When I saw two people approaching us, I instinctively frowned. During the tryouts, it had been said that five players would be selected, but now there was one extra person. Something must have happened, and an additional player had been chosen. If it were an important issue, the club would have informed us, so I decided not to dwell on it.
As I looked at the two newcomers, I noticed how tall they were. One was just under 1.80 meters, while the other was close to 1.85. Since they were still in their growth phase, it was obvious they would get even taller. My own height was 1.73, which was considered average for my age group, but they were clearly above that average.
The shorter of the two stepped forward first and said with a big smile on his face,
"Hi, my name is Mark."
The slightly taller one followed in a calmer tone,
"Hello, I'm George."
Thanks to Mark's energetic personality, we quickly became friendly. He mentioned that he had met George by chance when they entered the club earlier and that they had gotten to know each other then.
I opened the system to check both of their stats, starting with Mark.
Mark Evans (Level 13)
Agility: 12
Strength: 14
Endurance: 13
Resistance: 13
Position: Right Center Back (Level 7)
• Tackling (Level 9)
• Marking (Level 8)
• Sliding Tackle (Level 9)
• Interceptions (Level 8)
• Aerial Ability (Level 7)
• Positioning (Level 6)
…
Mark's stats weren't quite on Liam's level, but they were still very impressive. Thinking about playing together in defense made me excited. With someone this well-balanced, we could form a solid back line.
After Mark, I checked George's stats.
George Murphy (Level 12)
Agility: 12
Strength: 13
Endurance: 13
Resistance: 13
Position: Striker (Level 7)
• Shooting (Level 7)
• Acceleration (Level 4)
• Heading (Level 10)
• Finishing (Level 6)
• Shot Accuracy (Level 5)
• Aerial Dominance (Level 10)
…
It was clear that George knew how to use his height to his advantage. His Heading and Aerial Dominance were on par with some of Liam's strongest attributes. If he improved his shooting and finishing, he wouldn't fall behind Liam at all as a striker.
After a while, the facility staff member told us to wait there and left. As it got closer to 9:00, a man in his forties with slightly graying hair and a woman in her twenties with blonde-and-pink dyed hair approached us. The man had a very serious expression, while the woman smiled with a strikingly attractive face that immediately drew attention.
The man spoke in a firm, serious tone:
"Hello, boys. I'm Connor Roy, the U16 coach of Greenfield Rovers. From now on, I'll be responsible for you. I hope we get along well."
As he spoke, I noticed his eyes briefly shift toward Liam. It seemed that Liam was the player they had evaluated the highest during the tryouts.
He then continued,
"Now, my assistant coach will explain why you were selected."
The woman in her twenties, clearly the assistant coach, organized the papers in her hands and said with a smile,
"Hello everyone, I'm Hailey Spencer. You'll be seeing me quite often from now on."
She then continued,
"I know you're all excited to play in the starting eleven once matches begin. However, here you'll need to prove yourselves in training and in matches, even if you come on as substitutes. Does anyone have any questions about that?"
After hearing this, a hint of concern appeared on our faces. Liam's expression, however, didn't change at all. I had already suspected that he had played for another club before coming here, and now I was even more certain. He was probably used to competition for a starting spot—or simply very confident in his abilities.
Noticing our expressions, Coach Connor cleared his throat and said,
"Although players promoted from the lower teams make up most of the U16 squad, you should understand that we selected you very carefully from a large pool of candidates. You may lack experience compared to them, but in terms of potential, you are equal in my eyes. As long as you attend training regularly, you'll reach their level."
Hearing Coach Connor's words, we all felt noticeably more at ease.