Squaring off against JFC Riga

The next day.

Coach Johnsen took the players to survey the Skonto Arena first thing in the morning. It was the indoor stadium where they would face the Riga academy in their opening match.

"I advise you to walk around and familiarize yourself with every nook and cranny of the pitch," the Coach said while leading the procession of the NF academy players past the gates of the stadium.

The arena's interior design mimicked a greenhouse with a dome-shaped roof that kept out the snow. Zachary's mood was bolstered by the well maintained artificial turf beneath his feet. He felt relieved that the pitch wouldn't limit his performance against Riga the following day.

After they finished the survey, they played a short warm-up game on the turf before returning to their hotel. The organizers had only allocated them a single hour of training time in the stadium. A few other participating teams were supposed to be using the stadium after they left.