Electric Tacos (Wattys 2023)

EIGHT

It was finally Friday.

They met after school at the pitch. The Imps were fired up and ready to kick the ever-loving crap out of the Angels. Their rivalry had drawn in a big crowd tonight; every single one of the seats was taken up to cheer on the home team.

Fur Ass and Jay had come to watch, along with Yelena and Pammy and an assortment of soda cans. They were fired up on cigarettes, coffee, and adrenaline.

Mateo and Ricky were playing upfront as the attack, Chuck was in defense along with, Ochoa, Cabrera, and Castro; Max, Jonas, Henriquez, and Expósito were in midfield, and George was playing as the goalkeeper.

The Imps had David Valdez playing for them. He'd scored five already, alongside Freddie Saucedo who'd scored four. They'd both scored more goals between them than the Angels had the whole season. Five goals in four games, one of which was a defeat, and two draws.

They weren't in the hottest form at the moment, but were looking to change that:

"You know what you gotta do, Mateo."

"Press them, and don't give up, even if they seem scary. Just keep going, and going."

Ricky nodded. "¡Exactamente!" You got it."

The whistle blew, and the game kicked off. Captain Lopez (George) passed the ball to Hernandez on the right wing, who flicked it over to Ricky, who took his chance and scored the first goal when he chipped it over the keeper.

Everyone went wild.

It was one of the fastest goals in the league so far.

Ricky celebrated by running over to the crowd and dancing.

He didn't want to overdo it because he knew their lead was only on loan. The Imps were a very tricky team to play against and they didn't take any prisoners.

Their coach, Ortega was a ruthless man. The rumor was that if the Imps lost more than one game in a row, he'd make them all run a mile and do 250 pushups, before sitting in a cold shower for ten minutes. He hated losing and held the team at a high level, and wanted as many of them wanted to get scholarships as he could.

Ortega also had them train on Sundays, and holiday weekends and made them do desert wilderness tracks every single Saturday morning without fail. He watched their diets like a hawk, ensuring they cut out too much sugar and kept their carbs under control.

The results of the regimen were beginning to pay off as DeLeon tackled Mateo and sprinted up the field. He fired the ball towards George, but Chuck was there in time to head the ball away with his imposing frame.

George won a goal kick and booted it up the field towards Max, who passed it to Jonas on the left wing. He dribbled the ball to Mateo, who took a shot but went wide.

He let out a groan and tried again when the ball came back around. He also missed that shot, but luckily Ricky was there to win them a corner.

Expósito was there to take it, and Mateo flicked it into the net...

... But it was ruled offside shortly afterward.

For the next fifteen minutes, both sides began pressing each other, with the Imps coming the closest to scoring. Valdez missed an open night, and Saucedo went slightly wide.

Down at the other end, Max couldn't break through and the ball didn't get anywhere near the net. He tried once again, but it was blocked by Alvarez, who almost matched Chuck in his physicality. The other defender, Rodriguez was equally as tough a nut to crack.

After another five minutes of chances and intricate shots, the ref allowed them to have a water break. Mateo was thankful as his jersey was sticking to his body.