2026-11-09, 05:14 PM - Word count:
The sun was shining on the tarmac as the team was about to board their plane to Portugal. Late summer, the last bits of the dry season in Ecuador lingered on ahead of the rains to come in a few months from now. For SD Guayaquil, it was the signal that their second season was set to begin. For Franco Maestro, this was the signal that his professional journey was beginning.
It had been only a few weeks ago that Franco had been selected first overall in the S28 SSL Draft. The ink on the contract was still fresh for both him and the organization when he took that initial plane to Guayaquil, knowing full well that he would be there as soon as possible to get used to the South American heat and life away from European shores. Going from Milan to Stockholm and now to Guayaquil was a whirlwind in culture shocks that only professional athletes can be ready for, and even then, maybe not all of them.
Within those few weeks, Franco signed countless shirts, balls and other paraphernalia thrust at him during the player presentations. He gave interviews both in English and Italian and generally got caught in a whirlwind of activities usually reserved to superstars, something he felt he wasn’t yet. As an expansion team, the city knew that growing pains were there as a cost of having a team in the first place and were welcoming of the young players that made their way to their country, their city, in the hopes to win and become something more than the individuals that they were.
Franco saw his friend, compatriot, and fellow Guayaquil draftee Michele Honcho, get a similar superstar treatment, something that stayed after it was announced that he would be moving to a more defensive position. Led Tasso and Electabuzz-Zooboomafoo also received warm welcomes, cementing a solid draft class by the Casablanca-Guayaquil organization.
Pre-Season came with its lot of surprises, as Franco was left on the bench for both games, two losses against Alfama & London. The team cited that Franco was slightly out of shape due to an excessive media schedule. In reality, Franco had had an altercation with one of the assistant managers with regards to performance related bonuses as well as agent fees and the team had decided that keeping him benched until these were resolved was best for the team. Needless to say, Franco was not happy with the situation as actual matches are better preparation than training sessions at this time of the year.
With all the paperwork and distractions out of the way, it was time to head to the airport and get on the freshly painted team plane to set out for a new season. A season of learning yes, but also a season to cause some surprises. But more importantly a season of goals. Whether actual goals, or goals to achieve, the time for Franco to follow in the footsteps of the greatest SSL players to have graced the stadiums across the world was now. As he climbed into the plane, he gave a long hard look at the Ecuadorian landscape one last time. The world wasn’t ready for what he had in store.
(540 words)
It had been only a few weeks ago that Franco had been selected first overall in the S28 SSL Draft. The ink on the contract was still fresh for both him and the organization when he took that initial plane to Guayaquil, knowing full well that he would be there as soon as possible to get used to the South American heat and life away from European shores. Going from Milan to Stockholm and now to Guayaquil was a whirlwind in culture shocks that only professional athletes can be ready for, and even then, maybe not all of them.
Within those few weeks, Franco signed countless shirts, balls and other paraphernalia thrust at him during the player presentations. He gave interviews both in English and Italian and generally got caught in a whirlwind of activities usually reserved to superstars, something he felt he wasn’t yet. As an expansion team, the city knew that growing pains were there as a cost of having a team in the first place and were welcoming of the young players that made their way to their country, their city, in the hopes to win and become something more than the individuals that they were.
Franco saw his friend, compatriot, and fellow Guayaquil draftee Michele Honcho, get a similar superstar treatment, something that stayed after it was announced that he would be moving to a more defensive position. Led Tasso and Electabuzz-Zooboomafoo also received warm welcomes, cementing a solid draft class by the Casablanca-Guayaquil organization.
Pre-Season came with its lot of surprises, as Franco was left on the bench for both games, two losses against Alfama & London. The team cited that Franco was slightly out of shape due to an excessive media schedule. In reality, Franco had had an altercation with one of the assistant managers with regards to performance related bonuses as well as agent fees and the team had decided that keeping him benched until these were resolved was best for the team. Needless to say, Franco was not happy with the situation as actual matches are better preparation than training sessions at this time of the year.
With all the paperwork and distractions out of the way, it was time to head to the airport and get on the freshly painted team plane to set out for a new season. A season of learning yes, but also a season to cause some surprises. But more importantly a season of goals. Whether actual goals, or goals to achieve, the time for Franco to follow in the footsteps of the greatest SSL players to have graced the stadiums across the world was now. As he climbed into the plane, he gave a long hard look at the Ecuadorian landscape one last time. The world wasn’t ready for what he had in store.
(540 words)
![[Image: 6J2WgCi.png]](https://i.imgur.com/6J2WgCi.png)
