[Reserve]
GK:16 Yuji TAKAHASHI
DF:4 Sōya YUMOTO
MF:
FW:

Thank you for your passionate support for FC Tokyo U-18 today.
Continued, thank you for your warm support.

[Next Match]
Emperor's Cup JFA U-18 Soccer Premier League 2019 Playoffs
Dec 15 (Sun) 11:00 Kickoff
vs Montedio Yamagata Youth
Venue/Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Hiroshima Stadium


[Match Report]
"First round breakthrough with a big lead. One step closer to returning to the Premier League."
On Dec 13 (Fri), the JFA U-18 Soccer Premier League 2019 Playoffs 1st Round took place in various locations in Hiroshima Prefecture. FC Tokyo U-18, the top team in the Kanto region, faced Asahikawa Jitsugyo High School, the 2nd place team from Hokkaido. They achieved a 5-0 victory and advanced to the 2nd round.
The second round to determine the winner between Montedio Yamagata U-18 will kick off at 11:00 on December 15 (Sun) at Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Hiroshima Stadium.

On the 13th at 11 o'clock, the whistle for the important battle towards the return of the Premier League sounded at Hiroshima Hiroshima Park Stadium.
The GK of FC Tokyo U-18 is Taishi Brandon NOZAWA.
Adopting a 3-4-2-1 formation, Seiji KIMURA, Rio OMORI, and Teppei OKA make up the backline. Shinji MORITA is the right wing-back, and Kim Seong-min is the left wing-back, with each being the kicker for corner kicks.
In the midfield, there are Kojiro YASUDA and Kento TOKIWAI. In the front line, there is Kazuyoshi MIYATA as the lone striker, and Koshiro SUMI and Riku KOBAYASHI as the two shadows. Regardless of how tough Asahikawa Industries may be, the determination to crush them with a lineup that includes J3 members can be seen.
Tadashi NAKAMURA, the FC Tokyo U-18 coach, explained the intention of player selection, saying, "Throughout the season, there are often times when players are not available, so I wanted to use many players who had relatively long playing time."

The result was a one-sided game, but it was by no means an easy match. FC Tokyo U-18 held the ball, but they couldn't break down the defense of Asahikawa Jitsugyo High School, who respected Tokyo and didn't come out carelessly, and couldn't score.
Despite that, they formed a numerical advantage on the side with wing backs and shadows, and continued to take corner kicks even if they couldn't pass the ball inside, which led to goals.
The first goal was scored in the 28th minute of the first half.
Morita took a left corner kick and Tokiwa scored, taking a 1-0 lead. Then, in the 43rd minute, Kobayashi scored again from a set piece, and Tokiwa scored another goal in first-half additional time, taking a 3-0 lead at halftime.
And after 5 minutes into the second half without any player substitutions, Kobayashi scored a penalty kick to extend the lead to 4 points, and the outcome was decided.

However, the Premier Entry match is not easy enough for a team with poor performance to win, as there are frequent unexpected mistakes despite the intense one-shot battle.
Asahikawa Business High School took control of the game after a player substitution in the 29th minute of the second half and stopped FC Tokyo U-18 from scoring. Rather than the game settling down after taking a 4-point lead, it was Asahikawa Business High School who was being pushed. Nevertheless, Daichi scored an additional goal with his foot from the flow of the almost last play, a right corner kick, and wrapped it up, creating a good momentum for the 2nd round.
In the final stage, the initiative to switch to a 4-4-2 formation and put pressure paid off, allowing us to regain the advantage.

The next opponent, who will determine the return to the Premier League if they win, is Montedio Yamagata Youth, who defeated Oita Trinita U-18. As they are always tested in matches against Aomori Yamada High School Second, a powerhouse in Tohoku, it goes without saying that they cannot be underestimated.

Coach Nakamura looks back and says, "The game was evenly balanced in terms of content."
"I thought we were able to score in the first half. In this kind of intense match, it wouldn't be strange for the first half to end 0-0. We are not a very skilled team, so we can only win by scoring with gritty set plays. In that sense, I think we were able to showcase our strengths."

FC Tokyo U-18 this season has been able to gain points through defense, although they tend to be captivated by the attack. In that sense, having a clean sheet (no goals conceded) is something to be proud of, but it is also true that the team is not in a state where they can boast about it. Coach Nakamura continued:

"We can't win like this, that's what it meant. Yamagata is good, so if we lose, it's the end. There is no magic cure for knockout tournaments."
"(If you make a plan) It doesn't go well if you expect high school students to follow instructions. So, it's just about "giving it your all". In that sense, we have to think about whether we were able to give it our all today."

The modification of the task continues until the battle begins one day later.
I want to recall the frustration of being demoted to the Prince League and use it as a catalyst.