Super Wingstorm

When Yang Yang arrived at the training grounds, everyone had already gathered outside the training building’s locker room, anxiously awaiting the results. Many were so nervous their faces had turned pale.

Yang Yang shook his head at the sight. He thought many of his teammates were overly nervous. Worrying too much only clouded their judgment.

It wasn’t that he hadn’t been worried himself. He had been quite anxious before the assessment too. But since he had already done his best, he stopped worrying once it was over. There was no point. Whether he made it into the top three or not, he could accept the outcome.

This was why he had gone to the skate park to train right after the assessment ended.

”How are you feeling?” Henk Demyer hadn’t squeezed into the crowd. Instead, he stepped back and came to Yang Yang’s side.

”I did my best,” Yang Yang replied calmly.

He could see that Henk Demyer was sure he had first place locked down. It was only natural. With his level of skill, winning was well-deserved. Even though Yang Yang wasn’t particularly fond of him, he had to admit it.

”Relax. You don’t have to worry about being eliminated. The coaching staff’s intention in subbing you out early was clear: you no longer needed to be assessed. You should focus on thinking about this summer’s amateur competition.”

As he spoke, an inspired Henk Demyer tilted his head towards the sky. ”I plan to temper myself in the amateur competition, striving to stay at De Toekomst during the Talent Day selections in August.”

This was not only Henk Demyer’s personal aspiration but also the expectation everyone, including John Reep, had for him.

If someone from the youth academy was chosen by Ajax, it would be a huge boon for Almere. It would help Almere attract more talented recruits and, in turn, raise the overall level of the club’s youth training program.

The players were the living advertisements for the youth academy.

Perhaps because of his own recent change in attitude, Yang Yang didn’t find Henk Demyer’s words off-putting. In fact, he kind of agreed with them.

’A professional player has to be ambitious. Without ambition, how could one improve?’

Besides, it was also a manifestation of Henk Demyer’s confidence.

’Honestly,’ Yang Yang thought, ’even though I haven’t said it aloud, don’t I think the same way?’

As the two were chatting, Head Coach John Reep, accompanied by his assistant Dick Van Puer, came down from the upstairs coaches’ office. All the players immediately swarmed forward. Even Henk Demyer couldn’t help but follow, leaving only Yang Yang hanging back at the rear.

Both coaches were smiling, placating the group of players who were desperate to know their fates.

John Reep spoke first. His speech was mainly to encourage the players, telling them not to lose their confidence or fighting spirit over a single assessment. He urged them to be gracious in victory and undiscouraged in defeat, and to never stop working hard, even if their results weren’t ideal and they had to leave the team.

”Even if you have to leave the team for now, our coaching staff and scouts will continue to track your progress. As long as you’re willing to work hard, there will surely come a day when you can return to Almere.”

That was the official line, but everyone knew that once you were eliminated, suffering such a blow would make it incredibly difficult to recover and make a comeback.

Next, Dick Van Puer gave an overview of the assessment. He highlighted that, on the recommendation of Louis van Gaal, the coaching staff had added a new evaluation criterion: a player’s growth and improvement over the past period.

The final assessment already had twenty components, so adding one more wasn’t a big deal. Besides, Ajax’s own assessment criteria changed every year, so everyone felt this was perfectly normal and didn’t think much of it.

Seeing the crowd’s reaction, Van Puer added with a smile that to ensure the assessment’s fairness and transparency, the coaching staff would post all the scores on the locker room door later for everyone to review. For now, however, he would only announce the top three finishers.

Just like in a league, the teams facing promotion and relegation always draw the most attention. However, out of respect for the players, the coaches did not plan to publicly announce the names of the three who would be cut. Instead, they would hold private, one-on-one meetings with those players after the results were posted.

This was the same method John Reep had used when he repeatedly tried to privately persuade Yang Yang to quit.

”Following the final assessment tests, the coaching staff has scored everyone carefully and meticulously. We combined these scores with regular training and match performance, as well as other aspects like social behavior and academic grades. After this comprehensive evaluation, we have determined the top three performers.”

After a pause, Dick Van Puer’s gaze swept over the players before him, giving away nothing. It was impossible to guess who had made the top three. Only Henk Demyer and a few others looked completely confident and assured.

”Third place in the overall evaluation...”

As Dick Van Puer spoke, everyone present held their breath. Even Yang Yang, on the edge of the crowd, felt his heart pound in suspense. He felt that this was the rank he was most likely to achieve.

’But will it be me?’

”...Nick!”

The moment Van Puer’s voice fell, Nick, the team’s starting right-back, leaped up from the crowd and let out a cheer.

Third place. This meant he had also secured a ticket to participate in Ajax’s Talent Day selections.

The players around him rushed to offer their congratulations. Many joked about getting an early autograph from the future Ajax star, and Nick happily agreed to all of them.

When Yang Yang heard that Nick had taken third, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

He was well aware of his own performance; third place was the most realistic rank he could hope for. His fundamentals were still too poor and had dragged his overall score down significantly. But he hadn’t expected Nick to take third, which made the disappointment sting even more.

’Henk Demyer was a lock for one of the spots, and the two forwards were also very competitive,’ he thought. ’I don’t have much hope left.’

But he quickly took a deep breath, composing himself.

’Just over a month ago, I was worried sick about simply staying at Almere,’ he reminded himself. ’Now, my place on the team is secure. Making the top three would have been a bonus, but not making it is perfectly understandable.’

’The most important thing now is to solidify my fundamentals and improve my skills as quickly as possible.’

A stir went through the players, but Van Puer immediately raised a hand to quiet them down. He was about to announce the next two names.

Many were equally curious, their eyes darting between Henk Demyer and the few other players who had consistently performed well in the past. It was obvious that the remaining two spots would go to someone among them.

”Second place in the overall evaluation... Henk!”

As Van Puer finished speaking, another uproar went through the crowd.

Hearing his name, Henk Demyer was visibly disappointed, but he quickly recovered and accepted the congratulations from his surrounding teammates.

He had been dead set on first place, so getting only second was truly unexpected. But regardless, he had still secured his ticket to Ajax.

”Henk, the main reason you placed second in this overall evaluation is that we included a score for improvement over the past few months. Your score in that category wasn’t ideal. So, you need to continue to work hard and focus on improving. We hope to see you make a breakthrough by August.”

With Dick Van Puer’s explanation, it was much easier for Henk Demyer to accept the result.

He had always been the team’s star player, the core of the midfield; his skill was undeniable. But over the past month or two, he hadn’t shown much improvement. This was especially true in the crucial match against Omni-Bass, where his performance had been disastrous. If Yang Yang hadn’t saved the day, he would have been the primary scapegoat for the loss.

Often, a player’s performance in a crucial match affects not only the public’s perception of them but also their own morale.

After the game against Omni-Bass, Henk Demyer had taken a huge blow to his confidence, and his performance hadn’t improved much since.

If not for the added ”improvement” criterion, he would have undoubtedly taken first place. But he lost points there, forcing him to settle for second.

”I understand, Mr. Van Puer.” Henk Demyer nodded, showing a rare humility. ”I’ve already decided with several teammates to participate in the high school amateur competition this summer. We hope to use the games to further hone our skills.”

”Good. That traditional tournament is excellent for gaining experience. Perform well, we’ll be watching,” Head Coach John Reep chimed in with a smile.

Almere’s youth team had participated in this tournament before, but their results were never ideal; they always finished near the bottom of the rankings. This year, with academy players like Henk Demyer and Nick, plus the emergence of Yang Yang, there was hope that they could finally make a real showing.

Many on the team were only just hearing about this for the first time. But most of them were self-aware; they knew Henk Demyer hadn’t invited them simply because he didn’t rate their skills. Though disappointed, they didn’t dare volunteer themselves.

They all played on the same team every day; everyone knew exactly what their teammates were capable of.

After hearing John Reep’s words, although Henk Demyer was still disappointed about coming in second, he was now filled with anticipation for the summer amateur competition. He was eager to make a big splash, especially if it meant facing off against powerful opponents.

’It would be best to run into the Ajax youth team,’ he thought, ’and knock them down a peg. That would be a great way to make an early impression before the Talent Day selections in August.’

”Alright, and now, we will announce the first-place winner of this overall evaluation.”

Van Puer’s words instantly pulled everyone’s attention back to him.

First place wasn’t just an honor; it was also the final ticket to Ajax. Who would be the lucky one?

Yang Yang had already lost all hope. If even Henk Demyer had only managed to get second, how could he dare to dream of first? Besides, many of the teammates ranked ahead of him were more skilled.

Although it stung, he consoled himself. ’Getting this far is already a great achievement. I just need to keep working hard. If not this year, then next year. It’s just like the Super Training says: as long as you’re willing to work hard and dedicate yourself, your chance will come sooner or later.’

’Whether it’s Van Basten, Ronaldo, or that group of stars at Ajax, sooner or later I’ll have the chance to meet them and compete on the same pitch.’

At this thought, he felt much better. He took a step back, about to turn and leave.

Just then, Dick Van Puer finally announced the name of the first-place winner.

”The first-place winner in this year’s overall evaluation is...”