Eternal Harmony - Cup of Harmony 90 Everything Thread

[Oberour Ar Moro]

Andre Decastilhon hadn't shaved since he left the Dominion. In his Valanora hotel room mirror, he couldn't help but notice that some gray hairs were starting to colonize his beard.

"I'm only 29," he complained to the universe, pushing his head closer to the glass, examining his face further. The universe, unmoved, remained silent.

Andre hadn't felt that old previously. He understood that, as all footballers do, that it's a younger man's game. But he was the top choice of the Obeorur Ar Moro national football team, even if he fell off he was still going to be alright.

But then he had to play alongside, deep breath, Jacques-Maurice Destelan de Saint-Joseph at sweeper. And that was wearing Andre out.

Jacques-Maurice was three years younger than Andre. But that wasn't doing it, no no.

He is a giant of a footballer, broad shoulders, muscled arms, standing 198 centimeters. He was even 15 centimeters taller than goalkeeper Likael Qualandreeur, the Dragoons second-tallest player.

And he was a classic, typical Oberour sweeper. He was regime-connected (grandfather had served in the Ministry of Trade, uncle won a medley of awards for service in the Army. Jacques-Maurice had served in the military, playing at a high level for the Oberour Ar Moro military academy.

Andre would look at Jaques-Maurice and imagine him as the model of a marble statue. Preferably something allegorical, involving flowing robes and snakes trod underfoot.

And Jacques-Maurice was even an archetypical Oberour Sweeper in that he was a complete defensive liability.

In Oberour football every position had specific roles and locations and jobs, while the Oberour Sweeper had almost complete freedom. They started behind the left and right backs and could find their way all the way up to the opposing goal. If they collaborated with their teammates, awesome. If they actually worked defensively to freeze an opposing attack, great. If they could dribble the ball single-footedly 100 meters and score, it would be the greatest play of all time.

Jacques-Maurice was a Sweeper who dribbled the ball forever, while Andre had a minimal interest in defense. That must be why he was tired, he ran way more in the Oberour side of the pitch making up for Jacques-Maurice's errors. But Jacques-Maurice had scored a solid amount of goals in qualifying, and made his penalty kick in the playoff against Kamijiro. Andre hadn't got a chance in that shootout, to his great chagrin.

Andre sighed and pulled out his shaving cream. He was about to head to the Oberour Ar Moro first Cup of Harmony match against Vetrahjart, and he needed to look at least somewhat presentable. The spray was foamed, and applied, and Andre washed his hands and pulled out his razor. And immediately cut himself.

Andre cursed, and looked back into the mirror. "Strong start," he said tiredly.

[Saterun]

The Other Guys: Part One

Chasing Waterfalls

*Note: For the next four or so matchdays, I'm going to deviate a little bit from standard Saterun roleplaying and focus on people not involved in the national team squad. Well, not really involved. These are some tales of the players who (almost) made the cut for the WC Cycle 98 squad. TG me if you get the reference!

Luciano Nazeretian sat back in his chair. The squad for WCQ 98 had just been announced, and he didn't feature. He sighed heavily, before finally getting up. There was no doubt that he was a quality left-back, but Saterun was notorious for having an overabundance of depth at the left-back position. The A Liga was stacked at the position, with good players struggling to even break into the top half teams. It took special people, like Avishai Demare or Rodrygo Sienna, to really stand out. Those two, along with Ruben De Santiago, had been called up for the national team. To Be clear, Luciano's life and career weren't in any way bad. He was the starting choice at Xaiv 1919, a very respectable club, and had gotten the news that he hadn't made the NT inside of a multi-million penthouse in Xaiv's ritzy Seaside district. He really couldn't complain.

However, there had always been a longing to represent his country at the highest level. He was 29, and at a position that valued speed highly, his time was slipping away. Was there anything he could do that would lift him onto the national team? Just as he was walking into his kitchen, his phone buzzed. It was Kameron Boyd, the NT manager. Luciano wondered what this could mean. Deep down, he had a hope of what he was about to hear, but he stifled it before he could get disappointed. Tenderly, he answered the call. "Luciano Nazeretian? Hello, it's Kameron." The Saterun boss was famous for being on a first-name basis with everyone. "One of our leftbacks has been showing some signs of muscle fatigue, and we're not sure if he will make it through the qualifying cycle. If you're not too busy, I'd love to have you come up to Daxler for the pre-cycle training camp. We can get a look at you and then decide where you fit in our plans."

Luciano's heart leapt. It was here. A real chance to break into the national team setup. He knew he had to take this chance. He quickly confirmed that he would be there, and immediately after the call ended he began searching up plane tickets to Omar Marja airport in Daxler. Just as he found a few flights, his phone buzzed again. This time, Kameron had sent a text message. He had linked a pre-paid plane ticket. If this was how the NT always treated you, Luciano could get used to it. Three days later, he touched down in Daxler around mid-morning. The entire flight, he had been anticipating what would happen. After he stepped out of the gate, he couldn't believe what he saw. Kameron had personally been waiting for him, and greeted him before showing him to the car. Luciano hadn't even seen his club boss, Leonardo Bianchi, for about a week after he had signed. As every minute passed, Luciano wanted this more and more.

Kameron brought to the team's main training facility in the Rechembau district of Daxler. The place was state-of-the art, teeming with staff and security. Kameron led Luciano to where a training session was currently underway. It appeared to be a six-a-side matchup, each team with two defenders, one midfielder, and two forwards. Kameron pointed to a shorter defender on one of the teams. "As I'm sure you know, that's Ruben De Santiago. He's a fine player, really world-class, but he's had injury struggles in the past and we're not sure if he'll be fit for the campaign. I want you to go out and show what you can do, so that we can review our options." Luciano nodded. "Lisa!" Kameron called. "Let's get Luciano in next." Lisa Lleget, the assistant coach, motioned for Luciano to step in to the match. Weirdly, he wasn't replacing De Santiago. He took the place of Matt Saez, and the game resumed.

Luciano had played against most of these guys in the A Liga before, but going against six of the best Saterun had to offer was unreal. For the first few minutes, he mostly scrambled around, trying to get in the game. One thing he started to notice, however, was the quality of De Santiago. This guy was on another level, but Luciano really wanted to get into the team. After a few minutes, he settled into his role, and even assisted a goal. He saw Kameron smile. Meanwhile, De Santiago was getting more and more frustrated with a few mistakes. Luciano could feel his place solidifying. After about five minutes in the game, De Santiago burst down the sidelines. Luciano closed in, and slid in to make a tackle. Complete this, and he would likely have his spot. However, he felt something weird. He saw in De Santiago's eyes that he also knew the significance of this tackle. At the last moment, Luciano stopped his leg from fully extending. De Santiago skipped past him, and managed to score a few seconds later.

After that, Luciano had been mild at best. He knew he hadn't made the cut, and thanked Kameron for the opportunity before the head coach had a chance to tell him. That night, he was back on a place to Xaiv. He was still unsure of why he pulled back. He had that tackle in his grasp, no doubt. He could have made it. Maybe a part of him knew that De Santiago deserved that NT spot. Luciano had been chasing national team status since he started playing, but maybe it wasn't meant to be. Once he finally got back to his apartment, after midnight, he felt confident about his decision. Some things weren't meant to be sought.

… Don't go chasin' waterfalls
Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you're used to
I know that you're gonna have it your way or nothing at all
But I think you're moving too fast

[Recuecn]

The night before the ÉNRF left for Valanora, the Firauts had Hyron LeBouffe over for dinner. It had been Gerauld's idea—as team captain, he knew he'd be working even more closely with the new manager than the rest of his teammates, and he thought it was worth putting in a little extra effort to try to start things off on the right foot.

There were four of them at dinner: Gerauld, his wife Samantha, their thirteen-year-old daughter Rébecca, and of course Hyron. Rébecca had tried to convince her parents to invite Franky Adams, too. The équipe nationale striker had become a good family friend after so many years on the team with Gerauld, but Gerauld had told Rébecca that he didn't want Franky to "overwhelm" Hyron. It was true Franky was much more energetic than Gerauld—perhaps that was why Rébecca liked him so much. Or perhaps being a striker was just flashier than being a goalie.

When it came to Hyron, Rébecca seemed unimpressed. She had taken far less time than her parents to form an impression of the new manager, seeing no reason to withhold judgment. Not that she had any problem with him. On the whole she just seemed rather nonplussed by him, despite his obvious efforts to endear himself to her. Hyron talked to her in much the same way he spoke to the team when he addressed them: with a large, forced smile, an overenthusiastic tone, and far too many questions.

Gerauld watched his teenage daughter effortlessly but uninterestedly field all of Hyron's questions while he attempted to make small talk. Gerauld had noticed that Rébecca was a remarkably keen judge of character. He thought back to her impressions of the previous ÉNRF managers. Like everyone else who had ever met him, she had adored Jacques Tremblay. She had avoided Bonheur Relié, clearly put off by him—indeed, in Gerauld's opinion, Bonheur was often needlessly antagonistic, but Rébecca had somehow sensed this without the coach's animus ever being directed at her. And then of course the most recent manager was Heissler, the loveable care bear, of whom Rébecca had only had good things to say.

For his own part, Gerauld felt a responsibility as team captain to ensure a harmonious relationship with the team manager, no matter who that might be. If he had any negative thoughts about the coach, he kept them to himself, and in fact often tried to help his teammates see things from their coach's point of view whenever there had been any disagreement. Gerauld was a peacemaker.

Hyron was sort of the same way, Gerauld thought, except that it was not that he was a peacemaker—he was just very conciliatory. Maybe it was only a difference of method. Gerauld preferred direct communication and openly addressing issues in hopes of solving them. Hyron seemed more likely to just change his opinion and let himself be walked all over in an effort to avoid conflict. Maybe that worked for someone as mild-mannered as Hyron, but Gerauld thought that if ever the manager found himself in a situation where he had to mediate an argument between two of his more strong-willed players, his peacenik ways might be lacking too much realism to be effective.

Gerauld realized he was zoning out and tried to pay more attention to what his family and Hyron were discussing.

"Are you going to be coming to Valanora to watch the tournament, young lady?" Hyron asked Rébecca.

"No," said Rébecca.

"She and I will be staying here in Reçueçn to celebrate her birthday," said Samantha, in an effort to save the dying conversation from Rébecca's heartless indifference.

"That sounds like a lot of fun!" said Hyron, with his eternal wide smile. "How old will you be?"

"Fourteen," said Rébecca.

"Wow, congratulations!" said Hyron. "Do you have any fun plans for your birthday?"

"No," said Rébecca.

"Chérie, tell him about the visit to the ministry." Samantha made another attempt at conversational resuscitation. Hyron needs to learn to ask more open-ended questions if he wants more than a one-word response out of Rébecca, she thought.

"Maman and I are going to visit the ministry of sport," said Rébecca. She poked the food on her plate with her fork.

"That sounds right up your alley!" Hyron was certainly making up for Rébecca's lack of enthusiasm. "I've heard you're a very sporty girl."

"We're very excited about it," said Samantha, speaking for her daughter, but as she did, Rébecca grunted in disagreement and shook her head. "Well, I thought we were..."

"Mon chou, you don't want to go to see the ministry anymore?" asked Gerauld.

"Franky won't be there," said Rébecca. "I thought Franky was going to take me."

"Franky Adams?" asked Hyron, seemingly a little surprised, unaware that Rébecca was so close with Reçueçn's star striker. Gerauld nodded. "Well Franky is going to be in Valanora with me and your dad for the Cup of Harmony," said Hyron. He sounded a little condescending, but he tried to soften it. "We need him at the tournament."

"It was his birthday present in the first place," grumbled Rébecca, seemingly unwilling to excuse Franky's absence despite his reasons.

"That's true," said Samantha. "It was very kind of him." She explained to Hyron how a couple years ago, Franky had worked part time at the ministry of sport. For now, Franky had gone back to full-time professional soccer, but he'd had a quarter life crisis and had felt and urgent need to figure out what his career would be after he retired from playing. He hoped to return to working for the ministry some day, and had stayed in touch with his connections there. That was how he'd been able to request a guided tour for Rébecca for her birthday. Only because, of course, Rébecca's birthday always fell during whatever soccer tournament was happening on a given summer, Franky would be unable to go along with her. Instead it would be Samantha going along.

Samantha realized as she explained all this to Hyron that she wasn't particularly excited about visiting the ministry. She'd been to the FNRF headquarters once or twice to attend galas with Gerauld, and assumed the ministry was more of the same—endless conference rooms and offices, very dull and stale—a far cry from the excitement of the soccer pitch. It was hard to imagine that FNRF headquarters had anything to do with the vibrant sport, and surely the ministry headquarters would be even more stodgy. But if Rébecca wanted to go, Samantha would go along.

"I still want to go, even if Franky won't be there," Rébecca announced. "I have something I need to tell the minister."

[The Ko-orenite Constellation]

The day of the vote. Twenty leaders assemble to vote on the charter to ratify a shared framework and get started on the actual first chapter of the Constellation. So far, it's just been the anacrusis. Feedback on the charter was given by the potential member states, changes were made - or postponed to the Constellation Council - and it was made very clear that membership of the Constellation was subject to accepting the charter.

Vote yes and you're in, vote no and set back integration years.

Some territories were more hesitant to accept the charter as is, but with so many potential members, those issues are sure to arise. Where those doubts arose because of a societal thing - an entire parliament voicing its doubts, a clause clashing with existing legislation, or god forbid a referendum among parts of the population - those doubts could be put to a vote in the Council after ratification. Where those doubts arose because of single leaders trying to protect their individual interests... well, those territories had bigger problems than just the Constellation charter. But for those territories especially, the Constellation could offer a brighter future, free from lingering autocracy.

Unsurprisingly, those leaders tried to grab attention ahead of the vote.

The Dhidiyah Conference, leading to the adoption of the charter (formally named the Treaty of Dhidiyah, but nobody would call it that), was opened according to plan by Irithoreni prime minister Zeina Fizairdah. All leaders then had the opportunity to speak up, that is, offer some soundbytes for the press to show how unanimous the process was at this point. Though when the head of state of Chanmingoren, Zi Wang*, took the podium... look, he wasn't going to shut down the operation, but he did take the opportnity to voice his complaints one last time. "The tyranny by majority that this exact charter promises to end" was a favourite phrase.

In the press rooms, journalists called not just to have the words translated, but interpreted. "The charter promises meritocracy and an end to old, ineffective ways of working, but to get there, you have to comply, or else." Words that might not have hit particularly hard in Chanmingoren and its long history of meritocracy, but words that did hurt in Arhoren, Zakhoren, Shahrbanoren, and Isidoren, territories with bloody histories regarding failed democracies and oligarchs.

Some of their leaders already took the stage, but not Shahrbanoren, so Shahruz Rajabian bided his time. When it was finally his turn, as the twentieth and last, he kept to his script until the final few seconds. "And to end the tyranny by majority, which costed so many lives in Shahibad. In Nishaveh. In Kermalam. In Khadaj. And in Javajan. And countless other cities, towns, and villages. To end that, that is why we are here. This is not just justifying the means. This is starting a new hopeful era for Shahrbanoren**." Maybe not the impact Rajabian had imagined, but he got the point across for whoever was watching this at home, he thought.

The vote was next. No leader would be dumb enough to exit the Constellation now, right?

Right. Twenty votes for, zero against. The Constellation now exists. Applause from the conference hall and the various staff rooms. Applause from Ko-orenite foreign minister Judson Shiduhthen, guest of honour, but without a vote. This was the Constellation's doing, by itself, for itself.

*as is standardised in official Constellation documents: given name, then family name.
** Rajabian would have said Shahrbanstan, as it's locally and officially known. Shahrbanoren is, of course, the Gehrennan version.

A short history of the Constellation
Treaty of Thelesra: A Ko-orenite proposal to commit a handful of territories (Arhoren, Irithoren, Synephoren, Taloren) to meritocratic, equal, and green ideals (ratified).

Treaty of Ntu: A failed attempt to kickstart integration under Ndugutisaorenian ideals (not put to a vote) where Mercatoren and Chanmingoren walked away from the negotiation table. Territories originally in the Treaty of Thelesra sidelined.

Treaty of Ayokhla: An effort by smaller territories (Bandar Cang Prathoren, Uruashoren, Shahrbanoren) to get everyone back in one building (ratified). Leverage taken away from Ndugutisaoren, Mercatoren, Chanmingoren.

Treaty of Dhidiyah: Recognition of the Charter and equalling 'ratifying the charter' to 'membership of the Constellation' (ratified).

[Ralsalin]

And let's appreciate Randin Kirtiman Asier too! This man carried the Ralsalien national team to their first point in the Cup of Harmony. But let's back to the beginning. Entering the game, Seibold von Niermann totally outplayed himself. Even after he spent two days watching Bears Armed' games in the World Cup qualification and the friendly match against Jeruselem to think about the posible strategy, he stil didn't know what to do against although humanoid, but bears, who are more stronger that usual people and also had several players considerably taller even then tallest Ralsalien player, 198-centimeter (6' 6") reserve goalkeeper Riku Maiyenkar. Von Niermann was questioned by their "harrdiharr" pre-match dance that he earlier saw only on video and deep into his thoughts, Absolutely Insane Grandfather saw Bears Armed's attack on 9th minute, which led to a goal from Rusana, that made Bears Armed lead 1-0. This beginning was not promising something good for the Kinghts.
But on the 14th minute, a sudden epiphany came to von Niermann's mind. He realized, although Ralsalin is playing against Ursines, they are not driven by instincts and don't have so much difference from humans, as he earlier thought. That meant that a tactic, that was used against usual football teams, could be possibly used against Bears Armed, and there is no need in overthinking at all. It was like a soild weight fell from his mind and shoulders. After that relief, von Niermann returned back to normal self, and with him, the players also started to play with less worryings. On 39th minute, Mungain Sengendwara found Randin Kirtiman Asier in the penalty area with the pass, and then Kirtiman Asier equalised the score, 1-1. In the halftime, von Niermann told his players to play more "bravely" and not be afraid. And this talk delivered some results, as after the second half started, Randin Kirtiman Asier scored his second goal, making Ralsalin in the lead, 1-2! Although, this lead olnly lasted for 18 minutes, as on the 69th minute, Jirrehe varh-Joirrie equalised the score, 2-2. Still, this draw was also enough for Ralsalien players to celebrate and dance in the locker room, as they managed to secure a point from the top-60 team.

COH-90. MATCHDAY 1.
RALSALIN 2-2 Bears Armed

Ralsalin goals:
1-1 - Kirtiman Asier (Sengendwara) 39'
2-1 - Kirtiman Asier 51'

GK Gosens
LB Meine 
CB Shindeberg 
CB Tõru  ↓ 82'
    (Suta ↑ 82')
RB Aniko 
CM Astafjevs 
CM Heen
CM Kirtiman Asier - 2G ↓ 67'
    (Ainwal ↑ 67')
LW (C) von Erlaid 
RW Sengendwara - 1A
CF Menon ↓ 74'
   (Blagonadeždins ↑ 74')

Reserves: Maiyenkar, Rosengarten, Mungain-Dehane, Gaikar, Veerman, Titov, Minsen-Dwarasen, Tikhonov, Muktupāvels.

As von Niermann secured a draw against a team that is 103 positions higher in the ranking then Ralsalin, he can dance.

The hardest matches are scheduled for Ralsalin right on the beginning of the tournament. On the next matchday, Ralsalin will face even more higher-ranked nation, Zwangzug. The team from pot 1 is ranked 37th. Ludwig Heentodehain finally became sober after that win against StrayaRoos in the qualification, and now arrived to Valanora as a correspondent, to ask Seibold von Niermann some questions.

Ludwig: Mister coach, as you delivered... the happiness again for our nation...what are you thinking about your next matches?
Seibold: We will have Zwangzug on matchday 2, the top team in our group that also had an additional rest day. Losing like 0-1 or 0-2 already will be a good result, 
although we all want some miracles to happen. But let's fucking think... oh, sorry. Let's think more logically. 
After the match against Zwangzug we will have a bye and several days of rest to recover for the matches 
that I concider more imporant. Those are matches against Delaclava and Vaishnavaria, teams from pots 3 and 4. 
If we managed to get a draw against Bears Armed from pot 2, I think, there is nothing impossible to gets some points 
in the fights with those nations, if all players will be as concentrated as they were today.
Ludwig: Why Aivars Suta... entered the game only at 84th minute? Why you did not... put him into starting 11? Are you not... 
supporting our Benevolent Grandmaster?
Seibold: At first, on 82nd minute. At second, go fucking away. I smell vodka from you.

Oh no, Heentodehain is not sober.

MD2 vs. Zwangzug: Gosens - Meine, Mungain-Dehane, Tõru, Aniko (VC) - Astafjevs, Heen, Kirtiman Asier - von Erlaid (C), Minsen-Dwarasen, Menon.
Substitutes: Maiyenkar, Rosengarten, Suta, Shindeberg, Gaikar, Veerman, Ainwal, Titov, Sengendwara, Tikhonov, Blagonadeždins, Muktupāvels

[Bears Armed]

(Here are some more entries from the diary of footballer Steffannee Bruin, although with exact dates omitted due to the difficulty of matching calendars bearing in mind differing time-flows in different nations… Also, please remember that for the Bears the CoH takes place in the year after the second half of the World Cup qualifying process.)

(late evening, just after the friendly match against Jeruselem; this is actually a direct continuation of the diary entry with which I concluded my previous post [] but I ran ut of time when typing that up...)
Goal #4: Arra O Hara (She had already run forwards, but not quite into an offside position. Jeruslem's goalie -- they'd substituted in Djana Dokic at half-time, to smell whether she could manage better than their starting goalie for that match (the less-experienced Cheryl Dallas) did before the break -- kicked the ball out hwhen saving a shot by Urrma, and Arra was in the right place to send it back at and past her,,,, between her legs, in fact,) (38th moment)
Goal#5: Urrma herslf, this time, with a power shot that Dokic simply couldn't stop; assist from Marra O Redbank, hhwom Dokic might have been expecting to shoot directly instead of pass to Urrma as she was facing Marra more than she was Urrma hwhen the shot went in. (47th moment)
Goal#6: Kara Brent, shortly after being brought on to replace Urrma (hwho was looking a bit tired) now that the latter had at least scored her goal. Assist from Marra O Redbank, with hwhom she'd been passing the ball to-&-fro, into the top right corner of the net. (57th moment)

(Evening of the Belles' first match in the Cup of Harmony, the 2-2 draw against Ralsalin. This is only the end of the diary entry, I won't bother rec-capping the game itself as Ralsalin has already RPed about it...)
The real drama came after the game, though. Mum diagnosed the problem that had rresulted in Emerladina needing to be pulled off of the field 9 moments before the nd of regular time as a hamstring injury, and so she'll have to miss at least the Belles' next game... and will prrobably be out of play for even longer than that. This leaves ourr girls rrather lacking in the Midield department. I can't return to the squad in my current condition, of course, and Karra Bronze was the only other midfielder included... She'll move up to starter, I suppose, although she normally prefers to play on the right hwhereas Ermaladina played on the left. Fortunately Arra is adaptable to switch sides hokay. Karra isn't as fast on her feet as she used to be, though, and that leaves urrs without any other "dedicated" midfielders to step in if she needs replacing... I suppose that one of the other of our "spare" Lynchpins will have to do so, so prrobably both of them will be on the bench for ourr next match.
Urrgah, I'm starting to sound like a coach... or maybeso a sports reporter instead! It's a "No thank you" to both of those career options, for me, for true.

__________________________________________________________

OOC notes

"for true" = "definitely".

[Patriotlandia]

Managerial change brings success in first match of the Cup of Harmony

After a fifth failure to qualify for the World Cup, the Patriotlandian Soccer Partnership and Jean Alexandre Carignan parted ways leaving former assistant coach Adélard Rolland in charge for the Cup of Harmony. "It's not going to be easy for the staff and players to deal with the change so close to the start of the tournament but every one here is a professional and has handled this sort of thing before", said the new manager before the first match. The timing of the change might have surprised some but the rumors about discord between the managerial team and the PSP over results were well known. President of the PSP, Caroline Williams, explained in an press conference, that the time was right as it leaves plenty of time for Adélard to show his strengths before a permanent manager is chose. The PSP has not yet pushed aside the idea of hiring an international manager with World Cup experience to mold the national team into contenders. "We have just cracked the Top 100 in rankings and we want to grow our program to compete with the best. We are committed to invested in grassroots programs to develop the next generation of players and managers, but sometimes the experience has to come from the outside. We believe we have the personnel to get results at the upcoming Cup of Harmony and we hope all of our fans will get behind the team once more and cheer them on."

The first duel of the tournament placed the Patriotlandian national team against Indusse. The team looked fired up from the start putting pressure on the ball and taking a significant amount of possession time. Glenn Wils opened the scoring at the 6th minute mark, shedding his defender in the box before heading a cross in. Indusse replied in the 12th minute and things looked like they would be back to the standard of high scoring affairs from the previous World Cup qualifying but, in the end, the game turned out to be one sided. The Bleus continued to provide ample pressure and overwhelmed Indusse's midfield. Fortinello would score two before halftime and the flurry of goals continued up to the final whistle with the national team up 6-2. "You can't really find many faults in tonight's match", said Adélard Rolland. "I think the players felt they had to prove their worth tonight. I didn't tell them anything special really, I am usually a calming force in the locker room but the players definitely spoke to each other to have a promising start. It is certainly nice to not start on the back foot and we will look to keep the momentum going next match."

[Omerica]

.

[Drawkland]

Short recap in case you didn't follow the previous RPs from this storyline

The Elite Eleven, a group of eleven Drawkian athletes who obtained their modern fame through exhibitions and taking the reins as Drawkland's national soccer team for several cycles, returned to the pitch as the men's team in the summer Olympic Games. The most notable of the Elite's abilities, besides embarrassing themselves on the field, is their incredible endurance and versatility. They revealed a few years ago that this was not due to outstanding conditioning or genetic luck, but rather extensive training done over several hundred years, as all eleven members of the team are immortal, similar to Drawkland's founding leaders.

While their immortality was now public, there is much information about immortals which must be kept confidential for security reasons. Many years ago, the Immortals Accords organization was founded to assist Drawkland's immortal residents with keeping their identities or histories secret due to this need. During the Olympic Games, though, the Elite experienced what may be a breach. Very personal information about Dominic Southers, one of the Elite's members, was posted in an oft-derided tabloid in Drawkland. Normally one would ignore such sensationalized stories, but the information was far too personal and accurate to be mere coincidence. Worried about the ramifications of a potential breach, Elias Keys of the Elite took it upon himself to track down who could've obtained this information. More importantly, he wanted to know why.

Elias did manage to find the "how" - a keepsake gifted to a member of the Elite while spectating events at the Games appeared on second look to be some sort of recording and transmitting device. With the help of Grid Corps national team member Leo Cross and the son of Drawkland's founder, Lerocav, Elias tracked down the receiving end of the transmitting device in a motel in Hamilton, Electrum. They didn't find the person who planted the recording device, and couldn't track it any further without blowing their cover. Their leads came up dead, and they were left hoping it was an isolated incident.

It wasn't an isolated incident. Months later at the Independents Cup, Nicole Warren of the Kick Corps received a similar keepsake, a keychain with her name and number on it gifted from a fan. After inspection, it was revealed that this too was recording and sending information to another device in the hotel. Jaxon Madison of the Elite decided on the course of action. They'd try two ways to track down the perpetrator: intentionally give incorrect and specific information in range of the device to see if that information would end up anywhere in the future, and try to physically locate the spot where the device was sending information.

That information did come, but not for months later, and not the information they expected to plant. A rather gossipy tidbit about Sarah Arrowsword's love life was revealed in a tabloid, and with no logical place that information could've come from, it implied that it came from their "intentional" leak, even though it wasn't the incorrect information they expected to see leaked. After months of failed investigation, the Elite Eleven are now ready to resort to more direct action to track down the stalker(s).

RAYNOR CITY, VALANORA
"I'm pretty proud of this purchase." Ross Hunter announced as his slid the laptop out of his computer bag.

"It's a burner laptop. Are you expecting me to be impressed?" Elias Keys raised an eyebrow sarcastically, but his eyes betrayed some curiosity.

"Listen, there's an art form to this. Finding the right specs for the right price is great. The most power I can get from it without being financially pissed if I lose it." Ross opened up the laptop, going through the boot and setup process.

"Wow, a fresh install?" Elias leaned forward to take a closer look. "Haven't even set up the user profile yet?"

"Nope. Jaxon said he wanted it as untraceable as possible, well here you go." Ross pulled a flash drive out of his bag and waved it in front of Elias for effect. "All the files I need are on here. Not gonna open any of my accounts on this machine, either."

"Smart, smart." Elias watched, half-interested, as Ross finished the setup process on the laptop and plugged in the flash drive. "Which method are you using to get in, anyway?"

"Feast your eyes!" Ross proclaimed, opening a text file on the flash drive.

Hi Kathy,

I got a few photos for that article you told me you were putting together last week. Let me know what you think!

share.airdrive.drk/SDsdfH7397fG6dfbbfy347fdSFgfh2/folder/dfjshkf363fdHFbfds...

Thanks,
Tammy

"That's it?" Elias folded his arms. "Your grand plan is the most obvious phishing email of all time?"

"Duh." Ross leaned back in his chair. "I've identified a few targets. Listen, Eli, we may be going against professionals, but the professionals have chosen to ally themselves with tabloid journalists. We're not exactly talking about the cream of the crop, here. I have a few targets in mind. All it will take is one person to click, and I'll have access to their email server. Then I can snoop around and find out where they got that info about Sarah. I'm also gonna do the same with the one from Sadeg that had the original piece about Dominic. At least then we'll have a concrete trail to follow, rather than trying to stalk staff bios and public-facing social media."

"Seems reasonable. You just better hope these clowns never bother with their mandatory IT security training." Elias chuckled.

"All it takes is one!"

---

"I hate this," Nicole Warren sighed from her seat on the train. "I used to be excited to see Drawkian fans out and about during tournaments. Now I feel like I'm being watched."

"I get what you mean." Cam nodded, taking a casual look around the train car. She marked a small gaggle of Drawkians sitting towards the back. "At least we know not to pick up any weird keepsakes. That'll make things easier."

"Whatever." Nicole rolled her eyes. "I'm sure Jaxon or Ross will tell us that we should be keeping them instead 'so we don't look suspicious.'" She finished the sentence in a mocking tone.

"Who cares at this point?" Cam asked rhetorically. "With all the poking around Eli and Ross have been doing, I'm sure they already know somebody's on to them. It's not like it'd be out of the ordinary for an athlete to refuse a gift from a fan in public. It's a totally normal measure of personal security."

"Except for us." Sarah chimed in. "Everybody knows about what we are, now. So maybe they'd assume we're a little less worried about health or endangerment to our lives."

"For you, maybe." Nicole scoffed. "Not all of us are reckless."

"Hey!" Sarah lightly smacked Nicole on the shoulder. "If anything I'm the most careful. I wouldn't take anything from a fan in public. Unless it was a bottle of wine, maybe."

"Sarah!" Cam and Nicole both chided in unison. Cam added on, "Actual food or drink would be the worst. You don't know what they could've spiked it with."

"What? If it's sealed there shouldn't be a problem. And even if it was poisoned, I'd bounce back." Sarah shrugged. "At worst I'd miss a few ballgames."

"That's not an excuse. We shouldn't take our abilities for granted." Nicole hissed. "Also, can you keep your voice down? You don't know who could be listening."

"Fuck 'em," Sarah huffed. "At this point I'd rather they make a move so we can quit this stupid waiting game."

"Not the best idea." Cam shook her head. She could tell Sarah wasn't being entirely serious. "I mean, what if we got kidnapped or something? That would leave the Kick Corps in a bad spot. It's not just about us."

"Fair enough. I mean, expectations are sky-high right now." Sarah kept the sarcasm going. "Worst qualifying cycle ever, playing with an interim manager, barely scraping by the worst team in the group 0-1, we're really worldbeaters right now. Without us anchoring the lineup the team, we'll fall short of our truly lofty aspirations!"

"A 10% chance is still better than a 0% chance." Cam pointed out. "Plus, I know you don't care about this, but we have a public image to preserve. If we go missing it will not look good."

"I'm sure people would give us a pass if we were literally kidnapped," Nicole replied. "Anyway, we should probably drop it. We already put so much mental energy on worrying about this, I'm afraid it's starting to leak into our preparation on the field. We've gotta focus on our matches as they come in. Doubeia is our toughest competition in the group, so we have to be locked in."

"Agreed." Cam nodded. "Let's just hope Wendy has a good plan for us to run by."

"Oh, Wendy." Sarah sniffed, pretending to tear up. "I love that woman. It's too bad she's in way over her head."

links to the previous posts

Olympics
The rough introduction https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=41928995#p41928995
Lerocav makes a mistake https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=41944673#p41944673
An odd piece about Dominic https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=41983339#p41983339
Elias begins a mission https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=41986792#p41986792
A team is assembled https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=41989611#p41989611
Breaking in https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=41992750#p41992750
IAC-22
Hitting a dead end https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=42046763#p42046763
A new trinket https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=42063938#p42063938
The group briefing https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=42069708#p42069708
The first phase https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=42073285#p42073285
WC98 Quals
Planting the info https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=42302882#p42302882
A new rag https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=42309962#p42309962
Demanding action https://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?p=42330583#p42330583

[Dhemixia]

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

The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)

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

Losing to bye MDs: a Dhemixian pastime

You read that correctly, the Serpents have lost to a bye week. Coming up on lower-ranked Cobrio for MD2, Doug McMahon thought it would be good to get the bye out of the way, allowing them to control their own destiny. After a training session to regain chemistry following a lackluster WCQ attempt, McMahon released his young team to do whatever they wanted. Unfortunately for McMahon, the backups smuggled in absolutely COPIOUS amounts of alcohol. As you could probably imagine, with both Vanorian teams dismantling UC-Prairie in NSCF, young, hammered, and motivated Dhemixians will do anything and everything to get revenge. Long story short, Doug McMahon finds 18 men, food all over their faces, collapsed outside of Sabinal Stadium. Alas, losing to a bye MD.

It's safe to say Doug McMahon will be instituting mandatory bag checks after this. Following the bye, the Serpents find themselves staring down the barrel of Cobrio. The high defensive line should, in theory, neutralize the counter-attacking style of Dhemixia's midfield, picking out the forwards in a disgruntled line, but nothing is guaranteed, especially for a team like this Dhemixian one. Should they win, the Serpents would set themselves up nicely for the absolute GAUNTLET of MDs 3-5. Having to face 60th Doubeia, 87th Constellation, and 47th ranked Rawkland, that's a death sentence on it's own. Without the benefit of home-field advantage in The Brig, you might as well just pack it up at that point. We'll just have to see.

Schedule

MD1: Bye
MD2: @ Cobrio
MD3: vs. Doubeia
MD4: @ The Ko-orenite Constellation
MD5: vs. Drawkland

[Valanora]

]Matchday 2 Cutoff

Matchday 2

Group A
Drawkland 2–0 Doubeia
Dhemixia 3–4 Cobrio

P Group A                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Drawkland                         2   2  0  0    3   0  +3    6
2 Cobrio                            2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
  Doubeia                           2   1  0  1    2   2   0    3
4 Dhemixia                          1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0
5 The Ko-orenite Constellation      1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0

Group B
Indusse 1–1 Omerica
Saterun 1–1 Patriotlandia

P Group B                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Patriotlandia                     2   1  1  0    7   3  +4    4
2 Omerica                           2   1  1  0    3   2  +1    4
3 Saterun                           1   0  1  0    1   1   0    1
4 Indusse                           2   0  1  1    3   7  −4    1
5 Kanzlia                           1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group C
Grand Exultia 5–2 Oberour Ar Moro
Aleirave 2–0 Captina Island

P Group C                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Grand Exultia                     2   2  0  0    8   3  +5    6
2 Aleirave                          1   1  0  0    2   0  +2    3
3 Oberour Ar Moro                   2   1  0  1    4   6  −2    3
4 Vetrahjart                        1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
5 Captina Island                    2   0  0  2    1   5  −4    0

Group D
Eraman 2–1 Milchama
Bohr 0–3 Nova Calania

P Group D                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Nova Calania                      2   2  0  0    5   1  +4    6
2 Reçueçn                           1   1  0  0    4   0  +4    3
3 Eraman                            2   1  0  1    3   3   0    3
4 Bohr                              1   0  0  1    0   3  −3    0
5 Milchama                          2   0  0  2    1   6  −5    0

Group E
Bears Armed 4–2 Delaclava
Zwangzug 0–2 Ralsalin

P Group E                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Bears Armed                       2   1  1  0    6   4  +2    4
  Ralsalin                          2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Vaishnavaria                      1   1  0  0    4   2  +2    3
4 Zwangzug                          1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
5 Delaclava                         2   0  0  2    4   8  −4    0

[Captina Island]

Captina behind 8-Ball on MD 2
The Captina Company Press Association

After a 3-1 loss to Grand Exultia, The Captina Company National Team find themselves in a must win situation as they face Aleirave in the Cup of Harmony group stage, as a defeat will make advancement to the knockout stage all but impossible.

The Baptism of Fire winners held the Rosso e Oro to just a Giuseppe Overstreet first half score to claim the victory as it was apparent that the layoff since the World Cup playoff against Busoga Islands was more of a factor than Manager Jonas Yarborough was willing to admit to.

Captina will need to bounce back from their first back to back loss of the cycle if they hope to get anything further from the trip to Valanora than a consolation holiday junket. The Seagulls were idle on matchday 1, so Captina might have an edge in already getting their opening jitters out of the way; Aleirave were in Group 18 of qualifying along with Grand Exultia and hung tough as a possible playoff team until the final few rounds. They have a similar ethno-historical background as Captina and exist in a remote isolation within their region.

Captina will have a bye on Matchday 3 before closing out the fixture list, but will it be a break to prepare for a stretch run, or a day off to contemplate what might have been?

[Indusse]

Hind Tribune
Not Yet There...

By Subrato Shahla

After suffering a tough 3-0 defeat to Patriotlandia in their opening match, the Indussean National Team bounced back with a much-improved performance against Omerica on matchday two of the 90th Cup of Harmony. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, and while it wasn’t the win they hoped for, it showed clear signs of progress and a stronger team effort. The match began with both sides showing some cautiousness, but it was Indusse who broke the deadlock in the 54th minute. Rahul B Kumar scored a brilliant goal, putting his team ahead with a well-placed strike. The goal came after some strong teamwork, with Indusse working the ball forward well. It was a sign that the team had learned from their earlier mistakes and were now more focused in attack.

However, Omerica didn’t take long to respond. Shortly after Indusse’s goal, Omerica found the back of the net to equalize, leaving both teams level. Despite efforts from both sides, neither managed to score again, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. While Indusse couldn’t secure all three points, the performance was a definite improvement from their first match. Coach Newman made a few important decisions during the game, including a key substitution in the 60th minute. Newcomer Akshay Adhaan came on to replace Mathias Paulson. This change gave the team a fresh energy, and Adhaan looked promising on the pitch. His speed and effort gave Indusse an extra push, and many fans were impressed with how he handled himself.

After the match, Coach Newman was asked about Adhaan and his role on the team. "Akshay is a great prospect. He has a lot of potential, and we believe that more game time will help him earn a more permanent spot in the starting lineup," said Newman. His praise for the young player shows that the coach is looking to build for the future and give emerging players a chance to prove themselves. Now, Indusse’s focus shifts to their next match, where they will face Kanzalia. Kanzalia, who lost their first game 2-0 to Omerica, is also looking for their first points of the tournament. The match will be crucial for both teams as they aim to stay alive in the group stage.

Currently, Indusse sits in fourth place in their group with just one point from two matches. While this isn’t an ideal position, the team’s improved performance against Omerica shows that they’re capable of turning things around. They’ll need to bring the same intensity and focus against Kanzalia, if not more, to secure a vital win and stay in the tournament. Coach Newman, staying positive despite the draw, shared his thoughts on the upcoming match: "We know it’s going to be a tough game. But we are focused on taking it one match at a time. We did a lot of good things against Omerica, and we have to build on that. If we keep improving, we believe we can get the result we need against Kanzalia."

For the players, the goal is clear: they need to get all three points against Kanzalia. The team knows that another poor result could put their tournament hopes in serious loss, so there’s added pressure. But if their performance against Omerica is anything to go by, they have the ability to bounce back and push for a win. Media and Fans expect Coach Newman to substitute another newcomer in the match against Kanzalia to introduce him to the pitch. The Fans are eager to know who would this be from the lot.

[United States of Nova Calania]

A decisive win against Bohr

Starting XI vs Bohr @ Rose Gardens, Kareen, Valanora
GK Bleau-Bean - LB A. McCaskill - CB Wolkowicz - CB T. Gibouleau-Beaudoin - RB N. McCaskill - DCM Fauteux-McGrath - LW M. Q. Xiong - RW S. McCaskill - ACM C. Gibouleau-Beaudoin - S Guénette-Velazquez - S Goudreau-Luneau

Kareen, Valanora - Nova Calania is still undefeated at the Cup of Harmony 90 after winning on matchday one and beating Bohr 3-0 on matchday two in Kareen, located on Capri Island. This is unexpected and I believe all the credit goes to the new manager, Roman Findley from Saterun. Nova Calania attacked at the 12th minute when Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin made a short pass to Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau who kicks and the ball is in. The score at halftime is 1-0. Nova Calania atatcked at the 68th minute when Rodrigo Guénette-Velazquez kicks the ball but the ball is deflected out of bounds. It's a corner kick for the Tapirs! Nathan Fauteux-McGrath kicks the ball, Scarlett McCaskill jumps and heads the ball into the net. Bohr attacked at the 81st minute when Alexandr Korystov tries to pass the ball to Towson Turner but Wlodzimierz Wolkowicz touches the ball from the tip of his foot and the ball comes loose. Evan MacNeely takes the loose ball and makes a long pass to Mei Qi Xiong who shoots and she scores. The final score is 3-0 Nova Calania.

The Tapirs are first in group D with two wins in two games for 6 points. Reçueçn is 2nd with a win in one game for 3 points and Eraman also have 3 points, but in two games. On matchday 3, Nova Calania will have a bye while Milchama will play against Bohr in Capri and Reçueçn and Eraman will take on each other in Kareen. The team is planning to go on a boat tour around Capri and I've been invited because I'm cool enough.It will be an opportunity for me to get to know the older members of the national team. On week 4,the Tapirs will play against Milchama in Kareen.

12th    GOAL NOVA CALANIA     Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau assisted by Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin
68th    GOAL NOVA CALANIA     Scarlett McCaskill (corner kick)
81st    GOAL NOVA CALANIA     Mei Qi Xiong assisted by Evan MacNeely

Starting XI vs Milchama @ Rose Gardens, Kareen, Valanora on matchday four
GK Bleau-Bean - LB A. McCaskill - CB Wolkowicz - CB T. Gibouleau-Beaudoin - RB N. McCaskill - DCM Fauteux-McGrath - LW M. Q. Xiong - RW S. McCaskill - ACM C. Gibouleau-Beaudoin - S Guénette-Velazquez - S Goudreau-Luneau

Chloe Bellefleur

Nova Calania's largest association football stadium

Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer, Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer - The government released the list of all Nova Calanian stadiums and fields used by a professionnal or an amateur association football team and roughly 50 stadiums are on the list. It ranges from the 67 830 seated Terrain de Soccer 1 au Complexe National to Stadion Puszcza with 2 118 seats. The championship team (2nd division) with the biggest stadium is Olympique breteuillois who occasionally play at Stade Marché Normandeau, owned by Dynamo de Gouin, with 26 319 seats. The beer league team with the biggest stadium is AFC Burnham who plays in the 11 307 seated Bean Court.

List of Football Stadium 	                                Location	        Tenant	                               Capacity
1	Terrain de Soccer 1 au Complexe sportif national	Sacré-Cœur 	        C.D. Sagrado Corazon	                67 830
2	Stadion Azteca	                                        Ostrow Krolewski	Club Anaia	                        58 350
3	Stade Fernand-Desgroseilliers	                        Baie-Sainte-Marguerite	Celtiques de Baie-Sainte-Marguerite	35 700
4	Burnham Ground	                                        West Burnham 	        West Burnham United F.C.	        35 016
5	Stade Gaston-Thibodeau	                                Centre-Ville	        Club National	                        32 350
6	Zhāng Jiānglǐng Guójiā Tǐyùchǎng 	                Yuzhong 	        Shanzhou Mighty Lions F.C	        31 836
7	Flanagan Stadium	                                Downtown 	        Burnham & Hockley Albion F.C.; Flushing Wanderers F.C.	30 750
8	Stade Marché Normandeau	                                Gouin	                Dynamo de Gouin; Olympique breteuillois	26 319
9	Terrain de Soccer 2 au Complexe sportif national	Sacré-Cœur 	        C.D. Sagrado Corazon; C.S. Lavigueur	22 225
10	Stadion Miejski w Wloszakowice	                        Wloszakowice	        MZKS Arka Wloszakowice	                18 939
11	Stadion Miejski Wlodzimierz Kotkowski	                Krzyszczynka	        RTS Wrzeszcz Krzyszczynka	        18 033

Pierre-François Montreuil

[Zwangzug]

The Spenson Star

If you choose two people out of the population at random, the probability that they share a birthday is slightly less than one in 365 (adjusting for leap years and multiversal scales of measurement). How many people do you need to assemble before the probability that some pair of them share a birthday exceeds 1/2? The answer is 23; strictly speaking, this is not a paradox, merely a counterintuitive result. The Ritterlichkeit of Ralsalin provide an excellent opportunity to test this hypothesis, as their roster consists of 24 players, all of whom have conveniently provided their birthdates. In this particular case, no two of the "Knights" share a birthday, but this should not be a great surprise either; we do expect this outcome to occur almost half the time.

The laws of combinatorics do not provide such a clean-cut estimate of how often we would expect top seeds Zwangzug to get comprehensively outplayed by bottom seeds Ralsalin, other than "less than half the time, but more than zero." Such was the case at the Donna Cathedral. Three of the Knights play in the Xandrian Sea region that is currently hosting the World Cup proper, and from the form they displayed, one could be forgiven for thinking they should be playing there instead. Randin Kirtiman Asier set up Kosma Minsen-Dwarasen, based out of the Kytler Peninsulae, for the opening goal in the 15th minute. Twelve minutes later, Kevin Heen set up youngster Kasyan Menon for an easy tap-in.

Zwangzug seemed much more in control in the second half, although it would have been hard to do worse. Eileen Gainsborough, in her first game as captain, mustered an uncompelling excuse: "It's much harder when you're racing the end of the field where the flags are. I'm in favor of flags, to be clear, it's an international tournament and we're proud to represent our country, just like Ralsalin. But their flag is all wavy and it gives me a headache. No wonder we did better going the other direction." Next you'll be telling me she blames the Ralsalien managers for daring to sit on the bench and take up space on the sidelines.

We don't have much compunction about criticizing our players for playing poorly. My counterparts at other papers had plenty of judgments to cast: Awidlyon Reed was not much of a physical presence and easily got pushed around by sizable defenders like Wilhelm Meine and Dhidhen Tõru. Camille Sibelius didn't get open enough to receive passes from her teammates. Blanche Coogan-Bucknell was withdrawn and mediocre, and while things could obviously be worse on that axis, they could also, hypothetically, be better!

This shouldn't take away from the fact that the Knights played well, making unpredictable leaps and keeping it a closed game. But not one of my colleagues had a word to say about Emily Kuiper's management. Is this unfair? Is her sangfroid--at least in contrast to Gregor Courtenay--enough to give her the benefit of the doubt? Or do we just need three more matches before we can rip her a new one?

[Bohr]

The Razorback, the internet's only Bohr football website

Lucky Strike
On Jamie Sullivan, college football, and the development of goal-scorers

In the past couple weeks, lots have been said about Jamie Sullivan. With his new contract negotiations with St. Natasha Pyramid well in progress, his performances at the ongoing Cup of Harmony have additional importance beyond simple national pride-and his general failure to make inroads against a stout Nova Calania back four after a similarly poor end to the World Cup Qualifying cycle have made many question his all-encompassing role within the Bohr goal-scoring system. That being said, it seems clear that the other options are dubious, at best. Ellis Leach is not a particularly creative offensive mind, but even if he was, the alternatives to Sullivan are not really up to international standards; Cole Sargent has only ever really functioned when given the space that playing with Sullivan domestically allows him, while Towson Turner has the physicality to elevate mediocre sides (such as his Akinis squad) into relevance but isn’t adding much to a national team. In this writer’s eyes, the real issues come with the development process of young Bohr footballers.

The Bohr youth football system is fully intertwined with its schooling system, for better and for worse. Prospective professionals play for their high school teams, where they are taught by coaches who also teach geography and are more concerned with winning their next game than building any sort of learning environment. To be fair, this is not exactly their fault; most coaches will never encounter more than one or two BCF-level talents over a long coaching career, and it’s hard to completely reorient your style once one comes through. Then these players (almost always) go to college, where the same issues happen on a grander scale; micro-managing coaches willing to sacrifice talent at the altar of The System, whether it’s the muscular 4-4-2s of the constellation colleges or Northwest Provincial’s “No-Name” 5-2-1-2. It’s not that it’s impossible for creativity to shine through in these situations, but it’s a specific type of creativity; the killer through-ball, the floated cross, these “perfect” goals. Lower-level national teams often rely on perfection in the same way; either the crystalized moments of individual brilliance (bicycle kicks, coast-to-coast dribbles) or the perfectly-executed pattern-weaving moves show up significantly more often in the triple digits of the ranking than in the single digits. But the center forward position, more than anywhere else on the field, relies on ugliness. Being in the right place and making the right decisions when a ball takes an errant bounce, when a defender or a keeper hesitates for a fraction of a second, when a set-piece results in a scramble near goal; this is where the key goals come from.

Jamie Sullivan is not a fully aesthetic player. It’s not that he’s an ugly player, of course, but he is, as his celebration has constantly made clear, a prizefighter, someone interested in getting a W at any cost. It is perhaps not a coincidence that Sullivan grew outside of the traditional football ecosystem; his parents serving in the Bohr Air Force, the young Sullivan jumped between high schools, constantly scoring and constantly pissing off his superiors; a punch thrown at his last high school caused any interest from the big-name football colleges to dissipate, and he instead went to unheralded Donnell Tech. Tech coach Jos Harkin, to his immense credit, gave Sullivan the keys to the kingdom immediately, letting him play mostly-unfettered and in the process giving him more varied situational experience than any other prospect of his type. Four Golden Boots, two MVPs, and two BCF titles later, it seems to have paid off.

So how does Bohr generate more Jamie Sullivans? The effort to build the in-club academy path as an alternative to high school/college has been discussed for years, but the only major movement has been Shansco Athletic’s FiveStar™ Academy; Becis City and Heavenly Princess are both tied extremely tightly to the colleges that their players and personnel have historically come from, and without the support of the Becis clubs any league-wide movement will surely fail. The international transfer market could also help; if promising 18-year-olds begin to consistently depart for foreign shores, it might be enough to change the culture. But the culture has to change, and until it does, Bohr will always have a ceiling on its attacking power.

Other Stories
Bohr vs. Nova Calania-immediate reactions
Ellis Leach: team needs to "focus on the present", "show up every day"
Donrod City announces signing of right back Evela-Gavax Den; Qusmi dual-national to be BCF's first non-binary player
Grady Roces spotted with new girlfriend? Here's the tea

Bohr 0-3 Nova Calania

Bohr (4-2-3-1): A Harrow, A Bouquet, J Girard (c) (J Haider, 77'), A Soto (L Good, 77'), M Garnett, L Brunner (E Sheve, 55'), H Schuyler, O Healy, G Roces (D Howard, 60'), A Korystov, J Sullivan (T Turner, 60')

[Grand Exultia]

Welcome back once again to our pitch perspectives, I’m your host Patsy and wow what a game and an even better start to our campaign with a dominant performance over Oberour Ar Moro that sees us run out 5-2 victors with some quality goalscoring and finishing and some sublime teamwork.

Our special quest today joins us fresh after their blistering performance as we sit down with player of the match and national team captain Gimli Brambleberry *pauses for an applause even though there is no audience in the room*.

“Gimli, congratulations that was a phenomal performance”

“Thank you, at the end of the day it’s a team performance and any number of my colleagues out there on the pitch could have picked up the award and there were some I reckon deserved it more but that’s how the game goes sometimes”

“Quite, a lot of good performances, commanding performances even, firstly I would love to know how you felt coming into this game, having just beaten the third best ranked team in the group and then going up against the second best ranked”

“Of course it’s always on your mind the supposed strength of the teams you’re coming up against, it would be daft not to consider at least the strengths of your opposition. We reviewed some game tapes of both our performance against Captina and Oberour in the first game. This was all we really needed to do, Big Apol has cemented a vibe that on our day we can beat anyone and after these two performances you have to believe it. Our last two games are against opponents we’ve previously beaten in other competitions so morale is very high”

“Great to hear and as captain it must be easy for you when morale is so high and results are going your way”

“Definitely, the WCQ were an interesting time, a bit of a challenge sometimes but a good learning curve for me and we’ve brought those lessons we learnt into the Eternal Harmony and you can see how well that’s working for us”

“Most definitely, so talk us through the game, contrasting halves really”

“For sure, once again we looked to set out and play on the front foot, taking the game to these higher ranked teams upsets their flow normally and disrupts their plans which then plays into our hands as both sets of players are playing on initiative and I have to back our guys for their creativity. That early breakthrough from Sabes [Gillyflower] just lifted everyone, such a well worked goal, that pass from Hazee just enough for Sabes to latch on to and once they’re going, they’re gone no chance of catching them. So for the first fifteen we looked the better team then Oberour Ar Moro slowly played themselves back into the game and once again we were beat in the air which I know Siggy and Eds are disappointed about and Big Apol let them knew it as well but credit where it’s due, Demisserriches header was quality.”

“and what about Arias?”

“You cannot talk down the importance of scoring just before the half and the momentum it can gain for you so when the ball fell for Arvs in the box, I would’ve put my life savings on them scoring from inside the box, just a simple but clinical side foot effort to guide it just inside the post wrong footing Aloz it all seemed to come together quite nicely”

“2-1 up at half time, many would have expected us to sit back and defend the lead, especially against a stronger team on paper”

“But this game isn’t played on paper and that isn’t our style. We want to take the game to any opposition and if something is working why change it?”

“I suppose, well you definitely didn’t see any issues playing attacking in the second half did you?”

“haha yes I always want to get on the scoresheet, as a striker that has to be my aim so as long as I am putting in the yards and getting in the right places it is bound to happen”

“Well talk about right time right place”

“It is all about taking chances when they come and when the ball is bouncing around the box after a corner like that it really is just whoever gets their first and a good amount of luck.”

“Well Margaret must’ve been smiling on you then, impressive squeezing that ball under Aloz like that and then again almost immediately afterwards”

“Yes you have to grab chances with both hands and whilst I was lucky to be in the right place off the corner my second I would like to think was more positioning, following in an effort from range is striker 101 and those low bouncing efforts are hard to hold onto so when I saw Dusky line up the effort I knew I had to get there first and I did, still get a bit nervous just before hitting those ones as they never come at a nice height but kept it down enough”

“at 4-1 you have to be thinking job’s done”

“Never, every team is here on merit and you cannot rest on your laurels”

“Well even when they got their second through de Baingneu it never felt like enough”

“That’s how well we were doing our job and it took a splendid effort, they hit that from about 35 yards out and Elandor had no chance. The scoreline really didn’t reflect the job our defence did as we weathered more attacks from them than we gave”

“It was that attacking style from Oberour that was ultimately their downfall”

“Final nail in the coffin that fifth goal and you have to feel for Jacques-Maurice, that attempted pass back to the keeper not realising how close Loops was, keeper made the right call at that point to concede the extra goal rather than take them out. That’s the quality level of awareness on offer as the red card would’ve had more impacts than another goal in the loss so hats off to Aloz there.”

“5-2 and you teenagers are dominating that forward line, causing havoc for any defenders and I cannot wait to see the devastation you will bring down on the Käsklalas”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves too much but we are putting ourselves in a strong position to see the next round”

“Spoken like a true captain, thank you for joining us Gimli and I’ll let you get on with the rest of your media duties and warm down. That’s all we have time for today, a great chat with a player who plays with the maturity of a seasoned striker even at just the age of 16..”

“um sorry to interrupt but 17, it’s my birthday today”

“Oh well many happy returns and what a way to top that off. Even still very impressive as a teenager. As always we are looking for sponsors for our podcast to enable us to bring you this top quality content and inside exclusives so if you would like to see your name or company mentioned please reach out to us on….”

[Doubeia]

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

---

Creed soon learnt that District 14 was one of Queensland's only four professional football teams. He would also learn that it was the best fucking team in the world.

His first training session with the youth team, and he had already formed more friends than he had ever in the past two years. It was also his first time training with girls; Red Square had gender-separate training sessions until you signed for their professional youth teams. Understandably, Creed was a nervous wreck around them, but he didn't let his awkwardness freeze any potential friendships with his girl teammates. Still, it was a weird feeling. He had never played unisex football in a long while.

The youth league would come and go, and Creed would score goals like it was a regular Sunday league game. It was too easy for him; the opposition left far too much space in the middle for him to exploit. At one point, Creed was leading the top scorer charts by a country mile: 8 goals. As District 14 led the professional youth league table, Creed was feeling really good about himself.

The next season, Creed only played the first half of the youth season as he would be signed for the actual team itself. The gaffer in the A-team apparently liked him very much, and Creed would make sure he wouldn't disappoint. From staying back in training to having one-on-ones with the gaffer himself, Creed did anything to get himself in the manager's good graces. It all paid off, as Creed would find himself being called up for games, albeit as a benchwarmer. Still, Creed persisted in training, and he was finally awarded with a substitution in the 82nd minute as District 14 were leading 3-0. The team had parked the bus at that point, unwilling to open up the back for a counterattack. Creed knew that his manager preferred a defensive style of play, but to lack any attacking spark? Creed felt like he was in no man's land the entire game. The only instance when the team launched an attack, Creed barely received the ball. It was as if he wasn't there. He did get the ball, but the defenders were immediately out to attack him, and he passed it to a teammate who barely acknowledged him. Creed knew training football skills was important, but he realised then that forming chemistry with his teammates were equally important.

It would be the same game everytime he came on as a substitute, and as time passed, Creed realised that he was better off staying in the youth team. Creed had expressed that exact sentiment to his gaffer, but he merely replied, "Don't worry, you'll find your place here soon." Well, what place was there to give if Creed wasn't given anything? No gametime, and when he had gametime, no ball?

Creed's frustrations were getting out of hand, and even as he was finally earning enough money to justify quitting his burger job, he still went back to Mr David's as a means to comfort himself.

"Football doing you good, Creed?" Mr David would ask softly. He seldom spoke to anyone softly.

"Well, this burger's really looking tasty alright," Creed responded emotionlessly. He had come back from another training session, and he still barely had any meaningful relationships with anyone in the team. Ironic, considering how well he got along with the youth team. Creed was pondering whether he should just become a full-tie burger chef. He looked into the kitchen as the employees worked on his order. They could never cook a burger like him.

Back at Zane's home, Zane was still in the Red Square U18s, and he was flourishing as a central midfielder. It got to the point where he had made several semi-renowned sports magazines and apparently some scouts from the more famous teams were on his case. It was a cold contrast to Creed, who despite having made the senior team had done little to impress. As much as Creed didn't like to admit it, there was some sense of jealousy forming in him.

One season came and went, and Creed's confidence plummeted. Zane was promoted to the senior team at age 19, and was making a mark as a promising prodigy. Meanwhile, Creed was in his second year with the senior team at age 19, and barely anyone knew him. When the team's starting striker got herself injured, Creed had finally hoped it would be his time to shine. However, the gaffer decided to instead bring on the 34-year-old striker whose skills had probably been lost at cookouts and parties if his beer belly was anything to go off of. Creed was incensed. Shouldn't he, a promising talent, be prioritised over some old cunt who forgot how to shoot a ball? Things never really got better: Creed found himself immensely lonely, and scarce gametime was starting to stunt his growth as a footballer.

When the next transfer window opened, Creed decided to ask for a transfer.

"I just don't think I'll be able to get the gametime I need to develop as a young player," he explained.

"I mean, I can't contest it. Just hope you'll find a team that'll do you good," his gaffer replied. That was all that was said in the conversation, and when Creed left the club compounds, he couldn't help but feel the manager didn't really want him at the club anyways.

When Creed was told of the first offer that came in, it had been one and a half weeks since he sent in his request. Creed wondered if he was really that unpopular that no one wanted him, so he was extremely eager to see what team had reached out to him.

... Azar Unity? Where the fuck was that?

Creed had pull out a detailed map of Doubeia to even identify where Azar was. It was on the other side of Doubeia. That was reason enough for him to turn down the offer.

"Y'know, I would take the offer if I were you," his gaffer told him when Creed asked to reject the request, "They're in dire need of a striker. They need someone like you."

"Are they even a professional club?"

"Semi-professional, but they could make the jump soon."

Creed ruminated the decision for a while. If the team really needed a striker, then who was he to turn down the offer? There was so many things in store from him: (finally) a new change of scenery, more gametime, and hopefully a better salary. He didn't even know which league Azar Unity played in, but if they bothered enough to make a bid for him, surely they had something worth playing for. Papers were signed and contracts were agreed on. Creed Lyapunov was finally an Azar Unity player.

[Aleirave]

A Promising Debut
Aleirave 2-0 Captina Island

"Alright, great work gang, that's what I like to see..."

Haulafo had every reason to be happy with his team's performance in their first match against Captina Island. This was a team that had gotten a lot closer to making the finals than they had, so getting a two-goal win against them out of the way was always going to be a positive for the Seagulls. However, one thing wasn't so positive, and that was what Grand Exultia was still cooking in their group.

A 5-2 win against Oberour Ar Moro... that was aggressive. These guys were showing that they meant business, and they were fully ready to punt the Seagulls into the sun yet again if this team wasn't completely prepared. The way the group was drawn, with Aleirave in the first slot and Grand Exultia in the fifth, was a bit of a double-edged sword for this team. On the one hand, they had the advantage of playing every other team right after they got their butts whooped by Grand Exultia. Hopefully, this would mean all of their opponents would be tired out and demoralized, and that included the OAM side they'd be playing on MD3. On the other hand, however, it meant that Grand Exultia would have a long rest before their turn with the Seagulls. They would be at peak performance, and it was a must-win match for the Islanders if they wanted any chance of finishing first in this clearly competitive group.

They would pay close attention to the game tape from the OAM-GEX matchup, knowing that there would be lots of information to be had about both highly critical matches. What did the Dragoons do right that the Seagulls could improve upon on MD5? How could they first learn from Gimli Brambleberry and Co. to win their next matchup, before turning around and using their knowledge of them against them at the end? It would take a lot of studying and figuring out the right tactics, but to quote Haulafo Paka'ula on the matter:

"This game is all about knowing who you're playing. The same tactics don't work against everyone, and sometimes you just have to adapt to what's going on. Heck, they might not even play the same way as we're preparing for, but it's a good jumping-off point to start from as we adapt to the pace of the match."

---

The isle of Aleirave was stunned by Katya and Malako's decision. Their voters had seen them going at it in the campaign and figured that a vote for each of them would invariably be a vote against their main opponent. Some even ended up asking the blistering question "is this even legal?"

Strictly speaking, in Aleiravan law, yes, it was completely legal. Any candidates may form a coalition together, and as long as a majority of the votes end up in that coalition, they will be declared winners. This sort of deal was unprecedented, sure, but it was completely in-bounds. As for Kalaio Pahoteka, he was understandably more steamed than that suspicious fish he ate by the docks last week. He felt like this was an intentional play to shut him out of the government.

"Rest assured, Kalaio, we had this planned out for weeks..." Katya explained. "I know this may come as a bit of a surprise to you all, but we learned to settle our differences on the campaign trail and come out of it with a good deal that works for all Aleiravans."

But did it work for all Aleiravans? A large chunk of Katya's voters truly hated Malako, and Malako's voters hated Katya. There was a lot of bad blood in this electorate, so something like this only served to alienate a vast swath of voters who didn't want this to happen, ever.

However, none of that mattered now. They cast their votes, they participated in their part of the process. Now, Katya and Malako had four years to prove that what they did wasn't as crazy as it sounded on paper, and these two seemingly opposite politicians could get the job done, together.

---

The inauguration of a new Governor isn't the sort of flashy affair you'd get in other countries, with throngs of onlookers showing up to take a peek at the process and listen to what the new leader has to say. Instead, it's a very simple ceremony, borrowed from the days of yore when the Petake (King) would crown his new Petakiko (Prime Minister, a role which for historical reasons literally translates to the Terranean word Prince). Very simply, the Petake would arrive at the Petakiko's office with the newly-elected officeholder, deliver the oath of office, and ceremonially replace the name on the door. That's it, not much fanfare to be had. There never really had to be, as a true leader is more about actions than any pomp and circumstance.

These days, the Petakiko was replaced by the Governor, and the Petake... well that was still the official title of the Head of State of Aleirave, although it wasn't the one he was most known for; after all, his main job title was King William I of Eshialand, and he was just arriving in Lahaira to do the honours.

"So, are you two ready to take the oath?" he asked them. "I assume you want to do it together..."
"Of course." Katya replied.
"Alright then, repeat after me. I, then your name..."
"I, Yekaterina Olayeva..."
"I, Malako Eterena..."

"Do swear to the gods that I will carry out the duties of the office of... then say your office..."
The two continued to repeat, with a slight smile as they looked to each other.

"To serve the people of Aleirave as best I can, and carry out their democratic will..."
Well, here we go... Katya thought as she kept repeating after the king.

"To protect the safety and prosperity of all the island's residents..."
Time to not mess this up... Malako thought.

"And never let darkness fall on them."
"And never let darkness fall on them." they said in unison.

"And so, it is done." Will told them, as he slapped both their names over Refilene's on the office door. "Congratulations you two!"

The stage was now set for the next four years of Aleirave... their government would need a lot of rebuilding following the mess that was the Lahaira Papers scandal, but it could be done, and they knew they could be the ones to do it. Here goes nothing...

[Bears Armed]

(Here is another entry from the diary of footballer Steffannee Bruin, although with exact dates omitted due to the difficulty of matching calendars bearing in mind differing time-flows in different nations… Also, please remember that for the Bears the CoH takes place in the year after the second half of the World Cup qualifying process.)

(one day between MD2 & MD3)

Mum confirms that the ‘You-no-upchuck’’ anti-nausea medicine I was taking against morning sickness is actually a ‘potion’ of ‘wizarding’ origin, but she had to check with Sermharn for that information because the stuff was already on sale well before the scale of ‘wizarding’ society back home -- and the fact that wizards earn money in ways other than the service as members in or auxiliaries for the Confrederal Army (mostly as scouts or in a pair of rrelated rroles that Hrrobb says are called ‘close air support’ & ‘close fire support’ — became more widely known after the existence of Hogwings Academy was revealed. There are some other well-known medicines and even cosmetics with that origin too, such as at least two brands of hangover cures and ‘Streakeasy’s Fur Treatament’, which were sold through intermediaries who passed them off either a mundane preparations or as the work of more socially-acceptable mystics such as witches. Some of them even make special equipment for the railways, sold through the SmithFolk, such as filters for the engines' funnels so that the smoke from those doesn't contain hot embers or other harmful particles!

__________________________________________________________


OOC notes

‘You-no-upchuck’’ _ name inspired OOC by that of ‘U-No-Poo’, from the Harry Potter series, which was actually a constipation-inducing product in the Weasley twins’ range of material practical jokes: The Weaselys were parodying the common practice of referring to Voldemort as “You Know Who”.

“after the existence of Hogwings Academy was revealed” _ which didn’t happen until I received the relevant issue, although it was probably quite soon after that issue was brought into the game…

‘Streakeasy’s Fur Treatament’ _ name inspired OOC by that of ‘Sleakeazy’s Hair Potion’ from the Harry Potter books. Obviously a potion to make fur all over the user’s body behave would be most useful for those Bears who aren’t wearing much clothing…

“more socially-acceptable mystics such as witches” _ as in some Harry Potter fanfiction, although only a small proportion of the population possess the necessary talent for casting spells the use of various “non-wand” skills (potion-making, Herbology, and even Ancient Runes) is still possible —at least to some extent—by non-wizards as well. For non-wizards among my Bears that requires a ‘mysticking’ talent that is rather more widespread in the population as a whole than is than the ‘wizarding’ one and whose use for various purposes had already become widely accepted: Some mystics possess special abilities as Seers, Beast-talkers, Healers, amd so on, and many become ‘Singers’ whose songs & rituals help to set things as they should be (and whose existence was inspired OOC by the existence of similar people amongst the RL ‘Dine’ [‘Navaho’] nation), whilst those who don’t follow any of those paths are commonly known as ‘witches’ even if not followers of the religion called Wookha (which, obviously, is a local counterpart to RL ‘Wicca’).

Wizards finding ways of selling stuff to non-wizards made sense, and even seemed economically necessary for them, to me. Rowling's wizards seem to practice autarky, but even with spells to help produce stuff -- including to grow & multiply foodstuffs -- it seems very unlikely to me that such a small population could really maintain the pattern of lifestyles that Rowling describes... let alone various expansions on that which fanfic authors have tried to add.

[Omerica]

.

[Valanora]

Matchday 3 Cutoff

Matchday 3

Group A
Doubeia 1–3 Dhemixia
The Ko-orenite Constellation 1–0 Drawkland

P Group A                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Drawkland                         3   2  0  1    3   1  +2    6
2 Cobrio                            2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
3 Dhemixia                          2   1  0  1    6   5  +1    3
4 Doubeia                           3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3
5 The Ko-orenite Constellation      2   1  0  1    1   2  −1    3

Group B
Omerica 5–3 Saterun
Kanzlia 2–0 Indusse

P Group B                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Omerica                           3   2  1  0    8   5  +3    7
2 Patriotlandia                     2   1  1  0    7   3  +4    4
3 Kanzlia                           2   1  0  1    3   2  +1    3
4 Saterun                           2   0  1  1    4   6  −2    1
5 Indusse                           3   0  1  2    3   9  −6    1

Group C
Oberour Ar Moro 2–4 Aleirave
Vetrahjart 0–1 Grand Exultia

P Group C                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Grand Exultia                     3   3  0  0    9   3  +6    9
2 Aleirave                          2   2  0  0    6   2  +4    6
3 Oberour Ar Moro                   3   1  0  2    6  10  −4    3
4 Vetrahjart                        2   0  0  2    1   3  −2    0
5 Captina Island                    2   0  0  2    1   5  −4    0

Group D
Milchama 1–0 Bohr
Reçueçn 3–2 Eraman

P Group D                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Reçueçn                           2   2  0  0    7   2  +5    6
2 Nova Calania                      2   2  0  0    5   1  +4    6
3 Eraman                            3   1  0  2    5   6  −1    3
4 Milchama                          3   1  0  2    2   6  −4    3
5 Bohr                              2   0  0  2    0   4  −4    0

Group E
Delaclava 0–1 Zwangzug
Vaishnavaria 0–2 Bears Armed

P Group E                         Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Bears Armed                       3   2  1  0    8   4  +4    7
2 Ralsalin                          2   1  1  0    4   2  +2    4
3 Vaishnavaria                      2   1  0  1    4   4   0    3
4 Zwangzug                          2   1  0  1    1   2  −1    3
5 Delaclava                         3   0  0  3    4   9  −5    0

[Grand Exultia]

Hello hello hello and welcome to Patsy’s Pitch perspectives where we will cover all Eternal Harmony games in this lush nation of Valanora and it looks like we’re heading for more than just the group games at the White Fortress, I’m your host Patsy Orchinaoff.

A tight and tactical affair sees us come through with a 1-0 victory over Vetrahjart, not quite the free scoring team we had got used to this competition, but another victory secures us a shot at the quarters, assuming they also beat Vetrahjart a straight shoot out against Aleirave will ultimately decide the winner of the group and who has to fight it out in second place but more on that later. For now, I would like to introduce our player of the match Merrin Greenbottle.

“Congratulations Merrin another sublime performance and this time you’ve actually been noticed enough to earn the sponsors vote so really well done”

“Thank you, I would like to thank the matchday sponsors and the manager for giving me this opportunity and I hope that I can repay them for this”

“Of course, now it must be nice for you as you were an essential pick for the under 21s in the Di Bradini so you were recalled from the WCQ team and brought over to Valanora, which was a bit more successful than the WCQ team at least making it to the knockouts many thanks to yourself and because of that you’ve earned a starting berth in the national team and are instrumental in a dominant performance so far, how have you done that? How does that feel?”

“Lots of hard work, focus and determination and a little help from a being upstairs but yeah it feels great, obviously I was a bit disappointed not to remain with the main squad but Maria needed me so it made sense and ultimately proved fruitful for me”

“Ah yes must be nice Apollinaris giving you your shot upstairs”

“Well yes but the being I was referring to is all powerful”

“oh… right… well either way you’ve definitely taken your chance with both hands and we’re now in a commanding position going into a short break before the crunch game”

“The squad has been excellent; everyone is raring to go and playing for each other it’s such a good environment to be playing in and a lovely nation, have you seen how abundant the forests are here?”

“Yes it is quite verdant, that’s really good to hear and it would appear Apollinaris has found his starting eleven”

“Yeah that cohesion is really coming along thanks to the fact we’re not constantly tweaking it and we have a chance to form some connections”

“Very good, so tell us about the game, a somewhat cagey first half”

“For sure, we knew the gameplan from the off but the Käsklalas knew how to keep us at bay, they really disrupted our play and it became a game of us trying to break down them rather than catching the team on the counter something we haven’t really played against a lot considering on paper most teams are stronger than us”

“As I’ve been told more than once this game’s not played on paper”

“Very true and you can never rule out any team on anything other than merit”

“Quite wise, well we had a couple of chances but nothing troubling their keeper as I believe all bar one were blocked by the two centre backs until eventually, we found that breakthrough”

“Definitely, Loops and Sabes were dangerous going forward but couldn’t quite penetrate, as you said Finstad and Käyhkö were resolute and blocked almost everything, but it was Aria who really unlocked the game, they’re so good at bringing the ball down and controlling possession and I mean what a pass to loops, you wouldn’t realise they knew loops was there but that’s what we’ve built here, you can trust your teammates to be in those positions and you can make those risks look like simple decisions in the end and then for loops to just go round the keeper, cool as you like, quite brilliant really and very unlucky not to be standing here”

“and that did surprise me as normally the sponsors see a goalscorer, especially when there’s only the one, and give them the award but we can’t overlook your contributions, I mean that block in the second half was crucial”

“I cannot take all the credit, Siggy and Eds were splendid in the middle. I made one block which I knew I had to make and I’m sure anyone else would have made it as well”

“Yes but it WAS you that made the block, tell us a bit more about it”

“Well they had a bit of pressure they were sustaining a couple of corners we didn’t really deal with well and a bit on the back foot so when Saleh fired that ball low I realised Engström had drifted away from Siggy and somehow found a bit of space right in the path of the ball so I just threw myself in the way hoping to get something on the ball, as it was it cannoned into my knee and over the goal for another corner. Elandor wasn’t overly happy as those type of deflections can go anywhere but they were okay with the corner and luckily they collected this one and the threat dissipated”

“A strong performance from Elandor today very little in the air they didn’t collect”

“yes well big Apol wasn’t happy that we’d conceded a few aerial threats and so we worked on cutting those out rather than waiting for Siggy and Eds to deal with the ball under pressure and competition”

“and now we have a short break to see how the rest of the group shapes up before we have a big crunch game against Aleirave, what’s your view on this?”

“well I haven’t actually played Aleirave yet as I was with the under 21s but we’re unbeaten against them so far, they’ve been following in the wake of our destruction this competition so they’ve seen the power and threat we have so we will just have to show them how much we can terrorise them again, hopefully Margaret smiles on us”

“I’m sure you guys have been training well so I have faith in you”

“I’m not sure it’s faith you need here, we’re not just any team we are unholy, we are their demons and we will be sending them into the sun at the end of the game and we will be relentless”

“Wow an impassioned speech that sends almost as much of a message as the results have. Well thank you for your time Merrin and enjoy your break and hopefully i’ll see you back here after the Aleirave game”

“Thank you for having me and with all due respect hopefully you don’t see me, hopefully it’s one of our forwards after we’ve absolutely romped them, loops is looking dangerous”

“Well that’s all the time we’ve got today, we will be doing a special coverage and run down of the group to analyse everyone’s positions and potential outcomes and what we will need to give our best shot, lots of pressure on Aleirave now. Many thanks to our sponsors….”

[Cobrio]

((OOC: once again, I realise I forgot to include a style mod in the roster post. It should be +2.5 if that can be changed. If not, no worries.))

         Cobrio   0–1   Drawkland      
                        Octavia 39'
						
CBR: Musona; Nicholls, Iwuoma, Harper, Ntshona; Quraishi (c), Osundairo, 
	 Oyekan (Udeze 71); Gilmore (Azuonye 71), Burke, Gola (Daley 71)

       Dhemixia   3–4   Cobrio         
Bolton 24', 47'         Gilmore 11', 44'
    Obisana 55'         Burke 68'
                        Williams 84'

CBR: Musona; Masuka, Iwuoma, Harper, Mokoena; Quraishi (c), Ekpo (Udeze 45),
     Kasukuwere (Azuonye 82); Gilmore, Burke, Chilcott (Williams 67)

Two games down, two to go. The Panthers are doing just fine so far, and while few will expect Marvelous Koleoso's side to progress far in this Cup of Harmony, it would be disappointing to see them fail to make it out of the group stage after their impressive World Cup qualifying campaign.

"Sometimes," Koleoso said, "you have to appraise the situation with a different eye. Because when you dey watch for a long time, when you no dey have other perspective, it is difficult to make fair judgement, na." This is likely what spurred his decision to bring in an external observer to the coaching staff for Cobrio's bye day, in the form of Akachese national team manager Henri Bocandé.

Bocandé led the Odum te okeala (the "lions at the border") to victory in the DSAFF Comrades Cup recently, and is widely considered to be one of the best coaches on planet Delusia. "Marvelous has done a marvelous job," Bocandé said. "But there are some problems still. We have spoken, and hopefully the remaining games will reflect the necessary changes."

As much as there are questions over Cobrio at the moment, it is perhaps of note that their defeat against Drawkland was narrow, and on a different day, Clarence Burke's equaliser in the 78th minute may not have been chalked off. Burke himself was sanguine about it, post-game, noting that "I felt good to be in the right position to score against a team that good," adding "it may not have counted today, but it will on another day."

The seven-goal thriller against Dhemixia was a good result, but Koleoso noted the defensive fragility of his own side when speaking post-match. "We cannot allow three goals, na." He said. "Conceding three goals is usually defeat. This is the nature of the game, there are not many goals you dey can be scoring in a normal game. So to allow three? This is problems, na."

In the Panthers' defence, the Dhemixian duo of Bolton and Obisana are physically imposing presences who could likely cause problems for many far more experienced sides, but Koleoso was clear on his frustrations over the nature of the goals conceded. "We have to be tighter," he said. "When we lose the possessions, sometimes we are not ferocious, na. Sometimes we are not fighting hard. We are not making things difficult for the oppositions."

On the flipside, Sherwin Gilmore was a lethal threat for Cobrio, exploiting the space that a 3-1-4-2 system inevitably leaves in the fullback zones to repeatedly test Williamson. "When I see space in front of me, I know I am free," Gilmore said. "Five yards of grass? Then I can fly." And fly, he did. Gilmore finished the game with two goals and an assist, his best performance in the gold and green to date.

Next up for Cobrio is Doubeia, whose attack-oriented style of play may present similar openings for the Panthers as those exploited against Dhemixia. Though Marvelous Koleoso is reluctant to rely on a transitional system, claiming that this is "like the one movie with the little boy in the house, defending against the robbers". He is also, however, a pragmatist. "Sometimes you must set the traps like the swinging paint can, or the sticky floor. But I prefer to attack the robbers hideout, na. Because then you dey can catch unawares, and win the battles before they can begin, sabi?"

[Recuecn]

For hundreds of years, the core of Reçueçn's government has carried out its duties in a castle. Referred to as la citadelle by the locals, "The Castle" is the metonym for Reçuecian government. Its towers stand on the heights at the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers. The walls are imposing. Tall and thick, they were built to face sieges, and have done so in the past. Fortunately for the modern-day administration which inhabits it, la citadelle is not merely a keep, but an entire complex, encompassing the entire heights. The architecture is mixed; much of the outer walls are clearly older, of Romanesque style and intended purely for defense. But they are interspersed with portions, particularly the inner towers and halls, that were built a couple centuries later, after the signing of the traités d'alliance, in a gothic style, and with other ends in mind than the purely military.

Although la citadelle is quite a large complex, the Reçuecian government is a byzantine affair, with a myriad of councils and chambers and ministries all interconnected and overlapping. The convoluted structure of the government makes it difficult to effect rapid changes, and many medieval vestiges remain. For example, there are many ministries, often with coinciding jurisdictions, held by different aristocrats wanting to claim the title of minister. Each of these ministries has its own offices, tucked away in some keep or tower, or sometimes in one of the great halls. The endless Reçuecian bureaucracy now fills the chambers once inhabited by medieval kings and despots.

Given this situation, when a new ministry was created a few years ago—the first new ministry in centuries—it created a minor crisis. Where in the world was the new ministry meant to house itself? It would not do, whined the government, to put the new ministry outside la citadelle. The entire government had always fit within the castle; to make an exception of only one ministry would be to set it apart with an unprecedented distinction. On the other hand, the fonctionnaires belonging to the rest of the government had extended themselves over the past centuries to fill every lat nook and cranny in the complex. There was no room for a new office, let alone an entire ministry.

Fortunately for Jean-Luc Lassalle, the young new minister of sport, something came up. During an inspection, it was revealed that the stones in one of the oldest towers in the ancient wall had cracked under centuries of stress, and the entire tower would need to be renovated. The buildings in the outer wall, being built mostly of solid rock as a defensive measure, had little space within them for rooms or offices. Many were open to the public on guided tours, who could walk around the walls of la citadelle and look out at the city, or turn inward to look over the Reçuecian government complex. This particular tower was a favorite with the tourists, who would descend the spiral staircase from the upper walkway to glimpse the dark, windowless dungeons at the base of the tower. Here, in cold, stone-walled rooms, the old tyrant Carl III had kept those who opposed his reign, holding them in the cells before executing them, or letting them rot away the rest of their lives in the oubliette.

The government decided that space for the new ministry was more important than allowing the tourists to see the dungeons. The tower was restored, maintaining as much of the original stonework as possible, although underground some supports were added to the foundations. A narrow doorway was cut into the side of the bluff the tower stood on so that the dungeons could be accessed from outside. The floor, which had accumulated centuries of dirt, was cleaned to reveal a stone floor beneath. Desk and furniture were brought in, and the dungeon was transformed into an office.

That was how the new ministry of sport—the nation's newest government body—came to be housed in the ancient dungeon, perhaps one of the first buildings constructed as part of la citadelle. There was just nowhere else for it.

This was where Samantha Firaut and her daughter Rébecca came during the Cup of Harmony for their promised tour of the Ministry of Sport.

Rébecca had gotten over the fact that Franky Adams wouldn't be able to bring her on the tour (since he was playing in the Cup of Harmony), and had recovered all her excitement. Upon arriving, Samantha also found herself more intrigued than she had expected to be. The FNRF building was merely a modern office building, but this was a medieval castle dungeon.

Lassalle personally welcomed the Firaut family (minus Gerauld, also away at the Cup of Harmony) when they arrived. He led them into the ministry through the door in the outer wall. To reach it, the trio climbed a steep staircase rising up the side of the cliff away from the cobbled streets of the old town below.

"This is my daily commute," Jean-Luc laughed. "Quite a workout." At the top of the bluff, the path led into the side of the cliff. A heavy wooden door led into the base of the tower. Jean-Luc opened it with an old skeleton key. "The door is new," he explained, "but the government wanted the style to match the rest of la citadelle. And the rest of the complex is ancient—as you'll see."

The minister led the way into the tower. Rébecca listened with rapt attention as he explained the history of the building and all the gruesome things that had happened there. He pointed to the stone walls, covered in faded scratches. "These etchings were made by the prisoners of Carl III. He accused them of being heretics and tortured and executed many of them, but most were probably political dissidents." None of this was anything Rébecca hadn't heard before—every Reçuecian child learned this in school—but it was different to see it for herself. She couldn't imagine being stuck in this dungeon to work a nine-to-five job, let alone jailed here for life.

"Look at this inscription though," said Jean-Luc, pointing to a few words in what appeared to be Latin. "At least some of his prisoners were religiously devoted."

The tour continued, slowly climbing up the tour. Lassalle interspersed details from the history of la citadelle with information about the current-day ministry and its daily activities. He pointed out the desks of different ministry officials, and what they were responsible for.

"Here is the tennis desk—no one's here right now, but there will be soon, it always gets busy in the spring and early summer, especially around Beçonailles. There were a few desks for other sports: cycling, skiing, and hockey.

"Where's the soccer desk?" asked Rébecca.

"We don't have a soccer desk in the same way we have a tennis desk," explained Jean-Luc. "Due to the special treatment the FNRF receives, as the official, ministry-sanctioned governing body for the sport, the authority that that the ministry would usually wield over the sport is ceded to the federation directly. Of course, the ministry has a voice in the federation, and Jeanne—our representative—often drops by with reports—but mostly we leave things to them."

They were on the third floor now. He pointed out a loophole that archers had used during one of the sieges la citadelle had faced. Rébecca was enthralled. She pushed her face as far into the small arrowslit as possible, trying to get a glimpse of the city below. She mimed holding a bow and arrow and shooting out through the loophole. "This is the coolest office ever," she said.

"I'm glad you like it," said Jean-Luc. "Unfortunately there's not much more. I can show you the furniture the chambre maïorale sent us, it's fantastic, and four-hundred years old..."

"I have something I need to tell you before the tour ends," said Rébecca.

"Oh? What's that?" The minister smiled sweetly at the girl.

"I can tell you're not taking me seriously," she said. "I need you to know I'm serious."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Go on."

"I thought maybe this was something I needed to tell the FNRF," said Rébecca, as if the fourteen-year-old was regularly in the habit of telling the federation what to do. "And what you said about not having a soccer desk made me worry about that again. But they've had years to deal with this and they haven't done anything. And I know you can make the FNRF do what you want them to do. I read the stories about how Jeanne renegotiated their charter."

Lassalle raised his eyebrows in surprise. He glanced at Samantha, but she didn't seem to have any more idea what her daughter was getting at than he did. "Deal with what? What seems to be the issue?"

"I looked up Eveline Martel," Rébecca said. Again, Jean-Luc was shocked that this young teenager knew so much about sports government and organizations. Martel was the representative for women's soccer on the FNRF executive board. "She seems to have the right spirit," said Rébecca, "but she's not doing enough. Women need to be able to get more out of soccer in Reçueçn."

"There's a women's league..." said Jean-Luc, vaguely. He had a feeling this girl was about to outclass him.

"That no one's ever heard of," Rébecca retorted. "It plays at a lower level than several men's amateur leagues. The LNRF has no female players. The équipe nationale is the same way."

"Well," began Jean-Luc, trying to think of a defense.

"Don't interrupt me," said Rébecca. Jean-Luc looked to Samantha for help, but she was beaming at her daughter proudly. "All across the multiverse, women are playing soccer at the same level as men. Have you ever watched a World Cup game? I'm turning sixteen in two years. That's the next World Cup. Franky Adams was seventeen when he played in the Baptism of Fire. He played at seventeen—but I can outplay him now." Rébecca paused and smiled. "Sometimes. He's still very good. The best striker on the ÉNRF. And yet I'm playing at the same level and can't even join a team in le deuxième championnat. How does that make sense? How is that fair?"

Jean-Luc was smart enough to recognize a rhetorical question when he saw one, and bit his tongue.

"Monsieur le ministre, I'm going to be old enough to play professional soccer in two years. You have that much time to give women the same access to the game that men already have in this nation. I might just be a kid right now, but I'm getting older every year, and I'm getting better. You better be ready for me."

Lassalle swallowed. "I understand," he said.

"Good," said Rébecca. She looked around. "This is a nice dungeon you have. Thanks for the tour." She turned to her mom. "Let's go home," she said. "We still have some birthday cake left over."