Monday hit different.
No more forming. No more dreaming. The squad was real now—and with the qualifiers just six days away, the clock was officially against us.
Coach handed me a printed schedule before class.
"Three sessions. No time for fluff. You need to pick a formation, a core identity, and a fallback plan."
He paused.
"And James—this is your call. I'm stepping back for this one."
System Prompt: Initiate Tactical Definition Phase
Objective: Define Team Identity
Requirements:
– Formation Selection
– Playstyle Choice
– Code of Conduct (Team Culture Buff)
Deadline: 3 Days
Bonus Unlock: "Signature Style" Perk
That afternoon, I gathered the squad in the empty AV room. The whiteboard was dusty. The projector older than some of our boots.
"I'm not a pro," I began. "But we're not trying to play someone else's game. We build ours."
I scribbled on the board:
Formation Options:
A. 4-3-3 – Control the game, press high, wide attack
B. 4-2-2-2 – Balanced, box midfield, overload central channels
C. 3-5-2 – Sacrifice width, dominate midfield, counter fast
D. 4-1-4-1 – Defensive, absorb and strike, grind wins
The team murmured.
Ravi leaned forward. "4-3-3. It's aggressive. We can press. We have pace now."
Ana nodded. "We can shape shift from it. Morph into 4-5-1 if needed."
Bryce raised a hand. "It leaves us exposed in the back. But if we all commit, it can work."
I looked around. "Votes?"
Unanimous.
Formation Selected: 4-3-3 (High Press Variant)
Buff: Chance Creation +10%
Risk: Fatigue Accumulation +5%
Next: Playstyle
I gave three options.
A. Possession Play – Dictate tempo, minimize risk
B. Chaos Press – Swarm in numbers, live off disruption
C. Direct Counter – Sit deep, explode forward in transition
Zay grinned. "We are chaos. Just sharpen it."
Isko added, "Chaos, but with discipline."
I nodded. "Not headless. Just hungry."
Playstyle Selected: Chaos Press (Structured)
Perk Unlocked: Phoenix Swarm – 15% Bonus to Turnover Conversion
Penalty: High Card Risk (Referee Aggression Triggered on Poor Discipline)
Last piece: Code of Conduct
Not tactics.
Culture.
"I'm not running a dictatorship," I said. "So we write our code together."
We spent thirty minutes brainstorming. By the end, it looked like this:
Campus Phoenix FC – Code of Play
No Heroes, No Passengers. Everyone contributes. Play Fast, Think Faster. No hesitation. Respect the Court. That means each other, too. No Drama On Pitch. Squads fight together, not inside. Every Loss Is a Lesson. No blame, only build. We Rise. Together. Always.
Team Culture Defined: Respect x Grit
Buff: Morale Recovery +10%
Penalty Resistance Increased
Signature Style Unlocked: The Rise Protocol
(Trigger: After Conceding, Boost Pressing Tempo and Aggression for 5 Minutes)
After the session, Ana pulled me aside.
"You surprised me."
"How?"
"You actually listened. You didn't just lead—you built something with us."
I smiled. "You think Bryce is buying in?"
"He's watching. Learning. And for now… he's holding the line."
Then she handed me a folded note.
"Coach Erwin left this on my desk. Said it was for you."
I opened it.
"James—football isn't just how you play. It's who you let your team become when you stop coaching and start trusting.
Proud of your call.
Now go earn it."
That night, Maria uploaded a short teaser video.
Slow motion shots of drills, team huddles, the code of play written in chalk over sweat-streaked footage.
The caption read:
"Fire has form now. Qualifiers begin Sunday. #CampusPhoenix"
It started getting shares.
Comments.
Even one from a youth coach in Makati:
"Whoever's running this team—message me after qualifiers. Let's talk."
System Update: Club Profile Boosted
Local Influence: +5%
Team Cohesion: +2
Match Morale Preload: Active
League Entry Confirmed: Metro 7s Youth Circuit – Sunday, 8AM
The phoenix had a face now.
Not just flames.
Form.
And we were ready to fly.