RTC Under-18 World Cup 17 [rosters/RPs/results]

by **Huayramarca** » Fri Aug 19, 2022 9:34 pm

OOC: Trome is also known for being somewhat informal with their redaction styles.

Farmers: What Is Happening? Reactions from Governments.

Written by: Christian Chumacero
14/12/1986 – Last Updated: 11:30 P.M.

The situation with the farmers up north is heating as the collective “will not retreat” from their claims to take up territory of the Royal Kingdom of Québec despite that, in cartography, is being considered as “terra nulis” (without owner) and the fact that there’s claims from the Québécois government considering that the actions of the farmers are “an outright violation of the Québécois border limits”. There’s a lot to solve and parts are far from reaching a neutral point. That’s why we will focus the critical points by side and conclude about this.

Farmers: after the oil prospections and drillings in the department of Sechura, the farmers have alleged that their crops have been contaminated with “high presence of oil and toxins” down the phreatic caps in the soil. This has forced them to seek assistance from the Central Government, which according to the farmers “have treated them with disdain, disinterest and lack of proposals to solve the situation.” The farmers have decided to move forward with a plan to occupy Québécois lands to keep producing.

Government of Huayramarca: the parliament has been discussing about the treatment of this situation in a moderate way, as they have not increased the military presence in the border, yet they have been in talks with the Québécois government in order to address the situation by creating a blockade to the farmers. Although, the Palacio del Altiplano hasn’t stated any plan to retribute the loses of the farmers, nor a plan to resettle them has been given. Environmentalists warn that the situation is still able to be reversed, hence it’s a duty that can be given to scientists to make sure that no further damage will occur and that the land could be used for farming again.

Government of Québec the northern neighbour has decided to increase military and police presence in the border, threatening the farmers to immediate deportation and entry bans for 5 years in case they try to force their entry to Québec. There hasn’t been any discussions about a potential support for the farmers, but there are rumours that the Huayramarcan government could ask for support in order to clean the contaminated areas and regain farming capabilities. Also, their government is in a court already trying to solve the situation.

Conclusion: This mess is far away from being solved, there’s need to sit down and talk in order to reach agreements.

by **West Barack and East Obama** » Fri Aug 19, 2022 9:56 pm

Hussein Smithies' heart was pounding. The second match of the tournament was against powerhouses Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom, and they are certainly not a pushover. Still shook by the threats made by Obamad in the previous match, Hussein had to try and minimise the mistakes in this match.

He started shivering. The torture at the prison was enough, but humiliating the country on the national stage would lead to so much worse. Guanobamano Bay? Hanging, drawing and quartering? It was too much for Hussein to handle. He had to find a way to get out of this sticky situation.

"Hey Gary-" Hussein started, before Obamad cut him off.

"Not now, twerp. We're supposed to get on the pitch in a few minutes. Look, I'm sorry about stealing your wallet, I'll return it to you afterwards alright?"

"You stole my wallet? What the hell?" Hussein was fuming, but he had to relax. "Look, I'll forgive that if you help me escape from here."

"And why should I help you?" sneered Obamad as he laced up his boots. "I barely even know you. How can I trust you?"

"Well, I think this is an opportunity for mutual benefit. By working together, we can both get what we want, which is out of that hellhole. You've got connections that can help us escape, and I've got my um... intelligence and reflexes?"

"Compelling offer... but I'll have to decline." Obamad stood up and walked right by Hussein's ear. "Between me and you... I've already got a plan to escape. And it doesn't have room to involve you. Find your own way out." He walked off.

Hussein sighed. He turned around, and saw Assistant Head Warden Obblama standing at the doorway. "Well, well, well." he smirked. "What do we have here?" Hussein gasped. It was game over. Resigned to a life of waterboarding.

"Don't look so scared!" Obblama said as he passed a piece of paper to Hussein. "After the match, go to this address. They should be able to help you." He winked and walked away.

West Barack and East Obama 2-2 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom

Obamad 9', 27'

Unknown 1 35'
Unknown 2 47'

by **Gortolekua** » Fri Aug 19, 2022 9:56 pm

There's 16 teams that will be celebrating and moving on after this matchday. But for others, this final matchday of the group stage will be their farewell transmission. Cutoff!

Matchday Three Scores

Group A
Græntfjall 1–0 Cassadaigua
Banija 3-2 Gortolekua (scorinated by Farfadillis)

P Group A                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Gortolekua                         3   2  0  1    9   7  +2    6*
2 Græntfjall                         3   2  0  1    7   5  +2    6**
3 Banija                             3   2  0  1    7   8  −1    6
4 Cassadaigua                        3   0  0  3    4   7  −3    0

*Gortolekua ahead of Græntfjall on head-to-head results
**Græntfjall ahead of Banija on goal differential

Group B
Sierra Grand 1–3 Poafmersia
The Finntopian Empire 1–0 Elmyia

P Group B                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 The Finntopian Empire              3   2  1  0    5   3  +2    7
2 Elmyia                             3   2  0  1    4   2  +2    6
3 Poafmersia                         3   1  0  2    5   5   0    3
4 Sierra Grand                       3   0  1  2    3   7  −4    1

Group C
Oberour Ar Moro 1–4 Qasden
Arjunnagar 4–5 Kriegiersien

P Group C                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Kriegiersien                       3   3  0  0   10   6  +4    9
2 Qasden                             3   2  0  1    8   4  +4    6
3 Arjunnagar                         3   1  0  2    6   8  −2    3
4 Oberour Ar Moro                    3   0  0  3    2   8  −6    0

Group D
Huayramarca 1–1 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom
West Barack and East Obama 3–0 Chromatika

P Group D                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 West Barack and East Obama         3   2  1  0    7   3  +4    7
2 Chromatika                         3   1  1  1    6   7  −1    4
3 Huayramarca                        3   0  2  1    4   5  −1    2
4 Zeta Reka and Hugeltaldom          3   0  2  1    5   7  −2    2

Group E
Oclea 1–4 Commonwealth of Baker Park
The Cordian Isles 2–4 Tumbra

P Group E                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Tumbra                             3   2  1  0   14   4 +10    7*
2 Commonwealth of Baker Park         3   2  1  0   10   5  +5    7
3 The Cordian Isles                  3   1  0  2    6   9  −3    3
4 Oclea                              3   0  0  3    2  14 −12    0

*Tumbra ahead of Commonwealth of Baker Park on goal differential

Group F
Tjorl 1–1 Hopal
Adab 2–0 Drehda

P Group F                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Hopal                              3   1  2  0    4   1  +3    5*
2 Adab                               3   1  2  0    4   2  +2    5
3 Drehda                             3   1  0  2    4   7  −3    3
4 Tjorl                              3   0  2  1    5   7  −2    2

*Hopal ahead of Adab on goal differential

Group G
Abanhfleft 5–1 Cardenao
Ceni 2–0 Mertagne

P Group G                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ceni                               3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
2 Abanhfleft                         3   2  0  1   11   5  +6    6
3 Cardenao                           3   1  0  2    5  10  −5    3
4 Mertagne                           3   0  0  3    4  10  −6    0

Group H
Geektopia 3–4 Independent Athletes from Quebec
Eastfield Lodge 1–1 HUElavia

P Group H                          Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Eastfield Lodge                    3   2  1  0   12   2 +10    7
2 Independent Athletes from Quebec   3   1  1  1    6  11  −5    4
3 Geektopia                          3   1  0  2    8  10  −2    3
4 HUElavia                           3   0  2  1    4   7  −3    2

Playoff Information

Seeding                                 Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
01) G1 Ceni                               3   3  0  0    7   2  +5    9
02) C1 Kriegiersien                       3   3  0  0   10   6  +4    9
03) H1 Eastfield Lodge                    3   2  1  0   12   2 +10    7*
04) E1 Tumbra                             3   2  1  0   14   4 +10    7*
05) D1 West Barack and East Obama         3   2  1  0    7   3  +4    7
06) B1 The Finntopian Empire              3   2  1  0    5   3  +2    7
07) A1 Gortolekua                         3   2  0  1    9   7  +2    6
08) F1 Hopal                              3   1  2  0    4   1  +3    5
------------------------------------------------------------------------
09) E2 Commonwealth of Baker Park         3   2  1  0   10   5  +5    7
10) G2 Abanhfleft                         3   2  0  1   11   5  +6    6
11) C2 Qasden                             3   2  0  1    8   4  +4    6
12) B2 Elmyia                             3   2  0  1    4   2  +2    6**
13) A2 Græntfjall                         3   2  0  1    7   5  +2    6**
14) F2 Adab                               3   1  2  0    4   2  +2    5
15) D2 Chromatika                         3   1  1  1    6   7  −1    4
16) H2 Independent Athletes from Quebec   3   1  1  1    6  11  −5    4

*Because Eastfield Lodge and Tumbra were tied on points and goal differential, and they were in different groups, an IC coin-flip decided this toss, which means an OOC match scorinated. This match ended Tumbra 0–2 Eastfield Lodge. As a result, Eastfield Lodge will have the higher seed.
**Because Elmyia and Græntfjall were tied on points and goal differential, and they were in different groups, an IC coin-flip decided this toss, which means an OOC match scorinated. This match ended Græntfjall 0–1 Elmiya. As a result, Elmyia will have the higher seed.

Round of 16 Matches

Match R1 - Observatorio, Salmia District, Seinät Capital City
Ceni v. Independent Athletes from Quebec

Match R2 - Zeremonia Zentroa, Agriapozik, Mazespolia
Hopal v. Commonwealth of Baker Park

Match R3 - HiriArena, Putzu, Cerati
West Barack and East Obama v. Elmyia

Match R4 - Salijastakaista, Hidasukelta, Kenkuijo
Tumbra v. Græntfjall

Match R5 - Labatoriopuisto, Tiedemessut, Mustamaa
The Finntopian Empire v. Qasden

Match R6 - Orionvyö, Isittelyssä, Näytteet
Eastfield Lodge v. Adab

Match R7 - BTSTU Arena, Tietokone, Perjantaina
Gortolekua v. Abanhfleft

Match R8 - Braggsville City Arena, Braggsville, The Arcatas
Kriegiersien v. Chromatika

OOC Notes
First edit was to post results.
Second edit was to correct R8's match-up in the Round of 16, which did not include two oppoennts.
Third edit is to introduce this OOC notes tab.

by **Independent Athletes from Quebec** » Sat Aug 20, 2022 12:18 am

OOC: Roster will be up before R16 cutoff. But for now, gotta get the saga sorted.

Part 1-HUA.
Part 2-QUE.
Part 3-BNJ.
Part 4-HUA.

Foreign Office, Her Majesty's Government of Quebec

Statement on the ongoing progress of Huayramarcan government's response to the ongoing environmental crisis in southern Huayramarca

Today the Honourable Emilie Milloz, the International Trades Secretary, issued a following statement regarding the ongoing mass migration situation in Huayramaca:

'Quebec and Shingoryeo welcomes continued progress made by the Huayramarcan Government, as well as the Assembly of the Quebecois Commonwealth of Nations, on continued dialogue towards the ongoing mass migration situation in Huayramarca.

'We are grateful to the Assembly of the Quebecois Commonwealth of Nations, in particular the Banijan delegation of the Assembly, for their mediation of the situation that otherwise would not have been possible. The positive progress made with the situation suggests that while the resolution of the situation is far from complete, we are heading into the right direction with the confusion associated with the borders.

'While some time will be needed in order for the people of Huayramarca, as part of the joint N.A.F.T.A. zone established among nations of the northwestern Atlantian Oceania and Anaia, there is no doubt that the ongoing progress has good potential to establish a clear position shared by the zone nations on their dependence upon the co-operation and coexistence of two regions.

'But there is much more to be done on the causes of what had enabled said mass movement to start with. As Quebec and Shingoryeo continues to take step every step possible to address prospective environmental crises in the region, we call on all parties in the Huayramarcan Republic to remain committed to protecting their ecosystems. Environmental pollution of significant impact in Huayramarca could not only harm their own citizens, but also the nations around them such as Mertagne, Krytenia, Yguazu and New Gesem, as well as those on the Atlantian Oceania side of the N.A.F.T.A. Zone. Not wasting time on this matter would be prudent for both parties involved.

'The progresses have been steady and promising, but more needs to be done and how they are being implemented crucial too. We urge Huayramarca to ensure that a prompt response to claims of soil contamination and other possible contamination on the Huayramarcan soil be addressed immediately.'

by **West Barack and East Obama** » Sun Aug 21, 2022 6:30 am

Hussein walked into the alley. Was this the right place? Were a bunch of Obaman intelligence operatives about to throw a bag over his head and take him back? Did Obblama set him up? I mean, he did feed Head Warden Hobama a fake excuse to leave the training camp, but that could had been phony.

"Yo." Hussein heard a voice. He turned around, and saw three men in ski masks. "Uh... what... do you want?" Hussein hesitated, as he prepared to make a quick run for it.

"Chill, dude! We're here to help." came the voice again. "We're a bunch of Obaman defectors who help people like you escape that awful country. We think you could be interested in our services. Obblama is a frequent contact of ours so we trust you to keep your mouth shut." Hussein nodded, slightly relieved.

"We can get you on a boat in two hours time right in Näyttet. We can take you to someplace nice to start your new life. How does somewhere in Lozho sound? Those factory managers in Shezhen are so shady, they wouldn't give a rat's ass about where you came from, as long as you work hard enough." came another voice.

"Lozho? Oh hell no. Is there somewhere nicer? I'd take literally anywhere else." replied Hussein. "How about... here? In Gortolekua. It's actually quite nice here."

"Stay right here? Very interesting plan..." came the third voice, as he pulled out his phone to check something. "Well, there's a small shack in a pretty remote place round here that we can give to you. Not sure how you plan on repaying the money that you'd owe us, but we can figure out the logistics."

"Repaying? What?"

"What, you think this is a charity? This is a very risky operation! We could risk being deported back to East Obama. In fact, you better give us the full fee now since we're probably not gonna come back for you. You got to have twenty grand on hand when we pick you up in exactly three days."

"Crap... wait, three days? After our draw tonight, we have a good chance of being dumped out of the competition after our game against Chromatika. By the time you guys come, I'll be on a plane back to the United States!"

"Well then. You better secure your knockout stage, eh? Don't forget the cash!" One of the men passed Hussein yet another piece of paper, then the trio walked away. "A website... very interesting." mused Hussein as he walked back to the hotel.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Sun Aug 21, 2022 6:47 am

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with The Man from Markovsky

17TH UNDER-18 WORLD CUP: WE'RE ABOUT TO GET BUM-F***ED AND I'M NOT HERE FOR IT

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, so before we get into the meat of the matter, let me just make it clear that I still consider this team to be absolutely about to be boned hard. Sure, we may have survived what is arguably the group of death in this Under-18 World Cup, but now we’re about to go up against bloody Gortolekua. Bloody Gortolekua! They’re only the bloody hosts of this bastard competition! And we’re the ones supposed to be playing against them in the round of 16? Is there really such a thing as a football god, and why is his (or her, or they, or whatever pronoun they want to be called) sense of humor so twisted? And why does she only want to pick on us, Abanhfleft? Why can’t she pick on another country’s national team for once? I seriously have had enough with the number of times that Abanhfleft have survived the group stage only to crash out in the round of 16 against any kind of team. It doesn’t matter whether we’re up against a big country like Pasarga or Nephara or some one-and-done team like Nilrahranfan (fucking fascist bastards!), we almost always get eliminated in the very first round of the playoffs! And it looks like it’s going to be the same way with Gortolekua once again. Christ above, why do I even bother supporting this team?

Anyway, before I get into the gory details of how Gortolekua are going to dismantle us later on, let’s talk about how we got ourselves here in the first place. Like I mentioned before, Abanhfleft were pretty much in the group of death after we got drawn with the likes of Ceni and Mertagne. One of them is managed by a manager who’s been pretty much a thorn in Abanhfleft’s side no matter if it’s the senior team or the youth team playing against the team she’s managing, and the other one is managed by the bastard who single-handedly crushed the hopes and dreams of an entire generation of Fleftic footballers with a Panenka penalty. And, as I predicted, Abanhfleft lost against Andrew Arrowsword’s Ceni, but what I definitely didn’t see coming was us beating Azewyn Feanaro’s Mertagne 4-1. 4-1! Against the defending Under-18 champions! Like, who the fuck had that on their bloody bingo card?!

Of course, by now everyone knows the story: Abanhfleft may have finally beaten the defending champs, but now they have to play a team that not a lot of people have heard of, and in the end the other team smashes our Revolutionaries and puts an end to yet another football tournament for us before it’s even started. It looked like that was going to be the story for us once again when we were about the play Cardenao, but somebody must have told Jonas Adrianzen about this because the lads and lasses were prepared for the challenge that was to come, and they pulled off one of the biggest smash jobs I have ever seen. Adrianzen must have told the boys and girls not to think about anything that’s happened before and to only focus on what is the present day, because that’s the only thing I can think of that he could have said to keep their heads in the game and not bottle it.

That being said, Cardenao were also just absolutely piss-poor themselves! Their defense has been just as suspect as ours, if not even more so, as shown by their 4-3 win over Mertagne. The defending champs could have and probably should have escaped with at least a point had it not been for a free kick that Cardenao converted into their fourth goal of the game. Jonas Adrianzen would have definitely told the boys and girls to watch out for Cardenao’s ability to snatch a result in the dying moments of a game, but in the end, they probably need not have worried anyway. I’m not sure about what’s changed between then and now, if there was indeed any, but I’m pretty sure that the Cardenao team that went up against us is not the same team as the one that beat Mertagne. Sure, they’re the same players with the same names and the same kit numbers, but the difference between the team that beat Mertagne and the one that played Abanhfleft might as well be night and day given how this game turned out.

This game started off similarly to the one between Cardenao and Mertagne, and you all better be prepared for the numerous comparisons I’ll be making between those two because I really just cannot fathom how Cardenao have managed to bottle it against the ultimate bottlers in the multiverse. I don’t mean to sound like I’m an Abanhfleft hater—on the contrary, I love this country so much that it really irritates me that we’re also such big bottlers on the football stage—but there are enough similarities at the start between those two matches that all of the differences that came afterwards could be traced back to the moment when the games diverged from their pattern of similarity. Abanhfleft scored first, just like Mertagne did, although this time it was a Sam Westphal header from a Beth Anderson cross that started the ball rolling for the Younger Revolutionaries. The Cardenao defenders just gave Westphal too much space to the left wing, and thus he was able to drift inside and provide a target for Anderson. Like, I’ve seen similar defending from our own team before for so many times that I cannot summon the energy to criticize Cardenao for that because I feel like I’ve done it so many times before already. But they do deserve some criticism for that absolutely shambolic defending.

But now here is where the story starts to diverge from each other. When they played Mertagne at the start of this Under-18 World Cup, Cardenao found an equalizer a few minutes after Mertagne’s opener. But against Abanhfleft, Cardenao just didn’t have a response. The Younger Revolutionaries’ four forward players (wingers Anderson and Westphal, number 10 Faustino Kissane and striker Albert Cojuangco) were playing havoc with the Cardenao defense, pulling them apart before they could even form themselves into anything remotely resembling a shape. Thus they pretty much had all the room in the world to operate, and as soon as someone sent in a cross or a cut-back into the penalty box, at least one white shirt was there waiting to thump or head the ball into the back of the net. And that was exactly what Cojuangco did, being in the right place at the right time when Beth Anderson made the cut-back. And we’re not even thirty minutes into the first half!

Abanhfleft’s third goal was pretty much a carbon copy of the first one, but with Sam Westphal as the provider and Faustino Kissane as the goalscorer. And Kissane had to hit the ball at the goal with his weaker right foot instead of heading it in like Westphal did, which in my eyes makes it a more difficult goal to score almost immediately. I’m telling you all, there’s something with that Kissane kid that makes me think he could go really far, both for club and country. The only shame about him is that he’s playing for the Blue Tribesmen, Riuwiee United, but other than that, I can’t really find any fault in him just yet. And it’s not even like Riuwiee are proper rivals to Ludogorets Markovsky the way that Sporting Ceneisis and Rosenpfelblatz City and… Imperial Markovsky are. Sorry, I just threw up in my mouth a little after typing the name of that last team. They’re nowhere near being worthy of being mentioned in this blog. Sorry if you’re a fan of the other football team in Markovsky, but that’s just the way it is.

Cardenao simply did not look like the same team that managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat against Mertagne, that was for sure. However, a couple of half-time substitutions was enough to insert some freshness and mojo (did I really just use mojo on an official Gaelic Gamers blog post? Oh, well.) into their team, and for the first ten minutes of the second half. Cardenao looked like they might actually find a way back into the game. The Cardenao right winger swung in a cross into the Fleftic box, and though there were at least three players in blue and gold waiting for the ball, it was actually one of our own, Alden Limbudan, who got the final touch on the ball as it went past the hands of Rachel Moses and into the back of the net. Now, at any other time before now, poor little Limbudan would have been hounded by boos from the traveling crowd for giving up that own goal that has sadly become almost a staple of Fleftic teams in recent times. But, credit to the traveling fans (or at least this set of traveling fans), instead of booing Limbudan, they actually began clapping and cheering for him. Honest to goodness, I was not expecting this kind of reaction from our fans. It’s like they finally understood that these young kids deserve a little slack even when making such a potentially huge mistake. I wish we could see more of this in the future, and not just in youth football. Seriously, honestly, our fanbase needs a little positivity sometimes, and I have to admit that I haven't done much to help out with that.

And it wasn't just the fans' response to the own goal that surprised me. Even the team itself reacted very maturely to losing the clean sheet, telling Limbudan that it was all right and that he shouldn't get too hung up on it. And then after that, the Younger Revolutionaries went right back to business and started to pull Cardenao out of shape once again. Cardenao simply didn't know which player to mark, which usually ended with two players marking the same guy (or gal in the case of Beth Anderson) and another Fleftic player left behind in acres of space. That was how Albert Cojuangco found the back of the net for the second time in this game, because he had been pretty much ignored by Cardenao, allowing him all the time in the world to tee up his shot and put it wherever he bloody wanted to put it, and that place was the bottom left corner. Now it wasn't a particularly blistering shot from Cojuangco there, but how in the world did no one in a blue and gold shirt step up to block it? And their goalkeeper isn't getting away from this one scot-free! He had a pretty clear view of the ball all the way from Cojuangco's foot! He should have been saving that easily! Seriously, that fourth goal for Abanhfleft was all on Cardenao's defense! Whoa, that's the first time I've said that about a team that's not Abanhfleft. What is the world coming to?

And now, last but not the least, is the final goal of the game. Abanhfleft were still pulling apart Cardenao as much as they could, but given the scoreline there really wasn't any need for the Younger Revolutionaries to get more goals in. But Jonas Adrianzen didn't dare ease up on the tempo lest that give Cardenao a way back into the game. Still, the game was pretty much in the bag. Neither he nor the players really needed to force the issue any further, but they were maintaining the pressure nonetheless. Hence why Bryant McGuire's goal was very much a bolt from the blue. The young right winger had come on as a sub for Beth Anderson alongside Aldo Castillo, who was replacing Faustino Kissane, and those two injected fresh pace and technique into the Abanhfleft team and caused more havoc for Cardenao. In fact, they caused so much havoc and chaos that when the ball went into the Cardenao goal for the fifth time in this match, nobody could tell who had last touched the ball between the two of them. It was literally some anime "power of friendship" shite that the VAR saw on their monitor with both McGuire and Castillo kicking for the ball at the same time, but the goal was eventually credited to the right winger. Like I said, absolute chaos.

So that’s the story of how Abanhfleft are about to be shafted by Gortolekua. Those two wins against Mertagne and Cardenao have allowed the Younger Revolutionaries to climb up into second place, and the Round of 16 format for this Under-18 World Cup will seed the first placers and the second placers before pitting them against each other. Abanhfleft are the second best second-placed team, and because of this, we are going up against the second-worst first-placed team, which is none other than the hosts. Oh, boy. We are about to get absolutely shafted, aren’t we? There is no way on God’s green earth that Gortolekua will be allowed to crash out of the competition at such an early stage, so that leaves no choice but for us to do the crashing out of the Round of 16 once again. Oh well. That’s the life of an Abanhfleft fan for you. All the fun pretty much ends in the Round of 16.

Anyway, that’s all that there is for me now. If you’ve got any comments or thoughts of your own about the game against Cardenao or predictions against Gortolekua then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I’ve been the Man from Markovsky, bracing myself for the inevitable disappointment of my country getting knocked out of the Round of 16 by the hosts of this tournament.

           ABANHFLEFT 5 - 1 CARDENAO             
        WESTPHAL (4')       LIMBUDAN (50' o.g.)
 COJUANGCO (25', 56')
        KISSANE (38')
        McGUIRE (79')

by **Tumbra** » Sun Aug 21, 2022 7:42 am

The Cordian Isles 2-4 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 13 - Gillespie; 2 - Boullogne (18 - Tate, 45'), 14 - Connolly (4 - Sears, 67'), 20 - Edmonds, 3 - McReary (19 - Bailey, 75'); 16 - Searle (6 - Hovhannisyan, 82'), 15 - Gillard, 25 - Sváfnisson (10 - de Vries, 67'); 7 - Frecklington, 21 - Halliday; 26 - Elliott

TMB scorers: Nathaniel Edmonds (19'), Lynette Frecklington (35'), Tom Elliott (72', 84')

Player of the Match: Tom Elliott (TMB)

Up North, The Bombs Begin Falling Again. But Who's Listening?
The result of the election does nothing to change the fact that a relentless bombing campaign will continue in the Northlands. Where has our sense of responsibility gone?

Cassandra Woods

BENCOOLEN: My city is probably one of the places least affected by the Northlands. Bencoolen is one of the southernmost cities in Tumbra. That sense of distance alone makes what's going on in the Northlands difficult to fathom for most people here. The bombs. The missiles. The tanks. The troops. Tumbra's military is now involved in its biggest exercise since the Krosinistani Crisis of 1992; and our involvement in that war was subject to a huge barrage of criticism from all sides. When the United Republics decided to go to war in 2003 after a terrorist attack, debate raged; and after a contentious Parliamentary vote, we decided not to join. This was to much consternation and backlash from the United Republics, but to much joy and celebration here in Bencoolen.

Now, apart from the odd sign saying we should leave the Northlands in the windows of one of the many-coloured houses here, and the odd protest here and there, things have been oddly quiet regarding the Northlands. Why? Have we been so desensitised as to completely ignore that Tumbra is blatantly flouting international law and its own Constitution by being in a state of war against its neighbour? Not one drop of oil, not one stalk of wheat, not one fish has come from the Northlands in the five years since the country began this campaign; and yet it is still heralded as a natural right of the Tumbran peoples to stroll in, establish settlements, and begin harvesting the land like it was their birthright.

Open-source intelligence reported that missiles had been launched for the first time since April's election the day after the new government was sworn into office. Two of the three non-voting delegates for the Northlands elected in August's election — Martin Wallis and Dan Chalk — openly praised the government's actions on this issue, and heralded it as "another step towards peace and security in the 26th state of Tumbra." The third, Shirley Newberry, remained quiet on the issue, but her stance was known during the campaign; she thinks that the bombings are needed to quickly secure a Tumbran victory over the United Clans.

Geopolitical crisis after geopolitical crisis in the world has diverted attention away from the issue of the Northlands. There was Nyowani Kitara, the issue that had drawn almost every Rushmori government, and then some outside Rushmore, into choosing between two sides of the same coin. Then the Dagans decided to do a little expansion of their own; that attracted the attention of the supposed hybrid between a state, international organisation and jaguar TJUN-ia, who refuses to refer to their newly-conquered territory as anything but by their Azertienne name; and now Atlantian Oceania's attentions have been taken up by Graentfjall's actions in Jabal Akhdar. Conversely, the only nation to lift a finger against us was South Newlandia — but even they seemed to have kept quiet on the issue in recent years, after they realised that a nation of four million couldn't possibly do much against a nation of a hundred and fourteen million, with greater economic clout than them to a factor of at least a hundred.

How much our morals have been turned by the global economic system. As long as the Northlands project gives us more "revenue", contributes to "economic growth" and "opens up new industries" we're able to close two eyes to the whole business. Our sense of kindness, our sense of responsibility, our sense of doing justice and giving liberty to all — concepts called for in our national motto, the summation of what we as a people are meant to be — have all flown out of the window in search of more to fill our pockets with.

The screams of those in the North, the haunting sounds of missiles and drones in the North, all those are possibly as far away from me as possible in this country.

And yet, sometimes, at night I wonder how I'd feel if I were in that exact situation in the Northlands. They didn't deserve any of what we're doing to them. All they're trying to do is resist an invasion from a foreign power. And we lambast them for it.

What a damned shame this country has become.

by **Elmyia** » Sun Aug 21, 2022 10:39 am

The Overlap Tactics Blog
How Elmyia Are Struggling Out Wide - And How it Could Be Fixed

The under-18s b-string 11 gave Paula Kidd little to think about in terms of selection, but much to think about in terms of Elmyia's system for the tournament. Lining up against a team playing full-backs and wingers, Elmyia found themselves out numbered and outmaneuvered in wide areas. The goal they conceded came from a situation worked from out wide, Honiton and Kastrinakis found themselves repeatedly outnumbered, and bypassed. Even with the first choice of Awfield and Beresford back in, there is now a template for playing Elmyia, if a team can get three players around them they will continue to struggle.

Coming up against West Barack and East Obama throws up some interesting questions, such as whether Elmyia will struggle out wide, what impact the opposition having not played competitively before the tournament will have and just how concerned we should be that they have fielded a team of imprisoned youngsters seemingly playing under duress? For the sake of this being a football tactics blog we will consider the first question. Beresford and Awfield offer a lot of defensive qualities down the wings, but even they might find themselves struggling on the evidence of WB&EO drubbing of Chromatika. The 4-3-1-2 system of Chromatika seemed to invite some pressure down the wings, with the right and left midfielders left unsure whether to cover the space in the middle, or out-wide. Full-backs Obameux and Obamarino were key here, offering a mix of flair and pace and creating danger constantly down the wings.

On the plus side, Kidd will have Simmons back as sweeper for this game. Pozzo coming in as one of 9 changes made for the previous one left the system not operating as normal. Pozzo looked deeply uncomfortable with the role assigned, pushing ahead of the centre-backs and into midfield, his passing often went awry and he was left unsure whether to pick up attacking midfielders or replicate sweeping ahead of the line. His awkward fit lead to the ball being turned over in front of the backline too many times, eventually he simply dropped back behind the line, leaving plenty of defensive cover, but Elmyia looked short in the middle and out wide. Simmons, then, has to provide a lot coming back into the side. His pushing forward in the first two matches allowed a higher degree of control in midfield, allowing him to deploy his passing ability further forward. His placement ahead of the centre-backs also allows Kuhl and Galli to push towards the wings if necessary, this will surely be the tactical battle to watch going into the Round of 16.

Overall the future looks bright based on Elmyia's performances so far, with Simmons, Knight and Gabbiadini now looking likely to move out of academy football. Simmons might be due a call-up to the Albion first team, the other two look set for loan moves. We might now start to ask questions about how many of these players look on a pipeline to playing for the senior team, with Giovanni Verisco surely looking to refresh what looked like a stale lineup in the Independents' Cup.

by **Chromatika** » Sun Aug 21, 2022 7:15 pm

RTC U-18 WC 17 MD3: West Barack and East Obama 3-0 Chromatika
Goals: None.
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Sourtois; Griffin - Sæsdóttir, H. - Sæsdóttir, N. - Tehahanjeragnen; Françine-Miklavivec - Mesic-Mizayaki (C) - Bjarnhéðinsson; Dillon; Xuen-Zhukov - Allison.
Substitutes: Sears -> Sæsdóttir, N. ('52), McHenry -> Françine-Miklavivec ('60), Hadrian -> Allison ('68)
Summary: A forgettable game as the Young Anomalies were absolutely dominated in the midfield and were lucky to only lose by three goals. If it wasn't for the back four and Sourtois, it could've been a lot worse. Not the best game before the knockout rounds, but one win, a draw, and a loss was enough in this group to make it to the Round of Sixteen.

The Debate: Is the CCFA Good for Chromatik Football?

Ah, the Chromatik Collegiate Football Association. Sixteen universities all giving their players a full scholarship to finish their education while also pitting them against each other in a thirty-game regular season, with a playoff system that only sees the bottom four teams not make it. This has led to some chaos where a low-seeded team has gone on an incredible run to claim the title, leading to some consternation among teams that do considerably well in the regular season; however, since the CCFA has started to give out a Golden Plate for the Regular Season champion every season, that has died down. There is no doubt that the CCFA is a great way for athletes to also get an educational degree while getting better at their craft, for certain. The better question is, though, is the CCFA good for the Chromatik game at large?

Currently, there is the Youth League that is a part of the Rainbow League System. Now named the Indigo Youth League, the league pits thirty-two of the best high schools and youth clubs of Red League/Orange League sides against each other. There is an age cap of eighteen, though, which leads to the fact that when a player turns eighteen (or even before that if they decide to forego the youth system at all), they have a decision to make: Do you go pro and try to develop your career elsewhere, or do you go into the controlled environment of the CCFA and get better while also getting a degree?

The CCFA has many foreign players, and the level of play is good enough that plenty of Chromatik stars have come through the system. However, it does take four years, and by the time that a player is twenty-two or twenty-three, they have foregone some of the years that could've made them a lot of money. On principle, CCFA universities are not allowed to sell players; every player that comes out of the CCFA is actually a free agent, just with the pedigree of playing for that university for so many years. This has led to them being hot commodities on the Transfer Windows - many of the top leagues in the world keep a close eye on the players exiting the CCFA for this very reason - but it means that the value of these players are not realized until they are in their early twenties. This is good for the middle of the road players, but for the generational talents, the potential wonderkids, and the players that can shock the entire world by their appearance, those four years can be four years that they could've grown leaps and bounds playing professionally at a different league.

One inherent problem is that the Red League of the Chromatik Rainbow League System doesn't usually have Chromatik starters before they graduate from the CCFA. Only the famous names - Ami Coulibaly is the latest - start, and Chromatika as a league hasn't taken the step of trusting domestic talent that isn't from the CCFA. This means that if you are a player under the age of twenty, your two options are the CCFA and going abroad, and going abroad can be a step that is daunting for many young players.

The two biggest stories about players that have foregone the CCFA are two of the biggest names in Chromatik football: Keira Andisori and Henri de Aea. Andisori, the Chromatik hero, ended up with Starling and was a mainstay in the Nepharim Premiership for a long time, while Henri de Aea, the mainstay center back for the national team, signed on for Holdenberg on a free before ending up at Euran powerhouses Spartangrad.

So is the CCFA worth it? For the most part, yes. However, if you're possibly one of the best players in a generation, take the risk. Go get developed somewhere else, and remind everyone just how limiting a known playground can be.

World Cup 81/82/83/84

© Sporting Times Weekend 2022
Junior Bees to face Hopal in knockout round
by Fiona Devlin, National Soccer Writer

The Commonwealth Under 18 National Team arrived in Agriapozik where they will face Group F winners Hopal in the round of 16 at the RTC U18 World Championships feeling confident in how their performance thus far has gone.

Hopal won their group with a pair of draws and a win, allowing only a single tally on matchday 3 against Tjori; the nations' only previous meeting was in SWC 11 at Hillsborough Stadium in the group stage, a 1-0 BP victory.

The sides are seeded eighth and ninth, placing them in the same bracket as the overall top seed Ceni, who will face the Independent Athletes from Quebec; the winners will square off in the quarterfinal.

by **Ceni** » Sun Aug 21, 2022 9:29 pm

Valkoinen Huone, Kuunallas
Cardenao 0-2 Ceni
 Koromin ('3), Berenguer ('42)

LINEUP vs. MERTAGNE
Avith-Rose; Qurimanta, Beren, Voren, Casa-Alta; Avant, Berenguer, Finnall, Koromin; Ellex-Mar, Sunsaber

OOC: Inspired by these videos. Also, if it's not clear, written ICly before this tournament.

Arrowsword and Swan supposedly bring in hypnotist to U-18 team training heading into U-18 World Cup

It must have been a bizarre, yet hilarious, sight for anyone who managed to glimpse the Cenian U-18 football team on the Pinnacle Project campus: players in full Meski kits stumbling around as if drunk, forgetting their own names, and even wildly missing penalty shots.

According to a video posted on the social media network twii.tur, local hypnotist Nevyn Helsing was responsible for the peculiar antics. The motivations for Helsing hypnotizing the team at their last-minute training in New Oxford are unknown, but his website advertises "sports hypnosis" services as a way to "improve your concentration and mindfulness ahead of a stressful or important game or tournament."

But the connection between Sebastain Ellex-Mar believing he was stuck in quicksand, a hypnotic act depicted in the video, and his upcoming performance in Gortolekua is tenuous at best and pseudoscientific at worst. Some twii.tur users theorized that the hypnosis might have been designed to get the rash player to think about his actions in line with the more cerebral Cenian strategy, while responses to those theories have essentially dismissed them (and the entire field of hypnosis) as baloney.

Other twii.tur users have speculated that the video released on twii.tur is an outtake for a promotional video that the Cenian FA plans to release in the coming days, bringing attention to the team, driving clicks to the FA's social media pages and otherwise promoting the new team headed to Gortolekua the next week. Far from baloney, this line of thought posited that the video that has been circulating is merely an example of "harmless entertainment."

Through a spokesperson, Arrowsword and the Cenian FA refused to comment on the rumors beyond criticizing Cenisport for even thinking about running a story based on an unverified video making its rounds around social media. It refused to confirm or deny both leading theories for the hypnosis' purpose, perhaps preferring to keep a final video under wraps until it can be officially posted on social media.

Our verdict: strange if true. If a final video does circulate, we at Cenisport would like to be the first to see it.

BTSTU Arena, Tietokone
Ceni 2-0 Mertagne
 Sunsaber ('71), Ellex-Mar ('87)

LINEUP vs. INDEPENDENT ATHLETES FROM QUEBEC
Avith-Rose; Qurimanta, Beren, Voren, Casa-Alta; Avant, Berenguer, Finnall, Koromin; Ellex-Mar, Daneraj

Ceni hands defending champion Mertagne third straight loss to advance to knockout rounds

That steely look, cackling laugh and uncontained glee that Mertagne brought to Gortolekua had become a meek frown, a silent grimace and restrained melancholy after two losses sent Mertagne tumbling out of the 17th U-18 World Cup, ending their title defence almost as soon as it had begun. Meanwhile, Ceni's first expedition had turned into a guaranteed trip to the knockout rounds, certainly a victory for Andrew Arrowsword in his first multiverse-wide competition.

Consequently, the match meant little to either side. But Ceni put enough effort into the match to come away with a 2-0 victory and the top seed heading into the octofinals. The result begs the question, then: Did Ceni put too much effort into this dead rubber?

Arrowsword largely fielded his usual starting lineup — a lineup that will hardly budge for the knockout rounds against Quebec — but made two small changes, substituting Luca Finnall for a lackluster Eoghan Reneval and elevating impetuous striker Xek Sunsaber to the starting lineup. (Traditional starter Nova Daneraj will return to action in the octofinals.) Otherwise, Ceni's main threats stayed in action, including Sebastian Ellex-Mar and the brilliant playmaker Aidan Koromin.

At least Ellex-Mar seemingly had unlimited youthful energy to chase the ball up and down the field in pursuit of a goal, but it took him until the eighty-seventh moment to actually do so — despite the equally brash Sunsaber beating him to the punch, scoring Ceni's first goal after seventy-one minutes of scoreless action. And with that aimless pursuit, we worry that Ellex-Mar will be too worn out to mount an effective threat against the defensively porous Independent Athletes from Quebec team.

Despite Ellex-Mar's best efforts, though, Ceni didn't quite display the feckless offense that Cenisport has gotten used to over the years during those first seventy-one minutes. Instead, we observed what is rapidly becoming a distinct brand of tactical and (more) conservative football: the midfield trying to keep possession of the ball from Isidro Jopson and Alexei Plant, both known to disrupt the rhythm of play with long shots in the wrong direction. That meant that Finnall and Berenguer rarely passed chances forward to Ellex-Mar and Sunsaber, both of whom had very few touches on the ball in the first half.

At least Luca Finnall distinguished himself in that possession-based play in the first half, although it's a strategy of dubious value for the U-18 team moving forward.

As you well know, dear reader, things picked up in the second half, and we got the goals we have come to expect and love from Cenian teams of all ages and stripes. Perhaps tired of the stalemate in the midfield in which Ceni maintained possession but didn't get too many goalscoring chances from the action, Arrowsword took defender Vyn Voren out of the action and replaced him with Nova Daneraj, the striker he had snubbed for the starting lineup. Was this a suspect move given that Ceni conceded two goals to an aggressive Abanhfleft even with four defenders, and given that Mertagne had a reputation for aggressive play? Probably, although it didn't appear that Mertagne had taken much initiative with the ball in the first half, given that they had nothing left to play for.

They would go home in ignominy, anyway, win or loss.

But with a third striker, things got more exciting, at least for those of us who prefer action rather than a bird's eye view of a parking lot. Pertinax Tikeers batted away Ellex-Mar's first attempt with an elegant save shortly after half-time, but the Mertagne defensive fortress had begun to show some cracks at that point. Ellex-Mar and Sunsaber continued their energetic onslaught, wearing out the defensive line and especially Tikeers, known for their powerful punches. And in minute 69, Koromin passed to Ellex-Mar, who rashly shot from way too far to make an impact. Tikeers saw the ball coming and punched the ball away, giving in to his theatrical side.

But he punched the ball right into Xek Sunsaber's path, and Sunsaber volleyed the ball right into the goal. The cracks in Mertagne's defensive armour had finally become an opening.

And Mertagne's mopery made Ellex-Mar's eventual goal possible: Aato Irizarri had moved in to defend against a Nova Daneraj foray, but she quickly passed the ball to Aiden Koromin, who had come in range. And Koromin quickly passed to Ellex-Mar, whose angled shot just managed to cross the goal line and add another goal on the board for Ceni.

With Mertagne dispatched, then, Ceni will face the Independent Athletes from Quebec, bereft of the institutional support that Ceni has recently gained. And without a posted roster, it'll be hard to do our investigative work on the team, but we know their senior team prefers a game with lots of goals. Given that opponent, we're actually kind of glad Arrowsword's more conservative football has taken hold this tournament: A solid midfield led by Finnall, Berenguer, and Lyra Avant will be able to snuff out a Quebecois attack at the start and redirect possession towards Koromin, Ellex-Mar and Daneraj.

And as to our original question, is Ceni too tired to mount the high-energy game that it has mounted in the last few games? We hope not, but Sunsaber and Finnall have proven themselves able players to fill into any gaps in Ceni's offensive lineup.

by **Gortolekua** » Sun Aug 21, 2022 9:33 pm

As you enter the round of 16, take care in what will be uncharted territory from here on out. Cut off!

Round of 16

Match R1 - Observatorio, Salmia District, Seinät Capital City
Ceni 7-3 Independent Athletes from Quebec

Match R2 - Zeremonia Zentroa, Agriapozik, Mazespolia
Hopal 0-2 Commonwealth of Baker Park

Match R3 - HiriArena, Putzu, Cerati
West Barack and East Obama 0-1 Elmyia

Match R4 - Salijastakaista, Hidasukelta, Kenkuijo
Tumbra 3-3 Græntfjall
(5-3 AET)

Match R5 - Labatoriopuisto, Tiedemessut, Mustamaa
The Finntopian Empire 0-2 Qasden

Match R6 - Orionvyö, Isittelyssä, Näytteet
Eastfield Lodge 5-4 Adab

Match R7 - BTSTU Arena, Tietokone, Perjantaina
Gortolekua 2-1 Abanhfleft
Scorinated by Quebec and Shingoryeo

Match R8 - Braggsville City Arena, Braggsville, The Arcatas
Kriegiersien 2-2 Chromatika
(2-2 AET)
(1-2 pen.)

Quarter-Final Matches

Match Q1 - Kobazuola, San Marko, Haize Eklektikoa
Ceni v. Commonwealth of Baker Park

Match Q2 - Estadio Marribuia, Marribuia, Ibaiaho
Elmyia v. Tumbra

Match Q3 - Valkoinen Huone, Kuunallas, Perjantaina
Qasden v. Eastfield Lodge

Match Q4 - Fort Arcata, Goudini, The Arcatas
Gortolekua v. Chromatika

OOC Notes
Edit one: Corrected a quarter-finals host site.

by **Elmyia** » Mon Aug 22, 2022 3:14 pm

The Overlap Tactics Blog
Turns Out - Individuals Matter

It is increasingly a fault of the tactics community in Elmyia that they discount just how much difference individuals make.

The tactics community can hardly be blamed, the focus has always been placed relentlessly on individuals performing heroically, on desire and attitude, on battlers and talented players turning events to their will. This is clearly a disproportionate focus - how players are used, how they are coached and how they set up on the day make massive differences to games and how they turn out. It's also been important to provide a degree of corrective. However, we can be guilty of missing out on when games ARE turned by individuals, and in particular we should consider that individuals can change how teams play, and Kit Simmons performance from his new role as a sweeper ahead of the centre-backs did just that against West Barack and East Obama.

Great managers, who are great tacticians, have always recognized this. It was very clear how Jurgen Klopp deployed Virgil Van Dijk to allow them to play a much higher line as his positional intelligence and speed meant they could leave much more space in behind. Carlo Ancelotti switched formations to accommodate the genius of Zinidine Zidane, his creativity and dynamism had benefits that far outweighed the changing of the teams shape. Looking closer to home, and the success of Luca Spaletti highlights this. He became the nations definitive attacking midfielder, and his contribution dragged defences so far out of position as to transform Italia Mosfleet from one of many strong teams to by far the greatest in the nation. But additionally, Spaletti didn't just transform attacking output, he also allowed them to have more players back as his attacking output contributed what you would usually require two players for, shoring them up in defence.

This is all to say, the return of Kit Simmons to the lineup transformed how Elmyia were able to play. In my last article I highlighted that his movement out from the backline might allow other midfielders to push out wide, and prevent Elmyia getting overloaded in wide roles. He provided this and more, his contribution included 13km run (highest on the pitch), 3 interceptions, 92% pass completion and 1 key pass played. An all-round performance that no sweeper has a right making. At this point, we have to consider that he has either reinvented the role, or is playing much as a central defensive midfielder does for many other countries.

Simmons forward passing allowed other players to express themselves. Beresford and Awfield at wing-back found their job simplified, and whilst they were sometimes isolated one on one, they weren't faced with the two on one overloads we might have feared, and both are skilled defenders in the wide areas. In the middle and Elmyia had four bodies in the key area, and were able to prevent much progression through the middle, Xerxasxa Xobama! looked isolated and was marked out of the game. With this pushing forward Whittingham and Gabbiadini were allowed to operate in areas where they were far more dangerous. The focus might well fall on Whittingham, having grabbed the crucial goal, popping up on the underlap from Galli and slotting home, but Gabbiadini benefited as much. Pushing forward, she was able to play her natural game, snapping at second balls, putting pressure on those in possession and dropping into pockets of space and making runs to drag the opposition about.

This performance sees the youth side through to face Tumbra in a quarter-final, quite a proud moment for Elmyia who remain minnows on the international level. Tumbra have played well so far, with one 8-0 win in the group stage, however they required extra-time to see themselves past Græntfjall. Tumbra have used a variety of lineups so far, with goals coming from throughout their squad. The fluidity of their movement will be a key challenge, with an interchangeable forward line supplemented by runs from deep. Similarly to this fixture, it will come down to the ability of Elmyia to compete in the middle of the pitch, and of the midfielders to allow them to play in transition. Simmons might well be counted on for another star performance.

works? · by **Abanhfleft** » Tue Aug 23, 2022 2:14 am

DISCLAIMER: Gaelic Gamers is an independents sports blogging website created by four cousins with a common liking and passion for sports of all kinds and is in no way or form affiliated with or organized by any official news organization in the Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft. All statements and opinions posted here are our own and not anyone else's.

Gaelic Gamers
Presents...

The Football Fallacies
with The Man from Markovsky

17TH UNDER-18 WORLD CUP: WHO COULDN'T HAVE SEEN THIS COMING?

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, so, uh… well, that was a quick one, wasn’t it? I think I’ve barely even processed the fact that we just fucked over in a football tournament once again and now here I am, trying to recount it all to the best of my bastard ability. Part of me wishes that we could just forget about this game in the first place and move on to the next one, but another part of me wants to commit this bastard match into long-term memory so we can all remember how Abanhfleft truly is the plaything of the football gods! Every single fucking time that it looks like Abanhfleft is about to finally make our way through to the next level, something or somebody finds a way to trip us up and force us all the way back to square fucking one!

Look, I don’t want to throw around accusations willy-nilly once again. God knows I’ve already gotten into trouble more than once because I’ve claimed that so-and-so is actively biased against the Revolutionaries. But sometimes, there’s just a point where you have to wonder if there’s actually something going on behind the scenes to make sure that Abanhfleft never gets past the Round of 16 of any football competition, or any other sporting competition, come to think about it. Well, it’s either that or there truly is a football god out there, and she has a hate boner for the Democratic Republic. Either case sounds entirely incredible and fantastical, but then again, we live in a multiverse where gods actually exist alongside corrupt officials. I don’t think Copper Cuprum has recovered from that match-fixing scandal with their referees, hence why they haven’t been taking part in the Campionato Esportiva recently.\

Now let’s take a look at how exactly the Younger Revolutionaries have collapsed at the very first hurdle once again despite shining brightly in the group stage. Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Abanhfleft does well in the group stage then falls apart in the Round of 16. Can the scriptwriters think up of a new plot twist this time around? Frankly, I’m getting sick and tired of never being able to break through the glass barrier that is the Round of 16. Fuck it, at this point, it’s not a glass barrier for Abanhfleft anymore, because that implies that it could still be broken. Nope, the Round of 16 barrier is more like tempered armored glass, the kind that they use on the windows of the presidential limousine to stop bastard .50-caliber bullets! Seriously though, you bastards, this isn’t even funny anymore! The joke has gone on for far too long! Haven’t the Fleftic people suffered enough?

But how did we all get to this point in the first place? Well, it all started when Jonas Adrianzen stupidly decided to return Elena Burke in the starting eleven when it had been made abundantly clear by Andrew Arrowsword’s Ceni that Burke is a bigger defensive liability for the Younger Revolutionaries than my grandmother, and my grandmother’s already been dead for more than twenty years! Franco Caacbay has more than proven that he’s capable of locking down that left side alongside Leon Calim, so why would Adrianzen replace that partnership with the pairing that made us lose to Ceni in the first place? Now, I’ve always said that there’s a reason why I’m just an armchair manager criticizing real managers, but even I know better than to restore a proven defensive liability to an already suspect backline! Like, I literally cannot see any logic behind reinstating Elena Burke to this starting eleven unless Franco Caacbay, and the bastard Malabonian looked healthy as a horse to me!

You want an example on how bad at defending Burke actually is? Then look no further than Gortolekua’s first goal of the game! The locals realized that there was so much space on the Fleftic left flank that Eino Herbertsson, a left winger for Gortokelua—a bloody left winger for the opposition!—was actually able to make his way across the pitch and then strike from the area of the pitch opposite to where he was actually supposed to be! Kimberley Fitzgerald didn’t do herself any favors here as well; she may have narrowed the angle significantly for Herbertsson, but then she let the ball squirm underneath her left armpit and end up in the back of the net. And it’s stuff like this that makes it so frustrating to be a fan of Abanhfleft, especially in football. The players will do well ninety percent of the time, but everything that they’ve worked hard for will collapse in the ten percent of the time that everyone is losing their heads and doesn’t know what the fuck to do. Bloody hell, being a fan of Abanhfleft is fucking hard!

All right, so maybe the first Gortolekua goal was in large part our fault. But there was definitely no wrongdoing on Abanhfleft’s part when it came to the second goal from the hosts. Olga Jakobsson absolutely bought that penalty kick, and she got her money’s worth from it! I’ve looked at the footage a thousand million billion times, and there is no angle in the world that could show me how Krista Nash could have possibly fouled Jakobsson during that corner kick! I swear on my life and my mum, Olga Jakobsson dived and instead of getting booked, she got a penalty kick! And you know what's the real kicker? She scored the spot kick and then celebrated as if her goal was the goal that won her country the bloody Under-18 World Cup! It's just the bloody Round of 16, lass! And you're proud of having dived to get a penalty against Abanhfleft! Diving against Abanhfleft! How desperate for a goal or a victory could you be if you're diving against Abanhfleft? Just a little more patience and we would have self-implosion anyway! There's just no need to dive against us!

So that’s how Abanhfleft went into the first half two goals down, with one goal resulting from abysmal defending on the part of the Younger Revolutionaries and the other being a penalty earned from a dive that somehow evaded the eyes of all of the officials on the pitch. Never have this particular batch of Fleftic youth players been in a situation quite like this, but then Jonas Adrianzen remembered that Elena Burke is actually a defensive liability and immediately replaced her with Franco Caacbay at the start of the second half. I mean, Adrianzen should have done this at the very start of the game! If Caacbay had been there in the back line instead of Burke then we’d only be one goal down instead of two! But those were the cards we were dealt, and we’d have to somehow find a way to turn this game back around in our favor right in front of a massive home crowd.

And you know what? We actually might have had a chance! I’m not exaggerating; the Younger Revolutionaries definitely had enough chances to turn this tie around and either force extra time or win it outright! See what happens when the defense is actually good at defending and the other players don’t have to track back to cover up for them. You definitely could see shades of the combination between the front four of Cojuangco, Kissane, Anderson, and Westphal coming back against Gortelekua. The four of them were beginning to pull apart Gortolekua’s shape, opening up spaces for other players in white to sneak into and make attempts at goal. But in actuality, it wouldn’t be through such plays that Abanhfleft would get one goal back against the hosts; no, it would be through a free kick that the Younger Revolutionaries would see a way to pierce the Round of 16 barrier.

I never would have expected that Beth Anderson would have it in her, but clearly she’s been doing good enough at free kicks during training that our coaching staff let her take this one, and boy was that the right choice! She put enough spin and curve into that ball to take both the wall and the goalkeeper out of the game completely, and if she could somehow continue doing that for the national team then we might just have a new free kick specialist in our hands! It’s just a shame that she plays for the salt miners [derogatory term for players and citizens of Rosenpfelblatz commonly used against them by citizens of Markovsky] in the town across the salt flats or else I could actually sing my praises for her without consequences. In any case, this was the closest that Abanhfleft has ever gotten to finally making it past the Round of 16 in a football tournament, but in the end, we wouldn’t actually be able to do it.

Before I go, there’s one more moment in this game that I wanted to bring up because it just proves that there is a higher power out there determined to not let us through to the quarterfinals. Well, actually, there’s two moments, but because they happened so close together in the timeline, they’ve somehow blended into one single moment in my mind. But that’s not really possible in reality, as you’ll all soon find out. The first moment I wanted to talk about was when Humberto Coughlin thought that he had finally scored the equalizer that would allow us to play thirty more minutes against the hosts. Everyone supporting the blue, orange, and green were already celebrating the lifeline when the referee suddenly put a finger to his earpiece, suggesting that VAR was about to intervene. And intervene it did, as it showed that Coughlin was actually offside when Bryant McGuire had tried to play him through, although personally I couldn’t see which part of Coughlin’s body was offside. Oh well. Shite referees and all that.

But this final moment, now this was truly on the whims of a higher power determined to watch the people of Abanhfleft suffer every time they watch football. Sam Westphal had gotten past his marker and was clearly onside this time around, but when he actually went for goal, it hit the inside of the post then bounced straight out! You can’t make up stuff like this! That was literally Abanhfleft’s last chance to secure another thirty minutes of play, and the woodwork denied us once again! I’m telling you all, there is a barrier in the Round of 16 and there is nothing on this earth that can make Abanhfleft go past that barrier!

Oh Christ above, I can already smell the Gortolekua flags being burned by our fans, and I’m not even over there watching the whole thing live! I’m just sitting in my apartment here in Markovsky watching the tournament on some dodgy website. Some would say that this is a massive overreaction to what is basically youth football, but don’t ever tell that to a Fleftic fan’s face. A lot of the people saying that come from countries that actually sail through the Round of 16 on a daily basis, so don’t you bastards claim to understand where we’re coming from! You’ve all tasted success in football before! We haven’t! We are not the same, and we will never be! So leave your condescending attitudes at the door and come back to us when you’ve lost a gazillion Round of 16 matches in a row!

Anyway, that’s all that there is from me now. If you’ve got any comments or thoughts of your own regarding the match against Gortolekua or predictions about who will actually win the Under-18 World Cup this time around then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I’ve been the Man from Markovsky, disappointed in both my country and the standard of officiating in this youth tournament.

          GORTOLEKUA 2 - 1 ABANHFLEFT      
   HERBERTSSON (19')       ANDERSON (57')
 JAKOBSSON (40' pen)

by **Tumbra** » Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:49 am

Tumbra 5-3 Græntfjall AET (3-3 FT)

TMB (4-2-3-1): 12 - Hawkins; 18 - Tate, 5 - Gorostieta , 24 - Singh (20 - Edmonds, 88'), 3 - McReary; 6 - Hovhannisyan (16 - Searle, 77'), 8 - Makeba (15 - Gillard, 77'), 23 - Campbell; 17 - Nunnaro (7 - Frecklington, 105'), 9 - Hoffman (22 - Yeltsov, 105'); 11 - Starling

TMB scorers: Jean Starling (4', 98', 111'), Casper Hovhannisyan (52'), Caleb Hoffman (83')

Player of the Match: Jean Starling (TMB)

Defence, Education, Welfare, Federalism: The Williams Cabinet Gets To Work

KINGSBURY: With a seeming hunger to portray itself as a government getting things done, the Williams Government's first week in office has seen a flurry of announcements, whether on policy or planned policy. Cabinet ministers have been making solo appearances at press conferences — a relative rarity under both the Everett and Kirkland governments, where at least one of the big five offices of state (Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, Finance Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs) would be present at all ministerial-related press conferences. The biggest announcements of the week included the construction of the RTS Indefatigable, the fate of tuition fee subsidies, welfare reform and the state of federalism in the country; which some have taken as priorities for the government in the coming months and years.

RTS Indefatigable construction "not a priority" until economic situation improves; Northern Fleet capability still "one of the best" in the region without it - Kingsley

Defence Minister Gerald Kingsley, a long-time proponent of higher defence spending, announced on Tuesday that the construction of the RTS Indefatigable — the as-of-yet unbuilt aircraft carrier that would serve as the flagship of the Tumbran Navy's Northern Fleet — was "not a priority" for the government until the country's economic situation improved. The carrier, which would be estimated to cost about 8 billion TM$, has served as a point of political division across party lines. Proponents of the carrier's construction say that the ship is needed for Tumbra to extend its naval supremacy over the coast of the Northlands; while opponents say that spending 8 billion TM$ on an aircraft carrier that will likely see limited service across a limited range is a waste of money, with the RTS Independence — the flagship of the Eastern Fleet, based out of Harren — just as able to fulfill the role of ensuring Tumbran naval control over the Shinshabona Sound. In the press conference, Kingsley adopted the second stand, saying that current doctrine allowed for the Independence to fulfill a double role as the flagship of the Northern and Eastern Fleet, due to a lack of current external threat from the north of the region.

The news was received with much disappointment in Nantwich, which is where the ship would have been built had the order gone ahead. Heidi Oakley, the Labour MP for Nantwich North, branded the Defence Minister a "hypocrite" for turning back on his earlier stand on the matter. In other corners, however, some praised the move for its financial prudence and avoidance of further bloat in the Tumbran Navy, which has historically been the largest of the three uniformed services of the Tumbran Armed Forces.

Education "a priority" for government, though Ministry will look to ways to get university students to take a stronger hand in their education and cut down on "low value degrees" - Smith

Student unions up and down the country have been placed on high alert, with some releasing pre-emptive statements strongly condemning any reduction in the current tuition fee subsidy or any attempt to get universities to stop offering 'low value degrees', after Education Minister Alastair Smith made comments on the current state of university education in Tumbra.

Currently and historically, university education in Tumbra is mostly subsidised by the government. Up to 95% of school fees are subsidised by the government as part of its Tuition Grant subsidy, with most students paying about $400 a term (not including miscellaneous fees) to attend university. The scheme, introduced in 1965 by the government of Malcolm Haywood, originally fully covered tuition fees for all students — but was scaled back to the current 95% under the government of Peter Roscoe in 2002. The justification offered then was "to make students actually have to take responsibility for their own education." The original Roscoe plan was to scale back government funding all the way to 70%, but large-scale student protests and a refusal by several Liberal MPs to vote for the bill that would have scaled back funding resulted in the compromise figure of 95%. Smith emphasised that the government was only considering a move to further scale back tuition subsidies as one of "several alternatives" to cutting back government spending on education; that such a reduction would "not go below 85%," and "financial aid will still be offered to those less well-off to give everyone in our society a chance to get a university education and get a well-paying job."

More concretely, however, Smith announced that the government, through the Board of Universities would be re-appraising the value of undergraduate degrees offered by public research universities, with a view to "making degrees worth more" and "equipping our graduates with the skills needed to succeed in a volatile world." The move was widely condemned by students as unfairly targeting degrees in the humanities and arts — that, on average, see fresh graduates with these degrees earn about a thousand dollars less than graduates with degrees in engineering and sciences. Smith also pledged the government's support for vocational degrees; with a plan to working together with state governments to open more vocational colleges which would be given the power to confer degrees instead of diplomas.

"Reducing bloat" most important priority for Gregory at Labour and Pensions; welfare reform "high on list of ways to achieve that."

The Labour and Pensions Tom Gregory painted a dim view of the task ahead of him at his first press conference, citing the full task ahead of him in a dour mood. The MP for Belmont in Napier announced his that the first and most important priority for him was "reducing bloat" at the newly-renamed Ministry of Labour and Pensions; and that discussions with the upper echelons of the Ministry led him to conclude that welfare reform would be the best way to address the "bloat" at the Ministry. Welfare in Tumbra, while under the umbrella of the National Insurance, is split into several different types of funds; from the Security and Support Allowance for disabled people to the Child Tax Credit, which provides tax relief to low-income families with children.

Gregory floated ideas published by Professors Nathan Holman and Summer Gallagher on reforming welfare by replacing the current spread of welfare schemes with a single National Insurance, which would be means-tested and dispense various amounts of income to different people depending on their level of need. Some have criticised the proposal, with multiple academics having written criticisms of their proposed scheme by saying that many more people would be left worse off with this new National Insurance. When asked about the prospect of Tumbra adopting Universal Basic Income, which is present in other countries like Nephara, Gregory — who throughout his fifteen-year parliamentary career has become known for his straightforward responses to questions — brusquely shrugged off the question by answering that "it is not Government policy to give people a living for nothing."

Most states in "dire" financial straits, requiring heavy amounts of federal money "to even function" - Wyatt

Bernice Wyatt, the Minister of State for the Northlands and the Federal State, attracted attention when she was the government's main representative at the Prime Minister's Office's weekly press conference. Wyatt, who had previously served as Shadow Minister for International Development and was widely tipped for a full Ministerial job before her surprise demotion to her current Minister of State role, presented reporters with detailed accounts of how much the previous federal Labour government was spending on keeping state governments afloat, and criticised both the previous administration and the leaders of state governments for allowing profligate spending to get out of hand. Holding up a green book which purportedly was a summary of the twenty-five states' financial situations, Wyatt's boldest statement was that "a new relationship between the federal government and the states" must be defined in the coming years, and the Prime Minister's Office "was looking at, and settling on, the way forward."

The news was met by disapproval from almost every state Premier, regardless of party affiliation; Marcato Premier Eileen Cho's response, which was perhaps the strongest-worded of all, rebuked the federal government for "trying to interfere unduly in the way that we run our governments [...] Federalism is a core value of Tumbra, and a large part of what makes Tumbra what it is, so the federal government can, rightly, leave us the hell alone." Wyatt's rhetoric, however, continues Williams' rhetoric from both election campaigns, in which he made multiple references to "New Federalism" but elaborated painfully little on the concept and what that would entail. The position of Wyatt as the Minister of State for the Federal State, however, indicates that all that campaign talk may result in concrete action across the next four years of the Williams government.

by **Qasden** » Tue Aug 23, 2022 2:30 pm

Flash Report: A Van-worthy Performance
By Bean Maxwell
It takes a lot of willpower and bribe money to get a QADAN flash report done up for some botulism-ridden rugrats, and yet, for some reason, these lads found a way to make me drum one up without extra pay.

While the vast majority of Qasden is still at it with a heeping dose of copium following a quarter-final exit to Kimi-Suomi in AOCAF 67, the underappreciated, overbearing youths of yestertomorrow have been going to town under the radars of a tear-soaked sporting association. The RTC Under-18 World Cup, the largest competition for bratty teens who can still play good before the arthritis kicks in, has been writhing on in the Anaian shore state of Gortolekua for a few weeks at this point, wriggling and seething with...whatever U18 comps are about. I don't know how to report this, Qasden's not very cash money when it comes to entertaining the young ones all that often. Anyways, in a mildly panicked state for its future endeavors, QAFA covertly announced its intentions to send a squad to the competition's 17th indoctrination, publicly to promote sports to minors, privately to find some reason to carry on for hopes of a better tomorrow going forward in global dominance. Curiously, though, it appears to have worked out well.

After a shaky start versus actual vehicles programmed from Kriegiersien, the MiniVans found their footing and carried themselves through to knockouts after narrow, but sound victories over both Arjunnagar and Oberour Ar Moro, setting the stage for a meetup in the Southern half of the strait-sliced host nation against presumed good newcomers, the Finntopian Empire, in the Round of 16. After another hastily written battle, the Blue-Reds were able to outclass the imperials to earn the coveted, once-in-a-bloodline knockout match against Eastfield Lodge, a foe none of these kids will ever cross paths with again.

So what all else can I say about these children with assumably high cholesterols? Well, the biggest W's being awarded seem to stem from the surprising skill of Qasden's current defensive-end. Kuno Van Karson, the 16-year-old keeper who viewed old Macron Abbott like a deity, has so far held his word to his footy overlord quite commandingly, only allowing 4 goals total from the past 4 games. Defenders Vega Neptune and Carl K. Umstroke have also been at it with the press, particularly due to a strong aggressive stature in their wings of the pitch that became pivotal in the MiniVans' latest victory. Of course, this all comes without mentioning a sound performance going on with the attackers, captained by the hopeful JRC prospect, Vanessa Tonick. 10 goals have been scored this tourney so far, chiefly done up by three lads: Ronin Otero, Sol Ria, and Tanny Beckham, each with 2 goals to call their own.

Aight, that's all I'm paid to write. Will this crew inspire me to hire a Qad exchange student living over there to do the work for me instead? Could Manager Kerrison finally earn some relevance in all this? Stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for any other flash reports, live from the impending abyss ready to doom us all! Wait, no, I mean Gortolekua!

by **Chromatika** » Tue Aug 23, 2022 8:01 pm

RTC U-18 WC 17 Ro16: Kriegiersien 2-2 Chromatika (2-2 AET, 1-2 pen.)
Goals: Françine-Miklavivec '7, Ludwig-Nikolaeva '88
Penalties:
Kriegiersien Autobot 10 X Autobot 11 X Autobot 7 O Autobot 8 X Autobot 9 X
Chromatika Ludwig-Nikolaeva O Drueppelamandel X Hildebrand O Françine-Miklavivec X
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Sourtois; Griffin - Sæsdóttir, H. - Sæsdóttir, N. - Tehahanjeragnen; Françine-Miklavivec - Mesic-Mizayaki (C) - Bjarnhéðinsson; Dillon; Xuen-Zhukov - Allison.
Substitutes: Ludwig-Nikolaeva -> Xuen-Zhukov ('55), Druppelamandel -> Mesic-Mizayaki ('62), Saburo -> Tehahanjeragnen ('81), Hildebrand -> Dillon ('106)
Summary: A great showing by Sourtois in the goal during the penalty shootout proved to be enough as Ludwig-Nikolaeva and Hildebrand converted their chances to send Chromatika to the Quarterfinals to face the hosts. Their opponents were a unique challenge, but the Young Anomalies were able to prevail in the end.

Rating the Potential of the Young Anomalies' Starting XI
As compiled by Back of the Net, with input from professional scouts

OOC Note: Back of the Net is a Tumbran parallel to Football Manager, while the Potential Ability was first introduced (adapted from FM but different) to NS by Farfadillis and Banija. All the credit goes to these three for the origination of the idea behind this RP.

GK - Hailee Sourtois
Age: 18
Next Season: Felswyr State University
Role: National Team - Goalkeeper (Defense), Club Team - Goalkeeper (Defense)
Potential: 160-185 (possible NTer to absolute NT starter)
Summary: With tremendous Aerial Reach, Command of Area, and Jumping Reach, Sourtois is a master of the aerial game. Possessing strong metal faculties with Communication and Decision-Making, the Goalkeeper also has decent Work Rate, Vision, and Teamwork, along with Positioning. Not the most natural of athletes, her Quickness, Aggression, and Bravery could use some work, but decent Anticipation, Agility, and Balance, along with high Stamina and Balance, make her one of the best goalkeeping prospects of her age group. If she is nurtured at the right environment, she has the potential to overcome Raul Carpathia and Siane Sundrifter to become the heir apparent to Juxon Fillar.

LB - Lisak Tehahanjeragnen
Age: 15
Next Season: Crossroads U-18s
Role: National Team - Full-Back (Support), Club Team - Wing-Back (Support)
Potential: 140-165 (top flight player to possible NTer depending on competition)
Summary: One of the two youngest players on this squad, Lisak is a ball of raw talent that needs some refinement. His Crossing, Passing, and Dribbling skills, along with considerable Pace, Stamina, and Decision-Making, have been the major factors of him ending up on this team; he has the ability to really tear up the field if he needs to. He does lack some Composure and Positioning, and is definitely not a player that can be trusted to clear crosses with subpar Jumping reach. With middling Work Rate and Concentration, he will definitely need a firm hand to bring him up to his fullest potential, but he definitely has the skills to leave a mark.

CB - Hrönn Sæsdóttir
Age: 16
Next Season: Chromatik U-18s
Role: National Team - No-Nonsense Centre-Back (Cover), Club Team - Ball-Playing Defender (Cover)
Potential: 150-175 (good top flight player to regular starter on NT)
Summary: The more physical of the two Sæsdóttir twins, Hrönn has the physical abilities to play the defensive role, with great Heading, Jumping Reach, Tackling, Marking, and Positioning. She also has substantial Aggression and Bravery to jump into the fray, while relying on great Decision-Making to make sure that if she gets carded, it will be worth it. With Vision and Strength to complement her already great physical abilities, she can play both the No-Nonsense Role as the slightly more creative Ball-Playing one. Room for growth mostly comes from the mental areas, as she has a ways to go in Composure, Concentration, and Technique, but her basic framework offers a very good base to mold. There is a reason why the two of them play together - they complement each other very well.

CB - Nana Sæsdóttir
Age: 16
Next Season: Chromatik U-18s
Role: National Team - Libero (Support), Club Team - Libero (Attack)
Potential: 150-175 (good top flight player to regular starter on NT)
Summary: The other half of the Sæsdóttir duo, Nana is far more apt at making decisions, with excellent marks in Teamwork, Positioning, Anticipation, Concentration, and Decision-Making, along with decent Technique, Tackling, and Stamina. Her Jumping Reach doesn't reach as far as her twin, while she also lacks a bit in Strength and Balance as well. The fact that her Dribbling is very good for a defender is why she plays the Libero role; with her First Touch ability to clear the ball past the defending third, she can be that defender that kick-starts the counterattack to turn the flow of the game. She is in a direct opposite situation of Hrönn - the physicality of the game is where she needs to get better at. There is a reason why the two of them play together - they complement each other very well.

RB - Behai Griffin
Age: 15
Next Season: Anomalies U-18s
Role: National Team - Full-Back (Attack), Club Team - Wing-Back (Attack)
Potential: 135-155 (bad top flight player to outside chance on NT)
Summary: The rawest prospect on the team, Griffin made waves by winning the Youth League last season. More of an offensive option than a defensive one, Griffin has great Pace and Stamina, along with Acceleration and Agility that can surprise the opposition. With decent Passing, First Touch, and Crossing as well, it's his subpar Dribbling and Technique that can be an issue when he's on the attack. In defensive situations, he's not very good at Tackling or the Strength to outmuscle the opposition. Mentally, he has decent Work Rate and great Vision. He has good Teamwork skills and some Flair to motivate him to be creative. There are bits and pieces that could be molded into a formidable player, but he is definitely a work in progress more than most players on this roster. At least he has youth in his side - he is only fifteen, after all.

LCM - Þyrill Bjarnhéðinsson
Age: 16
Next Season: Chromatik Central High School
Role: National Team - Advanced Playmaker (Attack), Club Team - Advanced Playmaker (Attack)
Potential: 145-180 (Top flight player to most likely in the NT)
Summary: A pacey, creative player who is often responsible for making deadly passes into the opposing third, Þyrill's First Touch and Passing sets him apart, along with Pace and Vision. His high Flair can lead to some subpar decisions, but that burst of creativity can be exactly what a team needs when they are in a rut. He is working on his Decision Making and Vision, but an above-average Work Rate and Teamwork means that he is a good player to work with. In order for him to take the next step and become a top prospect to make the Chromatik National Team, he will definitely need to get better at Dribbling and Off the Ball positioning, as both are subpar; currently, he either shoots from long range or makes deadly passes at first touch. He is also a surprisingly good Free Kick Taker, though he hasn't learned how to do well in Big Matches. Severely left-footed, Þyrill is a mixed bag with enough upsides to warrant a second look.

CDM - Alija Mesic-Mizayaki
Age: 18
Next Season: Chromia Central College University
Role: National Team - Deep-Lying Playmaker (Defend), Club Team - Defensive Midfielder (Defend)
Potential: 150-180 (Outside NT chance to regular NT starter)
Summary: A very polarizing player, Alija Mesic-Mizayaki is very good at one thing: Defending. With tight Marking skills, great Tackling and Aggression, Bravery, defensive Positioning, Teamwork, Stamina, and good Work Rate and Strength for her age, Mesic-Mizayaki is the holding midfielder of any team's dreams. When asked to, she can be used as a Deep-Lying Playmaker, though her Crossing could use some work, along with her Vision. With a strong right foot that can clear a lot of ground on a dime, Alija's Managers will have a decision to make in regard to just using her as a more forward-pressing defender or using her size and playmaking potential to also contribute to the attack. Off the field, she can be a bit shy and elusive; keep her focus on the task at hand on the pitch, though, and she'll be a loyal servant. To some, she's the next to take up the mantle along the line of Enigma Armageddon, Kateryna Zuniga, and Leysa Burns; to others, she's just a blip on the radar to be overlooked by the sign of the next prospect. She's good enough to be on this team and to start for CCCU in her first season - that should say enough about what the CFF thinks.

RCM - Evin Françine-Miklavivec
Age: 17
Next Season: Myana Northwestern High School
Role: National Team - Box-to-Box Midfielder (Support), Club Team - Box-to-Box Midfielder (Support)
Potential: 160-175 (Possible NTer to probable NT starter)
Summary: Evin is probably the best-known quantity out of these starters save Hailee Sourtois herself. With both great defensive skills (Tackling, Defensive Positioning, Aggression, Strength), offensive skills (First Touch, Dribbling, Passing, Decision-Making, Stamina), and mental skills (Teamwork, Work Rate, Composure), the issue with Françine-Miklavivec is that she's not really a master at any one of those areas. She can hang with most but not all attacking players while also getting by most but not all defenders; she's quick but not lightning-fast, strong but not like a bulldozer, and creative but not brilliant. Best used as someone that comes alive late in games to contribute when least expected to, could Evin Françine-Miklavivec meet a team to unlock her true potential and increase her ceiling?

CAM - Isaiah Dillon
Age: 16
Next Season: Chromatik Central High School
Role: National Team - Attacking Midfielder (Attack), Club Team - Advanced Playmaker (Support)
Potential: 155-175 (Good top flight player to possible NTer)
Summary: The classic Attacking Midfielder, Isaiah's Long Shots, Free Kick Taking, and Finishing make him a lethal threat on the goal, along with good Decision Making, Flair, and Vision to be a creative force. Chromatik Central High School uses him as an Advanced Playmaker to use those other abilities, along with his above average Composure and Technique. He could use some pointers on how to improve his Concentration and Off the Ball positioning, as well as Acceleration and Agility go complement his other offensive abilities. Standing at only 5' 8", he also struggles with anything and everything aerial, meaning that he has to do all his work with his feet. Thankfully, he is very ambidextrous and has no fear about taking the shot with either foot. An intriguing prospect, for certain, but one that could yield high dividends if used properly.

ST - Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov
Age: 16
Next Season: Myana U-18s
Role: National Team - Advanced Forward (Attack), Club Team - Complete Forward (Attack)
Potential: 160-180 (Possible NTer to NT Regular)
Summary: The hottest young striker prospect in Chromatika, Xuen-Zhukov has been referenced as not being used to his full potential as a part of the Young Anomalies. With above-average Dribbling, Finishing, and First Touch for his age, along with good Technique, Anticipation, and Work Rate, Zhukov is a Complete Forward that uses a combination of Pace, Stamina, and Acceleration to fly past the opposition and score. He is working on his Decision-Making and Composure, as well as his positioning Off the Ball, but the sixteen-year old is a model player with good Teamwork and Work Rate that can go the full ninety minutes in search for that decisive goal. For a nation that hasn't had a complete striker in a while - the Anomalies have leaned on Wingers and playmakers from the Midfield for the past few World Cups - Xuen-Zhukov is a portent of the change to come.

ST - Xena Allison
Age: 16
Next Season: Chromatik Central High School
Role: National Team - Target Forward (Attack), Club Team - Poacher (Attack)
Potential: 140-155 (Top flight player to outside NT chance)
Summary: As a six foot seven inch Striker, Allison's been stretched by her play as part of the Young Anomalies. At Chromatik Central High School, Allison is only expected to do one thing - lurk near the box, get the ball, and score, rather that be from shooting, heading, or from just being at the right place at the right time. With good Finishing, First Touch, Heading, Anticipation, Decision-Making, and very good Acceleration and Off the Ball positioning, she's excelled at the Poacher role. As a member of the Young Anomalies, the team has also taken advantage of her Aggression and good sense of Teamwork, as well as the fact that she can definitely outmuscle defenders with her Strength. Her position is not one that has gotten much love from the Anomalies in the past, but with this team using this formation and the change to Repin on the horizon, there is an off chance that Allison can become a player that is used in the National Pool.

by **Ceni** » Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:15 pm

Valkoinen Huone, Kuunallas
Ceni 7-3 Independent Athletes from Quebec
 Avant ('6), Ellex-Mar ('17, '37), Koromin ('19, '76), Daneraj ('56), Finnall ('83)

LINEUP vs. BAKER PARK
Avith-Rose; Qurimanta, Beren, Alon-Maduel, Casa-Alta; Avant, Reneval, Finnall, Koromin; Sunsaber, Daneraj

Terranean Broadcasting Company

Cenian Alliance for Human Rights and Baker Park FA spar as Cenian U-18s prepare to face Baker Park in quarterfinals

By Rena Kordall
TBC Sport in Cenial, Ceni

After the Football Association of the Commonwealth of Baker Park issued a statement defending their selection of Gortolekua as U-18 hosts and hitting out at the Cenian Alliance for Human Rights for their supposed inaction in previous humanitarian crises in Rushmore, the CAHR defended their record forcefully.

"We strongly and forcefully reject the FAC's assertions that the CAHR was not active enough in calling for an end to human rights abuses committed on all sides in the Nyowani Kitaran civil war," said Val Baize, a spokesperson for the Cenian Alliance for Human Rights. "Although we pressured the Cenian government to take action to defend human rights in Nyowani Kitara and organized several protests on the subject, as the Cenian government has stated its foreign policy is to defend human rights, the Cenian government never issued any statements on the issue."

"While in this case we agree with the goals stated by the FAC, we also are somewhat disappointed that the FAC has not done its research in lodging this accusation," continued Baize. "We especially resent the implication that we're throwing stones from within a glass house, given that we ourselves have not committed any human rights abuses, nor has the Cenian government, as far as we are aware of. Nonetheless, in the spirit of amity and spending energy fighting human rights abuses across Rushmore and the world, we wish to stop squabbling with other like-minded governments and organizations and will not respond to any further communications on this matter."

The FAC's spokeswoman Allison LeFleur had stated that, "[G]enerally as a society we abhor those who cast aspersions at others while ignoring their own behavior," which could be construed as accusing the CAHR of human rights violations themselves.

Ceni had taken a somewhat isolationist stance during the Nyowani Kitaran conflict, likely to avoid recriminations from its much more powerful neighbour Eura. But that policy seems to have gone by the wayside with the formation of the Confederacy of the Afanc Strait and rumours of a new joint Cenian/Gelderlish base in Greater
Sanford, in Pavola and near Terranean interests in Pavola more broadly.

And even though Cenian foreign policy has largely focused on diplomacy, including its robust diplomatic corps and diplomacy education programs stemming from its world-class universities, Ceni largely did not use its diplomatic savoir-faire — even diplomatic heft, if we can put it that way — to attempt to resolve the negotiations in Nyowani Kitara, even as negotiations stalled among Pavolan-Terranean bickering.

"To tell you the truth, I couldn't tell you why Ceni didn't participate in the final negotiations," said Sion Vancil, a professor of international relations at the University of Cenial. "It could have positioned itself as a neutral Terranean intermediary, in my view. Indeed, Ceni's inaction in the whole crisis is rather inexplicable given Ceni's aspersions at being a diplomatic power in Rushmore."

"Perhaps its aspersions are far from reality," Vancil noted.

In any case, as the CAHR and the FAC duked it out in the press, Ceni and Baker Park's U-18s prepare to duke it out on the football pitch in the quarterfinals of the RTC U-18 World Cup held in Gortolekua. Although Baker Park's fans may not remember, they defeated Ceni on the last matchday of the World Cup 80 group stage, denying Ceni a place in the Round of 16. While it marked the last match in Ceni's World Cup campaigns for years due to the freak accident in the Sonnel-Rushmore portal in Stratosphere City, it only started the rise of the Baker Park senior team, which has never failed to qualify for the World Cup. So it's a grudge that means a lot to Ceni, even the U-18s, and not a whole lot to Baker Park.

The Tir Snakelets certainly hope to prevail against their opposition, though.

Even if it isn't the World Cup — and the U-18 World Cup is admittedly a far cry from the real World Cup — Cenian fans will certainly feel good to see a Cenian team defeat Baker Park.

by **Gortolekua** » Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:18 pm

Eight teams enter, four come out. Some will be happy, but some will need to dry the rain that comes out. Cutoff!

Quarter-Finals

Match Q1 - Kobazuola, San Marko, Haize Eklektikoa
Ceni 2-2 Commonwealth of Baker Park
(3-2 AET)

Match Q2 - Estadio Marribuia, Marribuia, Ibaiaho
Elmyia 0-1 Tumbra

Match Q3 - Valkoinen Huone, Kuunallas, Perjantaina
Qasden 3-2 Eastfield Lodge

Match Q4 - Fort Arcata, Goudini, The Arcatas
Gortolekua 2–6 Chromatika
scorinated by Mriin

Semir-Final Matches

Match S1 - Butcher's Shield, Rakkaudeton, Kenkuijo
Ceni v. Tumbra

Match S2 - The Gymnasium, Munkkeja, Näytteet
Qasden v. Chromatika

by **Elmyia** » Wed Aug 24, 2022 2:54 pm

The Overlap Tactics Blog
Switch in Marking Structure Doesn't Pay Off

In the build up to the match against Tumbra much was made about the threat of Tumbra's mobile attack. Well. There was one article. By me. Anyway, Kidd came up with a clear tactical response, with the back six players being asked to mark a zone rather than a man. This backfired somewhat, with Tumbra still finding enough space to squeak through a winner in the 80th minute. So, let's consider why this switch was made, and why it didn't work out for Elmyia. This time, at least.

Scolastico manager Benni Massi has been the one key proponent of zonal marking in Elmyia, often the only proponent. He has cited three key reasons for employing this as a system, playing an offside trap, maintaining shape and congesting dangerous areas of the pitch.

The first benefit is obvious, you cannot man mark and play an offside trap, if you're forcing your defender to follow the striker around then you cannot leave him on the wrong side of the offside line. This links straight into the second benefit, maintaining shape. If you hold an offside trap, you can press up the pitch nd constrict the space your opposition, which is useful, the less space an opponent has in attack, the less they have to operate in, and the less likely you are to concede.

The final benefit is the least obvious, but the one that was most relevant in last nights game. Massi had put it before in relation to star players "you man-mark a star player, you might stop him yes. But, what if he's not the danger, then you've got no plan." The point being, even star players have off days, and other players have their hundred year storm, so marking one player leaves you vulnerable to an attack from others. With Tumbra's attack, then, it does not make sense to man mark an ever moving threat. If Elmyia had man marked, then say Starling drags back from leading the line and Savalas follows, there's suddenly space behind, de Vries ghosts in and the balls in a dangerous area.

Instead, then, Elmyia set out to mark the space. Rather than mark the dangerous players, they set out to mark the dangerous spaces, places where if Tumbra got the ball they could start to cause problems. Awfield, Savalas, Silva and Beresford sat in a back four, shuffling to side to side across the pitch, with McLoughlins and Simmons sat just ahead of the line. So, the space ahead of goal was marked, and the space in front of the backline was too.

So, in theory, a good plan. So why did it fall down? Well, probably for two key reasons, Simmons couldn't work his counter-attacking magic on the ball, and the players have been coached and conditioned to man-mark. It was perhaps inevitable that Simmons wouldn't be able to have such an effect in a game where Elmyia matched up against stronger opposition, the counter-press was simply too relentless, he couldn't start playing long balls in to break the pressure and send Gabbiadini and Whittingham into areas where they could make a difference. The other issue was possibly in the lack of coaching the system, with the one goal coming as Honiton failed to hold the offside line.

Overall, this tournament has had many bright spots, but Elmyia still have some tactical shortcomings that will stop all representative teams being able to get over the line in these toughest fixtures.

by **Tumbra** » Thu Aug 25, 2022 10:23 am

Elmyia 0-1 Tumbra

TMB (4-2-3-1): 23 - Gillespie; 18 - Tate (2 - Boullogne, 74'), 4 - Sears - inj (5 - Gorostieta, 45'), 14 - Connolly, 19 - Bailey; 16 - Searle, 15 - Gillard (8 - Makeba, 63'), 10 - de Vries; 7 - Frecklington (17 - Nunnaro, 63'), 9 - Hoffman; 11 - Starling (22 - Yeltsov, 74')

TMB scorers: Faye de Vries (80')

Player of the Match: Sarah Searle (TMB)

Explanatory:
"Everett" or "K.E." refers to Kenneth Everett, who served as Prime Minister of Tumbra from 2017-2027.
"Kirkland" or "M.K." refers to Michael Kirkland, who served as Prime Minister of Tumbra from 2027-2029.
"J.M." refers to James Marshall, the head of the Civil Service.
"AREIMA" refers to the six regions that collectively make up NS Sport: Atlantian Oceania/Anaia, Rushmore, Esportiva, Independents, Mandalanunsa, Atlantian Oceania/Anaia.
The current timeframe is late August-early September 2029.

CLASSIFIED
PROPOSAL 22-06-038
REFORMATION OF INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

Abstract

Tumbra's intelligence community is currently comprised of several disparate elements. The main agencies are, in order of when they were established, the Tumbran Intelligence Service (TIS), focusing on foreign intelligence and counterintelligence; the Internal Security Department (ISD), focusing on domestic anti-terrorism and anti-extremism movements; Defence Intelligence (DI), focusing on military intelligence; the Federal Investigation Bureau (FIB), the principal federal law enforcement agency; the Financial Intelligence and Analysis Office (FIAO), which focuses on preventing fraud and money laundering together with the Internal Revenue Service; the National Communications Security Bureau (NCSB), which focuses on signals intelligence (SIGINT), and the Geospatial Intelligence Bureau (GIB), which focuses on geospatial intelligence (GEOINT). In recent years, the intelligence community has been drawn closer together, and have worked together on several measures to secure and advance Tumbran national interests. This proposal will seek to make the case for a formalisation of that co-operation through the establishment of an Office for National Intelligence (ONI) headed by a permanent secretary-level civil servant. The ONI would become a co-operative body which would, after formation, become responsible for intelligence assessment and serve as a formal body for consolidating all intelligence while also serving as a guiding body for coordinating the overall strategy of Tumbran intelligence. The ONI would be directly responsible to the Cabinet Office, though each of the participating agencies would remain under their current home. The inclusion of the Foreign Ministry's Research and Analysis Division (RAD) and the Tumbran Border Police (BP) in the ONI should also be considered, with the possibility of merging the RAD directly into the ONI.

COMMENT (updated 2029 August): This proposal should be re-introduced to the Prime Minister as soon as possible. It is evident that his appetite for government reform and need to look strong on matters of defence would fit into finally getting this proposal across the line. Re-emphasise that this will not unduly centralise intelligence service authority and/or command and control — they're too busy fighting each other for budgetary concerns that they won't be able to co-operate anything to unduly harm the State or the position of the Civil Service. We failed to make this point last time, and Everett hated it. Even had the seven-year moratorium put in place and everything. APPROVED for presentation. J.M.

CLASSIFIED
PROPOSAL 24-01-012/27-09-002
FORMATION AND/OR FORMALISATION OF NATIONAL SECURITY COMMITTEE

Abstract

With an uncertain global security situation and the possibility of Tumbran foreign policy objectives resulting in diplomatic estrangement from nations formerly friendly towards it, Tumbran national security must be re-looked and re-analysed to form a more realistic assessment. This reassessment of Tumbran power would entail the formal creation of a National Security Committee, which would comprise, at minimum, the Prime Minister, their Deputy (or Deputies), the Cabinet Ministers responsible for foreign affairs, home affairs, defence, the treasury, energy, and law, the permanent secretaries of those aforementioned ministries, the Chief of Staff of the Tumbran Armed Forces, as well as the various heads of the intelligence services of Tumbra (or, if Proposal 22-06-038, first proposed in 2022, is passed, the head of the Office of National Intelligence). This committee, which bears a strong resemblance to the "Inner Cabinet" system utilised by former Prime Minister Malcolm Haywood, would be able to make quick and effective decisions to safeguard Tumbra's national security without needing to recall the entirety of the Cabinet. This proposal also understands that previous ad hoc arrangements of a similar nature to the proposed National Security Committee have been made when issues of national security arise, and will hold that the formalisation of this national security structure would benefit Tumbran security policy greatly.

COMMENT (updated 2029 August): Another excellent proposal. I think this one was approved by Bixby before he sailed off into retirement, but Everett apparently wanted to keep things informal. My guess is he didn't like how the Permanent Secretaries of the ministries would be on the committee. Kirkland rejected this proposal too. I think he was warned by Everett that we would be re-presenting this to him. Bit strange that he rejected it; thought that him being ex-military and all would tip the scales in our favour. APPROVED for presentation. When re-filing, ensure that this is filed together with Reformation of the Intelligence Community, and remember to change the numbers in the abstract accordingly. J.M.

CLASSIFIED
PROPOSAL 93-07-014/00-07-001/05-09-001/09-11-001/17-09-001/27-11-001
PROCUREMENT OF NUCLEAR DETERRENT

Abstract

This proposal seeks to make the argument that Tumbra, for its security, should procure a nuclear deterrent. While Tumbra is at peace, the future of Tumbran foreign policy cannot be ascertained clearly and, as such, a new constant in the equation would serve to deter any future aggression against the nation. In short, the procurement of a nuclear deterrent — which would be added to the Submarine Service in Southport — would preserve peace, deter aggression and prevent Tumbra from being forced and/or strong-armed into unfavourable geopolitical situations. Second-strike capability, the most important capability in nuclear warfare theory, would be key to the nuclear policy of Tumbra. This paper will seek to detail the current situation of countries within the AREIMA regions that have access to nuclear weapons, detail their process of the procurement of their own nuclear weapons, and point out events and/or particular learning points to either avoid or emulate in the hypothetical nuclear development programme that would be undertaken if this proposal is approved. A full costings of a hypothetical program is also included, plus a strategy to market and make the presence of said nuclear deterrent acceptable, if at the very least palatable, to the Tumbran public at-large.

COMMENT (updated 2029 August): Are we really going to do the usual strategy of introducing this four months into the Prime Minister's term? Feels a little foolhardy, given that it's been rejected about six times already within minutes of us introducing it. Delay it to six months; introduce this next February, before the Budget. I have little doubt Williams will have been told about the existence of this text — assigned to our Black Book of little Civil Service projects that those scary unelected bureaucrats wish to implement over the wishes of the Tumbran public or some other nonsense like that — but the situation is different. Williams is not restrained by his coalition partners; rather he is restrained by his own Cabinet members, from the same party as he, who would presumably take a more hawkish stance on issues like these. One day we'll get this proposal approved. Northlands took, what, seven tries? 10-state strategy also took about as many tries, and we're finally getting the wheels rolling on that one after God knows how long. I don't see why this should take any longer than those two. APPROVED, but delay this until February next year so we don't overwhelm him about security. J.M.

by **Chromatika** » Thu Aug 25, 2022 5:08 pm

RTC U-18 WC 17 Quarterfinals: Gortolekua 2-6 Chromatika
Goals: Françine-Miklavivec 4', 28', Xuen-Zhukov '33, '52, '77, Sæsdóttir, H. '80
Starting XI (4-3-1-2): Sourtois; Griffin - Sæsdóttir, H. - Sæsdóttir, N. - Tehahanjeragnen; Françine-Miklavivec - Mesic-Mizayaki (C) - Bjarnhéðinsson; Dillon; Xuen-Zhukov - Allison.
Substitutes: Aniston -> Sourtois (46'), Park -> Griffin (60'), McHenry -> Françine-Miklavivec (75')
Summary: Despite a nick knocking out Hailee Sourtois for the second half - Jessika Aniston had a clean sheet in the second half of action - the Young Anomalies slotted six past the host nation, led by a hat trick from Lavrentiy Xuen-Zhukov, as Chromatika made the Semifinals for the first time in multiple editions of the U-18 World Cup and took a step forward in establishing a new generation. Xuen-Zhukov and Dillon's partnership was particularly excellent as the Attacking Midfielder assisted on two of the striker's goals, while rançine-Miklavivec set the tone with two set pieces early in the game. Now, Chromatika faces Qasden, another mainstay in the Youth game, for a chance at the title.

The Future of Chromatik Politics is Socialist
The Emergence of a Socialist Wave on the Horizon

By: Karl Lennox, undergrad, Chromia Central College University

Though it is impossible to ignore the dominance of the Rainbow Party and the New Light Party in recent elections, nor the fact that the two have made a kind of uneasy alliance that has stopped any method of stopping the political agenda of the current Premier, Keri Wyse Aart, there are dark clouds on the horizon in the world of Chromatik politics. Namely, the alliance between the two isn't based on solid ground - mostly, the wiles of the New Light Party has been kept at bay by the Rainbow Party by virtue of the reparations that the previous Chromatik Party is being forced to pay to reinstate the ROYG population, and once that program has been fully realized, the two parties will be fundamentally at odds with each other again. The Rainbow Party will always be looking forward to Chromatika's future, while the Saebitdang will always look to the past to be wary of it, learn from it, and make sure that it never happens again. This look forward vs. look back outlook in the world of politics will be the downfall of the current regime - and the answer to the question of 'What's the next big thing' is the Socialists.

Chromatik socialism is not as well-founded as Rushmori equivalents nor well-established parties in other nations, but the concept is simple, and the draw cannot be denied. The Red Enclave that was a part of Eyrods before the days of the Rainbow Revolution wasn't named thus just because it was made of people who were part of the Red caste system; they also took the name "Red Enclave" to constitute the fact that their political ideals had to do with socialism. With a modest following in the island of Myana, bits of the Heartland, and even in some sections of Chromia, the Socialist Party even has the fact that the Red Party exists on their side. On the other end of the extreme spectrum, the Red Party believes that every soul that harassed Chromatika's past need to pay for what they have done, and their ideals have taken the blame for what the color Red would mean politically in any other country in the multiverse. This means that the Chromatik Socialist Party, not being beholden to the color Red, can lurk in the shadows and look for the right time to shine - which may be when that inevitable divide between the Rainbow and the New Light Party happens.

Despite Chromatika's efforts to uplift the previous ROYG population, a country not twenty years removed from a Revolution hasn't been able to shift its populace from mostly being blue-collar workers; this inherently helps the Socialist Party in terms of having an audience. As the politicians continue to take potshots at each other, they lose sight of the Chromatik public, which is perfect for the Socialist Party to point out and exploit. They have the potential to show that they'll be different, and they have made a concerted effort to set themselves apart. The more that they spend time doing that, the more that they'll be ready to make a huge push.

All signs point toward the Socialist Party trying to make some moves come the next election for a Premier in a few years' time, when Keri Wyse Aart will not be allowed to run again. It will depend on how much their influence has grown as well as how wide the gap between the two ruling parties are, but mark my words - the Socialist Party is coming.

by **Ceni** » Thu Aug 25, 2022 8:32 pm

Kobazuola, San Marko
Ceni 2-2 Commonwealth of Baker Park (3-2 AET)
 Reneval ('81), Kieneten ('90+5), Daneraj ('90+18)

LINEUP vs. TUMBRA
Avith-Rose; Qurimanta, Beren, Voren, Xunel; Avant, Berenguer, Reneval, Koromin; Ellex-Mar, Daneraj

As Metropolitan Tetrad becomes hub for personalities from across SAREIMA, Cenian Assembly proposes measures to curb pieds-à-terre

CENIAL, Ceni — When an apartment on the seventh floor of Seven Septimus Street in the Sevenferns district went up for sale, the property did not get the usual hordes of Cenians and foreigners swarming to open houses with open checkbooks. Instead, the apartment sold quietly for the princely sum of 77,777,777 Euran pounds to a shell company registered in Drawkland. (Of course it was a Drawkian buyer with that price.)

Investigation by the Cenial Tribune found that not any Drawkian had bought the property — the Supreme Drawkionel Iarocav himself had bought the 777 square metre apartment.

In some ways, the property at Seven Septimus (next door to a building called the Seven Seas and across from the Seven Gates) is an outlier on the Cenial real estate market — the building and its neighbours are built specifically for Drawkians, with higher ceilings and bigger dimensions generally to fit their bigger frames. "Since Drawkland and Ceni hosted the World Cup together, we noticed a massive increase in Drawkians searching for property in Ceni," said Sofia Thane, president of the Seven Sisters development firm that built Seven Septimus. "Of course, there aren't many properties in Ceni that would fit their needs. And where else would you build besides Sevenferns?"

Spokespeople for Iarocav did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Despite focusing exclusively on the Drawkian market, Seven Septimus no outlier to a broader trend: The fact that it exists is an indication that Cenial is increasingly becoming a popular option for wealthy businesspeople, celebrities, and even sportspeople to buy a second or even third home. It isn't just Cenial, either: New Oxford and Whitehaven are also becoming popular options for wealthy foreigners looking to buy property. And each of the three has their own niche in the booming international property market.

Of course, the modern Millennium City remains eternally popular, with the glitzy Novastar Avenue attracting socialites and jet-setters. Its proximity to Cenial City Airport with facilities for private jets and options for lake or ocean views have only cemented its appeal, along with the neighboring Centennial district. Georgetown, to its south, boasts historic rowhomes for those celebrities looking for historic charm. And Sevenferns has attracted a sizable contingent from Sonnel, for obvious reasons.

Among other celebrities, the famous Quebecois sports agent Pierre McCarthy owns a Georgetown rowhouse and Amenrian pop idol has opted for a penthouse apartment overlooking Zelona Park. Euran businesspeople, meanwhile, predominantly choose apartments in Centennial, Cenial Wharf, and NoMil for their proximity to the National Mall and the major business districts. Anonymous reports also suggest that Andrew Arrowsword and Liam Penderyn, Ceni's power couple if there ever was one, is searching for a property in Cenial to replace Arrowsword's bachelor pad in Whitehaven, although rumour has it that the couple prefer an architecturally interesting property over a swanky location.

But Cenial will not remain the most popular city within the Metropolitan Tetrad forever.

According to a report by the Cenian Association of Real Estate Professionals, sales in Whitehaven and New Oxford have grown by more than three times the growth rate in Cenial. Although famous entertainment personalities such as Delaclava's Janay Michaels, a soap opera star, and several members of Gatchingerrak Union's Avrora band have decamped to addresses on Terranean Avenue, Ceni's entertainment hub in New Oxford's Theatre District, the district with the biggest growth in the Metropolitan Tetrad has been Apollo Beach in Whitehaven, with the construction of several new apartment buildings there.

"Of course, any building with a water view and quick beach access in Whitehaven will sell quickly," said Winnie Korden, who works with CAREP. "Developers have recently seen fit to tear down some low-rise buildings and replace them with taller buildings, leading to an increase in inventory. And those new units have sold like hotcakes."

Meanwhile, sales in New Oxford — at least in pound value (real estate transactions in Ceni are carried out in the Euran pound or Universal Standard Dollar, which are at par, and not the Cenian bewlegi) — have been buoyed by an opposite trend: the consolidation of more and more lots to build bigger properties, horizontally.

"Especially in the Bodleian Gardens, traditionally a student neighbourhood, and the northwestern corner of New Oxford, we've seen the single-family homes turn into bigger and bigger McMansions," said Korden. "There's more land out there, and it feels like the suburbs, yet the urban infrastructure is still there. You can commute to the airport by subway there, for instance." News that the Valentian superstar Gwen "Tracer" Allison has bought a mansion in the Bodleian Gardens have only increased the area's popularity.

"Of course, these mansions pale in comparison to those out in Westgreen or Dover," added Korden.

Why are pieds-à-terre in Cenial popular, especially with places like Bastion or Centralis arguably bigger centers of Terranean trade and commerce than Cenial? "Cenial has perhaps attracted a disproportionate interest from Sonnel, given its proximity to the portal in the Isles of Avon," speculated Korden. "I would also surmise that the Metropolitan Triad's urban infrastructure surpasses Centralis' or Bastion's, although I'm sure those cities would vehemently disagree with those claims."

"I mean, Cenial is a cultured city with lots of different neighbourhoods with their own character, their own profile, their own unique restaurants and architecture," added Korden. "I think there's probably a property for everybody here, quite frankly." Other explanations could rest in Ceni's liberal visa and citizenship policies which allow foreigners to gain a CRC citizenship fairly easily.

But with an increasing number of properties being treated as pieds-a-terre and being vacant for most of the year, the Cenian Assembly has also explored measures to combat vacant properties, especially with a red-hot real estate market leaving more and more people without access to affordable housing. There are three main proposals on the table: a transfer tax on all properties over a certain threshold, a staggered property tax to increase rapidly on high value properties, or a certain tax on all properties left unoccupied for a certain period of time.

"We cannot let the uberwealthy crowd out investment in low-income housing by snapping up expensive property while thousands of Cenians go homeless and millions are barely struggling to pay rent," said Kel Viridian, the current Minister of Urban Planning. "It also really rankles to see the contrast between unoccupied apartments and people sleeping on the streets or under bridges."

Seven Sisters president Thane strongly disagreed with any of those measures. "These measures would strongly discourage investment in the real estate sector, including construction of low-income housing which is indirectly financed by sales of luxury residences, including pieds-à-terre," said Thane.

"We would certainly foresee a decreased appetite for foreign direct investment in Cenian real estate as a result of these measures," added CAREP's Korden. "It's something I see as sending a negative message about the ease of doing business in Ceni."

Viridian slammed those concerns. "Who are we prioritizing here, the interests of wealthy foreigners and development corporations, or the interests of ordinary Cenians?" he asked rhetorically.

While the proposals wend their way through the Cenian Assembly, they will certainly be a political hot potato, with the real estate industry maintaining strong support among the Social Democrats despite its nominally left-leaning sympathies. But until the proposals pass, and even if they pass, the pieds-à-terre are here to stay.

And the international celebrities that bought them are here to stay, too, if only for short periods.

by **Qasden** » Fri Aug 26, 2022 12:51 am

Absolutely Uncalled For
By B. Maxwell

You know, flash reports are already fickle enough to deal with. Look, just because I'm one of the head researchers for QADAN's forumside publishing briefments does not mean I need to know everything about the dominant sport of our country. The RTC U18 World Cup is going hard with knockout season, and with the last report glossing over the MiniVans' triumphs and trip-ups en route to the quarter-finals, it's suffice to say that any of my personal involvement with this tournament would start and end there.

Yet here we are, with more sport to do.
Alright, now with the moping out of the way, let's get into the gritty of it: The Southern Gortolekua-based Battles to the Demise(s). Following a dominant 4-1 double-u over Oberour Ar Moro, Qasden's youth squad were able to shimmy their way into the seeded Round of 16 as a relatively healthy #11. 8 goals spread across one of the offenses of all time gave a sense of confidence in the unbaked loaves of tomorrow, a smidgenary of cockiness and hackney despite their newly acquired underdog status being permanently stained on the backs of their numbers for the remainder of the cup. What better way to shut em up than going against the tourney's big #6 right away: The Finntopian Empire.

Octos: The Penguin Arc
Like the last report, I still don't know much about them other than their strangely-shaped ensign they got going on. Those penguin-lovers accrued 7 points during their stay at Motel B, clipping dubs over Elmyia and Poafmersia despite their draw to a lackluster Sierra Grand. Regardless, they were still, by definition, undefeated, meaning their reasons to be any form of hoity-toity felt much more earned than that belonging to our own. The Mustamaan Clash would help determine which among flightless bird and not-flightless-bird would carry on into the presumably sought after Quarter-Finals, the part of any tournament that gets the club recruiters rushing over like Euran moths to a Nepharim flame.

Guess whose parents are gonna have to extend their visas somehow? Not the Finns! A dramatically mundane 2-0 sound-off sent the Empire packing, courtesy of joint nettings by Spirodon (2) and Otero (3). With such audacious bravado, the Vans couldn't quite possibly imagine that their Octo-antics would take them next. Well, except for Vanessa; she bought the souvenir bracket poster that shows where all the games are being held. With Tiedemessut being made aware that children can be good at sports now, the Blue-Red crusade carried forward into the Not-Semis to squallow another team's time and money. Specifically, the team that's east of a field, probably in a lodge or something.

Quarters: The Lodge Arc
Who thought one of the nation's first full-on encounters with these nerds would be at the airport in Kuunallas? If you did, you thought wrong, you donut. That's why you're not one of the head publishers on QADAN's briefside research foruments. They met on the pitch of Gortolekua's Valkoinen Huone like normal prodigy children.

Eastfield Lodge: the place with the portals that's not Quebec. They're around, most of the time. especially when they are. In this particular moment, the Lodge Podge found themselves gooped up in a trifling 3rd seed, a mere second to the second to the top of all squads going into this mess. Similarly to the Finntopian Empire, the Lodgies' nabbed a sixer with a one taped to it, drubbing all but HUElavia. The difference between them and the funny flags? Goals. Like, an absolute mastodon's-worth of goals. Now, Starboardplane Airbnb felt like the real deal, complete with a +10 group GD and only allowing Adab to score twice as many goals as the past 3 did during the Octos. Sure, I can go on and on about the political circumference of modern day Gortolekua, and how that applies into the metaphysics of a football match between cats and telephone booths, but the game already ended and it was supposed to be a valiant end for us. GUESS NOT.

3-2, a daringly daring dare that kept the kitty cats afloat in the Undersea. Again, Otero came to the rescue, pushing 2 goals out of the hands of EFL's keeper, with Tanny Beckham able to knock in another past the little door on Yuvin O'Sullivan's crest. A true upset for the week-long ages, so long as you ignore the early fall of the tourney's 2-seed to a lousy 15-seed. What a silly number, I wonder who the second-to-last squad is made up of...

...What's this? We're playing them? And they're who now?

Semis: The Unavoidable Anaian Arc
DAMN IT.

Anaians, we can never escape the Anaians. Chromatika came into the KO's bruised and beat-up. A -1 GD, a grand total of 4 smackaroons to get em by, not to mention their recentmost ambushing by West Barack and East Obama. By all accounts, everything about the Junior Anomalies' run just groaned towards a plane ticket home via an winful Kriegiersien in Braggsville. Yet, they're still here. I saw it on Vanessa Tonick's souvenir bracket. What gives?

So the 3-0 literal cars lost against a bunch of high schoolers in penalties, 2-1 in penalties. Local pillow salesmen must've had a field day with that snooze fest. How nice of them, contributing to the economy of The Arcatas, they should stay for another quarterfinal or 12. Shoot, why not bring in the home-town heroes just to send them off!

...The Anomalies woke up after that. 6-2 against Gortolekua. casually shaming their regional brethren into the pit of footy oblivion. Absolutely merciless. Now they're figment of imaginationally here, at where I'll soon be, The Gymnasium in Munkkeja, now the favorite to advaceed into the Grand Finale at Kansanala versus either #1 Ceni or #4 Tumbra. The utmost ass-whooping is highly expected, even with the surprisingly strong wits and skills pertaining to our own Kuno Van Karson. Will the cinderella story that overstayed its expected timeslot continue into a gilded battle for the whole potato chip? Could Qasden make a probably undeserved, yet still nationally appreciated Top 3 with a bodacious Bronze? Everything's black and white, I should probably stop staring at the Chromatik flag so close. Stay tuned, stay updated, and stay alert for a possible third report, coming whenever I care to give a darn diddly damn.

by **Gortolekua** » Fri Aug 26, 2022 2:40 am

Losing this close to glory must hurt like a million papercuts. Cutoff!

Semi-Finals

Match S1 - Butcher's Shield, Rakkaudeton, Kenkuijo
Ceni 4-0 Tumbra

Match S2 - The Gymnasium, Munkkeja, Näytteet
Qasden 2-8 Chromatika

Concluding Matches

The Grand Final
Kansanala, Salmia District, Seinät Capital City
Ceni v. Chromatika

Third Place Play-Off
Sininen Linnoitus, Aurinkolasit, Mustamaa
Tumbra v. Qasden

RTC Under-18 World Cup 17 [rosters/RPs/results]

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