Super Wingstorm

"This is going to be a tough match," John Reep said with a frown, standing among the crowd on the sidelines.

"They’ve even brought out players like Wesley Snowye, Kagri Assante, and Marvin Dorin. It looks like AS80 is getting serious this time. They want to use this summer amateur tournament to boost their team’s morale," Dick Van Puer analyzed.

Ever since Almere was promoted to the third tier, their first team had held a clear edge over AS80. However, there was still a gap between them in terms of youth development. Much of the first team’s success came from players on loan from Ajax to gain experience.

In the past season, Almere had failed to get promoted to the second tier, but their performance throughout the season had been outstanding. To achieve such results just seven years after its founding had made Almere famous throughout the Netherlands’ soccer scene. As their crosstown rivals, AS80 naturally felt immense pressure.

Since they couldn’t compete with Almere in league performance, AS80 naturally wanted to even the score in other areas. The amateur tournament was undoubtedly the best stage for that. With three starting-caliber first-team players joining them, could they even be called an amateur team anymore?

The amateur tournament also used a single-elimination format. If Almere were knocked out in the very first match, not only would the players lose a valuable opportunity for training, but it would also be a devastating blow to the team’s morale.

But there was nothing John Reep and Dick Van Puer could do about it.

Ultimately, the match had to be fought by the players on the field. The head coach could only offer advice and strategies from the sidelines.

When they saw Yang Yang in their team’s sideline rest area, talking to his teammates and seemingly directing them, both John Reep and Dick Van Puer were quite surprised.

They could both sense the team’s low morale—even Henk Demyer looked grim. Yet, Yang Yang appeared full of confidence, commanding with composure, which they found unexpected.

"He doesn’t seem to understand the opponent’s strength," Dick Van Puer said with a wry smile.

"That might actually be a good thing," John Reep replied, and he truly meant it.

The ignorant are fearless. Since Yang Yang didn’t know the true strength of the opposing players, he felt no psychological pressure or burden.

But what they didn’t know was that even if Yang Yang had known, he still wouldn’t have felt any burden. In fact, he would have been even more eager to give it a try.

Although he had only played four matches, the youth team games were no longer enough to satisfy him. Facing a starting defender from the Fourth Tier League was a rare training opportunity for him.

With a blow of the referee’s whistle, Almere, who had the kickoff, immediately passed the ball back to their defensive line.

Yang Yang immediately charged forward from the right wing, coming face to face with the opposing number two, left-back Marvin Dorin.

The opponent clearly didn’t take Yang Yang seriously. In the first team, he faced attackers from the Fourth Tier League. Looking at this scrawny Chinese player who seemed like he would topple over with a slight nudge, he really wasn’t impressed.

The ball quickly returned to the midfield, where Henk Demyer was responsible for distribution. Yang Yang ran into an open space to receive it.

Even after nearly two months of special training, Yang Yang’s fundamentals were still not great, especially his first touch.

Henk Demyer’s pass was a bit rushed, and Yang Yang failed to control it on his first touch. Marvin Dorin closed in, but fortunately, Yang Yang managed to turn and shield the ball before quickly passing it back to the defensive line.

When Marvin Dorin saw him turn to shield the ball and pass back as soon as he got close, he assumed the kid was flustered. He especially noticed Yang Yang’s look of relief and let out a cold snicker before slowly backing away while facing him.

’That’s all this kid’s got.’

Yang Yang did secretly breathe a sigh of relief. He really hadn’t controlled that pass well. He couldn’t help but raise his hand to apologize to Henk Demyer, indicating that the failed attack was his fault.

The Almere players all understood Yang Yang. They knew his fundamentals were weak, but they knew even better that the moment he managed to control the ball was when his real threat would be revealed. So, no one was discouraged.

Soon, after regrouping, the ball was once again sent to the midfield.

This time, Yang Yang ran from the right wing toward the center to receive the ball, successfully stopping his teammate’s pass at his feet.

With no defenders around him, Yang Yang calmly turned, pushed the ball forward, and shot ahead like a Cheetah.

Marvin Dorin was a Fourth Tier League player, after all. Though he didn’t think much of Yang Yang, his fundamental tactical discipline and skill were there. He quickly got into position, blocking Yang Yang’s path.

One-on-one!

’Does this kid think he can get past me?’

Marvin Dorin sneered inwardly as he watched Yang Yang dribble closer and closer.

’Doesn’t he know I’ve always been known for my solid defense?’

’His speed isn’t bad, but trying to break through with speed alone? That might work in the youth league, but not against me. No chance.’

Facing Yang Yang, Marvin Dorin constantly observed his dribbling rhythm and speed, steadily backpedaling. The moment Yang Yang entered his defensive range, he immediately made a move to interfere.

’Get to the sideline!’

Influenced by Marvin Dorin’s feint, Yang Yang did exactly as he expected, suddenly cutting the ball to the outside. Marvin Dorin seized the opportunity, decisively sticking out his foot for a direct tackle. He hoped to knock over this timid Chinese kid at the same time, to give him a taste of what he was up against and show him the strength of a starting left-back from the Fourth Tier League.

But just as he moved, a blur flashed before his eyes. When he focused again, he saw that Yang Yang had feinted, turning his original outside break into an inside cut. His outstretched foot had hit nothing but air.

’What just happened?’

Using the Pendulum Move to instantly get past Marvin Dorin, Yang Yang suddenly accelerated the moment he brushed past his opponent. His speed was now noticeably faster than before, and he left Marvin Dorin completely in the dust.

A sudden gasp erupted from around the stadium.

No one had expected that in their very first clash, Marvin Dorin would be so easily beaten by Yang Yang.

By the time Marvin Dorin turned around, Yang Yang had already stormed to the right side of the penalty area. After a sudden burst of speed, he came to a sharp stop and cut the ball, shaking off the center-back who had rushed over to cover. He then easily made a cross to the near post, where the striker from Almere’s first team tapped it in for an easy goal, scoring the first for Almere.

"YEAH!!!!"

Almere’s number eleven, the center-forward, was so excited he charged at Yang Yang and swiftly lifted him up by the waist.

The surrounding teammates also swarmed in, huddling around Yang Yang.

"Haha, you’re the man, kid! Absolutely brilliant!"

"Scoring right at the start! That was a beautiful breakthrough."

"So sharp! So damn effective!"

"I think I’m in love with you, Yang Yang!"

All his teammates were celebrating wildly, and Yang Yang himself was grinning from ear to ear.

Who would have thought that less than three minutes into the match, Almere would break through AS80’s defense and be the first to break the deadlock.

Marvin Dorin stood frozen on the spot, staring in disbelief at the celebrating Almere players, especially Yang Yang in the center of it all. He felt utterly humiliated, as if he had been made a fool of.

Kueller saw his expression and understood what had happened. His teammate from the first team had been careless.

He had warned Marvin Dorin earlier, but the other man clearly hadn’t listened at all.

The Pendulum Move. That was Yang Yang’s signature skill.

"Don’t worry about it. We’re only one goal down. We’ll get it back soon," Kueller said, consoling him.

At this point, that was all he could say.

Seeing Almere score first, John Reep and Dick Van Puer also laughed and cheered from the sidelines.

They hadn’t expected their team to be able to strike first either.

"The kid’s improved again." John Reep had the sharpest eye and saw it at a glance.

"Yeah, look at that breakthrough just now. He seemed so calm and in control," Dick Van Puer marveled. Although there was an element of surprise, it truly showcased Yang Yang’s skill.

It had only been about half a month since the last game, yet he had improved again.

"His rate of improvement is so fast. We need to start making preparations," John Reep said.

The "preparations" he was referring to was signing a contract with Yang Yang. It was imperative to keep him on the team.

Dick Van Puer completely agreed. The first team had lost a lot of players for the new season and desperately needed someone like Yang Yang to step up.

But he could also see that at Yang Yang’s current rate of progress, it was only a matter of time before Almere would be unable to hold onto him.

"With this goal, I’m sure the players will have more fighting spirit," John Reep said with certainty.

Conceding the first goal completely infuriated the AS80 players. They used the restart to launch a fierce offensive against Almere, using their superior strength to dominate the game.

In the nineteenth minute of the match, the dominant AS80 finally broke through Almere’s goal.

An assist from Wesley Snowye allowed Kagri Assante to receive the ball inside the penalty area. He used his body to push past the defender and scored with a close-range blast, leveling the score for AS80.

Although Almere put up a tenacious fight, their goal was breached in the end.

After their first goal, AS80 quickly reorganized their attack. In the thirty-first minute, Wesley Snowye received an assist from the number seven left-winger and sent a shot from near the penalty spot, piercing Almere’s goal once again.

Two to one. AS80 had successfully turned the tables on Almere.

Going from leading to trailing, Almere, whose overall strength was far inferior to their opponents, could only passively take the hits.

At first, Yang Yang waited bitterly for an opportunity on the right wing. Later, he started actively tracking back on defense, but he never got another good one-on-one chance like the one at the beginning of the game. This made it difficult for him to threaten the opponent’s goal.

It wasn’t until the forty-third minute, just before the end of the first half, that Almere intercepted the ball in their own half and passed it to Yang Yang’s feet again. With his back to the attack, Yang Yang failed to control the ball cleanly and was forced to pass it sideways to Henk Demyer while turning to charge forward himself.

This time, Henk Demyer understood perfectly. After receiving the pass, he sent it back to the right wing, leading the ball into Yang Yang’s sprinting path to make the most of his speed advantage.

And when Yang Yang caught up to the ball, he was once again facing Marvin Dorin alone.

Another one-on-one showdown.