Are You Up to It?

Time flew by, and soon the first match of the amateur tournament arrived.

Unlike the previous match against Omnibus, this time they were playing AS80 away from home, at AS80's Youth Training Camp.

The match was held at night. The stadium was brightly lit, as bright as day. The surrounding area was separated only by iron railings, and the watching fans were all very orderly, standing outside the railings and chatting among themselves as they waited for the match to begin.

AS80 was extremely excited to face Almere in their opening match.

Although Almere had the advantage when it came to their First Team, AS80 was unquestionably a step ahead of Almere when it came to youth training.

Not long ago, Omnibus, built around AS80's Youth Training Camp, had defeated Baken Academy, built around Almere's Youth Training Camp, two to one away from home. This had undoubtedly given AS80 a huge boost in confidence.

Since this was an amateur match and they were playing at home, AS80's players did not arrive at the stadium at the same time. Instead, they came in groups of three or five. Kule, the number-eight captain and midfielder, arrived earliest and greeted his teammates as they warmed up.

The Almere players, meanwhile, had agreed on a time to gather before setting out together from Almere's training base. They walked to AS80's training ground. The two locations were not far apart, and the distance served as a warm-up in itself.

When Almere arrived at the stadium, they were immediately welcomed by many fans who had come to watch the away match.

"Captain, look. That black-haired kid is here too." AS80's number seven pointed toward Almere.

Kule followed his teammate's gesture and easily spotted the black-haired, yellow-skinned Chinese boy among the Almere players. He had left a particularly deep impression on him because, in the previous match between Omnibus and Baken Academy, Yang Yang had nearly helped Baken Academy complete a comeback, leaving a deep impression on everyone from Omnibus.

He was here too. This was going to be troublesome.

Kule looked again at the number-seven left winger. The fear on the latter's face was obvious. Clearly, the shadow of the previous match still lingered, and Kule could not help feeling somewhat dissatisfied.

Being intimidated before the battle even began was a major taboo.

"Don't worry. This time, we have several players from the First Team joining us. We're stronger than we were a month ago. We have nothing to fear from them." Kule comforted and encouraged his teammate.

Just as he finished speaking, many fans around the sidelines suddenly erupted in an uproar, followed by waves of cheers.

It turned out that five more AS80 players had arrived at the stadium.

The fans' cheers were clearly focused on the two players walking at the front. They looked like the team's star players, and when Kule and the others saw them arrive, they all went forward to meet them.

"Ha, Wesley, you finally made it."

"Welcome, Kagri."

"With you two holding the fort, we have an even better chance of winning this match."

"That's right. This time, we're going to slaughter Almere at home and claim a crushing victory."

"Exactly. We have to let them know who the strongest team in Almere is."

"This is our first time facing Almere in an amateur match. We have to show them what we're made of."

"Good. Well said."

Like all teams from the same city, Almere and AS80 had always been mortal enemies. In the early years, Almere had lingered in the lower divisions, so the hostility between them had not been particularly intense. But over the past two or three years, Almere had developed far too quickly. First, they entered the third tier, and then they became Ajax's satellite club.

As one side rose and the other fell, everyone at AS80 was filled with pent-up resentment, and their hatred for Almere naturally grew even stronger.

Amid the surging emotions, Kule quietly pulled aside Marvin Doring, who was wearing the number-two jersey and playing left-back.

"Marvin, keep an eye on that black-haired kid."

"He's Henk Dimer?" Marvin Doring asked.

As the top new star from Almere's Youth Training Camp, Henk Dimer was well known throughout AS80.

"No. Number ten is Henk Dimer. The black-haired one is Chinese. In the previous match between Omnibus and Baken Academy, he came on as a substitute and played for half an hour. His breakthroughs on the wing were extremely impressive."

"What's his name?" Marvin Doring asked skeptically.

"I don't know," Kule replied.

AS80 was only a fourth-tier team. Forget the youth team—even the First Team could not possibly gather intelligence on their opponents. Their knowledge of Almere's youth team was limited to a handful of well-known players such as Henk Dimer.

"You don't even know him? Then what use could he be?" Marvin Doring sneered disdainfully.

In his eyes, Henk Dimer was the only threatening player in Almere's lineup.

Kule wanted to remind his teammate how sharp Yang Yang's breakthroughs on the right wing were, but he could see Marvin Doring's disdain. Thinking about it again, he understood. Marvin Doring was currently an important left-back for AS80's First Team, and many people believed he would become a starter in the new season. He was also known for his defensive ability.

A player like that naturally had no need to worry about the Chinese kid. He was bound to win.

With that thought, Kule said no more.

With several First Team players joining them, everyone at AS80 appeared even more confident. On Almere's side, however, AS80's newly arrived players had given them quite a shock.

"Oh my god, it's Wesley Snoyer."

"And Kagri Asante too."

"What are they doing here?"

"Looks like AS80 takes this match extremely seriously. They've even sent out these two key players."

"Who says otherwise?"

The teammates discussed the matter animatedly, but Yang Yang was utterly confused. He could only ask the teammate beside him, Nick, "What's the story with these two players? Are they really that good?"

"Of course. They're both starters for AS80's First Team," Nick said worriedly.

Henk Dimer, standing nearby, added with a deeply furrowed brow, "Wesley Snoyer is an attacking midfielder, while that tall guy, Kagri Asante, is a center forward. They're both eighteen, but they've already played two seasons with the First Team. They were originally substitutes, but half a year ago, they seized an opportunity and established themselves completely. They were starters for half a season and performed brilliantly in the fourth tier."

Just from the introduction, Yang Yang could sense the fear in Henk Dimer's heart.

These were starters for a fourth-tier team, yet they had been persuaded to play in an amateur match. It was clear just how seriously AS80 took this game.

"But Yang Yang, the player you need to worry about most is Marvin Doring in the number-two jersey. He's a left-back and extremely strong defensively. I hear he might become a starter in the new season."

Henk Dimer's brow remained tightly furrowed as he spoke. This left-back was on an entirely different level from the one they had faced against Omnibus a month ago. Would Yang Yang still be able to make an impact on the right?

But after hearing this, Yang Yang merely gave a light "Oh," without the slightest trace of fear. Instead, he seemed somewhat excited.

Inside the Super Training Ground, the defenders who trained with him had long since advanced from fourth-tier to third-tier defensive ability. But he had never competed against a living, real fourth-tier player on an actual pitch. Tonight was a good opportunity.

Henk Dimer was filled with worry, yet when he saw Yang Yang brimming with enthusiasm, he could not help feeling somewhat ashamed. Still, he was genuinely troubled.

With several First Team-caliber players joining the opposition, AS80's strength had surged. Almere also had a few First Team players supporting them, but they were all players who could not get playing time. Their ability was roughly on par with his own. Could they really match AS80?

More importantly, how should they play this match?

How should they arrange the lineup?

Who should lead the attack?

After AS80's First Team players had seized the initiative before the match even began, Henk Dimer felt somewhat intimidated. He gathered his teammates, but no one had any good ideas. They could only continue using the youth team's usual formation and style of play.

"If nobody has any better ideas..." Seeing that his teammates were already intimidated before the match began, Yang Yang immediately stepped forward. "Then how about you all pass the ball to me?"

Pass it to you?

Are you up to it?

"As long as their number seven doesn't drop back, Nick should focus on defending. Leave the number-two left-back on the right to me. We'll stick to our usual plan: I'll look for a chance to open things up from the right, the striker will wait for an opportunity inside the box, and Henk, watch for runs from behind."

This had been Almere Youth Team's tried-and-tested ace over the past four matches. The reason was simple: no one could defend Yang Yang. He kept breaking through the defensive line again and again, throwing the entire defensive formation into chaos.

"But that's Marvin Doring. Are you... up to it?" Henk Dimer asked worriedly.

Yang Yang nodded confidently. "How would we know without trying? If it doesn't work, we'll switch to counterattacking."

The others did not have any particularly good ideas either, so they could only follow Yang Yang's plan.

He was currently the top-ranked player in Almere Youth Team's assessment for the semester, as well as their leading attacking weapon over the past four matches. If even he was stopped, Almere would probably have a hard time escaping disaster in this match.

Once they had settled on the plan, everyone began choosing their jerseys.

Since Yang Yang was taking on the team's main attacking duties, no one objected when he chose the number-nine jersey.

It was originally a striker's number, while Yang Yang played right wing. But who could blame him when his idols were Ronaldo and Van Basten?

Both superstars wore number nine. Yang Yang usually had no choice when playing for the team, but now that he had the opportunity, he naturally chose number nine.

Amid the cheers of the surrounding fans, the head referee signaled for both teams to enter the pitch.

Although this was an amateur match, none of the formalities were omitted.

After the coin toss, both teams lined up.

Almere won the kickoff. Yang Yang stood on the right side of the center circle, directly facing AS80's number seven on the left wing.

The latter was somewhat surprised when he saw Yang Yang, but at the same time, he felt fortunate.

He had not expected Yang Yang to play right wing in this match instead of right-back.

The opposing number seven secretly let out a sigh of relief at not having to face this troublesome opponent.

"Looks like Almere has no one left. Even their full-back has to come up and play winger. Do you know who's standing behind me?"

Yang Yang glanced at him without answering.

"Marvin Doring, our First Team's starting left-back. You're finished." The opposing number seven sneered gleefully.

From his eyes, it seemed as though he could already see Yang Yang being tormented mercilessly.

Unexpectedly, Yang Yang merely glanced at him again after hearing this. "You're really noisy. Will you die if you stop talking?"

The opposing number seven was furious.

They were exactly the same words he had heard a month ago.

"Fine, act tough. Let's see how long you can keep it up!"

The moment he finished speaking, the head referee formally blew the whistle to start the match.