The prevailing emotion in the dressing room for the Sarzonian Over 35 national team was joy. After all, the team earned their first victory of the World Cup of Masters with a 3-0 result over The Fortem.
There was joy for Senior Stars striker Matt Lynch, who scored twice and added an assist on a goal by Zack Wilson. There was joy for Will Brantley, who notched four saves and earned a clean sheet for the first time in years. Wilson himself felt joy in being part of a Sarzonia side wearing their traditional kits, even though they were the away whites.
For manager Tyrone Manningham, however, his prevailing emotion wasn't joy. It was relief. Relief that his team finally had a result to show for the good form they were rounding into. Relief that his side were no longer bottom of the table, and in fact, were now in the thick of the race for one of the two berths in the quarterfinals from Group 1. Relief that a crowd that had been struggling to show much enthusiasm brought the energy to Dave Wilson Stadium.
Manningham also felt relief that Wilson wouldn't suddenly don his Incorporated Football Federation chairman's cap and fire him before the competition was even half over. It wasn't really much of a consideration for Wilson, but Manningham didn't feel like that was a slam dunk. After all, Sarzonia's gridball team moved on from their manager after only three matches, and they had a 10-game schedule in comparison to his side's eight games.
He thought about the game, and he allowed himself a worn smile. He recalled the focus the team had on the pitch from the opening kickoff. He recalled the booking Tim Rodney received for standing up for his teammate after a Fortem player laughed a dangerous tackle. He recalled the boisterous applause Lynch received for his first goal, one that reminded observers of why Lynch was a Hall of Famer. The crowd's energy remained high as Brantley snagged a dangerous cross intended for a Fortem striker and later when he robbed the same striker from point blank range.
He recalled how much better the mood was in the media room, how he felt more assured about answering questions about his team's performance. It was great to throw the growing weight off his shoulders and be able to just get back to managing his team.
The result was that the Senior Stars were suddenly just one point behind Northwest Kalactin and Kohnhead for first place in Group 1. They would face the latter team in their final match of the first half of qualifying before earning a well deserved bye. It didn't matter that they were behind the colonists from Sarzoclava on head to head result. They were in the thick of the race and they still had a chance at at least one more shot of athletic glory.
Some of the players were likely to go back to their post athletic lives even if the rumours that a seniors football league was in the works. Others might try to scratch that athletic itch again by continuing to play. All of that didn't matter right now. What mattered was Manningham reminding himself to enjoy the moment, realising that he truly didn't know if it would ever come again.
