Volume 1: The Impossible Dream
The match entered its fifteenth minute.
The scoreboard remained unchanged.
San Isidro High School 0 – 0 Holy Cross Academy
Neither goalkeeper had been seriously tested.
From the stands, some spectators looked confused.
"Why isn't anyone attacking?"
"It feels slower than yesterday's match."
An older man sitting nearby chuckled.
"This isn't a street game."
"This is tactical football."
Kai wiped the sweat from his forehead as he glanced around the field.
Everything Coach Ramirez had said was happening.
Every time San Isidro tried to build an attack...
Holy Cross shifted together.
Not one player.
The entire team.
Like pieces connected by invisible strings.
Kai received a pass from Miguel.
The moment he turned...
The defensive midfielder stepped forward.
At the same time...
The nearest center-back moved two steps to his left.
The fullback tucked inside.
Within seconds...
Three passing lanes disappeared.
Kai clicked his tongue.
"Again..."
He calmly passed the ball backward.
No frustration.
No risky decisions.
Exactly as they had practiced.
On the touchline...
Coach Ramirez folded his arms.
Beside him stood Assistant Coach Leo.
"They're staying patient."
Leo nodded.
"Holy Cross is waiting for us to make the first mistake."
Coach's eyes never left the field.
"So are we."
Holy Cross slowly began to control possession.
Their passes weren't fast.
They weren't flashy.
But every player moved with purpose.
Their captain, Adrian Castillo, rarely crossed the halfway line.
Instead...
He constantly directed his defenders.
"Left!"
"Step up!"
"Hold!"
His voice echoed across the pitch.
Kai couldn't help but admire him.
"He's organizing everyone..."
No wonder they had only conceded one goal all tournament.
Twenty-two minutes.
Holy Cross launched their first dangerous attack.
Their right winger burst down the flank before sending a low cross into the box.
Miguel slid just in time.
THUD!
The ball bounced away for a corner.
The Holy Cross supporters applauded loudly.
Coach Ramirez stood immediately.
"Watch the set piece!"
"No free headers!"
Kai jogged into the penalty area.
He looked around.
Every Holy Cross player already knew where to stand.
Two players blocked the goalkeeper's vision.
One waited near the penalty spot.
Another drifted toward the far post.
There was no confusion.
Everything looked rehearsed.
Kai whispered,
"They practice this a lot..."
Miguel nodded.
"Stay alert."
The referee raised his arm.
The corner taker lifted one hand as a signal.
Then...
He delivered a curling cross toward the near post.
Adrian Castillo exploded forward.
He wasn't trying to score.
Instead...
He flicked the ball with the top of his head.
The ball changed direction unexpectedly.
It flew toward the far post.
A Holy Cross striker appeared from nowhere.
BANG!
A powerful header.
San Isidro's goalkeeper reacted instantly.
SLAP!
He pushed the ball onto the crossbar.
CLANG!
The rebound bounced dangerously inside the six-yard box.
Chaos erupted.
Players from both teams rushed toward the loose ball.
Kai sprinted back.
Without thinking...
He threw himself in front of the second shot.
THUD!
The ball smashed into his thigh before bouncing away.
Rafael immediately cleared it into the stands.
PEEEEEEP!
The referee signaled for another corner.
The San Isidro supporters finally exhaled.
Coach Ramirez clapped loudly.
"Good defending!"
"Stay focused!"
Kai slowly stood up, rubbing his sore leg.
Miguel ran over.
"You okay?"
Kai nodded.
"I've had worse."
But inside...
He realized something important.
Holy Cross didn't need individual brilliance.
One well-rehearsed corner kick had almost broken the deadlock.
Kai looked toward Adrian Castillo.
The Holy Cross captain calmly walked back into position.
No celebration.
No disappointment.
As if he already knew...
Another opportunity would come.
Kai clenched his fists.
"One mistake..."
"That's all they need."
The referee placed the ball once again.
Holy Cross prepared for another corner.
This time...
Everyone inside the stadium held their breath.
The referee stepped toward the corner flag.
Holy Cross had earned another opportunity.
Kai took a deep breath.
"Stay with your man!" Miguel shouted.
The San Isidro defenders answered immediately.
"I've got number nine!"
"Far post covered!"
"Near post!"
The atmosphere inside the penalty area became tense.
Every player pushed for position.
Jerseys were pulled.
Arms fought for space.
The referee raised a warning.
"No holding!"
Both teams nodded.
The corner taker raised two fingers.
Kai noticed it immediately.
"A signal..."
The ball was struck.
Instead of curling toward the center...
It traveled low.
Fast.
Straight toward the edge of the penalty area.
A Holy Cross midfielder arrived perfectly on time.
He didn't shoot.
With one touch...
He redirected the ball wide.
The right-back was already overlapping.
"No!" Rafael shouted.
Too late.
The fullback whipped a first-time cross into the box.
Unlike the first corner...
This one floated toward the penalty spot.
Adrian Castillo jumped.
He didn't attack the goal.
He headed the ball downward.
Exactly as they had practiced.
The bouncing ball landed in front of striker Marco Dizon.
Before anyone could react...
BOOM!
A powerful first-time finish.
The ball flew into the bottom corner.
The goalkeeper dived...
But he was half a second too late.
GOOOOOAL!!
Holy Cross Academy took the lead.
San Isidro High School 0 – 1 Holy Cross Academy
The Holy Cross supporters erupted.
Players celebrated briefly.
Just a few high fives.
A few pats on the back.
Then...
They calmly jogged back to their own half.
Kai noticed it immediately.
"They're not celebrating much..."
Coach Ramirez smiled bitterly.
"They expected to score."
Miguel kicked the grass in frustration.
"We knew that routine..."
Kai shook his head.
"They executed it perfectly."
Rafael exhaled heavily.
"No panic."
"We still have time."
From the touchline...
Coach Ramirez clapped loudly.
"Lift your heads!"
"No blaming!"
"Play our football!"
The players immediately gathered near the center circle.
Coach held up one finger.
"One goal."
"That's all we're chasing."
"Not two."
"One."
Kai nodded.
He understood.
If they rushed...
Holy Cross would punish them again.
The match restarted.
This time...
Holy Cross dropped slightly deeper.
Exactly as expected.
Two compact defensive lines formed almost instantly.
Every passing lane narrowed.
Every touch became more difficult.
Miguel passed to Kai.
Kai immediately turned.
Three white jerseys closed the space.
Instead of forcing a dribble...
Kai switched the ball to the opposite wing.
Patient.
Simple.
The crowd began urging San Isidro forward.
"Attack!"
"Go!"
But Kai ignored the noise.
Coach's words echoed in his mind.
"Don't let them control your emotions."
Thirty-four minutes.
San Isidro finally created their best chance.
Rafael drifted between the center-backs.
Miguel spotted the run.
A perfectly weighted through ball split the defense.
Rafael reached it first.
The goalkeeper rushed out.
He shot immediately.
BANG!
The entire stadium rose from their seats.
THUD!
The goalkeeper stretched out one arm.
The ball struck his glove before bouncing wide.
"So close!" Miguel shouted.
Rafael covered his face.
"I rushed it..."
Kai jogged over.
"You made the right run."
"We'll get another chance."
Holy Cross immediately restarted with a goal kick.
No wasting time.
No arguing with the referee.
Everything remained calm.
Everything remained organized.
Kai looked toward Adrian Castillo once more.
The Holy Cross captain wasn't shouting.
He wasn't celebrating.
He simply pointed toward the left side of the field.
Within seconds...
His teammates adjusted their positions.
"One gesture..."
"The whole team understands."
Kai smiled to himself.
"That's what a real captain looks like."
The fourth official raised the electronic board.
+2 Minutes
Two minutes remained in the first half.
San Isidro continued searching patiently.
Pass after pass.
Movement after movement.
But Holy Cross refused to break shape.
The referee glanced at his watch.
The whistle could come at any moment.
Kai received one final pass near midfield.
He lifted his head.
For the first time in the match...
He noticed something.
A tiny gap.
It lasted less than a second.
Without hesitation...
Kai sprinted toward it.
PEEEEEEEP!
Halftime.
The opportunity disappeared before it could begin.
Kai stopped running and looked toward the tunnel.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I finally saw it..."
"Their wall... isn't impossible to break."
The second half...
Would decide everything.
End of Chapter 17