The whistle blew, and the "Cheese Aisle Derby" was underway.
And for the first ten minutes, Maya's philosophy was winning.
Her Nova Athletic team was a marvel of tactical discipline.
They played in a fluid 4-1-4-1 formation, with their S-Rank Maestro, Gavi, operating as the single pivot, the deep-lying playmaker who controlled the entire game.
He was everywhere, a ghost in midfield, always in the right place to intercept a pass or start a new attack.
Ethan watched from his technical area, a mixture of frustration and grudging admiration on his face.
She wasn't kidding, he thought, as another one of his team's attacks was patiently snuffed out. Her team is a perfectly balanced machine.
That gap between my midfield and defense? Gavi is living in it, just like she said he would.
On the pitch, his players were feeling it.
