THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME-Chapter 47: To Riga, Latvia

Saturday, February 11, 2012.

Zachary, his teammates, and the academy coaches rose early before 5:00 A.M that morning. They boarded a Scandinavian Airlines flight from Trondheim-Vaernes Airport via Oslo and headed to Riga, Latvia. They were on their way to participate in the Riga Winter Cup, set to begin the following day.

"Captain," Paul Otterson intoned, turning back to face Zachary. The Swede had chosen a window seat positioned in the row just in front of Zachary. "Do you know which big teams will be participating?" He queried.

"I already told you not to keep calling me captain." Zachary scowled at his flatmate. "Just use my real name," he said, smiling wryly.

Coach Johansen had named him the NF academy captain for the duration of the tournament in Riga. Paul and Kasongo had changed how they addressed him to captain right away, irritating him to no end.

"Well, you better get used to it. Coz you're captain from now on." Paul smiled. "Do you know which big teams will be participating? Did the coach reveal anything about the fixtures?" He asked once again.

Zachary shook his head. "He said that all the fixtures and participating teams would be revealed during the pre-tournament meeting today evening. But, I heard him say something about VfB Stuttgart, Zenit, Tottenham, and the Genoa academies."

"Those are some good teams," Kasongo chipped in. He was seated beside Zachary. "I hope we get an easy group. I don't want us to meet tough opponents in the group stages." He added.

"Don't jinx us," Paul said, voice taking on a dramatic tone. "Saying it out loud could cause us to get dropped into the group of death."

Similar chatter went on all over the economy section of the small plane. The players displayed their eagerness to perform in the upcoming tournament. The journey passed quickly, and the airplane landed at Riga Airport at around half past eleven that morning.

A trolleybus, arranged by the Riga Cup organizers picked up Zachary and his teammates from the airport. They rode the bus through the urban landscape on their way to their hotel in the city center.

Zachary was surprised to see plenty of snow clothed trees rising like white fairytale beings in the wintry environs along the airport highway. He'd expected to see lots of tall buildings lining the streets of Riga. However, the bus ride went-on for more than fifteen minutes before they encountered high architectural structures packed in exact grid patterns along the streets. Had it not been winter, Zachary was sure he would have seen lots of green spaces.

A few minutes later, the bus pulled up in the parking space of a majestic hotel, approximately five stories high, by Zachary's estimation. It was called—The Monika Centrum Hotel. Their guide enthusiastically informed them that it was one of the most luxurious in the whole of Riga.

"I didn't expect Riga to be this cold," Kasongo complained as they exited the bus. The fifteen players crowded around the bus and waited for follow-up instructions from their coaches. "I wonder how we'll play with all this snow around! Will they keep clearing it out of the fields during matches?" He added, folding his heavy jacket tighter around himself.

"Indoor stadiums, man," Paul replied, smiling. "There should be plenty of them around this city. I know for a fact there's a big indoor stadium in the Skonto Arena that hosts many games during winter."

"Have you been here before?" Zachary inquired, surprised by his flatmate's intimate knowledge of Riga. Meanwhile, he tightened his blue scarf around his neck to protect himself from the skin-numbing coldness.

Paul smiled wryly—while Kendrick, a few paces away, shook his head and pretended to observe the snow-filled scenery with a newfound eagerness.

"Well, what's wrong?" Kasongo inquired. "Have you been to Riga before or not?" He eyed the guy with whom he shared a first name suspiciously.

"I don't mind telling you about our previous experience here in Riga," Paul intoned, shaking his head. "We were part of the academy team that joined the Riga Cup three years ago as under-14s. But we lost all our games by a margin of 3 or more goals. At the end of the group stage, we had zero points and a goal difference of minus-15. The academy players who were present at that time prefer not to talk about the experience."

"A goal difference of negative 15 goals in just three games!" Kasongo mumbled without concealing the surprise in his voice. Zachary, too, was perplexed but remained silent. Such a goal difference meant the under-14 team conceded at least six goals in some games.

"Don't give me that look." Paul scowled at Kasongo. "Matches here are very competitive and played consecutively without rest in less than ten days. The giant academies have big teams and can switch squads for every match. Our team only had sixteen players at that time. We couldn't match the other teams."

"But still 15 goals..." Kasongo shook his head and let his voice trail off.

"So, let me get this straight," Zachary chipped in. "There are also other age categories in the tournament here?" He hadn't managed to pry much information from Coach Johansen before their departure. He was still unsure about the whole set-up of the Riga Tournament.

"There is our group which falls into the under-18 category," Paul replied. "If I remember correctly, there is also a competition for under-12s and then under-14s. But, the matches of the under-18s are the major attractions. They involve players that are close to going pro. So, expect a lot of fans, especially during the matches with Latvian teams."

They continued discussing the tournament until Coach Johansen returned. He immediately instructed them to settle in their rooms after handing them electronic keys. The event organizers had allocated double rooms to all fifteen players and staff of the NF academy. Zachary was glad he would be sharing a room with Kasongo after the allocation.

Their room was huge and contained luxuries like a thirty-six-inch TV with video and DVD and two sprawling leather sofas. At its center were two king-sized beds, adorned with pure white cotton sheets that could tempt any soul to sleep during the day. The heating system inside allowed fine control of the temperature, keeping the winter cold at bay. One side of the room was dominated by a floor to ceiling window with a clear view of the streets below.

"They certainly got us a good hotel," Kasongo commented after taking a look.

Zachary nodded in agreement. He was also satisfied with the accommodations. He could only sustain his peak state by getting enough rest in a comfortable environment.

"I'll first sleep for a while," he informed Kasongo while unpacking his luggage. "I slept quite late last night because of the preparations for today's journey." What he didn't add was the fact that he'd been practicing the Bend-it like Beckham Juju in the simulator until way past midnight.

"As captain, aren't you required to attend the pre-tournament meeting?" Kasongo asked, eyeing Zachary with a frown.

"The Coach informed me the meeting is at three in the afternoon. Just wake me up when you're heading out for lunch. That will give me enough time to prepare for the meeting."