Can you do it?

Time flew by like a white steed in a gap, and soon it was time for the first match of the amateur league.

Unlike the previous match against Omnibus, this time playing AS80 was an away game, held at AS80's youth academy.

The match was scheduled for the evening. The stadium was brightly lit, as if it were daytime. The surroundings were merely separated by iron fences, and the spectators were very orderly, standing outside the fences and discussing the upcoming match.

AS80 was incredibly excited to face Almere in their first match.

Although Almere had the advantage in their first team, AS80 was considered much stronger in terms of youth development.

Not long ago, Omnibus, with AS80's youth players as its core, defeated Baken Academy, which was built around Almere's youth players, 2-1 away. This undoubtedly boosted AS80's confidence.

Since it was an amateur match and played at home, the AS80 players did not arrive at the stadium at the same time. Instead, they arrived in small groups. The captain, number eight Kule, a midfielder, was the first to arrive and began warming up with his teammates.

In contrast, the Almere players had agreed on a meeting time and then traveled together from the Almere training base to AS80's training ground. The two locations were not far apart, and the distance served as a warm-up.

Almere's arrival at the stadium was met with cheers from many of their fans who had come to watch the away game.

"Captain, look, that dark-haired guy is here too," said AS80's number seven player, pointing towards Almere.

Kule followed his teammate's gaze and easily noticed the dark-haired, yellow-skinned Chinese teenager among the Almere players. He was particularly memorable because in the last match between Omnibus and Baken Academy, Yang Yang had almost helped Baken Academy make a comeback, leaving a deep impression on everyone at Omnibus.

He's here too. This is going to be a bit tricky.

Kule then looked at the left winger on his right. The expression on the latter's face clearly showed a hint of fear, indicating that the shadow of the previous match still lingered. This made him somewhat displeased.

Losing before the fight even begins is a major taboo.

"Don't worry. This time, we have several players from the first team, so our strength is even better than a month ago. We don't need to be afraid of them," Kule reassured and encouraged his teammate.

As they were speaking, a commotion arose from the crowd of fans by the sidelines, followed by cheers.

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

The fans' cheers were clearly directed at the two players walking at the front, who appeared to be the team's star players. Kule and the others, upon seeing them arrive, went to greet them.

"Ha, Wesley, you're finally here."

"Welcome, Kagri."

"With you two here, we have a much better chance of winning this match."

"Exactly. This time, we're going to crush Almere on our home turf and secure a big victory."

"Yeah, we have to let them know who the strongest team in Almere City is."

"This is our first time facing Almere in the amateur league, so we have to show them what we're made of."

"Good, well said."

Like all teams in the same city, Almere and AS80 had always been fierce rivals. In the early years, Almere had been stuck in the lower leagues, and this rivalry wasn't as intense. However, in the past two to three years, Almere had developed rapidly, first entering the third division and then becoming a satellite club of Ajax.

With Almere's rise, AS80 had been harboring resentment, and their animosity towards Almere grew even stronger.

Amidst the surging emotions, Kule quietly pulled aside Marvin Doring, the left-back wearing the number two jersey.

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

"Is he Henk Dimer?" Marvin Doring asked.

Henk Dimer, as the top rising star of Almere's youth academy, was well-known within the AS80 team.

"No, number ten is Henk Dimer. That dark-haired kid is Chinese. In the last match between Omnibus and Baken Academy, he came on as a substitute and played for half an hour. His wing play was incredibly strong."

"What's his name?" Marvin Doring asked, sounding skeptical.

"I don't know," Kule replied.

AS80 was only a fourth-division team. Let alone their youth team, even their first team wouldn't go to the trouble of scouting their opponents. Their knowledge of Almere's youth team was limited to a few well-known players like Henk Dimer.

"You don't know him? Then what impact can he possibly have?" Marvin Doring sneered dismissively.

In his eyes, the only threat in the Almere squad was Henk Dimer.

Kule wanted to remind his teammate how sharp Yang Yang's breakthroughs on the right wing were, but he also noticed his teammate's disdain and understood. Marvin Doring was a key player for AS80's first team at left-back, and many considered him a starter for the new season. He was also known for his defensive capabilities.

Such a player wouldn't need to worry about that Chinese kid; he was sure to win.

With that thought, Kule didn't say anything more.

With the addition of several first-team players, AS80 felt more confident. On the Almere side, however, they were intimidated by the few new players from AS80.

"My God, it's Wesley Snoyer."

"And Kagri Asante."

"Why are they both here?"

"It seems AS80 is taking this match very seriously, even bringing out these two key players."

"Who would have thought?"

The teammates were chattering, but Yang Yang was completely bewildered. He could only ask the teammate next to him, Nick, "Who are these two players? Are they very good?"

"Of course, they are both starters for AS80's first team," Nick replied with a hint of worry.

Henk Dimer, standing beside him, also frowned deeply as he added, "Wesley Snoyer is an attacking midfielder, and 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 always reserves, but six months ago, they seized an opportunity and firmly established themselves, playing as starters for half a season and performing exceptionally well in the fourth division."

Just by listening to the introduction, Yang Yang could feel the fear in Henk Dimer's heart.

These were starting players from a fourth-division team, and they were actually persuaded to play an amateur match. This showed how much AS80 valued this game.

"However, Yang Yang, the one you need to worry about most is Marvin Doring, wearing jersey number two. He's a left-back, very strong defensively, and it's rumored he might become a starter next season."

Henk Dimer's brow was furrowed as he introduced Marvin Doring. This player was nowhere near the same level as the left-back from Omnibus that Yang Yang faced a month ago. Could Yang Yang still make an impact on the right flank?

But after hearing this, Yang Yang simply let out a soft "Oh," showing no fear, and instead seemed a little excited.

In the Super Training Ground, the defensive players who trained with him had already progressed from fourth-division to third-division defensive levels. However, he had never competed against a real, live fourth-division player on the actual field. Tonight would be a good opportunity.

Henk Dimer was worried, but seeing Yang Yang so enthusiastic, he couldn't help but feel a bit ashamed. He was genuinely distressed.

With the addition of several first-team caliber players, the opponent's strength had surged. Although Almere also had first-team players assisting, they were all players who couldn't get playing time, and their strength was comparable to Henk Dimer's. Could they compete?

More importantly, how should this match be played?

How should the lineup be arranged?

Who should be the spearhead?

After being preempted by AS80's first-team players, Henk Dimer felt a bit intimidated. He gathered his teammates, but no one had any good ideas. They could only stick to the youth team's usual formation and playstyle.

"If no one has any good ideas..." Yang Yang saw that his teammates were already a bit intimidated before the match and immediately stepped forward, "Then how about you all just pass me the ball when the time comes."

Pass it to you?

Can you handle it?

"As long as their number seven doesn't drop back, Nick will focus on defense. I'll deal with their number two left-back on the right flank. We'll stick to the usual plan: I'll find an opportunity to open things up from the right, the forward will wait for a chance in the penalty area, and Henk, watch for late runs."

This tactic had been a tried-and-true secret weapon for Almere Youth Team in their past four matches. The reason was simple: no one could defend against Yang Yang. He repeatedly broke through the defensive line, disrupting the entire defensive formation.

"That's Marvin Doring, you... can you do it?" Henk Dimer asked with concern.

Yang Yang nodded confidently, "How will we know if we don't try? If it doesn't work, we'll switch to a defensive counter-attack."

The others didn't have any better ideas, so they could only go along with Yang Yang's plan.

He was currently the top-ranked player in the Almere Youth Team's semester assessment and the main attacking force in the past four matches. If even he faltered, Almere would likely face a grim fate in this match.

Once the decision was made, everyone started choosing their jerseys.

Since he was taking on the team's primary attacking role, no one had any objections to Yang Yang choosing jersey number nine.

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

Both superstars wore the number nine jersey. He never had the chance to choose it on the team before, but now that he had the opportunity, Yang Yang naturally chose number nine.

Amidst the cheers of the surrounding fans, the referee signaled for the two teams to enter the field.

Although it was an amateur match, all the official procedures were followed.

After the coin toss, the two teams lined up.

Almere won the right to kick off. Yang Yang stood on the right side of the center circle, directly facing AS80's number seven on the left flank.

The latter looked surprised when he saw Yang Yang, but at the same time, he felt relieved.

He hadn't expected Yang Yang to be playing as a right winger instead of a right-back in this match.

Relieved that he wouldn't have to face this troublesome opponent, the number seven player secretly let out a sigh of relief.

"It seems Almere is out of players, even a full-back can play as a winger. Do you know who's standing behind me?"

Yang Yang glanced at the opponent and didn't reply.

"Marvin Doring, our first-team starting left-back. You're finished." The opponent's number seven sneered with schadenfreude.

In his eyes, he could already see Yang Yang being utterly humiliated.

But to his surprise, Yang Yang glanced at him again and said calmly, "You really talk too much. Would you die if you didn't say anything?"

The opponent's number seven was furious.

The exact same words, heard again a month later.

"Fine, you're arrogant. Let's see how long you can stay that way!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the referee officially blew the whistle to start the match.