Chapter Four: Selling Tomorrow's Stands

“Milo!” Luo shouted. “Save your fists for payday!” The crowd laughed. To everyone's surprise, Milo did too. He turned, held off the striker, and delivered the loose ball to A-He. The narrow ground offered few blind spots, and A-He disappeared from the first half. At halftime Gu drew no arrows. He arranged six water bottles on the floor. “They mark men, not doors.” He moved two bottles inward. “Today the lighthouse isn't on the touchline. It's between the center backs.” In the seventy-third minute, A-He ran wide for the first time and dragged away the fullback. Milo held off two players and laid the ball back. A heartbeat later, A-He darted through a man-wide central gap. The old striker's pass met him. One-nil.