It had been one of the most dominant solo performances Handrix had seen while serving as the manager of the Saterun national team. The only thing that was really on par was Caesar Ibañez's brace to win them the 92nd Cup of Harmony, not too long ago. Sülimein Kalemanu, once the starboy of Saterun football, had made an emphatic case that he was still in fact the starboy of Saterun football. HIs three goals, in the 12th, 31st, and 78th minute, had punctuated a match in which Handrix thought the Claws finally rose to what they were capable of. Sure, they weren't playing the most prestigious opponent, but it was a crucial match. Kalemanu would get all the praise afterwards, but the entire team had worked together to control the match from start to finish. He had been particularly impressed with the defense, who had gotten through the group stage only conceding one goal (which was still somehow not even the best?!?!) and looked prepared to hold the line in the knockouts. The offense had been a little slow during the first two games, but Kalemanu had more than doubled the totals goals for over the group stage and even the non-scoring members had been extremely important in getting him there.
Although it was a team game, Handrix also had to reflect on Sülimein's performance. His first goal, to open the match, had been a perfectly-placed curling shot from the corner of the box, which went just past the opposing goalkeeper's outstretched gloves. The second had been fairly routine, as he'd finished off a wonderful passing move by passing it into the bottom corner of the net. His third goal had been what the cameras had really focused on. After a quick one-two with Vidar Washington, he'd taken the ball straight through the opposition line, weaving his way past three opponents. He'd then hit a perfect trivela with his left foot to bend it down under the crossbar at the last second. Filil-Indos's keeper had been rooted to the spot. It was obvious that Sülimein was ready for a real spot in the national team starting lineup. He'd taken off slower than some had expected, but if he continued to perform at this level, he'd likely be starting come the end of the tournament. At only 20 years old, he still likely had at least a decade left in his international career, and Handrix wanted to use as much of that as possible.
In the dressing room a little later, the coaching staff was reviewing the knockout bracket with the squad. Matt Saez's instant reaction pretty much summed up the mood of the squad. "Pardon my Bnadtish, but what the actual fuck is our side?" Although Handrix wouldn't have used such harsh terms, he felt the same way. In the round of 32, they were clearly the favorites, coming up against unknown side Only Six Words. Did that describe their language? Their writing? Handrix didn't know, but as long as they were human it wouldn't even be close to the strangest side Saterun had faced. They'd once played a match against a team full of literal cats. And drawn. But that was long ago. Now, they were expected to make it to at least the Round of 16. Usually, the SFF demanded quarterfinals at minimum, but Handrix was sure that they'd understand. The Claws' quarterfinal opponents would most likely be HUElavia, and if they somehow made it past that test (they'd done it before) Chromatika, Aphrilia, Indusse, or Juvencus awaited. A truly horrifying prospect. But that was all in the future. Right now, they just had to focus on getting there.
Later that day, Handrix was sitting in his office, on the phone. He was talking with Juilie VandeLlen, the mother of one of the players on the team. In the last Cup of Harmony, in Zwangzug, Handrix and Juilie had grown quite close. Now, they tried to call as much as they could, but only when they were sure they wouldn't be interrupted. She had seen the game, of course, and was full of praise for Sülimein. Handrix told her about how difficult their playoff path was, but she was full of confidence, as ever. She even had a few suggestions for team they could face if they made it further into the tournament. For most of their conversations, he just listened as she talked, and he liked it that way. Handrix was a generally calm person, and he couldn't compete with Juilie's boundless energy. Eventually, however, they had to wrap up. It was late in Saterun, and Handrix did have some work to do post-match. He always tried to write down his immediate thoughts and feeling following a game, so as not to lose them. As he hung up, however, the door swung open.
"Hey gaffer, hope I wasn't interrupting anything. Who were you talking to?" It was Anders. As in Juilie's son Anders. Handrix had to quickly spit out a lie. Obviously, Anders didn't believe him. That on its own probably made Anders more suspicious, but the fact Handrix's phone audibly buzzed a few times in the next few seconds confirmed he was talking to someone important. They both stared at the phone, before Anders cleared his throat. "Anyway, I was wondering what our playoff strategy is going to look like. Not to boast too much, but I feel like we've all been at a similar level so far. I just wanted to see if you were thinking of playing one of us in a different position, you know, to get more of us out there." By us, Anders meant the three right-midfielders in the squad. Him, Crespo Antonsen, and Jack Le Mounde. Truth be told, Handrix had been considering that. Obviously Sülimein's performance today made it hard to justify not starting him, but if Oscar or Vidar needed a rest Handrix was pretty confident that he could use a wide midfielder as a temporary replacement. At the worst possible time, however, his phone rang again. It was almost certainly Juilie. Handrix didn't want to leave her ringing, but he also didn't want to talk in front of Anders.
Thankfully, by some miracle, he was saved. Dante Feilan, the assistant manager, arrived at that exact moment to whisk Anders away to a midfielder-only match review. Handrix quickly mumbled something about looking into it, before he motioned for Dante to close the door. As soo as he heard the latch, he picked up the phone. However, it was not, after all, Juilie. It was Timothy Caralet, the commissioner of the SFF. This was interesting. They almost never called him. It was always an email or a text. Warily, Handrix picked up the phone. After a little bit of small talk, he sensed Caralet wanted to get to something important. Handrix gave him a pause to transition. Finally, he heard it. "Listen, Handrix, you know I've been here a while. It's been great, really, but I'm almost 60. I'm gonna retire at the end of the cycle." That in itself was big news, but nothing could have prepared Handrix for what came next. "I've discussed it with the board, and we all want you to come on as the next commissioner, starting next cycle. I promise it's great pay, and it's been really rewarding while I've done it." However, there was a catch. "Of course, you'll be leaving your post as manager."
