Chapter 53: Volume 1, - 53: Behind the Office Door
By six o’clock on Wednesday evening, the gravel pathways between the training pitches at Alcochete were quiet. Most of the U16 players had already left for the day, and the fields below the staff office were completely empty.
In the second-floor office overlooking Pitch 1, the blinds were drawn halfway against the low western sun.
Four red plastic chairs were arranged around a rectangular wooden desk covered with printed squad lists, physical assessment printouts, and small plastic coffee cups. André Falcão sat in the corner with his laptop connected to a wall-mounted monitor, scrubbing through video clips from the recent regional championship rounds.
João Tavares leaned back in his swivel chair, a thick blue binder open across his lap. Álvaro Pires sat to his left, thumbing through a stack of physical testing reports, while Marta Nunes occupied the head of the table with a red pen in her hand. Luís Neto stood near the window, a lukewarm espresso in his hand.
"We need to clear the wide positions first," Marta said, tapping her pen against the desk. "The board needs the preliminary U17 roster projections by Friday afternoon. Let’s go through the squad."
Álvaro pulled a tabbed divider forward in his folder. "Duarte Faria."
André clicked his trackpad, bringing up a compilation of Duarte’s high-intensity actions. On the screen, Duarte moved with characteristic sharpness. Taking wide defenders on the outside, cutting inside onto his left foot, and driving low crosses into the six-yard box.
"Duarte is ready," Tavares said, looking at the monitor. "Technically, he’s as advanced as anyone in the regional age group. His decision-making in isolated 1v1s is natural, and he takes responsibility under pressure. In terms of attacking quality, he goes straight to the U17 national championship group."
"He’s still developing physically," Álvaro said. "He won’t overpower older defenders, and against an organised block he still tries to solve too much through individual quality."
"He also switches off defensively when the ball moves to the opposite flank," Luís Neto noted from the window, turning back. "When the left-back overlaps, Duarte tracks back late. In the U17s, that space gets exploited immediately."
"He’s sixteen," Tavares replied. "The tactical discipline can be drilled into him. He’s the most complete winger we have in this cycle. He stays."
Marta made a neat checkmark beside Duarte’s name on her master ledger. "Duarte Faria: recommended for U17 primary roster. Next."
"Bernardo Rocha," Álvaro said.
André loaded the next clip sequence. Bernardo’s highlights were less explosive than Duarte’s, but consistently structured. Tactically disciplined tracking, safe two-touch distribution, and reliable positioning along the touchline.
"Bernardo is dependable," Tavares admitted, rubbing his chin. "He listens, he understands team structure, and he gives you a consistent baseline on either wing."
"The concern isn’t his attitude," Álvaro countered. "It’s what happens when he moves into the U17 group. Duarte is ahead, Leandro Viana is already there, and the competition for wide minutes gets much stronger. In the U16s, Bernardo’s dependability wins him starts. In the U17s, where the tempo is faster, his lack of explosive change-of-direction will limit him."
"He doesn’t know that yet," Marta observed quietly. "He came to my office on Monday asking when next-season decisions would be made."
"Nobody gets guarantees in May," Tavares said flatly. "Bernardo stays in the evaluation pool until late June. But if we keep him, we have to be realistic about his minute distribution."
Marta made a small notation beside Bernardo’s name. "Hold decision until the final squad review." She flipped the page. "Martim Sequeira."
"Martim still needs physical development," Álvaro said. "He gives us height and aerial strength, but older forwards can move him when he doesn’t establish his position early enough."
Luís nodded. "He’s useful, but the jump in contact at U17 will test him."
"Keep him under evaluation," Tavares said. "No need to decide tonight."
Marta moved to the next sheet. "Lucho Fernandes."
"Safe in possession and useful in training," Tavares evaluated. "But if he’s outside the primary U17 midfield group, regular matches somewhere else may be better than sitting behind four players here."
Álvaro nodded. "That’s the pathway question with him."
It was twenty minutes before Marta reached the next tab. She pulled a thinner, blue file from the bottom of her stack and opened it flat.
On the header rested the administrative profile for Rayan.
"Rayan," Marta said, looking around the table. "His extended evaluation runs until 30 June."
André clicked his trackpad, opening a video file labelled Rayan_May_Progression. On the monitor, a split-screen appeared showing March footage alongside clips from the recent Casa Pia match and Wednesday’s training.
"The trend over the last month is clear," André said, pointing at the video panel. "He’s completing more final-third actions, losing fewer simple possessions, and recovering more consistently. His first few metres are sharper too. Two official assists, zero goals, but his defensive recovery work is noticeably better."
"He tracks back now," Tavares said, leaning forward. "Two months ago, if he lost the ball, he stopped and looked at the sky. Today in training, he got caught watching me after a phase, then recovered thirty metres and won the next duel. The effort is there. He’s listening."
"Let’s not overstate it," Álvaro cautioned, picking up Rayan’s physical card. "He’s still physically immature, his left foot breaks down under speed, and his decisions in crowded areas are slower than Duarte’s."
"He concealed a calf injury four weeks ago," Marta pointed out, her tone serious as she tapped the medical log inside the folder. "He misled the medical staff because he was afraid of missing minutes. That speaks to emotional volatility and a lack of medical trust."
"He came back from it," Tavares argued gently. "And his school recovery is moving in the right direction. Attendance and completion have improved."
"Improvement is necessary. It doesn’t erase the earlier record," Marta replied, looking over her spectacles. "The question isn’t whether he’s better than he was in January. He clearly is. The question is whether this rapid trajectory is a temporary spike caused by the fear of being released, or if it represents genuine, sustainable development."
André paused the video on a freeze-frame from Wednesday’s possession drill.
"If we retain him for the U17s, we’re using a squad place on a player who still needs too much reassurance from the sideline while others are ready for the level now," Álvaro noted, looking across at Tavares.
"There were useful moments in the U17 assessment," Tavares said firmly, his eyes fixed on the screen. "The level exposed him physically, but he kept trying to solve the exercise instead of disappearing from it. You can’t fake how a player responds when the level rises."
"We don’t need to make the final determination tonight," Marta said, holding up her hand to pause the debate. "We have Estoril on Saturday and several weeks of training and matches before the deadline."
Marta made a short note at the bottom of Rayan’s sheet: Demonstrating technical and tactical progress. Physical and emotional consistency remains under observation.
Marta closed the blue file, slid it to the side of her desk, and pulled the next folder from her stack.
"Next file," Marta said, opening it flat. "Guilherme Matos. Let’s look at his recent wide minutes and where he fits physically."
André clicked his trackpad, closing Rayan’s video window and loading a new set of match clips, as the discussion moved seamlessly onto the next name on the list.