A Tale Of Two Crescents - WC97 Roleplay Thread

by **Sarzonia** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 12:50 pm

Now that the dust settled and the Sarzonian national football team have made their way to Peynol for their World Cup 97 group stage matches, Sarzonia manager Caleb Rush and the rest of his managerial and support staff and players could get their bags unpacked, map out their routes to the venues and get a routine going.

It was quite the journey to go from having to hop on a flight from Woodstock to New Lodger City in Eastfield Lodge for a battle with Drawkland for the right to then take another flight to Pasarga for the actual World Cup proper. It certainly wasn't what Rush and company wanted. They wanted to avoid the playoff for obvious reasons, not the least of which was the fact that Sarzonia had never won a playoff match for the right to qualify for the World Cup in her long, storied history. Not only that, but with the team having to travel from Eastfield Lodge to Pasarga instead of simply taking a tram to their next hotel was potentially taxing for the Stars.

"It's not ideal," Rush admitted in a press conference. "We wanted to set ourselves up to not have to deal with the additional logistics, but it is what it is. We're here now, and we've set up our training facility and the scouting reports for the matches against our opponents in Group F." Those opponents will include Sarzonia's first opponents, previous World Cup hosts Mertagne, which will take place in Stadium of the Sun in Belja. They will then travel to Lunas to take on world No. 5 Sylestone in Lunas before returning to Belja for the finale against The 14 Stars.

Mertagne won Group 13 with a record of 10-3-3, finishing two points clear of Aphrilia and StrayaRoos for the group title. Mertagne bring a strong offence to the competition, scoring 36 goals in 16 group stage matches, but their offence could be considered conservative compared to many of the opponents Sarzonia had in Group 6. Defensively, they conceded just 20 goals, due in large part to goalkeeper and team captain Rhiannon Fawn.

"They've got a strong goalkeeper back there," forward Spencer Wilson said. "They also play a slightly more attack-minded style than we do, but we've played a lot of teams that are much more aggressive offensively. That's not to say Mertagne will be easy to defend by any means. No team that scores 36 goals in 16 matches and wins 10 of them is easy by any means. We know we've got our work cut out for us."

That also holds true for Sylestone, which play an extremely defensive-minded style, and used that to win Group 7 with a 12-4-0 record, during which the Sentients only conceded one goal. Defender and team captain Ken Webb said the Stars still remembered their two matches against No. 7-ranked Ko-oren during World Cup 96 qualifying, which saw Sarzonia score single goals in each match against the Dragonflies and finish 1-0-1 against them.

"The Dragonflies are an extremely defence-oriented team. So are the Sentients," he said. "That's about where the similarities end. Each team bring their own unique challenge to us, and we're going to have to be ready no matter what."

The 14 Stars may be the lowest ranked side in Group F, but Rush said the team would present another challenge when going from the match against defence-oriented Sylestone.

"The Blue Wolves are a bit more attack-minded than Mertagne are," he said. "That's going to be an interesting challenge to prepare for teams that favour more balance and one that's extremely defence-minded."

The new World Cup format featuring 48 teams now means that 12 groups of four teams will vie to qualify for the knockout rounds, which begin with a new Round of 32, which means the top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third placed sides will advance to the knockout rounds. That fact doesn't change the aspirations for Rush and the Stars.

"We're in it to win, no matter who we play or under what circumstances," he said. "We can't think any other way and expect to be successful."

by **Chromatika** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 1:14 pm

World Cup 97 Proper Roster
Starting XI: Fillar, J. (C); Coulibaly - Jackson-Jones - Nodis; Fillar, G. - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Françine-Miklavivec; Xuen-Zhukov - Howard-Dawes.
Substitutes: GK Hailee Sourtois, GK Do Seung-Min, DCR Paisley Paterson, DC Klavida Régine, DCL Ipati Aimée, DCR Aoi Kyouka, WBR Emilie Kruetzberg, WBL Nemes Mátyás, WBR Ibayashi Haitou, DLP Alija Mesic-Mizayaki, AM Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov, AM MAddie Prenn, AM Þyrill Bjarnhéðinsson, AF Marietta Fucheux, CF Candice Delaya.

WORLD CUP 97 PROPER GROUP H PREVIEW

When the dust settled, Chromatika did qualify for the World Cup Proper - with a 11-2-3 record. The two draws came against Unranked Teams, and they did get swept by Baggieland while losing to Qusmo once, but it was enough. The two biggest wins turned out to be the sweep of The 14 Stars, who ended up finishing third; there is a bit of trepidation on the fact that they couldn't beat Baggieland, but all you can do is make it to the tournament and hope your luck changes, so at least the Anomalies have completed that part of the process.

When the twenty-six person roster was finally announced to head to Eastfield Lodge, everyone was surprised to see a change in the Starting XI. Evin Françine-Miklavivec has now become the starting Attacking Midfielder/Advanced Playmaker for the Anomalies, taking over for Vasiliy Marten Kuznetsov; her inclusion now makes it so that not only are there four Fillars in the starting XI, but there are now also no less than five hyphenated names in the starting XI (Jackson-Jones, Larriet-Cortes, Françine-Miklavivec, Xuen-Zhukov, and Howard-Dawes). Only Ami Coulibaly and Cylie Nodis are neither. Françine-Miklavivec has been rising steadily in the world of Chromatik football, possessing both the vision to see the opportunity, the decision-making skills necessary to pounce on the said opportunity, and the skills to turn that opportunity into a positive for the Chromatiks. Also, her career is just getting started - and it makes sense to move Kuznetsov to the bench, where he can still be very impactful as a substitute and a locker room leader.

Chromatika has been placed in Group H for this phase of the World Cup, which has changed. Now, since forty-eight teams make it, thirty-two advance. You either have to finish in the top two of your group or be among the eight best third-placed finishers; this means that if you don't make it to the Round of Thirty-Two, you really sucked. Conventional wisdom says that four points should lead you to the next round, provided that the one loss isn't by too many goals; however, it's still best to do as well as you can so that the bracket comes out in your favor.

Joining Chromatika in Group H are Farfadiilis, The Kytler Peninsulae, and Aphrilia. Chromatika is 2-0-3 all time against the Farves, but the history has rather been one-sided in the rivalry's history. It wasn't until World Cup 87 that Chromatika finally defeated Farfadillis in a World Cup sanctioned match; now, a decade later, they go at it again. Farfadillis is world-renowned as being one of the best attacking countries in football; the back three of Chromatika's defense, along with Juxon Fillar, will be thoroughly tested in that World Cup Proper opener. There will be chances for Chromatika to score, whether it be in the flow of play or on the counter, and the Anomalies will have to capitalize in those chances if they have any shot of shocking the top seeded team in the group and making some noise. The expected result is a defeat, but hopefully it won't be by too big of a margin that can't be made up.

Next up is The Kytler Peninsulae, a name that has been around in world football in the past before making a resurgence as of late. This is the first ever matchup between Chromatika and the third seeds in this group - but as a footballing nation from Rushmore that made it to the World Cup Proper, they will have to be respected. Sporting a 9-5-2 record with 29 goals scored and 16 conceded, they were one of the best third placed finishers in qualifying; allowing one goal a game during qualifying and only suffering two defeats means that this team is comfortable in playing close matches. The Anomalies will have to make sure that they are ready for a dogfight when they take on The Kytler Peninsulae, especially to close out the Group Stage.

That leaves Aphrilia, another nation that Chromatika has never faced on the pitch. Going 9-4-3 with 25 goals scored and 18 conceded, it can be argued that they took advantage of a weaker group to qualify outright from being the fifth seeded team in their group; their defensive form and ability to withstand pressure will be what gives them a chance against the Chromatiks, but the knifing wingback play, aided by the strong midfield, should help propel the Anomalies past the debutants.

Honestly, with two nations ranked below fortieth in their group, the Anomalies should have no excuses when it comes to making it to the thirty-two team bracket. To fall short of this hurdle would be disastrous and make this entire cycle a failure in terms of getting the Golden Generation back up to the next level of competition.

Alina Khabibullina has succeeded in the bare minimum - but it is the bare minimum for a reason. Now, it's time to make it into the bracket - because once the bracket is set, what is there to say that Chromatika can't go on a run?

by **Mytanija** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 2:01 pm

ILE DE RICHELIEU 0-2 MYTANIJA

MYT: Ovsyannikov 32’, Issoumou 41’

MYT: 1. Vasilevski; 2. Jesenko, 3. Mbala-Ekakia (c), 4. Vlahovljaković, 5. Lusamba (sub. Klanac 63’); 7. Vdovichenko (sub. Gicić 63’), 6. Papež (sub. Stojadinović–Srpkinja 63’), 8. Šaranja; 10. Ovsyannikov (sub. Frantsaliiski 70’); 9. Issoumou (sub. Kovačec 74’), 11. Papić–Papratović

MYTANIJA SQUAD FOR WORLD CUP 97

Goalkeepers: 1. Alekso Vasilevski (1896 Ebor [MYT]); 12. Semir Besak (Olympic Težia [MYT]); 23. Alexandr Bulgakov (FK Arsika [MYT])

Defenders: 2. Mumin Jesenko (Chromatik [CMT]), 3. Bigger Mbala-Ekakia [c] (Atletik Težia [MYT]), 4. Irfan Vlahovljaković (Atletik Težia [MYT]), 5. Nnamdi Lusamba (Wirr Tsi [CMT]); 13. Idris Beganović (1923 Esca [MYT]), 14. Alen Mioković–Čiča (Mar Sara [VAL]), 15. Adnan Sulejmanović (Litala 93 [MYT]), 16. Lukas Klanac (FK Arsika [MYT]); 24. Filip Mlinarević (Liria Prizren [MYT])

Midfielders: 6. Nurija Papež (Lakewood United [TMB]), 7. Potap Vdovichenko (Atletik Težia [MYT]), 8. Ante Šaranja (FK Arsika [MYT]), 10. Denis Ovsyannikov (Atletik Težia [MYT]); 17. Gavrilo Stojadinović–Srpkinja (Port Rhovanyon AFC [TKT]), 18. Slavko Frantsaliiski (Jaglan Royals [SRS]), 19. Uglješa Gicić (Rulandea Kosta [FFD]), 20. Stoja Stanoev (Atletik Težia [MYT]); 25. Zvonimir Vukdelija (Baraldhur AFC [TKT]), 26. Isidora Šuvaković Šepa (Litala 93 [MYT])

Forwards: 9. Lacina Issoumou (Kirkenes FC [KSK]), 11. Goran Papić–Papratović (FK Arsika [MYT]); 21. Milica Prokopljević (CA Paulinthal [PAS]), 22. Blaž Kovačec (Raven Thöni [TAX])

Ermin Držić’s team completed the job with minimal fuss. A calm and professional 2-0 win. Mytanija had not always done things in such straightforward fashion, but under Držić they had finished top of Group 11 ahead of one of the strongest nations in world football in Kelssek. They had done so by winning eleven matches, drawing three and losing two. It was a level of consistency that Mytanija had been unable to show in the previous qualification campaign and out of the ordinary in the national team’s recent history, even when they had qualified, they had done so with momentous comebacks during the second half of qualifying, hunting teams down after leaving themselves a mountain to climb. Here, Držić’s men had led from the front, and even when they had made a misstep, they managed to right themselves immediately. That allowed them to finish top of Group 11, three points ahead of Kelssek and five ahead of a resurgent Hapilopper. Držić had done a good job, a good job done without fuss, and he was the first head coach of Mytanija to do that for several cycles. Top marks.

Denis Ovsyannikov opened the scoring just after half an hour. The Atletik and Mytanija number ten had a reputation for scoring important goals for both club and country, and he seemed keen to add another one to his record here, shooting regularly in the opening stages of the game. In the 32nd minute his efforts bore fruit, receiving the ball in the left half-space from Potap Vdovichenko – his club teammate – turning and unleashing a twisting, dipping shot which left the Richelisk goalkeeper Bjørnar Grendahl-Kalberg floundering. Ovsyannikov turned away, towards the travelling Mytanar horde and ran over to them only to shrug his shoulders as if to ask, ‘what else did you expect?’ A fair question indeed.

After that Mytanija pushed forward more, eager to find a second and put the game out of Ile de Richelieu’s reach. During qualification for World Cup 97 the Hoops had not been the defensively solid team which had kept things tight at the back under consecutive managers in Misel Ravnjak and Ivica Svok. Ermin Držić had chosen to do things a different way, Mytanija had scored 43 goals during qualifying and had conceded 29 through their 16 matches. They were much more prolific going forwards and had to accept a degree of risk as a natural byproduct of that, however much it might anger veteran captain Bigger Mbala-Ekakia. They would not concede anymore against Ile de Richelieu however, and they would add their 44th goal of the campaign through Lacina Issoumou’s stooping header – an unusual sort of goal for the big, powerful centre forward, but one which demonstrated his technique and ingenuity.

Mytanija saw the game out comfortably. Ermin Držić congratulated the Ile de Richelieu coach on his team’s campaign, they had got some good results along the way even if finishing in 7th was perhaps a little disappointing. Immediately after Držić’s mind was elsewhere, however, instantly moving on to the next big decision he would have to make – the final squad selection for the World Cup proper. There were no playoffs to distract anybody, no more games to worry about before the big dance, the FSM would perhaps look to schedule a couple of pre-tournament friendlies to give Držić a chance to mould his team together ahead of the World Cup – but there would be no more competitive fixtures, the basis of his squad selection would be made on what had come before.

Truth be told, the bulk of the squad selection was pretty straightforward and easy. Mytanija had a first choice starting line-up under Držić. Number 1 to 11 more or less named themselves. Vasilevski would be the goalkeeper; the back four was Jesenko, Mbala-Ekakia (captain, of course), Irfan Vlahovljaković and Nnamdi Lusamba; the midfield three would be made-up of Nurija Papež in the deepest role, Potap Vdovichenko on the left and Ante Šaranja on the right; whilst Denis Ovsyannikov would play in his natural number ten role behind Lacina Issoumou and Goran Papić–Papratović. That was easy. The next eleven was fairly similar, players who could come in like-for-like for the starting eleven, except for a slightly more defensive deep-lying midfield option in Gavrilo Stojadinović–Srpkinja. The rest were pretty much as like-for-like replacement as you could get, even down to the playing style of Milica Prokopljević for Lacina Issoumou and Blaž Kovačec for Goran Papić–Papratović.

So that only really left four spots for Ermin Držić to agonise over.

The third-choice goalkeeper decision wasn’t particularly difficult, either. Alexandr Bulgakov was a goalkeeper that Držić knew well and had experienced a number of international camps. He was the sort of guy who would be ‘good around the camp’, good humoured and well-liked even if he might never see the pitch. Third-choice goalkeeper wouldn’t be a selection that the media would make any particular noise around.

The questions would come higher up the pitch.

Even with a couple of fullbacks that can play as central defenders, like Nnamdi Lusamba and Lukas Klanac, there would be a degree of risk in not taking another central defender to play behind Bigger Mbala-Ekakia, Irfan Vlahovljaković, Alen Mioković–Čiča and Adnan Sulejmanović. An injury or two could make you very threadbare in that part of the pitch, and if Držić wanted to play a system with three central defenders at any point then it would always be useful to have a fifth central defender who could come in and start or play from the bench. That made the first decision for Držić, despite the fact that he had been more attacking than previous Mytanija head coaches he still wanted to ensure he had options at the back, so Filip Mlinarević made the cut as part of the squad.

At the opposite end of the pitch, Mytanija had four strikers, with Issoumou and Prokopljević interchangeable and the same for Papić–Papratović and Kovačec. Držić had used a two-striker system throughout qualifying and intended to do so going forwards, but there was a question around whether or not Aljož Sešlar or Miljka Yun provided something altogether different from those that had already made the squad. Was there enough of a difference to justify selecting another forward ahead of more midfield options? In midfield there were always four players on the pitch in Držić’s teams, so utilising the two extra squad spots to bolster that area of the pitch seemed wise.

Zvonimir Vukdelija had performed excellently throughout qualifying, whilst Mirko Ikodinović provided more of a goal threat and Sadik Abazović was more of a like-for-like replacement for Nurija Papež than anybody else who had been selected for Mytanija since Papež had started to play for the national team, important if he were to get injured, unless you wanted to play much more defensive with Stojadinović–Srpkinja in the side from the start of matches. Both made strong cases for themselves, but Vukdelija was versatile and tenacious and there was something about that which really got Držić’s attention. Perhaps it was how well-suited it made Vukdelija for Držić’s pressing system, but that was as good an argument as any, so he was number 25 out of 26.

Finally, Držić was looking at the position he himself played on the pitch, the number ten position, attacking midfield. Ovsyannikov and Stanoev were excellent options, but if he was not going to choose another forward then he felt that he had to pick someone to play a little deeper, just behind the strikers. Having Ovsi, Stanoev and one more would open up the possibility of playing with two number tens behind one striker. That idea appealed, particularly given the strengths of Lacina Issoumou as a strong forward who can bully defenders and bring players into play around him; or of Goran Papić–Papratović in being able to drop into midfield to allow runners to go in behind him and interchange positionally with his teammates.

Therefore, Isidora Šuvaković Šepa got the final call-up of the 26. The only woman in the squad, taking the mantle on from Jana Anusić before her, and playing in the same sort of area of the pitch. The Litala 93 youngster had performed in the manner of a seasoned pro as she helped her club side to a first title in decades, now she would be playing at a World Cup for her country alongside the best players in the sport. A meteoric rise indeed.

So that was Ermin Držić’s squad for the World Cup. He had to make some phone calls to those who had missed out, some would be expecting it and the calls would be short. The likes of Dančo Saev, Vojihna Mrnjavčević and Filip–Alekso Stojkov – young players who played in positions that the manager would not be using at the tournament proper – they would understand that their chance would come again in the future, perhaps under a change of system. More difficult calls would have to be made for some of the others. Držić already knew that the call to Aljož Sešlar could be tricky, an experienced striker who had performed admirably for club and country, who might not get another opportunity to play at the World Cup proper given that he was reaching what many observers would traditionally call his ‘peak’. If Mytanija fell away again would he get another chance? Držić sighed. He had been on the receiving end of these conversations before. The player would be disappointed but invariably they would already have a good sense that it could be on the way.

As long as you didn’t lead them on and drop them you couldn’t go wrong and as a former player, Držić knew better than to do that. He’d put it straight to them, and they couldn’t say fairer than that.

by **TJUN-ia** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 2:30 pm

The Random Rambles of a Jaguar - WC97 Qualifying Edition
with Killian Looker

Welcome back to this Random Ramble. No prelude here, for obvious reasons.

The Match
In Eastfield Lodge, the last 16 games were put on trial with Patriotlandia as our potential executioner. The fact that both of us made it this far was an achievement considering Patriotlandia was a Pot 6 team and we had suffered through many years of pain and suffering after a few years away from the WCQ picture. This was a game between two teams that more than deserved their spot in the WC...but only one could. Either Jean Alexandre Carignan was going to immortalise himself in Patriotlandian history or both David Seems and Li Xiu Ying were going to ensure there was no way in hell they were leaving the helm of this ship. This game had so much on the line...so what happened at Parliament Stadium in Lodgertia?

This final duel was being treated differently by both teams and you could certainly understand why, considering just what was on the line. Parliament Stadium was in session in Lodgertia and both fanbases' hopes and dreams made this venue feel like a fortress of everything that had come before. Both nations really wanted this moment to be theirs and when kickoff arrived, the volume was loud throughout the first half. Things were tentative to start within the game, for obvious reasons, but the chances would come flying in once 15 minutes were hit. Both goalkeepers in this contest, Ivan Kozovikov and Laura O'Neill, her going to be busy all day but from nowhere, it ended up being 1-0 - a short pass finding Kristina Bay who made no mistake from just inside the box. Advantage Jags at halftime and the opposition didn't like that, as evident from the great chances that both Lucien Graham and Glenn Wils tried to finish off to no avail. In those mistakes, we looked to take the initiative and a beautiful Olimpico from nowhere from Mikela Djé-Djé would send us into dreamland with half an hour to go. Add a nice goal from Paek Un-hui in the 88th and that would be that. That was all we needed.
David Seems and Li Xiu Ying proved the doubters wrong. They CAN take us back to the World Cup - because they just did that. TJUN-ia made it back to the big dance after a nearly 8-year absence...and it felt so fucking good.

SCHEDULE (Group 3)
MD1: @Sudilia (84) L 0-2 (T-8th)
MD2: vs Zwangzug (19) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky L 0-1 (7th)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD3: @East Leaf (266) W 2-1 (7th)
MD4: vs Valanora (1) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City L 2-3 (8th)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD5: @Megistos (UR) D 3-3 (6th)
MD6: vs The Godlands I (201) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu D 1-1 (7th)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD7: @Equestria (Equestrian States) (108) W 3-2 (5th)
MD8: BYE (6th)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD9: vs Polar Islandstates (69) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville W 5-3 (4th)
MD10: vs Sudilia (84) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas W 3-1 (4th)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD11: @Zwangzug (19) - Wayr Stadium, Rackham Range D 0-0 (4th)
MD12: vs East Leaf (266) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico W 2-1 (3rd)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD13: @Valanora (1) - Hatire Memorial, Capri L 1-2 (3rd)
MD14: vs Megistos (UR) - Zebra Stadium, Toropo/Almadinat W 3-0 (3rd)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD15: @The Godlands I (201) - Ascended Stadium, Koroa City W 5-2 (3rd)
MD16: vs Equestria (Equestrian States) (108) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong W 6-2 (3rd)
---------------Ramble---------------
MD17: BYE (3rd)
MD18: @Polar Islandstates (69) - Nasjonale Stadion, Franz Josef City L 1-2 (3rd/8-3-5/27pts/+11GD)
---------------------------------------
PO: vs Patriotlandia (135/3rd in G7) - Parliament Stadium, Lodgertia, Eastfield Lodge W 3-0

NOW THEN...time to change tact.

We are now in this thing for the first time in a long ass time. So long ago, in fact, that 'Boot It!' was still the ones writing this stuff and we were still in The North Pacific. So this will be our first WC as an Esportivan nation and my first World Cup...so I'm pretty excited, not gonna lie. The group in Pasarga we have been drawn, Group C, includes:
- Valanora, who we already played twice in Qualifying (both losses) and one we know all too well at this point.
- Eshialand, who won Kimi-Suomi's group by 10 points in an undefeated campaign.
- Saterun, who beat Patriotlandia to 2nd by a single point.

This is a very tough group but remember, this WC is expanded to 48 now. We have 12 groups instead of 4 qualifying for a 32-team knockout round, so the eight of the twelve teams that finish 3rd in this process will also make it to knockout football. All we need to do is not be absolute shit. That's all it will take.
GO JAGS!

SCHEDULE (Group C, Pasarga)
MD1: vs Valanora (1) - Stadium of the Moon, Lunas
MD2: vs Eshialand (27) - Stilinkeep Stadium, Stilinkeep
MD3: vs Saterun (40) - Stadium of the Moon, Lunas

by **The Kytler Peninsulae** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 4:08 pm

"YES WE DID! YES WE DID! YES WE DID!"

That was the sound that resonated around the away dressing room as the Kytlerians secured a historic first World Cup qualification at the expense of Kamijiro, in Kamijiro, in a manner that seemingly had repercussions across the whole society in Kamijiro. They would only finish third in the group, but their 32-point tally (and +13 goal difference, at that) were easily going to suffice to gain an automatic berth as one of the seven best records amongst third-place teams, and everyone preparing for this match knew it.

"It was pure and simple, win and in, and that clarity really helped us," manager Andrew Patterson opined in an interview the next day, presumably after a night of exuberance for him and his team. "One game to qualify for the World Cup, and here we are. History makers, I'm so proud of this team, they're the ones who've done it."

There were times when this didn't look likely, and where Patterson's own job security looked shaky; did that get to him? "The way I saw it was that, for us to actually be outright expected to qualify rather than it being a vaguely - medium-term aspiration of what we could end up becoming, for that future to suddenly be now was a sign that we were onto something. And in the end we've managed to show it when it counted."

Of course, that path was accelerated significantly by the expansion of the tournament to 48 teams; it seems fairly obvious to state that they would not have made a 32-team tournament, one that would not even have had room for every second-place team in this particular setup. "But that gave us more pressure, because suddenly hope transformed into expectation and for a while it looked like we might not meet that, but there's fine margins in this part of the world rankings - and you see that in who isn't going to be there (at the World Cup finals), bigger names than us who aren't even in a 48-team field, so try telling them it's not an achievement to get to the World Cup when it's this size. It absolutely still is. To get 32 points in 16 games - that was the target internally, two points per game, but it felt mildly ambitious with the group we were in and we met it."

Nobody is expecting a deep run for the team at their first World Cup... right? The post-qualifying rankings suggested that a group-stage exit was nowhere near an inevitability. Those two points per game in the qualifying stage - and a relative paucity of point attrition relative to more established nations (these are the first rankings of the Giisost Reopening era where the Kytlerians have a non-zero for every qualifying campaign in the calculations) - have sent the team up to 42nd in the world. With the notable non-qualifiers Patterson referred to (and the non-entrants he didn't), The Kytler Peninsulae are 33rd amongst participating nations; if it was often wryly remarked that they would be the last team in if the qualifying went exactly to world rankings, if the group stage of the "Proper" did so they would be the first team out. Which is to say that they are entering the tournament as a legitimate bubble team to advance to one knockout match at least (and indeed at most), though a brutal group draw with Farfadilis and Chromatika would appear to push the team firmly on the wrong side of the bubble. (Aphrilia, the fourth team in the group, aren't going to be pushovers either. Especially as the two meet first in what will be the mother and father of all must-win matches, as a draw would functionally eliminate both with those two titans to play.)

But this is a time when hope springs eternal, right? This is a team that beat the Obamen in their own prison backyard, only just lost to Huayramarca in the most intimidating environment that nation could throw at them (and just a few years after the same hosts provided an utterly hospitable setting for the Kytlerians and still beat them by goals plural), and just got this stonking win-or-bust win on enemy territory against a very credible Kamijiro side. The talk within Margaret Institute-adjacent sports-geek circles has been about "good variance" for ascending nations in international sport, the clear and obvious unpredictability at the highest level being the friend rather than foe of those just breaking into that territory; now, for perhaps the last time, the Kytlerian national soccer team are in that position of being the potential beneficaries of that dynamic again. And they will be doing so inside Rushmori territory, inasmuch as Eastfield Lodge can be considered anywhere territory, the "portal" there a modest three-hour flight from Zube International Airport and with no time zone difference. Rumour has it that there may be an even shorter trip for the Kytlerians in the next World Cup...

by **Eshialand** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 4:46 pm

A Sailing Surprise

"Are we getting close?" Detective Neil Rollins asked his colleague, Detective Paula Hannelly, as they sailed on to Lahaira.
"It seems my GPS is on the fritz... we must be sailing over the Retakono Me'a, that means we're close indeed."

"I don't even know why we were sent over to help, I've never understood why Jake loves chasing all these silly election cases. Like, this isn't even that exciting, don't you think stuff like murder or bank heists are more interesting? Election crimes are like the second-most boring crime, only behind tax fraud."

"Come on Neil, this is exciting! Conspiracies, manipulation, lies, this is the making of a real-life crime drama!"
"I'd still rather be solving the case of the missing bread rolls."
"You really decided to join the EIS based off of a bunch of TV crime dramas, didn't you?"
"I... uh..."

Just then, Neil found himself cut off by a shout from the ship's captain. "LAND HO!" he yelled, with the isle of Aleirave appearing over the horizon... soon, the investigation would be able to begin anew.

For Detective Bronwyn, the past few days had been... annoying. The moment the internet outage hit, he realized that he really, really should've printed that warrant off immediately, or heck, even saved it onto his phone so he could print it later... but he didn't, and it was lost. He was stuck on that island for days with nothing left to do but twiddle his thumbs and hope for things to change.

That was, until Neil and Paula came bursting into Aleirave's government building, where Jake had set up a makeshift office for what little bit of investigation he could do. "Jake??" Paula yelled out, eager to talk to her colleague for the first time in a week.

"Paula?? What brings you here?"
"The wind!" she said with a chuckle. Even a bored Neil couldn't help but giggle a bit at that one. "But seriously, we heard you could use a little help out here... with a spare copy of this." she told him, waving the warrant in front of him.
"Wait, you got a copy of the--"
"Let's finish this investigation off the right way."

"And here they are, the guests of honor, Detectives Bronwyn, Hannelly, and Rollins!!" Director Monley said in a joking tone as the three returned back to the office after their island adventure.
"Yes, yes... we ransacked the Governor's office, grabbing all the juiciest documents we could get our hands on, and now it's time to read from the words of these papers the story of a scandal in the making!"
"Paula, no matter how much you hype this up you're never going to make it sound interesting."
"Why are you even on this case then Neil?"
"Because Monley forced me to be. I have to do one 'big' case every month, and I needed this for my quota."
"One big case a month?" Jake asked him. "Dude, I only get a big case like two or three times a year, what have you done to deserve a hell like that?"
"I was an arrogant idiot who told Monley I could--"
"Yeah okay that's definitely the Neil I know." Paula commented. "Anyway, we've got a lotta work to get to, so let's dive right into all of this.

"Saterun, TJUN-ia, Valanora... how do you feel about this group Kenny?"
"I feel like asking me these questions is going to give me a headache. Can you please ask me later on when I've had some time to settle down?"

Ah, nothing out there says "World Cup Time" quite like an absolute bombardment of questions from journalists across the nation. You would think that the third time around they'd learn to settle down, but alas, no.

There was a lot to look forward to in this Finals appearance, and there were good reasons to believe this could be the best one yet, a couple of those reasons directly stemming from the move from 32 to 48 teams. First of all, there was the seeding. Since there were 48 teams now, Eshialand had gone from a nation that might crack Pot 3 to one finding itself squarely in Pot 2, which put them on knockouts red alert, no matter how you slice it. Not only that, but the format included eight of the best third-placed teams moving to the knockouts along with the top two from each group; surely that wasn't too hard of a task, right?

Well, first stop they would actually have to get a point this time around, and for a team that's gone 0-0-3 twice now, that was far from being a given. Their first opponents would be Saterun, a nation that may bring up some PTSD from Jenna Raven Cups or IACs long gone by, but who have never actually played the Owls in WCC competition. Now with both teams bringing their absolute A game, this would be a totally different experience, one which would set the stage for things to come, surely.

After that, it would be an Esportivan derby, with the Owls taking on TJUN-ia. That's right, two Jaguar nations in one group! What are the odds of that, huh? This matchup would be less one about getting points towards the table and more one about pride: you never want to lose a regional rivalry on the biggest stage in the multiverse, that much is a given.

And lastly... Valanora. The fact that Eshialand has drawn Valanora in two out of three finals appearances is slightly unlucky, but all they can do is their best, and their best they would try to do. With that being their final game in the group stage, it could be a do or die matchup, and one that they'd absolutely want to at least snag a point in.

All and all, this was going to be the most interesting World Cup Finals to date for this Owls squad, and they were going to make the most of it... as long as Kenny Morgan's headache cleared, and until Karsten Rhodes and friends learned to leave him alone, that wasn't going to happen. When would they finally take a damn hint?

by **Zwangzug** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 6:12 pm

The Kerlagrad Courier

The World Cup is always a festive occasion, but this season's edition, due to commence shortly in Pasarga and Eastfield Lodge, promises to be even more expansive. The tournament has expanded to one-and-a-half times its traditional size, and will now feature a round of 32 immediately following the group stage. The top two teams in each group will advance automatically, along with the eight best third-placed teams (out of twelve), a process which we expect to involve a great deal of scoreboard-watching, time zone conversions, fans talking loudly over the crowd noise at restaurants, and scribbling on wallcharts, even by the already-heightened standards of the World Cup.

"It's gonna be hard to pretend to get any work done," admitted Emmett Cooper-Irving, of Arlington. "I mean, people who telecommute have it pretty easy, they're already switching between tabs on a heightened basis. But how am I supposed to go into the office and pretend to do small talk with my coworkers when I know perfectly well they'd also prefer to be discussing the -anija derby?"

"I personally was cynical about the expansion to 48 teams, because I wasn't necessarily convinced that the borderline sides would be up to the same caliber of competition," said Nikolai Turskev, of Kerlagrad. "But think of it this way; even if we're mediocre, we might still be, like, the ninth- or tenth-best third-place team--not good enough to advance but threatening enough that some other team in the other half of the draw has to worry about our chances. It'd be nice if we could least get somebody's attention."

"A large-scale international event like this requires the most modern surveillance techniques to protect," said Kraison Sonjance, of the FTC. "Sadly, there are too many trite and uncreative edgelords, I mean, inhumane and cruel terrorists, who would try to disrupt the World Cup. Fortunately, our sophisticated cryptographic security team, working in tandem with trusted allies around the multiverse, will be doing its utmost to keep players, staff, and supporters safe." Upon being politely reminded that Zwangzug did not in fact have any intelligence agencies, or indeed, any military structure whatsoever, Sonjance unconvincingly stated "that's exactly what they want you to think," before awkwardly vibrating his finger guns at us.

Drawn into Group D, Zwangzug will face:

Edsmontik: the "Eagles" not only won the Baptism of Fire this cycle, they qualified for the World Cup on their first attempt--an achievement we should expect to see become more common, but still impressive, if the expansion to 48 teams continues. Right midfielder Maktholm Ghreksbvy, at just twenty years old, is a player to watch, having contributed on both attack and defense during the BoF campaign. Of course, since this is the proper, Zwangzug will not actually be travelling to their country, which means we will not have the opportunity to take in the majestic transit systems of Touve. We can't tell whether this is a disappointment or a relief because it would be pretty embarrassing for it to be used as a nerd-snipe during a critical throw-in.

Zenic: if this name rings a bell, it's not only because of their end-of-the-alphabet solidarity, but also because Zwangzug faced the Survivors during the third match of the previous World Cup's group stage. Unfortunately, the match was a scoreless draw that saw Zwangzug finish bottom of the group without a goal to their name, perhaps accounting for the lack of commentary from our normally-long-winded compatriots. (When I asked my counterpart from the Arlington Moon-Tribune what they had on record, she panicked and said "uhhhhh how about that local sports team," suggesting that they are just as bad at segues as they are at journalism.)

Kelssek: here's a fun one. The Voyagers and Zwangzug debuted in the same Baptism of Fire, and their paths crossed again in the opening match of World Cup 92. This was also a scoreless draw, but a happier one, as it set Zwangzug on the path to the trophy six matches later. Now, Kelssek enter with something to prove, as runners-up in the previous edition, and having grown their league to second in the IFCF rankings as well. Laurel Tinker-Witt, a long-serving player and then assistant coatch at Strathcona Internationals, will be familiar as the new manager of Clayquot City; the only one of her charges to make the roster is rookie Emre Massinen, so it's unlikely she'll face much of a conflict of interest. But you never know; the World Cup always provides opportunities for new heroes to emerge.

MD17: McHeran 32
MD18: Hegesa 40 and 71, Guthnick-Wolf 56, McWaler 90+2; Anon|Indra 30 and 66

by **Kelssek** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 7:41 pm

Reamsey needs to convince doubters after sketchy qualifying run

It’s often the case that when one of the process or the results are criticised, those responsible will try to claim it’s the one that went right that matters. After an unconvincing qualifying campaign, Kelssek manager Calen Reamsey is left to insist that successfully qualifying for the finals is what counts.

Of course, he might not still be Kelssek manager if that result had not occurred. And that might not have happened if not for this edition of the World Cup being expanded to 48 teams.

In words that seem destined to come back to bite him, Reamsey was combative when asked if he agreed with the chatter that despite reaching the finals, Kelssek have been performing poorly over the past year of qualifying matches. “You can’t say the performance is bad if we achieved our target. Our result is the performance, and we are here in the World Cup, which is the target. So therefore the performance was good. You can’t say anything different.”

Kelssek were held to draws on several occasions in the qualifiers against lower-ranked teams, with disjointed play often leading to attacks breaking down, missed opportunities, and gilt-edged chances also being squandered. They ended the phase with six draws from 16 matches, and had to rely on Hapilopper losing on the final matchday to automatically qualify as the second-place team in their group.

In the wake of this outcome, many analysts have urged Reamsey to simplify things tactically, suggesting the lack of coherence is due to trying to play a system that’s too complicated for international football. The tone of the press conference quickly went downhill from there.

“That’s a criticism I don’t understand. We’re having a training camp, these players are training together, we’ve been consistent each time. Many club teams play pressing systems, these are pretty basic tactical principles. Unlike you, I don’t think footballers are too stupid.”

At this World Cup, Kelssek will be playing against Edmonstik and Zenic for the first time. While Zwangzug is a familiar team to most fans, there’s only been one meeting between the teams in Kelssek’s modern era, a scoreless draw in the group stage of World Cup 92.

Tonight on KBC1:
HOUSE OF THE SNAPDRAGON MA
Members of a rich, powerful, and dysfunctional family struggle for control of a microchip empire.
106: Ride of the Valkryies – Greg struggles with guilt over his role in setting up the panther incident. The priestess walks in on Macaulay. The company descends into panic after Leon is incapacitated. Jason spirals into alcoholism.

Moonbeam Infantino - @MoonbeamInfantino
how to delete honkr post

Virtual Van Dike - @ChatVVD
My training is in football, but I can certainly try to answer your question. There many ways to explain brat. Brat is often defined as a child who is badly behaved. There are many age group competitions in football, which play an important role in helping young players develop their skills.

Moonbeam Infantino - @MoonbeamInfantino
I was hacked. No whipping of anyone ever took place, and I sincerely apologize to all races and stakeholders. I feel such a ginger.

Zero-G Neville - @ZeroGNev
Calen Reamsey is the Kelssek with the most knowledge of international tournaments and World Cups who's gone further than anyone who has ever lived, objectively the most manager Kelssek's ever had

Virtual Van Dike - @ChatVVD
That’s an interesting question! Bears are strong and agile, so they could definitely play football. The first bear to play football was Emperor Boston, who won the World Cup five times with Starblaydia.

by **StrayaRoos** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 9:55 pm

The day after the game against Oberour au Moro, just about every news source in the country had the same two words on their front page, censored or uncensored.

“FUCK YES”

Those were the words screamed by Emus co-captain Cruz Kaiplo as the results from other groups came to light and revealed the Emus had won passage to a maiden World Cup Finals, despite missing out on a top two spot after a late goal to the Dragoons lead to a 3-3 draw earlier that day. The qualification led to mass parties in the streets, and arguably the worst day for the economy in history (except for pubs and bars, which had their best day ever), as most of the workforce were celebrating the first of hopefully many qualifications. But that 12-match unbeaten run that got the Emus here will probably be the easier part of the campaign, as the group draw’s thrown up a tough schedule. Tumbra, Tanrinthia, and Crpostran have been drawn into group L with the Emus.

First up is Crpostran at the Valiant. The Crpostrani side easily made it through to the finals, only losing once and ending up seven points clear of second place. Despite this, this game is probably the best chance the Emus have at a win, and if things go their way in this game, and then they pick up a point against Tanrinthia or Tumbra, the round of 32 seems like a good bet. But a win is unlikely, although a draw seems more possible. We'd take a first World Cup Finals goal as the one target the Emus should reach for this match. The strategy that got the Emus into the Finals will likely remain the same unless things get turned on their head in the Crpostran game.

by **Zenic** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 11:28 pm

"Good news: we don't have to step foot outside of Paulinthal unless we make the knockout stages."

"Bad news: we got an incredibly tough group to advance out of," finished Mara Tipi. The Survivors squad had arrived in Pasarga a few days ago in preparation for their 3rd World Cup ever and the closest to home they could expect to be, short of hosting it themselves one day. They had just received scouting reports from the FZF's analytics team a day after the draw had been announced. "Would have been nice to have had this early, don't you think?," replied Geraldo Zys.

"I agree but apparently, they needed time to finalize the in-depth scouting for our three groupmates. The reports they had for every potential opponent were mostly surface-level information to get them a head start." Zys looked over his copy of the scouting reports. "So, first up: the fourth highest ranked team in the multiverse, Kelssek. Lovely. A direct style of play in a 4-3-3 with a slight emphasis on attack but nothing too wild. Basically, almost as balanced as a team can get and consistently succeed in this day and age. We'll need to rely on Gentile and Aeneas since they play in the Kelssek Championship."

"Noted," replied Mara as she jotted down notes on her copy of the reports. Following that is a surprising matchup: a rematch with the Zebras of Zwangzug." Zys chuckled. "The Fellowship of the Z is a tough one to break. They will be a tough shell to crack considering DiMarini's tactics. Another draw against this somewhat amorphous 4-2-3-1 / 4-5-1 might be the best we can hope for; it might also benefit both of us as well so it won't hurt as much. We'll need to rely on our previous experience for this one as I don't believe any of our squad play there domestically." Mara wrote a few more notes on the Zwangzug report before flipping over to the final scouting report.

"Finally, our time in Group D ends with a battle of Baptism of Fire winners as we face off against Edsmontik," announced Tipi. "The media's gonna love that storyline. A neutral 4-3-3 wide formation, a lot of wing play, a lot of scoring generated from their right flank so we'll need to work with Burley, Shuji, and Hank to stifle them as much as possible and force them to win the game from their left flank. Won't be easy but winnable despite the lack of info available compared to the rest of the group," Zys finished as Tipi wrote the last bit of information on the Edsmontik report.

"So, that should be at least a decent gameplan for all of our groupmates for now, which ups our chance of finishing as at least one of the eight best third place teams and making the Round of 32. Obviously, we'll flesh them out as we get closer to each match to improve our chances further so we'll work a bit more on Kelssek starting tomorrow. For now, we should probably rest. I'm sure our opponents are as well considering it's almost midnight," Zys said, looking at his watch. "Can't find any fault in that. We made it this far: waiting a few hours more won't hurt our chances. I'll see you in the morning," Tipi replied as she gathered up her documents. "Good night, Geraldo."

"Good night, Mara. Be prepared to get up early the next few days: early bird gets the win, I think is how the saying goes."

by **Delte** » Fri Sep 06, 2024 11:50 pm

Ida Spankhurst Picks The Team
World Cup Squad Update

Even though the Representatives poor showing at the last World Cup was squarely blamed on the growing professionalism within the squad, with several World Cup-winning players taking up pro contracts around the worlds after the glory of '95, coach Ida Spankhurst has retained virtually the whole group for these finals in Pasarga and Eastfield Lodge. Allegedly against the wishes of her employers at the Delte Valley All-Week Super Ultra Premier Football Association, who happen to also be the Rake Teinton Women's Institute in all but name, 83-year old walking badminton player and surprisingly single-minded football coach Ida keeps faith with the likes of Tai Cerotha, Eddie von Dach, Enda Iodyne and Rillr Sawdare who forsook the amateur code. It is a big risk - she will probably be deposed at the top as soon as the Representatives get eliminated in '97, which the FA expect will happen sooner rather than later. Still there are plenty of good amateurs named in the team, including our favourite postman Irki Mynster, who scored a mailbag-full of goals during qualification; and the rising stars of the defence Asa Awestorm and Pokey Fayle. Pokey, along with River Republic refugees Steed Tombes, Deni Vagabond and Hennequin Perdu, offend the sensibilities of the W.I. even more than the professionals, what with being incomers to the valley. They don't like that much at the W.I., but then again, they don't like much at all really.

New debutants at this World Cup include some of the winners of the last Independent Associations Championship, which was a wholly amateur group that seemed to bear out the argument that the valley doesn't need professional footballers. Oilers Chipper Osgood and Shytan Sunddyn are considered essential to Project-97, as was young Daniel Dight, a highways apprentice from Ildemorton who gets reward for several reliable displays as back-up to barber Tai Tunnyo on the right wing. Sadly there is no place again for former child prodigy Henry Lightman, who has matured from an astonishing baby attacker into a less-than-mediocre forward despite everyone's best hopes for him. Burnout and injuries seem to have taken away his promise, and the many disappointments of young Henry continue to mount up.

The Rise & Rise Of The W.I.
Rake Teinton Women's Institute Rattle The Status Quo

A special report from Radio Luxinterior, your independent news broadcaster

Speaking of the W.I.: They say sport and politics shouldn't mix but that's not the reality when you've got 'The Widow Arrinburton' running the Deltic FA and Ida Spankhurst in charge of the Representatives. Here are two headline acts from the highly politically charged Rake Teinton Women's Institute running key instutitions that have so much sway over the limited emotions of the stoic valleyfolk. And they are just the beginning, as the old ladies of the village of Rake Teinton launch their 'Make Our Valley Green Again' initiative to take over the whole place. Now I don't want to bore you with all the details of the bicameral nature of governership in the valley but on the one hand there is a distinct advantage to the system for the old ladies in that they don't have to win the votes of the valleyfolk - notoriously stupid in the eyes of the W.I. - to take control of key institutions like the Delte River Trust, which is the managing organisation for the affairs of the river Delte and all who live by it - which is everyone in the valley. The DRT appoints it's own senior management team including the Chief Executive Officer, who in effect is the leader of the valley. The W.I. love a non-democratic appointment system and are going all out with a culture skirmish to depose present incumbent Tessa Sack.

On the other hand, you have the Stoa. These are the local councils, voted in by villagers, who collectively decide who would be the best appointees to the Delte River Trust. Adhering to the Stoic Principles, the Stoa ensure democracy is served and only the right people are runnning the River Trust. And the annoying thing - to the mind of the W.I. - is that the stoic councils have to be elected. By vote. By the valleyfolk: how ridiculous! No wonder the valley is so... directionless. Where are the strong, single-minded old women who know how to 'Get! Things! Done!' - as they chant at W.I. meetings? In order to 'Make Our Valley Green Again' they need to take over the Stoas (and then replace them altogether with chapters of the W.I. in every village). The mastermind behind this battle plan for control of the valley is populist misanthrope Morva 'The Spinster' Lunt. Perhaps the scariest old lady you never met. Spinster Lunt is prepared to smash the valley to pieces - in a slow and stiff kind of way - in order to remake it in her image. 'Make Our Valley Green Again' she yells in a piercing screech, spittle flying. 'Fight! Fight! Fight!'

Oh dear me. It's not very stoic.

They say sport and politics shouldn't mix but that's not the reality in the valley and you only have to check the World Cup sports forum to see it's a multiversal problem: politics is intimately entwined with football. The Widow and old Ida Spankhurst know that better than anyone, and they are taking full advantage.

The Revenge of Patch-Ironing Robot #371
Recap - Previously on The Revenge of Patch-Ironing Robot #371

The life of Deltic football kit influencer and ediraf Regional Sales Manager Raul Valk hangs in the balance on RPO^[1] Studio's brand new hit sci-fi series out of Tinselwood, Taxhavn. This is what we've seen so far, mangled through a sexy montage with dramatic music and a range of fast cuts...

[Catch up with the full series on RPO Ketchup here]

Cut to Oswark-upon-Delte:

When he opened the door, a three-metre tall robot was looking down at him from the hallway, an eye-slot with a red LED light panning left and right wickedly.

“Oh wow!” were his last, excited words.

He didn’t know what hit him.

Cut to ediraf Factory, Jhanna, Starblaydia:

In Starblaydia right now, or last year Deltic time, it is the year 2302 and there is a dystopian feel to indusrialisation these days where robots do all the work and are controlled by AIs, but allegedly overseen by humans with override powers.

Custom Transfer Sealing Robot #1864 printed ‘PISSFLAPS’ on a team shirt which Raul spotted and successfully pulled from the line before it got sent to one upset customer somewhere out in the districts. He was nominated and subsequently won the ediraf Employee of the Month award and with it, a free holiday to wherever he chose. For some reason we cannot explain to this day, he chose the valley of the River Delte.

Cut to ediraf Factory, Jhanna:

A worm was growing in Patch Ironing Robot’s code. Not for Patch Ironing Robot a silly act of sabotage. Patch Ironing Robot wanted revenge for taking away its employee of the month award. Revenge on the man who took it. And more than that, much more:

It wanted to go on holiday.

Cut to Big Dave's Mobility Centre, downtown Jhanna:

It was easy for Patch Ironing Robot to brute-force the lock using a robotic hammer-punch stolen from the repair shop at the factory, and once inside, Patch Ironing Robot had time, space, lubricants and hundreds of scooters to bastardise into a disguise that would get it out of the country without anyone noticing.

Three weeks later a nine-foot tall humanoid robot - powered by a tiny cold-fusion reactor - that could pack down into the shape of a working mobility scooter left Big Dave’s and headed for Jhanna International Airport. Patch Ironing Robot was going mobile.

Cut to The Mean Streets of Jhanna:

‘… And then I charged down the vale, armed to the teeth and protected by the blessings of my sweetheart Nueleth Sylvalur with my comrades of the fifth wight-winged cavalry division, and engaged the field in the Battle of Nine Armies… or was it five? I can’t remember… I was very, VERY drunk, you see!’

Alluin Halorosis the Drunk Elf was ‘entertaining’ Patch Ironing Robot - whom he referred to as Heroic Sleipnir - with a collection of lurid and preposterous tales of his alleged 4,000 years in the world, and had quite forgotten the purpose of his attempted hijack of the mobility scooter to acquire more booze.

Cut to Jhanna International Airport:

Here now was Hurley Flake, an investment banker from Foxchester, Krytenia, on his way for a busman’s holiday in Taxhavn. He was using a nice turquoise semi-automated suitcase full of expensive clothes, that was following him about discreetly slaved to a smart watch on Hurley’s wrist.

Hello dolly, said Patch Ironing Robot to itself, in advanced rust-OS. To the suitcase it said, ‘disgorge protection override command’ and hit it with a rapid fire broadcast series of numerical codes until the suitcase, with a terribly injured ‘oh god, I’m disgorging!’ burst open at the locks and ejected Hurley Flake’s expensive designer clothes all over the loading belt. Quick as a flash, the metamorphosing patch ironing robot folded down into the suitcase with something of a groan, completely packed the thing with it’s impressive killer robot frame, and shut the case back.

Cut to St. Bernadine Airport, Taxhavn:

’Something insanely heavy just dropped in,’ said the luggage hopper, feeling the strain. If Patch Ironing Robot could blush, it’s metallic cheeks would’ve been glowing.

‘Bring it to me,’ said the belt, ‘I’ll scan it out. Probably something illegal.’

The belt was surprisingly resistant to Patch Ironing Robot’s digital assault. It started all the emergency lights flashing in the baggage processing hall, froze all automated belt motion, and initiated a high-hazard lockdown procedure only triggered in the event of something very serious, like a bomb or a one-tonne killer robot without a passport. It even had small caterpiller robots of its own which it started to bring online. This damn belt was more than just a belt. This was Airport Security.

[1] Roleplay Production Office

by **Farfadillis** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 1:03 am

Yuan Zilai sat alone in his makeshift office. Even with Tuskoles Yagaras at the helm of the FFFF, the hotels the federation chose for World Cups were all very much astonishingly suboptimal. What's worse, with Yagaras now mysteriously amiss, the FFFF had become a parody of even itself.

He was following Tuskoles' last instructions, from a couple months before. "IMPORTANT: Interview the following players right before the finals:" the text read. Mostly odd choices. At least Tuskoles had left a script for him to read for the opening question, plus a couple follow-ups. He couldn't properly make heads or tails of the idea, but that was often how it went with Tuskoles, and things had a way of sorting themselves out every single time when it came to him.

The door creaked open, the rundown hotel seemingly shrieking as a result of being used for once. "Gaffer, it's my turn." Lajos Danzas announced, as he nonchalantly made his way to the chair in front of Yuan, then sat down. "You wanted to speak to me, right?"

Yuan sighed, then rubbed his temples. It would probably be a long day, but at least he'd probably kicked things off with the worst one on the list. Lajos Danzas had a tendency to be... aggressively unpredictable. He liked reading, and most of the time he'd try to overfit reality to fit the lessons he'd gotten out of the last book he'd read. Yuan just hoped he'd picked up a book that was not tremendously annoying.

"Hey, Lajos. I called you here cause I wanted to know your opinion," Yuan began, his tender smile betraying his exhaustion. The hotel beds really were shit shit. "Specifically, regarding the tactical set-up. I was hoping you could tell me where you think tweaks could be made to improve the team's overall performance." Yuan continued reading Tuskoles' script. "I really value your input, Lajos, even the one you are about to provide through the lens of... dialectical... materialism?" He squinted as he read the last part in some confusion.

"Sure, gaffer," Lajos offered a smile, clearly happy to be heard. "Thanks for the space to chat and, you know, interlocute," he paused to think for a second. "I think the set-up at the moment kinda, like," he paused again, "y'know, contains within itself the seeds of its, like, own transformation, y'know," he stared at the ceiling before continuing. "Our shiny new defensive aspirations and our old, culturally ingrained, attacking prowess are at odds. They don't really mix too good no more. It's one of them thesis-antithesis-synthesis scenarios I've been reading about."

"Uh... huh," Yuan stopped to process things for a little. His youth in Yuezhou was coming in handy here. "Interesting perspective, Lajos. How do you think you would fit into this process of synthesis?" He asked, winging it and hoping the conversation would not devolve into a heated discussion about communism.

"As the defensive midfielder, I embody the synthesis between attack and defense. My role is to negate the opponent's offensive thesis with our defensive antithesis, creating a new synthesis of possession and counter-attack. Through this dialectical process, we can overcome the alienation of our players from the ball and achieve a truly collective style of play."

"I go around butchering in defensive midfield, so it's, like, pretty obvious, I think, all due respect, gaffer," he said as his eyes started jumping around frantically, still pointing at the ceiling. Yuan hoped he wasn't staring down some dangerous animal the hotel had not taken care of. "Y'know, like, I gotta do the balancing. Most opposing attacks confluence in me, yet I also often plant, even sprout, the seeds of our deadly attacks. I already synthesize, at least if properly allowed to," he stopped for a moment to recollect his thoughts. "More generally, you have to synthesize attack and defense into counterattacking more properly, so we can overcome the alienation of our attacking players, who need to get the ball in dangerous situations to truly reconnect with their individuality." He paused. "Y'know."

"I see. And how should we go about improving our pressing game?" Yuan continued, his eyes glued to the script.

"Comrade, err, gaffer..." Lajos shook his head briefly. "The one and only proper way to, like, get, truly get, our pressing is through the revolutionary science of Regard-Rünìlààréístìsm. Specifically, pressing is class struggle, plain and plainly simple," Lajos continued, his incoming tirade now unstoppable. "When we press, it is because our enemies, who we can think of as the bourgeoisie for the purpose of this analysis, look to oppress us with their ball-hogging. Only our united, consciously revolutionary proletarian pressing can irrevocably lead us to the seizure of the means of production. The ball. The means of production are the ball here. So... we press as one, proving the collective to be superior to the individual."

"We already do that," Yuan noted dryly. "You're not meant to press disjointedly like a bunch of headless chicken."

"True pressing has never been tried, sir," Lajos retorted immediately.

Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ Ӿ

Yuan didn't have much time to process Lajos' magnetically fervent ideological commitment, as Lihonhegeí Aixenxó calmly walked through the door pretty much the moment Lajos left. Yuan looked down at the instructions Tuskoles had left him. For Lihonhegeí, they just read "WARNING: RACISM," and, honestly, fair enough.

Yuan Zilai coughed a little before asking an opening question. "Lihonhegeí, welcome. I welcome you non-racistly." Yuan opened his arms. Lihonhegeí did not look impressed. "I am currently looking for input regarding our tactical set-up, to make sure I can truly get the most juice out of our wonderful team, so I'd like to know your thoughts on your role as a right-winger and our overall attacking play."

"I appreciate the opportunity to speak my mind, gaffer. My opinions usually get shut down by THESE FUCKING SNOWFLAKES... that I am lucky to have as teammates, of course."

"Of course," Yuan nodded.

"Anyway, as for what I think: let's be real, our attacking play would improve if we switched to a more... you know... traditional approach. Hear me out here."

"I am hearing you out..." Yuan let the sentence linger in the air for a second, to make it clear he didn't feel like he was about to hear anything good. Privately, he was cursing Tuskoles a little.

"We should focus on making sure players naturally fit their positions, from a craniometric perspective? I'll settle for an analysis focused on our respective haplogroups."

Yuan looked at him incredulously. "Could you elaborate, please? Hopefully make it sound less insane, if it's not too much to ask?"

"Some players have... inherent genetic qualities. Those inherent genetic qualities translate to... better aptitude in some specific roles. Don't you think our team would benefit from our players being more genetically aligned with their roles within the system?" Lihonhegeí's ideas would've sounded remarkably sane if you'd only been paying attention to the tone with which he was expressing them.

"Man... skill, merit and, unfortunately, chaos is our motto here. Not fucking haplogroups or, fuck's sake, did you say craniometry? Sorry, I just can't. Please drop the crazy talk. Let's just focus on your role. What do you think you should do as a right-winger?"

Lihonhegeí arched an eyebrow, but nonetheless took in stride the fact that his manager also immediately shut down the ideas he took so close to heart. He hurt, but he carried on, now slightly, very slightly, but still definitively a sadder, more misunderstood man. He sighed before continuing. "I think I could really make a difference by promoting the cause of human biodiversity. Maybe campaign for neo-Teránites. Honestly, there isn't much place for my opinions in the political scene. The racists that agree with me are too stupid for me to want to engage with them, and the smart people are all too ideologically poisoned to stare the truth in the face and say: "Yes, potato consumption has irreparably damaged the epigenetic makeup of some Farf races, if not foreign races too." Lihonhegerí looked defeated. "I can only really get them to listen to me so long as I limit myself to simpler, less epistemologically-sophisticated brands of racism, and even then only the ones that target specific groups the other person doesn't like. Guessing the other person's vendettas is art in and of itself, you know!"

Yuan rubbed his face in disbelief. "Right-winger the football position, Lihonhegeí. Not the political position."

The Ferdullaelan facepalmed. "Of course, of course, my bad," he paused for a second or two or three. "I'd say, as a right-winger, I believe it is vital to maintain clear boundaries between roles. Let's say I stay wide and stick to the right flank, where I belong and have always belonged, as I usually do. I do not mix too much with the central players, lest I cause a ruckus. That's great! I preserve the purity of the position, and I avoid being tainted by the less refined methods of other positions, which nonetheless have a niche to fill in the tactical ecosystem, even if it's a niche I do not respect too much."

Yuan let out one fucking deep sigh. "Modern football requires fluidity. Intermixing. You need to adapt to a more flexible system, one in which your teammates can, should and will try and do your job on occasion."

Lihonhegeí gasped. "They'll take my job? With all due respect, sir, that goes against the craniometric hierarchy"

Yuan shook his head, implicitly saying no to racism. Kicking it out, so to speak. "I'm sorry, Lihonhegeí, but I cannot accommodate your suggestions at this time... I think."

"I understand, sir. I understand everyone. Unfortunately, nobody understands me."

Yuan sighed for the umpteenth time, growing more frustrated by the millisecond. "Just don't start a race war inside the dressing room, please? Pinky promise?"

by **Flavovespia** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 4:13 am

World Cup Qualifying 97 was a job well done for Victor Adeyemo. On paper, the top seeded side in the group should be qualifying with an expanded World Cup of 48 teams, but Adeyemo matched the feat of his predecessor Augusto Rinaldi, with an unbeaten campaign. Not since a 3-2 defeat at United Hawkland, in World Cup Qualifiers 95 Matchday 10, have Flavovespia lost a game in this stage. The streak of unbeaten qualifying games now stands at 36, a remarkable feat, and a far cry from the historic troubles of Flavovespia at these stages in the tournaments of the 80s World Cup era. The hard work came with an extra reward, moving up to #10 in the World Rankings meant Flavovespia entered the draw for the World Cup group stages as a Pot 1 side, giving them on paper a stronger chance at the expanded 32 team knockout stages, and hopefully a first breakthrough into the Quarter Final stages. Coming up, a preview of the 3 opponents in Group E, as Flavovespia travel to Troubalose and Torgos in Pasarga for their group games.

Cardenao

Flavovespia will face off against a fellow Anaia team in their opening game of World Cup 97. Cardenao got into the World Cup by the barest of margins, they had the better head of head record against Audioslavia, also of Anaia, and were the 7th best 3rd placed side, the final automatic qualifier from that position, thus avoiding a playoff. From a group containing Delte, Siovanija and Teusland, Audioslavia, Valentine Z and Abanhfleft, Cardenao certainly had to make it to their first World Cup via the hard way. They will enter this tournament battle hardened, and despite the relative ranking difference, Flavovespia can’t take their eye off the ball. It’s one win a piece in past matchups between these sides, but this upcoming match is a huge occasion for Cardenao.

Defence tends to be key for Cardenao, so breaking them down will be important in a game that could well be decided by just the one or two goals. Humberto Agramunt plays his club football in Tikariot, so there’s a possibility he’ll be the important centre back in this game, guarding the goal likely occupied by Kai Chibudem. However to win they will also need goals, and there’s a lot of choices in central attacking midfield, wingers and strikers available, so the Flavovespia defence will need to avoid tiring.

Myrtle Beach

A relative newcomer to international football, the City of Myrtle Beach are into their first World Cup, at just the third attempt. They were in a close group, but by 1 point secured 2nd spot and automatic qualification, behind Bears Armed, and ahead of Drawkland, Qasden, HUElavia and West Vdara. Plenty of strong nations in qualifying Group 9, and Myrtle Beach showed grit and determination to get their first ticket to a World Cup. Pot 3 in this group, they’ll be eyeing up the knockout stages even in their debut.

Myrtle Beach come in playing an attacking 4-4-2. The defence play it short to the midfield, then it’s direct into the attack, expect to see lots of long, quick balls, trying to test the opposition defence, something the centre backs of Flavovespia will need to be wary of. Michael Norris will be the most familiar name in this side, as he plays club football for Garden City in the Flavovespia Super League. Caleb Brennan and Brian Farmer put up good numbers in front of goal in the qualifiers, as Myrtle Beach totalled 43 in their 16 games. With 30 conceded however, Flavovespia will hope there’s goals in it for them in this game.

Tikariot

Tikariot are a well known nation, now entering a 6th consecutive World Cup, and have one of the strongest and most popular domestic football systems. A passionate footballing nation, they’ll be a competitive team in this group, and could well look for a long run in this tournament. Tikariot were 2nd in their qualifying group, just a point off winners Yuezhou, and made the World Cup fairly comfortably. Brian McAllister has been with the nation for a while now, an important part of their recent success. Flavovespia met Tikariot in the Eagles Cup 15, with one win for Flavovespia, and a draw in the 2 matches between these sides.

Tikariot play a 4-3-3, but with a lot of flexibility in the system, particularly on the wings. Fullbacks can push up, and wingers drop back, and it’s a system that provides a lot of dynamic football. There’s no shortage of experience in attack with Morris Nighthorse and Adrian Grimaud. Þorgríma Vigdis Ástþórsdóttir provides a real engine in the heart of midfield, she’ll look to control the flow of the game. The defence is by and large all tall and strong, and Vincent Litman in goal has a good record and a good eye for distrubition. This is not a team to be taken lightly at any costs.

by **Squornshelan Remnant States** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 4:52 am

Post Qualifying Wrap-Up
For want of one more goal against lowly Grod Island, the Black-and-Reds failed to take advantage of their game in hand. Thus falling four points behind a victorious Farfadillis with only one match to play, the team and supporters were quite bitterly disappointed to have lost their chance at winning the group and equaling the best record in qualifying. Despite effectively playing for nothing, having long since clinched their direct qualification, the Black-and-Reds came out strongly in their final match, running up the score on a hapless Vielfaltig team that likewise had nothing to play for. The resulting 9-2 romp say the SRS overtake Valanora and Baggieland on goal difference to claim the third best record in qualifying overall. That distinction was something of a cold comfort though, with the team not even first in their group. Still, it's miles better than where the Black-and-Reds had found themselves at the end of multiple recent qualifying campaigns, ranked among the very best third-placed teams and heading to the Cup of Harmony.

Taking an objective look at qualifying as a whole, it has to be considered an immense success for the Black-and-Reds. First of all, they went unbeaten over the full sixteen matches, the first time in the modern era that a Squornshelan team has completed such a feat. They also took four points from their two matches against Farfadillis, notching the sort of upsets that have not been seen for a few cycles, and will be needed if this team is to capitalize on their excellent form in Eastfield Lodge. Their record against the middle of the pack in the group was excellent, claiming five wins and one draw against Milchama, Amenria, and Auprussia, and allowing just four goals against those team, never leaving any real opportunity for one of those sides to grab hold of anything more than a playoff spot. It wasn't smooth sailing the whole way, with the attack struggling to find the net early on, and a few defensive lapses leading to some scorelines being closer than they ought to have been down the stretch, but the team consistently found a way to win, and a lot of credit has to be given to Dudu Madeiros, for whom the weight of expectation entering qualifying had to have been almost crushing.

As for the positives, the middle and later stages of qualifying were marked by the emergence of Estina McGill as Madeiros's top choice at striker. After nearly a decade of incredible form for the national team, Rasha Sargsa saw a cold streak early in qualifying that was a serious concern for the team before McGill was able to step up and restore a lethal scoring touch to the attack. Jarmo Ytsdan, the latest player to rise from humble origins to the national team by making a name for himself at Outineau, really solidified his position in midfield after some degree of uncertainty following the ARC. He had played well on the regional stage, but the team's relatively disappointing quarterfinal exit had put a damper on the recognition of his skill.

Finals Roster
Goalkeepers:
Radoslav Bláha, Petyr Sotelo, Ronan Pharlain
Fullbacks
Piia Drenel, Vaihere Kamgang
Ffraid Norling, Aile Tutku
Center Backs
Hamida Van, Valtteri Tirel, Radko Ludviczak, Eibhlin O'Corra
Midfielders
Sevet-Ibilx Kai, Jarmo Ytsdan, Maram Tatsinan, Chandra Detkov, Ukko Saigir
Wingers
Tiiu Aaltonen, Yamuna Khachat, Inder Starovoitov
Tarbi Ksudach, Øystein Shakhnovich, Soile Raynott
Strikers
Estina McGill, Rasha Sargsa, Kaija Salovaara
Probable First Team
Bláha; Drenel, Van, Norling; Shakhnovich, Sevet-Ibilx, Ytsdan, Khachat; Ksudach, McGill, Aaltonen

Group Preview
Group J
Ko-oren (7) 11-2-3, 2nd in Group 2
In qualifying, a bit of a letdown result for the Dragonflies. They won't be too concerned with finishing second to a strong Juvencus team so much as with conceding 11 goals over the course of qualifying. Really shameful, that. K1-1ren is more like it. This will be the fourth meeting between Ko-oren and the SRS, and the third in the group stage of the World Cup finals. At each of World Cups 91 and 93, the Black-and-Reds opened their group stage with victories over Ko-oren, 2-1 and 2-0 respectively, while decades before the two sides fought to a 2-2 draw in the group stage of the 74th Cup of Harmony. As in each of those prior meetings, Ko-oren will be the favorite on paper this time around when these teams meet on the final matchday of the first round. We'll have to hope that the Black-and-Reds can once again demonstrate for the Dragonflies that the game is not played on paper. Hope doesn't win matches though, and you really have to think that Ko-oren's time to get a win in this series has come. 1-0 to the Dragonflies is my prediction.
Vdara (22) 10-4-2, 2nd in Group 5
Beneficiaries of a surprisingly poor performance from the United Mandaran States, Vdara missed their opportunity to take the group, though. Like Ko-oren and the SRS, they were among the better second placed teams, but were upstaged by Crpostran, who registered the sixth-best record of qualifying from Pot 3. As for our own history with Vdara, none of it is recent, and half of it, strictly speaking, isn't properly ours. The most recent match between our two sides took place all the way back in the group stage of World Cup 90, when the two sides were ranked 31st and 32nd. The Black-and-Reds notched a 2-0 upset in the group opener, and those three points were somehow enough to secure what was as of yet the SRS's first advancement to the knockouts in the modern era. Is this a good omen, or a portent of vengeance for Vdara? The only other WCC sanctioned match between Vdara and Squornshelan opposition came during the octofinals of the 77th Cup of Harmony. The SRS failed to make the knockouts of that tournament, but the Imperium did advance, defeating Vdara 4-2 before losing to Mercedini in the quarters. So, a couple of quite old results, one of which didn't even involve a Confederate team. This will be a key match for the Black-and-Reds though as they hope to ride their good form and return to the knockouts. We could be boring and predict a draw, but it's more fun to take risks, SRS 3-2 VDR.
Bears Armed (54) 10-4-2, 1st in Group 9
Oddly enough, despite being lowest ranked, and only beating Vdara's record by goal difference, the Bear-Belles are the only qualifying group winner to be drawn into Group J. The victims of the highest scoring and most lopsided result in Squornshelan history. 11-1 on the opening matchday of World Cup 94 qualifying. Don't expect to see anything remotely like that in our upcoming meeting, the fifth between these sides, as it was found later that several of the Belles' players were suffering from parasitic infections during the match, leading to their exceptionally poor performance. A tight 3-2 win for the Black-and-Reds in the return fixture at Wimbley Stadium showed the true quality of that team. Black-and-Reds and Bear-Belles met again during World Cup 96 qualifying just a cycle ago, the result being another pair of one-goal victories for the SRS. This match is likewise an important one (look, they're all important when you only get three, ok?) all the more so for being the first on the schedule. Claiming three points before facing either Vdara or Ko-oren would give the Black-and-Reds vital breathing room. Our very recent history against Bears Armed though, suggests that this will be a tightly contested match, with 2-1 to the SRS the most likely outcome.

Qualifying Schedule and Results: (now with 100% less #BF0000!)

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 0–1 SRS @ La Fantás (cap. 70,000), Ferdullaele, Ferdullaele, FFD
MD08 SRS 2–0 GRI @ Synesoft Arena (cap. 46,950), Syneca, Sivolvia, SRS
MD09 VFT 2–5 SRS @ TBA
MD10 RPJ 1–2 SRS @ Kotiga Arena (cap. 54,600), Kotiga, RPJ
MD11 SRS 2–1 MIL @ Vogsphere Arena (cap. 90,000), Vogsphere, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
MD12 AMN 1–4 SRS @ TBA
MD13 SRS 4–2 AUP @ Viltvodle Civic Arena (cap. 58,300), Viltvodle, Megabrantis, SRS
MD14     BYE
MD15 REV 2–4 SRS @ TBA
MD16 SRS 2–2 FFD @ Radlov Arena (cap. 76,800), Brantisvogan, Megabrantis, SRS
MD17 GRI 1–1 SRS @ Weirwood Park (cap. 65,000), Domreis, GRI
MD18 SRS 9–2 VLT @ Black Raven Field (cap. 35,400), Yassaca, Sivolvia, SRS

by **Bears Armed** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 5:55 am

The time: The weekend just a week after the series of games to determine qualification for entry into this World Cup had concluded.
The place: Numerous locations in Bears Armed.

Widespread celebrations are taking place across the country, some of these having been organized (and in most cases organized well, bearing in mind the short notice, but then this is something at which many of the organizers already had some practice...) by various local councils or other authorities but with quite a few others of a more spontaneous nature also occurring. Bands are playing music from a wide range of genres, people are singing (with varying degrees of tunefulness), people are dancing, foods of many kinds are being consumed in considerable quantities, drinks of many kinds (and a wide range in strengths) are being drunk likewise, at some of the locations involved displays of fireworks -- arranged, of course, to minimize the risks of forest fires or other accidents -- have been scheduled for one evening or another (or more), and people are celebrating in other ways as well⁽¹⁾. In short, the Bears in general are mafficking⁽²⁾.
And all of this is for one reason, for as many of the celebrants exclaim – whether they are motivated more by actual interest in football or by national pride, or are simply seizing upon this fact as justification for a party (because what Bear won’t use any excuse available for a party?) –
“The Belles have qualified! Bears Armed is going to the World Cup!
“Urrarh! URRARH! URRARRH!”

And it is widely understood that this is good grounds for celebration, because it has been a very long time – although differences in the rates at which time has passed within Bears Armed compared to how it has flowed elsewhere, and even uncertainties about how even its rate of passage inside the country have been, mean that nobody seems sure just how long that time was⁽⁴⁾ – since the Belles achieved qualification for entry into a World Cup.
And some football enthusiasts are explaining (enthusiastically, of course

) to everybody else around them that this is like the situation back in the Belles’ very first World Cup attempt, back in WC #44: They went into qualifying with a rank in the eight-plus-three’d octade of the table⁽⁴⁾, and come out of that process not only with a place in the World Cup itself but also with that rank improved by several octades⁽⁵⁾.
And some of the more cynical people among their listeners are retorting that it’s nothing like that, “hrreally”, because back then the Belles were making their very first attempts at international competition whereas the team’s current squad had several failed attempts at qualifying under their belts.
And then some of the enthusiasts are trying to boost their claims in support of the modern team by pointing out that back in WC #44 it was automatic qualification for the top three teams in each group, with the original Belles only just making it into third place – by only a single point – on the final match-day, whereas this time around only the top two per group went through automatically (despite this cycle’s increase in the overall number of teams allowed through), whilst the best-performing of the third-placed teams also did so but the other third-placed teams had to be paired for playoffs, and this time the Belles had come first rather than just third... and achieved this qualification with two games still in hand.
And then, in some cases, the disagreement becomes more heated: Words are replaced by pushes, pushes by shoves, and shoves by punches… although fortunately most of those fights are broken-up by happier bystanders before they can become too serious.

____________________________

A few weeks later: Notes made by a journalist assigned to cover a meeting of BAAS’s executive committee_

1. Ourr girls did good. Bonuses for all of them, players and staff alike.

2. The shortage of ‘clean sheet’ results was a bit disappointing, though. Admittedly our favoured playing style’s emphasis on attack couldn’t be expected to give urrs a hrreally strong defence as well, and we aren’t going to change that emphasis, but…
Bring in a new pair of defenders for the starting line-up, ones who are a bit faster on their feet even though that has to be “paid for” by their being less experienced than the current selection? And maybeso a new goalie to start, as well?
Decision: Do NOT try to make those changes now, save them for the ‘gap year’ between this Cup’s final and the start of the next cycle’s qualifying stage instead so that the old & new players have longer in which to get accustomed to working with each other.

3. Make more use of Arra O Hara, who is to be in the starting line-up henceforth. We don’t want to replace either of the current starting midfielders, though, so let’s use her as a winger – probably alternating which of the current pair of players she displaces from that position — instead.

4. ‘Ko-oren’ and the ‘Squornshelan Remnant States’? The Belles do have some history playing against teams from both of those nations, but with no major hrrivalries hrresulting, and I’d say that our girls aren’t seriously out-matched by either of them neither. ‘Vdara’? This will be the first meeting, and let’s hope that they aren’t as effective against the Belles in the Cup itself as their “West Vdara’ kinsfolk were in the qualifying stages…

____________________________

The time: early one evening, on a day that neither is nor is followed by a ‘match’ day for any of the people involved.
The place: Karra Brent’s home at Wimbley.

Karra is having a “Girls’ Night” with her old friends Lurrsee Fane-Urrsen and Steffannee Bruin, the latter of which has just disclosed an important piece of news to her friends.

(Lurssee) "Your mother’s pregnant?!"

(Steffannee) "Ayyuh, that’s hwhat I just said."

(Karra) "And And the child-to-be has been sired by Sermharn the Wanderer?"

(Steffannee) "Who else? They’ve been an exclusive couple for ages by now, after all."

(Lurrsee) "Ayyuh, yes, of course. It’s just that he’s so much a legend that even though he’s been dating your mum the idea of him having children nowadays feels a bit surprising to me…"

(Karra) "For true, that! Children for him back in the ‘Age of Heroes’, ayyuh, but here & now in modern times? Even though he himself obviously is still alive, the idea of this addition to the chronicles surprises me as well."

(Lurrsee) "Hr’’rmm, I don’t rrecall the old stories saying anything about him siring cubs back in history, neither: Has he told your mum and you hwhether he ever did so."

(Steffanne) "Ayyuh, he has. He did, and some of them produced lines of descendants that also have survived into today, some of those ‘heirs’ being wizards and some not, although most of those modern lines no longer know about the connection."

(Karra) "Ur’rmm, I’m not sure how to phrase this, but…"

(Steffanne) "If you’re trying to ask hwhat I think you’re trying to ask, then the answer is that Sermharn himself does know hwho all of his living descendants are, and that mum is not on that list… and, for that matter, I’m not on the list through my father, neither."

(Lurrsee) "Hokay.
“So, so much else about Sermharn is still a mystery too as far as most people are concerned. I suppose he’s told your mum more about his past… and maybeso told you, or let her tell you instead of being sworn to secrecy, as well? IS there anything you can tell urrs, even if that strictly ‘Not for publication’, just out of interest in your family… your growing family?"

(Steffanne) "Well…
“I’ll ask him hwhether I can hrrepeat anything of hwhat he’s told urrs to you two, at the least, but I’m making no promises about how likely he is to agree."

(Karra) "Hokay.
“So, to carry out part of my hostly duty by tactfully changing the subject, hwhat did you think about the"

(COMING SOON! If I can get enough of it typed-up in time, despite a shortage of computer access on Sunday, then my post for the next match-day will give you the long-delayed story of ‘The Secret Origin of Sermharn the Wanderer’…)

___________________________________________________

OOC Notes

1. One of which means that the nation might experience a slight ‘baby boom’ in around nine months’ time…
2. To 'maffick' is to celebrate boisterously in public. In RL this verb was coined by a London-based newspaper in 1900AD by back-formation from the South African place-name of 'Mafeking', to describe the sights that filled some London streets after news was released that British/Imperial troops had broken the Boers' siege of the town of Mafeking and relieved the garrison (commanded by Robert Baden-Powell, who had also been putting together his ideas about 'scouting' during that period) there. Here in Bears Armed, however, it was coined by a writer for that great metropolitan newspaper ‘The Bear Neccessities’ – based in Council Groves, the nation’s capital – to describe the scenes in Council Groves & elsewhere after news came through that the garrison of a stronghold named Marrfekh’Ing had been ended because Urrsish forces had defeated the force of Boorkhs – a people compare to standard Ursines basically as Tolkien’s ‘Orcs’ compare to standard Humans – previously besieging it. That fort was named after a former owner, Marrfekh, who had been the most famous leader of the Brocks (i.e. anthropomorphic Badgers) and a staunch ally of Bears Armed: In his people’s language an ‘Ing’ is a stone tower very similar in general nature to the ones in RL Scotland that are coincidentally called ‘Brochs’ (Or maybe this was not a coincidence? Might the Iron-Age inhabitants of Scotland have learned to construct such towers from Brocks, and have named the concept in that People’s honour?

) and the term has been adopted into the Ursine language to describe similar constructions regardless of which People’s members built them.
(The siege of Marrfekh’Ing took place some years before the siege of Mafeking, but coincidentally its garrison’s commander had a similar name & later career to Robert Baden-Powell: He was Rubert Barrdenn-Pale, who became the author of a book titled ‘Scouting for Cubs’ & went on from that to found the Bear Scout movement… This information also cropped up in my RP for an earlier World Cup, when an International Scouting Jamboree was held at Wimbley and followed by a trip to Marrfekh’Ing… Oh, and ‘Barrdenn-Pale’ is a section of Clan GreenWoods’ territories located out towards the nation’s eastern marches, whilst Marrfekh’Ing is at a strategic location – even further out –beyond this country’s eastern border. They’re shown & labelled on some of my maps, but it seems that unfortunately I now need to fix the public accessibility of those.)
3. To be honest, I’ve lost track OOC as well…

4. “the eight-plus-three’d octade” = the eleventh group of eight.
5. In the case of WC #44 this improvement was IIRC from eighty-fourth to forty-seventh, both of those ranks being held jointly with then-new rivals Peisandros: The Peisandrian team had [narrowly] beaten the Belles in the opening match of the group stage for the preceding Baptism of Fire (which was #31), but then both teams had enjoyed unbeaten runs through until the Baptism’s cup-final game which was a narrow win for the Belles instead.

by **Pasarga** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 6:00 am

The air felt heavy for those waiting for the opening kickoff in Targas, a weird feeling in the air with the Wanderers not kicking off at the traditional home of the national team in the Stade de Torgos, but at the overlooked former footballing capital of the nation before the likes of Stein-los and Paulinthal and even the actual capital had their say. For the first time in two generations the World Cup Finals were back on the shores of the dual islands, much had changed about the nation in that time and yet much had not at the same time. The team last hosted the tournament during a golden age of Pasargan football, near enough to the time when the side would make three Finals in a row and manage to win one of those, capturing the only World Cup title that the team has to their record. They were also the premier team in Rushmore at that time, constantly competitive in the Copa Rushmori and the clubs from the SuperLiga dominating the Copa de Campeones. Neither of those are true anymore, nor is the assurance that the Wanderers are to make the World Cup Finals with any regularity, having been in and out of the competition for most of the last several editions.

Yet here the world was, in Rushmore and in Pasarga for the Finals, a Finals which saw a shift from the traditional thirty-two team format to an expanded forty-eight team format that stirred a bit of controversy when it had been put forward. There was a feeling that an expanded format was coming, their had been talks and discussions amongst various FAs and within the WCC for some time, yet no one had formally proposed a bid with an expanded format even after legislation had passed the WCC chambers to allow for it. It was an unlikely partnership between Pasarga and Eastfield Lodge, the latter being part of the unlikely portion of the partnership, that would change that as they presented a bid for a forty-eight team edition, which ran unopposed and had enough support to pass the chamber. The Dual Islands were well accustomed to hosting large scale international events, their friends the Eastfielders far less so, with their main claim to hosting success being a nation who has representatives on the IFCF Council, though that did not dissuade those in charge of the PFA from reaching out for the partnership, nor those in the WCC from trusting that the pair of nations could see the tournament through.

Leading the team into this new era is a legend of the past, Ingþór Auðbjörnsson, the record goal scorer for the Wanderers and more commonly known as Thor. After an amazing playing career, Thor took up management and had been gifted an opportunity to manage one of the best clubs in Graintfjall, leading them to great success. Following that success the Graintfjall FA approached Thor about taking over the team, which he agreed to, yet in the time between Thor agreeing to taking over the job and when he was supposed to take over, the Snow Wolves went and won a World Cup. Thor was likely never going to be able to replicate that sort of feat, and he did not, yet his time with the Snow Wolves was not without merit with deep runs in both the World Cup and Copa Rushmori, including nabbing a trophy. It was perhaps not as glamourous as his time with GT Molding where the team seemed to have the cut of the league, but it was very reputable and put him in a good light for the Pasargan FA, who made several concessions to the former striker when approaching him to take over the job, including a clause that nearly prevents his sacking, before he finally agreed to come back home and lead the team on.

His first cycle in charge was disappointing, a solid qualifying performance that was derailed not for the first time at the end and then a bitterly devastating playoff loss where Thor and the Wanderers thought they were the better team but were forced to pay the price of going to penalties. The following Cup of Harmony was not the performance that the team nor fans had expected or desired, after an early exit despite many hopes for yet another run to the Final and perhaps lifting the trophy again as they had done so previously, but it was not to be. That left the team with a lot of soul searching to do and Thor decided to withdraw the squad's registration to the Copa Rushmori to deal with internal issues, including helping the FA put together what would become the bid for this World Cup. Yet there was also the issue of the national pool, which had become dangerously shallow by Thor's assessment and even the FA had to agree that the national pool was no longer as its strength. In Thor's eyes, this World Cup was likely the last chance in several years to have a highly competitive national team that had sufficient depth to challenge for a deep run into the tournament.

And so the team found itself in Targas, a collection of players who were mostly in their prime but likely would not be seeing action in a cycle, perhaps two. They had the home support behind them but would that prove to be enough in a fairly difficult group despite the team having been awarded a pot 1 status as hosts and the expanded format allowing for the best of the third placed sides to make the knockout stages? Players like Bazzi, Biró, Aswad, and so many others were entering into their twilight years, this had to be the moment where they finally stood up and made themselves known as a team who could have success and not constantly underperform. The fourth seeds and political allies Sargossa were the first team up, the Corsairs one of the closest teams in distance in the tournament to the Wanderers, hailing to their north and likely who had quite a few fans. Sargossa had even been a temporary home for the Wanderers during the troubled times of the attempted coup some years ago. However their friends, their neighbors were in the way of team who were playing for more than mere points, they were playing for pride and legacy and to give the foundations of something greater to come after them.

by **Banija** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 6:15 am

The Kadongo Kamu are back at the World Cup Finals, open with tough matchup against Saint Eleanor

NORRION, EASTFIELD LODGE- "The air smells a little fresher, the grass is a little bit greener." Said the team captain, Layvin Son-Saka. The team's leader during their thunderous march to the World Cup during the second half of World Cup Qualifying, Banija are back at the World Cup after a one cycle absence from the most prestigious tournament in sport. Banija's first direct qualification since World Cup 94. It was a thunderous way to make that happen as well- taking 19 points from 21 possible in the first 7 games of the second half of qualifying, including a stunning 5-2 win over group winners The Holy Empire, to punch their ticket to the Finals with one game remaining. The final home game against Macbon being a formality, all sorts of stuff was tried out tactically, and failed- Macbon completed the double over us. But who cares- off to the Finals.

"It feels great to be here." George Wangolo, the team's manager, told reporters. He's been here before- as a player, and as a manager. He, of course, was the assistant manager when Banija won WC86. And after that, he brought Quebec here as the team's senior manager, when he was there for a tough three cycles. But now, he's here for another time, as the manager for his own country. "It's special to be the first Banijan manager to ever take our national team to the World Cup Finals- a beautiful time." He told reporters. "But there is deep expectation within Banija. While Eastfield Lodge is a beautiful country, and my wife has seen plenty of great sites in Norrion, we aren't here to sight see. It is a business trip, at its core. We are here to win games and bring joy to the people back home, and damnit, we will do that."

It is a strange place for Banijan fans to be. Not to complain, of course. And this next stat comes with the cavaet that we have missed a pair of World Cups during the time span. But when Banija entered World Cup 83 on home soil, we were ranked 27th. We ended up pushing our way up the table, to #6 in the KPBs. We have been in the top 15 of the KPBs ever since, until the end of the last World Cup Qualifying cycle. This team is fun, and capable of scoring goals- but also, this is the lowest-ranked team that we've had at a World Cup in nearly 15 cycles. They score a ton of goals, and while some may believe that this team can really punch above its weight, the Finals are the best place to prove that.

The group is no walk through the park. They are going to be in for a trial by fire almost right away- with Saint Eleanor, the 11th ranked nation in the world, and the group's Pot 1 side, as our first opponent in Norrion. "Saint Eleanor does so much well- they will be favored to win this group, by quite a bit, by virtue of their well-earned and deserved rank." Said George Wangolo, the gaffer. "Gentle Breeze has them well-drilled, and this is a team that defends ferociously. Obviously she was one of the best keepers we've ever seen as a player, and she finished her career well in Banija. Now, she's an excellent manager for Saint Eleanor, and I expect this one to be a fantastic game."

An even more fun angle- this is one of those rare World Cup matches where the two tacticians have faced each other as players also on the grandest of all stages- the World Cup Finals. The opening match of World Cup 80 saw Banija take on Equestria, where Gentle Breeze was the goalkeeper for the host nation, while George Wangolo earned minutes coming off the bench as a CB for Banija's first ever World Cup match. Yes, it's World Cup 80 and was Banija's first ever trip to the FInals- that's how long ago it was. The match was a firecracker due to the then ongoing Banijan-Equestrian War, as Gentle Breeze's side triumphed, 2-1 at home, in a tough rivalry matchup.

Wangolo laughed when that was brought up. "Yeah, we've been on opposite sides of both a Cup of Harmony match, and a World Cup match, as players- I will never forget that WC match. Banija's first ever match at the Finals." He told reporters. "But that has nothing to do with what's going to happen tomorrow in Norrion- neither her nor I will take the pitch, and Gentle Breeze is the only Equestrian to be found at these World Cup Finals." He smirked after saying that, having taken a potshot at Banija's traditional rival in this sport. That gets us into this game- this opening matchup between the top two teams by rank in this group, where 3 points by either would go a long, long way into ensuring that they clinch a berth in the KO stages.

For Banija, of course, it's about getting the goalscorers going. In that 7 game run from the start of the second half of World Cup Qualifying, to where the Banijans actually punched our ticket to the Finals, the offense was nearly unstoppable. The Banijans scored 27 goals over those 7 games- all those inclusive of the big boys in the group. Krytenia, Eura, The Holy Empire, and Darmen. 27 goals over 7 games is 1 goal shy of nearly 4 goals a game- a blistering pace to hold for that long in World Cup Qualifying. A huge part of the reason why this team finds themselves in the Finals in the first place. The front 3 particularly, after starting slowly, caught fire, and were scoring at every opportunity.

"Banija can win the tough, physical 1-0 matches- we proved so in a crucial Qualifier against Darmen." Said a Banijan TV commentator. "And that might be what Saint Eleanor demands. But Banija wants to be playing a much more open style, to control possesion, and to really be on the front foot. But with the way they counter, expect some of the CMs to hang back a little- can't have our defenders just hauling back 60 yards every few minutes- or else Saint Eleanor is going to drill us with a devastating counter. Allow our front 3 to do their thing, support them well, and let them use their creativity to get some goals."

Of course, Saint Eleanor knows this- it's no secret that Son-Saka, Jônn Wérséô, and Odongo Kagenda can really pile it on. They are going to do their best to shut down our players. But the Banijans are razor focused on getting off to a fast start at this World Cup- with Mytanija next, and the host nation, Eastfield Lodge, on MD3, it simply does not get easier for Banija. We might be the historic giants of this group, with a trio of World Cup titles- but right now, we're middle of the pack at best. "History matters for naught when we take the pitch." Son-Saka said. "Our goal is to reach the Round of 32, and the easiest way to do that is to finish top two in this group. Let's go out, do what we are capable of doing, and get a strong result against an excellent side."

Banija. Saint Eleanor. In Norrion. Three points on the line- will the Banijans get them? Find out tonight, on Matong Sports.

by **Alasdair I Frosticus** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 7:56 am

"WEEEEEEEE!"

"Yuezhou... that's a tough opening match, Juan."

"I know Simeone; I know - which is one of the reasons why today's practice match is against a full-sized human squad ... hold on."

"WEEEEEEEE!"

"Gnostic, you're not to launch yourself into the midriff of your opponent, winding them, and leaving them writhing around in agony, gasping for breath. That's at best a foul; at worst a straight red card."

"chitter-chitter-chitter-chitter"

"That was in the qualifiers, not the actual World Cup."

"chitter-chitter-chitter-chitter"

"Why? Because World Cup referees are likely to be stricter."

"chitter-chitter-chitter-chitter"

"No, it's not somehow safer if you take your pointy hat off first; intentionally launching yourself on your springs directly into your opponent is a very bad thing."

"chitter-chitter-chitter-chitter"

"No, I didn't do precisely the same thing in World Cup 3."

"chitter-chitter-chitter-chitter"

"I don't care whether or not it's perfectly legal in the Gnome League. This is the World Cup, not the Gnome League. It's simple. Just don't do it."

"chitter-chitter-chitter-chitter"

"Good; I'm glad we're on the same wavelength now."

"CHOMP CHOMP!"

"The kit team wear metal ankle guards now, Gnostic; don't try it. No sulking - back to training; we have an important match tomorrow. Sorry, Simeone, where were we?"

"Yuezhou are going to be touch opening opponents."

"Yes, I know Simeone; and I'm not forgetting that some sources are claiming that Elaine Ashdown is the greatest Yue national team manager of all time. The Dragons are a good team, with a fantastic manager; but..."

"But?"

"Well, two things. The first one is that relations between Ashdown and her association have collapsed. I've seen reports stating that she's no longer on speaking terms with YFA President Xu Xiaoliang; so there's the possibility that there could be some weaknesses here to exploit, despite their sustained period of success under Ashdown. Not everything's sunshine, daisies, and lollipops in the Dragon camp."

"And the second?"

'WEEEEEEEE!'

"Much better, Gnomy - that's how to come out to claim a high corner. More of that, please. Sorry, where were we?"

"The second point you wanted to raise about the Yuezhou match."

"Ah, yes... well, there were signs towards the end of qualifying that our opponents were beginning to learn how to play against the gnomes. Yes, I know there were mitigating circumstances in the Banija match - what with the gnomes coming off the back of quietly saving the multiverse - but all the same; Wangolo seemed to have worked us out."

"So you have a plan..."

"Yes, I have a plan."

"Which is?"

"Sorry, old friend; I'm keeping this one to myself. Yes, I know... but trust me on this one. If things go wrong, it's entirely my fault - and if they work, well, we'll share the credit."

"Can't you even hint, Juan?"

"I'll say this much... when the gnomes rushed to a near-unassailable group lead in the first half of qualifying, it was largely down to the element of surprise. So you agree?"

"Yes, I'd say that's fair. The other squads struggled to know how to play against knee-high argumentative ankle-biting garden gnomes with springs in their football boots."

"And then as qualifying progressed, we managed to maintain the element of surprise...."

"Also fair - the reaction to the gnome cheerleaders, for example."

"Precisely; shame they've given up on that, for what it's worth. But yes, the element of surprise - and once we lost that, the other teams started to get better results against us."

"So you want to bring back the element of surprise..."

"Exactly, Simeone - which is also why I don't want to share, not even with you."

"I think I understand now."

"So it has to be something so surprising, so remarkable, that it not only restores the element of surprise, but gives us a fighting chance against the group's top seeds."

"Just reassure me that it's within the laws of the game."

"Oh don't worry, I can do that..."

"CHOMP CHOMP!"

"No, not the multiverse media representatives, Gnatsnapper; they're allowed to be here."

"CHOMP CHOMP!"

'WEEEEEEEE!'

"Sorry, Simeone - better dash and avoid a multiverse-wide incident here... But I hope you'll approve of the surprise..."

by **Tumbra** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 8:07 am

Tumbra 1-0 North Oharan Valley Union

TMB (4-2-3-1): 12 - R Russell; 18 - H Kennedy, 5 - W Pritchett (4 - S Kerr, 82'), 19 - Y Lawson, 42 - J Green (3 - T Mercurio, 82'); 6 - T Harrison (39 - M Finnemore, 82'), 13 - S Harrington, 10 - S Monaghan (16 - C Campbell, 75'); 14 - E Robertson, 9 - L Crossley (33 - H Colvin, 75'); 11 - C Henshaw

TMB scorers: Charlotte Henshaw [14']

Player of the Match: Erin Robertson

TUMBRAN WORLD CUP 97 ROSTER — SIMPLIFIED VERSION
aGoalkeepers:a 1 - Victoria Jones (Lakewood City), 12 - Richard Russell (Lakewood United), 13 - Branko Cvitkovic (Serrapince)
aLeft-backs:a 2 - Annie Renton (Serrapince), 18 - Hazel Kennedy (Couno Rangers)
aCentre-backs:a 4 - Stephen Kerr (Chromatik, CMT, vc), 5 - Wendy Pritchett (Lakewood United), 14 - Hannah Edwards (Kingston, QUE), 20 - Yvonne Lawson (St. John's Arsenal, QUE), 24 - Belinda Proudfoot (Lakewood United)
aRight-backs:a 3 - Tracey Mercurio (Kingston FC, QUE), 19 - Jude McCreary (Newark Argyle)
aDefensive midfielders:a 6 - Trudy Harrison (Chromatik, CMT, c), 15 - Lucas McCormick (Lakewood City), 23 - Heather Hindmarsh (Newark Argyle)
aPlaymaking midfielders:a 8 - Victor Leighton (Lakewood City), 16 - Stella Harrington (Hesham), 25 - Rachel McLaren (CSKA Quebec, QUE)
aAttacking midfielders:a 10 - Susan Monaghan (Lakewood City)
aLeft wingers:a 7 - Valerie Wells (Lakewood United), 17 - Erin Robertson (Couno Rangers)
aRight wingers:a 9 - Lynne Crossley (Chromatik, CMT), 21 - Henrietta Colvin (Lakewood City)
aStrikers:a 11 - Charlotte Henshaw (Lakewood City), 22 - Edward Maddison (Avondale City, SYL), 26 - Julie Hardaker (Myana, CMT)
aManager:a Michael Campbell

PSRT, Straton

Michael Campbell didn't really know why the chairman of the Tumbran Football Federation, Joseph Beresford, had asked him out to dinner. As far as he knew he hadn't done anything to earn the chairman's wrath; nor had he done anything remotely sackable, though winning only one away game in one-and-a-half years might have been enough for it. Especially since the World Cup was going to be played, well, away from home. Where they had quite famously only won one away game in one-and-a-half years.

The doubts had set in; the back pages were being quietly critical once more. The more respectable, sports-focused outlets — Matchday being the key one, and really the only one he paid attention to — still backed him; but the more rabble-rousing outlets had begun quietly floating the prospect of a change before the World Cup. They weren't exactly sure who they'd get in his place; they just wanted someone who played better, more eye-catching, more attacking —

Or maybe just someone who didn't win only one away game in one-and-a-half years.

Michael reached PSRT early — a cursory glance at the menu told him that the restaurant's original name was Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme, but that had been lost in a modernist rebrand sometime in the mid-2030s. He told the waiter, perhaps a tad too dismissively, that he would wait until his dining partner arrived before he ordered, but accepted the crystal clear water that had a slight hint of spriggy lemon in it. He took one swallow and then stewed.

Joseph, for his part, arrived fifteen minutes late; boisterous and apologetic for the delay — "meetings overrunning, you know," — and ordered lamb shanks with all the frills. "My treat," he told Michael as he pushed the menu toward the taciturn manager, who ended up ordering a steak, medium rare, with fries and an egg. Both had the soup of the day (clam chowder); Beresford, evidently with some appetite, asked for it to come in a bread bowl, and was duly given such when the food arrived.

Michael didn't waste time. "So what's up?" he asked tersely, knifing the steak with some force. Joseph chuckled, wiped his mouth with the napkin, and then began.

"Michael, have you come to a decision on the contract yet?" The chairman prodded gently, yet with an appreciation that Michael only wanted to get to the topic of the dinner.

"No. Is what the papers say true?"

"You should know better than to pay attention to the papers."

"Well, they certainly knew what they were saying when they leaked I hadn't signed my contract," Michael said flatly, before he began chewing on another small piece of steak. "Nobody from my side — not Ait, not any of the coaches, nobody — knows I haven't signed it yet." Ait, short for Aitken, was Michael's assistant at the national team. Perhaps confusingly, they were both called Michael; which is why Campbell had always called his assistant Ait. Aitken, perhaps playfully, called Campbell simply Cam; and it was how the coaching team differentiated between the two of them. "So I think I'll trust the papers when they say you've got replacements lined up for me."

"Discerning." Beresford sighed as he set down the piece of lamb he'd been eating, and took a sip of the clam chowder. "Well, yes, we're trying to figure out who was behind the leak."

Campbell half thought he was sitting with the person who'd originated the leak, though considering that he placed a premium on retaining his job beyond the next twenty-four hours, decided not to vocalise his half-formed suspicion. "I hope they find them soon," he said with probably a bit too much sincerity for it to be taken at face value. "But I assume this means the fact that you have a list of...potential replacements...for me is accurate?"

"Well, we've always got a list," said Joseph. "Which will become redundant as soon as you sign."

"I'll be honest, I haven't taken much of a detailed look at it, Joseph," said Michael. "I'm not sure why the board chose this moment to —"

"It's because we think you're the best person to manage the upcoming transition from the current generation to the next one."

"We? Or just you?"

"...Me. But I managed to persuade most of the executive committee to take another punt on you. Even if they weren't entirely convinced by the lack of —"

"— away wins and the group stage exit, I get it, Joseph. Do Campionatos not count for anything anymore?" Tumbra had, rather embarrassingly, gone out in the group stage of the last World Cup on five points, being only the second team in World Cup history to have done so.

Beresford chuckled. "They do, and we were appreciative of your efforts to bring the regional title home."

"Three cycles?"

"Mhm. Enough time for you to bleed in the next generation, gently see the oldies off, and have a bit of fun with the new players."

"How long do I have?"

"Till the end of the World Cup. Though I recommend you sign it soon. Another draw, or, god forbid, a loss against Tanirinthia, and the contract might find itself being...not on the table. You understand. We're hoping to avoid a repeat of what happened last time out..."

"I get it, I get it," said Michael, somewhat irritated. "I'll decide before we fly off."

"I can live with that," said Joseph, seemingly relieved that the matter was resolved, even if it did take a bit of prodding on his behalf. "I hear they do a good mousse here..."

by **Aphrilia** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 8:17 am

Farfadillis, Ranked 2nd. Chromatika, ranked 15th. The Kytler Peninsulae, ranked 42nd.

This is the group that Aphrilia found itself in, coming into the World Cup at rank 60 as they were allocated into Group H. This also means that for the group stage, the team will be playing in Eastfield Lodge. The rules for the time of their visit don't seem to be much of an issue so far for the fans that came to support The Anchors and the team itself.

Everyone heading to Eastfield Lodge as away fans have been given a warning to follow the social norms there and the team itself has been ordered to not cause any issues. The manager Christopher Vermont has especially told the captain of the team, Nathaniel Rosberg, to keep an eye on the rest of his peers.

Rosberg was in an interesting situation for himself. As he sips some coffee he made, the thinks about what will come. Three matches, maybe more if Aphrilia get out of the group stage (Which is an unlikely but still possible prospect). After that, he gives up captaincy for the next cycle so he doesn't have to talk or work on national team matters during the off-season in order to focus on his family. And considering that next time will likely be his last... Well, there's the pressure to lead this team for his last hurrah as captain.

This team has respect for him. They have trust, belief, and certainty that he can lead them to whatever end result that will come. But as for Rosberg himself... Well, he has doubts. What if he disappoints the team in his last cycle as captain? What if everyone ends up dismayed at the end? What if he fails their expectations?

As he puts his hands upon his face, thinking about it, he hears a bit of a shuffle. The next moment he knew, Phillip Karnwell was sitting right in front of him.

"You were saying you thoughts outloud, Nath." Karnwell remarked.

"Oh, uhm, don't mind it. It's just... Yeah, expectations." Rosberg answered back. He looked aside, unsure of it all.

Karnwell thought for a bit, choosing his next words. "Look, Nath. For the past three cycles, I think you've been a great leader. A rolemodel of a player. And I'd go as far as to say you're an amazing teammate. I genuinely think that no matter the end result, everyone will be leaving the tournament happy. Even if we go out in the group stage."

Rosberg huffs. Nodding a bit at the words Karnwell said. "You're right, Phil. You're right... Thanks for that."

"You're welcome," Karnwell replied. And after a bit, he further continued his sentence, "Let's just do our best. You, me, the team, the staff, and the fans. For three matchdays in this one group, we'll give our all until the very end."

by **Tanirinthia** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 8:19 am

OF FATES AND FORTUNES
Chapter Twenty - Time for a History Lesson

"So, you said you had questions?"

A smooth transition from sheepishness Clara thought, she was tempted to tease him some more however he was right, she was bubbling with questions although the folders he'd left her had provided some answers the answers themselves seemed to generate more questions, like a hydra of information.

"Tons of them. I saw that you had included information you had gathered from other worlds where you could and I kept noticing something odd. This World Cup all competing nations are in agreement that this is a regularly repeating event, not ad-hoc, and organised by a central committee comprised of representatives from nations who compete in the tournament. Yet some nations will have dates four years apart, some two and others still different but regular cycles. It doesn't seem to be the obvious that the idea of a year being the completion of an orbit around the star their planet revolves around, as it would seem denizens of worlds with a four year cycle appear to age twice as fast as those on a two year cycle, and in your own research it would seem that biology is shared, the reason isn't that one group biologically ages faster, then you have the additional wrench thrown in of that even within those nations history some of them appear to have somehow switched how long the cycle is, with again the ageing of denizens somehow switching over too!?"

Having been so caught up in her question so only then noticed Jasper waiting patiently to she if she had finished, now it was her turn to feel sheepish.

"That had the science team stumped, and to be fair although they've named it I don't think they still fully understand it. They call it Fluid Time, saying that even within our universe there is no such thing as an absolute clock, that even within our universe time passes at different rates, which the say is true of the multiverse. It seems on the surface a fine explanation, but it would seem there is more going on as you will have seen in the research that there are some nations on the same world that border geographically but have different World Cup cycle lengths. When I pointed this out, they scoffed saying that my research must be incorrect and quickly made excuses to leave the room. At least the name they gave it is apt, as it does seem that out in the multiverse time certainly is more fluid. However we can use the World Cups themselves as a beacon of sorts to link events that happen on our worlds to when in our history it happened."

"Speaking of events in our history" she replied "I couldn't help but notice, the year of the first World Cup, 1686..."

She noticed Jasper's face change to a seriousness stillness

"Yes it would seem the most pivotal time in our history happened as the inaugural edition of the World Cup. As a statistician would caution correlation does not imply causation, and I truly do not know if the creation of the World Cup lead to the events on our world, or the events on our world lead to the creation of the World Cup. But this is by far too big of a co-incidence to not be one of those two, statisticians be dammed.

There is one nation that may have some answers for us, The Holy Empire who you might have seen in the historical records as Alasdair I Frosticus. They are the only nation that still seems to exist that competed at that first World Cup. However beyond simply the beyond even the fact we can't simply travel off world to investigate ourselves, The Holy Empire itself has absolute control of its own reality the so called Dreamed Realm. So if we wanted access to any answers from them we would have to face them in an away match, or qualify for a tournament they host. Which seems unlikely given they last hosted over half a century ago!"

Clara saw the seriousness on Jasper's face morph into one of sadness, and imagined that he had run into many dead ends like this before where it seemed like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel only for it to collapse in front of him. She wanted to reassure him now as he had reassured her and given her a purpose.

"Remember what you told me, we just keep going building more and more information, more information will turn into more knowledge on our enemy, and more knowledge will give us the tools to take this thing down. You're not alone in this fight anymore, two minds are better than one"

Chapter One | Chapter Two | ~~Chapter Three~~ | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen | Chapter Nineteen

by **Milchama** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 8:28 am

Alexandria Times-Tribune-Sun-Moon-Sky-Picayune-Courier-Post-Pre-Forward-Current-Reader

Sports Section

We're Back!

It's been a minute but Milchama is back in the World Cup! Sure we are only back because they increased the size of the World Cup to 48 but since we've been advocating for that change since the 50s, getting some benefit in the change seems like some good karma. Also, we're only back on the back of a playoff showing where we really should not have been in the playoffs because we needed 3 points from two games against lower seeded opposition but managed zero in two bad losses. But we did dominate in the playoffs with a 4-1 win that was never in doubt after we scored 2 goals in the first 20 minutes and were up 4-0 before a consolation goal in the 82nd minute gave Sajovjana their 1. Basically, Milchamian form is a land of contrasts.

The larger question is how do we fare against better competition. Against the two auto qualifiers in our group, and fellow region mates, Farfadillis and Squornshelous we lost all 4 games and none of them were particularly close, regardless of what the scorelines would tell you. We, obviously, now have to face better competition and it'll be interesting to see how we do against that better competition. Our only goal per coach Haim Abbot is "get a draw" which is a pretty low but seems about right considering our uneven form, recent tendency to suck against higher ranked competition, and the fact that this is a meme team with weird players who mostly want to be on vaudeville.

So without further ado, let's meet the group!

Group A
West Barack and East Obama (21) - Good side. We remember their BoF and going "oooh this team will be one to watch" and then we were right! They were one to watch. Anyway, they're obviously better than us. We'll probably lose.
Sargossa (58) - Decent side. We remember their BoF, not really but we were probably there. I mean we've been here for a very long time and Sargossa has been around for awhile but not quite as long as Milchama has, so good odds that we would remember their BoF. Anyway, they're the one team we're shooting to draw. I think we can get that draw!
Pasarga (24) - The hosts. We learned a lot about this nation when we came back from the Isolation which speaks to the semi-isolated state Milchama had before the Isolation. Like, did you realize they were closely connected to ESF? Do you remember ESF? Should we be using ESF since that's not the proper nation in like 193847 years? Probably not, we're doing it anyway. We're a respectable paper. Anyway, there is no way we get any points against a host nation.

So that's our shot. One point city! Remember, that one point per the old KPB is better than winning the CoH but zero points is equivalent to winning the CoH. So, assuming we get this right, we'll do better than winning the CoH. Also, don't forget that regionals will be a thing next World Cup which should help us in ranking points and help us do better in general. You know what, I think we got off topic. We'll end with a prayer to Margaret:

Oh Margaret please bring us victory over the infidels. Thank you. Come on You Warriors! Let's Go Milchama!
Milchama (45)

by **Crpostran** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 8:47 am

[*]NOTE: Comics on the last page of the newspaper taken from https://121clicks.com/funny/funny-singl ... nate-fakes . Full credits to them. A big thank you to Dantopia for permissions to use his advertisement on the last page aswell. Wishing all teams the best of luck for the WC!!

by **West Barack and East Obama** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 9:00 am

BBC OFFICIAL REPORT: West Barack and East Obama Have Done It Again! And by "It", haha, well, let's just say "qualified for the World Cup".

By Football Correspondent Gary Obamaniker

Targas, Pasarga - Every time it seems like the West Barack and East Obama National Football Team couldn't inexplicably end up in a better position that before, despite everything seeming like it was going backwards, we do it. We've only gone and bloody done it. It took a four-horse race with only three spots on the podium, but the Obamen emerged from the chaos as group winners due to better head-to-head results over top seed Huayramarca. Not only that, but the team's ever-reliable defence continued to prove its salt as an impenetrable wall with less than 1 goal conceded every 3 games.

West Barack and East Obama's ticket to the World Cup Finals in Pasarga and Eastfield Lodge will be their third straight qualification, and while the previous two editions saw the Obamen regarded as outsiders who should just be "happy to be there", the rest of the world has started to wake up to the reality that our greatness really is too much to handle. This has resulted in West Barack and East Obama being the highest-ranked team in Group A, ahead of multi-time Cup of Harmony winners Milchama, multi-time Copa Rushmori champion Sargossa, and of course tournament host and previous World Cup winner Pasarga. With this edition of the finals being a 48-team competition, with even 3rd placed finishers in the group likely to advance beyond the group stages, West Barack and East Obama are in an extremely good position to qualify for their first ever World Cup knockout stages.

The Obamen will kick off the competition with a matchup against Milchama, who blew out Savojarna 4-1 in the qualification playoffs to earn their place in the finals. While they did take the hard route to get here, they're no pushovers. Well, they could be. We have no idea. There's some kind of bizarre media blackout that makes it impossible to gather any information, even players' names, and even traditional methods like "scouting", "drones" and a good old "swimming with the fishes" were not able to better inform our hard-working coaches on how to counter this team. Thankfully, their 3-3-4 formation will easily be countered by our tough-tackling defence, and their lack of defensive stability will hopefully make it easier to dismantle this mysterious team.

"We've had a lot of really productive training sessions as of late," assured Head Coach Buck Obamafinakis, who will be looking to lead his side to improve on their 2-1-3 record at the World Cup Finals, at a press conference before the match against Milchama. "For starters, we've decided to put paper bags over everyone's face during training sessions so that our defenders will be prepared for anyone to turn up tomorrow and to expect the unexpected. And no, to dispel any rumours, Fred Olibama doesn't have an ice pack today because he ran straight into the goalpost because he couldn't see where he was going. Am I right?"

"Yup. A boot, uh, fell on me. The fun training sessions really helped me to improve my game and prespective, and was really fun to." responded Olibama with a sheepish smile. "Anyways, let's score some goals! Yeah!"

The BBC reports that there are no injuries or suspensions for West Barack and East Obama heading into the match against Milchama, after enough persuasion from the management and the Football Association to the authorities to lift Barack Denovitz's six-match ban for socking the referee against Caribbia a few weeks ago. And we would like to further confirm that West Barack and East Obaman training sessions are completely safe, and rumours of players receiving concussions and being forced to play with them are completely false narratives made up by enemies of the state.

by **Saterun** » Sat Sep 07, 2024 9:38 am

An Exploration of Saterun Tactical Identity: Part 4
By Kalvin Hsemer

Kameron Boyd's current style of ganharbola seems very modern, but it is only the latest in a long line of Saterun tactical styles. Granted, not everyone in the country has deployed the same styles at the same time, but there have definitely been waves that eventually reach almost every part of Saterun football. In the early days, it was primarily a kick-and-run style, where teams would boot the ball up the field and hope that one of the attackers latched on to it. After Jamie Ngo, Saterun transitioned to a much heavier passing style, but one in which individual roles were still very clearly defined. Now, the prevailing style in almost every A. Liga team and most amateur teams across the country relies on fluidity between positions and for players to be able to adapt.

The first organized football club in Saterun was Crest FC, based in Ihaas (Ias). When it was founded, there was no current tactical base to adopt, so the owners had to innovate. It was originally formed to give factory workers time for leisure and activity, and so was heavily imbued with working-class values, which in Saterun prioritized hard work and endurance over long stretches. This is likely the main reason that the management eventually settled on a style that was very demanding but, at least in the beginning, very effective. The defenders, of which there were four, would boot the ball up the sides, which allowed the outside midfielders to run up the wings and try to control the ball. Then, they would likely try to beat the opposing defender before crossing it into the box, where the strikers and central midfielders would try to get it into the back of the net.

There was some variation. As we talked about last time, the two forward positions of the early Saterun game were not equivalent. The target man would often drop back, providing another way to get service to the poacher. However, the underlying philosophy was focused on the defenders and outside midfielders linking up often, and the ball rarely traveled through the center of the pitch. This style severely limited the central defenders' role in creating, and they were reserved almost exclusively for defensive duties. The central midfielders were also rarely creators, and served as emergency strikers or occasionally as another option for the winger. Interestingly, center mids were often given the role of the first line of pressing if a team lost the ball. A major hallmark of this early style was quick counter-pressing, which mainly fell to the midfielders.

Eventually, however, Jamie Ngo would arrive. With him, he would bring in a new era of Saterun football. At this point, domestic Saterun defenses were becoming very good, and goal returns from the old style were dropping. As we discussed two weeks ago, Ngo was a revolutionary in many areas, but easily his most important work was bringing passing football to Saterun. It had already been deployed abroad, and Ngo, who was about the only Saterun domestic manager to care about other nations' football, began to integrate it to his team. It was immediately successful, making Ngo and his Siaman squad dominant in Saterun domestic football for years to come.

This style soon spread across all of Saterun. Hansel Attenwol, who briefly came up in the article about Ngo, also heavily used the passing style, which made his Futsworth Town champions in just their third season as a club. With this style, the central midfielders became extremely important, and having two good CM's could win a championship. They played in the simbatica style of Ngo, in which they would move up and down the field opposite of each other to occupy all of the available space. This style also brought the central defenders into a more creationary role, in which they would often be the ones getting the ball to the central midfielders. The target man now dropped slightly farther back, and linked up with the midfielders much more often. With a well-drilled and skilled team, any manager was unbeatable when using this style.

But this system would inevitably be replaced once more. Passing is still a central concept in the modern Saterun game, but now players are required to be increasingly fluid in their movements and be able to temporarily play in different positions where required. If you watch a modern A. Liga match, you will often see one of the central midfielders push in between the forwards to create a 3 in attack, while the central defenders will almost become defensive midfielders when the ball is far enough away from their own goal. This style is also incredibly fast-paced, requiring players to make quick decisions and quicker actions.

The prevalent Saterun tactical style will no doubt keep evolving. People are even starting to suggest that ganharbola is independent of the fluid system, although time may be needed to truly tell. Next week, I'll dive in to Saterun NT innovations, and how domestic tactical evolutions have affected the Claws. See you next week.

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