"Nice pass. Thanks."
"Uh, uh? Nice assist to you too."
I made sure to give a thumbs-up to the teammate who had attempted the deflected pass. At my gratitude, his eyes widened as if he was dumbfounded.
It was understandable. He hadn't attempted to pass the ball to me initially. Hearing me say thank you for something like that must have been confusing. Still, thanks to him, I got to touch the ball for the first time. Even if it was a coincidence, if I react to it, it's no longer just a coincidence.
Later, he might genuinely pass to me. Above all, I had secured at least one guy who would pass to me now.
"Nice assist! You read my movement perfectly. You really were a genius!"
The guy named Timothy, who had just received my pass and scored, shouted. He was a player who usually played as a Wing Forward, but today he was pushed up to the front line for the practice fixture.
Looking back on the week of training together, he wasn't a friend with outstanding scoring ability. Technically, he wasn't sharp either. However, he was fast, and his forward movement wasn't bad. Above all, I liked that he was simple.
Guys like this...
Bang.
Have a habit of passing the moment they see someone in their vision. I slightly showed my face in front of Timothy, who was holding his ground with defenders on his back at the front line. As expected, Timothy immediately handed the ball over to me.
After lightly controlling the ball...
Thud!
I stabbed a pass forward, looking for the next teammate who would become my ally.
❋ ❋ ❋
"...Tony, did you see that?"
At the question from U-16 Manager Michael, Tony simply nodded his head up and down. No conversation was exchanged, but the expressions on their faces were identical.
"My god, that's already the second goal! JT assisted both goals with incredible passes. No, before that... JT is playing team football! What happened all of a sudden?!"
"How would I know? Still, it's a relief that he's improving."
"The other kids are starting to recognize him too. Timothy is pushing passes exclusively to JT now."
"From what I see, he's just giving it because JT is right in front of him. But even that is a huge development."
When he first approached his teammates, they watched with concern, wondering if he was going to cause trouble. Later, when he started the dummy run, they realized Kim Jin-tae had approached to cause confusion among the defenders.
Of course, Kim Jin-tae's movement was ignored by both sides at first. But...
Kim Jin-tae eventually succeeded in seizing the opportunity and delivered an incredible assist. First, he spoon-fed the first goal to Timothy with a lobbing pass that slightly cleared the defensive wall. Then, he stabbed an incredible pass to Robert, who was playing as the opposite Wing Forward, creating the second goal.
From that point on, the play truly opened up. As the ball began to move smoothly, Kim Jin-tae returned to his original position and began his one-man show.
Tap, tap.
Remembering how they were beaten by passes piercing the rear consecutively, the defenders kept their distance. Seeing this, Kim Jin-tae showcased a dribble, attempting to break through himself this time.
He lightly pushed the ball with his instep to induce the opponent's movement. Then, not missing the moment the defender couldn't resist and extended his foot, he succeeded in advancing.
Manager Michael, who stood in place watching Kim Jin-tae's dribble, was left with his mouth wide open, completely mesmerized. Alex had a passive tendency, but he wasn't a player who was easily beaten in one-on-one defense. Rather, because he maintained a passive and defensive stance, breaking through him one-on-one was difficult.
Yet, he was beaten so easily. But the more surprising scene was...
Whoosh!
"Oh, Jesus!"
Kim Jin-tae's judgment to consecutively beat even Bobo, who was positioning behind Alex. He took a long touch to beat Alex, and Bobo aimed for that point, throwing his body into a sliding tackle to contest it.
But it was exactly one step. Kim Jin-tae's foot reached the ball one step faster than Bobo's tackle. With a touch that lightly lifted the ball, he escaped the tackle and succeeded in breaking through consecutively.
Beautiful play that elicited admiration. Did Kim Jin-tae plan and aim for this current play? Or was it simply a play where coincidences overlapped?
No. That wasn't important right now. The important thing was...
Bang—swish!
The fact that here in New York, Kim Jin-tae had finally broken his shell on his own.
❋ ❋ ❋
Unlike Korea, where we train three times a day, the training for overseas youth is strictly set at two hours a day. Of course, this is strictly team training time. There are players who proceed with additional individual training, but that story has nothing to do with the current me.
Common sense dictates that no manager or coach would assign individual training to a player with a history of running away during team training. So, as soon as the exercise ended today, I was able to leave the training ground immediately.
Shouldering my bag, I took the subway. The first place I headed to was K-Town, located in Midtown New York City. It was a hazy memory, but I ran, finding my way according to the sensation leading my body. And then...
"...Mom!"
"Oh? Jin-tae?"
My mom, who was carrying food while wearing an apron with the side dish shop's name printed largely on it, discovered my face through the glass window and brightened up.
"How did you come? What about training?"
"Of course, I finished everything and came. Hello, I'm Kim Jin-tae! Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Huh? What's this? Is that Mr. Lee's son? I heard it's hard to see your face because of sports. How did you come today?"
"I'm going to come often from now on. To see Mom's face and to help out!"
"Oh my, why would an athlete use his body for this? But for someone who exercises, why are you so skinny? Sit down and eat first!"
"Oh my goodness, I'm sorry, Unni. I'll pay for Jin-tae's meal from my hourly wage..."
"Goodness, what are you saying? We work to eat! While your son is here, the Lee family should sit down and have a bite too. Families are families because they eat together."
Although I was contracted under the youth program, I still received money. However, that money wasn't enough for two people to live comfortably.
Just like now, whenever we moved countries, Mom always found a place to work locally. At least when I was with Manchester City Youth, visa issues weren't difficult, so she could work legally. But in places where conditions were poor later on, she had to find cash jobs, working for daily wages in cash without paying taxes, due to status issues.
The past me never once visited this person first while she suffered her whole life because of me. The me who didn't know how to be thankful to someone who was so happy just to see my face for a moment.
At this point, I wasn't just rude. I was human trash. So, I resolved my regrets and lingering feelings first.
"Thank you, Mom."
"Huh? For what? Why all of a sudden? Do you need pocket money?"
"It's not that. I'm just really thankful. Pocket money? I only exercise. Don't worry about me and buy yourself a new pair of shoes, Mom. The soles of the ones you're wearing now will wear out soon. If I patch them up, they're still wearable."
"Oh dear. My son might get indigestion. Eat some soup with it."
She must have been suffering since dawn, yet she only looked at me and worried about me. I decided. I will definitely succeed in this life. So that Mom can smile for even one more day.
❋ ❋ ❋
"Hmm...?"
Paul Richards, the Manchester City analyst dispatched to New York with Kim Jin-tae, tilted his head. The video playing through the analysis room TV showed scenes from today's New York City FC U-16 team training.
Analyst Paul Richards, who was scanning the training situation that led to the practice match after warm-ups, discovered a scene he hadn't seen until now and furrowed his brow.
"JT is running a dummy run?"
Analyst Paul Richards had watched Kim Jin-tae since he was active in Korea. He watched his talent from the closest distance. It was Paul Richards himself who analyzed everything in detail, from strengths to weaknesses, and reported to the higher-ups. In short, the person who led Manchester City to recruit Kim Jin-tae was none other than Analyst Paul Richards.
Therefore, the dummy run Kim Jin-tae showed just now was a very unfamiliar play. But...
"He understands the meaning of the dummy run too accurately."
Analyst Paul Richards paused the video for a moment and checked the position and direction where Kim Jin-tae attempted the dummy run. Kim Jin-tae wasn't running blindly asking for the ball. On the contrary, he recognized that the ball wouldn't come to him and was inducing the movements of the defenders.
As a result, he created a crack in the defensive line and was able to help his teammate score. But more surprising scenes were waiting after this.
"He stabbed a pinpoint pass to a teammate aiming for the space behind? And twice at that?"
From Manchester to New York. Kim Jin-tae's biggest problem wasn't actually something like homesickness. It was a lack of adaptation to the changed environment.
Unlike the football where he could do everything alone until now, his understanding of play that involved linking with teammates was far too lacking. In fact, this was one of the weaknesses everyone was aware of. Along with this, what held back Kim Jin-tae's adaptation to the environment was the ego problem. Because his ego was too strong, he couldn't assimilate with his surroundings, so there was no sign of improvement at all.
But he expressed gratitude to his teammates first and sacrificed himself. Was it thanks to that? His signature dribbling became even sharper.
"If it's like this, it might be necessary to watch him a little longer..."
There was pressure from the higher-ups to organize the content regarding Kim Jin-tae because he showed no signs of improvement over the past week. However, Analyst Paul Richards planned a schedule to visit New York again in a month.
❋ ❋ ❋
The weekly routine for youth players is usually like this. From Monday to Friday, after school classes end, they gather at the training ground to digest team training. If there is a league fixture on Saturday or Sunday, they play the match. Even on days without matches, they maintain their practical sense by holding practice fixtures with separately selected teams.
For reference, today is a day with a league fixture. The opponent is DC United's U-16 team. According to the current youth league rankings, our New York City FC U-16 team is 6th, and DC United's U-16 team is 4th, so there isn't a big difference.
But...
[New York City FC 0:2 DC United]
"What's wrong with you guys? Can't you get a grip? I told you to play it out easily from the back!"
We are being dragged around, conceding two goals in the first half alone. Two mistakes made while exchanging passes to create something from the rear led directly to the opponent's counterattacks, resulting in two conceded goals. Actually, we were able to maintain our performance reasonably well until the first goal conceded.
But...
From the moment the second goal was conceded, we became busy just clearing the ball whenever it fell to the rear.
Due to impatience, the performance is getting worse as time goes by. For reference, I am guarding the bench. The manager probably can't start a player who has just opened his eyes.
But what if I were in there right now? A match where you have to endure the remaining time while giving up the initiative to the opponent is actually not easy to unravel. Even if I see a hole to break through among the defenders right now, if the pass doesn't come to my feet, it would be all in vain.
First, the rigid atmosphere must be resolved somehow so that the players can play with confidence. To do that, we need one goal to revive the spark of the chase. At the very least, we must actively attempt to break through to create a crack in the flow. Then, plays that stimulate variables from the 2nd line are essential.
"JT."
"Yes?"
"Warm up. You're going in for the second half. Position is CAM. Since it's the spot you originally played, you can adapt immediately, right?"
I was selected as that variable.
(End of Chapter)
Read more on "novelshub.org"