Feeling Triumphant

Immediately after the final whistle, Zachary and his teammates left the stadium. They didn't even change out of their kits first.

It was already getting close to 1:00 PM by the time their match with ADO Den Haag ended. The other semifinal between VfB Stuttgart and Tottenham youth would be starting at 2:00 PM sharp. The two squads had already occupied the dressing rooms to begin preparations for their match. That left NF Academy players with no place to change out of their match gear.

The squad trekked out of the Skonto Indoor Stadium, still clad in their sweat-laden jerseys. They walked through the brightly-lit tunnel to the gate with a swagger in their steps, looking like they owned the entire world, chattering on about the match highlights.