgh wore red striped before changing disciplines. Perhaps the reason behind choosing these colours will never be known but the most plausible explanations seems to be the fact that red and blue were undoubtedly always the most common colour to acquire during production and therefore in an attempt to not try something very fancy, the club might've just decided to adopt the most basic combination of hues. There have been some theories regarding the colours, one of which suggest that the colours derived its origins from the Loxhalgh military regiment or maybe the combination of red and blue is a representation of 'blood and sweat', the two main symbols of hardwork and determination. However, the most interesting argument relates the colours to the context of culture and politics, where red and blue have always been complementary to each other, holding contradictory vibes. Whereas the red indicates more of a socialist, aggressive and passionate political spectre, blue represents a calmer , more conservative one. Nonetheless, one thing is certain. There is no correlation between the club's colours and the city's coat of arms which was mostly based on gold and amber.

Loxhalgh originally wore black and white for a very brief period of time before changing to red and blue and their first game in their historic colours came against Drublin in July, 1945. One can also conclude that Loxhalgh might have wanted to be more unique and distinct than the rest and thus ended up adding the two most prominent shades of colour to their kit. Richmond, however always maintained their red and blue striped shirts, sometimes pairing them with white or black shorts as a tribute to their forerunners, Loxhalgh. Irrespective of what the reason behind choosing the colours were, the choice was definitely pretty iconic, to say the least.

For the majority of their tenure in the League, both Loxhalgh and Richmond competed in the second division, only gaining promotion to the top tier after the massive takover by the Richmond petroleum corporation which marked the redefining period in the club's history. The massive financial takeover saw a complete revolution of the club, completely transforming pretty much everything about the club apart from its rich culutral dignity and the bond between the club and the supporters.

The current badge of Richmond is pretty simple and boring, with the image of a drop of petroleum, the exorbitant price of which has plumeted the club into success and glory. The badge was obviously adopted after the takoever of the company but prior to that, AFC Richmond maintained a badge in the shape of a rounded shield with a rose in the middle, which was supposedly another representation of the colours. The rose was supposedly the most prominent representation of red and this badge had given rise to the club's short-lived nickname- The Roses. Prior to the rose logo, the Loxhalghs maintained a more simple logo with the letters LFC written in a fancy manner in the hues of their jersey.

Reports from the 1930s and 40s have referred to Loxhalgh as the Yellers as well, a mispelled monicker of their home stadium, the nickname which according to me is by far the most interesting. In fact the 'Yellers' were actually a more prominent nicknamed compared to its successor. The nickname was long lost until it was again revived back in the 90s, all of a sudden. Today, Richmond doesn't really hold much of a nickname and most of the club's heritage remains lost in the abyss. Today Richmond is regarded as nothing but an oil club, sucking off the benefits of a corporate world as a result of which, the club doesn't own nearly as much as the respect it is supposed to. Irrespective of the current state of the club, it can be said without a benefit of doubt that AFC Richmond holds a pretty rich history and the entire evolution from Loxhalgh FC to AFC Richmond is definitely something remarkable.

[Siovanija and Teusland]

The Next Generation

Player Profiles powered by HansAir

The Kosch-Kovarik Brothers

Kramer, Ribbeck, Tauscher, Jager. Kynev, Romanov, Kokalj and Dimitrov. Some of the most famous names in the history of Siovanija & Teusland football - but there’s a new generation now, and RBC Sports along with HansAir are happy to introduce them to the world!

It’s tough to grow up in Pomorie-Marzig, whether you are Siovanijan or Teus. Everyone on both sides of the River Drai knows the story: the left bank is the Siovanijan city of Pomorie, the right bank the Teus city of Marzig. One started as a fishing village, one as a crusader castle. Neither wanted the other’s presence. The two cities are known and forever linked by their differences - and a violent past. Tensions here led to the outbreak of the Great War that eventually united Siovanija & Teusland, while in recent years violence has unfortunately become common in any match between the two football clubs of the cities. Isolation brought things back to the forefront, and a bombing in the city centre of Pomorie just 5 years ago has led to increased security and fears in the city. It’s hard to be Siovanijan here, it’s hard to be Teus here - what about being both?

Born to Siovanijan mother Ana and Teus father Paulus, Josef and Aleksander Kosch-Kovarik grew up in the city and lived through quite a lot on their way to becoming footballers. “My parents really didn’t like that he was Catholic,” said Ana - she can laugh about it now. “My parents were willing to compromise that the wedding wasn’t in a church - as long as our kids were eventually baptized,” said Paulus. When the couple first began dating, their families refused to meet the other until just before the marriage. “Now, of course, they get along! But back then… yeah, not fun,” Ana says.

Marriages between Siovanijans and Teus aren’t the most common thing in the world, despite the united country. It’s just simply easier to find and meet someone that grew up in your city and speaks the same language - for the same reason that, with the exception of the national public service meaning many Teus have settled in Borograd, most Siovanijans do not move to Teusland, and vice versa. But it isn’t opposed, either - nobody outside of Pomorie/Marzig seems to have a problem with it, other than the extreme nationalists on either side of the mountains. In Pomorie/Marzig, though, it’s different - the same with anything related to the national question. While the rest of the country mocks them for it, there is still healing to do in these cities before they can move on.

“Bullying? Not really, no,” says Josef Kosch-Kovarik about his school days. “I mean, I definitely got some ribbing, going to a Teus school, but not too bad.” Josef grew up in a time when plenty of the tension had gone away, reduced to hooliganism at football matches. Aleksander’s story is a bit different: “No real bullying, but when the isolation started, let’s just say it didn’t help me socially to have a Siovanijan name.” Aleksander’s schooldays were just coming to an end when the renewal of tensions in the city, brought on by the isolation which was viewed as being targeted at the Teus, was coming about.

The identity question is one that both brothers have trouble with. “I hate answering that,” Josef laughs. “I don’t feel more one way or the other. I’m proud that we have a united country, and that even though there are… sibling fights, let’s call them, I’m proud of both sides of my background.” Aleksander is a bit more pensive, before answering “I grew up in a Teus neighbourhood going to Teus school and speaking Teus, but also with Siovanijan food and culture at home. I feel a part of both.”

Both brothers demonstrated a great ability on the football pitch from a young age. Josef is 3 years older than Aleksander, and he demonstrated that ability first. “Josef has always been a hard worker,” says proud father Paulus. “I remember the try-out he had with FK Pomorie, there was no doubt that he was the hardest-working player there.” Pomorie, however, rejected young Josef: ‘not the profile we’re looking for,’ Paulus was told. “I can’t help but feel it was a bit to do with the background,” says Ana. Both FK Pomorie and TSV Marzig are known for their links with nationalist fan groups, and it’s not too unreasonable to think Pomorie simply did not want a player with a Teus name in their squad. Ironically, perhaps proving the absurdity of it all, Josef was more than welcome at TSV Marzig’s Hechingertor academy, where he quickly became known as one of the best players for his age group.

The medals on the wall of his childhood bedroom show exactly that: ‘player of the month,’ ‘tournament champion,’ ‘player of the season.’ Kosch-Kovarik became quite well known in youth circles, and soon found his way through the gates of Hechingertor and into the first team at TSV Marzig. “Putting on the shirt for the first time was special, it always is to play for your hometown club. But honestly, my focus was just on doing the best that I could do.” ‘JKK,’ as the fans quickly nicknamed him, went from young star to hero in a matter of months. Beginning as an option off the bench in season 13 of the Republikaliga, he became a starter for Marzig by the start of the next season. He was all set to make his international debut, hopefully help lead the club to IFCF football, and then…

The I-word. “Beyond what it meant for me. When you look at what it did to our country? It was not a bright moment in our history,” says Josef regarding the isolation. “My heart just broke for him,” says Ana. The dreams of an international debut, or leading Marzig to a Challengers’ Cup berth - or playing abroad - had to be put aside for a moment. “You have to just focus inward and become stronger,” says Josef - and that’s exactly what he did. Using his strength, his skill on the ball and passing ability, he became Marzig’s best player, adored by the fans. At the age of 24, manager Ole Sauer handed Josef the captains’ armband. That season was special for another reason, too.

Aleksander’s path to pro football was different. While Josef had already debuted for Marzig when isolation began, Aleks was just barely finished secondary school and was still with the Marzig U19s. Where Josef liked to play in the midfield, Aleksander made a name for himself on the right wing, using incredible natural speed to break down the wing and create opportunities for his youth side. Josef was often spotted in the stands at his matches, and gave his younger brother plenty of advice. Aleksander’s stock began to rise after a great performance in the first post-isolation season - not only was he a great talent, but home-grown talent had suddenly become the most coveted thing for every Republikaliga club. He was promptly sent on loan to affiliate club TSV Sankt Gustaf, spending a year in the lower divisions where he followed a special training plan to help him bulk up and become stronger like his brother. Then came the call - next season, Aleksander and Josef would play together for TSV Marzig’s senior squad.

Paulus has a little tear in his eye when he talks about that day: “Josef wearing the armband, the both of them together on the pitch, it was something beyond even Ana and I’s wildest dreams for them.” Ana had more than one tear: “I just pictured them as little kids again, playing in the backyard. How hard they worked for that!” The debut game went exactly to play - a 3-1 win over SV Preisfeld, with Josef assisting the first goal of Aleksander’s senior career.

The siblings’ relationship can perhaps be best summarized in the post-match interview from that match with them both. TSV Marzig’s reporter jokingly asks “Josef, in many cases, they often say in sports that the younger sibling is the most talented of the family. Do you think this is true with you and Aleksander?” Josef laughs, says “Absolutely not!” and fakes a punch at his brother, who is smiling widely through it all. “Josef was always the loud, confident one growing up,” says Ana, “while Aleks was happy but quiet.”

Despite the 3 year gap in age, Josef and Aleks did plenty of things together. Backyard football, of course, but the two also liked to go together to hockey games and movies with their parents, or play video games. “Yeah, we got along quite well,” says Josef. “I liked beating him at things, honestly, hahaha, and then as we got older and he got more competitive it got more fun and we did things together a lot.” Aleks remembers the sibling rivalry fondly: “I hated losing to him, hahaha. Even today, when we go to the gym together or something, we’re always comparing who could do what. When we were younger we competed in a lot of fun things, but it was nice that as we got older and we both knew that football was in our futures we could help each other with that.”

On the pitch, the brothers had clear chemistry. Josef could always seem to pick out Aleksander for a great pass, and Aleks seemed to know in the back of his head where Josef was going to be as the Marzig attackers stormed into the opposing team’s third. Despite that, however, Aleks struggled a bit with the jump to Marzig. While Josef was earning plaudits as ‘one of the top midfielders in the country’ and ‘Marzig’s rock in the midfield,’ Aleks was finding himself more and more on the bench and struggling to find consistency. A conversation with his brother, however, changed everything.

“It was after… I think we played away to Vrnovo Mesto, and it was like a 2-2 tie, and I came on as a sub and frankly, I was awful,” says Aleks. “We didn’t fly back till the next morning, so Josef took me out for dinner.” Does the older brother remember what he told his younger brother that night? “Yeah, of course I do. I said as your captain, you’ve been terrible and you have to step up because this doesn’t cut it for a pro. As your brother, what can I do to help you?” From that point on, Josef helped his brother out with training recommendations, watching film together, and even helping set up Aleks with a sports psychologist employed by the club. “He set me straight,” said Aleks. Since that moment, the Kosch-Kovarik brothers became a dominant force for Marzig, and in the Regionalliga era, won 3 straight Regionalliga Korjava titles together, enabling them to play in the Meisterschaft.

With isolation over, it was time to make the moves Josef should’ve had the opportunity for many years ago. A national team call-up, and a big transfer abroad. For a fee of T2 million, Marzig let their captain join FK Arsika in Mytanija. “I loved every minute I spent at Marzig, but from a young age, watching IFCF games on TV, I’ve always wanted to try playing abroad, and playing in such a strong league in Mytanija can only make me a better player,” says Josef. “It’s going to be a fun challenge and I also can’t wait to play IFCF football for the first time in my career.” Aleksander will miss his brother a lot: “Yeah absolutely, not even as my brother but just the influence he has with our team, his leadership, we’re going to miss him a lot. But I told him I’ll keep the family name strong at Marzig, and we’ll certainly have chances to play again in the future.” Paulus Kosch says “he deserved that opportunity many years ago, I’m just glad he had the chance to take it now.”

The siblings will get the chance to link up sooner than expected - both brothers have been called up to the long list of the national side for the World Cup 96 qualifiers. With both men in line to earn their first caps, it could be a truly heartwarming moment for the whole family - and maybe, just maybe, a healing one for all of Pomorie-Marzig.

Siovanija & Teusland Squad for matchdays 3-4 of World Cup Qualifiers

GK: Krziz, Holz, Koprvic
Defenders: Metzger, Schwefel, Maksimov, Steinhausl, Apel, Kadelberg, Hayek
Midfield: Porsche, von Stein, J. Kosch-Kovarik, Prekmurje, Rosberg, Pavlicek
Attackers: Vadimic, Musil, Krukenberg, A. Kosch-Kovarik, Zak, Burger, Dezelac

Expected XI vs Cardenao: Krziz; Metzger, Maksimov, Steinhausl, Hayek; Porsche, Prekmurje; Musil, Rosberg, Krukenberg; Zak

Expected XI vs Doubeia: Holz; Schwefel, Steinhausl, Apel, Kadelberg; von Stein, J. Kosch-Kovarik; Vadimic, Pavlicek, A. Kosch-Kovarik, Burger

MD1/2 Stats: Goals: Blahoslav Zak (1, vs IAQ)

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

A STATEMENT FROM THE KRAZY KLOWN KOLLEGE

Dear Mundies,

Know now that our movement believes that you are unwelcome in the Holy Empire, and we furthermore do not welcome the opportunity to visit your nation. It's only because subclause 31.b of Section C of Article XXVI of the World Cup Charter states that we cannot withdraw from the World Cup after Matchday 1 of qualifying that we're going through this painful charade that we likely find as distasteful as you do. As soon as this World Cup is over, we will be fighting tooth and nail to have the Holy Empire withdraw from the World Cup FOR THE REST OF ETERNITY.

In the meantime, we will make our point clear - show you just how unwelcome you are in our nation, how much we dislike being in your nation - through the power of performative slapstick.

You may have noticed some examples in the opening two matches of qualifying, such as how we scored our fourth goal against Darkmania via carefully deployed custard tarts, or how both of our goals in the home victory against East Leaf Islands came via backwards somersault flips.

Know that there is no clown trick that will not be deployed as we seek to not just make you very, very unwelcome, but also seek to humiliate our inferior opponents by showing the natural superiority of the clown over other lifeforms....

Some of the cunning devices we plan on deploying against you include:

- balloon animals
- juggling
- ventriloquism
- hilarious anecdotes
- acrobatics
- simple magic tricks
- big floppy shoes
- distracting makeup
- water-shooting lapel flowers

And most terrifying of all .... mime.

Shake in fear, mundies; the time of the xenophobic clown has come, and by the above signs shall you know us.

Signed:

Twinkle the Dunce
Yucko Jester
Stucco Stumble
Bubbles the Bafoon
Patchey Noodle
Mr Quarters
Doink Wambo
Booboo Tumble
Baffle Muckle
Doodles Von Honkerson
Dingo Shakes
Kimbo the Fool
Stinky Tubs
Giggles Bozo
Ziggy Pennywise

And captain Bojo the Clown

[Ko-oren]

MD1: v Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove @ Orange Bowl (54000)
MD2: @ Labalia
MD3: v Rea San Vegas @ Suzumebachi Stadium (25000)
MD4: @ Sarzonia
MD5: bye
MD6: v Carpathia and Ruthenia @ Hazel Arena (25400)
MD7: @ Ochre Islands
MD8: @ Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove
MD9: v Labalia @ Golhampton Grounds (25000)
MD10: @ Rea San Vegas
MD11: v Sarzonia @ Rikalathen Arena (39000)
MD12: bye
MD13: @ Carpathia and Ruthenia
MD14: v Ochre Islands @ Stade sur la Baie (70000)

A scary outsider to challenge us for Group 18 supremacy, some say. Fantasy experts largely pick SJJ, only partially for price, but mostly for the incredible upside. Others go with Sarzonia, also a realistic, affordable option, where you can be pretty sure they're going to improve as the qualifiers roll on. All in all, this group with the Ochre Islands and Carpathia and Ruthenia has a lot of dark horse energy, yet perhaps no team has a right to be as optimistic as SJJ here - even if it's just because the nation is on the precipice of a historic merger, the largest change to the map of Anaia since various brief Bostopia-related invasions. Don't get fooled by the small area of both cities, it's a large change.

Perhaps it's a good thing to get the unpredictable team out of the way first, especially if that can be done at home. Rumours had that this game would be played in the Rikalathen, but the KFA revealed that that was going to be the backdrop for the Sarzonia fixture later this campaign. Schemerdrecht, with no big events that weekend, hosted our Anaian rivals instead. Leave it to the Mahrkiorenites to sell out a stadium - the northern city was packed.

The adventurous Tapirs tried to force Ko-oren wide, with the McCaskills hugging the touch line and O'Hara and Berlinguette also trying their best to the ball out of the central axis. This meant that Dhentingun and the centrebacks had to flock to the ball, vacating the middle and the other wing, with the Tapirs then trying to switch from right to left or vice versa in an attempt to beat the Ko-orenites' speed and set up Goudreau-Luneau for an easy tap-in. As soon as the Dragonflies regained the ball, however, the Tapirs' flaws were exposed. We rely on numeric superiority even in small spaces, and as it so happened, the two city states vacated the centre of the field to create a fast and efficient route from goal to goal. Laza's speed and help from the defenders moved the ball through the Fauteux-McGrath block with ease.

Obviously, the Tapirs had a plan in mind for this, and the defence never strayed too far upfield or to the side in order to stop the inevitable relentless Ko-orenite counterattack. Gibouleau-Beaudoin especially came through with dispossession after dispossession of Tsuchimoto, yCinrhadd, and Laza. Were it not for the efforts of the Sagrado Corazon defender, the score could have been 3-0 or worse. The opponents did get more and more desperate as time went on, with the Dragonflies banging on the door time and time again. A few fouls were committed, a few yellows were handed out, until finally Schmidt pushed her luck too much: Tsuchimoto lobbed the ensuing free kick over the wall and past Bleau-Bean.

With that, despite all the opportunities and advantages forged by Manguele, it was an individual moment that landed us three points. We'll take them.



It's these matches that Ko-oren usually has a difficult time. They're usually wins, regardless, but the amount of times we've met a team more than 200 spots below us on the ranking and then still feeling lucky with a 1-0 win...

Not today. Manguele's 'grab them by the throat, don't let go' mentality, mixing possession with field position and always looking close to scoring, while obviously never sacrificing defensive stability, shook Labalia for the full ninety minutes. Under pressure, they made mistakes, misread situations, committed useless but innocent fouls. Tsuchimoto opened the score with a strike from the edge of the box, uncontested by any defender between the Kanatsu midfielder and the goal. A few minutes later, Archer doubled the scoreline with a header, and at that point, resistance was broken. It might have taken until the second half for the first goal, sure, but then the Dragonflies marched to a 4-0 win with yCinrhadd scoring a rare goal, then Todaka scored the final one. All big names on the scoresheet for Ko-oren, and no substitutions yet, despite some very late goals.

[Vdara]

Up&Up

East Leaf Islands’ Home Stadium

When Vdara turned up for this match, they expected to be provided with the basics - a bus, a dressing room, but perhaps most importantly, a team sheet. Unfortunately, with none of these amenities being available to them, preparation for this match was limited, and Markos was not best pleased…

”Honestly, I know it’s the early stages and all, we’re not exactly living the high life just yet, but come on! What is this pish? How are we meant to do anything when this lot aren’t even providing us the courtesy of a bench to sit our arses on? Just playing in some pishy field, with nowhere to put our stuff, nowhere for fans to go, nothing! What a load of wank, I honestly don’t know how this shit is able to fly in such a prestigious tournament. Thought there were standards for this sort of thing, clearly fucking not!”

Markos went to boot the door in, but due to the absence of any doors, or indeed rooms in general, he just volleyed the air for a few minutes.

”I’ll be writing a stern complaint after we pummel this lot. Until then, yous just train on this… what looks to be a muddy field. Wonderful! Just fucking wonderful.”

Vdara, in the absence of any roster, or indeed any history of a roster, will invoke a very specific article in the Vdaran FA’s rulebook, labelled as Admin Point 36.2:

The nonchalance and ill-fitting wording reflects the FA’s complete and utter contempt for nations who provide zero effort towards multiversal football competition. Anyway, enough of the elitism - and more of the football. The match itself was turgid and slow, but about as good as you can expect a match on a ploughed field to be. Initially conceding the first goal, Vdara recovered. Because of course they did.

[Valentine Z]

Part 2 – Kitten adoption.

Exuberant Superintendent T-2000/2904-3 Surveillant Clarissa Alanis Star Breya « La Amoureux Chéri » Millie Taissa Butterfly Mélody Coraline Jolijn Trini Clementine Hollie Samantha Zeta Harumi gave a happy smile towards her team as all of them have gathered for a debrief. “The scores are still satisfactory so hey, don’t fret too much about that! You all did pretty well against Gorutimania’s team and well, I don’t want to discredit you all, to be very clear. At first, I thought it might just be a case of home advantage. Then you did it – you played against Valanora’s team and I am very amazed and impressed! I mean yes, we did lose in the end, but hey – it was on their home turf, and you also managed to two score goals. You really gave them a run for their money, as the expression goes!” Clarissa clapped happily, to which then the Valentian Kittens also started cheering and giving each other a hug, “Now I know what you are all thinking – the “worst” has passed, so to speak! I am not saying to let your guard down and look down on the other teams – we know we don’t do that! It’s more of that, well, the really big and famous team is out of the way for the time being, so please do focus on doing your best and, hehe, winning those matches! I won’t fire anyone on a whim, but just please do be careful not to get injured out there, or worse, a red card even if you don’t mean it. I know you didn’t mean it that time, Iraj, I am not pointing and putting the attention on you. Anything else- err… team formation, uniforms- darn, I REALLY need to get that updated, surveys, reviews- ahh yes, those two!” Clarissa paused for a while as she placed the folder down and sat in front of the team, reminiscent of a classroom setting, “No pressure and please do feel free to speak your mind! Let me know about plays and the team.”

Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc went ahead first, citing that while she is more than happy to play for the team and is honored, she would like to give the other players a chance by the end of the season. “Maybe one or two more matches, and then after that, I think we should give the other reserve goalkeepers a chance.” Clarissa noted that down in her head – a vast space of storage and memory – and dictated that down in real time. “Noted with! I suppose we can give either Jakov Emile Janessa Mirko Varteks Modrić or Josief A. Yandi Eko Yohanes Dharmawijaya a chance. I believe they have not played as much before – oh dear, I forgot to keep statistics of who played for how long. So sorry about that!” She could look at the archives later, but for the time being, all that’s important is for the team to do their best and to not bother themselves with these logistics. “I will deal with this, do not worry!”

Holly Annemiek Gerrieke Van De Hoogte has received very favorable reviews and feedback from the rest of the team without exception. The Valentian Kittens and by extension, all of the Valentians, are not one to get jealous, and perhaps envious at best (or worst), so as a result, they have commented about how Holly has been an absolute delight to play with, and quite a difficult player to fight against. Case in point, it would be her that would drive two of those goals against Gorutimania’s team, and a goal against Valanora (whose team is called The Eternal Empire, from what Clarissa gathered). Overall, Holly so far comes close to being a celebrity in the Valentian Kittens, much to the delight of everyone else as well. “Gotta watch out for people Hadi Lundström, though,” Holly also remarked, “She’s very formidable as the rest of you guys have noticed by now. The others too, but especially her, do watch out.”

Katarzyna Violetta Zofia Aleks Polańska cited that she would like to get back into the game. While it was true that she got into a heatstroke situation a few seasons back, she has recovered fully from it and would like to get back into the action. “I can absolutely consider that,” Clarissa said with a nodded, giving Katarzyna a pat on the shoulder and reassured her, “Maybe we can do some rotations after every 3 matches or so. Again, I will think about this!” Daina Allison Leela Phon Seng Sreynuon is also another one who has been eager to get into it. The slight problem that Clarissa was having compared to Gwen’s Angels was that it is not easy to do complete rotations of players, owing to the fact that each role has more than one player (save for a goalkeeper), while Gwen can do simple rotation to the players in each of the roles. Then there’s also the clear difference between basketball and football, but other than that, Daina’s motivation is more of the fact that she still feels a little singed that she was considered slow. “I will run faster than those loose animals on the fields. I didn’t mean it as an insult. I mean literal animals!”

Helen Jennifier Hiroto Morishita Chiyumi cited that she is not feeling as much on this particular season, and would like to ask if she can get substituted by others who would like a chance. “Don’t get me wrong, my health’s green and I am active as always. But… I don’t know, Clarissa, I am just not feeling it this time. I’m so sorry,” she said, to which Clarissa also gave a meaningful nod, “Hey, burnouts happen! Don’t stress yourself up about it. Besides, you are still a valuable team member – all of you – whether you are on the fields or staying on the sidelines. With that said, I will see if Marlene or Vanuza are up for it. Come to think of it, what do you guys think of new players to put in? You guys are good, don’t worry about it! It’s more of- well, I don’t want to think about it as well, but in the case of a very severe accident-prone season, we don’t exactly have a lot of substitutes. I think we will need two more midfielders, and three more defenders.” The team agreed, perhaps looking forward to seeing new and fresh faces to make friends with, and for the team to look up any other local (or even international) talents that they can get.

[Kelssek]

Ahmad inspires comeback win, leaving deeper questions simmering

With Kelssek’s first match of the World Cup qualifiers producing, after 74 minutes, the prospect of a 3-1 humbling by Daharia, Thor Ibrahim Ahmad came off the bench to lead a comeback victory.

A win is a win, and the emotional wave of turning around a pretty dire situation helped to carry Kelssek’s players to a win in the second match of the qualifiers against Oberour Ar Moro. Julius Heer got Kelssek off to a flying start, but farce threatened to resurface when poor communication between Ingrid Lambert and Jenas Maraipu gifted Even de Garges the ball with the goal at his mercy just 100 seconds later.

Kelssek took the lead when a good interchange set up Kaiden Pépin to blast a shot into the far left corner from the edge of the penalty area. But the visitors’ Kelssek-based Torbay Thunder midfielder David Geoffrion took a less-far-from-home-base advantage to level the scores again, gliding unmarked into the box to scoop a loose ball into Maraipu’s net to send the teams into half time at 2-2.

Lionel an Deòir may have heard the grumbling by fans about the striker’s off-the-boil performances over 135 minutes of the World Cup qualifiers. The second half was defined by his pair of goals just after the hour mark, as he twice got onto the end of Eamon Breault’s passes through the line to find the back of the net.

While Kelssek cruised to a win in the end, the first pair of fixtures however revealed some gaping problems in the team’s defensive structure which must be a worry for the coaching staff.

NSN commentator and former Kelssek international Matt Lister was scathing after full time at Exhibition Place. “People will say the win is what matters, but questions have to be asked if you concede five goals in two matches against any combination of national teams. It’s just nuts.”

DAHARIA 3 – Wechsler (44’), Kistner (65’, 71’)
KELSSEK 4 – Joseph (21’), Heer (80’), Ahmad (87’, 90+5’)
Maraipu, Buené, Durocher, Lambert, Loew, Pogbacar (Pépin 81’), dí Völará (Breault 69’), Joseph (Mann 74’), Heer, de Landa (Lìos 45’), an Deòir (Ahmad 74’)
Player of the Match: Thor Ibrahim Ahmad

KELSSEK 5 Heer (5’), Pépin (24’), an Deòir (64’, 70’), Lambert (86’)
Maraipu, Loew, Lambert, Thomsen, Usher, Pogbacar, Pépin (Younes 80’), Breault (dí Völará 73’), Joseph, Heer (Obident 73’), an Deòir (Maradrogba 80’)
OBEROUR AR MORO 2 – de Garges (7’), Geoffrion (43’)
Player of the Match: Eamon Breault
Exhibition Place, Kirkenes (attendance 34,915)

[Carpathia and Ruthenia]

Carpathia and Ruthenia edge out the win in a hard fought match

A mark of a good team is winning games, the mark of a great one is being able to win games those games despite a strong opposition mounting a comeback and the momentum swinging in their favour, being able to dig your heels in and pull yourself back into the game, and then find the winning blow. Now you don't need to worry I haven't drunk the cool-aid quite yet, we aren't among the greats of WCC football, but this match against 44th ranked side in the world Ochre Islands showed encouraging signs of maturity in both players and manager, that combined with our strong performance in the Di Bradini Cup shows us a sign of building, and getting back to the level we were before the great void and qualifying to the World Cup proper.

One note of concern is the level of injury sustained by Clara Bassi, in a solid but fair tackle from Sackholme, she landed poorly and had to be subbed off for Róza Crocetti, it appears that she has damaged her ankle ligaments and may be out for the next 2-3 months, most likely missing the games against Saint-Jean-Jacques et Burnham-on-Stove, Labalia and Rea San Vegas. We wish a speedy recovery to Bassi, and would like to appauld Sackholme for making sure the game was stopped when they realised Bassi wasn't getting back up. Even in a hard fought and competitive match like this, it is wonderful to see sporting play.

By Margita Ongaro
CBC Ruthenia

Carpathia and Ruthenia 3 - 2 Ochre Islands         
    Acconci 27'      FT       Clearedway 49'
 A. Brunetti 33'               Twonames 45+3' 
 Pék 63'                        


Cavaliere Campo, San Donato, Carpathia and Ruthenia

[Mytanija]

KIMI-SUOMI 0-0 MYTANIJA

MYT: 1. Besak; 2. Jesenko (sub. Slomsek 62’), 3. Mbala-Ekakia (c), 4. F. Mlinarevic, 5. Depreradovic (sub. Mytnjak 74’); 6. Papez; 7. Stanoev (sub. Saksida 67’), 8. Saranja (sub. Gicic 67’); 10. Ovsyannikov; 9. Skara (sub. Seslar 67’), 11. Papic-Papratovic

MYTANIJA 0-0 RECUECN

MYT: 1. Besak; 2. Jesenko (sub. Slomsek 65’), 3. Mbala-Ekakia (c), 4. F. Mlinarevic (sub. Koshkin 65’), 5. Depreradovic; 6. Papez; 7. Stanoev, 8. Saranja (sub. Saksida 65’); 10. Ovsyannikov; 9. Skara (sub. Kovacec 45’), 11. Papic-Papratovic (sub. Hajdarpasic 76’)

Predrag & Radola
Part 1

Radola remembered when he and Predrag would get given tickets by the club and join the supporters in the stands of Stadion Ljudi to watch the senior side play. The ground was a creaking old edifice, a monument to Crvena Zvezda’s heyday, a heyday which was less than twenty years ago but may as well have been a bygone era to the pair of them. They were both only a few years old when the club won its second double in the 25/26 campaign. Radola wasn’t sure if he could remember it, whilst Predrag’s memory of it was not so much a memory of the football as it was memories of his family and their friends being happy. There were less happy faces when they were being given free tickets for being part of Crvena Zvezda’s youth academy, the two teenagers would head to the stadium and lurk towards the edge of the sector occupied by Ultras DRCZ, not daring to get too close lest they annoy the most vociferous (and violent) supporters – supporters that were often making their anger heard due to the club’s rather aimless meandering around Mytanija’s second tier.

That anger turned to fury when Crvena Zvezda suffered a calamitous relegation to the third tier at the end of the 34/35 season. Radola was 13 and Predrag 14, they had only been given the tickets during the last couple of years and the scenes they witnessed made Radola’s parents wonder if he should continue to go to matches unsupervised the following season. Ultras DRCZ responded to the club’s relegation by tearing the seats out of their own sector and throwing them onto the pitch, before beginning a riot which had to be stopped by the Policija as the angriest ultras tried to get around the stadium to the club’s boardroom. Radola watched on in horror, whereas Predrag seemed to almost enjoy what he was seeing. It was the first time that Radola noticed a difference between the two of them.

Radola didn’t really put too much thought into it at the time, putting it into a corner of his mind and forgetting about it as he continued his progress through the Crvena Zvezda academy alongside one of his best friends. Predrag was fun to be around, and they were both incredibly interested in the fortunes of the football club, something which was becoming less common as years went by and the youngsters scouted by football clubs tended to be less homogenous, less local and supported a wider range of clubs. Radola valued the chance that he got to come through the ranks with somebody who felt the same as him.

It was around three years later when Radola noticed another major difference. He had begun to understand the intricacies of the country’s ultras scene by this point, with the links between different ultras groups, politics and the country’s history becoming clearer. The pair were still attending games, the club didn’t need to give them out for free anymore because they were back in the 2. Prvenstvo and actually putting up a decent fight. They still liked to give them out to Radola and Predrag because outwardly it looked good for the club that the two most promising youngsters in the academy were supporters and could be seen out on the terraces. It was a marketeer's dream, so they still went to the games, even though they both knew it couldn’t last forever – particularly when they started to appear in the matchday squad for the odd game here and there.

As they got a bit older, Radola realised that he and Predrag were rather different when it came to their views outside football. He realised most of this when watching Crvena Zvezda alongside his old friend. Ultras DRCZ were well known around Mytanija for their slightly idiosyncratic political stances. Crvena Zvezda as a club – and by extension the supporters – are inextricably linked to left-wing politics, the club’s name is an immediate recognition of this fact. However, this is limited to being economically left-wing, with Ultras DRCZ (and a fair amount of the club’s non-ultras fanbase) overtly combining their socialist economic beliefs with a particularly forthright version of Zentrian ethnonationalism. This put the ultras at odds with nearly enough every other fanbase in Mytanija, unusually perhaps having the most in common with their hated local rivals Partizan when it comes to their political leanings.

Whilst not the most politically active, Radola and Predrag were both left leaning when it came to the country’s economy. They wanted to see the country progress in a way which was fair for everybody, they didn’t want to see their friends and family members exploited for their labour. They may not have been the most advanced political theorists – they were both teenagers after all – but they had a clear view on fairness and equitability. When they were in the stands of Stadion Ljudi, Radola noticed something about Predrag’s behaviour which made him feel a little uncomfortable. When Ultras DRCZ moved on from singing old socialist songs about solidarity between workers and building a better society, they then started up the chants about dirty Thessians, homosexual Visoravs and Raknik gypsies and how Kalinina was right to send them to the deathcamps. Radola inwardly cringed when he heard those chants and, to his horror, he was also left aghast when Predrag eagerly joined in those chants.

At first he didn’t say anything about it. He went home after the match and mulled it over; he wondered if he was perhaps being a bit too sensitive about it. All sorts of songs were sung at football matches all over the country, a lot of the time ultras would put it down to trying to put the opposition off if it was something which actively stepped over the line. Radola didn’t particularly like that explanation. Some of the more racist ultras groups around Mytanija tried to excuse their abhorrent views and chanting with that line, ‘we don’t actually mean what we sing about your black player, we’re just trying to help our team by putting them off their game’. It was a line which made Radola feel a little sick in his stomach and that was the sort of feeling he had got when he saw Predrag chanting about Kalinina’s righteous extermination of all the Thessians.

He spoke to his parents about it, and they said that he was the only one who could decide what it meant for his and Predrag’s friendship. Thanks for that, Mum and Dad. What was slightly more useful was his mum’s suggestion that he could try to talk to Predrag about it and voice his concerns – they were old friends after all, so it would be a shame to grow apart due to something like this and Predrag might listen to him. His dad was slightly more skeptical and wanted him to just focus on his football. Radola ended up doing that for the most part, though he did mention it to Predrag on one occasion and was slightly fobbed off with the line ‘look mate, it’s just part of supporting the club, it doesn’t actually mean anything’. Radola wasn’t so sure, but he just left it after that, he didn’t feel that raising it was worthwhile given the potential it had to make things awkward when they had to play alongside one another.

Radola partially wanted to believe what Predrag had said, perhaps it was just him wanting to get involved in supporting the team from the stands, perhaps it didn’t actually represent how Predrag felt about Thessians, or Rakniks. In the end he put it out of his mind and got on with his football, as his dad had suggested. At 16 he was starting to get closer to the first team and he couldn’t afford too many distractions, and something like his mate’s political beliefs – however questionable – was not worth worrying about too much. He could always cut ties if he was overly uncomfortable with Predrag’s views or behaviour, after all. So, he distanced himself a little bit, he stopped going to the matches and doubled down on his training programme. Predrag continued to go and eventually a video of him leading Ultras DRCZ through their songbook did the rounds on social media, holding a megaphone in hand and conducting the sector as they sang about the sexual proclivities of Visoravs. Radola winced when he saw it.

And then, finally, there was something which made his mind up. Both he and Predrag were on the pitch, it was Radola’s third or fourth appearance with the first team at the age of only 16. Predrag was, of course, a year older. It was a youthful Crvena Zvezda side, but they were performing admirably well and were chasing promotion. Stadion Ljudi was raucous, the supporters roaring them on when each home game came around every couple of weeks. This week they were playing the Thessian side Malotranska and the supporters, particularly Ultras DRCZ, were going through their usual routine about the Thessians. Radola couldn’t pay too much attention given that he was playing, but you could hear it in the background when the game stopped for a throw-in or a set-piece.

Crvena Zvezda were playing well but were struggling to break a determined Malotranska side down. They were huffing and puffing but could not blow the house down. The game appeared to be heading towards a 0-0 draw, a result which would be slightly disappointing, and the dropped points could present a real blow to the club’s promotion hopes. Then things changed, a long ball was flicked on and suddenly Predrag was running through on goal. A split-second later he slid the ball under the onrushing Malotranska goalkeeper. The result had come, they pushed right until the end and got the three points. Stadion Ljudi entered pandemonium; the players piled onto Predrag and the sector occupied by Ultras DRCZ just became a sea of bodies as they celebrated Arandelovic’s vital goal.

As everything cleared Radola gave his old friend a tight hug, clapping him on the back and putting his arm around his shoulder as Predrag faced the Ultras DRCZ section behind the goal. As Radola looked across Predrag was lifting his hand upwards, with the thumb, index and middle finger extended outwards. Radola’s heart dropped slightly in his chest. Predrag was making the Zentrian three-finger salute, a Zentrian nationalist salute which was popularised during Kalinina’s reign and the worst parts of the Mytanar Conflict. Kalinina’s units often took photos celebrating the destruction of Thessian and Raknik towns with everybody making the salute, piles of bodies strewn around as evidence of the ongoing genocide they were committing.

Everybody knew what the salute meant, Radola’s hand fell away from his friend’s shoulder. They might only be teenagers, but everyone knew the connotations of the gesture. It was originally meant to be a symbol of the Holy Trinity, a symbol of Zentrian Orthodoxy, but it had been coopted by Kalinina and as a result was wrapped up in semantic and semiotic layers of historical meaning. The game ended and Radola didn’t know what to say about it, nothing was mentioned in the changing room, but in the days after the game he noticed stylised stickers of Predrag holding up the three-finger salute springing up around Srvena. Radola was also on the sticker, with his arm around his old friend. Underneath it read ‘Sons of Srvena – Continuing the Fight Forever’.

It made Radola feel a bit sick.