The first round of the 38th Japan U-12 Football Championship started on Monday 4 August at Susono ground in Gotenba city, Shizuoka. The players played in high-spirits despite the weather.

Kashima Antlers Jr. (Ibaraki), who aim to become back-to-back champions, played in group 1. They scored 13 goals in two games, showing their strong attacks and advancing to the next stage. Ishitsu Kai, the captain, looked forward and noted: ‘I hope this is the first step towards our goal - to be the champions.’

In group 3, both Regista FC (Saitama) and Sanfrecce FC Jr. (Hiroshima) won consecutively and advanced to the second round. Regista FC put on a perfect display, scoring 18 goals and conceding none in two games. Yutani Azuri, the captain of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, stood out with four goals in the second stage.

Libero Tsugaru SC U-12 (Aomori) participated their second championship for the first time in three years. Sakuraba Yuki, the head coach, commented: ‘as we’re country boys, we just play our style - homespun football.’ The players are full of spirit. They beat Miyanishi Soccer School from Niihama city (Ehima) 5-1 in their first game and in the second game played against Kashima Antlers Tsukuba Jr. (Ibaraki). As the head coach Sakuraba later noted, ‘that was one of the highlights so far in this championship’. The players never gave up defending against the opponent’s relentless attacks and managed a draw for one point. They placed top among seven groups at the end of the second stage.

New faces are making an impression. YF NARATESORO (Nara) in the group 11 won two close matches by a single goal in both the first and the second sections. Sugano Ryusei scored all three goals for the team.

It is the third day of the championship. The third stage of the first round will be held and then 24 teams, who got through the first round, will play in the first stage of the second round. Please keep your eyes on the games.

Players Comments

KASAI Yui  (Libero Tsugaru SC U-12, Aomori)
I started to play football when I was at nursery under the influence of my four-year elder brother. I’m really excited and pleased when I win the ball in close contact or when we grab victory as a united team. Iwashimizu Azusa from Nadeshiko Japan is my idol. She is small, but has strong leadership skills, and defends with all her body, which I think is very cool.

ISHITSU Kai (Kashima Antlers Jr., Ibaraki)
We had a good start, as we ran as much as we could as a team, thinking about all the supporters. Personally, I followed the advice from coaches: just keep calm and play. I think I contributed to the team, watching our opponent carefully. I’ll continue to do what I can do eagerly for the team to win the championship.

SUGANO Ryusei (YF NARATESORO, Nara)
I’m happy that I scored directly from a free kick in the match against Fanaticos in the first stage. I aimed below the opponent’s defending wall, thinking they might jump. It was a close match, but we’ve been practicing to not give up the ball. I think our victory is thanks to our daily practice, which we used in the real match.

TOMOYOSE Jian (Esperanza FC, Okinawa)
I was a little bit hesitant in the first match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Jr., as they are one of the J League clubs’ development squads. Our opponents led after we conceded a goal early in the match. It was a frustrating game. Still, in the second half, we stole the ball from the opponent’s defender scoring a goal and never gave up until the end, which gave us some confidence for the future.

JFA-TVnd

The 38th Japan U-12 Football Championship!　Goals from 1st Round Leg 1 and 2 Games

The 38th Japan U-12 Football Championship

Duration: Mon. 4 August to Sat. 9 August 2014
Venue:
<1st round ～ Final Tournament (Quarter-finals)>
Gotemba Tokinosumika Susono Ground (Susono, Shizuoka)
<Final Tournament (Semi-finals / Final)>
Shizuoka Ashitaka Park Multi-purpose Field (Numazu, Shizuoka)