A Tale Of Two Crescents - WC97 Roleplay Thread

[Patriotlandia]

The Patriotlandian National team's next visit was on Martian soil after disappointing performances in the first four games. A slightly changed lineup was in the card to try and give the whole team a boost. A struggling offense and a porous defensive line had been plaguing the team since the start of the qualifiers. Some media pundits made cases throughout the week that the selection's lack of preparatory games was the cause of the bad run of form. Jean Alexandre knew the team needed more playing time, but the national team budget is not infinite and multiversal travel is not cheap. For now, though they would have to play the hand as it was dealt. A shored up defensive line with the addition of Hyppolyte Grandhomme should bring in more physicality and close out space in the box that opponents were able to use to their advantage.

The starting eleven took to the pitch with a certain air of doubt. The weight of the winless start had left most of them uneasy, but the nerves settled down as soon as the ball got rolling on the Martian grass. The Blues had most of the early possession and started creating chances. Glenn Wils was the first to put in an attempt on goal as he got possession in the box but his shot rolled harmlessly past the near post. For the most part, the bulk of possession was in the offensive half, but a few counter attacks kept goalkeeper Laura O'Neill on her toes. Attacking in transition, Cecilien Vanoret opened the scoring in the 35th minute from the edge of the box. The fans in the away section burst into cheers as the Bleus enjoyed their first lead of the tournament.

At half time the mood was much more jovial than the frigid ambiance of games past. While coaches drew some last minute strategy changes on the whiteboard, Lucien Graham could be seen grabbing his calf wincing. The veteran had played in almost all the matches so far and was coming off of a grueling championship season domestically. Could injuries have caught up with the 33 year old?

The manager didn't waste time and sunbed in Francis Fortinello as soon as the team came back on the field for the second half. There, the Bleus picked up were they left off and continued to pressure the opposing defence. This would eventually bear fruit with two quick succession goals that saw the lead increase to three. Then the team fell into a protection pattern trying to keep the clean sheet, a rare feat for them. Managing to hold the Martians out of dangerous areas for the most part until the final whistle. With that everyone had a weight lifted off their shoulder. The first win was on the board and hopefully momentum would be in their corner as they benefited from a rest day next.

[Brusseldorf]

Match Reports

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sort by |latest ⮟|

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Mertagne 4–1 Brusseldorf
August 11th
The Scabbard, Bretsaar, Freskovia

Brusseldorf were soundly beaten in their third match of the qualifiers by a strong Mertagne outfit. The home side dominated from the outset, with Mertagne opening the scoring in the 11th minute with a well-placed header from vice-captain Burro Curwood. Mertagne then presided over a dominant 15 minutes, locking Brusseldorf out of any attacking displays. Al-Araibi's side struggled to even get on the ball, with a series of misplaced passes not posing any real threat. Mertagne made the most of their advantage, doubling their lead in the 27th minute with Holly Eveson scoring from the edge of the box.

A brief spell of possession coming just before the break saw Brusseldorf pull a goal back from the spot - Teddy Wolfenden the beneficiary. With the deficit halved going into half time, Brusseldorfen fans could have been forgiven for thinking that they were back in the game. Unfortunately for the travelling crowd, Mertagne resumed total control in the second half, scoring their third goal in the 65th minute through Nazer Armenadriz, after they made a brilliant run down the center of the field, latching on to a millimeter-perfect pass from Jordan Will. One last goal from Trebuchet in 86th minute left Brusseldorf with little hope of a comeback.

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Isabella shifted her weight in her seat and raised her hand.
“Yes, Isabella?” Asked Fatima, who was running the meeting this morning. Her colleagues swivelled or craned their necks to face her.
“What day are the interviews happening this week? I was hoping to run through some stuff with Lukas and Yasmine if at all possible.”
Fatima’s bottom lip folded under her teeth. Then she smiled and turned towards Ali.
“That would be a question for Ali.”
Ali swivelled in turn towards Isabella.
“Tomorrow morning is when we’re doing media, did you want me to contact those two now for you?”
“If you wouldn’t mind,” Isabella replied, a faint hint of urgency in her voice.
Ali nodded. “Consider it done.”

“Anything else folks?” Fatima asked. Cursory glances and the squeaking of chairs suggested that everyone was ready to start the day.
“Alright! Amina and Youssef, if you could please get those emails out as soon as possible, please CC Hakeem and me, and Ali if you could please get set up for the meeting at 9:30.”

The meeting room cleared out quickly, only the intern left, pushing in the last chairs and clearing the long table.
Hakeem stopped at the door smiled at the intern.
“Thank you, William. Looking very tidy.”
“My pleasure Hakeem.”
“Can I ask you to get a coffee for me? Maybe ask the others if they would like one too?”
“Of course, no worries.”
“Take my card, you can get yourself one too if you like”
“Thank you Hakeem.”
Hakeem passed William his card, and the intern made himself busy taking the office order.

Two small cappucinos, one regular long black, and one regular iced latte William repeated in his head.
Ali looked up as William came past.

“Are you getting coffee? I’ll come with you if that’s alright! I was hoping to talk to you quickly anyway.”
“Of course, I’ll just see if Sophie wants anything.”
“Sounds good, I’ll go to the bathroom then meet you at the elevators.”

William wondered what Ali wanted to talk to him about, as Sophie asked for the sweetest, most complicated drink he'd ever heard of.

[Elmyia]

The Beaucester Gazette
Jennings Last Minute Rescue Against Minnows
Elmyia require two goals late on to rescue win against Hispinas

Mosse Park, Beaucester - After their last golden summer, the assumption had been that qualifying for the World Cup was a foregone conclusion. Surely one of the greatest teams in the multiverse wouldn't have a problem making the 48 team bash? This game proved it wouldn't all be plain sailing, with Livvy Jennings continuing her conversion into the nation's cult hero with a late brace to deny Hispinas a scalp.

Truly though, the Copa Rushmori win seems to have been the exception to a slight downward trend in Elmyia's fortunes. Failure to qualify for the previous World Cup had been matched by an equally ignoble exit in the Cup of Harmony. Porras looked to be running out of road after a great run at the helm of the national side. With last summer's fever dream of a victory, however, he looked untouchable. He surely still is, but Elmyia's toils against an unranked minnow will surely raise some doubts about what has been a very uneven qualifying campaign.

It's potentially unfair to judge, Elmyia started what should probably be described as a B team for this fixture, with the crunch match against Mertagne coming later this week. Other than Girello in goal the lineup is unlikely to be maintained for the clash with the number one seeds. It looked disjointed, and they were facing opposition who had rotated after difficult games against StrayaRoos and Oberour Ar Moro. Del Moral coming into the number ten slot proved a stroke of genius, combining well with Xanthi Osa down the left. Roberto Palm's lack of defensive nous and Maria Grosso's lack of match fitness we're exploited ruthlessly, with Del Moral finding Osa close to the byline multiple times. This eventually led to the corner, 20 minutes in, where some statuesque defending left Clavijo unmarked to poke the ball home.

Elmyia found themselves then against a packed defence and running against the clock to break it down. Frankly, it didn't change the calculus of the match, Elmyia had set up to dominate and had found themselves stung. Froggatt and Abbatangelo had been picked on the wings given their ability to take balls in tight spaces and find a way through, Marakakis and Tamsin Rowe picked as positive midfielders. Despite this, Elmyia just couldn't seem to stretch Hispinas out of shape. The 4-5-1 shape they fell back into allowed both wingers to be doubled up without leaving much elsewhere. Clavijo remained as the one outlet, but he wasn't foudn often. Frankly he wasn't required to be. Elmyia's players were both expertly marshalled, but also failed to find their way through. The best chances had were when Palm and Katsouranis decided to take a punt at swinging in a hopeful cross. Gina Whittingham is nothing if not game, but she struggled to find her way through the throng, finding the target once, which was easily caught by Baraibar.

After halftime, changes were deployed. Aaron McLoughlin gave way at the base of midfield for Marinos, the more defensive skillset giving way to the tempo setting passing. Grosso was left to marshall Clavijo solo given his lack of pace, and Liberatore Nanni looked frustrated as Vesper Benedetti came to replace. If anything, this worsened the state they found themselves in. With only one, slower player with poor passing left at the back, Hispinas could simply clear long and buy time. Benedetti and Marakakis found themselves crowding the same areas as each other, Froggatt and Abbatangelo. The latter made way for Livvy Jennings and ten minutes later Simmons came on for Marakakis.

To give Porras credit, this is what started to turn the game around. The fact Simmons had to be called on is concerning for Elmyia's depth, but he added the pace and passing to Elmyia's nominal back line that allowed them to squeeze forward and up the tempo with which attacks were coming. Jennings, even before her goals, was clearly a great addition.

A word for Jennings. A frequent backup for club and country, she was brought into the national squad for the Copa Rushmori, with Kostas Rossi injured with a reputation as a solid, if unspectacular performer. Her career to date reads as that of a luxury journeyman. She came through at Meridionale, having been the stand out performer in the third tier, she found herself their best player in the second. Players of this ilk are often picked up by a first tier team after a decent season, but she was left languishing until the age of 23. Her lack of what we might call 'silkiness' seemed to hold her back. She runs awkwardly, her first touch doesn't always look well developed and she tends to score goals from short range. Hellenic took a punt, and when Xanthi Kostis' side hit difficult patches of form in her first season, she was the player called on to bring some grit and industry down the wing.

This situation was the perfect situation for her talents. Her willingness to go again, and again against a defence can really aid in grinding a side and a full back down. More than that is her willingness to have a go at the darl arts, she's apparently one to shout at inopportune moments to distract others. She treads on toes, she talks at defenders, and she is very happy to compete in 50/50s. Gainko Erroz looked increasingly fed-up as she was subject to Jennings for the last 25 minutes. In the end it wasn't through smart passing moves or anything slick that Elmyia found themselves back in the game. Instead, Jennings putting Palm in down the wing won a corner. There, Jennings again trod repeatedly on toes, and physically held off Canizares to knee the ball in from 3 yards out. Hispinas will feel hard done by, it looked a foul on the defender.

So 4 minutes left of normal time and Elmyia still needed another goal. Jennings got the business done. It was another piece of grappling shithousery that did it. She held the ball right on the edge of the box towards the corner flag, frankly not a promising position given all 11 opposition players were sat in the box. Erroz went again, trying to challenge. Jennings then purchased some contact and was awarded the softest of penalties. Erroz received a yellow card for some protestation. Jennings was handed the penalty and coolly stroked it home. Elmyian fans could breathe a sigh of relief, another massive setback avoided.

Porras was subdued post match, praising Jennings game and the resilience of the side. He did admit they'll need more to get anything away to Mertagne, the toughest game in this campaign. Spalding will surely come in to form the Copa winning midfield, which has only had 15 minutes together on the pitch in this campaign so far. Given three teams can qualify from the group things aren't quite as desperate as they would usually be, but the defeat at home to Oberour Ar Moro make things more challenging than they would otherwise be. Two draws in their last two games means they look slightly less intimidating than they would otherwise, but Curwood and Armenadriz will give Savalas and Silva plenty to think about.

[Aphrilia]

With the given insight, Christopher Vermont feels like he's making the right call.

Amelia Haze was actually the first one to respond to him texting her despite the senior national team manager messaging both his player and the U-21 manager at around the same time. He had asked her regarding the thoughts of a few players on the Under-21 team since he doesn't even keep track at all. It's hypocritical of him to say the least, since he has his players keep in contact with their younger peers. There were about three or four names that Haze said could be useful for the national team for one reason or another. And when he looked at the list of Aphrilia's 58th Di Bradini Cup roster and compared it to the names that the center back said, things did check out. Her tactical mind helped his own tactical process.

After that, the other person who Vermont had messaged finally responded. And somehow, the texting between him and U-21 manager Anthony Christwell went on for much longer than the chat he had with Haze, since there were many players that the Under-21 manager wanted to give a shout out to. Which was fine, since Vermont would have done the same... Albeit somewhat more reservedly. Christwell highlighted six players, which was more than the amount Haze had told him. And somehow, someway, both described three players. Vermont noted that. Whilst he is specifically looking for a captain, someone to lead, extra players as replacements for the ones nearing their terms would kill two birds with one stone.

And as the thought of this all, he thinks of Aphilia's matches.

A draw against Hispinas certainly wasn't what he was hoping for. Considering the team's situation, it should have been a good chance to start momentum. On the other hand, Mertagne being put to a stop was certainly a good result for Aphrilia. It wasn't exactly a win by result, but it was a win by mind. The Anchors had to get the ball rolling soon. Vermont drank from his cup of water thinking of it all. His mind was just running back and forth, making sure he remembered every detail of what Haze and Christwell told him, accompanied with the mix of his own personal thoughts and opinions. After all of that, he made the final decision. Those three players will be brought on the same way the likes of Karnwell and Lacey were.

Whilst there were other positions that he had to find replacements for, he should at least snag up these three first. The more pressing matters can be solved later on, and Vermont is sure that these ones have their own replacements in mind. Luckily the process shouldn't be more complex than it is. Christwell had provided the numbers of the players that he gave a notice for. All Vermont needed was to make a quick, formal write-up as if he was sending a letter. Although he didn't do this with Karnwell, O'Truffet, Lacey, and Christonson, that was because it was during the time before The Anchors were formed. Now, he will most likely have to do it this way. But as long as the gears keep turning, it's fine.

Texting...
Vermont > Rhine-Faust, Gillingham, Von Kachel
[My name is Christopher Vermont, and I am the current manager of the Aphrilian National Team. With this message, I invite you to talk about the possibility of being called up to the senior national team due to several players nearing their term limit of age. There were some players that I have considered, but I've determined you three are the best batch to secure early. Further clarifications will be discussed in the online meeting that I will be hosting...]

[Vdara]

Everyone's Going Fucking Crazy, Maybe I'm Crazy Too

VdarArena
Chania

Time was up. For many, conceding three goals to a team ranked 256th was the final straw. Indeed, it was bad enough that the defence had been so disjointed as to concede three goals (yet again), but to do it against the group's eighth seeds was deemed unacceptable. In addition, having led the game 3-0, many looked to throw the blame at someone, anyone. Some looked to the manager, as the team's tactician. Sure, Markos' decisions didn't entirely help, but he only did what he could with a lethargic squad. Some looked to the fans, who got complacent and quiet, casting doubt on the team and no doubt unsettling the players. For most, however, their eyes stared directly at Captain Lambros Tantalopoulos who, since the start of the tournament, had looked entirely unsuited to the position he had been playing in for his entire career. Rumours of an injury with his club in Ko-oren began to gain traction, but the focal point for many seemed to be that his position as captain was untenable. He seemed to lack many of the leadership aspects that had helped him rise through the ranks in his youth, as well as the spring in his step that had once been his trademark. The midfield stallion was slowing down into more of a bench pony, and many hoped that something would be done about it. Luckily for them, they got their wish, and then some...

VdarArena Training Centre
Chania

A few days after the match, Markos called a couple of the squad veterans - Tantalopoulos, Athanas, Tolakis, and Frangoglou, all over the age of 35 - into his office at the VdarArena. Having all looked at one another, they got a feeling of what was coming, and with Markos still outside the room, the four players started to talk.

”We’re fucked, aren’t we.”

“It does appear that way, doesn’t it.”

“A bit harsh though, no?”

“Just how Markos operates. I mean, when you saw his face at the end of last match, considering what he was like after the Aleirave game… I’m honestly surprised he didn’t blow a gasket.”

“Or anything, really. He just looked dead.”

“What, like what we’ll look like once we leave this meeting?”

“Just didn’t think it would end like this.”

“Could be worse. At least it’s not injury.”

“Would you not rather snap your leg and be stretchered off to applause and adoration?”

“I quite like my limbs, thank you very much.”

Markos entered, closing the door softly behind him. He took one look at the players sat in front of his desk, paused for a second, and began to speak.

”God, yous look like a sight for sore eyes.”

Zaharias, having taken the starting goalkeeper spot from Markos nearly ten cycles prior, was the first to respond to him.

"Were you not also quite disappointed when this sort of thing happened?”

“Never happened to me, did it. I went down on a high, and immediately changed careers. Yous could learn a lot from
me - and you will.”

The players’ eyes widened. For once, it was pretty evident that Markos couldn’t care less about what these guys thought about him - and there could only be one reason for that.

“The fact of the matter is that I’ve seen enough. It’s quite evident that something’s gone rather stale, and that there ought to be some changes around here. Starting from right now, neither of you will not play for this country again. Your best days are very much behind you, and it is heavily affecting the performances of yourselves and the team as a whole. I’m very sorry that it’s had to end like this, but it’s over. I blame myself for prolonging your international careers, I really do. I should have given more of the youngsters ago, but I trusted yous. I put my full faith in experience over youth - probably for the first time in my career! - and it’s dragged us down collectively and comprehensively. Either way, effective immediately, you are all no longer part of the squad.”

Lambros, having captained the squad ever since Tryfon Vlahiades retired just after cycle 95, was astounded. Even if he had expected this, he couldn’t quite believe that he had been stripped of both the armband AND his place in the squad.

“So that’s it? Goodbye and good luck?”

Markos smirked and snapped back at Lambros.

“I don’t recall saying good luck.”

Affronted, the four players stood up and began to leave the office, but just before the door closed behind them, Lambros peeked his head back through to give his now ex-manager one last piece of his mind.

“Hey, fuck you Markos! Nobody should have their international career ended in a fucking office! They deserve to end it on the pitch in front of their fans, you utter egomaniac!”

Markos took another sip of his ouzo, and slammed it on the desk.

“Thanks for proving my point, enjoy your retirement!”

Just like that, a combined number of caps of nearly 1000 was tossed aside without so much as a ‘thank you’. A bold strategy from Moustakakos, for sure. We know fine well how the players took it - hurt, but surprisingly well - so let’s see how the fans and the press took it!

Naturally, the press latched onto the prospect of controversy and only looked at the negative aspects. Then again, trusting what you read in the Irakleio Informer is like trusting directional advice from the visually impaired. For some godforsaken reason, the press sidelined the nation's biggest story (West Vdaran Defectors) for this. Probably because they know what will sell more papers, to be fair, but still. Utter joke. At least it's not the fans, though...

(ooc: the poem in the bot's post is ai generated. well, duh, because its a bot.)

I'll let you have your own opinion on these. But with the United Mandaran States up next, a serious change was needed, and the injection of youth might just be what Vdara needs at this moment in time. Moraitas, having played as a Mezzala in the Polar Islandstates, has started to develop into a brilliant little player. The absence of Frangoglou means that there will be a fight for the number one shirt between Alexandrou and Nicolides, who are playing in the Polar Islandstates and Krytenia respectively. The other additions, Crescimanno and Policastro, are also enjoying their time abroad. Only time will tell, but there is a 99% chance that at least 2 of these players will start against the group's top seeds, as well as the home match against unranked Burikinia. Whether this ends up being a Markos Masterstroke or an utter disaster? Only time will tell.

[West Barack and East Obama]

Escape from Fort Obama

"Obamadeus-Mozart dribbles it... my goodness, what a magical through ball from the midfielder! The Al-Tamazgha defenders have no choice but to watch it sail past them to Fred Olibama's feet... and the cobbler heads it home!!! What an amazing goal!!!! WEST BARACK AND EAST OBAMA TWO, AL-TAMAZGHA NIL. WHAT A GLORIOUS DAY!!! WEST BARACK AND EAST OBAMA'S NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM ARE THE GREATEST FOOTBALL TEAM IN WEST BARACK AND EAST OBAMA HISTORY!!!!! Er... shit. This was on?"

"Looks like Officer Corrupke forgot to turn off the PA system while getting front row seats to the football game. What a bozo." scoffed Marty, who didn't even look up from his smuggled-in novel, How To Take Down Your Totalitarian Government: For Idiots.

"I can't believe that guy gets a great view of my hero, Harvey Chobamya, from the watchtower while we rot in this joke they call an exercise yard. This has to be against some convention on human rights, surely. I'm metres away from beautiful goals!" cried Bobby, as he attempted to tiptoe over the twenty-foot tall fence of the exercise yard to get a view of the game.

"Well, if it was, it wouldn't matter. We're in a Obaman prison for goodness' sakes, they could do anything to us and no one would bat an eye. Just be grateful we aren't in Guanobamano Bay right now." muttered Marty.

"Come on, come on, there has to be a hole somewhere... I have GOT to see this game with my own eyes. My idols are so clos-"

"Can you shut it? We've only got one hour of outdoors time a day, and I'm not about to have it ruined with your wailing. If it bothers you so much that they're out there and you're not, why don't you help me break us out of this place once and for all?"

"Marty, what the hell did I tell you about talking about escaping? They've got eyes and ears everywhere! You're going to get us totally screwed!"

"They don't care. No one's ever getting out of here. They know I'm not a threat, they don't have to waste their lives scrutinising every last one of my words."

"Who's never getting out of here?" came a voice from behind. Bobby turned around to see who it was, and Marty looked up from his book for the first time.

"You two must be new here. There's a way out of here, everyone knows that." continued Zac.

"Oh, piss off, Zac. What's the escape route you've discovered this time? Another sewage pipe?" replied Marty.

"Come on, dude. I haven't been taking showers three times a day for the last year to continue to be roasted like this."

"No, you took those showers because you stink, and you STILL do." chuckled Bobby.

"Fine. I guess you aren't interested in this guaranteed escape route, which doesn't have a dead end this time. I've checked." Zac retorted.

"If it's so great, what are you still doing here? I'm sooooo glad you find us such great company." remarked Marty.

"It's only available next week. When Kamijiro come to town. Be there or be square. I'd tell you more, but it's time to return back to our cells."

"Okay..."

Marty glanced at Bobby, who, for the first time since the two arrived at this joint, had a glimmers of hope and excitement in his eyes.

[Kimi-Suomi]

After finally winning a game in this campaign, the Huuhkajat of Kimi-Suomi were finally on the board in 6th in Group 14. Onko se hyvä? I mean, it's three points out of a possible nine, which doesn't sound ideal, but it didn't feel that bad because we had a bye on the opening matchday. Esko Laaksonen isn't exactly on the hot seat that David Seems and Li Xiu Ying have found themselves under because while TJUN-ia have made two WCs before, Kimi-Suomi only has WCQ Playoffs as their highest-ever position. Our expectations for the Huuhkajat are different we understand that making the World Cup is a goal that takes time to develop and considering our size and stature on the global stage, the KSJ are more than happy to give this man a long leash. So with that in mind, let's play some jalkapallo!

Tanirinthinen (Tanirinthia) is an isolated place in such a way, that they are closed to the world by a physical gate. They are so isolated that everyone how enters the land of the Mighty Oaks is strictly informed not to talk about anything that goes against their view of the world during our visit. For us, that was easy, but it also meant not talking about TJUN-ia (JYK-inen) AT ALL (as they break that view several times) or our Multiverse System or even just the fact that our Keisari is an alternate version of someone else in another universe. As far as our opponents were concerned, we were a team from Anaia that spoke languages they may or may not recognise and that was all they needed to know. It felt strange having to separate ourselves from our past deliberately and to hide our connections to a place that is unfathomable to this place, but that's what we had to do to play a game of football. When we eventually played The Mighty Oaks of this land, the game was an absolute goal fest. 2-1 in both halves, what can I say? Bridget Payne got a first half brace, Topias Maxhuni and Jyrki Bottas gave us some hope in the 2nd half but a late charge from Sophia O'Brien and Ferris Dixon made sure the points stayed behind the gate. We all know who we are in this vast multiverse but for one game only, we became strangers in a strange land.

After that oddity, we were greeted with the comforts of home once again when Pesä hosted Alesialainen Liitto (the Alezian Union) in a game that was billed as one we desperately needed to win if we wanted to have any chance of contending for Top 3 in this group...and to cut it short, we did exactly what we needed to do. Karl Leif Svonsson and Remu Jantunen got the goals in a comfortable 2-0 win that puts us into 4th...5 points behind the Top 3.

The gap is steep, but at least we know what our target is. 5 points in 11 games, that can certainly be done. A road trip to Restresas awaits before Lumikukkulat hosts Savojarna. NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

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SCHEDULE (Group 3)
MD1: BYE
MD2: vs Pyazhnaya (86) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki L 0-1 (7th)
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MD3: @Eshianmaa [Eshialand] (35) - The Eshialand City SuperDome, Eshialand City L 1-3
MD4: vs Libonesinen [Libonesia] (UR) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat W 5-1 (6th)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD5: @Tanirinthinen [Tanirinthia] (14) L 2-4
MD6: vs Alesialainen Liitto [Alezian Union] (UR) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki W 2-0 (4th)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD7: @Restresas (154)
MD8: vs Savojarna (136) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat
---------------Ramble---------------
MD9: @Sajnur (47)
MD10: BYE
---------------Ramble---------------
MD11: @Pyazhnaya (86)
MD12: vs Eshianmaa [Eshialand] (35) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat
---------------Ramble---------------
MD13: @Libonesinen [Libonesia] (UR)
MD14: vs Tanirinthinen [Tanirinthia] (14) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat
---------------Ramble---------------
MD15: @Alesialainen Liitto [Alezian Union] (UR)
MD16: vs Restresas (154) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki
---------------Ramble---------------
MD17: @Savojarna (136) - Nationalstadion Carl Gustaf Bjurman, Sjoedrhavn
MD18: vs Sajnur (47) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki

[Restresas]

Maresda, training day:

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Al told his team. "We've been losing front, left, behind, right, and center, and I'm the problem?! Run 20 laps! We need to be disciplined for fuck's sake." "He's right..." Indiana told his running teammates as they were disciplined properly for blaming their leader instead of themselves. "Why the fuck is he right?! His tactics are why we've been losing front and center!" Lane argued back. "If we had Wesley... would that make things better?" Indy told the young star. "We've been losing hard even if he was present, we need to focus on our mindsets to help us be the best team we can, not held back by the egos we all have! We're all to blame here!" The team feels very unspirited... by the 3 points in 6 matchdays that the team has had in their first qualification process, massively disappointing expectations. "It wasn't supposed to be like this fucking god dammit!" Al yelled in an affirming tone. "We were supposed to rise up to the challenge and face the adversity head on... not being bitches and showing of massive egos!!!"

Wesley, types for the last time to his team from far away from them: "Seriously? Egos on THIS team? This isn't you, this is Hapilopper levels of ego. At least we're not stupid enough to cause 4 red cards in a single match like they can on any match possible. We need to discipline more, take the mrail to the woods and go on the trail of the royals... it's a daunting task, but the 50 mile run would really help out our discipline and strength as a unit. As for me... it's the best case scenario. The medics at Mount Anderson's cancer center took care of Amanda's cancer easily... and her recovery has been great. The boys are really happy that their mom is home safe and sound, and I feel great in terms of my mindset and physically. I'll join you guys soon enough, and I hope that we all can put our egos to rest permanently and right this shit before it's too late."

The run was daunting, but it was something that was universally accepted by the team. "I mean... we need this." Marcus stepped up and told the team, while inexperienced players like Lane were not so kind to the idea. "50 MILES?! Come the fuck ON now!!!" Regardless of attitude, they all ran the length... and as expected... it was infuriatingly difficult. "How... much... longer...?" Tio said halfway through, struggling to breathe. "We're just 25 miles in and you're out of breath? Come on now, this isn't a workout, it's a warmup!" Sesfa Dedmon, the oldest person on the team at 34 and a half years of age, told the young striker. At the very end of the day... it was the end of the run, and many were not out of breath whatsoever. The run rejuvinated the team's energy, with Al, who ran with the team, stating that "If we can go at a running pace for 50 miles without running out of breath... we can use a lot more energy than we are putting out on the field."

[Kanzlia]

Convincing bounce for the Exiles

STORY OF THE DAY – SPORTS

SZBEDANSK, KANZLIA – The Kanzlian national team sprung back to life after their defeat to Burikinia with a 3-1 home win against Boring Paradise at a stacked Stadia Szbedansk. This match will perhaps be remembered more for the van Coevorden household which saw three family members finding the back of the net.

Vassilis started out the game with an entirely new formation. Notably he entrusted the wings with his wingback Jos Svilar and Dieter Maas whilst bringing Sylverio van Coevorden into the center as a 10. Reiner van Coevorden and Angelo Wolf starts up top with Nick Hesselink dropped.

The match initially saw both teams expending quick bursts of energy without really threatening the goal much. However in the 23rd minute Reiner van Coevorden latched onto a precise through ball from Evert van Selm to open the scoring. On the 37th his brother Sylverio van Coevorden scored too with a gorgeous curling effort to make 2-0 for the Exiles by half time.

Boring Paradise caught some respite in the 2nd half as Zaouane Mido probably could've done better reaching for the shot. The respite however were short lived as Ardentius van Coevorden found himself with a rebound shot from a blocked Angelo Wolf half-volley. The defender slots it home calmly and effortlessly. Vassilis van Coevorden, the father of the three goalscorers couldn't believe it as he celebrated triumphly on the sidelines.

The match ended 3-1.

Post-match Vassilis said, "I am so proud to be a father."

Kanzlia brings on much needed momentum after their setback against Burikinia but they face Crpostran in the next game away, a heavily favoured side in Group 5. But perhaps Admiral Szedin Resov may inspire the team to a shock victory at Crpostown, who knows?

Events:
23' R. van Coevorden
37' S. van Coevorden
51' Boring Paradise
78' A. van Coevorden

[Mertagne]

LUMSDAINE ENQUIRY PUBLISHES FIRST KEY FINDINGS
Nevezant Tetrarch implicated in misallocation of international aid funds

Nevezant, THE KARODIN TETRARCHY-- The Mertagnian Office of the Comptroller to the Executive has published its first paper on the findings from a Mertagnian audit into public finances within the Karodin Tetrarchy, after a blistering news report revealed that up to 25 million MDU (6.25 million NSD) of aid funds intended for rural communities affected by last year’s wildfires had hardly been spent on the rural communities as intended.

Instead, much of the money in the public purse has instead been spent on infrastructure upgrades to the city of Nevezant, but perhaps the most scathing part of the white paper, published a few days ago, showcases Nevezant Tetrarch Gwenael Quemere’s use of public funds to invest further into a sapphire mine in the province that she had an association with, with the mine belonging to her brother, Trelleyan Quemere. The investment, made under the guise of the “Nevezant Mineral Development Fund”, appears to have been syphoned from government funds from a variety of sources in the last 18 months, from citizen tithes to the international aid that Mertagne had provided to the province.

This use of government money to fund this private industry represents an extreme conflict of interest for the Tetrarch, with Mertagnian auditors claiming they are already well along the paper trail to determine if the potential corruption extends further than the office of the Tetrarch.

“The fact that the true nature of these funds has been obfuscated to the citizens of Nevezant is a stain on the office of the Tetrarch under Gwenael Quemere’s leadership.” claims Milliane Frobisher, Chief Financial Officer of the Mertagnian branch of an international aid charity. “Above all, government offices, even those of foreign nations, should ultimately be accountable to citizens first and foremost. When the aid was provided to the Tetrarchy, it was conditional that it be used to help out those most affected by the wildfires - the rural community. To see it syphoned into a slush fund to prop up a mining business that the Tetrarch has a personal stake in is, in essence, gross misconduct, and the citizens of Nevezant deserve to bring her to justice in accordance with their nation’s judicial system.”

In addition to being publicly available on the internet, a hard copy of the white paper has also been distributed as a hard copy to community leaders within the Teterarchy’s rural communities, in order for an effective community response to be organised.

Reporters within the city of Nevezant claim that the public opinion of Tetrarch Quemere has soured in recent weeks, with several calling for her removal regardless of the results of the audit. In the Karodin Tetrarchy, the position of Tetrarch is one for life, like many political positions across Calania, and its intention is to act as a figurehead for national matters and the treasury, but allow local communities to shape much of its own policy. A formal recall process does exist but has never been used, and requires a petition from 15% of the land-owners within the province, after which a judicial council is believed to be assembled to review the case. It is believed that “hustings” are ongoing, with several petitioners spotted on the roads outside of Nevezant looking to get the required signatures to begin the process of removing Quemere from power.

Such a blow to the Tetrarchy could be disastrous for the power structure of the nation, which has endured relative peace over the years since its founding. The Mertagne Defence Force, the army of Mertagne, has been placed on high alert around Harrdian province and the mountain pass into Bardiche province, on the border of the Tetrarchy, in the case of possible political instability.

Other news from across the nation:

• NATIONAL: What is a 'brat summer', and why is Mertagne apparently having one?
• POLITICS: Critics call for probe into Brandon Hope’s finances after Mertagne-incepted Karodin aid scandal
• ECONOMY: Mertagnian-Krytenian supermarket merger blocked by government over fears of ‘monopoly’
• CULTURE: “I just think they’re neat” - local artist displays collection of Junko Pap™! figurines in Neorudo museum
• SPORT: Mertagne cling to top of group after fortnight of draws against high seeds

[Savojarna]

SavojarSports.sj - Savojarna's Sports News Website

SavojarSports.sj Ratings: Two Standouts, One Question Mark, One Challenger

Written by Ingmar Alfredsson

SavojarSports.sj Grading Scheme
10: World-class, one of the best ever performances
9: Extremely good game, decided the match
8: Marked positive influence on the game
7: Good job, not decisive or notably influential
6: Adequate performance
5: Underwhelming, did not actively harm team
4: Below standards, did harm the team
3: Poor performance
2: Very poor performance, potentially game-losing
1: Abysmal

Savojarna have recorded their second victory under Nikolai Kruul Jensen in the fifth game in an away game against Restresas that can be best described as "successfully did their duty" (read back the SavojarSports.sj live blog here). With the game done and dusted, and three points in the Savojar books, the team can now look forward to a difficult double-header in April, featuring second-placed Sajnur at home and a travel to Kimi-Suomi, who are also on six points and a direct rival for the attempts to stay within the qualifying race. With no opponent on the upcoming day, we look back at the Restresas game and give the usual marks out of 10.

Olga Valujev: 7
Never needed to bring out the big parries behind a team that largely defended well; chanceless against Cojocar's best chance right after the break and thankful for the crossbar's help. Very commanding presence in the box and a good reason why none of Restresas' seven corners were particularly dangerous. Her involvement appears to help the defence sort itself better; unnecessary yellow card towards the end.

Hedvig Riksdal: 7
Calm, collected, convincing on the ball. Anchored much of Savojarna's buildup in the first half. Unfortunate off the ball at times, as she struggled to handle Pablo Albu and Cojocar together; did not get a lot of help from Barisjnikov in defence. Looked significantly more comfortable in the second half next to Krogstrup, and could actually use her on-the-ball skills much more effectively.

Kenneth Röysveit: 8.5
Sorely missed in the last two games with muscular issues, Savojarna's captain came back with a magistral performance in defence. Great job at sorting his defence and ensuring that things work out in the back, leading to a much calmer performance than in the last few games. Biggest drawback was how he handled the pressure from the Restresas side, playing a minor role in the shock start to the second half.

Thea Leifsen: 5
Still looks somewhat lost in the back three, although better with Röysveit next to her than alongside Thelander in the past matches. Played a decent game, profiting from much of the offence coming over the other side of the pitch, but had a major error right at the beginning of the second half mishandling a pass by Röysveit under pressure. Could have cleared the ball or looked for a better option, instead lost the ball to Cojocar and conceded a major chance that luckily just hit the crossbar instead of setting the Savojars back early on. Rehabilitated herself by stopping Pablo Albu from breaking through with a massive tackle, but overall questionable performance.

Simon Barisjnikov: 6
Clearly feels less comfortable in wide midfield than he does as a winger, and lacks the effort rate in backtracking. Struggled to use his explosiveness from the deeper position as well, and despite playing an engaged game he struggled to find impact. Defensive positioning often led to pressure on the left side as well, with Howard having large amounts of space to work with. Significantly better performance in the last half hour playing on the left wing, but got unlucky with his chances.

Anton Vitol: 7.5
Solid, unremarkable performance in midfield for much of the game, winning balls and neutralising the two-man midfield of Restresas. Did his job well by largely remaining a low profile and offering options for teammates. Stood out in the end with his lurking at the box to score off a poorly cleared corner to secure the victory.

Knud Vingegaard: 7
Fantastic performance in the first half, controlling the game through the midfield and nearly scoring an early goal if it wasn't for hitting the post. Played the most passes in the first half, and managed to exploit the space given by the opposition's two man midfield. Seemed to get bogged down much more after the first half hour or so, and appeared increasingly frustrated with some unnecessary ball losses. Taken off primarily for tactical reasons in the second half, but also looked includingly tired and slower over time.

Roman Jarmolenko: 6.5
Little to do as the game mostly ran over the left side, there when he was needed. Might have gotten a bit too comfortable in his position over time, as he left Leifsen alone a bit too much towards the end of the game, leading to some chances for dangerous runs from Pablo Albu. Great involvement in the 1-0 by delivering the cross that led to the goal, albeit against very little opposition from Lindsay.

My Mäkelä: 5
At this point probably doesn't know herself why she continuously starts on the left wing. Looks uncomfortable with the position and looks consistently to drift inside, which is both predictable and tends to interfere with Medberg Hansen. Largely struggled to make an impact, and looked a bit lost on the field. Some brief flashes of brilliance, such as when she managed to cut between Liesa and Sanchez towards the end of the first half but was caught offside. Clearly engaged and shows skill, but felt almost like a relief when she was taken off her uncomfortable position.

Rasmus Medberg Hansen: 6
Few options as he was very tightly marked by the defence, but could have dealt with this circumstance better. Occasionally seemed frustrated and over-motivated, rather than just being willing to shift to a more team-oriented playstyle and opening spaces for his teammates. Had his standout moment an hour in when he did manage to win a cross and set up Novikov for the leading goal.

Ruslan Novikov: 9
Fantastic work rate on the right wing, exploited space excellently and managed to control Lindsay throughout the entire game. Multiple times showed up almost by surprise in the place he needed to be, and got a great chance off as a consequence - including the goal, where he managed to hang back well to allow Medberg Hansen to head the ball back into his path. Willing to track back as well, and had a fantastic chance in the last fifteen minutes off a counter denied only by a spectacular reflex by the keeper.

Tom Krogstrup: 7
Replaced Mäkelä in Minute 61. Massive improvement to Savojarna's stability, controlling the extent to which Liesa and Howard managed to pressure back the Savojars. Good coordination with Riksdal, but sometimes left Barisjnikov hanging a bit in offence.

Elina Vantanen: 8
Replaced Vingegaard in Minute 67. Surprisingly strong performance, completely locking down the centre and falling off sideways a lot. Offensive impact was limited as the focus laid on defence, but included some great passes to the wing and an impressive ability to control and secure the ball in midfield. Almost flawless match, and involved in the 0-2 by playing the long ball towards Barisjnikov that created the corner leading to the second goal.

Lasse Holtby: -
Replaced Medberg Hansen in Minute 79. Too short performance to rate.

Restresas 0-2 Savojarna (0-0)
Summit Stadium, Mount Heavens (RST). Attendance: 52'940

Goals: 57' Novikov 0-1 (Medberg Hansen). 85' Vitol 0-2.
Yellow Cards: 7' Albu, 38' Lindsay, 67' Leifsen (all foul), 91' Valujev (slow play)
Red Cards: --
Remarks: Leifsen misses next match (yellow card accumulation). 14' Vingegaard (SVJ) hit post, 47' Cojocar (RST) hits crossbar.

Restresas: George - Lindsay, Albu, S. Sanchez (61' Jones), Liesa - L. Sanchez (55' Powas), Lindsay - Pablo Albu, Cojocar, Pablo, Howard (81' Dedmon).
Savojarna: Valujev - Riksdal, Röysveit, Leifsen - Barisjnikov, Vitol, Vingegaard (67' Vantanen), Jarmolenko - Mäkelä (61' Krogstrup), Medberg Hansen (79' Holtby), Novikov.

[Sarzonia]

There's a reason Sarzonian national team managers develop what is universally known amongst players, managers and even supporters of the teams as "the trap match speech."

Players on a team facing a lower-ranked opponent prior to a contest against a higher-ranked side have a tendency to look past their more lightly-regarded foes in anticipation of the match everyone is really looking forward to playing. It's just psychological reality, and every manager is aware of that.

That was especially true for the Sarzonian national football team when they hosted Osterhalten at Dave Wilson Stadium in Woodstock in a World Cup 97 qualifying match. Sarzonia's players except for forward Spencer Wilson went out carousing on Matchday Five instead of gathering to watch Osterhalten face Legalese.

The decision infuriated manager Caleb Rush, who felt he could trust his players to do the right thing, but went to a club that implicitly excluded the LGBTQIA+ community despite Wilson being gay. He forced the team to run laps around the practice pitch on the hottest, most humid day of the year, except for Wilson. He delivered an angry tongue-lashing and nearly came to blows with defender Bill Kelley.

The message was clearly delivered, but Sarzonia looked especially lethargic against Osterhalten in a 2-2 draw in front of what initially felt like a catatonic crowd of 78,914 that forcefully booed the team when it couldn't muster a rally against a triple-digit ranked team.

Kelley flipped the middle finger to supporters who directed their ire at him, and he yelled a slur at a pair of fans who donned rainbow and transgender flags. He would soon hear from Zack Wilson, Incorporated Football Federation chairman and the father of Spencer Wilson. Normally, Zack Wilson might have delegated the task of discipline to Rush or to technical director Horace Sandt, but when his son was involved, he wasn't leaving a damn thing to chance.

Kelley would be suspended for three matches, beginning with the all-important away battle with Flavovespia, the opponent everyone was anticipating. Because Kelley couldn't keep his composure, he would miss out on facing the 12th ranked team in the multiverse in a match that is now looking more urgent for the Stars. Sarzonia haven't lost a match in their first five contests, but they've now played four consecutive draws against lower-ranked teams.

"We're leaving points in the table on the pitch," Rush fumed after the Osterhalten result. "I know we have more margin for error with the 48-team World Cup field, but we can't afford to drop desperately-needed points." About Kelley's suspension, Rush could barely conceal his frustration and anger.

"He's absolutely got to show better judgment," Rush said. "I'm going to talk to him separately tomorrow morning." When asked if he played any role in the suspension, Rush tersely said, "take a wild guess."

As for Spencer Wilson, he was the only Stars player who played "worth a damn," against Osterhalten according to Rush. He scored both Sarzonian goals and regularly threatened the Osterhalten back line. Rush said he pulled Wilson in the 58th minute to keep him from exhausting himself.

"Spencer was playing both ends of the pitch," Rush said. "He was really the only one out there who played worth a damn."

Kelley referred interview questions to his agent. The team did not make him available for comment after the match.

[Darmen]

"B" Team Loses In Srubnaya culture, Learns B Stands For Bad

SCOTT CITY - As the All Greens return from a stunning and disapointing 5-2 loss to unranked Srubnaya culture, Riley Mac Pharlain will be ruing his decision to rest his first choice starting XI in a match that was supposed to be an "easy three points."

Defensively, the All Greens were terribly disorganized. Mac Pharlain was hoarse by halftime, having yelled from the touchline for the entirety of the first half in a vain attempt to get his back four in order. Center midfielder Sterling Allsopp tried his best to help out, but spent much of the first 45 minutes as a fifth defender. It didn't matter much, as Srubnaya culture scored three of their five goals before halftime.

Missing Allsopp in attack, Darmen lacked any intensity when they were on attack. Halftime allowed Mac Pharlain to sort out the team's defensive confusion, returning Allsopp to his rightful place in the midfield. Keefe Ó Maoil Eoin and Kelli Lovell were able to score a goal each in the first ten minutes of the second half, giving Darmeni fans reason to hope that Darmen could continue their comeback and at the very least salvage a draw.

But Woody Krause's bad goalkeeping put the kibosh on that. The 35 year old Krause, who's normally a solid goalkeeper for Royal PFC domestically, looked like a small child in goal, infernally slow to react to all five of the Srubnayan shots on goal. Failing to get so much as a finger on any of them, they all ended up in the back of the net.

With Darmen's winning streak snapped, the team will need to regroup as they attempt to separate themselves from the other teams in Group 17. Three teams are all on ten points, Darmen being one of them, joined by Banija and Eura. Darmen has a game in hand on Eura, as well as group toppers The Holy Empire, giving them a slight advantage for now as they continue their journey towards World Cup qualification.

Krause's journey might be over however, the loss to Srubnaya culture was his first international cap and will undoubtedly now be his last. We bid him adieu and hope he takes the memory of this disaster with him. We certainly don't want it.

[Tero al Disco]

STORY OF MY LIFE PART 3 - NARCISO GIOVANNI

Narciso Giovanni Moreira, 28 years old, b. 1998 in San Miguel, San Miguel.

After milking the cow that is the Tero al Disco city metropolitan zone, and a small look at how its administrative-subdivisional-cultural intricacies work, we now head east to the province of San Miguel, whose territory covered in fertile farmland, and its temperate weather makes it be dead-center inside the Terense agricultural heartland.

Tero al Disco is a country largely centralised around its namesake capital city, mainly due to its status as a port city, which is really contradictory considering that the country has been isolated from the world for a while somehow, so assume that it's done trade largely with other nations from Hive...errr...maybe the Plot Convenience Corporation will take care of that one.....And in relation to that there's obviously no reason why San Miguel shouldn't be considered as an indispensable city to the Terense economy, no reason why it shouldn't be considered important enough to be a potential, alternative capital city of Tero al Disco. The agricultural industry, the cultivation of wheat, corn, soy, potatoes, etc., as well as the livestock industry based in San Miguel are key providers of food for the Terense population (because that's kinda one of the things that the agricultural industry tends to do...), especially in the now past era of """"isolation"""", which resulted San Miguel being a huge force in the Terense economy, even huger than how it was before whenever that era started.

The city of San Miguel itself has a rather interesting positioning inside the province. Despite being a major player in the economy of the country, you'd expect it to be a major urban centre as well, but it is positioned in the middle of nowhere in the countryside, being either a major urban centre, a city sustained built around the rural work, or a city where all the major agricultural companies have their headquarters in, or all of the above, we don't know. However, it is still, again, an essential place for the functioning of the Terense economy due to being the nucleus of the rural industry and the reasons that we have discussed before, that's how it got its status.

The province of San Miguel is like if it were its own country with the diversity of environments going from city to city. In the center, there's San Miguel city and the fertile farmlands that we've talked about, but going to the coastal east there is Punta de Agua, Tero al Disco's biggest beach resort, as well as other coastal settlements which also double as fishing centers, including Trestrí, Puerto Ramallo and Punta de Agua itself. In the southwest, close to the border with another province, Independencia, San Miguel has another key economic source in the exploitation of gas and oil, found in the Berardi hydrocarbon deposits, not far away from the Mintaré Raijúa mountain range (which forms much of Tero al Disco's southern border), with towns like Arias and Mondragón existing thanks to the work opportunities in the area.

Narciso Giovanni was born there in 1998, to a father who was a metalworker (as the city also has some impact in the metallurgical industry), and a mother who was a physics professor at the University of San Miguel. He also had four more siblings, so that scenario, combined with the occassional lack of supply as the government of the day (being at the wheel of a relatively small country like Tero al Disco) took a protectionist approach, made Giovanni and others not be able to have access to all of life's pleasures. That's why many, including Narciso, took "humbler" pathways, like football. Narciso got introduced, shall we say, to football by playing on the streets with the other kids. Playing street football left a mark on him, now being reflected by his aggresive style. "When we played on the street I was at first a timid kid. There were these two tall guys, Iñigo and Coco. Those were the asshole kids of the neighbourhood. I played really well at the left flank, and that's how I got to be a midfielder, but the guys just went in hard, the streets were this bogus pavement, and they were going at my shins! Iñigo had some shred of humanity at least, but Coco was a cheater; he always forced himself in Iñigo's team."

When he was nine years old, he signed up for the youth academy of Manuel Rodríguez de San Miguel, based in his home neighbourhood of Palacio Pumilla. Manuel Rodríguez was one of the most important national heroes, being a key player in the formation of the Terense state, with tons of streets, landmarks and football clubs named after him. Back to the topic, although Narciso had struggled to start up in a competitive environment at first, in the following years he'd exhibit his excellence, his flair, the occassional shithousing, his tackles, etc. He turned out to be a very hyped prospect, so much so that the main club of the city, San Miguel FBC, made an informal deal with Manuel Rodríguez (club), in which San Miguel would pay Rodríguez with a goal, a tiny grandstand, 5 liters of paint, and 500 pesos (worth approximately jack S.) for the then 14-year-old Giovanni. With formal transfers of players below the age of 18 being banned by the Terense FA, these informal transfers for hot prospects are way too common. Although for academies in the Capital those types of transfers stopped some 15 years ago, in the interior, where the feeling is admittedly that of the capital but from 15 years ago, they're still way too common.

Despite this, there were many major clubs nationwide looking for a young left midfielder like him. Eventually, Nacional Terense approached him when he was 15 and again, an "informal" transfer, "informal" contract, and he left for the capital city, for a chance to play in one of the two best clubs in Tero al Disco.

Everything was going well for him, he was going to have a chance to make his debut by 18 a club like Nacional. Three years removed from a national title, and with dissapointing performances in the last seasons, their new manager, Lorenzo Juárez, had been brought in to get the club back on its feet at all costs, but Giovanni's biggest obstacle would be Juárez himself. Lorenzo emphasised a risk-free style of football, and Giovanni's usually very risky tackles and his tendency to get into skirmishes sometimes didn't go with Juárez. At 19 years old he had already debuted, but he got next-to-none playing time, with Juárez deciding to loan him off to Sportivo Escobar for the 2017 season.

In Escobar, he could manage to make his name known across the league, although by himself he couldn't change how the club tended to never try and get its hands on the title after staying in the upper echelons of the table. That's how he was signed again by Nacional, with a new manager this time, Antonio de Cotis, who would absolutely allow a playstyle like the one Narciso had. His sour memories from being in Lorenzo Juárez's Nacional would continue to plague him, as he underperformed with the red and yellows. He was then sold off to Tacurú a year later, with the team not achieving much, and that's how Sportivo Escobar somehow got motivated to re-sign him for season 2023.

Although, again, he took a little while to launch off, playing at Sportivo, Narciso felt quite at home, re-taking his role as a key unit in the left side of the field. This was accentuated when in an Escobar derby fixture, against Independiente, he made all three assists on route to a dominating 3-0 win over Caide. And it would be in the 2024 season, the first since the lift on international isolation, where he would break out to the eyes of the world. Sportivo Escobar reached 2nd place led by players like goalkeeper Eduardo Acciaio, Hernando Lucero, Maximiliano Alesci, Mateo Portelli, Giovanni himself, coming two points away from winning their first ever Nacional A title. The next cycle he would be sold to a top Vanorian team like Soldarian, reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League and featuring in the team of the season for the Vanorian Premiership, and that'd be how he's expected to take a key role on the left-midfield for the Teros in the coming years, hopefully before his prime years run out.

[Eshialand]

Passing on By
Eshialand 5-2 Libonesia

"And that's going to be one heck of a win, the final score being 5-2..."
"It's nice to see those really high-scoring games, they don't happen often but boy howdy when they do, I'm always glued to the TV!"
"But Karsten... you're the one on the TV..."
"Did I say to the TV? I meant to my chair."

While beating Libonesia was an absolute success, there was still a figure looming large in the distance, rapidly approaching; and that figure was going 5-0-1 so far, their only loss being to Sajnur.

This team's next opponents would be the first-seeded Tanirinthians, and they were definitely the elephant in the room when it came to their remaining schedule in the first half. The Alezians, while being unranked, could still be a surprise if the Owls weren't careful with them; after all, they started out 2-0-1, so clearly not paying attention to them was a very bad idea. And as for Restresas, their final matchup in the first half... their first WCQ performance was coming with a lot of struggling, unfortunately. While neither of these opponents could be underestimated, a lot more heed was still going to be paid to the matchup against Tanirinthia.

At first glance, there didn't seem to be much this team could even do against the Mighty Oaks. With 25 goals scored in the span of 6 games, this team were absolute offensive juggernauts, and Christian Meers was gonna have his work cut out for him making sure that none of their shots could slip by him. As for a concrete plan for the rest of the team?

Well, a lot of studying their game tape, there wasn't really much you could point to and say "that, that's what we need to be working on." Regrettably, the only real advice Kenny could give was that they need to bring their A game no matter what... and maybe have a few tricks up their sleeves along the way.

Mixing things up with your playstyle is always a good thing. Throwing the other team off-guard can't exactly hurt... so, much time was spent drafting up new ideas for how this game could be played, but it all boiled down to one thing... attack, attack, attack. Tanirinthia had a penchant for scoring a lot of goals in their games? Well, then Eshialand would just have to score even more. Simple math, really.

Would any of this end up working out? Realistically, nobody on the team had much of a clue... but it couldn't hurt to try. Nothing ever hurts to try.

[Kirungabi]

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World Cup 97 — Matchdays 5 and 6

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Alexandrianonismo 0 - 1 Kirungabi
2' Rungayindo Gatabazi

BYE

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Memoirs of a People's Plight: Resistance

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Innocent Uburiganya joined droves of Barebare who were offered the privilege of orderly exile — as opposed to ethnic violence — in the early days of the Second Kirungan Revolt, when the spirited, late-twenties revolutionaire Gregoire Gicumuro, and sprightly Fupi community elder Siwazuri Ubwenge, catapulted Fupi peasants and commoners to power and independence, against the Anglophone administrators and their local bourgeois Barebare henchmen. Word in Barebare communities outside of Democratic Kirungabi alleged that there was a third Fupi member among the coup-mounting duo, "Father Freedom" and First Kirungan Revolt mastermind Mutoni Mwanzilishi, and that his ideals of ethnic unity and cooperation had been categorically rejected by the new ruling diarchy to the point of extermination by Fupi Pride fundamentalists.

Whatever the case, the volume of information on the state of affairs in Democratic Kirungabi was largest in the Astograthian city of Basabe, the most common urban center that Kirungan exiles managed to drag themselves out to after deportation, and the ensuing cross-continent trek through Djocoranga, Mwembamba, and Vermark. The lakeside city was the destination of choice for the most well off and best educated Barebare elites — those who enjoyed the cocktail bars, cricket matches, and horse races elbow-to-elbow with the Anglophone rulers at the Abongereza Olympic Arena — who regrouped in their safe haven and fed off information relayed by relatives and colleagues as they continued to emigrate. In the early period of the People's Republic of Democratic Kirungabi, most refugees, arriving in large numbers, were more keen on chronicling the struggle of reaching Astograth than their journeys out of Kirungabi proper. As the 80s approached, new arrivals dwindled in volume, and the handful of Barebare that admitted that the PRDK's government had powered their homes, paved their roads, and fixed their schools paled in numbers against those with scarred cheeks, slashed shoulders, and thousand yard stares. The demographic had shifted, too: the Barebare that had originally made the Basabe community a disproportionately wealthy and educated clique had all but vanished in the waves of Barebare that arrived at the turn of the decade; by 1981, there were just, alarmingly, a handful of new arrivals, whose stories of economic hardship, hunger, and violent persecution painted a bleak, somber picture for the Barebare remaining in the PRDK.

Among the earliest refugees to arrive in Basabe, and thus one of the most promient members of the community of exiles, was Pasteur Gisa, a reserve Dominion Defense Guard captain and history professor from the city of Abongereza who, upon arrival in Astograth, quickly rallied fellow Barebare to form the tight-knit community. Gisa and Uburiganya met spontaneously at the university where Pasteur was an advisor, when the then-twenty and recently orphaned Innocent was already halfway through his economics undergraduate degree, and the two Barebare instantly formed a bond tied to the plight of their Kirungan brethren. In 1981, word had reached Gisa from a recently-arriving refugee that a considerably sized community of Barebare exiles and refugees were engaged in black-market trade in the unclaimed territory along the northern border of Kirungabi; economic hardship in the PRDK, and confiscatory export tariffs imposed by the government, motivated northwestern coffee farmers and mineral miners to channel their exports directly to black-market smuggler boats on the Gushumeka and Mushikiwabo Rivers, which ran along the banks of Butare and Abongereza, rather than to the Ministry of Commerce via the faraway cities of Imisozi and Gusohora, which were separated from their settlements by kilometers of untamed bush, treacherous roads, and deadly lake crossings. Sensing an opportunity, and a growing climate of equal parts resentment and patriotism among Basabe's now heterogeneous community of Barebare refugees, Gisa convinced the raring and almost indentured Uburiganya to join him, and a couple thousand more Barebare, to return to the Kirungan border in clandestinity to join the smugglers deviating Kirungabi's resources across the multiverse — and to put the profits to noble use.

Upon arrival at the smugglers' main camp, Gisa — by then having gained eminence among Barebare abroad as a prominent exile community leader — was welcomed with open arms to join the ranks of the highly-efficient resource trafficking machine, his comparatively anonymous right-hand man Uburiganya unquestioned by the smugglers' higher-ups. As the contrabandists elaborated on their modus operandi, brandishing scores of underused weaponry and exposing their sloppy organization to former military man Gisa, the Abongerezese professor quickly put half-economic major Uburiganya to work on optimizing the business. The goods themselves, dependent on the complicity of corrupt customs officers of the FAPAKI People's Patriotic Army, often arrived crushed under one or two Barebare fleeing the PRDK, brandishing burn marks and machete cuts and relaying stark truths about economic stagnation, rife corruption, isolation in regions beyond the scope of the capital, and an increase in ethnic tensions and violence at the mercy of increasingly inflammatory radio broadcasts of the Radiotélevision publique de Kirungabi. Appalled and spurred by anger, Gisa could see fertile land in the PRDK, and ample resources in the smuggling camp, for the birth of a successful rebel movement to destroy the Gicumuro and Ubwenge government. Seeing how quickly Uburiganya had settled into a rhythm in optimizing the contraband operation, trusting in the twenty-something's learning capacity, and banking on collecting enough intelligence on — and garnering enough rapport with — FAPAKI's border and customs controls, all that was left to do was to roll up his sleeves and rally the few thousand exiles at his disposal to return to Kirungabi.

By 1983, the Kirungabi Barebare Liberation Force — as coined by Uburiganya — had become a thousands-strong army stationed in the no man's land north of Kirungabi, led by General Gisa. The group's trade routes had strengthened and become even more lucrative as the PRDK grappled with spiraling inflation, and their FAPAKI troops and customs agents gradually lost faith in the faraway central government in Imisozi. It was not unheard of for FAPAKI officers to defect from Kirungabi to join the KBLF's efforts — so long as they assured their allegiance to the rebels and stayed within close range of the watchful eyes of Gisa and Uburiganya, their military training was of great use to prepare the KBLF for armed struggle. They also knew, being Fupi and from the enemy's army, that should they slip up or try to return to Kirungabi with a wealth of intelligence on the rebel activity outside the country's borders, their certain fate if caught by Gisa or Uburiganya would be execution — at the least.

As the new year rolled around, and after months of careful planning, Gisa decided it would be fruitful for the KBLF to seek refuge within Kirungabi to start the resistance from within their borders. Exploiting the corruption rife in the FAPAKI, seeing how well Uburiganya had settled into his new role of troop commander, and funded by increasingly profitable black market activity, General Gisa pierced Kirungabi's borders just north of the indomitable jungle of the Vilima Natural Reserve, siphoning troops and resources into the natural park to establish a network of covert bases and strongholds in amongst the bush. Run-ins with FAPAKI patrols in the reserve were not common, but expected, and certainly deadly; regardless, it was not until 1986 — by which time there were several thousand Barebare scattered across the Vilima Natural Reserve, and hundreds of well-bribed, complicit FAPAKI border patrols and park rangers — that the alarm bells sounded in Gicumuro and Ubwenge's dispatch, hundreds of kilometers of untouched jungle, and behind the massive Mount Biteye volcano, to the south. Around the same time, both General Gisa and then-Commander Innocent agreed that sooner, rather than later, the KBLF had to prepare to expand beyond the reserve, to gauge public support in urban centers and continue to expand the KBLF's influence. Faced with a sudden uptick in new, better trained, and more loyal FAPAKI patrols, the army welcomed 1987 with considerable westward expansion, breaking out of the confines of the reserve to establish the urban Gisa-led KBLF-A, in the still Barebare-majority city of Abongereza, and the far larger, black-market oriented, Uburiganya-led KBLF-B, based in the lawless mining city of Butare, but spread out considerably across the rolling plantations and mineral mines — the rebels' cash cows — of the north-west. The growing notoriety of the KBLF, though, would soon and very suddenly become apparent.

[North Oharan Valley Union]

Timestamp: 14 July 2024 - 16h13
Tags: Football, World Cup 97, Green Lions

---

Facts and Figuring Out
The successful new attacking plan explained in seven numbers

A lot has been said about the glaring holes in our defensive line-up and the last doubleheader exposed those to a point of national shame. Only four sides in the whole qualifying campaign do worse in terms of goals against and despite seeing the halfway point in the distance, the Green Lions have so far survived just a single half without conceding. And still, they managed to look not completely like fish out of water lately. In the confrontation with United Hawkland, they struggled for most of the game but ensured a captivating extra-time with a late 3-4 goal. And on the next matchday, they stunned the Survivors as they nicked a point from the Philosophia Colosseum.

That is because for all their flaws, the Oharese line-up proved to be productive and more importantly, decisive in the final third. Eleven goals came from a foot of the Green Lions and only 34% of the qualifying field did better. An accomplishment by head coach Baltuk, but many add compliments for T3 Mikhail Avnetadze. At 37, Avnetadze is by far the junior member of the training staff but his fellow trainers do not hesitate to wave compliments to him. Once a promising midfielder for Merani Tbindali, his career petered out at twenty-four. A series of calf injuries had gotten the better of him and as he started higher education as a physio, Avnetadze disappeared from the football grounds for a while.

A few years later he resurfaced as physio for the Tbindali youth, quickly moving up through the various categories. When Senat Rambyan got the sack as manager, the U23 coach had to step up and Avnetadze got installed as ad hoc youth manager. What should have been a two-week assignment became a three-year position in a club that was going through rough weather, both financially and managerial. Still, Merani remained a strong brand on the pitch, not in the least as youth products picked up the gaps left by sold players plugging the red numbers in the books. When Merani won the title and the sitting manager announced his departure, many insiders expected Avnetadze to take the reins.

He refused. A decision that still makes him persona non grata in the vicinity of the Tbindali Martyrs Stadium, especially as he left for an assistant job with the despised Kalaki Kadzjors. A ridiculous move at first sight but Avnetadze wanted to work with the eccentric Stepan Grigoryan. Incomprehensible for the papers (his ten-second press conferences are legendary) and always struggling with boards or directors, but also a mastermind in psychology and the father of the false ten in the Valley. The impact of Grigoryan lives on, via Avnetadze, in the way Ievalds Krastins plays his role for the Green Lions.

In his day job, Krastins is the creative linchpin of the successful Vilarme FK. The heralded side from Strauzeme focuses on dominant football and Krastins, with his vision, his assists and his valued contribution in the pressing, plays a crucial role in that. But that was initially not echoed in the green and red. Most observers saw his first few games as subpar, with little involvement and a low intensity. Still the last two games showed that Baltuk did not make him the sole player to start all six qualifiers for the Vilarme player he is, but as the Green Lion he could be. That means that he needs to stay out of the center: 73% of his offensive touches were made in the halfspaces rather than the central corridor.

It makes what most originally considered to be a dull diamond 4-4-2 an intriguing exercise in balance. In most cases, a false ten is used to create a majority on one side and that is where the midfield duo comes in: a tireless Rosendahl helps to outnumber the opposition while Karapetyan or Metakvili balance the line-up. On the counterattack and with forward-facing wingbacks, this allows North Oharan Valley Union to put four players in an attacking space. And still, three of the four assists from Krastins were made in the heart of the illustrious ‘zone 14’. This highlights the role of Timur Ghazaryan, the target man in the formation who ensures our attack has teeth and if times are rough, an elbow (a role alternatively and satisfactory picked up by Deivs Dombrovskis at times).

From a physical viewpoint, Ghazaryan is everything you want from a big guy up front. Many assumed he could also shine as the center of three-man attack, but two short experiments on the NT with that failed. Avnetadze and Baltuk found a more useful purpose for their main striker: wreaking havoc at the edge of the box, keeping possession and finding his teammates once sufficient defensive attention is focused on him. That in itself makes Ghazaryan a vital player but the Banvor forward brings more to the table: clinical finishing. Despite a modest 2.47 xG, Ghazaryan slotted home five goals already. His last one, sliding in a loose ball for the 3-4 against the Hawks, told everything about the impact he has on the tenacity of the team.

Facing Zenic, the Valley Union side was a little more than just hardworking. An early 2-0 seemed to lock up the game. Most losing sides tend to flip the script in that case, but after a failed powerplay against Delitai, North Oharan Valley Union tends to keep the ship steady in the first place. Over the last five games, possession rate barely changes when drawn or when behind, from 37% to 39%. Nonetheless, this still results in chances as the third peak of the attacking triangle comes in full swing in those cases: another aspect of our tactical plan rooted in the impact of Mikhail Avnetadze.

Most, if not all, people involved in football remained firmly in the valleys but before it was considered an option, Avnetadze already broadened his horizon. Having one night read through the FAC Development Charter online (which he claims to be a pageturner), Avnetadze applied for a stint in the associated development center in Birkenfeld and to his surprise, he received a welcoming reply from director of coaching development Thomas Jones. Those three months in Baker Park highly influenced his vision on football, not just due to the time spent learning the ‘BP Way’ but also via the interaction with an international group of twenty to thirty coaches with varying experiences and views.

Mind you, what the Green Lions bring to the field is not a carbon copy of what Trevor Richmond had in mind: Avnetadze is the first to claim that the current selection is not yet capable to execute the pressing required for ninety minutes. But those in the know will recognize the fast passing sequences when moving forward and the way Jens Holmsen operates. Domestically, he operates in the shadow of the not-selected Sendall but Baltuk and Avnetadze managed to bring out the best version of him: a poacher who faces the goal and does a lot of hidden work. When it comes to distance covered, Holmsen outruns nearly all attackers in our qualifying group but it starkly contrasts with the number of touches.

When in minute 72 Timur Ghazaryan, back to the goal, controlled a pass from Metakvili before cleverly passing it diagonally behind Thuan Byford, there were only nine touches by Holmsen. It is the kind of statistical absence that inspires most coaches to a substitution (if it would not have been exact duty). But the man with the number nine on his back converted his tenth touch of the game with a low shot past Mosley. His eleventh touch also came in the box before an impatient Hodge tackled him: penalty and Krastins showed little mercy.

It is one point salvaged to break a losing streak but more importantly, to raise morale. With a vacation day on the agenda, ahead of welcoming Esportivan top team and joined group leaders Tumbra, a next points win could be quite far away. The next realistic chance for a win could be the away game against Riena, fellow debutants whose fast and fluid style can pose a new head scratcher for the Green Lions. But part of me assumes that Mikhail Avnetadze already has that figured out.

---

Details in this RP about the FAC Development Center were made with the appreciated assistance and permission from Commonwealth of Baker Park

[Doubeia]

Promise
Chapter 3
During the 1.League away match versus Guardia Pomeranian

---

Kylo looked anxiously between the referee and his teammate. He wasn't sure if the referee was on with the plan; his teammates clearly weren't seeing how they were playing. Usually his father would tell him, "Just win." This time round, however, Kylo was given a second goal: to win by two goals or more. Winning by itself was already not the easiest thing in the world; winning by two seemed like a tall task. Still, Kylo didn't want to disappoint his father. He didn't like how his dad reacted when his team drew the previous round. It wasn't that his dad threatened or abused him, but Kylo had to admit his father was a genius at instilling fear in others.

"You know the consequences if results do not go our way..." Kylo's dad mused, "It's not just the money." They met at the restaurant they'd always convene at. His dad always kept a stoic face, an unassuming appearance, but Kylo knew there was more to his alibi. As he looked towards his father sitting across him, he felt a bit queasy. His father was an unreadable book. Kylo wasn't sure what he meant by the consequences being "not just the money", but did he want to find out? Curiosity killed the cat and he was not about to turn himself into one. He looked in his father's eyes, empty as a vessel. His father cleared his throat to disrupt the awkward silence.

"Next game, win by two or more."

"Huh?"

"What's with the surprise?"

"You don't usually say that."

"So? We're guaranteed to cash out the max if you do that. Don't want the money?"

That was how Kylo found himself exerting himself on the pitch more than usual. 70 minutes in the match, and the game was still tied 1-1.

"Pass the ball! I'm open!"

Kylo tried to get the attention of his teammates, but they seemed to be more concerned with playing the possession game than go for goal. It was frustrating, and as the clock marched towards full-time, he started to become more desperate for any goal-scoring opportunity.

"Zhikin!" Kylo could hear his teammate Miguel de Fiore shout from behind him. Instinctively, he positioned his body to receive a pass. As the ball landed at his feet, Kylo only knew how to run straight for goal. The path wasn't unobstructed, and from his peripheral vision he could see a swath of players arriving to tackle and defend against him. Just then, he felt something lightly graze his leg and—

"Argh, fuck!" Kylo went down, clenching his leg as if his bones disintegrated right there. It was pathetic. He knew it was pathetic. He didn't have a choice though. He would have the ball snatched from him anyway, so why not fight for a free kick? As teammates and opponents surrounded him, an argument ensued above him.

"The fuck, I barely touched his leg!" Burnely Skryabina, alleged tackler of Kylo Zhikin, immediately started to defend herself.

"That's still a free kick!" Ryker retorted.

"That doesn't make any sense!"

"Ref, give her a red card!" Ryker was getting to Skryabina's head so well she lost control of herself and promptly shouldered him to the ground.

Push came to shove, and when Skryabina knocked Ryker down, all hell broke loose. Punches and swears were thrown as the referee and team captains tried to diffuse the situation. The fans in the stadium were loving this scene. Both sides of fans were chanting for their team, and some were even engaging in their own fan fights. Even the players on the benches were taunting each other. To some it was all football banter, to others this was barbaric indecency. For 5 minutes in Port Pomeranian, the stadium had become a brawl pit. When the situation had calmed down, the referee gave a free kick to Kylo's team. The referee eventually started to card players on and off the pitch, including Skryabina. As she saw the reds of the card, she whirled around and angrily stomped towards Kylo who was still writhing on the ground. She gave him one last glare and a kick on his butt before heading back into the stadium. Kylo couldn't see her face from down below, but he knew that his plan had worked.

As his teammate set the ball down and hit the ball on the free kick, Kylo could see the displeased eyes of the Guardia players. He'd riled them up, and he would definitely enjoy taunting them on the ball.

Thud. The ball was launched into the air, right towards Kylo's head.

Thud. Kylo gave the ball a proper header, and the ball found itself in the back of the goal.

Everything after that occurred in a flurry. Kylo didn't know what happened, but he could hear the jubilant cries of his teammates and fans, the swearing of the Guardia players, and a slurry of slurs and curses from the home fans. He was loving this. This was why he played football. He stood in front of the home fans with arms outstretched. He knew he knickered their britches when they started to find things to throw at his direction, but he fled the moment the first plastic bottle was flung at him.

Ethelfled were in the lead, and with 16 minutes left, they could afford to waste the time they needed. Ethelfled's passing game was sublime, and no matter how hard the Guardia players tried to break their flow the Ethelfled players were way too skillful on the ball. Kylo himself was pulling tricks with the ball: rainbow flicks, ball control exercises, and he even tried balancing the ball on his head. The game had become a circus show, and Guardia were getting humiliated in front of their own fans. Kylo was having too much fun. He enjoyed playing with the ball as if he were a child on the streets. He adored the roaring cheers of his fans and the cacophonous booing of the others. He loved seeing how his teammates were having fun with the ball. Kylo knew he was doing too much, and after some time his teammates stopped their antics. Kylo didn't though. This was football.

The match ended 2-1 and the outside of the stadium became a fighting arena between the home and away fans. You could blame it on Doubeinese fan culture, but Kylo also had a role to play. He flew back to Ethelfled with a clear mind and a happy heart. That was, until he received a message from his father.

Meet me when you land.

His father never texted him so early after a game. What's wrong?

Upon touchdown, Kylo immediately went to the regular rendezvous place. His father was sat in the restaurant with a dark look in his eyes. When Kylo sat down, his dad started things off.

"What did I tell you to do?"

"Oh..." Kylo then realised what his father was on about, but it was too little too late. The game had ended. There was no way to go back in time.

"The opportunity was served on a golden platter for you. 16 minutes is more than enough to score another goal. You could have scored a hat-trick, for good time's sake. What were you doing instead? Fooling around with the ball? Not bothering to create any chances?" He pulled out a receipt. The bill in bold was damning. Negative 135,000 Doubeinese gin.

"That was how much we lost from you not playing damn football. The payout from the other bets doesn't even cover this. We're getting the referees in on this, but you acting like a kid on the field doesn't help things at all." Kylo's dad had a certain disappointment in his voice, and to Kylo, disappointment was far scarier than anger. He was having fun trying to rile up the opposition that he forgot about his other objective. Seeing the receipt put it all in perspective. Kylo didn't know what to say, so he continued to sit in silence.

"Learnt your lesson? Fucking play football." His father left Kylo just like he did Kylo's mother. In the darkness of the night, Kylo sat in deep thought. He then stood up and made his way back to his apartment. He would have to play for real now.

---

Match information for MD5 vs Avisora (away)

Avisora         2   -   2   Doubeia            
E. Vega (51')               Miloradova (30', 53')  
H. Vega (88')

Match information for MD6: Bye

NIL

Starting XI for MD7 vs Poafmersia (away)

Zhvikov (GK), Shikolenko, Andreyushkin, Entin, Ortega, Khlebnikov, Borisenko (C), Travkin, Umanov, Zhikin, Demidov
Available subs - Fontzivin, Maximoff, Tsyzyrev, Artemyev, Voskresensky, Olefskiy, Elmpt

Starting XI for MD8 vs Sargossa (home, Stade de Pruxxé)

Leonova, Antipova, Menshikova, Dunayevskaya, Barkova, Miloradova, Shubina (C), Kuznetsova, Marin, Rozhkova, Kuzenkova-Domínguez
Available subs - Korneyeva, Miloshevich, Grande, Tupytsyna, Mamykina, Oborina, Ozerova

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

Undertow

OOC: Synopsis thus far
Over the past several years, Squornshelous has seen significant immigration, including large refugee populations who have formed their own communities alongside native ethnicities, and pre-existing immigrant groups. This has led to concern about increasing crime, particularly among right-leaning segments of society, and there has been an overall increase in the number of organized crime factions active in the Confederacy. The story has followed three point of view characters. The first is Detective Lieutenant Jarogniew “Jarek” Brixen, who is a young anti-narcotics officer posted in the city of Lublova, which is in the far west of the SRS, on the border with Quebec. Both native and Quebecois criminal factions are active in the city, primarily in drug smuggling. Recently, an attempted assassination of a Lublova crime figure led to a shootout in public and several innocent deaths, putting the spotlight on the city. The second character is Oihana “Hana” Redrin, a small-time criminal living in the large, centrally-located city of Brantisvogan. She and her partner, Cristián Refuerzo are obliged to work for a long-established Sarzonian-Squornshelan criminal organization, but recently tried to get into drug dealing in partnership with a rival group based in the old Imperial Squornshelan capital, Vogsphere. They were caught, and are more firmly under the Sarzonians' thumb than ever, though they're plotting a way out. The final character is Torsten “Lykken” Sitnikov, a mid-level gangster based in the eastern port city of Arkintoofle, but reporting to bosses across the straights in Santraginus (I really need to make a map, lol). His organization are fierce rivals of the Vogsphere gang, and have also been doing business with the group who carried out the attempted hit in Lublova. He is worried that things are getting out of control, but isn't sure what to do about it. Finally, a macguffin very large, invaluable diamond was found to have been switched with a fake, and the whereabouts of the genuine item are unknown, though a suspiciously similar gem was stolen by Hana and Cristián and appropriated by their immediate boss, el Copioso. Approximately one year has passed since the previous chapter.

Chapter 12
Hana

"All in all, we've arrived about where we'd expected to be, if not quite in the way we expected."

The soundtrack of a sports analysis program blared from an open window a few stories up from where Hana clung to the side of a mid-rise apartment building in Bekk Row. Gecko pads on her gloves and tabi boots spread her weight over the rough surface of the concrete as she peered upward at the source of the noise. "Second place, with a match in hand on both Farfadillis and Milchama is a good spot to be in, though the real test is coming up in a few weeks, of course."

A little over a century or so ago this had been a wealthy district, close to the banks and businesses of Center City, but not too close. There had been a small stream winding around the base of the hill there, long since paved over now. The neighborhood had spiraled when the elites fled the inner cities in the wake of the civil war and independence. When they'd eventually returned, it wasn't to the drafty, antiquated buildings that waited here, but to glass-walled penthouses high above the streets and the commoners filling them. Stately old houses were divided up and rented out, while others crumbled and were replaced by squat, utilitarian concrete growths like the one Hana was climbing. She and Cristián had picked this building, not only because there was an apartment full of production equipment whose owner was on holiday, but because a burned out streetlight and a the windowless back wall of an adjacent building conspired to make accidental observation of her ascent all but impossible. The climb itself was tricky, with little purchase on the building's weathered concrete, but the inconsiderate jerk insisting the entire neighborhood listen to football pundits with him was covering the noise pretty nicely.

"Playing away at La Fantás is never going to be easy, especially with the attack stalled out the way it is. The good news is the defense has been great so far, and Bláha looks rock solid."

"Oh enough of the constant optimism, this team needs a shot in the arm, and Madeiros has to make the tough decisions now and not later. The time to sit Rasha Sargsa has come."

The argument on the broadcast up above intensified, spilling out into the night as Hana arrived on the windowsill of her target. She reached to the various tools dangling off the back of her belt for the glass cutter, then paused. She set her right hand and feet securely on either side of the building's corner, she reached her left hand out and spread the fingers over the glass pane. Amazingly, it was unlocked, and Hana had to stifle the impulse to laugh. This was supposed to be a test run for Copioso's place after all, it wasn't supposed to be this easy. She carefully levered the window further up, and inched across, flattening herself against the wall to get both hands on the sill, and then folding herself through and into the apartment.

No alarms. Only the muted voices from the floor above, debating which striker gave the Black-and-Reds the best chance to upset the Vherderoja. Good, their case job had been good, although that almost certainly wouldn't be the case when they went after the diamond. Ah well, one thing at a time. Hana unhooked a carefully folded framework, snapping it out to form a triangle of impossibly thin fullerene struts with a pulley at the top. Bracing it against the windowsill, she now retrieved a black cord from her belt, threaded it through the pulley before sending it down to Cristián, waiting below with the truck. After a moment, a quick double tug on the rope let her know it was ready, and she hauled it back up, finding the lightweight but strong cargo net attached at the end. Over the next half hour they carefully cleared the apartment of valuables, lowering each piece of electronics carefully and securinYeahg it in the truck bed. Only once did they have to pause. A quick warning signal from Cristián with a forty-pound piece of electronics dangling six stories above the alleyway while a group of drunk teenagers stumbled past. Once they had all the loot, Hana disassembled her pulley rig and carefully, patiently shimmied back down the wall to the ground, with one last exchange from upstairs drifting by as she climbed into the truck's cab

"After that, I hope you like porridge because we're headed to Grød Island!"

Textbook job. It made Hana nervous. If something had gone wrong, she could've figured it out, been prepared next time. As they drove the truck to the handoff with Román, Copioso's fixer. She kept thinking that there was a flaw somewhere in the plan, and finally said as much to Cristián. Annoyingly, he was supportive rather than reassuring. "If you want to call it off I'll back you. It's a big risk, and there's only so much we can do to case the place without drawing attention."

"No, we've already put to much into this, and besides, the promises we made to the Islanders are the only thing keeping them off our back while we pay them back for what we lost to Copioso."

"That's sunk cost fallacy, babe, just because we've come this far doesn't mean we have to keep going, or even that its a good idea."

"I'll sink my foot into your ass if you quote fucking logical fallacies at me again. Do you want out? Is that what this is?"

"No, we can do this, but you're the one who's going to climb up Copioso's building and drop in his window. You're taking on the biggest risk, so it's your call if you want to push it back, or call it off."

Hana sighed deeply, "We can't put the Islanders off any more. We have to get Raps the rest by the end of the month, and there's no way we can come up with that much cash in time."

"No more extensions then?"

"I think his exact words were that he would have Ljotur turn me inside out."

"Asshole."

"Yeah, well he's holding all the cards isn't he? We have to go through with it. Keep our ear to the ground, next time Copioso heads out of town we go."

Qualifying Schedule and Results:

MD01 SRS 2–0 RPJ @ Slavnareczpospolitastadion (cap. 61,230), Lublova, Molvania, SRS
MD02 MIL 0–2 SRS @ What Stadium (cap. How Many), Where, Milchama
MD03 SRS 1–0 AMN @ Emerald Coast Coliseum (cap. 38,500), Vassilian, Algolia, SRS
MD04 AUP 0–0 SRS @ TBA
MD05     BYE
MD06 SRS 3–2 REV @ Green Heart Center (cap. 20,760), Han Wavel, Han Dold, SRS
MD07 FFD  v  SRS @ La Fantás (cap. 70,000), Ferdullaele, Ferdullaele, FFD
MD08 SRS  v  GRI @ Synesoft Arena (cap. 46,950), Syneca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD09 VFT  v  SRS @ TBA
MD10 RPJ  v  SRS @ Kotiga Arena (cap. 54,600), Kotiga, RPJ
MD11 SRS  v  MIL @ Vogsphere Arena (cap. 90,000), Vogsphere, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD12 AMN  v  SRS @ TBA
MD13 SRS  v  AUP @ Viltvodle Civic Arena (cap. 58,300), Viltvodle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD14     BYE
MD15 REV  v  SRS @ TBA
MD16 SRS  v  FFD @ Radlov Arena (cap. 76,800), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD17 GRI  v  SRS @ Weirwood Park (cap. 65,000), Domreis, GRI
MD18 SRS  v  VLT @ Black Raven Field (cap. 35,400), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS

[Chromatika]

World Cup 97 Qualifying - Matchday 1: Chromatika 2-0 Alanis Star @ @ Hawks' Nest, Lanar, Rainbow District (Cap. 112,000; 44,200 Seats)
Goals: Tracey 18', Fucheux 68'
Starting XI: Swanson (C); Muir - Harry - Saburo; Tracey - Van Der Borght - Françine-Miklavivec - Keel; Þyrill; Park - San.
Substitutes: Fucneux -> San (51'), Kyouka -> Muir (51'), Lethbridge-Antonio, C. -> Harry (72'), Panaś -> Keel (72'), Lethbridge-Antonio, J. (80')
Summary: A routine win to open up the campaign for the Anomalies, put away capably by players way down in their depth chart. Swanson commanded the pitch, Van Der Borght was the best player on the pitch, and the goals came when they needed to. Never once did the Anomalies looked like they were not in control of this game; Alanis Star only held the ball for 23% of the time and had four shots on goal. Yes, it's an unranked opponent, but it was a good win to get off on the right foot.

---

World Cup 97 Qualifying - Matchday 2: The Grearish Union 2–4 Chromatika
Goals: Park 21', Keel 38', Bittencourt 66', 85'
Starting XI: Swanson (C); Muir - Harry - Saburo; Tracey - Van Der Borght - Françine-Miklavivec - Keel; Þyrill; Park - San.
Substitutes: Bittencourt -> Park (62'), Prenn -> Þyrill (62'), Mixon -> Saburo (73'), Vette -> Tracey (73'), Régine -> Harry (82')
Summary: Jill Swanson was overwhelmed at times during this match, but an unlikely substitute - Adélaïde Bittencourt, who's made some waves in Tikariot recently - scored a brace in the final half hour to help the team pull away from The Grearish Union in their first road trip of the Qualifying Cycle. To her credit, Khabibullina marshalled her forces at halftime to overcome the first deficit during this cycle, and the inclusion of Prenn helped spring Bittencourt. There are no such things as easy away games, and this was proof of that.

---

World Cup 97 Qualifying - Matchday 3: Chromatika 3–0 Quakmybush @ Z'ai'ai Field, Z'ai'ai, Mountain District (Cap. 113,000; 40,000 Seats)
Goals: Françine-Miklavivec 50', Mátyás 63', Park 81'
Starting XI: Sourtois (C); Paterson - Régine - Aimée; Kruetzberg - Mesic-Mizayaki - Françine-Miklavivec - Mátyás; Prenn; Fucheux - Delaya.
Substitutes: Kyouka -> Paterson (58'), Park -> Delaya (58'), Goo -> Mesic-Mizayaki (73'), Þyrill -> Françine-Miklavivec (73'), Harry -> Régine (86')
Summary: Hailee Sourtois takes to the pitch in front of a sold-out crowd in Z'ai'ai, wearing the Captain's armband for the second unit. Quakmybush are a storied team that are always relevant, but the Chromatiks made short work of them in the second half. Evin Françine-Miklavivec continues to shine in her capacity, just waiting for Kuznetsov to fall off before joining the first-string lineup; Mátyás is a sniper through and through, and the second string players looked extremely ready to play. Two of two at home is a great start.

---

World Cup 97 Qualifying - Matchday 4: United States of Nova Calania 2–3 Chromatika
Goals: Prenn 58', Kruetzberg 62', Haitou 71'
Starting XI: Sourtois (C); Paterson - Régine - Aimée; Kruetzberg - Mesic-Mizayaki - Françine-Miklavivec - Mátyás; Prenn; Fucheux - Delaya.
Substitutes: Mixon -> Aimée (50'), San -> Fucheux (50'), Haitou -> Kruetzberg (67'), Panaś -> Mátyás (67'), Þyrill -> Prenn (79')
Summary: Another comeback in the second half for the Anomalies as the wingers make sure they escape the United States of Nova Calania in a win, in a game where Sourtois did struggle from time to time. Kruetzberg and Haitou were both brilliant in stretches from the right wing, while Prenn continued to prove her mettle off the bench. Khabibullina seems to know how to make impactful halftime speeches. Sure, it'd be better if they didn't need them, but it's good to know the team knows how to play from behind and make the adjustments needed to absolutely dominate a half of football.

---

World Cup 97 Qualifying - Matchday 5: Chromatika 3–1 Qusmo @ The Capitalizt Dome, Chromia, Capital District (Cap. 144,000)
Goals: Xuen-Zhukov 35', 57', Howard-Dawes 75'
Starting XI: Fillar, J. (C); Coulibaly - Jackson-Jones - Nodis; Fillar, G. - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Kuznetsov; Xuen-Zhukov - Howard-Dawes.
Substitutes: Régine -> Jackson-Jones (66'), Kruetzberg -> Fillar, G. (66'), Françine-Miklavivec -> Kuznetsov (73'), Paterson -> Coulibaly (73'), Mátyás-> Fillar, E. (88'), Aimée -> Nodis (88')
Summary: The first look at the best Starting XI the Anomalies have to offer came with third-seeded Qusmo coming to town. With the left side of Qusmo's defense being a problem for the visitors, the two star strikers for the Anomalies went to town. Xuen-Zhukov showed why he's one of the best players in the world with a brace - the first set up by Baillaire Fillar and the second on a breakaway where he split two defenders. When Qusmo answered back, Elaine Howard-Dawes put the game away on a corner from the aforementioned Baillaire. The back three of Coulibaly, Jackson-Jones, and Nodis, working together for the first time, did well to contain the opposition, and Larriet-Cortes was everywhere on the pitch, like she usually does. A good statement win at home.

---

World Cup 97 Qualifying - Matchday 6: The 14 Stars 0–2 Chromatika
Goals: Fillar, E. 28', Fillar, B. 55'
Starting XI: Fillar, J. (C); Coulibaly - Jackson-Jones - Nodis; Fillar, G. - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Kuznetsov; Xuen-Zhukov - Howard-Dawes.
Substitutes: Françine-Miklavivec -> Kuznetsov (54'), Delaya -> Xuen-Zhukov (54'), Régine -> Jackson-Jones (66'), Fucheux -> Howard-Dawes (66'), Mesic-Mizayaki -> Larriet-Cortes (73')
Summary: Perhaps it was a bit unfair to put the best players on the road against The 14 Stars, but it must have felt nice to take to the pitch against opponents that know that you're better than them, and you know it too. It was so lopsided - don't pay attention to the final score, as it doesn't tell the full story - that the substitutions were made in the second half to give some of the stars some rest. The Fillar sisters took care of the putting the ball into the back of the net part, Juxon only had to make three routine saves, and the Anomalies rolled to a 6-0-0 start to their Qualifying campaign. It was also nice to post a clean sheet on the road, too.

---

WC 97 Qualifying - Fortnight 4 Roster Selection - vs. (36) Baggieland, @ (UR) Sangti and the Filindo Isles
Starting XI: Fillar, J. (C); Coulibaly - Jackson-Jones - Nodis; Fillar, G. - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Kuznetsov; Xuen-Zhukov - Howard-Dawes.
Reserves: GK Hailee Sourtois, GK Do Seung-Min, DCR Paisley Paterson, DC Klavida Régine, DCL Ipati Aimée, DC Rowan Harry, WBR Emilie Kruetzberg, WBL Nemes Mátyás, DLP Alija Mesic-Mizayaki, DLP Marion Goo, AP Evin Françine-Miklavivec, AM Þyrill Bjarnhéðinsson, AF Marietta "Marie" Fucheux, CF Candice Delaya, AF Kaytlyn Jean-Baptiste.
Preview: The stiffest test for the Anomalies will now come to town as second-seeded Baggieland comes to the Capitalizt Dome. Sporting a record of 4-1-0 - they've already had their bye - the Throstles have been rolling along, even if not in as a dominant fashion as Chromatika. It's the second meeting all-time between the two nations, having played once in the World Cup Proper previously, with Chromatika coming out on toop. If the Anomalies can take care of business at home, followed by a win on the road against Sangti and the Filindo Isles, they'd put the finishing touches on a perfect first round-robin that would really distance from the rest of the group. Expect Kaia Larriet-Cortes to continue to roam the pitch, for the Fillar siblings to go all-out, and for the sold-out crowd at the Capitalizt Dome to be at full throat as they try to make it two home wins out of two against two of the best teams in the group.

---

LIFE BEHIND THE ROYAL FAMILY
Part 1: WBR Emilie Kruetzberg - The Century Backup

In this six-part series, we take a look at six players that have had their chances at being the starter for the Chromatik National Team utterly stymied by the emergence of the Royal Family of Chromatik Football - the Fillars. They are, in no particular order: Goalkeeper Kathie Begley, Right Winger/Wingback Emilie Kruetzberg, Advanced Playmaker Haley Hauser, Left Winger/Wingback Ha'nei Ighv, Goalkeeper Do Seung-Min, and Attacking Midfielder Alissar Phoen. We will look at the players' history, the players' skills, and why/how the particular Fillar in front them was able to get the opportunity to represent Chromatika at the highest level in the international stage.

Grayson Fillar has been the starting Right Back/Right Wingback for the Anomalies since World Cup 91. The most measured member of the Fillar family, Grayson's work ethic and stature sets him apart more than any words that he say. He may be the quietest of them all, but there is no denying the presence he has on the pitch. He's capable of dropping back to assist the back three while also flying up to assist on the attack; his motor, although not as quick as his sister Edith, doesn't stop; he's durable, he's smart, and he's reliable.

Which makes it a tragedy that Emilie Kruetzberg came along when she did. Part of the Anomalies' National Team pool since World Cup 89, the red-haired fireball basically had no chance from the beginning to ever overcome Grayson on the depth chart. Based on the chemistry between the siblings, the fact that Emilie's skills are similar to Edith's, and the physique of Grayson, it is perfectly logical to have Grayson be the starter; Emilie has compensated by making a name for herself as an impactful substitute who can bring flair, speed, and creativity from the Right Wingback position that the Anomalies have ready tou se whenever it's needed.

When she is given the opportunity to start, she is completely unleashed - and the Anomalies usually field a Left Wingback who isn't as pacey to compensate for the loss of defensive shape. It's not that Kruetzberg can't defend, it's more the fact that she is better suited up the pitch. This dual nature of her role on the squad has made it so that she has ninety-seven caps for the Anomalies - while never being above Grayson on any depth chart at the World Cup stage. She's been the starter at some regional tournaments, but never higher than that.

For the Myana native, this adversity is nothing new. Born to a single mother (her father passed away from an automobile accident when she was a baby), Emilie had a lonely childhood growing up. Her mother had to work two jobs to make ends meet before finding success as an established online journalist when Emilie was twelve, which made it so that she could be more of a part in Emilie's life. This, Emilie states, is what saved their relationship - as she was able to make most of her childhood memories with her mother after that. She started football on a whim at Myana Northwestern High School, and the rest is history. It's due to the fact that she had to make friends herself that is the cause of Kruetzberg's aggressively positive personality - she simply doesn't let the mood fall whenever she's around.

She remains as determined as ever to be a key part of the Anomalies for as long as possible. She's really embraced her role, her relationship with Grayson and the rest of the team remains as solid as ever, and she knows what she needs to do. Perhaps, there is a world where Emilie is the one getting all the glory instead of Grayson; however, if you were to ask Emilie if she regrets any part of her career, she would say absolutely not. She is valued, she is appreciated, and she is loving life.

Oh, it also helps when you play at Lakewood United in front of a rabid fanbase where you're allowed to do whatever you want in domestic play, right?

[Cardenao]

Like most other nights, The Strait’s End was packed. Unlike most other nights, The Strait’s End usual festive atmosphere was subdued, almost mournful. Once again, Roberto, Mardon, and Bob sat at their favorite watering hole, adorned with classic kits bearing names through all the ages, with a signed Juanma Saez jersey hanging above the trio of friends. They were sat staring down in their drinks around a small table as they tried to reclaim the breath that Delte had taken from their lungs.

Roberto: “………Six-nil, by the Gods.”

The vibes were certifiably not great as the loyal fans of the Blue and Golds tried to deal with their promising, though admittedly way too early definitive statements about, start to World Cup qualification.

Mardon: “Yeah that……shit fuck. No bueno, not what I wanted (laughs like someone resigned to fate) I mean, I knew it was just four games out of however many we play to qualify but I thought the lads played real well, I mean they won three games and drew against Audioslavia the playoff devil, that’s good stuff right?”

Bob: “Oh it was great! I loved watching how the team played and I thought the way we fielded different squads was great to start the campaign, But then we trot out Team 2 against Delte? The fifth best team in the world? I know Francisco Martini Marley wanted to rotate the team and he’s the manager, that’s brilliant, but putting the second team up against DELTE? World Cup champions Delte? What the fuck?”

R: “I knew they were good but (rubs his hand and face trying to relax) this was like a training match! We were the cones and they went right around us!”

B: “That’s a good way to put it 1, at least the boys in Blue and Gold showed a lot of heart and didn’t stop running or pressing until the final whistle but shitfire…heart doesn’t beat a team like Delte!”

M: “The difference in quality……we got beat up by Juvencus in the pre-qualification friendly but this was baddd. Why why are we trotting out the B boys against them??? That’s crazy, CRAZY! I just…what are you dewing???”

R: “(shrugs as he tries to play the advocate like always) Qualification is a long road, you got to give the squad and youngsters play time so they can contribute when you need them to, I get that………BUT was this the right time for that sort of rotation? Against a World Cup winning, top five team? I dunno, I think the A-team would’ve put up a better fight, still would lose I think, but they’d definitely give a better go at it.

M: “Exactly! Look I get it, I know what our national team manager is thinking, you gotta play the long game. Lots of squad depth, lotsa talent, gotta play well now but have an eye to the future yet. But what about now? What about us and you and me and Bob? Right in the here and now who wants to see us compete today??”

B: “Shitfire, cheering the team on in a six-nil defeat is shit but imagine being one of the players? One of the top boyos? Sitting on the bench, watching the team get massacred, knowing they could get out there and make a difference? Yeesh.”

M: (Sipping his beer, nodding along thoughtfully with the conversation) “Well imagine this then though, after three undefeated games and you run up against the multiverse #5 team and you follow our thoughts. You send out our best XI and tell them to get it done, but they get hammered seven-nil? How’s that feel then? How’s the morale in camp when the best of our best lose like that? Fucking shit……dammit I get it. We were always going to lose this game, so play the B team so the kids can get gametime and it’s a convenient way to explain the loss!”

R: “You might be right, you might be crazy, but either way Francisco Martini Marley is playing with fire now. Almost halfway through the campaign now and three points off first? Yea that’s close on paper but look at it…that might as well be a mile considering who we’re playing against. Good start? Great. I need a good finish nao!”

B: (Raises his glass with a limp wrist) “Well shitfire……here’s hoping the games against Oclea and Kronbia go better than that.”

M: “Yeah I’ll drink to that.”

R: “Meeeee too. Hope the manager learns from this; we need more than potential, we need results!”

The trio of friends fell into a silent stupor as they nursed their drinks and contemplated the absolute spanking the Deltens had provided, free of charge. It felt like a missed opportunity, a chance to see what the best Cardenao players could do against the best in the world. Sure, they still would’ve lost, but it would’ve been a helpful indicator of where the team is truly at instead of staying devoted to trotting out rotation players in the name of ‘experience’.

[Hispinas]

Hispinas 0–0 Aphrilia
World Cup 97 Qualifying - Estadio Nacional en el Castillo, Mandrid, Hispinas
HSP Scorers: none
HSP Lineup: Azkar Baraibar, Teodoro Hinojos, Jacinto Canizares, Gabino Arguello ▼ (▲ Hunfrido Antunez 84'), Vego Lima, Luzea Heguy ▼ (▲ Olga Abdulova 68'), Lola Linares ▼ (▲ Goiz Bidaola 64'), Silvia Del Moral, Mira Makarova, Alphonsus Clavijo, Lucilla Rebollar

Elmyia 2–1 Hispinas
World Cup 97 Qualifying - Mosse Park, Beaucester, Elmyia
HSP Scorers: Alphonsus Clavijo (20')
HSP Lineup: Azkar Baraibar, Joanes Mendinueta, Jacinto Canizares, Gabino Arguello, Gainko Erroz, Goiz Bidaola, Nazario Mojica, Silvia Del Moral, Mira Makarova ▼ (▲ Zerlina Mascorro 75'), Alphonsus Clavijo ▼ (▲ Arcelia Solorzano 70'), Xanti Osa ▼ (▲ Lucilla Rebollar 72')
ELM Scorers: Livvy Jennings (82'), Livvy Jennings (pen 87')

---

Below meme image made rounds in Hispinas' cica.da local feed after the Golden Sealions threw away a winning match against the current Copa Rushmori holders Elmyia. Most of the commenters may think that Elmyians may be offended on how Jennings was depicted in the image given that her entrance in the pitch completely changed the complexion of the match in favor of the hosts, but the Hispinian poster and commenters may have felt withdrawal on how the end of the match went, especially on how the substitute scored the equalizing goal believing that the goal should have been overturned due to a perceived foul on Jacinto Canizares.

Hours later, cica.da post threads in the Hispinas feed started comparing the national team's performance regionally against on how they are performing in World Cup qualifying campaigns, with below meme becoming trending across the nation for a couple of days:

Of course, the numbers don't lie, which is probably skewed in favor of their Copa Rushmori records. Of course, this was kickstarted by an impressive debut campaign when they reached the quarterfinals despite not even scheduling any A-level friendlies prior to the tournament. That set the precedent for strong performances for the next three editions of the Copa Rushmori, two of which culminated to a third place finish in CR 37 and CR 38, and pushed the monarchy to bid for the hosting of the 39th edition, which resulted to another quarterfinals finish. This was around the time that the war broke out in Filindostan, prompting the King to halt all sporting activities after the World Cup 90 qualifying campaign. It may have been a what-if scenario that the Golden Sealions themselves may have a Copa Rushmori trophy on their cabinet had their sporting participation continued.

Copa Rushmori 36	Pld 5	W 3	D 0	L 2	GF 3	GA 7	PTS 9	WPCT 60.00	PPCT 60.00	PPM 1.80
Copa Rushmori 37	Pld 7	W 5	D 1	L 1	GF 13	GA 6	PTS 16	WPCT 71.43	PPCT 76.19	PPM 2.29
Copa Rushmori 38	Pld 7	W 6	D 0	L 1	GF 17	GA 10	PTS 18	WPCT 85.71	PPCT 85.71	PPM 2.57
Copa Rushmori 39	Pld 5	W 4	D 0	L 1	GF 15	GA 9	PTS 12	WPCT 80.00	PPCT 80.00	PPM 2.40

Overall CR Record - Pld 24, W 18, D 1, L 5, GF 48, GA 32, PTS 55, WPCT 75.00%, PPCT 76.39%, PPM 2.29

In the other hand, their World Cup qualifying campaign were mediocre at best. Despite playing more matches in total compared to their Copa Rushmori campaigns, they only managed to win the same amount of matches against their regional performance, with a winning percentage of just hovering the quarter mark, and they are just having close to a single point per match.

World Cup 87 Qualifying	Pld 18	W 3	D 2	L 13	GF 16	GA 43	PTS 11	WPCT 16.67	PPCT 20.37	PPM 0.61
World Cup 88 Qualifying	Pld 18	W 5	D 6	L 7 	GF 30	GA 35	PTS 21	WPCT 27.78	PPCT 38.89	PPM 1.17
World Cup 89 Qualifying	Pld 18	W 7	D 3	L 8 	GF 41	GA 42	PTS 24	WPCT 38.89	PPCT 44.44	PPM 1.33
World Cup 90 Qualifying	Pld 14	W 3	D 6	L 5 	GF 14	GA 18	PTS 15	WPCT 21.43	PPCT 35.71	PPM 1.07

Overall WCQ Record - Pld 68, W 18, D 17, L 33, GF 101, GA 138, PTS 71, WPCT 26.47%, PPCT 34.80%, PPM 1.04

Current Trajectory:

World Cup 97 Qualifying	Pld 6	W 1	D 1	L 4	GF 6	GA 12	PTS 4	WPCT 16.67	PPCT 22.22	PPM 0.67

Now, despite current trajectories pointing to their WC87Q campaign due to their current record, winless in five matches and only managing to win their first match, the two competitions have entirely different dynamics against each other and should be looked from a different perspective:

- Copa Rushmori is a regional competition, depending on how the hosts organize the tournament, teams are grouped into groups of four, five or even six, usually on a single round robin format, which contributes to the low match count. Also, knockout phases which have "after extra time (AET)" and penalty shootouts, record keepers consider AET wins and losses as such, while considering penalty kick outcomes as draws. As such, good performances such as the ones Hispinas produced during this time, have a large effect on setting up regional success in future campaigns.
- World Cup Qualifying is a different story however, as usually there are 8 to 10 teams in a group playing in a double round robin format, and usually, progression to the World Cup finals is very difficult to achieve due to only having 32 spots in the final tournament. And due to the scale of the number of regions participating in this tournament, there is a big chance that initial performances may not yield significant progression - it may take a long time for a team to qualify for their first World Cup finals, and sometimes, some nations somehow never make it to the finals.

Many of the commenters may not be knowledgeable enough to compare the two competitions from each other, but for the sake of temporary entertainment, they fall to the intended narrative the original posters of these meme posts want to portray.

[Sangti and the Filindo Isles]

OOC Note: The following prelude is translated from original Filipino (Tagalog) text to English via AI translator (HIX.ai). Original text is spoilered below.
I will try to edit the scorecards of MD5 and MD6 here but if I'm unable to do prior to cutoff, I will post it in my next RP.

"Katapusan nyo nang mga p*tang*na kayo!"

Ito ang sinambit ni Dorigo Dutete noong pagbabarilin nya ang ilan sa mga tinuring niyang mga kababayan na Filindo nung panahong nasa giyera ang bansa laban sa mga hukbo ni "Gran Supremo Alfonso Arias". Hindi alam ng karamihan ng mga Filindo na isa palang tuta ng Sangti si Dutete. Sa kabila ng mga pulang watawat sa kanyang pamumuno, piniling pagkatiwalaan ng sambayanang Filindo ang noong pangulo ng bansang Filindostan. Lingid sa kaalaman ng mga nakararami, nakabuo na ng mga lihim na kuta at hukbo ang mga Sangtian sa timog na islang Kabunuklan, sa bandang Tapia at Sinukabang-Kambing.

Nang matiyak na sapat na ang dami ng mga hukbong naka-istasyon sa pulong Kabunuklan, naghudyat na ang Gran Supremo na simulan ang pananakop sa Filindostan sa pamamagitan ng pag-atake sa isa sa mga kaganapan sa San Rafael - ang paglunsad ng Rusty Motorsport para sa ikalabing-dalawang kaganapan ng NSSCRA, kung saan naroon ang mga kilalang personalidad sa larangan ng karerang pangsasakyan, kasama na ang "Golden Boy" ng "Filindo Motorsport" na si Rustom Ibuna, na kamakailan na inanunsyo ang pormal na pagreretiro mula sa World Grand Prix Championship makaraang makamit ng Badai Angin ang kampeonato sa Constructors. Naroon din ang mga racing driver sa stock car na sina Hana Bhe, Fiona Sunarya, at Shania Soraya, para i-anunsyo ang kanilang pagpasok sa kompetisyon sa susunod na taon.

Nagulat ang madla ng pumasok ang mga hukbong Sangti sa San Rafael Sports Center kung saan ginaganap ang launch event, at nagsimulang magpaputok ng kanilang mga armas at baril. Maraming mga Filindo ang natamaan ng bala at humandusay sa sahig dahil biglaan ang mga kaganapan. Karamihan sa mga personalidad ay nadamay sa pag-atake at di kalaunan ay namatay, samantalang natamaan lamang ng ligaw na bala si Sunarya sa binti, at pumasok sa kanyang isipan ang sariling kaligtasan ay nakakita ng bukas na daanan kung saan nag-aantay ang mga hukbong pang-depensa ng Filindostan at Aji No Moto, at dali-daling inakay ang sugatang racing driver papunta sa isa sa mga naka-istasyon na helikopter, at nagawa nilang i-evacuate ang mga sugatan paalis ng San Rafael at pabalik ng San Marco, ngunit nagdesisyon silang pumunta pa-hilagang kanluran papuntang Yogyakulta, dahil alam nilang mabilis na makukuha ng mga hukbo ang kabisera at alam nila na planado ang pag-atake dahil sa dami ng mga hukbong umatake doon.

Nagpadala ang gobyerno ng Gergary ng mga pribadong eroplano papuntang Yogyakulta para tuluyang ma-i-evacuate ang mga sugatang sundalo at personalidad pabalik sa Ingbert-Borbely, ang kabisera ng Gergary. Dito na nagsimula ang pagtutuos sa pagitan ng mga hukbong Filindo at hukbong Sangti, na siya'y sinusuportahan at pinupondohan ng kaharian ng Hispinas, na agad ay nagpadala din nga mga hukbo papuntang Filindostan, karamihan sa kanila ay mga atletang pambasketbol at pamputbol, na sa utos ng kanilang hari ay puwersadong sumanib sa mga mananakop.

"Your end has come, you sons of b*tches!"

This was uttered by Dorigo Dutete when he shot some of those he considered his compatriots, the Filindo, during the time when the country was at war against the forces of "Gran Supremo Alfonso Arias." Most Filindo were unaware that Dutete was actually a puppy of the Sangti. Despite the red flags during his leadership, the Filindo people chose to trust the then-president of the country of Filindostan. Unbeknownst to many, the Sangti had already established secret strongholds and armies on the southern island of Kabunuklan, near Tapia and Sinukabang-Kambing.

When it was ensured that enough troops were stationed at the gathering in Kabunuklan, Gran Supremo signaled to commence the invasion of Filindostan by attacking one of the events in San Rafael - the launch of Rusty Motorsport for the twelfth event of NSSCRA, where well-known personalities in the field of motorsport were present, including the "Golden Boy" of "Filindo Motorsport," Rustom Ibuna, who had recently announced his formal retirement from the World Grand Prix Championship after Badai Angin secured the championship in Constructors. Racing drivers in stock cars, Hana Bhe, Fiona Sunarya, and Shania Soraya, were also present to announce their entry into next year's competition.

The crowd was shocked when the Sangti troops entered the San Rafael Sports Center where the launch event was taking place and began firing their weapons and guns. Many Filindo were hit by bullets and fell to the floor due to the sudden events. Most of the personalities were caught up in the attack and ultimately died, while Sunarya was only grazed by a stray bullet in the leg, and thoughts of her own safety led her to see an open path where the defense forces of Filindostan and Aji No Moto were waiting, and she quickly guided the injured racing driver towards one of the stationed helicopters. They managed to evacuate the wounded out of San Rafael and back to San Marco, but they decided to head northwest towards Yogyakulta, knowing that the troops would quickly take the capital and that the attack was planned due to the number of troops that had attacked there.

The government of Gergary sent private planes to Yogyakulta to evacuate the wounded soldiers and personalities back to Ingbert-Borbely, the capital of Gergary. This was where the confrontation between the Filindo forces and the Sangti forces began, which were supported and funded by the kingdom of Hispinas, which immediately also sent troops to Filindostan, most of whom were basketball and football athletes, who at their king's command were forced to join the invaders.

[Milchama]

"You know the best part of the 48 team World Cup?"

"What?"

"One run of bad results is not qualification ending"

"What do you mean?"

"Well in the old system our poor 1-1-2 start would have doomed us automatically to the Cup of Harmony because we wouldn't be able to come back against teams like Farfadillis or SRS who started good and weren't going to lose that many games. It basically meant that there was no way to move up once the basic contours of the standings were tossed"

"And?"

"Now that's just not true anymore, we're in a 9 team group but between 2 and 3 teams qualify and even that third place team would still get a playoff"

"We're going to end up in a playoff that we lose huh?"

"I mean we only qualify when Vilita or Turori host and since the incident neither Vilita or Turori will be hosting anytime soon"

"If they even ever attempt to qualify again"

"Yeah, anyway, in the old system we were manifestly screwed but now we're not. We just had a great international break, taking two wins, and now we're in a great position in third place"

"But Raspotochje is one point back with a game in hand"

"Agreed, it's not a perfect position but if we can keep up the good form, shake off the rust that clearly affected us for those first two games than we'll be in a great position to improve"

"Exactly but we wouldn't be able to do that under a 32 team World Cup"

"Oh definitely, we would be angling for the CoH and starting to annoy the hosts to include us"

"Is the CoH even open yet?"

"No but that's not the point here"

"Oh ok, wait why not?"

"Well it's too early in qualifying and we all know that CoH hosts are picked really late in qualifying so that they have to scramble to find appropriate facilities or we go to nations, like Farfadillis or Gregoryisgodistan, where we should really never step foot"

"Hmmm... that's a good point"

"We really should have better vetting on CoH hosts"

"We have decent vetting, the WCC does vote on the host but they seem to think about things like 'will this person scorinate the tournament on time?' and 'do we trust this person to not randomly make up results?' more than 'is this nation qualified to run a complex tournament?' I mean we even got to host once"

"Well we hosted a World Cup once"

"Yeah the WCC's biggest blunder"

"Fair enough"

"So anyway the format change is good"

"Yes it is"

"Ok now let us pray"

"Yes, let us pray"

"Say what I say and do what I do"

"''Ringa pakia!''
''Uma tiraha!''
''Turi whatia!''
''Hope whai ake!''
''Waewae takahia kia kino!''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Ka mate, ka mate''
''Ka ora, ka ora''
''Tēnei te tangata pūhuruhuru''
''Nāna nei i tiki mai whakawhiti te rā''
''Ā upane, ka upane''
''Whiti te rā, hī!''

"Now repeat after me!"

"Forini! Forini!"
"Finidi! Finidi!"
"George! George!"
"Oh Brother! Oh brother!"

*They strip and run around for 14 minutes*

"We pray the Margaret of SnubNose 38 and Random Number God that you may deliver us victory over all infidels that we face in international play"

"Sacrifice the Rubber Chicken!"

*Swoosh of an axe and the chicken is dead*

"Margaret we pray that you take this sacrifice of a rubber chicken in good faith and that by your deliverance Milchama does well in all international competitions"

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

[Tumbra]

Tumbra 2–0 Adab

TMB (4-2-3-1): 12 - R Russell; 18 - H Kennedy, 19 - Y Lawson (5 - W Pritchett, 71'), 24 - B Proudfoot, 17 - J McCreary (3 - T Mercurio, 85'); 6 - T Harrison (23 - L McCormick, 71'), 27 - M Russelar, 10 - S Monaghan; 7 - V Wells (29 - J Berkenbosch, 80'), 21 - A Pearson; 22 - E Maddison (11 - C Henshaw, 85')

TMB scorers: Susan Monaghan [19'], Audrey Pearson [41']

Player of the Match: Susan Monaghan [TMB]

---

United Hawkland 0–0 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 25 - B Cvitkovic; 18 - H Kennedy, 24 - B Proudfoot, 35 - B Byrne (4 - S Kerr, 78'), 3 - T Mercurio; 23 - L McCormick (6 - T Harrison, 72'), 27 - M Russelar, 28 - L Hurst (8 - V Leighton, 60'); 7 - V Wells (29 - J Berkenbosch, 72'), 21 - A Pearson, 11 - C Henshaw (36 - J Starling, 60')

TMB scorers: None

Player of the Match: Matthias Russelar [TMB]

Amidst Tumbran literary canon — oh, and there is a literary canon — lies a thick volume. Written by Joachim Skaldaags Wentworth in 1934, the novel, titled The Eagle Flies Low, occupies a controversial place in 20th-century Tumbran literature. Ostensibly a political novel, it acts more as a cautionary tale; yet is also a piece of alternative historical fiction with a point of divergence set nearly 30 years before the novel's setting of an alternate 1934. Split into two halves, the novel presents itself as a bildungsroman, or coming-of-age story, though with heavy political undertones as the story goes on. The main plot of the story revolves around Wilbur Kent, an 18 year-old freshman with a hobby for photography who attends the Tumbran National University in Straton on a scholarship, and the people he meets as the country devolves slowly, then quickly, into fascism. The novel sold reasonably well when first published in 1934, before coming back to relevance in the 1970s as an example of anti-fascist writing. Wentworth himself never claimed the moniker of anti-fascist for himself in public, however, claiming that the setting of the story merely contrasted neatly with the loss of innocence that Kent experiences throughout the novel. His personal papers, however, which were made public after his death in 1979, reveal that he wanted to stir discomfort in the hearts of Tumbrans about fascism and how easily it could take over any liberal society. Today the novel, while not considered a true classic by many, is seen as the most nakedly political novel in the Tumbran literary canon. Attempts to put it on school reading lists have always been met with controversy; it is today an optional text for Literature in Tumbran at the junior college level, with schools being given the option to assign it to students or not.

Alternate history

The point of divergence of Wentworth's Tumbra is set in 1908, the final year of the Xinhuanese Rebellion; unlike in the real world, where Tumbra was forced to withdraw from Xinhua after their attempt to keep the Jade Emperor on his throne, Tumbra establishes full control over Xinhua and turns it into a colonial territory directly subservient to Straton. Emboldened, Tumbra embarks upon a renewed stream of colonial enterprises; establishing colonies in the modern-day nations of Doubeia, Kotzellach, Yolcan, Irithoren. Closer to home, the country expands northwards, keeping a tight yoke on the territory now known as the Northlands while also expanding into the Banijan Esportivan Territory, which was terra nullius during Wentworth's life.

The republican colonial enterprise collapses after an ill-fated attempt to invade Brenecia, with Tumbra's finances being drained in a quagmire as it tries and fails to subjugate the island. Eventually, the country defaults on its debts; setting off an economic panic which leads to a prolonged depression which begins in 1928. The colonial projects collapse one by one, sparking a huge amount of migration as displaced Tumbrans and colonial loyalists flee back to the colonial metropole. This sets off a prolonged period of political instability in the country, which, when coupled with the depression, provides conditions ripe for political extremists to gain popular support. On the left, the Unified Tumbran People's Front, a left-wing alliance of socialists, syndicalists, communists, and anarchists, has become the main political force, superseding the social democratic Labour; on the right, the reactionary, right-wing Tumbran Legion has come out of the collapse of the Tumbran colonial enterprise, promising a return to a time of traditional values. The depression has entered its fifth year at the time of the novel; Kent, who is described as middle-class in the novel, would be well below the poverty line in the real Tumbra of the time, and the country is described as teetering on the edge of "two sides of an abyss, neither entirely acceptable to everyone in the country."

The Legion, which was established as an organisation for Tumbran veterans, is led by Charles Griswold Castwell; in the wake of the collapse of the colonial projects and massive flight back to the homeland, the Legion provides veterans with lodging, work, food, and a sense of normalcy amidst societal chaos, giving Castwell great influence in the country. Castwell is a conservative, with views that are reactionary in nature; in writings and speeches of his scattered throughout the book, he speaks of the "great society" which was "unruly taken down by the bankers, the merchants, Communists, socialists, and other traitorous and undesirable elements in society." By the time of the novel, the Legion has effectively become a parallel government; with new branches being set up for different sects of society, with full membership only being reserved for military veterans. Castwell has announced his intention to enter politics, and is widely favoured to win the next federal election. Castwell never directly appears in the novel, but his presence is ubiquitous throughout; and becomes almost all-consuming in the end as he becomes Prime Minister and subsequently discontinues the role, combining the role of Prime Minister and President into that of the First Citizen.

Synopsis

Part I

18 year-old Wilbur Kent, from Harwick, Hamilton, wins a scholarship to study chemistry in Straton after submitting an essay detailing life in the then-rural town and his love for photography. He bids farewell to his parents — his father, Grover — an injured veteran who relies on the Legion to survive, getting a pension from them — and mother Martha, Grover's quiet and devoted wife. On the train to Straton, he reads two letters; one from his father, urging him to do his best for the sake of the country and for his family, and one from his mother, urging him to stay true to himself and forge his own path, wherever it may take him. Martha's letter includes twenty-five dollars, which is implied to be her entire life's savings.

In Straton, Wilbur soon finds bed and board; he also meets Julian Oak, a fellow classmate who quickly takes a liking to Wilbur. Julian, from Clyde, is the son of a coal miner, unashamedly working-class, and is far more political than Wilbur. He encourages Wilbur to become politically aware; while somewhat uncomfortable at first, Wilbur is receptive to the introduction of socialism, and Julian takes Wilbur to student socialist organisations, though Wilbur is never truly as dedicated to the movement as Julian is. Oak keeps his political views hidden from everyone else, only revealing them to Wilbur as evidence of their closeness.

Wilbur's friend group includes Colin Ranneman, a sheltered young man who comes from a relatively well-off family who prefers to remain politically neutral; he says that this is because he is studying political science, which causes some friction between him and Julian; but the two get on very well otherwise. He also meets Helen Weston, a fellow chemistry undergraduate; the two hit it off almost immediately, and it is clear both are smitten with each other. Julian, however, remains distant from Helen, who proudly proclaims her support for the Legion. The two eventually start dating which causes Julian to withdraw somewhat from Wilbur; Wilbur, however, promises to never divulge the Julian's secret to Helen.

Helen eventually 'smartens' Wilbur up enough for him to be presentable to her upper-class family; it turns out that the Westons are major financial backers of the Legion, and Helen's father, Leon, is a personal friend of Charles Castwell. Wilbur is evidently uncomfortable throughout meeting Helen's family, and Leon implies that Wilbur must join the Students of the Legion group to gain his acceptance to continue dating Helen. Wilbur somewhat reluctantly accepts out of his love for Helen, though, similar to his participation in the socialist organisation, he is somewhat half-hearted, only really going through the motions to satisfy Helen and Leon. He is somewhat scared by Helen's zealousness for the movement; and is reluctant to join the paramilitary wing of the organisation, which is often involved in street fights with the socialists on the streets of Straton. Helen attempts to coerce Wilbur to join by offering to give him her first time if he joins; but Wilbur refuses, saying that they should wait for marriage.

Matters come to a head during the federal election held during the autumn term; Helen makes Wilbur campaign for the Legion on the streets, though he tries his best to not do anything; he remarks how uncomfortable the uniform of the Legion is, and hates how he can't take photographs while wearing the uniform — not that he would want to, anyway. Helen picks up on his discomfort, questions Wilbur on how dedicated he is to Castwell and the Legion, and eventually dumps him on election night after he admits he isn't fully on board with the Castwell program. Depressed, Wilbur lies in bed at his rented place, running a fever, listening to the results; Castwell becomes Prime Minister in a landslide victory for the Legion.

Part II

Depressed, Kent returns to class, though Helen keeps a noticeable distance from him and now regards him as a stranger; Kent secretly disposes of all his Legion paraphernalia, afraid that there might be public reprisals for leaving the Legion. Castwell makes sweeping reforms to the country in a bid to counter 'chaos' and 'disorder'; the main socialist organisation, the Unified Tumbran People's Front, has been declared illegal, supposedly for 'stoking disarray'. Students are made to obtain 'certificates of political suitability' to continue their education at the university; while Wilbur is terrified that Helen may rat on him, he receives his certificate alongside Colin, while Julian fails the test — his name having been found on a member's list of the university's socialist club — and is made to leave the university. Dismayed, Julian decides to stay in Straton and make a living off odd jobs; he eventually becomes a soda jerk, and keeps in contact with Wilbur and Colin, who has shed his neutrality and is now keeping his anti-Castwell affiliation a closely guarded secret. Julian gives Colin and Wilbur each a copy of a key to his room, "for safety's sake".

Wilbur notices that the atmosphere around the university has suddenly become much more austere and heavy; professors now self-censor, a majority of the humanities department is made to leave under political pressure, and the Students of the Legion essentially subsumes every student organisation. Both Colin and Wilbur reluctantly join up — in Wilbur's case, again — and while they try to keep it from Julian, he says that it's alright as long as the two of them don't forget who they truly are. The austere atmosphere around the university mirrors that of society as a whole; the free press is clammed up, and the nation's newspapers all fall in line, which is implied to have happened by the installation of Legion-friendly editors. The two are forced to attend political education classes at the university; while they behave, both realise that all this is propaganda.

One night, in a bid to feel free again, Wilbur leaves the university grounds to head into the city; he finds his way into a seedy cabaret, the Midnight Express. There he meets Susannah, a twenty year-old cabaret singer who Wilbur is instantly taken by. Susannah has high aspirations in the entertainment industry; but is a mediocre singer. The two strike it up and eventually start dating; Wilbur eventually commits to Susannah, a free spirit who is politically extremely naïve and believes that Castwell coming to power won't affect her and this will all pass them by. This comment is ill-fated, however, as barely a few months into the two of them getting together, the entertainment industry is cracked down upon as the list of 'anti-Tumbran' targets expand; most of Susannah's colleagues are rounded up by the government and are whisked away to prison camps and the Express is set on fire. Now jobless, Susannah moves in with Wilbur; now having to support both of them, Wilbur is forced to use the savings that his mother gave him to tide the both of them by. Wilbur eventually gets Susannah a job as a waitress at the restaurant where Julian works.

Despite everything, Wilbur and Susannah are deeply in love, even if Wilbur is extremely frustrated by Susannah's lackadaisical attitude towards the current political situation; he tries to introduce her to politics, but Susannah is wholly uninterested. Eventually, Wilbur gives up and simply focuses on his studies; but subject to the Students of the Legion organisation, his grades slip as he is deemed insufficiently loyal, and nearly loses his scholarship. After a humiliating session of self-criticism led by Helen, Wilbur is tempted to abandon everything and return to Harwick, but realises that even that wouldn't be able to rid him of Castwell, who essentially rules the country by fiat after committing a self-coup and merging the offices of President and Prime Minister into that of the First Citizen, with near-unlimited power.

Eventually, Julian is also arrested for his past affiliation with the socialists; Susannah is also arrested because she is unlucky enough to be working with Julian at the time of the arrest. When Wilbur surreptitiously picks up Julian's belongings from Julian's place, he sees a letter addressed to him and Colin, urging the two of them to get out of the country by any means possible. Colin agrees with the letter, but only has enough savings for himself to leave the country, owing to his upper-middle-class background; Wilbur, who cares more about Colin's safety, tearfully bids farewell to him as he leaves for Hannasea on a ship. Susannah is eventually released from prison, but the experience has scarred her and she becomes a nervous, withdrawn wreck, refusing to leave the room where she and Julian stay. Deciding the situation is too much for him, Wilbur decides to leave Straton; he uses the remainder of his mother's savings to help Susannah stay at the rented place for as long as possible, before catching a train back to Harwick, abandoning his university education.

Upon his return to Harwick, Wilbur is dismayed to see that his father is a fully-committed member of the Legion, who berates him for being a wastrel and attempts to get him shipped off to the military; the night before he is due to be enlisted, Wilbur escapes with his mother, first to Ridgewell, then as stowaways on a boat, also bound to Hannasea, where they hope to claim asylum. Wilbur silently weeps as his experiences take their toll on him, Martha comforts him wordlessly as the novel ends.

TUMBRAN ROSTER FOR MATCHES v ZENIC (@ STOKERS' PARK, FONTWELL) and @ NORTH OHARAN VALLEY UNION
Link to full roster
Goalkeepers: 1 - Victoria Jones [Lakewood City], 12 - Richard Russell [Lakewood United], 25 - Branko Cvitkovic [Serrapince]
Defenders: 2 - Annie Renton [Serrapince], 18 - Hazel Kennedy [Couno Rangers], 4 - Stephen Kerr [Chromatik, CMT], 5 - Wendy Pritchett [Lakewood United], 19 - Yvonne Lawson [CS Saint-Rémy, KSK], 24 - Belinda Proudfoot [Lakewood United], 35 - Benjamin Byrne [Lakewood City], 3 - Tracey Mercurio [Kingston, QUE], 17 - Jude McCreary [Newark Argyle]
Midfielders: 6 - Trudy Harrison [Chromatik, CMT], 23 - Lucas McCormick [Lakewood City], 8 - Victor Leighton [Lakewood City], 13 - Stella Harrington [Newark Argyle], 15 - Rachel McLaren [CSKA Quebec, QUE], 10 - Susan Monaghan [Lakewood City], 16 - Colin Campbell [Newark Argyle]
Wingers: 7 - Valerie Wells [Lakewood United], 14 - Erin Robertson [Couno Rangers], 9 - Lynne Crossley [Chromatik, CMT], 40 - Lilith Kendall [Couno Rangers]
Strikers: 11 - Charlotte Henshaw [Lakewood City], 21 - Edward Maddison [Avondale City, SYL], 22 - Julie Hardaker [Myana, CMT]

Schedule: v RIN, @ VCS//v DEI, @ CBP//v ADB, @ UHL//v ZEN, @ OHU//Bye, @ RIN//v VCS, @ DEI//v CBP, @ ADB//v UHL, @ ZEN//v OHU, Bye