The Backcourt Core, Setting Sail for Miracles

Before the second half began, Soto swapped out one player.

Moric was moved to the starting lineup, while the veteran midfielder from the starting side was sent to the substitutes.

The latter was getting on in years and couldn't play a full match in official competition; he needed a reliable backup, or perhaps he was destined to become one.

This was one of the purposes of this training match.

As it stood, Moric had won the head coach's favor based on his first-half performance.

The substitute players were fired up.

Soto meant what he said: as long as they had the skill, they could become starters at any moment.

Likewise, the starting players grew serious.

Soto had shown through his actions that there was no such thing as an untouchable starter on his team.

No one wanted to be the loser, right?

Sure enough, Moric's departure brought significant changes to the substitute side.

On one hand, the defensive intensity of the substitute midfield dropped, and since Lu Yang was a center-back, he couldn't press forward every single time.

On the other hand, Moric's passing provided excellent coordination, greatly increasing the starting side's possession time.

In the sixty-ninth minute, Moric gave Soto a pleasant surprise.

After using exquisite ball control to shake off the substitute midfield's entanglement on the spot, he launched a long pass, sending the ball from the backfield to the left flank of the frontcourt.

Vedian was instantly activated.

By the time the accelerating Vedian received the ball, he had effectively created a one-on-one situation.

The subsequent process was much simpler; Vedian took down the goalkeeper 1v1 and sent the ball into the net.

The starting side led the substitutes 1-0.

Regarding this, Lu Yang felt helpless.

He was the left center-back, while Vedian had just broken through the gap between the right center-back and the right-back.

He was simply out of reach.

After all, football is a sport of eleven players.

On the sidelines, Soto nodded.

Moric was indeed a top-tier engine.

Although he was frighteningly green, why did his style of play feel so annoying?

In Soto's eyes, Moric's figure grew increasingly similar to Maniero.

After a brief celebration, the match continued.

Moric's presence completely activated Vedian, who subsequently launched repeated attacks, charging at the substitute side's right flank time and time again.

He scored another goal.

If not for Lu Yang switching over to cover, he might have even secured a hat-trick.

But that was where the change occurred.

Once Lu Yang shifted his defense, Vedian, who had seemed like the King of San Remo, was frozen once again.

Yes, frozen!

Vedian's physical strength was lacking and couldn't compare to Lu Yang, who played center-back; once locked in a stalemate, he had no chance.

And even with Moric's help, although Vedian could find some space to sprint, Lu Yang's retreat footwork was simply too good.

After switching defensive duties, Lu Yang successfully defended against Vedian one-on-one three times.

One successful retreat delayed the play until his defensive partners arrived, forcing Vedian to pass backward.

One retreat involved extending a leg to block a shot, turning a near one-on-one into a meaningless corner kick.

One retreat involved a press that resulted in a clean, clinical tackle.

This severely shattered Vedian's offensive confidence.

So much so that after being dispossessed, Vedian chased Lu Yang all the way down the pitch.

And Lu Yang was a ruthless character; he showed no intention of passing, using a V-Pull to shake off Vedian.

The latter, having committed to the press, was sent sliding to the ground by the feint.

Moric's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Another knockdown!

What on earth had happened to Lu Yang? Why were his moves on the pitch so... flashy?

That's right, flashy!

After the backfield steal, Lu Yang shook off Vedian and, instead of choosing to pass, began a solo dribble through the center.

Although his speed couldn't match Vedian's, it was by no means slow for the team.

At the very least, Moric was caught off guard and bypassed by Lu Yang in a single step.

This also had to do with Lu Yang being familiar with Moric's defensive habits.

Following that, Lu Yang drove deep into the field, arriving just outside the penalty area.

Recalling the sensation of being possessed by the Messi Moment Card earlier, he raised his left foot and struck the ball.

"Watch out for his feint!" Moric shouted.

The center-back, who had just prepared to extend his leg to defend, froze and halted his movement.

Lumberjack Shot!

That was the hottest term in Italian football right now.

Like a logging machine, every defensive player in its path would automatically fall to the ground.

This was undoubtedly the ultimate mockery of any defender.

And the creator of this feint was none other than the Lu Yang standing right before him.

Bang!

Thud!

No feint!

The ball flew out, transforming into a black-and-white bolt of lightning that slammed into the goalpost and ricocheted into the net.

The next moment, the net rippled, and white waves surged.

"GOAL!" Soto roared from the sidelines, excited once again. "That's how you play! Never give up until the very last second! Vedian, why didn't you continue tracking back? Do you think you have the privilege of skipping defensive duties just because you scored two goals? Let me tell you, you don't..."

"Moric, why were you so easily bypassed by a center-back? Where was your head? Was his clumsy dribbling really that hard to intercept?"

"And Lu Yang, who do you think you are? Who gave you permission to show off in the backfield? Is a V-Pull a move you should be making? You should be passing the ball quickly and trusting your teammates!"

"Also, do you have any idea how much space you left behind you with that reckless dribbling? If someone had tackled you, you would have gifted the opponent another goal!"

Soto continued to berate them, yet his face was wreathed in a smile he couldn't suppress.

Clearly, he was happy, and his shouting was simply his way of expressing it.

If you listened closely to what he said, you would realize he wasn't just talking nonsense.

Almost everything he said was correct.

At the very least, he didn't criticize Moric for interfering with his own center-back.

If that center-back had extended his leg at that moment, he would have had a chance to block Lu Yang's shot.

But... on the pitch, defensive players should, for the most part, follow the instructions or suggestions of the team's core. A team cannot have two voices; if that center-back didn't have a particularly strong intuition of his own, then trusting Moric was exactly what he should have done.

Moric had invisibly become the core of the team.

And Soto, in turn, had invisibly affirmed his status as that core.

This was something worth pondering.

Likewise, Soto's shouting at Lu Yang was not without reason.

If Lu Yang were playing for the starting team, Moric would be in front of him, and Vedian would be further ahead.

Moric playing a through ball and Vedian launching a fast break—wouldn't that be a hundred times more stable and aggressive than Lu Yang dribbling the ball forward himself?

Soto was demanding that Lu Yang think like a starter.

"I know, Boss, but... I did score, didn't I?" Lu Yang smiled slightly, pointing to his ear. "There's no such thing as a risk-free endeavor in this world, right?"

Soto was momentarily speechless; the kid had actually overheard his previous conversation with Tom—that was the very line he had used to mock Renate.

Yes, in a football match, scoring is paramount; that is beyond doubt.

Otherwise, defensive counter-attacks would become meaningless, as they are truly ugly to watch.

And the Milan team Soto belonged to had four "Butchers"—just by the name, do you think they sound like the kind of team that plays beautiful football?

Therefore, Soto wasn't the least bit annoyed that Lu Yang dared to joke with him.

This kid had a big heart.

A person like this, if he were a forward, would one day score goals by the bushel!

Even as a defender, he would eventually become a tough defensive general with immense leadership!

The score of this training match did not change further, with the starting team winning 2-1 against the substitutes.

Lu Yang also received another random gift bag as a result.

He chose to open the bag immediately.

"Ding, completed the first training match, received Random Gift Bag *1."

"Ding, obtained player-level skill: Dipping Shot. Capable of better controlling the trajectory of a shot, even causing the ball to drop rapidly or bounce upon impact."

Facts proved that the gap between the starters and substitutes of an Italian fourth-tier team was indeed significant.

After the practice match, only Lu Yang and Moric made the team's squad list for the upcoming match against Avellino.

The two youth players were so happy they could fly when they heard the news.

The day before the match, on the training ground, the two were practicing interceptions against each other.

One side held the ball, attempting to dribble past the other.

The other side aimed to steal the ball.

Once possession changed, their roles swapped instantly.

In other words, the moment I steal the ball is the moment I must start preventing you from stealing it back.

This type of training is excellent for developing a player's split-second reactions and helps them adapt to chaotic environments.

Moric had been doing this kind of training since he was a child, which is why he is a master of chaotic play. After all, chaotic play allows him to minimize his physical shortcomings to the greatest extent.

"Tell me, in the practice match, was that shot of yours just luck? Even if you had ten more chances, you wouldn't be able to score a goal like that again!" Moric was trash-talking Lu Yang, waiting for an opening to break through.

"You're right." Lu Yang replied sincerely.

His shooting was indeed unreliable, at least significantly worse than Vedian and Moric.

Of course, after acquiring Dipping Shot, Lu Yang felt his shooting ability had improved noticeably.

His shooting attribute had also gone from 50 to 55.

Naturally, judging by the system's prompt, the words "First Practice Match" were crucial.

This meant that there might not be such rewards the second time around.

Therefore, Lu Yang was not particularly optimistic about the future.

What happened to the promise of restoring the legendary prestige of Earth's football?

System, could you at least be a bit more generous?

If nothing else, couldn't you at least hand out a bunch of *Moment Card*s?

Just as the two were training, a young Black boy walked over.

That's right, it was Vedian.

In football and basketball, among those with explosive physical talent, how many aren't Black?

"Can I join you?" Vedian asked.

"Of course." Moric nodded enthusiastically.

But Vedian didn't look happy.

Because that wasn't what he was asking about.

Lu Yang frowned, beginning to understand.

"You mean, our coordination during the match?" Lu Yang asked.

Vedian nodded.

As it turns out, most geniuses aren't stupid; people like Balotelli are the exception.

Vedian considered himself a genius, and after facing off against Moric and Lu Yang, how could he not recognize their strength?

That midfielder's passing was very accurate; the practice match a few days ago was the most comfortable game Vedian had played in months, uh... if you ignore Lu Yang's one-on-one marking.

Likewise, being able to completely freeze Vedian showed that Lu Yang's strength was not to be underestimated.

The most critical point was that the backfield coordination between Lu Yang and Moric was dazzling.

Vedian even had the feeling that Lu Yang wasn't a center-back, but a defensive midfielder.

His defensive range was too vast, far exceeding the control area of a normal center-back.

But he didn't need to worry about being out of position, because his challenges were often sure things, as Moric was helping him control those areas together.

This approach carried certain risks, but it greatly enhanced the team's defense and control of the midfield and backfield.

Vedian wanted to get involved—not to defend with them, but in the hope that they would pass the ball to him the moment they gained possession, creating a complete pipeline: defense, interception, transition, initiating the attack, breaking the defensive line, and scoring.

This was a complete rear-to-front central axis!

With their help, Vedian felt he could return to his peak.

By then...

"You want to leave?" Lu Yang saw through Vedian's thoughts.

He needed stats before anyone would be willing to spend money to sign him; this was the reality.

"Who doesn't want to leave? Aside from the fans, no one can stay with San Remo until the end. We are professional players." Vedian said, "In fact... Benevento from Serie B has contacted my agent!"

Vedian dropped a bombshell.

Benevento—that was a Serie B team!

Moreover, they were stable in Serie B, consistently residing in the upper half of the table for years. Rumor had it that in recent years, Benevento had been planning to build up their strength to push for Serie A!

Vedian had actually caught the eye of such a big club.

No wonder he was in such desperate need of help.

If he couldn't even put up a decent performance in Serie D, how could he possibly make it to Benevento?

"We do, in fact, need a playmaker and a goalscorer right now." Lu Yang looked at Moric and nodded.

A flash of light crossed Moric's eyes, and he promptly gave Vedian his answer.

But after Vedian left, Moric asked, "What did you mean by 'right now'? Do you know the team's recruitment plans for next season?"

Lu Yang smiled. "Our head coach is a Milan legend, after all. Loaning a few decent players shouldn't be too difficult, right?"

Moric shook his head. "Are you sure players from big clubs would be willing to come to Serie D? Even youth players wouldn't agree to that."

Lu Yang replied, "What if we were a Serie C team?"

"But we're just a Serie D team. We might even drop down to the lower regional leagues. We... wait!" Moric stared at Lu Yang, took a deep breath, and then asked in horror, "Are you saying that we will break out of Serie D and promote to Serie C this year? Are you crazy? We, we..."

Lu Yang pressed his hand onto Moric's shoulder, looked up at the sky, and said, "Trust me, Moric, I feel like I'm strong! If we can't create a miracle in Serie D, how can we expect to have a bright future?"

"You have to realize that going from a Serie D player to a Serie A player is a miracle in itself. Besides, the players you and I want to become are definitely not just mediocre players in the Top Five Leagues, right?"

"Since our goal is to create miracles, why not let the miracle set sail starting right now?"

Looking at the starlight in Lu Yang's eyes, Moric was struck with unparalleled shock.

Is this the same Lu Yang who shook off a host of Serie A stars and scored the winning goal in front of football legends Soto and Maniero?

How is he... so dazzling!