On the 9th day, the day before the final match of this overseas expedition, we had a practice match with PUMAS from Mexico in the morning and attended a players' meeting in the afternoon.
 

The match against PUMAS (half court/8:8/15 minutes x 2) ended with a 6-1 victory, with the first half being turned around by Hara and Arakawa's goals, and the second half with a hat-trick from Sugiyama and Imamura. They secured a victory with a large margin against their opponents in the first match of the group stage. (They won after a 2-2 draw and penalty shootout in the group stage)

Training match against PUMAS ends in a 6-1 victory!	Group photo with PUMAS, who are also staying at the same accommodation

During lunch, the participating teams gathered for a players' meeting. The players from the U-12 tournament also joined, making it an event with a total of over 500 people.

Table soccer, video games, table tennis, and a space for juggling were set up to interact with players from around the world.

At the players' meeting	The appearance of table soccer with other teams

I want to cherish the friends I connect with through soccer

As one of the various events, a talk event by Mr. Raul Gonzalez, former Real Madrid player, was held.
 

In a style of answering questions from participating players, he sent a message saying, "Nowadays, it's natural to have an environment to play soccer, but just playing soccer in the given environment won't lead to further growth, and it's not enjoyable. You can't become more than a coach unless you think for yourself and play soccer while being aware, just like robots and current machines."

I received Mr. Raul's words through interpreter Okuda

The Tokyo players left the venue excitedly.
 

I want to give my all in tomorrow's final match in America, so that I can contribute to the Premier League T1 League in Japan and bring the tournament to a close with maximum effort.

The 5th place playoff will be against Sporting Kansas City on the 26th at 12:00. (Kickoff at 26:00 Japan time)