Free Soccer Hero by Stephanie Peters

1
    R ob Lasher wiped the sweat from his brow and looked longingly at the jug of ice water on the bench beside the field. The sandy-haired
     twelve-year-old had been running drills with his soccer team, the Pirates, for more than an hour under the blazing September
     sun. The team's first game was in two weeks and Rob knew Coach Brennan wanted to be sure they were ready. Still, he couldn't
     remember ever being so hot and thirsty.
    Just when Rob was sure he couldn't take it any longer, his coach let out a piercing whistle.
    “Okay, men, five-minute break,” Coach Brennan called. He joined the boys jogging off the field.
    Rob filled his paper cup as full as he could, then stepped aside and began to sip the cool, refreshing liquid. Benji Lombardo
     was next to grab a cupful of water. But instead of drinking it, he dumped it on his head.
    “You know, Benji,” Rob said admonishingly, “you should get that
into
you, not
onto
you. I read that dehydration can cause dizziness. You don't want to collapse on the field, do you?”
    Benji laughed. “I'll take my chances,” he said.
    Still laughing, he turned for a refill. Then suddenly, he staggered, dropped his cup, and grabbed the bench with one hand.
    “I knew it!” Rob cried. “Benji, are you okay? Put your head between your knees so you don't black out!”
    Benji opened one eye and grinned up at Rob. “Gotcha!”
    Rob took a step back and grimaced. “Ha, ha, very funny. You know, Benji —”
    “You know what I know, Rob?” Benji interrupted. “I know that if you say ‘you know, Benji’ one more time today, I'm going to
     hydrate your body with that entire jug of water!”
    By now the whole team was laughing. Even Coach Brennan, a no-nonsense man with powerful arms, a trim waist, and strong legs,
     smiled.
    “Hey, coach, want some water?” one of the players called. “You look like you've been running a marathon!”
    Coach Brennan drew his hand across his forehead and stared at his sweaty palm in surprise. “I must be moving around out there
     more than I thought,” he commented. “And you must be right about dehydrationand dizziness, Rob. I'm feeling a little lightheaded!”
    He started to reach for a cup but stopped abruptly and grabbed his left arm at the bicep.
    “Oof!” He straightened and rotated his shoulder. “Guess I didn't stretch out enough today. I think I just pulled a muscle!”
    Most of the boys laughed at the thought of such a simple movement as reaching for a cup causing pain. Rob did, too, until
     he noticed that the coach was still wincing and rubbing his shoulder.
    “You know, coach, it could be a pinched nerve in your neck or your back,” Rob said. “I read somewhere that pain can be felt
     far from where the actual damage is.”
    “Mmmm.” The coach sounded distracted. “Okay, boys, break's over. Back to the field for one more drill before we call it quits
     for today.”
    The team gave a collective groan.
    “C'mon, I'll play, too,” Coach Brennan added. “Maybe moving around will unkink my pinched nerve, or pulled muscle, or whatever
     this ache is!”
    That stopped the grumbling. Many of the boys had been on Coach Brennan's soccer team for at least two years. They knew having
     the coach take part in drills made it more fun.
    “Bryan, Ming, and Scott, you three will be defense,” the coach said. “The rest of you, form two lines on either side of the
     center circle.”
    The defense took up fullback positions in front of the goal while the others lined up as instructed. Meanwhile, Coach Brennan
     arranged orange cones in two lines leading up to the penalty box.
    “The offense is going to work on dribbling, dodging, and shooting,” he said. “You'lltake off two at a time, slalom through the cones, work past the defense, and then blast a kick into the net. The defense will
     work on double-teaming and on straight-on attacks. It'll be up to them to decide which of the two players coming toward them
     to double up