After running through the tactics one last time, Kramny announced the starting eleven for the day.
After his outstanding performance as a substitute in the last match, it was no surprise to anyone that Wang Shuo was in the starting lineup.
Ever since arriving at Mainz U19, from his trial to his matches and subsequent training sessions, Wang Shuo’s performance had grown increasingly impressive.
This was especially true since he had grown close to players like Schürrle, Hoffenheim, and Medinitz.
And these were all key players on the team.
But Kramny made a decision that took everyone by surprise.
"Wang, you’re playing down the middle today."
Kramny said, pointing at Wang Shuo.
"From the kickoff, I want you to give it your all and press their backline."
"Robin."
Kramny pointed to Robin Medinitz. "You’ll be on the left wing."
"Andrei, you take the right."
Schürrle nodded.
"Munich 1860 has an excellent defense, so we have to play to our strengths right from the kickoff and fight to gain the First Move."
"Robin, Andrei, your job is to coordinate with Wang, pressure Munich 1860’s backline, win the ball, and then launch a quick counter-attack. Play to our strengths."
Wang Shuo glanced at Schürrle, then at Medinitz. Both of them were looking right back at him.
The three of them broke into smiles and nodded in unison.
...
One!
Two!
Three!
Go!
The moment the referee, 25-year-old Dominic Baki, blew the opening whistle, Wang Shuo shot forward like an arrow, tearing into Munich 1860’s half of the field.
Philippe Hoxinna had just taken the kickoff in the center circle when Wang Shuo was already on top of him.
The Munich 1860 player hurriedly passed the ball back.
In the next instant, Wang Shuo blew past Philippe Hoxinna like a gust of wind.
The Austrian forward watched the back of the Asian player, who was about his height, and shouted a warning to his teammates.
"Watch out, this guy is fast!"
But Wang Shuo had already crossed the center circle, blown past Munich 1860’s midfield, and was charging toward their backline.
This caught the young Munich 1860 players completely by surprise.
Before Wang Shuo could even reach them, they rushed a clearance, booting the ball upfield.
The Munich 1860 players were stunned.
This Asian kid didn’t look like he was here to play soccer.
He looked like he was playing for his life!
On the sideline, Munich 1860’s head coach, Klaus Schrom, saw his team lose possession, and a strange glint appeared in his eyes.
It was quickly followed by a cold smirk.
’Going all out from the opening whistle? I’d like to see how long you can keep that up!’
But the match’s progression clearly defied Klaus Schrom’s expectations.
Up front, in the center, Wang Shuo was like a dragon set loose in the ocean. He ran relentlessly, never stopping for a single moment.
If all he did was run, that would have been simple enough to deal with.
The killer was his incredible speed. His stamina seemed bottomless, as if he were always operating at full capacity, constantly accelerating and sprinting.
Worse, he constantly positioned himself in Munich 1860’s passing lanes, making things extremely difficult for the visiting team.
Their defenders weren’t technically gifted, so whenever Wang Shuo closed in with a sudden burst of speed, they would panic and rush their passes.
Their passing was riddled with errors.
In the 9th minute, it was Wang Shuo who suddenly tracked back from the front line at high speed. Just outside Munich 1860’s 30-meter zone, his pressure forced an opponent into a rushed, errant pass.
Mainz midfielder Jan Kirschhoff quickly moved up to intercept the ball. He looked up and saw that Wang Shuo was already on the move, shouting his name and pointing with his left hand to show him where to play the pass.
Kirschhoff immediately hit a low pass along the ground, threading it perfectly into the open right half-space.
Wang Shuo accelerated to top speed, knocking the ball ahead of him with his first touch and continuing his sprint.
His explosive start had drawn the full attention of the Munich 1860 defenders.
But just then, Schürrle was making a surging run up the right flank.
Wang Shuo spotted an opening and played a through ball toward the byline, to the right of the penalty area.
Schürrle sprinted onto it, catching up to the ball near the byline before cutting it back across the face of the goal.
Robin Medinitz, arriving from the left, had an easy tap-in to score.
1-0!
"WOOHOO!"
Medinitz turned and ran off in celebration.
Wang Shuo and Schürrle immediately chased after him.
Near the sideline, they flanked Medinitz, one on each side, and hoisted him into the air.
The hundred or so fans watching from the sidelines all burst into applause.
Kramny was also clapping enthusiastically.
The quick counter-attack, from winning possession to the goal, was executed simply and with a clear purpose.
And Wang Shuo was the key.
Kramny was now almost certain: Wang Shuo wasn’t just a runner, nor was he just about speed.
More importantly, he was extremely intelligent and knew how to play the game with his head.
He racked his brain but simply couldn’t figure it out. ’Those 18 other clubs that gave Wang Shuo a trial—did they have their heads slammed in a door?’
’How could they have missed Wang Shuo’s talent?’
’It was absurd, wasn’t it?’
...
After conceding just nine minutes in, Munich 1860 tried to mount a counter-attack.
But Mainz’s performance was even more dominant.
Kramny signaled for his players to keep pressing the opposition.
Wang Shuo also continued to relentlessly pressure the opponent’s midfield and defense from his forward position.
His tireless running, unpredictable bursts of acceleration, and excellent off-the-ball movement were a massive headache for Munich 1860’s midfielders and defenders.
Then, in the 18th minute, pressure from another of Wang Shuo’s sudden forward runs forced an error. A center-back’s sideways pass to the left-back went astray, and Schürrle intercepted it before sending a diagonal ball in behind the defense.
Wang Shuo reacted instantly, darting into the penalty area at full speed. He controlled the ball and fired off a shot.
The ball zipped past the onrushing goalkeeper and nestled into the Munich 1860 net.
2-0!
After conceding two quick goals, Munich 1860 shifted to a defensive posture.
Wang Shuo, however, remained as active as ever.
’Are you kidding me?’
’The center forward is absolutely the position that faces the most defensive pressure on the pitch, and it’s also the one where you get fouled the most.’
’And youth team defenders lack experience; they foul at the drop of a hat.’
’So, while making sure he didn’t get injured, he was going to farm a ton of Passive Value.’
Every time he was brought down by a foul and the referee blew the whistle, Wang Shuo would cheerfully pick himself up.
’Another point of Passive Value earned!’
But in the eyes of everyone, including Kramny, it just looked like Wang Shuo was relishing the joy of the game.
"This kid was really born to play soccer!" Kramny praised with a smile.
By the end of the match, Mainz U19 had defeated Munich 1860 2-0, with Wang Shuo scoring for the second game in a row.
More importantly, he had played for 78 minutes and managed to earn 7 points of Passive Value.
’Life was looking pretty damn good!’