Game On

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[And it's in... Jeremiah Hayes Football Institution have gone two-nil up. Brilliant team play from Hayes at the edge of the box there. He could've gone for it himself, but he slips a cheeky pass through the defense, and Zachary Cole had no problem finishing it off.]

[It's just like I said earlier. James Charles Academy need to change something, or else it's just going to be a one-club battering. I think the problem Jeremiah Hayes Football Institution had in the first half was the lack of that finishing edge. Now, from what I've seen, it looks like they've got their finishing boots on.]

The next twenty minutes of the match were very open. Both teams went on the attack. James Charles abandoned their strategy of sitting back and waiting for a counter and began pressing heavily for the ball. Even so, they were still dominated in terms of possession, as the Jeremiah Hayes Football Institution players were able to keep the ball under pressure.

"That touch is too heavy."

While the match was going on, Jeremiah shifted his attention from Jerry to the rest of the players on the pitch. He was sent there to find potential talents, and it wouldn't be fair if he just kept his attention on Jerry throughout the match.

"Hey, uh... Look out for that James Charles right wing-back. His team has played pretty badly so far, but I think he's pretty decent," Jeremiah said.

"We're not looking for decent," James shook his head. "Talents that have the potential to play for Manchester United have to be exceptional—"

"After the match, you'll go talk to him. Tell him he's invited to a trial. Do the same for the left winger playing for my academy."

"With due respect, I don't think that..." James looked at his book to get a name. "Zachary Cole has performed up to standard. I sincerely hope that this isn't some kind of favoritism because he plays for the academy that you own."

"He's scored a goal, hasn't he?" Jeremiah said while rubbing his forehead. He was beginning to get irritated.

"Asides from the goal, what has he done?" James asked.

"Who's the best striker in the world right now?" Jeremiah asked. James opened his mouth to answer, but Jeremiah didn't let him. "Without a doubt, you'd say Erling Haaland. Now, what does he contribute to a game aside from his goals?"

"Um..." James found himself without an answer.

"And he looks physical, strong, and he's pretty gifted technically. He's someone to look out for and develop."

"Alright then. I'll take your word for it," James said with a smile.

"Actually, the two wingers on the team—give them a trial," Jeremiah added. "And I'm not asking for your opinion. You'll talk to them after the match and invite them over."

While Jeremiah and James were arguing, the match continued. James Charles Academy launched a counter. Callum Forster (James Charles Academy central attacking midfielder) managed to get the ball from Ethan Maxwell (Jeremiah Hayes Football Institution central attacking midfielder) and sent a pass through to the right towards Dylan Cross (James Charles Academy right wing-back).

Dylan had a lot of space to run into on the right and only released the ball when he found himself face-to-face with Miles Heath (Jeremiah Hayes Football Institution right back). He moved the ball forward and slanted his body in a way that teased a run into the box before releasing it wide to Callum, who made an overlapping run.

As soon as Callum got the ball, Miles abandoned Dylan and ran towards Callum, sliding in front of him to intercept a cross that never came. After Callum took a step forward, he sent a backheel pass towards Dylan, who had entered the box.

With his first touch, Dylan sent a floating cross into the box, aiming at the two tall strikers inside the penalty box. Elijah Brooks (James Charles Academy striker) and Nathan Drake (Jeremiah Hayes Football Institution defender) went for the ball at the same time. It was very close, but Elijah managed to get to the ball ahead of Nathan.

Seeing that Elijah was going to get a clean contact with the ball, Archie Stoke (Jeremiah Hayes Football Institution goalkeeper) came off his line and tried to make himself as big as possible in an attempt to narrow Elijah's options. To Archie and the rest of the Jeremiah Hayes Football Institution players' dismay, Elijah didn't head the ball towards the goal. Instead, he flicked it on towards Mason Knight (James Charles Academy striker), who just managed to shrug Moses away and head the ball into the empty net.

[And now it's Elijah Brooks! That was a clever little flick-on to Knight, who's lurking at the back post. Knight heads the ball, and it's in! And now it's game on! James Charles Academy have pulled one back, and surely now a comeback is in sight.]

[Very intelligent play from Elijah there, to flick it on towards Knight, who made no mistake in putting the ball in the back of the net. I think for the first time in this match, James Charles managed to catch the Jeremiah Hayes Football Institution defenders unaware, and they made them pay. One goal is the difference between the two teams, and I'm curious as to whether that difference will increase or decrease.]

In the VIP section of the stands, Jeremiah had a smile on his face as he watched what had just happened. He turned to James. "That James Charles striker—go meet him after the match. He's invited to come on trial."

"That's the tenth name that you've asked me to write down today," James said with a frown.

"I thought the purpose of us coming to this match was to scout for talents." Jeremiah had an amused smile on his face as he arched a brow.

"It's a whole tournament," James said with a flat tone. "We still have seven more matches to watch today. At this rate, we'll invite almost ninety teens for trial, and there are also matches for other age groups."

"Seven more matches?" Jeremiah seemed mildly shocked when he heard about the number of matches remaining. "Forget it. This match has been pretty boring. I don't think I have the energy for seven more," Jeremiah muttered under his breath. He turned to face James. "You know what? I'll be leaving after this match. You handle the remaining seven matches."

James's mouth went agape when he heard what Jeremiah said. He seemed like he wanted to say something but decided against it.

"You better be damn good at coaching," James muttered under his breath while angrily scribbling on his notepad.