"Keep passing the ball to Max in the second half," Coach Wattenbarger said at the halftime meeting.
"Remember—he's the best player in the league."
How could anyone forget? Jonathan glanced at Max, who was sitting nearby in the grass.
Max probably had a sign on his bedroom door that said, "Best Player in the League."
He probably owned a T-shirt that said, "Best Player in the League."
He probably woke up every morning and went to bed every night saying, "I'm the best player in the league."
Max was a very good player, but so were others on the team.
Andrew and Aaron Russell had a lot of talent. Carlos was a decent player, and so was Jonathan.
Plus, soccer was supposed to involve everyone, with plenty of passing and teamwork.
"So far Coach Wattenbarger is making this team miserable," Jonathan thought.
"I love winning!" Carlos blurted out with a grin.
Apparently the coach wasn't bothering Carlos! Jonathan looked around. Most of his other teammates were grinning too.
Okay, so maybe Coach Wattenbarger wasn't making the team miserable. But he was sure making Jonathan miserable.
Aaron raised his hand. "I passed to Max when there were two Gray Wolves covering him, and we lost the ball.
Shouldn't we pass to players who are open?"
The coach shook his head. "Always pass to Max. Max is the best player in the league."
Jonathan fought the urge to roll his eyes. Aaron frowned. So did his twin, Andrew.
"Let's win, win, win!" the coach said.
"Win, win, win," a few kids repeated.
Jonathan jogged back onto the field with Carlos and the twins.
"It's great starting the second half of the game with a two-point lead," Carlos said.
"We'd have a three-point lead if the coach had let Jonathan take a shot at a goal instead of passing to Max," Aaron grumbled. three
"If Max is the only player who gets to shoot goals, this season is going to stink," Andrew said.
"Agreed," Jonathan said with a sigh. "It won't be any fun to play."
On the field Jonathan's team lined up against the Gray Wolves. One of the Gray Wolves forwards sneered at Jonathan.
"You let Max Wattenbarger take all the shots. You must be scared of the goal."
Jonathan's hands balled into fists. It was bad enough that the coach wouldn't let him shoot any goals.
It was worse to get ridiculed for it by the other team.
"I'm not scared of the soccer goal or anything else," Jonathan said.
Actually, he was scared of snakes, sharks, and beautiful girls like Marissa. But he kept that private.
"I think you and your whole team are scared of the goal since you haven't gotten anywhere close to it," Carlos told the Gray Wolves forward.
"Yeah!" Jonathan put in.
The whistle blew. Game on.
The second half of the game went about the same as the first half.
Coach Wattenbarger kept ordering the team to pass the ball to Max, so they did.
Max scored two more goals but also missed several shots.
After each goal most of the Team Wattenbarger players chanted, "Max! Max! Max!"
Jonathan just mouthed the words and kept his arms folded.
He noticed that Andrew and Aaron stayed silent too.
In the end Team Wattenbarger shut out the Gray Wolves, 4–0.
As the teams jogged off the field, Carlos turned to Jonathan.
"What a game!"
"Yeah, what a game," Jonathan repeated—with none of Carlos' enthusiasm.
"Cheer up, Jonathan. We won," Carlos said.
"I like winning, but I don't like passing the ball to Max all the time."
Carlos shrugged. "Max's dad is our coach, and that's the way Coach wants it. There's nothing we can do about it."
"Oh yes, there is." Jonathan perked up suddenly. "What if we stopped Max from playing next week?
We could put super strong glue on the bottom of his cleats so they'd stick to the grass."
Jonathan laughed as he pictured Max with his cleats stuck to the field.
"Or what if we sprinkle itching powder in Max's socks?
He'd be so busy scratching his miserable feet, he wouldn't be able to play.
Then the rest of the team could get a chance with the ball.
Or we could find someone with a bad cold. That person could cough all over Max and make him sick."
Carlos laughed but shook his head. "We'd get in huge trouble if we did any of those things. Besides, we need Max if we want to keep winning."
Jonathan wasn't sure he wanted to keep winning, not if it meant barely playing.
Jonathan's mother waved from the sideline.
She was holding a container filled with big cookies.
"Congratulations on your win, boys. Would you like a cookie?"
"I'd love one," Carlos said.
"Help yourselves. I have one for every player on your team."
"Thanks, Mom," Jonathan said. He and Carlos each grabbed a homemade double chocolate-chip cookie.
"Yum!" Carlos said.
"Delicious," Jonathan said.
Just then Max and his father walked by.
"Good job out there. Have a cookie, Max!" Mrs. Cho called.
"No, thank you," Max said quickly.
"What a snob," Jonathan thought.
Coach Wattenbarger frowned. "Sorry, but I don't let Max eat sweets during soccer season. It's for his own good."
Jonathan knew it was important to eat well, but would one cookie really make a difference?
Max looked down, shuffling his feet in the grass.
Jonathan couldn't help feeling a little sorry for Max as his father went on about the importance of nutrition.
"You boys shouldn't eat junk food either. Max doesn't eat junk food, and he's the best player in the league. That's why he gets the ball all the time."
Jonathan's mother raised her eyebrows.
"That's not the only reason Max gets the ball all the time. I heard you telling everyone to pass to him," she said.
"Shouldn't the other kids get more opportunities with the ball?
This is the recreation league after all. The kids are supposed to be having fun out there."
Jonathan wanted to hug his mom.
Not only had she made the most delicious cookies in the world, she was also standing up to Coach Wattenbarger.
"The kids have the opportunity to be on a winning team. That's the most important thing."
"Not in my opinion," Mrs. Cho said.
Coach Wattenbarger shrugged and walked away. He obviously wasn't going to change his mind about having Max hog the ball.
Jonathan watched Max trail after his father. But Carlos was eyeing something else.
"Hey, Mrs. Cho," he asked. "Can I have Max's cookie?"