Through observation, Eric Grant more or less understood why David Carter's profile described him as having a high scoring efficiency and being skilled at scoring goals. It was because he grasped the surrounding situation through these repeated head movements and observations. He was better than others at finding open spaces, which allowed him to get shooting opportunities in relatively relaxed situations...

For this reason, even when he was suddenly switched to play midfield, he was able to quickly take on the task of organizing the attack and linking up the team. Because he constantly observed and understood the situation on the field, he was thoroughly familiar with the positions of both his teammates and opponents. In such circumstances, he naturally knew where to pass the ball.

This must be his ability.

But what concerned Eric Grant even more was the quality that David Carter demonstrated within this ability—teamwork. He was willing to serve the team and others when everyone else only wanted to show off themselves; he had a calm mind. Matthew Reed's individual skills seemed quite outstanding, but from his repeated wasted shooting opportunities, it was clear that he wasn't clear-headed enough when facing chances, or rather, he wasn't calm enough. Yet David Carter was able to organize a team's attack in an orderly fashion, which showed that his mind was very clear—he knew what to do and how to do it.

In Eric Grant's heart, he had actually already decided on the final candidate, but he wasn't one hundred percent certain about David Carter yet, because he still wanted to see what else David Carter could do. Or rather, David Carter needed something outstanding to prove himself.

Eric Grant didn't realize that, unconsciously, he had already raised his expectations for David Carter. Before this, he thought it was enough if someone could show a sense of teamwork, but now he hoped David Carter could deliver an even better performance...

Chapter 5: It's Him!

When the match entered the final twenty minutes in a stalemate, the situation changed.

With little time left, the young players on the field all started to get restless, because none of them had managed to make a decisive impact yet—in other words, no one had scored a goal.

In this situation, individualism began to resurface in both the red and blue teams.

The attacking structure of the red team, which had been organized by David Carter, also began to show signs of falling apart.

A very obvious sign was that fewer people were willing to pass the ball to David Carter, and the number of times David Carter received passes from his teammates was decreasing.

Especially near the penalty area, the players with the ball were more inclined to go for it themselves, rather than pass to David Carter and let him organize the attack.

John Carter, sitting in the stands, furrowed his brows again after having just relaxed them. If things went on like this, his son wouldn't get any chances to shine...

He still cared a lot about whether his son could make the final team. After all, that was the ultimate goal of his son's participation in this tryout.

"Sigh, it's getting messy again..." Little Olivia on the main stand also noticed that the match was returning to its old ways.

Eric Grant didn't say anything, still watching David Carter intently. He wanted to see if this kid could stay calm in such a situation, and what kind of performance he would deliver.

He was just too curious.

...

David Carter passed the ball to a teammate, then ran into an open space, hoping his teammate would pass the ball back to him. But the teammate who received his pass turned and finished the attack with a shot, sending the ball flying high over the crossbar, posing no threat at all to the blue team's goal.

David Carter didn't complain about his teammate's choice—this wasn't the first time it had happened, and he was used to it.

Actually, he was anxious too, but at least he knew that the more anxious you are, the more you need to stay calm. Of course, he hoped he could rush in front of the goal and score, but he also understood his own technical strengths. If he rushed in front of the goal and no one could pass him the ball, then what difference would there be between him and a wooden post standing there?

Rather than waste opportunities, it was better to think carefully about how to create chances.

He looked up and observed the situation on the field.

The match was almost over, and everyone was anxious—not just the red team, but the blue team players also wanted to score and win the game.

So, their defense wasn't as tight as before; they weren't pulling back as much. Seeing this, David Carter noticed that there were many open spaces near the blue team's penalty area. Some of these spaces were big, some small. Maybe they didn't seem fatal now, but if he could do something, a deadly gap could always be created.

But exactly what should he do to create those openings?

He began to frequently turn his head and observe his surroundings, memorizing all the information in his mind, and eventually forming a bird's-eye view map. On this map, the positions of every player on both the red and blue teams were accurately marked. David Carter was like an eagle, looking down from above, seeing everything at a glance.

...