A Tale Of Two Crescents - WC97 Roleplay Thread

by **Mytanija** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 9:52 am

BRITONISEA 0-3 MYTANIJA

MYT: Mbala–Ekakia 16’; Issoumou 30’, 52’

MYT: 1 Vasilevski; 2. Jesenko (sub. Beganović 76’), 3. Mbala–Ekakia (c) (sub. Mioković–Čiča 61’), 4. Vlahovljaković, 5. Lusamba; 6. Papež (sub. Stojadinović–Srpkinja 61’); 7. Vdovichenko, 8. Šaranja; 10. Ovsyannikov (sub. Stanoev 61’); 9. Issoumou, 11. Goran Papić–Papratović (sub. Kovačec 76’)

MYTANIJA 4-2 INDUSSE

MYT: Mbala–Ekakia 29’, Šaranja 37’, Issoumou 42’, Prokopljević 82’

IND: Mersiás 23’, Kumar 62’

MYT: 1. Vasilevski; 2. Jesenko, 3. Mbala–Ekakia (c), 4. Vlahovljaković, 5. Lusamba; 6. Papež; 7. Vdovichenko (sub. Frantsaliiski 64’), 8. Šaranja (sub. Gicić 64’); 10. Ovsyannikov (sub. Stanoev 75’); 9. Issoumou (sub. Prokopljević 75’), 11. Goran Papić–Papratović (sub. Kovačec 71’)

“Hi Ermin. Nevenka Planinc, Gazeta Sporta,” a familiar individual greeted Ermin Držić in the press conference following Mytanija’s 4-2 victory over Indusse. He had been interviewed by Nevenka Planinc countless times as a manager, she was the lead reporter from Mytanija’s most widely distributed and well-read sports daily Gazeta Sporta and she was a veteran journalist who held good relationships with nearly every manager and head coach in the country.

“Hey Nevenka, how are you doing?” Ermin replied, half-rhetorically.

“All good, as always.” She smiled. “How do you feel following that victory? It’s been an outstanding first pair of World Cup qualifying matches, especially with the struggles that some of our group rivals, like Kelssek, have had. You’ve got to be happy with that, no?”

“Yeah, absolutely Nevenka. We’re pleased. The players have done what we have asked, and we’ve started well in a couple of tough matches. Britonisea and Indusse are tough opposition, and the two matches have been quite different. We led out from the front against Britonisea, away from home. We didn’t really give them a chance. It was a different type of match against Indusse, going behind to a goal we thought we could have defended better but then putting that immediately behind us and answering back with three goals of our own to put them into a difficult position. We then rode out some pressure in the second half and killed the game off. I can’t ask for much more from the players, they’ve performed well and we’re happy with two wins from two at this point.”

“And just on the group rivals, it must feel good to already have gained an advantage in the group?” Nevenka pressed.

“It’s always good to win, Nevenka.” Ermin smiled, attempting to disarm the probing question. “We can’t really make too many comparisons at this stage, everybody’s only played a couple of matches, there’s a long way to go and some really strong teams in the qualifying group. Kelssek are amongst them, we’ve played a couple of them in Indusse and Britonisea. There’s Ile de Richelieu, Hapilopper, we always seem to get tricky groups and there’s quality throughout, so we aren’t going to get ahead of ourselves – it’s good to get the wins early on and in those head-to-head matches it’s always important. But there’s a long way to go and we can’t become complacent.”

“And just on the goals being scored, seven goals in two matches, a really productive start from Lacina Issoumou and a productive return to the squad for Milica Prokopljević. You must feel vindicated in the selections in the national pool for this qualifying campaign given some of the questions which arose when it was announced? The likes of Andrej Mitrov Ljubiša, Mihaila Šoposká and Benjamin Žbogar-Žolnir being left out after fantastic seasons for their clubs.”

“Yeah, I think our attacking play has been really good across the board. We’ve been excellent at set-pieces and that’s evidenced in Bigger getting a goal in each game. We’ve been having a bit of a laugh in the changing room after the game there, he’s becoming the most prolific he’s ever been in his career at the age of 36! Our patterns of play in open play have been good too and that’s what we’re trying to put into this group of players, to try to make it second nature for them like they’re used to at their clubs. Lacina plays at a level in Kelssek where that’s exactly what he’s used to and he’s taken to it alongside Goran with the national team, which is exactly what we want. Milica and Blaž are great options to have from the bench and Milica got his goal against Indusse, exactly the sort of goal we’re used to seeing him get, finding space to head in at the back post. It turned out to be an important goal too, sealing the result for us. A great start and we want to see them continue like this through the rest of qualifying.”

“And just on those who were wondering about the players that were left out?” Nevenka pressed again, letting out a familiar smile which every 1. Prvenstvo manager knew, the smile she gave when she wasn’t ready to let a question go.

“The three you mentioned – Andrej, Mihaila and Benjamin – all had excellent seasons. We are really pleased with their development as a national team coaching unit, and they’ll all be in and around the under-21 squad and I’m sure all will be in and around national team squads if they can continue their current trajectory. Andrej was excellent in the 1. Prvenstvo, Benjamin’s just got his move back home and Mihaila is doing well over in Pasarga. Their chances will come, there’s just a few ahead of them with a bit more experience at a higher level at the moment – Lacina, Goran, Milica, Aljož, all have years on them. Miljka and Blaž are younger but have won team and individual honours. There’s no reason why the likes of Andrej, Mihaila and Benjamin can’t get there. We’ll be watching how they get on.”

“And just looking ahead to the next international break, a trip to Beepee and then bringing Kelssek to Težia. What’s the goal in those two matches? How will you be approaching the Kelssek game in particular? At home, will we go for it?”

“You know me well Nevenka, I go to every match to win it and those two will be no different. The goal will be to win them both and that’s going to be the approach, we want to replicate what we have shown in our first two matches and if we can put that performance level into these games then we can be pleased whatever the outcome is. Good performances above anything else, results will take care of themselves. Kelssek will be a tough opponent and though it will be good to have the backing of the Atletskistadion we know how difficult that will be – it will tell us a lot about where we are if we can deliver a good performance against such a strong opponent. Let’s see what happens between now and then, let’s see which players are available and then we’ll put a plan together to try and deliver the performances that we want to see.”

by **Huayramarca** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 9:52 am

OOC: RP written originally in Spanish and translated via DeepL Translate. Translation has been proofchecked and the original text can be found in the spoiler.

The summers in the south of Huayramarca are some of the most spectacular things you can see in Anaia. Sunsets at 22:30, pleasant weather for walking and enjoying the outdoors, opportunities for hiking and enjoying the melting of some glaciers in the area... A very good combo, yes, but let's add football for this occasion.

After its debut at the last World Cup as a venue, Huayramarca opened the brand new Parque del Fiordo, a stadium that doesn't boast of being very big, but it is quite cosy and has one of the best views a stadium can have. As its name suggests, it is located on the side of one of the deepest fjords in Llanquihue, near the Mapocho River, a place where many fishermen decide to look for salmon or other fish that come in during the spawning season. It was 20:00, still sunny and without the need for artificial light, completely clear and ready for a bit of football in the middle of the southern summer.

Libesia was the guest nation for the opening party at Fjord Park, a nation that was also making its World Cup qualifying debut. Although they were just starting out on the road, the expectation of their fans for the national team was high, to the point that they packed their allotted visitor's area of the stadium. The Huayramarca fans, somewhat expectant considering the historical difficulties of Los Cóndores against debutant teams, eagerly awaited the start of the match.

After some time, the teams take the field and prepare for the opening whistle. Before anything else, Blaas Aginsogno shouts to Ian Mamani: "Manage the tempo well, always stay intense and make sure the others do too. A phrase Mamani had heard before, and that was after the '92 World Cup crisis in which Aginsogno decided to purge much of the squad and sent the rest to train in the brutal great north of Québec & Shingoryeo, specifically in Iqaluit, a city renowned for its brutal winter, worthy of being called "frozen hell." Aginsogno tested the players and challenged them to give their best possible performance, to change their attitudes and prove why they should earn a place in his new project as Huayramarca coach.

During one of the many tests, one that included dragging loaded sledges between two indigenous villages in -40°C temperatures, Aginsogno spoke to Ian Mamani. "You are the captain of the boat... That means I will demand three times more from you than the rest. That means you will carry three times the load." This as he began to attach two more sleds with cargo to the one he already had ready to move. Mamani, indignant, responded, "Don't you think that's too cruel and unfair?" To which Aginsogno, after laughing out loud, replied, "Kiddo, the ways of football are cruel and unfair. As captain you will have to deal with them, depending on your way of dealing with them, you will have two paths to follow: The path of the successful, who transforms such difficulties into strengths or the path of the mediocre, who only cries and complains about everything... Which one do you decide to take?"

After a moment of reflection, Mamani agrees "I want success, that's why I decided to play football. I'm looking to help my family out of poverty, I'm looking for a better future for my family and to help my country in the process". Aginsogno replies "Good mentality, just for that alone you will carry one more sled. Now there will be four." Mamani was getting ready and dragged him to the finish line, with difficulty, but making it after all. Aginsogno approaches and mentions "It's your boat and it's your rules. If you are lackadaisical, others will be lackadaisical. If you are tough and never give up, others will follow your example. You have to be aware of that.

Recalling that moment, Mamani emphasised to the players, "Press high, don't trust the opponent. The best opponent for us is the opponent we beat, no other." The players followed the instructions to the letter, Ian too. Barely 10 minutes into the match and Mamani saw a golden opportunity "Left, right, tunnel and pass." He repeated mentally as he dribbled past the opposing defence, making the sequence just as he imagined it, feeding a pass to Gabriel Sayritupac, who was ready on the edge of the box to finish and score the first goal of the tie. "Let's be that intense, no matter the opponent," Mamani said.

An attitude of a man on a mission of vindication... His penalty miss in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup did not make him truncated, but strengthened him for the future; his aim was to avenge that situation and show improvement on the pitch, to demonstrate hierarchy and why he is one of the best midfielders in football today. He, in combination with Paolo Manco managed to consolidate the 2-0 lead right at the end of the first half, enough to make him feel satisfied, which Aginsogno noticed and said "This is just the beginning. Work harder and feel satisfied until the end of the road, having achieved your stated goal... No to mediocrity!"

Ian also remembered motivational phrases from his parents, just before he decided to go to the talent trials for the national team. "Your limits are in your mind. They are dynamic, as you explore more, you change your horizons; as you learn, your horizons broaden. Explore and learn, seek to innovate and don't be afraid to dare to do things that others wouldn't. There is no such thing as failure, only learning. There is no such thing as failure, only learning."

Dealing under pressure is something he knows how to do, something he has learned during his time with the national team. It is clear that a penalty miss, even if it happened in a key instance, would not demotivate him, but rather set him on a new horizon, a new way of playing "Failure doesn't exist, only learning." He repeated to himself mentally. Ready for the second half, he decides to go out with his spirits high, ready to show that he has re-emerged, that he has changed the way he plays.

How has this change in Ian's game come about? He has gone from being a simple organiser of the game, who decided to be slow and cautious, to trying to be someone more daring, who uses his mental speed to exploit spaces and give better balls to his team-mates, or to himself, as the rhythm of the game, which he seeks to impose, dictates in his mind. After the 4-1 win against Libesia, it was time to visit the city of Aragón, in Langenia, in front of a spectacular crowd at the Diego Talamán stadium. Ian knew it would be an interesting opportunity to showcase his changes, what he didn't imagine was that it would be more difficult than he initially thought. Despite an early goal from Bryan Tello, provided by Ian's through ball, he sensed that Langenia would be insistent and irreverent over the course of the game, equalising quickly through Óscar Galindo.

At half time, he felt it was time to show his new side, being more aggressive and determined to play for the team, using his skills. At the 51st minute he saw a golden opportunity, Orlando Mina gave him the ball in front of the midfield, at a moment when Huayramarca decided to put pressure on, Ian Mamani decided to face the rival defence, taking off one, two, three, four opponents to position himself at the edge of the box, Eduardo Arnal decided to go out to stop Ian, he decided to push the ball with all simplicity to the right edge to score the 2-1. "It's time to make my potential a reality. I can't keep limiting myself." He said to himself as he was embraced by his teammates.

Langesia would equalise almost immediately, but, again, Aginsogno's words echoed "The path of the successful or the mediocre depends on how daring you are to make things go your way. Mamani mentally said to himself, "I'll take the baton." Continuing with incisive passes, but finding no takers because of Langenia's tight defence, there was an interesting opportunity in the 75th minute. Bryan Tello was fouled on the edge of the box, Mamani took the ball and asked to take the free kick.

"I usually opt for power, but it's getting a bit predictable... I must try something new, something more elegant and satisfying for me and beneficial for the team." He said, as he looked for the ball valve, that being the area where he would look to kick. It is known among footballers that kicking at the valve gives power and a curious effect to the ball, the famous knuckleball that great players like Simeone Di Bradini, Laborious Hawk, among others. Mamani had practised the technique, but didn't feel confident enough to do it. "If I don't decide now, I may never do it. I have to kick it." He took three steps back, taking a deep breath, "To the valve, with power and with class to place it." He made a sprint, kicked and the shot made a very curious curve, given that it was a dead ball, Arnal stood there making the photo of the goal something Mamani will keep for the rest of his life. "This is the new Ian Mamani," he said as he kissed his right fist and raised it in the air.

At the end of the match, which Huayramarca won 3-2, he approached Aginsogno to say, "You were right about what you said about success and mediocrity back in Iqaluit. I learned it late, but I'm using it." Aginsogno replies "And it showed, you're putting it into practice and I like it. It's never too late, Ian, it never will be."

by **Cardenao** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 9:56 am

World Cup Return? World Cup Victory!!

For the first time in three World Cup’s the Cardenaoan team actually showed up and gave some effort and the result? A shock victory over the multiverse’s #42 team, Valentine Z. It was a very entertaining and open game as both teams wanted to seize this opportunity to start the 97th World Cup on the right foot and the ninety minutes were full of attacking display. Things started on a less than ideal note for la Furia Azule as they looked pretty nervous and not at all secure in their touches in the opening minutes and it didn’t take long for the Kittens to get their claws out.

Fifth minute of the game and the Valentians were dominating our boys in Blue and Gold, just passing us off the park, maintaining a tight and efficient defensive press, and getting a couple early shots on target…to say it wasn’t great would be understating things, and then the game got even worse when 240.8cm tall Holly Annemiek Gerrieke Van De Hoogte, yes you read that right 240.8cm tall, simply stood tall and headed the ball in from a Iraj Alexander Soroosh Homayoun Hashempour cross. To be honest, if my striker was 240.8cm tall, I would do the exact same thing, literally just hoof the ball at their big tall head and I reckon he’d break the MegaPower League scoring record by matchday 10. Anyhow, getting scored on in that fashion, that quickly in the opening game of the qualification campaign might have actually been the best thing to happen to #TeamNao as it slapped them in the face and woke them from their stupor and just like that, we saw the team start playing to the level of quality you would expect from them. In the seventh minute Telmo Andrade did brilliantly to win the ball in midfield before pinging a beautiful cross field pass right onto Dimitri Micalizo’s path. The 28 year old right winger took it perfectly in stride and progressed the ball up the field, before crossing it on the ground into the center, where it missed Chímo Ventura’s outstretched foot. A promising sign, two minutes later Hartiz Larrainzar let off a thunderous effort that smacked off the crossbar……La Furia Azule was knocking on the door and, in the 16th minute, they got over the threshold.

The Blue and Golds first goal of the 97th World Cup got its start from Telmo Andrade once again winning the ball in midfield before setting up the attacking play, this time with a short pass to the tricky Ricky Delafont, who turned and shot up the field. The man wearing the #21 for La Furia Azule showed great footwork as he shuffled past a pair of challenges before hitting a pass towards Haritz Larrainzar with the outside of his boot. Haritz Larrainzar, what an absolute legend of Cardenaoan football. I don’t even know how many caps or goals or assists he has, but I do know the team wouldn’t be what it is without him, and I do know he has been absolutely ridiculously good in the Tikariot Premier League, scoring 126 goals and assisting 110 more in 278 games for Port Rhovanyon FC. Incredible. Anyhow, Haritz neatly collected the pass from Delafont before, after taking a quick sweeping glance at the pitch and players in front of him, neatly chipping the ball up and over the defensive line for Chímo to collect, take a touch to set the shot up, and fire off an absolute belter of a shot past the keepers diving arms into the goal. Team Cardenao was on the board and starting to cook. Needless to say, Stadi Nacional went absolutely crazy at the goal, the city of New Cardonia went absolutely mental yelling and cheering in the streets, the entire country of Cardenao went crazy with passion. Finally, after three shit World Cups, this Cardenaoan team looked different.

And then Valentine Z scored again, literally less than a minute after Chímo’s equalizer…those party poopers. It all happened so fast I didn’t even see the goal get scored but I have it on good authority that the ball did indeed cross the goal-line so you can’t argue with that. Importantly though, this didn’t impact the Cardenaoan player’s mentality, once again it seemed like getting scored on actually rallied them to pull their play to a higher level. The team kept passing, kept the ball moving up the field, and we got to see manager Francisco Martini Marley’s tactical formation take shape as the fullbacks pushed up high and wide in possession, the defensive midfielder stepped into a double pivot in central midfield while one of the CMs, in this case Ricky Delafont, stepped forward to act as a more attacking midfielder. In attack, the wingers seemed to have a good deal of flexibility as they either stayed wide by the touchline or drifted narrowly or even dropped deep to receive the ball depending on the situation, while Chímo Ventura typically stayed high and central to lead the line, though he did frequently drop deep to get involved in build-up action and it was through one of these deep drops that the equalizing goal came from.

The clock had just hit the 37th minute and both teams were struggling to find a way past each other. The defensive lines were standing strong and the midfielders were battling to try and find an advantage. Recognizing the tactical mismatch, Francisco Martini Marley had Chímo play like a false nine for a couple minutes, really coming down into the midfield to help overload it and open up attacking play…and so he did. 37th minute, Chímo dropped deep to collect a pass from Ricky Delafont and plays a one-touch pass to Hartiz before attempting to turn and run toward the Val Z goal before getting pulled down 28 yards away from the net. Kinda looked like a dive from Chímo but hey, we’ll look past that! Considering the angle of the deadball and the ambient humidity, it was only natural that the left footed Moustir-Yves Almeny be the one to take the freekick.

He lined it up, he started his run…Moustir hits the ball and……GOALLLLL!!!!! IN OFF THE POST, WHAT A SHOT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT CARDENAO NEEDS RIGHT NOW! 2-2.

Nothing of note happened in the remaining time before or during halftime, so it was on to the second half.

#TeamNao really came into their own during these 45 minutes: smooth attacking movement, seamless transitions between defense and offense, a patient and probing passing game, it was everything you’d hope to see from the Blue and Golds. And we scored too, that’s the best thing to see from the Blue and Golds, we scored twice! Right from the kickoff, it was clear the Blue and Golds were going to take the action to the Kittens, but the go ahead goal continued to elude them. As the 65th minute rolled around, Francisco Martini Marley made his first three substitutions. Juanma Saez came in for Chímo, ChuChu Hernandez took the field for Haritz Larrainzar, and Drake Cooper got on for Dimitri Micalizo on right wing. Smart subs, solid subs, you love to see it, and you love to see how they banged on just about immediately. ChuChu is a classic Cardenaoan midfielder, short, quick, good dribbler and an eye for the pass, he fit right into the unit without a problem. Juanma is Juanma, enough said and Drake Cooper? Well having a tall, rangy winger with good dribbling and knack for finding the back of the net? Yeah that’s good stuff right there. Indeed, it was a pair of substitutes connecting for the third, go-ahead goal for Team Cardenao, when Drake Cooper went on a mazy run down the right flank before pulling back a cross that fell perfectly to Ricky Delafont to smash home on the half-volley, 3-2 Cardenao and the party was in full swing. Abel Ruiz came on for Telmo Andrade while Anoito Vigaray, centerback prospect extraordinaire, came on for Humberto Agramunt a few minutes later.

The final goal of the game came in the 81st minute after a prolonged period of Cardenaoan possession. Patiently probing the Valentine Z defense, our boys in Blue and Gold showed good patience to recycle possession and wait for the inevitable break down. Sure enough it came in the 85th minute when one of the Kittens midfielders slipped and fell to the ground, which destroyed their defensive shape and allowed Ricky D to slip a well timed through ball past the defense for Juanma to collect, size up his shooting percentages, and neatly tuck the ball away in the side net to secure the victory for Cardenao and extend his record as the national team’s highest ever scorer.

4-2. Cardenao won 4-2 against a very sound opponent in the form of Valentine Z. After a decade of painful results, of teams not really caring or even bothering to show up to some qualification matches, it feels bang on to get this result.

La Furia Azule, my love, onwards and upwards forever!

by **Saint Eleanor** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 10:00 am

This is where I'll put the schedule, once my lazy, time-stressed ass comes up with it.

Group of Six meeting (XXIII) --- SAINT ELEANOR 1-0 Loch Dearg
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Bridget Coombe [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Tim Hart [ballot]
Location: The Red Cross pub; North Seville district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

A strong group DESERVES a strong start AND WE GOT ONE!!! We kept Loch Dearg UNDERWATER for most of the first half, controlled the play, disrupted them AND THOROUGHLY PISSED THEM OFF TOO, WHICH ISN'T SOMETHING WE DO EVERY GAME. I obviously can't say we were the absolute best team in the world that day - we had a few of our own chances and most of them were swatted away. I think even Rick imagined he wasn't going to score the winning goal, either, but it took such a big deflection from Liam O'Bannon the debutant defender (although they're all debutants, in a sense) that he JUST HAD TO give the man credit. Any other chances of note? No, but that's the rub of the team.

We've already won the first game but HOW CAN WE DOUBLE OUR MONEY IN JUST OVER DOUBLE THE TIME?
Stephen: "You can't, have you seen how much Exandra's making"
Cathy: "My dad's a realtor, we've already had the dream houses talk in one of Reniira's note takings"
Tim: "First things first do you speak the Edsmontikese language because I can't"
Everyone, except the pegasus: "Ermmmmmmm no what are you talking about"
Bridget: "Oh that metro map is huge, if only Saint Eleanor were so big... but we'll see"
Tim: "No Bridget that's not the part of the roster you're meant to be looking at, save it for the post-match"
GB: "Anyway I trust all of you have played in 25,000-seaters or smaller so the stadium shouldn't be a problem"
Stephen: "What's this I'm reading about Vlak Jervy, you have to mark him Cathy, don't want him scoring against us"
Cathy: "Sure thing, I'm banking on him getting close enough. Stuero and Grek..."
Bridget: "Ghreks Bevvy"
Cathy: "Those other two guys are my priorities, they're further up the pitch so more issues for me"
GB: "Definitely Stuero, he's the main man, don't listen to Stephen he's suffering from opposition mind games at this time"
Me: "I think we all read the roster. Conveniently those three players are their biggest threats so if we just replace Lawson with Curran"
Bridget: "Tempting! Suppose Exandra and Angelica are exciting enough players that we won't have any issues attacking from the right"
Tim: "I have an archive roster, this is what happens to you when you go to the Poly. But their most important defender is six foot two, same as Esther"
Bridget: "That hasn't stopped teams from just fielding their normal strikers against her, maybe we should just field our normal striker against them"
Me: "Hands up who thinks Esther is better than mister Ivikt" Everybody's hands go up "Right then you bastards, does anyone object to Rick starting"
Tim: "I do"
Cathy: "Do you want to start"
GB: "Please can we stop? There's exactly one striker in the team who hasn't played and I think it would be good if we got her out there"
Bridget: "Olympia!"
GB: "That she is. She's also fun and very consistent in all regards, so an obvious win"
Stephen: "A tactical win or an actual win"
Me: "You're supposed to provide the tactical wins. Well we all are, really"
Bridget: "It is ironic that we haven't talked about the midfield yet"
Stephen: "We did, Curran and Northend on the wings. And you have job security"
Bridget: "Apparently! I'm 35 years old now, which would be baby-making time normally. But then I've hardly had a normal life"
Tim: "We should settle with Wunderbar and Steve, no need to drop a nuke on a farmyard"
Me: "Right, like nuclear siloes don't exist"
Bridget: "A world without nukes, please? Please? Maybe in my hypothetical grandchildren's lifetime should they make it"
GB: "Off-topic. Anyway, I read the roster and they're calling all of the stadiums City Home Stadium, should we remove NLA branding from the NLA before they play us away and rename it the Saint Eleanor Ho-"
Stephen: "No, that would just concentrate their minds"
Bridget: "I think defeating them would concentrate their minds further and more deservedly, I'm not much of a peacocker though"
Cathy: "Don't be silly, we're playing at Edsmontik Home Stadium, anyone who calls it any other name is a time-traveller from Brazilico"
Tim: "Is it Esteban De Jesus, I hope it is maybe I'd learn how to start games that way"
GB: "You will not be starting this game. You are however the first choice substitute if Olympia needs to come off"

RIDING THE SUBWAY TO SUCCESS
PLAY NORMAL, ACT NORMAL, THINK NORMAL
RACHEL WILL BE PROVIDING WIDE SUPPORT GIVEN THE RIGHT-WING THREAT
OLYMPIA TO DEBUT BUT AS SHE'S SHORTER BE SENSIBLE
THE BIG THREAT IS WIDE, AGAIN, SO LOOK OUT FOR THAT
THIS MATCH WILL BE BETTER THAN THE LAST MATCH - IT HAS TO!

4-2-3-1:
____________ ARIELLE ___________
CATHY - LYDIA - ESTHER - EXANDRA
_____ BRIDGET - WUNDERBAR _____
___ RACHEL - STEVE - ANGELICA __
____________ OLYMPIA ___________

Please blame Reniira Clevinger for this mess, I won't be too happy if you don't

THIS INTERVIEW WAS BROUGHT TO YOU BY SESB SPORT, SINCE POSTIMAGES.ORG IS NOT HAPPY WITH ME RIGHT NOW. SORRY

Lily Emmerson: "I think being on the national team makes me more average"
Chief Football Correspondent Jamie Rodgers tries to make sure nobody loses their head, or their shirt, on his day out with one of the new players
Originally published on Wednesday 19th January 2011

LIly Emmerson had accrued a reputation for a few things before she got her start with the national team a few weeks ago. Some point to her heroics for Occidental Olympic more generally, even if they are nowhere near Coombeian; others to her personal qualities as a player. And others still to the aggression she can show on occasions. "You think I'm being shouty. Really, I'm not. Please try and think about it."

It does suffice to say that Emmerson was not the hardest thinker at Oaktree Community School. "I was possibly the single most average student ever to have attended the school. I don't recall getting a single excellent grade or a single failure in however many years I was there. The original gameplan was that I'd be working in some sort of café after school if football didn't happen. I think being on the national team makes me more average, not less - I'm surprised at how much relatable this lot are; they seem more like my friends from school, of which I tried to have a few, than your average national team. I suppose James [Miller] or Halezera [meXalorana] would be the closest friends I've had. He's good, relaxed, a bit like a few of the other lads on the team - especially my fellow subs. She's a bit shouty, definitely has a few more interests than I have, but I think they both appreciate the fact I'm there to shut down their bullshit if it ever appears." She took 2003's Oaktree team in the Charles Trump Shield all the way to the semifinals, but in turn, she takes that in her stride: "I scored in the quarterfinal against Parkside, which was sweet pre-revenge, also in the first round against little New Bayside, helped out here and there, but there were really no star names in that squad, definitely no egos - I don't think anybody complained about me, for starters. You should have been playing for them!"

What three other matches would Emmerson say have influenced her career the most? "About five years ago now - definitely five - we were playing Hiyashi Celestia in a midseason away game. Obviously, Honda and Goldsmith were doing their things and they'd gone 2-0 up in a short span of time, which probably reminded you of what happened last year against Huayramarca. The difference then was that - well, I was starting, George [Dunbar] was starting the transition from Sam Short and he wanted me to deliver on the pitch pretty sharp-ish. So there I go; the first shot I take loops over a bit, I decide against a second one because Dekky's there [Dekamela weMexala], and the third chance I get is a free kick which I should never have aimed at the top corner, but somehow did. The entire Celestia team then decided to heave with all their might, then so did the entire Olympic team, I was mostly feeling left out after that, I feel as though I should have had another chance, then I got subbed off with ten minutes to go and then they find the winner so quickly. The thing that really gets me is if we won, they would have finished the season out of the IFCF! Luckily for them, they lost their first game."

2007 was to bring another happy memory for Emmerson, even though they looked doomed to just missing out on the 18th Challengers' Cup group stages after losing 2-1 at home to RGS Athletic. "If RGS Athletic offer you a good contract, I'd say you should accept it - they're one of those clubs you just can't turn down. This was a good RGS, but I wouldn't say their best, and they almost pummelled us that day. This wasn't a tactical triumph at all, given I was barely twenty-and-a-bit, but more something of personal development; my time for coming up against the bastards had run out, now it was time for me to get out there and bamboozle them. That was some excellent advice. I don't think I actually got either of the goal involvements, but I was on the ball, wearing out my marker, and shoving it to people far more ably placed than I could have been. I've read a couple of articles in the papers suggesting that my intervention delivered the team from the dungeons. I'm not sure, but I think I did amazingly given what I was up against, we got past the groups, so this goes into my personal hall of fame."

Her final nomination is "made on behalf of Keith Bartlett, that dastardly bastard" - the 6-3 home win over Golden Unicorn late into the 2009 season. "We've had the chatty clash and the brainy clash; this was the real clash, or at least the one that sticks to me. Rather inexplicably, the Unicorn were contending for a first title since I was a toddler with a few games to go. Bartlett was my marker; he was a boring player who didn't have oodles going for him, but I'm not sure I expected him to just stick it to me from the start. Obviously, the sensible course of action was to make his life hell; there was the running past and the skipping and the odd trickery, of course, but we got into enough tussles to almost make me want to give up on my husband. I got booked. He got booked, for starters, since he brought me down horribly - then in the closing stages he almost felt like my personal stalker. The referee had had it with twenty minutes to go when he barged me over during a corner, sent him off, killed any hope they had of getting themselves back into the game, and let me get two assists in because 80% of the people there were feeling so kind. And, of course, they dropped out of the IFCF places as well. Which was funny more than it was annoying, if you know where I've been standing for the entire interview!"

There's a decent Olympic contingent in this cycle's squad, with Emmerson being joined by three Westerners. "Steve and Rachel don't really mind me. David does get a bit irritated sometimes, but I never go after anyone other than the opponent, or the ball. I've only spent a few days with the rest of this lot but the vast majority of them seem to get it." She doesn't find it strange that Olympic are about as well-represented now as they were in the golden days of Coombe and Pilchard more than a decade ago, though: "Don't be ridiculous, both of them have still got it. Bridget in particular has been my confidant in these early stages - she's taken so much of my bullshit and handled it so well that I don't think she's even scratched the surface of her counselling abilities. She tries to feel my pain without trying to fell everything else I feel, which is great. If I had to nominate someone who's never been with the club infrastructure at all, Katy Wilson would have to be it;" Does Naresmet taFrexala's recent pronouncement weigh much on her? "I'm probably about as annoying as I'm good. But never shouty, as I said, although it can feel like it."

For all that's been said about the warning signs surrounding Lily Emmerson, she has done well to follow the example of many of her fellow Eleanorians in keeping that a strictly off-pitch affair. She is a relatable, self-confident and sociable figure off the stage - and even as a player, even beyond that, she is simply dripping with the kinds of quality that many of her kind would ache to enjoy. How much is there not to like?

Group of Six meeting (XXIV) --- Edsmontik 1-4 SAINT ELEANOR
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Bridget Coombe [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Angelica Northend [ballot]
Location: National Liberation Club; Oaktree district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

In Angie's rather wonderful opinion... haha

Positives: We went on the attack when we could - Olympia scored on her debut which I'm sure pleased her immensely, everybody was positive, the mistakes that were made weren't dreadful, and everybody generally had a wonderful time.
Negatives: They pushed us a bit too hard in the end and managed to drag a goal back - I fear it could have been even more had our left kept on slacking

I'm not sure how much I'd change for the New Fernia game. Gentle Breeze's scouting found nothing remarkable about them whatsoever, although she did at least get the names of their players, which doesn't happen every day given the variable quality you get in this sport. It was agreed by consensus to recycle the lineup and tactics from yesterday's match - they do apparently like to attack out wide and it would make sense to have an enforcer like Rachel over there, just in case.

by **The 14 Stars** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 10:37 am

New era's part 2

As the qualifiers got underway so got the candidate declaration period for the association president election and it was soon pretty clear that there were three prominent people trying for this position.
All of them each having their own history and ability but the players, clubs, sponsor and all other parties at the end would decide who actually deserved the position with the players vote weighing more then the clubs and sponsors, this is to prevent corporate interests taking over the association like in the past happened and caused the collapse of the first league and old association before Blade's reforms.

Maximillian Flare

First and most prominent candidate is Maximillian Flare, he is the former ace striker and national hero of the retired NTer generation before the current players who went to various international tournaments and played IFCF.
He was taught as a player by Marcus Blade and many in his days compared him to Blade as the next insane striker and he delivered very well with dozens of goals alot of matches played and a career lasting longer then almost anyone else he used to play with.
Only Kira Blade, Nicolay Moon and Alan White lasted longer then him, after his retirement as a player he started working for Phoenix as a scout and helped young players who had problems that the club couldn't solve on its own, Flare helped many young players reach their full potential including current youngsters such as Paula Nunez, and Valeria Medina who both struggled with mental issues earlier.

Maximillian Flare never wanted a career as a coach he never had that ambition however this job to oversee the league and the development of national football he says does fit him better as he can do something back for all players that way.
His plan to develop the league in a powerful name and establish the existing clubs strongly in the IFCF aswell as allowing extra clubs to enter the league and develop a further expanded league structure to professionalize the national level of footballing.
Further he aims to keep the U21 league running and enter them into international competitions by next year when they can show actual results to the board and use this too develop the youth programs at all clubs, development begins at young age according to him.
Flare with an age of 49 years old now is the ideal age a balance between experience and youth being younger then Blade with new insights but also having the experience at the highest level there is for Starsian players.

Klaus Meyer

Klaus Meyer a 47 year old and often referred to in his time as a player as ''the problem child'' and ''the rogue one'' due to his very ultra agressive playing style and his habit to cause alot of problems for himself and his own team.
He earned the most red cards and yellow cards of any player being a real hot head and easily offended in his youth, however over the years under the tutoring of the late Adrian Broskov he matured and became able to control himself more and more.
He earned his starter spot in the latter part of his career and was known as hard worker but still a risky player a bit of a joker card but his abilities weren't lying which was also why many people wanted to help him, he really was a great player physically strong and capable of putting the game in the bag when it was a rough match.
When he matured this developed even better and as he retired he started to take on a mentorship role, he started a program to train problematic youth who also just like him had talent but couldn't control themselves, he really helped alot of players already and became a calmer but still strict and demanding personality.

Most notable player he had under his guidance was current NT player Petra Rafaelov who was a player earning many cards in her younger days because she was simply too tough and too rough for many refs liking and Klaus saw that.
He saw her talent but it was rough talent, he helped her with good advice and trained with her often and while she already was a successful player she learned alot from him and became a more calculated player only using her rough plays when really needed.
She supports Klaus in this run for association president and his plans also among others are focusing Cascade's development program more on players like Rafaelov and develop the league with more teams professional and semi professional while also focusing on fair play promotion.

Julio Reyes

Everyone has been begging for this man to step up and he at last has announced he will, Julio Reyes is a former Phoenix/Red Matador player and he was a decent starter but never a man that had the talent to rise the ranks high enough.
However he is the current U18 national team coach and he has achieved the first actual top 3 placing of a Starsian team which is something unheard of and he created an insanely strong youth team out of talented individuals together.
This led to many people screaming for his name to be on the voting ballot, at first he really did not want to but he eventually gave in and now he is here trying to become the most important person in the Starsian footballing world.
Julio Reyes is the youngest candidate of all his age (44) years old and he has the least experience not coaching many club teams and mostly known as the U18 teams coach and spiritual leader able to really motivate and unite people making him a decent fit for the position.

His plans are more investment in youth, more youth facilities more clubs to bring more youth up the ranks and an expansion of the U21 league in the near future with new teams aswell as implementing financial support for talents with no funds.
Hes a very popular candidate under younger rookie players and especially U18 players hes representing the future of the country but against two established former players aswell his victory is very unlikely.

Current predictions

Maximillian Flare 42%
Klaus Meyer 31%
Julio Reyes 27%

Current predictions see an advantage for Maximillian Flare due to status, experience and general support under players and also clubs and sponsors where Klaus Meyer has only sponsor and club support and Julio Reyes relies on player support, it is expected that Julio Reyes could rise on the ranks still but its expected the other two candidates remain stable.

Matchday

So today its there, we finally kick off with a home game against the United States of Nova Calania a nation we never player against before but they are ranked very much higher then us so we expect a tough game.
Our experienced players are lined up, Kira Blade going for her what might be her last chance to reach the tournament proper as a player and its a dream of her to take her team there and to really put them on the world stage.
Players around her are all younger and newer but also among them old friends and people she made friends with even the new young players are very friendly and kind to the veterans, this team seems like it can be strong on a good day, Keira Walcott also really wants this as her work in Sylestone was not as impressive as her work here and if she could achieve a qualification her home nation might recognize her.
Coach Walcott really wanted to be recognized by her home country as a good coach but in order to do so she must qualify showing them this team of young players was capable of competing with the best of the world.

As Nova Calania kicked off the first game got under way the team of Nova Calania was really strong and they certainly did not give anything away which made it really hard in the first minutes to see if there were any gaps.
Only new starter in Walcott's formation was Freja Olsen who after good seasons with Pontmeosont in Auprussia was favored over Jade Williams who had been having a less good season and just didn't seem to have it on the moments it was needed.
the first half was pretty boring as Nova Calania had more possesion and the Starsians were forced to defend with Federico Zaratti coordinating the defenders with Maddie Saturn having a tough time with her direct opponent despite her own skill.
A few times they got close but Emily Davis as a top class goalkeeper who just got her 2nd championship in krytenia easily tapped those shots away or caught them straight in the hands as if it was just another day at the office for this goalkeeper.
In a counter offensive in the later part of the first half Kira Blade gave a deep pass on kai Schulz who had an insanely good chance but totally bottled it as he shot too late allowing the goalkeeper the block the shot and make it a corner.
This corner was taking and Freja Olsen was there with the headers like always having Joy Sol fill her gap in the defense and it nearly went in if the goalkeeper didnt punch it out towards one of their own defenders ending the attack and the first half.

During halftime the Starsian team had stern talks, the rookies just sat and listened to the older players talking until Keira Walcott did find it enough and took the word from Kira and Federico who were leading those talks.

Walcott: ''Alright enough, we cant do anything about but if we do wanna win this we will have to step it up a bit and i am gonna make changes to make this happen and im gonna take a risk here but i think if it works we're winning this game.
Schulz ur off, im replacing you with Lauritzen, Kira and Elizabeth i want you two to send him the ball if possible and Joy cover his back i want a team effort to help him through his debut match because all of you know how tough those are.
I believe hes currently the player that can break this match open but hes gonna need help, so lets go out and win that match together!''

Team: ''Yes coach!''

In the second half the 18 year old striker Lukas Lauritzen would in an insane turn off events make his debut, he was still shocked by the trust coach Walcott had in him but he was determined to make it count and he knew that they would help him.
Kira looked at him giving him a nod as Joy Sol gave him a thumbs up too, those players all would go through the fire for eachother even if they couldn't match the skill of an opponent and that also was the power of this team.
The Wolves kicked off in a roaring stadium as the pace of the game became faster and the Starsian team got more possesion as they still needed to get the upper hand but they were not only defending anymore and it would go crazier, in the 64th minute a corner was given to Nova Calania and Emily Davis caught it as Lauritzen was already at the mid circle to the shock of every Nova Calania defender as Davis kicked high.
Lauritzens ran forward and the ball landed perfectly in front of him just like Davis had calculated, he was too far ahead for the defenders to catch as he approached the Nova Calania goalkeepr using a roulette turn to get past the goalie as he easily tapped the ball in the back of the net silencing the entire stadium for a moment.
Then an insane roaring crowd started cheering and the announcer shouted that it was a goal and shouted his name through the stadium as the crowd started chanting his name as he high fived his teammates and celebrated his goal together with them, he was scoring on his debut where the other rookies were watching from the bench impressed with his preformance at such a young age like themselves.

After this goal the Wolves started going on the defense but by defense i mean serious defense as Elizabeth Phillips was subbed off in favor of Beatrice Fiore a CM as they switched to a 4-4-2 formation with Kira and Lauritzen as the two strikers, this made it hard and as planned too hard for the Nova Calanians to break through as they werent up to mid match system switching.
With the remaining less then half an hour played the Starsian team took home a very surprising victory with one goal over Nova Calania starting off their world cup campaign very strongly and going to Qusmo with all confidence.

Matchday 2

Not many days later the Starsians were taking on Qusmo another strong team and coming off a really good game against Nova Calania the mood here in the Starsian camp was pretty good players mixing well and having fun together.
Kira and Kimora exchanged tips on football where the defense coach talked with Gideon Nightwalker about his experiences in Abahnfleft bbeing curious about the football but especially the fleftic defensive game they applied there.
It was the morning before the match to beside some very light exercise to loosen muscles and some stretching not much was done as they prepared themselves for another tough match that could become very important in the longer run, if the Starsians really intended to bring a challenge to the World Cup qualification then this match had to be won for sure.
Teams like Chromatika and Baggieland would be even more challenging and most likely clinch the top spots unless they had major screw ups but the Starsians did not like to rely on that they wanted to reach things on their own efforts.

As they arrived at the stadium they could already hear the crowd, they knew Qusmo's national team was a team of veterans years of experience being present there and they knew what they were gonna do.
Our Wolves compared to them were a very young squad but also a mix of experience and youth but overall on the younger side because the Starsians believed that a team of younger players combined with an experienced core always worked wonders, in the line up the youngest player on the field for our team was Lina Hansen with her age being (23) years old only breaking through last campionato Esportiva where she was a substitute at first but worked her way up to become a starter and now is the first choice on her position beating out Ozan Karazhan who was the main player on this position for many years and was now directed to the bench.

Many Starsians had traveled to Qusmo to see their team go up against a higher ranked team, after kick-off the team went down a goal early on despite Emily Davis trying her best she couldn't prevent this one from going in.
Usually any team our rank would have a downward motivation but the Wolves were ready, Kira Blade rallied her players motivated them with a short speech about not giving up, not losing hope and telling them that they were gonna pull through, in this half later the Starsians prevented another goal thanks to a great save from Emily Davis and the counter was coming.
Quick passing between Federico Zaratti, Layla Raharinaivo and Joy Sol opened up the defensive lines and Kira Blade saw the opening and ran forward as Sol gave a curved pass that ended up right in front of Blade as she moved passed defenders left and right as the goalkeeper comes out of the goal but then Kira puts it over his head and back into the net.
An easy goal for Kira Blade but certainly an important goal a great goal as she celebrated it with Zaratti, Raharinaivo and Sol her old buddies of the current team as she others joined in later aswell.

Kira's optimism would be short tough, later as she attempted to put us another goal up this time a defender with an ugly sliding tackle hit Kira on the side of her foot injuring her, this CB defender of the Qusmo team was shown a yellow card for the foul, in many opinions too light of a punishment but it was better then nothing for such a horrible tackle.
Right now it is expected she may or may not miss the coming two matchdays but it depends completely on her recovery, right now in this game the 17 year old Kimora Frazier was subbed on to everyone's surprise as the teenager nervous as she was stepped on the field as Kira gave her a pat on the shoulders and nodded friendly reassuring Kimora that it will be alright.
And it did certainly go alright because Frazier 3 minutes after being subbed on scored an insane screamer of a goal in the top corner making the crowd go wild even the opposing crowd looked stunned as she bagged the goal as easily as a veteran running circles around those old defenders and backed up by veteran Raharinaivo on the midfield she could take risks.
Right before half time another goal by Frazier did put the Starsians in an even bigger lead as Kimora easily blitzed through the defense as if it was nothing showing her individual class with amazing skill left and right.

Half time was there no subs were made but the second half started horribly as the Qusmo team quickly equalized thanks to substitutes and renewed efforts of other players, this really slammed our motivation for a while, until Lina Hansen after a deflected free kick just took her chances and shot and surprised the goalkeeper so much it allowed her to score, it was so sudden Lina herself even was shocked not understanding what just happened but she was very happy for sure as she put us back in the lead.
In the 87th minute a late goal seemed to seal our fate a draw was near but due to Kira's injury and another number of small fouls and injuries here and there and total of 5 minutes of extra time were added, and with 2 of them down suddenly Kimora Frazier escaped her opponent allowing Layla Raharinaivo to give a long curved pass similar to the one Joy Sol gave to Kira earlier over the defense and Kimora on her own went past 5 defenders and put the ball hard and low into the wide corner scoring a goal very very late in the game.
All of the stadium was silent, everyone for a moment just did not understand what and why it happened but then an ear deafening roar of the Starsian fans erupted as the screamed her name a 17 year old had destroyed a higher ranked team on her own scoring a hattrick as she stood there in disbelief crying as the referee blown their whistle for the end a crying Kimora Frazier was the hero of the evening, those were tears of happiness ofcourse and Kira Blade was the first to tell she did amazing and give her a big hug.
Kira had been her mentor since the last U18 world cup and to her? Kira was an amazing friend and everyone would long talk about what happened here as photo's of a crying Kimora Frazier would be the headlines of next day's newspaper.

by **Pasarga** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 10:40 am

Matchdays 3/4 Cutoff for Groups 9-17

by **Sangti and the Filindo Isles** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 11:01 am

OOC Note: I grabbed QMB's flag from the Miraheze NSSports Wiki, will check with user if this is still the current flag.

Sangti and the Filindo Isles 1–0 The Grearish Union
World Cup 97 Qualifying - Nuevo Estadio Nacional, Nuevo San Marco, Sangti and the Filindo Isles
SFI Scorers: Aletta Abigail Reano (71')
SFI Lineup: Federick Roncal, Serio Irorita, Jiorjohn Pico ▼ (▲ Analyn Joyce Berin 61'), Arshed Basque, Julie Ashley Limpiado, Cherlotte Penafiel, Renze Coligado ▼ (▲ Erika Madlangsakit 73'), Rutchel Cerdeno, Owen Makalintal, Tomio Sulangi ▼ (▲ Rowel Rizaldy Mercurio 76'), Aletta Abigail Reano

Quakmybush 0–2 Sangti and the Filindo Isles
World Cup 97 Qualifying - Quakmybush
SFI Scorers: Renze Coligado (10'), Aletta Abigail Reano (63')
SFI Lineup: Federick Roncal, Serio Irorita, Jiorjohn Pico, Nur-Ranji Escuyos ▼ (▲ Katrina Charlaine Pernia 52'), Julie Ashley Limpiado, Cherlotte Penafiel ▼ (▲ Mary Virginia Fonder 77'), Renze Coligado, Rutchel Cerdeno, Jomark Sampang ▼ (▲ Owen Makalintal 85'), Tomio Sulangi, Aletta Abigail Reano

Vicenzo could not believe what he is seeing after the final whistle blew at Quakmybush, as the Agilang Dilaw managed to win their first two matches in their qualifying campaign.

He actually had no expectations other than to perform competitively against the multverse's best football teams, as SFI had just returned into the international stage, and with the results from the pre-qualifying friendlies that they played not giving him any hope, the returns from the first two matches gives him hope that his squad will put up a great fight if they want to make the World Cup finals in their first attempt. It is a hard feat to achieve given the rarity of the occurences, such as Drawkland when they qualified to the World Cup 78 in their first attempt. Then he recalled that one of the constituent nations, the nation then known as Filindostan, nearly achieved this feat in the next edition, only faltering in the frontstretch and never managing to qualify for the World Cup finals.

He started to make his preparations for the next qualifying window which will see SFI host the Tapirs of United States of Nova Calania, then a trip to Rushmore to face Qusmo. Frain contemplated to insert at least one of the U21 stalwarts he had in the roster as they had the experience of facing Nova Calania, although on a junior level, but the senior side is a different squad from the one they faced in the Di Bradini Cup, so at least he had to put all of them in the substitutes bench similar to what he did in the trip to Quakmybush. Mary Virginia Fonder made a cameo appearance for 17 or so minutes as a second-half substitute, so she might be one of the starters this time around? But the midfield he has in his disposal is playing very well, and he cannot disrupt the rhythm the three have by putting one of them in the bench.

Maybe JJ Boire perhaps? He has recently moved clubs from Saint-Amour to Marulas, to potentially link-up with Tomio Sulangi up front, but with the centre-forward spot cemented by the latter, he cannot push his golden boy out of the starting lineup. He finally decided to keep the starters for the crucial match against the Tapirs, and evaluate his lineup that will visit Qusmo, one of the fixtures where the all-black kit will be used due to kit clashes. "There might be some islanders who are familiar with the Fuzpon Qusma's playstyle... wait, should I contact Hoswe?"

Mister Hoswe, a humanoid android robot who previously worked with the Filindostan National Team, may have some stories that can help Vicenzo in formulating the tactics against their matchday 4 opponents. However, he is not responding to any attempt from the national team manager to communicate. "Maybe he's on maintenance right now. I can't ask any other islander as they have no recollection on their tactics. Might have to watch any available footage instead."

He just hopes his preparations in this window will propel SFI to competitiveness. He had two routes of progression - start with how Filindostan started their World Cup 79 campaign, winning their first four matches, but never managed to qualify for the World Cup finals, or... start with how Sangti started their World Cup 65 campaign, a mixed bag of wins, draws, and losses, but eventually made three World Cup finals in the 68th, 69th, and 71st editions...

"No, I want it my way... start like what the Filindos did... but eventually succeed like how the Sangtians or Barangayans did!"

Lineup - Sangti and the Filindo Isles vs United States of Nova Calania (4-2-1-3)
Roncal (GK); Irorita, Pico, Basque, Limpiado; Penafiel, Coligado; Cerdeno; Makalintal, Sulangi, Reano
Subs (9) - Labawig (GK), Syquiatco, Pernia, Berin, Fonder, Mercurio, Daleon, Sampang, Boire

Lineup - Qusmo vs Sangti and the Filindo Isles (4-2-1-3)
Roncal (GK); Irorita, Pico, Escuyos, Limpiado; M. Madlangsakit, E. Madlangsakit; Boire; Makalintal, Sulangi, Reano
Subs (9) - Labawig (GK), Basque, Pernia, Berin, Penafiel, Coligado, Daleon, Cerdeno, Mercurio

by **Kirungabi** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 11:20 am

← PREV — Gatabazi Goals Galore: Kirungabi Football Stars Storm to Historic Qualification

Third Time's The Charm: Abihayimana On Kirungabi Qualification Bid

IMISOZI — Thousands of Kirungan football fans gathered in the colossal Stade Inganji on Tuesday to welcome the Kirungan National Football team's first World Cup Qualifiers victory since beating Poafmersia 1-0 at home last year, with the same scoreline leaning in their favor against the Timlandian Federation. After budgetary issues stifled Kiruganbi's early, steady progress in international football newfound economic stability, and a regrouped, youthful, and Barebare-led squad, have rekindled hopes of a historic run to World Cup Finals in the first expanded 48-team World Cup. For former Barebare refugee, and legendary Garçons du Port star, August Abihayimana, who joins head coach and historic coaching partner Cyril Kamembe, the Kirungan National Football team's chances of qualifying are stronger than ever.

"We feel very confident this year, if I'm honest," Abihayimana admitted. "As you know, we have come off the back of an excellent Copa Rushmori campaign, where we made it as far as the Octofinals for the first time ever, in a tournament in which we have historically struggled before. The regional level in Rushmore is very high, and it has always served as a trial by fire for us to see where we stand against some of the sport's biggest players, like Eura and Yuezhou, who we're facing again in these qualifiers. So, to have had such a solid run really makes us think that making Finals, especially in this expanded Cup, is a real possibility."

Kirungabi's World Cup 97 squad is virtually unchanged from the team drafted between FEKIFUT federation and the Kirungabi Itangira Guhera Sporting Commission, with only Quebecois-Kirungan-Huayramarcan superstar Didier Garnacho Siboyintore relegated to the bench in favor of 17-year-old Ville Amahoro native Mukamwezi Mukwege. The decision, while controversial at first among the sporting press, is one that Abihayimana stands by earnestly. "Amahoro United is the youngest club in Kirungabi, and it's only reasonable seeing as Ville Amahoro city itself was only founded in 2006. But the fact that we can have Mukamwezi [Mukwege] in our starting XI is a sheer testament to two things: to the level of our midfield, with legends like Umuku [Nzafashwanimana] and Chitundu Sindikubwabo sharing the pitch with young, budding debutants; and to the dedication of First Lady Musabyimana Uburiganya's selfless dedication to the Kirungabi Itangira Guhera development program. It's thanks to her efforts, and those of the Kirungabi Development Front at large, that the story of us Barebare has gone from one of tragedy to one of rebirth. Today, Amahoro United is the local club from which we have the most players on the team: the care the team and the program have for their young stars is incredible."

The Kirungan National Football Team's next matchdays will pitch the squad against giants Yuezhou, away, and minnows The Fortem in the Abongereza Olympic Arena. "I'm very excited," Abihayimana admitted through a grin. "A little bit that we are playing Yuezhou, and a lot more that the next match will be in Abongereza. For Barebare, the city feels like our spiritual home, and the passion for the sport on the streets is something really special."

5 dead, 7 missing as Ferry Capsizes in Lake Uruforo — NEXT →

by **Patriotlandia** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 11:24 am

The first leg of qualification did not go to plan. Jean Alexandre was reviewing game footage on the flight home. The AeroLandia flight from Conflans to Blackbay is usually pretty full but the manager had lucked out with an empty seat next to his. A small comfort after letting in seven goals in two games. The highlights, if you can call them that, could have been made into a vaudeville show. Offsides, failed clearances, walking back into position and unnecessary fouls were all common place. Sure there were some actual highlights. Glenn Wils potted a rebound after a long range strike from Manahan and Fortinello came off the bench to give the team a second chance against Ostfalen und Hinterpommoren of the Ko-orenite Constellation before ultimately falling short. The break wasn't a long one until the next leg so there would be significant changes that would need to happen in order to have a chance at qualification. The room for mistakes was small to begin with but with the two losses to start, it was now inexistant.

Not too dwell too long on results he couldn't change, Jean Alexandre closed his laptop and look around the mid-sized narrow-body aircraft and saw that most occupants were glued to the in-flight entertainment system. He was usually an flight map kind of guy but maybe a distraction could make the flight home go by faster. While browsing the menus he remembered the simpler times where the flight entertainment used to be the safety instructions and the two movies on offer. Now, you could watch any cable station, hundreds of movies, anything. He settled on watching a group 8 game, with Adab and United Hawkland facing off. He did however catch it just before halftime and soon got bombarded with car ads, gambling sites and men's "enhancement" products. Not one who usually paid attention to them, he did remark that one of the cars had a nice color, but thought nothing of it. Soon the captain was making his decent into the airport and Jean Alexandre would be on his last stretch home.

Walking to his old car, he couldn't shake the memory of the ad. It was a while since he had car shopped and the station wagon would be a nice upgrade over his rusty compact sedan. At the present however, his job security wasn't at an all time high and making a big decision like that would have to wait for another day.

by **Valanora** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 11:44 am

Imre Haaland, the newest person to step up to the spotlight of being the premier striker in the Empire, touted as the next best thing to rival that of Lothas Ludwig and then some if the hype machine around the player was to be believed. What is remarkable is that all through his time as a professional footballer is that Imre has never played into that hype or acted as if he was better than any of his peers, he has been a model professional according to all the coaches that have coached him from academy level through to Stein-los Turkish where currently plays, coming off a SuperLiga winning season with the Pasargan club. The talent is there for all to see, even if it not exactly the sort of beautiful football that many within the Empire would prefer to see, a showcase of technical skill that simply overpowers the opposition and forces them into submission. While Imre is not lacking in that sort of technical skill, the fact that he has a poacher's instincts to know exactly where to be to get the goals and is a bit more physical than what we are accustomed to seeing from the leading attackers from the Marauders has had a certain part of the fanbase doubting him and perhaps underappreciating the player he is.

When Haaland graduated from Juavi FC's academy and into the reserve team, he was instantly promoted to train with the senior squad and received a call up to the Under 21 national team to represent the Empire at the Di Bradini Cup. The coaches at Juavi knew that they had a star on their hands but they also knew that the was not going to stay a Red forever, even though he passed up more lucrative offers from the bigger teams in the Premiership when he finally did sign his first professional deal with Juavi. The staff there knew that the club as a whole did not have the resources to build a team that was capable of competing for the sort of heights that the striker was going to be capable of, yet for four seasons he stuck it out with Juavi and even managed to get them to qualify for a Challengers Cup despite the lack of quality around him. Yet when the team was relegated from the top flight, both he and the club knew that he was destined to leave in the following transfer window and Juavi could hardly turn down an offer that matched their evaluation for the player and he was pleased to get the chances to move to a historic, prestigious club in a well respected league.

That the striker landed in Pasarga and then set their league alight as if a hot knife through butter caught the attention of the senior team staff, who had been monitoring his progress with the youth national team but still thought he was a few years of development away from being a serious contender for the national team. Yet leading Turkish to a SuperLiga title while blitzing through their defenses to the Golden Boot in one of the top ten leagues in the world definitely sent a message and he subsequently made it to the pool, where he was used in rotation. Being behind players like Hadi Lundström and Klara Holmberg, he was content to merely be among the pool. It was a huge accomplishment that came with no small amount of pride for the young striker to have been deemed worthy of making the team at all, much less seeing some minutes on the field when he was being brought on. Even better was getting the advice and mentoring from players like Barrientos, Hawk, and of course Lothas Ludwig himself who had accepted a more reduced role with the national team as his pace began to leave him, showing Imre that even the best players humbled themselves for what was best for the Marauders.

Yet another breakout season with Turkish, once more leading the Stein-los club to the SuperLiga title as well being far and away the golden boot winner only cemented that it was time to give the role of the tip of the spear to Imre, he had earned it with play at both the club and national level. With Ludwig and Lundström retiring from the international game, the former retiring from football altogether, he fit the role of a sole striker better than Holmberg did despite her perhaps being the more technically gifted player. A hattrick in the first game, a five to three game against Megistos that was never really in doubt but would raise some mild concerns about the continued fragility of defense. Another goal in the team's first away trip, a bit more convincing win against The Godlands, and it would be safe to say that Imre has done his part to have the Marauders on course early. It does not really matter to Haaland who the opponent is, being it the number two ranked side or the two hundredth, he will give his best effort much in the same way Hawk is known to do. This bodes well for him and the squad as the backloaded schedule, which begins in earnest with a trip to TJUN-ia in the second game of the next international window, will need that sort of focus and determination to see the side through and above the challenges that this group has to offer.

by **Juvencus** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 11:56 am

Il Scudelliano is under new management, one that presents the news about la squadra as it should instead of being a third party newspaper that supports the team only when it wants, and will remain that way until further notice

SQUADRA ON STEADY PACE TO WIN THE RACE: THRASHING OF POAFMERSIA FOLLOWING CUTTHROAT PERFORMANCE AGAINST DOUBEIA

The trend of rapid rotational changes by Gaetan seems to be the recipe for handling a team full of stars and upcoming talent. Though proper, it may give the team a hard time against lower-ranked teams that know how to fight back. The match at Stadio Electrico proved to be just that, a close contest out of which we saw a counter-offensive Doubeia trying to take advantadge of any and all gaps in the Juven backline but to no avail. La squadra decided to play lots of long-balls, as Conte and Viejo were supplying Gasol and Vicario through the majority of the first half when orchistrating the attacks. Vicario came close to scoring with a long-range effort hitting the crossbar. While, Faustino Audiol was an inch away from scoring a magnificent goal, only to be saved by Leonova on the last second.

The second half of the game was easily the most dramatic of the game but not because for the reasons the reader may believe. The engines of both teams stopped working for the most part after the 65th minute, resorting to a possession-based gameplay as both teams struggled to find gaps to take advantadge of. The crosses of the first half became more calculated as Garcia entered the pitch to take the majority of those to promote any sort of play. The drama itself comes from a harsh Agnelli challenge onto Marin in the 82nd minute. The tackle resulted onto a shove by Kuzenkova-Domínguez onto Agnelli and a general fuss being created right outside the Juven box, all culminating in Miloradova accidentally punching Callejon to the nose. The initial decision would result in a red card, which Callejon himself appealed before stepping outside. Agnelli would get the last laugh however, as in the dying minutes of the game, a Vicario cross would find her head to give Juvencus its much needed 3-pointer.

Poafmersia was another deal. While traditionally, a rival from the Indies that tends to give Juvencus a hard time, this Poafmersia side felt different. Or at least it was made to look different, with lots of unknown names in the squad amongst the familiar faces. While the first 20 minutes were close and the scoreline was 2-2, courtesy of a Campana first-half brace, the rest of the game was not so close. Namely, a Bevilacqua solo effort would see him get past 3 Poafmersian defenders before nailing the ball on the tom left side of the net with his right foot would give la squadra the lead by half-time. His celebration pointing towards his ears to led to an echo of boos from the home crowd which only got louder as the game progressed.

An abundance of crosses and through-balls and an intensive gameplay, reminiscent of a tiki taka has been describing the team's gameplay from its recent friendlies all the way to the match against Poafmersia. A Chimo Quaranta cross would perfectly locate Luizinho, with the latter cutting it inside to majestically increase the lead 4 goals to 2. The dominance of la squadra gave them a different aura than the one we are used to be observing it with, all this brute force suddenly changing to a beautiful game that is really difficult to defeat. Acquati's long range missile would penetrate whatever gap there was between the Poafmersian keeper's hands to make it 2-5, while Vitale Cino's first international goal would come from a direct free kick towards the end of the game.

For Juvencus, this is one of the most brilliant qualifiers wins in a long while, as La Squadra solidify themselves as a favorite to top the group early on. This energy of revitilisation after the Independents Cup run has given the team a breath of fresh air as they are more rested and have more competition. Gaetan himself has praised the newfound energy of the players, attributing it to his own coaching methods. Specifically "When the majority of the talent play in our country, with or against each other, instead of relying almost exclusively on players honing their craft on foreign soil, you create conditions upon which teamwork can be built more easily and the players themselves can be rested without much trouble. Seasons can take a toll on the body of a player already as a non-international and for internationals, they bear double the fatigue managing to play for both club and country day in, day out. As for our tactics, we have to move on from the usual and stop being read by everyone else around us, we are bringing something new and making sure the Independents Cup final loss was bad luck."

Hosting Sargossa next, while facing Srednjaci away are the two next big tests the team will have to endure in order to maintain its dominance and finish the group stages on top.

by **Mytanija** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 2:07 pm

BEEPEE 2-3 MYTANIJA

BEE: 6’, 78’

MYT: Kovačec 22’, 46’; Gicić 63’

MYT: 1 Vasilevski; 2. Jesenko, 14. Mioković–Čiča, 15. Sulejmanović (c), 16. Klanac (sub. Lusamba 79’); 18. Frantsaliiski (sub. Papež 79’), 7. Vdovichenko (sub. Stojadinović–Srpkinja 70’), 19. Gicić (sub. Šaranja 79’); 20. Stanoev; 21. Prokopljević (sub. Papić–Papratović 70’), 22. Kovačec

MYTANIJA 2-2 KELSSEK

MYT: Ovsyannikov 15’, Issoumou 63’

KSK: Goh-Lemaire 77’, 79’

MYT: 1. Vasilevski; 13. Beganović, 3. Mbala–Ekakia (c), 4. Vlahovljaković (sub. Sulejmanović 64’), 5. Lusamba; 17. Stojadinović–Srpkinja; 6. Papež (sub. Frantsaliiski 81’), 8. Šaranja (sub. Gicić 81’); 10. Ovsyannikov (sub. Vdovichenko 81’); 9. Issoumou (sub. Stanoev 81’), 11. Goran Papić–Papratović

“Hi Ermin,” Nevenka Planinc started following Mytanija’s thrilling 2-2 draw with the group’s top-ranked team, Kelssek. For 76 minutes everything had gone to plan. Mytanija had harnessed the home advantage at Težia’s Novi Atletskistadion, they got in the faces of the Kelssekian players as Ermin Držić’s gameplan to press and pin their opponents to one side of the pitch to win the ball back as high up as possible worked incredibly well. Then, in the 77th minute, everything unravelled as a familiar face – 1923 Esca’s Zoé Goh-Lemaire – stole in behind the Mytanar backline to pull one back. Barely two minutes later and she had poked home the equaliser. The 4th ranked nation in the sport demonstrated why they’re that highly ranked when the chips were down. “What do you make of that performance and result? It all went so well for so long, there must be a sense of disappointment amongst the players?”

“Yeah...” Držić took in a deep breath, puffing his cheeks out slightly before beginning to speak. “It’s a tough one to take. We played brilliantly, I have no issues with the vast majority of our performance, the team carried out exactly what we wanted from them. As always, at the very highest level this sport comes down to moments and how you deal with those moments. We did excellent work to dominate the bulk of the match, the press was spot on, the players really forced Kelssek to alter the way that they played and that’s testament to their efforts. I’m sure if you ask them then they’ll tell you how uncomfortable that was for them. Then, we switched off in a couple of key moments, Goh-Lemaire was able to get onto that cross when we thought it was rolling away and then she got the second, which was just a great piece of play. It all comes down to decision making and we just got it slightly wrong and that meant we come away with one point rather than three.”

“Bigger Mbala-Ekakia was disappointed with the defence for not reacting to the cross for Goh-Lemaire’s first, what do you think went wrong there specifically?” Nevenka asked.

“Well, we could have cleared it!” Držić laughs slightly. “That would have been the best way of solving the problem. It’s easily done, though, I think Adnan and Nnamdi both thought the ball was rolling away, but Goh-Lemaire is so clever – we know her well from her time in Mytanija – and she never stopped playing and got rewarded for that. It was actually a good finish from a tight angle too. It’s a goal we’d usually want to prevent, but Kelssek are such strong opposition, and their players will do this to so many teams. When you’re ahead like we were it’s disappointing, but we’ve come away with a point and the players will learn from this.”

“Hi Ermin, Teodosije Pešić, Gazeta Mytanija.” Came the second reporter, Ermin nodded in his direction. “What was the reasoning behind waiting so long into the game for the final four substitutions? Irfan came off for Adnan just after the hour mark, but it wasn’t until after we had conceded the second that you decided to utilise your other four substitutions?”

“Yeah, usually I like to be quite proactive with my substitutions. We’re very conscious of allowing players to expend their energy fully before coming off, so sometimes we try to make the substitutions earlier in the match to get the most out of those coming off. We knew against Kelssek that our approach would be pretty specialised, so we wanted to see how it worked and then we were going to react based on that. In the end we were very happy with how the team were doing, so we didn’t want to unsettle anything with too many changes. Irfan came off with a knock, but we might not have made that change otherwise.” Ermin explained, the expression etched across his face betraying the clear disappointment he was feeling.

“Do you feel that the substitutions should have been made earlier now?” Teodosije Pešić pushed.

“Perhaps we could have tried to make the changes immediately after Kelssek got one back, that might have been the best way to disrupt their momentum...” Držić sighed, resigned to the result. “But we didn’t. After they got the equaliser we wanted to make the changes to ensure that we didn’t concede another and thankfully we managed to see things out comfortably. I think Kelssek were happy with the result in the end which says a lot about how we played for most of the match. The substitutions might have come a little bit too late, but we don’t want to disrupt our players when things are going well against such strong opposition either. It’s a tough balancing act sometimes.”

“Mejrema Milićević, Pčela.” The conveyor belt of questions rolled on. “Ermin, you must be pleased with the team’s position in the group after four matches despite this match ending in a draw? Four games undefeated, level with Hapilopper on ten points at the top of the group, four points clear of the next nearest teams. It could have been three points tonight but in the grand scheme of things you must be pleased?”

“Hi Mejrema,” Ermin offered a smile. He was thankful that there was a recognition that the team had done well so far. Sometimes the Mytanar media could view things rather differently. “Yeah, we’re definitely pleased with how things have progressed so far. We know that we’ve got some work to do defensively, we definitely want to tighten things up at that end of the pitch. However, we’re scoring goals against all kinds of opposition and we’re performing well to get good results. I think the disappointment at letting this game slip, from a 2-0 lead, is evidence of the progress we have made in such a short space of time. We’re disappointed in not coming away with a win over a nation ranked fourth in the world. Given how the last qualification run ended that’s evidence of some really good progress, we competed with one of the very strongest opponents, outmatched them for the majority of the match and then a couple of poor decisions let us down. We’re going to iron those out. I’m pleased with where we are, but there’s a long way to go, twelve more matches for everybody to reach their peak and we know that Indusse, Ile de Richelieu and Kelssek all will get there and that we both need to get points on the board now and have to be ready for when they do reach that level.”

by **Vdara** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 2:08 pm

We Have A Dream

The rousing dressing room speech - if you could call it that - from Markos seemed to have inspired real confidence in the players, as Vdara ran out as easy victors with goals from Kyprianou, Le Brun, and La Rosa hoisted them over the line for a strong opening day victory. This marks Vdara's best opening day start since World Cup 86, where they ran out as 5-2 winners over Grand Quebecois. Quite why it took another eight cycles of opening days (of course, excluding the editions lost/not participated in due to the beaning) to win an opening day match by a three-goal margin is a mystery in itself - not that it matters. What does matter is that the vibes surrounding the campaign seemed to have been validated by the performance, especially when you take into account the fact that the goals were being scored by players from all over the pitch - Sophia Kyprianou, an attacker. Grazzja Le Brun, a defender. Alessia La Rosa, a midfielder. Evidently, this Vdara side weren't heavily relying on one being, whether a man, a woman, or a computer, for all of their creative play and output. When this sort of scoring distribution is visible, you can really get a feel for the team.

sexy sexy markos celebrates sexy sexy win

Another interesting statistic is that Vdara have never lost their second group stage game after winning the first one. Whether it has something to do with either good luck or good vibes, I'm not sure - but it's handy to take note of.

not so sexy markos doesn’t celebrate not so sexy draw

"Have yous ever played Football Manager? Y'know, that stupid wee computer game where you watch little dots run around the screen while you try your best to make them string two passes together in some gegenpress bullshit system? Windows, you're a computer, I'm almost certain you've run millions of simulations on that game. Anyway, what happened out there was a prime example of being Football Manager'd. We had the lion's share of possession and shots, and yet we could barely get fuck all past them. Seems to be a total miracle that we got one in the end, but agh. Shit happens. Their goal was a thundercunt of a shot anyway, so it's not as if we can complain. Just one of those games, innit. We don't play them again for a good while anyway, so hopefully we scud them back at home. Anyway! Anyway, anyway, anyway. That's all in the past. It's a quick turnaround for our next few games, so I expect yous all to buck up your ideas and get your arses in gear - they're coming thick and fast. First up, Aleirave. You'll probably recognise them since they're in Anaia, but we've never played them. You'll all be glad to know that they're a much more attacking team than us, so you'll have opportunities to play through them, maybe a couple of chances to break away and hit them on the counter. Nevertheless, you still always have to be wary against sides like these, since they won't let up and they'll punish you even if you slip up just once at the back. After that, it's Acastanha, who most of you will recognise - not for being in Anaia, because they're not - but because we played them just two cycles ago. We weren't anything special against them, just one win and one loss, but times have changed. I'm hoping, and I'll emphasise HOPING, that we can really stretch our legs against these guys, but we absolutely cannot take anything for granted. I just want to see some good, strong, attacking football with some solid passing to make the fans in the stands happy. When they're happy, we're happy, and vice versa. Simples. I'm not a psychologist, but if yous don't feel the hairs on the end of your neck standing up when they're up there singing for you, you simply aren't human. Sorry, Windows."

A solitary beep came from Windows XP, the footballer with a computer for a head. It wasn't his fault that he wasn't human! When a mummy computer and a daddy compu- sorry, I'll get back to Markos.

"But you guys get the picture. Good shit happens when shit goes good. Maybe you'll find a euro on the pavement when you're jogging along to your favourite song. On the other hand, maybe you'll step in dug shite when you're in a raging mood and it's pishing with rain. Just the way the cookie crumbles. Yous make sure and keep your heads up, and I'll do the same. That sound good?”

The players nodded in unison. They knew that most of what Markos spluttered out was a load of nonsense, but the man could make you believe that the sky was green and the grass blue, so they’d do anything for him nonetheless. Whether that would help them through their next few games, time would only tell.

by **Tero al Disco** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 2:51 pm

OOC: Tikariot match summary was confirmed with Tik.

DAMUKUNI 0-2 TERO AL DISCO
Lineup (5-2-3): A. Castillo | I. Kunz, D. Cuevas, M. Kuchler, F. Grosso, L. Clotieri | N. Giovanni, E. Hirsch | A. Cornelli, J.J. Leonardi, A. Biaggi
Goals: A. Cornelli 21', J.J. Leonardi 38'
Subs: D. Cuevas and I. Kunz -> G. Durand and J. Miranda 61' | N. Giovanni -> M. Napoliello 73' | E. Hirsch and J.J. Leonardi -> H. Beaufort and J. Leguizamón 83'
Cards: D. Cuevas 9'
Venue: Damukuni
Summary: a solid 2-goal win for the Teros against Damukuni to kick off their 2nd ever WCQ campaign. Although at the end of the day it seemed like everything was OK for Tero al Disco as they left Esportiva, at first they survived a scare when, in the 9th minute, Domingo Cuevas made a handball very close to getting inside the area, so much so that a VAR check was required. Eventually it was concluded that it had been outside the area, but Cuevas ended up booked anyway, with a dangerous free kick that had gone nowhere. The Terense defense was shocked, and that allowed the Damukunian attack to exploit that, but to no avail. Still hanging on to a bit of the momentum left, Damukuni were caught offguard after Esteban Hirsch punted it up the pitch towards Alexander Cornelli, as Cornelli later found himself alone with the goalkeeper, Miranda Muir. At that moment the left-winger unleashed a powerful strike from 15 metres that went inside.

Now the gist of the match had been violently turned around, with the Teros now controlling the match and the Damukunians appearing almost shell-shocked. However, MaryBeth Jonas's side seemed to put the problem under control. That was until the 38th minute, where Hirsch made a low cross which would connect with JJ Leonardi and get in the back of the net off a first-time shot, with Leonardi having scored his 9th ever goal for the Terense NT. Jonas could manage to shut the first half down, so as to try and restart in the second 45 minutes. Despite that, both teams' chances would dry out, with the forwards being lackluster for both sides going to a 2-0 win for the Teros.

TERO AL DISCO 1-3 TIKARIOT
Lineup (5-2-3): A. Castillo | I. Kunz, D. Cuevas, M. Kuchler, F. Grosso, L. Clotieri | M. Napoliello, E. Hirsch | A. Cornelli, J.J. Leonardi, A. Biaggi
Goals: J. Leguizamón 72'
Subs: D. Cuevas and M. Napoliello -> C. Riese and N. Giovanni HT' | A. Biaggi -> J. Leguizamón 59' | E. Hirsch and F. Grosso -> H. Lucero and L. Figueredo 74'
Cards: I. Kunz 31', M. Kuchler 44', A. Cornelli 83'
Venue: Estadio de la República, Tero al Disco
Summary: With the starting eleven having had zero changes made facing Tikariot, manager Alfredo Félix and the people of Tero al Disco at large hoped that the Teros' first home game in WCQ 97 would be...at least tough for them, facing a higher-ranked country like Tikariot, but definitely not like the disastrous first half that it turned out to be; the first 45 minutes ended in a 3-0 lead for the Snowy Owls, with Tikariot dominating for nearly the entirety of it all. However, going into the second half, Félix and co. believed that this wasn't it for the side. The team took a while to start up for the second half, but when they did some minutes in the first half, the Owls could put that to rest, and it wouldn't seem like they'd have a chance to draw. Biaggi would get subbed off for Joaquín Leguizamón, and although Joaquín did struggle to start up himself, in the 72nd minute he got one back after a solo run. Now the feeling that this could get turned around was back again, but the Terenses were seemingly to caught up in the enthusiasm, breaking the Tikariotian lines but missing many key chances. In the end it would be Tikariot who'd take the game home by 3-1, and an early bucket of cold water for Terense fans, who are left wondering if their Teros are going to get hit with the second-season (in this case WCQ cycle) syndrome, in the first World Cup with 48 teams.

STORY OF MY LIFE - PART 2: CRISTIAN RIESE

Cristian Riese, 35 years old, b. 1991 in Jaramillo, Marquira.

After Facundo Grosso's part, we now move from the average city of Moncloa, to Jaramillo (Cristian Riese's hometown), which inside of the Tero al Disco capital conurbation scene is a point of contention as to whether it's its own city, or it's part of the capital...

If you don't want to get bored to death by me explaining the dynamics of Tero al Disco's provinces and Greater Tero al Disco City, do skip this paragraph, maybe the next one as well.
If you do, let me explain: Jaramillo is formally located in the province of Marquira, one of the two "conurbation provinces" of Tero al Disco, with the other one being Parsuha, to its north. The two provinces were formed some 30 years ago from now, when it was decided that the Metropolitan Province would be split in two: Parsuha, at the north, and Marquira, at the south. Both of the fledgling provinces were also given a bit of new farmland territory, just so you could say "well they're not just the suburbs of the capital now aren't they". Now, Jaramillo sits directly next to where the capital starts, and the Jaramillo vibe is definitely like one of the capital's financial districts, with several important Terense companies having their headquarters there. That, along with many residents of the capital treating it as "just one more neighbourhood" and not its own city, make many people think that Jaramillo is simply an extension of the capital, although many Jaramillenses do insist that it's its own city.

This takes us to the suburbs...of the suburbs, of the suburban...city. Continuing with the last paragraph, driving between each of the suburban cities, there is always a blurry line between where does one end and where does the other one start. That really makes you think "well let's say they're all part of the same...amalgamation", although telling this to any person living in the greater GTADC (Greater Tero al Disco Capital) will only end in you getting told to shut up, that whoever you're talking to is from [suburban city], and that they're not a smelly Capitalino, which they're absolutely right on.

Bleh...

This takes us to the gravel streets of suburban Jaramillo, where Riese was born...both ways. For one, his house was located on one of said streets, and he lived there until he was about 19, and his football career was starting to get fleshed out. Jaramillo is an easy commute to anywhere inside the greater capital area. On the other side, unlike Grosso and like most of the older players in this squad, he knew the ropes in the street. From a young age he had gotten a reputation as a very tough defender, who stopped at nothing to intercept the ball and to not let the team score. Because he played street football, a smaller area than a regular-sized football pitch, he also developed exceptional dribbling skills, as well as technique and agility, letting him get out of being pressed quite easily. Being a center-back in Tero al Disco falls inside two categories: the "2", the sweeper; and the "5", who wasn't a sweeper, instead mostly being ball-playing defenders whose function was to get the ball forwards to the midfield or the forward line, as well as doing regular center-backy stuff. Riese's skillset definitely belonged to that of a sweeper, but instead he also liked taking his chances at playing in a more attacking role. However his positioning, he would later end up being looked upon by the best clubs in the country.

When Riese was 14 years old, Norteño's academy would offer his original club, Vecinal de Jaramillo, to sign Cristian for the price of 20 footballs and 8 buckets of paint, seeing as Vecinal needed to renovate their facilities urgently. Regardless of buckets of paint needed, Riese accepted the prestige of eventually debuting in a club like Norteño inmediately. However, him being a bit hyperactive, troublesome, and always looking for cheeky solutions for everything didn't catch on with the Azzurro youth coaches (although that skillset would've definitely landed him a place in any Terense club), and the problems that he had with them meant that he left the academy at 16, and tried his luck in the lower tiers of Terense football, joining San Cipriano. Back in 2007/08, when the club were in the second division, the Nacional B, he would debut almost inmediately and make his name known to the followers of the Terense lower leagues, as someone who could fit both as a "2" and as a "5" (now he plays mostly as a 2), and as right-back, which is an entirely different thing.

With an 18-year-old Riese now, San Cipriano still couldn't achieve much. Their attack was very flawed, and the results reflected that in them not being able to climb that much up the table, being stuck for a long time in the mid-table of the Nacional B. In 2008 they recorded their best finish in years, after finishing 4th and then losing out a tiebreaker for a chance to play in the promotion playoff. Riese would form a great partnership with San Cipriano's other CB, Samuel Romeo (who would later fade into obscurity), and Sanci's defense would be great, but again, their forward setup was lackluster. In the first division, though, as Terense people say, the ball was being rolled around about Cristian, and how a tough and versatile defender he could be.

That's how, when he was 19, Tacurú signed him. La Menta Granizada were past their golden days (in which they won 4 out of their 5 league titles in 10 years), and they wanted to get up-and-coming players that made them return into the title challenge. They had even brought back their old manager from the glory days, Federico Alzogaray. Many people had warned that one of their best managers coming back would never work, but although Alzogaray's side started up slow, finishing sixth by season 2010, Riese's first one with Tacurú, in season 2011 they made a fantastic final sprint, winning their last 9 games, as they forced a tiebreaker for the league title in which they would face off against Gimnasia y Bala. At this time Riese more or less got accustomed to playing in a first division atmosphere, as at 20 years old Alzogaray had already put him as an important piece in defense.

Riese would stay in Tacurú until the year 2014, in which Nacional Terense signed him. It would be the start of over a decade's worth of title drought, something that plagues the club to this day. With the retirement of long-time captain and fellow center-back Andrés Dworak after the 2013 title win for Nacional, their defense was almost in shambles, which meant that in midseason it was decided to give it a whole new look, with Riese coming on accompanied by right-back Justino Tacuara (now retired) from Sportivo Escobar. With 23 years old, he definitely helped them stay in composure, but it didn't prove to be a title-winning backline.

In 2017 he was loaned off to Norteño, with the possibility of Ñeño signing him permanently. After events straight out of a telenovela, the youth coach at Norteño whom Riese had the most problems with, Cristian Rivero, was hired by Sportivo Escobar to be their manager. It seems that Riese definitely had problems with Rivero, as when Norteño played Sportivo Escobar, Riese tried to go as hard as possible on el Albiceleste. Was it because Cristian is inmature? Was there some sort of secret trouble going on between the two? Who knows. Although Norteño would follow on the "being able to sign permanently" clause, Riese would depart again in the year 2018, going on to return to Nacional Terense on a free after breaking his contract with Ñeño.

In the seven years that followed, Nacional...still haven't won a title yet. They have had mostly disappointing performances, generally ending up between third and seventh. Riese has generally settled down to be one of their key defenders, although he himself hasn't achieved much either, even though it's "not much" in 7 years.

Approaching retirement now, he's treated representing Tero al Disco and playing against international opposition to be more refreshing for him, than well, his dream coming true (this will be a point I'm going to repeat a lot: no one had the dream of representing Tero al Disco in international play because that concept didn't exist until some years ago). He's "accompanied", as he says, the younger lads to Tikariot in the Baptism of Fire where they won the gold medal, through all the other regions in the World Cup Qualifiers where they ended up with an impressive performance, through Tumbra for the 4th place in the Baptism of Fire. He's had 25 caps, one of the highest tallies for players representing Tero al Disco, no goals scored, but he thinks of this more as a relaxing experience. Very high pressure, very high stakes, but in his interviews he says he decides to brush it off.

Projected squad (4-2-3-1 - the players numbered 1-11 would be the preferred starting 11)
Roster for reference

by **The Martian Independent Republic** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 3:18 pm

The Ko-orenite Constellation 2 - 0 The Martian Independent Republic
Kamran 29’
Nasirian 45’+1

Sylestone 1 - 0 The Martian Independent Republic
Eastwood 82'

”Incompetent” - Martian offense an absolute disaster to start off the tournament
published 15:50 AT, football.chasm.mir

After two straight losses to start the tournament, serious questions are being asked to Potsiri Russell as the Spiders failed to get even a single shot on goal over the first two games.

Against Sylestone, a loss was expected, as they're a top-10 team multiverse-wide. Even not having a shot on goal would be fine - they're internationally known for playing with one of the most defensive styles in all of football. It was still an accomplishment, at least to the Spiders, that they held the Sentients scoreless for over 80 minutes, before Rebecca Eastwood finally broke through.

Shahrbanoren, on the other hand, (one of the constituents of The Ko-orenian Constellation) was a total disaster. For about 15 minutes, near the end of the first half, the Martian squad played like a bunch of children. Right at the start of that period, in the 29th minute, it was Kamran, getting past the defense and knocking one past Enwye, and Shahrbanoren doubled their lead in stoppage time with a header from Nasirian. The Spiders couldn't make any offensive efforts in the second half, and then it was all over - the spiders were at the bottom of the group.

Up next: a game against unranked Aquitayne where the Spiders very badly need a win, and then a very important bye where the team can readjust their strategy.

ISideWith UK · by **Eastfield Lodge** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 3:22 pm

Cutoff for Groups 1-8

by **Oberour Ar Moro** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 4:47 pm

In the 76th minute, Oberour Ar Moro and Hispinias were tied at nil all. The crowd at the Parade Grounds had seen this all before, the Dragoons ready to drop points to low ranked opponents. A still serene Oberour manager John Antheaume turned to his bench and gestured to Olîer l’Avugle.

"Yeah boss?" asked l’Avugle.

"Walk with me," said the manager.

l'Avugle wasn't sure where they were going to walk with the limited space near the touchline, but he understood.

After a minute of cramped strolling Antheaume stopped and stood and watched the action on the pitch. "I want to be honest with you," he said to Olîer, his voice raised to be heard over the din. "I'm afraid. I'm afraid of this moment."

Olîer nodded.

"We're at a true bifurcation instance. Not just for this game, but for existence. Yours. Mine. Humanity."

"Yes boss," Olîer agreed. John had been his manager with Meridian, so Olîer knew what he was on about. Kind of.

"It's not perfect," continued Antheaume, presumably about the match. "But it will never be perfect. I don't know if it's going to work. You don't know if it's going to work. This isn’t for the faint of heart. But we have to embrace uncertainty. Sometimes we need to get out of alignment with the rest of the world to get back into alignment with ourselves."

John looked out across the pitch. "There's a radiance out there. Within the aether. But your sovereignty, Olîer, your sovereignty is beyond physical limits."

John looked at Olîer and slammed his closed left fist into his right palm.

"Embrace the ascension energy!"

"Yes boss."

"Tune into your intuition!"

"Yes boss."

John suddenly calmed. He looked past Olîer and nodded slightly, as though he had just made a decision. "You are the output of the hard work you do."

John clapped Olîer on the shoulder and stared into his eyes. With a firm nod, the manager turned and walked away.

Olîer walked back to the bench and leaned over to a sitting Elar Denis. "Just to be sure: I'm getting subbed on for Peire, right?"

"Oh, de Baingneus? Pretty sure you are, yeah," Elar answered with a nod.

At the next stop of play the referee held up the board indicating that #4 was coming out and #16 was coming on. As Olîer jogged onto the pitch he looked back at his manager, gesturing with his hands. "Look past the veil!" Antheaume shouted.

Six minutes later Olîer connected with an onrushing Salomon de Chaalons, who blasted the ball past the Hispinias goalkeeper for what would turn out to be the winning goal.

by **Edsmontik** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 5:48 pm

A DISASTER OF A PERFORMANCE IN TOUVE
LIVE ON ISN NOW

The qualifying group would not be easy.
After their successful 1-0 win over Hetaru, the Edsmons quickly took themselves back home, and to the Touve Sußerarenæ.
A few hours later, they'd play their second match of the day, against the 13-ranked Saint Eleanor.
Over 100 ranks set both teams apart, and the Edsmons remained unsure whether they'd make it or not.
But if the Eagles want to finish in the top half, then they have to push it.
Ibhen Mattehappan will be commentating this evening's match, live in Edsmontik.

NS WORLD CUP - QUALIFIERS MD2
TOUVE SUẞERARENÆ, TOUVE, AUSTRANKANK, EDSMONTIK
EDSMONTIK VS SAINT ELEANOR

PRE-GAME
"Whether you guys like it or not, we're playing a thirteenth-place team." Javarqa says. "And that's in world rankings."
"Our group seems so hard; I don't even know how we will survive this." Utravak states.
"The score probably will be against us, we but have to put enough effort to score minimum one." der-Zyfragken adds in.
der-Ghavyr's Eagles had just enough time to ride the SpeedTransit service from Lakeview to the Touve Sußerarenæ.
"Train took way too long, I mean, it makes sense though since train services after Airport West are cancelled due to renovations." der-Ghavyr says.
The team of 24 walked towards the entrances of the large Sußerarenæ.
Many fans waited.
In a few minutes, the gate would start accepting tickets.

KICKOFF
National anthems were sung.
Drums beat, horns blew, and flags were waved high.
"...The midfield row has Kyv Wejikaj and Maktholm Ghreksbvy out wide, followed by Ystermakt in the central midfield position. Edsmontik's attack consists of quick paced Rehcikt..."
Javarqa walked up meeting the referees and Saint Eleanor's captain, Coombe.
*flip*
Saint Eleanor begin kickoff.
Not a good sign for the Eagles, who's plan is to mainly dominate possession and end with a draw or a minor loss.
"Gud Lubreskinen." Javarqa told his teammates before slipping back into his position.
Fans waited.
Players shifted around.
"Any second now."
*TWEET!*

FIRST HALF
The Edsmons pushed to counter the second Saint Eleanor kicked off.
Rehcikt moved towards the center, and Bervaign stayed back.
The players advanced but had to fall back once the Eleanorian midfield began to build up with the attack.
For a defensive team, they were pretty strong in the attack for Edsmontik.
The Eleanorian players made quick passes, shutting off Edsmontik's interception tactic and forcing the team into a five-back position.
Woodward moves up, receiving the ball and throwing Ystermakt off guard.
But a good tackle and lob pass by Javarqa reverses the play.
Now, Stuero's up with the advantage, followed closely by Bervaign.
"A switch of play, Saint Eleanor's slightly unguarded left side has left Stuero and Ghreksbvy open!"
Quatro and Davies prepared themselves, as Stuero attempted to use his "skill moves" to throw off the opposition.
A change of pace, and Stuero is soon sprinting off past Quatro and approaching the line of center-backs.
"This could be the first shot of the game, will Edsmontik make an impression?"
But Stuero doesn't shoot, instead, he fires a fake shot, and then crosses the ball right over to an open spot.
"VLAKISH BERVAIGN!"
The ball rockets through the air, and all that's standing between the ball and the goal, is none other than goalkeeper Richardson.
*BANG!*
The ball fires off the crossbar, sending it far up into the air.
"Arghh, Skzblitxe." Bervaign mutters before backtracking towards the half-line.
Richardson takes the goal kick, sending it into the swarm of players.
Wejikaj headers it up, but the ball is captured gracefully by Quatro, who passes it forward to Woodward.
Woodward attempts to pass Ghreksbvy, who follows her every move.
Two passes later, and Saint Eleanor is right back near Edsmontik's penalty box.
der-Suiozkeafter tackles, Woodward shoots, and der-Zyfragken saves it.
Still 0-0.
The 20th minute approaches.
Edsmontik is unusually lucky as of now.
Kizani receives, and passes up to Wejikaj, who sends it farther up to Rehcikt.
Slip-ups can be fatal.
And Saint Eleanor takes the advantage as soon as Rehcikt gets a heavy touch.
Winchester lobs the ball up, where Quatro receives and passes up to Pilchard.
Ystermakt slips on the damp grass from the rain earlier that morning, and Woodward begins to rush up.
"Gjard, Gjard! Guard her, quick! Get back!" Jervanois calls.
Woodward slips right past der-Suiozkeafter, and fires a finesse into the corner.
der-Zyfragken stretches out, attempting to reach it, but the ball goes through the gap between his arms.
"GOAAAAAAL!!!! SAINT ELEANOR, 22ND MINUTE! OLYMPIA WOODWARD HAS SCORED HER FIRST GOAL!"
The Edsmons sigh and get ready to restart.
Already, the game had turned against them.
Who knew what else Saint Eleanor could do, beat them 10-0?
*TWEET!*
Bervaign to Stuero, to Greksbvy, to Bervaign, to Wejikaj, to Rehcikt,
Possession was something Edsmontik would have to hold on to.
But it wasn't easy, as interceptions came often.
Saint Eleanor held the ball in the midfield and defensive areas, passing when Stuero or Rehcikt got close.
Each player was guarded, and carefully.
Ghreksbvy, Stuero, and Jervanois quickly linked up, forming a passing sequence on the right wing.
Soon, they pressed again.
Javarqa passed up to Ghreskbvy, to lobbed it over to Rehcikt.
From there, Rehcikt charged forwards, trying to evade defenders before crossing to Bervaign.
Bervaign volleys as hard as he can, and the ball changes course, flying right at Richardson.
The ball is deflected by Launceston, and the ball is cleared back out to the center.
"Nothing is working! If we give up possession, we get pushed! If we keep it, we lose possession and get pushed!" Rehcikt shouts.
The minutes tick by, as halftime slowly approaches.
Woodward attempts another shot, but the ball soars right past the crossbar.
Following this, Javarqa calls for a 5-back formation, fixing Ystermakt into a center-back.
Edsmontik push again, with Sturo firing a strong trivela, which unfortunately was barely pushed out.
And then, the first major thing happens.
der-Suiozkeafter tackles Woodword harshly, leading to a bunch of shoving and yelling.
*TWEEET!*
Yellow card.
"It's a dive, can't you see? Ref? What're you doing?" Mavkrav der-Suiozkeafter shouts.
"Calm down, you'll get yourself a red." Javarqa says.
A freekick in a dangerous zone.
40 minutes have passed.
Coombe wastes no time and fires the kick towards the top corner.
Javarqa headers it, but the ball reaches Woodward, who takes a shot.
The shot is deflected once again, this time by Ystermakt, and the ball falls right to Pilchard.
The shot rockets, comes off the crossbar, and falls once again to Pilchard.
Javarqa rushes up, blocking Pilchard's view and attempting to tackle the ball away.
The rest of the Edsmons open up, giving space for der-Zyfragken to see.
But it's not enough, and Pilchard fires a shot that soars right around Javarqa, der-Suiozkeafter, and der-Zyfragken.
It slams the crossbar but comes down for a bouncing finish into the goal.
Two to Nil.

HALFTIME
The last few minutes went by quickly. Just 4 minutes after the goal, the Edsmons were standing around, listening to der-Ghavyr, and hoping for a comeback.
"Hope won't always help," der-Ghavyr started, practically reading their minds, "what matters is if you put your all into it. We may be 2-0 down, but we can always have the chance to level it again. Remember, this is a high-ranked team. Others aren't as lucky. Rehcikt, come off for Aespana. Ystermakt, out for Reuhans. If we want to win, we have to risk things. Go, halftime's over! Show us what you've got."

SECOND-HALF
*TWEET!*
Edsmontik starts kickoff.
Bervaign to Stuero, and the attack begins.
Stuero dribbles forward, slipping past the attack and midfield that Saint Eleanor had to offer.
He then passes to Bervaign, who slips a through ball to Aespana.
"Edsmontik might have a chance here!"
Aespana fires a finesse into the corner, but the shot hits the post and slips into the arms of Richardson.
'The post is never on our side. Only on theirs." he tells Stuero before walking back to the half-line.
Richarson kicks the ball back out into play, and it just manages to slip into Woodward's path.
Javarqa gets the defense line to apply pressure, and then the team begins pushing.
Woodward attempts to slip between Javarqa and der-Suiozkeafter, but they both block her and watch carefully.
A quick pass to her right, and now, Steve Pilchard had only Kizani and der-Zyfragken to clear.
He slipped past Kizani, avoided Javarqa, and fired a power shot into the bottom corner.
The ball hit the post, bounced off der-Zyfragken, and into the goal.
Luck was not on the Edsmon's side.
A brace for Pilchard, and the Eleanorian side was wild.
Cheers erupted, and flags were held high.
The Edsmons did their best to hold onto whatever chance they had, btu nothing was working.
The 50th minute has them 3-0 down.
A comeback would be hard to grab.
Back at the half-line, Bervaign started the game back up.
The ball went to Reuhans, who dribbled a bit before sending a pass up to Stuero.
"Maartin Stuero is on the attack now, what can he do here?"
He dribbles past Quatro, Winchester, and Vickers, but as he closes in on the center, he gets tackled in the ankle by Launceston.
*TWEET!!*
It takes a bit, but Bervaign and Ghreksbvy manage to get Stuero back on his feet.
"Wicht vas dhast fjor?" Stuero shouts at the center-back.
"Is clear yejlow!! Icht vas fjourled und der ankel!" he tells the referee.
The referee nods, and after reviewing some footage, he puts Launceston in the books.
Yellow card.
Now, Edsmontik had a chance to get one goal back.
Aespana backed away, telling his teammates that he was clearly cursed with some bad luck.
Bervaign stepped up, getting ready to kick.
Four quick steps, and he fires the shot through the warm spring air at the Sußerarenæ.
Fans stare,
Everything quiets for just those few seconds.
But...
The ball is barely saved by Richardson, going out for a corner.
Bervaign kicks the grass, wondering what's up with the team today.
Aespana picked up a fresh ball and placed it on the corner.
They had to at least score one goal.
Javarqa came to the corner along with der-Suiozkeafter.
Aespana kicked the ball.
The ball soars into the penalty box...
Javarqa headers...
"GOALLLLLL!!!!!"
*TWEEEEEEEEEEEET!*
A Yellow card for Javarqa.
"Wicht dvaed Icht do?" he shouts.
The crowd starts booing the referee, while he explains what happened.
While Ivikt Javarqa jumped to header the ball, he "accidentally" elbowed Esther Launceston right over.
But the card has been given, and the game continues with no goal for Edsmontik, and a 3-0 scoreline in the 65th minute.
Time passed, and Edsmontik grabbed a few more chances that just couldn't make it anywhere.
As for Saint Eleanor, they kept getting closer and closer to scoring.
The Eagles tried to keep possession as much as possible, sending the ball back to der-Zyfragken or the defense often.
But they couldn't seem to avoid the Eleanorians, who kept coming from behind or intercepting passes.
Eventually, the 70th minute neared.
Edsmontik most likely would end the game on 3-0 or 3-1, if they could manage.
But the Eleanorians would change the predictions.
Olympia Woodward continued forward, creating chances and passing to her teammates who were open.
Javarqa stuggled to continue deflecting shots, and soon, the Eleanorians gained a corner.
Dav der-Ghavyr came up with three tactical substitutions to finish off their ability to put on extra players.
Makanvakt came on for Jervanois, B. Reichsteur for Kizani, and Utravak for Bervaign.
New energy was desperately needed.
The corner goes on.
The ball soared through the air, and reached Launceston, who headed the ball, but Javarqa headed it right back out.
And to make things worse, Rachel Curran took advantage of der-Zyfragken not being able to see well through the players.
She fired the ball right to the corner, and past der-Zyfragken's outstretched arms.
"Skzblitxe! Skzblitxe! Skzblitxe!" der-Zyfragken continued shouting the word over and over, kicking the goalpost and wishing that he was substituted off.
However, it was unfortunately too late for that.
Edsmontik were now 4-0 down in the 73rd minute.
No comeback, no draw, and no win for sure.
The Edsmon fans were silent.
Many had journeyed from far areas of Edsmontik just to see this game.
And now, they were dead silent.
It was a loss.
The game restarted, and Utravak sent the pass towards Aespana.
"Make use of it, we must hold possession and attempt to score." Utravak told Aespana before the game restarted.
Aespana dribbled down the wing, passing back and forth with Wejikaj.
Time passed quickly.
Neither team was able to get any sort of attack.
Soon, the 90th minute neared.
2 minutes of stoppage would be added.
Stuero passed up to Utravak, who dribbled and passed to Aespana.
Aespana ran up the wing, and fired a cross, their last attack, towards Stuero.
The ball changed direction off the acrobatic volley, curving towards the top left corner.
Richardson reached out, but failed to touch it.
It tucked itself right into the back of the net.
"GOAL FOR EDSMONTIK! MERELY A CONSELATION NOW, AS THE SCORE IS 4-1, SAINT ELEANOR!"
The fans cheered, btu not as loud as before.
Stuero picked up the ball, kissed it, and then set it back down.
Just seconds later, the whistle blew.
*TWEET, TWEET, TWEEEEEEEEEET!*

KEY MOMENTS
22' GOAL Woodward (EXT)
35' Yellow Card der-Suiozkeafter (EDS)
43' GOAL Pilchard (EXT)
50' GOAL Pilchard (EXT)
64' Yellow Card Launceston (EXT)
68' Yellow Card Javarqa (EDS)
73' GOAL Curran (EXT)
89' GOAL Stuero (EDS)

EDSMONTIK LOSE WC97QMD2 VS SAINT ELEANOR

ooc: I'm sure I've made some spelling mistakes, (Woodword instead of Woodward) if you see any, feel free to tg me and I'll go and fix them.

by **Hapilopper** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 7:03 pm

Nathan Ellis Field at Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City
World Cup 97 Qualifying Match 4: Ellis Football v. Kensington Town
“The Battle of the Dominion”

The people that filed into Capital Stadium on the night of “The Battle of the Dominion” sensed something was going to happen. So did those that tuned in across Hapilopper. After all, there had been a war of words in the last few days leading up to the match - how Dom Probst went out to the media and said the HOT-DAMN team was “not worthy of being in the World Cup qualifiers” and how “this wasn’t a real national team” - never mind the fact that they had tied Kelssek - the number four team in the multiverse and they had defeated Cheetahs and Reptiles Coalision.

Thom Perkins didn’t help matters, saying that if the beer leaguers tried anything, they’d take care of them with extreme prejudice - and whatever he meant by “extreme prejudice,” we won’t know. But Jimmy Eaton of the HOT-DAMN team didn’t hold back, straight-up calling Dom and Thom “the biggest narcissists in Hapiloppian sport - and that includes Drake ‘The Magic Killer’ Stevenson, the guy that made the Yeezies run away from NSSCRA.”

Either way, you could tell there was such a strong atmosphere of hate in Capital Stadium - and it showed when the national anthem was being played, players were staring at each other, looks of pure hatred on their faces. They weren’t staring up into the crowd. They were sizing each other up. When the national anthem finished, it almost looked like it was going to kick off immediately. Huntley McCullough of Ellis Football saw Elwood Davis of Kensington Town staring at him and stormed his way to give him the what-for.

“You got a problem with me, drunk boy?” Huntley asked. “You want to tell me what the fuck you’re looking at?”

“Your delinquent ass. We’re gonna hurt you, motherfucker,” Elwood snapped. “You want to try me? Let’s dance.”

But before any punches were thrown, players and support staff from both teams ran in to break the two apart.

“I’m starting and you’re on the bench, you little bitch!” Huntley yelled out as he was being held back. “Try me!”

“Let’s dance, asshole! I’ll get you!” Elwood replied.

The referee realized right then and there what kind of game he was going to be dealing with. Before he could take action, both Thom Perkins and Jimmy Eaton walked his way.

“Look, guys, this isn’t going to happen,” the referee said haltingly. “It’s just...”

“It needs to happen,” Jimmy replied. “These motherfuckers are the reason we got screwed out of the Baptism of Fire. You hand out one yellow card - for either team - and I’ll shove that card down your throat.”

All Thom did was nod his head in apparent agreement.

The message was sent. The question, then thusly, was less “would there be a major incident?” and more “when will the major incident unfold?”

As the match started, it seemed like such a major incident would be inevitable. Players were hitting each other harder. It seemed like the Ellis Football and Kensington Town players were less interested in winning and more interested in hurting each other. Bone-crushing tackles that, in most matches, would have led to straight red cards, were shrugged off. A player would get clobbered and get right back up, daring the guy on the other team to hit him again.

Finally, it happened in the 12th minute as Stan McLamb rushed towards goal - somehow or another, in the midst of the violence. The fighting hadn’t really broken out - yet. But it was getting there. Gael Hicks was running alongside Stan McLamb, waiting for his moment to deck him. As he entered the 18-yard box, Hicks laid down a forearm shiver to McLamb’s face, knocking him over. Kensington keeper Jim Dash grabbed the ball and instead of clearing it, spiked it on Stan’s face as he got up. And that was it.

It was the moment everyone was looking forward to - and the moment everyone in Hapilopper hoped would happen. McLamb got up and threw a punch at Hicks and before anyone knew it, every player on the pitch and the sidelines rushed towards the melee, looking for someone to hit. For about 15 minutes, both teams threw some serious shots at each other before the Hapilopper City Police stepped in to break the violence up.

But as the melee was getting broken up and play was about to resume, Elwood Davis spotted Huntley McCullough, by himself, not too far from him. McCullough never saw it coming. Davis punched him in the back of the head, knocking him cold. Davis jumped on him, blasting him with a flurry of punches while other players rushed into break it apart. And while all that was going on, Gael Hicks spotted Rod Cutt walking away. Hicks leveled him with a crushing tackle at midfield, away from the pile.

So while most everyone were trying to break up Davis’s beatdown of McCullough - a beatdown that would indeed get Davis a straight red and McCullough a trip to the hospital (largely because it was a cheap shot against a defenseless individual - something both head coaches agreed to), Hicks and Cutt, the Violent Gentlemen of their respective teams, were all by themselves, trading huge punches with each other. And rather than decry the violence, the commentators on television were calling it like a fight - the correct way. The Hapiloppians were in pure nirvana as they love their sports violence - just so long as the two teams, and the two teams by themselves, were involved.

Eventually, the two broke apart by themselves - closer to a hockey fight than anything else. But Rod said something to Gael that made his opponent smile.

“Let’s do that again. When we get together again, let’s do it again,” Rod said.

“Damn right,” Gael replied.

It happened again in the 76th minute, with the match tied 2-2. Gael bumped into Rod - almost to challenge him.

“Let’s do it,” Gael said.

Rod smiled and swung at Gael. Gael swung right back, and the fight between the two Violent Gentlemen was underway again. And much unlike in many, many other soccer brawls, everyone else stood back. The players stopped what they were doing - with the exception of a bloodied Stan McLamb, who fired one into the back of the Kensington Town net just before the fight got going again. The referee and the officiating crew stopped as well, deciding it was in their best interest to just let the two Number Fives go at it.

And did they ever. It resembled one of those toe-to-toe fights in ice hockey - where the two grabbed onto each other, throwing some hard punches at each other. And the fans loved this one even more - cheering even louder than if a goal had been scored (and it had).

After about a minute, the two had gotten tired out and couldn’t punch any more. That was that, and in a surprising show of respect, the two embraced.

“Come to Kensington Town, I’ll buy you a beer,” Gael said.

“Come to Center Street, I’ll do the same,” Rod said. “Good shit, man. Good shit.”

But it was not ALL good shit. The Ellis Football squad, for the most part, was hopping mad, even though they had won 3-2 and tied at the top of the table for Group 11. As the final whistle blew, Thom Perkins had a look of white-hot hate in his face and was looking for Jimmy Eaton.

by **HOT-DAMN** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 7:04 pm

Nathan Ellis Field at Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City
Immediately following World Cup 97 Qualifying Match 4: Ellis Football 3-2 Kensington Town

It didn’t take long for Thom Perkins to find Jimmy Eaton. And usually, the meeting of the two head coaches after a big football game is a brief one. A handshake occurs, and that’s that. But this time, when Thom met Jimmy, rather than shake his hand, he threw a right hook that found its mark.

“You stupid son of a bitch!” Thom shouted as he punched Jimmy in the face.

Jimmy went right back and the fight was back on again - this time involving the two head coaches of the two teams. Jimmy wasn’t going to stand this punch, and he was going to fight back. But pretty quickly, players from both teams rushed in to break the two apart, as did police, support staff and many others. But it was bubbling over again.

Thom was absolutely enraged at the tactics of the beer leaguers - as if they had had instigated the entire thing. He was pissed off about the brawling. And he was extremely furious about the Huntley McCullough incident. Elwood Davis was not on the field at the moment, the source of Thom’s fury.

“You put Davis up to that, you son of a bitch?” Thom asked.

“No, he did that himself!” Jimmy snapped as he hauled back and popped Thom with a left hook. “You put Probst up to kicking us out of the Baptism?”

“You had no business there, and you have no business here, beer leaguer!” Thom roared.

And that was enough to send Jimmy over the edge. He went for Thom’s eye but got quickly broken up by virtually everyone.

The team from Kensington Town - the beer leaguers, nominally representing the new Hapilopper Overseas Territories: Dominion Anaia Maritime Neighborhood - were still spoiling for a fight, even after the fights of the day had broken up. Members of the Hapilopper City Police, realizing they needed backup, contacted their Secret Criminal Undermining Movement (SCUM) Unit to try to maintain order. The team buses were moved away from each other and placed on opposite sides of Capital Stadium.

But the SCUM Unit arrived too late. As the Hapilopper Television Network was starting to sign off for the night, a camera caught something going on in one of the locker rooms.

“Oh, now what?” asked Jon Arnold, chief announcer of HTN’s football coverage, as if he was tired of the whole thing, and he kind of was. Jimmy Eaton and the rest of the Kensington Town squad had rushed into the Ellis Football locker room, and all hell was breaking loose inside.

It was hard to say what happened between the time Jimmy led his beer leaguers in to the Ellis Football locker room and the time the SCUM Units arrived. But what was known was that cameras caught Dom Probst struggling out of the locker room, his nose bent, blood streaming from it. What was also known was that Jimmy Eaton was being led away in handcuffs by two City Police officers. And what was also known was that a variety of players were walking out of the locker room, visibly pissed off about what was going on.

The only bright side out of the whole thing - well, there were several bright sides. But the brightest side to all of this was that no fans got involved.

Fans rarely got involved in physical altercations in sporting events in Hapilopper. They were much more content to just watch the whole thing break loose. In fact, fans of both Ellis Football and the beer leaguers were laughing about the whole thing in the stands. They knew something like this was going to happen, and they loved every minute of it. Many of them went out, after the match ended, and had more than a few cold beers together.

It was probably an apocryphal story, but a City Police officer told a story later to one of the local TV networks - a story of relief.

“I saw a guy in a HapAnaia shirt and a guy in one of those skull and crossbones shirts,” the officer said. “I walked over to see if there was any issue but both of them offered to buy me a beer. Both said it was about the funniest thing they had ever seen. The guy in the HapAnaia shirt said he wished something like that happened in soccer more. So, yeah, we didn’t have any disturbances out in the street, thank heavens.”

The second bright side to this was that Huntley McCullough was going to be OK. He watched the rest of the match from DCA Memorial Hospital and was kept there overnight. According to a nurse, Huntley asked for a rather large post-game meal, a post-game ritual of his, and when this was denied, he apparently went apeshit on the nurses, calling them every foul and uncouth name under the sun and moon. Rather than being wished well as he left the hospital, a nurse reportedly told him to “go fuck yourself and fuck off to where you came from.”

And the third bright spot? These two teams were going to play again. Some sort of mayhem was going to happen again. Bound to be.

by **Panay Islands and Guimaras** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 7:13 pm

DOUBLE CLOSE FOR AN UPSET
Antique and Aleirave

The Panayenses first travelled to Antique to face their familiar rivals, Crpostran. The fans were enthusiastic out here and wanted to see an upset with for the Panayenses. But it's not the case when a Crpostranian scored a goal in front of a vocal crowd in Antique. But thankfully, Miguelito's penalty and Ricalde's beauty of scoring saved the Panayenses, making it 2-1. There were signs of hope for the Panayenses, but again the Crpostranians, this time showed their powerful defending and scoring, making another 2 goals to seal the win for the Crpostranians. After a loss, the Panayenses travelled to Aleirave, only to get the same result as their home game vs Crpostran. But the difference is in the first half, the Aleiraveans scored 3 goals, even though Ricalde and Matsuzaka scored 2 goals by each to seal another loss. "I am so disappointed for the Panayenses.", says Pierini. "We hope our matches against the experienced teams Acastanha and Vdara would be a joy for the country."

by **Brusseldorf** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 7:17 pm

Match Reports

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Brusseldorf 3–2 Hispinas
August 9th
Fennec Stadia, Casablanca City, Brusseldorf

Brusseldorf made a narrow escape at home against Hispinas, with a late goal from Casablanca City player Marcev Steyr the deciding factor in a close match.

The Hispinian side impressed with their early confidence; forwards Fede Velazco, Alphonsus Clavijo, Xanti Osa all registering shots on target before the 20th minute. Ricard Sciolan came close to scoring for Brusseldorf following a defensive error from the away side, but a line-clearance from Hunfrido Antunez kept the scoreline at 0-0. It was Antunez who then broke the deadlock late in the half, scoring a header from a Hispinian set-piece to give Hispania the advantage at the break.

A tactical change from team manager Hakeem al-Araibi saw Brusseldorf transition to a 4-3-3 formation, proving an instant success as Teddy Wolfenden scored Brusseldorf's first goal of the qualifiers in the 46th minute. Michael Hernández followed ten minutes later, neatly chipping the ball over Azkar Baraibar after a lighting-quick counter-attack. Fleet-footed Errege Iparekialdeko player Luzea Heguy was not to be outdone, scoring an almost mirror-perfect recreation of Hernández' goal after beating Sarah Pickett to uncontested back-pass. With the score at locked at 2-2, it was up to Brusseldorfen subsitute Amina Khelifi - who cut inside the exhausted Joanes Mendinueta, floating a cross to Marcev Steyr who headed home the winning goal.

by **Vdara** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 7:37 pm

Danger! Danger! High Voltage!

For the first time in a long, long while, a chorus of boos rang out across the VdarArena as the home side pitifully cruised to a defeat against fourth seeds Aleirave, leading many to question just what on earth is going on with the squad which, on matchday one, had looked unstoppable. The squad hurriedly trudged into the tunnel which, just over 2 hours earlier, they had emerged from to fanatical cheering. Truth be told, they had been dismally average, and the fans were letting them know about it.

Home Team Dressing Room
VdarArena

”Well now, well now. Look at the absolute fucking state of yous. Only matchday three and I’m staring at a group of lost primary school kids looking for their mum. Not an ounce of fight in yous whatsoever, so early on in the group. I mean, I don’t know if yous just shat it, or if yous just thought you were going to cruise this, but this is fucking unacceptable. Yous all know the standards we set - I’ve explicitly gone through them with yous all several times - and yet you dismally wallow in your own self-pity right here in front of me, when you’ve got fifty-thousand of your own out there looking for an answer. I mean, come on! We had enough chances to win that by around five goals, but yous got complacent! Yous were sluggish, lost, and dare I say it, you looked bored! They got that levelling goal and yous just put your heads in the floor. Utterly despicable, lads and lasses. Honestly, yous have given me a fuckton to answer for when I get back out there to face the cameras. They’ll be hounding me! ‘Oh, Markos, why were yous so shite? Was it because wee Lambros here forgot he was captain? Or maybe because Windows XP blue-screened? Or, perhaps… was it because you weren’t good enough?’ And I’ll tell you what, I will not be having any of it. I defend yous like my own children. My own fucking flesh and blood. I would never, EVER even dare to think of throwing any of yous under the proverbial bus, because it would just absolutely kill the vibe. Sure, I’ll call yous all useless shitcunts behind this door, but the moment someone points a microphone at my mouth, you are all saints, and the blame falls on me as your manager. But alas, until I walk back out of that door, I still have time to point at each and every one of you and explain, in excruciatingly meticulous detail, how shite yous all were.”

Markos scanned the room for fearful faces, his own starting to resemble that of a beetroot. His eyes locked onto the goalkeeper.

”You! Zaharias! You’ve been starting at this level for years - and I mean YEARS. I remember you as a wee guy, when you came onto the scene, you were my successor! You’ve grown into a fantastic, tenured player across these years, and up until around an hour ago, I was proud! And yet, when I watched you flap at the ball, you seemed to be the wee guy I knew you as first. Inexperienced, lost, and not fit for purpose. If you fuck this sort of thing up too many times, there’s always two other keepers ready to take your place! I have my loyalties, but there’s a line between an off day and international retirement, and between you and me, son…”

Markos leaned in towards the goalkeeper, as if to whisper in his ear, before screeching.

”YOU ARE FUCKING TOEING THAT LINE!”

Markos got back to staring at faces, peering into the whites of players’ eyes. Who would be his next victim? As it turned out, Lambros Tantalopoulos, the captain.

”Lambros. When you burst onto the scene in that U-18 World Cup, and then when you went on to lead the Walstreim Lions to great successes, I knew I’d seen a true leader. A born leader. You were moulded in the eyes of who came before you, Tryfon, and he helped to make you the man you are today. I know you, Lambros, as our captain. So, I’d like you to ponder to yourself, why you looked more like a sheep than a leader? Why were you trotting across the pitch like there was no tomorrow, casually getting yourself taken out of the game? Ask yourself, are you too old for this? Have you run out of juice? Are you no longer the born leader I saw nearly two decades prior? I know, deep down in your heart, that the answer to all of those questions is no. But if you can’t prove it, then that armband is getting ripped off quicker than you can say your own surname.”

For the next half hour, Markos continued to dress down the players who he felt had most contributed to the defeat. When he got to fellow veteran Manousos Athanas, he described him as ”not even half the player you were two cycles ago”, and to Ferrero Fotellis: ”your daddy’s ego but none of his talent”. For anyone with any ounce of sympathy within them, this would have been a brutal watch. Years, even decades-long relationships between player and manager were being strained by this long-winded, anger-induced rant from the multiverse’s most profane coach (which is quite incredible when you consider what Nathan Ellis is up to). And yet, nobody fought back, knowing fine well that he was correct. Somehow, that enraged him even more.

”Where’s your fight? Where’s any of your self-belief? Is it gone? Is it in there? Hellllloooooooo, knock knock, anybody in? Does nobody actually want to prove me wrong? Seriously? I’m astonished, let me tell you.”

Markos had to take a breather and step out of the room. Whilst he was away, everyone looked at one another. Did that really just happen? Is the gaffer seriously going to lose his composure this early on over a loss to the fourth seed? As it happens, yes - and he wasn’t done yet, as he re-entered the room.

”There is, of course, a chance at redemption for you all. A chance to show me that you actually do have what it takes to start for Vdara, to play for Vdara, to WIN for Vdara. We have Acastanha next, and it’s very important that we steer this ship back in the right direction. So, if any of yous feel you can step up and start, why not have a quiet word with me in training? Believe you me, I would absolutely love for a couple of yous to have some guts, like I used to see from most of this team. Think of it as an opportunity. These don’t come often in life, and they come far less often in football. But my heart has been swayed, my head is molten hot, and the fans are getting angsty. There’s a very simply way to fix all this, and it involves injecting some oomph, some gusto, some bravado into the team. Now, I’ve had enough of hearing myself talk, and I’m sure yous have as well, but I want yous all to mull over everything I’ve said. In your heads, in your hearts, just process what’s come flying out of my mouth. The vitriol. The hate. And yet, the truth. See if you have the guts to prove me wrong.”

With that charming parting message, Markos sauntered out of the room, steam still billowing from his ears as he slammed the door behind him. He may have been overly harsh, but if he’d managed to re-light the fires of desire in the bellies of his players, then he had clearly succeeded. There was only one way to find that out.

Estádio da Unidade Nacional
Amarelda, Acastanha

Relief, rather than embarrassment was the feeling this time around as the final whistle signalled the end of the match, and more importantly, three points to Vdara. It hadn’t been the most inspiring of victories, but a vastly improved squad were able to keep Acastanha at bay for the majority of the match, save for a loss of concentration which allowed for the match to look far closer than it actually was. Whatever had caused the blip against Aleirave - and to a certain extent, Crpostran - looked to have subsided, at least for now. With the ‪Panay Islands and Guimaras set to follow as their next match, the Vdarans have a strong opportunity to continue their return to good form; or indeed cast further doubt on their World Cup campaign as a whole.‬

by **HUElavia** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 7:42 pm

HUElavia 4–0 Yakk
(Asano 13', Llactahuaman 28', 63' (P), Di Laura 80')


Myrtle Beach 1–1 HUElavia
(Mann 84' | Taylor-Calañas 52')

Well, after such a harsh start to our World Cup aspirations, we still need to continue our march. In general, the early days of HUElavian football would be appearing once during a two year cycle, only to go dormant for another two years. Either way, we need to move on and HUElavia has a lot of growing to do. Welcome back to this series everyone!

Amarelo/Amarillo

The story of HUElavian Football

Episode 2:

The Field Fillers

(Music)

Going into the important anniversary mark of the World Cup 75 Qualifiers, there was nowhere to go but up for HUElavia. After having such a terrible start, all the team can do was learn and grow. Although, we have no clue as to who the players were due to the scant records left by the HFA during the early decades of HUElavian Football. Either way, this team just somehow found a way to show up to attempt these qualifiers.

World Cup 75 Qualifiers

Omerica 0–1 HUElavia W, HUElavia 1–6 San Jose Guayabal L, The Urain 1–1 HUElavia D, HUElavia 3–1 Migli W, Schiavonia 1–0 HUElavia L, HUElavia 1–3 Boring Paradise L, HUElavia 0–1 Omerica L, San Jose Guayabal 4–1 HUElavia L, HUElavia 3–2 The Urain W, Migli 2–2 HUElavia D, HUElavia 3–4 Schiavonia L, Boring Paradise 1–0 HUElavia L

3-2-7, 16 GF, 26 GA, -10 GD, 11 Pts

5th of 7

Right off the bat, HUElavia opens yet another Qualifiers with a victory, and it's none other than an upset against Omerica, one of the major teams that wasn't affiliated with a Sporting Region at the time. Still, sucks right afterwards we got handed our joint worst loss at the time, albeit conceding 6 goals, the most by any HUElavian team in a single match. Still, more losses than no losses, but the team improved overall and finished a somewhat decent 5th place in a group of 7.

World Cup 76 Qualifiers

5-1-6, 18 GF, 22 GA, -4 GD, 16 Pts

4th of 7.

World Cup 76 saw HUElavia improve much more with an opening day victory of 5-1 over Tidal Wake, as well as a 0-1 victory over The New Telengana Rajj to make it the first time the team would have two consecutive wins in the Qualifiers. This cycle was a very solid one with HUElavia having serious options to make the World Cup by Matchday 8, only to get derailed with 4 consecutive losses to finish off the qualifiers, a very bitter end to such a promising run.

World Cup 77 Qualifiers

7-3-8, 28 GF, 28 GA, 0 GD, 24 Pts

5th of 10.

By World Cup 77 Qualifiers, HUElavia had a decent streak to start out, being undefeated in the first 3 matchdays, but would soon face tough challenges. Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos were never really in contention for a direct spot this time, especially with the expanded group. Still, it was a tough moment to see the team lose 3 of their 4 remaining matches and ending up at mid table. But on the upside, HUElavia was finally in the top half of the table, a first for HUElavians to enjoy and bask in!

World Cup 78 Qualifiers

7-2-7, 29 GF, 30 GA, -1 GD, 23 Pts

5th of 9.

World Cup 78 Qualifiers at this point established that HUElavia were not good enough to be a strong contender to participate in the World Cup, but not shit enough to where they could bully the worse teams and at least get some decent results. World Cup 78 Qualifiers would also see some tough sweeps that Los Amarillos/Os Amarelos would have, especially to teams like Abanhfleft and Tumbra. Remember Abanhfleft in particular, they will be a team of note for us later in our story. One note that will mark a very extensive rivalry game in Multiversal football.

(Music)

The Independent Associations Championship. For once, it dawned on the HFA that they needed something in between the Qualifying Cycles to maintain the National Team active, as well as maintain some government funds to fund the team. Thus, pinned into Group A with co-hosts Kel Assuk, Britonisea and Petroslovenia, the pre-tournament bookies had us at least advancing to the Round-of-16, even if we were dispatched there. Either way, it's our 2nd major tournament where we get to participate in! Let's see how far we can go in our first regional tournament!

HUElavia 1–2 Britonisea L, Kel Assuk 4–1 HUElavia L, HUElavia 3–5 Petroslovania L

0-0-3, 5 GF, 11 GA, -6 GD, 0 Pts

30th of 32

Well shit. What a terrible way to start one's regional tournament. The HFA seemed to have not bothered to give a proper squad and get humiliated in yet another debuting tournament. Sure, we scored goals, but this was horribly embarrassing. The Baptism of Fire was just a bunch of newbies, but this? This is just horrid. I guess the HFA learned from this embarrassment and just decide to say Pa' Carajo! and just not even appear in the next edition. This may have been a painful moment, but there are much worse moments to come in the future in this tournament. One that is near meme status in terms of the pain and agony the team and country will experience.

World Cup 79 Qualifiers

7-2-9, 23 GF, 28 GA, −5 GD, 23 Pts

5th of 10

Another round of Qualifiers came, and HUElavia once again was nothing more than a field filler for the Qualifiers. Beating up on small teams, but getting bodied by the better teams. Again, suffering more losses than wins and draws, but still finishing in the top half of the group with a decent 5th place finish. As the 70s cycle came to a close, HUElavia had much optimism that things could improve into the 80s. Entering a new era, there was motivation for things to change, even if just a little. In due time, HUElavia will get their time in the sun, being in the near center of the Football World.

(Song)

Overall Record:
31-11-52 Record, 137 GF, 196 GA, -59 GD, 104 Pts

by **Langenia** » Sat Aug 10, 2024 8:01 pm

Noticias: Deportes

Another Victory for Los Azules in a Wild Match

Los Azules would manage to win another match in their World Cup qualification campaign in a strange game abroad against Libesia. With the final score 4-3, they managed to narrowly avoid a draw with an unusual free kick winning the game. Despite their defensive issues again being made clear, the Langenians also successfully managed to demonstrate their attacking ability, with strikers Oscar Galindo and Raul Guzman, as well as midfielder Rafael Semprun putting their names on the score sheet.

From the start of the game, it was clear the Libesian defense would pose a challenge for the Langenian offense to break through as they repeatedly cleared early Langenian attacks. Nonetheless, the scoring was opened up with a 17th minute goal from Oscar Galindo, as he received a cross from Daniel Gallegos on his left to bypass the Libesian defenders, quickly kicking it to the right of Libesian goalkeeper Ntombizanele for a Langenian goal. Encouraged by the goal from their captain, Los Azules resumed the offensive to control possession of the ball as much as possible and avoid counterattacks. Raul Guzman would then make a memorable dribble towards the Libesian goal in the 25th minute, rainbow flicking the ball over a defender to kick to the left of Ntombizanele and put the Langenians up 2-0.

Nonetheless, Libesia would not go lying down. A counterattack in the 37th minute would give them a corner kick, with midfielder Abe Mpinganzima taking the kick for Sulaimaan Cismaan to head it past Eduardo Arnal, the Langenian goalkeeper. With the score now 2-1, the Libesians sought to make it harder for the Langenians to score for the rest of the first half, foiling the Los Azules attacks and counterattacking. The Langenians would concede another corner kick to Libesia in the 43rd minute. This time, defender Nino would take the corner kick for his teammate Ramon, who had come on as a substitute, to head it in once again past Eduardo Arnal. Both teams returned to their locker rooms tied 2-2, with the second half still to play.

The Langenians came out aggressively in the second half's beginning, seeking a tiebreaker through their fast-paced attacks. Rafael Semprun and Daniel Gallegos would be today's heroes, Semprun crossing the ball for Gallegos to slot it in, putting Los Azules once again in the lead with a 3-2 score at the 59th minute. Again, Libesia would be quick to equalize. They counterattacked at the 67th minute with Libesian striker Kwamba Molengo crossing the ball to his teammate Leon Mzuzi to level the score with a goal.

With the match tied, tempers flared as both teams sought to find the golden goal before the final whistle. In the 82nd minute, a slide tackle from Libesian defender Busar Hamidi would bring down Langenian striker Raul Guzman, conceding a free kick to Los Azules. In a risky and cheeky tactic that would surprise Langenian observers, instead of Daniel Gallegos attempting to spin the ball over the line of defenders to the goal as he usually would, he would feint the kick as Rafael Semprun passed it to forward Francisco Villa, who had come on as a substitute for Guzman. Villa, standing in the middle of the wall of players, would quickly turn and fire it directly into the Libesian goal, once again providing the Langenians with a lead. Resisting Libesian counterattacks into stoppage time, the game would be won by the Langenians 4-3, a strange and memorable match that would go down into Langenian football history.

Los Azules coach Ernesto Vargas provided an update to reporters on Raul Guzman's condition, stating the striker had been substituted out over health concerns but would be back for Match Day 5 at home against Al-Tamazgha. Currently, the Langenians are at third place in their qualifying group, with a bye scheduled for them at Match Day 4.

Upcoming Los Azules Matches

MD5: Langenia vs Al-Tamazgha
MD6: The Kytler Peninsulae vs Langenia

A Tale Of Two Crescents - WC97 Roleplay Thread

Lily Emmerson on Lily Emmerson

ISN LIVE 4/2/2029 - WC97Q MD2

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