CHAPTER ONE Always Take the Shot Start the day right and end the day right Everything in the middle will fall into place Enzo’s pappa pours boiling water from a kettle into a thermos and to mix his maté Argentinian tea Yeah You have a match today asks Pappa You know when I grew up in Argentina everyone knew what soccer was about If you have the shot you take the shot Nowadays they spend too much time passing You’ve got to be fast and you’ve got to be a shooter Enzo Nobody remembers the passer I know Pappa Are you a shooter Enzo Yeah I’m a shooter Enzo rolls his eyes 4
Coach’s sprinting drills pay off but not as much as Enzo’s private training routine He starts every morning at 5 30 a m just after his pappa leaves for work They meet in the kitchen at 5 15 while his mamma and sisters are still asleep Pappa sips maté and Enzo drinks a protein shake Are you fast Enzo Yeah I’m fast Pappa Argentinian fast Pappa jerks his arms in a quick jab making him look more like a lightweight boxer than a soccer player I’m going downstairs says Enzo When the match starts later that morning Enzo thinks Pappa doesn’t really believe I’ll make it but there’s no question in my mind He makes a run down the right side Aiden anticipates the move and makes a perfect pass Enzo doesn’t miss a step The defender backpedals but it’s too late 5
Enzo steps past him planting his left foot and connecting with the right The ball flies past the goalie but he has no chance to reach out before it slips into the top left cross Enzo pulls up his shirt exposing his abs He doesn’t bother to thank Aiden for the assist This moment is about him It’s HIS speed HIS timing HIS drive HIS fitness that has made him such a strong offensive player And it’s him that will go on to play in college and the pros when everyone else on the team becomes weekend players or high school soccer coaches Maybe one or two of them have what it takes to play Major League Soccer but Enzo knows that he’ll make it The score is now 1-0 with ten minutes left If defense does its job they’ll win another match But that doesn’t mean that Enzo is ready to take it easy 6
As soon as the ball is back in play he pursues the defense Ben and Aiden are also there pressing None of them is about to take a chance and pull back or play it safe Ten minutes is too long Too much can happen Soon the ball is in midfield Kai looks fresh and ready to attack Enzo jogs back toward the center line looking for another opening If there’s an opening he can count on Aiden to pass He always passes It’s like he’s afraid to take a shot himself Not a champion The clock ticks by with a lot of safe play Boring Enzo starts to make small attacks as his frustration grows The clock ticks down until there are only three minutes left The players will stall as long as possible and nothing will happen for at least another minute or two 7
