"Hey, Levi!" Jim was in the stands, shouting at Levi, who was standing by the court nearby.
Levi and Messi and Curtiston, who stood next to him, turned around. Messi immediately greeted his landlord.
"Jim, didn't you say you were free?" Levi greeted him with a smile.
The noise at the scene was so loud that even though they were close, they had to speak very loudly to hear each other clearly.
"Hey, you see, there just happened to be a guest calling the car!" Jim smiled guiltily.
Levi laughed unwillingly.
"Oh, Messi, don't tell the landlady, go and say you saw me here, you know?" Fat Jim said something and quickly ordered Messi.
Messi was not very old, but he was quite smart, and nodded in agreement immediately.
"Hey, Levi, why didn't Rich Velence get on today? I saw he was warming up on the sidelines and wasn't injured?" The fat man asked with a bit of wonder.
"I don't know!" Levi also found it strange. To say the least, Rich Velence has always been the main left forward of New Manchester United during warm-up matches. He also cooperated well with Evra. Why did he become a substitute for the official match?
Frank Karak's ability was known to Levi. This player was just like himself, very balanced. Speed, passing, awareness, defense, running, etc., were all balanced in all aspects, but sometimes balance meant mediocrity.
Why give up the specialty of Rich Velence and use the more mediocre Frank Karak?
Levi's doubts were quickly answered at the beginning of the game.
When the referee blew the whistle to start the game, New Manchester United kicked off with Matten and Giggs. After the former kicked out, the latter immediately knocked it back to Smith at midfield.
Smith took the ball two steps and encountered an interception by the opponent's midfielder. He immediately passed it to Frank Karak on the side.
Since Karak's position was already in the opponent's half, the opponent's winger stepped forward to intercept it. However, he realized that Karak made a forward pass and then saw a black lightning bolt pass by them.
"Evra!" Levi was taken aback.
"Patrices! Patrice!" The fans suddenly shouted at the scene.
Karak's pass was very comfortable. Evra made a run after receiving the ball, dribbled past the defender's wingback, and went straight for the byline.
At this moment, Matten and Giggs, who had been marked in the middle, were in position, and even Smith was near the edge of the penalty area, waiting for a chance.
Evra looked up at the penalty area and sent a simple cross with his left foot.
Unfortunately, the intention of the cross was too obvious and was blocked by the opponent's center back.
Although it wasn't successful, the fans at the scene still applauded warmly for this attack, especially for Evra. He had just shown lightning-fast speed.
"So that's it!" Levi finally understood, but couldn't help feeling that this was the gap between professionals and amateurs.
Although the amateur team didn't have high demands for the professional knowledge of the head coach, if Levi were the head coach, he would make Rich Velence a starter because his speed was also fast, which could unsettle the opponent's defense, thereby creating opportunities in the middle.
But as a result, the defense on the left became a vulnerability, which was evident during New Manchester United's pre-season warm-up games.
Steve Bruce employed another clever tactic, replacing Velence with the balanced offensive and defensive Karak, and then gave Evra absolute freedom to push forward, with Karak covering for him.
This way, the defensive issue on the left was resolved, and Evra could create as many threats as Velence, even more stealthily, and the most remarkable thing was that the pressure on Smith and Marginson was reduced. Smith no longer had to worry about defending on the left and could confidently join the attack.
The substitutions addressed several major issues for the team, and Levi had to admit that Bruce's ingenious work was truly remarkable!
"Back on defense!"
Lyons delivered a good corner kick, but Bruce failed to connect properly due to interference from the opponent. After it landed, he ran back to his own half while directing his teammates to defend.
The opponent's goalkeeper's goal kick was met by Karl Marginson, and Matten passed it directly to Giggs.
Giggs shrugged off an opponent's challenge and passed to Lyons on the right.
Lyons looked up and delivered a long diagonal pass with his right foot. He found Evra directly from the left.
It was indeed New Manchester United's Beckham, Evra had just outpaced the opposing full-back, and Lyons' pass arrived perfectly in front of him, with one swift motion.
Matten was already in position in the middle, meeting Evra's low cross with a shot.
The distance was too close, and even though the goalkeeper reacted, he couldn't reach the ball, 0:1!
Just under four minutes into the first half, New Manchester United, with Evra's assist, scored the club's first official goal in history through Matten.
The fans at the scene erupted. Everyone stood up, cheered, shouted, and waved flags embroidered with the New Manchester United logo, celebrating the heroes on the field.
At the start of the game, both offenses were sharp. It was evident that Bruce had emphasized this in training, but Levi had been in the United States for the past two weeks, so he didn't know.
"Levi, you can win, you can win!" Fat Jim also stood up and shouted continuously.
Levi smiled back at him and the oblivious fans; yes, this game could be won!
In fact, in the subsequent game, New Manchester United firmly controlled the situation on the field.
As an amateur team, lick CSOB's head coach, captain, and club chairman were the same person, a forward on the team. Being on the field, he also felt the pressure and couldn't make accurate judgments.
When the game resumed, New Manchester United's offensive onslaught continued, especially down the left with Evra.
With Karak's support, Evra was like lightning, exploiting his speed advantage to tear through the opponent's defense time and time again, delivering cross after cross.
However, Evra's crosses still needed improvement. He had several crossing opportunities during the game, but apart from the assist in the first 3 minutes, all of them missed their intended targets.
But despite this, the fans at the scene still warmly applauded Evra.
The standout player on the field was undoubtedly Matten. The clinical striker capitalized on three opportunities in the game, netting a hat-trick, the first in New Manchester United's history, etching his name into the record books.
As Matten's strike partner, Giggs not only used his speed to create chances for Matten but also provided an assist to help Smith score. Additionally, he thwarted a shot by the opponent's goalkeeper, adding to the goal tally.
Equally impressive was Lyons on the right. The seemingly unsung Beckham of New Manchester United delivered two assists in the game and later scored directly from a free kick in the second half.
0:6! New Manchester United routed Rick CSOB with six goals.
Twenty minutes into the second half, with the game firmly under control, New Manchester United began making substitutions.
Danny Collins replaced Steve Bruce, Victor Moses replaced Smith, and David Bell came on for the fatigued Rodry Giggs.
However, after the substitutions, New Manchester United players visibly eased up. With a comfortable six-goal lead, winning was already a certainty.
It was this relaxation that allowed lick CSOB to mount a spirited counterattack in the final 20 minutes of the game.
Fortunately, lick CSOB's attacks were disorganized, and their sudden bursts of energy posed no real threat to New Manchester United's lead. As a result, the score remained 0:6, securing New Manchester United's victory in their inaugural match.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the New Manchester United fans erupted in celebration. Everyone stood up, cheered, shouted, and waved flags adorned with the club's logo, honoring the heroes on the field.
"Thank you to the fans!" Bruce exclaimed, halting the players who were about to leave the pitch.
As a former Manchester United legend and now the coach of New Manchester United, Bruce had already left a deep impression on this newly formed team. So when he expressed gratitude to the fans, even the substitutes rushed out onto the field, thanking the supporters who had come to cheer for the team.
After the game, Levi quickly obtained the stadium attendance statistics. A total of 3016 fans had attended the match, breaking the official attendance record for a Northwest League game. The FA seemed surprised by the high turnout, according to feedback received from Walsh.
Although New Manchester United had achieved excellent results both on and off the pitch, Bruce remained dissatisfied. This dissatisfaction was evident during the bus ride back to Manchester.
Levi couldn't help but feel proud of the team's accomplishment. As they journeyed back, he reflected on the game and the promising future that lay ahead for New Manchester United.