Printable Version of Topic Click here to view this topic in its original format

AO Forum :: > AOCAF - The AO Regional Soccer Tournament > AOCAF XIII Roleplay Thread

Posted by: Krytenia Apr 4 2006, 09:30 AM

Welcome to the Thirteenth A.O.C.A.F. Championship, hosted by the nation that inaugrated the tournament, Krytenia. In the forty-eight years since NEWI Cefn Druids came off the beach to lift the inaugral trophy, we've seen the sport, and the tournament, progress in leaps and bounds. Four years ago, Sarzonia became the trophy's fith winner: will we see a new nation lift the trophy again, or can one of the old hands take what was theirs? Will there even be a victory for the hosts? Stay tuned to find out!

Posted by: Bettia Apr 4 2006, 10:56 AM

And so it's that time again when the mighty Aroras, fresh from their goalscoring exploits in the World Cup, arrive in sunny Krytenia to see if they can finally make an impact in the world's greatest regional tournament. Their first opponents? A resurgent Legalese over at Aigburth's ArenaWest, a smart modern ground with a capacity just a couple of hundred shy of 45000. They may have spent a few years in the footballing wilderness, but we discount the Legal ones at our peril lest they give us a nasty shock (like having an Arora as a mascot - now that would be shocking). Having had the opportunity to rest his first team, manager Stuart Abdul-Rahim looks set to stick with his familiar starting eleven, with the feared strike partnership of Hutton, Hunter and York looking to tear their opponents to shreds - and then score a goal or two. Roared on by thousands of Arora Boyz in the ground itself along with a few hundred thousand in the vicinity, Bettia will be hoping that perhaps 13 will indeed be unlucky for some... well, not the ones in green and gold anyway. With tough teams such as Vilita, The Lowland Clans and Milchama lying in wait ahead, the Aroras will need as much luck as possible if they are to progress past the group stage for just the second time in their history. COME ON YOU 'RORAS!

Posted by: Sarzonia Apr 4 2006, 11:55 AM

Stars set to defend AOCAF title Fresh off their emergence from the ranks of the AOCAF also-rans, the Sarzonian second choice national football team enters the 13th AOCAF tournament in an unfamiliar position. Unlike the previous 12 tournaments when the Stars came in hungry for their first regional trophy, the Stars will come in looking to fend off challenges to their new status as the region's top-ranked side. Coach Dave Wilson said his task will be to evaluate the players who make up this Stars side and see if a team that has enjoyed success against collections of Under 21 national sides and second choice outfits can show the determination Wilson expects from those who don the Stars kit. "After our disappointing finish to World Cup XXVII, we're going to look to see who's going to have the fire in their belly to atone for that in World Cup XXVIII," he said. "That's what I'm looking for here. To see who can handle adversity and who can deal with success." For his part, Wilson will leave the tactical decisions to assistant coach Brett Hancock, much as he did in AOCAF XII. Wilson said "why spoil what's worked here," when asked why he would spend the bulk of his time in the luxury suite in the stadium mezzanine rather than on the sidelines cajoling his players. "Brett brought this team to a finals appearance when I was coaching the Hyppos and he was calling the shots when I was back with the Stars. He needs to have the opportunity to continue to show himself as a favourite for the job when I stop coaching." Hancock said he would start Dean Franks in goal instead of AOCAF XII most outstanding player Marty Tolliver, saying "Marty didn't put the work in during training that we expected. If Marty wants the job back, he's going to have to put the time and effort in like every other player. There are no superstars on this team, or more accurately, no superstar egos allowed." Wilson supported the move, saying "Horace [Sandt, the legendary goalkeeper for the Stars] worked harder than anyone except perhaps Brian [Wilson, Sarzonia's all-time leading goal scorer]. Marty's not going to waltz in after loading up on Pringles or Blue Fox Ale and expect to earn his job by default." Tolliver declined several requests to comment. The team opens its Group C schedule against Nojika.

Posted by: Starblaydia Apr 4 2006, 02:42 PM

AOCAF Back In Spiritual Home Deep down south, Starblaydia go a-hunting Yeah, yeah, we know: Starblaydia missed the first AOCAF in Krytenia. Still, they haven't done too badly in the succeeding eleven tournaments, what with winning a joint-record four of them. Remember those epic tussles with the nearly-forgotten NEWI Cefn Druids that brought Starblaydia their first Final and then their first Championship? Thought not, it was nigh-on forty years ago. Those were the days, when the too-young, too-old and not-good-enough players from Starblaydia turned out to kick everyone else's second-rate-asses for the premier Regional crown in the world. Oh wait, we still do that, right? Well, not quite. Hypocria and Sarzonia have been the two teams in recent years that have taken the crowd before Starblaydia's grubby little dictatorial hands could get to it. However, with an upturn in Starblaydia's World fortunes since losing their World Championship, a third-place at the last AOCAF - in Chicanada - has seen them seeded second for this tournament, behind champions Sarzonia and perennial rivals Vilita. As young a team as this is - Kaminsky, 18; Soperra, 18; Keifner, 19 - there is some real experience here in the form of Captain Danzir Garahildim, Heider Steffanson, Mercutio and Reynaldo. Don't forget, of course, that Garahildim, Mercutio and Reynaldo are all World Cup Winners, so they have the experience to steer Starblaydia's younglings to the title. A record-breaking fifth title it'll be, too, should it come to fruition.

Posted by: Bazalonia Apr 4 2006, 04:58 PM

Neil Kabants lead the Bazalope team to Krytenia. Their first AOCAF, no one really knew what to expect.. some of the nations where familiar but others where not. The Bazalopes did not even really know how it was structured. All they knew was it was another Soccer tournament they where entering.

Posted by: Milchama Apr 4 2006, 05:16 PM

Alexandria Times-Tribune-Post-Gazette-Chronicle-Journal-Enquirer Sports Section MFA still not sure about team selection The MFA now has one of the greatest dillemas a football association can have on its hands at the current moment. It has two competitions to go too at the same time with no competition taking precedence over the other. Both the Dragonnii Invitational and AOCAF tournaments are taking place at the same time and the MFA according to President Calvin Chintermantomantoman are, "In a big dillema which has no right answer. We are asking each player which tournament they would rather play in and some have said the Invitational while other have said AOCAF. As of right now we know this much here will be some of the roster for each tournament that we shall release today. The official rosters of who plays where along with bios shall be done sometime tommorow we guarantee." So here are the rosters for the Dragonii Invitational so far: Gk: Tuck Koolerc D: Mariosz Florfenord D: Kyoga Marcazumi M: Chuck Farenstein M: Marcus Lyles F: Floren Albentine F: J.J. Faren F: Kelvin Joseph And for the AOCAF tournament this is the roster so far: Gk: Clay Finton D: Silas Milckey D: Keith Fleesh M: Darian Flinters M: Marin Miller M: Jonny Rintell F: Marc J. Floren F: Matt Bantin F: Aaron Kary All: Kevin Grensboro

Posted by: Dorian and Sonya Apr 4 2006, 11:42 PM

Mystical Unicorns In Group D Dorian and Sonya have prepared as best they can for their first entry into the AOCAF. With an untested squad, an untested coach, and Starblaydia in the group - we have very little hope of moving on. But we wont let the players know that. Let's take a look at the group. GROUP D: STARBLAYDIA BEDISTAN LAMONI PACITALIA MYRTANNIA DORIAN & SONYA Starblaydia is a team we would normally avoid at all costs, but fate has chosen to let us take our beating from them. Bedistan - see comment for Starblaydia Lamoni. We know nothing of this squad but we are very confident they will fill us in on MD1. And they probably wont be nice about it either. Pacitalia. Hmmm.........Maybe a point - if we have luck on our side - and maybe a sniper hidden in the stands. Myrtannia. These guys talk even more than we do. That says something. It should be a great match. Predictions: Starblaydia should win the group easily. Everyone else will fight it out for second. We will probably bring up the rear unless we do put that sniper in place.

Posted by: Starblaydia Apr 5 2006, 10:31 AM

Starblaydia To Face Pacitalia In Opener - Again Fixtures not released, Team unable to prepare properly Geraint Evans, Starblaydi AOCAF Manager, has blasted the Krytenian Football Association after their failure to provide a full fixture list for the Group Stage. "All I know is that we're playing Pacitalia first," Evans, 57, said, "after that? Could be anyone. We have no idea who's next out of the rest of the group, we can only prepare so much for it." Evans, a former Starblaydi midfielder who won 48 caps for his country, declined to entertain the suggestion that the Krytenian squad would surely know the sequence of their upcoming opponents. He did, however, concede that 'everyone should be at this same level with the lack of preparation'. Starblaydia's first opponents, for the second tournament in a row, will be Pacitalia. This, once again, should be a good opportunity for all the many Starblaydi students in Pacitalian Universities to get drunk and go party, as if they needed another excuse. Four years ago this match provided somewhat of a shock as a 2-2 draw was the outcome, with Starblaydi goals from veterans Zhorin Tumunzahar and Lazaro Rivera.

Posted by: Myrtannia Apr 5 2006, 01:43 PM

Dryads Draw Group D In what will be the fourth regional sporting event the Allied States has participated in, the Myrtannia Dryads enter their first AOCAF. Sporting one of the youngest squads in the field, and little experience beyond domestic inter-scholastic levels, the Myrtannian squad will undoubtedly get trounced by the more experienced teams. "At this stage, we're not worried about wins and losses," commented 16-year-old forward Dania Figary, "We're here to have fun, get experience, and get exercise." It is unlikely that Myrtannia will move past the round robin stage, but it should be good experience for the young Dryads. In their group lays one of the powerhouses of AO football - four time AOCAF champion Starblaydia. Here's our look at Group D: Starblaydia - should easily trounce the young Myrtannians in one of those 'out there for the exercise' matches for the Dryads. Bedistan - Another experienced AOCAF competitor, though not as heralded as Starbladyia. Look for another thrashing of the Dryads here. Lamoni - Regional neighbors have never finished better than thrid overall in the AOCAF, but have tons of experience at this level. Say hello to Mr. Thrashing Number Three. Pacitalia - If the Dryads get lucky, they might make a game of it... for about five minutes. Dorian and Sonya - Another young, first time entrant into the AOCAF, and the one team Myrtannia might be able to have a good match with. Could end up either way. Predictions: Starblaydia takes the group's top spot, hands down. The battle for second will probably includ Bedistan, Pacitalia and Lamoni. Expect the Dryads to finish dead last.

Posted by: Starblaydia Apr 5 2006, 03:45 PM

Starblaydia Draw Pacitalia In Opener - Again! 'Lack of experience' cited as Starblaydia fail to win Four years ago it was too many old guys and not enough presence at the back. Now, four years later, it's too many young guys and not enough class at the front. Though Johan Keifner, just nineteen years old, was a force to be reckoned with up front throughout the entire game, the complete lack of understanding with Tommy Nixon was evident throughout their appearance together. Though Ajaccio was brought on in place of 'Tricksy Nicksy' to freshen up Starblaydia's attack towards the end, there was little hiding of the fact that in both the midfield and up front, Starblaydia's Second Team require someone who can put the ball in the net. Keifner did, however, open the scoring after less than twenty minutes, bringing a long ball down with his chest, jinking past a defender and smashing the ball past the despairing Pacitalian 'keeper. With that piece of individual skill, however, the Pacitalian team was inspired and quickly came back to equalise just six minutes later. This match showed very little promise throughout the nintey minutes, broken only by occasional pieces of mediocrity. Petyr Kaminsky had some good touches, as did Marissa Cortez and Ajaccio when they were introduced, but ultimately this game represented a Starblaydi failure. Must do better. Final Score from Oxley Park: Starblaydia 1 - 1 Pacitalia (Keifner 18) - (Charisteas 24)

Posted by: Bazalonia Apr 5 2006, 05:18 PM

"It couldn't have been better." by Nev Gould Both Neil Kabants, the Bazalope coach and JAmes Gaines, head of the BFSA James Gaines could not be happier with the Bazalopes first encounter against Hypocria. Peter "Wolfie" Hobble and Anthony Creek combined to score the first goal for the Bazalopes and the Match this was in the 19th minute. Anthony made a well placed pass to find Peter Hobble Virtually unguarded. Instead of a somewhat normal celebration Wolfie, fll down and his knees and had a quick pray before his teammates came and celebrated in their more normal way. The Other goals where scored by Michael Irchov and James Kantwell in the 54tth and 70th minutes respectively. It is good to see such a spread of goals. For now it will be a team goal effort rather than a one man Peter Hobble Show. Which will build team unity and self-confidence in all it's members. Particularily if we win like we did the other day. Te Hypocrian team scored one goal and is not really worth my time exaplaining about it. Final Score, 3-1.

Posted by: Lamoni Apr 5 2006, 11:19 PM

Lamoni off to good start in AOCAF XIII The Hawks are off to a good start in AOCAF XIII with a 3-2 victory over Dorian & Sonya. Clinton Linwood and Ted Ruder scored the Lamonian goals. While Dorian & Sonya was able to score two goals (including one freak goal on a corner kick), it didn't matter as Lamoni was able to walk away with this one. Lamoni has been drawn into Group D in this AOCAF, where they will be in a big battle to determine who gets second place. GROUP D: STARBLAYDIA BEDISTAN LAMONI PACITALIA MYRTANNIA DORIAN & SONYA As you can see from the listing, Lamoni will be facing other experienced AOCAF nations that would like nothing better than to advance to the knockouts. Of course, what AOCAF would be complete without regional rivals Starblaydia being in our AOCAF group? We just hope that their opening day draw with Pacitalia is a sign of things to come. Now we come to our predictions for how this group will fare (and forgive us our Pro-Lamoni bias)... Starblaydia: We've been in the same group as our regional rivals for I forget how many AOCAFs in a row. What normally happens is that Starblaydia ends up first in the group while Lamoni is second. Could a repeat happen here? Bedistan: One of Lamoni's rivals for second place in the group, this will be a must win game for Lamoni if they hope to advance. Pacitalia: See Bedistan. Myrtannia: Our geographical neighbors are in their first AOCAF. We feel that they will end up in the spot just above last place in the group. With this many experienced and hungry to advance AOCAF teams in Group D, they will get pounded. Dorian & Sonya: Our pick for last place in Group D. We know our Myrtannians, and we feel that they will be more than a match for Dorian & Sonya. Our apologies for the poundings that both Myrtannia and Dorian & Sonya will get. Lamoni: We will be pounding it out against both Bedistan and Pacitalia for second place in Group D. While we have more AOCAF experice than both of these teams, that does not mean that we will just steamroll over either squad. We'll also be expecting to lose to Starblaydia (AGAIN). Though, we can't wait to see Starblaydia's reaction when Lamoni finally wins a game against them.

Posted by: Dorian and Sonya Apr 6 2006, 12:52 AM

Unicorns Apologize for Not Taking Pounding By Lamoni They new we were there. Dorian and Sonya got off to a great start in their first appearance in the AOCAF. No, we didnt win the match. But a one point loss in which we scored twice on the 13th ranked team in the region isnt bad at all. Lamoni raced out to a great start in the match, quickly taking a 2-0 lead before halftime. It was the second half where things heated up for the Unicorns. In the 49th minute Audrey Susan made a brilliant steal and found Mac Brochet in the penalty area. The beautiful move that insued resulted in an easy goal and the Unicorns were back in business. What Lomoni news has reported as a "freak goal on a corner kick" was actually a combination of great play by the Unicorns and botched defense by the Hawks. How 4'9" Estrella Finau managed to come up with a header for goal on a corner kick is beyond explanation. Call it "freak" if you want - the goal still counts. Lamoni won the match on an excellent play late that gave them their 3-2 victory. But we just have one question - Where was the pounding? We know. It's on MD2 as we face off against Starblaydia.

Posted by: Andossa Se Mitrin Vega Apr 6 2006, 01:12 AM

Sea Dragons Ready To Make Noise ASMV returns to the AOCAF with a point to prove. Last time around we defeated Starblaydia with the "B" squad and held onto that last qualifying match when the Purple People Eaters managed to slip by us and send us home. Since then, we have been on a roll that we hope to continue here. 4th place in CoH, and our first WC qualification experience. Now the WC squad is here for the regional tourney and ready to do some damage. Group A is where we must try to do that. Krytenia, Spruitland, Hypocria, and Bazalonia stand in ourt way. Looking at the other groups, we got lucky. The Hyppos will be tough to beat as they try for a repeat of AOCAFXI when they won it all. But we do have to like our chances. MD1 gave ASMV a free day to size up the competition. And it was a bit surprising. Spruitland and Krytennia played out 90 minutes of complete boredom as their match ended in a 0-0 draw. And the surprise of the day saw the Bazalopes down the Hyppos 3-1. Hypocrian luck is one of the constants in life it seems. That sets up our first match against those very same Bazalopes. They will be riding high on the wind of their upset today, but we will deflate their mood and send them crashing back to the real world. We do have an answer for their one big name. We will be all too happy to introduce Peter Hobble to defensive knee-breaker, Micah Swift early and often. Clash of the Titans in that matchup. It's everywhere else on the field that we will win the match. The Banta-N'Bai brothers, Evan Evans, Pablo Iglesias, and Porche Alexander - They are all here - and they just added Bazalope to the Sea Dragon Menu.

Posted by: Pacitalia Apr 6 2006, 01:19 AM

Two goals, two points Blue Foxes get down and dirty to draw Starblaydia "One goal for you, one goal for me. One point for you, one point for me." That's the story of the evening after Pacitalia and Starblaydia opened the AOCAF tournament by facing each other for the second-straight time. And just like last time, the Blue Foxes held a crafty Protectorate squad to a draw in front of 56,603 fans at a packed Oxley Park in Everton City. The Starblaydis drew first blood on the excellent play of Johan Keifner and by the 18th minute the "purple, black and gold" were on top thanks to his footwork. But the Blue Foxes were far from done - with various news sources pitting the Foxes as a strong contender for second in a tough Group D, Andreos Charisteas came right back, scoring six minutes later to equalise. That was all for scoring as the game ended in a draw - for the second-straight AOCAF. Pacitalia now has two more crucial matches to go, playing fellow contenders Bedistan at New Osteria, and then Lamoni and Dorian and Sonya in the Krytenian city of Simpson, before facing Myrtannia back in New Osteria to round out the group stage. With any luck, Pacitalia will find itself in a position to qualify in AOCAF13 from Krytenia. Our predictions 1 - Starblaydia (3-1-1) 2 - Lamoni (2-2-1, 2nd by GD) 3 - Bedistan (2-2-1, 3rd by GD) 4 - Pacitalia (2-2-1, 4th by GD) 5 - Myrtannia (1-2-2) 6 - Dorian and Sonya (1-0-5) Pacitalia 1 : 1 Starblaydia STB: Keifner 18' PAC: Charisteas 24'

Posted by: Hypocria Apr 6 2006, 02:32 PM

Belated AOCAF Preview This year’s AOCAF has highlighted a change in priority for the HFA. Previously the full national squad would have made the short trip to Krytenia. But this time the first choice squad are in Spaam competing in the Cup of Harmony, leaving the AOCAF for the nation’s B side. That side remains a mystery to all those outside the Autocracy, and a good few within, after a careless temp at the HFA, after being given the team sheet, confused the fax machine with the shredder. Anywho . . . Hypocria (5) have been drawn in Group A, the smallest in the competition, against foes both old and new. Krytenia (7) The Jacks are always going to be difficult to beat, doubly so now as the host nation. We’ve faced them twice before. Both times at AOCAF 11. The Hyppos were turned over 3 - 1 in the group stage but crucially beat the men in cyan 3 - 0 in the semi final. A similar result in this tournament would be most welcome. But for obvious reasons the Jacks are favourites to advance. Spruitland (20) Where do we start? Hypocria enjoys friendly sporting rivalries with the likes of Bettia, Nedalia and Andossa Se Mitrin Vega but with Spruitland it’s more of a mutual loathing. Ever since the Baptism of Fire, in which the Wabbits dumped the Hyppos out on penalties in the semis, the nations have not liked each other. Look back through the record books and you’ll find matches littered with incidents, cards, brawls and plenty of goals. The last AOCAF meeting ended in a win for the Spruits, naturally it was on penalties. It must be our turn for a victory. Andossa Se Mitrin Vega (13) We do like those Sea Dragons. When they first emerged on the world stage the side from ASMV were stricken with bad luck. But we said they were destined for great things and sure enough the Sea Dragons are improving on all fronts. They had a good run in the last Cup of Harmony, beat mighty Starblaydia in the AOCAF four years ago and host a friendly tournament that looks like becoming a fixture in the football calendar. And of course they recently went to the World Cup Finals, something the Hyppos are noticeably incapable of. Definitely a side to watch. Bazalonia (32) Who? A debutant nation who look slightly out of their depth. What they need is a generous higher ranked side (fifth for example) to gift them a win to boost their confidence and give them a better chance.

Posted by: Milchama Apr 6 2006, 04:12 PM

Milchama News-Today-Tommorow-Chronicle-Telegraph-Journal-Update -Register-Sun-Enquirer-Post-Gazette-Times-Picayune-Herald Sports Section 90th minute goal sinks Milchama In a tough match the Milchama Warriors lost on a 90th minute to Vilita in matchday one. With some first team members on the team for the first time some thought that this AOCAF could be the best one ever for the Warriors but these dreams look to be unrealistic after this loss as we could not get a good offensive attack going against the Vilitan side that looked uninterested at points. Coach Patrice Thibault said, "We had a tough first opponent and we had an expected result. It's unfortunate that we lost yes but we can still come back and win a couple of games. I think we can beat Bettia next time." Now onto the match report which will only be one paragraph today: The match was a bore as both teams came out happy and determined but soon the match turned into a battle of midfields as both teams looked undetermined and uninterested in the game. Floren was huge in this part as he had a few good chances particularly in the 18th minute when he beat the Jungle Cat defender to the box before unleeshing a good shot that just missed beating the keeper and giving the Warriors the lead. Soon after the Jungle Cats attacked and almost scored through Vilkaous but Finton was up to the task. The game went to halftime knotted at nil-nil. The second half was more of the same of the first half with the game starting to open up in the 70th minute when Marin Keffer started to make some moves in the midfield for the Warriors his play was great as he led Floren to a shot but the Vilitan defender beat him to the ball. Then the counter attack started and Jungle Cats started to attack. For the last 10 minutes it was all Vilita as they had 5 shots on net and 8 goal attempts. Clay Finton though was excellent as he showed no ill effects from the World Cup as he made all the saves brilliantly. The game looked to end 0-0 but a mistake by Casey Stockholm allowed Vilkaous to slip by and score to give Vilita the 1-0 in the dying seconds of the game. Final Score: Milchama 0 (We score against Bettia guaranteed) Vilita 1 (Vilkaous 90) Predictions: Vilita- A very good team that has won AOCAF multiple times. They will be tough to beat and I don't think we will beat them. But it will be very close look for a 90th minute goal. Bettia- The aroras are another tough side and like us are known for their attacking flair. Expect a lot of goals in this shootout of a game. We expect a 4-4 or maybe even 5-5 tie. The Lowland Clans- We get these jerks again. Not only will we win by 3 goals they will have half of their team sent off before the halftime whistle. We can't wait. Legalese- We win. They might be the delegates but we are the better soccer players. It will be close though a 2-1 win though should be enough. Iksonic- Who? enough said there another win for the Warriors. As always our predictions will probably backfire except for that first one we guarantee the success of that one.

Posted by: Bazalonia Apr 7 2006, 05:33 PM

"Bazalopes Flounder against ASMV" by Nev Gould Despite performing really well in their debutant match against 5th in the Region and handing them their behinds on a platter. The Bazalopes faced Andossa Se Mitrin Veg, ranked 13th in the region, much lower than the Hypocrian national team, but still the Bazalopes faulted loosing 2-0 to the Sea Dragons. Neil Kabants. Said in a press conference after the match "There where many possitive things that we can get out of todays match, The Sea Dragons where just a better side on the day." On another matter it seems that the official Group A table has an Error in it, Using points then goal Diference the Bazalopes should be 2nd on the Table rather than 3rd. And I am sure that James Gaines will make sure something happens." .............. Back in the Bat Cave... I mean BFSA Headquarters... James Hawdon was sitting at his office drafting a letter to be sent to the AOCAF President. QUOTE To Whom it may concern; It has come to our attention that the table for Group A is wrong and has Hypocria in 2nd Place and the Bazalopes in 3rd place. However according to the rules of The teams are ordered on points then Goal Difference, The Bazalonian Bazalopes have a Goal Difference of 0 while the Hypocrian Hippos have a Goal Difference of -1. Please remedy this situation

Posted by: Myrtannia Apr 7 2006, 09:25 PM

Dazed and Confused - Dryads Just Out There For the Exercise Making a not-so-stunning AOCAF debut, the Myrtannia Dryads have floundered in their first two matchups. Already at a disadvantage due to being one of the tournament's youngest squads, Myrtannia have suffered another gigantic setback in their inagural AOCAF. The official matchday schedule did not list either of the Dryads' first two matches, which made it a devil of a time to find the right stadium and opponent. "It was incredibly confusing, to say the least - we were thinking 'wait, we only get three games? What's that about?'," Dryads midfielder Daisey Martignago commented while scratching her head, "Woulda helped if the Krytenian AOCAF commission had thoguht to tell us who we were playing and where the first couple of days, but we managed. We figure this was just a prank pulled against one of the rookie teams in AOCAF XIII - heck, it is kinda funny." In the first of the matches, Myrtannia (when they located the field) went up against Group D rival Bedistan. The Dryads' play is based on the style of AOCAF XII champion Sarzonia (after the team watched videotapes of the defending champs), but has none of the experience or talent, it seems. In a boring, defensive dominated match, the Dryads held Bedistan scoreless in the first half, and then just tired out late in the second. In the 84th minute, Bedistan scored the only goal of the game, handing the Dryads loss number one. "Like we said, we don't expect to compete against guys like Bedistan, Lamoni, Pacitalia, and Starblaydia. We're here for the experience, that's about it - plus it is kind of a paid vacation - the Myrtannian government pays our accomodation costs, plus it provides airline service. For that, we just have to go out there and play a kids' game, hopelessly outmatched against some of AOCAF's middle and heavy weights," stated defender Ellsworth Alleruzzo. If the first match was boring, the second wasn't - for the opponent. Again, the Dryads wasted three hours trying to find the stadium (luckily, they left the hotel very early) where they would be playing, and discovered they'd be playing neighbor Lamoni. Rumors have been flying around about Drayds forward Rachell Gabino being seen out on the town with an unnamed member of the Lamoni squad, but none have been confirmed as of yet. This might've disrtracted the team, or it might've been that the Dryads were simply outclassed against the Hawks. Either way, Lamoni took full advantage of Myrtannia's inexperience/inability to fight back. Almost literally running circles around Myrtannia, Lamoni took a convincing victory 3-0. To add insult to injury, the Dryads lost their most experienced forward (Gabino) to injury in the first half, as she injured her left leg severely after impacting the Lamonian defender. The Hawk was just fine, but Gabino had to be taken off the field on a stretcher. "Yeah, we took a beating, just as everyone predicted we would. Coulda been worse, I guess," goalie Suellen Kiili shrugged, "Don't know how, but I'm sure it coulda been. Can't be helped." The injury to Gabino thrusts the team's most inexperienced (and youngest) player into the starting rotation - 15 year old Deeann Massetti. She played well in her time in the Lamoni match, though the Dryads once again failed to score a goal. "Shutting out Myrtannia's footbal team is like shooting squid in a barrel," reserve defender Francesco Buvens sighed, "We just don't have the ability to stop these other guys." Next up for the hapless Dryads is the other newbie in Group D - Dorian & Sonya, losers of two straight as well. Only difference is, D & S have actually scored two goals in a game, as opposed to Myrtannia's none. At this rate, Myrtannia are likely to go winless and be the punching bag of the AOCAF.

Posted by: Lamoni Apr 7 2006, 09:40 PM

Hawks thrash Myrtannia in unscheduled match In a previously unscheduled match, the Hawks thrashed Myrtannia with a very convincing 3-0 victory. As the Myrtannian news reports stated, the Hawks "Almost literally ran circles around [the Myrtannian squad]." All in all, we feel that the Myrtannian squad has a very bright future ahead of them, despite their inexperience and youth. We remember that the Hawks made it to the knockouts in our first AOCAF. At the time, we found that to be an astounding achievement. Indeed, our 13th place ranking is not something to sneeze at. The determining factor in this match was the experience that we have, and Myrtannia does not. That is all. We'd like to see how the Myrtannian side would fare after a few AOCAFs; but one step at a time. Next up for the Hawks is Pacitalia, and this is a MUST WIN game for Lamoni if we hope to advance to the knockouts. While we are currently in first place in Group D, we can't count on staying there. Especially when we are facing a team that battled Starblaydia to a draw. Lamoni - 3 Clinton Linwood (20), Ted Ruder (40), Lance Kemble (45) Myrtannia - 0

Posted by: Pacitalia Apr 8 2006, 01:01 AM

Crucial match up next after Blue Fox victory Pacitalia downs Bedistan in matchup of friendly rivals NEW OSTERIA, KRYTENIA (PSN) -- The Blue Foxes came into New Osteria expecting a paddling at the hands of their friendly rivals in Bedistan. But what they ended up with was the exact opposite, as Andreos Charisteas notched his second of the tournament while captain Veranace d'Amantano and midfielder Mario Cine Camoranesi followed up with goals of their own to down Bedistan 3-1. The Bedistanis drew first blood as Craig Fields, captain of the Pacitalian top-flight club CF Pamagento, broke past Francesco Manzanotti and sent Cristianu Raduvani diving the opposite way as he sent the ball neatly into the net to break the deadlock early. Fields ran past the net and jumped up into the Bedistani section of the crowd to celebrate his early success. That 18th minute score was under nearly exactly the same circumstances as the Starblaydi goal in the previous match (including the time of the goal), so while fans were disgruntled with the early giveaway, they felt optimistic recovery would soon be in the air -- Pacitalia's Andreos Charisteas equalised in the 24th in the first match to hold the Starblaydis to a draw. And, indeed, Charisteas would equalise, but not until the 39th minute, when he slammed the ball home in a rocket-like strike to the top right corner. The majority Blue Fox-supportive crowd was delirious with the equaliser and were cheering all the way into the halftime period. The second half seemed to pump more life into the Blue Foxes as captain d'Amantano led his team on three excellent attacks until a successful fourth when he headed the ball into the net off a perfectly-placed cross from fellow charging forward Ambrosino Giurimano in minute 55. Fans cheered wildly as the Blue Foxes had their first lead and it was further cemented by an 84th minute goal by Fields' teammate at Pamagento, Mario Cine Camoranesi who found the ball at his feet and promptly knocked it past a spread-eagled and helpless Bedistani keeper for a 3-1 lead. "We played a great game from start to finish, save for the accidental misplay [in the 18th minute]," d'Amantano remarked post-match. "It is the reason we are standing here with you celebrating this important victory. Every part of our squad performed today, and we ended up with a well-deserved win." Suddenly, Pacitalia finds itself in a position to take the lead atop a tough Group D, probably the toughest in AOCAF13. If Pacitalia beats Lamoni on MD3 and Bedistan either draws or beats Starblaydia, the Blue Foxes will lead an AOCAF grouping for the first time since they joined the tournament. But that is a lot to happen before we see a Blue Fox team leading Group D - so the team is non-committal to that goal. "We are just going to go out and play our style of football," Giurimano added. "We are playing prime football right now, and the results are visible. We will be playing full, fast and hard against Lamoni and if we emerge with a win over the Hawks we'll be in prime position to qualify for the knockouts. We're looking forward one game at a time and not concentrating on the other teams' results until we need to." -- from New Osteria -- Pacitalia 3 : 1 Bedistan BDS: Fields 18' PAC: Charisteas 39', d'Amantano 55', Camoranesi 84'

Posted by: Dorian and Sonya Apr 8 2006, 01:23 AM

Starblaydia Proves To Be Purple Powerhouse The match today between the Unicorns and the Purple Haze at Walton Gardens proved to be a great learning experience for the young Unicorns. Starblaydia thought that all they had to do was show up and the victory was theirs. The Unicorns had other ideas. In the 14th minute D&S moved quickly down the field with little opposition from the squad in purple. Lupe Tatu found some room on the right side of the pitch and made a brilliant pass to Audry Susan near the penalty box. Susan easily beat the defender and found Melonie Gaffer alone to the right of the goal and the quick shot from Gaffer easily cleared the keeper for the goal. D&S had a 1-0 lead against Starblaydia. Unfortunately that play woke the Starblaydi squad from their sleepwalking and the rest of the match was dominated by flashes of purple everywhere. When the final whistle blew, Starblaydia easily left the field with a 4-1 thrashing of the Unicorns. "We all new this was going to be the result. Well Sort of." said Gaffer following the match. "We were expecting 4 or 5 to 0. A goal against this squad for us is a huge step forward. Holding a slight lead on this squad is a huge step for us as well. And after that we did get to see one of the best squads in the world in action up close and personal. It was a fun day for us." Next up for the Unicorns is a match with fellow newcomer Myrtannia. We dont really know what to expect from them. But you can bet they will be ready to play so we have to be ready as well. Hopefully we can get the better of them. One thing we can guarantee - They will have a lot to say, and will draw that out as much as possible to seem even more.

Posted by: Andossa Se Mitrin Vega Apr 8 2006, 01:40 AM

Sea Dragons Gobble Up Bazalopes All the talk coming into the match against Bazalonia centered around one Peter "Wolfie" Hobble. We said then that we had an answer for the Bazalonian superstar - and today we ved it. Micah Swift is the most physical and hard-nosed defender on a physiacal and hard-nosed defensive squad. Today Wolfie met Mr Swift and did not like the result. The Sea dragons put bodies on every Bazalonian player that came close, pushing the limit of what is usually allowed. The Bazalopes wilted under the constant pressure. Only 2 shots even came close and Shaun Conarky was there to collect both of them. On the other end the Bazalope keeper, in all actuality, did a great job. 15 shots on goal only resulted in 2 goals for ASMV. One from Porche Alexander in the 33rd minute and a brilliant play from Kirelenko on an Evan Evans corner kick in the 61st minute. As a result of the 2-0 win, ASMV sits atop Group A for the moment. Next up for the Sea Dragons - Spruitland. All hope is for the great defensive play to continue and ASMV move to 2-0. But Spruitland may have other ideas. Hyppo Watch After a horrid performance against Bazalonia on MD1, Hypocria rebounded to hand Spruitland a 3-2 loss. That moves our purple friends to 1-1. Now if they can just keep it going.

Posted by: The Lowland Clans Apr 8 2006, 06:30 AM

GRAHAM CITY SUN - Sports Section KRYTENIA - Well, things have gone worse for the B-Stars. Last time around, they finished fourth in a group with both Legalese, who was only one point behind us, and Hiiraan. Granted, the top two teams were Nedalia and Sarzonia, who went on to win their first AOCAF, cemeting their status as an elite football nation. But now, it looks like the B-Stars, nearly identical to their previous incarnation, have some serious football down. After beating the unknown Iksonic 2-0, which to be honest, was fairly shocking considering the Stars lackluster history against non-ranked opponents, they went out and defeat a Legalese squad that embarrased these guys last year. Quite impressive. Now, the B-Stars run up against these pesky Milchamans. Now, it's not like we have anything against them in particular, we just don't like braggers, which these guys tend to be. The last team we encountered like them was a young Vilitan squad, whom we soundly defeated in their first World Cup match. But that was many moons ago, when the Stars were a top ranked team and could easily be counted among the best with the likes of Rejistania, Bedistan and such. But now, this is a different story. The Milchamans qualified for the World Cup, while we did not. But here at AOCAF, we have a chance to make things right. We chuckled when we first read their prediction. The B-Stars trademark is their calm, collected style of play, and only one player on the team has ever actually been sent off during a game, and only four at all. Also, the Milchamans are not quite as good as this B-Stars squad. While skill with the Stars tends not to make a difference as consistency is remakably difficult to come by, this time around the Stars may actually be able to perform. Already beating the two lower ranked teams, the Stars have confidence going in. With Bettia's underperformance, we could actually qualify for the next round, which would be a first at AOCAF. The Markoff brothers have played astoundingly well, and newcomer Lucius Page has had an excellent two games, scoring once against both Iksonic and Legalese. Tomorrows game will most definitely be a grudge match. Will it be the overconfident, brazen Milchamans with ridiculously long newspaper titles? Or will it be the calm and hardworking Clanners? Let's find out.

Posted by: Sarzonia Apr 8 2006, 12:07 PM

And they're off... whoops! After an elaborate ceremony in which the Sarzonian second choice national team received its championship rings and a banner to be unfurled at Bryan Marshall Stadium in Woodstock was displayed for all in the crowd to see, it was a safe bet that many among the Stars B-teamers expected their opening match against Nojika to be merely an exercise en route to tougher matches ahead. They certainly looked the part in an entertaining, but poorly-played 2-2 draw that left Sarzonia trailing by two points in the race for the Group C honours. Assistant coach Brett Hancock, serving as the selection's field boss for the third straight AOCAF tournament with Coach and Incorporated Football Federation Chairman Dave Wilson looking on from a luxury suite in the mezzanine of the stadium, set himself apart from his mentor and coaching idol as soon as the result went final. He immediately overturned a tray that held orange slices for the players and called for a 5 a.m. practice session the next day, even though the Stars had their bye for Matchday Two. "We played like [expletive]," Hancock said, mincing no words. "Ettore Salivani [defender] played like he didn't even want to be there. He'd better get his act together or he'll find his behind kicked off this team." "Where did he get that," an incredulous Salivani said after the match. "I'm insulted that Coach [Hancock] would question my motivation and my professionalism like that. I want him to apologise as soon as he gets his head out of his [rear end]." He'll have to keep waiting if what Wilson said about Hancock is true. Hancock apologises "about once every 10,000 years," Wilson said after the match. "He obviously wants the entire team to play a lot harder than they did and he's going to ride herd on them until he gets the effort he expects from this side." Wilson said Hancock's position as the tactician for the team was not in jeopardy, saying he wanted Hancock to handle the situation much as he did when the Stars beat Starblaydia in AOCAF play for the first time in their history. "He got us over that hump, he's going to be responsible for getting us over this one," Wilson said. "I have full and complete confidence in him to do so."

Posted by: Pacitalia Apr 10 2006, 02:13 PM

Shaken and stirred Hawks rape Blue Foxes, match ends lopsided SIMPSON, KRYTENIA (PSN) -- The Blue Foxes are officially shaken up after a 3-1 loss to the surging Hawks. No, Lamoni's not really that good. Forgive our bias, but our team didn't really show up tonight. It's true. Really. We had subs on. Don't believe us? Check the roster. d'Amantano wasn't playing. Nesta wasn't playing. Raduvani was out with day-to-day injury status, so our backup keeper was in. Giurimano was the lone goalscorer. We tried. And failed, but hey, we're still in third spot despite the loss. So, it's all good. Giurimano's goal came in the 75th minute after Lamoni was already up 3-0 on our mainly substitute squad. A comeback wasn't out of the question at that point and the goal appeared to spark some life into the Blue Foxes but they just could not capitalise on their attacks and now find themselves with their first loss of the tournament. Pacitalia (1-1-1) drops a crucial match against Lamoni, which looks headed for a first-place finish unless Starblaydia can stop them, and now must down Myrtannia and Dorian and Sonya to qualify for the knockouts. Otherwise, we'll be on the outside looking in. Let's go, Blue Foxes. The best they can finish now is 3-1-1, which is still good, but hey, we could have been 4-1-0. 4-1-0. Bah. We're doomed. 4-1-0, man! Damn! Wait, did we release this version of the report or the actual one? ... shh.

Posted by: Myrtannia Apr 10 2006, 03:14 PM

We win?! Dryads Shoot Past D&S Well, this is certainly a major surprise for any Mrytannian sports writer. The Dryads were supposed to finish dead last in Group D with a winless record by most accounts. It was clearly obvious that the Dryads were outgunned by almost everyone they were going to face in the round robin stage. So far, even scoring has been impossible. After a steamrolling at the hands of Lamoni, the Dryads definitely looked likely to fulfil those predictions. Yet, somehow, the Dryads managed to accomplish a miraculous feat - the actually won. The day's match featured Group D's two AOCAF newcomers - Myrtannia and Dorian & Sonya. Both were winless, but D&S had scored three goals in its first two matches, which was three more than Myrtannia had scored. The Dryads went in missing one of their starting forwards, Rachell Gabino, who went down against Lamoni and has been confirmed to be out for the rest of AOCAF XIII. It looked like a certain Mystical Unicorns victory. Yet, somehow the young and inexperienced Dryads pieced together a marvel of football performing, and a tantalizing glimpse of what might well be once they have a couple of AOCAF's under their belts. At first, it looked like it would be the same old hat and dance, as the Unicorns scored the first goal of the game at the 15' mark. Out of nowhere, the Dryads bounced back and started connecting well-placed passes (something missing against Bedistan and Lamoni) as they found their way to the D&S goal. A shot by former reserve forward Deeann Massetti actually found its way into the net for the score. The reaction that followed was over the top - the Dryads mobbed Massetti as if she'd just won the AOCAF title for them, rather than scoring a goal. Getting a goal at all had been a struggle for the Dryads up to that point. "We were surprised - it was like, Wait, we scored? How is that possible?" Daisey Martrignago told the press, "It felt pretty good just to be on the scoreboard." The show wasn't over yet - the score at the half was 1-1, but the Dryads came out in the second ready to rumble. Massetti would set a Myrtannia record by scoring not one, but two more goals in the second. The first came on a diving kick that was supposed to be a pass but went in for the goal after bouncing off the side bar. Her next one came on a header off of a corner kick. These sent the small Myrtannian contingent of fans as well as the team into a mad celebration. Somehow, the doormat Dryads managed to score three times after being shut out twice. Massetti's three goals is a Myrtannian national record - the first hat trick in the history of ASM football. "It's amazing... don't know what to say other than that. We didn't expect to win this game, but we pulled it off. One win's better than none, I guess. We're content with just the one, I think," Massetti said after the game with a shrug. Next up for the suddenly 1-2 Dryads is the nightmare match - unbeaten purple powerhouse Starblaydia. It's a match Myrtannia doesn't expect or hope to win, as the Starblaydis are simply going to steamroll them. If the Dryads can score again, they'll be satisfied. The Starblaydis are coming off consecutive 4-1 wins over Dorian & Sonya and today Bedistan. In other Group D action, Lamoni remained unbeaten with a 3-1 win over Pacitalia, and set up a big match with Starblaydia. A match of undefeated teams, though the Starblaydis definitely have the edge going into that match on day 5. First, though, they'll have to trounce the Dryads, which is no dificult feat. Myrtannia 3 - Deeann Massetti ('22, 46', 50') Dorian & Sonya 1 - Connie Klemens ('15)

Posted by: Milchama Apr 10 2006, 04:54 PM

Milchama News-Today-Tommorow-Chronicle-Telegraph-Journal-Update -Register-Sun-Enquirer-Post-Gazette-Times-Picayune-Herald Sports Section Milchama get a win and a draw The AOCAF team has done well since we last reported. They have gotten an exciting 4-2 win over Bettia and now got a dissapointing 2-2 draw against the Lowland Clans. Our arch and original rivals were very mischevious as they drew yellow cards from 9! different Milchama players in the first half before staging a dramatic comeback in the second half after going down 2-0 to get the point. These results bring the Milchamians to 4 points and in second place on goal difference. Coach Patrice Thibault says, "We have done well. I was particularly happy about our win over Bettia it was key to beat them and now we just have to have good results against Legalese and Iksonic, the two worst teams in our group ranking and point wise, to advance. This could be hard but I have a feeling it will happen and it will be easier than expected." Now to the match report against the Lowland Clans: The game started off like most TLC v. Milchama with violence as Marc J. Floren and Kellen Markoff got into a fight which resulted in both of them getting yellow cards. (OOC: TLC I didn't check with you first but I hope you're ok with it because we do have a pretty intense IC rivalry going) Then the goals started to go as Floren again showed why he was a brilliant striker as he went around Markoff and beat keeper Ilegochios for the goal and lead 1-0. That was Floren's 4th goal of the tournament after his first international hattrick against Bettia in the last game. Then a little bit later there was some more fighting as a couple of rough tackles by Pevington and Milckey both resulted in yellow cards. That led to some good Stars offense and Kevin Neighn almost scored after beating a nervous Milckey on the wing but Clay Finton was there to stop him in great fashion. Two minutes later though it was 2-0 Milchama as Aaron Kary found Matt Bantin in the box and he put it in to give the Warriors a 2-0 lead. The score at halftime was 2-0 with a total of 14 yellow cards being handed out, 9 on the Milchamian and 5 on the Clan side. Second Half Report: The 2-0 lead soon evaporated as the Clans started to attack on the wings to great effect. One of the few problems of the 3-3-4 is that a large midfield like the 3-5-2 employed by the Stars is hard to defend against and they took great advantage of their width advantage as Jeff Johnston found Illia Krosti whose shot was saved but the rebound fell to Lucius Page who did not miss from 12 yards to make it a 2-1 Warrior lead. Milchama tried to attack again as Zar Johnson made a nice pass to try to spring Darian Flinters but Flinters finish left something to be desired as it went high and wide. That would cost the Warriors dearly. In the 86th minute the Stars against went on the offensive with Johnston. Johnston crossed the ball in too Kevin Neighn whose shot went off the crossbar. The rebound went to Quentin Bellafonte whose shot was saved miracoulously by Finton to keep the Warriors in the lead. Finton's save did give TLC a corner kick which Martin Dubeckov swung in and went perfectly onto Chuck Foster's head. His header was good but it was saved by Casey Stockholm and cleared by Johnny Rintell. The clearance was only temporary though as central defender Kellen Markoff kept the ball on the offensive half and passed it too Johnston who put a perfect pass too Kevin Neighn whose shot went right over a charging Clay Finton and into the net for the tie. Final Score: Milchama 2 (Floren 25, Bantin 39) Lowland Clans 2 (Page 62, Neighn 89) Now a quick recap of the Bettia game. The Warriors came out strong scoring 2 times in the first half but the Aroras were right with them as they scored twice themselves. The second half was the deciding factor though as the Warriors dominated scoring two more times thru Marc J. Floren to take the game and the win 4-2. Final Score: Milchama 4 (Johnson 7, Floren 34, 57, 71) Bettia 2 (York 14, Hutton 37)

Posted by: Bazalonia Apr 10 2006, 05:33 PM

"The Bazalope Hope" by Nev Gould The Bazalopes had a bye today, and instead of all the other teams racing a head, the top 2 in the group only have 4 points and everyone else has 3 points. Our next match would be against Krytenia which by all rights shoud be a white-wash and un-like our first Hypocrian match I think this will be a Whitewash. Our only hope is against Spriutland, ranked 20th in the region. We should be able to put up a great challenge up against them and we are their next and only remaining competitor. BYE Day Statistics Hypocria, despite being the highest ranked team they are performing terribly.... prediction 4 pts Krytenia, Almost certain winner of Group A. They are the hosts and will be the Bazalopes next opponets. Prediction: 10 pts ASMV, ranked 13th in the region, probably will get 1 point from a Hypocrian draw and will loose against Krytenia. 4 points Spruitland, Only us left, most likely a draw but also likely, a loss. 4 or 5 Bazalonia, us. We will lose to Krytenia and most likely draw or win against Spruitland. 4 or 6

Posted by: Lamoni Apr 10 2006, 11:23 PM

Hawks win the 'must win' When Lamoni came out onto the field, they were expecting that this would be a real fight. Lamoni was fighting to maintain their so far perfect record, and their top spot in Group D. They were facing a team that also had a lot of AOCAF experience, which should have made it more 'interesting.' What happened instead made a lot of Pacitalians shake their heads in wonder. The match started out well enough for both sides; turning into a defensive melee that no one seemed to have control of. This was the kind of game that Lamoni was expecting, and the Lamonian fans cheered when Forward Clinton Linwood scored on a bicycle kick twenty minutes in. When Ted Ruder and Mathew Lovering scored THEIR goals at thirty and forty minutes in, the fans started wondering where Pacitalia's offense was. The Pacitalian offense did indeed make a brief appearance with Giurimano scoring at 75 minutes, but then it seemed to relapse into lethargy, with the game reverting to the defensive melee that it started as. When the match ended, Lamoni came away with a HUGE 3-1 victory in a must win game. The result improves Lamoni's record to 3-0. This means that Lamoni can lose it's next two matches (against Bedistan and Starblaydia) and STILL make it into the knockouts. We think that Lamoni will defeat Bedistan and fall to Starblaydia, however. Still, a potential 4-1 record will be a big boon to Lamoni's knockout chances; giving them a match against a third place team before trying their hand on a first place team. Even if Lamoni loses to said first place team, that will still be a better AOCAF showing than the Hawks have made in quite a while. Lamoni - 3 Clinton Linwood (20), Ted Ruder (30), Mathew Lovering (40) Pacitalia - 1 Giurimano (75)

Posted by: Dorian and Sonya Apr 11 2006, 12:57 AM

Inexperience Proves Fatal D&S new that this squad would struggle a bit when they were put together for the AOCAF. The luck that had followed the main Mystical Unicorns in WC27 qualifying could not really be expected to strike twice for the second squad. So it was an untested group of unknowns that had the pleasure of trying to compete here. MD 3 brought another newcomer as the opponents. The Dryads from Myrtannia were predicted by most to finish below even us in the final standings. The first two matchdays only confirmed this line of thought as the Dryads showed absolutely no offensive threat. But anything is possible when two winless squads with no experience face off, and Myrtannia showed some flair today as they won easily 3-1 The loss for D&S can be attributed to many factors. Inexperience and complete lack of teamwork undid what the Unicorns had been trying to build. Attackers missed opportunities, Midfielders seemed slow to the ball, and defenders were constantly out of position. Confusion seemed to reign for D&S. Then you must look at intensity. Myrtannia had tons of it. The Dryad players were everywhere, fighting for every ball and outplaying D&S on every level. D&S rather seemed bored and nonchalant. They showed no focus and little desire to even play. Most looked homesick. The third factor was Deeann Massetti. The former reserve earned the right to be the Dryad superstar today, scoring all 3 Myrtannia goals. Of course part of that can be contributed to one of our own players. Horacio Wais (RB) was given the job to shut her down. He seemed more smitten by her and constantly forgot to play defense when she was near. He even sent her flowers following the match. The squad will now face a brutal practice that is designed to restore their focus before the next match against Pacitalia. If we play like this again, we might as well should have just stayed home.

Posted by: Andossa Se Mitrin Vega Apr 11 2006, 01:28 AM

Master Plan Backfires! ASMV decided that it would send the WC roster to compete in AOCAF XIII. That plan was a good one as ASMV cruised to an easy win over Bazalonia on MD2. The age of some of the normal starters had shown up a bit at the end of that match as players like Unami Banta-N'bai, Malachi James, and others seemed tired and in need of a break. So squad officials decided that the Spruitland match was a great opportunity to play some of the reserves and give the normal starters a break. Bad idea. With Micah Swift and the older Banta-N'bai not playing, the defense failed to prove as dominant. Genesis Galluccio and Fidal Vianal show promise, but proved they are not ready to play full time. Anika Milosavic and Jenni Ulrich performed much better in the midfield, but the inexperience did show up at times. Leena Draghi and Ali Devincenti showed promise at forward as well, but neither showed Porche Alexander or Pablo Iglesias' flair for finding the net. The biggest issue was at keeper, where young Jenna Jaffray proved to be no match for Spruitland attackers. She gave up 3 goals in the 65 minutes she played. The young players will improve and soon be ready to take over leading roles for the Sea Dragons, just not in this tourney. Next up - Hypocria. We really hate to face these guys right now, even though they are one of our closest footballing friends. 1 - They are the best ranked side in the group. They will begin to show that, probably starting against us. 2 - Two matches have equalled two losses for them. No one in their right mind wants to be the third opponent in that situation. 3 - They recieved a horrid draw in our own tourney, The Draggonni Inviyatii. They will be looking to pound us after that.

Posted by: Bettia Apr 11 2006, 05:22 AM

Aroras Make Cats Feel Blue Bettia 2 (York 17, Alasanne 76) Vilita 0 After some disappointing showings in their opening two games, the Aroras knew they had to be on top form against group favourites Vilita to come away with any sort of positive result, but the travelling hordes of 'Rora Boyz couldn't have wished for a better scoreline here in the New City Stadium, as Bettia put their faltering AOCAF campaign back on track with this fine victory. Looking resplendant in their change kit of blue-and-white quarters, the Aroras were quickly out of the blocks, playing the fluid attacking football that has receently seen other nations sit up and take notice. The front three of York, Hutton and Hunter soon got into their stride, and it was Latif Hunter who created their first opportunity after four minutes, turning well just outside the penalty area and setting up Chris Hutton for the shot, which just grazed the wrong side of the crossbar. That shot slapped the Jungle Cats into life and they forced a succession of corners that Roberto DiTorino did extremely well to keep out. It was from one of these corners that he set Ieuan Swain off on a blistering run up the left wing before finding Judson York in space with a well-placed diagonal ball. The Hypocria-based striker made no mistake, slotting the ball past the advancing keeper to put Bettia in front. DiTorino was forced to make a number of fine saves as Vilita showed a great degree of attacking prowess of their own, as the first half ascended into an intriguing display of end-to-end football. Hutton struck the crossbar after half-an-hour, with Warlow also coming tantalisingly close from a free kick. Thankfully for the neutral (but not for any Bettian with a heart condition) the second half served up more of the same fare, with both sides ripping into each other's defence (and also playing some football). A second half double substitution saw Alasanne and Stankovic introduced into the foray to replace York and Hunter, and the pair soon settled alongside their Vilitan-based comrade Chris Hutton. In the 76th minute, Hutton unleashed a seemingly unstoppable 30-yard piledriver. However, the Vilitan keeper was just about to fingertip his effort onto the undersde of the crossbar - thankfully for Bettia, Brennan Alasanne was the quickest to pounce on the rebound to double the Aroras' advantage. That was the cue for some wild celebrations, followed by a quarter-hour of constant Jungle Cat pressure as Vilita searched in vain for any way back into the tie. Thankfully for Bettia the defence, which in most cases seem to prefer to leak goals just to keep things interesting, managed to withstand this onslaught, and so Bettia were able to claim a vital win. This result has left Group 2 looking very open indeed, with any one of the top five still in with a real chance of claiming top spot with two matches left to play. The Aroras' next matchup is against group leaders The Lowland Clans who have looked very solid so far in this championship. The Green-and-Gold army will have to carry on from today's fine result in order to get past the B-Stars.

Posted by: Lamoni Apr 11 2006, 09:03 PM

Lamoni still undefeated, but didn't score In what seemed to be one of the most boring AOCAF matches yet, Lamoni and Bedistan couldn't score during the whole match. The 0-0 draw moves Lamoni to second place due to goal difference with Starblaydia. That won't matter though; as Lamoni is very secure in the second spot, even if they lose their final group match against Starblaydia. While the Lamoni-Starblaydia AOCAF ledger is heavily in favor of the Purple Peril, Lamoni would finish first in the group if they were to defeat Starblaydia. If Lamoni were to win, we suspect that Starblayde would be publicly unconcerned about it; but that the Starblaydi AOCAF team would lose their lives once they got back home. Especially if Lamoni were to defeat Starblaydia in a knockout match. Still, we shall see what we shall see when the score comes around. Lamoni - 0 Bedistan - 0

Posted by: Andossa Se Mitrin Vega Apr 12 2006, 01:57 AM

Sea Dragons And Hyppos Batlle To 2-2 Draw The Sea Dragons faced Hypocria today in a match they desperately needed to take at least a point from if they wanted to hold down the third position. And the Hyppos definitely had other ideas. The Hyppos came out on fire and the right side of the defense buckled under the assault. Micah Swift and MalachI James could do little to stop the raging Hyppo attack and Hypocria found halftime up by a massive 2-0 score. But every match has two halves and the second one in this match would belong to the Sea Dragons. ASMV was out to prove the flexibility of its Tidal Surge style and did just that with flying colors. Evan Evans and MalachI James both moved from the midfield to serve a more attacking role. Their void in the midfield was filled by Allyson Shade and Tomas Carrington essentially transforming the normal 5-3-2 into a much mor aggressive 3-3-4. The gamble paid off. Shade found Evans near the top of the box in the 68th minute and the resulting goal pulled ASMV within one. 11 minutes later, Kristov Kirelenko was rewarded with an unusual goal as the Hyppo defense was more worried with the quartet of Evans, James, Iglesias, and Alexander. The score had been knotted at 2 all. But all the hard work nearly went down the drain in the 4th minute of injury time as a last ditch effort by the Hyppos bounced off the post and was cleared away as time expired. The Draw moves ASMV to 1-1-1 along with Spruitland and Bazalonia. Of course we beat the Bazalopes and lost to Spruitland. Krytenia sits atop the group with a 1-2-0 record. Only 3 squads will advance so MD5 has now become very important to all 4 sides with an chance. And that doesn’t’ even count the Hyppos who can still technically get in. ASMV seems to have the toughest task to advance. The matchup against Krytenia on MD5 in a near must win match. Hypocria has to sit and wait. Spruitland takes on Bazalonia. We need at least a point in this one. Also we would love to see Spruitland get at least a point as well. That means we have to pull for Spruitland even though we don’t want to. The scenarios are too complicated to go through with the group being this tight with one match day left. One thing is clear though, after we beat Krytenia we will be moving on.

Posted by: Bazalonia Apr 12 2006, 03:37 AM

"Last Matchday; And we're still in it!" by Nev Gould A draw against Krytenia and group 1 is up for grabs. 5,4,4,4,4 is the point spread for this group. In their very first AOCAF Bazalonia might just pull an upset and enter the finals. AOCAF Soccer Fever has spread around Bazalonia as official AOCAF footballs are selling for 150 Bazs. This is like a miracle, first the win against Hypocria, 5th in the world then the Draw against Krytenia. The only thing was the lost against ASMV. Are we giant killers but can't knock down nations closer to us. Will we take over Spruitland in (ranked 23rd) or will we fall to the curse of the close ranked team?

Posted by: Bettia Apr 12 2006, 09:56 AM

Bettia Take The High Road Bettia 4 (Carew 43pen, Hunter 65, Hutton 67 87) Lowland Clans 1 (Page 30) Resurgant Bettia have got their AOCAF campaign well and truly back on track with this hard-fought victory here at the New City Stadium that has left the fate of Group 2 wide open. Buoyed by their win against Vilita on the previous matchday, Bettia named an unchanged lineup, and they started as they meant to go on with Chris Hutton forcing a flying save from Ilegochios as early as the third minute, then Judson York rattled the crossbar from the resulting corner. However, The Lowland Clans gradually got back into the game and started to boss proceedings as the first half wore on. The pressure eventually told on the half-hour mark as Lucias Page pounced on an uncharacteristically loose backpass from McKinnon, rounded DiTorino and walked the ball into the unguarded net. The Stars looked to press home their one-goal advantage, streaming forward at every opportunity as they looked to stretch their lead, but the Aroras were somehow able to withstand their efforts. Our green and gold heroes struck back towards the end of halftime after a typically swift counter-attack saw the ever-dangerous Judson York upended in the penalty area by a clumsy challenge from Markoff, for which the Clans defender was lucky to escape with just a stern talking to. Geraint Carew stepped up to the honours, crashing the penalty home for his eleventh goal in Bettian colours. The second half started rather slowly as both teams seemed to adopt a rather cautious approach, a tactic not much appreciated by the Bettian faithful. However, the game exploded back into life when The Lowland Clans were caught by a double sucker-punch. On 65 minutes, Latif Hunter was put through on goal by one of John Connick's trademark incisive through-balls, which he gleefully dispatched by blasting the ball past Ilegochios with great aplomb. Barely two minutes later, Hutton punished some slack defending to grab Bettia's third, leaving their opponents well and truly shell-shocked. It was Hutton who put the icing on the cake late on after playing a superb one-two with Laurie LeClerc, then bending the ball around the despairing keeper and into the top corner to put Bettia out of reach. This win leaves Bettia in second place, two points behind already-qualified Vilita and ahead of The Lowland Clans by virtue of scoring more goals. Rather tellingly, Vilita and The Lowland Clans face off against each other on Matchday Five, whilst Bettia face bottom-of-the-table Iksonic who are playing for nothing but pride. A single point against Iksonic will guarantee Bettia's progress to the next round, but a Lowland Clans win or even a draw in the other match could see the Aroras finish top of the pile should they beat the newcomers. A shock defeat however, will see Bettia looking nervously over their shoulders at Legalese and Milchama who, at three points behind, could still catch them. Tens, maybe even hundreds of thousands of Bettians are streaming over to Aigburth as we speak, erm, write to roar the Aroras on, and turn the ArenaWest into a sea of green and gold. Could this group be decided by Bettia's twelth man?

Posted by: Myrtannia Apr 13 2006, 01:01 PM

As expected, Starblaydis Trample Dryads Starblaydia 2, Myrtannia 0 Well, we all knew it would come to this - perrenial footballing powerhouse Starblaydia was Myrtannia's opponent on the next to last day of AOCAF XIII's round robin stage. Yet another team we expected to beat Myrtannia - and who did. It was hardly a stunning turn of events, unless you consider that Myrtannia held Starblaydia to only 2 goals after the opposition had scored 4 in each of the past two games. But the story of the day was Myrtannia's complete lack of offense once again. The Dryads for the third time were held scoreless, after a brief burst of offensive might against Dorian and Sonya. Not that much more was to be expected of the hapless Dryads. Too much youth and too much inexperience stand in the team's way of any success that might be had. Perhaps next AOCAF, they can draw a group without so many super powers of football. On a happier note, it seems that teenage love may be in the air for Myrtannia forward Deeann Massetti, who recieved flowers from D&S RB Horacio Wais after the 3-1 Dryads victory. During the match, more than one person noticed he seemed smitten with the younger Massetti. Unconfirmed reports now say that Massetti has contacted Wais about the possibility of going to one of the knockout round games as spectators, to have a sort of 'date'. No news was available from the D&S side to confirm this news, but if it's true, congratulations to both. The final match of AOCAF XIII for Myrtannia is one against Pacitalia - yet another squad the Dryads probably won't beat or even score against. Yet the Dryads are more focused on the latter. "We will score this time, it doesn't matter if we win or draw or whatever. We've had enough of this scoreless nonsense," Massetti told reporters, "We know we're destined to lose the match, but getting at least a goal would be satisfying for all of us."

Posted by: Nedalia Apr 13 2006, 08:04 PM

Lions Top Group; Advance to Quarters Krytenia - The Nedalia Lions, despite not featured on the final Matchday, topped Group C, arguably the toughest in the competition, with 7 points from 4 matches. "It is true we are playing mostly B-Squad teams while we are featuring almost our strongest line-up, but the AOCAF is widely regarded as the premier regional competition in the universe, and must be respected as such. We didnt send the squad to the Cup of Harmony this time, so my full choice of players was available this time around in the AOCAF, and I've taken full advantage," commented manager Brent Vent. With the only defeat coming against Chicanada on Matchday One, and with victories over the likes of Sarzonia (who amazingly didnt qualify), the Lions struggled on offense but won their games, surprisingly, on the strength of their defence, conceding only 4 goals. Brent Vent was supposed to retire after the failure of World Cup 27 qualification, but he was convinced to stay on by the Nedalian FA, as well as influencial former manager Randy Gamman, for one more try. "I'm too old to be doing this," suggested Vent. "But I cant turn my back on my country. The FA came to me first, but it was Randy who convinced me." When asked, Gamman claimed there was no better manager in Nedalia, and if anyone was to lead the Lions to the World Cup, it would be Vent. The task at hand, however, remains the AOCAF championship, which as eluded the Lions thus far. They've come as close as the Finals, but have not gotten over the hump and taken the title home. Vent believes that could end this year. "If you look at it, we have to be one of the favorites. Sarzonia is out, as is Hypocria. Bedistan didnt make it. You've got some great teams still in it, such as Bettia and Vilita, whom we cant seem to beat, but there is no clear-cut favorite. There's about 5 of them, and we're on the list. We face the winner of the Bazalonia and The Lowland Clans match, whom we should, on paper, defeat. If we come out of that match alive, then we got either Krytenia or the winner of the Nojika vs. Pacitalia matchup. Its a tough road, but one we're capable of taking and reaching the end of," said Vent. With the automatic qualifications into the quarter-finals, the Lions will have a few days of rest before they continue on their mission. Mission Impossible? Nedalia doesnt seem to think so. Stay tuned.

Posted by: Lamoni Apr 13 2006, 08:22 PM

Lamoni and Starblaydia slug it out When this game started, no one anticipated how it would end. The first half of the match bore this one out, with the Starblaydis scoring two goals to Lamoni's none. It looked like the Starblaydis would simply steamroll the Hawks again. We don't know what happened at the half, but when Lamoni came back onto the field, you could see that they were NOT going to lose this match. There was a fire in their eyes, and their backs were straight. Their first goal of the match proved that they were back to their undefeated ways. It was a bullet that went through the legs of the Starblaydi goal keeper before he could stop it; scored by Lamonian reserve forward Lance Kemble. Lance also went on to score the other Lamonian goal with a bicycle kick that sent the ball to the upper left corner of the goal. The game then reverted to the scoreless defensive showdown that seems common with Lamonian AOCAF teams. This draw perhaps represents the best that Lamoni has accomplished against Starblaydia in the AOCAF, and has ensured that goal difference was the sole determining factor between first and second place in Group D (Starblaydia scored two more goals than Lamoni in the group stages). Both teams are undefeated in the group stages, and will likely face one another again in the semis. Unless; that is, Vilita manages to steal that honor from the Starblaydis. With Lamoni's record against Vilita in the AOCAF, that will probably be better for the Hawks. Lamoni faces Spruitland next, and while the oddmakers say that Lamoni will likely win the match hands down; the Hawks know that they cannot afford to take this match lightly. Lamoni will be using the interviening time to almost litterally 'practice their hearts out.' That is not to say that it will be all work and no play; but Lamoni will not be caught with their pants down, either. The assesment of the Lamonian bookkeepers is that Lamoni will probably make third place, but always with the promise of better. They also say that the top six teams still in the competition are: Bettia, Krytenia, Lamoni, Nedalia, Starblaydia, and Vilita. Lamoni - 2 Lance Kemble (67, 87) Starblaydia - 2 (30), (35)

Posted by: Bazalonia Apr 14 2006, 02:01 AM

"A win in more than one way" by Nev Gould The Bazalonian Bazalopes have made it into the 2nd round in their first AOCAF with a win against Spruitland in their last match and in the end we had 7 points only 1 point shy of Krytenia, ranked 7th in the region. The match was won by a miraculous goal in the dying seconds of the match, during injury time, in the 92nd minute of the match Peter Hobble in desperation launched a long shot from just 15m inside the Spruirlandish half. The ball went sailing over the the field and just squeeked in between the outstretched hands of the Spruitland Goalie and the top of the bar. There where no other goals scored as Jeffery Constantine and the Bazalope defense held firm preventing any of the limited opportunities that the Spruitland team did have. Now not only did the Bazalopes win against Spruitland but in their first AOCAF the Bazalopes have made it to the 2nd round. With a match against "The Lowland Clans", unfortunately I predict that will be as far as the Bazalopes go, as we predict a loss to the lowland clans. Which should also have happened theoretically against Hypocria and Krytenia, but anything is possible.

Posted by: Andossa Se Mitrin Vega Apr 14 2006, 02:17 AM

AOCAF HATES US!!! Let's see. AOCAF XII saw ASMV hold on to a qualifying spot until the final matchday when Starblaydia leapfrogged us to get into the next round. Fastforward to AOCAF XIII. ASMV holds on to a qualifying spot until the final matchday when Bazalonia leapfrogged us to get into the next round. Enough said.

Posted by: Myrtannia Apr 14 2006, 10:07 AM

Show's Over, Folks, Time to Call it a Day Pacitalia 5, Myrtannia 0 Well, no big surprise in AOCAF XIII - the Myrtannia Dryads lost once again, and once again had no offensive presence whatsoever on the field. For the fourth time, the Dryads were held scoreless, which is a very simple task in football. Only Dorian and Sonya allowed the Drayds to score at all. Pacitalia scored early and often against Myrtannia, whose goal of scoring again was shattered by another truly horrendous performance. The only surprising thing here was that Pacitalia slaughtered the Dryads so badly. Previously, the worst defeat had been at the hands of Lamoni by a tally of 0-3. This time, the Dryads allowed 5 goals, an all time low for Myrtannia. "We didn't expect to win, and we didn't. If we'd have been in a different group, we might've at least scored more often. This time we were unlucky enough to be stuck in the toughest group, with the likes of Bedistan, Pacitalia, Lamoni, and Starblaydia. Next time, maybe we'll get a friendlier draw than this," outspoken Myrtannia forward Deeann Massetti told reporters lamentingly. Massetti, however, does have a date (no word on who yet) for the Lamoni v Spruitland mathcup in the opening elimination round. Speaking of the elimination round, here are AIR 4's predictions on how things will turn out. ROUND TWO MATCH E: Bazalonia v The Lowland Clans Winner: The Lowland Clans. The Bazalopes pulled off a stunning round robin in their first AOCAF, but the more experienced Clans will take them out. MATCH F: Vilita v FMJPhoenix Winner: Vilita. They are battle-hardened, and will plow through Phoenix to the Quarts. MATCH G: Nojika v Pacitalia Winner: Nojika. Pacitalia slammed Myrtannia in their last match, but Nojika is a whole different can of worms. We'll take Nojika. MATCH H: Lamoni v Spruitland (New Coalfields, New Osteria) Winner: Lamoni. Hands down. The Hawks are too talented, too experienced, and too determined to be upset here. They will overwhelm overachieving Spruitland. Updated predictions will be posted as results come in.

Posted by: Bettia Apr 14 2006, 10:28 AM

Top 'o The League, La La La! Bettia 3 (Hutton 3 66, York 38) Iksonic 0 The Blessed Realm was in raptures after a matchday in which everything seemed to go their way. The Aroras only needed a point against already-eliminated Iksonic to qualify for the second round, but the players soon made it clear that only a win would do for their faithful fans. They came close to scoring straight from the kick-off, when a looping high ball from John Connick saw Judson York racing through on goal only to see the ball well-smothered by goalkeeper Ilon Kist - however, Iksonic's reprieve only lasted 90 seconds (give or take a second or two). Bettia's early breakthough came courtesy of Chris Hutton's typical tenacity, punishing Poleda's hesitation to steal the ball and fire into the bottom corner before the defence could react. Bettia proceeded to dominate the opening 45 minutes, forcing a staggering 11 corners and 8 shots on target. Therefore, it came as no surprise when their lead was doubled shortly before the break. After gathering the ball following a brief Iksonic foray in Bettia's half, DiTorino found Geraint Carew who in turn found Judson York racing up the left hand side. Although he was forced into the corner by two defenders, he somehow managed to wriggle free and powered along the goal line before unleashing a rather hopeful shot from an imposisbly narrow angle. Lucklily for him, the ball cannoned off Kist and into the net to make it 2-0 at half-time. The second half saw the introduction of Von Bietsch replacing Ricardo DiTorino in goal, who was complaining of a slight strain - rather dodgily, all eyes will be on his groin over the next couple of days in the hope that he will be fit for Bettia's next match. Luckily for the throngs of Bettians who populated almost the entire ArenaWest, this setback didn't affect the Aroras' confidence one bit and they carried on where they left off, forcing Kist into action on many occasions whilst leaving Von Bietsch looking rather bored at times. Bettia's third goal came on 66 minutes after Latif Hunter's curling shot was well-fingertipped by Kist for a corner. Despite being a tad diminutive, Chris Hutton was able to rise up well to score a rare headed goal and put the game well beyond doubt. Soon afterwards, Jamie Kingsholm and Brennan Alasanne were brought on in place of York and Swain and they soon got into the thick of things, linking up well with Warlow to set up Hutton with an excellent chance to claim a hattrick - unfortunately, his wickedly dipping shot didn't quite dip far enough, grazing the top of the crossbar. This result coupled with Vilita and The Lowlands Clans grinding out a 0-0 draw has left Group 2 finishing with Bettia on top thanks to their superior goal difference, and thanks to this, the Aroras can enjoy a matchday of rest in sunny Davisham whilst awaiting the winner of the intriguing Spruitland vs Lamoni 2nd round match. They are joined in the quarter-finals by Krytenia, Starblaydia (potential semi-final opponents) and, best of all, Nedalia. An Aroras vs Lions final? Let's just say everyone in the Blessed Realm have their fingers and toes crossed, along with anything else crossable...

Posted by: Nojika Apr 14 2006, 01:27 PM

Panthers Advance to Round Two Nojika to Face Pacitalia First For the first time since the sixth AOCAF, Nojika have advanced to the second round of the competition. Previously, Nojika faced a consistent Lamoni side and failed to capitalize against the Hawks and lost the match 2 - 0. However, this time around, Nojika will be facing an inconsistent Pacitalia squad and has high hopes to move forward into the Quarter Finals and beyond. "Who would have guessed that we, the team that has always been called the underdog of our group, would have actually brought to life our status and move on? We sure as hell didn't," said Randy Mulder, Nojika's national squad coach. Pacitalia finished their group stage run against a struggling Myrtannia side and forced a devastating 5 goals, while Nojika finished with a 0 - 0 draw against Chicanda. Finishing the group stage in the second place spot, ahead Sarzonia who placed fourth, has undoubtly given the Nojikan men a new realization of their talents and skills. The Panthers finished with an overall record of 1 - 3 - 0 and a +1 goal differential. Rozer City midfielder, and national squad captain, Carlos Amoa said that their match against Pacitalia would be a "tough fight between two strong teams" and that "[I] believe we can defeat Pacitalia and move on, it's just a matter of forgetting about the group stage and looking ahead now." Nojika's second round match will be played against Pacitalia on a pitch they have now become accustomed to, County Ground in Dereapolis where they played three of their four group stage matches, and have begun to gain fan support in the area. For Nojika, this is as good as home field advantage gets. "We've got a job to do now, and there is no doubt in our minds that we are ready to, and can, finish what we've started." -- 24 year old striker Shayne Follett.

Posted by: Pacitalia Apr 14 2006, 03:05 PM

[ OOC: Inconsistent?! I only lost once, y'know. ] Myr-tamed by the Blue Foxes d'Amantano returns and slams home a hat trick in Pacitalian victory NEW OSTERIA, KRYTENIA (PSN) -- The Blue Foxes were well aware they needed a big win to qualify, and that their fate was in their own hands. So they came out and took the Myrtannians to task in the last matchup of the group stage, scoring early and often to down the Dryads 5-0 in regulation. Veranace d'Amantano returned from a bout of the flu which cost Pacitalia a loss to Lamoni on day 3 and a draw to D&S on MD4, and scored a hat trick to lead Pacitalia to the victory and qualification, locking up third spot in Group D. Rachell Gabino almost opened the scoring in the 7th minute for a surprisingly young Myrtannian squad, one that with the subtraction of a few players, would be eligible to play in the U21 World Cup. But Cristianu Raduvani was there, unwilling to let the Dryads take an early advantage, and knocked the ball back to the left. Deeann Massetti tried to keep the ball in but it bounced off her knee uncontrolled and past the line for a goal kick, ending that offensive play. Andreos Charisteas reversed the situation in the 14th, with the Pacitalians moving to hard offence. Alleruzzo, Boyenga and Nedina crumbled under the pressure of four striking forwards and Charisteas calmly flicked the ball to the captain d'Amantano, who deked and sliced left for an early goal and a 1-0 lead. And the goals kept coming. d'Amantano returned the favour 11 minutes later, passing forward to a streaking Charisteas who ran past a confounded defence line and slammed the ball home past Suellen Kiili for a 2-0 lead. d'Amantano notched his second on a penalty shot three minutes later and set up Ambrosino Giurimano for his second of AOCAF13 for an outstanding 4-0 lead on the Dryads at halftime. In the second half, Pacitalia was playing purely defensive, stopping all but three of the Myrtannian charges. The three charges that broke through were calmly saved by Raduvani. But to add the icing to the cake, d'Amantano earned his hat trick on an excellent play... by the Myrtannians. The Dryads were showing some good skill, bringing it all the way to the box, until Gabino attempted to pass back to defender Alleruzzo in order to seal the offensive wall. But, she was intercepted by d'Amantano, who ran the ball the rest of the way back and knocked it home for a hat-trick and the 5-0 lead. Pacitalia has qualified for the AOCAF knockouts for a second-straight time and will face Nojika in the second round. You'll notice most bookkeepers are picking Nojika for the win, and we can't blame them. But Pacitalia has definitely earned its way into the "postseason", and they will be playing at 100%, says the team captain. "We are not giving up now," d'Amantano remarked post-match. "This was just too big and too definitive a win for us to now sit back and let Nojika roll over us. We want to win and we're going to try our best." From Krytenia - Pacitalia 5 : 0 Myrtannia PAC: d'Amantano 14', 28', 79'; Charisteas 25', Giurimano 42'

Posted by: Myrtannia Apr 15 2006, 02:13 AM

OOC: Actually, Rachell Gabino was injured v. Lamoni, so it would've been her replacement Deeann Massetti. Just bein' nit-picky.

Posted by: Bazalonia Apr 15 2006, 05:10 PM

7 points and entry into the 2nd round of the AOCAF was as much as the Bazalopes could go with a defeat against Lowland Clans in their 2nd round match. Lucious Page scored both goals, in a rapid succession in the 35th and 41st minutes. It was then when the Bazalope defense managed to shut down any further attempts. This was due to an agressive defense lead by Andrew "The Bandit" Creek. He earned himself a yellow card, and nearly earned himself a red card, as he tackled Kevin Naign, The Lowland Clan Stars protested and claimed that it was red-card worthy from the referee. The Bandit made his case and the referee sidded with The Bandit. Steve Conne also managed to get a yellow card.

Posted by: Lamoni Apr 15 2006, 10:13 PM

Hawks have fun with Spruitland While there was only one goal scored in the match against Spruitland, the Hawks seemed to be having a lot of fun as they showed Spruitland what AOCAF football was all about. Lamoni held the ball for most of the match, and that was reflected in the fact that Spruitland only have five shots on goal the entire match. Compare that to Lamoni's thirty, and you can see that not only did Lamoni dominate the match, but also that Spruitland's goalkeeper is pretty good. This was like a practice match for Lamoni, and indeed; the games only goal came from reserve forward Mathew Lovering at seventy five minutes in. The Lamonian forwards had bombarded him with shots on goal, and that was when the Spruitland goalkeeper choked as the ball hit the upper crossbar and went in. The entire stadium was filled with Lamonian fans, and they cheered full heartedly when the goal was scored. Lamonian flags waved, people started the wave, and a general good feeling ensued. The Hawks face Bettia next. Given the Bettia is two AOCAF ranks ahead of Lamoni at the moment, this should be a more even match for both sides. We have never faced Bettia in the AOCAF knockouts before, so we have no real idea what to expect from this match other than that it will be a good one. The winner of the Lamoni-Bettia match will go on to face Starblaydia. Starblaydia is a team that Lamoni knows only too well, normally loosing to them, but managing to achieve a 2-2 draw in the group stages of this AOCAF. Will this be Lamoni's cup winning AOCAF? We shall see. Lamoni - 1 Mathew Lovering (75) Spruitland - 0

Posted by: Myrtannia Apr 15 2006, 11:22 PM

AOCAF XIII Update from AIR 4 - Myrtannia's Sports Leader In a relatively low scoring day in the opening round of AOCAF knockouts, there were some surprises. The final tallies were as follows: MATCH E: The Lowland Clans 2, Bazalonia 0 As expected, not even the moxie and energy of the upstart Bazalopes could make up for the experience and talent of the Clans. Three cheers for Bazalonia for having made it this far, though! MATCH F: FMJPhoenix 0 (5 on pens), Vilita 0 (3 on pens) The upset of the opening round of action. Longtime powerhouse Vilita went down in the longest match of AOCAF XIII's second round. Unfortunately for FMJPhoenix, they draw Starblaydia next. MATCH G: Pacitalia 2, Nojika 1 In a match that could've gone either way, the Pacitalians were a goal better than the Nojikans. MATCH H: Lamoni 1, Spruitland 0 Lamoni toyed with Spruitland the whole match before finally scoring in the 75th minute to send themselves to the Quarts. Quarter Finals Matchups & AIR 4 Predictions MATCH I: Krytenia v Pacitalia Pacitalia has played well recently, beating Nojika 2-1 in the opening KO round. We think Krytenia will knock Pacitalia out this time, though, being that they have homefield advantage. Projected Winner: Krytenia MATCH J: Bettia v Lamoni A seesaw battle-to-be for certain; these teams have never played each other in the knockout phase. Bettia is coming off a group win and looks good going into this game. However, the Hawks are flying high after finishing undefeated in the group stage, and knocking out Spruitland in the first round. Call us crazy, but we like the underdog this time. Projected Winner: Lamoni MATCH K: Nedalia v The Lowland Clans The Clans enter the Quarts coming off a 2-0 shutout of a surprising Bazalonia squad, which was no surprise in the end result. Nedalia have momentum too, winners of their group and looking solid and strong coming into the match. They're more rested than the Clans, and that will be the deciding factor here. Projected Winner: Nedalia MATCH L: Starblaydia v FMJPhoenix FMJPhoneix is the definite Cinderella of AOCAF XIII. They've already snuck into the knockouts, and eliminated Vilita in a hotly contested match on penalties. However, this may leave them tired, and their opponent is simply too powerful for them to stand a chance. Expect Cinderella to have her coach turn into a pumpkin, and to be sent home in rags with a lump over the head courtesy of Starblaydia. Projected Winner: Starblaydia

Posted by: Bettia Apr 16 2006, 11:09 AM

Hello from me, Huw Thomas, and welcome back to exclusive AOCAF action on the Sonastra Sports Network. We're just moments away from Bettia's crunch quarter-final matchup against Lamoni here in Mellion Lane, Davisham. As usual I'm joined in the studio by Sukatra Tigers' director of football Bryn Bloomford, and former Bettian international defender Musa Williams. We'll turn first to Musa - your thoughts on today's opponents? Lamoni? Cor, they'll be tough. First of all they're unbeaten so far, something we're not. They've been strong throughout, gaining excellent draws against Bedistan and Starblaydia, and their strikers have been looking dangerous, especially Linwood and Kemble - our back three will have to be on top of their game to shut those guys out. Excuse me? Are you suggesting that we... do some defending? Erm, yes? Look Musa, I know you're a defender yourself, but... WE DON'T DO DEFENCE, WE TRASH DEFENCE. That's the national motto - unofficially at least - and you can be sure that's what our boys will be sticking to. But if we can keep a clean sheet... Sod clean sheets, I don't care if Lamoni stick four past us, as long as we get one more than them, I'm happy, and more importantly the fans and the viewing public back home will be happy. **laughing** Well, it seems we have a bit of controversy here in the studio. One thing's for sure though, this will be a tough matchup. Bettia have only met Lamoni once before back in the first round of AOCAF 9, and it was the Hawks who came away with a comfortable 2-0 victory. Of course, the Aroras have come on in leaps and bounds since then... now we're nobody's pushovers. But never mind what us pundits think, what do the fans think? Our roving reporter Jason Golding is live on the streets of Davisham gauging some opinions. Jason? **cut to reporter surrounded, nay, overwhealmed by a throng of rather raucous Bettians, all decked out in the national kit complete with green and yellow face paint, flags, scarves, and various signs with semi-humourous slogans such as 'We're Bettia Than You'.** Thanks Huw. The atmosphere down here is absolutely phenomonal - the colours, the noise, it's simply amazing, and, as befits the friendly nature of the tournament and our country's relationship with our friends from Lamoni, the atmosphere is very good-natured. Now if I could just turn to my new pals here... sir, what's your name and where are you from? I'm Mike from Floraton. Whoooo! Hi Mum! Hi Dad! Indeed... so what are your thoughts on today's match? Can Bettia get past Lamoni? Of course they can! The HYH (Hunter, York and Hutton) will do the business for us, no probs. Bettia all the way baby! BETTIA! LA LA LA! BETTIA! LA LA LA! (rest of crowd joins in - BETTIA! LA LA LA! BETTIA! LA LA LA! - shouting so loud it starts to play havoc with the mic) Well, as you can see the mood down here is, shall we say, cautiously optimistic. Huw, it's back to you. Thank you Jason. Now the players are in the tunnel so we'll cross over to our commentary team in the stands, James Morphy and first, Lee Delemere. Thank you studio. That's right, we're almost ready, the players are indeed coming out onto the pitch, and just listen to that noise! I know we've seen it all before, the Bettian players are nearly always guaranteed a fantastic welcome, but we'll never tire of it, will we? Before they line up for the national anthems, let's just fill you in on some late team news. Ricardo DiTorino has unfortunately failed his fitness test - it seems that despite being the centre of national attention, his groin hasn't healed up from that strain in time, and so the giant Von Bietsch will start in goal for the Aroras. Apart from that it's an unchanged lineup, with Tyrno'r, McKinnon and Carew in defence, Warlow and Connick in midfield, Swain on the left wing, Abdullah on the right, and the HYH, Hunter, York and Hutton up front looking to cause some serious havoc in the Hawks defence. **camera cuts to Lamoni squad as the Davisham's local marching band starts to play Lamoni, We Love Thee** (OOC: I'm guessing thats what it's called) Clinton Linwood there, he's been on good form in this tournament... and yes, I do apologise to the folks back home, but Lamoni really ARE playing in plain red shirts... what a shame. **expectation rises on the Bettian side of the stadium as the band strikes up Brothers of Bettia.** And the camera panning along Bettian squad there - thankfully all of them are belting out the anthem with typical gusto, but not as much as the supporters - just listen to 'em... doing the Blessed Realm proud, they are. **the noise reaches a crescendo as the anthem reaches it's climax... Cry out as one! BETTIA! BETTIA!** Marvellous... never fails to bring a tear to the eye, does it? So now we're just about ready for AOCAF quarter-final action - Bettia vs Lamoni, live from Mellion Lane... LET'S GO!

Posted by: Lamoni Apr 16 2006, 06:02 PM

"Is the fax to Bettia ready?" Stone asked. "Yes sir," the aide answered. "Well then send it!" As the fax was being sent to Bettia, Stone reviewed the contents of the transmission one last time. CODE From: President Stone Lamoni To: President Brooks Bettia Dear President Brooks, As you know, our AOCAF teams will be facing each other for the right to play against regional powerhouse Starblaydia (we don't think that FMJ has a prayer of winning against Starblaydia).  Therefore, I would like to propose the following wager.  If Lamoni wins, we would like you to wear a Lamonian footballing uniform on live TV.  If Bettia wins, I will be wearing a Bettian uniform on live TV.  I'd also send you a case of Lamodka, but I have no desire to offend your sensibilities.  May the best team win. Respectfully, President Stone Free Republic of Lamoni   (OOC: I'm not having Starblaydia redo the picture of my nation's footballing kit) Finally remembering that the aide's name was Martyn, he asked him what the public mood was on the upcoming AOCAF match. "Well Mr. President, our people are behind the Hawks, as you might suspect. Still, there wouldn't be any hard feelings if Bettia won. Not like what would happen if we were to lose to Starblaydia." Stone nodded at the information. "If I wasn't leery about the prospect of going to an SAAS nation, I would even attend the match. Still, i'll be watching the match in the Chamber with the heads of the Senate and the Chamber. Why don't you come along? It certainly wouldn't hurt your career." "Thank you for your kind offer, Mr. President. I think that i'll go with you." "Good, it's settled then. Meet me here tommorow at the regular time." "Yes Mr. President."

Posted by: Nojika Apr 17 2006, 02:29 AM

Nojika Fail in Second Round, Again But in Dramatic Fashion Fans present at the second round match today between Nojika and Pacitalia were treated to arguably the most exiting match in the history of the Atlantian Oceania Cup of Association Football. At the end of 90 minutes, Pacitalia's 2 goals were enough for them to prevail against a favored Nojikan side, who were only able to produce a single goal, and will battle cup host's Krytenia in the Quarter Finals. The Panthers came out early with a goal in the 13th minute from experienced striker Shayne Follett after an ill timed tackle from Pacitalia's Nesta left Follett open to take on keeper Raduvani, which he did quite well. Not long after the first goal came did the game begin to take an interesting turn; and the next 50 minutes were plagued with red cards, injuries and poor calls from the referees. The first sign of the bad things to come was in the 28th minute when Pacitalian midfielder Angio Fradelli went off with an injury after a collision with Nojikan striker Shayne Follett, whom would later be substituted for a groin injury induced from the collision. The 36th minute saw Nojikan full back Erwin Stepter make a daring challenge from behind against Pacitalian forward substitute, Julio Barberini. A red card was shown within seconds to Stepter, and Barberini would go off on a stretcher. By now, both sides were beginning to feel crippled and the crowd in shock and awe. Unsportsmanlike behavior in the 56th minute would send Nojikan midfielder Kendall Calderaro off with Nojika's second red card. The officials later said that "[Calderaro] was shown the card for verbal attacks against players and the officials." The card gave Pacitalia a prime opportunity to bring the game to a draw. And from just outside the box, the free kick taken by Zomanali would do just that. Moments later in the 62th minute, midfielder Geronimo Falgamanazzo of Pacitalia received a red card after being shown his second yellow card. The pace of the game now began to slow as both sides had exausted all available substitutions and starters, if they were still on the pitch, were clearly worn out and ready to go home. However, the match could not end in a draw, and Pacitalia seemed to realize this more than the Nojikans. In the 81st minute, 30 year old Pacitalian striker Ambrosino Giurimano seemed to walk the ball into the Nojikan goal as a tired Krystof Kahn was unable to bend down to stop the ball as it rolled by him. And that goal was all Pacitalia needed to secure their appearance in the Quarter Finals. Randy Mulder, head coach of the Nojikan squad said this about today's match against Pacitalia, "Clearly it was a battle which either side could have won. And as I am always pleased with our performance, I can not help but feel disappointment for both sides' sportsmanship today." When asked if he will be supporting Pacitalia when they go up against Krytenia, Mulder responded saying, "Absolutely. After seeing the heart they put into today's match, I have no doubt in Zentrescu's abilities to coach his side to the top. "It would also be interesting to see how far cup host's Krytenia go before they are accused of bribing the officials," said Mulder jokingly before leaving the post-match press meeting and returning home to Nojika. Final Score: Nojika 1 - 2 Pacitalia (Follett 13) - (Zomanali 57, Giurimano 81) OOC: I wrote this fairly late, so if anything sounds a bit odd or is not worded correctly, ignore it. Pacitalia approved of the ideas used in this roleplay. However, if you, (Paci.) disapprove of anything specific, then ignore it.

Posted by: Pacitalia Apr 17 2006, 10:38 AM

Blue Foxes slide past Nojika in messy show Injuries and cards galore as both sides expend all substitutes DEREAPOLIS, KRYTENIA (PSN) -- Now let's never speak of that again. That was the mood in the dressing room Saturday evening after Pacitalia's 2-1 victory over the Panthers in the second round. As Nojikan newspapers put it Sunday, "fans were treated to arguably the most exciting match in the history of the Atlantian Oceania Cup of Association Football". And while that may be true, and while fans may be happy with the result, it was also arguably the dirtiest match the senior Blue Foxes have ever played in. Pacitalia scored two late goals to win, and will battle the host Krytenians in the quarterfinal. The Nojikans entered the game at a lion's pace, with veteran forward Shayne Follett receiving many early opportunities before Alessandro Nesta chose the wrong time to tackle Follett. The mistime allowed Follett to calmly jump over the sliding Nesta with the ball, and he promptly sent it into the top corner of the net past an outstretched and diving Cristianu Raduvani. The game was clean up to about then. Then the fouls and injuries began coming in droves. In the 28th minute, Angio Fradelli received an injured left knee when he collided with Follett. Follett himself would later be substituted, for a groin injury he appears to have received during that collision. Eight minutes later, Panthers fullback Erwin Stepter made a precarious challenge on Julio Barberini, who was in for Cristoferi Zomanali (stomach pains) at RRF. Barberini and Stepter both went off and it was lucky for the Blue Foxes that Zomanali was feeling better and was able to return. Stepter was red-carded for the collision to the chagrin of Panther fans. Kendall Calderaro was the next card casualty in the 56th, with Nojika's second red of the match. Officials explained post-match that "[Calderaro] was shown the card for verbal attacks against players and the on-pitch officials." The card gave Pacitalia an 11-9 advantage in players and an excellent opportunity to equalise. And it was none other than Zomanali who received a pass from Andreos Charisteas and sent the ball past Krystof Kahn for the draw score. Pacitalia's discipline then seemed to take a turn for the worse, as in the 62th minute, midfielder substitute Geronimo Falgamanazzo received a red card after being shown his second yellow. He had attempted to knock the ball away from two separate Nojikan players and was both times unsuccessful, tackling the player and drawing the two yellows and thus a red. Fans noted an enormous slow-down in the pace of the game as both sides had notably used all up substitutions and were playing almost blind. Both the Panthers and Blue Foxes appeared sluggish in the dying stages but in the 81st minute, Ambrosino Giurimano found a sudden opening and capitalised, kicking it low past Kahn for the winning score. "I was surprised at the level of undisciplined play," manager Lindifeu Zentrescu said after the match. "But it was an excellent game and we could all tell it was keeping both teams' fans on the edge of their seats, which is, of course, the point. Now we can look cautiously forward to the quarterfinals." Asked of Nojika's play in the game, he added, "We were just as bad in terms of discipline and missed chances, but I still think they played well. It was probably the most evenly-matched contest of the tournament so far." Angio Fradelli was cleared for the next game but Zomanali may sit out the quarterfinals in case he develops the gastrointestinal problems again. Obviously, Falgamanazzo will not be participating in the quarterfinals due to his red card, but it appears the Blue Foxes still emerged relatively unscathed in time for Krytenia. The team will take in a light practice Monday morning before facing the powerhouse cyan-and-red tonight. From Dereapolis: Nojika 1 - 2 Pacitalia NJK: Follett 13' PAC: Zomanali 57', Giurimano 81' [ OOC: Nope, worked fine for me. ]

Posted by: Bettia Apr 19 2006, 06:52 AM

It's a wonderful sunny day in downtown Pifton, a cosy little suberb nestled somewhere in the nation's capital Gabalfa. Not a creature is stirring on the streets here, nor indeed anywhere in the Blessed Realm, save for a comedy tumbleweed doing it's thing down the high street. Why? Because it's international matchday, with both the Aroras and the Young'Uns in quarter-final action. As per usual the Pie and Pixie, that oh-so-popular sports cafe, is packed to the rafters with eager footy fans. The management have spared no expense, with not one but two big screens rented out from the local big screen rental shop, one showing the crunch AOCAF clash with Lamoni, the other showing the under-21s pitted against their Milchaman counterparts. There's just five minutes to go in both matches, and - oh, what a surprise - here's George, the man with lousy timekeeping who has turned turning up late for football matches into an artform. I wonder what his excuse is this time? Let us listen in as he struggles through the crowded cafe to join his pals... "Blimey lads, look who it isn't!" "I don't believe it George! Two top matches on, and you're still late! What happened?" "You're never gonna believe this... a couple of hours ago, I was just getting ready to get out here nice and early when the phone rings... being the mug that I am I pick it up." "Yeah... and?" "Some annoying bint's on the other end... 'Good afternoon sir, I'm calling from some software company or other'... I don't remember which... We're running a special offer on such-and-such product'... I don't remember which one neither... so I says 'Look love, I don't have a computer'. She goes, 'That's okay sir, think of this as an investment for when you do get a computer'. I says 'Look, I really don't need one right now, and I'm kinda in a hurry', so she says 'Sir, have you ever considered how you could organise your life more efficiently with a computer?', so I says 'Look love, I spend most of my time on the allotment, all my organising is done in a greenhouse', so she says..." George is interrupted by a loud collective 'oh!' from the AOCAF side of the cafe - Laurie LeClerc has just hit the post direct from a corner. "So anyway, she says... ah sod it, you get my gist." "What, she said that? How unprofessional!" "No, basically that stupid tart kept me on the phone for an hour and a half trying to flog my computers, DVD players, TVs, the works, so I ended up slamming the phone down... a guy's patience can only be tested so far. But as soon as I step outside the door, the phone rings again... 'Good afternoon sir...'. I'm right pissed off at this stage so I slam the phone down and walk out... but the phone rings again... 'Good afternoon sir...'. This carries on for another half an hour before I finally decide to ignore it and come here... so, how are we doing?" "Right, well on AOCAF side we're 1-1 with about five minutes left, Lamoni scored first, that Linwood bloke from a penalty in the first half, but then we equalised straight away. A quality goal it was too, the HYH did their thing as only they know how, passing it around in the area before Hutton sticks it away. It's bene pretty tight since then, but we're having some good pressure right now." "And what about the under-21s?" "I dunno... hand on a minute... Geoff! Oi! Geoff! What's the score there mate?" "It's 1-1 here mate. Devanallt scored in the second minute, then Keffer equalised just before half-time. I tell you though mate, we're lucky to be in this one... Milchama have been all over us this half." Now it's Geoff's turn to be interrupted as the noise from the AOCAF side of the cafe get noticably louder. "Go on Judson! Skin him, skin him! Yeah, that's it!" Ali shouts excitedly as Judson York jinks his way past Darren Heasley. "Hunter's open, give it to him, give it to him!" Amazingly, York does as he's told and finds Hunter lurking near the penalty spot. Turning on a sixpence, he smacks the ball past Fleeman... GOAL! The cafe erupts as Hunter's 87th minute strike nesltes satisfyingly in the back of the net, and young Latif wheels away to salute the multitude of Bettians in the stadium who are all busy going absolutely mental in the stands. And so it stands Bettia 2-1 Lamoni with just a couple of minutes left to play, but just as the P&P's customers begin to settle down again, more excited cries erupt, this time from the half watching the under-21 match. "Handball!" Geoff and the others shout at the screen. Obligingly, the referee gives the penalty... Egryn Vaughan is the young man chosen to take responsibility... this spot kick could propel Bettia into the semi-final. The atmosphere is tense... the noise from the Pie and Pixie is reduced to a quiet buzz of anticipation, everyone praying to dear god that this goes in. A hush falls upon them as Vaughan begins his run-up... disaster, the keepers saves it! But wait, he hasn't kept hold of the ball, and now a crowd of players are charging forward in an attempt to claim the scraps. Gwrlais Devanallt get there first, he toe-pokes it... GOOOOOALLL! The ball trickles over the line, sending the Bettian faithful into raptures. The fans who have made the journey to Total n'Utter Insanity are overjoyed, cheering and screaming. Could this be the Young'Uns year? But no sooner as that particular bit of excitement has ended, attention is again focused on Mellion Lane stadium, as Chris Hutton is fouled just outside the area. As the Lamoni defence busy themselves into organising a defensive wall, the referee gives the nod for Bard Warlow to take full advantage of the situation, quickly bending the ball around the players and into the top corner to put the game beyond doubt. As two full-time whistles blow almost similtaneously, the Pie & Pixie's patrons celebrate - Bettia have qualified for not one but two semi-finals. As the regulars dance around, being careful not to spill their cups of tea, George's mobile phone rings... 'Good afternoon sir, I'm calling from...' Not surprsingly, he's about to throw his phone into his drink when his attention is drawn to the big screen in front of him - a live feed from Lamoni is in progress. "Hey... ain't that President Stone? Heh, green and gold really suits him!"

Posted by: Fmjphoenix Apr 19 2006, 06:21 PM

Fmjphoenix citizens in shock, Vikings wrecking havoc in AOCAF goes unnoticed In an unbelievable turn of events, the citizens of Fmjphoenix are angered by FAF President Kira Lyonns as she sent the Fmjphoenix Vikings to AOCAF13 without any notification to press or anyone outside of the team. Citizens all across the nation were in an uproar when they found out that the AOCAF had been going on without them noticing. But the rioting sooned turned into a freverish party as the Vikings stunned the Atlantian Oceania but eliminating one of the top favorites in Starblaydia 2-1. Playing at Walton Gardens in Simpson, you would not have known that Fmjphoenix was playing from the crown. It was a sea of purple, as the crowd was dominated by Starblaydi fans from all over. But when the match was over, it seemed that the sea had been calmed, all by Mike Nolan. Scoring both goals to tie match and win it in the final 10 minutes had to be infuriating to the Starblaydians and will probably just serve as an escalator in Fmjphoenix's rivalry with those people in purple. () With the unexpected upset and departure of Starblaydia, it garuntees that a new AOCAF champion will be crowned in what the newly informed Fmjphoenix citizens are dubbing ''Lucky 13'' in AOCAF XIII. Now the Vikings will head to Everton City to face off against Bettia in Oxley Park. You can be assured that there will be a ambiance of green and blue in the crowd for the next match, as many citizens have already left for Krytenia to see the next match. It has been rumored though that most citizens are not going to Krytenia for the match though, as they are looking for more of the magical coffee that many Fmjphonecians have grown a taste for.

Posted by: Nedalia Apr 20 2006, 07:21 PM

Lions Advance to Finals for 2nd Time Everton City, Krytenia - For the second time in its history, Nedalia advanced to the AOCAF Championship final match, defeating the hosts in a hotly contested semi-final encounter. The first time the Lions made the Finals, they were defeated by the more experienced team from Starblaydia, but this time around, things are proving a bit different. "I do believe this is the very first time a full strength Lions team has participated in the AOCAF Cup," claimed manager Brent Vent. "Normally, its been a B-Squad team with a few A-Squad reserves, but due to our lack of participation in the Cup of Harmony, we have been able to focus all our energy on the most presitgious regional competition in the world." After a 2-0 victory of The Lowland Clans in the quarter-finals, Nedalia upset its northern neighbors to the tune of a 2-1 victory, much to the joy of the countless Nedalian fans who had made the short trip to watch their squad in action. It wasnt an easy ride, however, and it took all of Nedalia's effort to gain the advantage and finally win the match. The first half was a Krytenian affair, with almost 65% of the possession going to the host nation. That also led to a goal for them in the 34th minute, but only 5 minutes later, Krytenia based striker Tim James sent shockwaves through the country after a brilliant solo effort that surely has to rank as one of the goals of the tournament. Receiving the ball deep in the Nedalian half, he advanced down the center of the field, skipping past two Krytie defenders before playing it off to the left to Nene. A simple one-two play with the left winger broke James free from his marker, receiving the ball down the center-left. Immediately, though, he was surrounded by 3 Krytie players, but one fake pass, nutmeg, and circle dribble later, he found himself free and headed towards the goal. A simple chip over the oncoming keeper gave Nedalia the equalizer heading to the 2nd half, and shifted the momentum over to the Lions. The 2nd half started with a Nedalian attack and that pretty much was the story throughout. All credit given to the Krytenian defence, who managed to shut down the Nedalian attacks effectively, but finally, in the 82nd minute, a counter-attack started by rightback Hans Lamm and ending with a wonder striker from right winger Constantine sealed the deal, sending the Nedalian fans into complete pandemonium and the Krytenian fans in complete silence. With the Finals slated to be a Nedalia vs. Fmjphoenix matchup, Nedalians have been crossing the border into their northern neighbor in droves, ready to will their team to victory. Their opponents have been, arguably, the cinderella story of the AOCAF Cup, defeating Starblaydia in the quarter-finals and Bettia in the semi-finals, two of the strongest teams in the region. Now, they face a Lions squad that has only one goal in mind: the championship. Lets see if the Lions will finally look like kings of the jungle, or remain the underachieving cubs they have been.

Posted by: Fmjphoenix Apr 20 2006, 09:26 PM

'Lucky 13' taking effect, Fmjphoenix heads to AOCAF Finals for first time This time with the match on the line, there were plenty of green and blue cheering for the Vikings. It was a rocky road, but somehow Fmjphoenix has defied the odds and crashed into the final round of AOCAF 13 not by winning in full time or extra time, but a narrow 4-3 penalty win. Desmond Howard scored the only goal for the Vikings in normal time. They were down 1-0 in the 84th minute when Howard headed a rebound from Brian Dougood failed shot. Neither team could gain an advantage over the other in the remaining minutes, forcing extra time. This time when extra time started, Dougood didn't miss his mark, nailing a good shot from twenty feet back. Alas, the Bettians returned fire quickly, forcing yet another stalemate between the teams. This did not bode well for the Vikings, as penalty shots has never been good for them. Things didn't start too promising, as Ijanaeil failed to hit his first attempt and gain the lead. Afterwards, Andrew Jenkins, Laura Boyd and Brian Dougood each matched their Bettian counterparts at 3 each. Shock of all shocks, the Bettian forward failed to make their final shot and allowed the cool-headed Mike Nolan to slide in an shoot Fmjphoenix into the finals. Now, Fmjphoenix must face a Nedalian squad looking to gain revenge for their first failed attempt to win the ACOAF. Either way you look at it, this should be an exciting matchup between two teams vying for their first taste of AOCAF gold. ----------------------------------------------------- Many fans unhappy at failed chance for rivalry competition Several fans visiting Krytenia were hyped up for a chance to face their coffee rivals. One clothing company located in Spraat has already started to produce tee shirts with 'AOCAF 13 - Coffee Gold' and 'Golden Cafetiere Wars' embroilled on them had to recall millions of tee shirts that had already been sent to retail outlets before they recieved notice that Krytenia had not defeated Nedalia and made it to the finals. Although it has not been confirmed, it has been reported that this has forced the owner to sell the company to recoup losses.

Posted by: Fmjphoenix Apr 23 2006, 09:43 PM

Its may not be the Golden Cafetiere, but it still has gold!! Fmjphoenix takes home first AOCAF!!! Noone expected to see Fmjphoenix get to the AOCAF finals, as they never had been any good in the regional play. But when the Vikings showed up, things changed quickly. Narrow wins after another lead them to the finals for the first time. Nedalia stuck first, but Fmjphoenix stuck back hard and fast. Andrew Jenkins, Laura Boyd and Brian Dougood all scored in the seconf half to lead Fmjphoenix to their first regional award defeating Nedalia 3-1 to win AOCAF 13.

Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)