Season 20,100
Review
The early rounds of the IFCF are a bit of a minefield, always hoping that your team can avoid the difficult draw and get an easier one to secure passage to the next round, with the ultimate goal of making the group stage of a competition, ideally the Champions League if you qualified for it, but the Challengers Cup as well as the Associations Trophy are both hotly contested by top top teams these days, with United winning a Challengers and Mar Sara an AT. The Typhoon were not feeling great about their chances though when they draw Astrograth giants Sporting Iturribuuta to open their campaign in the Challengers Cup, especially after they then lost at home. A brave fight back, including a brace from Jutta Palminger in Astograth saw the tie move to extra time, however the hosts were able to nab a winner and end Capri's campaign at the first time of asking, a disappointing result for them as well as a look for the league as a whole.
Soldarian had a bit of a scare when they draw Tumbra club Lakewood City in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, however those fears were allayed quite a bit with a first half brace from Lothas Ludwig in the opening leg at home, with Ulristhen Derjekhistun adding a third with a header off a corner shortly into the second half. The two sides played at a fairly boring game in Tumbra, with Olaf Myre getting a start and the six foot six wonderkid showing the steel in the defensive midfield role that believes he is likely to take over that role from Siegfried Franz in the national team sooner rather than later. The hosts were held but the Blades didn't put much effort into attack and were content to play out an eventual nil nil draw and secure their passage into the playoff round, one step away from achieving the goal of making it to the group stages.
Unfortunately there is an extra round for those in the Challengers Cup to try and navigate and Hondo entered in at the third round, getting a fairly straightforward draw with lesser known Valladar side Deportivo Amambay. Goals on either side of the half by Julia Hahn and new boy Denis Dezelac in Rushmore gave the Owls a much wanted advantage heading back to the Empire. Hahn would score again in the first half before Daniella Åström scored in the eighty-first minute to kill off the tie after the guests had scored a pair in the interim. It was a bit nervy in the second half of the second leg but the Owls were through, this time with another Rushmori team in Yuezhou's Beiyun Stars. Dezelac would open the scoring in Rushmore with a nice strike from just inside the box, before Olof Lindberg played hero late to give the side a lead heading back home. Yet they could not find their shooting boots in the second leg and surrendered the lead, only for Ulrik Johnsen to make two saves in the penalty shootout and the side escaping into the playoff round, as did Raynor City FC in the LBCT with a dominant display in the nation's capital in the second leg.
Soldarian would get a nightmare draw of Myana in the playoff round and have to go against the national icon of Laborious Hawk to find their way into the group stages of the Champions League. Lothas Ludwig continued to defy age and opening up the scoring and was followed by Torsten Hahn in the thirty-third, though the Blades would concede and be on edge heading to Anaia and Chromatika. That edge though seemed to be exactly what the side needed as they played with haste and precision, dicing the hosts up to the tune of a three to one victory and showcasing themselves quite well en route to the group stages. Hondo however was not as lucky when taking on fellow Arrosia side Megabrantid SC and a two goal loss at home spelled disaster, a disaster that was ensure when they lost once more in the Remnant States, unlikely to be given a spot in the Associations Trophy, their run was now down. The playoff round of the LBCT was a certified disaster with only Raynor City FC progressing through thanks to a very narrow win in Raynor City, but it does not bode well for Juavi and Straightdale's Premiership survival chances that they fell before the group stage of the LBCT when Vanorian teams have been known to be dominant in the competition traditionally.
United entered into the group stage as they have been accustomed to doing but in large part thanks to Nephara and Brenecia failing to submit leagues and the prioritization falling to Valanora. It was far from a group stage where the side was covering themselves in glory, losing two of their games at home and both by multiple goals to Keppal Cosmos, the group winners, and Cerro Pintado, the last place team in the group. Yet a win at home over Litala 93 of Mytanija and then a nil all draw away in Rushmore was the difference between United advancing on and finding themselves in the Challengers Cup once more, as well as a much desired win away to Cerra Pintado as well, reversing the score of the fixture from The Battleground and easing a lot of consternation that was growing around the team's recent performances in the IFCF competitions. Soldarian was not as fortunate with a rather difficult draw and only grabbing a pair of wins, which was enough to get them into third in the group but the team will want to forget this group stage and the dreadful fourteen goals they conceded along the way in a hurry.
Mar Sara fell completely flat in their group stage appearance in the Challengers Cup, a pity given they had earned a straight berth into the group stage by virtue of their league finishing and the aforementioned reason why United was into the groups automatically. It was not even a very difficult draw for The Flames but they could not find consistency and lost on a tiebreaker for getting a second chance to the AT to Latrobe Athletic on head to head goal difference. Seven points normally would have been enough for third or sometimes even second but it was not to be for the Flames and their campaign came to a close, as did Raynor City FC in the LBCT with the continuing trend of a rather poor performance by the second tier sides from the Empire in a competition that has seen several Vanorian winners over the years. In the RSC, it was much like the group stages of the Champions League, though United's youth team did play significantly better than their senior team to win the group, but Soldarian's petered out and came third much like their senior team had against their fellow senior clubs. All in all, not the greatest showing from Vanorian outfits in the group stage but two were through, as was United's youth team despite them not giving much in the way of publicity to the team.
The second half of the season brought on the introduction of the Hui Lā as well as the Cup Winners' Cup, which gave FC Capri two more chances to prove their worth and make up for the blunder of a Challengers Cup showing. They did so readily in the regional tournament, drawing away in Yakk before utterly dominating YEMSC at home three goals to nil with Jutta Palminger leading the way with a goal and an assist for the Typhoon. The CWC was a bit for testy with the Typhoon only managing a draw at home against Sporting Arrachai, but goals from Julia Hahn and Julia Strömberg were enough to see the side through to the second round of each competition. It was nervy with the team failing to win at home against what was seen as lesser competition but they made up for it with the resilient away victory and hopefully the start of a deep run into the competition, another one that has been traditionally kind to Vanorian clubs.
Like in the pre-qualifying rounds, the Challengers Cup has one more round than the Champions League and this is where the Blades ended up and against former Champions League winners CF Outineau. Torsten Hahn and Julie Dufour got goals for the Blades in the home leg, but it was even heading back to Kelssek. Seldom used Marijo Varga got the start up front and grabbed a goal just nine minutes in and provided the assist in the twenty-first to Hahn's goal and the side were two nil up. The hosts fought back with a goal of their own but the Blades held strong and took the win and into the Round of Sixteen. Yet Chromatik came into Raynor City and put their foot down and crushed the dreams the Blades had of moving on into the latter rounds with a three to one win and then an easy one nil back in Chromatik.
The second round of the Hui Lā saw United introduced and they were fortuitous in their draw, getting Carpathia and Ruthenia side Veszprém, who were simply overwhelmed by United's attacking talents in the first leg in the Battleground, United easily securing a three to nil victory before playing a rotated side away from home to a one all draw. Capri once against failed to live up to expectations, losing in San Gines two to nil, though showing a bit of fight back with a two all draw at home but it was not good enough from the Typhoon and once more their defensive frailties were the reason they could not advance. While the Typhoon have often been one of the most entertaining sides to watch, if they want to get back to winning trophies, the defense needs a lot of love, especially with the team managing to beat a battered 1830 Cathair in the CWC Round of Sixteen but were exposed by Athletic Saint Eleanor over two legs in the Quarterfinals of the competition. Scoring is very much an in form thing and that is why defense wins championships, something Capri wants to have once more.
With only United left in any international competition, it was up to the Rockers to do what they do best, but this team is not at their best and were losers to Ephesian FC in Raynor City in the first leg of their tie. Going into Zwangzug down a goal was not something that any team thought was a promising position but if a Vanorian team could pull over the comeback, it would definitely be United with the wealth of talent on the roster. Hadi Lundström found the back of the net in the twenty-ninth minute and much to everyone's surprise, it was the only goal through a hundred twenty minutes and both sides had to deal with the pressure of spotkicks. Robert Osgood thrice denied the hosts and though their own keeper made two saves, the Rockers would convert two of their chances and needn't take the fifth with Osgood's heroics. It was not clean but neither had their advancement from the group stage of the Champions League and yet here they were in the Quarterfinals of the competition, though their youth team got an away draw in the RSC and were unable to best Whitehammer CS in Saint Eleanor.
The regional competition saw the side need penalties to get over San Gines side Brienenoord, losing at home once more before grabbing an away win to force the penalties, where the previous experience seemed to calm the nerves and the side made all five attempts while Osgood made one save and the team advance once more. In the Champions League the side was passing Pasargan giants HEllinic Rouge and the team had to travel to Rushmore in the first leg. Helios Roy got a rare start up front and made the most of it, grabbing a goal in the twenty-first and setting up Barrientos in the sixty-third, before second half sub Mathis Hovland cut in from the left wing in the seventy-seventh and put a dagger in the Pasargan hearts for a three to two win. In the Battleground, it was a tense affair but the side held firm and Roy got another goal, the Audioslav playing hero for the Vanorian side and now they were into the esteemed air of the semifinals. Lakewood United of Tumbra came to the Battleground and for the first time in almost the entirety of the IFCF play this season, the side looked great at home with a Hadi Lundström brace and goals from Barrientos as well as Johanna Metzger for a four to two first leg win. Lakewood would try as they could to pull it back but could only muster a one to nil win and the side was through to the Final, facing fellow Arrosian side Herzegovina City FC, a giant of Banija football. Another Banija giant stood waiting for them in the Hui Lā Final, with the side escaping Farfadillis with a two to one win over their legendary club Mâ Âlâmëómë, before the Battleground roared behind United in another four to two dominating victory. Banija clubs now separated United from the potential of an international double and the fans were holding out hope it would be theirs to seize.
An all Arrosia Final taking place in the region with the two sides heading up to Quebec to contest the largest trophy in the domestic game. With the close ties between Quebec and Banija, the Rockers were expecting a less than favorable crowd, though not hostile unlike some other trips could have been, but there was going to be a definite favorite for the locals. It was a raucous crowd and they were definitely giving as best as they could to support the Banija side, yet the small amount of traveling fans for Raynor City were making themselves heard to. The game was back and forth, it was battle in the middle and Roy was having a hard time finding the space he needed to distribute the ball, as well Barrientos. At halftime the Audioslav was sacrificed as the team shifted to a more counter attacking style by placing in teenager Olikek Azerhendhen at the defensive mid position. It was cagey but when the Rockers were attacking on the break, they were looking dangerous, more dangerous than they had been in the first half. Andreas Bjerk would play the hero as the national team winger was set free with a clearance from Azerhendhen and collapsed in on the keeper, rounding them and putting away the goal in the eighty-first minute. The team held strong for the next nine and added time before lifting their second Champions League trophy in one of the most unconventional seasons they have had in the IFCF. It was a testament to their preservance and surprising amount of grit that they clawed their way through the group stage and some of the more difficult knockout rounds, even in the Final, but they finally emerged as the best.
Champions League Final
The Samseongoloondongjang in Songak, Quebec and Shingoryeo (82,500)
(BNJ) Herzegovina City FC 0–1 Raynor City United (VAL)
Unfortunately, it would not be an international double for the Rockers, as Istria City FC pulled a reverse card on United in the regional competition's Final in Squornshelous. It was again a bit of a testy affair and unlike in the Champions League Final, United had the better of the local support and in a twist of irony both teams that had the local support would wind up on the wrong side of a one nil defeat, despite United trying to make it two from the first two editions. Though in hindsight it might be better that United had lost, as winning both of the opening editions might have given a bit of shot of disbelief across the region that they could compete against the Vanorian giants. While fans of the club likely would not care, the health of the regional competition supersedes their desire to win all the trophies that they can and in time I am sure that even they would understand why the loss though bitter might be better in the long term overall. If the region has a strong domestic game, there are far more nations to get players from and to sell the rights to and earn that lucrative money that comes from those television rights.
Hui Lā Final
@ Admiral Cherenkov Stadium (71,200), Santraginus, Isle of Squornshelous, SRS
(VAL) Raynor City United 0–1 Istria City FC (BNJ)
It is perhaps a bit unfair that two of the best best teams met in the Quarterfinals when Soldarian visited Raynor City United and the two played out to a a two all draw, which was a pretty fair result with the way the game had gone on. However it will have to sting for United supporters to see the Blades win in penalties in their ground and then coast into the Final with a rather easy win against Club ESF in the semifinals. In the other semifinal, it was the current holders of FC Capri against third tier Ursona FC and though the Vyintanese club gave the Typhoon all that they could muster, it was not enough for the League Two leaders to overcome the home advantage of Capri. So it was in Raynor City, in United's beloved The Battleground that the Blades and Typhoon did battle, with Capri grabbing an opening through Palminger before Torsten Hahn grabbed a leveler just before the hour mark. It was of course Lothas Ludwig who grabbed the winner in the eighty-sixth, the national team hero in the twilight of his days and finally winning a title for the Blades. United fans might moan at their rivals breaking their trophyless streak in their ground but it was well deserved from a Soldarian side that seemed determined to break the drought and securing their rights into the Cup Winners' Cup and at least a spot in the Challengers Cup, depending on how the league was going.
Final
@ The Battleground, Raynor City
Soldarian FC 2-1 FC Capri
United fought tooth and nail to retain their title but in the end, they were stretched too thin in too many competitions and came up two results shy of being able to hold on to the crown and finished in third place and not even second with a wild and tight title race that included four teams, with the predicted three as well as Club Atlético Bexar, who made a strong push finishing only five points adrift from the top and only one behind United in third. However despite the third place finish, the Rockers will be heading to the Champions League still by virtue of their win in this edition of the tournament, a small blessing in a campaign that could have been amazing and ended up only satisfying with the Champions League victory. The need for reinforcements and some added depth are clear but it was not for a lack of trying that United did not bolster their roster during the window, they will have to hope the allure of the club has grown some over the past fourteen months and that players are more willing to entertain a trip to the eternal city and not turn them down like last window.
Mar Sara had to think that this was their chance to finally reclaim the top spot in the league but they too fell short, three points short of the top of the league with a single goal against and win being what separated them from the champions. It had all the makings of a title winning season, bar a draw or two too many when they could have gone on and won, which ultimately is what likely cost them the chance of lifting the trophy this season. Champions League play does still await them but they are going to have to show a bit more grit and character than they did during the Challengers Cup run this season if they want to find a way to impress and make it to the group stages or even the knockouts. Finding a replacement for Siegfried Franz in the destroyer position has to be the highest priority for the Flames during the transfer window, as the veteran midfielder is not long for the league. A season or two at most remains in their career and finding that replacement who can take a season to bed in looks paramount as they continue to vie for domestic and international trophies.
With United and Mar Sara falling by the wayside, that left the door open for Soldarian to finally break their Premiership title drought and did so in style with a super elite defense and good attack, squeezing the last bit out of Lothas Ludwig's prime as he is sure to either retire or become a rotation option next season. Doing a domestic double has to be quite pleasing to break the drought of trophies for the Blades and to get to bask in the glory that the new owners have finally delivered to the side. The question now comes to sustaining the challenge, which will be difficult with an aging squad who knew that this season had to be it or else there was no telling when they would be able to pull off this feat. Olaf Myrhe looks ready to break into the first team but there are few other youngsters who are primed at the moment to continue what has been started here and that might mean raiding in the window or looking at other teams youth players to try and snipe some replacements for their aging stars, as they will need the depth with the amount of competitions they will contend with next season. United likely blames that congestion on why they did not lift the title, will the Blades be able to manage better?
Hondo FC was a last matchday defeat away from snatching fifth and once more making the Challengers Cup, but they miss out due to that defeat and Club ESF who went completely under the radar slip into fifth place and take the last IFCF spot away, as Soldarian's league title gave their cup allocation spot to the league. It was one of those seasons for the Blues where they managed to find a few results where they often do not and that made all the difference in their finishing in a top five spot while Honod, Gladerial, Ibini, and Capri were left off the pace. The latter four will be quite frustrated their better players on paper could not deliver the goods but for both the Blues and Spurs, they will be happy to take advantage of the big clubs weakness with their own strength to make IFCF pushes. It is a big bounce back for the Spurs who spent last season in the bottom half of the table but can they keep their good form going in the Challengers Cup or will it merely be another one season fairy tale story before they return back to mediocrity as has seemingly become both theirs and Club ESF's motis operandi?
At the bottom, it was as predicted with both Straightdale and Juavi not cut out for the Premiership, but it was close for Juavi who lost out on goal difference as the Foxes of Longview had a season to forgot. The Knights of Straightdale were ill prepared to face the wrath of the top flight and their good defense of last season was shredded consistently, as was the Reds. Both sides will be early favorites for the return up but we have seen it is not as easy as it appears for the relegated teams to bounce right back up. It took four seasons for Char Sara to finally pull themselves back up and they are one of the most oldest and historic sides in the league, they will be joined by Mar Azul, marking the third club from Sabine and Caddonia to make it to the Premiership, though their promotion comes as a huge surprise, but they earned it quite well week in and week out. That effort need doubled if they and the Inferno wish to break the trend of the promoted teams falling back into the second tier within the first two seasons of their promotion or become just another statistic in that unfortunate growing trend.
Premiership
Pos Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Soldarian FC 30 18 7 5 60 30 +30 61 Champions
2 Mar Sara FC 30 17 7 6 60 31 +29 58 IFCL
3 Raynor City United 30 17 6 7 67 45 +22 57 IFCL
4 Club Atlético Bexar 30 17 5 8 57 38 +19 56 IFCC
5 Club ESF 30 16 4 10 50 46 +4 52 IFCC
6 Hondo FC 30 14 8 8 56 45 +11 50
7 Gladerial United 30 12 7 11 43 42 +1 43
8 Ibini FC 30 13 3 14 49 52 -3 42
9 FC Capri 30 11 8 11 62 48 +14 41
10 SC Rinaldi 30 12 5 13 30 34 -4 41
11 Rolalas FC 30 11 4 15 38 49 -11 37
12 Wexax United 30 9 6 15 38 48 -10 33
13 AC Valanari 30 8 7 15 40 58 -18 31
14 FC Longview 30 4 13 13 38 54 -16 25
15 Juavi FC 30 7 4 19 34 74 -40 25 Relegated
16 Straightdale FC 30 2 10 18 31 59 -28 16 Relegated
League One
Pos Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Char Sara FC 30 20 6 4 60 29 +31 66 Champions
2 Mar Azul 30 18 8 4 56 33 +23 62 Promoted
3 Río CF 30 16 7 7 40 28 +12 55
4 Raynor City FC 30 15 5 10 49 38 +11 50
5 Kareen FC 30 15 5 10 42 38 +4 50
6 Club Valanora 30 13 8 9 55 37 +18 47
7 FC Wexax 30 10 14 6 41 31 +10 44
8 Caballeros CF 30 12 6 12 35 32 +3 42
9 Baysleef FC 30 10 10 10 33 32 +1 40
10 FC Travesian 30 10 9 11 34 36 -2 39
11 Audio Bull Synergy 30 7 10 13 24 36 -12 31
12 AC Asarnova 30 8 7 15 26 41 -15 31
13 Quel'Thalas FC 30 6 10 14 26 46 -20 28
14 Southwind Hearts United 30 6 9 15 29 52 -23 27
15 AC Hartdale 30 7 5 18 15 31 -16 26 Relegated
16 Samarga United 30 3 9 18 18 43 -25 18 Relegated
League Two
Pos Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Ursona FC 30 16 10 4 59 37 +22 58 Champions
2 Turmondale FC 30 13 15 2 40 18 +22 54 Promoted
3 FC Therathor 30 14 10 6 29 18 +11 52
4 Everlin FC 30 14 8 8 51 30 +21 50
5 Aarl of Marjel 30 15 5 10 29 20 +9 50
6 FC Espalya 30 10 11 9 21 25 -4 41
7 RC Mercanthum 30 9 13 8 28 24 +4 40
8 Cruzardo Rojo 30 11 7 12 29 34 -5 40
9 Ibininers 30 10 8 12 40 44 -4 38
10 Ventus 30 8 12 10 26 32 -6 36
11 Valanari FC 30 9 8 13 21 28 -7 35
12 Jaguares 30 9 7 14 22 33 -11 34
13 FC Monaven 30 7 12 11 21 27 -6 33
14 SC Ianisle 30 9 6 15 38 52 -14 33
15 AS Peravova 30 9 4 17 27 40 -13 31 Relegated
16 Impérial 30 3 12 15 20 39 -19 21 Relegated
League Three
Pos Team P W D L For Ag +/- Pts
1 Cartmot Pride 30 25 2 3 73 30 +43 77 Champions
2 Club Atlético Sabinal 30 17 7 6 55 27 +28 58 Promoted
3 AC Zul'Atun 30 16 6 8 42 21 +21 54
4 Cazavientos 30 15 9 6 46 31 +15 54
5 Sacré 30 14 9 7 39 33 +6 51
6 Mariner Coast FC 30 12 9 9 25 23 +2 45
7 Coral FC 30 12 8 10 27 22 +5 44
8 South Strike CF 30 11 9 10 27 34 -7 42
9 AFC Milran Serin 30 12 5 13 31 36 -5 41
10 San Ángelo CF 30 11 7 12 30 37 -7 40
11 Bree FC 30 8 9 13 20 28 -8 33
12 FC Vernad 30 7 9 14 18 25 -7 30
13 Athletic Rolalas 30 8 6 16 34 50 -16 30 Relegated
14 Spears of the South 30 6 7 17 28 44 -16 25 Relegated
15 Cenit Zavalla 30 5 8 17 22 48 -26 23 Relegated
16 Coast Fallen Spirits 30 3 6 21 21 49 -28 15 Relegated
End of Season Awards
Manager of the Year
1. Ludwig Magnusson - Soldarian FC
2. Dora Fierro Fuentes - Club Atlético Bexar
3. Thor Møller - Mar Sara FC
Golden Boot
1. Hadi Lundström - Raynor City United (22 goals)
2. Lothas Ludwig - Soldarian FC (20 goals)
3. Reinaldo Sierra Núñez - FC Capri (19 goals)
Player of the Season
1. Alessandro Nyman - Soldarian FC (6 goals, 12 assists)
2. Heike Pabst - SC RInaldi (11 clean sheets)
3. Lothas Ludwig - Soldarian FC (20 goals, 5 assists)
Team of the Season
GK: Heike Pabst - SC RInaldi
RB:
Coralie Higgins-Mah - Mar Sara FCCB: Pär Berglund - Soldarian FC
CB:
Ulristhen Derjekhistun - Soldarian FCLB:
Jakub Svatoš - Mar Sara FCRW: Andreas Bjerk - Raynor City United
DMC: Siegfried Franz - Mar Sara FC
AMC: Alessandro Nyman - Soldarian FC
LW: Sylvia Reyna - Club Atlético Bexar
ST: Lothas Ludwig - Soldarian FC
ST: Hadi Lundström - Raynor City United
Sandro Lorenz - Mar Sara FC
Lotte - Raynor City United
Narciso Giovanni - Soldarian FC
Gep Vanza-Jerat - Raynor City United
Frey Pelle - Raynor City United
Ella Moore - Raynor City United
Montgomery Burton - Raynor City United
Heliodoro Bochas (18 goals) - Mar Sara FC
Kabiru Suso - Mar Sara FC
Montgomery Burton - Raynor City United
Wolf Wind (20 goals) - Raynor City United 
Bleke Durocher - Mar Sara FC
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Rebekka Kajsdóttir - Mar Sara FC
Charles Byeon - Hondo FC
Rohan Patel - SC Rinaldi
