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[10/11/2019, 7:30]
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By the time they left the gym, the sun was shining a bit brighter through the hotel windows, and the hallways felt less deserted. Rakim and Wirtz made their way to their rooms to take quick showers before they met again to head downstairs for breakfast. Rakim showered first as Wirtz decided to call up his family who had made the trip up to watch him play in today’s game.
Rakim stepped into the bathroom, the heated floor a welcomed presence as he hopped into the shower. Turning the tap to cold chilling water hit his muscles the next second sending an exhilarating shiver through his being, as he let out a contented sigh. His thoughts quickly drifted to the match that night and what he wanted to achieve getting his mind ready.
Memories of training with Yunus and Reyna at various youth camps, as they talked about one day winning the World Cup for the States one day. Since football was the least popular sport in their country one World Cup could change this. After all being champion of the biggest sport in the world brings a certain prestige that no domestic league can bring.
They shared the dream of stardom wanting to be the Maradona’s or Pele’s in their respective countries as they pioneered the game. Now, ironically, they’d be facing off on one of the biggest youth stages of their lives so far. He couldn’t help but wonder how it would all play out.
"Focus," he muttered to himself, scrubbing shower gel off his body once again letting the cold water temper his being. "This is the game. They’re my brothers off the field but today their nothing else but obstacles on my path to the finals."
Stepping out of the shower, he quickly dried off as he dressed in casual team gear and took off his shower cap. Then he grabbed his phone and headed back into the room letting Wirtz have his turn.
~~~
[8:00 – USA U-20 Team Hotel]
The first rays of morning sunlight barely crept through the hotel curtains when Yunus Musah groggily reached out to silence his alarm. He blinked away sleep, staring at the ceiling for a few moments before forcing himself upright. A deep sigh escaped him as he rubbed his face, already feeling the weight of the day ahead.
"Game day," he muttered to himself.
Across the room, Gio Reyna stirred at the sound of Yunus shifting in bed. He cracked an eye open and groaned, rolling onto his stomach in an attempt to ignore the world for a few more minutes.
"Man, why do we have to wake up so early?" Reyna grumbled; his voice muffled by the pillow.
Yunus chuckled, already swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "It’s 8 a.m., bro. Not even that early. We gotta get moving."
"Nah, five more minutes," Reyna said, already sinking deeper into the mattress.
Yunus smirked, grabbing his pillow and smacking Reyna on the head. "Get up, lazy ass. We got a game to win."
Reyna groaned but finally sat up, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I’m up." He yawned and stretched, his mind slowly registering the significance of the day.
Facing Germany in the quarterfinals was a challenge in itself, but knowing Rakim would be on the other side of the pitch made it even more intense. He was their friend, but they felt betrayed by his choices despite understanding the reason behind them. The feeling of being rejected for some seemingly better-looking girl or in this instance team wasn’t something they could let go of.
~~~
[8:30 – Breakfast]
The USA squad gathered in the hotel’s dining area, the atmosphere a mix of sleepiness and nervous energy. Plates were piled with scrambled eggs, toast, fruit, and oatmeal as players fuelled up for the long day ahead. Yunus and Reyna found their seats, digging into their meals while engaging in small talk with teammates.
Across the table, Matteo Smith stirred his spoon through a bowl of oatmeal, his mind clearly elsewhere. A deep furrow sat between his brows, and he barely acknowledged the conversation flowing around him.
"You good, Matt?" Yunus asked, nudging him lightly.
Matteo blinked and looked up as if just realizing he was being spoken to. "Yeah... Wait did you just call me Matt? We are not that close,"
"Dude, you need to loosen up, all that brooding like some emo protagonist is getting real old. Like we get it your hot shit with a sad back story, at some point, you gone need to accept that we are teammates," Yunus said mid-bite with a relaxed expression as he munched down on his scrambled eggs and bacon as if he didn’t just poke the bear.
Matteo’s eyes narrowed slightly, and he set his spoon down with a clink against the bowl. He sighed, but after a moment, his expression softened, "Just do your job and don’t hold me back," he replied, his voice low. "And it’s Matteo to you always, remember that."
The tension at the table eased somewhat after Matteo’s curt reply, but the underlying stress of the upcoming game lingered. Yunus shrugged, not wanting to push his teammate further, and turned his attention back to his breakfast, keen to fuel up properly.
[9:00 - Team Meeting Room]
After breakfast, the USA U-20 team gathered in one of the hotel’s meeting rooms for a final tactical session. Coach Tab Ramos stood at the front with a digital board showing their opponent’s typical formations and key players.
"Today’s match is more than just a game," Coach Ramos began, his voice serious as he scanned everyone present from players to coaches. "Germany is a strong team, but so are we. We’ve prepared for this, and we know what we need to do."
He clicked on a slide showing Rakim and his recent play stats. "Rakim is one of their key threats. 9 goals, and 5 assists put him second on the scoring table just behind that Norwegian striker who managed to score 12 goals in 4 games. We know his capabilities, and we need to be vigilant. Don’t give him space to operate."
Coach Ramos continued to outline their strategy, focusing on maintaining tight coverage of Rakim and disrupting Germany’s midfield flow. "Press them hard, disrupt their rhythm, and when we regain possession, transition quickly. We’ve got the speed and skill to break them down," he emphasized, pointing to specific areas on the digital board where they should look to exploit Germany’s defensive gaps in transition.
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The players listened intently, nodding in agreement and murmuring amongst themselves about the game plan. Matteo, who had been silent since the breakfast encounter, leaned forward, his gaze fixed on the screen displaying Rakim’s stats. His expression narrowed as he looked at the 9 goals scored comparing them to his 7, clenching his fist in frustration.
"Matteo, I want you sitting on Kevin Ehlers on their defensive line, he is prone to making irrational movements in the heat of the game. Usually, Bella-Kotchap acts as a libero for his defensive line, but I believe that whether it is strength, skill or game IQ you far surpass him. Go make him earn his stripes for every second he is on the field," Coach Ramos said when he reached the point of how he wanted his team to attack. Matteo simply nodded as he locked gazes with the image of Kevin watching how he moved in their last Game when Haaland charged forward.
"All right, you have 2 hours off, stay in the hotel, relax do what you need to do to get ready we will have lunch sharply at 12:30 before officially starting our pre-match preparation. Be smart and don’t go doing something I would do, win on me win on 3," Coach Ramos loudly exclaimed prompting everyone in the room to exclaim win once he finished his 3,2,1 countdown.
"WIN!!!"
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To Be Continued...