The Last Chance

Before the first training session began, the Dallas facility looked like a temporary television city. Drones circled overhead. Broadcast trucks formed a long silver line. Giant sponsor banners hung outside the fencing. Coca-Cola, Nike, Visa, American sports-betting platforms; every brand wanted to nail its logo into the eyes of viewers before the 2030 World Cup opened. Today, every camera followed Mason Carter. When he walked onto the training field, the top trend was still the same. #WhyMasonCarter Shutters clicked from the media area like a row of tiny machine guns. Emma Foster stood at the front, holding a tablet that showed the numbers from her show the night before: eight million views, three hundred sixty thousand comments.