Season Capsules: 2049/50 Apertura, 2050/51 Clausura
2049: Apertura
After helping Sporting Kildare interrupt Lakeport's run of three straight titles, midfielder Don Kline decided to call it a career. Although he never quite reached the international acclaim won by Lyle Dylandy, the man he replaced in the Kildare midfield, his league titles won him the respect of the Kildare faithful and solidified his legacy with the club. But there wasn't long to bask in the afterglow, because economic reality was starting to rear its head. The club was bleeding money to maintain its core of talent, and the 49,000-seat Kirk County Stadium had long become inadequate. Work on a larger stadium was behind schedule, so in the meantime, they had to part with one of their domestic stars. Defender William Kabacinski was deemed the expendable one, so he was off to Port Vigilence.
Shuukyuu Kishin, second-place finishers the previous year, had to deal with more than just questions about their midfield, which was brimming with youth from the farm system but lacking any real punch due to the retirement of Louis Ransberger. Fans were wondering what would happen to coach Jericho Leyton. The 54-year-old former national team captain was the frontrunner to replace Shigeru Takeuchi on the national team bench, but the thought was if Jeremy McAllister could balance club and country, why not Leyton? There were no answers forthcoming. But he took care of the midfield, if nothing else. Meaghan Bateman arrived from Cassadaigua, while aging forward Saburo Nishino was sold to Raymaley to make room for some fresh blood.
Bateman was one of six international signings made in the wake of World Cup 48, a number which continued to lag behind the numbers of foreigners brought into the league immediately following the elimination of the salary cap. Whether it was a result of more prudent spending or a lack of scouting effort remained to be seen, but the clubs which did open the purse were certainly hoping they'd look smart in the end. Stoneridge made possibly the biggest splash in the market by grabbing Swartaz forward Konstantin Brita, who was aggressively marketed by his agent after accomplishing about everything he could at home. Stoneridge were perennially in search of a marquee goal-scorer, and Brita had the potential to give that to them.
Port Royal were also active in the market, looking to rebound from an 11th-place finish, one of the worst in club history. Midfielder Arie Honjo was their strongest player, and while he was certainly no pushover after playing in World Cup 48, it was still a harrowing thought for longtime fans. The response was two-fold. First, he was given help in the form of Colt Seneker, who was purchased from Bradford. Then, they beefed up the defense with a physical Newmanistani back, Ken Bedwell. Described as a man with "a little bit of Prescott in him," Bedwell was expected to create a solid core with Shinzo Ogura. Whether or not it would work remained to be seen.
Transfers In
D Ken Bedwell: Newmanistan -> Port Royal FC
M Beaghan Bateman: Cassadaigua -> Shuukyuu Kishin
M Simeone Bradley: Secristan -> Yuki City Athletic
M Mats Thorsson: Toyur -> Aiken City United
M Michelle Wilson: Secristan -> Grandborough FC
F Konstantin Brita: Swartaz -> Stoneridge United
Notable Internal Transfers
D William Kabacinski: Sporting Kildare -> Port Vigilence FC
M Lynn DiMino: Stoneridge United -> Eastport United
M Colt Seneker: Bradford United -> Port Royal FC
F Saburo Nishino: Shuukyuu Kishin -> Raymaley Athletic
Notable Domestic Retirements
D Neville Blumenthal: Sporting Lakeport
D Brian Lobato: Sporting Lakeport
M Don Kline: Sporting Kildare
M Louis Ransberger: Shuukyuu Kishin
Brita would take four matches to find the back of the net for Stoneridge, but he did so in style, scoring twice in a 2-0 home win over Coraopolis to get his campaign on track. But the early leaders were Grandborough, who were unbeaten in their first six, eventually losing 2-1 at Lakeport in Week 7. Andrea Linkhart commanded the defense and Bryon Isachsen had the midfield, and new addition Michelle Wilson had slid into the midfield quite nicely. Wilson's story was an interesting one - a former intern from Dancougar, she'd gotten fired from her post and ended up emigrating to Secristan, where she earned citizenship and eventually purchased a slot on the national team. Her talent was noticed by reporters working for her former employers at the Dancougar News!!, and soon the word filtered back to D-League scouts.
In Week 13, Grandbourough were still near the top, but they were facing pressure from Eastport United and King's Eleven. Eastport had gotten a boost from the offseason addition of Lynn DiMino, who at long last partnered with childhood friend Aiko Yoshida in the midfield. Their intuitive understanding paid massive dividends for the club, who led the league with 26 goals produced at that point. They remained in the hunt but Grandborough were back on top by the halfway point at 10-6-3, while King's Eleven were second and Kildare were third. A mere four points separated 3rd through 10th place, so there was plenty of time for teams like Lakeport and Kishin to make a move. And then, at the other end of the table, you had poor Raymaley, which went its first sixteen matches without a victory before finally putting one in the wins column against Coraopolis.
Grandborough continued to hold their position through January, although the offensive power of Lakeport, Kildare, and Kishin was starting to make itself felt. All three were across the 40-goal plateau and well within striking distance. Jeremy McAllister, Jr. found himself in the scoring race alongside Kishin's Tsutomu Asahina, and that was hardly surprising. Now in his mid-20s, Junior was starting to enter his prime, which was bad news for everyone. But if anyone was going to catch Grandborough, someone had to make a move fast. Their 4-0 romp over Lakeport in Week 26 helped boost their lead to five points over Kildare. King's Eleven were hanging in there at third place, almost feeding directly off the energy of midfielder Yori Takada, although the presence of foreign defenders Jorge Alberto Carmona and Rudolpho were stabilizing factors.
Two weeks later, Grandborough's lead had evaporated. A 0-0 draw with Bradford helped Kildare pull within three points heading into their Week 28 showdown. Two goals by Sargossan Macros Garcia Fernandez saw them through 3-2, and suddenly it was all to play for - tied at 54 points with ten matches to go. They were six points clear of Kishin and Lakeport, who were level at 48. King's Eleven had slipped to fifth and Port Royal were eager to overtake them. Grandborough regained the lead immediately when Kildare drew 1-1 with Eastport the following week, and they remained there until Week 36. By then, it was a three-team race. Grandborough were in the driver's seat with 69 points, two ahead of Shuukyuu Kishin and four ahead of Kildare. Realistically, Kildare were out unless they got help. They were set for a dramatic comeback.
In Week 37, Grandborough and Shuukyuu Kishin both dropped crucial points. The leaders drew Yuki City Athletic 1-1, which was a consolation for Athletic, who were in the midst of another dismal season. Kishin lost 2-1 at Chuuoushi, which bumped them into the top half of the table while dropping Kishin to third. Kildare won easily 4-0 at Bradford to put them at 68 points, good for second. Going into the final day of the season, they needed a win and a Grandborough loss or draw to take the title. Kishin had an outside shot, sitting three points behind Grandborough at 67. Grandbourough, though, had a seemingly easy matchup at home to 12th-place Teknika Schlieffen. Surely it was theirs for the taking. Surely!
The other matches of note were Kildare at Yuki City Athletic and the Queen's Cup derby between Shuukyuu Kishin and King's Eleven. Asahina had a first-half hat trick to raise his season tally to 28, good enough for the league scoring crown over McAllister, Jr.'s 26, as Kishin cruised to a 4-0 lead. Word from elsewhere in the league was positive - Grandborough were down 2-1 and Kildare were still level at 0-0. If the results held, they were the champions. In the second half, there was even more exciting news as Schlieffen scored again, with Lincoln McFarland and Kenny Banister each netting a brace in what would become a 4-1 win over the league leaders. With Kishin en route to a 5-0 win in their match, the title was theirs... unless Kildare managed to beat Athletic.
In the 77th minute, Kildare took a 1-0 lead through Angelo Santuli. Fans instantly recalled how Santuli had scored what was effectively the title-winning goal the year before and had to feel good about his chances for a repeat given that Athletic's season was long over. Would they bother pushing for the equalizer just to deny Kildare the title? Five minutes later, it no longer mattered. Defender Zachary Ledain pounced on a corner kick and made it 2-0, meaning the other results were irrelevant. For the second season in a row, and the fourth time in nine seasons, the trophy would be on display in Kirk County.
Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Sporting Kildare 38 21 8 9 79 49 30 71 -
2 Shuukyuu Kishin 38 21 7 10 72 46 26 70 -
3 Grandborough FC 38 20 10 8 59 38 21 70 -
4 Stoneridge United 38 18 13 7 53 33 20 67 -
5 Sporting Lakeport 38 18 10 10 73 56 17 64 -
6 CF America Chuuoushi 38 16 9 13 69 67 2 57 ^ 6
7 King's Eleven Yuki City 38 17 6 15 51 52 -1 57 ^ 1
8 Dynamo Kalinsk 38 14 14 10 63 53 10 56 v 1
9 FC Takano 1983 38 15 11 12 60 60 0 56 v 3
10 Teknika Schlieffen 38 14 12 12 47 41 6 54 v 1
11 Eastport United 38 13 13 12 58 52 6 52 ^ 3
12 Port Royal FC 38 15 7 16 59 59 0 52 v 1
13 Aiken City United 38 15 7 16 66 72 -6 52 ^ 2
14 Yuki City Athletic 38 11 12 15 55 64 -9 45 v 4
15 Port Vigilence FC 38 9 14 15 46 60 -14 41 v 2
16 Coraopolis FC 38 10 10 18 49 61 -12 40 -
17 Bradford United 38 7 15 16 45 62 -17 36 ^ 3
18 Mizuno no Juuichi 38 9 9 20 46 69 -23 36 v 1
19 Super Dimension Ogasawara 38 7 11 20 37 65 -28 32 -
20 Raymaley Athletic 38 6 10 22 40 68 -28 28 v 2
International Roundup
Kalinsk, Lakeport, and Kildare to the TakilQuip while Stoneridge, Port Royal, and Kishin started in the Globe. For several of those teams, their international campaign represented the only real ray of light in what would turn out to be a subpar domestic campaign, especially for Port Royal, who would finish 12th in the table due to a lack of offense. Although as we shall see, they conjured plenty of heroics in the Globe Cup preliminary stages.
We start in the Globe Cup Selective Stage, where Stoneridge tackled Jesselton's Papar. The D-League season hadn't started yet, and new signing Konstantin Brita would not get on the scorecard in their 4-0 aggregate win. That would be as far as they got, since Jasiyun's Dusanto Mojaikiji were waiting in the Preliminary Stage. A 2-0 road loss did them in. Port Royal, however, fought with Dawson Springs to a 3-3 aggregate draw and went through on the strength of an away goal. They duplicated the fate in the Eliminatory Stage against Ridgemont Town, where a pair of draws saw them through 4-4 thanks to three away goals. The fight in the team had fans thinking that there was hope yet.
The Third Preliminary Round of the TakilQuip kicked off with both Lakeport and Kalinsk in action against quality opposition. Soldarian FC dealt Lakeport a harsh blow, winning 2-0 at home and then stealing a late away goal in the Joseph Gandor to take the tie 3-2 on aggregate. Kalinsk had better luck against Banks, winning the home leg 3-0 behind a pair of goals from Ivan Marchak, en route to a 4-2 aggregate victory. Although "Ivan the Great" was getting into his thirties, they had a newfound star in midfielder Darren Letson and international talent in the form of Francisco Lillo and Smokey Black. Mylfe CE of Vephrall awaited in the Fourth Preliminary Round, and once again, the D-League took a step backward. Two losses saw them bow out 4-1, leaving champions Kildare alone in the group stage with Dancougar's precious automatic bid.
Port Royal felt good going into their Globe Cup Qualifying Stage tie with Sargossa's Ciudad Soluca, but Soluca got a great result in the Aclaf Stadium, a 1-1 draw and an away goal to boot. That was rendered moot by a 2-0 home win for Soluca, who went through easily 3-1. Better luck, though, for Lakeport and Shuukyuu Kishin, who each won their ties to advance to the group stage. They were met there by Kalinsk, who disappointed by losing five of their six matches to crash out of Group A. Kishin were also done, although they made a better account of themselves in Group C, going 2-3-1 to finish third. But once again, the associations above Dancougar stayed a step ahead, with Merpisms CE of Vephrall taking that group ahead of Black Oasis. Only Lakeport would survive the Globe Cup group stage, slipping past Vephrall's Oillid CD on goal differential.
All eyes were on Sporting Kildare, though, as they kicked off the group stage of the TakilQuip drawn with Cafundo do Juta of Cafundeu, Mylfe CE of Vephrall, and Carter FC of Jasiyun. Even the most fervent fans admitted that second place was a lot to ask for, and an 0-2-1 start seemed to confirm that. A rough 4-3 loss at home to Carter FC dropped them to 0-2-2, but surprisingly, they weren't that far out of contention. They managed to salvage four points against Mylfe and at Carter, but they were still two points out of second place. They would at least remain in international football by virtue of finishing third. Back to the Globe.
Lakeport and Kildare opened the Round of 32 to a very different set of results. Lakeport ran up against Sokojito Dosi Gyulhabdwen, and a dozen McAllisters weren't going to change the result of that one. Losses of 2-1 and 4-2 dropped them out of the tournament, but Kildare soldiered on after squeaking past CS Lac-Amedee 1-0. By the way they celebrated that one, you would have thought they'd won it all. Instead, Atletico Jutense awaited in the Round of 16, and the teams swapped 2-1 wins. Onward to penalties, and 36-year-old Jeremy Cornelia did everything he could to keep his team in the match. He saved two penalties, but only Arrozan Martin Lancaster managed to connect. Kildare were finished, and so was the D-League.
2050: Clausura
For Port Royal's Misao Amachi and Yuki City Athletic's Jiro Kimura, the 2049 season was probably one to forget. But both knew that their legs were giving way to old age, so the two retired prior to the start of the Clausura. Amachi's career highlight, of course, was being a member of the Dancougar team that won World Cup 46, while the closest that Kimura ever came was being cut from the World Cup 47 squad. Two other former World Cup midfielders also chose to hang up the boots - Hiroshi Kaizuka at Stoneridge and Josef Rousch at Chuuoushi. Stoneridge responded by purchasing Tatsuya Nemoto's contracts from FC Takano, and just like that, the gap was filled. Chuuoushi, though, were going through a rough patch and were forced to look internally for fresh talent.
Something was also terribly wrong with Yuki City Athletic. For a team historically unaccustomed to finishing outside the top six, three consecutive seasons in the middle third were crushing blows to morale. Had Artur Komarov really fallen that far? The man who was in goal for Dancougar's World Cup 46 championship had almost been run out of Kalinsk in favor of Hajime Kojima, and his arrival at Atheltic corresponded to their drop in the table. Coincidence, or cause and effect? It wasn't as if his supporting cast was bad. Although Robert Selvy and Tony Dempster were getting older, they still had fresh blood in Dan Havermale and Shannon Brookhouse. To be safe, the club added another option in midfield by bringing in Reiji Kanegawa from Coraopolis.
Notable Internal Transfers
D Brent Savaria: Aiken City United -> Sporting Lakeport
M Reiji Kanegawa: Coraopolis FC -> Yuki City Athletic
M Tatsuya Nemoto: FC Takano 1983 -> Stoneridge United
Notable Domestic Retirements
M Misao Amachi: Port Royal FC
M Hiroshi Kaizuka: Stoneridge United
M Jiro Kimura: Yuki City Athletic
M Josef Rousch: CF American Chuuoushi
As they had the previous season, Grandborough jumped out of the gate and took the early lead by winning six of their first seven, although analysts were quick to point out that they hadn't really beaten any contenders outside of Stoneridge in Week 1. Lakeport had come into the Healthmark Stadium in Week 4 and toppled them 3-2. But that Stoneridge win did look somewhat impressive given that a week later they had put seven past poor Rod Niesborella in a 7-2 romp over Ogasawara. Ten matches into the season, Kildare and Grandborough were level at 7-1-2. Fans recalled how the top five at the end of the Apertura had been the same as in the previous Clausura... had the league finally reached some kind of stasis? A look at third place - Bradford United - suggested no.
Grandborough pulled ahead in Week 11 after Kildare dropped two points away to Port Royal in a scoreless draw, while Grandborough travelled west to Schlieffen and picked up a 2-1 win. They were in the midst of a six-game winning streak at the time, and when they finally dropped points in Week 16, a 1-1 draw at home to Kalinsk, they'd opened up a nine-point lead over Aiken City. The top of the league table looked rather strange to longtime followers, with Bradford in 3rd and Schlieffen in 6th. Three weeks later they hit the halfway point, and it didn't look like a contest. Grandborough were on 44 points, eleven better than Kildare, who had clawed back up to second. Eastport and Lakeport also jumped over Bradford, who many expected to collapse after a rocket start.
It was all going right for Grandborough. At 32, midfielder Bryon Isachsen was playing some of his best football ever. Silexheran midfielder James Idiotsman and Secristani-Dancougaran Michelle Wilson complimented him nicely. Up front, Sargossan Ruben Gala spearheaded the attack. But what made Grandborough so impressive was the contributions they were getting from normal players brought up through the farm system and draft. Players like Ian Mellish, Dwight Cilano, and Morimasa Okubo were having career years, and goalie Taro Osagawara was showing the form which had gotten him on the Kings' Cup I squad. Of course, this was nothing new. The team had used a similar formula to win three titles in the 2030s.
Some analysts were jokingly calling for Grandborough to drop a few matches to make the league interesting again, although there were plenty of reasons for teams to go all-out in the second half. Berths for international play were on the line. With so much motion in the tables between the Apertura and Clausura, it was anyone's guess who would wind up with the TakilQuip bids now that aggregate points were the primary criterion. Stoneridge was one of those bubble teams, and they started strong with a Week 20 victory over Grandborough. But the leaders got back to their winning ways and grew the gap to 14 points. Not even a string of four losses in six matches could bring them back down to earth. The gap eventually shrank to eight points with eight matches to go, with Lakeport bullying their way into second over Kildare and a resurgant Yuki City Athletic, who were sitting fourth in the table and looking more like their old selves.
In Week 32, Lakeport cut the gap to six points. The league's best offense was the driving force behind that effort, as Junior was en route to the scoring title. But then they faltered, as Port Vigilence held them to a 3-3 draw and then a trip to Port Royal ended with a 2-0 loss. The lead was back to nine points with four matches remaining. Four points would seal the deal, but then the troubles started. Grandborough traveled to Kalinsk and were held 1-1, and Lakeport's 5-1 thrashing of Eastport cut the lead to seven. Then in Week 36, Grandborough lost at home to Yuki City Athletic and Lakeport won away to Schlieffen 2-0. Suddenly, the gap was four points with two matches left and the leaders looked vulnerable. McAllister was licking his lips. In Week 37, thousands of disbelieving fans left Heritage Field in Takano having witnessed another loss for Grandborough, 2-0. Fans were now afraid that the title would slip away for a second straight year. Lakeport's 1-0 result over CF America Chuuoushi got them within a single point. The last day would decide it.
Grandborough had 8th-place Aiken at home, which was a winnable game. Then again, so were all the ones before it. They'd needed four points from four matches, and so far they were sitting on one from three. But Lakeport faced a much tougher task. They were away to Kildare, who were sitting 5th in the table and needed the points for international purposes. At 130 aggregate points, they had a shot at the TakilQuip but needed help. Stoneridge were away to Takano with 132 aggregate points. Lakeport and Grandborough were already safe at 134 and 138, respectively, meaning that Kildare and Stoneridge were competing for the final TakilQuip slot.
Stoneridge raced out to a 2-0 lead against Takano, eager to lock up their place with time to spare. Grandborough and Lakeport's matches both went into halftime at 0-0. As it stood, Grandborough were tops. Stoneridge made it 3-0 en route to a 3-1 win, but Kildare couldn't worry about that as they attempted to break down Lakeport. In the 65th minute, second-year midfielder Louis Rheingold beat Lars Kiendar and Kildare had their lead. Lakeport fans were not ready to despair, but five minutes later they were. The out-of-town scoreboard showed Grandborough 1 Aiken City 0, as Idiotsman had headed a corner past Cody Shaline. It was the three points they needed, and Grandborough opened the new decade with their fourth title and first in eleven years.
Pos Team P W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Grandborough FC 38 23 5 10 67 41 26 74 ^ 2
2 Sporting Lakeport 38 21 7 10 82 53 29 70 ^ 3
3 Stoneridge United 38 20 8 10 66 46 20 68 ^ 1
4 Yuki City Athletic 38 19 8 11 67 54 13 65 ^ 10
5 Sporting Kildare 38 18 8 12 70 47 23 62 v 4
6 Eastport United 38 18 8 12 65 56 9 62 ^ 5
7 Shuukyuu Kishin 38 17 9 12 78 60 18 60 v 5
8 Aiken City United 38 16 8 14 67 65 2 56 ^ 5
9 FC Takano 1983 38 16 8 14 54 53 1 56 -
10 Teknika Schlieffen 38 15 9 14 59 56 3 54 -
11 Port Royal FC 38 16 5 17 56 52 4 53 ^ 1
12 Bradford United 38 15 7 16 52 61 -9 52 ^ 5
13 King's Eleven Yuki City 38 16 4 18 51 63 -12 52 v 6
14 Dynamo Kalinsk 38 14 9 15 54 55 -1 51 v 6
15 CF America Chuuoushi 38 12 10 16 60 66 -6 46 v 9
16 Port Vigilence FC 38 10 10 18 51 71 -20 40 v 1
17 Coraopolis FC 38 9 11 18 41 64 -23 38 v 1
18 Mizuno no Juuichi 38 10 6 22 42 66 -24 36 -
19 Super Dimension Ogasawara 38 8 9 21 48 72 -24 33 -
20 Raymaley Athletic 38 8 9 21 40 69 -29 33 -
International Qualifiers
Stoneridge's victory on the final day ensured that they were in the TakilQuip, but by virtue of Lakeport's loss to Kildare, they leapt into the second seed. Kildare's efforts were valiant, but in the end they were consigned to the Globe Cup after finishing a single point behind Lakeport over the two seasons. Grandborough was the most consistent team over both seasons were were rightfully the first seed, but after that, it got murky. Kildare and Kishin had done well in the Apertura but sagged in the Clausura, while the situation was reversed for Lakeport and Stoneridge.
TQCC1: Grandborough FC
TQCC2: Stoneridge United
TQCC3: Sporting Lakeport
GC1: Sporting Kildare
GC2: Shuukyuu Kishin
GC3: Eastport United
International Stadium Bids
The Dancougar FA once again presents three stadiums for finals consideration.
TAKILQUIP CHAMPIONS' CUP
Stadium: Aclaf Stadium
Location: Port Royal, Juusenkitai
Home Of: Port Royal FC
Capacity: 60,000
Notes: Located at the waterfront of this eastern port city, near the Leonard Sweetwater Arena and the city's prime nightlife destinations. As one of the twin cities - Eastport lies directly across the Kishin delta - traveling fans will have plenty of options when deciding where to stay and what to do. Transport is first class, as both cities are serviced by the Metropolitan East Transportation Authority (META).
GLOBE CUP
Stadium: King Daniel III National Stadium
Location: Yuki City, Yuki
Home Of: Yuki City Athletic, King's Eleven Yuki City, Dancougar national football team
Capacity: 70,000
Notes: The National Stadium is the nation's largest and hosts all of the national team's matches. It has also been the site of two TakilQuip Champions' Cup finals. The National Stadium's open end gives a stunning view of the nation's capital across the Kishin River.
SERIES B CHAMPIONS' CUP
Stadium: Joseph Gandor Stadium
Location: Lakeport, Lunarossa
Home Of: Sporting Lakeport
Capacity: 51,000
Notes: When Empire Motors came onto the board of directors as a primary sponsor and major investor, the lake-front stadium got a much-needed refurbishment and expansion. The stadium itself is just north of the city, although that area has also seen major development in recent years.
