U18 High School Youth Tournament: King's View Academy U18 vs. Schwabenland U18 (Round of 16)
Score: KVA (0 - 2) SBD
'Okay, guys! Calm down, we still have the second half to focus on! Just calm yourselves down and prepare for the second.'
The manager claps his hands to keep the energy alive in the room. The players, drenched in sweat, splash water on their faces from their bottles in an attempt to revive themselves.
'Can you guys just pass the damn ball accurately? Is it really that hard?' Adrian snaps.
'Shut the hell up, Adrian!' someone retorts.
'Hey! Both of you, zip it!' the manager barks. 'We're losing out there, and all you can do is blame each other? Everyone in this room is responsible for what's happening on that pitch. Focus on your own game. Andrew, if you aren't receiving the ball, work for it—get it back. Start the press upfront, and the rest will follow. Midfielders, slow things down. Play the short ball. And defense, stop allowing crosses—their striker is lethal in the air. Fullbacks, I expect more from you in the second half. Their wide players are having a laugh at your expense. Stay back, both of you—no overlapping runs. Are we clear?'
'Yes, sir!' the team responds.
'Good. Since we need more attacking support, I'll make a change. Che, you're coming on for Nate. Clear?'
'Yes, sir,' Che replies softly.
'I can't hear you, boy!'
'Yes, sir!' he shouts.
'Let's go, boys!' the manager yells.
'YEAH!' The players rise, buzzing with determination as they walk out. Che takes off his bib and pulls on his kit. He pauses, staring at the number 18 on the back.
'Who wears number 18? It's so trash,' he mutters under his breath.
'Louw! Quit daydreaming and get a move on!' the manager shouts.
'Yes, sir!' Che snaps to attention, donning his shirt. He jogs to the side of the pitch, ready for the substitution. The coach signals to the linesman, who alerts the referee, and the substitution is made.
KVA Formation: 4-3-3
(Sub Out) Nate Lichtner (8)
Goalkeeper (GK): Lukas Stahlmann (1)
Right Back (RB): Felix Donnerfeld (3)
Right Center Back (RCB): Max Eisenhut (4)
Left Center Back (LCB): Jonas Felsberger (5)
Left Back (LB): Nico Windschatten (2)
Central Midfielder (CM): Che Louw (18) (Sub In)
Defensive Midfielder (DM): Karl Schattenwald (6)
Attacking Midfielder (AM): Leon Sonnenblick (10)
Right Winger (RW): Erik Flammensturm (7)
Left Winger (LW): Finn Wolkenbruch (11)
Striker (ST): Adrian Sturmjäger (9) (Captain)
SBD Formation: 4-2-3-1
Starting XI:
Goalkeeper: Moritz Nebelstein (1)
Right Back: Jannik Feuerbach (15)
Center Back: Leon Eisenhardt (3) (Captain)
Center Back: Tobias Düsterwald (4)
Left Back: Felix Bergstrøm (2)
Defensive Midfielder: Markus Tiefenthal (6)
Defensive Midfielder: Florian Schildhammer (8) (1 assist)
Attacking Midfielder: Lukas Sonnenwald (10)
Right Winger: Erik Schattenblitz (7)
Left Winger: Finn Donnerbach (11) (1 assist)
Striker: Adam Sturmkopf (19) (2 goals)
The whistle blows. Che scans the field, analyzing the opposition's movements. He spots gaps to exploit, even as the opposition takes their kickoff. Both fullbacks push high, overlapping the wingers, who move closer to the striker.
'Man on! Man on!'
An opposing player evades a midfielder's press, passing softly to his defender. The defender lofts a precise ball across the field to their left-back, now playing high. The LB controls it gracefully, letting it bounce ahead of him as he charges down the wing. Felix (RB), preoccupied with tracking the winger, loses sight of the LB. The LB draws Felix in, freeing the LW for Max (RCB) to mark, which leaves their striker unmarked in the box.
'Cross!'
On cue, the LB whips in a low, fast ball. The striker slides for it but misses as the ball speeds across the box and out for a KVA throw-in on the opposite side.
'Erik! Erik! That was your man! Track back! Get the—GET BACK!' The coach screams from the sidelines, throwing his hat in frustration. He grows more animated, gesturing wildly as he vents to his assistant.
Meanwhile, an SBD center-back nudges Adrian. 'I know you're desperate, but bringing on a kid? That's just sad.'
'Hm. You have no idea what you're talking about.'
'Oh yeah? What's the kid gonna do?'
'You'll see,' Adrian replies coolly before clapping his hands and rallying his teammates. 'Come on, boys! Stay sharp!'
Che positions himself near the throw-in. Felix throws the ball his way, and a CM rushes to press him. Che uses his body to shield the ball, balancing against the pressure. With a quick body feint, he fakes a move, sending the CM stumbling. Che accelerates, shrugging off an attempted shirt pull as his opponent slips and falls.
Breaking into open space, Che starts a counterattack. The front three and Leon (AM) spread out, exploiting gaps in SBD's defense. As a DM approaches, Che veers slightly right, drawing him out of position. Leon notices and stops his run, offering support. Che swiftly passes to Leon, then darts left to create space. They execute a quick one-two, leaving the front three against four defenders—it's a 4v4.
Adrian locks eyes with Che. Recognizing the cue, Che lures a CB out of position, lofting the ball gently into space for Adrian. One-on-one with the goalkeeper, Adrian takes the bouncing ball on his weaker left foot. His shot strikes the post but rebounds perfectly for Erik (RW), who outpaces the fatigued LB.
Erik smashes the ball with precision, the net rippling loudly. The crowd's focus shifts sharply to the game.
The whistle blows. Erik grabs the ball and sprints back to the center circle.
Score: KVA (1 - 2) SBD48th Minute
Scorer: Erik Flammensturm