Independent Associations Championship 24 Everything Thread

by **Edsmontik** » Sun Aug 10, 2025 7:39 am

Matchday 5: Edsmontik v. Ranoria - @ Crescent Arena, Ias, Saterun
9:30AM, Saturday, July 24th, 2032

"Let's get this over with."

Edsmontik was tearing apart Ranoria. But the Eagle's objective wasn't to score as many goals as possible. That would get very, very boring. So instead, the team played around with their weaker opponent, holding possession and making moves toward the net. They took shots occasionally but mostly wanted to focus ontheir passing and crossing abilities.

It was the 30th minute. Ranoria had gotten near the Edsmon defense, but not past it. On the other hand, the Edsmons had slammed Ranoria with lots of balls. The Ranorian keeper had kept up with the pressure thus far but was losing grip. The Eagles were gliding right past everything the Ranorians had set up.

"Shouldn't we start scoring?" Fotserr asked.

"Whenever you feel like it." someone replied.

Seu Fotserr was a little confused. He was on instead of Stuero so that he could get playing time, but he didn't really agree with the whole "toy around with Ranoria then score last minute" plan. He thought it was a bad one. Hell, even der-Ghavyr questioned it. Edsmontik was kind of qualified any way though, so they could take this match less seriously.

Fotserr received the ball and dribbled. He knew that the Eagles would need a goal or two- or three, four, and so on because they need it to win. But it was weird that nobody was taking their opportunity correctly. He slipped past the midfield, charging down past the defenders. They tried to catch him, but Fotserr was too quick. With one kick, he sent the ball curving right into the back of the net.

Goal, 1-0 Edsmontik.

His team followed him, giving Seu high-fives. With Edsmontik in the lead, the Eagles could sit back and relax. Maybe score some extra goals later... or not. It was up to the team, after all.

The game doesn't end there though.

Eagles did okay- or rather, they were sending wrecking ball after wrecking ball into the Ranorian defense. Their opponents looked like they just played two matches in a row.

But the Eagles were also worn. Tired from the pushing, bored from no goals. That was a consequence- waste your time, lose the opportunity. When the others actually began to take shots, the Ranorians were able to counter. They were too tired too early in. That wasn't good.

After halftime, the Ranorians had swapped out their squad. Fresh legs were on, and those same fresh players were not slamming against the Edsmon wall and actually dealing damage. The Edsmon midfield was collapsing, which could be a big problem in the future. But luckily for the Eagles, the defense was still fresh, having not done too much the entire first half.

Ghreksbvy called out to him team in Vdesic. He ordered them to get their game together.

Luckily, the Eagles did just that. They quickly went from slightly panicked and disorganized to calm and organized. Now, they were countering the Ranorian counter. Now, they were getting shots on goal. But the replacement keeper for Ranoria, fresh from substitution, was making many saves. Edsmontik could not get through.

"This game might be a disappointingly small win. Especially for a team like us. We've hardly won by a goal every other group stage game." der-Stoiuben said to Stuero, who was also on the bench.

"Yeah. I guess I'm glad I don't need to play this game, as I am crazy tired from those previous four games, but at this point I'd go on just to increase that lead. That's how embarrassing it kind of is." Stuero said.

"This tactic isn't working, is it?" der-Ghavyr asked, looking at the two.

"From what I've seen?" Stuero responded, "No. Absolutely not."

Edsmontik 1-0 Ranoria - Full Time
M. Fotserr (41') | None
10:45PM, Saturday, July 24th, 2032

Next Lineup (GK -- LB, CB, CB, RB -- LM, CM, RM -- LCF, RCF, ST)

E. der-Stoiuben -- R. Dalsen, I. Javarqa, J. Travdt, V. Jervanois -- K. Wejikaj, O. Zeukalmen, M. Ghreksbvy -- M. Svaardaen, M. Stuero [C], V. Bervaign

by **Solgavden** » Sun Aug 10, 2025 10:48 am

Part 1

@ The Graduate Hotel

Tsaer, Saterun
1:19 PM

The day before their next match against Of the Golden Harp, the team held a mock funeral in honor of Kiko, the deceased digital rabbit. Most of the team and staff were in attendance, but a few notably didn't, including manager Peter Strömberg and midfielder Rohit Mishra. The absence from Strömberg was understandable, as he claimed to have "actual work to get done" and didn't have time for "trivial matters", but Mishra's absence was peculiar. We knew that Ro was a longtime skeptic of the importance of the digital bunny, but it wasn't like him to miss events attended by the entire team. Ro claimed to be meeting a team doctor for a minor injury he had, yet that seemed more like a convenient excuse than a serious issue.

During the brief ceremony, a distraught Edvin gave the eulogy, promising to keep Kiko's memory alive forever, and to not let the loss affect his playing ability. After a standing ovation from his teammates, everyone split up during the reception (which featured whatever snacks we brought with us to Tsaer). Multiple players asked, "Soren, how was your investigation going?". I deflected by saying that I can't give details while I'm still working, but in truth, I was lost. I was no closer to figuring out the culprit after we left Fontecoro, and I'm afraid I won't be able to solve this one. I would have to closely observe the players during the next game, all while focusing on playing myself.

During the match against Of the Golden Harp, the team went out with a vengeance in their hearts. They struck early, with Hannes Ossler tapping in a cross from me into the box. He celebrated by lifting his shirt, revealing a hastily sharpied phrase on his undershirt, "KIKO LIVES FOREVER". Sig Halvorsan would soon follow in the scoring just five minutes later, and after his deep shot from outside the box went in, he signed the cross on his body and pointed to the sky. After this celebration, Solgavish social media went into a frenzy trying to figure out who in Solgavish football recently passed away. Once the team confirmed all of the fanfare was over a small electronic toy, all of the aforementioned fans let out a collective groan over getting worked up for nothing. Scoring continued throughout the game, with me even getting a goal in the 47' from a header off a corner kick. Despite the convincing win, my mind was still clouded by the fact that Kiko's killer was still on the loose. Yet, after the game had ended, my mind would soon be at peace.

I usually didn't stay too long in the locker room after a game had ended, but on this particular day, I forgot my headphones, and doubled back to grab them. When I grabbed them from my stall, I noticed that Eike Gerig was still getting ready to leave. He seemed to be laser focused on his phone, and when I glanced at his screen, he seemed to be looking at other digital pets to buy, perhaps for the grieving Edvin. I struck up a conversation with Eike, and he was open about his intention to buy a new pet for his distraught roommate, and that he hopefully, "will buy one that loved cilantro as much as Kiko did". That fact he mentioned cilantro sent a chill down my spine, as Kiko died from a tummy ache after being fed a copious amount of the herb. As far as I know, the only two people that knew this was me and Edvin... So how did EIke get that information? Unless he knew it all along. Eike saw the color drain from my face as soon as he mentioned cilantro, and his calm demeanor crumbled away, quickly turning into a stuttering mess. After a minute of hastily made up excuses as to why he knew Kiko liked cilantro, he dropped his head into his hands and simply admitted, in a tone that was just slightly above a whisper, "I did it". At this point, only one question was on my mind, which was why he did it. He explained that the constant beeps and chirps that Kiko made at night drove him insane, and after one night where he got basically no sleep, he made up his mind that the digital bunny had to go. After waiting until Edvin was asleep, he took to the device and kept feeding Kiko over and over, until she didn't respond anymore. He thought his plan was foolproof, until Edvin screamed late in the night, and the team rallied behind him (“I mean seriously, who the fuck has a funeral over a cartoon rabbit?”). After collecting my thoughts, I told Eike that he should apologize to the team, especially to Edvin.

In an impromptu team meeting on the bus, Eike confessed to murdering Kiko. While the team was in shock that one of their own would do such a thing, they agreed that the punishment shouldn't be too harsh. Sig had the same sentiments, and assigned Eike to help clean up the locker rooms for the rest of the tournament, and to go through with buying a new pet for Edvin. With my investigation effectively over, the team was eager to put this behind us. After the game with Of the Golden Harp, we had a few days to ourselves with the bye, so thus decided to spend our time enjoying the picturesque weather in Tammen. Most of the team spent their time trying to get a tan at Meyeres Beach, while a select few visited the city's nightclubs.

While we were in high spirits, we soon came back to earth after learning about Dhemixia’s 4-3 victory over Calgasia. In an instant, Solgavden's position in their group was precarious, and they still had to play against one of the world's top ranked teams in Crpostran. While the nation had a tough time this group stage, they were still a dangerous opponent to face. Going into Matchday 4, both Dhemixia and Solgavden were projected to win, but if Solgavden were to draw to lose, Dhemixia would just need a win to advance. Dhemixia would still advance if Solgavden won, but they scored 3 more goals than Solgavden. With the team rested after their mini-vacation to Tammen, we knew we had to be at our best in order to move on to the knockout rounds.

Back in Fontecoro, the atmosphere was tense for the game to come. The Solgavish fans would be glued both to the current game, and to the game playing in Tsaer as well. Apart from an early diving save from Kristoffersan, the first half was mostly quiet. Kennet Roenfeldt opened the scoring with a strong header, and the stadium roared with excitement. During halftime, we learned that Dhemixia scored early in their own game, and tensions ran high as it looked like they would run away with it. But that would be the lone goal for Dhemixia, and Sig Halvorsan would seal Solgavden's advancement with a goal of his own later in the game. After the final whistle, it was confirmed that Solgavden would not only escape the group that seemed impossible at the start, but they would leave as the group winners. The next challenge for De Rega Röda: the IAC hosts Saterun, who is sure to use the home field to their advantage in what is sure to be a thrilling game.

by **Saterun** » Sun Aug 10, 2025 12:06 pm

This is was it. In just 90 short minutes, the Claws would know their fate. Would they emerge victorious and progress to the knockouts? Or would it be a second consecutive group stage elimination? For the tens of thousands of fans in attendance, only one answer would suffice. As the national anthem played, Handrix steeled himself for the battle that was about to take place. There was nothing for the other side to play for anymore, but he knew that they wouldn't just roll over. Being the hosts came with added pressure and, to a certain degree, targeting. All eyes were on the Claws. Knowing the importance of this match, Handrix had started his best lineup. However, it had been an intense week and a half since the Claws first took the field against Valentine Z, and so Handrix knew he was likely going to have to rotate the squad at some point. Out on the field, the captains exchanged banners, and both sides lined up on their respective halves. Handrix sat down on the bench, ready to fight.

The opening 20 minutes were a weird mix of cagey and aggressive. The Muralos team, with absolutely nothing to lose, played openly, which both pushed the Claws more defensive and allowed them more opportunities. The primary Saterun tactic for that period was to sit deep and play the ball up to the forwards, who usually had at least one outside midfielder to help. The Claws knew that a 1-0 win was enough, and they played like it. However, this game would have much more drama than that. In the 23rd minute, Caesar Ibañez found himself in a pocket of space, and Leandro Alfienk was able to make the pass. All of a sudden, Ibañez was racing towards the Muralosian goal. Panicking, the defenders overcommited, leaving Maksymillian Bates wide open in the middle. Ibañez make a quick, drop-back pass, and Bates now had possession at the top of the box. Sensing a short window, the striker smashed the ball towards goal. Rodion Markov made a routine save, but there to collect the scraps was Ibañez. The Wirr Tsi man slotted it into the mostly open net, as Markov scrambled to get back up. None of the defenders had been alert, and Saterun were in a very good position.

9 minutes later, they would increase their advantage. While dribbling around the box, Vidar Washington was brought down by Koralo Petrov. It was no doubt a foul, but the contention lay in where exactly Washington had been fouled. He had been right on the edge of the box, and, eventually it went to VAR. Out on the pitch, the players held their breaths. Finally, to the joy of the Saterun players, Washington was ruled to have been just inside the penalty area. The Muralosian team swarmed the referee, but the decision had been made. Bates, still the most reliable taker, stepped up and smashed the penalty into the side netting. No keeper was saving that one. Bates celebrated raucously near the corner flag, and the Claws really started to believe. They were in an excellent position. However, it would soon turn for the worse.

Just before the half, the Claws were in high spirits. They could feel qualification, and were glad to have finally banished the demons from the last time out. Little did they know, they were far from a secured win. While trying to turn to the outside, Oscar Carlisle had his pocket picked by Nikolaj Granda. Granda quickly played the ball up and to the outside, where Vilhelmo Lumin was waiting. Lumin burst down the right side, and found himself with running room. Rodrygo Sienna raced to catch up, but by the time he got there the ball was already being crossed into the Saterun box. As the ball came in, Ralf Abiatti had a hard choice to make. The ball was at such a distance so that it was hard to judge whether he'd be able to catch it or not. Without much time to think, however, he decided to go for it. He flung himself into the air, arms outstretched, but the ball barely went over his fingertips. The goal was completely exposed. Adamo Brava won the header, and it was simple for him to redirect it towards goal. Just before the halftime whistle, Saterun had gotten a reality check. 2-1.

At the halftime break, Handrix attempted to steel his charges for the next 45 minutes. Realizing that fatigue was starting to creep in, he brought on Sülimein Kalemanu and Jack Le Mounde. He knew that having the fresh, young legs on the sidelines could really make a difference. Knowing that they were close to slipping out of the tournament, the Claws found a renewed sense of drive as the second half began. They pummeled the Muralos goal, but Markov held fast. The Claws were still in a good position, but they didn't want to leave any room for doubt. In the 65th minute, however, they finally found a way through. Oscar Carlisle played a good ball to give Le Mounde space to run in to, and the wide midfielder found himself in acres of space down the right side. He brought it closer to the touchline, before finally swinging in a cross at the last minute. There was a clamor in the box, but the ball arced over everyone. However, hanging back just in case, was Kalemanu. He had timed his run perfectly. The ball took one bounce before the Lhor man volleyed it towards goal. It was a beautiful shot, arcing up and back down again as it approached its target. Markov made a decent dive, but the ball was simply too high. It knocked off the underside of the crossbar and bounced behind the goal line. Off a moment of pure brilliance, Saterun were back on top.

Just when they thought they had secured it, things started to fall apart. Still wanting to put out a good showing, the Muralos players were relentless now. Slowly, the momentum changed. It all came to a head in the 76th minute, when a free kick was put directly into the box. Chaos ensured, with every player trying to redirect the ball differently. For Ralf Abiatti, it was blinding. He had no idea where the ball was. Eventually, Brava managed to take a heavy touch. The ball went towards the bottom right, and Abiatti only realized once it was already beyond his reach. He made a solid effort, but the ball was already too far gone. Somehow, the game was back to a one goal match.

4 minutes later, things got even worse for the Claws. They were on edge, and started to seize up in the middle. Handrix knew that they were trying to be cautious, but they were losing control over the game. A sloppy back pass from Washington was intercepted by Granda, who raced through the middle. Expecting the ball to be played out wide, the center backs left a gap in the center. This was easily exploited by Rui Zhang, who burst through the gap right as Granda played a splitting pass through the hole. In a second, Zhang was completely alone, racing towards the Saterun goal. Abiatti came out to try to stop him, but the striker put the ball just beyond the goalkeeper's reach. The home crowd was in shock. The Claws had thrown away a 2 goal lead, and, as it stood, were getting eliminated from the IAC in the group stages for a second consecutive time.

In Anasb, Valentine Z were breezing past Sixty Nine X, but that didn't matter. If Saterun didn't get the job done here, the other result didn't affect them. As the clock drew closer to 90, the crowd and player became more worried. With nothing to lose, Handrix urged his team on. 90 minutes came and went, and they were suddenly in extra time. In the 90+3rd, Saterun won a free kick on the left side of the box. Washington stepped up to take it. He could shoot, but that was risky. Given Saterun's physicality and strength in the opponent's box, he knew what the right choice was. On the sidelines, Handrix had moved the whole team into the Muralosian penalty area. Even Abiatti was there. The whole stadium held its breath as Washington sent his kick into the box. It went over most people's heads, but dipped at just the perfect time for one player: Sülimein Kalemanu. Kalemanu rose slightly, and only had to tap it with the inside of his right foot to push it towards goal. Time seemed to stop as Markov dove. He managed to get a fingertip to it, but it wasn't enough. He merely pushed the ball into the side netting, and the stadium erupted.

Minutes later, the game concluded. By the thinnest of margins, Saterun had qualified for the Round of 16. They ended as group runners-up, and would play Solgavden in the next round. Solgavden had proved to be one of the surprise packages of the tournament, winning their group as an unranked, pot 5 team. Knowing this, Handrix certainly woulnd't take them lightly. He definitely thought his boys could win, and hoped to use their knockout experience to their advantage, but it was far from a sure thing. All he knew is that they would have to give their best if they wanted a chance of progressing. However, after seeing the fight and desire they had displayed tonight, he knew he could count on them leaving it all out on the pitch.

by **Saterun** » Sun Aug 10, 2025 12:20 pm

Round of 16

Valentine Z 2–0 Calgasia

Aphrilia 1–0 Sudilia

Indusse 2–0 Delaclava

Taxhavn 0–0 HUElavia (1–0 AET)

Saterun 5–2 Solgavden

Edsmontik 3–0 Visayas Islands

Drawkland 3–2 Juvencus

Reçueçn 0–2 The Elder Lands

Quarterfinals

Valentine Z vs Aphrilia
Tsear Tsuperdome (57,000)

Indusse vs Taxhavn
Racetrack Road (45,000)

Saterun vs Edsmontik
Estadio Blanco Oro (59,000)

Drawkland vs The Elder Lands
Adam Antwerp Arena (50,000)

by **Recuecn** » Mon Aug 11, 2025 1:29 pm

The new strategy did not work. Rébecca and Franky showed promise up front together, but the midfield couldn't adapt to the new formation quickly enough. Comgal and Swoopstake from The Elder Lands ran circles around the Reçuecians every time they got the ball. Laurent and Théophile did their honest tactical best to out-position the gnomes and fey, but any time Les Licornes lost possession, they were simply outpaced by their opponents. The ÉNRF was trying a more attacking strategy, but they weren't prepared for it, and couldn't keep up with the pace of the new game.

Rébecca burst into tears when the final whistle blew with the score 0-2, signaling Reçueçn's IAC exit. Moesha and Héloïse hurried to console her. "It's okay," they reassured her. "We'll be back in two years and we'll do it better."

"It's all my fault," Rébecca sobbed. Not to be too harsh on her, but it sort of was.

by **Taxhavn** » Mon Aug 11, 2025 1:47 pm

Taxhavn 0-0 HUElavia
1-0 aet

Shillingmen down giants, heading for last eight

The last - and only - time these two teams met, at IAC-21, HUElavia dolled out a sound thrashing of the Shillingmen in what still stands as their heaviest international defeat, and although the team of dreams and miracles had only just snuck into the knockout round, they were fresh off the back of a 5-1 trouncing of the Osnari Federation, and looking to assert themselves as perennial favourites for this competition, having won a joint record three titles. Nobody, least of all the Taxhavnites, gave Taxhavn much of a chance in this one. Overwhelmed from the start, they were lucky to hold on, and then lucky, and then more lucky, and on and on they kept clinging to a clean sheet. Quite extraordinary that they went in level at 0-0 at half time. A minor miracle it was unchanged at full-time. Into 30 extra minutes they went, hoping beyond hope they might hold out for penalties and a chance at the shootout lottery. But they didn't need it. With five minutes to go, they won a corner. Inexplicably, substitute keeper Florijs van Aysma, who replaced Victor van Drop during the first period of extra time when the latter injured his wrist, went up to join in with the melée, despite furious calls from the bench and from the stands. What was he doing?!

As it turns out, he was becoming the first goalkeeper to score for the national team, rising above everyone to head in Renni Boom's searching corner kick and secure progress for the Shillingmen. The HUElavians were stunned - this was surely the most lopsided score in the tournament. Taxhavn had not had a single shot on goal up to that point, 115 minutes-worth of football already played. The HUEs couldn't mount a comeback, and were in fact in such shell-shocked disarray they almost conceded a second, with Oswyn Stone breaking clear for a one-on-one and then fluffing his shot. It didn't matter. Taxhavn were through, reaching the quarterfinal for only the second time and a pairing against another former champion in Indusse. Will they feel luck is on their side? Maybe. Will they have to do a whole lot better to get through? Certainly.

Match data generated by the Bonesea Quickstatter

Tenuous Connections 
Schaarshot & Lorin Müngers

Hardly Tries

'Lorin Müngers, by the way!'

Gnejsian dog-walker Karl-Johan Vaasa (63) and his friend Knut Svensson (65) were playing Tenuous Connections on the Shilling Mountain Special - the train following the scenic route to Maartenstadt International Airport - with two of the famous TV show's celebrities - Etienne Kobblers and Tammy Snopes. The Gnejsians had organised a day trip to the airport to indulge their third favourite hobby - plane-spotting. Their first favourite hobby of course was football tourism, travelling all about watching the wierd and wonderful of multiversal soccer. Their second hobby was dog-walking. To tell the truth this was more Karl-Johan’s hobby, but Knut usually liked to tag along… for the exercise, you see?

Clippy Beluskque, the train conductor, had just successfully connected Finsterwolder with Eddie von Dach while he was clipping their tickets, and while he made off down the train to inspect other passenger's passage, he'd remembered it was his turn to nominate for the next player, and called out the name of the Taxhavn national team captain.

«Mrrrrrrr, rolff!» - that was Hardly-Knut, the dog. A Rushmori rock terrier. He wasn’t especially interested in plane spotting and he hadn't particularly made friends with Clippy Beluskque which is why, as you will have noted, he was rather brusque. Like Knut, he was also tagging along for the exercise.

'I heard that!' called back Clippy.

«Hardly-Knut!» scolded Karl-Johan, who only used both the terrier's names when he was in trouble - usually he abbreviated to simply Hardly. «What bad manners! You will give us a reputation. I'm tempted to disqualify you from having a go at Tenuous Connections, with that kind of behaviour. Not of rock, mister. Not of rock!»

«Hrrrrrewwwwwwww!» whined Hardly-Knut, apologetically.

«Alright then,» said Karl-Johan, «on this occasion, since I want to appear fair and balanced in front of our guests, but I'm disappointed, Hardly, very disappointed.»

Hardly-Knut's tail wagged because he knew, being called Hardly, that he was off the hook already.

'So, young Hardly-Knut,' said Tammy Snopes, putting on her best show voice, and giving her massive glasses a little push up her nose, 'can you make a tenuous connection please between our next stop, Schaarschot, and national team footballer Lorin Müngers.'

The reply could not have been more certain.

«Yap!» cried Hardly-Knut instantly, and with a victorious tone. Karl-Johan and Knut exchanged impressed glances, exclaimed proudly and gave the rock terrier an impromptu round of applause, nodding their heads vigorously. «Yes,» they said, «yes yes, Hardly!». When they'd finished they noticed Tammy looking at them questioningly. Surely she wasn't going to dispute that?

Knut raised an eyebrow expectantly. Hardly-Knut, who had been panting delightedly with his tongue hanging out, shut his mouth and cocked his head. Karl-Johan nodded once more, but slowly and uncertainly as Tammy looked from one to the other, as if for help. She was, you know... she was going to dispute it!

'That's a connection!' announced Tammy suddenly. Of course she wasn't going to dispute it.

«Rolff-rolff!,» barked Hardly-Knut, «rolff!» He obviously felt his long-winded and complicated answer must surely have out-scored everyone.

by **Indusse** » Mon Aug 11, 2025 11:28 pm

City of Ias, Saterun

The whole squad and staff for the tournament has gathered in the lobby of Crystal Rock Hotel after their victory against Delaclava in the Ro16 match. They are waiting for the team bus to arrive so that they can travel to Anasb for their Quarterfinal match against Taxhavn. Everyone is scattered here and there but in groups and are in some kind of serious discussion. Suddenly, the Team from Delaclava exists the hotel, sad and disappointed.

Manu Nair, who was seated near the entrance looked at the opponents leaving the hotel. As soon as they left, he spoke "That could've been us. Glad that we did not bottle this up." Newman who was reading a magazine he found on the shelf near the reception, kept the book down and told, "well well well.. We didn't and that's all about this. We are facing Taxhavn next, worry about them and not about those who are leaving."

Manu nodded his head and started looking around as if he was waiting for someone to speak about something. Suddenly, Djetson stood up and glanced to the group sitting near the Aquarium. Paulson, Butea and Preetham were seated there busy talking to each other. Butea was doing a lot of explanation, seems like he was describing his Post-Retirement plan. Paulson had been trying hard to get him retire after the 100th edition of the World Cup, where Paulson himself is said to retire. Djetson looked at the group and sarcastically remarked, "We are facing Taxhavn aren't we? Looks like someone is not really happy about that. After all they are being treated pretty well in Taxhavn."

Paulson knew that the shot was towards him. Earlier this window, Paulson had secured his move from Southbay Riveria FC to the Taxhavn club, Napoleon St. Bernadine. Newsrooms do say that Paulson has plans to remain in Taxhavn and develop a managerial career for him in their league and then return to Indusse. Djetson added, "Moreover, he is planning to retire next season and possibly gonna settle in Taxhavn forever?" Paulson who was enjoying the fun at the beginning started to feel dissapointed now. Mersias who was scribbling something on his notepad and dictating those to his close colleagues Grundjee and Rahul now turned towards Djetson.

Mersias said, "Ha! Let him enjoy his last few years of his career. Everyone wants to play in a top league in the world. Taxhavn is one of the best. This would surely help him with his Post-Retirement plans too." Djetson laughed and replied, "Oh yeah! Let it be that way, ain't it Pauly?" Mersias added, "Look at me, I got into the Banijan side Herzegovina City FC, i am enjoying it there since it is indeed a top club in the world. My Career at Banija is also giving back my memories of being far away in the Land of Quebec. It is a phase Djetson, maybe you will also get to enjoy it once."

Paulson smirked and said, "Well you have got your answer it seems Jettie! I am enjoying my career at Taxhavn, I have the best amenities and I am being paid pretty well too. Its not just me, O'Shaughnessy who is expected to join the camp later or sooner is also enjoying his life at Taxhavn. Taxhavn is attracting folks to their league and will attract more, why? Tax free of course. Because Taxhavn." The room burst out laughing, Grundjee spoke up "On a serious note, Taxhavn is the best place you can be if you want to earn just for yourself."

"We will be resuming our training as soon as we reach Anasb. Taxhavn is not an easy opponent to win against. This IAC is special for a lot of us here and for me too. Lot of us doesn't mean just those gathered in this lobby right now. This is going to go down the history as the Last IAC played in the so called Era of Genesis. We need to win over Taxhavn and after that we just need to win against another two and we get to win our last trophy for this era." said Newman. "I have already got us the IAC once, brought the team to the top four, four times including the championship that was ten editions ago. I need this to happen, let my 11th edition here bring my last trophy for Indusse."

Suddenly they hear the team bus honking, everyone takes up their luggage and moves towards the bus. They now have a obstacle to face.

It is now the time, not just to win this championship but also to pave the way to a more illistrious era that is going to happen in the near future. What does the Indussean Football Culture hold for the global fans, would it be a team that will be written down in the books of history in golden letters or a team that needs to be thrown into the trash for not been able to effectively utilise their capacity? No one knows what the future holds, they need to work hard and make the future favourable to them. Let us like everyone else, wait for the right thing to happen at the right time.

Maybe, the rubber chickens that are getting sacrificed do be of the best that could please Margaret. No we are not talking about the Margaret next door, but the Goddess of Luck and Fortune as every Indussean wants to remember her as.

by **Edsmontik** » Tue Aug 12, 2025 7:23 am

Round of 16: Edsmontik v. Visayas Islands - @ Continental Field, Anasb, Saterun
8:00PM, Tuesday, July 27th, 2032

It was growing dark in Saterun. Edsmontik would be facing up against Visayas Islands in just a few minutes. The Eagles were all ready- stretched, warmed up, and confident. They had gone undefeated in the group stage, no draws, no losses. That streak should continue in their eyes.

They knew from their match against Ranoria that they could not underestimate opponents. It would be much better to overestimate and put in more than required than to lose it all in one underestimation. Visayas had an okay record. They finished second in their group with two wins, a draw, and a loss. They were also an attacking team, but less so than Edsmontik.

The goal of this game is to win, and win big. Because there is not a single second chance in the knockouts and beyond. The Eagles will have to push and plow their way through their opponents, scoring as much as possible to dim the chances. Every door that blocks the opposition's chances of a victory will be slammed shut and locked tight.

On the pitch, Edsmon captain Maartin Stuero walked forward to meet Pascual, his Visayan equivalent. The two locked eyes and shook hands, before the coin was flipped. Stuero chose tails. Knowing his luck, it'd probably go the other way. But he outsmarted luck. He had originally wanted heads. Surely enough, it landed on tails. Edsmontik would start.

Stuero jogged over to his team, signalling for them to prepare to start. Standing next to the ball, he waited for kickoff.

"Let's get this game started." he muttered to himself.

The whistle blew. The Eagles kicked off. Right off the bat, Edsmontik started their attack. Svaardaen swerved with the ball, controlling and weaving it through the Visayan defenses. He charged down the wing, wind in his face, and scanned for Bervaign.

The striker was there, waiting.

But Marvic couldn't pass yet. There was no room. He was cornered- or was he? Svaardaen moved quickly, tricking the Dobleazules' defenders into tackling the wrong way. He charged out of the corner, and quickly took another look. He needed to time it right. Bervaign was in the box, and so was Stuero. One of them would hit the ball.

Just behind him were the cheers of thousands of Edsmons. He could hear it all, as the chants ringed in his head. He had to make it, for Edsmontik. With one deep breath, Svaardaen sent the pass soaring.

He had put a little too much power, and winced at the thought. But there was nothing to regret, as instead of being a pass, Svaardaen's kick soared right into the net, completely avoiding the outstretched hands of Visayan keeper Ortega.

One to nothing in the seventh minute. Edsmontik was in the lead.

***

"We're up by two goals team, keep it up."

der-Ghavyr's voice gave more encouragement to the team. They were already up by two goals: one from Svaardaen, and one from Zeukalmen. But they wanted more. The Eagles wanted destruction, to decimate their opponents away from their half and keep them out of Edsmon soil as well.

But there was also a bit of uncertainty. Not regarding the current match, but the next one, especially if they won this game. It was a curse, they called it. The quarterfinals curse of Edsmontik. For two Independent's Cups in a row, Edsmontik failed in the same spot: the Quarterfinals. If this curse struck them, Edsmontik's run, #ForBeirbern, would end right there.

Dav der-Ghavyr did his best to explain the coincidence, but even he was nervous. Two times in a row, it happened. Who decides if there's a third? He gave the team a goal to attempt to regain the confidence they had in the beginning of the Ro16 match.

"For now, we focus on this game." he started. "Once we close the final door on Visayas, we can worry about our next opponent. On the day that we face our Quarterfinal opponent, I want all of you to know that no matter, what Beirbern and those six hundred souls would be proud of how much we tried. We will fight until the end, and we won't let this theory of a curse control us."

The team clapped for der-Ghavyr's speech. It was motivational for them. One thing first, another after that. Halftime was almost over now.

"No more goofing around, Edsmontik. It's time to finish off our Ro16 opponent."

Edsmontik 3-0 Visayas Islands - Full Time
M. Svaardaen (7'), O. Zeukalmen (32'), M. Stuero (61') | None
10:04PM, Tuesday, July 27th, 2032

Next Lineup (GK -- LB, CB, CB, RB -- LM, CM, RM -- LCF, RCF, ST)

E. der-Stoiuben -- S. Kizani, I. Javarqa, B. Norseden, V. Jervanois -- L. Fruedenne, O. Zeukalmen, M. Ghreksbvy -- M. Svaardaen, M. Stuero [C], S. Utravak

by **Aphrilia** » Tue Aug 12, 2025 7:55 am

Right side of the field from the Aphrilian side, 86th minute. It's still nil-nil between Aphrilia and Sudilia.

So far, the match had been a slog. Both sides had traded attacks, yet neither were able to get a single goal in. Shot after shot, both teams played at the highest level that they could possibly be at. It was akin to watching two monsters go at one another in a race against time. Clock was ticking and time was running out, either of them had to do something. After Sudilia missed another attempted shot, it was Kyra Von Kachel with the ball. Passing it to Amelia Haze, the center back would pass it to the wing.

Aguri Hosokawa received the ball without a challenge. There were several occurrences within the match up until this point. Phillip Karnwell, who usually starts for the team, had injured himself by bumping his shoulder on one of the goalposts whilst trying to save a shot before half-time. Kachel was subbed in exactly for these kind of moments. Nathaniel Rosberg was one of the several substituted players, as manager Leonardo Bianchi wanted to try something different. Theresa Villa was on for the second half.

Other substitutions included Natasha Aston for Theo Cooper and herself for Calico Knacke.

This team needs to score, and fast. Their usual tricks, as well as standard deviations, hadn't been working. Hosokawa had the ball. In a split second, the chevalune knew what the play would be. Once again, it was time to truly take advantage of the fact that she loved to run, and that she was the fast. With a single kick of the ball forward, the full back started pushing up the field with the ball. Due to her speed, she had to dribble the ball with much larger kicks than normal, but it was made up for the distance she could cover.

This was one of the trainings that Bianchi had told her to do, to take advantage of her speed and pace. It felt truly freeing to be able to run at such high speeds on the field. Chevalune love to run, it has been said, even if they don't run for a living. Whether they're strapped down to an office job or are doing anything not athletic related, running is still in their veins. Hosokawa driving forward was proof of it, as she was now nearing the corner flag on the Sudilian side of the field. By this point, she knew what to do. Ball crossed into the box, flying in the air from a pure white thunderous cross. Another piece of training she had to do, to truly transform into an attacking fullback.

Waiting in that box, for that specific cross, was Villa.

These two players have grown in their bond ever since that specific night. Leaps and bounds in their relationship not just as teammates, but also as friends. Behind the scenes of everything that has happened, these two kept to themselves. From the awkward bombshell to where they were now, these two had complete trust in each other. And here, in this exact moment, the cross of white thunder met the touch of a snow angel. Villa leaps into the air, having been able to get past the defenders and strikes it in past Christian McCoy.

The stadium erupted in joy, having seen that The Anchors were now in the lead at such a late point in the match. And in the end, that would be the scoreline of the match. Aphrilia was through to the Quarterfinals, once again having been able to showcase their capabilities. Their next opponent would end up being the Valentians, with potential to be an exciting match.

One step at a time, this team would go, no matter who they face up against.

FULL TIME RESULT
Aphrilia 1 – 0 Sudilia
Theresa Villa (87')

by **Saterun** » Tue Aug 12, 2025 9:28 am

For the first time since IAC 22, the Claws returned to the Round of 16. This was good progress, but the fans expected more. By now, the quarterfinals were the minimum expectation for a solid tournament. Handrix knew this. Standing in his was were Solgavden, perhaps the surprise package of the tournament. A pot 5 team, they had won their group, and rightfully earned their place in the knockouts. It would certainly be a tough match. However, Kameron's side had one thing that their opposition didn't: experience in IAC knockouts. Hell, some of the players had experience in an IAC final. Although they had wavered at times in the last match, he expected them to show their experience. He didn't know just how well they would end up showing it.

Although he didn't want to give any advantages to his opponents, Handrix did start a rotated squad. Jack Le Mounde came on for Crespo Antonsen, and Abbas Alil started over Masoud Shain. It was necessary to eventually rotate, and after the opening loss to Valentine Z Handrix had basically played his best lineup in every game. Alil had a solid game, but bringing on Le Mounde eventually proved to be the masterful decision. The young midfielder had plenty to prove, and wasted no time doing so. A mere 2 minutes into the game, he won the ball on the sidelines off of Rohit Mishra, and was off and away within seconds. He danced past Johan Lind, neatly cutting the ball behind his lead foot to get around the defender. As he raced down the sidelines, he picked his head up and looked towards the box. He saw no one. As Kennet Roenfeldt raced towards him, Le Mounde feigned a cross. The center back fell for it, as Le Mounde once again cut behind his lead foot as dribbled into the box. Finally, as he approached the goal, he saw Maksymillian Bates running through the far side. In one final act to cap off a wonderful individual display, Le Mounde threaded the ball through the crowded penalty area perfectly into the path of Bates, who simply had to tap it in to bring Saterun 1-0 up. It was Le Mounde's second assist in two games.

The stadium was roaring. Sensing the advantage, and not wanting to give it up, Handrix urged his team forward. This is where their experience truly shone. The older players, like Bates and Hans-Jürgen Becker, kept the pressure high, using similar tactics to when they had miraculously beaten Delte to win IAC 20. This time, it worked again. The Claws kept hammering the Solgavden goal, and eventually got another breakthrough. In the 17th minute, Becker spotted a gap in the back line. In what was becoming a trademark play of Handrix's Claws, he played a splitting ball through, allowing Bates to run on to it. Bates instantly played another through ball, this one to the feet of Caesar Ibañez. The quick passing had left Ibañez wide open, and as Gunnvaldr "Gunny" Kristoffersan came out to meet him, he nudged the ball just out of reach of the keeper's outstretched arms. With the goal completely open, Ibañez took a couple of steps before blasting the shot in. In startlingly quick fashion, the Claws had a two goal lead.

They would go on to stretch it further. Their front line was playing with expression and creativity that Handrix hadn't seen from this team in this tournament yet, and the defense was solid. In the 28th minute, Matt Saez won a difficult tackle inside Saterun's own penalty area. Realizing that the opposition had overcommitted in the attack, he quickly played the ball out wide to Becker. Becker played it to Washington, who played it back to Becker for a neat one-two. Becker, although starting to get older, was still one of, if not the best player out on the pitch, and dribbled down the sideline with ease. It looked for all the world like he would take it all the way to the touchline and then cross. This thinking had dragged the Solgavden left back too far away from the center. Bates raced through the open hole, and the pass from Becker was perfect. It had played out almost exactly like their previous goal. However, this time, Bates didn't pass the ball further. He ran with the defense, and, eventually, got close enough to shoot. He took a well-hit shot, that slammed past Kristoffersan on the far side. In less than 30 minutes, Saterun had a 3 goal lead.

However, as well as the defense had been playing up until that point, they eventually had a slip-up. Both Saez and Alil pressured Hannes Ossler in the box, leaving space to the right side. Soren Danielsan filled this gap. The attacking midfielder acted as an anchor, wedged deep in the Saterun back line. He received the ball with his back to the goal, but somehow managed to see Sigmund Halvorsan making a run across the box. A simple backheel, played directly forward from Danielsan, was enough to open up the defense. Halvorsan hit a powerful shot that Ralf Abiatti had no hope of saving. It had been a chaotic moment, but exposed some weakness in the Saterun defense.

In the second half, not wanting to take any chances, Handrix made sure to take control of the game. He didn't want another Muralos situation. He brought on Eli Cook, Sülimein Kalemanu, and Ruben De Santiago. He needed to rotate the squad, both to have enough energy to close this game out and to make sure his starters were well-rested for a potential quarterfinal. Eventually, these substitutions proved enough to close out the game. First to have an impact was Eli Cook. Cook had scored a few matches ago against Sixty-Nine X, and he increased that tally this game. As a Oscar Carlisle cross shot across the goal, it was Cook who managed to make a sliding shot that nicked off the inside of the post. Although not the most difficult technically, it showed determination and hustle that was valuable for Handrix. However, their opposition would respond quickly. Just 5 minutes after Cook had put the Claws up 4-1, a bad clearance from Saez gave Solgavden the ball at the top of the Saterun box. A quick shot from Ossler was manageable for Abiatti, but he unfortunately parried it straight into the path of Halvorsan. It was a simple shot, and Abiatti's dive for the first shot had left him helpless on the ground. 4-2.

Saterun, being egged on by the home crowd, had one final push in them. As the match winded down, Handrix was fairly confident about the win. However, he knew he couldn't be complacent. He pushed his team, tired as he knew they were. He knew, however, that there were some players he could count on the fight to the very end. Ibañez was one of them. In his prime right now, the striker could run for days, and was very good with a ball at his feet too. In the 87th minute, he started dribbling around the halfway line, and just didn't stop. He had a decent amount of pace, and used that the beat a few players. By the time he was nearing the box, he made some quick passes to open up space that he eventually filled. Once he got the ball back, he used some close, neat touches to give himself half a step of an opening. It was all he needed. He placed a low driven shot to the opposite corner, and a disheartened Kristoffersan just couldn't get down in time. Saterun rounded off a 5-2 win, in what had been one of their best displays this tournament.

Looking at the other scores, Handrix realized just how big of a task they had in front of them. Edsmontik had, of course, beaten Visayas Islands, and now Saterun would play one of the two teams left to have won every single one of their games. It certainly wouldn't be easy, and Saterun were the underdogs in both rank and performance this tournament. However, they had the unique advantage of playing at home. He hoped that Estadio Blanco Oro would create the atmosphere his boys needed to win. He was relieved to have at least made it to the quarterfinals. These days, that was the bare minimum Saterun fans expected. However, he wanted to go further. But this would be by far the toughest match yet.

by **Valentine Z** » Tue Aug 12, 2025 9:51 am

Part 1 – A Reminiscence of the days that have went by, along with making new memories.

Exuberant Superintendent T-2000/2904-3 Surveillant Clarissa Alanis Star Breya « La Amoureux Chéri » Millie Taissa Butterfly Mélody Coraline Jolijn Trini Clementine Hollie Samantha Zeta Harumi: Eveline typically gets quite a bit more adventures and stories about her – which I am fine with, to be clear! I am not programmed to be jealous, nor will I get it with this sort of thing! In fact, I quite like it, just me and Valentijn taking it slowly, you know? Haha, that, and preparing for the next season of NSSCRA 17! It was certainly going to be an interesting one, what with a lot of old drivers and teams having been left. I don’t have the data readily available as of right now, but I believe that we are quite a constant in NSSCRA, especially with myself as #7 and Eveline as #31. We have not changed while the other numbers and slots have either been changed or that they came later! It certainly is something and an honour! On top of that, well, there is certainly the topic about being a constant in this world (or worlds, I would say!) while the others have went away – not negatively, oh no! I just mean that time passed, and they went to other ventures!

When we first came to knowing about the other worlds, and having access to them, we have the absolute pleasure of talking to other people and folks! I, along with the rest of the Valentians, are aware of the dangers that came with it because I mean, there are those who wanted us for the not-so-nice purposes! I really get that! At the same time, however, we have also made a lot of positive relationships and friendships. In particular, I have missed the likes of, for instance, the wonderful folks from Zitravgrad, Stanier, Karamiko, Bloodshade, The Albali Republic, and many more. These were the nations that we had the pleasure of encountering for the very first time when we’ve opened up to the rest of the, err, the multiverse! A lot of fun were had, they were lovely people and nations! We even hosted a dinner and invited so many of them. We did it twice, and both times were actually fantastic… mostly! I mean, we were bringing a lot of people and beings with differing ideas, differing attitudes, and just about differences of everything, so Valentijn along with myself and Sixty have anticipated that. They still went really well, haha!

Anyway, then they have just slowly went away as I have mentioned. It was a bit of a sad thing to be, but I understand that things might have gotten busy for them as a nation, or as the others have said, times changed and time passed. This I learned even further when I realized that we were also doing the same thing, getting into international and interdimensional sports. As a result of this, our commitment to seeing the other parts of the world, with a little bit of irony because we have all the time in the worlds thanks to Eveline herself, have somewhat diminished. It’s not because of the newer folks either, there are still a lot of them that we do consider as friends. However, as with me for instance – I have to give my time and commitment to NSSCRA, as well as to World Cup, Cup of Harmony, and then this one known as IAC. Which, to my surprise in a good way, we were doing pretty great! Oh no, don’t get me wrong! >,< I am not saying that my team was unable to do it. It’s more of that, well, we are here, you know? Quarterfinals! I do not want to say it quickly (or what the others have said as a jinx), but my prediction models’ve generated the odds that we might be able to win against Aphrilia with a 66% chance! I ran 1 trillion simulations just to be safe and that was the number I have obtained. So yes, looking forward to this one, and IAC championship?

Ahh, I don’t want to be overly expecting, it’s not very nice for my team! I understand and know that they are doing their best! And going back – yeah, I know it might have been a little bit funny coming from me out of all people, of the fact that I am here reminiscing of the events that we have went by. My memory banks have not failed me, and neither is Adriana’s (who I relied on a lot for massive data banks!), so these were not fading memories that were a little bit more associated with organic beings. They were perfect times and of course, we can revisit them thanks to Eveline, so it’s not something that is permanently out of our grasp. However, can we still make new memories with these people? I am not sure at that moment! Eveline can see and peer through these worlds, but by ourselves, it’s a little difficult. I know I have mentioned her a lot and I will still reiterate that I am not jealous of Eveline! As I have mentioned, her powers have been a massive help to us, and we were able to see the past and the future while enjoying our present time. Maybe, as she has mentioned too – I believe perfect times should not be sought for! After all, all of these encounters – our first friends across the multiverse, sports events and results – all of them were not planned out! It happened by chance and without Eveline’s meddling. Perfection can be quite… overrated!

[OOC: Sincere apologies for No-RPing my way to the Quarterfinals.]

by **Saterun** » Tue Aug 12, 2025 12:27 pm

Quarterfinals

*Drawkland's below RP was graded for this cutoff.

Valentine Z 2–3 Aphrilia
Tsear Tsuperdome (57,000)

Indusse 1–0 Taxhavn
Racetrack Road (45,000)

Saterun 0–0 Edsmontik (0–2 AET)
Estadio Blanco Oro (59,000)

Drawkland 0–0 The Elder Lands (0–0 AET) (3–1 pen.)
Adam Antwerp Arena (50,000)

Semifinals

Aphrilia vs Indusse
Sultan Stadium (76,000), @ 12:30

Edsmontik vs Drawkland
Sultan Stadium (76,000), @ 6:30

by **Drawkland** » Tue Aug 12, 2025 12:28 pm

REVODA SEA RIVALRY Soccer Episode 18 - IAC 24 Ro16

Drawkland vs Juvencus game don't be a banger challenge [difficulty: IMPOSSIBLE]!

The Drawkian and Juven national team sides have clashed 18 times on the soccer pitch. This Round of 16 matchup at IAC-24 marked the third consecutive Independents Cup with a meeting between Kick Corps and Gli Attaccanti. It was the 14th official tournament meeting between them, 8th in an Independents Cup, and 4th in an Independents Cup knockout game. Simply put, these teams have history. Drawkland vs Juvencus is the most contested match in either team's national soccer history.

While there were a few meetings in the early days of each team's history (Drawkland and Juvencus both debuted in IAC-1), mostly friendly matches, the rivalry didn't really take off until they met in a two-legged friendly series between World Cup 91's qualifiers and proper. Less than a cycle later, they co-hosted IAC-16 together and met in a fiery quarterfinal match at Treasure Trove Stadium in Shire-Port, Drawkland. The friendly series was split 1-2 and 4-3, but the quarterfinal was a loud blowout in Drawkland's favor, a 6-2 scoreline that delighted the home crowd. Drawkland eventually won bronze in that tournament, but Juvencus got revenge a cycle later, winning 2-3 in extra time during IAC-17's bronze medal match.

From there, the rivalry was contested more often, and the friendly ribbing ramped up. Both squads are now well-acquainted, especially due to the aforementioned streak of meeting in recent IACs. The two most recent meetings, a matchday five and quarterfinal game in Reçueçn, were similar 0-2 wins in Juven favor. Those games were true outliers: only once before (IAC-12, MD3) did either team get shut out against each other. Pretty much every other game in the modern history of the rivalry has featured one or both sides scoring 3 or more goals. The highly offensive tactics of both teams are generally on full display. They know each other, they know how they roll, it's just a question of beating them at the shared game. Attack aggressively and relentlessly, pound their defenses until something gives. It's the kind of game that makes a casual or non-soccer fan say "See? If soccer was like this all the time, I'd actually watch it!" Okay, buddy. Whatever you say.

Anyway, given the history of the Revoda Sea Rivalry coupled with the pair of shutouts last cycle, few knew what to expect going into this game. Drawkland looked slightly more competent in this group stage, with Juvencus dropping the group lead to Indusse and barely edging Choppyhousen on goal difference. It turns out that the expected precedent won out. Both attacking squads were in full force at Adam Antwerp Arena, but not at the same time.

The first half looked reminiscent of the IAC-23 games. Juvencus got out to an early lead thanks to the legend Ceferino Audiol converting la squadra's first real chance of the game, a counterattack in the 14th minute. They kept the pressure up, eventually scoring a second goal on a crosser from Sara Ponce's foot to Pau Vives's head to the back of the net. That came in the 39th minute, and Gli Attaccanti held on to keep their 0-2 lead going into the half.

The Kick Corps fanbase waited anxiously during the break. They didn't look great in the first half. Errant passes, skied shots, and generally sloppy play were all over the Drawkian side, and it felt like maybe the Juven management team had finally figured out how to beat the Kick Corps. Diana Levitt would not be deterred, however. Some key tactical adjustments (and a lot of yelling) at the half were exactly what the Corps needed.

The biggest change was subbing out young striker Addyson Santana for immortal veteran Cam Cross right at the beginning of the half. Having that tried-and-true presence (and one that rightfully scared the shit out of half the Juven roster) was just the breath of fresh air the Corps needed. Cross expertly drew a foul near the goal in the first ten minutes of the half, and Cece Benbow managed to nail the ensuing free kick to seal the deal and put Drawkland on the board for the first time in nearly 250 consecutive minutes against Juvencus.

The whole crowd in Daxler could feel the air changing. It was no surprise that Toni Dillan found Carla Murray with space in the 68th minute for a game-tying, defense-splitting goal. Now the only question remaining was if Juvencus had enough in them to answer back. Gli Attaccanti still had good press against the Drawkian defense, but their shots were losing accuracy. McKenna Reed was on her game in the second half, denying several Juven chances.

Then came the finisher. It wasn't quite your played-out stoppage time winner, but it was an exclamation point on yet another Revoda Sea Instant Classic. The Kick Corps was pushing deep into Juven territory, flirting with the box, getting a couple shots and corner kicks, and pulling possession back quickly whenever Juvencus fought for a reprieve. The intensity was immense. Juvencus was struggling with the same problem Drawkland struggled with on the other end: there was simply too much talent in the forward line. You couldn't perfectly cover everybody. Cam Cross in particular was deadly from anywhere and demanded attention, but pulling attention from elsewhere was akin to playing with fire. You just know you're gonna get burned, you just hope it's not third degree.

Cece Benbow was third degree. She was covered pretty well by the Juven defense, as were Cross and Murray. Cherry Octavia happened to be the one with an opening. She got a feed from Joan Viola, shook her defender, and had a shot at the goal. The shot wasn't great, and Juan Carlos Ungaro was able to deny it with outstretched arms. The one good thing about Octavia's shot was the angle: Ungaro couldn't corral it, instead deflecting it back into the field of play. The entire field lurched in the direction of the ball, but Cece Benbow was a step ahead of everyone. The ball bounced once, then twice off the turf, before meeting Benbow's boot and getting lasered into the back of the net posthaste.

The crowd exploded. It was the 84th minute, time was running far too short. That felt like the dagger, and it was confirmed less than 10 minutes later when the referee's whistle rang out. Drawkland's 5-game winless streak against Juvencus had been broken, and while it wasn't a late round knockout game, it was still a playoff win. It set up a match against the Sonnel-adjacent Elder Lands in the quarterfinals ... but Drawkland's been caught napping after a big early round win against a rival before. Would their momentum survive through the quarterfinals?

by **Edsmontik** » Wed Aug 13, 2025 2:01 pm

Round of 16: Edsmontik v. Saterun - @ Estadio Blanco Oro, Tsear, Saterun (59,000)
2:50PM, Friday, July 30th, 2032

Everybody was in position. Saterun vs. Edsmontk would begin in ten minutes.

The Eagles were nervous. They had exited in the quarterfinals twice now, and they definitely didn't want to do it three times. People had made theories calling it a curse, while others just thought that the Eagles weren't good enough to pass to the semifinals. This game would either end or continue the loss streak.

But the Eagles didn't want to go down here. They had lost Stentdon Beirbern, former Edsmon superstar from the early ages of the FDVL. he was everybody's idol for his confidence, strength, and leadership. One error took his life, his family's lives, and nearly six hundred others. Edsmontik had a goal now: win the IAC for those 600 souls headed to Saterun and beyond. To do that, they would have to break this "curse".

der-Ghavyr went over positions again. Everybody knew the 4-3-2-1 "Spike", or "Mountain", or "Volcano", or "Christmas Tree", or just "Tree" formation. But it was essential to remember where everyone was going when it came to offensive or defensive play.

This match, the Eagles would be mostly using their Clock's Ticking tactic, but only after scoring. It wouldn't matter how many goals they got in, as long as they end with the ball. der-Ghavyr created small scenarios on his whiteboard, pointing where the ball should go. It was a lot to take in for some of the Eagles who were less familiar with the tactic, but hopefully easy enough that they wouldn't screw up mid-way through a play.

The coin flip for kickoff was in favor of Saterun. They started off strong, moving past the Edsmon midfield from time to time (but passing back down) and consistently holding possession. That was something that the Eagles didn't want.

Luckily for them, Ghreksbvy was able to snatch a pass from Carlisle, granting the Eagles their first touch of the ball in the third minute. It was a little disappointing seeing how much the Eagles struggled to claim the ball from Saterun, but it wasn't something to dwell on. The Eagles had a match to play.

Saterun's home crowd edged them on, motivating them. The Eagles obviously did not have the larger crowd due to the terrifying cost of a flight to Saterun, but they had a loud crowd. Edsmon fans chanted songs, beat on their drums, waved their flags, held up their signs, and did other things as well. It was a loud environment overall, with cheers ringing in the ears of both teams.

Ghreksbvy, now in possession of the ball, charged out of Edsmon territory and crossed into the Saterun half. He juked out Washington and flicked the ball around Becker, gaining ground as he moved. Maktholm, a proud member of Viathyn Park AFC, flexed the things he learned in Tikariot against the Saterunian defenders. Obviously, he couldn't hold onto the ball orever though, and attempted a pass.

His ball soared up into the air and right into the chest of Anasb FK player Maartin Stuero, who balanced the ball perfectly to set it up for a run. With the ball safely at Stuero's feet, he began to move. He scanned the field ahead of him, which contained Saez and Shain, who were staring him down and quickly approaching. He needed the ball to get to someone that wasn't defended. Looking around again, Stuero continued dribbling and dodging his opponents, before making a signal to a nearby player.

Sravagn Utravak received Stuero's ball, ran up into the box, and fired a shot with his left foot. He instantly regretted it once he noticed the ball curving too far to the right. Despite the curve, it was still on target, just too easy for Abiatti to catch though. Once again, the ball was back in Saterunian possession. The striker slowly sighed, and backtracked to follow the keeper's punt.

The first half went by very quickly. There was a lot of action, but it was a complete stalemate. Both teams had gotten plenty of shots on goal, but neither team could get past their opponent's keeper. It seemed as if Elterhad der-Stoiuben and Ralf Abiatti were doing the basically the most work out of their respective teams. The defenses were cooperating, but both sides were facing tiny leaks that the attackers could slip right through.

There were attempts at patches for those defensive holes, but once either team's attack got close, it was a bit of panic mixed with rushing that caused the mess ups. It was indeed a super nerve racking game, and the fans were enjoying it all.

On the bench, Edsmon player Reus Aespana analyzed the game, as he usually did. Unlike some of the other players, Aespana was the guy who had to know everything. He was super analytical, and would stare down others to understand every bit of information to do his job. Here, he was watching how the Saterunians moved. He needed to see every hole that the Eagles were missing, because it'd be the only way to get Edsmontik past the quarters for once.

When halftime came, he gave his findings to his team, who thanked him as usual. Reus devised a tactic that would hopefully be enough to take down the Staerunian defense and spread panic, leading to more disarray. But it would be risky. The Eagles would have to push everything at their opponents, meaning an all out attack, sacrificing midfield security to possibly confirm a goal.

The second half however, was no different from the first. Despite using their attacking tactic almost correctly, it ended up always failing in the end. The closest the Eagles got to the goal using that tactic was very close- but Rehcikt tripped and Abiatti managed to barely catch the ball.

Everybody was tired now, and the gameplay was slowly getting worse. To take advantage of this, both teams sent out fresh players. But that didn't do anything, as they sent out fresh players at the same time, so no team was weaker in the moment. Obviously, this meant that the game continued to be a stalemate. There were still shots on goal, but there weren't as many as in the first half.

Soon enough, the game's 90 minutes were closing. It seemed as if the game would go on to extra time- unless there was a goal now. Whichever team wore out first would determine the ending instantly. But no goal ended up occurring in the final minutes of the 90 minute section. Extra time would begin.

In the quick break before ET, the Eagles hydrated themselves and discussed plans. The objective was now not to score (yet), but to conserve energy, and as much of it as possible. If they could outlast the Saterunians, they would be able to score when they were worn down. It would then grant Edsmontik the win and carry them out of the "Quarters Curse".

The first half of Extra Time began. Both teams had some energy and a lot of confidence remaining. Only one side would have enough of both to carry themselves past the finish line though. The neck and neck race to the semis was getting extremely close.

And then, he did it.

Maartin Stuero landed a volley from a corner in the 101st minute, securing the ball in the back of the net for Edsmontik. He celebrated, sliding across the grass and saluting the hundreds of Edsmons fans there to cheer on the Eagles. His teammates surrounded him, lifting him up and cheering. If they held onto this lead, or extended it, they could survive the Quarters against the host of the IAC themselves.

Already, anyone would be able to see the affect of the goal on Saterun. The fans were still cheering on the Claws, but not as loudly. The Saterunian players were still confident, but not as much. When they had another failed attack on Elterhad der-Stoiuben, that dropped even lower.

With that, the Eagles pressed one more time in the final half of Extra Time. And it took only one person to silence Saterun's IAC run for good.

"LAJIFLAK!!!"

Lajiflak Frudenne needed nothing more than a low ball in the 117th minutes that was too fast for the Saterunian to catch. With Abiatti stranded in the net with his thoughts, he didn't see the ball coming quickly enough, and conceded his second goal of that quarterfinal.

The left midfielder jumped up, knowing that it was now basically impossible for the Claws to tear down the Eagles. The Eagles had flown out of their reach. He celebrated, punching the air, waving at fans, and jumping up. The entire Edsmon team ran to him, with fans shouting at their loudest from the stands. It was a 2-0lead for Edsmontik with three minutes and a bit of stoppage time to go.

"Semifinals, here we come!" Lajiflak shouted.

Edsmontik 2-0 Saterun - Full Time
M. Stuero (101'), L. Fruedenne (117') | None
6:17PM, Friday, July 30th, 2032

Next Lineup (GK -- LB, CB, CB, RB -- LM, CM, RM -- LCF, RCF, ST)
S. Lankiv-- S. Kizani, I. Javarqa, B. Norseden, V. Jervanois -- R. Aespana, D. Ystermakt, M. Ghreksbvy -- M. Rehcikt, M. Stuero [C], V. Bervaign

by **Indusse** » Thu Aug 14, 2025 2:19 am

Hind Tribune
Closer Inch by Inch

By Subrato Shahla

The Quarterfinals were now done, Indusse was able to win over Taxhavn in a brutally close game. If Mersias was not able to score the last minute winner then who knows what would have been the result and how long would have the game continued. Taxhavn seemed strong and was a strong contender for the tournament, meanwhile Indusse had to win in order to go forward in their journey to the championship. Now they have to face Aphrilia, another nation hailing from Sonnel. Indusse and nations from Sonnel have always faced each other in almost every IAC they've participated in. Afterall, it was against Juvencus from Sonnel that Indusse lost their second Championsip in IAC.

Indusse had faced Juvencus in the finals of the 18th edition of the IAC at Libira National Stadium, Fiskadaha City. Indusse had hoped that they'll repeat their final victory of IAC 13 that had happened in the same exact stadium. But, Alas! This was not Indusse's year. The other Semi finalists also seem strong, Edsmontik is having their first semi final appearence in their IAC history. Meanwhile, Drawkland is a fan favourite and six time finalist in IAC. Again, its just that they are unlucky because they could only win one of those six finals they were in.

Looking at our spotlight semis, Indusse is set to face Aphrilia. Aphrilia has been showing consistency in the last few editions where they were able to reach the semi finals twice in a row. Where, in the last edition they were able to clinch into the third position over a close win against Ile de Richelieu. At the same time, our home team Indusse has not been able to reach the semi finals after their final loss in the eighteenth edition. The best they could do was reach the round of sixteen. But here we are, another edition another semi final, maybe this is where the cup is meant to be back in Indusse.

This edition is meant to be giving farewell to a bunch of Indussean players that include Veteran and Playmaker Bechun Butea. Even though there are memes flowing around asking whether this would be Butea's last, the player is very much sure about his decision. Butea had been trolled multiple times since he had announced his retirement earlier but kept to cancelling it. With the players leaving, the team would be welcoming young blood to take over the space that is brought up. At the same time, Baker Park born Shane Newman is set to retire from his coaching career with this edition. Shane is said to be the best manager the nation has seen in its history. He had succeeded the much celebrated Joseph Moteudi and has shown us how wonderful can he be as a coach.

The people of Indusse has already grown a strong bond with Shane Newman and is pretty much disappointed by the fact that he is leaving. Meanwhile sources say that the government is planning to offer Newman, the citizenship of Indusse and make him the new Chairman of Indussean Football Association replacing Baskar Kumar. If this is meant to happen then fans can still find Newman around since Indusse very much approves of the Dual Citizenship System. At the same time we have local managers who are eager to join as the National Team Coach. Eric Chapman, who was the former coach of the youth team was top on this list until he was hired by the Chromatik club Z'ai'ai to coach them. Second on the list and the one with most chance to be the manager is Raul Fraśco of Southbay Riveria FC who had recently won the nation's first division league called Liga Prime.

A group of Fans are demanding the federation to host a invitational tournament after the IAC so that the retiring players and managers could be given a deserving farewell. The Federation as well as these players are very hesitant to this opinion. Butea claims that this is going to further delay his delayed retirement and could just make him a laughing stock in front of the public, once again. Meanwhile another group has asked the federation to introduce a new seasonal friendly series before every world cup season and this edition shall serve as a farewell to the above said retiring players. A decision has not yet been made, but is sure to follow soon.

by **Aphrilia** » Thu Aug 14, 2025 4:03 am

They done it. Somehow, they indeed have. Though looking back, perhaps it was always possible.

Once again, The Anchors had found themselves in the semi finals of the Independent Associations Championship. They had once again showcased their talents and capabilities, pulling past Valentine Z's Kittens in an exciting match. This was the Aphrilia that many people love to see, wasn't it? Skillful individuality and teamwork both combined within a solid yet flexible system, this was how Aphrilia played it's football now. Once again, Leonardo Bianchi continued to show just how good of a manager he is. How good the players that play under this flag were. How good it is that the fans continue to support them no matter what was happening. This was it, wasn't it? Their identity.

Speaking of the football, the match against Valentine Z was, well, unlike anything this team had ever seen before. Six forwards was, in the eyes of an Aphrilian football fan at least, alluding to a tint of insanity. Though knowing the vast expanse of the multiverse, it was likely a more tame thing compared to the things they could potentially go up against. And perhaps the Valentians were onto something with their highly offensive strategy, as they had scored two goals before half time. A penalty on the 25th by Holly Annemiek Gerrieke Van De Hoogte and then a header struck in by Elisabetta Enzo Hannah Lodovica D'Elia on the 41st. Half time and it seemed Aphrilia had ran out of it's magic.

Those who watched it live were worried, those who watched on television even more so.

But it wasn't that this team ran out of their steam, frankly, quite the opposite. They still had plenty of it ready to go, it's just that the Valentians played a class game themselves. In just five minutes of the second half starting, Aphrilia took back a goal. 48th minute, Ines Forrestal pulled off her usual antics by going wide before cutting inside, once again taking a curled shot around goalkeeper Jakov Emile Janessa Mirko Varteks Modrić to make it one to three. They'd pull back this game piece by piece if they had to.

And it seems like they would have to, as Sarah O'Winchester had proceeded to injure herself on the 56th minute. It wasn't anything critical, but she would be out for the remainder of the tournament. The time that The Anchors had while O'Winchester's injury was being assessed allowed the to recollect and recompose. Just a few minutes later into the match, the midfield of Edward Elliot, Jessica Rhine-Faust, Mike Aston, and Natasha Aston played a moment of perfect teamwork and had pushed the ball forward into the Valentian half of the field, before Rhine-Faust received the ball from the older Aston and making a shot of her own. It wasn't pretty but it got past Jakov Emile to make it two to two.

Though as the match dragged on, both sides were having a tough and tougher fight on the field. No one was yielding, but no one was scoring either. 89th minute and someone surely had to break the score? Well, it was The Anchors that would. Left side corner kick for them (From Aphrilia's side anyway, it would be the right for Valentine Z), with a surprising corner taker making the calls. Erick Marshall had been substituted in a few minutes before this moment, and he was willing to take the corner. Of course, everyone prepared for it.

And it was at this moment that you could feel something was about to happen, again.

This scenario has played quite a few times for Aphrilia. Dying moments of full time, with a set piece at the ready. Everyone on the field was ready to make the chance in front of them count. And as Erick Marshall let the ball roar into the air, that's what they all tried to do. Kevin Lacey (Substituted in for Ines Forrestal) tried making something of a header, but the angle of the ball made it difficult to head it in. There was a scramble for the ball, goodness knows how there wasn't a foul. And thus the ball was out of the Valentian box. But it wasn't controlled, the ball was in open play. And on The Anchors was one man who always knew how to strike from outside the box.

Nathaniel Rosberg has done this a bajillion times. Every tournament he's played for Aphrilia starting from World Cup 95, it's been his signature move. Outside the box, striking with his strong right foot to the right side. He's picked up doing it with his weak foot as well, and that was the situation he found himself in. Again. But why was he thinking about it again this time around? He's accepted that this was his last tournament, he's at peace with it and so was everyone else. They were playing like it was the last game of their lives. Perhaps it was the thought that this may very well be the last shot he takes for the national team. What if he screws up? Surely not, right? This specific thing is his expertise, he should score. No regrets he said at the beginning of the tournament, was he going to go back on his own word because of hesitation...?

No, he wouldn't. That was not Rosberg. And that will never be him. So he ran up to the ball and struck it like he always did.

Bang, goal. Three two for Aphrilia, and just in time as well. The stadium exploded into roars of joy and excitement, the man celebrated with a knee slide towards one of the nearby cameras airing the match. Everyone else piled up on him, either that or they were having their own moments of ecstasy. The bench were cheering with joy, as well as Leonardo Bianchi himself. The Crpostranian couldn't contain his smile when Rosberg scored that. Once again, Aphrilia would see themselves in the semi finals of the IAC with that goal, another one to add into Rosberg's tally. But after the match, it wasn't the fact that his goal helped the team win the match that was on his mind.

It was his family. His parents and grandparents still among the living, his wife and children back at home likely watching him, his in-laws perhaps rooting for him and the team as well. His teammates that were doing their absolute best, the management team that trusted in him fully, and the fans who were supporting not just him, but the team all the way. No matter the end result, there were smiles. And those smiles in the face of adversity kept Rosberg going. The next match, the semi finals, would be against Indusse.

He would keep to his word and leave no regrets behind, whatever the end result may be.

FULL TIME RESULT
Valentine Z 2 – 3 Aphrilia
Holly Annemiek Gerrieke Van De Hoogte PEN (25')
Elisabetta Enzo Hannah Lodovica D'Elia (41')
(48') Ines Forrestal
(56') -+- Sarah O'Winchester
(62') Jessica Rhine-Faust
(90') Nathaniel Rosberg

by **Drawkland** » Thu Aug 14, 2025 12:09 pm

It wasn't exactly on the tier of Drawkland vs Juvencus, but given the attacking nature of both teams, one would've expected the quarterfinal between Drawkland and fellow "Sonnelians" The Elder Lands to be another high-scoring affair. In their first and only other meeting to date, it was an adrenaline-filled 4-3 match that ended in favor of the Kick Corps. The circumstances there were quite different, however. It was a group stage game in a scenario where The Elder Lands were making their first foray into international football. The pressure wasn't as high, and though the Drawkian defense gave up a little more than they were hoping in garbage time, they still had little trouble getting the three points out of the game.

Not only was plenty of the Kick Corps roster not present four cycles prior, but the centerpiece of the team Ellzidan was also not around this time. Ellzidan was the only one who'd ever been to The Elder Lands; the immortal Elf often wandered the forests and jungles of her territory and occasionally slipped into the world of the fey, intentionally or otherwise. The Elf didn't know that The Elder Lands knew anything about soccer, but she knew a little about the tendencies of the fey and properly prepared her team for the match in advance.

Ellzidan was now gone, and a few managers later the current hire Diana Levitt was at the helm. Levitt did her due diligence with film study, but the Elder Lands team didn't play outside of the IAC. There wasn't a whole lot to see, and the fantastical nature of the players themselves made it difficult to prepare for. The current cycle Kick Corps did their best to prepare for the quarterfinal match, but it was ultimately a really quick turnaround for such a unique game.

The biggest factor at play was size. The difference between Drawkians and humans was already a challenge at times, but putting gnomes and archfey of various sizes on the pitch made it even more difficult. There were multiple occasions through the match where a Drawkian player with possession had the ball got pinched by a gnome they literally didn't even see. Similarly, half the Elder Lands roster felt like they were in a literal moving forest trying to navigate a gaggle of Drawkian defenders. Not that a moving forest would be totally out of the ordinary for the fey, but it did make it difficult to score.

Hence, the match was scoreless through regular time (though this isn't to say there wasn't any action at all -- the play was merely sloppy). Both teams were desperate to get a winner in extra time. Manager Levitt subbed in immortal Cam Cross after the regular time break hoping to get some action, subbing out struggling striker Cherry Octavia. Unfortunately this didn't result in any actual goals during live play. Cross nearly had a winner, but was called offsides mostly thanks to her huge strides putting her ahead of gnomish defender Numbles. All said and done, the match remained scoreless throughout extra time as well.

That meant it was time for a penalty shootout ... something that's a bit of a sore spot for the Kick Corps throughout their history. Drawkland's national soccer team has participated in 17 penalty shootouts through their nearly 700-game history prior to this match. The first came in their very first tournament, a semifinal game against Great Caledonia and North Hybernia which the Corps lost 1-3 in the shootout itself. The most recent was a couple cycles ago, another semifinal, this time in the Cup of Harmony where the Corps prevailed 4-2. The Kick Corps is a mere 6-11 in those games. That CoH semi win over Aleirave broke a streak of 5 consecutive penalty kick losses (and was only their second win in their last eleven such games).

All that to say, there was considerable trepidation in the Drawkian side of the crowd at Adam Antwerp Arena. The good news was that Cam Cross, the typical leadoff for the current Corps' penalty shootout lineup, already got subbed in and was plenty warm. Bellwether and McKenna Reed would have their work cut out for them. If the Drawkian team had any advantages, it was that they'd at least participated in one of these duels before; The Elder Lands were doing a shootout for the very first time.

Cam Cross hadn't exactly been around for centuries like some of the other immortals on the pitch, but approximately 50 of the 60+ years she'd lived in the world were spent honing her soccer skills. With eternal youth and an abundance of spare time on her hands recently, she'd spent countless hours improving her set-piece kicking. Of course, a penalty shootout also depended on the keeper's instincts. Regardless, Cross had plenty of confidence when she strode up to the mark, and it showed. Despite Bellwether's excellent leap, the shot from Cross slotted flawlessly in the upper left corner of the goal, nearly untouchable.

McKenna Reed wasn't infallible in net, but she was the consensus pick for best keeper in Drawkland for many years. The natural size of Drawkians made them difficult to deal with when attacking the goal directly, but all it took were a few guesses in the wrong direction to let the Elder Lands pull into the lead. Thankfully, Reed wasn't too keen on letting that happen. Besides the second shot of the duel from the Eladrin Hallar finding its mark in the back of the net, Reed looked strong.

With Cherry Octavia subbed out, hybrid midfielder/forward Carla Murray stepped into the second spot of the shootout order. This turned out to be an excellent decision by Levitt, as Murray skipped a shot off the ground and tucked it inside the post for the second goal of the shootout (Bellwether dove the wrong direction). After Cece Benbow's shot landed right in the chest of Bellwether and another block from Reed, the shootout was merely 2-1 in Drawkland's favor going into the fourth round.

That fourth round was huge. Drawkland could win it there, or the Elder Lands could begin their comeback. Ideas of the latter were quickly shot down as young Jaffro midfielder Toni Dillan took her kick for Drawkland. As Bellwether dove left, Dillan fired the ball right down main street, hitting the dead center of the goal to put Drawkland up 3-1. Now things were truly dire for the Fey. They'd have to be perfect from here on out to stay alive. Bodua was up for the Elder Lands, manager Beefwit hoping the shot power would get the ball in ahead of Reed's dive. Unfortunately for them, McKenna Reed had a perfect bead on Bodua's leadup. The shot was hard towards the corner, but Reed had a lead to work with and took a ballsy anticipatory step to the right. That extra step gave her the extra length on the leap to bat the shot away.

The ball spun off to the edge of the pitch, and the already-loud crowd erupted in elation. Drawkland had avoided the upset, and were on to yet another IAC semifinal appearance. They had a tough match against real contenders Edsmontik on the horizon, but a tournament with a semifinal appearance is always a good one.

by **Saterun** » Thu Aug 14, 2025 1:28 pm

Semifinals

Aphrilia 1-0 Indusse
Sultan Stadium (76,000), @ 12:30

Edsmontik 1-2 Drawkland
Sultan Stadium (76,000), @ 6:30

3PPO

Indusse vs Edsmontik
Adam Antwerp Arena (50,000)

Final

Aphrilia vs Drawkland
The Hycanthenium (88,000)

by **Indusse** » Fri Aug 15, 2025 1:57 am

Hind Tribune
Dreams Scattered, not Dead

By Subrato Shahla

Indusse, its players, its fans and a whole lot of its community was eager to see the team win the championship after their victory against Taxhavn. They seemed to be fully prepared against Aphrilia, but alas! It was a defeat and an end to its championship dreams. Indusse had faced Aphrilia at the Sultan Stadium in the semi finals of IAC 24. Experts did claim before the match that Aphrilia had the advantage of finishing well in the last few editions of the tournament but, Indusse was pretty keen on defeating them and make way to the finals. But the results was very much disappointing. Aphrilia scored the only goal in the match and then made sure that Indusse is not able to score one against them. They were successful and the match saw Aphrilia advancing towards the final of this season's Independent Associations Championship.

This is also the first time Aphrilia is qualifying for the finals and they will be facing Drawkland who has been a former champion in the tournament. Drawkland meanwhile seems like a team that is "cursed" because they have reached the finals of the tournament six times in its history but was only able to win one of them. Meanwhile Indusse will be facing Edsmontik, who is having their best perfomance in the tournament yet. Edsmontik is here to show case their best, meanwhile the experience and form of Indusse is said to outshine them. Indusse in its history has reached the third place finals twice in the IAC Editions of 14 and 15. They were able to secure third place in the fourteenth edition after a win against Kriegiersien but they lost the third place to Squidroidia in the next edition.

Since Indusse's Final Dreams were over, the Indussean Football Association called an immediate press meet announcing the final changes to the national camp and published a plan for the commencement of the "The Centennial Era". The Ministry of Sports also joined the IFA in the press meet were they published the complete plan on the renovation of the Hind Sports City. They also announced that the following restrictions they had placed on the area will remain until further notice.

No Bus Service shall happen through the Sport City Compound, all buses that were following this route will be diverted from the South Gate Bus Stop towards the Bastion Town Route and those from the North Gate will be diverted towards the Jnanabharati Route. The Kala Bharati Campus and Bus Stop will still be accessible.
The Metro will not stop at the Sport City Station and Kala Bharati Station. The Red Line Metro will have its stop after the terminal at Museum Junction only. Operations at these stations will only resume after the renovation of these stations.
Entry to the Sports City Compound would be restricted and those who want to enter should get a written permission from the Chief Metropolitan Commissioner of New Hind City Metropolitan Corporation (NHCMC).
All offices and institutions that was operating from the compound will be temporarily shifted to the Ministerial Offices and other buildings in Durbar Hall Road and Cantonment Road until further notice.

INDUSSEAN FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
#11 Kreeda Bhawan, National Stadium Road Sports City, New Hind City - 04

Press Release 121/03

The Indussean Football Association hereby releases the final list of players who will remain in the national camp after the end of Independent Associations Championship's 24th edition. This list also includes the players that will be leaving/retiring and also joining the national camp after this edition. After the Third Place Playoff of the Independent Associations Championship, Indussean Football will be marking the end of the "Era of Genesis" and commencement of the "The Centennial Era" which shall go on till the projected timeframe of the end of 199th season of the World Cup followed by the then edition of the Independents Associations Championship.

This Press Release is also an announcement on the future of the current manager, Shane Newman. Mr. Newman had brought up his interest to retire from his managerial career and had asked the Association to search for a new manager. The Association had put up advertisements multiple times in international media for a vacancy in the Managerial position but there has not been any international applicants. At the same time, the Association has received a bunch of applications from Indussean born Managers.

Meanwhile, Mr. Newman has been awarded honorary citizenship in the nation of Indusse for his outstanding contribution to Indussean Football. Newman is been called as the greatest manager that the team has ever seen. Mr. Newman has also been appointed as the next Chairman of Indussean Football Association replacing His Lordship, Baskar H Kumar. This change will take place at the beginning of the 100th edition of the World Cup. Newman has also been asked to continue as the manager till the end of an upcoming friendly series that will serve as the final matches of these retiring players and staff.

Players Retained (11):
GK - Jahangir Shehzad (Club: Syneca AC - SRS)
GK - Preetham Singh (Club: Sindvpore FC - INS)
DF - Mathias Paulson (Club: Napoleon St. Bernadine - TAX)
MD - Djetson Hasle (Free Agent)
FD - Rahul B Kumar (Club: Tsear AC - SAT)
FD - Antonio Mersias (Club: Herzegovina City FC - BNJ)
FD - Juan Jane (Club: Southbay Riveria FC - INS)
FD/MD - Goblin Grundjee (Club: Sindvpore FC - INS)
CF - Michael Djenkzo (Club: Coquitlam United - KSK)
CM - Dhananjay Bhattacharya (Club: Sindvpore FC - INS)
CB - Akshay Adhaan (Club: Dasein - RLS)

Players Dropped (6):
DF - Jonathan Krege (Free Agent)
DF - Manu Nair (Club: New Hind City FC - INS)
DF - Harbaz Khan (Club: Sindvpore FC - INS)
MD - Harry Mascarenhas (Club: Guardia Pomeranian - DOU)
DF - Mark Millwood (Free Agent)
MD - Mahadev Bhattacharya (Free Agent)

Retiring Players (4):
GK - Peter Bashfork (Club: Southbay Riveria FC - INS)
MD - Raman Sreevastva (Club: Coohen City FC - ZEN)
FD - Bechun Butea (Club: Southbay Riveria FC - INS)
FD - Tanvir Bashir (Club: Sindvpore FC - INS)

New Arrivals (5):
ST - Vineeth K K (Club: Rockies International FC - INS)
LB – Cyrus Yazdhani (Club: Southbay Riveria FC - INS)
CM – Leonard Buschelus (Club: Dhalopura FC - INS)
RB - Lhazang Tsang Po (Club: Ngwazi Strikers - BIY)
RW - Raphael O'Shaughnessy (Club: FC Städeli [u20s] - TAX)

The Association also takes this opportunity to announce our new Plan named "Mission 100" as part of The Centennial Era changes. The Plan focuses on multiple areas as described below:
Introduction of Liga Deux, Indusse's Second Division league. Clubs all over the nation who has been registered as a State Approved Club is eligible to apply for the second division entry. Zonal Qualifiers will be held to decide upon ten teams to qualify for Liga Deux.
Promotion and Development of the sport in Grassroot level. Setting up Grassroot Academy for Men and Women in every province.
Setting up a National Women's Team that is given as importance as the Men's National Team.
Setting up a National Development Forum for training referees and coaches in Indusse.
Setting up a Annual Pre-Season Friendly Tournament
etc.

Signed,

Baskar H Kumar

IFA Chairman
For Indussean Football Association

by **Edsmontik** » Fri Aug 15, 2025 10:07 am

Semifinal: Edsmontik v. Drawkland - Sultan Stadium (79,000)
6:30PM, Monday, August 2nd, 2032

"We're almost there."

It was getting dark once again in Saterun. Edsmontik, now in the semifinal, are closer to gold than ever. It all depended on the result of this game. Drawkland would be a tough opponent, but the Eagles were already so close. They couldn't let a six-time finalist, the same team that knocked them out last IAC, to take them out now. The Eagles were determined for a win.

No matter what though, they'd be playing again, whether in the 3PPO or the final. Hopefully, it'd be the final. But either way, the Eagles' fans were proud of the distance they had traveled. There were four possible outcomes once the IAC was over, being gold, silver, bronze, and nothing. The Eagles were seriously hoping it isn't the fourth ending that they'll get.

What a journey it was though, so far completely undefeated, and confident. Everyone was up and ready, prepared to push themselves to the limit to get to that final. But power is nothing without a plan. The Eagles organized a whiteboard consisting of different ways to counter different attacks, and how to recognize movements that the Drawkians tuck away from their eyes.

Kickoff began in favor of Edsmontik. Stuero began with a pass to Rehcikt, who quickly sent the ball down to the midfield. Ystermakt picked it up and drove it around for a bit before sending it up into the air for Stuero.

The forward received the ball and began to make his way up the field. Maartin charged forward when he could but stalled randomly in order to catch some of the Drawkians off guard. It worked, with some of them slightly slipping, but it wasn't enough to gain a clear path to the net. Stuero scanned the field and then made a pass to Bervaign in the center.

The ball rolled quickly, but not quickly enough as a Drawkian came sliding in to capture, succeeding. With the ball now in Drawkland possession, the Eagles backed up to counter, doing everything they could to stop the now attacking force.

The World was not siding with Edsmontik, as despite their efforts, which included reclaiming the ball, Drawkland stole it once again, holding possession for the next ten minutes. It was chaos in the brain of every Edsmon as they tried to take the ball back, but the Drawkians weren't giving up. They made quick passes to avoid the Eagles, strong shots to tire out Lankiv, and ran circles around the midfield to confuse them. By the thirtieth minute, everyone was worn, however, the Eagles had it worse than the Kick Corps.

It was obvious that the Drawkians were shoving a sword into Edsmontik, but they didn't think it'd get worse. Their opponents were dealing some good damage, but they hadn't gotten past Edsmontik's original keeper, Sabmar Lankiv yet. He had saved everything so far. But he was worn down, and much more vulnerable. The defense did their best, but some of the Drawkian shots were still sneaking through.

Edsmontik's fans were there despite the fact that they were losing, chanting, waving, screaming. They wanted to see the Eagles rise up. But it doesn't always go one's way, as the Kick Corps eventually saw Santana land a ball past Lankiv after a weird looking corner. The right forward had taped the ball in after Lankiv made two deflections, giving Drawkland the lead in the forty first minute.

That was not good for Edsmontik. They had the rest of the game to go, but not having the first lead could be damaging.

During halftime, the Eagles grouped up to quickly discuss a possible comeback. They had performed pretty poorly in the first half and weren't organized enough. Reus Aespana, due to being on the field, was unable to clearly see the whole Drawkian attack, but came to the conclusion that Edsmontik definitely needed to defend better. They also needed to close in the midfield, as central attacks were bursting through very easily.

And with that, the formation changed. Well, not by much. Ghreksbvy and Aespana would now be close to Ystermakt, allowing the fullbacks to make a move without them in the way. That also left the wings a little vulnerable, so Stuero and Rehcikt became part time wingers for this formation. They'd be moving farther wide, but not as far as a normal winger would. If it worked correctly, the Eagles could see themselves blazing through with a secure midfield.

The second half began. Drawkland had the ball now, meaning that Edsmontik had to defend. Stuero and Rehcikt fell back, with Aepana and Ghreksbvy moving towards the center. And then, they two teams clashed. The Eagles intercepted Drawkian passes, and their opponents did the same to them. It was back and forth, with no clear winner of the battle yet. But it seemed as if Edsmontik's secured midfield was now giving them an advantage.

The wings, despite being pretty vulnerable, were hard to cross as Rehcikt and Stuero could easily use their speed to catch up. With Kizani and Jervanois ready in the fullback positions as well, the Drawkians could easily be disarmed.

Eventually, Edsmontik would find a chance, and then another, followed by more.

First, it was a beautiful shot by Stuero that grazed the crossbar and fell into Drawkland goalkeeper Reed's hands. Maartin had found a small open pathway in the defense and barely snuck through to shoot. It was a very risky move that would undoubtedly have a chance of losing Edsmontik the ball, but it almost worked.

Following that was a free kick from Aespana a few minutes after Stuero's shot. The ball was on the way, but unfortunately it was bumped out by Thompson in the box.

That same corner, the Eagles had another great chance. The Drawkians were slightly concerned with how close Edsmontik was getting to scoring, and they wanted to prevent an equalizer. Jervanois stood at the corner, ready to feed the ball to the very hungry looking attackers and defenders all in the penalty box. With one swing, he kicked it right at them.

Everyone jumped up, either attempting to hit the ball out or in. But not one person hit it- except for youngster Benzor Norseden, who scored a beautiful header into the bottom left corner, leaving Reed utterly shocked as he charged out to the corner and celebrated, jumping onto Vlakken Jervanois. In the 74th minute, Edsmontik managed to finally grab and equalizer. There was one thing left to do. That was to win.

Not everything goes everybody's way, because there will always be someone who wants something different or opposite of one person. In the 83rd minute, Benbow of Drawkland came too close for comfort, and Lankiv had to rush her with lots of power, causing the referee to wave a yellow card and award a penalty to Drawkland. Lankiv held the goalpost in disbelief as his teammates consoled him. He didn't mean to give his opponents a penalty so late in the game.

Sabmar now had to save a shot from Benbow. If he dived the right direction, he'd be fine. He was just too shaky, nervous of the consequences of conceding it. Lankiv looked at the forward's body language but didn't see anything useful. He knew that he had to just guess now.

The fans were silent. Beads of sweat dripped down faces. Everyone was waiting. The weight was on his shoulders as he pressed his gloves together for what may be the last time he's on the Edsmon National Starting Lineup.

When the whistle blew, he dived to his left. To his dismay, she shot to her left.

Edsmontik 1-2 Drawkland - Full Time
B. Norseden (74') | A. Santana (41'), C. Benbow (PEN 83')
8:18 PM, Monday, August 2nd, 2032

Next Lineup (GK -- LB, CB, CB, RB -- LM, CM, RM -- LCF, RCF, ST)

E. der-Stouiben -- S. Kizani, L. Shouzvenkreden, B. Norseden, V. Jervanois -- K. Wejikaj, D. Ystermakt, M. Ghreksbvy -- M. Svaardaen, M. Stuero [C], S. Utravak

by **Aphrilia** » Sat Aug 16, 2025 6:55 am

As the whistle blew to signal the end of the match, Sultan Stadium erupted.

Cheers and roars could be heard from the stands, as the Aphrilian contingent in the stadium itself were in joy once more. For the first time in history, The Anchors would be playing in a tournament finals. The Independent Associations Championship was a tournament where for the longest time despite their still rather short history compared to other nations, Aphrilia had been a solid performer. In the previous two editions, they had played in the third place playoff match. One win and one loss for one third and fourth finish.

But now, in this edition's semi finals, they were on the opposite end of the match result. They would be going to the finals. It was a well deserved breakthrough according to many, especially considering the team's solid performances throughout this current and previous editions of the tournament. And meeting Aphrilia in the finals was none other than Drawkland, who had beaten off a strong Edsmontik side in their half of the semi finals. With Aphrilia's recent... Multiversal alignment switching over to Sonnel, this makes Aphrilia-Drawkland the first ever All-Sonnel IAC Finals, ever. Shocking to hear considering Delaclava and Juvencus having a long-standing sporting history, but here we are.

Now, how did the match against Indusse went?

For those who were watching, whether live or on TV, it could be classified as a tense affair despite the scoreline. Aphrilia for once, was the team that struck early with the only goal in this match. An unusual front line up of Nathaniel Rosberg and Theresa Villa had worked well, with the latter scoring the goal and the former with the assist, a through ball into the box before Villa struck it in through a high angle. It was only the 14th minute of the game yet it was already 1 - 0. But despite the low scoring game, Indusse made many attempts on the attack to try and claw one back. This did result in some players being booked with yellow cards and a few close calls. And there are two highly notable ones.

32nd minute of the match, Antonio Mersiás was tackled in the Aphrilian box by Amelia Haze. She was shown a yellow card for the rough tackle and thus, Indusse was given a penalty to potentially equalize the score. Mersiás struck left, but Phillip Karnwell had leaped to his right and successfully deflected the ball, before it was cleared. The resulting corner kick after that produced no result as The Anchors launched a failed counterattack. It had been a close call, but they were able to get past that.

The second critical moment came at the 70th minute of the game. Ardan McKernell had made a bad tackle on Bechun Butea which also resulted in him being booked. This was the third yellow card received by an Aphrilian player in the match, and his tackle had been made a slight distance outside the Aphrilian box, which meant that Indusse had been given a second golden chance to equalize the match and have the momentum of the game switch to their side. Everyone was clearly nervous, from the fans to the players themselves. Rahul B Kumar would be taking the free kick. And at first, it seemed that when he kicked it, he had fooled Karnwell in that he was uncertain which side the ball was going.

Fortunately enough, Erica Gillingham was there and cleared off the ball before it entered the net.

And with that, Indusse never got any closer to tying the game. Aphrilia ran the clock down and they would eventually win the match by a single goal. The first semi final appearance out of three in the IAC, where Aphrilia was able to win and reach the finals. To say this was staggering was a slight understatement, but you'd be right nonetheless. As previously mentioned, Aphrilia will be facing off against Drawkland in the finals of the IAC. The first ever All-Sonnel IAC Finals, one that not many people expected.

And what's the match going to look like? For one, it definitely will be a close one. But for Aphrilia respectively? It's a chance, their first opportunity for gold. Drawkland is no easy opponent, they've been in six finals before and are former champions of the tournament. But Aphrilia want it, this team wants it. The managerial team want it, everyone wants it. This finals could perhaps be the deciding moment in how a man's legacy is forever shaped. This finals could see The Anchors complete their first ever road to the top.

But as it has been said, this team is to play with no regrets.

FULL TIME RESULTS
Aphrilia 1 - 0 Indusse
Theresa Villa (14')
Amelia Haze -- (32')
Brent Wallace -- (51')
Ardan McKernell -- (70')

by **Drawkland** » Sat Aug 16, 2025 9:51 am

Cecilia Benbow wasn't having a great tournament. The young Drawkian phenom, only recently graduated from college, had nevertheless been an important piece of the Kick Corps roster since her debut in IAC-21. She was a star in high school and even garnered potential DLK draft buzz, which isn't common for high schoolers. "Cece," as she was known, probably could've followed the path of Cam Cross before her. Get drafted straight out of high school, turn heads even as a 20-year-old striker, and manage a call-up to the national team entering a new era. To be fair, Cece did all the other things, she just went to college instead of entering the draft. When she was in grade school and her natural soccer talent became apparent, she made her parents a promise to go to college if she got a full-ride scholarship. Even though her parents were big soccer fans, they didn't want their daughter to neglect her education in favor of sport.

So Cece went to the University of Missomen, just a couple hours from her childhood home in Gelia. Even though she didn't enter the pro league right away, her transcendent talent was obvious from her excellent novatim season at UMissomen. It helped that Missomen was in the same region as then-Corps manager Ellzidan, so the Elf had watched Cece play a few times and recognized the potential. She earned the call-up, and even though the Kick Corps missed the IAC knockouts for only the second time in their history that cycle, she scored 3 goals in her only start. It was enough to get her on the World Cup 97 roster, where she continued to impress.

Fast forward three cycles, and now Cece's an integral piece of the Kick Corps forward line. She learned under the likes of Rider, Fields, and Collingwood, and is now the centerpiece among Octavia, Murray, and Santana. She also plays quite well with the immortal Cam Cross, which can sometimes be a challenge all by itself. You wouldn't be able to tell that from her IAC-24 campaign, though. Cece was held scoreless for the entirety of the group stage and early playoffs despite starting most of the games - even her penalty shootout chance against The Elder Lands couldn't find the back of the net. It was a wholly uncharacteristic run of form for Benbow, enough that manager Diana Levitt considered taking her out of the starting line for the pivotal semifinal against Edsmontik.

Her struggles continued throughout the match against Edsmontik. Her closest chance was off a corner kick in the 41st minute, but her header was deflected. Thankfully after another deflection, Addyson Santana picked the team up and tapped the ball past Sabmar Lankiv to give Drawkland the lead. That didn't do much to pull Cece out of her funk, though. At least it raised her spirits a bit, until Edsmontik responded with a successful corner of their own in the 74th. The pressure was back on, most of all for Cece who felt as if the squad sometimes relied on her to make things happen in close games. She'd done it plenty of times before, but that didn't make it any easier in the present.

Naturally, she got a few chances in the last fifteen minutes. A few times she had the ball deep in the Edsmon box, but didn't have the look she wanted. Right when her frustration was about to boil over, she finally got a good look. She rushed the box, remaining just onsides, but alarming the Edsmon keeper Lankiv. While Cece looked back for the incoming pass, she got mobbed by Lankiv and knocked down. Lankiv didn't mean to make contact like that, but it didn't stop the referee from rushing in with the yellow. Being so deep in the box, it was going to be not just a free kick, but a penalty shot from the mark. The crowd gasped and the Edsmon contingent jeered at the sudden call.

It was the 83rd minute. A goal here would be nearly impossible to overcome, especially with Edsmontik's slightly more conservative playstyle. If there was a chance for Drawkland to escape this game with a win, this was it. If Cece didn't convert this, there was a very high chance that Edsmontik would pull it out in extra time as their whole roster was looking more and more comfortable as time passed. No pressure or anything, but this was basically the game, pending 10 minutes of furious defending.

It wasn't the same exact mark as the one in Sultan Stadium where Cece failed her penalty shot a few days earlier, but it sure felt the same. A little quieter, a tentative crowd watching in anticipation this time. A keeper hardly keeping their composure across from her. Even with her doubts and disappointment of this cycle and her young age, Cece was a consummate professional on the outside. She knew this keeper Lankiv was good, good enough to block a shot if he dove the right way. She couldn't reveal anything about her tendencies. Her gaze swept across the net with an unreadable expression. She found her mark.

The whistle blew. Cece dipped into her stance, took her steps, and fired the ball left. Lankiv dove clear the other way, and the ball flew into the wide-open side of the net. Drawkland had the lead. Ten minutes later, they had the win. Drawkland was going to the Independents Cup final. When have you heard that before?

Somehow, the first all-Sonnel IAC final was going to be Drawkland vs Aphrilia. This spawned a wide variety of memes in the sporting spheres of Sonnel. Most counted on another rendition of the Revoda Sea Rivalry coming in a final one day. Perhaps a sudden appearance of West Barrack and East Obama or Delaclava would be on the cards. Instead, the recently relocated Aphrilia, in their first Independents Cup representing Sonnel, fit the bill.

It really is set to be a battle of contrast. On one hand you have Drawkland, one of only two nations to have participated in every edition of the IAC and now a seven-time finalist. On the other you have Aphrilia, who debuted in IAC-20 and are the "youngest" national team to reach the semifinals this edition. Aphrilia's rise has been steadily improving: 4th in IAC-22, 3rd in IAC-23, and now in the final of IAC-24. Drawkian fans can only hope that this trend of "one placement better each time" continues for this edition.

The contrast doesn't end there, however. Drawkland's offensive playstyle has been known for many years, though now under Diana Levitt it's very slightly subdued from the historic norm. Aphrilia's Anchors are a much more defensive squad, pretty much the same intensity in the other direction. This game has a chance to break even in style, but it's more likely that whichever team can impose their preferred playstyle with authority will come away victorious.

While the Kick Corps heyday in the Independents Cup is ancient history at this point (the 4-cycle finalist streak from 4 to 7), a lot of this roster experienced the IAC final against HUElavia two cycles ago. That was arguably the worst Drawkian performance in an IAC final, so hopefully they learned from their mistakes. Regardless, some major starting contributors (Jane M. Thompson, Joan Viola, Toni Dillan, and Carla Murray) only started last cycle and will be getting their first taste of a final. Will their inexperience cost them? Or will their lack of past failure prevent them from feeling too much pressure? Can the veterans overcome their demons from a few years ago? Will their experience prevent them from making the same mistakes? With this being the first final for Aphrilia's main national team, they will also be grappling with handling the bright lights.

Either way, this promises to be an interesting match. We can only hope the players live up to that on the pitch. On Corps.

by **Saterun** » Sat Aug 16, 2025 12:33 pm

40 teams came to Saterun hoping to win the trophy, but only one will walk away with it. Congratulations to our champions, and commiserations to our runners-up. Saterun has loved having all the national teams visit, and I hope you've all had as much fun as I have. Until next time.

by **Aphrilia** » Sat Aug 16, 2025 5:32 pm

The whistle blew to signal the end of added extra time.

The IAC Finals up against Drawkland had been one of incredible tensity. The First All-Sonnel Final as many know it as has been providing incredible entertainment value for those who were watching. Despite Aphrilia's lack of experience when it came to contesting in finals, they've been performing strongly throughout the entire match. Though when looking at it early on, many people thought Drawkland would finally break their curse and achieve a second title. This was their seventh ever finals, their first ever back in IAC 4.

And speaking of Drawkland, it was the Kick Corps that struck first blood. Their experience in these high stakes matches showed, with Cecilia Benbow scoring the first goal of the match on the 24th minute of the game with a devious yet beautiful free kick. Phillip Karnwell did his absolute best to reach out and block the shot, but it was barely out of his reach when the ball curved past him. Drawkian football has a reputation of being difficult to deal with for teams facing them the first time, and The Anchors were doing it in a final.

First half ended with not much being said, they were now one-nil down.

But that didn't wane the spirits that The Anchors had. In fact, you could have arguably said it re-invigorated them. Drawkland was a new and unique challenge that they were facing off against here in the finals, and they've long came to the consensus that they should play with all their might and leave no regrets behind. Of course, perhaps it was merely their way of covering up their nerves. Leonardo Bianchi, the team's manager, knew that very much. This was also his first finals ever, and he wanted to win it all as well. Not just for Aphrilia, but also for his home nation of Crpostran. The fans and supporters of both countries had their trust in him, and he wasn't going to stand by idly.

Changes were made, substitutions were done. Ines Forrestal off for Kevin Lacey, Calico Knacke off for Aguri Hosokawa, Amanda Brentford off for Erick Marshall. Those were the substitutions made at half-time, and hopefully it could turn things around. But before they even went out to the field to play things out, Bianchi gathered everyone up for a quick talk.

"You've all been waiting for this moment, to play in the finals. Back to back in the last two editions we were in the third place playoffs, but now is your chance to finally claim the title of champions. Every single moment, every single second of us all working together and training rigorously, it's exactly for this time. If you truly believe that you deserve to be called champions, to leave behind a legacy marked with a footnote of victory, then go out there and show it! Trust in your teammates and most importantly yourself!"

Right then and there, you could tell that there was a resolute decision amongst the team.

And playing like they meant it they did. The Anchors went into a completely new gear, finally matching the Kick Corps experience with their guts. On the field they finally looked like they were going all or nothing. Yet despite that, as the clock ticks closer and closer to the end, Aphrilia had yet to score. Was it really not going to be enough? Would they end this campaign on a loss? Would Rosberg have to contend with merely a silver medal for his retirement? For one player on the field at that moment, his answer was no. 82nd minute of the game and Aphrilia prepared for a counter attack. Phillip Karnwell sends the ball long after a failed attempt at a corner kick by the Kick Corps, deep into the Drawkian half of the field. But one player rushed through the defenses with pinch perfect timing, Kevin Lacey. He dribbled the ball forward, now on a one-to-one up against Drawkian goalkeeper McKenna Reed. At that moment, there was a notable pause. The stadium held their breath, wondering what would happen.

And in that 1v1, Lacey strikes it past Reed to make it one all.

It was far from a beautiful goal, as Lacey made a quick sidestep before shooting the ball in, but he did it. The stadium roared in approval of the goal, with Aphrilia now tied against Drawkland. The Anchors now had their foot truly well into the game, and they weren't going down. Everyone wanted this title very badly, and they would do whatever it takes to win it. From the players, to the manager, to the fans. There was that harmony between them all, their identity shone through once more. In the end, neither side could close it out in the full ninety minutes, and thus, added extra time would be necessary. But before the added thirty minutes began, another change was made.

In the absolute case where if this match had to be decided with penalties, Phillip Karnwell was substituted off for Kyra Von Kachel. This was in the end, quite the gamble. If Aphrilia end up losing because of this, the blame will solely be on Bianchi's shoulders. But he didn't think Karnwell could last until the very end of the match. He knew that deciding moments in the final minutes of a game were able to get to the goalkeeper. Meanwhile Kachel was fully rested and ready for whatever happens, and she wasn't that bad at shot stopping compared to Karnwell. This was a calculated risk, and whether it paid off or not would solely depend upon if this team had it in them to go the extra mile.

And as added extra time drew closer and closer to ending, it seemed that his decision was true. Kachel faced some shots for sure, and any of them could have been a potential goal, but she was able to keep her head in the game and protect the net. By this point in the match, he could also tell that the Kick Corps were also making changes in preparation for penalties. Both sides were trading blows yet the scoreline was still the same. In the end, the whistle for added extra time blew, signaling the end. Penalties it would be.

And that's how they were here, right now, preparing for the first penalty.

Drawkland would go first for the penalty shootout. Cam Cross, Cherry Octavia, Cecilia Benbow, Toni Dillan, and Sarah Arrowsword would take Drawkland's first five penalties, with Cross and Arrowsword having been substituted later into the match. For Aphrilia's first five, it would be Kevin Lacey, Edward Elliot, Jessica Rhine-Faust, Nathaniel Rosberg, and Erick Marshall. Kyra Von Kachel and McKenna Reed would be the goalkeepers for each side respectively. A first and seventh finals respectively, first and third taken to penalties respectively.

How did the shootout play out?
Drawkland goes first.
Cross to take.
The Drawkian shoots dead center and Kachel dives wide to the right having been tricked. 0 - 1.

Aphrilia goes for their first penalty.
Lacey to take.
He shoots high to the right as Reed couldn't reach it in time. 1 - 1.

Second round of penalties.
Octavia to take it.
Kachel with a monstrous dive to the left side to make the block. It remains 1 - 1.

Aphrilia on their second penalty.
Elliot to take.
He takes it low to the right side, Reed barely moved. That makes the score 2 - 1.

Third set with Drawkland aiming to catch up.
Benbow, who scored in the match, to take.
She hits right side high but too high. 2 - 1 remains to be the score.

This time, Aphrilia is on their third.
Rhine-Faust, Aphrilia's captain, to take.
Reed dived to the correct side but the shot had been wide. The scoreline is still 2 - 1.

Fourth round of penalties and it looks grim for Drawkland.
Dillan to take it, hoping to not lose it out here.
Upper left it goes, but Kachel once again diving to the correct side and going high, getting a hand there. 2 - 1 remains.

And now, Aphrilia to take the match point. And of course, it had to be only one man to take the deciding penalty.

Back at the start of the Independent Associations Championship, Rosberg had announced his retirement from the national team after this edition of the tournament. He would not be playing in the 100th edition of the World Cup, nor would he play in the 25th edition of the IAC. Back then, people were surprised and saddened, but it did feel like it was going to come at some point. He's been here for five seasons, from World Cup 95 to now. And this could perhaps, be the perfect moment for him to seal his legacy into Aphrilian footballing history.

Back when he announced his retirement before the start of the tournament, whilst the actual announcement was what had been the highlight, he had answered plenty of questions after saying such. Why he was retiring, who his potential replacements could be, how he ended up making the decision, and such. But there was a question back then that stuck to him. "What are your hopes for your final tournament, ever?" One reporter asked. It was a good question, of course, no fault in asking that. At the time, his response was, "My hope is to do the very best this team can do, perhaps one step further from last edition." But now, standing here in The Hycanthenium with a full crowd as he prepares to take the penalty to decide if Aphrilia wins, he'd thought about it for a moment. No regrets, he told the team some time back. Wanting to do the most they could do, as they always did, he had no regrets saying that. He has no regrets making this decision, he certainly has no regrets about the team at all, and he has no regrets on what he is about to do here.

The Aphrilian forward runs up and takes his shot, leaving fate to a single kick.

Whoosh, the net had it on impact. The stadium roared in jovial celebration. Rosberg had made his shot to far side of his right, and it bounced off the goalpost to get in. Right here, at this moment, Aphrilia are IAC Champions. As he processed what he just did, the rest of the team piled up on him, with Lacey even going as to leap onto his back. A few fans had invaded the field in celebration of such a momentous victory, and the bench? They also came along to celebrate. As his teammates got up and was no longer piling up on him to have their own moment of celebrations, Bianchi himself approached Rosberg. "Congratulations, you deserve it. We as a family all do." He could only shake his manager's hand and share a hug at that. He saw Karnwell celebrating by kissing Forrestal, Lacey and Christonson sharing a subtle fist bump, Hosokawa and Villa sharing a good hug, the Aston siblings talking it out (With Mike straight up in tears of joy), Haze and O'Truffet lingering about alongside Knacke and Roberts, Rhine-Faust with Gillingham and Kachel having a moment between themselves, while the likes of Cooper and Elliot taking it in to bask in the glory. Finally, Rosberg can come home to his family, spending the rest of his days in peace. He can spend his time watching the national team continue on as he focuses on his family. He can lay back with fond memories of this team, not once thinking there was anything bad about his time here for The Anchors.

Finally, when it comes to the national team, Nathaniel Rosberg can have no regrets.

FULL TIME + A.E.T RESULTS
Aphrilia 1 – 1 Drawkland (1 – 1 AET) (3 – 1 Pen.)
(24') Cecilia Benbow
Kevin Lacey (82')

PENALTIES
Drawkland goes first, Aphrilia goes second.
Kevin Lacey (O) - (O) Cam Cross
Edward Elliot (O) - (X) Cherry Octavia
Jessica Rhine-Faust (X) - (X) Cecilia Benbow
Nathaniel Rosberg (O) - (X) Toni Dillan

OOC NOTE: I can't help but feel really happy from this result. It was absolutely the best possible end result for me, as winning the tournament would allow Rosberg to retire as a champion. Well played to Drawk, it was a tense first All-Sonnel Final (Hopefully more to come) and we were both worthy contenders in my opinion. Thanks to Saterun for being an incredible host! This is by far one of, if not my longest roleplays out there and I'm happy with the conclusion. I apologize for any mistakes since I started writing this at bloody six in the morning.

Independent Associations Championship 24 Everything Thread

IAC-24 R-16

back to back Sonnel on Sonnel action!!

the bare minimum

Cece's Dagger / Familiar Confines

Who is online