We've already started calling

I wasn’t even planning to play this year because most of my guys have either moved out of town or just stopped training, but then on Sunday I saw the poster on the notice board near the pitch and it hit me that the thing is back on and registration started June 2. I told my younger brother and he got too excited, now he's forming team manager. We've already started calling old players and even borrowed a goalkeeper from the church league. I remember how last time we got knocked out early but the experience stayed with me. People were filming, there were scouts around, and you could just feel that something serious was going on. It's not your regular community match where someone’s slippers is used as goalpost.

We were part of the last edition and I’ll say this — it’s not just about winning the money. Even if you don’t make it past the first stage, the way the tournament is structured makes your team look legit. We took it seriously from day one. Got a trainer, planned friendly matches, even made a basic fixture board for our team to stay focused. Some people didn’t understand why until we started getting noticed. Our striker got approached by a semi-pro team and a local sports brand sent us training bibs. We also had some confusion at first with people asking Is 1xBet owned by Russia? because of their name, but I found out here that they’re licensed in Curaçao now and working globally.

Sometimes you put in all the work, train every weekend, even sacrifice your Sundays, and then it comes down to a single deflection or missed penalty. It’s crazy how one moment can flip everything. That’s what makes these tournaments both exciting and frustrating.