DROPPING WALLS (MANXMAN) ~UNDER REVIEW~

Thomas has his last tryout game.

The final match for the tryout team landed on a Friday evening, it was the first time the tryouts were going to play during the evening, a lot more fans attended games that happened at that period of the day, a lot more people to see the tryouts triumph.

Thomas was feeling a little nervous, he felt his legs trembling and tried to control it as he held tight to the team shield on his chest. The Unity tryout soccer team were already the winners of the tryout championship, they just needed to win the last game and they'd be making history for the team. They won most of their games, scored amazing goals in almost all of them, and had the best acceptance from the fans. Thomas needn't to feel nervous. But he did.

Movement made the boy snap back to reality and he followed his teammates to the pitch, the roar of the crowd hitting them mercilessly. Thomas smiled. He kept his cool through the whole national anthem, greeted the adversaries and the referees, went to his side of the pitch and waited, things seemed to be happening too fast, and too slow at the same time.

The main referee blew the whistle and the game started. Unity didn't need to win that particular game, but the team's tryouts were hungry for the last victory.

Their opponents were hungry for a victory too, pushing hard against their defense and tiring their attack. Thomas saw the right winger shake his hand in frustration after losing another challenge. Thomas got the ball and ran with it a few steps but somehow he was always ending up on the ground and he felt the nervous boiling up on the inside of him. He passed the ball to Nick as much as he could since Nick was always a little bit ahead of him and liked to play with the other team more than Thomas would ever bother. After dribbling his marker Nick send the ball to Thomas' chest, the boy turned and fired at the goal, But he didn't score.

The air was cold, but Thomas felt like the world was burning, he saw his teammates panting and he felt his lungs were starting to complain, he felt ashamed that when the half-time whistle was blown he felt a wave of relief falling on him.

Eyes closed, trying to control his breaths the boy heard the coach point every single flaw on the team, he agreed with most of them, he just wanted to calm down and let his body recover for the second round, he wondered if he would be sent in during second half, the coach said he would try to rotate them that night for it was the last game. They couldn't afford that no more.

"You okay?" Tim asked next to Thomas, the boy nodded and looked at his friend.

"We're doing a poor job today aren't we?" Thomas asked and Tim laughed.  Thomas wanted to scream, he wanted to make his teammates understand what was happening, how important this last game as a tryout was for the boy since it was probably the last, if he didn't get the chance to play on the last game mixed with the main squad he wouldn't wear that jersey anymore. he needed to shine and make a good impression for the last time. "They're playing fair, they know how we play, we didn't pay much attention to them, now we can lose..."

"Don't be so dramatic, they didn't score either. Defense is holding up, and Marcus is going to sub in, you two know how to work better than you and Nick... you in center-forward and Marcus as a striker will be an unstoppable weapon and they'll back off. Just chill, you know we can do it." Said Tim slouching on his seat. Thomas nodded with a small grin on his face and looked around the room. He looked at the tryouts for Unity Soccer Team.

The second half was fast paced, a lot of opportunities lost from both teams trying their best to out-talent the other. Thomas knew he would love to watch that game live, he was definitely going to watch it later, but for now, he was living it and enjoying it a little bit more as the clock ticked down. He was running with the ball at the direction of the goal, he felt/ saw, two of their defense coming to him, he continued, a flash of green to his left. Thomas stopped, ball locked under his foot, he kicked it to the player in green as his marks skewed trying to make sense of the sudden change of heart. It was Tim, he got the ball and passed straight to Marcus as someone collided at him, if Marcus didn't score they were for sure getting a foul shot. Marcus veered and shot. The ball went over the goalkeeper's head and met the net. Thomas felt himself breath again as he needed air to scream, or howl because that was the most amazing moment of his life.