ARC VII Everything Thread + Arrosia Capital of Culture

[Milchama]

Alexandria Times-Tribune-Sun-Moon-Sky-Picayune-Courier-Post-Pre-Forward-Current-Reader

Special Edition

Milchama's Submission for the Capital of Culture

Milchama is submitting the capital city of Alexandria as the Arrosian Capital of Culture for the 7th Arrosian Regional Championship Competition.

Background: Alexandria is the long time capital of Milchama a socialist nation in Arrosia. Alexandria is also Milchama's largest city with a population of approximately 4 million people and a metro area population of about 8.5 million. As the center of government and culture in Milchama, Alexandria has always been the place for artists, government officials, and others to move to when they want "out of their small towns." "Why don't you just go to Alexandria?" is a common Milchamian saying when people say out there things or express out there beliefs.

Brief History Alexandria was founded a long time ago by several people. It was the start of Milchamian culture as several Jews came together to bring into existence a bigger land. As a war like people, who called themselves the Milchamians (a version of "those who make war" or "those who are warriors" in not actual Hebrew but close enough) the Alexandrians soon conquered many of their neighbors. Instead of enacting tribute on the neighbors, the Alexandrians instead used soft power including economic incentives, cultural prosperity, and the promise of more plunder, to create a more equal and better society. Soon, these two conflicting desires; conquest and equality, became the defining ethos of a new land, Milchama. The conquest part got Milchama pretty big and the equality part created conditions for a very prosperous, very socialist, and very equal land that exists in Arrosia today.

Architecture: Alexandria has been subject to numerous incredible architectural movements and classic buildings. Classic Milchamian architects like Berenice Cohen and Solly Freinstein built incredible structures including the Government Tower, the tallest building in Milchama, that is 1450 ft tall and houses a lot of government offices (it is visitable with a beautiful sky deck), the Capitol Building, the Obelisk of Victory, the Great Arch, and other important architectural sites. One in particular is the Weird House, so named because it looked strange upon completion. The Weird House is now a museum where people can look at the interesting internal and external features of what would be the weirdest Zillow listing in existence.

Museums: Alexandria is home to the National Museum of Milchama with the incredible historical artifacts from ancient to modern times in the country. In addition, the National Museum also houses a lot of treasures from the former nation of Nedalia that Milchama conquered after Nedalia CTE'd around the late 20s/early 30s cycles of the World Cup. The Alexandria Art Association Museum (often called the Triple A) has many world renowned artist paintings including famous artists from all around Arrosia and Anaia. the Arrosian Baseball Hall of Fame which houses the Milchamian hall of famers, notable foreign players, and more artifacts than any other place in the world from the World Baseball Classic including classic programs from WBC 1 and the winner trophies for WBC 4 and 5. Alexandria is also known as a "museum culture" and little museums exist for a lot of things. Some notable ones include the Milchamian Soccer/Football Hall of Fame, the Medieval History Museum, the Museum of Debate, the Kids Museum, the Little Museum (about little things), the Reality Museum, the Margaret Museum, and many others.

Food: Alexandria has an incredible food scene based on the blend of Jewish cultures in the city. As Alexandria, similar to Milchama, is majority Jewish, the food culture is based around Kosher food. Alexandria is slightly less Jewish then the majority of Milchama at 80% Halakhically Jewish versus the typical 90% around the country. Even with the relative less Jewish population, Alexandria still uses Jewish foodways as a core principle in restaurants. Almost all restaurants are closed on Friday night and many more close on Saturday, almost all restaurants have a kosher certificate granted by the state, and many restaurants will serve either meat or dairy but never both. The big thing that Alexandrian cuisine has going for it are the blends, the blend of Mizrachi, Ashkenazi, Ethiopian, Indian, and other cultures from around Judaism have led to a big fusion scene of restaurants that attempt to blend the cuisines together. The success of these blends has led to new innovations across Alexandria and a lively restaurant scene where chefs attempt to outdo each other on the audaciousness of their fusions.

Transport: Alexandria International Airport is the major international hub for flights from across Arrosia and the multiverse. In addition, Milchama, per the UN, has a top 100 (number 75) public transit system in the world. Alexandria is one of the nodes of that hub. Considering the amount of countries in the world, Milchama's public transit is barely topped with trains coming on a regular schedule, busses coming even more regularly, and people not thinking about the last mile problem as that is solved by some bus that's convenient that basically goes down every residential street. Most Alexandrians do not own a car due to the extensive public transit network as well as the cleanliness and efficiency of the network. In addition, most models of trains and busses are new and near the top of the line in the multiverse.

Sport: Alexandria is the home of two of the most successful baseball teams in Milchama, well really one team and the other one is not quite there yet, in the Alexandria Commies and the Alexandria Ships. The Commies have historically been more successful but since the adoption of the MBL, the Ships have been the better team overall. Their rivalry and games have shaped many generations of Milchamian baseball. Additionally, Alexandria hosts the second most popular soccer league in Milchama, after New Sparta, with teams such as Great Alexandria consistently winning national cups or other competitions. Great Alexandria even made several international appearances back when Milchamian clubs did those sorts of things.

Unique Things: Alexandria boasts two unique attractions that exist nowhere else in Arrosia or the world. The first is the Great Lighthouse of Alexandria. One of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Lighthouse originally helped bring ships into the Great Harbor, nowadays the Lighthouse is both a tourist attraction and a working radar station, transport station, and communication station. The incredible architecture, magnificent structure, and long history have made the Lighthouse one of the most visited tourist attractions in Arrosia.

The other unique attraction in Alexandria the Great Library of Alexandria. One of the largest libraries in the world, and probably the largest in Arrosia, the Great Library attempts to collect every printed work ever printed from across the multiverse in any language. A Milchamian government project since World Cup 26, the Library has grown to encompass billions of books, recorded musical work, and films. It is used as a research library by all universities in the area and attracts academics from around the multiverse to do research on its incredible collection of rare volumes, first edition works, and other important historical works.

Reading:In addition, the Library and the robust Milchamian school system, in the top 1% of the world per the UN, has created a reading culture in Milchama. That leads to many book stores, independent reading cafes, book clubs, and other ways of interacting with the written word across Alexandria. These book societies have become the bedrock of many an Alexandrian's social life and are among the first thing a tourist notices when landing is the amount of books, magazines, zines, newspapers, etc that people have and read on a daily basis.

Effects: Alexandria hopes for an increase in tourism and to end the perception of Milchama as a "flyover country" that people should not visit on their way to more interesting Arrosian and multiversal destinations. With the use of the Arrosian Capital of Culture, Alexandria hopes to both change the perception of Milchama and of itself as a country and a city worth visiting.

For all these reasons we believe that Alexandria should be a Capital of Culture for Arrosia. We are always open and welcome to more questions and will be happy to respond to any other inquiries.

[Demot]

Going up against the World Cup Finalists was going to be a very tall ask, Busoga had not simply lucked their way into the Final or had gone toe to toe with the Bulls of Audioslavia for ninety minute by sheer happenstance. They had cultivated their team like a farmer tends their field, it took dedication and tons of hard work but they had reaped the benefits of all the work put in. The results being that miraculous run last month and now looking to fashion that into a spearheaded effort in their neighboring Banija and become a real regional and world power. Demot was looking to merely stand firm and build upon their own past decades of work in revitalizing the national team and the game as a whole within the Dominion, the professionalization of the league once more through ironically enough funding and sponsorship that has come at least partially through Banija. A southwest showdown between two footballing nations who are usually overshadowed by their more impressive neighbors, both looking to build upon the gains each had made in the past years, it was always going to be a tantalizing affair.

Star striker Hector Deleo wasd leading the line for the Typhoon, having won the spot with the form he had seen in the Pride League over the last few seasons. Twice in the first twenty minutes the Club Demot striker beat the backline of Busoga and twice his shot hit the post and he had been denied opening the score in favor of the Dynamo. Third time was the charm when in the twenty second he was put through by Vargas and chipped the Busogan keeper, the ball curling and dipping below the crossbar and in to open the scoring. Vargas would go from provider to scorer fourteen minutes later off a set piece, being the quickest one to scramble to the spilled ball in the box. It seemed like a dream come true for the Dynamo, a first half two goal lead against a team whom a month ago had been contending to win the World Cup. Yet all good things come to an end and the defense was unable to cope with a resurgent amount of pressure from the Islanders in the second half, Unlem Kurt getting a brace after coming off the bench in the second half. The talented youngster had the legs and energy to get past the Dynamo defense that was trying to drain the rest of the game away.

A two all draw is perhaps the most fair result between the two though it will feel like two points dropped by the Dynamo after having come out of the gates striking hot, having the two goal lead at the half time break. It is an encouraging sign that the team was able to go toe to toe with one of the world's best and not look at all out of their depth, even if there was disappointment in the way that they were unable to hang on to that lead in the second half. Busoga took advantage of some tired, old legs and used the advantage of their youthful attacker to its full advantage, Busoga thinking they dropped points after a missed penalty towards the end of the game. It is a bit of a ball does not lie moment though as the contact that drew the call had looked soft at best and was considered by many to be a very soft call to award the penalty to the Busoga side. Many in the Dominion believing that the young attacker had gone looking for the contact and went down easy to try and the be the hero for the national team, it feeling like quite a bit of justice when the effort went sailing into the stands to ensure the spoils were split.

That boost of confidence in handling one of the world's best is going to be needed as the team heads into their showdown with the Red and Blacks, the number one ranked Squornshelous looking to grab the victory and secure the group with a game to spare at the expense of the Dynamo following their four to nil demolition of the Gucci Republic in the opening game of the tournament. The ARC, as well as the AOCAF before it, has seen the Dynamo go head to head with some of the region's best and brightest and come away with the upset against the far more fancied side. This would be the biggest upset though if the Dynamo are able to hold the attacking talents of Squornshelous at bay and are able to use their own attack to try and test the northeastern nation's defense as Gucci certainly provided little in the way of resistance. The team can not go into the match thinking there is no chance at an outcome, you defeat yourself with that sort of mindset and if the results of the past show us anything it is that this team has plenty of self belief. That belief now needs to be made manifest to ensure the side has plenty to play for on the last matchday, make your own luck, craft your own fortune.

[Dhemixia]

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The Columbus Dominion(Est.1873)
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"A country can't just get up and walk to a different region"

Arrosia? Really? Dhemixia gives up the IAC to go play in the regional where every death is a group of death? Quarterfinal appearances may do a lot for a country, instilling a new sense of national pride within the populace for one, but magically making it better at football is not one of those things. Randy Calhoun still isn't gonna convert 75% of his shots regardless of whether or not he makes the world cup proper. Boro Ouattara still will not be able to pronounce Hans Grabõn's name regardless of whether or not he's on his couch watching the group stage. Point being, the Dhemixian NT didn't suddenly get better overnight, they're just more confident.

That brings us to the ARC. Entering the WC101 cycle, Dhemixia was dead in the water. For their manager, quite literally. FA president Mason Hubbard decided the Serps needed a change, so he hired the one Banijan manager who choked the season away in the S-FPL. Boro Ouattara (aided by the introduction of Randy Calhoun), then leads the Dhemixians to their first ever WC proper qualification, somehow escapes the group in second place on three points, and wins two games in the knockouts (one against new region-mate Farfadillis) before ending their run in the QFs, getting thoroughly destroyed by The Holy Empire's ninja penguins. It's the best cycle in Dhemixian history by a mile. The Serpents are a top 30 team in the multiverse, have a shot at pot 2 next WC, and by all means are looking towards the future.

So, seeing as how change related to Banija seemingly improves NT performance, Hubbard decides to enter the Banijan-hosted ARC instead of the IAC, creating a rumor that Dhemixia really borders Banija to make it seem plausible in the process. As it turns out, Hubbard would later find out that Dhemixia actually does border Banija. Nobody remembers Dhemixia having a border with anyone, heck, nobody even remembers Dhemixia having a border at all (mainly because nobody really lives anywhere outside of Columbus), but apparently it does now.

Will moving next to Banija provide any more success this cycle for the Dhemixians? Who knows. The Serps definitely got lucky with the group draw, but they've got no shot at winning it with the type of talent in Arrosia. Maybe Mason Hubbard thinks they can, maybe the whole country thinks they can after that WC performance, but the Serps would be fortunate to even win one game in the group stage. Again, though, who knows? Sure, they're unranked, but they didn't care about their rank in the WC, they just won games. Maybe they still have that in them. We'll see.

[Banija]

Herzegovina City Bid Book- Arrosia Capital of Culture

Below contains the official bid book from Herzegovina City, Banija's oldest city and first capitol city, to the competition committee to be officially named the first Arrosia Capital of Culture!

Key Figures
Lance Kabuye, Bid Executive Director. In his 80s, he is a cancer survivor, and got most of his fame by being the former head coach of the (gridiron) football team at Northern Moravica University. Banija's oldest public university is located in the heart of the city, so he has always been a wildly popular figure within the city.

Balinda Nalikka, Mayor of Herzegovina City. The 54 year old woman is in her third and final term as the mayor of Herzegovina City (city has a 3 term limit for both Mayor and City Council). She is a political independent, and ran for Mayor by breaking one of Banija's most notorious urban political machines. She is one of the very few left of center executives in the city's history, which means that she is frequently clashing with state leadership in Moravica.

Immanuel Otongo, Premier of Moravica. Herzegovina City is both the capitol of, and the second largest city in, Moravica. Moravica is Banija's most populous, and richest, state. A lot of history that will be dove into throughout this bid. Otongo is in his second term as the Premier, as his single party majority government is the only single party majority government of any state in the country, which makes sense given Moravica's general religious bent.

And now, for the bid itself!

An abbreviated history of Herzegovina City

Let's go back to the year 1215- well over 800 years ago! The establishment of what is now know as Herzegovina City, but then known as Kizzaville- the establishment of the Kasanke Tribe, which is not only Banija's dominant ethnic group, but a group that is widely considered the predecessor to the modern nation-state. What we now know as the Kasanke Tribe was a group of disparate clans, living in what is now known as the northern portion of Moravica, mostly controlling small amounts of arable land, often quarreling and fighting with one another. As with many things, it took an outside foe to unite all of them- although this is where we run into the problem of the oral tradition maintained by the Kasanke. The short of it is- a foreign invasion was brought over, by 'great big ships', known as 'pale-skinned, devilish warriors.'

Now, the problem of the oral tradition- the colors of the flags were lost to history. So, Banijan historians do not know what nation that these 'pale-skinned invaders' came from. Era of colonization, of course. But from there, was the Luzumana Clan- led by Kizza. After the various clans were picked off by this larger, more technological force, it was the charismatic Kizza who was able to unite the formerly warring clans. He told them basically that unity was needed- to keep their way of life, to defeat the invaders, to go back to the way things were. He united them, and ultimately, drove the pale-skinned warriors out- never to return. But the way things were, were never to return. The temporary unity of the various clans turned into permanent unity, as some joined voluntarily, and Kizza conquered others against their will. The battles against the foreign invaders occured in 1214, named the Kasanke Alliance (after Kizza's father), and in 1215, the various clans were all united under Kizza- who gave himself the regnal number of Kizza I, and the title of Shujaa.

The capitol, what is now known as Herzegovina City, was named Kizzaville, after himself. And for 400 years, the Kasanke Tribe ruled from there. They slowly expanded- by about the 1500s, they controlled pretty much the equivalent of the modern day territory of the State of Moravica. But then, in 1614- the discovery of the golden plates. We can get into that another time, but the biggest thing to take away here, is that this was the foundation for the modern, dominant, Mormon religion of Banija that still exists today. On the outskirts of what was then known as Kizzaville, Banijans believe that the golden plates were found, given to God and dictated through his prophets, and it has been the driving force of the Kingdom ever since. 400 years as the capitol of the Kasanke Tribe- and then, the Crusades.

Temporarily, Istria became the capitol as the Kasanke rapidly expanded across most of modern-day Banija, and over the course of 7 years, eventually conquered the vast majority of the territory of modern Banija. It surely was not the easiest thing- rebellions for decades on end had to be put down, and the unification wars (or the crusades) were pretty bloody, that is the core of the formation of modern-day Banija. While the political capital quickly moved south to Busukuma, Banijans believe that the name Herzegovina City was dictated directly to them by God- something listed on the golden plates. The names of Herzegovina City, Istria, Moravica, and Banija itself, all directly given by God.

Herzegovina City remains the religious HQ of Banija- the Patriarch of Herzegovina is the religious head of the entire Puritan Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and it is considered by many to be the cultural capital of Banija. Obviously, it is the country's oldest city. But beyond that. All of Kizza I's successors are buried here. The tombs of the monarchs, the Herzegovina Temple, and the original Palace of Kizzaville are some of Banija's most visited landmarks. Much of the cultural core of Banija, from religion, to food, to language, was developed in and around here.

Education

The Kasanke did not have much of a formal education system, at least a widespread one, until the second Quebecois colonization- which was during the years 1841-1906. In the 1840s, Banija's second full-fledged university, and first public university, was built right here in the city- Northern Moravica University. Now one of Banija's largest and most prestigious universities, it is one that is known for its athletic prowress. A gridiron team that has 2 NSCF titles, and regularly competes in both the NSCAAs, and the brand new NS College Baseball competition, it regularly participates in as many international things as possible. It has the history, but also thanks to this, it has an extremely diverse student population- with thousands and thousands of foreign students coming there for both undergrad, and grad school.

While there are other, smaller schools, probably the one to remember within city limits is Moravica International University. This school is all in on academics- it is the #1 academically ranked school in Banija for the last 3 years running. The sports teams are terrible, but this secular university was founded by a group of migrants, who thought Banijan sporting and religious culture was too strong at NMU. It is a small school, but reknowned for its scientific research.

This city of 3 million people has an extensive grade school system- both public and private. About 80% of the age-eligible children in the city are enrolled in the public schools. For urban school districts in Banija, it consistently ranks the highest, easily clearing similarly sized cities like Busukuma, Istria, Jinja, etc...

Probably the most distinguishing part of their public school system, is unlike other big school districts in Banija- there is no magnet school system. Everybody goes to their neighborhood schools- which makes for wildly competitive sporting matchups.

Celebrations/Festivals

Herzegovina City is a place that likes to party, and they love their festivals! It helps in a country like Banija, that has equatorial climate- the temperatures range from the low 60s to the high 80s basically all year round, not only here, but across the country. Hasn't snowed in Herzegovina City in over 200 years. So no matter what time of year it is, there is always time for a festival.

Quite surprisingly, Herzegovina City is home to Banija's largest EDM festival, the Temple Underground festival. One would think that EDM doesn't generally vibe with the conservative culture of this city. But it is an extremely popular event that occurs in the Spring each year, traditionally the week after Spring practices for Northern Moravica football. But there are other types of music that are huge here, as well. The city is home to a big 'Banijan rap' scene, in addition to an annual gospel choir convention.

Nothing compares to a championship parade for one of Herzegovina City's myriad of elite sports teams though, am I right?

Sports Scene

This is a sports mad city, a city that absolutely loves being the center of attention. Both college and professional sports are huge in this city, and that includes local teams and major tournaments. There has not been a major tournament in Banijan history that did not have games in Herzegovina City- Star Field has hosted games at three different World Cups, and in soccer, it has hosted games at countless regional tournaments, Cups of Harmony, Baptism of Fire, basically any tournament you can think of that Banija hosted- Star Field has hosted match. And we go beyond that. Banija's biggest soccer club, Herzegovina City FC, plays at Star Field. They've got a whole host of S-FPL and formerly BSL titles, and fans of this team regularly brag to everyone else how the country's biggest, richest, and most successful teams lies in their city. Not Busukuma, definitely not Istria- but Herzegovina City. And Kavuma FIeld, which is a dome, has hosted multiple NSCAA Final Fours, as well as the NSCF Championship Game.

In other team sports, Herzegovina City features as well. The Herzegovina City Cobras are one of the leading lights of the GFLB, which is the Gridiron Football League of Banija. They play at Kavuma Field, which is a dome. There are also the Herzegovina City Hippos, in the MBL (baseball), who are the reigning champions of Milchama and Banija's joint baseball league. One can reasonably say, if you are a professional sports fan in Banija, there is probably no better city to be a pro sports fan in, than Herzegovina City. All the big teams win, the national teams in all sports come here consistently, and you get major international tournaments here all the time.

There is also college sports- Northern Moravica, once again, the leading light. Nobody ever talks about MIU in terms of sports, so we won't either. While their basketball team and baseball teams could use some work, they are 2-time NSCF champions. And remember, they were Banija's first entry into the NSCF. A historic school, with studs everywhere- the bid director, Lance Kabuye, was their head football coach!

But you can't talk about sport without talking about rivalries, and we would be remiss to talk about sports in Herzegovina City without our rivalry with Istria. Two of Banija's largest and oldest cities, both in Moravica- a rivalry that started with Northern Moravica v. Loyola-Istria, but really has transcended into all sports between these two cities. Herzegovina City and Istria City FC have had some fierce battles in the Shango-Fogoa Premier League, and in pro gridiron, the Cobras and the Istria Black Mambas both despise each other. It's simple- if you are in Moravica, you root for an Istria team, or a Herzegovina City team- you cannot root for both.

[Cardenao]

The Cardenaoan Correspondent
An ARC 7 InterReview: Missy LeCrown Looks Back At The Action

Dylan Mathers Jr.

Missy: “Dylan! Like father, like son, here I am interviewing you!”

Dylan: “Yeah well I reckon you didn’t get too many after him scoring!”

Missy: “Only a few but certainly not on his debut for the senior national team…congratulations, that must be quite the feeling!”

Dylan: “Oh Missy I don’t know what’s the bigger dream come true, scoring that goal to level things up at 2-2, getting interviewed by you, or captaining the Blue and Golds to the U18 World Cup championship!”

Missy: “Would you have traded that goal for a clean sheet on your debut?”

Dylan: “Aw come on Missy don’t do me like that! I always want a clean sheet, I always want to win, but at that point they had already scored two goals, damage had been done but at that point it’s either lose the game entirely or score my first goal to salvage a draw. Considering the game script…well what’s happened is what happened and we could only move forward from there.”

Kai Chidubem:

Missy: “In hindsight, was that first game against the Sultanate of Oontaz indicative of things to come?”

Kai: “[laughs] Seriously?? Who the hell starts a conversation like that, I just sat down! I kid I kid, I’m glad to be here with you Missy LeCrown.”

Missy: “And I, you Kai! You have to understand, after a tournament like that, partly hosted on Cardenaoan soil, with the way things went for the Blue and Golds…. Well everyone is real curious to get the inside scope on what went down after that first game!”

Kai: “Well Missy, I guess one of the big things we took from that first game as a unit was that our fate was in our hands. Turn in another performance like that and…well not much to write home about. But if we could put our best foot forward against Farfadillas, man if we could win…which we always knew we could…well damn, maybe we’d have the start of something special.”

Missy: “Well we all know how that went!”

Kai: “[laughs] That we do! I’m sure we’ll get into that next.”

Htay Koko

Missy: “Htay, after years of being a complimentary piece to this team, and a damn good one at that, heading into the 7th ARC the perception was that it’s your team now; with the benefits of hindsight did those new expectations help or hinder you?”

Htay: “I…well when you’ve got Kiko, Cami, Kai, Mousti and Fito on the team, it’s hard to say the Blue and Golds are represented by any one single player.”

Missy: “Sure but somebody has to be the face of the team and with all those players having retired from the national team now that the tournament is over, the idea is that you’ll be the man to lead us on the field in the World Cup?”

Htay: “Hey we also have a great group of lads coming up through the ranks, what they showed during the ARC surprises everyone, even knowing how good they had to be to bring the Under18 World Cup title here. So I think we’ll all be working together to get things done!”

Missy: “And that’s all from me, Missy LeCrown!”

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Present Day…

Looking ahead to our next match against Farfadillas, it’s sure to be a difficult one as we go against a historically wacky and hard to predict team. Long contenders at the international and regional levels, this will be a true test for a Cardenaoan team that will be rotating some players in. Let’s take a look at what the starting XI looks like!

No change at goalkeeper as Kai Chidubem retains his starting position though the defensive unit aside from him has seen some overhaul. Let’s start with the obvious changes at fullback where both Fito Peru and Moustir-Yves Almeny have lost their starting positions. Both have over 100 caps over a decade and a half of service to the national team but the match against Oontaz showed the dynamic duo simply don’t have the legs to contribute from the first whistle at this level. As much as it pains me to say as a dedicated Moustir-Yves fanboy, but the purpose of this tournament isn’t a retirement tour, it’s to figure out who will represent Cardenao at the World Cup and hopefully winning the Arrosian championship in the process. So, I welcome Trivelo Yutani and Eugene Colstar to the starting lineup and it’s clear to see the tactical vision here.

Bringing the 6’1 Yutani in means we will be much more defensively minded at left back and we’ll be adding a few inches worth of height to the back line. Plus he’s so versatile he can rotate along the line and fill in holes as needed while I imagine the new man at right back, Eugene Colstar, might push further forward as an aggressive pressing presence. It might seem a little early for young Colstar but I welcome another member of the U18 champions to the team…the youth revolution might be ahead of schedule but it seems inevitable at this point. Tactically it seems Yutani will sit more narrow as a true back three which will let Eugene press forward with his endless energy and help lock down the midfield. Centerbacks are the same, Vitto Dioli looked solid as ever while Dylan Mathers Jr. announced his arrival with a banging header, so of course he returns!

Another tactical change in midfield as the legendary Camilo Zavala is also relegated to the bench, with manager Haritz Larrainzer (an even bigger legend in his own right) choosing to start Matheus Raja in his stead. Raja is a ball winning midfielder who will be tasked with doing the dirty work so Marlo DeSantos can focus more on conducting operations from deep. It seems the plan is to keep the pair of them laying deep to stifle any attacks through the middle while Ganiyu Sanusi retains his starting position though he’ll be asked to fulfill a different tactical role against Farfadillas. Instead of smashing through the lines like a true destroyer, Ganiyu will have to act as more of a progressive ball carrier, taking care to shield the ball while carrying up the pitch and serving as the team's one true attacking presence in midfield.

Not much change in attack though Hector Zendejas does get the starting position thanks to his endless energy up and down the wing. With Trivelo Yutani staying deep and tucking centrally, Zendy will be counted on to cover for him out wide in defense as well as being a vital member of the pressing strategy. It’s a huge ask of someone making their first start for the national team but those are the expectations when you wear the Blue and Gold. Htay Koko retains his starting position on the left wing, not quite at his best vs Oontaz but his creativity and ability to create something out of nothing can’t be denied. Finally it’s ole reliable Koko up top. All he needs is one half chance or a lucky penalty kick and that could be the difference right there.

Chidubem
Trivelo Yutani (tall defense first)—Vitto—DMJ—COLSTAR (pressing)
DeSantos—RAJA (progressive BWM compliments defense first approach)
Ganiyu (lot on his shoulders as sole progressing ball element)
Zendejas (need high energy athlete to facilitate technical attack)—Htay koko
Kiko

[Banija]

Second cutoff for groups D & E!

Reminder to everyone that the MD3 cutoff is in 72 hours, instead of 48, so that folks can watch the RL World Cup Final...

Also reminder: Your Arrosia Capital of Culture submission is due at the Matchday 3 cutoff! That is RP bonus for this tournament, of course, so get your submissions in! DM myself or Cardenao if you have any questions.

Now, Gaze upon my empire of joy!

Matchday 2

Group D
Commonwealth of Baker Park 4–4 Carpathia and Ruthenia
Qasden 2–1 Dhemixia

Group D                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Carpathia and Ruthenia          2   1  1  0    6   4  +2    4
  Commonwealth of Baker Park      2   1  1  0    6   4  +2    4
3 Qasden                          2   1  0  1    2   3  −1    3
4 Dhemixia                        2   0  0  2    1   4  −3    0

Group E
Sultanate of Oontaz 3–4 Siovanija and Teusland
Cardenao 2–5 Farfadillis

Group E                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Farfadillis                     2   2  0  0    8   3  +5    6
2 Siovanija and Teusland          2   1  0  1    5   6  −1    3
3 Sultanate of Oontaz             2   0  1  1    5   6  −1    1
4 Cardenao                        2   0  1  1    4   7  −3    1

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

Squornshelan Remnant States Black-and-Reds Roster
World Cup 101

RP Permissions
Choose my scorers: Y
Choose my scoring events: Y
Godmod scoring events: Y
RP injuries to my players: Y
Godmod Injuries to my players: Y
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Y
Give Red Cards to my players: Y
Godmod other events: Y
An ye harm none, do as ye will.
Style Modifier: +5

Things you should know about the SRS:

Once upon a time, there was the Imperium of Squornshelous, a militaristic, totalitarian state which took great pride in its football team. Squornshelous entered every World Cup from the 5th edition to the 41st, successfully qualifying all but once, and winning the 31st edition of the tournament. After World Cup 41, however, a civil war erupted which ended with the nation divided in to the democratic Confederacy of Squornshelan Remnant States, and the shrunken but still dangerous Imperium holding onto its island heartland. Both nations disappeared from the international stage for the next 40 World Cup Cycles. The SRS returned to international football for Cycle 81, and was joined by the Imperium during Cycle 84. During Cycle 88, another revolt in the Imperium destabilized the government so much that the nation essentially collapsed, and its constituencies applied for membership in the Confederacy. It was also around this time that Squornshelous/SRS arrived in Atlantian Oceania, having previously competed as an Independent.

Recent International Cycles have been marked, though alas not defined by Squornshelan excellence. Coming from out of nowhere to win World Cup 97 as the 35th-ranked side entering the tournament, the Black-and-Reds opened up a perhaps era-defining rivalry with the Marauders of Valanora. The two sides would meet again and again in high-stakes battles as the Black-and-Reds again took a final on penalties, this time in regional play, then bowed out to the Vanorians in the knockout rounds of World Cup 98. It would be the SRS on top once again at ARC 4, and the Black-and-Reds would ride that success all the way to the final of World Cup 99. With Valanora out in the quarterfinals, it would be different archrival who awaited the SRS. While the SRS had enjoyed a distinct advantage over their oldest enemies during the modern era, the Bulls had historically always found a way to win when it mattered most, and did so again to claim their third World Cup and deny the Black-and-Reds their own.

Entering cycle 100, there were concerns that the SRS risked letting an historically excellent period in the team's history pass by with only one World Cup trophy claimed. Yes, the people who fretted over this were derided as greedy and spoiled, but the point remained. The team had still clearly been good enough to challenge for the ultimate win in cycles 98 and 99, but ran into tough opposition who played better on that given day. With the centennial edition of the competition looming and the Black-and-Reds at the top of the rankings heading into qualifying, the pressure was most definitely on, especially after coming up a bit short of expectation with a third-place finish at ARC 5. The team opened qualifying with a distinct thud, losing to unranked Baman and Juket Liberationists. They managed to hold on to win their group and punch their ticket to Rushmore, but a handful of ugly upset losses saw a drop to third in the rankings heading to the finals and a distinctly vulnerable feeling to the team. This uneasiness was only strengthened as the Black-and-Reds limped their way out of the group stage on 5 points. Still, despite all the pessimism, once you make the knockouts, anything can happen. Madeiros, as he has time and again before, found a way to pull his team together at the right time, and while they seldom looked dominant until nearly the very end of the run, the Black-and-Reds found a way to come out on top time and again, marching all the way back to their second straight final, where this time they were the ones to keep a clean sheet, seeing off Tanirinthia to claim Squornshelous's third World Cup, and second in four cycles. They very nearly claimed another international double at the following Arrosian Regional, taking a perfect 6-0 run with 22 goals for and just 6 against all the way to the final before the bottom fell out of the defense against Banija.

A slightly unfortunate draw for the World Cup 102 knockouts though, saw them facing ancient arch-rivals Audioslavia in the round of thirty-two, and as has always happened, when the chips were down the Bulls found a way to pull it out, and in fact went on to win, making it five straight world cups that the champion has either been the Black-and-Reds or the team that eliminated us. After such an early exit for the top-ranked side, though, there've been changes, starting at the top with Dudu Madeiros. He'll go down in history as a Black-and-Reds legend, two regional and two world cup titles to his name, but after that result it's time for a parting of ways. The incoming bench boss is Ingrid Alexeyev, who cut her teeth taking Poghrill from the regional leagues to the second tier before being tasked with rebuilding Damogran from near relegation to a league champion in record time, proving adept at both player selection and tactical deployment. It'll be all of those skills, as well as her ability to get the best out of her stars that the SCFA will be counting on as they look to a new generation for a return to championship heights.

Trigram: SRS
Manager: Ingrid Alexeyev
Formation: 4-3-1-2
Captain: Marko Peynir
Vice Captain: Soile Raynott
Trophy Case: World Cup 31, 97 & 100 AOCAF Cup 69, ARC 1, 3, & 4, International Champions Cup 2
Long Form Name: The Confederacy of Squornshelan Remnant States
Short Form Names: Squornshelan Confederacy, The Confederacy, Squornshelous, the SRS
Demonyms: Confederate (political); Squornshelan (cultural, not always PC)
Ethnicites in the Confederacy include Squornshelan, Molvanian, Brantid, Algolian, Sivolvian, and Han. If you are curious about a particular player's ethnicity you can send me a TG or message me on discord
Team Nickname: Black-and-Reds (never Red-and-Blacks)
Team Colors: Confederate Red (#EE0000) and Black (#000000)

Goalkeepers:

#  Player            Age    Pro.    Club
 1 Ronan Pharlain     28   He/Him    Raynor City United
13 Viktor Åstrøm      30   He/Him    Vogsphere United
30 Agata Råberg       24  She/Her    FC Santraginus

Right Backs:

#  Player            Age    Pro.    Club
 2 Aile Tutku         30  She/Her    Mâ Âlâmëómë
22 Gulnara Baikonur   23  She/Her    Baraldhur AFC
25 Endla Magill       26  She/Her    Avidë

Left Backs:

#  Player            Age    Pro.    Club
16 Vaihere Kamgang    32  She/Her    Mâ Âlâmëómë
 3 Sonja Shiben       31  She/Her    Royal Jam FC
23 Affan Hoang        25   He/Him    Hondo FC

Center Backs:

#  Player            Age    Pro.    Club
 4 Marko Peynir       32   He/Him    Vogsphere United
 5 Oie Alvi           24 They/Them   CA Paulinthal
24 Temuris Vávra      25   He/Him    Port Rhovanyon AFC
14 Maxim Mazayev      24   He/Him    Z'ai'ai

Midfielders:

#  Player            Age    Pro.    Club
 8 Zahida Thakkar     28  She/Her    Myana
26 Maram Tatsinan     32  She/Her    Strathcona Internationals
 6 Kishora Rokara     22  She/Her    Kyethas Rivermen
10 Artyoms Junczyk    24   He/Him    Inverhaven City

Right Wings:

#  Player             Age    Pro.    Club
36 Inder Starovoitov   30   He/Him    Damogran FC
 7 Esti Madathil       25  She/Her    Algolia AC
20 Ajaj Aspnas         24   He/Him    Z'ai'ai
27 Ståle Yilmaz        23   He/Him    Yassaca FC

Left Wings:

#  Player             Age    Pro.    Club
17 Soile Raynott       32  She/Her    Megabrantid
15 Tarbi Ksudach       32   He/Him    Wirr Tsi
11 Andriy Skoblikov    21   He/Him    Vogsphere United
19 Kemen Yevseichev    21   He/Him   Perce Town

Forwards:

#  Player              Age    Pro.    Club
21 Aasif Deriglazov     22   He/Him    Vogsphere United
 9 Wardah Odugyan       29  She/Her    Vna-Chuhul Ravens FC
18 Alyonka Kostyukevich 21  She/Her    Wirr Tsi

[Loyo]

Loyo Overcomes Some Early Anxieties With Win Against Quebec and Shingoryeo

Loyo’s national football spirit came into the regional cup with a sour, negative mood. Long gone is the hope that inspired football fans in the country following the country's debut before WC 92 and the team’s victory in the 79th Baptism of Fire. Instead, Loyo's football scene, which once showed promise, has become a source of embarrassment for even the most fervent team supporters.

The national team's website got into a tricky situation several years ago, and hackers broke into the flimsy site protections that had been coded by interns at a small company in Hansheok. The attackers demanded a ransom of 165,000 Loyomarks. Not a small amount, but nothing that would be out of possibility for team funder and businessman Konno Chiasa. Without ransom, the anonymous attackers threatened to delete the records of the national team, including the upcoming WC 100 squad. Chiasa called bluff, and the attackers took the site down and destroyed every piece of information that was available online.

When physical brochures were printed in a rush to desseminate the information to home and visiting fans during qualifying, the materials were printed to thin in a cost-savings measure, leading to stadium barkers being hired in bulk to inform fans of the current squad. However, a large group of the stadium barkers decided to split and run, as they had been paid half up front, and decided to attend a baseball game instead of performing their duties at the football pitch.

Oh brother. Loyo, what’s going on?

After this entire embarrassment, Chiasa set out to hire an international team manager to set everything straight. The search landed on Mars, specifically the Martian Independent Republic’s Vasily Markov. Markov was the manager of Combination Milankovic, a small budget club that was coached to excellence over his four-year tenure. Chiasa has high hopes for the manager, as he's come to distrust the Loyon football establishment that has failed to produce much of anything since the era of Han Tamada.

---

Markov and Chiasa both looked like geniuses after Loyo's shocking 1-0 result against Quebec and Shingoryeo, where Sato Sakini made some incredible saves at the dawn and dusk of the match to award the Loyons a desperately-needed three points. Markov manages a 5-4-1 formation, drilling a tight defense and midfield.

Bashar Glevestian was awarded the man of the match, striking a through ball to Ludwig Gros for the match’s only goal in the 81st minute. For the visiting Loyon fans, it wasn't beautiful football, and did little to inspire the few national sports reporters that showed up to the match, but it was a much needed positive result, and the type of defensive, rugged football that Chiasa hired Markov to play.

Padras Topea likely escaped a red card at the start of the second half, harshly criticized by the referee for hacking at the legs of the opposition and receiving the teams first yellow of the competition. Jean De Manslois also received a yellow in extra time, in what was a messy period of sloppy football for the Loyons. Still, a result is a result, and the Loyons look to improve their team chemistry in the next few days before their match against Banjia.

Not an easy match for an exceptional team, a nearly impossible match for Loyo. CB Feliks Asimov acknowledged the large disparity between them and the Banijans, pointing to the heavens when he was asked by media what he would have to do to hold back Banijan star player Lavyin Son-Saka. “Pray. What can you do but pray?” Goalkeeper Sato Sakini seemed to have a little more hope, slapping the back of Asimov's head after leaving the press conference. “We have a new strategy under a new manager. I feel confident in our victory tonight, and I look forward to challenging the best in our region. Why are we here if not to play?”

CB Xue Ren replaces Feliks Asimov in the starting lineup

[Cardenao]

THIS IS YOUR MD2 GROUP A-C CUTOFF PLEASE DO NOT BE ALARMED.

ARC VII, Matchday 1, Groups A-C

Group A
Squornshelous 2–2 Demot
Gucci Republic 0–0 Busoga Islands

Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Squornshelous              2   1  1  0    6   2    4
2 Demot                      2   0  2  0    4   4    2
3 Busoga Islands             2   0  2  0    2   2    2
4 Gucci Republic             2   0  1  1    0   4    1

Group B
Milchama 2–3 Valanora
Equestria 2–5 Fort McKinley

Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Valanora                   2   2  0  0    6   4    6
2 Fort McKinley              2   1  0  1    7   5    3
3 Milchama                   2   1  0  1    3   3    3
4 Equestria                  2   0  0  2    2   6    0

Group C
Quebec and Shingoryeo 0–2 Myrtle Beach
Loyo 4–9 Banija

Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Banija                     2   2  0  0   12   6    6
2 Loyo                       2   1  0  1    5   9    3
3 Myrtle Beach               2   1  0  1    4   3    3
4 Quebec and Shingoryeo      2   0  0  2    0   3    0

[Banija]

OOC: Loyo will RP the Banija v. Loyo match, details mentioned have been agreed upon between them and I on Discord

After disappointing World Cup, thunderous start to ARC VII has Banijans dreaming- can they go back to back as Arrosia regional champions?

HERZEGOVINA CITY, MORAVICA- World Cup 101 started so strongly- and then, immediately crashed. The group stage was great, with the Banijans getting a rare 9 point group stage- including defeating fierce rivals, and tournament co-hosts, Farfadillis, in the final game of the group stages. The three group wins did wonders for their ranking- vaulting the Kadongo Kamu into the top 10 of the KPB+ rankings, and giving us a solid shot at Pot 1 for World Cup 102, depending on how qualifying for that cycle goes. But it was the knockout stages where everything went haywire. The Banijans, beaming with confidence after earning a trophy in ARC VI, and a perfect group stage in World Cup 101, crashed out entirely in the Round of 32. In one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, Banija, who had been establishing themselves as a dark horse to make a deep run and legitimately threaten for a fourth star, were upset by Snestar, 2-1, in the first knockout stage. It was Snestar's first ever victory in the knockout stages of the World Cup, and the record win could not have come at a worse time for the Banijans.

It was, indeed, a stunning result for those invested in Banijan soccer- from the higher ups, to the fans, to anyone beyond. It has been a slump of sorts for Banija at the World Cup- despite climbing back into the top 10, the 48 team format has not been kind to the Banijans. Across the last 5 World Cups, all 48 team World Cups, we have won just 3 knockout games. Two at World Cup 97, and just one since, at World Cup 100. "One quarterfinal appearance, across the last 5 World Cups- and none across the last 4- is simply not the standard for Banijan soccer." The RBSA Executive Chairman told reporters. "A tough performance in a knockout game, especially in a tournament that had started so well, where we had such high hopes and momentum going into the game. However, it is important not to overreact to this poor result- we value the stability that a national team requires to consistently compete on all fronts, both for all-important regional titles, and obviously, the World Cup."

It caused indeed, a difficult moment of introspection for the executives at the RBSA. Never before, had Banija's performances at the regional tournament, and at the World Cup, been so divorced from one another. The last three ARC tournaments, the Banijans had built their way towards a title- 3rd place at ARC IV, runner-up at ARC V by falling to Farfadillis, and then victory at ARC VI. Not only victory, but we beat two of the other big boys en route to doing so- Valanora on home soil, and then dominated Squornshelous in the Final. Mikhail Trischuk could get it done in qualifying, and clearly could get the team to dominate on the regional stage- but can he get it done at the World Cup? It's hard to say. An ugly World Cup at home in World Cup 99- 1 group stage goal in total, Round of 32 elimination. World Cup 100, had a decent run to the Round of 16- maybe going out on penalties was unfortunate. Such a promising group stage at World Cup 101, but ending up in disaster. But as we mentioned- his three regional tournaments have been elite. How do you judge him? Ultimately, the RBSA made the decision to give him a 2 cycle extension, through World Cup 103.

"This World Cup was disappointing- but the foundations to get back into World Cup title contention are right there." Said a RBSA press officer who spoke on this issue. "We believe that Trischuk is the man to get us over the hump- getting back into the quarterfinals of the World Cup, and hopefully beyond. Furthermore, he's able to dominate in the near abroad- his value in these regional tournaments cannot be understated." Cannot be understated, indeed. The underlying message is this- his success in the knockouts of this tournament, will eventually translate to success in the knockouts at the World Cup. Is that a fair assumption? Only time will tell- and the RBSA will not wait forever. However, he's going to get at least one more cycle to prove himself, and will be paid for two more no matter what- so we will see what he can do to ensure that the Banijans make a deep run at World Cup 102. It doesn't help him that the Busoga Islands, of all nations, just made a run to the World Cup Final.

But World Cup 102 is far away. What is the matter at hand? ARC VII. It is Banija's first time hosting the Arrosia Regional Championships. We are co-hosting with Cardenao- so all of our games, through the semifinals, should be guaranteed to be played in Banija until the semifinals- the Final will be held in Cardenao. Can we reach our third straight Final in this tournament? Banijan soccer has, quite famously, never won a tournament on home soil. World Cup 81, 83, and 99- no trophies. Deep runs at both AOCAF LVIII and AOCAF LXII, which we co-hosted- but, both tournaments, we fell late in the tournament. The former, we lost in the final to Equestria- who immediately went on to win World Cup 83. The latter, we lost to Baker Park in the semifinals, who went on to win their first regional title. Can this team, for the first time, win a major tournament with the advantage of home cooking?

The group stages have started well. They had a tight game against Myrtle Beach to kick things off in Istria, and Banta Kairaba came off the bench to score a late winner against them, in the 84th minute, to get the home crowd bellowing his name. A solid performance, a strong performance- but still, maybe some pressure on this team from World Cup 101. But against Loyo, they looked much more comfortable- shellacking their way to a 9-4 win over Loyo, powered by both Layvin Son-Saka, and Cyrile Resnais-Mahama, both scoring hat tricks in Herzegovina City. "Ironically, Star Field is where Banija's superstars came out to play." Said a Banijan commentator. The huge win, combined with the H-2-H tiebreaker, meant that Banija clinched the group with a game to play, making the Quebec match a rubber match- Les Quebecois are already eliminated. It will surely be a heavily rotated Banijan squad for that game.

But with that, all eyes are already on the knockout stages. Can Banija get a strong enough result to get a bye straight to the quarterfinals? And once there, can we make a run? There are many excellent teams in this tournament- it is deeper than ever. But if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best- and it is only then if we will find out if Banija has the skill, and hunger, to successfully defend the regional crown.

[Valanora]

Raynor City Bid Book- Arrosia Capital of Culture

Below contains the official bid book from Raynor City, Valanora's largest city and modern capital city, to the competition committee to be officially named the first Arrosia Capital of Culture!

A Brief History of Raynor City
Originally founded as an idea of a place where all people could come and live freely and how they chose, Raynor City quickly became a major hub in the old Outer Kingdom and a partner with the city of Mar Sara to her west, as the Raynor family worked diligently with her neighbors to provide for the common good. The open minded attitude and view of working for everyone and not a select few won the founded of the city many allies as they sat in stark contract to the then capital of Gladerial, where there were clear fractures around class and whom was welcomed in the city. The Raynor family being of "dark elf" origins themselves understood the stigma that went from being part of the "other" in the eyes of the elite ruling class of the capital and were working tirelessly to ensure that all were treated equitably in the city that they founded. With Mar Sara's assistance in the early years with routine grain shipments while the city was trying to get its own agriculture to be able to be self sustaining, the city flourished and grew to many common folk and the non elven species of Valanora as a shining example of what could be if people could put aside their differences.

After the War of Wroth, a prolonged conflict against a demonic invasion throughout the region some few centuries after the cities founding, Gladerial had lost much of its influence to Raynor City and the capital of the unified kingdom would shift to the southern city. Raynor City had organized the defenses of much of the land, forming the "Elven Security Alliance", which would lead to a mistranslated that would stick as the nation's name for nearly a thousand years as the "Elves Security Forces", which would stick until nearly two hundred years ago when the nation officially ratified the name of the Eternal Empire of Valanora. Leading the charge of the defense helped shift power even more from Gladerial, who for the most part stuck behind their walls and sheltered in The White Fortress to see out the conflict, and ended all doubt about which of the two cities was the more important of the two. To this day, this shift in power because of the great conflict, there has been a bit of animosity between the two cities and the citizens therof, which was made worse in more recent times when it came to certain actions with sport

At the heart of the cities' power though was it founders, the Raynor family, and there family mansion would become the de facto capitol building, so much so that they constructed an additional wing to the mansion to conduct official government business from inside their home. It sits on the northern side of the city, near the official designation between the city proper and the modern suburb of Soldar with a view of the river Arewl in the distance. The shift of power from Gladerial to Raynor City also coincided with the Raynors being made the royal family of the unified kingdom. Much of the north and northwestern part of the city are where the old farming sites used to lay, which have moved slight more north and west as time has moved on. A road was made from Mar Sara to the southwest to the city which ends at a crossroads south of the mansion, where in old times a large marketplace occupied the adjacent street. That road still exists to this day that runs from Mar Sara and enters the city through the suburb of Rolalas, winding its way northward to where the mansion rests. The old marketplace has been replaced by a large park, of which the northern section is officially reserved for the Raynor family but is often left open to the public when the family is not using it.

Education
Formal education in the Empire was not something that existed until nearly a thousand years ago, when abundance within the Empire became so great that the need for all hands to be producing or aiding in the production of goods diminished significantly. Before formal education was established, education was done through communal learning, with the younglings being taught by the entire village rather than a sole individual instructor of group of teachers. When formal education was introduced into the Empire, it would take root first in the south in Raynor City and Mar Sara before spreading to the rest of the nation. The establishment of Raynor University provided one of the first ever permanent institutions in the Empire for the pursuit of learning and prolonged research into the world that Vanorians inhabited. The university continues to this day as one of the beacons of enlightenment and learning opportunities within the Empire, while also providing an outlet for sport having competed in the NSCAA and NSCF for some time now and recently also joined in the NS College Baseball Showcase.

At a lower level than the university, the city boasts nearly twenty primary elementary schools and a dozen different high schools where children receive their education in the ages of five to eighteen. With a nearly ninety-six percent graduation rate across all of the schools and a college acceptance of nearly sixty-five percent, the quality of the education is also of a high standard and prepares the youth greatly for their lives outside of schooling. However there is also the academy system that is present within the Empire, as well as the various football club academies, and two are located in the capital in the form of Night Academy and Magnus Academy. Night Academy is one that is primarily geared towards preparing young people for football, though they have an exceptional education record for those who fail to become professional footballers upon their graduation from the academy at sixteen. Magnus in contrast operates more like a traditional high school with graduation at eighteen while preparing young people for potential careers in the other major team sports played in the Empire, with the primary focus being on gridiron.

Sports Scene
In a nation that is in love with sport as much as the Empire is, there are few places in the nation that are as in love with it or as passionate about their teams as there is in Raynor City. Raynor City United, a club that was founded originally as a youth team for Gladerial United, is the most successful footballing club in the nation and in all of Arrosia, as well as one of the most decorated of all time. While they are at the pinnacle of Vanorian football, other major clubs from the capital include Rolalas FC, Soldarian FC, Raynor City FC, Turmondale FC, and Turmonadle United, while there are a handful of other clubs that play within the Vanorian football pyramid. Competitions are routinely held within the Empire and are more often than not kicked off at The Battleground, the stadium of Raynor City United and the largest in Valanora, as well as having had their Final there, which includes the domestic football cup, the Di Bradini Cup, as well as having been the site for multiple regional international club and national team Finals including the AOCAF, ARC, World Cup, Cup of Harmony, and the Champions League/Cup.

Other sports team include Raynor City Starfire of the Silver Star League (gridiron), Raynor City Raptors of the Elven Hockey League (ice hockey), and Raynor City Monarchs of the Elven Basketball Association (basketball). The latter two are much akin to Raynor City United in being one of the most decorated teams in their respective leagues, even if they are not the most decorated. However something that is true for nearly all the teams from the capital city is that there is an intense rivalry whenever they come up against anyone from Gladerial, thanks to the political past as well as their attempts to prevent the city from getting their own football teams. That act saw the collapse of the original football league in the nation and necessitated the creation of what is the Premiershp today, an act so vile that even most other clubs in the league think of Gladerial United as the most villainous club in the nation despite all but nine other clubs not having even been formed yet when the act happened. Rivalries within the city are there but they are more friendly and competitive than any feeling of true malice that you will so often find with teams from Gladerial.

Other Points of Culture
Perhaps the thing that is lost on most people from outside the Empire, is how much of the beating heart of the nation that the city actually is, as nearly all forms of culture spring up in the capital and emanate outwards to the rest of the nation. There are four notable theatres across the city where plays , operas, and musicals take place every weekend. There are a dozen different concert halls, with many located in the heart of the city itself, for the more musically inclined. The economic center of the nation is here, as the largest and most successful companies in the Empire make their headquarters in Raynor City with Viella Incorporated one of the biggest. For the more fashion minded sorts, there are galas every other month with two major ones in Ethalthan and Rhavathan as the major showpieces of what is to be considered in fashion for the next seven months of the year. Even much of the food that now is part of a staple Vanorian diet originates from the capital, bar some local regional flare like what you might find in Sabine and Caddonia. If it is a matter of importance, it most likely started in Raynor City.

[Milchama]

Alexandria Times-Tribune-Sun-Moon-Sky-Picayune-Courier-Post-Pre-Forward-Current-Reader

Sports Section

Warriors Blow 2-0 Lead

Whenever Milchama plays Valanora, there is a certain expectation, namely, that we will lose. Sure, in recent times, Milchama's record against the Marauders has not actually been that bad including beating the Vanorians in a final but, before this recent mini-resurgence, the last time we beat the Marauders was in some World Cup in the 30s it still feels like a little brother vs. big brother situation. This new look Milchamian team, that has had some real problems with impostor syndrome, seemed like the perfect match for them to lose while being starstruck for the first 35 or so minutes.

Instead, it was the exact opposite as Milchama crashed out of the gates with a fire and ferocity rarely seen in a long while. The Warriors were playing like, well, Warriors and were marauding up and down the pitch. Of course, all that marauding meant 2 shots, zero on target, and only 53% possession, even if Milchama were winning the territory game pretty decisively. This was not set up to be a good match for Milchama until in the 17th minute there was a stroke of luck as Valen fumbled the ball to a pressing Darbai Tegusken on the edge of the box who took two touches before slotting it past Propst for a 1-0 lead for Milchama. Four minutes later Milchama were in dreamland as an innocuous cross from Wandy was horrifically miss hit by Prytz for an own goal and a 2-0 Milchama lead.

As the Milchamian fans chanted "Own goal is a Warrior!" the Warriors themselves now knew they were in a new game and had a lead to defend. Unfortunately, it turns out that Valanora is really really good at football and defending a lead is hard. The Marauders would take one back before halftime as a beautiful 15 pass sequence ended with Laborious Hawk finding Imre Haaland for a goal. 2-1 Milchama at halftime.

The second half started much the same way as the first half ended, with Milchama chasing the ball and attempting to break out, only for Valanora to come steaming in and attempting more shots. At one point the Warriors had only 8% possession over a 15 minute period. Despite the subs, one could see the tired legs and heads of Milchama and the pressure became telling, Sjöberg scoring the game tying goal in the 62nd minute. And while Milchama tried it wasn't to be, Hawk getting his own in the 79th to give Valanora the lead, really put the game to bed, and give the Marauders their deserved lead.

While after the 3rd, Milchama would attempt to come back and get their own game tying goal, the Warriors could only manage 2 touches in the box and 1 shot in the last 20 minutes as the Marauders did a fantastic job finishing the game, even almost scoring a goal in stoppage time before an excellent save by Elad Lindsey kept the game 3-2.

The loss puts the Warriors in 3rd place on goal difference, on zero, behind Fort McKinley on +2. The Warriors will play the Fort in an all socialist matchup for MD3. Expect some fireworks from the commies as they continue to attempt to manipulate the refs to guarantee advancement to the next round. However, with the form Milchama has shown so far this tournament, it would be a good time for Milchama to take a win and advancement to the next round. Obviously, we'll see what happens next.

[Carpathia and Ruthenia]

=======================================================
       BAKER PARK   4 - 4   CARPATHIA AND RUTHENIA     
=======================================================
GOALS
  █████..............3'   |  Addis.............37'
  █████.............18'   |  Fedoryshyn......45+1'
  █████.............48'   |  Fedoryshyn........54'
  █████..........66' (p)   |  Fedoryshyn......90+6'

CARDS
  ███████ (Y).....90+6'   |  
=======================================================
                        LINEUPS                        
=======================================================
STARTING XI
  GK  ██████████            |  GK  Antonini 
  CB  ███████               |  RB  Verona 
  CB  ██████                |  CB  Naldi 
  CB  ███████               |  CB  Alinari 
  RM  ████         (v 46')  |  LB  Kövér        (v 46')
  CM  ██████████   (v 70')  |  RM  Lecce 
  CM  ██████                |  CM  Brunetti     (v 67')
  LM  ███████               |  LM  Vinci        (v 89')
  FW  █████        (v 70')  |  FW  Bassi (c)
  ST  ███████               |  FW  Addis        (v 89')
  ST  ███████               |  ST  Fedoryshyn         

SUBSTITUTES
  GK  ██████                |  GK  Voltolini 
  CB  ██████       (^ 70')  |  RB  Cino 
  CB  ██████                |  LB  Selmone      
  DM  ████         (^ 70')  |  CB  Ruzsa        (^ 46')
  RM  ██████       (^ 46')  |  MF  Alemagna 
  CM  ███████               |  MF  Piccirillo   (^ 89')
  LM  ██████                |  ST  Mondo        (^ 67')
  ST  █████                 |  ST  Sabbatini    (^ 89')
=======================================================
                      MATCH STATS                      
=======================================================
                      POSSESSION
  54% ██████████████████████████████████████████ 46%

                          xG                          
 2.89 ██████████████████████████████████████████ 2.80

                        SHOTS
   19 ██████████████████████████████████████████ 19

                    SHOTS ON TARGET                   
   11 ██████████████████████████████████████████ 9
=======================================================

Persistance leads to a point in an eight goal thriller

Well that certainly was a match for the neutrals, the highs and lows of the match were certainly not good for Carpo-Ruthenian hearts and I imagine worse for Baker Street ones as the night crescendoed with Fedoryshyn thundering a free kick past the outstretched fingers of the helpless Baker Street goalkeeper. You would have thought we’d won the match with the celebration of the team and the fans blowing off the roof of the stadium. And although in the cold light of the morning some critics may choose to focus on shipping four goals and having slipped to two goals down within the first twenty minutes, I would instead focus on the temperament of the team. Those same critics would have been all too happy to point out how the team would fall apart against teams once we fell behind.

This time we showed real grit, dusting ourselves off and turning around the momentum ending the first half on level pegging. Once again a wonder goal for Baker Park didn’t throw us off our game, instead of shrinking away we pushed forward and were rewarded with our third goal. And again in the sixty-sixth minute after a soft penalty was awarded to Baker Park it would have been easy for the expected defeatist mindset to come into play, despite Baker Park recent bad form at the World Cup they are the expected winners here, however it was Barker Park perhaps mindful of that form who shutdown and retreated. Pulling themselves into a more defensive formation only venturing out on the counter, Brelk-Xeral Erv clearly wanted the opposite, meeting this with more offensive substitutions.

Pressure began to mount on the Baker Park final third, and they were putting up quite the fortress defense but Carpathia and Ruthenia were clearly hungry and responded by laying siege, Mondo sending a header buzzing just inches wide, Bassi fizzing a shot off the crossbar, but with all that it seemed that lady luck was on Baker Park’s side with no breakthrough and the seconds ticking away of added time, Sabbatini was in space going for a final shot on goal but interrupted with a Baker Park defender wiping him out on the edge of the box receiving a yellow card and gifting us a free kick which would be the last play of the match for certain.

Antonini ran up adding another potential head for the ball to end up on, however no head was needed Fedoryshyn betting everything on himself as he thundered a strike into the top corner the goalkeeper unable to do anything about it, and which point the thunder of the strike was meant with the thunder of the travelling Carpo-Ruthenian fans, under which you wouldn’t be blamed for missing the final whistle blowing. Yes we may not have won the game, but we won a hard earned point, and the team have won the hearts back of the fans and Fedoryshyn has finished his comeback journey from villain to hero.

Up next we have our final group game against Qasden, will be interesting to see how Brelk-Xeral Erv will approach this match as with four points we most likely have gotten ourselves through the next round, however if we are able to top the group we could skip ahead to the quarterfinals. But given the tiebreakers we would need to beat Qasden by more goals than Baker Park beats Dhemixia by. So does Brelk-Xeral Erv go for broke against Qasden, with the possibility that best case we still end up runners-up or worst case go in with a complacent mindset and lose, ending up in third place relying on other results. Do they take a more measured approach and rest up some players for the knockout phase, but again perhaps they run into the risk of counting chickens. At the moment they are being tight-lipped on those plans just saying they want the team to appreciate the current result for now.

By Margita Ongaro
CBC Ruthenia

[Dhemixia]

Welcome to the Randy Calhoun Experience™. Really, this is a story of every Dhemixian striker until the end of time, but right now, it's being told through Randy Calhoun. The same man who led an unprecedented Dhemixian run to the QFs in WC101 goes to graduate high school, and somehow in the process, can't even win a game in the ARC. Two games, two losses, one goal scored. I'm never gonna tell you that the Serpents should be undefeated and winning the whole thing, but it's not like the expectation was being grouped either. The leaky defense can be explained away by the fact that Dhemixian defense has never been good, despite the fact that they've got semi-wonderkid Hans Grabõn starting for the first time on the back line. Wesley Williamson's trying his best in net, but what can't really be explained is the lack of offensive production. Both Dhemixian forwards are elite in their own right, the midfield's serviceable at worst, and Randy Calhoun gets to flip off the camera every time he scores. That's a recipe for success if I've ever seen one.

In reality, none of that is firing this tournament. Maybe it's just because they're unranked and are playing against unfamiliar competition, but the chemistry simply isn't there anymore between the forwards and the midfielders. The one goal Randy scored this tournament against Qasden wasn't a product of that chemistry either. Off an opposing corner, Grabõn heads away a clearance, it finds the foot of Randy outside the center circle, and he takes it coast to coast to chip the keeper. Maybe it was a garbage time goal whilst down two already, but it's the thought that counts. Point being, the Serps just don't look like themselves this cycle. Being newly promoted to 30th in the multiverse, they should really have more momentum if anything. If the Dhemixians want to find a way to repeat their WC101 cycle and make it back to the quarterfinals, they need to escape the group here.

In that regard, it's not looking great. With C&R and Baker Park on 4 points, the highest they can get is third place. That's bad already, but to even get there, they have to get through the highest-ranked team in their group. Dhemixia has a lot of history with the Commonwealth of Baker Park, particularly in NSCF (those who know), but the two have never met in football. Baker Park sits in fourth, Dhemixia sits unranked. That's frankly an uphill battle at best, and they have to find a way to both win that game and come out of it on a higher goal difference than Qasden. Then, they have to luck out with results from the rest of the tournament. Somehow, some way, the Serps have to be top two on GD at three points.

In essence, it's almost impossible. It would be nice to win this game at least and take that momentum into the WC, but there's no logical way they escape with just a win.

Then again, when has Dhemixian football been anything even close to logical? They escaped the WC group in second place on three points last cycle, who says they can't pull something like that again and try their luck in the knockouts?

[Loyo]

Match Against Host Results in Exciting Goal-Fest

*(Loyo Goals Bolded)
‘7 Layvin Son-Saka (Banjia 1-0)
‘28 Musoke Owole (Penalty) (Banjia 2-0)
‘43 Layvin Son-Saka (Banjia 3-0)

-Halftime-

‘46 Jean De Manslois (Banija 3-1)
‘52 Ludwig Gros (Penalty) (Banjia 3-2)
‘54 Cyrile Resnais-Mahama (Banjia 4-2)
‘58 Layvin Son-Saka (Banjia 5-2)
‘67 Cyrile Rensnais-Mahama (Banjia 6-2)
‘69 Teshuyi Ullabor (Banjia 6-3)
‘78 Hak-Kun Gok (Banjia 6-4)
‘80 Musoke Owole (Xue Ren OG) (Banjia 7-4)
‘85 Yob Banda (Banjia 8-4)
‘90+7 Cyrile Resnais-Mahama (Penalty) (Banjia 9-4)

Penalties
‘23 Daraja Kanka - Yellow
‘28 Homer Classe - Yellow
‘46 Musoke Owole - Yellow
‘52 Kanyago Rouse-Jurun - Yellow
‘90+7 Xue Ren - Red

Loyo's defense looked nervous to start the match against Banjia, a team that had every advantage leading into the matchup, the reigning regional champions. One of the most lopsided pairings of the group stage, Loyo’s stars would have to perform with otherworldly (Or perhaps interplanetary, if Vasily Markov had a word) skill to gain points at the end of ninety minutes.

An anxious early foul from Padras Topea, let off with a warning, led to a striking free kick goal from Layvin Son-Saka, near the top of the box. When the fast shot hit the back of the net, it was celebrated loudly by the home fans, who greatly outnumbered the Loyons in the crowded stands.

Musoke Owole scored a penalty on a tackle inside the box from Homer Classe, who mistimed his stab at the ball, sending the midfielder down in the 28th minute, another marker of the Loyons’ anxiousness.

With two critical early fouls, the expectation of Loyon fans was to see the manager jumping up and down in the vein of Han Tamada, or worryingly covering his mouth like Tsuji Matashichi.

Instead, the newly-appointed Markov was stone faced, subbing out Padras Topea for Teshuyi Ullabor, likely for worries about Topea’s foul risk. Fans eyed the new manager, still unsure of what to make of him or his coaching style. Quick. Direct. Finger pointed to Ullabor’s heart. Tap. Then up. A shake of the hand, potentially dismissing the player's worries.

Down two goals at thirty minutes, with no shots on goal and a mere two minutes of possession, the Loyons needed fresh blood to invigorate them.

An inspiring spirit wouldn't arrive by the halftime whistle, which only came after another ball struck the back of the net behind Sakini. 43’ and Layvin Son-Saka scored another goal, this time on an excellent cross from Mugisa Buweeka, struck between the legs of a hopeless Sato Sakini. Homer Classe was nowhere to be seen as Loyo's depression deepened, starting an argument between him and the keeper that lasted into the changing room.

Down three goals at the half, Markov must have made a hell of a speech to the players, who emerged with early possession and a fierce, physical mentality to start the final 45. An aggressive tackle from Banijan Musoke Owole shortly after kickoff led to a free kick and the Loyon’s first real opportunity.

Bill Gertler crossed in the ball on the set piece, finding Jean De Manslois for a header and the Loyons first goal (and first shot) of the match.

Six minutes later, Ludwig Gros stole possession on a soft pass from Musoke Owole to Ensa Janneh, who was hounded until Gros got a foot on it, took two touches inside the box, and was taken down by Kanyago Rouse-Jurun for a yellow card and a penalty opportunity for Loyo. Gros knocked a shot into the top left corner as Biran Jarju jumped towards the wrong direction.

Not to be outdone, Banjia took immediate opportunity to threaten Loyo's defense again, working methodically around the outside before Mugisa Buweeka darted inside, passing a ball past the outstretched leg of Vozzie Whea, directly at the feet of Resnais-Mahama, who blasted a goal only 2 minutes after Loyo's penalty.

Four minutes later, Loyo lost possession in a pressing position and Sherif Kinteh made them pay, arcing a pass to Son-Saka who had the liberty of a 1on1 that was only going to end one way, giving the Banjians their first hattrick, extending the game's scoreline to 5-2.

Messy football led to a series of careless fouls until a free kick from Son-Saka found a header from Buweeka, which was blocked but not secured by Sato, bouncing around the box and finally hammered home by Resnais-Mahama for his second of the game. 6-2. Still 5 goals to go!?!

A stunner close shot by Teshuyi Ullabor gave the Loyons some momentum again, with the Banjians seemingly hesitant to aggressively press him inside the box, allowing him to turn and shoot a ball that ricocheted off the top of the bar and into the back of the net for a 6-3 scoreline.

The tenth goal came for Loyo, the result of a set piece corner by Bill Gertler in the 78th minute, received by Glevestian in a crowded box, nearly cleared by Kanyago Rouse-Jurun before Hak-Kun Gok found the end of it, sending it bouncing into the net, loudly cheered by the small contingent of Loyon fans as anxieties began to grow again for the home team.

Not to be done, the Banijans started their possession following the whistle with ferocity, making mincemeat of the exhausted Loyon defense, showing their class and excellence with a 9 pass series that ended with Musoke Owole striking a ball that would have gone wide were it not for the interference of Xue Ren, whose foot glanced the ball past the keeper, breaking the spirit of a bleary and knackered Loyon squad.

Two more Banjian goals would seal the deal, as the Loyons looked entirely outclassed and gassed, not possessing the ball for more than 5 seconds during the last 15 minutes in the match.

An obvious, agregious penalty from Xue Ren on Yob Banda, who had scored a screamer from 30 meters mere minutes before left the Loyons down to 10 men for the last second of stoppage time. Resnais-Mahama got himself a hattrick as well, sending a ground-level ball past Sato, who looked to be desperate for the arrival of the grim reaper himself.

Following this, the crowds erupted at the final whistle, having witnessed an incredible game with very little defense and players on both sides winded and sweating from exertion.

In the press conference following the game, the Loyon’s new manager had some words.

"I do see a silver lining in that 90 minutes of mess. Second half, first ten minutes. Passing percentage was 88.5% against an elite midfield and defense,” Markov said. “Our execution was precise, 14 completed passes leading to De Manslois' goal. 18 passes, drawing out the defense, before Gros' penalty.”

Squad Updates

Feliks Asimov replaces Xue Ren at CB
Teshuyi Ullabor replaces Padras Topea at DM

[Squornshelan Remnant States]

Arrosian Capital of Culture Bid: Damogran

Damogran is the fifth largest city in the Squornshelan Remnant States, behind Brantisvogan, Vogsphere, Lutenblag, and Chalesm and the winner of a very narrow national vote as the Confederacy's finalist for the Capital of Culture competition. The city is located in the far southwest of the country, about ten miles from the coast along a river that shares its name. The city rises up from the riverbanks on a series of hills and ridges, and an explorer on a walking tour will continually discover new vistas along the crests of these rises. The climate is Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and mild, generally rainy winters, with snow a rarity.

The area now occupied by Damogran has been host to human settlements since at least the late bronze age, with small agricultural settlements first arising growing grain on the hillsides and fishing in the ocean. Over time, the small port which had originally been established at the river's mouth moved to a more inland location. Archaeological excavations show evidence of fires and human remains with embedded spear and arrow points, so piracy was likely a factor in that migration. In time the quiet fishing port grew into a center for merchants, as the Damogran river wound its way inland to the rich deposits of metals in the foothill of the Molvanian alps to the north. Damogran was the center of a city state of regional importance and modest power, enough to maintain its own independence at least, until it was finally conquered by the armies of King Haldi II of Jaglan in the 16th century. This long history of inhabitation has led to a jumble of architectural styles, with 18th-century rowhouses standing cheek by jowl with 20th-century concrete apartment blocks and modern glass and steel towers. Unfortunately, the very oldest parts of the city were naturally those nearest the river, and the twin forces of shifting banks and the ever advancing needs of the still-working port have erased many structures before they could be granted legal protection. One exception is on the edge of the port district, where riverside excavations were enshrined within a modern, climate controlled building which became the Damogran Museum of History, where visitors can view a variety of artifacts from the region, and the in situ remnants of medieval quays and warehouses preserved in the river mud for centuries.

As for the present day, Damogran's modern core has moved up away from the river onto the firmer ground of the hills where sturdier bedrock allowed for higher building to be constructed. Though it lacks the true skyscraper district of the Confederacy's largest metropoles, Damogran's highest building, the 300 meter high 1 Credit Plaza has its apparent height magnified by standing near the top of Loaf Hill, a long ridge that runs parallel to the river, and thus has its foundation 80 meters above the riverside. The building's main tenant, and namesake is incidentally, one of the city's bid's main sponsors, Credit Southwest, one of the cities largest employers, with over 20 local branch locations serving the community. As for how to get around, the city is served by a mixture of elevated and below-ground light rail, the hilly terrain making this hybrid setup a necessity to keep the system's construction as economical as possible. Financial Center, Riverside, Damogran International Airport and Central Terminal are all served by the light rail system, and the last of these stops links Damogran into the Confederacy's rail network, with main lines connected eastward toward Jaglan and Megabrantis, and north through the mountains to Molvania. Overland Station, on the opposite side of town also has its own light rail connection, and serves the train lines heading toward the border to the west, and the long journey south toward Baker Park, or west to Quebec. Given the distance, most visitors from outside the Confederacy will find it most convenient to arrive by air.

The light rail network also boasts stations at the cities three largest sports arenas. Damogran is one of the foremost centers of football in the SRS, and is the only Squornshelan city to have had three of its clubs simultaneously in the top tier. Algolia AC and Damogran FC have been fixtures in the Superleague since the modern era, winning a combined seven league titles since the Confederacy's return to the international football community. The smaller but still quite respectable Athletic Damogran joined them in the Superleague most recently in a nine-year stint from season 10 to season 18. The city and its immediate surroundings have also produced a bevy of talented players that have represented the SRS on the international stage. The current highlight is certainly national team winger Esti Madathil, but other current and former players hailing from the city include Joonas Priam, Hamida Van, Piia Drenel, Solan Halfariani, and Minakshi Kriz, just to name a few recent notables. The city also has international hosting credits to its name, as the site of the fifth final of the FFI's League of Victors, and of the host nation's quarterfinal match during World Cup 99, both of these matches taking place at Damogran FC's Bridger Lane.

Apart from the cultural offerings typical of every large city: nightlife, museums, sports, and music venues, Damogran is known for its close connection to nature experiences. The southern coastal plain of the SRS from Damogran to Syneca is known as the Emerald Coast, and the region still boasts large tracts of intact savanna and open pine forests. Safari tours offer to get visitors out into the country, and packages ranging from overnight trips out from Damogran to weekslong treks are offered by various touring companies. Some do opt to get out on their own, but visitors are reminded that operating vehicles off-road in wildlife preservation areas requires special permits not normally granted to individuals. For those opting to explore on foot who are not dissuaded by the general discouragement of this option, the authorities strongly urge travel in groups, as certain fauna, most notably the famous Algolian Suntiger as well as pack-hunting troodontids can pose a potential hazard to solo travelers.

As for what being named Capital of Culture would mean for Damogran, it would serve to reemphasize the city's importance within the Confederacy, both culturally and historically, and to reverse a recent trend of losing the younger population to the opportunities of the larger, more central cities of Megabrantis and the Isle. Damogran's peripheral position geographically has increasingly counted against it, as the prevailing cultural gravity of Squornshelan culture is very much centered on the axis running Chalesm to Brantisvogan to Arkintoofle, and thence across the straits to Santraginus and Vogsphere. Damogran's selection as the Confederacy's finalist has already done much to increase the city's status as a desirable place to live for people looking to establish themselves, but an affirmation from the region at large would go even further, pulling back against the seemingly unstoppable ascendance and dominance of the aforementioned cities, especially Brantisvogan.

[Cardenao]

Cardenao Presents

…

LeBois

Cardenao’s nominee for the Capital of Culture is a city that, until the last decade and a half, was completely unknown outside Cardenao and relatively unknown within the country. The city was never intended be of particular note outside of being a regional hub with some industry and research capabilities, it is no New Cardonia, no Alameda, and certainly no Sareña but it’s hard to argue that any other Cardenaoan city has had such a glow up and emerged as a cultural revelation over the past twenty years and that’s why our nominee is….. LeBois.

Sat in Eastern Cardenao at the base of the San Gabriel mountains, LeBois is a departure from the sandy beaches of Western Cardenao and is instead a more temperate high plains desert with hot, dry summers and cold, snowy winters. The short spring season is perfect weather in LeBois while the fall brings cool, crisp breezes to the town, perfect to compliment that which put the city on the path towards cultural relevancy: the LeBois Santura University Broncos.

Led by quarterback Bobby Dials, the BSU Broncos brought LeBois to international attention with impressive performances in NSCF play before forming part of the LeBois spine that has brought two World Bowl titles to Cardenao and counting. This sporting success has been transformative for the city, going from a quiet, backwater community to one of the hottest places to live in Cardenao and emerged as the confluence of sports, academia, tech, and good old fashion farming. It’s been a rocky ride accommodating the different interests in LeBois but this bid for Arrosia Capital of Culture shows how far the city has come from irrelevance to one of the most well-known Cardenaoan cities abroad.

And this is the reason for LeBois’ nomination, the takes of other cities have already been sung. New Cardonia, Alameda, November City, Sareña…they’ve all already had their moments, they’ve been big from the start! But for LeBois, it’s been an organic growth from nothing to relevancy and that’s what this bid is celebrating!

Sports

Despite the introduction of several professional sports teams, LeBois is still first and foremost a college football city. The LeBois Broncos are the pride of the town and one of Cardenao’s more well known exports. Tourists will arrive in town to a sea of BSU Blue and Orange, while the university’s famous Bronco logo is seemingly everywhere like some omnipotent deity watching over its people. LeBois hasn’t always been so football crazy but, as is the way with such things, people started paying attention when the team started getting good…which is where the legend of Bobby Dials began.

Under his remarkable four year starting career with the Broncos, Bobby took LeBois from unknowns to playoff semifinalists while solidifying his claim to be the best player in college football. Despite that, he and Defensive Player of the Year Alabaster ‘Big’ Red were unable to win a championship though they sparked interest in the sport the likes which hadn’t been seen for gridiron…interest that exploded into the stratosphere when Bobby Dials, then a junior, led a young, amateurish Cardenao to an incredible World Bowl victory, before repeating the feat a few years later. This led to a wave of interest in gridiron, in LeBois, and in the university across Cardenao and internationally, leading to famous recruits from Busoga, Ranoria, and Drawkland among others. To this day the Broncos are a proud contender in college athletics, though the early wave of success and popularity has now led to a generation still chasing that high.

This rush of interest was accompanied by people realizing that ‘hey LeBois is a gorgeous, safe city with a lot to do and it’s dirt cheap’ and thus the LeBois Boom occurred. Still ongoing, the surrounding area has seen an 85% population growth of mostly sports fanatics which has led to the arrival of several professional teams to take advantage of the moment. The LeBois Cowboys have arrived to represent the city in professional football though they haven’t quite found success just yet the Cowboys have begun ingratiating themselves with the city…they’ll never be the Broncos though. There’s also Ciudad LeBois, the local soccer team which has a small but dedicated fan base that’s slowly growing. It’ll happen, perhaps they need to take a page from the Broncos and get good so the fans will care!

Economy

Long ago, before the Cardenaoan people learned how to make shit, LeBois was nothing more than a trading town, a stop in wild country where one could rest before heading into the wilderness. Back then it was precious metals and valuable materials to be found and shipped to the nearby industrial hub of Küsbon, though eventually readily available resources were depleted and the town needed a pivot. ‘Well we got a lot of land that would be good for growing things and sustaining beasts’ one citizen put forth and thus the pivot to being a farming community began and lasted for the better part of a century to the point LeBois became synonymous with potatoes. Slowly though the area grew and additional economic avenues were unlocked, namely resource refinement, factory production, now to technological innovation and production.

‘Potato chips and microchips’ is the unofficial slogan of the region these days as the word has gotten out about LeBois’ low cost of living and high payout of outdoor activities, BSU football, and the chance to join a youthful city on the upswing. Whether it’s the tech scene, mineral extraction and refinement, factory production, helping support the various outdoor activities or working as a potato wrangler…there is opportunity abound in LeBois!

Culture

While Eastern Cardenao is much individualistic and comparatively conservative compared to Western Cardenao, LeBois stands out as a cultural hub. From the Day of 1000 Suns hot air balloon celebration on summer solstice to the Green Haven music festival or the Great Potato-off celebrating the biggest potato in the region, there’s something for everyone in terms of unique holidays! Beyond holidays, during the hot summer months crowds swarm to the Rio LeBois which cuts right through downtown, tubing and rafting down to enjoy the cooler water. Of course when the seasons flip and the snow begins to fall, all sorts of winter activity open up most prominently skiing or snowboarding in the San Gabriel mountains. The snow itself isn’t too bad in LeBois, just a light dusting, but it helps bring a certain charm when it’s night time at an ice skating rink, snow gently falling with the yellow streetlights giving the scene a dream-like quality.

Of course, being a college football town is a culture in and of itself. Once it’s football season, that’s all that matters. Good luck getting anywhere in town as it shuts down completely, the streets are awash with fans both local and foreign who cheer out the BSU fight song as they head to the legendary Blue Bowl stadium with its iconic blue turf. Lots of fun can be had getting to a game before stumbling back through town after having a few drinks at the game!

Transportation

Welcome to LeBois! Now…how did you get here and how do you get around town? Odds are you flew into LeBois Regional Airport by way of Küsbon International, that’s the most popular and affordable option for international travelers. Those not afraid to arrive more adventurously might land in New Cardonia before taking a ferry to Puente Marisol and travel via train the rest of the way. It will not be like the smooth modern rails of New Cardenao and the capital region, no it will be a bit rough, a little bumpy, and entirely memorable. Those not afraid to arrive even more adventurously might opt instead to travel by car where they will face an even more bumpy and chaotic ride to LeBois but they will have a chance to see the rugged beauty of Eastern Cardenao.

As for getting around LeBois, there are several options and the first are your own two feet! That’s right, LeBois is primarily a walking and biking town and thus it is very easy to get around. The historic North End neighborhood, located at the north end of the city, is completely closed off to vehicular traffic altogether while a long paved biking/walking path extends throughout the city and beyond into the surrounding towns. There is a fairly reliable bus and public transit system, including a recently completed light rail system…the city’s first!

[Busoga Islands]

Lakiska Bid Book- Arrosia Capital of Culture

Below contains the official bid book from Lakiska, the first settlement on the Busoga Islands, to the competition committee to be officially named the first Arrosia Capital of Culture!

An abbreviated history of Lakiska

Lakiska- the first Buosgan settlement on these Islands! These islands were uninhabitated almost entirely, until the early 1500s- when Ayatollah Busoga, and his band of refugees, fled their original homeland in the face of religious persecution. From the long-last land of Timuria, a Sunni dominated state and a Shia minority, Ayatollah Busoga was the leader of a dwindling band of Shia. War after war, their numbers fell as they came close to being wiped out. They ended up getting themselves a deal- they'll leave in exchange for peace, and being left alone.

On the boats they went, and these islands, which were known about but unclaimed by all around it (including the Kasanke), were claimed by Ayatollah Busoga and his followers. The two islands, as a grouping, were quickly named after him- the Busoga Islands ,which was his surname. This was used, of course, because many said that he was the savior of their people- saved them from forced conversion, or worse- genocide. Lakiska, on the South island,, was the first settlement- and therefore, the capitol.

They largely lived in isolation, left alone by larger empires surrounding it, until the formation of the modern Banijan state in the 1600s. Lakiska was the historic capitol. While Dukuma overtook it economically, the culture of the country was centered here. The Busoga Islands were always legally a unified entity, but various divides largely meant that Lakiska, functionally, operated as a powerful city-state, rather than the capitol of a divided nation.

When Banija eventually took over in the late 1700s, this was the seat of direct rule by the Banijans- and when the Quebecois colonized Banija, they took this. When Banija eventually got independence from Quebec in 1906, the Busoga Islands remained, for over a century, as part of Banija. As part of a Mormon state, Lakiska was defined by staunch secularism- in opposition to the Mormonism that radiated throughout Banija. It was a center of Busogan nationalism, and during the Busogan War for Independence (better known elsewhere as the Banijan-Equestrian War), this was a hotbed of resistance against the Kingdom of Banija.

So naturally, upon independence, this city remained the capitol. A city defined by politics, by secularism, and as a symbol of defiance, all at once- much history lies within these city limits.

Avenue of the Arts

One of the defining things about Lakiska, is its dedication to the arts. In fact, there is an informal "Avenue of the Arts" - centered on a street that bears its name, although realistically, nowadays it encompasses a full neighborhood. It is about the city's dedication to the Arts- and all kinds of arts. Busoga has always been known for being really into musicals, and plenty of famous theatres are on this street.

When Busoga was part of Banija, the Lakiska Symphony Ochestra was generally known as the best-in-class orchestra in the country- and they are centered on this avenue. But as the country has modernized, the dedication to classical arts- like plays, musicals, symphonies, and even the opera has remained strong. But on the southern side of the Avenue of the Arts, there is a much more modern take on art.

Urban art is popular in Lakiska- from graffiti and street art. There is a popular park on the south side of the neighborhood, where hipster values rule, and street art is encouraged. For big portions of the summers, open streets allow people to sketch while sitting outside, and decorate the sides of buildings, or streets, or whatever they can, with modern takes on art.

Tech - Silicon Kangaroo

You can't talk about Lakiska, however, without talking about the city's startup culture! Some may hate it, others may love it- but if you are in tech, and you think Istria is too expensive for you- then Lakiska is a strong place to go. It has recently began to market itself as a tech hub, and there are all sorts of options, if you have a startup, to get seed funding in this city and make it big.

Why is the nickname the Silicon Kangaroo? Well, Kangaroos are native to the Busoga Islands- one of Arrosia's rare places to find kangaroos in the wild. It is also the national animal. While obviously no kangaroos are living in a modern urban center, they were of course here abundantly before humans established their home in what we now call Lakiska. Silicon Kangaroo was a big initiative of the former President, Delbin Kasekende Sr.- but it has the strong support of the current President, President Kavak.

The city, in conjunction with the national legislature, has worked to radically liberalize immigration laws in the Busoga Islands, to try and attract talent from around Arrosia, and beyond, to work in these startups. Functionally, if you are an engineer- you are basically guaranteed to be able to move to the Busoga Islands.

Sports Scene

And now, the sports scene. In most sports, Busoga's teams are in Banija's domestic leagues, a function of history. The most famous one is the Islamic University of Busoga, which is in this city. While it is technically a private university, it is the country's pride and joy. When part of Banija, all public schools had church influence. So, to avoid church influence, Muslim leaders, in this Muslim-majority country, started the university- and they charted their own path. The Islamic University of Busoga has had limited success in international sporting competitions, with a few successful seasons in both the NSCF, and the NSCAA, in college football and basketball, respectively.

Soccer is the most popular sport in the city, and there are two major clubs- Lakiska Sporting Club, and the Lakiska Kangaroos. The former is easily the biggest club in the country- and the only Busogan team in the Shango-Fogoa Premier League, the joint top flight soccer league of Banija, Farfadillis, and the Busoga Islands. They also have formerly won the IFCF Liga B Champions Trophy, being the only Busogan team to win a trophy in an international competition. Lakiska Sporting Club are a multi-sporting club, as they are also active in the joint Busogan-Damukuni T20 professional cricket competition.

The Kangaroos are slowly making the climb- having recently been promoted from the Busogan National League (3rd tier), to the joint Banijan/Busogan second tier.

While the city lacks a professional gridiron team, Lakiska is known to be at the 'top' of the GFLB's wishlist, considering the growing power of the Busoga Islands in sport.

[Cardenao]

You can consider this cutoff to be a cutoff.

Group A
Busoga Islands 2–1 Squornshelous
Demot 3–2 Gucci Republic

Group A                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Demot                      3   1  2  0    7   6    5
2 Busoga Islands             3   1  2  0    4   3    5
3 Squornshelous              3   1  1  1    7   4    4
4 Gucci Republic             3   0  1  2    2   7    1

Group B
Fort McKinley 0–1 Milchama
Valanora 3–3 Equestria

Group B                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Valanora                   3   2  1  0    9   7    7
2 Milchama                   3   2  0  1    4   3    6
3 Fort McKinley              3   1  0  2    7   6    3
4 Equestria                  3   0  1  2    5   9    1

Group C
Banija 3–2 Quebec and Shingoryeo
Myrtle Beach 2–1 Loyo

Group C                  Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  Pts 
1 Banija                     3   3  0  0   15   8    9
2 Myrtle Beach               3   2  0  1    6   4    6
3 Loyo                       3   1  0  2    6  11    3
4 Quebec and Shingoryeo      3   0  0  3    2   6    0

[Banija]

The final group stage cutoff, for groups D & E!

Cardenao tomorrow will have the announcement for voting for Arrosia Capital of Culture. Thank you for your many submissions!

Because of you Arrosian cities are well worldbuilded.

Matchday 3

Group D
Dhemixia 3–1 Commonwealth of Baker Park
Carpathia and Ruthenia 2–1 Qasden

  Group D                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Carpathia and Ruthenia          3   2  1  0    8   5  +3    7
2 Commonwealth of Baker Park      3   1  1  1    7   7   0    4
3 Qasden                          3   1  0  2    3   5  −2    3
4 Dhemixia                        3   1  0  2    4   5  −1    3

Group E
Farfadillis 0–0 Sultanate of Oontaz
Siovanija and Teusland 5–2 Cardenao

  Group E                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Farfadillis                     3   2  1  0    8   3  +5    7
2 Siovanija and Teusland          3   2  0  1   10   8  +2    6
3 Sultanate of Oontaz             3   0  2  1    5   6  −1    2
4 Cardenao                        3   0  1  2    6  12  −6    1

[Banija]

As a reminder, we have a Round of 12. Per the bid- top 4 group winners get a bye to the quarterfinals. Best group winner, plus all second place teams, and top 2 third place teams, compete in the Round of 12. Fixed bracket.

Bracket                       Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
C1 Banija                      3    3  0  0   15   8  +7    9
E1 Farfadillis                 3    2  1  0    8   3  +5    7
D1 Carpathia and Ruthenia      3    2  1  0    8   5  +3    7
B1 Valanora                    3    2  1  0    9   7  +2    7

A1 Demot                       3    1  2  0    7   6  +1    5
E2 Siovanija and Teusland      3    2  0  1   10   8  +2    6*
C2 Myrtle Beach                3    2  0  1    6   4  +2    6*
B2 Milchama                    3    2  0  1    4   3  +1    6
A2 Busoga Islands              3    1  2  0    4   3  +1    5
D2 Commonwealth of Baker Park  3    1  1  1    7   7   0    4
A3 Squornshelous               3    1  1  1    7   4  +3    4
B3 Fort McKinley               3    1  0  2    7   6  +1    3

D3 Qasden                      3    1  0  2    3   5  −2    3
C3 Loyo                        3    1  0  2    6  11  -5    3
E3 Sultanate of Oontaz         3    0  2  1    5   6  −1    2

*= Per the tiebreakers, S&T and Myrtle Beach play a tiebreaker match to see who has the higher seed. The result is as follows.
Myrtle Beach 3–4 Siovanija and Teusland
S&T shall be seeded ahead of Myrtle Beach.

Round of 12 Matchups

Host Note: First two matches scored by Cardenao, second two matches scored by Banija.

#5 Demot v. #12 Fort McKinley @ BCEL Stadium(cap. 52,400) in Jinja City, Hangaza, Banija
Winner plays #4 Valanora in the quarterfinals in Istria, Moravica, Banija

#8 Milchama v. #9 Busoga Islands @ Keystone Stadium(cap. 47,000) in Sisonke, Kitara, Banija
Winner plays #1 Banija in the quarterfinals in Hoima, Ankole, Banija



#6 Siovanija & Teusland v. #11 Squornshelous @ La Academia(cap. 47,845) in Joya del Sol, Cardenao
Winner plays #3 Carpathia and Ruthenia in Cardenao

#7 Myrtle Beach v. #10 Commonwealth of Baker Park @ Casa Cartablanca(cap. 41,000) in Cartablanca, Cardenao
Winner plays #2 Farfadillis in Cardenao

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Football Association of the Commonwealth

Major Honors

Winners
5th Under 18 World Championship
9th Under 18 World Championship
62nd AOCAF Cup
66th AOCAF Cup
Cup of Champions (Eagles Cup 13)
DiBradini Cup 53/74th Under 21 World Championship
Runner-up
67th Baptism of Fire
Eagles Cup 13
Women's World Cup 17/Jenna Raven Cup 4
20th Under 18 World Championship
Third Place
58th AOCAF Cup
60th AOCAF Cup
Eagles Cup 14
19th Under-18 World Championship
ARC 6
Fourth Place
World Cup 85
63rd AOCAF Cup
Women's World Cup 15/Jenna Raven Cup 2
Women's World Cup 20/Jenna Raven Cup 7

Established in 1901, the FAC is the governing body of the sport in Baker Park, maintaining a registry of over 24,000 players between the ages of 11 and 80; 3,500 officials; 132 full member clubs and 350 associate member clubs; sponsoring 12 National Championships for men & women across all levels. in addition to 6 domestic cup competitions; and offering training programs for coaches and physiotherapists covering youth to professional certification.




Current KPB+ ranking--17.45 (25th)
style--+ 2.758
Formation--3-4-1-2

In the “BP System” or the “BP Way” (neither of those should be considered as something used officially or unofficially—if you wanted to term it as such as something of your own IC creation, go for it) the 3-4-1-2 is more literal than the manner in which it's used RL.
A discussion I had with another user made me contemplate providing a bit more concrete info on just who plays where when you see my lineups/bench for individual matches.
Defense: the three backs play tight to one another when the ball is in the middle or defensive thirds—they should really be termed LCB/CCB/RCB. The outside pair will never be wider than diameter of the center circle. They both man-mark (unless there is an IC tactical reason they don't) and the centerback zonal marks (usually helping one of the other two). The CB is technically a fullback as they have more freedom to move forward with the ball at feet. In a pinch, an emergency situation as a sub, they could all play any of the three positions.
Midfield: there is a good deal of set responsibility among the four across midfield, but the one thing that is always a constant is the wings are the workhorses, they cover more distance than the other players. I've hinted at or flat out said in match reports in the past that left wing (and they are 99.9% of time always left footed) is THE talismanic position in The System, as right fullback is considered (in BP) as usually the weakest position in a flat back four.
The two central midfielders usually have a specific role, one as the playmaker, the distributor and the other as the defensive, hard tackler, disruptor, ball winner.
The preferred position is listed first, but the ones that follow show how versatile that player is. For CM's the left/right designation is the stronger side for that player, but in theory almost anyone in midfield can play in the center of midfield.
Forward: Ah yes, the wild card element. In this case, the differentiation should be looked at from the perspective of another sport—basketball.
The three positions are almost adapted from the indoor game: the center forward, the target man, the number 9—the one who plays up front but facing away from the goal. Mostly it's men who hold down this role in the NT, although not always.
The striker—they want to be played into an area by a pass, or want room to get a touch before shooting. They face goal, but usually in or very close to the box.
The 'slot'--what a lot of people call the attacking midfielder or the CAM. This is a player that can dribble and create their own shot, or draw defenders and find others. There's a reason why this position can be played by a midfielder or a forward and the rationale usually depends on a chemistry between a pair or trio, but more recently this has reverted back to a forward spot.
In conclusion—BP should always be RP'd (of course at your discretion, and I will always adapt to anyone who RP's first if something that's not necessarily canon is mentioned) as--
*fast, short passing
*high lines & pressing
*offside trap
*technically sound
*not easily intimidated
*willing to play anyone, anywhere

National Anthem--"Hear Our Voices Commonwealth"

Nickname--since the end of the 1960's the National Team has been known as "The Bees", a period when the team's uniforms consisted of alternating black and gold hoops.
Previous to that time and subsequently through periods in the 1980's and 90's, the team was usually referred to by the county's national animal, the Elks; the women's National Team were always 'Lady Elks' until the advent of mixed gender play, which was revived during the Jenna Raven Cup and there are still numerous mentions of Elks in the supporters song “We are the Gold & Black”, which currently has close to 175 stanzas.

Colors--Black & Gold (while they are just 2 of the 5 main colors on the flag of Baker Park--Blue, Red and White are the others--black & gold have been closely associated in the nation's consciousness as representative of the country since its founding.)

Management/Coaching

Manager--Tiedmann Denholm
Assistant Manager--Zoe Montgomery
Coaches--Chris LaRue, Danielle Harper, Max Littlejohn, Elaine King
Chief Physio--Gina Damicone
Chief Equipment Trainer--Patrick Bohannon
Media/PR Spokesperson--Erin McNamara

GK
Mitch Longstreet	28	Clayton City FC		  
Maddie Terwilliger 	25	Riverside City Ladies FC       
Amanda Fraley	        29	Brentford Ladies FC
Jake Kilpatrick		26	Hannover United FC	


DEF
Michelle Burdette	25	Ravens Ladies FC		
Heather Womack	        26	Sherwood Forest Ladies FC	
Zara Jonasson		26	Westwood Sprites Ladies FC		 
Chrissy Little		26	Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies	  
Dorrie Franklin	        24	Haskins Blues AFC			 
Roberta Andrews	        29	Hamilton Wanderers Ladies FC  
Benjy Milhouse	        26	Corinthians FC	
Peter Newbury	        26	Jacksonville City FC	
Nikolai Morris		25	Asbury Park FC						
Marcus Taylor		29	Clayton City  FC		             	
Renee McKenzie          29     	Ousevale Borough  (KRY)    
Maria Lanórsdóttir	23	Southend AC Ladies 
Grant Burman		24	St Warren City FC	 


MID	
Katie Chamberlain	25	Mansfield Ladies FC			
Linette Gonzales	25	Lima City United FC			 
Shala Ibrahim		25	Middletown City Women FC		
Catriona Lokipina	25	East Endborough Ladies FC		 
Stacey Jones		25	Jamestown City Ladies FC 	  	  	
Cornelius Boyle	        27	Monmouth Park FC		 
Craig Domicelli	        27	New Bremen FC		
Jake Ludwig		27	Southend AC			 
Anthony Dixon		27	Newport City FC		  
Anthony Romero	        30	North Royalton Town FC	
Stefanie Martini     	29  	Mercia Bromham (KRY)           
Carlton Morgan          30     	Victoria & Albert SC         	
Camille Prince       	29	Westwood Sprites Ladies FC      
Travis Howard      	28 	Jamestown City FC               
Ursula Edwards	        23	Ridge Raiders Ladies FC 
Alyssia Norcotte	23	Shirley Metros Ladies FC	

FWD
Kelly Delacroix		26	Bergholz Caledonian		  	 
Becky Shock		27	Southend Ladies			
Naomi Kaeppler 	        25	Newmarket Ladies FC			  
Claudia Grayson	        30	Mercia Bromham (KRY) 	  	
Tommy Applegate	        27	Learfield FC			 	
Paulo Everhart		25	Newmarket Saxons FC
Edwin Azikiwe		25	Riverside City FC		  
Terrell London		30	Zvezda Vlaikograd (STL)		      	    	
Sandra Ikedieze         28     	Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC 
Dean Morrison		24	New Bremen FC
Corinne Anthony	        23	Clayton City Ladies FC
Melissa Lloyd		23	Westwood Sprites Ladies FC

Uniforms
TBA

Permissions
_________________________________________________________________________________
In the event my opponent RPs first, they may...

Choose my goalscorers: YES
Godmod scoring events: YES
RP injuries to my players: YES, but those that would be for just the duration of the match (TG in advance would be appreciated as well)
Godmod injuries to my players: See Above
Hand out yellow cards to my players: YES
Hand out red cards to my players: YES, but again, a heads up in advance is appreciated, as I would do for you.
Godmod other events: TG what you have in mind, I'm easy to come to an understanding with

[Demot]

A second consecutive draw might have in any other circumstance made for panic for the supporters of their national team, staring down the barrel of only two points through their first two games in a three game group stage and needing to win to have a chance to progress. It is a reasonable consideration, the win or go home situation does put a lot of stress upon player, staff, and the fans of the team of course. The situation for the Dynamo was a little different though, this had not just been two draws, this had been draws against a World Cup Finalist in the most recent edition of the tournament and then of course the number one ranked team in the region and winner of the previous World Cup. These have been no ordinary fixtures for the Dynamo to try and battle through in this group that upon the conclusion of the group draw had definitely given a lot of vibes of being the so called Group of Death for this edition of the ARC. Having survived the first two fixtures still with a chance of not only advancing out of the group but having the outside chance of still winning the group meant that the Dynamo could enter into their final matchday with confidence.

Gucci Republic was not going to go down easy though, they had just battled Busoga Islands to a draw at the same time that the Dynamo had been earning their share of the spoils with Squornshelous, showing the fourth pot team had enough guile about them to cause concern. Squornshelous was heading into the final day of the group at the top of the table, the Black and Reds with four points while Demot and Busoga were level on two, and Gucci propping up the rest of the table with their point. A win for the fourth seed would most definitely see them advance as one of the best third placed sides, while a draw would likely not be enough for Demot to advance even if it had meant they went unbeaten in the tournament. The margins in the tournament were going to be infinitely small, though perhaps that was always going to be the case with the Arrosial Regional Championship as when it came to football, the region was very top heavy with national teams like Squornshelous, Farfadillis, Banija, and Valanora to contend with. That top four eclipsed the rest of the region by some margin, even good teams like Siovanija and Teusland were cast in the shadow of the very best the region had to offer.

Just to prove how much of a threat that they really were, ninety-three seconds into the game Gucci Republic caught the Dynamo pressing too far forward and broke through the defenses and were able to put one past Veronica Soto to take the lead in the second minute. It was a punch to the jaw and it left the Dynamo a little dazed and on the back foot for most the first half hour of the match, desperately defending a highly determined Gucci side looking to double their lead. After the shock of the opening goal wore off though, the Dynamo started to work their way back into the match and in the thirty-ninth minute after a sequence of eighteen passes to work it into the box, Frances Wilder was waiting at the backpost to tuck in a cross from Angela Golightly. Yet in the forty-fourth minute, Gucci would strike again with a killer through ball that split the centerbacks and Soto not quick enough to react to the attacker, putting Gucci up again heading into the half time break. As it stood, the Dynamo not only were not going to qualify for the knockout stages, they were going to come dead last in the group despite those heroic efforts to earn points off Busoga and Squornshelous.

If there was any sense of fear or dread from the players though, Hector Deleo put that to bed in the forty-ninth minute with an absolutely brilliant individual effort after dispossessing a Gucci midfielder near the halfway line, dribbling past two tackle attempts by the centerbacks, and then going five hole on the onrushing keeper to level the score again. It was a brief celebration from the striker but the intensity on the faces of Deleo and the rest of the Dynamo team showed that they knew the stakes of the game and were not going to go down without a hell of a fight. Gucci slowly started to drift into a more defensive posture as the match wore on, until around the seventy minute mark through the substitutions that they had made they were playing with five at the back and only a single striker around the halfway line to try and secure the draw as a point of pride. Pride however is in the very fabric of Demot dna, it is in the name of the domestic league for a reason, and a pride that refused to go quietly into the night struck hard and fast in the eighty-second minute with Carlos Amedee unleashing a bullet from the top of the box to put the Dynamo in the lead for the first time. Gucci being out of substitutions could only work with what they had on the field and it was not enough, Demot held on to the victory.

Little did the team know it at the time but Busoga had pulled off the upset against the Black and Reds of Squornshelous and because of having scored more goals than their southwester brothers, the Dynamo had won the group when at halftime they had been sitting in dead last. Yet despite the group win, they were the lowest points of the group winners and were not afforded a bye into the Quarterfinals, they were having to play in the Round of 12 against For McKinley. Their opponents had defeated Equestria while losing to Milchama and Valanora in Group B, a pair of solitary goal losses to go with the offensive domination of the Equestrians. It was not going to be an easy matchup to be sure and this tournament had seen a lot of goals scored, as ironically the team most known for their attacking exploits, Farfadillis, were the team with the best defensive record. It felt like a tournament where the best defense was a suffocating attack and that suited the Dynamo just perfectly with their aggressive six players in the attack mentality, which they were hoping would allow them to overwhelm and overcome the opponents in the knockout round, securing a spot in the Quarterfinals where Valanora was awaiting the winner.

[Milchama]

Alexandria Times-Tribune-Sun-Moon-Sky-Picayune-Courier-Post-Pre-Forward-Current-Reader

Sports Section

Milchama Players Worried about Tisha b'Av

With Tisha b'Av coming up merely hours after Milchama's important Partial Octos game against Busoga Islands, many players are worried about recovery from the game considering the 25 hour fast. Captain Laila Miller said, "It's important to fast but usually after this type of exertion, it's important to recover with water and the right nutrients. Tisha b'Av screws all that up." The Warriors did file a protest to move the game against Busoga Islands up which was accepted by the hosting committee in Cardenao and Banija but even with that, some are still worried about recovery.

For our international readers, Tisha b'Av is the traditional date of the destruction of the both of the Jewish Temples, the expulsion edict from multiple countries, and many other horrific events in Jewish history. If the typical Jewish holiday can be summarized as "They tried to kill us, they failed, let's eat!" then Tisha b'Av is summarized as "They tried to kill, oh boy did they succeed, let's not eat." This presents a problem for international soccer players who are notorious for having specific nutrition routines around games. These routines usually involve copious amounts of water and nutrients to feel right and be ready for the next day. Unlike with Yom Kippur, where Milchama has successfully guaranteed an embargo around international games, including the World Cup, World Cup qualifiers, and other international events, there is no such ban on Tisha b'Av, the only other major Jewish fast of the year.

This creates an unfortunate dilemma for the Warriors as they play Busoga Islands later today since Tisha b'Av starts in the evening only several hours after the match. While Christian fasts seem random and don't seem to be real fasts (including water, food, or other things that would make it not a fast) and Muslim fasts, at least during Ramadan, can be delayed to a more appropriate time, Jewish fasts have no such leniencies, the timing matters.

For Tisha b'Av this means that the July/August date of the fast creates issues for many people since July and August are notoriously pretty hot months where not drinking water for 25 hours kinda sucks. However, those are the only restrictions in place for the fast as, unlike other Jewish holy days, there no other restrictions on Tisha b'Av. One tradition that has gained traction in recent years in Milchama is to watch a sad Jewish movie with many movie studios, who have accelerated the tradition, releasing dramatic, sad films around Tisha b'Av to capitalize on the custom. For football purposes, this means that attempting to create barriers doesn't really make sense since the lack of restrictions means that one could play if they wanted but generally you shouldn't run for 90 minutes when fasting.

However, the Warriors have been clear that even if it's Erev (eve) Tisha b'Av that would not be an excuse. Manager Elton Freehold said, "We're not fasting on Erev Tisha b'Av and we're not playing on Tisha b'Av. We'll be at 100%, we'll play our best, and if we do that I have every confidence that we should win." Whether or not his confidence will be well placed over the 90 minutes will have to be seen. Busoga, a traditional mid side, had a surprise run to the World Cup semi final last cup and is now ranked in the Top 10 in the KPB rankings making them a tough opponent to have this early. Of course, such is the nature of ARC with powers like Farfadillis, Banija, Valanora, and Squornshelous all playing, meaning that any deep run is always tough.

For now, while the timing is somewhat unfortunate the Warriors remain confident and think they overcome their demons, both historical, metaphysical, and maybe literal, to get a result against Busoga Islands.

[Busoga Islands]

84th minute, 1-1 game between Squornshelous and the Busoga Islands

Emeline Millet was pacing the sideline. She had been doing the live math, and it didn't quite look good- if the Busoga Islands lost this game, they would go out in the group stages. A disappointing return to the ARC, to say the least. Obviously, it would not effect her job security- but they had wanted to build upon their miracle run at World Cup 101. Getting grouped immediately, at the next regional tournament was not a way to do that- even in what was certainly a tough group.

There had only been 6 editions of the Arrosia Regional Championships, and Squornshelous had won three times- they were in the midst of their golden generation. The only country with more than one Arrosia Regional Championship, and ranked #1 in the regional rankings, they were, of course, big favorites in the match, and entered the tournament as co-favorites to win the whole damn thing. A draw would spurn their chances of advancing- but with two draws to open the tournament, they had no choice but to go for broke against the regional #1, one of two defining nations of the modern era of international football, Squornshelous.

Emeline Millet looked at her bench. They had been experts in close games- their 4 KO wins in the World Cup were each by one goal, so getting some late game clutchness, whether it was going forward or defending, was not exactly a rarity for this team. And while it was still technically group play, this was functionally a knockout game. But how could a team, who couldn't even beat 26th ranked Gucci Republic, be expected to launch an upset against regional #1, Squornshelous? She looked at her bench, and found Unlem Olmez- a winger, aka, an extra attacker. Olmez would go in for a defender- it was all-out attacking, no holds barred. Dangerous against a team as talented as Squornshelous, but what choice did she have?

85th minute, Olmez in the game. And in the 87th? Almost immediate impact. Squornshelous sitting deep, trying to defend the lead. Busoga Islands doing all they can. And Olmez, the Lakiska SC winger, stepping up in the big moment. A quick pass in, on the ground, to Kujabi Jr. He quickly passed it to the captain, Dibahari, who cut back to Olmez- and with the ball being played around so quickly, and the defense stretched beyond their capabilities, it was Olmez who was suddenly wide open. He had caught his defender napping, stepped in quickly, and smashed home- the diving keeper did not have a chance, as he buried the ball into the lower corner.

"GOAL!" Millet screamed, as did the rest of the Busogan bench. Another big game, an elimination game functionally- and yet again, another late goal from the Busoga Islands. They had a lot of late drama, and they survived in it- no, they thrived in these late, dangerous games. And just 10 minutes later, the full-time whistle blew. The Busoga Islands had gone toe to toe, with the Arrosia #1- and had won, in 90 minutes. "It was a huge win, a tremendous win, for our players." She told reporters after the match. "It shows that the World Cup was not a fluke- we fully believe in our ability to take on the world's very best, and it is a true function of our mantra- anybody, anywhere, anytime."

The win was enough to vault Busoga to second place in the group- and straight to the knockout stages. That mantra will be put to the test, as they will face off against another former ARC champion, Milchama, in the Round of 12. What looms next- well, that word is not allowed to be said here at the Busogan camp. "This tournament is a tremendous opportunity- for us as players, as a team, as a nation, to really show the world that Busogan soccer did not just show up as a flash in the pan. We are here to stay, and if we want to stay, it is big games like this that we must win."

Not much to choose between the two here, right? Maybe slight advantage to Busoga after the World Cup run, but what you did in the World Cup didn't matter in the regionals. It was a knockout game, simple as that- winner moves on, loser goes home. And Millet considered her team ready to meet the challenge that Milchama would give them.