Cup of Harmony 27 Everything Thread [Archive]

Georgeonia

31-03-2006, 16:43

Manager - Robert "Mad Cap'n Bob" Hughs

Style Modifier - +0

Formation - 5-3-2

Kit - Home: Dark Grey Shirt with Navy Trim, Navy Shorts, Dark Grey Socks.
Away: Yellow shirt with Black Trim, Black Shorts, Yellow and Black Socks.

# Name Position Age Caps Goals

Goal Keepers

1 Aldous Nedrick (GK) 24 16 0
- Reliable and confident in wc27, shutting out strong teams like Tadjikistan and limiting
goals from other strong sides. Unlikely to be replaced as starting keeper unless he
suffers an injury.

12 Cory Moloney (GK) 25 0 0
- Untested in international competition, but a skilled domestic keeper. More prone to
errors than Nedrick, however, and he may struggle against quality international
opposition.

Defence

2 Radclyffe Ryan (CB) 28 16 0
- Lynchpin of Georgeonia's defence, and incredibly professional and reliable. Looked
confident throughout wc27, and holds the defence together well. At 28 he is not as fast
as he once was and rarely pushes forward, but undoubtedly our strongest defender.

3 Matty Fagan (CB) 25 16 0
- Competent defender, although lacking in close ball control. He is strong in the air but
has difficulty when strikers take him on with the ball at their feet. An unexceptional
player, but generally solid and reliable.

4 Larus Owino (CB) 22 16 1
- The fastest and most attacking of our starting centre-backs, he loves to make forward
runs and push forward for corners and free kicks. This led to him scoring a goal in wc27,
the only CB to do so, but can sometimes leave the defence vulnerable when he cannot get
back into position in time to stop a counter-attack.

10 Owain Latimer (WB) 22 16 0
- An excellent wing-back with a blistering turn of speed. A very valuable player during
wc27 who created a lot of attacking situations. Looks set to be a prominant feature of the
team for many years to come.

11 Sherlock Adomako (WB) 28 16 0
- A reliable player who moves the ball around well and is excellent at tackling. Begining to
get a little old to play in the physically demanding wing-back position, however, and he is
not quite as fast as he used to be. Not as naturally gifted as Latimer, but makes up for it
with experiance and game awareness.

13 Spike Gittens (CB) 17 0 0
- Only seventeen but already showing promise. He is fast and athletic and understands the game
well for a player of his age. He is not yet reliable enough to start on the field, but he looks
a good bet to become a regular feature in the future. For now, however, expect him to make an
appearance only when there is little pressure on the team.

14 Luther Dudley (CB) 20 0 0
- A talented youngster with good heading ability and a lot of confidence. Possibly not quite at
the same level of ability as some of his team-mates, however, and he will need to work hard to
break into the starting eleven.

15 Humphrey Stephens (CB) 18 0 0
- Another young talent, and more naturally gifted than Dudley. He is still rather prone to mistakes,
however, and has a tendancy to make rash decisions on the pitch. He has the skills though, and once
he learns to play with more discipline he will be a very strong player.

21 Merrion Stilk (WB) 20 0 0
- Has shown promise in domestic matches, although he is not yet at the level of the current starting
wingbacks. Possibly lacking slightly in speed, but his crossing is excellent. He is working on speed
and fitness training in the hope of becoming a starting player once Adomako retires.

22 Derren Roffey (WB) 19 0 0
- In direct competition with Stilk should a vacancy in the starting eleven come up, and the two
players have a legendary hatred of one another. Roffey is considerably faster and more athletic than
Stilk but lacks his ball skills. Both players will be looking to impress the coach in this tournament.

Midfield

5 Jon Yaqoub (M) 26 16 1
- A decent midfielder with a strong long-range shot. He plays with confidence, but is not the most able
player on the team and can sometimes struggle when defending against skilled opponents. Fairly reliable
comming forward, however, although his long passes can be inaccurate.

6 Tylor Benge(c) (M) 25 16 2
- Captain and one of the team's most able players. Despite his skills he plays neatly and reliably and
very rarely gives the ball away by trying anything too ambitious. He is also excellent at inspiring his
team-mates to greater efforts, and playing in the centre of midfield, performs a valuable role in holding
the side together.

7 Montague Dica (M) 20 16 0
- Fairly skilled midfielder, although he lacks flair. Is solid and reliable, and rarely makes
mistakes. Struggles to create chances, however, and there is talk of moving him into the defence. Until
then his inclusion in the team will certainly not create any problems, although it probably wont create
many goal-scoring chances either.

16 Tarquin Ray (M) 23 0 0
- An exciting new talent who has recently risen through the ranks of his domestic club to become their
star midfielder. He has undoubtedly earned his place on the team, and given his skills it looks likely
that he will excell at international level. Mad Cap'n Bob will be eager to try him out, and this
tournament will be his big chance to establish himself in the side.

17 Weldon Walkington (M) 24 0 0
- A somewhat erratic back-up should any of the current midfielders succomb to injury. He is not quite as
skiled as the other midfielders on the team, and can sometimes be unreliable, but when his confidence is
up he is unstoppable. Bringing him onto the pitch can therefore be a bit of a gamble, but on his day he can
be excellent.

18 Morden Whybrow (M) 19 0 0
- A promising youngster who has looked confident at club level. May not be ready for international competition
yet, however, as he can sometimes lack confidence. It seems unlikely he will get to play in this tournament
unless the starting team suffer several injuries, but attending the tournament with the team and training
with them will undoubtedly be good experience for him.

Strikers

8 Rolph Camplin (S) 27 16 3
- A reliable veteran with excellent shooting ability. He has few weaknesses and should continue to play for
several years yet despite being one of the oldest members of the team. He does not quite have Majewski's
natural strinking ability, but he has been playing for a long time and his tactical awareness is excellent.

9 Gaetan Majewski (S) 23 16 4
- One of the team's best players, and very dangerous in front of goal. He can become frustrated when the midfield
is unable to provide him with a good service, but when he has the ball in front of goal he rarely misses. An
essential member of the team and the team's leading goal scorer.

19 Cliffton Caldwell (S) 17 0 0
- A very young player, but already showing great promise. His pace and dribbling skills are excellent and he is
full of confidence. Once he has developed his shooting skills and learned to calm down a little on the pitch he
will make a valuable addition to the side.

20 Barry Cunningham (S) 21 0 0
- Crept into the squad ahead of several other potential choices, so he will be keen to justify his selection. An
able forward, and a reliable back-up for the team's main strikers. Still young at twenty-one, he will be
hoping to become an established starter in years to come. Until then he will have to make do with the position
of understudy.

McPsychoville

31-03-2006, 17:48

Just a question - do we have to wait to be invited into the CoH or not?

Cataduanes

31-03-2006, 18:51

Just a question - do we have to wait to be invited into the CoH or not?

I was wondering that too, if not can i please sign up using the rosster entered for the current WC.

Dorian and Sonya

31-03-2006, 18:54

Dorian and Sonya wishes to sign up for and compete in the CoH to be hosted in Spaam.

My opponents may do anything besides kill my players.

Style +1. Formation 3-4-3

Nickname:Mystical Unicorns
Colors: Pink and Black
Home Field: Elanesse Tulcokelume (White Hall)
http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/Sonya0111/DorianandSonyaKeeperKits.jpg

Head Coach: Luthien Oronar
Asst Offense: Lessien Arnatuilë
Asst Defense: Idril Mithrandír

* denotes starters

Goalkeepers:
13 Alassea Sáralondë Age:18*
11 Alassea Culnámo Age:16

Defenders:
22 Eámanë Súrion Age:17*
21 Nessa Elendil Age:18*
24 Nienna Palantír Age:17*
29 Lessien Mithrandír Age:16
27 Alassea Ancalímon Age:15

Midfielders:
30 Tári Falassion Age:17*
35 Elemmírë Carnesîr Age:18*
31 Uruviel Telemnar Age: 18*
38 Nátulcien Eluch`div` Age:17*
37 Nátulcien Arcamenel Age:15
32 Ireth Telemnar Age:16
33 Nienna Cúthalion Age:15

Attackers:
43 Merenwen Súrion Age:17*
41 Morwen Inglorion Age:18*
40 Altáriël Telperiën Age:17*
45 Merenwen Sáralondë Age:15
47 Gilraen Tinúviel Age:15

http://i40.photobucket.com/albums/e228/Sonya0111/DSPitchChart.gif

Legalese

31-03-2006, 19:34

For both the reference of our competitors, as well as a small bit of cleanup, the Legalese Nationals will provide a slightly altered roster for the Cup of Harmony:

Legalese National Soccer Team

Manager: Rocco Comienze
Head Coach: Pete Macoden

Keepers:
1 Ron Amarino
99 Marcus Zambia

Defense:
2 Heath Caficaris
3 Al Tavican
4 Max Gunhary
5 Lex Guam
15 Bruno Garbul

Midfield:
14 Samuel Liche
17 Gary Ximeco
18 Jeremy Sonermartt
19 Fred Toriqal
20 Sonny Achin
23 Pavel Bahrain

Forwards:
7 Garib Duff
9 Adonis Tunis
10 Johnnie Lobiva
12 Kip Saudarab

Style modifier: +3

Likely Starting XI (Feel free to alter, if need be):

1 Amarino

3 Tavican 15 Garbul 5 Guam

20 Achin 19 Toriqal 23 Bahrain 17 Ximeco 14 Liche

7 Duff 10 Lobiva

Feel free to do whatever with the team, though killing someone will have you prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law ;)

Magnus Valerius

31-03-2006, 19:50

To Whom It May Concern in Spaam,

I, the Tsar Alexander III of Magnus Valerius, do hereby request that the national team, the Boyars, participate in the Cup of Harmony for World Cup 27:

After a whirlwind tour in WC27, Magnus Valerius left at a respectable finish and has gained a lot of experience fighting world teams. Now, after finishing up, Ilya Pavlov, the coach of the team, has given the lineup an overhaul in its tactics and changed some of its starting players. Magnus Valerius will now play much more offensively.

The Valerian Boyars will utilize a 3-4-3 formation, and their playing style modifier for the Cup of Harmony would be at +3 (compare to a -2 for WC27).

Coaching Staff

Manager/Coach
Ilya Pavlov (Tabriz Immortals Coach, Age 46)

Assistant Manager
Edouard Fremont (Isangrad Legion Assistant Coach, Age 43)

Starting Players

Goalkeeper:
Gustav Sibel (Gotenhavn Tigers, #12)

Defenders:
Stephan Bobrinsky (Meijis City Druzhina, #29)
Nestor Lucinius (Nova Mantova Praetorians, #4)
Yves de la Ronge (Nikeah United, #93)

Midfielders:
Mongke Urt-Urumqi (Shorehaven Colonials, #30)
Jonathon Song (Isangrad Legion, #52)
Heinrich Zerbst (Badenese Alpine FC, #7)
Yeufimei Bashkirsky (Trikoupes United, #70)

Strikers:
Jacques d'Anjou (Paladins du Blancmonte, #8)
George Illyanich (Isangrad Legion [Star Football Player], #1)
Kyrill Feodorov (Tabriz Immortals, #23)

Subsitute Players

Goalkeepers:
Ferenc de Mazovy (Belagrad Szekely, #10)
Ali ibn Dumat (Port Persepoli FC, #28)

Defenders:
Timofeos Wong (Isangrad Legion, #56)
Seymour Donnalson (Tabriz Immortals, #41)
Vincent Dravayzhushsky (Isangrad Legion, #3)
Victor Potyemkin (Meijis City Druzhina, #19)
Nikolai Gorskii (Trentino Imperials, #7)

Midfielders:
Luca Romanus (Kydonia Killer Whales, #11)
Robert de Tadoussac (Nikeah United, #44)
Bela Ungvar (Belagrad Szekely, #86)

Attackers:
Gannibal Ioannidis (Alexandria Eagles, #3)
Ismail Mendeleev (Havre de Paix FC, #13)

Uniforms are the same as always! We at Magnus Valerius have not decided on a new jersey kit for our team, although we hope that will change for WC28... or WC29... or 30.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f63/ValerianEmpire/Boyars.png

Sincerely,

Tsar Alexander III of House Borovich
Emperor of Magnus Valerius

Mr Chuck Norris

31-03-2006, 20:12

So the Fighting Norris blew their chances at qualifying in the World Cup… so what? Coach Bob Janney has recently submitted a lineup for the much-anticipated Cup of Harmony. This lineup can be seen below.

The Cup of Harmony Roster of The Fighting Norris
# Name-(Age)-Amount of Goals in World Cup sanctioned events
Head Coach
Bob Janney (31)
● He is infamous for his in-depth group analysis, but not for his coaching ability. While some people may view this as a problem, Bob Janney always manages to squeeze out a couple wins.
Goalkeepers
1 Mr. Bednarik (26)
● His humble beginnings as a hockey goalie paved the way for a successful goalkeeping career. He had several shining moments in the World Cup the most notable being only ceding two goals in the 2-2 draw against the offensive dynamo of Liverpool England.
2 Allen Price (23)
● His ego frustrates many players on the team. However, in the event that Mr. Bednarik cannot goalkeep for any particular reason, Allen Price will have to step up to the plate.
Defenders
3 ♪ (?)
● Recruited off the streets of downtown New Poorleans, ♪ can’t speak English and no one knows anything about him. However, he’s proven that he can in fact contribute to a national football defense and has played a key role in several matches.
4 Ido No (21)
● His talent is considered to be low and his IQ even lower. Why this man is still on the team… nobody knows.
5 Banana Mann (26)
● Yet another non-contributer to the squad, this man is just taking up space.
6 Grode Miller (29)
● Most commonly known for his skiing abilities, which now seem falsified, he thought he’d give football a try.
7 Jack Moon (22)
● A player who has actually emerged with some talent, he has certainly helped the Fighting Norris defense.
8 Scottest Hovest (24)
● The self proclaimed best Scott in the world, his ego is second only to Allen Price’s. However, while Price can’t back up his talk, this man can.
Midfielders
9 Pat Smock (25)
● Easily the most known man in The Holy Empire of Mr Chuck Norris, known for appearances on AA Live, mass producing the 512 Disc DVD set “Mass and You” and attending random leadership conferences. His sole purpose for being on the team is to generate ticket sales. He was started throughout the qualifiers, but has recently been removed from the starting lineup.
10 Donald Rump (36)
● Responsible for supporting Mr Chuck Norris’ “Powerhouse” economy, this man’s surprisingly got some talent.
11 Chaz Woolery (32)
● He has hosted/appeared on every game show ever aired on Mr Chuck Norris’ cable television. He should probably stick to his game show hosting because he’s awful at football.
12 Zach Brickhouse (20) 1 Goal
● One of the few players on the team who actually have experience in football beyond the recent Baptism of Fire, he was one of Japan’s best midfielders until he was deported for skipping one day of school. The first and only Fighting Norris midfielder to date with a goal.
13 Yianni Karvo (22)
● Just to warn everyone now, Yianni plays dirty. He in fact plays so dirty that he was suspended for a good amount of the Baptism of Fire after he was caught intentionally beating several opponents into submission. However, he’s mellowed down his act and is showing more talent every match.
14 Randy Cross (29)
● Easily has the biggest afro of any player on any team. This man, along with Pat Smock, is the primary substitute for the Fighting Norris midfield.
15 Paper Mario (Paper Doesn’t Age)
● And you thought he was just a video game character. His weightlessness and aerodynamic form allow him to cover a great amount of the field, making him a deadly midfielder. Although no one has tallied the amount of assists this player has, we can assure you it’s by far the most on the team.
Forwards
16 Chuck Norris (Supercedes time and therefore has no age) 22 Goals
● Two Words: Roundhouse Kick. This man is the heart and soul of the team and will not hesitate to score a goal in any given match.
17 OJ Pimpson (28) 4 Goals
● Let’s just say he’s got a deadly shot.
18 The Burger King (Doesn’t seem to age) 3 Goals
● That’s right, you all know him. His dashing smile and uncanny speed make him a threat.
19 Rob Janney (21)
● He’s the coaches son who only acquired a spot on the squad because former Fighting Norris defender Baka Laka Daka Raka was declared ineligible to play. Nepotism is alive and well.
20 John Fedo (18)
● New to the squad, Fedo has made quite a name for himself in The Holy Empire of Mr Chuck Norris’ newly formed football league. Known for his immense power, Fedo has earned himself a spot on the starting lineup.

“As you can see, we’ve changed some things around”, exclaims Bob Janney, coach of the Fighting Norris. “Terri Tup has decided that his age and lack of play have forced him to retire. On a more somber note, we’ve given up searching for long-missing Jimmy Huffa, and he has been removed from the squad. However, John Fedo has joined the squad and has been added to the starting lineup at the expense of midfielder Pat Smock. This means that we will in fact shift to a 3-3-4 formation from a 3-4-3. As always, I’m coaching my team with an all-out attack.”

Starting Lineup
GK Mr. Bednarik
D Scottest Hovest
D ♪
D Jack Moon
MF Zach Brickhouse
MF Yianni Karvo
MF Paper Mario
F Chuck Norris
F OJ Pimpson
F The Burger King
F John Fedo

[[OOC]]
My opponent, if they RP first, may:
Choose my goalscorers Y
Godmod Scoring Events Y, but don’t make me look too bad :)
RP injuries to my players Y
Godmod injuries to my players N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out Red cards to my players N
Godmod Other Events N
[[OOC]]
I’m gonna roll with a +5 modifier and a 3-3-4 formation.
[[OOC]]
This lineup is my actual lineup, not the one I submitted for the qualification rounds.

Qazox

31-03-2006, 20:37

The Most Serene Republic of Qazox would like to enter the Cup of Harmony. If so Added, the Black OXen's Squad will be as follows:
The Black oxen will play a 4-3-3 with a style modifier of +1.

NAME (age)--QFL team Starters in Italics

GOALKEEPERS
Reggie Hassok (20)--San Guano
John Frorr (26)—New Recife

DEFENDERS
Kiel Venice (23)—16 Graffix
Harden Homer (29)—Vogg United
Jarod Megia (20)--Kibbutz
Helena Sexton (27)--SaxerVilla
Jim 'the Real' McCoy (25)--SaxerVilla
Q'Bert Kong (23)—Saint Nash
Joanne ‘Square’ Root (21)—Real Qazox

MIDFIELDERS
Andrew Mason (24)—New Recife
Shaun Brady (29)—Rockport AC
Jamie Bookman--(21)--Joehio Ajax
Dylan Greene (26)—Rockport AC
Qa-Tram Reaz (23)—Joehio Ajax
Balrog Vega (25)—Lorax City
Roberta Lee (26)—Pika City

WINGERS
Anthony Mason (25)—Qazox City
Francis Alouette (22)—Fromburg Aston
Marie Goya (20)—Fromburg Aston
Maria Gretzky (24)—New Bruxen
Alicia “Speedy” Gonzalez (22)—San Guano
Alana Broker (19)--Iguana de Mia

[[OOC]]
My opponent, if they RP first, may:
Choose my goalscorers Y
Godmod Scoring Events Y, but don’t make me look too bad
RP injuries to my players Y
Godmod injuries to my players N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out Red cards to my players N
Godmod Other Events N

McPsychoville

31-03-2006, 21:14

To: president@spaamfa.spa
From: ashelley@mfu.gov.ahp.mpv
RE: Cup of Harmony - McPsychoville Minutemen Roster and other details

Please find enclosed the details regarding the McPsychoville national team's entrance into Cup of Harmony 27.

Yours sincerely,
Alex Shelley, Minister for Sports

Coach: Michael Webb
Assistant Coach: Christophe Berard
Formation: 3-3-4
Style Modifier - +4

Kits:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v203/mronimusha/McPKits.jpg

Goalkeepers:
#1 - Brandon Silver, Carson City
#13 - Sean O’Shea, Andrecht Argyle

Defenders:
#2 - Damon Arnaud, Carson City
#3 - Chris Colton, London FC
#6 - Allen Hughes, Deadbolt City
#15 - Mike Spillane, Retroit United
#19 - Scott Colton, London FC
#22 - Bryan Heffron, Stefangrad

Midfielders:
#4 - Ollie Beak, Triela Wanderers
#7 - Dylan Summers, Cednia
#8 - Alexander Chotesov, Ellis Island [Novistrana]
#12 - Michel Lysiak, Royston Valley
#16 - Molly Cross, Deadbolt City
#17 - Daniel Sabin, Hilsyer [Novistrana]
#20 - Jenny Piscura, None

Strikers:
#5 - Damian Lee, Royston Valley
#9 - Rebecca Remus, Tanguay Rovers
#10 - Wade Matvichuk, Tanguay Rovers
#11 - Gabriel Price, Ellis Island
#14 - Amy Tristof, Deadbolt City
#18 - Chris Klucsaritis, Port Alberni

Starting Line-up

#1 - Silver
#2 - Arnaud (C)
#6 - Hughes
#15 - Spillane
#7 - Summers
#12 - Lysiak
#16 - Cross
#5 - Lee
#9 - Remus
#11 - Price
#14 - Tristof

Tynelia

31-03-2006, 21:34

Tynelia will send its failed world cup unit to the cup of harmony in the hopes that they can continue the momentum they had at the end of group play.

team style 3-4-3 modifier (-3)
coach Marcus O'Meara

G- Amy Whiteworth (24-reserve) Originally a surprise at even making the team, Whiteworth earned the nickname "Amazing" Amy after leading Tynelia to a shutout win over Nanakaland and earning a 1-1 draw against top seed Total n Utter Insanity. Many expect her to challenge Malloy for the top keeper spot here.
G- Vladimar Malloy (26-starter) the man known as "The Wall" for his ability to seemingly block everything sent his way had some trouble against the top seeds in Cup play. A lack of offense also affected his win/loss totals as the team was shutout in their first five games despite strong play from him. Fatigue set in during the second half and malloy wore down from the constant play allowing Whiteworth to shine by the end of it. Some now say that after Cup play Whiteworth deserves the starting nod however.

F- Jay Masterson (23-starter) the flashy flamboyant Masterson was the league's goal scoring leader for the second straight year. His leading man looks and swagger on the field has led to a rumored soda endorsement deal depending on his efforts on the national scene. Masterson puts the "tack" in attack on the field and is always looking for a chance to put the ball on net. He was inconsistant during the Cup play as he failed to score until the sixth game and needs to become steadier this time around.
F- Brian Kenders (22-starter) a teamamte of Masterson, Kenders led the league in assists this season but only managed one goal of his own. Some say this is because of a lack of killer instinct but others claim he's complimenting Masterson perfectly. Kenders is one of the best ballhandlers and passers in the league. Like masterson his play was up and down during the Cup and was not much of a factor until the end.
F- Troy Wallace (27-starter) Wallace is a veteran of ten years in the game at some level and is known in the league for his trickery. He always manages to find the seam in an opponnent's defense and takes advantage of that when the defense over responds to a fake attack which usually leaves a teammate wide open. Masterson was said to be thrilled to hear the "Duke of Deke" was going to be on his line. Wallace turned out to be the team's main weapon in Cup play being the only prerson who could be counted on to score for the first half of the tournament.
F-Adam Billington (32- reserve) The oldest member of the team Billington is the man opponnents fear to see step onto the field late in the game. While unable to maintain the pace needed to last an entire game, the man known as the "Sniper" is deadly when a team needs a goal late. Without the need to pace himself for a long stretch Billington is always on the attack and ready to shoot. Despite limited playing time the "Sniper" was tied for fourth in goals this season.
F- Lynn Evans (25- reserve) Evans played fairly well in limited playing time in the cup and hopes to get more game time in the CoH. A good ball handler, Evans finished in the top ten in assists during league play and might have made the top five if not for the injury which sidelined her a few weeks.

M- Camden Alexander (29-starter) Alexander is a good ball handler and passer and also an above average defender. Alexander's selection was seen as a balance to having the Sniper as the extra forward though others wonder if the choice of reserve midfielders is too defensive minded for a tournament like this. He was solid but unspectacular during the cup.
M- Brad Collins (25-stater) a quiet introspective fellow off the field, he is intense on it. Very aggressive, Collins is sometimes caught out of position because of it. he always tries to push the ball upfield rather than pass it back to let his team organize as he thinks this just lets the other team do the same. Collins was benched on a couple occasions during the cup due to a lack of performance.
M- Jeff Leason (22-starter) The anti-Collins, Leason is willing to sacrifce some scoring in order to stay back and help out defensively. Coach O'Meara claimed that when choosing Leason "Between him and Collins we'll have two normal midfielders." Leason is known to sacrifice his body to make a play is is usally seen after the game dirty and bleeding from some small cuts.
M- Adrian Pytte (27-starter) The league MVP in a narrow vote over Masterson, Pytte missed his second double crown by two goals as he finished second to Masterson in scoring and by one assist to Kenders. The so-called general on the field is well organized and always looks to take advantage of his teammates strengths. Pytte like most of the team offensively had trouble getting going in the cup but did well on defense.
M- Andy Martins (20-reserve) a controversial choice the President's grandson was seen by many as a crass political ploy or cheap propaganda when his name was announced to the team. Martins is a solid all round player but lacks excellence in any particular one. Defending his choice Coach O'Meara said "In this game specialists are fine but if someone gets hurt you want someone out there who can do the job. And if you don't know who's getting hurt then you take the guy who can cover the most areas instead of some shooter trying to replace a defensive specialist."
M- Bret Brantley (26-reserve) In an effort to keep some offense available late, Brantley was given the nod after being tied for 7th in total points this season. More of a scorer than a passer, Brantley can adapt to whichever style is needed and was a teammate of Jeff Leason during league play. He has also played some forward during league play.
M- Donna Kent (22-reserve) Another defensive minded player who lead the league with an impressive +8 edge in the team goals scored/allowed category when she was on the field. Seldom a presence on offense, Kent is always watching out for the breakaway and is uncanny in her ability to sniff one out even before the play develops. Some have said she might be better suited to move to defense with her mindset but given her speed and athleticism her coach prefers to give her the whole field to work with.

D- John Stossels (25-starter) Stossels is living proof of having "soccer in your blood". Both his parents and his grandfather were all soccer players in their day though national leagues weren't around then. As such Stossels was almost raised on a soccer field and is almost never found out of position or caught off guard. Stossels is the league Defender of the Year and with his teammate "the Wall" led his team to a record lowest goals against average in league history. Stossels did yeoman's work in the cup in keeping Tynelia in all of their games, the team only once being beaten by more than two goals.
D- Karl Jacobs (24-starter) Jacobs is a good ballhandler and usually the one to bring the ball upfield after his team gains posession. He is another one who will give up his body to knock a shot away.
D-Tal Li (19-starter) the youngest member of the team, Li is considered by many to be the heir apparent to Stossels' title as best defender. Rather than turn away from the compettion, Stossels has become a mentor of sorts to the younger player and Li's developmant on defense has improved greatly. Li is by far the fastest man on the team and it is rare to see someone get behind him and stay behind him for any length of time.
D- Sal Prath (28-reserve) the tallest man on the team at 6'6" Prath was sought out by many universities to join their basketball teams, but Prath instead turned to soccer. An excellent defender, Prath is a nightmare for corner kickers who must alter their shots to account for Prath's height or risk him heading it away from the shorter offensive squad. Prath has turned this knack into an art form and has turned many beautiful headers into a breakway pass to one of his forwards or midfielders.
D- Reggie Moore- (27- reserve) a good angle defenseman, Moore is excellent at forcing the opponents to stay along the perimeter and take bad angle shots. He has fast feet and can steal a ball from a dribbling opponent in a flash and start it up the other way. He led the league in steals this season. He played very little in the cup and hopes to get more field time.

There was some debate in keeping Vladimar Malloy as the starter given his so-so performance during the cup, however Coach O'Meara pointed out that more than half the goals he allowed were against Bettia and Total n Uter Insanity- neither of whom would be here. O'Meara is also hopeful that wioth the Cup play under their belt the entire unit will be able to work better as a team and prove to be more successful this time around.

My opponent, if they RP first, may:
Choose my goalscorers Y
Godmod Scoring Events Y, but don’t make me look too bad
RP injuries to my players N
Godmod injuries to my players N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out Red cards to my players N
Godmod Other Events Y

Haraki

31-03-2006, 23:00

Haraki would like to announce their intention to take part in this respected tournament, especially as an experiment for Coach Lloyd Vargas' new more aggressive coaching style. The roster will be the same as that for World Cup qualifying, and is listed below.

OOC:
My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers - Y
Godmod Scoring Events - Y
RP minor injuries to my players (Miss the rest of the current game, but no further games) - Y
Godmod/RP major injuries to my players - N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players - Y
Hand out Red cards to my players - N
Hand out red cards to Alicia Ribald, Luke Ford, Manuel Cortes or Sandy Thorpe - Y
Godmod Other Events Y

Haraki will be adopting a 3-5-2 strategy for the Cup of Harmony, as we did for the World Cup, with a +2 playing modifier and the following starting lineup:

Forwards
Mike Zendar – Forward, Captain, national superstar – Kiros Tigers FC
A national hero and all-round great player, he has the best kick in all of Haraki. With a total of six goals in the Baptism of Fire, he scored twice as many as any other Harakian player. He’s a great leader and a superb offensive player, which is why he gets to be captain of the team.
Samuel Sharp – Forward – North Susa FC
Another great forward, he scored only two goals in the Baptism of Fire but got a great deal more assists. A very young player compared to some of the others, he still has a good deal of experience playing for the North Susa football club, of which he is a veteran of four years.
(R) Zachary Burns – Forward – Atherlon United Football Club
The oldest player on the team, he is one of the only four veterans of previous world cups. He saw no action in the Baptism of Fire, but is good at keeping morale high and giving pep talks. When it comes to scoring, he’s not as good as he once was.
(R) Alicia Ribald – Forward – Arkia Serpents FC
One of the two Ribald sisters, who have taken Harakian football by storm. The older of the two, she is an aggressive offensive player who can handle the ball past anyone in Haraki club play. With a fierce sense of national pride, many have speculated that, had Haraki taken a standard 3-4-3 setup, she would have been the third forward.

Centres
Thomas Neils – Centre – North Susa FC
One of the older players on the team, Neils is an excellent team player. His passing is second to none, allowing him to drop the ball wherever it needs to be at the drop of a hat. He is also an excellent shooter, with two goals in the Baptism of Fire. He is the captain of Haraki’s North Susa football club.
Samantha Ribald – Centre – Arkia Serpents FC
The second and youngest of the Ribald sisters, she is not quite as aggressive as her sister, but still a dangerous opponent. She only managed one goal in the Baptism of Fire, as she was injured in the game versus New Preussen and had to sit out the rest of qualifying.
Lawrence Foster – Centre – Viusa Centre FC
A slow but steady supporting player, he is a very large man. With close to ten years in Haraki club play, he’s never been a star player, but is always the anchor of the team, supporting offensive and defensive plays equally. He makes an excellent all-round player, and while not the fastest runner on the team, makes up for it in bulk.
Luke Ford – Centre – Arkia Serpents FC
Another player whose role on the team is similar to Foster’s, there are still numerous differences between their styles. Ford is smaller, faster and more of an enforcer for the team. He is in the top three players in the Haraki Football League (HFL) for penalties, and while not a great scorer, can still pull off some good shots, and a lot of good passes.
Manuel Cortes – Centre – Atherlon United Football Club
A surprisingly aggressive player, he stands only 5’9” tall and under 150 pounds, but makes up for it with a dangerous attitude. He’s leading the Haraki league for penalties against, because he’s very good at riling up opposing players, mainly because he’s so damn cocky. His playing style is loose and uncontrolled, but also raw and primal, and surprisingly effective. He got three goals in two games during the Baptism of Fire.
(R) Archie Wilkes – Centre – Kiros Tigers FC
A massive man, standing two metres tall (6’6”) and almost 300 pounds, he’s simply impossible to injure. This makes him another enforcer for the team, along with Ford, and an excellent defensive and supporting midfield. He has superb passing and a powerful shot, although he tends to run too slowly to actually get to use it very often. Filled in for an injured Samantha Ribald during the Baptism of Fire for several games.
(R) Julie Vern – Centre – Arkia Serpents FC
A young woman, whose parents were immigrants to Haraki. She grew up in the port city of Arkia, playing football with herself on the streets. As such, she is the best ball handler on the entire team, and can run faster than any other player on the Haraki Hawks while maintaining control of the ball. She saw no action during the Baptism of Fire, but it is expected Vargas will bring her on when facing a team that is exceptionally good at ball possession.
(R) Allison Keyes – Centre – Uses Coast FC
An ardent feminist and fast offensive midfield, Allison Keyes is a strong all-round player, although mostly on the offence. She’s been playing for the Uses Coast football club for five years even after getting a four-year degree from the University of Kiros, granting her a certain veteran’s right on and off the field.
(R) Catherine Veritas Ezaniea – Centre – Caltis Football Club
The highlight of the Caltis Football Club, widely regarded as the worst big-city team in Haraki. She scores most of their goals and prevents more goals from being scored than the goalkeeper does. Unsurprisingly, she is the only play on the Hawks representing Caltis FC.

Defencemen
Bruce Forrester – Defence – Isasi Warriors FC
Surprisingly nimble for a man of his size, Forrester dominates the right side of Haraki’s end. Very few can get the ball past him, and he manages to be fast, big and in control at all times. His main weakness is a self-imposed inhibition that he never takes the ball up past half, preferring to always pass to someone farther up and return to his comfortable defensive spot.
(R) Owen Peterson – Defence – Atherlon United Football Club
The second-oldest player on the team, he was regarded as one of the best players around in his youth, but has been gradually slipping. His leadership abilities remain intact, however, and he is the captain of the Atherlon United Football Club in Haraki. In the first Baptism of Fire game, he was removed due to an injured tendon in his right leg and replaced with Jonah Menike for the rest of the tournament. He decided of his own accord to bench himself for the Cup proper after seeing how well Menike performed.
Sandy Thorpe – Defence – Pethic-Ferria FC
A simple man from the Borderlands, the massive mountain range in the north of Haraki. Still speaks with a Borderland accent, and signed to the only football club in Haraki proud of the fact that they’re Haraki’s equivalent of hicks. Based out of Pethic and representing the entire massive province of Ferria – mostly deserts and mountains – Thorpe is the embodiment of the Pethic-Ferria football club. Big, relatively slow, but impossible to stop once he gets moving. A dangerous opponent with a powerful, if somewhat inaccurate, kick.
Jonah Menike – Defence – Kiros Tigers FC
Plays on the same team as Haraki superstar Mike Zendar, and was originally slated as a reservist for the tournament. He was brought in after Peterson was injured in the first BoF game, and in numerous games was single-handedly responsible for keeping the ball out of the Harakian end. Fast, nimble, and with a quick and powerful kick, he even scored a goal in the Baptism of Fire. Haraki’s best defenceman. He even scored a goal in the BoF.
(R) Nathan Rogers – Defence – Uses Coast FC
An all-round good player. He excels at nothing but is good at everything, and got Haraki’s last reserve spot for defence. Not expected to see much play.

Goalkeepers
Mark Stone – Goalkeeper – North Susa FC
The HFL’s best goaltender, far and away. Just in the time he has been in the HFL for the North Susa club, he has taken them to three final games and won two of them. He allowed only two goals past him in the entire Baptism of Fire, and both were after a very cheap attack in a game versus Imperial Moose. Expected to perform just as well, if not better, in the actual Cup.
(R) Susana Hamilton – Goalkeeper – Arkia Serpents FC
Another good footballer to come out of the streets of the port city of Arkia, where poverty levels have risen so dramatically over the last thirty years that she came from the exact same background as reserve midfield Juile Vern. Played only one game in the BoF, versus Imperial Moose, after Stone was incapacitated in a red card-worthy attack, and allowed only one goal past her against a fierce defence.
(R) Bobbie Morris – Goalkeeper – Atherlon United Football Club
Goalkeeper for Atherlon United, he’s a decent enough keeper, but nothing phenomenal. Definitely worth keeping an eye on, but only if both others are incapacitated. Maybe if Mark Stone retired early or if Morris got a lot better over the next four years he might secure a primary reservist or even a starter spot.

Coach
Lloyd Vargas - Coach - North Susa FC
Once a star player for the North Susa football club, which has historically been one of the best teams in the country, he retired at age thirty-six and has been coaching North Susa ever since. He’s taken them to three championship games and two victories in the five years he’s been coaching them, and now has been appointed the head coach for the Haraki Hawks. He will probably keep on coaching the national team until he retires from coaching as well, which is a long way in the future.

Becquerelia

01-04-2006, 04:38

http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/bnff.gif
BECQUERELIA
National Football Team

Style: 5-3-2
Modifier: -3 defensive

ROSTER

HEAD COACH
Macarius Ransome, age 62
10 Wins, 8 Losses, and 7 Draws in International Play

ASSISTANT COACHES
John Meurer, age 48

Alexander Helmcamp, age 48

FORWARDS
#1 Peter Constantine, age 29, Starter, Captain
25 Caps, and 13 Goals in International Play

#9 Ceolwulf Novoselic, age 29, Starter
25 Caps, and 7 Goals in International Play

MIDFIELDERS
#19 Michael Silva, age 25, Starter
25 Caps, and 1 Goal in International Play

#11 Ambrose Wainwright, age 27, Starter
25 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play

#18 Daniel Abigantus, age 26, Starter
16 Caps, and 1 Goal in International Play

#13 Ebrahim Borhani, age 31
10 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play

DEFENDERS
#3 Stephen Grohl, age 30, Starter
25 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play

#20 Ceslaus Goldsmith, age 28, Starter
25 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play

#16 Keyne Hawkins, age 26, Starter
25 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play

#14 Mark Latalien, age 33, Starter
25 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play

#12 Thomas Strazzabosco, age 24, Starter
16 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play

#5 Blaise Rouillard, age 21
13 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play (3 Caps, and 0 Goals in U-21 World Cup)

#17 Tychon Wuestenberg, age 20
7 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play (3 Caps, and 0 Goals in U-21 World Cup)

#24 Jason Vear, age 18
3 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play (3 Caps, and 0 Goals in U-21 World Cup)

GOALKEEPERS
#2 David Deneen, age 28, Starter
25 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play

#4 Rainbold Shiflett, age 25
25 Caps, and 0 Goals in International Play

TEAM KITS
Becquerelia are debuting their offical kits for the World Cup. The jerseys are designed and made by Mercury Athletics, Becquerelia's permier sportswear suppliers.

Becquerelia's home uniform. (http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/becquereliahome.gif)
Becquerelia's away uniform. (http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/becquereliaaway.gif)
Becquerelia's alternate uniform, should the opportunity ever present itself to use them. (http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/becquereliathird.gif)
Becquerelia's goalie uniform. (http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/becquereliagoalie.gif)

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers Y
Godmod Scoring Events Y
RP injuries to my players Y (Don't kill anyone. But if you really, really want to kill one of my players or coaches, just telegram me and we'll talk about it.)
Godmod injuries to my players Y
Hand out Yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out Red cards to my players Y
Godmod Other Events Y

Spaam

01-04-2006, 05:05

OOC: Signups have been pushed forward a day so that we can finish the CoH before Easter. Signups now close midnight Monday/Tuesday AEST (2pm Monday GMT), and the first match will be held the day after. There will also now be 8 groups of 4, so we need 12 more signups! Anyone can signup as long as they RPd at least once this WC, and didn't qualify for the WC.

Timetable (GMT)

3/4 Draw
4/4 Matchday 1
5/4 Matchday 2
6/4 Matchday 3
7/4 Break
8/4 Round of 16
9/4 Break
10/4 Quarterfinals
11/4 Break
12/4 Semifinals
13/4 Break
14/4 Final/3rd Place (Good Friday)

Atheistic Right

01-04-2006, 05:17

Atheistic Right signs up using the same Roster as WC 27

Wentland

01-04-2006, 09:34

There were some surprises in the Cup of Harmony squad...many long-serving players were dropped as Edgar Bluff chose to treat the tournament as a way of giving experience to those who would be in World Cup XXVIII.

1 Francis Derrington - goalie, 28, Royal Heath

2 Joe Okey - right back, 32, Downham

3 Bertie Tanner – left-back, 19, Crowhurst

4 Blake Wright - centre-half, 24, Royal Heath

5 Steve Moon – centre-half, 19, Crowhurst

6 John Capper – midfield, 36, Coleditch

7 Adrian Loder – right-wing, 19, Crowhurst

8 Francis Treves - centre-forward, 21, Alumgreen

9 Martin Smith – centre-forward, 26, Royal Heath

10 Joe Weston - midfield, 25, Royal Heath

11 Cosmo Kent - left-wing, 22, Warpstone

12 Ben Tewkesbury – goalie, 29, Donington

13 Ron Fletcher – right-back, 29, Donington

14 Don Fletcher - left back, 29, Donington

15 Brian Culthorpe – centre-half, 22, Tynefield

16 Mike Bateson – centre-half, 24, Blackport

17 Steve Yaxley – right-wing, 22, Tynefield

18 Col Forbes – centre-midfield, 24, Gt Bellstead

19 Tim Randolph – centre-midfield, 25, Gt Bellstead

20 Tom Devey – left-wing, 24, Royal Heath

21 Tommy Barnes – centre-forward, 19, Crowhurst

22 Hoppo Hopkins - centre-forward, 25, Royal Heath

23 Dennis Tracey – goalie, 19, Crowhurst

Tommy Barnes had mixed emotions. The Crowhurst influence was growing, but he was still short in the pecking-order.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do anything they like within reason

Style mod +3 - they go forward a lot.

Spaam

01-04-2006, 11:34

USFA President Erc Ellery was relaxing at the desk in his office. Everything was going well; the Waffles had not only qualified for the first time since most of the players had been alive, but they had made it past the first round as well. Jelbert was back from her injury, meaning they had one of the world's greatest goalkeepers at their disposal. And the EWCC had voted in support of their hosting the Cup of Harmony.

Ahhh... that was a sweet victory indeed. Of course, the Cup was always going to be held in the Heartland; it just wasn't clear which end of the region. The strategy he used to entice the other members was risky... risky indeed. Using the personal dislike of one member to win a hosting bid, and a solo hosting bid at that. He would be even happier if it was the first time it had occurred with the Liverpool England member as well.

He called his assistant, Glywayatus Sandercock, into the office.

"Sandwichcock, how are the signups going?"

"Sandercock, sir. They are going well; twenty two members have registered teams for the Cup."

"Twenty two! That is an excellent response indeed... that means we need... ummm..."

"Ten more, sir."

"Thats what I was about to say, Cindycock. This will be the greatest Cup of Harmony ever!"

"Sandercock, sir. Of course, sir."

"Is there any news from the WCC?"

"Nothing of note. The member for Casari did claim he had literally no trust in the EWCC if they'd give something to you, though."

"The nerve! That n00b knows nothing about anything. Cindercock, take a message for that moron of a representative for me."

"Sandercock, sir. What would you like to say, sir?"

"You idiot."

"... Is that all sir?"

"That is indeed all, Sandycock! Now send it post-haste and let me get back to my work!"

"Sandercock, sir. Of course, sir."

As his assistant left, Ellery relaxed even more. Yes... it was a sweet victory indeed.

Cuation

01-04-2006, 15:53

Seamen Suspended For Group Stage

Cuation are still feeling the setback of failing to get past the playoffs as they will go into the Cup of Harmony with only one keeper able to play in the group stage. In the playoff with the Kazoo People, Seamen brought down a man when clear and was rightly sent off. His replacment that today and for the first three matches is Gary Jens, his poor performance sending Cuation out.

The staff have the ex-number 1 practising hard in an attempt to bring back his old match winning form. Having travelled to Spamm, Cuation are eager to do better then the first stage of the knock outs but will be unsure until the teams they must face to qualify are known.

Vuam and Isma

01-04-2006, 16:02

The Vuam and Isma Footballing association was flabbergasted, to say the least.

Of course, they were hardly the best team that hadn't earned a trip to Bedistan or to Fmjphoenix, but they had finished in a confortable mid-table position, even though they were in one of the hardest groups according to all sources.

But to not be invited to the CoH.... It was quite an insult they found.

Georgeonia

01-04-2006, 16:45

OOC:

Anyone can signup as long as they RPd at least once this WC, and didn't qualify for the WC.

Vuam and Isma, I think only the teams that lost playoff matches were invited, everyone else has to sign up...

/OOC

Spaam

01-04-2006, 17:03

OOC: That is correct. The only nations that were invited, AS I HAVE SAID MULTIPLE TIMES, were the losers of the playoffs, anyone in #sport, and Ariddia. So no, you weren't invited. You had to signup like everyone else.

I have taken the liberty of signing you up, if that was the intention?

Wentland

01-04-2006, 17:50

"The best thing about the Cup of Harmony," opined Sir Charles "Charlie" Charles of the Wentland FA, "is that those plebeian oiks from Vuam and Isma have not been invited."

Smee tapped Sir Charles on his shoulder and whispered in his ear.

"They've WHAT????"

McPsychoville

01-04-2006, 19:27

As Minister for Sports - and thereby defacto President of every sporting association within the McPsychovillian borders - Aleksandr 'Alex' Shelley had certain possibilities open to him that were...not normally extended to members of the public (or, as some of the Conservative Democrats put it, plebs). For example, on production of his identity card, most businesses took it upon themselves to lavish him with 'gifts'. After all, being on the good side of the government was never a bad thing - one only had to look at the example of the Dyspepi Corporation to see what having powerful friends did for you.

There was also the courtesy Shelley was currently using - being granted luxury seats for any game he so wished to view. Naturally, exploiting his status like this came with certain irritants; usually, he was expected to deliver some kind of speech, or sign some autographs, or pose with a couple of kids who had 'weeks to live', and all that other assorted cal.

The Blue Lord smiles upon those who seize opportunities, thought Shelley, as he flashed his card at the pretty receptionist. The girl smiled, and lead him to the express elevator of the LeMaitre Stadium. And for this game, I'd happily beat up a squad of one-legged wheelchair-bound blind midgets to be here.

The biggest grudge match in the history of the MFUL always drew sell-out crowds, and it always, without exception, delivered. London Football Club, the reigning Top Tier champions, versus Royston Valley Rovers, the holders of the Diamond Cup - easily the biggest game in the domestic season. Last time they met, four players were sent off and the final score was 7-6 in favour of London from a last-minute Michel Lysiak free-kick, despite Gabe Price scoring a hat-trick within twenty-eight minutes (his personal best).

And what better way to enjoy a match like this than with leather recliners, a beautiful woman at your beck and call, and a flat-screen plasma television for those slow-motion replays. The pretty receptionist hovered nearby as Shelley settled into his chosen chair, and Shelley handed her a crumpled fifty karmic dollar note.

Dumb bitch. She's paid far too much to sit around and answer the phone anyway, and I'm supposed to tip her as well? Women should go back to serving men, like the good old days.

On the screen, the pundits chewed the fat over the upcoming match, and the appearance of Minutemen coach Nate Webb as well, but before Shelley could tune in properly, the roar of the crowd heralded the arrival of the two teams onto the pitch. As the LeMaitre's MC went down both teams, Shelley heard his DD Compact ring once - the signal of an incoming e-mail from people or peoples unknown.

To: ashelley@mfu.gov.ahp.mpv
From: president@spaamfa.spa
RE: RE: Cup of Harmony - McPsychoville Minutemen Roster and other details

Thank you for your interest in entering the Cup of Harmony. We here at the Spaam Football Association are pleased to inform you that your team has been accepted into the Cup of Harmony, and will be involved in the draw on the third of April.

Yours sincerely,
President of the Spaam Football Association
Patrick Martin

All Shelley could was smile. The World Cup finals were out of their grasp, but the Cup of Harmony...this would be a new playing field altogether.

OOC: Please note that Shelley's comments about women don't reflect my own. Shelley is a member of the Soylent faith, and one of the tenets they hold is that women are second-class citizens compared to men. Obviously, he keeps his faith under wraps. Also, I hope Spaam doesn't mind my use of his 'SFA President' in this post. I couldn't find any information about the SFA, so I've basically made it up myself. Hope that's OK.

Haraki

01-04-2006, 20:20

In advance of the beginning of the Cup of Harmony, Haraki Hawks coach Lloyd Vargas would like to issue the official numbers for goals scored in international play. This takes into account both the pre-World Cup 27 Baptism of Fire and the World Cup qualifying itself.

Total scoring in international play by the Haraki Hawks: 35 goals.
Breakdown -
Zendar: 14
Cortes: 7
Sharp: 5
Neils: 3
S. Ribald: 2
Foster: 1
Ford: 1
Menike: 1
Veritas Ezaniea: 1

Unsurprisingly, national superstar and team captain Mike Zendar is fair in the lead for goal scoring. The second place slot goes, surprisingly enough, to fiesty midfield Manuel Cortes, who has such an unusual shooting style that no-one seems able to predict where his shots will end up. Zendar's fellow forward Samuel Sharp comes in third place with five goals, followed by a number of players with only a few goals. The top three are undoubtedly Haraki's top offensive players, and all goalkeepers ought to fear them, especially the fierce leg on Mike Zendar.

Kelse

01-04-2006, 22:48

Kelsian National Football Team

The Kelsian National Football Team (The Mariners) would like to participate in the CoH for the first time, after a mildly-succesful run in the World Cup.

Goalies
# 77 Alfonso Alvarez [26] - Barisi Rangers
# 05 Lucas Sepulveda [23] - Savona Strike
# 36 Aaron Maro [25] - Catania Crusade

Forwards
# 21 Julio Espinoza [23] - Santa Monica Mariners
# 07 Mateo Ferraro [19] - Santa Monica Mariners
# 15 Carlos Santena [24] - Salerno Seahawks
# 53 Francisco Torres [22] - Verona Senators
# 37 Ceasar Lazaro [27] - Torino Tribe
# 12 Sergio Taluna [25] - Barisi Rangers
# 08 Kaseo Moreno [32] - Malatia Wild
# 46 Alondro Vidal [27] - Palermo Avalanche

Midfielders
# 69 Noeh Martinez [20] - Salerno Seahawks
# 38 Alejo San Marca [23] - Verona Senators
# 06 Seato Enzo [21] - Torino Tribe
# 12 Puga Capuleti [24] - Malatia Wild
# 25 Darelli Monichelli [26] - Livornio Lightning
# 10 Luka Cedrello [27] - Verona Senators

Defenders
# 17 Pilot Scantrelli [23] - Isola Islanders
# 57 Antonio Prima [31] - Cagliari Royals
# 28 Mateo Millironi [26] - Catania Crusade
# 52 Polo Hidalgo [29] - Santa Monica Mariners

Starting line up
G Alvarez
F Espinoza
F Ferraro
F Santena
M Martinez
M San Marca
M Enzo
M Capuleti
D Scantrelli
D Prima
D Millironi

[Kelse will play with a +2 style]

Atheistic Right

02-04-2006, 07:02

"War or no war. The Atheistic Right Archepteri will be heading over to Spaam for the Cup of Harmony, We've got to show the world that the aggresive Collonites will not prevent us from travelling to Spaam, our lifestyle will not be dictated to or changed. The Collonian invasion will not stop us, for we are unstoppable!" - Lion

A Public Service Announcement - ARAF News & Entertainment Network.

Qazox

02-04-2006, 07:19

Qazox City Herald

Holy Oxen XXVIII slanders a country

In shocking news to the nation of Qazox, during his annual address to the country, Holy Oxen the XXVIII, Henri Livitas, was overheard to say the following, after his speech congratulating the Black Oxen on their World Cup run and berth in the Cup of Harmony:

Holy freaking Ox, look at the countries that have signed up for the CoH. and what's up with the hosts Spaam? what they didn't wanna get confused with the lunch-meat? sounds like they got somethign to hid over there.

Anathematic Republics and the Atheistic Right? bunch of freaky dog-eaters.

Mr Chuck Norris?? he's like what 1,500 years old what he do sell his soul to the Devil?

Tynelia? we have to deal with them again? the same country that can't hold on to their crystal for 5 minutes with-out someone stealing them?

Dorian and Sonya? didn't kick thier &&&es twice already?

and that Vuam and Isma? damn country didn't know they could join should of been allowed in in my hymble opinion....

What's that Mr. Loki? The camera's still on? OH FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU(K!

The office of the Holy Oxen claims that the Holy Oxen didn't know that the camera was still on and was talking on his cell phone to his bookie. The Most Serene Republic of Qazox and all of its leaders apologixe for our Spiritula Leaders' comments and humbly request that they don't destroy us. once again we're sorry for the Holy Oxen's outburst earlier today.

The Lowland Clans

02-04-2006, 08:43

The Allied States signs up, more to come later

Vuam and Isma

02-04-2006, 13:18

Thanks for the info Spaam.

I'd understood that all the teams in the qualifiers that didn't qualify would be invited, not just the playoff losers.

And yes, it was my intention to sign up for the cup.

Spaam

02-04-2006, 15:08

OOC: 7 spots remaining! Signups close tomorrow!

And if anyone sent me a message, I prolly have not got it, due to my nation being 0'd.

Giant Zucchini

02-04-2006, 16:52

Woohoo it's the Zucchini machine back in action! Sign me up!

Hypocria

02-04-2006, 20:31

Takil Forever. Karela Never (Again)

Hypocria’s national side has arrived in Spaam ahead of yet another Cup of Harmony campaign. And judging by the personnel who got off the plane coach Alex Santoro is keeping faith with the players that reached the World Cup playoffs.

“We had the occasional blip here and there but overall these players did really well in the qualifiers”, Santoro told assembled reporters. “I see no reason to make widespread chances. We’re trying to build a team that will qualify for the World Cup and if we change half the personnel after every tournament that will never happen.”

The players may be the same but noises from the Hyppos’ camp suggest there will be a change in philosophy.

“We’ve always been a naturally attacking side.” Andrei Shirko, former international striker and now part of the Hyppo’s coaching setup admitted. “But during the qualifiers the boss made a concerted effort to tighten the side up defensively. But he recognises that the new system didn’t suit the players so in this competition we’re going back to our more natural game.”

(OOC: Just to clarify, we’ll be using the World Cup roster as linked in the first post of the thread. But the team will be changing to +4 style)

Anathematic Republics

02-04-2006, 21:03

Assuming my out-of-town-ness over the weekend doesn't make this too late, we'll sign up, even though we're a puppet of NMS (do with that as you will).

The Gupta Dynasty

02-04-2006, 22:11

OOC:Would like to sign up (as "Yafor 2" of course). I RP'ed in the WC, but haven't seemed to be invited...odd...

Collonie

02-04-2006, 23:27

Collonie the puppet of Milchama signs up if there are any spots left.

If there are not then fine but we hope you will find a place for us to be.

Majeristan

02-04-2006, 23:34

Overheard in a sports pub in Tikira:

PATRON 1: What's this about a Cup of Harmony?

PATRON 2: It's a tournament for nations that don't make it to the World Cup finals proper. It's sort of a loser's bracket tournament.

PATRON 3: Like the NIT?
Both other PATRONS roll their eyes, annoyed at the example, but PATRON 4 nods.

PATRON 4: Yeah, it's kinda like that.

PATRON 3: Then why would we want to play there?

PATRON 1: So we could at least have something to play for. Pride, if nothing else.

PATRON 2: And we'd at least go out with a bang.

PATRON 3: What do you mean "go out with a bang"?

PATRON 1: Didn't you hear? This will be our last tournament. The Majeristani Football Association is tired of the political bullshit of the World Cup.

PATRON 3: Then why play this tournament?

PATRON 2: We were invited to, that's why.

PATRON 3: If you were invited to jump off a cliff, would you do it?

PATRONS 1, 2 and 4: Shut up!

[OOC: Majeristan signs up with the same roster and same info as the World Cup.]

Pastorville

03-04-2006, 00:47

Pastorville signs up.

The Islands of Qutar

03-04-2006, 01:17

The Islands of Qutar would like to sign up. The roster will be the same as the World Cup roster

Spaam

03-04-2006, 03:02

USFA president Erc Ellery picked up the phone. "What? We now have thirty one signups? That is brilliant! So only one more spot left? And exactly twelve hours until signups close? Well, they had better get in quick then! Yes, I can't wait to present the draw tonight. Ok, see you later."

Apologetic Kittens

03-04-2006, 08:54

The Kittens are hoping to rebound from their failure in World Cup Qualifying with a good Cup of Harmony. The squad list is as follows:

Head Coach:
Bobby Davis: 44: Brought in to replace Wilson, he's hoping for success. The same form as his predecessor hasn't helped his hopes.

Goalkeepers:
Ronnie "Wets the bed" Weeter: 24: A couple games in World Cup Qualifying last time went disastrously wrong for the lad, but shall be hoping to prove his worth here as first choice.
Harry Kanaga: 22: Son of legend Horace Kanaga, he'll be hoping to push Weeter for a place.
Michael Alington: 17: Hoping to break into the team, but the talents of the other young keepers may keep him out.

Right Backs:
Claude Millhouse: 31: Solid at the back, and continues to show his worth.
Edward Polson: 26: Cousin of former Kitten Elroy, and has a lot of pace as an alternative to the strength of Millhouse.

Left Backs:
Jamel Wynter: 26: Quick and agile, he's been known to be light on the tackle, but should cause problems aplenty for any wingers looking to run in.
Robert Campbell: 23: Strong and fast, he's caused more injuries than any player with his disciplinary record should.

Centre Backs:
Edward Kiefer: 22: Top young talent, his speed causes many problems for the opposition..
Harry Reed: 18: Powerful and a real threat to opposing strikers.
Tony Ashmore: 18: The third member of a very young backline.

Defensive Midfielders:
Lee Roberts: Captain: 32: The heart of the squad, he proves himself every game.
Jonathan Unk: 27: With Roberts in the team he may not get a chance to play. But he's a top player, showing why this is the strongest area of the AK squad.

Right Wingers:
Edward Newman: 21: Widely regarded as the best player produced in the nation, he's practically unstoppable.
Alphonso Chase: 25: The right winger for many years, he's been unlucky to occupy the position of Newman.

Left Wingers:
Raul Chase: 27: Quick. It's the only word to describe him.
Darrell Schofield: 30: Not much to say about him, really. He gets the job done with hard work.

Attacking Midfielders:
Enrique Monroe: 26: He pushes past everything in his way, but a tendency to get carried away with tricks may cost him. Showed some marvellous footwork late in qualifying. Shame it's taken him so long to fully blossom.
Anton "Ant" Aultman: 22: At 5'6" he is known for turning up where you least expect him.

Strikers:
Dewey Gronko: 27: Fast and energetic he perfectly is happy running at goal the whole game.
Jerome Moore: 29: Gronko's speedy compatriot, they've developed a strong bond since Iron Boot left the team after the qualifiers.
Daniel Leichter: 17: A new young striker in the mold of Iron Boot. Great hopes rest on the lads powerful right foot.
Johnny Telence: 31: Strong, he is used only sparingly when a different approach is needed to the quick frontline.

Ariddia

03-04-2006, 09:08

OOC: I did send you a TG, though you may not have got it.

IC:
The PDSRA's squad for the 27th Cup of Harmony:

GK: Sandrine Leduc (1)
DEF: Peter Roberts (13); James Fields (5); Carl Labarque (11)
MID: Ue Alt (cpt; 12); Michael Swimmer (21); André Delherbe (15); John Sanjeeb (19)
ATT: Ismail Faraj (10); Clémentine Ramirez (2); William Smith (8)

Substitutes:
GK: Ludovic Hue (4); Awad al Maharmeh (22)
DEF: Ie Ewe (14)
MID: Cyril Lange (18) ; Jeanne Finnan (17)
ATT: Nam Hyok-Jun (9) ; Michelle Dru (3)

Eleven members of Ariddia’s national team – Clément, al Jahdali, Kitenge, Wald, Eosh, I, Bounthaiyavong, Ja, Kyaw, U and Song – are unable to participate in this competition, due to being needed by their clubs in Audioslavia, Krytenia and ASMV. Therefore the following changes have been made:

* Six new players have been called upon. Carl Labarque (def), Ie Ewe (def), William Smith (fwd), Jeanne Finnan (mid) and Michelle Dru (fwd) are all amateurs and members of Ariddia’s Olympic male or female football team. Nam Hyok-Jun (fwd) is an Ariddian Arctic Islander, who plays for the AAI club Fetuo FC.

* Ariddia’s defence will be constituted entirely of substitutes and new players. Roberts, Fields and Labarque will be starters.

* John Sanjeeb will be starter instead of a substitute.

* William Smith will be a starter, playing forward with Faraj and Ramirez.

* Ariddia will send only eighteen players instead of twenty-three.

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers N
Godmod Scoring Events Y
RP injuries to my players Y
Godmod injuries to my players N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out Red cards to my players Y
Godmod Other Events Y

Ariddia will be competing with a style modifier of +4.

As always, all relevant information on the Rouge-et-Noirs can be found here (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Ariddia%27s_football_team).

As ever, the Ariddians will try to frighten and entertain their opponents at the same time by performing the ulek (http://ns.goobergunch.net/wiki/index.php/Ulek) at the start of every match.

Spaam

03-04-2006, 09:42

OOC: Signups are now closed! Draw sometime after 2pm GMT. And no, prolly didn't get it.

Spaam

03-04-2006, 15:12

<Erc_Ellery> We know that nobody is listening to us, but here is the draw for the 27th Cup of Harmony!
<Erc_Ellery> The teams have been divided into four pools, and we shall draw one team from each pool, for each group.
<Erc_Ellery> So lets start, with Group A!
<Erc_Ellery> Wentland
<Erc_Ellery> Ariddia
<Erc_Ellery> Kelse
<Erc_Ellery> Georgeonia
-->| Fmjphoenix (~fmjphoeni@ip70-162-0-13.ph.ph.cox.net) has joined #sport
=-= Mode #sport +o Fmjphoenix by ChanServ
<Erc_Ellery> (Since someone is now listening to us, we shall repeat Group A)
<Erc_Ellery> Wentland 35
<Erc_Ellery> Ariddia 57
<Erc_Ellery> Kelse 73
<Erc_Ellery> Georgeonia 100
<Erc_Ellery> Group B!
<Erc_Ellery> Nanakaland 46
<Erc_Ellery> Pastorville 59
<Erc_Ellery> Qazox 71
<Erc_Ellery> Bazalonia 83
<Erc_Ellery> Group C
<Erc_Ellery> Cataduanes 34
<Erc_Ellery> Legalese 50
<Fmjphoenix> ?
<Erc_Ellery> Becquerelia 77
<Erc_Ellery> Mr Chuck Norris 90
<Erc_Ellery> (Cup of Harmony)
<Erc_Ellery> Group D
<Fmjphoenix> htats what i figured
<Erc_Ellery> Hypocria 42
<Erc_Ellery> Yafor 2 49
<Erc_Ellery> The Macabees 70
<Erc_Ellery> Atheistic Right 114
<Erc_Ellery> Group E
<Erc_Ellery> The Lowland Clans 45
<Erc_Ellery> Collonie 62
<Erc_Ellery> Apologetic Kittens 78
<Erc_Ellery> Dorian and Sonya 93
<Erc_Ellery> Group F
<Erc_Ellery> Cuation 37
<Erc_Ellery> Anathematic Republics 56
<Erc_Ellery> Dance 2 Revolution 72
<Erc_Ellery> Vuam and Isma 87
<Erc_Ellery> Group G
<Erc_Ellery> Giant Zucchini 33
<Erc_Ellery> Majeristan 53
<Erc_Ellery> McPsychoville 82
<Erc_Ellery> Spaamanian Plijous 125
<Erc_Ellery> (Cheers are heard from the crowd)
<Fmjphoenix> lol
<Erc_Ellery> And that leaves just four teams for Group H
<Erc_Ellery> The Islands of Qutar 29
<Erc_Ellery> Haraki 67
<Erc_Ellery> Tynelia 76
<Erc_Ellery> Magnus Valerius 96
<Fmjphoenix> i better make sure my baseball lineups are done today, the season started up yesterday
<Erc_Ellery> Thankyou all for not listening!
<Fmjphoenix> lol
<Erc_Ellery> The matches will start this time tomorrow.
<Fmjphoenix> should be interesting

Georgeonia

03-04-2006, 16:32

Group A

Wentland (35)
Ariddia (57)
Kelse (73)
Georgeonia (100)

Georgeonia to face tough group stage

The squids were drawn into group A in front of a packed room pf representatives this afternoon,
leaving them playing against Wentland, Ariddia and Kelse. Our matches will take place at the
impressive Gall Island Football Stadium. The squids are now ranked one hundredth in the world,
but are only seeded thirtieth in this thirty-two team tournament so will have to repeat their
world cup giant killing successes in order to get any results here. Let's take a closer look at
our group A opponents:

Wentland
World Ranking - 35th
Seeded fourth in the tournament, this team look strong group favourites. They finished fourth in
their wc27 qualifying group behind Starblydia, Oliverry and Spaam, picking up twenty-three points
along the way, and will have been dissapointed not to have made the playoffs. They have made
several changes since the world cup, however, and it remains to be seen whether their newer
players will prove as successful as their predecessors. Despite this, they look likely to win the
group, and can be expected to score a lot of goals, having anounced a highly attack-orientated
formation.
Predicted finish - 1st

Ariddia
World Ranking - 57th
Mid table in the tournament's seedings, Ariddia's performance is difficult to predict. On paper
they look a much better team than the squids, but Georgeonia can take heart in their two wc27
qualifying wins against Pastorville, who had a very similar world ranking. Ariddia finished fifth
in their wc27 qualifying table, picking up just three more points than the Squids along the way.
Ariddia are reported to be struggling with players for this tournament, with many unable to attend
due to club commitments. They are therefore fielding some inexperienced players and their defence
in particular looks vulnerable.
Predicted finish - 3rd

Kelse
World Ranking - 73rd
On rankings, Kelse seem the squids' best chance to pick up a win, but we predict that in practice
they will be strong, possibly even topping the group. They had an excellent run in the wc27
qualifiers, finishing fourth in their group, directly above Ariddia, and we suspect they will
continue their good form here. Like wentland they will be playing with an attacking style, so
we expect exciting and high scoring games.
Predicted finish - 2nd

Reasonable expectations, then seem to be for the squids to pick up at least one point in their
group games, and anything other than three losses would be a great boost for our world ranking
ahead of the next world cup campaign. As wc27 showed, however, nothing in this game is predictable,
and if we can take four points from two games against Tadjikistan, maybe, just maybe, we can
exceed expectations here too!

Go Squids!

Tynelia

03-04-2006, 17:34

“Welcome everyone to a special Cup of Harmony edition of Tynelian Soccer Weekly. As always this is Sal Spikeman along with Anna Dalespin bringing you the latest coverage for the Tynelian national soccer team’s latest international tournament. The draw has been announced and Tynelia finds itself in a relatively good position most think. Though being the number three seed of the group Tynelia is actually the closest in rank to the second seed Haraki whom our viewers may recall from the unofficial Baptism of Fire “keepers battle” between Harakian keeper Mark Stone and Tynelia’s Vladimar Malloy over who would give up the fewest goals in the tournament.

Tynelia has yet to face either of the other two teams, top seeded and highest ranked team in the Cup, The Islands of Qutar and Magnus Valerius who is the fourth seed. In the World Cup 27 play the teams went as following: The Islands of Qutar 25 points 4th place in group 12; Haraki 22 points, 5th place group 8; Tynelia 20 points 6th in group 2; and Magnus Valerius 17 points, 7th place group 10. So Anna how do you like our chances this time?”

“The first thing that jumps out at everyone Sal is how close all these teams are. While in Cup play you had top ten teams playing teams playing their first ever match in international play, this time around everyone has some experience at this level of competition. Not only that all the teams present have had some success so there are no real ‘easy’ games in a tournament like this. The best example of how wide open this tournament can be is in group B where the top seed Nanakaland at 46th isn’t even 40 ranks ahead of the lowest Bazalonia and in group E and F there is only a 50 rank spread or less. Tynelia actually has a bit of bad luck drawing the top ranked team in this tournament but it must be noted that the top two teams move on. In a group play consisting of only 3 matches one upset can turn the entire bracket upside down.”

“That’s right Anna. Unlike in the World Cup where you could go without a win for 2 or 3 matches and still be able to make up time like the Kazoo Peoples did, every match here is critical. In fact starting things out with a win puts you in excellent shape to advance with only one match in the books just because of how tough it will be to make up ground.”

“Correct Sal and to get back to your original question I think Tynelia has a good chance to advance. While some wonder why Vladimar Malloy is still getting the start over Amy Whiteworth given her great showing at the end of the World Cup I think the move does make some sense. Malloy is more experienced of the two and will be less likely to be bothered by nerves than Whiteworth who is a much more emotional player. Plus I think he will have something to prove here and try to silence the critics after a couple of tough showings against the top teams of the Cup tournament.

“ I also think it is a good idea that Coach O’Meara did not try to change the team much from the World Cup including their style. With sixteen games to adjust to this style of play any change would probably cause more harm than good. Its also interesting when you hear that many of the teams here are looking to a more attacking style. Coming up against a defensive minded club like Tynelia might throw them off their game if they come in expecting any sort of shootout. That in turn might open things up for the Tynelian offense though it never worked that way against Bettia.

“Well The Islands of Qutar are ranked almost as highly as Bettia was in the cup Anna.”

“That may be but Tynelia has improved as well since the start of that tournament so I think people will find the team to be much better prepared to go up against the top teams than they were in the World Cup.”

“So your picks Anna?”

“OK Sal, I decided to take the plunge and make my picks for every group here so here goes.

In group A I like Wentland and Kelse to come out. While it might surprise some people Kelse was fighting for a qualifying spot despite its relatively low rank and did in fact finish ahead of Arridia overall. They look to be a team on the rise and Wentland looks strong enough to move on as well.

In group B things could be all topsy turvy here. How has Nanakaland recovered from their shocking collapse in the World Cup qualifiers and can they bounce back in such a short series of group play to move on? After seeing them fall apart like they have I don’t think they will. For that reason I see Qazox and Pastorville moving on. In fact don’t be surprised if the Ox worshippers win the group, they had the best showing in the Cup qualifiers other than Nanakaland who may need more time to recover from their loss and regain the form they had early on in the World Cup.

In group C I think the top two will move on. Legalese and Cataduanes. Both Mr. Chuck Norris and Becquerelia were inconsistent in the cup, the former started out fast and faded while the latter started very slow only to rally late. While its possible they could surprise some people, a group play this short will be tough for an inconsistent squad to advance in.

In group D despite some claims that they are a card carrying member of the “All Underachiever’s Squad” I think Hypocria will manage to advance here coming off their world cup elimination loss. The Macabees and Yafor 2 both performed about the same in the World Cup qualifiers but it is Yafor 2 who is probably more disappointed with the finish. I expect them to bounce back in an effort to maintain their top 50 rank and take the second qualifying spot. Our old BoF competitors the Atheistic Right seem a bit outgunned here.

In group E Collonie just missed out on a top three spot by one win in their group and have to be the favorites here even though The Lowland Clans are the higher seed. The Apologetic Kittens seem a bit outmatched in this group based on a poor World Cup performance. Dorian and Sonya look to be about a Cup away from making serious noise. While they put up a pretty good point total in their first showing their -14 goal differential shows they still have a few holes to fill. So with that in mind I have to go with Collonie and The Lowland Clans

In group F Cuation, also coming off a loss in the single elimination third place round should be fired up to avenge that defeat here. However they find themselves grouped with the Anathematic Republic which comes from the exact same situation. With two fired up teams like this I think Vuam and Isma and Dance 2 Revolution will themselves fighting it out for third.

In group G we may have some surprises, the top ranked Giant Zucchini finds themselves coming off a poor 8th place effort in the Cup which only goal differential kept them from the cellar. I’m going to go on a limb and say that they will not bounce back in time and in fact not qualify to the next round. Who will move on? Majeristan will, coming off a third place qualifier loss in the World Cup. McPsychoville should move on as well after a solid World Cup round. Spaamanian Plijous will most likely bring up the rear of this group.

Finally group H the top seeded Islands of Qutar should move on as they have the biggest rank edge over the second seed of any in the group. The other spot will be a dogfight as only group B has a narrower rank difference from seeds 2-4 as group H so all three teams can say they have a realistic chance of getting the second spot. So I looked at what to me is a good indicator of a team’s relative strength, goal differential. From the world cup qualifiers Tynelia as a -2, Haraki was a -4 and Magnus Valerius was -9. With that in mind it looks like the second spot will come down to the matchup that never materialized in the Baptism of Fire. Will the Man of Stone or the man known as the Wall be the one to crumble when they go head to head? I have to go with my heart and country here and say that Tynelia takes the second qualifying spot.”

“Wow Anna that was the most I’ve heard you talk since the time you went to the producers begging to keep Harmonie Harris off the air permanently after the kazoo incident. Well that’s all the time we have for today. We’ll be back right after Tynelia’s first match in the Cup of Harmony for the breakdown. At this time the exact schedule has not been announced so we’ll all find out together who will be the first opponent in Tynelia’s first ever Cup of Harmony. Until then this is Sal Spikeman for the verbose Anna Dalespin wishing everyone a good night.”

Spaam

03-04-2006, 17:50

Timetable

04: Group Stage 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3
05: Group Stage 1 vs 3, 2 vs 4
06: Group Stage 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4

08: Round of 16

10: Quarterfinals

12: Semifinals
13: Wooden Spoon Match
14: Finals and Third Place

Stadiums

Groups A, B: Gall Island Football Stadium
Groups C, D: East Spaam National Football Stadium
Groups E, F: Ethium State Stadium
Groups G, H: Artanis National Football Stadium
(Spaamanian Plijous group stage matches will be played at Albannana Stadium)

Quarterfinals, Semifinals: East Spaam National Football Stadium and Artanis National Football Stadium

Wooden Spoon: East Spaam National Football Stadium

Finals, Third Place: Artanis National Football Stadium

Wooden Spoon

The two team with the worst performance in the group stage will have one more match on the international stage, playing for the Wooden Spoon. The winner will actually win the award, while the loser will have the unfortunate honour of being beaten by the wooden spoon. The two nations vying for this 'honour' will be announced the day before the quarterfinals.

The Macabees

03-04-2006, 19:56

Deportive Internachnal
Once again, after a failed attempt at the world cup, the Second Empire of the Golden Throne, listed The Macabees [after the Kingdom name], makes a presence at the Cup of Harmony, this time sending a new team to the Cup of Harmony XXVII. This cup of harmony will be the debut of the new team put together by (still) head coach Leo Benz, made up of the younger veterans of the team that had played from World Cup XXV to World Cup XXVII, and it will showcase the team that will participate in the World Cup XXVIII. The new team, with its ample mix of veterans and fresh players, is hoping to make a much improved presentation over the last, although in the past three world cups the team has been able to improve in rank [now as the 70th best team in the world], and further improvement is hoped at this Cup of Harmony. That said, it will not be easy. The Empire finds itself in Group E, along with Yafor 2, Hypocria and Atheistic Right. The latter is rank 114, and so the Empire finds its goal to defeat at least this team, while it's working its hardest to give it some chance against Yafor 2 [rank 49] and Hypocria [rank 42]. Nevertheless, many expect the fight in the group to between these last two nations, the highest ranking in the group. But, they should expect quite a bit of resistance coming from the Empire's national team! So, without further adue we present to you the newest team:

Style: +1

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following:
Choose my goalscorers N
Godmod Scoring Events N
RP injuries to my players N
Godmod injuries to my players N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out Red cards to my players Y
Godmod Other Events N

Hans Kahn: Goalkeeper
Argentín Detal: Goalkeeper
Grafen Diest: Defender
Franz Xavier: Defender
Jeram Let: Defender
Estudíent Graf: Defender
Fedor Bietz: Defender
David Keitel: Midfielder
Jon Ferech: Midfielder
Alfret Star: Midfielder
Kril Notab: Midfielder
Fes Líen: Midfielder
Beín Sart: Foward
Kíem Tan: Foward
Franz Siedlitz: Foward[/b]
Fez Tilarain: Foward
Korté Unam: Foward
Jaq Qurol: Foward

Management:
Kristoff Neider: Manager
Leo Benz: Head Coach
Uder Seriech: Defensive Coach
Hans Versol: Offensive Coach
Sophie Alech: Head Trainer

Wentland

03-04-2006, 20:31

"Wow, first out of the hat," remarked Smee as the Committee watched the draw.

"Quiet, impudent one," said Sir Charles "Charlie" Charles.

The remaining teams came out.

Ariddia.

Kelse.

Georgeonia.

Poet laureate Lord Rodney Hull felt the Muse flow into him.

Squid and Mariner. Mariner and Squid.
The one hunts the other. The other one hid.
The second phase beckons. They both make a bid.
They face double block. The Swift and Arid-
Dia in their way. Two will be rid.
Which ones won? See how they did.
Sweetness for two, for t'others acid.

Streetgang The Cuttaz (featuring Mastermax Magma and DJ Ned) turned this into an unlikely top 10 hit, with His Lordship appearing on "Top Of The Charts" with a struthine friend a-perched on his arm.

"We really need a new Poet Laureate," remarked the King sadly.

Dorian and Sonya

03-04-2006, 21:15

Unicorns Ready for Tough Run

Queen Sonya looked at the draw the Unicorns received for The Cup of Harmony. Group E - The Lowland Clans, Collonie, and Apologetic Kittens. All in all it could have been much, much worse. None of the top dogs, save TLC - and they are slipping.

MD1 - The Lowland Clans. This side has been struggling as of late, but should still manage to take the group. What we hope for here is to keep the goal differential close.
Prediction - TLC 3:2 D&S

MD2 - Collonie. One word - Inconsistant. Collonie shows that in every competition they enter. We hope to take advantage of that.
Prediction - D&S 2:0 Collonie

MD3 - Apologetic Kittens. One of us will finish 2nd in the group. Both of us will be pushing hard to play spoiler.
Prediction - D&S 2:2 Apologetic Kittens

Will 4 points be enough to advance? That is the million dollar question and we don’t know the answer.

Now for the other groups:

Group A. This one is Wentland’s to lose. Expect Ariddia to come out as well.

Group B. We agree with Tynelia. Nanakland will continue to struggle. Qazox and Pastorville should be the squads moving on.

Group C. Bequerelia is our pick to win the group. They have a great style and look to cause some trouble in the rankings. Legalese will get a strong push from Mr Chuck Norris for the second spot. Cataduanes is up for some disappointment.

Group D. Hypocria will surprisingly hold form and win the group. But Atheistic Right will slide past Yafor 2 and the macabees for the 2nd spot.

Group F. Cuation is the team to beat here. Anamathic republics will have to hold off Vuam and Isma if they want to move on.

Group G. An easy group to call. Giant Zucchini will be on fire after their dismal WC27 run. Majeristan should also be easily through.

Group H. The “Oh my God What happened” Group. The Islands of Qutar look to be the top side, but if they slip all 3 other squads can move on. Haraki, Tynelia, and Magnus Valerius will all be looking to make some noise. Magnus Valerius could get overlooked and slip in unnoticed.

Now who will win it all? Cuation and Hypocria both look strong, but their luck is well documented. The Lowland Clans could quietly win it. Ariddia could be the Cinderella story here. But our prediction goes to Giant Zucchini. They will be out to prove they are still a side to be reckoned with.

Wentland

03-04-2006, 22:19

The Glorious Fourth. Gall Island Football Stadium. Wentland v Georgeonia. The boys in blue versus the boys in grey. Oob.

The very start of Wentland's first-ever Cup of Harmony. And they had been tabbed as favourites. For once, a burden on shoulders. For a team that had never been through the first round of a tournament this was something new.

Wentland started with their conventional one to eleven.

In goal, Francis Derrington. Erratic. Great shot-stopper but looking increasingly streaky on crosses.

At right back, Joe Okey. Maverick who seemed to be calming down in his later football career. But it was looking unlikely he would ever achieve what he could do on the world stage.

Debutant at left back. Tiny Bertie Tanner is a firebrand in the number 3 shirt. One of the Crowhurst mob. Tenacious in the tackle, but with no experience. How will he do?

Brutal Blake Wright in the middle. Heavy burden to bear with a still-callow partner at the back. But this is a partnership for the next couple of tournaments - perhaps.

Steve Moon. One of the quietest men to ever wear the blue. Another Crowhurstian. Generally effective. But needs experience.

Captaining the team, John Capper. Seemingly ageless. Playing with a serenity that belied belief. Very much in the background. As usual staying in a caravan near the team hotel.

Adrian Loder making a rare start. From a rich family. His money seems to be subsidising the Crowhurst experiment. Amazing dribbler, needs to work on distribution. He starts on the right.

Francis Treves at centre-forward. The best player ever to play for the Swifts. Dynamite finisher.

Martin Smith alongside him. "Tiny" is huge. Decent in the air, not so great on the ground, still working on partnership with Treves.

Centre-midfield - another firecracker. Joe Weston. Very experienced for 25 years old. Has a dig and likes a free-kick.

Last but not least Cosmo Kent. Master of the Swerving Dip Shot. Another free-kick specialist but scores a lot from the left-wing.

They stood in line as "Keep Right On" played. Grimly determined, they did not want to let anything go wrong as it did in World Cup qualifying...

Majeristan

03-04-2006, 22:46

Falcons set to take final flight

TIKIRA (3 April 2006) -- With just the Cup of Harmony left on its plate for the Majeristani national football team after a second consecutive World Cup that saw the team fall short of its goals, the team drew Giant Zucchini, McPsychoville, and Spaamanian Plijous in Group G.

"This group should give us a chance to advance," midfielder Joe Taylor said. "We're expecting to get Giant Zucchini's best shot after their performance in the World Cup, and we expect McPsychoville to be a factor on the international scene after we leave football competition. And Spaamanian Plijous can't be taken for granted. We're not good enough as a football side to take anyone lightly."

Perhaps they aren't, but they also fell just one extra session short of advancing to a shock World Cup finals appearance in just their second World Cup qualifying campaign. The team also contended for a World Cup finals appearance in their first-ever go around and has a few higher-ranked scalps among its prizes, but not quite enough consistency for Coach Hatime I Ra~e's liking.

"We play abysmali at the worst times," he said. "We need to focus better and be consistent in footballing."

Perhaps these Falcons won't get that opportunity. The Majeristani Football Association elected to withdraw the team from World Cup play because the MFA considered the Emergency World Cup Committee too political. However, the team elected to participate in this Cup of Harmony with an eye on an outside chance of bringing home a championship in their final go around in football.

"We just want to get out there and win for our supporters," Taylor said. "We know this is the end for us, so we're going to go after it."

Becquerelia

03-04-2006, 22:54

http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/bnff.gifBECQUERELIA
CUP OF HARMONY PREVIEW

Group C
at East Spaam National Football Stadium

http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/cataduanes.gif
Cataduanes
KPB Ranking - 34
Finish in World Cup 27 - 7-2-7, fourth place in Group 5

Cataduanes surprised many by qualifying for World Cup 26 in their first go at it, but it appears that they have slipped a bit since then. Five key players retired before World Cup 27 qualifying, and a key part of the roster is built with players surely on the downside of their careers. Their roster features two starters known for comabtive play: Mattias Lopez Cerro, and Andres Chavicano. This should lead to some titanic clashes with the National Team's resident hothead Ambrose Wainwright during Game 2.

Predicted Finish: 1-1-1, third place in Group C

http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/legalese.gif
Legalese
KPB Ranking - 50
Finish in World Cup 27 - 7-2-7, fourth place in Group 4

One of the most successful teams in Cup of Harmony history, they've played in two Cup finals. However, most of their success occured a long time ago, leaving Legalese to work their way back up in the football world. Buoyed by a strong World Cup qualifying finish and a strong offensive attack, they could win the group.

Predicted Finish: 2-1-0, first place in Group C

http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/becquerelia.gif
Becquerelia
KPB Ranking - 77
Finish in World Cup 27 - 4-7-5, fourth place in Group 11

Becquerelia proved themselves a talented defensive ballclub, forcing seven ties and winning several close games. The team remains mostly unchanged from the roster that ended World Cup qualifying, but it interesting to note that Conan Smear, who was benched due to poor defensive play during the draw with Andossa Se Mitrin Vega, is gone from the team. Joining the team is eighteen-year-old Defender Jason Vear, who was a starter during the U-21 World Cup. It's unsure why he got the nod, though it's probably a combination of his (limited at best) international experience and the fact that the best defenders not on the team were competing in the Ylompics and couldn't make the roster.

Predicted Finish: 1-2-0, second place in Group C

http://www.geocities.com/becquerelia/images/mrchucknorris.gif
Mr Chuck Norris
KPB Ranking - 90
Finish in World Cup 27 - 4-5-7, sixth place in Group 7

Always entertaining, these overachieving upstarts have shown great form in the two tournaments they have competed in. Led by a incredible offensive attack featuring Chuck Norris and his roundhouse kick shots himself, O.J. Pimpson, and The Burger King, they are going to be tough for any defense to stop. And now with their all offensive attack, they will become even more dangerous to opposing teams. Also, their head coach is world renowned for his tournament analysis, if not for his coaching ability. The one big problem? Their defense is at best sub-par.

Predicted Finish: 0-0-3, fourth place in Group C

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
Game 1: Legalese vs. Becquerelia
Game 2: Cataduanes vs. Becquerelia
Game 3: Becquerelia vs. Mr Chuck Norris

Haraki

03-04-2006, 23:01

Vargas watched the televised event of the WC27 Cup of Harmony draw from the safety and security of his own training room in Atherlon's Champion Field. The draw went on and on, Haraki never being named, and Vargas was about to fall asleep when they announced that there were only four teams left for the last group, Group H. In his half-asleep state, he mumbled "H for Haraki," before dozing off.

Once he came to again, he read through the four teams that had been chosen. The Islands of Qutar in the lead, ranked 29th in the world, followed by Haraki in 67th, Tynelia in 76th and Magnus Valerius, 96th in the world. Vargas instantly chose the Islands of Qutar as the group frontrunner, and pledged that Haraki would be pulling off the second slot. Although many would use their -4 goal difference, worse than Tynelia's, for the World Cup qualifying, as a measure of them being a worse team, he would have to point out that they went four games in a slump, not scoring a single goal and losing all four games, before coming round and doubling their goals for in one game. A dramatic comeback indeed, but Vargas just hoped they wouldn't be facing another slump. A four-game slump would lose them the qualifying.

Next up: Tynelia. A fellow Baptism of Fire contender, they had performed quite well. Their goalie, nicknamed 'The Wall' was a fantastic player, and although Haraki had never played them and thus never had a match-up between Haraki's Mark Stone and Tynelia's Wall, still he was a formidable opponent. However, Tynelia seemed a weaker team all-round, and with Vargas' new aggressive coaching style, he wanted to see if they could pull off a strong enough offence to get enough shots on the Wall to defeat them.

Magnus Valerius - A team that was ranked a full twenty world rankings below Tynelia, bringing up the rear of Group H. They went 5-2-9 in qualifying, with 11 goals for and 20 against. Not the best record, but definitely not the worst. Still, they could definitely pull off an upset or two, although Vargas predicted they wouldn't.

When questioned by reporters about the group, he responded with a simple 1-2-3-4 prediction: Islands of Qutar first, Haraki second, Tynelia third and Magnus Valerius fourth. He even predicted the games: The Islands of Qutar would go three wins and no losses, Haraki would go two wins and one loss, Tynelia would go one win and two losses, and Magnus Valerius would lose all their games, although Vargas was the first to admit that if they pulled off at least one upset, he would not be in the least surprised.

Apparently, the Harakian team was looking forward to getting out there against Tynelia. As self-proclaimed 'hotshot' midfield Manuel Cortes put it, "I'm looking forward to playing them. I'm looking forward to beating them. Everyone predicted it would be us and them in the Baptism finals, and it wasn't. We never played. Clash of the Baptism's titans? I don't know. But I do know it'll be one hell of a game. Spaam, here we come!"

Mr Chuck Norris

03-04-2006, 23:15

Chuck Norris News
For All Of Your Fighting Norris Coverage

Yes all of you eager Fighting Norris fans, we're back for the much-anticipated Cup of Harmony. It's true that the Fighting Norris may have blown it in the World Cup Qualifiers, but they are more than ready for this tourney. We'll start by examining the Fighting Norris' group... group C. They have been drawn in with 34-ranked Cataduanes, 50-ranked Legalese, and 77-ranked Becquerelia. Basically, our 90-ranked Fighting Norris are sitting at the bottom of the group looking up. Here is one report on the Fighting Norris' predicted outcome in this Cup of Harmony tourney:
Always entertaining, these overachieving upstarts have shown great form in the two tournaments they have competed in. Led by a incredible offensive attack featuring Chuck Norris and his roundhouse kick shots himself, O.J. Pimpson, and The Burger King, they are going to be tough for any defense to stop. And now with their all offensive attack, they will become even more dangerous to opposing teams. Also, their head coach is world renowned for his tournament analysis, if not for his coaching ability. The one big problem? Their defense is at best sub-par.

Predicted Finish: 0-0-3, fourth place in Group C
That's right, you don't need to adjust your screens, these folks in Becquerelia are predicting the Fighting Norris to go 0-0-3... That's three straight losses! To comment on that report is coach of the Fighting Norris Bob Janney.

"0-0-3! That's fantastic! With that sort of prediction, we have nowhere to go but up! How could we possibly disappoint anyone when we're predicted to lose every game? Thank you Becquerelia for relieving us of all pressure and priming us up to really pull some upsets!"

Clearly, coach Janney is certainly optimistic, but what's new? We're not going to predict anything, as it certainly won't get the Fighting Norris anywhere. All we can do is wait... and hope.

The Fighting Norris’ Cup of Harmony Schedule
Matchday One: vs. Cataduanes
Matchday Two: vs. Legalese
Matchday Three: vs. Becquerelia

McPsychoville

03-04-2006, 23:42

United Territories of Spaam
Artanis - Utrecht Square
United Spaam Football Association Headquarters
23:11 MST

As Minister for Sports - and thereby defacto President of every sporting association within the McPsychovillian borders - Alex Shelley had a number of unpleasant duties he was forced to undertake. Some of these were simply pedestrian affairs - for example, the mass of administrative forms he had to fill out whenever he wanted anything as little as a new box of paperclips - while others took up too much of his time to be worthwhile. Today fell firmly in the second category.

Along with the thirty-one other parties, Shelley was here to watch the draw for the Cup of Harmony group stages take place. In the past, he’d been able to duck these occasions - World Cup 26 he had avoided by claiming he had glandular fever, while World Cup 27 he had ducked by pretending his brother was getting married on the day of the draw (all the more impressive as he didn’t have a brother to begin with). Unfortunately, his staff were wise to his tricks now, and for all of his protestations that flight was an abomination of the Devil and that he had to be present for the baptism of his (similarly fictitious) niece, his seat was booked on the plane, his hotel was booked in Spaam, a quartet of hookers were booked for one o’clock the night he got there (albeit under the table).

Still, the fact that all of his needs were being catered for in an exquisite fashion failed to lighten his mood. Just yesterday, the team had been held to a 3-3 draw by the team they’d already played in the World Cup in Magnus Valerius; Damian Lee had scored once and Gabriel Price had laughed his effort off by doing it twice, but the defence had been shocking and Magnus Valerius had earned a draw after being three down. For shame…

It only served to make things worse that their FA President was throwing smug notes at him. Why? Who knew, it wasn’t like they’d won. In short, the whole thing had an air of kids being corralled into a playpen. These men are supposed to be senior dignitaries? he thought, as he threw the latest note (depicting a stick figure in McPsychoville’s blue and white being torched with a flamethrower by another figure with the word ‘Us’ above it) back at the sniggering Magnus Valerian representative.

‘Ahem…could I have everyone’s attention, please! The draw is about to begin!’ shouted USFA President Erc Ellery into his microphone. It took a couple more shouts before people stopped talking amongst themselves, but eventually, silence fell. Once again, Ellery began to explain the procedure, and again, Shelley felt his attention slipping away. Sighing, Shelley pressed the button set into his glasses, and with the reliability of a Swiss bank account, his DD Compact began to whirr softly. In front of his glasses, faint images began to appear; with a soft curse, Shelley hit the Compact. The aerial built into it had been getting worse and worse of late, and it was really starting to irk him.

The picture sharpened, coming up with two men who looked like wrestlers - obviously it was picking up Spaamian signals as well as those from McPsychoville. Shelley laughed under his breath. Wrestling…don’t they know it’s all fake?

‘Group G…McPsychoville.’

As the name of McPsychoville flashed up on the screen behind Ellery, Shelley looked over his glasses.

Oh, please…

Group G: Giant Zucchini (33)
Majeristan (53)
McPsychoville (82)
???

Shelley buried his face in his hands. ‘Majeristan? Again?!’ he shouted.

…did I say that out loud? Every head turned to him, including Ellery. ‘Yes, Mr. Shelley, you have been drawn with Majeristan. Now, if we could continue without interruptions…’

That tears it, we’re not getting through.

~~~

[b]Republic of McPsychoville
Carson City - 991 New New York Street
23:15[/i]

“Group G…Spaamian Plijous”

The fat man sitting at the table put out his cigar. ‘Tough group,’ he drawled. ‘What odds?’

The man standing by the smoked glass window took another puff of his cigarette. ‘For what?’ he asked, blowing out the smoke. ‘Qualifying or the whole tournament?’

‘Give me both.’

‘I’d say…twenty to get out of the group, ‘bout three hundred for the whole tournament.’

‘Sounds good. Jimmy! Get me the cash!’ shouted the fat man. The man named Jimmy scurried in, clutching a briefcase.

‘I-It’s all here, sir. A million karmic bucks, small denominations and everything.’ The fat man sighed, nodding at the man standing by the window. Instantly, the man smashed his fist straight into Jimmy’s side, making him yell and drop the briefcase. It burst open, sending blue and yellow notes all across the floor.

‘You think I’m a fool? There’s no way a case that small holds a million bucks. Hit him again, Noodles.’ Noodles obliged, punching Jimmy in the face and breaking his nose. Blood joined the money on the floor as the fat man flicked his cigarette away.

‘Now, Jimmy, would you do us the honour of giving us the rest of the money, please?’ Jimmy stumbled away, holding his nose, as the fat man laughed. ‘Noodles, take the cash down to the bookies’ and start laying down some dough, right?’

‘What’re we talking?’

‘Go for a few grand on each one. Maybe ten on the group stage, five on the whole cup. Use your imagination, man.’

‘Boss,’ came a third voice, this time from outside the room. This newcomer, dressed in a grey suit with a gold wristwatch, was the group’s public figure; he was a successful, important business at a well-known corporation. Of course, a man of his stature could hardly be seen fraternising with such men - to protect his identity, he was wearing a Japanese kabuki mask. Bright white, it drew him a number of odd looks, but odd looks were better than people noticing things they couldn’t be allowed to notice.

‘Webb’s using vitamin boosters after all.’

OOC - If my opponent RPs first, they have the freedom to: choose my goalscorers, dish out red and yellow cards as they see fit and RP minor injuries to my players (i.e. those that keep them out of the one game, but nothing more).

The Gupta Dynasty

04-04-2006, 00:08

OOC::p Pasted directly from the World Cup thread. Boy am I lazy. I'll get a good IC post in after this one. So ha.

Style modifier is, as always, the 5-3-2 specific -1. Oh, and:

My opponent, if they RP first, may do the following: Choose my goalscorers Y
Godmod Scoring Events Y
RP injuries to my players N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players N
Hand out Red cards to my players N
Godmod Other Events N

BIC:

Manager: We'll get back to that...check the RP thread.
Assistant Manager: Keron Alhrem.

*2)Goalkeeper: Deron Smithes. Club: Ajer FC.
3)Goalkeeper: Abul Hamer. Club: Ramen FC.
4)Goalkeeper: Ameran Bulod. Club: Chelmar FC.
*5)Left Defender: Joraset Jeyllan. Club: Ramen United.
*6)Left Center Defender: Hares Dalermo. Club: Ajer United.
*7)Center Defender: Halen Croat. Club:Aldelard FC.
*8)Right Center Defender: Thia Boley. Club: Cardarel FC.
*9)Right Defender: Harolen Maores. Club: Kaza X-Teem [Kaze Progressea].
10)Left/Left Center Defender: Jukerer Itolasin. Club: Ajer FC.
11)Right/Right Center Defender: Olet Damer. Club: Ajer United.
12)Center Defender: Jumer Havas. Club: Texa Aba [Kaze Progressea].
*13)Right Midfielder: Damiel Fraten. Club: Ajer FC.
*14)Center Midfielder: Gerod Flamer(captain). Club: Gigidorel FC.
*15)Left Midfielder: Hales Ysilko. Club: Harrel FC.
16)Right Midfielder: Ikorat Federof. Club: Kaza X-Teem [Kaze Progressea].
17)Center Midfielder: Prince Seberd. Club: Ajer FC.
18)Left Midfielder: Korast Ytern. Club: Ajer United.
*19)Right Striker: Fernando Malar. Club: Ajer United.
*20)Left Striker: Francisco Malar. Club: Ajer FC.
21)Right Striker: Iktam Velastros. Club: Chelmar FC.
22)Left Striker: Ashmaerin Thororatbladae. Club: Cardarel FC.

Collonie

04-04-2006, 00:24

Very Freakishly Long Newspaper-Title-That-Was-Inserted-In-This-Spot-Here

The Probable Sports Section

Collonie get drawn into Group E

Well just like Milchama it seems like we always get drawn with The Lowland Clans. This draw was no different for the Flying Eagles as they got drawn to play the Lowland Clans as the top two in their group of 4 both of them look to advance to the next round of play. Coach Nir Patel said, "I think it will happen if we can beat Dorian and Sonya and get a draw against the Lowland Clans. The matchup I'm hoping for is too play Atheistic Right again because to beat those shitty Darwinists would complete my reign as coach."

Now to the roster and other stuff:
Collonie will also be playing the nice +2 style as made famous by nobody really but its fun to say as made famous by.
Starters:
Gk Floyd Chooler
D Thomas Cornt
D Meir Ben Moshe
D Paris Klesterfeud
D Amit Luton
M Quentin Myler- A great midfielder for Great Alexandria. Good on the ball and an excellent crosser.
M Bobby Connon- The perfect central midfielder. Good at creating chances, holding the ball in midfield and scoring when he needs to. Is a teammate of Kate Windsor.
M Kevin Mirshmon
F Kate Windsor- Windsor and her clubmate Bobby Connon play very good together. Will be counted on to take some of the pressure off of Misterson.
F Clyde Misterson (captain)- Best player Collonie has ever produced. Led the MFL in goals last year and led the Desert Foxes to a Milchama Cup before that. Scores a lot of goals and as he goes the squad goes.
F Owen Micheals
Subs:
Gk Larry Koot
D Thomos Barry
D Barry Thomos
M Allan Merchant
F Avi Gould

Choose my goalscorers Y (Half of all goals need to be scored by Clyde Misterson)
Godmod Scoring Events Y
RP injuries to my players N
Godmod injuries to my players N
Hand out Yellow cards to my players Y
Hand out Red cards to my players Y
Godmod Other Events Y (No deaths or explosions please)

Now to our Predictions:
The Lowland Clans- A tough team always and they might get on us as we our closely connected to the Milchamians through no wanting of our own wanting but we are anyway. We think we tie them but will probably lose. So that's 1/2 point.

Dorian and Sonya- Milchama tied them in their first meeting and beat them in their second. D & S also beat Vilita one time. This means that they can spring an upset but Clyde Misterson said, "It doesn't matter we are better than them." Well that explains a lot a victory here for the Flying Eagles.

Apolegetic Kittens- While they're apologizing we'll be scoring, many times as we beat them into the dirt. We guarantee a victory against them.

That puts at 6 1/2 points which could be enough to advance. Luck though will need to be on our side.

Kelse

04-04-2006, 01:16

Kelse ready for CoH

Santa Monica, KEL - The Qualifying Draws are in, and for its inaugural run in the Cup of Harmony, the Kelsian National Football Team (nicknamed the Mariners) has been drawn into Group A, along with Wentland (135), Ariddia (57), and fellow participants in the BoF Georgeonia (100). After a suprising run in the World Cup that ended in a 4th place finish, above Ariddia, Kelse left it's inaugural WC with a 6-4-6 (W-D-L).

Kelse's CoH 27 Qualifying Schedule
Kelse @ Ariddia
Kelse @ Wentland
Georgeonia @ Kelse

Kelse has a great chance of qualifying, however, the only team standing in it's way is Ariddia. In the World Cup, both games against Ariddia were draws, and if Kelse could win tomorrow than it would have it's qualifying spot secured, as it would most likely lose to Wentland and have a win against Georgeonia. Coach Centino said in an interview, "We can definately take on Ariddia and get a favorable outcome, we've played them several times and we know how they play. We can definately beat Georgeonia, but Wentland's an awesome team, I hope we can at least tie with them."

Kelse will kick off it's CoH 27 run against Arridia tomorrow, which will be broadcasted live across the country on Atletica De Lux, channel 15 in the greater Saint-Monica area. Elsewhere, please check your local listings. Analysists say although the odds are in favor of Arridia, Kelse still has a great chance. Analysist Torano Meldino says, "Tomorrow we've simply got to play our best game, we can't do anything wrong." Well, heres to a great run, and good luck, Mariners!

Anathematic Republics

04-04-2006, 04:36

Satan was still barricaded in his conference room, as Morseley had successfully located and dispatched three cases of whiskey and a pepperoni pizza to his fortress of solitude. Between his massive hangover and the difficulties he was having in honoring his deal with Peyton Manning (his football success required finding a new stud running back, which was proving itself to be a challenging proposition.

Right now he was playing with the rocket launcher that was an integral part of his isolation, lending as it did credence to the threat "Bugger off or I will rend you limb from limb" that he had taped to the door.

His musings were interrupted by the sound of a highly digitized version of N'Sync blaring from his cell phone, grating on his hangover-tensed nerves.

"QUIT BEEPING SO BLOODY LOUD!" he bellowed, and fired his rocket launcher at the spot on the table where his cellphone lay buried under a pile of empty whiskey jug and a half-eaten pizza crust. Unfortunately, his hangover-impaired aim was not what it should be, and the rocket, instead of vaporizing the offending noisemaker, left a massive hole in the floor and lower part of the wall just beyond the table, exposing the men's restroom below it, containing over very startled demon sitting in a stall, reading the paper.

"Carry on!" he bellowed to the demon, as he staggered to the table to pick up the phone, still relentlessly blaring "Bye Bye Bye."

"This had better be damn good, is all I have to say," he said to whoever was on the other end of the line.

A pause as Morseley explained that, although through a combination of Archregimantic prayer and biased North Ossetian refereeing in the playoff match, the side had NOT made the World Cup proper, the Cup of Harmony was about to begin, and would he like to go watch the match in Spaam?

"Eh, whatever. Lemme get back to you on it." He hung up, and thought for a minute. Leading the hordes of Hell into Spaam would be a good way to blow off some steam, and he certainly had plenty of steam to blow off. He called Morseley back.

"Get 15000 tickets, I'll be taking a decent-sized horde with me. Close to the field as you can get." He then set about to draw up a list of the 14998 demons, besides himself and the former telephone operator turned side manager Morseley he'd want to have at his side for the blowout Satanic orgy he was about to visit on Spaam.

One other thing bugged at his mind. "Hey, buddy, can I see the sports section?" he asked to the demon in the stall below, still sitting there dumbfounded as to what, exactly was happening. As he mutely willed the sports section up to where Satan was standing, he heard: "Thanks. You get to go to Spaam with me, then."

He then turned aside to let the man, erm, goat-horned abomination pull up his pants and began paging through the sports section, trying to catch up on what had happened while he was locked in the conference room.

Roster (page C3):

Coach: Jean-Réne Filon, ex-New Montreal States. Ended up in hell after murdering four of his players and committing suicide rather than facing justice at the hands of the States.

Keeper: Cerebrus - the transition from gatekeeper of Hell to goalkeeper of Hell seemed to be a simple enough one to make.

Backs: Arius - described even by his Orthodox peers as a man of "splendid physical presence," this denier of the divine nature of Jesus Christ who led many of the flock astray down the same path will be relied upon to provide the same physical presence in the back he has since WC25.

Judas Iscariot - who knew that the betrayer of Christ could play defense as well?

Constantine V - this die-hard defender of iconoclasm will serve as a captain of the team and co-ordinator of the defense.

Michael II - a second die-hard Iconoclast who relies on speed and finesse to ward off attacking forwards. Will struggle to contend with more physical midfielders, however.

Nestorius - Patriarch of Constantinople who argued erroniously that Christ had two separate persons - the human and the divine. He will be relied upon to handle the left end of the backfield.

Midfielders: Eutyches - Radical monophysite bishop whose immortal soul, like his heretical doctrine, can cover large amounts of area in very short periods.

Sabellius - Third century priest who argued that the Trinity was one, undivided being instead of the three distinct personae. Being the center of a three-man midfield is a form of divine justice.

Marcion of Sinope - created a parallel church organization that threated the very existence of the Church during the second century A.D.

Striker: Simon Magus - father of wizards, this dark mage will be needed to perform his usual tricks in the front to spark the offense.

(OOC: Formation will be a -1, as there is nothing more of a hellish torment than badly played defensive football. These guys are pretty much injury-proof, since they don't have bodies in the same sense average humans do. Any red card would entail that player being replaced by Satan himself.)

Pastorville

04-04-2006, 04:49

You can do whatever you want, just don't kill anybody please.

Pastorville plays a -2 (or whatever system karela is).

Pastorville Saints Roster

Head Coach: Reverend Brown
Assistant Coach: Reverend Carter
Goalie Coach: Reverend Larson
Trainer: Reverend Luther

G: Reverend Smith*
G: Reverend Smooth
D: Reverend Johnson*
D: Reverend Paulson*
D: Reverend Anderson*
D: Reverend Williams*
D: Reverend Allen*
D: Reverend Graham*
D: Reverend Douglas*
D: Reverend West
D: Reverend Rollins
D: Reverend Hollins
D: Reverend Lake
D: Reverend Peterson
D: Reverend Young
D: Reverend Small
M: Reverend Carlson*
M: Reverend King*
M: Reverend Smith
M: Reverend Hall
F: Reverend Harris*
F: Reverend Roberts

*-denotes starters

SAINTS EXPEXTED TO SUFFER WAY THROUGH CUP OF HARMONY XIX

Despite international predictions for the Saints to advance, it is likely that the Saints will suffer in CoH XIX, especially after falling flat on their face at the end of WC XXVII. However, history does favor the international media, as the Saints have advanced in both CoH's that they have taken part in before being blown-out in the first elimination round game. CoH XVIII saw the disaster against Nedalia. Who do the Saints have to try to beat to earn another chance to redeem themselves?

Nanakaland (ranked 46th): Nanakaland collapsed down the stretch in WC XXVII, losing out on a potential qualifying spot. You can expect they'll be hungry to redeem themselves here. Projected Finish: 1st.

Pastorville (59th): We also struggled down the stretch of WC XXVII, scoring in only three of eight matches in the second half of qualifying, earning only seven points in the process because we surprisingly couldn't keep anybody else from scoring either. Projected Finish: 4th.

Qazox (71st): They played surprisingly well during WC XXVII, and should be a threat here to advance. Projected Finish: 3rd.

Bazalonia (83rd): They may be the lowest ranked team in the group, but if they can earn a win and a draw against a team in the top-30 in the world that has beaten up on us before (Praying2God), we don't stand a chance against them. Projected Finish: 2nd.

Magnus Valerius

04-04-2006, 05:19

It was certainly a fun day for Magnus Valerius when the draws were announced. At least, the FA president, Alexander Ulyavov, was having fun. The Valerians, after hosting a friendly game, were in a good mood in general. They faced off against McPsychoville, a capable team that faced off against the Boyars in WC27. From as far as Ulyavov could remember, the Boyars lost both games to McPsychoville... or maybe the second game came to a draw. He could not remember the outcome of their second encounter quite too well; he was rather wasted at the time.

The friendly game started off with a typical assault from McPsychoville that broke through the defensive lines of the team. Damian Lee made an early goal and Gabriel Price proceeded to humble Lee by making two more goals by halftime. Things were looking grim for the national team, but in the second half, the strikers went on fire and broke the defense of the "McPyscho-villains" as Ulyavov remarked himself. Jacques d'Anjou, George Illyanich, and Kyrill Feodorov all made goals.

d'Anjou was first to make on in for the team. He took a pass from Urt-Urumqi and took the ball on a rocky ride past the defense of McPsychoville. He was cornered by Hughes and Colton, but he kicked the ball underneath them for a straight goal. It flew past Brandon Silver's head for a nice clean landing in the goal. Only a few minutes later, the "Tower of Power", Illyanich, did some tricky footwork to get past midfielders Beak and Summers, before launching the ball into the goal. Feodorov chalked up the last, tieing point for Valeria when he took a pass from Jonathon Song and drove it into McPsychoville turf.

It seems that Ilya Pavlov really got the team together. He made quick work to reorganize the team and its tactics after World Cup 27, and now they are a "mean, lean, goal machine". Or that is what Pavlov at least thinks. To many, the Boyars are still "Pavlov's Dogs".

Ulyavov smiled as he arrived in Spaam for the group draws. He had celebrated himself into a drunken stupor on the plane, but that was nothing a couple of "oysters" can cure. The hotel was attended by his assistants who did all of the necessary paperwork whenever there was any, so he did not have to do much but sleep in. As Head of Valerian Football, he was making a million Valerian Crowns a year for occupying space, although he did have to show some effort at work when the Tsar himself was watching him. If his true work ethic was revealed, he would be out of his cushy job.

The day for the draws dawned. Ulyavov sat next to the Minister of Sports for McPsychoville and decided to have a little fun. He passed on various notes, taunting Shelley as if he were back in grade school. First, he made Matchivuk's head in the image of a soccer ball (being kicked by the Boyar's star player, Illyanich), second, he drew McPsychoville as a badly-drawn stick figure cat and Magnus Valerius as an equally badly-drawn stick figure dog. His last note, with the flamethrower, was simply returned back to him. Ulyavov laughed to himself, but fell silent when the draws were made.

"WHAT?! Group H!" he exclaimed. He was not happy, since Qutar was likely to own everyone else on the field. Magnus Valerius may or may not have that shot, and Ulyavov was sweating a little heavily. Then again, Haraki and Tynelia could be trounced with a little hard work. The Boyars have a rather decent record, and it may seem that they have a chance at making spot number two.

The Islands of Qutar 29
Haraki 67
Tynelia 76
Magnus Valerius 96

MD1: The Islands of Qutar v. Magnus Valerius
MD2: Haraki v. Magnus Valerius
MD3: Tynelia v. Magnus Valerius

"Well, at least we play the best first... we'll die or tie, and then move on to fight the matches with better chances for us," Ulyavov murmured to himself. “We’ll die trying to win.” After the draw, Ulyavov met up with Pavlov to go and check out the field the Boyars will be playing on: the Artanis National Football Stadium.

Qazox

04-04-2006, 05:21

QAZOX CITY HERALD

The Group Draws for the CoH were As follows (with current KPB ranks)

Group A
Wentland 35
Ariddia 57
Kelse 73
Georgeonia 100

Group B
Nanakaland 46
Pastorville 59
Qazox 71
Bazalonia 83

Group C
Cataduanes 34
Legalese 50
Becquerelia 77
Mr Chuck Norris 90

Group D
Hypocria 42
Yafor 2 49
The Macabees 70
Atheistic Right 114

Group E
The Lowland Clans 45
Collonie 62
Apologetic Kittens 78
Dorian and Sonya 93

Group F
Cuation 37
Anathematic Republics 56
Dance 2 Revolution 72
Vuam and Isma 87

Group G
Giant Zucchini 33
Majeristan 53
McPsychoville 82
Spaamanian Plijous 125

Group H
The Islands of Qutar 29
Haraki 67
Tynelia 76
Magnus Valerius 96

CoH XIX schedule
Matchday 1-Pastorville
Matchday 2-Nanakaland
Matchday 3-Bazalonia

It looks possible that Qazox could advance to the Round of 16, but would need to beat 2 higher ranked teams. Other countries have predicted that the Black Oxen will advance and hopefully we'll prove them right. This particular group looks like the group of death as the lowest ranked squad is 83rd.

Giant Zucchini

04-04-2006, 08:35

Yet Another Own Goal!
Episode 9: Spaam

You’ve seen this scene before. An international airport is bustling with people. A shady character with sunglasses lurks nearby, keeping tabs on a group clad in green jackets. As they leave the airport, the shady character does too, trailing them to their hotel. Can’t you feel the suspense burning? Well at least try…

To be continued…

Atheistic Right

04-04-2006, 11:16

The Atheistic Right Archeopteri flew into Spaam, a protection detail (OOC: Exactly what the protection detail have will be upto Spaam) following them. The Collonians will be playing as well in the Cup of Harmony so everything that the host nation allowed will be taken.

Cheetah took the team to their hotel and then took an escort to see the Stadia that they would play in. The Two nations where not drawn against each other and Cheetah knew that it would be a battle for Atheistic Right against Collonie now, and for that he was glad... for if he lost to Collonie he would surely die and the Government blame Collonie, it's amazing what you can blame on your enemies if you are at War.

The next day the Team had training sessions at the stadium, attempting to get used to the Spaamian stadium These matches are going to be hard for Cheetah, with Atheistic Right being the lowest ranked team in their group. Atheistic Right will be literally playing for Cheetah's life.

Lion on the other hand had something special instore for the Collonians..... but I better not reveal that now.

[NS]Bazalonia

04-04-2006, 12:13

"Down-Town Sunny Spaam" by Nev Gould

Today our Bazalopes flew into Sunny Spaam with the knowledge with an idea that they will face Qazox, Nankaland and Pastorville.

Qazox - A team that we have never heard of until now, how they are above us in rankings is something that will remain a mystery, as they had their Baptism of Fire Tournament not that long ago. We don't know how we go here but te Bazalopes will be hoping for a win. We very well could win this one but we'll have to wait for the match.

Pastorville - A team that the Bazalopes will have a hard time against, we could come out with a draw, but do not expect a win. Pastorville is a team that we have had a match against before but that experience won't help us.

Nanakaland - Our first world Cup we came up against them, we managed to get within one goal of them. Once again expect a loss against this team but expect the Bazalopes to put up a decent fight

We expect a 4 point maximum from this CoH

McPsychoville

04-04-2006, 13:14

Is this Webb's last chance?

ARTANIS, 04/04/06 - Yes, folks, it's time to break out your shirts for another few weeks, because the Cup of Harmony has now officially arrived at our shores. Spaamian President Erc Ellery took care of the draw on the second in Utrecht Square, and things could certainly be worse. For those of you yet to see the draw, here it is:

Group G
Giant Zucchini 33
Majeristan 53
McPsychoville 82
Spaamanian Plijous 125

'I can't see any reason why we can't advance,' said goalkeeper Brandon Silver, fresh from a training session in the Albannana Stadium. 'Giant Zucchini's stock has fallen since the World Cup, they finished like, last. Hell, we got more points than they did, and that's saying something!'

'And Majeristan,' said captain Damon Arnaud. 'I really had hoped I wouldn't have to face those bastards again, especially not Benoit. We've still got business with him n'all.'

To put things simply, while getting out of the group may be tough, we can at least expect to take a good win from our game against Spaamian Plijous. The team, despite being ranked relatively well at 125, finished dead last in their World Cup, suffering an 8-0 loss to Squornshelous along the way. 33 goals conceded in sixteen matches bodes well for the Minutemen, who have reportedly gone for a more attacking 3-3-4 formation.

Some critics of the manager have gone as far as calling the Cup of Harmony as being 'Webb's drink in the Last Chance saloon'. After a poor World Cup campaign, it is undoubtable that the critics have started to come out of the woodwork, and there have been vicious rumours circulating that senior management is already starting to search for a new candidate to replace him.

Our first game comes against Majeristan, and, as always, will be shown live on MBN TV5, as well as being broadcast on Radio Two.

Tynelia

04-04-2006, 13:54

O'Brien on Draw

Tynelian coach Marcus O'Meara answered a few questions for reporters after seeing ther draw for the team's Cup of Harmony group.

"Coach O'Meara, how do you feel running into Mark Stone and Haraki right off the bat?"

"Well, this should be a low scoring affair. probably the two best keepers in the group will be going head to head. I've heard that Haraki is thinking about taking a more attacking stance rather than their usual defensive one. If they can pull it off more credit to them. I found out the hard way that when i tried to tinker with our usual style bad things happen. The Green Wombats beat us in the BoF and Bettia shut us down in the Cup qualifiers. If the new style does trip Haraki up that will be to our advantage."

"What about Haraki's claims of their scoring slump which affected their overall goal differential that some betters claim will result in some other team passing them for the number two spot?"

"As all of Tynelia is well aware of, we were shut out in four of our first five games as well so we know how they feel. In a lot of ways both our teams are very similar, a strong keeper and just enough offense to get by though i have to say their offense is probably more potent than ours."

"How about the other two squads, the Islands of Qutar and Magnus Valerius?"

"I think we can be competitive in both matches. This squad managed a draw against Total n Utter Insanity in the qualifying round so i don;t think we'll be afraid of anyone now. Oh i suppose i should mention that Amy Whiteworth will be starting the next game against the Islands of Qutar. She's our giant killer after she shut out Nanakaland in the qualifiers and was in net for the Total n Utter Insanity match. She may have worn down a bit in the end against the Kazoo Peoples but she'll be fresh here and more importantly they won;t be able to scout her in the Haraki match."

"So what are your predictions for your team's chances in the Cup of Harmony?"

"We should be in the mix. Honestly though i think the winner of this first game against Haraki will have the inside track at getting one of the two qualifying spots. If we play the way we did near the end of the World Cup i think we have a good chance at beating anyone in our group. If we play like we did at the start though we'll be lucky to take a point. That's all the time i have for now, need to go over some last minute strategy for the game. Thank you."

The Islands of Qutar

04-04-2006, 14:55

Qutar Sports News Network

Good Afternoon Qutar, well as your all quite aware after a dissapointing qualifying run we failed to make it through to the World Cup. But all is not lost as we are now in the Cup of Harmony tournament, this will be a chance to salvage some pride and perhaps Paul Dove's last chance to prove himself as the national manager.

We have been drawn in Group H, along with Haraki, Tynelia and Magnus Valerius. Here's a detailed look at our group;

The Islands of Qutar
Rank: 29
World Cup Qualifying Group Finish: 4th

Haraki:
Rank: 67
World Cup Qualifying Group Finish: 5th

Tynelia:
Rank: 76
World Cup Qualifying Group Finish: 6th

Magnus Valerius:
Rank: 96
World Cup Qualifying Group Finish: 7th

If you just looked at ranks, you might say we had the group wrapped up. But following this World Cup where we were held back by teams ranked a fair way under us, you just can't be sure. Dove and his boys are going to have to go full out everygame, as they were heavly criticised for backing off near the end of a game, making draws instead of wins. We hope all the best for our boys.

Our first match sees us playing the lowest ranked team in the group, but as we all now know, rank doesn't always matter on the day. So quite possibly a win, but just watch out incase.

Our second match sees us against Tynelia, everyone will be hoping for a win, and if we can get two wins on the trot we should be through to the next round. Also apparently their bringing on a giant killer against us.

Our last match sees us against Haraki, and depending on earlier results this could be a crucial one. Haraki could manage a draw against us, so other results may decide the group if we get off to a shaky start.

Spaam

04-04-2006, 15:04

Group A
Wentland 3:1 Georgeonia
Ariddia 2:0 Kelse

Group B
Nanakaland 3:1 Bazalonia
Pastorville 1:1 Qazox

Group C
Cataduanes 2:0 Mr Chuck Norris
Legalese 0:0 Becquerelia

Group D
Hypocria 5:1 Atheistic Right
Yafor 2 1:3 The Macabees

Group E
The Lowland Clans 2:0 Dorian and Sonya
Collonie 2:3 Apologetic Kittens

Group F
Cuation 1:0 Vuam and Isma
Anathematic Repulics 0:2 Dance 2 Revolution

Group G
Giant Zucchini 3:0 Spaamanian Plijous
Majeristan 2:0 McPsychoville

Group H
The Islands of Qutar 2:3 Magnus Valerius
Haraki 3:0 Tynelia

Spaam

04-04-2006, 15:30

Gall Island Football Stadium

Group A
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Ariddia 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 100 3
Wentland 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 75 3
Georgeonia 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 25 0
Kelse 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0 0

Group B
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Nanakaland 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 75 3
Pastorville 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 50 1
Qazox 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 50 1
Bazalonia 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 25 0

East Spaam National Football Stadium

Group C
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Cataduanes 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 100 3
Legalese 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Becquerelia 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Mr Chuck Norris 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0 0

Group D
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Hypocria 1 1 0 0 5 1 4 83 3
The Macabees 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 75 3
Yafor 2 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 25 0
Atheistic Right 1 0 0 1 1 5 -4 17 0

Ethium State Stadium

Group E
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
The Lowland Clans 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 100 3
Apologetic Kittens 1 1 0 0 3 2 1 60 3
Collonie 1 0 0 1 2 3 -1 40 0
Dorian and Sonya 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0 0

Group F
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Dance 2 Revolution 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 100 3
Cuation 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 100 3
Anathematic Republics 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0 0
Vuam and Isma 1 0 0 1 0 1 -1 0 0

Artanis National Football Stadium*

Group G
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Giant Zucchini 1 1 0 0 3 0 3 100 3
Majeristan 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 100 3
McPsychoville 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0 0
Spaamanian Plijous 1 0 0 1 0 3 -3 0 0

Group H
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Haraki 1 1 0 0 3 0 3 100 3
Magnus Valerius 1 1 0 0 3 2 1 60 3
The Islands of Qutar 1 0 0 1 2 3 -1 40 0
Tynelia 1 0 0 1 0 3 -3 0 0

* All Spaamanian Plijous matches will be played in Albannana Stadium

The Macabees

04-04-2006, 16:21

The Empire Strikes Back!

http://www.cc.nctu.edu.tw/~soccer/goal.gif
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooal!

East Spaam National Football Stadium, SPAAM. Despite pressing bad luck since the first time any Macabee national team debuted, which would be in the Baptism of Fire some twelve years ago, today the new team has seemed to pull through. Indeed, they finished their first match of the Cup of Harmony 27 with a three to one victory over Yafor 2. This have given fans new hopes and has elevated the position of the new team in the eyes of many viewers abroad. In fact, previous positions that believed that the Empire could not dispute in this group have had a somewhat large change of heart, stating that the Empire now has a true chance at victory in the group. Nevertheless, one can remember the last time the team and her fans had such hopes, and the rather harsh crash and burn thereafter. One could call it a curse, even. However, hundreds, if not thousands, now believe this 'curse' to be over, and it is up to this new team to prove it. This victory over Yafor 2 seems to provide some sort of step in that direction, and a lot are pressuring the team to turn those mere steps into a running gallop. But as always, the team has urged all that matches must be taken one step at a time, although the team continues to practice and train as much as it can to heighten the chances of victory. Captain Franz Siedlitz, who took the position after national football hero Otto Mannerheim [top scoring player of the team] retired post-World Cup 27, had this to say:

" I'm proud of the team, and I can vouch for all of us that we worked extremely hard to pull this off. There will be no slacking off, there will be no defeatism, but I can sure as hell guarantee that this cup will not be a walk in the park either. Even assuming we make it into the finals there is an impressive array of teams that have pulled out more spectacular victories. "

The most troubling of these teams is Hypocria, who sits in Group D, the same group as the Macabee National Team. Their five to one victory over Atheistic Right proved to be quite shaking to the team, although it does give brighter hopes in the Macabee-Atheistic Right match coming up soon. However, to surpass and even defeat Hypocria has been assured as a relatively difficult and taxing venture, but Siedlitz gave his utter promise that as much energy as needed to be expended would be expended to try their hardest to come out on top. Goalkeeper Hans Kahn, who has played in every Macabee national team up until this one had this to say:

" They might be rank forty-one or whatever, but they sure are going to face a determined and tenacious team. Nobody should underestimate us, regardless of our rank. "

Other teams, in other groups, that fit Hans Khan's categories include The Lowland Clans (a common foe in these cups), Giant Zucchini and Haraki, who all, save the first, pulled off a three point lead over their adversaries. Remarkable. In other words, no matter how the Empire does in their group, the rough ride does not end - it would only begin! No matter, team spirits have been lifted by the fact news of Emperor Fedor's victory at both the River Nestor, and some days later at Mons Dei, crushing two rebel armies, and now preparing to drive to Weigar (the rebel capital) itself. Furthermore, news on Killian progress against Havenic forces at Aurillac has been reported as good, and it seems as if Mosnoi Bor has been a debacle for the Havenic armies during the first days. All of this serves to heighten the morale of the team; with what we have analysed today, they will need all the boost they can get.

But one must savour the victory at hand - or at least, we'd like to say so. In that respect, we will cover the highlights of today's match against Yafor 2. The first goal was scored by Yafor 2 early on in the game, around minute eight, proving to be a spectacular and beautiful shot from outside the kitchen. The ball passed right over Khan's fingertips and hit the net with a light woosh. However, the Empire struck back as hard it could, tying the score minute fourteen, and then scoring another goal minute twenty-seven and a final goal just before the half-time, minute fourty-three. Their intensive and pressing tactics proved to end the half-time with a score of three to one. The second half was less intensive. The Macabee team fell back to the defensive, with local counter-offensives to keep the Yaforites on their toes and nervous. The tactic worked, as no goals were scored on Khan, despite the three chances the Yaforites had (one of which, Khan stopped after the ball had been shot), but it provided no interesting goal scoring from the Macabee side either. Nevertheless, the game ended in a Macabee triumph; the first of such in a long while. The first goal was scored by Tan, while the second and third were scored by Tilarain. Siedlitz was not put in the game, despite his seniority.

Post-game head coach Leo Benz gave a press conference and mentioned this:

" We did win. You are right. But we must not celebrate. We must work harder for the future. One victorious battle does not end the war, and we mustn't know how to gain the victory, we must know how to use it. "

His allusion to Hannibal, the general who was the scourge of Rome for two decades, seems most fitting. In 218 Hannibal crossed the Alps of Italy and gained two victories over Roman armies. The next year he gained a third victory at Lake Transimene, and finally, in 216 his most infamous victory - Cannae, where he defeated an 80,000 man Roman army in two hours, killing an estimated 73,000. But, althoug he had destroyed the Roman army time and time again, he did not take Rome. He knew not how to use the victories he could gain. He ended loosing at the Battle of Zama and his life turned into one of a fugitive, where he fled to the East. And this the Macabee team wishes to avert. Nevertheless, we will be more than intensively watching the game tomorrow, and waiting for Benz' prophecy to turn true.

We leave you now with the group standings table:

Group D
P W D L GF GA GA G% Pts
Hypocria 1 1 0 0 5 1 4 83 3
The Macabees 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 75 3
Yafor 2 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 25 0
Atheistic Right 1 0 0 1 1 5 -4 17 0

Cuation

04-04-2006, 17:12

Cuation Fav for Group F

Our three group games will be played in the Ethium State Stadium. The bad news is that as long as we stay in the Cup of Harmony year after year, we can only go as high as thirty. Seven places to climb for us, a run to the semi finals would be seen as a huge boost.

Cuation (37)

Demorlised by falling at the playoffs, this teams indiffrent form blighted their attempts to qualify. For once they failed to pull off any shock wins but still failed to destroy the lesser teams.

One of the favs of the tournment on pure ranking as one observer noted, their poor luck will stop them from taking the cup. Peter Seamen suspended for group stage and Gary Jens in poor form, Cuation will stagger through the group in second place. This group sees huge gaps in rankings but with only three gmes, form will be the decider.

Anathematic Republics (56)

Have a nice gap between their closest challengers, the team from hell have a good chance of getting out of the group. Rumors that Satan will replace any player sent off must be a detterant to refs everywhere. Will take first place in the group as we draw with them

Dance 2 Revolution (72)

One of those annoying not good enough to go far sides that cuase problems for all they face. The dancers play as a some rumored but non exsistant stone in the midfield. Rio will have to do a good job to stop the AMC. A point against us and 3rd place

Vuam and Isma (87)

Little known side who try to control the midfield with a 4-5-1 formation. With only one striker, the Cuation fall backs may wish to bomb forward. Will be looking to avoid the wooden spoon but will fail while we thrash them. However this being the first time in this comptetion could spur them on as it did us.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Cuation Weather Storm!

1-0 win in the first game is on the surface a good thing. Look deeper and only a miracle saw Cuation keep a clean sheet, they where dominated by Vuam and Isma with Cuation forced to rely on booting it to Beanpole. If V&I can play a better final ball then they can take this group.

From the start, Gary Jens was poor, slicing a simple pass back into the stands from an easy backpass. As V&I(as Cuation fans call them) pushed forward as Cuation retreated, Sol Major rolled back the years in a rearguard effort. If Rual Mendiz had perhaps dropped back for the team then the tide might have turned but the hot shot was too greedy, staying up so he could be marked out of the game.

The only goal came from Peter Tanner in the 50th minute. Roy Ferguson hacked the ball up for Tanner to knock down. With Rual offside, Tanner chested it down and tried to volley it in. The shot wasn't good but a wicked deflection off Icham S'baa beat the flat footed Colm O'Connor.

Rual was promtply dragged off for Jamie Hargreves as Jude sought to protect his teams increasingly small lead. Gary Jens was lucky as shown when his fumble of a cross set up Stephen Fitzsimons with a tap in volley. Unmarked, the ball bounced off his foot, against his leg and behind the striker where Hargreves cleared it.

Cataduanes

04-04-2006, 17:20

ISLANDERS DEBUT AT THE CUP OF HARMONY

With the islanders failing to make the grade in the WC they have entered there first Cup of Harmony, the squad remains unchanged since the end of the WC qualifaction stage and many critics back home see this as a sign of the Coach's belief in this side.

Drawn in Group C alongside Legalese (50), Becquerelia (77), Mr Chuck Norris (90) the islanders know that nothing less than next stage qualifaction will satisfy Coach Manua and more importantly the millions of Cataduaño's back home (and the many millions watching across the UNFR region)

So onto matchday one where the Islanders faced Mr Chuck Norris at the East Spaam stadium. The game was marked by the great display of attacking flair by both sides in the first half, in particular for Mr Chuck Norris there was Paper Mario whose displays of skill (and at times defiance of gravity) astounded the delighted crowds watching from the stands while Alonso Corino proved to be Catduanes most impressive player, both teams however went in at half time with the score standing at 0-0. Within seconds of the second half kicking off the deadlock was broken by superb play from the center circle by Souletano whose 30 yard overhead through ball connected with Guarin, who rocketed the ball in turn at the edge of the 6 yard box to score, the shock on Mr Chuck Norris was noticeable and 3 minutes later their lack of concentration was punished again this time by with a header from a corner by Lopez Cerro, the Islanders continued to push but Mr Chuck Norris managed to restore there nerve and for the remainder of the match they attempted to catch Cataduanes on the break forcing the Islanders to play in a more defensive attitude and for the final 30 minutes Mr Chuck Norris began to apply real pressure to a search for a goal and in the 82nd minute almost suceeded with a shot from OJ Pimpson cleared off the line by Cataduanes captain, Butch Tumitubo. The Islanders held on for the win which now places them at the top of the group.

The next fixture see's the Islanders facing Becquerelia, a team with more defensive instincts than either Cataduanes and Mr Chuck Norris and who held Legalese to a 0-0 draw.

McPsychoville

04-04-2006, 17:35

Another loss! This time it's 2-0!

ARTANIS, 04/04/06, Evening - The McPsychoville campaign for the Cup of Harmony spluttered to an inauspicious start today, as Majeristan kept the momentum from their World Cup run going, defeating the Minutemen two goals to none. Osiris Benoit, the man considered to be the Majeristani dog-fighter, scored the first less than ten minutes into the game; Brandon Silver couldn't hold a Sandalio Istali free-kick, and Benoit was on hand to lash the ball into the roof of the net, despite the best efforts of defender Mike Spillane. Benoit consequently earned his first yellow card of the tournament after jumping the barrier to celebrate with the Majeristani fans.

The McPsychovillians will feel hard done by, as in the late stages of the first, the Spaamian linesman signalled that striker Rebecca Remus was offside barely five yards from the goal-line. The TV replays later showed her to be passive at the time Sabin (who was a late replacement for Dylan Summers, who had injured himself during the pre-game warm-up) made his cross.
However, going into the break a goal down did nothing to harm the Minutemen's morale, and shortly after the restart they had two good attempts on goal go begging; the first was a defensive mistake, allowing Damian Lee to pounce on the through ball - were it not for the vision and positioning of Hicham Elkayim, it could easily have been level. The second was sheer bad luck, as Michel Lysiak's thirty-yard free-kick missed the defense before cannoning off the crossbar; the richochet header from Molly Cross was easily held.

As the game wore on, the McPsychovillian attacks grew more and more desperate, and the defense against the Majeristani counter-attacks was frantic, to say the least. No less than six players were booked for fouls, including substitute Alex Chotesov, but it looked like they might just be able to steal an equaliser.

And then, Akamu Rasefjani entered the fray. Within seconds of his arrival, Majeristan went dangerously close to scoring again - Hakan ej Dajani's shot only being stopped by the post - and within another couple seconds, Rasefjani himself did the damage. His pace leaving the three-man defence flat-footed, Rasefjani was able to streak in, collect the loose ball, turn and fire a blistering left-foot shot past Silver's grasping hands. While not as bad a defeat as we could have expected, this nevertheless deals the McPsychovillian hopes of qualification a serious blow.

The Group G table now lies as follows:
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Giant Zucchini 1 1 0 0 3 0 3 100 3
Majeristan 1 1 0 0 2 0 2 100 3
McPsychoville 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0 0
Spaamanian Plijous 1 0 0 1 0 3 -3 0 0

Georgeonia

04-04-2006, 18:21

Spirited Squids Lose Tough Opening Match

Georgeonia faced their first and toughest CoH group match today, and perhaps unsurprisingly
came away with a 3-1 defeat. Despite the loss, it was a plucky performance from the squids
who undoubtedly gave a good account of themselves, despite the great difference in rank
separating the two teams. Wentland seemed to be on the attack from the very second their
dreadful national anthem finished ringing around the packed stadium. Georgeonia strggled
to handle the pressure, and their increasing lack of composure manifested itself in the
eighteenth minute when Owino scythed down Treves outside the area, resulting in the
Wentlander being substituted with a nasty looking knee injury, a yellow card for Owino, and
a Wentland free-kick in a dangerous position. Kent stepped up and effortlessly curled a deft
free-kick into the Georgeonian goal, well beyond the reach of the flailing Nedrick. After the
goal the match quietened down, and the remainder of the first half passed largely without
incident. After the break, however, Wentand again pushed forward strongly, and again the
Squids' defence looked shakey. On fifty-five minutes, Loder took the ball to the by-line and
sent a hanging cross into the packed area, several players leapt for the ball, but the huge
Wentland forward Capper easily out-jumped the other players and scored Wentland's second.
Realising they had little to lose at this point, Georgeonia began to push forward, sending
long balls towards their two strikers. On the eightieth minute the tactic paid off. Ryan
launched the ball forward from the edge of the Squids' area, Camplin nodded the ball back
to debutant Ray who controlled it well and moved forward. Suddenly the Squids found
themselves three on two against the two Wentland centre-backs. A swift one-two with Majewski
later and Ray was bearing down on goal. He made no mistake with a low, drilled shot beyond the
diving keeper, and became the first Squids player ever to score on his debut. Mad Cap'n Bob
quickly made two substitutions in order to give the Squids some fresh legs, switching Roffey for
Adomako and Cunningham for Camplin, and for several minutes it seemed that the Squids might
equalise. In the dieing minutes of the game, however, the Squids overcommitted on an attack,
Wentland were able to break and Weston scored Wentland's third. As the final whistle went
the squids were tired and beaten but also smiling as they left the field. A loss to begin the
tournament, but also a good performance, and something to build on in the next two games.

Georgeonia 1 : 3 Wentland

Ray (80) Kent (21)
Capper (55)
Weston (89)

Hypocria

04-04-2006, 20:01

Cup of Harmony Preview

Ah yes, the Cup of Harmony. That meeting of international football’s losers. The sides not good enough for the World Cup. And this is our fifth consecutive appearance. I think it’s fair to say that this is not exactly the Autocracy’s favourite tournament. It took eight matches, spanning four years and two CoH tournaments, before the Hyppos even registered a win. And ironically that win was over Milchama, the side that condemned us here in the playoffs. The results have improved slightly since then but the Hyppos still have never got beyond the quarter final stage. And now we’re here again on a quest to claw back some lost ranking places and maybe, just maybe, break out of the forties.

So who are those unfortunate nations standing in the way of the Hyppos and a quarter final exit?

Yafor 2 (49)

Well this is the Cup of Harmony so naturally we have to face Yafor 2. As we did in the last tournament. And the one before that. The Golden Wolves beat us at CoH 17 and went on to win the whole tournament. But at the eighteenth edition of the competition the Yaforites caved under the pressure and limped out in the group stage, helped on their way by a 3 - 1 win for the Autocracy. The record stands at one win apiece so a draw is almost certainly on the cards.

The Macabees (70)

The side form the Empire of the Golden Throne seem to be quietly confident. And why not? There a good and well organised side who could go far. If they can hit the ground running, and we have a sneaking suspicion they will, the men from the Empire will take some stopping. The Macabees are just the type side the Hyppos seemingly love losing to.

Atheistic Right (114)

Outgunned, outclassed and out of their depth. The Archeopteri will probably be happy to keep the goals against column as low as possible. Three defeats is all we can see for Atheistic Right. Starting with a sound hammering at the hands of the Hyppos, 5 - 1 perhaps.

Around the Groups

Looking at the competitors there is not a nation that springs out as favourites for the cup. Technically Giant Zucchini should be favourites as the highest ranked nation here but there are plenty of others in contention. Our tip? Well Cuation always seem to save their best performances for the Cup of Harmony but we’re going for the Lowland Clans.

Atheistic Wrong

All the talk in the sports pages back home was whether or not Hypocria coach Alex Santoro would break from his cautious nature and go for a more attacking approach. Judging by the performance against Atheistic Right the answer is a definitive yes. Hypocria’s finest battered their opponents for a ninety minutes and scored five goals for the first time in a long, long while. Carlo Molinari once again showed his star quality with an excellent hattrick while Dudamel and Beck also netted. The win lifted the Hyppos to the top of the Group D table and condemned their opponents to the bottom. In the other group fixture the Macabees proved they’re a side to watch by beating former Cup of Harmony champions Yafor 2.

Group D P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Hypocria 1 1 0 0 5 1 4 83 3
The Macabees 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 75 3
Yafor 2 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 25 0
Atheistic Right 1 0 0 1 1 5 -4 17 0
Next . . .

It’s back to the vast East Spaam National Football Stadium for the crunch game against the Empire of the Golden Throne. Given how the two nations started this match could well decide who wins the group. In their own media the Macabees likened their campaign to that of Hannibal’s. It was famously said of that great leader that he didn’t know how to use his victories. After their opening day win perhaps that analogy will stick and the next match will prove to be the Macabees' Zama.

Pastorville

04-04-2006, 20:59

SAINTS EARN SURPRISING DRAW

With the Pastorville media expecting the Saints to get swept out of CoH XIX, and watching the Saints get vastly outplayed by Qazox last night, the Saints still somehow managed a miraculous 1-1 draw. Down 0-1 for most of the match after an early Qazox goal, Reverend Harris somehow found himself with the ball in the box in the 80th minute on a counter-attack. Harris made the most of it, finding the bottom left corner of the net for the draw. Reverend Smith made 8 saves for the Saints. Things only get harder for the Saints with Bazalonia next, before a match against Nanakaland.

The Gupta Dynasty

04-04-2006, 21:49

Golden Wolves And Golden Thrones

Game 1 At East Spaam National Football Stadium
The Macabees 3 - Yafor 2 1

SPAAM - Former Sarzonian Stars Manager Barry Owens is not on the chopping block yet, but he is nearing closer and closer. First came a dismal World Cup qualifying campaign, and now this. Owens, who lead the Yaforites to an almost qualification, has international honors, but it seems that even international recognition may not be enough to keep the Yaforites anywhere. This is Cup of Harmony for heaven's sakes!

The group draw was filled with intrigue. The hosts (or host), Spaam, refused to let out the secrets of who was actually in the tournatment beforehand, so many eager Yaforite fans were confused and irritated at the fact that their national team had not recieved an invitation to enter the tournament. However, that little problem was sorted prior to the Cup actually beginning, and so the Golden Wolves were in the Cup of Harmony.

The group draw itself was exciting, but lived up to its expectations only barely. The first team whom the Yaforites face is, of course, the Hyppos of Hypocria. This is the Cup of Harmony, of course, and each time that neither team qualifies, it is a tradition to play in the group stage in this least prestigious of all international tournaments. Or, at least, this has been a tradition for the past twelve years - twelve years during which neither team has even thought of qualifying. What a sad existance.

The other two teams were also interesting. The Macabees, or the "Golden Throne" as they ostentatiously call themselves, was the second team. Though not known for their sporting prowess, The Golden Throne is well known for its policies of "absolute capitalism", which were put into use during Space Union's despression. The other team, Athiestic Right, is totally out of their class here. Though the "Archeopteri" are quite a skilled team, against these opponents they have no chance.

The rest of the groups too were slightly interesting. Giant Zuchinni, Arridia, Nanakaland, and Dance 2 Revolution appear as favorites due to their former international prowess, it seems that the true good team here could be the Baptism of Fire runners-up, Haraki. They proved their skill in the group stages of the World Cup and look set to return to a top ten international ranking on the international circuit. They might just be the best pick to win this Cup of Harmony.

The game itself was not totally devoid of interest. Much of the scoring was in the first half, indeed, all of it was. The Golden Wolves started it off with a Gerod Flamer blue light special into the upper right hand corner. This is the Yaforite captian's last year of ever playing and he hopes to leave with his second Cup of Harmony trophy. The Macabees came back with three quick goals and then the match settled into a boring defensive rhythm. That could be expected.

The Golden Wolves face the lowest ranked side in the group in the near future, but there should be no overestimating. Pastorville last year proved that. Hopefully, the Golden Wolves can recover from a slight mishap and return to form and, possibly, win the Cup of Harmony one more time. Or would that be thinking ahead too far?

-Excerpt from The Sporting Daily News.

[NS]Bazalonia

04-04-2006, 22:14

"First Match As Expected" by Nev Gould

The Bazalopes played quite well against the Nanakaland Nanakabirds last night, however there was no upset, The Bazalopes lost by 2 goals. With a scoreline of 3-1 more could have been done by the Bazalopes but Hobble's recent lack of practice has seemed to have caused problems, particularily in fitting in with the new team. Peter Hobble has been removed from the Starter list and Colin Neils will take his place. "Benny Boy" Peters will once again take the position of Captain.

An in-form Peter Hobble is an amazing sight to see but an out of Form Peter is something that make you want to go to cry. Neil Kabants has stated that he is generally pleased with the performance but improvements can always be made and that He'll do some one-on-one training with Peter Hobble to get him back on track. Michael Irchov scored the Bazalopes only goal in the 69th minute.

Our next match at Gall Island Football Stadium will be against Pastorville, we are not really expecting a win but it is still possible, however Pastorville's media have us coming second. They probably expect us to win against them and Qazox, we don't know where we will come but doubt it will be 2nd. Three games is not really enough for a decent upset against a team like Pastorville.

Haraki

04-04-2006, 22:23

The Harakians were determined. Taking a stance against the team ranked directly below them right off the bat, Vargas announced to them beforehand that 'We're going to win, and we're oging to prove that if we had met in the Baptism of Fire, we would've beaten them anyway.' It seemed to do the trick.

Taking a new, more aggressive coaching style, Vargas took Lawrence Foster off the team right from the beginning to bring on Julie Vern, Haraki's best ball handler. Five minutes in, she managed to steal the ball and make a long pass up to Haraki's captain and star forwar, Mike Zendar, and he pulled off his first goal of the tournament on the first goal of the game, only six minutes in. This got Vargas' hopes up. He knew that if they could break down 'The Wall' and his confidence, they would be able to pull off a victory.

The Tynelians responded with a good offensive drive, bringing up a high-quality series of attacks including two shots by star forward Jay Masterson, but Mark Stone was on top form and managed to stop all shots on net from the Tynelian forwards. Getting it back out to defenceman Jonah Menike, who had taken a reputation of being Haraki's best defenceman right from the first game of the Baptism of Fire, Stone could relax a bit. Menike did not disappoint. He spun past Brian Kenders, but seemed to know he wouldn't be able to pull the same trick on Troy Wallace, and instead passed it out to Samantha Ribald, who made her way up the field. A pass to Samuel Sharp got the ball around the defence, and he took a shot. But the Wall was back on form and it bounced off his well-timed arm during a dive to the corner. However, Ribald was right there to get it back, and she simply tipped it past Vladimar Malloy for the Hawks' second goal at thirty minutes in.

The rest of the second half was back and forth offensive plays, but a combination of excellent defence on both sides and both keepers' excellent abilities, neither team scored a goal, and halftime came with the Hawks up 2-0. Vargas complimented them on their work, gave them a talk about how they still needed to cement the victory, and sent them back out. Haraki took the kickoff, tapped it out to Zendar, and began an offensive drive that lasted fifteen minutes. Malloy got off seven saves during that time. It seemed whatever pep talk he had been given had worked. However, eventually Haraki's best supporter, Thomas Neils, gave a pass to Julie Vern, right in front of the net, and she took it. Sixty minutes and Haraki were up 3-0. They had broken Tynelia's back.

The rest of the game was slow and mostly uneventful. Haraki's Luke Ford was almost granted a yellow card for supposedly tripping Troy Wallace, but the ref ruled it an accident and let Ford off with a warning to be more careful, bringing up cheers from the Harakian fan section and boos from the Tynelian one.

The game ended with Haraki up three points against a team that had often been called Haraki's rivals in the Baptism of Fire. They rested up, and prepared for their next game, against the Islands of Qutar, who had somehow managed to lose to Magnus Valerius in a tight game.

Haraki 3 - Tynelia 0

Zendar (6)
Ribald (30)
Vern (61)

Ariddia

04-04-2006, 22:26

OOC: I'm going to be without Internet access for 10 days as from Friday, and busy until then, but I'll do what I can.

IC:
Ariddia faces Kelse. . . again

There were undoubtedly groans as the PDSRA was drawn against Kelse yet again, and this time for their opening match. The two nations were in tight competition during the World Cup, played each other twice, and drew both times. A draw is rarely something to aim for, and the eighteen Ariddians sent to the Cup of Harmony were no doubt determined to set the record straight.

“A draw would handicap both sides,” Ariddian captain Ue Alt explained. In the absence of the team’s two spokespersons, Frédéric Clément and Hanifah Kyaw, Alt had taken it upon himself to talk to the media. Ariddia is not only missing its two top strikers, but also its star defender, Yves al Jahdali, as well as its other two usual starting defenders, Tim Wald and Jean Kitenge. Clément, al Jahdali and Kitenge are all in Audioslavia, playing for their respective clubs, while young prodigy Kyaw is in Andossa Se Mitrin Vega, and Wald is in Krytenia for the same reason.

The game against Kelse was the “new” team’s sixty-fourth match, and its first ever without al Jahdali, who is renowned for having been fielded as a starter in every single game until today.

The Rouge-et-Noirs, as expected, performed the ulek in front of the crowd in Gall Island Football Stadium. It was a cautious start after that for a team whose players have not all played with one another before, and Kelse dominated the first fifteen minutes of the match, with several close calls. Leduc saved two well-aimed shots, boosting her side’s confidence but also alerting them to the fact they needed to get their act together. Ariddia kept the basics together throughout the first half, which ended goalless despite the beginnings of a constructed counter-attack.

The one advantage the team still had was that midfielders Alt, Swimmer, Delherbe and Sanjeeb are used to playing as part of the same team, and they rallied to spur their team mates on. In the fifty-sixth minute, a first goal was finally scored by Ramirez. Ariddia’s defence, still a little shakily, was slowly beginning to look stronger, while John Sanjeeb consolidated his team’s lead in the sixty-eighth minute. A two-nil victory was probably better than what most had been expecting, and the best anyone could have hoped for.

“Of course they won,” teenage football star Hanifah Kyaw said by telephone, with a smile in her voice, when she was contacted in ASMV to react to the news. “We’re a team, a team which doesn’t just rely on a few players. The fact some of us aren’t there doesn’t mean the team can’t play well, and they proved they’re good by winning today.”

It was a much-needed victory, but Wentland will be an even greater challenge still.

Atheistic Right

04-04-2006, 22:47

"FIVE - ONE?!, FIVE - ONE?!" Bellowed Lion, with a result like that his position was at stake and he knew they would fire him.... literally. He flew over to Spaam.

Cheetah was scared, terrified as he heard Lion was coming. Was he coming to do something himself? Either way not showing up at the Airport would result in a worse fate... torture not just death. So he turned up to the Airport, Cheetah met him. All he wanted to do was to give an Atheisitic Right equivalent of a pep talk. Now the players where on edge... Especially Scorpion who had already been accused as being a potential traitor in the media.

Will the extra level of fear cause the Aracheopteri to perform better than they did or will they implode?!

.......

<The logo of ARFA Sports - Your Strongest Sports News Around and it's theme music appeared on the Television. Then it cut to the darkened studio which lightened to once again reveal our 2 tavourite members of the Atheistic Right Media>

Charles: "Welcome to ARFA Sports - Your Strongest Sports News Around, I'm Charles"

Darwin: "And I'm Darwin, welcome to the Coverage of Matchday number one."

Charles: "I'm afraid there is no Matchday 1 results Darwin, we have not been able to get access to them it seems that those Collonites have prevented the results coming through. Our technicians are looking into this but I am afriad the results for this matchday are lost."

Darwin: "When will the Collonite agressors see that they cannot win and just go home. Any other news?"

Charles: "Well, it seems Lion, head of ARFA has gone to Spaam in an attempt to help defend against the Collonites. What a good move by Lion, he is a master of his domain and doing this should boost our teams morale and fight well against our next opponents... Yafor 2"

Darwin: "Who are they?"

Charles: "We don;'t have alot of information about them apart from we play them and they are ranked 49th in the world. So with that it's time for us to say goodbye. I'm Charles"

Darwin: "And I'm Darwin, Remember ARFA Sports - Your Strongest Sports News Around is broadcast on the ARAF News & Entertainmnent Network."

Wentland

04-04-2006, 22:50

[QUOTE=Georgeonia]Swifts Wing It Over Squids

Wentland got off to the perfect start in the Cup of Harmony with a safe - if hard-fought - 3-1 win over minnows Georgeonia. The Swifts started the game as if shot out of a cannon, invigorated by their magnificent national anthem, and came close on a couple of occasions through Frankie Treves until Owino took the law into his own hands. Treves was taken off following the challenge and is a doubt for the Kelse game. Tommy Barnes came on and made as if he would take the free kick, but dummied the ball for a Cosmo Kent swerving dip shot to give Wentland the lead.

Wentland rested on their laurels for the remainder of the half but Edgar Bluff must have put some pep into the half-time tea as again the second half began with a Wentland onslaught. Barnes hit the woodwork and Kent brought the best out of Nedrick before a peach of a cross from Adey Loder saw Jon Capper time his run perfectly and soar salmon-like to make it two.

Georgeonia thenceforth threw caution to the wind - and why not? Two down and in danger of being swamped, but they hurled long ball after long ball towards their front two. Wright and Moon seemed to be coping well enough but in the eightieth minute Camplin out-jumped the Heathen to find Ray unmarked and moving forward. A one-two later and he made it 2-1. Squeaky bum time for Wentland and some substitutions re-invigorated the Squids, but a break near the end saw Capper pick out a steaming Weston who made it three. Safe enough...three on the board...but without Treves against Kelse how will Wentland cope?

Mr Chuck Norris

04-04-2006, 22:54

Chuck Norris News
For All Of Your Fighting Norris Coverage

Well everyone, this tourney isn't going to turn out any better than the World Cup. Let's just put it this way:

Mr Chuck Norris 0
Cataduanes 2 (Carlos Gaurin 46, Lopez Cerro 49)

It was a great match by both sides by all accounts, but never a close one. The game was practically a done deal when in the first five minutes, Chuck Norris, the Fighting Norris' star player, was forced to leave the game on a lower-leg injury after being slide tackled by Cataduanes' defender Butch Tumitubo. Tumitubo did receive a yellow card and coach Jose Manua of Cataduanes did remove him from the game, but the damage was done, Cataduanes had sealed the match with that very injury. One could think that the Fighting Norris were still doing alright when the score was 0-0 at the half, but they certainly weren't. The Fighting Norris' defense were running out of energy and the offense had little left to give.

The draw would not last long as Cataduanes' superior experience and punished the Fighting Norris right out of the gate. The second half started and the Fighting Norris were prepared to play some more up-and-down the field football. Unfortunately, this let their guard down and it didn't take long at all for Cataduanes to fire the ball down field to a wide open forward Carlos Gaurin, who hardly had to try to get the ball in the goal. The lead was now in the hands of Cataduanes, but the game wasn't over at that point. It would only take three more minutes for Cataduanes to strike again and put the nail in the coffin. Lopez Cerro displayed unparallel athleticism in the 49th minute when he took his head to the ball to send it past Fighting Norris goalkeeper Mr. Bednarik.

The Fighting Norris picked it up for the remainder of the match, but Chuck Norris' absence really killed their offense and supressed any hope of a comeback. Time expired with the score 2-0 in Cataduanes' favor.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here to comment on the Fighting Norris is their coach, Bob Janney.

"Well... we're screwed. Chuck Norris' injury is going to have him out for the remainder of the tourney. With the heart of our offense dead, it cannot live, if we score a goal, it'll be due to luck. Basically, a 0-0-3 is looking like a better prediction for our team everyday. We've got Legalese next match, who we haven't seen since they hosted the Baptism of Fire we participated in. Things are looking bleak, but there's always next year!"

The Fighting Norris’ Cup of Harmony Schedule
Matchday One: vs. Cataduanes (Loss 0-2)
Matchday Two: vs. Legalese
Matchday Three: vs. Becquerelia

Fighting Norris Cup of Harmony Record: (0-0-1)

Qazox

05-04-2006, 05:32

QAZOX CITY HERALD

A nice start today for the Black oxen in CoH XIX, as the drew Pastorville one-all. The match, Which was played at Gall Island Football Stadium in Spaam, starte with both squads testing the other's midfielders, until the 15th minute when Marie Goya, a surprise starter for the CoH considering that Maria Gretsky led Qazox with 5 goals in WC Qualifing, scored past Rev. Smith to make it 1-0. the rest of the match was evenly fought with niether side getting any chances to score. late in the mtach Pastorville's Reverend Harris somehow found himself with the ball in the box in the 80th minute on a counter-attack. Harris made the most of it, finding the bottom left corner of the net for the draw. Reverend Smith made 8 saves for the Saints and Reggie Hassok made 6 in his 1st international match.

Up next for the Black oxen is a match against Nanakaland in which the winner, if there is one, will most likely advance to the next round.

Group B P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Nanakaland 1 1 0 0 3 1 2 75 3
Pastorville 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 50 1
Qazox 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 50 1
Bazalonia 1 0 0 1 1 3 -2 25 0

Dorian and Sonya

05-04-2006, 05:59

Unicorns Came, Saw, And Crawled Back To Their Rooms

The Cup of Harmony is now underway. If you don't like bad news DO NOT READ THIS!!!

The Unicorns faced off against the best Group E had to offer in the form of The Lowland Clans. And that concludes the highlights of a 2-0 loss for the Unicorns.

Queen Sonya sat in her room thinking about the day's match. Ouch was the one word that came to mind. The Unicorns had made the trip to Spaam full of great hopes and even better spirits. needless to say, That didnt last very long. The Lowland Clans had done their job and beaten a much lower ranked side. Perhaps we should have used the bikini kits again. But all in all a 2-0 loss to TLC was no real problem. We actually did expect to lose this one.

The bad news for us is that inconsistent Collonie lost on MD1 as well to Apologetic Kittens. That means we will face them on their "good" day. But we will be there and work hard to pull the upset. If the Kittens can do it, why cant we?

Legalese

05-04-2006, 06:32

Draw leaves Black and Red Speechless

The scene at East Spaam National Stadium left the supporters of the Legalese National Soccer Team speechless, as the favored Legalites played a scoreless draw to Becquerelia.

With no comments made by the team after the match, a few quotes were grabbed out of the crowd from members of the Legal Eagles supporters club, some of whom made the trip to East Spaam for the matches:

"For an attacking team, that was the worst bit of play I've ever seen. Pure rubbish! Just cause we can control the midfield, does not mean you can't take a shot on goal for a change. They better step it up if we're to get anywhere."

"You mean this side was a point away from nearly getting a shot at the World Cup? There's no *bleep*ing way that's possible. I've seen a kiddie game go better than this."

"Chuck Norris hurt!? I'll believe that when I see it. That man's counted to infinity twice, there's no way in the Anathemic Republics he's sitting out against us. We better show up to play if we want to get to the Cup of Harmony finals again."

At least the crowd seems to care, but will the team? Only the next few days will tell.

Apologetic Kittens

05-04-2006, 07:47

The Kittens opened their campaign for the Cup of Harmony with a win over Collonie.

The match started off badly for the Kittens, and worse for Weeter as his fumble allowed Collonie to take an early lead in the first half. Having only just gained the number 1 shirt he must have been thinking they'd take it straight back off of him.

But the Kittens responded with a level of play that was missing from their game in World Cup Qualifying. Many put the change down to the introduction of Reed at the back, who was in magnificent form for the whole match.

However the goals don't come from defence and it was a headed shot by Gronko after an amazing run up by the left by Chase that equalised the game before the break.

However when the defence was called into attacking play in the second half it was Kiefer, and not Reed, who made the goal happen. A huge pass from his own half allowing Moore to break free and score with only the keeper standing in his way.

Collonie were not to take the match lying down, however, and they soon started playing the kind of game that everyone expected them to play. And despite it being the equaliser even the Kittens fans stood and cheered the goal, it was thoroughly deserved after the run.

But the game was not over, and both teams were looking to finish the game off. The Kittens got their chance when Wynter was brough down just outside the Collonie area. Monroe hitting a curling free kick the goalkeeper didn't stand a chance against.

The final score?

Apologetic Kittens 3 - 2 Collonie

McPsychoville

05-04-2006, 12:26

Republic of McPsychoville
Carson City - 991 New New York Street
11:01

The man in the kabuki mask had returned, but his reception was much colder today. Despite the timely piece of information that team coach Webb had opted to use vitamin boosters to help prepare his players, the attempted operation had failed, and pathetically at that. Naturally, the team were staying in a Spaamian hotel, as flying back and forth from one country to the other would hardly be beneficial to the players, meaning the whole plan had to be put into action quickly.

First, there was the question of getting the men into Spaam without their cargo being detected; of course, with the influence of their ‘generous benefactor’ behind them, very few people questioning them en route to the Spaamian airport. Even the Customs officials, usually the most thorough part of Spaamian security, barely investigated them, giving them the quickest, most basic search possible. Whether or not this was down to their palms being…greased, shall we say, is entirely up for debate. But it remains a moot point, as, too, is the question as to how the found out where the team was staying. For a significant chunk of cash, the majority of people will be happy to oblige, and for a bigger wad of cash, they had a name - the Haven Hotel, just outside the Artanis city centre.

Thanks once again to their ‘benefactor’, a limousine was idling outside the airport terminal, with orders to take the two men to a nearby hotel where they would be staying for the duration of the Cup of Harmony. It was nasty, but a nasty place was the best he was willing to do until they’d proven themselves to be able. While they’d carried a number of small arms in their luggage initially, the limousine had come equipped with a selection more, to the extent that they would effectively become human arsenals. But for this mission, the guns were not to be used; instead, the weapon was science.

Working underneath ‘the boss’, as he was colloquially called, were a department of scientists - namely, a department of scientists at Carson City University, no less, the cream of McPsychovillian science - and they had been put on the task less than a month ago to create a number of drugs. One was to be used a sedative, one to help muscle and tissue regrowth in coma patients, but as was his wont, the boss attempted to turn this to his own nefarious purposes. Upon being tested, the sedative, in smaller doses, could also be used to knock a sports player out of kilter, whereas the steroid’s purpose was obvious; to enhance a player’s performance above that of normal.

For the Majeristani game, very few bookmakers were willing to back McPsychoville for the win; figures of 12/1 and 16/1 were being quoted, and for an enterprising man, the boss knew precisely what he wanted done. Hence, the men being sent to the Cup of Harmony. You see, along with the weapons they bore in their luggage were cases of syringes, already filled with certain liquids. The blue capsules - sedatives. The red - steroids. The green - even they hadn’t been told, because for now, it was only the red syringes that concerned them.

At midnight the night before the game, the two men made the journey to the Haven Hotel. One was under the guise of being a holidaymaker; the other was taking advantage of his distracting the one receptionist to take three specific keys; namely, those of Damon Arnaud, Damian Lee and Molly Cross. These three looked to be the most influential players, and a timely burst of adrenaline would only help the team to a victory. While the first man kept the receptionist busy with idiotic questions, the other entered the various rooms, injected the players in certain areas that would be unlikely to awaken them - the top of the thigh, for example - and left as silently as he came.

The problem? The amount in the syringes was nowhere near the amount needed to enhance their performance; what with the fifteen-hour time delay, and the comparatively small amount against their metabolism, the steroids were gone from their bloodstream within hours of their waking up. This explains the frosty reception for the man in the kabuki mask; all of the money spent on bets for McPsychoville to win had been lost, and the only possible consolation was that they had won a small amount back with a bet on Benoit to score first (at 40/1, they’d recovered just 40,000 karmic dollars of the half a million spent).

‘The plan for tonight is lifting. Since the drugs did not work, we will have to take a step up in severity. I want you two to take Johann Rilke and Hendrik Groot out of the equation for the game today. And this time, there will be no excuses.’

Tynelia

05-04-2006, 13:11

<unlike most programs this one starts out with Dana lee, the Tynelian Soccer Weekly field reporter lurking outside the Tynelian locker room just after the game against Haraki ended>

“This is Dana Lee for Tynelian Soccer Weekly where just inside that room a furious Tynelian Coach Marcus O’Meara has been blasting his team after their performance in their 3-0 loss to Haraki. Let’s listen in.”

“MALLOY! YOUR NICKNAME’S THE WALL RIGHT? WALL OF WHAT SWISS CHEESE? I MEAN BETTIA AND TOTAL N UTTER INSANITY, OK I’LL GRANT YOU THAT BUT HARAKI’S NOT EVEN TEN RANKS ABOVE US. COULDN’T YOU WAIT UNTIL OH I DON’T KNOW MAYBE THE TEN MINUTE MARK BEFORE YOU GAVE UP A GOAL?!?

“AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON THE OFFENSE. WHEN I TOLD YOU PEOPLE TO REMEMBER HOW YOU PLAYED IN THE WORLD CUP I DIDN’T MEAN THE FIRST FIVE GAMES WHERE YOU COYULD BARELY PUT THE BALL IN THE NET AGAINST A TEAM RANKED IN THE 200S. THIS IS DISGRACEFUL. MAYBE YOU PEOPLE CAN’T BE BOTHERED SHOWING UP TO PLAY FOR THESE GAMES BUT THERE’S A LOT OF TICKED OFF TYNELIANS WHO ARE PROBABLY THROWING UP OVER HOW PUTRID YOUR PLAY WAS OUT THERE TODAY. TEN OR FIFTEEN MINUTES OF OFFENSE A GAME DOESN’T CUT IT BOYS AND GIRLS. YOU PLAYED LIKE THE 176TH RANKED TEAM NOT THE 76TH AND THAT MIGHT BE INSULTING WHOEVER’S 176TH!

“NOW IT LOOKS LIKE AMY HAS TO BAIL YOU ALL OUT AGAIN. THANKS TO THE NICE CHOKEJOB YOU PEOPLE PULLED OFF TODAY WE JUST HAVE TO WIN OUR LAST TWO GAMES NOW TO HAVE A SHOT AT MOVING ON. THAT’S RIGHT I SAID WIN. A DRAW IS USELESS CONSIDERING THE HUGE GOAL DIFFERENTIAL WE’RE BEHIND NOW. AND GUESS WHAT THE ISLANDS OF QUTAR LOST TOO SO THEY’LL BE FIRED UP FOR THIS ONE. WILL YOU?

“IF ANY OF YOU CAN BE BOTHERED SHOWING SOME INTENSITY OUT THERE AND BY SOME MIRACLE YOU ACTUALLY PULL THIS OFF YOU BETTER HOPE HARAKI WINS AGAIN, RIGHT NOW THEM DOING WELL IS ABOUT OUR ONLY SHOT AT SNEAKING INTO SECOND AND THAT’S ONLY IF WE WIN TOMORROW. IF YOU COME OUT STINKING AS BADLY AS TODAY WE MAY AS WELL JUST FORFEIT THE LAST GAME BECAUSE THERE’S NO WAY THE LOT OF YOU PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WIN ANYTHING.”

<lots of crashing sounds are heard as objects are flung around the locker room>

“Well it seems like Coach O’Meara is definitely unhappy with the team’s showing today. We’ll find out soon enough if his tirade lights a fire under his team. Now over to you Sal and Anna.”

“Thanks Dana and wow, Coach O’Meara really went off on his team that time. This was even worse than the time he got on their cases after the team was booed off the field following their fourth shutout in five games against Nanakaland in the World Cup qualifiers. But he does have a point, the team can not afford to get off to any sort of slow start in a quick group stage like today. With the top seed next the team will have their work cutout for them. Can Amy Whiteworth rise to the challenge once again Anna?”

“Yes I think she can rise to the next level but the question is can the offense give her any help. As Vladimar Malloy found out early on in the World Cup play, you can give up 1 goal every game but if you don’t score any yourselves you’re still losing. Last time it took five games and an outburst by O’Meara to get any offense going. Now he hopes one game and an outburst will do the job. If not this will be a short cup run for Tynelia and will do absolutely nothing for their overall world ranking.”

“Good point, now lets look at the tale of the tape so to speak. People with small children might want to cover their ears while I read this because it’s not pretty. Haraki had the shooting edge as they bombarded the net with 27 shots in all while Tynelia barely hit double digits with 11.The quality edge was 7-2 in Haraki’s favor as well and they controlled the time of possession by almost eleven minutes. This just brings up another point, while Tynelia did play poorly and are being browbeaten by their coach because of it the reason they played so poorly was because Haraki played a tremendous game. Haraki seemed to recapture the dominant form they displaced right through the Baptism of Fire before losing in the championship game.”

“That’s right Sal. Don’t take anything away from Haraki, no matter how well Tynelia played today I don’t think they would have won the way their opponents played. Now we just have to see if Tynelia can bounce back. Getting to another one of Coach O’Meara’s points, Haraki has to be Tynelia’s best friend right now. With Magnus Valerius upsetting The Islands of Qutar 3-2 things are not quite as desperate as they first look. If Tynelia can send the top seeds to a second loss that puts them at 3 points.If Haraki wins that puts them at 6 and Magnus Valerius stays at 3 tied depending on how the goal differential works. If they tie then they will both have 4 points to Tynelia’s 3 and the top seed will remain at 0. Then if Tynelia wins against Magnus Valerius in the final game they are in no matter what with 6 points. “

A draw in the next match is almost useless to Tynelia. The only way that would work would be for Haraki to win to put them at 6, MV at 3 and then Tynelia and Qutar with 1 each. Then if Tynelia beats MV and Haraki wins or draws against Qutar, Tynelia sneaks in over Magnus Valerius 4 points to 3 for the second spot. But everything has to be perfect for that to happen. A Magnus Valerius win over Haraki is the worst thing that could happen for Tynelia – again assuming we win. That would put Magnus Valerius and Tynelia- if they win the last game both at 6 points with the possibility of Haraki also ending up with 6. In a three way tie it would come down to goal differential which doesn’t favor Tynelia.”

“That’s a lot of possibilities there Anna but hopefully after today they’ll at least be in play. A loss here and Tynelia is all but done as a final match win puts them at best in a three way tie goal differential tiebreak for the final spot. And a defensive team like Tynelia doesn’t usually fare well when scoring comes into play. But now a special treat. Many of you out there are probably unfamiliar with the history of the Cup of Harmony so let me direct you to Harmonie Harris who will explain its long history for you.”

<camera cuts to Harmonie Harris at another desk with a coffe mug in front her>

“Hi Sal! Hi Anna! Sorry I didn’t make it last show but I forgot the cup and you can’t do a history without the cup.”
<turns the coffee mug around where the word “Harmonie” can be seen etched on the side>

“The Cup of Harmonie was given to me by my grandmother when I was only six years old. She always saw how mad I got when I saw everyone else in the family with a mug that had their name on it so she bought me one for my birthday. It was my favoritest cup for a long time until the day I got mad at my brother and I accidently knocked it to the floor and broke the handle. I remember how mad I was and I was crying until my mother came by and glued the handle back on. After that day I only used it for special occasions because I was afraid the handle would break again. Well that and the time I chipped my tooth on it when I didn’t notice that part of the rim had been chipped off when it fell and no one noticed. But when I heard everyone wanted to know about the cup of Harmonie I knew I had to bring it here today so I could tell everyone about it. Ok Sal back to you!”

<Harmonies beams proudly at the camera before it cuts back to Sal, Anna is nowhere to be found>

“Um, thanks Harmonie. As you can see Anna is not here. She was suddenly stricken with a…um… illness and had to leave the stage. Don’t worry though she’ll be fine. But in any case we’re out of time here today. Tune in next time where we’ll find out if “Amazing” Amy Whiteworth can save Tynelia’s Cup of Harmony chances against the top ranked Islands of Qutar or if once more tynelia will be pushed off to the side and watch other teams advance in the tournament. We’ll be here after the game once again for our post game show so until then good night.”

<credits roll as an anquished woman’s cry from back stage sounding something like “It’s not a damned coffee mug it’s a soccer tournament” accidently comes over the airwaves>

Spaam

05-04-2006, 15:00

Group A
Wentland 5:1 Kelse
Ariddia 2:0 Georgeonia

Group B
Nanakaland 1:1 Qazox
Pastorville 2:1 Bazalonia

Group C
Cataduanes 1:1 Becquerelia
Legalese 4:2 Mr Chuck Norris

Group D
Hypocria 3:0 The Macabees
Yafor 2 2:1 Atheistic Right

Group E
The Lowland Clans 1:1 Apologetic Kittens
Collonie 1:1 Dorian and Sonya

Group F
Cuation 3:2 Dance 2 Revolution
Anathematic Repulics 0:1 Vuam and Isma

Group G
Giant Zucchini 1:1 McPsychoville
Majeristan 0:1 Spaamanian Plijous

Group H
The Islands of Qutar 2:2 Tynelia
Haraki 1:2 Magnus Valerius

Spaam

05-04-2006, 15:21

Gall Island Football Stadium

Group A
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Ariddia 2 2 0 0 4 0 4 100 6
Wentland 2 2 0 0 8 2 6 80 6
Georgeonia 2 0 0 2 1 5 -4 17 0
Kelse 2 0 0 2 1 7 -6 13 0

Group B
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Nanakaland 2 1 1 0 4 2 2 67 4
Pastorville 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 60 4
Qazox 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 50 2
Bazalonia 2 0 0 2 2 5 -3 29 0

East Spaam National Football Stadium

Group C
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Cataduanes 2 1 1 0 3 1 2 75 4
Legalese 2 1 1 0 4 2 2 67 4
Becquerelia 2 0 2 0 1 1 0 50 2
Mr Chuck Norris 2 0 0 2 2 6 -4 33 0

Group D
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Hypocria 2 2 0 0 8 1 7 89 6
The Macabees 2 1 0 1 3 4 -1 43 3
Yafor 2 2 1 0 1 3 4 -1 43 3
Atheistic Right 2 0 0 2 2 7 -5 22 0

Ethium State Stadium

Group E
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
The Lowland Clans 2 1 1 0 3 1 2 75 4
Apologetic Kittens 2 1 1 0 4 3 1 57 4
Collonie 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1 43 1
Dorian and Sonya 2 0 1 1 1 3 -2 25 1

Group F
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Cuation 2 2 0 0 4 2 2 67 6
Dance 2 Revolution 2 1 0 1 4 3 1 57 3
Vuam and Isma 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 50 3
Anathematic Republics 2 0 0 2 0 3 -3 0 0

Artanis National Football Stadium*

Group G
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Giant Zucchini 2 1 1 0 4 1 3 80 4
Majeristan 2 1 0 1 2 1 1 67 3
Spaamanian Plijous 2 1 0 1 1 3 -2 25 3
McPsychoville 2 0 1 1 1 3 -2 25 1

Group H
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Magnus Valerius 2 2 0 0 5 3 2 63 6
Haraki 2 1 0 1 4 2 2 67 3
The Islands of Qutar 2 0 1 1 4 5 -1 44 1
Tynelia 2 0 1 1 2 5 -3 29 1

* All Spaamanian Plijous matches will be played in Albannana Stadium

Georgeonia

05-04-2006, 15:57

Wentland 5:1 Kelse
Ariddia 2:0 Georgeonia

Squids Squashed!

Georgeonia played hard against Ariddia today, but unfortunately came
out second best, and it is now impossible for them to qualify for the
next round. Mad Cap'n Bob fielded the same side that lost yesterday
against Wentland, but the team was simply unable to raise their game
sufficently to best their higher-ranked opponents, and Ariddia must
have felt that they had an easy win, with a goal either side of half
time. Notable squids performances came from Latimer on the wing who
created several dangerous chances, and from Cunningham who hit the
post in the dieing seconds, having come on as a substitute. The
result of this match, and of Wentland's five-one drubbing of hapless
Kelse, whom we appear to have jinxed with a prediction of great
success in this tournament, leaves the group A table looking like
this:

P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Wentland 2 2 0 0 8 2 6 6
Ariddia 2 2 0 0 4 0 4 6
Georgeonia 2 0 0 2 1 5 -4 0
Kelse 2 0 0 2 1 7 -6 0

Ariddia and Wentland have already qualified, with Kelse and the
Squids therefore eliminated. Georgeonia can maintain their current
third place with anything other than a loss against Kelse tomorrow.
Whilst neither side can advance, the game is sure to be hard-fought,
since the loser risks earning a spot in the embarassing pre-final
wooden spoon match later on. In addition, the Squids will be keen
to improve their world ranking with a win, ready for wc27
qualifying. Since the match is of less importance than it would
have been were we still able to qualify, however, Mad Cap'n Bob
has decided to use it to give some of the younger or less
experienced Squids players a taste of international football. The
line up for tomorrow's match will therefore be as follows:

Starting 11:

No. Player Position Age Caps

12 Moloney GK 25 0

3 Fagan CB 25 18
2 Ryan CB 28 18
13 Gittens CB 17 0
10 Latimer WB 22 18
21 Stilk WB 20 0

16 Ray M 23 2
6 Benge(c) M 25 18
18 Whybrow M 19 0

19 Caldwell S 17 0
20 Cunningham S 21 2

Substitutes:

1 Nedrick GK 24 18
4 Owino CB 22 18
22 Roffey WB 19 2
17 Walkington M 24 0
9 Majewski S 23 18

Tynelia

05-04-2006, 15:58

“Welcome everyone to the second Cup of Harmony edition of Tynelian Soccer Weekly. As always this is sal Spikeman and Anna Dalespin bringing to you the latest action. Today Tynelia was desperate for a win against equally desperate Islands of Qutar as neither side could afford a loss and have any hope of advancing. To the dismay of both sides no doubt the game ended in a 2-2 draw as Amy Whiteworth couldn’t quite shut down the Islanders offense enough to steal the win. And to make matters tougher for Tynelia, Haraki fell to Magnus Valerius 2-1 as the fourth seed takes the lead and in fact qualifies for the next round. So Anna what are you thoughts about today’s results.”

“Of course Sal, this is exactly the worst possible scenario we spoke of last show. With the 2-0-0 Magnus Valerius qualifying with 6 points that leaves only one spot to fight for between three teams. Tynelia is in a very difficult situation now. Not only must they defeat Magnus Valerius, who may be resting some of their key players they must do so in a fashion this team has never before accomplished. They must do so with an offensive explosion to have any hope of winning the goal differential tiebreaker. With Haraki at 3 points in second all they really need is a draw to move on in all likelihood. Their +2 goal differential is an impossible to make up 5 goal differential over Tynelia’s -3 mark. On the other hand The Islands of Qutar are a more reasonable -1. With both Tynelia and The Islands tied at 1 point each both teams must win to beat out Haraki. This is where the trouble starts. Haraki also eads in total goals by a 4-2 mark which is another anchor that must be tossed aside. So here’s the picture of what must happen for Tynelia to move on.

Bad cases- Tynelia loses or draws; Haraki wins- Tynelia is out
Survival cases- 1) Tynelia wins by 6 goals, Haraki and The Islands of Qutar draw- Tynelia gets in by 1 goal in goal differential over Haraki
2) Tynelia wins by at least four goals and The Islands of Qutar win by one goal. Or any situation where Tynelia’s goal differential is more than 3 better than the Islands. Tynelia beats the Islands by 1 or more goals in goal differential.
3) Tynelia wins by two more goals than the Islands do but Tynelia outscores the Islands by three goals. Tynelia advances via more goals scored after gaining a tie in goal differential
4) Tynelia wins by 5 goals and haraki draws but Tynelia outscores Haraki by more than two goals then they advance the same way as in the third scenario.

Since all of these cases involve Tynelia scoring at least four goals in their final game I think its safe to say that they are out of it Sal.”

“That’s too bad Anna, but hopefully they can finish with a win at least and walk away with four points in group play and maybe avoid the cellar. Now let’s head to the field where our on field reporter Dana lee is standing by with Coach Marcus O’Meara.”

<camera cuts to the field>

“Thanks Sal. So Coach, how do you feel about today’s match?”

“Well obviously its disappointing to not walk away with the win. At least we showed signs of life this time, especially coming back after being down 2-1 to salvage a tie. We’re going to need a lot of help tomorrow though if we plan to move on.”
“Do you think your tirade woke the team up here?”

“Well if that didn’t I have no idea what would. The offense did play better today and Amy was great in net to keep us in it until we finally tied it up.”

“So does this mean she’ll be in net for the finale or will you be going back to Vladimar Malloy?”

“Well Dana I have to go with the hot hand to give us the best chance to win. Evene though she gave up a couple goals today Amy was up against one of the top thirty teams in the world and we managed to get a point. Vladimar’s been slumping lately so I’m going to keep Amy in net the next game too since she’s the keeper right now with the best chance of giving us a win. Ironically its all up to the offense though and I’m sure you know how I feel about that.”

“Ok Coach thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Sal, Anna, you heard it here first. Amy Whiteworth will be in net for the final match of group play against Magnus Valerius. Back to you at the studio.”

<camera returns to studio footage>

“Thanks Dana. So Anna, do you agree with this move?”

“Yes Sal, if Tynelia has any chance to move on they pretty much need to pull off a shutout against Magnus Valerius and right now Whiteworth gives them the best chance to do it. Like Coach O’Meara, I’m dubious about the offense being able to score enough to save the team’s run. They’ve only scored as many as three goals once in international play and even that much won’t be enough to advance them.”

“Well let’s get to the game itself. The Islands jumped out to a lead at the 25 minute mark of the first half on a nice crossing shot that bounced off the goalpost and into the net. However Tynelia came back quickly fearing the wrath of O’Meara perhaps if they were shutout again today. At the 34 minute mark Jay masterson broke free and fired a rifle past a diving Peter Stone. What is it with all these keepers named Stone we keep running into Anna?”

“Getting back to the game, the Islanders added a second goal just before the half in somewhat of a controversial manner. The shot bounced off the arm of Whiteworth in net and popped up into the air behind her. Diving back she swatted the ball clear right at the goalline but the referee ruled that the ball had broken the plane and was a goal. O’Meara protested but the call stood at the 43 minute mark. Replays were inconclusive as to whether the ball did indeed break the plane so you can’t really blame the officials either way on their call of such a bang bang play.”

“The second half started out with Tynelia in seemingly a paniced state as they came out wild early on with several solo rushes to the net. They setteled down after the first ten minutes of the half and began to play smarter as the Islanders seemed to be employing the Tynelian traditional ‘sit on the lead’ ball control offense. Finally at the 71st minute, Troy Wallace got out on break with Brad Collins. Faking a pass to Collins, the defender bit briefly but that was enough for Wallace to get past and shoot a nearside shot that just slipped between the goalpost and Stone for the tying goal. Both teams took turns pressuring the net after this but neither keeper flinched and the whistle blew ending the game with a result neither side particularly wanted.”

“As for the numbers, The Islanders had a 16-14 shot edge though the quality shots were even at 4 each. Time of possession also went narrowly in the Islanders favor with a slight minute and a half edge there. All in all pretty even numbers for a game that ended even.”

“Yes Sal, in some ways disappointing but encouraging in others. Once again Amy Whiteworth stood firm against a team ranked much higher than Tynelia and got some much needed points. Granted she didn’t quite pull of the must needed victory but at least Tynelia is still barely alive. Some must wonder how the Haraki game would have ended with her in net rather than Malloy. At this point even a closer goal differential would have made tomorrow’s match requirements for the team to advance much more reasonable. Even with a win its unlikely the team will move on. But it is also clear that we have a new superstar in the making and if she stays healthy she could be a real force in future international play.”

“So you think the team will fall short?”

“Yes Sal, while its possible the team could win 2-0 against probably the Magnus valerius reserves or if they get lucky 3-0 they won’t put enough goals in net to dig themselves out of the huge hole they dug for themselves after the Haraki game. Still a .500 record is nothing to be ashamed about if they can do it even if they don’t move on to the next stage.”

“OK Anna, too bad for Tynelia. It always seems like the team plays its best when they have no pressure on them. They had a nice run in the second half of the world cup play after being eliminated and now they pull off a draw against the highest ranked team in this tournament after they put themselves in an extremely difficult position by a one sided loss to Haraki. Well now its time for another Harmonie Harris special report…wait what’s this?”

<Sal listens to something being said over his ear mike>

“My apologies everyone, I didn’t realize the show was running so long. Unfortunately we’re out of time and won’t be able to get to Harmonie Harris’ special report on her study of the Islands of Qutar. Until next time this is Sal Spikeman for Anna Dalespin wishing everyone a good night.Um.. Anna why do you have that big grin on your face?”

“Oh no reason Sal. Goodbye everyone.”

<credits roll>

McPsychoville

05-04-2006, 16:12

Bottom. For Shame.

ARTANIS, 05/04/06 - With one point from two games, the calls for Nate Webb's head are louder than ever. Indeed, a hardcore group of fans spent much of last night chanting 'You're slan-i and you know you are' outside the team's Artanis hotel, following their 1-1 draw with Giant Zucchini. However, strange as it may seem, that 1-1 draw, coupled with Spaamian Plijous beating Majeristan by a single goal, has kept the McPsychovillian hopes of qualification alive.

The table currently looks like this:
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Giant Zucchini 2 1 1 0 4 1 3 80 4
Majeristan 2 1 0 1 2 1 1 67 3
Spaamanian Plijous 2 1 0 1 1 3 -2 25 3
McPsychoville 2 0 1 1 1 3 -2 25 1

As you can obviously, we are bottom, with just a single point to show for our efforts. However, we face Spaamanian Plijous next, and if we beat them, it will leave us with four points. If Giant Zucchini can also beat Majeristan in their match, Majeristan will be left with three points, and we will leapfrog them into second, and thus qualify. However, if Giant Zucchini can only draw with Majeristan, we will need to beat Spaamanian Plijous by at least four goals to secure qualification by having the better goal difference.

To make matters worse, if Majeristan win, we will need to beat Spaamanian Plijous by six goals or more to beat Giant Zucchini into a qualification spot. With goals being thin on the ground, despite the attacking style of play McPsychoville has fielded in the tournament, this certainly doesn't look likely, and so we will all be rooting for Giant Zucchini to spank Majeristan by a good few goals. Of course, anything other than a victory for us will mean elimination.

But looking at today's game, qualification looks like a very difficult goal to attain. As seems to be a recurring factor, the opposition scored first - in spite of the sudden disappearances of Giant Zucchinians Hendrik Groot and Johann Rilke, Rilke's replacement Wayne Carragher was more than up the task, and while he himself failed to score, it was his speculative shot that allowed Pablo Pérez to capitalise on the poor stop by Brandon Silver by sliding the ball underneath the onrushing goalkeeper.

The goal came late in the first half, and it looked like it had crushed the spirits of the McPsychovillians - unless they managed to equalise, they would eliminated. However, our 'fly on the wall' bugging equipment reports that Webb simply screamed at his team for the full quarter of an hour; many of the words were bleeped out, but one he kept using was 'Camel'. We can only wonder why.

His tirade of abuse seemed to work, as the team that left the park was entirely different from the one that can back on. Michel Lysiak earned himself a second yellow card of the game for hacking down opposition striker Dino Nuvolari, but even a man down, there was always the impression that the McPsychovillians could score at any time. Once again, Damian Lee went close to breaking his duck with a daisy cutter that smacked the left-hand post, but the resulting counter-attack came so close to putting the team out altogether - Wayne Carragher again providing the ball for Nuvolari to shoot wide.

Finally, in the eighty-second minute, the constant pressure paid off. What looked to be a routine corner from Dan Sabin was only flapped at by replacement goalkeeper Edgardo García, and Gabriel Price was on hand to power his header into the corner of the net. The fans celebrated as if that goal had won them the cup, and it certainly was the goal that saved them from an untimely exit. An attack by Vicente de Silva was stopped before it even got started thanks to captain Arnaud's crunching tackle, and the final whistle blew barely a minute later. McPsychoville hang on to fight another day, but will they be up to that fight is the question now.

Giant Zucchini

05-04-2006, 16:52

Yet Another Own Goal!
Episode 10: Spaam (cont.)

Mr. Green Couch Man is, well, sitting on a couch, expectedly, although this time in a dimly lit hotel room.

“…and as we approach the last 10 minutes of this first Cup of Harmony encounter for Giant Zucchini, against the hosts Spaamanian Plijous, the Zucchinis are ahead thanks to a first half strike from Nuvolari, and a second half strike from Rilke, but here is the ball in the Spaamanian half, he shoots, and the shot is coolly picked up by Groot. It’s rolled to Chekhov, who floats a brilliant long ball right to the feet of Glinka who takes it down on his chest and brings it away from the keeper, it’s an empty net and the Zucchinis’ third goal, and a winning start to Gorton’s farewell Cup of Harmony…”

To be continued…

Giant Zucchini’s Department of Number Crunching and Data Spewing presents:

Match stats:

Giant Zucchini - 3
Nuvolari (18), Rilke (63), Glinka (83)

Spaamanian Plijous - 0

Giant Zucchini stats:

Top Goalscorers:
Dino Nuvolari – 7
Johann Rilke – 6
Armand Boyer – 3
Mikhail Glinka – 2
Vicente de Silva – 2
Gottlieb Poulsen – 1
Pablo Pérez – 1
Absamat Chekhov - 1

Yellow Cards:
Ramón Gimeno – 1
Carlos Corretja – 1
Johann Rilke – 1

Red Cards:

Giant Zucchini

05-04-2006, 17:19

Yet Another Own Goal!
Episode 11: Something Fishy Going On

Mr. Green Couch Man is still sitting on the hotel couch. He looks gutted.

“…and the Zucchinis are looking to confirm their qualification here, they lead McPsychoville by a first half Pérez goal, following up after Carragher’s shot. However, it’s McPsychoville on the ascendancy here, they have looked the more dangerous in the second half, but the Zucchini defense is still holding together, and that’s a decent shot from outside the box and what a save from García, he’s put it out for a corner. And that’s a poor corner from Sabin but García fails to deal with it, PRICE! What a header, what a rocket of a header! That’s the equalizer, can the Zucchinis muster enough to get back the lead and qualification to the next round…and that’s the final whistle, the Zucchinis, leading for most of the match, losing their lead right at the death and having to settle for a draw, but still in pole position in the group and the favourites to progress…”

To be continued…

Giant Zucchini’s Department of Number Crunching and Data Spewing presents:

Match stats:

Giant Zucchini - 1
Pérez (44)

McPsychoville - 1
Price (82)

Giant Zucchini stats:

Top Goalscorers:
Dino Nuvolari – 7
Johann Rilke – 6
Armand Boyer – 3
Pablo Pérez – 2
Mikhail Glinka – 2
Vicente de Silva – 2
Gottlieb Poulsen – 1
Absamat Chekhov - 1

Yellow Cards:
Ramón Gimeno – 1
Carlos Corretja – 1
Johann Rilke – 1

Red Cards:

Hypocria

05-04-2006, 20:21

“And It’s All Just a Little Bit of History Repeated”

Earlier in the tournament the Macabees’ media somewhat fancifully likened their campaign to that of Hannibal. On matchday 2 the fields of Zama became the East Spaam National Football Stadium while the role of Scipio Africanus was ably taken up by Hypocria’s national coach Alex Santoro. And sure enough the Hyppos routed the side from the Empire of the Golden Throne by a score line of three goals to zip. You can’t argue with history.

The score line was perhaps a little harsh on a Macabees side who put up a spirited fight. The first half was could have gone either way but both defences held firm until the dying seconds of the first 45 minutes. A clumsy challenge from Graf led to a Hypocrian freekick 25 yards from their opponents goal. Marcus Baxter, making his 127th appearance for the national side, hit a rocket of a shot into the top corner. A sucker punch with what was the last kick of the half.

After the interval the men from the Empire were playing catch up and were forced to take risks. After a probing attack deep into Hypocrian territory Notab lost the ball to Espartero who released Bercali down the left. The Vilita based winger tricked his way to the edge of the box and cut the ball back to the onrushing Molinari who kept his cool to double the advantage. Espartero scrambled in the third after Baxter’s corner was not properly cleared to round off an excellent win for the men in blue and white.

In the other Group D match former Cup of Harmony holders Yafor 2 registered their first points of the competiton with a 2 - 1 win over bottom side Atheistic Right. Leaving the table looking something like this . . .

Group D P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Hypocria 2 2 0 0 8 1 7 89 6
The Macabees 2 1 0 1 3 4 -1 43 3
Yafor 2 2 1 0 1 3 4 -1 43 3
Atheistic Right 2 0 0 2 2 7 -5 22 0
So with one game to go the Hyppos are sitting pretty at the top. Although not mathematically assured of a place in the second round our vastly superior goal difference is practically an extra point. Still a win over Yafor 2 on the final day would see Hypocria through to the knockout stages in style. But as the Autocracy is singularly incapable of finishing any group stage in any tournament with an unbeaten record the Golden Wolves can rest easy.

The Macabees

05-04-2006, 21:19

Deportive Internachnal

Tragedy. That's the only word for it. After a thrilling victory against Yafor 2, the Macabee national team felt the raw pain of a defeat. Unfortunately, this was no standard defeat, witnessing three goals scored by the opponent, Hypocria, and none by the Golden Throne. Many claim it was just a surrender. The destruction of the Imperial defense has eliminated the advantage over Yafor 2, once held, although optimist are hoping for a Hyppo victory over Yafor 2 tomorrow, and a simultanuous defeat of Atheistic Right by the Empire. This would effectively give the Empire six points, while Yafor 2 would remain at three. Nevertheless, the defeat has truly complicated the situation and a second victory over Yafor 2 will most likely be absolutely necessary to even have a chance of passing into the finals. Nevertheless, the odds of that do not seem oftly high. After the estatic news of yesterday, today seems as if the world has ended, in comparison. Indeed, it seems to foreshadow the eventual defeat of the team in this cup of harmony, relegating the golden-whites back to a position of inferiority over teams they will face in the next world cup. It has also thrown aback the new players and has cast a shadow that not even fresh blood can stem the bad luck and bad plays the team has been plagued with since the second match the Empire debuted [that against Crendonia]. And this bad luck today was ended with a very cold hearted, "Son of a bitch," which came from the mouth of manager Kristoff Neider.

The game never proved exciting for the Empire, although the second half was most likely a thrill for the fans of the Hippos. Indeed, the first half was rather uneventive with failed goals by both sides and both teams holding a tie to nothing. But upon returning from the half time break all hell seemed to break lose and the Imperial defense broke down under the continued pressure of the Hypocrian players. More accurately, it seemed to break down just seconds before the beginning of the half time break, with a rather unfit freekick by Markus Baxter, who put the ball in the top right corner of the goalbox. The second and third goal were scored in the second half by Molinari and Esperanto, respectively, after some very descent plays preformed by the Hippos. The golden-whites walked away with absolutely nothing under their belts to boast of. It had been a disaster. A debacle beyond the fathoms of Sedan, 1871, or the fall of Constantinople, 1453. Quite smugly, a Hypocrian newspaper likened it to Zama, after we had explained the allusion to Hannibal that Leo Benz had made. But they are absolutely correct - the Hannibal who had gained the victory had ended up not using it, and by slightly different means ended with a lost war. Tragedy. Fans returned to their hotels with their faces drooping, but even with this renewed aura of defeat and insult upon injury all seem optimistic, and most of all the team.

Indeed, despite the change of many players, the one fact that the Macabee national football team has always been able to bristle is their optimism. No matter how many losses. No matter how many injured. Every lost battle is considered a learning experience, and this is what many analyst believe what will take the Empire to the highest rungs of this ladder. Of course, as we have been witnessing it may take a little time, but optimism is no less apparent in the ranks of the team and of the fans. In fact, the fan base in the Empire itself has increased tenfold! And thousands have emailed letters to the dozens of fan clubs that form small novae in the deep space of the internet, explaining their hopes for an utter and complete victory over Athiestic Right tomorrow. With that victory the Empire still has chance, and chance has proven the deciding factors in dozens of conflicts. Tomorrow will shot some hint if Fortune herself is by the team's side. Surely, millions are hoping she is. And in fact, it wouldn't be too bad if Fortune and Fate both paid a visit to tomorrow's field - to our advantage, of course.

Other group news includes Yafor 2's minor victory over Athiestic Right, putting in one more goal than their opponent, ending the game two to one. No matter the small goal difference, it really puts the Empire in hot water. Point wise, the Golden-Whites are exactly tied with Yafor 2, having a negative one goal difference, with three goals for and four against, and a 43% accuracy rate, with three points a piece, and finally a win and a loss each. The second place for this group will be hotly contested if things continue like this - but bumper to bumper competition is what the fans like, no? It will take two victories against Athiestic Right and the final victory against Yafor 2 to establish a sure position as second in the group, meaning that first in the group will be contested between Hypocria and the Empire. But if Hypocria wins tomorrow against Yafor 2, there's little chance that first place will be one of conflict. But, alas, begone with the bad news! We await tomorrow!

Perhaps tragedy can turn into a spectacle of granduer and victory? Fortune will tell us tomorrow.

Haraki

05-04-2006, 22:40

The two teams played tight games, but by the end Magnus Valerius had managed to pull off an upset that disappointed everyone watching the game in Haraki. Their goalkeeper Gustav Sibel was in top form, pulling off all but one save. And although Haraki actually had more posession time and more shots on net, the play was lacking something. Keeper Mark Stone was out of it somewhat, allowing one tremendously easy shot past him by Jonathan Song only sixteen minutes in. It must have caught Stone's blind spot or something, because he didn't even try to block it. It sailed over his left shoulder and he almost screamed in rage.

However, the Hawks maintained posession for eight minutes following, ending with a spectacular shot by forward Samuel Sharp at twenty-four minutes in. Sibel dove for it, but it went over his hands and hit the top corner of the net, getting Sharp a tremendous cheer.

The rest of the game was less offensively superb for the Hawks. They had twenty-five minutes of posession in the first half compared to Magnus Valerius' twenty, but managed only the one goal, although not for lack of trying. Midfield Lawrence Foster got a yellow card at forty minutes for stiff-arming forward George Illyanich and Vargas quickly removed him for Julie Vern, now considered a top pick for starter for World Cup Twenty-Eight. Illyanich was not injured though, and so the referee was lenient with a yellow card. Vargas quickly removed Foster to give the referee no further chances to red card him and give Haraki a one player disadvantage.

Halftime came with the score at 1-1, and Vargas had a lot of words for his players, not all of them exactly 'polite' or suitable for reprinting, but even that could not bring the Hawks out of the shooting slump they had fallen into. They dominated the second half even more, with twenty-seven minutes of posession to Magnus Valerius' eighteen, but still the shooting did not improve, and Sibel stopped all Harakian efforts. The game was very tense all the way through the second half, and to many it seemed the two teams would only get a draw off at the end of time. However, Illyanich, angry from Foster's attack on him, was unwilling to allow such a result.

With five minutes left to go in the game, the Boyars came on with their strongest attacking drive in the entire game, and Heinrich Zerbst pulled off a pass up to Illyanich, who took his shot. Stone dove for it, but it was too little, too late. The Boyars had scored and put the Hawks' hopes of a victory out. The end time came, and the Hawks had been defeated. However, hopes of qualifying remained. The Boyars had now qualified, but Harakian hopes remained provided they managed at least a tie, if not better, with the Islands of Qutar. Given their three goal lead over the Islands team, provided they tied they would qualify as long as Tynelia did not score seven goals in their game. A victory would auto-qualify them regardless of score, and a loss would put the Islands of Qutar qualified, and Haraki one point behind them in third place, or perhaps fourth if Tynelia managed to beat the Boyars.

Haraki 1 - Magnus Valerius 2

(16) Song
Sharp (24)
(86) Illyanich

[NS]Bazalonia

06-04-2006, 00:10

"Another day, another loss" by Nev Gould

The Cup of Harmony has turned into the cup of torture for the Bazalopes, with a loss of 2 goals oin the first matchday and a loss of one on the second. It seems we are duplicationg our first Cup of Harmony appearance in which we only received 1 tournament point.The Qazox team has made an impressive leap into this World cup it seems that luck has been on their side leap-frogging Bazalonian in the Rankings on in their first World Cup Qualifiers. Though our atrocious perofrmance with James Kantwell scoring the only goal in injury time (92),

Wentland

06-04-2006, 00:20

The citizens of the Garden District in Crowhurst celebrated their players' magnificent performance against Kelse the only way they knew how. In leet speak.

-H0w d1d w3 d0?
-345y w1n
-M4r1n3r5 5unk
-wh47 w45 7h3 5c0r3?
-5-1. 60 n4p!!!
-wh0 5c0r3d?
-B4rn35 h47-7r1ck!!!
-|0d3r 607 4n07h3r
-f1f7h fr0m 5m17hy
-cr055 fr0m |0d3r
-Cr0whur57 ru|35
-7hr33-up by h4|f 71m3
-c0n51 604|
-|4z4r0
-n34r 7h3 3nd
-50 |0d3r d1d 4 50|0
-B4rn35y 607 4 p3nn0
-wh0 n33d5 7r3v35?
-n3x7 r0und 6u4r4n733d
-wh00!!!
-601n6 7HR0U6H!!!!

Indeed, it was a stellar performance as Tommy Barnes relished in the supply from team-mate Adey Loder. A goal in the tenth minute settled early Went nerves as Loder slipped a pass between Prima and Scantrelli and Barnes drove home from 12 yards. Barnes scored his second in the 27th, following up a Loder cross that had been palmed away from Tiny Smith by Alvarez. Smith himself made it three from a Kent cross.

The second half saw Kelse making three substitutions but things went worse for them when the marauding Barnes was fetched over. He took the penalty himself and secured his first-ever international hat-trick. One of the substitutes, Lazaro, caught Dorrington out with a speculative effort that bounced viciously but Adey Loder restored the four goal advantage by weaving through the shattered Kelse defence and rounding Alvarez to make it five.

So Wentland actually go through a finals group for the first time ever. The game against Ariddia for pride, or a better seeding in the next round. However any game will be tough in the next phase so group positions do not matter overmuch.

Atheistic Right

06-04-2006, 00:37

"<A Long string of expletives deleted>!" exclaims Lion as he watched the final whistle blow. Scorpion did manage to score via his usual lightning quick shot in the 21st minute of the match but from there on it was domainated by Yafor 2.

His life and that of the coaches where both on the chopping block.... maybe if there was some incident.... "Hmmm..." Lion mumbled... he now had a plan.

....

There was a letter sent to the Collonie Hotel, addressed to Allan Merchant. It says. "I have some information on Atheistic Right, meet me 9pm at Cafe 43. I'll find you. signed A Friend"

Allan Merchant came out to Cafe 43 wondering who wrote to him and why, what information did he have? either way he arrived at 8:57pm and sat down. It was not long until a waitress approached him. Are you ready to order?" she asked. "Yes, just get me a Capachino, in a mug." and with that she jotted things don on her pad. She was quite short and before she was jotting stuff down on her pad her hands where hidden by the table. She went into the kitchen.... and soon she was out the back again... She was not a waitress at all...

a few minutes later a Waiter approached Allan, "Are you ready to order, sir?" he asked "Umm... I already have, I ordered a Capachino in a mug." Allan replied getting puzzled. "Uh, no sir, I'mm looking after your table and I have not takenb an order from you." replied the Waiter.

"A short waitress look my order she had..." and that was all the time that Allan had to say whatever he was going to say as the bomb that she had placed under the table had gone off. At 11pm that night the fake-waitress' body had been found. Stabbed to death

Collonie

06-04-2006, 02:42

Very Freakishly Long Newspaper-Title-That-Was-Inserted-In-This-Spot-Here

News Section

Allen Merchant bombed to death by Darwinists

The Collonie Flying Eagles backup midfield Allen Merchant has been brutally murdered by a Darwinist on orders from their corrupt and horrible government. This unjustified act of war is a disgrace on their nation and has allowed King John Fishhook to start asking for international help to destroy the Darwinists.

King Fishhook also said, "This war is now personal for every Collonian. One of our beloved athletes has been bombed for no other reason then they wanted too kill us. They wanted to kill Clyde Misterson but accidently got too Allen Merchant instead. This means that they only way to defeat is too use total war and to mount international pressure against them. We call out for all other nations in the CoH to speak out and act out against these atrocities by sending troops to help the Collonian army crush these Darwinists. (OOC: Post in the Atheistic Right/Collonie war thread) If we do not then we'll let these terrorists win because we're scared. I know that the international world is above this and should act like that."

As for the soccer we are sucking with one draw and one loss.

Atheistic Right

06-04-2006, 03:13

Lion and Cheetah appeared at a press conference, in regards to the Allegations made by the Collonians about the involvement of Atheistic Right in the explosion at Cafe 43.

"This is total falacy." stated Lion "We don't even know what happened, they didn't even wait for a police report. How can they accuse us of doing something that no one even knows exactly what happened. Yes we are at war with Collonie and we are obviously prime suspects, if the explostion was not an accident. I can however assure you that no one who has any relation at all with ARFA had anything to do with whatever did happen to.. As to Clyde misterson.. All I can say is these people must be brain damaged, how at all was Clyde Misterson involved at all is something that is beyond me and since we where not involved at all such an allegation is slanderous and purely Propoganda by the Collonian Aggressors. They are attacking us remember, we are just defending ourselves." That was the end of Lions speach and now it was turned over to Cheetah, the Archepteri Coach.

"We are here to play football, nothing else. If we where to play Collonie it would be like the war in minature with no love lost between the sides, particularily as Collonie is the agressor and has invaded Atheistic Right, our home-land. We are playing football not fighting, which is happening on Atheistic Right Soil as we speak, We are fighting for our lives at home, and ARFA has brought us here to get away from the fighting not participate in it more."

Mr Chuck Norris

06-04-2006, 03:21

Chuck Norris News
For All Of Your Fighting Norris Coverage

Yes everyone, the rumors you're hearing have been confirmed. After yet another loss (The fifth in our last six World Cup Sanctioned Matches), the possibility of the Fighting Norris qualifying past the Cup of Harmony group round is literally nil. That's right, the Fighting Norris CANNOT QUALIFY due to their more than awful performance. People can say that the reason we lost is that Chuck Norris was injured and could not play, but the fact is, the Fighting Norris just plain suck.

Mr Chuck Norris 2 (John Fedo 21, 69)
Legalese 4 (Garib Duff 7, 10, 44)(Johnnie Lobiva 72)

We're not even going to give you the play-by-play for the match, but we can give you a little bit of Bob Janney to brighten your day. We've got the coach of the Fighting Norris himself here, so we'll turn it over to him to comment on the match.

"Times are rough for our team, but I can assure everyone watching that the only thing to fear... is fear itself. With time will come recovery and prosperity, all we need to do is wait out the hard times. All signs are pointing to a successful World Cup 28, though we shouldn't look too far into the future. Our players are really building their talent despite us losing so often. Also, our most recent match against Legalese proved that we've got some up and coming talent. John Fedo, despite only being part of our team for a couple of weeks, managed to pull off two goals against a rather established team. Speaking of the game, let me give you my view on it.

We lost... so what? Legalese is ranked 40 spots higher than our Fighting Norris and a loss is certainly not unexpected. We're a rookie team for God's sake, we shouldn't be expected to win these kind of matches. I'm rather disappointed that our beloved CNN program would say we "just plain suck". Losing that match isn't a bad thing. Several years from now, the Fighting Norris may someday play Legalese again, but in a much different form. They will have new players then, a higher ranking, and maybe even a new coach. That will be the day when a win would be expected over a loss like we suffered recently. Now that that's cleared up, I'll take this time to affirm the fact the our Fighting Norris cannot qualify, it's an impossibility. However, that's no reason for me not to do some good old-fashioned group analysis!

Group A is the only group completely figured out so far, with Ariddia and Wentland being sure-fire qualifiers to continue playing.

Group B has 46-ranked Nanakaland and 59-ranked Pastorville currently holding the qualification spots with 4 points a piece. 71-ranked Qazox is still in the running with 2 points while 100-ranked Georgeonia is out of the race with 0 points. Their next matchup has Nanakaland up against Pastorville and Qazox up against Georgeonia. For anything to change, Qazox must first win. If they win, they are nearly sure to qualify, bumping the loser of the Nanakaland-Pastorville match out of qualification. However, should Nanakaland and Pastorville draw (assuming Qazox wins), we've got some very intense tiebreakers present. If Qazox wins by two or more in that case, that qualify. Should Qazox only win by one goal, then they can qualify if they score two more goals than Pastorville does in the final matchday. If they only score the same amount of goals or less more than Pastorville on the final matchday, Qazox doesn't qualify. Should Qazox score exactly one more goal than Pastorville on the final matchday, then a tiebreak playoff ensues in which the winner qualifies. Wow, it's going to be an interesting final matchday in group B!

In Group C, our group, our 90-ranked Fighting Norris are already out of the running. Cataduanes and Legalese currently hold spots one and two with four points, but Becquerelia isn't far off. Should Becquerelia beat us in the next matchday, than they will bump off the loser of the Cataduanes-
Legalese match. In the case that Cataduanes and Legalese draw, Becquerelia must beat us by three or more ot conceivably qualify. This is highly unlikely so we won't go any deeper than that, because it gets messy.

In Group D, 114-ranked Atheistic Right is out of the running, but 42-ranked Hypocria with six points, 49-ranked Yafor 2 with 3, and 70-ranked The Macabees also with 3 are still squabbling over the two qualification spots. Hypocria will qualify almost reguardless of match outcomes unless divine intervention occurs. That means whoever nets more points out of The Macabees and Yafor 2 will qualify. Meaning if they both win, draw, or lose, it will come down to a goal difference. However, if one wins and the other loses or draws, or if one draws and the other loses, whoever earned more points will qualify.

Considering how most viewers are more than likely now asleep due to my overly boring and inane observations, I'll stop there and end the show in the process.

We face 77-ranked Becquerelia next matchday, it'll prove to be an interesting match, be sure to tune in to see what happens!"

The Fighting Norris’ Cup of Harmony Schedule
Matchday One: vs. Cataduanes (Loss 0-2)
Matchday Two: vs. Legalese (Loss 2-4)
Matchday Three: vs. Becquerelia

Fighting Norris Cup of Harmony Record: (0-0-2)

Qazox

06-04-2006, 05:43

QAZOX CITY HERALD

Another day and another draw for the Black Oxen as all hope rests on tommorrow's matches in Group B. The match between Nanakaland and Qazox finished in a 1-all draw, the 2nd straight 1-1 draw for the Black Oxen. in the 34th minute of a defensive battle, Nanakaland's striker #3 scored off a ricochet off the crossbar to put Qazox down 0-1. The defensive struggle continued until the 71st minute when Anthony Mason scored of a corner kick to tie the match. as time ran out, the Pastorville-Bazalonia score flashed on the board 2-1 Pastorville.

This Group of Death is proving accurate as Qazox drew with the two higher ranked teams, a win they thought theymight of had. And now Pastorville and Nanakaland meet tommorrow and a victory by Qazox over Bazalonia will clinch a spot in the Round Of 16 for the Black Oxen, unless the Pastorville and Nanakaland ends in a draw. the break down is as follows:

If Nanakaland and Pastorville draw, nanakland advances on goal differential of +2 to +1. Qazox must win by either 2 goals or score 2 more goals then what pastorville scored. If either Pastorville or Nanakaland win, the winning team qualifies and Qazox justs needs to win. To win the Group if Nanakaland and Pastorville draw 0-0, Qazox would have to beat Bazalonia by at least a 2-0 margin. if Nanakaland and Pastorville draw by any other score, then Qazox would have to score at least 2 more goals than what the number of goals score was. A loss would eliminate Qazox and they would finish last.

Group B P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Nanakaland 2 1 1 0 4 2 2 67 4
Pastorville 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 60 4
Qazox 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 50 2
Bazalonia 2 0 0 2 2 5 -3 29 0
Qazox goals in CoH
Marie Goya-1
Anthony Mason-1

Dorian and Sonya

06-04-2006, 06:20

Unicorns Will See Next Round - Perhaps even while still playing

The Mystical Unicorns faced off against Collonie today in a match they desperately needed to earn at least a point in. And they did just that earning a 1-1 draw and that precious point that came with it.

Collonie came into the match in the same situation , and showed great form early. They scored their only goal of the contest just 6 minutes in. Then both sides seemed to struggle with the pressure of the situation. Collonie trying to hold their lead and the Unicorns desperately looking to pull even. The result was a very poorly played match on both sides. Eaach team looked confused and stained.

Then a stroke of luck came in the 84th minute of play. Altáriël Telperiën found herself alone with the keeper as the Collonie defender slipped and fell. The shot hit the keeper in the , uhmm lets just say “sensitive area” and Telperiën easily guided the rebound in for a goal as the unfortunate keeper moaned in pain.

Hey. We must use every advantage, right?

Queen Sonya looked at the table and the way Group E now sat. This could be one huge mess. TLC and the Kittens sat atop the standings with 4 points. Collonie and D&S were at the bottom with 1 point apiece. With TLC taking on Collonie and the Kittens facing the Unicorns, anything could happen.

1. TLC and Kittens = win and in.
2. TLC win and D&S win = TLC and D&S move on.
3. Collonie and Kittens win.= Kittens and Collonie move on.
4. Collonie and D&S win = Clusterfuck. All teams tied at 4 points. Who knows how to figure that one out?

Whew! Lots of ways this one can play out. One thing is certain, we are now overdue for a victory. But some prayer can’t hurt either, can it?

Apologetic Kittens

06-04-2006, 08:23

Those believing the match against Collonie to have been a fluke have been showed the door. The Kittens faced off against The Lowland Clans, clear group favourites, and came away with a point.

Both goals came very early in the game, with Monroe converting a Chase cross just 7 minutes into the game and TLC equalising just 9 minutes later. After this the game shut down, with neither side having a great deal of chances. Perhaps TLC were the better side, but scores are what matter.

A win or draw against Dorian and Sonya would see the Kittens playing in the next round. And if World Cup Qualifying taught the Kittens anything, it's that they know how to pull off a draw.

Ariddia

06-04-2006, 10:02

Enough to qualify

Feeling no doubt far less nervous than they had before their opening match, the Rouge-et-Noirs faced the Georgeonian Squids today. Georgeonia was, on paper, the lowest-ranked team in Group A, but the Ariddians had long ago learnt to under-estimate no-one. The two sides seemed fairly evenly matched at first, until Ariddia started consistently attacking – efforts which paid off in the thirty-eighth minute with an opening goal by Faraj. The Rouge-et-Noirs went into the second half with a narrow lead, which Ue Alt increased in the fifty-sixth minute.

After that, the Georgeonian defence proved too solid to overcome again, and several Georgeonian opportunities almost evened the score, but the Rouge-et-Noirs held on to their lead. A shot by Cunningham in the very last minute hit the post, half a finger’s length away from Leduc’s fingertips – then the whistle blew and the score was still two-nil.

“The team gave a solid performance today; they can be proud of their achievement,” a visibly pleased coach, Adam Seul, said shortly after the match. Ariddia has now qualified, as has Wentland, which thrashed Kelse five-one in the group’s other match. It’s been suggested that Ariddia may afford itself the luxury of fielding mainly substitutes for the match against Wentland, but Seul has neither confirmed not denied the possibility.

Cataduanes

06-04-2006, 11:44

Cataduanes 1 - Becquerelia 1

This fixture was not marked by the free flowing football of matchday one and the ultra defensive Becquerelia made sure that the counter attacking football of Cataduanes was stifled and by half time the score still stood at 0-0, and nerves were beginning to fray with both Ambrose Wainwright of Becquerelia and Andres Chavicano of Cataduanes receving yellow cards for an off the ball incident.

The second half proved to be more heated with Cataduanes coming out determined to win the fixture, and for the first 20 minutes of the second half the Islanders put real pressure on the oppostion with the wingers Corino and Ruedas being the most dangerous and it was from a cross by Ruedas in 66th minute that Macalinao slotted the islanders goal with a header in which he outjumped both Ambrose Wainwright and Keyne Hawkins.

Despite the lead Cataduanes kept searching for a second goal and Becquerelia were forced back into there half of the park and to soak up the pressure, however with the Islanders pushing forward constantly they were leaving gaps and its was during an attack that Becquerelia got there equaliser when Thomas Strazzabosco clearence was picked up by Peter Constantine in the center of the park who had ran it past Filipe Echevarria, the last Cataduanes defender, and slotted a shot past Islander keeper Adolfo Mumbalo to level the score in the 85th minute. The shell shocked Islanders were almost caught out again at the end of the match with Constantine almost capitalizing on another long clearence only to have his shot saved with an amazing save by the Cataduanes keeper, despite this the match finished 1-1. However on the field tempers boiled over in the tunnel as Wainwright and Chavicano proceeded to have an altercation which had to be split up by the Police.
Coach Manua was scathing in his attack on what he saw as a lack of concentration by his players in allowing the opposition to equalize ''We cannot allow slip ups like that, it is because of this lack of determination and concentration that we failed to qualify for WC27, if my lot want to win some silverware then they will will really need to pull there fingers out of there backsides!!'' was Jose Manua's comment.

The result leaves the the Islanders in a good postion to take the group and face a crunch match against Legalese on Matchday 3, Mr CHuck Norris are out of the running having lost 4-2 to Legalese.

The Lowland Clans

06-04-2006, 13:56

OOC: sorry about being unable to RP, been really tired and busy this last week, if I make next round might be able to put more energ into it.

The Islands of Qutar

06-04-2006, 13:59

Qutar Sports News Network

Good Afternoon Qutar, we bring you live to our first game in the Cup of Harmony. Our first match places us against bottom ranked in the group Magnus Valerius, and here is thier starting line-up;

Sibel

Bobrinsky Lucinius De La Ronge

Urt-Urumqi Song Zerbst Bashkirsky

D'Anjou Illyanich Feodorov

Its a very attacking formation, which in the past has troubled Qutar more than most formations. Lets hope they can buck the trend tonight, it seems that Paul Dove will be fielding an unchanged team from the World Cup campaign. He has drawn a lot of critisim of the way he handled this World Cup, but he has repeatedly said that he believes in his players and that they are the best possible team, just had a bit of bad luck. So here is the starting line-up for Qutar;

Stone

N.Saunders Kelly Howell Lemkes

Tomlin Gordon C.Saunders Parker

Ali Siese

Well it looks like the players are coming out onto the pitch now, so we'll take you live to the Artanis National Football Stadium in Spaam. With the anthems sung its time for the game to get underway, and Magnus Valerius have won the toss so they'll start us off. Illyanich starts the game off by passing to Feodorov who starts to make a run down the left wing, he manages to get past Tomlin, he's got support and he's getting quite deep into Qutar's half, no-one's coming out to challenge him, Nick Saunders comes out now to challenge him, Feodorov tries to take it past him but Nick Saunders manages to steal the ball back, and seeing Tomlin waiting up the wing sends the ball up to him. Tomlin latches onto the ball and takes it back on the counter-attack, Magnus Valerius had a lot of men forward and they are all scrambling back to their own half, but Tomlin in pacing it down the left wing, and he's got Ali and Siese in support and Gordon behind him, De La Ronge comes out to tackle him, but Tomlin sends a cross it, it meets the head of Ali and YES! He guides it to the top corner! 1-0 Qutar! Ali runs over to the Qutari fans to celebrate, and they're going wild!

Well its five minutes in and we already have a goal in our favour, Qutar looking to control this game from early on in the game. Magnus Valerius kick off the game again, and they're not moving forward as quickly this time hoping not to be caught on the counter-attack again. Feodorov is on the ball at the moment, and Gordon comes in to take possesion back for Qutar but Feodorov manages to get past him, he has support in the form of Illyanich and D'Anjou, he's moving forward Nick Saunders comes out to close him down, he gets a pass to Illyanich whos just outside the box, and Illyanich fires a shot in and Stone can only just tip it over the bar. Whoa! That was quite a shot from the young lad there. Its a corner to Magnus Valerius now and it will be Bashkirsky to take it, he sends it into the box but Stone manages to punch out the ball, but it only makes it as far as Zerbst who crashes in a shot, and its gone over. I don't think Stone was ready for that, perhaps some luck is heading Qutar's way now. Well Stone will start the game off again sending it deep into the Magnus Valerius half, Chris Saunders manages to outjump Song and heads the ball down to Gordon, who sees Siese making a run ahead of him, Siese gets the ball a paces ahead, gets past Lucinius, he's through on goal, Sibel is coming out, he shoots and oh! Sibel pushes it just past the post, that could have been 2-0. Well its Parker to take the corner, he sends it into the ball, and Howell jumps clear of everyone and latches his head onto the ball, but the keeper manages to collect the ball. As the players run back, Sibel sends the ball back up on the counter, it reaches D'Anjou and he's got the other strikers in support and Qutar could be in real trouble in three on two at the moment, Kelly comes out to D'Anjou, but D'Anjou skips past him, its now three on one D'Anjou looks like he's going all the way, he's got past, no what a great saving tackle from Lemkes there. Saving Qutar there, from almost a certain goal. Well its nearly the end of the half and Magnus Valerius and been able to hold back Qutar but haven't been able to break through, oh there I've done it again, Magnus Valerius are breaking through with Zerbst on the ball now, he's eluded his marker, and he sees Illyanich in space, he passes the ball to him and Illyanich fires in a shot, Stone can only get his fingertips to it, but its not enough! Magnus Valerius have equalised on the stroke of half-time, and the referee blows his whistle to confirm that.

Well Qutar are really going to have to re-group, Magnus Valerius have on several occasions shown weaknesses in the defence. Magnus Valerius will be on a high after that goal right at the end, so Qutar will have to start strong. Well the players are coming back out onto the pitch now, so we'll take you back live to the Artanis National Football Stadium. Qutar will start this game off

The Islands of Qutar 2 (1)-(1) 3 Magnus Valerius
Ali, 5, 67 Illyanich, 45
D'Anjou, 71
Zerbst, 90

*Continuing just want to at least get some RP, in case i'm cut off before i can finish by my dodgy internet*

Spaam

06-04-2006, 15:00

Group A
Wentland 3:3 Ariddia
Kelse 0:3 Georgeonia

Group B
Nanakaland 1:0 Pastorville
Qazox 3:4 Bazalonia

Group C
Cataduanes 3:3 Legalese
Becquerelia 1:1 Mr Chuck Norris

Group D
Hypocria 1:2 Yafor 2
The Macabees 1:4 Atheistic Right

Group E
The Lowland Clans 2:2 Collonie
Apologetic Kittens 3:1 Dorian and Sonya

Group F
Cuation 0:2 Anathematic Repulics
Dance 2 Revolution 0:0 Vuam and Isma

Group G
Giant Zucchini 5:3 Majeristan
McPsychoville 2:1 Spaamanian Plijous

Group H
The Islands of Qutar 1:0 Haraki
Tynelia 3:1 Magnus Valerius

Giant Zucchini

06-04-2006, 15:42

Yet Another Own Goal!
Episode 12: Thriller

Mr. Green Couch Man is jumping on the hotel couch. Needless to say, he is ecstatic.

“…and that’s the final whistle, the Zucchinis have qualified for the next stage in the Cup of Harmony, a thrilling 5-3 win filled to the brim with fantastic goals scored by both sides. Istali gave Majeristan the lead against the run of play, the Zucchinis, welcoming back Johann Rilke after he missed the last match, spurring his side to some brilliant attacks. However, despite the positive play from the Zucchinis, Majeristan hit them on the counterattack, Istali launching a thunderbolt from way out which García had absolutely no chance with. However, by half time, the Zucchinis were back on level terms, de Silva converting from a brilliant through ball from Pérez 3 minutes from the end of the first half. Things really started to liven up in the second half, Nuvolari putting the Zucchinis ahead after a brilliant burst past the Majeristan defence, while Rilke placed a long range effort into the top corner of the net, Elkayim with absolutely no chance of reaching it. The lead was extended after another de Silva effort, while Majeristan pulled one back through an el Dajani header. Last ditch efforts from Nuvolari and Taylor canceling each other out in the last ten minutes, granting the Zucchinis a place in the next round…”

To be continued…

Giant Zucchini’s Department of Number Crunching and Data Spewing presents:

Match stats:

Giant Zucchini - 5
de Silva (42, 73), Nuvolari (51, 84), Rilke (57)

Majeristan - 3
Istali (38), el Dajani (78), Taylor (88)

Giant Zucchini stats:

Top Goalscorers:
Dino Nuvolari – 9
Johann Rilke – 7
Vicente de Silva – 4
Armand Boyer – 3
Pablo Pérez – 2
Mikhail Glinka – 2
Gottlieb Poulsen – 1
Absamat Chekhov - 1

Yellow Cards:
Ramón Gimeno – 1
Carlos Corretja – 1
Johann Rilke – 1
Dino Nuvolari – 1

Red Cards:

McPsychoville

06-04-2006, 15:50

WE'RE THROUGH!!!

ARTANIS, 06/04/06 - Yes, you read that right - McPsychoville are through the qualifiers! Beating Spaamanian Plijous 2-1 at the Albannana Stadium, coupled with Giant Zucchini crushing Majeristan five goals to three means that, yes, McPsychoville has hopped from bottom to second in one matchday.

Let's go through the day's events bit by bit.

1500 - Both matches kick off.

1501 - Giant Zucchini score the first of many. Eliminated.

1504 - Majeristan equalise. Still eliminated.

1509 - Giant Zucchini get their second. Still eliminated.

1511 - Damian Lee breaks his duck with a half-volley from the edge of the box. In second, qualified.

1521 - Spaamanian Plijous equalise from the penalty spot, after Allan Hughes felled their number 10. Hughes is consequently sent off for it. Last, eliminated.

1526 - Majeristan equalise again. Last, still eliminated.

1536 - Majeristan go into the lead. Last, eliminated, Majeristan qualify as winners of the group.

1544 - Gabriel Price puts the ball in the back of the net, but it is ruled out for offside. Last, eliminated.

1545 - Half-time. Last, eliminated.

The table at half-time looked like this:

P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Majeristan 3 2 0 1 5 3 2 67 6
Giant Zucchini 3 1 1 1 6 4 2 80 4
Spaamanian Plijous 3 1 1 1 2 4 -2 25 4
McPsychoville 3 0 2 1 2 4 -2 25 2

1600 - Restart.

1603 - Rebecca Remus latches onto a superb long ball from Alex Chotesov, dummies past two Plijous defenders and bangs the ball into the top right corner to put McPsychoville back in the lead. Second, qualified.

1610 - Giant Zucchini equalise, bringing the score back to 3-3. Third, eliminated.

1617 - Giant Zucchini go back into the lead. Second, qualified.

1618 - The Spaamanian Plijous number 6 gets a goal with a header. However, the referee disallows for a foul by the number 9 on Sean O'Shea, replacing Brandon Silver. O'Shea is forced off due a head wound, but the goal is disallowed. McPsychoville breathes a sigh of relief. Second, qualified.

1626 - Majeristan equalise again, but once again they are denied; the linesman judged el Dajani to have been offside when he received the pass. Another sigh of relief is sighed. Second, qualified.

1641 - Giant Zucchini score again. Every one of the McPsychovillain goes bananas. Second, qualified.

1646 - Damon Arnaud fells the Spaamanian Plijous number 11 in the box. He is booked. It's a penalty.

11 steps three steps back

Silver bobs from side to side.

11 ties his shoelace.

Silver stretches up.

11 runs.

Silver tenses.

11 strikes.

Silver dives.

The ball rockets towards the left-hand side.

Silver has gone the wrong way.

Silver twists in mid-flight.

Silver's boots dig in.

The ball is near the line.

The ball is on the line.

Silver's glove flies in.

The ball hits his hand.

It is stopped.

11 rushes for the rebound.

Dan Sabin barges into him.

Silver scrambles forward.

8 is so close to the ball.

Silver smothers the ball.

The referee blows the final whistle.

The McPsychoville fans erupt, spilling onto the pitch.

Silver is carried off the pitch.

Second.

Qualified.

We slani did it.

Final Score:
McPsychoville 2 (1) - (1) 1 Spaamanian Plijous
Lee, 11 #10, 21
Remus, 46

OOC: Remember, everyone, the Zucchini times of goals are the correct ones. I'll correct mine later on.

Spaam

06-04-2006, 15:54

Gall Island Football Stadium

Group A
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Ariddia 3 2 1 0 7 3 4 70 7
Wentland 3 2 1 0 11 5 6 59 7
Georgeonia 3 1 0 2 4 5 -1 44 3
Kelse 3 0 0 3 1 10 -9 9 0

Group B
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Nanakaland 3 2 1 0 5 2 3 71 7
Pastorville 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 50 4
Bazalonia 3 1 0 2 6 8 -2 43 3
Qazox 3 0 2 1 5 6 -1 45 2

East Spaam National Football Stadium

Group C
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Cataduanes 3 1 2 0 6 4 2 60 5
Legalese 3 1 2 0 7 5 2 58 5
Becquerelia 3 0 3 0 2 2 0 50 3
Mr Chuck Norris 3 0 1 2 3 7 -4 30 1

Group D
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Hypocria 3 2 0 1 9 3 6 75 6
Yafor 2 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 50 6
Atheistic Right 3 1 0 2 6 8 -2 43 3
The Macabees 3 1 0 2 4 8 -4 33 3

Ethium State Stadium

Group E
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Apologetic Kittens 3 2 1 0 7 4 3 64 7
The Lowland Clans 3 1 2 0 5 3 2 63 5
Collonie 3 0 2 1 5 6 -1 55 2
Dorian and Sonya 3 0 1 2 2 6 -4 25 1

Group F
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Cuation 3 2 0 1 4 4 0 50 6
Dance 2 Revolution 3 1 1 1 4 3 1 57 4
Vuam and Isma 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 50 4
Anathematic Republics 3 1 0 2 2 3 -1 40 3

Artanis National Football Stadium*

Group G
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Giant Zucchini 3 2 1 0 9 4 5 69 7
McPsychoville 3 1 1 1 3 4 -1 43 4
Majeristan 3 1 0 2 5 6 -1 45 3
Spaamanian Plijous 3 1 0 2 2 5 -3 29 3

Group H
P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Magnus Valerius 3 2 0 1 6 6 0 50 6
The Islands of Qutar 3 1 1 1 5 5 0 50 4
Tynelia 3 1 1 1 5 6 -1 45 4
Haraki 3 1 0 2 4 3 1 57 3

* All Spaamanian Plijous matches will be played in Albannana Stadium

Spaam

06-04-2006, 15:59

Gall Island Football Stadium

Ariddia v Pastorville
Nanakaland v Wentland

East Spaam National Football Stadium

Cataduanes v Yafor 2
Hypocria v Legalese

Ethium State Stadium

Apologetic Kittens v Dance 2 Revolution (battle of the long names)
Cuation v The Lowland Clans

Artanis National Football Stadium

Giant Zucchini v The Islands of Qutar
Magnus Valerius v McPsychoville

OOC: R16 in 2 days minus 1 hour

Georgeonia

06-04-2006, 16:01

Wentland 3:3 Ariddia
Kelse 0:3 Georgeonia

Squids reserves romp to record win!

Today a squids team which contained just four regular
starters recorded the Squids' biggest ever victory,
beating Kelse 3-0 in their final group game. The
result leaves the squids with a solid third place
finish in the group, behind Wentland and Ariddia who
drew three-all in the other group A match. The Squids
have undoubtedly exceeded expectations by finishing
above bottom of their tough group, and have avoided
an embarassing wooden spoon match apearance, as well
as securing a welcome pre-World Cup 28 rankings boost.
Kelse, ironically the team tipped by the Georgeonian
media to advance to the next stage, and perhaps even
win the group, have been dissapointing all tournament,
and finish without a single point. Wentland and
Ariddia, meanwhile, are tied on seven points each, but
Wentland will go through as higher seeds on account
of their superior goal difference.

P W D L GF GA GD Pts
Wentland 3 2 1 0 11 5 6 7
Ariddia 3 2 1 0 7 3 4 7
Georgeonia 3 1 0 2 4 5 -1 3
Kelse 3 0 0 3 1 10 -9 0

The match itself was an exciting, breathless
spectacle, with both teams knowing that they had
nothing to lose, and therefore attacking at every
oppertunity. Kelse had the better of the first
fifteen minutes, and the inexperienced Georgeonian
players looked nervous against their higher-ranked
opponents. Gradually, however, the younger Squids
players began to settle into the match and string
together some excellent passing sequences. In
the twentieth minute a flurry of passes followed
by an agonising goal mouth scramble led to the first
Squids goal, as Cunningham stabbed the ball home from
point blank range. The match restarted and the
Squids continued with the momentum they had
established. Just before half time an excellent
attacking move saw Stilk make a darting run along the
wing before sending a brilliantly weighted
through-ball to Whybrow. Whybrow crossed, Caldwell
headed the ball back to Ray who struck a powerfull
shot which Kelse's keeper could only parry. Benge
was quickest to react and made it two-nil from
inside the area. In the dieing seconds of the half
Kelse attacked strongly, but Moloney showed that he
deserved his place on the team with an excellent
diving save from a long range shot, which Gittens
cleared before the half-time whistle went.

Kelse, who had clearly been told by their manager
in no uncertain terms what he thought of their
first half performance, started the second half
strongly. Moloney was forced to make two more
difficult saves, and the squids seemed to be
struggling, despite their two goal lead. Georgeonia's
defence managed to hold on however, until in the
sixty-fifth minute young debutante Spike Gittens
made a rash challenge in the area, felling Kelse's
striker and giving away a penalty. The Kelse player
stepped up and struck a low shot to Moloney's right.
Moloney had guessed the right way, however, diving
into the path of the ball and deflecting it over
the goal for a corner with his body. Seeing that
some of the less experienced Georgeonian players
were beginning to get tired, Mad Cap'n Bob made
three seventieth minute substitutions, and Owino,
Walkington and Majewski replaced Gittens, Whybrow
and Caldwell. With fresh legs on the pitch, the
squids once more went on the attack, and in the
eighty-second minute Majewski added the Squids'
third. The final whistle went and the team left the
field to wild cheers from the Georgeonian fans.
A well deserved three points to round off a
tournament which has seen some excellent play and
spirit from the Squids, as well as some promising
new talents who look set to make their mark in the
future.

MD01: Wentland L 3-1
MD02: Ariddia L 2-0
MD03: Kelse W 3-0

Spaam

06-04-2006, 16:23

SpaamTab Odds

The Islands of Qutar
8-1

Wentland
9-1

Cataduanes, Hypocria
15-1

Giant Zucchini
20-1

Cuation
25-1

Ariddia
35-1

Legalese, Yafor 2, McPsychoville
45-1

The Lowland Clans
80-1

Nanakaland
90-1

Pastorville
100-1

Apologetic Kittens
250-1

Magnus Valerius
300-1

Dance 2 Revolution
450-1

Cuation

06-04-2006, 16:42

Cuation Stumble On

Two wins by one goal and a humliating defeat to Satan was enough to see Cuation drag itself into the knock out rounds. Our punishment is too face a strong Lowland Clans team. Normally we suanter through the group stage but Cuation are in danger of slipping.

Cuation 3:2 Dance 2 Revolution

A close match in an attacking game with both keepers doing poorly. Milnar was first on the score sheet, a diving header for Ashton's powerful cross sterring it beyond Fauchgar Mitnav. Cuation's poor marking allowed Zanrich Van Hujkdul to head home. Kinitka Maeda dictated play and deserves his goal but Gary Jens shouldn't have allowed it to sneak under him.

2-1 down at half time, Cuation had toimprove but didn't. RUal Mendiz would captlise on a miskick by the keeper to equalise and Cuation started to long ball it. Nicky Keano came on and would score the winner, muscling past his marker before sliding the ball over Mitnav.

Cuation 0:2 Anathematic Repulics

All Cuation needed to do was avoid defeat and they would go through. With only +2 goal diffirence, defeat could prove to be a disaster but a win could be expected on paper.

Gary Jens had a fine game as the Cuation played badly, outmatched and outfought, the team from hell fully deserving the three points. Only the other match ending in a suprise 0-0 draw saved Cuation from going out. When Simon Magus seemed to dissapear from Sol's sights and turned with the ball, his chip sailing over the advancing Jens, the Cuation fans booed the team.

Gary Jens and some of the defence held out at 1-0 down till the 80th minute, Judas rising above the defence, his header straight at Gary. The keeper flapped and Cuation seemed sunk without divine help. They got it

OC: sorry for lack of rp, may be unable todo much till Monday.

McPsychoville

06-04-2006, 18:08

Grand Empire. Capitalist Republic. Oh, it's on.

ARTANIS, 06/04/06 - After the frantic happening of today's matches, one would expect the gods of fate to be a little kinder to the McPsychoville fans who already have to recover from their frazzled nerves. Sadly, this is not the case, as the draw for the Round of 16 has thrown up a match we'd rather avoid. Namely, we're going to have face Magnus Valerius again. Again.

Just in case you'd forgotten, our record against Magnus Valerius goes like this: in our first match, we beat them 3-1 at home, then about a week later, we went there and beat them again, this time one goal to nil. Promising stuff, but then when we played them in Spaam - in the Albannana Stadium - they came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3.

If our maths are right, we would have the equivalent of seven points from these three games, and we have also outscored them seven goals to four. Promising stuff, as you might imagine, but given the inability we had to keep a clean sheet through the qualifiers, we have to doubly hope that our strikers are going to be up to the task.

We were able to get a few words from the players and coach Webb before they got too drunk, thankfully, although doubtless the words would have been funnier were they plastered at the time. Goalkeeper Sean O'Shea, his head bandaged up, was pleased regardless of his injuries - 'YEAH! WE SLANI WON! YEAH!' - while playmaker Molly Cross was slightly more lucid; 'Whoo! we beat them twice already! WHOO!'

A fine, upstanding group of people, no doubt.

Since this is the first time we've actually made it to the knock-out stages of ANY cup, we'd like to go ahead and do some predicting for the Round of 16. Here goes...

Arridia vs. PastorvilleGall Island Football Stadium

Arridia had an excellent three games, and were unlucky to make it three wins out of three against Wentland. Pastorville, on the other hand, barely squeaked into qualification, actually losing their last match 1-0 to Nanakaland. In the whole three games, they only scored three times, and up against an Arridian strikeforce with seven in three, we doubt they'll last very long. That said, for those three goals they conceded none in return, so Pastorville may just get through the penalty stage with protracted defense.

Our Prediction: Arridia, 1-0.

Nanakaland v Wentland

Wentland are the higher seeds going into this match, and with the amount of momentum they have, it doesn't look like Nanakaland is going to put up much of a fight against a striking partnership with eleven goals in three games, including five against Kelse.

Our Prediction: Wentland, 3-1

Cataduanes v Yafor 2

The second-highest ranked team in the tournament - coincidentally, only just beaten by Giant Zucchini - one would expect Cataduanes to look more of a threat going into the knockout rounds. However, with only one victory - over the Fighting Norris, 2-0 - Yafor 2 look the stronger side. However, bear in mind that Yafor 2 were beaten in their first match by the Macabees, who then proceeded to lose both their next games and finish last.

Our Prediction: Cataduanes, 1-1 in normal time, 1-1 in extra time, win via penalties

Hypocria v Legalese

With the official best shots-to-goals ratio, at 75%, Hypocria look like they have a strong enough attack to overcome Legalese, who have looked shaky on defence; they conceded three against Cataduanes and two before that against the Fighting Norris. Unless Legalese come out of the gates all guns blazing, it'll be difficult for them to get through.

Our Prediction: Hypocria, 3-2

Apologetic Kittens v Dance 2 Revolution (battle of the long names)

Fun Fact: Neither of these teams are more than ten seeds above us. With the Kittens being undefeated in the group stages, including a 1-1 draw with fellow qualifiers the Lowland Clans, they look good to continue their streak over D2R. However, the Kittens aren't looking good on defence, and while D2R aren't the most attacking of nations, they have shown they can exploit defensive mistakes.

Our Prediction: The most difficult one to call, Dance 2 Revolution, 1-1 in normal time, 2-1 in extra time.

Cuation v The Lowland Clans

A team with no draws vs. a team with two should prompt us into saying Cuation, but we hesitate to write off the Lowland Clans altogether due to Cuation's goal difference of zero - they scored four and conceded four. Also, the Lowland Clans have a good goals-to-shots percentage at 63, which is just enough for us to tip them.

Our Prediction: The Lowland Clans, 1-0

Giant Zucchini v The Islands of Qutar

The Zucchinis were highly impressive in the qualifiers, going undefeated and beat Majeristan 5-3. Qutar, on the other hand, also has a goal difference of zero, conceding five, and the Zucchini attack is good enough to take advantage of a weak defense while resisting the Qutar attack.

Our Prediction: Giant Zucchini to kill Qutar dead 3-0.

Magnus Valerius v McPsychoville

And finally, we come to us. We have the worst record out of all the qualifiers - a negative goal difference and the worst g-t-s percentage. But bear in mind that the goal difference was skewed by the 2-0 opening day defeat by Majeristan and that a low g-t-s percentage just means we had a lot of shots. Also remember that Magnus Valerius haven't won a game by more than one goal in this tournament, and that in our three games we've won once and drawn once, and things look better.

Our Prediction: Us, obviously, 1-0 or 2-1 in normal time.

The Gupta Dynasty

06-04-2006, 18:12

“And It’s All Just a Little Bit of History Repeated”

Game 2 At East Spaam National Football Stadium
Yafor 2 2 - Atheistic Right 1

Game 3 At East Spaam National Football Stadium
Yafor 2 2 - Hypocria 1

SPAAM - Jubilation reigned in East Spaam as energetic Yaforite fans screamed and yelled, their delight infecting even their rival fans. They bore token of their appreciation, carried their banners high and proud, backing in the moment. This was not the World Cup, however, and Yafor 2 had been here before, had done this before, but, nonetheless, it was a time for celebration and joy. The Golden Wolves had won. They were into the next round.

And yet, many there were not in need of history lesson. Yet one should be in order. Cup of Harmony 17, the Cup of Harmony during which the Yaforites were victorious, the time when the Yaforites stood atop a smaller part of the world and smiled down at an Archregimency team which had been bested in a defensive duel, too, had a group stage very similar to this one. History repeats itself, and for the Yaforites and Hypocrians, again and again.

The Group Stage of Cup of Harmony 17: the Yaforites stood at the edge of elimination, as they did now. They had lost their first game to the top-ranked team in the tournament, Commerce Heights, and though they had come back to beat the lower ranked teams in the group, including Euroslavia, and faced the team that was leading the group. Hypocria. The Hyppos stood between the Golden Wolves and qualification. As they did this time.

The scoreline was the same. The Malar brothers each shared a goal again in East Spaam National Football Stadium, as they did against Atheistic Right. The first goal against the latter team was a high header, the second the same. Against the Hyppos, Fernando darted in, his body splitting two defenders, and expertly placed a goal in the right side of the goal in the twenty-eighth minute. Francisco followed suit in the forty-fourth minute with a thunderous shot in the left-hand corcer that recalled great Yaforite heroes of the past.

In the postgame interview with the press, coach Barry Owens looked joyful. He seemed slightly tipsy as he assumed the stand, and though he may have been drunk on victory, it could have just as easily been on liquid. He spoke, without any noticable slur, but smiling blithely and unassumingly. His first word were in a roar. "We're in!" Then he resumed, telling how his team had broken down hurdles to get where they were.

In his interview with the press, Yaforite captain Gerod Flamer expressed his knowledge of history by citing Scipio Africanus and Zama eloquently, as the Hypocrians had done. Will the Golden Wolves repeat? It is unlikely, as they face 34th-ranked Cataduanes, but does anyone remember The Weegies? History is always there, even in sports, and even in determination.

-Excerpt from The Sporting Daily News.

Cuation

06-04-2006, 19:09

25-1 Odds on Cuation Cup!

On paper Cuation had come in as one of the favroiutes but with a history of poor performances and after a dodgy World Cup, odds in Cuation varied. After the group stage, Spaam bookies put Cuation as 25-1, 5th place and quite unlikly to win the cup.

It isn't suprising, the team look jaded and not fullyrecovered from the playoffs. Peter Seamen's return from suspension won't lift spirits much but the expirenced keeper will be looking to bow out on a high.

The Lowland Clans are 80-1 to win the cup but can certainly beat Cuation on the day. The deadly shooting should cuase concern with a backline that isn't at its best and with Seamen without the natrual ability of the off form Gary Jens. A ranking of 45th in the world, they will be hoping to do well. 2 draws in the group stage with one win means they may try to drag the game into extra time.

A deadly attack will force Cuation to try and show the defence of seasons past. Cuation are to bow out at the first knock out round for the second time running

Wentland

06-04-2006, 22:19

Playing the reserves for a final Group match was an indulgence in which Edgar Bluff occasionally partook and the Cup of Harmony was no exception. With Treves still injured Barnes took his place up front with Hopkins; Culthorpe and Bateson made international debuts at centre-half, Yaxley, Forbes and Randolph likewise in midfield.

It looked as if the reserves would give the first team something to think about as well, going into an early 2 goal lead thanks to Hopkins' excellent link-work with the recalled Devey. Two crosses, two headers. But Ariddia fought back and a goal on the cusp of half-time meant the second half would be interesting.

Very interesting, as it transpired. Within five minutes of the re-start the Swifts were behind. The Culthorpe-Bateson pairing not working, it seemed. However Bluff refused to make replacements, other than swapping Tewkesbury for Tracey and let the outfield players get themselves out of their own mess. Which they did - another Devey cross, another Hopkins header, but this time off the bar for Barnes to tap in. 3-3 and still half-an-hour to go.

Alas both teams then chose to slacken off, waiting for the Round of 16. Wentland face familiar foes Nanakaland for a place in the quarters and are being heavily backed here in Spaam; however, fortune has a habit of overturning the over-confident. And with Frank Treves fit again, does Edgar Bluff dare replace Barnes (hat-trick hero against Kelse) or Hopkins (two goals against stiffer opposition)?

Mr Chuck Norris

06-04-2006, 23:36

Chuck Norris News
For All Of Your Fighting Norris Coverage

The Fighting Norris may have not qualified, but by God, they took another team down with them. By pulling a 1-1 draw with Becquerelia in their most recent match, the Fighting Norris prevented Becquerelia from qualifying. THAT'S RIGHT! Had they beat us, they would've qualified IN THE FIRST SPOT and they would've booted Legalese out of qualification, but those Fighting Norris couldn't let that happen. If the Fighting Norris weren't to qualify then no other rookie team would either if it was up to Bob Janney, coach of the Fighting Norris. Proudly, we have Bob Janney, the big man himself, here to discuss their most recent match.

Mr Chuck Norris 1 (John Fedo 44)
Becquerelia 1 (Peter Constantine 15)

The best part is, we did it all without Chuck Norris! We have a future, let there be no mistake. The match started out with a fierce Becquerelia team wanting to win at all costs. Almost instantly they were on the offensive, testing out our below average defense, who actually held them to nothing for the first fourteen minutes (hint my sarcasm, he mumbles)! It was only the fifteenth minute when Becquerelia forward Peter Constantine recovered a loose ball and charged it straight through our defense only to launch the ball past our goalkeeper, Mr. Bednarik.

The offenses were silenced as almost instantaneously Becquerelia began playing their extreme defense as commonly seen in their matches. This gave out offense minus Chuck Norris their first chances to do some damage. Time after time our offense charged only to be foiled by one of Becquerelia 5 DEFENDERS! However, our newest forward John Fedo struck blood in minute 44 when he received a near perfect pass from OJ Pimpson on the other side of the field. With an effortless swing of the leg, the ball lifted off the ground and sailed past Becquerelia's goalkeeper, David Deneen. The half expired with the score tied up at 1-1.

For no particular reason, I put my team on an unusual defensive pattern in the second half that we had never practiced, but by God it must've worked. With neither team playing offense, there was almost no advancement of the ball. On our side, we just didn't want Becquerelia to earn their win that they needed so badly. We wanted to keep our defense bulked up in the event that Becquerelia would abandon their defensive pattern and enstate an attack. However, we're still not sure why, but they never did. We wondered if they didn't want to qualify, but that made no sense. Reguardless, no goals were scored in the second half and the match ended in a draw. They didn't qualify and we go home with a little pride.

There's nothing more to analyze, so we'll be playing again in the upcoming pre-World Cup showcase, which I invite you all to see. However, the tourney is not a World Cup sanctioned tourney, so we may not be giving it our all, exposing all of our strategies and all. If you want to see us play some hardball, check us out in World Cup 28, well be bringing everything we've got.

The Fighting Norris’ Cup of Harmony Schedule
Matchday One: vs. Cataduanes (Loss 0-2)
Matchday Two: vs. Legalese (Loss 2-4)
Matchday Three: vs. Becquerelia (Draw 1-1)

Fighting Norris Cup of Harmony Record: (0-1-2)

Qazox

07-04-2006, 05:46

QAZOX CITY HERALD

Horrid, Disgusting, Retched and Evil. That's what the coach, players, and the general Qazoxian public are saying about what happened in the 2nd half of yesterday's game. The first half was great for the Oxen as the scoreboard showed this score: Nanakaland 1:0 Pastorville, thus meaning a win over lightly regarded Bazalonia would put Qazox into the Round of 16 at its first Cup of Harmony. And the good feelings continued as Marie Goya scored a goal in the 8th minute and follwed that goal with a second only 5 minutes later in the 12th minute to put the Oxen up 2-0. Bazalonia answered with a goal of their own in the 45th minute as #2 (player name not known) scored just before the half-whistle.

The 2nd half did start good for Qazox, but when straight to Green Wombat after a cheap tackle in the 55th minute. In the 51st minute, Francis Alouette scored to make it 3-1 Qazox. 4 minutes later, a cheap tackle into our keeper, Reggie Hassok, broke his leg and both Harden Homer and Jarod Megia, two of our better defencemen, attacked the Bazalonia player, setting off one of the worst in-game football fights in a long time. when the fighting was over, both Harden Homer and Jarod Megia were red-carded and Shaun Brady and Helena Sexton were yellow-carded, while the offending player from Bazalonia was red-carded, no other players from Bazalonia, even though at least 2 or 3 of them were seen attacking player were yellow carded. That meant that the match was a 10-on-9 affair and after the 35 minute delay to clear the fight and take Reggie Hassok, who'd been laying there the whole time, off the field.

John Frorr came to replace Reggie, but the damage had been done. Only 3 minutes after the match was restarted, #2 from Bazalonia scored once again to mak it 3-2. In the 67th minute, a mildly hard tackle by Helena Sexton, gave her a red-card putting the Black Oxen 2 men down. Jim 'the Real' McCoy was substituted in to help on defense which only had 1 person left. #2 finished his/her hat-trick in the 80th minute after a counter-attack. the match, due to the obscenly long injury time went to 103 minutes (13 minutes of injury time??? that's some BS there if you ask me...:rolleyes: ) and just before the referee was signaling time, a hand-ball was called on Jim 'the Real' McCoy, thus giving #2 a chance to score 4 goals and complete the schocking comeback. He/she blasted it by a tired John Frorr, who had faced an amazing 20 shots in only 50 minutes of play, to win the match 4-3.

The QFC promptly asked the Spaam Football Association and the World Cup Commitee for a replay due to the contriversial mtach, but the appeal was refused, and the Black Oxen were sent home to prepare for the Draggonnii Inviyattii in ASMV just before the WC 28 qualifiers.

Final Group Standings:

Group B P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Nanakaland 3 2 1 0 5 2 3 71 7
Pastorville 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 50 4
Bazalonia 3 1 0 2 6 8 -2 43 3
Qazox 3 0 2 1 5 6 -1 45 2

(ooc did i lose here because i made fun of Spaam in my 2nd post to this thread??)

Apologetic Kittens

07-04-2006, 09:13

The Kittens booked their place in the next round with a 3-1 win over Dorian and Sonya. It was also the first match of the campaign where the Kittens looked fully confident in their abilities. With two wins and a draw, the Kittens have topped a group containing The Lowland Clans, a team ranked 33 places above the Kittens.

Despite this the hosts have placed odds of 250/1 on the Kittens taking home the trophy. The head coach of the Kittens, Bobby Davis, has been quoted on planning to make "A lot of Kittens nationals very rich". And perhaps he will with this newfound form.

Even more daunting is that McPsychoville even expect them to fall at the very first hurdle.

However that first hurdle is a team ranked just 6 places higher than the Kittens, and with this new found form anything can happen.

Dewey Gronko is in the form of his life, having already scored three times in three games, and he'll be hoping to continue that by hitting the back of the net against Dance 2 Revolution.

One player who'll be putting in more effort than you could rightly expect from a single person is Lee Roberts. He's been captain of the squad since the Kittens Baptism of Fire, and is now in his last tournament. He always plays his heart out, and'll be hoping to end his internation career with a trophy.

Magnus Valerius

07-04-2006, 10:25

The Isangrad Times
Well, Well, Well...
The Boyars Make it Past CoH Qualifiers

ARTANIS, SPAAM -- Amidst a world cup that broke in the Boyar's fresh players, the Boyars have come around to surprise everyone participating in the Cup of Harmony... or at least, those in Group H. Magnus Valerius has qualified within the first two games, taking away wins against the Islands of Qutar and Haraki.

The first game was the biggest upset. The Islands of Qutar, the group favorite which seemed destined to move onto the next round with no resistance from the lowest seed in Group H. In essence, the Islands of Qutar was aiming to squash any attempts at a qualification for the Valeian national team. In the first half of their game together, things really did seem that way. Ali started off the game with a fast goal at the 5th minute, causing an uproar amongst all Valerian fans present at the game. The Qutari fans were cheering on Ali for his stunning goal against Magnus Valerius. The first half involved nothing but stalwart defense, for the scores did not change until Magnus Valerius equalized the score right before halftime.

The game was close. The Qutaris scored more and Valeria fought back. It all came down to Zerbst’s winning shot at the last minute of the game. The Valerian fans roared and cheered, chanting “Boyars, Boyars, Boyars!”

Their performance was followed up with another win against Haraki, 1-2. Although they lost to Tynelia, Magnus Valerius finished the qualifiers with a decent record for a team that is given 300-1 odds to win the Cup of Harmony.

Their next challenge awaits in the Round of 16 versus McPsychoville. The Boyars have been gearing up for their match against the “McPsychovillains” and may triumph over the Capitalist Republic. The Valerian defense has to ready itself for the pressure the McPsychoville players are known to exploit - after all, it’s going to be the fourth time in recent history that the Boyars faced off against the national team of McPsychoville.

OOC: Short post… I’ve been busy with school, so sorry I couldn’t put in more effort.

Cataduanes

07-04-2006, 11:17

Islanders in 6 goal thriller

Facing Legalese was going to be no easy task, a team renowned for there all out attacking style, the first 20 minutes saw Legalese going on the offensive pegging Cataduanes into their half, and in the 21st minute they went ahead with winger Sonny Achin dribbling 20 yards down the wing beating both Tumitubo and Lopez Cerro and putting a spectacular cross which was duly converted by an athletic header from Johnnie Lobiva. This lead was further increased on the 29th minute with a 30 yard piledriver from Gary Ximeco which deflected off Filipe Echevarria and into the bottom left corner of the goal and the dazzed Islanders played with eleven men behind the ball for the rest of the half, Andres Chavicano picking up a yellow card for a two footed challenge on Pavel Bahrain the combatatvie Islander was substituted beofre the end of the half to make way for the youngster Butch Lim. Going into the second half the Islanders came out looking determined no doubt after an immense ticking off from Coach Manua and Cataduanes began to play there brand of counter attacking football with more confidence, and with Legalese constant forays the Cataduanes defence began to tackle more effectively and to convert more direct passes forward to the loitering pair of forwards Guarin and Macalinao who within the first half had looked out of sorts.

The first Islanders goal came in the 51st minute with Lopez Cerro dispossessing Garib Duff and launching a 40 yard clearence that was picked up by the young substitute Butch Lim, the midfielder went on a mazy dribbling run to the edge of the box before squaring the ball left to Guarin who slotted the ball under the Legalese keeper to score, sensing the opposition's nervousness the islanders continued to counter attack and another break came in the 63rd minute with Lopez Cerro launching another monsterous clearence that was impressively volleyed by Macalinao who was 20 yards out to beat the keeper. Buoyed by this the Islanders began to play possesion football building up the attack from the back however Corino 's disastrous backpass in the 66th minute was intercepted by Fred Toriqal on the edge of the box who chipped the ball over the Cataduanes keeper to secure another surprise goal for Legalese against the run of play, and with this lead Legalese began to play themselves with a renewed confidence and Cataduanes were was again pushed back. However the pendulum swung back into the Islanders favour with legalese defender Al Tavican sent off in the 72nd minute for a foul on Macalinao which left the veteran Islander forward injured, he was substituted and replaced with the young forward Jose Maharbal. Playing against ten man Legalese the Islanders moved up a gear and in particular the young Lim's impressive passing coupled with Souletano's bossing of the midfield began to pay dividends with the Islanders keeping possesion and launching attacks from the center as well as both wings, the two midfielders however provided the break to level the scores in the 84th minute with a brilliant pass from Souletano to the advancing Lim who slotted a powerful shot to beat the keeper whose defenders had been busy covering the divertory runs of Guarin and Macalinao. and so the match ended 3-3 and the Islanders toping the group, lucky for Legalese they finished second due to Becquerelia's failure to finish off Mr chuck Norris who held them to a 1-1 draw.

In the knock round the Islanders face Yafor 2 whose form in the group stage was better than Cataduanes, howver the Islanders will surely not shirk there duty in the next fixture.

Coach Manua had this comment after the match ''While i am please with our performance at times i am not please with us shipping 3 goals, at this level we simply cannot allow silly mistakes as it will be our undoing but i do respect the character my squad showed today and i hope they can show the same determination against Yafor2''.

Nova Bazalonia

07-04-2006, 11:27

Ariddia

07-04-2006, 12:14

Draw for reserve teams

Both Ariddia and Wentland fielded mainly substitutes for their final qualifying match. With both sides having already qualified, it was a no-pressure game and an opportunity to give inexperienced players an opportunity to participate.

PDSRA goalkeepers Ludovic Hue and Awad al Maharmeh played one half each, while Ie Ewe, Jeanne Finnan and Nam Hyok-Jun played in the red and black colours for the first time. On the opposite side, Culthorpe, Bateson, Yaxley, Forbes and Randolph made their debut for Wentland.

The inexperienced Ariddian side was seen struggling somewhat at first, and Wentland established a two-nil lead, with female Ylompic footballer Michelle Dru just managing to score a first goal for the Rouge-et-Noirs before half-time. Ariddia’s goals turned out to be very condensed, as Lange then Alt scored in the forty-seventh and fiftieth minutes. An equaliser by Barnes was to be the last of this sudden flurry of goals, and the scoreline remained a three-all tie until the whistle was blown.

With a solid record after their first three matches, Ariddia will play Pastorville in the round of 16. It is the first time Ariddia has qualified in the Cup of Harmony; the first time, in fact, that the team has qualified for anything since World Cup 10. The news was greeted with excitement back home, where the tournament is being watched with interest despite the absence of the country’s star players.

“Performing the ulek for the first time was a real thrill!” young Arctic Islander Nam Hyok-Jun said after the match against Wentland. “We’re all very excited that we’ve been doing so well. I just hope I get to this again.”

Hypocria

07-04-2006, 21:41

“Let’s Do The Time Warp Again”

Haven’t we been here somewhere before? As the Yaforite media pointed out there are definitely similarities between this scenario and Cup of Harmony 17. Then the Hyppos went into the final fixture against the Golden Wolves looking fairly comfortable, with wins over Milchama, Euroslavia and a draw with top seeds Commerce Heights to their name. The Hyppos were assured of a place in the next round while Yafor 2 needed a win, which they duly got.

Fast forward eight years and Hypocria were into the next round after wins against Atheistic Right and The Macabees while Yafor 2 needed a win over the Hyppos to advance. And they got it, by the same scoreline too. It’s a comparison that the Yaforites are understandably delighted with as the history books show that the Cup of Harmony 17 trophy sits proudly somewhere in Yafor 2. It’s not such as good comparison for Hyppo fans. Fans who watched their side crumble against The Archregimancy in the quarter final of that competition.

Not that we are either upset or surprised by the result. We still finish top of the group so, meh, who cares? And we’re not at all surprised because . . .

Still a win over Yafor 2 on the final day would see Hypocria through to the knockout stages in style. But as the Autocracy is singularly incapable of finishing any group stage in any tournament with an unbeaten record the Golden Wolves can rest easy.

Plus there’s no shame in losing to a side as good as the Golden Wolves.

In the other fixture The Macabees imploded spectacularly, destroying there own qualification chances in the process, as they collapsed 4 - 1 against Atheistic Right. Leaving the table looking much like this . . .

Group D P W D L GF GA GD G% Pts
Hypocria 3 2 0 1 9 3 6 75 6
Yafor 2 3 2 0 1 5 5 0 50 6
Atheistic Right 3 1 0 2 6 8 -2 43 3
The Macabees 3 1 0 2 4 8 -4 33 3

Hypocria and Yafor 2 move into the second round. The Macabees and Atheistic Right head to the airport for their flights home.

Second Round Preview

Our reward for topping Group D is a tie against the runners up in Group C. It’s not just any tie, oh no, it’s an Atlantian derby against Legalese. Nothing quite stirs the soul like a good old fashioned Atlantian derby. And we have recent history against Legalese having played them twice in the World Cup qualifiers. Sadly those two matches shed no real light on the perspective winner of the upcoming fixture as during the qualifiers the Hyppos and the Legal Eagles shared one win apiece. We are ranked marginally higher than them so I guess that makes us favourites. Which in turn means that we’ll lose.

Wentland

07-04-2006, 22:07

"Frankie, Tommy, Hoppo, I've had to make a tough decision..."

Frank Treves, Hoppo Hopkins and Tommy Barnes squirmed in their seats. They knew one of them was likely to be dropped. Treves back to fitness and the leading scorer of all time. Barnes having scored a hat-trick. Hopkins having scored a couple.

"I'm going 4-3-3 for the Nanakaland game. All three of you are starting."

This was unexpected. Usually Wentland played an attacking 4-4-2 with wingers cutting in to support the forwards. What was this plan?

***

The television commentators were amazed. "Wentland are the leading scorers thus far," claimed David Richards. "This seems unwonted tinkering with a settled line-up. In a knockout stage as well - this should have been done against Ariddia."

The team lined up as follows:

Derrington

Okey Moon Wright Loder

Weston Capper Forbes

Hopkins Treves Barnes

A bold experiment. Would it work?

Spaam

08-04-2006, 15:15

Gall Island Football Stadium

Ariddia 0:2 Pastorville
Nanakaland 1:2 Wentland

East Spaam National Football Stadium

Cataduanes 2:0 Yafor 2
Hypocria 2:2 Legalese (2:2 AET) (Hypocria wins 2:0 on penalty kicks)

Ethium State Stadium

Apologetic Kittens 2:2 Dance 2 Revolution (2:3 AET)
Cuation 3:2 The Lowland Clans

Artanis National Football Stadium

Giant Zucchini 3:1 The Islands of Qutar
Magnus Valerius 0:1 McPsychoville

Spaam

08-04-2006, 15:31

East Spaam National Football Stadium

Pastorville v Hypocria
Cataduanes v Wentland

Artanis National Football Stadium

Dance 2 Revolution v McPsychoville
Giant Zucchini v Cuation

Wooden Spoon Match

Kelse v Dorian and Sonya

McPsychoville

08-04-2006, 17:04

Nervy game, but Webb's tactics finally pay off

ARTANIS, 08/06/06 - Take a look at some of the most famous footballing games. 1966, England 4 - 2 West Germany, with a hotly disputed third goal and Geoff Hurst scoring a hat-trick into the bargain. 1970, again in the final, saw Brazil easily dispatch the Italians 4 to 1. 1982's semi-final featured West Germany solidifying their reputation for being penalty kings, defeating France 4-3 in kicks after ending 3-3 in regulation time. Notice anything about them?

Now take a look at some of the best players in the world. The Peles, the Maradonas, the Menecrateses's...it's something along those lines, anyway. While they're all different, one can hardly say that they're particularly outspoken. Maradona, remember, didn't even try to deny he cheated to score his infamous 'Hand of God' goal.

While we're hardly suggesting he measures up to Pele and co just yet, Daniel Sabin is becoming ever more confident in his abilities as a player. However, he does like alcohol a little too much, which is why, three hours after McPsychoville's 1-0 over the Boyars of Magnus Valerius, he was to be found wandering the streets of Artanis, a bottle of Mr. Daniels' finest in either hand, singing 'The Beer Song'. However, we can hardly blame him.

With both teams fielding attacking formations - Magnus Valerius switching to a defensive 5-3-2 in the World Cup to a more offensive 3-4-3 and McPsychoville sticking with the 3-3-4 combination that has served us well in past matches - it was hardly unreasonable to expect a good few goals, maybe four or five.

However, the strength of both midfields proved telling, as they effectively cancelled one another out, and with a lack of supply, the strikers had to feed off scraps for most of the match. The closest of the few shots in the first half was Valerian, when Heinrich Zerbst dummied past Dylan Summers and set up Jacques D'Anjou. However, Sean O'Shea - now fully recovered from his head wound and back between the sticks - was able to narrow the gap enough that D'Anjou's shot went wide past the right post.

Having recovered from that one scare, the two wide strikers - Remus and Lee - dropped back into the midfield, to provide the beleaguered central midfielder with some much-needed support. Chris Klucsaritis, on as a replacement for Wade Matvichuk, who injured himself in yesterday's training session, looked the most threatening of the McPsychovillian players; he played off Gabriel Price well, and every time there was a corner or even a cross, his sheer height terrified the Valerian defence.

It was the 78th minute, though, before there was any sign of there being a winner. Feodorov went sprawling in the McPsychovillian box, but the referee waved play on, and Mike Spillane swept the ball past the swiftly-retreating Boyar defence to find Dan Sabin alone. The cry of 'Offside!' went up, but Stephan Bobrinsky was level with him at the time of reception, and the flag stayed down.

Sabin then performed a series of what can only be described as 'pre-emptive showboating', stepping over the ball, pulling it between his legs and back again, bamboozling Bobrinsky before finally flicking it over the confused defender and into the empty box. Well aware of the charging Lucinius, Sabin did the first thing he thought of; he struck.

The ball looked to be going too high, but by a freakish chance - given Sabin was almost standing on the goal-line - it curved wickedly, and was enough to put goalkeeper Sibel off-balance. When the ball hit the net, the fans exploded - Sabin himself looked amazed that his gamble had paid off, shortly before he was mobbed by his team-mates.

With victory well within their grasp, all the players had to do was resist the offensive pressure the Boyars would undoubtedly put on them - and pressure they did. Every ball was a long one, every chance a shot. In the remaining thirteen minutes, the Boyars recorded nineteen shots. But was O'Shea equal to them?

You're damn right he was: Magnus Valerius 0 - 1 McPsychoville. Next, we face Dance 2 Revolution, and while the sceptics may be thinking this is where our charge ends, all we can say is '**** you, we got this far, didn't we?'

Wentland

08-04-2006, 19:14

The half-time pundits were scathing of their opinion of the 4-3-3 gamble.

"It's simply not working. Wentland is being overrun in midfield and we have not got the width going. Loder still thinks he's a winger and his running out of a position caused the goal as they just hit the gap."

"You can't blame the forwards because they are not getting the service. Midfield cannot cope with the Nanakabirds' approach. I do not know why Bluff decided to change a winning formula. Nay, a rampant formula, we were winning with absolute ease in the first phase."

"How would you change it, Alec?"

"I'd go back to 4-4-2. Take off Hopkins and put on Tanner. Move Loder up to the wing as the two work well together. Get the through-balls in."

As the Swifts came out for the second half, Edgar Bluff had indeed made a tactical change. But it was not what the pundits had expected; he had taken off Forbes and put on Culthorpe and had gone to 3-4-3. Even more attacking.

Would it pay off? Indeed it would. With the element of surprise the Swifts attacked, attacked and attacked right from the start of the second half. The ball ping-ponged around the Nanaka third of the pitch and Wentland forced 4 quick corners. The breakthrough seemed to be inevitable and it came from the fourth corner, as the goalie flapped at an Okey corner, Capper's shot was blocked on the line but came straight out to Treves on the six yard line who, despite being off-balance, side-footed it back into the roof of the net.

Wentland still poured forward as the Nanakaland defence proved as stout as it had been in the group stages. A shot from Hopkins came off the post and Treves uncharacteristically fluffed the rebound. Barnes forced a couple of saves. One was off the line. And as the hour came up so did the lead, Capper holding the ball and keeping his head in midfield, whilst all around him were losing it and theirs, because he could see Adrian Loder sneaking around the rear of the Nanakaland defence unsighted. A perfectly weighted ball saw Loder, keeping level with the left-back on the other side of the pitch, suddenly one-on-one with the goalie on the corner of the goal area. A golden opportunity - and an even better one for Tommy Barnes four yards to Loder's right. A swift ball across wrongfooted the keeper and Barnesy made it 2-1.

After another ten minutes of fruitless attacking Bluff made another change, taking Hopkins off, putting Devey on, moving Loder back to left-back and Okey to right-back. Back to 4-4-2. And Nanakaland, faced with a third different tactical option in the same match, seemingly gave up in confusion, not creating a single chance in the last 20 minutes to give Wentland a surprisingly calm passage.

So, into the last eight. Against Cataduanes, the second-highest ranked team left in the tournament. Edgar Bluff was right - all matches hereonin will be very, very difficult. Off to East Spaam, then, and its 200,000 capacity stadium. The 50,000 Wents who were due to attend would rattle a little in such a gigantic bowl, although the Cataduanes followers would be just as numerous.

Vuam and Isma

08-04-2006, 20:52

If you are not interested in reading stuff that happened a few matches ago, then just skip this whole damn post. I won't even be dissapointed.

I just want to make my excuses to those that did participate in the CoH in my absence and were disadvantaged because of the lack of RPing I did.

Goog luck to all those who are still in, and may the most cunning win.

Raum 1 Sports at Eight.

Vuam and Isma play a 4-5-1 (http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/6582/4517un.jpg) with -1 for style modifier.

Starting 11 are Italicised.

Goalkeepers :
* Colm O'Connor : This young goalkeeper, only 20 is considered to be the backbone of Lesk FC's successful season. His presence in goal at barely 20 has lead him to be tagged as one of Vuam and Isma's future greats. During the WC he attracted a lot of attention, and reports have it that he won't finish his career in Vuam and Isma, with a few Sarzonian clubs ready to snap him up. Last Season's Statistics (LSS) : 43 Games played, 38 Goals conceded, 9 Clean sheets, 1 Assist, and 11 Man of the Match awards. Current Team : Lesk. Date Of Birth (DOB) : 13/07
* Rikjard Stromstottir : Possiby pas his best, this 32 year-old was once considered to be the finest 'keeper in New Cyberia. However, his career was plagued with injury, and he has yet to show his talent under pressure. He knows this will be the last chance he'll have to tout the best in the world, and he'll be as ready as ever. Once again, his performances in the WC showed that he was well past his best, but that he had a lot of experience, keeping the beatings down to 1-goal margins in O'Connor's absence. LSS : 37 Games played, 41 Goals conceded, 3 Clean sheets, and 4 Man of the Match awards. Current Team : Hiron. DOB : 03/02
* Wayne Ivers : 26, and still solid, he'll probably not play much, as he's not quite as good as Rikjard or Colm. However, Wayne became a hero for Jelluit Foutor with his 4 penalty saves over 3 games to bring the V&I Club's Cup back to Costa da Akès. However, he forced his place on the bench off Stromstottir for the last 3 games of the WC, showing great tenacity and team spirit. LSS : 38 Games played, 46 Goals conceded, 6 Clean sheets, and 5 Man of the Match awards. Current Team : Jelluit Foutor. DOB : 22/03

Defenders :
* Mounir Reguagui : Mounir is considered to be the backbone of Vuam and Isma's defence, with great command and excellent tactical vision. He's been looking to leave his underperforming Dingam-Gué side, who hope to fetch a 8-figured cheque for his departure. It would seem that Mounir will be moving, but it's not quite abroad that's the target, with Dingam-Roh only too happy to add him to their back four. LSS : 32 Games played, 1 Goal, 7 Assists, 3 Yellow cards, 1 Red card, 3 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Dingam-Gué. DOB : 24/11
* Icham S'baa : 30 this year, but still as fleet of foot as when he was 21, Icham's part in Vuam and Isma's cup run promises to be very important. Capped 42 times so far for Vuam and Isma, he's still looking for his first goal, but his mazy running down the wing will torment more than one winger, that's for sure. His age showed in the WC, but he did prove that dispite his lack of stamina, his good tactical vision is often enough to keep his bemoaners at bay. LSS : 33 Games played, 0 Goal, 9 Assists, 4 Yellow cards, 0 Red card, 2 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Jelluit Foutor. DOB : 21/08
* Roman Brasiviev : Roman nearly didn't make the national side when he broke his leg 9 months ago. However, this 26 year-old wanted to be part of Vuam and Isma's first international tournament, and he ruled out anybody stealing his spot with a series of perfect matches when he came back, hoisting Agaña out of the relegation zone almost sigle-handedly. Coming back to full form for the WC, Roman stole the show, proving instumental to keeping the scores against V&I low, as he fended off Hypocrian and Sarzonian strikers with great efficiency. Tabloids see him leaving for Sarzonia next season, or even before should Agaña not be amongst the first 7 or 8. LSS : 14 Games played, 3 Goal, 4 Assists, 1 Yellow cards, 0 Red card, 5 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Agaña. DOB : 14/12
* Sett Marc : Dubbed 'The Chao Lee Prodigy', Sett's composure is astonishing for a 21 year-old. One of the most technical defenders that play in the Topplig, he'll be wanting to make his 'Marc' on this tournament. Even though Marc proved his loyalty to Vientiane as he signed on for 2 more years at the end of the WC, some say that he'll be leaving, and that his signing isn't anything more than a short delay. LSS : 26 Games played, 0 Goal, 1 Assists, 6 Yellow cards, 0 Red card, 3 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Vientiane FC. DOB : 02/08
* Eukla Chdone : A solid first-team player for Kediri, Eukla has been targeted for his short temper, and will probably be relieved that his frequent run-ins with the referees won't have barred him from the World Cup. However, he knows that he could be left on the bench, or have to watch the matches from the terraces if he doesn't keep his cool under the White and Azure shirt. Again, Eukla made more impact on the bench than on the pitch during the WC, recieving 2 yellows in his only 2 games, and spending 6 games on the bench without touching the pitch. LSS : 25 Games played, 2 Goal, 4 Assists, 12 Yellow cards, 5 Red card, 1 Man of the Match award. Current team : Rumùa. DOB : 18/01
* Victor Niederberger : A regular for Hiron, Victor will have to be as attentive as ever to get into the starting eleven. Victor was the defensive revelation of V&I's qualifying joust, as his will and all-for-all mentality gave him the edge over other players to make the starting eleven once injuries started to diminish V&I. LSS : 27 Games played, 0 Goal, 2 Assists, 4 Yellow cards, 0 Red card, 1 Man of the Match award. Current team : Alfared. DOB : 18/01
* Ray Wibowo 'Rayberto Carlos' Oey : The only niggling injury that will be flewn to the World Cup will be that of 33 year-old veteran 'Reyberto Carlos'. He's been the best left-back in the Topplig for 7 seasons running, and his talent will shine through. However, he's been having knee probelems. Let's hope he gets better fast enough to make Vuam and Isma proud of him with another one of his free-kicks! After a good BoF, Rayberto's WC was dissapointing to say the least. Although he played well, he often bemoaned his lack of freedom down the channels, as he stayed back to support Chdone and Brasiviev. Perhaps he is more effective as a sub after all! LSS : 17 Games played, 3 Goal, 5 Assists, 3 Yellow cards, 0 Red card, 2 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Alfared. DOB : 18/01

Midfielders :
* Yakit 'Yak' Yakkad : Gudjon know that Yak will perform, season in like season out. He's been at Gudjon all of 7 years since he turned pro at 17, and his performances just never let him down. Amongst other nicknames, he's called 'The conductor' and 'Destribuetor' for his cool passing play that brings the Madjedskay Park faithful to their feet. But if you think of the WC, then Yak's performances are down to one word : fabulous. Almost shutting out Sarzonia alone, he proved he was truly one of the best, sending tens of clubs after him, even though he maintains that he will only leave Gudjon if Gudjon want him to leave. LSS : 31 Games played, 5 Goal, 13 Assists, 1 Yellow card, 0 Red card, 4 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Gudjon. DOB : 30/04
* Harrp Dinamyque : Harrp is one of the few players to have not played for one or two outfits in the Topplig, but 5. When he started out, playing for Dingam-Roh, he was thought to never be able to break into the starting eleven, and was sold to sworn rivals Dingam-Gué for a measly 50,000 Ghis. However, he revealed himself to be an illuminating midfielder in the Black and Yellow hoops, and has since played for Lesk, Alfared and Hiron before coming back to Dingam-Gué, where he's considered to be the midfeld dynamo that creates single-handedly all of Dingam-Gué's offensive play. Dynamique's WC was good enough to attract Hypocrian and Krytenian clubs' eyes on him, even though it seems to be the Portland Timbers that hold the cutting edge. LSS : 23 Games played, 6 Goal, 12 Assists, 3 Yellow cards, 0 Red card, 4 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Dingam-Gué. DOB : 12/10
* Stefan Grak : Only 22, and already part of Lesk's unstoppable attack force, this dazzling winger will surely be one of Scarab's keys to unlock opposing defences. Another player who took a new dimension over the WC, Grak seems to play better if his opponents are harder, putting in grand matches against Hypocria and Krytenia, only to seem invisible against Rorysville and Revived Constantinople. LSS : 35 Games played, 8 Goal, 4 Assists, 3 Yellow cards, 0 Red card, 3 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Lesk. DOB : 09/08
* Exclamatio Lidon : Few can argue that seeing Lidon's dummies has been the best part of the season for Manang Marsiandi fans. A rather dissapointing mid-table finish for 'Il Plasicaos' will leave them bemoaning their lack of firepower up front, and the 26 year-old's relative lack of offensive support. Lidon played well during the WC, putting his place amongst the starting eleven beyond doubt. However, many say that he lacks consistancy, as his rather "all or nothing" performances against Hypocria, Sarzonia and Krytenia showed. LSS : 27 Games played, 4 Goal, 8 Assists, 2 Yellow cards, 0 Red card, 5 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Manang Marsiandi. DOB : 21/10
* Stuart O'Driscoll : Since he left the Topplig last season to play for Ternäo Suporta, Alfared fans have been booing ever move made by Ruan Edo, and many think that it was O'Driscoll's absence that was the difference between a glory-crowned season and a sour 4th place in the Topplig, as well as two cup semi-final exits. O'Driscoll's versatility in midfield made him a very unpredictable player, but often leaves the Ternäo faithful in dread of a counter-attack when he ventures far out on the wing. a good solid WC showed his great crossing abilities, as well as his good feeling for play with Fitzsimons and O'Beirne, the main strikers in V&I. LSS : 29 Games played, 9 Goals, 3 Assists, 4 Yellow cards, 0 Red cards, 6 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Ternäo. DOB : 01/05
* Peter Searle : Sita's only selected player, Searle will proabably be looking to attract attention of some of the big clubs that might have missed his good performances, in a last-dich effort to avoid Eredivie football with relegated Sita. Even though he only played one match in the WC, totalling 35 minutes playing time, Searle's performance was good enougjh to attract Topplig teams' eyes on him, and Kediri seem to have a deal almost completed with both the player and Sita. LSS : 24 Games played, 4 Goals, 7 Assists, 0 Yellow cards, 0 Red cards, 2 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Sita. DOB : 21/12
* Jorgé Clay : Possibly one of the most surprising choices by Scarab was to select Clay. Despite being voted best player in the Eredivie and captaining a red-hot Chuna side to Eredivie success, Clay is still untested at international level, and many predict that the 23 year-old won't be able to withstand the pressure of first-team football at such a high level. But all those fears should be abandoned after the WC performances he put in, proving to be more active and involved than some of the "regulars". However, he won't be worrying O'Driscoll or Grak for a few seasons as his mistakes often proved more dangerous than his actions. LSS : 37 Games played, 9 Goals, 12 Assists, 2 Yellow cards, 0 Red cards, 14 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Chuna. DOB : 23/06

Attackers :
* Stephen Fitzsimons : Lesk have kept 23 year-old Fitzsimmons away from contract talks with Arvestorm, Liverpool City and Harchester Town by promising him continental success next season. But Lesk know that it'll be very hard to keep this expolosive striker in the topplig, as he has simply become one of the best strikers in New Cyberia. Capped for the first time when he was 18, Fitzsimmons was able to make an instant impact on the Vuam and Isma National Side with the only goal of the game against a dull and uninspired Arghans side. As Fitzsimmons often answers reporters : 'I let my feet do the talking'... and we hope he'll have quite a lot to say during the following matches! A good WC has seen him announce that he has signed a contract with an unnamed club in Sarzonia, for an undisclosed fee, and that the transfer will occur at the end of the Topplig season. LSS : 41 Games played, 29 Goals, 8 Assists, 0 Yellow cards, 0 Red cards, 13 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Lesk. DOB : 07/10
* Robert O'Beirne : Dingam-Roh's main man, Robert O'Beirne knows that at 29 he's one of the 'ancients' in the squad, and we're sure that he'll do all he can to show us that he'll not be pushed aside by the next generation without a fight. An impressive playmaker who's not scared to come deep to fetch the ball, he knows that his main power is his head, as he shows season after season that he can make good use of his 194 cm. Dispite being snubbed because of Fitzsimons' outstanding form during the WC, O'Beirne has proved that should Fitzsimons be unable to unlock opponing defences, then he might hold the key. LSS : 28 Games played, 16 Goals, 5 Assists, 2 Yellow cards, 0 Red cards, 5 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Dingam-Roh. DOB : 23/01
* Sifiso Masilela : He claims he's the fastest player to ever wear the White and Azure, and who could blame him! Even though he's often criticised for his lack of constancy, if Sifiso can pull of a series of good matches, then most opposing defenders won't see more of him than a mere blur, followed by the ball in hte back of their net. He added a goal to his tally in the WC, even though some say it should have been four or five as he squandered simple chances. LSS : 34 Games played, 17 Goals, 1 Assists, 4 Yellow cards, 0 Red cards, 5 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Alfared. DOB : 23/01
* Fahd Ghauri : A constant striker, Ghauri was forced to battle hard for a regular first-team place in the Lesk satring line-up. However, being able to play any position in midfield and attack, he became the Lesk 'Super Sub', netting 8 goals in the last 5 minutes of play. As he netted 2 goals in the WC, both from the bench, Fahd's future seems to lie on the bench. However, should there be a need for an extra midfielder or striker, he showed that his flair was enough to merit first-team play. LSS : 21 Games played, 15 Goals, 5 Assists, 6 Yellow cards, 0 Red cards, 3 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Lesk. DOB : 31/03
* Mike Sharwood : Exiled for the last 3 seasons in Fenzaristan, Sharwood recently made his bid for international football clear when he lead Supaspor-K to a league and cup double, as well as a honourable second-round defeat in the North Rohan regional cup against eventual champions Fissio Rkho. Still awaiting his first goal for V&I, Sharwood did make a good deal of interesting play in the 2 games he played in, offering a more tactical option to Scarab and Fischmann. LSS : 43 Games played, 24 Goals, 6 Assists, 8 Yellow cards, 0 Red cards, 13 Man of the Match awards. Current team : Supaspor-K. DOB : 14/11

Gazetta de'Esporte
What a group!

After a surprisingly sucessful WC, where V&I were pitted against Sarzonia, Hypocria, Krytenia, Lethislavania and Legalese, many Vuama and Ismians thought that it was time for an easier draw... perhaps one where the Whites and Azures had a (small) chance to get through.

Here's what the coaches had to say about the draw :

Cuation :
Thirty-seventh in the current "world order", but still not "nation" enough to get through the demolishers of the WC qualifiers, Cuation will be coming to the CoH with one objective : victory. Vuam and Isma can't expect much from the matches against them, and we should just hope that we will make through with a small defeat rather than a large thrashing.

Anathemic Right :
They'll be a hell of a game, as they promise to "drench any of their opponents in their blood should they win". The prospect of facing Carberus might not be too much of a shock to some players, but Vuam and Isma will be counting on Lidon and Dynamique's trickery in midfield to have the corpses on the floor when we face them.

Dance 2 Revolution :
Almost as lowly as V&I in the world rankings, D2R's hope of qualification is quite a good one. We might be able to wrestle a point from them, in a game that will surely be hard, as D2R know that every point they fail to take pushes qualification away from them. Expect a hot-blooded game against D2R. Very hot-blooded.

Gazetta de'Esporte
Cuation! It's a goal!

Cuation - 1 (Peter Tanner 50)
Vuam and Isma - 0

Where the damn where V&I's front men? Fitzsimons has gone from hero to villan in the space of 90 minutes. After netting more than a fair share of goals in the WCQ, he was simply mute in front of an often open Cuation goal. Fitzsimons made 13 shots, and only got 4 on target, 3 of which went straight to Jens's hands, and hte other one was far too weak to be anything more than a training shot for Jens. But what's worse was that he made good runs, outpacing the Cuation defence to enter dangerous positions, and then seemed to break down each time he was alone against Jens.

Vuam and Isma should have scored 3 or 4, and the 0-1 scoreline is very hard, seen that Cuation played in their half for more than 60% of the game, and their goalkeeper saw more of the ball than their front men. Cuation hacked the ball mercilessly up the field, only to allow Brasiviev and Yak to set up a slick midfield passing movement, reaching out the wings to use O'Driscoll, Grak, Lidon and Dynamique as feeders for Fitzsimons.

Vuam and Isma's 5-man midfield managed to shut the Cuationian 4-1-3-2 off the ball, and even though Raguigui recieved a yellow card after a very virile challenge on Milnar, the back 4 were generally precise and strong on the tackle, and only faulted by a pretty lax marking, luckily unnoticed as Rual Menditez faulted by not taking advantage, preferring to wallow in offside positions, conceding 7 off-sides.

Petter Tanner had been man-tagged as the most dangerous player, with Scarab ready to put O'Beirne in defence to challenge his aerial authority. However, Tanner's flailing arms earned him a yellow card in a controversial jump where some believe that Marc simulated being hit by the lanky striker's elbow as they jumped for the ball. From then on, Tanner's presence in defence was diminused, as he seemed to lack self-confidence and even stopped going for headers for almost ten minutes.

But if you want to choose one action that summed up the first half, it had to be the tangle that O'Driscoll and Ashton got into. Both went for the ball down the wing after a good tackle by Cole on Fitzsimons. Then, as O'Driscoll edged the ball out of Ashton's reach, Ashton held onto O'Driscoll's shirt, and was rewarded by a sharp push in the face by the Vuami. As Ashton tugged even harder on his shirt, O'Driscoll span round and pushed Ashton. What had to happen happened, and soon Ashton and O'Driscoll were held back by their respective teammates, both red-faced by anger and frustration. Ashton frustrated by his isolation, and O'Driscoll by his striker's inability to convert the balls he served him. Both recieved yellow cards for the incident, and avoided red cards as they reluctantly shaked hands under the referee's guidance.

Sadly for Vuam and Isma, the 15 minutes of break and the magic oranges of half-time had hardly calmed each sides' tempers, but had restored the self-confidence of some players. Even sadder, none of them seemed to be Vuami and Ismian, and Fitsimons semmed even more unsure, quite to the contrary of Tanner who semmed more revved up than ever, as he showed with a wonderful demonstration of what a playmaker should do : chesting down the long ball by Ferguson, he shot it on the volley. His shot sent O'Connor diving, but still went in as Icham S'baa commited his only crime by attempting to block the ball, sending it far from where Colm had dived.

As Vuam and Isma resumed their domination on the match, Coach Takerash evidently didn't relish the prospect of a repeat of the first half, adding a defender to his line-up as an enthousiastic but careless Rual Mendisez was beckoned to the side-line. However, it was not enough to prevent V&I from besieging the Cuation goal, and V&I's two best chances came in the following minutes, as a Lidon free-kick crashed into the crossbar just on the hour and a mazy Grak run saw three players disposed of, only to see his delicious chip clatter against the base of the post and roll harmlessly towards a lucky Jens who just got his hands to the ball before Fitzsimons got his foot to it. Fitzsimons wasn't penalised for touching the ball even though the keeper had both hands on it as the referee judged that it was a valid attempt to play the ball without malicious intentions.

Even with this blunder behind him, Fitzsimons was unable to obtain redemption, as he missed an easy chance only 4 minutes before the end of the game. Grak made a low cross into the ball, and Jens went to collect it. However, he misjudged the speed of the ball and was caught out of his goal, leaving Fitzsimons alone in front of the empty goals. evidently surprised by such a large blunder, Fitzsimons awkwardly stuck his foot out, only to mis-hit the cross, which then bounced on his other knee to harmlessly be cleared by sub Hargreves.

Pastorville

08-04-2006, 22:28

SAINTS SHOCK ARRIDIA, ADVANCE TO QUARTERFINALS

That is not a misprint, folks. Your Pastorville Saints are in the Quarterfinals of CoH XIX after a stunning 2-0 win over Ariddia. The Saints were supposed to finish last in their group, but backed into the 2nd Round despite losing on the last day of the group stage. Then, the Saints weren't supposed to stand a chance against an Ariddian team that had been playing well. Plus, the Saints entered the match having never won an elimination round match in the CoH. After a scoreless first half, Reverend Carlson collected a back pass from Reverend Harris on a counter-attack and found the bottom left corner of the net in the 63rd minute for the opening goal of the match. Then, as Ariddia pressed for the equalizer late, Reverend Harris got sprung on a breakaway by Reverend Anderson in the 88th minute for an easy goal to close out the scoring. The Saints defense had its best performance of the CoH thus far, and offers some signs of hope, but nothing to get too confident about. Next up for the Saints is highly regarded Hypocria, who went to PK's to defeat Legalese. It won't be an easy match by any stretch of the imagination.

QUARTERFINALS PREVIEW

Now that we've gotten to the quarterfinals stage of CoH XIX, here's a preview of the match-ups.

Pastorville (59th) vs. Hypocria (42nd)

A good Hypocria team against an overachieving Saints team...Can we call this a match? The Saints don't stand a prayer. Prediction: Hypocria 2-0.

Cataduanes (34th) v Wentland (35th)

On paper this should certainly be a close match. However, Cataduanes are coming off a victory over CoH XVII Champions, Yafor 2, and should have a lot of confidence. Wentland will certainly keep the match competitive, but it won't be quite enough to earn a spot in the Semifinals. Prediction: Cataduanes 2-1 AET.

Dance 2 Revolution (72nd) v McPsychoville (82nd)

The lowest two teams left in the tournament guarentee us a cinderella Semifinalist. They aren't here by luck either, as both teams have played really well so far. This will certainly be a close match all the way. Prediction: D2R 3-2 PK's

Giant Zucchini (33rd) v Cuation (37th)

One former powerhouse returning to prior form against an up-and-comer from the same BoF class as the Saints. This should provide a very entertaining match. Both teams are coming off of impressive victories against well-known opponents. Cuation has had more success in this tournament lately, so we have to give them the nod. Prediction: Cuation 3-2 AET.

Giant Zucchini

09-04-2006, 16:06

Yet Another Own Goal!
Episode 13: Debut Joy

Mr. Green Couch Man is jumping on the hotel couch again. Needless to say, he is ecstatic.

“…and that’s the final whistle, the Zucchinis are through to the quarterfinals of the Cup of Harmony, the Zucchinis’ 3 goals in the first 10 minutes enough to secure them a place in the last 8. The match started with a bang when de Silva drilled home his right footed shot into the far corner of Stone’s goal barely a few seconds after the kickoff, but the real surprise was to come later, when Yoshikatsu Nakamura, in his debut for the National Team, scored an absolutely brilliant second barely 4 minutes later, cutting in from the left, shrugging off 2 defenders before drilling it into the corner of the goal between the legs of Saunders who jumped in front of him to block the shot. Rilke made sure of the passage into the quarters in the 10th minute with…oh, this just in, Cuation have beaten The Lowland Clans in their match, meaning of course that they will meet the Zucchinis in the quarterfinals…”

To be continued…

Giant Zucchini’s Department of Number Crunching and Data Spewing presents:

Match stats:

Giant Zucchini - 3
de Silva (1), Nakamura (5), Rilke (10)

The Islands of Qutar - 1

Giant Zucchini stats:

Top Goalscorers:
Dino Nuvolari – 9
Johann Rilke – 8
Vicente de Silva – 5
Armand Boyer – 3
Pablo Pérez – 2
Mikhail Glinka – 2
Gottlieb Poulsen – 1
Absamat Chekhov – 1
Yoshikatsu Nakamura – 1

Yellow Cards:
Johann Rilke – 2
Ramón Gimeno – 1
Carlos Corretja – 1
Dino Nuvolari – 1

Red Cards:

Wentland

09-04-2006, 17:22

The Cup of Harmony Quarter-Final...the Swifts came out in front of a crowd of 165,000, the largest before which they had ever played...around sixty thousand from each country and the remainder interested Spaamians and other neutrals, taking advantage of an innovative pricing policy to encourage youngsters to attend.

Edgar Bluff had eschewed experimentalism for this game and gone back to orthodox 4-4-2. The graphics gave the game away:

1 Derrington
2 Okey
3 Tanner
4 Wright
5 Moon
6 Capper
7 Loder
10 Weston
11 Kent
8 Treves
21 Barnes

An injury to Hopkins saw him sit out the match and Smith was kept on the bench again, as the buzzbombs of Barnes and Treves - dubbed the BT Express by the Wentland media - would be given the chance to add to their respective tallies.

McPsychoville

09-04-2006, 17:42

MBN Radio Two Podcast
Nate Webb press conference

NW: Thank you...thank you all for being here today. As the quarter-finals are the biggest game we McPsychovillians are likely to experience in a good long while, I and many members of my staff and team, have deliberated over the best team to pick. I am happy to announce that we have made our decision.

In goal, number thirteen, Sean O'Shea. After his sterling performances against Spaamanian Plijous and Magnus Valerius, I believe he has done enough to justify his position.

In the defence, numbers three, six and fifteen. In order, Chris Colton, Allen Hughes and Michael Spillane. In the absence of Damon Arnaud, Hughes will be wearing the captain's armband. You might wonder why I have not chosen Arnaud for a game like this, and the truth is I do not believe that his performances in the group stages have been good enough for him to retain his place, let alone his captaincy.

In the midfield, numbers seven, twelve, sixteen and seventeen. In order, these are Dylan Summers, Michel Lysiak, Molly Cross and Daniel Sabin. This is a break from tradition, as the four-man striking formation was simply not generating enough goals.

Lastly up front will be numbers five, nine and eleven - Damian Lee, Rebecca Remus and Gabriel Price.

That is all.

Cuation

09-04-2006, 20:14

Rual Hatrick Saves Cuation

Peter Seamen's return had not strengthed things much as two spetacular shots cuaght him by suprise in the first half. 2-0 down and struggling to create anything, they seemed out.

On came Giovanni and the old Cuation spirit seemed to return, Rual headed in a Milnar cross, then pouncing on a keeper error to equalise then racing onto the playmaker sub's pass to score the winner. 3-2 was the final score and Cuation had only just edged into the quaters.

There reward is a match with Giant Zucchini whose players Dino Nuvolari, Johann Rilke and Vicente de Silva will ask qustions of a leaky defence. Two of the pre cup favs play, one must go out at this stage while one team marches onto the semi's. I will go for Giant Zucchini to win.

Hypocria

09-04-2006, 22:57

“I Fought the Law and the Law Lost”

An Atlantian derby against Legalese was always going to be a spirited event. Having played each other twice in the recent World Cup qualifiers the two sides were very familiar with each other’s style of play. And that showed as 120 minutes of football failed to separate the Hyppos and the Legal Eagles. The Eagles took the lead through Xemico but Bercali rounded off a flowing team move to level before the interval. Midway through the second half Molinari sent the blue and white army into raptures with a smartly taken goal but the celebrations were cut short by Xemico’s second of the game. The match went into extra time but both sides abandoned all forward movement, seemingly content to take the lottery of a penalty shootout.

And what followed was one of the most inept displays of penalty taking you could ever have the misfortune of seeing.

Hypocria Legalese

1. Dudamel 1. Duff

2. Baxter 2. Tavican

3. Beck 3. Lobica

4. Ferron 4. Liche

5. Molinari

Score
Miss

Inept it may have been but that penalty shootout sent Hypocria into the Quarter Finals of the Cup of Harmony for the third time in successive tournaments. Eight years ago we went out after a dismal effort against The Archregimancy. In the last competition the team showed much more heart but lost a five goal thriller with neighbours Bettia. Hopefully Cup of Harmony 19 will be a case of third time’s the charm.

Quarter Final Preview

Hypocria (42) v Pastorville (59)
The best you can hope for at this stage of a tournament is to face lower ranked oppostion and that’s exactly what we have got. The Hyppos will stay in the East Spaam National Football Stadium for what is another Atlantian derby. This time the Saint of Pastorville provide the opposition. And although we have a 5 - 1 win over the Saints in our locker from AOCAF XI that means little as Pastorville are something of Cup of Harmony specialists. Their 1 - 0 win over the Hyppos in Schiavonia during the last tournament is testimony to that fact.

Cataduanes (34) v Wentland (35)
How close is this one? Just one place separates these two relative newcomers to the international football arena. Both of these nations are supported by hugely vocal media and both will be expectant of advancing to the final four. We really wouldn’t like to pick this one. Flip a coin. This quarter could certainly involve penalties.

Dance2Revolution (72) v McPsychoville (82)
I think it’s fair to say that neither of these nations were expected to be still here at this stage. It’s a case of the young pretenders taking on the old stagers. After a fairly dismal World Cup qualification attempt fallen giants D2R have somehow managed to scrap into the final eight and their vast experience should tell against a McPsychoville side who seem just happy to be here.

Giant Zucchini (33) v Cuation (37)
The highest ranked side in the tournament faces off against a Cuation team who seem to save their best performances for the Cup of Harmony. Both nations survived tough second round encounters, Cuation edged past the Lowland Clans while Giant Zucchini bested a talented side from the Islands of Qutar, and both will be confident of advancing into the final four. The Zucchinis are favourites but Cuation just love this competition. Which is why they’ll advance and win the whole damn thing.

Cataduanes

10-04-2006, 14:26

ISLANDERS PUSH ON

The Islanders certainly entered this fixture as favourties and confirmed this with a solid victory over Yafor 2, The first half was a rather hurried affair with Cataduanes mounting strong attacks against the Yafor back 5, no less than 14 shots on the Yafor goal in the first half with Macalinao coming closest with a shot 6 yards out being cleared off the line by Joraset Jeyllan.

The second half saw Coach Manua bringing off Chavicano in favour of the more attack minded Butch Lim, and the substitution had an immediate effect with Lim and Souletano bossing the midfield and denying Yafor 2 little or no possesion, this dominance led to a goal in the 51st minute with Lim dispossesing Hales Ysilko and putting Guarin through with an exquisite pass that was duly converted by the Cataduaño striker. With this lead the Islanders continued to bombard Yafor 2, in particular the wingers,Corino and Ruedas, proving to be a real handful for the Yafor backline and in the 63rd minute Corino dribbled pass Harolen Maores to put in a cross that was coverted by the head of Butch Lim. The remainder of the match was characterised by Yafor's desperate defending yet the Islanders almost came close to a third goal in the 80th minute with Souletano's long range strike tipped over the bar by Deron Smithes, and with that the match ended 2-0.

In the next round the Islanders face Wentland, a side who like Cataduanes are new comers to the International scene but have made a similar impact, in fact this will be a really tough fixture despite Wentland fielding a young and to some extent inexperienced side for the COH, they are also renowned for the all out attacking style and many fans will be hoping that Cataduanes counter attacking style will prevail, COach Manua had this comment on the quater final draw ''To be honest i would have preferred playing one of the lower ranked teams at this stage, we will really need to be on top of our game against Wentland, look the bookies are giving them odds of 9-1!! while we are posted as 15-1!! so yes this is going to be tough nevertheless my boys will show determination and belief in themselves, to be sure i am going to stock up on cigarettes as i have the feeling i will smoking plenty during the match''

Spaam

10-04-2006, 15:42

East Spaam National Football Stadium

Pastorville 0:3 Hypocria
Cataduanes 2:4 Wentland

Artanis National Football Stadium

Dance 2 Revolution 0:3 McPsychoville
Giant Zucchini 1:4 Cuation

Spaam

10-04-2006, 15:46

East Spaam National Football Stadium

Hypocria v Wentland

Artanis National Football Stadium

McPsychoville v Cuation

McPsychoville

10-04-2006, 17:27

Giggity giggity giggity.

Some said the lowest-ranked team left in the tournament couldn't go any further. Some said that they were simply 'happy to be here'. Some thought that the Dancers' experience would be enough to see them past the McPsychovillians.

They were wrong. Outstandingly, amazingly, shockingly wrong, as a rejuvenated McPsychoville side stood up to be counted by putting three unanswered goals past the Dancers. Sean O'Shea proved his worth a thousand times over as his exceptional run of form continued, beating aside shots from all across his box. The McPsychoville defence were struggling to cope with the traditional 'Diamond' formation the Dancers employed, aside the two wide men would frequently need covering, leaving one defender to try to stop two strikers from attacking.

However, the nerviness from this early barrage was soon settled by a fantastic Gabriel Price goal, showing once again why he is being touted as the future of McPsychovillian football. Receiving a sublime pass from Sabin, Price showboated a little, skipping the ball past Ronesca Forescos with ease, before getting serious, powering into the box and sending the ball past the onrushing Fauchgar Mitnav.

The mood from then on was bouyant, and it was only made better by the news that the Giant Zucchinis were losing to Cuation. Admittedly, the team did take their feet off the pedals temporarily, which almost cost them as Nalik Di Sakura showed why he was dubbed the Dancing Superstar; speeding past Spillane to head a Xinza Iijja ball cross at the bottom of the left-hand post. The resulting richochet was scrambled away.

So, for once, McPsychoville went into the break a goal up; a foreign feeling, really, and most hardened fans expected them to make a couple of mistakes early in the second. That way, if they weren't going into the second half losing, at least they could let the other team get back into that. Of course, most hardened fans are cynics, who believe success is defined as 'Something that ain't never going to happen to us.'

Obviously, the surprise that came when Lysiak powered his free-kick under the jumping wall and past Mitnav's outstretched fingers was palpable. The four-man midfield was obviously working well, Dylan Summers, in particular, proving that he was a good choice for Webb to have made; however, it was Cross who provided the free-kick, her darting run too fast for Rayu Hereirra to contain properly. Critics might have said her fall was a little on the ostentatious side, but the TV replays showed that she'd been fouled.

So, two-nil up would have been a more appropriate time for the team to put their collective feet up. But showing that they sneer at rules, and regulations, things took a turn for the stranger. Allen Hughes - despite allegedly being 'straight-edge' - pulled off one of the most innovative (and illegal, but that's another matter altogether) ways of distracting an opposing striker at a corner; taking a swig from a bottle of Jack Daniels (Sabin's?) and spraying it in said striker's eyes. Amazingly, the referee and linesmen failed to notice, instead paying attention to Sean O'Shea leaping above the pack and catching the poor cross.

Rayu Maeda, the unfortunate striker, stayed down for a good few minutes, and it paid off; with the Dancers in disarray and calling for Hughes' head, Sabin was able to loop the ball over the static defence for Price to catch it on the volley; Mitnav did well to parry it away, but he could only knock it as far as Remus, who pounced on the chance to bury it.

3-0? Yes, everyone was surprised. After Cuation's 4-1 demolition of the Giant Zucchini, we now have to face them; a team a full 45 places above us. Here, for the record, are the teams ranked higher than we are who we have outlasted: Anathematic Republics, Apologetic Kittens, Ariddia, Becquerelia, Cataduanes, Collonie, Dorian and Sonya, Dance 2 Revolution, Giant Zucchini, Haraki, Kelse, Legalese, Majeristan, Nanakaland, Pastorville, Qazox, The Islands of Qutar, The Lowland Clans, The Macabees, Tynelia and Yafor 2.

Bring on Cuation.

Cuation

10-04-2006, 19:52

Cuation March To Last 4

Some people had given Cuation the edge for this big match due to Cup of Harmony form. This is only our third attempt, taking fourth place after collapsing in the semi's and going out in the first round is hardly going to make the likes of Zucchinis quake.

Cuation fans expected Cuation head out in the quater finals but now we are in the last four, a chance to improve on fourth place is on the cards. In our way is McPsychoville, a suprise team who will rise higher then 82th in the world after the run they are having.

Match

It started off so well for the Zucchinis, putting Seamen's defence under pressure and making him work in the first thirty minutes. The goal they got was deserved, Gottlieb Poulsen's mazy run taking out Butcher, Milnar, Rio and Roy before his cross from the byline found Vicente de Silva whose volley beat the helpless goalie.

Cuation where battling hard but seemed simply just not good enough as the first half was near its end when they equalised. A counter attack saw Milnar drive in a low cross, out of fear of Ramón Gimeno, towards Rual Mendiz. Peter Lee Albom slid it clear but Ashton pounced. His thirty yarder was too powerful for Groot, his hand diverting it only onto the post before it bounced in.

In the second half, Tanner was brought off for Anderton and Giovanni replaced Roy Ferguson as Cuation tried to bring the game to Zucchinis. This worked as Zucchinis players seemed to be demorlised as Rual Mendiz scored early on.

Giovanni worked himself in space and played a killer ball into the box, Rual outpacing his marker and shooting before the sweeper could stop him. The shot was across the keeper and into the net as Cuation tookk an undeserved lead.

Suddenly back on the defensive, we looked assured at the back, dealing with whatever question was asked. When Cuation broke, Groot and Albom continued their brilliant work. The next goal was going to win it and in the 70th minute, Giovanni was being forced back into his own back by Pérez.

Dashing out to the right side, Gioavnni hit a 70 yeard ball to the only man up front, Anderton. Albom was quickly upon him but ended up on the floor, as he slipped on the grass. Heskey's shot spun away from the rapidly advancing keeper and made the game safe.

Zucchinis had been unlucky throughout, a feeling summed up when Adnerton went to ground too easily under pressure from Chekhov. PlaymakerGiovanni stepped up to take it, shooting through the unformed wall and past a suprised Groot. Problem was the defence where not ready and the ref hadn't blown but it stood.

When the final whistle blew, manager James Gorton was given a standing ovation by the Cuation fans. He did not deserve this to be his last match but what a servant he has been for football.

Our Next Match

The unfancined McPsychoville have done the same as Cuation in their first year, advancing as unfancied team into the semi's. Cuation played a 4-5-1 back down and managed a major upset in beating the Lions 1-0. Our oppenants however have torn sides apart with a four man attack.

Expirenced and with athe recent 4-1 destruction of one mighty team, this would seem a Cuation victory on paper. In reality, McPsychoville are the ones people expect to win with thier better form. They do not show the signs of exhuastion that defeated Cuation those many years ago but our vetrans know well the pressure that comes with such a run.

Wentland

10-04-2006, 20:54

Social inadequate Arthur Trubshaw was delighted with his subbuteo set. He had 32 sets faithfully painted up in national colours, with a further half-a-dozen as spares for when the colours clashed. And after every match he would re-create the goals scored as broadcast on Wentland TV or the other world feed channels his mate Terry had parasited for him.

He was particularly looking forward to the quarter-final match with Cataduanes. He had role-played the game several times with his subbuteo men and was anxious to see whether the game itself would match up to what he had done. Curiously every time he RPd it the result came out as 4-2 to Wentland. Strange. That had never happened before.

Nevertheless, he watched the game with satisfaction and at the final whistle betook himself to the green baize mat and set the teams up ready to replay the goals.

The first one. That was easy, set the clock to 24 minutes, put the ball around a third of the way into the field, line up a bunch of Islanders about eight yards inside the box, scatter some Swifts around and about, and flick Cosmo Kent ever so carefully. Arthur had perfected the swerving dip shot™ with a caress of a cuticle, in the same way as the mercurial Kent had, and the oversized parody of a ball kissed the irregular netting. That was the first.

Now for the second. A bit more complicated, he had to create a series of quick, short passes between several Swifts as the Cataduanes defence looked by incomprehending. It took him five goes to get it right and even then he realized he had forgotten to set the clock to 33 minutes. He tried it again, this time commentating. “Okey…Okey down the wing…inside Corino who doesn’t move…quick pass to Weston…to Capper…to Kent…Kent back to Barnes…and Treves can’t miss!!!!”

Half-time and he swapped the players around. Now, the Islanders came out like bulls from a gate and he represented this with great care and with a blast of his whistle he had a goal within seconds, just about right, and made sure it was the number 9 representing Gaurin who took the ball past the number 4 representing Wright before blasting home. He never liked RPing other teams’ goals but he was quite pleased with that one.

Yet he had to do it again as the Islanders equalized on the hour, but he knew better times were a-coming. Substitute Mahabal was like a Sherman tank and little subbuteoers were left scattered in his wake after a particularly hefty shove with the especially long fingernail used for such purposes.

Mahabal’s goal was the product of a strong run and blasted finish, but whilst he was feeling pleased with himself and the long fingernail was recovering Wentland made it three. Nothing pretty about it, the kick-off was played backwards to Wright, who hefted it forward, Echevarria and De Haro were indecisive and Tommy Barnes was on the end of it to touch past Mumbalo. Phew, thought Arthur, that was hard work.

The final goal left him with a bit of a dilemma. According to strict subbuteo rules the scorer had to be within the scoring zone. He had never had to RP a goal like the last one before. Plus what could he do with Mumbalo’s handle? So he took the goalkeeper off and replaced him with a spare player, a dab of black for the shirt and put him in the Wentland penalty area. Take the assistant figure and very delicately place a “3” decal on his black board to show that they were in the 90th minute. And he nailed it, the corner from Ruedas punched clear by Derrington, hefted onwards by Weston and charging through was Devey.

Somewhere in East Spaam Tom Devey crossed the half-way line with defenders approaching and time running out. The shattered Devey just hit the ball at the empty Cataduaes goal and hoped it had enough strength to cross the line as he slumped to the turf. It did. In Arthur Trubshaw’s living-room he decided to compromise; he would have Devey hit the ball from directly on the shooting line. And he sat back in satisfaction. 4-2? Never in doubt

Wentland

11-04-2006, 07:07

Somewhere in the depths of East Spaam, Edgar Bluff had the 23 out on their secret training pitch hideout. “I want to try a few new things for the sem- what’s that noise?”

Suddenly out of the clearing came a mass horde of people. “I think that’s Bill Drummond, boss.”

“The head of the Supporters’ Association? What’s he doing here? This is meant to be a secret location!”

“Sorry, Mr Bluff, but some of us heard that you were based here and we thought we’d give you a thanks in person. It’s a great achievement to get to the semis.”

“Well, thanks, lads, but we’re having to work hard here…”

“I’ve got an idea, boss,” said Tommy Barnes. “We could use them…”

And Tommy Barnes explained his plan. Edgar Bluff smiled and called Drummond over. Drummond was only too delighted to play his part.

So the first team played the second team in a practice match. 90 minutes, it was 3-1 to the first-teamers, but they played an extra 30 minutes regardless.

“And now for penalties…”

The three thousand Wentland fans gathered around behind one of the goals and were told to barrack the players regardless of who they were. And every single player took half-a-dozen penalties in a full dress rehearsal, walking from the centre-spot to the penalty area, with a cacophony of noise assaulting their ears. Even the goalies had their go against their opposite numbers.

“Well, that might give us an edge,” said Bluff, “if the other side don’t get to know about it…”

Giant Zucchini

11-04-2006, 13:02

Yet Another Own Goal!
Episode 14: The End of the Road, But What a Journey!

Mr. Green Couch Man is standing, clapping his withered green hands together.

“…and that’s the final whistle, the Zucchinis soundly beaten here by a resounding performance from Cuation, but the atmosphere is here is one of pride and joy, as we see scenes here of the great James Gorton, 69, at the twilight of his career, out on the pitch being congratulated by his players and opposing players alike. The contribution he has made to Giant Zucchini football and to football itself cannot be denied, as he took the lowly Giant Zucchini up to the heights of the World Cup in barely 2 attempts, the whole stadium is on its feet, even the opposing fans have risen to give one of Giant Zucchini’s new heroes a standing ovation, and one thing we can be sure, when we look back on this match, it is not the result that will linger in the memories of those here, it is the spirit of respect, sportsmanship, truly, the spirit of football…”

To be continued…

Giant Zucchini’s Department of Number Crunching and Data Spewing presents:

Match stats:

Cuation - 4
Ashton (44), Rual Mendiz (49), Anderton (70), Giovanni (78)

Giant Zucchini - 1
de Silva (32)

Giant Zucchini stats:

Top Goalscorers:
Dino Nuvolari – 9
Johann Rilke – 8
Vicente de Silva – 6
Armand Boyer – 3
Pablo Pérez – 2
Mikhail Glinka – 2
Gottlieb Poulsen – 1
Absamat Chekhov – 1
Yoshikatsu Nakamura – 1

Yellow Cards:
Johann Rilke – 2
Ramón Gimeno – 1
Carlos Corretja – 1
Dino Nuvolari – 1

Red Cards:

McPsychoville

11-04-2006, 13:16

United Territories of Spaam
Artanis - Haven Hotel
01:25

With the unlikely events of McPsychoville getting all the way to the semi-finals, the men and women who made up the syndicate affectionately known by the nation's police as 'The Solution' were jubilant. The myriad schemes to wrest money from the banks and safes of the world were finally beginning to pay off, thanks to a heady cocktail of steroids, sedatives and abductions. Tonight, however, was looking to be a much harder task than ever before.

Following the kidnapping of two Giant Zucchini players, the security surrounding all of the teams left in the competition had been increased hugely. Armed guards patrolled the corridors outside the team's rooms, for one, and all visitors to the hotel were thoroughly screened for any signs of criminal activity. But for the two men originally drafted to do the dirty work, their job was significantly easier than they could have expected.

After qualifying from the group, the two men had been moved from the run-down motel to a room on the eighth floor of the Haven Hotel; by something that was certainly not a coincidence, their adjoining rooms were directly above those of the McPsychoville goalkeepers.

The supply of steroids concealed within their suitcases were running low; with just eight needles left, they had to pick their targets carefully were they to have any left for the final. In the end, they set aside three - one for Sean O'Shea, one for Damian Lee, just down the corridor, and one for Mike Spillane, whose room was at the far end of the corridor, below a room that was empty.

One held the syringes, as the other had to deal with the bulky laser-saw - a nice piece of kit, the saw generated such intense heat from it's tip that it was capable of cutting through most materials. Obviously, due to the heat, it was impossible to use it for more than five to ten seconds at a stretch, but in all but the most extreme circumstances, that was good enough.

'Ready?' grunted the first man, strapping his M41 semi-automatic pistol into his waist holster. Across his back he had the M34 combat shotgun, but the way that would ever be needed is if things went badly wrong. The second man nodded.

'Let's do this. Stand back,' the second man ordered, pointing the 'saw' at the ground. Flicking the switch, the tip flared into action, burning through the tiled floor with ease, and getting started on the brick below.

'Time,' said the second man, indicating the five-second limit was up. Pausing for another few seconds, the first man started it up again, pushing the heat through the brick until it sizzled. Methodically, he cut out a space in the floor big enough for them both to slip through.

The radio sitting on the ground behind them crackled, followed by two bursts of static. 'He's back. Get a move on, man.'

'Relax, I'm almost...there!'

With a clatter, the flooring dropped out and landed on the bed below. With haste, the first man dropped through the gap, readying one of the syringes beforehand. The second man was about to drop through, but the door lock clicked; covering up the hole with a rug in the room above, the second man readied his pistol in case things went wrong.

As it happened, he hardly needed to worry. While not completely drunk, O'Shea was tipsy enough not to notice the first man, and when he collapsed onto his bed, the first man simply had to jab the needle into his leg and wait for the drugs to do their work. But getting outside would be more difficult.

The second man dropped through the hole as the first opened the door a crack. Outside, a man armed with a brutal-looking rifle paced up and down.

'Silencers?' the second man whispered.

'Get out the battle rifle. Once we drop this guy, the others'll come rushing.'

The second man obeyed, screwing the suppresser onto his M27 battle rifle. It had never failed him yet, but, of course, it only took the one time. 'Ready?'

The first man nodded, and as the guard outside turned his back on them, fired. The first bullet hit him in the kidney area, and before he could make any noise, the second and third hit his spine, killing him instantly. The second man burst out into the corridor, firing a burst at the guard at the end of the corridor; he crumpled. A third guard, standing at the other end, fired a wild shot at them, but he'd panicked - another burst from the battle rifle killed him.

But something was nagging at the first man's mind. Three guards?

'Did that guy look like Sean O'Shea?'

'Well, yeah.'

'Then why are there only three guards for the entire team?'

Behind them, the door opened. 'Sean', who had dropped his facade of being drunk, hit the first man with his makeshift club. Just as he fell down, 'Sean' swung at the turning second man; the nails still embedded in the ripped-off chair leg caught him in the temple area. He was dead before he hit the ground.

'Sean' took the radio from his back pocket.

'Yeah, we got 'em. One's dead, the other's unconscious.'

Spaam

11-04-2006, 16:03

United Territories of Spaam
Artanis - City Central Police
04:45

Sargeant Allun Brendon had had exactly two hours sleep before he was awoken and called back to work. This "Cup of Harmony" was anything but harmonious, at least to the authorities. Of course, the goverment's bank balance was being raped by paying off people to keep this whole thing quiet, and there were a few media moguls that he owed big time to look the other way. Five dead - two McPsychoes and three Cuats - was five too many. This had turned into gang warfare - but of course, no government would admit such a thing. A racial shooting would be the excuse, and the Spaamanian government would not stand for such a thing, crack down on this despicable behaviour, yadda yadda yadda. Anything to make it look good. And his orders were to keep it quiet, not to interfere. Too much money involved, no doubt. Well too shagging bad. Brendon hated missing sleep, and was not going to put up with it any longer.

"Rosen, get me Morcon and Poldark."
"Yes, sir. What shall I tell them?"
"Just to get their arses down here. And I'm calling in the favour they owe me."
"Of course, sir. Detective Perrin to see you"
"Send him in in a minute."
"Yes, sir"

Brendon sipped his coffee and rubbed his eyes. Someone would pay.

Hypocria

12-04-2006, 07:22

And Then There Were Four

Ladies and gentlemen, you have witnessed history in the making. For the first time ever Hypocria has advanced past the quarter final stage of the Cup of Harmony. And about bloody time too. Fans had been expecting a tough time against a Pastorville side who seem to like the Cup of Harmony. But, and not for the first time under Alex Santoro, the Hyppos produced a breathtaking display of football to which the Saints had no answer.

It took a mere nine minutes for the deadlock to be broken. Ferron was fouled near the touchline on the right to earn the Hyppos a freekick. Baxter signalled to the mass of players in the penalty area and hit a deep ball to the back post. Defender Bruno Espartero rose highest and steered a header across the face of the Saint’s goal. The ball looped over the stranded keeper and the player on the line to nestle into the top corner. As so often happens after scoring a goal the men in blue and white took their collective feet of the gas and Lomaia was forced into a smart save to deny the Reverend Harris an immediate equaliser.

With thirty one minutes on the clock at the vast East Spaam National Football Stadium Hypocrium City’s Carlo Molinari went down after a heavy challenge from the Reverend Anderson. Once again the referee signalled for a freekick. But there would be no crosses into the box from this one. This dead ball was twenty five yards out and slightly to the left of the Pastorville goal. Marcus Baxter stepped up and curled a magnificent effort into the very same corner that Espartero’s header had found earlier in the half. It was almost a carbon copy of his goal against The Macabees on matchday 2.

Half time came and went and the Saint’s came out after the interval with attacking intent. Unfortunately for the fans back in Pastorville attacking does not come naturally to a side as defensive minded as the Saints and consequently, despite plenty of the ball, they just couldn’t seem to find that final killer pass. The Hyppo’s defence dealt confidently with every ball lofted into the penalty area and Lomaia mopped up everything else.

Three minutes into stoppage time and with the seconds ticking away Pastorville won a corner. Every one of the Saint’s outfield players, corner taker aside of course, took position in the penalty area to try and find some way back into the match. But the corner was poor and Baxter and Bercali combined to release Molinari through the middle. The inform attacker left defenders trailing in his wake and kept his cool to clip the ball over the onrushing goalkeeper to seal a place in the last four. The goal sent the travelling hordes from the Autocracy into raptures and the blue and white army kept up their celebrations long into the night.

The other quarter finals proved bad news for the higher ranked sides. Top seeds Giant Zucchini were hammered, or stir fried perhaps, by Cup of Harmony specialists Cuation. The only thing more surprising than Cuation’s 4 - 1win was the fact that we predicted it. But normal service resumed with our other predictions being as unreliable as usual. We tipped former world number 1s Dance2 Revolution to beat lowly McPsychoville but the underdogs are barking even louder now after their 3 - 0 win. And we predicted penalties to decide the other quarter. Wentland clearly disagreed and stuck four past Cataduanes. Leaving a semi final lineup of . . .

Cuation (37) v McPsychoville (82)

On paper Cuation go into their semi as overwhelming favourites but their opponents are showing themselves to be no respecter of rank. In fact the Cuation media have been quoted as making McPsychoville as favourites for a place in the final because of the momentum they’ve been picking up of late. Both nations thumped former football greats in the quarter finals but it was the McPsychoville result that caused the most surprise. Surely they can’t upset the odds again? Those that witnessed Hypocria’s run to the final in their first AOCAF or unranked Nedalia’s romp through their debut Under-21 World Cup will know not to bet against them.

And . . .

Hypocria (42) v Wentland (35)

The Hyppos are heading into uncharted territory. We may be Cup of Harmony veterans and the most experienced nation remaining but this is our first sojourn past the quarter final since, well, ever. And standing in our way is another unknown quantity in the form of Wentland. A nation that has become the highest ranked side remaining in the tournament. We’ve never played them before so sadly we have no stats to throw at you. But while we fought past established international sides like Legalese and Yafor 2 they were up against the minnows of Kelse and Georgeonia. What does that prove? Well nothing actually.

Up For The Cup

Normally the nation shows little interest in this tournament but the Autocracy’s success this time around has seen Cup of Harmony fever hit the streets. Signs of support for the national side have been cropping up all over the country as Santoro’s side prepare for the semi final and Wentland.

http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a359/Hypocria/Graffiti.jpghttp://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a359/Hypocria/b9e9d80f.jpg

They have the support but can the players find that extra gear to topple the higher ranked side and book a place in the final? Back home there are billions of crossed fingers hoping they do just that.

Spaam

12-04-2006, 12:45

East Spaam National Football Stadium

Hypocria 0:2 Wentland

Artanis National Football Stadium

McPsychoville 4:3 Cuation

Tomorrow

Wooden Spoon Match

Kelse v Dorian and Sonya

Friday

Third Place Match

Hypocria v Cuation

Grand Final

Wentland v McPsychoville

Note: The Grand Final and the Third Place Match will take place at Artanis National Football Stadium in 2 days (the Third Place match will take place a few hours before the Grand Final.) Also, the Wooden Spoon Match will take place at East Spaam National Football Stadium tomorrow. Make sure you tune in, and thankyou to all the participants who have made this Cup of Harmony such a wonderful success and a joy to host.

McPsychoville

12-04-2006, 13:58

United Territories of Spaam
Artanis - The Brewer's Arms
03:18

'Fuckin' Cuats,' spat Paddy Ferguson, downing another pint of the strong Spaamanian beer and banging the glass onto the beer-sodden table. 'Motherfuckers going to get fucked up.'

Across the table from him sat Ashley Coben, his blue and white Psycho shirt already spattered with blood. 'Go into the bogs,' he growled. 'One o'them poncy fuckers already down. I tell you, one good shot to the face, POW,' this time banging his fist on the table. The force sent the glasses spilling over, and Paddy's new pint tipped onto him.

'Motherfucker!' he bellowed, punching Ashley square on the jaw. Ashley, fire in his eyes, got straight back up again.

'Hey!' shouted the man by the window. 'Knock it off, we save it for the Cuats.' As the oldest, and most experienced member of the group, Ian Cassell naturally had the most authority, and of the five others, only brother Jacob ever bothered to talk back to him.

'What're we talking?' asked the newest member of their group, currently staring into the blade of his shiv like he was mesmerised. Ian smiled nastily.

'Anything we can lay our hands on, Jimmy, anything you want.' Beside him, Harry Preacher fingered his empty beer bottle pensively. The whole gathering had an air of anticipation, waiting for something to happen.

And then it did.

'Guys, Cuats.'

'How many?' asked Paddy, walking to the window.

'Four. All drunk.'

Harry smashed his bottle against the table; the Spaamanian bartender shouted something, but no-one listened. Jimmy flicked his shiv's blade out; Paddy slipped on his set of brass knuckles. Ian and Jacob were already at the door, heading out, and Ashley followed them.

Bellowing a war-cry, the three men rushed the Cuats. Taken by surprise, the Cuats scattered - one ran away, but the other three were left alone. One fell to a brass knuckle blow from Paddy, while a second ended up with Jimmy's knife in his throat. The third put up far more of a fight; he'd reacted fastest, and pulled out a vicious-looking knife that was more a machete than anything.

Harry charged in first, swinging his bottle, but he was off-balance; the man brought his knife down and slammed it deep into his throat. Harry collapsed, choking in his own blood, and Jacob fell in much the same way, as the knife had hit him in the head.

Together, Ashley and Ian rushed him; his first swing went over Ian's head, and then he was down on the ground, all four men remaining kicking and punching him. To finish him off, Ian propper the man's face on the kerb; Paddy took a couple of steps back, then ran and smashed his boot into the man's head, driving his face into the kerb. It was an obvious killing blow, but with the sirens of police starting to sound, there was no time for them to recover the bodies of their dead friends.

Ian could grieve another time.

===

Give Us Fuel

Defying all the odds, that's right, every last one of them. The 45-1 odds SpaamBet put on us to be champions are a lot slimmer now, particularly after yesterday's stunning 4-3 defeat of Cuation. And amazingly, we scored first; an ever-growing novelty, as in recent times it's almost always been the opponents getting the first goals.

But not this time. Retaining his place in the three-man strikeforce, Damian Lee proved to the nation that, if Gabriel Price is the 'wunderkind', he is the Messiah; he was majestic in the air, scaring goalkeeper Seaman on more than one occasion, and with the Cuation defence aging, his speed was the defining factor more than once, not least for the first goal. His dummy run drew the attentions of both centre-backs, which left a gaping hole in the defence ripe for Rebecca Remus to exploit, darting in with a diving header that left the Cuats stunned - it was barely four minutes in.

Despite Cuation attacking again, McPsychoville were two up within twenty minutes; an attack had been stopped cold by Damon Arnaud, back in the team after all, and his long ball was picked up on by Ollie Beak, who was himself replacing Alex Chotesov. Beak was dispossed deep in the Cuation half, but won it back with a superb tackle on winger Milnar. His grounded pass fooled Yan, who'd jumped, and Remus was again on hand to sweep the ball past Seaman.

All credit to Cuation, as they refused to die - within a couple of minutes of the crushing second goal, Rual Mendisez justified his arrogance for another day with a thirty-yard lob that somehow caught O'Shea off his line. The goal buoyed the Cuats, but it failed to spur the Psychos into doing anything to help their defence - Mendisez equalised from a shocking defensive error, as both Colton and Spillane thought the other was covering Mendisez and it left him wide open to hit the cross on the volley.

But worst of all, just moments before the whistle blew for the end of the first half, Tim Ashton snuck into contention. While Milnar's long, speculative shot was an easy save, O'Shea fumbled it, and only punched it away. Ashton had snuck into the box already, and despite the cries for offside, he jinked inside and banged a hard left-footed shot through O'Shea's grasping hands.

3-2 at the end of the first half. It wasn't looking good, but some substitutions during the break - Amy Tristof replacing Rebecca Remus, with her four goals - helped swing the tie McPsychoville's way again. One promising attack was cut off when Rio Samba went down holding his face; Dylan Summers was booked, then sent off after protesting about it, but despite losing him, McPsychoville were still in control.

It was only a matter of time before something produced an equaliser, and as it happened, that something was a free-kick about twenty yards out. Step forward Mr. Lysiak, whose 'Messiah of the Free Kick' title is looking more and more justified every day. True to form, his dipping shot caught Seaman by surprise, and like his opposite number, all he could do was flap at the shot.

From there on, the Cuats got themselves in gear, but the Psychos' midfield meant that the game degenerated into a state of deadlock. The promising attacks were snuffed out in the midfield, and the only shots that ever got away were closed down by the defence - except one. The Cuat defence, tired as they were, could only force Gabriel Price's shot out for a corner, and it was this corner that proved lethal to them. Lysiak's looping ball bobbled wildly, and Price leapt in. Samba moved out of the way of Price's boots, but not quickly enough - Price crashed into the defender, and they both did enough to push the ball over the line.

McPsychoville 4 - 3 Cuation.

We're in the final.

Top Scorers:
Remus - 4
Price - 2
Sabin - 2
Lysiak - 2
Lee - 1

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