/sp/ History

With the advent of the 4chan Cup,  /sp/ became one of the original starting sixteen teams that participated in the inaugural Cup, the 2011 4chan Summer Cup. Being the club representing the Sports board, much has always been expected of the team, and yet despite consistently high rankings since the club's formation, /sp/ did not win a title until the 2012 4chan Summer Cup.

First Cup Cycle

The club began the 2011 Summer Cup with great play throughout the first three rounds, losing to /ck/ in the semifinals and dropping to the losers bracket, then losing the subsequent match against /a/, whom eventually went on to win the Cup against /ck/. The loss was difficult for the club, and was the starting point for the rivalry with /a/. /sp/ ended the 2011 Summer Cup at the 3rd place out of 16, which was also their position in the initial rankings.

The aftermath of the 2011 Summer Cup left /sp/ dreaming bigger for the following Winter Cup in 2012. Despite mixed fortunes in the Leddy friendlies, /sp/ started well in the tournament with two convincing victories against cup newcomers /jp/ and rivals /fit/. Making a statement with a 4-0 win against /ck/ in the semifinals, the /sp/ team was determined to make a stand in the winner's bracket finals against a dangerous /k/ team. However someone forgot to tell /k/, and they went on to defeat /sp/ 2-1 despite /sp/ going ahead from an incredible Teboq freekick. This dropped /sp/ to the losers bracket against /ck/ once more, and once again /sp/ handed the club another 4-0 loss, bringing a /k/ and /sp/ match-up for the finals of the Winter Cup. Urgently knowing they needed two wins, /sp/ gave /k/ a crushing defeat of 3-0, one of the goals being a fantastic blooter from George Costanza. /sp/ made the worst start imaginable in the final game, conceding the then fastest goal in 4chan Cup history. Messi managed to equalise not long after, but a goal from Ruger 9MM before half time gave /k/ the lead once more. At half time the /sp/ AI manager made a fatal decision and substituted star player Costanza for Jagsguy. /sp/ were weakened and unable to break down /k/'s strong defense. The final ended 2-1 and once again /sp/ were robbed of glory with /k/ winning the first Winter Cup. Regardless of the loss, /sp/ was given a ranking of 1st among 20 teams due to their overall performances in the first two cups. After this cup, the /k/ and /sp/ rivalry became the most heated of any of the teams in the Cup.

During the return of Germanbro and the creation of the Babby Cup, /sp/ entered a dark age during the offseason. Not until late Spring and early Summer 2012 did the /sp/ fanbase finally emerge from its cocoon and many new threads were made. During this time /sp/ went through three managerial candidates. After getting a taste of Hartnell Down and Frenchie, /sp/ finally settled on the inexperienced yet trustworthy Torres McIlroy.

Match Fixing Scandal

The statement issued by BasedNickLeddy.

During the first friendlies of the 4chan Cup teams, allegations of stat alterations and general RIGGING of two /sp/ club players rose due to an unusually higher performance. Initially, there was little done to quell the rumors until BasedNickLeddy looked into the situation after a /sp/ v. /ck/ match. On January 7th, he issued a statement that he lowered the ability of the two players in question, LMF Tony Reali and Goalkeeper DA BEARS, to a lower setting than the original.

Since then, /sp/ has been the target of many other claims of rigging, though all of these allegations were seen as being baseless, until the biggest shitstorm in the cup's history came along in Spring 2013.

2012 4chan Summer Cup

With the start of the 2012 Summer Cup, /sp/ made an effort to gather a larger fan-base than it had previously. Hype for the 2012 Summer Cup produced the largest viewing audience, particularly during the matches that /sp/ played in. /sp/ was sent to Group E and would compete against /b/, /o/ and /d/. With /sp/ being the clear favorite to win the group, they were a target of RIGGED by other competitors.

The club's opening match against /d/ has been recognized as the most sensational match of the tournament and is widely considered to have throttled the 4chan Cup into the public eye. This was helped by the fact that the thread for this match was stickied. Replays of the match, dubbed /sp/ Finds A Way, can be seen on YouTube and many images of the final goal are posted by /sp/ faithful.

After the opening match, /sp/ went on to defeat /o/ and /b/ easily despite what the 1-0 scorelines might suggest. With the best record of the group, they and /d/ went on to the eliminations and /o/ and /b/ were relegated to the future Babby Cup.

According to the first Knockout Draw, /sp/, despite their perfect record in group play, would be forced to play a preliminary round, against /m/, another group winner. In the wake of this, a number of /sp/ supporters demanded a reconsideration of the draw, allowing the best four group winners to have byes. The next day, tournament organizer GermanBro released a new draw, which went along with /sp/'s requests. However, the incident has earned /sp/ a reputation as "whiners" and further accusations of attempted rigging.

The /sp/ fans showed up in their masses for the /sp/ vs /k/ Quarter-Final. A fixture that has plagued the memory of /sp/artans for months. This time, /sp/ gained the upper hand with a 2-0 domination of /k/, restricting them to not a single shot on target during the entire match.

With a third consecutive semifinal already confirmed for /sp/, hopes were high that /sp/ could finally topple their cup woes. What stood in their way was /toy/, who undefeated in the cup thus far had proven a tough foe on their path to the semi finals. The match started well for /sp/ who took an early lead before a /toy/ equaliser was matched by Tim Teboq moments after, silencing critics. After a very close and hard fought second half, /sp/ prevailed 2-1, making their second cup finals.

The finals had /sp/ meeting a fearsome /int/ side who had defeated past champions /k/, babby cup fourth (/d/), third (/sci/) and winners (/m/) on their path to the finals. Despite poor condition from both sides, the game was once again controlled by /sp/, creating a 2-0 scoreline in less than 10 minutes before relaxing for the final 80, winning with a comfortable 4-0 scoreline securing their first ever cup.

2013 4chan Winter Cup

What started as /sp/'s cup became Fernando Torres' road to redemption.

The 2nd 4chan Winter Cup saw /sp/ hoping to defend its title as champion. With GOAT manager Torres Mcllroy announcing he would be retiring after the Cup, all /sp/artans hoped to send their beloved manager out in style. As the top ranked team, /sp/ was placed in Pot 1 along with /m/, /k/, /int/, /tv/, /tg/, /toy/, and /ck/. Germanbro drew the GOATs into Group F besides /x/, /r9k/ and the lowest ranked team of the tournament, /cm/. The group was deemed EASY and many /sp/artans began discussing possible knockout opponents.

In the group stage, /sp/ managers Torres and Loli unveiled their master tactical plan, a stifling defensive presence anchored by bronze CB and team captain Lelbron. As accusations of anti-football and bus parking flew from m8s who couldn't handle the banter, the GOATs blew /r9k/ and /x/ the fuck out 2-1 and 1-0, respectively in their first two games. Surprisingly, /cm/ also won both of their first two matches leading to a showdown with /sp/, with the winner taking the group. Both teams having secured their way into the knockouts, viewers hoping for an exhibition of beautiful football were instead treated to comedy gold the day of the final match. /cm/ sat all their medal players for half the match while Torres and Loli played Da Bears (a keeper) at the striker position after normal striker MESSI was suspended from the match for accumulating two yellow cards in the previous two group games. Many lels were had, and the RIGGED match ended in a 0-0 draw. With this result /cm/ won the group by goal differential and the first cries for #TORRESOUT began.

The first knockout saw a rematch of the previous Summer Cup final: /sp/ vs. /int/. This time, however, /int/ had a manager: the "white" commentator Pato. Despite Pato's best efforts, /sp/ dispatched of the other flag board 2-0 via goals by MESSI and Costanza.

The Quarter-Final brought on the Cup surprise of /adv/, who had bested a tough /v/ side in the knockouts. /adv/ had become famous for thrashing /m/ 6-1 in the final group game for the notoriously difficult Group H thereby relegating both /mlp/ and /m/ to the Babbies. Led by gold AMF 5 Inch Dick, /adv/ fought a tough fight before bowing out 3-1 to the GOATs. The cinderella story was over.

/sp/ faced fan-favorite /pol/ in the Semi-Finals. Players like Stormfront, Doompaul and Hitler were known worldwide for their acumen, and /pol/ manager Cozmo was famed for his cuhrayzee formations and tactics. Since both Cozmo and /sp/ manager Torres had declared their intentions to retire after the Cup, there was an added edge to this game with neither manager ready to step down so close to their goal. When Germanbro revealed the conditioning for the match, an audible gasp could be heard amongst /sp/artans: silver AMF Torres had been struck with the dreaded purple condition. Operating at nearly the level of a regular 66 rated player, Torres was visibly slow and prone to spaghetti. The first half was entirely scoreless, /pol/'s blitzkrieg being stifled by /sp/'s superior defense and /sp/'s attacks falling apart with a poorly conditioned Torres. At the half, /sp/artans demanded Torres be subbed out for a better conditioned player but manager Torres Mcllroy defiantly held his ground. His namesake stayed in the game. #TORRESOUT gained even more traction. After much gnashing of teeth, play resumed. 24 more minutes of scoreless play continued until Torres, he of purple condition and subject of much public consternation, knocked one in at the 69' minute. TORRES TORRES TORRES TORRES TORRES flooded the board and Torres Mcllroy smiled softly to himself in Ireland, his patience rewarded. MESSI tacked on another goal, and /sp/ was through to their second straight Final, 2-0.

The glory days of /sp/. In such a wonderful moment, no one could have predicted the shitstorm that hit the team in the next season.

The GOATs faced the offensive juggernaut of /toy/ in the Cup Final. /toy/ players Woody and Madoka Titus were both in contention for the Golden Boot, and /toy/'s keeper Ham Hands was being discussed as the best keeper in the tournament. /toy/ also had a brilliant manager in Tinker/toy/ and the support of the majority of Cup viewers. Cup fans were not appreciative of /sp/'s defensive prowess and tiki taka play, nor were they eager to see the GOATs repeat as Cup champions. There was even some mild dissension in the /sp/artan ranks as some /sp/artans were bored with Torres' and Loli's tactics and openly wished for "more entertaining play." Thankfully, the #TORRESOUT faction was significantly outnumbered by those quick to remind these Benedict Arnolds that Torres had yet to lose an official match. There were no conditioning screwjobs in the Final, although /sp/ did have the advantage with an orange MESSI vs. a blue Woody. The match started with a quick blootah goal from MESSI on a breakaway at the 18' mark. Tinker/toy/ made a couple minor tactical changes which led to a pair of Woody goals, one from a set-piece and the other a tap-in, putting /toy/ ahead 2-1 at the half. Things looked grim for /sp/ coming out of halftime with few offensive chances and a couple spectacular saves having to be made by Cornball. But lo and behold, in their time of need, /sp/'s savior answered the call: Torres equalized the game with a solo effort and curling finish at the 57' mark. And he wasn't done. Reinvigorated by chants of TORRES TORRES TORRES TORRES TORRES TORRES TORRES, Torres scored the winning goal off a pass from MESSI, a deflection taking it past a bamboozled Ham Hands and into the history books. Although the last 10 minutes of the match consisted entirely of one long heart attack for /sp/artans as /toy/ took shot after shot on goal, /sp/ closed out the game 3-2 to become the first team to win the 4chan Cup back to back.

After the championship celebration, Ken read aloud a speech from retiring manager Torres Mcllroy. It was a bittersweet moment for all /sp/artans, especially when revealed that btw, Torres had been a girl all along. It was also revealed that all post-group stage tactics had been developed drunk, cementing Torres as a master ruseman.

During the spring season of this year, /sp/'s world was turned upside down after it was revealed through Dragongate that Torres McIlroy was none other than Dragonfag. /sp/ would lose the 2012 4chan Summer Cup trophy, but managed to keep the Winter Cup trophy after further thought went into the decisions in response to this event.

2013 4chan Summer Cup

This Summer Cup in one image.

The third Summer Cup held a bitter taste for /sp/, following the Dragongate scandal and the subsequent removal of the 2012 title. Many fans lost faith in the team, and in the cup altogether, while the rest kept going to the tune of #sackLoli because of his involvement in the whole mess. However, Torres/Dragonfag's former assistant kept the job for this one cup, swearing to try his best.

/sp/ was drawn along with /jp/ for their second cup meeting, underachievers /g/, and, ironically, /m/, a year exactly after the brackets scandal. This was deemed a good opportunity to settle the score between them once and for all. The first game against /jp/ got off to a good start, with Lelbron drawing first blood after only 2 minutes of play, but the NEETs were not to be undone so easily and Get Out of /jp/ quickly equalised only 6 minutes later. /sp/'s iconic striker MESSI got his team back in the lead at the 32nd, only to see /jp/ come back 2 minutes later by an Autism brace. Already the cries of #sackloli and "/sp/, we babby cup now" intensified, and only got worse after /jp/ took the lead for the first time of the game thanks to a second goal from Get Out of /jp/ at the 67th. All was thought to be lost until Lelbron saved /sp/ in the dying minutes of the game, ensuring a point but leaving /sp/ fans worried and frustrated.

The second game was against /m/, who had beat /g/ 1-0 the previous matchday, and finally the opportunity to prove that /sp/ was stronger than the Mechas was here. Things did not go as planned at all, however, and /m/ brushed past /sp/ in an anticlimatic 2-0 win, with goals courtesy of Shin Getter Robo and RX-93 Nu Gundam. /sp/'s offense was toothless, only having one shot on target, and the worry and frustration only grew further. At this point, /sp/'s destiny was out of their hands, needing a win against an already relegated /g/ by two goals as well as a 2-goal margin win from /m/ against /jp/ to be able to avoid the humiliation of relegation. Many /sp/ fans feared /m/ would drop the game and thus condemn them to relegation, but thankfully /jp/'s manager decided to taunt /m/, pushing the ever prideful /m/ council to go for the full 9 points.

The following matchday, /m/ crushed /jp/ 4-2 in the second to last game, ensuring /sp/ had a chance to go through. The game against /g/ went off to a tense start, with many shots fired from both sides. /sp/ fans trembled every time /g/ came close to their goal, knowing that conceding here and there would almost surely relegate /sp/. But at the very end of the first half, America saved the world yet again and many chants of USA USA USA could be heard as the player of the same name opened the score. /sp/ pushed even harder in the second half, which made the fans even warier of a possible /g/ goal, but by the 70th Lelbron pulled through yet again and scored the goal that would send /sp/ to the knockouts. The /g/ team tried everything to drag /sp/ along with them, but in the end couldn't find the opening in /sp/'s less than stellar defense.

/sp/'s first game in the knockout round was against /v/, who notably won against /lit/ 7-0 during the group stages. in front of more than 2500 neckbeards, the game got off to a fast start as Hideo Kojima put the /v/irgins in the lead at the 6th minute mark. The /sp/artans were not to be undone, however, and Lelbron, by now officially the hero of this cup, equalised at the 23rd. In spite of /sp/ dominating both possession and shots, however, /sp/'s body was not ready as Reggie scored the third and last goal of the game in the 62nd minute, ending /sp/'s cup run with a whimper. Loli resigned as manager soon after.

2014 - The end of an era, we babbies now

/sp/'s second half of 2014 in one image.

Following a surprisingly early exit from the last cup, the GOATs looked to redeem themselves in the 2014 4chan Winter Cup.

It looked like /sp/ had an easy group, but just like in the glory days, /sp/ struggled and got close wins against smaller teams, this time 1-0 and 2-1 wins over /lgbt/ and /f/ respectively. Any concern over /sp/'s attack was killed off in their last group stage match of this cup: despite having less than half of /g/'s shots, the /sp/artans got a 3-1 win, which meant /sp/ topped their group. Everything looked good at this point, and even though /sp/ would have to face none other than /a/ in the round of 16, the fans dared to dream.

For the first half of the epic rematch between /sp/ and /a/, it looked like the GOATs had the advantage, but the ball simply never went into the net. In the second half, everything fell apart. /a/ was suddenly dominating the possession, and /sp/ was looking clueless.

Finally, /a/ got their one goal, and that was all they needed. /sp/'s gold players were rendered completely useless in this match.

With that bitter end to what looked to be a longer run, /sp/ looked to the future with hope. After all, the team had topped their group, meaning that there was no need to worry about relegation anymore.

At least, that's how it seemed back then. Once the 2014 4chan Summer Cup came around, the heat was on and /sp/ could not handle it. The GOATs were placed in group A, which put them against the defending champions of /trv/. There was also /wsg/ and /gd/, but no /sp/artan cared about those teams: in their minds, those teams were nobodies and the implication that both of them would go through was preposterous.

In a sick twist of fate, that is exactly what happened. Everything had started off well for /sp/, with Le Cut Inside Man actually cutting inside and scoring the first goal of the cup. On top of starting the cup with a win, they drew against /trv/ afterwards. It wasn't looking perfect, but 4 points after two matches was not a bad start at all.

Then /gd/, with a cheeky smiley formation, of all things, scored two late goals against /sp/. Just like that, /sp/'s elite era was killed. /gd/ just needed to win 2-0 to take second place away from /sp/, sending the former champions to a Babby Cup for the first time ever.

Chaos ensued in the /sp/ game threads after this. While the match day continued, all sorts of discussion among fans went on. The /sp/artan management for this cup was immediately sacked. It wasn't even like Loli's situation where there were people voting for him to come back, >Moyes and >Edgar were almost unanimously voted out of the team.

Some say this needed to happen sooner: the team was getting weak results in cups after the 2013 4chan Winter Cup. Dragongate lowered the fan involvement with the team, but relegation sparked new life into the fanbase. The previously discussed tournament to decide the new manager would finally happen weeks after the disastrous Summer Cup. After a wild ride and the best tournament PES14 1.12 had ever seen, Art Vandelay emerged victorious, beating Bochumbru  !!vij0cTUzxLY >4:3 a.e.t. in a thrilling final. As Art Vandelay continued to show strength in test cups, /sp/ dared to dream again. Much to their dismay, disaster struck in the first match for /sp/ in the Autumn Babby Cup. The infamous /vp/ defeated /sp/ 3-2 in a match that left fans very bitter after numerous autistmal tactical pauses.

Art Vandelay's words after the match only added fuel to the fire because he basically said "muh stats." In the matches that followed, /sp/ showed more flair as they got wins against /cgl/, and /y/. All they had to do was draw the next match against /i/, but of course, /sp/'s defense went back to being horrendously leaky and thus, /sp/ lost 4-2, conceded the fastest goal in cup history, and stayed down in the babbies.

These events led to Art Vandelay resigning/being sacked, leaving managerial duties in the hands of his co manager and runner up of The Decision, Bochumbru  !!vij0cTUzxLY.

2015

With another German manager hailing from the /trb/ generals, /sp/ had hopes of at least getting out of the Babbies. As luck would have it, /sp/ was drawn in a hell of a group with /b/, /c/, /cgl/ and none other than /a/, with the derby between /a/ and /sp/ taking place in the first day of the 2015 Spring Babby Cup. The hype was back in /sp/ for said derby, but after wasted opportunities from USA USA USA, and a well conditioned Messi being practically invisible for the entire match, /sp/ started off the cup with a 2-1 loss to /a/. Fans were quick to criticize the defensive tactics and Bochumbru's absence for such a big match. But the /sp/artans didn't falter, and came back on the next day guns blazing to overload the cup with Freedom as USA USA USA opened the scoring immediately. Even after /b/ equalised after a de gay blunder they never lost confidence and an on form Le Cut Inside Man led the GOATs to a 4-1 win.

Disaster would strike again, and this time, it was against a managerless /cgl/. The GOATs looked like individuals rather than a team as they lost 2-1 to the Seagulls. A suspicious number of blowouts and ridiculously good performances from home teams led to some speculation among fans of home abuse: /a/ proceeded to lose 6-1 to /b/ on the same match day, fueling the discussion in the 4chan cup's /vg/ threads. Nevertheless, /sp/ had to push forward and hope to win against /c/ in order to have a small chance of qualifying to the 2015 Summer Cup. /c/ was more or less of a punching bag so far in the cup, but they suddenly came to life against /sp/ and went up 2-0 in the first half. Any hopes of /sp/ qualifying were crushed by this point, but the /sp/artans pushed forward in the last 10 minutes and scored twice. /sp/ almost scored a 3rd, but there wasn't enough time left, and thus, /sp/ was stuck in the Babbies yet again, and the draw kept /c/ down with them.

/4ccg/'s reaction to /sp/'s win against /hr/.

Now, /sp/ found themselves in the 2015 Autumn Babby Cup fighting to reclaim their spot in the Elite Cups. Drawn in Group A yet again, hopes were high after /sp/ started the cup with a 2-0 win over /hr/. On that same weekend, the /sp/artans were slammed back down to Earth with a 5-1 loss to /diy/, a side that only recently came back to life in the cup. However, /diy/ soon suffered a blowout loss of their own, and the GOATs woke up to get revenge on /cgl/ for the 2-1 loss to them in the Spring Babby Cup. With these results, /sp/ was suddenly able to chase after first place in the group. The final opponent for /sp/ in the group stage was /sci/, who had just given /diy/ the aforementioned blowout loss and was in a must-win situation to qualify to the 2016 Winter Cup.

2016

Donald Trump celebrating with Dindu Nuffin after /sp/'s nightmare 5-1 loss to /pol/

This year's Winter Cup got /sp/ into a hell of a group. Along the /sp/artans were the infamous /pol/, 2015 Winter Cup champions /tg/, and /u/, a team that consistently reached quarterfinals since the 2014 Spring Babby Cup. Initially, /sp/ looked good in the spotlight of 1541 viewers as they took a 2-1 lead against /tg/. After USA USA USA's goal, the team's performance fell off a cliff and /tg/ came back to win 3-2 in the end. After the /u/'s 3-1 win over /tg/ in the group, /sp/ had to avoid losing against /pol/ in the next match, otherwise, they'd be eliminated. Sadly, /sp/ didn't just lose to /pol/, they were murdered by the hungry /pol/iticians who dominated in a 5-1 win for them.

Following these results, the fans were livid, and somebody had to be held responsible. Bochumbrew announced his resignation shortly after this match. It's only due to current cup rules that he was allowed to manage in the match against /u/, where /sp/ drew 2-2, and left the cup on a whimper.

With numerous people expressing interest in /sp/ management, another Decision tournament was held.

The winner of that Tournament turned out to be DM !!4ejBZS7hAn9 who elected to have fellow competitor TWAIN !!VnvXhN8Apg7 as his co manager.

With the Group stage draw handing /sp/ a tough group, described by many as a group of death containing /n/, /v/ and /jp/, the doubters were out in force, and many expected /sp/ to suffer another failed promotion attempt.

And after losing their first match against /v/ in unspectacular fashion, many thought the doubters were proven right. But all of them were in for a huge surprise.

When the /sp/artans faced /n/ in their second match they came out aggressive, offensive and determined to make it to Summer. They quickly overwhelmed /n/ surging ahead to a 5:0 lead courtesy to Messi scoring a double brace inside 30 minutes. And even when it looked like /n/ might mount a freak comeback USA USA USA silenced their hopes with a great curler to make the final result a 6:3 win.

Going into the last match against /jp/, the /sp/artans controlled their own destiny, needing just a draw to advance to the Round of 16 and the Summer Cup. Much was riding on this match, especially as /a/ had failed to win promotion, and many a shitposter was ready to spam 'TOGETHER FOREVER', in anticipation of a now sure to come /sp/ defeat.

But that wasn't to be. TSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU quickly put /sp/ ahead with a magical volley strike and even though /sp/ choked like there was no tomorrow, just before halftime George Costanza doubled the lead. And the inspired /sp/ defense lead by an on form lelbron never let any doubt arise. /sp/ was back to the Elites and the dreaded Together Forever Curse was finally broken.

…at least for three months.

But the lack of a /g/ manager, /wg/ missing the Summer deadline and /gif/ deliberately not submitting an export rigged /a/ in anyway. And so once again, they were together in Summer. While /a/ won their first two matches and were on the verge of 9 point mustard racing their group in an attempt to prove themselves worthy of their rigged spot, /sp/ was struggling in the middle with one loss to /out/ followed by one win against /vp/. Going into the final group match, due to /v/'s 2-1 win against /ck/, /a/ could still survive with a two goal loss to a struggling /fit/, and potentially leave /sp/ behind in the dust.

Then the unthinkable happened. /a/ lost to /fit/ 0-7 PU70-style, their worst ever loss. Going out despite having 6 points; sheer humiliation. Now a win against /d/ would shut up those f/a/ggots once and for all. But that win never came; instead, /sp/ had to fight hard for a 2-2 draw. This meant that /sp/'s fate would depend on the /vp/-/out/ match. /sp/ would go through on a draw or if /vp/ won by a small enough margin.

TSUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU celebrating one of /sp/'s 5 goals against /vg/ in the Autumn Babby Cup

/vp/ took an early lead. They would go through at /sp/'s expense only if they scored 4+ goals and won by 3+ goals — a tall order for a yo-yo team that never made it to an Elite Cup knockout stage before. And it seemed impossible as /out/, who needed to win to progress, fought back, and by half-time /vp/ were but 3-2 ahead. As long as neither side scored at least 2 goals more than the other in the second half, /sp/ would go through. But that was not to be as /vp/ scored a further 4 goals without response, and with their 6-2 win, would enter their first ever Elite Cup knockouts at the expense of /sp/, consigning them back to the Babbies and keeping the Together Forever* curse alive while /vp/ broke their own yo-yo curse.

Back in the Autumn Babby Cup, /sp/ looked strangely dominant. Following a tense 1-0 win over /tg/, the GOATs actually got blowout wins in the remaining matches of the group stage. First, /sp/ destroyed /biz/ 6-1, and then entered the 9 point master race with a 5-1 win over /vg/. These strong wins led to some arrogance among fans and even the team's management. When /c/ was set to be /sp/'s opponent in the round of 16, many expect the GOATs to push past them easily. Instead, the team was eliminated in a 2-1 loss that led to some >it's only /c/, lads spam.

Despite the early exit, at least /sp/ could look forward to playing in the 2017 4chan Winter Cup.

2017

It was time for the cup to enter a new era, as PES 2017 would be the game in which the matches would take place. The group stage draw placed /sp/ in group H, where they would EARN THE RIGHT to play against /soc/, /o/ (who were the runner-up of the last major cup), and /vr/ (the 4th place team in the last Babby Cup). This was not an easy group by any means, and fortunately, the GOATs started off on the right foot with a 2-1 win over /soc/ at Snapchat Stadium. TSUUUUUUUUUUU scored a double in that match, and in the next one against /vr/, but his efforts against the retro vidya board were not enough. /vr/ were well-prepared for /sp/ and got a 4-2 win over the /sp/artans with a Doomguy hat-trick. USA USA USA and Tony Kornheiser picked up yellow cards in this match, and with >I Rate Zidane's yellow from the first match, /sp/ would end up being the only team to get yellow cards in the group. Additionally, the combination of results after the second fixture left everyone in Group H with 3 points.

On the final group stage fixture, /soc/ and /vr/ battled to a 1-1 draw. If /sp/ vs /o/ did not end in a draw, /soc/ would be relegated. The GOATs desperately needed a win, and got it with TSUUUUUUUUU keeping up his good form. To finish the job, Le Cut Inside Man scored /sp/'s second goal right at the start of the second half, placing /sp/ at the top of group H. This would send /sp/ to the knockout stages of a major cup for the first time since the 2014 4chan Winter Cup. Fans celebrated, but were quickly brought down to Earth with the Round of 16 draw. /sp/'s opponent ended up being none other than /v/.

It was a tough match without many shots. Strangely, notorious AB/sp/ commentator >Ducky predicted that this would be when Messi would redeem himself. After all, the Argentine forward was practically a non-factor in the previous matches while TSUUUUUUUUU was /sp/'s hero. Sure enough, Messi was the one who broke the deadlock against /v/. However, the previously suspended SANIC made up for his absence by getting /v/ a goal with what would be the vidya team's only shot of the match. During the second half, Messi fought for the ball against Captain Falcon and managed to hit a perfect cross to George Costanza, who scored /sp/'s winning goal of the match. /v/ neutralized TSUUUUUUU, but that alone was not enough for them, and with that, /sp/ advanced to the quarterfinals. The opponent waiting for them was their little brother, /asp/. This was a huge match for both teams because it would be the first time that they would face each other in an official cup.

The difference between mainstream sports and alternative sports became clear in this match. /sp/ played as if they were right at home in the quarterfinals, dominating their rivals in a 3-1 win for the GOATs. The first half featured some kickoff abuse right after Le Cut Insideman broke the deadlock. Towards the end of the same half, Women's """Wrestling""" scored an own goal that gave /sp/ the lead again. From then on, /asp/ couldn't get back into the match, and TSUUUUUUUUUU finished them off at the start of the second half.

Unfortunately, the good times ended here. Without much time to rest, /sp/ had to face /fit/ in the semifinals and in a slow paced match, the /sp/artans were eliminated with a 1-0 loss. George Costanza picked up a yellow card that got him suspended for the next match. This ended up being the most viewed match of the cup, with 2286 people in attendance. /sp/'s work was not done yet: the third place playoff came right after the semifinals, and they had to face /vp/. In a strange match, /sp/ was getting more chances to score than their shy rivals, but the match had to be decided by penalty kicks after a 2-2 draw in full time. There, Punished Messi and Da Burrs missed their shots as /sp/ lost 4-3 in penalty kicks.

Despite the losses, not all /sp/ fans were upset. This was /sp/'s best cup performance since the infamous 2013 4chan Winter Cup. Everything was fine...until the summer cup. The /sp/artans got drawn into a tough group: their opponents were /lgbt/, the Spring Babby Cup champions, a rising /toy/, and a reborn /o/. Despite Unexposable's efforts, /sp/ fell to a 3-1 loss against /lgbt/, with Special Snowflake scoring a double. /toy/ looked like they were going to relegate /sp/, taking a 2-0 lead against them at the 50th minute. Messi and Costanza kept /sp/ alive with goals that got the GOATs a 2-2 draw. Unfortunately, their efforts ended up being for naught. In the fixture that followed, /toy/'s 4-2 win against /lgbt/ confirmed /sp/ and /o/'s relegations. /sp/'s fans didn't even get to see a consolation win - /o/ beat /sp/ 4-3, with TSUUUUUUUUUUU finally scoring a goal that was practically meaningless. TWAIN was quickly sacked due to this poor performance, and was soon replaced by JohnnyBravo.

/sp/ looked to the 2017 Autumn Babby with the minimum goal of promotion back to Elites in time for the 2018 Winter Cup. A Group E draw with a /v/ team running a gold defender, an /out/ side with a new manager and an autopilot /cm/ further reinforced the expectation among supporters. The group stage started off rocky with a 1-1 draw to /cm/ on goals from TSUUUUUUUUUUUU and Len-Kun!!, prompting criticism and surges in smug anime posting. /sp/ recovered and moved back on-track with a 1-0 victory over derby rivals /v/ thanks to a late winner inside the six-yard box from Le Cut Inside Man. Needing at least a draw to advance, /sp/ cleared the final Winter promotion hurdle with ease on the back of a 5-0 rout of /out/ with a brace from TSUUUUUUUUUUUU and a hat-trick from Messi. /cm/'s 3-1 win was not enough to knock /sp/ off the top of the group.

The GOATs' reward: /fit/, who defeated /sp/ 1-0 in the 2017 Winter semifinals the last time they met. A tense Round of 16 match saw /sp/ victorious 3-2 after extra time with a TSUUUUUUUUUUUU hat trick overcoming /fit/ goals from Scooby and Zyzz. In the quarterfinals, /sp/ faced a revived /x/ side which had spooked /wsg/ away in the Round of 16. Despite a solid match from the GOATs and a goal from Messi, /x/ drew level after /x/-tan scored a free kick. In extra time, Cthulhu struck before the end of the first half, and /x/ held on to win 2-1. Following the match, citing personal reasons, JohnnyBravo stepped down from /sp/ management. ESK took over as head manager with TWAIN reinstating as a co-manager along with former /an/ manager CollieBro.