World Cup 100 | RP thread

[Dantopia]

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VOL. 45,966

LION CITY, DANTOPIA SUNDAY 9TH NOVEMBER, 2025

₵500

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Rotated Dantopia Side Defeat Karmosorians

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The Dantopian National Team Beat Bottom of The Group To Keep Unbeaten Streak Going

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By SAUL ARNSTEIN

Quay Arena

Dantopia2-0Karmosora

Half Time: 0-0

Johnson 8'
Edwards 31'

LION CITY, DANTOPIA — A heavily rotated Lions team recorded a straight-forward 2-0 victory over bottom of Group 9 Karmosora last night at Quay Arena in Lion City. All inside the Apollo FC home ground bore witness to Dantopia's third traditional 'takakoa' pre-match routine, this time led by defender Ash Morgan, though the team captain on the night was Will Fodderingham. The fixture provided the likes of Morgan, Fodderingham, and other deputies to the first team an opportunity for a run out before the gruelling qualifying schedule finishes. In fact, this may have served as manager Rick Bishop's last possible chance to rotate and refresh his side before critical games against Aymenoughshire-upon-Oren (The Ko-oren Constellation), Archalit, Chromatika and Abanhfleft to come.

Elleby Young

The qualifying match offered the opportunity for Marty Gartner and Elleby Young to start for their national team in their home stadium — both Apollo FC academy graduates, though Gartner is now the experienced 27-year-old starting goalkeeper for the Archers. Gartner wasn't kept too busy on the evening, but Young impressed and was awarded an assist eight minutes in when he played a defence-splitting through ball towards a galloping Maverick Johnson in the left half-space. Johnson's pace was too much for the opposing defenders who had also failed to play Johnson offside, though it was a tight margin. The Oilers' winger was able to calmly dribble around the oncoming keeper and pass the ball into the back of the net as if it had required no effort at all.

Zeke Edwards

Following on from the first tidy finish, Zeke Edwards rifled home a second effort following a Fodderingham cross — the ball meeting Edwards' swinging right foot perfectly on the half volley and leaving the outstretched goalkeeper helpless. Those two efforts provided a sufficient lead for the Lions to control the rest of the first half with, though it's not as if the home side rested on their laurels. Attempts from Fodderingham — a curled, left-footed effort from outside the box — and Young — a low-driven strike from the penalty area D — allowed the Karmosorian keeper to make up for the previous two goals and rescue what was actually not a bad performance from the shot-stopper, with all things being said.

The Lions were less assertive at the beginning of the second half, with some simple, short passes going astray at times, and shots flying wide of the mark. On the opposing end, the Karmosorian forwards were having a difficult time getting past Morgan and Taylor at the back, but were able to test Gartner on a few occassions, though nothing the Apollo FC keeper couldn't handle. Manager Rick Bishop didn't make all five of his allotted substitutions on the night, opting instead to rely on the reserves and allow the first team players to rest. He did however bring on Nico Hollins for Will Fodderingham; Jeremiah Jackson Jr. for Zeke Edwards; and Sam Robinson-Tate for Raphael Lacroix in the second period. The two first half goals had obviously put Dantopia in a good position, but there was still a hint of tension in the air that only a third goal would have completely put to bed. Alas, this never came.

Nico Hollins

Substitute Nico Hollins looked to have created an opening after he had tirelessly chased down a long Gartner ball, but a resounding and brilliant last-ditch tackle from the opposition full back denied him the opportunity to shoot when it looked like Hollins was through on goal. Following another effort from the Tumbran-born Hollins, which was saved by the Karmosorian keeper, the visitors gave it one last go on the attack to try and salvage something from the game. One of their midfielders had a clear shot on goal following a cut-back from the wing, but a brave block from the stretching Dwight Krol at the back post prevented the effort from going in — though it seemed the nether regions of the Portland Pirates defender had taken a hit from the post that he had collided into legs akimbo. Fortunately, Krol was able to walk it off, safe in the knowledge that he had maintained the clean sheet for the Lions.

Dantopia, even heavily rotated, were undeniably the stronger team on the night, and did more than enough to claim all three points, with Gartner ensuring a clean sheet in his first start, and Elleby Young securing a man-of-the-match award to boot. Both Apollo FC players had clearly enjoyed their outing with the national team in familiar surroundings. With the win secured, attention now turns to the away fixture against Aymenoughshire-upon-Oren. A win against the Constellationians would give Dantopia a hugely important head-to-head advantage, meaning that if the Lions matched points with the Ko-orenite Constellation in Group 9, Dantopia would place higher, perhaps even into that highly sought after second place playoff spot.

Rick Bishop was bullish following the performance, giving high praise to his second string, but was quick to point out the need to refocus on the fixtures to come. "Firstly, a huge congratulations to the boys for tonight's performance. We controlled the game for large spells and were able to give our first team a much needed rest before some tricky fixtures coming up. This is where we need to really concentrate now. The next match, and the match against Chromatika especially are the ones we need to be super-focussed on. We simply can't afford to drop the ball here if we want to qualify." Indeed, Dantopia have put themselves in a good, albeit unlikely position thus far in Group 9. However, just like the qualifiers in cycle 94, it looks as though this is going to go down to the wire. The Lions are not promised anything here, and their unranked status heading into these games means that qualification — should it be achieved — would be a massive upset in the group.

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VOL. 45,967

LION CITY, DANTOPIA SUNDAY 9TH NOVEMBER, 2025

₵500

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Constellation Crush Dantopian Dreams For Now

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Lions May Yet Still Qualify Via Playoffs But Are Held At Bay By Aymenoughshire-Upon-Oren

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By SAUL ARNSTEIN

Sparrowley Stadium

Aymenoughshire2-1Dantopia
-upon-Oren
The Ko-orenite Constellation

Half Time: 0-0

Symons 74'Spaghetti 81'
Easom 90+2' (Pen)

SPARROWLEY, AYMENOUGHSHIRE-UPON-OREN — A heart-breaking, late penalty consigned Dantopia to a 2-1 defeat against Aymenoughshire-Upon-Oren at the Sparrowley Stadium in the Constellationian nation. The Lions had flown straight to Aymenoughshire-Upon-Oren following victory against Karmosora at the Quay Arena in Lion City, and the hope was for a rested first team to be able to put in a performance worthy of a win against the Group 9 challengers, but unfortunately for Rick Bishop's side, this wasn't to be the case. The loss painfully keeps the Lions on par with the Ko-orenite Constellation on points in the group, though the Constellationians have a game in hand, and also now hold the head-to-head advantage, as well as goal difference, both of which serve to keep them in second place above Dantopia as things stand.

Michael Danchevy

The Dantopians had looked lively in the early stages of the away fixture, with Michael Danchevy twice going close in the opening ten minutes. Johnny Kealoha was the provider on both occasions, as Danchevy rattled the crossbar from the Rivermen midfielder's side-footed pass with his first attempt. Danchevy's second effort went just wide following a through ball down the left hand side. The two combined once again, this time to feed Bradini Brunson, who drew a save from Dorothy Richens in net. The Dantopian barrage continued when Ezra Cunningham evaded his marker and connected with Adeyemi's cross into the box. Unfortunately the Club ESF maestro was also unable to hit the mark.

Following the early dominance from the Lions, the hosts began to establish themselves into the contest, looking the most threatening from out wide in the first half. Efforts from Easom and Symons up top kept Dantopian goalkeeper Alex Bullvale on his toes. The Constellationians then had a great opportunity just after the half-hour mark, when Joseph Durling romped forward from midfield and attempted to lift a shot over the onrushing Bullvale. Sadly for the Greater Oriole United midfielder, his effort had lifted over the crossbar as well.

The home side improved following the interval, with Easom curling an effort just wide of Bullvale's far post and Kaleb Kahananui having to stretch to prevent an attempt trickling into the back of the net from Eliza Snellgrove. The Lions failed to capitalise on their dominance in the first half and were now under the cosh in the second half to get a hold of possession. The hosts took the sting out of the game with a slower, methodical, possession based approach that the Lions were unable to press them out of.

With the lull in proceedings, Rick Bishop attempted to add some urgency by bringing on Maverick Johnson for Michael Danchevy and Nico Hollins for Adebayo Adeyemi — his thinking clearly being to add some energy and enthusiasm to the wings in order to hit a tiring Aymenoughshire-Upon-Oren side on the counter. This seemed to work at first, when the two substitute wingers combined in a two-on-one transition to produce a diving save out of Richens. Jeremiah Jackson Jr. was introduced for Ezra Cunningham in order to bolster the attack with a fourth member — a switch to an aggressive 4-2-4 formation now in play. The Lion City FC forward was able to flick a long ball onto Hollins in stride, but the Portland Pirates winger was unable to get the ball under his control and the defence saw it out for a goal kick.

Dani Spaghetti

The hosts then took the lead through Ethel Symons — the thirty-year-old Wroughterham attacker getting a toe on the end of a loose ball in the box following a failed clearance on a corner. However, seven minutes later it was the turn of the visitors to win a corner — and Dani Spaghetti was able to score his second goal in as many matches (providing the previous fixture against Karmosora where he didn't feature doesn't count) when he rose up and guided the ball into the back of the net at the far post.

However, the Constellationians retook the lead at the death, when the referee was asked to go to the screen and review Emerson Cromwell's coming together in the box with Roderick Easom — after having initially waved away the Wren City striker's shouts for a foul. As it transpired, Cromwell had inadvertently stepped on the toe of Easom and prevented the forward from getting in position for a shot in the box. This was judged after review to be a penalty, and the vindicated Easom stepped up and blasted home the effort into the top left hand corner. Bullvale wouldn't have saved a strike so powerfully and accurately struck ninety-nine times out of a-hundred.

The significant delay from the VAR team when reviewing the penalty led to an additional nine minutes of added time, but the Dantopians were unable to capitalise on this, despite the best efforts of late substitutes Ash Morgan and Will Fodderingham, who combined on a corner — the Dartford City playmaker meeting the head of his club teammate defender. Morgan agonisingly hit the post, and the rebounded was parried away by the opposition goalkeeper. Ultimately, the whilste blew to end a frustrating visit to Sparrowley, and the Lions have to now regroup and reset before the final run of qualifying fixtures, starting with Archalit at home in Waiakea.

xg.unit

8h

Aymenoughshire-Upon-Oren (2.99) 2-1 (2.63) Dantopia #AUOvsDAN #WorldCup100Qualifiers #Group 9

Group 9
POSNATIONPWDLGFGAGDPTSQLF
1Chromatika†1311024620+2633GS
2The Ko-orenite Constellation126512512+1323PO
3Dantopia137242419+523
4United States Of Alpha135352524+118
5Dēmos (Atymnius)124352826+215
6Abanhfleft124261920-114
7Archalit122551526-1111
8Whispinia‡133281537-2211
9Karmosora‡122281326-138
GSWorld Cup 100 Group Stages†Guaranteed At Least A Play-Off Spot
POWorld Cup 100 Play-Off Round‡Eliminated

Following the conclusion of match-day 14, Dantopia find themselves just shy of the Group 9 playoff spot, losing out to the Ko-orenite Constellation on both head-to-heads and goal difference. The loss to Aymenoughshire-upon-Oren was particularly stinging for the Lions in this way, as it now means — as mentioned before — that even if they are able to match the points tally of the Constellationians at the conclusion of match-day 18, it will simply not be enough to get over the line and secure qualification.

In her piece for 'Sporting World', a publication out of the Free Republics — titled 'An Analytics-Based Analysis of World Cup 100 Qualifying' — Sarah Fuerst-Lucchese calculates Dantopia's odds of qualifying at 38.4%, falling behind the Constellation's own 41.3% probability. However, the closeness of these two numbers doesn't seem to — on the surface, at least — account for the difficulty of Dantopia's upcoming fixtures, or the fact that the Ko-orenite Constellation have a pivotal game in hand over the Lions.

Simply put, in order to qualify, Dantopia must outscore the Constellation in their proceeding three matches — keenly remembering, as just mentioned, that their Group 9 rivals above them have four matches remaining. This will not be an easy feat, as even three, hypothetical, consecutive wins against Archalit, Chromatika and Abanhfleft — three very tough fixtures indeed — could fall short if the Ko-orenite Constellation also secure 9 or more points from their possible 12.

Kaleb Kahananui

With all this said, the overwhelming consensus of those following the Dantopian National Team throughout the qualifying cycle is that manager Rick Bishop will play his strongest possible eleven in all three of the remaining fixtures. This means that opportunities provided for the squad's youth talents such as Sam Robinson-Tate, Zeke Edwards, Tyson Taylor and Elleby Young will be at a bare minimum, or even more likely have completely dried up for the mean-time. In fact, of the youngsters in the national team's qualifying squad, only the precocious Kaleb Kahananui is expected to continue to feature, having cemented a spot for himself at the Vna-Chuhul Ravens in the TPL, and established himself as the starting left back for his nation at the tender age of 18. His meteoric ascendancy has been one of the many bright sparks of this qualifying cycle, but does play into concerns at home that the Dantopian domestic league is simply not cut out to hold onto homegrown stars, as they seek to ply their trade overseas instead, in order to further their own development.

The next game against Archalit at the Kava Bowl in Waiakea is a crucial one. Failure to secure all three points could spell doom for Dantopia's qualification dreams. Strong performances will be needed from Dantopian veterans, Spaghetti and Danchevy, as well as solid defensive displays from Bullvale, Cromwell and Foster. The rest of the squad will also need to maintain peak performance levels if the Lions are to stand a chance of qualifying across the next three fixtures. They will have to get this one out of the way, though. There is no point even thinking about Chromatika away, or Abanhfleft at the National Team Stadium until they get past Archalit first.

Expected Line-up against Archalit
A. Bullvale — W. Cross — E. Cromwell — K. Foster — K. Kahananui — D. Spaghetti — E. Cunningham — J. Kealoha — A. Adeyemi — B. Brunson — M. Danchevy (C)

[Juvencus]

You're scrolling down on one of those applications that have those flashy reels or shorts or whatever their name may be. You know the format is the same across the multiverse, no matter who is using it or for what purpose. You happen to like football, soccer, kickball, whatever the case may be, the sport's nature is the same across the board. Billions even trillions of people are on the same boat as you for this sport. This includes the Juven.

In Juvencus, football is a microcosm of life. A representation of all things sacred or sacrilegious, class differences, localism among others. Hundreds of millions of people enjoy the sport, millions of people wish to hit it big and become superstars in the widest sense of the word possible. As a result the streets, clubs or academies will produce a lot of talented players, few of which actually really make it. The population has a distorted view as to how they are perceived in the multiversal sphere, having an ambitious outlook, believing they are among the best of the best due to having a few significant victories here and there. In truth, people do not care as much, maybe considering the Juven as a talented bunch but not something more, which was evidenced along the way in the past few world cup qualifiers, or world cup propers theselves. The Ajello Special has given time for some individuals to shine more than they would however.

Returning to the afforementioned applications, Juven people love to make edits of their players, whether of their local clubs or the international stars gracing the pitches. The apathy of the multiverse also translated to the lack of edits of Juven players from non-Juven sources unless said players were playing in some of the bigger leagues. However this was bound to change. Enter Carlo Bevilacqua, the good ol' CB(not standing for center back) against the Free Republics.

Que the music.

Packed Stade Colonial in Pomena, 19,000 people glued to their seats watching Juvencus facing the returning Free Republics, a side that has managed to give la squadra more competition than it should've. It is the 20th minute, they are ahead 0-1. The Republicans are in possession of the ball, a clumsy Cindric pass is intercepted by Peres, quick pass to his right finds Bevilacqua.

Everything is frozen now. Bevilacqua is chased by Demeter Vayk right in front of him, who is desperate to regain the possession lost, four players have formed a tight defensive core for the Republicans right behind Vayk. His only choice? Either a pass back to Peres or losing the possession. Bevilacqua chooses neither, he JOLTS forward escaping Vayk's resistance with ease then swiftly passes to a barely visible Vives.

One-two.

Like a flash of lightning now Bevilacqua is directly to the left of Peter Savage, a cheeky shot would render him useless. The ball's rolling inside and it's the equaliser, just like that. Bevilacqua's headed to the side, placing a crown on his head, signifying he is here for it all just as he always has for the team. The crowd goes wild, he goes back to his place and proceeds to complete a hat-trick in the process as Juvencus would beat the Free Republics 3-1 before its bye.

The multiverse went NUTS. Edits of him started spawning all across Juvencus, then Suntae, then Sonnel and then everywhere else. His name got more and more clicks, he has taken the world by storm with his touch of magic. His performances in the qualifiers earned him all sorts of comparisons to some of the world's greatest but also some of Juvencus' finest players of all time, such as Martell or Silvestri. Bevilacqua is the first Juven to get this much worldwide traction with a simple goal and celebration like that, but here he is, standing on top of the world. And you.. well YOU are living in HIS world. Welcome to the Bevilacqua Show.

[New Montreal States]

BULLS BLUDGEON BYGONE BELMORE; BIG BLUNDER BURNS BOFFO BUCKS

Morale Minister’s Madcap Maladministration Makes Millions Morose, Misanthropic

CATHAIR, AUDIOSLAVIA - A promised “ancestral heirloom offensive superweapon” fizzled embarrassingly under the bright lights in Cathair as the Bulls trampled the Paladins 3-0 in a match that wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggested.

The blades spun off of the rumor mill after a police escort delivered a last-minute passenger to the Paladins charter to Cathair, delaying takeoff by a half-hour in the process and putting the team behind schedule for what would turn out to be the entire trip. Ministry of Morale spokespeople were high on confidence and low on detail, claiming that it would solve the numerous and significant offensive problems that dogged the Paladins against Snestar, Super Earth and Hapilopper.

When the starting XIs were announced, the secret passenger was revealed to be Alan Belmore, the last survivor of the Belmore Family, an infamous clan of yokels from the earliest days of World Cup history. Belmore had been turned into a member of the living dead through a forbidden ritual involving 666 cans of dip, a pickup on cinder blocks and three quarts of used motor oil stolen from a stock car race. Belmore was slotted in at lead striker, benching Robert Est-Tononcle right as the latter had begun finding his groove up front.

Belmore could only communicate through cartoon sound effects. Slide whistles, spring reverberations, clashing frying pans and battleship klaxons could be heard in the press box over the crowd noise during the pre-game warmups.

Multiple Paladins players indicated to the Presse-Journal Devoir after the match that Belmore had only been introduced to the team 18 hours before kickoff, and had not practiced with the other ten starters before the match. Belmore quickly fell out of sync with the rest of the side, and fully abandoned his position around the 10th minute to frolic merrily across the field, occasionally emitting a steam whistle or double-barreled shotgun blast as he collided with players from both teams with equal abandon.

Belmore’s presence confused and annoyed both sides for the first twenty minutes of play, with both teams struggling to build on possessions and move the ball forward from midfield. The stalemate broke in the 23rd minute when Belmore’s eyes alighted upon a comely Audioslavian maiden in the stands. His eyes bugged out of his head before he emitted multiple over-excited “AHWOOGAS” and sprinting off the pitch and into the side of the fence, bouncing off and running back into the side of the wall until the referees tackled him and showed him a red card.

The Paladins going down a player made the rest inevitable. Play relocated to the Paladins half for the next hour and change, with Audioslavia grabbing two quick goals to crush any remaining hope, followed by another one trickling through in the 83rd minute more or less by accident.

The blowout means the Paladins gained one point in four matches against the four teams ahead of them in group 18. The Cup of Harmony beckons after a long flight back from Cathair, assuming anyone wants to host it. There will be some interesting conversations at the Ministry of Morale between now and then as the Paladins look to climb back up from rock bottom.

[Kamijiro]

World Cup 100: The Letter Q

After just thirteen matches played, the Kamijiroans have secured their tickets to West Pavola for World Cup 100. They were the fastest to do so, with every other group still yet to be determined in terms of a winner. The thorough trouncings that the Lightning have laid down on their group have been astonishing, blowing away even the loftiest of hopes for the qualifiers. Prior to the qualifiers, Raiji Kagawa had put the words "why not us?" on the whiteboard in the team dressing room. In typical fashion, this has led to the team having the letters "YNU" on their boots, written in permanent marker and used as a reminder that they're breaking record after record (at least, for the country's books) with every win they rack up, every goal they score and every step they take towards West Pavola.

The 9-2 win over Equinox Auraterra was no exception. This was the highest goal total by a Kamijiroan National Team side, ever. Katsu Fujiwara scored four (including two penalties), Haruka Kagawa put up three of her own and Keigo Nakaji scored twice as well. Sōji Kokubun had three assists, Keigo had two and Nicácio Xavier had two of his own. The scoresheet on its own looked like something out of a video game - the xG totals were 7.87 to 1.19, the possession time was 80% to 20% (despite Raiji Kagawa's preference to counter-attack) and the pass completion rate was in the high nineties. Just all-around domination.

Meanwhile, the Lightning's romp through the group stage has caught the eye of the international media, who went through and found just how historic the run's been as a whole. And not shockingly, considering the numbers on the table, the Kamijiroans are doing things that haven't been seen in years. To quote just how dominant they've been: "[Kamijiro] could lose the next three matches by 10-0 in each match and still qualify with a positive goal difference."

By most expectations, the only match left that could pose a threat to points being dropped is the away leg against The Holy Empire. That home leg was the closest match the Lightning have had during this entire qualifiers besides the opener against Sinyal - both matches ended at 3-2. However, the Lightning did turn around and drop a 5-1 win on Sinyal in the return fixture, so there's definitely still an expectation of victory.

The interesting factoid is that both home and away look nearly identical in terms of stats. This is including the 2-0 away win over Bull Sheet (Kirishima 38', Silva 79' - assists Nakaji 38', Fujiwara 79').
Home: 6 wins, 29 goals, 6 conceded and a +23 goal difference.
Away: 7 wins, 28 goals, 6 conceded and a +22 goal difference.

So, now what? The team's getting restless - there's no challenge in beating down teams that, quite frankly, can't seem to put up much of a fight. All they can do now is wait for the proper and see if they've really been this good or if the group is just... bad.

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Whether or not this continues will not affect one person on the team in particular - Kai Itakura, third-choice goalkeeper and freshly eighteen-years-old. His birthday party came and went with just one person showing up, Keigo Nakaji. He brought a small gift - a copy of SavadoX's World Cup 100 video game. Of course, this was immediately fired up and played. The first step? Check the team's ratings, of course.

"Alright, let's see what we've got here..."

Player     (pos.)   OVR PAC SHO PAS DRI DEF PHY
H. Kagawa    (LW)    81  83  82  71  85  55  74
S. Kokubun   (ST)    85  83  87  73  83  45  90
K. Nakaji    (RW)    84  86  80  81  86  27  52
-
K. Fujiwara  (CM)    86  83  83  84  89  53  71
N. Xavier    (CM)    79  79  84  81  78  72  72
-
T. Kameda    (LB)    78  75  41  68  73  76  70
A. Kogushi   (RB)    81  75  69  72  76  79  81
-
R. Murai     (CB)    82  69  39  69  73  83  78
A. Akaminai  (CB)    79  88  40  57  67  80  82
K. Kirishima (CB)    77  66  27  58  62  78  77

Subs Bench (pos.)   OVR PAC SHO PAS DRI DEF PHY
K. Kanazona  (CM)    77  77  69  73  81  47  68
S. Demizu    (CM)    77  68  71  70  74  76  79
H. Abiko     (CM)    77  51  62  76  75  73  67
D. Williams  (ST)    76  68  73  69  73  68  83
T. Nakamura  (ST)    74  81  73  58  76  25  64
H. Kumakiri  (LB)    73  71  53  77  73  67  70
V. Silva     (RB)    71  65  67  72  71  63  68
K. Kamimura  (CB)    70  70  32  56  57  69  73


Goalkeepers:        OVR DIV HAN KIC REF SPD POS
I. Asumi     (GK)    81  82  78  77  82  55  80
G. Kitamura  (GK)    79  79  78  72  80  37  78
K. Itakura   (GK)    63  64  63  62  63  45  62

Reserves:  (pos.)   OVR PAC SHO PAS DRI DEF PHY
L. Faamate   (CB)    70  60  60  65  69  72  56
K. Jaques    (CB)    68  67  62  65  61  72  68
F. Multiaua. (CB)    67  56  21  56  61  71  72
R. Nomura    (RB)    62  72  48  58  64  57  57

"Well then."

Schedule:
Matchday   Opponent
MD1        Sinyal            (H) W, 3-2
MD2        Al-Tamazgha       (A) W, 1-0
MD3        Equestria         (H) W, 5-0
MD4        Equinox Auraterra (A) W, 6-2
MD5        Bull Sheet        (H) W, 2-0
MD6        Dixie Florida     (A) W, 4-1
MD7        The Holy Empire   (H) W, 3-2
MD8        Sibersky          (A) W, 4-0
MD9        BYE
MD10       Sinyal            (A) W, 5-1
MD11       Al-Tamazgha       (H) W, 7-0
MD12       Equestria         (A) W, 6-2
MD13       Equinox Auraterra (H) W, 9-2
MD14       Bull Sheet        (A) W, 2-0
MD15       Dixie Florida     (H)
MD16       The Holy Empire   (A)
MD17       Sibersky          (H)
MD18       BYE

[Snestar]

Matchday 13: Snestar 4-2 Grand Exultia
Goalscorers (Snestar):
11’ Tero Sjölund (PK)
17’ Federico Marchesi
28’ Tero Sjölund
34’ Arminia Cremisi
Goalscorers (Grand Exultia):
32’ [unknown]
77’ [unknown]
Player of the Match: Tero Sjölund

Matchday 14: Cretian Territories 1-4 Snestar
Goalscorers (Cretian Territories):
6’ [unknown]
Goalscorers (Snestar):
34’ Nicola Acanfora
61’ Elisa Baldriga
66’ Mattia Castelletti
90+2’ Tero Sjölund
Player of the Match: Nicola Acanfora

So close, yet so far: Snestar closes gap with Hapilopper, but the chances of qualifying for the play-offs are still low

Sitting in third place, just one single point under Hapilopper, the Viola still has a sliver of hope for qualification to the play-offs. While Audioslavia is close to securing a direct ticket to the World Cup, second place is still heavily contested, with New Montreal States still technically having a chance but practically being already out of the tournament. With three matches left, including facing Hapilopper at hone, winning all of them isn’t enough: in fact, Hapilopper would need to draw one of their matches

Snestar 4-2 Grand Exultia: Match Summary

At the VeniStadium in the picturesque coastal city of Venistalya, the Viola entered the match with confidence, knowing that against a collapsing Grand Exultia side, scoring lots of goals was going to be easy. In fact, Snestar managed to even score four in just the first half. First came Tero Sjölund in the 11th minute, after Giacomo Martinelli was injured during a counterplay that would result in one of Grand Exultia’s players being handed a red card, as well as the referee awarding a penalty to the Viola. Sjölund was subbed in to replace the aching striker and quickly went over in front of the opponents’ goal. He chose to take a psychological penalty, fooling the keeper into thinking he’d shoot towards the right side and comfortably securing the 1-0 lead for Snestar. A few minutes later, Federico Marchesi finally found the goal again in the 17th minute, after a long period of the 4-3-3 formation being completely unused: a powerful curved shot from 18 meters that flew over everyone’s heads before finding the net right in the middle thanks to the unprepared Exultian goalie. Tero Sjölund then showed the Snestaryans why he’s usually the first-choice striker for the national team, leading a counterattack in the 28th minute with Federico Marchesi that ultimately resulted in a quick 1-2 and a simple tap-in to make it 3-0. However, Grand Exultia started to fight back, with one of their wingers flowing past Ramella, then Garnati, and sweeping the ball under Federico Calvaresi’s feet in the 32nd minute. Still, just two minutes later, the ever-so-talented Arminia Cremisi lobbed the ball over two defenders and the goalkeeper. After such a dominating display, the VeniStadium was bustling with the bright purple colors of the Viola, mixed with a minority of the local Venistalya fans, clad in their signature cream yellow. The second half saw Snestar in control, though the Viola failed to conquer Grand Exultia’s fortress and instead conceded another goal in the 77th minute, when a corner kick resulted in a series of unfortunate bounces of the ball, “flipper-ing” around the defense until it ended up being tapped into the lower-left corner, to make the score 4-2 at FT.

Cretian Territories 1-4 Snestar: Match Summary

Much like Very Totally Free, little is known about the Cretian Territories. Before the match, the Snestaryan commentators joked that Snestar could attempt to colonize the territories as long as no one stands up to protect these pieces of land (though the government would probably not care to mobilize the non-existent army; they’re too bored to even consider the idea). Still, the match was far more difficult than the final result suggests. In fact, a tiny defensive mistake from Maritan and Balestri allowed one of the Cretian Territories’ strikers to shoot the ball right through the only available open space. Federico Calvaresi had his vision blocked by the defenders and couldn’t react quickly enough to the ball, sending the Viola down one goal. After this shocking start, the Snestaryan squad felt quite disoriented, initially focusing on defending and preventing any more goals instead of trying to equalize. Still, after half an hour, Nicola Acanfora came to the rescue, dribbling past two defenders from the corner and delivering a quick but short ball that immediately found the net, taking advantage of the opponent’s goalkeeper being too far away.

Still a bit demoralized, the Viola returned to the pitch with a few rough ideas in mind. They couldn’t allow another draw, so they started desperately clinging to every possibility to score. Minutes passed by, yet the Cretian Territories weren’t giving up just yet. It took Elisa Baldriga in the 61st minute to secure the 1-2 lead, after the female Arentas star took her time to position what might’ve possibly been one of the most perfectly placed shots in her entire career. Thanks to her, the Viola went wild: Mattia Castelletti made it 1-3 in the 66th minute, while Tero Sjölund came onto the pitch from the bench to score yet another screamer, earning some chants by the Venistalya fans despite having recently scored against them in Gridorya 2-1 Venistalya and allowing Lavenya to take the lead in Division Alpha.

After the final whistle, we interviewed Camilla Arentas to hear her thoughts on the match.

“I find it hard to believe that despite our form, we still can’t qualify even if we win all of our next three matches. Even if we beat Hapilopper, they still have that one stupid point that will get us eliminated, unless they fumble against whoever they need to face. But as long as there’s a will, there’s a dream. If we manage to get the play-off spot for us, I’m sure the Snestaryans will be enthusiastic, seeing Snestar compete with the greats to secure a spot in the World Cup. It feels good to dream, doesn’t it?”

The Government is “bored”: what’s going on in Snestar

The Snestaryans are widely considered to be a pacifist folk: after fighting each other for nearly 800 years, from the Middle Ages all the way to the 1800s, and going through a world-scale conflict where they saw entire cities being destroyed, as well as 10% of the population being completely wiped out. After suffering all this trauma, the early government of the First Socialist Republic chose to move away from having a permanent army, completely cutting all defense budgets in favor of welfare, health, and education, hoping to put some patches on Snestar’s wretched state. The 1950s saw an economic boom, with the Snestaryan Aspeni skyrocketing in value. This allowed the country to experience a huge population increase, as well as a strong current of technological development (especially in the fields of medicine) that brought billions of Aspeni worth of funds to the government. Eventually, the devolution system was introduced, with over 20 regions dividing Snestar so that it could be administered better. Regional presidents started to grow more and more powerful, thanks to the Parliament giving each region more autonomy with how they choose to develop. The Snestaryan colonies outside of the mainland continent, a remnant of pre-World War Snestar, saw little to no independentist movements, seeing how well the country was developing.

In the present day, the President of the Republic exists solely for official meetings and diplomatic agreements. The regional presidents usually handle all the work, while the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies handle all the state matters, with the president of the parliament actually guiding the country. The actual PotR, who is usually called “Plot” by the Snestaryans, spends their days casually sitting in the Niralivya Residence in Dandelicha, watching the rain go down while the passersby walk through the paved roads of the city center. There is no clear theory to the origins of the nickname (it likely has roots in 19th-century theater slang), but Plot rolled off the tongue so well that the people cemented it into their culture. Every Plot usually starts their campaign saying they will “change the country for the better,” but a couple days after they get into office (which is a surprisingly easy task, since nobody really wants to be Plot), they realize that there’s nothing to change in Snestar, and they plunge into boredom. The most memorable Plot is Camilla Carminya Cremisi, who ended up resigning from office after developing an alcohol addiction. She now works as part of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as head of the diplomatic team.

[Oscioru]

THE ART OF THE CORNER KICK.

Who cares what the opposition thinks of your team's dynamic? A corner kick is one of the fairest situations in football, where giants fall and the minnows rise. This is where you can look at someone dead in the eye and say "It is my time."

Lights flash, we are headed to Indo-Athena. La Nazionale is facing an opponent that seems to be punching above its weight and... being at home with all of its supporters has given a tough time to one of the multiverse's biggest footballing enigmas. Oscioru, a Sonnelian side has for some reason made headlines for a variety of reasons, reasons that could be described as typically Sonnelian. The biggest scorigami in recent history, a humongous upset over Ko-Oren with a 4-1 victory and the art of the corner kick.

Music starts playing as you enter the stadium

For all intents and purposes, Oscioru became what has been Sonnel's most typical side. A side where it plays aggressive, careless football. And while others up to its north may be trying to stray away from such playstyles, Roberto De Casio knows what works best. Knowing fully the implication of such football, corner kicks have become a sort of corner stone of easy goals throught the qualifiers. Xavi Bosch's dominance in the air, Côté's rebound potential but most importantly, that deadly Esteve Faraone volley.

Faraone is known across the sources of the Campionato as a player that only scores absolute bangers. AC Poma's run may have been of little note throught the seasons they have spent at the top tier of Juven and Osci football but Faraone has been one of its shining beacons. Returning to Indo-Athena, the pressure had been on by La Nazionale through the entire game, it is time for a corner kick. The clock is showing 90+7 minutes, all those delays have been culminating to this exact moment. An exhausted Jordi Mancini is weighing in his opportunities but he sees a lurking Faraone free of any opposition.

In a moment of lunacy... or utter lucidity in hindsight his cross is headed just outside the big box. A curve that is being intensified by the wind and the pouring rain that had been making Oscioru's job even harder on the pitch and here he is, Faraone.

The affectionately called Pharaoh mustered all his remaining power to deliver a sensational strike to the top left corner. The Indo Athenian goalkeeper's response was hopeless but at the same time, it was the exact relief la Nazionale needed at this moment. A goal for the ages, a Faraone who could only drop to his knees to celebrate a masterpiece like no other and three unprecedented points for an overperforming Oscioru side. The art of the corner kick is no joke and this goal right there is testament to the hard work that has been put to make it that way.

[Valanora]

Empress Lathwen watched the evening news report with a bit of a frown, there was hardly ever enough good news being reported these days, it was almost all driven by the negative happenings in and around the nation. It would give the misleading idea that things were not well in the Eternal Empire, which they actually quite were well and one could almost even say that Valanora was currently prospering under her rule. It had been peaceful and rather controversy free in the last decade or so, once certain allegiances had been cut away once news of their own misdeeds had come to light. Yet for all the nation's might and prosperity, there was an unnerving truth that concerned her and had concerned her when she examined more of the political history of the nation. There were very few true actual friends or allies of the Empire, no formal alliances had been made in such a time that the appointment of a foreign minister had almost been decided that it was not needed. Moreover, she noticed that with regards to the rest of the region, the Empire was a bit politically isolated, one of the few true socialist societies that still maintained its monarchy and with a limited in power legislative branch.

While she knew that the Empire had a bit of an unique, some might even say outdated, political system, she had not given as much thought as to how isolated the nation was in terms of policies. Despite having a state religion, there was a clear separation of church and state much like a normal secular power, unlike perhaps their biggest friends in the region in the form of Banija. That friendship was an odd one indeed as Banija was far more imperialistic, conservative, and of course not secular compared to the ironically named Eternal Empire. While there had been expansion into other lands over the course of history to create what the Empire was today, there had not been wars of conquests to acquire these lands nor any imperialistic subterfuge or economic manipulation to bring outside states into the fold. All expansions of the Empire had been done either through colonization of inhabited lands or through mutually beneficial treaties and arrangements, such as the settling of the Templara or the incorporation of Sabine and Caddonia after existing as a protected state for some time under the Empire's guidance and protection.

Farfadillis was a burn pile of microstates that all seemed to hate each other but if you tried to interfere with their internal politics they would unite just long enough to get you out of their business. The amount of war crimes and racism that went on there was simple astonishing and if not for the violent reprisal factor and a history showing it was pointless to do so, the Empire would have interfered to bring civility to the island. Siovanija and Teusland had their own issues, Equestria got so lost in their own dreams of peace that they sometimes would forget to make sure their Empire was still operational, then of course there was the Confederacy. While she enjoyed warm relations with Squornshelous, she did not feel like it was recipricol, that the pleasantries exchanged were merely done so at political convenience and not out of a true shared friendship and vision for the future. There was much talk about regional cooperation and building better together, yet when push came to shove everyone was looking out for their own desires first and foremost, not what was best for everyone in the long run.

She looked down at the bulging folder that had in big bolded font on the front "A.C.E.S. Initiative" and she sighed a little bit, knowing that it was unlikely to ever truly come to pass because of the desires of self interest. The initial meeting years ago now had seemed promising and yet there had been nothing in the time since to get it off the ground, no one willing to commit to the ideas that had been proposed her in the Raynor mansion. If Arrosia was not going to stand up in unison to do their duties to one another for the betterment of all, perhaps it was time to look outside the region for actual friendship and allies. Mayhaps that had been the issue with the Empire of old, its vision too narrow on those closest to it and not have had their eyes casting wider to shores across the horizon. Banija notably had many different relations with nations outside of Arrosia and was seen as a true world power, not just a regional one. The question was where to cast the net, who would be willing to receive diplomatic overtures from the Empire and first not be skeptical and secondly be worth the time and effort to build bridges with so that both would benefit from the partnership. If Arrosia was not willing to build those bridges with her soon, the net had to be cast for to stay idle was to whether and die.

[Airannia]

Step 4: Necessary Measures

at the advent of this qualifying series...

Láron Tressechy was nervous. The meeting he's about to lead is something entirely different from what he's used to; he's about to do the unspeakable: sabotage his very own players. Surprisingly, that's never happened before. Mere NDAs wouldn't be enough; those who are present will be closely supervised from that moment on. Who's coming again? Is everything set in place to ensure compliance? He asked:

"Arriq."
"Mister Tressechy?"

Arriq Hyrtélys looked confident. He'd gotten a lot more confident over the past few months, just from seeing the confident growth of the entire team. Confidence was oozing off him. His vocabulary was still a point of contention, but in the end, he was there to coach a football team of chronologically stunted athletes, not to write novels. That would come after his retirement.

"Are we all set? From the moment the door closes behind us in 10 minutes, none of them should have any opportunity to leak."
"It is all ready. Mister Létiman has ensured we have visible and invisible operations already deployed."
"Very good. Are you ready?"
"Oh I am. I'm confident."

Confidence isn't everything. As he sat, watching the meeting room slowly fill up, Arriq didn't quite understand how much planning and hard work had gone into this moment. He greeted Alce, who'd been doing physio for him and his boys. He caught a glimpse of Eric; one of the very few on his squad who'd already been a serious footballer. Lots of men with sunglasses and suits. Lots of people he didn't recognize. He saw Eyrman, the psychologist. The scale of the operation was dawning on him. Before long, the door closed. Láron Tressechy was about to brief everybody on the operation:

"Greetings. All of you have already been informed of this project, this special operation, before, individually. How much you've come to know about it isn't important. We've reached the point where we need to initiate the second phase. Escalation."

He took a slow breath. Escalation is a bad word to use. The room is still calm, but that's probably more due to social convention than because they aren't concerned. Whatever's been going on has already felt like an escalation. First, the existence of some archives and medals had to be scrubbed from the media. Then, these archives were scoured for information, uncovering a parallel timeline for Airannian history — the nerds at the university are still working on getting all the pieces together. When one of them reported having discovered the name Eric Brittagny was on file; as a former name for professional player Kaeman Forompléls; a lot more became clear. Afterwards, Férex Pélie was found to be a footballer on foreign fields, and was requested to return to the homeland. Bringing the two men together revealed a lot, and it made it obvious to Láron that this was a project that had to be completed. Fifteen times more, he went out of his way, outside of his schedule, to find and extract somebody. Most of them weren't footballers, but it was obvious he was onto something - within days, these players were playing at a professional level, regardless of previous experience. He regrets only having retrieved seventeen; but there were some setbacks. Cospéricus, who'd been wheelchair-bound, for example. Or Odês Victoryá éys, who'd apparently been paranoid enough that he fled the country once he realized his information was being tracked. Nobody would believe him, but it was an unknown factor that Tressechy could do without.

"Yes, escalation. It is simply not enough for Project Warren to succeed. The others must fail. Over the coming months, the Airannian Drills will be participating in a qualifier series for the World Cup. Airannia's entrance onto the international fields at this time is no surprise. The team is ill-positioned to perform well, having been placed into the lowest pot. The Drills are practically hopeless entering this series."

Soft murmurs filled the air. It's, ultimately, true. Nobody in their right mind would assume the Airannian team would rank anywhere near the qualifying positions.

"I've come to conclude that the teams listed in the forbidden archives are just better. However, there is no way I could convince our coach Enquás to replace his entire team with nobodies. Escalation, my friends, means we do what is necessary to ensure we get the dream team onto the fields."

Now, the rabbit was out of the hat. Now, Láron begun to detail how to ensure the original selection would be replaced with the new. Now, he made a huge request of his team assembled here today; to go against what they had set out to do. To harm, not to heal. To discourage, not to encourage. Not all of the circumstances would be medical. Some would get lost. Some would just happen to trip and fall. None of them would die, of course - but over the course of this series, the players selected by Enquás would be replaced, one-by-one, until the real team was all that was left. That's how it had to be.

---

in the present...

Láron Tressechy was nervous. The meeting he was about to lead is something entirely different from what he'd intended. He's about to do the unspeakable. Surprisingly, that's happened before. Then again, that time was a little different. This time, he's ran out of time. This time, it's much, much worse.

[Hanalia]

The Crown Commands for the Constitution
-1- | -2- | -3- | -4-

Suddon Municipal Sports Centre

---

"I will now open the floor to questions." Sara Longvitsit had rhymed off the presentation, almost from memory at this point, after the twentieth of these panelist sessions. With only a handful remaining, she'd be reciting it in her sleep by the end of it all. Energy was sapped from the speech each subsequent time it was delivered, although it was all new information to the audience despite how monotone it became. She rejoined her two colleagues, who were sat behind a table erected in front of the dozen or so people attending this session.

Sara had been tasked with managing the appointment process of the Command's members. The aim was to seat 121 people to the Command, this would allow for some natural loss over the duration. It would be inevitable that some people would take ill and have to drop out, or maybe a family emergency or have to travel abroad. Whatever the reason, it was hoped that this number would guarantee more than 100 left when it came to conclude the Command.

To that end, 480 summons were issued to randomly selected individuals. They'd piggy backed off the jury system to select these people, but this command had the added complication of including young people. With no centralised database of underage children available, Sara had scoped out the education system to find the 12 to 16-year-olds that would be required for this task. But for this regular process, these panelist sessions were being conducted, not only to give the panelists a bit more information but they were being combined with interviews to get a little more biographical data on each individual. The final Command members would need to be representative of Hanalian society, so this was an important step in that process.

Before the interviews got started there was this time for questions. Sara and her team had begun a pool as to what would be the most common silly, irrelevant or previously answered question, with the loser on the hook for the round of drinks after the session. The Q&A section got off to a flying start in this regard with the ever popular, "Will food be provided?". Followed up by "Can my husband/wife/partner/neighbour's cat take my place, they know much more about these sort of things?" and then another classic "Can you get someone to fix the hole in the road on X, Y or Z street?" These questions induced the most common responses from Sara and team, "Yes", "No" and, "Call the local council".

[Pasarga]

"Here we are at the penultimate international break for World Cup Qualifying and you Wanderers are in the enviable position of knowing that they can clinch their spot in Pavola in the summer with a pair of wins. The team first travels to unranked and fifth place in the group Felinetopia, who despite having come into this campaign a bit unheralded have pick up a quintet of wins to look a bit dangerous. The Wanderers handled business in Torgos a few months ago fairly easily against them and another showing like that can keep up the momentum that team has created. They can not get caught looking ahead to the next game though when they host Natkr at the Stade de Torgos, who currently sit in second place and five points behind the Wanderers in first. It was of course Natkr who..."

Thor turned off the volume on the television as he sat in his hotel room, a steady drizzle outside as spring showers had come to their hosts and had made the atmosphere a bit more gloomy than he would have liked. Rain was a big equalizer in the game and if Felinetopia did not have the best of grounds keepers to get the pitch ready for the game tomorrow afternoon, then his side might be at a disadvantage. Control of the ball went and with the winds also swirling overhead it made trying to go long instead of passing through the midfield and press a bit more difficult as well. In his time as a player he had seen a wind storm completely break all semblances of normalcy of a game as corners that normally would be spot on would get blown past the end line or back towards the center circle depending on the direction of the wind. It was hard to imagine a circumstance as it currently stood that looked to neutralize the technical advantage that he knew his side was going to have over Felinetopia, as they had shown in the Pasargan hosted game in the campaign. It was an ill omen even if the manager was not superstitious, he would have preferred clear skies and a mildly warm temperature for the game.

"Of course the Wanderers could have already secured at least a place in the playoff if they had managed to hold on to their two all scoreline in Katzeburg, instead the hosts got a late winner to deny the team a share of the spoils. Fortunately Katzeburg was too emotionally high over their shock win against the Wanderers to concentrate on the next match and were pegged back for a loss themselves away from home while our own lads and lasses bounced back with a comprehensive three to nil win in Torgos against Atheara. Járngrímur grabbed the opening goal before a pair of goals early in the second half by Zágon Schmid and Pista Benedek ensured that the fans would be singing on the way home. It was a comfortable win and a match where the defense was able to showcase the form it had during the first half of the campaign to really stifle the opponents attacks, unlike the last few games where it had been starting to get exposed. Even with the goals given up the last few games the Wanderers defense continues to be one of the best defenses..." Thor muted the television again, not sure how the volume came back on in the first place.

Thor had to appreciate how much mental resilience the team had shown after having their first bit of adversity put into their path here during the final stretch of the campaign. Away to Katzeburg was the most difficult fixture on the schedule when the draw came out and they had managed to give a good showing even if Thor would have liked to see the team have held out for a draw like they had done when they had visited Natkr. Bouncing back with a dominant victory that left no doubt who the better team was and that did not have any late moments of drama to give the coaching staff and fans some heart burn was a solid bounce back to the first loss of the campaign. Four matches were left and yet it was only the match at home against Natkr that really seemed to be getting any real attention and while that was fine for fans and media to be concentrating on, Thor knew better than to simply assume that the squad could turn up in Felinetopia and have the hosts lay over for them. They had earned their five wins and a draw and had been quite difficult to beat at home, the team was going to have to put its best foot forward if it was going to get the full three points.

Yet he also knew that the match a few days later against Natkr was a pivotal encounter, as a win there would provide distance between the Wanderers and the chasing pair of teams heading into the final two games. If they had done their business against Felinetopia, a pair of wins in this window was going to be enough to have them qualified for the Finals already, having started so strong out of the gate. There was a fine balance to walk here, logic said that it would be better to play a bit of a rotated side to save the best players for that home match against Natkr, so that they were as well rested as they could be for that match, yet to not put out a strong enough line up tomorrow would mean giving even more of an advantage to the hosts than what it already appeared like they were going to have. Thor peered out through the window and to the constant drizzle, the patter of the drops hitting against the window seal, and pondered his moves. If he got this right, then the last two games would be without consequence, yet if he gambled and got it wrong that heart burn they had avoided thus far in the campaign would strike quite hot and true.

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

THE IMPERIAL JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY

The Collapse of System Karela - Preliminary Thoughts on the Archaeological Record of a Football Systems Collapse

By Alejandro Brookses, and Luis Binfordo


ABSTRACT

Between World Cups 12 and 23, there was on footballing civilisation that achieved dominance over the other footballing civilisations through the careful application of a specific technology. This was, of course, Rejistania, which over those 12 tournaments won four titles - just one fewer than the five titles record holders Valanora, Starblaydia, Vilita, and our own Holy Empire have managed over the entire history of the tournament. Rejistania also managed five further top-four finishes in that period (one runner-up, one third, three fourth-placed), reaching the top four of nine of the 12 tournaments in that time period. Arguably, no nation has ever been as dominant over such a narrowly concentrated period of time Imperial archaeologists have been undertaking secret research across the nations that hosted those 12 World Cups, trying to understand if the legendary 'System Karela' involved ultra-defensive-tactics - as suggested by some fragmentary epigraphic records - or involved some other technological mechanism. The situation is complicated by the fact that Rejistania's dominance came during the period where the Empire was temporarily inactive from the World Cup, and Imperial records of the era are therefore themselves imperfect.


<excerpts from the text>

...Rejistania were famous for 'System Karela'. This partially complete carving from Narrowhead Stadium, Lemsas City, where Rejistania defeated Audioslavia to win the first of their four titles, implies that 'System Karela' simply consisted of ultra-defensive footballing tactics. However, Professor John Palaeologo of the Imperial Academy of Wacky Conspiracy Theories has instead offered the hypothesis that 'System Karela' must instead have consisted of a technological mechanism whereby the Rejistanians were able to dominate their opponents...

...However, it must be said that the counterpoint to 'System Karela' consisting of some form of dominant technology is that Rejistania only won a third of all available World Cups during this period, also losing the World Cup 14 title to Kingsford, and then losing three third-place matches in a row across World Cups 20-22. Whatever the technology was, it clearly wasn't foolproof. Professor Palaeologo counters that reaching nine semifinals across a 12-year period speaks to a level of dominance that no other team has ever managed to match. The closest equivalent over a period of similar or greater length was perhaps the Holy Empire reaching 10 semifinals over an 18-tournament period - but whereas Rejistania reached 75% of semifinals in their period of dominance, the Holy Empire reached a comparatively paltry 55% of semifinals in their equivalent period (though both teams did manage sequences of reaching four semifinals in a row). Furthermore, while we already know that oneirology is a distinctive imperial science, we know of no equivalent in Rejistania - assuming we give Professor Palaeologo's hypothesis credence, and do not assume that Rejistania's success did not rest solely on the effective application of ultra-defensive tactics...

...golden wheels buried in puts outside Vimesbairn National, Vimesbairn, which hosted the World Cup 21 third-place match. Furthermore, these wheels are aligned according to the belt of the local reality constellation al-Jabbar. Does this prove that the devotees of 'System Karela' gave some sort of ritual significance to stellar alignments?...

...an iron age mural in the otherwise long-forgotten nation of Melmond, which finished third in World Cup 17, shows a golden chariot riding across fields of enemies who have each had limbs lopped off by the might orange-and-blue clad warrior driving the chariot. This tournament was won by Rejistania, which Professor Palaeologo posits cannot be wholly coincidental, though others have countered that the professor might be somewhat confused about Ordinary Reality timelines given that the Melmonian iron age would have occurred several thousand years before the World Cup 17 semifinals...


CONCLUSION

Two hypotheses have been advanced to explain the extent of Rejistanian dominance between World Cups 12 and 23. The first hypotheses holds that 'System Karela' was simply a highly effective style of ultra-defensive football that other nations eventually adapted to, and managed to effectively counter, bringing the period of Rejistanian dominance to an end. In our view, this hypothesis can be easily discounted on the basis of being boring.

The second hypothesis suggests that 'System Karela' was some sort of technological advance that allowed Rejistania to dominate the World Cup. Careful examination of the archaeological evidence suggests that this hypothesis is far more likely. Even more specifically, the archaeological evidence strongly suggests that Rejistania managed to dominate the World Cup across 12 tournaments by the simple expedient of taking to the field in giant golden chariots equipped with sharp blades on the wheels. This allowed the practitioners of 'System Karela' to dominate the World Cup by mowing down most of their opponents on the field of play. 'System Karela' stopped being effective when - as suggested by the fragmentary inscription in the ruins of Stade D'Eauz reading 'BAN CH' - the World Cup Committee banned chariots from World Cup 24 onwards. It can be no coincidence that, shorn of their technological advantage, Rejistania subsequently only reached two further World Cup semifinals, and never won the tournament again.

Some may claim that our interpretation of the archaeological evidence is flawed given the paucity and nature of said evidence. But really, surely no team can dominate a tournament simply by playing very defensive football. Some other, unnecessarily complicated, solution must be sought to explain Rejistanian dominance of the period.

[Edsmontik]

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STRAIGHT WINS

Friday, 11/12/2032
Written by Seu Saz-Keltzar

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After the week-and-a-half-long outage of the Edsmon Power System, which took down all digital platforms, blacking out the Edsmon government and our news site, we are back online. The Edsmon National Team has their own thing to report as well: three wins with big numbers.

Edsmontik 5 - 0 Armeriea
M. Stuero (13', 65'), D. Ystermakt (35'), M. Svaardaen (52'), I. Javarqa (90+2') | None
@Touve Suberarenae, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

Edsmontik 3 - 0 New Eastern Roma
M. Stuero (13', 65'), D. Ystermakt (35'), M. Svaardaen (52'), I. Javarqa (90+2') | None
@New Eastern Roma

Edsmontik 11 - 2 Qasden
B. Norseden (9'), M. Stuero (16', 49', 83, 90+5'), M. Ghreksbvy (23', 54'), V. Bervaign (36', 71'), M. Svaardaen (45+2'), K. Wejikaj (79') | Unknown 1 (40'), Unknown 2 (60')
@Touve Suberarenae, Touve, Austrankank, Edsmontik

There's almost no need to say anything, as the Edsmons' scorelines already explained themselves. By far the Edsmons' biggest win yet was against Qasden just hours ago, where we got to say, that was insane. The Eagles score so many goals that they doubled Qasden's goals against. There are so many goals divided between the players that anyone could easily lose count.


Group 15 After MD14

Moving on to a different topic, Edsmontik stays top of their group with a hug number of goals. Even their goal difference is huge, standing at +35. There are only a few games left, and with mostly easy opponents, the Edsmons hope to make it all wins and clean sheets. They have their sights on getting 50+ goals, and they know they'll accomplish that, whether in the next game, the one after that, or even the one after that.

The Eagles are now looking forward to their next match away against Pappiv Nappon, as well as the one after that at home against Osterhalten. Their goals now don't look far away as the Eagles prepare to cruise right into the World Cup Proper.

---

MILITARY HISTORY SHOWCASE WEEK 6 - TWO PROTOTYPES

Sunday, 11/14/2032
Written by Salzen Beirborgd

---

Edsmon Military Showcase

---

Week 1 - Week 2 - Week 3 - Week 4 - Week 5 - Week 6

We are back online after the Edsmon Blackout, and as repayment for last week, Panzvaste Vdesmon is bringing two different tanks in this time. These were both prototype tanks that were scrapped. However, they were insanely impressive designed for the time.

(Insert image)
The S1XP Friedishtigr I Concept

We begin with the proposed S1XP Friedishtigr I. Edsmon tank fans would know that this isn't the same Friedishtigr operating today. The V4 Friedishtigr I, V8 Friedishtigr II, and V17 Friedishtigr III are all very different from this proposed concept. The whole reason it was given S1 instead of V4 at the time, was because this prototype was known as the "superheavy." It was also unusually to be called either the V4 or S1 instead of V3 despite being developed before the V3. It was gigantic, extremely bulky, and built like a bunker. But most importantly, it had a 155mm main cannon and a 105mm secondary cannon. The proposed design was adored by all Edsmon designers but could never leave the drawing board.

The tank would be impossible to move anywhere. It was too heavy. Edsmontik did not even have ammunition that could fit the 155mm cannon. They only had Anti-Tank shells for their V3X1-105 proposed tanks, which were obviously better working options. Once the V3X1 and V3X1-105 were sent into combat, and the S1 was still only in wooden model form, the idea was scrapped for good and the Friedishtigr name was to be equipped on the new V4 concept.

It was pretty obvious that at this time, Edsmontik focused a lot on tanks that had big guns and could destroy things in one blow. But after the mediocrity of the V3 (to be discussed next week), they would have to change course. A few months after the V3 had its first catastrophic failure, Edsmontik quickly cranked out a new design, one that was pretty unexpected.

(Insert image)
The L2XP Prototype

Edsmontik created a tank hull (on the drawing board) that was insanely light and insanely fast. And then, they decided, that it would be classified under their light tank category and also use the 105mm from the V3. The L2XP was a far reach. They wanted speed and power, which would be obtainable by making a glass cannon. It would be obliterated by anything but could obliterate anything. But engineers quickly noticed that the gun would weigh the front of the tank down and flip it with just a little too much power on the brakes.

To combat that, the Edsmon designers moved the turret to the back and the engine to the front. To fix the potential communication problem, the driver was almost moved to the back. This was easily a big mistake. Sure, it boosted communications between the driver, but once the tank was actually tested, it was easy to see how terrifyingly cramped it became towards the rear and how the top of the front of the tank covered up half of the driver's vision.

After testing, the L2XP never saw the light again. Instead, a smaller tank using the same hull, different driver placement, and two much smaller cannons took the place of it.

[Shell Shock Troop Clan]

La Prensa Libre

In an attempt to make the most of Shell Shock Troop Clan's underwhelming Group 30 performance--with one win from twelve matches, against Krytenia on Matchday Six--the ebullient Guillermo Sandoval has discovered a silver lining. "Some fans keep track of, like, an unofficial world championship that passes from whoever was the winner to the team that beat them, and so on. And then when one of those teams withdraws from WCC competition for a while, they have to make a new championship, so there can be multiple going at once once the first team comes back, which happens a lot in big milestone events like that. Can you imagine if that happened to us? Peopple would be so excited to see us and then on our current form, would wind up in somewhere like AJTON or Nergtul that promptly drops off the map. Fortunately, nothing like that was going on, so our terrible record won't actually have any long-term consequences!"

"Another good reason that it's good that we didn't win World Cup 63 was that there was a lot of stuff going on, and probably people would be envious of us even more than they already are," he continued. Asked for comment on the potential that Shell Shock Troop Clan could have been defeated by a team with a robust and eminent WCC tradition--like Krytenia--Sandoval only muttered ominously.

MD9: Parisca 89
MD10: Sojo 14 and 22
MD11: Montealegre 50; Forsen 62
MD13: Lira 38
MD14: Brenes 56; Zucchi 20

[Pyazhnaya]

Part I — The Press Conference

The FFP headquarters in Krasnograd are enveloped in a cold, misty shroud, which pretty much matches the mood inside. The conference room is packed to the rafters with journalists from across Pyazhnaya, Anaia and beyond. At the podium stands Simona Zubova, and if her standard mood is brooding and unhappy, she is now the equivalent to a hornet that has been swatted at for the last two hours straight. The FFP banner behind her is lit up, but above her are thunderclouds dark enough to make the sunny beaches of Huayramarca look like a dungeon.

Simona Zubova:
Thank you for attending on such short notice. I am here today to clarify certain misconceptions and to present, in full transparency, the concerns that have led the Oversight Committee to initiate a formal review of Coach Agratova’s methods and leadership.

She pauses, looking at the crowd of journalists, who immediately fall silent, knowing that this is going to be an intense session.

Simona Zubova:
In recent months, the Committee has received numerous reports, from within the team, from staff, even from the public, regarding irregular practices within the national setup. These include, but are not limited to, a disregard for professional discipline, unregulated streaming activities, and a… shall we say… unorthodox approach to tactical preparation.

A screen lowers behind her and slides begin sliding across. Photos of players laughing during training. Screenshots from the infamous AuraCast stream. A grainy still of Agratova smirking beside the team on the pitch.

Simona Zubova (continuing):
Let me be clear: no one is questioning the players’ talent or their dedication. But the tone of leadership defines a team. And when leadership encourages mockery of oversight, the very credibility of Pyazhnayan football suffers.

Reporters’ hands shoot up. A journalist from Pyazhnaya Sports TV calls out:

Journalist:
Are you suggesting Coach Agratova’s position is under review?

Simona Zubova:
I’m not suggesting it. I’m confirming it. The Oversight Committee has submitted a formal recommendation to re-evaluate her status pending further inquiry.

A murmur runs through the crowd at this development. Zubova leans forward slightly, her tone sharpening even further.

Simona Zubova:
And frankly, the PR department’s recent “OnePyazhnaya” campaign, which has turned turning a disciplinary matter into a social media spectacle, is deeply irresponsible. Encouraging public sympathy through memes and hashtags undermines the integrity of the sport.

Another slide pops up on the screen behind her: the “#WeStandWithAgratova” trending board from Cypher, AuraCast, and The Forge, showing millions of engagements. Several journalists make notes, many of whom having used the same hashtag in articles before.

Simona Zubova:
As for President Golobayov’s insistence on “standing by the team,” I will only say this: loyalty is admirable, but accountability is essential. The national team is not a playground. It’s an institution that represents every Pyazhnayan and it deserves standards that reflect that responsibility. And we will ensure that these standards will be enforced!

She ends her statement, walking right off the stage, leaving a flash of cameras, clicks and murmurs behind. Zubova's aides rush after her as the journalists shouts for follow-ups, but falling on dead ears.

---

Part II — The People’s Press Conference
Tverinsk, later that afternoon. The weather is drastically different compared to Krasnograd, sunny, warm, with a light breeze. AuraCast feeds across the internet light up with the title "Live from Tverinsk!". Upon tuning in, viewers see the old town's cobblestone streets drenched in teal, maroon and gold, with a group of Pyazhnayan players walking with a flood of fans behind them. Despite, or maybe because of, Zubova's vocal criticism of the now legendary stream, the national team has decided to go one step further and broadcast an IRL stream under the banner: “OnePyazhnaya: The People’s Team.”

The Danilas, naturally, are front and centre. Terentyev is wearing a helmet with a cam attached to its top, Mukhametshin has a GoPro strapped to his chest and several other players, like Alina Teplyashina and Naira Akhatova, are trying (and failing) to keep them from running over or stepping into things. One of the players holds up another camera pointing back and as far as the eye can see, fans, in jerseys, shirts, waving flags and chanting.

Danila Terentyev:
And here we are, folks! Live from Tverinsk Old Town, where professionalism is on break and joy is mandatory!

Danila Mukhametshin:
Correction, professionalism is hydrating, gotta keep the nutritionist happy. (holds up a bottle of kvas) Cheers, Pyazhnaya!

The crowd responds immediately and cafes and market stalls try to keep up with the suddenly surging demand of, well, everything.

Naira Akhatova (yelling over the noise):
Dan, are you sure this is legal?

Mukhametshin:
Define legal!

Viktoria Khamidullina (off-camera):
Define smart!

At the centre of the central square of the central... uh, old market is the Saratov Fountain, a sprawling, somewhat chaotic architectural masterpiece that feels fitting for the horde descending upon it. People are everywhere now: balconies filled, shopfronts spilling onto the street, kids on their parents’ shoulders. The team climbs up onto the fountain’s edge. The Danilas, of course, don't stop there and wade through the water, scaling the fountain itself.

Terentyev:
Hi Tverinsk! We're the Danilas and, well, those other people there.

Lina Vyrypayeva:
HEY!

Terentyev:
No office, Vyry. Anywho, all right, folks, let's not pussyfoot around. You all have heard the press conference--

Sonya Mordvinova:
That was not a press conference, that was the speech of a wannabe dictator.

Mukhametshin:
Dick-what?

Akhatova:
Don't start!

Terentyev:
Uh, where was I? Oh yeah, you’ve heard from the suits, well, suit. Now hear from the boots. Ask us anything.

The chat explodes; hundreds, if not thousands, of comments streaming in across AuraCast, Cypher, and The Forge.

Khamidullina:
Shit, we didn't think that one through...

Viewer (AuraCast):
So what’s the deal with Zubova? She’s acting like she’s running the country!

Akhatova:
Oh, she’s definitely running something. Mostly on caffeine and spite.

Laughter. The Danilas splash water dramatically in the background.

Viewer (The Forge):
Coach Agratova still your boss, right? She gonna survive this?

The camera pans, showing Agratova sitting to the side sunglasses on, sipping coffee, trying to stay out of the chaos and not give Zubova any additional ammunition.

Mukhametshin:
Of course is! And will! She's not going anywhere. You'll have to pry her out of our dead cold--

Mordvinova:
SHUT UP, Mukha!

A roar of “YES!” rises from the square, peaking the mics for a few moments.

Mukhametshin:
That’s democracy, Coach. One vote per viewer.

A small, shy voice comes from beside Agratova. It’s Lina Vyrypayeva, 17 years old, current shooting star of the Tikariot Premier League's Vna-Chuhul Ravens FC, and the quietest one in the team. She leans toward the mic with a calm deadpan tone.

Lina Vyrypayeva:
Talking about discipline is one thing, showing it is something else. Mrs. Zubova--

Mukhametshin:
Miss, not Mrs. Don't think anybody in their right mind wou--

Mordvinova:
OK, you are muted for now!

Vyrypayeva:
Feel free to join a regular training session and see how long you last. Ten laps should be enough for you to quit your own committee.

The fountain erupts in laughter. Even Agratova nearly spits out her coffee.

Khamidullina (grinning):
Oh no, Lina’s learned sarcasm. The end is nigh.

As he is muted, Mukhametshin is climbing to the very top of the fountain.

Vladislav Ilyukhin:
Come down, you idiot! Just because you refuse to acknowledge it, gravity still exists!

The team continues answering fan questions, some joking, some actually serious, but all showing one thing: This is one team that sticks together and is not a big fan of Zubova's campaign. Hashtags flood in: #OnePyazhnaya, #FountainSummit, #WeStandWithAgratova, #MukhaCanFly.

[Saterun]

The Longest Wave

Caesar Ibañez had two great sporting loves: football and surfing. In his small coastal hometown of Carolín, on the southern shores of Saterun, he had learned to do both. He was back at home for Saterun's bye week, before their trip to Valladares. As he relaxed in his family's beachside villa, one of his younger cousins came up to him. Apparently, the whole family was down by the water, and the littler children wanted to try out surfing. It was well known that Caesar was one of the best in the town, and they wanted him to show them how it was done. Although Caesar had been enjoying a bit of relaxation, he couldn't say no to his cousins. He quickly changed into some light surf gear, before heading down to the beach. Gathered there was most of his extended family, all enjoying the beach in their own way. Once he got down to the water, he was greeted by the only cousin older than him, Matheus.

While Caesar was fairly good at surfing, Matheus was a state champion. Matheus explained that the younger children wanted them to both go out, and try to race back to the shore. Caesar, although knowing that speed was heavily influenced by the starting wave, agreed. He hadn't surfed in a while, and wanted to get back out there. Slowly, they pushed off from the beach, swimming side by side as they left the land behind them. The waters of southern Saterun were some of the clearest in the multiverse, and today they were a brilliant blue. Looking down, Caesar could see a school of fish swim by. He had never understood people that feared going out into the water. To him, it was home.

Once they got far enough out, the pair began to search for a wave. After a few minutes, Caesar spotted a promising one, just a little to the left. He called out to Matheus, who swam over as well. The two positioned themselves correctly, and as the wave came towards them, Caesar began to rise. It got closer and closer. Both Caesar and Matheus were waiting, just ready to go. Suddenly, it swept into them, and they were off. Pumping as he went, as well as throwing in some cutbacks, Caesar tried to keep pace with Matheus. But it was hard. He was racing against a state champion, after all. They started to gain considerable speed, with the beach fast approaching. By now, it was evident that Matheus was pulling ahead. Then, Caesar's favorite part of surfing happened.

By now, the wave was entirely above him. Light filtered through the water, creating a beautiful scene around him. Ahead of him, Matheus was racing towards the beach. Realizing that there was no way he was going to win, Caesar decided to just enjoy the water around him. Time seemed to slow as he rode the wave, and the beach seemed infinitely far away. WC Qualifiers were the busiest time of year on the Saterun football calendar, and to Caesar it seemed like he was always being pushed from one game to the next. That was why he had chosen to come to Carolín for this bye week. This particular cycle of qualifiers had been hard on the squad, and they sat lower than planned. For Caesar in particular, he had to find a way to bounce back.

As he cruised to the shore, he felt at peace for the first time since the beginning of qualifiers. Matheus had beaten him soundly, but he didn't care. It had been so long since he'd been on a board, and getting back out in the sun and water had cleared his mind. He knew that the Claws needed something special if they were to make a real push for qualification. His own performances had been somewhat lacking up until this point, but he was determined to change that. As he got off his board, Matheus came over. "Looks like I can still beat you in at least one sport," he said with a characteristic grin. Caesar could only smile and agree. Matheus didn't know how much this had helped.

[Stewartika]

STEWARTIKA LOGS WIN AGAINST HIGHEST RANKED OPPONENT YET - STILL MUCH TO DO

The men of Stewartika make it 7 straight wins and 12 unbeaten with these latest two results - increasing the belief tenfold that they CAN make it to the Finals against all odds. A 3-1 win over Vetrahjart away gave Kunio the final knowledge necessary to put together a lineup at full strength, with the reservists and bench players shining once again. Then, Stewartika got just what they needed - victory against the Martian Independent Republic, a goal all they needed. With this win, the Spiders being 68th ranked in the world, the highest defeated by the Pigs in this already historic campaign, Stewartika stays clear at the top of the table, but no mathematical assurances present themselves yet- qualification is still very much in the balance as Royal Purple go to face Kelssek in what will surely decide who goes directly and who must playoff.

Matchday 13 - Another Spectacular Reserve Show

In the vagueness of the country that is Vetrahjart, Stewartika’s heavily rotated squad showed out in their away red before Vetrahjart’s very existent fans. As the game kicked off, Vetrahjart found the net fairly early much like last time, but this time there was no Stewartikan response in the first half.

After the break, Kunio made three changes - Wanima and Blake coming on to become the pivot, and Ryu getting his first World Cup appearance, replacing Haggstrom. The perhaps unconventional changes was an instant game-shaker. Valliney equalized quickly with another incredible effort from range, followed by an astounding free kick by Blake and a sliding kick by Tran for his own first goal for the national team. Kunio’s tactics won the day and Stewartika goes marching on.

Full Time:
World Cup Qualifiers - Group 8

Vetrahjart

Stewartika

1

3

Unknown ’13

D. Valliney ’49

H. Blake ’62
N. Tran ’80

MAN OF THE MATCH: Soon Byun-Ho

Venue: Unknown

Weather: Unknown

Matchday 14 - Determination to Win

Next on the schedule was the 68th ranked Martian Independent Republic - a team that Stewartika rescued a point against last time out when the Pigs went to Mars. This time around, though, they would be on Stewartika’s home turf of Illney - would it prove to be enough?

When the whistle was blown to start, underneath a cauldron-like atmosphere by the fans, morale at an all-time high, the Pigs and the Spiders faced each other once more. Stewartika affected their tried and true aggressive versatile system, while the Martians utilized their fluid 3-5-2 low block. It was a system that succeeded to keep Stewartika out for a full 90, only conceding in stoppage time, and indeed the first half saw no real chances from either side, with Stewartika having a slim advantage of the possession but the Martian’s defense held tight.

When the second half began, Kunio made no changes, still evidently confident that this system would pull away with the win in the end. Again it seemed like a repeat of the first half, until finally the Martians conceded a free kick several yards from the box. As Hawkins Blake was resting off a minor discomfort in the reserves, it fell to young superstar Jesse Morissey to take it. Choosing a long run-up, he took the ball on the plane of his foot, sending it smashing past the keeper with incredible speed as the Stewartikan home crowd goes absolutely insane.

Now trailing, the Martians to their credit immediately organized to attack, throwing bodies forward into a more aggressive formation. Their big chance of the night would come down to Rohan Jowling’s bundled shot bouncing over the sweeping Grovalle’s leg. As it bounded towards an empty net, the Stewartikan defense threw themselves in front of it, Himmel missing his leg and Cho going wide, but at the last minute Bentham clears it off the line to raucous report from the fans. Finally, after holding on to that lead, the full time whistle sounds - Stewartika erupting, victorious now over increasingly better and better teams - a wonderful, fairytale euphoria of a campaign. Pundits note how in particular the Stewartikans have adapted to stronger defense, now instead of the rampant fouling to get a foothold in the game like last time against both the Spiders and Kelssek, now willing to be patient and break down stubborn teams with build-up play.

Full Time:
World Cup Qualifiers - Group 8

Stewartika

The Martian Independent Republic

1

0

J. Morissey ’74

MAN OF THE MATCH: Jesse Morissey

Venue: Illney Stadium

Weather: cloudy, light breeze, 47 degrees F

Next, Stewartika travel to Kelssek in what will surely decide who goes straight to West Pavlova and who must fight for a spot in the playoffs. After managing a draw at home, can a more confident and refined Stewartika side find victory away from home in a must win game? And after that, Royal Purple host Langenia in what could prove to be a surprising fixture - but that’s all from us, stay tuned.

[TJUN-ia]

HOME

AWAY

THIRD

GOALKEEPER

Hello, and welcome back to our coverage of World Cup 100! Last time out, TJUN-ia lost again to Colmaijo in another result from this team that seemed inexplicable to those on the outside, but seemed like our destiny to those in denial. It seems likely now that this quest will end at the Cup of Harmony, a familiar haunt we did not want to return to, but there was still hope of a miracle...Hope that things can be turned around. David Seems, Li Xiu Ying, and all of TJUN-ia were holding on to that hope that somehow, we could make it through anyway. There had to be a way...right? Surely...right? Right? Right?

There was only one game to deal with in this window, and it was in Szensky, at Beregozera Stadium, against our new kit-makers in the form of Sangti and the Filindo Isles. This is the same nation that hosts Liberdad Sportwear, which recently created the works of art known as our new kits. We would be playing in our new white Third Kits that celebrate The Jaguar himself, but in a pre-match ceremony, the visitor would gift us a 4th 0 - celebrating Esportiva, the region we both call home.

But that was the only joy that could be found in the CSTO Zone tonight as, in the faces of KS and those passionate fans that call this place home, we produced...nothing. Literally. Nothing. It was a stalemate, a battle between two teams that simply ended 0-0. Both Fatemeh Yektaei and Aldren Lucero Labawig had great games overall, but that would mean a 0-0 draw to end this game - our first of the entire campaign. Normally, only taking your first draw now might mean you aren't doing too bad...but here, it meant that the leader of KS was shouting down the team's throats for 15 minutes post the end of the game. This result meant that we cannot win this group. Our only pathway to the WC, if we can even get that far, will be through the Playoffs.

Things feel like crap. But we are not out of this one yet. We go to Behh next before the biggest game of the camapign by far - hosting Choppyhausen in Roi Ville. If we stumble one more time, we will be out. So, for this campaign, this next window is either put up or shut up.
WE WILL NEVER SURRENDER!
GO JAGS!

---

SCHEDULE (Group 20)
(Stadium Guide can be found here)
MD1: vs New Arbuckle (381) - Estádio do Pacífico, Rio Pacífico W 3-0
MD2: @Surne (283) L 1-3
-------------------------------------------------------
MD3: vs Colmaijo (249) - Estadio Universidad Carlandas, Carlandas W 4-0
MD4: @Sangti and the Filindo Isles (87) - Nuevo Estadio Nacional, Nuevo San Marco W 2-0
-------------------------------------------------------
MD5: BYE
MD6: vs Behh (336) - Ke Kahua Pāʻani o Pua Aloalo, Kepu Manu W 3-2
-------------------------------------------------------
MD7: @Choppyhausen (142) L 1-2
MD8: vs Valentine Z (49) - National Stadium, TJUN-ia City L 2-3
-------------------------------------------------------
MD9: @Lignuntia (UR) W 5-2
MD10: @New Arbuckle (381) L 0-1
-------------------------------------------------------
MD11: vs Surne (283) - Tiankong Stadium, Tiankong W 3-0
MD12: @Colmaijo (249) L 3-4
-------------------------------------------------------
MD13: vs Sangti and the Filindo Isles (87) - Beregozera Stadium, Szensky D 0-0
MD14: BYE
-------------------------------------------------------
MD15: @Behh (336)
MD16: vs Choppyhausen (142) - Stade de la Victoire, Roi Ville
-------------------------------------------------------
MD17: @Valentine Z (49) - Kyarpan Stadium, Mandalay
MD18: vs Lignuntia (UR) - Zebra Stadium, Toropo/Almadinat

[Kelssek]

__★ l'Étoile___
mar. 27 jan 205

KELSSEK FACES SURPRISING AND SERIOUS STUARTIANII CHALLENGE

There's no margin for error now, and that's been the case for a while. Langenia put up a strong early resistance but gave way in the end, with Ariane Hirji and Rian Teokotai both recording their first national team goals as the fresh legs after chasing the ball for much of a match that Kelssek patiently controlled proved Langenia's undoing. And now a crucial match looms as Kelssek goes up against first place team Stewartika four points behind and needing a win to have any realistic chance of winning the group and directly qualifying for the World Cup.

Stewartika has been outplaying expectations through the whole qualifying phase, and the sting of letting a 2-0 at half time slip during a complacent second-half performance is something this Kelssek team will be keen to put right. The mentality is going to be different too from the first encounter, and there won't be any room for underestimating their opponent now.

This wasn't expected to be the important match it has turned out to be when Football Kelssek scheduled it for Bowreach. Or at least, Football Kelssek won't admit they tend to put higher-profile teams in the bigger coastal cities and expect fans in the west to be so thrilled to be graced by the national team's presence they'll turn up for 251st-ranked opposition. Yet that now looks like a prescient choice to promote the sport of football in a region where it comes behind curling and ice fishing, and tomorrow's forecast for -3°C and light snow could also work to further Kelssek's home advantage, even if that's relatively mild for this time of year.

Manager Obey Chidiebere, who hails from a much warmer climate, wasn't ready to accept the elements would necessarily help Kelssek. "Nothing can be taken for granted. It's not like this is the only country where it snows." He then earned some chuckles when he suggested it would be good for the media to play up the narrative to psychologically affect the opposition regardless. "But well, you can hope. And actually, maybe what I should say is to try and scare the visitors, right. When I first came to play here, I thought I was going to die every time we played away to Strathcona in the winter, it is so hard, it's almost impossible. You should put that as the headline."

Consequently, there's going to be no excuses for falling short, and anything less than three points will be considered at best problematic, and worse humiliating. And that wouldn't be just about the result on the night. The nagging feeling that's dogged Kelssek the last two cycles of not being quite good enough to make a real challenge at the World Cup, having failed to get through the last 16 continually, would reach a new level: falter here, and they might not be at the World Cup at all.

LANGENIA 0
KELSSEK 3 - Mylonakis (42'), Hirji (72'), Teokotai (80')
Woodwell, Bastien, Lalande, Zivkovic, Licea, Pépin (Lìos 59'), Mylonakis, Heer, Obident (Hirji 64'), Goh-Lemaire (Teokotai 64'), Coulter (Hartzell 78')

[Natkr]

ReemSports Prime Time

(OOC: again just catching up)

---

The great start to Natkr's 100th World Cup qualification journey, started by two well won victories, hit a sudden stop in their third match. Coach Kyes Weah's squad suffered an unexpected 1-0 defeat away from home to Felinetopia, a result that immediately took down all the celebrations from the team and their fans around their tactics and brilliance. While their bye week gave them a long break for an opportunity for reflection and recovery, the loss shows everyone that the road to the World Cup for the boys will not be easy and be definitely hard. With three points separating Natkr from the table, Natkr must now change themselves quickly as they prepare for new challenges which will not be easy at all: qualifiers in the same week against Europeasia and Konkert.

The match against Felinetopia was greatly hyped among the players and the fanbase, as it was Natkr's very first time against a team like Felinetopia known for their unpredictability in matches, which was a challenge Weah specifically prepared for Natkr, aiming to prove Natkr could keep their coolness and formation of play through the confusion of the game.

However, the game quickly became a difficult and frustrating meeting for Natkr. Felinetopia's defense and style of play was disorganized and was broken down, but their energy and hard pressing succeeded in stopping Natkr's planned controlled build-up play. Midfielder Brayden Rodriguez, usually the main man of the midfield and Natkr's counters, struggled to find ground and the time and space to dictate their possession of the pitch.

The initial plan at first -to control the central space left by Felinetopia's attacking plays- never really fully materialized for the team's playing style. Instead, Natkr found themselves in a stupid and scrappy midfield battle, which is actually exactly what Coach Kyes Weah had hoped to avoid.

Natkrian top scorer, who had scored 3 goals so far in qualifying, Henry Henderson looked like he wasn't even on the field. Felinetopia's defense, though often unpredictaable, were quick to corner and "bunch up" Henderson when he received a pass to him, denying him of the usual chances he would easily score on.

The only goal of the game came just before the 59th minute of the game. It was a goal of brillance and skill planned by Felinetopia. Even in this situation, we can't even biased through Natkr for this one. It was a great goal. A moment of greatness from Felinetopia's creative CAM Bjarni Gerwulf saw him run through two Natkrian defenders before launching a powerful shot that Ethan Carter managed to get and save, but the rebound was hit right in by Felinetopia's right winger Rutendo. Felinetopia now lead 1-0.

Natkr's response was instant and hurried, and they lacked the basic precision to get back into the game. The possession football Weah demanded from the team made way for unplanned crossses and long-range shots that greatly troubled the Felinetopia keeper Themba. The team soon switched to their high-pressure, and high-risk play that helped a little bit in their last qualification group.

Everyone tried at the end. The attempts to potentially score the equalizer were brave yet vague. Henry Smith came the closest, striking the crossbar with a wonderful volley in the final minutes of the game, but luck was not on Natkr's side today. The final whistle sealed the painful 1-0 defeat, taking Natkr off their perfect unbeaten start and forcing a moment of thought and reflection for the team.

The loss wasn't simply about the points Natkr wouldn't gain; it exposed an fault line in Natkr's system: Natkr still struggles when they're unable to control the rhythm of the game perfectly. When they're pressed intensely and put into chaos by other teams, their way of thinking suffers greatly, and the new defensive organization at the back falls when under unpredictable and total pressure.

Following the defeat, the scheduled bye matchday could have come for a better time for the squad. Instead of extended rest for the players, Coach Kyes Weah and his coaching staff, Coach Kyes Weah turned this free time into an intensive mental, psychological, and tactical reset between the break.

The coaching staff repeatably emphasized reviewing over the Felinetopia tape with the defense and the midfield, focusing less on blaming specific player and more on collective admits as a team on tactical failures in transition and possession getbacks. The quote said by everyone became: "A controlled defense has to have a controlled offense."

For their physical health, all the players were given planned resting periods, but the younger players on the team like Henry Smith and Ezra Vale, were put through extra training drills which focused on resisting all the pressure around them and quick decision-making under major stress, which will be able to improve and build up the deep-laying playmaker role.

Captain David Lopez held an important team meeting, reportedly going over the need to avoid the whole emotional drama and heartbreak that continued with heavy losses in World Cup 99. However, he did not mention the fact that they still have 6 points and that the fight for top of the group remains wide open for anyone. The mission was very clear for everyone: you must take away the loss for your system and focus on the upcoming future.

The bye matchday did ultimately serve its purpose for the team, allowing the team to recover physically and mentally reset for the upcoming matches of the month, and putting the disappointing loss behind them. The focus between the team has increased greatly, realizing that one moment of mistakes can take away years and months of hard work.

Natkr now faces their hardest stretch of the qualification run with games on-and-off for the Green on Blue against two challenging opponents: Europeasia and Konkert. Success in this phase for them is greatly needed for their hopes in ever qualifying for the World Cup.

Europeasia, their upcoming opponent, is known for their fast play of the game, old players of the game, and their defense's exceptional control of their games. They are expected to fight for possession, placing a major challenge which is the exact opposite of the things Natkr managed to face against Felinetopia. Natkr must be prepared to fight for a discipline, defensive performance with patience, and rely on the "Batman and Robin" of Natkr with the quickness of Henry Smith and the effective finishing of Henderson in the middle.

Their second qualification game is against Konkert, a team recognized for their physical hardness on teams, dominance with headers for some odd reason, and their perfectness with taking set pieces. This match will be a huge test, demanding that Natkr's formation, which is mostly Lopez's boys at the back, rise to the test of Konkert and prove they have beaten their previous challenges and vulnerabilities of the past that cost them games.

These two games will truly test the edges of Weah's new system of play. Can Natkr remain a better team defensively against two hard offenses in their matches? Can the midfield keep the tempo soft and precise needed to start various counter-attacks. Only time will tell. The answers will determine Natkr's status heading into the early stages of the qualifiers.

The training center at Nordhammer will now be bursting with excitement yet continued urgency. The celebrations from the first two wins has been replaced by a still determination built in the fire of the short bye week days spent, due to the recent defeat. Natkr knows the importance of these six points to their journey; they are very well what may determine if they go to West Pavola or not. Every step, every injury, every pass, every play, every tackle, every penalty, every goal, every mistake, every save, every draw, every win, every DEFEAT. Every single one of them will count as Natkr steps into a beginning of battles as they enter two upcoming qualifying matches.

[Ethane]

Fan Voice

"Rushbrooke! Rushbrooke! Rushbrooke!"

The name on everyone's lips in Ethane. A rising star on the football scene, World Cup 100 qualifying has been Damian Rushbrooke's time to shine. He has scored at a rapid rate, playing a significant role in enabling the Red Kites, ranked 377th in the world, to lead the group heading into the final two sets of matches of the qualification campaign.

His exquisite skills, rapid pace, and charming charisma are all part of his appeal as an all-around nice guy and quality football player. Not only has he attracted the support of regular football attendees who appreciate him for his dedication, resilience, and ability to find the back of the net from some improbable positions, he has also attracted a different sort of crowd.

"We love him."

You may ask, why do fans love him? Is it because of his charming charisma? His brooding looks? His smile and eyes that capture you in a trance?

Nah. In fact girls have called him "the ugliest attractive man you'll ever see." He's been told he looks like a "mug", a "beanpole", and a "boy who needs fattening up." He has been voted as "least appealing international football player in England" in a recent online poll on IDKWTFTMN (I don't know what the fuck this means news). If you ask me, this was a very targeted poll, especially when you consider this is a satirical website and there were no other options, but it is a prize he has won nonetheless. They even sent him a prize for winning - a leaflet for cosmetic surgery. Ouch.

Actually, it's because he's a nerd. It's not the people you thought I would be stereotyping in this segment of text that would have led to me falling into sexist tropes. Instead I get to fall into D&D style nerd stereotypes that are potentially equally as controversial because they are stereotypes and we know you shouldn't stereotype people.

It started when he was seen on social media in a group playing the NS equivalent of Dungeons and Dragons (coming up with a name requires some creativity which this article writer lacks today). Wait what? A football player playing a game only nerds could play? Why, I've never seen that before! (Oh, apart from that time that I saw Will playing a roleplay game with some mates. Oh and that other time when the Ethanian team spent a day playing board games as a teambuilding exercise when Gavin Comi was in charge. Oh and this time, and that time. And another one. Oh, never mind. They weren't posted online for everyone to see, so of course the chronically online population didn't care. Even I play roleplay games like the NS equivalent of Dungeons and Dragons. Alas, I am not a popular social media influencer and football poster. I just write for a shit informal blog that some people read and then forget about within 5 minutes.

Damian was then seen at a convention for board games. A football player? With hobbies? A life? You couldn't have seen that. Why, yes loads of people did. It was on the news! (not the important news, the I'm pretending to be an influencer so here's a 30 second video talking about an irrelevant topic so I can pretend people care and like me sort of news page). That's a bit like me! But it wasn't me! Promise! Although I guess it is, now. Because I'm writing this. Damn. I've become a 'influencer who reports random facts about celebrities in the hope of gaining a modicum of relevancy'. Maybe I'll become a meme. Maybe I just need to say a meme? 1093 1093 1093. Did you know that Damian has played 1093 board games. Is it funny yet?

It turns out Damian is quite good at board games. So good that he's the sort of person if you do some deep digging, you can find old videos of him as a kid attempting to become a professional streamer playing games. But like most people who do that play video games? Damian liked them too! But he streamed about 2 hours of the NS equivalent of Dungeons and Dragons. Looking at it, he got 2 views. That was when it was published. There are clips from it which now have 5 million views. Woo he's popular! Why didn't I do that as a kid? Oh right, it's because I didn't have any football talent to make me popular enough to force nerds to watch my videos. Guess I'll have to rely on Tumblr.

It was certainly strange to see the turnout to the recent football match against Riandera though. I've never seen so many 'nerds' in a football stadium before. Unless it was for the local school debating competition. Those were held at my local football stadium for some reason. Yes, I did attend them. No, I wasn't very good. Yes, I guess you could call me a nerd because of that. No, I'm not cool.

There were like 10 guys dressed in satanic shirts screaming Damian's name. It was really funny. Let people be themselves I guess. But it's really funny seeing a bunch of dweebs shouting a football players name innocently next to a group of Ethanian ultras screaming profanities at the opposition team. Such a contrast. At least the ultras took them in and helped them enjoy the match, considering this group of ten guys didn't know any of the rules of football. If they didn't know the rules why did they go? I could've got another ticket and scalped it on the internet for a massive profit, sorry given it to my father.

Oh, and the Commonwealth of Baker Park are visiting in a couple of months time. Shall we start a campaign? I want a stadium full of nerds. Let's do it.

[Zenic]

"Not the greatest tournament but at least the picture is becoming clearer on who will come back next season."

Minister of Sports Alaia Dimi was conversing with her Deputy Minister Heung Soo-min in regards to the most recent sporting news. They were currently discussing the NSTT restart after the Olympics. "Two of our 4 most consistent performers made it to the Round of 16 before getting knocked out and ending our shot for this tournament. After this, we have probably one or two more chances but they don't look hopeful." Minister Dimi scowled a little before regaining composure. "So, next season of the NSTT looks more hopeful?"

Heung Soo-min smiled and nodded. "Indeed, combine half a roster of players with experience and another half full of vigor and excitement to finally represent the Empire for a FULL season? Yeah, Royer would have himself the perfect setup to challenge the top nations like Ceni and Dexterra." Dimi nodded slightly in response. "Very well, see if you can find any extra resources we can spare for next year. We can't expect better results without better support." Heung wrote that down in his notebook before continuing the conversation.

"Will get on that as soon as I can. By the way, the World Baseball Classic Council posted the new rankings about two weeks ago and the Diamond Survivors made the top 20 after their return tournament. I was wondering if we should start a professional league," Heung said, hesitating for a moment. "OR if we should bolster the EACA and ABL to make college baseball stronger and keep our older players in match ready fitness. That way, we've got a chance to push even further next World Baseball Classic." Dimi navigated to the official WBC Council website and confirmed it with her own eyes: 20th in the world. "We may be able to do both but please remind me what the ABL is again?"

"Oh yeah, it's a new rebranding. Originally the AAB, or Amateur Association for Baseball, they now go by the ABL or Amateur Baseball League. I think they mentioned something about AAB being too close to other organizations so they wanted to stand out more." DImi was satisfied with the reasoning but a little annoyed that they hadn't run the name change by the Ministry of Sports. Dimi may forget a few things due to the sheer amount of sports that she needs to maintain but she certainly remembers paperwork like that and nothing ever crossed her desk. "Schedule a meeting with the commissioner of the ABL. I would like to have a little chat with him. Also, include the President of the EACA as well."

"Also noted," Heung replied, adding another task to his notebook. Looking over his bullet points for his meeting, he had one more talking point. "Finally, the Survivors have manage to rally back and are tied for points with the United States of Nova Calania. Nova Calania do have a game in hand and while we are now tied on H2H result, we trail in H2H goals. So, to finish at the top for automatic qualification, we will need Nova Calania to drop at least two games: preferably 2 losses or a draw and a loss while we win out the rest of our schedule. Else, we should make the playoffs where we hopefully find a respectable but beatable opponent."

"But is that acceptable?" Heung took a moment to answer. "I don't know. Some top 25 teams are clearly leading their groups with only a bit of effort while others are in the same spot as we are. Ultimately, making the World Cup is the bare minimum: how we achieve that goal shouldn't really be a factor since we're in unprecedented waters with the size of these World Cup Qualifiers. We can't really decide anything until they either miss the tournament altogether or make the World Cup but fail to make it past the Round of 32. For now, our goal should be winning every remaining game and seeing where we end up."

"Agreed. No need to jump the gun until the final whistle has blown."

[Hamborn]

Team of this tonight :

1. Leo Surli

Defence :

54. Noan Nolmas

89. Divon Lio

45. Nino Visto

3. Milo Vurno

Mieldfield :

35. Bilo Nosinto

57. Risco Xaco

12. Suno Listo

Attack :

9. Joan Von de Polux (c)

7. Joseph Liven

10. Arlemus Luvoski

Bench:

37. Marco Nisto

38. Willo Novkas

5. Givon Lestar

56. Pietro Loa

34. Neo Kisté

28. Kislo Antaré

Too late in my country to rp i need to sleep.

[Kita-Hinode]

Another boring day passed in downtown Hokuto, one of the old capitals of the Hinodejin Empire. Amidst its buildings, some of which have been in a state of decay ever since the city lost its spot in relevance. Among those buildings rested one full of offices, where one such office held a character of importance to this tale. He was a young man with a shaved beard and short dark hair, a scrawny build hidden under office clothes. His eyes had been scanning a computer screen for quite a while. The secretary, an older lady than him with a motherly-like tone, looked up behind him, letting out a sigh.

[Secretary] - Still frozen, right?
[Salaryman] - You bet. Couldn't the boss get us machines that are, you know, from at least after Satomi's reign ended? Damn thing's older than me!
[Secretary] - I wouldn't count on that happening any time soon, given his gambling problem.
[Salaryman] - I thought the mayor had outlawed gambling, given the whole thing about decency and all. He even said "we don't want to end up like Jeruselem", thought that talk was serious.
[Secretary] - Never expect anything good out of a Tohno Clan mayor, kiddo. Reliability has never been their forte.

His attention was then caught by the radio speakers placed around the office, sharing the scores of the qualifiers. The secretary let out a loud sigh as the large report began with a somewhat uninterested voice reading off every result.

[Salaryman] - Not a fan of football, ma'am?
[Secretary] - No, I played it at school, but we never went anywhere besides one qualification for the national cup. We drew Tentai Imperial. That went as well as you'd imagine. You?
[Salaryman] - Kinda, I guess? I did like watching that new team we got, that's owned by the people from Derby Diva. Their Limited Version Sports Fan Dreamcast Spunk was a pain in the ass to get from their gacha, but it was worth it.
[Secretary] - I never saw the appeal to that team. I mean. The ones from here aren't fantastic by any stretch of the imagination, but they're storied institutions. Not this rinkydink operation that appeared out of nowhere. As a native of Hokuto, I'm not a fan.
[Salaryman] - I'm from Nanatakara, and we didn't really have a professional team there.
[Secretary] - Oh, that little town off the coast? I remember they had a funky club, what was it named again? The Green Pearl?
[Salaryman] - The Black Diamond. It was near my high school, and my dad worked there for a bit. The owner was this old guy from Osarius. Funky-
[Secretary] - Ah! Funky Daddy Philly!

She did some dance steps near him, breaking into laughter.

[Secretary] - Let this groove, light up your fuse! It's alright, alright, alright!
[Salaryman] - Yeah, my dad hated that song. He was a great boss and all, but his set was fairly repetitive. It helps that we'd get people from the coastal cities coming every now and then, so they don't get too burnt out.
[Secretary] - But it wasn't too fun for your old man.
[Salaryman] - You bet. My dad eventually called it quits when he got a job offer here. Still go to that club on the holidays just to see his kids.
[Secretary] - Eh, Philly's gone?
[Salaryman] - Well, he got old, his hearing got a bit screwy, and he decided that he had saved up enough money to go on a monastic trip. Think he's still in Kamandu these days. His kids took over the club and gave it a couple of different spins. Not really my type of place, but one of his kids was a high school friend and all. Really liked watching foreign footy, not big on the local league.
[Secretary] - And what is your type of thing, hun?
[Salaryman] - Generally? Anime and mobile games.

TEAM IC and TYPE IOCA present...

(Sunrise/Great onslaught)
all worlds come to a shared point

The secretary broke into laughter once more, though this time, she aimed it directly at her coworker.

[Secretary] - A weeb? Really? No wonder you look so slouched.
[Salaryman] - ...Yeah, I get that a lot. But I think I'm doing better these days.
[Secretary] - Really? How bad did you have it?
[Salaryman] - I used to blow my allowance on this game about saving humanity from being burnt out of existence.
[Secretary] - Well, that's a novel idea, but really, a mobile game?
[Salaryman] - Our town was small and boring... Still kind of is. Most tourists would come for the Seven Treasures and all.
[Secretary] - Ah, the natural park? I went there with my husband a couple of times. Lovely little place.
[Salaryman] - That's the thing. It was all too small and boring. My school didn't have a sports department... hell, none of the other two schools did. We'd either have to loaf around at the beach or stay at home playing games. Except for Philly's kids, since they had their dad's vinyl collection, but listening to the same songs over and over again wasn't much of an improvement.

He then let out a particularly annoyed sigh.

[Salaryman] - And he'd chew out his kids if they tried to do DJ stuff. Despite the set and all. The place was so small and uninteresting that people would consider checking whatever new happened to appear in the town as a pastime. An ice cream shop. A book shop. A skate ramp.
[Secretary] - Not a park? I remember seeing those as a dime a dozen when those kids got popular.
[Salaryman] - Yeah, just a ramp. Great spot to take pictures from, but that's about it. So a mobile gacha kinda took preference.
[Secretary] - Hm. And you don't do that anymore, yes?
[Salaryman] - Oh, yeah. I actually stopped playing that one years ago. Right around when I went to university. Somei-Yoshino Commerce.
[Secretary] - Ah, my hubby went there too. I went to the National Battle Institute myself, hahah.
[Salaryman] - ...Fun life, eh?
[Secretary] - Of course. You should probably adventure more yourself.
[Salaryman] - I probably should, yeah. My apartment's in the suburbs, though.
[Secretary] - Then take the train?
[Salaryman] - Yeah, I dunno. I already take it to work, think I'd get sick from spending that much more time on it.

The secretary grinned, figuring it would be the best time to bring it up as the machine hadn't reacted ever since they started talking.

[Salaryman] - Swear I'm gonna launch this out of the window one of these days.
[Secretary] - Say... why did you stop playing that game?
[Salaryman] - Well, it wasn't by choice, per se.
[Secretary] - How come?
[Salaryman] - See, most games usually make an effort to make sure you have a backup system so you never lose your account. This one I played just didn't.
[Secretary] - Aw... So you uninstalled it at some point?
[Salaryman] - Yes. The gacha would constantly screw me over at some point. I really wanted this one character, and it never gave it to me. So I just got fed up and uninstalled it. Then I realized that the damage had been done and just moved on.
[Secretary] - And you don't miss it?
[Salaryman] - In some very miserable days, yeah. But then I remember the mistreatment and lack of care from them towards me, so I just moved on. There's better stuff out there. Friendlier stuff.
[Secretary] - Hm. So you kept the addiction and just changed drugs.
[Salaryman] - W-Well, not at all. I don't blow money on them anymore.

He seemed a bit despondent about it, deciding to complete his words.

[Salaryman] - The older I got, the more I figured I wasn't getting much out of them. I do play out of habit, but I don't love them. But I do wonder what happened with my account.
[Secretary] - Surely it got erased, then?
[Salaryman] - Not... really. I mean, I never bothered to check up with the company, but I imagine it's still there. Maybe I should type something out their way.
[Secretary] - Hopefully it's still active.
[Salaryman] - Eh, probably. They made a lot of money out of people like me, anyway. Tell you what, I'm gonna type it on my phone while this damn thing doesn't move. You keep an eye out for the boss.
[Secretary] - Don't worry, he's probably at his toilet again.
[Salaryman] - ...He really doesn't do well with Lucetanian food, huh.
[Secretary] - Not in the slightest.

... END OF PART EIGHT ...

[Soviet Kem]

Soviet Kem 0 - Banija 1

By Bahav Xakin

This game wasn't the worst, given that our first game against Banija was a 3-0 slaughter, meaning that this 1-0 loss, while it could have been better it could have been worse. With Owole being the single goal scorer in the match, after a corner in the 78th minute, but Banija did have many chances, one particularly notable one came in the 33rd minute, as Ceesay shot toward the top-left corner, but Zoinski made the save, with the ball then falling to Son-Saka, but Zoinski made the double, then triple as Wentibwa then took a shot, which was then caught by Zoinski. I still pertain that Ken Stavisk should be sacked due to his performance withing the qualifying rounds of this world cup, but the defensive play probably saved us in this game.

Kita-Hinode 3 – Soviet Kem 0

By Bahav Xakin

This game was a disgrace, Ken Stavisk should be sacked immediately after qualifications end! A 3-0 loss, with the previous game only being 2-0 loss! I know that I am known for being a bit hot headed, and I have talked to my coworker Stev Burlam about jabbing at mean in the official releases, but this is still a disgrace, once Kita-Hinode made it past our midfield they have a virtually 100% chance of scoring, with all three of their shots going in. We didn't even get off one good shot! The team was flat, the tactics flawed, and the crowd disillusioned, all meaning that the hat trick by Taylor was to be expected. Ken Stavisk should have been able to adapt, given that this is the second time that we have faced Kita-Hinode.

Ken Stavisk Announces MD 15 & 16 Starting Lineup

By Bahav Xakin

These coming matchdays should be two wins, if everything I want happened, but that is not the world we live in, so in matchday 15 against Libonesia I am, given Ken Stavisk's current performance, should be a win, given Libonesia's record in qualifying, but Ken Stavisk has drawn the non-info teams in this second round, meaning that this may be a disgrace. As for matchday 16 against Reçueçn, I am expecting a draw or a close game, but Reçueçn has already qualified, meaning that we may be able to catch them on an off day and get a one to two goal win. However, this is highly unlikely, given Reçueçn's hyper-defensive play and Ken Stavisk's defensive play may handicap our chances, but I would say that this game is a coin-toss.

---

This is an interaction between Bahav Xakin and Stev Burlam, based around Burlam's comments in official posts from Soviet Kem Media Network Sports Network. Xakin starts the conversation, after reading Burlam's recent posts.

"Why are you attacking me in these posts?!"

"I am merely stating truths, do you not want the audience to know the truth?"

"I want the audience to know the truth. But I don't need you to slander me in the posts!"

"But it is fun, and I do take pleasure in it."

"That doesn't matter, I'm the one between the two of us who actually really cares about our qualification and how to fix our issues!"

"So? You are still fun to antagonize."

"...Can you please stop, I just don't like Ken Stavisk's play style, and I am passionate about what I write."

"Fine... I guess I can, but no promises."

"Thanks..."

[Saint Eleanor]

OOC gameplan:

• Episode Ia was the prelude.
• Episode Ib is breakfast time.
• Episode II will be Rebecca's birthday. Yay! She also has cheer camp and will be pushed around a lot. Yay(!)
• Episode III will be the Thursday after. She'll hook up with her friends as cheer isn't on that night.
• Episode IV will be the Saturday after, when cheer returns. I'm skipping over Friday to avoid it getting too tedious.
• Episode V will take place the week after. It's snowing so hard that school's closed and Rebecca's going to witness some of the drama first-hand.
• Episode VI will take place at cheer after the snow's cleared up. Her parents are in attendance.
• Episode VII will be a more tragic, tape-delayed re-run of Episode II, except without any cake.
• Episode VIII will be a rushed and messy denouement, as you would expect from my "grandiose" roleplay arcs.

Group of Six meeting (XCIII) --- SAINT ELEANOR 1-1 Woodsmere
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Katy Wilson [ballot]
Location: Premium coffee; Richardgate district, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

Stephen here. As would normally be oh-so-typical of us, an unexpected player surprised on the upside - but it was Laspa Vilbetti with an early goal to silence the home crowd. (This was a home crowd. Please ignore the reports in the Woodsmerean press which asserts that the match was being held at Randvu Stadium; about a dozen Eleanorians didn't take this advice and were accordingly stranded overseas with nothing to do.) We were stuck in a tedious match for the most part, until Lawson's impact as a substitute on the hour mark proved immediate, but were unable to find a way past our opposition despite our insistent style of play. Avote have been a punching bag so far, barely picking up four points out of seven - they remain an easily decypherable cypher - and the decision was therefore made to keep the same lineup as was fielded against Woodsmere.

Goodbye to Love
Episode Ib

7:03am - Wednesday 18th January 2017

Rebecca Petrie had woken up and was surprised to notice a full platter on the kitchentop. An egg, a couple of sausages, a couple of rashers of bacon, exactly one tomato...

"Good morning... you don't normally make me breakfast?" She's normally make herself a couple of slices of toast.

"This is an important breakfast. The most important breakfast you've ever had." Dad was never normally this generous.

"Because it's my first breakfast as an adult, right? Right?"

"Yes. You may have noticed that we've been a bit different recently."

"I was told never to work with children or animals."

"You'll be fine when you go to school. Keep an eye out for the traffic..."

"I'll wear the reflective jacket today."

"And don't get thrown out of class. Today's a geography day; I know that's not your favourite subject or the one you pay most attention to."

"Yes. A breakfast this important, according to you..."

"It's objectively important. As you probably haven't picked up last night... we will be... how do I put this? Breaking up."

"Divorce?"

"Well, that is what breaking up means."

"Other actions?"

"You don't need to know that information. That's the legal term for it. But a lot of stuff's been going on."

"Why isn't Mum here, then?"

"She's going to wake up in a bit. You might be well-advised to listen to what I'm saying for now."

"Okay?"

"We have had a few disputes recently, about a lot of things. We can't resolve these. We might never resolve these unless Bridget Coombe comes out of retirement to get us sorted out. Therefore, we are leaving."

"What things?"

"Eat your breakfast. We'll talk as a family before you go to cheer."

"So now?"

"It's at 6pm. You're normally home around 4pm. What do you think?"

"Fine. What do I need to know?"

"The divorce form should be all done by the end of this week. Proceedings should be this spring... I think it should be wrapped up by the longest day."

"Today is the longest day I'll ever live through... can I not go to school?"

"Fine. I'm putting two spoonfuls in your coffee because you said that. And a bit more sugar. Depression is never good in someone your age."

"Or mum's age."

"These were her disagreements. That's why we need to discuss this as a family. I'm sure she's going to disagree."

Rebecca didn't speak for a few minutes because she had finally started going through the motions of actually eating her breakfast. She didn't really listen to what her dad had to say after that. As far as she was concerned, it was a concern she didn't really need and this really was the culmination of an unholy amount of disputes, some of them overly massive. At least her family did not have easy access to any toxins; her birthday cake-cum-teatime snack had no need of being ruined.

Group of Six meeting (XCIV) --- Avote 0-2 SAINT ELEANOR
Participants: Gentle Breeze, Reniira Clevinger, Stephen Mitcham ~ Lydia Vickers [C], Cathy Winchester [VC], Tina Falconer [ballot]
Location: The Concord Line loop on the Metro, Saint Eleanor city, EXT

Match summary
Goals: Woodward (24, 45+2). For once, our striker scored all the goals in the game. This was a good performance, although (unusually) not an outstanding or even a nearly-perfect one; Tina insists that we're sparing our best performances for the big stage, which would not be a surprise as we got some criticism in 2016 for our leakiness.

Tactical discussion:
* We have no idea what Himurajima are doing - our scouts remain evasive as ever - but it is certainly something good!
* Strength is therefore required in as many areas of the field as possible, lest we be upturned again
* There's a soft consensus in favour of Sundgren at goal, as she has commended herself thoroughly, and Barnett at rightback as he will be needed more often in future
* Felaraneta will return to the lineup - everyone loves Aldra but they are a bit on the wild side and we need firepower
* Matsuda is safe to field; we wouldn't normally doubt him, but given the conditions, I did have to double-check that he wasn't overly pissed off before the meeting
* Otherwise, there is no change compared to our strongest lineup and best possible tactics

TAKEAWAY: HIMURAJIMA COULD SURPRISE US AGAIN IF WE DON'T PAY ATTENTION - TREAT THEM LIKE A SERIOUS OPPONENT AND FRUITFUL RESULTS WILL COME

AGREED LINEUP (4-2-3-1): Sundgren - Winchester, Vickers, Wilson, Barnett - Morgan, Matsuda - Lawson, Felaraneta, Ohan - Woodward

- Cathy