Two People Watching the Opening Match (3)
Two People Watching the Opening Match (3)
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The Coach slammed his hand on the tactical board.
"Hong Min-jun! Are you not doing this properly!! Do you not want to play!?"
"No, sir!"
"Then what is it! Are you in a slump!?"
"No, sir!"
"Then what is it! Speak up, speak!"
"I was conserving my stamina."
The Coach sighed at my answer.
"Hey. Hong Min-jun."
"Yes."
"Did I tell you to worry about that?"
"...No, sir."
"Who doesn't know your stamina is trash? But what did I tell you?"
"To run with all my might..."
"Today is the league Opening Match. You're a new recruit who just came up from high school. What do you think that means?"
What could it mean? That I'm a talented player starting as a freshman, obviously.
I thought blankly, but the Coach explained.
"They don't have any info on you!! The opposing team doesn't know you! Get it? If you shake them up from the start, the second half becomes easier!"
Ah. Is that so?
I thought about it carefully.
Still don't get it.
If you look at it that way, wouldn't they be more surprised if I hid my strength in the first half and went all out in the second?
"You bastard! You think I don't know that!? Ugh, this blockhead. Listen, kid... just don't think. Don't think, just do as you're told. Got it? You're a technique one-trick pony!"
Honestly, I felt a lump in my throat.
Isn't this saying I'm stupid? I admit my tactical understanding is a bit low, but a technique one-trick pony!! ...Though, that is true, too.
After getting roasted for the entire halftime, I had to head out to the field for the second half.
"Hey. You okay?"
"I'm fine, whatever."
"Yeah. Hang in there."
The senior's comfort as we walked side-by-side didn't really hit home, but I couldn't ignore him when he was trying to comfort me, so I just nodded.
"Look over there."
"......??"
The senior with his arm around my shoulder gestured with his chin.
Wondering what it was, I looked and saw two women sitting in the stands.
"Look at them, they look pretty, right?"
"One looks pretty, but the other one is blocked by a tree, I can't really see her."
"No, they're pretty. My gut has never been wrong."
Shouldn't we not trust that gut?
The guy who makes a critical mistake every single match....
"Wow~ Hong Min-jun. You've already got female fans?"
"My fans?"
"Then whose fans would they be? Who else would they be here to see?"
"Ah...!"
"Kid. Run hard. Do you want to get subbed out helplessly in front of your female fans?"
"No, sir!!"
Wow~ Is this what heartfelt comfort feels like?
I'm already feeling energized.
The home team locker room after the players left.
The Head Coach, who was getting ready to leave, asked.
"But Coach."
"What, kid."
"Isn't Hong Min-jun right? It doesn't seem like a bad idea to have him explode in the second half instead."
"...I know that, kid."
"Then why...?"
"......."
Some things are understood without being said.
'The Coach is right. My strength is my individual tactics, being able to break through one or two people... I was too passive.'
I realized the Coach's big picture a bit late.
It definitely wasn't because I was fired up by the female fans in the stands.
"Seniors. Please feed me the ball from the start. This time, I'll connect it to a decisive chance no matter what."
The seniors nodded reluctantly.
I am the only freshman among the 11 starting members.
The members, consisting of 3rd and 4th years with only one 2nd year, were very reluctant to have me at first.
The University League, the last chance to become a pro.
Among them, the 4th years have less than a year left.
In the University League, where mediocre talents gather, skill order is often age order. Naturally, the starting members selected by skill are also centered around 3rd and 4th years.
Talent that transcends age? Of course, it exists.
However, those kids go to Europe early or go straight to the K-League, so it's rare for such talented players to come to the University League. Even if they do, they go to prestigious soccer schools, not mid-tier teams like Hojin University.
In the end, most university soccer teams are just gatherings of players with similar talent.
Exceptional talent goes to Europe, the K-League, or prestigious universities, and those with lacking talent are weeded out through elementary, middle, and high school, leaving behind players of just mediocre talent.
Among those with similar talent, those who work harder are superior, but it's rare for a player who made it to the University League to lack effort compared to others.
In the end, if talent and effort are similar, skill levels are determined by time.
In an environment where 3rd and 4th years have to be the core, it's no wonder the seniors are reluctant when an irregular like me cuts in.
If I didn't have the status window, I would have been the same as the seniors.
Of course, I'm confident.
I just didn't go straight to the K-League, but I did get recruitment offers from famous soccer universities.
I can confidently say that my talent is the most outstanding among the mediocre talents at Hojin University. So, even without the status window, I would have been a starter by my sophomore year.
But if you asked me if I could become a pro with just that, I wouldn't be sure.
Europe? That's a pipe dream.
But now, I can't be satisfied with just the K-League.
I have a status window, why would I settle for just the domestic league?
I'm going to crush the University League as fast as possible, conquer the domestic league, and then head to Europe.
And for that, I need the trust of my teammates.
Right now, while my stats are still lacking.
Unless I can dribble past 3-4 people and score on my own without help, linking up with teammates is essential.
Whether it's passing, off-the-ball movement, or tactical positioning.
So now, in the Opening Match, I had to earn my teammates' trust.
To make them choose me over teammates they've been with for a long time.
In the end, aren't they also people dreaming of going pro? Their own performance has to be their top priority.
"Teammates?"
"Of course, it'd be nice to do it with teammates if possible."
"But what if there's a junior who performs better than a teammate? They'd choose the junior, right?"
'So... I have to prove my skills.'
Immediately after the second half started.
It was a time when the looseness of having gauged each other's skills during the first half hadn't worn off yet.
While our team was passing the ball around, I slowly penetrated the opponent's territory.
As part of a set play, two of our team's starting strikers penetrated the other side, drawing the enemies in, and the moment only one marking player was left around me.
"Pass!"
As soon as I raised my hand and called for it, the ball came over in a long pass.
Before receiving the ball, I quickly scanned my surroundings.
One opposing player coming to mark me. Behind him, it's wide open until the defenders.
'Chance!'
I don't know if it's because I'm a freshman, or because I was quiet in the first half, but they're trying to stop me with just one person?
I tried to lightly receive the incoming ball with the inside of my foot, but it bounced further away than I thought.
It was a mistake, but thanks to that, the opponent who was running towards me seemed caught off guard and stumbled as he braked, so I quickly secured possession of the ball and pushed forward.
Tuk, tuk, as I pushed the ball lightly in front of my feet to maintain speed, the opposing center-back approached rapidly.
On the left, the opposing side defender; behind, the marker I just passed; and in front, the opposing center-back. On the only open side, the right, the opposing players had already taken positions and blocked the passing route.
An isolated situation with all sides blocked.
But I had no hesitation.
Tuk.
Because a pass I pushed with the outside of my foot was passing between the legs of the center-back who was striding towards me.
I'm not a player with quick judgment or good passing.
Usually, when faced with this situation, I'm the type to lose the ball and cause a turnover, or drag it out trying to keep possession and become a ball hog.
But if it's part of a set play.
If it's one of the prepared tactics, my lacking judgment and passing are enough.
While all the opposing players were swarming me, our team's striker, who had penetrated deep into the opponent's territory early on and was hiding like a ghost, appeared.
"Jin-ho Sunbae! Shoot!!"
Starting striker, 4th year Na Jin-ho.
Jin-ho Sunbae, whose strengths are penetrating movement and finishing, accurately received the ball and entered a 1:1 situation with the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper sprang out like a spring.
The moment I watched nervously, wondering if he would dribble past the goalkeeper or just shoot, Jin-ho Sunbae took a short step as if to dribble.
'Ah, no, don't!'
If he dribbles there, he'll get caught by the goalkeeper....
Pung!
Aiming for the exact moment the goalkeeper was convinced it was a dribble and chose to approach rather than dive, Jin-ho Sunbae connected with a shot one beat faster.
It wasn't a shot with real power, so it wasn't fast, but the goalkeeper, having had his timing stolen, could only stand there awkwardly and watch the ball pass by.
Bbeep, bbee-beep—!
"Whoa! This bastard, scoring a goal in the Opening Match!!"
"Goal! It's a goal!!"
Na Jin-ho Sunbae running back across the field with his arms spread wide, and the seniors cheering and chasing after him.
I also tried to join the ranks—
'...There's no audience.'
I stopped, clicking my tongue as I looked at the empty seats.
"Number 15! Well done! Fighting!"
"Huh?"
A woman's voice suddenly calling my number.
I turned around and saw one of the two women waving at me.
I waved back instinctively, but who is she?
'Oh? It's Ha-yeon Noona.'
One of the members who came as a cheerleader for the first friendly match against Jijang University.
It was Ha-yeon Noona, who had the prettiest face.
'Come to think of it, Ji-gyeong Noona said one person wouldn't be enough. ...Nah, no way. It can't be.'
Even if we aren't dating, there's no way she'd set another woman up with her man. Ji-gyeong Noona says she's dying, dying, but once we start, she loves it to death.
She'll be fine after resting for a day or two.
But why did Ha-yeon Noona come?
Could it be that she fell for my charm... Hehe, I should hang out with Ha-yeon Noona after the game.