[6: Zak Donnelly (CM)
Age: 17
Foot: Right
Current Ability: ★☆☆☆☆
Potential: ★★½☆☆
Overall Rating: 50/100
A walking yellow card. But when he channels it right, he's a menace.
Aggression: 9 | Tackling: 6 | Physical: 8
Apps: 9, Goals: 2, Assists: 0
Avg Performance Rating (Season): 6.2
---
A smirk tugged at Maddox's lips as he read Zak's card. "If you don't get sent off today, I might buy you a soda," he thought, a hint of amusement in his tone.
Zak Donnelly was a firecracker of a midfielder, all aggression and grit, but his tendency to dive into tackles with reckless abandon had already earned him a booking in the first half.
If he could harness that energy, he'd be a force to be reckoned with. For now, Maddox just hoped the boy could stay on the pitch long enough to make a difference.
---
[7: Kai Moreno (LWM)
Age: 17
Foot: Right
Current Ability: ★½☆☆☆
Potential: ★★½☆☆
Overall Rating: 54/100
Smooth passer. Thinks slower than he moves, and that's saying something.
Passing: 8 | Technique: 7 | Decisions: 6
Apps: 11, Goals: 1, Assists: 3
Avg Performance Rating (Season): 6.3
---
"Just see the pass sooner, kid," Maddox muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he watched Kai jog ahead. "The space is there before you panic."
Kai Moreno had shown flashes of brilliance with his passing in the first half, but his hesitation had cost them possession time and again.
Maddox saw potential in the boy's technique—a few drills on decision-making could sharpen him into a proper playmaker.
---
[8: Toby Winchell (CAM)
Age: 15
Foot: Left
Current Ability: ★☆☆☆☆
Potential: ★★½☆☆
Overall Rating: 50/100
Flair merchant. Visionary. But one bad touch and he curls into himself like a dying star.
Creativity: 8 | Technique: 8 | Dribbling: 7
Apps: 9, Goals: 2, Assists: 4
Avg Performance Rating (Season): 6.6
---
"That one…" Maddox thought, his gaze lingering on Toby Winchell, who kept to the middle of the pack, his head down. "He needs a spark. Just one play to believe."
Toby was a creative force when he wanted to be, capable of threading passes that could split defenses wide open, but his confidence was as fragile as glass.
A single mistake could send him spiraling into self-doubt, and Maddox knew he'd need to find a way to keep the boy's head in the game.
---
[9: Eli Fortis (RWM)
Age: 17
Foot: Right
Current Ability: ★☆☆☆☆
Potential: ★★☆☆☆
Overall Rating: 48/100
Speed demon. No end product. The football equivalent of fast food—gets there quick, leaves you empty.
Pace: 9 | Dribbling: 6 | Movement: 7
Apps: 10, Goals: 1, Assists: 2
Avg Performance Rating (Season): 6.0
---
"You've got wheels, Eli," Maddox thought, his tone a mix of encouragement and frustration. "Now learn how to brake."
Eli Fortis was lightning-fast down the right wing, but his final ball was nonexistent, his crosses either sailing into the stands or rolling tamely to the keeper. Speed alone wouldn't win them games—not unless Eli could learn to add substance to his style.
---
[10: Nathan Keene (ST)
Age: 16
Foot: Right
Current Ability: ★☆☆☆☆
Potential: ★★☆☆☆
Overall Rating: 50/100
Attempts Aura Farming and thinks he's Ronaldo. But the stats say YMCA Sunday League standard.
Shooting: 6 | Positioning: 6 | Ego: Maxed
Apps: 9, Goals: 3, Assists: 1
Avg Performance Rating (Season): 6.2
---
"I swear to God, if you try a bicycle kick…" Maddox thought, his patience wearing thin. He disliked players with all-ego-and-no-action the most, atleast Ronaldo had enough ice and glitters to back his pride.
Nathan Keene strutted ahead, his posture brimming with unwarranted confidence. The boy had spent the first half attempting flashy moves that went nowhere, ignoring simple lay-offs that could have created chances.
His ego was a problem, but Maddox saw the raw potential—if only he could channel that arrogance into something productive.
---
[11: Riley Croft (ST)
Age: 16
Foot: Left
Current Ability: ★☆☆☆☆
Potential: ★★½☆☆
Overall Rating: 55/100
Flair. Chaos. Magic. All bundled into a teen who vanishes when you need him most.
Pace: 10 | Dribbling: 8 | Creativity: 7
Apps: 11, Goals: 2, Assists: 3
Avg Performance Rating (Season): 6.5
---
"Just stay locked in this half, Riley," Maddox thought, his tone softer now. "Give me twenty good minutes, then disappear if you want."
Riley Croft was a wildcard, a Striker and left-winger with the kind of flair that could light up a game—or fizzle out entirely. His speed and creativity were undeniable, but his inconsistency had left Maddox frustrated in the first half.
Still, there was something about the boy—a spark that could ignite if given the right push.
As they neared the mouth of the tunnel, the roar of the crowd swelled, a tidal wave of sound that crashed over them like a physical force. Maddox quickly flicked through the substitutes' cards, mentally flagging a few for potential minutes in the second half.
Most were unremarkable—more of the same low ratings and modest potential, but one card stopped him dead in his tracks.
---
[20: Noah Perring (CAM – SUB)
Age: 16
Foot: Left
Current Ability: ★★☆☆☆
Potential: ★★★½☆ (Might improve)
Overall Rating: 62/100
Creative spark. Excellent technique. Currently overlooked by coaching staff due to size. A true Hidden Gem.
Technique: 10 | Creativity: 10 | Passing: 9
Apps: 4, Goals: 1, Assists: 2
Avg Performance Rating (Season): 7.4
[System Tip: Recommend Regular Play Time or Mentorship Boost]
---
Maddox squinted at the card, his mind racing. "You're on the bench… Why the hell are you on the bench?" he thought, his voice tinged with disbelief.
He tried to recall Noah Perring from the bench in the first half, picturing a skinny, slight boy with glasses off the pitch—the kind of player youth coaches often ignored because he didn't look like a footballer.
But his numbers? Those were senior-level stats, the kind of metrics that could turn a game on its head. Technique 10, Creativity 10—this kid was a playmaker, a hidden gem buried on the bench while the Sailors were being torn apart.
Maddox made a mental note, his resolve hardening. "Fifty-five minutes," he thought. "If we're still afloat by then, you're getting your debut, Perring. Let's see what you can do."
Fweeeeee!
The referee's whistle signaled the start of the second half, its sharp trill cutting through the roar of the crowd. Maddox stepped out onto the touchline, the stadium lights surging brighter as if to herald the return of the battle.
The floodlights cast long, dramatic shadows behind the Sailors as they took their positions, their movements still tinged with the hesitancy of underdogs—but now there was something different.
They weren't dead men walking anymore. They were players, young and raw but ready to fight, the fire of Maddox's halftime talk still smoldering in their chests.
Maddox stood tall on the touchline, his arms crossed, his gaze sweeping across the pitch. The system had given him a glimpse into his team's potential, a roadmap to their strengths and weaknesses. It wasn't much—not yet—but it was enough to start fighting back.
System or no system, Maddox could feel the shift in the air, the faint stirrings of a comeback that might just be possible if they played with the heart he knew they had.