Chapter 97: Another Call-up
And it came after a week of training, finishing missions from the system, and his fire not burning out, he finally got a chance as matchday arrived again - this time FC Utrecht vs NAC Breda at home. The past few days had been a blur for Amani. On Friday, Coach Wouters had finally beckoned him over after training.
Amani’s heart had raced as Wouters said, "You’re in the squad tomorrow. Be ready to come off the bench if we need you." Those words had played on repeat in Amani’s head ever since. Now, as he sat among the substitutes at Stadion Galgenwaard, he felt the electric buzz of the crowd of 20,000 singing and stomping.
Under the floodlit skies of Stadion Galgenwaard, a restless crowd of red-and-white-clad fans pressed forward in their seats. Fans in the stands craned their necks, catching every detail; the roar of "U-T-R-E-C-H-T" chanted by the home supporters throbbed through the concrete bowl of the stadium.
Despite the pre-game adrenaline, Amani forced himself to focus on the match unfolding. The first half was torrid for Utrecht. NAC Breda came out ferociously, and by the 30th minute, they shocked the home side with two goals in quick succession.
0-2 down, groans swept through the Galgenwaard. On the bench, Amani’s fingers gripped his shin guards tightly. He noticed how NAC’s midfield pressed high when Utrecht tried to build from the back - a detail he logged in his mind.
In warm breaths, he muttered instructions to Yoshiaki Takagi and Mike van der Hoorn as they trudged to the sidelines for water. Across him, Utrecht veterans like Mårten Mickos and Édouard Duplan had their cheeks creased with focus.
Amani silently chewed on a slice of Gatorade-flavored gel, scanning patterns on the opposing formation through the lenses of his device. "System Mission: Analyze NAC defensive pivot," he reminded himself softly. De Zwarte Doos blinked green as it tagged Robbert Schilder, NAC’s holding midfielder, tracking his passes.
His Zwarte Doos skill was in action, silently registering NAC’s defensive habits. Utrecht managed to pull one goal back just before halftime (a scrappy finish by Gerndt to make it 1-2), but the mood as the teams headed in was anxious. Fans murmured in the stands, some booing the lackluster performance.
Early in the second half, disaster struck: NAC’s striker broke free on a counter and slotted home for 1-3. A hush fell over the stadium, broken only by the cheers of the small contingent of away fans. Utrecht were trailing by two goals again, and the clock was ticking past 60 minutes.
On the touchline, Coach Wouters had seen enough. He turned and made eye contact with Amani, then jabbed a finger toward the pitch. "Amani, warm up. You’re going on," barked the assistant coach. Amani’s stomach flipped - this was sooner than he expected, but he was ready.
Adrenaline flooded his veins. He jumped from the bench and began quick sprints and stretches down the sideline. The crowd’s murmurs changed to curious roars as the stadium announcer crackled to life: "Coming on for FC Utrecht, number 37, Amani Hamadi!"