The Beautiful Game
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the fake teams
Natasha Romanoff had been enduring of a broken, hazy slumber before the phone rang. The harsh bell ringtone rang out in the near complete silence of her bedroom. She jolted upright and fumbled blindly for her smartphone on the bedside table, eventually wrapping her fingers around the cold casing. She swallowed the dryness in her mouth before answering.
"Hello?" Natasha said, hoping her voice didn't betray the fact that she had been asleep.
"Natasha. Washington Eagles in Northern England got back to me a few minutes ago. They want you. The contract is more or less ready to be signed, I got you the best I could," Pepper Potts, Natasha's agent, replied. Natasha sat bolt upright, smoothing out her red curls and rubbing her eyes, no fully alert.
"Really?" She asked. "What, now?"
Pepper giggled nervously down the line.
"I just booked us a flight to Heathrow and a train to Sunderland and a hotel for a few nights. We'll be in Washington by Tuesday evening. Pack your bags, kid. I'm on my way to your apartment."
Pepper arrived after a half-hour, together they packed Natasha's suitcase and discussed their impending adventure.
Natasha was a soccer manager. She had recently run out her contract with an MLS club, despite a decent end to the season. Since then, Pepper had been searching for vacant positions all around the country before getting into contact with the struggling English Second Division club Washington Eagles F.C.. The club had fallen on hard times in recent seasons, resulting in the sales of major players and the club's fall from grace as a major contender in the English Premier Division. As a result, many young, inexpensive American exports had been signed by the Eagles. Despite the financial troubles, the club had managed to stave off relegation to the Third Division at the end of the season. Unfortunately, the manager resigned shortly after, the 60 year old citing stress as a main factor for his resignation.
Natasha had researched each player on Washington's books and had watched hours of tapes as preparation should she be offered a contract. The players were young- between the ages of 17 and 25- and certainly had the potential to improve under the right guidance. The club had a strong academy, helmed by Phil Coulson, and provided backups for the starters.
Once on the plane, Natasha took out her binder and began studying the contents once again. She had a profile of each member of the starting eleven, beginning with the captain, Steve Rogers.
NAME: Steven Rogers
AGE: 23
ROLE: Captain
POSITION: Striker (5th highest scorer in Second Division in previous season.)
STRENGTHS: Height allows for prowess at heading and volleys. Physical strength. Accurate from both close and mid range. Leader of team. Chemistry with JAMES BARNES allows for more opportunities
WEAKNESSES: Often tracks too deep to receive ball, makes counter-attacking difficult.
At the bottom of the file, there was a photo of Rogers. His blond hair was instantly recognisable. As was his large frame. Natasha flipped over the page to examine the next profile.
NAME: T'Challa
AGE: 24
POSITION: Goalkeeper
STRENGTHS: Extremely quick reflexes. Strong in stops. Long kick. Won "Save of the Season" award last season. Strength and speed.
WEAKNESSES: Few. No noticeable flaws, requires only training and better defenders.
Natasha continued to examine her notes for most of the long flight, pausing only to catch up on her missed hours of sleep. It was morning when they landed in London. Pepper rushed them onto a packed train and they settled in again for a two hour long trip. Natasha examined two more profiles.
NAME: Clint Barton
AGE: 23
POSITION: Defensive midfielder preferred but can play anywhere in midfield when required.
STRENGTHS: Pin-point accuracy in passes. Strong in tackles. Fan favourite. Accurate with either foot.
WEAKNESSES: Can lose focus often. Slightly hot-headed. Missed much of previous season due to injuries.
NAME: Tony Stark
AGE: 24
POSITION: Attacking midfielder, can play as a full back when required.
STRENGTHS: Uses trickery on more physical opponents, willing to defend when needed. Rarely gives up on games when losing. Fan favourite.
WEAKNESSES: Can be complacent. Off-field life overshadows actual performances.
"All right, put it away, Natasha," Pepper ordered. Natasha sighed and closed her notes and tried to eat the sandwich she had bought from the food trolley on the train. However, her stomach rolled and twisted, making eating difficult. Natasha shifted nervously in her seat. Pepper returned to her newspaper from where she sat opposite Natasha.
"Tell me about the chairman one more time," she asked. Pepper considered her from over the paper before folding it and speaking.
"Nicholas J. Fury is the owner and chairman. He recently bought the club and appointed Maria Hill as chief executive. He's a perfectionist, but so are you. Fury is looking forward to meeting you in person. He has appointed several new doctors and coaches since May, including Wanda Maximoff, your potential assistant manager. Everything's gonna be all right, I promise..." Pepper said, reaching out and brushing Natasha's hand. Pepper recognised the familiar look of steely determination in her friend and client's green eyes.
Eventually, at almost five o'clock on Tuesday evening, the train pulled into the station. The club had sent a car to collect them from the station. Rain had begun to fall onto the pavement and splattered on the windshield and roof.
"Welcome to the English Summer," the driver joked when Natasha and Pepper had settled in. Natasha had begun to relax. Her situation seemed to be less surreal. She almost believed she was going to be Washington Eagles manager.
They left the city after getting stuck in rush hour traffic and eventually reached Washington town before pulling into the club grounds in the suburbs. The entrance to the training grounds and buildings consisted of an electronic barrier and high walls surrounded the complex.
The rain had ceased but grey clouds lingered ominously on the horizon. The car halted in front of the main building in the complex. It was two stories high and was a dull grey in colour, save for the ornate brown double doors and grand pillars at the front. The double doors bore the team crest of an eagle in flight, wings spread out with the club name embroidered around the emblem.
Natasha and Pepper stepped out of the car and were met by a woman of middle height but taller than Natasha, with wavy blonde hair that reached her shoulders. Her blouse was rolled up to her elbows and she looked stressed, but not flustered. She held a black folder in her arms and stood beneath the veranda of the grey building. Natasha and Pepper were led over to the blonde woman by their driver. The woman smiled warmly and extended her hand firstly to Natasha, then to Pepper.
"Sharon Carter," she said confidently. "I'm the head of Public Relations and Human Resource here at Washington. It's a pleasure to have you here."
Sharon's warmth calmed Natasha immensely. Sharon instructed the women to follow her. They walked into a well furbished reception area. Sharon led them down several corridors and up stairs until she stopped in front of a door marked: MEETING ROOM.
Sharon knocked before entering.
"Ms. Romanoff is here, sir," she said.
"Bring her in then," came a brisk reply from a deep male voice.
Sharon gestured for Natasha and Pepper to come inside the room. A long mahogany table ran along the centre of the room. Underfoot there was a plush navy carpet with the eagle emblem embellished into the centre. A floor to ceiling window ran along the back wall, affording views of the training pitch and training buildings. There was currently a session taking place on the pitch.
A large man and a slim woman sat at the foot of the table. Both stood when the women entered. The woman was tall and pale with raven hair pulled into a bun. She wore a pantsuit coloured navy. The man was average height, with dark coloured skin and was bald. He also had an eye patch over one eye which made him look very intimidating. He wore a black suit and a trench coat hang on the back of his chair.
"Ah, Ms. Romanoff and Ms. Potts. Nice to finally meet in the flesh," the man said, extending his hand to shake. He gestured for them to sit alongside him.
"My name is Nicholas Fury, but I prefer Nick, or Fury. Depends on my mood," he said. Fury turned to his left and gestured to the woman. "This here is Maria Hill."
Hill shook hands with both women and they all sat at one end of the elongated table.
"I've never been one to beat around the bush, Natasha, so I'll cut to the chase. This team has been performing poorly recently, the last owners ran the finances into the ground and sold the best players to cover debts. But I bought this place to rebuild it. Make it better. The last manger almost put my plans in jeopardy. In contrast, you led an MLS minnow of a team to a very high finish, thus making you the youngest and first female manager in US soccer history," Fury said. "I want that same guts and fire here, which is why I want you to manage this team."
As he finished his sentence, he nodded at Hill who opened a briefcase and took out several sheets of stapled paper. She slid it over to Pepper, who in turn gave it to Natasha. She went through It slowly, taking in all the information. Fury wanted success for his club, and as far as he was concerned, success was equal to promotion to the First Division once more.
Natasha glanced at Pepper who seemed satisfied and then smiled.
"Where do I sign?" She asked. Maria Hill smiled for the first time, as did Fury. They gave Natasha a pen and answered her questions.
Pepper had booked them into a hotel for a few nights but Hill announced that the club owned a house in the town that all managers lived in during their tenure and arrangements were made for Natasha to move in by the start of the end of the week.
At the end of the meeting, Fury instructed Sharon to assemble the players that were training in the briefing room as soon as they were showered and dressed,along with the coaching staff.
After a few minutes, Sharon returned with the news that everyone was ready. Natasha's stomach twisted and knotted with anticipation, the hairs on her arms stood up. Pepper placed a calm hand on her shoulder and gave it a squeeze. Fury and Hill took the express route to the briefing room in the training building adjacent to the main building while Sharon gave Natasha a partial tour before eventually halting in front of a door.
Voices speaking could be heard from the other side. Natasha took several deep breaths to calm herself but could not keep her stomach from jumping when Sharon turned to her. She told Natasha that there was a bathroom if she wanted to spruce up her appearance. Natasha gratefully accepted the opportunity. She smoothed out the shirt she had put on in the train bathroom, pulled her unruly hair in to a ponytail and sprayed perfume.
When she returned to Pepper and Sharon. The PR officer stood with one hand on the silver painter metal door handle. She grinned a wide, white smile.
"Are you ready to meet your team?