ARDA CUP Football 2012

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Gondolin at AC Beleriand, Mithrim

This was only the second Arda Cup game to be held in the lakeside stadium of Mithrim, but the stadium was once again playing host to a team touted as one of the favourites to win the Cup. When Fëanor accepted his half-brother’s offer to provide a home arena, he also gave provisions for its expansion. The original stadium had a capacity of forty-thousand spectators, but the new arena seated almost fifty-thousand with the same level of comfort as the old stadium.

And it was indeed fit to host the latest team assembled by Fëanor, a collection of talent that, admittedly, would not rival the great Formenos team, winner of the 2008 tournament; but in the new era of the salary cap, it was one of those closest to being a super team. Surely few need introduction to the football talents of the Fiery Boot, as well as Fingolfin, Beren, Eöl, and Ecthelion. But even their less renowned names were pulling their weight: Marach was one of the ten best goalkeepers in the tournament, and the Imlach-Rochallor pairing was one of the best centre-back tandems, the core of the fourth-stingiest defence in the tournament, allowing the fewest shots per game (10) against names such as Glaurung and Thuringwethil. Their closest rivals were the mearas pair Snowmane-Shadowfax (10.3 shots allowed per game), but the only comparable striker in Rohan’s group was Durin’s Bane. AC Beleriand was definitely strong on both ends of the pitch, and they have proven it against quality opponents.

They would have to prove it again, however. They were up against another quality opponent in Gondolin, led by the Sharp Boot Maeglin and the Lord of the Balrogs Gothmog, qualifying second from Group B due to a draw with Inter Beleriand and a crushing victory over Arnor. After meeting Glorfindel in an Eriador uniform and Turgon in an Inter Beleriand one, Gondolin would once again face their city’s son in another shirt: AC Beleriand defender Ecthelion was part of their 2010 Arda Cup-winning squad (Fingolfin and Eöl as well). Ecthelion would also be meeting his bane and close friend Gothmog, and their match-up was one of the most heavily anticipated ones in this game.

There would be none of that, though. Guarding the Balrog chief would be Imlach and Rochallor, after Fëanor, with advice from Fingolfin, refused to break up the proven central defence partnership. They have kept a dragon silent before, and surely they could do the same to a Balrog. Ecthelion would then be free to make his runs from deep or act as a sweeper should their defence be breached.

The first half game turned out to be very conservative, as if the two teams were just shyly asking each other’s names for forty-five minutes. The only exciting moments came whenever Fëanor or Maeglin got enough space to make a solo run, but for most parts they were guarded well: the Fiery Boot by Aranwë and Pengolodh, the Sharp Boot by his grandfather Fingolfin.

When the two teams streamed out of the locker room after the interval, the supporters of both teams gave a nervous cheer. They were uneasy; both teams were built to score in buckets, so why were they being passive? The home crowd heaved a huge sigh of relief just three minutes after the restart. Elemmakil was caught napping when Ecthelion dribbled past him and continued past Galdor. He got a cross in as Beren streaked towards the six-yard box. With Fëanor holding back the Gondolin centre-backs, the One-Handed was unmarked as he headed in Ecthelion’s ball. Rog parried it out, but there was Eöl to bicycle-kick in the rebound, and finally, the scoring was opened.

Everyone expected Gondolin to push for a goal more fiercely after that, and so they did. But the chances they gained were too few and too tame. Meleth, pressed by Beren, was unable to send forward balls to Duilin or Elemmakil. Duilin found Bregolas persistently goalside of him, and he couldn’t get enough space to make a sudden forward run or to play a through pass to the forwards. Fingolfin chased Maeglin all around the pitch, willing to be dragged centre or right just to keep the Sharp Boot from finding room to work in. And Gothmog found himself bracketed by Rochallor and Imlach; he couldn’t outrun Rochallor, nor could he outdribble Imlach. The few times he got away from them there was Ecthelion to stand as the last sentinel between him and Marach. More often than not, a Gondolin run at goal resulted in a fast break opportunity for AC Beleriand, and Salgant once earned a booking for grabbing Beren’s shirt when Denethor was about to send him through for a one-on-one with Rog.

Disaster struck Gondolin in the seventieth minute, when Salgant collected his second yellow. Ulrad dispossessed the holding midfielder on the edge of the box, and his clumsy sliding tackle brought the outlaw down, clutching his shin. He had to be brought out to be treated, while the offender was sent off. Down to ten players, Gondolin found it increasingly difficult to muster an attack while keeping safe at the back. Soon AC Beleriand’s advantage in the midfield swung the possession battle in their favour, and Gondolin found themselves pegged back in their own box. Fëanor ended all resistance with an impressive effort, a roulette that took him past Pengolodh and then a dragback that sent Aranwë the wrong way; his subsequent curler proved a bit too high for Rog to reach.

Gondolin fans started streaming out of the stadium after AC Beleriand’s second goal. This was a team that had limited Nargothrond to only one goal, and there was no way Gondolin would get two in fifteen minutes, not with the way the two teams were playing. Maeglin almost pulled a goal out of thin air three minutes before time with a stunning right flank run; his cross connected with Gothmog’s head, but the Balrog fired straight at Marach. Soon, the final whistle was blown, and most of the AC Beleriand players calmly walked out of the pitch to the applause of the home crowd (Eöl and Ecthelion stayed behind to exchange shirts). A quarterfinal berth was not this team was created for; they wouldn’t be happy until they have the Cup at hand.

AC Beleriand 2-0 Gondolin
GOALS:
48, 1-0 Eöl (Beren)
75, 2-0 Fëanor (Ulrad)

Total Shots
15-11
Shots On Target
6-3

YELLOW CARDS:
AC Bel: Imlach, Rochallor
Gondolin: Galdor, Salgant
RED CARDS:
Gondolin: Salgant (70, second yellow)

Exit interviews from Doriath and Gondolin shall soon be provided in the ArdaCup.com Tactical Review.

[the phantom]

@ Dunharrow

Most casual fans assumed that Rohan would host their playoff match in their Edoras Stadium, but serious footballers knew better. Without a doubt they would choose to play high above Edoras at Dunharrow, where thousands could sit on benches carved into the natural amphitheater in the White Mountains. It was large, it was noisy, but perhaps most importantly- it was where team Rohan had trained. And as a bonus, it was at an altitude that made most a bit uncomfortable.

Many wondered if the altitude would impact the sturdy Dwarves United squad. Certainly Dwarves lived in the Misty Mountains and such, but more accurately they lived under the mountains, so perhaps it would play a slight role.

But most were looking more to the performance of the squads for clues as to how the game might develop. And the fact that most could not skip over- Rohan had allowed but 4 goals in 7 contests, while Dwarves United had only managed to score 4 goals in 7 contests. If Rohan could score even once on the Dwarves, that could prove enough in the minds of most.

Rohan midfielder Gandalf gave a refreshingly honest interview two days before the match that received a lot of play on sports radio throughout Middle-Earth. In it, he predicted a low-scoring affair. "The Dwarves are tireless and play unified intelligent defense, and Celebrimbor and Aule are as good a pair of defenders as any team possesses. So really, this talk about Rohan 'trampling' the Dwarves seems absurd to me. We'll have to work hard to dent the scoreboard! But thankfully our defense is top-notch, so they won't get any freebees either. If I had to place a bet, I'd say 1-0 us."

We will wait and see if his words prove accurate.

***************************
***************************

The locals knew to begin the journey to the stadium early, for the path to the Dimholt was narrow as it wound up the cliff past the Pukel-men. It was overcast to start the day, and as noon arrived a light rain began falling on the line of travelers that stretched from the arena to the clifftops and down to the public houses and inns in the valley of the Snowbourn.

As the stadium slowly filled the precipitation increased, and the temperature began inching down in spite of the day approaching late afternoon. The crowds were barely paying attention during warm-ups, as they were busy purchasing umbrellas, blankets, rain-coats, boots, and hot drinks from the various vendors in the halls beneath the stadium.

There was much debate as to which side the elements favored, and exchanges like these were common throughout the stadium.
"The addition of luck always favors the underdog."
"But the slickness will nullify Rohan's speed."
"The horses will handle it plenty well."
"But the Dwarves don't mind the chill as much."
"Rohan practices on the real turf. United has been playing on the artificial stuff."

And on and on with no clear answer, leaving many to assume the rain wouldn't change the outcome at all. But as the game kicked off, it certainly appeared the game was a bit different. Everyone was moving just a bit slower than expected, and passes were a bit off, and deft touches were a little slippery. On more than one occasion an attacker plain lost his footing attempting to make a cut with the ball. What a different story it would be if a couple defenders went down at once! But the defenders kept their feet well, and when they stumbled they managed to make their mark do the same usually without drawing a card.

At the 20 minute mark the section of Dwarves in the north end of the stadium exploded with noise when Celebrimbor made an unexpected run all the way up the right side of Rohan's defense. The clever craftsman was simply better with his feet, and he either outran others or crossed them up and sent them skidding on the soaked pitch. When Shadowfax closed out to stop him deep in Rohan territory Celebrimbor turned the horse sideways and dove between the front and back hooves dragging the ball with him. On the other side he rolled to his feet and immediately cracked a shot at the near post. Theoden was frozen by the unlikeliness of the move and could only watch the ball, but fortunately for him it hit off the post!

Celebrimbor knew that such shots were more likely than usual to fly off course given the wet ball and shoes, but he still looked monumentally disappointed. Chances were going to be hard to come by, and that was one they might not get again.

As the first half progressed a markedly darker mass of rain moved in from the north-east. As it rolled in, soon the upper deck crowds could barely see even the middle of the field, and even those up front couldn't see the far side. And the ever-witty Gandalf was ready for the opportunity. He had spotted what was going on and had a plan for it, and when the rain got worse than ever in minute 39 he shouted to his teammates, and they hastened to enact his plan which had been passed player to player during the previous 5 minutes.

The Rohan horses came forward and used their large bodies to set picks for Gandalf, shielding him from having to deal with any defenders in his hip-pocket. Once he came clear, the midfielders got him the ball (about 15 meters on their own side of midfield) and Gandalf stopped the ball, stepped back, paused briefly, then struck the ball mightily- high and down the middle.

Most of the crowd couldn't even see the center of the pitch, and those few that could had no idea what he was doing kicking it away, and so there was no audience outburst to prepare the Dwarves United keeper- nothing to let him know that something was on the way out of the blinding sheets of rain. And suddenly the ball fell out of the heavens and passed just beneath the crossbar! It was 1-0 Rohan!

Gandalf had judged the distance, wind, and rain-resistance perfectly! Bombur only saw it at the last moment, as he had been looking lower downfield, and most of the crowd behind him didn't see it until it bounced up into the netting. It was a brilliant notion and beautifully executed! Celebrimbor and Aule thought of trying their own foot at the ploy, but the worst of the rain had passed and Rohan was doing all they could to keep possession until the half, which they did rather successfully.

During the break the rain grew lighter and lighter, and when the second half starting it was barely a drizzle, until around 55 minutes the rain was gone altogether. And as the rain lifted the spirits of the Rohan fans were lifted ever higher. They had the lead and a premier defense- they were going to witness a playoff win! For the first time the singing started in earnest and Rohan drew energy from their supporters and locked down on defense as well as they ever had. Twice Legolas forced Theoden to move, but the horses had left him with a lot of distance to cover and the great king had no trouble catching the efforts.

As the game neared its end it was Rohan that looked more likely to score the next goal, and Aule and Celebrimbor weren't allowed to help their offense much at all as Rohan kept the pressure on. Bombur only barely tipped away a fine header by Helm with five minutes left, and that was the last real chance by either team. Rohan kicked it out the rest of the way and the setting sun sent its final rays out from under the westering storms and lit up the top rows of rabid Rohan fans as they celebrated.

Rohan was into the quarterfinals!

Dwarves United 0-1 Rohan
on target 3-4
tot shots 10-13
GOALS:
*39, 0-1 Gandalf (Eorl)
YELLOW CARDS:
*DwUnt- Azaghal, Thror, Thorin
*Rohan- Eomer, Snowmane

***************************
***************************

MESPN Exit Interview with Dwarves United

MESPN: You guys were just inches away from a quarterfinal appearance. Describe your disappointment.

Aule: I don't know about my teammates, but I'm not overly broken up. Fact is no one picked us to even get this far. I think we've proven something, and I think we're going places.

MESPN: So you believe Dwarves United can continue to be a playoff threat?

Durin: Absolutely! We proved our mettle, and it should make us an attractive destination. I think we'll be in position to make a couple minor tweaks and we'll be back in a better form next year.

MESPN: So you don't think you'll be losing any of your talent?

Celebrimbor: No, no- we had great team spirit and everyone enjoyed the run, and we're determined to keep our noses to the grindstone for the cause.

MESPN: Has anyone expressed interest in joining your squad next season?

Celebrimbor: Ah, I think you suspect or you would not have asked that question, heh heh. Well- I'm going to leave it unanswered for now, and merely give a little wink.

Gimli: I'll answer the question!

Aule: Wait Gimli, not yet! In good time. I know you're anxious.

Gimli: It had better be soon. I can't keep my mouth shut on this for long.

Durin: Well there you go media members- you know precisely which of us will crack like an egg to give you your story.

*laughter*

MESPN: All right guys, thanks a lot. Gimli- we'll be calling with bribes.

*laughter*

[the phantom]

MESPN Exit Interview With Gondor

MESPN: So guys, what went wrong this year?

Anarion: Not much, honestly. We did what was necessary through the friendlies and group play and most of that last game, but in the end it was Bombadil.

Eldacar: Indeed. I think we played him correctly- he just one-upped us.

MESPN: How do you think you would've fared in the next round against AC Beleriand?

Anarion: Good question. Let's see... I think Feanor would be a potential Bombadil for us- just depends on if he makes the plays. But I think we'd deny the ball to their front line pretty well and possess decently.

Eldarion: I think we'd score. Our set-piece execution and across the board size and power- I would hope we wouldn't be shut out.

MESPN: So what- a draw?

Anarion: I think we'd both get a goal, and the third of the contest would be the winner one way or the other.

MESPN: So you think your team is pretty well where it needs to be?

Anarion: Yes.

MESPN: So, no changes next year?

Eldacar: Word is the nautical teams (Havens & Sea) have been trying to talk to a couple of the players here, but I wouldn't expect much turnover.

MESPN: And the salaries?

Anarion: The teams altogether were overpriced a bit this year, so we'll likely correct very slightly down.

Eldarion: Though Anarion here has probably earned himself a little salary bump.

Eldacar: Quite right- fine tournament, captain! I think you might be the overall phantasy point leader right now!

Anarion: Thanks, thanks, but I have you all to thank for that of course.

MESPN: All right- glad to see you're optimistic. Nice tournament, and see you next year.

Anarion: See you later.

*******************************
*******************************

MESPN Exit Interview With Doriath

MESPN: So- no championship repeat then.

Melian: No indeed. It's tough to repeat at Arda Cup.

MESPN: But you were at least in the playoffs pushing a fine team to the brink.

Melian: Yes, I don't think our performance was anything to be ashamed of. We're disappointed, but we played decently and don't feel like we were out of contention.

MESPN: So, what about off-season acquisitions?

Melian: I'm sure there will be a couple. If I had to guess, I'd say we'll lose at least one of our current players, as the other Beleriand squads will be coming after them. We've got good talent, and talent always draws attention.

MESPN: But you have replacements lined up?

Melian: Well, I'm fairly certain my dear husband will be returning, so there's at least one. It's too early to say more, however.

MESPN: All right. Thanks a lot for your time.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Bracket:



Power Rank:



(Teams in bold are quarterfinalists; teams in italics are eliminated.)

Greatest gain:

• +8 Real Valinor, Doriath
• +3 Minas Tirith
  +1 AC Beleriand, Erebor

Greatest loss:

• -17 Imladris
• -16 The Sea
• -11 Gondolin

The Power Ranking is based on the aggregate of offensive and defensive ranking, combined with the adjusted goal difference rank of each team. The listed offensive and defensive rankings are from the actual numbers by the teams, and not adjusted.

The offensive ranking is based on the goals scored per game throughout the matches. Ties are broken by a) greater number of shots made on target per game; and b) greater number of shots made per game.

The defensive ranking is based on the goals allowed per game throughout the matches. Ties are broken by a) least number of shots allowed on target per game; and b) least amount of shots allowed per game.

Top Individual Performers:
(Players in italics are from eliminated teams.)

GOALS + ASSISTS

5+1
Curufin (FC Valinor)

5+0
Ancalagon (Angband)

4+3
Anarion (Gondor)

4+1
Gothmog (Gondolin)
Fëanor (AC Beleriand)

3+3
Sauron (Barad-dûr)

3+2
Bombadil (Shire-Bree United)
Glorfindel (Eriador)
Celegorm (FC Valinor)

3+1
Witch-king (Eriador)
Smaug (Erebor)
Beren (AC Beleriand)

3+0
Mablung (Doriath)
Tuor (The Havens)

2+3
Maeglin (Gondolin)
Beleg (Doriath)

2+2
Míriel (Real Valinor)
Eldacar (Gondor)
Mardil (Minas Tirith)

1+3
Tevildo (Angband)
Eärendil (The Havens)
Eöl (AC Beleriand)

GOALKEEPING

1. Théoden (Rohan) - 12/13 (92.31%)
2. Beorn (Erebor) - 16/18 (88.89%)
3. Huan (FC Valinor) - 15/18 (83.33%)
4. Elrond (Eriador) - 19/23 (82.61%)
5. Manwë (Valimar) - 12/15 (80.00%)
6. Marach (AC Beleriand) - 11/14 (78.57%)

[Nogrod]

GAME 1

H2 Minas Tirith 7-7 1-3-0
31,8% 22 (54) – 24 (60) 70,8%

B1 Eriador 9-4 4-0-0
39,1% 23 (57) – 23 (53) 82,6%



The AKM considers this game the easiest one to predict as it thinks that Erebor has better chances to beat FC Valinor than Minas Tirith has championing over Eriador. Minas Tirith has had it’s free run and glorious team-play against either mediocre (the group phase) or very dissappointing (Angband) sides and will drop from the tournament when facing their first top-class opponent and having used already all the good luck resources any side could possibly have.

The two teams have shot and allowed pretty similar numbers but Eriador has had better opponents and their percentages (scoring efficiency & goal-keeping percentage) are roundly ten points higher. Also just looking at the scores from their group-games and friendlies Elrond has mostly given in one goal or then in few games none, while Denethor has given in mostly two and sometimes only one.

Minas Tirith seems to have found a collective game where all the players share the same pay and they seem to even score democratically. But this time they have to face very talented – even if mildly under-performed – Glorfindel and The Witch King (3+1 in four tournament games thus far for both of them) with their defence, and their offence would have to get past defenders like Gil-Galad and Malbeth only to face Elrond at goal. Purely looking at the price tags one could say that the area of the game Minas Tirith has chances to excel over Eriador is the midfield, but even there one has a) reason to believe that the MT salary-pact has overcompensated many of their midfielders while Eriador has hired them with decent market-prices, and b) to look at the stats to realise that Eriador midfield has been quite active indeed, a lot more than MT midfield anyway.

The AKM prediction:

Eriador wins 2-0

Phantasy-draft suggestions by the AKM:

You probably shouldn’t hire any Minas Tirith players into your team and if you have some, you might wish to get rid of them. Eriador defenders and forwards are all decent picks, and Elrond surely is a worthy pick. Now you might wish to pay heed to the fact that Eriador will most probably meet FC Valinor in the semifinals and so the defenders might be a bit riskier picks – but then again the team will play in the last game as well so they could still prove useful players in your line-up.


GAME 2

C1 Erebor 8-2 3-1-0
29,6% 27 (67) – 18 (47) 83,3%

D1 FC Valinor 11-3 4-0-0
36,7% 30 (70) – 18 (56) 83,3%



In this game there is also a clear favourite to win it. And it is no surprise it is FC Valinor. They have just been so confident and crushing in their game it is hard to see too many teams able to even challenge them to a fair battle. But… and there are two important “buts” here.

First of all, FC Valinor has played against some real quality sides (Real Valinor, Armenelos, Tirion, The Havens, Nargothrond…) but they haven’t yet played against a real top-quality keeper. And Beorn sure is this year’s sensation at the goal! And the eagle-defence has shown some remarkable skill and team-play thus far, so Erebor’s defence will also prove challenging.

Secondly, Smaug and Nazgûl #7 showed some real signs of awakening in their first play-off game, and if they are playing their best, they will surely give hard times for Huan and FC Valinor defenders.

That said, the AKM will still think FC Valinor will go forwards from this pair for they still are superior scorers – even against tougher opponents thus far – and Huan will just not be dropped this early from the games. But the stats of the both teams will be remade after the game asthus far both have scored a lot but given in inly a handful of goals: this time both will score, which means their defencive stas will go down quite a bit.

The AKM prediction:

FC Valinor wins 3-2 (3-1)

Phantasy-draft suggestions by the AKM:

Now this is a bit harder than the previous one. The players you have from the losing team will be eliminated from the tournament so it’s not all the same what you pick. The AKM will trust FC Valinor and suggest their players are good pick overall. But fex. if you don’t have Huan at your goal already this might nor be the best situation to pick him (leave that change for the next round if you mean to do it). If you wish to take risks or if you have confidence in your other picks so that you could afford a few ones to check for either a surprise (that they would continue playing) or for one game net-gain (to be changed away for the next round), then the AKM suggests considering Smaug, one of the defending eagles, or Beorn. You’d probably acquire some points with those picks at least on this round.


GAME 3

D2 Real Valinor 6-5 3-0-1
27,3% 22 (59) – 19 (49) 73,7%

F1 Rohan 4-1 3-1-0
26,7% 15 (47) – 13 (41) 92,3%



Now the AKM thinks this to be the hardest one to predict on this round. Had we been asked about the outcome of this game before the tournament we would have had no problem in declaring Real Valinor the obvious winners of the game, but after seeing all the games thus far we must take some of that back.

It is clear Rohan is not a scoring team but that they live and die with their defence: the three greats of the mearas aided by Radagast has been a real block in front of Theoden who is known as a quality keeper. They have been scored against only one goal in the four tournament-games thus far! It has, statistically, been the toughest team to score against in the whole tournament.

On the other hand, Real Valinor’s attack has been criticized of not performing up to the anticipation and many have felt the trio Arien – Miriel – Nerdanel hasn’t quite been up to what we looked for from them. At the same time, some voices (like that of the AKM) have tried to remind others that if we take away the two games against FC Valinor who clearly seems to have had an edge on the Real team, the performance of Real Valinor is not that bad but actually quite impressive (three goals made on average in every game if the friendlies are counted as well – and two per game if only tournament-games are included!).

So it will be in the end a question of whether Real Valinor’s attack is not in as a bad shape many believe it is – and thus unable to score enough against Theoden – or whether they can show their form and just outboot Rohan from the competition as Rohan surely will not score a lot.

The question then becomes, at the very end of the inquiry, that if Rohan manages to score one can Real score two? Or do we go to extra time or even penalties? The last possibility is a real one in this game, unless, like said, Real Valinor’s trio gets into the bussiness for real.

The AKM prediction:

Real Valinor wins 2-1 (normal or overtime)

Phantasy-draft suggestions by the AKM:

If Erebor vs. FC Valinor was somewhat hard here then this is a real killer. For even if we here in the AKM do predict that Real Valinor will win, it is not that clear – and when one makes phantasy drafts there are so many ways to try and balance those cruder choices one makes when only predicting a winning team.

But we have a rule of thumb for you anyway: if you think Rohan has chances to win or that Real Valinor isn’t going to make a horde of goals, then a Rohan defender or Theoden could be good ideas to have in your team (anyway we don’t suggest you take Rohan midfielders or forwards into your team); but if you believe in Real winning the game, then probably most of the Real players are good picks as Rohan will not score too much and then going through to the next stage they will not be redundant players aka. they would give you room for those limited choices you have. The question as to the power-trio and whether to take one of them in your team – and whom – is something we can’t give you an advice on as we’re wrestling on the same issue ourselves and don’t honestly know what to do.


GAME 4

G1 AC Beleriand 10-3 3-1-0
35,7% 28 (67) – 14 (41) 78,6%

A2 Shire-Bree Utd. 8-7 2-2-0
27,6% 29 (62) – 23 (67) 69,6%



This is another game the AKM would have had a straightforward answer before the tournament but on which we need to be a bit more careful after seeing the games thus far. But even if we try our best to find reasons why Shire-Bree could surprise us once again, we just don’t seem to find that. Their greatest result thus far is drawing with Angband but even Minas Tirith beat Angband (even if only with penalties but nevertheless). And winning Gondor on the first round of the play-offs isn’t that much a feat: or would you take that’s as a proof of AC Beleriand’s especially tough form if they had beaten Gondor? ‘nuff said.

Now many have questioned AC Beleriand’s defences and it is true that they have not met too many attacking powerhouses thus far and thus their defencive stats might look a bit too good. But then again, they left Gondolin into zero goals in their first play-off game. And winning Gondolin 2-0 in the first play-off game is just worlds apart from winning Gondor in a penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw.

So yes, Bombadil is one of the best there is, in anything he does it seems, and he has sdome quality support in offence if he is interested in playing in the first place. But Shire-Bree’s defences are the worst in the play-offs at this time. Facing a team with attacking quality AC Beleriand has – Fëanor, Beren, Eöl – it seems clear they are on the receiving side in this game. A lot of the outcome will be actually decided on how well Fingolfin can organise his defences against Bombadil and the Barrow-Wight as Fëanor & co will score ruthlessly anyway.

The AKM prediction:

AC Beleriand wins 4-2

Phantasy-draft suggestions by the AKM:

Unless you wish to go for one-time point-gathering risk with Bombadil, The Barrow-Wight, Khâmul or Strider, then the AKM suggests to stay away from the Shire-Bree team. AC Beleriand team’s players seem to be a lot better picks.

On a short term a lot depends on whether they will meet Real Valinor or Rohan in the semis: in the first instance defending players would be better choices but in the latter offensive ones. Looking just at this game, offencive players are a good idea but as SB might also score a few, the defenders might not bring you top points unless they score or assist themselves. Fëanor is a pricey choice (he’s even in the phantasy points with Bombadil at the moment!) but more often than not he also delivers. Beren was on fire on the first games but has cooled down lately, whereas we’re still looking forwards when Eöl will flash forwards… maybe this game?

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

The tournament has lost half its teams again in the first round of the knockout stages. Favourites displayed strong showing, but some surprise names dropped out just after the initial hurdle. In this edition of the tactical review, we take a look at the playoff runs of Beleriand teams Doriath and Gondolin. Again, we look at their bright points, dark spots, and their possible actions for 2013.

Doriath

What They Got Right:
For a team hit hardest by the hard salary cap imposed this year, Doriath has managed to go far--surprisingly far, if you consider what the media had said about them. They were placed in a group with teams that had a defence stronger than theirs (Anfauglith), an attack stronger than theirs (Nargothrond), and a team just plain stronger than theirs (AC Beleriand), and still they managed to advance to the round of sixteen. How did they do it?

Simple: they have the right pieces at the right places, and they knew how to use them. Melian was the core of their defence--it wouldn't be a stretch to say the she was their defence. Holding Fëanor, Thuringwethil, and Glaurung to one goal each was a feat very few others could accomplish. In fact, since Fëanor's goal against Doriath was from the penalty spot, and Thuringwethil's goal came after Melian switched to left back, the only goal from open game that she conceded to those centre-forwards was Glaurung's.

Furthermore, they were a team of excellent passers from player #1 to #11, and it showed in whatever strategy they chose to play, be it possession or counter-attacking. Daeron in particular was intelligent in his passing, distributing efficiently to either wing. And speaking of wings, their fluid attacking trio of Mablung, Beleg, and Lúthien were superb in their interplay, compensating for their lack of a single striker who broke defences down single-handedly.

What They Got Wrong:
Unfortunately they ran into teams that had superior numbers in the midfield, and we were never able to see their passing game at its full power. Normally a team packing the midfield could be broken on the flanks, but this fact merely exposes a key Doriath weakness: their best centre-back (the one that kept the opponent's star scorer quiet) was also their best fullback (the one who helped in the attack with runs from very deep). Melian was asked to do too much in the back line--help contain the opponent's attack while helping her midfield maintain possession. We saw only one chance she created in her interplay with left winger Lúthien, the Mablung miss against Anfauglith. She could have focused on the wings had she a goalkeeper she could trust, but unfortunately Dior was not the one. A save rate of a little below 70%, to the tune of 8 goals allowed, would not do for a team who didn't have a suffocating defence, or a go-to scorer to claw back the deficit.

What Can They Do:
In making it to the bracket stage, they lost only $4 million, a sum they could easily make up by trimming some of their salaries. Furthermore, Elu Thingol might return to his home team, considering what he said after Wilderland's loss, and his height and power would help them either in the front or the back. However, their two wingers performed well enough this year (Lúthien's actual stat notwithstanding, she produced more chances than any other Doriath player) that the risk of them being lured by other Beleriand teams exists--especially Beleg, considering his long-standing partnership with Túrin.

Quotes:
Daeron: I think we surprised a lot of people with what we did this year. Hardly anyone counted on us to get out of our group, but we made it, and we came close to forcing Eriador to a shoot-out, even. Next year, with one or two more pieces, I believe we could go further.

Gondolin

What They Got Right:
No-one doubted what Gothmog and Maeglin can do, which is to score. After taking a friendly game to adjust, they did exactly that, accounting for fourteen of their team's sixteen goals in eight games, and assisting in the two others. Maeglin was a walking highlights reel, combining his father's craftsmanship with his mother's Finwëan grace and power. And Gothmog was the terror of centre-backs with his size and speed.

Their midfield was also useful on attack: Meleth shared the ball efficiently, Elemmakil sent quality crosses into the box for target-man Gothmog, and Duilin was a gem as attacking midfielder. He played killer balls into the box for the strikers and made late runs after the teams have focused on their intimidating forward duo.

What They Got Wrong:
For every goal they scored, however, it seemed that they conceded one in return (they had seven goals for and against). Their defence allowed almost fourteen shots per game. This would not have been a problem had Rog been in top form, but sadly he has never quite returned to his 2010 form (despite his slight improvement from his performance last year):

Rog's save rate:
2010: 85.19% (vs Ar-Pharazôn, Phantom, Túrin, Maeglin)
2011: 61.11% (vs Eönwe, Varda, Arien, Míriel, Nerdanel)
2012: 68.18% (vs Fingon, Glorfindel, Witch-king, Fëanor, Eöl)

What Can They Do:
A loss of $3 million is easy enough for the Hidden Realm to handle. Besides, Gondolin is a realm of great footballing talent (they have the Cup to prove it), so even if they lose one of their star forwards in the off-season, they surely have someone who could step up. They would need more help for their back line, however, and perhaps on goal, too, unless they trust the blacksmith to shake out of whatever funk he had sunk into. A small upgrade in midfield would also help--their holder Salgant was exposed by AC Beleriand's midfield for his lack of positional awareness, when he was supposed to be the one plugging the holes in their defence.

Quotes:
Maeglin: Despite the initial hiccup, and that was against Real Valinor, our team has done well enough for something that was built almost on the fly. We have other talents to draw from that are now playing in other teams, so we'll eventually find the pieces we need to go further into the tournament.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

AC Beleriand vs Shire-Bree United


[Projected formation. AC Beleriand in red and white; Shire-Bree United in brown and green.]

Formation:

AC Beleriand would meet the same formation for the second time running in the knockout stage; Shire-Bree United fields a normal 4-4-2 with a flattish midfield and wingers. Bandobras and Ferny would be unable to compete in the centre of the pitch with AC Beleriand's four midfielders, so expect the Beleriandrim to win the possession battle. But Shire-Bree United would have an advantage in the wings: right back Golfimbul and right winger Khamûl would overload Fingolfin and force Beren to the flanks. On the other side is the strong spine of Shire-Bree: Bombadil, Barrow-wight, and Gildor. Denethor should start paying attention to defence; otherwise Ecthelion would be swamped on the break by three players on his zone.

Tactics:

There are two questions to ask regarding this game:

1. Will Shire-Bree play on the break?

AC Beleriand's midfield diamond enables them to dominate possession by sheer force of numbers, so most teams facing them would either have to expend a lot of energy pressing in the midfield to regain possession or absorb AC Beleriand's pressure and wait for a counterattacking opportunity. So far only Doriath had done the latter successfully, getting a 2-2 draw against Fëanor's squad.

Shire-Bree United had already been forced to play a transition-based game in the group stage against Angband, where they obtained a 2-2 draw. Centre-back Nazgûl #6 was in scintillating form during that game, breaking up Angband's attack and then sending the ball quickly to the wings, where the pacey Khamûl and Barrow-wight waited to dash forward.

2. Which Bombadil will show up?

As everyone surely knows, there are two kinds of Bombadil in football. One of them is the daisy-chasing, poetry-reading kind who takes up space but is otherwise not present in the pitch. The other is the force of nature that tears defences apart no matter what they do. In this game, if Bombadil fails to pay attention to the game it would be doubly disastrous for his team: Ecthelion would be free to push forward and enable AC Beleriand to field five players in Shire-Bree's box.

AC Beleriand has its own game-changer in Fëanor, a player who's always in the discussion as the best player ever (it's usually either him or Túrin). Expect him to give Shire-Bree's struggling defence a lot of trouble, so Strider's squad needs an on-form Bombadil to have a chance in the scoring battle.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Eriador vs Minas Tirith

Eriador keeps on conceding one goal to its opponents, it seems. They would pay for it sooner or later, but probably not now.

Eriador 2:1 Minas Tirith

FC Valinor vs Erebor

Against almost any other team we would have fancied Erebor's balance of strong attack and resolute defence. Unfortunately, they're up against a team a tad better than them at both ends of the pitch.

FC Valinor 2:1 Erebor

Real Valinor vs Rohan

Rohan has kept numerous teams from scoring against them, but they have had trouble putting the ball behind the net themselves. Real Valinor, on the other hand, held Tirion and Armenelos to one goal and even shut out the Númenórean forwards of The Sea.

Real Valinor 1:0 Rohan

AC Beleriand vs Shire-Bree United

Despite AC Beleriand having conceded but one goal to Nargothrond, and none to Gondolin, we have a feeling that Shire-Bree would score at least one. With that said, Gildor and company would need a lot of help keeping Fëanor et al. from scoring.

AC Beleriand 3:1 Shire-Bree United

[Nogrod]

The AKM at Lothlórien


As everything starts to gear up towards the quarterfinals, the AKM managed to get the goalies from both FC Valinor and Erebor into a short interview together. And so here it is, unabridged, straight to the readers of the AKM!



The AKM: Great to have you two giving us your time for a moment. So let’s get straight to the bussiness. What are your feelings now at the eve of the quarterfinal?

Huan: I’m both confident and relaxed and so is our team. But sure, there are no walks in the park left in this tournament and every team that comes against you is a top quality one.

Beorn: This sure will be our biggest challenge thus far, but I think we have shown to any doubters out there that Erebor plays very good football this season and we believe in our chances, naturally.

The AKM: What do you think is the most challenging feature in your opponent’s game, and how are you going to deal with it?

Beorn: Well the brothers sure are a nightmare to any goalie or defence with their ruthless scoring – but many people often forget that they have also players like Yavanna and Lórien in the midfield who are an elemental part of their team’s success. And my colleague here sure is one of the very best when it comes to keeping your sheet clean between the posts… so there will be challenges. Well, how to deal with it? We need to go defence first this time. And it’s not only our great eagles, but also our midfield needs to really fly this time, if you forgive me the expression. And Smaug, Bard, the Nazgûl… they have to deliver in this game.

Huan: Well my colleague here is very modest, but he sure is this year’s sensation and the hottest goalie right now – and flying in front of him are three great eagles. So that clearly is the nut for us to crack in this game. And also, even if we’re going to attack fervently like we do in all our games, we shouldn’t forget players like Smaug who can really be deadly if given room to manouver. But what to do about it? We’ll just play our game: pressure, attack, posses the ball, shoot a lot, run fast, keep lines tight, aid the mates, no blunders… yeah, we need to play our game. That’s the answer.

The AKM: Would you be willing to predict or to bet for the outcome?

Huan: Let’s leave the betting to humans, dwarves and orcs. But I do believe that the nice defencive stats of both teams might look a bit worse after this game as you'll be seeing some scoring on both ends of the pitch. But we will outscore Erebor in the end, let's say 4-2, or 3-2 if it gets tight.

Beorn: I would actually disagree here a bit about the nature of the game. Well, surely it won’t be 0-0, but I’d say we win 2-1. There is some real attacking power in both teams but as the game is such an important one neither team won’t be having open doors in defence either.

Huan: Even if you tried to "close the door", Curufin anf Celegorm would just break through it to score... and I don't think Smaug either is one who knocks and waits if someone comes to open.

Beorn: That was only a metaphor my canine friend.

Huan: Sure, but I'm afraid you over-estimate your own powers at the goal - and maybe mine too. You're young and not that experienced in football yet. Let me tell you there will be... more than four goals in the game. There is such a talent and power in the offence that goals just can't be avoided - even if we as the keepers would wish it.

The AKM: Would you like to bet on that?

Beorn: I'll buy you a pint of the best mead there is available in Lothlórien if you guys score three goals.

Huan: That's a fair offer. And to show I'm no less generous I'll offer you a pint of your choice of mead if you score two.

The AKM: That's a bet?

Huan: No. I'm sharing a pint with my colleague here after the match. The outcome only tells which one of us pays.

Beorn: Well put.

The AKM: Okay then. Well, thank you for your time and may the better team win.

[Nogrod]

The AKM @ Lothlórien, part 2

The elves of Lothlórien had a dilemma concerning the game between Erebor and FC Valinor. They would have all cheered for FC Valinor without doubt were there not the three brothers, but even if Erebor had some of their local favourites like Thranduil and Bard the Bowman, and the Great Eagles, the presence of Smaug, Bolg and a Nazgûl kind of made that team even more unbearable. So it seemed the majority of them had in fact turned into supporting the Valinor team.

But but to balance that Erebor had a sturdy bunch of supporters from the north: wood-elves, men from the Laketown-area, Dwarves from the Lonely Mountain and even farther… and beornings and eagles… even a load of orcs from both Misty Mountains and Moria, some from Mordor itself.

There had been a discussion on the general policies concerning the guests for the games as some had maintained that all the traditional “no strangers, especially no dwarves” –rules should apply, football or not. But it was seen as impossible to maintain unless Lothlórien wished to share the fate of the Blessed Realm and not be able to host any games in the future. Most elves seemed not too bothered by the men or even the dwarves as long as they stayed only for the game and were guided in and out via particular paths, but orcs were a tougher deal to sell for the common elves.

Now Galadriel had managed that promising the orcs would be under 24/7 surveillance and from the first provocation or breaking a set of visitor-rules, laid carefully before all the tourists with the ticket, they would be sent off and banned from Lothlórien for eternity – whatever games they would hold in the future. But the case of the Nazgûls was a real challenge.

For the eight had announced they were intent in coming to see their mate play – as their teams had already dropped from the games. The thought of the Nazgûl wandering through the precious Lórien seemed just blasphemy to the elves. Why had they defended their realm for millenia if they then willingly let the ringwraiths come and corrupt the holy forest just like that? Should they invite Sauron and Melkor next, some asked trying to hammer in the point. Even Celeborn was reserved and thought it better the Nazgûl would not step into the precious soil of Lórien.

But Galadriel had her way with this as well. When doesn’t she get it her way?

”If that is the requirement, then so be it: the Nazgûl will not step on Lórien’s soil. I can promise you that. But they will attend. This is PR, you know, and I know how to handle it.”

And so the Nazgûl were told they could come to follow the game with a few conditions. Firstly they would not be allowed to put their feet on Lórien’s soil which meant they would have to fly in. Also, to avoid stepping on Lórien soil, they would need to land on top of the stadium where they could take their seats. And thirdly, they would have to suffer the company of a great fleet of Great Eagles who were going to have their seats up high as well – and if there was any malice or even an intention of breaking any rules of conduct indicated by their tickets, the Eagles would have the authority to get rid of them. If they behaved, they would have a chance to meet their fellow after the game so long as they didn’t exit the stadium. The only exit from the stadium for them was by air and out from Lothlórien.

[the phantom]

MESPN News: Playoff Preview Special

Philip McPhantom: Hello football fans. We're to the quarterfinals now, and I've got the experts back with me again to take a look at things- Ruharg the dragon, sports editor of Monser Magazine, and Ar-Tar-Aradhil from Westernesse Weekly and president of the Numenorean Association for the Advancement of Football (NAAF).

Ar-Tar-Aradhil: You're kind to call me an expert after last round.

Ruharg: Ha ha! Yes, you've had better weeks.

Philip McP: Well let's just take a quick look back, shall we?

Ar-Tar-A: Must we?

Ruharg: Heh heh...

P McP: Let's get those A vs H upsets out of the way first.

ATA: We both missed one there.

Ruharg: Yes- I was a believer in Group A and you in Group H, and they proved us both right, and wrong.

P: Which upset was more impressive?

ATA: Well, I thought Minas Tirith could get it done playing their game, but they straight-up out-shot Angband.

Ruharg: Yes, that definitely came as a surprise. Many people thought Gondor would let Shire-Bree play their game and just play tighter with better execution, so no surprise that SB had a couple stat edges, but really that's more a product of Bombadil.

P: That's what I thought, and that's why Minas Tirith was so impressive- because it was a total team effort.

ATA: Oh, definitely! Ancalagon was a match-up problem for them, but they denied him the ball so well, and just controlled the midfield.

Ruharg: They had about a 65-35 possession edge, didn't they?

P: Let's see... 68-32 actually.

ATA: Angband doesn't need high possession to do damage, but they weren't looking for numbers like that.

R: Yes, all credit to Minas Tirith. They really played well.

P: Aradhil- are you particularly disappointed in Gondor?

ATA: Like we said- Bombadil was the difference. I think they had a good showing, so it's not a total disappointment.

R: They weren't getting past the quarters anyway.

P: Ah, hold on- we're not ready to discuss those match-ups yet.

R: Right, then let's get through these quickly so we can start talking about them.

P: All right- how about the other 2nd place finisher defeating a 1st place finisher, Real Valinor over The Sea?

R: Not really an upset. I think they were both serious contenders at about the same level, but the head-to-head match just favored Real.

ATA: Yes, I should've listened to you last week. I really went back and forth on this one deciding the winner, and in the end I backed the wrong side.

P: Head versus heart problem, perhaps?

ATA: Perhaps.

P: And how about the victories for Eriador, Erebor, FC, Rohan, and AC. Anything stick out?

R: I'll confess to being wrong about Eriador. They showed they could handle themselves.

ATA: And I was horribly wrong about Erebor. They put an absolute beating on Imladris. Seems I didn't respect the way their pieces fit together.

P: Were you impressed with the fight Dwarves United and Gondolin showed in their losses?

ATA: The Dwarves have really impressed me this tournament. Gondolin I knew was good though I thought AC Bel was a bad match for them. I think the lack of margin in that contest despite the red card was more a product of AC Bel being content to sit on their lead.

R: Yes, the Dwarves showed some nice tenacity, but against some of the other teams out there I think the score would've been ugly. Rohan doesn't run it up.

P: And the hottest team- FC Valinor?

ATA: Another two-goal margin. Same old, same old, heh heh.

R: They've definitely executed the best to this point, though Havens wasn't entirely unimpressive.

ATA: Yes, Havens competed well getting the lead initially, but their defense couldn't keep up in the end. With a couple pieces that team could really contend.

**********

P: Well all right- I think we're ready to cover the quarterfinals now!

R: Great!

ATA: Time to redeem myself!

P: Minas Tirith versus Eriador?

R: Eriador. They've got the most dangerous attack with Glorfindel and Witch King, and they've got Elrond at the back.

ATA: I'm rooting for Minas Tirith, but I definitely consider Eriador the favorite.

P: Could this be a blowout?

ATA: No, no- Minas Tirith will at least do that much. They'll play smart and won't give up anything easy, and they'll put enough pressure on Eriador to keep them honest.

R: Plus Elrond will be content to sit on a lead and isn't the sort to try and embarrass anyone even if his team was in the position to do so.

P: So, maybe a 2-1 game here?

ATA: That's what I'm picking.

R: I'm going with 2-0.

P: Now let's talk about Erebor versus FC Valinor.

ATA: Another smooth FC victory I figure, though with your cousin playing there I suppose you'll disagree, Ruharg?

R: Heh- yes yes, Smaug would never forgive me if I picked his squad to flame out like that. I've got to at least pick it to be close!

P: Family aside, what do you guys seriously think here?

R: I do think it will be close. FC won't get easy counters with the three eagles always wining back on defense, and their ability to move forward and help with pressure will be unique. All through Erebor's front they possess well- they just don't have a weak link. They can all move things and attack. And my good cousin Smaug will be the first such striker FC has faced.

ATA: I think Nahar is a decent dragon-stopper though.

R: We'll see.

ATA: I agree with your other praise, though. Though lacking a Feanor or Bombadil, Erebor can throw a lot of quality players at the opposition. Problem is, so can FC, and I think theirs are a bit better. I certainly wouldn't trade their forwards or midfielders for Erebor's anyway.

P: And the defense?

ATA: Erebor's eagles have performed well together, but Maglor is more useful on offense and has the ball skills, and once they're on the ground I wouldn't say the eagles are better than FC's defense.

P: And lastly, the keepers?

R: Beorn's been playing some excellent ball, but Huan is a proven commodity through the years.

ATA: So probably a wash, really.

P: So- final score?

ATA: FC wins 3-1.

R: Hmmm.... I suppose FC, but only by one goal. Perhaps in overtime.

P: And now let's talk about the other Valinor- Real playing Rohan.

ATA: I'm excited about this one! I think it'll be quite a tense contest!

R: Definitely. I really think it will come down to which side shows the most discipline.

P: Explain.

R: Real's triple-threat (Arien, Miriel, Nerdanel) I think will be countered by Felarof, Shadowfax, and Radagast, while on the other end I think Tilion, Caranthir, and Nienna can nullify Gandalf, Eorl, and Helm. Which squad will get frustrated first? Which will task their defenders with helping apply pressure on the other end, and will the double-duty distract them or tire them?

ATA: Indeed- both squads like to feature occasional deep runs from the hard-shooting defenders, but they can't afford to be caught to far upfield on a possession change.

P: Does that favor either side?

R: It's a draw, really. I think the horses are more likely to get in deep and have double-duty, but they can also dash back more quickly.

P: We know they have the speed, but after a long run upfield and a mad dash back, will they still have the legs to handle the agility and direction changes of Real's forwards?

ATA: That's the one thing I've wondered about- whether the terrific trio can misdirect and/or outsmart the athletic back line. That would give Real the definite edge.

R: I don't think they will. I think they'll play fast with good instincts. Plus I think Real will put more mental pressure on themselves to see a result.

P: So what's the verdict?

ATA: I'm taking Real 1-0.

R: Rohan 1-0.

P: And now for the final match- AC Beleriand against Shire-Bree United.

R: I'm betting we'll agree this time.

ATA: Heh, I imagine so.

P: Let me guess- you're going with AC?

ATA: Definitely. No disrespect- Shire-Bree's front four have proved so effective, but they aren't strong enough at the back.

R: Can you imagine Butterbur or Golfimbul trying to stop Feanor or Eol in the open field? Or attempting to outleap Beren for a header?

ATA: Shire-Bree will have to sell out in favor of possession in order to keep the score from being silly, because if AC is allowed to work, they'll get goals.

P: But can that fine front four of Shire-Bree keep them in it with scoring?

R: Bombadil is a genius, but he may not be on his game. And if he is, AC can bracket him with Fingolfin and Rochallor.

ATA: And that will still leave Ecthelion free to take care of Strider or Khamul, and then the rest of the team can surely apply pressure to the others.

R: Indeed. Possession won't be easy.

P: So, how about a score?

ATA: I hesitate to name one too lopsided, as Feanor might not consider it worth the exertion to keep scoring, and Fingoflin will likely encourage them to be sportsmanlike and call off the dogs.

R: I still think they get four.

ATA: I'm going to go with three.

P: And how many for Bombadil and company?

ATA: I suppose I can give the master one.

R: Zero.

P: All right then- there you have it. The experts have made their quarterfinal picks. Enjoy the games, everyone!

[Boromir88]

TWO TOWERS NETWORK
Boromir the 88th

Club Interviews

TTN is back but there are a couple club interviews we first must catch up our readers on. All detailing preliminary plans and strategies of the eliminated teams in the tournament thus far. So, let's get to it.

Group A

The Downer (Hookbill, Barrow-Downs)-

Even with their elimination in the group stage, Hookbill's squad played fairly well and as the dirt cheap team of the tournament, they still leave with a fairly nice chunk of change to work with. They will still likely be at the lower end of salaries next year. Hookbill says to expect several changes to the Downer next year: "Since we're financed by the Barrow-Downs website we will definitely pursue several of the TIG Barrow-Downer's. And due to Eru's new rules about squads being "Tolkien relevant" we'll consider adding on talent from Tyrn Gorthad. However, any player we do add on will have to fit within our team mold and designs."

So, it appears we can expect much of the same style of play from The Downer, but with better players and a change of venue it should yield even better results.

Tol In Gaurhoth (Barrow-Downs, Tol In Gaurhoth Realty)-

There is a somber attitude around the TIG clubhouse, as they were certainly one of the better teams that did not advance. Still, they will not take much of a financial hit, so should be able to field a better squad, especially since Sauron has now hired, BD legal guru Saucepan Man to appeal Eru's decision about the limit on werewolf-players. Through their new legal spokesperson, SPM issued this statement: "We are not going to appeal the new Tolkienish mandate issued by Eru, so the team will be looking outside the boundaries of the website to pick up players. However, after looking at the case, and gathering all testimony, there is a strong legal argument that the limit on werewolf-players falls under the unfair competition clause. The rule stating teams must become more Tolkienish is an across the board one that all teams must abide. The werewolf-limit is enacted only against TIG, and thus the ONLY team it harms is TIG. These are grounds to get the rule overturned."

Group H

Barad-Dur (Barad-Dur’s Gold & Silver Jewelers)
Mordor (Barad-Dur’s Gold & Silver Jewelers, Black Sorcery Guild, Harad Inc., North Umbar Trading Company)-

Sauron has launched a major PR campaign through his representative, The Mouth, to quell Mordor's upheaval after both home squads were eliminated.

The Mouth: "What many have to realize is both Gondor clubs outspent both Mordor teams this year by 20 million. So they already had an advantage in talent, and we still had a good opportunity to make the playoffs."

Ortak, from The Gorgoroth Plain Dealer: "But much of the outrage stems from the fact it was Gondor who came here and beat Mordor. Surely, Sauron knows this is unacceptable. Will Sauron still be invested in Mordor?"

The Mouth: "Sauron will stay heavily invested in both Barad-dur and Mordor. He is committed to making Mordor a contender, but fans must remain patient. For, he believes overall salaries will trend downwards, and this will free up talent from other squads. Yet, he will not over-spend to bring in a big star-athlete or keep players who decide to take more money elsewhere. You witnessed what happened to Hithlum, who dumped 10s of millions into Turin, but still could not advance."

Ortak: "Can you tell us any specific players you have in mind, which may either leave the Mordor clubs, or come in to play here?"

The Mouth: "Heh. Patience, my friends, patience. It's too early to know what the off-season will bring. Sauron's general designs are, he will not enter into bidding wars for any player, whether it be to retain a current one or to add new. This means the salaries will still be on the lower end of clubs next year. However, we ended the year in the black, and therefor with some room to improve and siphon quality from other squads that took big hits."

[Boromir88]

TWO TOWERS NETWORK
Boromir the 88th

In further catch-up mode we now bring the latest news out of Angband's exit in the Octo-finals as well as Quarter-final predictions. There is a time crunch, and therefor the analysis will be back to our old bloggerish roots from '09, but with the way the year has gone, our predicted scores will return to past glory.

Angband

Melkor was not in the merriest moods after realizing his squad will take a 21million dollar hit due to their 1st round playoff loss. Yet if anyone can, Melkor has tons of resources and absorb the loss. Although he is expressing to be more efficient when it comes to spending money.

Melkor: "This tournament showed where there are clear weak spots in the roster. There are a couple players whom I have my Eye set on to bring in and sure up those weak points; primarily in the midfield. The bottomline is also, those who under-performed will have to take a paycut or leave. No excuses for what we gave to the fans in our final match."

Quarter-finals Predictions:

Eriador vs Minas Tirith - Minas Tirith had an unexpected victory against Angband, and it's possible Minas Tirith can go on a similar run to Mirkwood in '09. Eriador will not blow anyone out of the game, that's for sure. With that said, Eriador is loaded with talent from top-to-bottom. They don't need to heavily rely on any single player to win. Except maybe Elrond, but he never wavers in goal, and there is plenty of help for the Rivendell Master.

Eriador wins 1-0

Erebor vs FC Valinor - This will be closer then what most people believe. Erebor is a very balanced team that can win either with offense or defense. Although, FC Valinor is also very balanced. And despire Erebor's good defensive numbers, their players don't match up well against FC Valinor's star-studded attack. It will still go to a shootout.

2-2. FC wins in shootout (4-3)

Rohan vs Real Valinor - Real's only struggles actually seems to be against their rival counterparts, FC. However, Rohan's defense is suffocating and tireless, and the mid-field doesn't make errors. Even if Gandalf doesn't show up with large phantasy numbers, he's a wizard at commanding both offensive and defensive responsibilities in the mid-field. This will also go to a shootout:

1-1. Rohan wins in shootout (3-2)

AC Beleriand vs Shire-Bree United - This will be the most pro-offensive game (even though Erebor and FC feature the more dangerous attacks, they still seem to play more balanced). Shire-Bree's only hope is to try to match AC Beleriand goal-for-goal, but not even Bombadil can counter a Feanor, Eol, and Beren trio. Especially since Feanor is ever determined to snatch another Arda Cup and this may be his best chance since winning in '08. Shire-Bree shouldn't be too disappointed, since they will exit with a huge profit and able to improve their roster next year.

AC Beleriand wins 4-1

[the phantom]

Lothlorien Set To Host

It had been some time since the Golden Wood had hosted Arda Cup games, and many felt a visit to Lothlorien was long overdue. The image of the stadium at Caras Galadhon was recognizable all over Middle Earth, built to resemble the surrounding forest. Pillars of smooth silver-grey supported soaring spans of blended green and silver, while the walkways were all the golden color of fallen leaves. And more often than not on game-days crews of elves went over the entire grounds sprinkling actual mallorn leaves on the ground, driving home the effect even more.

But if that wasn't enough, a true mallorn grew at each of the four corners of the stadium- some of the largest in the land. Their massive trunks rose up alongside the pillars, dwarfing them with their mighty girth. When they at last emerged above the top row of the arena, their boughs spread in all directions, and they stretched over several rows of seats inside the arena. Those seats which were not covered by the true mallorns were given the same effect, with delightfully woven green and silver tarps stretching in various angular shapes across from height to height.

The capacity was not quite so great as some of the other football centers, but at 75,000 it certainly was enough to host. Ticket allotments had been sold through vendors affiliated with the visiting clubs, but it remained to be seen how many out-of-forest guests would show and how many seats would be left over for the locals, though probably at least 10,000 as that number had been reserved for sale at the home offices.

It was also unknown which squads would receive the most support. Erebor certainly had a shorter trip than FC Valinor, but the host elves might balance things out. And Minas Tirith and Eriador had a somewhat equal distance to travel, so that one could very well end up even.

Gondolin Also Prepared

It came as no surprise that the Hidden Kingdom was chosen as a neutral site host for the Arda Cup. There were few locations in Arda that could compete with Gondolin in terms of lodgings and facilities and sheer attraction as a travel destination.

The stadium was large and masterfully built- gleaming white and sitting on the edge of a cliff above the plains of Tumladen. Lodgings were all in close proximity to the arena, and there were plenty of them, though some fans would doubtless choose to rent cottages on the peaceful plains, or mountain cabins in the surrounding foothills. Though it would leave them with a tidy horse-ride to get to the match, the picturesque setting was well worth the extra effort.

The main path to Gondolin, coming in through abandoned stream tunnels to the southwest, was guarded well with several security checkpoints, but they kept traffic moving fairly well. The one or two treacherous paths from the northern mountains were unlikely to be attempted by anyone, but to be safe small contingents were patrolling, just in case any traveling parties were stranded- and making sure no trouble-makers were sneaking in illegal goods.

Locals were hoping that some extra tickets would be available to them, particularly in the case of Real Valinor versus Rohan, as both squads had some distance to travel. AC Beleriand however was almost guaranteed to show up in force, so extra home tickets were going to be tough to come by, which was unfortunate as AC featured three players with Gondolin ties- Ecthelion, Fingolfin, and Eol. Needless to say the stadium was likely to be on their side.

[Nogrod]

Quarterfinal Erebor vs. FC Valinor @ Lothlórien


It was gametime!

The stadium was full to the last place, well it was clear to everyone it was overbooked. On the top of the stadium, behind and above the highest rows of benches loomed the eight dark riders with their beasts and some two dozen Great Eagles. Many could have been intimidated by the eight, but the presence of the eagles did wonders. And when the special quests were introduced the crowds got quite relaxed indeed. For Oromë was there to see his great white horse play, and Mandos, Vairë and Estë were there as well to witness Lórien’s game now that their teams had been already relegated from the tournament. Some whispered that Manwë himself would be present with Varda, but if they were, they were there incognito.

The teams were introduced player by player as they had finally reached their opening positions. And it was a sight! Let’s see the line-ups before going into the game.

On FC Valinor’s side.

At goal the huge hound Huan whom a faint-hearted would not even dare to approach, let alone to try and get a ball behind him.

On defence. At the bottom, in a kind of an libero-role, Nahar, Oromë’s great horse: taller than any seen in the ME, swift and muscular, as frightening as Huan. In front of him Penlod, the lord from Gondolin, the tallest of the Noldorin. There was no easy way behind these two in the middle.

At left Indis the Fair, Galadriel’s grandmother, proud and beautiful as ever. At right Maglor, son of Fëanor, a bard and poet, from his fëa more like his mother maybe, but in stature and countenance no less intimidating than his brothers up front – and everyone knew what this dark and strong elf was able and what was his inheritance.

On the midfield. Turgon’s always dangerous daughter Idril the Silverfoot on the left. You never knew how fast he could be and where. On the right the high commander Argon, Indis’ grandson: as royal and fair the old Noldorin would be.

In the middle there were the two Valar. On the left Yavanna herself, the great favourite of the homecrowds and one of the real threats to any defence. On the right-center spot Lórien, another great favourite of the homecrowds, a master of spirits.

On attack. Celegorm and Curufin, Fëanor’s sons. Wild, tall, proud and… well the words fail here in front of their charisma. Standing at the center-ring opposed to Smaug one tended to notice them first and the huge dragon only after them. That should make plain what is meant.

Team Erebor then.

At the goal the huge skinchanger Beorn, almost half a bear even in his human form. If a normal person wouldn’t want to get into closer dealings with Huan, he would be wise to stay away from Beorn as well.

The defencive line boasted three Great Eagles, the brothers Windlord and Wide-Wing and their friend Sky-King. It was clear that Huan’s words about them as a real challenge were not only sweet-talking. It would take even the champions of FC Valinor some effort to get past these defenders.

In the middle, in front of the Eagles the last lord of Dale, Girion, the grand-grand father of Bard the Bowman.

On the midfield, left-side, Dain Ironfoot, the great warrior and king under the mountain. On the right side Bolg the leader of the Misty Mountain orcs in the Battle of Five Armies who had since made it good with Beorn…

On the center midfield, as the so called “number ten”, Bard the Grim Sniper – as the elves called him. A devastating weapon behind the forwards trio ready to shoot accurately with even a slightest of chances.

On attack a trio of intimidation, sterness and power. Nazgul #7 on the left, the master of intimidation. Thranduil on the right, the stern leader of the Silvan elves. And in the peak position in the middle Smaug the Golden for whose brutal power nothing goes undetected.

It looked like a huge game indeed! This was what the Arda Cup was for! Great players, heroes and villains together enjoying the sports and giving their best. As said, it was gametime!


*~*

Erebor had clearly a premeditated plan to go for a full attack from the get go, going for the surprise-factor. And they actually did manage to put FC Valinor’s defence in some disarray for the first few minutes. FC Valinor clearly was not prepared to this kind of onslaught from the first minute. But as soon as Maglor had called the defencive lines to stand their ground and the midfield fell a bit to support them Erebor’s attacks were slowly suffocated. And little by little FC Valinor started rolling their own attacks to the other end of the pitch rising their whole field upwards, careful to keep the distances short enough in case of any unforeseen events.

Especially Idril’s dashes deep into the Erebor’s half were a constant threat to the otherwise fast but slow-turning eagles. And while the Erebor defences in the center had their hands full with Celegorm and Curufin, Yavanna made quick runs inside the box from left (trailing Idril) or right (sometimes supported by a run by Argon). The mighty Erebor defences were in trouble. Seriously.

At half an hour mark the game settled down somewhat as neither the initial pressure of Erebor or the forceful pressing of FC Valinor hadn’t produced an outcome. FC Valinor had forced Beorn into one parade-save from the top-right corner fisting the ball off after a mighty volley by Celegorm, but other than that FC Valinor had only managed a few shots just slightly wide or over the target. Curufin and Celegorm were unhappy as they thought they were not getting into good enough scoring-positions and so they started re-arranging their tactics on the fly.

Many judgements have been made thus far on dwarves’ talent or overall ability to play football – not all of them without justification it must be admitted – but the king under the mountain, Dain Ironfoot really did honour to his race this time forcing the homecrowds to just gasp in awe.

For it thus happened that Lórien rose up from the center with the build up as the new formation demanded, but on his side Argon was getting forwards as well, which he was not supposed to do, leaving a huge gap on the right side of FC Valinor’s lower midfield. Noticing that Dain rushed forwards into the empty space and when Landroval managed to snatch the ball away from Idril he immediately saw the situation and winged the ball fast forwards high in the air. Already when the ball was in mid-air Huan made a terrifying howl calling the defenders back but it was already late: while all the midfielders and defenders had to turn around before dashing back, the Grim Sniper was actually on the run already. With a one touch pass Dain sent the ball diagonally across the field only to land perfectly at Bard’s feet at the corner of the box with Nahar closing in at full gallop just the crucial few feet behind him. Had Bard tried to control the ball first Nahar would have been on him – so Bard just volleyed the ball as soon as he reached it. And it went into the back of the net! Even Huan had no chance to react to such a boomer!

And so, after 36 minutes of play Erebor was leading the game 1-0!

Maglor called his team to settle down for the last ten minutes to avoid any further mistakes – and Curufin and Celegorm didn’t seem to oppose their brother’s politics of keeping their goal safe for the last minutes of the first half either. And so the teams went into their lockers for the half-time in Erebor’s lead.

There was something to ponder for the statisticians: after the first half FC Valinor had the possession 62% vs. 38%. FC Valinor also had 7 shots vs. 4 shots by Erebor, and the “serious scoring opportunities” (as the statisticians count them) from those were blatantly 5 vs. 1. Yet Erebor was in the lead.


The feeling at the stadium was getting into a full peak when the teams came back for the second half: the Lothlórien elves were now mainly supporting FC Valinor and the northern guests were just going wild with pride and confidence their team would make it through the second half. The noise was just ear-breaking.

As soon as the second half got on the name of the game became quite clear. FC Valinor had gathered some dedication and rage in their lockers – like some northern people said, they had swallowed some snake-broth indeed! FC Valinor was fast, it was furious, it was dangerous – and the only thing Erebor could do was to draw back, try to put their feet and heads in between the ball and the goal and hope for the best… Even Smaug was eventually forced to draw back to aid the defence.

It was possibly the simple most one-sided top-match half of this tournament. Erebor managed five shots overall on the second half, only one of which was on target – and even that was an easy save for Huan as it was a desperate shot from 35 meters by Thranduil when Maglor was pressing on and he had to do just something with the ball when all the passing-lines were already shut.

But what did FC Valinor do then? Well a lot.

Already on 49th minute Idril broke free from her side and after drawing Beorn to her chipped the ball from the corner of the goal into the middle from where Celegorm dived for a header only to slightly miss the touch sending the ball over the goal hitting the crossbar.

Only five minutes later Yavanna sent Curufin free inside the box but his blast went wide by a margin.

A few minutes from that Celegorm played an intelligent wall-play with Yavanna enabling her to break free from the eagle-line but her power-shot was tipped off the goal by Beorn’s ghost-save.

On 64th minute Bolg got carded from tackling Idril pretty badly (what else he could do against her speed one might ask). FC Valinor got a free kick from some twenty meters from the goal between the center and the corner of the box. Celegorm took the shot and hit the crossbar again – but Yavanna dived to the rebound! Only to head the ball off hitting Meneldor on it’s way and resulting in a corner.

Curufin tried a sneaky one with the corner and sent the ball swerving towards the back post – it would have probably gone straight in had not Girion cleared it holding fast the far post while all the others were maniacally rushing after the ball or the possible trajectories it might take if someone headed it this or that way. As the ball flew over the field for a throw Beorn was seen shaking Girion’s hand and his grand-grand son hugged him passionately for saving the day.

The clock was ticking but FC Valinor was not letting it bother them. Erebor fell down and even lower down. At times it seemed all the eleven players were inside a twenty-meter radius from their goal defending it like a hedghehog. The northern supporters chanted and yelled their throats sore to boost their team to hold the all-out offencive back for the last twenty minutes. But the elven fans were also inspired by the sovereign exposition of skill, effort and fighting-spirit FC Valinor showed.

It was a game against only one goal.

On 75th minute Yavanna discovered Argon’s smart run and passed the ball to him over and behind the defenders in full speed on the right. He took the control of the ball but it took just the precious second too much so that when he was able to shoot he had already drifted into a too slight an angle that Beorn could shut the shot away easily – trying to make a last second surprise-pass in the middle only ended in Gwaihir’s talons.

But only two minutes after that Argon was up again making some real damage! He single-handedly fooled first Dain an then Gwaihir on the right side of the pitch and closing in towards the goal centered it powerfully so that Landroval had no chance of cutting it… Curufin slided to the ball but was an inch late and the ball continued it’s path. Curufin kept sliding inside the net but Girion managed to boot the ball into the FC Valinor side of the field from where Huan brought it back.
That was the name of the game ten minutes before the final whistle: all the players, except Huan were on the Erebor’s side of the field.

At 83rd minute Lórien passed the ball from some forty meters forwards high in the air. Celegorm chested it down and chipped it diagonally forwards from just outside the box – Curufin rushed in for a volley only to boot it to the upper levels of the stadium. What a prodigal son he was, Curufin!

Two minutes after the previous, Penlod had risen from the left side. Pretending to center the ball Meneldor dived to shut the passing line but Penlod actually kicked the ball backwards with his heel – and lo and behold! – the Silverfoot was in full speed coming from behind him and took the ball with one touch booting it with the second touch –only to be just tipped away by Beorn! That was probably the closest one thus far for FC Valinor!

Five minutes of the game left and even the defenders of FC Valinor were up and actively creating mayhem – like we saw with Penlod just there. Few minutes before the final whistle even Maglor joined the attack as the second last one – they still kept Nahar around the center-ring just in case of a runaway ball that a speedy attacker might run for. It was now all or nothing – and the crowds were going nuts: the Erebor supporters were not believing they were winning the game and the elves were not believing FC Valinor was losing! But both made even more infernal noise as a result.

On 87th minute Maglor actually took the initiative and tried to force himself through the tightly packed defence only to be harshly winged down by Gwaihir who was clearly late of the situation when Maglor had managed to fool Bolg out. And it was true: the first card of the game! Such an intensive game with no cards dealt until three minutes from the end. It told everything of the game: hard, powerful, aggressive – but clean. Thus far, that is.

The free-kick was from a good position, about 18 meters from the goal. The three brothers were seen discussing it around the ball – well, arguing about it, it seemed – while the wall was being built with the aid of the referee inside the box, with both Argon and Yavanna trying to fit inside it. The three brothers all stood behind the ball some meters away from it when the referee whistled for a go.

Celegorm tossed Maglor away and glanced at Curufin, nodding to him. Despite the heavy toss Maglor kept his balance and continued walking sideways not looking back and cursing while he went. The two brothers exchanged looks and started running at the ball at the same time… Suddenly Curufin took a dash and got to the ball first only to trick-play it with the heel of his left foot and the point of his right so that the ball flew high up in the air. And it was an exact timing. The defenders from the wall started rushing forwards.

Curufin took a fast dash forward-right – Landroval and Girion went to close the passing line to him. Erebor had it now with Meneldor and Smaug closing in on Celegorm who was just going to reach the ball coming down; Bolg and Dain were keeping Argon and Yavanna away from the action; Bard was in close-quarters with Idril not giving her any room to breathe…

Celegorm reached the ball first. That was no surprise. He just hadn’t anyone to pass it except backwards as Erebor had closed every door. Celegorm caught the ball and glanced swiftly behind him before Meneldor and Smaug caught him. Turning forwards he saw Meneldor and Smaug pressing on him bending on the sides to be able to intercept a possible pass side- or backways. But as a gap between Smaug and Meneldor emerged, Celegorm swiftly sent the ball fast forwards slightly to the left.

And it was none else but Maglor who had sneaked forwards the seconds others had concentrated on everyone but him – and now he dashed to the ball. Landroval shrieked and made his best to turn mid air while Gwaihir answered the call leaving the guarding of Lórien behind… Girion stood helpless for a fraction of a second and then turned on his heels to follow Landroval. Beorn saw what was going on and closed the distance between him and Maglor trying to leave him as little angle possible to shoot it past him.

But Maglor did not take a shot. He passed the ball forwards-right – and yes, Curufin was now free and had dashed to the corner of the goal where he only had to put his boot in to the ball’s way to guide it in! FC Valinor had evened the game just three minutes before the end of the game!

The three brothers hugged passionately. All the tossing and “arguing” had been just a trick!

FC Valinor somewhat had the upper hand at the last minutes, but it was clear both teams were now concentrating for the extra-time. And that was to follow.

The statisticians were once again puzzled: how can a game be even when the other side has 74% of the possession, has 20 shots overall against 8 from the opposition, and shots on goal are 7-3. On second period alone FC Valinor made 12 shots and 5 of them went on target (posts and crossbars are not counted): that is more than many teams are able to accomplish in a whole game – and while the “serious scoring opportunities” were 5 vs. 1 after the first period, after two periods different statisticians saw them from 13 vs. 3 all the way to 15 vs. 2!

But the game was still 1-1 and it was the extra time.


After the few careful first minutes of the extra-time it was clear who was going for the goal. Unsurprisingly it was FC Valinor.

On 7 minutes into the extra-time Celegorm headed a cool center by Idril nicely via the ground but Beorn managed to stretch his leg for an astonishing reaction-save.

Few minutes later there was a great row on the field after Bolg had clearly kicked Nahar into his lower belly, in purpose. After that Nahar was more or less unstoppable and charged after Bolg around the field. Lórien was at the route Bolg tried to escape and managed to stumble him down with a kick to his side. As he was ready to cast a spell on Bolg suffering eternally of recurring nightmares, the referee finally caught the action and carded all three.

But if Bolg had wished he’d take some energy away from their opposition by his trick he was totally wrong. FC Valinor looked now doubly threathening, hard and unforgiving. And by Valar they scored after 16 minutes of the extra-time! Many thought it was finally some justice being delivered.

After one of the rare trials at attacking Erebor lost the ball somewhere half into the FC Valinor’s side of the field. Lórien took the ball and sent it immediately far up to Argon whom he saw was ready to make a spurt. And Argon did the run of his life ducking Landroval on his way and catching the ball before the end-line.
With a last second turn-pass – basically executing that from mid air as he had to jump for the ball unless it went over the line – he managed to center it and as the few defenders there were had been after him Yavanna was all alone in the middle to receive the pass. She took the ball in control by stopping calmly at the penalty spot. Beorn rushed forwards as soon as he realised the situation but Yavanna just passed the ball slightly sideways to herself with her left foot and chipped the ball out of reach of him and into the back of the net with her right!

FC Valinor was finally in the lead and the elven crowds were just going crazy. Fourteen minutes to go. FC Valinor had been the sovereign side thus far, but the lapse in the beginning. The tables had finally been turned.

Erebor did not mean to accept the loss and fought for the equalizer, but FC Valinor was not giving in an inch even if Erebor now came forwards with full force.

On the contrary, every time Erebor tried to attack FC Valinor sent Idril and Curufin – or Celegorm and Argon, or Yavanna and Nahar – a different pair every time into to the front with full speed dashes forcing Erebor to leave players to see after them and thus they never got the chance of building up an attack of a kind FC Valinor had played most of the second half. FC Valinor was keeping them at the bay with a counter-threat too serious to be ignored.

Three minutes before the end of the overtime there was one more clash of wills and personalities. Penlod and Smaug were reaching for the ball in the midfield and Smaug tailed Penlod away sending him into the ground. Not taking any more of that – and not willing to wait for the referee’s judgement – Penlod went on to challenge Smaug. To Penlod’s defence it can be said Smaug had pushed him all the game when the referee had not being looking, but yes, now Penlod had had it. Only the fact that Maglor and Lórien forced him off Smaug’s throat saved him from a red card. They both got yellow cards but the following free kick was given to Erebor as the “revenge” was deemed more unsportsmanlike than the original foul.

Nazgul #7 gave the free-kick from fifty meters trying to find Smaug’s tail from the edge of the box. But Nahar beat Smaug for it nice and clean. It was a perfect turnaround.

Nahar sent the ball flying forwards and Curufin, Celegorm, Yavanna, Idril and Argon all ran for it looking on their own routes for a great ending of the game. The elven crowds were cheering! This would be the final nail into Erebor’s coffin! 3-1 was on it’s way!

Idril got the ball farthest to the left and ran with it a moment before stopping – as Meneldor was closing in on her – and crossing it then to the center to Curufin who had now almost reached her level. Curufin sent the ball immediately forward-right towards Argon who was making way to the end of the pitch – and got the ball nicely before the end of the field on the right – and had time to decide what to do before Gwaihir was upon him. And he decided to dribble the great eagle – which he did! Getting rid of Gwaihir Argon centered the ball seeing both Curufin and Celegorm dashing towards the goal.

But somehow Gwaihir managed to put it’s wing in between while falling down from a too fast a turn. The ball went over the brothers and as a gift into the feet of Girion who did not mess around but kicked it far away from the Erebor side.

In the midfield Indis rose higher than Bard but due the contact she was not able to head it the way she meant and it went backwards, far away from where she meant it should go. Deep on the right of the FC Valinor’s side Thranduil took the ball and centered it immediately – amd Smaug was there to push free from the middle. With the FC Valinor defence a bit disarrayed as Nahar was not in his place and Penlod was understandably not willing to gather another yellow, Smaug actually got room to manouver just to tail the ball… into the net!

Erebor had drawn the game two minutes of the overtime left!!!

Nobody believed their eyes at first, not even the players. But after Smaug roared and the first Erebor players reacted to it starting to jump up and down, part of the stadium holding the fans of Erebor finally burst into cheering and a kind of hysterical laughter. They had been so sure down under that they would lose the game, but now it was once again anybody’s game! Erebor ruled!

The Lothlórien elves were just shocked – excluding those who actually cheered for Erebor. It had been a clear game after all the trouble and hardship in the beginning… and what now? A toss of a coin? Were there not the loud crowds cheering for Erebor the elves might not have realised how on the edge this was now.

But it was to be a penalty shoot-out.


Erebor 2-2 FC Valinor
on target 5-9
tot shots 14-23
GOALS:
*36, 1-0 Bard (Dain)
*87, 1-1 Curufin (Maglor)
*16, 1-2 Yavanna (Argon)
*28, 2-2 Smaug (Thranduil)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Erebor- Gwaihir, Bolg, Smaug
*FCVal- Nahar, Irmo, Penlod



A report from the penalty shoot-out will be published later today.

[Nogrod]

Erebor vs. FC Valinor, penalty shoot-out.

While the players rested and concentrated on the following shoot-out the fastest minds already went through different possibilities… It was hard to believe Huan on the losing side when clashing with any other goal-keeper, but then again Beorn was the comet of this season and statistically better, and especially in this game he had been just phenomenal while Huan had been mostly jobless most of the game… What else?

The three brothers would score. It was a hard place for the elves of Lothlórien to admit that they now relied on Fëanor’s sons, but that was what they were doing. There were the two Valar as well. It would be hard to see Yavanna or Lórien not to score. So how about it got further? Argon was a great elf – and so was Idril. And Penlod was a real hero... and Nahar was such a creature no-one could stand against it. Yes we have it, the elves thought to themselves even if they knew someone would fail anyway. But they had such a tough bunch that even if one failed it should not matter.

Meanwhile most of the supporters of Erebor were too busy to celebrate the draw to concentrate on the penalty shoot-out to come, but those who realised what was coming the next were thinking more or less along the following lines… Now Beorn would keep them safe often enough to give their team a change to win: that was something they were confident on after seeing all his parade-saves in this game. But how would their shooters fare against Huan? Smaug sure was in the same league with the Hound, and so were the Great Eagles – those would fight it out at the same level. But how about Thranduil, the men, Dain and Bolg?
Now these were some anguish-begging questions. It was Huan after all they faced.

The two goalies took it towards the goal walking silently side by side – with Beorn in a full bear-shape going in all fours as well. Reaching the goal they turned to face each other and leaned their foreheads slightly on each other to show respect. After that Beorn retreated to the side of the goal slowly transforming back to a human form while Huan took himself between the posts. Erebor would shoot first.

Smaug came forwards and settled the ball into the spot. Then it retreated somewhat to the right to let it’s tail fall in perfect position to hit the ball. The two beasts stared each other to the eye for a moment while Smaug waved it’s tail to and fro in the air. The air was thick with anticipation. There wasn’t even a sigh in the crowd as everyone held their breath.

Suddenly Smaug’s tail swang in a mighty loop. Huan saw the trajectory of the ball to come clearly and dived for the upper-left corner, but just as the tail would have hit the ball Smaug pulled it up and moved it’s hind-leg in astonishing speed chipping the ball to the lower-right corner while Huan was already diving left! It was sensational!

But Curufin didn’t let the show-off bother him. If they had counted on someone scoring from the Erebor side Smaug sure was the pick. Setting the ball Curufin took a few steps back, nodded to Beorn with a determined expression. There was no emotion on his face.

A short run and a shot – like a bull’s hit! The shot was so powerful Beorn just hadn’t time to react to it before it was already in the back of the net, in the upper-right corner going in slightly touching the crossbar and swerwing through the net to bounce back into the field. Unlike Smaug, Curufin didn’t celebrate the goal in any way but only walked back his face as neutrally grim it is possible to have. But the crowds were cheering even wilder than with Smaug’s goal. They were surely being entertained!

The shoot-out was even 1-1.

Passing Curufin in the midfield Thranduil seemed a bit nervous. King and all he was, but Curufin was an old and great Noldorin lord whose stupendous skill and confidence just outshone him on every measure. But he bit his lip adjusting the ball to it’s place. Fëanor’s sons or not, the Great Hound or not, he would show what the Silvan elves were made of. Mostly to entertain himself and to build self-confidence he took a few dancing moves away from the ball, made a twist around and then rushed for the ball.

Huan jumped forwards to beat the angle and stretched it’s claws… and he tipped the ball – but not enough! The ball swerwed from the touch and flew inside the goal just inches away from the post! Dropping down all the air had already ran away from the ball and it had to be replaced by a new one. Meanwhile the referee gave Huan a warning that should he destroy a ball a second time the shot would be declared a goal whether it went in or not.

Thranduil was waving his hands in the air while walking back to the center of the field, but Celegorm looked like a copy of his tight-lipped brother walking slowly to the penalty spot. Like his brother he took only a few steps from the ball, nodded to Beorn and then dashed for it.

Beorn had suddenly a crazy idea and went for it on instinct. It was argued a lot afterwards whether he stole the jump going for it already before Celegorm’s boot hit the ball (even if the video replays after the game showed it quite clearly) – but he did go towards the upper-right corner thinking Celegorm would copy his brother in that as well. And he fisted the ball off! Celegorm had been denied! The Erebor fans were exstatic!

Erebor led the shoot-out 2-1.

Bard had the whole stadium watching on him as he walked to the spot. The pressure was high: scoring now would put Erebor a big step forwards to victory while missing would mean losing the gain they had just made with Beorn’s dashing save. But Bard the Bowman was not nicknamed “the Grim Sniper” for no reason. He made a stupendous curve-ball shot and while Huan did dive into the right side of the goal the ball changed it’s trajectory in the middle of the flight and suddenly started swerving towards the center. Already mid-air Huan had no chance to change his own flight, and even if he made a brave try to reach the ball with his feet it was a lost case for him. Bard scored!

Now the concept of a curve-ball (or a “banana-shot”) sure is familiar to all football fans, but to be able to make the ball swerwe that much in as short a distance than a penalty shot was something no-one could have foreseen anyone could deliver. There was something magical in this Bowman to be sure. And Smaug indeed was one of the first to congratulate him for his feat.

But if the Erebor fans had been overwhelmed by their players thus far yelling and chanting like mad men the elegant and graceful presence of Yavanna just silenced them once and for all. The lightness of her steps on the grass, the grace of her movement, the lightness of her being, the age and wisdom in her eyes… it was, well otherworldly in every possible sense of the term. Beorn felt really uncomfortable in between the posts when she glanced at him after setting the ball to the spot.

And it looked like Yavanna had called the grass to grow roots around Beorn’s ankles as when she finally set into motion and shot the ball – accurately to the lower left corner of the goal – it seemd Beorn just froze and only managed to move slightly towards the ball when it was already crossing the line. It was time for the elves to go crazy in the stands! Following the example of Oromë the crowds stood for a standing ovation for Yavanna. And she did curtsey to the fans left and right as she walked back to the center of the field.

Erebor was still in the lead, 3-2 now.

When the Nazgûl #7 walked to the spot the other ringwraiths up over the stadium let out a shrilling scream that silenced the crowds once again. The Eagles gave them an evil eye and the Nazgûl seemed to get the hint. But the mood was set.

Huan concentrated on his goal. He psyched himself into the shot… he had faced Melkor himself, the Balrogs… and now what was this guy, a mere corrupted human servant of a servant of Melkor, Sauron, a maia like himself… Would another maia be scared of his corrupted animal servant? These guys had the show, it had to be admitted, but no, he would stop this guy and even the game.

As soon as the Nazgûl had set the ball Huan started staring at him, challenging him with his burning eyes. And little by little the Nazgûl felt the pressure heavier and heavier. He went for a shot but Huan was faster – diving into the exactly right side and gripping the ball firmly in between his claws, being careful not to blow the ball this time. That was a sensational save, vintage Huan! And Erebor was denied the first time.

Argon came in turn and made it quick. Set the ball, a few steps back, short concentration, blowing out the extra air from his lungs, a dash… and a goal! Beorn was actually nicely with the shot but Argon just hammered it that powerfully he had no chance to really stop it.

The elven crowds were almost unable to control themselves. It was even again! FC Valinor had risen again like it had done in the game. And the farther the shoot-out would go, the better chances they had as they had a lot wider spread of quality. It was looking good once again for the Lothlórien elves and other supporters of FC Valinor.

The shoot-out was even 3-3.

The last shooters of the first round of five were ready to take their turns. And Gwaihir took to his wings making more like a longish jump to the penalty spot. The twenty plus eagles at the top of the stadium shrieked for support, and this time around the Nazgûl were not able to repay the “compliment” of silencing them. They just didn’t have the numbers or support by Sauron to do that.

It was once again a meeting of two great creatures highly mightier the men or elves. They eyed each other in a respectful way for a moment before Gwaihir took a few steps away from the ball concentrating on his shot now with eyes closed.

After flapping it’s wings around and about for a moment Gwaihir finally opened his eyes, rose up a little off the ground and dived forwards. He gripped the ball into his talons and swang himself in the air so that his head and upper torso went backwards but the talons and lower torso forwards – balancing the move with his great wings. And the ball shot off with a mighty velocity. Huan did actually get the direction correctly and dived for it – only to be just an inch late as the ball slipped through his outstretched claws.

Gwaihir the Windlord had scored! For the astonishment of all both the great Eagles and the Nazgûl were screaming for joy at the same time up over the stadium – and it must have been an interesting realization to them as well – they were after all supporting the same team but it had somehow been forgotten in the middle of all the security demands and all that jazz.

Maglor was the last shooter from FC Valinor’s side – and with Gwaihir scoring he had to score as well if FC Valinor was to stay in the game. Unlike his brothers though he smiled when he placed the ball to the spot and eyed Beorn curiously while taking his steps back. Beorn was a little confused as Maglor seemed at the same time so similar and yet so different from his two brothers: he had the same eyes of steel and pride and stature of a Noldorian lord of old, well of the descendant of Finwë himself, but there was playfulness, even humour in there one could not find in the eyes of some darker sons of Fëanor.

Maglor glanced at the upper-right corner of the goal his brothers had shot at and suddenly, noticing that Beorn had caught his glance, winked an eye to Beorn before laying his head low to concentrate. It made Beorn mad with frustration: was he being straightforward, bluffing, double-bluffing, triple-bulffing? Everything but the frist option seemed plausible – and he had no time to mull it over. Maglor had taken a longish distance to gather speed but he was on the move already building speed as he neared the ball.

Beorn thought feverishly… “in the end all this show is him trying to make me think he is different from his brothers so he wishes me to go for the other side – so I need to take the same one…” and Beorn jumped for it to the upper-right corner of the goal. Maglor shot the ball with power… into the left of the goal! He threw Beorn a smile before turning on his heels and walking relaxedly back to his team waving his hand casually in the air as he went. The crowds loved Maglor for that – and his cool finishing.

It was 4-4 after the first five shots.


From this on, it would be a game of sudden death with every round: if one scored and another didn’t, it was all over. The pressure was felt all around. And FC Valinor would be shooting first from now on.

It was Idril who walked trough the field next. The elves were holding their breath seeing Turgon’s fair daughter walk gently over the field her head held high. Silverfoot she really was. If Yavanna had walked through the pitch gracefully and lightly then Idril was, if possible, of even lighter feet. It was like her feet didn’t touch the grass at all as she more like slid over it.

She kissed the ball before putting it down to the spot and took a fair distance from it to gain speed. Beorn stood expressionlessly staring at the ball and Idril feet. Idril dashed forwards with incredible speed and shot the ball towards the lower right corner – but Beorn had hunched it right and dived to intercept the ball’s flight. The ball was coming in with such speed that even if he had gotten it right he was in time only to just tip it off the goal. But he did it! FC Valinor was denied the second time!

Erebor had their chance now. A goal now and they were through to the semifinals! Who would come to shoot for them? The crowds tried to look into the center of the field to see who would break from there and walk to the spot, but no one did. Instead Beorn himself was changing into a bear-form and emerged from the side of the goal to pick the ball.

Erebor supporters were going totally wild! Of course Beorn would be the shooter – and it would be so fitting for him to make the decisive shot! And in a bear-form! It was so exciting! And even Huan showed some signs of nervousness. A great bear was for him a much more worthy adversary than just a man, how great he otherwise was. There would be power in the shot and he had to do his best to FC Valinor a chance to continue the shoot-out.

The great bear roared and then charged. And the shot was a mighty one. It would have fallen anyone who tried to come to it’s way – but not Huan! Huan charged straight towards the ball at the moment it boomed from the bear’s foot – throwing his both fore-feet towards it he fisted it high in the air. The shot had been coming straight in the middle as Beorn had clearly thought Huan would dive for either corner – and if he wouldn’t the shot would be too powerful for even him to stop it. But he was wrong. Huan stopped it – and roared mightily for it making the elven spectators jump up in cheers and chants. Erebor was denied as well!

It was still 4-4.

Nahar emerged from the center and trotted to the spot. Now the crowds could find signs of weariness from Beorn’s countenance. The great horse would boot the ball with some worrying force as well. Beorn had thought it for a moment to take the shot in the bear form to be stronger to withstand it, but he would be so much slower in his first reaction as a bear he didn’t dare to try it. So feeling quite naked he stood as a human in between the posts looking at the great horse ready to charge at any moment. The crowds were holding their breath and Oromë was seen biting his nails in the audience.

Nahar sped into speed and booted the ball with ferocious force straight towards the upper-left corner of the goal. And Beorn hunched it totally wrong flying for the right side! But Nahar missed it! The ball went just an inch over the crossbar almost touching it as it went – but it had missed! The crowds awwed and sighed heavily. Oromë had closed his face into his palms.

So Erebor was given a second chance to win the game. And both the players and the fans knew it well they couldn’t afford wasting too many opportunities to end the game as FC Valinor would come back to score sooner than later and then they would just have to score themselves as well with no chance of winning it at that round. So it was now or never.

Bolg walked slowly to the penalty-spot feeling the pressure in his back. The orcs in the audience were thrilled! It was great Bolg, son of Azog, who would nail it for Erebor! Most of the Silvan elves and dwarves were not that confident though. Especially the dwarves would have loved to rather see Dain taking the shot. But those were petty differences, they knew it. And so they all cheered for Bolg crossing their fingers for him. Even if many questioned why the Meneldor or Landroval weren’t given precedence?

Bolg took his time to settle the ball in the way he was happy with and took slow steps away from it. It was hard for Bolg to look at Huan whose fiery eyes challenged him. He was just one shot away from being the celebrity everyone would love and appreciate. Just one shot…

And he was on it! He booted the ball with all the might he had – and it flew high up over the goal to the high rows of the stands. The elves were laughing from relief but probably a little for the lousy performance on the orc chieftain as well. They felt so justified in their mock of the orc. To the surprise of many Smaug came to meet Bolg half-way back to the center and patted him on the shoulder.

But FC Valinor had ducked a defeat a second time. The name of the game should change now the fans thought. It had to.

It was even 4-4 still.

To the great joy of the homecrowds it was Lórien who would take the next shot. Irmo of the Valar would not let them down! Even Oromë looked relieved. Mandos, Estë and Vairë were cheering loudly.

The Master of Spirits approached the penalty spot slow and majestic worthy of his stature. He was not going to rush anything. After setting the ball and taking the steps back from it he finally turned his eyes to Beorn – immediately seeing his deepest hopes, thoughts and dreams. But he didn’t let them affect his game. That would have been cheating anyway, he thought.

But he did hammer the ball in with precision leaving Beorn no chance in saving the goal. Beorn was first almost going to dive for the right but changed course at the last moment and went left instead… only to see the ball flying securely out from his reach, just lightly hitting the left post. Even if he had went to the left immediately he would have had no chance to catch it. It was fast and accurate shot impossible to save.

The Lothlórien crowds went just mad and shouted the name of their namesake. Now this was what they had been looking for from the shoot-out! And now Erebor was between the rock and the hard place. Did they miss now, it would be all over.

It was Girion’s turn. And it was time for some serious nail-biting on behalf of team Erebor fans. How could a lord of Dale beat Huan himself? Yes rich and powerful man at his time, and the great grandfather of Bard, but still…

It was clear Girion had the pressure of his life on his shoulders when he settled the ball down and concentrated on his shot. Huan looked calm and focused.
Girion took only a shortish run and went for it… he had to score… he shot it low… towards the right corner of the goal… Huan dived to the right… but high! He tried to grasp the ball flying under him but couldn’t but slightly touch it with the tip of his claws. It was a goal! Girion scored! Erebor had ducked relegation!

And the game was still on… ninth shooters were coming forth.

It was even, 5-5.

A seriously tall figure of an elf took to the penalty-spot. Penlod the Gondolian was next. And the elves were cheering to their hero of the battle of Gondolin, although some exchanged curious looks as to why Huan hadn’t been unleashed yet; he sure would score. But Penlod was a mighty elf and the cheers for him were ear-piercing. And he looked composed staring at the beorning between the posts.

He took a longish run but just as he was coming to hit the ball he almost stopped. Beorn was already leaning on towards right going to dive – and seeing that with the help of his little trick – Penlod made an accurate shot to the lower left corner of the goal, almost more like a pass than a shot.

Somehow Beorn managed once again to change direction at the last possible moment… and he tipped the ball away! Unlike with Lórien’s powershot Penlod’s slower one gave him the slight chance to make it – and he did it! Erebor was once again having a chance to wrap it for themselves.

And when Landroval flew in the Erebor fans were once again having their hopes up. He would score just like Gwaihir did. They had felt they had not such a wide spread of talent FC Valinor had but now it looked they were ready for anything and everything.

Huan was ready for Landroval and the two beasts nodded to each other in mutual recognition. Gwaihir had tricked Huan on the first rounds and Landroval knew he wouldn’t be surprised that easily a second time.

Landroval closed his wings around him and fell silent, concentrating to his shot. Huan stood motionless staring at the ball. Suddenly Landroval opened his wings and jumped up and forwards dashing towards the ball. Huan’s every muscle was on alert as his body was ready to bounce anywhere a split-second’s decision would send it. Momentarily it looked like Landroval was falling to his side, but at the same moment people realised what it was: Landroval made the shot with a huge swing of his wing sending the ball booming towards the upper-left corner of the goal. And Huan reached for it like a spring that had been unleashed.

Huan’s claws hit the ball! There was a curious thudding sound when the sharp claws tore the skin of the ball apart. The air ran off from the ball with a whining noise and the ball… or what was left of it… dropped just inches inside the goal.
There was a total silence for a few seconds when nobody was quite sure what had happened or how the referee would interpret it.

But when the referee then showed with his hand that it was a goal the crowds broke into wild cheers or protests – depending on the side they were supporting. Curufin and Celegorm went after the referee so aggressively it looked like they were going to kill him right there and then, but happily Huan came to stop them and defended the referee from a plain onslaught. He made it clear that firstly what was left of the ball was inside the goal and that the referee had already warned him beforehand that if he tore one more ball into pieces after the first one he would judge it a goal whatever happened.

Some reports had it that Celegorm had yelled back at Huan that he had defected once again, but that report couldn’t be confirmed.

Be that as it may, Erebor had taken a sensational victory over the clear favourites FC Valinor who were now out from the games.

And Huan owed Beorn a pint of the best mead Lothlórien could offer…

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

AC Beleriand vs Shire-Bree United at Gondolin

After AC Beleriand’s thrashing of the home side in the previous round, many neutral observers expected Fëanor’s side to be met with much booing when they played their quarterfinal tie against Shire-Bree United in Gondolin. But the Beleriandic side entered the pitch to a rousing cheer from their supporters as well as from the home crowd. Certainly Ecthelion, Eöl, and Fingolfin weren’t names that the Gondolindrim could easily learn to hate, considering that they helped bring the Cup to the Hidden Realm.

The other team, the heretofore-unknown (to the Beleriandrim) Shire-Bree United squad, was greeted with a polite applause (and a wild cheering from a small section of the stadium). They had drawn even with Angband and Tol-in-Gaurhoth, two footballing teams that still commanded respect despite what had happened to them this year. This was a team that had gone through difficulty and came out not wanting. Surely they would put up a fight even against one of the tournament favourites.

In the centre circle, team captain Strider gathered his team, a collection of curious creatures (Bandobras the Perian, the Barrow-wight, the two Nazgûl, and the biggest enigma of them all, Bombadil) along with lesser Men, the Dúnedain, and the Noldo Gildor. It was far more diverse a union than the one Fëanor’s son Maedhros formed before the Fourth Battle of Beleriand, but they were united for roughly the same reason—victory against the odds. Strider delivered a rousing speech to motivate the team, punctuated by a ‘This day we fight!’ cry by all eleven players. When they broke up to take their positions on the pitch, there was a glint in their eyes. They’re not just happy to have gone this far; they can still go further.

Or so they believed, until the game actually began. AC Beleriand put on a display of dominating possession (the possession stat by halftime was 72-28) and turning it into goals. They made smart passes and refused to give Shire-Bree an easy turnover. When they lost possession, they applied pressure all throughout Shire-Bree’s formation, moving as a cohesive unit and forcing the Shire-Bree players into hurried passes, testing their first touch under pressure. Eöl took up position in the right wing to match up against Gildor, and Nazgûl #6, unsung hero of the game against Angband, was neutralised by Fëanor himself. The Ringwraith’s defensive partner Butterbur was repeatedly exposed for his lack of pace by the Fiery Boot’s array of ball-handling tricks. Shire-Bree United’s wing outlets on the counterattack, the Barrow-wight and Khamûl, were closed down smartly by Denethor and Fingolfin. Beren took up position at the tip of AC Beleriand’s midfield diamond, where he totally outclassed Ferny, and Ulrad went out wide to occupy Golfimbul. And Shire-Bree’s main threat, Bombadil, was nowhere to be found, presumably deep in discussion with Ecthelion about poetry in some corner of the pitch.

AC Beleriand’s efforts bore fruit just twelve minutes into the game. A threefold run by Beren, Fëanor, and Eöl into the box confused the Shire-Bree defenders, and, when Denethor brought up the ball from the midfield, the back line was in shambles. The Green-elf played an uncontested pass to the Dark Elf, and Eöl had too much space to take a power drive that was too fast and too strong for Halbarad to keep out.

AC Beleriand were not done. Less than twenty minutes after the opener Fingolfin beat Khamûl in a straight-line dash and sent a cross from the byline before Golfimbul could close in; Beren brushed past Ferny to head it in. Almost half an hour into the game and AC Beleriand was already ahead by two. Such was the mismatch between their attack and their opponent’s defence.

Normally even a two-goal lead wouldn’t be safe against Shire-Bree’s attacking power, but they were still starved of the ball. AC Beleriand’s midfield diamond, supplemented by Fingolfin and, at times, Eöl, held the ball well and played smart passes to each other when pressed. Shire-Bree United’s wing threats Khamûl and the Barrow-wight were forced to positions they were unfamiliar with just to maintain even numbers in the midfield. With their displacement, the Shire-Bree defenders lacked outlets to whom they could pass recovered balls and were forced to play long passes to the forwards. This would have been no problem had Bombadil’s head been in the game, but he was now discussing flower arrangement with Ecthelion and unaware of what was going on around him.

Five minutes before the half Fëanor put his dazzling ball-control skills on display once more as he dribbled Butterbur and Nazgûl #6 out of position before firing a snapshot that Halbarad managed to turn away. But Bregolas beat Gildor and Bandobras to the rebound and poked it in past a despairing Halbarad.

Half-time ended with only three Shire-Bree United attempts in forty-five minutes; they clearly lacked the drive and energy, especially on the attack. The handful of Hobbits and Dúnedain that made the journey to Gondolin hoped that Strider could snap Bombadil back to attention. Surely even a three-goal deficit would be easily made up if the strange man was on form.

For the first few minutes of the half it seemed that their predictions would be borne out. With Bombadil back in the game, Shire-Bree United retained possession better, and they gained some chances to put the AC Beleriand back line under pressure. But Fingolfin’s men rose to the challenge. Imlach and Rochallor made timely tackles on Strider, and, after a Bombadil solo run down the right wing, Ecthelion recovered from the misdirection well enough to clear Bombadil centring pass.

The thirty minutes of sustained pressure (yielding just six shots, the closest being a Bombadil bullet from outside the box that Marach managed to beat away) must have tired the Shire-Bree players out. They were becoming more laborious in their build-up, and AC Beleriand’s superior midfield slowly began to deny them the ball once again. Bombadil grew bored when all his efforts led nowhere, and he was soon spotted picking flowers in the precipice near the stadium. AC Beleriand’s passing killed the game once and for all, and Strider realised that his squad was up against a true championship contender, and that there was no chance of recovery. With ten minutes left, he shook hands with Fëanor, and the ball never crossed past the middle third of the pitch. Soon the final whistle was blown, and the AC Beleriand squad left to a standing ovation from their fans, some of whom raised banners with Shire-Bree United’s name crossed out, Real Valinor and FC Valinor written above it. They were marking out the path they knew their team would take to the championship, and the message has been sent: ‘Real Valinor, you’re next.’

AC Beleriand 3-0 Shire-Bree United
GOALS:
12, 1-0 Eöl (Denethor)
29, 2-0 Beren (Fingolfin)
40, 3-0 Bregolas (Fëanor)

Total Shots
16-9
Shots On Target
7-1

YELLOW CARDS:
1-0
AC Bel: Ulrad
SBU: –

[Boromir88]

Eriador - Minas Tirith @Lothlorien

The stadium was nearly split even in terms of who it would be rooting for. As fans from both realms flocked to Lothlorien. Some of the Orcish media got word that there was no group of orcs or wraiths in Lothlorien to cheer for the Witch-King. He in fact, seemed like a fish out of water, amongst the droves of Elves and living Men. They grumbled "Is this not why there is a ban on games being played in Aman?" Although, truth be told, in those situations civilian ticket-holders were mysteriously dropping out of all existance. Where here, honestly no Orcs wanted to bother purchasing tickets to Lothlorien, just to see the Witch-King, for their disdain for Elves and the Rangers on Eriador was greater.

Lothlorien did not have a team in the Arda Cup, and Galadriel and Celeborn had both been eliminated, so they were back home. They were anxious to see football again, and had no reservations about watching these two teams play, a clean and disciplined game. There might be a slight home advantage to Eriador, since the Lorien elves were more behind Elrond, Gil-Galad, and Glorfindel than the lords from Minas Tirith. They would, however, be respectful toward Minas Tirith, of course.

A few hours before the match, the captains of the teams addressed the media in a press conference.

Elrond, as calm as ever, you would hardly be able to know a trip to the semi-finals rested on the next match by looking at his face: "We're going to keep playing the game that got us here, it's that simple. The best defense isn't a top goal-keeper, it's having possession of the ball. The opponent can't score if you have it. That does not mean we are going to play a boring game of keep away. Our defenders and mid-fielders have to move the ball up to Glorfindel, who I have full confidence in to score, if we give him the opportunities."

Faramir, almost as if he was a mirror image of Elrond, expressed the same wisdom and serenity: "Eriador is not all that different from Angband. I mean, their defense is based on foresight, intelligence, and team-work. Angband's is more strength and intimidation, but their styles are essentially the same. They both thrive on possession and low-scoring games. It will be a difficult challenge scoring on a keeper of Elrond's reknown, but not even Morgoth could keep us shut out. I also believe, in the Angband match, my father showed a gift of foresight worthy of Elrond even."

Many in the room looked around, feeling that was very high praise, perhaps too much even, given by Faramir. But no one challenged the man with a follow-up, because there is no denying Denethor entered Angband, and was arguably the most vital player in Minas Tirith's upset win. The captains shook hands and then departed for their final pre-game rituals and preparations with their respective clubs.

The stadium was buzzing with excitement, this was really the locals first major football experience of the year. And while there were no goals in the first half, it was proof that simply because a match did not have 3, 4, and 5 or more goals does not mean it's a snooze-fest. Lothlorien was excited to see a good, clean match again. As Elrond promised, with possession, there was nice flow and movement, from Eriador's defenders up to their mid-field players and forwards. Both sides were creating several chances and moving it forward when they had possession. It was just, both defenses were doing an excellent job of getting in the way time and time again.

Minas Tirith appeared to be pressing and playing a bit more risky than Eriador, in order to try to grab a lead. However, it was as if Eriador's defenders practiced and played with Minas Tirith all the time, because they were arranged perfectly every time. Never out of position and always close to a Minas Tirith player. Faramir was being frustrated, as he would look to option A, only to find it taken away. It was the same story for B, and C, and D. There was just nowhere to go with the ball. So Minas Tirith's attempts were even further from goal, and became further off-target that never seemed to trouble Elrond in the least.

On the other end, Eriador built their attacks a bit more slowly, but they were able to be more patient with it. Even if Cirion and the MT defenders were playing very well, there were a couple quality chances because Glorfindel and the Witch-King's creativity were too difficult to handle at times. The Witch-King got 2 nice cracks on goal, but Denethor rose to the occassion when his defense was beaten. The Witch-King was frustrated that he was indeed, being hindered by a man, and as halftime ended 0-0, perhaps Faramir was right to give his father such high praise.

The 2nd began and it was like a replay of the 1st. Neither team was changing their gameplan, but sticking to the ways they new best. And the crowd was still energetic, on the edge of their seats. The defenses and goal-keepers were playing absolutely flawless, so they knew whoever broke the deadlock, that would likely be the only goal of the match.

Eriador began more positive in the 2nd half. If you create enough quality opportunities, something is bound to go in your favor eventually, no matter how flawless the opponent's defense and goalie are playing. And in the 68th minute, Eriador finally broke the scoreless deadlock with superior ingenuity and skill.

Arveleg had possession on the left side and passed it, on the ground, towards the center. The Witch-King had a step on Cirion, and acted like he was going for the shot, but no! He let it through. Glorfindel had also made a run at goal beside him and Glorfindel slotted it into the open net, since Denethor had his attention on the Witch-King and did not anticipate the Witch-King's fake.

So, like in the Angband match, Minas Tirith found themselves a goal down and started throwing all caution out the window to equalize. They were confident they could hold Eriador to 1-goal and then perhaps get this to another shoot out where anything could happen. However, nothing had changed from the 1st half. Eriador's defense was perfectly executed, perfectly positioned, every time. Faramir got Minas Tirith's best chance in the 78th minute, when he finally beat his marker, Gil-galad. Only, that as everyone knows, is only the first difficult obstacle, as Elrond was right there to make a strong save and deny Faramir the goal.

It was over. Eriador was deservedly advancing to the Semis, and many of their fans planned to stick around to mingle and celebrate with the Lorien elves. The Minas Tirith fans were definitely disappointed, because they honestly believed they had a great chance to go to the semis, but Eriador was just too good for their team today. However, after upsetting Angband, and battling Eriador down to the very end, they could return to Gondor with heads held high, and with their honour.

Eriador 1-0 Minas Tirith
on target 6-2
tot shots 14-14
GOALS:
*68, 1-0 Glorfindel (Arveleg)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Eriador- Arassuil, Arahael
*MTirith-

[Shastanis Althreduin]

As the fourth quarterfinal match got underway, the weather decided it wasn't going to co-operate. Rain had been threatening all day, and as the first minutes of the match began, the sky had finally had enough. The match between Rohan and Real Valinor would be played in the rain.

It wasn't a hard rain, but the players were wet and and irritable all throughout the first half. Horses especially are known for disliking being wet, and it may have been due to that that Arien was able to slip around the defensive Rohan line of sodden, mournful horses to knee in a linear shot from Nerdanel at around the sixteen-minute mark.

Having let in a goal so early, of course, meant the Rohan players went into the half with even less morale than normal. Nothing particularly changed for them in the second half, either. In comparison, Real Valinor was cheerful, but still anxious about the weather, as lightning flickered across the sky and thunder continued to cause spectators to duck in cover. Early on, some makeshift leather awnings were produced so that the fans stayed relatively dry, but no leather awning could stop the wind blowing torrents of water up under the covering. The end result was a group of spectators that weren't quite as soaking wet as the players, but only barely.

Real Valinor came into the second half ahead by one, but they didn't let that lull them into complacency. As the half started, Enerdhil had a bit too much enthusiasm in chasing the ball and slip-slid right into Rohan's King Dead, who, already down on account of the rain, was less than happy about an opposing player tackling him into the dirt. The altercation that followed was a bit blurred for some on account of the rain, but both players walked away with the only yellow cards of the match.

Sadly, that was the last real bit of spirit Rohan showed in the match. At just over an hour, it was again RV's Arien that scored for her team, this time off a hefty bicycle kick from Miriel.

The game basically fell apart after that, as both teams agreed to end it and get out of the weather. Rohan was saddened by their loss, but "on the bright side, at least we lost to a fantastic team like Real Valinor." (Gandalf was heard to say this to console a downcast Radagast, who was taking the loss a bit hard. There was ale involved.)

So, with a 2-0 victory against the horse lords, Real Valinor advances to the semifinal round!




Rohan 0-2 Real Valinor
on target 3-7
tot shots 13-15
GOALS:
*16, 0-1 Arien (Nerdanel)
*62, 0-2 Arien (Miriel)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Rohan- King Dead
*Real- Enerdhil

[the phantom]

The Game Within the Game

Every year the Phantasy Competition is nearly as exciting as the play on the field, and this year is no exception. Here’s what the competitors had to say when we asked them for a brief quote.

Boro: In the upper ranks again, though too far back for my liking. If only my pre-tourney predictions would hit, maybe I could close the gap.
Eomer: I don’t know why I’m not allowed to field a team made entirely of Wargs. I’ll be appealing this.
Eonwe: TIG wouldn’t have been eliminated so early if SteveWight had been on the team. Just saying…
Galadriel: Only my second year, and I’m within easy striking distance of Eomer and Kuru. I’ll be finishing in the top half this year, and next year- winner.
Gwath: They’re going to have to seriously consider naming the Phantasy Championship “The Gwath Award”.
Inzil: Not going quite as planned, but at least I’m beating that blasted Legate.
Kuru: Whew- these several-week Phantasy contests aren’t exactly in my wheel-house. We Dwarves are natural sprinters, you see.
Legate: This noob is two up from the bottom and I’m about to pass that annoying Inzil. Watch out next year, because I’m seriously getting the hang of this.
McCaber: This is like golf, yes? Lowest score wins?
Morm: I maintain my faith in my squad members, whether they’ve been eliminated or not. That’s the sort of chap I am!
Nerwen: Curse those Cupkicks! I’m supposed to be the girl that challenges the boys every year!
Nilp: Gwath is a baby gazelle, and I’m a lion. I think we know what’s going to happen in this chase.
Nog: How can I continually come so close and not take the top?! Grrr… I’m getting there no matter what it takes!
Sally: Look at me way up here, hee hee. Poor little Boro and Shasta are going to be so annoyed when I beat them.
Shasta: Sally said what?! Oh, it is ON! I’m passing her up.

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Bracket:



Power Rank:



(Teams in bold are semifinalists; teams in italics are eliminated.)

Greatest gain:

• +8 Real Valinor
• +1 AC Beleriand

Greatest loss:

• -12 Shire-Bree United
• -3 Rohan
• -2 Minas Tirith

The Power Ranking is based on the aggregate of offensive and defensive ranking, combined with the adjusted goal difference rank of each team. The listed offensive and defensive rankings are from the actual numbers by the teams, and not adjusted. Ties are broken by a) win-draw-loss record; and b) goal difference.

The offensive ranking is based on the goals scored per game throughout the matches. Ties are broken by a) greater number of shots made on target per game; and b) greater number of shots made per game.

The defensive ranking is based on the goals allowed per game throughout the matches. Ties are broken by a) least number of shots allowed on target per game; and b) least amount of shots allowed per game.

Top Individual Performers:
(Players in italics are from eliminated teams.)

GOALS + ASSISTS

6+1
Curufin (FC Valinor)

4+3
Anarion (Gondor)

4+2
Fëanor (AC Beleriand)
Glorfindel (Eriador)

4+1
Gothmog (Gondolin)
Smaug (Erebor)
Beren (AC Beleriand)

4+0
Arien (Real Valinor)

3+3
Sauron (Barad-dûr)

3+2
Bombadil (Shire-Bree United)
Celegorm (FC Valinor)

3+1
Túrin (Hithlum)
Finrod (Nargothrond)
Witch-king (Eriador)

2+3
Maeglin (Gondolin)
Beleg (Doriath)
Míriel (Real Valinor)
Eöl (AC Beleriand)

1+3
Tevildo (Angband)
Eärendil (The Havens)
Thranduil (Erebor)

GOALKEEPING

1. Beorn (Erebor) - 23/27 (85.19%)
2. Théoden (Rohan) - 17/20 (85.00%)
3. Elrond (Eriador) - 21/25 (84.00%)
4. Marach (AC Beleriand) – 12/15 (80.00%)
5. Manwë (Valimar) - 12/15 (80.00%)
6. Ungoliant (Anfauglith) - 11/14 (78.57%)
7. Huan (FC Valinor) - 18/23 (78.26%)

[Nogrod]

GAME 1

B1 Eriador 10-4
5-0-0
34,5% 29 (71) – 25 (67) 84%

C1 Erebor 10-4
4-1-0
31,25% 32 (81) – 27 (70) 85,2%


Had we been asked before the tournament which team would win a crucially important match between Eriador and Erebor, we would probably not have hesitated too much to say Eriador would win. And we would have given at least the following reasons. First, while Smaug is a dangerous striker Glorfindel and The Witch King form a much more dangerous duo. Secondly Erebor may boast of the eagle defence but eagles has been proven shifty the earlier years – while Eriador has the best goalie aka. Elrond to whom you can’t even compare Beorn to.

Having seen first the friendlies and then the games that had a stake we have to say all the above is more or less rubbish now.

Let’s start with the forwards: Glorfindel (4+2) and Smaug (4+1) seem neck to neck in effectivity, but The Witch King has played a bit under the expectations (3+1, though). Meanwhile Bard the Bowman (3+0) has risen from nowhere while Thranduil (1+3) is their passing genius. So far from Eriador being stronger the numbers suggest the teams are quite even in their attack. And in the last two games Erebor’s attack has looked like the deadlier one indeed.

What comes to the defence, the talk about the Eagles being hazards in the defence has yet to materialize. Meanwhile they have done some pretty good work – and it would be shortsighted an stupid to say they wouldn’t match the defence of Eriador led by Gil-Galad and Malbeth. The most interesting detail on that is that even if Erebor played 120 minutes against FC Valinor (who made a dashing 9/23 shots against them) the numbers in the defence are still that even – meanwhile Eriador played Minas Tirith... So if there is an edge on one defence over anpther we’d say Erebor is in a sharper condition right now.

And the golkeepers then? Beorn just happens to be the sensation of this season! With numbers Beorn is better than Elrond himself – but especially his performance in the game against FC Valinor showed his qualities! So we can’t put Eriador ahead even with the goalkeeping…

Now the stats are so close and both teams are top quality ones, so it will not be an easy game to predict, but if forced to say which team has the edge we’d say it is Erebor. Eriador might have tougher defence than FC Valinor but they’re galaxies away from their offence – and if Erebor managed to keep FC Valinor at bay for almost 90 minutes, they should have no problem keeping Glorfindel fronm scoring.

The AKM predicts:

Erebor wins 1-0 (or 2-1 extra-time)



GAME 2


D2 Real Valinor 8-5
4-0-1
32% 29 (74) – 22 (62) 77,3%

G1 AC Beleriand 13-3
4-1-0
37,1% 35 (83) – 15 (50) 80%


The stats are pretty straightforwards: AC Beleriand is the favourite to win this game. AC Beleriand scores more and shoots more while allowing less goals and shots. But, and unsurprisingly there is a “but”: Real Valinor has had clearly a tougher schedule – even if it can be argued that AC Beleriand hasn’t had the easiest schedule either.

It is a no-brainer that getting oneself forth from group D and then from the first playoff round against the winner of group E was a far greater deed than to qualify from group G and beat the second team from group B. No-brainer or not, but many people tend to forget that when they get excited about the stats only – or that Fëanor plays for the AC Beleriand. So the stas might not tell the truth.

It is also interesting to note that the match-up favours both teams in different ways. Now both teams have won all their games except one. Real Valinor had problems with an especially strong attacking team (FC Valinor) and AC Beleriand sure is one. Then again AC Beleriand’s only point-loss came against a fairly balanced offencive-oriented team (Doriath) which Real Valinor seems to be.

That said, AC Beleriand’s defencive stats look pretty awesome even if they haven’t exactly met any offencive “powerhouses” – and Real Valinor has a full day’s work to get a decent amount of shots towards Marach to score.

But before declaring AC Beleriand the slight favourites to win the game we must add two disclaimers. Firstly, Real Valinor’s attack has been very efficient when they have needed to be that, and whatever some people say, their attacking trio is still one of the deadliest – and with a different schedual their numbers would be different as well. Secondly, we have both Fëanor’s mom and wife playing for the opposing side: what is their effect on his game?

The AKM predicts:

The game ends 1-1 or more probably 2-2, AC Beleriand wins on extratime.

[Boromir88]

TWO TOWERS NETWORK
Boromir the 88th

The Minas Tirith squad returned home after their hard fought defeat to Eriador. While, certainly, there are no parades for those teams eliminated in the quarter-finals, the mood around Gondor was less grim than normal. The football players were greeted in the streets of the City, as interested fans were already trying to get the low down on next year's tournament and what moves will Minas Tirith make to progress further.

Our TTN team was able to schedule a sit-down interview with Minas Tirith's defender, and captain, Cirion.

TTN: First, we would all at the White City, like to congradulate you on your club's performance in the Arda Cup. Last year was rough on the folks of this realm, but it seems that both squads are in capable management and heading in the right direction.

Cirion: Thank you. Indeed, we are feeling good enough about what we accomplished this year. Mind you, we are not content with merely making the quarter-finals, our objective each year is to put out a solid group of players that can compete for the Cup. But, it's always a positive when you can defeat your rival, Sauron, and there was the added bonus of going into Morgoth's territory and getting the victory. The boys gave a heroic effort, and left the better team that day.

There is a bit of disappointment, because we truly felt like we could knock off Eriador and get to the semis. And how about this, we could be playing Erebor right now, another team I think we could have stood firm against. I mean, it's honestly not out of the question we could have been to the finals this year. Eriador doesn't have the flash as the other teams remaining, but they are playing some excellent football right now. Elrond's got the defense in lockdown mode, not to mention Elrond himself. Erebor can't get cocky simply because they knocked out the favorites this year.

TTN: Surely, finishing with a nice bit of profit helps curtail the disappointment of losing to Eriador?

Cirion: *chuckles* It does help having flexibility, extra options, and not having to be overly concerned with hacking costs.

TTN: What then can we expect Minas Tirith to look like next year? This year you went with the interesting equal-salaries approach and it seems the players responded well.

Cirion: They truly did. Salaries are likely trending back, and in truth while it's nice to end in the black, it's a relatively low, 7 million profit. That's not a lot of room to make a big splash in the free agency blitz. We're probably going to scale back most of our players salaries from 8 mil to 7 next year. This will give us some more room and add a needed player or two.

TTN: Who are you going to target?

Cirion: Come now, you know better then to ask me that question at this stage in the game. Everything is preliminary, but I do feel we could use a horse and its rider. Now, I'll let you all go to speculate on all our future transactions.

---

[Boromir88]

TWO TOWERS NETWORK
Boromir the 88th

As the semis of the 2012 Arda Cup approach it is an exciting, yet anxious time for all. Statists and media personalities rush to get the latest stories of club house gossip and predictions. Here at TTN we like to bring unbiased and honest predictions. It's been an up and down year, as the team salaries have thrown an extra challenge and there's been more balance than ever before.

We bounced back fairly well last round, with just a serious complete miss on the Real Valinor and Rohan match. However, we return to the world of predictions, because we take serious issue with AKM's report, particularly in the Eriador-Erebor game. So let's start there:

Erebor vs. Eriador:

It seems as if since Erebor knocked out the presumed favorites, they are suddenly the sexy pick for AKM:

Let’s start with the forwards: Glorfindel (4+2) and Smaug (4+1) seem neck to neck in effectivity, but The Witch King has played a bit under the expectations (3+1, though). Meanwhile Bard the Bowman (3+0) has risen from nowhere while Thranduil (1+3) is their passing genius. So far from Eriador being stronger the numbers suggest the teams are quite even in their attack. And in the last two games Erebor’s attack has looked like the deadlier one indeed.

This is a rather deceptive slight of hand. "Let's show the production of 2 Eriador players, and 3 Erebor players and make it seem as if the better production has come from Erebor." The bottomline is, both teams have scored the same number of goals, and thus their production is the same. Yet, reading AKM's trick of showing you an extra Erebor player (Thranduil) leads one to think Erebor has the better attack. The point here, is AKM is quick to point out the surprise performance from Bard. But not mention the importance of Eriador's midfield. Arassuil (0+2), Arveleg (1+1), Arahael (1+1).

Now some might wonder, have you just not did what you accuse AKM of doing...by showing more Eriador players it looks like they're the better offense? Not so fast, my friends. My point here is Eriador's mid-field has been highly productive with a combined 2 goals and 4 assissts. They are the table setters who feed passes to Glorfindel and the Witch-King to finish. They have done their jobs very well up to this point, yet AKM does not even aknowledge their production, preferring only to show you the flashier combination of Smaug, Thranduil, and Bard.

How long is it since Smaug bought the AKM? What was the promised price? Those are the questions we are asking.

Eriador and Erebor's offensive and defensive stats are essentially a complete wash. One might make the argument Erebor has had the tougher opponents so far, but this ignores the fact that Eriador themselves are a tough opponent! When the stats are essentially a wash, you go with the more steady and sure hands of Elrond over a team that is just coming off the high of beating a team like FC Valinor. Getting the upset is a great feeling, but how you handle the after-effect and sudden "fame" is another.

We can see it going to a shootout, but think Eriador gets an OT goal and wins 2-1.

On to the other Semi-final...

AC Beleriand vs. Real Valinor

We must admit, as a Middle-earth based sports station, the Beleriand and Aman teams are not our forte. So take this one with a pinch of salt. There's just something about Real Valinor we don't like. They seem to be a bit more inconsistant than a solid well rounded playoff team. Particularly the defense, which has conceded the most goals of the teams remaining and AC Beleriand has a triple threat attack that can make mincemeat of any defense.

AC Beleriand wins 2-1 (no OT).

[the phantom]

MESPN NEWS: Semifinal Preview Special

Philip McPhantom: Hello football fans. We're to the semifinals now, and I've got the experts back with me again to take a look at things- Ruharg the dragon, sports editor of Monser Magazine, and Ar-Tar-Aradhil from Westernesse Weekly and president of the Numenorean Association for the Advancement of Football (NAAF).

Ar-Tar-Aradhil: Hello.

Ruharg: Hey, guys.

P McP: A better round for you this time around, wasn't it Ar-Tar?

ATA: Definitely. Three out of four isn't too bad.

R: One more than me, anyway.

P: Well, let's start with the one you disagreed on- Real vs Rohan.

R: I definitely missed on that. Arien was just a bit too big for the horses to bother, and her heat definitely made them shy, while Nerdanel and Miriel did in fact prove quick and crafty enough to give them problems.

ATA: Yes, Real definitely proved themselves, and with FC dropping out maybe Real has proved their the top Valinor squad.

R: Well, I think they need to at least make the finals to secure bragging rights after FC beat them in friendlies and group play.

P: Let's go ahead and discuss that other Valinor squad- FC. What happened with Erebor.

ATA: Well, even though Ruharg didn't get this match right, he still deserves some credit. I thought it'd be an easy FC win, but Ruharg didn't.

R: My comments proved true- about the recovery speed of the eagle defense, and the Smaug matchup. Erebor is a tough squad.

P: Well- why don't we go ahead and discuss what's next for Erebor- team Eriador.

ATA: We both figured they'd win Minas Tirith. Eriador is just solid up and down, punctuated by some surpassing talents.

R: They're similar in that respect to Erebor, only with a different play style.

P: So, the big question- who wins that match?

ATA: Eriador hasn't let me down yet and I'm going to stick with them. They don't make mistakes and play smart, the Witch King and Glorfindel are talented and opportunistic up front, and Elrond's foresight in the goal is just amazing.

P: But I'm guessing you disagree, Ruharg?

R: Naturally.

ATA: Heh- of course.

P: I suppose your cousin wouldn't forgive you, right?

R: Well naturally Smaug would be upset, and he'd have a special right to be after what Erebor did last round. I already thought more highly of them than most, and they really proved themselves in the quarters. I don't think Eriador is quite the team FC was, so I must pick Erebor.

P: Even if it's true that FC has an edge on Eriador, doesn't it come down to matchups? Perhaps Eriador is a worse matchup than FC.

R: There's something to be said about the discipline of Eriador, but their attack does not have the quick-strike ability of FC, and their individual players don't quite have the ball skills of the sons of Feanor. And I still think Smaug is a tough matchup.

ATA: I agree that they don't have an obvious natural dragon-stopper, but Asfaloth has the speed to track him when he's airborne, and decent enough weight and size to make things tougher on him than a normal human or elf.

R: Still not enough though- Eriador will have to deny him opportunities, and with all the forwards and midfielders for Erebor that know how to move the ball I don't think Eriador will be able to deny him.

ATA: We'll see. Personally I think Eriador will possess well enough to keep Erebor's offense off-kilter, and I believe Elrond will come up with the goods when necessary.

P: Okay, now we know where you guys stand on that one. How about the other semifinal- AC Beleriand vs Real Valinor?

ATA: I've really struggled to call this one. They're nearly the same teams in a way. They both possess skilled attackers and a big boot or two at the front, and both have a couple talents at the back to attempt to match up with them.

P: So which defense will match up best?

R: Miriel and Nerdanel both like to cause damage with pinpoint passes and runs and dribbling their defenders out of the play, while Arien stays near the middle and looks for powerful finishes. I think Rochallor will be the natural marker of Arien. Fingolfin could nullify Miriel or Nerdanel with his supreme athleticism, but what to do with the other? Meanwhile Tilion or Nienna would be a good counter for Beren, but Caranthir can only take Eol or Feanor, and what to do with the other?

P: So you're saying even under perfect conditions with the defenders finding the people they're best suited for, both teams might have a problem?

R: Yes. I don't think this game will be 1-0 or 1-1. There will be goals out there.

ATA: I think I'm with you on that. You'd be crazy to predict that Feanor gets held scoreless in a big game, and the trio from Real is just too crafty to be held off, particularly if Arien plays on fire and powerful like she did in the quarters.

P: So- who wins?

R: I'm taking AC. If Caranthir doesn't take Feanor then he'll shred Real, and if he does then Eol will do damage and Feanor can still come up with something when it counts, as no one can silence him completely. And I have big-time faith in Fingolfin on defense.

ATA: And again, I'm going the other direction. I'm picking Real. I think Tulkas in goal gives them the edge, and I think those forwards have found their stride and won't be held down. On defense I think they'll be willing to take the damage from Feanor and shut down everyone else and hold the ball when they can. After those early losses to FC I just think Real is hungry to prove they aren't second-best in their own land.

P: All right- a split on both games! Best of luck guys, and no matter what, the matches will undoubtedly be exciting. Enjoy them, everyone.

[Nogrod]

It is always nice to see that when our fellows at the TTN fare badly they try to move the eye away from their own shortcomings. Such an unprofessional move - and so predictable. But what the TTN suggests is preposterous enough to merit a disclaimer.

Now the TTN claims that the AKM has fallen victim into the "sexy team" fallacy and distorts the view - that while the stats are even the AKM says Erebor is better with a "deceptive slight of hand", which they also state is an intentional act on behalf of the AKM.

Now that is an insult both to the objectivity and the professionality of the way the AKM works.

Funnily enough, they quote the important part in it's entirety when trying to mock us (unlike in some presidential elections in some randon 7th age places), but still are not able to see what is said there - probably being too happy to go for anything that could divert the attention away from their own shortcomings.

So what the AKM said? Let's quote it one again - with our bolding & underlining.

Originally Posted by The AKM

Let’s start with the forwards: Glorfindel (4+2) and Smaug (4+1) seem neck to neck in effectivity, but The Witch King has played a bit under the expectations (3+1, though). Meanwhile Bard the Bowman (3+0) has risen from nowhere while Thranduil (1+3) is their passing genius. So far from Eriador being stronger the numbers suggest the teams are quite even in their attack. And in the last two games Erebor’s attack has looked like the deadlier one indeed.

Now the AKM started their article by saying that had we been asked before the tournament which team would win, we would have said Eriador. But now the stats seem to tell the teams are actually even: a thing TTN makes a lot of fuzz while the AKM actually stresses the same point a few times as well, even making the following starting line for a summary:

Originally Posted by The AKM

Now the stats are so close and both teams are top quality ones, so it will not be an easy game to predict

But we also said, that even if the overall stats are even, the Erebor offence looks the more deadly right now. That is according to the last two games - it is said quite openly there. In those Eriador won Doriath 2-1 and Minas Tirith 1-0, while Erebor beat Imladris 3-0 and managed to score 2-2 against FC Valinor (and winning with penalties - which means their scoring was in a sense better than FC Valinor's!!!).

The AKM is ready and willing to engage in an argument where TTN tries to argue how and why Eriador's forwards-performance in their last two games looks better - or even as good - as that of Erebor.

Anyway. In the end - like already quoted, the AKM came to the conclusion that the stats are so close and both teams are top quality that it is hard to predict. The AKM actually continued from there with this:

Originally Posted by The AKM

if forced to say which team has the edge we’d say it is Erebor. Eriador might have tougher defence than FC Valinor but they’re galaxies away from their* offence – and if Erebor managed to keep FC Valinor at bay for almost 90 minutes, they should have no problem keeping Glorfindel from scoring.

The AKM predicts:

Erebor wins 1-0 (or 2-1 extra-time)

We see no reason to change that prediction or the grounds on which it is made.

* In case the address of the pronoun "their" was unclear, it is naturally FC Valinor (and not Erebor). We are also happy to counter TTN's possible argument that Eriador's offence is better than FC Valinor's - or that it isn't far inferior compared to it.




As an offshoot, now as we speak on TTN's incompetent journalism...

Originally Posted by The TTN

There's just something about Real Valinor we don't like. They seem to be a bit more inconsistant than a solid well rounded playoff team. Particularly the defense, which has conceded the most goals of the teams remaining and AC Beleriand has a triple threat attack that can make mincemeat of any defense

Being not experts on some areas of the Arda is no excuse for a Arda-wide journal! If you don't know, then find out and learn! Or stand back and accept the position of a small community-level wannabe-journalists... This is Arda Cup!

And what is TTN's argument (or gut feeling if they really don't have a clue)?

Originally Posted by TTN

There's just something about Real Valinor we don't like. They seem to be a bit more inconsistant than a solid well rounded playoff team. Particularly the defense

Something? Inconsistant? Particularly the defence?

Let us remind the readers about Real Valinor's performance.

After losing to FC Valinor 0-3 (which is bad, and they lost to them twice - on the other hand FC Valinor is the only team they have lost to in the whole tournament) they have made such a play: 2-1 against Tirion (even FC Valinor allowed two against Tirion), 2-1 against Armenelos, 2-0 against The Sea, 2-0 against Rohan...

The AKM sees no inconsistency or problems in defence but a solid performance against some of the best teams there are.

Nevertheless our prediction of the outcome of the game was and is more or less the same TTN has. But looking at the grounds by which they reach their conclusion is just a sorry wittness to their sad state of unprofessional journalism.

[the phantom]

All the peoples of Arda were awed by the 2010 debut of the Amon Hen Coliseum, built in secret by the Gondor Arda Cup Host Committee in return for a promise of hosting the semis and finals two consecutive years, with options to return to the site before the normal mandatory gap between hosting Arda Cup finals.

There is no question that The Coliseum is the largest venue in all of Arda, thanks largely to the magic of Amon Hen, the “hill of seeing”, which allows the stadium to climb far higher than others so long as it flows up the side of Amon Hen, which was found to amplify the natural visionary capabilities of anyone upon it, and more so as one nears the pinnacle of the hill.

Because of this the stadium appears extremely lopsided. The east quarter of the stadium overlooks the great falls of Rauros and seats around 25,000, while the north quarter hugs the shores of the lake and seats slightly more. But as the stadium runs to the south-southwest up the slopes of Amon Hen, the seats just pile higher and higher, and after two brand new additions this past offseason the total seating for the stadium is now in the neighborhood of 190,000!

But believe it or not the whopping size of the monstrous arena is not the number one thing that typically arrests the attention of fans and critics, but rather it is the architecture. The stadium is a tribute to the history of football in Arda, featuring sections which expertly capture the architecture, décor, and adornments of various famous stadiums from elsewhere in Arda. Any walkway, restroom, eatery, and entrance in a given section also mirrors the style, making visitors feel as if they were actually in a different stadium.

The initial construction featured sections from Valimar, Utumno, Tirion, Angband, Gondolin, Doriath, Numenor, Mordor, Mirkwood, and Rohan, while Moria and The Shire were added in 2011. In the most recent off-season teams of Noldor and Teleri put in some hard work to reproduce a piece of Alqualonde's arena, and workers from Nargothrond had successfully mimicked Finrod's famous deep-delved stadium.

When stadium planners were asked earlier this week if there were new additions in the works, they answered: "Yes, definitely. There is a Gundabad section that should begin as soon as Arda Cup ends, and we're attempting to line up a Lothlorien section for early next year."

But the stadium isn’t the only thing expanding- there is also the infrastructure. There are a good number of inns, pubs, and rentable homes in a rather new town a short distance west of the stadium along the shores of the lake, and a good number of cabins farther along, or in the woods higher up on the slopes of the surrounding hills. It was the same the last couple years, only this year there are more of them than ever, as well as a growing number of permanent residents now that Gondor had opened the area to settlement. There is also a good deal of boating on the lake, and the marinas to accommodate it. A bit farther up the lake there are several ski lodges. It is not the season for snow obviously, but the lodges are still open to host guests and show off their facilities and runs, in hopes that visitors will return in the winter.

The docks beneath Rauros and the ingenious series of hydro-powered lifts that transported travelers up to lake-level had been improved as well. Specifically, the docks were larger, and a fourth lift path had been installed to allow for shorter waiting times. Additionally, a second winding nature trail had been constructed that wrapped around the west side of Amon Hen for anyone so inclined to enjoy a challenging day-long hike to their destination. All in all the committee had done all they could to ensure that the Amon Hen Coliseum would be recognized as the king of match locations.

[Nogrod]

Semifinal AC Beleriand vs. Real Valinor @ Amon Hen Coliseum

The widely anticipated game was to begin. Many thought AC Beleriand was probably the most serious contender for the Arda Cup 12, but there were also those who thought that Real Valinor was the number one claimant for the trophy, some of them because FC Valinor had been already relegated – and still there were those who just waited to see who would meet their favourites Erebor or Eriador in the final.

However it was, one thing was clear: there was little that could aid anyone to come into any educated guess as to the relative strengths of the two teams. Real Valinor won Gondolin 3-1 in the friendlies and AC Beleriand won them 2-0 in the first play-off round; in the friendlies AC Beleriand draw 1-1 with Valimar which was relegated after the group phase by group one The Sea (which Real won 2-0 in the first round of the play-offs) and group two The Havens (which AC in turn won 3-1 in the friendlies). So basically no comparable matches to evaluate.

But both teams had shown their stamina and effectiveness – and one doesn’t end up in Arda Cup semifinal for nothing in the first place. These were two huge teams. Thus far AC Beleriand had won Anfaughlith and Nargothrond and drawn with Doriath in the group phase. After that they had beaten Gondolin and Shire-Bree United in the play-offs. Real Valinor meanwhile had lost to FC Valinor but then won Armenelos and Tirion to beat The Sea and Rohan in the play-offs. Whether one route has been easier than another is in the eye of the beholder - while the AKM would like to add that there is also some truth in the claim that Real had come through the harder way. But well, that is an open dispute. And anyway: the game would be decided right here and now at the great Coliseum of Amon Hen, not on their previous performances.


~*~

As the teams entered the arena the noise went into infernal levels. And it is a rare occasion you see such figures together at one place! There was Fëanor himself, there was Eöl, There were Arien and Tilion like chasing each other, Tulkas, Fingolfin, Nienna, Ecthelion… it was just overwhelming! All those grandiose figures there in front of the audiences in flesh and blood – or whatever substance they were made of!

A short introduction to the teams was conducted as the players took their places.

AC Beleriand, on goal: Marach, the ancestral father of men like Hador, Húrin, Huor etc. Saving percentage 80% sharp.If not the best keeper around, the percentage is good indeed.

Defensive line: In the middle Rochallor, Fingolfin’s great horse, and Imlach the son of Marach (whose son took service with Maedhros). On left the High King of Noldor Fingolfin himself, the one who duelled Morgoth – and on the right Echtelion, the slayer of Gothmog from Gondolin. An intimidating defence indeed. If these guys were ready to take on Gothmog or Melkor would they shy away a random attacking midfielder?

Midfield: low on midfield Bregolas, uncle of Beren and the grand-grand son of Bëor the Old himself, in front of him the shifty Ulrad – some would say the weak spot of the AC Beleriand midfield.. On the left and making his deadly runs deep into the opposite field Beren himself, while on the right side Denethor the leader of the a little mysterious Nandorin elves in a more defensive role.

Forwards: nothing less than a most fitting pair of extreme smiths, Eöl the Dark and Fëanor the Fiery Boot, son of Finwë. No reason for any more introductions there for the magic and devastating duo.

Real Valinor then, on goal Astaldo the great, Tulkas, “greatest in strength and deeds of prowess”. ‘nuff said.

Defence: In the middle Caranthir the dark, son of Fëanor, known for his quick temper everyone would be wise not to try – and one who will stop anyone trying to come in from his mark. To his left Nienna, in some interesting contrast, the lady of pity. On the right side as well Rumil, the deviser of written characters and a great sage of the Noldorin. The side-defenders indeed are more like in a supporting role there and can also make runs deep into the opposite territory. And holding all that together, Tilion, the steersman of the moon in front of Caranthir in a “libero” role holding the defences or aiding the attack – whatever is needed.

The midfield: Low (just in front of Tilion and filling for him if he’s needed elsewere), Elemmirë, the creator of Aldudénië, the lament for the Two Trees. On left Nessa, Oromë’s sister and Tulkas’ spouse, lithe and fleetfooted, swift as an arrow – and always dangerous to any defence with her runs. On right Enerdhil the great, even mythical smith of Gondolin to counter the two smiths of the opposing side, playing in a more securing or defencive role, especially today.

Forwards: The Trio. Nerdanel – Miriel – Arien. Nerdanel the red-haired wife of Fëanor. Nerdanel the wise, and firm of will – known to be the only one who has been able to restrain Fëanor. Surely there would be a role for her in this game alongside being the master pass-giver. Miriel Serindë, Finwë’s first wife and mother of Fëanor. A deadly forward able to both pass and score – and should have some authority over Fëanor as well. And last but not least, Arien the sun-steerer, the scorer, the striker, the arrow-head, the sniper… whatever you call her, she’s the deadliest weapon.

What a set-up for the semifinal!


~*~

And finally it was a go when the referee blew his whistle!

Now the crowds were anticipating a slow start with both teams kind of scouting each other and their tactics for the game, but after less than ten minutes of both teams doing exactly that Real Valinor actually turned into attack-mode and started pressing in a way AC Beleriand was not used to or could even imagine anyone would dare to play against them. The trio – aided by Nessa and Tilion who both seemed to be everywhere – made the AC defenders sweat for their game.

On 13th minute Nerdanel managed to pass the ball inside the box between Rochallor’s hooves but Miriel’s one timer went just sightly off the post.

After the ensuing keeper’s shot Tilion won the header on the midfield against Bregolas and Elemmirë sent the ball immediately forwards to Nessa who made a dash leaving both Fingolfin and Echtelion behind her – from the end of the pitch she centered the ball where Arien dived for a header past Imlach who was clearly just too slow to guard her. Imlach’s father was no better positioned to the sudden pass by Nessa, and Arien headed the ball into the net with no chance given to Marach.

Less than 15 minutes into the game Real Valinor was leading 1-0!

And it was not going to stop there as Real Valinor felt like they were only inspired by the goal. Blocking all the alleys for AC Beleriand to build their attacks they just forced the ball into the AC Beleriand’s side of the field. One saw Fëanor’s frustration markedly when his wife picked the ball from in front of him and passed it to a yeat another bright attack – which that time ended in a pass by Miriel that only missed Nessa’s head an inch and went out of the pitch.

But not too long after that Miriel was creating havoc among the AC Beleriand defences with none else but Arien. Miriel gave a nice flip past Imlach to set Arien free past the defenders in to the box. But seeing that Rochallor was closing in from her left in time to deflect any shot she could make - and feeling both Imlach and Echtelion closing in from both sides from behind – Arien made a daring move and heel-kicked the ball diagonally backwards to where it came from: and Miriel had followed the situation to boot it with a one-timer in to the back of the net giving Marach no chance to even reac t to the shot as he had been following Arien’s advance with the ball.

With 22 minutes into the game Real Valinor was leading 2-0! The followers of Real Valinor were in heaven. Meanwhile the AC supporters were not able to believe their eyes: It was a butchering.

But it was not that simple, like most of the crowds realised – even if Real Valinor’s start had been a dashing one. And the game did settle down after Real Valinor’s second goal. And towards the end of the first period AC Beleriand actually had better chances to lessen the goal difference than Real Valinor had to widen it.

But there was an interesting facet to AC Beleriand’s attack as everyone could clearly see that Fëanor was of no help to anyone being shadowed by his mother, his wife or his son in turn – depending on the area of the pitch he was moving on. And Fëanor himself seemed frustrated by that, in a major scale.

Beren did get a breakthrough but Tulkas beat him on a duel there getting his foot in the way, and Eöl sent a killer free-kick from twenty-five meters just inches over the crossbar. On the other end Miriel hit the post with her cannon-shot from thirty meters and Enerdhil’s header after a corner by Nerdanel went off the post because of a bad touch.



It was halftime and Real Valinor led 2-0. AC Beleriand had not been in this kind of trouble earlier in the tournament and one can only fathom what they were talking at the lockers during the break. But coming to the second period AC Beleriand was full of fighting spirit and attitude. They were like a thunderstorm.

Real Valinor was cool and collected and played marvellously well – but it was not enough as AC Beleriand was now playing in fervor rarely seen in Arda Cup. Fëanor and Eöl were in flames and Beren was pressing as though he was trying to enter Morgoth’s lair instead of Real Valinor’s defence.

To the disappointment of Beren’s fans the Noldorin sage Rumil managed to close the routes for Beren entirely on the left side, not without the aid of Caranthir, but Beren was blocked away anyway. In the same vein Nienna proved just too hard a nut to crack for Denethor on the other side. But with Real Valinor’s defence holding at the sides AC Beleriand striked in from the middle.

Now Eöl and Fëanor were constant threaths to Real defenc es in the middle, but they changed guards in their defence seeing the onslaught they were up against and now Caranthir was guarding Eöl and Tilion was taking care of Fëanor. And it seemed to work quite fine for a while. At least it did put Fëanor into check – to his even greater frustration.

But just ten minutes into the second half AC Beleriand scored! And in an interesting way.

Seeing their attacks being shielded away Fingolfin thought it was his time to come forwards and leaving his position in the defence he rushed into the attack. With their hands and feet busy with keeping the forwards and attacing midfielders at bay the Real Valinor was suddenly outnumbered in defence – Eöl saw what was happening and centered the ball from the edge of the box into the empty space Fingolfin was running into. Before Caranthir or Tilion could react to Fingolfin coming through from “nowhere” in the center of the field, basically around the penalty-spot. Fingolfin left Tulkas no chance to catch the shot.

AC Beleriand was only one goal behind! The crowds supporting them were getting their spirits back. They would draw this and then go past Real Valinor! There were 35 minutes to go still.

Real Valinor didn’t give in though but kept their game – and without any new unforeseen ideas by the AC they were keeping the Beleriand team forwards and attacking midfielders at bay with Enerdhil coming down every more often to aid the defence. But Real Valinor was also finding it’s attacking game once more – and with AC Beleriand keenly focusing only on reducing the one goal lead they were clearly unprepared to take in a full frontal attack – and that was exactly what Real Valinor was now doing.

The AC defenders and midfielders were forced to run for their lives at times when Real attacked, even Fëanor and Eöl were seen dashing down tohelp the defence at times. But there was nothing they could do when Nienna sent a turnover by Caranthir far into the side of AC’s defence and Nerdanel just flew to it past both Eöl and Echtelion – and after dribbling Rochallor passed it intelligently backwards where Arien was coming into the position only to shoot it straight from the pass and into the back of the net! It was like a copy of their first goal, only that it was Nerdanel this time who did the run and Arien booted it in instead of heading it in.

Real Valinor was leading 3-1! AC Beleriand had enjoyed the one goal difference only 7 minutes!

But there was almost an half an hour of the game left. And AC Beleriand was not going to give up. The rest is history… It was a game to be remembered. And Real Valinor did pull back concentrating on defence…

At first it seemed to work as they were able to deflect any serious attempts at breaking through by AC Beleriand, but little by little AC started making deeper and deeper cuts into Real’s defence.

On 69th minute Eöl got rid of Enerdhil and dashed to the right dribbling Caranthir on his way. Suddenly the Real defence was in disarray and Fëanor took advantage of it dashing forwards past Tilion… and Eöl saw him coming through and centered the ball… and Fëanor hammered a killer one-timer towards the upper-left corner of the goal – only to be denied by Tulkas!

Two minutes later Fëanor was pressed heavily by his son and wife but he was able to send the ball backwards to Ulrad who found Beren in full speed on the left. And Beren booted the ball! It hit Rumil and changed course – but only slightly! Tulkas was diving to the original direction and could only gasp in mid-fly seeing the ball changing it’s course – and the ball flew… to the post! Eöl was following it and jumped on it… but Nienna was faster and kicked the ball far away into the top rows of the stadium.

On 74th minute Rumil got carded for a nasty tackle against Bregolas and Fingolfin set himself to give the free-kick from some 35 meters to the right of theReal’s goal. He made a sverwing shot going for Beren who had sneaked just behind the wall of defenders – but Caranthir jumped high and headed the ball back. Denethor got the ball and sent it immediately to the right where it was pretty empty – except for Eöl who was rushing in full speed – and he dived for a header! And Tulkas tipped the ball away from the goal!

The time was running out for AC Beleriand. But they kept coming in.

On 77th minute Fingolfn made a huge shot from thirty meters an the ball swerwed out of reach from Tulkas – just a little off the post!

On 79th minute Bregolas headed an opening shot by Tulkas back forwards – Eöl ran for it with Caranthir and Tilion chasing him – and at the edge of the box he dived down to let the ball go while Caranthir and Tilion crashed with him because of his sudden leap! Meanwhile Fëanor had made a reflecting run from the right and was now dashing for the ball. Nienna saw his intention and basically flew after him… but Fëanor reached the ball first and shot the ball turning ninety degrees as he made the shot falling on his back towards Nienna who was coming to stop him. Beren had been following things guarded by his now familiar overcoat Rumil – but now he elbowed him down and dashed for the possible rebound from the left…

Tulkas made a reaction-save managing to tip the ball with his fingers, but it flew upwards and hit the crossbar! The ball landed and Beren was there to slide it in! AC Beleriand had scored and was only one goal behind with ten minutes of the game left!

But what? The referee blew his whistle and gave Beren a yellow card!

For a moment there was great confusion. Beren had been carded for a reason as he did elbow Rumil down against the rules when dashing free from him – but after a short chat with the linesman the referee pointed to the center-spot! It was a goal neverheless! The ball had landed inside the goal already before Beren slid to it and so his foul was not affecting the outcome – and as the referee had only noted it when Fëanor was already shooting there was no basis for him to call the foul in hindsight and deny the goal: had it been Beren who scored the goal it should have been denied, but as it was already in the referee did stand behind his call. It was widely thought of as a decent judgement from the referee – even if Real Valinor supporters were mad with it in the heat of the game.

So eleven minutes to go and the game was open once again: 3-2 to Real Valinor.

Fëanor was rallying up his troops: losing 3-2 was no different from losing 6-2, so they had to put everything for it! “Fight or die!” he yelled so loud even the spectators of the top-rows heard it. It was an elecrtifying moment.

And AC Beleriand came forwards with full force! Defenders Fingolfin and Ecthelion were leading their attack beside Fëanor! Now this was all or nothing game! And for a moment that even confused the Real Valinor defences. With great elven heroes like Fingolfin and Echtelion coming towards you enraged, accompanied by Fëanor and Eöl in no lesser state of mind, it is understandable even Real Valinor defenders were having cold sweat running in their backs.

And Echtelion made a real cannon-shot from little under thirty meters only to be denied by Tulkas. A few minutes later Fëanor fired it only for the shot to be deflected from Tilion’s foot into a corner. From the corner Eöl headed the ball via the ground towards the lower right corner only to be kicked away by Nienna guarding at the post.

But there were risks in that full-attack and on 86th minute Nerdanel managed to steal the ball from her husband and passed it to Tilion who sent it far forwards – to Miriel who had foreseen the steal and went for it. And it was a breakthrough!

Marach rushed forwards to meet Miriel while Miriel dashed towards the goal. There were only those two on the AC’s side of the field now. The spectators were holding their breath. The two were closing in…

Miriel realised Marach was up to sliding the ball away from her feet as he was now clearly outside the keeper’s area and was not allowed to take the ball by hands. Coming nearer Miriel waited until Marach went on a slide just a few meters away from her – and she flipped the ball over him, herself dashing around him… but the pass she had made to herself was just a tiny bit too hard and she really had to run to catch it before the angle got too narrow – and she reached it, turned in mid-jump and booted it! And it went to the net – outside the goal. Some ten inches away from the post.

There were two minutes of the game left and AC Beleriand was giving all they had. But Real Valinor kept their nerve and draw back to defend their goal with no lesser effort. The last two minutes were played on just the one end of the field.

And Eöl did find out Fëanor trying to break free from the defences around the box – and he sent the ball to him. Nerdanel was leaning on Fëanor and forced him to take a few sidesteps while Miriel slid the ball away from in front of him! Fëanor was seen cursing but when his mom and wife turned towards him he seemed to swallow his curses.

But it was a corner. Fingolfin gave the corner and both Fëanor and Eöl went for it – but Tilion rose the highest and headed it high in the air! Echtelion was the first to reach the ball a few meters outside the box and headed it back towards the goal beating Caranthir to the header. Fëanor had his moment! Real Valinor had risen their defence to play an off-side trap but Rumil was a bit late and Fëanor was not offside sliding to the ball that was coming his way. Tulkas was at the other side of the goal and was only starting to move towards Fëanor!

But Nerdanel slid from nowhere and managed to hit the ball just before Fëanor – and in a way that the ball hit Fëanor’s foot after her own so that it wasn’t even a corner but a goalie’s shot!

After Tulkas made his shot the referee whistled the game over. Real Valinor had won 3-2 and went to the final while AC Beleriand would have to get along with the idea of a bronze-match!

Nerdanel and Miriel tried to approach Fëanor after the referee's whistle but it was clear Fëanor was not in a mood for small talk or consolations. A bit later it could be seen that Caranthir run up to his dad and patted him to the shoulder, and he did actually respond to it by nodding to his son touching his hand fleetingly before continuing his walk towards the lockers. Fëanor was beaten, once again: one of the best there are, have ever been, and not winning in the end.The curse of Fëanor.


AC Beleriand 2-3 Real Valinor
on target 8-6
tot shots 16-16
GOALS:
*14, 0-1 Arien (Nessa)
*22, 0-2 Miriel (Arien)
*55, 1-2 Fingolfin (Eol)
*62, 1-3 Arien (Nerdanel)
*79, 2-3 Feanor (Bregolas)
YELLOW CARDS:
*ACBel- Beren, Rochallor
*Real- Caranthir, Rumil



Real Valinor goes to the final, AC Beleriand goes to the bronze-game.

[Boromir88]

Semifinal Erebor vs. Eriador @Amon Hen Coliseum

Following the pre-game build up of the first semi-final, as players from both sides took their positions, they were briefly introduced by the announcer. Every race and group seemed like it was represented at this magnificent accomplishment, Amon Hen Coliseum.

So, it was when Gwaihir was introduced for Erebor, the Eagles rose out of the constructed eeyries and circled high above as a salute to the Windlord. And the orcs made raucus noise when Bolg was named. They were quickly quieted by the ritualistic and mystical dance of the Beornings, called their 'Bear-dance.' Which legend said, would give their forefather the power to shape-shift. There was a large section of Dale men, and their dwarven allies when their kings were introduced. But the loudest and greatest cheers were saved for Erebor's FW trio, which every ticket holder from Mirkwood was fully behind Erebor, either because of Thranduil or Nazgul #7. And of course, there was Smaug, who for whatever unknown reason was one of the favorites (except amongst the dwarves and Dale men).

Then came Eriador's introductions, which held support from the majority of elves and men from Arnor and Gondor. It was Erebor that appeared to follow the Mirkwood formula of 2009. Supporting a diverse squad that tries to capitalize on the strengths of all the diverse races, to create a well balanced team. And then Eriador, which was far less diverse, but the strong friendship between the Eriador elves and their elf-friends, the Dunedain, was unrivalled in Arnor. So, while Erebor's applause were more spread out, it was more for each individual player. Bolg drew loud applause from the orcs out of the Misty Mountains, but mere polite claps from the rest of Erebor's supporters. Where Eriador, there was near constant and consistant cheer during the team introductions, representing the true friendship and unity amongst the team and their fans. Even the Witch-King, who was announced last, by that time it didn't even matter to the Eriador fans, the noise had reached a crescendo and all were lost in the moment.

What a beginning indeed!

~~~

Eriador took immediate possession and they were not squandering it away. The rangers of the mid-field in particular were dominating and controlling the action. Even if they were only creating testing and speculative shots just to keep Beorn on his paws. Erebor's defense was unable to relieve the pressure building around their box, because their mid-field was unable to maintain possession. As the first semi-final can attest, how do you control the midfield? Simply have more players there than your opponent.

So, it was when Eriador took the lead in the 14th minute there was wild cheers amongst everyone rooting for Eriador (of course), but also good applause amongst the neutrals, for the deserved goal. They really looked the better team in the first 15. It was not shocking to see Glorfindel and the Witch-King getting the majority of attention from Erebor's defenders, but with the mid-fielders playing more aggressive than normal, there was bound to be openings for them. It was the Arahael passing to an unmarked Arveleg, making an open run at goal. Beorn decided not to come off his goal line, and perhaps a person of his speed and athleticism should have and could have beaten Arveleg to the ball, but he did not. And Arveleg fired off a quick low drive beneath the arms of Beorn.

A change needed to be made, but that was the strength of having a diverse squad like Erebor. Eriador basically played one game, and they played possession better than anyone else, but it was still the only way they would play. Smaug recognizing they would get nowhere in this game if they could not get control of the mid-field. Thus Smaug commanded the Nazgul #7 to drop back. This helped Erebor somewhat, but still not enough. The Nazgul were usually intimidating enemies to the Dunedain, and the 7th Nazgul had indeed played the mid-field before, however it had less impact on the tactics than Smaug had hoped. Strangely enough, when you play with the Lord of the Nazgul for an entire season, an unknown Nazgul was not nearly as intimidating. Thus, Thranduil also had to drop to the mid-field, which finally did give Erebor the needed advantage to maintain possession, but it left Smaug as basically the lone scoring threat.

Everything was trying to be run through Smaug, as powerful and skilled as everyone knows he is, even the dragon could not beat the double teaming of Gil-Galad and Malbeth. Eriador's top 2 central defenders. And when able to finally get off a half-decent chance, Elrond was in perfect placement to save, every time. Erebor was getting a foothold on the match, but nothing was too troublesome or tricky for Elrond to pick up, when the defense did let some rather harmless balls through.

The first half was over and Eriador was up 1-0. A point of little note so far is this is now 170 straight shut out minutes by team Eriador, a remarkable feat. Even if they have not faced the deadliest of offenses, that is quite an accomplishment in playoff football; especially at the Arda Cup!

The 2nd half began and it was much the same story as the first 45. Although, Eriador was no playing more defensively minded to protect their lead, they were still holding the majority of possession. Yet again, the Nazgul and Thranduil had to go to the mid-field, but Erebor fans were for the first time quite nervous of their chances. If Bard, Bolg, and Dain could not rise up and get the job done, there was little hope, because Smaug as the lone-FW simply was not good enough by himself against a team that has not conceded a goal for 170 minutes (and growing!)

Erebor really desperate for an equalizer, began putting Gwaihir and Girion further up field, as they were not really worried about Eriador making a counter attack, when they were focused on defending a lead. This freed up Thrandul to join Smaug and create slightly more of a threat on goal. in the 64th Erebor won themselves a corner. Girion was to take it Erebor packed the box with everyone except their two deepest defenders. And Eriador had all of theirs also packed into the box. Girion curved one towards the far post and Thranduil had an open header! Supposedly the Witch-King was supposed to have the Elven-king marked, but the Nagul was no defender and not even Elrond could save Thranduil having a wide open header. It was level! And Eriador not having conceded a goal for nearly 190 minutes was snapped.

After the score was tied, there was still clost to 30 minutes of regulation, and neither team seemed thrilled to want it to go into OT, but the defenses, and particularly the goal-tenders were determined to not give up a heart breaking late winner. So as the clock was ticking closer to 90 both teams gradually began playing more conservative and unwilling to really risk losing it at this point. Plus, it may be everyone was getting tired legs and a brief intermission to regather some strength, seemed needed as passes were getting very sloppy.

90 minutes was up and it was on to over-time. There is no golden goal rule. Two 15 minute halves would be played in full, and the score at the end of 30 minutes determined the winner. If still tied then we would be on to the exciting penalty shoot outs! Which was indeed, exciting for spectators, but rather unfulfilling to the players on the teams, because it felt disingenuous for a winner to be determined on something as random as a penalty shoot out after fighting hard for over 120 minutes. But we are getting ahead of ourselves, because there was still the 30 minutes of overtime to be played, and that was also an exciting added football for any fan of the sport!

The first 15 minute period, finally saw Erebor's mid-field start getting themselves into the game. Eriador seemed always more willing to get this to a shootout where they would trust their great captains Glorfindel and Elrond in such a high pressure situation. Erebor was pressing for the lead almost immediately. Confident that if they grabbed a 2-1 lead, at worst Eriador would only be able to tie and thus take it to penalties (believing Eriador's offense simply wasn't good enough to score 3 goals on their defense). And at best, that 2nd goal may be all that was needed, because it's not like Beorn and their defense were slouches. Thus, Erebor was severely threatening the goal in the first OT period, but the defense of Eriador and Elrond held on.

After another brief rest, the 2nd OT period began and taking Erebor completely by surprise, Eriador launched a quick attack. It was as if they forgot that Glorfindel and the Witch-king were a dangerous striking force. Arassuil was looking to send a long ball over top the defense, but that was a hard play, considering Gwaihir controls the skies very well. But just as Arassuil made the long pass, the Witch-King gave a terrible shriek that paused Gwaihir only momentarily. That moment was all that was needed though to give Glorfindel with the necessary space to pass it on to the Witch-King. It was Glorfindel who had greater foresight than Malbeth, and knew precisely where Arassuil's pass would land. Beorn was crossed up, expecting Glorfindel to take the free space to shoot, but Glorfindel, slid a pass to the Witch-King who then pounded it into an open goal. It was the 16th minute, the very start of the 2nd OT, and it was Eriador with a 2-1 lead!

But now, the offensive fury of Erebor was about to be unleashed. This was it, they had 14 minutes to salvage their chance at making the Arda Cup finals. Eriador was going to just purely protect the lead, and everyone knew that, so Erebor rushed everyone on goal for the frantic final minutes. Eriadors defense was barely holding on, but each time there was a momentary lapse, Elrond was present to cover.

10 minutes left, and Elrond batted an effort of Bard's foot wide. 5 minutes left and Elrond caught Thranduil's header, protecting the lead. 3 minutes left and a gift of an opportunity for Erebor! The ref ruled that Asfaloth hoof-balled it in the box. Arda Cup rules determined that the front hoofs of horses would be ruled as hands if they were raised high off the ground. And in an effort to block Smaug's powerful drive, Asfaloth reared up and the shot was blocked off the horses front hoofs. It was determined to be unintentional, thus Asfaloth was only given a yellow card, but still as the horse handled the ball with its "hands," in the box, Erebor was going to get a penalty kick!

This was likely to be Erebor's final and best chance to tie the match and send it to a shootout. Smaug was going to take the shot. The great dragon stared at the elven lord and many could swear they heard the dragon uttering an enchantment to control which way Elrond would react. Eriador's keeper was too great for dragon's tricks, many had judged, and thus Smaug would have to rely on its sheer power and the advantage of knowing where it would hit the shot.

Smaug wound up and unleashed a rising rocket to the top right corner. Elrond leapt, he was at full stretch. Everyone in the Coliseum gasped in awe, in this moment, not even upon the neighboring Amon Lhaw, the Hill of Hearing, could you hear a pin drop within the Amon Hen Coliseum. It was that silent in the 190,000 seat stadium. And Elrond punched it over the top crossbar!

Elrond saved it. Elrond saved a penalty shot...shot by Smaug! The Eriador fans had to take a moment to comprehend what they just witnessed and then thundered their hearts out in joy and total euphoria. Even the always stoic Elrond, was smiling, pumping his fists high up in the air, and ran to embrace Gil-galad and the rest of the team. Erebor was dejected and heart-broken. They would still play to try to win the bronze against AC Beleriand, but how does one cope with such a devastating loss? While Eriador was on to the Championship match to play Real Valinor.

Erebor 1-2 Eriador (OT)
on target 8-7
tot shots 20-15
GOALS:
*14, 0-1 Arveleg (Arahael)
*64, 1-1 Thranduil (Girion)
*16, 1-2 Witch King (Glorfindel)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Erebor- Bard, Meneldor, Girion
*Eriador- Arahael, Asfaloth

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Bracket:



Top Individual Performers:
(Players in italics are from eliminated teams.)

GOALS + ASSISTS

6+1
Curufin (FC Valinor)
Arien (Real Valinor)

5+2
Fëanor (AC Beleriand)

4+3
Anarion (Gondor)
Glorfindel (Eriador)

4+1
Gothmog (Gondolin)
Smaug (Erebor)
Beren (AC Beleriand)
Witch-king (Eriador)

3+3
Míriel (Real Valinor)
Sauron (Barad-dûr)

2+4
Eöl (AC Beleriand)

GOALKEEPING

1. Théoden (Rohan) - 17/20 (85.00%)
2. Elrond (Eriador) - 28/33 (84.85%)
3. Beorn (Erebor) - 28/34 (82.35%)
4. Manwë (Valimar) - 12/15 (80.00%)
5. Ungoliant (Anfauglith) – 11/14 (78.57%)

[the phantom]

MESPN NEWS: Finals Preview Special

Philip McPhantom: Hello again, football fans. I'm chief MESPN football corespondent Philip McPhantom, and I'm here once more with Ruharg the dragon, sports editor of Monser Magazine, and Ar-Tar-Aradhil from Westernesse Weekly and president of the Numenorean Association for the Advancement of Football (NAAF).

Ar-Tar-Aradhil: Great to be here!

Ruharg: You would be cheerful, Aradhil.

Ar-Tar-Aradhil: Heh heh. Two for two in the semis!

Ruharg: Grrr, well done. I'm not pleased with my performance obviously.

Philip McPhantom: Well Ruharg, this is your chance to redeem yourself. Let's talk finals!

Ar-Tar-Aradhil: A great matchup to be sure. The patient discipline of Elrond and the Dunedain versus the flare and grandeur of the Ainu and Elves of Valinor. This should be a dream to watch!

Ruharg: And the bronze game ought to be great as well.

PMcP: Let's start there, why don't we... Who do you like in the bronze match?

Ar-Tar-A: I'm guessing Ruharg will have to go with his cousin's team again.

R: It bit me last round- maybe I shouldn't.

ATA: Well, I for one think AC Beleriand will get it done. Some teams don't play their best in the bronze match because they're disappointed they're not in the finals, but I don't think a letdown is in AC Bel's character.

PMcP: That's definitely a factor to consider. Look at the bronze match a couple years ago between Mithrim and Utumno-- many believe Mithrim won primarily because their defenders talked to Utumno non-stop about how meaningless the game was, and they weren't going to win the ultimate prize.

R: Yes- a Celegorm and Curufin ploy, wasn't it?

McP: Who else?

ATA: That's an excellent example, Philip. Personally I think Erebor would be more prone to that attitude. Feanor and Fingolfin have such a ridiculous amount of pride- I can't see them ever relaxing. They always want to win.

McP: Why wouldn't Erebor be the same?

ATA: They've already over-achieved in the eyes of many, and they might just be on enjoyment mode at this point. I mean, what's the big difference between 3rd and 4th place? They made the semis, and that's what will be remembered.

McP: Where as AC won't think that way?

ATA: I don't think they'll be looking big picture so much. Feanor gets one thing stuck in his head and he drives at it. In this case, he has a game to win- and we all know how good he is at getting others to go along with his plans.

McP: I see your point. Ruharg?

R: Well, I can't really refute that, but I think Erebor will put up a decent fight. Smaug is always a tough matchup, and the eagles will make AC work for their goals.

ATA: But they'll be ready to work. I'm thinking a two-goal win- maybe three.

R: I'm going with 2-1 or 2-2.

McP: All righty, now that the bronze game is settled- how about the championship?

ATA: I think it'll come down to possession. Eriador will want to own the ball and shorten the contest, because if Real owns it they are simply too effective at creating opportunities and Elrond can't stop an unlimited number of attempts.

McP: How aggressive will Real be on defense, and how much help will they give if Eriador turns up the pressure?

R: I don't think they will over-pressure. They'll keep balanced over the field encouraging Real not to over-commit to defense, and then hope their smart midfield will work to to Glorfindel and Witch King in good positions to do damage. If Real is looking to dash the other way then all the better for Eriador.

ATA: But if the Real defense can force any mistakes or bother passes to spring counters, Real enjoys a mad dash down the field. The terrific trio up front thrives on recovering defenses. It's easy to misdirect a charging defender, and Miriel and Nerdanel are just so quick and accurate.

R: That's another reason I say it will be in Eriador's best interest to keep a couple defenders back. I think Eriador will be playing to deny such counters.

McP: And what about when Real is on offense?

R: Eriador knows how to play D- they'll cramp the space and try and deny the distributors.

McP: What about Arien?

ATA: She'll probably have Asfaloth marking her nonstop, but I think the real key to shutting her down is doing what Ruharg said- keeping her fellow forwards from seeing much of the ball. Arien will still be dangerous on set plays, but in the natural flow of the game it's really the maneuvering and passing of Miriel and Nerdanel that opens Arien up for finishes.

McP: So will Eriador be successful?

R: No. I don't think they'll have lapses necessarily, but I don't think they'll hold possession quite long enough- Real will have opportunities and their skill is too great up front to be held scoreless.

ATA: I do think it's a bit much to expect Eriador to hold Real scoreless, but I do think they can keep them to one goal, and I think they can get one themselves.

McP: So you're thinking 1-1 then, Aradhil?

ATA: Yes. In overtime anything could happen, but on penalties I'd probably favor Eriador thus I'm picking them to win.

McP: Ruharg?

R: I'm going with Real... Let's say 2-1.

McP: Well there you have it. No matter what the result, I think we'll definitely enjoy these final games. Have fun watching everyone, and thanks for stopping by to talk each round guys.

R: No problem.

ATA: Yeah, enjoy the finals.

[Galadriel55]

Only a few days ago football fans have seen a match to the death between Real Valinor and AC Beleriand. Feanor's team walked off the field defeated, with 3rd place as their best perspective for this year. The captain himself was seen striding away from the crowds in a fey mood, perhaps to seek solace in solitude. His loss is more bitter than that of his teammates; they lose to a team, but Feanor loses to his family. Moreover, his family bested him, the best of the best.

What Feanor thinks of his loss remains unknown, but we know what his mother, wife, and son think of it.

"I played against him as a player from the opposing team, not as my father," said Caranthir. "I love and respect him, but I also want to win this Cup. We all risk t lose here, even the greatest." Miriel was of a like mind, "I barely know him; I left for the Halls of Mandos when he was but a child. But I love him nonetheless and am sorry for his grief at the loss. But on a football field my loyalty lies firstly to my team."

Nerdanel, meanwhile, was not so friendly. "If he loses, that is his problem," she was heard saying. "He never heeded any of mine. He left me in Eldamar when he waged wars against Morgoth. Didn't give me a thought once he got the best fighters to go overseas with him. He doesn’t need a wife to pass swords or footballs to him in Middle Earth. I rarely asked him for anything when we lived together. There is only one time I can remember, when I asked him for good-quality balls for the kids to play with. Something that wouldn’t pop every time they kicked it hard. And possibly look pretty with it too. And what did he bring me? After years and years of doing Eru knows what he brought home three jewels. Round, yes. Pretty, yes. Hard to break, yes. But not a football! And once he made them, you’d think he’d pass them out for family to enjoy. Ha! His them in a box and locked them in the darkest corner of the castle. What a waster!"

However the family feels, luckily they will not battle against Feanor this year again, and hopefully not next year as well. We wish all the luck and not at all the muck (and perhaps a roast duck) to Feanor, his son, and his beautiful wife and mother in their future games!

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

The final matchday of the 2012 Arda Cup is upon us, two games featuring the best teams in Arda (bar one, perhaps). Due to the intense preparations made by the Tar-Eldar Network Television and ArdaCup.com for its coverage of the bronze medal and championship ties, today's Stats Report article shall be shorter, but we shall go directly to the meat of the matter, and leave the trivia for the others to handle.

(For statistical comparison, FC Valinor has a +6.28 adjusted goal difference and +1.6 true goal difference per game, the first in both categories, perhaps one of the best teams ever not to make it to the final four.)

Bronze Medal Match: AC Beleriand vs Erebor



Erebor

+4.28 adjusted goal difference [4th]
+0.83 true goal difference/game

Offence:
1.83 goals/game
16.83 shots/game (10.87% goal conversion rate)
6.67 shots on target/game

Defence:
1.00 goals allowed/game
14.17 shots allowed/game
5.67 shots on target allowed/game (82.35% save rate)

Erebor has the most inefficient offence of the semifinalists, which, combined with their midfield disadvantage (and hence losing the possession battle), has been their downfall against Eriador, and it will be bad news against AC Beleriand's shot-stingy defence and possession-controlling diamond midfield. The onus will then be on Erebor's defence to prevent AC Beleriand's front line from doing what they will (despite the fact that they have conceded two goals to their last two opponents). The good news is that Beorn is the third-best goalkeeper in the tournament, having cemented his reputation as a top-tier shot-stopper against FC Valinor. Replicating Tulkas's feat in the semifinals against AC Beleriand will help Beorn's team get a fighting chance against Fëanor's squad.

AC Beleriand

+4.61 adjusted goal difference [3rd]
+1.50 true goal difference/game

Offence:
2.50 goals/game
16.50 shots/game (15.15% goal conversion rate)
7.17 shots on target/game

Defence:
1.00 goals allowed/game
11.00 shots allowed/game
3.50 shots on target allowed/game (71.43% save rate)

AC Beleriand is statistically better in almost all areas than their Lonely Mountain foes. They feature an attacking line-up, with main threat Fëanor, playmaker Eöl, Beren making runs from the midfield, and Fingolfin attacking from deep accounting for almost all of their goals. The Rochallor-Imlach partnership remains the best centre back tandem, conceding only 11 shots per game and stopping strong centre-forwards Glaurung and Gothmog along the way. They were, however, exposed against the free-flowing offences of Doriath and Real Valinor. If Thranduil and company were to have a chance against AC Beleriand, they would not only have to rely on Beorn making the stops, but also keep their front three (and Bard) probing the Beleriandic back line with defence-splitting passes.

PREDICTION: AC Beleriand 2:0 Erebor

* * * * *

Championship Match: Eriador vs Real Valinor



Eriador

+4.67 adjusted goal difference [2nd]
+1.17 true goal difference/game

Offence:
2.00 goals/game
14.33 shots/game (13.95% goal conversion rate)
6.00 shots on target/game

Defence:
0.83 goals allowed/game
14.50 shots allowed/game
5.50 shots on target allowed/game (84.85% save rate)

Eriador has a better defence and offence (in numbers and efficiency) than Real Valinor, but they had an arguably easier path (with only Erebor, and, perhaps, Gondolin, as real threats). They have more midfielders (with better attacking stats) which would translate to control of the possession, unless Tilion or Nerdanel offsets that disparity in numbers by helping their midfield (as Tilion has done in their semifinal game against AC Beleriand). Elrond has regained his position from last year as the best goalkeeper in the game during their tie with Erebor, and Glorfindel, the Witch-king, and Arveleg spearhead a very efficient offence (with the second-best goals scored per game in the least shots).

Real Valinor

+3.28 adjusted goal difference [5th]
+0.67 true goal difference/game

Offence:
1.83 goals/game
15.00 shots/game (12.22% goal conversion)
5.83 shots on target/game

Defence:
1.17 goals allowed/game
13.00 shots allowed/game
5.00 shots on target allowed/game (76.67% save rate)

After a red-hot Arien and joint assists leader Míriel, the scoring numbers drop off drastically. Coming into the semifinals, Tulkas was statistically the worst goalkeeper among the four, but he saved six shots (for a 75% save rate) against Fëanor's AC Beleriand, not to mention getting clean sheets against Rohan and The Sea along the way. Their free-flowing offence, tempered by the years their front line has spent together, has ripped apart AC Beleriand's previously nigh-impervious back line, and they need to be on that form if they were to duplicate that feat against a defence almost as unyielding in Eriador, anchored by the premier shot-stopper of two straight tournaments.

PREDICTION: Eriador 2:1 Real Valinor

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

AC Beleriand vs Erebor at Amon Hen

There were still four teams in the competition, and two games yet to play, but if you ask all forty-four players, only two teams are playing in the game that matters. The other one is just a consolation game for those who were good, but not quite good enough.

One bad day, said Fëanor in his semi-final post-game interview. One bad day by his team was all it took to deny them the Cup. It wasn’t a matchup problem against Real Valinor: he knew that Fingolfin and Ecthelion were good enough to stop his mother and wife, and Rochallor and Imlach have muzzled centre forwards like Arien before. His midfield was sharper than theirs. And he knew that he was better than his sons, who had carved up Tulkas’s defence twice before.

He refused to listen to those who pointed out that Ulrad, the player at the tip of their diamond midfield, was exposed for his lack of offensive awareness. (Denethor, and even holding midfield Bregolas, had completed almost as many forward passes as the outlaw.) He denied those who told him that AC Beleriand had no plan B beyond sending the fullbacks forward, hardly a prudent course of action against teams with wingers as talented as Míriel and Nerdanel. Then again, he has never listened to any counsel other than his own, both to the good and ill of those around him.

Smaug would blame bad luck for their loss to Eriador, though many would say that they have already used up their luck against FC Valinor. Due to some bracket jinx, Erebor had to meet two teams with elite shot-stoppers in straight games. But after having overcome Huan in the quarterfinals, Smaug argued that that they could have similarly beaten Elrond. Yet the Peredhil overcame his dragon troubles (he was eliminated last year by an Ancalagon goal, and a Smaug goal proved to be the winner in Eriebor’s friendly match against Eriador) in dramatic fashion when he denied Smaug an equalising penalty in the dying minutes of extra time, sealing a narrow victory for Eriador.

The two centre forwards would not feature in the main event, true, but they understood the significance of their undercard match. If they cannot be the best, they can at least be better than another team. The spirit shown by the twenty-two players on the pitch and the chanting of their supporters in the stands combined to give the match an atmosphere approaching that of a championship tie. The stadium was evenly split between the two teams, with AC Beleriand’s more extensive fan base making up for Erebor’s proximity to the stadium. The dragon and the Noldo shook hands in the centre circle before moving to their respective positions, and, soon, the opening whistle was blown.

From their semi-final tie against Eriador’s 4-1-3-2, it was made apparent that Erebor’s midfield three could not hold the ball indefinitely against a four-man midfield. And it was exactly what AC Beleriand had, a diamond midfield that was the core of their having the highest possession rate among all teams. Nazgûl #7 tried dropping deeper to help control possession, as he once did against Eriador, but Ecthelion simply followed him there, enabling AC Beleriand to maintain their numerical superiority in the midfield. The ball stayed longer in Erebor’s side of the pitch, and after seven minutes Beorn had to bat away the first clear chance of the game after Eöl took Fëanor’s lay-off and fired a snapshot before Gwaihir could close in. Five minutes later Ecthelion sent a cross zipping across the face of the goal, but Bolg managed to deny Beren a run for a header and Fëanor was bodied well by Girion; the ball ended up getting cleared by Meneldor.

So far Erebor has only mustered a Smaug shot from range, but they didn’t have enough of the ball to create more chances. In the twenty-second minute Fëanor finally opened the scoring when he intercepted a passing error from Dain (meant for Girion), rounded Beorn, and tapped the ball into an empty net.

After the opener, Erebor pressed fiercely for an equaliser, but they were still being starved of the ball. Possession was AC Beleriand’s best defensive weapon as well as the sparkplug of their offence. If we have the ball, you can’t score against us. And we have a chance to score against you. Such was the philosophy of Fëanor’s squad, and they were unlikely to change it when it has brought them this far. Ulrad, despite his offensive shortcomings at his position, made his value clear as an advanced ball-winner. After stopping an AC Beleriand offensive effort, barely had Erebor recovered the ball when Ulrad tackled Girion, Meneldor, or Dain to regain possession, allowing his teammates to reset their attack. This repeated pounding on the Erebor box resulted in a second goal for the Beleriand side, and Fëanor had a hand in it once more, turning creator this time. Eöl sent a through ball into the penalty area for the Fiery Boot, but Landroval recovered to deny him a clear shot at goal. Instead of pressing the issue, he sent a back-heel pass to a charging Beren, who had his own clear shot. The One-handed powered the ball past Beorn’s outstretched hand and into the net to double AC Beleriand’s lead four minutes before the break.

If Erebor were to make a contest of this, something clearly needed to be done to AC Beleriand’s passing game. It had killed two matches before, with Anfauglith and Shire-Bree United unable to recover the ball while retaining a coherent back line against counterattacks; thus they never gained a chance to threaten Marach’s goal seriously. Fortunately, Erebor had a defence and a goalkeeper they could trust. So, during the restart, Girion advanced to the midfield, turning Erebor to a 3-4-3, matching three eagle defenders against two crafty forwards. The evening out of the midfield numbers allowed the Lonely Mountain a fighting chance at the possession, and they gained more chances in the first fifteen minutes of the second half than they had in the entire first half. But even with more of the ball, Smaug and company still had to deal with one of the best back four in the tournament, having once denied Glaurung, Thuringwethil, Gothmog, Maeglin, and Bombadil.

Twenty-five minutes have passed, and the score remained two-nil. Erebor was running out of time, and they were still unwilling to push everything forward; Fëanor gave them a scare and almost got his second goal of the match after Fingolfin booted a recovered ball downfield towards him. He sent Meneldor the wrong way and turned on Landroval, but he contrived to fire wide from fifteen metres. Fortunately for Erebor, AC Beleriand’s back line was slowly turning timid. Rochallor and holding midfielder Bregolas were already in the book for rash challenges on Smaug and Bard, respectively, and they were fearful of getting their second yellow card. Fifteen minutes from full time, Thranduil made a run down AC Beleriand’s right flank. After forcing the right back Ecthelion and centre back Imlach to commit, he then sent the ball cross field to Nazgûl #7, who had enough space to cross (Fingolfin had tracked back to help Rochallor cover Smaug after Imlach left the dragon to track Thranduil). Fingolfin tried to recover, but he ended up getting caught between two chairs, marking neither the Ringwraith nor the dragon, and Smaug outmuscled Fingolfin’s steed and smashed a tailer past Marach.

Surely, fifteen minutes was enough to get an equaliser, thought the Erebor faithful. They had already exposed AC Beleriand’s back line with their fluid ball movement, the same thing Real Valinor had done. But Fëanor had different plans; he ordered his midfield back to help in defending, assigning Beren to mark Erebor’s number ten Bard. Denethor guarded Thranduil, with Ecthelion moving to help on Smaug. The two forwards remained downfield to provided counterattack opportunities, giving Erebor second thoughts about an all-out attack. Their attack completely neutralised, Erebor were unable to create another clear chance, and after their one last push, with even the eagles helping on the attack, was denied soundly by Fingolfin’s back line, the final whistle was blown. AC Beleriand could now claim to be the third-best team in 2012. It was hardly good enough for Fëanor and company, but, as some of his teammates conceded, it was a good enough start for their team.

AC Beleriand 2-1 Erebor
GOALS:
22, 1-0 Fëanor
41, 2-0 Beren (Fëanor)
75, 2-1 Smaug (Nazgûl #7)

Total Shots
14-12
Shots On Target
6-4

YELLOW CARDS:
2-2
AC Bel: Rochallor, Bregolas
Erebor: Meneldor, Gwaihir

 

[the phantom]

The entire western bank of Nen Hithoel was absolutely crawling- Men, Elves, Dwarves, Ainur, Orcs, Hobbits, and everything else Middle-Earth had to offer was represented. Hotel courtyards and patios were littered with loungers, the pubs were overflowing, and the hiking trails were being trampled into small roads. Many folks were flocking to the beaches intent on gaining some color, and boats dotted the lake from side to side (but all steering well clear of mighty Rauros, of course).

The day was warm and sunny- a bit too warm for some, but the evening promised to be more comfortable. And the evening was what it was all about in the end. The Arda Cup championship match- Real Valinor versus Eriador!

Gamblers, fans, and the paid publication experts were very much split on predicting the outcome. Eriador hadn’t lost a match in the tournament, but five of its six victories had been by a single goal. Real Valinor on the other hand lost badly in their opener to FC Valinor but had a +5 goal margin in the playoffs. Would the hot team win, or would the consistent squad get it done again?

The rooting interest of the Elves was split. Rivendell natives were firmly behind Elrond and Glorfindel, the Elves of Lindon were behind Gil-galad, Tirion natives were solidly behind Real’s Noldor, and Beleriand Elves had to choose a side. A contingent of Gondolin Elves was there in support of Glorfindel, while quite a few residents of Himring and areas to the east and south were there to cheer for Caranthir.

Unaffiliated Elves and other peoples of Middle Earth tended to gravitate somewhat towards the flash of Real, and added to that number was a good number of Ainur and Elves of Valinor that turned up to cheer on Real, but this was balanced out by the nearby Gondorins (the largest group by a good bit) who were for the most part on the side of their northern Dunedain cousins. But in the end it was the Witch King that decided things- pretty well every dragon, orc, troll, etc. was supporting him, and thus supporting Eriador. They were expected to own a 60-40 advantage in the coliseum when the game kicked off.

*****************************
*****************************

As the sun disappeared behind the Emyn Muil, excitement and anticipation reached a fever pitch. Throughout the late afternoon and early evening the gargantuan Amon Hen Coliseum had filled, and now there was not an empty seat left. Several thousand more spectators were seated on blankets higher up the slopes of Amon Hen, as they knew they’d be able to see just fine thanks to the magic of the Hill of Seeing.

Both teams looked steady and competent in warm-ups, and they were sporting during the pregame midfield meeting and player introductions. But their lack of hostility did not predict a lackluster game, for their faces and body language showed forth focus and determination.

From the first touch Eriador showed they intended to dominate possession. The four Arnorian midfielders moved the ball accurately, occasionally giving the forwards a touch or sending it back to Malbeth or Gil-galad. But though they could not steal it away, the Real defense gave Eriador little opportunity to do actual damage, and when they tried to force the issue they were able to clear the crosses or force the speculations off target.

And when Real got the ball on their feet, Eriador found themselves in the same position- unable to interrupt the flow of their opponent. Real’s midfield with assistance from Caranthir and Tilion showcased speedy and effortless movement, little by little forcing the action closer to Elrond between his posts. But like Eriador, Real found their final steps to be tough going. Nerdanel and Miriel on the wings only got touches when dashing out to meet a pass from the midfield, as Eriador kept a marker by them and always sent help when a pass came in towards one of the playmakers. Arien hardly got a sniff of the ball forward in the middle, marked by the muscular Asfaloth, and with her wing feeders always forced to give up the ball.

As time neared the half-hour mark Real began pushing things, moving their defenders up tighter and tighter. At minute 31 Tilion made a great dash from center-field and Nessa found him on the move. He booted it forward and after one stride struck a high rocket from 25 yards. The ball was perfectly on-target just under the bar, but the foresighted Elrond was miraculously there, fisting it up and over.

On the ensuing corner Nerdanel bent in a beauty that was headed solidly by Nienna at the top of the box, but that space gave Elrond just enough time to make another save, this time snatching it out of the air. Real fans and players betrayed no signs of disappointment, however. Elrond was going to make some saves. The good news was that they were the ones getting the shots. One would go in eventually.

Just before halftime it looked like Real would finally have their breakthrough. Miriel received the ball towards the left sideline and showing her first real burst of the match she somehow split her defenders and kept the ball, and after freezing the defense with a fake pass she closed in on the goal and pulled the trigger for real. The ball slid between the outstretched feet of two defenders and curved away from the goal- it was a cross, not a shot! And Arien dove into it full speed, beating Asfaloth by mere inches, earning herself a point-blank header!

But Elrond was there again! His dive took him directly into her path and they collided heavily, and the end result was the ball going off her head and hitting his hands and falling to the near post. Both regained their feet immediately to continue the play, but Asfaloth was first to it and immediately cleared it far down the field.

The Real fans groaned and Eriador supporters sighed, but quite quickly their relief turned to happy screaming as Asfaloth’s clearance was masterfully touched down by Glorfindel right in front of Rumil and both Eriador forwards were off to the races with only Nienna between them and Tulkas in goal!

Nienna retreated at pace equal to the dashing forwards, and she swerved ever so slightly between the two- Glorfindel on the right and the Witch King on the left. She hoped to force a poor pass, but Glorfindel refused to pull the trigger and continued the run. Finally as they neared the box Nienna made the choice she knew she’d be forced to make eventually and wheeled towards Glorfindel swiftly, looking to block his path at goal while simultaneously leaning slightly towards the Witch King in order to force a wider pass.

Glorfindel faked a pass, Nienna veered a bit too far towards Witch King, and Glorfindel pulled the trigger without hesitation. It was a fine hard shot, but Tulkas had it played correctly near post and with a leap knocked the shot down- but it bounced directly towards the feet of the Witch King on the opposite side! The Witch King swung his mighty leg forward, but the ball went flying sideways and up into the stands! Caranthir had run down the play and slid from behind and toed the ball up and over so that the Witch King struck the ball with the inside of his shin! Tulkas sprinted over and lifted Caranthir off the ground and into a mighty embrace, and was soon joined by Nienna and the other defenders. Caranthir had spoiled a sure-fire goal!

In the remaining minutes of the half neither side was able to accomplish much, and soon the athletes were disappearing into the tunnels to regroup. The fans in the stands could be heard arguing over which tactics would be changed, but there was no obvious answer. Both had played well and both had gained an opportunity or two that was stuffed by a fine defensive play. Did it make sense to switch tactics when playing well? Would that be a sign of panic? Or perhaps the opposition could actually be caught off guard…

As the second half started, it looked to be more of the same- Eriador grabbed possession and passed intelligently. But Real fell back farther this time, allowing Eriador to push upfield without resistance, but leaving little room for their forwards to try and get open in. Eriador didn’t appear to be bothered, however, as they weren’t ones to force things unwisely. Real was giving them prime real estate, and an opening to make a play would emerge.

At minute 49 a golden opportunity arrived- Arassuil wrong-footed his mark and went forward fast, played a nice one-two with Arahael and gained entry into Real’s box. The defense closed quickly and Arassuil displaying excellent touch lifted the ball sideways to the Witch King who headed it solidly to the opposite side where Gil-galad’s proud brow redirected it to the near post!

It was definitely a goal- but a desperate leap from Caranthir into the path of the ball sent it slightly off course and directly into the arms of Tulkas! Eriador was foiled again. The Real supporters shrieked in delight- particularly those Noldor who were loyal to the Sons of Feanor. The cameras particularly zoomed in on Maedhros, Amrod, and Amras who were seated together in one of the front rows, and definitely trying to shout themselves hoarse.

Real fans slowly took their seats again as Eriador gained possession once more, but they wouldn’t stay seated long. In minute 52 Valandil sent the ball across the box for the Witch King, but he was too bothered by Tilion to get a good jump at it, and it went straight through to Nienna who boomed it straight out of the air on a line about halfway between the center and the right side.

Real fans leaped to their feet as they realized Arien would be first to it ahead of Araphant! Miriel and Nerdanel were dashing down the center with Malbeth between and Asfaloth guarding their right flank. All three ladies turned the burners to the max and Araphant and Malbeth fell a stride behind, and Amon Hen Coliseum began rumbling and roaring like a giant-sized Rauros. As the forwards neared the box Asfaloth pulled up hard to close on Arien and send Miriel and Nerdanel offside past him, but Arien was expecting that exact tactic and immediately sent a laser to Miriel, who was running at the left post.

Had the pass been even a hair slower Malbeth would have caught up to it, but it crossed right in front of his face and an entirely open Miriel took in Elrond’s hopeless position with her peripheral vision and deflected the ball forward and right to an unmarked Nerdanel, and the dexterous right foot of Nerdanel easily slotted it home! Real Valinor was ahead!

The cameras swept the field and the stands, capturing the joy of the players and fans. The girls up front were piling on one another, and one camera managed to sneak a shot into one of the luxury boxes where Feanor and Finwe could be seen wearing grins and high fiving, obviously pleased with the skill displayed by their wives.

As the game restarted, Real shifted out of their defensive set and into a more balanced field-spreading alignment, and even showed a bit of pressure of the ball. Eriador played it smart, but the energized Real side was anticipating everything and seemed to be playing on a different speed setting. Suddenly Eriador couldn’t work the ball into favorable positions, and Real was controlling the ball and looking like they would add a second goal before Eriador would get an equalizer.

At minute 65 Arien came free off a perfect pass from Enerdhil, but Malbeth forced the shot off target. Just minutes later Tilion made a run deep into Eriador territory and forced Elrond to make a flying save, and the resulting rebound was sent just a bit high by Nessa.

As time approached the final 10 minutes Eriador flushed their regular building offense and tried to win longballs or straight up dribble through the defense, but Caranthir, Nienna, and Rumil would have none of it, and as time continued to flow through the fingers of Eriador Real tightened up their defense more and more, forcing Eriador to be more careful- which cost them precious time.

When there was but 3 minutes left there wasn’t a viewer left seated. Eriador supporters were begging for an equalizer and Real fans were nervously willing their team to hold off the attack for just a few more kicks. They cheered wildly with every clearance, and as the final seconds ticked away they let loose with every bit of noise they could still muster.

Before Eriador could manage a respectable effort at the net the referee signaled the end of the game, and from all sides of the field the Real Valinor players raced towards one another and collapsed together in a celebratory pile! The Ainur and Elves of Valinor went crowd-surfing in the stands and began singing, Feanor and Finwe climbed out of their box to join the party, and NogWolf went bounding onto the field to congratulate Real personally, shouting something or other about his “Phantasy predictions”.

Real lost their first game by three goals, but then they didn’t lose again! It’s all about the finish at Arda Cup, and Real Valinor was without a doubt the strongest at the end.

Eriador 0-1 Real Valinor
on target 3-6
tot shots 12-17
GOALS:
*52, 0-1 Nerdanel (Miriel)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Eriador- Araphant
*Real- Nienna

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Final Standings:

• (1) - champion
• (2) - runner-up
• (3) - third place
• (4) - fourth place
• (q) - quarterfinalist
• (o) - reached knockout stage
• (x) - failed to reach knockout stage

Bracket:



Power Rank:



The Power Ranking is based on the aggregate of offensive and defensive ranking, combined with the adjusted goal difference rank of each team. The listed offensive and defensive rankings are from the actual numbers by the teams, and not adjusted. Ties are broken by a) win-draw-loss record; and b) goal difference.

The offensive ranking is based on the goals scored per game throughout the matches. Ties are broken by a) greater number of shots made on target per game; and b) greater number of shots made per game.

The defensive ranking is based on the goals allowed per game throughout the matches. Ties are broken by a) least number of shots allowed on target per game; and b) least amount of shots allowed per game.

Top Individual Performers:

GOALS

6
Curufin (FC Valinor)
Arien (Real Valinor)
Fëanor (AC Beleriand)


5
Smaug (Erebor)
Beren (AC Beleriand)
Ancalagon (Angband)

4
Gothmog (Gondolin)
Anarion (Gondor)
Glorfindel (Eriador)
Witch-king (Eriador)

ASSISTS

4
Míriel (Real Valinor)
Eöl (AC Beleriand)


3
Sauron (Barad-dûr)
Beleg (Doriath)
Tevildo (Angband)
Eärendil (The Havens)
Anarion (Gondor)
Glorfindel (Eriador)
Thranduil (Erebor)
Fëanor (AC Beleriand)
Nazgûl #7 (Erebor)
Nerdanel (Real Valinor)


GOALKEEPING

1. Théoden (Rohan) - 17/20 (85.00%)
2. Elrond (Eriador) - 33/39 (84.62%)
3. Beorn (Erebor) - 32/40 (80.00%)
4. Manwë (Valimar) - 12/15 (80.00%)
5. Tulkas (Real Valinor) – 26/33 (78.79%)

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Four defenders, three midfielders, and three forwards. No limits on players per team. Here is our best XI of Arda Cup 2012:

Elrond of Eriador
The best goalkeeper in the tournament for two years in a row. The last time he had conceded twice was during the second group stage game of the 2010 Arda Cup, when Tilion of Utumno scored a brace to beat Rivendell 2-0. That’s thirteen straight games of allowing teams to score at most one goal against him.

Fingolfin of AC Beleriand
The leader and the work-horse of the AC Beleriand back line. His pushes down the left flank resulted in two goals and an assist, and, more importantly, gave attacking width to a team with no natural wingers. He also helped organised one of the best defences in the tournament.

Imlach of AC Beleriand
The second outstanding defender from AC Beleriand. His partnership with Rochallor conceded only an average of 11.14 shots per game, the stingiest in the tournament. (In comparison, Eriador conceded 14.86 shots per game.) Although Rochallor did get one assist, we chose Imlach over Fingolfin’s steed due to his better positional awareness and having one less booking.

Tilion of Real Valinor
After conceding three to FC Valinor (the only team Real Valinor lost to), they conceded just four more goals in six games. And Tilion had been largely responsible for this improvement. As he got accustomed to his role as sweeper, he used his intelligence and energy to plug holes his team needed him to. Aggressive centre forwards (vs Tirion, Armenelos)? Teams sitting deep (The Sea, Rohan)? Disadvantage in the midfield (AC Beleriand, Eriador)? Tilion did what he had to do, wherever it was, so his teammates can focus on what they had to do.

Maglor of FC Valinor
FC Valinor conceded five goals in the tournament, but none came from Maglor’s right wing. He also provided some runs from deep, creating two goals in the process.

Arveleg of Eriador
After AC Beleriand and their diamond midfield, the team with the next best possession rate was Eriador. Like AC Beleriand, they also field four central midfielders, the best of whom was Arveleg. He didn’t have the ridiculous passing statistics of his teammate Valandil or AC Beleriand’s Bregolas, but he was excellent at what he did—keeping possession by completing passes and providing additional goalscoring opportunities by making late runs to the penalty area. His two goals and two assists are a testament to his movement, finishing, and passing accuracy.

Anarion of Gondor
Perhaps the best individual performer of the tournament. By the time his team was eliminated on penalty kicks, four games into the tournament, he already had four goals (behind only Curufin and Ancalagon), as well as three assists (joint leader). Gondor scored a total of nine goals in the tournament; Anarion had a hand in all but two of them. His player-of-the-match performance against group rivals Barad-dûr will be something to remember for the people of Gondor.

Beren of AC Beleriand
One of the best midfields in the tournaments obviously deserves a representative in this list, and who better than Beren to be that man. He had five goals and an assists in seven games, forming dangerous passing triangles in the opposition right flank with Eöl and Fingolfin. A tireless midfield runner, a goalscoring threat, he was also excellent on defence, nullifying the influence of attacking midfielder Orodreth (Nargothrond) and deep-lying playmaker Meleth (Gondolin) on the game.

Míriel of Real Valinor
After a bad start against rivals FC Valinor, Míriel had turned in a consistent performance game after game, scoring or creating a goal in all six games after. Her excellent interplay with second-year teammates Arien and Nerdanel helped break down two of the most formidable defences in the tournament on their way to a long-overdue Cup victory.

Fëanor of AC Beleriand
It was either him or Arien in this slot, and the Fiery Boot was two assists better. As one of the best ball-handlers ever, there were times when he created chances out of nothing. His rapport with fellow crafts-Elf Eöl, half-brother Fingolfin, and Silmaril-purloiner Beren was key to AC Beleriand’s impressive record of seventeen goals in seven games.

Curufin of FC Valinor
An all-family affair in the front line proves just how much talent flows through the veins of football’s regal house. What else can one say about six goals and an assist in five games? Only two season removed from his switch from defender to forward, he pulled off one of the only three hat-tricks in tournament play, as well as shared a tournament-record six goals, but accomplishing it in two less games than his father or Arien.



The Second Team:

Beorn of Erebor
The two best goalkeepers in the tournament met in a semifinal tie in Amon Hen; unfortunately, someone had to lose, and it was Beorn. His performance against FC Valinor won't soon be forgotten.

Ecthelion of AC Beleriand
In the seven goals scored against AC Beleriand, none came from Ecthelion's right wing. He also provided attacking width with his runs from deep, assisting on one occasion and creating scoring chances on many others.

Melian of Doriath
Far and away the best defender of Doriath, whose only goal conceded from a centre forward in open play was Glaurung's. Times have fallen hard on the Hidden Realm, only a year removed from a championship year, but Melian remains a quality defender.

Nazgûl #6 of Shire-Bree United
He had a blinder of a game against Angband. His performance against Tol-in-Gaurhoth and Gondor weren't bad, either.

Celebrimbor of Dwarves United
The offence and defence of Dwarves United. He was the reason they made it past the group stage.

Bard of Erebor
When Smaug wasn't his usual self when the tournament began, the Grim Sniper took it upon himself to score for Erebor.

Yavanna of FC Valinor
In a team with a Fëanorëan front line, the fleet-footed Vala was the extra punch that broke defences down.

Beleg of Doriath
In terms of talent, there was little to separate Doriath's wingers Beleg and Lúthien. They were both pacey, excellent finishers, willing defenders, and great passers. In the end, though, Beleg has two goals and three assists to Tinúviel's 1+1.

Sauron of Barad-dûr
This was a down year for the first Ainu to win the Cup, with his team not having progressed past the group stage (a first for him; coincidentally, his 2009 Arda Cup winning team Armenelos also failed to advance for the first time). Still, Annatar averaged a goal and an assist per game, cementing his reputation as an offensive maestro.

Glorfindel of Eriador
Two years after leaving Gondolin, having just won the Cup, Glorfindel seems to have flourished as an individual within Elrond's system, coming within a whisker of his second championship. Seven goals and six assists in twelve games is impressive, no matter how you cut it.

Arien of Real Valinor
The attacking trio of Valinor/Real Valinor seem to have finally got how to play together. With Míriel and Nerdanel on the wings to provide killer passes, Arien has thrived in her role as a number nine, a target man in the box. She has not lost the ability to win games almost single-handedly, as shown by her performance against AC Beleriand.

[the phantom]

MESPN POST-TOURNAMENT SPECIAL: TEAM REVIEWS

Fans from Valinor to Mordor are already talking about next year's Arda Cup, but let's pause for a moment and reflect on the performances of each of the 32 teams this year.

Following each squad we will say whether the stage they reached and their results accurately reflected their talent or if they underperformed (or overperformed).

ANDUIN- Underperformed. They outshot Dwarves United solidly but conceded a late goal and thus earned 1 point rather than 3. Had that not happened they would have advanced to the playoffs. Against Erebor they played well, once again outshooting the competition in a draw. Only Wilderland outshot them, but the on-target number was equal. With Fram and Celeborn at the back and Grimbeorn, Boromir, and Haldir at the front and solid pieces surrounding them, they could have made a run, and with a couple minor upgrades in the off-season it'll be expected of them.

ANGBAND- Underperformed. When you've got Carcharoth, Morgoth, and a Balrog at the back and Telvildo and Ancalagon up front the minimum expectation is quarterfinals. In their first-round playoff against Minas Tirith they simply did not impose their will and really let Minas Tirith play their game and send it to PKs where anything can happen. To separate themselves they really need to add another skill player at the front or back to build off of.

ANGFAUGLITH- Underperformed. They had the same record and differential as the advancing Doriath, but Doriath's wealth of goals was the tie-breaker. With their defensive focus and majority of strong players at the back, it was expected that they would play low-scoring contests, but the strategy perhaps wasn't the best fit for Group G, which was laden with offensive fire-power. They certainly could have made the playoffs in another group. Next year they need to decide if they're going to gain scoring ability or if they're going to focus in more on defense.

ARMENELOS- Underperformed. The reason here is quite obvious- Group D (D for Death). The eventual champion Real Valinor nipped them by a goal and they lost to the streaking FC Valinor as well. The close Real loss along with beating a quality Tirion side they proved they likely would have advanced in pretty well any other circumstance, and once in the playoffs- who knows how far they go? They don't feel great pressure to improve their roster for next season, but certainly their results must improve.

ARNOR- Expected. Arnor was in a sense the light version of Eriador, so they could hardly be expected to beat them. They outplayed Inter Beleriand (even outshooting them by eight!) but simply didn't finish as efficiently. But even had they won that one, Gondolin obviously wasn't a good match-up for them in a 4-0 drubbing. They're smart and don't really have weaknesses, but they're going to have to add another talented piece to build around if they wish to improve their fortunes.

BARAD-DUR- Underperformed. They owned most of the game against Minas Tirith but only managed a draw, and they played an extremely uninspired half against Mordor and only managed a draw there as well. BUT- in other groups we would've rated them "expected", as such a cheap team can hardly expect to compete properly, Sauron or not. If they hope to make it out of groups next season he's got to up the team salary at least a bit- to either give himself another helper at the front, but more likely to shore up the defense.

AC BELERIAND- Expected. They were in the semis with a chance at the title, and that's where this team belonged. They played even with the champs in the semis (putting 2 more shots on-target in fact), but lost by one. Most teams would be content to field a squad with a similar chance of making the semis, but Feanor is likely to try and improve his squad in some manner- even if it means a bit more money.

INTER BELERIAND- Expected. When you've got Turgon and a Balrog in back and Fingon and Maedhros in front one expects to be in the playoffs. But Eriador and Gondolin took advantage of the edge their non-big-name performers had over Inter's regulars. If Inter wishes to give themselves a better shot they need yet another big name or they need to do a couple minor upgrades in the midfield or back line.

DORIATH- Expected. They had quality attackers up front and were fairly solid through the middle and back with Melian holding things together. In the playoffs they played the runner-up Eriador very tough, and things could have gone different. If they can nab a small upgrade in the back midfield or defense they could definitely make a run.

DWARVES UNITED- Overperformed. With Celebrimbor, Aule, Durin, and Azaghal defending they obviously have something to build on, but they didn’t have enough offensive firepower or ball control to run with the big dogs consistently. They upset Wilderland to make the playoffs, but if they don’t want to depend on upsets to advance they need to gain some scoring ability next year.

EREBOR- Expected. Though there were other teams that critics will argue were better on paper, Erebor certainly had enough talent that their semifinal run was not unexpected. The midfield and forwards behind Smaug were solid in support and in creating opportunities, and the eagle-laden defense in front of Beorn was quality. It’s going to be expensive to keep the team together next year with other squads looking to poach players though.

ERIADOR- Expected. Again, some critics might say that they weren’t one of the top two teams, but they were certainly good enough to make a deep run with quality diverse defense in front of super-Elrond and a solid midfield supporting Witch King and Glorfindel. And like Erebor, they might have trouble keeping the bill down next season, so there may be a financially imposed roster shake-up in a couple spots.

GONDOLIN- Expected. They were good enough to get in the playoffs and they did, but then ran into a tough matchup in AC Beleriand. They could’ve made the quarters with a friendlier draw, but if they want to give themselves a better chance next year they need a minor upgrade or two in their back half.

GONDOR- Expected. They didn’t have any super-stars, but they had definite quality all over without weak links. They were PKs away from the quarters, so they were right there. If they want to improve their likely longevity they need to try for another one-star type talent or add some sort of skill diversity.

HITHLUM- Underperformed. When you have Turin, Hurin, and Hador you expect to be in the playoffs, and in other groups perhaps they would’ve been rather than missing out on tie-breaking PKs. To ensure their success Hithlum needs to beef up their defense, but that might prove too expensive unless they get a financial partner or two.

IMLADRIS- Expected. This was a playoff squad with talents like Elrond’s children, Varda, and Elros, but they appeared to have too many weak links to be a sure-fire contender to make a deep run. A couple minor upgrades would go a long ways here.

ISENGARD- Expected. Saruman and the Ents can be a tough matchup, but with a budget that low Saruman couldn’t fill the holes well enough around them. If Isengard wants to be in the playoffs they need to open up the checkbook and nab another talent.

MINAS TIRITH- Overperformed. A similar squad to Gondor, they were solid all over and earned a spot in the playoffs, and then played an excellent match to upset Angband. Though their run was not entirely unbelievably, they’re probably not ranked in anyone’s top 8 despite the quarterfinal appearance. If they wish to return regularly they need to diversify or make a couple small upgrades.

MISTY MTS- Underperformed. With diversity and skill at all levels they wanted to be in the playoffs. Durin’s Bane is a great finisher with a solid Azog to compliment and three good feeders in the midfield. At the back the trolls, Watcher, and Chief Wolf are good at handling most types. With one or two minor upgrades they could definitely improve their finish.

MORDOR- Underperformed. With Nazgul all over the field complimented by Shelob and other baddies they were not hoping to be relegated, despite their cheap budget. If Sauron and his partners are prepared to up the spending they could give Mordor a better shot, but it remains to be seen what his strategy is.

NARGOTHROND- Underperformed. Nargothrond boasted an extremely dangerous front six, but they didn’t do a good enough job at keeping the squads in their group off the scoreboard. Finrod will be looking to upgrade at the back for certain.

ROHAN- Expected. They had a nice blend of athleticism and prudence, and with a different draw perhaps they could’ve gotten into the semis. If they want to up their chances for next season they need to look at getting another skill player up front to free up Gandalf and Eorl.

SHIRE-BREE UNT- Expected. Though they might’ve been a surprise to some in the quarters, they had the talent to make a run- particularly at the front. With their relatively low salary, they have a real chance at buying improvements at the back and making themselves an expected repeat performer.

THE HAVENS- Underperformed. Though some think them lucky just to make it out of their tough group, Cirdan and Olwe on one side and Earendil, Tuor, and Finrod’s twin brothers on the other make Havens a legit threat to make a run. With a minor upgrade or two critics will definitely count on seeing them in the playoffs again.

THE SEA- Underperformed. They had a big budget and a fine mix of Numenorian and Ainu talent around the pitch, and they weren’t happy to be out after four games. Real outplayed them and provided a tough match for them. They’re good enough, but if they want to up their odds of seeing a final they ought to diversify slightly.

TIRION- Underperformed. With the names on this squad you expect to see the playoffs, but of course they were in the group of death. Simply by switching groups they can change their fortunes next season, but doubtless they’ll be looking to add new faces, as doubtless the other Valinor squads will be looking to steal members of their roster. An upgrade at the back would be in order.

VALIMAR- Underperformed. Manwe and company should not be missing the playoffs, though their group did them no favors. In the end it was lack of goals that did them in, so without a doubt they’ll want to upgrade their next season. They’ll need to cut payroll though, so it’s a tricky situation.

FC VALINOR- Underperformed. After streaking through friendlies, groups, and the first round they ran into upset-minded Erebor and couldn’t close the deal. It’s tough to say where they need to upgrade after such solid performances, but they’ll be scrambling on account of needing to get payroll down.

REAL VALINOR- Expected. Though it seems ridiculous to say a title is “expected”, they certainly felt they were a heavy contender and they proved it. Their payroll is probably about where they want it, but after their performances some players undoubtedly will want raises. Which players they can afford to keep will determine where they try and make switches for similar but lesser-paid talents.

WILDERLAND- Underperformed. As high as some publications had them ranked they have to be hugely disappointed. Their front four were about as good as any, so they likely place the blame on the defense (letting the Dwarves score twice, for instance), though frankly the offense didn’t live up getting held to 1 twice. A minor upgrade or two at the back ought to have them at serious contender status.

THE DOWNER- Expected. When you’re the cheapest squad by a large margin there isn’t much in the way of expectations. They showed promise with a close loss to Shire-Bree and a tie with TIG (thanks to a timely red card), but if they wish to truly be a threat they need to take Eru’s “Tolkien Mandate” to heart and add some decent Middle-Earth talent.

TOL-IN-GAURHOTH- Underperformed. After being in the finals last year being relegated doesn’t sit well. Even with the restrictions on their Werewolf forms five powerful athletic Werewolves supported by six solid conniving Wights should’ve been enough to make a run. They outplayed Shire-Bree but couldn’t overcome their slow start to gain 3 points instead of 1, and then they got out of control against The Downer and only took 1 point there. Their tie against Angband was their best outing. To improve their fortunes they’ll need to smartly comply with the Tolkien Mandate- perhaps upgrade one of their Wight positions and trade the others evenly.

[the phantom]

MESPN All-Tournament Teams

As always there were many excellent performers and it's tough to whittle the field down to 11 players, but we do our best. We consider a player's production, timing of production, and just generally what they and their team accomplished and whether they propelled their squad to the best of their abilities.

FIRST TEAM

GK Elrond of Eriador

DF Celebrimbor of Dwarves United
DF Radagast of Rohan
DF Maglor of FC Valinor
DF Fingolfin of AC Beleriand

MF Beleg of Doriath
MF Anarion of Gondor
MF Beren of AC Beleriand

FW Curufin of FC Valinor
FW Feanor of AC Beleriand
FW Arien of Real Valinor

SECOND TEAM

GK Tulkas of Real Valinor

DF Namo of Valimar
DF Morgoth of Angband
DF Caranthir of Real Valinor
DF Tilion of Real Valinor

MF Mardil of Minas Tirith
MF Bard of Erebor
MF Yavanna of FC Valinor

FW Sauron of Barad-Dur
FW Smaug of Erebor
FW Miriel of Real Valinor

***************************************
***************************************

Honorable Mention
GK Beorn of Erebor
GK Huan of FC Valinor

DF Ulmo of The Sea
DF Ecthelion of AC Beleriand
DF Girion of Erebor
DF Gil-galad of Eriador
DF Nahar of FC Valinor

MF Galadriel of Wilderland
MF Tar Aldarion of The Sea

FW Bombadil of Shire-Bree United
FW Gothmog of Gondolin
FW Maeglin of Gondolin
FW Glorfindel of Eriador
FW Nerdanel of Real Valinor