World Cup 101 - The Roleplays

[Zenic]

Good news: that was Zenic's first window without a loss.

Bad news: Zenic somehow DROPPED one spot in the Group 15 table in spite of that improvement.

The Survivors players and staff were a bit downtrodden when they arrived at the training ground today at Zenic's first training since the last international window. The Empire's first draw and first away victory should have lifted them up the standings, even if only by a spot. Yet, it did not. They did continue to raise their goal differential little by little but that did little to raise the mood in Manacus. As Zys looked back on the last windows while overseeing training, he had a blank expression on his face. The Sharktail match was a nothing burger as both squads failed to get anything running while the Woodsmere match was their first victory where they allowed a goal but Dejulio and Sumida thankfully were each able to find the back of the opposition's net.

"So, what's the game plan?," asked Tapi, moving over from working on free kicks with the midfielders to overseeing training with Zys. He didn't respond for a few seconds. "At this point, anything and everything offensive. We need to get that 'goals for' number way higher." As it stood, Zenic were the best defensive team in Group 15, having allowed only 4 goals. The next best? The Golden Harp at 5 goals allowed. Add that to their 17 goals scored and there's a valid reason that they are at the top of the group. And they just so happened to be visiting Manacus at the start of the next window. Those goals for Zenic need to arrive fast and hard if they have any hopes of not having to run the World Cup play-in playoff gauntlet.

"I am proud of being better defensively than a squad that literally specializes in parking the bus and only scoring on the counter attack. I am definitely NOT proud that they have been significantly better offensively than we've been so far. It'll be 100% man-marking between Nakazawa and Dettmann versus Kelleher and Collins as anything else will leave the backline in a 4v3 or 5v3. At best, we have to rely on Hodge, Dubravko, and Pekko to handle Johnson, Steed, and Watt on their own while the rest of the team looks to break through that brick wall of a defense they've built. It might be a tad risky but we need more wins and we need them ASAP," Zys explained passionately.

"Understood. That takes care of one team but what are we going to do against Darmen? Just play our game?" Zys was going to initially reply with something slightly witty before answering but he came to the realization that just playing their game may well be the best option against fellow Rushmori team that heavily favors flank play. Darmen are known to be a flank-heavy team that pushes it up the sides before crossing it into the box and only trying their possession-heavy, passing-heavy backup style if they have a huge advantage. Zenic ran a similar style with heavy focus on their wingbacks but the Survivors' advantage was their willingness and ability to get the ball into the middle of the pitch and generate offense that way. Zenic had that luxury in part thanks to the talent of their forwards and central midfielders and in other parts thanks to their wingbacks being able to keep the defense honest, allowing there to be enough spacing for all Zenicians to make the required plays for goals. "Yeah, that should work."

At least, normally it does. Both plans hinge on said forwards and central midfielders to get the job done at the pace they're used to, which they haven't been doing lately. Thus, it fell on Zys' shoulders to make the hard call: play it safe and hope for the best or risk it and get two huge wins back-to-back to get Zenic where he feels they should be? Zys yelled out instructions to the whole field, instructing them to work on their passing and dribbling in the middle of the pitch for the forwards and midfielders while the defenders worked on their marking, both man and zonal, and the goalkeepers on their control of the box.

While Zys' job was not in trouble, he knew this could backfire heavily on him and maybe start the slow and steady path towards the hot seat. But he felt that everyone on this team right now would make the same decisions he had to make.

Hopefully.

[Kimi-Suomi]

After what could only be described as a soft dud of a window, the Huuhkajat of Kimi-Suomi were now back on Earth and hoping to try and move past issues behind them. Losing to Ääniorjainen 1-0 at home was one thing, as that game actually showed promise, but many people were concerned that the 0-0 draw against Bharatamandala was a sign of things to come, that the good times were coming to an end just as we thought they were going to continue. Going back to the WC isn't easy; you have a ton more pressure and expectation to deal with from all sides, but many still had belief that this team could meet those expectations - especially in a system where the Top 5 are either in or have something to play for. So, with that in mind, the journey has to continue.

Pesä would be hosting for the 2nd time this campaign in a game that many of the fans here were...let's just say "amped up" about. When it was confirmed that we would be facing Venäjän Imperiumi EPL in this group stage, local law enforcement and the Hallitus all got together and made sure measures were in place to ensure the visiting fans could enjoy the game while the frosty atmosphere was in place. Why? Because, as a nation of majority Finns, any reference to an Imperial Russia of some description causes a bit of a stir, which is pretty understandable if you understand the history of Finnish-Russian relations before Kimi-Suomi was born. All everyone in that stadium wanted to see was these keisarilliset put to the sword on Suomen soil...and pretty much, that is what happened. Ebba Persson got a brace, and Jason Jenner-Pokka got the 3rd in what was seen as a comfortable win, even if we conceded a consolation late. We needed this win, just to prove the magic was still there is some capacity.

We needed that win because our next game, on the road against 4th place Pyazhnaya, was going to be tough...and so it proved. We knew that Aleksandra Agratova wanted to make a statement of intent in Krasnograd, and with the home crowd hungry for feathers and claws, the fierce attack of the hosts would end up being too much for everyone in Blue and Red. Maksimilian Kartashov managed a brace, Sergey Bryzgalov got the 3rd and we were simply finished, no pun intended.

This group has clearly developed into a 1+9 scenario, where Ääniorjainen are seemingly untouchable and everyone else is in a scrap for the final automatic spot. If that is the case, then we will have to manage our expectations and our campaign accordingly - starting with the next window. Länsi-Vdara will be the first team to come to Lumikukkulat this campaign before we head out to Abanhfleft and with everything developing as it is, we know that getting as many points as possible from these next four games will be huge.

If this is a battle for 2nd, then so be it. Tanssi viehättää meitä kaikkia joka tapauksessa.
NOSTA KUIN HUUHKAJAT!

---

SCHEDULE/AJOITTAA (Group 1)
MD1: @Andso Mangis (188) W 3-1
MD2: @Doychnya (395) W 1-0 (2nd)
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MD3: vs Ääniorjainen [Audioslavia] (8) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki L 0-1 (3rd)
MD4: @Bharatamandala (325) D 0-0 (3rd)
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MD5: vs Venäjän Imperiumi EPL [Russian Empire EHA] (343) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki W 3-1 (2nd)
MD6: @Pyazhnaya (30) - Krasnograd Dome, Krasnograd L 0-3 (3rd)
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MD7: vs Länsi-Vdara [West Vdara] (70) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat
MD8: @Abanhfleft (83)
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MD9: vs Hanalinen [Hanalia] (91) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat
MD10: vs Andso Mangis (188) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat
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MD11: vs Doychnya (395) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki
MD12: @Ääniorjainen [Audioslavia] (8) - The Beltzarga, Glassbridge, Cathair
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MD13: vs Bharatamandala (325) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki
MD14: @Venäjän Imperiumi EPL [Russian Empire EHA] (343)
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MD15: vs Pyazhnaya (30) - Galaktien Colosseum (Colosseum of the Galaxies), Lumikukkulat
MD16: @Länsi-Vdara [West Vdara] (70) - Grand Amphitheater of the Proletariat, Agios Stavros
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MD17: vs Abanhfleft (83) - The Nest [Pesä], Kimi Kaupunki
MD18: @Hanalinen [Hanalia] (91) - National Stadium, Hanalia(?)

[Alasdair I Frosticus]

Dear World Cup Refereeing Committee,

You may remember our writing to you following the opening World Cup 101 qualification matches against Jeckland and Bongo Johnson. We are therefore disappointed to find ourselves writing to you for the second time this tournament regarding our concerns over the inconsistencies shown by referees towards our squad of shoggoths.

Let us be clear that we have no concerns over the nature of the match against Tikariot. While naturally disappointed to lose 2-0 at home, we acknowledge the superior play of our opponents, who are deservedly topping the group with a perfect record. It comes as little surprise that snowy owls, nocturnal beings themselves, have no fear of shoggoths [note: remember to check whether or not Tikariot players are literally snowy owls or humanoids before sending letter].

Nor do we have any complaints about the Vanorian referee, who discharged her duties fairly and with a certain level of sensitivity towards the unusual nature of the match. It cannot be easy to referee a football match between shoggoths and snowy owls [see previous note; must remember to actually watch the footage before writing these letters], and yet she carried out her duties with aplomb, prepared to accept that shoggoth pseudopods are not automatically arms, and in any case do not feature hands; usually. If only every football match could be refereed by such a fair-minded elf.

We would instead draw your attention to the Myrtle Beach - Holy Empire match at Grand Strand Stadium. We have little doubt that you have seen the media coverage, and have also likely read the referee's report. Surely you agree that the extraordinary four penalties called against our squad is excessive, and suggests that the inexperienced referee from Boring Paradise was not just unsuitable for the match, but was rather overwhelmed by the nature of events.

Let us look at each of the four penalties in turn:

15th minute - the ball perfectly innocently bounces off a protruberance on the body of one of our defenders; a protruberance, mind, so it wasn't even a pseudopod. This penalty should never have been awarded.

28th minute - we will freely concede that Luka Chukchov was tripped just inside the area by one of our midfielders; this was a legitimate penalty.

53rd minute - the referee confused our goalkeeper with one of our defenders. While we concede that one shoggoth looks very much like another, this is why we have used mystical runes to inscribe their squad numbers on their bodies in giant numbers of flame. It should be impossible to confuse a '1' with a '4', but this is nonetheless what appears to have happened. We would simply submit that even if a referee is confused over whether a pseudopod counts as an arm or not for the purposes of Law 12, a goalkeeper is presumably always allowed to use a pseudopod, irrespective of whether it constitutes an arm or a leg.

77th minute - that was obviously a dive by Vodoleyev; he should have been sent off for simulation, not awarded a penalty.

As such, three of the Myrtle Beach penalties should never have been awarded; the impact on the result is obvious given that the Holy Empire lost 6-5.

Rest assured that we have no complaints against the two goals scored by Myrtle Beach in open play. We merely point out that by any fair-minded measure the Holy Empire would have won the match 5-3 (allowing for the wholly legitimate penalty). We entirely understand why there is no mechanism for replaying the match, or for changing the result; the referee's decision must be allowed to stand, however dubious. We have been participating in World Cups longer than any other nation, and we do appreciate the sensible reasons for this principle. Nonetheless, we would respectfully submit that this particular referee should be barred from officiating any future football matches involving shoggots, irrespective of whether or not they feature the Holy Empire.

Sincerely Yours,

Nicephorus Phocaso
Second Senior Undersecretary to the Junior Oversecretary of Holy Empire Football Association Multiverse Relations

[City of Myrtle Beach]

GROUP 10 | MATCHDAY 5
Masraya 2 - 0 Myrtle Beach

Goalscorers:
Masraya: 13' Halimi; 31' Arifin

GROUP 10 | MATCHDAY 6
Myrtle Beach 6 - 5 The Holy Empire

Goalscorers:
Myrtle Beach: 16' Chukchov (pen.); 30' Petersen (pen.); 36' Petersen; 54' Chukchov (pen.); 63' Fisher; 78' Chukchov (pen.)
The Holy Empire: 27'; 35'; 45+1'; 54'; 85'

Upcoming Losses
Matchday 7 - at Tikariot
Matchday 8 - at United States of Devonta
Matchday 9 - vs Gyaromia
Matchday 10 - vs Kanzlia
Matchday 11 - at Shin-Zetsubo
Matchday 12 - vs Jeckland
Matchday 13 - at Bongo Johnson
Matchday 14 - vs Masraya
Matchday 15 - at The Holy Empire
Matchday 16 - vs Tikariot
Matchday 17 - vs United States of Devonta
Matchday 18 - at Gyaromia

---

The Masraya match was not anything to write home about. The Seagulls were, understandably, in poor form after partying all night two days before, then sleeping the whole day before the match. So poor, in fact, that the qualifying newcomers were able to slide two in and stop the Myrtle Beachians from getting anything in the net. They started to shape up towards the end, but by that point it was just too late. It didn't help that it was pouring buckets the whole time, too. Also, it was 100 degrees, and the hygrometer was reading 103% humidity which was, by the general meteorological community, thought to be impossible. And you might be thinking: that just sounds like a regular day in Myrtle Beach all the time. And you would be right, but since the team lost, they need something to put the blame on lest they have to accept that they may not be as good as they thought they were.

Then, after a couple of days of curfews and intensive training to get back on track, the team walked onto the pitch to face off against The Holy Empire. This had to be a win or else the Seagulls will fall to an uncomfortably low position. The problem, of course, is that the team they were about to play was good. The stadium was filled to the brim. And so the Official WCC Referee blew the whistle, and it was off to the races. The races, of course, being the penalty races, as the referee appeared to have some kind of vendetta against the Holy Empire's team. Perhaps the referee saw the shoggoths enter the field and decided that they were just going to phone it in today and try and get that job refereeing the university leagues, instead. After all, everyone in the Myrtle Beach university leagues is human. For now. But they still had to get through this match, and so whenever something happened that appeared like it could have been a penalty, it was called. As such the Myrtle Beachians were awarded four penalties during the game, three taken by Chukchov and one by Petersen. The penalties were likely due to the fact that the referee had a hard time trying to figure out what was going on with the Holy Empire's players in regards to their limbs, which is a perfectly reasonable ability to not have, and so this referee's calls were fine. At any rate, the result is the result, and so Myrtle Beach moves into the next game in a playoff spot. They just need to stay there...

[Banija]

63rd minute, on Matchday 5, as Banija are locking horns in a 1-1 game with Darmen

Mikhail Trischuk surveyed the pitch, just as Son-Saka skied a half decent opportunity well over the bar. The Darmen keeper just pointed up, into the Istria night sky. The two teams were engaged in a head battle. Trischuk was frowning- Banija had 4 wins from 4, and against some good competition too- but not once, had the Kadongo Kamu looked like they were in peak form. None of that swashbuckling, creative, relentless attacking form that had seen the Banijans storm through ARC VI, and a trophy alongside it. Instead, when the attacking was there, the defense really wasn't- or vice versa. Had the team truly played a complete game? Or had they displayed an almost unique ability to simply take over in the second half? They needed to show an ability to play a full 90, if fans really wanted to be comfortable about the World Cup trajectory- trajectory in the Finals, not just through Qualifying.

Trischuk then looked at his bench- and wanted a change. Something that would be a change of pace, keep Banija's unbeaten campaign going- and keep their pole position on top of Group 15. He looked down the bench, and saw Adrien Manaudou, the team's backup center back. "Hey, Adrien, start warming up. You'll be on next." Trischuk didn't even continue looking. HIs eyes back to the pitch, as one of his assistants ran over to Adrien, to give him instructions.

About 30 seconds later, Trischuk saw a commotion going on the bench. "What the hell?" He thought to himself. He looked over. "Adrien?"

"Coach, I'm sorry- I'm hurt." Adrien Manaudou told him. "I feel it in my leg."

"Hurt?? What the hell do you mean, you're hurt?" Trischuk said incredulously. "I haven't heard anything of the sort. Where the hell is the trainer-"

"He doesn't know, I felt it in warmups." Manaudou responded. Trischuk looked at him- dumbfounded. Even the cameras were starting to pick up the commotion going on, on the Banijan bench.

"You not going in the game son?" Trischuk said.

"No, I'm hurt." Adrien said. Something about his defender seemed off. What the hell was he talking about? As Trischuk was about to argue, he turned around- Darmen was flying down the field on a counter. A great cross to a wide open Torger Woodward, who smashed home the half-volley here at the Istria Olympic Stadium. Suddenly, no need for a defensive substitution- the Banijans were now trailing, 2-1. It was a moment that no longer mattered- but forgotten? Not by a long shot...

---

Banijans split latest window as Adrien Manaudou injury mystery grabs all the headlines

ISTRIA, MORAVICA- The latest window was a mixed bag for the Banijans. After taking 4 wins from 4, the Banijans suffered their first loss in Qualifying since the World Cup 98 cycle, as Darmen defeated the Banijans at the Istria Olympic Stadium, 2 goals to 1. But while Darmen was celebrating their victory that would put Banija at second place in the group table, but maybe be the start of a bigger controversy- is Adrien Manaudou injured?

First, we will get to the second game of the window. The Banijans responded well, with a 3-2 away victory against Libegeist. They were powered by their star #9, as a Resnais-Mahama hat trick powered the Banijans to three more points. They and Golden Harp are starting to solidify themselves at the top of this group, as both have 15 points. Remember, in this format, the top two both go automatically to the World Cup- and with the 3rd place team at 11 points, they are starting to be in a good position. But remember- only a third of the way through Qualifying, so a LOT of time for the table to move.

The real question though- what, exactly, is going on with Adrien Manaudou? Banija's backup center back, the Farf dual-national, is making his NT debut in this tournament. And yet, despite only one appearance with the NT... He seems to be hurt? A mystery. What we know, is this- Trischuk tried to sub him into the Darmen game, he told Trischuk he was hurt, nobody had heard of this, and it caused some heated arguments on the sideline. Banija's manager refused to comment after the game. So did Adrien Manaudou.

But the rumors, and the leaks, have been flying. Some have accused Adrien Manaudou of faking an injury. Others are saying that he no longer has his heart in the NT, and no longer wants to be here? What gives for the latest Farf-Banijan dual-national to star for this team? We do not know, yet- but we do know, that once people start commenting, this is going to be a saga that is long, long from over...

[Kelssek]

SPORT / FOOTBALL

Players back Potter as Kelssek goes winless in three
Kelssek manager facing heat of criticism after home draws leave them adrift in the World Cup qualifying race

After a torrid pair of draws, Kelssek’s World Cup qualification campaign is in jeopardy and recriminations are raging over the tenure of manager Ryan Potter. Few could have predicted this difficult start for the man who led Burnaby SC to three league titles and two Patriotes Cup triumphs.

Speaking after a toothless outing against Raspotochje that ended 0-0 in front of a restless crowd at Kingswharf in Breton, Potter insisted they’d done enough to win the match.

“It sometimes happens that you don’t get what you deserve, and we deserved more than that. We were a bit unlucky in front of goal, and it came down to us making it hard for ourselves. It’s a big setback and I have to acknowledge that, but we’ve got to simply focus on getting the most out of the matches we have coming up and worry about what we can do.”

Indeed, much of football punditry is busy formulating various theories for the turn of events. One version seems to be the difference between club and international football, and the need to simplify and adapt tactical approaches when coaches have limited time with players as well as little opportunity to find new ones.

Kelssek captain Titan Pogbacar, who played under Potter’s tutelage at Burnaby, said, “I know I haven’t been at my best first of all, and as a team and players we’ve got to be better at our movement, getting into spaces and getting onto the ball. Any change is always going to be a process.”

Another school of thought is that the disjointed performances are simply about the churn of players being integrated into the Kelssek squad. With Potter determined to bring in fresh faces who can bring something different to a team that has been on a palpable decline over the last few cycles, it’s all a lot of change to adapt for everyone involved.

A trip to Bostopia is coming up when qualification resumes, which in these circumstances has become a must-win situation for Kelssek to get back on course.

KELSSEK 3 - Niemi (66', 72'), Mao (89')
Tessier, Jouppi, Cleeves, Lalande, Casiraghi, Licea (Nordet 70'), Pogbacar, Mylonakis (Mao 78'), Obident (Consðntin 78'), Cutter, Niemi (Teokotai 84')
SREDNJACI 3 - Matković (60'), Tavano (73'), Žimić (75')
Stadium of the Workers, Neorvins (attn. 57,558)

KELSSEK 0
Tessier, Bastien, Cleeves, Zivkovic, Nyhof, Pogbacar (Hannigan 56'), Lios, Gosling, Hirji (Obident 75'), Cutter (Teokotai 82'), Niemi (Coulter 75')
RASOPOTJCHE 0[/B]
Kingswharf, Breton (attn. 40,102)

***

On some level, when Kelssek manager Ryan Potter showed up for their home match against table-topping CS Saint-Rémy, Clayquot City must have realized he was there to scout the opposition’s players for the national team. But every club staff member he met insisted on a ludicrous state of over-excitement, pretending he was there to see one of their own and this was a sign Emre Massinen’s rumoured return to the squad was for real.

That was the assumption of the director? Someone with a club blazer, at any rate, who got to sit next to Ryan Potter. And someone with a misapprehension that the national team coach wanted to hear about the latest in sports entertainment business models.

“...the gist of it, is that the old way is too tied to on-field success. They say you can’t support a financial group or a business model. That’s loser talk. I support all the teams I damn well want with cross-team streetwear collections and fashion influencer collaborations over multiple platforms. That’s how we’ve modernized the way this club does business.”

No wonder you lot have fallen out of the top tier and are scrapping about in the lower mid-table the last few years, Ryan thought, and tried to focus on watching Artemios Ostend’s off-the-ball movement.

[Saperetia]

By 1
Sudilia 1-0 Saperetia

A 50/50 split of wins and losses is the expected outcome of the previous run of matches. Perhaps the way there was not, but that was a problem for statistitians of the future. Right now, Saperetia had another match to play and they had to give everything, as it is agajnst another tough opponent, of and in Sudilla. Whatever statistics said was not the focus as the SAP 4-3-3 lined up against the SUD 4-2-3-1:

Saperetia: GK Hranislav (C) DEF Abdelkader, Carloza, Damjan, Anatoliv MID Gil, Inget, Camilo ATK Jacques, Seppe, Seppo

Sudilia: GK Reeves DEF Williams, Clarke, Khan, Keen-Rossi MID-DEF Campbell, Nakajima MID-ATK Laviolette, Laprise (C), Bourne ATK Richardson

Sudilia sprung out of the gates with continious quick attacks against the Saperetian goal, but The Crimsonites manages to hold off against the onslaught, and they even attempted a bit of time-wasting whenever an oppourtinity posed itself. This led to an irritation of the home fans, who saw through the blatent attempts, while the referee seemed oblivious to it. Despite all the time spent stansing around and waiting, only 1 minute was added on to the end of the 1st half, irritating the crowd even further. The home side did however get hwlped by on thing in the second half, and that being Silivia's abilitiy to completely screw over the team with only the team talk at the half. One thong led to another and a foul by Carloza on Richardson in minute '55 led to a yellow card and a penalty to the home side, which was promptly slotted home by the foulee. The time-wasting attempts now backfired as the home side began using them (although in a bit reduced capacity) and the game was effectively killed until the final whistle.

Losing by only 1 goal is not fun, but it is the 2nd match of ours to end in such a scoreline. The players were definetly frustrated at not utalizing their chances and Silivia was frustrated at his tactics coming so close to working. After the match, he sais how he had to "only tweak a few things" for it to work. Some fans believed him, others were a bit sceptical. But, for the time being these two groups had to co-exist, and we will have to see if sparks will end up flying.

Tough loss against tough opponent
Saperetia 3-4 Tanirinthia

After the loss against Sudilia in the previous match day, here stood a bigger challenge: the highest-ranked opponent in our group, Tanirinthia. A big portion of fans gave up hope when they saw this matchup. A bigger portion never had hope. A small portion still held out some hope even against such a tough draw. Whatever the fans believed they still turned out in full force as the SAP 4-3-3 lined up against the TAN 3-4-3:

Saperetia: GK Hranislav (C) DEF O'Connel, Carloza, Damjan, Simmage MID Hardin, Inget, Shah ATK Jacques, Seppel, Seppo

Tanirinthia: GK Marshall DEF Manning, Menzie, Medina (C) MID Dixon, Wheeler, O'Brien, Barnett ATK Baccus, Payne, Holt

Of course, as per usual, The Crimsonite goal was under heavy barrage from The Jackalopes who made great strides towards the gial. This was soon rewarded as a heavy Payne strike shot the visitors to the lead with just over a quarter played. Just five minutes later this was followed up as a cross connected with a free Baccus' head to extend the lead to 2. Just before the half hour mark, the crimson led a counterattack that saw an attempted cross by Jacques be somehow diverted into goal by someone in the defense. This gave a slither of hope to the home side which was swiftly crused with the fourth goal in minute '33, a free kick by Wheeler flew over Hranislav's head and into the net, changing the scoreline yet again to 3-1, where the match would remain at until the whistle to end the first half. Both teams headed into the rooms already somewhat tired, but only for one was this unusual. Both sides emerged from the tunnel a bit freshened up, ready to continue the battle on the field. Despite the somewhat back-and-forth of the first half of attacks from The Jackalopes and (attempted) counters from The Crimsonites, the second half saw relatively little of this action in the first half. Both sides tried some rhings, but neither anything to loosen up the game. This streak of "nothing ever happens" was ended finally in minute '79 when a lob by Shah flew high over Marshall's head and just barely landed in the goal for a 3-2 score and a glimmer of hope of a large upset. When Menzie did the same to Hranislav in minute '88, that hope left the stadium, and so did a part of the crowd, who missed the consolation goal in '90+4 by Sepel that brough the score to the 4-3 final tally.

A loss against a higher ranked team is never surprising, but the closeness of this match was. Silivia tried to talk it over and talked about how he had done a good job, seemingly not realising that the fans already believed he did a good enough job. There was also another surprising thing about the matches so far. Not any wins or losses, not any goals, but the fact we haven't had a draw so far.

[United States Of Alpha]

MatchDay5 Results:
United States of Alpha 2, Anewkansas 0

Summary: Wow, the "Ableedingkansas" fantasy came true! United States of Alpha earns its first major upset of the World Cup! This was a hugely successful day!

after the game:
Hookem2019: Eyyyyyy, we did it! Anewkansas is officially bleeding! Who would've thought!

manumeredith: Just think of all the other teams we can beat! The possibilities are endless!

JustBry4: Great win everyone! Let's go to . . . uh, the nearest Mexican restaurant! Let's celebrate this absolute banger of a win!
[they had a great time and ate Mexican food and stuff it was awesome]

MatchDay6 Results:
United States of Alpha 0, Sernet 2

Summary: Tragically, the Alphanians have accrued another loss. However, I applaud everyone's effort out there, including the Sernetians, who looked like they really wanted to win this game, as well as our own team, who played hard in the face of the adversity of Donut Stadium. Maybe the food reference is what got us. Oh well, we have bigger fish to fry. Until next time.
_{jeez writing this is making me hungry i'd better stop}

after the game
NotJustBry4: God dammit! That was just a bad game! We had no goals? No points AND no goals.

noobus: Remember the philosophy thingy, NotJustBry4.

Harrison_Delvi: We did good job today guys. Anyone for some vodka?

ItzSarath: I, for one, think eating Mexican food as celebration. We should have eaten at an Indian restaurant.

noobus: Look guys, again, one loss does not mean a bad tournament. We will get more opportunities to prove ourselves over the next few days. Okay? Now let's get out of here.

[sub]Up Next
United States of Alpha vs. Choppyhausen (71)
United States of Alpha @ Flavovespia (3) RIP

[Aleirave]

Courtroom Chaos

Today was the day. It was time for the court to begin the process of deciding Haulafo Paka’ula’s fate — and in his eyes, that meant it was time for him to be locked up for being the disgrace he was, and betraying everyone.

bang! bang!

The sound of the gavel signaled the beginning of the jury selection process. Both the prosecution and the defense were sweating bullets. Alex Daniels, Haulafo’s defense lawyer, was looking for who he thought were the only 12 people on the island who were sympathetic to Haulafo, who still liked this team. From what Haulafo told him, the whole island was against him, and this was going to be a very tough task.

On the other hand, Lana Garber’s prosecution was trying to find 12 people who didn’t sympathize with Haulafo on an island that she knew had at most three.

“Your Honor,” she asked the judge, “I would like to request the right to a jury trial be forewent, since the case is far too high-profile on this island for any group of people to rationally come to a fair conclusion.”

“There’s a reason why it’s called a right Ms. Garber,” Judge Pa’ole Patikahana replied, “and the right to a fair trial can only be waived by the defendant and his team. Request denied.”

Haulafo, thinking his chances of winning a jury trial were about as long as the boat trip to get here was, ecstatically declared “I would like to waive my r–”

“No no no Your Honor, my client does not…” Alex told the judge, cutting off his client. “Are you really sure about this?” he whispered, “You’d be completely at the whims of the judge, without being able to win over the jury, which I feel like you might be able to do. Look at them over there… they don’t seem too angry, and I’ve never seen a jury that wasn’t angry enough just about being there.”

“Come on, I can’t win when the island is this–”

“Excuse me, sorry I’m late…” a woman said as she broke into the courtroom, cutting Haulafo off again. “I couldn’t help but come watch this.”

“Objection, Your Honor, who the hell is this and why is she interrupting an important discussion??” the prosecuting attorney once again asked the judge.

“Considering that this woman is the Governor of the island and she has the authority to fire me at will, I’ll have to consider your objection overruled and allow her to remain.”

“Thank you so much, Your Honor.” Katya Olayeva told the judge.
“Why is she here?” Haulafo asked his attorney, “and why is she walking towards us??”
“Hey guys, sorry about this but Falena told me you were on the island and I just had to figure out what was going on.”

“Okay once again Your Honor but objection?! Having her be in the courtroom is one thing but there is no way in Margaret’s name she’s allowed to consult the defense team like this.”
“Objection sustained, please return to the audience Governor…”
“What if he pays me, am I part of the legal team then?” Katya asked.
“I suppose so?”

“Haulafo,” she asked her former manager, “can you spot me a dollar? Even a penny, anything really.”
“I didn’t ask for you to be here!”
“Here you go,” Alex told her, handing her a penny. “Consider it taken out of Haulafo’s legal fees, therefore it’s him paying you, ergo you’re a part of the defense team now.”
“What in Ta’anehupa’s name is this?? Your Honor, objection?” Haulafo asked.
“The defendant can’t object!” the prosecuting attorney yelled out, “I object to his objection!”
“Only the judge can respond to a lawful objection,” Alex responded, “so I object to your unlawful objection!”

bang! bang!
“ORDER IN THE COURT!” Pa’ole shouted, before commenting “oooh, I’ve always wanted to do that.

“Anyway, while this transaction is… unusual, as is everything else about this case, it happens to fall into the gray area of ‘so unusual there’s literally no precedent for it’. That being said, I remind both the prosecuting attorney and the defendant that a team’s chief attorney is allowed to add whomever they want to their team, and this doesn’t need to be done before the start of the trial, nor does this addition to the team have to be an attorney at all.

“That being said, if the defendant so strongly objects to this, he does always have the right to fire the entire defense team and represent himself, in which case he can be my guest, although I suspect the rest of his team would have something to say about that. Everybody’s objections are overruled, please continue discussing… what were we discussing again?”

“Whether the defendant wishes to waive his right to a jury trial, a defense team, and any amount of dignity he has left.” the stenographer piped in.

“Right, that. Anyway, I shall leave the defense team to their own devices, please give me a proper response at some point in the next half hour instead of just yelling at one another for the rest of the day… we still have to do jury selection after all this is over after all.”

“Trust me, Haulafo,” Katya said, “this island loves you. Everyone I have ever talked to here knows just how awful that match was. It was hard for them to swallow the idea of you disappearing with the team, but they understood how it must’ve felt for you. They know how insecure you get, for better or for worse.”

“Did I just overhear her saying she manipulated the jury before the trial even started?” the prosecuting attorney asked, “Your Honor, Objection!”
“Overruled, this island is small and word travels fast regardless of whether there’s a trial or not, not only that but the court doesn’t exactly have scope over anything that occurs before a trial commences.”

“I know how weird it is to see me barge in like this, but I promise you that we can end the trial right here and right now if you don’t waive your right to a jury trial. You’ll get off with a slap on the wrist at most.”
“You promise?”
“When have I ever lied to you Haulafo? We’ve known each other for over a decade, I’m not about to start screwing you over now.”

“Your Honor,” Haulafo stood up and said, “I’d like to retain my right to a jury trial!”

“Marge dammit, I’m out of here!” the prosecuting attorney said. “I’m not about to waste my time on a trial, where I’m supposed to be representing the government, with the head of said government just waltzing up to the defense team and going against me! It’s completely pointless!”

Lana stormed out of the courtroom, and everyone else in it needed a moment to process whatever the heck just happened. “Did we just win?” Alex asked, genuinely perplexed.

[Taeshan]

"Bit of a buzzkill huh? Lose one game and go from first to third. Have to be perfect. Always the problem with Taeshan Football, about as consistent as my poops. Sometimes runny, sometimes hard, sometimes I'm sitting there forcing it out and sometimes it explodes. You know what I mean?"

"What....Like seriously. You should probably see a doctor."

"I mean yeah but we all knew that. I'm just saying, one loss and bam. Falling back to earth."

"Can't let that get to you though. Perfection is not possible, but you can still make an impact and have a chance to make a run. Hell even a playoff with how long we've been out of the game would be cool."

"Yeah, and they did follow it with a nice win against another longtime foe, Boring Paradise. Nice bounce back at home but you still have three games to go in the first half and then all the return legs. Besides return legs are always harder the other team knows what to expect and any element of surprise the Purple Knights have will be ineffective the second time around."

"Could always hit them with Uranium, that might work."

"Very funny."

"Anyway how did your research on World Cup 92 go?"

"Well it was very interesting. Zwangzug beat Banija in the final. Always love to see Zwangzug succeed. Like a chess match those to in the final."

"Always loved their flag. Banija losing is kind of sad I remember when we used to play them in the TPL All Star match."

"Pasarga actually got knocked out in a playoff. Always love to see an old Rushmore rival get knocked out. Geektopia stunned the holy Empire knocking them out. Zwangzug had to beat Farfadillis in the final day to even advance to set up the World Cup win."

"Sounds very exciting."

"It looks it based on my research. Nyowani Kitara makes a run to the semi-finals before losing the next two games. Banija wins on pens to advance to the final and Zwangzug wins the final 2-1"

"Good match that. Would love to see something like that happen. Consistent sides that play good ball going at it in the final, what more could you ask for?"

"Fun fact the win over Boring Paradise was Taeshan's 1215th match which is very impressive. Lot of friendlies, lot of wins. 606 wins all time which is almost 50 percent and that is more than a lot of countries would dream for."

"If only they had won more than a Copa Rushmori and a Cup of Harmony."

"Well I doubt they'll win anything in our lifetime."

"Doubt it as well."

"How long do you think this run lasts? It is the third time we've been around for some World Cups."

"Maybe 6-7 World cups or until he gets bored or tired."

"Until who gets bored or tired?"


"...."

[HUElavia]

MD 5:
HUElavia 2–0 Warkus
(Gavicaechebarria 20', Assunção 82')
Estadio Hueti, Jinaqa, HUElavia

MD 6:
Nusandara 0–1 HUElavia
(Mongrain 10')

Previously On...

Blur

4.3 Night Run

Vinicius stepped on the pedal once he saw Jesus drop his arms down. He felt the jolt from the Z on the jump the car made rushing fast. To his left peripheral he can see Orije also jumping forward as they both looked to take the early lead in the race. Fire came out both of the exhaust pipes of the cars as they sprinted forward, with Orije's letting out a green flame, while Vinicius' let out a regular, orange flame. People came hopping, jumping and cheering wildly at the quick start, hearing the engines sounding loudly and wildly at the sudden acceleration.

Music

Vinicius drove as fast as he could get the Z to accelerate, going 90, 100, 110. He could see Orije start to pull away a little, seemingly from whatever tuning he did to his Super. The two racers continued to go almost as a drag race, going down the different blocks along the road. Before they knew it, it was 120, 130 miles an hour, really now feeling the speed of the road. Eventually, the road began to expand with now three lanes on each side. Now there could be breathing room between the two drivers, but neither was letting up, still going side by side.

Orije began to really get his nose forward, now starting to pull away. While frustrating to see the Super in the lead, Vinicius knew he had to be patient and keep pace with Orije. Even if he got behind him, he could drat right behind and get the slipstream to slingshot past him. But such a move would be ideal on the return stretch of the race, especially heading towards the finish line. Knowing that the road narrows getting closer, he only had a certain amount of time before it would be too risky to perform a pass on two lanes. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and began to feel his vision get into a "tunnel," staring straight at the road in front of him.

Before they knew it, they were past a quarter of the way in the race, getting closer and closer to Barrio Hueti. Then, showing up in the distance was a few cars along the road, meaning Vinicius and Orije had to turn their wheels to avoid a dangerous crash. It almost felt like a game of Chicken, having to see who can move first to avoid collision. Neither of them could race dirty, nor risk causing collisions. Just racing fast like this was a crime in and of itself. In a moment of mutual thought, both racers began to yaw away from the incoming traffic, Orije moving slightly to his left and Vinicius to his right, squeeking past the van that they saw, leaving the van just rocking and vibrating in its place, scaring the driver as they saw the Super and Z bolt right past.

Despite having to avoid the near collision, Orije now had the half the car length lead, and Vinicius kept pushing and pushing the Z to keep up. Before he knew it, he was starting to draft to the side of the Super and begin to pull forward, putting the nose closer and closer to the Super's nose. Then they saw the start of Barrio Hueti with the half way point: Barrels. Both racers continued to accelerate down the street until they had the barrels right by them.

Orije and Vinicius hit the brakes hard, gripping hard on the steering wheel to maintain control. Once the cars slowed down enough, they began to grab the handbrake to hit a drift, with Orije taking a wider drift while Vinicius braked hard enough to take the inside line of the barrel. Both cars swung their rear ends, but managed to keep it together to wiggle a bit and straighten out before starting to drive fast again, rushing to get to the Finish Line.

The Z and Super raced past a group of cars, where one had a phone open and called Jesus. Jesus saw the phone ringing and began to signal people to quiet down.
"What's up?
"They just passed the barrels, they're coming back down now."

To be continued...

[Eraman]

i. The Crown Prince of Pasir
ii. Ultras Eraman
iii. The Golden Boy of Pasirpura
iv. Eraman Football Association
v. The Battleground
vi. The Election

Chapter 7: The Lawsuit

The first press conference of Putra Kencana’s presidency was held four days later inside the media hall of Wisma ERAFA.Putra Kencana stood behind the ERAFA podium wearing a dark suit with a small ERAFA pin attached to his chest.

Behind him sat several members of the newly appointed executive committee. Among them was Govind Linggam of Aru FA. Made Lesmana of Mitra FA. Hari Sandaka of Soma FA.

“Today,” Kencana began calmly, “marks the beginning of a new era for Eraman football.”

The room immediately exploded with questions.

“Will there be financial reforms?”

“Are you investigating the previous administration?”

“Will the national league expand?”

Then several men in black entered the room. All of a sudden, the room became quiet. At the center of them was the only woman in the group, Suri, Tun Sengalang Petara’s lawyer.

Every camera in the room immediately turned towards her.Kencana’s expression didn’t change. But Govind shifted slightly in his seat. Hari narrowed his eyes. Suri walked calmly towards the front of the hall carrying a thin black file.

“Putra Kencana Dwitara?” she asked.

The room was silent.

“Yes,” Kencana answered.

Suri handed him the file.

“You are hereby notified,” she continued calmly, “that an injunction has been filed before the Royal Court of Eraman challenging the legality of the ERAFA Congress held four days ago.”

The room exploded again.

“Is the election valid?!” asked the reporters.

Kencana opened the file. Several allegations of wrongdoing.

Suri waited for a bit for Kencana to open the file before continuing.

“This matter,” she announced, “is now before the Royal Court. Further comments will be reserved until proceedings begin.”

[Biyambi]

Voice Over:
“Legacy is what the Big Eight clubs had carved for each of themselves in those five decades.

Mansanduni Union’s was more than just the titles and great playing style, they were the political heartbeat of the league before 1986. They were fiercely against the highly autocratic Rame V regime, and instead pushed for the emancipation of all nationalities of the Second Ziwanan Empire. In pre-independent Ziwana, they had stood against the colonial masters, fighting for the political emancipation of all Ziwanans. Two clubs that represented their political opposites were Birnin Almalaki (Ngwazi Strikers) who were royalists and Ainsworth Barracks (Mighty Rangers) who had been the club of the Angerezi (Anglish).

These rivalry’s brought prestige, elevated the performance of the teams, and grew the game in Ziwana.”



Mahala Nohana (Mansanduni Union attacking midfielder, 1964 – 1988):
“Mansanduni, was like a house with three brothers. Two great competing brothers in Union and Rangers and the small brother in Ngwazi Strikers who always tried to gain attention of the three brothers using underhanded methods but would never reach the level of their big brother. (Chuckling) Mwana ndi Mwana (A Child is a Child.”


Ekarhi Munllo (Mansanduni Union Captain, 1970 – 1990):
“Ngwazi Strikers were never on our level.

71-72, we beat Ngwazi Strikers on the final day in spectacular fashion, 5-3 at their own ground to lift our first league championship. 8-years later, we faced each other on the final day of the season, this time in our own backyard. It was another title decider, we were looking for our second league championship and they were looking for their first. We beat them 8-2 and lifted the trophy.

3-years later, Ngwazi Strikers were defending champions, the title decider was on the final day. This time uhm, they were facing Mighty Rangers and we were facing Young Boys, both home games for us. Well (chuckling) you can guess who lifted their third championship. Ngwazi Strikers lost against Mighty Rangers and we drew. The “Royals” (making air quotes) were always a small club to us.”



Voice Over:
“The Peoples’ Team did not just dominate the Royals in the league, they also dominated them in cup competitions.

In the 1980-81 Stanhope Challenge Cup, Union came out ontop against Strikers, 4-5.

They met again the following year and Union came out on top again.

In the 1981-82 Challenge 555 Cup final Union came out on top.

Union and Royals would meet again in the following year with the former lifting the Challenge 555 Cup for the fourth straight time.”



Ekarhi Munllo (Mansanduni Union Captain, 1970 – 1990):
“We were extremely successful, we had beaten our rivals Western United, Mighty Rangers, and Ngwazi Strikers in finals and to the league championship.

We were the most supported club and part of the Atu Uthuela Association (Peoples’ Sport Association), which had smaller associations running various sporting clubs all around the Ziwani archipelago just shows how powerful the club was.

However, this success threatened Ngwazi Strikers’ patron.”

Voice Over:
“That patron was Kambuku Mzaza.

Kambuku Mzaza had been the Prime Minister of Ziwana since 1976. He was the chief supporter and patron of Birnin Almalaki now Ngwazi Strikers. Over the next 4 years, Mzaza would become subsequently autocratic. In 1980, he married Princess Kamtukule, and was named heir to Rame IV.

This greatly angered three cabinet ministers and a parliamentary secretary. These four; Dick Chisiza, Michael Gadama, Umanya Dundunza who was Mansanduni Union’s manager, Dean Dundunza’s brother, and Twaibu Chinsenga were dismissed after they confronted the premier.

The dismissal led to clashes between the supporters of the ex-ministers and of Mzaza which included Union and Royals’ supporters.

In 1983, there was unsuccessful uprising led by Michael Gadama which failed.

In 1985 there was an attempt on Mzaza’s life, he survived but his father inlaw, Wene Rame IV died. On December 25th 1985, Mzaza was crowned Rame V.

This led to protests especially from Mansanduni Union supporters.

In January, 1986 there was another unsuccessful uprising. In February, the bodies of Umany Dundunza, Dick Chisiza, and Twaibu Chinsenga were found in a saloon car. The authorities then ruled it an accident as they fled after leading the uprising in January.

However, rumours from then that were found to be true stated that the three men had been arrested, then beaten, hammered, and butchered before being placed in a saloon car.

The families were ordered to bury the victims in sealed caskets. At the funeral a lot of Mansanduni Union supporters who talked badly about the Wene were arrested by the Ziwani Young Pioneers and Ziwani Intelligence Service members present at the funeral.”


Ekarhi Munllo (Mansanduni Union Captain, 1970 – 1990):
“It was a bitter sweet time; the only solace was how well we were performing in the league (sigh).

Once again, we would find ourselves facing against Ngwazi Strikers on the final day for the title. We had 51 points, and Ngwazi Strikers had 49 points. This was our fourth title race against each other, and the third time meeting on the final day. Kambuku Maziza, I won’t call him by his “royal” (air quotes) name, was in attendance. They scored twice but we came back and beat them 2-3. It was an away game for us. We were happy but tried to keep (tears in his eyes) the celebrations down. At this time there was a lot of political tension.
We got on the bus and tried to leave, that’s when I heard a bang.”


Voice Over:
“In May of 1986, the Mansanduni Union bus was petrol bombed killing three players; Dustin Chikhoswe, Elvis Bandawe, Mavuto Banda, alongside their manager Dean Dundunza.”

“Following these deaths, Mansanduni Union had their bank accounts raided, their satellite clubs around the country shut down, and their players beaten and threatened to quit or face death.”



(Footage showing the bus on fire, then shows former Union players from the time with tears rolling down their cheeks.

Screen fades to black, then pictures of the dead players and Dean Dundunza appear on the screen. The words MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN ETERNAL GLORY appear on the screen, all this as a violin plays in the background.)

[Chromatika]

World Cup 101 Qualifiers Game 5: Valentine Z 1-4 Chromatika
Goals: Xuen-Zhukov 10', 60', 77', Howard-Dawes 22'
Starting XI: Sourtois; Van der Plas Bouwmeester - Lethbridge-Antonio, C. - Saburo; Hauptmeijer - Lethbridge-Antonio, J. - Françine-Miklavivec - Fillar; Prenn; Xuen-Zhukov (C) - Howard-Dawes.
Substitutes: Gundsdorf -> Lethbridge-Antonio, J. (66'), Han Cunningham -> Lethbridge-Antonio, C. (66'), Þyrill -> Prenn (71'), Jean-Baptiste -> Xuen-Zhukov (71'), Lehmann -> Van der Plas Bouwmeester (82')
Summary: Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov showed that he is still the top striker in Chromatika with a hat trick against the second seeded Valentine Z in Valentine Z. His two counterattacks and one strike off of a rebound led the team as Hailee Sourtois continued to play solid defefense at goal as well. With Maddie Prenn assisting on three goals, the Anomalies looked rather comfortable on the road against the Valentians and took control of the group with the victory.
World Cup 101 Qualifiers Game 6: Chromatika 4-0 Vetrahjart
Goals: Howard-Dawes 15', Fillar 24', Lee 61', Hauptmeijer 81'
Starting XI: Sourtois; Van der Plas Bouwmeester - Lethbridge-Antonio, C. - Saburo; Hauptmeijer - Lethbridge-Antonio, J. - Françine-Miklavivec - Fillar; Prenn; Xuen-Zhukov (C) - Howard-Dawes.
Substitutes: Ataciara -> Saburo (52'), Lee -> Prenn (52'), Baïe-Verte -> Howard-Dawes (63'), Mesic-Mizayaki -> Françine-Miklavivec (63'), Mátyás -> Fillar (80')
Summary: A routine 4-0 victory over Vetrahjart was mired by two injuries that occurred on the same free kick as Elaine Howard-Dawes and Evin Françine-Miklavivec collided into each other in midair on a free kick by Lee Hyun-Seol in the sixty-third minute, leading to both of them having to be replaced for fear of a concussion. The Anomalies controlled the match from start to finish and continued their stellar start; they will be hoping that the time that the team has before facing The Ko-orenite Constellation, TJUN-ia, and Valentine Z a second time will be enough for the two players to return from a concussion.

---

World Cup 101 Qualifiers Games 7 and 8: @ (152) Quakmybush, vs. (307) The Republic of the United Marble Tribes
Starting XI: Swanson (C); Lehmann - Han Cunningham - Ataciara; Oriol - Holgersson - Lee - Mátyás; Þyrill; Jean-Baptiste - Baïe-Verte.
Substitutes: GK Jessika Aniston, GK Hera Courtois, DCR Caro Theirs, DC Nana Sæsdóttir, DC Hrönn Sæsdóttir, DCR Ineke Van der Plas Bouwmeester, WBR Lily Sullivan, WBL Róża Panaś, CDM Valentina Vallaki, DLP Alija Mesic-Mizayaki, AP Linnea Karjalainen, AM Maddie Prenn, AF Adélaïde Bittencourt, CF Jack Heimdell, AF Elaine Howard-Dawes
Preview: Six points clear of second place and on the downturn of the schedule before the grind sets up again, the Anomalies look to field a rotated squad to see which players should be in a qualified team (should they get there) while not conceding momentum. It's a rather important window for players like Holgersson, Ataciara, Lehmann, and Aniston; both opponents already have three wins each, which makes this window a somewhat difficult one if one doesn't just look at their rank.

The best ever.

For the longest time, the office of the best striker to ever play for the Chromatika Anomalies was never in doubt; it was always Keira Andisori, she of the 182 caps (2nd most all time to only Henri de Aea) and 137 goals (most all time). She wasn't just a Shadow Writer and a major part of the Rainbow Revolution that helped the Rainbow Party settle down the Chromatik public. she was a prolific striker who put the fear into the opposition and helped the Anomalies reach the heights of the fourth placed finish in World Cup 76.

Then, with the Golden Age of the Fillars, Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov emerged. The Chromatik-Mytanar dual-national has been part of the national team for 10 cycles now, and the thirty-one year-old has 132 caps and 111 goals. LXZ has the notable moniker of being the starting striker of the team that placed second in World Cup 93 - losing to Banija. LXZ won't have a chance to win the cap record, but he's only twenty-six goals away from the all-time goal record - and it doesn't look like he's slowing down anytime soon. Still playing at a high level in Montreal Koreana, LXZ's tireless work ethic, constant presence as a leader of the team, and prowess on the pitch makes him a solid contender. If he draws within ten of Andisori's moniker, he will likely take over.

Lately, though, a third name has emerged. Elaine Howard-Dawes may be thirty-two, hitting a hundred caps this cycle, and have less than fifty goals, but she has the moniker of being the starting striker of the only Chromatik club to win the Champions' League - two cycles in a row at Crossroads. Though Chromatik players have won the Champions' League in other clubs across the multiverse before, Crossroads became the first Chromatik club to win the esteemed honor, and the fact that they've done it twice automatically puts Elaine in the discussion. Her lack of international caps and goals will likely mean that she will never get to catch Xuen-Zhukov or Andisori - especially since Xuen-Zhukov is her partner, and she is likely to lose her spot on the roster before he does - but the fact that EHD is someone who is even considered for the honor is a major plus for a player who only found her way to the team in Cycle 94.

It's truly difficult to overcome a founding legend of your nation's national team - especially one that has remained in the political spotlight with the fact that she is the Capital District Commissioner and looks poised to run for Premier someday. However, with the longevity of Xuen-Zhukov and the brilliance of Howard-Dawes's accomplishments with Crossroads, Chromatika can safely say that it finally has some strikers in its history that is worthy of being in the same conversation as one Keira Andisori. As the nation nears its thirtieth cycle of competing in the World Cup, the hopes of this cycle lie on the feet of Xuen-Zhukov and Howard-Dawes - as well as a chance for them to continue to push Andisori for the moniker of greatest ever.

[Valentine Z]

Part 1 – Records and sound barriers were meant to be broken.

Exuberant Superintendent T-2000/2904-3 Surveillant Clarissa Alanis Star Breya « La Amoureux Chéri » Millie Taissa Butterfly Mélody Coraline Jolijn Trini Clementine Hollie Samantha Zeta Harumi: A fantastic progress so far, I am so excited! And of course, this calls for a celebration! Oh I mean, we would have done so either way, but now that we have a lot more happiness going on and with the way that we have achieved these results, I believe it will make the celebration much, much better! So, we thought about what we wanted to do and where we wanted to go, and I suggested a nice and exciting day at a local arcade for some fun! We could go to the one in the Akihabara, but we do have arcades elsewhere in other parts of Valentine Z. With that unanimous support, we are off to it! All of us, including the reserves. Too bad about Head Medic Clarke though, he had some other matters to attend to. Next time!

The arcade is a single storey, single floor layout, and it’s a little bit more into the games of the yesteryears, and of the earlier decades, maybe a century! That does not necessarily mean that it’s bad, and it will still all be in good fun. With that said, the peripherals do need to be fixed up a little bit. I made a reservation under my name for that place, it didn’t come too expensive. Was very easy to do, though a little bit because they understood that the World Cup players are coming to join the fray. Basically, we have the entire floor for ourselves, and the games are all free play. Well, there are tokens that you have to feed, but the tokens can be taken anytime from the counter. It’s great for parties such as this, so… hehe, consider this a little bit of an endorsement to come to Valentine Z if you are into this sort of thing, among many, many other activities! Anyway, back to the arcade thing. Oh, yes! I let the Kittens play and do whatever they feel like, so there are no restrictions on what they cannot do. Only that, they cannot be too reckless. After all, wouldn’t be too good if they got injured while having the R&R. We have subs but let’s not!

On top of that, if they feel like it, they can give it a try on one of those horse racing games, haha! Now I know what you might be thinking – wouldn’t that tire them out? Well, yes, but if they want to, they can participate, and they really did! All of them signed their names up and was ready to go. So, how does this game work, actually? Well, quite simple. You pretend that you are riding the mechanical horse device, and you… ride it! It’s simple as that, but also quite difficult to win, haha. That is on top of some of the machines being a little bit worn out but of course, Eveline and the maintenance guys and girls fixed that up without an issue; a little bit of time reversal can be such a wonderful thing. Anyway, the challenge is that instead of racing against the others in some linked-up arcade machines (remember that time in NSSCRA? Good times!), we will be doing time attacks. That is, I have picked the most simple course for them to run, and all the players would need to do is to finish 3 laps in the fastest time possible. Additionally, also pick up the fastest speed possible. There are two leaderboards, then, hehe. All of them went for it!

Helen Jennifier Hiroto Morishita Chiyumi       242.12 seconds
Martina Anastasia Hedvig X. Luna Bukvić        244.65
Jakov Emile Janessa Mirko Varteks Modrić       246.16
Emerson Jamie Taylor Erin Scott Maddox         249.48
Štěpánka Caitlin Madeline W. Sedláčková        258.44
Marlene Isabelle Lisa Roselyne Pasquier        266.5
Kortnev Grigoriy (Grisha) Konstantinovich      269.18
Clemente Kenneth Evans L. Jiang Guanyu         270.1
Sammie Arif Raihan Bin Mohamamad Andika        272.5
Antel Marcel Georgia Katona Vass Dániel        274.46
Josief A. Yandi Eko Yohanes Dharmawijaya       276.19
Sigfreður Gamalíel Onyx Jason Steinason        276.52
Iraj Alexander Soroosh Homayoun Hashempour     276.54
Elisabetta Enzo Hannah Lodovica D'Elia         280.13
Joaquina Samanta Alonso Clara Lombardo         283.5
Daina Allison Leela Phon Seng Sreynuon         288.34
Katarzyna Violetta Zofia Aleks Polańska        289.12
Nathaniel Orla Hayden Johnstone McMahon        293.13
Dawson Joshiah Davidson Brooks Marshall        294.58
Holly Annemiek Gerrieke Van De Hoogte          296.8
Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc        297.32
Vanuza Poliane Elaine Castro dos Reis          297.86

This was for the timing over the three laps. Not bad, isn’t it? Pretty good range of scores, and hey, as I have told them, it’s not about who wins or loses. At the end of the day, it’s all just for a little bit of fun, no harm about it! The scores are typical, some of them did it pretty well, others not as much. There’s quite a range though, perhaps because having to make the thing gallop (i.e. you) for 5 minutes can get pretty tiring very quickly! It’s understandable!

Then, comes the top speed. I have no idea what happened there, we were all watching with quite a pair of wide eyes. Even I got stumped by how fast she was going. It was the reason why she was able to hit on the top 10s, but I did not even think that it would be possible to go THAT fast! She really, REALLY went all out on it, or that there might have been a little glitch. Not that I don’t believe Marlene’s capabilities but holy shoot, look at that speed! Look!

Marlene Isabelle Lisa Roselyne Pasquier       1000.25 km/h
Eveline Valeria Annalise Tiêu Xuân Ngọc       88.97
Daina Allison Leela Phon Seng Sreynuon        88.22
Katarzyna Violetta Zofia Aleks Polańska       88.19
Jakov Emile Janessa Mirko Varteks Modrić      87.62
Antel Marcel Georgia Katona Vass Dániel       87.44
Iraj Alexander Soroosh Homayoun Hashempour    86.64
Sammie Arif Raihan Bin Mohamamad Andika       85.46
Sigfreður Gamalíel Onyx Jason Steinason       84.51
Martina Anastasia Hedvig X. Luna Bukvić       84.42
Josief A. Yandi Eko Yohanes Dharmawijaya      84.42
Clemente Kenneth Evans L. Jiang Guanyu        83.62
Elisabetta Enzo Hannah Lodovica D'Elia        83.13
Holly Annemiek Gerrieke Van De Hoogte         81.29
Vanuza Poliane Elaine Castro dos Reis         76.97
Emerson Jamie Taylor Erin Scott Maddox        75.9
Dawson Joshiah Davidson Brooks Marshall       75.83
Nathaniel Orla Hayden Johnstone McMahon       73.77
Joaquina Samanta Alonso Clara Lombardo        73.16
Kortnev Grigoriy (Grisha) Konstantinovich     71.79
Štěpánka Caitlin Madeline W. Sedláčková       71.21
Helen Jennifier Hiroto Morishita Chiyumi      70.94

That horse that she rode in on, was blazing fast! Nothing could go that fast, not even the Valentian breeds. So, I didn’t know if it was a glitch or that she gave it her all, but I am going to open it up to interpretations. After all, it’s not something that is so dependently a life or death situation, it’s just a fun little game at the end of the day. 1000 km/h, now THAT would be a record breaker, and also the one that would make everyone around said horse deaf, haha!

After that, yeah everyone just was playing some other games here and there. A lot of fun times were had, and I also got invited along to play some NSSCRA arcade game with them. With the names that are changed, of course, just like in that big arcade that we went to. Maybe instead of the usual oval track, let’s give the Advanced track a chance. And in turn, I believe the #7 can use a little boost from yours truly, hehe. Well, until next time, and take care!

[Libegeist]

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Sitkaport

Play music.

You know that they will climb the tower soon, but you know that you can go out on a high note.

You are stuck in the middle of a red risk threat area that was the city of Sitkaport.

You wish that there was phone service, but you realize that help isn't going to come for you anytime soon. You have limited ammo on your gun, despite the slim chances that you can escape.

The problem?

Being at the railing that surrounding the water tower, you can see the hordes of sickos shamble around, arms reaching out for you. You were at a water tower that just happened to be nearby a monument that was meant to talk about the Old World. An Old World that suffered through the Collapse that made this part of the multiverse, the way it was.

You forgot why you were even here.

Was it racial bias against you?

Religious treason?

Something on those lines. The judge did have it against you. Corrupt as they were, you knew your days were numbered, along with the rest of people like you.

You look down at the sickos or what's left of their humanity. You can see there is a pack of high school children in their uniforms claw for your flesh. You see that the curly mascara of one schoolgirl with a mangled face is still there. Were these kids on a field trip when all of this happened? You don't fully know.

The last time that you went down the water tower was to raid this luxury wine store. You were able to grab most of the bottles to use as... what? Alcohol to numb your pain? Molotovs? You couldn't find any more of those IV bags to help yourself. You don't know how to treat yourself well, since you like to keep an IV bag stuck in your arm, whenever possible.

There isn't anything else. You can still see the sign that was meant to lead to the airport, but the government had bombed the airports to prevent any planes from flying out of the Exclusion Zone.

You were hoping that a plane or a drone would fly over to the water tower to where you're at. You have been able to get yourself some fresh water, but you don't know when it will last. All you know is that you had marked the visible side of it with the words, "Save the Condemned".

You don't know how long you have left.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: Saguaro

Play music.

Family.

A topic that can be dysfunctional or stable.

We are going with stable for this segment.

Back in the eras of the past, this family would honor their tradition, being rooted in Chinese ancestry. A husband with his erhu instrument, would have his wife dance to the music that he makes.

In the eras of the present, that couple would be in the fashion reserved for punks. The husband would be a rockstar for a wife that would thrash her hand to the chaotic tunes.

The husband and wife have started a family now. In the middle of the desert in a residence with colors of sky blue and cloud white. The products for the average consumer has become part of the average family. The usage of toilet paper after the usage of the bathroom, upon waking up. The soap that is used after a shower. The mouthwash that makes the inside of the mouth pristine. The spray bottles of glass cleaner that are used for a morning dusty session. The diapers for the child that is still in a stroller.

This family was going to go on a trip to Paradystopia to celebrate the World Cup. Vacations were something that were meant to be enjoyed. They had gotten themselves to the airport gate and were on time to board a plane.

When one of the family members looked outside of the window, they can see the blue sky with white clouds.

[Gnejs]

Hellooooooo frooooom the ouuuuut‑siii‑i‑iide

There he goes again, my old Friend Sven Svensson. He’s persistent and tenacious, that one. I do not think he has ever considered it an option, giving up on trying to make you hear him. But you never do, and myself I am drowning in this silence from your side of things. You know, it’s easy to develop some resentment towards the living, standing here on the other side and looking in.

I feel like that forlorn boy in the Christmas story, a frostbitten little nobody, mother already gone as cold as the wall during the previous night, standing in the snow and looking in on grand parties in majestic apartments with roaring fireplaces and dancing children. He gets scolded when he tries to enter one of the parties, which is heartbreaking, but what wouldn’t we give to be scolded! To simply be acknowledged, nothing more and nothing less. The boy ceases to exist in the end, much like myself. Of course, the boy gets to go to Christ’s Christmas party, which is nice, whereas we are stuck here, and I see no savior on the horizon.

There I go again.

It’s so typical of me to talk about myself, I’m sorry.

To the point!

Seemingly, there are those that have done it, made the journey from the other side and back, that is. I never gave them much notice before, I suppose you seldom think of such things when you’re alive and well. However, this must mean that there is a way. Perhaps it is not too late after all? Maybe, just maybe, I’ll be able to solve the unsolvable and usher dear Sven back to the world of the living, and perchance in time for the World Cup?

….
….
….
….

Iii haa‑aad gooood inteeennntioooons and the hiiiiigheeest hooooopes

Indeed, Sven, I couldn’t have crooned it better myself. Cruel, relentless, and utterly ludicrous hope! I broke the cardinal rule of the bardo and gave in to hope. The shame of being such a child! Never mind that someone has done it and that it therefore can be done, for all of them inhabiting this exclusive club are now on the other side, and they refuse to answer me about how they did it.

At least I can say that I’ve tried!

Stalking several of them for days (Weeks? Months? Years? Centuries?), I have, but they ignore my plea for help. And it is a conscious act! Or at least an unconscious one, but an act nonetheless; for they can sense that I call out for them.

You! The fullback on the left with the attempted moustache! I saw you flinch as I called out! Acknowledge me! Something bridges us together, we who have ceased to exist, and you that have come back into existence. I know you feel it too.

I think we are lacking in something essential, and it is this that bars us from gaining access to the path travelled by others. You need a spark. A collective will to live, a feat that requires the resolve of an entire ex-nation.

I miss the sound bread makes after you pull it from the oven, but there is no wild yeast in the afterlife. This fuels my own will to return. Or, at least it keeps me sufficiently upright so as to help Sven chase his dream.

Most of us, however, have happily resigned and gone to bed. I fear mine and Sven’s resolve, however pure and strong, is not enough. It is all most disheartening, and it is so tempting to follow the lead of our countrymen; the bassinet of eternity calls me and I am so close to letting go fully and completely.

We are not like the ones who return.

It’s such a difference between us.

And a million miles (whatever that means).

[Hamborn]

Hamborn 2 - 0 Taeshan, The streak continue !

"Welcome to the Alkőmen Arena, Hamborn will play against Taeshan ! And their anthem will start soon !"

The players enters and the anthem of the two countries start.

"Hamborn just win the ball and will start the match !"

10' "Pass to Carter pass to Jordan, and Neo Kisté attempt a tackle and he don't trouch the ball and receive a yellow card."

22' "Bilo Nosinto pass to Joan Von de Polux and he shoot... GOAL for Hamborn 1-0 at the 22th minute."

45+5' "The first half end on a win of Hamborn 1-0."

65' "Joan von de Polux and Bilo Nosinto are subbed-off and be repleced by Kislo Antaré for Joan and Willo Novkas for Bilo."

79' "Willo Novkas pass to Joseph liven, he passed to Kislo Antaré that do a volley and GOAL !!!!! 2-0 for Hamborn !"

90+1' "The Match end on a win of Hamborn, they continue their win streak of 3 matches. Hamborn is now with 9 points."

Bhumi Matawis Empire 2 - 1 Hamborn, Hamborn keep their 5th position !

"Welcome for the Matchday 6 of the qualifiers against Bhumi Matawis Empire at Musi Raya Stadium !"

The players enters

43' "Heriadi Gustaf is running after Bilo Nosinto, he tackle him and, the refree gave a Yellow card to Gustaf !"

45+2' "End of the first half, no one is dominating in the first half, 0-0 !"

48' " Usman Nur Wahyudi pass to Dion Sasongko, he wipe the hambornian defense and shoot, GOAL 1-0 for Bhumi Matawis Empire !"

51' "Joseph Liven is subbed-off and replaced by Marco Nisto !"

55' "Bilo Nosinto to Arlemus Luvoski faces the goal he center to Joan Von de Polux and ... Every palyers of Hamborn ask an Handball of Al-Faridz !"

56' "The refree will see the VAR, to see if there is a potential penalty !"

57' "The refree takes his decisions, it's penalty for Hamborn and a yellow card for Al-Faridz !"

58' "Marco Nisto will shoot the penalty, and he do a Paneka, on a decisive goal !!! 1-1 !!!"

61' "Viktor Tampanea dribble Levon and he's now alone facing Leo Surli, he shoot and GOAL for Bhumi Matawis Empire, 2-1 !"

62' "It seem that Leo Surli is injured, the doctors enters and he's replaced by Micheal Julio !"

63' "Bhumi Matawis sub-off Heriadi Gustaf for Rahmat Al-Ghifari !"

72' "Eka Wiryawan is subbed-off and replaced by Putu Surya Pradana !"

83' "There is an altercation between Neo Kisté and Alexius Reinhard, Alexius pull Kisté's jersey and Neo just replicated ! It all started after Alexius do a bad tackle on Neo, how the refree will react ?"

83' "He gave a yellow card to Alexius and Neo, and Neo have already a yellow card, the refree show a red card to Neo Kisté !"

88' "Viktor Tampanea is subbed off for Sandi Wijaya !"

90+8' "The refree make the final whistle, Hamborn loses his first match since matchday 2 ! However, they keep the 5th position !"

[Dantopia]

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VOL. 46,151

LION CITY, DANTOPIA SUNDAY 10TH MAY, 2026

₵100

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Dantopia Win Second Qualifying Match — Top Group

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3-1 Home Victory Over Sudilia Sets Lions Up Nicely At The Top Of The Table In Qualifying Group 4

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By SAUL ARNSTEIN

The Kava Bowl

Dantopia3-1Sudilia

Half Time: 0-0

Bing 53'Laprise 64'

Brunson 71'

Edwards 81'

See also... MD1

WAIAKEA, DANTOPIA — The Dantopian national team made it two wins in two at The Kava Bowl, to keep their World Cup 101 qualifying journey on track. The Lions secured an important victory over fellow Group 4 side Sudilia — ranked 71st in the world, which is above the Dantopians' own rank of 131. The 'Northern Wolves' were coming fresh off defeating 5th ranked Tanirinthia in match-day one, so expectations headed into the fixture were not high for the hosts. Following a cagey, scoreless first half, Dantopia took a deserved lead early on in the second, through substitute Bradley Bing — scoring his first goal for the national team. The visitors equalised, before Bradini Brunson put the Lions back in front inside the last twenty minutes of play. Zeke Edwards — also a substitute — made sure of the victory within the final ten minutes, keeping Dantopia top of the Group 4 table and, so far, in a promising position, though with many games left to play.

Alex Bullvale, Emerson Cromwell and Keegan Foster helped make up a refreshed defensive line in the Dantopian eleven, three of six changes made by manager Rick Bishop following the away win against the Allamunnic States. Kaleb Kahananui, Johnny Kealoha and Adebayo Adeyemi also saw returns to the starting line-up, giving the Lions a good mixture of both youth and experience against the Wolves. A quiet opening period of the match saw the visitors perhaps looking a little better initially than the hosts. Despite that, there was still very little in the way of clear opportunities for either nation early on. Keegan Foster did well to head clear an early cross that looked to threaten that zone of uncertainty between the defenders and the goalkeeper. The Miruan City man flung himself at Daniel Bourne's delivery, getting it far away from the lurking Richardson in the box.

Even more impressive defending, this time from Sam Robinson-Tate, kept Richardson at bay once more, with the Hondo FC defender having expertly tracked the 24-year-old forward's run through the left half-space, between himself and Emerson Cromwell. Robinson-Tate looked just as comfortable at right-back as he has at centre-half for the national team, though the expectation for many is that he will be the long-term first choice in the latter position. The Lions then began to find more rhythm, with Adeyemi beating Tula Williams down the right flank and delivering dangerously into the middle. However, neither Brunson, nor Taramaia were able to meet the ball under pressure, with it bouncing off Lottie Khan, out for a corner.

This would be the first in a series of corners for the hosts over the next few minutes. After failing to produce a shot on goal from the previous two deliveries from Johnny Kealoha — and only a single blocked shot from Ezra Cunningham recorded in the opening twenty minutes — it was nearly third time's the charm for the Lions when Sudilian goalkeeper Lyla Reeves was forced into action for the first time of the match, following an on-target header from Bradini Brunson. Foster had initially headed the back-post Kealoha delivery towards the six-yard area, and whilst replays may have suggested a bit of pulling from Christian Clarke on Brunson, the Lion City FC striker was able to wriggle free enough to meet the ball with a glancing blow. However, it was nothing the able Reeves wasn't capable of meeting with an outstretched palm. This looked to be the culmination of Dantopia's first wave of pressure, and was definitely the stand-out moment of a very tense opening thirty-five minutes.

Not satisfied though, Rick Bishop's men turned up the intensity as half-time beckoned, eager to grab a goal for the home crowd in Waiakea. Kealoha showed marvellous feet to get a yard of space and play across to Cunningham, who was breaking into the box, only to see a low-struck effort blocked just as well as his first one in the opening twenty minutes of action. The Lions nearly went one better in the next moment when Taramaia picked out Adeyemi's run-in-behind brilliantly with a cross-field pass. The Grenadiers' winger controlled the ball brilliantly and cut back inside on his favoured left foot, but his shooting boots must have been left back in the capital, as the effort was fired well over the bar. There would be time for one final attempt before the break — aided by a superb recovery challenge by Robinson-Tate on Laviolette at the other end — teeing up Adeyemi to counter, but the veteran winger's pass inside to the free-roaming Taramaia resulted in the latter's curled effort sailing wide of the near post from the edge of the area. It would be goalless, heading into half-time.

Bradley Bing

A tactical change at the half would bring a revitalised energy to Dantopia's play in the second period. Taramaia and Adeyemi were both hooked for Bradley Bing and Zeke Edwards, resulting in a formational switch to a narrow 4-4-2 diamond. Watanabe would make up the base of this, with Kealoha and Cunningham on either side. Bing was tasked with heading the midfield quartet and offering third man runs into the box. The striking pair of Brunson and Edwards would attempt to compliment each other up top. The change almost paid off immediately, when a neat move between Kahananui and Kealoha on the left-hand side saw the former's cross cleared, before Bing picked up the rebound and sliced a right-footed attempt wide of the near post from a promising position.

The pressure kept mounting, as Brunson chested down and volleyed an effort into the ground and towards goal, which was parried by Reeves, the second go at it from Edwards being stopped again with a finger-tip save that led to a corner. This time, the Lions would make the set-piece pay off, and deservedly so after their bright start to the second period of play. Kealoha curled the corner to the near post for the towering and physical Bradley Bing to outmuscle his marker and glance a fabulous header across goal, beating Reeves and finding the net to break the deadlock, and put the hosts into the lead. This was the 19-year-old's first goal for the national team, the young starlet continuing to propel himself towards stardom following his move from Team Valiant to the Portland Pirates the previous transfer window.

The visitors, however, would respond well, and but for a looping Foster header which threatened to catch out Reeves, the Wolves appeared to be taking the upper hand. Their efforts were aided by the introduction of attacking pair Emertienne McKenzie and Yosuke Hamada off the bench, on the hour mark. Minutes later, Mateo Laprise was found at the back post, doing well to chop inside after initially losing his footing under pressure. The veteran's shot was tipped over by Bullvale in net, his first meaningful save of the match. However, this was a warning sign from Laprise, who found himself growing into the game as it wore on, and his next shot would prove deadly.

A low cross by Williams from the left, which rifled across the pitch, was inadvertently diverted by Kahananui into the path of Laprise at the back post. The 37-year-old levelled with a fine first-time effort, low and into the left-hand corner of the goal, well away from Bullvale who was aiming to protect his near post. The 64th minute strike was subject to a check from the video assistant referees, after Dantopian protestation that the ball had nicked Hamada — who was standing in an offside position — on the way in. Despite the protests, however, the goal was allowed to stand, with no obvious nick noted by the assistants. Sudilia looked resurgent, and hearts were in mouths when the ball fell at Hamada's feet in front of foal just minutes later. Fortunately, Robinson-Tate was perfectly placed to take the ball off his toes. The Wolves strode forward again, when Khan intercepted a pass down the flank — Dantopian manager Rick Bishop furious that his side were losing grip of the match — as the Sudilians went up the other end and looked dangerous once more. Fortunately for the Lions, nothing came of it.

Bradini Brunson

Bishop, unsatisfied with his side, who seemed to be waning, decided to bring some energy to both flanks. With his 4-4-2 diamond formation packing extra bodies into the middle of the park, an awful lot was being expected of the full-backs, who were now the Lions' only wide outlets. Dalton O'Higgins would replace Kaleb Kahananui on the left hand side, and Emerson Cromwell would make way for Raphael Lacroix, shifting Robinson-Tate alongside Keegan Foster in central defence. The fire and fury from the manager, and fresh legs off the bench, clearly resonated with the team. Just a few minutes later, it would be the Dantopians' turn to establish a foothold once more, turning the game on it's head. Watanabe intercepted the play and let Johnny Kealoha take over possession. The Kyethas Rivermen playmaker then slipped a sumptuous 'trivela' pass in behind for Brunson to take a wide berth and beat out Mateo Keen-Rossi. The Lion City FC forward was then able to open up his body and curl one into the far corner, in front of a jubilant Dantopian home crowd. The Lions were back in front, behind the striker's first goal of this qualifying campaign, and tenth overall.

Zeke Edwards

It would be the turn of Zeke Edwards next, who had been unlucky with his previous effort. After an O'Higgins cross was cut out and fortuitously deflected back into the path of the substitute striker, he was able to swivel his body and swing his right foot around, finding the ball sweetly and swiping it up and towards the net, with the help of a small deflection, which bested Reeves. With the ball safely in the back of the net, the Lions had not only restored their lead but doubled it, now sitting in a commanding position with less than ten minutes left to play. This would mark the third national team goal for the 21-year-old Waiakea Warriors forward, who has seen limited minutes for the Lions due to being behind Brunson, and Bishop often opting for a single-striker system. His contribution for Dantopia at his home stadium was met with a boisterous bellow from the home supporters.

Group 4 World Cup 101 Qualifying Round
POSNATIONPWDLGFGAGDPTS
1  Dantopia          2   2   0   0   6   1   +5   6
2  Xanneria          2   2   0   0   4   1   +3   6
3  Saperetia         2   1   0   1   3   1   +2   3
4  Sudilia           2   1   0   1   5   5    0    3
5  Tanirinthia       2   1   0   1   4   4    0    3
6  Lisander          2   1   0   1   5   5    0    3
7  Eshialand         2   1   0   1   4   5   -1   3
8  Gwarkos           2   1   0   1   2   4   -2   3
9  Auprussia         2   0   0   2   1   3   -2   0
10  Allamunnic States 2   0   0   2   1   6   -5   0

He should have played a part in a fourth goal for Dantopia, with five minutes left to play, when he latched onto another Kealoha pass in behind. Seeing Brunson at the far post, he was perhaps caught in two minds, unable to get the ball out from under his feet. He could neither play the ball sideways for a Brunson tap-in, nor finish the play himself. It was no matter, however, as even Sudilia spurned a glorious opportunity for themselves into the dying moments of the five added minutes. Midfielder Yoko Nakajima was unable to get anything of substance on a clearance gone awry at the back post, following a string of late corners for the visitors. A relieved Bullvale, took a breath, and leathered the resultant goal kick as far away as possible, securing the vital three points for the Dantopians in their hunt for World Cup qualification.

The Lions, who now top Group 4 after two matches, will face Lisander away next, before welcoming visitors Auprussia to the nation's capital, at the 80,000 capacity Gēcko Arena, home of Lion City FC. Sudilia's aforementioned victory against Tanirinthia in match-day one has been one of the surprise results so far, perhaps joint with both the high-scoring affair between Lisander and Eshialand — finishing 5-3 in favour of the Lisanderians — and unranked Gwarkos' 2-1 win over Auprussia. With Lisander having already beaten the second-best side on paper in the group, Rick Bishop's men must maintain their focus away from home if they are to hope for a positive result. Meanwhile, Auprussia's less-than-stellar start will require a resolute response from 'the Raptors', and their match-day four fixture against Dantopia may be once they are targeting for such a response.

Dantopia: Bullvale, Robinson-Tate (Cruz-Richards 87'), Cromwell (Lacroix 66'), Foster, Kahananui (O'Higgins 66'), E. Cunningham (c), Watanabe, Kealoha, Adeyemi (Edwards 45'), Brunson, Taramaia (Bing 45')

Subs not used: Akana, Young, Hollins, Johnson

Goals: Bing (53'), Brunson (71'), Edwards (81')

Assists: Kealoha (53', 71')

Yellow Cards: Watanabe (60'), Foster ('72), Cruz-Richards ('90)

Red Cards: none

Sudilia: Reeves, Keen-Rossi (Seo 87'), Khan, Clarke, Williams (Izumi 82'), Campbell (Singh 82'), Nakajima, Bourne (McKenzie 60'), Laprise, Laviolette, Richardson (Hamada 60')

Subs not used: Vidal Santana, Nazário Cardoso, Oluchi, St-Onge

Goals: Laprise (64')

Assists: none

Yellow Cards: Richardson (41'), Campbell ('69)

Red Cards: none

xg.unit

1d

Dantopia (1.51) 3-1 (1.13) Sudilia #DANvsSDL #WorldCup101 #Qualifying #Group4

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Expected Line-up — MD7 @ Tanirinthia:

Starting Eleven:
GKP: 1. Alex Bullvale
DEF: 2. Sam Robinson-Tate — 5. Makaio Cruz-Richards — 4. Keegan Foster — 3. Kaleb Kahananui
MID: 8. Ezra Cunningham (C) — 6. Kai Watanabe — 10. Johnny Kealoha
FWD: 11. Nico Hollins — 9. Bradini Brunson — 7. Jeremiah Taramaia
Available Substitutes:
13. Winston Akana — 12. Raphael Lacroix — 14. Tyson Taylor — 16. Dalton O'Higgins — 18. Elleby Young — 20. Bradley Bing — 17. Adebayo Adeyemi — 19. Zeke Edwards — 15. Zaïre Thomas

Expected Line-up — MD8 @ Saperetia:

Starting Eleven:
GKP: 1. Alex Bullvale
DEF: 5. Dalton O'Higgins — 2. Sam Robinson-Tate — 4. Keegan Foster — 3. Kaleb Kahananui
MID: 8. Elleby Young — 6. Omari Opetaia — 10. Bradley Bing
FWD: 11. Adebayo Adeyemi (C) — 9. Zeke Edwards — 7. Zaïre Thomas
Available Substitutes:
13. Winston Akana — 12. Raphael Lacroix — 15. Makaio Cruz-Richards — 16. Dwight Krol — 18. Ezra Cunningham — 20. Johnny Kealoha — 17. Nico Hollins — 19. Bradini Brunson — 14. Jeremiah Taramaia

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OOC DISCLAIMER: The likenesses of players and managers have been created with the help of generative AI. Every other image in this RP was completely hand-made.

[Recuecn]

Franky returned to his hometown to visit his best friend's daughter.

Franky had once been the star striker for Reçueçn's équipe nationale, and the best player on his hometown's club team, Association Genève. Now, at 37, he was retired from playing soccer, and Rébecca Firaut, a nineteen-year-old girl, was filling both those roles. Or at least, she would be, if she hadn't torn her ACL at the IAC.

Ironically, Rébecca had grown up in the city of Reçueçn, and her dad had been the star player for Reçueçn FC, Association Genève's biggest rivals. But now Franky worked for the ministry of sport and thus lived in the capital, while Rébecca had signed for Genève and moved away from her family. The two had effectively traded places.

Since they both played for the ÉNRF, Franky and Gerauld Firaut (Rébecca's dad) had become good friends. Franky would often visit the Firauts while he was in Reçueçn, so when Rébecca, injured and laid up at her new home in Genève with little to do, felt lonely, she called him up—the Genève native she knew the best.

Franky made the train ride back home to show her around the city. They got brunch, and Franky said he would show her both Genève's tourist attractions, and the places that, as he said, "a real local should know." First he took her to the old cathedral, where Jean Calvin used to preach.

"There's a really great view of the city from the cathedral tower," Franky said, as they entered the nave. "I can point everything out to you from up there."

Rébecca rolled her eyes. "I know they gave me these crutches finally and said I could walk around, but I'm not sure I can make it up the stairs of a tower."

Franky went red. "That—that's my bad," he stammered. "Here, I mean, the cathedral is worth seeing even if you don't climb up there. Sorry. There's a cool archaeological site beneath it we can check out—a Gallic tomb, or something. I'm sorry, I really wasn't thinking."

"It's fine," laughed Rébecca. "You can show me the rest of the city, and you'll just have to come back some other time so we can climb the tower together."

"Well hopefully you'll have made friends here by the time your leg heals," said Franky. "You'll know your teammates by then—surely they've been welcoming?"

"Yeah, actually, the weirdest thing happened," said Rébecca, as they paused to look up at the cathedral's gleaming pipe organ. "When I went in for my first PT session, this lady named Michèle was there to greet me—she's one of the higher-up officials on the team, I guess? But she treated me like I was the second coming of Xíxì Êns. She worshipped the ground I walked on. She took me out for lunch the next day, and every single thing I said, it was 'That's so great, Rébecca,' 'That's wonderful Rébecca,' 'You're so intelligent for your age, Rébecca.' It was demented. I said I liked the brioche at the place we got lunch and she tripped over herself to agree, then ordered a box to send home with me. I can't figure out what her deal is."

"You're a celebrity now," said Franky. "You're gonna have to get used to not being treated like a regular person. It's always weird. Sometimes it can be nice... but usually it's just weird. She sounds harmless though. Try to enjoy it, I guess?"

"I kinda figured she must want something from me," said Rébecca.

The pair walked out of the cathedral and squinted in the bright sunlight. Franky walked slowly, trying to let Rébecca keep up despite her crutches.

"It's definitely possible," he said. "But I remember when I first got famous. The way people treated me changed overnight. I thought you'd be used to it, to be honest. You must have seen the way some people are around your dad."

"I guess..." Rébecca sounded unconvinced. "This seemed different though."

"Then hey! Make the best of it! Free brioche, right?" Franky jokingly punched her in the shoulder. "Oh, sorry," he hastened to apologize. "I didn't mean to knock you off balance."

Franky took Rébecca to some of his favorite old haunts. His favorite dive bar. The club he used to go dancing at. (They just walked past, it was too early for it to be open.) His favorite restaurants—all local fast food places. By the end of the day it seemed that even the injured and lonely Rébecca was smiling again.

She saw him off at the train station. "Thanks for visiting, Franky. I hope I'll see you again soon."

"Your dad said you might come back to town to watch the Kwrpania game with us?"

"Yeah hopefully. See you then, I guess!" Franky boarded the train and Rébecca waved as it pulled out.

Franky thought back to their conversation as the train sped him down from the mountains toward the valley and Reçueçn city. A 'high-up official,' he thought, named Michèle. Surely not Michèle Simon? She wouldn't have gone back to Genève just for Rébecca, would she? Franky frowned. It's probably not her, he thought. But maybe I should warn Rébecca to watch out?

Just then the conductor stepped into the car. "Tickets please!"

Franky, distracted, scrabbled in his pocket to pull out his phone, entirely forgetting about the warning he'd meant to send.

[The Sernetian Empire]

SERNESPORTS TV

ooc note: sernesports tv logo is ai generated, i will make a human made one asap

contents:
1) Sernet accepts defeat to Flavovespia
2) Steamers snatch three points in Snarisosnum
3) Pre-match analysis
4) Guide for Eriadnian fans

Sernet accepts defeat to Flavovespia
Grzegorz Woskiewicz

The bad news is that we lost the match 2-0. The good news is that Matchday 5 was likely the hardest one we were going to play: an away game against a team ranked 3rd in the multiverse. There were Sernetian supporters flying into Waldster, the Flavovespian capital, but the crowd was sparse compared to the usual masses of supporters. Most fans picked to watch the game in Snarisosnum, assuming we are talking about those planning on watching a match live.

The match kicked off promptly, and before we knew it, Flavovespia were already testing the defence. Stirius Mantrostem deflected a shot by Cristopher Hill at the 4th minute which seriously looked like it was going in. However, this wouldn't last long, with Peter Langdon scoring against Tomasz Pasarowski at the 11th minute.
Moving forward, the Steamers had a spell of good attacking form, getting the better of the Flavovespian defence but never quite breaching Peter Marriott's guard on the goal. A shot by Bolsting at the 24th minute was bound to go in, but a dive by Marriott denied the Steamers an equaliser. Yet another chance came at the 36th minute when a corner by Stork landed straight in front of Jatrowski, but the shot was deflected by Stan Scott-Wilson. The first half ended with Flavovespia 1-0 up.

During the second half, Sernet pushed forwards, with a near miss by Zenobiusz Kusek at the 49th minute almost levelling out the score. Flavovespian midfielder Steve Moseley gained possession after that attempt, and dribbled halfway down the pitch until he was closed down by Urstof Langost. However, the next Flavovespian goal was just round the corner, scored by Paul Doyle at the 61st minute from an assist by Charles Shepherd. The atmosphere in the away stands wasn't quite joyful, but the Sernetians were still hopeful for a remontada. At the 72nd minute, an excellent through ball by Adam Doryszczykiewicz to Samir Dottman led to a shot by Zbigniew Komstrowski that was only barely saved by Peter Marriott, resulting in a Sernetian corner. Stefan Jatrowski took the corner, and Sporius Bolsting took a shot, but to no avail, as it was blocked by Roger Burden. Fortunately, the Steamers conceded no more goals, with a last-minute attempt by Charles Shepherd being shut down by Pasarowski, and at least the match wasn't a walk in the park for Flavovespia, who were on the brink of conceding on multiple occasions.

Final score:
Flavovespia 2 - 0 Sernet

Goals:
Flavovespia: Langdon 11', Doyle 61'

Steamers snatch three points in Snarisosnum
Salman Ferisen

Following the defeat to Flavovespia, named our hardest fixture due to it being an away game against the 3rd highest ranked team, it was nice to feel the sweet taste of success again. Hordes of Sernetians were streaming into the Big Doughnut stadium in Snarisosnum, enthusiastic and convinced that this would be an easy 3 points and a remedy for last matchday's loss. Meanwhile, the Alphanian fans were also filling up the away stands, clearly noticing the fact that the stadium's name had the word "doughnut" in it, which lifted their mood.

The match kicked off with immediate Sernetian domination, and a lot of chanting in the stands. Every time a pass was made by either team, the Alphanians would shout "SIX SEVEN" and do the obligatory hand gesture, a reference to the 67 meme which was long dead in Sernet. The Sernetians were chanting endless rounds of "SERNET IS HIM SERNET IS HIM ALL WHO OPPOSE HIM BELONG IN THE BIN" relentlessly, almost militarily. Down on the pitch, few of the Alphanian players seemed genuinely locked in, and were more focused on trying to act tekky instead of actually playing the beautiful game, which they audaciously call "soccer." Besides, the Steamers are way more tekky. The supporters decided to make fun of that and chant "YOU'RE CHEEKS AT SOCCER AND YOU'RE WORSE AT FOOTBALL." Back on the pitch, it seemed like the Alphanians were struggling to even get a touch on the ball, with the midfield constantly passing between each other: Jatrowski to Komstrowski to Stork to Morpowski to Dassaro. Soon enough, Dassaro passed the ball up to Bolsting, who slid a smooth pass to Kusek and scored the first goal of the match at the 34th minute, barely breaking a sweat. Meanwhile, Polin Twisk, who was on for Pasarowski for the first half, and the rest of the defence, were having a lazy day compared to the previous matchday. As the game progressed, more shots were made on goal by Bolsting, Tworpowski and Martinius Holter, but these were unfortunately stopped by a spell of defence from the United States of Alpha, mainly by Harrison Delvi. When the half-time whistle blew, the Steamers were 1-0 up and the Sernetians confident that this would be an easy win. During half-time, the fans from both nations danced and vibed to the music with intense energy, electrifying the atmosphere further.

The second half had just barely kicked off, and Banis Kolbense had already scored at the 46th minute from an assist by Martinius Holter; both players hadn't played for Sernet since World Cup 101 had started. The Sernetians erupted, but the Alphanians weren't exactly sad. The Sernetians continued to push, but it seemed that the Alphinians had gotten in the zone a little bit more. An attempt by Liam 10 almost went in at the 56th minute, but was saved by Twisk, who was later subbed off for Pasarowski. This would be the only shot on target by the Alphanians. At the 67th minute, Sporius Bolsting scored a beautiful goal, chipping the ball smoothly over the opponents' heads and straight into top bins. However, the goal was discounted as a result of foul play as per a check by VAR. This led to the revival of the six seven chants and the "Bad at soccer" chant from Sernet, but instead using more profanities to make the atmosphere more spicy. Us at Sernefoot are probably some of the most respectful Sernet fans as we are required to stay family-friendly in our programme.

The final 20 minutes of the match were rather uneventful, save for a near miss by Lansor Sakayo and another close shave by Wasori Oluwawa, the two of them coming on for Sporius Bolsting and Zenobiusz Kusek in the last few minutes. At the 94th (90+4') minute, Tomasz Pasarowski sprinted up the field for an attempt at the goal; Stirius Mantrostem crossed the ball to him but unfortunately Pasarowski failed to score. The very last attempt was by Yanson Trefling, who took a great shot at the goal but hit the crossbar. The moment the referee blew the whistle, the Sernetians went ballistic and released the flares and waved the flags with unlimited energy and stretched the scarves out till the scarf was put away for a great big collective salute: all players, those on the pitch and the bench, as well as the supporters and staff. Even some of the Alphanians joined in. Stoberus Pond attempted to located the Alphanian head coach or manager for a handshanke, but was unsuccessful. No big deal though, as Sernet had snatched three vital points; everyone was happy.

Final score:
Sernet 2 - 0 United States of Alpha

Goals:
Sernet: Kusek 34', Kolbense 46'

Pre-match analysis: MD7 vs Kharakia @[Unconfirmed], MD8 vs Eriadni @ Gomswood Arena Stensemertef
Tadeusz Uwalski


P.s. We're keeping the lineup the same. Stoberus Pond and Don Swordsman will make sure all players do something for Sernet this world cup.

Table:

---

Group 9                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
 1 Flavovespia               6    5   1   0    13    3  +10    16
 2 Indusse                   6    3   2   1    16   12   +4    11
 3 United States of Alpha    6    3   1   2    13    6   +7    10
 4 Sernet                    6    3   1   2    11    9   +2    10
 5 Choppyhausen              6    2   2   2     7    7    0     8
 6 Kharakia                  6    2   2   2    16   21   −5     8
 7 Eriadni                   6    1   3   2    12   14   −2     6
 8 Drawkland                 6    0   5   1     8    9   −1     5
 9 Anewkansas                6    1   1   4     6   12   −6     4
10 Afanc Strait              6    0   2   4     5   14   −9     2

A 2-0 loss to Flavovespia and a 2-0 win against the United States of Alpha. At least this time we didn't lose in Sernetesen, but we have 2 more games at Sernetesen Lighthouse and another game at Seven Bridges, so it's not that big of a deal. And we won the first game in Seven Bridges anyways. I suppose the odds of us winning against Flavovespia were low, but at least we didn't get absolutely smoked. Then for Matchday 6 we had the Alphanians; personally I think that was a bit too easy, of course our win in Snarisosnum was well-deserved but I thought there'd be some more resistance from the opposition...
Moving on, next up we face Kharakia. The venue remains unconfirmed but it is probably going to be the Holloway Stadium... very interesting name, if you know, you know. After that we face Eriadni at home in Stensemertef. Despite both of our upcoming fixtures not being particularly difficult, I have a feeling Eriadni poses more of a threat than Kharakia, despite Kharakia being higher on the table and us playing them on away territory; I just feel like Eriadni is a more promising team. Speaking on the table, we've fallen from 3rd place to 4th, with 10 points and a goal difference of +2. We'd be above the United States of Alpha hadn't they won against Kharakia 6-1 and against Afanc Strait 4-0. But not to worry since both of those are coming up soon so we've got an opportunity to not only win the matches, but score a lot of goals to bring up our goal difference. A GD of +2 is not bad but it could always be +7. And our upcoming fixtures against Kharakia and Afanc Strait are the best opportunities to make it +7, or perhaps even higher.
The usual flow of away fans coming in and Sernetian fans flying out is taking place, with Eriadnian fans slowly entering Sernet. Meanwhile the Steamers are already en route to Kharakia for Matchday 7. That's it from the Sernefoot team for now, come back later for more and may the odds be in Sernet's favour... of course they are though, haha. Bye guys.


The Team at Sernesports TV wishes Sernet luck.
From Left to right: Czesław, Damian, Salman, Peter, Bobby. Tadeusz and Grzegorz are not in this photo.

(ooc: above image is ai-generated but has a very long prompt and was used in MetCup.
see this dispatch: https://www.nationstates.net/page=dispatch/id=2619904 for more context.)

Guide for Eriadnian fans: How to reach Gomswood Arena, Stensemertef

Welcome, Eriadnian fans, to the wonderful country of Sernet! Thank you for visiting Sernet. You may find that our extensive rail network may be challenging to navigate, or that you can't seem to find where Sernetesen Lighthouse stadium is. This guide is designed to help you!

When you arrive at Sernetesen Storimidros International (we're assuming that's where you land), follow signage until you end up at the SMR station for whichever terminal you land at - for you lot its its likely to be Terminal 4. From here you have two options: take the slow SMR service down to Sernetesen, or take the fast Airline service to Sernetesen Arsenal. We'd recommend you take the Airline; it gets you from the airport to Sernetesen in just 15 minutes (a bit longer if catching it from Terminal 4) for a very slightly higher fare. Once at Sernetesen Arsenal, walk to the mainline platforms and board a train towards either Stensemertef Exchange or Stensemertef Towers, it doesn't really matter. You can take a service operated either by Sernet Rapid Express (SRX), the flagship high-speed operator of Sernet, or Northstar, another high-speed operator which serves Stensemertef. You could also take a slower semi-fast stopper service to Stensemertef, but we recommend you stick to the high-speed services available. Staff will be on duty to direct you should you be lost.

Stay on the train until either Stensemertef Exchange or Stensemertef Towers. From here, change to Stensemertef Metro and take any train that says it stops at Gomswood OR Gomswood Mainline. You can reach these stations from both Stensemertef Exchange or Stensemertef Towers. If you end up at Gomswood, there is a short 10-minute walk to the stadium; if you end up at Gomswood Mainline, the stadium is literally adjacent to the station and it will take you barely any time to reach it. Sernet has an abundance of public toilets should you need the loo. The trains on the Metro don't have toilets, but the high-speed trains do. Upon arrival at Stensemertef, you should find all the amenities you need; restaurants, cafes, shops, you name it. Free wifi is available at the airport, on the trains and at the stadium. If you wish to stay at a hotel, there are plenty relatively cheap but high quality hotels in Stensemertef (as well as some more luxurious ones). Staff will be at all mentioned stations and around the stadium to provide assistance. We hope this guide will allow you to navigate to your destination with ease. Enjoy stay in Stensemertef, the second largest city in Sernet. Have fun!

#thepowerofsernet

[Audioslavia]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Idiot Project nerdery for some of the same thing from The Aesthetic

The Aesthetic
The Unbreacha-Bulls and Qualifying’s Greatest Seigebreakers

Audioslavian football fans may have developed a crick in their neck from seeing their side so far above the competition in Group 1. Even two heavy defeats in the side’s next two games would not topple the lead the Bulls have put together in the early going. Six games in, seven points clear.

The team giving chase are Pyazhnaya, a team who have gotten the better of our own on each of the last two matchups, including knocking us out of World Cup 100, so before they spoil our fun, let’s look at the Audioslavian team’s form thus far. Specifically, let’s look at the side’s most impressive statistic.

Played six. Conceded zero.

This equals one particular national record for Audioslavia: In World Cup 69 qualifying group 24, the Bulls amassed a goalscoring record of 21 for and none against, including a 7-0 win over Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk gorod, before finally conceding in their seventh game via a 1-1 draw with Buyan.

The specific record we’re looking at is how many games into qualifying a team got before conceding a goal. It’s not quite a measure of how many games a team has gone without conceding. If you concede a goal in the first game of qualifying and then keep eleven clean sheets in a row, you’re inelligible.

It’s sort of like preserving your goal’s virginity for as long as possible, but let’s use a less icky metaphor: Your goal is a priceless vase. Your team is Jackie Chan. Your qualifying group is a warehouse full of ladders, ropes and thugs. The Ming Vase Metric measures how far into qualifying you can take your vase before someone roundhouse kicks a judoka through it.

Audioslavia’s two six goal runs are nowhere near good enough for the top.

This record begins in World Cup 7 as Total n Utter Insanity go five games into group fifteen without conceding. Timway are beaten 3-0, Zihkav and God Squad 2-0, Liventian puppets Oddslavo 1-0 and Bizarro 4-0. This amounts to half of the entire qualifying phase. Timway, the only one of the above teams to make any sort of name for itself, grab a consolation in the return fixture as TnUI win 4-1 on the way to the sort of perfect qualifying campaign that inevitably leads to an inauspicious second round exit.

Five games, no goals conceded. This record is broken just two cycles later in bizarre fashion, as Anti-Nazis draw their opening five games 0-0 before registering a one-nothing win on Matchday 6. Of all the teams to go unbeaten and unbreached in their first six games of qualifying, their final fate might be the worst: The side finished qualifying with a 1-8-5 record that proved good enough for seventh out of eight teams, fourteen points adrift of the qualifying spots.

Two cycles later, three teams would cross the seven-game barrier together. The Belmore Family, Aquilla and some team called Squornshelous all went seven games into World Cup 11 qualifying without conceding a goal.

Artemsia Absentia, Ice Reavers, Mattigool, Lynnwoode, Audioslavia and Oddslavo: "The Other Brothers".

Three teams broke the record. It was almost four. None other than Anti-Nazis themselves went six games without conceding, once again. Fans of recent Idiot Project episodes may be tickled to find out that they did so in the group where Praying 2 God had both their debut and their descent into madness.

Of the three that made it to seven games without conceding, Aquilla’s feat is perhaps the most impressive. Ranked just 22nd in the world themselves - and in a time where there would only ever be eighty teams in the rankings - they defeated two top twenty teams in this period. Our own nation and Oddslavo. They would top their group, as would The Belmore Family, while Squornshelous would only finish third and would need a playoff to scrape through to the finals. They would finish ahead of top-seeds Bedistan, a heavyweight at the time having an absolute nightmare in qualifying, but behind Gesamkuntswerk - a team I’ve always loved because it’s what I call the Job Centre in Audioslavia.

The joint record enjoyed by TBF, Aquilla and Squornshelous would be broken by these Gesamkuntswerkers just two cycles later. Gesamkuntswerk put together a monster run at the start of WC13 qualifying.

The side overcome fifth ranked Commerce Heights before shutting out almost every other mid or non-ranked nation Group 4 had to offer.

This time, the record doesn’t stand for exactly two cycles before being broken. It doesn’t even stand for two matchdays.

Gesamkuntswerk will go 15-3-0 as the second seed in this group, finishing ahead of the great Commerce Heights, who will be world champions in a couple of cycles, by ten whole points. They will, naturally, bow out in the second round in the finals.

If you’ve been keeping up with Audioslavian data journalism these last few years, you might know roughly where we’re headed. The great Sarzonia side of the early twenties famously went three qualifying cycles in a row where they conceded three goals in total - just one each per campaign. There have only been six or seven one-goal-conceded qualifying runs in history, so it’s fair to say that no team has eve come close to this Sarzonian run. But does it fulfil the requirements of the Ming Vase Metric?

We head to the early twenties now, to find a blue-clad Atlantian Oceanian team has extended the record to a Ming Vase Metric of 9.

19th-ranked Krytenia somehow ruin Gesamkunts’ hard werk by going on tear in World Cup 23 Group 6, where they would hold the line successfully against a debuting future heavyweight, a debuting future nobody, an illegal Vilitan puppet, a low-ranked team, a future three-time world champion, a plucky third seed, a plucky fifth seed and the very same future heavyweight and future nobody as on matchdays one and two. Kipto-Mare would spoil the party on the next outing, scoring a goal in defeat. Krytenia would finish with an 8-4-2 record only good for second place in the group, and would be eliminated in the round of sixteen.

Krytenia’s record lasts a cycle. The Great Wall of Sarzonia, with their almost unbeatable defence, proves to be the longest time any team in the history of Qualifying held the vase, with eleven straight games before finally conceding a goal.

Sarzonia are ranked number one in the world at this point, having won World Cup 22 and finished third in WC23. They will go 12-2-0 in qualifying and top the group by twelve points, scoring 31 times and conceding only once in a one-all draw with Commerce Heights.

There are a number of honorable mentions in this list. They’re the usual suspects. Taeshan and South Covello have defensive records that the likes of Audioslavia (highest MVM: 6, WC69 Group 24, WC101 Group 1) and Ko-oren ((highest MVM: 4, WC72 Group 12) can only dream about. Taeshan put a nine-game run together in World Cup 63 qualifying, with South Covello managing ten in a row in WC79 qualifying.

More recently, Saint Eleanor hit eight games un-vase-smashed in cycle 96, joining Jeruselem (WC52 Group 4) on this figure. Brenecia (WC81 Group 16) managed a nine-game run twenty cycles ago.

Most recently, back in cycle 97, the much missed Sylestone joined the South Covellans on ten games unbreached.

Putting together a 12-4-0 record, scoring eighteen goals and conceding only one - a consolation in a 3-1 win over Patriotlandia - Sylestone qualified in emphatic style. In the World Cup, they went out in the first round.

WC G Form Team               MVM
02408WC20 Sarzonia            11
07907SQIS South Covello       10
09707SQIS Sylestone           10
02306WC12 Krytenia            9
06301SQIS Taeshan             9
07907SQIS South Covello       9
08116SLIS Brenecia            9
01304JOLT Gesamtkuntswerk     8
05204NSFS Jeruselem           8
09615SQIS Saint Eleanor       8
01103JOLT Squornshelous       7
01106JOLT The Belmore Family  7
01112JOLT Aquilla             7
01306JOLT Giant Zucchini      7
02301WC12 Crystilakere        7
02307WC12 Cockbill Street     7
02309WC12 Sarzonia            7
05306NSFS Albundania          7
05612NSFS Albundania          7
07902SQIS Sargossa            7
08118SLIS South Covello       7
08311NSFS South Covello       7
00907JOLT Anti-Nazis          6
00909JOLT Total n Utter Insan 6
01105JOLT Anti-Nazis          6
01110JOLT Antaeus Rising      6
02111WC21 Rejistania          6
02301WC12 Spruitland          6
02411WC20 Bedistan            6
06509SQIS Polar Islandstates  6
06814SLIS Polar Islandstates  6
06924SQIS Audioslavia         6
07811SQIS Vilita              6
09402NSFS Naixi               6
10101LISA Audioslavia         6

[Yangchenia]

---

A Childhood Never Lived

---

At the age of just 10 years old Yuko began earning money to help pay off his father’s increasing debts. Only a few ngultrums here and there, enough to support himself, and leaving his father with the task of somehow managing such a growing debt. He tried negotiating with the Yazawa numerous times, yet all his pleas were met with silence. Their message was simple yet merciless — pay it off by the loan’s duration, or face the consequences.

The loan was due in 2023. Riku already expected the worst, which was that the Yazawa was going to screw with them until they got their share. But what could he really pay them? He couldnt even afford a single months’ interest with his annual income.

This was Yuko Tanaka’s reality as he entered his teenage years. After school, while all his classmates were free to play and mingle with each other, Yuko worked to shovel snow off Raijugang’s ice-covered streets in the winter, and sweep the fallen leaves in the summer, working until the sun had long set below the horizon.

At times it looked like he barely managed four hours of sleep, despite being only twelve years old. His hands were calloused, body scarred and bruised, and clothing so disheveled he earned the nickname of “Hobo” among his classmates for his dirty, poverty-stricken look. When things grew too much to handle—when all the sleepless nights spent toiling in the streets, battling the cruel grip of hunger overwhelmed him, he would often excuse himself to the school bathroom, where, in solitude, would bawl his eyes out in the stalls.

His teacher, an old and wise monk named Raktsen, often wondered why Yuko sometimes excused himself for such long periods during his class. The thought that he was maybe attempting to skip his class sometimes crossed his mind, yet whenever he returned, he always apologized profusely like he had just committed murder.

Raktsen taught the class all about religion. A monk who spent over a decade at Zaiyung Monastery, it was said that he had inherited half of the Gautama Buddha’s enlightenment. Many in Yuko’s school specifically seek out Raktsen for his guidance before their exams, believing him to be a Spring of Good Karma.

He always repeated one phrase in his classes about God.
“God never makes mistakes. There is a reason for everyone and everything.”

Despite his similar admiration for Raktsen, Yuko refused to believe that phrase. Despite his wisdom, despite his enlightenment—he was wrong about one thing.
God does make mistakes.
Because God created him.

Sometimes, he wished that he had died in the womb instead. He wished he had never been born at all. If he had not come into this world, Mariko would still be alive. His father wouldnt be stuck raising him despite his dire economic condition. Maybe the Tanaka would have weathered the storm much better without him.

Returning to class, he apologized to Monk Raktsen with his usual formalities, before proceeding to his seat.
Raktsen paid him little attention, his eyes focused onto the whiteboard in front of the class, on which the phrase “KARMA” was written in capital letters.
“One must accumulate good karma in order to have a better reincarnation.”, Raktsen said.
If bad karma equaled a bad reincarnation, then Yuko could only conclude that he was a monster in his past life. Maybe this life was his punishment for such heinous deeds he had committed in his past reincarnation. Was he Hitler? Was he part of the Mongol Horde that burned the city of Jalgyg? Was he once one of the cruel slave mistresses of the Ya?

If there was one thing he was sure of.
He either needed better karma.
Or this world would be better without him.

The Ouroboros of Despair

---

It was the early days of 2026, in a winter just as cold as the one that sent his family into spiraling debt in the first place. Today was a special day—in his eyes at least. He had just finished tenth grade at Guizhang Panda High School, the local high school in his rundown neighborhood of Raijugang. He was around fifteen, turning sixteen years old this year. While most of his classmates were talking about their plans for the summer (by Msalkan terms, summer was still really cold), Yuko however, was busy considering what job, likely plural, he would take on to support his old and ailing father. Riko was aging, and this year marked his fiftieth birthday. On one of his many jobs, as a construction worker for Saichen Industries, he had injured one of his legs after falling from a ladder. It was a pretty high fall as well, so much so that his co-workers were impressed that he didn't break even more bones.

Yet even with his injury, he still worked almost 16 hours a day. In the morning he was a courier delivering the daily newspapers to each neighborhood of Raijugang. In the afternoon, a delivery driver took several orders during the busy lunch break in Raijugang’s commercial district. In the evening, he performed manual labor in one of Saichen Industries’ latest construction projects in the heart of the city. And at night, he was a doorman at Belvedere Casino, where he watched patrons lose more money in a single sitting than what he could ever earn in a lifetime. Yuko knew his father couldn't continue working like this, and that he would need to find work as soon as possible.

There he was today, in the city center of Raijugang, reading about job postings in the local newspaper. He read about the usual job postings, some for construction projects like his father often did, though after what his father had gone through, he didn't necessarily want to do construction work if it wasn't his only option. Saichen Enterprises also paid like shit, and that was coming from his father’s experience.

There were many other job offerings listed on the tabloid Yuko didnt fancy as well. One offer was to work as a miner in the mountains of the mainland. It paid no better than a Saichen construction worker, and worse, the workplace was hundreds of kilometers away from home. There was another offer from Gaszol—a petrochemical company with a large presence in Raijugang, yet Yuko knew almost nothing about oil, except for the fact that it powered much of the world.

He did not spend his entire day staring at a piece of paper however. Towards the backside of the paper, he did find an offer he was okay with—a job hiring as a delivery driver for the popular shipping company, Phuentshang. Yet as soon as he sat down for an interview, he was immediately turned away by the interviewer due to his young age, instead hiring an older man behind him, who seemed to be in a similar destitute condition as Yuko.

The days soon turned to weeks. For Yuko, the cycle kept on repeating, everyday he would stroll over to city center, look for job postings on the daily tabloids, and sit down for interviews of jobs he was qualified for. Yet even with his qualifications, he was met with rejection after rejection, an endless ouroboros of hope extinguished into nothing but despair.

One day in late November, Yuko was in Taitung, preparing to leave the city after once again being rejected from a job offering he was perfectly qualified for, just because of his age and background. With a defeated look he gazed towards the distant horizon, and his eyes fell upon the Grand Bridge, which extended as far out as one could see towards the horizon. And for a moment, he considered the same thing that his father considered almost twelve years ago.

The Ouroboros of Despair

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Yuko was so lost in thought staring at the Grand Bridge, he was startled when he suddenly heard a man’s voice speak from behind him.
“To Kanazawa?”
Kanazawa was the name of Yuko’s neighborhood. A derelict district of Raijugang that had definitely seen better days compared to the rest of the glistening city. While the city center was defined by bright lights, wide streets, fancy nightlife, tall buildings—Kanazawa was far sleepier, silent, a backwards relic of old Raijugang prior to the War for Liberation, as Yanginis called the Second World War.
The bus to Kanazawa was packed with people, their sweat sticking to Yuko’s skin, the air thick and heavy. Yet Yuko hardly noticed these discomforts, as he was still lost in his thoughts.

He was turning sixteen soon. In Raijugang, on paper it was the legal age, yet it was common for people to start working at a younger age, whether its working class children aiding their parents in supporting their twelve other siblings, or the children of the wealthy elite learning how their family business run.

He was fresh out of high school, and while most of his peers were headed to college, Yuko did not have any other option but to work. Tertiary education was where Raijugang’s limited education programs stopped covering tuition, which meant that if he wanted to enter university, he would have to pay for it out of his own pocket. And that was money the Tanaka just didnt have. Even universities catered to educating the poor still charged tens of thousands of Ngultrums, placing them way out of his meager budget.

Today was the end of the month. Which meant that loan from the Yazawa would once again grow in interest. He knew exactly when interest added up, because it decided whether or not they would eat for the next week. And even right now, Yuko looked like he hadnt eaten for one already.

Soon, the bus was driving through the familiar streets of his home district. As soon as his home came into view, he stepped off the bus and trudged to his front gate. Immediately, he noticed something there that wasn't there earlier—a letter in the mailbox, sealed by red wax, an elegant crest stamped into the seal.

The first feeling that washed through Yuko was dread. It was instinct at this point. The only time the Tanaka family received letters was when the Yazawa was demanding their payments.
“Great. How much are these scumbags demanding now”, he sighed as he retrieved the letter from the mailbox.

Then his expression shifted. The seal looked different. It wasn't a Yazawa seal, come to think of it, the Yazawa never stamped their seals onto their letters. It didn't make sense for an organization skirting national laws to do such a thing. He knew it was probably meant for his father, yet upon inspecting the letter, he noticed an inscription which read:

“To Yuko Tanaka, 1178 Phuentshang Street, Kanazawa, Raijugang”
Chen Hou-yin [Zhen Houyin]

He had never heard of this “Chen Hou-yin” person even once in his life before. And weirdest of all, the letter was addressed to him personally. He double checked the handwritten note on the envelope, scrutinizing each terribly written character to confirm if it really was for him. It didnt help that the man was attempting to write his name not in Kanji, but in Simplified Hanzi. Yet, even after reading the inscription a dozen times, the letter was undeniably addressed to him.
“What does this man want from me?”, he wondered as he gently opened the letter.

What was inside left him speechless.
His eyes immediately read:

雷莊港大學 - 獎學金部門
University of Raijugang — Scholarship Department

The University of Raijugang was perhaps, one of the most renowned educational institutions in the world, and undoubtedly the most prestigious one in all of the Msalkan continent. It was a place attended by many of Yangchenia’s most famous figures, like Zao Medong, the leader of the Yinese Communist Party that begun the Communist movement in the East. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Payken Shuba, another alumni of UniRai that championed Yangini Nationalism, the protection of Yangini Culture and his controversial support of Revisionist Fascism. Even foreign leaders had attended UniRai, such as Liedwin Harpetszdochter, the current Arbiter of Souzanid Sharplet, who studied agriculture there when he was but a child.

And now, they were writing a letter to him.
Still speechless, he continued reading.

“The Office of Admissions of the University of Raijugang constantly seek the cream of the crop of Yangchenia—those who have exceptional talents that do not have the corresponding financial firepower to achieve their greatest potential. And our mission is to give these talented individuals their chance to soar to whatever heights they can reach, and kindle the flame for a new future.

It is with our pleasure to announce that you, TANAKA, YUKO NOBIODA, are formally invited to the class of 2026.”

For once it seemed, the candle of hope would stay lit much longer.

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Yangchenia Blazing Dragons
"In the flames of sport, our iron will is forged"

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Matchday 5 and 6
Blazing Dragons rise to 2nd

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Matchdays 5 and 6 have just passed in the 101st World Cup qualifiers, and as your sporting correspondents for Yangchenia, it is our duty to provide you with the latest news of what is happening out there in the field. I am you writer, Tsao Tsao-tung, and today we will dissect what occured for the Blazing Dragons on the 5th and 6th matchdays of the qualifiers.

These next few matches against Mytanija and Olastor were certainly confusing to dissect, especially as both national teams failed to submit a roster prior to entering the 101st World Cup. Because of this, we do not know the exact identities of the players on the field, but we will attempt regardless.

The first game was against Olastor at home, but more precisely, in Nyaungyi, the capital of Zayathla. Nyaungyi is known for regular power outages due to the ongoing civil war in the country that escalated in 2021, but the match with Olastor proceeded smoothly. The match began with an early goal from Wu Hsaing on the 16th minute, after successfully routing the Olastorian goalkeeper, bringing the match 1-0. Soon later, Bahatai Yehe-Nara further increased Yangchenia's lead at the 28th minute, bringing the game 2-0. The final goal came from the Olastorian side after halftime, with a goal from an unknown player on the 72nd minute, becoming the final goal of the game, ending the match with a Yangini victory.

The next match was an away game against similarly rosterless Mytanija. Matchday 6's game began with a stalemate between the two teams, before a sudden, skilled goal from Bahatai Yehe-Nara on the 25th minute. Mytanija responded with their own goal on the 34th minute, and then another goal on the 45th minute, making use of a disorganized formation from the Yangini team to strike. Yangchenia made back the goal difference post halftime, with a goal from Wu Hsaing on the 78th minute, and then another goal from Sakai Hirokumi, his first, on the 87th minute, ending the game with another Yangini victory.

Matchday 5 Results
Kyarr-Hcwal Stadium, Nyaungyi, Zayathla
Reference: http://www.sports.yn/results/matchday-5
Yangchenia 2 -1 Olastor

Wu Hsaing 16'
Bahatai Yehe-Nara 28'

ROSTERLESS

Matchday 6 Results
Mytanija
Reference: http://www.sports.yn/results/matchday-6
Mytanija 2 -3 Yangchenia

ROSTERLESS

'25 Bahatai Yehe-Nara
‘78 Wu Hsaing
'87 Sakai Hirokumi

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Yangchenia Blazing Dragons is a trademark owned by Yangchenia Sporting Commission and Saichen Group. All rights reserved.

[Crpostran]

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AI-image generator (Nano Banana Pro) has been used to create the drawing of the player holding the flag in both the final page of the newspaper and the match day poster. AI-image generator (ChatGPT Images 2.0?) was used to morph and add the jersey onto the two players (RL celebration done by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha). The beautiful airline livery was created by Edsmontik, while the photo of the man in the second page of the newspaper is a still from the Drishyam 3 trailer.

[Hanalia]

The Crown Commands for the Constitution
-1- | -2- | -3- | -4- | -5-

Himpton, Howard and Associates

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Clive Howard was at one time a school drop-out that laboured on building sites. What cash he earnt through hard graft, he splurged mostly on enjoying himself. It was a life of hard work, drink, drugs and parties. Often times, when things were running tight towards the end of the month, he'd forego the nights out and pick up extra shifts that he got paid for on the day to see him through until the next payday arrived.

It was during one of these clandestine shifts that the accident occurred. With barely an Erita in his wallet, Clive agreed to stay on and close up the work site when the foreman called time on the Friday evening. He tripped getting up into the mini digger knocking the stick, sending the bucket to collide with the piping stacked up against the side of the building. It was the awkward way that it fell onto Clive's back that caused the spinal injury, confining him to a wheelcahir for the rest of his life. What seemed more terminal to him at the time was the end of his days doing physical labour. It was the only thing he'd been any good at in his life. What was he good for now?

After a period of recovery, he found a number of temporary clerical positions through agency work. Eventually he landed a gig at Julie Himpton's solicitor's office. She saw potential in Clive and supported him back into education eventually leading to his law degree. His return to glory came winning a claim against his former employer on a case he put together himself. It's a story fitting of a biopic and Maybe someday the movie execs will come calling but in the meantime Clive is happy supporting the little guy and righting the wrongs done to them.

It was this inspiring story and reputation that got Clive his invite as an expert to the Command for Drafting the Constitution. An honour for sure but Clive was apprehensive as the imposter syndrome was kicking in.