The Rise of the Iron Wall!

Chapter 142: The Formation for Tomorrow’s Game!

Three newcomer superstars...

To think they had just come from the middle school a few months ago, and yet had been dominating the high school field since then, and in a powerhouse school like Shimizu Higashi, nonetheless... How devastating the senior members of that team would feel, no one really knew about that.

"Well, that is a powerhouse team for you." Kumiko didn’t take this matter seriously. "They might still have a little bit of seniority, but their meritocracy system is always strong."

"Meri... What?" Fujinaga frowned, not recognizing the word.

"Meritocracy. That means putting the most capable person to handle the situation." It was Makino who answered that; his tone was somber. "That means they don’t care if it is a newcomer or a senior member, as long as they are good, they are playing. As simple as that."

"Yes, and don’t worry about their senior members. Most of them also climbed through the main team in the same way, dragging down their seniors in the past. This is just a circle of life for them." Kumiko added.

Well, when they heard that, the tension slightly reduced on their shoulder. It also helped that Kumiko had been doing the same for the team, only picking the most capable one to play. If not, she would’ve never let the four newcomers—especially one with no experience like Sano—to be on the pitch.

Still, the thought of someone who had just graduated from middle school a few months ago dominating the high school field like this... That thought was a really scary one.

However, Higo had one more concern here. "Is it really common to have overseas students like them?" He couldn’t help but ask, his eyes still locking into the two South Korean players on the screen. "I mean, first, Yuwell Carlson, and then those two. Since when did Japan promote this kind of program?"

It wasn’t like he was being narrow-minded and refused to accept any overseas student. However, the boy was indeed curious here. After all, in his life, he had never seen any foreigners, and then, just within the last few months, he suddenly had to face three in a row. This begged a question inside his head: how common was this?

"In fact, this is a pretty common practice for the national-level team." It was Kumiko who answered the question. "You know that our country’s attention to grassroots football is top-notch. No other country besides the USA probably had a serious high school tournament program, let alone a university one. This allows those who still want to continue their football career and their education to have an opportunity, and it also helps that the professional teams here are supportive in this matter."

The explanation was long enough to give the boys a headache. However, the core of the argument was pretty clear. Japan’s grassroots football was good, not just relying on a club’s academy, but also on high schools and universities to produce more talent.

This was like a safety net for a lot of people, because usually, a football player would not have time to go to university before they retired. Now, they could continue playing football while studying, which was a big attraction for the foreigners, since not a lot of students who played football in high school would be successful in doing so.

"I even heard a team in Saitama has six foreigners in the team." Hiroshi, who had been quiet since the beginning, also chimed in here.

"Oh, I know that one!" Denji nodded in realization. "They gathered so many talents from all around the world! I even heard they have a player from Mali!"

Higo felt the corner of his mouth twitching when he heard that. He himself didn’t even know where Mali was on the map, other than it was in Africa, and he also knew that the country wasn’t as good as Japan in football.

So, why would that school recruit a player from that country? Why not from a more prominent one like Cameroon or Nigeria?

"Anyway, the point is, this is a common practice among top schools in the country. Only nine or ten teams don’t have any foreigners in their squad in the National Tournament." Kumiko concluded. "So, back to our preparation, we are going to be busy on the back, so I intend to use the senior squad for the lineup tomorrow."

This, of course, sent a wave of dissatisfaction among the newcomers.

"Senpai, you just said a lot about that merito—bullshit, and now you are going to back down and go for seniority? That is so unfair!" Kenji whined childishly, eliciting glares from the other senior members.

"Yeah, Shishida-senpai, I am sure we both have shown you what we are capable of in the last two games, right?" One of the twins, Denki, also added with a frown on his face.

Out of everyone else, Hori was the most uncomfortable when he heard that. After all, he was not as good as Denki in defense, and in offense, while his enthusiasm was great, his technique and decision-making were still lacking compared to the younger boy there.

If Kumiko really put the most capable player in the position while also disregarding the seniority, he would definitely be the one who suffered first on the team.

"I know that you have shown your capability, and don’t worry, I see you," Kumiko reassured them. "However, tomorrow, we will need stability since the beginning of the game, and your senpai has been playing together for a long time. Their understanding of each other is better than yours, and that is what I need tomorrow. Please, understand that."

Well, when Kumiko put it like that, there was really no reason to complain. Hell, if they did so, they would only look like an asshole, especially since they knew the girl didn’t have to explain it. She was the head coach, so no matter how displeased they were, her words were absolute.

"Don’t worry, Brat!" Makino suddenly slapped Denki’s back quite hard. "Trust your senpai first! We will wear them down in the first half, and in the second half, we will be the ones who trust you! Just get ready, because tomorrow will be an exhausting game!"