The Utrecht morning cut straight through my bones.
The main Jong Utrecht pitch looked different today—quieter, bigger, and way more intimidating.
The small stands were empty, yet it felt like invisible eyes were watching me.
This wasn't a normal training day.
Not another academy match.
This was judgment day.
Mark Veldman stood at the center of the pitch with five Jong Utrecht staff members—Coach Remko, the video analyst, the fitness coach, club psychologist, and senior tactical coach.
All of them stared at me like I was some rare specimen.
Mark opened his clipboard.
"Richard Ardiansyah. Age seventeen. Position: attacking midfielder / left winger. Today we decide whether you're worthy of entering Jong Utrecht's Eligibility Track."
His voice echoed across the field.
"The test has five stages. You must complete all of them."
I swallowed hard.
My heartbeat was thundering in my chest.
And then the test began.
---
1. TECHNICAL TEST — Touch, Control, & Decision Speed
A staff member rolled out a ball-feeder machine—
the kind usually used for pro trials.
Mark nodded.
"Richard, first test: ball control and decision-making. Balls will come from different angles and speeds. You have three seconds to control and send it to the target."
Three seconds?
That's insane.
The machine whirred—BAM!
The first ball shot toward my left hip.
Without thinking, I redirected it with my left foot, took two steps, and slipped a through-pass into the red cone.
Beep.
Sensor blinked. Passed.
Second ball came low and fast.
Outside flick—ping—straight to the blue cone.
Beep.
Third ball came high.
Chest down, one bounce, soft chip.
Beep.
The coaches nodded slightly.
But Mark wasn't satisfied.
"Raise the speed."
BAM! BAM! BAM!
Three balls in rapid fire.
I trapped one with my thigh, pivot-controlled the second, and hit a blind pass for the third.
Beep… Beep… Beep…
Coach Remko whistled.
"Good instincts. Efficient touches."
Mark just wrote notes, face unreadable.
"Next test."
My chest warmed.
And that was just the warm-up.
---
2. PHYSICAL TEST — Sprint, Agility, and Body Duels
Cones lined up in a zig-zag pattern.
The fitness coach, Linden, handed me a GPS vest.
"Today we're testing not just speed, but agility under pressure."
"I'm ready, Coach."
"3… 2… 1… GO!"
I shot through the cones.
GPS beeped every time I hit an acceleration target.
"FASTER!!"
I pushed harder.
Lungs burning, legs screaming.
No breaks.
Next: body duels.
Two U20 Jong Utrecht players stood in front of me—both bigger, stronger.
"You have to win the ball from them," Linden said.
First ball dropped.
The first defender slammed his shoulder into me—almost knocking me backward.
I braced, dipped low, feinted my body, and snatched the ball away.
"Good! NEXT!"
Second defender tried to shove me down.
I kept my balance, turned my body sharply, and slipped around him.
"Stamina strong. Power lacking, but your duel technique is clean," Linden said.
I bent over, breath scattered—
but eyes still sharp.
"Is that all?" I asked.
Linden glanced at Mark.
Mark shook his head.
"No. Three more tests."
I clenched my fists.
"Let's keep going."
---
3. TACTICAL TEST — 8v8 With Constant Role Changes
Coach Remko gathered sixteen players.
"Richard, you'll play AMF. I'll change your instructions every two minutes. If you fail to adapt instantly, you fail the test."
Game started.
Instruction 1: False 10 — operate in the left half-space.
I dropped deeper, opened an overload, did quick one-touch combos, cutbacks, tight movements.
"Good. New instruction!"
Instruction 2: Pressing Trigger — press as soon as the ball reaches the opponent's pivot.
As soon as the midfielder received it, I sprinted, closed passing lanes, forced a mistake.
"Good! Next!"
Instruction 3: Switch Play — act as right-side playmaker.
I shifted across the pitch, took the ball from the right-back, and sent a 30-meter diagonal to the left winger—clean, crisp.
Remko raised his eyebrows.
"Smooth."
Instruction 4: Third-man run.
When the striker dropped deep, I immediately sprinted into the space.
A through-pass came—one touch, goal.
"Stop!"
Remko closed his clipboard.
"This kid's game intelligence is above academy level."
Mark didn't smile, but I could tell—he approved.
---
4. MENTAL TEST — Media Pressure & Conflict Situations
They brought me into a mini press-conference room.
Three staff members sat like reporters.
One asked,
"We heard some teammates are jealous of your opportunity. How do you deal with that?"
I looked directly at him.
"Jealousy is normal. My job is to stay focused."
Second question:
"If you fail today, will your mentality break?"
I gave a small smile.
"No. Failure's just a detour."
Third question:
"What if the coach plays you in a position you don't like?"
"If it's for the team, I'll do it."
The psychologist wrote something down, then nodded at Mark.
Mental test: done.
---
5. FINAL TEST — Official Interview & Initial Verdict
Mark called me into a small room.
Coach De Vries joined, along with Jong Utrecht's staff.
"Richard…"
Mark opened a folder.
"In every category—technical, physical, tactical, mental—you met the standard. In some, you exceeded expectations for a seventeen-year-old."
My chest thumped hard.
"But we can't give the final decision yet. One test remains."
I froze.
One… more?
"You'll do a 1v1 against a Jong Utrecht U21 player."
I stared at him.
"U—U21?!"
Mark finally gave a slight smile.
"Welcome to professional football."
---
FINAL 1v1 TRIAL
The U21 player stood before me—built like a wall, tall, muscular, fast.
"You have forty-five seconds to take the ball from me," he said calmly.
Timer started.
First 20 seconds—I failed.
Every time I got close, he shielded the ball with his body.
By 30 seconds, I started reading him.
He always leaned slightly left before turning.
At 35 seconds, I baited him—then slipped through the tiny opening.
The ball popped loose.
I lunged—snatched it.
BEEP!
Silence.
Every staff member stared at me.
The U21 guy patted my shoulder.
"Not bad, kid."
Mark closed his book.
"Integration test complete."
He stared at me for a long moment—sharp, but warm.
"We'll announce the official result… tomorrow morning."
My heart nearly stopped.
Tomorrow.
Damn.
I exhaled slowly.
"Thank you… for this chance, sir."
Mark nodded back.
"You've exceeded our expectations today."