The hotel air conditioning humd. It was a low and constant sound.
Alex sat in the lobby. He was looking at a tactics board.
Maya sat opposite him. She was drinking a glass of orange juice. She looked very serious.
"The United States," Maya said. "They are interesting. They do not play with rhythm. They play with energy. Kinetic energy."
"They run a lot," Alex said.
"Correct," Maya adjusted her glasses. "I checked the data. Tyler Adams runs twelve kiloters per ga. McKennie runs eleven. They are like batteries that never run out."
"Batteries die eventually," Alex said.
"Not in ninety minutes," Maya warned. "They press high. They want to turn the ga into a basketball match. Back and forth. Fast break. Transition."
"I hate basketball," Alex smiled. "The ball spends too much ti in the air."
"Exactly," Maya said. "You need to keep it on the floor. Gravity is your friend."
The automatic doors of the hotel opened.
A man walked in.
He was wearing a tall hat with stars and stripes. He had a white beard made of cotton wool. He was wearing a blue jacket with red tails.
He looked like Uncle Sam.
"I WANT YOU!" the man shouted, pointing a finger at a confused security guard.
"Milo," Alex sighed.
Milo marched over. He was carrying a basket of french fries.
"ALEX!" Milo yelled. "I AM THE SPIRIT OF ARICA! I AM SELLING FREEDOM FRIES! THEY TASTE LIKE LIBERTY AND SALT! MOSTLY SALT!"
"Milo, we are in Qatar," Alex said. "Why are you dressed like an Arican poster?"
"MARKET RESEARCH!" Milo whispered. "THE ARICANS ARE HERE! THEY HAVE DOLLARS! I AM SELLING SOCCER DICTIONARIES! IT TRANSLATES 'OFFSIDE' INTO 'ILLEGAL MOTION'! I AM GOING TO BE A MILLIONAIRE!"
Security guards started walking towards Milo.
"THE BRITISH ARE COMING!" Milo scread, running towards the swimming pool. "TEA IS IN THE HARBOR!"
Alex shook his head.
"He is statistically probable to get arrested," Maya noted.
"He is fast," Alex said. "He will be fine."
Friday Night. Al Bayt Stadium.
The stadium looked like a giant tent in the desert.
The noise inside was deafening.
"U-S-A! U-S-A!"
The Arican fans were loud. They were confident. They believed that they could win.
Alex stood in the tunnel.
Christian Pulisic stood next to him. Captain Arica.
Pulisic looked focused.
"Hey Finch," Pulisic said.
"Hello Pulisic," Alex replied.
"We are going to run you into the ground tonight," Pulisic said. "We have the engine."
"We have the steering wheel," Alex said.
They walked out.
The lights were bright. The grass was perfect.
Gareth Southgate stood on the sideline. He looked calm.
"Control," Gareth mouthed to Alex.
The whistle blew.
The ga started.
It was chaos.
Maya was right. The USA did not want to play football. They wanted to play pinball.
They ran everywhere.
Tyler Adams was like a magnet. Every ti Alex got the ball, Adams was there.
Weston McKennie was like a tank. He smashed into tackles. He threw the ball long.
In the tenth minute, McKennie threw a long throw into the box.
Maguire headed it away.
But the ball fell to Musah. Musah shot.
It went just over the bar.
The Arican fans cheered.
"They are too fast!" Declan Rice yelled. "They are everywhere!"
Alex tried to slow the ga down.
He got the ball. He put his foot on it.
But Adams did not stop. He sprinted at Alex.
Alex had to pass quickly back to Pickford.
The crowd booed.
"Play soccer!" an Arican fan shouted. "Stop passing backward!"
"It is called football!" an England fan shouted back.
Twenty minutes. Thirty minutes.
England could not find a rhythm. It was like trying to dance in a hurricane.
Pulisic got the ball on the wing. He ran at Trippier.
Pulisic was fast. He cut inside.
He unleashed a shot.
It hit the crossbar.
CLANG.
The stadium shook.
England were lucky.
Alex stood in the center circle. He closed his eyes for a second.
He thought about Mr. Tesla physics class.
Force equals mass tis acceleration.
The Aricans had mass. They had acceleration.
But they had a weakness.
Montum.
When you run fast, it is hard to change direction.
"Jude!" Alex yelled.
Jude looked over.
"Don't run with them!" Alex shouted. "Let them run past us!"
Jude nodded.
Halfti. Zero Zero.
It was a boring score, but an exciting ga.
Gareth Southgate was not happy.
"They are bullying you," Gareth said. "They are pushing you around. Are you going to let them win the physical battle?"
"No," Harry Kane grunted.
"Then use the ball," Gareth said. " The ball moves faster than any man. Pass it around them. Make them chase shadows."
Second half.
The USA ca out running again. They had infinite energy.
But Alex had a plan.
Fifty fifth minute.
Alex got the ball deep in midfield.
Tyler Adams ca sprinting at him. A guided missile.
Alex did not move. He waited.
He waited until Adams was one foot away.
Then, Alex did a "Matador Turn".
He simply stepped to the side.
Adams montum carried him forward. He could not stop. He ran straight past Alex like a bull missing a red rag.
Alex had space.
He looked up.
McKennie ca running to cover.
Alex faked a pass to the right.
McKennie jumped to the right.
Alex turned left.
He was breaking the lines.
He was now in the USA half.
Harry Kane was making a run. But he was covered by Zimrman.
But Bukayo Saka was wide.
Alex hit the pass.
It was a laser. It cut through the grass.
Saka controlled it.
He was one on one with the defender, Robinson.
Saka danced. Left. Right.
He crossed the ball.
It was a low cross.
Raheem Sterling was there.
Sterling shot.
The goalkeeper, Turner, made a save.
But the ball bounced out.
Alex had continued his run.
He was on the edge of the box.
The ball ca to him.
"SHOOT!" the England fans scread.
But Pulisic was sliding in to block.
Alex saw the slide.
He did not shoot.
He dummied. He let the ball roll through his legs.
Behind him was Jude Bellingham.
Jude had the whole goal to aim at.
Jude passed the ball into the corner.
Goal.
One zero. England.
The English fans erupted.
"IT IS COMING HO!" they sang.
Jude ran to Alex. " The dummy! You have eyes in the back of your head!"
"I heard your footsteps," Alex smiled. "You run heavy."
"I run with power!" Jude laughed.
The USA tried to fight back.
They ran harder. They threw more bodies forward.
But now, England had control.
Alex kept the ball.
Pass. Move. Pass. Move.
He made the Aricans chase.
By the eightieth minute, the Aricans were tired. Their batteries were fading.
Tyler Adams was walking. McKennie was hands on knees.
"Where is the energy?" Alex asked Adams politely.
Adams just grunted. "You are annoying."
"I know," Alex said.
The final whistle blew.
England 1. USA 0.
Two wins from two gas. England were through to the knockout stages.
Alex walked off the pitch.
Pulisic shook his hand.
"Good ga," Pulisic said. "You guys are smart."
"You guys are fast," Alex said. "See you in the Premier League."
Milo was waiting in the tunnel.
He was wearing a cowboy hat and a sheriff badge.
"THE SHERIFF OF DOHA!" Milo shouted. "I AM THE LAW! ALEX! THE DUMMY! I AM SELLING INVISIBLE BALLS! PRACTICE YOUR DUMMIES AT HO! ONLY FIFTY POUNDS FOR A BOX OF NOTHING!"
"Milo, you cannot sell nothing," Alex laughed.
"IT IS CONCENTRATED AIR!" Milo argued. "VERY VALUABLE!"
Alex walked into the dressing room.
The team was happy. They were safe.
He checked his phone.
A text from Mark.
"I SAW THE GA. YOU WERE SLOW. BUT YOU WON. I AM EATING A BURGER IN HONOR OF YOUR VICTORY. IT HAS TRIPLE CHEESE."
Alex smiled.
He texted back.
"Save a fry."
Mark replied.
"NO. THE FRIES ARE MINE. FRANCE PLAYS DENMARK TOMORROW. I WILL SCORE A HAT TRICK. WITH MY EYES CLOSED."
Alex put his phone away.
He sat on the bench.
He looked at his boots. They were green from the grass.
He had played two gas at the World Cup. Two wins.
But the hard part was coming.
The knockout stages. No second chances. One mistake and you go ho.
Gareth Southgate clapped his hands.
"Well done," Gareth said. "Tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we prepare for Wales. The Battle of Britain."
Wales. Gareth Bale.
Another challenge.
But Alex felt calm.
He was the Professor. And he was just getting started with the syllabus.
He walked out to the bus.
The desert night was cool. The stars were bright.
He looked up.
Sowhere, under those sa stars, Mark was probably running around his hotel room, wearing a cape, dreaming of glory.
Alex closed his eyes.
The Dynasty was building.
And the world was watching.
End of chapter.
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