Second Chances: Indonesian Football Player

Chapter 52's

Saturday, 11 February 2012.

Nero, his teammates, and the academy coaches woke up early before 5:00 that morning. They were preparing to board a plane bound for Riga, Latvia. They are on their way to participate in the Riga Winter Cup, which starts the next day.

"Captain," said Stefan, turning to face Nero with a seductive smile. The Norwegian picked a window seat positioned in the row right in front of Nero. "Do you know which big teams will participate?" She asked.

"I told you not to keep calling me captain." Nero said as he scowled at his flatmate. "Just use my real name" he said, smiling wryly.

Coach Marcel has appointed him captain of the NF academy during the tournament in Riga. Stefan and Ryandi had changed the way they called him to the captain immediately, upsetting him to no end.

"Well, you better get used to it. Because you're the captain from now on." Stefan said with a smile. "Do you know which big teams will participate? Did the coach reveal anything about his schedule?" He asked once again.

Nero shook his head. "He said that all schedules and participating teams will be revealed during the pre-tournament meeting tonight. But, I heard him say something about Bayer Leverkusen, Ajax, Atletico Madrid, and the Milan academy."

"They are some good teams" Ryandi interjected. He sat next to Nero. "I hope we get an easy group. I don't want us to meet a tough opponent in the group stages." She added.

"Don't bring bad luck to us" Stefan said, his voice turning dramatic. "Telling it out loud could cause us to fall into the death group."

Similar chats are taking place throughout the economic part of the small plane. The players showed their passion to perform in the upcoming tournament. The journey passed quickly, and the plane landed at Riga Airport at about half-eleven in the morning.

An electric bus, arranged by Riga Cup organisers picked up Nero and his teammates from the airport. They take a bus through the urban landscape on their way to their hotel in the city center.

Nero was surprised to see many snow-covered trees rising like white fairytale creatures in the winter environment along the airport highway. He thought he would see many tall buildings lined the streets of Riga. However, the bus ride lasted for more than fifteen minutes before they found the tall architectural structure packed in a precise grid pattern along the way. If it wasn't winter, Nero was sure he would see plenty of green space.

Minutes later, the bus stopped in the parking lot of a grand hotel, about five stories high, according to Nero's estimates. It is called Hotel Monica Centrum. Their guide enthusiastically told them that it was one of the most luxurious in all of Riga.

"I didn't expect Riga to be this cold" Ryandi complained as they exited the bus. Fifteen players huddled around the bus and waited for further instructions from their coach. "I wonder how we're gonna play with all this snow! Will they continue to clear him off the field during the game?" He added, folding his thick jacket tighter to his body.

"Indoor stadium, man," Stefan replied with a smile. "There should be a lot of them around this town. I know there must be a large indoor stadium at Skonto Arena that hosts many games during the winter."

"Have you been here before?" Nero asked, surprised by his flatmate's intimate knowledge of Riga. Meanwhile, she tightened the black scarf around her neck to protect herself from the deadly cold of the skin.

"Well, what's up?" Ryall asked. "Have you been to Riga before or not?" He looked at the man with whom he shared his first name suspiciously.

"I don't mind telling you about our previous experience here in Riga," Stefan said, shaking his head. "We are part of the academy team that joined the Riga Cup three years ago as U-14s. But we lost all our games by a margin of 3 or more goals. At the end of the group stage, we had zero points and one goal. The academy players present at the time chose not to talk about the experience."

“Loss of 15 negative goals in just three games” Ryandi muttered without hiding the shock in his voice. Nero was also confused but remained silent. Such goal difference means U-14 teams concede at least six goals in a few games.

"Don't look at me like that." Stefan looked up at Ryandi. “The matches here are very competitive and are played consecutively without a break in less than ten days. The giant academy has a big team and can change squads for every game. Our team only had sixteen players back then. We cannot match other teams. "

"But still 15 goals..." Ryandi shook his head and let his voice disappear.

"So, let me get it straight," Nero interrupted. "There are also other age categories in the tournament here?" He had not managed to extract much information from Coach Marcel prior to their departure. He was still unsure about the entire setting of the Riga Tournament.

"There's a group of us who fall into the category of under 18 years old" Stefan replied. "If I remember correctly, there is also competition for U-12 and then U-14. But, the U-18 game is the main attraction. They involve players who are almost professional. So, expect a lot of. fans, especially during the game with the Latvian team."

They continued to discuss the tournament until Coach Marcel returned. He immediately instructed them to settle down in their room after handing them an electronic key. The organizers of the event have allocated double rooms for all fifteen RSCA players and academy staff. Nero is happy he will share a room with Ryandi after the allocation.

Their rooms are huge and contain luxuries like a thirty-six inch TV with videos and DVDs as well as two spacious leather sofas. In the center there are two large beds, decorated with clean white cotton sheets that can tempt every soul to sleep during the day. The heating system inside allows good temperature control, keeping the winter cold. One side of the room is dominated by floor-to-ceiling windows with clear views of the streets below.

"They definitely gave us a nice hotel," Ryandi commented after taking a look.

Nero agreed. He was also satisfied with the accommodation. He could only maintain his peak condition with enough rest in a comfortable environment.

"I'm going to sleep for a while" he told Ryandi as he unpacked his luggage. "I slept quite late last night due to preparations for today's trip." What he doesn't add up to is the fact that he has been practicing The Miracle Shoot of Lionel Messi and his Deadly Shoot in DVS until well past midnight.

"As captain, aren't you required to attend a pre-tournament meeting?" Ryandi asked, looking at Nero with a frown.

"The coach told me that the meeting was at three in the afternoon. Just wake me up when you're going to lunch. That'll give me enough time to prepare for the meeting."