Field Commander - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 32.

Chapter 32.

Chapter 32.

Sparda Bank Hessen Stadium.

The stadium of Kickers Offenbach, opened in 2012.

Capacity: 22,000 people.

Until before World War I, it was the finest soccer team in Germany, and even until the 60s, it had enough strength to beat Bayern Munich 6-0.

However, match-fixing scandals broke out, and unable to keep up with the times, they continued to stay in the Second Division and Division 3 before being recently relegated to the 4th division league.

Since Germany has such a well-established promotion and relegation system, and even the lowest leagues have a certain level of spectators, they could rise again with just a year or two of preparation.

With relegation, the team’s atmosphere became hostile, and amid movements to transfer to higher league teams before the transfer season ended, the Kickers management wanted to set the mood with their opening match.

– Just endure for one year. Next year you’ll be able to play in Division 3.

Freiburg II, who were always in the lower ranks of the 4th division league, were therefore a very suitable sacrifice.

They stirred up fans through the media and filled the stands for the opening match.

* * *

I warmed up on the ground while checking the grass condition.

‘Nice. The moisture is just right too.’

When I played for Cheongju FC, more than half the teams had artificial turf soccer fields.

When you tackle, your legs sting and hurt like hell…

Scratches are a given when you play games.

The degree of ball bounce also varies by stadium, making ball control difficult.

But like the Freiburg II ground, here too the grass condition was maintained similarly as if standardized.

Thanks to that, I didn’t feel much alienation in controlling the ball.

“It’s really packed, isn’t it?”

“I saw in the newspaper that they want to use us as a sacrifice?”

“Every Tom, Dick and Harry really looks down on our team.”

“Most of Kickers’ starting lineup are guys who played in Division 3 last season. I don’t think they’re just anybody.”

I perked up my ears to the conversation between Adam and Jeff.

“Division 3 or 4… if it’s not Second Division League or higher, they’re all beggars there.”

They weren’t starters, but they were players who had plenty of experience in the Bundesliga anyway.

“Well… their average age is 29. They’ll definitely make fewer mistakes when playing, but their energy level is lower.”

Our team’s starting lineup average age was 22.

“That’s probably why the manager chose tactics that require a lot of running. Hey, Kim.”

When I turned my head, Adam was gesturing.

“Why are you listening so secretly? Just come over and listen.”

“Okay.”

When I got closer to them, Jeff said.

“The other guys don’t pay any attention to what we say, but this guy is really interested in us.”

“He’s probably like that because he’s a newbie who doesn’t know anything.”

Jeff looked at me and said.

“What do you want to know?”

“Things to be careful of, or their weaknesses…”

These guys were also doing coaching roles while playing within the team.

“That Number 8 over there.”

Looking at that player, he seemed to be somewhat older.

“He’s a Bundesliga player who played for a team called Hoffenheim for a long time. Like us, he’s gotten older and his stamina and physical abilities have declined, but his through passes that he delivers to the front forwards in one go are still at an active level.”

Oh ho.

Number 8 through pass.

I filed that away in my head for now.

“I think the hole is on that team’s right side. Especially that Number 13 over there. He has a very aggressive tendency but his stamina isn’t great.”

That story meant his backup ability wasn’t great due to stamina issues when he came up to attack.

It was perfect for Gunter on the left to be active.

“And be careful of those bald guys over there.”

“Right. They’re ignorant bastards. They sometimes swing their elbows around too.”

Ah, friends who enjoy physical conversation.

Those kinds of players usually have poor speed.

Like me.

To catch fast guys, they have no choice but to use other means.

They, who liked to talk, kept chattering away, and I kept putting the necessary information in my head.

‘These people…’

They’re not people who give great influence on the field right now, but they’re a big help even when not on the field.

Is that why Jung Seung-jin told me these were players I absolutely had to become friends with?

“Come in now!”

At the coach’s shout, the players who had been warming up on the playground headed to the locker room one by one, and I too turned toward the locker room, feeling the heat of my sufficiently warmed body.

‘An official match in Germany.’

The weather is cool too.

My physical condition is so good.

There’s plenty of booing from home fans that stimulates competitiveness.

Add a spoonful of excitement about playing soccer among so many people.

‘This will be fun. Soccer.’

* * *

Manager Streich, who was beaten by the media after suffering a crushing defeat to Schalke 04.

His car was a mess early in the morning due to egg throwing courtesy of the fans.

Right after the match, the players were resting comfortably at home, but the manager couldn’t do that.

Various administrative processing, discussions and meetings with the club, meetings with the coaching staff he employs, information analysis for the next match…

Player complaints and grievances coming through various channels…

He had to grasp these and process them quickly.

‘No matter how much their condition hasn’t improved…’

The performance shown by several players yesterday was too desperate.

For financially poor Freiburg to raise the club’s capabilities by one level, they needed to finish at least 6th place to participate in the European Conference Cup.

The broadcasting fees from there…

Just receiving that would level up the team by several stages…

But this year, staying up was the goal for now.

However, looking at some players’ form, even that became uncertain.

No matter how many points they gave, they shouldn’t have given more than 2 points, but they gave away 5 points.

In the second half, the team atmosphere completely collapsed and the manager’s instructions weren’t being carried out.

With that one match, they were at the bottom of the league.

‘It’s rough.’

Though he thought that, it didn’t show on his expression at all.

He had been coaching here for nearly 12 years and had experienced even more difficult situations.

In 2002, they almost got relegated to Division 3, and the team almost completely fell apart.

Thinking of that time, now wasn’t so difficult.

He, who attended an event where the German Football Association gathered youth players over 18 who had been released from clubs to play friendly matches, stood up as soon as the first half ended.

They weren’t resources that could be used in the first division right away.

Though there would be plenty of interest from the third or fourth divisions.

He was about to drive straight back.

But since Darmstadt, where Freiburg II’s first season match was being played, was only a 30-minute drive away, he headed there.

After parking his car and getting out, he looked up at the stadium for a moment.

A beautiful newly built stadium.

Surely fan chants should be flowing out from inside, but it was far too quiet.

‘Is the match over?’

When he went to the ticket booth, the staff had gloomy expressions.

‘They’re losing.’

He bought a ticket and went up to the stadium.

And the numbers displayed on the scoreboard immediately caught his eye.

Second Half 14:45

Kickers Offenbach: 0

Freiburg II: 4

‘4-0?’

Streich was a bit surprised.

He wasn’t surprised because they scored 4 goals, but because of the 0 goals.

Stadium spectators kept leaving, and he could see the stands gradually emptying.

‘If it’s Kickers, they would have been a third division team last season, right?’

Just as he was moving to find a decent seat…

Tremendous cheers erupted from the opposite stands.

Judging by their white uniforms, they seemed to be away Freiburg fans.

The announcer’s voice saying “Goal…” flowed through the stadium, sounding like he really didn’t want to be working.

“It’s Player 28 again!”

“Damn! Those idiots! Why can’t they stop that one monkey!”

“Today our entire team is being toyed with by that Player 28 alone.”

“I’m leaving. I really can’t stand watching this.”

“This is complete torture. I’m leaving too.”

As the Kickers fans sitting in front hurriedly got up, Streich took a seat.

‘Player 28?’

Looking at the scoreboard, he could see that player was Kim Sang-hyuk.

Befitting a newly built stadium, highlight footage was playing on the scoreboard.

It was a set piece situation, where Player 28 jumped high above everyone else and scored with a header.

It wasn’t just a free header either – despite two large defenders clinging to him, they couldn’t stop his jump.

It felt like watching Jang Jin-woo who had bombarded the team yesterday.

Of course, rather than overpowering the defenders with overwhelming physicality, he could see his teammates clearly helping his movement.

‘Did they help him, or did he use them?’

Since he wasn’t a manager, he wasn’t sure…

It felt like he used his standing teammates as screens against the players clinging to him?

Wondering if Kim Sang-hyuk had scored many goals, he looked at the stats board, but that goal was his first today.

He had no assist records either.

When the goal scorer posed like a bodybuilder, trash flew at him from all directions.

‘He’s really earned the hatred of the opposing team’s fans.’

His teammates who followed behind took the trash hits for him.

Especially Adam, who yelled furiously at the spectators throwing trash and eventually received a yellow card.

‘One month… is he already earning his teammates’ trust?’

It’s really not easy for a transfer player to do that in their first game.

‘I should have come earlier.’

Streich pulled his cap down deep and sank into his chair.

‘What did he do to become Kickers’ public enemy after scoring just one goal?’

* * *

– I’ll talk to the club about making smaller sized uniforms.

Kang Su-yeon, wearing a rather loose Freiburg II uniform, had somehow become absorbed in what was happening on the field.

Her gaze was almost fixed on Kim Sang-hyuk.

‘The atmosphere is exactly the same as back then.’

It must have been during their second year at Maedong High School.

Maedong High School facing Gangneung High, the strongest team in the regional preliminaries.

But there was one player who stood out for blocking all of the opponent’s sharp attacks – Kim Sang-hyuk.

A player who didn’t seem to run much but was always positioned in the opponent’s passing routes.

Today was the same.

In the early first half, Kickers played offense-oriented while Freiburg II played defense-oriented, but most of Kickers’ attacks were blocked in front of the penalty area.

Then around the 13th minute of the first half.

Kickers’ Player 8 sent a through pass into the penalty area.

It was a dangerous situation if it went through, but Kim Sang-hyuk intercepted the ball with a tackle.

Then he passed to the empty left side, where Player 4 ran very quickly to catch that pass, penetrated to the penalty area, and made a cutback to a player running in from behind.

It led directly to a shot and became Freiburg II’s first goal while they were under pressure.

After that, Kickers desperately increased their attacking tempo, but the player who kept cutting off their rhythm was Kim Sang-hyuk.

‘How can he block passes like that?’

The tempo was so fast that even turning one’s head was difficult…

Perhaps because Kim Sang-hyuk kept sending long passes for counter-attacks after intercepting passes, the Kickers players showed man-marking the penetrating forwards instead of pressuring Kim Sang-hyuk.

But Kim Sang-hyuk switched to dribbling without a moment’s hesitation.

It wasn’t flashy, but when a player of that build pushed forward with the ball, it was like a tank charging ahead.

The opponents couldn’t just watch either, so the players who had been retreating rushed at him.

Usually in this situation, one would back-pass to a player running up from behind, but Kim Sang-hyuk sent a through pass between their narrow spaces.

That pass was received by the fast and small Player 21, who then connected it to Player 4 charging in from the side, leading to a goal.

‘He seems to play even better than in high school.’

No matter how she looked at it, his movement didn’t seem like that of a player who had suffered an injury severe enough to give up soccer.

‘Is that even possible?’

She once secretly looked at her father’s documents when he had fallen asleep drunk.

Content related to Kim Sang-hyuk’s injury.

– Rehabilitation impossible. Disability assessment…

She couldn’t remember the details, but those two phrases clearly remained in her mind.

‘His jumping power seems to have gotten even higher.’

Rather than being noticeable, she just couldn’t believe that such jumping power could come from the legs of a player assessed as unable to rehabilitate.

Even she, who majored in medicine, could only attribute this situation to a ‘miracle’.

Kickers changed tactics and began targeting Freiburg II’s right side, which created quite dangerous situations.

They allowed about 2 decisive shots, but didn’t concede goals thanks to the goalkeeper’s saves.

Then around the 40th minute of the first half.

After Kickers’ shot was blocked, the ball fell to Kim Sang-hyuk.

Now whenever Kim Sang-hyuk got the ball, opposing players would get worked up, and spectators would boo from all directions.

– Stop him with a foul!

Even the opposing team director shouted to commit fouls.

Freiburg II’s forwards were spreading out and running into space, and wherever the connection went, it could become very dangerous for Kickers.

The Kickers players who had failed in attack blatantly made dangerous tackles on Kim Sang-hyuk, and she unconsciously let out a short scream as the scene of Kim Sang-hyuk’s injury flashed through her mind.

But Kim Sang-hyuk, as if he had anticipated it…

Used his superior jumping power to evade the tackle.

Then another player threw his body at him, and he deflected that too with his arm.

Then, as if about to make a pass, he suddenly turned.

After making fools of the two players who tried to block his path, he sent a cross to the left side without any interference.

Player 4, who seemed to have good chemistry with Kim Sang-hyuk, cleanly collected the ball and entered the penalty area.

With more forwards in position, Player 4 chose not to shoot himself but connected to Player 9 who was free, creating another goal.

She watched the match for a while, then opened her mobile phone as if she had made some decision.

– Father. You know player Kim Sang-hyuk, right? That player has made a comeback.

A message came back shortly after.

– What? Is that true?

Around the 35th minute of the second half, Kim Sang-hyuk, who was about to be substituted, split the opposing goal post with a mid-range shot from in front of the goal.

– Yes. Right now player Sang-hyuk is tearing the opposing team to pieces.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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