I think Tsuji should be a starter!
I'm sorry...
Damn it! This is a joke!
I'm outta here!
Forget this!
W-Wait!
Guys!
You're kidding, right? You're kidding—
Kazama.
Don't let the soccer team get shut down.
W-What do you mean, Kamiya?
Well, it wasn't part of the plan...
So you now only have 10 members, including the manager?
You can't play a practice game like that!
No, we'll do it.
Are you serious?
Yes.
So, do we have an opponent?
Well...
I contacted all the schools you requested.
But only these two agreed.
Two? Only two?
Yes.
Of course, since you're the team's coach now, they were very interested, but...
They said that, with the tournament qualifiers coming up, it wasn't a good time.
I see.
Considering our record over the past few years...
We haven't won a tournament in five years, or even made it through the qualifiers.
I understand why they think that.
What do we do? We don't have enough players.
Why not move the practice game to some other time?
No, the deadline's coming up.
Deadline?
D-Don't tell me you were serious about that!
Of course I am.
So if they lose to these two schools, the team will...
It will be shut down.
Thank you very much.
Starting tomorrow, practice will get harder as we prep for the practice games.
Our first game is after school, two days from now.
Our opponents are Kakegawa North.
We have another game the weekend after, against Fujita East.
On that day, a month will have passed. That's the deadline.
So we only get two games?
Correct.
Those were the only two teams willing to play you.
W-Wait! We only have nine players we can field.
And?
"And"?
You want us to play with just nine players?
We'd be at a huge disadvantage.
And if we lose, the team gets shut down?
Yes.
And I'll be assigning each of you things to practice on top of group practice.
I've messaged the details to all of you, so hop to it.
Dismissed.
Just two games?
And we're supposed to win?
Man...
Kakegawa North and Fujita East are nationals mainstays!
And we're supposed to beat them? That's crazy.
Maybe Coach just wanted to shut the team down from the start.
That's not true!
That's impossible!
That's right. He doesn't want us to win both games, right? We just need to win one.
But we haven't beaten either of them in years—
This year's different!
We have Coach Kamiya training us.
He said he'll give us extra stuff to work on. He thinks we can do this.
With just nine players?
In that case, we have to be a team that can win with nine players!
The training regimens he sent are perfect for enhancing our own individual skills.
Yeah. I was sent all of your regimens.
Each one is geared to improve your strengths.
Coach Kamiya was watching each of us closely.
And he put together regimens that will make each of us better.
Which means he's trying to create a team that can win with nine players.
I forgot to mention...
From now on, you're married to your ball.
Coach?
Married to our ball?
Correct.
I'm sorry, but I don't know what that means.
You don't mean, like, keeping it with us 24/7, do you?
Yes, I do.
Really?
Jo, let's do our best.
Hi-de-to!
S-Sorry.
Seriously, how many times has that happened since you came home?
Soccer balls are for kicking outside!
You've been kicking it around in here for hours!
Did you leave your brain in the back of the net or something?
No, these were Coach's orders...
Sorry.
I think it's until the practice games. One's in two days' time, one's next weekend.
Huh? Even though you only just started playing again?
Hideto!
Do it again and I'm fining you—
A team that can win with nine players?
That's impossible.
Morning!
Mornin'.
Yo.
Sonoda.
Sahara.
I want to talk.
Please come back to—
Let's go.
Yeah.
Guys?
Wait... Please!
Come back to the soccer team!
Personal regimen #1: Jo Kazama.
Twenty sprints.
Core exercises for twenty minutes. Side steps for twenty minutes.
Five sets in total.
Subaru Kurokawa.
Core exercises for twenty minutes. Side steps for twenty minutes.
Five sets in total.
Hideto Tsuji.
Inner muscle training, three sets.
First-time shooting, 100 shots.
Are they really going to play soccer with just nine players?
Okay, next up, counterattacking.
Kazama, Tsuji, Kurokawa, you three will be attacking.
You defenders will hold them off until the other three get back. Got it?
Yes, sir!
Let's do this!
Defenders! Don't wait! Go towards them!
Yes, sir!
Nice clearance!
Yes!
Your decision-making was too slow! Pick out the best pass immediately!
Again!
How's this?
Yes!
Know where your teammates are and make instant decisions.
Shoot! Shoot now!
Or give it to me!
Tsuji!
Nice!
Hey!
Why didn't you shoot?
I thought it would be safer to pass to you, since you were free.
You're supposed to be the center forward!
The game's tomorrow!
Do you understand that?
Yeah, I know.
Calm down, Jo.
Try taking the shot next time, Jo.
Come on, let's try again.
Fine.
Let's go.
Yeah.
Soccer Team Training Individual Practice Regimen
It's from the coach.
The dates and times of the practice games.
Not our problem. Just ignore it.
Yeah.
Wait up.
Sorry, I've decided to focus on studying for my exams.
This whole thing was a good chance for me to quit the team.
I see.
So I won't come back to the team. Sorry.
Yeah, I'm down to go to the beach.
Now that I've quit the soccer team.
You're sure about quitting?
Yeah, I think so.
I put in enough effort.
Kakegawa North's ace, Fujino, is out due to injury.
Then, we attack! Attack, attack, and win!
Amagai, from now on, you're the captain.
Amagai's the captain?
Y-You're doing this now?
I couldn't! Someone else'd be...
But, well, a goalkeeper can see the entire pitch.
But...
Be the first to think about what you can do for the team and act. That's the captain's job.
Amagai, if somebody's found their own path and started down it, let them go.
Captain? You know about yesterday?
Yeah. The rest is my job.
Just do your best in today's game with the players you have.
Yes, sir!
Hm? What?
Do we only have nine players?
Didn't you hear? The third-years quit, so they don't have 11 players.
Is fielding a reduced team allowed?
Well, they're playing, so I guess it must be.
Nice, Subaru!
Go! Get the first goal!
Kurokawa, pass it to me! They're coming from the right!
I'm here with you, too!
Tsuji, shoot!
Why?
Go, Tsuji!
One more game.
Damn it!
That wasn't even a game.
I'm sorry. I couldn't stop their shots at all.
Our defense wasn't even functioning.
I knew Fujino could run, but I can't believe how fast the other players were.
If only I'd gathered more info on them...
No. It was 9 vs 11 to begin with.
Why are you acting like this isn't your problem?!
If we have fewer players, we just have to run around more!
There's a limit to how much we can do to fill in for two missing players.
Well, we got all the way to the goal, and had a chance to score first!
If we'd gotten that first goal,
we might've thrown them off their game and had a chance to win!
So it's my fault for missing that first shot?
It wasn't just the first shot.
Your orders weren't aggressive enough. You hurt our morale.
My orders were the right ones!
Bullcrap! You passed every time instead of just going for it!
I hate begging people for stuff, especially cowards!
It wasn't cowardly. It was tactical.
I was thinking about how we could work efficiently with fewer players.
Very smart, I'm sure.
But all that time you spent thinking could've been used to take a shot or two.
It was hopeless. You can't win with nine players.
Even with the extra individual practice we've been doing,
we can't beat a full team, I guess.
Then, if we had a full team, could we win?
We only have one match left!
Just one match...
Or it's over.
Wait, Jo!
Kazama?
What do you want? You look so scary!
What is it?
Guys!
Kazama?
Please come back to the soccer team!
We can't win on our own!
And I don't want the soccer team to be shut down!
Please... we need your help.
Please!
Kazama, I'm sorry.
We can't go back.
No...
It's like...
You don't need us, right?
Especially me. I wasn't even a starter.
Sahara!
Is it me?
If I quit, will you come back?
Then, I'll...
Tsuji, keep out of this!
You managed to come up with a 9-player formation.
It didn't really work yesterday, though.
You guys came to watch us?
Yeah.
I wanted to make fun of you.
Then, play with us!
Kazama.
There's no place for us there.
B-But...
Guys!
I thought you hated begging people for stuff.
Shut up.
Why go that far?
I've said this before, but...
With your skills, even if the team's disbanded, you can go play elsewhere.
You louse! Don't you care if we get shut down?
Jo!
Were you considering the possibility we might lose?
No wonder your shots didn't go in when I passed you the ball!
No!
I'll never lose! I won't let this team be disbanded!
That's how I've always played!
Why did you stay on the soccer team?
Wasn't it to win?
Right here, on the Kakegawa soccer team!
Don't play if you can't commit!
I can't let this team end on my watch.
Why is Kakegawa's soccer team so important to you?
You don't have the right to ask that.
It's none of your business.
Why don't you just disappear?
Wait!
I don't want this team to be disbanded, either.
I finally joined a soccer team.
I feel the same way.
The same way?
Come with me.
The locker room?
The year we stopped putting up victory photos...
The one who brought Kakegawa's years of victories to an end was my dad.
Jo's dad was captain that year.
And for the first time, they got knocked out in the first round of the qualifiers.
After that, Kakegawa got weaker and weaker.
Well, some years were better than others.
But folks started calling my dad "the captain who doomed Kakegawa" behind his back.
And now, even though he loves soccer,
he says he doesn't have the right to play it or watch it anymore.
Is that fair?
That's why I decided to rebuild Kakegawa's soccer team.
So he could watch this team win a championship again.
Laugh if you want!
No. I would never laugh at you.
Kazama, you didn't run away, did you?
We have to win, right? Even with just nine of us!
Fujita East turned us down?
The game's tomorrow. Why?
Well... they said they got another offer for a practice game, or something like that.
They said they were really sorry.
This isn't fair to us. They agreed to the match last week.
Who are they playing?
Nomada.
And they said, as we only had nine players...
Um, excuse me.
What you just said...
Then, the game's...
The game's... canceled?
Then, what do we do for our last game?
What happened to our last chance?
Damn it! Why, damn it?
Why does everything go wrong?!
Jo!
Damn it! Damn it!
Yeah. I'm sorry. With the doctor, you say?
Sorry for not calling.
By the way, I need some help. Can we meet?
Yeah, thanks.
Now then...
Training on your own? Out here?
Good night.
Why don't you come back?
Leave us alone, will ya?
Are we really that popular?
Kazama got down on his knees and begged, yet you still said no.
Was it out of pride?
They didn't force you to quit, you know.
Let me ask you this: Which is bigger, your pride or your regrets?
I like that look. Those are the clear eyes of an athlete.
Damn it!
Sahara. If you work on your explosive power, you can make it truly impressive.
Sonoda. When I was a pro player,
I hated persistent defenders like you more than anything.
It's not that I don't think you have talent...
It's just that your vision is too narrow.
Look at what's around you.
See the whole field!
There's always someone waiting for a pass.
Find them and your odds of intercepting it go way up.
Sonoda. Sahara.
Do you understand? Your younger teammates are in trouble.
Coach Kamiya wants the team out on the field after school. He says to make sure you come.
What? I thought the game was called off.
Um, are we practicing?
Today was supposed to be the deadline.
That's right. So we're shut down, right?
No. Today's not over yet.
But we weren't able to win a game...
We don't have anyone to play, right?
It's true that Fujita East turned us down.
That's why I invited another team.
They're here.
The Kakegawa Weed Soccer Club.
K-Kakegawa Weed?
Wait, is that...
He's...
The guy who was on the team that won at nationals...
Kazuhiro Hiramatsu?!
All right, you guys, this is it.
The whistle's blowing on your last chance!
H-Hiramatsu?
This match... is our last chance?
Yeah. That's the one thing I won't lose to anyone at.