The week moved with relentless speed. Every day Scott felt the weight of expectation press heavier, not just from the coaches but from himself. The friendly against Munich Subs was now the defining moment, the chance to step out of the Jugendzentrum shadows and glimpse the spotlight of professional football.
Training became sharper, more focused. Scott's mornings started before dawn, jogging circuits around the sprawling complex, the cold air biting at his lungs. Afternoons were a blur of tactical drills and positional exercises, each designed to hone his instincts, sharpen his vision, and toughen his physicality.
The Player System stats were a quiet but constant companion—numbers reflecting the grind, the improvements that never came fast enough for his restless mind.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Scott Mason
Overall: 77
Position: CM / CAM
Club: Bastion Munich (Jugendzentrum)
Nationality: French
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Pace: 73
Shooting: 67
Passing: 83
Dribbling: 75
Defending: 67
Physical: 70
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
By midweek, Scott's routine settled into a rhythm that left little room for anything else. But the pressure was there, lurking beneath each training session. It wasn't just about making the team anymore—it was about proving he belonged.
At the end of the week, the team gathered in the meeting room. Coach Voller stood in front of a digital board, the lineup already laid out. Scott's pulse raced as Voller read his name, a hard-earned start after weeks of drills.
"You will face Munich Subs as if it were a Bundesliga match," Voller said with a seriousness that silenced the room. "This is no friendly for us. It is a test. For you, Mason, and the others on the cusp, this is your chance."
Scott's eyes scanned the list—his name was there His Ingolstadt assist had tipped Voller's decision, edging out Lukas., starting as a central midfielder alongside Dominik Schäfer and a few other regulars. It was a vote of confidence, but also a challenge.
That night, sleep was elusive. Scott lay awake, thoughts racing between tactics, past failures, and the potential of what lay ahead. The Player System flickered faintly in his mind, a reminder of his current state and how far he needed to climb.
Training had shifted into a more intense phase over the last few weeks The coaches were pushing harder now, expecting more from every player. Scott could feel it—every sprint, every touch, every pass was scrutinized. But that was exactly what he needed. Four weeks left. No room for mistakes.
His boots scuffed the grass as he joined the group warming up. Dominik Schäfer, the midfielder he was gunning to surpass, gave him a sideways and muttered, 'Don't choke now,' a challenge laced with respect," evolving their rivalry.. There was a cool confidence in Dominik's posture—a subtle reminder of the hierarchy Scott was fighting to climb.
Coach Voller blew his whistle sharply, commanding attention. "Focus, everyone! Tonight, we work on positioning and transitions. Scott, you start with the attacking drills."
Scott nodded. His legs felt heavier than usual, but adrenaline pushed through the fatigue. The ball was a familiar friend as he danced through cones, eyes scanning for openings. Passing lanes appeared and vanished in milliseconds; vision and precision were paramount.
"Good movement, Mason," Voller barked. "But don't get caught out defensively. Remember, the midfield is the engine."
The training drills morphed into scrimmages. Teams scrambled across the pitch, muscles burning, lungs gasping. Scott found himself marked tightly by Dominik. Their duel was quiet but intense—every touch felt like a battle.
As Scott sidestepped past Dominik, sending a quick pass to a winger breaking down the flank, a sharp whistle blew. Coach Voller's eyes locked on Scott.
"That's the spark we need," he said, "but your positioning on defense was sloppy just now. Work on your awareness."
Scott gritted his teeth but acknowledged the critique. Every bit counted. Behind him, teammates shifted and called out. The rhythm of the game pulsed through the grass and into Scott's core.
After training, Scott retreated to the locker room, his muscles aching in the best way possible. His phone buzzed—a message from his father. Keep pushing. We're proud.
He smiled faintly, typing back a quick thanks. The shadows in his mind were quieter now, replaced by focus and determination.
Outside, the lights of Munich blinked on, illuminating the Jugendzentrum like a beacon. Scott knew his climb was far from over, but with every passing day, the A-Team bench came closer.
Walking back to the dorms, Scott's legs felt heavy but his spirit light. The climb was far from over, but the first foothold had been secured.
He checked the Player System one last time before bed:
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Scott Mason
Overall: 77
Position: CM / CAM
Club: Bastion Munich (Jugendzentrum)
Nationality: French
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Pace: 74
Shooting: 67
Passing: 84
Dribbling: 76
Defending: 67
Physical: 71
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Each number told a story of progress, but also of the gap he still had to close.
Later that night, the Jugendzentrum corridors were silent except for the distant hum of the city. Scott lay awake, mind buzzing with tactical insights and the quiet determination to break into the A-Team.
He thought about the 2011/2012 season looming ahead—the reality of sitting on the bench behind seasoned pros like Tom crews and Philip lamb. The prospect was intimidating, but also a goal to chase.