Bostopian National Football Team

Bostopian National Football Team

Nickname	Fighting Geesemonkeys
Association	Bostopian Football Association (BFA)
Coach	Kelly Firth
Captain	Stuart Flambriff
Most caps	Steven Serring (71)
Top scorer	Aleksander Cripps (27)
Country Code	BOS
KPB rank	38
Highest KPB ranking	29 (Current)
Lowest KPB ranking	NR (World Cup 29 Quali)
First international Liverpool England 2 - 2 Bostopia (Liverpool England, World Cup 29 Qualifying, Matchday 1)
Largest win Collonie 0 - 7 Bostopia (Collonie, World Cup 33 Qualifying, Matchday 7)
Worst defeat Krytenia 6 - 2 Bostopia (Krytenia, World Cup 32 Qualifying, Matchday 17)
Highest scoring match Bostopia 6 - 4 Green Wombat (FBA, World Cup 29 Qualifying, MD4)
World Cup
Appearances	1 (Qualis; 29, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
Best result	1st Knockout Round, WC36
Olympic Games
Appearances	1 - As Under 21s (Ashford)
Best result	Bronze - U21 Team
Honours
Cup of Harmony	1 - 26

The Bostopian National Team is the professional football team representing the Confederate States of Bostopia. They regularly enter World Cup tournaments, only missing World Cup 31 due to war since entering their first World Cup, World Cup 29.

History

The Bostopian Football Association, being set up in 1876, moved quickly to organise friendly games between the two isles of Bostopia, with the first game between East Isle and West Isle being played in the summer of 1877, after the full first season of league-scruitinised Bostopian football.

The game being a large success, with around 19,000 people attending at the Bostopia Stadium, (along with many others who were watching from rooftops) which had been built some years previous for use as a showgrounds for the best in Bostopian technology, and had saw some use in horse racing events. The two remarkable events about this game was that an attendance of 19,000 for a sporting event was unprecedented in the United Free Republics, and also the fact the Bostopia Stadium only had a "true" capacity of 5,000 at the time.

Bostopia soon played their first international match as a unified team in 1881, playing Outer Sygon in a match with ended 3 - 0 to the Bostopian side. Goalscorers on the day were listed as a "Mr. F.Hughes", "Mr. J.Price" and "Mr. G.H.Wills".

The Bostopian FA, on believing they had the ability to best the region, quickly set up a knockout tournament in which nations could send their national team. This tournament quickly became known as the UFR Cup of Nations.

Unfortunately for Bostopia, they found themselves knocked out in the first round by the Arbad Islands. However, some revenge was gained when the Bostopian Navy were fired upon from the Arbad Islands, and war was declared, with Bostopia ending up victors and conquering the islands in a rather "dubious" period.

However, it went from heartbreaking to outright humiliating for the hosts, as their rivals, Outer Sygon, ending up winning in the final.

This spurred the FA to invest heavily in youth training, a policy which has continued to this day.

The first manager of Bostopia was Terrance Florfale, and Bostopia have never had a foreign manager.

Recent History

Currently, the Bostopian squad is made up of a team of 17 year olds, with their goalkeeper being nearly 18. This is part of Adam Collick's "master plan" an attempt to build the team up from youngsters to superstars by the time they hit their football peak in their late 20's, early 30's.

This plan seems to be working to good effect, with the side recording their best finish in WC qualification ever in the most recent tournament, World Cup 34, and winning Cup of Harmony 26.

World Cup 34 - Alasdair I Frosticus & Ariddia

A decent run of results against bigger teams for Bostopia in World Cup 34 (such as the 1 - 0 victory over Milchama and the 2 - 2 draw with Rejistania) however saw Bostopia crash out of qualifying due to poor results against smaller teams. Bostopia finished 4th in the group, their best finish yet, but out of the competition.

Cup of Harmony 26 - Turori

Bostopia started off CoH 26 with a victory over Qazox 5 - 2, before a bye day in which Qazox lost to Commerce Heights Jasi'yun, meaning Jasi'yun and Bostopia qualified from the group stage. However, Bostopia's 4 - 0 loss to Jasi'yun meant they finished second in the group, and played their next set of games at a different venue.

Bostopia opened the first game of their second group stage with a 5 - 4 loss to promising nation St Samuel. However, Bostopia then drew 0 - 0 with Quakmybush. This meant that on the final day of the second group stage, Bostopia had to beat Kiryu-shi (who were already certain of first place and qualification) and hope for a St Samuel loss or draw against Quakmybush to be the second qualifier from that group. Bostopia rallied to the occasion, with a 1 - 0 win. Quakmybush's 4 - 0 win over St Samuel meant that Bostopia went through on goal difference, with Bostopia having a GD of 0, and Quakmybush on -1.

In the Semi-Final, Bostopia drew hosts Turori, and after full time, the score was 2 - 2. No goals were scored in extra time, so the game went to penalties. Going into their fourth penalty a Bostopia goal would win the game 4 - 1, as Turori only had a hope should Bostopia have missed penalties 4 and 5, and Turori scored both, meaning the scores would be tied at 3 - 3. However, the penalty was scored by goalkeeper Peter Jeffers, and Bostopia progressed to the final to meet Kiryu-shi.

In the final itself, held at the Almintora National Stadium, Turori, Bostopia went into the game full of confidence following their earlier 1 - 0 win in the tournament over Kiryu-shi. With the scores tied at full time 2 - 2, a period of extra time was played. At the end of this period, Bostopia ended up scoring once through Luke Barle, before Kiryu-shi equalised just minutes later due to a defensive mistake. The game went to penalties.

With the score tied at 1 - 1 going into Bostopia's fifth penalty, the last to be taken unless Bostopia scored, Aleksander Cripps stepped up. With a carefully placed shot into the left hand side of the net, just above and across from the goalkeeper's outstretched arm, Bostopia had won the shootout and the match. In Adam Collick's last game in charge of Bostopia, he had delivered what the hopes and dreams of Bostopians had wanted for so long - to be put squarely on the map of footballing teams in the world.

Adam Collick

Adam Collick retired after the Final of Cup of Harmony 26, in what was seen as a fairytale who has managed Bostopia for the past 30 years, is a hugely popular figure, and is seen as key to Bostopia breaking into the top 50 sides in the world, and becoming a lesser-spoken household name across the world.

World Cup 35

During Qualication for World Cup 35, held in The Lowland Clans and Bazalonia, manager Brian Marsh's car was hit by a roadside bomb, killing him instantly. The Football Association made a shock decision in appointing journalist Kelly Firth to become the first female manager of Bostopia. After a loss to Daughtry, a draw against Sativaville and a loss to the UIE, Kelly picked up her first points as manager following a 0 - 0 draw with Bettia.

Kelly Firth

Main Article:Kelly Firth

Kelly Firth was hired as Bostopia manager in a press conference that she was attending as a journalist following the death of Brian Marne. This caused the resignation of several senior FA members, who had previously claimed that hiring a foreign manager would be as ludicrous as appointing a woman as manager.

The FA explained their position that while Firth had not been tested, she had seen enough domestic and international football to know the games ins-and-outs better than most managers, and she was therefore a natural fit.

Cup of Harmony 27

Bostopia entered Cup of Harmony 27 as reigning champions, looking to hold onto the result. But with teams such as Cafundéu in the competion - who would become eventual winners - the odds were firmly stacked against them. However, Bostopia beat Cafundéu 1 - 0 in the opening game, followed by a 2 - 0 win over Jariss, before drawing 0 - 0 with Estresse Intenso. A 2 -1 win over Ulzaxid followed, along with a 1 - 0 win over Jasi'yun, and beating Atheistic Right 2 - 0. Bostopia then lost to Sativaville 1 - 2.

After Qualifying, Bostopia faced Kiryu-shi in the Quarter Finals, in a repeat of Cup of Harmony 26's Final. At full time, the scores were 1 - 1, becoming 2 - 2 after extra time had been played. Like CoH 26, the match went to penalties. Bostopia lost 3 - 1, crashing out of the Cup, and football tournaments for that year.

World Cup 36

Qualification Stage

World Cup 36 Qualifying found Bostopia drawn with Abu Omar, Bushes Been Quaked, Rugiero, Thelema Abbey, The Lowland Clans, Kilmarnockshire and Errinundera.

Attempting to qualify for the first time was on the mind of Bostopians, who were expecting a playoff position at least. Though many fans hoped that the 15th ranked The Lowland Clans and 12th ranked Errinundera would knock themselves out of the running for the second automatic qualification spot.

After a strong start against Thelema Abbey, winning 5 - 1, Bostopia went away to The Lowland Clans, being beaten 3 - 0. Bostopia then recorded 6 wins in a row, including a 1 - 0 win over Errinundera courtesy of a 64th minute Freddie Marsh goal. Bostopia's run came to an end against The Lowland Clans in a 4 - 2 loss. On the final day of qualification, after Bostopia were unable to capitalise on The Lowland Clans beating Errinundera, being able to only draw with Abu Omar and a loss against Bushes Been Quaked, Bostopia depended on a win against Errinundera. Unfortunately, they lost 2 - 1, resigning themselves to a playoff position. While this was the team's best qualification performance to date, many still expected qualification.

Playoffs

Bostopia were hopeful to draw one of the "smaller" teams in the playoffs, but were instead given a trip to Northern Bettia. The away leg in Northern Bettia saw Bostopia losing 3 - 2, with vital away goals scored by Cripps and Tanraer, the latter the product of a spectacular overhead kick.

The home leg at the Bostopia Stadium saw the Northern Bettians subject to a massive wall of noise in what would be Bostopia's most important game to date. The Cup of Harmony beckoned if Bostopia did not beat Northern Bettia. The near-capacity crowd of 103,499 watched on the edge of their seats as both teams pressed, neither willing to play for a draw. However, in the 49th minute, Stuart Flambriff hit a shot from 25 yards out that buried itself into the bottom left corner of the goal, putting Bostopia ahead. At the final whistle, Bostopia had won the game 1 - 1, and though the aggregate score was 3 - 3, Bostopia went through to the World Cup for the first time in their history.

Group Stage

In their first World Cup, held in Cafundéu and the Unified Capitalizt States, Bostopia were drawn against long-time rivals Bettia, The Lowland Clans and Turori. In their first game, Bostopia were thrashed 5 - 1, which Kelly Firth attributed to the fury of the Bettians after Bostopia forgot to change out of their partly red-coloured kit. A draw against Turori followed, and a win against The Lowland Clans was needed for Bostopia to progress.

The Bostopian team did what was asked of them, Flambriff scored in the 9th minute, with Auderrie making it 2 - 1 in the 87th. News shortly came through that Bettia and Turori had drawn, sparking jubilation from the travelling fans. The draw for the second round found Bostopia facing Ariddia.

Knockout Rounds

A 4 - 0 loss found Bostopia crashing out of the World Cup - with Ariddia furious after their "Coupe de la Francophonie" had been mocked by the Bostopians, who had been presented with the "Cup of Bostopian Cultures Nations" (only one team entered, Bostopia, so they were always going to win). However, Bostopia drew much praise from international commentators, after unexpectedly making it into the knockout rounds in their first attempt.

Home Stadium

Main article(s): Bostopia Stadium

Bostopia have played most of their international games at the Bostopia Stadium, in central Fort Boston, until recent times. During qualification, the team will play at least two games at a fixture outside of Fort Boston, and occasionally both these fixtures will be outside of East Isle. It has now become regular practice for the team to play one game in Fenton's Copsequay Stadium, providing an ample boost to the local economy. The Fenton State officials do however, allow opposition supporters to wear clothes if they choose to do so in what is other a mandatory nude State.

The Football Association now plays it's major games in the Bostopia Stadium, while playing other games out of Fort Boston. In World Cup 36, the Bostopia Stadium will host the first game against Thelema Abbey, the match against The Lowland Clans and the final home game against Rugiero.

Kits

Bostopia traditionally play in an all-red kit, though for WC35, they are adopting a design that features the Bostopian flag more prominently. Their away kit is currently a blue shirt, with the Bostopian flag in each corner, and red shorts. Their third kit is Royal Green with Royal Gold trim and Royal Green Shorts.

World Cup 35

Bostopia's home kit was the Bostopian flag superimposed ontop of the shirt and shorts. Their away kit was be Royal Green with Royal Gold pinstripes, and their third kit was black and white stripes.

World Cup 36

Bostopia will be playing in red and white stripes as their home kit, with a central blue band, representing the country's peacetime flag. Their away kit is Sky Blue and Navy Blue stripes, with a central checkered pattern. The away kit is green with gold pinstriped hoops.

World Cup 37

Bostopia will be playing in the same home and away kits as World Cup 36, though their away kit is now black and white with black shorts.

Rivalries

Bostopia is developing footballing rivalries with a number of nations.

Because of the amount of times Bostopia has found themselves drawn against Bettia and the Elves Security Forces, a friendly rivalry has developed - so much so Bostopia and Bettia have exchanged embassies! Also, a not-so-friendly rivalry has developed against Sel Appa. While Bostopia has never been drawn against - or played against - Oliverry, a matual dislike of each other is apparent.