Invincible (2)
By ten minutes before kickoff, Kim Min-seok had successfully gathered plenty of material worth writing about through his interview with Manuel Beiga. The friendly fan leader even explained why AD Alcorcon supporters were so obsessed with Cha Tae-oh, tying it directly to the A team's recent performances.
"We desperately need a striker. Theo is the perfect piece to fill that gap. If Theo has an off season next year... damn. I don't even want to think about it. If even a guy like that can't get us promoted, it just means this team is doomed to stay down."
"Theo will definitely deliver. I've been in this journalism game a while, and I think he's already way beyond pro level."
Maybe it was the sincerity in those words, but Manuel Beiga flashed a bright smile.
"Anyway, the good news is the A team should avoid relegation this year. And the B team? We're gunning for the title now."
Four points behind first place, just one point ahead of second. With only four games left in the season, if they kept this winning streak going to close out with 14 straight victories, Manuel was confident they could snag the championship.
"I guarantee Theo pulls off another hat-trick today. Just watch."
"I'm looking forward to it."
"Time flies when you're chatting and laughing like this."
With about ten minutes to kickoff, easily over 500 fans had packed the small stadium.
♬ When the whistle blows, the 90-minute war begins ♬
♬ Don't fear, just charge forward ♬
♬ We sing only of victory ♬
♬ My land, my hometown, Alcorcon ♬
The AD Alcorcon supporters were already warming up their throats with the chant.
"Thanks for the interview, Manuel."
"That enough for you?"
"Yeah, more than enough."
"Phew, glad to hear it. Make sure you mention my name in the article. Ha ha!"
"You got it."
Wrapping up the interview, Kim Min-seok headed back to his reserved seat. As both teams' players emerged onto the pitch, the home fans' cheers filled the little stadium. Plenty were chanting Cha Tae-oh's name too.
Ten games, 51 goals. Averaging 5.1 per match—who wouldn't love a guy like that?
With a satisfied smile, Kim Min-seok locked his eyes on Cha Tae-oh.
Beep-!
The match finally kicked off. Kim Min-seok was instantly impressed.
Wow...
AD Alcorcon B's organization and fluid passing play were unbelievable for a fourth-division side.
The coach looks young, but he's got real talent.
Having good players doesn't guarantee results. You have to know how to position them to maximize their potential.
Though... Theo pretty much handles everything himself...
Right on cue, Cha Tae-oh nodded down a long ball from the back with a header in textbook post play. The midfielder collected it and sent it to Miguel Amaro on the left flank...
Tap-tap-!
Miguel Amaro shrugged off the defender with smooth, quick dribbling and slipped a perfect pass to Cha Tae-oh bursting into the box. As if he'd anticipated the trajectory, Cha Tae-oh ran onto it without trapping and unleashed a shot.
Thwack-!
The powerful strike from right in front shook the net violently.
"Woooaaah-!"
"Theo! Theo! Theo!"
First goal in just the fourth minute. Watching Cha Tae-oh demonstrate one-shot, one-kill perfection, Kim Min-seok was left shaking his head in awe.
Videos don't do it justice compared to seeing it live.
Being able to catch every little detail—the constant off-the-ball movement that kept the opposing center-backs on edge—was a huge bonus over broadcasts. It perfectly showcased Cha Tae-oh's high soccer IQ.
He's completely different from his Gimpo days last year.
Kim Min-seok had tracked down full footage of Cha Tae-oh's three Gimpo United appearances and watched them all. Back then, he looked a bit lost up top. Now? Seamless mastery.
You can't learn movement like that overnight.
If he could always play like this, why hadn't he shown it in K League 2? It was a shame, but on the flip side, it was a relief his talent had fully bloomed in Spain.
Cha Tae-oh... he's definitely the next superstar to lead Korean soccer's future.
For some reason, he could vaguely picture it: Cha Tae-oh dominating La Liga 2 next season, earning national team call-ups, then shining in majors wearing the Red Devils kit.
If he keeps this up... a big club transfer is totally possible.
Koreans were playing in Europe, but none at top clubs yet. The thought that Cha Tae-oh might quench that thirst brought a thrilling excitement.
Then—
Thwack-!
Cha Tae-oh took the ball at the top of the arc, spun smoothly away from the defender, glanced at goal, and ripped a long-range shot. It flew into the upper right corner, bypassing the keeper effortlessly.
Just two minutes after the opener.
"Press him hard!"
"Don't give him shooting chances!"
"Foul if you have to!"
Instructions poured from the opponents' bench, but their players were scrambling just to deal with Cha Tae-oh. They weren't ignoring it entirely, though.
Around the 11th minute, as Cha Tae-oh received the ball and tried to turn again, his marker shoved him hard with both hands, killing the play.
Beep-!
It was so blatant the ref pulled out a yellow card immediately.
About 22 meters out. Cha Tae-oh stepped up for the free kick.
No way he scores this one too... right?
Not too far, but Kim Min-seok hadn't seen Cha Tae-oh score directly from a free kick, so he watched with skeptical anticipation.
And that skepticism...
Thwack-!
Splash-!
"...!"
Cha Tae-oh made it reality. Using the instep instead of laces, he curled it perfectly into the far upper corner.
"Whoa... haha..."
A disbelieving laugh escaped Kim Min-seok. He knew the guy's finishing and shooting were unreal, but this shattered everything he thought he knew about soccer.
Is soccer supposed to be this easy to score in...?
Manuel Beiga's prediction of a hat-trick today was spot on—and just 12 minutes in.
Once we notched a hat-trick early, opponents usually split into two camps for the rest of the game: stick to their style despite the deficit, or flounder around, concede a barrage, and collapse limply. The former was rare outside of Getafe B. Today's foes fell into the latter.
Half-assed defending, half-assed attacking—neither worked. They even went down to ten men and shipped eight goals before losing. It drove home why they were relegation fodder even in the fourth tier. Pretty boring match, all told.
"Damn. I only got one today."
The team barely batted an eye at these blowouts anymore. Miguel Amaro was even beating himself up over his single goal. Hard to believe just two months ago, one goal had him bouncing off the walls.
Hm. I only bagged six myself—should I be bummed? Not that it's an excuse, but after the hat-trick, they basically mugged me on sight. Still added three more, but to keep my promise to Iñigo Chapé about staying injury-free, I didn't push too hard for more.
"Alright, everyone sit."
Soon after, coach Jordi Calavera strode into the locker room, beaming.
"Great news. Numancia just wrapped up—they gave away a stoppage-time winner and lost."
"Ooh!"
"Puts us in second now. Navalcarniero lost yesterday too, so we're two points up on them."
"Vamoooooos!"
The players roared "Vamos!" It really felt like the title was one step away. Sure, if CDA Navalcarniero won out their last three, they'd take it... but if we won all ours and they dropped even a draw, it was ours. My 57 goals in 11 games had our goal difference in a league of its own.
"Even if they get physical like today, stay cool. We keep our rhythm. Getting sucked in and hurt would be on us."
Everyone nodded at coach Jordi Calavera's words.
"Good work. Rest up and see you tomorrow. Great job."
Clap-clap-clap-clap!
Team talk ended with applause.
"Now let's go sign some stuff for the fans."
"Ha! Awesome. Bet tons want my autograph today. You all saw that sick tackle, right?"
"I assisted Theo with a long ball—fans won't forget that."
"Must be nice. I did jack shit today... damn it."
"Yeah, you didn't save a thing."
"That perfect tackle stole all my chances. Own up, man!"
In the cheerful locker room vibe, as I grabbed my gear to head out, someone tapped my back. Figured it was Miguel Amaro or Joni Montoya, but it was the B-team manager.
"Hey, Theo. Know a reporter named Min-seok Kim from Sports Korea?"
"No. Why?"
"First time for me too, so I'm a bit thrown..."
I tilted my head, and he continued.
"Got a call from our supporters' leader at halftime. Said this Min-seok Kim came to cover you."
"What?"
"As per your request, we've been turning down Korean media... didn't expect one to show up in person. He'd emailed a few times, actually."
No one from Korea had flown to Madrid before—just remote contacts.
"But this guy's super polite. Even emailed in Spanish. Says if you're uncomfortable, he'll back off and understands."
Seeing my surprise, the B-team manager asked cautiously.
"What do you want to do?"