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Maddox turned to the observers.

Peterson met his eyes, then said simply, "Let's debrief."

***

The small office smelled like coffee and old paper. Fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting everything in harsh white light. Maddox sat across from the three observers, their clipboards spread across the desk like evidence in a trial.

Peterson cleared his throat. "Mr. Maddox, we'll be direct. We've seen a lot of coaches come through here. Most of them try to impose their will on the players from the first minute."

Maddox nodded, his hands folded in his lap. His shirt was still damp with with drizzle, his heart still racing from the intensity of the match.

"You took a different approach," Sarah Chen said, her voice thoughtful. "You let them play first. Let them show you what they could do."

"Football is about the players, not the coach," Maddox replied. "My job is to help them be better, not to make them into something they're not."