by David Starr
“Please rise for the singing of our national anthem.” As one, the fans in the stands stood up as “O Canada” played over the loudspeakers. Varsity Stadium filled with the sound of thousands of people singing.
Abbas put his hand over his heart and joined them. It’s pretty amazing, he thought, looking around the stadium. So many people from all over the world were there, standing alongside native-born Canadians, all singing the anthem of their shared country. He was really glad he had found the courage to get on that plane.
The song ended, the fans took their seats and there were some speeches. A Member of Parliament spoke, followed by a Member of the Provincial Parliament, the Mayor of Toronto and the Chancellor of the University of Toronto.
They all said nice things, and each speech was greeted with polite applause. Then a familiar face came up to the microphone. “My name is Mathew Yang, the tournament organizer,” the man said. “And it’s time to play soccer!”
The crowd cheered at that. Speeches were fine, but everyone knew why they were all there!
“Teams, you will be playing at five different fields,” Mathew explained. “Varsity Stadium, the two fields at the U of T back campus, as well as Jesse Ketchum and Central Technical Schools. The really great thing about Central Tech is that they have a brand new turf field and it is covered by a dome!”
“Wow!” Abbas said to Dylan. “Just like BC Place?”
“Although it doesn’t seat fifty thousand people,” Dylan replied.
“Your coaches have been given today’s schedule,” continued Mathew. “Tomorrow’s matches will be posted at Tournament Headquarters at the main entrance of Varsity Stadium by five each day. Good luck! Let the games begin!”
***
“We play Brampton on Field 1 at Back Campus,” said Coach T.
There were shuttle buses to take the players to their game sites. But Coach T decided they would walk the ten minutes or so.
“Some of these building look more like castles than a school,” Junior said. Vancouver was a very young city and while it did have some older buildings, the University of Toronto campus looked like it had been there since the Middle Ages.
“Maybe one day I’ll come and study here,” said Michael.
“Of course you will,” said Coach T. “You can do anything you dream of. All of you can.”
The buildings that surrounded the part of the university called Back Campus were old, but the beautiful turf fields were very new.
“Here we are, boys,” Coach T said. “Field 1. It’s 11:30. Get warmed up. We play in thirty minutes.”
Claude led the boys out onto the field to stretch. Abbas looked anxiously at the Brampton players, kicking balls around at the other end of the field.
“They look pretty good,” said Mo. “And pretty big.”
It was hard for Abbas to disagree. Dressed in their red and blue uniforms the Brampton players were as big as the Burnaby Creek Bulldogs.
“This is real, isn’t it?” Junior said. The weeks leading up to the tournament had been exciting, and the opening ceremonies fun as well. But now they were here, more than halfway across the country, playing in the biggest tournament of their lives.
“Very real,” Claude said.
“I’m so nervous I don’t think I can feel my toes!” Carlos said.
Abbas looked at his teammates, his friends. He could see their nerves, could almost feel them. He was worried. It felt like Brampton was already beating them and the game hadn’t even started yet.
“Huddle up,” Abbas said. “I had to learn to control my fear to get on the plane. We can do the same thing now. My friend Haval taught me a few tricks to relax. So shut your eyes, breathe deeply and do what I do.”
Abbas was on edge, but after five minutes of deep breathing and stretching his muscles he felt better. He was pleased to see that Claude and the rest of the boys looked less stressed as well, as they ran a few drills and then took turns taking shots on Michael.
“Okay, boys,” the ref said, looking at his watch. “Captains, come here please for the coin toss.”
Claude walked to the centre of the field where he was joined by a tall South Asian boy who captained the Brampton team. They shook hands.
“We play two thirty-minute halves,” said the ref. “If the game is tied after that, we move right into a five minute sudden-death overtime. You know what sudden death means?”
“Golden goal.” Claude smiled as he spoke. The Eagles had been there before. But this time it would be for bigger stakes than they could ever have imagined.
“Correct. If the score is still tied after that, we move into penalty kicks. The winner moves to the quarter-finals. You call the coin toss, Brampton.”
“Heads,” the Brampton player said as the ref tossed a loonie high into the air.
“Heads it is,” the ref said as the coin hit the turf. “Brampton kicks off.”
Coach T called the Eagles in for a huddle. “Play your best and I will be proud of you, win or lose.”
“Hands in,” said Claude.
“Play hard,” he said beginning their favourite cheer.
“Play safe,” the boys shouted. “Play fair! Go Eagles!”
The referee blew his whistle and the boys walked out onto the field.
16
The Brampton Selects
Brampton scored five minutes into the game. A defender sent the ball up the left-hand side of the field with a beautiful long pass. A midfielder took the pass and in one graceful movement lobbed it into the crease. The two Brampton strikers rushed after it, beating Mo and William, leaving only Alvin between the attackers and Michael.
The ball bounced high and hard on the turf field. A tall Brampton striker leaped into the air and directed the ball into the bottom left corner of the net with his head. Michael dove, but just missed the ball.
The score was 1–0, Brampton.
“Settle down, boys,” encouraged Coach T from the sidelines. “Play your game. You have lots of time.”
The Eagles were nervous. They looked tense, like they weren’t enjoying playing soccer at all.
Claude called a quick huddle. “Remember that final game against Regent Heights?” he asked.
“Of course,” Dylan said.
“Who did everyone expect to win that game?”
“Regent, of course,” said Jake. “They were the favourites. Nobody thought we could beat them.”
“Except us,” Claude corrected him. “It’s just like that now, except now we aren’t just playing for ourselves. We’re representing our school, our city, even our province. So let’s get out there and show them what the Grandview Eagles can do!”
Maybe it was the speech or maybe the boys had worked out their nerves. When Abbas took the kick-off and sent the ball back to Junior, the team seemed to settle down.
Junior took the ball and ran up the middle of the field with Mo and Abdul in support. As he did a large Brampton midfielder with long blond hair closed in on him. Junior faked a pass to Mo. The midfielder fell for it and Junior deked past.
Junior sent the ball to Abdul. One touch later Abdul kicked it along the right side of the field to Abbas. Dylan kept up on the left side, while Claude dropped back in support.
Five metres out of the Brampton crease, and with two Brampton defenders closing in, Dylan passed the ball to Claude. Claude side-stepped a defender. At the top of the crease, he booted the ball as hard as he could.
It looked as if the ball was heading straight, but then it suddenly curved to the right. The Brampton goalie tried to adjust. He leaped desperately, but it was too late. The ball slammed into the back of the net.
Brampton: 1, Grandview: 1.
The boys hugged Claude as they made their way back to the centre of the field.
“See?” Claude said. “These guys aren’t unbeatable.”
/>
There were ten minutes left in the first half of the game. Even though the score was tied, the Eagles carried most of the play. They even came close to taking the lead on a great free kick by Dylan that rattled off the goalpost to the goalie’s left.
The ref blew the whistle. The Grandview Eagles walked to the sideline with smiles on their faces.
“Great job!” said Coach T.
After a five-minute break the second half began. This time Grandview kicked off.
Brampton had expected to win the game easily. At the start of the game the Brampton players had looked confident. They didn’t anymore. Being tied at the half with a team of younger kids from across the country was not in their plans.
A few minutes later, Brampton came close to scoring the go-ahead goal. They earned a corner kick after William stretched out his foot to break up a pass and sent the ball out of bounds.
When the Brampton player took the corner kick, the ball curved, heading straight to the top corner of the net. Michael jumped and managed to get enough of his fingertips on the ball to send it to the corner. Jake collected it and kicked it safely down the field.
For the next twenty minutes the play went back and forth, with no quality chances for either team. It looked like the game could go into extra time, or maybe even penalty kicks.
Then Grandview got a lucky break.
“Here!” shouted Dylan. Abdul and a Brampton midfielder were fighting for the ball at centre field. Abdul won it and sent the ball high toward Dylan.
Dylan was too far up to get any support, and so he took it himself, heading right toward the Brampton net. Two defenders rushed toward him, cutting off the angle.
At the top of the crease, with nowhere to go and no one to pass to, Dylan booted the ball as hard as he could. He was hoping to send it between the defenders, but the ball took a crazy bounce and smacked into the outstretched arm of another defender standing a metre or so away.
Tweet! The referee pointed to the penalty spot.
The Brampton players looked stunned.
“Accidental!” the Brampton coach shouted. But the referee was having none of it. Penalty shot for Grandview.
“Abbas, take it,” said Coach T.
Abbas felt his heart race. The game was almost over. Five minutes at most remained. This was not a golden goal, but it was a golden chance.
Abbas picked up the ball and placed it at the penalty spot. The Brampton goalkeeper stood on his line. He waved his hands in the air trying to distract Abbas.
The Brampton goalie wasn’t as tall as Majok from the Bulldogs, but he was big enough to fill the net. On the sidelines people yelled. The fans watching the game, all Brampton supporters, hollered and jeered at Abbas to miss.
With a sharp kick Abbas sent the ball into the air. It was low, not more than a metre above the ground. The ball was easily saveable if the goalie guessed correctly.
Abbas’s shot went right as the goalkeeper moved to his left. He could do nothing as the ball sailed into the net.
Grandview: 2, Brampton: 1.
The Eagles swarmed Abbas while a Brampton player picked up the ball and hurried to the middle of the field. A minute, maybe two, was left in the game.
Brampton kicked off, sending every player, including their goalkeeper, toward Michael and the Grandview net.
On defence, Jun slid toward an approaching Brampton midfielder. Jun’s foot connected with the ball, sending it to Steven who booted it down the field as far as he could.
A Brampton defender ran desperately back. The rest of the players on both teams looked at the ref.
Blow the whistle, blow the whistle, Abbas whispered under his breath.
Tweet! It was as if the referee read his mind. The game ended. Grandview erupted in cheers. Some Brampton players stood in shock while their coach hung his head in disbelief.
“Don’t forget your sportsmanship,” Coach T reminded his players.
The Eagles lined up and shook the hands of the Brampton players, coach and finally the referees.
“Way to go, Abbas!” said Claude, slapping his friend on the back.
“Good thing you overcame your fear of flights!” said Dylan. “One down, three to go!”
17
Old Friends
“Did you guys win your game?” Victor asked.
“2–1 against Brampton. You?” Hall United had played at Jesse Ketchum School that afternoon. It was all Abbas could do to wait to Facetime his friend.
“4–0 over Markham.”
“That’s great!” Abbas said. “We’re both in the quarterfinals.”
“With a bit of luck we’ll face each other in the finals again.”
“You beat me in my hometown. It will be my turn to return the favour in yours.”
Victor laughed. “Don’t worry. The best team will win.”
“Of course,” Abbas said. “And that will be the Grandview Eagles.”
“We’ll see,” Victor said. “What are you doing tonight?”
“We’re going back to Chestnut now and then we’re going up the CN Tower. Coach T says we can’t come all the way to Toronto and not go up the CN Tower.”
“Your coach is right. The view from up there is amazing. After that can you go out for dinner with my family? My mom and dad really want to see you.”
Abbas was thrilled at the invitation. “I’ll have to ask Coach T but I’m sure it will be all right.”
“Good. Call me after you get back from the CN Tower.”
Abbas went to find Coach T. He was surprised to find that Coach T had been expecting the question.
“Your mom said you would ask,” said Coach T. “It’s fine with me. But stay close and be back by eight. I don’t yet know who or when we play tomorrow, and the first game starts at nine o’clock. I want you rested. In the meantime round up the guys. We are going sightseeing.”
***
“You have to be kidding me. There is no way I’m going up there.” Alvin stood at the base of the CN Tower, staring up into the sky. “I’m scared of heights, remember?”
“I’m scared of planes. But I flew here.” Abbas wasn’t going to be the only member of the Eagles to overcome his fear on this trip.
“Okay,” said Alvin reluctantly. “But don’t expect me to look down when we get to the top.”
It was a fair deal, but one Alvin regretted almost as soon as he stepped into the elevator. The elevator walls were made of glass. “You have to be kidding me,” he said again, shutting his eyes.
Abbas’s stomach lurched as the elevator started upwards. It moved far faster than any he’d been in before. Before him the city of Toronto spread out. The view got better and better the higher they climbed.
Soon the elevator stopped.
“Check this out,” said Coach T. “Look below you, Alvin.” A section of the floor was made of glass. They could see all the way to the ground, some three hundred metres below.
“No way!” said Alvin as the other boys stepped off the regular floor and onto the glass.
The view was incredible. Lake Ontario looked as big as a sea. They were above even the tallest skyscrapers. Abbas felt he could see almost all the way home to Burnaby.
After half an hour the boys had seen enough. They had eaten lunch at Chestnut but that had seemed ages before. It was almost five and time to get back for dinner. Their next match would be posted as well, and Coach T was anxious to find out the details.
As soon as Abbas got back to his room he Facetimed Victor. “I’m allowed to go with you guys for dinner. What time?”
“Meet me in the lobby in twenty minutes,” Victor said.
***
Abbas watched as Victor, his mom, his dad and his little brother walked through the front doors of Chestnut.
“Abbas!” Victor’s mom cried. “You look so big!”
“Hi,” said Victor’s little brother in English. He shook Abbas’s hand shyly. “I’m Gabriel.”
“I think I remember you. I was younger than you when I left Syria. You were just a little baby then.”
Once he saw their faces Abbas remembered Victor’s mom and dad, even though it had been years. Their families had been as close as families could be without being related after all.
“A pleasure to meet you,” said Coach T. He had been waiting in the lobby with Abbas.
“And you.” Victor’s dad shook Coach T’s hand. Victor’s mom put her hand to her heart in a greeting. “Thank you for allowing Abbas to come to dinner with us. We are going to Aleppo’s. They have the best kebab in town.”
Victor’s mom shot her husband a look.
“Sorry, I mean second best kebab in town.” He grinned. “My wife makes the best, of course. We would have liked to have taken Abbas to our home in Scarborough but the traffic this time of day is crazy. Would you like to come to the restaurant as well, Coach Whitebear?”
Abbas wasn’t surprised Coach T got an invitation. He knew Syrians to be very hospitable people.
“Thank you, but I need to stay with the rest of the boys,” said Coach T.
“I understand,” said Victor’s dad. “In that case we will send Abbas back with some food. May I have your cell number to let you know when we are bringing him back?”
Coach T gave him the number and Victor’s dad put it in his contacts. Then they all walked out of Chestnut and into the warm evening air.
“I told you it was close,” said Victor’s dad as they walked down Elm Street just five minutes later. Aleppo’s was a small place, in between a Japanese and Chinese restaurant.
They were greeted warmly in Arabic by the owner of the restaurant. He showed them to a table in the back.