Cup of Nations II

The second Cup of Nations was played in June of 2010. Established by Pravus Ingruo, the tournament was devised as the CNRP equivalent of the annual Transvaal World Cup which is a tournament dedicated to in-game nations.

Team Draw & Tournament Preview
The atmosphere inside of the Syracuse War Memorial is festive and colorful with representatives from countries all over the world packing inside to catch the selection show for the second Cup of Nations. MediaCorp is once again providing a free feed all over the world so that people of every nationality can tune in to see where their home side will be playing and who they will be playing against. Suddenly, the interior of the War Memorial goes dark as video screens begin playing a montage of the last Cup's highlights set to the music. After the video finished and the crowd was worked up into a frenzy, another light show began, this time featuring Brett Carlson walking casually onto the stage, a large smile on his face as the table with the teams was wheeled out behind him to the MediaCorp International Sports theme song. Smiling as he takes the microphone, Carlson turns to the camera.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the second Cup of Nations selection show. Whether you are watching from right here in York or across the globe, I welcome you to what should be a very fun filled and exciting evening to kick off a wonderful football tournament." Carlson breaks for applause as he looks down at his cards. "Right, so, as I said, this is the selection show for the Cup of Nations, where one game changes everything..." he gets a disgusted look on his face as he starts flipping through the cards, "Contrived !@#$%^&*... more contrived !@#$%^&*... your mother looks like a hamster and yes, I ate your chocolate squirrel. Always got to toss in something to keep me on my toes. Well, without further adieu, or bad slogans, let's head on over the table to find which four teams are going to make up Group A. Gentlemen, roll those balls."

"The first team in Group A, and the first selected for the second Cup of Nations is... China. The second team selected is... the Republic of Labrador. The third team selected is... the United States of America." A murmur moves through the gathered crowd at the Syracuse War Memorial and has to be quieted down before the selection process can continue. "And the final team in Group A is... the Republic of Tahoe." Another murmur washes through the crowd as the four teams are placed up on the big board and the camera swings back to Carlson.

"Lots of interesting back stories in this group, folks. Two complete newcomers to the game in China and the Republic of Labrador, and then two continental rivals that simply downright dislike each other in the United States and the Republic of Tahoe. Neither team has been without controversy, with the criticism on the United States focusing mostly on how it was formed and it's recent foreign policy endeavors while Tahoe's has been twofold. First, they rise from the ashes of the old Republic of Tahoe, and other governments, such as Transvaal and Amerikanisches Reich, don't recognize their new government as legitimate, instead choosing to recognize the "loyalist" government in exile in Transvaal. Transvaal has already said they will forfeit any games they play against Tahoe out of protest, so here's hoping the two teams never meet. The other source of controversy comes from Tahoe's team. Last tournament they played for Carthage, finishing second. After the political turmoil that went on in the country, they defected as a team, were bought by a wealthy businessman, and moved to Tahoe. None are Tahoe citizens, raising the question "should they be aloud to play for Tahoe?" Interesting questions to be sure, and lots of interesting back stories should make this group a real cracker to watch. Obviously Tahoe and the United States are the early favorites to make it out of the group, but I wouldn't immediately count out China or Labrador. With only three games, even a draw against one of the higher ranked teams greatly bolsters their chances of making the knockout round. The average rank for this group is 19." The camera swings back over to the table for the announcement of Group B.

"The first team in Group B is... Amerikanisches Reich. The second team are the Articuno Islands. The third team is the Empire of France. And the final team in Group B is... the Kingdom of Cochin." The camera moves back over to Carlson who is busy scribbling down some notes.

"Tough draw here for the two newcomers, the A.R. and Articuno. Both France and Cochin are experienced squads from the last Cup of Nations and are obvious early favorites to take the top two spots in this group. Still, as France will tell you, you can never count any team out. Last tournament France was the Cinderella story, fighting their way out of the "Group of Death" for a spot in the knockout round. An exceptionally impressive performance by a team no one expected anything of. It will be interesting to see how they follow that up this tournament. Cochin is a extremely scrappy squad that just missed the knockout round last tournament... look for them to be hungry to make it this year. Despite the two newcomers, the average world ranking for this group is 16.5."

"The first team selected for Group C is... the Imperium of Canada. The second team selected is... the Republic of Vietnam. The third team for Group C is... the Athenian Federation. And the final team for Group C is... United Isocoles." A few boos went up from the crowd, along with two signs reading the names of Novak supporters killed after their team's victory over Isocoles during the last tournament.

"Ah, another interesting group with interesting story lines. Shouldn't be too much drama here, I'm afraid. The Athenians should make the knockout round after a disappointing run in the "Group of Death" last tournament. The road seems much easier this time, as they will have to deal with a very weak Canadian side, though the Vietnamese could give them some trouble. It is nice to see the Canadians back and competing so soon after that devastating nuclear attack on their country. While no one expects them to do anything, simply being here must be a morale boost for their people. The boos you heard were from a group of protesters who wanted United Isocoles banned from this tournament for a while after their supporters attacked and killed some Novak supporters after a match last tournament. MediaCorp officials have spoken to team officials and organizers, letting them know that any further acts of violence will result in their national team being banned. Extra security will also be present at all United Isocoles matches. The darkhorse in this group is the Republic of Vietnam, not much is known about them, though they have performed well in their warm-up and friendly matches. If either of the two newcomers make a run at the second knockout round spot, expect it to be this team. Average world rank for this group: 16.75."

"The first team in Group D is... Denmark." Cheers from Denmark supporters at the selection show and light applause for the defending champions drifted through the room. "The second team is... the Greater Japanese Empire. The third team in Group D is... Rebel Army. And the final team in Group D is... the Slavic Federation."

"Ah, so we find out where our defending champions will be playing and who they will be playing against. I'm sure you all remember what happened last year. Three games in, the Danes had yet to score a goal and accusations of match fixing were flying about. Their fourth game, they draw, and then win the last two, squeaking their way into the knockout round and go on and end up winning the whole thing. Simply exceptional on their part. I've heard rumors of a movie deal in the works about that team, we'll see if anything comes to fruition. They won't have the chance to do the same thing again this tournament though as the format has changed. Look for them to get out of the blocks much faster this time. Two newcomers in this group as well in the Greater Japanese Empire and Rebel Army. Rebel Army, drawing players from all of the world as its citizens, looks to have a distinct advantage over Japan here even though they both have the same level of experience. The Slavic Federation had a similar disappointing run to the Athenians as they were also in the "Group of Death". They are looking to avenge that this tournament and are hoping to make the knockout stage. Expect them and the Danes to make it back, but watch out for Rebel Army. They are one of the highest ranked teams with no international experience, and there is good reason as to why. Average world rank for this group: 15.75."

"The first team in Group E is... Louisiana. The second team is... the Sicilian League. The third team is... Vereinigte Deutsche Länder. And the fourth team in Group E is... the Isara Alliance."

"So nice to see the Sicilians in the tournament, playing on an international level for the first time at a game they so enjoy locally. They will certainly be interesting to watch throughout the tournament but they will have to overcome both Louisiana and the Isara Alliance if they want to make it to the next round. While this group doesn't have any huge names like Transvaal, Novak, or Denmark, they are all very tightly packed in terms of rank, only thirteen spots separating the highest rank, the VDL, from the lowest, Isara. Look for upsets abound in this group and don't bet on the VDL and Louisiana making it through simply because they are ranked higher. One of the two of them, or both, will fail to make it. I guarantee it. Average world rank for this group: 15.25."

"The first team in Group F is... the Republic of York." A massive cheer erupted in the room as the home side was announced. Banners and flags featuring the Crimson Lion flew over the heads over the spectators, the observers who had been so dignified a second ago now finding themselves in the middle of an impromptu football fan celebration. After a minute, it died down as the fans waited anxiously to hear who their beloved Crimson Lions would be facing. "The second team in Group F is... the Queendom of Australia. The third team in Group F is... the Slavorussian Empire. And the final team in Group F is... the Koryo Confederation."

"Well, now we finally know where the home side is going to play and who they will be facing. A pretty favorable draw for the Crimson Lions if you ask me. Neither Slavorussia nor Koryo have international experience and the Queendom finished dead last in the previous tournament. York fans shouldn't be too worried, though anything can happen in a short tournament like this, so the team had better approach its first game with a sense of urgency. If this team fails to make the knockout round, then this tournament will be considered an unmitigated disaster. The Queendom will face a tough challenge from the Koryo Confederacy, ranked only three slots behind them in the world. Slavorussia... well, I'm sure they will be happy for the international experience as they bow out after the group stage. Average world rank for this group: 17.75."

The first team in Group G is... the Republic of Cascadia. The second team in Group G is... the Funky Republic of Puerto Rico. The third team in Group G is... Arctica. And the final team in Group G is... the Imperial Hudson Reich." A sharp gasp washed over the crowd as the group was finished and the camera moved back over to Carlson.

"Wow folks... I am truly speechless. This has to simply be the softest group I have ever seen in international competition anywhere in my entire life. I mean, just look at this group. All newcomers, and the early odds on "favorite", if you could even call them that, is Arctica ranked 19th in the world. The average world rank for this group is 26.25. I mean, how many higher ranked teams would simply be salivating at the though of being in this group. Transvaal would kill this group like a fat guy kills tacos. We now know that two teams ranked very low will be making the final knockout round... the only question is who. This group is a complete toss-up. Only Puerto Rico looks really outmatched against these teams. Wow... all these teams must be breathing a major sigh of relief now."

"The first team for the final group, Group H, is... the Hakaarian Empire. The second team is... the Minilla Islands. The third team is... Transvaal. And the final team selected for the second Cup of Nations is Marscurian Pakistan."

"And there's the tournament favorites: Transvaal. After a disappointing penalty kicks loss to eventual champion Denmark in the quarterfinals last year, the team is back, slightly retooled, and looking for revenge. I would not want to be a team that got into their way... not this tournament. The Minilla Islands might give them a little bit of trouble in their group, but look for those two strong sides to advance easily over the likes of Marscurian Pakistan, ranked 23rd, and the Hakaarian Empire, ranked 33rd. Average world rank for this group, 23. And that concludes our selection show for the second Cup of Nations. Stay tuned after this commercial break for more in depth coverage and analysis of the upcoming tournament. I'm Brett Carlson, and I'll see you on the pitch."

June 16, 2010
In the first game of the tournament, the Republic of Tahoe faced newcomer China. For a little while, it looked as if we would have our first major upset of the tournament as a Chinese striker put his team up 1-0 in the 55th minute after a scoreless first half of play, beating Goslan Bourkia with a laser from the penalty area. The Tahoe team, showing their experience from the previous Cup of Nations, rallied back, tightening their defense and going on the counter-attack. Bouaziz Hanouf headed in an excellent cross from Alae al Hasnaoui in the 63rd minute and then in stoppage time Gersom Salem put on an absolute show with what may be the play of the tournament in the very first game. With the score level, Tahoe got a corner kick. The ball was placed near the top of the penalty area, where Salem launched himself into a bicycle kick, sending the ball streaking into the upper 90 on the left side of the net in a practically unsavable shot. Time ran out just minutes after that, leaving Tahoe to walk away with a crucial three points from their opening game. In the second game of the tournament, the first major upset of the tournament did occur. The Republic of Labrador, ranked 29th in the world, came in and dominated the United States of America, ranked 14th. Labrador keeper Thomas Howard dealt with a furious USA onslaught early in the match, and his performance inspired the rest of his team. Late in the first half, a sustained Labrador attack finally broke through the USA defense. Norman Keller hit Wesley Gates as he streaked into the penalty area having shaken his marker, and Gates blasted the ball with ease past Brad Garthwaite. While there were worries that halftime would allow the United States to regroup, the team from Canada put an end to any of those thoughts as they scored just minutes into the second half as Andrew Owings curled a freekick from 27meters just inside the right post for a 2-0 lead. After that goal, Labrador simply put the clamps on, stifling any USA attack for the rest of the game to get their three points. This game pitted the veteran Kingdom of Cochin team against newcomers Amerikanisches Reich. The AR team was nervous from the beginning, and it showed when they allowed Vipin Das to get a breakaway in only the 3rd minute off an excellent pass from Clifford Miranda. Das streaked in on goal and pounded the ball past AR keeper David Bakos. It was only a few more minutes before Anthony Pereira fed Rithu KS in the penalty area where he was all alone, having slipped his marker. KS put a fancy fake on Bakos before tapping the ball into the far corner of the net for an easy goal. The Cochin side seemed to back off after that, simply shutting down every attempt by the AR side to get any offense going while simply controlling play. Experience won out in this game, and hopefully the Reich can get the ship righted before their next game. Last year’s Cinderella story faced off against another newcomer, the Articuno Islands. The Islands actually put up a bit of a fight in this game, scaring the number eight team in the world as two consecutive chances in the first half, one but Zhang Lu and the other by Jackie Chan, rang off the post, saving the French side from an early 1-0 deficit. The French slowly started to regain control of the game, sustaining a long attack in the Articuno zone before Lionel Aubry finally broke through with a long distance shot that simply beat the keeper for a 1-0 French lead. A late Articuno chance ricocheted off the crossbar, but a shot was never able to find the back of the net for the newcomers and they fell 1-0 after a valiant effort. This wasn’t expected to be a difficult game for United Isocoles, facing the worst team in the world, and it wasn’t. A fast start in the 4th minute put UI ahead as Makin Labon put a number of fancy moves on the Canadian defense before firing a laser of a pass to Adal Ackmel who headed the ball past the Imperium’s keeper. A goal from Labon himself followed in the 25th minute off a breakaway chance, and Omar Ramzi got into the mix in the 75th minute, maneuvering around three Canadian players before firing a shot into the upper corner of the net. One can only hope that the Imperium performs better in their next game against the Republic of Vietnam. In another Match Day 1 upset, though this one appreciably more minor than the USA’s loss, the Republic of Vietnam upset a veteran Athenian Federation squad 1-0. The game’s lone goal came after a turnover by the Athenians in the Vietnam zone that was followed by a three on none breakaway by the Vietnamese attack. Kostas Chalkias never really had a chance for the Athenians as Pham Van Quyen, Nguyen Hong Son, and Le Cong Vinh expertly passed the ball between them, a final pass leaving Quyen with a wide open net to shoot at which he took full advantage of. The Athenians never really recovered, nor did they ever mount a substantial attack after that goal, and Vietnam walked away with a 1-0 win. Denmark opened its title defense against the Slavic Federation, a team wrought with disappointment after their failure to make the knockout stage last year. This was a very exciting, evenly played match that saw a number of good chances on both sides be stopped by superb goalkeeping. In the 43rd minute, the Denmark side picked up a corner, and Joen Del Tomasson curled the corner into the back of the net all by himself. Though the Slavs put up a concerted counterattack effort in the second half, they never really could figure out the Danish defense and fell 1-0 to the defending champs. No one really knew what to expect in this game between two newcomers to the international stage, though oddsmakers favored Rebel Army before the match simply because of their far-reaching empire and the talent they could draw from there. Nir Golan and Iván Domínguez both scored for RA, which prompted an expected “It’s a GOAL for GOLAN” from play-by-play man Michael Patterson. The Greater Japanese Empire struck back in the 58th minute, however, as Yuke Abi fed Keiji Tamada on a nice cross for a sliding goal. The Japanese side never threatened again, however, as the Rebel Army team tightened their defense, and won their first international game 2-1. In another game between a newcomer and a veteran side, the newcomer once again prevailed. Louisiana scored first when Gregg Harriem fed Rich Byrd in the 38th with an excellent low cross which Byrd turned on and fired into the back of the net before Georgi Konev had a chance to react. The second half seemed like it was going to be all Louisiana as a sustained attack resulted in a corner for the Pelicans. Off the corner kick, Konev punched the ball away all the way out to Niels Klein who was able to get past his Louisianan marker and streak in on goal unmolested where he fired his shot past Paul Doucet. A mistake by the Louisiana defense and Doucet allowed Isara’s second goal late in the second half. Isara midfielder Vladimir Ivanov was setting up for a corner and saw there was confusion and miscommunication going on between Doucet and his team, which left Radi Jaeger unmarked in the penalty area. A low powerful pass reached Jaeger, who turned without molestation and put the ball past Doucet to give Isara the lead. Louisiana wasn’t able to get the ball past Konev for the rest of the game and the Isara Alliance walked away with a 2-1 upset victory. In a hotly anticipated game, the German side met the Italian side for this year’s Cup. Though it was the Italian’s first time on the world stage, they hung with a powerful German side, beating the Germans in terms of time of possession and shots on goal in the first half. However, as the second half wore on, the Germans’ superior skill and conditioning started wearing down the Sicilian side and Toni Kroos capitalized on a misstep by the Sicilian defense in the 67th minute, finding Miroslav Klose behind them for a goal. The goal seemed to stun the Sicilians who never again mounted a serious threat against the vaunted German defense, and lost 1-0. The home side was given a hero’s welcome before their game, and the faithful packed the stadium, waving black and crimson flags throughout the crowd. The players were all smiles before their home fans, and it showed in their play on the field. They controlled the game from start to finish, and their much-acclaimed scoring attack lived up to the hype. Zachary McCarthy got things started in the 10th minute, stealing the ball from a Koryo defender and taking it all the way himself, catching the Koryo defense moving too far forward in attack. The Koryo side was not able to catch his blazing speed, and McCarthy chipped the ball over a charging keeper for an early 1-0 lead. David Axelrod showed his touch on the ball after a pass from Benjamin Avery. Axelrod held the ball for a half second, allowing Chip Watson to plow through the zone, drawing defenders and giving Axelrod the small window he needed to slip the ball inside the left post. York keeper Thomas Archer didn’t see much action at all in the game, only needing to stop a single shot on goal for his clean sheet as York won 2-0. Following a disappointing run in last year’s Cup of Nations, the Queendom of Australia looked to come out firing against the Slavorussian Empire, looking to take out the frustration of the last Cup on these newcomers. Australia never even gave the Slavorussians a chance to get started in their first international match, scoring two goals before the 9th minute courtesy of Jai Newson and Jett Perry. The Slavorussians were visibly stunned, and only luck would prevent the game from being 4-0 before the half as Australia failed to capitalize on two excellent chances. Slavorussia seemed to regroup at halftime, playing the Aussies much more evenly in the second half, but never really managing any serious threats on goal. Australia walked away with a crucial three points, attempting to make the knockout stage after their monumental collapse last Cup. The first game in the group everyone wanted to watch but no one really wanted to watch. Four teams, none ranked above 19 in the world, and none with any international experience. The two middle teams in the group met first, with Cascadia ranked 26th and the Reich ranked 28th. Despite their obvious lack of finesse possessed by the top flight international teams, the game was entertaining to watch as the Reich struck first, Alan Bennard feeding Nels Nelson for the game’s first goal in the 26th minute. Cascadia tied things up just before the half as Scott Johnson and Emmett Demirelli put together a pretty give and go to beat the Hudson defense and score. The game was tied deep into the second half until Frederick Star lived up to his name and launched a powerful right footed shot past the Cascadia keeper and into the back of the net. The Reich held on from there, winning their first international match by a score of 2-1. Arctica was favored to win this group based solely on their world rank, but even the oddsmakers knew that everything about this group was basically a toss up, which could be seen as the odds for Arctica winning were only 4-to-1. However, the Arctica side looked to prove everyone wrong as they went out and simply dominated the Funky Republic of Puerto Rico (FRPR) 2-0. The Lemurs got goals from John Paul in the 18th and Guillaume Hoarau in the 35th. The FRPR never really got things going for themselves in their first international match, and one can only hope they get things together before their next match. The final group featured two draws that very well could be considered upsets based on the teams. Marscurian Pakistan, heavily favored over the Hakaarian Empire, managed only a 0-0 draw in the face of a stout Hakaarian defense and the excellent play of Rich Bales in net. The Pakistanis were visibly frustrated by the “bend but don’t break” strategy employed by the inexperienced side throughout the game, and there were numerous complaints to officials about fouls not being called. On the other side, the Hakaarians seemed genuinely happy to grab a point from a much more experienced side. In the second upset in the group, a late goal gave the Minilla Islands a draw and allowed them to steal a point away from top-ranked Transvaal. Transvaal controlled the game early through physical play and broke through in the 40th minute when Stein van Buyten found his Springbok teammate Detlef Botha for a pretty goal to give the number one team in the world a 1-0 lead. The Minilla Islands side broke out of its defensive shell after the half though, moving much more aggressively against the Transvaal defense. A mistake by Carlton Drury cost the Springboks as the Minilla strikers seized the ball, rushing past the remaining two Transvaal defenders who were caught flat-footed for a two on none break. Thurston Alderton was still able to get a hand on the shot, but it merely deflected the ball to the other Minilla striker who buried it in the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. That’s where it ended, Minilla celebrating their one point like it was three, and Transvaal walking off the field, wondering where they went wrong.
 * Republic of Tahoe v. China 2-1
 * United States of America v. Republic of Labrador 0-2
 * Kingdom of Cochin v. Amerikanisches Reich 2-0
 * Empire of France v. Articuno Islands 1-0
 * United Isocoles v. Imperium of Canada 3-0
 * Athenian Federation v. Republic of Vietnam 0-1
 * Slavic Federation v. Denmark 0-1
 * Rebel Army v. Greater Japanese Empire 2-1
 * Isara Alliance v. Louisiana 2-1
 * Vereinigte Deutsche Länder v. Sicilian League 1-0
 * Koryo Confederation v. Republic of York 0-2
 * Slavorussian Empire v. Queendom of Australia 0-2
 * Imperial Hudson Reich v. Republic of Cascadia 2-1
 * Arctica v. Funky Republic of Puerto Rico 2-0
 * Marscurian Pakistan v. Hakaarian Empire 0-0
 * Transvaal v. Minilla Islands 1-1

June X, 2010
United States of America v. Republic of Tahoe 2-2; China v. Republic of Labrador 2-0; Empire of France v. Kingdom of Cochin 0-1; Amerikanisches Reich v. Articuno Islands 0-1; Athenian Federation v. United Isocoles 3-1; Imperium of Canada v. Republic of Vietnam 0-2; Rebel Army v. Slavic Federation 1-2; Denmark v. Greater Japanese Empire 3-1; Vereinigte Deutsche Länder v. Isara Alliance 1-1; Louisiana v. Sicilian League 0-2; Slavorussian Empire v. Koryo Confederation 0-1; Republic of York v. Queendom of Australia 3-1; Arctica v. Imperial Hudson Reich 0-1; Republic of Cascadia v. Funky Republic of Puerto Rico 2-1; Transvaal v. Marscurian Pakistan 2-0; Hakaarian Empire v. Minilla Islands 0-0

June X, 2010
Republic of Tahoe v. Republic of Labrador 1-0; China v. United States of America 1-3; Kingdom of Cochin v. Articuno Islands 1-0; Amerikanisches Reich v. Empire of France 0-4; United Isocoles v. Republic of Vietnam 0-1; Imperium of Canada v. Athenian Federation 1-2; Slavic Federation v. Greater Japanese Empire 1-0; Denmark v. Rebel Army 0-1; Isara Alliance v. Sicilian League 1-0; Louisiana v. Vereinigte Deutsche Länder 1-1; Koryo Confederation v. Queendom of Australia 1-1; Republic of York v. Slavorussian Empire 3-0; Imperial Hudson Reich v. Funky Republic of Puerto Rico 0-2; Republic of Cascadia v. Arctica 0-1; Marscurian Pakistan v. Minilla Islands 1-0; Hakaarian Empire v. Transvaal 0-0