The game remained tied for most of the second half. Kamal never once passed the ball to Rodrigo. Their conversation had made him feel even less willing to cooperate. Every time the ball came to him he was determined to score a goal on his own. He would prove to Rodrigo that he didn’t need him.

It didn’t work out as he had hoped. The Whitefish defense figured out that Kamal was easy to defend because he never passed the ball. They threw two or three defenders at him each time, easily tackling the ball away.

“Teamwork!” shouted Coach Hayes.

“Pass the ball!” screamed a fed up Rodrigo.

After another attempted run up the middle, a Trout River player easily took the ball away from Kamal at midfield and cleared it back to a fellow defender along the sideline. Kamal chased the ball, desperately wanting it back for another scoring chance. The Whitefish player trapped the pass and controlled it. Kamal sprinted toward him, but he was moving too fast. His positioning was terrible. The Whitefish player made a simple move to his right and sent the ball wide to a teammate on the near side. Kamal’s momentum took him past the Whitefish player and put him wildly out of position.

“Kamal, get back!” shouted Coach Hayes.

Kamal made a lackluster attempt to join his teammates on defense. The Whitefish player on the near side lofted a long pass down the line, leading a teammate into the corner. The Panthers scrambled backward into their own end, but it was too late. The Trout River player made a quick crossing pass into the box that was met perfectly by a teammate. He drilled a header past the Panthers’ goalie and into the net. Trout River celebrated while the Panthers hung their heads in disappointment.

As the teams moved into position for the kickoff, Kamal heard Coach Hayes from the sideline. “Sub!” Kamal looked over. Coach Hayes was putting Justin into the game. Kamal just shook his head.

Justin ran toward him. “Kamal!” he shouted.

“What?” Kamal asked.

“You’re out,” said Justin. “Coach Hayes is putting me in.”

“No way.” Kamal didn’t believe him. “You must’ve heard Coach Hayes wrong.”

“Sorry,” said Justin. “I wish we could play together, but that’s what Coach said.”

“You have got to be kidding me,” said Kamal.

Rodrigo jogged over. “You’re out,” he said. “Hurry up. Get off the field.”

“This has to be some kind of a joke,” said Kamal.

“Kamal!” yelled Coach Hayes, waving him over. “Let’s go!”

The referee ran in. “Is there a problem here?”

“No problem, sir,” said Rodrigo. “Just some confusion on the substitution.”

“All right,” said the ref. “Get it figured out. Let’s get going.”

Rodrigo glared at Kamal.

Kamal shook his head and finally gave in. “Unbelievable.” He made a point of bumping into Justin on his way off the field.

“Let’s go, Panthers!” shouted Rodrigo behind him. “Let’s get a goal back!”

Coach Hayes met Kamal on the sideline. “You’re better than this,” he said. “We play as a team. Never forget that.”

“Whatever,” said Kamal as he sat down.

“Check the attitude, Kamal,” said Coach Hayes. “Watch yourself.”

Kamal took a drink and then slammed his water bottle to the ground. He leaned backward and placed a towel over his head.

The game continued without him. With only a few minutes to go, the Panthers needed a goal just to secure the tie.

Rodrigo became the team’s general, barking out orders and leading them down the field. “Great job, Rodrigo!” shouted Coach Hayes.

Justin had the ball along the right side. As a defender approached him, he passed to Rodrigo at midfield. Rodrigo had room to operate and streaked toward the Whitefish goal. Justin ran with him. Rodrigo made a quick move, sidestepping a defender and dribbling toward the left-hand corner of the box. Before two Trout River defenders could get to him, Rodrigo passed the ball to Justin, who was at the top of the box. Justin had just enough room to get off a shot. He planted his foot and put all his weight behind the ball. The shot was a rocket, and it was positioned perfectly. It sailed through the defense and past the goalie. Justin’s shot found the corner of the net.

Rodrigo ran over to him and jumped into his arms. The other Panthers joined the celebration. Kamal didn’t even stand up.

Following the kickoff, the Panthers tried their best to get another goal, but time ran out. The game ended in a 2–2 tie.

Kamal remained on the sideline as his teammates gathered together on the field. He watched their high fives and hugs and noticed smiles on the faces of most of the players. They were celebrating and having a good time, which in Kamal’s opinion was the wrong way to act after a tie game. You celebrate wins, not ties.

As the two teams shook hands on the field, Coach Hayes approached him. “Is this how you’re planning on acting from now on?”

Kamal said nothing.

“Because it’s unacceptable for me.” Coach Hayes sat down next to him. “Kamal, don’t think I haven’t noticed what’s going on. You’ve become a different player ever since Justin joined the team.”

Kamal looked down at his feet.

“I get it,” Coach continued. “Justin’s got a big personality and a pretty loud mouth. But here’s the deal, Kamal. You have to work through this stuff. You have to step up and go back to being the leader this team needs.”

Kamal leaned forward. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. “Nobody even wants me out there on the field anymore. The whole team thinks I’ve failed them. That I’ve got a bad attitude, that I’m not a team player.”

Coach Hayes put his arm on Kamal’s back. “You know, I did hear some of the guys talking about that the other day,” he said. Coach Hayes paused. “But you know who came to your defense? You know who told the other players they were wrong? Who had nothing but positive things to say about you?”

A tear streaked down Kamal’s cheek.

“That’s right,” said Coach Hayes. “It was Rodrigo. I know this whole thing with Justin has come between you and Rodrigo, but Rodrigo will always have your back. And so will your teammates, if you start trusting them and putting the team first again. What do you think?”

Kamal nodded. “I think you’re right.”

“Good,” said Coach Hayes. “Let’s start winning some soccer games.” He smiled and walked away.

Kamal stayed on the bench. He felt horrible. How had he managed to screw things up so badly with his teammates and with his best friend? He needed to think. And he needed to fix it.