"Van Der Kash?" James whispered. "You met Van Der Kash? The guy who should be in Europe?"
"Yeah," Ian whispered.
"And this was two nights ago?" James asked.
"Yes," Ian replied.
The two sat next to each other on their long-haul flight from Newark Liberty International Airport to Frankfurt. The team wondered what they'd do in Frankfurt, but a last-minute announcement told them it was just a stopover.
"What does Düsseldorf look like?" asked Immanuel.
"Look at this," Lorenzo said. He showed him a picture of all the things in Düsseldorf that came up on the web.
"The real question you should be asking is, what's there to do in Münster?" said James from across the aisle.
The seating chart was a 2-4-2 configuration. A proper Airbus A340-600. The plane they were initially supposed to take was a Boeing 777-300ER, but because of technical issues, this plane came to their rescue. Lorenzo, Klaus, and Immanuel sat next to each other in the middle aisle, along with a young man who was very on edge. His hands shook, and Immanuel kept talking to him to calm him down.
To their left sat Ian, near the window since he loves the window seat, and James. James gets airsick and can't stand looking out the window. The rest of the boys were scattered throughout Premium Economy and Economy. lying silently asleep or chatting as the night sky surrounded their plane. Ian held his phone close to his face as James turned his attention to the entertainment system. He watched numerous movies quietly, laughing and smirking.
Everyone settled in quite nicely. They would arrive in the early morning in Frankfurt before another trip across to Düsseldorf. They had a long day ahead of them before they could fully relax without having to worry about transfers, luggage, and other issues.
"Hmm?" voiced Roberto. "You're from El Salvador?"
"Mhm," replied Kaiser Velasquez. Kaiser was a tanned man. He had curly, long hair tied into a man bun and stood at 5'7". He was a fullback who played in the third tier but was let go. He is 34 and can still run at an insane pace. His defensive work rate still needs improvement, but his IQ was through the roof.
Roberto had a small flat top and sports goggles. He had brown skin and blue eyes. He was small and quick. The boy did wonders in the academy, which is why Tati promoted him to the senior team at such a young age. His birthday was during the friendly against Münster, so he hoped to get some game time.
He and Kaiser chatted about how they would work together. One as a left back, the other as a right back.
Soon the plane dipped lower into the clouds. Rain poured down on the plane. As they landed in Frankfurt, they were told their connecting flight was delayed, but their luggage was already being loaded onto it. The team wasn't handling the announcement so well, along with the hundreds of other passengers waiting to board the plane. The storm loomed over the airport as lightning flashed and thunder roared.
"A winter thunder storm like this?" asked Ian. "Is this common in Germany?"
"No idea," replied Immanuel.
"It's not as cold as it was back home," Klaus said as he walked up behind them. He held his phone in his hand and scrolled through the weather app.
The three boys stared outside the big window, which showed the runway, taxiway, and planes stationed at the gates. They looked like young kids viewing something magnificent. Something that catches their eyes quickly.
"Ian," James said. Lorenzo followed him.
"You met Van Der Kash?" Lorenzo asked.
"Yes," Ian sighed. "Yes, I met the guy."
"What did he say?" Lorenzo asked. His eyes were wide open as the boys turned towards Ian as they got closer and closer.
"Hello?" asked Pietro. "What fun?"
"What?" they all asked.
"Van Der Kash?" he asked with a shy look on his face.
"Anyway," James said. "What did you talk about?"
"Errr, let's see," Ian said. "Not much, really. He told me he had joined a Major League team. That's basically it."
"What?" they all screamed.
"That guy failed in Europe?" murmured James. "All hope is lost."
"Fuck man, I quit," sighed Lorenzo.
"No, he didn't fail in Europe," Ian replied. "He declined an offer from Sparta Rotterdam."
"Why did he do that?" asked James.
"He thought he wasn't ready for Europe," Ian stated. "Then he tore his ACL the following month and has been on and off the pitch. He said his habit of not needing help destroyed him mentally. He became injury-prone."
"Did he not eat his greens?" Pietro asked.
They turned to him with the most confused and unnatural facial expressions. But then continued to listen to Ian. People passed by as they looked at the men around Ian. The numbers continued to grow as the majority of the team surrounded him as he told his story.
"So much for 'not much really'?" James whispered to Lorenzo. This caused Lorenzo to giggle a bit.
Luca raised his hand to stop Ian from continuing. He stepped up and faced the crowd of players towering over Ian.
"That's enough," Luca stated. "As some of us who faced him know of him, hearing his story will only cause trouble. This guy has ruined our lives as well, so this does not need to turn into a sobbing circus."
Most of the boys nodded. Luca was a figure for them. He had a chance to leave before but stayed to get the team back where it belongs. Not just for the players, but for the fans that haven't given up on them. In the past, Waterfront had a chance to make it to the Major League. More of a chance than their cross-town opponents, Hoboken City and Express Club.
Luca was the frontrunner, but not the captain. Surely, though, when the time comes, he'll achieve that goal.
The boys dispersed, and only Ian, Immanuel, and Klaus were left once again. They sat down on the floor, leaning on the glass. Their flight was boarding in the next few hours. The rain continued as it made patterns on the glass. They watched videos of Münster's gameplay. Although it was just a friendly match, they tried to make the best of it. Given that they have a three-week period with no league games, this was a great way for both teams to warm up with a bit of competition.
Time flew by as they boarded the plane and continued their journey. They arrived in Düsseldorf and took a bus to their hotel. The boys, realizing they could've flown to Münster or closer cities, weren't impressed in the slightest. But Tati stated they would be here for a couple days, and there were also surprises.
"Trust in Tati," Pietro said.
"Got a feeling this guy has us in a sling," James muttered.
"A sling?" Ian asked.
"Don't even get into that conversation," Lorenzo laughed.
They arrived at a beautiful hotel as the boys stepped off the bus. Stunned, their mouths hanging all the way to the floor, the boys slowly snuck in a smile as they were ushered into the lavish hotel. They looked at the beautiful lobby coloring.
"The most difficult part of this is the number of stairs we had to climb," sighed Immanuel.
"It was like thirty steps, dude," laughed Klaus.
They were given roommates and a room, and they were allowed to do as they pleased. The boys from the small, but also expensive, city of Hoboken never understood this beauty. Especially since many of them still work in blue-collar jobs.
"Before you all go," said a woman with dark hair. "I'd like to welcome you and also give you a message from your manager. - That being, 'you will train in the morning and scrimmage against Dortmund in the three days. Enjoy yourselves tonight, but remember to be in bed early and up early.'"
"Dort- Dortmund?" Ian shivered.
The Black and Yellow giants who fell short in the UCL semi-final last season. They've played a decent season but are also on a three-week break.
"Dortmund in Düsseldorf? There must be another trick?" asked James. "Dortmund, Münster, hmm."
The boys were stunned, but they all got fired up. They all smiled and hugged each other. Playing against an opponent that could easily destroy them 20-0 was a morale boost for them.
Ian, James, Immanuel, Klaus, and Lorenzo left the hotel and wandered the streets towards Altstadt. They used GPS to find their way, stopping at each shop.
"Maybe we should've asked for a little bit more money," James said.
"Why not just transfer money over?" said Klaus. "Do you not have money, James?"
"I have money," he pouted. "I have money."
"He doesn't have any," Ian laughed.
The boys laughed as James mocked them. They continued into the city, trying to enjoy their time. They were going up against a football giant in such short notice, too. But none of them felt overwhelmed.