Super Wingstorm

Five days later, in the evening, at the Almere Youth Team training ground.

In the second round of the amateur tournament, Almere faced Narden.

Narden was a small town in the southeastern suburbs of Amsterdam, located south of Almere and separated from it by Hoy Lake.

Riding the momentum of their three-to-two away victory over AS80 in the first round, Almere played aggressively on their home turf. They launched an all-out assault from the start, intending to make short work of their weaker opponent.

Once again, it was Yang Yang on the right wing, using his Pendulum Move. This time, it took less than two minutes for Almere to pierce Narden’s defense on the right flank. Yang Yang’s cross was met by a header from the number eleven center-forward—on loan from the first team—but it didn’t find the net. However, the number seven left-winger was there to score on the rebound.

After scoring the opening goal, Almere unleashed a furious offensive.

Yang Yang was unstoppable on the right wing, tearing Narden’s left flank to shreds. He repeatedly launched attacks and broke through their defenses, helping his team secure a four-to-zero lead by halftime.

The skill gap between the two teams was vast. But with their morale sky-high, Almere continued to press their advantage in the second half.

By the time the final whistle blew after ninety minutes, the score was seven to one. Almere had secured a massive victory at home.

Yang Yang contributed two assists and a goal in the match. With countless successful dribbles, he was once again recognized as the team’s standout player. After the game, he was singled out for praise by head coach John Reep and Dick Van Puer.

John Reep, a former right-winger himself, even gave Yang Yang some personal, hands-on coaching regarding issues from the match. He primarily felt that Yang Yang wasn’t aggressive enough in his attacks and should cut into the penalty area more often.

Yang Yang, however, felt that his shooting ability wasn’t strong enough and that his first touch was lacking. The penalty area was the most densely defended zone on the field, a place where his weaknesses would be easily exposed. For the time being, he believed staying on the wing was a better way to leverage his strengths.

Although their opinions weren’t perfectly aligned, they both accepted the other’s perspective. John Reep also drew on his own experience to offer Yang Yang plenty of advice, providing some practical, actionable suggestions for his future development.

For this, Yang Yang was deeply grateful.

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Yang Yang finally left Almere City.

Weesp was a suburban town adjacent to the Southeast New City of Amsterdam. It was crisscrossed by canals fed by the Feicht River, dividing the town into numerous districts. Yang Yang was amazed by the stunning scenery and the verdant waterways that encircled everything.

The town’s most famous landmark was the Ossenmarkt Fortress, a military bunker on an island in the Feicht River to the east. Reportedly built 150 years ago, its formidable defenses made it a popular tourist attraction. A marina outside the fortress allowed visitors to take boat trips on the Feicht River, offering a unique and charming experience.

Weesp’s population was only in the tens of thousands, but it had a thriving sports culture. There were hockey and rugby fields to the southeast, while a sports complex to the north housed tennis courts and five full-sized soccer fields.

The third round of the amateur tournament, Almere’s away match against Weesp, was held on one of those main fields.

The match was again held in the evening and drew a crowd of local residents. Cars filled the parking lot south of the field, and enthusiastic fans packed the sidelines, making it impossible to get through. Many of them were parents who had brought their entire families to watch.

Having reached the third round of the amateur tournament, Weesp clearly had some skill. They had also apparently heard about Almere’s victory over AS80 and their rout of Narden. For this match, they adopted an underdog’s defensive counter-attack strategy, with a particular focus on shutting down Yang Yang, the sharpest tool in Almere’s right-wing attack.

Despite being heavily marked by the opposition, Yang Yang remained incredibly active on the right flank.

He had outstanding stamina, and with the help of his God’s Vision, he could always find and run into gaps in the opponent’s defense. It was a trait that had given professional defenders headaches during the match against AS80, to say nothing of these amateur players from Weesp.

Furthermore, by focusing their defense on Yang Yang, they naturally left their center vulnerable, and Henk Demyer immediately began to pose a threat.

In the thirty-ninth minute of the match, Yang Yang received the ball on the right wing, powered through the defense, and once again sent a cross to the near post. The number eleven forward was there to tap it in, putting Almere ahead three-to-zero.

After switching sides for the second half, Yang Yang only grew more dominant. The Weesp players’ stamina was fading fast, leaving them powerless to stop him. They could only watch helplessly as he repeatedly surged down the right wing, sending cross after cross into the box.

By the end of the match, the score was five to zero.

Almere had clinched another resounding victory.

Though heavily marked, Yang Yang still managed two assists. More importantly, he drew the bulk of the defensive pressure, which played a crucial role in freeing up Henk Demyer in the center and the two forwards to shine. His repeated breakthroughs on the wing even earned appreciative applause from the Weesp fans.

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In the fourth round of the amateur tournament, Almere hosted Flaefranz.

Flaefranz was a team from West Fossum. They were a formidable side, having breezed through the first three rounds of the tournament with outstanding performances. Most notably, they had knocked out a team from Utrecht in the third round on their home ground.

The entire Almere team was cautious about their upcoming visitors. After the Weesp match, they focused on resting and conserving their energy, quietly awaiting Flaefranz’s arrival.

Having advanced through three rounds, Almere’s performance in the amateur tournament had already astonished their fans. But the further they progressed, the stronger their opponents would become. They could even face teams affiliated with Eredivisie clubs like Ajax, Alkmaar, and Feyenoord. This was undoubtedly a massive challenge for Almere.

But with great challenge came great reward.

As they progressed deeper into the tournament, they naturally attracted more fans. And among those crowds, who knew if there were scouts from professional teams lurking? An outstanding performance could lead to being noticed by a major club at any moment.

The visiting Flaefranz side had clearly done their homework. Facing the potent attack of Almere, they adopted a defensive counter-attacking posture. Their solid, tightly-organized defense was a rare sight in the amateur league and was the core strength that had carried them to the fourth round.

The two sides were evenly matched from the very start. Almere continued to rely on Yang Yang as the focal point of their attack on the right, with Henk Demyer organizing play from the center and making late runs into the box. This offensive pattern had worked like a charm for them in the previous three rounds.

But this time, against Flaefranz, it failed completely.

The opponent’s tight defense made it difficult for Almere to make any headway. Yang Yang struggled to receive passes on the wing upfield and was forced to expand his range of movement, frequently dropping back to get the ball. But from there, it was difficult to directly threaten their backline.

Henk Demyer, commanding the midfield, was completely neutralized and shut down by the opposition.

Flaefranz’s defense was stronger than their attack. The two teams were locked in a grueling battle, with neither able to breach the other’s goal. The first half ended in a zero-zero stalemate—the first time Almere had gone scoreless in the first half of the tournament.

After play resumed in the second half, Flaefranz continued to defend with everything they had.

Yang Yang was active on the right, running the opposing left-back and left-midfielder ragged as they chased him back and forth. ’There’s no other way,’ he thought. He had to try and wear them down through sheer attrition. His teammates were also unable to break the deadlock, so it was up to him to create an opening by constantly running and stretching their formation.

The clock ticked away. The physical toll on both sides was immense, but neither could gain the upper hand.

Then, in the seventy-third minute, Yang Yang once again found an open space to receive a long ball from a center-back. His stamina was heavily drained, causing his technique to waver slightly. His first touch was poor, and the ball bounced away from his control. Startled, he immediately sprinted after it.

The Flaefranz left-back marking him was also startled. Seeing the ball flying toward him, he dove for it without a second thought. It was practically a gift-wrapped pass.

The two of them, converging from different directions, raced toward the ball.

Gritting his teeth, Yang Yang pushed himself to his absolute top speed. He managed to get half a step ahead of his opponent and poked the ball forward just as he reached it.

That single touch was just enough to knock the ball past the left-back’s incoming slide tackle. Though he was clipped by the defender’s body and stumbled for a couple of steps, Yang Yang quickly regained his balance and resumed his sprint after the ball.

The opposing left center-back had been watching the play unfold. The moment he saw Yang Yang poke the ball past his teammate, he moved to challenge him. But as he saw Yang Yang sprinting toward him at full tilt, he was stunned. ’He’s so fast!’

In that moment of hesitation, Yang Yang caught up to the ball. The defender had no more time to think.

Upon reaching the ball, Yang Yang had no time to think. His body moved on pure instinct, a natural feint to the outside as if to break down the line, followed by a sudden cut back toward the inside.

The left center-back reacted instinctively to the sudden feint, lunging to block him, but he only tackled empty air. Trying to reverse his momentum to recover, he lost his balance and slipped to the turf.

With a skillful Pendulum Move, Yang Yang left the opposing left center-back on the grass and cut diagonally from the inside into the penalty area.

Flaefranz’s right center-back scrambled over to provide cover, but once inside the box, Yang Yang was in complete control. He faked a shot, then made a sudden cut, and gently laid the ball off to the center.

The number eleven forward, who had followed the play all the way from behind, was not about to miss such a golden opportunity. He controlled the pass and fired a close-range shot into the bottom-left corner. The Flaefranz goalkeeper, who had been drawn to the right by Yang Yang, was left stranded and could only watch as the ball found the back of the net.

One-nil!

Only then did the entire stadium erupt in a collective gasp of astonishment.

Yang Yang, who had just carried the ball on a thirty-meter-plus sprint, shook his head, panting for breath. That last burst of speed had been brutal.

But a moment later, he was mobbed by his ecstatic teammates and joyfully pulled to the ground.

At the critical moment, Almere’s sharpest weapon on the right wing had saved the team once again.