The Malmö FF Youth Academy Trials VIII

Kalle Nilsson's POV

I stood in the center of the pitch, waiting for the match to start. My stomach was a bundle of nerves, but winning the coin toss helped settle me a bit. Maybe luck was on my side today.

"Kalle!" a voice called out. I turned, squinting against the spring sun. Sebastian Falk was jogging toward me. Tall, sharp-eyed, with silver-grey irises that missed nothing and black hair brushing over his forehead.

What did he want? My gut twisted. I wasn't sure whether to be glad or uneasy about being on the same team as him.

The guy was insanely good. He had crazy stamina and was probably the fastest boy here. Having him on our team definitely increased our chances of winning, but at the same time, I worried he would take all the spotlight.

Sebastian leaned in and pointed out Team C's defensive setup, laying out a plan to exploit it. Honestly, it sounded solid, but it also felt too good to be true. No way we would score that easily, right?

Still, I agreed to go along. If it worked, my name would be on the scoresheet. So, right after kickoff, I passed to Sebastian and sprinted forward toward the defenders.

I took up position near Team C's center backs. Their green bibs flashed as they shouted and organized. I glanced back, my heart hammering. Their attackers were already pressing high, their midfielders racing to close down space.

Should I drop back? The thought crossed my mind, but Sebastian's words echoed louder. Stay high. Wait for the ball.

So I stayed.

The ball flew back to Viktor, then across to Diego, followed by a strong pass into Martin. Sebastian shouted, and Martin slipped it to him. A Team C midfielder came rushing in. I held my breath, sure we would lose the ball.

But then it happened.

Sebastian feinted right, then turned left while faking the pass. His marker stumbled and lost balance. What had I just witnessed?

Sebastian broke forward with explosive pace, his boots tearing at the turf. Theo, our left winger, called out, "I'm open" from the flank. Sebastian glanced his way.

Wait. Was he going to pass to Theo?

But then his eyes locked with mine. He gave the signal.

I bolted between the defenders. They hesitated, just long enough.

The ball met me in stride, perfectly weighted. I steadied it and looked up. The keeper was frozen, unsure what to do.

I took one more touch, then struck the ball cleanly with my right foot. It zipped into the bottom left corner.

"Gooooaaaallllll!" I shouted, arms wide as I sprinted toward the stands. The cheers erupted. Martin, Emil, Oli, and Luca ran over, swarming me. After a round of high fives and back pats, I jogged back toward midfield.

Sebastian was already in our half, giving me a thumbs-up.

I grinned and returned the gesture. No doubt about it, I was glad he was on my team.

**********

FWEEEEEE

Team C's striker kicked off, sending the ball back to his midfielder, who immediately surged forward. Their players poured into Team D's half, eager to equalize and shift the momentum.

Team D still had the energy from their goal and dropped deep to defend. Even Kalle tracked back to put pressure on the midfield.

Team C began creating dangerous chances. A shot skimmed just over the bar. A curling cross led to a header that Lukas saved. Another effort from inside the box hit the side netting. But still, the score remained one nil.

Their pressure continued. Team D broke the rhythm when Emil made a clean tackle on the right winger. He won the ball and spotted Theo sprinting down the left flank, sending a quick pass into his path.

Theo controlled the ball and burst forward. He bent his run toward the box as two defenders closed in fast.

"Theo, pass here," Sebastian called from behind him, unmarked.

Theo ignored him.

He pushed ahead, tried to beat the first defender with pace, and succeeded. But the second arrived just in time, poking the ball away before Theo could cut inside.

The center back cleared it with a booming kick into Team D's half. Martin got under it and headed it out for a throw-in.

As they jogged back, Sebastian caught up with Theo.

"Why didn't you pass?" he asked.

Theo shrugged, avoiding eye contact. "I didn't see you. Don't worry, next time I will." He quickened his pace and brushed past Sebastian.

Sebastian frowned, clearly unconvinced.

The resulting throw-in led to nothing, and Team C remained aggressive, hunting for a way back into the match.

A few minutes later, Theo once again took control after forcing a turnover near the sideline. He sprinted forward, charging at the defense. Teammates' voices filled the air.

"Theo, over here!" Kalle called from the center, wide open.

"I'm free!" Sebastian yelled from the right, motioning urgently.

But Theo didn't pass.

He threw in a stepover to beat the first defender, who lunged and missed. Now approaching the penalty area, he spotted Sebastian again but still chose not to release the ball.

He cut inside and fired with his weaker foot.

The shot was tame and rolled directly into the keeper's arms.

Sebastian threw his arms up. "What was that?"

Kalle looked equally frustrated as he jogged back, shaking his head.

The keeper wasted no time, launching a counter. One of Team C's midfielders burst into the wide-open space left behind. Team D had committed too many players forward. Only their center backs, Viktor Holm and Diego Vargas were left at the back.

"Get back! Everyone back!" Lukas shouted, but it was already too late.

The midfielder slid a perfect through ball to the striker, who peeled away from Diego. Viktor tried to block with a desperate slide, but the striker calmly squared the ball to a teammate, who tapped it into an open net.

Goal.

Team C celebrated wildly. Team D stood frozen, stunned.

Sebastian walked past Theo, shaking his head. "That's what happens when you don't pass."

Theo said nothing, head low, guilt written across his face.

The score was now 1-1. The momentum had flipped.

Sebastian looked around at his teammates, all wearing the same expression.

Frustration. Disappointment. Regret.

This was going to be a long day.