Cup of Nations I

[Michael McBride]

"Greetings and salutations across the globe. I'm Brett Carlson, and I'll be your voice for the first Cup of Nations, hosted right here in the Republic of York. Today is the live selection show, where we find out where all 16 nations from across the world will be playing. So, let's send it over to the announcement table to find out who will be playing in Group 1 - Manhattan." The camera pans over to the selection table and zooms in as a big ball with a number of smaller balls within is turned, completely randomizing the process for all teams in the tournament.

"First team in the Manhattan group is... the Commonwealth of Texas. The second team in Group One is... the People's Republic of China. The third team playing in Manhattan is... the Kingdom of Cochin. And the final team for the Manhattan group is... the Republic of York." While there had been enthused applause for their continental neighbors, the cheer that went out for the home side was almost deafening. Playing in the largest arena would also be a financial boon to the host country. The camera swung back over to Carlson.

"Well, that ends all the suspense of where the home side will go. A decent draw for them, but they will have to play up if they want to beat the PRC and Cochin. Interesting rivalry there two, between the two regional neighbors. We'll see how that plays out on the pitch. But let's head back over for the announcement of Group Two - Albany."

"The first team in Group Two - Albany is... the Empire of France. The second team is... Transvaal. The third team playing in Albany is... the Slavic Federation. And the final team playing in Group Two - Albany is... the Athenian Federation." A slight groan went up from the crowd as the camera swung back over the Carlson.

"Well, I guess the football gods just wanted to get all the suspense out of it early. Welcome to your "Group of Death" ladies and gentleman. Transvaal should be able to get out of this group, but they will face hearty challenges from both the Slavic Federation and the Athenian Federation. It's unfortunate that the Empire of France had to be caught in this group... I'd be surprised if they even won a game against these other teams. Now let's head over for the picking of Group Three - Syracuse."

"The first team to be playing in Group Three - Syracuse is... United Isocoles. The second team playing in Syracuse is... the German Democratic Republic. The third team in Group Three is... Carthage. And the final team in Group Three - Syracuse is... Louisiana." Another cheer went up for the Republic of York's continental neighbors.

"Well folks, officially call this group a toss up. Carthage and Isocoles should be the favorites here, but don't be surprised if Louisiana or even the GDR slip in and nab a game or two from them. This will be an insanely fun group to watch. And now let's head over for the announcement of the final four teams."

"The first team playing in Group Four - Rochester is... Denmark. The second team playing in the Rochester group is... Wilsons Promontory. The third team playing in Group Four will be... the Queendom of Australia, leaving the final team to be Novak. That concludes the selections."

"Wow... talk about good luck for Novak. Not only do they escape the group of death, but they get the easiest group to boot. Look for Novak to just walk all over the other three teams in this group... the real battle will be for second. Denmark seems to have the early edge, but don't count out either nation from down under. That's it for the selection show, the tournament starts in one week's time with the playing of the group stages. Goodnight everyone. You've been watching MediaCorps' coverage of the First Cup of Nations."

[u][b]Group One - Manhattan[/b][/u]
Commonwealth of Texas
People’s Republic of China
Kingdom of Cochin
Republic of York

[u][b]Group Two – Albany[/b][/u]
Empire of France
Transvaal
Slavic Federation
Athenian Federation

[u][b]Group Three – Syracuse[/b][/u]
United Isocoles
GDR
Carthage
Louisiana

[u][b]Group Four – Rochester[/b][/u]
Denmark
Wilsons Promontory
Queendom of Australia
Novak
[u][b]
Match Day 1[/b][/u]
[b]York[/b] v. Texas 1-0
Cochin v. [b]PRC[/b] 0-1
Athenian Federation v. [b]France[/b] 2-4
Slavic Federation v. [b]Transvaal[/b] 0-1
Louisiana v. [b]Isocoles[/b] 0-1
[b]Carthage[/b] v. GDR 2-0
[b]Novak[/b] v. Denmark 1-0
[b]Australia[/b] v. Wilsons Promontory 3-0
[u][b]
Match Day 2[/u][/b]
Cochin v. York 1-1
Texas v. PRC 0-0
[b]Slavic Federation[/b] v. Athenian Federation 2-0
France v. [b]Transvaal[/b] 0-1
Carthage v. Louisiana 1-1
Isocoles v. GDR 0-0
Australia v. Novak 2-2
Denmark v. [b]Wilsons Promontory[/b] 0-1

[u][b]Match Day 3[/b][/u]
[b]York[/b] v. PRC 1-0
Texas v. Cohin 0-0
Athenian Federation v. Transvaal 1-1
France v. Slavic Federation 0-0
Louisiana v. [b]GDR[/b] 0-1
[b]Isocoles[/b] v. Carthage 1-0
Novak v. Wilsons Promontory 0-0
Denmark v. Australia 0-0

[u][b]Match Day 4[/b][/u]
Texas v. [b]York[/b] 0-1
PRC v. Cochin 0-0
France v. Athenian Federation 0-0
Transvaal v. Slavic Federation 2-2
[b]Isocoles[/b] v. Louisiana 1-0
GDR v. [b]Carthage[/b] 1-2
Denmark v. [b]Novak[/b] 0-1
Wilsons Promontory v. Australia 0-0

[u][b]Match Day 5[/b][/u]
York v. [b]Cochin[/b] 0-1
[b]PRC[/b] v. Texas 1-0
[b]Athenian Federation[/b] v. Slavic Federation 1-0
[b]Transvaal[/b] v. France 4-3
Louisiana v. [b]Carthage[/b] 0-2
GDR v. Isocoles 0-0
[b]Novak[/b] v. Australia 2-0
Wilsons Promontory v. [b]Denmark[/b] 0-1

[u][b]Match Day 6[/b][/u]
PRC v. York 1-1
Cochin v. [b]Texas[/b] 0-1
Transvaal v. Athenian Federation 1-1
Slavic Federation v. France 0-0
GDR v. Louisiana 0-0
Carthage v. [b]Isocoles[/b] 0-2
Wilsons Promontory v. [b]Novak[/b] 0-1
Australia v. [b]Denmark[/b] 0-1

[u][b]Loser’s Quarters[/b][/u]
Cochin v. [b]GDR[/b] 0-2
[b]Texas[/b] v. Louisiana 2-2 (3-0p)
[b]Slavic Federation[/b] v. Australia 1-0
[b]Athenian Federation[/b] v. Wilsons Promontory 1-0

[u][b]Quarter Finals[/b][/u]
[b]Carthage[/b] v. York 1-0
[b]Denmark[/b] v. Transvaal 1-1 (5-4p)
PRC v. [b]Isocoles[/b] 0-0 (4-5p)
France v. [b]Novak[/b] 1-3
[u][b]
Loser’s Semis[/b][/u]
[b]Cochin[/b] v. Wilsons Promontory 0-0 (4-2p)
[b]Louisiana[/b] v. Australia 1-1 (4-2p)
[b]GDR[/b] v. Athenian Federation 2-0
[b]Texas[/b] v. Slavic Federation 0-0 (3-2p)
[b]York[/b] v. France 2-0
[b]PRC[/b] v. Transvaal 1-0

[u][b]Semi-Finals[/b][/u]
Isocoles v. [b]Carthage[/b] 0-2
Novak v. [b]Denmark[/b] 0-1

[u][b]Loser’s Finals[/b][/u]
3rd Place Game: Isocoles v. Novak
5th Place Game: York v. PRC
7th Place Game: France v. Transvaal
9th Place Game: GDR v. Texas
11th Place Game: Athenian Federation v. Slavic Federation
13th Place Game: Cochin v. Louisiana
15th Place Game (Worst of the Worst): Wilsons Promontory v. Australia

[u][b]Finals[/b][/u]
Denmark v. Carthage

Edited June 1, 2010 by Pravus Ingruo

[Fizzydog]

UI fans are pumped. You see, soccer is quite a popular sport in our country.

[Michael McBride]

[u][b]Match Day 1[/b][/u]
[b]York[/b] v. Texas 1-0
Cochin v. [b]PRC[/b] 0-1
Athenian Federation v. [b]France[/b] 2-4
Slavic Federation v. [b]Transvaal[/b] 0-1
Louisiana v. [b]Isocoles[/b] 0-1
[b]Carthage[/b] v. GDR 2-0
[b]Novak[/b] v. Denmark 1-0
[b]Australia[/b] v. Wilsons Promontory 3-0

[b]Group One Report[/b]
A back and forth game between the two regional neighbors in the People's Republic of China and the Kingdom of Cochin played out first. It was still tied 0-0 late in the back before the PRC's right middy broke through with an excellent header off a cross to put the PRC up 1-0 in the 76th minute. Cochin was unable to score and the game ended in a 1-0 win for the PRC. In the late game, the home favorites scored early in the game as Texas was unable to clear it in the box and the left midfielder slammed it into the upper right 90. Neither team was able to get many chances on net after that, as York manged only 4 all game and Texas only 5. Still, the early goal was enough for the home team who took the game 1-0.

[b]Group Two Report[/b]
In the easy shocker of Match Day One, France shocked the Athenian Federation 4-2. As their center middy and striker each game them two goals apiece, France shocked the soccer world, expected to not even win a game in the "Group of Death". Order was restored in the later game as favorites Transvaal knocked off the Slavic Federation 1-0 in a tightly contested match that exemplified how much Transvaal is going to have to work to get out of this group unscathed.

[b]Group Three Report[/b]
The Louisiana National Team fought hard against United Isocoles, but the Asians were simply too proficient with their passing, capitalizing on a late Louisiana mistake in their own end to put the ball past the keeper in the 69th minute, winning 1-0. Louisiana has to be disappointed with that loss when they had many good chances throughout the game and the crowd was pulling for them the whole way. In the late game, Carthage beat the GDR 2-0. Carthage's defense was the key in the game, forcing many turnovers from GDR's attackers and really never letting their offense get going. GDR only managed three shots on net the entire game, and none were much of a threat.

[b]Group Four Report[/b]
Playing who is expected to be their toughest opponent in the group, Novak took down Denmark 1-0 in what was a very physical game from start to finish. However, it really didn't look as if Novak was trying exceptionally hard to get past the Danes. We will see if this "coasting" attitude costs the favored side at all through the group stage. In the later game, continental neighbors went after each other and Australia destroyed Wilsons Promontory 3-0. The performance was lackluster all around from the Wilson side, only managing one shot on net during a breakaway as Australia dominated play, keeping possession for nearly 70% of the game.

[Fizzydog]

UI fans cheer at the first ever victory. Looks like a good seasons ahed. Many bars and resturants were allowing free drinks, along with many parties being held.

[hawk11]

The Rebel Army Broadcasting Network will pay for the rights to use MediaCorps camera teams and footage for the Cup of Nations. We wish to know the cost of which beforehand, however.

[Michael McBride]

[quote name='hawk_11' date='17 May 2010 - 07:26 PM' timestamp='1274138750' post='2301633']
The Rebel Army Broadcasting Network will pay for the rights to use MediaCorps camera teams and footage for the Cup of Nations. We wish to know the cost of which beforehand, however.
[/quote]

MediaCorp will sell rights to use video highlights of the matches for $200million, and rights to broadcast the games in their entirety using MediaCorp Sports Announcers at $600million. For both, we have a bundle price of $700million. MediaCorp cameras are the only ones allowed to shoot the games, conduct post-game interviews, etc.

[hawk11]

After a long thought process, RABN would like to propose a deal. We will pay $900 million to have exclusive broadcast rights for the entire tournament in nations where the RABN broadcasts, excluding MediaCorps markets.

Edited May 18, 2010 by hawk_11

[king of cochin]

Gosree News Network is not interested in telecasting sports footage, however we wish to report coverage through our print journalists from Gosree Times. We hope that wont be a problem?

[Michael McBride]

[quote name='hawk_11' date='17 May 2010 - 09:20 PM' timestamp='1274145627' post='2301739']
After a long thought process, RABN would like to propose a deal. We will pay $900 million to have exclusive broadcast rights for the entire tournament in nations where the RABN broadcasts, excluding MediaCorps markets.
[/quote]

As long as the games are not broadcast live in nations where MediaCorp has a presence, then this is acceptable. Stations in countries where we have television stations may broadcast the game under the deal, but on a three hour tape delay.

[quote name='king of cochin' date='17 May 2010 - 09:23 PM' timestamp='1274145790' post='2301744']
Gosree News Network is not interested in telecasting sports footage, however we wish to report coverage through our print journalists from Gosree Times. We hope that wont be a problem?
[/quote]

Print journalism rights run exclusively through MediaCorp Print Coverage along with MediaCorp's online arm. If you wish to use the stories that MediaCorp posts, we can work out a deal for that.

[Botha]

[color="#006400"][b]TRANSVAAL SPRINGBOKS – CUP OF NATIONS ROSTER[/b]

[i]REPORTED BY TRANSVALER DAAGLIKSE SPORTNUUS:[/i] The same squad which played to a third-place finish in Transvaal Cup IV returns with only two changes to their roster. Veteran Ricardo van Deinsen, the former Liga Mundo star forward now toiling with Kaapstad Hornets is now in the twilight of his career and has been replaced by the younger and more versatile Samuel Evans from Windhoek Welwitshia. Henk Schot has been dropped in favour of his Liga Mundo playmaking teammate Stien van Buyten.

GK - Thurston Alderton (Transvaal Springboks)
GK - Gil Sá (Windhoek Welwitschia)
GK - Manos Torgo (Windhoek Welwitschia)
D - Joep Boekweg (Transvaal Springboks)
D - Boyke Chan Carl (Windhoek Welwitschia)
D - Leon Hooiber (Transvaal Springboks) - captain
D - Cartlon Drury (Windhoek Welwitschia)
D - Anthony Davids (NVK Kaapstad Hornets)
MF - Detlef Botha (Transvaal Springboks)
MF - Mathias Rieger (Transvaal Springboks)
MF - Bert Schut (Windhoek Welwitschia)
MF - Jamie Alcott (Windhoek Welwitschia)
MF - Marc Hesselink (Windhoek Welwitschia)
MF - Dakarai Baako (NVK Kaapstad Hornets)
MF - Stien van Buyten (Transvaal Springboks)
F - Charles Brennan (Transvaal Springboks)
F - Pierre Schulp (Windhoek Welwistchia)
F - Kees Wattereus (Windhoek Welwitschia)
F - Balthazar Botha (Transvaal Springboks)
F - Samuel Evans (Windhoek Welwitschia)

ADDITIONS
MF - Stien van Buyten (Transvaal Springboks)
F - Samuel Evans (Windhoek Welwitschia)

DROPPED
MF - Henk Schot (Transvaal Springboks)
F - Ricardo van Deinsen (NVK Kaapstad Hornets)

[i]GOALKEEPING: [/i]While most CN football fans are aware of the prowess of Liga Mundo star Thurston Alderton, his two more-than-capable back-ups from Windhoek will give Transvaal a rich depth in net unmatched on most squads. Gil Sá and Manos Torgo may not be household names to those who follow Liga Mundo but the two keepers form the solid tandem which is the backbone of Windhoek Welwitschia. Their only drawback is their relative youth and inexperience at the international level, where playing in the shadow of the formidable Alderton should benefit them.

[i]DEFENSE: [/i]The Springboks almost always go with 3 fullbacks, so expect the legendary Joep Boekweg and freekick sensation Boyke Chan Carl to get starts every game while Carlton Drury and captain Leon Hooiber rotate through the third spot. Anthony Davids from the Nordreich Liga brings dependable insurance in case injuries strike.

[i]MIDFIELD: [/i]With seven midfielders, expect to see Transvaal go with a 3-5-2 formation. Detlef Botha, one of the toughest and grittiest players in Liga Mundo is paired up with the potent Jamie Alcott and the hot and cold Bert Schut. Mathias Rieger has been a non-factor the past couple of Liga Mundo season but nevertheless should see starts in most matches. Hesselink and Van Buyten will rotate in the fifth spot as likely playmakers while UCFA veteran Dakarai Baako takes the role of reserve but become the only player to make an appearance in all the various CN football competitions as he adds a Cup of Nations cap to his collection. Should injuries occur with the hard-playing, pressing midfield, do not be surprised if forward Kees Wattereus fills in on midfield where he has been interchanging all season for Windhoek.

[i]FORWARDS:[/i] With three equally proficient fowards, watch for Charles Brennan, Pierre Schulp, and Kees Wattereus rotate between the likely 2 starting spots up top. Balthazar Botha and Sam Evans are along for the ride as substitutes but likely won’t see much of any playing time unless Wattereus shifts back to midfield as an injury reinforcement. Evans may find himself written in for the last substitute spot simply as penalty kick insurance.

In the early years of Transvaler football, there was no difference between the domestic Springboks of Liga Mundo and the national team. However, with the gradual but consistently improving progress of Windhoek Welwitschia in the independent Vedder League and the birth of Kaapstad Hornets in the new Nordreich Liga, the National Boks now have the talent of three top-flight clubs to draw their talent from. What this has given the national side is a depth almost unmatched elsewhere.

The National Springboks pretty much have at least two players if not three who can fill in at any role in a pinch. If Detlef Botha is having a bad day with the freekick set-plays, there is always Boyke Chan Carl or Carlton Drury in reserve. There are about five or six midfielders (and one forward) who can all take on the role of playmaker – and the back-up goaltending depth give them practically three keepers who can start and carry the team through to the end. The only critical weakness if the squad has one is a lack of decent penalty kickers. The obviousness of this deficiency is no better exposed by the fact that goalkeeper Thurston Alderton takes the vast majority of penalty kicks. Should matches end up in a shootout, this could be were Transvaal falters. Jamie Alcott, Carlton Drury, and Samuel Evans are probably the other players who will be called upon in the shootout, although Evans is expected to see very little playing time. If dressed, he may well find himself as a late substitute in extra time simply for his penalty skill.
[/color]

[Subtleknifewielder]

The Australian team was visibly jubilant after their victory--it took them a full half hour for them to clear the field after their victory.

OOC: Not a news report...just a little snippet you can report if you wish. Also, what team did I get assigned?

Edited May 18, 2010 by Subtleknifewielder

[hawk11]

As of this moment in time, MediaCorps and RABN do not overlap in Japan, Scotland, the United States of America, the United States of China, Australia, Novak, Puerto Rico, and the People's Republic of China. The Rebel Army Broadcasting Network will sign this deal if it is written in that MediaCorps cannot restrict the broadcasting rights any further in these nations for the duration of the tournament once the agreement is made regardless of possible MediaCorps expansion into these markets(OOC: meaning if you expand into these markets while the tournament is still going on, the stations will continue normal broadcast and not switch to a tape-delay.). We are also willing to accept the tape-delay clause.

Edited May 18, 2010 by hawk_11

[Michael McBride]

MediaCorp agress to the following terms with RABN.

[Centurius]

"France was a worthy foe and we expected to lose from them before we started. We are happy to see we still managed to score twice and we have high hopes for the other matches." Otto Rehhagel, Coach of the Athenian National Team.

[king of cochin]

[quote name='Pravus Ingruo' date='18 May 2010 - 07:09 AM' timestamp='1274146740' post='2301763']
Print journalism rights run exclusively through MediaCorp Print Coverage along with MediaCorp's online arm. If you wish to use the stories that MediaCorp posts, we can work out a deal for that.
[/quote]

Gosree News Network would prefer to have its own stories being written, we are willing to let it be reviewed by MediaCorp before publishing if MediaCorp would sign a non disclosure/copyright maintenance agreement.

[king of cochin]

[u][b]Cochin National Football Team[/b][/u]

Manager - Bhaichung Bhutia

Coach - IM Vijayan

Current Squad

Jersey Number | Position | Player Name | Club

Goal Keeprs
1 - Prakash Krishnan - Viva Kerala FC
24 - Shubhashish Roy - Mahindra Chargers
19 - Arindam Chaudhary - Churchill Brothers

Defenders
5 - Anwar Ibrahim - Mohun Bagan
12 - Deepak Mondal - Dempo SC
14 - Mahesh Gawli - East Bengal
17 - Dengbo Wangdu - Kathmandu FC
19 - Vasili Petrovich - Kyrghyz Panthers
20 - Samir Naik - Malappuram United
41 - Rakesh Majumdar - East Bengal

Midfielders
7 - Pradeep Pappachan -FC Cochin
8 - Chou Wa Bei - FC Yining
23 - Steven Dias - Dempo SC
27 - Mehrajuddin Wadoo - Viva Kerala FC
28 - Anthony Pereira - Mohun Bagan
16 - Clifford Miranda - East Bengal
30 -Cleetus Lawrence - FC Cochin
22 - Syed Rahim Nabi - FC Yining
25 - James Lukram Singh - Patiala United

Strikers
11 - Sunil Chhetri - FC Cochin
15 - Goutam Gorung - Malappuram United
9 - Rithu KS - FC Cochin
18 - Nandgopal M - Viva Kerala FC
21 - Vipin Das - East Bengal

[Sir Keshav IV]

OOC: Its Baichung not Bhaichung Cochin. Where is Mehrajuddin Wadoo, he's awesome as Centre Back and also no Subrata Pal as goalie? Man you $%&@ed up the Indian team

[king of cochin]

OOC: This is Cochin National Team, not Indian football team, Plagiarism is not illegal in CNRP,

[Michael McBride]

[quote name='king of cochin' date='18 May 2010 - 07:28 AM' timestamp='1274182103' post='2302080']
Gosree News Network would prefer to have its own stories being written, we are willing to let it be reviewed by MediaCorp before publishing if MediaCorp would sign a non disclosure/copyright maintenance agreement.
[/quote]

You really have nothing to worry about. You can write your own stories off of what you see on television. Your journalists aren't allowed to enter the country, so they won't be doing any reported on CoN from the Republic of York. This is the same for any nation's press. [b]They are allowed to write their own reviews based off what they see on television, though if they would like interviews with their teams or coaches, they will need to organize a time to do so through MediaCorp.[/b]

[Michael McBride]

[b]Match Day 2[/b]
Cochin v. York 1-1
Texas v. PRC 0-0
[b]Slavic Federation[/b] v. Athenian Federation 2-0
France v. [b]Transvaal[/b] 0-1
Carthage v. Louisiana 1-1
Isocoles v. GDR 0-0
Australia v. Novak 2-2
Denmark v. [b]Wilsons Promontory[/b] 0-1

[b]Group One Report[/b]
It seemed like no one in Group One wanted to win on Match Day Two. The Kingdom of Cochin had a 1-0 lead off a freekick directly into the net in the 37th minute, but turned the ball over midway through the second in their defensive zone to allow the Republic of York to slice one into the back of the net to tie the game. Sloppy play marked the last 20 minutes of the contest, and both teams walked out of Manhattan Stadium with a single point. In the later game between the Commonwealth of Texas and the People's Republic of China, spectacular goalkeeping rather than sloppy play marked the affair. Each team managed a hefty number of shots on net, with Texas shooting eight and the PRC firing away with eleven, but the keepers for each team saved the day, shutting out their opponents. Good goalkeeping, or lack of offense, whichever you prefer, seems to mark Group One right now, with no team scoring more than two goals so far.

[b]Group Two Report[/b]
In a controversial game, the Slavic Federation beat the Athenian Federation 2-0. The Slavs took an early 2-0 lead on a breakaway in the 4th minute and a corner kick in the 16th. The Athenians tried to fight their way, but a phantom offsides call in extra time in the first half disallowed a goal and a missed foul that would have led to a penalty kick in the 58th minute doomed their chances. Officials were not made available for comment after the game. In the late game in Albany, Transvaal needed a last second goal to down the Empire of France. While the footballers from South Africa were undoubtedly the more physical team, as is their hallmark, the Empire of France not only met their aggression, but in some cases exceeded it. This led to a very back and forth game that didn't lead to too many chances. However, a hard tackle in their own end by the Springboks and an excellent outlet pass led to a breakaway in stoppage time that the Transvaaler forward chipped over the keeper's head for a 1-0 victory.

[b]Group Three Report[/b]
Another group where it seemed like no one really wanted to win today. Louisiana squandered numerous chances in the Carthage zone, only firing three shots on net along with almost a dozen near misses. Carthage's defense seemed to break down time and again, letting the Bayou Boys get deep into the box, but they would either misfire or the Carthage keeper was able to save them. Only one shot got through in the first half, putting Louisiana up 1-0 at the break. Carthage would only get one chance for their anemic offense all game, a corner that was headed past the Louisiana keeper in the 55th minute to tie the game at 1-1, which is how it would end. In the later game, GDR simply dominated United Isocoles all game long, but could not get it past their keeper. Isocoles did not manage a single shot on net, and despite numerous breakaway opportunities for the Germans, none were able to get past the keeper. German players almsot seemed to be taking this tie as a loss after the game, knowing they had just squandered an excellent chance to get three points.

[b]Group Four Report[/b]
It was a day of upsets in Group Four. In the early game, the Queendom of Australia took on Novak in a game widely expected to end in three points for the Arabian side. However, the Australians showed surprising heart, scoring first on the Arabians and forcing them to play from behind all day. The Aussies scored off a shot from just outside the box in the 17th minute, the reward for a prolonged attack in the Novak end. Novak struck back in the 44th minute on a corner on a ball that curved perfectly into the net. Australia struck first in the second though on a brilliant header off a cross in the 57th minute, and only a goal in the 83rd on a sliding kick saved Novak a point. In the second game, a massive upset was registered as Wilsons Promontory beat Denmark 1-0. Wilsons played a predominantly defensive style all game, never really allowing Denmark any room to work with. A laser to the upper 90 on the right side in the 23rd minute by a WP middy proved to be the only marker of the game, leaving Denmark languishing at the bottom of the table with zero points.

An updated table through Match Day 2 is posted below.
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/That_Bum/CoN1Round2.png[/img]

OOC: In regards to individual nations posting articles about their team, you are free to do this in your local newspapers. However, these reports are from what is seen on TV and the official MediaCorp press releases (such as above) and telephone interviews with players/coaches, not actual reporting from the games.

[Michael McBride]

[u][b]Match Day 3[/b][/u]
[b]York[/b] v. PRC 1-0
Texas v. Cohin 0-0
Athenian Federation v. Transvaal 1-1
France v. Slavic Federation 0-0
Louisiana v. [b]GDR[/b] 0-1
[b]Isocoles[/b] v. Carthage 1-0
Novak v. Wilsons Promontory 0-0
Denmark v. Australia 0-0

[b]Group 1 Report[/b]
The home side continued their impressive run through the group stage with a 1-0 win over the People's Republic of China. A header off a freekick in the 40th minute put York ahead for good. Cause for concern arose late in the second half however as the York defense had two bad breakdowns, allowing the PRC offense two excellent chances on net. One shot pounded off the crossbar in the 78th minute and one missed the goal by a hair to the right in the 88th. The win gives York a one game lead over the rest of the field with three games to go. In a game between two winless teams, both Texas and the Kingdom of Cochin hoped to get on the board and get started chasing down York and the PRC. However, both teams' offenses continued to remain completely inept, neither managing a goal. While both teams have played good defense to this point, with Texas only allowing a single goal through three games and Cochin only two, Texas has yet to score a goal and Cochin has managed only one.

[b]Group 2 Report[/b]
Another group, another day of draws all around. The last place Athenian Federation got a much needed point against the first place Springboks, using an early goal to shock the Transvaalers and force them to play from behind all game. A sustained attack in the Athenian zone midway through the second frame got Transvaal on the board and gave them the momentum. However, they weren't able to capitalize as the Athenians pulled themselves into a defensive shell, allowing Transvaal to possess the ball for most of the rest of the game but never allowing them with any legitimate scoring chances. France and the Slavic Federation also ground out a tie, this one ending 0-0 as both goalkeepers were easily able to handle the few chances that were put their way. Transvaal holds a game lead over France and the Slavic Federation at the midway point.

[b]Group 3 Report[/b]
In another battle of winless teams, the German Democratic Republic struck almost off the opening kickoff and then held on to beat Louisiana 1-0. The breakaway chance was allowed off a German rush on the kick off, along with a poor tackling effort by the Louisiana defense. A two on one ensued and the ball was easily put into the back of the net. Louisiana had a few chances throughout the rest of the game, but nothing substantial materialized. In a game to determine outright first place at the midway point, United Isocoles beat Carthage 1-0 to take a one game lead at the midway point. Precision passing was the theme for this game: Isocoles had it and Carthage didn't. The passing of the Isocoles team continually broke down the Carthage defense while turnovers by Carthage continually killed any offensive production they hoped to get. That passing led to the only goal of the game: a turnover by Carthage turned into a great leading pass for Isocoles to a great cross which led to the easy goal.

[b]Group 4 Report[/b]
No goals were scored in Group 4 on Match Day 3. The Queendom of Australia's productive offense was shut down by Denmark as the Danes earned their first points of the tournament. Wilsons Promontory pulled a surprise point away from Novak, as the favorites stumbled once again, leaving them with a 1-2-0 record. No team in Group 4 has more than one win, a blessing for the Danes if they wish to make it out of the group stages.

[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/That_Bum/CoN1Round3.png[/img]

[KingChris]

Texas' team was sent a letter from the government, along with some pills, instructing the athletes to take "the steroids attached." The pills were placebos.

[Fizzydog]

Another win, another party. Some police were not amused with the "parties" college students had, which was pretty much drinking and dancing in the streets. It was cracked down before any serious damage emerged.

[Botha]

[color="#000080"]I hope that someone will document this tournament on the CN Wiki to give it that *official* feeling.[/color]

[Centurius]

"There are still enough games ahead and Athens still has a chance, we will just have to do more"