The second day of the American expedition welcomed the first day of the tournament.

"The first match of the 2016 Generation adidas Cup Premier Division was against the Mexican powerhouse PUMAS."

Before the match, Coach Tadashi NAKAMURA commented, "The Mexican team is technically skilled and tenacious. Let's not just play the game, but let's compete with all our might. Let's challenge ourselves in terms of ball control and quality."
The current tournament, which will be played in a 35-minute half, kicked off at 12:00 local time. 【First Half】
The match begins with a shot from Kobayashi (Hiroshi). Tokyo, who aggressively applies pressure from the front line, is being targeted by PUMAS, who, despite being physically inferior, are aiming for the goal with strength and propulsion.
Especially during set plays, we must brace ourselves and respond to the powerful PUMAS as they come flying in.
Tokyo, which has gradually been pushed back, is now looking for attacking opportunities by utilizing the space on the sides.
14 minutes, when Tokyo was unable to put pressure on the ball holder and was carried to the front of the goal, a powerful volley shot was released, but it narrowly missed the goal.
Tokyo continued to be pushed back for 20 minutes, but in the 20th minute, Imamura and Kobayashi (Miki) combined for a shot, and although Hara reacted to the rebound, it was ruled offside.
The game started moving in the 22nd minute, when Kobayashi (Miki) turned forward while being free in the midfield, and passed through to Hara who was free due to the back and forth with the opposing defense line. Hara easily sank the 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper and scored the opening goal. It became a valuable goal during the time when we were being pushed in.
Tokyo, which gradually began to grasp the distance with the opponent, will increase the number of ball retrievals and interceptions in each situation.
In the 28th minute, Kobayashi (Shin) who had repeatedly taken the ball in the midfield, turned the attack and created chances, showing each player's characteristics.
Tokyo, who regained their rhythm in the middle, will go into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

【Halftime】
Coach Nakamura reminded the team to "always think ahead when playing, focus on both attacking and defending, and be aware of Mexico's unique smart plays."

【Second Half】
Tokyo, who has taken control of the ball since the start of the second half, quickly neutralizes the PUMAS defense with strong pressure and power through quick decision-making and movement.
Tokyo, who does not allow PUMAS to shoot despite creating several chances and increasing their intensity as time passes.
19 minutes, 21 minutes, and GK Takase makes a big save to prevent PUMAS from scoring a decisive shot.
◈However, in that flow, they were pushed back in a melee and had their equalizing goal taken away from a corner kick they were given.
In the 26th minute, a free kick was given from the side position and although it was initially blocked, the loose ball was picked up and ultimately led to a reversal.
Tokyo, who had been threatened by set pieces, conceded goals in succession, but after that, the intensity increased and it became a tight match.
And in the 33rd minute, Arakawa earns a free kick in the left position of the goal, and captain Hinata, who was entrusted with the captaincy for this tournament, scores a beautiful free kick that hits the post and ties the game. Afterwards, we continued to aim for a goal until the end, but were unable to score and ended the second half in a 2-2 tie.

In case of a tie, according to the tournament regulations, the winner will be decided by a penalty shootout, with Tokyo being the second to take the penalty.
Tokyo secured the win with goals from all players and GK Takase stopping the second and fourth goals from PUMAS. They earned 2 points in the group stage opener.
(※Obtain 1 point at the time of a draw. In addition, give 1 point to the winner of the PK match.)

Coach Tadashi NAKAMURA's post-match comments
"(About the start of the match) I thought it would take some time for the players to get used to the field and the atmosphere. As the game went on, the players started to look forward and our attacking opportunities increased, resulting in one of them becoming a goal."
I think if we had kept the score at 2-0 in the second half, it would have been Tokyo's game, but the opponent also had strength. Our legs stopped and we couldn't hold on, leading to a comeback. It was good that our attacking, including substitutions, led to a goal from a free kick. I think it was also good that everyone confidently scored in the penalty shootout. " Show the F.C.TOKYO style to the world and continue to compete seriously in America.
The next match will be against COLORADO RAPIDS on the 20th at 12:00. (Kickoff at 26:00 on the 21st in Japan time)