Az-cz football first roster

This is the original roster for the Az-cz national team for both the Baptism of Fire and World Cup 30

Roster:

Coach: Roger Levesque. Roger is the grandfather of Az-Czid football. He was the first person to introduce. He is not a native Az-czzer but actually moved to Az-Cz from the United States as an adult and brought his football knowledge with him. He had been semi-retired but has kept in touch with the players. His resume includes stints at clubs around the world as both an assistand and head manager and played a pivotal role in forming the -League, the Az-Czid national league. He also managed the Yang Knights to 3 consecutive -League championships before entering his state of semi-retirement. Seeing as how Az-Cz is heading out into international competition for the first time he was decided as the best choice to lead them. His knowledge of both football and Az-czzers is second to none.

Forwards:

9 - Stanleyinho

Height: 6'6" Weight: 180 lbs Club Team: Red Dwarf Rangers Age: 24

Stanleyinho and his brother Hubertino are not native Az-Czzers but both have immigrated from Brazil at a young age. Az-cz disapproves of hired hands playing for the national team but as the boys are long time citizens there is no problem. Along with being non native Az-czzers they are the two tallest players on the team. Stanleyinho is a wonderful striker. His ability to beat defenders is his strongest attribute. He has blazing speed and an ability to go around other players is hard to stop. He does have good heading abilities, but they aren't as strong as might be expected for someone of his height because there aren't many players in the -League who can match up for him in terms of height. His shot is also quite impressive as he can generally pick out where the ball is going to go. He rarely bombs them over the net like many players do.

19 - Bub-Rub

Height: 4'11" Weight: 155 lbs Club Team: Vertigo Slimes Age: 27

While Stanleyinho is the star non Az-czzer striker in the -League Bub-Rub is the star Az-czzer. The contrast of styles between these two players is suprisingly small considering the physical differences. Bub-Rub is both stronger and faster than Stanleyinho, which is hard to believe. Like most Az-Czid athletes he has learned to use his awesome athleticism to make up for his lack of height. The native danger sense that Az-czzers have makes him even more dangerous. More so than most Bub-Rub has tuned into this ability, which allows him to know when to shoot and when to pass so as to avoid tackles and blockers. This ability allowed him to rise to the top of the league scoring charts last season with an amazing 38 goals in 30 games. This included 4 hat tricks, 2 four goal games and 1 unbelievable 5 goal performance.

15 - Ox-Rx

Height: 5'5" Weight: 185 lbs Club Team: Golem Golems Age: 28

Seemingly matched with his club Ox-Rx is one of the two strikers on the Az-czid national team from the Golem Golems. Quite large for an Az-czzer he puts his size to good use in league player. He is usally able to outmuscle most players to get to the ball and blast his shots past the keeper. He isn't as fast as either of the two star forwards but his speed is still quite good.

14 - Uz-Gz

Height: 5'2" Weight: 130 lbs Club Team: Golem Golems Age: 22

The interplay between Uz-Gz and Ox-Rx is quite an interesting one. While Ox-Rx uses his strength to win possession Uz-Gz is the master of the counter attack. He doesn't have the strength to win challenges that Ox-Rx does but h e is a master with the ball at his feet. He is the strongest dribbler on the team and in the open field is almost impossible to stop.

16 - Lur-Mn

Height: 5'0" Weight: 133 lbs Club Team: Asp Vipers Age: 33

Lur-Mn is the least talented of the five forwards who are members of the Az-Cz first 23. While he is slightly less talented then the other four his passion and energy make him a great member of the Az-Cz contingent. He comes from the lowly Asp Vipers, the last place team in the -League last season. Even this shows his dedication, passion and loyalty. Lur-Mn was raised an Asp supporter. They brought him through their youth program and he has shown incredible loyalty to them. He's recieved offers from most of the other clubs in -League and many foreign clubs as well, but he refuses to leave the Vipers. He is the absolute captain and idol of that team. He hasn't missed one mintue of play the last 6 seasons there, be it a league match, a cup game or even a friendly. Unfortunately for him the Vipers don't have the resources to compete with the other teams in the league. Lur will be a valuable member of the Az-czid bench as they attempt their first ever world cup qualification.

Midfielders:

7 - Zax-Im

Height: 5'4" Weight: 145 lbs Club Team: Yang Knights Age: 29

Zax-im is the captain of both the club powerhouse Yang Knights and the Az-Cz national squad. He is most of the time a defensive midfielder. It is often his responsibility to mark the other teams best player, especially if that player is also a midfielder. He has a great persona that the other players on the team really relate to and is able to rally the team in any situation. While he is mostly a defending midfielder teams that fall asleep on him on the offensive end of the pitch can suffer greatly.

10 - Pizelkaxrovsky

Height: 5'9" Weight: 170 lbs Club Team: Burlock Jesters Age: 23

Upon meeting Pizelkaxrovsky many people assume that he is not an ethnic Az-czzer. Many things about him are unorthodox, to be sure, but he is an Az-czzer through and through. Coming from a family that eschewed social conventions he has an interesting perspective on things. His name, far from Az-czid standards and without the almost entirely prevalent hyphen, is just one way in which he shows this oddness. He is also the most free wheeling and joking member of the Az-cz squad. He is the perfect face of a team called the Jesters. Usually this is an advantage but of the Az-Cz players he is the one most likely to do something outrageous in a game and get sent off. He led the league with 3 red cards last season, although none were for fouls commited. Two were for delay of games after excessive celebrations, and the third was for sexual harassment of a Yang Knights fan in the middle of a game the Jesters were losing in the Shangri-la Cup. As for his play on the pitch Pizelkaxrovsky is a master creator. His vision is supreme in the -League and he led the league in assists despite playing with two rather average strikers on the Jesters. More so than even Bub-Rub he has honed his extra senses and never seems to make a wrong decision. In national team practice scrimmages he's been wicked ecstatic about getting to work with such proficient goal scorers. He is also the freekick taker for the team and has a dazzling ability to place the ball where it needs to go.

8 - Hubertino

Height: 6'5" Weight: 200 lbs Age: 26 Club Team: Yang Knights

While his brother honed his skills as a goal poacher Hubertino learned to play a much more balanced game. Hubertino is an all-around excellent player. Hubertino can comfortably play anywhere in the midfield but most of his time is spent in the defensive half of the midfield. Combined with Zax-im they give the Yang Knights an incredibly strong defensive midfield, such that some teams struggle even to get the ball to the back third of the Yang field, much less scoring. His positioning and stamina makes it seem that he's always in the right place, whether to make a saving tackle, corrale a looseball, or recieve a pass.

11- Kn-Dg

Height: 5'4" Weight: 140 lbs Age: 17 Club Team: Yak Clerics

Kn-dg is rapidly developing and pushing the Yak Clerics towards previously unreached heights at the top of the -League table. He is the youngest player on the Az-Czid team and his speed, energy and enthusiasm are all shown in abundance. He mostly plays on the wing using his speed to flash down the side to set up plays for the other players. He is an incredible athlete and his skills are improving all the time. Already a star he could be the best player in -League in a few seasons. Even despite his relative youth, he's already earned the job as the main corner taker, quite an honor and a responsibility for someone so young.

12 - Bn-Dg

Height: 5'6" Weight: 155 lbs Age: 28 Club Team: Yang Knights

Bn-dg is the most attacking of the starting midfielders. He's got a cannon shot and a good eye for the goal. He is a midfielder and has decent tackling and marking abilities, but he is definitely offensive minded. He led the champions in goals playing from the midfield and there are times when he functions as almost a third striker. Lying in wait behind Stanleyinho and Bub-Rub he hopes to be able to net some goals in the upcoming competitions.

13- Lo-Ro

Height: 5'3" Weight: 125 lbs Age: 25 Club Team: Vertigo slimes

Lo-Ro is the backup defensive midfielder. He is not expected to see much playing time as Zax-im and Hubertino are both locked in ahead of him. However if there is an injury, card, or similar situation he is ready to go in and help slow down the attack of the other side.

20 - If-Wt

Height: 5'5" Weight: 140 lbs Age: 32 Club Team: Red Dwarf Rangers

If-Wt, is in a similar situation to lo-ro, as he also is not expected to see much playing time as he is the backup center midfielder to Pizelkaxrovsky. He is one of the older players on the side and has a good feel for the game. In situations where the team seems rattled If-Wt, might see time to help calm things down and control the game.

21 - Az-If

Height: 5'6" Weight: 140 lbs Age: 25 Club Team: Cloud Harpies

Of the midfielders on the bench Az-If is the one expected to get the most playing time. He is incredibly flexible and can play anywhere in the midfield, which makes him a valuable sub. His usual position for the harpies is as an attacking midfielder. In games where Levesque feels the team needs more offense from the middle, Az-If will be called on to step in and fill the void.

17 - Ip-Gp

Height: 5'3" Weight: 120 lbs Age: 17 Club Team: Darzog Mages

Ip-Gp is almost as young as Kn-Dg, but not as talented. Ip-Gp has some good marking skills and has developed a good shot, but doesn't have the all around game to contribute much yet. He is a rising star and has been brought on the team mostly to aid in his development. He is one of the better penalty takers and might make his way on as a sub in a game that appears destined for penalties, but he isn't expected to make much impression this time around.

Defenders:

2 - Mario Nerazzurri

Height: 6'8" Weight: 225 lbs Age: 23 Club Team: Red Dwarf Rangers

Nerazzuri is the third of the giant non ethnic Az-czzers on the team. He is however, 100% Az-czid. He is a third generation Az-Czzer and he fights to the nail for his beloved Pink & Green. Nerazzuri uses his height to good form to control the box. Arial attacks are basically doomed to failure against him and he has a good ability to sniff out other attacks as well. Generally a rock in defense.

3 - Ns-Ta

Height: 5'2" Weight: 125 lbs Age: 29 Club Team: Vertigo Slimes

Similar to Bub-Rub and Stanleyinho up front, Ns-Ta is the compliment to Nerazzuri at the back. He doesn't have the height to control the air but he has the speed and intellect to control the ground. He can read passes and player movement incredibly well and always seems to be in the right place to make a tackle or block a shot. His ability to lock down other teams goal scorers has a great ability to get under others skins. He led the -League in fouls commited against this year, for the third year in a row. Just a great defender.

4 - Ml-Dni

Height: 5'7" Weight: 150 lbs Age: 30 Club Team: Golem Golems

Ml-Dni is a strong force from the left back. He plays solid defense, to be sure, but alot of time he can be seen pushing up the field to aid in the attack. He has a wonderful stamina which helps him get around the pitch. He also has a wonderful ability to spring counter attacks. If he disposses a player he often has a cross launched up field well before teams are ready to defend.

5 - At-Zm

Height: 5'7" Weight: 150 lbs Age: 28 Club Team: Yang Knights

At-Zm is the alternate fourth defender. While no one aspect of his game truly shines like the other three defenders he has no weaknesses as well. If a center back is needed he can play there, if a wing back is needed he can do that and if necessary he can venture into the midfield as well. He is a solid member of the team and is certain to see time for the Gnomes.

6 - Kz-Kz

Height: 5'5" Weight: 144 lbs Age: 20 Club Team: Burlock Jesters

Kz-Kz is a brutally physical defender. His technique and positioning are good but his ability to muscle other players around is his shining technique. However he does have some tendency to commit silly fouls and he can lose his cool from time to time. He is expected to get better and is working hard on the mental aspect of his game. He is not quite a main player of the team, but against physical opponents he might get an opportunity to show his skills.

18 - Dugl-Bugl

Height: 5'4" Weight: 130 lbs Age: 27 Club Team: Pagoda Ninjas

Dugl-Bugl is a solid but not overwhelming defender. He is not expected to see the field. He has been brought along in case of injuries or suspensions of other defenders, but he isn't expected to see much time on the pitch and if he has to play much it means that the Pinkos have been unlucky and are probably in trouble in the tournament.

Goalies:

1 - Gn-Lg

Height: 5'11" Weight: 160 lbs Age: 24 Club Team: Yang Knights

Gn-Lg is the tallest ethnic Az-czzer on the team. Using his height and his keen senses Gn-Lg has already risen to the top of the league. Since taking over as the number one goalkeeper for the Yang Knights he has pushed them back to the top of the league. He is incredibly unflappable and has a good sense on penalties. He even made PK saves against both Stanleyinho and Pizelkaxrovsky in the last season. He gives his entire team a sense of comfort that even if they make up theres still a good chance they'll be able to withstand the attack.

22 - Dn-Zf

Height: 5'6" Weight: 150 lbs Age: 41 Club Team: Burlock Jesters

Dn-Zf is by far the elder statesman of the club. He is disappointed that he never got a chance to be a number one goalie for Az-Cz in a competitive competition, he is glad to get a chance to wear his country's colors for at least a few games. He is still a top flight goal keeper and should something happen to Gn-Lg he will be ready to step in and fight for his country.

23 - Fr-Tld

Height: 5'6" Weight: 140 lbs Age: 26 Club Team: Vertigo Slimes

Fr-Tld is the third Az-Czid keeper. He is a solid keeper but with two stronger keepers ahead of him, he shouldn't expect any action.

Formations:

The standard formation for the Az-Cz national team is 3-5-2.

________________________________________________________

                    #9           #19

          #11                              #12

                         #10

                 #7                 #8

                #2        #3        #4

                          #1

Representation from the -League Professional teams (In order of league rank):

1. Yang Knights (4/5) 2. Red Dwarf Rangers (2/3) 3. Vertigo Slimes (2/4) 4. Golem Golems (1/3) 5. Burlock Jesters (1/3) 6. Clouds Harpies (0/1) 7. Yak Clerics (1/1) 8. Darzog Mages (0/1) 9. Pagoda Ninjas (0/1) 10. Toad Meadow Witches 11. Nightshadow Vampires 12. Basenji Werewolves 13. Terror Lichs 14. Sphinx Mummies 15. Winterkill Ghosts 16. Asp Vipers (0/1)