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Hyppos Win In Quarters. Nation In Shock.
Brian Cahill reporting from Skalatur, Myrtannia.
Pessimism and the Hypocrian national team go almost hand in glove with each other. The build up to the Quarter Final was a prime example of this fact. The appalling record against the team from the Tropics coupled with Quarter Final exits at the last three AOCAF tournament combined to create a nation almost resigned to defeat. The passion and excitement conjured up by the Verdana derby with Nedalia was replace with one huge, collective “meh”. It had been a good run, there’d been a couple of good wins and we’ll have another go next time were the prevailing thoughts. But the Hyppos’ aren’t quite ready to return from Myrtannia just yet.
The day before the Vilita/Turori game Marcus Baxter put his players through a couple of exercises that at the time raised eyebrows but now look like master strokes. First he locked the players in the dressing room for an hour with a replica V/T shirt he’d purchased from a street vendor. This helped the team adjust to the horrendous jumble of colours they would be faced with during the match. Then he dispensed with the usual detailed analysis of the opposition. Instead he had his team watch videos of Kristofer Kilpter and only Kristofer Kilpter, ignoring the rest of the eleven entirely. And these measures seem to pay dividends.
When kickoff finally arrived at the Skalatur International Stadium the men in blue and white started passing the ball around confidently, unfazed by the opposition’s kit that seemed to clash with every other football strip in the whole world. The passing my have been confident but the men from the Autocracy could find no way through the defence of tournament’s second seeds and the first half took the form of a large chess match. That is until the thirty ninth minute when the Hyppos won a corner after Vardanyan’s wayward shot was helped behind off a defender’s outstretched leg. Sousa drilled the corner in, Ocella flicked it on at the near post and Vardanyan bundled it in. A one nil lead at halftime would have been a huge step towards the final four, sadly it wasn’t to be. A ball played in from the left found Kilpter in a rare moment of freedom and the striker side footed the ball past Lomaia. All square at the interval and we were right back where we started.
The second half started with a flurry of efforts at both ends. Kilpter shaved a post with a low twenty yarder with Lomaia well beaten while Sousa fluffed a good chance wide. Both he and Morinas seemed to be letting the fact that they were both one goal away from breaking the national AOCAF goal scoring record weigh on their minds. Soon enough the chances dried up all together as the weight of the occasion settled over the stadium. The overriding feeling seemed to be that the next goal would be the killer, and neither side wanted to give it away. In the end the match would hinge on a set piece. The Hyppos’ won a freekick out wide on the right hand side. Sousa hit a fierce in swinger and Drago towered above the defence to head firmly past the keeper. Now all the pressure was on Vilita/Turori and they had to take risks. But when you take risks you leave yourself open to counter attacks and that is exactly what happened. Drago, playing one of the games of his life, nipped the ball from the toes of Kilpter and drove it long down the field. Sousa picked it up and raced away towards the goal, leaving the Vilitan defence floundering at the wrong end of the pitch. Sousa drove into the box but instead of taking a shot himself he unselfishly rolled it across the face of goal for Vardanyan to tap in. With the scoreboard showing 3 - 1 it really was all over. And an entire nation blinked in disbelief.
The whistle finally blew and the Autocracy had beaten one of the best teams in the region and were through to the semis for the first time since AOCAF XI in Bettia.
Hypocria 3 - 1 Vilita/Turori
Vardanyan (2)
Drago
The Hyppos are joined in the final four by the hosts who overcame a spirited Demot side by the odd goal in seven to ensure their winning streak continued. We predicted a big upset and we just happened to be right, well, sort of. Nojika, who we had predicted to win, fell to a 4 - 1 defeat against the holders Lamoni but an extra time goal for Bazalonia took them into the final at the expense of highly fancied Pacitalia.
Champions Await
Next up for Marcus Baxter’s boys is a game against the reigning champions of Atlantian Oceania, Lamoni. The Hawks have looked fairly impressive all tournament with only a dodgy defensive display against Az-cz to look back on with any remorse. However dodgy defensive displays is something we can certainly relate to.
They say politics and sport shouldn’t mix but the Lamonian media, who have had an awful lot to say just recently, have already brought the region’s bigger power games into the equation. Although only after the Hawks, in the SDL corner, had eliminated SAAS members Starblaydia and Nojika did they decide to pipe up about it. Had either of those results gone the other way we can’t help but feel the subject would never have been raised. Now, in a cheap bid to gain local support, the Hawks are waving the SDL flag as they look to gun down the final Alliance member in the tournament.
We, on the other hand, can rise above such petty arguments and concentrate on something altogether more worthwhile. Statistics. The record shows that Hypocria is the one major nation that Lamoni have never beaten. In fact the Hawks have lost each and every time, that’s right, both of them. Most recently at AOCAF XV, where a fairly dismal Lamoni side was hammered 4 - 0 in the second round. But the crowning glory must surely be way back at AOCAF IX in Cockbill Street. There the Lamonians viewed their semi final against the lowly and unranked Hyppos as practically a bye to the final. They lost 1 - 0 with current Hypocria coach Marcus Baxter hitting the game’s only goal, sending the Hawks crashing to earth and the AOCAF debutants into the final.
Unsurprisingly tapes of those two games have been shown on a loop at the training camp and in the team hotel. But while the coach has been working on tactics and formations the opponents have had slightly stranger issues to deal with. In perhaps the stupidest and most obscure political statement in history a radical, apparently from Atheistic Right, has “frozen” members of the Hawk’s AOCAF party. With the eyes of the entire region glued to the action in the stadiums, hundreds of thousands of fans flocking to the country from all over AO and some of the most recognisable names in regional sport in attendance there is no doubt Myrtannia has been a tempting target for any form of terrorist action. Yet for some reason this fanatic elects to totally ignore the mass audience potential and target an elderly Lamonian and eleven average footballers at a closed training session. And for no apparent reason. You’d think he’d at least have a go at their first team. Fortunately we can all rest easily, safe in the knowledge that a team of experts, of frozen things presumably, is enroute from Bazalonia to sort the whole mess out. Let’s hope they make a better job of this then they did with the whole flag ranking fiasco.
Talking of Bazalonia, the Bazacubs are up against Myrtannia in the other semi. Another not exactly challenging fixture for the home nation who are continuing their excellent record in tournaments they host. The final beckons for the Dryads.
And there we have it. The hosts, the current champions (some frozen), former champions and rank outsiders are all set to compete for the region’s premier bragging rights. Oh, and a big shiny trophy.
This post has been edited by Hypocria on Jan 25 2007, 04:37 PM |
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RP Cutoff for the Semi-Finals |
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3 SAAS teams down; Myrtannia to go
It can now be said that the Hawks have defeated ALL of the nine other teams currently in the top ten AOCAF ranks. We don't know if Hypocria just had an off day, or what; because Lamoni won a two goal 4-2 victory over their third SAAS knockout opponent in AOCAF XVIII.
It is almost ironic that the Hawks have been matched with three straight SAAS teams in the knockouts; given that Lamoni has been deemed to have the (political) role of "leader" of the SDL. Even though there is NO such position.
Yet another irony for the Hawks in AOCAF XVIII is that the cup match will be against friends and allies Myrtannia (the hosts of AOCAF XVIII). This is the first time that the Dryads have advanced beyond the 3PPO match, and they will have to be at the top of their game in this new (for them) environment. Former Dryads Manager America McNany will be the Lamonian Manager for the match, as Manager Riyall and the original reserve eleven are still frozen in the timeless pocket universe. It is our hope that the former Dryads Manager will be able to give the Hawks the insights that they might need to defeat their allies, and win their second straight AOCAF cup.
Myrtannia has a fairly large KPB deficit against Lamoni, but we know from experience (and the large amount of upsets in AOCAF XVIII) that we cannot afford to take any team lightly, especially in the knockouts.
Even the Lamonian Eyas are ready to take on their Myrtannian Dryads Army counterparts to see who can be the loudest and rowdiest fans in AO. Many Eyas have made the short trip from the Free Republic, and are expected to fill up at least half of Halosen National Stadium; in Halosen, Myrtannia.
In the 3PPO match, an ally of both the Free Republic and the United Isles will be facing off against the team that the Hawks have just defeated. You guessed it... the 3PPO match will be Bazalonia vs. Hypocria. While we have watched the Bazalonians scale new heights in this AOCAF, we think that Hypocria will take the hosts example, and prove too much for Bazalonia. Either way, Bazalonia will achieve their highest ever finish in an AOCAF. Congratulations to them, and the same (highest finish) applies to Myrtannia.
Back to the match against Hypocria, Hawks team captain Drugah Farani scored the first goal of the match at 5 minutes in. He would later score again at 12 minutes, 25 seconds. The other two Lamonian goals came from Kellin Schmidt at 37 minutes, 45 seconds; and 55 minutes, respectively. The two goals from the Hypocrian side came from Hypocrian star Alex Sousa at 7 minutes, and 72 minutes; respectively.
Hypocrians might have rejoiced at Sousa's first goal, but his second strike was too little, too late.
In the meantime, the Eyas and the Dryads Army are already gathering in friendly throngs, talking AOCAF, making bets about who will win the two Finals matches and why, and just having a good time.
Lamoni - 4 Drugah Farani (5:00, 12:25) , Kellin Schmidt (37:45, 55:00)
Hypocria - 2 Alex Sousa (7:00, 72:00) |
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Hawks Humble Hyppos
Brian Cahill reporting from Portland, Myrtannia.
It was always going to be a tough ask against the reigning champions but it still hurts. Losing three consecutive quarter finals was hard to take but this is even worse. Because in the semis you are so close to the final you can almost touch the AOCAF trophy itself. Not so any more. The chances of an Hypocrian lifting the trophy again just got postponed for another four years.
Before the players strode down the tunnel they would have been told by the coach to keep it tight, not to concede early. So when Drugah Farani stroked the Hawks in front before the five minute mark had been reached was a body blow. But when you concede early there is plenty of time to rectify the situation. In this case it took two minutes. Alex Sousa scored a landmark goal, cutting in from the left to hit a fierce right footer past the keeper. It was his fifteenth AOCAF goal, taking him one clear of Carlo Molinari and Victor Morinas and the top of the nation’s scoring charts. The feel good factor didn’t last all that long as Farani chased a long ball. The defence stepped, the flag stayed down and the striker raced through to make it 2 - 1. The frosty look the coach gave the Myrtannian official told the world just what he thought of that decision.
Sometimes the big occasion can make even the coolest of players into the villain of the piece. Adam Bassano, normally faultless, attempted a cross field ball but misplaced it and it went straight to Kellin Schmidt who drove into the penalty area and beat the keeper with ease. It was an horrendous error and, judging by the look on his face, the captain knew it.
The second half opened with a flurry of attacking from the men from the Autocracy but they couldn’t find that elusive goal. And it just got worse as the blue and whites were giving an absolute mountain to climb. Bassano was knocked off the ball in midfield and it was played to flank and then crossed in onto the head of Schmidt, who made it 4 - 1. The goal prompted a chorus of boos from the Hypocrian fans in the crowd, they had spotted a clear foul on Bassano in the build up to the goal. A foul the officials had missed. Baxter turned away in disgust while one of his coaches had to be physically restrained from confronting the closest linesman. Sousa did pull one goal back with eighteen minutes left but as the seconds ticked away it became more and more apparent that there was no way back. The final whistle blew and the dream was over.
Hypocria 2 - 4 Lamoni
Sousa (2)
In the other semi final the hosts kept up their winning streak to beat Bazalonia 3 - 2. Which means best buddies Lamoni and Myrtannia will compete for the big trophy.
While the new (or current) destination of the title is being decided Hypocria will take on Bazalonia for the dubious honour of finishing third. Games against the Bazas always seems to conjure up nasty memories. At AOCAF XIII in Krytenia a 3 - 1 defeat to then debutants Bazalonia was the lowest point of an awful tournament for the Hyppos. However since then the men in blue and white have won all three of their meetings with Bazalonia.
But certain events in this tournament has prompted some conspiracy theorists back home to say that there is a deep political undercurrent to this tournament. It hasn’t escaped their attention that Bazalonia like the holders and, crucially, the hosts are members of the SDL and a one, two, three, AOCAF finish for the Defence League would be a wonderful PR coup. It also hasn’t escaped their notice that the Lamonian media have been waving the SDL flag with gusto in their recent reports. We can only hope that when the dust settles it’s the football on the pitch that makes the headlines.
This post has been edited by Hypocria on Jan 26 2007, 05:51 PM |
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Myrtannia Steal Finals Appearance
The Bazacubs faced the Myrtannian Dyrads and in what was an evenly matched game with practically both sides getting 50% of the possesion, throughout the game, which started off dreadfully with a kick from the centre going straight towards the goal. A rare fumble by the Keeper, Joshua Kanga, letting the ball go through by what should have been an easy save. Conspiracy theorists almost immediately started to decry it as a "host conspiracy" though no evidence has been found to suggest any foreign involvement in it.
The Bazacubs managed howeer to equalise in the 21st minute by a wonderful shot by Everrett Kang the outstanding performer of this AOCAF taking the Bazalopes all the way to the semi-finals. An excellent header at point-blank range gave the Myrtannian keeper no chance to respond. It nearly seemed like a free-for-all during this time as Ricky Yunn set up the play, however he received an injury and will have to sit out the remaining match.
There was a lot to-and-froing for the rest of the half neither team managed to get ahead of the others as both teams defense held strong agaisnt their opponents attack. However there were good chances by both teams that they managed to squander, the Bazacubs had 3 good chances compared to the hosts 2 but either missed kicks or miraculous saves prevented the score from going any further.
The 2nd half was almost an exact opposite of the first half with Ricky's replacement Lou Richards taking the ball into the opposing half and challenging their keeping with an impressive shot, Everret Kang who was the vice-captain took up Ricky's role as Captain for the entire time that Ricky was injured. However that was where the good fortune for the Bazacubs ended.
Arianna Georsophalous was called for diving in the penalty circle and was given a yellow card as she challenged the decision, however she was not red carded and so was able to play, however the penatly kick got through Joshua resulting in a tied game once again. This was in the 63rd minute
The game continued to look like from that moment on to look like it would have to go to extra-time and as the clock ticked down it looked like that was exactly what was going to happen, if it was not for the 86th minute where a freak steal from midfielder Sarita Longknife gave the Myrtannians the upper hand which they made the most of.
The Match ended with the Bazacubs heading back to Skalatur to play the Hyppos in the 3rd Place Play Off but the Bazacubs can hold their faces high they went furthers of any Bazalonian team in the AOCAF and one can say narrowly missed from heading to face our good Lamonian friends in the Final. However the match against the Hyppos will be a tough one and something special will be required from the team if they are going to win.
Bazalonian soccer pundits are predicting a reasonably comfortable Hypoccrian win but as with soccer we know that anything can happen.
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The Bazalonian theoretical physicists went over the security video footage of the incident and recorded the exact time that the Atheistic Rightist activated his device... Which also allowed them to have a look at the device that was used.
"So basically the concept is to try and reverse the polarity, reverse the flow of particles from into the pocket universe to drag them out of it. We just need to create the device."
"You got me laughing on that one!, Engineers would not even attempt this." mocked one.
They assembled a strange device that looked likethe one in the video. They pressed a button and nothing happened.
"Um, we forgot the energy source, what are we going to use to generate the 10,422,144,324,100 Watts we need?" They sat around puzzled until they solved this dilemma nothing was going to happen. |
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Eating A Bazalope Burger |
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Dryads Top Bazcubs; Final, Lamoni Await in Halosen
VANHAANEN - Even with homefield advantage and a new coach, if you asked any Myrtannian football fan whether they thought this would happen before the tournament began, you'd have gotten a pretty consistant 'no'. Now, the unlikliest Myrtannia AOCAF run ever is still not finished. It took another (as predicted) close victory to achieve the astounding result, but Myrtannia's 3-2 win over Bazalonia vaults the Dryads into the biggest match of its AOCAF experience.
"It's got to be the strangest turn of events I've seen at an AOCAF. Not really unpleasant or unwelcome, but definitely not what we expected going into this tournament," explained team captain Dania Figary, 36.
In the final AOCAF XVIII match to be held at the Vanhaanen Sporting Complex, Myrtannia and Bazalonia clashed in what will go down as a classic match in Dryads lore. Where the Dryads were repeat Semi-Finalists for the first time, Bazalonia were Semi-Finalists for the first time period. Even a solid supporting section of the Dryads Army wasn't going to be enough on its own to push the Orange and Blue to its first Cup Final.
The match started off well enough for the host nation, as another Dryads Blitz produced a quick goal. This time, it was the previously quiet Jettie Cassetty who stuck first, putting the Dryads ahead 1-0 in the tenth minute. As if that wasn't enough, the Dryads would score again twenty minutes later. Zora Leckington made a high pass to Sheron Caffoso, who connected with a nice looking strike to make the scoreline 2-0 for Myrtannia.
Bazalonia stormed right back, though, cutting the lead to one goal by the half as Ricky Yunn put one past Rosario Zlotnik in the 40th minute. The score remained 2-1 going into the lockers, but the up-and-coming Bazacubs were far from done. Continuing their momentum from the first half, Bazalonia sought an equaliser that would make things much more interesting. Frederick Hampstead provided that as he put in Bazalonia's second goal, evening things out at 2-2.
There was a very tense feeling in the stands as time continued to tick away, both sides trying to get that one goal that would change the shape of things. Was the Curse going to rear its ugly head again to stop Myrtannian progression again? Bazalonia's inspired play seemed to suggest that it would. Ricky Yunn had a beautiful shot that was just barely kept out by Rosario Zlotnik in the 78th minute.
That play led to the next Myrtannian charge, which would ultimately be the deciding possession of the match. Zlotnik passed it out to Tamar Ristaino, who herself then got it up to midfielder Marti Gabeline. From there it was Gabeline to Leckington, Leckington to Miyagishima, and Hettie with the high cross to Dania Figary. The team captain landed one last scissor kick that sent the ball into the net and the Dryads Army into a frenzy. Figary, however, also landed akwardly on her off foot after making the shot.
As the Army celebrated the now 3-2 scoreline, Figary lay on the pitch clutching her ankle and surrounded by concerned teammates. Finally, Figary was assisted off the field by Miyagishima and Leckington, to be replaced by Karan Sierer for the remainder of the match. Resorting to ball control play again, the Dryads simply ran the clock out and then celebrated the biggest win in national history.
Players in orange and white stormed the field, as well as more than a few fans, as Myrtannia had at last progressed to the AOCAF Cup Final. Coach Zentrescu looked annoyed by this on the sideline, but at that point there wasn't much he could do to stop it. A fireworks display organized by the MAFC went off in the night sky outside the VSC, signaling the host nation's first Semi-Finals triumph in history.
When things finally settled down, several things became apparent. Myrtannia's opponent in the Cup Final, of all teams, will be regional neighbor, ally, and reigning Cup champion Lamoni. Their first meeting since the group stage four years ago, both have new coaches. Myrtannia hired ex-Pacitalia chief Zentrescu, while Lamoni's official coach is apparently frozen in time with the reserve eleven. That means that newly hired 'Coach of the Future' America McNany, a Myrtannian, will coach the Hawks in their third straight Final appearance... against her homeland.
McNany's contract, according to sources close to the ex-Dryads coach, includes oversight in the selection of future Lamoni AOCAF sides. It's also reported to be good through AOCAF XIX, with an optional extension available for AOCAF XX. The monetary value is put at around 4 million Sohners a year.
Meanwhile, the Bazacubs will face the other Semi-Final loser - Hypocria - for third place in the consolation match. Despite their remarkable run, it's likely that Bazalonia will have another long night as Hypocria secures its first top three finish since AOCAF XI.
As for the Cup Final, extra security has been added in light of the recent events with the Lamonians being 'frozen' in time. The Myrtannia Defense Force will be manning security checkpoints all over the nation's capital, as well as at stadium. President Akbar-Maheed has stated that, "What happened to the Lamonian AOCAF contingent is a horrendous and spiteful act by the terrorist perpetrators. The Free Republic has my personal vow that those responsible will be brought to justice by the police and armed forces of the United Isles."
The Federation of Yihsrael, who have been fighting terrorists with connections to the regime of ex-Athiestic Right leader the Great Lion, has also pledged full support in hunting down the cell believed responsible for the acts. Back to football, tickets for the highly anticipated Myrtannia-Lamoni Final sold out early as fans from both nations grabbed every available seat. MAFC authorities report that the split in fans is expected to be 50/50 between Lamonian and Myrtannian support sections. For the Dryads Army, it'll be a shouting match with Lamoni's cheering section, though we personally feel that the Army is at least rowdier in some ways.
Dania Figary will start the match in the reserve eleven, with Karan Sierer starting in her place. On-field captaining duties will be given to defender Tamar Ristaino, the next most experienced player on the pitch. Most sources expect Figary to enter the match in the second half, if at all. It all depends on how her ankle is feeling by that point.
The final from the VSC:
Myrtannia 3-2 Bazalonia
(Cassetty 10', Caffoso 30', Figary 82') (Yunn 40', Hampstead 62') |
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OOC: Myr, did you even read my RP? I gave the timings for the goals
Myrtanian Goal(early), Bazalonian equaliser, Half-time, Bazalonian goal, Myrtannian Equaliser, Myrtannian Goal
Where as your RP says
"Myrtanian goal, Myrtannian Goal, Bazalonian Goal, Half, Bazalonian Equaliser, Myrtannian Goal.
There is a bit of a difference there.... |
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Eating A Bazalope Burger |
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As the team walked the streets of Halosen, Myrtannia in a group, they spotted some of the Myrtannian Defense Force checkpoints. Halosen looked like photos of Nephi, Lamoni (taken during the war against Novvs Atlantis) that some of the team members had seen when going through the Lamonian museum dedicated to "The Roman War," as it was called in Lamoni.
The Hawks would be spending the afternoon in drills for the match, but Manager-Select McNany figured that it couldn't hurt to broaden the cultural horizons of some of her players. Certainly, the security arrangements LOOKED impressive. They were forced to show ID's at every checkpoint; but the MDF and police forces let them pass when they realized that they were dealing with the Lamonian AOCAF team.
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Meanwhile, two couriers had been dispatched from the office of Lamonian President Stinson. One was headed for Myrtannia, and one for Yihsrael. Both were Colonels in the Lamonian National Police Force (the Lamonian equivalent to the RL FBI); and both had a message from President Stinson allowing the Colonels to be the Lamonian police liasons to the respective host nation if said host nation agreed to it. That way, the powers that be in the Free Republic could keep track of the hunt of the followers of the Great Lion. The freezing of the Lamonian AOCAF Reserves had swung public opionion enough to bring determination to "neutralize" the old school Rightist threat. Any Lamonian intelligence on the Rightists would be forwarded to both Myrtannia and Yihsrael, for rapid action.
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While this was going on, the Lamonian AOCAF team had finally reached the practice facility, to see that the security even extended here. They had to show their IDs again before they were admitted into the building. When they passed by the CCTV control room, they heard yelling from the Bazalonian scientists about where they were going to be able to find the 10,422,144,324,100 Watts that they felt that they were going to need. Frustrated watching the Bazalonians argue, team captain Farani picked up his cell phone; saw that he still had service here, and called his father in the Lamonian Chamber of Deputies.
Chamberlain Farani was enjoying a rare moment of quiet when the phone call from his son came in. The Chamberlain (Chamberlain is the title of those in the Lamonian Chamber of Deputies, if you couldn't tell) cursed, and then picked up the phone. His expression brightened considerably when he realized who was calling him. His son was his only living connection to his deceased wife, Antonia Farani. She had died in an automobile collision with a drunk driver. The drunk got life in prison, but that would not bring back his wife, the Chamberlain realized.
"Drugah," the Chamberlain began, "it's so nice to hear from you! And your team is in the AOCAF XVIII finals despite that Rightist madman! How are things?"
Slightly embarrassed, Drugah told his father about what the Bazalonian scientists were attempting to do, but that they said that they needed a way to generate 10,422,144,324,100 Watts of electricity. The Bazalonians were seemingly not going to be able to do anything without all that electrical power, and Drugah wanted his teammates freed from the pocket universe.
"Drugah, I have no idea how we are going to be able to generate that much electrical power, but let me call the Myrtannian Foreign Ministry, and the Bazalonian DFAT about this. I'll get back to you when i've heard from them."
With that, the call ended.
This post has been edited by Lamoni on Jan 27 2007, 02:26 AM |
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| QUOTE (Bazalonia @ Jan 26 2007, 07:40 PM) | OOC: Myr, did you even read my RP? I gave the timings for the goals
Myrtanian Goal(early), Bazalonian equaliser, Half-time, Bazalonian goal, Myrtannian Equaliser, Myrtannian Goal
Where as your RP says
"Myrtanian goal, Myrtannian Goal, Bazalonian Goal, Half, Bazalonian Equaliser, Myrtannian Goal.
There is a bit of a difference there.... |
OOC: Yeah, what happened is that we were both posting at the same time. I realized the discrepancy between the posts when I went back and read your post. Here, then, is the correction.
IC: The Halosen News-Times regrets a series of errors made regarding the Bazalonia/Myrtannia semi-final match. Those responsible for them have been sacked. Here is the correct scoreline:
Myrtannia 3-2 Bazalonia
(Cassetty 7', Caffoso 63', Figary 87') (Kang 21', Richards* 55')
*Records are uncertain whether the second Bazalonian goal was scored by Lou Richrads or Everett Kang.
In addition, the News-Times wishes to correct the description of the manner in which the final two Myrtannian goals were scored. Sheron Caffoso scored on a penalty kick, rather than a normal goal. Figary's goal was scored as described, but with the play set up by a steal by Sarita Longknife, not a save by Rosario Zlotnik. We apologize for the errors.
*****************
In Halosen, the scene was unlike anything seen since the days of the full scale conflict against the old Rightist regime the Great Lion had run. MDF troops hadn't been mobilized at such a level since the delayed offensive into the now former AR. With the re-establishment of AR as a democratic nation all the way on the other side of the region, it'd been thought that maybe Yihsrael and Myrtannia would get some peace and quiet. Not so.
With the bizzare terrorist strike against the Lamonian AOCAF contingent, the stadia in Myrtannia were under as heavy guard as was possible. President Akbar-Maheed didn't intend for another event to ruin the culmination of Myrtannia's AOCAF hosting job. The government's troopers were a bit edgy, and had caused some annoyance by double-checking IDs and such. Better safe than sorry, right?
Observing all of the security precautions was a handful of Yihsraeli Special Forces officers, brought in because of their expertise in dealing with Great Lion loyalists. The YSF had been fighting the likes of the loyalists since the assassination of ex-Lamonian president Stone in Yerushalayim. While some headway had been made, and at least one cell seemed to becoming increasingly desparate for recruits, the enemy was still out there.
*****
Meanwhile, the Lamonian police colonels were expected in both Myrtannia and Yihsrael. The one headed for Halosen would be directed to the command building of the Federal Department of Investigation (FDI). FDI director Lissa Kotonski, formerly the chief of the Vanhaanen Police Department, would certainly be eager to meet with the man.
In Yerushalayim, there was no official federal police force, per se. The Yerushalayim Police Bureau was in charge of the metropolitan area's policing, but matters like Great Lion devotees wasn't exactly their normal cup of tea. While the YPB had an anti-terrorism task force, the main anti-terror organization would be the Yihsraeli Army and Special Forces. There was, of course, the Mossad - the government's still-growing espionage and intelligence service. For now, it was likely that the Lamonian colonel would be working with the Army or Special Forces, with Mossad observers... including the Director for Anti-Terrorism Operations, Valentine Muskopf. |
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Coach To Step Down
There are times when coaches of the Autocracy’s national side can seemingly do nothing right. No matter what their achievements. Former Starblaydi national coach Guylain N’Dumbu-Nsungu took the Hyppos to the final of the AOCAF at the very first attempt but now his time in charge is seen as a failure. Sarzonian Dave Wilson actually won the World Cup before his arrival at the helm and promptly led the side to AOCAF triumph. But he too never gave the fans what they really wanted, success in the World Cup. And after another poor qualification run Wilson followed Guylain out the door. Marcus Baxter is a different case entirely.
Baxter was already a living legend amongst the blue and white army following his international playing career in which he gained a national record 145 caps. He first came to prominence as captain of the Under-21 side and made his debut at Under-21 World Cup 15 against Sarzonia. A call up to the senior side was inevitable and for nearly two decades he was the beating heart of the side with his wonderful array of passing in the middle of the park.
When his playing career ended he could have walked away from the game, his status as a national hero secure. But that wasn’t to be the case and after hanging up his boots for the last time Baxter moved quickly into coaching and had spells in charge of the Under-21 side, the national academy and as assistant coach of the senior side. When Alex Santoro stepped down as coach of the seniors in the wake of the quarter final defeat to Krytenia at AOCAF XV it was Baxter who got the call to replace him.
It was always going to be a gamble as history shows that it doesn’t take a lot for national coaches to go from heroes to villains. But at the AOCAF, the only international tournament the nation now competed in, in Lamoni he got off to a wonderful start with his side hammering Neu Amerika 5 - 0. They would go on to reach the quarter final. As they would again four years later.
Despite the two disappointments the fans stayed on his side, delighted he had stuck with the attacking style of his predecessor. Although his sides might not always win they certainly gave good value for money. And at the current tournament in Myrtannia Baxter led the men in blue and white to the final four for the first time in over a quarter of a century. And although he won’t have the opportunity to repeat what he did as a player and lift the trophy as a coach it’s still been a return to form for the national side.
And Baxter clearly feels that the time is right to step aside and let someone else have a go. With his contract set to expire after the competition and no sign of a new deal on the horizon the rumours had already started but the coach has now officially confirmed the third place playoff match will be his last game in charge, with Director of Elite Football Javi Chavez the bookie’s favourite to take over after the tournament. While the FAH plan for the future Baxter will be looking for his players to send him out on a high.
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RP Cutoff for Final Matches |
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The Bazalonian DFAT had no idea of any known substance that could provide the insane levels of power that the Theoretical physcists claimed they needed to bring the Lamonian reserves back from this alternate mini universe with no time.
They could not just indescriminately use the energy to destroy it (even if they had it) because destruction of the mini-universe would result in the destruction of those inside and that was outside of the parameters of the exercise. However they have the device that should theoretically work but is practically untested all they need is a power source.
The discussion among the Theoretical Physicists went to "What power source would the Atheistic Rightists have theoretical access too?"
Answers where farly stock answers nuclear, wind, solar, tidal, gravitational, geothermic.. etc any number of sources of electricty. However none of these would provide anywhere near the power needed and would require hundreds of years of charging just for one shot.
Then a suggestion came right out of left wing from one of the theoretical physicists that had been not participating in the discussion. "What about power from emotions? Emotions are certainly a driving force in much behaviour. What if they harnessed that energy and funneled it into a tiny ball of rage which broke out of it's shell and provided the energy to trap these guys in the timeless mini-universe?"
The others where standing around flabagasted they had never thought about that before... emotion fueled power... a certainly potent and theoretically possible power source. How to harness it though?
After some classified happenings for a few days things happened and the Theoretical physicists announced success they had charged a power module with enough emotional power to bring the reserves back.
They pressed the button and there was a breaking sound as the emotional power was released bringing the reserves back into the real world. The Lamonian's had been recovered and all the people that was frozen where now unfrozen even the gaurds.
How just hours later a bill was rushed through the Bazalonian government banning research into emotional power and all research conducted by the theoretical physicists to be destroyed. There where unforeseen consequences that resulted from the research and only people as crazy as the old-school rightists would even consider making further use of this technology.
OOC: Myrtannia has asked me to scorinate the final between him and Lamoni. I'll scorinate once I get the details from both Myr and Lamoni |
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Bazalonia |
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Eating A Bazalope Burger |
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Houston, the Hawks got another trophy!
With a final score of 3-1, the Lamoni Hawks have received their second AOCAF cup; and also their second AOCAF cup in a row.
Lamonian fans were seen dancing jubilantly in the streets as the final whistle sounded in Halosen National Stadium in Myrtannia. Equally as momentous, the Bazalonian Theoretical Physicists had freed the Lamonian reserves, Manager, and some security gaurds from the timeless pocket universe that they had been stuck in since before the knockout match against Hypocria. Aside from some confusion as to why everyone in attendance was cheering when they were freed; all was well. When the newly freed reserves heard that the Hawks had won their second AOCAF cup, they joined in the celebration with a small amount of Lamodka each.
Back on the pitch, the Lamonian players shook hands with their Myrtannian opponents while the Eyas were cheering so loudly that the stands were shaking. A rousing (and loud) rendition of the Lamonian national anthem spontaneously began as the Hawks accepted the AOCAF XVIII cup; and it was truly an occasion to behold.
Manager Riyall quietly filed his retirement papers sometime afterward, and now Manger America McNany will take over his vacant spot.
Lamoni - 3
Myrtannia - 1
This post has been edited by Lamoni on Jan 28 2007, 12:25 AM |
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Democratic Maniac |
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Saganyarov starts tenure as new Blue Foxes coach by lobbying accusations
Pacitalian manager asks FdFP and UAOFA officials to investigate match-fixing by Myrtannian hosts
TIMIOCATO (PSN) -- Back in the home country after another humiliating early exit from the Atlantian Oceanian Championship of Association Football, newly-minted Blue Foxes manager Sergei "The Bear" Saganyarov didn't waste any time in creating some more controversy at the AOCAF competition, this time accusing the Myrtannian hosts, and their Lamonian backup officiators, of systematic match-fixing and conspiracy, on the heels of complaints or concerns from several Pacitalian, Nojikan, Manhattanite, Bedistani, Vilitan, Starblaydi and Az-Czan football aficionados.
Since the accusations have been leveled by numerous fans, and concerned adorers of the sport, the Pacitalian media have jumped on the bandwagon, dubbing the unfolding scandal Lammyrgate after the two nations accused. It follows a trend lasting from AOCAF17, when Krytenia's mishandling of statistics led to a miscalculation in the official regional rankings and also to the screw-up's naming, Krytergate.
Several football associations, including the Pacitalian body (Federazione di Futaboli Pacitaliana, headquartered in Timiocato) had raised issue with the MAFC prior to the vote to select a host, remarking that the finishes of Myrtannian teams in various sporting events held by Allied States organisers were "very suspicious", especially when "the level of talent present on Myrtannian squads rarely, if ever, corresponded to the final results". Myrtannia gave an explanation in return that didn't apparently satisfy much of the region's football associations, but nonetheless the Myrtannians edged Az-Cz by a vote for the right to host AOCAF18.
Saganyarov says officials, referees and the Myrtannian Association of Football Clubs, the national body of the sport in the Allied States and the organisation directly responsible for managing AOCAF18, conspired against higher-ranked teams in order to give the home squad a better chance at securing at least a top-three finish.
"There's just no way in hell that Starblaydia, Vilita and Turori, Bettia, Hypocria and Nedalia, let alone our own squad, could have all dropped the ball, as it were, on this one," Saganyarov, an expatriate of the United Kingdom of Oceania, said in a press scrum at the Blue Foxes training facility Thursday. "No way at all - for six top-ten teams, save Krytenia for not participating and Lamoni because they're mates of the Myrtannians, it's just terribly unrealistic. I'm not saying the cup had our name on it - we definitely had a good shot at it, yes - but there's just no plausible explanation for so many great squads coming through and then dropping out of the skies in the second round and quarterfinals.
"It's debatable whether Myrtannia would have coasted so effortlessly through the group stage and the knockouts if the tournament were under any other host's control," he added, hinting that the MAFC's use of Lamonian officiating staff in their own matches was "nothing but a poor attempt to try and deflect suspicion about any bias on [the Myrtannians'] part." But, he said, "Lamoni, being perhaps the Myrtannians' greatest and most trustworthy friends and allies, would be the last nation I, personally, would use as a backup officiator, especially if I were trying to allay suspicion or concern about bias."
Saganyarov also had a few things to say about the Myrtannian "excuses" that home-pitch advantage and tradition had anything to do with the Dryads' success this time around.
"All these claims of 'home-pitch advantage' and 'just following tradition of the hosts always doing well in their own tournaments' are bollocks," he said. "There's no such thing as home-pitch advantage in a tournament of this scope - the fan support in these matches are always close to, or exactly, 50-50 split down the middle, even if the host is playing, and this is especially true in the group stage. To say the host nation's squad is automatically and especially qualified to do well in its own tournament is traditional is crap, I've never heard that.
"Any manager, executive or player that truly believes that needs to be slapped upside the head," Saganyarov added. "It's bloody ridiculous."
Saganyarov is advocating a minimum three-tournament suspension for the MAFC and the Dryads while similarly advocating a one-tournament suspension for the Lamonian football association. He also says AOCAF participants should band together to boycott the AOCAF18 results in protest of match-fixers, and that the three-tournament ban should be standard for anyone who chooses to meddle with the process of fairness in sport in future.
However, the new Blue Foxes manager was quick to point out that people shouldn't take away from the Hawks' victory when all was said and done. "If they made it to the final fair and square, good on them. The players deserved to win and we congratulate them for defending a title. But honestly... first of all, if this is a true case of match-fixing and conspiracy, we should boycott the results of this past championship, because [the players] would have had plenty of help getting to the final and that's clearly an uncomparable advantage. I think we should send the offenders to the corner to think about what they've done. We should throw the book at them. And, second of all, the Myrtannian squad shouldn't even have been on the map in this one - fairytale and Cinderella stories be damned."
Union of Atlantian Oceanian Football Associations (UAOFA) executives said they would "investigate the matter" while the FdFP said they would defer any suspicions to the UAOFA for the time being. FdFP president Ramón Mina declined comment on the matter.
This post has been edited by Pacitalia on Feb 1 2007, 11:27 PM |
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The best place on earth. |
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OOC: I ran all of the results of Myrtannian matches through both Bazalonia and ESF prior to posting them. Just one more check on the realisticness of the results. As for the rest, that's just Vil's scorinator (and/or Myrtannia himself) for you.
IC:
LFA rejects accusations by Pacitalia and others surrounding AOCAF XVIII
The Lamonian Football Association issued a statement today downplaying regional criticism against the back-up officiators that they provided to the MAFC for AOCAF XVIII.
"The LFA has never, and will never tolerate any instance of 'cheating.' When we hosted AOCAF XVI, we did not hear any complaints about match-fixing or conspiracy," LFA chairman Thomas Roberto stated. "When the MAFC invited the LFA to provide back-up officiators for AOCAF XVIII, we happily complied. It was our intention to provide fair officiating for all matches in which we were involved; and we did so.
Any nation that felt otherwise was welcome to file a complaint with the LFA, which would then have reviewed the complaint for validity. If any such complaint was found to have truth behind it, then we would annull the results of that match, and have the teams face each other again in a special 'do-over' match. We also had officials from both the Bazalonian and Demot footballing authorities review the performance of our back-up officiators in order to ensure that match-fixing or conspiracy could be rapidly pointed out and addressed.
As for the other matches in which the Myrtannian national side was not involved; as well as the AOCAF XVIII finals, the LFA was not in any way, shape, or form, involved. Thank you." |
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