*Bweeep*
"Alright, alright, it's game time," Immanuel said as he clapped his hands numerous times.
"Easy, man," laughed Lorenzo. "Watch and study."
The game was underway. The fans chanted and sang as the teams paced themselves. Münster had the ball first and passed it around, figuring out where to move next. Waterfront played a high line as they had the manpower to do so. Many of the players on the pitch were very rusty and eager to improve.
Throughout the first few minutes, Münster had the ball. The possession percentage was 99% for Münster, with 0% contested and 1% for Waterfront, from a header clearance from Luca. The enemy in black began to figure out Waterfront's midfield weakside and began abusing Klaus as much as possible.
As Klaus was exhausted out in the midfield, Münster's right winger received the ball. They moved the ball like Barcelona in their prime as the right winger came more inward. This left the whole right side of the field isolated. Münster already knew the formation Waterfront used. They dismembered the (2) portion of the 4-2-1-3. Klaus couldn't tackle the ball off them, and his positioning was poor. The three up top were left isolated for the first few minutes. Tati ordered the wingers to rush and help the defense, as the ball never left the ground.
Münster's right winger was the star of the show. He was 5'6" and white with silky, smooth black hair. He was expressionless, and even though he ran around the pitch the most, he didn't look tired at all. On the other hand, Klaus and Gregor were trying to catch their breath after every play, and it's only the 10th minute. Münster, however, has a big problem. Their attack can't seem to get the ball a few inches into the 18.
"Here comes a shot!" Yuri screamed. He shielded his body, putting his right arm in front of his face. The shot was powerful and missed Yuri by an inch. Though it flew over the bar,
Mikael, the Waterfront goalkeeper, grabbed the ball and slammed it to the ground. He screamed for the team to get up, as his anger could be heard throughout the stadium. He spotted Pietro wide open as he played on the left. After lofting the ball toward Pietro, he heavily touched it but regained control as he gently passed it to the left back.
"In, in, in!" Tati screamed. "Give him options now!"
The boys on the bench watched as the team looked sluggish and dead. Without a second to spare, Münster started a high press, causing the ball to travel toward Mikael. Looking all over the pitch and seeing no one open, Mikael rocketed the ball toward the sky. As it descended, there were only Münster players in the area. The midfield began to speed their way through the crowd of Waterfront players. No tackles were made as a young midfielder dribbled his way into the center after receiving the ball from his teammate.
He sliced the ball on the ground, creating a good through ball for the left winger to speed past Roberto. Roberto felt confused and had been caught out of position. The crowd stood up and cheered as the fast winger was through on goal. Gently wrapping his right foot around the ball, he causes it to curl past Mikael and into the bottom right corner of the goal.
"JAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" shouted the crowd, though it wasn't that loud. Claps followed as the man who scored jogged back, clapping his hands.
Tati never stopped giving orders after the goal was scored. The team looked lost. As the 20th minute approached, the game continued. Münster's goalkeeper looked at the game from afar as the ball quickly rolled through Klaus and Reggie's legs. The young midfielder once again made a fool out of the midfield.
"Fuck sake," Ian sighed. "Holy shit."
"Fuck man!" Immanuel groaned.
The whole bench felt annoyed. The rush of nervousness swept through like the coronavirus and the black death. As the game continued, Waterfront's playstyle became more sloppy. The boys on the bench were disgusted. Münster passed the ball with precision and grace. Moving the ball forward without getting it intercepted. Neither Klaus nor Gregor could tackle the young boy on the ball as he huffed and puffed his way through the middle.
He cut back, seeing that the middle lane had been roadblocked by the two Waterfront CBs. Without hesitation, Reggie slid in and flicked the ball off the boy. Klaus turned around and passed it back into conflict, causing problems for Kaiser, who received the ball too heavily and was already surrounded by the opposition.
"How much longer is the first half?" asked Sergio. "This is a shitshow."
Sergio Cantonello was in his late 20s. He was from Kearny and had an excellent fade. His wish was to play for Argentina. This wish is slowly dying by the minute. Sergio plays right wing. He isn't that proficient at shooting or crossing, but his dribbling is top-notch. He stands at 5'9" and has a light brown skin tone.
"Twentyish minutes left," replied Toyo.
Toyo Ajayi was a Canadian-Nigerian. He was born and raised in Mississauga and came over after playing in the fifth-tier regional division for the Ssauga Steel. Ever since he left Ssauga Steel, they have come close to entering League Two but fell short in the regional playoffs. He stood at 6'0" and had a buzz cut due to his hair being too long for his liking. Toyo was a CB and very agile.
Last season, he suffered a hamstring injury and has been on and off the pitch ever since.
"You think he'll sub us in before half?" asked Ian.
"No," Toyo replied. "He never does that. Even when the team struggles. You'll understand soon."
Toyo sat comfortably in the chair. The boys on the pitch looked gassed. They needed water and sweated bullets, even though it was winter. They made a team that's in the relegation zone look like a top-five team.
Back into play, the ball was kicked out after Münster pressed Kaiser. One of the Münster players went over to the sideline and grabbed the ball. As he scanned the area, his team got some air and started to calm down.
The crowd continued to sing to their hearts' content. They saw that their team had the upper hand. They believed this was a new chapter.
On the other hand, Waterfront played poorly. Their marking became sloppy. They started to wander out of position, which caused passes to get past them. Mikael had to make numerous saves. At that moment, in the 31st minute, Münster skied the ball in an attempt to score from outside the 18. Mikael got the ball and rolled it toward the middle of the 6-yard box.
Running up slowly, he chopped bits of grass as the ball lifted off into the air. Once it made it to the middle of the pitch, Reggie jumped up and headed it backwards. Luca wrestled a Münster player as he jumped up and headed the ball toward Pietro on the left. Pietro hesitated on the ball, swaying too much, causing the young Münster midfielder to press him heavily.
"Open, open!" Pietro yelled.
"Here!" screamed Kaiser as Luca raised his hand immediately.
Kaiser received the ball and kicked it directly at Luca.
"Send 'em!" screamed Tati. "Use that as an advantage!"
Luca lobbed it up to Richard, who had a height advantage over the fullback, who had been man-marking him. He faked jumping up for the ball, causing the fullback to react. Richard drifted past him as the ball flew over the fullback and bounced awkwardly on the grass.
Richard ran at full speed, throwing his arms up and down but not reaching the ball in time. Even someone as fast as him couldn't receive the ball. The hype of the play died, and Münster had the ball in their possession.
"Come on, man!" screamed Richard. Cursing while punching his right leg.
"Our one chance," Immanuel sighed.
"I mean, this team is miles ahead of us," Toyo replied. "We need to build chemistry before we can do much."
"I'm guessing sooner or later we'll bring in some new players." Ian asked.
"Too early to tell," Toyo said.
On the bench, it became quiet. On the pitch, the gassed screams of players getting visibly upset from faulty passes, failed runs, horrible movement, and misleading gestures make Waterfront lose possession.
"I'm surprised it's still 1-0," said Ian as he broke the silence.
"What is the time?" asked Sergio.
"On the board, man," laughed Toyo.
"I can't see it from my terrible seat," Sergio scoffed.
The whistle blew as the crowd clapped for their team. Although this wasn't an ideal game for either side, the game could've easily been 4-0 if it weren't for Mikael in the net. He is looking very deadly as the starting keeper, something that revs Lorenzo's nerves.
The boys hung their heads low as they entered the dressing room and sat down. Tati came in with his staff, holding up his iPad and staring at it. Everyone was quiet and didn't move a muscle.
"Good, you are all quiet," he said. "That's good; you have some sense. What I saw out there was not football, not soccer, not calcio, not fútbol. It was nothing. I couldn't even come up with an idea to call it."
Heads were in hands, and half the attention was on the black-patterned floor.
"The team we're facing isn't something we should be afraid of. The defense should not struggle with the ball. Luca, you aren't speaking at all. If you want to keep it that way, don't speak for the rest of the trip. Roberto, you are new; I understand, but you should not be getting beat by someone who is moving in your line of sight."
Tati tapped on his iPad to view more notes he had put down.
"The attack isn't working," he stated. "This isn't because the attack is inexperienced. It's because the attack cannot get help from ghosts in midfield! Reggie, you need to be moving and getting open to pass it to them. Klaus and Gregor, you two have not called for the ball and are not moving at all. Münster have been feeding the ball to their midfield. You still can't get it through your head that you need to move and cut the young midfielder's lane so he struggles?"
Ian has never seen Tati get so angry. Nor have any of the newcomers on the team. Tati always had a stern look but smiled throughout training and when speaking to players one-on-one. He's the type of manager you want when you know you can improve but don't know how.
He showed everyone Münster's playstyle and started listing flaws that everyone contributed to. Tati wanted this team to thrive, and the problems they have are a hindrance in his mind.
With half time ending and the second half beginning. Tati looked over to the bench and called everyone out to warm up. Ian became nervous. He quickly ran out and stretched. A big substitution was about to happen soon. Ian's heart skipped a beat as he and the other boys watched the game unfold, this time standing on the sidelines.