HansAir Under-18 World Championship 22 Everything Thread

[Vielfaltig]

Good start to the U18 WC in a competitive group

The vast majority of the team travelling to Captina Islands for the HansAir U-18 World Championship were young players full of youthful excitement but also quite a lot of inexperience on a stage such as this one. This was the first rendition of the Veilfaltig U-18 team at a multiversal event of this stature in the form of the U-18 World Cup. This is coupled with the participation of the U-21 side in the Di Bradini Cup later in the year representing growing Vielfaltigian interest in the sporting world. The side in their very first game was up against the mighty HUElavians who were a well-established name in the realm of international football. This HUElavia side had reached the finals of the 21st edition of the U18 WC where they lost to hosts and eventual champions Tumbra by a narrow one goal. This represented how hard this game would be for the incoming players of Vielfaltig as they went up against one of the favourites to make a deep run this time around too. The game was a tactical battle between two teams of contrasting forms of play. Both teams operate in a moderation of offence and defence however with HUElavia opting for a more direct approach while Hahn sticks to a slow possession approach. This clash of styles was visible in the game as both sides vied for control and domination. Hahn stuck to his side's strongest formation, the classical 4-3-3 developing it to contrast and counteract Cristiano Aveiro's tactical setup. Early signs were positive for Vielfaltig with numerous chances coming from the likes of Munoz on the left wing and a long-range effort by Boucher. Munoz looked particularly dangerous ending up in dangerous positions throughout the game being our most significant threat for a goal in the first twenty minutes or so. Duval in goal however was relatively less bothered as our strong press and critical interceptions helped avert any serious HUElavia attacks. Finally, the deadlock was broken by Munoz who had been our best player so far in the 38th minute as he got on the end of a cross by Boucher. Munoz headed the ball and got a sweet connection with it racing past the keeper and to the net. This had the HUElavia team shocked as they were hardly expecting a bunch of nobodies from a country they had not heard of before to score and take the lead against them. This goal further inspired the Vielfaltigians as they approached the second half with renewed vigour. The HUElavian side too however had taken this time to compose themselves and come up with a plan to get them back in the game which they almost executed within eight minutes of the half. Milano due to a lapse of defensive judgement by Roussel was now through on goal with only Duval in his way. To the relief of thousands of Vielfaltig fans, Milano put it too high as it headed towards the audience instead of the back of the net. Having been granted a lifeline, the side did not waste it as they put the game to bed with a goal from star striker Mercier in the 71st minute as he sent a one-time curling shot into the net following a cutback by Kerper. All in all, this was an impressive first outing by the side with them having strongly asserted themselves on the global stage as they would now be hoping for a similar result against Kamijiro. Kamijiro are coming off a loss to HUElavia and with us having a bye in the last matchday we shall be hoping it gives us a small advantage in terms of fitness.

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Repeal of Act on Foreign Nationals passes in Unterhaus, Neimann hopeful

The Repeal of the Act on Foreign Nationals has remained a much-contested political topic over the last few weeks with the Government's initiation of its formal repeal. Such a repeal requires it be passed by a majority in both Houses of Parliament which has historically been a challenging task. The CPV-Left Front Government having reached a compromise with the Libertarian position initiated the Repeal procedures within the Unterhaus on the 29th of July. Following a few days of debate, the vote took place in the halls of the Unterhaus yesterday following lunch. This was a particularly tricky motion to pass given the staunch opposition by numerous small regional parties, the CPJ, the Greens and some confusing positions of the Liberty Parties. This made gauging the results of such a vote particularly difficult due to the unclear lines of division among parties. And the results back this up, with MPs from the same party voting in massive contrast to each other. Despite this, the motion was passed by the Unterhaus with 317 Ayes to 201 Nays and 58 MPs abstaining. The most significant opposition came from the CPJ, the KVP, the UCG and the Greens. With a large number of dissenters from the Government Coalition too it was perhaps one of the most divisive votes for the Coalition Government in recent times. The bipartisan nature of the proposal with support from the Liberals and the Libertarians ensured its passage in the Unterhaus.

Frank Neimann following the passage of the Repeal speaking to the House said, "This is a great success for our collective ambition of developing this nation further and to take Vielfaltig to the greatest heights possible. The Government's plan for development and internationalisation is intrinsically tied to the economic and social development of the people of Vielfaltig which we cannot succeed in without taking off the restraints binding us. I would also like to extend my thanks to all the Opposition MPs who voted for the Repeal as they have truly demonstrated their ability to rise above divisions along party lines to support the development of the nation. Now our eyes turn to the Oberhaus as we hope that the MPs of the Oberhaus as their Unterhaus counterparts look for the betterment of Vielfaltig and not divisions among ourselves. I am hopeful of building a truly better Vielfaltig and to leave this country much better than when I first came to Office in 1996." The question now passes onto the Oberhaus as the country looks on with bated breath for what the future holds for Vielfaltig.

[HUElavia]

Kamijiro 0–2 HUElavia
(Milano 20', Mantovani 70')
TCC Sport Ground, Geneva, Captina Island

Coming Back Strong!

HUElavia turn their fortunes around with the wings providing the necessary help to get a much-needed win!

Entering Matchday 2, HUElavia came in essentially on the ropes needing to win in order to correct their path. Licking their wounds, Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos were looking to their next match in order to prove they still can fight and compete. Taking on Kamijiro, HUElavia still stuck with their XI from Matchday 1, with Coach Aveiro Junior expressing his faith in his players to do well again.

The match saw HUElavia play strong, taking shots and precise passes as they looked to set the tone in the match. The backline of 5 that Kamijiro had was put to the test with how strong and persistent the HUElavians were to get an opening goal. The goal would come in the 20th minute, when a pass Cocha rolled into the box, with the Kamijiro defenders covering mainly Mantovani and Aguero, leaving Milano all alone to slot the ball low and past the reach of Sastre to go into the goal, making it 0-1. The HUElavians in the crowd erupted in joy and cheer while Milano went to the corner to dance and celebrate with his teammates the fantastic goal. While Nakano and Nakamura would take shots for Kamijiro, but the HUElavian backline kept Raab's job easy as they'd block shots with their legs, feet and the occasional chest. At the half, Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos had the lead and felt confident they could do more.

The second half saw HUElavia continue attacking Kamijiro more and more, Pressure built up more and more and it eventually led to the decisive goal to silence the match. In the 70th minute, a pass from Asano (in for Curichimba), made it to Rodis, who sent a pass into the box, where Mantovani shot the ball past Sastre into the goal, making it 0-2. Thge HUElavians erupted once more, with Mantovani being mobbed by her teammates for the one-timer that essentially killed off the match. After some time defending off an exhausted Kamijiro who threw what they could to Raab, who began to make saves, HUElavia held out and got the necessary 3 points.

Coach Aveiro Junior was quoted "We played fantastic today and we responded to that defeat. That right there is the resilience of the HUElavians. We still got two more games to go in this Group Stage, but we want to give it our all and make the most of our next game. We want to show that we're hungry for this title and want to make it to the knockouts. We got training and studying to do, but I'm proud of the performance today." Hakushyia is the next opponent for Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos, who came off a 2-2 draw with Libonesia in their opener for the U18 World Cup. We've taken a big step and now we need to push forward onto the next.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Tero al Disco]

OOC: ehhh yes, so I originally posted this in the DBC thread, and only in cutoff time did I notice that I didn't post it in the U18WC. Sorry BP!

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U18 WORLD CUP: TERO AL DISCO GETS OFF TO A SHAKY WIN AGAINST PANAY ISLANDS AND GUIMARAS

After having round 1 off due to a bye, the Terense U18 football team played their first international at that category in the U18 World Cup in Captina Island. The Teritos would debut against the Panay Islands and Guimaras' U18 Carabaos in the 11.200-capacity Stadio Giancarlo Collina, in the Captinian capital of Big Flint. The Terenses went into the match as favourites, featuring a deadly midfield and attack with stars like Bautista Sixto, Marco Lixau and Luis and Lorenzo Invernizzi, with standout strikers waiting at the bench such as Nicolás Larramendi.

The match already got to a bad start, as a flawed mixed seat allocation system meant that a small group Terense hooligans (mainly supporters of Solanet, Moncloa, and Rosamonte) were mixed up with the tougher contingent of the Panayense fans, with the Panay fans forming the majority of the 8.000 fans present at the Giancarlo Collina. A standoff would form between the two groups, but the Captinian police intervened in time so that a fight wouldn't form, arresting hooligans from either country, as well as separating any innocent Terense bystanders, with the police forming a safe passage to make Teritos fans cross to the other side of the stadium, effectively separating the two countries' fans from eachother. The whole operation delayed kickoff time by about 25 minutes.

After the waiting finished, the match started off as normal. Despite Tero al Disco starting off with nearly all of their first-stringers, with some exceptions, the Panayenses would soon find themselves multiple times with chances to score, mainly capitalising off errors made by the Teritos. One of these came in the 13th minute, after an imprecise backpass from Marco Lixau landed in striker Miguel Asanuma's feet, who then proceeded to sprint towards the area, liberate a powerful shot into Lucas Maillard's goal, one-on-one with the Gimnasia y Bala goalkeeper. Luckily for the team, it hit the post before being picked up by Maillard.

The Terense supporters didn't have to wait long before the first goal arrived: with 18 minutes gone, Panayense left-back Miguel Loayza was caught sleeping by a restless Héctor Vivanco outside the Carabaos' area, with Vivanco having a perfect position to cross it in from the right side of the pitch. However, as Vivanco came running with Loayza already having passed the ball forward, the Terense RM had the ball bounce off him, with only enough space to desperately kick the ball into the area. It did stay inside the pitch, and even better, the ball found a running Lorenzo Invernizzi, who proceeded to make a point-blank volley for a 1-0 lead to the Teritos.

The newfound momentum made Tero al Disco play better than that weak start to the match before Lorenzo's goal. One of the main points of contention for the first half was that, in minute 35, Héctor Vivanco went down to a slide tackle from Carabao defender Luis Matsumura. After a VAR check, it was decided that Matsumura had touched the ball first (although millimetrically), and the Panayenses saved themselves from potentially conceding a second goal. The decision and the play itself has left pundits, at least in Tero al Disco, wondering if it was really not a penalty. Seven minutes later, by the 42nd minute, Lorenzo Invernizzi would get a dangerous free kick to shoot from, being pretty close to the Panayenses' area. He instead decided to cross it forward, finding Jaime Cascella inside the mob of players to head it in past Carlos Valladares, putting it 2-0.

The second half was much, much worse for the Teritos. A combination of complacency after that 2-0 lead, and the Carabaos trying to come back from the deficit at all costs, made the Panayense team almost dominate the match, only saved by the heroics of Lucas Maillard. However, there was a four-minute period were everything went wrong. First, in the 73rd minute, as Walter Loureiro was trying to play the ball out of the area, he was caught offguard by Rogelio Carreón, arguably the star of the U18 Carabaos. Carreón proceeded to succesfully dribble past Maillard and get one back for his team. Then in the 77th minute, after the Panayenses took a corner kick, Roque Antonini made a dodgy clearance to the left which was capitalised by Carreón, again, who proceeded to tap it in powerfully, with another volley, making it 2-2.

As the U18 Teritos manager Diego Escalada decided the best course of action was to waste all the time they could to cool down the game, hardly anything of note happened, but at the 80th minute onwards the match started to open up. It was a close couple of minutes, but both teams defended excellently, so there were near-to-none shots that stood out. Finally for us, the 88th minute would see Lorenzo Invernizzi's second goal, after the team managed to pass the ball around from our defensive half to the Panayense penalty area. Sergio Valdez would do a surgical pass forwards to Lorenzo, into the area, for him to kick the ball past Valladares, making it 3-2. From tht moment on until the end of the match, Escalada made the Teritos defend, defend, and defend until the match ended, 3-2.

With this win, the Teritos are now in second place in Group A, on 3 points, with only 1/2 matches played. Their next opponent will be Tumbra, favourites to win the competition (seeing as they've got a squad that's been looking very scary lately) and the last U18WC winners, in Fairmont Stadium, Fairmont. Tumbra are also the team who are first in Tero al Disco's group. Pundits from all over the multiverse particularly fear the presence of their star striker, Owen Goal.

ENGLISH SAYS TERO AL DISCO'S MOVE TO RUSHMORE CAN HAPPEN "AT ANY MOMENT"

During a radio interview, John English V, the president of the Plot Convenience Corporation of Tero al Disco, one of the most important corporations politically (as well as in other aspects) in the country, has said that Tero al Disco's move from the region of Hive in which it has found itself in after breaking out of isolationism, to Rushmore, a region which is renowned for being one of the premier sporting ones (with BOF83 hosts Tikariot, this U18 World Cup hosts Captina Island, as well as the future WC97 hosts Pasarga and Eastfield Lodge residing in this region), is inmiment and can happen "at any moment now".

This move, if it does happen (which in the words of Mr. English indicate that it most likely will), will be extremely significant for the history of the country as it will move away from the region which it has always been part (the only thing that got inbetween was that it didn't know that it was there), to another region, with new countries (although in the case of diehard sports fans some will have already become known) to interact with, whether that be diplomatically, economically, politically, etc.

In the case of English, he justified the move into what's basically a new world for Tero al Disco by saying only that "it will let Tero al Disco play regional football competitions and be part of a community that really is tightly-knit". There were many doubts about English's assertion, as he didn't mention the new responsibilites that the country would have outside football, but in much more important aspects like how it was going to interact with its new neighbours in Rushmore in any way. However, it is widely known that those shallow, normally nonsensical answers that Mr. English gives may hide something under it, and he has been known for those cryptic answers.

DI BRADINI CUP: TEROS DEFEAT CARABAOS YET AGAIN

After the start of the Di Bradini Cup, Tero al Disco have officially: 1) made their debut, 2) made their debut in a youth tournament, 3) made their debut in a youth tournament against Panay Islands and Guimaras, and 4) made their debut in a youth tournament against Panay Islands and Guimaras with a win, in both the U18WC and the Di Bradini Cup in short notice. In the case of the U21s, their win was much more calm than the 3-2 nailbiter that the fans in Captina Island had to suffer. Instead, the U21 team would take control of the match early on, and use it to score two goals on the Young Carabaos.

The Terense side did have one early scare, though, which could've tipped the balance of the match: in the 4th minute, a handball from Gamariel Arza inside the area made the referee give the Panayenses a penalty. Luckily, Lautaro Corti would save the kick and from the on Tero al Disco would wake up. The Terenses had several key chances to break through the defense and score in the first half, but unfortunately they'd never get one in the back of the net. In the second half though, things would turn much better for the U21 Teritos. The first goal would come after a deadly counterattack from a Panayense free kick, which ended with Ramiro Sava chipping the ball over the Panayense goalkeeper. Some 25 minutes later, towards the end of the match, a cross from the left at ground level by Alan Sagún found right-back Gamariel Arza unmarked, who proceeded to score from some 10 metres out.

After that win at the start for the Teritos, they'll travel from Ianisle to Turbani (cities in Valanora, where the DBC is being currently played) to play the most anticipated game of group E, versus the Young Revolutionaries of Abanhfleft in The Pitch, with the match itself being predicted to come out close between the newcomers on one hand, and the 1-time finalists of the U21 World Cup on the other.

NACIONAL A: SPORTIVO ESCOBAR BEAT PROGRESO BY A HISTORIC 10-1

The atmosphere among Progreso fans and players seems to be like that of a funeral as El Canario return home from Escobar, as their team have been handed one of the biggest defeats in the history of the Terense first division. It came as a total surprise; although Progreso were safely among the bottom 4, fighting to be out of the relegation playoffs but seemingly never able to get out of them, Sportivo Escobar were, and still are right now, on board to have one of their worst seasons ever, being only 2 points away from Progreso, and 1 from the relegation playoff spots, as can be seen in the table below:

12 Sportivo Escobar       20    6   5   9    25   26   −1    23
13 Centauro               20    5   7   8    19   25   −6    22 Relegation playoff
14 Progreso               20    5   6   9    13   20   −7    21 Relegation playoff
15 Palestino              20    5   4  11    14   24  −10    19 Relegation

The situation got so bad, that after the end of the round 17 loss to Palestino by 3-1 (a shocker), Sportivo Escobar hooligans actually held up a banner which said "ganen o caminan", particularly targeting the players' cars in some capacity. Sportivo Escobar's assistant manager, Jesús La Raia, also came out to say that he had been called up to an impromptu meaning with the same hooligans, during a training session...So it might not have been surprising that the Sportivo players were keen to break that negative record and get as far away from relegation as they possibly could.

And it showed! They would start off the match ruthlessly, scoring no less than 5 goals in the first half-hour (Ortega 2', Lucero 8', Alesci 10', Africano 24', Lucero 31'), before Andrés Roscalli scored the sixth and last goal of the first half in the 42nd minute, so everyone could know what an anomalous first half this was. In the start of the second half they calmed down a bit, letting Progreso's Christian Aiello score his team's only goal of the game, but Sportivo Escobar would eventually come back, as Eugencio Palencia scored in the 68th minute, then Roscalli and Maxi Alesci would score in the 74th and 75th minute respectively, before Lucero capped it all off, scoring his hat-trick in the 3rd minute of added time. In his case, this has come at a time when his goalscoring has dried up, only netting in 5 in the 21 matches where he's started.

Statistics-wise, this has been the 3rd-biggest win in the history of the Terense top flight by margin of goals. The biggest ever win was way back in season 1949, when Nacional Terense defeated Puchaquí (who are now playing in the third tier) by 0-11. In the season 2012 Palestino were the victims of the second-highest smacking at the hands of Solanet, when they lost 10-0. A 9-goal margin has been registered five times including this one, with Gimnasia y Bala having won thrice by 9-0, Norteño defeating Centauro 1-10 in 1949, and now this one: Sportivo Escobar 10-1 Progreso.

[Captina Island]

CUTOFF MD 3

BP & Captina Island scores courtesy of Quebec & Shingoryeo (forgot the disclaimer last round)

Group A
Tumbra 1–2 Tero al Disco
Cardenao 2–2 Vashnivaria

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tero al Disco              2   2  0  0    5   3  +2    6
2 Tumbra                     3   1  1  1    3   2  +1    4
3 Cardenao                   2   0  2  0    2   2   0    2
4 Vashnivaria                3   0  2  1    4   6  −2    2
5 Panay Islands & Guimaras   2   0  1  1    4   5  −1    1

Group B
Sarzonia 3–1 Imporia
Abanhfleft 1–0 Juvencus

  Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                   3   2  1  0    7   4  +3    7
2 United Mandarin States     2   1  1  0    1   0  +1    4
3 Abanhfleft                 2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4 Imporia                    2   0  1  1    1   3  −2    1
  Juvencus                   3   0  1  2    1   3  −2    1

Group C
Sangti 2–4 Chromatika
Natanians & Nosts 0–1 Eastfield Lodge

  Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Chromatika                 2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
2 Captina Island             2   1  0  1    6   2  +4    3
3 Natanians & Nosts          2   1  0  1    1   1   0    3
4 Sangti                     3   1  0  2    4   5  −1    3
5 Eastfield Lodge            3   1  0  2    1   7  −6    3
 

Group D
Lisander 0–4 Elmyia
Baker Park 1–0 The 14 Stars

  Group D                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Baker Park                 2   2  0  0    5   2  +3    6
2 The 14 Stars               3   2  0  1   10   6  +4    6
3 Elmyia                     2   1  1  0    5   1  +4    4
4 Crpostran                  2   0  1  1    2   4  −2    1
5 Lisander                   3   0  0  3    6  15 −11    0

Group E
Novo Calania 2–2 Zenic
Ardsk 0–1 Semarland

  Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Novo Calania               3   2  1  0    8   2  +6    7
2 Semarland                  3   2  0  1    2   4  −2    6
3 Zenic                      2   1  1  0    8   4  +4    4
4 Ardsk                      2   0  0  2    0   3  −3    0
5 Siovanija & Teusland       2   0  0  2    2   7  −5    0

Group F
HUElavia 2–0 Hakushiya
Vielfetag 3–0 Kamijiro

  Group F                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vielfetag                  2   2  0  0    5   0  +5    6
2 HUElavia                   3   2  0  1    4   2  +2    6
3 Libonesia                  2   0  2  0    3   3   0    2
4 Hakushiya                  2   0  1  1    2   4  −2    1
5 Kamijiro                   3   0  1  2    1   6  −5    1

[Sarzonia]

The prospect of playing four matches in the first four matchdays didn't seem to bother the Sarzonian Under 18 national football team as they faced Imporia in the penultimate match of that stretch.

Sarzonia won in convincing fashion, taking a 3-1 victory that sets the Toddler Stars in a favourable position atop the Group B table, on seven points with two victories and a draw before their finale against United Mandarin States. Imporia will face Abanhfleft in the other Group B match.

The happiest person in the Toddler Stars dressing room might have been defender Max Wilcox, who was not asked to speak to the media during the postmatch press availability. Oh, he had a couple of reporters ask him questions once the dressing room opened, but he wasn't facing a row of cameras and the expectant faces of dozens of people.

That honour went to the likes of striker Emil Moreau, who pounded two of Sarzonia's three goals into the back of the Imporian net and took up two markers to open the way for Marco Amato to score uncontested to give Sarzonia a commanding 3-0 lead that held up until the 89th minute.

"We had a lapse," goalkeeper Dalton Collier admitted. "We lost some focus as [Imporia] sent numbers forward in a desperate attempt to get back into the match. "I gotta do better, no doubt."

The stakes for Sarzonia are clear. A victory over United Mandarin States would give the Toddler Stars the Group B title and allow the team to begin scouting a potential Round of Sixteen opponent, watching to find out which team from Group B would also play in the knockouts, or remain in their room studying, as Wilcox admitted he likely would."

"I have entrance exams for university to prepare for," he said. "It'll be nice to get away from training a little bit."

A draw or loss might not eliminate the Toddler Stars, but it's clear that Sarzonia would rather not have to watch the UMS-Abanhfleft or Imporia-Juvencus matches to learn their fate.

"We'd rather take care of business ourselves," manager Walter Garrison said. "We've done a good job of it so far, but we've still got at least 90 minutes more time to prove ourselves."

[Chromatika]

Tillman, Jr. Hat Trick Leads Young Anomalies Past Sangti

SAN GIORGIO, FAIRMONT, CAPTINA ISLAND - When you look at Lars Tillman, Jr. it's obvious that he doesn't really fit the Chromatik stereotype. Chromatika likes pure shooters, ambidextrous wingers, and speedsters - which Tillman, Jr. isn't. He's tall, he's bulky, and he just muscles his way into the box to drive the ball home when you feed it to him. In a game where the Young Anomalies had some trouble containing Sangti's set pieces - Jigonhsasee would say himself that he struggled - it was Tillman, Jr.'s hat trick that paced the Young Anomalies as they improved to 2-0-0 in Group Stage play.

It would be Sangti opening up the scoring with Palabrica off the wing in the sixteenth minute - only for Tillman, Jr. to outmuscle his defender for a header five minutes later. Lawas's shot from range would the only other goal that Sangti would score around the half hour mark, but Tillman, Jr. added his second goal right before halftime - this time off of a Prenn corner in a scrum in front of the goal - and the second half belonged entirely to the Young Anomalies.

Add in Jeri Kostahan scoring on a corner herself, and with Tillman, Jr. completing his hat trick near the eightieth minute, Chromatika ran away with the rest of the game.

Natanians & Nosts and Eastfield Lodge remain - but one more win may be enough to already lock the Young Anomalies into the playoff stage - their odd piece in Tillman, Jr. already proving his worth.

[Crpostran]

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[*] Comic strips taken from https://121clicks.com/funny/funny-singl ... nate-fakes on the web, credits given in both RP & here. A big thank you to Dantopia for the kits

[Tumbra]

Tumbra 1–2 Tero al Disco

TMB (4-2-3-1): 25 - L Harper; 18 - N Tucker (2 - S Hamilton, 45'), 5 - P Bradshaw, 24 - F Redruth, 3 - R Ribic; 6 - C Royce (23 - L Wyckham, 70'), 8 - L Zsolnay (16 - F Kepex-Potts, 81'), 10 - C Butler; 14 - J Auvohe (7 - B Chase, 70'), 9 - N Meehan; 22 - V Bellegarde (11 - O Goal, 45')

TMB scorers: Owen Goal [67']

Player of the Match: Héctor Vivanco [TER]

Tumbra outclassed by classy Terans as manager Stallard rues "expensive" draw against Cardenao

GENOA, CAPTINA ISLAND: Tumbra were comprehensively outclassed by Tero al Disco in their match in the Under-18 World Cup on Wednesday night, with the Terans scoring twice in the first half to create a lead that proved impossible for Tumbra to overcome. With one game to go — against Panay Islands and Guimaras — the Black Egrets are on the cusp of elimination from the tournament in the group stages for the first time since they began participating in the tournament.

The game started off badly for the Tumbrans, with left-back Nelson Tucker receiving a dubious yellow card for a strong tackle on right midfielder Héctor Vivanco. Tucker, usually an enforcer on-pitch, was forced to restrain himself for the rest of the game; leaving the team's right flank wide open for most of the game. This allowed Vivanco to run free; the Sportivo Caamaño midfielder was later awarded the Player of the Match award for his efforts on the right, despite not ending up on the scoresheet himself.

From the right, Vivanco was allowed to swing crosses into the two starting strikers, Lorenzo and Luis Invernizzi; eventually, Lorenzo's head would connect with one of the many crosses Vivanco would send in and nod it past Lauren Harper to break the deadlock in the twelfth minute of the game. The Teran lead would soon double, coming off a Marco Lixau free kick into the box which would be toed past the line by Jaime Cascella. Despite having a few shots on goal near the end of the half, it had essentially been Teran; Tumbra struggled to intercept balls sent up the left flank.

Striker Owen Goal and the team's other left-back, Sophie Hamilton, would be sent on at the half-time break to try and claw something back for the Tumbrans. While Hamilton coming on meant that Vivanco was unable to be as effective in the second half, Goal could only score one goal in the second half of the game as the Terans locked up their defensive structure and played the rest of the game out, preserving their one-goal lead.

Speaking after the game, manager Amelia Stallard said that the win by Tero al Disco had been "wholly deserved" and they were "by far the best team on the pitch today." She rued the draw against Cardenao — third with two draws — as one that could potentially be a "tournament-ending" game. Tumbra have one game left, against Panay, before having to watch anxiously from the sidelines for the last round of group stage games.

[Vielfaltig]

A thumping win as Hahn lauds the temperament of the side

NORTH POINT, CAPTINA ISLANDS: The Vielfaltig U-18 Football team following their astounding victory over HUElavia received an additional matchday of rest compared to their competitors allowing them to recuperate and prepare for their game against Kamijiro. Kamijiro as a side were perhaps not as intimidating and well-established as the HUElavians however they posed a similarly significant challenge. The importance of a victory could not be understated and such was echoed by the captain Malvina Roussel in the pre-match press conference. She stressed upon the importance of keeping themselves together throughout the tournament to make a deep run into the knockout stages of the tournament. This game would be crucial to secure qualification but also to ensure high confidence and to carry forward the momentum gained from the HUElavia game.

Hahn named an unchanged starting eleven as would be expected following that terrific performance against HUElavia. The tactical setup against Kamijiro was totally different, however. The system they preferred to play was a 5-3-2 formation which meant there would be additional support in defence with the caveat that the wingbacks would be the only wide players however. This made them slightly more dangerous in terms of long balls too with two strikers up front. Nonetheless, Hahn had a plan to counter this sufficiently. He utilised the full backs to bombard Kamijiro on the wings giving us an advantage and dominance over the wings. This isolated his wing backs resulting in the breakdown of most forward play by them. This provided an immense tactical advantage to Hahn's side as they utilised this to allow the wingers to drift inside overwhelming their defence.

The match began on an offensive note as Munoz was already looking threatening as he took the first shot of the game from outside the box. The Vielfaltigians were looking quite dangerous as Kamijiro was still trying to settle into the match. It did not take long for the floodgates to open with the Captain Roussel being the first player to get onto the scoresheet as she headed in a cross from a corner by Kerper. Rising high above the defence, Roussel directed the ball towards the right corner leaving the Kamijiro keeper no chance almost immediately. This was only a sign of things to come however as the vast majority of the game was played in the Kamijiro half with Vielfaltig often looking very threatening. As the first half was winding down with five minutes or so to play, Vielfaltig struck the second blow this time from the feet of Kerper. Receiving a long ball up front on the right wing by Raine, she cuts into the defence making her way into the box. With ample amount of space, she cuts the ball onto her right foot and sends a powerful blow down the near corner as the ball whizzed past the keeper before he could get down to save it. The spirits were high heading into the dressing room as a strong lead had been established. Hahn recognising that his side was headed for a comfortable victory made some substitutions to keep legs fresh bringing on Arthur and Basile. These two combined to produce the final goal as it was Basile's pass to Arthur who drew the foul from the defender within the opposition box. Stepping up to take the penalty was prolific striker Mercier who calmly slotted it away in the left corner with his right foot. This was his second goal in the tournament, the second of many it seemed.

Hahn was extremely pleased by this performance as he made clear in his post-match press conference. He said, "This victory is down to the temperament of the side and the players. I can coach them and tell them what to do on the pitch however it is they who have to pull it off at the end of the day. And so far, they have done exactly that as we have kept two clean sheets and won the two games quite comfortably. We have not been intimidated by the occasion nor have we been overconfident following the victory against HUElavia. We have remained grounded and that has helped us achieve this result. To keep on going after one goal two goals and even three goals is not easy. The job is not done, we still have two group games before we can play in the knockouts. The goal is to reach as deep into the tournament as possible and I believe we can be contenders."

Vielfaltig 3-0 Kamijiro

VFT (4-3-3): 1 - S Duval, 2 - A Raine, 3 - M Roussel, 4 - S Lopez (22 - G Morella 61'), 14 - F Morelli (28 - Celia Meunier 73'), 5 - C Fevre, 6 - C Boucher, 8 - R Wright (7 - J Arthur 61'), 10 - M Kerper (21 - M Basile 45'), 9 - F Mercier, 11 - I Munoz (30 - M Deschamps 73')

VFT Scorers: M Roussel (asst. M Kerper) 15', M Kerper (asst. A Raine) 39', F Mercier (P) 84'

Player of the Match: M Kerper [VFT]

[Zenic]

"Can't win them all. But it still stings a little."

Luke and Joshua Killian were talking a walk through Geneva City to get some fresh air and wind down. Earlier, they had led the squad through some rigorous training in hopes of getting them up to the same level of match fitness that the other squads were at. Their previous match was a 2-2 draw against the newly unified United States of Nova Calania. "Yeah, yeah it does," replied Luke. "We did well getting the draw against another contender in the Tapirs. But they got us in a tricky spot where we had to make choices and we unfortunately made just as many mistakes as we did correct decisions."

"Yeah. Push up the wingers, move back a forward and midfielder: we got ourselves into a 3-5-2 but sacrifice attack and some skill in the midfield and backline. Pull back a forward: we got a matching 4-4-2 but with a large portion of the midfield playing out of position. Stay the course: we had strength in the middle but a bit weak on the outside. It was one big game of Roshambo the entire match," Joshua recalled. "Ólafur got his first goal but we were late to get numbers in the middle of the pitch and Mongrain capitalized for the equalizer shortly after. Then, Kupczak put them ahead in the 72nd minute from a free kick that we gave up. Luckily, we got bailed out by Mateo on a nice toe poke past Zhang but we really cut it close."

Luke put his hand on Joshua's shoulder to assuage his son's worry. "This is the stuff that group stages were designed for: finding what works, fixing the kinks in the armor, seeing who's ready to step up. No use in being perfect during this part if it means you lose in the knockouts at the first sign of adversity." Joshua looked over at his father, shyly nodding his head. "Yeah, yeah. But it is frustrating, isn't it?" Luke let a laugh escape. "Absolutely, You always want to win every single game ever. In a way, we're all still kids at heard when you think about it. So, let's allow the actual kids to still be kids while they can. Just let them play futbol against Ardsk and we'll bear the pressure and expectation."

Joshua smiled and patted his dad on the back as they continued on their walk, enjoying their family time before their next match.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia 2–0 Hakushiya
(Go 13', Asano 58')
Locust Grove Park, Geneva, Captina Island

Knocking on the Knockouts!

HUElavia dominates Hakushiya in a commanding victory to come very close to the knockouts!

Entering Matchday 3, HUElavia had the right momentum as they looked to capitalize on their sobering victory over Kamijiro on Matchday 2. Having a more rotated squad for this Matchday, Coach Aveiro Junior took the chance to trust his backups to prove their worth and give a strong performance to help the team.

The match was essentially total domination from Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos from start to finish. Chances by the team would come left and right, but saves from REDACTED would keep the scoreline at 0-0, as well as the close misses the HUElavian attack would have in front of goal. The opening goal came in the 13th minute, when Fisch dispossessed REDACTED, and began to run on the wings, before giving a pass to Zakryatina, who passed it to Go, who gave a one-time shot to blast past a flat-footed REDACTED into the goal, making it 1-0. The HUElavians in the crowd jumped up with joy and passion as they celebrated the goal while Go was hugged by her teammates in celebration. Despite some chances, HUElavia could not get the 2nd goal and at the half, HUElavia had a 1-0 lead, but felt confident on getting another goal.

The second half was more of the same, with HUElavia still mounting more and more pressure in order to get another goal. Eventually the goal came in the 58th minute, as Asano was looking for a teammate, but they were being covered, which he began to run and sprint past defenders to go one-on-one with REDACTED to chip it over them and put it bouncing into the goal. The HUElavians erupted in joy at the great play and applauded and chanted Asano's name while Asano himself was hugged and serenated by his teammates in joy and awe at the play. With the goal, HUElavia played a bit calmer, with REDACTED and REDACTED taking shots here and there, but Chipana stood her ground and made important saves and grabs. At the end, HUElavia held out and got another 3 points in what was a great sense of joy for the team.

With the victory and Vielfetag's 3-0 victory over Kamijiro, HUElavia are nearly through, but still control their own destiny. With a victory over Libonesia, Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos will clinch a knockout spot, but a draw will put it up in the air depending on Matchday 5. Coach Aveiro Junior was quoted saying "We're happy to have gotten another victory and our backups came strong to the call. We still have one more game to go and we want to give it out best to punch our ticket to the Knockouts. With this team, I have faith that we can do well and make it to the Last 16." Fans are tuning in more and more to the games as there is a lot of promise in the team, with high hopes that this can be another good tournament for HUElavians to enjoy and remember. Regardless, we must take it a game at a time and we still have one more match to go all out for in the group stage.

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Captina Island]

CUTOFF for MD4

BP/Captina scored by Quebec & Shingoryeo
clinched advancement

Group A
Tero al Disco 2–1 Cardenao
Panay Islands & Guimaras 0–1 Tumbra

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tero al Disco              3   3  0  0    7   4  +3    9
2 Tumbra                     4   2  1  1    4   2  +2    7
3 Cardenao                   3   0  2  1    3   4  −1    2
4 Vashnivaria                3   0  2  1    4   6  −2    2
5 Panay Islands & Guimaras   3   0  1  2    4   6  −2    1

Group B
Imporia 1–1 Abanhfleft
United Mandarin States 0–3 Sarzonia

  Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                   4   3  1  0   10   4  +6   10
2 Abanhfleft                 3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
3 United Mandarin States     3   1  1  1    1   3  −2    4
4 Imporia                    3   0  2  1    2   4  −2    2
5 Juvencus                   3   0  1  2    1   3  −2    1

Group C
Chromatika 7–2 Natanians & Nosts
Captina Island 0–1 Sangti

  Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Chromatika                 3   3  0  0   13   5  +8    9
2 Sangti                     4   2  0  2    5   5   0    6
3 Captina Island             3   1  0  2    6   3  +3    3
4 Eastfield Lodge            3   1  0  2    1   7  −1    3
5 Natanians & Nosts          3   1  0  2    3   8  −5    3

Group D
Elmyia 1–3 Baker Park
Crpostran 2–0 Lisander

  Group D                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Baker Park                 3   3  0  0    8   3  +5    9
2 The 14 Stars               3   2  0  1   10   6  +4    6
3 Elmyia                     3   1  1  1    6   4  +2    4
4 Crpostran                  3   1  1  1    4   4   0    4
5 Lisander                   4   0  0  4    6  17 −11    0

Group E
Zenic 3–1 Ardsk
Siovanija & Teusland 0–5 Novo Calania

  Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Novo Calania               4   3  1  0   13   2 +11   10
2 Zenic                      3   2  1  0   11   5  +6    7
3 Semarland                  3   2  0  1    2   4  −2    6
4 Ardsk                      3   0  0  3    1   6  −5    0
5 Siovanija & Teusland       3   0  0  3    2  12 −10    0

Group F
Hakushiya 0–3 Vielfetag
Libonesia 1–5 HUElavia

  Group F                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vielfetag                  3   3  0  0    8   0  +8    9
2 HUElavia                   4   3  0  1    9   3  +6    9
3 Libonesia                  3   0  2  1    4   8  −4    2
4 Hakushiya                  3   0  1  2    2   7  −5    1
  Kamijiro                   3   0  1  2    1   6  −5    1

[Panay Islands and Guimaras]

---

A CLOSE MATCH FOR THE PANAYENSES
Big Flint, Captina Island

The Panayense fans has arrived again with their drums and trumpets for a match against Tumbra. The first half kicked off when Garbajosa tried to lock on the Tumbran offense, and passing to Mauricio Wang who passed on to Rogelio Carreón but he misses. The Tumbran offense was too tight for the Panayenses when a Tumbran player tries to score a volley but Carlos Valladares saved the goal. There are attempts for the both sides to score a goal, but it's too late before the first half ends. On the second half, the Tumbrans are improving their own offense to score a goal, and they did, a Tumbran player scored an amazing bicycle kick past Valladares, making it the first and only goal for the match. There were some attempts for the Panayenses, but it ended up wide until the final whistle comes out. "That was a close one!", says Asanuma. "But a game is a game. We would hope that we could end our campaign with a high note." "The Tumbrans were tough.", says Jardim. "But I hope we could end our campaign with a high note." The Panayenses are trying to end their campaign with a high note against Cardenao.

[Tumbra]

Panay Islands and Guimaras 0–1 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 12 - M Okazaki; 2 - S Hamilton (18 - N Tucker, 83'), 19 - A Hayes-Smith (4 - A Quah, 60'), 24 - F Redruth, 17 - A Hayes; 6 - C Royce, 13 - F Kepex-Potts (8 - L Zsolnay, 60'), 10 - C Butler; 7 - B Chase, 9 - N Meehan (26 - S Melham, 72'); 11 - O Goal (22 - V Bellegarde, 72')

TMB scorers: Owen Goal [62']

Player of the Match: Fiona Redruth [TMB]

Tumbra clinch Round of 16 spot as Goal breaks deadlock against Panay

GENEVA, CAPTINA ISLAND: Owen Goal's spectacular bicycle kick against Panay Islands and Guimaras to win the game for the Black Egrets may have grabbed the headlines as the team secured qualification to the second round of the Under-18 World Cup, but the happiness was quickly wiped away by an injury scare which may see him miss Tumbra's round of 16 game. Goal, 18, who plays for West Couno United, was the main star of the show from the moment the whistle blew to begin Tumbra's final group stage game, and dominated the highlights package that showed on Tumbran television after.

Perhaps recognising that a bad result here would leave them at the mercy of other results in the group needing to go their way on the final day of the group stages — the Tumbrans having picked up a bye on that day — the Black Eagles seemed to play with more urgency than in their game against Cardenao, with Goal launching the first shot on goal after just ninety seconds. A third-minute effort would be ruled out for offside, with the linesman adjudicating that right winger Nigel Meehan was offside in the build-up to goal. Panay themselves would provide plenty of entertainment, and while their fans were loud, there were no incidents with the visiting Tumbran contingent.

Panay, as entertaining as they were, would provide several opportunities of their own — but ultimately came just short of scoring, with the defence earning their stripes. Particular praise was given to Fiona Redruth, who has emerged as the defender of choice for the under-18 team; the Hesham defender putting in several strong tackles on the Panayese team. "She is a player of great tenacity and capacity...I think she'll go far," said TBC commentator Will Earps after the game. "If you watched this match, you might just have been privy to the next great Tumbran defender spreading her wings on this stage," wrote Bencoolen Globe columnist Justine Ifanbumi.

The first half would end goal-less, with Tumbra taking bites out of a clearly overwhelmed Panay, but unable to find the goal that would break the deadlock. It wasn't until Goal's goal just after the hour mark, assisted by attacking midfielder Cormac Butler, when Tumbra would fully take control of the game; but even then, they seemed more than content to sit back, allow Panay to shoot from distance without much of a counter, something manager Amelia Stallard would come under fire for after the game for not pressing the advantage.

Goal's injury — seemingly self-inflicted, with his ankle looking rather swollen after receiving treatment on the sidelines — was a cause of worry for the Black Eagles, but the substitution of deep-lying striker Violet Bellegarde, who kept play steady for the last gasp of the match, was enough to see the game out. With seven points from their four games, Tumbra managed to secure qualification to the second round — as the third-placed team in the group, Cardenao, only has two points with one game left to play. "We'll be able to re-assess and look how we can improve our game as we go into the knockout stages," said a visibly relieved Stallard. "And we'll carry on from there."

[Sarzonia]

Max Wilcox would have called it a victory if the only good thing that happened was he wasn't interviewed by the press.

That wasn't the only good thing that happened, of course. The Sarzonian Under 18 national team defeated United Mandarin States 3-0 in their group stage finale to not only punch their ticket to the Round of Sixteen, not only earning a spot, but ensuring themselves the Group B title without having to sweat out the drama that would enfold on Matchday 5. Sure, the Toddler Stars would have to watch the notifications on the matches in the other groups to find out what their seeding would be, but they knew they could approach their bye with a chance to rest up and explore Captina Island if they so chose.

The reporters wanted to talk to the offensive stars, no pun intended, of the Sarzonian side, preferring to get quotes from the likes of Marco Amato (two goals, one assist), Jorge Acosta, one goal), and Emil Moreau, who served as a decoy on the pitch instead of a defender. For the questions about Sarzonia's ability to notch a clean sheet, the reporters chose to ask goalkeeper Dalton Collier, who was happy to oblige but also careful to not prompt the reporters to turn their attention to Wilcox, whom he knew for a fact would've been embarrassed by all the extra attention.

For Walter Garrison, he, too could take a breather. He decided that with the team's knockout round grind about to begin, he wanted to give the team a day off from physical training. The team would gather together in a conference room at the team hotel with pizzas including Wilmington-style and Portland-style pies, wings, chips, dip, and various soft drinks. Even though a few of the players were of legal drinking age by Sarzonian standards (18), Garrison didn't want his underage charges to do anything that would run them afoul of Captina Island authorities, the Incorporated Football Federation, Garrison himself, or the parents who entrusted him with the care of their children.

However, reserve defender Steve Perine had other ideas. He sneaked in a few 30-packs of beer with the intent of getting the boys drunk so they could really throw down. Perine managed to get the brews past Garrison and the rest of the managerial staff, but bringing in the underage boys and Maeve Callahan, the lone girl on the team for a night of debauchery was another matter. The hardest person to get past wasn't a manager or an administrator who'd made the trip to Captina Island. He had to figure out a way to catch Wilcox unawares. He thought his best chance was to catch the rest of the team whilst Wilcox studied in his room. Trying to get Wilcox to drink even a sip of alcohol was out of the question. He knew WIlcox wanted nothing to do with it because of his family's history of alcoholism and his own desires to not let his family down.

He sent a group text to the rest of the team sans Wilcox to meet up in his room after the last of the Matchday 5 contests went full time to drink. He figured João Gomes would be the most likely of the players to streak down the hallway of the hotel with nothing more than a shit-eating grin on his face and his hands covering his genitals. He wondered if he could fashion a makeshift bong and wondered who'd win a chug-off he'd planned.

Again, though, he had to get past Wilcox, whom he knew would want nothing to do with that crap. That's why he made sure to remove Wilcox's number from the team group text for this particular bonding activity.

There was one problem, though. He'd accidentally deleted Callahan's number from the group text, not Wilcox's. Wilcox saw the text and immediately forwarded it to Garrison.

Garrison went downstairs to flag down a maintenance worker and two security guards who all came in and searched Perine's room and found the booze. With Wilcox's positive identification of Perine as the culprit, the reserve defender would be on the next flight back home, his parents notified, and the team would get a quick education in following the rules.

When a reporter asked him about Perine's dismissal from the team, he simply said, "it's an internal matter." A matter that may or may not come to light by the time the 22nd Under 18 World Cup came to a close.

[Zenic]

The restaurant was a party scene for everyone in attendance.

The Juvenile Survivors earlier in the day had defeated the Ardsk U18 squad 3-1 to clinch their first knockout stage berth in their first trip to the U18 World Cup ever. It was a bit unexpected for everyone: pundits, journalists, futbol fans in the Empire, the players, even the Federation themselves. Zenic had built a bit of a reputation of struggling but showing a lot of promise in their first attempt before doing surprisingly well in subsequent visits. And here these youngster were, bucking the trend that many others, including professionals of adult age, failed to do.

Obviously, Killian and the staff members made sure no one was drinking alcohol or being too rambunctious without ruining the celebration. That included all of the staff, even those accustomed to a small celebratory drink after wins. After all, they didn't want to set a bad example for the soon-to-be adults. Plus, they had an early leave time as they headed towards Fairmont tomorrow in preparation of their final matchday showdown with Semarland. A win and they confirm at least second place in Group E with an outside shot at first with an insane performance. A draw guarantees second place while a loss means Zenic advances as one of the four best 3rd place teams.

The game against Ardsk was fairly standard. A counter-attack goal by Martin Florência and a penalty by Ottavia Eusebio put Zenic up 2-0 heading into the second half. Ardsk managed to draw one back but Zenic managed to maintain the existing lead until the 79th minute when Saray Elsy Gumersindo squeezed in a shot at the back post off of a corner for the dagger to the heart of the Ardsk squad. Surprisingly, a similar scoreline to the U21 squad's game against....Semarland. Definitely a result the younger players hope to at least replicate, if not surpass.

"So, already strategizing?," commented Duval. "Always. At least, that what I tell the press to look better," Luke retorted. The two managers shared a chuckle as they soaked up the moment. "They've done well." Luke shook his head. "They've done fantastic, Jean-Luc. Consolación and Geraldo are gonna love these kids when they reach them. Too bad they can't all reach it."

"So, we've got to make the most of this opportunity and see what we can do for them. We owe them that much." Luke smiled and nodded. "Agreed. So, let's get make it to the San Giorgio and go WILD! Show the world what we're made of and put some fear into our future knockout round opponents." Duval clanked glasses with Luke before getting the rest of the staff involved again in the celebrations.

It was time to party for now, get down to business a little later.

[Vielfaltig]

Round of 16 spot secured, rotations incoming?

BIG FLINT, CAPTINA ISLANDS: The Vielfaltig U18 side had overcome their largest challenges in the group stage notably being HUElavia and Kamijiro. Having recorded victories in both games, we were in a very strong position to qualify for the Round of 16 with a win in our next game against Hakushiya. The team had gained a great degree of confidence following our two victories with the tactical setup of Hahn working to almost perfection in both encounters. As the side travelled to Big Flint, the weight of an entire nation's expectations rested upon the young shoulders of the U18s. Hahn opted for an unchanged side from the two victories in the first two games of the group stage. This was a reasonable decision as a victory here would essentially confirm qualification allowing resting some players in the final matchday if needed whatsoever.

The sides took the field and off the bat, it seemed that some of the momentum the players played with against Kamijiro was perhaps lacking. A lack of intensity was particularly visible as Hahn was a very frustrated man during the first twenty minutes of the game. The players seemed too relaxed as they were unable to properly press Hakushiya or close down their attackers resulting in a few early chances. As they began to settle in, we took more control of the match and subsequently the position. With the tide of the game turning around, the deadlock was broken with the halftime whistle on the horizon in the 42nd minute. The goal came as Fevre won the ball off the Hakushiya forward and pummelled it forward which fell to the feet of Mercier. Making it past the remaining defender it was only the Hakushiya goalkeeper in his path as he confidently chipped the ball over him. It was a flashy finish as the team erupted into celebrations heading into halftime. Hahn was visibly displeased at half time making several changes to rejuvenate his side heading into the final forty-five of the game. They started off the second half strongly getting close to scoring numerous times. Mercier got on the scoresheet again as he put in a classic striker's goal. Munoz having made it past the defence was approaching the byline when he cut it back to Mercier who comfortably tapped it into the back of the net grabbing his brace. Hahn's side put the game to bed with a 73rd-minute goal by substitute Arthur who took a spectacular strike from outside of the box as the ball raced to the back of the net with great pace. He was set up by striker Emile who set up the goal by simply playing it in space for Arthur allowing him to let the shot rip. This was another convincing victory for Vielfaltig as we had now secured a round of 16 qualification and the top spot in our group.

Speaking after the game Hahn was quite pleased as he said, "Today we were by far the better team. That however does not mean that our performance was satisfactory whatsoever. We lacked intensity and intent in the first half hour of the game and that impacted how we played which was quite unfortunate to see. My halftime talk to the side was quite harsh and that was necessary for the second-half performance we saw. Such complacency could be very costly once we play in the knockouts now therefore such mistakes must be corrected right away. For our last group stage game against Libonesia, we will probably be going with a rotated side to provide some rest but let's see, first, we must analyse this performance."

Vielfaltig 3-0 Hakushiya

VFT (4-3-3): 1 - S Duval, 2 - A Raine (16 - L Duval 45'), 3 - M Roussel, 4 - S Lopez, 14 - F Morelli, 5 - C Fevre (26 - J Geroux 45'), 6 - C Boucher (7 - J Arthur 68'), 8 - R Wright (17 - B Dumas 45'), 10 - M Kerper, 9 - F Mercier (27 - D Emile 68'), 11 - I Munoz

VFT Scorers: F Mercier (asst. R Wright) 42', F Mercier (asst. I Munoz) 67', J Arthur (asst. D Emile) 73'

Player of the Match: F Mercier [VFT]

Oberhaus in deadlock, re-vote next week

MONTEBELLO, VIELFALTIG: The Oberhaus, the Upper House of Parliament of Vielfaltig, with its 288 members would be the true battleground and challenge for the Government to pass their proposed Repeal of the Act on Foreign Nationals. The Unterhaus having passed the Act with 317 ayes on the 29th of July now presented it for consideration to the Oberhaus. The Oberhaus due to its composition has always been a difficult place to pass legislation which is divisive within parties. The CPV-Left Front holding a slim majority meant that now they needed to rely on the Libertarians and Liberals for their help for it to pass in the Oberhaus. The vote held in the Oberhaus on the 1st of August however presented results to the disdain of the CPV and its allies. The House was in effectively in deadlock with no clear majority in favour or against the proposal with 140 ayes to 99 nays and 49 abstentions. The motion had almost been passed being just 5 votes short of a majority.

These conditions of deadlock prompted a series of informal negotiations and persuasion to commence within the House and the Parties themselves. The attempts to persuade abstaining MPs have been a significantly visible feature throughout the political scene of Vielfaltig for the past few days. To keep the hope of passing the Repeal alive, a motion was introduced to have a re-vote on the Repeal by the CPV. With the passage of the motion, the Speaker of the Oberhaus, Ange Herbert, announced that the House would convene on the re-vote of the Repeal on the 8th of August to allow the House enough time to break the deadlock and to have a vote with a clear outcome. The Minister of Tourism, Pauline Evelyne, of the Justice Party, said, "It is quite disappointing to see so many Workers and Socialist MPs voting against the Repeal. This warrants introspection of the functioning of the Left Front and we must carry it out quickly to be in a strong position for the Oberhaus and State Legislative elections in 2002. As for the Repeal, we remain quite hopeful. The 140 ayes was very close to a majority and we feel the number of five is an achievable target over this week to gain that majority. We believe the Repeal will pass ushering in a new future for Vielfaltig and tourism to Vielfaltig."

[Chromatika]

Young Anomalies Run Over Natanians and Nosts to Clinch Playoffs

When you have a five-game Group Stage starting with a bye, the most important thing is to generate momentum and make sure you are playing your best ball near the end of that Group Stage. The Young Anomalies started with a one-goal win over the hosts, followed with a two-goal win over Sangti, and then scored seven against Natanians and Nosts to clinch the Playoffs and the Group in Captina Island.

Robert Julian had a brace and Lars Tillman, Jr. added two more to his total, but the Player of the Match was Edith Chance. The Starting Left Central Midfielder had no less than four assists on the day, being the source of many a dangers cross that ended up in the back of Natanians and Nosts' net.

"That was the best game we've had in a long time," explained Manager Han Myung, "Even better than some of the practices we've run. When everyone is communicating and playing up to their potential, we can do anything.

Chromatika ends their Group Stage against Eastfield Lodge, having already clinched their group; the worst they can be seeded is sixth, but they would love to be seeded even higher in the bracket portion of the tournament.

"The hardest thing to do once you reach the pinnacle is to do it again," commented Myung, "Hopefully we can show that."

[Natanians and Nosts]

OOC:Sorry,I got really overwhelmed with RL and could only roster now...

Natanians and Nosts U-18 Team
Coach:Nerêncio Pierre Constantinescu
Assistant:Tullus Ion Muds
Psychologist:Caius Pierre Fritz
Style modifier:+5

Starters:

#	Name	 	 	Position	 	Age
12	Numa Ion Misaki	 		goalkeeper	18
2	Mihai Otacílio Tupsiak	 	centre-back	18
3	Mihai Ion Martinescu	 	second-striker	17
4	Mihai Fabiano Fidalgo	 	second-striker	16
5	Mihnea Márcus Martinescu	second-striker	16
6	Jozip Numa Nakano	 	left-winger	17
7	Alfredo Tulio Naka	 	right-winger	17
8	Marcílio Roderik Fawithá	cen. midfielder 17
9	Gilbert Möngke Menchkov	 	striker		16
10	Alberto Ion Constantinescu	striker	 	16
11	Ion Radomar Karagounis		centre-forward	18

Captain's name is in blue.

Bench:

#	Name	 	 	Position	 	Age
22	Carolus Hilário Constantinescu	goalkeeper	17
13	Carolus Ion Mihailescu	 	centre-back	17
14	Carolus Mihai Torjenescu	r. wingback	17
15	Mihai Ion Constantinescu	centre-back	18
16	Ion Carolus Torje		l. wingback	17
17	Gabriel Iúlius Tibiriçá	 	centre-back	17
18	Juan Mihai Ionescu	 	def. midfielder	17
19	Mikhail Carolus Kaudex	 	def. midfielder	16
20	Mihai Carolus Sorinescu	 	centre-back	17
21	Ion Carolus Ionescu	 	centre-half	17
24	Públio Carolus Bèjer	 	goalkeeper	18
23	Deyver Nascimento	 	striker	 	16

RP Permissions:

Choose my goalscorers: Yes (be aware that nº 11 have more chances of scoring and nº 2 and 8 have less)
godmod scoring events: Yes
Injure my players: No
godmod injuries to my players: No
Give Yellow card to my players: Yes (only 2 per match)
Give Red card to my players: No
godmod other events: No

[Captina Island]

Captina in need of win on last day
The Captina Company Press Association

The Captina Company National Football Team are one of several nations needing to get a result in their final group fixture if they want to have a chance to advance to the knockout rounds.

Natanians & Nosts will be the opponent in Geneva City, tied with the Oro e Rosso on three points along with Eastfield Lodge; the winner at TCC Sports Ground will have a chance to advance as one of the best third place finishers, while Chromatika will close out with EFL having secured top spot in Group C, as Sangti & the Filindo Isles have completed their matches and will have a bye on matchday 5.
It would be a huge blow to national pride to have the hosts knocked out before the elimination round gets underway.
Elsewhere across the Island, the action has been fierce as nine nations are still alive for one of the seven remaining spots.
In Group A, Tero al Disco and defending champions Tumbra have clinched spots while in Group B only Sarzonia have earned their way through having played all their fixtures, with the remaining four sides battling for second and possibly a third place qualifier as well.
In Group D, Baker Park are through and The 14 Stars are certainly in a position to finish not lower than third, as those two will play Crpostran and Elmyia respectively both with 4 points each.
Groups E & F also have their top two locked in, with Semarland in the former looking strong for a berth behind Nova Calania and Zenic, while the latter group will likely only have HUElavia and Vielfatig, as they will square off for top spot and the other teams all having just 2 or fewer points.

Attendance has been high for all matches played so far, with 30 of the 48 fixtures thus far having been in front of full stadiums; as the field dwindles from 30 to 16 there should be fewer crowds of less than 90% capacity.

[Captina Island]

CUTOFF for MD5

Captina/BP scored by Quebec & Shingoryeo
qualified for advancement

Group A
Cardenao 1–4 Panay Islands & Guimaras
Vashnivaria 3–2 Tero al Disco

  Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tero al Disco              4   3  0  1    9   7  +2    9
2 Tumbra                     4   2  1  1    4   2  +2    7
3 Vashnivaria                4   1  2  1    7   8  −1    5
4 Panay Islands & Guimaras   4   1  1  2    8   7  +1    4
5 Cardenao                   4   0  2  2    4   8  −4    2

Group B
Abanhfleft 3–2 United Mandarin States
Juvencus 1–2 Imporia

  Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Sarzonia                   4   3  1  0   10   4  +6   10
2 Abanhfleft                 4   2  1  1    7   6  +1    7
3 Imporia                    4   1  2  1    4   5  −1    5
4 United Mandarin States     4   1  1  2    3   6  −3    4
5 Juvencus                   4   0  1  3    2   5  −3    1

Group C
Natanians & Nosts 0–4 Captina Island
Eastfield Lodge 1–4 Chromatika

  Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Chromatika                 4   4  0  0   18  10  +8   12
2 Sangti                     4   2  0  2    5   5   0    6
3 Captina Island             4   2  0  2   10   3  +7    6
4 Eastfield Lodge            4   1  0  3    2  11  −9    3
5 Natanians & Nosts          4   1  0  3    3  11  −8    3

Sangti ahead on H2H
EFL ahead on H2H

Group D
Baker Park 3–3 Crpostran
The 14 Stars 4–3 Elmyia

  Group D                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Baker Park                 4   3  1  0   11   6  +5   10
2 The 14 Stars               4   3  0  1   14   9  +5   9
3 Crpostran                  4   1  2  1    7   7   0    5
4 Elmyia                     4   1  1  2    9   8  +1    4
5 Lisander                   4   0  0  4    6  17 −11    0

Group E
Ardsk 1–1 Siovanija & Teusland
Semarland 0–3 Zenic

  Group E                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nova Calania               4   3  1  0   13   2 +11   10
2 Zenic                      4   3  1  0   14   5  +9   10
3 Semarland                  4   2  0  2    2   7  −5    6
4 Ardsk                      4   0  1  3    2   7  −5    1
5 Siovanija & Teusland       4   0  1  3    3  13 −10    1

Nova Calania ahead on GD
Ardsk ahead on GD

Group F
Vielfetag 2–1 Libonesia
Kamijiro 3–2 Hakushiya

  Group F                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Vielfetag                  4   4  0  0   10   1  +9   12
2 HUElavia                   4   3  0  1    9   3  +6    9
3 Kamijiro                   4   1  1  2    4   8  −4    4
4 Libonesia                  4   0  2  2    5  10  −5    2
5 Hakushiya                  4   0  1  3    4  10  −6    1

Round of 16 matchups

1 Vielfetig vs 16 Vashnivaria
Fairmont Stadium

8 HUElavia vs 9 The 14 Stars
Locust Grove Park Geneva City

5 Baker Park vs 12 Sangti & the Filindo Islands
Palm Tree Road, North Point

4 Sarzonia vs 13 Captina Island
Stadio Giancarlo Collina, Big Flint

6 Tero al Disco vs 11 Abanhfleft
San Giorgio, Fairmont City

3 Nova Calania vs 14 Semarland
IMA Stadium, Port Genoa

7 Zenic vs 10 Tumbra
TCC Sports Ground, Geneva City

2 Chromatika vs 15 Crpostran
Brandstatdter Park, Clarksburg

1 Vielfetag                  4   4  0  0   10   1  +9   12
2 Chromatika                 4   4  0  0   18  10  +8   12
3 Nova Calania               4   3  1  0   13   2 +11   10
4 Sarzonia                   4   3  1  0   10   4  +6   10
5 Baker Park                 4   3  1  0   11   6  +5   10
6 Tero al Disco              4   3  0  1    9   7  +2    9
__________________________________________
7 Zenic                      4   3  1  0   14   5  +9   10
8 HUElavia                   4   3  0  1    9   3  +6    9
9 The 14 Stars               4   3  0  1   14   9  +5    9
10 Tumbra                    4   2  1  1    4   2  +2    7
11 Abanhfleft                4   2  1  1    7   6  +1    7
12 Sangti                    4   2  0  2    5   5   0    6
_________________________________________
13 Captina Island            4   2  0  2   10   3  +7    6
14 Semarland                 4   2  0  2    2   7  −5    6
15 Crpostran                 4   1  2  1    7   7   0    5 
  Imporia                    4   1  2  1    4   5  −1    5* 
16 Vashnivaria               4   1  2  1    7   8  −1    5

Imporia won coin flip (OOC, match scored with RP only: Imporia 6–4 Vashnivaria, thks to Q&S for judging this) EDIT--Imporia has CTE'd, Vashnivaria will take their place.

[Sangti and the Filindo Isles]

Sangti and the Filindo Isles 0–1 Natanians & Nosts
Under-18 World Cup 22 - Brandstadter Park, Clarksburg, Captina Island
SFI Scorers: none
SFI Lineup: Pancho Romie Manas, Nenita Tabao, Marvic Kaunlaran, Diwata Blonna ▼ (▲ Ivan Pura 66'), Lawrence Yap ▼ (▲ Astrud Lyka Anong 90 + 1'), Jael Palmisa, Veronica Carmela Viena, Romano Darryll Bangalao ▼ (▲ Roana Praico 90'), Christine Cleo Gilly, Yzza Katreena Palabrica, Jonnelson Lawas

Eastfield Lodge 0–2 Sangti and the Filindo Isles
Under-18 World Cup 22 - Stadio Giancarlo Collina, Big Flint, Captina Island
SFI Scorers: Astrud Lyka Anong (72'), Jael Palmisa (87')
SFI Lineup: Pancho Romie Manas, Nenita Tabao ▼ (▲ Kathrine Blanche Iribarren 68'), Marvic Kaunlaran, Diwata Blonna, Lawrence Yap ▼ (▲ Astrud Lyka Anong 53'), Jael Palmisa, Veronica Carmela Viena, Romano Darryll Bangalao ▼ (▲ Roana Praico 73'), Christine Cleo Gilly, Yzza Katreena Palabrica, Jonnelson Lawas

Sangti and the Filindo Isles 2–4 Chromatika
Under-18 World Cup 22 - San Giorgio, Fairmont, Captina Island
SFI Scorers: Yzza Katreena Palabrica (16'), Jonnelson Lawas (30')
SFI Lineup: Pancho Romie Manas, Nenita Tabao, Marvic Kaunlaran ▼ (▲ Ivan Pura 67'), Diwata Blonna ▼ (▲ Jayachandra Drajat 54'), Astrud Lyka Anong, Jael Palmisa, Veronica Carmela Viena, Edrei Jomark Ganutan, Christine Cleo Gilly ▼ (▲ Franco Tangkiang 90 + 2'), Yzza Katreena Palabrica, Jonnelson Lawas

Captina Island 0–1 Sangti and the Filindo Isles
Under-18 World Cup 22 - Brandstadter Park, Clarksburg, Captina Island
SFI Scorers: Yzza Katreena Palabrica (28')
SFI Lineup: Pancho Romie Manas, Nenita Tabao, Ivan Pura, Diwata Blonna ▼ (▲ Jayachandra Drajat 45 + 1'), Lawrence Yap, Jael Palmisa ▼ (▲ Veronica Carmela Viena 90 + 1'), Erickson de Joya, Romano Darryll Bangalao, Franco Tangkiang, Yzza Katreena Palabrica ▼ (▲ Ranniel Ramil Dysangco 86'), Jonnelson Lawas

---

NEWS | FEATURES | SFI SUPERLIGA | LSIFB | SCORES | CONTACT US

HANSAIR U18WC22 IN CAPTINA ISLAND
Palabrica winner against tournament hosts eventually sends 'Batang Agilang Dilaw' to knockout rounds
Diwata Blonna race for fitness as Ro16 match against Baker Park looms

CAPTINA ISLAND - Yzza Katreena Palabrica's 28th minute goal against Captina Island and in front of the Captini crowd in Brandstadter Park was enough for Sangti and the Filindo Isles to advance to the Round of 16 of the 22nd HansAir Under-18 World Championships, thanks to the hosts beating Natanians and Nosts on the final matchday to prevent a scenario that puts the Batang Agilang Dilaw down from the second automatic progression spot.

In that scenario, a N&N win would have instead eliminate any progression hopes for the hosts and leapfrog the Sangtians into second, if group winners Chromatika beat Eastfield Lodge in the other final matchday, which they did. An unlikely Eastfielder win would put the Central Esportivan nation in second due to superior head to head between the three teams as SFI defeated the Rushmori nation that will be the co-hosts of the upcoming World Cup, 2-0, and bests each of the 1-0 win the other two teams got. Of course, the win by the hosts deemed this scenario null and void as regardless of the result of the Eastfield Lodge-Chromatika match, SFI would seal 2nd place in Group C.

The talking point in cica.da's SFI feed was Jayachandra Drajat's insertion to the field in the last two games, due to a minor injury captain Diwata Blonna carried during the match against Chromatika. The Persitrio player looked out of sorts in the second half collapse that allowed the Young Anomalies to seal the Sangtians' fate on Matchday 3, but Deo Espeso still started the Maharlika Marulas player in Matchday 4, worsening her leg injury and requiring her to be subbed off the field for the second matchday in a row. The U18 manager kept his faith in Drajat, making up for her poor performance in the Chromatika loss by playing stellar defense and making a goal line clearance that could have turned the tides in favor of the Rosso e Oro.

Most Sangtians kept their opinions that Indos players should have no business making SFI squads, as has been the case for the Senior and U21 teams, but Espeso cited the lack of depth of the U18 pool, and the selection of some of the U18 standouts to the U21 squad playing in Valanora, as the causes he had to dig deeper into a rough minefield of Indos youngsters, with him touting several players as the ones he selected as 'potential diamonds in the rough'. Others would agree with his decision to sub Drajat in to give them confidence and kickstart a potential gateway of Indos making it to the squads, and others would not care 'as long as the Agilang Dilaw keeps winning matches'.

Espeso would have a selection headache going into the match against Baker Park at the Palm Tree Road in North Point, as he would wait for a pre-match fitness check for Blonna, as they will miss her leadership in the pitch and was actually instrumental in keeping a clean sheet against the Eastfielders. Palabrica, the SFI's goal tally leader going into the match, would be expected to start, as well as Jonnelson Lawas, who has been relatively disappointing on front of goal this tournament, only scoring one goal so far this tournament.

[The 14 Stars]

Future Stars, a new beginning part 4

Part 1: viewtopic.php?p=41769128#p41769128
Part 2: viewtopic.php?p=41773658#p41773658
part 3: viewtopic.php?p=41780069#p41780069

After several good victories now the first loss of the Wolves was at hand, they played against Baker Park a well renowned team known for overall strong skill and allround players and it showed on the field too.
Despite having the best generation in a long time our young Wolves went home without points, a late goal shattered their dreams of getting away with a point against this strong side leaving Kimora among others in tears as she felt like she came short to make her team win.
In reality this wasn't the case, everyone had pulled their weight, played their hearts out and gave it their all but they just weren't strong enough and that was the hard reality and Kira Blade had suffered enough losses to realize how much this could hurt.
She went to talk with Kimora after the match.

Kira ''That was a tough match girl, you must be exhausted by know that you did everything you could no need to take it as personal as you do dear.''

Kimora ''But we lost.....we shouldn't have, i really want to win this thing with the team more then anything else and this defeat just makes me feel that im not good enough to beat those big football nations players.''

Kira ''You are more then capable, but do not forget you are just 16, there is no need for you to take the entire world on your shoulders when they really were that strong, even us seniors never won against them as far as i know.''

Kimora ''You didn't? but you guys had such a good team with Yale, Zaratti, Flare and more....how did the best team we ever had not even beat them......we are ranked higher but back then we were stronger not?''

Kira ''We were strong but inexperienced, we are passing on that experience to your generation now as much as we can and you can already see results with players such as Olivier and Selena Corson who are up and coming but very strong.
They are gonna be the future and you also are in that future, they will be your teammates and during the season your opponents, it will probably be a team so strong that it can win against them in the future.''

Kimora ''Are you thinking about quitting?! no you are not right? you are the best player in the country.....i understand we couldn't do more today but....how do ever do this without you in the future?''

Kira ''Im not quitting yet, i've still got the ability to keep up properly and as long as i can keep up with you guys i will continue to play ofcourse but no one is a player forever even you not....you will hold out longer though perhaps...''

Kimora ''I see, well if we draw the next match or win we are pretty much through aswell and thats what is important we want to get to the next round and win this tournament if anything.''

Kira ''Exactly and your next opponent is Elmyia a nation also strong enough, ive met a few Elmyians long ago and theyre nice people but not too fond of us due to our league collapse earlier.''


Indeed their next opponent was the ever capable Elmyia, a strong side that doesnt seem to be wanting to miss out on the next round but their mission is more tough then the Wolves have here.
They need to defeat the Wolves at all costs but with the best team in years fielded by our nation this is a pretty hard task and the Starsian fans are pretty sure and confident that their team can cruise through the group stage to the next round.
They entered a stadium packed with Starsian fans as always thousands if not millions here to see their match in person and this motivated the team both positively and negatively, coach Reyes knew it was no or never for them.
Not reaching the round of 16 was a bad thing as coach of an U18 side, it had always been a team knowing more success then their older counterparts so it was up to him to continue that success today against an determined Elmyian side.
He had made two interesting changes in the line-up in the defense where he saw against Baker Park they just came short and he wanted to see if this would work better but it was a risk he had to take in this stage of the group.
He clapped in his hands as the entire team gathered around him their faces determined as they waited for the coach or captain Geoffrey to speak and tell them what they would have to this match and it was coach Reyes breaking the silence.

Reyes ''Team, today we play Elmyia a team strong but also a team that we know could break our backs and prevent us from advancing if we slack off, do not waste the favorable position you've worked so hard for.
Without further ado this will be my line-up with the necessary changes made after last match, Elliott, Wallace, Kenseth, Moon, Hendricks, Gunnarson, Richter, Maywell, Iversen, Lauritzen, Frazier.
Thats all for now, play as always strong, fierce and full of energy search the opponent and hunt them down!''

Team ''Yes coach!''

Richter ''Team, we've lost last game but we are strong, one cannot truly call themselves a strong team until they have also learnt to lose honorably and we have done that against Baker Park and i am proud of all players.
You all played your best, worked hard for eachother i could see each player's efforts, lets turn it around and reach those knockouts!''

Team ''Yes captain!''



They entered the field, the Elmyians seemingly less confident and rightfully so, they were vulnerable this time and flags of the Wolf logo were flown across the stadium and the names of Lauritzen and Frazier were chanted through the stadium.
National anthems were sang and they shook hands as the captains of each team met, the Elmyians would be having the kick off, as the match got underway the teams really started playing a first half of good football.
Both teams were concentrated, ready to strike and the midfield battles were very interesting to watch, it lasted until the 34th minute when Alena Hendricks a defender stole the ball from Radstock and passed it forward to Geoff Richter who saw Maywell running and passed to her having her receive the ball in time to avoid a sliding by Piazza as she gave a high cross over the defense towards Lauritzen who saw himself making eye contact with Hartham before shoving the ball passed her into the net.
It was a goal for the Wolves by Lukas Lauritzen and the crowd cheered as he celebrated it with Iversen and Maywell long time friends of his as they saw their nation take the lead something that would last exactly 10 minutes.
In the 43th minute a pass from Radstock would see Guyer being able to get past Kenseth and Moon wasnt back in time to prevent an amazing strike untouchable for Elliott as he was unable to keep his teams lead, the Elmyians proved their worth of being a tough team to beat and it was clear that the match by no means was going to be an easy one if anything, there was alot of work to do.

Closely behind this followed the end of the first half, there would be no changes, the team was doing good and besides putting the last details in place Reyes believed that his work pretty much was done to lead them to the second half.
There was no improvement possible, there was no injury, simply two equal teams battling it out for the lead and most likely the Elmyians would also see this that the Wolves were equal to them if not slightly better.
Against the odds in the second half it was Elmyia that opened the dance in the 55th minute woth again Guyer, this time from a corner a miscommunication allowing them to strike and place the ball past Elliott as the Wolves their fear came out now....they were behind but at that moment a howling sound came from the stands the famous Wolf Howl from the fans, thousands participating in it Howling as real Wolves sending shivers down the opponent's spine if anything, it was a very amazing thing.

Richter ''Team, hear their calls, we are not done yet! we are proud, we represent our nation and we are going to win this match......my boys and girls lets hunt them down, change this field into our hunting grounds!''

Team ''Yes captain! Lets hunt them down!''

These motivational words did wonders, as soon as they kicked off all Starsians went forward their passes accurate and fast dazzling their opponent, no more then a single touch, left, right, back, forth where they was an opening they passed.
Everyone was passing to everyone and eventually they moved up the field Frazier with the ball as she crossed it over the ground making it end up in front of Lauritzen who was storming up the field barging Levitt aside and to the ground in the process as he rammed the ball home in the top corner giving the team and the fans something to cheer for as he scored his second goal of the match.
In the 68th minute again the Wolves strike after they increased the pressure and their overall game improved, Frazier plays an important role in bringing the assists to Lukas as he sends another one home past the goalkeeper who at this point is just really sad about her being unable to help her own team as the Wolves celebrate and chanting Lauritzen's name across the stadium.

With the Wolves pulling ahead again Lauritzen wanted Kimora to score now, she had given assists, helped making the plays greatly and also saved them against Lisander from demise by coming up with an interesting tactic.
He looked to Geoffrey behind him who understood him without even needing to talk, he gave a thumbs up and Iversen next to him nodded in agreement aswell all three of them wanting to see their young friend make name for herself, they knew that with her talent she could be asked for the senior team if she was capable of preforming consistently and even for Lauritzen a spot was not out of the question.
The Wolves after kick off quickly moved up, stole the ball and advanced and passed the ball over the right side to Iversen as Kimora moved up along with them and as Iversen was about to cross Lauritzen stepped further so the ball would miss him and Kimora saw it running up to the spot where the ball would land taking a direct shot and sending it home exceptionally hard in the top corner, a fourth goal goes past Hartham and the fans go completely crazy seeing Lauritzen scoring a hat trick and also a goal by the new fan favourite young Kimora Frazier who by many now is seen as the promised heir to Kira Blade if anything, she has all the potential and insane skill.

It seemed the match was pretty much won but nothing was less true, Guyer wanted to equal Lauritzen and they died scoring again from a corner leaving Elliott cursing behind as they nearly still lost the whole thing.
But time ran out the ref blew their whistle and an insane relief among team and staff seemed, they advanced to the next round and as they walked to the Starsian Lauritzen and Frazier heard their names being chanted once again, they were a very promising duo, but also a promising generation a promising team that finally maybe could go the distance as they headed to the round of 16.

Next opponent? Huelavia, a known team they had mixed results against but a friendly nation, it was a relief hearing they played against Huelavia as they knew they had chances to win here, they still had to work but they had chances.
They had avoided the big names, the ones that would crush them, they would be heading to the round of 16 with confidence.

[Chromatika]

Prenn, Young Anomalies Roll to Perfect Group Stage, Prepare for Crpostran

If there is one thing that has become very apparent about this Chromatik U-18 team in Captina Island, it's that they really get everything flowing through one player when it comes to creativity - Maddie Prenn.

Prenn added a goal and two more assists to her already impressive resume as the Young Anomalies concluded their Group Stage with a 4-1 win over Eastfield Lodge, good for the second seed overall only because of one goal. Her crosses in to Tillman, Jr. and Julian were sublime, and the shot that she fired from just outside the box to snipe the goal from range was one of the goals of the Group Stage thus far.

The result sends the Young Anomalies on a four-game winning streak to take on Crpostran, one of the four third-placed finishers with the best records. Crpostran went 1-2-1 in a group with the likes of Baker Park and The 14 Stars - while scoring seven goals and conceding seven.

"When you get to this part of the tournament, you can throw the records out of the window," remarked Manager Han Myung, "It's all about who can keep up the intensity and generate momentum. They (Crpostran) did the hard part, which is getting to this part of the tournament. We are going to get their best shot, and if we don't match the intensity, having a 4-0-0 Group Stage won't matter."

Chromatika will continue to send in long balls from Prenn into the box, with Tillman, Jr. lurking and Julian there for the second ball. Defensively, Jin has come into his own the longer the tournament has gone on, and the new back four have really used the time to learn how to play with each other.

For a federation that's gone through a regime change, getting both the U-18 and U-21 squads to the Round of Sixteen is an achievement. Now, it's time to see if this particular group of youngsters possess the grit and the mettle to put together a run.

If Prenn continues to play like she has, there's no reason to think they can't.

[Sarzonia]

The rumour mill can work at a rate far faster than even the hardest hit shot, especially with seemingly bad news.

The Sarzonian Under 18 national football team didn't have a match to play on Matchday Five. They already had the group title wrapped up and only had their final seeding for the Round of Sixteen to learn.

At least that's how it appeared on the surface.

The team were still abuzz over the dismissal of defender Steve Perine from the team and the order to turn over text message logs to the Woodstock Internet Police, the only police force with jurisdiction over investigations across the country.

A couple of the older players glared at Max Wilcox as he walked into the conference room with national team manager Walter Garrison standing in front of the players.

"Dude, Max is a narc," Maeve Callahan, the reserve midfielder said in something just above a whisper. "He's why Steve's not here."

Unfortunately for Callahan, Garrison heard her.

"What did you say?" Garrison asked. "I didn't quite get that!"

"Nothing!" she replied, snapping her attention forward, starting straight ahead. I pray to God he didn't hear me, she thought.

"Look at me!" Garrison said. Callahan kept avoiding his glare. "Look at me!" he said, speaking in a lower, slower voice that clearly betrayed his anger. Finally, she glanced, seeing the look on Garrison's face that clearly showed he'd heard every word.

She didn't know he was bluffing and hadn't exactly heard what she said, but he was good enough at hiding it in front of a minor. Besides, he had kids himself. He knew the games they played. However, she was smart enough to know the game was up, and she could well be on the way home herself for lying.

"I said Max is a narc," she said.

"And exactly what does that mean?"

"It means he turned Steve in."

Emil Moreau wasn't exactly close to Wilcox since he played on a different part of the pitch from the captain, but he didn't want Wilcox to take undeserved blame.

"Steve planned to not send the group text to Max," Moreau said. "He knew Max would be against the party and the underage drinking. And he knew that the guys had, uh, plans for Maeve."

Callahan's eyes widened briefly. She figured there'd be some debauchery, but she figured it would be little more than drunken escapades, but not to the extent Moreau was explaining. She realised that Wilcox didn't just shut down a night of fun because he was too busy studying, he had saved her from a night that easily could have delivered a traumatic memory to last her a lifetime.

It sent her mind into a tailspin. She wanted to be mad at Max for being a killjoy and a manager's pet. But the fact that he wasn't supposed to get the text message that led to this alone was enough to give pause. The fact that the rest of the plot was being exposed and it would've been a problem for her especially caused her to choke back tears.

"I'm sorry, Max," she said. "I didn't know."

The rest of the time before the Toddler Stars prepared to face host nation Captina Island in the Round of Sixteen included a lot more apologies to Wilcox. It would include Perine being sent to a rehab centre in downtown Woodstock.

Instead of spending the time focusing on how to deal with playing the hosts in a true away fixture and dealing with the vagaries of a hostile crowd, Garrison and company were focusing on a discipline problem that would likely result in the team assembling all new management regardless of outcome.

Even though Garrison wasn't behind the plot or endorsing it either explicitly or implicitly, the fact that he couldn't keep his team focused enough on its task at hand would draw intense scrutiny amongst the Board of Governors membership. Even allowing for kids being kids, Garrison knew he'd be faulted for not running a tight enough ship.

And even if the Toddler Stars shined brightest of all, this incident would clearly eclipse any warm memories of any victories won on the pitch.