Pick three players and write an essay in which you compare and contrast how they deal with the pressure of the Academy.

Samantha is the only major female character that Layton puts in the novel. What does her presence teach the young male players about women in soccer? What does it teach readers?

Why do you think the author chose to tell this story from Leo’s perspective? How might it have been different if it had been told in the third person? Or from Robbie’s perspective?