Independent Associations Champs 22 - Everything Thread [IC]

[Malta Comino Gozo]

Malta Comino Gozo 0 -0 Edsmontik

It was a hard-fought game between Malta Comino Gozo (MCG) and Edsmontik, ending in a tense 0-0 draw. This was MCG's third draw of the tournament so far. Again, this wasn't bad, but for the team to qualify for the next match, they had to win and also score at least 2 goals to save them if it came to goal difference potentially.

Edsmontik, who currently sit top of the table with 6 points, took control early, with Utravak orchestrating many of the passes from midfield. He slipped past MCG's Luke Attard and Nico Micallef several times in the first half, but despite Edsmontik's relentless pressure, they couldn’t find the back of the net with Ġakbu Mogg making some cracking saves.

Striker Nico Micallef, eager to break the deadlock, made a few threatening runs, but Edsmontik’s defence held firm. Ġakbu Mogg stood tall, making crucial saves as the game wore on. In the second half, MCG brought on fresh legs with Vella, S. Azzopardi, and Micallef making way for substitutes, but the game became a war of attrition in midfield. Striker Daniel White, who subbed Nico Micallef had one attempt on target hitting the post.

Despite several great runs, neither side could find that elusive goal. The scoreline after 90 minutes was 0-0. MCG's defence was proving to be too challenging, but pundits have questioned whether the team should be attacking more rather than subbing defenders.

In the post-match interview, MCG's new manager, Michele Cammileri, couldn't help but feel a little deflated." I can't fault the teamwork of the boys, mela, but if we don't start scoring some goals soon, there is a chance we won't qualify. I want to see our team succeed."

[Omerica]

.

[Saterun]

Kameron quickly pulled up a list of all Britonish Airways flights to Saterun in the next week. He breathed a sigh of relief. The soonest one available was in 5 days, meaning they still had time to find Adrian. Of course, Kameron couldn't force the player to stay, but he did want to give it one last try. However, it wasn't his job to locate lost players. While he did certainly still want to find Adrian, he also needed to fulfill the duties of the head coach. He would start tracking Adrian later. For now, he needed to focus on the football.

One thing that had been a marked improvement for this tournament had been the Claw's defense. It was the same starting 4 as last cycle, but they had one of the lowest GA in the tournament. Although the players could have improved, Kameron was secretly sure it was down to his tweaks of ganharbola. This new version of the NT's primary tactic emphasized defense significantly more, and it showed. Especially in the last game, where Kronbia had only registered one shot the entire game. However, the team did seem to experiencing a trade-off in attack. While 4 goals for was decent, it wasn't at the level to mount a serious title charge. When they faced more difficult teams, they needed to be able to puncture the defense. They had managed to score against Indusse in what was certainly not the Claws' best game, but they had struggled to really get going in all of their matches.

Although Kameron didn't want to admit it, he knew what was happening. Thiago Esparza was a bona fide Saterun legend. He was considered the greatest player the nation had ever produced, and would go down in history. However, he was starting to age. Kameron had first noticed it last cycle, but now he was sure he was seeing correctly. It went against his every instinct as a Saterunalian, but he knew that, if a suitable replacement came from the A Liga, he would eventually have to phase Esparza out of the national team. He had witnessed Caesar Ibañez a few times in the league, and knew how much potential he had. People around the country were starting to take notice, and it was only a matter of time before he broke into the national team.

For now, Kameron decided to rest Thiago for the next match. Ruben would start, and that would hopefully bring a little bit more vitality into the squad. Ruben also complemented Maksymillian very well, as Ruben could play a supporting role while Maksymillian found space to score. Hopefully, they could start to get back into rhythm against Safiloa. Kameron thought it disrespectful to call a match "easy", but this was certainly a good opportunity for the Claws. If things around the group went right for them, they could secure qualification, and maybe even top of the group. Although visually they hadn't started so great, they had pole position in the group and looked to be on track for a successful tournament.

Kameron sighed. He could often get lost in tactics, player selection, and group combinatorics, but not this time. Adrian was still on his mind. While Kameron wasn't worried about about the striker's safety or ability to get back home, he was concerned about how this would impact his career. Adrian still had a lot of room for growth, and could be a NT superstar if he developed right. Kameron had faced similar issues with Leandro Alfienk and Crespo Antonsen, but he had resolved both of those. Now, both players were starting on the team, and had fully grown into the role. Kameron couldn't live with himself if Adrian lost his NT career because of one tournament.

[Britonisea]

MD4 RP CUTOFF.

Note: All roleplays underneath this post will count as Day 5

[Britonisea]

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Matchday Four

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Official Sponsors of the Independent Associations Championship 22 in Britonisea...

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Match Results

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Group A
Malta Comino Gozo 3–3 Natkr
West Barack and East Obama 1–4 Panay Islands and Guimaras
Edsmontik 4–2 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands

Group A                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Edsmontik                    4   3  1  0   10   5  +5   10
2 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands   4   2  1  1   13   8  +5    7
3 Panay Islands and Guimaras   4   1  3  0   11   8  +3    6
4 Malta Comino Gozo            4   0  4  0    4   4   0    4
5 Natkr                        4   0  2  2    8  15  −7    2
6 West Barack and East Obama   4   0  1  3    3   9  −6    1

Group B
Omerica 3–1 Porotia
HUElavia 6–0 Burikinia
Reçueçn 1–2 Delaclava

Group B                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                     4   3  0  1   15   5 +10    9
2 Delaclava                    4   3  0  1    9   5  +4    9
3 Reçueçn                      4   1  1  2    6   7  −1    4
4 Porotia                      4   1  1  2    2   4  −2    4
5 Omerica                      4   1  1  2    6   9  −3    4
6 Burikinia                    4   1  1  2    3  11  −8    4

Group C
Tergania 2–0 Grand Exultia
Juvencus 2–1 Vaishnavaria
Drawkland 5–2 Britonisea

Group C                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Drawkland                    4   3  1  0   16  11  +5   10
2 Juvencus                     4   2  2  0    9   7  +2    8
3 Tergania                     4   2  1  1   10   6  +4    7
4 Britonisea                   4   1  1  2    6   7  −1    4
5 Grand Exultia                4   1  1  2    7   9  −2    4
6 Vaishnavaria                 4   0  0  4    4  12  −8    0

Group D
New Drakaria 1–1 Elyalanya-Hucalese
Poafmersia 0–2 Beepee
Ile de Richelieu 6–3 Abanhfleft

Group D                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ile de Richelieu             4   3  0  1   16  10  +6    9
2 Abanhfleft                   4   3  0  1    9   8  +1    9
3 Beepee                       4   2  1  1    7   4  +3    7
4 Elyalanya-Hucalese           4   1  2  1    6   7  −1    5
5 New Drakaria                 4   0  2  2    7  11  −4    2
6 Poafmersia                   4   0  1  3    5  10  −5    1

Group E
Dhemixia 2–6 Calgasia
Saterun 1–0 Safiloa
Indusse 0–0 Kronbia

Group E                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Saterun                      4   3  1  0    5   2  +3   10
2 Calgasia                     4   2  1  1   10   7  +3    7
3 Indusse                      4   1  3  0    6   3  +3    6
4 Kronbia                      4   1  1  2    3   4  −1    4
5 Dhemixia                     4   1  1  2    6  10  −4    4
6 Safiloa                      4   0  1  3    1   5  −4    1

Group F
Great Cats Village 4–2 Borschtslatvia
Crpostran 3–0 Seeberg
Aphrilia 1–0 Adab

Group F                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Aphrilia                     4   4  0  0   11   6  +5   12
2 Crpostran                    4   3  0  1   13   8  +5    9
3 Great Cats Village           4   2  0  2   11  10  +1    6
4 Adab                         4   2  0  2    5   6  −1    6
5 Borschtslatvia               4   0  1  3    5  10  −5    1
  Seeberg                      4   0  1  3    3   8  −5    1

Group G
Schottia 5–1 Kannap
Tanirinthia 2–2 The Elder Lands
Valentine Z 3–2 Taxhavn

Group G                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Schottia                     4   2  2  0    9   3  +6    8
2 Valentine Z                  4   2  1  1    7   6  +1    7
3 Tanirinthia                  4   2  1  1    7   7   0    7
4 The Elder Lands              4   1  2  1    6   8  −2    5
5 Taxhavn                      4   1  1  2    9   8  +1    4
6 Kannap                       4   0  1  3    2   8  −6    1

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The next cut-off is: 22nd October 2024 @ 23:30 UTC+1

[Panay Islands and Guimaras]

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A FIRST WIN AFTER A SERIES OF DRAWS
Dexter Burgendore Stadium, Burgendore, Britonisea


Panayense fans celebrating the win

The Panayense fan tour is coming to Burgendore as the fans walking all over the city by making it a carnival and a fiesta at the same time to show what a festival means to the Britonish. And the whole Panayenses came to Dexter Burgendore Stadium, making it feeling like a home game to the Carabaos. Around alot of decibels is rising in Dexter Burgendore Stadium to hear the Panayenses cheer for the team. In the first half, the Obamans are showing their defensive skills against Panayenses but the trio of Tiu, Martinelli, and Ricalde can't stop them as Ricalde shows off with his goal against an Obaman, which is a volley, then proceeds to celebrate with a little dance with Martinelli and Tiu. An Obaman responded with a goal of his own, and mocks Ricalde's dance. Ricalde wasn't really pissed at the mocking, but he said that he "needs to execute well", and laughs about it. It was a neck-and-neck situation for the both teams until the second half, where Martinelli and Tiu, with Ricalde's help, scored with their own goals. The first was Martinelli, where he scored a penalty after an Obaman foul. Then, Tiu, the free kick specialist, scored his another free kick goal and the Obaman fans were shocked at his performance, but Tiu made it better when he scored a nutmeg on the goalkeeper and does the dance again with Martinelli and Ricalde. And it was over, an overwhelming win against West Barack and East Obama. "We finally cracked the code!", says Tiu. "We did the impossible thanks to us, the trio." And then Martinelli says this: "EDSMONTIK WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!", and Tiu calms Martinelli down. "It was a success for our team.", says Pierini. "But we hope we would win against Edsmontik, our #1 rivals, with the same thing we did. But nobody knows what the outcome will be." The Carabaos will face the Edsmon eagles in Junterparten, and it's the fans' favorite match. This could be an exciting rivalry for both Edsmons and Panayenses!

[Taxhavn]

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Valentine Z 3-2 Taxhavn
Insufficient Funds

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Taxhavn are as good as out of the Indies following a narrow but well-fought defeat to the Kittens, with only a big win over undefeated Schottia and about seventy-five other highly favourable but extremely unlikely results going their way to save them in the final round of matches. Goals from Jeroen Blenkers and Rik Dam counted for nothing in the end, and despite some good showings coupled with a splendid victory on matchday 1, the Shillingmen have regressed since last time and Quebeçois coach Bradley Kemerer-Lascelles cut a frustrated figure in the post-match conference. Where do we go from here? Back to St. Bernadine city and the drawing board, by the looks of things.

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Reunion
Part 5/7: Park Lane

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by Sports Editor Kit Samrodd

Well you have to say Veldgouwen have come out fighting this second half, and fair play, 0-3 down at the break but not out yet as they impose a more ‘physical’ style - shall we say - on their opponents... but oof! would you look at that, young Evelyn Conjure refusing to be bullied and she really clouts Liesmonts in the tackle there… free kick, and maybe she’s a bit lucky not to get a card as Liesmonts hobbles away… [close up on Conjure shrugging, commentator chuckles] …picture of innocence there, ‘what me?’!…

Roel Meganck to take the kick and the Veldts are stacking the box here, they sense an opportunity… Meganck lofts it in… Masschelin’s up… thunders in the header! Veldgouwen are back in the game! What a header… what a header!… there is no stopping Piet Masschelin there. 1-3 and game on!

[Close up on Masschelin grinning after collecting the ball straight from the net] He’s said something to Conjure there, not sure what, he looks a bit cheeky but she’ll remind him there’s still a long way back…

I’ve watched the whole first IAC final on ViewTube - not a great quality recording I have to say - and this is the part, I think, where Piet and Evelyn interact for the for the first time, so far as I can see. And out of it, as Evelyn told me yesterday on our aborted trip to find Den Brygge, grew a great friendship, if separated by distance and career trajectory.

We meet at Saint Romaine Central Station again, outside the city metro, and Piet finally makes it, accompanied by his son Jannes. Though thinner now, the 71-year-old former striker is still an imposing figure, tall and broad - I can still see him outmuscling defender Paul Doig for that goal, which proved in vain as Schottia went on to score a fourth and win the first ever IAC title. He has a more-than-firm handshake, even now. I’m surprised he takes my hand before meeting the excited gaze of his old friend, but when he turns to her, he affects a delighted and slightly confused surprise and they hug warmly. ‘Piet! Piet… Piet!’ says Evelyn, with touching affection, reluctant to let him go. They haven’t seen each other in a couple of decades. He’s all smiles, but seems - to me anyway - a little overwhelmed by the occasion. Evelyn clearly senses that and calms herself. Watching the two with an analytical eye, you can see how, six years her senior, Piet has crossed over that threshold into old age, leaving Evelyn behind in her still-youthful middle years. Jannes holds back and we shake hands, he’s friendly but the whole time he watches his father closely, and that becomes a feature of our trip to Stadion Taxhavn, the IAC final site from that famous day 44 years ago, real name Effersøe Park Lane.

On the metro Evelyn & Piet fall into easy and warm conversation, the old chemistry clear to see and Piet relaxing in her company after an awkward start. I guess not everyone handles emotional reunion in the same way, but he definitely seems at ease now as the two of them recount what they’ve been up to these long decades. Piet mostly wants to talk about bee-keeping, and Evelyn is graciously - and genuinely, I think - interested in his obvious passion for the subject. Football gets only the vaguest of mentions, and I even sense maybe Piet is avoiding the subject. But that’s fine, they are more than just retired footballers, I remind myself.

Park Lane is a ruin. A broken down stadium, not used for four decades - the club that owned it, Club Effersø Urbane, lasted a single season after the IAC as a blacklisted club, and played a handful of technically unofficial matches here as they quickly went to the wall. A peculiar and highly complicated legal protection on the site for football purposes granted in perpetuity has so far prevented the developers from taking this space. In the process of being reclaimed by nature, it is a hybrid mish-mash of concrete and spikey hawthorn bushes, wooden bleachers and haphazard hazel groves. Terraces populated by weeds, pigeons and even the odd rabbit.

‘It’s hard to connect this to the stadium we played in,’ wonders Evelyn, but Piet seems visibly upset by the state of the place, becoming quiet, distant. We have the freedom to wander around the outside and we find a way into the interior, a ruin now of old graffiti, rotting and useless paraphernalia of the football business, evidence of mice, rats, foxes, bats. We walk up and out of the tunnel, as Evelyn and Piet did all those years ago. I can see Evelyn is reliving the moment, with a cautious smile for her interior thoughts. None of us are able to speak, mainly, I think, because we are very conscious of Piet and anxious for what he is thinking.

‘Everything is ruined,’ he finally says, as we stroll out toward what would’ve been the centre circle. Now the field is a wild meadow, a nature haven in the great city, but not a playing surface or anything even resembling one.

I take a chance on diverting this back toward football. ‘Which end would’ve been where you got that goal, Piet? The header?’

‘I didn’t score in the final,’ he says, ‘we won, yes, but I got injured early. So I hardly played that win. The next year, we won again, against Athletic, and that’s where I got the hatrick and man of the match. But it wasn’t here. It was up the road, in Fennby.’

I think he’s talking about club Cup Finals in the Bonesligg, the domestic league he played in when he signed for SS Skiveness in Bonesea after the IAC. Somehow he’s mixed them up with the IAC final. I’m not sure what’s going on.

‘Dad,’ says Jannes, ‘this is Taxhavn… the IAC final… against Evelyn?’

He turns to Jannes, surprised and confused, maybe a little irritated, and then to Evelyn. She smiles, trying to look relaxed.

‘Do you remember what you said to me after you scored?’

‘Jannes,’ he says to me, incongruously, ignoring his old friend (and his son), ‘I want to go home now. I don’t know why we came here.’

‘Dad - ’ says Jannes, but Piet looks at me, firmly. He thinks I’m Jannes.

‘Now, son. I want to go home now.’

I try to pick up visual cues from Jannes and Evelyn, but in that moment they are unreadable. I can only nod.

‘Sure,’ I say, eventually, ‘lets get back to the metro.’

[Seeberg]

“...and das war how I gelöste the entire Geheimnis of the fehlenden words,” said Günther von Tülpe, and the Menge in the auditorium explodierte in roaring gratidue and tosendem applause. Leider, I had just enterted the great Zimmer, and deshalb missed the tale of how the Großer Detektiv had solved the case des Jahrhunderts. Mitleid!

I should’ve been there for his grand Offenbarung, but I was held up. I was supposed to travel by the nr. 3 bus from Philharmonisches Plaz and via Der Botanische Garten der Schwarzen Katze and up to Das Puddingkuchen-Quadrat where the Der Council für die Bewahrung of the Seebergschen Language have their offices on the campus of Universität Kripkenstein. Alas, it was the fifth and final match tag of the Horkenheimers’ campaign in the 22nd IAC, and quite a few Leute walking the Straßen of Brinterberg were fed up with the wiederholte Demütigung that the Mannschaft - and in extension The Gemeinschaft itself - was being put through down in Britonisea. They waren müde and traurig and wütend.So much so, that they had inszeniert eine demonstration and blocked all trafic coming through Knackwurst Plaz. “How much Schmerz muss ein kleines Volk amongst the großen Bergen endure”, they all shouted. I can’t say Ich blame them. It has been a traurige campaign.

The nr. 3 bus stood there for a long time. Zu lange! So lange, that I did not reach the auditorium on time, and was beraubt of hearing von Tülpe’s great Geschichte. Because he had no interest of wiederholting himself. “It’s not that interesting a story”, as he put it. And Vielleicht he was right. But still, schlecht indeed.

[Ile de Richelieu]

Richelieu Øy (Île de Richelieu) wins a goal fest against Abanhfleft

Quickenden, Britonisea - On day 11, in a matchup that will probably decide Group D winner, Richelieu Øy (Øy is norwegian for Island) played against Abanhfleft and we won a crazy goal fest by the sore of 6-3. For the first 25 minutes, the score was still at 0-0. Richelieu Øy attacked at the 27th minute when Ulfhild Lillegard-Omdahl made a short pass to Cassandra Bellerose-Desbois who dribbled and kicked the ball past Guildenstern Cardew. The Bjørner (Norwegian word for Bears) increased their lead at the 33rd minute when Rose-Émilie Bouthillette scored on a penalty after Emmanuel Lin tripped Ragnhild Austad in the penalty area. Abanhfleft scored before the end of the 1st halt, at the 42nd minute, when Sacit Közalmaz made a header pass to Bradley Aquino who heads the ball into the goal. The score at halftime was 2-1 Richelieu Øy.

Abanhfleft attacked at the 53rd minute when Roberto Carlos Lado tried to pass the ball to Bradley Aquino but Vladimir Gutierrez Salazar blocks the pass and the ball becomes loose. Mamadou Ndiaye takes the loose ball and makes a long pass to Asbjørn Lillegard-Omdahl who kicks it and it's a goal. Richelieu Øy gained some momentum and 3 minutes later, Ragnhild Austad made a cross to Ulfhild Lillegard-Omdahl who shoots the ball into the net. At the 64th minute, Cassandra Bellerose-Desbois made a short pass to Rose-Émilie Bouthillette who scored her 2nd goal of the game. The score was 5-1 Richelieu Øy at this time. Abanhfleft attacked at the 69th minute when their vice-captain Şəmistan Baburov made a short pass to Gavin Salonga who just subbed in a few minutes earlier. Salonga kicks the ball and he scores. The Fleftic scored again at the 77th minute when, on a corner kick, Chris Bellingham, in the opposing penalty area, jumps higher than anyone and heads the ball past Grendahl-Kalberg. The Bjørner scored at the 83rd minute when, on a counter attack, Valkyrie Dahlen passed to Xavier Maisonneuve-Tranchemontagne who kicks the ball and it goes in. The final score was 6-3 Richelieu Øy.

Both teams are tied in 1st place in group D with 3 wins and 1 loss with only one match remaining. Both teams will play on Day 14 at 1 pm. Richelieu Øy will play an away match against Beepee in Burgendore while Abanhfleft will play at home against New Drakaria in Eaux City. If the Bjørner wins, we're first! Asbjørn Lillegard-Omdahl will miss the game with a shoulder injury and Xavier Maisonneuve-Tranchemontagne will replace him in the starting XI.

GAME SUMMARY

27th   GOAL ÎLE DE RICHELIEU     Cassandra Bellerose-Desbois assisted by Ulfhild Lillegard-Omdahl
33rd   GOAL ÎLE DE RICHELIEU     Rose-Émilie Bouthillette (penalty)
42nd   GOAL ABANHFLEFT     Bradley Aquino assisted by Sacit Közalmaz
53rd   GOAL ÎLE DE RICHELIEU     Asbjørn Lillegard-Omdahl assisted by Mamadou Ndiaye
56th   GOAL ÎLE DE RICHELIEU     Ulfhild Lillegard-Omdahl assisted by Ragnhild Austad
64th   GOAL ÎLE DE RICHELIEU     Rose-Émilie Bouthillette assisted by Cassandra Bellerose-Desbois
69th   GOAL ABANHFLEFT     Gavin Salonga assisted by Şəmistan Baburov
77th   GOAL ABANHFLEFT     Chris Bellingham (corner kick)
83rd   GOAL ÎLE DE RICHELIEU     Xavier Maisonneuve-Tranchemontagne assisted by Valkyrie Dahlen

Knut Knutsen

[Beepee]

After the dull draw against Elyalanya-Hucalese, the Beepeean fans were itching for a livelier match.

They knew the match against Poafmersia was a "must win" I'd they were to have any hope of finishing third in the group.

The added pressure made Yuri Hotgui go all out on his costume. For this match, he arrived at the stadium dressed as a "vampire bodybuilder" complete with slicked back hair, fake fangs, and fake blood dripping down onto his chiseled abs, and of course his shortets gym shorts. “If I’m sucking anything tonight, it’s the joy out of the Poafmersians,” he declared.... flexing as he posed for photos with fans on his way to the stands.

The fans were keen to encourage the teams into more dynamic attacking football this match. Lead by Yuri they blew on their vuvuzela, banged their drums and generally sang and danced their way through the first fifteen minutes of the match.

It seemed to help the Beepeean players as their energy was clearly 'up' .

Early on, midfielder Max Christian sent a through ball to Carlo Bannan, who neatly chipped it over the Poafmersian goalkeeper to open the scoring. The stadium erupted, and so did Yuri. Leaping to his feet, striking a pose and yelling “First blood!” before blowing his vuvuzela so loudly that the fans around him covered their ears. He then proceeded to “bite” the nearest fan on the neck, a fellow Beepeean dressed as a doctor with stethoscope and blood soaked scrubs, who played along... fainting into Yuris arms.

The second goal came just after halftime, courtesy of Liam Chang, who poked the ball home after a goalmouth scramble. It wasn't pretty but it got the job done

“Two bites and thats a finish!” Yuri cheered, as his celebration resulted in his slick back hair being ruffled by some other fan (thats the real horror of this rp).

As the final whistle blew and Beepee secured a 2-0 victory, the fans erupted in celebration once more. Yuri shouted “Victory is sweet! And so are our boys!” as the Beepeean faithful danced and cheered their way out of the stadium.

As they left the staidum "The final group game against the current group leaders were going to need to bring our A game guys...." Yuri said.... contemplating his next Hello-weenie costume.

[Kannap]

Office of the Minister of Sport
Cravenscroft, Kannap

The Minister of Sport, Casper Wakefield, sits at his large desk, it's a very ornate piece of furniture carefully crafted from cherry wood by some woodworker he's forgotten the name of. It's not important, really, except that he prides himself on having the nicest looking desk of any of the President's cabinet ministers. Of course, it wasn't cheap but it wasn't bought with his own money. He'd have to thank the taxpayers for that. Wakefield, the man sitting at the desk, is rather old and appears feeble and near death's door. It's hard to believe that he's the Minister of Sport and not a coroner in your local funeral home. The elderly man, 77 years old, is hardly the image of athleticism. Even as far as elderly people go, he isn't one of the healthy looking ones.

As he sits at his desk, there is a knock at the door. "Come in," he says, not sure if he spoke loud enough to be heard from the other side of the door. Nonetheless, his assistant opens the door and informs him that the President has arrived for their meeting. He nods and stands, slowly enough to create a painful length of silence for the assistant. "Let her in."

The assistant looks annoyed as he opens the door wider and allows the guests to enter. President Pricey Craven, elderly herself having just turned 66 earlier this week. Much like the Minister of Sport, the President appears frail and unhealthy in her older age. It's a wonder she's even still alive, he thought to himself. She's a decade younger than him, what's her excuse? Still, at her age, she refuses to use walking aids such as a cane. Ironically, she walks alongside Daniel Sanders-Wood, the Chairman of the President's Cabinet. A position that should be respectable if Daniel weren't just the President's living walking aid in recent years.

Casper stands quietly as the President and Daniel enter the room, his assistant closing the door behind them and disappearing. The old man smiles at his two guests, inviting them to take a seat. "Well, Madam President, what brings me the honor of a meeting with you this morning?"

The President frowns as she holds a newspaper in her hand, "Our young men and women are having their asses handed to them in Britonisea." She tries to throw the newspaper onto the desk in front of Casper, but it pitifully lands on the edge of the desk nearest to herself. The newspaper's landing there was largely helped by gravity allowing it to drop from her hand and by the sheer luck that enough of the paper landed on the desk as to keep it from falling to the floor. The President tries to continue speaking, but cannot as she has a sudden coughing fit.

It takes a few minutes for the President to become comfortable again, "What do you have to say about this, Casper?"

Casper maintains a plain face as he stares at the President, "The Ministry's priority was to send quality athletes to the Olympics, which we did. In the meantime, we managed to secure a less-than-favorable football team for this competition. This is the very nature of things, you can't win every sports competition." Though I can't imagine you know anything about sporting competitions he silently thought to himself, certain that the President had never gone so far as to partake in a game of tag as a child.

The President frowned harder at the Minister of Sport, "It's clear that you're not taking this seriously. I expect better out of you. If we don't start sending better athletes to events and I don't begin to see better performances out of our athletes, it's going to be more than just your job on the line." She hoped that this threat would come across clearly to the older man, though her attempt to stare at him was interrupted with another coughing fit.

Casper took the opportunity, while the two people across from him weren't looking, to roll his eyes. It's a shame that this woman is the leader of the Kannapian Federation. Kannap needs a stronger leader in charge, and he silently hoped that the President before him wouldn't be around much longer. She seemed sick to him, and he'd heard rumors recently that her health was getting worse. He finally smiled at her as she finished coughing.

"I think you'll find that the Ministry of Sport will continue to operate within it's appointed jurisdiction. You're in my office, remember? I'll continue to let you know who we're sending abroad for competitions, but that's the maximum of the input you'll get to receive on the matter. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another meeting in a few minutes that I need to attend. Fortunately, my meeting is in another office. So you can take your time, however much you need, to leave mine. I'll have my assistant see you out." Casper stood and left, an insult itself to the President.

[Crpostran]

---

[Calgasia]

Home of the Calgasian Sports

Forth, Calgasia!

Adlers crush Dhemixia 2-6 in an astonishing match and

Matchday 4 - IAC22
Dhemixia 2 - Calgasia 6
Stadium: Harwood Field Stadium (32,450), Boschke - 4pm local time
Man of the Match: Gábor Szabó (CGS)

Goals:

Dhemixia
Bolton 19' (Baker)
Obisana 50'

Calgasia
Novák 15' (Webern)
Szabó 27' (Hájos)
Szabó 32' (Voss)
Webern 39'
Szabó 65' (Sedlácek)
Biró 82' (Volf)

Squads:

GK Wesley Williamson
Dominic Sanford
Rick Wilson
Drew McMahon
Adrian Bush
Gregory Baker 1A
Timothy Hawkins
Grant Clarke
-> 65' Eric Workman
Mario Hutchinson
-> 65' Blake Warren
Marvin Bolton 1G
Jonathan Obisana 1G
-> 52' Luis Burns

GK Josef Kaltenbrunner
Antonin Hojer
Stefan Andris
Martin Kargel
Károly Hájos
Béla Voss 1A
-> 65' Martin Wahlmüller
Max Bohren
Xaver Webern 1G, 1A
-> 74' Roland Volf 1A
Emil Sedlácek 1A
-> 74' Gyorgy Biró 1G
Jan Novák 2G
->65' Tamás Varga
Gábor Szabó 3G (C)
->80' Jonas Schiele

Stats:

Yellow cards: 4
Possession: 28%
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Saves: 5
Corner kicks: 5

Yellow cards: 2
Possession: 72%
Shots: 20
On target: 11
Saves: 2
Corner kicks: 12

Vorwärts! (Forward!). As the referee blowed his whistle, the Harwood Field Stadium in Boshke became instantly an historical place for Calgasian football and sport, as The Adlers gave to the nation one of their most glorious hours in its short multiverse sport history with a wonderful, unexpected 2-6 victory against Dhemixia, giving the country hopes of qualifying for the Round of 16, which a few days ago seemed utopian.

However, the match did not started so unbalanced. An offensive-oriented, side, Dhemixia started the match with the intention of taking control of the ball, putting the Calgasia backline in trouble by sending their wingers on the edge of the area looking for Kaltenbrunner's goal.
However, after the initial pressure, Calgasia struck first with a counter-attack launched by Voss, which Webern and Novák finished off with the latter's goal in the 15th minute.
Four minutes later came Dhemixia's response, when in the 19th minute Bolton headed in unchallenged after a corner by Baker. The next few minutes were very entertaining for the neutral spectators, who saw a succession of chances for Dhemixia and the Adlers, but both defences stopped those chances. In the 27th minute Szabó headed in a cross from Hájos to make it 1-2 for Calgasia. From that point on, Dhemixia's defence began to unravel as the players gradually lost their concentration.
Calgasia took advantage of this moment of weakness with Szabó's second goal in the 32nd minute, with a strong shot close to the right post after a pass from Voss, 1-3, and Webern's goal after a Calgasia steal in high pressure, in the 39th minute, 1-4. With that score both teams went to the break.
After the break the Adlers continued to press the Dhemixia defence, taking advantage of their mistakes and generating scoring opportunities time and time again. Dhemixia pulled one back momentarily with a goal from Obisana in the 50th minute, but Szabó scored in the 65th minute and Biró, who had replaced Sedlácek, in the 82nd minute. As the referee marked the end of the match, the players started to jump and celebrate such achievement.

The Adlers displayed a wonderful style of play, with flashing though passes and an impressive control of the possession, playing a beautiful football that sparked a wave of joy in Calgasia during and after the match, and that was recognized with applause and praise from the Britonish fans in the stands of Harwood Field.

Calgasia, with chances to qualify to Round of 16
After this victory, Calgasia sits second with 7 points, playing powerhouse Saterun, who is alrady qualified, on 22nd October. If the Adlers win, they will qualify to the Round of 16, although Saterun, current 5th in the rankings, will be a formidable rival. If they draw, or even lose, they might have chances to qualify, but they will depend on the rest of the results to determine whether if they go home or stay in Britonisea at least some days more.

Standings

Group E                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Saterun                      4   3  1  0    5   2  +3   10
2 Calgasia                     4   2  1  1   10   7  +3    7
3 Indusse                      4   1  3  0    6   3  +3    6
4 Kronbia                      4   1  1  2    3   4  −1    4
5 Dhemixia                     4   1  1  2    6  10  −4    4
6 Safiloa                      4   0  1  3    1   5  −4    1

Captain Szabó gives a heartfelt speech after the match

Coach Sedler spoke to CRF Sport: "We cannot do it better, I'm proud of the boys, they are leaving everything they have in the field. They will be fully ready for the match against Saterun, don't worry about that"

But it was Szabó, visibly moved and with some tears in his eyes, but it was Szabó who gave one of the most moving moments of the day, giving to CRF Sport an emotional speech moments after the match.
"I want to thank every one of my teammates for what they've done today. We can do it. We are a nation of refugees, of settlers. We escaped the Great War and arrived on this deserted land, and yet we built a home here, in this land that has given us hope. We are a people forged by challenge, by endurance, and sport is how we show our courage. We know what it means to lose, to struggle, to live a hard life. All of us carry scars from the war, Webern’s father came to Calgasia alone, my mother lost her three brothers in Galitzia. We are not strangers to hardship.
We will probably lose against Saterun, a team ranked among the greatest in the multiverse. Defeat is quite certain, as is quite certain that we will not qualify to the Round of 16. But we will compete, we will fight, we'll make them earn their victory. We won't play for ourselves. We'll play for every soul who believes in us, for all those we lost along the way, for the Calgasians. We will do it to make them proud of us, and give them a little joy, for that is the only way to repaid their support that we have received. All we ask is that you support us, that you rally behind us. Vorwärts!"

Follow CRF Sport to have the complete coverage of the Matchday 5, as Our Boys try to qualify to the Round of 16 in their debut in international football.

Vorwärts! Vorwärts! Vorwärts!

---

[Borschtslatvia]

Another Day, Another Loss

Borschtslatvia is not doing well in their debut tournament at all. This time, they lost 4-2 to the nation of Great Cats Village. It's rumored that Borschtslatvia threw the game, because of the name of the nation, considering the national animal of Borschtslatvia is the white tiger, which is classified as a great cat, and are revered in Borschtslatvia. However, nothing could be proven. There wasn't anything too spectacular about the players. While the offense worked well, they were unable to score more than two points. Goalkeeper Norman Boola was unable to stop Great Cats Village from scoring the winning goal.

The only thing of note that happened was a delay in the middle of the game when a cat got loose on the field, and began playing with the ball. The cat was identified as Mrs. Mew Mew Von Tabbytoes, the personal pet of Norman Boola, and the team mascot. According to Boola, she loves playing soccer, and would often join the team during practice. Usually, she is kept inside a carrier during games, but she managed to get out. She did manage to successfully get the ball into the Great Cats Village goal, but, unfortunately for the Beet Brigadiers, it did not count.

[HUElavia]

HUElavia 6–0 Burikinia
(Narita 4', 77', Cavalcanti 30', 88', Brandt 50', Mantovani 64')
Aloquirbe City Stadium, Aloquirbe, Britonisea

TO THE KNOCKOUTS IN STYLE!

HUElavia's B-Team obliterate Burikinia in a 6-0 route to advance to the knockouts!

Entering Matchday 4, HUElavia was reeling from the late defeat to Delaclava, but thanks to the beatdown over Omerica on Matchday 1, HUElavia still maintained 1st Place in Group B for the time being. With the players having played three full games, Coach Casillas opted to rotate the entire squad to give the B-Team a chance to get minutes and give the A-Team some rest. In a near sold out crowd at Aoquirbe, both teams took their respective endzones, but there were more HUElavians present in the stadium to cheer on the team.

HUElavia was dominating from the get-go, much like the Omerica match, going on the attack and hogging possession. The opening goal came in the 4th minute, when Angeli was on the ball, being covered by Kaneyama, when he gave a cross into the box, where Narita won the head over Nicolescu to head it down and past the diving arms of Lamiroir into the goal, making it 1-0. Narita was jumping and hugging her teammates in joy while the crowd cheered passionately and applauded for the goal. While Burikinia would try to get attacks going with the likes of Salvatore, Aoto and Juniardi, but the defense would stand strong to block shots and dispossess the attack and Arakawa barely had to touch the ball the few times the shots would reach her. The second goal would come in the 30th minute, when Narita was on the ball, being covered by Holger, before giving a pass back to Cavalcanti, who gave a blistering, long-distance shot past a flat-footed Lamiroir into the goal, making it 2-0. The HUElavian crowd erupted at the fantastic goal while Cavalcanti was mobbed by his teammates for the great goal, as well as hugging Narita for the great assist and setting up the play. At the half, it was 2-0 and the HUElavians felt very comfortable, but motivated to make the most out of their time on the pitch.

The second half continued much like the first, with HUElavia pressing on the attack, while Burikinia was on its heels trying to defend for dear life. The 3rd goal came in the 50th minute, when Jacquet gave a corner to the box, and Brandt towered over Efrenkov to head the ball past an outstretched Lamiroir into the goal, making it 3-0. The HUElavian crowd jumped up with joy, applauding the great goal while Brandt was hugged for the goal by his teammates, with the celebrations being subdued. Burikinia would try to attack more, with Lafrey and Seong in for Aoto and Juniardi, but even with the reinforcements, the backline still stood strong and would not bend. In the 64th minute, Wahle (in for Jacquet) would be on the attack, being covered by Agnelli (in for Efrenkov), where she gave a pass to her right, and Mantovani got the ball and gave a curving shot past the reach of Lamiroir into the goal, making it 4-0. The HUElavian crowd was just cheering and applauding while Mantovani did a subdued celebration for the goal in what was a route at this point. In a rare substitution, Lamiroir was taken off for Brzecki, in an effort to stop what many in social media was seeing as a slaughter. The 5th and 6th goals were basically long shots from Narita and Cavalcanti in the 77th and 88th minute that left Brzecki flat-footed in what was an embarassing display from the Burikinian defense to give up the two goals, where both times had the HUElavians just applauding and cheering while Narita and Cavalcanti had a subdued celebration at this point. Not long after, the 90 minutes passed, the referee blew his whistle, with the HUElavians happy knowing they were advancing.

With the victory, HUElavia continues to sit in 1st Place with 9 Points and a staggering +10 goal difference, while Delaclava won 2-1 over Recuecn to also get 9 points. With Omerica defeating Porotia 3-1, HUElavia and Delaclava advanced to the Round-of-16 directly, with only seeding left to be determined, while Recuecn holds to the 3rd Place spot, being tied with Porotia, Omerica and Burikinia with 4 points. Coach Casillas was quoted as saying "It was a fantastic display from the B-Team today, especially with Narita and Cavalcanti having an amazing performance. While Burikinia are no big team, still it's not every day that HUElavia puts 6 past an opponent. We got good depth and this game shows that we have options during the matches. We still gotta win to push for the Group victory and get a better seeding. We got Porotia next and we want to give our best to secure that top spot. We still hope to have the fans make it a great atmosphere and have that support influence the match." HUElavia needs to essentially match Delaclava in order to maintain 1st Place in the Group, but the most ideal way is to just win. Still, easier said than done. A mix of starters and backups are expected to start. Here's to the end of the Group Stage!

FORCA HUELAVIA! VAMOS HUELAVIA! GO HUELAVIA!

[Saterun]

"Kameron, I found something." Kameron looked up across his desk to see Lisa Lletget holding up her laptop. Kameron squinted, and he couldn't believe what he saw. Someone had found picture of Adrian, and posted them to the popular Saterun social media app Magnigram. In the picture, Adrian was hurrying through a bus station, obviously not wanting to be found. "These were taken yesterday. The poster labeled them as being taken in Telm City." It made sense. Telm's airport probably had the most available flights to Saterun. By some amount of shear luck, Saterun happened to be playing their final group stage game in Telm City. It was now or never to find Adrian.

"Lisa, I want you to contact all of the hotels and lodges around the area. See if Adrian has checked into any of them." Lisa nodded her head. So far, these pictures were all they had to go on. Although Adrian could be well outside of Telm City by now, it made sense to fly out of it. The next Saterun-bound flight from any other Britonish airport was in two weeks. However, there was a flight leaving from Telm in a few days. That was their countdown clock. Just as Kameron had refocused onto how they were going to beat Calgasia, Lisa burst back in. She quickly got out that the Motel 7 down by the south side of the city had recently registered a booking under the name Adrian Schlimme. Kameron looked at her. "We need to go. Now."

A few minutes later, they were in a taxi, flying down the intercity highway that ran by Telm City. Team Saterun had been based in the central part of the city for their stay, but the south side was easily accessible if you went at the right time of day. Luckily, the roads weren't crowded. After about 20 minutes of driving, they came to the Motel 7. It was exactly the kind of undercover place a young football player would hide. It wasn't very flashy, and didn't draw much attention. When Kameron and Lisa went in, there wasn't even someone at the front desk. Kameron pretty quickly realized a problem. They had no way of finding Adrian's room. They could just start knocking on doors, but that wasn't likely to get them anywhere.

Luckily, they were saved the trouble by the sudden appearance of Adrian himself. Kameron and Lisa were so shocked that it didn't even register until after he had quickly vanished back into the hallway, but once they recovered their senses they were after him. It was a dark and confusing motel, and eventually they realized they would have to split up. Kameron took the top floor, while Lisa scoured the bottom. Kameron was busy checking the ice machine (you never knew) when he heard Lisa call out to him. He rushed down the stairs just in time to see Adrian slip out of the front door, luggage and all. He hopped in a taxi and was off.

They had been so close. But at least they now had somewhat of a lead. When they went back to the room Adrian had been staying at, they found a receipt of a flight ticket. It was a flight back to Mieteng, as Kameron had expected. It also left in three days. If they couldn't relocate Adrian in that time, it was all lost. Kameron almost wanted to just give up. He still had a lot of work to do for general match preparation, and this whole adventure had been distracting. But he knew he couldn't live with himself if he just let Adrian go. He needed one last chance.

[Dhemixia]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Huge loss to Calgasia crushes Dhemixian group stage hopes

Well, that will do it for the Serpents in IAC 22. Grouped and buried 6-2.

Because Dhemixia is tied for 4th, but the 2nd, Calgasia, and 3rd, Indusse, teams play beatable opponents, it is impossible for Dhemixia to be top 2, as one of the 2 must overtake the other alongside the 1st place Saterun, as well as at least 2 3rd-place teams in other groups have at least 7 points, and thus Dhemixia are guaranteed to be grouped.

While the (probably unrealistic) goal of getting out of the group stages was frustratingly not achieved, at least they won and drew a game, and put up a fight against the 2 top-15 ranked teams in their group.

Moving forward to the game, it was one to forget. Novak had an early goal in the 15th off the back of a high press counterattack, but Marvin Bolton had an absolutely beautiful header from a Baker corner to even the game for the ever so short time it was tied.

Then, the man of the match, Gabor Szabo scored 2 goals in quick succession, 27', and 32', off a header and volley respectively, and it all fell off the rails from there for the Dhemixian back line. Webern made it 1-4 in the 39', before Obisana, in vain, scored one from 38 yards out on a breakaway, beating the keeper and chipping it in. In an already lost game, Gabor Szabo had the dagger in what would complete the hat trick for him, making it 2-5, and soon after in the 82', Biro made it a final of 2-6 for Calgasia.

While they may have not succeeded in a multiversal tournament, it definitely was a good learning and training opportunity for this relatively young team, playing and playing close good teams like Saterun and Indusse, even drawing with Indusse and beating Safiloa. The last game of the group stage for Dhemixia is against Kronbia, who as well has been eliminated from contention, but it serves as a chance for the team to end on a high note. We'll just have to see how the serpents bounce back from this lowpoint.

███ - - - - - - ███

__Calgasia____6 - 2___Dhemixia

______Novak 15' | Bolton 19'
Szabo 27',32',65' | Obisana 50'
_____Webern 39' |
________Biro 82' |

MotM: CGS ST Gabor Szabo

[Grand Exultia]

Halvenhavlve Stadium

Tergania – 3-2-2-3 formation	Grand Exultia – 4-2-4 formation

Jazlo Karrenken                 Elandor Elenion
Yorcco Lemafine	                Nepthys Thoth-Manon
Zaran Kenat 	                Sigunda Steiner
Carnati Osloqen	                Wilhelm Kaputpfeifer
Koteli Verangat	                Odelinda Daskruger
Sirvet Folling	                Rikecos Duskstriker
Rarine Vencolor 	        Loruruk Hazeeye
Cudo Nefiors	                Sable Gillyflower
Eucanaro Vlik 	                Lupold Starkzahn
Wik Balate	                Aria Vielener
Fepric Dunalac	                Gimli Brambleberry

Match Report: Tergania 2 - 0 Grand Exultia

In a captivating clash at Tergania Stadium, the home side triumphed over Grand Exultia with a 2-0 victory, showcasing a blend of tactical discipline and attacking flair. From the outset, both teams displayed an eagerness to assert their offensive strengths, setting the stage for a high-tempo encounter.

Tergania, lining up in an old fashioned 3-2-2-3 formation, quickly found their rhythm. Wik Balate was instrumental, darting down the left flank and creating space for his teammates. The home crowd erupted in the 15th minute when Eucanaro Vlik made a blistering run down the right wing and delivered a perfectly timed cross to Carnati Osloqen who expertly converted from close range placing Tergania in the lead and sending waves of excitement through the stands.

Grand Exultia responded with vigour. Young talents like Aria Vielener and Gimli Brambleberry began to carve out opportunities, demonstrating impressive link-up play. They pushed forward, determined to equalize, but Tergania’s defense, anchored by Zaran Kenat, remained resolute. Jazlo Karrenken in goal made several critical saves, especially against a powerful long-range effort from Sigunda Steiner that had the crowd holding their breath.

As the second half unfolded, Grand Exultia intensified their attacks, with Sable Gillyflower and Lupold Starkzahn combining effectively. The visitors created a series of chances, testing Tergania’s defense repeatedly. However, Tergania’s commitment to their defensive duties paid off, as they thwarted each attempt with tactical precision.
The turning point came in the 68th minute. After a swift counterattack, Tergania found themselves in the opposition’s half. A clever layoff from Rarine Vencolor set up Cudo Nefiors, who coolly slotted the ball into the net, doubling Tergania's lead. This goal significantly shifted the momentum, leaving Grand Exultia with a daunting task.

As frustration began to set in for the visitors, the referee issued yellow cards for several fouls, leading to a moment of bewilderment among the Terganian players. They gathered around their coach, seeking clarity on the situation. “Cards are how the game is managed,” he explained patiently. “A yellow card warns you for fouls; a red means you're out.” Despite their initial confusion, the players quickly returned their focus to the pitch, determined to maintain their disciplined approach.

In the final moments, Tergania controlled the game, ensuring that Grand Exultia could not find a way back into the match. The whistle blew, sealing a well-deserved 2-0 victory for Tergania, who celebrated with their fans in jubilant fashion. Grand Exultia, while demonstrating potential, will need to regroup and reassess as they continued their search for consistent form.

The standout performer of the match was undoubtedly Wik Balate, whose relentless energy and creativity were vital to Tergania’s success. As the players left the field, the Terganian squad knew they had sent a strong message to the competition: they were a force to be reckoned with.

Player of the Match: Wik Balate (Tergania) - His relentless energy and creativity were pivotal in Tergania's victory.

[Aphrilia]

Independent Association Championship Group Analysis
With one more matchday left for the group stages, this final day will very much determine who's heading towards the knockout rounds and who's heading home early. So we have decided to try and analyze who's guaranteed to go through no matter what, who still has a fighting chance, and who's already eliminated from the competition (We apologize for any mistakes made with the analysis. The person doing this is running on five mugs of coffee and two loafs of bread).

GROUP A

Group A                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Edsmontik                    4   3  1  0   10   5  +5   10
2 StrayaRoos Barrier Islands   4   2  1  1   13   8  +5    7
3 Panay Islands and Guimaras   4   1  3  0   11   8  +3    6
4 Malta Comino Gozo            4   0  4  0    4   4   0    4
5 Natkr                        4   0  2  2    8  15  −7    2
6 West Barack and East Obama   4   0  1  3    3   9  −6    1

UPCOMING MATCHES
StrayaRoos Barrier Islands v Malta Comino Gozo
Panay Islands & Guimaras v Edsmontik
Natkr v West Barack & East Obama

First, let's get things out of the way. WBEO and Natkr are already guaranteed elimination. As they play against each other for their final matchday, no matter which side wins they will be going home. Malta Comino Gozo are in theory still eligible for that second place direct qualification. But with their neutral goal differential, it will be tough as it's the first tiebreaker. Edsmontik are guaranteed to go through even if they lose on the final matchday, so the top two matches are going to be crucial for three teams.

KNOCKOUTS: Edsmontik
IN-CONTENTION: StrayaRoos Barrier Islands, Panay Islands & Guimaras, Malta Comino Gozo
ELIMINATED: Natkr, West Barack and East Obama

GROUP B

Group B                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 HUElavia                     4   3  0  1   15   5 +10    9
2 Delaclava                    4   3  0  1    9   5  +4    9
3 Reçueçn                      4   1  1  2    6   7  −1    4
4 Porotia                      4   1  1  2    2   4  −2    4
5 Omerica                      4   1  1  2    6   9  −3    4
6 Burikinia                    4   1  1  2    3  11  −8    4

UPCOMING MATCHES
Delaclava v Omerica
Burikinia v Reçueçn
Porotia v HUElavia

HUElavia and Delaclava are guaranteed to go through. The primary question is which one is topping the group and which is going into the knockouts as second place. If both teams end up on twelve points, HUElavia will likely go as group winner due to their better GD. The remaining teams are fighting for a potential third place qualifier, but with how the maximum amount of points are seven, it seems somewhat unlikely. Burikinia v Reçueçn may go either way, but Omerica and Porotia have much slimmer hopes.

KNOCKOUTS: HUElavia, Delaclava
IN-CONTENTION: Reçueçn, Porotia, Omerica, Burikinia
ELIMINATED: -

GROUP C

Group C                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Drawkland                    4   3  1  0   16  11  +5   10
2 Juvencus                     4   2  2  0    9   7  +2    8
3 Tergania                     4   2  1  1   10   6  +4    7
4 Britonisea                   4   1  1  2    6   7  −1    4
5 Grand Exultia                4   1  1  2    7   9  −2    4
6 Vaishnavaria                 4   0  0  4    4  12  −8    0

UPCOMING MATCHES
Britonisea v Tergania
Vaishnavaria v Drawkland
Grand Exultia v Juvencus

Unlike the previous two groups, Drawkland isn't completely out of the water yet. Despite being up against the worst team in the tournament for the final matchday, a bad loss for them and a good Tergania win could drop Drawkland to third. Juvencus is right behind Drawkland's trail, and the former will happen if said requirements are met AND Juvencus win their match. Britonisea and Grand Exultia are also still within the battle, as meanwhile if Tergania loses and both the hosts and Grand Exultia win, there will be ties that must be settled.

KNOCKOUTS: -
IN-CONTENTION: Drawkland, Juvencus, Tergania, Britonisea, Grand Exultia
ELIMINATED: Vaishnavaria

GROUP D

Group D                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ile de Richelieu             4   3  0  1   16  10  +6    9
2 Abanhfleft                   4   3  0  1    9   8  +1    9
3 Beepee                       4   2  1  1    7   4  +3    7
4 Elyalanya-Hucalese           4   1  2  1    6   7  −1    5
5 New Drakaria                 4   0  2  2    7  11  −4    2
6 Poafmersia                   4   0  1  3    5  10  −5    1

UPCOMING MATCHES
Abanhfleft v New Drakaria
Beepee v Ile de Richelieu
Elyalanya-Hucalese v Poafmersia

While the battle is primarily between the top three (Hence Beepee v Ile de Richelieu being a do-or-die game), Elyalanya-Hucalese is also within the fight for the third place spot. Abanhfleft has New Drakaria to play and Beepee has Ile de Richelieu. One game in theory should be easy, and the other an uphill battle. If Beepe draw against Ile de Richelieu, Elyalanya-Hucalese making the knockout rounds will be tough and it'll be straight up impossible if Beepee win. The latter can only deal with what awaits them and let the dice be rolled.

KNOCKOUTS: -
IN-CONTENTION: Abanhfleft, Ile de Richelieu, Beepee, Elyalanya-Hucalese
ELIMINATED: New Drakaria, Poafmersia

GROUP E

Group E                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Saterun                      4   3  1  0    5   2  +3   10
2 Calgasia                     4   2  1  1   10   7  +3    7
3 Indusse                      4   1  3  0    6   3  +3    6
4 Kronbia                      4   1  1  2    3   4  −1    4
5 Dhemixia                     4   1  1  2    6  10  −4    4
6 Safiloa                      4   0  1  3    1   5  −4    1

UPCOMING MATCHES
Safiloa v Indusse
Kronbia v Dheximia
Calgasia v Saterun

The elephant in the room is that Saterun is through no matter what. Even if the lose against Calgasia, they would still finish second in the group and go to the knockout rounds. The situation is also rather shaky for Indusse as well, despite them being up against Safiloa. A draw should see them seal third unless a freak result between Kronbia and Dheximia happens. If either of them want to get third, they'll have to win against each other. And not just "win" by any means, they'll have to win big to catch up to that goal differential.

KNOCKOUTS: Saterun
IN-CONTENTION: Calgasia, Indusse, Kronbia, Dheximia
ELIMINATED: Safiloa

GROUP F

Group F                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Aphrilia                     4   4  0  0   11   6  +5   12
2 Crpostran                    4   3  0  1   13   8  +5    9
3 Great Cats Village           4   2  0  2   11  10  +1    6
4 Adab                         4   2  0  2    5   6  −1    6
5 Borschtslatvia               4   0  1  3    5  10  −5    1
  Seeberg                      4   0  1  3    3   8  −5    1

UPCOMING MATCHES
Adab v Great Cats Village
Seeberg v Aphrilia
Borschtslatvia v Crpostran

Aphrilia is automatically through to the knockout rounds even if Crpostran beat Borschtslatvia and Seeberg beat Aphrilia. The main focus here is the Great Cats Village and Adab, both being on six points as of currently. As the two face each other, there are a few varying results. If either wants a chance for second, Crpostran must lose and either side will have to win big. Great Cats Village stays in third if both sides draw, as they're ahead due to a better goal differential. The top match will be a heavy decider as the top two aim to secure their spots.

KNOCKOUTS: Aphrilia
IN-CONTENTION: Crpostran, Great Cats Village, Adab
ELIMINATED: Borschtslatvia, Seeberg

GROUP G

Group G                      Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Schottia                     4   2  2  0    9   3  +6    8
2 Valentine Z                  4   2  1  1    7   6  +1    7
3 Tanirinthia                  4   2  1  1    7   7   0    7
4 The Elder Lands              4   1  2  1    6   8  −2    5
5 Taxhavn                      4   1  1  2    9   8  +1    4
6 Kannap                       4   0  1  3    2   8  −6    1

UPCOMING MATCHES
Taxhavn v Schottia
The Elder Lands v Valentine Z
Kannap v Tanirinthia

Group G is perhaps the funkiest group out of all. Only Kannap is eliminated, and each team that's still in the fight isn't out of the mud. If things go awry, Schottia may finish as low as third (Lose against Taxhavn, Valentine Z v The Elder Lands has one side win big, Tanirinthia win). Valentine Z could drop as far to fifth (Taxhavn and Tanirinthia win/draw, Valentine Z lose). Meanwhile, Tanirinthia could top the group (Schottia lose, Valentine Z preferably lose or draw, and win against Kannap) as well as The Elder Lands (Win massively against Valentine Z, Schottia lose, Tanirinthia preferably lose). Taxhavn's best hopes is only third, unfortunately (Win against Schottia, Valentine Z win/draw, Tanirinthia lose).

KNOCKOUTS: -
IN-CONTENTION: Schottia, Valentine Z, Tanirinthia, The Elder Lands, Taxhavn
ELIMINATED: Kannap

[Juvencus]

The Second Great War of Unification(1876-1892)

Rivers have been important for many Juven people through history, especially inhabitants of the Crescent as well as the East. The Port-Pegassu river in particular is the longest river in the nation, flowing from Monte Verde all the way to Scudelli and the city of Port-Pegassu itself. The river has been a life giver and the center of many cities in the nation, such as Cuori, Cordoba, Scudelli, Port-Pegassu among others. It has been revered in pagan years and preserved to the fullest extent in modern day and age. But it has also been a big weakness for some cities, as it can get really thin at several points.


The partially destroyed Iglesia de Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in Cuori, 1892

Chapter 25: The Near-Complete Annihilation of Cuori (January 12th, 1892)
"No challenge is worth completing without suffering." ~Giulia Carmero, eyewitness of many horrible battles throught the war circa 1895

While Demene and Tiscan had the luck of surrendering without a single drop of blood being spilt, Cuori had the opposite fate. Gianluca IV led a large force to the jewel of the desert, while the retreating Independentists had problems with dissidents and organisation from the get go. The civilians were also leading multiple riots from the inside and all in all the situation was dire. The Juven had already seen multiple bodies on the way to Cuori, many had died of starvation or dehydration and the harsh conditions of the desert did not do their remains any justice. Some smaller squads would join them for their cause, as the war was approaching its final stages now.

The setup was swift, the Uhlaner would clear out the region to prevent any opposing cavalry raids and any delays in the siege of the city. Their superiority on handling the horses had been pretty useful throught the entirety of the war and this time they would show no remorse to the Chiefdom Cavalry, or rather, its remnants. Outnumbering them at about 5 to 1, they completely decimated the Chiefdom's cavalry, killing the majority of the riders, only leaving a small fraction alive to be captured as prisoners and as a trophy for their achievement.

Following that, there would be different artillery setups in 4 points surrounding Cuori. The heights of Laterza, Mezquita del Este, Bellanueva and the confluence at Pellistri. With the extra munition, they could strike the city for a longer time and that is exactly what happened. By order of Gianluca IV, the sound of the artillery would pummel the already problematic city, destroying important buildings, homes and stores and even targetting civilian positions in what could be describe as a war crime in modern-day. The walls of the city would drop in multiple spots and as the artillery would cease fire, mutliple simultaneous charges would take place to capture all significant spots in the city.

A bloody urban battle would follow on the streets of the city and many roads would close, as musket fire and hand-in-hand combat would describe a pretty bloody battle. Some civilians would join the Juven, some others would stick with the independentists. The city became one of the bloodiest battlefields in the entire nation and many lives were lost that day. However, seeing their numbers dwindling down, the Chiefdom would have to surrender its arms and the city in the process and by night, the Juven flag would be the one flying on top of the city's palace.

This grand victory came at a cost, a cost of many human lives. Many buildings were destroyed, including the basilica of the Sagrado Corazón de Jesús, a symbol of the city. The death toll of civilians was big, numbering at around 20,000 lives lost, perhaps the biggest amount of lives lost in a single day. Cuori would go down in history as a spot of death and to this day, its civilians are known as rather fierce.

Battle outcome: Juven victory! Genocide(?) of the Independentists.

The Juven State: 70,000 troops, 5,500 cavalry, numerous civilians and a lot of artillery, 4,820 casualties total
The Independentists(Majority Chiefdoms of Cuori): 55,000 troops, 1,125 cavalry, numerous civilians, some artillery, 21,500 casualties total
Civilian Casualties: 20,000

[Edsmontik]

WE MADE IT BOYS!
LIVE ON ISN NOW

The Edsmons have been a little disappointed with their performance against Malta Comino Gozo.
Even though it was a zero to zero draw, the Edsmons fell one spot because of goal difference.
"It may just be one spot, but if we don't prevail against the SBI, we may as well say bye to our IAC22 run." der-Ghavyr said at a post match interview. "There's no chance we can let the SBI game slide, because we have the Panayense right after. Giving up is not an option. If we want to make it to the knockouts."
Marvic Svaardaen, one of the Edsmons goalscorers, states that "There's lots to improve on, but I feel that we have to bring some of our former stars onto the team. They've been benched forEVER!"
The Edsmons flew to Eaux City to have their match against the team of Emus.

---

2/28/2030
IAC22 - GROUP A - MD4
WINTER STADIUM, EAUX CITY
EDSMONTIK VS STRAYAROOS BARRIER ISLANDS

PRE-GAME
"I really need game time."
"Yeah, me too. When am I starting?"
"Elterhad, you'll be in on the Panay game, no pressure though."
"Oh. What about you?"
"Me? Uh, der-Ghavyr hasn't really said anything yet."
"Oh. Hey, let's hope you can start soon, eh?"
"Yeah."
As the team of 25 plus four coaches hopped off the bus, they predicted how the game would turn out.
"Hopefully a win or draw," Reuhans said. "I'm glad to be getting some game time today, although I generally think Ghreksbvy is much better on the right side than I am."
"A draw might not cut it. What if the others push ahead, then we'll be left behind to not qualify! We must win this, so that we can be prepared for the Panay!" Kizani said.
"Hey, you know the Panay are kind of playing TERRIBLY, right?" Fotserr said. "They've drawn EVERYONE!"
"Gives me Malta Comino Gozo vibes honestly." Lankiv said. "Well we'll just see if we can beat them in three days, just let's worry about the SBI first."
"Who brings EMUS to this?" der-Suiozkeafter questioned. "I know it's legal, but bashing referees? Where'd the red cards go?"
"Dunno." Stuero said. "Hey, the game's starting soon, we got to warm up."

KICKOFF
It was Vioraad Reiovus's first time on the pitch.
He hadn't played outside of Edsmontik ever, and now he was feeling the cool weather of Britonisea.
The Edsmons had somehow won kickoff, but even with King Eshay's attempts to bribe the referee, the man remained calm and simply handed the ball to Vioraad.
The Edsmons knew what the SBI was doing.
It wasn't even legal. Or was it?
Vape fumes? Angry bashing? Not understanding anything?
It was going to be a long game.
With the blow of the whistle, Vioraad took off, sending the ball into Edsmon territory and waiting for it back.

FIRST-HALF
From the center, the Edsmons decided that if they were facing an all attacking team, they'd fight fire with fire.
Instantly, Ystermakt fired the ball all the way forward, watching as it bounced and fell right where Reiovus was.
The young striker quickly showed why he was deserving of his spot; he swerved past the emus in the center and flicked his way across the pitch.
After a quick pass with Stuero, he took the ball back and dribbled forward.
"It can't be this easy." he thought.
But a sudden pain in his right knee as an emu came bashing in might have ended it there.

"HOW DO WE ALREADY HAVE A FOUL!?"
"THAT'S THE THING! WHY?"
The Edsmons were yelling, and the Emu's penalty of a yellow card was not taken lightly.
And after that fight, the emu was instantly sent off.
Reiovus was able to slowly get back up, but he knew that it'd take a bit.
He motioned to the team about staying on but told Svaardaen and Stuero to not pass to him for the time being.
The Edsmon jogged around for a bit, trying to ease the pain coming up in his knee, but it just wasn't working.
He knew he wanted his revenge, but only if he could get it.

Meanwhile, up front, the referee set up the ball at the penalty area.
And as Stuero lined up, he wondered why.
Why would any team bring players who are known to cause CHAOS into this?
Injuries would happen, maybe even severe ones.
But he backtracked, listened for the whistle, and fired the shot.
The ball soared right, away from the direction of angry-faced Oner.
*SWISHHH!*

Stuero shushed the already infuriated SBIers as he celebrated.
He slid on the damp grass, saluting the fans.
What a way to start the game.

As soon as it started back up again, the SBI players were very physical.
They rammed into Edsmons, pushing forward and purposely tackling when things didn't go their way.
But foul after foul, card, after card, minute after minute, things only got more insane.
The Emus and Eshays began recieving free yellows.
And then, the smoke poured in.
"WHY IS THIS LEGAL????"

Soon enough though, usingt he power of "I could care less," one emu SOMEHOW managed to race around both Javarqa and der-Suiozkeafter before smashing the ball against the post for another Emu to come in and take a beautiful header for a horrible goal.
"Well, they don't play badly."
"What happened to you, supporting whatever this is?"
"Hey, they scored."
"Whatever."

The Edsmons were now ALWAYS feeling unsure.
They were stuck in a 1-1 draw in the 30th minute.
WHich, isn't bad if you don't think about all the FOULS and YELLOW CARDS.
Luckily, the emus and eshays didn't seem to understand offside.
Which was good, because oh my would they have abused it.

The two teams continued clashing, and as the yellows piled up, a second emu was ejected.
Almost every Edsmon had some kind of pain- whether it was big or small.
However, in the 44th minute, a simple cross from Fruedenne led to a beauty of a header from Reiovus to send it in.
"2-1! HOW ARE THE EDSMONS ALIVE?"
"THEY'LL SURELY GET KILLED, RIGHT?"

As the half came to a close, the emus clearly only got angrier, chasing down the referees, trying to throw vape-bombs at the Edsmon goal, and still working on covering their own goal with these fumes.
But the whistle blew, and all Edsmons could sigh a fucking relief.

HALFTIME
"I don't even want to talk about everything that just happened." der-Ghavyr said. "Who does this kind of stuff?"
The Edsmons had the same tired look from the first half.
No one exactly wanted to play, but already the Edsmons were going to have to substitute players.
"Reiovus, you're coming off. That injured leg isn't getting you anywhere." der-Ghavyr said.
The youngster sighed, but mostly in relief.

SECOND-HALF
"These will be our deaths."
"I know, right?"
The SBI was now starting.
There was probably no way the Edsmons were surviving this.

And oh how right they were.
GLORIUS EMU managed to not only slip his way past the Edsmon lines, but also bash through them without penalty,
And so, he fought past der-Zyfragken and scored a goal.
The emu literally spun the ball on one of his talons, before throwing it up above der-Zyfragken and punting it in with his beak.
It was literal chaos.
Maybe the Edsmons wouldn't be surviving this.
But they kept pushing on, hoping for a goal or two.

And as more yellows and injuries popped up, off came Fruedenne for Wejikaj.
Off came Javarqa for Shouzvenkreden.
Three of five substitutions were used up in the 60th minute.
der-Ghavyr had no plan for this team.
It was an insane one; full of war and treachery and vape fumes.
Why was this legal?
It was the only question being asked.

Stuero made some moves, along with Bervaign and Svaardaen.
No mistakes were allowed here.
They chopped past the midfield, the defense, and soon came back to Oner.
Stuero fake passed, then sent the ball backwards to Ystermakt, who fired a powerful shot...

"GOAL! GOAL! GOAL! 3-2! WHAT A GAME SO FAR!"
The Edsmons were lively once again, chanting, shouting, and waving their massive flags.
The SBI's emus and eshays only got more frustrated as they watched the Edsmons cheer.
Even though it felt over already, there was still a fresh 20 minutes until the game ended.
How harsh.

The Emus and Eshays quickly started up, firing passes and attempting to kick the Edsmons in the head.
But when they started getting penalized, they slowed down on that.
The SBI had literally 8 players left on the pitch.
3 red cards!
And that would quickly turn to four after sending Edsmon left-mid Wejikaj limping off the pitch.
Reus Aespana would quickly fill in the spot for him.
Now, the player count for the SBI was dropping. They wouldn't win if they kept catching red cards.

"Man, Wejikaj's been on for 15 minutes, on off he goes." Aespana said, jogging over to Kizani.
"Yeah. Hopefully they don't target you, we could use your free-kick skills." Kizani responded.
As V. Jervanois was called up for the free kick, he called Reus over.
"Hey, I want you to take it Reus." he said.
"Why? You're supposed to, since Bervaign let you.
"Yeah, but you're much better. I've seen those kicks." Vlakken said. "This is your chance."
Those words stuck to Aespana, as he accepted the chance he received and followed.
Jogging up, he prepared for what hopefully could be a spot for the starting lineup.

"You got this."
"Come on Aespana, show us your skills!"
One breath.
Backtrack,
Run up,
Fire!
*PUNT!*
The ball soared,
cutting up the air as it went right above the wall,
sweeping high over,
coming down,
curving....

"GOAL!!!! EDSMONTIK 4-2! MINUTE 78! IT'S OVER, IS IT NOW?"
Aespana ran, celebrating as he dived into the grass.
The light rain slowly got heavier, but it only powered him more.
The team celebrated, running and sliding around.

And that was how the game concluded, the SBI tried to do more, but simply couldn't do anything.
Edsmontik used their last sub in the 80th minute, taking off captain of the team Stuero for Fotserr.
The Edsmons had a close chance for 5-2, but it just didn't hit right.
Either way, this was still a game to remember for them.
*TWEET, TWEET, TWEEEEEET!*

POST-GAME STATISTICS
(TBA)

[Abanhfleft]

The words “smug prick” were used many times to describe Basil Santa Cruz, and it was a descriptor which had not been completely undeserved on his part. The primary reason why his smugness stood out was because Santa Cruz was the epitome of “all bark and no bite.” He liked to toot his own horn whenever things were going well, but when things were not running as smoothly as he would have wanted, like what happened in the game against Ile de Richelieu, Santa Cruz did not hesitate to throw everyone else under the bus. It was never his fault and never the fault of his tactics; his teams lost because a certain player wasn’t tracking back or was too much of a ball-hog to pass to anyone else, or it was the fault of the referees or other officials. Sometimes it was even the fault of the fans for being too loud; it was oftentimes a coin toss on whether Santa Cruz would blame the opposition’s fans or his own team’s fans. But it was never ever his fault that his team lost.

The latest target of Basil Santa Cruz’s ire and deflection was none other than Sven Fahrni himself. Most of the managers under which Sven had played had been consistent in praising his talent and work ethic, and the only real complaint that they could say about Sven was that he was a little too robotic, never responding to anything with more than the absolute minimum of words and emotion. Even Santa Cruz himself had heaped praise upon Sven, at least back when Abanhfleft was winning games in the Independent Associations Championship. Now that the Revolutionaries had been spanked by Ile de Richelieu, it would turn out that even Sven Fahrni was not infallible in Santa Cruz’s eyes.

“So, how does it feel to be the one to get all the blame this time around?” Şəmistan Baburov asked Sven as the two of them replayed Basil Santa Cruz’s post-match press conference in which he laid most of the blame for the loss to Ile de Richelieu on Fahrni’s broad shoulders. Santa Cruz had pointed out Sven’s apparent lack of participation in the Revolutionaries’ forward play, something that had struck many in the team as odd because it was clear to see that many of Abanhfleft’s successful attacks (successful being a relative term) had come through the central attacking midfielder from Ludogorets Markovsky. Sure, he may not have had a goal or an assist in the game, but Sven could claim credit for a hockey assist (the pass before the actual pass that leads to the goal) on at least two occasions in that particular game.

“It’s bloody surprising,” Sven admitted. “I mean, I knew that he would often do that, but I didn’t expect him to reveal that side of him this early into the competition.”

“You still like Santa Cruz now that he’s thrown you under the bus as well?”

“I appreciate that he has the balls to do it,” Sven shrugged his massive shoulders. “He may not have the balls to actually admit to any of his mistakes, but he does have the balls to put the blame on the very same guy that he had just praised to the heavens one game ago. Don’t get me wrong; I still think that Basil’s balls are tiny in the first place, but he does have them. Anyway, I don’t even think I did that poorly last game!!”

“Welcome to the club, Sven,” Sam muttered. He had been the target of Basil Santa Cruz’s ire for a couple of games already, citing Sam’s occasional failures to track back and follow his man as the reasons why Abanhfleft hadn’t kept many clean sheets in the Independents Cup. Some of Santa Cruz’s criticisms may be warranted, notably that moment against Poafmersia that had allowed them to score a late consolation goal and make the task of holding on to all three points tougher than it actually had to be. But surely Sam didn’t deserve all of the criticism from his manager, right?

“Yeah, I’m trying to find a way to get kicked out of that club,” Sven rolled his eyes.

Sam sighed. “Guess today isn’t a good day to be an Abanhfleft fan,” he said. “The women just lost the Jenna Raven semifinals on penalties. Guess they’re stuck with fighting for the bronze again.”

“Eh, at least they still have something to fight for,” Sven shrugged again. “And they made it all the way to the semis, which is a lot more than I can say for us!”

“Well, you never know,” Sam said. “We could finally make it all the way to the final. Of course we’re probably gonna lose anyway because Basil Santa Cruz always loses in finals, but it’ll still be the first time we’ve made an Independents Cup final. Glass half full, right?”

“That’s one way to look at it,” Sven nodded.

---

                  ILE DE RICHELIEU 6 - 3 ABANHFLEFT        
           BELLEROSE-DESBOIS (27')       BRADLEY (42')
      BOUTHILLETTE (33' pen., 64')       SALONGA (69')
                     ASBJØRN (53')       BELLINGHAM (77')
                     ULFHILD (56')
  MAISONNEUVE-TRANCHEMONTAGE (83')

[Drawkland]

BURGENDORE, BRITONISEA
Ever since the Elite Eleven touched down in Britonisea for the IAC, Elias Keys had been on the lookout. The "breach" during the Olympics happened when Mike Rodney picked up a seemingly innocent keepsake from a fan, only for it to actually be recording and transmitting audio in secret. Elias was hoping that a similar opportunity would arise with time to counteract and counterattack.

He had to wait longer than he'd hoped. By the time the Kick Corps was gearing up to leave Burgendore, Elias had just about given up hope. Maybe he was being a little presumptive in thinking their mystery stalker(s) would strike again in the same manner. Maybe they'd seen or heard them break into the motel room in Hamilton and knew to cover their tracks more effectively. Maybe travel to Britonisea wasn't in the budget.

And again, maybe it was just a freakishly ambitious tabloid writer the first time. The more Elias thought about it, the more he felt like an idiot. Not to mention the fact that nobody else on the trip seemed to have it on their mind. It's like they were all there to watch a soccer tournament or something.

It was the day after Drawkland defeated Britonisea 5-2 to move up to first in the group. The night game was a success despite playing in a hostile environment, and the Corps were happy to sleep in after the victory. The plan was for players to grab lunch on their own time before meeting back at the hotel and traveling to the airport for their flight to Aloquirbe.

The immortal members of the Kick Corps and their friends in the Elite Eleven decided to all get lunch together in a downtown Burgendore cafe. Namely, it was Nicole, Cam, and Sarah present from the Corps, with Mike, Jaxon, Elias, and Ross from the Elite.

"Hey, sorry we're a little late!" Cam Cross said as she and Jaxon Madison sat down at the table. "I think that's all of us, so we can order if you all haven't already."

"No Septimus or Ellzidan, huh?" Sarah Arrowsword crossed her arms. "That's no surprise. I wonder where Nicholas is, though. He's got no reason to miss."

"I asked him," Mike answered. "He said he 'wasn't interested in playing seventh wheel today.'" Mike gave an impish grin in the direction of Elias and Ross.

"He's just jealous that our bromance is so strong." Ross puffed out his chest and slung an arm around Eli's shoulder.

"Seventh wheel?!" Sarah exclaimed. "I'm right here! Single! An easy pairing! Why don't I get any consideration?"

"Maybe the easiness is his objection." Jaxon raised an eyebrow at Sarah.

Sarah scoffed in disbelief as the rest of the group laughed at her expense. The group had their order taken and broke into various smaller conversations before a short lull had the whole table silent.

"I think we need to address the elephant in the room," Jaxon said suddenly, taking advantage in the pause of other conversations.

"What's that?" Nicole Warren asked, a bit of concern on her face.

"Why is the Kick Corps defense so bad right now?" Jaxon asked with a smirk. "3 goals allowed every game until last night, when you allowed a mere 2? What's that all about?"

"Listen!" Sarah pounded a fist into the table. "You know it's mostly the reserve lineup in the group stage. Nicole and I probably have like 20 on-field minutes combined over the last four games. We can't make our impact if we're not on the field."

"I'm not asking about you," Jaxon clarified. "Is Francesca Wells really over her head or something? I know it's her first international coaching position but ..."

"Hey, it's Drawkian tactics." Mike spoke up in support. "You know we're all about racing to the finish line and keeping things loose. It's just an extension of that. Even we played the same way."

"You can always count on Mike to engage in Kick Corps apologetics to make his girl look better," Ross stage whispered to Elias, elbowing him lightly in the ribs.

"You've got a point, Mike, but come on. Three goals per game? Half of those games against unranked teams?" Elias shook his head. "The Corps allowed 12 goals over their entire nine-game Cup of Harmony run. They've almost matched that total in half the number of games this tournament."

"Just give Fran a chance," Nicole spoke up. "She's getting used to the position. You know how the Drawkian media is. If we don't score goals, the world might as well be ending. She's taking care of that business first, and once she feels satisfied there we'll get the defense really shored up."

"It was a pretty short offseason thanks to the Olympics," Cam added. "A quicker turnaround in a transition period is never pretty."

"I'm just giving y'all a hard time," Jaxon grinned. "As long as you don't miss the playoffs again I can't complain all that much."

"Do not bring that up again," Nicole groaned, and after a couple chuckles the group decided to drop the topic. When his attention turned to Nicole again, though, Elias noticed something odd.

"Hey Nicole, what's that on your purse?" Elias asked, pointing at something hanging from the strap of Nicole's handbag.

"Oh, this?" Nicole turned to grab her purse from where it was hanging on the back of her chair. She unclipped the trinket and held it over the table where everybody could see. "Just some homemade keychain a fan gave me on the way to the cafe today. It's got the Kick Corps logo on one side and my number on the other."

"Oooh, let me see," Sarah said, grabbing the keychain and inspecting it. Jaxon and Elias turned to each other immediately, with Elias giving a meaningful look and a slight nod.

"What's this about?" Nicole asked, noticing the wordless exchange between Jaxon and Elias. It didn't appear to be an inside joke, as neither man was smiling.

"Don't worry about it," Elias said instantly before Jaxon could respond. He turned and reached past Ross across the table. "Mind if I take a look, Sarah?"

"Sure." Sarah handed it over without a second thought.

"Thanks." Elias carefully examined the keychain. It was definitely smaller than the coaster-like keepsake Mike had obtained at the Olympics, and seemed to be put together a little better. It looked like it might've been a blank keychain at one point that had the custom Corps logo and number added later. It was clear that some thought had been put into its construction. There was also a sealed seam bisecting the trinket around the outside.

"Okay, I feel like I have to worry about it." Nicole turned to Jaxon. "Look at Eli, he's looking at that thing like it's a bomb or something!"

"Eli's just being Eli," Jaxon said nonchalantly.

"What-" Sarah started, but Jaxon silently hushed her with a finger to his lips.

"Cool keychain," Elias replied as if he hadn't been practically sniffing the thing a moment earlier, tossing it back to Nicole.

"Um ... thanks." Nicole carefully clipped it back to her purse, now with a small pit in her stomach. What had Elias and Jaxon so worked up?

"Ask me later," Jaxon mouthed silently in Nicole's direction, which she picked up with a small nod.

"Seriously, when is the food going to get here?" Mike said, cognizant of the need to move the conversation. "It feels like it's been an hour." After a moment, he put his arm around Nicole's shoulder, hoping to comfort her.

"It's been 13 minutes, Mike." Ross rolled his eyes.

"I'm a hungry man, Ross. Every minute I have to spend waiting for food might as well count triple."

"That's still only 39 minutes."

Jaxon sighed to himself. He could tell the general mood of the table had shifted to unease, but only half of them really knew why. Like Elias, he'd hoped to keep this potential investigation on a need-to-know basis. Now, though, he'd have to get everybody in the loop. What could go wrong?

[Omerica]

.

[StrayaRoos]

Glorius Emu was angry. Had the referee taken the bribe like the other three had, it would’ve been three points and a guarenteed knockout stage ticket with EC3.62 billion attached for his crimes. Now that referee had stolen almost EC200 million, and Glorius Emu needed to make him pay. Taking the ‘War case’ with the cryogenic chamber controls, it took a breath in. This was probably going to end up with at least one of the adlays in jail. It was a risk worth taking though.

Soon enough, the adlays had found the referee. “Oi ya dog, where’s the money bah”
“What money?”
“Don’t bullshit us bah, we know ya have the money ya stole from our boss bah”
“I stole nothing! Now, if you excuse me, I’ll be on my way.”
“Wanna go bah? i’ll shank ya bah”
Then the violence started. The poor referee didn’t know what violence three vape-addicted public liabilities could create. Soon enough, the referee was left as a mangled mess on the floor.
‘Serves him right for stealing from me’ thought Glorius Emu