World Cup 99 - RP Thread

[Jeruselem]

Jeruselem World Cup Manager Sam Maxis with Jeruselem keeper Cherryl Dallas in Sudilia after they beat the hosts 1-0 for their first proper winning streak of 2

Sam: Good work Cherryl, your work allowed us a clean sheet and another win over Sudilia.
Cherryl: I'm just doing my work coach, that's what people expect. Of course, sometimes we fall short of expectations.
Sam: You were a little scrappy in Quakmybush, but then that game was a bit chaotic compared to today.
Cherryl: But we won the game in Quakmybush anyway, as long as we outscore the opponent.
Sam: We don't want to not qualify because of goal difference.
Cherryl: We're not even near the top 3 anyway, but at least we're not going be last placed.

Sam: Hopefully we can keep this winning streaking going
Cherryl: We're still in the bottom half of the table
Sam: Yes it's a little congested to get to the top 3 but we can only try
Cherryl: I'm missing some hair. I can now feel it.
Sam: It's probably somewhere in that goal net over there
Cherryl: Oh yes, I did get tangled up in there

Sam: You don't need long hair, it's a bit of liability when playing football
Cherryl: I look really stupid without hair, you know like one of hairless dolls.
Sam: Most people look silly without hair unless you're a particular type of male
Cherryl: Men can get away without hair, us girls just look completely out of place without hair.
Sam: Don't worry, it will grow back
Cherryl: I guess it will. But spend most of the game flying around the goal square.

Sam: I guess the opposition get a little surprised when they see like a schoolgirl sized goalkeeper
Cherryl: Eh, my family are not short side. Not my fault.
Sam: I don't really care, I just want the results. How it's done, is secondary.
Cherryl: Don't worry, I'll do my best. I don't believe in half efforts, if you're not trying give the job to someone else.
Sam: Far too many people who just half work
Cherryl: So true

Sam: I heard you wanted actually wanted to be an acrobat
Cherryl: The only trouble is the pay is pretty lousy compared to other things
Sam: Jeruselemites follow the money for sure
Cherryl: It's not one of those sports that attract big money
Sam: Explains why a lot of ex-acrobats end up in porn
Cherryl: You sure have to be flexible to do porn, um not from personal experience. I just know a few.

Sam: Friends of Princess Alice?
Cherryl: Alice wasn't too bad at gymnastics, she's actually more flexible than she looks.
Sam: She's not a bad Tennis player either
Cherryl: But we all know her real love is, well, public facing attention.
Sam: I don't know how she does it, I can't front up to camera for a living.
Cherryl: Me too, I freeze up. But that's just a talent some people have.

Sam: I'll stick to managing people, let others do the PR
Cherryl: I'll just stick to my football I guess. I had a go at being a circus acrobat but I don't like heights and ditched that idea.
Sam: That's definitely not for me, I'm staying on the ground.
Cherryl: Same here
Sam: Strangely you seem to do a lot of flying keeping out goals
Cherryl: I guess I do, but I don't have a choice. Those bad landings really hurt.

[Audioslavia]

Love is a Battlefield
Written: January 2023

Okay so here’s something that totally doesn’t work in text form. Finishing a chapter with a cliff-hanger wherein we try to make a drama out of whether or not Elves Security Forces will win a football game. It's silly. Of course ESF win.

ESF win 9-0.

Elves Security Forces 9
Zacharius (6)
Kyla Night (9)
Tobias Raynor (31, 39)
Rick Ceullar (56)
Justinian Constant (62)
Kiso Night (70, 74)
Liliam Kries (87)

Lovisa 0

:- Elves Security Forces 2007-03-04

Yes okay the times don’t match up, this isn't from after the match, I’m just a sucker for a Lovisa RP

This is also one of the disadvantages of releasing an episode of The Idiot Project in text form instead of its more traditional format of a smug, bloated, scrappily directed YouTube documentary. You’ll just have to imagine the montage. Go find a high-energy synthwave song and listen to it while you read this text.

“How does it feel ESF, how does it feel to know that our beloved Marauders have finally achieved the dream? Are you in such ecstasy and joy that the emotion needs no words? Are you dancing through the streets and painting yourself navy and black? Have you purchased tickets to Quakmybush and will see the Marauders in such a magnificent venue and circumstances that the tale will be told to your children and grandchildren for years and generations to come? However you may or may not be celebrating, be sure to take this trip in in all of its everlasting glory, for who knows when we will be making a return trip.”

:- ESF, 2007-03-05

The Marauders had made it. But this is far from their final form.

Elves Security Forces would win two of their three group games to join hosts Quakmybush in the last sixteen. There, Geisenfried would prove too strong for the home side, while the Marauders would come up against Turori. A tough draw. Not only were they the reigning Cup of Harmony champions, the side had won two of the previous four TUR/ESF encounters to the Marauders one. Turori had the edge, but instantly surrendered said edge via this RP:

Slow to the Source, Elven "Behind The" Times

Turorian's both home and abroad have been widely anticipating the matchup between their side and Elves Security Forces. To the disappointment of Turorians however, who have a reputation for always looking for new sources of information to read and understand, news out of the Elven lands has been terse at best. In fact, it was not until the morning of the match that the biggest news source in the foreign land recognized the match, as well as the other 7 second round ties, in their sports section.

It is unknown whether this lack in media interest in the match will carry over into the match attendance, however one thing is certain, the Eel Brigade will be out in full force as thousands of Turorians are already in Quakmybush, making the short trip across Atlantian Oceania to support their club.

:- Turori, 2007-03-12

You’d imagine it would have basically formed the script for ESF manager Michael Revtron’s pre-match team talk, which inspired ESF to duly pick up the same hammer they’d used to pummel Lovisa and bonk Turori soundly over the head with it. Zacharius scored once, Kyla Night scored twice. Night, who’d previously celebrated a goal in her side’s only other win over Turori by dancing in front of their bench, didn’t feel like reining in the sass after dumping Turori out of the competition.

“Night and Tatum drove the crowd to cheers with a dance routine in front of the Turori bench.”

:- ESF, August 28th 2006

"Those crazy Cocoabos were all out of sorts out there on the pitch, but I guess that is the risk you run when you use crazy critters instead of a full human(or humananoid) squad.” :- Kyla Night

:- Elves Security Forces 2007-03-14

“These Turori squads are nothing, I want a real challange. They call this series a budding rivalry, but I would rather play Assegai, Demot, Fort Europe, or even those stinking Makaar squads than Turori, at least they have some class.” :- Zacharius[/align]

The Marauders would bow out in the quarter-finals to mid-thirties stalwarts Wentland but, buoyed by their best ever cycle, would power through to World Cup 34 with nine wins and a draw from ten qualifying games. At the finals, the Empire would reach the quarters, defeat The Holy Empire, and march forth to a semi-final showdown with Milchama. The game goes to penalties.

In a tense shoot-out, Kiso Night scores for ESF, before two wayward spot-kicks in a row tip the balance in favour of their opponents. The Milchaman records say that, here, Kyla Night would miss her spot-kick, with Kelvin Joseph netting to make it four-one on penalties to Milchama. That, of course, can’t be right. There’d be no point in Joseph taking that fourth Milchaman spot-kick if they’d been winning 3-1 with one Marauder spot kick left. This final result of 4-1 can’t be contested, so what I’m about to assert, against the historical record, is that contrary to this Milchama account, Milchama must have gone first. Joseph’s penalty would have sealed the game at 4-1, and that this Kyla miss simply. never. happens.

“Night, the best ESF player of all time, gets ready to try to help her team in the finals. All she needs to do is stroke this penalty to keep it alive for the Marauders. She comes in with confidence, goes right and Dalton follows her to the save!”

:- Milchama, May 13th 2007

Whatever your interpretation, this is the final recorded moment of Kyla Night in the blue and black of the Elves Security Forces national team. In a rare occurrence for a Marauder of note, she leaves the national team set up empty handed, with no silverware to her name.

For Elves Security Forces, Kyla Night cannot be replaced up front. The side need to find a way to build the team around the space she left behind. As such, they do away with the 3-4-3 system that took them to 3rd place in World Cup 34, and adopt a 3-5-2. It’s a system the side still utilise to this day. It’s similar to the old way, but with one change. Instead of the extra striker, the Marauders decide to play an advanced playmaker, linking the midfield and attack and supplying service for talisman Kiso Night. Into this position, the one vacated by Kyla, comes a newcomer to the first eleven.

Prodigiously talented, fiercely determined, six foot five inches tall but fleet of foot, sharp of mind, with a healthy dose of Nominative Determinism. Kyla was the Mother, the First Knight of Marauder football, Zacharius the father, the dutiful number two. Kiso the Prodigial Son, the third to bear the name. And This is Number Four. No relation to the others, at least not by blood, but the definitive inheritor of the Estate of the Eternal Empire.

His name is Laborious Hawk.

In his first full cycle as a first-teamer, the Empire are Imperious. They win ten out of twelve in qualifying for World Cup 35, including a then-record 11-0 win over Keyne Island.

Cycle 34 would see Quakmybush fail to qualify for the first time. They’d struggle initially in qualifying for World Cup 35, suffering back to back defeats on matchdays one and two to Bostopia and Bettia. Nevertheless, with Cory Sorley and John Fields still pulling the strings, they turn their fortunes around. It’s the former that nets the winner in the return leg against Bostopia, and after a horrific run for the Bostopians, Quakmybush go through in second place to make their fifth World Cup in six cycles. For the first time, Quakmybush and The Empire have successfully progressed from qualifying in the same cycle. For a brief moment, it looks like there *is* enough luck for the two of them. Fleetingly, the casual absurdity of Quakmybush coexists in the same universe as Elunian Divinity. But surely there is only space for one of these two nations in the upper echelons of world football?

Let’s find out.

World Cup 35 Group stage. Matchday One. Elves Security Forces versus Quakmybush.

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Bulls Back on Track
Next three matches 'could make or break campaign' warns Monterroso, with Mertagne, Kandorith and Crpostran next

After some glorious spells against Carpathia and Ruthenia, where the Bulls looked every bit a team that should line up in the World Cup next year, bottom-feeders Henrik P almost dragged the national team back to earth. Monterroso, criticised for not being enterprising enough in attack by football fans outwith Audioslavia, fielded a conservative first eleven and almost paid for it, with our opponents nearly holding on for their first ever point in qualifying. Thankfully, Kjartan Lunquerque appeared from the bench and headed the side's umpteenth corner into the roof of the net from close range.

The Bulls have caught MIR, who lost their undefeated streak in Kandorith last week, and sit six points clear of fourth with a little under half the campaign remaining. In our immediate future are three of the biggest names in the group.

Kandorith are former CoH champions who had spells as an elite side in the early 70s and mid 90s, but who are experiencing a lean period here at the turn of the 'century'. Embedded firmly in mid-table with a 5-0-5 record, they rebounded from their win over league-leading MIR by being turned over comfortably by a Crpostran side who have finally remembered where they'd put their boots. Crpostran will be home favourites against a Bulls side who will be looking at damage limitation - a repeat of our earlier 0-0 draw against the Spiders will be welcomed by only one of the two teams.

Sandwiched in between is the return of the Batiob Derby, this time at the Flynn Ar3na. Our Anaian brothers have struggled to recapture the form that took them to the playoffs of World Cup 98, and its this away fixture, along with home advantage against Kandorith, that Monterroso must take points from if the Bulls are to keep up their charge at World Cup 99.

[Paradystopia]

From: erroristhebestever4eva@drchonks.co.pdt

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To: complaints@PAF.co.pdt

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CC: Rhodders78078@pmail.pdt, enquiries@PRAT.co.pdt, complaints@WCQ99-STL.stl

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Subject: An official complaint against paradystopi football and the world cup in general

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Dear everyone,

I am EXTREMELY angry about the treatment of me, and pedro is also most disgruntled.

It is lies and deceit and more lies to say that i am no longer paradystopia's number 1 international goalscorer as well as the red card i received against girinatha empire was totally bogus and should be changed right this very instant!!!1! I'm looking at you, world cup committee people!!!

Firstly. IT WAS NOT A DIVE!!! I was quite clearly tripped by a girinatha player in the penalty box. IT WAS OBVIOUS!!! Just because no one was within two metres of me is not the point!! I WAS PUSHED!!! Maybe by a psychic force or something i dont know what those cheating girinathans are capable of.

As such, the stupid stupid lying referee gave ME a yellow card for simulation. What absolute nonsense is that????? And did anyone defend ME??? They did not!!! Thats bullying that is. Or harassment or something. Either way, its totally rude and unfair to victimise me for something i didnt do.

So i said this to the referee and he just gave me another yellow card for dissent and sent me off!!!!! An absolute joke!!!!!

As a result of me being suspended for the match against yuugria, iona scored two goals and now has more goals than me when anyone with half a brain wouldve noticed that if id been on the pitch id have scored both of them and probably more as well.

I request the immediate reinstatement of me as paradystopia's number 1 international goalscorer, the RIDICULOUS red card against me gone, and all the refereeing staff for the game should be boiled alive in custard to see what they think of nasty yellow things!!!

(UN)Kind Regards


Mr E. Message esq.

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From: complaints@PAF.co.pdt

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To: erroristhebestever4eva@drchonks.co.pdt

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CC: Rhodders78078@pmail.pdt

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Subject: Re:An official complaint against paradystopi football and the world cup in general

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Dear Mr E. Message,

Firstly, thank you for bringing this to our attention.

Here at the Paradystopia Association of Football, we take any and all accusations of harassment very seriously.

We have copied the national manager, Mr. R. Erdnussbougher into the conversation to request his comments on the incident and subsequent treatment of squad members.

Yours Sincerely

Jenna @ The PAF complaints department

From: Rhodders78078@pmail.pdt

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To: complaints@PAF.co.pdt, erroristhebestever4eva@drchonks.co.pdt

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CC:

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Subject: Re:re:An official complaint against paradystopi football and the world cup in general

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Jenna, and Error

In response to your request for further comments, I shall respond to Error's points.

Firstly, neither myself nor anyone else in the squad is under the illusion of the Girinathan team having psychic abilities.

Whilst we do acknowledge that Error may have felt he was tripped by some unknown force, it was apparent to myself and other members of the squad that Error had in fact got his leg tangled around his pet seagull's leash. In these circumstances, though the yellow card for simulation may have been a little harsh, the act of Error proceeding to roll around upon the floor screaming 'assault' repeatedly could well have tainted the referee's view of the matter.

Moving on to the second yellow. Myself, and other squad members sadly believe that this was justified. Upon receiving his first yellow, Error proceeded to threaten the referee with multiple expletives. He was also heard uttering the phrase "What if I skinned your loved ones in front of you? Would you see that?' to various match officials. Given these circumstances, I see no discourse for appealing his current suspension.

Regarding being re-instated as the national team's top goal scorer. I would simply advise that Error scores more goals, focus more on his training and less on doing salt commercials.

I trust that this is sufficient information to see the matter dropped.


Kind Regards


Rhoderick Erdnussbougher

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From: Automated Mailing Assist

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To: erroristhebestever4eva@drchonks.co.pdt

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CC:

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Subject: An official complaint against paradystopi football and the world cup in general

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The address <<complaints@WCQ99-STL.stl>> does not exist.

Please check you entered the address correctly and try again.

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From: enquiries@PRAT.co.pdt

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To: erroristhebestever4eva@drchonks.co.pdt

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CC:

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Subject: Re:An official complaint against paradystopi football and the world cup in general

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Error,

Fuck off

(Up) Yours

Graham
Head Penguin & Archivist-in-Chief at P.R.A.T.

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WCQ99 MD10
         Paradystopia 2–0 Yuugria
I.Schlippe 47', 52'

[Ko-oren]

The Top League in the IFCF: a five-year look back

International and domestic seasons are named together chronologically, so IFCF 22 happened at the same time as season 51. We have our qualified teams for IFCF 23, and we will find out how they do alongside season 52.

IFCF 18 - Season 47
After a few years of getting points between 6 and 11 - good for a 5-year total of about 40 points, or around 12th on the coefficient list, this was a 3.300 point horrorshow. There was every indication that it was an outlier - which thankfully it was, for a bit.

IFCF 19 - Season 48
The Top League's best teams got some favourable scheduling following the 3.300 point season. The regression to the mean as well as the help landed us a 11.5 point season, our best ever!

IFCF 20 - Season 49
The help for the best teams continued, and an amazing 11.5 was followed up with a 9.100 - at this rate, the Top League could be a top 10 contender before long! All we needed was a few lucky results and maybe some silverware...

IFCF 21 - Season 50
Aminey saves the day by winning the Champions League, but because other teams couldn't match their standards, it was only a 7.900 point season. And yet, it counts as the greatest ever, if you don't ask fans of Aminey's rival clubs.

IFCF 22 - Season 51
For the fourth straight year, Ko-orenite clubs secure fewer points than the preceding year, at just 4.083, the worst of the top 31 leagues, and the league slipped to 17th in the list, with worse on the way as our good seasons are disappearing out of view.

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Aminey CS is the best club in the list at 21st, fully carried by their Champions League-winning campaign. And yet, they're only 21st, and they've failed to qualify for the IFCF this year. In the last five years, they've finished 3, 2, 1, 2, and most recently, 6th. They've built a championship squad for a decade, got there twice, but the consensus is that they've fallen off due to an overreliance on older stars - the guys that know the system, know each other, but perhaps age has caught up with them and is too much for them to overcome in other ways. Aminey has the funds to get back up there ASAP, but it must sting that they've spent so much only to get two titles in a decade, while clubs like Straudum - two-thirds their budget - did it too, and clubs like Gehrenna - a decade ago, one-tenth their budget - have 'lucked' into silverware as well. So what's on their horizon? Actually a pretty good team, but miles off of what Maethoru's managed to build. They're going to need some young blood - or poach anything with smaller budgets, and knowing Aminey, it's going to be the latter.

Maethoru SC, once a proud perennial top-30 club, are 58th and the country's 'flagship operation' dwindles after securing more than 10 points just once in the last five years (18.000 in season 19/48). In that timespan, they went 2, 1, 3, 3, 1 in the league, qualifying for the Champions League four times, truly the princes of the Top League. The way they've taken their most recent championship - last month - was disheartening for the rest of the league, who thought that finally, the All Greens were catchable, until they very much weren't anymore. The league felt like anyone's in the last three years, but last season was an all-Maethoru showing once again. They'll have to get some IFCF credits to go with their domestic prowess, though, as that's where they've often struggled compared to Aminey and Straudum. And yet, Maethoru are the elite talent evaluators, getting players for cheaper deals than Aminey and finding the next big Dragonfly without fail. In the next five years, it's hard to see this team fall off. They're mostly young, and all of them feel so far ahead compared to the rest.

Miradela GD are still our third-best outfit despite not having participated in international competition in three seasons, with their best result coming after their title-winning year (22.000) which was also the season they somehow relegated as reigning champions. Five years ago, they won the title and twelve months later they relegated. They were back up quick but they've finished 9th and 10th since then, with 10th meaning you have to defend your honour in a playoff, which they lost over two legs to WSR on penalties - that makes it one title and two relegations in five years. They did sell the farm for that championship and they paid for it very, very dearly. Before then, there was the big three (Maethoru, Aminey, Straudum) and then the 'next three' (Kanatsu, Schemerdrecht, Miradela) and all three of the latter group have had their ups and downs. Miradela's the only one with a title, but also the only team to battle relegation. Out of the big modern six, they have the smallest budget, top three expectations, and that all comes to a head in the board room from time to time. Miradela is the big thing coming up. Of their starters, only three are over 24, and one of them is their goalie. They'll need something heavier up front, most likely, but we expect they can sell off someone for a good price in order to pick something up. So if they don't relegate within two years, the future could be bright. They are also looking for a coach - so either they're massively improved or completely disintegrating...

Straudum VV clocks in at fourth despite steady contributions - they've made the IFCF each year. That said, they tend to only chip in a point or two (1.500, 1.500, 2.000, 1.000 in the last 4 years) making their domestic reputation far, far bigger than their international one. No championships in the last five years with rankings going 4, 3, 5, 6, 2 - but no worries in the northeast. There's just not an expectation to win a title every year or every other year, and as long as they can keep up with Maethoru and Aminey it's all good, and they can do just that. They find defensive talent. They play 5-3-2 against weaker teams and 6-3-1 against better ones. It's not pretty but it gets the job done, and they can upset just about anyone while doing so, and that's what the fans want, in the end. That said, it's starting to itch: it's been a while since Champions League football - has their small budget caught up to them and are they just a midtable-ish side now? Straudum are looking for a coach though they already know what they need: the most defensive thing ever. They're the closest thing to Maethoru right now, but paradoxically they need something in attack to keep the chase alive. Their best players are well in their 30s as well, but every club will need to replace some players at some point, it's not a massive worry.

Gehrenna FC are fifth with one title-winning season (season 50, in fact) and they sit on just three IFCF participations. Their rise is meteoric, surprising, and just what Ko-orenite football needed - but they've settled right back down for now. Will they become a solid contender, or will they find their place in the midtable with international football few and far between? Placing 5, 6, 4, 1, 5 in the last five years, you wouldn't expect they're a sort of modern promotor to the Top League. They fit right in as a balance to regional rivals Maethoru and as an absolute wildcard. Wild tactics, unorthodox players, anything goes. They're still in their 'fuck around' phase, and will likely stay there for a while as by winning that one title, decades of hurt are erased. And while foreign clubs visit Gehrenna annually in the IFCF, who can complain? They're right up there with WSR as long-term Top League teams with a non-Top League background. It's still fun, but maybe some day they get to Straudum status where results are going to be part of the requirements. Gehrenna look to maintain their current status for a bit. They've bought in, are Top League level, with solid leadership. If anything, they lack a true star - outside of Vdara's Windows XP - in the sense that other clubs have a shining example to lead the rest.

Tanques AOE, after relegation, found their way up in the Top League again and finally qualified for something international last year. They immediately got a 6.000 season and the south bay club was satisfied once more. They promoted five years ago, then went 8, 7, 4, and now 11th, meaning they're right back down again. Tanques has become a yoyo club, where they once where the counterweight to Aminey regionally, with a statement 4-5-1 formation, endless creativity and overloads on the midfield, passing every team to shreds. That got a little expensive, and with the above clubs (and below clubs) outbidding them on the players that fit their system, things got untenable fast. They're lucky life on the south bay is so good, had it been Miradela or Branvon, heads would've rolled. And that's while their team isn't bad at all... we expect them to be back soon, unless they offload their older players and choose to rebuild. In that case, it could be a while, but Tanques are likely to get back here at some point.

Schemerdrecht SVV fought incredibly hard to become a contender again, after looking like they could go the way of WSR, Tanques, Miradela, and relegate after failing to find an identity and losing most homegrown players to clubs like Straudum. They've been in the IFCF all of the last three years and getting in Straudumesque totals between 1.5 and 2.0. It's not much, but it's honest work. Going 7, 5, 2, 5, 3 in the last years, with 3rd as their most recent standing, they've dealt with a decade of poor midtable finishes and near-relegations (like Kanatsu and Miradela faced) and... hang on, is that competent management, on the north bay? What's this? They were the meme club of old: always there, never good, always close losses, but never actually getting anywhere. Those days are over, though, and it feels like there's silverware on the horizon if they keep it up. Keep what up? Not sure, it doesn't feel like they changed their MO, but all of a sudden something's working. The future is bright, with a fairly young team leaning on a solid defence. If they don't botch their coaching hire, they might just stumble into a championship.

Maynard AFC qualified once for 2 points, as we've come to expect from this club. They can't expect an IFCF contribution every year but when they're there, they give it their all. After years in the Second Division, they've come back as the one big club in the greater southwest (that's about 50% of the population!) and operated for years without Cresthill and Sydberg as local opponents. And yet they've gone 9, 4, 8, 8, 4 in the last half-decade, with that 4th place granting them access to the next IFCF CC. It's a weird club: the richest owner, the biggest aspirations, the worst scouts and talent evaluators, milquetoast managers, complete question marks on the field, and poor results as the obvious outcome. Have they put things together? Maynard need significant investment to make a step up, and the field is getting closer. If they miss the train now, they could go down to limbo once again. Their attack is debatable in talent as they are promising - but they have to play to their level at some point, right?

Sydberg Olympia are the ninth and last club to be featured on the list. They got a singular point five years back, when they looked like they had the funds to become the next big thing in the Top League (something Gehrenna would do the very next year, and show how all of these clubs should have handled their attempts to kick out Maethoru, Aminey, and Straudum), promptly relegated, but they're back with higher ambitions than ever. Since then, they relegated twice on their only two Top League seasons. Sydberg (like Cresthill) have an insanely huge fanbase now that they're relevant - even in the Second Division - and they're the two sleeping giants of the Top League, but nothing's waking them. At all. Sydberg have been promoted to the Top League, and with Maynard levels of money, will this finally be the time they can get up, stay up, and wreck the competition? With a better striking force, why not? Urruchi is 35, after all...

[United States of Nova Calania]

Two important wins!

Starting XI vs Qusmo @ Stadion Azteca, Ostrow Krolewski, Odlegla Ziemia
GK SERGE - LB ALYSSA (Ouzy 77') - CB VLODZY - CB GIBBY - RB PHOEBE (Félix 77') - DCM LE GÉNÉRAL - LW MEI (Lettie '68') - RW ROSE - ACM CHARLOTTE - S ROD - S FRED

Starting XI @ HUElavia
GK SERGE - LB ALYSSA - CB VLODZY (FX 65') - CB GIBBY - RB EVAN - DCM LE GÉNÉRAL - LW MEI - RW ROSE (Lettie 65') - ACM CHARLOTTE - S ROD - S FRED (Yi Ming 73')

San Rafael, HUElavia - It's a miracle, Margaret finally likes Nova Calania! Nova Calania is actually in the middle of their toughest part of the schedule but the team does gives a damn and had two important back to back wins. First, the Tapirs received Qusmo, ranked higher, at Stadion Azteca in Ostrow Krolewski. The stadium is named like this because the Aztecs are the native peoples of Nova Calania and were colonized by polish speaking colonists who founded the nation of Odlegla Ziemia (meaning distant land). Nova Calania attacked at the 8th minute when Mei Qi Xiong dribbled with the ball and made a cross to Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin who kicked the ball past Alfan-Dynom Jan and it's a goal. It's 1-0 Nova Calania at halftime. Qusmo tied the game at the 72nd minute when Mulpo-Kynda Uka passed to Sevet-Matez Fox who headed the ball into the goal. Nova Calania had a free kick at the 77th minute. Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin kicked the ball and it's a goal! The final score was 2-1 Nova Calania. After the game, we learnt the manager, Roman Findley from Saterun gave a powerful speech in the locker room just before the start of the game.

8th      GOAL NOVA CALANIA   Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin assisted by Mei Qi Xiong
72nd     GOAL QUSMO   Sevet-Matez Fox assisted by Mulpo-Kynda Uka
77th     GOAL NOVA CALANIA   Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin (free kick)

On week 10, Nova Calania travelled to San Rafael, located on Jaguar Bay in HUElavia. Charlotte Gibouleau-Beaudoin had the ball at the 26th minute and she made a short pass to Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau. Everyone tought she was going to kick the ball but she made a cross to Rodrigo Guénette-Velazquez who headed the ball into the net. HUElavia attacked at the 31st minute when Asunción Alcabú passed the ball to Ronaldo Arruda Barbosa who kicked the ball into the net with a beautiful bicycle kick and the game was tied at 1-1 at halftime. Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau had the ball in the penalty area at the 65th minute but Willka Manco Quihue tripped her. It's a yellow card for him and a penalty for Nova Calania. Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau takes the penalty and she scores! HUElavia attacked at the 86th minute but Natalia Arias' pass is intercepted by Tristan Gibouleau-Beaudoin who makes a long pass to Yi Ming Xiong who kicks the ball from 35 meters and it goes past Thibault Ancel. The score is 3-1 Nova Calania and this is the final score. It's unbelievable, Nova Calania beat two teams ranked higher, back to back!

Valanora and HUElavia are both leading group 10 with 25 and 22 points respectively. Nova Calania is in a group of 5 nations between the 3rd and 7th place, with the 7th place being short of 2 points from the 3rd place. On week 11, Nova Calania will receive Valanora in Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer. The Tapirs will try to beat the 2nd best football nation. On week 12, Nova Calania will travel to The Golden Harp, higher in the standings with 17 points, to play against them. This is not an easy task. Nathan McCaskill is still injured and will miss at least the game against Valanora. These two back to back wins against Qusmo and HUElavia feels good, when I'll be back in Nova Calania, I'll celebrate it by drinking a Laborious Hawk, an imperial vanilla coffee porter.

26th     GOAL NOVA CALANIA   Rodrigo Guénette-Velazquez assisted by Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau
31st     GOAL HUELAVIA   Ronaldo Arruda Barbosa assisted by Asunción Alcabú
65th     GOAL NOVA CALANIA   Frédérique Goudreau-Luneau (penalty)
86th     GOAL NOVA CALANIA   Yi Ming Xiong assisted by Tristan Gibouleau-Beaudoin

Projected Starting XI vs Valanora @ Terrain de soccer 1 au complexe sportif national, Saint-Jean-Jacques-sur-Mer
GK SERGE - LB ALYSSA - CB VLODZY - CB GIBBY - RB EVAN - DCM LE GÉNÉRAL - LW MEI - RW ROSE - ACM CHARLOTTE - S ROD - S FRED

Projected Starting XI @ The Golden Harp
GK SERGE - LB ALYSSA - CB VLODZY - CB GIBBY - RB NATEY (if healthy) or EVAN (if natey not healthy) - DCM LE GÉNÉRAL - LW MEI - RW ROSE - ACM CHARLOTTE - S ROD - S FRED

Paul-André Veilleux

[Of the Golden Harp]

The Holy Harps, after two wins in a row, welcome Oscioru into the Coastal Connaught Stadium, where matches against lower ranked teams take place. The stadium is alive with noise, as 60000 Golden Harpian fans chant for the teams. The Osci fans attempt to be nearly as loud, but the Golden Harpians remain much louder. The game starts Paul Johnson kicks the ball off to Garbhan. Then all of the team except for the center backs, rush forward, which flabbergasts all, but it was exactly what the team practiced. Sigmund Reynolds knew that the Osci had a great defense, so he decided to catch them off guard. Garbhan lobs a pass to Jones Collins, who sprints down the wing past Jordi Mancini who attempts a tackle. Now there are six Golden Harpians, only blocked by three center backs. Jones Collins runs down the wing as the center backs retreat. He fakes a move inside drawing out Martorell. With this space he kicks the ball past Martorell to Garbhan who sprints ahead until he meets a tackle from Bellomo. He falls, but manages to keep control, and taps the ball to Conall Buchanan whose strike meets true as the ball hits the right post and then goes in. From that point on the Holy Harps utilize the Osci’s inability to form an organized attack, and settle into a low block giving virtually no opportunity for a counter attack. The Holy Harps play the possession game, and pass it back and forth without creativity or attack. They retain most of the possession, and the Osci get few opportunities, most of which were met with solid tackles. The rest of the game is like that, with the Holy Harps dominating possession. Afterwards, the fans were ecstatic about three wins in a row, but were disappointed by the lack of creativity. In a press conference Sigmund Reynolds said “We do what we have to to win. It may not be glamorous or even respectable, but winning is the most important thing here. We play to win. Within the rules of course.”

The Holy Harps were elated after their third win in a row. Another match at home. This time against the worst team in the group: Sadame. Sigmund Reynolds decided to not start many starters. The line up looked like this: Strikers: Arlo O’ Burn, Ninniau Steed CAM: Hal Perrot CDMS: Dax Shaw, Sloan Mondy WBS: Jones Collins, Robbie Johnston CBS: Darren Keane, Ian Morce, and Egan Lennon. And of course Jason O’ Finnegan in goal. The game took place in the Coastal Connaught Stadium, just like the last. The stadium was packed as usual, but the atmosphere wasn’t the same. Almost no one doubted that the Holy Harps would win. Sadame kicked off first, but as their second striker went to pass the ball, he slipped, which was capitalized on by the quick Ninniau Steed who gained possession. He passed it to his former u18 teammate Hal Perrot, now making his debut. He sprinted forward, almost like Garbhan. He made it past the midfielders, but now reached a wall of defenders. He tapped the ball to his right like he was about to run down the wing passed the defenders, but then chipped the ball into the box where Steed appeared, narrowly avoiding offside, and struck the ball on the bottom right, sending it into the top left corner. Seconds in, and the immense chemistry between Hal Perrot and Ninniau Steed was on display in front of the multiverse. Play restarted, this time with Sadame cautiously defending the ball. They passed back and forth but to no avail as the Holy Harps defense remained strong. Eventually Sadame’s striker broke through the first line of defense, but became isolated. The Holy Harps pounced on the isolated striker taking the ball. Dax Shaw came out with the ball, and passed it down the wing to Robbie Johnston who was stopped by Sadame’s left back, but managed to get the ball to Sloan Mondy. Mondy then kicked the ball far forward to O’ Burn who barely managed to keep control. He slowly dribbled the ball forward, but couldn’t find a gap in the defense. He then passes the ball back to Hal Perrot, and made a through run. Perrot chipped the ball as he did before, but this time O’ Burn hit the ball from the air, sending it flying, but it hit the goalkeeper’s glove and bounced off of the post, but luckily it fell to Steed who tapped it in, careful not to make a mistake. A double for the 19 year old. Play restarted again in the 21st minute. This time Sadame decided to go full attack. They attempted a similar strategy to what the Holy Harps did in their previous game. It almost worked, but a heroic tackle from Egan Lennon stopped Sadame in their tracks. Jason O’ Finnegan rushed out to get the ball before anyone else could, and grabbed it quickly. With Sadame only having two defenders back he kicked it down the field to Hal Perrot, who was behind O’ Burn and Steed. Perrot ran towards the two center backs and nutmegged one of them. Steed, knowing Perrot would do this, was there, and chipped the ball to himself so no one else could get it. He struck the ball true again, sending it into his favorite part of the goal. The top left. Steed was having a field day. A hat trick! In the World Cup of all places. Incredible! In the first thirty minutes too! After this the Holy Harps stopped some of their attacking, but were relentless in their pressure. After halftime Hal Perrot who was on the side of an attack found himself with the ball after Ninniau Steed was tackled. He never hesitated years in a World Cup, but he had been called upon, and delivered spectacularly. No one doubted his potential now. No one doubted Ninniau Steed now either. They has proved themselves in a spectacular fashion. 4-0 up. Time to defend, and defend the Holy Harps did. Not a shot can from Sadame. The most dominant performance in Golden Harpian history had come to a close. The stadium seemed to be shaking from the noise. Dublin was like a living megaphone. It sounded like the city itself was screaming. Everyone expected a win, but not like this. “They were simply remarkable” said Sigmund Reynolds. Eight matches left, and the Holy Harps were in qualifying position. A feat that seemed impossible just a couple days ago. Qualification is within reach. Moral has never been higher for the Holy Harps.

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

[OOC - my thanks to Oberour Ar Moro for providing detail of their team's naughtiness; mucht of the Matchday 7 RP is an edit of a TG sent to me by OAM]

From the Diaries of Swole Santa

On the seventh matchday of qualification, my swole elves gave to me... an upset loss against Oberour Ar Moro

What the [expletive deleted] do we need to do to get some wins around here?

The match against Oberour Ar Moro should have been easy. And we did the research to make sure, too!

I was right all along... Jacques-Maurice Destelan de Saint-Joseph did indeed make his sister cry at her sixth birthday party, just like it says in the Tome of Naughtiness. Occasionally Jacques-Maurice recalls what happened. He tries to laugh it off and certainly pretends that it doesn't bother him. It does.

Manager Noël Ginguené took bribes from sports agents and wealthy families during his time at Becherel University to guarantee students and potential players were accepted into the school. He then used his authority at the school to snuff out any attempt to stop his vile corruption, and had anyone who raised concerns removed from their positions.

I'm particularly fond of this next one... It speaks of a combination of base naughtiness and animal cunning that I sneakily rather admire. Loys Roty broke a neighbour's reindeer Christmas lawn ornament with an errant football kick at age nine. To hide his crime, he took the broken reindeer and buried it, then crafted a "treasure map" using crayons and ransom-style letters cut from an old copy of Events magazine he took from his parent's bathroom. The map, if deciphered, would supposedly lead to the hidden reindeer. But the spot in the woods where Loys guessed the map might point contained only a box with another clue. That clue required its own decoding, which then led to a third clue, and so on. Loys then built an increasingly elaborate and complex web of cryptic hints, puzzles, and nonsense ciphers over the next three months. None of them were probably solvable. He was finally caught at school for "vandalizing" the supply shed, which was actually to serve as the hiding place for the eighth round of clues. Loys never found out if the neighbour even attempted to follow the first clue; in fact the reindeer had been thrown in the family rubbish bin and taken to the dump the day after it was broken.

Kerrian le Seigneur stole an Indifferent Water Motel record from a record store at age 17. He listens to it often with no regrets. AND THEREFORE SHOULD BE PUNISHED!

With this sort of material to work with, how could we possibly fail?

Unfortunately it turns out the entire Dragoons squad takes the same attitude to naughtiness as Loys Roty and Kerrian le Seigneur; they shrug it off, accept they're naughty, and get on with it. In fact, the entire team seems to be utterly devoid of any form of guilt for their childhood base naughtiness. Ginguené's a different matter, but a corrupt manager has little impact on the outcome of the match unless he's willing to take bribes; and God knows I tried, but he didn't seem willing to accept them.

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

From the Diaries of Swole Santa

On the eighth matchday of qualification, my swole elves gave to me... a big win against Thaeloria

5-1 win against anyone? Good.

Bullying a weaker team? Good.

5-1 win against a team that's only one one match the entire qualifying campaign, leaving us struggling in fourth place in qualification? Meh.

'Nuff said.

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

From the Diaries of Swole Santa

On the ninth matchday of qualification, my swole elves gave to me... a narrow win against the group bottom feeders

I really don't know what to make of this one.

A win's a win. A second win in a row is good. Narrowly scraping a 3-2 win against the group's winless bottom feeders when we're supposed to be the group's second seeds?

Just what is happening here? Don't the other teams in the group know that we're the group alphas? Just look at my swole ripped torso! All the other teams should be bowing down before us because we work out, and they're a bunch of beta pussies. Hell, in one case they're even girls. Girls shouldn't be competing against us at football; they should be towelling off our ripped muscled torsos after the match, before...

[this section of Santa's diary has been censored by the State Bureau of Imperial Security. SBIS does not endorse Swole Evil Santa's views on women in contemporary imperial society, and three of the sexual positions outlined are in any case impossible for 99% of humanoid species]

...so we should be winning the group! Not sitting here in third! When will the other teams just roll over and play dead? What do I need to do to show them how naturally superior we are? Share my diet of raw beef liver and sheep's testicles on some sort of social media channel? Have the elves sneak into their bedrooms at night and whisper their darkest secrets into their ears while they sleep? Listen to more heavy metal?

I just don't get it. We're alphas; they're not. We should be winning, the pussies and girls should be losing. It's that easy. I shouldn't even need the magic Tome of Naughtiness; our innate Alpha status should just carry us naturally and effortlessly to the top.

I really don't get it.

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

From the Diaries of Swole Santa

On the tenth matchday of qualification, my swole elves gave to me... a 1-1 draw against the team ranked 200th in the multiverse

Oh c'mon elves... Now you're just taking the piss.

If you don't win the next match, it's 300 push-ups, bench-pressing your maximum weight, no booze, no chicks, and eating nothing but raw liver for the next week.

I'd better see some improvement in matchday 11, or there'll be hell to pay.

[Zenic]

"Tell me again: Why are we not happier at hitting our goal so far?"

With the Emperor rightfully preoccupied with the ongoing situation regarding Dragutin Tomčić, protocols dictated that any National team updates be discussed with the Consul whenever the Emperor was not available. Thus, it was taking a bit to get used to the extroverted positivity he was receiving versus the more neutral and balanced thought process of his usual conversation partner. "When we set out our smaller foundational goals, we generally set them as our baseline: the minimum we need to achieve our larger aspirational goal. In this case, we needed at least 21 points from the first half of qualification to have the best chance of making the World Cup and progressing past the first two knockout rounds."

Consul Felipe started rolling his hands and raising his eyes, miming to Killian to get to the point. "We always strive to surpass our goals instead of just meet them. So, we were hoping for a draw at Flavovespia and / or a win or draw against Zwangzug. If you look at the other groups, everyone with a valid chance of qualifying is in the same position bar one. Being in a better position than all of them would be ideal and signal growth in our program." The Consul nodded his head. He could no deny that it was a solid organizational philosophy that promoted constant improvement in a positive way. He might have to borrow it himself.

"Wait, who's the one team in a better spot than the rest of us?" Killian chuckled. "Believe it or not, Huayramarca. They have literally been perfect so far." Consul Felipe folded his arms and looked on with amazement. "Well, I'll be damned. Did not have that one on my parlay." Killian's expression changed from neutral to concern. Justo Felipe noticed the change immediately. "It's a joke. I theoretically could gamble but the jeopardy that could cause is too vast for me to justify attempting anything other than 'you owe me a soda if I beat you in a foot race.' You know what I mean?"

"Oh, thank god," said Killian, exhaling the breath he had not realized he had held in. "That whole leak situation really has you on edge, doesn't it?" Killian could do nothing else but nod. "Fair enough. Sorry on that. Even though you guys and the folks over at Sports weren't the main target, it still must feel horrible to have to watch your back because you don't know who might be a mole and who is legit. Probably just used to it since the Consul is the second highest position and everyone's gunning for you. Gotta remember not everyone is used to being on guard all the time."

"You're on guard all the time? Are you not the most laid back Consul of all time?" That drew a chuckle from the Consul himself. "I disarm folks by appearing too laid back for the position I have. It allows me to maneuver conversations and negotiations in a topsy-turvy way that gives me the advantage. I wouldn't have been elected to this position if I wasn't good at what I do, even if I do it in my own unique way." Luke would need to remember to be more cautious around the Consul from now on, lest he get played like a damn fiddle.

"But, what if we take advantage and go on the offensive? You know, take back control of the reins," Felipe recommended. "You mean, go public with the league?" Felipe clapped his hands together. "Exactly." Killian paused and steadied himself. "Normally, I am pretty good at seeing the bigger picture but I might be mentally strained right now. Where is the benefit?" Felipe smiled. "One word: Control. If we go public now with a controlled and concise statement and plan, we take back all the power. Show that we aren't afraid and we are malleable to anything thrown our way. They can't hold the threat of leaking over our heads to control us how they want. Sure, they can make us go public earlier with certain information but we end up controlling the narrative, which is more important."

Felipe shrugged before readjusting his posture. "Granted, it benefits the Emperor's office overall more than the Sports Ministry or the FZF but what helps those up top will trickle down to everyone underneath. You know what I mean?" 'Kinda?' is all Killian could think of before ultimately landing on light nodding. He shifted his gaze over to his monitors, looking at a 'work in progress' for the official announcement of the reborn domestic league before shifting over to folders filled with information provided by all the participating clubs, both old and new. "We can do it but we'll need all the help we can get."

Consul Justo Felipe smirked. "I know just the right lady for the job."

[HUElavia]

HUElavia 5–2 Ochre Islands
(Asano 10', Alcabú 30' (P), Serra Fontes 45', 80', Pazarella 65' | Finches 41', Bridgebuilder 71')
Estadio da Selva, Natel, HUElavia

HUElavia 1–3 United States of Nova Calania
(Arruda 31' | Rod 26', Fred 65', Yi Ming 86')
Estadio Internacional, San Rafael, HUElavia

Faces of HUElavia

Episode 5:
The Tallians

While the Portuzians and Aestellians are the two major ethnic groups that came from Euroa that helped form HUElavia, there are other Euroan ethnicities that made the trek to immigrate to the country. One of these was the Tallians, coming from the nation of Talia, located to the west of Aestellia, existing right before the continent becomes Eastern Euroa. Over 32 million HUElavians claim full or partial ancestry to the Tallians, who have made their impact on HUElavian culture and cuisine.

The original Tallians who immigrated was during the 1890s to the 1930s, going by ship from Tallia over to HUElavia, landing along the northern coast in West HUElavia, founding the city known today as Canternico. Many of the immigrants were mainly farmers and peasants from the Tallian countryside looking for opportunities to work and send money back home to their families left behind. Unlike the Yamoto, the Tallians were welcomed more openly into HUElavia. Many worked in farms for a better wage and usually had their own neighborhoods where they would live in. Despite the main location being in the north of HUElavia, many would move over to the Eastern half of HUElavia, also working in farms and eventually construction. Over time, many would move over to factories to work in manufacturing and eventually in other fields. Of course, the Tallian Mafia would begin making links to HUElavia in the 1940s when they began seeing the fruits of the Tallian-HUElavians and they would serve as one of the few groups causing crimes in HUElavia. Such activities have been subject to documentaries, series and movies, being a surprisingly popular genre in HUElavian fiction.

On a more positive note, Tallian culture has been entrenched into HUElavian culture today. Mainly being the Italian Language being spoken by the 32 million Tallian-HUElavians, along with other HUElavians who took up learning the language. Most of the architecture within Canternico and the surrounding areas is inspired by Tallian designs. The clothing is the most traditional in HUElavia, where most enjoy wearing the old Tallian clothing, if not, more sleek suits and dresses common in the fashion industry over there. But the most famous mark left by the Tallian-HUElavians is none other than the cuisine. Spaghetti with Ragu, Tagliatelle with Ragu, Fettucine Alfredo, and Gelato are among the most popular Tallian dishes found in HUElavia. But nothing compares to Pizza Margherita, a massive staple of HUElavian cuisine today. Such popularity makes enter in the Top 10% of the Multiversal Pizza Industry, and many dairy farms are found within the area, where the Tallians have employment and businesses set up to where they help HUElavia get to the Top 2% of Multiversal Dairy Production.

Tallian-HUElavians have been influential throughout HUElavia, from Politics, to Entertainment, to Science, to Business, to Sports. The most famous Tallian-HUElavian is the RCD San Rafael and HUElavia playmaker Lionel Rossi-Rigoni, who holds the record for most goals and assists for San Rafael, while also holding the assists record for HUElavia, very popular with Cristiano Aveiro Lima during the First Golden Generation.

[Chromatika]

World Cup 99 Qualifiers Matchday 9: Britonisea 1-2 Chromatika
Goals: Hauptmeijer 19', Lee 50'
Starting XI: (3-4-1-2) - Aniston; Paterson - Lethbridge-Antonio, C. - Saburo; Hauptmeijer - Lethbridge-Antonio, J. - Prenn (C) - Mátyás; Lee; Jean-Baptiste - Baïe-Verte.
Substitutes: Jackson-Jones -> Lethbridge-Antonio, C. (49'), Mesic-Mizayaki -> Lethbridge-Antonio, J. (49'), AF Xuen-Zhukov -> Baïe-Verte (60'), Nodis -> Saburo (60'), Fillar, E. -> Mátyás (73')
Summary: Control the midfield, win the game. Jayla Lethbridge-Antonio, Maddie, Prenn, and Lee Hyun-Seol
controlled the midfield, the wingers ran all over the place, and the Anomalies ran out to a 2-0 lead and held on for the victory on the road at Britonisea. There were moments where Jessika Aniston was vulnerable, but the keeper was good in all situations except one as the winning streak moved to five.

World Cup 99 Qualifiers Matchday 10: Vixette 2-3 Chromatika
Goals: Baïe-Verte 9', Saburo 61', Heimdell 86'
Starting XI: (3-4-1-2) - Aniston; Paterson - Lethbridge-Antonio, C. - Saburo; Hauptmeijer - Lethbridge-Antonio, J. - Prenn (C) - Mátyás; Lee; Jean-Baptiste - Baïe-Verte.
Substitutes: Heimdell -> Jean-Baptiste (50'), Fillar, G. -> Hauptmeijer (50'), Gundsdorf -> Lethbridge-Antonio, J. (67'), Nodis -> Saburo (67'), Fillar, B. -> Lee (80')
Summary: Vixette remained a pain on the side for the Anomalies as they were in the first leg of the season, equalizing both times when Chromatika took the lead; it required the substitution of both Baillaire Fillar and Jack Heimdell to set up the game-winner by the striker off the bench, the youngster getting a knifing goal from the left corner of the box. The winning streak is up to six - and more importantly, the lead is up to four away from fourth place.

---

Projected Lineups for World Cup 99 Qualifying Matchdays 11 and 12
vs. (58) Auprussia @ Chromatik City Field, Chromia, Capital District (Cap. 100,000; 32,000 Seats), @ (104) Yuugria
Starting XI: Sourtois; Coulibaly - Jackson-Jones - Nodis; Fillar, G. - Mesic-Mizayaki - Françine-Miklavivec - Fillar, E.; Fillar, B.; Xuen-Zhukov (C) - Hoard-Dawes.
Substitutes: GK Jill Swanson, GK Jessika Aniston, DCR Paisley Paterson, DC Claudia Lethbridge-Antonio, DCL Uemura Saburo, DC Samantha Han Cunningham, WBR Jacoliene Hauptmeijer, WBL Nemes Mátyás, WBL Róża Panaś, CDM Jayla Lethbridge-Antonio, CDM Cassandra Van Der Borght, AM Maddie Prenn, AM Þyrill Bjarnhéðinsson, AF Kaytlyn Jean-Baptiste, CF Harriet Baïe-Verte, AF Adélaide Bittencourt.
Preview: After four matchdays of rest, the Starting XI return to face off against Auprussia and Yuugria. Auprussia is one of the teams that have defeated the Anomalies in the first leg, but this time, the Chromatiks get to host them. Will their luck change?

---

1. The Find
2. The Lawyer
3. The Debt
Op 1. The Evil You Know
Op 2. Structure is Good

DISCOVERY OF THE AGES
IV. The Incident

Disclaimer: Some of this may be disturbing to read, as it describes a tragedy. Please read on with caution. CW: Burning, Loss of Life

Joseph Levine, Police Officer for the Myana Central 3rd Precinct, shook his head as he pulled up to the site of a public disturbance that he had been called into. It was the sixth such incident this week as the city of Myana continued to reel from the sheer number of refugees that had arrived from the eastern half of Myana Island. At first, the infrastructure of the city and the people had been enough to sustain them - but as time wore on and months turned into years, Myana was struggling. Shelters that had been set up for temporary relief was being shut down due to lack of funds, neighbors that had taken in people in the name of charity were turning them away as their pockets became empty, and more and more people were starting to live out in the streets - mostly because they simply couldn't get by. What made matters worse was that the rebuilding effort required so much help from the Yesopalithans to magically heal the infected land first that the people effected couldn't even help in the process to regain their home. Instead, it all created a powder keg of a situation that made things very, very volatile.

Last month, there was an incident already in Tihon where a Tihonite citizen beat up a refugee from Eyrods when he caught the Eyrodii stealing from his stores. The Tihonite was released with a low bail because he'd only caused a broken wrist, but the event made the national news. More and more cities from across Chromatika that had received the hundreds of thousands of refugees were starting to feel the civil unrest that was starting to happen, and they didn't know how to handle it.

Officer Levine had been successful in deescalating situations in the past, getting people to make up, apologize, or at least walk away and stop arguing or fighting. As he approached this instance of disturbance, however, he could tell that something was different. There was a faint smell of smoke in the air, along with the distant sound of a car alarm going off. He called in on his radio that something was definitely amiss and asked for backup. Then, drawing his sidearm and flashlight, he approached the house that the disturbance had been reported at on full guard.

Immediately, he saw a young girl - about fourteen or so - sprinting away from a duplex around the corner, screaming. She had tears streaming down her face, slightly singed hair, and was clad in her pajamas.

"Help! Help! The bad man caused a fire!" she yelled at Officer Levine. He waived her off toward a neighboring house for her safety - the area was a gated community meaning that most everyone knew each other - and called in for the Fire Department and some backup.

As he approached the duplex, he saw that the house was indeed very much on fire - a blazing one that had consumed over half of it. There was a passed out man on the side of the road, covered in some burn marks. Officer Levine went to check in on him, and noticing that the man was breathing, he called into the house, "Is anyone still in there?"

A woman who looked to be in her late thirties stumbled out of the house, coughing up on a storm. As he approached to assist her, she waved him off, pointing to the raging inferno and wheezing out, "My son is still in there! Please help him! I couldn't find him, he was on the second floor when it happened..."

Then, the sound of the second floor collapsing - it turned out the fire started on the fist floor ceiling - drowned everything else out. It took every ounce of energy in Joseph's body to keep himself from going in there to see if he could find the lady's son, and even more than that to physically hold her back from trying to get back in there. She may hate him for the rest of her life, but he couldn't risk the idea of losing both of them.

As the Myana Fire Department came and eventually put the fire out, it was too late. They eventually found the body of a young boy in the wreckage of the second floor that had come down. Thankfully, the husband hadn't been home, away on a business trip - and the unconscious man that was found on the side of the road turned out to be a refugee from the eastern side of Eyrods by the name of Mack Jamison.

Mr. Jamison was indignant about the fact that he was unsuccessful in getting a job in the city of Myana because of his refugee status. Many places had turned him down because he had "already leeched off of them" and "didn't belong here". Some of the people, he tearfully confessed, even said that he deserved it because Eyrods had been a Red Party city who "didn't want the best for the Chromatik public". Mr. Jamison confessed further that he found the concept of the perfect gated community to be infuriating, and he had set fire to the duplex because it was a bit further away from all the other homes.

Even though Mack Jamison showed genuine remorse for his crimes and confessed fully, his story became the powder keg that made its way through Chromatik media, causing the Chromatik public to start to ask the hard questions. When would the rebuild be over? What was the government going to do to support the cities that were being taxed beyond their limits in the interim? How would they stop the discrimination being directed toward the refugees?

Young Zachary Wyatt-Smith's story became the prime example of what was happening to Chromatika at large. The longer this continued without something being done, the worse the situation would get. But what could be done? How would Chromatika overcome this crisis that was now blossoming as a result of the prior ones?

[Saterun]

This was it. As the teams walked out into the Stade de Torgos, Handrix braced himself. They were playing the top seed in the group, and a very formidable team. Pasarga. Although the Wanderers had had a bit of a rough start to qualifying, lying in 4th place after 8 games, they were still a top side and Handrix knew there wasn't any room for error. To be very clear, Saterun were the underdogs. Any points here would be considered an upset. Little did Handrix know, he and everyone in the stadium were in for one of the most thrilling games of qualifying. Both sides, who were already proving their attacking merit, fought to outdo each other in what turned out to be a fascinating tie.

As expected, Pasarga struck first. The hosts had been applying pressure consistently from the opening minutes, and a well-driven ball by Borsala Takácz found Zágon Schmid in acres of space down the middle. The Tanrısal man held up the play just long enough for Bogdan Laszlo to get inside the box, before a curling pass went just beyond the outstretched feet of Abbas Alil. Laszlo latched on to the ball, and fired it past Ralf Abiatti. It dinged off the inside of the post and slammed in. A bit lucky, sure, but Pasarga had earned their goal. They had been first to everything for the opening 20 minutes, and Saterun would have to adapt. However, the Claws were able to barely stay in stride with the Wanderers. Maksymillian Bates saw his effort go just wide in the 29th, and the Claws were finally rewarded after a bit of intense pressing when Crespo Antonsen won the ball off of Slava Jakšićin the 31st. A counter attack instantly made the field wide open, and it was a simple ball for a player of Antonsen's caliber to thread between Zétény Szatmári and Kornél Borsos for a sprinting Caesar Ibañez. The Tihon United man finished the play with an excellent sliding pass across the goal, which Bates scored with ease.

It seemed like the game would go into the half all square, but Schmid wasn't done yet. He was having an excellent game, dominating the space between Saterun midfield and defense. After coolly slipping away from Vidar Washington, he received a lobbed pass before carrying the ball deep into the Saterun half. At the top of the box, he played a slicing through ball that was perfectly into the path of Asztrik Biró. Biró had half a touch before curling it just beyond Abiatti, as Pasarga scored in the 2nd minute of extra time in the first half. As the teams took their halftime break, Handrix knew something had to change. The Claws had kept themselves in it, for sure, and he didn't want to make any major switches, but it was time to bring on someone who could change a game. For this occasion, he settled on Oscar Carlisle. The Anasb FK wonderkid had been quietly moving up the squad pecking order, and his exceptional performances in the last season of the A Liga hadn't gone unnoticed. He had also performed in his limited minutes this campaign, and Handrix was eager to get him in the game.

It took a bit to get going in the second half, but by the 60th minute Saterun had started to fight back. However, it took a bit of luck to finally equalize again. After passing the ball around the box for a few seconds, it was dropped back in front of Glenn Lundquist. The veteran midfielder slammed an unexpected shot, and after traveling no more than five or six yards it took one of the heaviest deflections Handrix had ever seen. It completely changed direction, and there was nothing Maja Topić could do. It was still Lundquist's goal, as the original shot had been on target, but he had certainly been given a little help. The equalizer seemed to rejuvenate the Claws. In the 63rd, on came Sülimein Kalemanu. After his excellent game against American Generations, he hadn't gotten all that much playing time, and he was ready to show the world what he could do. As Washington played the ball out wide, he latched on to it before sending Remi van Blijderveen in the complete wrong direction with two clean stepovers. Kalemanu burst down the flank, outpacing the 33 year old defender. Entering the box, he neatly chopped the ball behind his lead foot to get around Borsos. Faced with two options, the usually flashy outside midfielder made a smart decision. He played it right into the path of Ibañez, who's shot slammed into the side netting, well beyond the reach of Topić.

Shockingly, the Claws were now leading. However, they couldn't hold it forever. Two quick goals, in the 75th and 79th, reinstated Pasarga's advantage. Laszlo hit both, rounding out the hat-trick in what had been a fine performance. As the game entered extra time, Handrix could see the chances of any points slipping away. In the 90+6', the last minute of what had been a somewhat long extra time, Saterun won a corner. Handrix urged his team forward. This was their last chance. Kalemanu stepped back, and then swung in a pacy cross. First to the ball were Bates and Borsos. They both got a bit of it, and the ball continued on, straight parallel to the goal. It had looped over nearly everyone, however, and it looked as though Saterun's last chance had gone a-begging. To everyone's surprise, however, in came Oscar Carlisle, sliding like an Agrillistic Superman. His outstretched legs just barely covered the necessary distance, and he managed to redirect the ball into the goal. Topić could only watch. The away section exploded into cheers, and Saterun had secured a vital point.

Continuing their extended away trip, the next stop for the Claws was Legalese. At the halfway point, the Claws still sat top of the qualifying group by a point. It was mental to think that they'd be here at the halfway point, but it certainly provided a boost in confidence. Now, they were taking on a team that had drawn them on the opening matchday, and, with the race to the top so close, Handrix's Claws needed to preform in every match. They were technically the favorites, but playing away from home always made things tricky. After their shootout with Pasarga, Handrix knew he needed to close some gaps in the defense. He started Shain over Alil, and put in the more defensively minded Darius Hammel over Lundquist.

Right from the beginning, Handrix knew this wasn't going to be an easy game. Legalese, in true to their tactical vision, were a very heavily attacking side, and the Claws were going to need all their wits about them to keep the attacks from converting. However, they were also a very good attacking side. They had the most goals for in the group, after all. Handrix knew how they were going to win this game. He needed to capitalize on his squad's two greatest strengths: the passing of their midfielders and the athleticism of their forwards. He motioned to his midfielders to start trying more through balls. They had been very successful for the Claws this campaign, and he wasn't going to stop using them now. In the 34th minute, Darius Hammel tracked back and made an excellent tackle on Thomas Toal to win possession back. He quickly played it to Washington, who was alone in the middle. Sensing their opportunity, both Bates and Ibañez rushed forward. This drew the defenders, allowing Washington to dribble into the open space left behind. At this point, the difference in professionalism showed. The young Denis Snow stopped chasing Bates and instead pivoted back to Washington, while the rest of the Legalese line kept pace with the strikers. This left a gap that Washington was just too good not to exploit. He played it right into Bates's path, who, after a few touches, touch a clean shot that blasted into the top corner.

The rest of the half was somewhat quiet. Now that they had their lead, Saterun played more conservatively, absorbing the attacks from their opposition. Hammel and Shain both seemed smart choices, as their defensive work kept the Claws in the lead. At halftime, Handrix made a few substitutions. On came Kirken-Brice, Cruz, and De Santiago. The defense was freshened, while giving some new legs in the attack. He hoped this was the right balance to preserve the lead and Saterun's position atop the group. He was validated in the 71st minute. Cruz, intercepting a low cross, played the ball quickly out wide to Kirken-Brice. The winger, who up until this point hadn't seen much time on the field, needed no further invitation. He quickly turned before sprinting down the line, burning a tired Adrian George. He was left with plenty of space, and swung the ball in early. Bates was there once again, rising to meet the ball. He got nearly a foot higher than his defender, and simply had to nod it downwards to beat Johnny Ulyatt. The goalkeeper stood, rooted to the pitch, and watched the ball bounce into the side netting.

As the match wore down, Saterun became a bit too comfortable with their two goal lead. In the 84th minute, a quick Legalese counter resulted in Leo Hill-Tanner getting one back for the hosts, although it proved too little too late. It was a solid win, and kept Saterun in first place. Next up, they hosted Sharktail at Hymes Road, and then came the match that Handrix was already mentally preparing for. TJUN-ia away. The Jaguars had beaten Saterun when they had visited the Tsear Tsuperdome, and it would be that much harder to get a result playing away from home. Furthermore, the Claws could slip down to second if they lost, and Handrix very much wanted to hold onto first. It would be a battle, for sure, but he hoped his team was ready.

[Recuecn]

A Kinder World
Chapter 5

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Prologue I | Prologue II | Prologue III | Prologue IV | Prologue V

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Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Yves Sabatier and Michèle Simon, the devilish duo of the FNRF, had called a special meeting of the federation executive board to discuss the players' strike that was going on in Reçueçn. Simon herself held the position of FNRF Representative—the highest role the federation had to offer. The federation's executive council consisted of fourteen reps nowadays. In the past, there had been only seven, to represent the seven teams that founded the federation and governed it as they saw fit. But when the Ministry of Sport had reorganized the federation, it had forced the organization to accept new representatives from other areas of the sport that hadn't had a say in things before.

As for Sabatier, in theory he was merely Sabatier's assistant. She'd more or less blackmailed him into the position after he'd had some fuck-ups in his role as a run-of-the-mill FNRF staffer. His ego and ambition had led him to overstep his authority and it had been Simon who'd caught him. Seeing how much Sabatier could get done with his ambition and drive, she covered for him on the condition that he did what she wanted. The longer the arrangement went on, however, the more Sabatier's endless energy and motivation found him in the driver's seat, suggesting ideas that Simon wound up passing off to the executive council as her own. One thing was certain: together, Sabatier and Simon were bad news, and almost unstoppable.

The idea for the special federation meeting had been Yves'. "Why wait out the strike?" he'd told Michèle. "I'm too impatient to wait for public opinion to finally turn against the players—at first I thought it would happen immediately when the league was canceled, but that girl is too good at manipulating people with her put-on childhood innocence."

"Well what do you suggest?" asked Simon.

"I'll tell you," said Sabatier. "Because you will need to tell the idea to the executive board so they can vote on it."

The board seemed a bit less eager for another idea from Sabatier and Simon than the pair had expected. Michèle didn't let it bother her as she gave her presentation.

"If we just sit back and wait," she explained, "people will get used to the strike. We want people to be mad about it. If the fans think the players' union is in the wrong, they'll pressure the players to start playing again. Really, it's pretty simple."

"So you want to make the fans angry," said Bill LaVoyard. He raised an eyebrow.

"They already are angry," said Simon. "Of course it's frustrating not to have soccer to watch. We just have to make sure they take out their frustration on the right people—on the responsible parties."

"So what's the plan?" asked Cesario Licciardi.

"All the largest teams are represented here in this room," said Michèle. "So far, the clubs themselves have stayed largely neutral, caught in the middle while players under them squabble with the federation above them. But with your support, we can starts fresh. I'm asking all of you to fire any striking players and hire new ones. There's just a couple weeks left, but we can have a truncated season. Basically, do what the équipe nationale is doing and go around the strikers. People will love having soccer to watch again, the same way people love the new Reçueçn team. And with the clubs on our side, the players will have nowhere left to turn."

"Don't be so sure the clubs are on your side, Michèle," said Bill.

Simon glared at him. "Don't tell me you're going to join with Jeanne and Eveline." (Jeanne Chartray and Eveline Martel, also both on the executive board, made no secret of supporting the strikers, and had openly joined protests in the past.)

"Personally, I've always been on their side," said Bill, smiling toward Jeanne. "But I represent Reçueçn FC, and the ownership was hesitant to go against federation consensus. I had my hands tied. The good news is that we create that consensus. I'd just like to ask this to see if anyone other than you or your staffer can answer, Michèle. What exactly are we fighting for?"

The room was silent.

"I'm starting to think that we're fighting the strike just for the sake of it. Just because we resent these players who dare tell us they won't play our games. The actual issue—the right of women to play soccer—isn't something I think any one of us here would disagree with."

"But we've never had a co-ed league before!"

"We also didn't use to let women vote," said Bill. "Just because we hadn't done it didn't mean it was wrong."

Yves broke in. "But it's unacceptable to let the players think that they can just get whatever they want by throwing a fit!"

"Those players," said Bill, "are dedicated to the cause they are fighting for. As Gerauld said, all they want is a kinder world, a world where men and women can compete as equals. Striking hasn't been easy for them. They haven't been paid in months now, and they've had to make sacrifices to do what they know is the right thing. I think we should count ourselves lucky our nation has players like that. They ought to be rewarded for what they've done."

Michèle sputtered. "That's—that's ridiculous," she said. But as she looked around the room, she saw to her dismay that the representatives were nodding. Perhaps they'd merely grown tired of the strike. Maybe—although Simon would never admit this—there was truth to what LaVoyard had said, and the other reps were finally going to stand up for their consciences.

Jean Bourdain interjected with the voice of realism. "It's not about who's right or wrong," he said. "Maybe on a personal level, depending on what you believe about the whole issue, that might be important to you, but that's not my job. My job is to represent my club. And unlike the players who can help each other out with their mutual aid programs, the clubs don't have anything to turn to when there's no games. The government has made it clear there will be no bail-outs for teams affected by the strike." Jean glanced at Chartray as if she might have pulled some strings with her ministry connections. "My club sent me to this meeting with a clear objective: end the strike."

"That's the whole point of my plan!" burst out Michèle.

"Sure, but you don't know it will work," said Bourdain. "All we have to do to get the players back is say we'll let women play. Then the money can start to flow again. It's that simple, and honestly, the fact that you've lost sight of that, Madame Simon, just for the sake of winning an argument, is deeply concerning to me."

Michèle glared at Bourdain. She'd been counting on his vote. She sighed.

"Well..." said Bill LaVoyard. "Let's vote."

~~~

It was already almost the end of qualification. Things at FNRF headquarters always moved slowly, but especially now, with Simon dragging her feet and obstructing everything she could at every step. It was only days before qualification was to end that Gerauld Firaut, once upon a time the ÉNRF's captain, burst into his daughter's room waving his phone.

"Papa, what is it?" Rébecca whined.

"We did it, Rébecca!" Gerauld cheered. "You did it! We won! We won!" He tossed her his phone so he could dance about, holding his hands in the air.

Rébecca read the email Gerauld had received, and started to cry.

"It's happening," she said. "My dream is coming true."

Memo to Reçueçn Soccer Players' Union Leadership and Negotiators

Earlier today we signed an agreement with the FNRF that will fully integrate all soccer in Reçueçn under the federation's jurisdiction. The LNRF and ÉNRF will accept players of all genders, beginning with World Cup 99. The FNRF has reported that its executive board previously voted on the matter, and will accede to all union demands.

No Championnat or Deuxième Championnat games will be held this season [would-be Season 18], but league play will resume within the calendar year [Season 19].

We are very pleased to announce this wonderful news and would like to thank all those who have made this possible: the players who have gone on strike in support of women's rights, the fans and community leaders who have joined protests on behalf of female athletes, and our union negotiators who have been in talks with the FNRF for several months.

Mutual aid organization will continue until the end of the World Cup for all players affected by the strike. Please reach out to your union representative if you are in need of assistance.

[Anewkansas]

“Maybe… Maybe it was not about the girl.”

If Archibald Price was a man with more spine, he would have slammed his hand on the table and passed that information as a given rather than a question. Unfortunately, taking on this job had only added to his hidden insecurities and now they were dripping out left and right. The Pear Group looked at him, trying to figure out what response would be sensible. A few weeks ago, Price had coined the idea to discuss some practical matters with a few prominent key players. Initially, his focus had been on practical matters, testing the waters for agenda changes and getting feedback on training exercises. By now, they were his peer group to improve the dynamic of the squad. Or, one apparently memorably silly typo later, his Pear Group. In the end, it was Dom Merrick who got the first word, realistic as ever.

“Apart from a few gullible dramaqueens, I don’t think anyone really believed that she was a bad token. That’s just superstition.”

At least, they could agree on that, but it was not what Price had aimed for. Luckily, Harvey MacIntyre caught on to that.

“To be frank, whether she is on the bench or not does not really matter. If we can keep a few screamers at bay with that, who cares. It is what we do with her analysis. I will be honest, I have my doubts about it as well. But the harsh truth is that we have not won any of our last eight games. So just lowering our heads and stubbornly moving into that same direction… It is foolish.”
“You know, man, I catch your drift like… We need to find a direction, right? But if we are being real and we want everyone to join the direction, then you need to show it as well, you know?”

It took you a second to read through his words, but JJ Sevilla often brought an intelligent insight to the room. Of course Puckett didn’t have that time.

“You know what?”
“Like… If we say, let’s follow the analysis of AI, right? But then again, she’s kept away from the team. It is like saying A but doing B? As if we are not really believing it will work?”
“The squad needs a bit more belief, that’s true. But first they need to believe in themselves. And in us, the ones who carry the team.”

It was no secret that Marcus Puckett was no admirer of the presence of a data analyst in the selection. Some would say it was because she had advised Price to relieve him from the free kick duty, but the Hammers midfielder would routinely deny so. He could use some support and tried to find it with Merrick. Whilst Hammers and Mavericks are part of a (at times bloody) rivalry in national capital Bridgehead, the captains got along fairly well. Which was quite ironic, as the rest of the selection had taken a violent dislike to Puckett.

“Right Dom?”
“I’m… No, I am with JJ on this one. I don’t feel as if the gap with the rest of the world is huge. We have not lost by more than one. Every game has that 'just'. 'Just' a late goal from Jenner-Pokka that costs us a point. Two good opportunities in a tough game but Aphrilia's Karnwell 'just' gets a hand on it. It is details, you know. We need to make use of everything we can to bridge that difference. Why not give it a chance.”

Price was quite surprised to see the group as split. Usually, they gathered around one opinion and quite too often the opinion that annoyed him the most. But tonight, the stakes seemed to be different. Still, as MacIntyre remained on the fence, you could say that it was two to one. Except for…

“It is bullshit, that is what it is. She has never played a single proper game in her life. And in the end, you can prove anything with numbers. I know that, you know that as well. We are not going to give away the keys to the national team like that, and especially not to someone like her. We just need to buckle up and work a bit harder.”

Conor O’Reilly rarely spoke at these meetings. At times, it still surprised Price to see him pop up at one of those. Not in the least because he had sent the initial invite to MacIntyre, Puckett, Merrick and Sevilla only. Initially he thought that the goalkeeper had tagged along with one of the others but in time, that theory seemed weaker and weaker. O’Reilly, employed on the day by the team from the Prosecor Agency, just showed up at every gathering. Price even had tried switching email addresses but the tall goalie would reappear anyway. There were a few occasions when he had mentioned something and Price had noticed that after his intervention, the others usually swayed and sided with O’Reilly. Did they value his opinion just that much or were they also subconsciously aware that O’Reilly was not just in this selection to stop shots on goal?

This time, there was a bit of doubt. Sevilla and Merrick exchanged meaningful glances but neither really wanted to detract his words. Luckily, there was MacIntyre whose loud voice cut straight through the awkward silence.

“I think you can say, coach, that it is not that easy. We all agree that eight games in a row without a win is just too much and to change that, an effort is needed. But how, well… I would say they should appoint some sort of national manager to decide on that.”

His grin was a little wide and the boyish laughter from the other Pears released some of the pressure. Archibald Price did not enjoy being the butt of jokes but took it with a meagre smile. Only afterwards, once he had thanked them for their input and sent them away to get some shuteye for the vital Alanis Star match, Price realized how MacIntyre had saved him. If the meeting went on a little longer, O’Reilly would have moved the goalposts and the conclusion would have been clear. Now it remained within his power to get AI back on the team, in the capacity that he approved of. All it needed was a bit of courage.

Archibald Price went to bed, still searching eagerly for that courage. He fell asleep on top of his notes, with the top one picturing a bench with two unexpected names.

[Flavovespia]

Flavovespia Raise The Style In The Capital

In a key match at the top of Group 5, Flavovespia secured 3 points with a 3 goal victory. A confident display against Zenic helped build on the previous wins, and added momentum to Flavovespia’s campaign.

Jonathan Bagshaw opened the scoring in the 22nd minute. A good cross from David Atkinson found him at the far post, and Bagshaw headed past Saúl Mosley and into the net. Atkinson unfortunately would only play a few more minutes, a hamstring issue seeing him subbed off before the half hour mark.

Bagshaw would double the lead in the 39th minute. This time it was Christopher Hill with a clinical long pass that opened up Zenic. Jonathan Bagshaw held off a challenge, and with a shot just under the crossbar made it 2-0. That was the score at the break in a good performance for Flavovespia.

Just before the hour break, goal number 3 for Flavovespia. Bagshaw was going for a hat trick, but this time he was forced out wide. He flung in a cross, and a deflection off a Zenic defender sent the ball over the line, despite an attempt at a last gasp clearance. Zenic had started the second half well, but that goal sunk their spirits.

The game was Flavovespia’s assuming no late twists. The defence had a renewed sense of confidence and were able to keep a clean sheet, making this victory a comfortable one. Zenic probably deserved better than a 3-0 loss, and looking at the top of Group 5, one strong side isn’t going to make it, in what is turning into a tough battle for all involved.
Patricia Evans

Another Clean Sheet Eases Defensive Concerns

Staying in the capital for the start of the second half of the Qualifiers, Flavovespia kept up their chances with a 1-0 win over The Osnari Federation. This was a win that felt like those of previous campaigns, not a high score, but doing enough to keep their opponents at bay.

The Osnari Federation had the better of the play in the opening stages. Growing in these Qualifiers, they saw attack as a form of defence, and they were creating the chances. Peter Marriott and Paul Taylor had to stand up well to keep it goalless under some pressure.

However the first and only goal came a little after the half hour mark. It was a quick break that saw Anthony Lane played through on goal. His shot was maybe a bit lacklustre, but it wasn’t well saved by the goalkeeper, and bobbled in. A slightly fortunate goal, but a goal and Flavovespia had the lead. A late corner in the first half nearly doubled the lead, but it was tipped over at point blank range.

The second half was a familiar sight, The Osnari Federation putting in some decent attacks, but a focused Flavovespia defence absorbing pressure like a sponge. The attack of Flavovespia could’ve offered more, especially to calm the nerves but ultimately a win is a win. Little separates the Top 4, as Flavovespia hope this form keeps them on course to qualify.
Judd Stafford

[The Osnari Federation]

The Daily Surisian

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Wolfsberg FC To Be Purchased By President of Cardenao

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Fans of Wolfsberg FC were treated to quite the announcement yesterday as longtime owner Tim Kocher announced the sale of the club for an undetermined amount. The move came as a surprise to many as, despite some leaks in the days before, Kocher has owned the club for nearly two decades and has always resisted calls to step down. A league title fairly early in his time kept popular support high and kept him at the club for a long time. However, it seems he’s decided that now is the time for change. At a press conference in front of Wolfsberg’s facilities, Kocher crystallized the sentiment, stating, “It’s become apparent to me that, as much as I love this club, I no longer have the resources to allow it to compete at the highest level. Now, as Osnari clubs begin play in the IFCF for the first time, the expense to reach that level has become even higher.”

What’s more, the club was sold not to another Osnari multimillionaire, but to Mihaly, President of Cardenao, as Kocher revealed later in the conference. The sheer scale of this change cannot be understated. This is the first-ever sale of an Osnari club to any foreign entity, and as for Mihaly, well, the President of Cardenao has more money to his name than any Osnari could dream of. The move has to be seen as a direct result of the opening of the Eliteliga to the world. More money is flowing (and out of) the league than ever before. Wolfsberg are just the start; between the upcoming Transfer Window and IFCF play, the Eliteliga is involved in the rest of the world more than ever.

But for Wolfsberg itself, what happens there? Well, it’s clear that a complete retooling of the club is necessary. Aside from potentially Keeper Walo Schiegg, every single head should roll. That likely means one of the most internationalized clubs in the Federation, right here in Suris. Fans can expect lots of moves in the upcoming Transfer Window as the new Wolfpack leadership look to try and compete with the best clubs in the Federation, and eventually the world.

As for the fans, the overwhelming reaction online and on the streets of Wolfsberg and northern Suris was joy. Finally, they had an owner with the funds, intent, and ability to turn Wolfsberg back into a successful club, something it arguably hasn’t been since the 1960s, in the very early years of the Eliteliga. Some of the most-viral chirps on cica.da included references to Mihaly as the “Savior of Wolfsberg FC” and “already one of the pack”. All of this despite Mihaly having made no public comment on the matter yet.

Mihaly inherits a club that’s not in the greatest spot. Finishing sixth in the league last season, just outside of the relegation zone, Wolfsberg have won only six titles in their history, which may sound like a lot but does not compare to the behemoths of Bremningen, Lockeweiler, and even really isn’t all that close to Ellmann, who started to win their titles only recently. MegaMart Stadium is aging and due for some refurbishment, as are the club’s facilities. The fanbase has grown disillusioned and disinterested in the years after the incredible 2014 title run, as the teams since have come nowhere close to repeating that success in the league. But it’s not all doom and gloom; Wolfsberg showed their potential with a Cup of Osnar title run last season, including a huge win over Lockeweiler in the semifinal and a tense victory over AC Rohl in the championship.

Mihaly is due to visit the Federation in a few weeks for a meeting with Osnari Prime Minister Annelie Weber, followed by a trip to the Osnarstadion to watch the final friendly of the Osnari football national team’s domestic tour. By then, we will likely hear more about Mihaly and his plans for the club. But until then, we must sit tight.

In other news from around the Eliteliga, it was a big day for announcements and press conferences. The Presidents of Ademarn Lockeweiler and Old Bremningen each committed to getting aggressive in the Transfer Window and looking to break the streak of Ellmann victories in the league. Elsewhere, the Osnari Football Association announced that it’s looking into a consolidation of the Osnari football pyramid. Under the proposed system, the current third tier of four leagues of eight clubs would merge into two leagues of sixteen. The Eliteliga would expand to twelve clubs, the largest it has ever been, while the second tier would combine to facilitate that, becoming a twelve-club league itself. While the proposed system could go into effect as early as the 2027 season, whether or not the change is even approved remains to be seen.

[Doubeia]

Demidov out for at least three months following ankle injury
Winterfalls Tundras forward Ambrose Demidov is set to be sidelined for at least three months as a result of an injury he received during a game against Red Square.

Demidov sustained the injury after Red Square defender Artem Richmond had tackled him on the ankle. Demidov was unable to get up and continue on, and had to be carried away on a stretcher. Richmond was given a red card for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. A brawl later ensued between the Red Square and Winterfall players, with Demidov's cousin Isaac Demidov and Ulises Izhutin both being sent off for violent conduct after they yelled and punched at Richmond. Winterfalls Tundras would go on to lose the match to Red Square 6-0, their worst defeat in the 1.League.

Winterfalls manager Lena Butkovskaya later confirmed Demidov's injury in an official post.

"Demidov has suffered a broken as a result of a tackle in the match against FC Red Square, and following the results of several medical examinations, he will be ruled out of future Winterfall matches for the next three months."

The injury will be a blow to both Winterfalls Tundras and the Doubeinese Men's National Team as Demidov is the starting forward for both teams.

---

---

rain — bts | raindrops —seungkwan

One day Ambrose was living his life like normal, and the next everything around him was toppling down like dominoes.

Ambrose stared outside the hospital window, the mundanity of the hospital bed driving him crazy. He watched as the dark grey clouds rolling in the sky brought down perhaps the heaviest rain he had ever seen. The raindrops fell — no, they crashed — onto the window ledge and splattered everywhere, and Ambrose was lucky that the window was closed. He couldn't start counting his lucky stars just yet, not when he was in the hospital because of a stupid injury.

---

That day had went awfully for Ambrose. The Red Square had been lighting fireworks outside his hotel apartment and he barely slept a wink. Perhaps everyone in his team was suffering from a lack of sleep, because his team proceeded to capitulate to a six-nil defeat. Six. Nil. Ambrose didn't think he would be playing in a match with that scoreline, let alone on the losing team. He remembered standing in the centre circle, about to kick off, and observing his teammates. They all seemed dead inside, worn out from the rude fireworks and the intense home atmosphere they were at the opposing end of.

The game had already been written off by the seventy-something-th minute since Winterfalls were trailing four-nil, but Ambrose found himself running towards the Red Square goal uncontested. It was a great pass to him from Alana, and in his mind he was thinking about how a consolatory goal wasn't all too bad. Until he had his thoughts rudely interrupted by a—

snap

Some bitch had just stomped onto Ambrose's ankle. Immediately feeling the pain, he fell onto the ground and held his ankle as he writhed in pain. Fuck, shit, cunt, bitch. Ambrose's mind was filled with curses and expletives swimming around, but he was too in pain to verbalise his thoughts. For a moment, he blanked out. Everything went black as he could only feel the stabbing pain in his ankle and the resulting commotion around him. At that moment, Ambrose wished he was numb, but the monkey's paw curled, and he felt like he was numb to everything but the pain radiating from his ankle.

---

"Feeling better, Ambrose?"

Ambrose's head turned away from the window, and he was met with his team captain Maddox Bagrov.

"Oh shit." Ambrose exclaimed in surprise. He wasn't expecting anyone that day.

"What do you mean 'oh shit'?" Maddox asked sarcastically, "Honestly, though, hope you're feeling better." He took a look at Ambrose's ankle that was heavily bandaged and raised up. Ambrose, meanwhile, was drawn to the bag that Maddox had in his hand.

"What's that?" he asked inquisitively as he pointed at the bag.

"This?" Maddox asked, raising the bag higher. Ambrose nodded in response. Maddox looked around to make sure no nurses were around before he handed the bag to Ambrose.

"I'm not supposed to be here, but these are basically gifts from Ko-oren that I brought back from our match," he whispered clandestinely, "We lost two-nil by the way. We're lacking you, bruv." He then fist-bumped Ambrose's chest with a chuckle before scurrying out of the ward. Ambrose was slightly confused by the interaction, but he appreciated the unexpected visitor nevertheless. He took a look inside the bag. There was a Ko-orenite postcard, and also a picture. It seemed to be a picture of the Ko-orenite landscape. Ambrose's spirits were slightly lifted by the mini-gift, but it wasn't enough to completely alleviate his otherwise shitty mood.

Ambrose's mind was still lingering over his breakup, but he didn't feel too sad about anymore. Instead, there seemed to be a void in his heart that was eating him up from the inside. Why else did he feel so listless and uninspired to do anything? Why was he, someone known for his bursts of energy, so callous and lifeless when he was playing the game he always loved? To Ambrose, he didn't know how to answer the question, and he feared it would take a while to find the resolution he needed now that he was down with his damn injury.

Ambrose looked out the window once more. The rain hadn't stopped falling. He remembered how the sky was all bright and sunny an hour ago, and then the rainclouds came into the picture suddenly and now everything was raining. He looked down on the ground. Puddles were starting to form. From where he was in the hospital, the puddles looked like mere teardrops, and the ground the floor of his house. In a way, the rain reminded him of the number of tears he shed. He remembered sobbing, crying, choking on his tears as his shirt was muddled with them. Some of his tears dropped onto the ground, and they coalesced to form a small pool on the floor, akin to the puddles outside his window.

It wasn't just his tears, though. He remembered once when he came home from training to see that a bottle of gin had fallen onto the ground. Glass shards were everywhere as the gin spilt everywhere. The transparency of the gin made it seem like water, like his tears. Suddenly, Ambrose started crying; he didn't know if it was because of the spilt gin, or because he suddenly started to remember his memories with Skye where they were drinking gin together.

Ambrose dazed off into the distance, thinking about what his life had turned into at this juncture. For so long, his life had been a parade of football, of celebration, and of happiness, but it all just had to be rained on. Ambrose felt frustrated, felt angry, felt despaired. Still, there was a feeling, a guilty feeling, that he couldn't shake off. That feeling was telling him that he was at the root of his misery. He had caused all of this, and there was no way he could deny that. The million-dollar question, then, was whether he would just let his sadness pass by just as a rain cloud would, or whether he would try to stop the rain from ever falling again.

[Milchama]

"We need a RP quickly!"

"Why?"

"The cut off is coming!"

"And we need to make sure we qualify for the Cup of Harmony"

"Why? We're in second place!"

"Well you can't count on that"

"Why not? This is the most unpredictable World Cup ever according to a too soon analysis of various places and factors that have not been considered"

"So?"

"We're a third seed in second place, we're doing fine"

"Ok but we're tied with the first seed and only ahead on goal difference and playing a team we lost to last time this cut off"

"So?"

"We can't trust that"

"Therefore?"

"Therefore we need assume that we will end up in the Cup of Harmony"

"Will it be like Cup of Harmony 58?"

"No"

"Ok then I'm sold"

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Oh that was it, this was a spam post"

"Do you want to pray to Margaret?"

"Yes"

"Ok let's do that"

"Great"

"Say as I say and do as I do"

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

"Now repeat after me!"

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

*They strip and run around for 18 minutes*

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

"Sacrifice the Rubber Chicken!"

*Swoosh of an axe and the chicken is dead*

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

"Come on You Warriors!"

"Let's Go Milchama!"

[Pyazhnaya]

Pyazhnaya 5-1 West Vdara
The old Krasnograd Stadium was packed to the rafters, a sea of teal-and-burgundy flags fluttering under the dusk skies as Pyazhnaya made a triumphant homecoming to open their campaign. Aleksandra Agratova's reign as national team manager began with fire and flair, dismantling the iron-willed visitors from West Vdara in a thrilling 5-1 display.

Pyazhnaya wasted no time, launching into an all-out attacking approach from the opening whistle. The midfield quartet set the tone early: Aleksandra Novoseltseva and Misha Retyunskikh dictated the tempo, while Timofey Aristarkhov and Danila Terentyev surged up the flanks like battering rams wrapped in silk.

It was Terentyev who opened the scoring in the 11th minute with a sumptuous curling effort that left Petrovic rooted. Not to be outdone, Mukhametshin doubled the lead just before the half-hour mark, finishing a blistering counterattack that saw Kartashov backheel the final pass with a swagger.

The visitors struck back once through Viktor Alexiadis, who capitalised on a rare slip by young centre-back Fyodor Solodnikov. But the response from Pyazhnaya was emphatic. Just before the break, Kartashov surged between the lines and tucked home a low finish for 3-1, sending the crowd into delirium.

The second half saw Agratova tighten the midfield slightly while encouraging the fullbacks to keep pressing. Her faith paid off. Serafima Vakhrusheva delivered a pinpoint cross for Retyunskikh to volley home the fourth, before Kartashov completed his brace with a cheeky dink over Petrovic in the dying moments.

A win not only in scoreline but in spirit—with fluid football, tactical discipline, and a spark of joy that has been long absent from Pyazhnaya's international stage.

Safiloa 0-3 Pyazhnaya

On the tropical pitches of Safiloa, Pyazhnaya showed their adaptability with a clinical 3-0 away win that cemented Agratova’s attacking philosophy while showcasing their growing unity.

The match was physical, humid, and less poetic than their Krasnograd opener, but Pyazhnaya remained composed. Aristarkhov was electric on the left wing, driving the team forward relentlessly. The first goal came in the 22nd minute when Mordvinova, making her first start, played a divine through-ball to Mukhametshin, who slotted it past the Safiloan keeper.

The second half began with a scare—a Safiloan header crashed off the bar—but Pyazhnaya responded maturely. Novoseltseva orchestrated play from deep, and Kartashov added the second in the 58th minute, pouncing on a defensive error. The final goal arrived via Mordvinova herself, who collected a deflected shot and calmly buried it.

Agratova rotated wisely, bringing on young Arkhangelsky in goal for key minutes. The match ended with players applauding the few hundred travelling fans, who celebrated this era of newfound consistency.

Team-Building Exercise II: The Hedge Labyrinth of Sovran

The morning after their flight back from Safiloa, the squad were transported—without warning—to the sprawling hedge maze estate in Sovran. Rumoured to have been the setting for a spy thriller, the labyrinth featured twisting corridors, false exits, rickety bridges, and even a talking parrot in the centre ("Exit is left, or is it right? Haha!").

The players were divided into pairs, this time drawn at random.

The Danilas (Terentyev and Mukhametshin) instantly turned the challenge into a contest. "Winner gets to commandeer the team speaker for a week!" shouted Terentyev, vaulting over a hedge.
Kartashov and Mordvinova, who were drawn together again by fate (or perhaps by Agratova’s subtle matchmaking), moved through the maze at a deliberate pace, laughing at the clues and pausing at benches to share stories.

At one point, Terentyev triggered a booby-trapped net and ended up hanging upside down until Mukhametshin convinced a groundskeeper to release him with a half-hearted promise not to vandalise anything. The two eventually emerged second—but first in chaos.

Kartashov and Mordvinova reached the parrot first, after Kartashov correctly deciphered a poem carved into the stone pathway that hinted at the route. They took a quiet moment in the maze’s heart, sitting on the ivy-covered bench as the parrot squawked above them.

"You know," Mordvinova murmured, "we make a good team."

Kartashov smiled, brushing a leaf from her shoulder. "On and off the pitch."

They walked out of the maze hand in hand, just as the rest of the squad erupted into cheers and mock wolf whistles.

Agratova took a note. Chemistry: off the charts.

Player of the Maze: The Parrot.
Runner-up: Kartashov (for solving the clue), followed by Mukhametshin (for setting off three separate traps without getting injured).

[The North Polish Union]

Gazeta Współczesna Białostocka
--Investing in Eastern Poland’s Communities for Over 70 Years!--



Belarusian protestors gather at the site of a battle from the insurgency three decades ago - Lithuanian riot police would later violently break up the demonstration

Protests continue to rock the Union, particularly Lithuania, following the annulment of that region’s presidential election by the top regional court. Most of the protestors have been supporters of Domantas Sabonis, who won the now-annulled first round, and his close political ally Svajūnas Žukauskas. Together, Sabonis and Žukauskas have the support of most of Lithuania’s Slavic population, who despite being a majority of the population face roadblocks to full participation in the political process. The immediate aftermath of the annulment saw protests by supporters of second-placed Neringa Barauskaitė as well, although most of those have petered out as Barauskaitė has opted to work within the existing political framework rather than through protests.

On the day on which the second round of the election was scheduled to be held, Sabonis personally joined protestors outside the Constitutional Court, calling the Lithuanian political establishment “dictators and thieves”. On the same day, Žukauskas and other Sabonis supporters staged a controversial mock funeral for Lithuanian democracy. In other parts of the country protestors, who were primarily Belarusian, similarly gathered in support of political reform in Lithuania.

The situation started to deteriorate further in the coming days, as tens of thousands of protestors gathered in Minskas to demonstrate against the “Court’s coup d'état”. Žukauskas again gave a speech at the protest accusing the region’s authorities of lying to the people and demanded that the electoral process be resumed from the already-completed first round. This rally took on a decidedly nationalistic flare in the Belarusian-dominated city, as protestors waved the Belarusian white-red-white flag, wore traditional clothing, and displayed Belarusian Eastern-rite religious symbols in contrast to the Roman-rite practiced by ethnic Lithuanians. Following the rally protestors marched outside the city to a major site of the Belarusian insurgency of the 1990s, which caused the protest to be broken up by police, who were accused in some cases of harassing and attacking the protestors.

Protests continued in Vilnius and throughout the nation as well, with many calling on the federal government to step in and reverse the annulment following a number of statements by federal politicians critical of the Lithuanian court’s decision. Banners with slogans such as “President Sabonis” have become common, and Sabonis himself has continued to appear at protests in Vilnius, although his ability move throughout the country is limited due to ongoing criminal investigations into his activities that he has decried as politically motivated.

As protests have proceeded, an additional demand has become the resignation of regional Prime Minster Simonas Šapoka. Šapoka, who got his career started as a military officer responsible for suppressing the Belarusian insurgency, has long been reviled in the southeast although heavy gerrymandering in the regional parliament meant that this wasn’t a hindrance to his post-military career. In the aftermath of the first-round annulment and subsequent protests, he has been among the strongest voices in support of the government’s actions and suppression of protests. Šapoka resigned as leader of the Social Democratic Party following his shocking failure to qualify for the now-annulled presidential second round but has stayed on as caretaker Prime Minister pending a party leadership election. Despite his lame-duck status, Šapoka’s government has survived a pair of no-confidence votes from Žukauskas’ Alliance for the Union of Lithuanians party.

Amid the increasingly divisive rhetoric, pro-government counter-protests have sprung up in the Lithuanian-majority areas, which have seen the regional government further criticized for permitting more inflammatory rhetoric from Lithuanians than Belarusians. With the heightened tensions, pro- and anti-government protestors clashed on the streets of Vilnius during a rally at which Sabonis was present which resulted in riot police forcibly dispersing the brawlers. During this event, Domantas Sabonis was seriously injured, allegedly by pro-government protestors, in an event which he referred to as an assassination attempt. Although he gave a speech in the following days in which he stated that “thugs from the lowest street gangs to the highest rooms of government have tried and failed to block my candidacy”, he also needed help on and off the stage.

---

SPORT - National team struggles to maintain consistency in World Cup Qualifying

Following a disastrous start that saw manager Udo Kluckhohn under attack for his mystifying roster and tactical decisions, the Union team has improved somewhat. However, they continue to play deeply inconsistent football that has them looking like world-beaters one day and bottom-feeders the next. Despite only being good enough for a draw against unranked Anewkansas (and that following a loss to otherwise-worst-ranked Germanic Cat), the North Polish team turned right around and beat a top-15 team from the Kytler Peninsulae. Since that win, they've only won one of four, but that one win was a 7-3 drubbing of Alanis Star in what is the best offensive performance in history for this team.

When they have had success, it has mostly been thanks to breakout attacking midfielder from the capital city, Karł Wołoszin. Wołoszin entered the qualifying expected to be behind striker Marek Zawadzki and star midfielder Staś Adamczyk. Although he'd earned a goal against Pakhomiya in the Baptism of Fire, he had precious little else to his name in his international career. However, after 6 games of qualifying he'd earned two of the Union's four goals, inlcuding the only goal in the 1-0 victory over the Kytlerians. Two games later, against Alanis Star, he would have the best performance of any North Polish national team player ever, earning the Union's first ever hat trick. With their hopes of World Cup qualification likely dashed past the halfway point in qualifying, the team can at least hope to finish strong and look for something to build toward in the future.

[Sarzonia]

Woodstock Daily Mail

"Mole' within ICC under investigation

By Glenn Rupar
Staff Writer

Sarzonian national football team manager Caleb Rush's resignation was not coerced by anyone within the power structure of the team, and sources within the Incorporated Football Federation are hinting that "loose lips" belonging to a "mole" within the organisation led to Rush deciding to leave after the current World Cup 99 cycle.

Rush declined to address reports that someone within the organisation revealed his private struggles with imposter syndrome to media outlets and his continued appointments with a psychologist to address the matter.

"It's just time for someone else to lead," Rush said. "I've done everything I can with this team. It's time for both of us to go in different directions."

However, a source familiar with Rush's thinking said the manager was "livid" when a reporter first asked him about his ongoing appointments relating to imposter syndrome and his therapy sessions.

"He did not intend for that to become public," the source, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the situation candidly. "He was hoping to manage the team in the [World Cup 100] Century edition, but he's giving up on that possibility now."

A statement from Horace Sandt, the team's technical director, said the IFF wasn't "remotely" considering any changes at manager.

"As far as we're concerned, Caleb has the job as long as he wants it," Sandt's statement said. "The IFF and the Board of Governors weren't even remotely thinking about initiating a candidate search or talking with prospective managers." Sandt said the IFF was "blindsided" by Rush's resignation.

"This wasn't a mutual decision," he said. "Caleb blindsided us with the choice to resign. We're fortunate he decided to stay on for the rest of the cycle, so that gives us time to find a replacement without having to rush, no pun intended."

IFF chairman Zack Wilson said he hired an investigator to find out who revealed Rush's private discussions with a psychologist, saying it violated IFF policies regarding health care and privacy.

"If there is a mole or a rat within the IFF, I want to find them," he said. "If there's wrongdoing on the person's part, they need to be held accountable, no matter who it is."

Rush led the team to a 1-0 home victory over Drawkland and a 3-0 away result over unranked Francobalkan Peninsula to leapfrog into runners up position in Group 14 of World Cup qualifying. It's certainly not where Sarzonia expected to be as a Pot 1 side, but Spencer Wilson said he's confident that the team had shaken off the rust of a slow start without playing any friendlies prior to qualifying.

"[World Cup qualifying] sort of sprung up on us," he said. "We'd hoped to get one home and one away friendly prior to qualifying, but we didn't submit the request in time." Spencer Wilson said the team and the IFF were approaching the possibility of a home and home series against World Cup co-hosts Banija for matches at the Stadium of the Restoration and Nicole Lewis Stadium.

"We'd like that," he said. "It'll help the Kadongo Kamu get ready and it'll help us by playing a bigtime rival of ours." Spencer Wilson added that if he were managing, the Stars would play their regular starters in both matches should the two sides come to an agreement about such a series, but he said he wasn't either his great-grandfather (World Cup 22 championship-winning manager Dave Wilson) or grandfather (Hall of Fame striker and manager Brian Wilson).

"It's not my call, but I hope that's what we do," he said.

[Eshialand]

Peak Combat
Juvencus 1-2 Eshialand
Quakmybush 0-3 Eshialand

Everybody knew that this matchup against la Squadra was going to be critical. The champions of Esportiva going at it against the champions of the Independents, both sides looking to make their strike at first place, with the winner guaranteed to be in second place when the dust settled. The annual away match against the pot 1 side would always be a major test of skill, one that the Owls had failed miserably last year, falling 0-3 to Saint Eleanor in what had been their second loss in a row (after a perfect first half of qualifying).

This year, however, they were riding high. With 3 wins in a row after the disaster in Reńban, it seemed like momentum was on this team's side, whereas the Juven team had eaten a draw at home against Quakmybush ("so now you know how it feels, eh?" Kenny asked rhetorically when he heard about that result) before brutally whipping Jeruselem away. Their momentum was definitely back on the upswing, but not to the same extent as the Eshians', and the Owls were ready to capitalize on this.

If you had asked any fans of this team, including the usually-optimistic Josh Seametzle, what was to come of this match after the Kwrpania match, you'd hear numbers ranging from 0-2 to 0-5. Now, however, things seemed different. This was a team that got the groove back into their game, the swing back into their step, the mojo back into their match. They went into this knowing exactly how much this match meant, but confident that they could live up to the task at hand.

At the opening whistle, the Owls found themselves uncharacteristically on the defense. There was a reason this team in particular was known as gli Attaccanti, and they were showing Eshialand just what that name meant. Harry Bruske, to his credit, was doing a stellar job at making sure no ball could ever get past him, but he couldn't do it alone, and the Eshian defensive line, which was moreso used to wandering farther up the pitch than any defensive line ought to ("you have 4 defenders, why the heck do you act like you have two?" was a common complaint), kept things tight in the back. This is the team I asked for, Kenny thought to himself, this is just what we need.

In the 26th minute, the Owls finally got their chance to break the attacking stranglehold the Juven side had on them, as Pau Vives turned the ball over to Paula Inden. There had been other turnovers like this, but nothing that had significantly gotten out of the Eshian end... this one was different, however. Inden, playing as a starter for the first time following Suzanna Blair's complaints about a sprained finger ("lame excuse to miss a football match if you ask me," Kenny lamented, "after all you aren't even allowed to use your damn finger!") had no clue exactly what to do next. She just passed it on to Lucas Meilling and hoped for the best... and the best came.

"Meilling to Cromlin, back to Meilling, he'll pass it off to Davis..."
"Say, Josh, have you heard about that chess tourna--"
"NOT NOW KARSTEN YOU IGNORANT-- OH DEAR MARGARET DAVIS SHOOTS AND SCORES IT PAST WRIGHT!! 1-0 TO ESHIALAND!!"

Paula was absolutely flustered by this. Did she seriously just make a play that cracked the match open? The only way she could react to this was to turn to Vives, whom she had been following after making the play and was currently upset with himself over the unforced error, and say "mai dubtis d'un mussol!"* This only served to piss Vives off more, leading to him playing far more aggressively later in the game, including scoring the tying goal in the 42nd.

So, here we now are at halftime, tied 1 apiece. For Eshialand, this actually wouldn't be a half-bad result to hold onto. You're playing the most difficult game of your qualifying and keeping it all tied up? That's nothing to sneeze at at all. However, Will Sandrie in particular wanted more. He wanted to see the ball, which to this point he hadn't been able to touch, and break this tie. How would he even do that given the punishing offense la Squadra was putting up? Well, sometimes you just have to get down and dirty and play in the weeds yourself. He was about to do something absolutely irresponsible: play as a 5th defender.

What business did any striker have playing as a defender? "WILL YOU SELFISH BASTARD GO BACK TO THE FRONT!!" Kenny yelled, clearly asking himself this question as well... but none of it mattered. Will wanted the ball and he was gonna take it no matter what the cost was. Was he sacrificing this team's chance to win? Possibly, but not enough for him to care.

Once he finally got his chance to touch the ball after an Adrian Al-Hamdawi misplay in the 51st, he was electrified. Finally it felt like he was playing football instead of waiting around for something to happen. He passed it off to Dax Young then ran to the front as fast as he could to try and get his opportunity to shoot. Was he an absolute madman for doing this? Possibly. But when the pass came in from Keiar Forsen, none of that really mattered, as he took his shot right into the top corner of the goal. 2-1 to Eshialand, and Kenny's disgust turned into glee.

"How the hell did you pull that off Will?!"
"Sometimes, you just have to play with your gut instead of your brain, and my gut told me I needed that ball, no matter the consequences."

This lead would end up holding, as the final score ended at Juvencus 1, Eshialand 2. The Owls had just taken out their toughest opponent in their largest stadium. Their center of operations. The deepest depths of their home.

The Owls would then tack on a 3-0 revenge win in Quakmybush to make this winstreak go to 5. After a depressing 2-1-2 start, it couldn't be understated just how much these wins mattered to the team. Thanks to Kwrpania's roadtrip yielding draws in Valentine Z and Pakhomiya, Eshialand had gone from 5th place, 6 points back in Reńban to 2nd place, 4 points back before Pomena to tied for 1st after Quakmybush. Now, it was time for things to come home against Jeruselem, and Kenny couldn't be more excited.

"It's official: we're back. This is a team that's fought tooth and nail to get back to qualifying position, and they've done all that and more. Road trips are always tough, but the Owls proved that they can handle the challenge... now it's time to take it back home and finish this thing out strong. 10 matches down, 8 to go, and we're the readiest we've ever been for the second half.

*OOC Note: "never doubt an owl!" in Ferranyan/Santmat (IRL Catalan). She picked up the language from her manager at Reial, Dominic Forner, who originally hails from Ferranya.

[Busoga Islands]

Afassiv Mansur, starting CB for the Busogan NT

Mansur had been part of one hell of a long club season. Obviously, he had been part of the club's league season- that's 40 games right there. An average amount of games, to say the least. Then, he had been a critical player for Lakiska SC as they won both the Ebrahim Razav Cup, which was Busoga's domestic cup, and had played every single game in their IFCF cup run. That meant, across the three competitions, Lakiska SC had played in 62 games last season. 5 more in the Razav Cup, 15 in the LBCT, and 2 more in the IFCF Super Cup. Mansur, in particular, had gotten all sorts of mileage on his body- he played in 59 of those games, missing one cup game due to injury, one league game due to yellow card accumulation, and one LBCT group stage match due to tactical decisions.

So the wear and tear on his body has been real. And so when the NT callup had come, he was excited- but a bit fearful. He wasn't a part of last cycle's squad, which had become the first ever Busogan team to qualify for the World Cup, doing so in especially strenuous circumstances as the lowest ranked qualifier of last cycle. Mansur felt as if he had the talent to be a true top tier defender- he thoroughly enjoyed his time playing for his hometown club, and he wanted to perform for his country, as well. But he had levels to go to get there.

The cycle had started a little tired, and worn, for Mansur- and that had seeped throughout the entire team. But in what he liked to call the 'dog days' of World Cup Qualifying, Busoga had finally started to turn things around. Three wins in a row, a streak broken only by a visit to a top 10 Juvencus, meant that the Islanders were right in the thick of the race for World Cup Qualification. They were facing a critical 6 pointer against Quakmybush at home on MD11. And they were not only at home, but they were in his hometown- that meant he got to hangout at his own house, for once.

"Man- we've GOT to get to this world cup." He told his wife, on the phone. "Busoga making a World Cup in our own neighborhood? Man, our fans would take over."

"Game at a time, baby."

"Yes, you're right. We've got to lock in. But we're only two points behind Juvencus, despite them beating us twice. Anything is possible... Right?"

Right, indeed. The games got bigger and tougher- and this window could be a critical one. At least a 4 point window, there was enough room to try and make a dash up the table. But if this was a poor one? Well, there might not be so many matches left to make up for a particularly bad window...

[Aleirave]

Survival, but at What Cost?
Yuezhou 2-2 Aleirave
West Vdara 4-4 Aleirave

The good news: the Seagulls survived their road trip in Yuezhou and West Vdara without any losses to either of these World Cup caliber teams. The bad news? They didn't have any wins either. In a time when they had a lot of ground to make up to have a hope of qualifying, those wins would be absolutely necessary, and they were not coming in any shape or form.

The problem is, you can't exactly point to one or two things the Seagulls did wrong and say "that, right there, fix that." Sure, Tatyana didn't have the greatest time dealing with West Vdara's offense, but you could easily just put the blame on the Aleiravan defensive line and call it that. The goalscoring support was there, the defense was just gone. As for the draw against Yuezhou, that was respectable, hell even commendable, but draws don't qualify you to the World Cup when your position 3 points back of third is ballooning to 5 and your time is quickly starting to run out. With the team visiting the Visayas Islands and playing host to Shep in the next international window, they had an opportunity to diagnose and fix potential problems, but what problems exactly need to be fixed?

Looking at the match against West Vdara, only one thing comes to mind: defense. While the Islanders were never a defensively-minded team, this problem was doubly so in this particular match, where whatever was supposed to happen just wasn't. They weren't seizing even the easiest of turnover opportunities, and they definitely needed a little bit of support. To that end, Haulafo was doing something slightly unexpected against the Visayas Islands: playing the entire second string. Na'eleru, Byalko, Alako. As criminally insane as this might sound, he might have been onto something. Lehi'ona, Tefei'o, and Evatene were cracking under the pressure of an unusually strong offense, and were showing signs of fatigue from being played every single match. Something had to be done about this, so it was time for the manager to drop the hammer. He ensured that, unlike the Rukipiato situation, that this would be temporary... but the big question was whether this would even work, or whether the Visayas Islands slide 5 past them to knock them out of qualifying entirely. With a decision like this, you have to question how much of it was genius and how much was true insanity.

As for the Rukipiato situation, Haulafo did have a plan for what he could do. "I want you to stay on the team next year... as a goalkeeping coach."

"What?" Falena asked the manager, confused as to what all this meant. Aleirave had never had coaches apart from their manager (and assistant manager back when he was still around and not exiled from the country), so the concept of "someone who sticks around the team to better train players in specific positions" was entirely foreign to her.

"Listen, you're the best we've ever had, Falena. You may not be playing the best lately... it happens to all of us. But your mind for the game and what it takes to be a goalkeeper... it's all still there. You need to be here to help our goalkeepers play their best. To train them to even be half as good as you were... this is your destiny. I think you'd fit in great, if you'd like to stick around."

She really didn't have an answer for such a question at that moment. "Can I... think about it?"
"Of course, take all the time you need. You still have the rest of the year to play with us, after all."

[Captina Island]

Captina forge three way tie as 2nd half fixtures arrive
The Captina Company Press Association

After being stunned 4-3 away by unranked Warkus on matchday 9, The Captina Company National Team rebounded with a resounding 6-2 win against Sangti and the Filindo Isles to pull into a virtual deadlock with Milchama and Farfadillis at the top of the Group 2 table.

The Rosso e Oro had slipped behind into third place heading into their second consecutive match on the road but a scoreless draw between the Farfs and Middle Alba allowed Captina to race past the top two seeds by virtue of goal difference.

Milchama will be the next opponent at TCC Sports Ground on matchday 11, with a trip to cellar dwelling The August Islands following on; the Arrosian side have lost only once since their 3-2 defeat to Captina on MD 2 but that was to their regional foe, giving the top seeds a head to head advantage over both current co-leaders.

None of the top three will fall out of the qualifying spots--barring a spectacular series of events--regardless of the outcome of the international break as Kamijiro sit six points behind in fourth but have only scored as many goals as allowed.
With a maximum of 24 points remaining to be in offer to all nations, and Farfadillis' home fixture with Kamijiro coinciding with the visit of the Warriors to Geneva City, the target number for successfully advancing the the Finals is somewhere in the 35-37 point range taking into consideration the remainder of the schedule each side will navigate.

[Oberour Ar Moro]

So early in the game and the Parade Ground crowd was already baying for blood.

To think I used to coach in front of no one.

Never mind that. Focus.

I lifted my notebook. Small, black, and leather-bound. I flip to the next blank page.

Was it? It was.

Destelan de Saint-Joseph

Double check the time.

12'

Pen ready on the next line, keep watching. Jacques-Maurice is chasing around The Holy Empire's captain. Shouting. He's clearly bothered. And clearly not paying attention.

Out of position. Loss of focus.

Jacques-Maurice Destelan de Saint-Joseph. One of my Sweepers. The game runs through him. And if he's not paying attention, it cripples us.

He's a soldier, an Oberour in posture and purpose. And yet here he is, letting his opponent get under his skin. He should know better. If he doesn't then I can't trust him. I close the book and return to hold it against my side.

This notebook is one of many. A hundred? More? As an assistant all I had was my vision. My memory. What I could see from the side of the pitch. Maybe we had a video camera. Maybe it worked. Maybe the volunteer could follow the ball. Largely they were useless.

So I would write. I used to have so many ideas. Look up to the match and down to the book. Create game plans. Draw set pieces. Scout them, scout us. I don't need that now. The lessons have been learned. Now I record disappointments. Mistakes that will not be made twice.

"Swole Santa", said the submitted team sheet. That's Jacques-Maurice's provocateur. You couldn't help but notice The Holy Empire's Captain. Even during the walk out of the Parade Ground tunnel he had been needling and poking and prodding every Oberour he saw.

He had the long white beard you would expect from a player of that name. But his face was a shade of cherry tomato red from exertion. From badgering and haranguing every Oberour he came in the vicinity of. He had more muscles than I thought existed, all of which were straining under a shirt at least two sizes too small.

Every gesture from The Holy Empire was calculated. They came to conspire with the Parade Grounds. To get under our skins. To break our mentality. To break us from within.

That's why I was hired. To stop that. To ignore the building's geometry. The building’s echoes. To win.

"Noël the Necessary", an opinion piece called me this week. I'll take the nickname. No other coach can do this. No other coach had the nerve to do what needed to be done. To know what needs to be done.

There. Open the book again. Click the pen.

Peire de Baingneus
14'
Gave up the press too soon.

Laurens is worried that Peire is playing injured. Is hiding it. Is breaking down. "He's 34 but he's still the best Center Mid we have," Laurens insisted. "We play so much better with him on the pitch. Change his responsibilities, let him be a distributor, let him slow the game down and use his brains a little."

There is a job Center Midfielders do. If de Baingneus can't perform that, then he isn't a Center Midfielder, and I must replace him. Jozef 't Veld can do the job. Jullien Bauer pour Fessart looks fantastic in practice. The numbers back it up. It may be his time.

It may be necessary.

"Noël!" The Holy Empire's Santa slowed on the pitch and turned to face me on the sideline, sliding along parallel to me. "Any chance you can help us win the game?" He made a gesture with his thumb and forefinger. "I'm more than good for it."

He's attempting to bribe me? I scoff and turn to yell to the ref. Maybe he can get tossed from the game. But then Santa continued.

"You took money at Bécherel University, didn't you? A lot of it!"

I stagger to a frozen stop. Completely still. In my peripheral vision I see Santa glide away.

"Just think about it!" he casually calls over his shoulder.

He doesn't know. He can't know. He's bluffing.

But if he does…

If anyone does…

I turn back to the pitch. I pull out my notebook. I click down on the pen. I put pen to paper. A dot appears. The ink blooms. I have nothing to write.

As I look at my notebook a guttural roar comes from behind me as a wave. The Parade Grounds opens its throat and screams into the Regium sky.

I glance up at the large video screen. I had just missed an Oberour Ar Moro shot parried away by The Holy Empire goalkeeper.

Noël Ginguené
16’
Loss of focus.