Free Web NovelChapter 19: Match Day 16
Diego rushed back out to the sideline. He had heard one too many whistles not to realize the game had already started. freewebnovel.cσ๓
"Eyes on the ball!" Coach Nick barked as he paced alongside the white line, his eyes locked onto the pitch as the teenagers jogged and ran into action.
Behind him, reserve and no. 66, Diego, tried to blend in and act like he’d been there the whole time as he snuck his way over to the bench where the rest of the reserves were seated.
This was Match Day 16, and man, it was intense. The game was so much faster than the school games they play at San Gregorio. The ball zipped across the grass like a pinball, bouncing from foot to foot as neither team could keep absolute possession for more than a few seconds before a tackle or a header sent the leather flying somewhere else.
One player from his team Diego kept an eye on was a 14-year-old named Miguel. Just like Adan, Miguel’s name was always the one you heard in the team’s discussions and huddles. Even back in the rookie zone, where the reserves sat, Damian and the others talked about him very often. Diego had also seen for himself how much reverence everyone gave him.
Miguel was a winger, typically playing the RMF position in the 4-4-2 formation that Coach Nick and Fred used as their primary setup. He was average in height, but he had naturally strong-looking legs, designed perfectly for sprinting. Diego fancied his dark skin, his locks, and those sharp grey eyes. But what he liked most was his determination and focus. Miguel didn’t smile or mess around. He was always on a mission.
All those features blossomed right from the kickoff. Miguel was easily the best player on the field for San Blas in those first seven minutes.
When the ball finally went out of play for a throw-in near San Blas’ dugout, Coach Nick kicked it over to him. Jogging over, Miguel grabbed the ball and tossed a swift, hard throw straight to the groin of a teammate, a blonde kid playing in the defensive middle.
The blonde boy had a tough time as two Móstoles players were immediately all over him, pulling his jersey and bumping into his back.
But he managed to stay on his feet and poked a quick pass up toward the center of the field, where the captain, Adan, was waiting to pick it up.
The second the ball touched Adan’s feet, the air shifted in the Móstoles half of the field, and San Blas supporters cheered from the bleachers.
All the defenders started panicking and turning their heads, trying to figure out where the danger was coming from.
But while everyone else was watching Adan, one person had already been sprinting forward at full speed: Miguel.
PwoooF!
Adan kicked the ball as high as he could, swaying it perfectly over the tall defenders in their bright orange jerseys.
A stunning, precise pass that flew toward the right corner.
Moving like a lightning bolt, Miguel approached the lone game as the linesman’s flags stayed down!
The Móstoles goalkeeper’s heart was thumping against his ribs as he watched Miguel fly down the wing. He quickly shuffled his feet, settling into a deep stance and angling his body slightly at a diagonal since Miguel was attacking from the right.
Móstoles was sitting in 13th place on the table, and this keeper was totally tired of picking the ball out of his net this season. He looked determined, like he was ready to throw his whole body in front of a bus if it meant keeping a clean sheet!
"Don’t let him cut inside! Close the gap now!"
"I got him! I got him!"
The goalkeeper stiffened even more, his gloves gripped tight as he focused on Miguel’s feet. But then, he felt a small wave of relief. One of his biggest defenders, a kid who looked like he was built out of bricks, was sprinting across the grass to intercept. He was about to juncture with Miguel right as the winger stepped into the penalty box.
"Force him wide! Push him to the line!" the keeper roared at the effort as he crouched lower.
He expected his defender to do something smart, like a sliding tackle to poke the ball away or at least a hard nudge to mess up Miguel’s shot. But instead, it was like watching a car crash.
The defender didn’t even look at the ball—he just slammed right into Miguel with a massive thud!
"OOOOOOUUUUHHHH!"
Miguel took the whole impact right on his shoulder. It sent him flying through the air, completely separated from the ball, before he slammed hard into the grass.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"
"Aaurghhhh," Miguel groaned, rolling on the ground in pain while the ball was just cleared away as if nothing happened.
"Are you kidding me?! That’s garbage!" Coach Nick yelled from the sideline, spreading his hands in utter disbelief and looking totally confused about how a ref could miss that. In fact, every single San Blas player on the bench jumped to their feet, shouting and pointing at the spot. Diego was right there with them, yelling his head off because it was so obvious.
Phweere!
The whistle finally blew, but Miguel just kept groaning as his teammates rushed over to check on him. He could hear a lot of pushing and shoving going on above him, but the pain in his shoulder was a total nightmare.
"WOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!"
It was a totally reckless foul! It turned a simple youth match into a wild zoo in just a few seconds.
Phweeeeeee!
The referee blew his whistle again, much louder this time, to get everyone to stop fighting. Everyone turned to look as the ref pointed his finger straight at the penalty spot for a kick. Then, his hand moved slowly toward his breast pocket.
Diego was already joining the others, running out onto the field with his heart racing when the referee pulled out a yellow.
’A yellow?’ Diego exclaimed as he slowed once near the scene.
The air was filled with shouts. Almost every San Blas player was surrounding the ref, arguing and waving their arms, telling him it absolutely had to be a red card for a hit that hard.
At the edge of the box, Diego didn’t join the yelling. Instead, he walked over to where Miguel was sitting on the grass. The star winger was grimacing, slowly massaging his shoulder where the big defender had slammed into him.
"Are you alright?" Diego asked, leaning down.
Looking up, Miguel squinted against the sun. He blinked a few times, probably not even recognizing Diego since he was just a new kid from the reserves, but he gave a small, painful nod. "All good," he muttered.
Together, they both looked ahead at the giant commotion happening in the middle of the box. This was the very first match back from the February break, and it was already total chaos. Diego realized right then that this season was going to be way hotter and more intense than he had ever imagined.
Then, Diego looked back at Miguel. He realized his hand was resting on Miguel’s arm. From the touch, it was like he could feel the stats of the Portuguese boy through his skin.
Miguel was fast, swift, and super agile. He was a quick thinker, innovative, and really dexterous with his feet.
But Diego also noticed the downsides—Miguel was kind of physically fragile. He lacked rigid balance, he wasn’t very strong, and he probably didn’t have enough stamina to last a whole ninety minutes at full speed.
Still, Diego was willing to bet on him. He had two slots for bonding now, and he knew he could really make do with a speedster like this.
If he could siphon those skills, he’d be unstoppable!
--
--
--
A/N: Thanks for reading!
