TJ Jungbluth
Title
Prolouge
When Jake Summers steps onto the soccer field it doesn't matter who or when or where. He can handle them all. His mom's name is Morgan summers a reporter for a not so much heard of station. His dad World Cup participant Tom Summers is the assistant coach of his team. Jake's made the team 3 years in a row so he's feeling confident. He is one of the smaller kids at his school so being a star keeper is tough. Sometimes there is a few shots that he can't reach. This never stops him though he just keeps on truckin'.
1
Even though he was one of the smallest, he was one of the best. When everything is going bad all Jake had to do was play soccer and he would forget all of it. He felt at home on the soccer field more than anywhere else. Once he got the ball on the field it was him and the goalie nobody else mattered to him. His mom, Morgan, is a reporter for a lower news center not the well known. His dad had been in the world cup playing for the U.S. 8 years ago and Jake was following in his footsteps. He got home school and shot on his goal for a while. His dad finally got home from work and shot on Jake for a while to train him a little better.
"Come on keep your hands ready for the ball all the time," said Tom, "tryouts are only a week away." Those particular tryouts for the soccer travel team he was hoping to make like the 3 years before.
"Yah I know you've told me that a million times," said Jake.
"These aren't going to be as easy as you think they are going to be."
"To be perfectly honest I don't think I'm going to have much trouble making the team this year," said Jake, "I'm the only good keeper in Owatonna."
"Actually, there is a kid who moved into town that might just beat you out of the spot this year bud," said his dad, "His name is Matt Steiner and he has taken his team to nationals twice already." This was when Jake got worried.
"Nationals! Twice! Are you serious!"
"Now just calm down buddy if you work hard during the off time you have a good chance of beating him."
During tryouts everything went well except for the fact that Matt was really good. Jake was worried about his chances of beating him. Days went by and finally the letter came saying that he had made the team. The only bad part was that Matt had made it as well.
"So sport did you make it?" His dad asks.
"Yah but so did Mr. 2-time nationals. I'm gonna be playin' backup for him all year!"
"Just calm down buddy I'll make sure you both get reasonable amounts of playing time."
At practice there were most of the same kids on the team including his best friend Alex Johnson. He could always get you laughing even if you didn't want to. Their coach was the same as last year as well. Carter Grey was one of the players down at the university. He and his team went to state last year so they are pretty good. He started out this practice with 3 laps around the field because of Alex and his wise guy attitude. Once they were done they had some shooting drills. Jake was put in as keeper and he played so about half the practice. During the scrimmage he was put in as midfielder. That was his position while not at goal. Just to even out the teams he and Matt were put on separate teams and the coaches were the keepers. It turned out that Matt had no field skills at all he was strictly a keeper and that was that. Jake on the other hand had his dribbling and his keeping down pat. After the scrimmage Carter had the team line up on the line and do a couple of sprints. Jake was the fastest and right after him to his surprise was Matt.
"So how was soccer?" his mom asked him when he got home.
"Fine," Jake replied.
"Anything exciting?"
"Nope"
"How does that new Matt kid play?"
"He's a great keeper but I bet anybody could smoke him out on the field." They both laughed. I knew that somebody could be that good and still be a great all around player thought Jake. At school the next day he found out from Alex that their first game would be in 1 month against St. Paul. They were the #3 team at state the last year so they are hard to beat. After school they had another practice at the fields. This time before the scrimmage Matt took the place as Keeper. He couldn't be scored on. The whole time Matt was in goal he only let in 2 goals compared to Jake's 7. After practice he came home and went straight onto the computer. He googled Matt Stiener and found a whole page on his accomplishments and how he lead Wilmar, Minnesota to nationals twice. He also found a page telling about his dad who was rejected from the U.S. World cup team twice. There was no unfair reason for it, it was because he just wasn't good enough.
"Watcha doin' honey," asked his mom.
"Just looking at this Stiener kid on the internet."
"What did you find?" she asked again.
"His dad didn't make it on the U.S. team twice," he replied.
"Ouch, is that the one that your father made?" his mom asked
"The very same," said Jake," Except that he tried out the year before dad as well."
"What's Matt's last name again?"
"Steiner," Jake said
"I think I heard about him in the news one time. There was some kind of controversy that wasn't really released to the public."
Jakes mom was a reporter on a kind of down low company. Jake showed her a picture.
"Yes, that is the very same guy," said his Morgan Summers.
"How do you know?" asked Jake
"I did a report on him once but he said he would sue if we released it."
"What happened?"
"Well, while he was trying out the coaches weren't actually there. The people judging him were some trainers. Mr. Stiener thought that it was unfair that he wasn't able to be seen by the coaches. The trainers said that they could not do anything for him and it ended like that.
"Ouch, is that the one that your father made?" his mom asked
"The very same," said Jake," Except that he tried out the year before dad as well."
"What's Matt's last name again?"
"Steiner," Jake said
"I think I heard about him in the news one time. There was some kind of controversy that wasn't really released to the public."
Jakes mom was a reporter on a kind of down low company. Jake showed her a picture.
"Yes, that is the very same guy," said his Morgan Summers.
"How do you know?" asked Jake
"I did a report on him once but he said he would sue if we released it."
"What happened?"
"Well, while he was trying out the coaches weren't actually there. The people judging him were some trainers. Mr. Stiener thought that it was unfair that he wasn't able to be seen by the coaches. The trainers said that he would jsut have to live with it and that was that."