At first, Paul isn’t all that confident. The soccer season matches his doubts. On pages 118 and 119, Paul says, “They tripped us, pulled our jerseys, got up in our faces, and pretended to throw punches...The longer the referee failed to blow his whistle, the bolder they got, and the more bloodthirsty their fans became.” Due to the opposing team’s savage ways, Paul gets off on the wrong foot. Meanwhile, off the field, he feels out of place among the students of Tangerine Middle, since their aggressive behavior