Super Wingstorm

Ever since the victory celebration held at Shen’s Chinese Restaurant after their first local derby against AS80, the place had unwittingly become the team’s official gathering spot. Perhaps it was because Shen Ming’s cooking was genuinely excellent, or maybe everyone just felt it brought them good luck.

Every evening as dusk fell, the Almere players would start to drift towards the restaurant, intentionally or not. They wouldn’t go inside, but would instead occupy their regular table in a corner of the courtyard, where the group would drink tea and chat.

Once the dinner rush was over and he had eaten, Yang Yang would come out to join them.

Gradually, business at Shen’s Chinese Restaurant got better and better, with more and more locals taking a liking to dining there.

So, after a discussion, Shen Ming and Yang Yang decided to just set aside that corner area exclusively for the Almere players.

Tonight, when Henk Demyer arrived, Nick and four others were already in the "Almere Zone," steeping tea. Yang Yang, however, had finished his dinner and was inside the restaurant, staring blankly at a stack of a dozen or so business cards in front of him.

These were all cards left by the scouts who had visited today. Yang Yang looked through them carefully. There was Hank Vanke from Utrecht, Michel Bex from Feyenoord, and scouts from several other teams like Alkmaar and Roda JC.

But the two that caught Yang Yang’s attention the most were from Karas Van Balen and Pete De Vries of Eindhoven.

Karas Van Balen’s card listed him as a scout, but Pete De Vries’s said "chief scout."

’What does that mean?’

"Cousin, do you know these people?" his cousin, Shen Yuzhu, asked with concern.

She didn’t know much about football, but she knew enough to understand that the names on these cards represented big clubs from the Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie, any of which were bigger and stronger than Almere.

She didn’t understand the specifics, but she could vaguely guess what was happening. With her cousin’s performance in the amateur tournament, he had probably attracted the attention of many big clubs. Before, the worry was whether he could stay at Almere. Now, it seemed the question was whether he *should* stay at Almere, or even which team he should go to for better development.

Sometimes, she couldn’t help but be amazed at how things changed. Who could have imagined Yang Yang would have such a day?

If her cousin could become a famous football star in the Netherlands, she, as his cousin, would be incredibly proud.

Of course, Yang Yang had no idea what his cousin was thinking. He shook his head. He didn’t recognize any of the names, only the clubs behind them, but even so, he was completely bewildered.

For the first time, he felt he should find a reliable agent as soon as possible.

At the very least, he needed a professional to help him strategize and figure out his current situation.

"So what do we do now?" his cousin asked.

So many scouts had come today, more than a dozen groups, and each one seemed so sincere. Should he call them back? Would it be offensive if he didn’t?

Yang Yang gave a wry smile. "I don’t know either."

’This must be what they call a good problem to have.’

"Forget it. I’ll hold on to the cards for now. I’ll try to figure things out and then decide."

’Looks like I’ll have to find a chance to ask John Reep. After all, he’s a former professional player and the team’s head coach. He should have a good grasp of the current football landscape.’

His mind made up, Yang Yang put the business cards away and walked out of the restaurant. Henk Demyer, Nick, and the others immediately waved him over.

’The match was yesterday, so the draw results should be out today. I wonder who Almere’s opponent will be in the sixth round?’

’But no matter what, the opponent is bound to be stronger than Warrendan.’

’The match against Warrendan was already such a struggle. Our chances against a sixth-round opponent are probably slim.’

Just then, a commotion came from the restaurant entrance.

Yang Yang looked up just in time to see head coach John Reep walking into the courtyard with a smile.

This was a local celebrity in Almere, and it was his first time at Shen’s Chinese Restaurant. Not only were the people around them secretly surprised, but even Yang Yang himself was a bit taken aback.

Many of the restaurant’s patrons weren’t about to miss such a golden opportunity. They immediately swarmed him, asking for photos and autographs, surrounding John Reep so tightly he couldn’t move. The scene made Yang Yang, Henk Demyer, and the others quite envious.

He was, after all, a former Dutch international, a European-level right winger, and a great contributor to Almere over the past seven years. His stature in the hearts of the fans was something they couldn’t possibly compare to.

After finally breaking free from the entanglement of fans, Shen Ming, having heard the news, also came out to greet John Reep warmly.

The head coach of Almere gracing his establishment would be a huge boost to the reputation of Shen’s Chinese Restaurant. Shen Ming also knew that whether it was John Reep or players like Henk Demyer, they were clearly here for his nephew.

He’d never imagined that being good at football could also drive business for his Chinese restaurant.

Knowing the Almere group had things to discuss, Shen Ming graciously served them all, bringing out his own treasured high-quality tea before heading back inside.

"The draw results are out."

With no outsiders around, Henk Demyer got straight to the point.

"Our sixth-round opponent is much, much stronger than Warrendan."

Everyone already knew this. By the sixth round of the amateur tournament, only eight teams were left. Almere was the only third-tier team; the rest were all clubs with outstanding youth academies from the Eredivisie and Eerste Divisie. No matter who they faced, it would be an incredibly tough match.

"Who is it?" Yang Yang asked.

"Ajax."

"What?" Everyone gasped.

Ajax was the clear favorite in the amateur tournament. Players like Babel, Amrabat, and Maduro were all first-team or fringe first-team players. Many even believed that this squad could survive relegation in the Eredivisie without a problem.

They never expected Almere would draw this juggernaut of a team so soon.

Yang Yang glanced at the others and saw how dejected everyone was. A thought stirred in his mind. ’Feeling defeated before the battle has even begun? That won’t do.’

"Alright, everyone. Ajax isn’t invincible, and it’s not like we have no chance of winning."

Everyone immediately turned to look at Yang Yang.

"In the past five rounds, every single match has been incredibly difficult for us. AS80, Flaefranz, Warrendan—which of those opponents wasn’t stronger than us on paper? Warrendan even has several players from the Ajax youth academy. How much stronger were they? But what was the result?"

Hearing this, the players started to regain some of their morale and confidence.

He had a point.

Hadn’t Almere made it this far by winning one upset after another?

Last night’s match against Warrendan was the best example.

John Reep, who had been silent on the side, gave Yang Yang an appreciative look and then nodded. "Yang Yang is right. Ajax is not unbeatable. Regardless, as long as we give it our all, we can have a clear conscience about the result."

With the head coach saying so, everyone agreed and nodded, but they still felt a little apprehensive. That was something that could only be addressed through adjustment in the coming days.

Since the sixth round was a home game, John Reep announced that he and Dick Van Puer would make time over the next few days to lead team training, practice some defensive counter-attack routines specifically for Ajax, and that he would personally coach the match.

This undoubtedly gave everyone another boost of confidence and fighting spirit.

With all that needed to be said, said, John Reep didn’t linger. He got up to leave, but before he went, he asked Yang Yang to walk him out.

The two walked side by side out of the courtyard. On the path to the parking lot, John Reep asked with concern about Yang Yang’s recent situation.

"I heard that a lot of scouts have been contacting you recently?" John Reep asked tentatively.

Yang Yang didn’t know where the coach had heard this, but as he nodded, he pulled the stack of business cards from his pocket. This actually surprised John Reep, who hadn’t expected there to be more than a dozen.

The moment he saw that stack of cards, John Reep knew in his heart that Almere probably couldn’t hold on to Yang Yang.

’A small temple can’t house a great Buddha.’ The Yang Yang of today was no longer someone Almere could keep.

Yang Yang had already been planning to ask John Reep for advice, so he took this opportunity to voice his confusion.

"I can’t say for sure what these teams’ attitudes are toward you, and I can’t comment too much, but look at these two from Eindhoven."

John Reep picked out the two cards from Karas Van Balen and Pete De Vries.

"Karas Van Balen is Eindhoven’s scout for the North Netherlands region, so it’s not strange for him to contact you. But Pete De Vries is Eindhoven’s chief scout. That’s a big deal."

"What do you mean?"

"According to procedure, Karas Van Balen would have scouted you first. Then, he would submit a scouting report recommending you to Pete De Vries. After getting approval, Pete De Vries would come to observe you personally. Next, Eindhoven’s head of youth development, Frank Arnesen, would conduct an evaluation. If they feel it’s necessary, Arnesen might even come in person, possibly accompanied by someone from the first-team coaching staff."

Yang Yang wasn’t familiar with the process Dutch clubs used to evaluate players. Now, hearing John Reep’s explanation, he realized that having Pete De Vries come personally and even leave a card meant he was already very close to joining Eindhoven.

"Although you haven’t signed a professional contract with Almere, you’re still our youth player. They haven’t officially contacted us yet, so they’re probably still in the observation stage. But if you’re interested in joining Eindhoven, calling him now would greatly increase your chances."

As John Reep spoke, he watched Yang Yang’s expression intently, as if trying to find some clue on his face. But in the end, he saw that Yang Yang seemed to have no reaction at all, his expression remaining calm.

’His composure is really impressive!’

But what he didn’t know was that while Yang Yang’s face showed no reaction, a storm was raging in his heart.

Eindhoven, last season’s Eredivisie champion. Their head coach, Hiddink, was a household name in China. The team also had two Asian players, not to mention famous European stars like Kezman, Robben, and Van Bommel.

More importantly, it was from Eindhoven that Ronaldo had launched his European career, taking the world by storm.

To follow the same development path as his idol was a dream so wonderful that Yang Yang had never even dared to imagine it.

He was even a little dizzy, as if he’d been knocked senseless by this sudden, incredible stroke of luck.

’Should I join Eindhoven?’

Yang Yang was tempted.