Soccer stand-out Jake Stuart faces a new situation when a family move lands him on the worst team in the league.  The coach, noticing his talent, asks Jake to be a “coach on the field” to the rest of the team, helping Jake to realize the importance of good team chemistry.  Jake’s toughest challenge is learning how to become a friend to teammate Kevin, who is suffering the loss of his mother and shutting himself off from the world.  Jake’s own personal challenge is learning how to get better at losing.

As the series title suggests, (Comeback Kids), the book ends with an up-set victory, with Jake, clearly the best player on the team, unselfishly letting Kevin win the game for the team.