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+---- Thread: Joe's Journey, part 7: Down and back up at the academy (/showthread.php?tid=9688)
Joe's Journey, part 7: Down and back up at the academy - Haramcha - 2026-05-28
A strange mood hung in the air of the VFE dressing room. Joe sat on the bench wearing a black t-shirt, watching little drops of sweat drop from the tips of his hair down onto the unfamiliar jersey he was clutching in his right hand. With his left, he was grasping his right thigh, pushing both of his arms down into his legs. A few of his teammates looked greatly relieved, others had thrown their jerseys against walls, floor, seats and proceeded to demonstrably kick about other things, careful enough not to actually break anything. And Peña, well, he had just sat there in silence.
What the Eagles had pulled off was nothing short of amazing. “The Eagles”, in this case, referred mostly to Nacho Kusora, really. They had entered the pitch full of confidence, Joe had hit the crossbar in the first minute, and some fifteen minutes later, he had pulled off a couple of body feints to allow himself space to cut the back to Nacho who easily scored. At this point, it seemed like they were on track for another victory, but a single moment seemed destined to change this, as Joe saw the referee brandishing a red card in the direction of Peña. He hadn’t even seen what had happened, but the dismissal of the team’s king of assists was bound to make this the greatest challenge they’d faced in a long time. The team’s core of Spanish speakers seemed especially determined to keep their teammate from feeling any guilt about his early shower, and a great breakthrough by Blanco saw Kusora score his second, only for it to be ruled out for offside.
Even so, the Eagles held onto the result, not least thanks to a couple of heroic saves by Yupanqui in goal, before lightning struck. Accra’s Nick Kasak scored from a riposte. 1-1. And as they say, lightning always strikes twice. This was the time that Kusora really took matters into his own hands, as he received a pass from Bruce McAllister in what looked like a harmless area, only to take a touch or two and fire the ball into the net as though it were a rocket.
The following day, Joe was approached by the kitman who was asking where on Earth his kit was. Joe stood frozen in the shape of a question mark until he realised that he had given it away the day before. After the final whistle of the Eagles’ 2-2 draw with Adowa Accra, he had been conversing briefly with Nick Kasak, who had been full of praise for the Eagles’ determination in getting a result from their position. Joe wasn’t too sure why he was the one who’d been approached, initially putting it down to them occupying similar roles for their respective teams, and he had been sure to compliment his opponent on his performance, congratulating him on his goal. Now, a day later, he figured it may have had at least as much to do with the pair being among the players who were not too riled up following the dramatic ending to the match. One thing had led to another, and here Joe was with an Accra-jersey stuffed away in the bag he’d left in his room. Knowing how long it must have taken him to summon forth this memory, he was unsure as to whether he ought to pretend not to have understood the question, or if he was better off making up some sort of excuse. Luckily, the kitman decided on his behalf, suggesting that he get Joe a new kit. Not like it was his money that’d be spent on it anyway.
The kitman was joking with Joe, saying that he should snatch one of his kits for himself, too. Joe was laughing with him, suggesting that he might already have a whole stash at home. Some of his teammates joined in on the joke, likely unaware that Joe had returned kitless after the previous match. At the time, there hadn’t been too much room for messing around, with the players strictly focused on ensuring that Peña’s mood wouldn’t drop too low. Which is to say that they had been training with the highest intensity, with many players putting in additional hours after training and at the gym.
The victory against PS Jakarta had felt almost like another step in the process, rather than its conclusion. Having gone down less than a minute into the match, one might have feared the worst. The VFE-players, however, had no time to entertain any such thoughts. A minute later, Joe had hit the post off a cross from Peña. Not long after, he headed another Peña-cross down for Tang, who easily scored, but was judged to have been in an offside-position. Finally, Joe broke the deadlock. Nacho Kusora had played the role of targetman, controlling a pass up the pitch, turning around and passing the ball into the space that Joe was storming towards. The connection between foot and ball felt so smooth, and the keeper was left with no chance. Before halftime, Joe had also gotten an assist, playing Blanco in for the finish.
In the second half, Kusora scored two of his classic close-range goals, each of the Eagles’ wingbacks notching an assist, before Joe had added the finishing touches with a solo-goal, winning the ball high, twisting and turning to leave three defenders in the dust, before shooting hard and flat into the bottom left corner. PSJ got a consolation goal in the last minute of the match, and Joe was the hero of the day with two goals and an assist in a 5-2 win.
The following match saw the young Eagles finally get what they wanted: Peña as the star of the match. Two assists in a 3-2 match where he insisted to his teammates that he’d been playing with an injury. An injury that no one paid many regards, as they celebrated his performance in the locker room. With a goal to his name, Joe was also pleased with his performance.
Perhaps the players had gotten what they wanted a little too early, and perhaps that was why they had forgotten to show up for the following match against Istanbul FK, where the Eagles suffered their first defeat in months, losing 1-2 in Joe’s worst match since the opening two.
Against Sydney, Joe repeated his poor performance, but was bailed out by a Nacho Kusora who was pulling off unbelievable feats. 4. 8. 12. 17. 20. 22. 23. Seven times did the young Argentinian make the net waver in the opening 23 minutes of the match. Granted, two of the goals were ruled out for offside, but five goals in 23 minutes was on the edge of sanity. Joe felt like an extra in a superhero movie, watching his teammate managing impossible feats while doing nothing but celebrate his victory.
After a couple of disappointing matches from a personal perspective, Joe had vowed to make up for it. His teammates had been supportive, but words could only do so much. He kept thinking back to what the manager had told him earlier in the season, putting in extra hours in the gym. Working towards becoming not just a footballer, but an athlete. He wondered if that advice was what was keeping his home nation from producing top footballers. He’d seen many technically gifted players, both among the kids he played with at school, at the little court near his father’s fruit stall. Even in the streets – streets like the one on which he had first come into contact with football, kicking a ball about with his friends while their parents were eating and chatting – and not least, in the professional Thai leagues. Joe was sometimes uncertain if their levels were exaggerated in his memories, them largely being from his childhood when the stars had seemed like otherworldly beings, but some of the things he had seen pulled off in the national league was right up there with the very best. Perhaps the concept of footballers as elite athletes was what held them back. Or maybe it was the heat. Either way, Joe was more determined than ever, and while he was aware that he was missing out on social activities with his teammates, hours spent in the gym were hours that went towards his achieving his dreams.
Port Royal were hosting the Victoria Falls Eagles. A difficult match to be sure. VFE may have been ahead in the table, but few seemed to view them as favourites. Port Royal were just too good for that kind of thing, and the opening minutes showed as much. It was an even match, with the waves carrying the ball forth and back between the two ends of the pitch. That is, until a Port Royal-player got himself sent off, shortly after which Joe finally found his wings anew. Along with Blanco, he put in a press on a Port Royal-player that forced him off the ball, with Joe quickest to react. Picking it up, he took one step into the pitch. He pretended to shoot, but instead took another step towards the center. The defense opened ever so slightly, and he let loose. Right into the top corner of the goal. Elated, he stormed towards the corner flag, both arms raised above his head, chased by his teammates, Blanco screaming “I TOLD YOU!” with reference to the hours the pair had put into perfecting their pressing patterns on the left side of the pitch. A couple of minutes later, it was Joe’s turn to chase Blanco down, “TOLD YOU TOO,” he shouted. From the edge of the box, Joe had passed the ball to Blanco who had moved into the penalty area and fired home.
Kusora, McAllister and Canal had sealed the deal, and the Eagles were victorious once again, and Joe was feeling back on top again.
RE: Joe's Journey, part 7: Down and back up at the academy - Jack_Pow - 2026-05-31
I've been really enjoying your write-ups on 'Joe's Journey' - they're always really well-written, and inspired me to go more in-depth with my own player's backstory, so cheers for that!
1669 Words + 300K Bonus!