World Cup 98 | RP thread

[Loyo]

The People’s Republic of Loyo has an interesting history with the World Cup. The Loyons first appeared in the 79th Baptism of Fire under the shaky management of manager Han Tamada. Without much expectation of success, Tamada led the team to glory in a surprising victory, returning home with hopes that the strict, unsupportive government of Loyo might support the growth of the sport of football in the country due to the team’s successful outing.

Unfortunately, the growth of football continued to be stifled. The People’s National Sporting Committee (PNSC) eyed the team’s next outings with anticipation, eventually replacing Tamada with former national team goalkeeper Tsujii Matashichi, who coached the team in an unsuccessful regional outing in AOCAF 68, before disappearing from the public following a 10-7-5 finish in WC 93. Following that competition, the PNSC issued a statement on the future of football in the country, stating that the country would take priority in funding the growth of the sport of baseball within the country.

“We should be delighted that sport of all kinds have spread across the country since our re-opening to the rest of the world. However, it is important to understand our purpose as a sporting body is to allocate resources effectively and frugally.

Additionally, all comrades understand that our national heart beats with passion for only one love, and that love is our baseball.

It is improper for our national support to be equal for all sports, and the PNSC stands as a body for the people, who understand that baseball is the darling of this country, and holds deep meaning in our country’s historical memory. For this reason official support of all sports other than baseball shall be under the sole guidance of our most innovative cities, our special economic zones, and this committee should be concerned only with preserving and growing our sacred sporting tradition of baseball.

It is with strong belief in our new innovative and passionate national path that we encourage those in the chosen cities to pursue the growth of their interests, to experiment with new forms of sport, to examine what the correct path is, and to drive forward with transformative ideas that will lead to high-quality development across the country.”

Following this announcement, the small amount of support that had been provided to amateur clubs in the mainland ceased. Clubs folded, organizations broke apart, and players that wished to continue their development in the sport moved to Mitsuda or Sayosona to form new football organizations.

That should inform you about why Loyo has not made an international appearance in 10 years. However, it doesn’t inform you about the current makeup of Loyon football. To understand that, it will require an analysis of the Loyon and foreign capitalists in the Special Economic Zones, who see the growth of the sport as another avenue to meet the developmental needs of their regions.

In the meantime, the Loyons face their first bout of the World Cup Qualifying cycle versus the Karmic Republic of Crpostran.

[Dhemixia]

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The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)

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How to miss the World Cup; A step-by-step guide to watching the group stage on your couch

Coming off a brutal 1-0 loss to Grand Exultia in the Baptism of Fire 85 semifinals, relegating Dhemixia to the 3rd place match of their first WCC-sanctioned tournament, the Serpents and their faithful were left with a bad taste in their mouth, yearning to make some noise. Having rebounded in that match, beating New Crywyzyxycynya 2-1 to claim third place, Dhemixia have found themselves in the big leagues: World Cup Qualifying. Should Dhemixian fans have gotten their hopes up after the BoF? It would seem not with the looks of Group 9, but for a hungry team like the current Dhemixian squad, it's only so hard to catch a high-ranked team getting complacent.

In their first two matches, the Serpents have earned a date with current 29th-ranked Eshialand away, and then current 19th-ranked Saint Eleanor at home. To have one top-30 team in your first two games is usually a death sentence for a team like Dhemixia. Having TWO top-30 teams in your first two games... let's just say you probably shouldn't bother being in the stands for that one. With Eshialand, the devious front three of Will Sandrie, Keiar Forsen, and Bradley Davis will be a tough challenge for a Dhemixian defense practically constructed with cardboard and masking tape. Paired with the fact that it's an away game, and you're shaping up for an 8-1 demolition.

As expected, this destruction would probably demoralize a team, given they just lost by 7 in their first match, but we're not done. After Eshialand, Dhemixia has to drag themselves back to Columbus for the nuclear knockout punch in game two: Saint Eleanor. Losing by 7 away is one thing, but losing by 10 at home is an entirely different dimension. Having to deal with an athlete like Olympia Woodward is a challenge in itself, even with a 4-man defense, but with her dastardly midfield support from the central third in Graham Lawson and Kavazalea Felareneta, you might as well just pack it up before reaching the locker room. Were Doug McMahon and his young, scrappy squad ready for this challenge? Absolutely not, especially with the start they've been dealt, but if they want to have a chance at glory in their first cycle, McMahon is going to have to dig deep and keep the team coordinated.

Schedule

@ Eshialand, Eshialand City SuperDome
vs. Saint Eleanor, Brigantine Park
@ Carpathia and Ruthenia, C&R Home Stadium
vs. Paringo, Brigantine Park
@ Island Fusion, Island Fusion Home Stadium
vs. Patriotlandia, Brigantine Park
@ Saterun, Saterun Home Stadium
vs. Eshialand, Brigantine Park
@ Saint Eleanor, Saint Eleanor Home Stadium
vs. Carpathia and Ruthenia, Brigantine Park
@ Paringo, Paringo Home Stadium
vs. Island Fusion, Brigantine Park
@ Patriotlandia, Parc du Nord
vs. Saterun, Brigantine Park

[Natkr]

ReemSports | World Cup 98 Coverage

Welcome to World Cup 98 | Xandrian Sea, only on ReemSports. Here we are keeping up with our boys (Natkr national team) in their hotel in Qusmo, preparing for the qualifying journey tomorrow and hopefully wanting to mark a mark here in Rushmore and the multiverse to show us all that maybe the nation isn't that bad at football. Coming off on the disappointment of Baptism of Fire, all Natkrian fans were heartbroken. Natkr loves football so much. It shows in out passion, it shows in the way we play, and we are determined to make this World Cup journey the best we can make. Everyone is working so hard to make this dream (getting into the knockouts) a reality. We'll be back for more information on training and qualifying for World Cup 98.

[The Kytler Peninsulae]

This is the MD1/2 cutoff

[United States of Nova Calania]

Nova Calania starts with two wins!

Ostrow Krolewski, Odlegla ZIemia - Nova Calania won it's first two qualification matches and, to be honest, I don't remember when was the last time we had a winning record. On matchday 1, the Tapirs received Myrtle Beach at Stadion Azteca is Ostrow Krolewski and, surprinsingly, won 5-2. The starting XI was the standard one with no injuries or suspensions. Nova Calania attacked at the 6th minute when Scarlett McCaskill made a header pass to Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau who heads the ball into the goal. The Tapirs increased their lead at the 9th minute when Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin scored on a free kick. Jeremy Fulton had the ball at the 27th minute and made a long pass through the center to Caleb Brennan who kicks it past Serge Bleau-Bean and the score is 2-1. Jeremy Fulton tries a long pass again at the 34th minute but the ball is intercepted by Tristan Gibouleau-Beaudoin who dribbles and makes a long pass to his younger sister Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin. Charlotte shoots and it's a goal. Myrtle Beach aren't done and at the 39th minute, Michael Norris made a long cross to Brian Farmer who kicks it and it's a goal. The score is 3-2 at halftime.

Scarlett McCaskill had the ball at the 62nd minute and made a short pass to Nathan Fauteux-McGrath who dribbled and made a header pass to Lily-Rose Malboeuf who scores. Myrtle beach attacked again at the 77th minute but Brandon Mann's pass was intercepted by Nathan McCaskill who passed on the sidelines to Rose Van der Jagt. Van der Jagt points to Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin but instead of passing her the ball, she shoots herself and it's a goal. The final score was 5-2 Nova Calania.

GAME SUMMARY

6th     GOAL NOVA CALANIA     Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau assisted by Scarlett McCaskill 
9th     GOAL NOVA CALANIA     Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin (free kick)
27th    GOAL MYRTLE BEACH     Caleb Brennan assisted by Jeremy Fulton
34th    GOAL NOVA CALANIA     Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin assisted by Tristan Gibouleau-Beaudoin
39th    GOAL MYRTLE BEACH     Brian Farmer assisted by Michael Norris
62nd    GOAL NOVA CALANIA     Lily-Rose Malboeuf assisted by Nathan Fauteux-McGrath
77th    GOAL NOVA CALANIA     Rose Van der Jagt assisted by Nathan McCaskill

Northwest Kalactin City, Northwest Kalactin - On matchday two, Nova Calania travelled to Northwest Kalactin, located in a secret region called Boneyard. Against such a weak opponent, new coach Roman Findley from Saterun used the Eeny, meeny, miny, moe childish song to select the starting goalkeeper and 22 years old Anne-Élisabeth Mongrain was the lucky one. This is her first cap with the senior team. The rest of the starting XI was Nathan McCaskill, F.-X. Moineau, Wolkowicz, MacNeely, Y.M. Xiong, M.Q. XIong, Van der Jagt, Charlotte, Guénette-Velazquez and Berlinguette. Nova Calania controlled the ball 74% of the time and had 12 shots on target but Northwest Kalactin goalkeeper blocked all but one. The sole goal of the game was scored at the 54th minute when Mei Qi Xiong dribbled with the ball and made a cross to Rodrigo Guénette-Velazquez who scored his 4th career goal in his 6th cap. This is the final score and Anne-Élisabeth Mongrain has a win and a shutout in her 1st cap. Nathan McCaskill had a red card at the 14th minute and will miss matchday 3.

With two games played, Nova Calania sits in 1st place tied with Eastfield Lodge with two wins in two games. Mertagne lost 2-1 against Eastfield Lodge on matchday 1 and the Green Goblins are in 3rd place, tied with 3 other nations. On matchday 3, the Tapirs will receive Eastfield Lodge at Terrain de Soccer 1 au Complexe Sportif National (Soccer Field 1 at National Sports Complex). The only change in the standard starting XI is that Phoebe McCormack will replace Nathan McCaskill. On matchday 4, Nova Calania will travel to Olastor, an old nation who are just ranked 318th. Marcel Kaltenberger will be the starting goalkeeper and some regulars will rest.

GAME SUMMARY

54th    GOAL NOVA CALANIA     Rodrigo Guénette-Velazquez assisted by Mei Qi Xiong

Starting XI vs Eastfield Lodge at Terrain de Soccer 1 au Complexe Sportif National
GK Bleau-Bean - DEF A. McCaskill - DEF Wolkowicz - DEF Gibouleau-Beaudoin - DEF McCormick - MID Fauteux-McGrath - MID M.Q. Xiong - MID S. McCaskill - MID Gibouleau-Beaudoin - ATT Malboeuf - ATT Goudreau-Luneau

Starting XI @ Olastor
GK Kaltenberger - DEF Ouzilleau - DEF Wolkowicz - DEF Guerrero Lopez - DEF N. McCaskill - MID K. Klingenberg - MID Mor. Klingenberg - MID Van der Jagt - MID Gibouleau-Beaudoin - ATT Malboeuf - ATT Guénette-Velazquez

Paul-André Veilleux

[Gnejs]

Enda Clentin’s Last Dance

Chapter one: PUFF Civil War

Part one: Believers and Heretics

The Prosaic Union Football Federation - mostly referred to by its acronym PUFF - have their offices located in the Meridian Quarter in Port Kejm. It’s a medium sized rectangular building, slate gray in color. It looks daunting and dull at the same time, which was probably the architect's intention. It blends rather seamlessly into its surroundings, sitting between the office buildings of the Gnejsian Tennis Federation (more or less empty and defunct due to years of in-house struggle that have left the once proud tennis nation a mere shadow of itself) and one of the massive government complexes housing some of the many ministries. If you’re lucky enough to have a window on the south side of the building, you have a view overlooking parts of Meridian Park, which is a great slab of gneiss protruding from the ground in the middle of a roundabout. The view from the north side offices is slightly more monotonous, because for the most part you’ll be staring into the office windows of The Board for Proper Verification of Acquainted Tea Imports of The Ministry of Trade, Enterprise and Industrious Spirit. Unless you’re on the top floor and standing on your desk, because then you might glimpse a few of the great oak trees overlooking the quaint houses of the «Old Meridian» some way off. 

It would likely be an understatement to say that the interior of the building gave off some serious «public sector vibes». The color scheme was mostly light gray and beige, as you would expect, and it was specifically designed to neither distract nor overly inspire. You can see hints of the traditional Union football colors of slate gray and moss green here and there, and generic artworks or largish photographs depicting some significant Union football event are scattered around the building. To the left of the reception, in the visitor waiting area, there’s an uncharacteristic explosion of color from a display of the national team’s kits from over the years. While these have pretty much exclusively been slate gray and moss green, at the very end you can see the first Dandelion jersey in striped light green and yellow (these are the source of the nickname «The Dandelions») which makes for some nice variety (according to some). Off to the right, behind a respectable amount of plexiglass, you can see the Arne Åkeby Trophy, which is awarded to the winner of Allgnejsan after the final round every year (it must be returned to PUFF the next day). It’s a small, slate gray cup and in all honesty quite underwhelming.

PUFF occupies all four main stories of the building, whereas the basement is being used as the temporary offices of the Prosaic Union Craqcuet Klubb (PUCK), the main body for the sport of cricket in The Union. It’s just really one guy and his laptop. If you manage to get by the receptionists - they’re quite diligent and would never allow anyone loitering in the office areas - you’ll be greeted by what you would expect to find in an office building such as this. Some floors will have endless hallways with individual offices, whereas others have dabbled in some newfangled tomfoolery called «Open-Plan Office» with rows of identical desks stretching out endlessly. And meeting rooms. Lots of meeting rooms all over. It’s probably fair to say that the general ambience of the place was overwhelmingly utilitarian. 

The description of their offices might make one come away with an image of PUFF as a tedious and uninteresting organization without much of a soul, and while this is undoubtedly true for the most part, the people working there do have spirit and grit, for better or worse. The first pillar of the story of how the 98th World Cup cycle became Enda Clentin’s last as the head coach of the Prosaic Union National Football Team takes place within these walls. This part of the story is deeply connected to the disagreement on whether a certain Fate had unfolded or not. While generally thought of as a fairly competent bunch (albeit a bit strict and old-fashioned), the knowledge and experience of the PUFF employees only covered acts of clairvoyance in a very limited capacity. This meant that their reaction to the unprecedented confusion concerning whether Fate - as in Enda Clentin guiding The Dandelions to winning the WC - had unfolded or not was relying almost exclusively on feelings and «vibes». 

Some remained steadfast in their belief that Fate was still unfolding, and that the inevitable achievement of WC glory at the hands of Enda Clentin was just a matter of time. The other camp was divided. Some believed in the prophecy as such, but felt that an Enda Clentin winning a WC with a Dandelion team - albeit in a strange sentient bubble universe - was such a specific cosmic occurrence that the odds of it not being what the prophecy spoke of was atomical. Others still, initially a silent but now increasingly vocal minority, straight out rejected all this prophecy mumbo jumbo. Their main concern was the lack of competitive development for the national team under Enda Clentin’s guidance. 

«The Dandelions are even ranked lower than Baggieland, for Rock’s sake!» they used to angrily whisper to one another around the third floor water fountain. For the longest of times (when the sacking of Enda Clentin was unimaginable), this faction devoted their energies towards developing an addendum to the newly adopted World Rankings, which they had named the «Decency Adjusted World Rankings», whereby the formula was altered so that at the end of every cycle the rank of Baggieland was set to that of The Union, and then -1. A 1093-page long proposal had been prepared for the WCC and Rank Keeper suggestion box, but was ultimately terminated by the higher-ups, seeing as the nature of the proposal violated the Customs of Friendship (specifically the Custom that states «One must not rob a Friend of their hard earned accomplishments»). This was a blow to the Prophecy Skeptics that left them weakened, but now, when questioning Enda Clentin’s position was more widespread, they smelled blood and allied themselves with the other Anti-Enda faction. 

The troubles started when the Task force voted to keep Enda Clentin on as Head Coach, while investigations into whether or not the prophecy had been fulfilled was ongoing. Such investigations are often lengthy, and soon PUFF was on the verge of a new World Cup cycle, as the office ambience became ever more tense. It was small things in the beginning. Someone doodling a moustache on the portrait of Enda Clentin hanging by the copy machine on the second floor, or someone talking smack during lunch hour in the cafeteria.  «Looks like another qualification fiasco is incoming», one could say just a little too loud. «Or at least an embarrassing group stage exit!» another would add on. «This upcoming cycle has 98 problems and Enda Clentin is every single one», was another popular restrained outburst. This was often rebuffed by those still firmly Pro-Clentin with a condescending shake of the head. «Poor simpletons. They know nothing of prognostication», they would say, look at each other all knowingly and smile overbearingly at the childlike heretics, which would of course further rile up the Anti-Clentin camp (albeit for different reasons). 

The tension was brewing, but everybody managed to keep it fairly civil. Until they didn’t. Which would turn out to be a crucial part of the story of how the 98th World Cup cycle became Enda Clentin’s last as the head coach of the Prosaic Union National Football Team.

[The 14 Stars]

Kick off campaign 98 a new wave

It was clear the team was heading into a new direction, coach Walcott had clearly seen it the last time that even if the old guard still was great the new players also had to make their minutes and gain experience in their own right.
Also did 1 legendary name return, Kira Blade despite her retirement from the National Team last year now is still here returning as there were no better players on her position and her experience adds depth and value to the squad.
This time around she has to do with a spot on the bench and she doesnt mind it, Kira already said her goodbyes and wants the new generation to take center stage as the future is build with the players currently in their 20s for years to come.

When asked about her return Kira commented ''I'm honored to be back after i technically already said goodbye, i'll do my best to support the new generation and i hope that we can pull off a good result for ourselves and for the fans.''

Their first opponent was a country known as Megistos, not much was known about them except that they were very low ranked and didnt seem to be much of a challenge for an established team like the Starsian Wolves.
However ofcourse they didnt underestimate them but it also wasnt like they actually believed they could lose, the Wolves trained hard and their teamwork was coming along wonderful as they worked towards the match together.
As the match against Megistos arrived the stadium was far from sold out especially because many people already knew that the Starsians would be the dominating team if anything and that they would steamroll these poor players.

In the new line-up it didnt take long before new debuting striker Paula Nuñez scored her 1st goal ever for the national team in her debut match after a wonderful assist by Raharinaivo through the defense behind the opposing lines.
Quickly taking the lead was something they liked to do and it showed the new energy and it wouldnt take long before in the 28th minute Elizabeth Phillips would put the 2nd goal of the match home creating the image of a very one sided game so far.
While the players of Megistos werent exactly horrible the sheer speed, power and tactical diffrences were visible and the Starsian Wolves ran circles around them as if it was nothing bringing the game from left to right and from back to front.

Right before halftime in the 39th minute it was again Paula Nuñez who scored her 2nd goal of the match eager to show that shes the new main striker and that she is the consistent factor up front that everyone was looking for.
Coach Walcott would nod approvingly seeing the 3rd goal of the game go in but like all people with a decent knowledge of the game she knows that everything is open still and as the signal for halftime is given she follows the team inside saying.

''We player a good first half team, Paula two great goals and Elizabeth aswell great finish of the play aswell.
Right now i understand that you might feel that they are a bad team and you wanna score more goals but dont let it slip, i rather win with less goals then draw with an insanely high score count and i think im not the only one who thinks like that.
I am making one change in the 2nd half, Elizabeth im taking you off and this isnt because you did anything wrong but i wanna use our big lead to try something new and given how much goals ahead we are its safe now.
Justin Collins will be taking your place, i wanna see how this works i've heard good things about Justin in the Auprussian league but lets see if it goes just as cleanly in the international games.''

In the 2nd half now Collins is subbed in for Phillips and after roughly 13 minutes in the 53th minute its Kimora Frazier from outside the box with an enormous shot straight into the top corner showing her insane skill.
Kimora is with 18 years old the youngest player on the team but one of the biggest talents already making her debut at age 16, she scores and makes it 4-0 on the scorecard making it even worse for those Megistos players.
Celebrations dont last long cause Megistos come back and from a corner they score the 4-1 with a brilliant header where our keeper Emily Davis has no answer on it was direct, fast and powerful like any header should be practically unstoppable.
Time goes on and neither side seems to be giving much until Selena Corson at one point in the 74th minute has the ball, sees Collins making a run and gives the pass to Collins who immediately gives the assist and then its once again Paula Nuñez with her 3rd goal scoring a hattrick in her very first ever game for the national team a display we have not seen from a striker in almost a decade.

the announcers in the booth cant believe it either as they shout ''And there it is brilliant assist from Collins to Nuñez who striker it hard down low behind the goalkeepr, the 3rd goal is a fact everyone its a hattrick for Nuñez!''

Megistos manages to score a 5-2 but it doesnt make it any less worse for them as this is the final score, it has been made clear that the Starsian Wolves are here to hunt and that they wont let their prey get away that easily.



2nd match

the 2nd match away against Lacivea an unranked team also showed how vulnerable this new squad of ours is aswell, while we started off very well with a goal from Raharinaivo the Laciveans immediately scored 2 goals back.
It often came from those small miscommunications, small errors nothing horrible but it showed that the new Wolves formation needed more matches together to become stronger as a unity instead of a dozen good individual players.
In the 2nd half Joy Sol was brought in and Selena Corson was taken off the bring stability into the team and to control the game more.

this resulted in a goal for Paula Nuñez in the 51st minute and in the 60th minute Iris Olivier was brought in for Elizabeth Phillips again and Olivier immediately scored 8 minutes after entering the field with an incredible solo action.
Her goal did put us 2-3 in front but sadly Lacivea in the 88th minute would score the equalizer making us lose 2 valuable points.

After the match coach Walcott commented: ''Alot of the players are still relatively young this is a learning process we are working hard to become a real team but it takes time with the new formation.
After getting behind earlier i think we fought ourselves back very well and then ur just unlucky with that equalizer late into the game and its pretty bad but we have a long way to go, plenty of matches yet to come.
We will take this home, analyze it and improve as we always do and there is alot of potential for this new group, it just needs to be guided.'' she comments.

[Bears Armed]

The place is the area occupied by the Bear-Belles’ manager & coaches at the side of the pitch at Wimbley Stadium.
The time is shortly after the end of the Belles’ match against Sarzonia.
The players from both sides have left the pitch, in the Belles’ case after doing a lap of honour, but the Belles’ staff are still there and some of them are discussing not only this game’s result but the overall situation for their qualifying group as well.

(Karra’harrna Thunder [Manager & First Chief Coach]) _ “Urrah! That’s better than last week, for true. Not only a win over a higher-ranked team -- and one with such a well-earned reputation as Sarzonia -- instead of a draw against a lower-ranked one, but a clean sheet as well.”

(Marra Urrth’hrra Norr-Vurra [Chief Coach) _ “Ayyuh, and clean sheets are something that our playing style has resulted in rrelatively rrarely—except in no-score draws like last week’s, of course – in the past. Maybeso this will even be the start of a trend…“

(Karrh’hreena o Goodsword [Set Pieces Coach]) _ “From your mouth to the Good Spirits’ ears, let that be.“

(Kara Brent [Attacking Coach… and substitute Forward on occasions, too, although bringing her into play from the bench wasn’t considered necessary inthis game) _ “To their ears metaphorically, anyhows.“


(Karrh’hreena o Goodsword) _ “If you’re going to be picky about it… .“

They finish getting their stuff together, and head off down the tunnel.

A little while later, as most of the staff are sitting down for their late-afternoon meal together (and the players are also doing so, but in a separate room so that they aren’t tempted or discouraged by the less “healthy” of the food options available to the staff), conversation resumes. By this time news of the results from this group’s other Match-day Two games has arrived, delivered by some of the Belles’ accompanying Ravens.

(Marra Urrth’hrra Norr-Vurra) _ “A draw between Bongo Johnson and Doubleia, two-to-two; Jeruselem beat New Fermia by four-to-one; and Valanora beat Bohr, four-to-two. Now that’s along the lines I’d have expected, not a furless mess like Match-day One’s scores.“

(Kara Brent) _ “Ayyuh, those rresults then were hrrather on the ‘unusual’ side. I wonder hwhether somebearry in one of the group’s nations somehows irritated Margaret so much that She took action?“

(Karrh’hreena o Goodsword) _ “I hope that that’s not so, for true.
“Anyhows, the rresults this time haven’t hrreally been much less as most people honestly would have expected as those from ourr qualifying campaign for the last World Cup, have they, after all? Urrs not only getting into the automatic qualifying places but topping that group outright despite being only the fifth seed, while the first seed ended up down taking our initial placement at fifth, surprised quite a few folks I think…”

(Karra’harrna Thunder) _ "Well, you know that we made all of the customary offerings to Her, for true."

(Kara Brent]) _ "Ayyuh, I was there."

(Karra’harrna Thunder) _ “Ayyuh, that’s a fair point, for true.
“Anyhows, I’ve been glad about how well our two new defenders have proven capable of working together. I’ll admit to having had doubts at first over the idea of expecting a Raiders player and a Navigators player to team-up like that, but they’ve working as a partnership hrreally well.“

(Freeda Urrlafh’s-dottir [Goalkeeping Coach) _ “Ayyuh, being a Northlander myself and having played in the Northlands League for a hwhile — although not for either of those two teams — I knew hwhat the rrivalry between them is like… even if their players don’t get into quite as many brawls against each other as do their fans -- and was a bit worried as well.“

(Greenfinch o Barrdenn [Defending Coach) _ “Ah, they’re both good girls. Bringing them into the team early enough for almost two years of practices was definitely good for getting them used to cooperation on the pitch, but the fact that neither of them is from the clans that provide most of their teams’ supporters probably helped as well.“

(Wierra Forest-Heart [Doctor]) _ “And having all of you coaches able to concentrate on preparation for this Cup, without entry into a Di Bradini Cup as a distraction — because of that event being scheduled simultaneously with the first half of these qualifiers this time around, instead of before them as was previously much more usual – prresumably didn’t hurt the situation neither?“

(Kara Thunder) _ “That didn’t hurt our training programme for this, no…
“But it was hrrather a shame that we couldn’t manage to send a team to the Di Bradini Cup, especially bearing in mind ourr own previous history with that event, too.“




________________________________________________________

OOC Notes

In this context that it was used here, the term ”furless” is a swear-word… but it’s only quite a mild one, about on a par with RL modern British use of “bloody”.
And “somebearry” is the Urso-English form of “somebody”. (See also “anybearry”, “everybearry”, and “nobearry”…)

Regarding the pair of rival teams NorthPort Navigators and NorthPort Raiders: As I said on a previous occasion, think in terms of RL Glasgow’s “old firm” of ‘Celtic’ versus ‘Glasgow Rangers’.

[Hapilopper]

DID YOU KNOW?… In 1993, the Hapilopper City Nationals baseball team’s ace starting pitcher, Rick Riggs, was arrested for public indecency for obscene behavior in the Hamilton Square fountain. To celebrate his release from the city jail, the Nationals had him driven to the mound in a paddy wagon. The scene angered local law enforcement so much that the Nationals were forced to issue an apology.

(The following correction was printed in the Hapilopper City Herald, page A2, the day after the Hapilopper/Panay Islands match.)
CORRECTION
Yesterday’s Hapilopper City Herald, as well as editions leading up to yesterday, contained an incorrect trigram for Panay Islands and Guimaras. The correct trigram for Panay Islands and Guimaras is “IPG.” The Herald regrets the error and would like to send our apologies to the people of Panay Islands and Guimaras.

Nathan Ellis Field at Capital Stadium, Hapilopper City
Match 2 of World Cup 98 Qualifying: Hapilopper v. Panay Islands and Guimaras

This match was roiled in controversy before the first whistle even sounded. It was always going to be, and much of it had nothing to do with Hapilopper’s opponent, Panay Islands and Guimaras, a second-year squad. Instead, all of it had to do with this being the home opener. Always among the most looked-forward to matches of the year, the Hapiloppian home opener was one of the hottest tickets in town, and was full of fans excited to see what the Haps would do in front of their home fans. But it was also the first home match after the entire team had been arrested for the bar fight.

The bar fight had, by now, become legend among Hapiloppian fans. Newspapers across the Dominion – and likely across Esportiva and the multiverse – had been chock full of headlines about how these players from Ellis Football had been such miserable miscreants at Center Street Pub. Pictures of the players’ mug shots had been among the most distributed pictures on the internet, and there were rumors that fans were bringing blown-up mugshots to Capital Stadium with them.

Thom Perkins sensed it, too. As he sat in the locker room prior to his team taking the field against the Islanders from Panay Islands, he wondered how he’d react if he saw those mugshots. He really didn’t want to see them, but he figured that if he complained, it’d only draw attention to them more than if he said nothing. He knew how it worked.

But as he glanced up at a monitor in his office, showing scenes from inside the stadium, he saw them – the mugshots, blown up by fans in one of the end zones. Specifically, mug shots of Rod Cutt – which the fans called “ESPORTIVA’S MOST DANGEROUS MAN.”

And for that, he actually chuckled. Back when Hapilopper was a member of Atlantian Oceania, Nathan Ellis had been called “The most dangerous player in AO” by his loving fans. Banners at Capital Stadium would feature a picture – or his most recent arrest mugshot – with that slogan. And Nathan would acknowledge it with a cheap shot on an opposing player, followed by the inevitable yellow card.

For that, Thom calmed down. The last few days leading up to the match had been tense, wondering how the fans would react to seeing their boys in person for the first time since the arrest, but seeing that confirmed, in his mind, that everything would be just fine.

As he left his office and entered the locker room, Scott Roundtree, the most inoffensive of the starting defensemen, had an idiotic idea. A hilarious idea if you will.

“So, we were talking, coach, and I had this idea,” Scott said. “A couple of years ago, I was watching this wrestling show and this wrestler came out to the ring in a paddy wagon. Cops were surrounding him and they uncuffed him before he hit the ring. Now, I know that we can’t necessarily have cops handcuff us before we take the field, but…”

“What?!” Thom yelped.

“What would you think if we all came out to the field in paddy wagons?” Scott asked.

“I, uh… that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard,” Thom said.

“I think it’s great!” Stan McLamb, the lead goal scorer, chimed in. “We’re all showmen around here. This is entertainment. We can come out in a paddy wagon or two – and do it after the Piggies take the field, you know?”

“The what?” Thom asked.

More on that in a minute.

“But yeah, Panay Islands takes the field, they’re standing around, and here come the convicts, you know?” Stan said. “Let’s do it!”

There was one problem: Dom Probst, the head of the Hapilopper Football Association, had not been briefed on this. He didn’t think any of this was funny. He was still fuming over his entire team getting arrested, he had been fuming over the snipes that Jimmy Eaton from Kensington Town, the Hapiloppian Anaian team, had given him, and he was really fuming over seeing the fans holding giant mugshots of their favorite players in the stadium. As he sat in the owner’s box, he wanted to scream. Things were just not going right for him.

And there was one more detail that was pissing him off: Thanks to a typo in the Hapilopper City Herald for the last few days and weeks, the fans in the City, and even the people from Capital Stadium had been led to believe the trigram for Hapilopper’s opponents was “PIG” and not the correct “IPG.” This, in of itself, was bound to cause an international incident, he sensed, and one that would need some diplomats to iron out in the coming days.

What he didn’t know was that the editor-in-chief of the Hapilopper City Herald had spent the entire morning screaming at the staff members responsible for the typo and that a correction would be forthcoming, and that Hapiloppian President Brett Booth was in the process of drafting an apology to the Panayenese government.

Things, though, were about to get worse. Much worse.

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, it is the distinct pleasure of the Capital Stadium management to present to you, the evening’s star attraction,” the announcement sounded over the PA system. “The national team of the Dominion of Hapilopper, Ellis Football!”

But instead of the groovy-ass electronic music that usually started things off, the next music that came over the system was something that sounded like gangsta rap. And sure enough, two paddy wagons came out under the tunnel.

The fans loved it. A City Policeman opened up the back and sure enough, players from the Hapiloppian team came out the back, handcuffed in zip ties. Policemen cut off the zip ties, symbolically freeing them. The fans roared in both glee and delight at the sight.

While the fans at the stadium loved it, while the television audience loved it, and while practically everyone thought it was genius, Dom Probst was furious at the sight. He stewed through the entire match, even as the Haps whooped up on the Islanders, 3-2. He stewed furiously even as Capital Stadium, the old concrete donut in its final season of hosting World Cup qualifiers, rocked and rolled with the sound of a delighted crowd, a team seemingly at the top of its game and a nation so enthusiastic about what was to come.

After the match, he stormed to the Ellis Football clubhouse, wanting to know whose ass he needed to kick.

“WHOSE IDEA WAS THAT?!” Dom roared as he stormed into the clubhouse.

“What idea?” Thom asked.

“The fucking paddy wagons!” Dom snapped. “You think it’s funny that the whole team got arrested for that bar fight? You want to make some kind of stupid fucking joke about it? You think it’s funny that I had to show up at two in the god damn morning because you chucklefucks can’t hold your god damn liquor?”

Dom looked at the players and saw each of them weren’t regretting anything. Each of them had some rather smug looks on their faces, partially because they had won their first two matches, partially because they led Group 3, and partially because everyone else thought the idea was hilarious.

“Fuck you guys, I’m going home,” Dom said in a defeated manner, sensing that he wasn’t going to get through. He turned around, left the clubhouse and stormed out. He sensed he was on the losing end of this matter and trying to change anyone’s mind wasn’t going to get anywhere.

[Kanzlia]

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Match Report - Kanzlia 1 // Yuugria 0

---

To: Vassilis van Coevorden, Jan Melis and 14 others

---

Here is the match report for the game against Yuugria

KANZLIA 1 - 0 YUUGRIA
Paulo Tiyan 55'
(Assist: Ardentius van Coevorden)

Conclusion:
Sloppy game. Having several good chances but only converting one. Yuugria proved tough to beat with their great determination. We should be wary for the away game.

Paulo Tiyan must remain in the starting eleven, best player on the pitch today. Bagheria and Messalis should really be concerned with their performance tonight.

Sincerely,
VVK Analyst Team

---

80 Koninginstraat, Szbedansk, KNZ

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Match Report - Calgasia 5 // Kanzlia 3

---

To: Vassilis van Coevorden, Jan Melis and 14 others

---

Here is the match report for the game against Calgasia

CALGASIA 5 - 3 KANZLIA

(im letting Calgasia write the result, then I'll update it once they do)

Conclusion:
Disastrous result. Midfield was not in its best shape today and therefore the attack couldn't be serviced with forward passes. We really should focus on setpieces again because we are squandering too many corners and free kicks.

Evert van Selm should be dropped.

Sincerely,
VVK Analyst Team

---

80 Koninginstraat, Szbedansk, KNZ

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Calgasia Match

---

To: Vassilis van Coevorden

---

Vassilis,

To call the loss against Calgasia a disappointment will be an understatement to what I am actually feeling. It was embarassing. They were one of the weaker sides of the group, we should be winning the games against them. You have to win the game against the Golden Harp. Frankly, if we lose, then we'll have a serious discussion soon.

The Vdara match I can tolerate a loss, but I'll forgive this embarassing loss if you pull a result out of nowhere against them.

Good luck with your preparations.
Sincerely,

Jan Melis
President of Voetbal Vereniging Kanzlia

---

80 Koninginstraat, Szbedansk, KNZ

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Re: Calgasia Match

---

To: Jan Melis

---

Dear President Melis,

I understand your disappointment, I let down even myself today. I'll ensure you that we'll get a good result against the Golden Harp and work towards a respectable performance against Vdara.

Line up changes will be aplenty, I am already working tirelessly to amend all the flaws displayed in todays game.

Regards,

Vassilis van Coevorden
Head Coach - Kanzlian National Team

---

12 Armadastraat, Kotr, KNZ

---

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Vdara Away Travel Arrangements

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To: Jan Melis

---

Dear President Melis,

I've received and reviewed the travel arrangements for the qualifier match against Vdara away for MD4. I have serious concerns with the arrangements. A full day journey with 2 layovers is unacceptable for professional athletes. With this travel arrangements, my players will have barely enough time to rest for the training day the day after we arrived in Vdara.

I request we charter a direct flight. I've talked to my assistant and attached are several direct flights to Vdara.

File Attached: Kanzlia Air Flights | Book your flights today!

Regards,

Vassilis van Coevorden
Head Coach - Kanzlian National Team

---

12 Armadastraat, Kotr, KNZ

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Re: Vdara Away Travel Arrangements

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To: Vassilis van Coevorden

---

Vassilis,

The board will not accomodate such a request. The commercial booking stands. Im sure our players have managed similar journeys before. They'll be fine.

Additionally, Dr. Saartje Mes will not be joining you for this trip. Dr. Halberd from Ulixes Kotr will temporarily replace her.

Sincerely,

Jan Melis
President of Voetbal Vereniging Kanzlia

---

80 Koninginstraat, Szbedansk, KNZ

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Re: Re: Vdara Away Travel Arrangements

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To: Jan Melis

---

Dear President Melis,

With all respect President Melis, I can concede this travel arrangement mishap but I would have preferred you to brief me during our meeting with this sudden change. I insist Dr. Mes joins the squad, shes been helping Pisaric slowly recover - we can not threaten his recovery with such crucial games in front of us. I'm afraid Dr. Halberd isn't familiar with his recovery.

Regards,

Vassilis van Coevorden
Head Coach - Kanzlian National Team

---

12 Armadastraat, Kotr, KNZ

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Re: Re: Re: Vdara Away Travel Arrangements

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To: Vassilis van Coevorden

---

Vassilis,

The decision is final Vassilis. Dr. Halberd has enough experience under his belt to take over Dr. Mes for a while. Dr. Mes has other duties she needs to fulfill back here.

I expect you to brief Dr. Halberd on any ongoing player treatments.


Jan Melis
President of Voetbal Vereniging Kanzlia

---

80 Koninginstraat, Szbedansk, KNZ

_ | ⮌ | ☒

Player Medical Records

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To: Dr. Halberd

---

Dr. Halberd,

Attached is the current squads medical records. I will underline Pisaric's condition, he's a superb player, but his knee mishap is preventing him from performing well. I trust you can take over Dr. Mes's diligent work.

And just to be clear Dr. Halberd, I will not tolerate any mistakes during your short reign. We are in a crucial time during our qualifications, if it was up to me you wouldn't be here.

File Attached: Kanzlian National Team Medical Records.xlsx

Regards,

Vassilis van Coevorden
Head Coach - Kanzlian National Team

---

12 Armadastraat, Kotr, KNZ

[Flavovespia]

All Good Things Must Come To An End

The streak ends at 32, as Flavovespia lose their opening game of World Cup Qualifiers 98 in Vdara. Drawing the Pot 2 side away in the opening qualifying game was the toughest test Flavovespia could ask for, but it doesn’t ease the negative thoughts of the opening game loss and the loss of the unbeaten streak. Inevitable is not the word I’d like to use to describe this result, but there was always a sense that even for a first matchday the pressure to go to Vdara, ranked 25th in the world, a fellow Anaia nation, and a side Flavovespia defeated in CAFA Cup 10 in a thrilling match would be a challenge.

The question is, where did it go wrong for Flavovespia in this game? In my opinion the real blow came early on in the 11th minute. Vdara’s first real threatening attack saw a low cross whipped in. Peter Marriott maybe showed too much inexperience calling for it, instead of allowing Paul Amos an attempt to put it out. Sophia Kyprianou exploited the gap and stretched out to shoot past Marriott. A small error, but early on with a game like this tied, it was the momentum boost that buoyed Vdara. The psychological boost of the early goal was clear on the faces of the Vdara players.

Flavovespia knew they’d be up against it in the second half, so I can’t fault the idea of attacking from the second half kick-off However the midfield and defence weren’t quite on the same wavelength, so it was no surprise when Sophia Kyprianou broke clear, and scored a second in the 54th minute. That goal looked more akin to an 84th minute counter attack than a 54th minute goal, begging the question of why Flavovespia were so stretched against a side who could exploit that.

When all seemed to be down for Flavovespia, it was Jonathan Bagshaw, who else, who gave hope to the side. His impact can’t be overstated, in this game or for the past decade, and it was a classic run down the right, a cut inside when many thought he’d cross, and the shot with power or placement. In the space of 3 minutes it went from 1-0 to 2-1, but with a momentum shift to Flavovespia. However Vdara were clinical at the back after that, no clear cut chances given away, and the mistakes Flavovespia dared hope for weren’t there.

This game was a bit of a reality check for Flavovespia. Maybe it was nerves, maybe it was hubris, but they start with a loss. Nobody can take the entire blame for the loss, but at the same time, Bagshaw aside, there weren’t the game winners on the pitch for Flavovespia in Vdara. No need to sound the alarm yet, but a rebound is needed.
Alexander Schmitt

Marching in to the Saints (Park)

Since the FFA dropped the stadium rotation policy to include only the Big 3 stadiums, the choices for international games are Hornet’s Nest, Highland Road and Saints Park. As a Loxthorpe Rovers fan, it’s certainly a disappointment that Rovers Arena dropped out of rotation for home games. I can sense other fanbases feel the same way, Marthorpe City with their impressive indoor arena, Bavingtor with the top of the range, ultra modern Flying Fields, and as reluctant as I am to say it, Seafront Stadium of that lot up the road. (Langmere Green Rovers for my international readers). Sure, I see the perceived benefits of Flavovespia only playing in a few stadiums each cycle, but was the extended rotation policy the real reason we struggled in the past to qualify?

This time Saints Park has the opening two home games. A trek from Loxthorpe that’s for sure, although the train to Hadford Hill provides plenty of scenic East Coast views, and then it’s a quick train to St Astons City. Hereupon lies my first problem with Saints Park. St Astons City has a great tram network within the city, but how is it that it still seems to stop a half hour walk away from the stadium? Buses get you closer, but hardly to the turnstiles. The facilities in the stadium are brilliant, very little queues for anything, great signal, and displays everywhere in a stadium built in the pre-digital era. Saints Park is fine I guess, but is it so sacred that it needs to be one of only three grounds used in Flavovespia, or is this a consequence of history and geography?

Enough about the off pitch factors, and time to talk about the game. Flavovespia and Yuugria were coming off opening game losses, and needed a response. For Yuugria, this would be their first ever World Cup Qualifiers away game. A sport that’s booming in popularity there, the Yuugria fans who’d come over seemed to combine older followers who’d been there for decades, and younger fans who taken an interest once their international side got underway. For Flavovespia, the focus was on showing the opening loss was a blip.

The first half display was one of confidence from Flavovespia. A good amount of possession saw them pin back Yuugria, and this time they seemed more adept at taking on a 5-3-2. The breakthrough in the 25th minute was a well worked goal of class. Christopher Hill spraying a great pass out to Anthony Lane. A quick turn saw him beat Faf An Hari, before a driven through ball allowed Langdon to run in. Langdon then finished with composure. The second goal, some 8 minutes later saw a similarly composed finish, this time after a clearance was charged down and blocked by Langdon himself. The Yuugria defender didn’t have the time against a player of Langdon’s pace to do that.

More goals were the hope in the second half, but the proverbial scoresheet wouldn’t tick over anymore. Little could be done to fault Flavovespia at the back here, Marriott was confident when called upon, communicating clearly, and Yuugria were limited in the number of attacks. The decision to sub off Bagshaw with just over a quarter hour to go caused a small debate around fans near me, but I see the merit in doing so with a tough away trip to Qasden next. Kevin Holland and Michael Waller got to debut together with 10 minutes or so to go. Holland seemed decent from the few small moves he was involved in, meanwhile Michael Waller picked up a yellow, flying in to a challenge a bit late, not something you can do at this level. He made amends with a decent long ball with Langdon was unlucky not to do more with in search of a hat-trick.

The journey back to my hotel was thankfully not too long, given me time to enjoy some of St Astons sights before writing this blog post. Maybe where the football is played doesn’t matter, it’s just the result that does. But an East Coast home Flavovespia game wouldn’t go amiss.
Patricia Evans

[Bir Matras]

Bir Matras start with 2 draws
Bir Matras has started into the world cup with 2 draws, a solid start for their first world cup. They drew 0-0 with Hispina and 1-1 with Chromatika. Trainer Nastrova has put out a statement, saying she was satisfied with these results and if the team continues to play this well, they might have a chance of qualifying.

---

Match against hispina
Both teams were around evenly matched in this game, leading to a game with few chances and if they occured, they would either be saved, or hit the woodwork.

---

Match against Chromatika
Chromatika was the stronger team in this match, but that surprisingly didn´t show on the scoreboard. They scored first in the 19th Minute, with Fillar. They had a lot more chances during the first and second half, but Al-Koleq always managed to save any dangerous balls coming in. Bir Matras had their only major chance in the 72nd Minute and Arendse managed to score the surprise equalizer.

---

Bir Matras training grounds, after the matches
Kathrina was sitting in her office, reading reports about the two matches. She sighed, putting them down. She did tell the media that the team was playing really good, but that wasn´t really true. They were playing good compared to Bir Matras standards yes. BVut to World cup standards they were mediocre, maybe even worse. That they pulled off this draw against Chromatika was almost entirely luck, or more bad luck for Chromatika. She didn´t know how the next mathces would go, but if the team continues to play like this, they are not going to get a qualifying spot. She picked up the reports gaain, looking for anythign and everything that she can improve

[Juvencus]

The Second Great War of Unification(1876-1892)

Approaching the final stages of the war, unification of the nation was imminent. While it had mostly been won outright on the battlefield, Scudelli was still resisting with its last strongholds in occupied Santo Domenico before the Juven could enter its mainland by traversing the thick San Giovanni Maria forest. While skirmishes mostly went to the Juven's favor, the Scudelliano would score some important victories out of which retribution would be the hardest. While Juven Code foresees more humane treatment than the standards of the time, this was breached often times by the Scudelliano and Juven alike. Pumuni was a scratch in the surface compared to the battle of Surmelo, in a position close to Pumuni which saw 400 executions of Juven soldiers, caught as prisoners of war. As for the cities of Santo Domenico and Vinceti, the worst was yet to come as rebellions would take place both inside and in the vicinity of the cities, which Prince Heir Michelangelo II would have to defend personally.


Uhlaner calling shots, artwork by an unknown painter ~circa 1900s

Chapter 29: The Liberation of the state of Santo Domenico(March 12th-May 28th 1892)\
"And as the leaves turn brown, so has the division of this blessed land." ~Holy Emperor Gianluca IV

Stage 1 (The Relentless Capture of Vinceti): Setup around both Vinceti and Santo Domenico was swift following the victory at Duoma, as it was of utmost importance to liberate the biggest centers of the far eastern reaches of the nations before eventually surrounding Scudelli itself. While looming over both cities, the approach towards Vinceti was to quickly capture the city and avoid destroying it as much as Santo Domenico in the process. While artillery fire rained down the city, it was the cavalry fights and charges in the trenches surroundng the scorching hot town that were the deadliest. Disease, heatstrokes, lack of water to name a few reasons on top of the gruelling combat were among the multitude reasons of death of soldiers and civilians participating in the cause alike.

By April 2nd, a massive Uhlaner-led charge on the southeastern suburbs of the city would see the Juven entering it and with that, completely liberating it after a bloody fight in the streets of the city, which saw thousands of people perish that very same day. Général de brigade Albert Portin would have to surrender the city directly to Holu Emperor Gianluca IV on the morning of April 3rd. The Holy Emperor's next command was to execute Portin and all his associates, as well as soldiers picked by chance to demonstrate what would happen to anyone that did not obey to the Juven orders.

In the end, 18,000 men, women and children would perish during Vinceti's efforts alone and while the city would be reduced into rubble, it was still in a much better state than what was to come to Santo Domenico, which was already visibly damaged from the attacks 11 years prior and still not much rebuilt.

Stage 2 (The Annihilation of Santo Domenico): The already destroyed city was pummeled by Juven artillery in an effort to liberate the city and completely destroy whatever Scudelliano force was occupying it. Multiple accounts of the bombardment describle a constant fire, smoke and rubble in every single corner of the city, with no remorse as to who was in the way of the shells. The fight turned extremely intense by the middle of May, as melee fights and sharpshooters would take each other out. In a fated twist of events, a combined attack by the Uhlaner as well as the Camelry of the Sud would open several positions in chokeholds surrounding the city allowing for easy access of Juven infantry within the city's boundaries.

There, no further fighting would ensue, besides a duel between Holy Emperor Gianluca IV of Juvencus and the Prince Heir Michelangelo II of Scudelli. A duel that Gianluca IV would win resoundly, delivering a deadly wound to the the abdomen of the now-experienced heir. The city of Santo Domenico would officially be liberated on May 28th, 1892.

A combined amount of 45,000 people would meet their deaths in the attempt to liberate both cities and while the death toll was enormous, the long-term results of the sacrifices are still celebrated to this day all over Juvencus. While the cities are destroyed, the morale of the troops remains high to the push towards the final assault directly at Scudelli, the hardest obstacle yet.

[Bohr]

“So run this parlay thing by me again?” The first game of Bohr’s foray into international waters was still a week away, but for Kyson Vidalia-James it had consumed an inordinate amount of his time. As a marketing analyst at One More Extra, the country’s largest gambling company (and owner of two one Bohr Championship Football team), he had spent the last couple months on various projects to take advantage of a game that practically the entire country would be watching. Whether it was going down to the St. Natasha sports books to observe tendencies after work every night, crunching sheets upon sheets of data from their online websites, or building comprehensive simulations of the upcoming football games to calculate risk management, Ky had put his entire well-being into this game, to the point where he felt like he understood the script better than some of the Bohrian players.

“Right, so our data indicates that odds on a three-leg parlay would be the optimal way to draw new and returning bettors in; anything more than three legs and the appeal goes way down, any less and we don’t get action from active parlay bettors. Of those three legs, the first one has to be Bohr winning-we’re doing straight-up instead of against the spread, of course-”

“Of course.” Ky could tell that he had already lost his boss’s interest, but kept on fast-talking through his pre-planned speech anyway.

“Y-yes. So the second leg has to involve Sullivan-he’s both Bohr’s most famous player and our strongest brand ambassador, there’s a commercial with him ready to run during half-time if I remember correctly, it would be strange not to include him. The options here are single goal, brace, or hat-trick; we can have a separate promotion for a Sully hat-trick, but here we’re going with a brace as it’s plausible while being unlikely, while a single goal is barely an odds-reducer given the correlation between that and a Bohr win, as we’ve seen with the performance of St. Natasha Pyramid over the last few years.” Ky took a moment to catch his breath. “The third leg has a lot more options, but we’re going with an assist prop because people-new bettors especially-like all of their categories in a parlay to be separate, so goal-assist-win fits the ideal here. I’m staying away from the wing players-Healy and Garnett primarily-because we have a pretty large size advantage against this Jeruselem team, so crosses are going to be pretty dangerous. That really just leaves Schuyler as a marketable name, which fits since the game’s being played at Fielding Memorial; his assist numbers are actually pretty mediocre, especially at home, but we can make people believe that they’re way better than they actually are. I’m thinking we can go 1.5x on the potential winnings here, does that sound good?” He wasn’t sure if his boss was deep in thought or just tired of talking to him. Eventually, his boss threw up his hands.

“Yeah, sure. I’m going to trust you on this one, and you have my go-ahead to get this onto the apps. I’ll hook you up with the ads guys later.” As Ky’s boss left his office, he gave a small fist pump. There was a 95% chance that OME was going to make a killing off of this, and who knows? Maybe he’d be that much closer to a promotion.

~~~~

“Radahn, looking to create something just before the half-but oh, that’s a fine press by Brunner to get the ball away. Brunner hits it back to Girard, Girard to Garnett, Garnett forced inward by Pundi, back to Brunner, Brunner to Schuyler, Schuyler waits on the ball. Schuyler hits one deep, will it find Sullivan-it does! Sullivan gathers, edge of the box-GOAL! His second of the night to make it 3-0, and listen to this crowd!” Ky had become, outside of a few sharp bettors, the only Bohrian person in Fielding Memorial Stadium who was extremely unhappy about what was playing out on the field. He sank back into his chair as he watched the rest of the crowded luxury box revel in an almost-assured victory and put on his best fake smile.

“You aiiight, man?” Evidently, not fake enough. The guy talking to him was not much older than him and significantly more inebriated-they’d probably met before at some event or another, but damned if he could remember his name.

“I’m just...still nervous, that’s all. Can you imagine if we blew this lead?”

“Maaaaaan, you can’t say that shit. You want me to get you a cider? Or a beer, or something?”

“...Fuck it. Sure, get me a cider.” A couple minutes later, as he sipped on the cold drink, he examined the bottle. A picture of Jamie Sullivan himself was emblazoned on the front, doing his signature celebration-bobbing and weaving, before throwing a knock-out punch to an imaginary opponent. He chuckled a bit to himself. For one night, at least, he could be a true Bohrian patriot, a relentless partisan. He’d worry about his career tomorrow.

Bohr 5-1 Jeruselem

Bohr (4-2-3-1): A Harrow, A Bouquet, J Girard (c) (A Soto, 67'), J Haider (P Warnor, 67'), M Garnett, H Schuyler, L Brunner (V Khalikov, 81'), O Healy (J Simmons, 58'), G Roces, C Lundin (E Sheve, 58'), J Sullivan

Bohr scorers:
Orlan Healy, 4', assisted by Amine Bouquet
Jamie Sullivan, 38', assisted by Orlan Healy
Jamie Sullivan, 45+1', assisted by Herb Schuyler
Eli Sheve, 75', assisted by Grady Roces
Matty Garnett, 84', assisted by Vasily Khalikov

Valanora 4-2 Bohr

Bohr (4-1-4-1): A Harrow, A Bouquet (P Warnor, 73'), J Girard (c), J Haider, M Garnett, A Soto (L Good, 62'), O Healy, H Schuyler, L Brunner, A Korystov (E Sheve, 67'), J Sullivan (T Turner, 62')

Bohr scorers:
Orlan Healy, 38', assisted by Herb Schuyler
Towson Turner, 67', penalty

[Audioslavia]

Carrying the One

Parts [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]
[9][10][11]
[12][13]

---

A few thousand years ago, Audioslavia had a disastrous fourteen minute experiment with a monarchy. Regardless of how meaningless those fourteen minutes were, the very fact that there was a monarchy at all means two things are true forever. First, there will forever be a lineage of descendants of the usurped monarch. Secondly, it will always occur to at least one person in the world that, hey, maybe there should be a king after all, and while there is a person with a claim to said kinghood, there will always be a Restoration movement, no matter how small or disorganised.

In Audioslavia’s case, there’s also a counter-restoration movement, which aims to brutally murder anyone in Audioslavia should they hold the title of first in line to the throne

---

By the time the three men got back out of the hole, with a confused midwife following behind them, their assailant had long disappeared. As had the new baby and the new mother.

"What a fuckin' disaster" said Declan, half to himself, half accusingly at his Brothers, dual-wielding guy and this-is-a-robbery guy. "Should have just told him my name and not fallen into this narrative trap"
"Well at least it's a girl" said two-guns. "Nothing to fail at if it's a girl. 400,000th in line for the throne or something"
"Yeah we'll get her when there's a blight that wipes out blokes"
"Cracking plan" said Declan. "But seriously. No leads. Didn't even get the chance to question the mum. Who the hell was that janitor?"
"He was a ninja or something" said two-guns, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Didn't realise you could do kendo with mops" said robbery guy.
"I'm serious" said Declan. "Who was that guy, because he sure as hell wasn't a janitor"
"Probably some janitor" said two-guns. "I mean he had a mop"
"And blue overalls, they all wear them" said robbery guy.
"He's someone disguised as a janitor" said Declan, the three of them now walking out of a side-exit of the hospital and towards a car park that was four times more expensive than it had any right to be. "I mean why would he just be randomly carrying a mop"
"Because he's a janitor" said two-guns.
"No, bumarse, janitors don't just randomly carry them around. Either he was on the way to a spill or he was someone who'd put on a pair of blue overalls and wanted to make sure it was abundantly clear that he was a janitor"
"Or he was a janitor" said robbery-guy. "Gotham's Razor innit"
"...Gotham's Razor?" spat Declan, incredulously. "What, 'the easiest answer is probably batman'?"
"Yeah it's something like that" said robbery-guy, nodding thoughtfully.

Declan unlocked his car with a ding of his key, but stopped before he got in. Instead, Declan turned and faced the hospital. The moon was rising just behind it.

"What if it was batman?"
"Batman's got bigger ears" said two-guns. "Come on, let's find a pub"
"No, hear me out"
"I'll hear you out in the car" said two-guns. "Get in, it's freezing"
Declan got in the driver's seat, slammed the door shut, but didn't put the key in the ignition. Two-guns, beside him, looked at him inquisitively. In the back seat robbery-guy just got out his phone.
"That guy was some sort of ninja. Big guy too. Handy, like" said Declan. "There in the nick of time too. Were either of you out in Celta a week ago? Tracking Fraser Farrington, almost got the guy, but some guy on a jet-ski picked him up.
"Big guy?" asked two-guns.
"Think so" said Declan. "I mean everyone looks like a ten year-old on a jet-ski, but yeah"
"Same guy?" asked two-guns. Declan appreciated his brevity.
"Could be" said Declan, finally turning his key in the ignition. "I need to make a phone call when we get to the pub"

---

In Salvador We Trust!
Salvador Monterroso's Bulls off to Perfect Start in Group 14

There had been some consternation when Salvador Monterroso was given the full-time managerial position for the national team, especially when very much attaining a C grade in the final exam of CAFA X, where the Bulls were eliminated in the knockouts and never really threatened to annoy any team other than Vdara.

The side struggled to find their rhythm against a debuting hmmland, only winning out via a second goal of the hmmiest variety, with Ivo Cavagnaro blocking a Mahathong clearance with his shoulder and watching as the ball pinged artlessly into the far corner. A goal? In this day and age? Not usually, especially with VAR, but nobody on this side of the fence is complaining.

Bostopia, our perennial next door neighbours but one and then another one, fellow mistrustees of Krytenia, and a nation that, like Audioslavia, has always been in Anaia and you can't prove otherwise (and if you can we'll just not look), posed an even sterner test on matchday two at the Beltzarga. A goal each from Lunquerque and a Bostopian striker that needs no introduction (the one with the 'a' in his name, yes that one. We don't even need to tell you what club he plays for, you know exactly who he is) hung the match in the balance at half-time, before the visitors broke into a deserved lead on fifty minutes, with that same striker drilling a low ball into the corner for the go-ahead goal.

The Bulls rallied, and finally equalised on seventy-two minutes via Cavagnaro, whose enterprising forward run was rewarded by a pin-point pass from Bastarretxea, and the striker would manage to dig the ball out of his feet and flick it past the on-rushing keeper for the equaliser.

Within two minutes, the Bulls were ahead, the side taking advantage of the swing in momentum to pile bodies forward and find, via a deflected pass, Lunquerque inside the box, the big number nine making no mistake with the finish.

Bostopia took the game by the scruff of the neck again, but could find only the side-netting via a Dean header and the crossbar via a speculative Frederick shot before Eyvindur Calderón put the game to bed on the counter, slotting the ball in from an acute angle after a swift counter-attack and claiming all three points for the boys in claret and green.

Having failed to qualify for World Cup 97 and failed to make a dent in CAFA 10, the Bulls seem like a team on a mission in Group 14.

[Milchama]

"Well that was a terrible start"

"Yep, couldn't have gone much worse huh"

"Yep, it made a mockery of our predictions"

"And we don't really have time to correct it"

"Nope, we'll basically have to play flawless from here on out to make the World Cup"

"Can we do it?"

"No idea but it'll probably be better if we did"

"Yeah 'just don't lose' is generally a good thing"

"Usually pretty useful for winning games"

"So what do we need to do to be better?"

"I would recommend defending better, attacking better, doing better in the midfield, having more possession, playing counter attacking football better, exploiting their defense better, attacking their flaws better, using the wings better, using the forwards more and maybe one or two more things"

"So basically everything, also I think some of the stuff you said was contradictory"

"Maybe but we played so poorly that it doesn't really matter the answer is, in short, is 'everything'"

"Fair enough"

"So what to do?"

"Well play better but beyond that I got nothing"

"We should probably pray to Margaret"

"Oh that's a good idea, we hadn't done that yet"

"Yeah that feels necessary"

"It does"

"Ok, so let's do that"

"Pray you mean?"

"Yes, we should pray"

"Ok sounds good"

"And then play better football"

"Yes we should do that too"

"Ok sounds good"

"Say what I say and do what I do"

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

"Now repeat after me!"

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

*They strip and run around for 18 minutes*

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

"Sacrifice the Rubber Chicken!"

*Swoosh of an axe and the chicken is dead*

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

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

[Zwangzug]

The Zwischen New Courier

In an exciting clash between Group 16's top two seeds, Zwangzug were defeated by the gnomes of Az-cz. The quarrelsome gnomes are one of the World Cup's longest-tenured participants, having won the championship in World Cups 37 and 38.

The visitors engaged in some pregame squabbling over whether they would wear their traditional pink and green, or a practical and adaptable red and white; they reluctantly compromised on a bright gold and red outfit that pleased nobody, but at least was very distinguishable from the home team's black and white stripes. When play began, the visitors' individualistic dribbling led to some long stretches of midfield possession; while the gnomish defense was relatively understaffed, Zwangzug had a hard time breaking through and gaining ball control. It paid off in minute 38, when midfielder Gn-ap bounded forward to tap in the go-ahead goal (his celebrations started before the video replay team confirmed that it counted, although he might have just been excited to fly through the air).

Shortly after halftime, Az-cz were perhaps unlucky not to get a second goal, after an excellent mazy run from captain Gnos-tic set up Gnom-ish. However, the stern referee declared that the goal did not count because Gnorimo-schema had been offsides, even though he didn't have ball control. (He was, however, biting Blanche Coogan-Bucknell's ankle while yelling a muffled "CHOMP CHOMP," which may have made it difficult for her to respond to the play.) This caused Gregor Courtenay to remonstrate angrily (more at Coogan-Bucknell having the temerity to stay in the game than at Gnorimo-schema). When play eventually restarted, the gnomes' momentum had been stymied, and Zwangzug caught a break. Nicholas Palmetto, while not as fast as a gnome, is still pretty speedy, and he assisted Stephen Marcus to equalize.

Courtenay brought on Chloe Flen-Willis for Beppo Hegesa at the hour mark; despite his arguable homerism, Flen-Willis did succeed in asserting a height advantage in midfield. Nevertheless, Az-cz eventually tired of soaring across the pitch; Fr-ed was able to evade Sullivan Brecht and scored the winner in minute 74.

After the match, the gnomes engaged in their ritual hero-worship of Laborious Hawk, recently named to the "Top 6 World Cup Stars" power rankings for the 1093rd time. "I'm not exactly sure what was going on with that," Marcus admitted, "but, you know, every country has their weird traditions, and we're no exception. In the grand scheme of things I'm sure it could be worse."

Az-cz have two wins from two, after defeating Osterhalten in the first matchday. Some historically-minded fans will be watching with interest when they host Quakmybush on matchday six, those two countries having teamed up to host World Cup 33 in Zwangzug's first attempt at qualification. But really, who needs the historically-minded nonsense?

(MD1: Hegesa 14)

[Jeruselem]

Princess Alice Stellas Dallas (naked) and Jeruselem player Cherryl Dallas at Dazza Dallas Stadium

Alice:
Hey this is Princess Alice Stella Dallas for Naked News Jeruselem. We're back home at Dazza Dallas Stadium for the 2nd qualification round of the World Cup 98. As you know, the 1st round turned out a bit of disaster for us by now. I'm with young keeper Cherryl Dallas who had her first game today. She didn't play in the 1st round, I guess that was good thing in hindsight.

Cherryl: Hi everyone
Alice: Yes well round one of qualification was a bit too eventful for us. Saying that is was a weird round anyway in Group 17. Valanora drew 0-0 with Bongo Johnson, New Fernia drew 0-0 with Bears Armed. Two of the top seeds not winning as expected. Sarzonia beat 2-1 and we lost to unranked Bohr like 5-1. Which meant after day 1, Bohr lead the table and we were like dead last.
Cherryl: Yeah, that was embarassing losing to an unranked team. It's the sort of scoreline expected from playing Valanora.
Alice: But it was our first game so it was the first game we actually played together against a real opponent
Cherryl: Well we're expected to lose games, might as well get that one out of the way.
Alice: But today we're back home, so we're expected to do better. Mind you depends who we play but luckily it was New Fernia and not some higher seed. You got the callup today.

Cherryl: I think because this is my home stadium, so I guess that makes sense.
Alice: Were the opposition surprised the opposition keeper was this short assed girl?
Cherryl: Yeah, makes no sense if you're from a normal football team putting such a small person as a keeper
Alice: Anyway, let's see what happened today on 2nd round of qualification. Hopefully better than last round!
Cherryl: We don't want a repeat of that one
Alice: Bongo Johnson hosted Doubeia today but no one got 3 points, with 2-2 draw. I guess that wasn't unexpected.

Cherryl: Don't we play Doubeia soon?
Alice: Yes, we face them in 2 rounds. Bears Armed took on Sarzonia, our bear friends meeting some real opposition today. Well, Bears Armed won 3-0! Sarzonia losing 3-0!
Cherryl: Well that's a surprise but then Bears Armed are a team to take seriously
Alice: Yes well after that game, you have to take them seriously.
Cherryl: We can't copy how Bears armed play anyway, it's not like we have 11 super bears on the field
Alice: Yeah, anyway. Valanora were at home and took on the high flying Bohr who won their last game 5-1. Sadly for Bohr they crashed back to earth losing 4-2. Well, that leaves us back coming to Jeruselem who lost 5-1 against an unranked team.

Cherryl: Hey, we won something.
Alice: Yeah we cannot complain about 4-1 win. Yeah I know the opposition is ranked 134 compared to losing an unranked team first game, it's good.
Cherryl: Well I guess I did my actual job today
Alice: It is your home stadium, no excuses
Cherryl: I guess the real test is playing overseas, but I'm only one person in the team
Alice: The rest of team played well today, compared to their last effort.

Cherryl: We learnt a lot from our first effort, hopefully we can improve.
Alice: You do got to Sarzonia to play next
Cherryl: I guess we have improve, they won't be so nice to us. On the field that is.
Alice: I guess it is going get harder as all opponents from now on are going be far harder
Cherryl: At least we have one win in the group.
Alice: Yeah, we got that out of the way. No one wants to be the one with no wins in a group.

Cherryl: I guess no one expects us to qualify, that's fine
Alice: We're here, we have a chance. It's not completely zero.
Cherryl: Well, I guess that applies to everyone in the cup.
Alice: That's it from our first broadcast for this cup at home, a much better effort from the team today.
Cherryl: We couldn't do worse I guess
Alice: See you all in Sarzonia where hopefully we can at least not look like idiots. If you missed watching this game, there is replay available soon as well as one for our last game as well but you don't really want to see that game.

[Yuugria]

Holy Warriors fall to Kanzilia 1-0 as offensive slump continues


Nangang,Yuezhou

By Hurshi Affas



Yuugria fell to Kanzilia 1-0 in the opening match of the Holy Warriors first ever World Cup as the offense struggled immensely. Overall it was a moderately good performance with the bloodthirsty Yuugrian Defenders playing their absolute best taking the pain and anger of the disappointing BOF 85 campaign on the unfortunate Kanzilian attackers but like the opening match day of the BOF campaign they fell in the last minute of the match.





First Half: Yuugria 0-0 Kanzilia


The first half was a defensive battle as the Kanzilians were meeting the Warriors for the first time they were not prepared. They attempted to push the defense hard and try to play physical and heavy attacking ball against them but they found out quickly that that was a mistake and it cost them a young player.


The Holy Warriors defense met the bold Kanzilians with brutal,effective and murderous force and intent. Bansa Bafalli immediately read the Kanzilian attacking position and yelled out the call. "BLUE BLUE BLUE" meaning attacking offense in position. That call was like activating a group of sleeper agents. Vikar Kinner absolutely smashed Sylverio van Coevorden as he attempted to drive it down. His brother Reiner also got mauled as Bansa Bafalli absolutely sent him back with a brutal push and slide to send him sprawling. He was very slow to get up but managed to shrug it off and continue although with a more conservative mindset. The first 10 minutes were a bloodbath as Kanzilia was getting tossed around by the Yuugrian Defenders as they cried for fouls on the brutal tackles. They still had the attacking position much to the dismay of the Kanzilian advancing fielders. In the 9th minute it happened. Young 21 year old prodigy Paulo Tiyan was pushing the ball. he tapped it quickly to Maurice Boma and rushed down the middle. Boma took it and played it quickly back along the ground to the speedy Tiyan. What they didn't notice was the entirety of the three defenders closing in fast around Tiyan as soon as he took it he was hit hard by Ishari Pal grinding his spikes on his legs. Tiyan almost lost his balance and then streaming in came Bansa Bafalli. At top speeds he rammed into Tiyan's joints. Tiyan was now in brutal pains as he took off in the air. The final blow was when he almost landed back on the ground Vikas Kinner came in and knocked in his knees again hitting the joints this time almost breaking his leg. Titan was down and clutched his battered leg in pain as he rolled around in the ground. He was immediately taken out and it was ruled a free kick and a yellow card.




The offense struggle immensely too. Against the young yet experienced Kanzilian defenders who had played in the world cup. Sallersto Bafio and Sammya Shag failed to get anything going as they couldn't get open and set up a chance on the defense. Zakar Usanao played brilliant passes but struggled against a one on one guarded situation losing the ball most of the time that happened. Faf An Hari played his usual brilliance setting up many chances but failed to convert on most of them as they closed. one close call was when An Hari Played a brilliant hard Pass to Bafio in the box but Bafio failed to fake out the keeper. An Hari also himself took it in the box and almost ALMOST had a goal but practically everyone was on him so a defender manage to clear it off the line just barely before it rolled in.






Second Half: Yuugria 0-1 Kanzilia




The Kanzilians changed up their whole strategy still maintaining a sort of attacking position but this time to slowly grind down the defense through passes, quick advances and fast yet calm and calculated play. It generated more chances but the Yuugrian defense were really good at intercepting passes so only a small dent was made in the defense. The offense was stagnant with Faf An Hari and Zakar Usanao doing their best to generate chances and rip apart the defense and they did generating many tough and almost chances but 2 men cant do everything on offense. An Hari's level of play was stunning and he put the Kanzilian Defense on the backfoot single handedly but they just could not catch a break or squeeze in a tight score.


The Defense continue to play with blood on their hands but fouls ticked up a little more this game as Bafalli and Molhammen Vi almost had close calls for a red card and same for Vikas Kinner. However striker Sylverio van Coevorden was giving the defenders trouble as he split them with good passes and took it himself for a couple close chances but keeper Kish Junne made 3 saves 2 of them being stunningly close as he had 2 one on ones with members of the Kanzilian offense.



The game winner was coming. Just like the first ever WCC sanctioned match against Dhemixia in the Baptism of Fire it looked like it was going to overtime all the way till the goal actually happened. Faf An Hari just barely almost snuck in a goal through a sea of defenders but Rick Zijlstra managed to get a hand on it and it banged off the goalpost. Ardentius van Coevorden scooped up the rebound and pushed it to Evert van Selm to start the attack. The midfielders slowly pushed it up the midfield playing extremely conservative passes and quickly got it off before a defender got to them. They slowly inched up the field with added time expiring soon. Boma suddenly rushed up the field and played a risky pass to substitute Patriano Pisaric who took it and fired it to Sylverio who was coming in from the corner he attempted to take it the middle but was crunched by Ishari Pal. He managed to get a feeble pass off to the middle which was taken by Pisaric who launched a desperate shot at the corner of the goal. It tonked in. Game. Kanzilian wins

[Busoga Islands]

President Delbin Kasekende Sr., sitting in a suite at Busoga's first home World Cup Qualifier, on Matchday 2

"Matchday 1... Was rough, to say the least. There's a learning curve that's going to be expected here." The President told his wife, while he was sitting in the suite. And the learning curve, of course, is steep. The Busoga Islands had a Matchday 1 trip to Esportiva, to take on Damukuni- a challenging opponent, in an intimidating venue. And it went about exactly as you would expect this sort of game to go, for this sort of nation- a 3-0 shellacking that the Islamic Republic received by the hands of Damukuni. They simply weren't really in the game by any stretch of the imagination- from beginning to end, they were picked apart. But most importantly, they seemed to wilt under the pressure of the spotlight. There was a lot of pressure on them, pressure that a lot of these guys simply haven't experienced, with most of these players playing in the lower divisions at the club level.

Even Emeline Millet, the manager, spoke about it after the match. "This team is better than this performance- but on this day, you cannot say that the scoreline was harsh. But you simply cannot simulate a players' first ever World Cup Qualifier, and none of these guys have put on this jersey, playing in a match with these kinds of stakes. This is something that we will continue to work upon as we improve the Busoga Islands as a footballing nation- as a project that needs to be improved upon. But you could see- the lights were bright, and players were not ready. Do not worry- this is not the typical performance. Now that we've seen it, we are going to adjust as necessary, and come hell or high water- we are going to be ready for Matchday 2, at home, against Lisander."

And on Matchday 2, here at home, with the President himself in attendance- the team came out guns a blazing. They started quickly, and never let up. The first goal of the campaign was one that the President would not soon forget. It came from a set piece, and Abu Sesay was standing over the ball. A 12th minute free kick, after Ayben Uzun had been fouled by a Lisander defender. Abu Sesay knew where he needed to place the ball, and he bent it up and over the wall, into the upper corner. Just 12 minutes in, grabbing an early 1-0 lead- and the small stadium here in Tezirbu exploding with ecstasy. Goal scored by the players who is going to be the star man, and an aesthetically pleasing one at that- who wouldn't want that?

They scored two more times in the first half, to make this a wrap going into the break. A great counter-attack had Abu Sesay assistingn Ayben Uzun for his first goal of the tournament, while Uthman ibn Jahwar, the other striker, drilled a diving header home to ensure a 3-0 lead going into the break. Everything was going perfectly- PResident Kasekende Sr. was joyous. And in his suite, he was thinking about the plan, Busoga 100. He knew that getting out of this group, ranked nearly 300 in the multiverse, was going to be a challenge. But he knew that they needed long-term focus. It was that vision- and games like today, where everything was coming together, that drove him.

[Panay Islands and Guimaras]

---

JUST A GOOD START FOR THE CARABAOS
Of the Godless and Hapilopper

Their first match against Of the Godless was a great win for Ávila's men. Some of the Panayense community here are cheering on for the blue and whites, with some instruments they have. And when the game starts, the Panayense team quickly dominated over a Godless defense where the Carabaos are breaking through for their first goal, which is scored by Gustavo Tiu. The Godless boys tried to break through, but no to avail as Ricalde, fresh from the Edsmon leagues, scored an another goal for the Panayenses and even did Messi's celebration as a way to say "thank you" to God. The next game was at Hapilopper City at Nathan Ellis Field, where the Hapilopperians play there. Before the game starts, the Panayense fans showed up at the stadium, bringing banners and instruments to cheer on the blue and whites. At the first half, a Hapilopperian player tried to get through the defense of Heo and Chiang, but instead he got fouled that led to a free kick goal by Gustavo Tiu that surprised the whole stadium. But the Hapilopperians responded with a goal of their own, nutmegging Ibarra. It was a neck and neck match for the Hapilopperians and the boys in blue. And when the 2nd half starts, the Sele boys are trying to intimidate the Hapilopperian defense, which they did alongside with a goal from Ricalde. The Hapilopperians are thinking about a new plan, that led to score some 2 goals to win over the boys in blue. "We just did our best to win it.", says Ávila. "But I hope that we could try to win our next 2 games as we can." The Carabaos will face Baker Park at the Paulino Alcántara Stadium and Yuezhou at Nangang.

[Vaishnavaria]

Nahal Nahari Convicted of terrorist activity, domestic violence and espionage sentenced to life




This Thursday famous legendary former player and Head Coach of the Vaishnavarian national football team Nahal Nahari was detained after evidence on him connecting the coach to the recent Help Earth Attacks in Abtha and Luzinburg and using his position as a legend and celebrity and the travels as a Head Coach to grow Help Earth Operations,decide Help Earth Attacks,meet with possible supporters and gain funds for the Help Earth cause.


Nahari was arrested at his oceanside luxurious home on Nerscott Bay Beach just off the shore by JVK and Vakr intelligence. He was interrogated and physically tortured for a short amount of time before he cracked. He revealed that he participated and orchestrated multiple Help Earth operations and used illegal funds. He participated in paramilitary activities in Tanzaka, engaged in a terror campaign against 50 Islander builders in Savva Island and engaged and secretly worked with GWV in West Vaishnavaria


Ravi Gahand has taken the Tigers to their first blowout win in this World Cup in other news as the Vaishnavarians blew out Yakk 5-2 with Alecsander Komich scoring a hat trick and Zakaraya Kar scoring 2 to blow out the Yakkerians in the opening match of the 98th world cup 5-2. The next match will be against #70 ranked Adab

[Eshialand]

Exhale, Inhale
Dhemixia 2-3 Eshialand
Saterun 0-1 Eshialand

"Kenny Morgan, sir, you're a goddamn exorcist!" Josh Seametzle had to say following the Owls' one-goal clean sheet against Saterun, and to a nation that was still recovering from the way their hopes were dashed in World Cup 97, it really did seem that way. Both of the draws that held them back in that finals had been avenged in the span of just six months. The demons were gone, and this team was able to move forward.

And all that after their opening match against Dhemixia had been far closer than anyone had been expecting, with the Owls prevailing by a single goal off the boot of Will Sandrie in the 75th. While they may've been by the tightest margins possible, this campaign had begun with two wins, showing that Kenny's CE gambit could also work on the multiversal stage.

Of course, the toughest challenge had yet to come, as their next opponents would be the first-seeded Saint Eleanor team, who had also won their first two games, but in a much more commanding fashion than the Owls: 6-0(!!!) against Patriotlandia, and 2-0 against Dhemixia. By no means would this be an easy win, but with the home field advantage, there was enough of a chance to make this winnable, and Kenny was going to try his hardest to hand Saint Eleanor their first qualifying loss in two and a half Eshian years.

Even the most skeptical Eshian soccer fans, the ones who would usually doubt anything management did with the team, were warming up to this team, their new faces, and their new performances. They were seeing what these Owls could do, and they were liking it a lot. Maybe, just maybe, they thought, this could end up happening.

---

Many thanks to SNL for sending this RP idea my way!

"So, are Josh and Karsten here?" Tournament Report's camerawoman, Jessica, asked as the time for the big Saint Eleanor match approached.
"Don't worry, I arranged the transport myself, got them a nice limo and everything. Everything is under control."

The newly-promoted producer of the show, Charlie, was not a man well-known for doing things the right way. While he was a cameraman, he tended to be more of a nuisance than a help, in fact. The only reason why he was brought on as a producer was in theory, so that less chaos could occur. Every time he touched the equipment that ENN needed, something went horribly wrong, so the solution, of course, was to have Jessica touching the equipment instead. Absolutely foolproof.

The limo arrived outside the SuperDome, and Charlie and Jessica rushed to get Josh and Karsten up to the press booth. There wasn't much time left before kickoff, and there was still a lot of prep to do before the show. The doors to the limousine opened, and Jessica's expression turned from one of hurry to one of absolute bewilderment, before quickly cycling to anger. "Charlie..."

"I have no clue who this is, but this sure isn't one of our commentators..."

The man who stepped out of the limo was neither Eshialand's beloved sportscaster, nor his perpetually-incompetent color commentator, but rather Danny Stehl, the nation's most popular... chess blogger. "Is this where the ship to Newport departs? 'Cause it doesn't look like we're at the port..."

"Charlie..." Jessica asked the soon-to-be-demoted producer, "who the heck is this and why is he here?"
"Don't tell me I mixed up the limos... oh dear Maggie... well, there's no time to fix this, and Josh and Karsten will be on the ferry by now anyway. We'll just have to make do with what we have; soccer is a rather simple sport to understand anyway!"
"Soccer, what do you mean soccer?" Danny asked, visibly distressed by what he was about to be dropped into. "Do I look like I'm an athletic guy? I play chess for a living for Maggie's sake!!!"
"Not today, today you're covering soccer... don't worry, it's like chess, but you get to touch some grass!"

[Sarzonia]

The conditions on the pitch at Friedgen Stadium were atrocious.

That wasn't in dispute as both the Sarzonian and Doubeian national football teams struggled with their footing. Air temperatures were consistently below zero Celcius and the wind chill made temperatures bite even more than usual.

However, Sarzonia appeared to play like a team that was used to the weather conditions and walked off the pitch with a 2-1 victory to open the World Cup 98 qualifying campaign in Group 17.

Unlike the abbreviated final training session, the Stars were wearing long sleeve T-shirts and gloves. The substitutes huddled near heaters on the sideline and manager Caleb Rush was wearing a hat and a winter coat on the sidelines.

"When you're sitting and watching, it's brutal," Rush said. "When you're out there on the pitch running around, it's a lot easier because you're thinking more about the action on the pitch and your body's moving. That's what I tried to impart from my playing days."

When advised that several Doubeian players grumbled about the conditions, Rush said "that doesn't concern me."

Incorporated Football Federation officials said the sport's governing body in Sarzonia has not received a request to move outdoor matches to either Mike Sarzo Stadium in Nicksia or the Iron Bowl in Portland, as both are domed stadiums.

"No one who's expecting to play outdoors has made that request," IFF chairman Zack Wilson said. "We're waiting for the all-clear on Nicole Lewis Stadium," he added.

Sarzonia (1-0-0) will travel to play Bears Armed, resuming a longtime rivalry.

"That's the thing about this group,' Spencer Wilson, forward and younger son of Zack Wilson, who scored one of Sarzonia's two goals along with Kitt Morgan, said. "We've got Bears Armed, Jeruselem, who was our first opponent in a World Cup qualifying match ever, and you've got Valanora in this group. It's going to be interesting, that's for sure."

[Chromatika]

Matchday 1: Chromatika 3-0 Kronbia @ Frozen Stadium, Felswyr, Mountain District (Cap. 32,000)
Goals: Howard-Dawes 31', Xuen-Zhukov 60', Fillar, E. 84'
Starting Lineup: Fillar, J. (C); Coulibaly - Jackson-Jones - Nodis; Fillar, G. - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Françine-Miklavivec; Xuen-Zhukov - Howard-Dawes.
Substitutes: Paterson -> Coulibaly (51'), Lethbridge-Antonio, C. -> Jackson-Jones (51'), Haitou -> Fillar, G. (69'), Prenn -> Fillar, B. (69'), Bittencourt -> Xuen-Zhukov (81')

Matchday 2: Chromatika 1-1 Bir Matras Hawks' Nest, Lanar, Rainbow District (Cap. 112,000; 44,200 Seats)
Goal: Fillar, B. 19'
Starting Lineup: Fillar, J. (C); Coulibaly - Jackson-Jones - Nodis; Fillar, G. - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Françine-Miklavivec; Xuen-Zhukov - Howard-Dawes.
Substitutes: Saburo -> Nodis (53'), Fucheux -> Howard-Dawes (53'), Þyrill -> Françine-Miklavivec (66'), Mátyás -> Fillar, E. (66'), Mesic-Mizayaki -> Larriet-Cortes (74')

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Roster Selection for Matchdays 3 & 4
Starting XI: Fillar, J. (C); Coulibaly - Jackson-Jones - Nodis; Fillar, G. - Larriet-Cortes - Fillar, B. - Fillar, E.; Françine-Miklavivec; Xuen-Zhukov - Howard-Dawes.
Reserves: GK Hailee Sourtois, GK Jill Swanson, DCR Paisley Paterson, DC Rowan Harry, DCL Uemura Saburo, DCL Hélène Ataciara, WBR Ibayashi Haitou, WBL Nemes Mátyás, DLP Alija Mesic-Mizayaki, CDM Jayla Lethbridge-Antonio, AM Maddie Prenn, AM Þyrill Bjarnhéðinsson, AF Marietta Fucheux, AF Adélaïde Bittencourt, CF Harriet Baïe-Verte.

Will Chromatika Ever be Free?

By: Ezekiel de Amaris, Political Correspondent

A little more than a quarter century ago, a group of people overthrew an oppressive apartheid, color-caste government behind a group of internet activists and sportspeople who embraced becoming political figures to usher in a new age to this country that we call Chromatika. The heroics of the Rainbow Revolution, the actions of the Rainbow Writers, and the sacrifices made by the Chromatika Anomalies football team and their Manager, Franscesca Larriet-Cortes cannot be understated. They will be remembered for as long as Chromatika continues to exist - but it could now be stated that even the late Larriet-Cortes herself would be turning over in the grave if she were aware of what was going in in the country.

Since the first Premiership - where Alina Krasnikova presided over the country as an emergency appointee after the Revolution - Chromatika hasn't had a single peaceful transition. Banijan officials needed to be present during the first election, where Keri Wyse Aart was able to prevail - with help from the extraplanar entities from The Plane of Possibility, whose impact is still being studied to this day. Then, the defection of the Rainbow Party to form the New Light Party, the ensuing election of Hélène Embroise to become the third Premier, and the years of power that that Party had over the country has now been exposed as having been orchestrated by The Shadow Hand, a darknet fringe group who viewed the current Chromatik government as not doing enough to make up for the sins of the past nor safeguarding the future.

Now, Chromatika enters the second year of being presided over by a Security Council. The Council has numerous times stated that it would cede power over to the new Premier once the corruption caused by the Shadow Hand and the New Light Party has been thoroughly investigated and rooted out. The longer the investigative period grows, however, more and more people have started to question if the country could be headed into another era of being ruled over by group of people who weren't appointed by the people. More and more people are saying that the investigative process needs to be revealed to the public, and a final date set for when the next election to actually put a candidate voted on by the people will take place.

There are three major obstacles to overcome if Chromatika will ever be truly free, and each one poses a unique set of challenges. First, there's the matter of precedence. The Chromatik spirit has been shaken when it comes to free elections. Their first foray had to be handheld by a foreign power (even one as friendly as Banija) along with some mystic circumstances to happen at all. Then, an election happened where it looked like true democracy won - The New Light Party did only win by the slimmest of margins, after all - to only be revealed years later that a shadow organization had had a hand in the entire ordeal. Now, the populace have been subjected to years of living under special rule while being told that the culprits are being apprehended. It will take at least two cycles of things happening without much issue for the Chromatik public to start believing that voting works at all.

Secondly, the shift in power has really made a change in Chromatik political theatre. Sure, the Rainbow Party does hold a slim margin of power now, but the evaporation of the New Light Party (who had evaporated the Chromatik Party) means that the Spade Party (Socialists) and the Red Party have gained even more of a following. Then, there are now the Environmental Directive, a party made of people who say that Chromatika must go green to save the planet, and perhaps the most threatening party of them all - the Party for the Future of Chromatika.

This new Party, formed by a wealthy businesswoman in Sharon Prine - who came into her wealth after her grandfather passed, leaving behind a sizeable fortune - can be described as isolationist, Chromatik-first, and ultra-conservative. She doesn't have any prior history with the Chromatik Party nor the Shadow Hand, but her presence has drawn in those who believe that Chromatika should stay to themselves while figuring out things internally. Even though the party has only been around for more than a year, it's grown tenfold in terms of followers. Keep an eye out for the PFC.

Finally, there's the international pressure. Yes, none of the closest allies of Chromatika - Quebec and Shingoryeo, Banija, Cosumar, and Tumbra, to name a few - have a direct say into the politics of Chromatika. However, there is no denying how dependent Chromatika has become to the Anaian market for food (the Heartland cannot produce enough to support the entire country), to other places for technology and materials, and to their allies to help sway the Chromatik populace that Chromatika can be trusted. It's not the smartest thing to rely on foreign influence, but when used sparingly and in the right places, it can be absolutely the right move - provided that there aren't too many strings attached.

So, what awaits Chromatika in the near future when it comes to politics? They need to trust the Security Council to complete its work - provided that the Security Council completes that work in a timely manner. They need to garner the public's trust by having an election take place without too much trouble. They need to keep an eye on the growing influence of the PFC, and they need to make sure that the foreign influences remain just that and not direct pressures.

Shouldn't be too much problem for a country still dealing with the growing pains of being a new free nation, right? History has proven otherwise - but if there was ever a time to start getting better at standing on its own two feet, the time is now,