Frankie’s team gathered around him. “They’re better than they look,” he said.

“I feel seasick,” said Charlie.

“They’re nothing but cheaters, with all those fouls!” said Louise. “Where is the Ref?”

Frankie glanced around. The Ref was lying in a hammock strung from the mast. He seemed to be asleep. “I don’t think we’ll get much help from him,” Frankie said. Behind the hammock, the island looked closer than before, but no more inviting. How long could they last there without food or water?

“Maybe if we had a better goalie, we wouldn’t be losing,” muttered Max.

“There aren’t even any goalposts!” said Charlie.

“Enough!” said Frankie. He hated seeing his teammates arguing with one another. “We’re going to lose unless we play as a team.”

“Frankie’s right,” said Louise. “I don’t plan to lose to a bunch of smelly pirates.”

“Maybe we need to cheat, too,” said Max. “I could always give one of them a little bite on the ankle — slow them down a little.”

“No!” said Frankie.

“I’m just saying,” said Max, “it might even things up.”

“We’re not going to stoop to their level,” said Frankie. “We play fair.”

He peered over his shoulder. Captain Cropper had his foot up on the deck rail, doing stretches. He flashed Frankie a wide grin. Rolf was showing Scarlet the tattoos on his bulging arms, while Tito stabbed at what looked like a cracker with his beak.

I bet they’ve never lost before, thought Frankie. That’s their weakness. They’re overconfident.

“Look, team,” he said. “Remember what Mr. Donald says when we play away from home?”

“Take off those gloves when you’re on the bus?” said Charlie.

No one laughed except for Max, who gave a doggy chuckle.

“Not that,” said Frankie. “He says, ‘The field might look different, but the game’s the same.’”

“This field looks very different,” said Louise. “How can we even score? They’ve got a flying goalie!”

“I might not be able to fly,” said Charlie, “but I’m not useless!”

Frankie huddled closer, and patted his pocket. “We need to distract Tito,” he said. “And I’ve got just the thing.” The others listened closely as he explained.

“It’s worth a try,” said Louise.

“Get a move on!” bellowed Captain Cropper. “I’ve seen sea slugs move quicker than you lot!”

They turned to face the Pillagers.

Rolf, Tito, and Scarlet were lined up behind their captain. Captain Cropper hooked his thumbs in his belt. “About time,” he said. “Decided which one ye’ll eat first on the island?” He pointed to Frankie’s dog. “That fella looks tasty.”

“Don’t count your treasure before it’s dug up,” growled Max.

The cannon fired and a gust of wind sent the smoke drifting back across the deck. Frankie coughed and wiped his stinging eyes, then ran at the ball. He saw the shape of Rolf closing in, so he slid the ball to Louise. She looked up to the crow’s nest, as if she was going to shoot. Tito shot up from the deck and hovered, ready to stop the shot.

Frankie fished one of Max’s dog biscuits out of his pocket and hurled it into the air. The parrot twisted midflight and swooped toward the dog treat.

“Now!” said Frankie.

As Tito snapped up the treat, Louise chipped the ball into the crow’s nest.

“Two each!” Max barked.

The Ref suddenly sat up. “What … where … oh. Two goals a piece, is it? Then the next goal wins it.” He shut his eyes again and began to snore.

“Oops!” said Tito, landing on the rigging.

Captain Cropper stamped his wooden leg on the deck in anger. “Birdbrain!” he growled. “I’ll pluck all of your feathers out if you fall for that again.”

“You said this would be easy,” said Scarlet.

The captain narrowed his eyes and a smile spread across his lips. “Time for a change of course,” he said.

Scarlet snickered and Rolf grinned, showing his black, rotting teeth.

Scarlet grabbed a rope as the captain crept closer to the mast. Rolf stamped toward the ship’s wheel. What are they planning? Frankie wondered.

He looked across to his teammates. “Be ready,” he said. “They’re up to something.”

Louise nodded and her eyes darted across the ship suspiciously.

“Where did Charlie go?” snapped Max.

Frankie shrugged. He couldn’t see Charlie anywhere.

The cannon went off. For some reason, Captain Cropper didn’t even move from the mast. He simply raised his hand. Frankie ran for the ball. He was almost there when Captain Cropper lowered his arm and gripped the mast. Rolf swung the wheel around violently and the ship lurched in the water. Frankie lost his balance and tripped. He saw Louise and Max go sprawling, too.

As he regained his footing, Frankie saw Captain Cropper casually line up the ball. He gave Frankie a sly wink. “Bad luck, kiddies,” he said, and kicked the ball perfectly.

Frankie stared in horror as it arced up toward the crow’s nest.

It’s all over….