My Goalkeeping System

The atmosphere at the Wondanimo stadium was quite thrilling currently despite the fact that the game today was still in the warm-up phase.

To put it plainly, this was a highly anticipated match among the Bilbeth Super League fans and a good number of other fans who liked to stick their nose into any league they found interesting at any moment.

Yes, it was a cup match between the top teams in the league this season so it was expected that it would garner a lot of attention but there was actually more to it than just that.

Their first meeting this season ended with Dynamo FC grabbing a late winner due to the Unique side's incompetence at the back, however, most people would argue that their victory was mostly influenced by Dave's absence in that match.

Then there was the second match which Unique FC almost ended up losing mostly due to Dave's absence through most of the match, and after making an appearance in the last minutes, the goalkeeper was able to grab an equaliser for his team just before the match came to an end.

Well, today, Dave was going to be starting for his side and none of the teams seemed to be missing any key players, so it was time to see how things were going to play out in what would be considered their fairest battle this season.

They were in the warm-up phase so at the moment, the players from both sides were busy on different sides of the pitch getting their bodies ready for the stress they were about to put them through.

Ordinarily, Dave would be in the goalpost trying to save a few practice shots but at the moment he seemed to be involved in a three-way header pass between him, Mateo, and Minino.

"So, who do you guys think is going to be the most threatening player in their side today?" Minino inquired, nodding the ball sent to him by Mateo back to the winger.

"Are you seriously asking that question?" Mateo retorted, heading the ball toward Dave. He made no effort to hide the exasperation written all over his face.

"Yeah, after facing them twice this season, I think everyone should know the answer to that question without being asked," Dave remarked as he headed the ball back to Mateo.

A huff escaped from Minino's lips at that moment as he shook his head.

"I know, I was obviously joking, you need to work on your sense of humor, Mateo."

The winger sent the ball flying his way just as he said that, and instead of approaching it with his head, he caught the ball with his hands instead.

"It's that guy named Frank, right?"

"I think that description is a bit insulting for one of the best players in the league this season," Dave uttered.

<Look at you, when did you become so noble?>

'Keep quiet, Catherine.'

"Yeah, whatever, but what do you guys say…" The midfielder's voice trailed off, a mischievous glint trailing through his eyes.

"Say about what?" Mateo inquired, a confused expression on his face.

"I take one for the team and kill the rat before he causes any trouble." He leaned closer to the two to whisper.

"You want to get sent off?" Mateo responded, the disapproval in his voice evident.

"Yeah, that's the gist." The midfielder shrugged.

"And what will happen when your attempt fails and you still end up getting sent off?" Dave inquired.

"Nothing," Minino stated firmly. "Because I'm going to make sure I kill him, I know a very potent technique to use." He smiled confidently.

He expected a bit of acceptance from his teammates after that but what he heard next was the sound of Mateo face-palming himself.

"Minino please." The winger drawled as he dragged his hand down his face. "I'm begging you, please don't do anything stupid, we have a solid game plan, just stick to it and we might win this. Getting yourself sent off will do us more harm than good even if it means eliminating Frank."

At this point, the midfielder was poking his cheeks, his bright expression watered down a bit.

"Fine." He sighed. "I guess it makes sense when you put it that way."

<Trust me, when things get dire, he'll do something stupid>

'I sure hope he doesn't.'

________ ________

The Wondanimo Stadium was almost filled up to the brim now with the voice of the fans lighting up the atmosphere as the match was just on the verge of kicking off.

The players were already on the pitch with the captains of both squads going through the process of deciding who was going to be kicking off the match at the moment.

Unique FC were in their signature home kit, an orange kit with black Polka dots while Dynamo FC were in their away kit, a white kit with black designs that almost covered the entire of its lower part, the short was just white with black outlines though.

Just as the captains got through the coin toss process, the result of the dark cloud building up for a while now began to drop down.

It started as little drops and before long it spread out across the pitch, providing everyone on the pitch with more than required moisture as their jerseys were beginning to soak up.

"Well, looks like the stage is set, the rain surely adds a nice touch to things. It's sure going to be intense and most certainly slippery here today." Jim commented.

"And the ones who keep their feet upright in the end shall be victorious."

"True, a few slips in the beginning won't matter if they're able to quickly get right back up but I think it will be best to avoid slipping entirely. Anyway, let's take a look at the interesting lineups we have here."

As expected, Norman was kicking things off with the four-four-one formation that consisted of a pivot and attacking midfielder with two central midfielders in between.

"Well, that certainly is an interesting lineup right there, I guess Norman finally decided to try something different against Dynamo, I hope this doesn't end up having the opposite effect though."

Dynamo FC on the other hand were staying true to their standard four-five-one formation but unlike the last time they faced the Unique side, they were playing it normal with two defensive midfielders instead of three. Frank was going to be working alongside Matip in central attacking midfield.

The match was just about to kick off now as the players from both sides could be seen making their way to their sides of the pitch.

Dynamo FC won the coin toss so they were going to be the ones to start the match from the kick-off spot.

[ Quest received ]

[ Help your team secure a victory ]

[ Quest rewards ]

[ +150 exp ]

[ +5 skill upgrade points ]

[ +1 skill point ]

'Hmm, those are pretty low rewards for a highly demanding specific quest but there's the skill point I've been looking for so I guess I can't really complain.' Dave said inwardly as he made his way to his goalpost, his body completely drenched. 'I just hope we can live up to that expectation.'