Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Copa del Rey Quarterfinals (The Kid)
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We set off for the enemy's home ground for the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
Riyadh Air Metropolitano
> (Riyadh Air Metropolitano)
It's Atlético Madrid's home stadium.
The difference in difficulty between home and away games is like night and day.
Sure, there are some teams where the win rates at home and away are similar, but even they struggle on the road.
What on earth makes such a huge difference?
It's not like the refs are blatantly biased toward the home team.
Someone unfamiliar with it might think it's just an 11-on-11 fair game no matter where it's played.
But there are tons of factors that create the performance gap between home and away.
First up: the fans' cheers. And the jeers aimed at the opponents.
Just imagine walking into your classroom back in school and having all twenty classmates hurling insults and abuse at you.
The thought alone would make cold sweat trickle down your back.
And in a soccer match, you can't just walk away—you have to perform at your best and beat the other side.
Second is something tied to that.
If you've watched soccer games, you've heard the phrase "the momentum has shifted" a million times.
Surprisingly, it has a bigger impact than you'd think.
Think simply: if you're up 3-0, is it easier to score another or easier to concede one?
Obviously the former.
Even at 1-1, the team that was leading 1-0 and got pegged back feels way more pressure.
Soccer is a game swayed by these little moments, so being able to dominate the stadium atmosphere is a massive weapon.
Third: experience, of course.
Home team players were probably on that pitch just yesterday.
They've stepped on it more than anywhere else all year.
Everything about their home stadium feels familiar.
And above all, it's the number one excuse after a Forbes away loss: the pitch.
They claim they weren't used to the grass.
Some teams even argue that the low-quality turf made it tough for their high-class play.
Especially teams that play pass-heavy possession soccer.
One team in particular comes to mind, but I'll save crushing them for later.
Just these main reasons alone create a massive gap, not to mention stuff like away locker rooms that aren't maintained on purpose and countless other things.
To begin with, Espanyol is the weaker team on paper, and now we're heading there with this insane handicap.
The Copa del Rey quarterfinal is a single-elimination match—win or go home.
Just about everyone had the same prediction for how this one would go.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Halftime in the Copa del Rey quarterfinal.
We were all panting heavily, scrambling to catch our breath.
The score: 0-1.
We were down by just one, which felt like a miracle in this game.
Our keeper had put on a mad goalkeeping clinic today, shutting down any further goals.
I'd reined in my attacking instincts as much as possible, focusing purely on defense to somehow block their assaults.
Based on my input, the coach had deviated from the original plan, starting our top trio—Paul Hernandez, Adam Dolan, and me—what you'd call our best current lineup.
"Still, we've held up better than expected."
...
Even back in the locker room, we were too busy regulating our breathing to respond.
"But we can't go into the second half just planning to survive. Did we come here to get pummeled?"
"N..."
"Just listen for now."
"The game's been one-sided against us, no doubt. But forget the play for a second and focus on what's key: we only conceded one goal. Even with them hammering us nonstop, it was just one."
...
"We don't need an even tighter defense than the first half. We've already given it our all."
"Si-eon, show your usual aggression in the second half."
"Got it."
The best defense is a good offense, they say.
Atlético Madrid had dominated possession and attacked relentlessly but only scored once. What if we hold the ball longer?
The odds of them scoring drop when we're the ones possessing and probing.
"Dolan..."
"Dolan wants just a bit more time!"
I cut off Coach Martin Leo before he could finish.
Dolan hadn't exactly shone in this match.
His unresolved confidence issues were glaring in this nightmare scenario.
"Si-eon, I..."
"Stay quiet. Give it ten more minutes."
...
"Coach! Give me one more shot. I'll prove it!"
Shockingly, Dolan appealed for another chance himself, like he'd made up his mind.
The coach and the whole team were stunned—this was the first time Dolan had ever piped up like that.
"Fine. But that proof better come quick. I can't watch you play like the first half much longer."
The coach glanced at me, then continued.
"And... Lorenzo, you're going on at left wing right away in the second half."
"..."
This season's first call-up to the squad.
Lorenzo Torres, a Spanish-Brazilian mix, was the youth product Espanyol had the highest hopes for.
That was a few years back.
Lorenzo had been the so-called prodigy in youth ranks.
He topped the scoresheet every game, leading the Espanyol youth team.
He had Brazil's rhythmic dribbling flair and Spain's elegant technique.
Club staff and anyone who knew him all agreed: his success was inevitable; it was just a question of how far he'd go.
No one imagined he'd crash and burn.
The more youth games Lorenzo played, the more he felt unbeatable.
Even when passing was the smarter play, he insisted on dribbling through.
His success rate was overwhelmingly high, so it didn't seem like a problem at first, and his confidence ballooned.
The trouble started after his call-up.
Espanyol got relegated to Segunda División, losing most of their roster, so they filled with youth. Lorenzo came up too, naturally.
He was 17 years and 20 days old then.
Youth staff warned it was too soon, but the club's situation was dire, and Lorenzo pushed hard for it, so they relented with some worries.
Amazingly, he scored on debut and racked up assists every game.
His dribble success rate was top-tier across Europe's big five leagues.
But that dream run didn't last.
Teams caught on that over 90% of Lorenzo's touches ended in solo dribble attempts.
No matter how skilled your feet, if opponents know you're forcing it one-on-one, they can prepare.
Fullbacks facing him studied his style inside out, per club analysis.
Lorenzo's dribble success plunged to merely decent winger levels.
Still, he kept forcing dribbles.
He'd rarely failed before, and even if he did, the same defender wouldn't stop him twice.
"Pass it back once!"
"Damn it..."
Passing to him now felt like handing it straight to the opponent, so teammates' frustration grew.
"Don't pass to that guy."
Eventually, they avoided him altogether, even ignoring him openly.
Lorenzo started obsessing over keeping the ball.
Once he had it, no pass until the play ended.
He knew it wouldn't come back to him otherwise.
No one overlapped since he never passed, leaving him totally isolated.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The player I'd been waiting for all this time: Lorenzo Torres.
Espanyol's lonely youth star, playing as an individual, not a team player.
The moment halftime hit, my first request to the coach wasn't to keep Dolan on.
It was to bring on Lorenzo.