Eve of the Finals

Thursday, February 23, 2012.

ADO Den Haag was slated to face Tottenham Youth in the third-place playoff that afternoon. But surprisingly, coach Johansen had scheduled a light training session for the NF Academy squad at the Olympic Sports Center instead.

Zachary and his teammates warmed up by running laps around the indoor artificial turf in the Olympic Center. He was feeling a bit edgy from the expectations that came with the buildup to the final. He was surprised to find out that he could still get nervous on the day just before a youth cup final despite having experienced a lot in his past life.

Zachary had been relieved when the coach had called the squad for the last-minute training session that afternoon. The session would help calm his nerves. That was better than lounging back in his hotel room, waiting for the match.