Outcasts United: Chapter 26 Summary & Analysis

Natnael is riding in the bus to the Under Fifteens’ final game alongside Joseph, a player on the Under Seventeens who is supporting the younger players. Natnael is surprised to learn that Joseph’s father is no longer alive; Joseph says he doesn’t tell anyone because he doesn’t want people asking questions about it. Natnael asks if he cried, and Joseph explains no, because he never really knew his father.

The Under Fifteens warm up for their final game. The season hadn’t gone very well, and now they are fighting against the threat of being demoted to a lower division for next season if they lose against the Strikers. The Fugees play the early minutes “in a daze.” By halftime they are down 2-0. Luma says that the other team is not faster or better than the Fugees: they are losing because they “do not know how to play soccer,” they “don’t know how to play as a team,” and they “don’t have the discipline or the respect to play.” She says the game is a waste of her time and walks away.

One player says that he hates when Luma stops coaching them, as then they’re doomed to lose. Sebajden says that they’re playing like little kids, and instead rallies them to try to make Luma happy. The boys put their hands together, chant “Go Fugees!” and take the field. The Fugees play harder, but they still make mistakes. They are called for fouls and give up another goal. In the end, they lose 3-1.

At the end of the game, Luma is not angry or yelling, but she is very serious. She says that it is “an embarrassment” to sit on the sidelines and see them make simple mistakes like doing throw-ins with their feet off the ground. And it is embarrassing to see her players lose their cool. She tells them that if they plan to continue, it will be by her rules, her drills, and her way. Kanue and Natnael bow their heads. Though they worked hard, their team still has issues. They will have to find a way to win next year.