"Ole ole oleeee! Ole ole ole!" screamed Express Club supporters.
"Man, they are one loud bunch of people!" shouted Ian.
"When's the game starting?" screamed James.
"Now!" shouted Klaus.
At that time, Hoboken City fans matched the tone by singing their war hymn. The players walked out as the large crowd screamed with glee. The Waterfront boys sat in the upper sections of the 40k capacity stadium. For two teams based in a city with a little over 80k residents, Express Club always gets a huge turnout, along with Hoboken City.
"It's getting really packed in here," Ian said.
"No fucking way!" screamed James. "Look who the fuck it is!"
"Hey guys!" screamed Pietro Droma. He's the left back for Waterfront and is very quick. His running made him look like a beast, even if he was skinny. He cut off his hair, but he usually has long hair. He's very proficient at tackling and impressive at counterattack pacing.
"Droma!" screamed Lorenzo.
"Hey guys!" Pietro said, in a rough accent. "I came to watch game!"
"Jeez, you still need to learn English!" James laughed.
"I saw Raiders today!" Pietro exclaimed.
"Wait, what?" Lorenzo asked. "Raiders Stamford?"
"Yes, I saw their striker, Mabomba," he said with a smile.
"Seems like many teams are here today," James said.
"Do teams watch other teams a lot?" Ian asked.
"Not really, but Troy is doing it because they play Express Club in two weeks," Lorenzo explained. "Raiders Stamford shouldn't be here; they're in the Major League."
"Didn't realize it was so competitive," Ian said. "Reminds me of how competitive European leagues are."
"Yeah, I like it over here, especially the tournaments and stuff," Lorenzo said.
The crowd flooded the boys' conversation. Pietro sat next to them as the stadium became packed. The players came out as flares and singing from both home and away supporters rang throughout the air and onto the streets. Ian's eyes opened wide as love and passion slapped him across the face. Both teams had players ten times stronger than him. They didn't smile and held their expressions as the kids in front of them smiled from ear to ear.
The national anthem was sung by a young girl, whose voice echoed throughout the stadium. It was as if she were summoning angels. Everyone cheered and shouted with enjoyment at her performance. The flares and singing began again, with Express Club voicing their love for the team with an Italian and English chants.
Fireworks rocketed in Express Club colors as the night sky fell upon them. Flags in the supporters section swayed left and right as camera crews lined up on advertising boards, hoping to get the best pictures possible.
The Hoboken derby was beginning, and Ian couldn't sit back down due to the environment. Some of the Waterfront boys were socializing as the whole atmosphere in the stadium was focused on the 22 players and four referees. After the handshakes and coin toss, the game was finally underway.
"Sheesh, I wish our games looked like this," James said.
"Soon, boys, soon," Klaus said.
"Man, it would be insane to play with a crowd like this," Ian drooled.
"You're a new fan?" asked a man behind Ian.
"Sure," he said. "This is my first time watching a game in person."
"Ah, I've been an Express Club fan way before promotion and relegation were a thing here," the man said. "You ever thought about playing for them?"
"I've got my eyes set on another team, but I'll keep this team in mind," Ian replied.
"Smart words, kid," the man said. "All the best to ya."
*Bwheeep*
Express Club kicked it off first and played it towards their center back as everyone ran up. The center back was a huge white man. He stood at 6'7" and had a buzzcut. On the back of his shirt, it read, "Kristensen," as he extended his leg, trimming the grass as the ball rocketed into the sky.
"Holy shit!" Ian said. "What a kick!"
"Calm down now," laughed Lorenzo. "You act like those girls at a K-pop concert."
"Hahahaha!" laughed Immanuel. "He really does!"
"This is amazing!" Ian said. "I feel like I'm dreaming."
"You want to see something amazing? Let's watch Barca play," laughed Klaus.
"Can we?" Ian gasped.
"Sometimes I forget he's almost an adult," James sighed.
The Express Club fans sang loudly as a tifo of the players standing tall with multiple NJ trains surrounding them gleamed throughout the stadium. Across the tifo were the words "Next Stop, The Major League." Along with the tifo, purple and black smoke rose from the supporters section as onlookers sang the Express Club's official chant.
"The game's underway, and the tifo still stands tall," said Immanuel.
"Seems like it," Klaus replied.
On the pitch, Hoboken City took the ball away from Express Club's right winger. They used a fast passing tactic as they counterattacked. The winger, Rasmus Thorsson, steamrolled down the pitch. While he isn't quick, his tall figure, menacing facial expression, and jacked physique make him stand out. He kicked the ball further forward, stomping on the grass as if he were trying to make a sinkhole in it.
The City players crowded the box as a fullback came towards the edge of the box. Rasmus fired the ball towards the edge, where the fullback controlled it effortlessly. He stretched his whole body to put his center of gravity toward his supporting foot.
"SHOOOOT!" shouted Hoboken City fans behind the goal.
The fullback crunched his teeth as his right arm shot out as he concentrated all his strength on his right foot. He flicked the ball up towards a midfielder running into an open space in the box. This confused the Express Club's backline.
"Holy!" Ian shouted.
The midfielder held his ground as he karate kicked the ball towards the near right post. The Express Club keeper reached for the sky and flicked the ball as it pinged off the crossbar and was cleared out of the box.
"Oh man!" Ian shouted. "That midfielder is fast and sly!"
"That's Lindenberg," said Lorenzo. "He's a very talented midfielder who could be leaving for Europe soon."
"Damn, Europe sounds amazing," Ian said. "But over here, it's getting bigger, so I want to win some silverware with you guys."
"Awh, I feel like crying," laughed Klaus.
The crowd roared more as the game continued. Ian kept his eye on the midfield, particularly at Lindenberg. He studied his movement and awareness. He saw that every time Lindenberg received the ball, he'd always look up and scan before focusing on what to do next.
As this happened, the game continued scoreless. Lindenberg had the ball as he looked up and saw no one was open. He passed it back to the center back, who lobbed it up to their left winger named Alexander. Alexander had long hair, which he tied into a man bun. He ran quick on the wing but wasn't as quick as the Express Club's CDM Alonso. Alonso had a small beard and was a bruiser. He played very physically and completely bum-rushed Alexander off the ball.
"Play on!" screamed the referee. "No foul!"
"Bullshit!" screamed Alexander in a heavy Eastern European accent. "Open your eyes!"
The ref didn't hear that last part, as he was already running down the pitch as Express Club countered.
"Ian, I recommend you also look at Express Club's midfielder Lucas Valdo," said James.
"Which one is he?" Ian asked.
"He's not on the pitch yet, it seems," replied Immanuel, whose eyes were glued to the match pamphlet.
"Why would I watch someone who's not a starter?" Ian asked.
"Because he's probably the best player to study," said James.
"Yes, that Valdo guy is very talented!" Pietro shouted.
"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Ian acknowledged. He focused on the game as the pace picked up.
Lindenberg had the ball for City again. He was surrounded by two Express Club players as he moved the ball gracefully under his cleats. He mimicked Iniesta's dribbling style as he swayed his body like he was dancing to the City fans' singing. The ball was glued to his feet as he danced around the Express Club defense. Everyone's sweat was dripping onto the pitch, even though it was chilly.
Lindenberg held up the play before feinting to his right and into open space, not realizing he had charged through the defense and was all alone. He looked up to see only the keeper in front of him and a winger to the right. Behind him, a tall center back tugged at his shirt. He looked back and swiped him off, continuing his run into the 18.
"SHOOT IT!" screamed the city fans.
"He's gonna score!" Ian screamed.
"Lindenberg!" screamed the crowd.
He ran to his left and opened up his body. Planting his right foot near the ball as it rolled on the grass. He hesitated and flicked the ball back to his right. A defender had already cut him off as he was knocked off the ball.
*Bwheeep*
"No way!" screamed the Express Club fans.
"Penalty!" the ref shouted as he pointed towards the box.
"Check that; no way that's a penalty!" screamed the Express Club players.
"You can't be serious!" screamed Alonso. "That's not a pen. You need to check that immediately."
Alonso was the one to tackle him off the ball.
"Hold on," the referee said. "I said hold on!"
"Check that immediately!" Alonso said as he got closer to the ref.
"I said hold on!" the ref screamed again. "One more time, you're getting booked. Listen to what I say; stand down."
"Easy, Alonso," said a Hoboken City player.
"Oh, it seems like an altercation!" Ian shouted.
The ref spoke to the linemen to confirm it, as the linemen had called him over when he called the penalty. The referee consulted with him for a few minutes before confirming the penalty. The whole stadium got irritated and started chanting curse words at the ref and lighting flares. The Express Club supporters became more and more aggravated and started lighting up flares.
Even though the flares were lit up, security was called to deal with the matter as the penalty taker lined up to take the shot. Lindenberg was taking the penalty as he put his hands on his hips. Huffing a few times before slowly running up to the ball and opening his arms. He rocketed the ball toward the left side of the goal. The Express Club keeper dove towards it, smacking it off the post, then jumping on it and holding it on the ground.
The crowd screamed with excitement as the halftime whistle blew.
"These guys are insane," Ian said. "How will I compete at their level?"
"Don't worry about it," Klaus said. "You're still young; there's always improvement."
Halftime has come. The boys exited their seats and wandered throughout the stadium looking for something to eat. Ian was excited, ready for another half of the beautiful game he knows and loves.