Chapter 441: VS JEF United Chiba!
In the end, the only advice that Kumiko could give to Higo was one thing: Just do your best and ignore the noises outside.
"You are not here to make a friend, but to join the national team." Said the girl. "After two weeks of camp, you will not meet Wakahara-san again, and with that kind of an attitude, there is no way he would get selected again. So, ignore all the noise around and just be the best goalkeeper you can be!"
This encouragement was enough to get Higo back on the right track. Of course, this caused some sort of hostility, with Wakahara sending a stinging glare at him every now and then. Fortunately, Zion didn’t really care about it, just wanting to compete on who was the best between him and Higo.
This was probably the only saving grace in this camp, as Higo really cherished the competitive nature between him and Zion.
Days passed by, and they finally reached the first week of the camp. Just like any national camp, things wouldn’t be completed if there were no friendly games. This time, the team managed to snatch the legendary local team, JEF United Chiba, as their opponent for this occasion.
This was one of the founders of the league, but unfortunately, due to a lot of bad luck, they had been staying in the second division for so many years. Hell, last season, they even only got into the 14th position out of 22 teams, so close to the relegation zone to the third division.
This year, they wanted to prepare early, hoping to aim for a promotion. That was why the team accepted the invitation for a game against this camp.
The day before the game, the training session finished earlier than usual. Instead, the players were asked to gather in the meeting room as the coaching team wanted to talk about the game tomorrow. Higo was also there, sitting next to Makino, closer to the front seat.
"Okay, the first game of the camp." Kageyama-sensei raised his voice, stopping all the commotion inside. "The starting lineup is what I project to be the team’s main roster for the World Cup two months later, but I will still try to experiment a lot, replacing any of you if something doesn’t work. So, get ready to play with your best ability, okay?"
"YES, SIR!"
"Good! Goalkeeper, Zion Suzuki!"
The dark-skinned boy grinned, giving a V-sign to Higo secretly. As for Higo himself, the boy just rolled his eyes exasperatedly. While he regretted not being chosen in the main lineup, Higo had already predicted something like this.
After all, no matter how good his performance was, it was hard to convince the coaching team when a talented goalkeeper who was also quite experienced in this regard, like Zion Suzuki, was on the same team.
"Defenders! Hiroki Ito! Ayumu Seko! Miki Yamane! And Yukinari Sugawara!"
The four defenders whose names were called out just nodded secretly, not showing much emotion. It was clear that they were veterans in this shit, and if nothing changed, they would also be the main troops for the tournament.
Higo could see Makino clenching his fist, but it was only for a moment before the boy relaxed immediately. He couldn’t help but snort, muttering, ’If you think with your performance in the training, you can sneak into that lineup, you are daydreaming, Mate.’
Makino heard it clearly, and without even blinking, the boy stomped on Higo’s feet secretly, enough to make his friend yelp out of nowhere.
"Any problem, Higo-kun?" Kageyama-sensei raised one of his eyebrows slightly.
"N—Nothing, Sensei!" Higo shook his head quickly, putting on the best innocent smile he could muster.
Makino himself was quite satisfied with the result, nodding secretly while also turning his attention back to the coaching team on the front.
"Well, if that is so..." Kageyama-sensei nodded while not being convinced about it. "As for the midfielders, Naoya Takahashi, Koki Morita, and Mitsuki Saito."
Mitsuki Saito was somehow a player like Usami. He was quite lowkey, running the game tirelessly like an engine. People might not see his contribution directly, but once he was off the pitch, everything would crumble instantly.
So, for the midfielder, there was no surprise as well. The three best midfielders in the camp were chosen with the task of guarding the midfield line for the team. On paper, this was probably the best composition the team could set up.
"For the attacking line, Hiroki Kawabe, Keito Nakamura, and Taisei Miyashiro."
This time, some of the dudes, including Higo as well, turned around at Mamoru to see the boy’s reaction. After all, with his talent and performance in this camp, he deserved more than anyone else to be chosen to the main roster, and yet, it was Keito Nakamura, a veteran in the camp, who got the position.
The boy himself didn’t react that much. However, if everyone watched carefully, they would notice the boy clenching his fist so tightly that his palm started to turn white, the only way he could show his frustration right now.
Kageyama-sensei also noticed this. However, instead of addressing the issue properly, the man chose an indirect way to do that. His gaze swept through the room as his voice echoed once again there.
"I will remind you guys, that while this is the main roster that I have in mind, that doesn’t mean everything cannot be changed here. Besides tomorrow’s game, we will also schedule one three days later, and the whole squad will be adjusted according to the situation. Everything is not final yet, so get your ass up and show us our spirit!"
"YES, SIR!"
’Yeah, the man is good.’ Higo admitted quietly. ’Just one speech is enough to dispel all the frustration here, giving them enough motivation to train later. No matter how much their original teams want them to hold back, they wouldn’t be able to do that in this atmosphere. Kageyama-sensei just solves two big issues in the team in one go, and now, things will be different at the camp...’
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