Cody is no longer the kid with cancer, or the soccer player always sitting on the bench as a substitute. Then everything changes when a skilled younger player is added to the team, bringing the chance for Cody and some of the Lions to get called up to an elite team. Plus, Cody has to face down bully Timothy from rival soccer team the Storm once and for all, help Mandy deal with her family troubles--and figure out what Cody Dorsett really wants. Following the characters who appear in his very successful novels Striker and The Beautiful Game, The Starting Eleven completes David Skuy's trilogy.