United Imperium National Team Thrashes Soviet Federation in Euro Cup Qualifiers

With the United Imperium hosting this Holiday edition of the IFAPO Euros tournament, the country was buzzing in excitement for the chance to play in the first major international tournament since the World Cup, where the Imperium lost a heartbreaker to eventual champions Uwistan in the quarterfinals. And the storylines couldn't have been any better. From a match of defending World Cup champions Solgland and Uwistan to the first match between the United Imperium and the Soviet Federation in competitive play, this tournament promises to be filled with excitement.

Now, for those that are uninitiated, the reason that The United Imperium is hosting the Euros tournament is due to the merging of the North American confederation with the European confederation, creating one super confederation. This was done so that The United Imperium could compete with top European teams, and also so that there would be more opportunity for competition between teams of the two confederations. As part of its duties, the Imperium prepared 15 stadiums to host Euro matches, including North American Parkway, the site of the match between the Imperium, and the Soviet Federation

Pictured: North American Parkway Setting Off Fireworks Ahead of the Euros Match Between The United Imperium & Soviet Federation

And with the floodlights beaming down, one of the biggest rivalry matches was set to take place. The Parkway was absolutely deafening, reaching pre-match volumes in excess of 126 decibels. The Imperium's national side had proven themselves to be a world-class side after their World Cup performance, but the Soviet Federation's team had shown its own abilities in the lead-up to the Euros. Ahead of the match, Manager Erlan Holland urged the Imperium National Team to keep its cool ahead of the big match:

Of course, it is a big match. There is a political implication and historical implication. That is not important. I told the players, the only thing that matters is the next 90 minutes. The only people that matter are the 22 men on that pitch. That's it. 

With the pre-match interviews out of the way, the Imperium and Soviet national teams walked out onto the field for the national anthems of the two nations. Immediately after kickoff, it was clear that this was going to be a choppy and violent game. By the 10th minute, Christian Pulisic had already incurred a yellow card for a chopping challenge against a Soviet attacker. Throughout the first half, the two national teams competed bitterly for possession, with both sides giving out aggressive tackles and threatening to injure other players. Thankfully, no one got severely injured. 

Despite all of this, the Imperium still found a way to keep moving forward. Reyna and Mckennie kept the possession tight for the Americans, slowly moving up into the attacking third. With the penalty box slowly beginning to get more and more crowded, the ball was lobbed back out to the right back, Sergino Dest:

Ball to the far sideline, to Dest... the stepover, and he glides past the defender into the box... he chips... PULISIC!!! WITH THE OPENING BLOW!!! CAPTAIN AMERICA HAS COME HOME, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AND THE IMPERIUM TAKES THE LEAD IN SENSATIONAL STYLE! 

However, the Soviets were certainly not out of it yet, and they continued to push back against the Imperium. However, back-to-back offsides rulings forced a disappointed Soviet team to stay scoreless going into the break. 

Coming out of the break, the Soviets seemed to be in charge once again, with Cameron Carter-Vickers fouling in a dangerous area. However, the ensuing Soviet set-piece was for naught, and in the resulting counter-attack, the United Imperium found itself a dream chance:

They haven't managed to get men back quickly enough... here comes Dest down the near sideline... lobs it across the field to Robinson, who is streaking down the field... makes his man miss... one versus one... AND ITS ONE MORE ON THE SCORESHEET! ANTONEE ROBINSON, COUNT IT! USA! USA! USA!

In the 78th minute, the final dagger came in the form of a Tim Weah goal to make it 3-0. When the final whistle came, North American Parkway erupted with cheers, as the fans celebrated this statement win over their rivals. Overall, it was a decisive showing, and while the Imperium showed occassional cracks, they were mostly class through and through. The United Imperium National Team will take on United Farland in their next matchup, before moving on to their final group stage match against the British Empire. Will the Imperium keep the winning streak alive and progress to the knockouts? Only time will tell.