Chapter 27: Starting in the Dutch Cup!

Finding out he was in the starting lineup on the day of the match, Tang Ye was a bit at a loss.

However, this was an opportunity for him. In the Eredivisie, an assist earns 5 "Counter-Attack Points," and scoring a goal nets 10. With 90 minutes of playing time, if Tang Ye wanted to earn more points, he had to take this seriously.

Among the four items Tang Ye could currently purchase, the only one he could use during a match was "Vardy’s Red Bull." Costing 5 Counter-Attack Points, it boosts stamina by 10% for the next 120 minutes. His current stamina attribute is 61, so a 10% increase brings it to 67. Based on his training over the past few days, a 70-point attribute is enough to hold his own in the Eredivisie. A bottle of Vardy’s Red Bull before the match, and he’d be able to run the full distance today.

"Okay, that’s the plan for today!" Tang Ye calculated, then checked his balance.

Account Balance: 3 Counter-Attack Points.

"..."

He was two points short. He tried to take a loan. He looked for the "Huabei" payment option under his balance, but as soon as he clicked it, a familiar message popped up: [Insufficient Huabei credit].

If he hadn't bought that De Bruyne development template, he might have achieved "item freedom" by now. But he couldn't afford not to buy it. If he only picked the skills of his favorite stars, he feared his technique would develop in a distorted way.

He had to drink the Red Bull today, so Tang Ye had no choice but to turn to his daily tasks.

[Daily Task: Push-ups * 120 (can be completed in up to 5 sets)]
[Task Reward: Counter-Attack Points * 3]

120 push-ups! Tang Ye was lucky today; the system hadn't assigned him any running tasks. He could finish 120 push-ups before boarding the team bus.

"Send me a message if anything comes up," Tang Ye said to Amrabat. Taking advantage of the time before departure, he snuck outside the training ground, did 120 push-ups, and successfully secured the 3 points.

Looking at his current balance of 6 points and the 5-point price of the Red Bull, Tang Ye felt that the gears of his destiny had finally begun to turn.

...

Sneek, Netherlands. Today was the Dutch Cup match between Sneek and Utrecht. It was time for Wang Chao’s lively broadcast again!

"Okay, good evening, brothers. The match is a bit late today, but since it’s a Utrecht game, I’ve already sent a notice in the group."

"For those who haven't joined yet, hurry up and join our QQ group. There are daily winning picks in there. It's fine if you don't bet; if you're just a pure football fan, you can join too. I’ll send a message in the group a day in advance whenever there’s a match featuring Tang Ye!"

Wang Chao was excited. Because he was the first to broadcast Tang Ye’s matches, he had become the top streamer on the Huanydou platform. Half of the "Bean Warriors" in the football section were in his channel!

[I want to see Tang Ye! Where's the director? Get the camera on Tang Ye!]
[This is a pirated feed; the director can't see your messages here.]
[Reporting in as a 20-year Tang Ye fan!]
[Fun fact: Tang Ye is 16 this year.]
[Correction: Reporting in as a 16-year Tang Ye fan!]
[I checked Sneek's record; this team is garbage. I bet our King Tang is going to destroy them.]

The camera cut to the player tunnel. Ramselaar led the team out with the Utrecht flag, followed by goalkeeper Ruiter. Behind Ruiter were Haller, Barazite, and other key players. And then... Tang Ye!

Because he had advertised that Tang Ye would be starting an hour in advance, the number of viewers in Wang Chao’s stream was at least double what it usually was at this time! This was the influence of King Tang!

"Come on, don't be nervous," Barazite said, putting his arm around Tang Ye’s shoulder as they walked forward.

In truth, Tang Ye wasn't as nervous as Barazite imagined; he was just excited. Since arriving on the European continent at 15, this was the first time he would step onto the pitch straight from the player tunnel. In other words, this was his first start for Utrecht!

...

At the Utrecht reserve team training base, the players from the reserves, U19, and U17 squads had finished their training and gathered in the cafeteria. The LCD screen hanging at the front was broadcasting the Dutch Cup match!

"Tang, he really is starting!" Seeing Tang Ye on screen, Zaka shouted excitedly. It wasn't just Zaka; the other young players in the cafeteria were also surprised. Tang Ye, who usually ate with them, was suddenly starting for the first team!

"Is Tang that good? I remember he wasn't even registered in the transfer market, right?" a U17 player stared at Tang Ye on the TV. They were the same age, yet Tang Ye was starting for the first team while he was still playing for the U17s, or even just a substitute for them!

"Tang has always been amazing!" Zaka didn't hold back his praise. "The first team is Eredivisie level; every player there is worth at least a million euros!"

A gasp went through the cafeteria. By that logic, did Tang Ye already have the strength of a million-euro player?

"Don't get ahead of yourselves. This is the Dutch Cup; it's clear Ten Hag isn't going all out," reserve coach Melunte poured cold water on them, though he was speaking the truth. Being able to start in the Dutch Cup meant Tang Ye had the ability to play in the Eerste Divisie. As for the Eredivisie? That was still a long way off!

"He’ll have to treat us when he gets back from the match!" another reserve player shouted, and Zaka immediately agreed. Although Tang Ye was still on a youth contract, starting for the first team meant his salary was about to go up.

...

"Sneek!"
"Sneek!"
"Sneek!"
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Even though Sneek’s home stadium only had a capacity of just over 10,000, the fans were still very energetic. Tang Ye realized that the most exciting part of a professional match wasn't just playing on the pitch, but those few minutes of walking out of the tunnel and waiting for the referee’s whistle.

"Hey, Tang!" Haller, preparing for kickoff, turned around and called out, "We're going to win, don't be nervous."

Tang Ye gave him a thumbs up. All he could say was that Haller was underestimating him. Though Tang Ye had been laid-back when he first joined the first team, he wasn't the same person he was a month ago. The current Tang Ye worked incredibly hard. It had nothing to do with talent; it was his own hard work—the effort he put in alone behind the scenes—that allowed him to enter the starting lineup.

Today was a great opportunity, and it was time to show these Dutchmen the results of his dedication!

[You have purchased Vardy’s Red Bull.]