Katzeburg national football team
 | |
| Nickname(s) | The Blue Cats |
|---|---|
| Association | Katzeburg Football Federation |
| Confederation | CONESPIO |
| Head coach |  Becka Haberkorn |
| Captain | Ry Whinery |
| Home stadium | Katzestadt Arena |
| Team Records | |
| Most caps | Drake Wruck (124) |
| Top scorer | Drake Wruck (103) |
| KPB ranking | |
| Current | 46 |
| Highest | 37 (Post Cup of Harmony 91) |
| Lowest | 226 (World Cup 97 Qualifiers) |
| First international | |
 Revida 1-3 Katzeburg
Baptism of Fire 84 Group Stage | |
| First WCC international | |
 Osterhalten 2-3 Katzeburg
Parkerhouse Center, | |
| Biggest win | |
Katzeburg 10-0  Europeasia
World Cup 100 Qualifying | |
| Biggest defeat | |
 Gnejs 5-1 Katzeburg
World Cup 97 Qualifying | |
| Highest scoring match | |
| Katzeburg 10-0 Europeasia
World Cup 100 Qualifying | |
| World Cup | |
| Entered | 4 (First in 97) |
| Finals Apps | 1 (First in 98) |
| Best result | Group Stage, World Cup 98 |
| Campionato Esportiva | |
| Appearances | 3 (first in 39) |
| Best result | 4th, CE 40 |
| Cup of Harmony | |
| Appearances | 3 (first in CoH 89) |
| Best result | Runners-Up, CoH 92 |
| Baptism of Fire | |
| Appearance | BoF 84 |
| Result | 4th |
The Katzeburgian national football team represents the nation of Katzeburg in international football. It made its debut in the 84th edition of the Baptism of Fire, where the side finished 4th.
History
Foundation
Football in Katzeburg has a mostly industrial background, with the sport being played in many of the nation's northern industrial towns and cities, including Inverhaven, Axmund, and the nation's capital of Katzestadt. It wasn't until AK20 that a national team was founded by the Katzeburg Football Federation, committing to international competition for the first time in the nation's history across any sport.
Manager of amateur side South Inverhaven Shipbuilders, Becka Haberkorn, was appointed the first manager of the national side, having lead the team to a third straight local league title prior to the formation of the national setup.
The Haberkorn Years (Baptism of Fire 84 - Present)
The first competition the nation would enter would be Baptism of Fire 84, held in the fellow Esportivan nations of Tumbra and Hapilopper. The Blue Cats were drawn into Group D alongside Alexandrianonisimo, Revida, and Timlandian Federation. The side's first competitive match would be against Revida, with the side running out 3-1 winners despite falling a goal behind within the opening 15 minutes. Katzeburg would ultimately progress out of the group on the final matchday, after a stoppage time header from captain Owen Levitt secured a 1-0 win over Timlandian Federation. Wins over Langenia and West Vdara would guide the Blue Cats to the semi-finals of their debut international competition, but the side would end there - falling 3-2 to eventual champions Edsmontik in the semi-finals and then 4-3 to Restresas in the third place playoff.
Ahead of the side's first ever World Cup qualification campaign, the team would travel to Riena to take part in the 1st Silver Dragon Invitational, where the side would lift the trophy after a 4-2 win over the hosts and a record 6-1 victory over Kanzlia. Katzeburg's first foray into the World Cup qualifiers would end with the side achieving a fifth place finish in their qualifying group, seven points off a playoff position. The side would claim some historic victories, including a double over Carpathia and Ruthenia, but would also slump to a pair of 5-1 defeats against Gnejs and Sarzonia - record defeats for the nation. Initial captain Owen Levitt would lose the captaincy mid-campaign as he found himself replaced in the starting XI by Erik Clarkson, with goalkeeper Ry Whinery taking the armband after the side's 5-1 loss to Gnejs.
Despite the failure to qualify for the World Cup, the side was invited to take part in Cup of Harmony 89 in Banija, with the Blue Cats making a run to the quarter-finals of the competition off the back of a six-game undefeated streak before losing to eventual champions HUElavia 2-1. Katzeburg would enter Esportivan competition for the first time in Campionato Esportiva 39, with Haberkorn's side making the quarter-finals before falling to eventual runners-up Fhulghamous Peninsula. The campaign was noted however for being the only nation to beat eventual champions Lozho, with Katzeburg running out 4-1 winners in their group stage clash.
The qualifiers for World Cup 98 would see a revised Katzeburg squad attempt to upset the odds in a competitive group, and Haberkorn's team would see progress across the board with the side achieving a third place finish in their group following a 0-3 win over Cardenao on the final matchday. The position secured them a playoff spot for World Cup Qualification against Reçueçn to be played at Beian Dongguan Stadium in Yuezhou. With a goal from midfielder Meriel Arkwright in the second half of extra time, Katzeburg would advance to their first ever World Cup finals following a 1-0 win. The side was drawn in a tough group for their maiden World Cup appearance, with games against Crpostran, Huayramarca, and Farfadillis making up their group stage. Katzeburg would manage to put up a fight however, as the 66th-ranked side would exit in the group stage with a third place finish, falling 5-4 to eventual runners-up Crpostran but securing draws against Huayramarca and Farfadillis.
Katzeburg would return to Esportivan competition hoping for another crack at glory in Campionato Esportiva 40, held in neighbours South Newlandia, and the side would maintain the best form in the side's history - going on a total of nine games unbeaten as the side ran to the semi-finals before losing 2-0 to Sylestone. The Blue Cats would eventually finish fourth, falling 2-1 to Vielfaltig.
Expectations were high for the Blue Cats heading into the qualification cycle for World Cup 99, with the side named the top ranked side in Pot 4 of the qualification draw. Katzeburg would have their best qualification cycle to date in terms of results, winning 12 of their 18 matches including wins over Reçueçn and West Barack and East Obama, but the side would fail to secure a second straight finals appearance, missing out by three points and being just one of two teams to score 38 points and not qualify. The side would be invited to Cup of Harmony 91 in The Kytler Peninsulae and Tikariot, where the Blue Cats would undergo their best run in the competition in their history, winning five of their nine games on their way to a 4th place finish, falling to eventual champions Anewkansas in the semi-finals.
Katzeburg would next host Campionato Esportiva 41 on home soil alongside South Newlandia in what would be their first international football competition hosted in the nation. The side would progress from their group in uneven form, beating Natanians and Nosts and Gouvanarch but failing to get results against Tumbra, TJUN-ia, and Bongo Johnson, setting up a Round of 16 clash against their co-hosts at Bramblewood Park in Katzestadt. The Blue Cats would crash out at the first hurdle of the knockout stage, falling 3-2 to South Newlandia in what would be their worst regional performance to date.
Heading into the highly competitive World Cup 100 cycle, questions were raised about whether Haberkorn would renew her contract past the end of the cycle, with pressure building on the manager after struggling to initially perform in their qualifying group alongside heavyweights Pasarga and Natkr. The side would eventually secure a second place finish in the qualifying group off the back of a strong run of form to end the qualifying campaign - including a new record win against Europeasia in a 10-0 drubbing. Katzeburg would however fail to qualify for what would be just their second World Cup - losing out 2-1 after extra time in the playoff to Aleirave.
The Blue Cats would enter the resulting Cup of Harmony 92 as one of the favourites to secure the trophy, also attaining their first Pot 1 status in the nation's CoH history. But the side would labor to get out of the group stage, only picking up a single win over Kita-Hinode and drawing the other three matches. The results were enough to send the side into the knockouts, where the team would then dispatch Sarzonia, Calgasia, Biyambi, and The Martian Independent Republic on their way to an appearance in their first ever competitive final, buoyed on by the impending national team retirement of icon Drake Wruck at the end of the competition. In the background to ongoing chaos involving the national team's federation back in Katzeburg, the Blue Cats would unfortunately fail to secure their first major piece of silverware in the final - held at ZS^3 in Zwangzug - falling 2-0 to Saterun in the final.
Players
Current Squad
Records
Player Records
Most capped players
| Rank | Player | Caps | Goals | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Serena Plank | 128 | 22 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 2 | Drake Wruck | 124 | 103 | BoF 84 - CoH 92 |
| 3 | Elmer Spears | 119 | 8 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 4 | Erik Clarkson | 117 | 2 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 5 | Ry Whinery | 116 | 0 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 6 | Meriel Arkwright | 114 | 15 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 7 | Katharine Howland | 98 | 3 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 8 | Lloyd Field | 91 | 59 | WCQ97 - Present |
| 9 | Faithe Colbert | 88 | 1 | BoF 84 - Present |
| Vera Horsfall | 88 | 8 | BoF 84 - CE 41 |
Top goalscorers
| Rank | Player | Goals | Caps | Average | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Drake Wruck | 103 | 124 | 0.83 | BoF 84 - CoH 92 |
| 2 | Lloyd Field | 59 | 91 | 0.64 | WCQ 97 - Present |
| 3 | Serena Plank | 22 | 128 | 0.17 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 4 | Lambert Niles | 16 | 44 | 0.36 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 5 | Meriel Arkwright | 15 | 114 | 0.13 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 6 | Walton Hershey | 11 | 20 | 0.55 | WCQ 97 - Present |
| 7 | Vera Horsfall | 8 | 88 | 0.10 | BoF 84 - CE 41 |
| Elmer Spears | 8 | 119 | 0.06 | BoF 84 - Present | |
| 9 | Clay Marsh | 7 | 18 | 0.39 | BoF 84 - Present |
| 10 | Kester Fuchs | 6 | 17 | 0.35 | WCQ 99 - Present |
| Brigitte Ball | 6 | 16 | 0.38 | BoF 84 - Present | |
| Elvin Greenberg | 6 | 11 | 0.54 | WCQ 100 - Present |
Captains
| Player | Period | Games | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owen Levitt | BoF 84 - WCQ 97 | 14 | First ever Katzeburgian Captain |
| Ry Whinery | WCQ 97 - Present | 102 | Captained Katzeburg into first ever World Cup Finals |
| Drake Wruck | SDI 1 - WCQ 100 | 5 | |
| Serena Plank | WCQ 98 | 1 | Captained vs New Zhengguo |
| Petra Moores | CE 40 | 3 | Captained vs Esportivan Darmen, Vielfaltig, and Kimi-Suomi |
| Erik Clarkson | CE 41 - WCQ 100 | 2 | Captained vs Bongo Johnson and Europeasia |
| Katharine Howland | WCQ 100 | 1 | Captained vs Atheara |
Manager records
| Manager | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Becka Haberkorn |
|
BoF 84 | Present | 128 | 71 | 20 | 37 | 55.46 |
| Total | 128 | 71 | 20 | 37 | 55.46 | |||
Competitive Record
World Cup
| World Cup record | World Cup qualification record | Manager | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edition | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||||
  World Cup 97
|
Did not qualify | 16 | 7 | 2 | 7 | 33 | 37 | Becka Haberkorn
| |||||||||
    World Cup 98
|
Group Stage | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 8 | 2 | 5 | 22 | 13 | ||||
   World Cup 99
|
Did not qualify | 18 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 44 | 27 | ||||||||||
 World Cup 100
|
Did not qualify | 17 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 61 | 27 | ||||||||||
| Total | 1 qualification | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 66 | 38 | 7 | 21 | 160 | 104 | ||||
Cup of Harmony
| Cup of Harmony record | Manager | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edition | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
| Cup of Harmony 89
|
Quarter Final | 7 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 10 | Becka Haberkorn
| |
 Cup of Harmony 90
|
Qualified for World Cup | ||||||||
| Cup of Harmony 91
|
4th | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 14 | 8 | ||
  Cup of Harmony 92
|
Runners-Up | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 8 | ||
| Total | 3 appearances | 25 | 15 | 5 | 5 | 41 | 26 | ||
Campionato Esportiva
| Campionato Esportiva record | Manager | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edition | Round | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | ||
 Campionato Esportiva 39
|
Quarter Final | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 7 | Becka Haberkorn
| |
 Campionato Esportiva 40
|
4th | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 12 | ||
| Campionato Esportiva 41
|
Round of 16 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 9 | ||
 Campionato Esportiva 42
|
Round of 16 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 8 | ||
| Total | 4 appearances | 26 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 56 | 34 | ||