"Quicker, Ian!" shouted Immanuel.
The ball was put into the back of the small net. Ian crouched to the ground, catching his breath, as they were losing by two goals. James jogged back to his side after scoring the goal.
"Ian, you lock your legs up too much," James said. "I kind of see you as a CDM."
"Really?" Ian asked.
"I feel like you'd be like Alonso," James suggested. "Someone who is quick on the ball and aggressive when tackling."
"Still need to work on your passes, though," laughed Immanuel.
"When receiving, look before touching the ball," Immanuel whispered.
"Look?" Ian asked.
The ball was back in play. It went to Ian as he touched it and held it under his right foot. He dragged it back, passing it to Roberto, who immediately passed it back to him.
"Look," he whispered. He moved his head slightly as his eyes darted toward Immanuel, who was in an excellent position to receive the ball. He passed it with his left foot, splitting the two players coming toward him.
The pass wasn't that good, as it was done with his weak foot and went out of play.
"Good try!" Immanuel shouted. "Honestly, I didn't think you'd get what I was saying so quickly."
"I didn't think I had it in me," Ian laughed.
James got the ball and passed it in. Luca was on his team and steamrolled down the small pitch. Ian moved to cut off a passing lane that was open for James. This made Luca turn back, passing it to Richard. Richard received it and swiftly moved up the field.
Ian backpedaled after seeing Richard's movement on the ball.
"Ian, watch Luca!" screamed Roberto.
Luca had gotten past him as Richard gestured a pass toward him. Ian tried to cut his lane as Richard faked the movement and ran full speed down the middle, where Ian was initially. Immanuel came in and tried to slide tackle, but failed miserably.
All seemed lost as Roberto ran toward him.
Ian appeared behind him, grabbing the pennie and tipping the ball off him. It rolled toward James, who delicately passed it into the net.
"Done!" shouted the trainer.
"Fuck man!" Ian exhaled. "Why are we going against them?"
He was gassed and laid on the dead grass, looking up at the cloudy sky. Immanuel came and sat down next to him. Training was over, and the match with Münster was in six hours. The morning was cold and quiet.
"What are you doing?" asked Lorenzo. "We're gathering around right now."
"I'm so tired, man," Ian gasped. "I can't even move my legs."
"Welcome to the intensity!" Lorenzo laughed. "This isn't like the academy you played for. Most of those guys you competed against won't even go pro for more than a year or so."
"Harsh truth," Immanuel said. "Very harsh. This goes for us too."
"And me too," Lorenzo uttered. "I'm currently battling for the starting position."
Ian stretched his hands out as Lorenzo pulled him up. The wind blew strong as the boys had a few hours to relax before boarding the bus to Münster. They laughed and danced on the field, in the hotel, and in the city as they enjoyed their time in Europe.
Thirty minutes before they boarded the bus, Tati held a meeting. The boys sat down in chairs in a random room in the hotel as Tati went over the plan. They watched recordings of Münster's play style, and each player had to point out what they needed to do.
Münster plays a timed defensive press. They only move in when they sense someone is not confident. This means that those who start will have to be fresh and move with maturity. This means Ian couldn't start.
The bus ride was about an hour and fifteen minutes. But for the boys, it felt quick. They were all quiet; no one said anything. Music blasts through their ears from their headphones as they look out the window. Nothing amusing happened on the bus ride to the stadium. As they got closer to the stadium, the number of supporters rose.
"Isn't this just a friendly?" asked Immanuel.
"I don't think they care," Ian replied.
The bus pulled up to an entrance as they disembarked a few minutes later. In the dressing room, they all sat down, some shirtless, others listening to music. Tati was going to make an appearance after being gone for a couple of days.
"The Dortmund game should be fun," said Lorenzo. He spoke to his mother on the phone as he paced around the room.
The door opened, and Tati, along with his staff, walked into the center of the room. The boys quickly got themselves dressed as he held a clipboard in his hand, along with an iPad.
"I'll be reading out the starters. Keep in mind you will all play today, no matter what," Tati said. "If you do not start, do not complain. You will be subbed either at halftime or a few minutes later. Keep in mind we want fresh legs for tomorrow's friendly against Dortmund, so rotations will probably come quicker than you think."
"Won't we all be sore tomorrow?" asked Klaus.
"The regular season has the U.S. Open Cup, the N.S.L. Cup, regular season play, and play-offs. We are expected to play about forty-eight games this season."
"Forty-eight?" asked Ian.
"You don't want to get promoted?" Tati asked.
Everyone chuckled as Tati cleared his throat. He handed the clipboard to his assistant manager and scrolled up on the iPad.
"I'll be reading the starting line-up; once I've done that, we'll begin warm-ups," he explained. "This is how I like to do it. Starting in goal will be Mikael."
"Mikael Ramaggio is a 32-year-old goalkeeper who played for Serie B side Venezia. He helped them promote to Serie A with his big saves during the playoffs. He has short, smooth hair, a long stubble beard, and black hair. He wore protective head gear after being kicked in the head a few years ago. He was 6'5" and had great reaction speed but wasn't good on the ball.
His shot-stopping skills still need work, but Tati wanted to see what he could do.
"In defense, I want Kaiser, Luca, Yuri, and Roberto," Tati said.
Yuri De Meer was a talented and tall center back. He had been injured for a few weeks, so his training was limited, but he surely shines brightly for the club's future. He is 21 years old and was brought to the team from a lower-division Dutch team. Tati brought him in last season as the team needed a new beginning after their disastrous seasons.
De Meer had long legs and pale skin. His legs were strong, and he had winger pace. He towers over many people during corners as he stands at 6'6". He had blue eyes and brown hair, and has braces.
De Meer smiled as he rocked his head, as if he were playing a song in his mind. He was game-ready and ripped up his socks to give his legs some air.
"In the midfield, we'll have Gregor, Klaus, and Reggie," he stated.
Reggie Bucknell was an all-around midfielder. He could play as a 6 or 10. As well as an 8. He knew what he was doing, was agile, and had spectacular vision. Though he was not as fast as some of the other players, he made up for it with his great passes and great dribbling moves. He's black with a high-top skin fade. His curly hair and strong legs and muscles made him a great addition to the team.
"Up top, we'll have Pietro, Richard, and James," Tati said. "I want to see how Pietro does as a winger in this game."
Pietro was full of joy. He was ready to play and kept snapping his fingers.
"On the bench: Georgie, Immanuel, Lorenzo, Tony, Cedrick, Ayomi, Johnny, Ian, Toyo, Dean, Timothy, Jorge, and Sergio," Tati stated. "Any complaints?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Alright, we have time to warm up, so let's go," he said.
Everyone fixed themselves up and walked out onto the nicely watered pitch. The stadium looked nice and had a capacity of 25,000. Though it was renovated a couple of years ago, fans cherish this stadium nonetheless.
The teams warmed up. Those on the bench were also getting a few touches and helping the starters the most. Ian wasn't annoyed at all. He wanted to see how Waterfront and Münster played. Münster was, technically, five tiers ahead of Waterfront. They play in the 2. Bundesliga, but in the relegation zone.
Soon, warm-ups were over, and the teams headed back into the dressing rooms. Tati gave an insightful speech on the level of play they must show. Ian's eyes widen with the realization that he is about to play his first game as a semi-pro and not an academy player. This was the first game where he could actually see the team in action. He wished his friend, Jamie, was here to experience this. He hadn't seen him as much, but he hoped he was experiencing this thrill as well.
The teams got ready and walked out of the dressing room. They were lined up as they walked out onto the pitch. Many supporters came to support their club today. Singing and jumping with flares flying off as A.S.C. Waterfront Hoboken and SC Preußen Münster were ready to take the stage.