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Cup of Harmony 92; Team Cardenao Starting 11 Discussion!
Cup of Harmony 92; Team Cardenao Starting 11 Discussion!
Alright, let’s dig down a bit and talk about the team representing Cardenao at the 100th World Cup, coming off a surprise runners-up finish in CAFA 11 to barely miss out on Finals Qualification. This is a Blue and Golds squad that is built to function and succeed like a team, long gone are the days of Chímo Ventura, Haritz Larrainzar, or Juanma Saez dragging the team to victory, yet there are few names such as those legends gracing the team today. The future is undefined, but the present is here and it’s Cup of Harmony 92 BABY!!!! Let’s take a look at the starting XI representing yourrrrr Cardenao BLUE and GOLDS!
Let’s start with the man between the sticks, Mr. Kai Chidubem. At 32 years of age he’s basically a teenager in goalkeeper years and he’s been turning out for the national team for over a decade now. Kai is a fantastic goalkeeper, really an elite shot stopper with his powerful 6’3 frame. He’s not the best with the ball at his feet, but as long as you can stop the ball from going in the net, well that’ll have to do! Despite his age, the world class reflexes appear to be unchanged; add on Kai’s absolutely elite trash talking and you’ve got a keeper! That smack talk goes great with right back Fito Peru, who is quite the jokester himself, I mean who can forget when he untied Jason Jenner-Pokka’s shoelaces during the game against Kimi-Soumi, what a cheeky lad! Fito can be spotted charging up the right flank during games as he tries to whip one of his great crosses into the middle. He’s not the most solid defensively, but he’s got good timing for tackles and knows how to keep his winger out wide. Off the pitch, catch him riding one of his many motorcycles around the country, especially through the mountains of Western Cardenao. Looking at the heart of our defense, we’ve got #4 Vittorino Seve Dioli holding it down at centerback. The 26 year old is one of the most talented defenders we’ve produced, not only is he immaculate when defending, rarely putting a foot wrong, but he’s also a menace with the ball at his feet. Vito is a great passer across all levels, but he has an especially nice cross field pass that he just pings so sweetly across the field. He’s not afraid to get up in attack either when the game calls for it; Striker Vito is very much a meme in Cardenao. He’s a very reserved individual, always gives terse, to the point responses when talking to the media, and it’s probably easier to spot a unicorn than it is to see Seve Dioli out and about, man likes his privacy! Partnering him at centerback is 29 year old Fedele Lenti, Fido is a proper hardman who will just kick the shit out of his opponent if it seems like he might be beat, which makes for a great pairing with the more elegant Vito. Off the field, man Fido can always be found at the nearest bar knocking em back with the locals, especially during international games. Finally, we’ve got the captain Moustir-Yves Almeny holding it down at left back. 30 and rocking his prime, Moustir still retains his elite pace, confident dribbling, and assured tackling while projecting his biggest strength: sheer aura. Seriously, if you’re a fan, you know he’s going to have a good game. If you’re a teammate, you know you’ve got an incredibly complete player on the left wing. If you’re an opponent, you can hear him chase you down, feet pounding before nicking the ball and getting the counter started. He’s real creative, always has a tricky solution to any problem he faces, and that sort of consistency has made him mainstay of the team since he was 20. In his younger years, you could catch Moustir racing around New Cardonia in one of his Dilajo sports cars but he seems to have given that up as he matures some and he can now be spotted leisurely fishing in the hottest spots across the Iceethuh Sea. But enough about defense, how bout those boys in midfield?
Well the midfield has historically been the powerhouse of the Cardenaoan national team, a smart midfield and a sharp striker have been the foundation of any ‘success’ the team has found. I’ve mentioned the name Haritz Larrainzar several times in this article and with good reason, Haritz is a hero of the national team and proved that once again when he returned in the second half of WC99 qualifying to help propel us into the Finals! The man anchoring the whole thing is 29 year old Jake Casales at the 6 and to be honest, this guy could have a second career as a model! I suppose he does with his endorsement work, but phew to be 6’1 with a jawline like that, and he’s brilliant at footy too! Jake Casales is an absolute rock both in and out of possession, he’s got great positioning so he’s always where he needs to be to recycle possession or shut down an attack, and he’s got these long legs he uses to stab and poke the ball away from an opponent before hitting a peach of a pass through the defensive line. It’s a telling sign of how Cardenao plays the game that they’ve opted for a possession focused player as opposed to a purely defensive destroyer in the 6 role. In front of him he’s got the delightful Ricky Delafont ahead of him. Ohhh Ricky Ricky, what a joy to watch you Tiki Tiki! 5’8 and born with the ball on his foot, Ricky Delafont is a clever dribbler who always has his eyes up scanning for a through ball. Sometimes he holds onto the rock for a little too long and loses possession, but with his vision and ability to cut out the narrowest passes, well you just have to live with that. Off the pitch he’s the life of the party, always showing up to events, always finding the red carpet, always chatting and joking with fans, Ricky really is living his best life. Putting it all together is Camilo Zavala, who has embraced a late arrival to stardom with the 29 year old having an evercool demeanor. Camilo is a primarily left footed player who plays as the 10 for the Blue and Golds and he has been blessed with phenomenal touch and dribbling abilities, gliding around the pitch setting up play after play, occasionally chipping in with a goal himself. You’d maybe like to see him test the goalkeeper more often, Zavala has a good shot on him, while his penalty kick record is spotty at best, though he’s quite nice at freekicks. Another area of concern is, despite his impressive on the ball ability, Camilo often doesn’t track back on defense as often or as intensely as he needs to and that can land his team in a tricky situation. The game is won and lost in the midfield, the Cardenaoan team has a lot of skilled, creative passers in the midfield but perhaps lacks that bit of steel that could see them to the Finals once again. I suppose we’ll just have to score more goals than the other team does!
Speaking of goalscoring, let’s talk about goalscorers starting with Kiko Nécib. The man wearing the 9 for La Furia Azule has developed quite nicely since storming onto the scene eight years ago as an 18 year old wonder kid. Those legendary performances against Audioslavia along wrote him into the fabric of our national history, butttt that was some time ago now and it increasingly seems that Kiko might be yet another highly touted Cardenaoan wonderkid who failed to reach the heights envisioned. That’s not to say he isn’t a good player, no, he’s definitely a deadly striker that New Cardonia FC is happy to have. Always in motion, Kiko is ever searching for an opportunity to slip through the defense to finish off a well weighted through ball. He can tuck ‘em away with either foot, he can score from close, medium, and long range, he can curl them in or bang the ball past the keeper, the lad is a goal scorer through and through and that’ll do for me. Feeding him opportunities is the ever tricky ChuChu Hernandez out on the left wing. First off, the 27 year old is fast as hell. Second off, this boy got a wicked cross off his left foot. Third off, this boy's name is ChuChu Hernandez and that’s just fun to say! When he’s not getting it done on the field, ChuChu is quietly putting together a second career as a TV star, particularly in medical sitcoms. The final member of the starting XI is Dimitri Micalizo, a real Jack of all trades who recently transferred to the Alameda Desperados after many years turning out for New Cardonia FC. Mr. Dimitri is Mr. Versatile on the right wing, the 31 year old can dribble, he can pass, he can shoot, he can tackle, he’s like some sort of super utilitarian knife that can be used for a lot of purposes. The three forwards all bring different aspects to the attacking gameplan, and together they make it work.
It’s going to be a quick n dirty qualification campaign, but Team Cardenao is rolling into Cup Of Harmony 92 after coming so close to qualification in WC100. Now is our chance to improve and finally make it to the elimination rounds and show the world what we’re capable of. Blue and Gold…La Furia Azule forever!
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SATURDAY 29TH NOVEMBER, 2025
Portland Pirates
