ARDA CUP Football 2012

[the phantom]

With the ban on games in Valinor, Mordor wanted to snare a western foe to host. They made a great pitch to team Valimar, but when the westerners rolled in they found the host stadium at the Morannon to be less than hospitable.

Any lodging that wasn't already filled with Mordorians was crawling with pests and wasn't just dirty but appeared to have been actively wrecked. Not to mention most of the rooms looked as if they'd once been regular size but had been recently divided with hastily erected walls.

Packs of orcs lined the streets and heckled the Valinoreans as they checked into their insufficient lodgings. To escape the sickening cramped quarters the Elves and Ainu went out to find a good pub. What they found were ramshackle joints next to luxurious orc-only establishments. The places of business they were allowed into served only muddy water- or at least they hoped it was only mud.

When it came time for the game the Valimar supporters discovered their seats were all in the top of one side of the stadium, and all the rear rows of orcs had over-sized hats and signs to block the view. And the play on the field that they couldn't see wasn't any less kind- Mordor was taking every opportunity to rough up Manwe and company.

Which, as those experienced with Manwe will tell you, is not a good idea. If an opposing team can keep Manwe and friends calm and playing their regular game, they'll be content to be defensive and, particularly in friendlies, sit on a 1-goal lead. But instead Valimar went up to full effort and tournament style play and didn't pull back to defense only until they had scored three goals, and Mordor simply didn't have an answer for it. The orcs were quite down about it, but as a consolation they knew they'd take it in shifts to scream outside Valimar's quarters that night.

Mordor 0-3 Valimar
tot shots 9-13
on target 2-6
GOALS:
*21, 0-1 Alatar (Ilmare)
*37, 0-2 Pallando (Vaire)
*72, 0-3 Pallando (Amras)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Mordor- Grishnakh, Nazgul #2, Fellbeast #1, Gorbag
*Valimar- Amras, Alatar

The game between FC Valinor and The Downer on the foggy Downs field was a real letdown for the locals that braved the chill to see it. The Downer started off focused on the task, but began losing interest as the score held at 0-0.

FC Valinor finally broke things open at 32 minutes, but they did so in such a business-like manner that it didn't seem to stir The Downer much. Early in the 2nd half it happened again. FC Val fell back to play some defense, but The Downer seemed uninterested in asserting themselves, so the Valinoreans decided to get in a bit more offensive practice.

After the fourth goal FC Val gave away possession completely and The Downer took some half-hearted scoring attempts, but they never got close, and things ended in sad shape for the other-dimensionals.

FC Valinor 4-0 The Downer
tot shots 19-13
on target 9-4
GOALS:
*32, 1-0 Celegorm (Maglor)
*54, 2-0 Curufin (Yavanna)
*68, 3-0 Argon (Curufin)
*76, 4-0 Yavanna (Idril)
YELLOW CARDS:
*FCVal- Nahar
*Downer- John Fillis, Evil Mayo

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Quiet Argon uses Arda Cup debut to make a statement about his game
by Alice Holly

For many who were not born with talent or fame, suiting up to be on the biggest stage would be enough. It is, after all, something far more than they would have expected or deserved. Having the spotlight on them for a few fleeting moments would be enough of an experience to last them for the rest of their lives.

That clearly isn’t enough for Argon, son of Fingolfin, FC Valinor midfielder.

‘I came here to play winning football.’

And he certainly has. He has four friendly goals in four matches in a team laden with star power, a team on the path to winning it all. He had a double—the only goals his team had—in FC Valinor’s win against their toughest rival Real Valinor. Argon took his time in the limelight and used it to prove that he deserved to be among the elite.

It had been an long and arduous road for Argon—getting the call in the first place required divine intervention.

‘I don’t know anyone from Middle-earth, so my only chance for a call-up to an Arda Cup roster is through Blessed Realm teams. I knew I didn’t have much of a chance because there were only thirty-three spots—actually less, because I can’t play goalie. This year Tulkas and Yavanna built their own squads, after being together in team Valinor last year, so I had a few more chances to be called up. About a week into the preseason, I finally got invited by Yavanna to join her FC Valinor team.’

Argon is not a total unknown in the footballing world. After all, he did come from one of the best footballing families in Eä, the House of Finwë. His father and sister have won the Cup.

‘It’s just that I never got the chance to be on the news like they do, be it about football or anything else. But I guess I like being quiet. I’ve never been fond of war or politics—football’s been enough to get me going.’

He’s also the captain of the Tirion Sporting Club, far and away the best player in a middling team in the Elvish Premier League. They accomplished their best league finish this year at sixth, fully thirty points behind leaders Eldamar. And they have never progressed past the quarterfinals of the Elf A Cup.

‘The people I’m playing with now, I used to meet them on the pitch only twice, maybe thrice a year.’

And those people have nothing but praise for the Arda Cup rookie.

‘He’s a hard worker,’ said his half-cousin Celegorm.

His grandmother Indis concurs. ‘He’s usually the first on the pitch, working on his game—footwork, ball-control, his stamina, whatever he needs to improve on. He’s also usually the last to leave.’

‘He desires to know more about the game,’ said Irmo. ‘He reads up on strategies and tactics. And he’s watching tapes of past Arda Cup games, especially ones of teams we’d be facing. He says he doesn’t want to feel out the opposition only when he’s on the pitch against them—he wants to be ready for what they can do.’

After years of waiting, he’s finally shown Arda that he can play in the greatest stage. Argon’s time in the spotlight is just a stepping stone to greater glory.

‘It’s my first time to be here, and I already want to win it all. Sounds ambitious, maybe, but I know we can do it.’

Alice Holly is a Tar-Eldar Network Television football correspondent.

[Nogrod]

So dear friends, it is getting about time to bring the final rankings to the fore before the tournament begins. The AKM is proud to bring it's readers the first one - and one that looks a little bit different than some of the earlier rankings whether by the AKM or the other networks.

The reason for that is simple.

We have considered both the schedual of each team in the friendlies aka. how tough teams they have played, and more or less ignored those games where both teams have played for a draw.

We'll bring you some more elaborate statitistics & speculation on them when our "group by group" -analysis is published in the next few days.


In the following ranking-list you have all the teams ranked first of all into five different ranking-categories (which we have used to determine the toughness or easyness of their schedule - the end-result of course has been modified). Before a team name there is the ranking + the former ranking by the AKM in parentheses. After the team there is the letter for the group the team plays in.

Rank 1 (The Favourites)
1. (1.) FC Valinor (D)
2. (2.) Real Valinor (D)
3. (5.) Valimar (E)
4. (3.) AC Beleriand (G)

Rank 2 (The Contenders)
5. (10.) Angband (A)
6. (7.) Tirion (D)
7. (8.) The Sea (E)
8. (4.) Eriador (B)
9. (9.) Wilderland (C)
10. (6.) Armenelos (D)
11. (16.) Anduin (C)
12. (11.) Erebor (C)
13. (13.) Anfaughlith (G)

Rank 3 (Can challenge a good team)
14. (14.) Imladris (F)
15. (15.) Nargothrond (G)
16. (12.) Rohan (F)
17. (17.) Doriath (G)
18. (17.) Hithlum (E)
19. (19) Gondolin (B)

Rank 4 (Decent teams on a good day)
20. (21.) Misty Mts. (F)
21. (25.) The Havens (E)
22. (24.) Isengard (F)
23. (27.) Arnor (B)
24. (22.) Tol In Gaurhoth (A)
25. (23.) Shire-Bree Utd. (A)
26. (28.) Inter Beleriand (B)
27. (20.) Gondor (H)

Rank 5 (The Left-overs)
28. (30.) Mordor (H)
29. (26.) Minas Tirith (H)
30. (31.) Barad Dûr (H)
31. (29.) Dwarves Utd. (C)
32. (32.) The Downer (A)

[Shastanis Althreduin]

Anduin took on Imladris in what was to be one of the final friendly matches before the tournament began in earnest. And, to be frank, the first half of this game was pretty boring. It appeared the time of year was making Grimbeorn sluggish – he barely moved during the first half of the game. On the other side, Elladan could be seen juggling the ball at nearly every opportunity simply for practice, judging this game to be not worthwhile.

In the second half, though, he did stir himself to put the ball into the net courtesy of a strong punt from Arwen (later, a reporter heard her say she aimed at Elladan’s head deliberately, to wake him up.) However, this roused the Anduin team to play full-bore, and eleven minutes later Boromir II juked away from his defenders and equalized the game. Now Grimbeorn had had time to fully shake off his grogginess and rejoin the game, and it was the mighty bear himself that scored Anduin’s second goal in order to secure his team the win.

Anduin 2-1 Imladris
tot shots 12-10
on target 4-4
GOALS:
*49, 0-1 Elladan (Arwen)
*60, 1-1 Boromir II (Fram)
*81, 2-1 Grimbeorn (Haldir)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Anduin- Lenwe, Frumgar
*Imladris- Aranarth


Foul play abounded in the friendly between the physical teams of Erebor and Misty Mountains (who, in particular, has a history of using their brawn rather more than their brains.) Again, in what seems to have become a pattern, the objective of actually putting the ball into the net seemed to be sidelined for most of the game – shots were taken when possible, but it seemed both teams were more interested in getting a piece of their opponents. The crafty elf Rumil assisted both Misty Mountains goals, but was never carded for the sly fouls he committed against Dain. Enraged, Dain went straight after Rumil, but received his second yellow of the match and was sent off the field. Chief Wolf soon followed, thanks to a nasty bite he gave Gwaihir (who responded with a mighty wing buffet and received his own yellow for his trouble), and both teams finished out the game at a tie.

Erebor 2-2 Misty Mts
tot shots 15-15
on target 7-6
GOALS:
*13, 1-0 Smaug (Bard)
*30, 1-1 Durin’s Bane (Rumil)
*44, 1-2 Narvi (Rumil)
*57, 2-2 Thranduil (Dain)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Erebor- Nazgul #7, Gwaihir, Meneldor, Dain, Smaug
*Misty- Azog, Chief Wolf, Bert, Orophin, William
RED CARDS:
Erebor- Dain (63, second yellow)
Misty- Chief Wolf (66, second yellow)


The most exciting thing about the Gondor/Rohan friendly was the explosive start, as both teams had apparently decided to treat this game just like a real, tournament-style play. Not very many shots were taken (8 for Gondor, 10 for Rohan), but the ball changed hands (or, rather, feet, or hooves, or what have you) like lightning, never remaining in possession of one team for very long. A little over half an hour in, Anarion fired off a shot at the Rohan goal, but Felarof intercepted it with a well-timed rear, coming down on top of the ball. The pressure Felarof’s hoof applied to the ball popped it into the sky and across the pitch, nearly going into the net of the Gondor goal. However, it bounced off the crossbar and back onto the field, where Eomer picked off the clean goal.

Rohan pulled back their offense a bit after that, letting Gondor try to equalize. And equalize they did, in the second half, as Anarion tried again and Falastur caught the rebounding ball square with a high knee, firing it into the back of the net. After that, the game exploded into full-bore play again, but both teams’ defenses held firm and the game ended in a tie.


Gondor 1-1 Rohan
tot shots 8-10
on target 3-5
GOALS:
*37, 0-1 Eomer (Felarof)
*65, 1-1 Falastur (Anarion)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Gondor- Calimehtar
*Rohan- Shadowfax, Eomer

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

For this edition of ArdaCup.com Stats Report, we go into an in-depth analysis of the status of the groups heading into the tournament proper.

Power Rank:



Greatest gain:

• +10 Isengard
• +9 Anduin
• +7 Valimar

Greatest loss:

• -14 Tol-in-Gaurhoth
• -11 Mordor
• -10 Imladris

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 throughout the friendly matches. Ties are broken by a) greater number of shots made on target; and b) greater number of shots made.

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

Please note that the above ranking is based on the four rounds of friendly matches played by the teams, and does not reflect actual tournament performance.

Top individual performers:

GOALS + ASSISTS

7+2
Finwë (Tirion)

5+3
Curufin (FC Valinor)
Húrin (Hithlum)
Gwindor (Nargothrond)

5+2
Bombadil (Shire-Bree United)

5+1
Túrin (Hithlum)
Glaurung (Nargothrond)

5+0
Arien (Real Valinor)
Sauron (Barad-dûr)

4+3
Míriel (Real Valinor)

4+2
Gothmog (Gondolin)

4+1
Aegnor (The Havens)

4+0
Maeglin (Gondolin)
Eönwë (Tirion)
Argon (FC Valinor)
Durin's Bane (Misty Mts)

3+4
Aredhel (Tirion)

3+3
Oromë (Wilderland)

3+2
Strider (Shire-Bree United)
Eärendil (The Havens)

3+1
Tar-Minastir (The Sea)
Saruman (Isengard)

2+4
Elwë (Wilderland)

2+3
Galadriel (Wilderland)
Tar-Ancalimon (Armenelos)
Yavanna (FC Valinor)
Nienor (Hithlum)
Finrod (Nargothrond)

1+5
Barrow-Wight (Shire-Bree United)

GOALKEEPING

1. 92.31% - 12/13 - Manwe (Valimar)
2. 92.31% - 12/13 - Ungoliant (Anfauglith)
3. 87.50% - 14/16 - Marach (AC Beleriand)
4. 86.67% - 13/15 - Elrond (Eriador)
5. 85.71% - 18/21 - Elros (Imladris)

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

A team of TENT and ArdaCup.com sports analysts will now bring you the most comprehensive and most accurate analysis of the Arda Cup groups.

After the team’s name is a list of the top three phantasy performers for the team (with their points per game and positions given).

GROUP A

Here we have two teams gutted after last year’s final four appearance, a team clearly improved in the offseason, and a bunch of jokers whose improvement or lack thereof cannot be quantified on the pitch.

• Angband

  4.5 GK Carcaroth
  3.75 DF Morgoth
  2.75 DF Balrog #1

  Angband has lost Ungoliant, Thuringwethil, and Tilion, but they have retained Morgoth, Ancalagon, and Tevildo. They have also been rejoined by Carcaroth after winning a title with Doriath—by the way, why is his wolvish partner-in-crime Draugluin not playing this year? Despite the loss of one of the greatest goalkeepers in Arda, they remain as stingy as ever in the friendlies, conceding only two goals in four games. But with the loss of midfield anchor Tilion they have struggled to score themselves, with only three goals in four games. Will they find the shooting touch come tourney time? It probably won’t matter soon, especially in this lousy group, but once the knockout games begin it will.
  
  
• Shire-Bree United

  6.5 FW Bombadil
  4.75 MF Barrow-Wight
  4.25 FW Strider

  Clearly one of the most improved teams from last year’s cup—only Nargothrond could rival them in that aspect. They’ve gained Bombadil, Khamûl, Barrow-Wight, another Nazgûl, and Strider in the offseason, and lost nothing of consequence. The new additions have proven themselves, especially their forward line-up, as they average almost three goals per game. They’ve been doing it mostly against lousy defences, though, and when they faced a good one in Eriador, they failed to deliver. Worse, their terrible defence from last year hasn’t been remedied, averaging more than three goals conceded per game. Clearly, they don’t have enough to beat Angband, so their tie with Tol-in-Gaurhoth will decide the group’s runners-up. That being said, we think they’re still on the outside looking in.
  
  
• The Downer

  3.75 MF Hookbill
  2.25 MF Lalwendë MP
  2 GK Bubble Buddha

  Nothing to see here that would interest a football fan—if you like slapstick antics and injuring pranks, then go ahead, watch their games. Otherwise move along.
  
  
• Tol-in-Gaurhoth

  5 GK ShastaWolf
  4.25 MF PhantomWolf
  3.5 FW NerWight

  For this team, the whole is much greater than the sum of its parts, so the biggest offseason loss for the Wolves was not any of their players, but their Wight-Wolf forms and seven of their Werewolves. ShastaWolf, one of the best GKs last year, is back between the posts, and so are PhantomWolf and NogWolf. But how will this disparate disjointed team of Wolves, Wights, and a Lion mesh? Unlike Angband, they have a chance of not making it past the group stage, so finding groove sooner is imperative for them.

Projected finish:
1. Angband
2. Tol-in-Gaurhoth
3. Shire-Bree United
4. The Downer

GROUP H

The token laughingstock group. None of the teams here will last long past the group stage, except perhaps Barad-dûr, but that’s only because of Sauron’s (distant) championship pedigree.

• Barad-dûr

  4.75 FW Sauron
  2 GK Mûmakil
  1.5 MF Berúthiel

  Sauron has always led a prolific offence—that’s what some of the GMs and team owners have said of him in the first ArdaCup.com Stats Report, and we agree. With Castamir and Berúthiel on his team, there’s the expectation that this will continue to hold true, their dismal friendly performance notwithstanding. If there’s anything about the Black Tower that worries us, it’s their defence. But that won’t matter yet, not in this group.
  
  
• Gondor

  4 MF Anarion
  3.5 GK Hyarmendacil
  3.25 MF Falastur

  Gondor had the best pre-tournament showing of the teams in this group, with three draws and one loss. Two of their draws came against Armenelos and Rohan, which might say something about their talent, if it weren’t for the fact that the two played friendly friendlies with their descendants/brothers-in-arms. When the games were serious they drew with Isengard (meh) and lost to Arnor (haha). Despite that, the fail in this group is so strong that they have a serious chance to qualify past the group stage.
  
  
• Minas Tirith

  3.75 MF Mardil
  3 GK Denethor
  2 DF Cirion

  In the two serious games Minas Tirith played in the friendlies, they lost to decent Anduin and even middling Isengard. Sure, this group is also full of decent to middling squads, but we’re betting Minas Tirith won’t beat even one of them.
  
  
• Mordor

  3.25 MF Nazgûl #4
  2.5 GK Silent Watcher
  1.5 FW Shelob

  They played seriously in all their friendly games, so at least their performance can be an accurate gauge of their skill level. They got demolished by Valimar (as expected), lost to Anduin, drew with Arnor, and was leading for a while against Minas Tirith. Happily, none of the teams in this group are as good as Valimar or even Anduin (which is number ten on our pre-tournament power rank), so they have a shot to play in the knockout stage.

Projected finish:
1. Barad-dûr
2. Gondor
3. Mordor
4. Minas Tirith

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

GROUP B

Here we have a defensive powerhouse with teeth, two teams who have spent too much on their teeth, and a balanced team whose either end clearly isn’t as good as that of their opponent’s best end.

• Arnor

  3 GK Arvedui
  2 DF Elendil, MF Argeleb
  1.75 FW Araphor, FW Isildur

  They are a balanced team, which could be their chance to finish out of this group. Their defence could keep the opposing strikers contained enough, and their offence could make up for the inevitable goals they would concede, since they’d be up against porous defences, anyway—at least, those not named Eriador. That being said, they won’t beat Eriador.
  
  
• Inter Beleriand

  3.5 GK Turgon
  3 FW Maedhros
  1.25 FW Fingon

  Best friends Maedhros and Fingon’s adventure last year as team Himring ended in the group stage when their defence failed to stop Tirion’s strikers when it mattered, so they added Turgon and a Balrog to reinforce the back line. But it’s not working so far; they’ve conceded seven goals in four friendly matches, including three in their match against a much depleted Doriath squad. They have a chance to make it past this group, but that would depend on Maedhros, Fingon, Turgon, and that Balrog all waking up.
  
  
• Eriador

  4.5 GK Elrond, DF Gil-galad
  3 DF Araphant, DF Malbeth
  2.75 DF Asfaloth, FW Glorfindel

  They’ve paired up Elrond the Great Wall of Middle-earth at the goal, who is renowned for clean sheets, with Wiki the Wundergûl at front, who is renowned for late-game come-from-behind heroics. The addition of the Lord of the Nazgûl covers a traditional weak point of an Elrond-led squad—they’re so used to playing with the lead that they usually don’t know how to come from behind, something that will inevitable happen come knockout stage. It’s hard to see this team not going deep into the tourney.
  
  
• Gondolin

  5.5 FW Gothmog
  3.75 FW Maeglin
  3.5 GK Rog

  The Hidden City used to be renowned for its prudence, but that seems to be a thing of the past. Going all out offence this year while leaving their back line undermanned makes for exciting football, but not a winning one. They do have the best front line in this group, so they could just bludgeon the other teams with three or four goals and then make Eriador sweat a little. Just a little, though.

Projected finish:
1. Eriador
2. Gondolin
3. Inter Beleriand
4. Arnor

GROUP G

Here we have almost an echo of Group B, whose winner and runner-up, coincidentally, they’ll face in the round of sixteen: One powerhouse offensive team with a surprisingly good defence and three teams with different team-building philosophies who have almost equal chances of grabbing second place.

• Anfauglith

  5 GK Ungoliant
  3.25 DF Borlach, DF Balrog #3, DF Balrog #4
  3 DF Balrog #2

  If you were an Anfauglith supporter, wouldn’t you wish they had this year’s back five in last year’s squad? With Balrogs to challenge shooters and clean sheet queen Ungoliant to mop up the goal-bound shots, they would probably have lifted that Cup, or at least made Doriath sweat to win it. As for this year’s front line . . . what front line?
  
  
• AC Beleriand

  4 GK Marach
  3.5 DF Ecthelion
  3.25 FW Fëanor

  Marach is having a happy time manning the AC Bel goal so far; his 87.5% save rate being the third best among goalkeepers in the friendlies. Having Fingolfin in front of him to organise the defence certainly helps. And we’re sure Fëanor, fresh from winning the Champions League and Premier League scoring titles, hasn’t forgotten what he came to the pitch to do when the game is for real.
  
  
• Doriath

  4 MF Lúthien
  3.5 GK Dior
  3.25 MF Beleg, MF Daeron

  Doriath may have lost much, but they still have a solid midfield that has been effective in offence—Lúthien is still the same fleet-footed Lúthien, after all, so is Beleg, and Daeron’s rise has been a welcome surprise. Their problem lies in the defensive end: Dior is a mediocre GK at best, and the defenders arrayed before him is not any better, except, of course, for Melian. Because of this and the presence of two offensive juggernauts in the group they’ll be forced to play the outscore-the-opposition game. Can they put up five if Glaurung or Fëanor score four against them? We doubt it.
  
  
• Nargothrond

  7.25 FW Gwindor
  5.75 FW Glaurung
  4.25 FW Finrod

  This team has been built with only one goal in mind. Bëor the Old has never been a quality goalkeeper, and it’s likely he won’t start becoming one this year, so it’s up to their lethal trio of forwards and supporting trio of midfielders to put up higher numbers than the opposition. Glaurung and Gwindor have been ridiculously hot, each scoring a hat-trick in the friendlies, so it’s likely they can outscore their opponents, and even put a couple past the solid Anfauglith squad. But if there’s one squad they’re not likely to outscore, it’s the balanced AC Beleriand squad led in the attack by the Fiery Boot himself.

Projected finish:
1. AC Beleriand
2. Nargothrond
3. Anfauglith
4. Doriath

[Boromir88]

TWO TOWERS NETWORK
Boromir the 88th

It's that time of season again. 2012 Arda Cup. Bigger. Better. And more unpredicatable then ever. We've thrown every advanced stat we could think of into the puzzle and there's still not a conclusive picture.

The Favorite = the team TTN feels has the greater expectation to win the group. This does not always mean the team TTN predicts will win the group, just the team that should win based on payroll, players, and looking at the friendlies/stats.

The Challenger = The team that we feel can challenge the favorite for 1st place in the group. But also have the great probability of advancing ahead of "The Upset."

The Upset = The team that is not favored to advance to the playoffs, but might pull off a surprise in the group matches, and knock out "The Challenger" or "The Favorite."

The Relegate = The team that will have an early exit from the tournament.

*TTN Note: Since the groups are not equally balanced, some groups may have multiple "Favorites," "Challengers"...etc and some groups may have no "Challengers", "Upsets," or "Relegates." Though we tried our best to avoid this situation, and clearly distinguish teams within their respective groups - no matter how insanely tough most groups are to call*

GROUP A

The Favorite: Angband. (TTN - 11. OFF - 30. DEF - 3. GK - 6)

We do think Morgoth held back the full offensive ability of Angband during the friendlies. They are certainly much better than the 30th rank indicates. It could be a clever scheme, as the tales of Elves and Men go...when Morgoth secretly holed up in his stronghold, away from the eyes of the Valar, and unleashed a fury of death and destruction upon Beleriand. So, we can't under-estimate what plots Morgoth has hatched while remaining reserved and defensive in the friendlies. Still if we're talking about a team that can win shooting matches, it won't be Angband. Sure they have some dangerous bite with the quick agility of Telvildo, and the intimidating power of a dragon (not to mention Morgoth), but there are some big weaknesses. Primarily, the rest of the team is not very threatening.

The Challenger: Tol In Gaurhoth (TTN - 25. OFF - 20. DEF - 24. GK - 11)

A really disappointing and disjointed friendly performance from TIG. Although, normally their key wolf players don't give an effort in friendly matches, trusting their natural talents are superior and they don't need "practice." The stats are a bit worse than they look. Scoring 5 goals, but giving up 7, and being outshot 44 to 56 is not a normal stat line for TIG-teams (even when they are giving a careless effort). However, most of that imbalance comes from the 3-1 loss to Real Valinor. TIG will lose to superior athletes, and their risky tactics makes them prone to losing games they should win. Looking at the Group A picture though, the wolves on the team can match Angband's talent, and also play a much better team game.

The Upset: Shire-Bree Utd. (TTN - 22. OFF - 7. DEF - 27. GK - 30)

This is an intriguing team, if one recalls Bywater from 2010. To the upset heard around Arda, when Bywater advanced, leaving Thangorodrim out of the playoffs. Granted, different year, different team make-ups, and Thangorodrim was without Morgoth. One might still wonder though, that if Angband comes in over-confident this pesky Shire team might surprise them again, especially since Bombadil has been a pain to Morgoth before (see 2009 Breeland v. Valimar). The 2010 Bywater team though, relied on some dirty back door trickery from the Valar to advance ahead of Thangorodrim and we can't see The Downer or Tol-in-Gaurhoth giving Shire-Bree the same kind treatment. Plus 2010 Bywater had a steady GK in Rosie Cotton, and GK will be Shire-Bree's undoing.

The Relegate: The Downer (TTN - 32. OFF - 23. DEF - 31. GK - 31)

Not much to add here. The Downer doesn't have the payroll, players, nor tactics to seriously contend at this level. We've seen some improvement in their actual focus to play the game, and thus a slight improvement in their overall performance, but not nearly enough. And still lack the discipline to beat anyone.

Round 1:

Angband 2 - 0 The Downer
Shire Bree 2 - 3 Tol In Gaurhoth

Group A Prediction:
1. Tol-in-Gaurhoth
2. Angband
3. Shire-Bree United
4. The Downer

GROUP B

The Favorite: Eriador. (TTM - 4. OFF - 19. DEF - 4. GK - 4)

Folks are wondering if Elrond is nursing an injury, or if the Underground's accusations of an illegal miruvor-steroid last year were correct, becuase he was only the 4th best keeper in the friendlies. Others are saying those folk are neurotic, because Elrond still had an 86.7 sv%. If Elrond is Eriador's biggest worry, than the future must be looking bright for them. This reminds me of the 2010 Gondolin team, maybe not the absolute best names on the pitch, but solid talent at every position. Proven strikers (Witch-King and Glorfindel) a midfield that doesn't squander possession, a foreseeing with tireless-horse defense (Gil-Galad, Malbeth, and Asfaloth), all backed by the best GK to ever play the game. If this team doesn't take 1st, and doesn't at least advance to the semis, it will be a colossal failure of ill-spent money.

The Upsets:

1. Gondolin. (TTN - 21. OFF - 9. DEF - 30. GK - 23)

No one in this group seems seriously able to challenge Eriador for 1st, but there are two teams that might, just yet, surprise us. First is Gondolin, who has the best striking duo of Group B. But Duilin in the mid-field is an underrated player. Back in his natural position of feeding passes to the star-strikers, Gondolin's mid field will be the key to advancing in this group.

2. Inter Beleriand. (TTN - 28. OFF - 27. DEF - 20. GK - 19)

Maedhros and Fingon have to be better than the 27th offense, then again, they might not be having the best chances because the mid-field is underperforming. (Haleth has to do better than 1 assist and 2 yellows). Still with a Balrog on the defense and Turgon manning the posts, they have good players in key positions and thus are an upset pick.

The Relegate: Arnor (TTN - 24. OFF - 22. DEF - 21. GK - 16)

Good competitors who are known for late game comebacks, but let's be honest, Isildur and Araphor are the weakest FWs in the group. Elendil has at best been inconsistant, and at worst, non-existant in Arda Cup play. Arvedui is capable of having great days in the GK, but also being extremely average, so arguably is the weakest GK in the group.

Round 1:
Inter Beleriand 2 - 2 Gondolin
Arnor 0 - 1 Eriador

Group B Predictions:
1. Eriador
2. Gondolin
3. Inter Beleriand
4. Arnor

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Time for predictions on the first round of group matches! And since TTN is predicting the scores as well as the results, I thought that it's time for me to make other predictions as well.

GROUP A:
Angband vs The Downer
Shire-Bree United vs Tol-in-Gaurhoth

The Downer will get more bookings than shots on goal.

GROUP B:
Inter Beleriand vs Gondolin
Arnor vs Eriador

Elrond will save more shots than the goalkeepers of the first match combined.

GROUP C:
Anduin vs Wilderland
Dwarves United vs Erebor

Wilderland will score more goals than the Dwarves will get shots on goal.

GROUP D:
FC Valinor vs Real Valinor
Armenelos vs Tirion

More people will watch the first game of this group than the number of people who'll watch all matches of Group H combined.

GROUP E:
Hithlum vs The Sea
The Havens vs Valimar

Eärendil will do again what he did late First Age--get to Valinor unmarked.

GROUP F
Imladris vs Rohan
Isengard vs Misty Mts

The number of shots saved in the first game will equal the number of goals scored in the second game.

GROUP G
AC Beleriand vs Doriath
Anfauglith vs Nargothrond

Ooh, Beren vs Lúthien . . .

GROUP H:
Barad-dûr vs Minas Tirith
Gondor vs Mordor

More exciting things will happen in the stands than in the pitch.

[Boromir88]

Matchday 1 - @ Minas Morgul

The Stadium:

Formerly called Moonlight Stadium in the days when Gondor owned the deeds to the stadium, it has since been renamed The Vale of Necromancy. It is the grandest stadium in the land of Mordor, seating 70,000 and VIP seats are in a tall tower, with a skull-turret, overlooking the pitch. Gondorians contest the lease should still belong to Gondor since it was illegally purchased, but Sauron has squashed those rumors and the Witch-King made it his personal abode ever since.

Outside the walls circle dozens of Silent Watchers which are enough to keep even the most stout hearted Men from trying to thieve and vandalize Minas Morgul property. The biggest concern before the opening matches will be the security situation. We have two passionate fanbases, whom have often been bitter enemies. Sauron maintains it won't be his base that causes the problems, citing his experience in hosting games and how the minions will follow his lead. Therefor any fights will likely be brought in by the Gondorians. But everyone must wonder how will Mordor react if the Gondor teams actually do advance, and how will Gondor react if the Mordor teams go through to the playoffs?

Game 1: Barad-dur v. Minas Tirith (2:30 start time)

The young captain of Minas Tirith, Faramir, contends every player on his team has withstood Sauron before and they will do so again. However, Minas Tirith will have to rise to the challenge facing Sauron, Castamir, and Beruthiel (plus Sangahyando and Angamaite like being involved in the attack, and White City defenders may simply get overwhelmed). With that said the White City has some dangerous boots as well, with Boromir I, Mardil, and Earnur, plus Faramir to lead smart counters. Barad-dur's defense will have to always be on guard, and they performed quite poorly throughout the friendlies.

Game 2: Gondor v. Mordor (8:00pm start time)

This will likely be more of a defensive game than the first one, since both teams are extremely well organized. The squad of Nazgul are exemplary teammates in complete sync with each other, so besides the home-field advantage, Mordor gets an edge in organization. Although, Gondor has a bit more of an offensive bite, especially when Eldacar decides it's time to play for real. Grishnakh (who seemed to be the only player of Mordor capable of communicating in ways that weren't hisses, screeches, or black speech) said: "The Great Eye is upon Gondor. Shelob is too monstrous for these weak Men to contain, the Nazgul will dominate in the mid-field and no one has the strength to get the ball past our Silent Watcher's will."

[Boromir88]

The Great Delving stadium was filling up quickly when the gates opened a few hours before the first kick. Most spectators were surprisingly hobbits and thus entered the grand stands as neutrals. Even if most hobbits were not enthusiastic about putting their support behind either of these teams, the Arda Cup was in town, it was just another reason to eat, drink, and have some good-simple entertainment. Who could pass up on this deal?

Of the hobbits who were not neutrals, most seemed to be for The Downer, particularly because Saucepan Man was their favorite player. The large Gamgee family was out in full force, bringing all sorts of pots and pans to bang on and cheer for the family favorite. However, it was Angband who had the most fans show up from the non-hobbit crowd: swarty easterlings and bands of orcs made the trip to root on Morgoth and Angband. The hobbits were noticeably nervous having their borders open to unsavory looking big folk and orcs, but with Morgoth working in tandem the Barrow-wights patrol's they felt the matches would be secure.

Group A @ Michel Delving

At the start of the match, it was clear to any one watching there were just 2 different classes of teams on the pitch. It was if Morgoth wrote the script of the game before even playing it. Angband's passing was quick and precise. Their strikers up front were just lacking the finishing touch, or else they would have likely scored within the first couple minutes. The Downer defenders were actually into the game, but defending doggedly trying to get in the way of Angband's shots. Since Ancalagon looked a bit slow and rusty, it worked at first, but being unable to take possession away, eventually the early game rust falls off.

It wasn't even 15 minutes into the match, when Telvildo was already weaving in, out and around Downer defenders' legs After making mousemeat out of the defenders, Telvildo left the ball to Ancalagon to slam in from close range. That goal would surely give the oft-accused of being overly priced dragon some confidence!

Angband seemed content to go pull back and defend, testing their defenders against The Downer attack. The Downer was able to build some pressure in the mid-field, but for the most part they could not beat the Angband back-line. None of their chances seriously trouble Caracharoth at goal.

A mishap in the mid-field between Lalwende MP and John Fillis led to the next goal for Angband in the match. Gelmir stepped up to intercept a pass, and with Ancalagon and Telvildo already stationed up the field there were plenty of Angband players attracting attention. One who did not attract much attention though was Ulfast. Gelmir found the traitorous man at the top of the box. Ancalagon was doing a good job shielding the Bubble Buddha out of the play, and thus Ulfast was able to send a good drive to the back of the net.

Play got a little chippy towards the end of the half, but both teams seemed to welcome the rougher play. The Downer upping the physicality wasn't bothering Morgoth in the least bit, but this team is completely mental. They were laughing, and begging Angband to hit them harder, yet were showing no signs of injury, or wearing down, they just kept...laughing. It was probably Angband's worst part of their game today, since all it did was get their players a couple of yellow cards before the half, which could see one of their player's sent off in the 2nd.

Alas, there was no sign of strategy or life to The Downer's play. 12 minutes into the 2nd period, Ancalagon got his 2nd goal of the match off a free kick. It began with the crowd hearing a pained screech and seeing a feline sent flying some 40 yards through the air. Morsul avoided a straight red card by saying he sincerely tried to clear the ball, but it's not his fault he whiffed at the last moment and cleared Telvildo instead! It was straight from goal, but quite a ways away, still when Ancalagon takes the free kick, everyone knows what's coming, a shot on goal. Ancalagon lined up his shot, and with his trademark tail whip, struck the ball so hard it cleaved a path through everything.

Things began getting really ridiculous after Angband went up 3-0, and most neutrals wound up exiting the stadium. They liked the play they saw from Angband, but were not at all interested in watching The Downer players getting out of control, just as Morgoth was not interested in putting a stop to the sideshow that was The Downer.

Angband was confident of the shut out, but in this way they allowed overconfidence to let them get lazy. The ball somehow freakishly ended up in Hookbill's possession, but he just kicked it towards the sideline (being more fascinated by Alien trying to catch Lalwende MP's cloak on fire). However, Saucepan Man got to it before going out of bounds and then out ran the Angband defenders. Morgoth was the only one left to beat, but Morgoth didn't step up to challenge at all, he appeared to just let Sauce have an open crack at goal, and Saucepan easily beat Carcharoth with a solid strike. The few Pan Fans left in the stands, clattered.

Afterwards, reporters asked about Morgoth's late game decision "Of course I could have stopped him if I wanted to, but we had scored 3 goals and Carcharoth had yet to save a difficult shot. I knew Saucepan would not disappoint in challenging our keeper. I wish Carcharoth had been able to come up with the save, but I purposefully put our keeper in a difficult situation to see how the werewolf would handle it."

Angband 3-1 The Downer
on target 7-3
tot shots 16-12
GOALS:
*14, 1-0 Ancalagon (Telvildo)
*31, 2-0 Ulfast (Gelmir)
*57, 3-0 Ancalagon
*82, 3-1 Saucepan Man (Hookbill)
YELLOW CARDS:
*Angband- Ulfast, Lorgan, Telvildo, Ulfang
*Downer- Hookbill, Evil Mayo, Morsul

It was the greatest buzz happening in The Shire since the hobbit folk could remember. The weather had been bright and clear all day (which obviously was putting the TIG team in a crummy mood before kick off). Adding to weather conditions, the entire atmosphered seemed to be set against the wolves. Their fanbase is normally quite small, but raucous and travels well, but there was barely 2,000 TIG colors spotted in a small corner of Michel Delving stadium. Why such a low turnout? Was the TIG base that despiritted by the Arda Cup's biased rules limitting the number of werewolves on their team?

And obviously, all the unsold TIG ticket allotment just went to Shirelings, and those sold out quickly. Even the standard baddie creatures, like other wights and civilised orcs were joining chants towards Shire-Bree's victory...no doubt thanks to Khamul and the Barrow-wight now playing for them. "Traitors. Both of them" grumbled Gwathwight.

Whatever the reasons were (and we would contribute the combination of negative factors piled up) TIG were a complete mess to start the match. It was none other than Bombadil playfully skipping circles around the TIG defense. Not even the Phantomwolf, who had a much publicized rivalry with the foolish man, could seem to slow him down effecitively. And in the 8th minute, Bombadil added another score off his famous yellow boots.

After the early goal, TIG's defense regathered themselves and actually showed they could at least hault Shire-Bree from building up prolonged attacks, but they were unable to keep possession for long. The mid-field was being masterfully commanded by Khamul and the B-W. The wolves plan seemed to be make Bombadil ineffective by rattling him. Yet, they were playing quite timid, trying not to attract the attention of the ref and pick up cards, but Bombadil was the type of player no one (including the refs!) could take their eyes off. And whenever there was the window where the ref wasn't watching, the B-W's presense could be felt lurking nearby. It would put chills in any physical being!

So, it was in the 30th minute with TIGs defense completely worn down, from being unable to keep the ball off their side of the field, when Aragorn made it 2-0 Shire. Bombadil after causing a BoroWight and GaladriWight to run into eachother, flicked a pass forward to Aragorn who slid it past the wolf-keeper. The crowd went wild in rioutous applause, chants, and songs. TIG was fortunate to find themselves only down 2 going the half, thanks to some nice stops by Shastawolf.

The halflings couldn't believe it, they knew their team was talented, but did not know they would be this dominating! They spent the half-time glued to their seats, with their cakes and ales, unwilling to leave out of fear they would miss the beginning of the second. And they were doing it against the nasty wolves of TIG!

However, often as the case can be, never assume you have a sure 3 points until the ref blows the final whistle. Especially, since there was still a lot of pride in the TIG players, and they are no strangers to making comebacks. They simply refused to let this pathetic people called hobbits embarrass them in this fashion. They would not allow such nonsense!

Tol-in-Gaurhoth came out of the lockers in a roaring fury. It was one attack after the next, and except for the delusional fanatics in the crowd, people could see what was happening and thus were getting nervous. Shire-Bree's defense was not capable of stopping the monstrous wolves when pressured. Nogwolf pulled the wolves within 1 after re-directing on of sally's strikes back on goal, in the 54th minute.

There were several more minutes of pressure, Halbarad had to tip one of Phantomwolf's strikes out of bounds for the corner. Phantomwolf took the corner and expertely curved one right to the waiting forehead of NerWight who made no mistake with that golden chance. They were tied! And 15 minutes still remained!

The Shire fans deflated a bit after the equalizer, but it was only temporary. With TIG now tying things up, in only made the pro-Shire crowd more determined to get behind their team. "Come on Shirelings! Get behind our valiant heroes!"

Try as they might to be spiritted by the crowd, for whatever reason, Bombadil was not nearly as effective in this half. And TIG began to really rain down the shots on Shire-Bree's goal, devastating their defense. If not for some heroic saves by Halbarad, the wolves could have completely flipped this game on it's head in the 2nd.

Thus when the final whistle blew, the SB fans breathed relief to hold on to the point, but were baffled to how their team could look unstoppable in the 1st, but come out completely flat in the 2nd. TIG, likewise, relieved to get the point, were clearly more angry with their sloppy performance.

Shire-Bree United 2-2 Tol In Gaurhoth
on target 6-7
tot shots 12-19
GOALS:
*8, 1-0 Bombadil (Khamul)
*30, 2-0 Strider (Bombadil)
*54, 2-1 NogWolf (SallyWight)
*75, 2-2 NerWight (PhantomWolf)
YELLOW CARDS:
*SBUnt- Ferny
*TIG- GaladriWight, AganWight

[Nilpaurion Felagund]

Group G at Nargothrond

It was a beautiful summer afternoon in Talath Dirnen, the Guarded Plain of the realm of Nargothrond. But even if it had been raining cats and wolves it would hardly have mattered to the promise of quality football in the indoor stadium beside the Narog River, the High Faroth Arena.

According to the allotment scheme presented by Nargothrond to the Arda Cup Hosting Committee, twenty-thousand tickets would be allotted to the fans of the teams playing a game, with the rest up for grabs on site. AC Beleriand’s extensive fan base snapped up almost half of these free-for-all tickets, ensuring that Fëanor’s squad would enjoy the semblance of a home crowd for their afternoon game. The remaining seats were taken by Nargothrond neutrals, interested mainly in a good game of football.

When the two teams walked into the field these ten thousand cheered along with the more partisan crowd, happy to be finally witnessing a home game for the first time since 2009, a round of sixteen tie that ended in victory for the visitors, Tol-in-Gaurhoth. And unlike that game, this time there was the promise of five more afterwards, including three from the home team.

Beren and Lúthien were seen hugging each other by the touchline during the warm-ups. Beren then ruffled the hair of Dior, who was saying something to his father. The three shared a laugh afterwards. Melian, Beleg, Mablung, and Eöl were wistful in conversation in the centre circle, doubtless recalling last year’s championship squad.

Soon the opening whistle was blown. One of the biggest surprises in the game had already been sprung even before then. Melian, Doriath’s best defender and the indefatigable left back who contributed to all aspects of their game, was playing central defender with Galathil, up against AC Beleriand’s main scoring threat, Fëanor. Nimloth and Saeros took turns marking the opposition’s other forward, Eöl, committing only when the Dark Elf was in their side of the pitch.

Doriath’s plan to play a possession game was soon in tatters due to the pressure of the AC Beleriand midfield. The Fenced Land’s deep playmaker Daeron was harried by Ulrad, Galadhon was tailed closely by Denethor, and Nellas was guarded by Bregolas. When Lúthien moved in to help, Ecthelion simply followed her there, allowing AC Beleriand to retain their man advantage. And when that man was Beren…

Beren, Fëanor, and Eöl formed passing triangles in front of the Doriath penalty area, occasionally making forays to test the Girdle of Melian. In the fourteenth minute, Eöl found space to chip the ball over the Doriath back four for Beren, and only the linesman’s raised flag, signalling an offside offence, prevented the One-Handed from getting the opener. Five minutes later, almost the exact same play happened, this time with Beren timing his run perfectly. It took a Melian sliding tackle to deny him a goal-bound shot. With Doriath still starved of the ball, the forward from Nan Elmoth found a third opportunity for the same play in the twenty-seventh minute. This time Fëanor made a move to distract Melian, and Beren thundered in the ball past his son for the one-nil lead.

It seemed that there was no adjustment Doriath could make to shift the tide in the favour. True, they gained a few counterattacking chances, but they were profligate with it. During the half-hour mark Galathil sent a long ball to Mablung, but the Heavy Boot lost possession when he attempted to dribble past Imlach. Ten minutes after Saeros headed away Eöl’s cross in Beleg’s direction, and the march-warden dashed downfield, sending a hurried cross a moment before Fingolfin could challenge him. Lúthien connected with it, but her header fizzed wide.

Two minutes before the end of the first half AC Beleriand doubled their lead. Saeros’s cynical tackle on Beren earned Fëanor’s squad a penalty kick. The Nandorin courtier muttered ‘Baseborn mortal’ as he looked down at the fallen midfielder, and Beren jumped up, pushing Saeros as he shouted, ‘Say that again and I’ll leave you as one-handed as I am!’ Melian pushed Saeros away from Beren, not before casting an apologising glance at her former teammate. The referee had already given the Doriath defender a yellow card, and he was forced to deal Beren a similar punishment for his threat. Afterwards, Fëanor calmly converted his spot kick, giving his side a two-nil score line to take into the break.

After the half time the Doriath squad walked in with a determined glint in their eyes. When the game resumed their adjustments were made apparent. Saeros was tasked to mark Eöl, and Nimloth stuck with Beren whenever he approached the penalty area. And it was paying off. Eöl no longer had time to send weighted forward passes, Beren found his dwindling number of shots blocked by Nimloth. Even Fëanor couldn’t dribble his way in; Galathil and Melian did not allow the Fiery Boot to get past them.

The shifting tide was soon felt even in the scoresheet. In the seventy-second minute Saeros made a successful tackle of Eöl and sent a long ball towards Beleg, who dashed forward before being checked by Fingolfin. The Strong Boot found time to send a pinpoint pass between him and Imlach, and there was Lúthien to take it. With one touch she froze Rochallor, and then her left foot rifled the ball past a startled Marach into the net.

Incensed by the goal, Fëanor took it upon himself to put Doriath away for good. He displayed a dazzling display of ball control, dribbling past defensive midfielder Galadhon before turning central defenders Galathil and Melian inside out. But his shot was barely tipped away by Dior, and Nimloth’s clearance landed near Daeron. The minstrel, seeing Beleg making a run, threaded a pass between the AC Beleriand midfielders that found the march-warden in stride. Imlach had to stop him against the rules, earning a booking and giving Doriath a dangerous free kick twenty metres from the goal. Beleg took the kick, and his shot rose above the wall before dipping down just beyond Marach’s outstretched hand. Doriath had their equaliser!

Melian put all ten outfielders behind the ball to defend the draw, and for fourteen tense minutes they held on, aided by erratic finishing from Fëanor and Beren. When the referee signalled the end of the match most of the team were hugging and jumping for joy. Melian tried to remind them that they still had two games to play, but for now, it didn’t matter. They have stolen a point from one of the tournament favourites!

AC Beleriand 2-2 Doriath
GOALS:
27, 1-0 Beren (Eöl)
43, 2-0 Fëanor
72, 2-1 Lúthien (Beleg)
76, 2-2 Beleg

Total Shots
18-12
Shots On Target
7-5

YELLOW CARDS:
2-1
AC Bel: Beren, Imlach
Doriath: Saeros

The afternoon result left the home supporters smelling blood. A win would put their team on top of the table, giving them a good chance to advance (despite still having a game at hand against the still much-feared AC Beleriand, as well as the Doriath squad who pulled even with them.) A loss, on the other hand, would all but consign them to elimination.

The first game’s crowd exited, and a great mass of Nargothrondrim and Anfauglith fans flowed into the stadium. With Morgoth playing in Michel Delving, and Gothmog in Weathertop, the baddie team playing closest to Angband and Utumno was Anfauglith. Thus it was not uncommon to see large bands of Orcs and Trolls among the Elves and Men in the underground streets of Nargothrond. The wardens kept a close eye on them, stopping those who bore signs of carrying a weapon, but for most part the fans from the north kept the peace, respectful of the home team with their talismanic centre forward Glaurung.

Still, this mob was raucous, their war drums almost drowning out their chanting. The Nargothrond faithful singing ‘Nargothrond will endure’ raised their voices as one in an effort to keep up. Soon the music turned into a roar, as the two teams walked into the pitch. Finrod shook hands with Thuringwethil, and Glaurung shared a fiery laugh with the three Balrogs. Soon it was time for kick-off, and the home crowd was given a reason to cheer when, a mere minute after the opening whistle, Gwindor stole a pass from Gundor and rushed like the wind downfield, as he did in millennia past during the fifth battle of Beleriand. He cut inside, leaving Balrog #4 behind, and, at the edge of the penalty area, shot the ball narrowly over the crossbar.

Gwindor continued to give his marker fits as the pacey winger’s play contributed to the opener six minutes later. Wary of him cutting inside, the Balrog showed him to the byline. Gwindor centred the ball for a cutting Orodreth, whose header was blocked by Ungoliant. But then Finrod darted in with a diving header towards far post, and the High Faroth Arena exploded in a wall of sound.

Anfauglith made swift adjustments against the left-wing incursion. Defensive midfielder Gorgol moved from his holding role in the centre of the line of defenders to the left, his role to stay goalside of Gwindor. The effect was noticeable; Gwindor was frustrated with Gorgol denying him a byline run, and Balrog #4 denying him a path inside. In half-hour mark the Gasping Dust squad displayed its own version of wing play, initiated by Balrog #3, who blocked a Finrod through ball to Glaurung. He passed the ball to Gundor, who hugged the touchline, brushed past Mîm, and crossed for Thuringwethil. The vampire muscled past her markers to guide the ball just under the crossbar.

When the second half began, it was soon apparent that a draw was not good enough for Anfauglith. They pressed and disrupted the Nargothrond passing game, hoofing the ball in Thuringwethil’s direction as soon as they have gained possession. Towering Arminas helped contest her in the air, and doughty Baran did his best to keep pace with the vampire. Bëor pulled off a few saves, but the woodwork did more to save them from being a goal down. Although credit to Guilin’s positioning should be given, denying Thuringwethil the easier shots.

But they cannot deny her forever. Taking a long pass from Balrog #3, he split Baran and Arminas and dribbled past Guilin before shooting over Mîm’s head and into the top-right corner of the goal. Anfauglith has taken the lead, and the Nargothrond faithful groaned in despair. Meanwhile the creatures of Angband banged their drums louder. They just have to use their suffocating defence to hold on to the lead.

Just when they thought that the dream of qualifying was dying before their eyes, the Nargothrond crowd was given a sign of life just before the hour. Glaurung and Gwindor pushed even harder against the Balrog line (once earning the dragon a booking for being too rough), and Finrod looked for space between the Anfauglith defence and midfield, daring anyone to mark him. Galdor and Haldir took the challenge, leaving Finduilas free to do a forward run. She took a pass from Felagund, and, finding her path blocked by a Balrog, back-heeled the ball to Barahir, who had managed to drift unseen towards the edge of the 18-yard box. His shot bounced in off the crossbar, catching Ungoliant unprepared, and Nargothrond has drawn level.

The squads were not content with a draw, and they began looking for a winner. Momentum was with Finrod’s side, but the captain urged caution, as Thuringwethil had been single-handedly giving their defence too much trouble. Laborious in their build-up, but dogged in their defending, Nargothrond were unable to get a third goal in the last half-hour, but didn’t concede one either. When the final whistle was blown, a few questions were asked of Glaurung’s motivation this game, but most of the home crowd were relieved to escape with a draw. Just as Barahir had saved Finrod in ages past, he has saved him again. The host's dream of advancing was still alive.

Anfauglith 2-2 Nargothrond
GOALS:
7, 0-1 Finrod (Orodreth)
30, 1-1 Thuringwethil (Gundor)
53, 2-1 Thuringwethil (Balrog #3)
59, 2-2 Barahir (Finduilas)

Total Shots
14-15
Shots On Target
6-6

YELLOW CARDS:
1-3
Anfauglith: Balrog #3
Nargorthrond: Arminas, Barahir, Glaurung

[Boromir88]

TWO TOWERS NETWORK
Boromir the 88th

POWER RANKINGS

01. FC Valinor - 74.7
(Previous: #1. Result: W 3-0, Real Valinor)
-Real Valinor may have been overrated at #2, but there is no doubt after FC's 3-0 thrashing they are currently #1

02. Wilderland - 52.5
(Previous: #7. Result: W 3-1 Anduin)
-Anduin did not look like a Top 10 team, Wilderland on the other hand does, especially if the Great Warg is saving 5/6 and Galadriel continues being the maestro leading the mid-field

03. Armenolos - 48.9
(Previous: #9 Result: W 3-2 Tirion)
-Armenolos knocks out the previous #3 to claim the rank as their own. A good result for a team had seemed to lose some of its championship pedigree.

04. Eriador - 36.1
(Previous: #4 Result: W 2-1 Arnor)
-Maintains it's 4th rank. Solid win, but not nearly as impressive (and against weaker competition) as Armenolos and Wilderland.

05. Rohan - 34.6
(Previous: #13 Result: W 1-0 Imladris)
-Rohan is playing like the best defense of the tournament, or it could just be up against some very inept offenses. Still, it will be tough to score on this team.

06. Erebor - 32.1
(Previous: #8 Result: W 2-0 Dwarves Utd)
-Did what they had to, and it's a positive mark when your defense is good enough to shut out Dwarves Utd. True test will come next round against #2 Wilderland. Should be a great battle.

07. Real Valinor - 29.4
(Previous: #2 Result: L 0-3 FC Valinor)
-Their only 2 losses of the campaign have come against FC Valinor. Yet, losing 0-3 like that could kill the morale on this team. They must bounce back against Tirion to salvage playoff chances.

08. AC Beleriand - 28.8
(Previous: #5 Result: D 2-2 Doriath)
-Looked like the much better team against Doriath, but the result doesn't show it. Still likely favorites in their group, but they fall back a few places.

09. Angband - 27.2
(Previous: #11 Result: W 3-1 The Downer)
-Solid win, but against the worst team we've ever seen. Unfortunately, I don't think Angband will be serious tested in Group A, even if the motley Shire-Bree crew could cause them problems.

10. Tirion - 26.2
(Previous: #3 Result: L 2-3 Armenolos)
-Tirion's playoff chances seem to be going out the window, they really needed to beat Armenolos. But defensively they're bad, and appear to have lost some efficiency in offense too.

11. Valimar - 25.8
(Previous: #6 Result: D 1-1 Havens)
-Disappointing draw. If Valimar wanted to cement their standing in Group E they really needed to beat the worst team in the group. But, yet again, complacency and pleasantries will drag Valimar down.

12. Nargothrond - 23.7
(Previous: #15 Result: D 2-2 Angfauglith)
-Despite only drawing against Angfauglith, they were able to leap them in the standings with the friendly win against Hithlum. All Anfauglith has been able to do is draw, Nargothrond has the offense to grab late winners.

13. Doriath - 23.5
(Previous: #17 Result: D 2-2 AC Beleriand)
-Surprising draw with #5 AC Beleriand, but they really were outshot in that match. Still, no telling who will emerge out of this group with all teams completely tied.

14. Angfauglith - 23.3
(Previous: #14 Result: D 2-2 Nargothrond)
-We don't trust their offense to advance. But it's amusing to TTN 3 of Group G teams are bunched together at #12, #13, and #14.

15. The Sea - 23.0
(Previous: #12 Result: D 2-2 Hithlum)
-Not a terrible result to draw with the offensive powerhouse of Hithlum. But there's a lot this team hasn't shown to convince us they're better than Valimar, or even The Havens.

16. Anduin - 21.1
(Previous: #10 Result: L 1-3 Wilderland)
-Clearly we've overrated Anduin based on their friendly performance. Losing 1-3 like that is not a good sign.

17. Misty Mountains - 20.1
(Previous: #18 Result: D 1-1 Isengard)
-Not bad to draw with Isengard, but their next one against Imladris is really a MUST win match. Should be exciting.

18. Isengard - 19.6
(Previous: #19 Result: D 1-1 Misty Mts)
-Pretty much the same as Misty Mountains, the key game will be against Imladris, but they can't look ahead to round 3, because they can't get blown out by Rohan.

19. Hithlum - 19.0
(Previous: #20 Result: D 2-2 The Sea)
-Good to draw with The Sea, can't draw their way to the playoffs though.

20. Gondor - 17.6
(Previous: #23 Result: W 2-1 Mordor)
-Gondor has clearly become the frontrunners of Group H, so why do we have this nagging feeling that they will lose to Barad-dur?

21. The Havens - 16.1
(Previous: #27 Result: D 1-1 Valimar)
-A draw with #6 Valimar gives The Havens a rather significant jump up in our power rankings. But still behind Hithlum and The Sea, who are TTN's picks to advance.

22. Gondolin - 15.6
(Previous: #21 Result: D 2-2 Inter Beleriand)
-Quite disappointing from Gondolin. Granted they ran into a hot Turgon looking to prove himself against his former club, but they needed to win that match.

23. Shire Bree Utd - 14.4
(Previous: #22 Result: D 2-2 Tol-in-Gaurhoth)
-Really fortunate to hold onto the draw, and that time ran out on TIG's furious comeback. Still a dangerous team, Angband can't under-estimate.

24. Tol In Gaurhoth - 13.7
(Previous: #25 Result: D 2-2 Shire Bree Utd)
-Good comeback by the wolves and wights, but they can't keep getting down multiple goals before deciding it's time to play. Not when the competition gets tougher.

25. Imladris - 13.7
(Previous: #16 Result: L 0-1 Rohan)
-Experienced the furthest drop in rankings this week. Yes, they played the toughest opponent of the group, but they have serious goal scoring issues.

26. Minas Tirith - 11.1
(Previous: #26 Result: D 2-2 Barad Dur)
-They were quite fortunate to get the draw with Barad-dur. As it is though, they're in the hunt for a playoff spot in Group H

27. Arnor - 11.1
(Previous: #24 Result: L 1-2 Eriador)
-Don't count the resilient Arnorians out yet. They've played the toughest team of their group and played them close. Inter Beleriand and Gondolin will not be able to walk over this scrappy team.

28. Inter Beleriand - 10.9
(Previous: #28 Result: D 2-2 #21 Gondor)
-A good draw for Inter, as it puts them in a fight for Group B's playoff spots. But the statistics show they were dominated by Gondolin and it was Turgon who saved the draw.

29. Barad-Dur - 8.9
(Previous: #31 Result: D 2-2 #26 Minas Tirith)
-A bit disappointing it ended in a draw. But BD statistically dominated the match and got an unlucky result. For the first time, this actually looked like a team that had one of the top tourney players on it.

30. Mordor - 6.4
(Previous: #30 Result: L 1-2 #23 Gondor)
-Their chance was against Gondor and they just didn't bring it. Mordor will have difficulties advancing unless they pull out a surprise against Minas Tirith.

31. Dwarves United - 6.3
(Previous: #29 Result: L 0-2 #8 Erebor)
-Bad to worse for Aule's team. They can't defend any better upping the effort and they could never score.

32. The Downer -3.1
(Previous: #32 Result: L 1-3 #11 Angband)
-How did they qualify for the most prestigious World Cup tournament again? And why do they exist?