Jenna Raven Cup 4 Everything Thread

[Saterun]

Thank you to Sarzonia for graciously allowing us to use his previous OP as a structure.

Welcome one, welcome all to the fourth edition of the Jenna Raven Cup, also trading as the 17th edition of the Women's World Cup!

Format:
The SFF and FAC are happy to host the next edition of this tournament. Unlike in previous editions of the tournament, in which the group stage matches were hosted by the respective home team, with only the knockouts in Sarzonia, this tournament will be ICly held in Saterun and Baker Park for its entirety. As we have 20 nations currently signed up, the group stage will consist of 4 groups of 5 teams each, with a single round-robin format. There will be five matchdays in total, with each team having one bye MD. Following that, the four group winners will recieve byes into the quaterfinal round. Group runners-up and third placers will be put into a seeded Play-in Round, with A2 facing B3, B2 facing A3, C2 facing D3, and D2 facing C3. After the Play-in Round, it will be a straight bracket, with A1 facing Winner B2-A3, B1 facing Winner A2-B3, C1 facing Winner D2-C3, and D1 facing Winner C2-D3. The winners of the quaterfinals will play in the semis, and a third place match and Final will round up the tournament on the last day.

Scorination:
As BP stated in the Signup thread, SQIS formula with a daily RP bonus, and full day RP max bonus for a roster. As no ranks will be used RP bonus will be generous, with legitimate effort rewarded taking narrative, consistency and imagination into consideration. Please post a style mod in your roster, between -5 and +5, with -5 being ultra defensive and +5 being ultra offensive.

Schedule:

MD1: April 18(2v5,3v4,1 bye)
MD2: April 19(1v2,3v5,4 bye)
MD3: April 20(1v3,5v4,2 bye)
MD4: April 21(1v4,3v2,5 bye)
MD5: April 22(1v5,4v2,3 bye)
Play-in Round: April 23
Quaterfinals: April 24
Semifinals: April 25
Final & Third Place: April 27

Here's more technical information about how the tournament will operate. If you have any OOC questions or concerns, please direct them here. Thanks!

Cutoffs:
Baker Park: 2:00am UTC- 4:00am UTC
Saterun: 10:30pm UTC- 11:30pm UTC
*Important Note: Although it seems that Baker Park's cutoff is way before mine, it is actually the day after mine in UTC. It's a couple of hours later. Depending on where in the world you live, this might technically make the cutoffs on different days. Hope it's not a trouble.

Sorry for the differing cutoffs, but it seems we have different schedules/timezones. Hopefully, it's not a major inconvenience.

Tiebreakers between two teams:

To decide group seeding
1. H2H results
2. Head-to-head goal differential
3. Total goal differential
4. Total goals scored
5. ICly: Coin flip; OOCly: RP bonus
6. Playoff match

To decide knockout round standing for teams that did not face each other in the group stage
1. Total goal differential
2. Total goals scored
3. Fewest goals conceded
4. ICly: Coin flip; OOCly: RP bonus

For any three-or-more-way ties among group opponents, the following tiebreakers will apply:
1. Combined record against leveled opponents
2. Total goal differential in combined matches
3. Total goal scored in combined matches
4. ICly: Coin flip; OOCly: RP bonus

Should the tie be broken at any point in the above and eliminate one team from the tiebreakers, the tiebreakers will either revert back to the three-way tiebreakers in the case of it being more teams or will revert to the two-way tiebreakers listed above.

The group draw was done by random drawing of lots (OOC: by using http://www.randomlists.com).

The participating nations are as follows:

Baker Park
Saterun
Obrela
Galordia Minum (puppet of Obrela)
The Spartan Dominion
Abanhfleft
Atheara
Srednjaci
Raspotochje (puppet of Srednjaci)
Banija
Sarzonia
HUElavia
Qasden
The 14 Stars
Ile de Richelieu
Republica Federal de Catalunya
United Adaikes
Oberour Ar Moro
Lisander
Galliena (puppet of Lisander)

The Groups:

Groups A&B will ICly take place in Baker Park, and will be scored OOC by Saterun. Vice versa for groups C&D.

Group A
Raspotochje (puppet of Srednjaci)
Republica Federal de Catalunya
HUElavia
Galliena (puppet of Lisander)
The 14 Stars

Group B
Baker Park
The Spartan Dominion
Galordia Minum (puppet of Obrela)
Lisander
Atheara

Group C
Saterun
Sarzonia
Ile de Richelieu
United Adaikes
Obrela

Group D
Qasden
Oberour Ar Moro
Abanhfleft
Srednjaci
Banija

RP Permissions
If my opponent posts first, they
Can decide my scorers(Y/N):
Can give injuries to my players:
Can give red or yellow cards to my players:
Can godmod scoring events:
Can godmod other events:

Good luck to all participants!

[Saterun]

Welcome to Saterun!

Overview
Saterun is a mid-sized country, with the main island being about 230,000 square miles. The country has a population of 34,000,000. The people love sport, and the country is no stranger to hosting international teams. Saterun hosted editions I&II of the Lazarus Cup of Nations, a regional tournament for Lazarus. Tsear FC, whose home stadium will be used in the late stages of the tournament, hosted many teams during its run to the Associations Trophy Quaterfinals during the latest IFCF season. That stadium, the Tsear Tsuperdome, also hosted the finals of both the Liga B Champion's Trophy and the Rising Star's Cup of the same IFCF cycle. Each state has a specific culture and feel, with some big differences between east and west.

Culture
Although many small pockets of minority culture exist in Saterun, there are three main cultures: Agrillistic, Shaantam, and Bnadatish. Agrillistic culture prevails mainly in the west and southwest, and links to a hot summer climate. Possibly due to the climate, the people inhabiting these regions are generally laid-back, which gives Agrillistic culture as a whole a very calm feel. This region has produced many sports stars, mainly Justin Ydrossoponol and Appfel Maconaires. Shaantam, which prevails in the east, is very different. Although it too places importantce on sport, Shaantam culture also places extreme importance on hard work and education. It was this that let it seemlessly transition to being home of the new capital after the Civil War. The hotbeds of Shaantam culture, Anasb and Fontecoro, located on the southeast edge of the main island, will host several matches of the tournament. Bnadatish is a tough, northern culture. Generally resticted to the outer three islands, it encompasses the least amount of people. For someone without a firm grip on Saterun history, Bnadatish may feel entirely un-Saterun. The top three island were not originally part of the country, and were only added during the Reeskavov dynasty, hence their slight removal from the mainland.

Travel
Almost every major city has an international airport in Saterun. Airport codes are simple, with the first and last inital plus a number giving the name. For example, Anasb's airport code if AB4. Once you land, shuttles can take you throughout the airport and even sometimes into the nearby city. Saterun, being an island, also has many ports. The largest of these, Port of Ias, in the city of Ias, located in the southern state of Enhias, deals with thousands of passangers a day. Its shipping counterpart, also called the Port of Ias, deals with hundreds of thousands of containers a week. Of course, international trade is a major part of this, but domestic travel is often done on the sea too. On land, you can find primarily bus and metro travel. Cars are also plentiful on roads, and numerous car rental agencies are available to foreigners. Each team will be provided a seperate bus used to transport between the hotel and the stadium.

Lodging
Each host city is assigned a hotel for any teams that might be staying there. If your match is in:
Anasb- Karl Sommer Hotel and Resort
Fontecoro- The Graduate Hotel
Tsear- Grand Sízian Hotel
Daxler- Palomas Inn and Suites
Tammen- The Seaside Complex
Futsworth- Castle Resort
Xaiv- The Orbital Hotel and Restaurant
Ias- Crystal Rock Hotel
The hotels have been curated personally by the SFF, and are regarded as some of the best in the nation. Each team has an entire floor rented out for their stay. Of course, a team may have to play matches in different cities, in which case they will need to move hotels, and will get a new floor at a new hotel.

The Venues
Images of all the stadiums can be found here: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=sat ... id=1719247
A higher quality map can be found here: https://www.nationstates.net/nation=sat ... id=1804000

Both groups will have a designated area of the country for group stage play, with the teams that move on going throughout the country. Group C will be playing all of their groupstage matches in the Southeast Region (Anasb and Fontecoro). Group D will be playing all of their group stage matches in the South Region (Xaiv and Ias).

MD1
Group C- Sarzonia vs Obrela, Continental Field(32,000), Anasb|Ile de Richelieu vs United Adaikes, Fontecoro Municipal Stadium(22,000), Fontecoro
Group D- Oberour Ar Moro vs Banija, Hymes Road(32,000), Xaiv|Abanhfleft vs Srednjaci, Crescent Arena(19,900), Ias
MD2
Group C- Saterun vs Sarzonia, Continental Field(32,000), Anasb|Ile de Richelieu vs Obrela, Fontecoro Municipal Stadium(22,000), Fontecoro
Group D- Qasden vs Oberour Ar Moro, Hymes Road(32,000), Xaiv|Abanhfleft vs Banija, Crescent Arena(19,900), Ias
MD3
Group C- Saterun vs Ile de Richelieu, Continental Field(32,000), Anasb|Obrela vs United Adiakes, Fontecoro Municipal Stadium(22,000), Fontecoro
Group D- Qasden vs Abanhfleft, Hymes Road(32,000), Xaiv|Banija vs Srednjaci, Crescent Arena(19,900), Ias
MD4
Group C- Saterun vs United Adaikes, Continental Field(32,000), Anasb|Ile de Richelieu vs Sarzonia, Fontecoro Municipal Stadium(22,000), Fontecoro
Group D- Qasden vs Srednjaci, Hymes Road(32,000), Xaiv|Abanhfleft vs Oberour Ar Moro, Crescent Arena(19,000), Ias
MD5
Group C- Saterun vs Obrela, Continental Field(32,000), Anasb|United Adaikes vs Sarzonia, Fontecoro Municipal Stadium(22,000), Fontecoro
Group D- Qasden vs Banija, Hymes Road(32,000), Xaiv|Srednjaci vs Oberour Ar Moro, Crescent Arena(19,900), Ias

Playoffs
Play-in Round
C2 vs D3- Stade de Lume(40,000), Futsworth, 12:00
D2 vs C3- Stade de Lume(40,000), Futsworth, 16:00

Quaterfinals
Match 1: C1 vs D2/C3- Estadio Blanco Oro(59,000), Tammen
Match 2: D1 vs C2/D3- Tsear Tsuperdome(57,000), Tsear

Semifinals
Winner Match 1 vs Winner Match 2- Adam Antwerp Arena(55,000), Daxler

Final
@ Sultan Stadium(76,000), Anasb

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Map of Baker Park

The Commonwealth of Baker Park welcome the nations that will participate in Groups A & B for the 4th Jenna Raven Cup, also serving as the 17th Women's World Cup.

Baker Park is proud of the long list of major sporting events we've hosted, including AOCAF 58 & 65, World Cup 84 & 90, three different editions of the World Lacrosse Championships, the Under-18 World Cup, WGP2, AO Champions League and NSCF Championship Finals, plus many more.
We are one of the most popular tourist destinations in Atlantian Oceania as well as across the multiverse, with over 2.2 million visitors arriving each year--not including those who come to attend sporting events.

This JRC/WWC will bypass our capital and largest city Belle Haven, as well as the next three largest metro areas; this shouldn't deter you from working in a day trip during your visit if possible, as transportation to and from the city is easy and affordable (this is also true of Endborough, Oceana and Ezriquay, the others alluded to earlier).

Group A will have fixtures in the western and northwest part of the Commonwealth while Group B will be centered in the southeast; with a single exception in the knockout stage, the entire tournament will occur along an axis running northwest to southeast across the major geographic areas of the nation.

Shirley, the state capital of St Leon, the nation's sixth largest city and the primary hub of the mining and petroleum industries will stand in as the “host” of the tournament, with The Spartan Dominion versus Atheara match kicking off the BP side of the ceremonial opening at the CONAGCO Stadium (36,000); MacIlwaine Park Stadium in St Warren (23,000) will be the second venue in the city that is one of the IT capitals of the Commonwealth; and Jamestown's Claymore Ground (15,300) will be the other stadium used in the group stage.

Galliena went through the last JRC unbeaten but lost in the quarterfinals to HUElavia and they will meet again on matchday 1 at the Prince William Stadium in Newmarket (24,000), the primary Group A venue; Osheana State University's Falcon Stadium (20,000) will host three matches in the borough that every child learns is where the 'Trunk Line' ended and the 'Northern Line' originated from in the early railroading days; and finally Lima City Stadium (14,000) will get an opportunity to show off the most recent expansion of the ground in the aftermath of the club's National Conference title two seasons prior.

Full Fixture List
MD1
Group A—Catalunya v The 14 Stars @ Lima City Stadium; HUElavia v Galliena @ Prince William Stadium, Newmarket
Group B—The Spartan Dominion v Atheara @ CONAGCO Stadium, Shirley; Galordia Minum v Lisander @ MacIlwaine Park Stadium, St Warren
MD2
Group A—The 14 Stars v HUElavia @ Falcon Stadium, State University; Raspotochje v Catalunya @ Prince William Stadium, Newmarket
Group B—Atheara v Galordia Minum @ Claymore Ground, Jamestown; Baker Park v The Spartan Dominion @ MacIlwaine Park Stadium, St Warren
MD3
Group A—HUElavia v Raspotochje @ Lima City Stadium; Galliena v The 14 Stars @ Falcon Stadium, State University
Group B—Galordia Minum v Baker Park @ Claymore Ground, Jamestown; Lisander v Atheara @ CONAGCO Stadium, Shirley
MD4
Group A—Raspotochje v Galliena @ Prince William Stadium, Newmarket; Catalunya v HUElavia @ Falcon Stadium, State University
Group B—Baker Park v Lisander @ CONAGCO Stadium, Shirley; The Spartan Dominion v Galordia Minum @ Claymore Ground, Jamestown
MD5
Group A—Galliena v Catalunya @ Lima City Stadium; The 14 Stars vs Raspotochje @ Prince William Stadium, Newmarket
Group B—Lisander v The Spartan Dominion @ MacIlwaine Park Stadium, St Warren; Atheara v Baker Park @ CONAGCO Stadium, Shirley

Playoff @ Salisbury City Stadium
A2 v B3 14:30
B2 v A3 18:00

Quarterfinal
A1 v B2/A3 winner @ Newport City Stadium
B1 v A2/B3 winner @ Carrollton, Coolville

Semi-Final/3PPO
State Fairgrounds Stadium, Springfield

What to Know
Baker Park prides itself on the equality of citizens and the respect for the rule of law; we have an array of civil liberties that are important as the foundation of our society.
Most bars and pubs have closing time at 3am, and only such establishments that serve food can legally open prior to 11:15 am to serve alcohol. The legal age for purchase and consumption is 18.
We have legalized gambling in Baker Park; there is a modern casino downtown in Belle Haven as well as casinos in East Liverpool (just south of Endborough) and suburban Oceana. Additionally, there are video poker/slot facilities at various horse tracks.
Cannabis is legal for use and purchase, and prostitution is not illegal, but not technically legal either. By law, prostitution arrests can be charged as no more than minor misdemeanors, although in some places it is not a criminal offense at all.
Violent crime is extremely rare in the Commonwealth. There is a higher chance you will fall off a subway platform than be assaulted or robbed with a firearm, and we take enormous pride in the safety of our subways systems. 099 is the universal emergency response phone number, and especially in cities there are emergency call boxes that are well marked.

Police in Baker Park's largest cities have adopted a crowd control policy that is best described as 'hands off, but non-negotiable' for large gatherings involving sport. Generally a perimeter is established and intervention only occurs if danger to oneself or others is likely. They're not looking to arrest anyone, unless you go out of your way to give them a reason to.

People in Baker Park tend to be formal or deferential to strangers when you first meet them; this is something of an ingrained relic of the values and lessons of our ancestors, as 'propriety' is a word that every child & teen has drilled into their head from an early age. However, Parkers are extremely friendly and no one remains a stranger for long, as we are a curious nation eager to learn about people and cultures from across the multiverse.

You'll probably notice that we have a bit of Victoriana fetish here in Baker Park. You can't miss it even if you're only halfway paying attention. We have parks, buildings, bars, restaurants, streets and anything else you can think of named for Victoria, or some kind of reference to her; almost every adult over the age of 35 in this county knows some arcane trivia fact about the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Not because they necessarily want to.

Travel
Travel in Baker Park is easy and safe due to the modern mass transportation infrastructure that the country has built over the last 70 years. Connections to major cities are available via rail, road, plane or ferry. Rental cars are available at relatively modest rates, as competition is fierce among rental firms; almost any type of vehicle you might wish to hire is available, as the Commonwealth automobile market is made up of about 35% imports, so you'll find about any make or model you could imagine here.
A monument to the extensive public works initiatives introduced in the 1950's and 60's, Baker Park's limited access expressway grid connects all areas of the Commonwealth with the capital.
On major 'A' highways, the speed limit in less populated areas is 75, but that drops to 60 where the road goes through town and city centers.

The inter-city river ferry system is a popular option for travelers on day trips or weekend visits. There are vehicle and passenger-only options that operate on hourly schedules or dedicated point to point trips.

Money
Baker Park's currency is the CBP dollar; generally NS$ 1 is equivalent to about CBP$ 1.35. Exchange rates at retail level are consistent, but if in doubt use of credit/debit guarantees you will receive the most current one.
The monetary system is decimalized and denominations are 2, 5, 10 and 50 cent coins, 1 and 2 dollar coins, and 5, 10, 25, 100 and 500 dollar notes.
As a result of the 1998 elimination of the 1 cent coin, general practice throughout the county is to round up or down any prices that would result in purchases or change returned ending in 1 or 3 cents; for example, a merchant may keep the extra 1 cent if your change due is 3.31, or may return 2.54 if the amount due is 2.53 (merchants and vendors have through the years generally adapted pricing so this is a rare occurrence).

Baker Park has a national Goods & Services Tax (GST) on a wide array of products and services; it is a tiered structure based upon the retail cost, meaning you will pay a lower tax on cheaper items, and a higher tax on those that are more expensive. Visitors can apply for a refund of the Federal government share of GST (generally about 75% of the collected tax) by filling out a form with proof of purchase via sales receipts; ask at customs upon your departure for Form 85. In some cases, GST is incorporated into the price; for example an item that has a retail price of $1.80 is probably GST inclusive ($1.75 with a .05 tax) so this would not be refundable.
Cash gratuities for service are not expected, but are not uncommon. Generally, workers in hospitality and tourism are more accustomed to receiving small tips, but the level of service you receive is not affected if you choose not to do so. Workers at all levels of employment are paid under a scheme known as CLAWS (Classified Labor and Wage Scale) which ensures that citizens are compensated fairly and reasonably equal to their peers based on years of work and experience.

Food
Cuisine is not a word that conjures up thoughts of innovative technique, imaginative flavor combinations and visually stunning dishes in the Commonwealth. There isn't what you would call a native national dish or particular characteristic of taste combinations.
That's not to say that people don't eat well in this country, nor do they eat a particularly unhealthy diet; in fact, if you wanted to pinpoint one thing that differentiates Baker Park at the dining table, it's the idea of less is more. Go to a grocery store anywhere in the Commonwealth and browse the aisles where pre-packaged food is displayed—pick an item or two and flip over to the ingredient list; the thing that will strike you is probably the absence of many commonly used preservatives that commercial processors use throughout the world. There are no long words starting with mono-, dextro-, no gums or acids. No added coloring or flavors.
Because of the size of the country, it's not necessary for food to have a long shelf life, except in circumstances where you're dealing in staple items. We eat more of what people call 'raw food' than many industrialized nations, starting with cereals & grains. We grow enough wheat to provide the equivalent of an 80 pound sack to every man, woman & child annually, and about a similar amount of rye & barley combined. The whole kernels are often substituted where rice would be used in a dish (we import all of the rice used in this country, as it is one of the few crops that has never been successfully grown on a large scale here), so a rye or wheat berry pilaf is a ubiquitous presence on menus and at family meals. Corn & oats are also grown, although a greater percentage of annual yield goes to feed livestock than the others.
Obviously, bread is also an important element of the Baker Park diet; naval ships at sea bake bread fresh every day for their crews, and local, family-run bakeries are not yet a thing of the past here; it can be a lucrative profession to enter into, especially if combined with the ubiquitous BP establishment, the luncheonette.
Luncheonettes thrive across the nation, based on a simple theory that offering a simple menu of food that can be purchased and eaten on the go is more profitable than a large menu that has to be prepared on demand. They are generally cafeteria style service—you move along in a line, choosing from the assortment of items on offer, pay and away you go. Typically there will be 2-3 choices of cold salads, soups, sandwiches or hot food (casserole, meat pie, etc) and desserts, with a rotating selection daily.
Because traditional food is basic, imported cuisines are extremely popular as dine-in experiences; East Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, African and the usual variety of Italian, Greek, French, Spanish, and Caribbean restaurants can be found everywhere (and one reason why the government subsidizes the import of rice).

[Ile de Richelieu]

Équipe nationale féminine de football d'Île de Richelieu

Nation Information
Full Name: Île de Richelieu
Capital: Port Saint-Jean
Demonym: Richelois
Nickname: Cardinals

Short Nation History:

Île de Richelieu (formerly known as Jan Mayen Island) was discovered by Dutch explorers early in the 17th century and served as a whaling base until it was abandonned. France claimed the island in the 19th century and renamed it Île de Richelieu (Richelieu Island) but the island's jurisdiction was finally given to Norway. The French speaking majority, led by the clergy, declared the independence of Île de Richelieu in 1948.

Staff

Entraîneur-chef: Chantal St-Jacques
Assistant: Martine Desgroseilliers
Assistant: Marie-Lou Duranleau (Player-Coach)
Entraîneur des gardiens: None
Physiothérapeutre: Magnhild Karlsbakk

Roles

Captain: Marie-Lou Duranleau
Penalty Taker: Vanessa Barriault
Corners (left): Catherine Beauregard
Corner (right): Catherine Beauregard
Free Kicks: Jessica Rønningen or Fannie Murphy

Formation 3-4-3

S---PLEAU----BARRIAULT----MURPHY---
ACM--------------RØNNINGEN---------------
SM----HEGSTAD-----------------HAREL----
DCM-------------BEAUREGARD--------------
SD---THIVIERGE-------------DURANLEAU---
CD------------------SUNDBY------------------
GK-----------------GARIÉPY-----------------

Goalkeepers

1	GK	Roxanne Gariépy	        29	A.S. Saint-Ours
61	GK	Marianne Davies	        24	Port Saint-Jean FC
13	GK	Maude Gourde	        28	Viking FK Hammerfest

Side Defenders

5	SD	Marie-Lou Duranleau	28	A.S. Saint-Ours
6	SD	Florence Thivierge	34	Port Saint-Jean FC
17	SD	Amélie Caron	        30	A.S. Saint-Ours
2	SD	Laurence Aubé	        22	Port Saint-Jean FC

Central Defenders

16	CD	Katarina Sundby	        28	Viking FK Hammerfest  
47	CD	Kim Desmeules	        26	A.S. Saint-Ours
18	CD	Teresa Castillo	        26	Port Saint-Jean FC

Side Midfielders

8	SM	Frédérique Harel	32	Port Saint-Jean FC
7	SM	Erika Hegstad	        24	Viking FK Hammerfest  
76	SM	Mélanie Laviolette	25	Port Saint-Jean FC
43	SM	Lucie Rouillard	        25	Stade Jeannois
87	SM	Pamela Ducharme	        23	Stade Jeannois

Central Midfielders

25	CM	Catherine Beauregard	29	Stade Jeannois
15	CM	Jessica Rønningen	23	A.S. Saint-Ours
77	DCM	Astrid Kjellberg	22	Viking FK Hammerfest  
27	CM	Anna Frigault	        34	Stade Jeannois

Strikers

9	S	Vanessa Barriault	29	Port Saint-Jean FC
22	S	Geneviève Pleau	        31	Stade Jeannois
14	S	Fannie Murphy	        25	A.S. Saint-Ours
10	S	Kathy Vuong	        31	Port Saint-Jean FC
71	S	Virginie St-Cyr	        31	Port Saint-Jean FC
51	S	Jessica Clavet	        29	Viking FK Hammerfest

Style Modifier: +4

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes

[Atheara]

ATHEARAN NATIONAL TEAM - JENNA RAVEN CUP IV

It's that time of the year once again. As Atheara had missed out on the third edition of the Jenna Raven Cup, the team returns to the fourth edition hosted by Baker Park and Saterun to ensure they try to claim back the title of women's world champions. Largely in due to the fact that while Atheara won the first edition, The Frozen Regiment, or preferrably Det Frosne Regimentet didn't even exit the group stage in the second edition and as previously mentioned did not participate in the third. A few key members of the team have been replaced with a lot of newer members as several of the players decided that they would not want to join the national team for varying reasons. Not only that, Mira Natashia (The team manager) had resigned due to her wanting to focus on her family. Anandria Stertcthen replaces her as the team manager and head coach of the team as she has revamped the team as well.

No one is sure how well Atheara will do, but they'll be damned if they didn't even try.

ROSTER INFORMATION
Name: The Republic of Atheara
Formation: 4 - 1 - 4 - 1
Style Modifier: -4

TEAM MANAGEMENT
MANAGER: Anandria Stertcthen (42 Y/O)
ASS MANAGER: Dyvia Lanell - Myrta (39 Y/O)
ANALYST: Alina Zennedine (41 Y/O)
TEAM PHYSICIAN: Maya Lenneran - Swahia (40 Y/O)

PLAYERS
GOALKEEPERS
1 GK Irena Svaneska (31)
50 GK Amelia Westfield (30)
28 GK Katalunya Van De Isterra (23)

DEFENDERS
77 RB Kyria Cerestia (31)
11 RB Hacelyn Valerno (22)
15 RB Olivia Rivendottir (32)

2 CB Augusta Val Ikstowaris (19)
41 CB Lunna Hedavet (23)
76 CB Diana Kurettengard (32)
36 CB Natanya Kosdarez - Parceiva (24)
59 CB Madelaine Van De Bruztek (27)

37 LB Rena Lyanol - Hastens (30)
25 LB Aretna Alpien (28)
13 LB Risa Sakaturi (23)

MIDFIELDERS
18 DM Jerische Olsker Dorwietz (26)
54 DM Jennifer Innings (31)
61 DM Tiara Domenico Fretzopalto (27)
68 DM Novallyn Harnotawski (19)

45 CM Rinago Sunorika (20)
52 CM Kellerbeth Van Curtsben (24)
81 CM Erna Linotrovski (32)
5 CM Riana Tresselhouwe (31)
16 CM Hannah Kliefertropt (27)

18 RM Dominika Mercedes (26)
9 RM Olenyeva Farchaik (25)
26 RM Isska Neveril - Paiska (32)

23 LM Afierra Kiralski (33)
88 LM Fietra Van Tannabel (21)
74 LM Alvaria Rudendottir (19)

FORWARDS
17 CF Lille Danshouvera (33)
7 CF Ayera Livendottir (30)
4 CF Yunyr Fennesto - Garbaldi (18)
33 CF Sephir Iskola Nandaria (25)

RP PERMISSIONS
If my opponent posts first, they:
Can decide my scorers: Yes.
Can give injuries to my players: Yes.
Can give red or yellow cards to my players: Yes.
Can godmod scoring events: Yes.
Can godmod other events: Yes.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Football Association of the Commonwealth

Major Honors

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

Established in 1901, the FAC is the governing body of the sport in Baker Park, maintaining a registry of over 24,000 players between the ages of 11 and 80; 3,500 officials; 128 full member clubs and 350 associate member clubs; sponsoring 12 National Championships for men & women across all levels. in addition to 6 domestic cup competitions; and offering training programs for coaches and physiotherapists covering youth to professional certification.

All time match record—544 wins, 294 losses, 164 draws (1002 matches)
(current through World Cup 93)
NS Record—365 wins, 132 losses, 95 draws (592 matches)
KPB Ranking--25.65 (24th)
style--+2.8
Formation--3-4-1-2

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

*fast, short passing
*high lines & pressing
*offside trap
*technically sound
*not easily intimidated
*willing to play anyone, anywhere

National Anthem--"Hear Our Voices Commonwealth"

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

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

Coaching Staff

Manager: Kelly Bradbury (Jamestown City Ladies)
Assistant: Danielle Harper
Coaches: Ashley Delgarro, Sarah Giovanni (Jamestown City), Elaine King

GK
Shelly Duffy		23	Meadowdale Ladies FC
Amanda Fraley	        22	Brentford Ladies FC
Gillian Albertson	24	Westwood Sprites Ladies FC
DEF
Julie Morris		22	Greenlea United Ladies
Stacy Milner		24	Leiderkranz Ladies FC
Renee McKenzie	        21	Ellesmere Woods FC
Roberta Andrews	        21	Hamilton Wanderers Ladies FC
Karen Parsons		22	Forest Park SC
Maria Agustino	        23	Southend AC Ladies
Leah Moshtabai	        23	East Endborough AFC
MID
Cyndi Garfield		22	Haskins Blues AFC
Grace Douglas		22	Westwood Sprites Ladies FC
Stefanie Martini	21	Broadview AFC
Camille Prince		21	Westwood Sprites FC
Tina Elliot		23	Jacksonville City FC
Marcy Hohenstein	22	Far Hills SC
Belinda O'Rourke	22	Castleford FC
Darcy Seitzman	        22	Bergholz Caledonian FC
Chelsea Waters	        22	Meadowdale Ladies FC
FWD
Erika Riley		22	Clayton City Ladies FC 
Sandra Ikedieze	        21	Llewellyn Turnpike Ladies FC
Claudia Grayson	        21	Shirley Metros Ladies FC
Shelby Engels		24	Greenlea United Ladies FC
Sydney Kerwin	        23	Crusaders FC

Kit





Permissions
_________________________________________________________________________________

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

[Saterun]

Saterun Squad for the Fourth Jenna Raven Cup

style: +1.5

Manager:
Tara Grety

Starters:
Goalkeepers: Zoe Laguna
Defenders: Natalia Sanz, Kayla Hndotor, Abby Jogador, Meghan Richou
Midfielders: Selina Hemphet, Josephine Condora, Tessie Alden, Evie Dorodago
Forwards: Aika Hyaki, Mabel Westur

Bench:
Goalkeeper: Didi Derschramp
Defender: Ophra Aisol
Midfielders: Lily Arstong, Alice Qiu
Forwards: Celina Shatifa

Back again, the Claws are ready. They don't have the easiest group, with Sarzonia and Ile de Richelieu looking like real threats, but this team is prepared. A few of the old guard have stepped down, allowing for new talent like Hndotor to emerge. However, legends Laguna, Hyaki, and Captain Westur stay for another tournament. There's a real sense of belief in the camp right now, as the Claws think this just might be the one. On their home pitches throughout the tournament, no matter how far they go. It might finally be time. Last tournament was a bit of a disapointment, even though they won their group. Repeat that feat this time and they're garunteed the quaters. This Claws squad has a lot to offer, and are ready to show it.

RP Permissions
If my opponent posts first, they
Can decide my scorers(Y/N): Y
Can give injuries to my players: Y
Can give red or yellow cards to my players: Y for yellow, TG for red
Can godmod scoring events: N
Can godmod other events: Probably N

[Abanhfleft]

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ABANHFLEFT
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL TEAM - WOMEN'S

This is the fourth time that Abanhfleft will participate in both the Jenna Raven Cup and the Women's World Cup. The women's team has participated in a fair few number of World Cups, representing Abanhfleft in all of them, but this is the first time that they will be taking part in a tournament that is explicitly marked as the Women's World Cup. The Jenna Raven Cup was supposed to be a learning experience for some of the younger and fringe players in the Fleftic women's national team, and for the first time in a long time, this group of women learned what it was like to win an international championship.

BASIC INFORMATION
Name of nation: Democratic Republic of Abanhfleft
Demonym: Fleftic
Team colors: White (home), red and blue (away)
Style modifier: +2.5
Formation: 4-2-3-1 (This will be standard unless I change it through RPs)
Head coach: Kate Bernanos (57 y/o, Abanhfleft)

STARTERS
GK: Inocencia PENDERGRAFT 26 y/o, Ogovlich Medusas
Inocencia (or Ina for short because let's face it, Ina is much easier to say that Inocencia) is a good goalkeeper by most metrics. However, poor passing skills and the fact that her pace is pretty unsatisfactory in an era of sweepers pretty much kept her rooted to her current club in the second tier of the Fleftic Women's Premier League. She is pretty much expected to stick to staying inside her box as much as possible as she doesn't want her lack of pace to be exposed even more than it already is.

RB: Ilda FAUSTI 26 y/o, Uthilmir United
Ilda Fausti is, for all intents and purposes, a very good defender. She has good pace and can quickly recover from a situation where she might get caught out, and her stamina is in such an excellent state that she can cover the entire right flank for the entirety of the ninety minutes and still have enough to spare. The only thing she can't really do is score a goal, and that's not really part of the description of being a fullback, is it?

RCB: Rose BANE 27 y/o, Uthilmir United
Rose is perhaps the only member of the defense in that under-18 team in the 13th Under-18 World Cup who managed to escape that collapse with her reputation still fairly intact. Her reward for this is gaining a starting spot in the women's national team for the Jenna Raven/Women's World Cup. Rose generally has a good defensive head on her but is still often overcome by the rashness of youth. Age and experience has finally blunted her eagerness, but there are a few moments here and there where she will still go all in on that slide tackle.

LCB: Margo KAHN 27 y/o, Wanda Island Wanderers Women
On the surface, Margo looks like she's a very good defender, and to her credit, she is. It's just that the other parts of her game are very lacking, to say the least. She can't pass to her fellow center back or the goalkeeper to save her life, and once an opposing player gets past her, that's pretty much the end of Margo's defensive involvement. However, Margo is actually good in the air, and that makes her a threat in set pieces no matter who's taking them, her team or the opponent.

LB: Ashley JAXSON 25 y/o, Xemlice Rovers Ladies
There isn't a lot that makes Ashley stand out on the pitch. She's a good defender with average stamina and adequate pace, meaning that she can patrol the left flank to her heart's content so long as she isn't exerting herself. She can even send in the occasional cross, but don't expect it to do anything but hit the first defender trying to block it, and even then, Ashley understands that that isn't really part of her job description. But Ashley does stand out on the pitch literally as the only player six feet high or above currently representing the Lady Revolutionaries in this tournament.

RM: Whitney ZILAHI 25 y/o, Sarvusdalamoive Ladies
Another player whose looks (or more accurately, what her skills look like) are very much deceiving. Whitney looks like a box-to-box midfielder to the casual observer, and it would look like she has the skills to do the job. Her stamina and pace are both excellent for the job of going back and forth between the boxes, and her passing is so formidable that she can pretty much pass the ball wherever she wants. However, all of this hides the fact that she is actually a poor defender. Then again, with an enforcer like Tatiana Tos by her side, does Whitney really need to be that good at defending?

LM: Tatiana TOS 30 y/o, Xemlice Rovers Ladies , captain
Every team worth its salt needs an enforcer in the midfield, and Tatiana Tos is that enforcer. Tatiana was born in the Fhulghamous Peninsula but chose to represent Abanhfleft instead because the Fhulghamous' women's football program is simply woeful, to say the least. This will surely make her want to prove that she truly deserves the call-up to the senior Fleftic team. Five years on and she's still trying to prove herself as she's always been on the outside looking in. Maybe this time, she will finally prove herself to the SFA.

RW: Mae WILBANKS 27 y/o, Riuwiee United Women
Mae might just be the winger that Abanhfleft has been looking for all of these years. She has an engine that can make her go up and down the flanks for as long as she needs to, and she has those pinpoint-accurate crosses in her arsenal enabling her to find teammates in the middle of a sea of defenders. She can even get back and defend in the event of a counterattack; she's just that fast. But Mae is really at her best going down the wings and being a threat from the sides, and if she can't cross then she can just go for goal herself.

CAM: Josefine VITAGLIANO 26 y/o, Wanda Island Wanderers Women
Another bright spot in that disastrous DBC 48 campaign. Josefine would prefer to be able to become a second striker or a false 9 drifting in and out of pockets of space, and while she is still unable to do that at the moment due to tactics, at least being a central attacking midfielder puts her in a somewhat similar position. Josefine will just have to come from deeper from the field than she would like.

LW: Lily NATIVIDAD 28 y/o, Wanda Island Wanderers Women
Lily is of a similar mold to Mae Wilbanks, a creative and effective winger with the speed to come back and serve in defense if needed, but just like Mae, Lily is best utilized as an out-and-out winger who sends crosses into the box and provides a goalscoring threat for the opposition's defense to worry about. However, the one downside to Lily's game is that her stamina sucks. After playing sixty minutes, she just falls off a cliff and is barely even a player. But apart from that, she is no doubt a threat on the pitch.

ST: Hiroko KELLERMAN 29 y/o, Rosenpfelblatz City Women , vice-captain
Kellerman won the Golden Boot in the Fleftic Premier Development League 1 for Rosen City Women with a 23-goal haul in the 2028-29 season, earning her a promotion up to the senior women's team where she continued her goalscoring form with 21 goals for 2029-30, making her the highest goalscorer for the Citizens that season. She earned a call-up to the under-21 team for the 48th Di Bradini Cup, where she was one of the few bright spots in an otherwise disastrous campaign which once again convinced the SFA to boycott the Di Bradini Cup yet again. The boycott didn't last for long, but Hiroko herself has become a mainstay in the Fleftic women's team during that time, and she will continue leading the line in the Jenna Raven Cup.

RESERVES
GK: Ayesha OKAMURA 24 y/o, General Santos F.C. Femenina (Sultanate of Oontaz)

GK: Celina YUN YOUNG-JA 22 y/o, Xemlice Rovers Women

DF: Evridiki KONTOS 24 y/o, Marinos Thimpodopoulos Women (Fhulghamous Peninsula) playing in Abanhfleft

DF: Eloise PAVIA 28 y/o, Wanda Island Wanderers Women

DF: Victoriana MARAURI 22 y/o, All-Inclusive Haranguer

DF: Djemila KOUICI 24 y/o, Marinos Thimpodopoulos Women (Fhulghamous Peninsula) on loan from Riuwiee United Women

MF: Ingrid MINDORO 26 y/o, Wanda Island Wanderers Women

MF: Christieta-Jennifer MIREILLES 24 y/o, Eielo Sunlight Women

MF: Sasha LARUE 27 y/o, Sarvusdalamoive Ladies

MF: Mavis McGLAMERY 27 y/o, Eielo Sunlight Women

FW: Laura ABEL 22 y/o, Arsenal de Releinthi Women

FW: Jordyn BERNARDINO 27 y/o, Sporting Ceneisis Women

FW: Clare ADCOCK 25 y/o, Arsenal de Releinthi Women

KITS (by Adidulas)


SCHEDULE
TBA

FORMATION


RP PERMISSIONS
Choose my goalscorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: No
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but I decide the severity and length of time out
Godmod injuries to my players: No
Hand out yellow cards to my players: Yes (maximum of 6 per game)
Hand out red cards to my players: Yes, but only 1 per 2 games
Godmod other events: Contact me via TG or Discord first before proceeding
Style modifier: +2.50 (Positive two point five zero)

[Abanhfleft]

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

4TH JENNA RAVEN CUP: TIME TO DEFEND THIS BASTARD TITLE

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, just as I thought that I was going to have a slow and “relaxing” work month covering only the Campionato Esportiva and the Fhulghamous Peninsula (“relaxing” is in air quotes because we all know I’m never relaxed when it comes to watching football), we’ve now got the bloody Jenna Raven Cup as well! I mean, I was always going to cover that competition because Abanhfleft are in it and we’re also the bloody defending champions, but come on! The timing of your competition couldn’t have been any worse, Miss Raven. I am right in the middle of covering the Campionato Esportiva here, and I’m not sure I have the mental capacity to pay attention to two tournaments going on at the same time! But I’ve gotta do it anyway, if only for the apparent enjoyment of you bastards along with the fact that this is how I’m getting paid by Graham O’Doherty and company. But come on! This is the first time that I’ve ever seen a national team from Abanhfleft win a competition, any competition, and I’ll be damned if I miss our title defense, even if it ends up being finished in the group stage with four losses out of four. What can I say? I’m a bloody masochist.

But now that I’ve actually got my attention on the Jenna Raven Cup (for the time being at least), why don’t we take a bloody look at the other teams that we’ve got in our group? Well, will you look at that? All of these other countries in our group are as familiar to me as potatoes and foamy draft beer! I don’t see a single potential one-and-done in Group D, meaning that everyone in that group is going to be out for the blood of our ladies. Qasden, Oberour Ar Moro, Srednjaci, and Banija, all big names in the field of football, and teams that have passed us by while we wallowed in our own mediocrity. Thankfully, women’s football, or at least pure women’s football, is a different thing, and it currently looks like we are on the up. Of course, it could all change in the blink of an eye (“that’s football, baby!” said some guy I’ve forgotten the name of) but as long as Kate Bernanos and her girls carry out the same game plan that brought them success in the first place a few years ago, we should still be good for a few more days or weeks at least. But our groupmates are not going to make it easy. Never have and never will. That’s just the name of the game, and though of course I hate it when that happens, it’s just the nature of the beast that we’ve all chosen to follow.

Srednjaci will be our first opponent in the 4th Jenna Raven Cup, and it’s fair to say that they, just like us, haven’t had much of an impact on the international football scene. It’s like they’re just there, kind of just like Abanhfleft as well. You don’t expect them to do well, but when they do, you’re pleasantly surprised nonetheless. I see this as a potential banana peel for our defending Jenna Raven Cup champions, but then again, I see literally every bloody game as a potential banana peel for Abanhfleft no matter if we’re fighting for a title or defending it. I’ve just been disappointed for so many times that any time we get a modicum of success, I’m shocked beyond all else. I’m shocked that we managed to remain consistent for that long that we managed to get a title before the football gods realized their mistake. Could that happen again? Could lightning really strike twice for us? Or will the football gods keep a close eye on us this time around to make sure that we don’t sneak up on doubling up our success? All I’m saying is that I wouldn’t put it past them, and they might just decide that the match against Srednjaci is the perfect time to strike.

Banija is our next game after Srednjaci, and I don’t think anything more has to be said about them. They’re Banija, for crying out loud! They may have arrived at the scene later than we did, but they’re already fighting for World Cups while we’re still struggling to get out of the qualifiers! Just goes to show the difference between actual dedication and doing just enough to skate by on whatever. Also, the football gods never really liked us so they’re bound to favor any team not named Abanhfleft or affiliated with us in any way. Sorry about that, everyone from Pridnestrovia, Copper Cuprum, the Sultanate of Oontaz, and even the Federal Republic of Estorvipa and Estorpiva. If your teams start being shit in any football competition, it’s our fault because we roped your countries into becoming part of the Coalition, and I already said that the football gods have decided that anyone affiliated with Abanhfleft cannot ever experience the joy of winning silverware. Well, of course, that’s barring that one time when they forgot that we weren’t supposed to win the Jenna Raven Cup, but again I digress. That’s yet another opponent that will bring the fight to us in order to knock us off of our perch and grab the glory for themselves. That’s just the way the world works.

And then we have Qasden. Many years ago, Qasden looked like they were going to be on a similar tragedy as Banija. They started out a few years after we did, and I remember clearly that they managed to catch up to us and even surpass us within a few years of their first appearance in the World Cup qualifiers. And then things happened over there and they had to sit back and reassess their situation before coming back, and now they’re on their way to reestablishing their previous legacy over everyone else. Remember that time when they looked like they were going to take the basketball scene by storm? Yeah, that was happening around the same time that ambassador got kidnapped by some of our crazy so-called “Real Fans” and we had to bring in a special Republican Bureau of Investigation unit to rescue the ambassador? Yeah, those were real crazy times back then, but I’m sure as hell glad that we’ve gone way past that now! Sure, that was also the time when our basketball team was tearing through the IBC (only to come up short against the likes of Saint Kanye, but we don’t really talk about that now, do we?) but we are definitely much better off in all of the other departments, and I’m not really keen on nostalgia trips all that much. Yeah, I said it. Sue me.

And last but most definitely not the least, we have Oberour Ar Moro. Now this is a team that we should all be somewhat familiar with because they were in the same qualifying group as we were in the previous World Cup cycle. Yeah, they got the better of us on both occasions but we still definitely know about the country named Oberour Ar Moro. There’s no telling how their women’s team is going to play against us, but if all of our previous games are any indication, they’re also going to give us a run for our money. Maybe even literally, but who knows? I’m only asking because I remember bumping into some OAM fans or whatever during our home match against them and, I kid you not, I couldn’t find my wallet after that! Of course, it’s perfectly plausible that it was another Fleftic who actually picked my pocket that time, and I wouldn’t really put it past us to do that. We as a people don’t really care a lot about everyone else until they’re directly beneficial to us, so whatever. OAM are our last opponents, and I expect them to give us a tough time just like what their men’s team did us in the World Cup qualifiers before.

Anyway, that’s all that there is from me now. If you’ve got thoughts or comments of your own about our groupmates in Group D or predictions against Srednjaci then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I’ve been the Man from Markovsky, hoping that I finally will go through an entire tournament without experiencing any disappointment related to my country.

[United Adaikes]

After 4 yours, the fine ladies from the United Adaikes are back! While they have brought the same faces, there is a lineup change in midfield. And there is a new coach!

Head Coach	Teri Kersey	F	43	Gasple Dynamic
Asst Head Coach	Cody Gates	M	49	Bridlo Riddles
Asst Coach	Pearlie Ruiz	F	47	Gasple Dynamic
Asst Coach	Maurene Atkins	F	44	Gasple Dynamic
GK Coach	Melvyn Adkins	M	43	Bridlo Riddles

Pos	Name			Nr	Age	Team				Remarks
GK	Lora Barnet		23	34	North Shil Silent Vipers	
DF	Nova Fields		15	32	Gasple Dynamic	
DF	Leta Delgado		3	32	Bridlo Riddles	
DF	Lorainne Kennard	4	32	East Fairdesshields Eagles	Vice-captain
DF	Mimi Yoxall		14	28	Perthdoches Hyenas	
MF	Liv Torres		27	28	Gasple Dynamic	
MF	Chelsea Haley		30	28	Perthdoches Hyenas	
MF	Christi Lamb		26	29	Fort Bloom Crocodiles	
MF	Joanne Lane		9	35	Wrarnerbadshot Watchers		Captain
FW	Raelyn Weston		10	31	North Shil Silent Vipers	
FW	Sonya Kynaston		20	32	Wrarnerbadshot Watchers	
GK	Mikki Walters		24	34	Wrarnerbadshot Watchers	
FW	Marylu Everett		21	36	East Fairdesshields Eagles	
DF	Leire Lowry		13	38	Fort Bloom Crocodiles	
MF	Magaly Close		32	29	Bridlo Riddles	
DF	Arin Scriven		28	28	East Fairdesshields Eagles	
FW	Alivia Quincy		22	29	Steskia Kings	
DF	Nayara Madison		29	27	Steskia Kings	
MF	Alexina Willoughby	25	38	Fort Bloom Crocodiles	
FW	Everlee Small		31	29	Wrarnerbadshot Watchers	
MF	Lorie Marsh		6	36	Perthdoches Hyenas	
FW	Shantel Magro		33	27	Perthdoches Hyenas	
GK	Laura Quincy		12	39	Gasple Dynamic

Style Mod: +1.7


Kits with the United Adaikes National Football Team logo on the white sleeve of the uniform

Home Stadium:

One of the two football stadiums in the capital of the Sports Capital of the country, in Steskia, Thraproy, the United Adaikes Sports Arena is the second-largest sporting stadium in the United Adaikes. It has a seating capacity of 57, 000.

RP Permissions:

If my opponent RPs our match first, they may:
Choose my scorers: Yes.
RP injuries to my players: TG me here in NS/DM me in Discord first.
Suspend my players: TG me here in NS/DM me in Discord first.
Godmod scoring events: No.
Godmod injuries to my players: No.
Godmod suspension events: No.
Godmod other events: Yes, but TG me here in NS/DM me in Discord first.

[Saterun]

MD1

Group A
Republica Federal de Catalunya 0–0 The 14 Stars @ Lima City Stadium
HUElavia 1–0 Galliena @ Prince William Stadium, Newmarket

Teams                                 Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 HUElavia                              1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
2 Republica Federal de Catalunya        1    0   1   0     0    0    0     1
  The 14 Stars                          1    0   1   0     0    0    0     1
4 Galliena                              1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0
5 Raspotochje                           0    0   0   0     0    0    0     0

Group B
The Spartan Dominion 0–2 Atheara @ CONAGCO Stadium, Shirley
Galordia Minum 3–1 Lisander @ MacIlwaine Park Stadium, St Warren

Teams                   Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Galordia Minum          1    1   0   0     3    1   +2     3
2 Atheara                 1    1   0   0     2    0   +2     3
3 Lisander                1    0   0   1     1    3   −2     0
4 The Spartan Dominion    1    0   0   1     0    2   −2     0
5 Baker Park              0    0   0   0     0    0    0     0

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Cutoff for Groups C & D

Group C
Sarzonia 1–2 Obrela
Ile de Richelieu 2–1 United Adaikes

  Group C              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Ile de Richelieu       1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
  Obrela                 1   1  0  0    2   1  +1    3
3 Sarzonia               1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
  United Adaikes         1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0

Group D
Oberour Ar Moro 4–3 Banija
Abanhfleft 7–2 Srednjaci

  Group D              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft             1   1  0  0    7   2  +5    3
2 Oberour Ar Moro        1   1  0  0    4   3  +1    3
3 Banija                 1   0  0  1    3   4  −1    0
4 Srednjaci              1   0  0  1    2   7  −5    0

[Atheara]

Atheara's return to the Jenna Raven Cup has started off rather well.

On the first matchday, The Frozen Regiment / Det Frosne Regimentet would be facing off against The Spartan Dominion at CONAGCO Stadium in Shirley, at Baker Park. Being unable to play on your own home ground was a bit of a saddening fact for the team, but they did their best to not let it get to them. The team line up for the match was as follows (From goalkeeper up towards forward, right to left (Bolded name was the captain)): SVANESKA, CERESTIA, VAL IKSTOWARIS, KURETTENGARD, ALPIEN, FRETZOPALTO, MERCEDES, SUNORIKA, TRESSELHOUWE, RUDENDOTTIR, and DANSHOUVERA. Several new players would be making their debut and they impressed rather well, especially Mercedes as she garnered Player of the Match with a goal and an assist to her name.

The game kicked off as Atheara started with the ball. The team played rather possessively and waited as The Spartan Dominion tried to attack. But they would be unable to start an offensive due to the team controlling possession, so they started an attack of their own. Right as the clock hit the 30th minute, Dominika MERCEDES received the ball from Tiara Domenico FRETZOPALTO and she dribbled through the Dominion's right side. She did a one-two pass with Rinago SUNORIKA and headed for the corner flag. When she was cornered, she dribbled the ball between one of the Dominion player's fullbacks and crossed it into the box, where Lille DANSHOUVERA headed it in to make the score 1 - 0. Anandria Stertcthen reportedly had a smile on her face when the team scored their first goal in a while. The first half ended 1 - 0 for Atheara with nothing else of note, which was still a good start for the team's return.

Anandria Stertcthen made two substitutions for half time, those two substitutions being Hacelyn VALERNO for Kyria CERESTIA and Afierra KIRALSKI for Alvaria RUDENTDOTTIR. The team continued to play defensively throughout the match, but this time there was a bit more action in the second half. Diana KURETTENGARD apparently was sent off in the 67th minute with a red card when she tackled of the the Dominion's players in her own box which gave The Spartan Dominion a penalty. However, Irena SVANESKA was able to save the shot from going in by diving right and parrying the ball above the crossbar. Atheara's second goal would come far later at the 81st minute, when DANSHOUVERA was tackled in the penalty box by one of the Dominion center backs. It was a given penalty, however she decided to give MERCEDES the penalty as a small payment for the assist from the first goal. Dominika lined up the shot straight down, no tricks or tomfoolery as she striked it 2 - 0 for Atheara.

Overall, the team has been satisfied with their current result. The manager commented that, "The team has done above my expectations for our return. And we hope to continue this good result into further matches." This team has won the tournament before and they aim to do even better. Let's hope that becomes reality, especially with many new players on the team learning from their vetears with an experienced winner at the wheel. Up next is Galordia Minum at Claymore Ground in Jamestown.

[Republica Federal de Catalunya]

Sorry, I didn't post before Because of lack of time... Studing, Working and my GF birthday.

Nation Information
Full Name: República federal de Catalunya
Capital: Barcelona
Demonym: Català (masc) Catalana (fem) Catalans (masc plural) Catalanes (fem plur)
Nickname: Les Blaves (the blue (colour) ones) kit Adidas Away Colours Yellow- Red

Manager: Roger Garcia Junyent and Natàlia Arroyo
used formations 4-1-2-3 Wide 4,4,2 wide 4,2,3,1 Wide and 3-4,3

selected players 25

GK 3
1 POR Laura Ràfols 23 de juny de 1990 FC Barcelona
13 POR Esther Sullastres 20 de març de 1993 Llevant LP
25 POR María José Pons 8 d'agost de 1984 CE Barcelona

DF 9
Defenses
2 DEF Kenti Robles 15 de febrer de 1991 Atlético de Madrid
3 DEF Maria Estella del Valle 10 de juny de 1994 Girona CF
4 DEF Elba Vergés 4 d'octubre de 1995 CE Barcelona
5 DEF Andrea Pereira 19 de setembre de 1993 Atlético de Madrid
12 DEF Berta Pujadas 9 d'abril de 2000 FCB Barcelona
18 DEF Núria Mendoza 15 de desembre de 1995 Reial Societat
21 DEF Leila Ouahabi 22 de març de 1993 FC Barcelona
22 DEF Paola Soldevila 7 de desembre de 1996 Atlético de Madrid
17 DEF Marta Torrejón 27 de febrer de 1990 FC Barcelona

MiD 8
Migcampistes
14 MIG Vicky Losada (2C)5 de març de 1991 AS Roma
6 MIG Alèxia Putellas (C)4 de febrer de 1994 FC Barcelona
23 MIG Aina Torres 26 de febrer de 1992 Club Gimnàstic
24 MIG Brenda Pérez 26 de juny de 1993 CE Barcelona
8 MIG Aitana Bonmatí 18 de gener de 1998 FC Barcelona
10 MIG Georgina Carreras 9 de juny de 1989 València
15 MIG Ainhoa López 8 de gener de 1999 Girona CF
27 MIG Alba Aznar 2 de setembre de 1993 Llevant CF

Dav 5
Davanteres
9 DAV Carolina Férez 26 de juny de 1991 València
11 DAV Dèbora García 17 d'octubre de 1989 València
19 DAV Marta Corredera 8 d'agost de 1991 Atlético Madrid
7 DAV Olga García 1 de juny de 1996 FCBarcelona
29 DAV Carla Gómez 28 de febrer de 1994 CE Sabadell

[Saterun]

MD2

Group A
The 14 Stars 2–1 HUElavia @ Falcon Stadium, State University
Raspotochje 2–3 Republica Federal de Catalunya @ Prince William Stadium, Newmarket

Team                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Republica Federal de Catalunya    2    1   1   0     3    2   +1     4
2 The 14 Stars                      2    1   1   0     2    1   +1     4
3 HUElavia                          2    1   0   1     2    2    0     3
4 Raspotochje                       1    0   0   1     2    3   −1     0
5 Galliena                          1    0   0   1     0    1   −1     0

Group B
Atheara 3–0 Galordia Minum @ Claymore Ground, Jamestown
Baker Park 1–0 The Spartan Dominion @ MacIlwaine Park Stadium, St Warren

Team                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Atheara                 2    2   0   0     5    0   +5     6
2 Baker Park              1    1   0   0     1    0   +1     3
3 Galordia Minum          2    1   0   1     3    4   −1     3
4 Lisander                1    0   0   1     1    3   −2     0
5 The Spartan Dominion    2    0   0   2     0    3   −3     0

[Saterun]

Press Conference with Aika Hyaki, pre-match vs Sarzonia

Aika Hyaki: Thank you for all coming to this press conference. I have a feeling that there's going to be a lot to talk about, so let's get started.

Lisa Kemppel, Saterun Sport Daily: How does it feel to be back in this tournament, and what are you hoping to achieve?

AH: Obviously, it feels great to be back. This is the tournament where Saterun's ladies get to shine, and I think we've had moderate success here. Of course, having the all of our games here in Saterun will also be a huge morale boost. I think we can do a lot this time round, especially with the crowd behind us. I have a feeling this is going to be a special one.

Tay Doherty, STV: Some of the squad has been rotated. How do you feel about that, and does that affect your confidence levels?

AH: I think that it's time for rotation to happen. Obviously, we're not as young as that squad that first took the field back in the very first edition of this tournament, and change is always necessary. I still think I have a bit to go, and there are some exciting prospects in our squad. I think there is more to come from this new-ish group. I think that, inside the dressing room, we know that we don't know what to expect, but that it could be great.

Sammy Tashmund, Saterun Daily News: Your first game is against Sarzonia. After their opening defeat to Obrela, they don't seem quite the team you beat in the semis in the JRC 1. Any comment?

AH: Yes. Although it may take them time to get off the ground, I think that this Sarzonia squad will get it done. I fully expect them to progress from the group. That being said, I think we have a really good shot of pulling a win out of today's match.

William Gonzales, Tammen Chronicle: There's definetily some new blood in this tournament. Who do you expect to be the surprise story here?

AH: I think Catalunya and Ile de Richelieu have been good. I think our meeting with Ile will be a clash to remember, and I'm glad Catalunya isn't in our group. I think this is a perfect tournament for teams that haven't competed internationally before. I mean, the first JRC was Saterun as a whole's very first international sporting event. And yet, we took the final to the penalty spot.

Emily Khamed, Anasb Tribune: And now for the favorites. Abanhfleft, as always, is looking dangerous. So is Atheara. How do you think those teams will fare?

AH; If you're talking favorites, you can't get closer than that. Both, as you probably know, are previous winners. Having played against both in the inaguaral JRC, I can tell you firsthand that they are good teams. This latest run of fixtures has just confirmed it. I think they'll both make it to the semifinals. Along with us, of course.

Andy Jain, The Seaboard Story: And who, pray tell, do you expect the fourth semifinalist to be?

AH: Either our co-hosts, Baker Park, or Catalunya. Of course, Qasden hasn't got a chance to play, so they might also bring the heat as a former champion. It's hard to say. Any way it goes, I know it'll be a great tournament. Thank you all for attending.

[Oberour Ar Moro]

Dominion of Oberour Ar Moro
National Woman's Football Team

Denonym: Oberours
Association: Ministry of Culture Football Management Committee (FMC)
Region: Rushmore
Trigramme: OAM
Head Coach: Meric de Seris, age 30

Starting XI

GK 1 Gallez le Du, age 22
LB 2 Annaïg Morteliere, age 22
RB 3 Victoire Par-Reson, age 21
SW 10 Osane Thibeault, age 22
SW 11 Catherina le Tuilier, age 23
LM 5 Marie d'Esclainvilliers, age 20
RM 6 Claire Escude de Bouchavannes, age 20
CM 4 Bourgot du Colombie, age 20
LW 7 Isabelot le Vilotier, age 22
RW 8 Katharine de Champgirault, age 21
ST 9 Susanne Coeur, age 22

Reserves

GK 12 Klara Mirgesse, age 21
GK 24 Armelle Vachiere, age 21
LB 14 Saintisme de Maris, age 23
RB 15 Eléonore Cocheteux, age 19
SW 22 Coustance Espi, age 22
SW 23 Lucrèce de Saint-Ignoroc, age 23
CM 16 Anne Çavetiere, age 22
LM 17 Gwenn Coille-Noire, age 20
RM 18 Edelinne de Brienne, age 22
LW 19 Fleur dit Preudome, age 21
RW 20 Guénaelle de Valaines, age 19
ST 21 Jaqueline Kervéguérin, age 22

Formation

First and Second-Choice Shirts

RP Permissions

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my scorers: Yes
Choose my scoring events: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes, but please TG or message me on Discord beforehand
RP injuries to my players: Yes
Godmod Injuries to my players: Yes, but please TG or message me on Discord beforehand
Give Yellow Cards to my players: Yes
Give Red Cards to my players: Yes
Godmod other events: Yes, but please TG or message me on Discord beforehand

Style Modifier: +5

[HUElavia]

HUElavia National Football Team

Uniforms
Goal Song
Style: +2.5

Squad:
Goalkeepers-
#1: Bianca Peirano
(23 Years Old) (1.84 m) (HUEsilia FC)
#12: Aida Mato
(18 Years Old) (1.82 m) (RCD Xinzo)
#23: Vitoria Bares
(22 Years Old) (1.80 m) (Real Curumba CF)
#27: Naora Yamashita
(34 Years Old) (1.77 m) (SC Toin)

Defenders-
#2: Yulia Kholodova
(24 Years Old) (1.80 m) (CB) (Dynamo Bolovets)
#3: Diana Tarragona
(21 Years Old) (1.76 m) (CB) (FC Santiago)
#4: Pirra Asteinza
(18 Years Old) (1.70 m) (LB-RB) (Athletic Club Itio)
#5: Cíntia Couto Chagas
(23 Years Old) (1.70 m) (RB-LB) (Real Curumba CF)
#12: Umeko Wakai
(22 Years Old) (1.68 m) (LB-RB) (SC Yatagarasu)
#15: Ah-Ra To
(19 Years Old) (1.66 m) (RB-LB) (Solea FC)
#16: Mayta Curichimba Cuya
(27 Years Old) (1.65 m) (CB) (RCD San Rafael)
#18: Gisele Lacerda do Amaral
(27 Years Old) (1.72 m) (CB) (FC Santos)
#26: Qaylla Cancha Huyhua
(23 Years Old) (1.66 m) (CB) (Kuelap CF)


Midfielders-
#6: Ayuka Koga
(22 Years Old) (1.58 m) (CM-AM) (SC Yatagarasu)
#8: Clara Belluci Barreto
(27 Years Old) (1.65 m) (DM-CM) (FC Portimao)
#10: Natália Pinheiro de Assunção
(19 Years Old) (1.67 m) (CM-AM) (FC Santos)
#14: Natalie Arboleda
(19 Years Old) (1.69 m) (DM-CM-AM) (HUEsilia FC)
#19: Isabella Douglas
(18 Years Old) (1.70 m) (DM-CM) (SL Rigente)
#22: Se-Ah Si
(23 Years Old) (1.63 m) (DM-CM-AM) (Goang FC)
#25: Matilda Panzarino
(21 Years Old) (1.70 m) (DM-CM) (AC Romano)

Attackers-
#7: Rosa Fagundes Neves
(19 Years Old) (1.65 m) (LW-RW) (HUEsilia FC)
#9: Hye-Soo Hwangbo
(22 Years Old) (1.62 m) (CF-ST) (International Curumba)
#11: Rebecca Dupont
(18 Years Old) (1.64 m) (RW-LW) (Olympique de Lourdes)
#17: Milia Amezcua
(22 Years Old) (1.70 m) (LW-RW) (Athletic Club Itio)
#20: Carminda Yance Fazon
(19 Years Old) (1.64 m) (ST-CF) (Solea FC)
#21: Suyai Benítez
(21 Years Old) (1.66 m) (RW-LW) (San Franco CF)
#24: Karla Limgo Ancheta
(22 Years Old) (1.68 m) (CF-ST) (Manilla CF)

Head Coach:
Lester O'Reagan (41 Years Old) (QUE)

Assistant Coaches:




Starting XI:

Roles-
Captain: Hwangbo
Vice-Captain: Kholodova
Free-Kicks: Pinheiro
Penalties: Hwangbo
Corners: Koga

RP Permissions
Choose my goal scorers: Yes
Godmod scoring events: Yes
RP injuries to my players: Yes, but nothing severe
Godmod Injuries to my players: Yes, but nothing severe
Suspend my players: Yes, but be reasonable
Godmod suspension events: Yes, but be reasonable
Godmod other events: Yes

[Obrela]

Obrelan Women's Football Team

Formation: 4-3-3
Modifier: -1
Head Coach - Alipate Tuifua
Assistant Coach - Ratu Lote Tagivakatini
Goalkeeper Coach - Tausi Sina
Team Manager - Amina Bakoa
Fitness Coach - Viliame Matai
Physiotherapist - Sione Talakai
Analyst - Eroni Tukana
Kit Manager - Mateo Loko

Squad

(Assume that the first players in the list are in the starting 11)

Goalkeepers:

#1: Opetaia Savaliga
(28) (5'9'') (GK)
#18: Pule Kuresa
(25) (5'8'') (GK)
#21: Ana Finau
(23) (5'7'') (GK)
#30: Luseane Pome'e
(20) (5'6'') (GK)

Defenders:

#2: Teuila Vao
(29) (5'6'') (RB - CB)
#3: Fane Lokotui
(32) (5'7'') (CB)
#4: Malia Faletau
(27) (5'8'') (CB)
#6: Kitiona Salesa
(24) (5'5'') (RB)
#12: Hina Tofua
(21) (5'7'') (Center Back)
#15: Seini Sisi
(28) (5'6'') (Center Back)
#16: Ana Maka
(23) (5'5'') (Left Back)
#22: Lolohea Tonga
(22) (5'6'') (Right Back)
#23: Mele Tau
(26) (5'7'') (Center Back)

Midfielders:

#7: Mafi Leha
(27) (5'4'') (Defensive Midfield)
#8: Alisi Fakalata
(26) (5'6'') (Central Midfield)
#10: Lolohea Tuita
(29) (5'5'') (Attacking Midfield)
#11: Salote Moala
(24) (5'7'') (Central Midfield)
#13: Kesaia Palu
(23) (5'6'') (Defensive Midfield)
#14: Moana Vea
(22) (5'4'') (Central Midfield)
#19: Sulia Mahe
(20) (5'6'') (Attacking Midfield)

Forwards:

#9: Mele Tuikolovatu
(30) (5'7'') (Center Forward)
#17: Hulita Tuipulotu
(25) (5'5'') (Left Forward)
#20: Lusia Talakai
(24) (5'6'') (Right Forward)
#24: Sisi Lutui
(22) (5'7'') (Center Forward)
#27: Akanesi Vakalahi
(20) (5'5'') (Right Forward)
#29: Ana Latu
(21) (5'6'') (Left Forward)
#32: Mele Koloamatangi
(23) (5'7'') (Center Forward)

RP Permissions
If my opponent posts first, they
Can decide my scorers(Y/N): Yes
Can give injuries to my players: Yes
Can give red or yellow cards to my players: Yes
Can godmod scoring events: Yes
Can godmod other events: Yes

[Abanhfleft]

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

4TH JENNA RAVEN CUP: YEAH, I THINK I'LL TAKE THAT

Hello and welcome to The Football Fallacies. Right, well, so far it looks like our defense of the Jenna Raven Cup is going much, much better than anticipated! I don’t know how long it’s been since I last saw a team from Abanhfleft score seven goals or more against another opponent in the long time that I’ve been watching national team football, and that counts the times I’ve been watching these games before I got hired for Gaelic Gamers! In any case, this might be the first time in a long time that I’ve seen Abanhfleft score seven goals in a single game, and for once, I’m just happy to have seen it happen in the first place. I saw it live, but not in the flesh, because there’s just no way that I can afford tickets to bloody Saterun in this economy. I couldn’t even afford economy class tickets on my salary! But I still managed to catch the game on my laptop, even if I had to go on yet another dodgy website just to be able to watch it because I’m also too poor to get a subscription for the sports channel, but you all didn’t really need to know that. I was just faffing out because I get paid by the word over here.

Right, now that I’ve got all of that out of the way, let’s talk about this bloody match! Now don’t get me wrong, I do believe that Srednjaci are a great country and have some great teams in them, but like a lot of countries not named Banija, they haven’t done anything of note in the biggest football stage of them all, the World Cup qualifiers. I may be wrong about this but I don’t think they’ve made it into the World Cup finals itself? Maybe once or twice, but I’m not being paid to follow them around so I wouldn’t know much of anything about their history. Anyway, they were the team that our ladies would have to face first on their road to defending their Jenna Raven Cup championship, and the ladies would have to get their first win sometime soon, right? Good thing we didn’t have to wait too long for said first win in the tournament, or else I would have been beside myself yet again. Then again, I’m almost always beside myself every time I watch a game of football so what’s really changed in the grand scheme of things then?

A lot of things happened right for the Lady Revolutionaries in this game, so many that I don’t even know where to bloody start! Hiroko Kellerman was a scoring machine as always, nabbing a hat trick in the very first game of the competition. I can’t even remember if she got a hat trick in the previous JRC but I don’t think she really cares about that. I think she cares more for that Jenna Raven Cup now proudly displayed in her trophy cabinet. At least I think she’s proudly displaying that thing in her home, but who am I to say that? I don’t bloody know her at all! And I’m also supposed to bloody hate her guts because she plays for the team that must not be named when she isn’t representing the blue, orange, and green. But getting away from that touchy topic, Lily Natividad was also great for the 65 minutes that she was on the pitch, and Josefine Vitagliano was also good. Really, everyone out there who played for Abanhfleft was killing it, which was unfortunate for Srednjaci but good for us. I know it was definitely good for me because for the first time in a long time, I had fun watching a game of football! The only problem I really have with the fact that the ladies scored seven goals is that it’s going to be bloody difficult for me to recap them all, but then again, I did mention that I get paid by the word, so this should actually be a good thing for me. I’m just a lazy bastard at the end of the day.

All right, now where the fuck should I begin with this? Probably right at the start, because that’s always a good place to start no matter what kind of game we’re talking about. The ladies were just ready and waiting to play a game of football, and at the moment it doesn’t look like they really care who they’re going up against. They just want to play, and they want to defend their trophy while doing so, and Srednjaci were the ones unlucky enough to be in the way when it happened. I already said before that Josefine Vitagliano was absolutely unplayable on the day, and she showed us all exactly why that was so within the first five minutes of the game. She was literally pulling the strings from her place in the middle of the pitch, and everyone else mesmerized to the point of hypnosis. Her teammates were following her every move and her opponents were going straight into the places where they could do the least damage to our chances. That probably explains why we went three goals up inside 25 minutes and never really looked back. I mean, if Josefine is feeding you chance after chance with open shots at goal almost every single time, you better be converting them or else she might decide that you’re no longer part of her plans!

Hiroko Kellerman got her name on the scoresheet. That was pretty much a given now that Abanhfleft had Srednjaci right where the Lady Revolutionaries wanted them. Lily Natividad got on the scoresheet as well. Ashley Jaxson got her name on the scoresheet as well, as if we were showing that we were capable of scoring from literally everywhere. Heck, even Tatiana Tos found a way to score a goal in the second half, and that woman never scores goals unless it’s for the national team! All of this just goes to show just how much Abanhfleft were burying Srednjaci in an avalanche of balls that never looked like they were going to stop. The only time that the ladies looked kind of vulnerable was when Srednjaci somehow managed to find their way towards the goal in the early minutes of the second half and both Rose Bane and Margo Kahn forgot how to defend for a split second or two. Christ above, was that a preview of what’s going to be in store for us in the next few weeks? Is it gonna look like Abanhfleft are going to have their fun for a little while before the football gods finally strike us down once again just as we’re feeling we’re right back on top of the world? It really does feel like either one of Margo or Rose is going to have a brain fart in a very important game and that’s what’s going to end up costing us. I can bloody feel it in my bones, and I’m not talking about the arthritis!

Yeah, the football gods really like taunting us just a little bit here and there, don’t they? The more Internet-literate generation would even say that the football gods like to do a little trolling on Abanhfleft. And it really did seem like they were toying with us when Rose Bane experienced another brain fart and turned over the ball to a Srednjaci player in a dangerous area, and of course we conceded yet another stupid bloody goal when we had the match in the bag for all intents and purposes before that point. I swear on my nan’s grave that if Rose or Margo Kahn ends up costing us a spot in the playoffs or the bloody title itself, I am seriously going to make a petition for either one of them to have their finances investigated because I simply refuse to believe that these two turn into headless chickens at random points in any given match. Something much more screwy must be going on than that, and I’ll be making Internet posts about it and making a petition that many people will sign but will ultimately come to nothing because online petitions almost always never work. There’s just so many cases of that BS happening that to give you all a comprehensive list would mean completely deviating from what I intended to do in the first place when I accepted this job, which is just moaning and groaning and proclaiming doom for our men’s and women’s football teams.

Anyway, that’s all that there is from me now. If you’ve got any thoughts or comments of your own about our match against Srednjaci or predictions against [TEAM] then feel free to leave them down below. Until then, I’ve been the Man from Markovsky, for the first time in what feels like a long time mostly not disappointed at all in my country.

                ABANHFLEFT 7 - 2 SREDNJACI                
  KELLERMAN (4', 21', 64')       (52')
           NATIVIDAD (15')       (90+1')
              JAXSON (39')
                 TOS (60')
                ABEL (79')

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Cutoff for MD 2

Apologies for missing the cutoff. I completely flaked out not remembering that we were doing daily rather than every other day.
The cutoff for MD 3 will be pushed back 3 hours to 0500-0700 UTC (1am-3am EDT).

Group C
Obrela 4–3 Ile de Richelieu
Saterun 1–0 Sarzonia

  Group C              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Obrela                 2   2  0  0    6   4  +2    6
2 Saterun                1   1  0  0    1   0  +1    3
3 Ile de Richelieu       2   1  0  1    5   5   0    3
4 United Adaikes         1   0  0  1    1   2  −1    0
5 Sarzonia               2   0  0  2    1   3  −2    0

Group D
Banija 0–1 Abanhfleft
Qasden 0–2 Oberour Ar Moro

  Group D              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft             2   2  0  0    8   2  +6    6
2 Oberour Ar Moro        2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
3 Banija                 2   0  0  2    3   5  −2    0
4 Qasden                 1   0  0  1    0   2  −2    0
5 Srednjaci              1   0  0  1    2   7  −5    0

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

For the first time since 1955, a Baker Park National Team squad is being led by an active club manager as Kelly Bradbury of Jamestown City Ladies is in charge of the Jenna Raven/Women's World Cup roster, assisted by Under-18 & 21 co-manager Danielle Harper; Bradbury's number 2, Sarah Giovanni, is also be on staff along with Elaine King and Ashley Delgarro, ex-Forest Park & NT winger who is on her first assignment since being hired to join the Player Development coaching staff after earning her FAC Pro Coaching License.

The roster is includes an unusually high number of first time NT callups, as the newest Under-21 alums take their place as 'cappies'; additionally a number of academy grads with no previous youth NT history but significant club experience are getting their first exposure to the BPNT dressing room & training ground culture, which is making for an interesting dynamic.

The team opened up Group B action at MacIlwaine PArk Stadium in St Warren with a 1-0 victory over The Spartan Dominion, Gillian Albertson stopping all 5 shots on net and Erica Riley scoring the lone tally on 41 minutes. Six players made their international senior debut in the starting lineup--Maria Agustino in defense, Stefani Martini, Marcy Hohenstein, & Darcy Seitzman in midifield, and Sandra Ikedieze & Claudia Grayson up front; Camille Prince replaced Seitzman and Belinda O'Rourke came on for Grayson to bring the total number of first timers to eight.

Bradbury commented that there were a lot of nerves throughout the dressing room, herself included.
"I told everyone to remain level headed, rely on our experienced vets for leadership. We put in a good 80 minutes of effort, I thought the first 10 minutes or so we were just a bit too tentative. Now the first one is behind us we can get ready for the next match."
Asked if she will feel more comfortable in her home surroundings at the Claymore Ground, the boss laughed. "Well, I'll know where the dressing room is and all of the workers at the stadium, so yeah. I'd say it will probably be less stressful for most of the ladies too, having played there."

[Saterun]

MD3

Has secured at least Play-in Round

Group A
HUElavia 3–0 Raspotochje @ Lima City Stadium
Galliena 0–0 The 14 Stars @ Falcon Stadium, State University

Team                              Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 HUElavia                          3    2   0   1     5    2   +3     6
2 The 14 Stars                      3    1   2   0     2    1   +1     5
3 Republica Federal de Catalunya    2    1   1   0     3    2   +1     4
4 Galliena                          2    0   1   1     0    1   −1     1
5 Raspotochje                       2    0   0   2     2    6   −4     0

Group B
Baker Park 0-0 Galordia Minum @ Claymore Ground, Jamestown
Lisander 1–2 Atheara @ CONAGCO Stadium, Shirley

Team                    Pld    W   D   L    GF   GA   GD   Pts 
1 Atheara                 3    3   0   0     7    1   +6     9
2 Baker Park              2    1   1   0     1    0   +1     4
3 Galordia Minum          3    1   1   1     3    4   −1     4
4 Lisander                2    0   0   2     2    5   −3     0
5 The Spartan Dominion    2    0   0   2     0    3   −3     0

[Saterun]

Claws! Claws! Claws!

The chants rang out around Continental Field. Saterun has started off their campaign pretty well, with a tight defeat of Sarzonia. Shockingly, this made it two defeats in two for the Stars, who had made it all the way to the semifinals just three years ago. Evie Dorodago was absolutely exhausted. Everyone knew this game wasn't going to be easy, but the Sarzonian players had really made them work for it.

The game had started off quite cagey. The Claws didn't want to give up their first game of the tournament, and Sarzonia had already lost to Obrela, so neither team was really going for it. 10 minutes in, Mabel Westur had made a darting run to the wings, and had almost got off a good cross into the box, but it was just blocked by the Sarzonian right-back. 12 minutes later, Sarzonia broke away on a counter-attack, and only a last-ditch slide tackle by new call-up Kayla Hndotor stopped it from becoming dangerous. Not much action followed, besides a yellow card for Aika Hyaki. The Claws went into the dressing room with the score tied at 0-0.

Tara was always hard to read, Evie thought. She didn't seem dissapointed, as the Claws had worked hard, but she wasn't exactly happy. She soon stood to speak. "Alright, girls, something needs to change. You've been playing hard, but I know this team can give more. First, I think we need a tactical change. We're going to start playing down the flanks, as those seem to be giving us more opportunity. Secondly, I'm making two substitutions. Celina, I want you to take over for Aika. Alice, I want you to come on for Tessie. Understood? Good. Let's get back out there." And that was it. The entire halftime talk. Even though it seemed unconvential, Evie thought that Tara's method worked. Let the team know she believed in them, but let them have the creativity to shine and the responsibility to improve. After all, there was only so much a manager could do. Once they stepped out on the pitch, it was in the player's hands.

It also helped, of course, that the crowd was exploding with energy. The first half wasn't exactly inspiring, true, but this was the first game of the tournament. And at home.

The team took some of that energy, and converted it to chances. Right away, Alice curled in a cross that was headed towards goal by Celina, only for Sarzonia's goalkeeper to make a diving save. Several more chances followed. Finally, Evie picked up the ball just after the halfway line. She hadn't got to do much this game, but this was her chance. She darted forward, beating a Sarzonia midefielder with a deft stepover. She pulled her head up, and saw Josephine making a run inside. Evie lifted a beautiful lobbed through-ball over the Sarzonia defense and into Josephine's path. With a two touches, she controlled and shot. A nice finessed shot curled into the side netting, and put Saterun up 1-0. They held fast to win a close game.

Evie knew their work was far from over. Next up was Ile de Richelieu. Not going to be easy. But if the Claws won, they had pretty much booked their spot to the next round.

[Commonwealth of Baker Park]

Cutoff for MD 3--Groups C&D

Clinched playoff spot

Group C
Ile de Richelieu 5–2 Saterun
United Adaikes 1–1 Obrela

  Group C              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Obrela                 3   2  1  0    7   5  +2    7
2 Ile de Richelieu       3   2  0  1   10   7  +3    6
3 Saterun                2   1  0  1    3   5  −2    3
4 United Adaikes         2   0  1  1    2   3  −1    1
5 Sarzonia               2   0  0  2    1   3  −2    0

Group D
Abanhfleft 3–0 Qasden
Srednjaci 0–1 Banija

  Group D              Pld   W  D  L   GF  GA  GD  Pts 
1 Abanhfleft             3   3  0  0   11   2  +9    9
2 Oberour Ar Moro        2   2  0  0    6   3  +3    6
3 Banija                 3   1  0  2    4   5  −1    3
4 Qasden                 2   0  0  2    0   5  −5    0
5 Srednjaci              2   0  0  2    2   8  −6    0