"What are you all doing here without training?" Coach Carter inquired majestically.
Captain Bread replied swiftly, "There is no coach, we are just... helping Rusty Stripe."
Michael and the others concurred, nodding in agreement, "Yes, we are only helping Rusty Stripe."
Carter furrowed his brows and bellowed, "Help? Nonsense! You think I'll believe that? You're all veteran players! You've clearly been practicing together the moment my back was turned! You've really disappointed me! And what about the newcomer, Julian? Why didn't he join you?"
The players hung their heads in silence, not daring to refute his accusations.
Julian was stationed where a pile of footballs lay on the ground, which had been prepped by Drummer earlier.
Currently, Drummer was alongside Rusty Stripe, which suggested that Julian had done all the tedious work.
Julian quickly offered his defense, "Coach, I truly didn't do anything..."
"Be quiet!" Coach Carter said firmly. "Julian, you've accomplished so much, yet you humbly claim to have done nothing! Aren't you embarrassed? Don't you feel any shame? After training today, everyone except Julian will practice for an extra half an hour on the training ground!"
"What?!"
The team members all protested in unison!
Coach Carter's expression grew sterner, "What? Do you think that's too easy? Make it an extra hour!"
This time, the team members fell silent.
Their negative emotions were on the brink of eruption.
Julian felt a pang of guilt.
It would be ideal if there were still opportunities for selective pickup!
No, I used to worry that I wouldn't get the chance to undergo professional training, but now that I've joined the team, I have to be more selective with my pickups!
Alright, from tomorrow onwards, selective pickup it is.
Observing the players' genuine fear of speaking up further, Coach Carter nodded in satisfaction, "Now, gather around! I will announce the 22-man roster for the national competition!"
All the players on the training ground quickly fell into line before Coach Carter.
Southampton High School had over 30 players in total, but only 22 could be part of the national competition squad.
From a professional standpoint, this is known as the "registered list."
If one fails to make it onto this list, they cannot be considered a registered player in the high school competition, thus ruling out any chances of starting or substituting, let alone making an appearance on the field without proper procedure.
Of course, even being registered for the 22-man roster merely makes one a benchwarmer, ineligible to set foot on the field unless the substitutes need replacing.
To progress to the 18-man match squad, one must first be registered in the 22-man roster.
Only upon entering the 11-man starting lineup can one be seen as a core player, allowed to enter the competition venue from the player tunnel and bask in the adoration of the fans.
The 11-man starting lineup must be drawn from the 18-man match squad, and the 18-man match squad must be selected from the 22-man registered roster.
Professional clubs operate similarly every season.
They must first establish the "registered squad" for the league, Champions League, and various cup competitions, then select and adjust based on those players to form the "competition squad" of 18.
From there, the final "starting lineup" of 11 players is determined.
The 11-man roster must generally be submitted at least one hour before the match begins, but the World Cup has an exception. For the World Cup, the lineup must be submitted no later than 30 minutes prior to the game's start.
Moreover, the timing of when to submit the 11-man roster can also be a tactic employed by the coach in some crucial games.
Currently, the Southampton High School team has just finalized their 22-man registered squad.
Coach Carter started to announce the names and jersey numbers of the registered players.
Julian calmly stood in the last row of the team, listening as Coach Carter listed the main players he had been introduced to earlier. The rest of the names were unfamiliar to him.
As the non-main players' names were called out, their faces lit up with excitement, and the others clapped and offered congratulations.
When Coach Carter reached the last spot, he paused before looking through the crowd to find Julian.
"And the last one, Julian." No applause followed.
This was to be expected, as Coach Carter had held off on Julian's registration until the very end to wait for his emergency medical report from the team doctor.
Julian felt a slight relief, knowing that this meant he had a chance to sit on the bench during games.
Coach Carter announced, "Julian's jersey number is... 3."
The players on the field murmured in amazement. Number 3 was the position of the main left back, a significant role once held by "The Beast" Orin of the Bucks Steelhorns. Moreover, the number 3 jersey had special meaning throughout Southampton, as it was also worn by the legendary "Great Sage" Bell from the Southampton youth training program.
No one had anticipated that Coach Carter would give this number to the new Asian student. Even Julian was taken aback. While it didn't guarantee a starting position, it signaled that Coach Carter intended to train him as a key player in the future.
With a solemn expression, Coach Carter declared, "Julian, the No. 3 jersey was once the pride of our Bucks Steel Horns team, but its former owner disgraced it and brought shame upon us all. Today, I will pass it on to you. I believe you will redeem it and make it the proudest number at Southampton High School once again!"
Julian's heart raced as he stared at Coach Carter with determination. "Coach! I can do it!"
Coach Carter nodded approvingly. "Excellent! That's the spirit I was looking for."
Julian thought to himself, "Holy cow, I'm only in second grade!"
He had assumed he would have more time to prepare, but the intense atmosphere was undeniable.
"It's all because of these salted fish teammates," he muttered. "I'd better not get too close to them..."
I heard Coach Carter announce again, "Okay, except for Julian, everyone else will stay for half an hour to practice. Tomorrow afternoon we will have a group confrontation. I will determine the 18-man team based on everyone's performance in the group confrontation. The roster, along with your new jerseys, will be sent to you tomorrow."
Coach Carter then explained a few more things about training before leaving, still holding the tactical board.
"Julian...!"
Rusty Stripe took a deep breath and approached Julian with a gloomy expression.
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