“We’re going to get creamed,” Casey said. “They’re called the Mighty Giants.”
Kate and Casey stood in the middle of the soccer field watching the other team warm up.
“I see why,” Kate replied. “They’re huge!”
The Mighty Giants did jumping jacks in straight lines. They juggled balls with their knees. They looked aggressive and mean.
Kate turned to her own team. The Grasshoppers stumbled through warmups. They bumped into each other. They kicked balls off the sides of their feet. They laughed and smiled.
Based on watching warmups, Kate couldn’t believe both teams were undefeated.
Casey knelt down and laced up his cleats. He was a good player, but the Grasshoppers didn’t have any star players. Nobody had super soccer skills. But the team did have a super game plan.
Before every game, Coach Kind called all the players together in a huddle. While their knees wobbled and their stomachs fluttered, Coach would clap his hands and shout, “Kickers need courage!” Then Kate would high-five Henry, who would pat Mac on the back. Mac would give a thumbs-up to Bud. Grace would grin at Gunnar, and he’d cheer on Chip. Then Chip would fist- bump Benny, followed by Sam smiling at Sarah, who would point to Casey. Casey finished the pregame plan by clapping for Kate.
The huddle always ended with a mob of grinning Grasshoppers. Instead of being shaky, every positive comment helped the little team feel solid and strong.
Tweeeet! The referee blew the whistle to start the game.
The Grasshoppers took the field. Chip wandered to the wrong side until Kate reminded him where to stand.
“Back me up, Chipper,” she said. “We need you.”
Chip grinned and gave a thumbs-up.
The Giants kicked off. Big Bobby booted the ball to powerful Pete. Pete dribbled toward the Grasshoppers’ goal.
Sam ran over to stop him. He planted his foot, swung his leg, missed the ball… and landed squarely on his back.
Pete pounded the ball into the net.
Score! 1-0.
The Mighty Giants celebrated. But the Grasshoppers ran to Sam, who seemed a little stunned.
“You almost did it,” Sarah said.
Chip pulled Sam to his feet. “Good try,” Casey said. “Just keep your eye on the ball.”
Casey patted Sam’s shoulder and ran to midfield.
Now the Grasshoppers got to kick off. Kate passed the ball to Sarah, who sped up the field. Just before a Mighty Giants defender caught her, Sarah slid the ball to Benny. Benny swung his leg. The ball glanced off his foot, plinked off the post and slipped into the corner of the Giants’ goal.
Score! 1-1.
While the Grasshoppers celebrated, the Mighty Giants got grumpy. They blamed each other. They pointed mean fingers. They complained about their mistakes. As their attitudes turned bad, their play got even worse.
The Grasshoppers stuck to their positive plan. They kept building each other up, so that nothing could knock them down. When Henry tripped on his shoelaces, Casey picked him up. “Use a double-knot, like me,” he said.
When Sam kicked the ball out of bounds, Sarah said it was a good play. “The Giants would have gotten that without you!” she smiled.
When Grace punted the ball backward, Chip cheered about how high it went. “You’ve got this!” he clapped.
The clock kept ticking down. The score stayed tied.
With two minutes left in the game, Big Bobby booted the ball all the way to the goal.
“You’ve got this!” Sam yelled to Grace, the goalie.
And she did. Grace caught the ball with both hands. She smiled and punted it to Mac, who tapped the ball behind him to Henry. Henry bounced the ball forward into the open field.
Sam beat everybody to the free ball. He planted his foot, swung his leg and surprised himself with a solid kick.
The ball soared in the air like a rainbow. When it dropped from the sky, it bopped off Casey’s head. The ball rebounded right, bounced off the crossbar and bounded into the back of the net.
Score! 2-1.
The Grasshoppers jumped, danced and whooped at their win. The Giants hung their massive heads.
As the teams lined up to shake hands, Kate thought about her team. They weren’t the best at soccer. But they were the best at building each other up. Their positive words helped them play like a team of champions.
