MTL NOVEL Chapter 51: 51
After the "one-on-one lesson," Coach Carter had the team's equipment manager distribute brand-new school team jerseys.
Gu Ran received five brand-new No. 3 jerseys.
One was the primary kit, one was a backup, one was a spare, and the other two were alternate away kits in case of a clash with the opponent's home colors.
In amateur competitions, away kits were usually unnecessary.
The home kit featured red and white diagonal stripes, bearing a resemblance to Southampton FC's kit—though Southampton's design was vertical stripes, not diagonal.
The school's crest was embroidered on the left chest—a proud stag standing in a dense forest, its antlers resembling majestic steel lances.
On the back of the jersey, his name was printed as "G.R." G stood for Gu, R stood for Ran.
Even though Gu Ran was studying abroad in the UK, he never adopted an English name. He wasn't Jack, nor was he Pony—his name was Gu Ran, and it would stay Gu Ran for life.
If foreigners couldn't pronounce it properly, that was their problem—not his name's problem.
Unfortunately, Gu Ran wasn't famous yet, so to avoid mispronunciations, he had to settle for using initials.
Staring at his own jersey, Gu Ran couldn't help but feel a rush of emotions.
Finally, I have my own team jersey!
This is just the beginning…
One day, my full name will be printed on the back, not just initials!
One day, the whole world will know my name!
One day, foreigners will say my Chinese name perfectly, without hesitation!
Clenching his fists in determination, Gu Ran carefully placed the jersey into his sports bag.
Coach Carter then made an important announcement. "Anyone who received a jersey is officially in the 18-man squad for the tournament," he declared. "Tomorrow morning, you are excused from classes. Be ready by 8 AM and meet at the school gate. We'll board the school bus to the airport, and our flight departs at 9:10 AM to Manchester."
"Manchester?!"
The main squad immediately showed concerned expressions.
"F**k! Our first group match… don't tell me it's against the Pirate Ship?"
"It has to be! The only team from Manchester in the Round of 32 is Manchester Grammar School's Pirate Ship team!"
"I still remember how dirty those guys play…"
"But, to be fair… their cheerleaders are top-tier…"
"Enough! Quiet, all of you!" Coach Carter barked, silencing the chatter. "Yes, our first opponent is Manchester Grammar School's Pirate Ship team. After training, the equipment manager will send detailed reports on them, as well as information on our next two group-stage matches, to your email."
"I expect every single one of you to go straight home after practice. No clubbing, no drinking, no messing around with your girlfriends OR boyfriends. Hell, you're not even allowed to mess around with yourself!"
"Instead, study the match reports, rest well, and prepare for tomorrow's match!"
"Understood?!"
"YES, COACH!" The players shouted in unison.
"Good. Dismissed! Go home!" Coach Carter waved them off.
The players sighed in relief, packing up their belongings.
After a shower, Gu Ran slung his bag over his shoulder and left the training grounds.
After grabbing dinner outside, he returned home.
He greeted Andrew and Sally briefly before heading straight to his room, where he immediately opened his laptop to check his emails.
Sure enough, there was a new message from the team's official account.
The contents included a breakdown of the group-stage schedule.
The Genius Cup National Tournament was officially known as the "All-England High School Amateur Football Championship," a national tournament held once a year.
The winning team receives the Genius Player Trophy, awarded by the FA (Football Association). Winners also have a chance to be recommended to professional clubs in the top leagues.
The tournament uses a seeded system—the Top 8 teams from last year's competition automatically qualify for the group stage.
The 32 teams are divided into 8 groups, with one seeded team in each.
This means that only one additional team from each group can advance—because seeded teams are almost always too strong to fail.
Southampton Private School's Stag Steel Antlers were not a seeded team. Their best result in history? Reaching the national quarterfinals once.
This year, Southampton landed in Group E.
Their three group-stage opponents were Manchester Grammar School – Pirate Ship, Tonbridge School – Wild Boar Jazz, and the Seeded Team – Rugby School – Golden Fleece.
Upon reading this, Gu Ran involuntarily sucked in a breath.
Rugby School…
This was the birthplace of modern rugby.
It was also one of the key institutions that helped establish modern football rules.
Founded in 1567, Rugby School had participated in this tournament for nearly 80 years, winning 29 championships!
Last year, they reached the finals but lost 3-4 to Westminster School!
According to the match analysis, Rugby School's playing style was physically dominant, exceptionally fast, technically skilled, and already at the level of a professional League One team.
This isn't just a seeded team—this is a king playing in a peasant's tournament!
Next, he checked the other two teams.
Tonbridge School – Wild Boar Jazz was a five-time national champion, eleven-time runner-up, with a defensive stability and dangerous wing attacks. It was one of the UK's top three aristocratic schools, under royal patronage, and had 28 football pitches, including 5 international-standard stadiums.
Manchester Grammar School – Pirate Ship was a three-time national champion, seven-time runner-up, with an aggressive playstyle, fierce pressing, excellent use of width. It was the former school of Man United legend Sir Bobby Charlton and frequently trained with Manchester United's academy.
Compared to these teams, Southampton Private School was nothing!
What did they have?
A trash-talking coach with a "+6 banter" stat!
Their best historical finish was a single quarterfinal appearance.
Southampton had hope this year… but then their star left-back got poached by Westminster School.
No wonder Coach Carter was so anxious.
Group E was the true "Group of Death"—and Southampton was the weakest team in it.
The match schedule was brutal. May 25, 3 PM – Away vs. Manchester Grammar School – Pirate Ship. Venue: Manchester Grammar School. May 29 – Away vs. Tonbridge School – Wild Boar Jazz. Venue: Kent, Tonbridge School. June 2 – Home vs. Rugby School – Golden Fleece. Venue: Southampton Private School.
Brutal schedule.
Two away games, only one home match.
With such intense fixtures, stamina was crucial.
Looking back at history, getting destroyed was practically expected.
The group stage was point-based: Win = 3 points, Draw = 1 point, Loss = 0 points.
To qualify, they needed at least 4 points—one draw and one win.
That meant losing one match was acceptable, but losing two meant elimination.
No matter how he looked at it, this was nearly impossible.
Even getting a single draw would be tough.
Gu Ran had improved a lot in the past few days—but not enough.
Especially in stamina—there was no way he could last a full match under such intense physical pressure.
He needed to exploit every chance to improve.
Which meant…
Training with Sophie was more important than ever.
Her Future Superstar Talent Point was equivalent to 100 hours of stamina training.
It's not like I want to cuddle Sophie… I just need her talent bubbles…
Midnight.
Gu Ran picked up his phone, hesitating on how to convince Sophie to come over.
After all, this morning's "accidental" kiss was still unresolved…
Maybe he should drop it?
Gu Ran hesitated, putting his phone down.
Just then—his bedroom door slowly creaked open.
…
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