A scorching summer.
The feverish passion of the great football festival was gradually cooling.
With Brazil's 2-0 victory over Germany, they lifted the FIFA World Cup Trophy and etched another golden star onto their jerseys, officially forging their title as "Five-Star Brazil."
Looking back, the entire FIFA World Cup was a rollercoaster of thrilling matches and baffling behind-the-scenes refereeing scandals.
These memories together formed the summer of 2002, as the Korea and Japan FIFA World Cup came to a successful conclusion.
In this FIFA World Cup, Brazil emerged as the final victor, the king of the world.
The group stage eliminations of teams like France, Argentina, and Portugal were also a great shame.
The Chinese team completed their first-ever FIFA World Cup performance.
Spain was still building its strength, Germany had initiated a nine-year youth training system to cultivate a new generation of young players, and a storm was brewing on the Apennine Peninsula. This summer, the first FIFA World Cup after the year 2000 came to a close.
The FIFA World Cup was over, but the heated discussions about it and news about various star players were endless.
On television, thrilling matches from the tournament were being replayed on a loop.
Riding the coattails of the FIFA World Cup, they were harvesting another wave of popularity.
At the same time, the new season was just around the corner.
The major leagues were all considering the new season, the summer transfer window was in full swing, and the entire European Continent had entered a state of preparation.
And this wind also blew across the Balkan Peninsula, where the various tiers of Bosnia and Herzegovina's leagues underwent another restructuring.
First, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League expanded to 12 teams, and the schedule was changed to 22 rounds.
Starting in August, it would run until mid-March, with a long two-month winter break in between.
With two teams from the Bosnia and Herzegovina First League being promoted to fill the expansion (separate from the standard promotion/relegation), the First League in turn had to promote teams from the Second Division League to fill its own ranks.
The Mostar Wanderers, who had finished third in the league standings, happened to fall right into that spot.
This season, the Mostar Wanderers were passively promoted to the Bosnia and Herzegovina First League.
Inside Mulinar's woodworking shop.
"Awesome!"
Suk shouted excitedly, sitting on a chair and reading the newspaper.
'We're going to be playing in the First League this season. The card-drawing rewards for each match will definitely be much better.'
Mulinar, unaware of this, shook his head and said, "There's a huge gap between us and the First League. It'll be a challenge just to avoid relegation."
"Then we'll just have to beat the other promoted team. As long as we don't finish last, we'll be fine," Suk said dismissively.
Mulinar smiled. "Oripé signed us up for the Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup. It starts in a week."
The Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup is a cup competition run by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Football Association.
Teams from all league tiers can participate. Just like the DFB-Pokal, even Super League teams have no special privileges and must start from the first round.
"Whoa!"
Suk's eyes lit up. He saw all of this as more experience for drawing cards.
'It doesn't matter if we win or lose. As long as I'm on the pitch or in the squad for the match, I'll have a chance to draw a card.'
"It's scorching! So hot!"
Oripé walked in, clutching an official document. He slammed it on the table and turned his head to shout.
"Get me a glass of cold water!"
Suk hopped off the table, scurried over to get some water, and added a few ice cubes before handing the glass over.
Oripé tilted his head back and chugged it down. The stimulating chill finally brought him a hint of coolness.
Fanning himself with his shirt, Oripé said, "I have good news and bad news."
"The good news is we don't have to travel for the match. Our budget can cover our first Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup game!"
Hearing this, Suk and Mulinar both breathed a sigh of relief.
For the Mostar Wanderers, the cost of away games was a major problem.
Every time they had to play away from home, they had to cover part of the cost from their budget and get the rest through fan donations. If the donations weren't enough, they would even have to forfeit the match.
So, knowing they wouldn't have to travel far undoubtedly solved their biggest problem.
"That's great."
Mulinar also smiled, setting down his tools. "What's the bad news?"
Suk also looked over curiously.
Oripé sighed. "Our opponent is Mostar Zrinjski!"
Suk and Mulinar both froze.
Mostar Zrinjski was another club from Mostar Town.
But unlike a third-rate team like the Mostar Wanderers, they were a team that competed in the Super League.
Mostar Zrinjski was founded in 1905 and had a history of nearly a hundred years.
Despite some bumps along the way, it had never ceased to exist.
Since the establishment of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League in 1997, they had been one of the teams strong enough to challenge for the title.
Although they were still in the challenging phase and had yet to break the monopoly that Sarajevo's teams held on the championship, their strength placed them among the top tier of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Super League.
You could say that in their very first match, they had hit a steel plate.
"Whoa!"
Suk let out a strange cry. 'A tough nut to crack in the very first game!'
Mulinar also sighed softly.
"Well, that's the draw. We probably won't go far in the Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup, but we still need to prepare," Oripé said, letting out a breath. "We'll have a training camp for the next two days to work on some tactics for the match. Let everyone know that attendance is mandatory. No one can be absent."
Oripé paused, then added, "Though I doubt anyone would want to miss it."
...
The Mostar Wanderers' two-day training camp was in full swing.
Just as Oripé had thought, not a single person on the team was absent.
Everyone threw themselves into the training with great enthusiasm.
As mentioned before, any ambitious player in the Bosnia and Herzegovina First and Second Division Leagues aimed for the Super League.
To be able to make a living from football, instead of having to work a part-time job while playing.
And the gateway to that goal was the Super League.
Only by joining a Super League team could they have a basic guarantee of livelihood, without needing to work part-time to support themselves while playing.
For the Mostar Wanderers, many of the young players were still persevering precisely because they were waiting for an opportunity like this—to perform on a bigger stage and catch the eye of a Super League team.
Of course, they could also get promoted up through the leagues, but the former was obviously easier.
Suk was naturally one of them. That's why, upon hearing they were to play Mostar Zrinjski, the players didn't feel fear or discouragement. Instead, they were all fired up, eager for a big fight.
When a weak team plays a strong one, it's all about playing as a cohesive unit.
Given the gap in individual skill, the Mostar Wanderers needed to play as a more unified whole and focus on their defense.
Oripé once again brought out his defensive counter-attack system, with an even greater focus on defensive positioning.
"We must defend well in the first half. We have to endure this most difficult period."
Oripé shouted instructions continuously from the sidelines.
"Mostar Zrinjski will definitely go on the offensive. They're a Super League team, and they have their pride. They might even look down on us. We need to capitalize on that mentality and hit them hard!"
"A fist can only deliver its most powerful blow after it's been fully cocked back! So before we're ready to strike, I want every one of you to run and defend like mules!"
Oripé's voice was loud, inspiring the players.
On the field, Suk ran ceaselessly, working harder than anyone else.
"Suk, you're running too much! Save some energy, you're the key to our counter-attack!"
Mulinar couldn't help but shout as he watched Suk.
As the team's offensive spearhead, Suk's constant running would surely drain a lot of stamina. With this much running, when the time came to counter-attack, would the guy even be able to move?
"I can keep running! Don't worry about me."
Suk said, panting and waving his hand.
Suk was drenched in sweat. He knew full well that to compete with strong teams like this, he had to give it his all.
Besides, this was his chance to get into the Super League. He didn't want to just let it go to waste.
By running more aggressively, his individual effort could provide more security for the team's defense.
Besides, Suk wasn't some reckless rookie; he knew how to manage his stamina.
For this match, he would have to pull out his trump card.
'Run like crazy for half the match, use my running to disrupt their defensive line, and wear down their stamina at the same time.'
'Although my stamina consumption will be greater, they'll definitely be losing more stamina too.'
'And when their stamina is depleted to a certain point, I can use a 'Status Recovery Card' to instantly return to peak condition, while they'll still be exhausted.'
'That's when I will reveal my true fangs.'
'Before that, what I need to do is link up play with my running and passing.'
He even switched out his set of cards to ensure stability in the first half.
[Diamond Card (Special Class) — Inzaghi's Awareness.]
[Red Card (Skill Category) — Tolister's Short Pass.]
[White Card (Skill Category) — Fatiyalek's Anticipation.]
[White Card (Skill Category) — Tony's Interception.]
[White Card (Skill Category) — Lesten's Shooting Skill.]
[Red Card (Skill Category) — Status Recovery Card.]
This was the combination that maximized Suk's ability to disrupt the opponent in the front field.
Fatiyalek's anticipation of where the ball would land, combined with Tony's Interception, would allow Suk to act as a complete pest up front.
He would constantly run and press, putting pressure on the opposing backline as they tried to play the ball out.
For this reason, Suk even unequipped 'Andre's Flying Leg.' After all, the main focus of the first half was to defend with their lives.
Even on the counter-attack, Suk didn't plan to go it alone. Instead, he would use his passing to create opportunities for the two wingers, letting his teammates further drain the opponent's stamina—though scoring a goal would be best, of course.
Then, in the second half, the Status Recovery Card would instantly restore Suk to peak condition. 'Roberts' Dribbling' and 'Andre's Flying Leg' would then use speed and dribbling to let the opposing backline feel the impact of the little bean sprout.