Chapter 82: Volume 1, - 82: The Primary Group
The U17 dressing room was quieter than the U16 space Rayan had known for six months. At seven-fifteen on Monday morning, the metal benches were already lined with folded grey kit bags. There was no loud music playing from portable speakers and no off-field banter about weekend gaming. The older players moved through their pre-session routines with practised efficiency, strapping shin pads, taping ankles, and filling water bottles without prompting. Rayan sat on the edge of a bench near the door, lacing his black boots.
Two places down, Duarte Faria was already dressed, casually chatting with right-back Bruno Sequeira about the summer heat. Duarte looked entirely comfortable in the room, leaning back against his peg as if he had belonged to the primary group for years.
Across the central aisle, sixteen-year-old Leandro Viana pulled his green-and-white training top over his head. Sharp-featured and physically more mature than Rayan, he carried the quiet authority of the group’s current first-choice left winger. He caught Rayan’s eye, offered one neutral nod and returned to adjusting his socks. He was not hostile, but the hierarchy was obvious: Leandro held the first claim to the left flank.
Henrique Duarte, the U17 team captain, stepped into the centre of the room holding a printed session sheet. Tall, broad-shouldered, and calm, Henrique did not raise his voice to command attention. "Bibs are on the far rack," Henrique said. "Groups one and two outside for activation. Group three stays with Gama for core work. Viana, check the GPS vests. Faria, take the bibs."
The players moved immediately. No one questioned the order or lingered behind. Rayan collected his black tracking vest, pulled it over his shirt, and followed the line of players down the concrete tunnel and out onto the training pitch. The morning air was crisp, but the turf was slick from the automated sprinklers. Head Coach Nuno Marques stood at the centre circle with a stopwatch in hand and a whistle resting against his chest.
"Gather round," Marques called out as the players formed a tight semi-circle. His voice was flat and economical. "Welcome to the primary U17 preseason group. The standards here are simple. You scan before receiving. You move the ball before pressure arrives. You maintain pressing responsibility the moment you lose possession. If the ball stops moving, you are off the tempo. A preseason place isn’t permanent. Keep the exercise moving. Set up the four-versus-four plus two."
The group split into stations. Rayan was assigned to the central grid alongside Duarte Faria, Salvador Almeida and right-back Bruno Sequeira. Salvador Almeida received a sharp pass from the perimeter. Before the ball even reached his foot, Salvador had already checked his shoulders twice, mapping the space behind him. As the defender closed in, Salvador released a precise one-touch pass into the half-space, moving into open turf before the pressure arrived. He seemed to have endless time on the ball because his decision had been made before he touched it.
When the ball was cycled to Rayan on the left edge, he stepped forward to receive it. His touch was clean, but he took half a second to assess his options. In that split second, Bruno Sequeira closed the gap. Compact, balanced and patient, the right-back stepped into Rayan’s space, using his body to shield the passing lane while planting his frame legally against Rayan’s shoulder. Rayan tried to shift his weight to buy room, but Bruno’s leverage forced Rayan to turn backwards, shielding the ball awkwardly before passing it off to reset the drill.
Three minutes later, a similar pass arrived at Rayan’s feet. Bruno stepped up again, aggressive and steady. Rayan dropped his shoulder, attempting a Body Feint to shift Bruno off balance and open a passing line down the touchline. Rayan’s execution of the feint was technically sound, and Bruno hesitated for a fraction of a second, shifting his balance slightly to the right. But before Rayan could exploit the slight opening, the covering midfielder stepped across, shutting down the next lane faster than Rayan expected. The U17 defensive structure had covered the weakness before Rayan could capitalise on it. Recognising the closed angle, Rayan swallowed his impulse to force a dribble through two defenders. He recycled the ball safely backwards to Salvador.
During the next rotation, Rayan watched Bernardo Rocha work in the neighbouring grid. Bernardo did nothing spectacular. He opened his body before the pass, set the ball inside and tracked back as soon as possession changed. Marques did not praise him, but the exercise kept moving around him without interruption. That bothered Rayan more than a flashy dribble would have. Bernardo had entered the same older group without trying to force anyone to notice him, while Leandro and Duarte already looked settled. Rayan retightened his right boot and reminded himself that one useful action mattered more than announcing himself to the room.
"Keep it moving!" Marques shouted from the sideline. "Quicker decisions!"
Rayan took a deep breath, adjusting his stance as Gama had instructed during Saturday’s testing. He widened his base, lowered his centre of gravity, and forced himself to scan the field before the next pass left his teammate’s boot. The ball came to him again from the central defender. This time, Rayan checked his left shoulder before the ball arrived, spotting Leandro Freitas making an overlapping run down the flank. Without taking an extra touch to settle the ball, Rayan clipped a crisp, first-time pass into the path of Leandro’s run, letting the full-back take the line in stride while Rayan immediately moved into the internal half-space to offer a return option.
Leandro took the overlap, driving the ball down the wing to keep the attack moving. Marques didn’t stop the drill or offer grand praise. He simply gave a single whistle blow to signal the next rotation. "Good tempo. Next group in."
For ninety minutes, the intensity never dropped. Every drill demanded total concentration, physical exertion, and rapid decision-making. By the time Marques blew the final whistle, Rayan’s lungs burned, and his legs felt heavy from the constant adjustment of his stance against stronger opponents who closed space earlier.
The players gathered their gear and walked off the training pitch. Henrique Duarte walked alongside Leandro Viana, discussing the pressing triggers for Tuesday’s session, while Duarte Faria fell in line with the established starters. Rayan walked back towards the dressing room near the end of the line, wiping sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. As he reached his peg and unlaced his boots, a familiar smoked-black panel resolved briefly in his vision.
[U17 INTEGRATION.]
[Full U17 training sessions: 1/5.]
[Body Feint: Novice — 58%.]
Rayan dismissed the display. The three percent gain in Body Feint felt minor beside Bruno’s balance and Salvador’s speed of thought. He packed his black boots into his bag, realising the true nature of his place in the primary group. In this room, among these players, he was simply starting from the bottom once again.