Michael Sterling stood in the locker room. He looked at the empty seats.

Usually the room was full. Usually there was not enough space for all the big personalities. But today the room felt hollow.

The African Cup of Nations had started.

It was a tournament of passion and color but for a club manager it was a headache.

Three of his reliable squad players were gone. The backup winger Amara and the strong midfielder Diop had flown to Ivory Coast. They were chasing glory for their countries.

"It is quiet Boss," Arthur Milton said. Arthur was wearing three scarves. He looked like a woolly mummy.

"It is too quiet Arthur," Michael said. "The squad is thin. We are down to the bare bones."

He looked at the whiteboard. The names were few.

INJURY LIST:

Danny Fletcher (Recovering)

Tom (Ankle)

INTERNATIONAL DUTY:

Amara

Diop

Kouyate

"We have eleven starters," Michael said counting on his fingers. "And on the bench? We have Leo Stone. And then we have children. Literal children who still need permission slips to travel."

"The children are good," Arthur said trying to be positive. "They have energy. They do not have fear because they do not know what fear is yet."

"They will learn fear today," Michael said. "Because Leeds United are coming."

The FA Cup Fourth Round.

Barnsley versus Leeds United.

It was not just a game. It was a Yorkshire Derby. The two cities were separated by twenty miles of motorway and a hundred years of hatred.

Leeds United were in the Championship but they were a giant. They brought seven thousand fans to The Fortress.

As the team bus arrived at the stadium Michael could hear the noise.

"MARCHING ON TOGETHER!" the Leeds fans roared.

"WE ARE BARNSLEY!" the home fans screamed back.

It was tribal. It was raw.

Inside the dressing room Sergio Ramos was putting on his boots. The Spanish legend looked calm. He had played in El Clasico. He had played in the World Cup Final.

"This noise," Ramos said smiling. "I like it. It sounds like angry bees."

"They are not bees Sergio," Jamie Vardy said drinking his pre match coffee. "They are Yorkshiremen. They eat bees for breakfast."

Diego Nunez was taping his wrists. He looked at the empty seats where the African players usually sat.

"My friends are gone," Diego said sadly. "Diop usually gives me gum. Now I have no gum."

"Win the game Diego," Michael said. "And I will buy you a whole factory of gum."

Diego stood up. He cracked his neck.

"Okay Papa Michael. For the gum."

The new stadium amplification made every chant sound like thunder.

Leeds United wore their all white kit. Barnsley wore the purple.

The referee blew the whistle.

Leeds did not care that Barnsley were in the Premier League. They came to fight.

MINUTE 5

The ball bobbled on the icy pitch.

Enzo Silva tried to control it. A Leeds midfielder named Gnonto smashed into him.

Enzo rolled over. He jumped up immediately.

"Nice tackle!" Enzo shouted. "Now it is my turn!"

Enzo chased Gnonto. He slid in.

Mud flew everywhere. It was not football. It was a mud wrestling match.

The referee waved play on. It was the FA Cup. The rules were different here. The rules were softer.

MINUTE 20. The game was ugly. There was no rhythm.

Kai Sora tried to pass. The Architect usually painted pictures with the ball. Today he was painting with mud.

"The ball is heavy," Kai complained adjusting his sunglasses. "It does not roll. It hops like a rabbit."

Leeds had a chance. Their striker Bamford got the ball in the box.

He shot.

Jan Visser saved it with his knee.

"Ugly save for an ugly game!" Jan shouted.

THE CLASH OF HEADS

Minute 35.

Leeds won a corner. The box was crowded.

Diego Nunez was marking the Leeds captain Cooper.

They grabbed each other. They pushed.

The ball came in.

They both jumped. Their heads collided. But not with the ball. With each other.

Cooper fell to the ground holding his head.

Diego landed on his feet. He shook his head like a wet dog.

"Is that all?" Diego roared. "My head is made of granite!"

The Leeds players surrounded Diego. They pushed him.

Sergio Ramos sprinted from the halfway line. He pushed the Leeds players back.

"Do not touch the Bull!" Ramos shouted. "If you want to fight you fight the Matador!"

The referee ran over. He showed yellow cards to everyone.

"Calm down!" the referee screamed.

"I am calm," Diego said wiping mud from his bald head. "I just wanted to head the ball. His head got in the way."

HALFTIME

0 to 0

In the locker room Michael Sterling looked at his players. They were tired. The Liverpool game had taken a lot of energy. And now this war was draining the last drops.

"We need a moment," Michael said. "Just one moment of quality."

He looked at Leo Stone. The fifteen year old was sitting on the bench wrapped in a blanket.

"Leo," Michael said. "The pitch is bad. The defenders are big. But they are slow."

"I am fast Boss," Leo said.

"Get ready," Michael said. "Minute 60. You go in."

THE SECOND HALF

The snow started to fall harder. The pitch was turning white.

Leeds were growing confident. They sensed that Barnsley were tired.

Minute 55.

Gnonto ran down the wing. He crossed.

Summerville was there. He volleyed.

The ball hit the post.

"We are living dangerously," Arthur Milton whispered from the bench. "My heart cannot take this Boss. I need a herbal tea."

"Hold on Arthur," Michael said.

THE PHANTOM ENTERS

Minute 60. Michael made the change.

OFF: Isaiah King

ON: Leo Stone

Isaiah walked off shaking his head.

"My boots are ruined," Isaiah muttered. "Look at the mud. I will never get this stain out."

Leo Stone ran onto the pitch.

He looked tiny in the snow. He looked like a child lost in a blizzard.

But the Leeds players did not know about the Phantom.

Minute 70. The game was still deadlocked. Enzo Silva won the ball in midfield. He was covered in mud from head to toe. You could only see his eyes and his teeth.

"GO LEO!" Enzo screamed.

Enzo punted the ball forward.

The Leeds defender Struijk turned. He saw the ball. He saw the snow.

He did not see Leo.

Leo ghosted past him. He did not touch the grass. He seemed to glide over the mud.

He collected the ball.

He was thirty yards out.

The Leeds goalkeeper Meslier came off his line.

"Shoot!" the crowd screamed.

But Leo did not shoot. He waited.

He waited for Struijk to catch up. He waited for Cooper to slide.

He did a chop.

Both Leeds defenders slid past him like curling stones on ice.

Leo was now ten yards out.

He looked at the corner.

He passed the ball gently.

It rolled through the snow. It rolled slow. So slow.

The goalkeeper dived.

But the ball kissed the inside of the post and trickled over the line.

GOAL.

Barnsley 1. Leeds 0.

The Fortress erupted. The noise melted the snow on the roof.

Leo Stone ran to the corner. He slid on his knees. He disappeared into a pile of snow.

Diego Nunez ran over. He scooped Leo up and lifted him to the sky.

"THE SNOW KING!" Diego roared. "ALL HAIL THE SNOW KING!"

Leeds were furious. They threw everything forward.

For the last twenty minutes it was not football. It was survival.

Leeds launched long balls. They launched crosses. They launched bodies.

Sergio Ramos was in his element.

"Clear it!" Ramos shouted.

He headed a ball away. Then he blocked a shot with his chest. Then he blocked a shot with his face.

"My face is a shield!" Ramos laughed. "Pain is temporary! Glory is forever!"

Minute 90.

The referee added six minutes.

"Six minutes?" Arthur gasped. "That is a lifetime!"

Leeds won a free kick. Last chance.

The Leeds goalkeeper came up for it.

The ball was floated into the box.

Twenty players jumped.

Jan Visser the giant Barnsley keeper rose above them all.

He caught the ball.

He held it tight against his chest. He fell to the ground. He curled up into a ball.

"Mine!" Jan shouted. "My precious!"

He lay there for thirty seconds. The Leeds players tried to get the ball but Diego Nunez stood over him growling.

"Do not touch the Dutchman!" Diego warned. "He is sleeping!"

The referee blew the whistle.

BARNSLEY 1 - 0 LEEDS UNITED

The stadium went wild. Hi Ho Silver Lining played on the speakers.

Michael Sterling walked onto the pitch. He hugged Leo Stone.

"You changed the game Leo," Michael said. "Again."

"The snow helped Boss," Leo smiled. "They could not see me against the white ground."

"Maybe," Michael laughed.

He walked over to Ramos and Diego. They were high fiving.

"Clean sheet," Ramos said. "Ugly game. Beautiful result."

"I missed Diop," Diego said. "But Enzo gave me gum. So it is okay."

Michael looked at the stands. The fans were staying. They were applauding the effort.

Despite the missing players. Despite the fatigue. Despite the mud and the snow.

The Misfits had found a way.

Later that night Michael sat in his warm office.

Arthur was making hot chocolate.

"We are in the Fifth Round Boss," Arthur said. "Wembley is getting closer."

"It is," Michael said.

He looked at his phone. He had a notification.

TRANSFER WINDOW STATUS: 3 DAYS REMAINING.

The African players would be back in a few weeks. But the squad was still thin.

And there was one piece of business left to do.

The Brazilian Heist.

"Arthur," Michael said taking the hot chocolate.

"Yes Boss?"

"How is the mission in Madrid going?"

Arthur smiled. A mischievous smile.

"The agent is interested Boss. He likes the idea of the Barnsley project. And he really likes the idea of Endrick playing every week."

"And Real Madrid?"

"They are sleeping," Arthur said. "They think the clause is safe. They think nobody is crazy enough to trigger it."

Michael stood up. He walked to the window looking out at the snowy pitch where they had just won a war.

"They do not know us Arthur," Michael whispered. "They do not know that we love crazy."

He took a sip of the hot chocolate.

"Get the plane ready Arthur. As soon as the window opens for the final day we strike."

"We steal the diamond?" Arthur asked.

"We steal the diamond," Michael confirmed.

The FA Cup battle was won.

But the biggest battle of the Dynasty was about to happen in a boardroom in Madrid.

Michael Sterling felt a shiver of excitement.

Endrick was coming.

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