The 20th All Japan Youth (U-15) Futsal Tournament entered the semi-finals and final phase on Monday 12 January to determine the champions. Nagaoka JYFC borboleta (Hokushinetsu 1/Niigata) won its championship title for the first time in two years.

The semi-finals, kicked off at the same time on a two-sided pitch, took place between Consadole Asahikawa U-15 (Hokkaido 2) and Nagaoka JYFC borboleta (Hokushinetsu 1/Niigata) and between Maebashi Junior Youth (Kanto 1/Gunma) and Brincar FC U-15 (Host city/Aichi). Nagaoka borboleta went up first in the 6th minute when goalkeeper Matsuzaki Izuho received the ball from a corner kick and fired a shot, which went in after being deflected off an opposing defender. As Nagaoka borboleta caught the momentum with the opening goal and started dominating the match, they added one in the 7th minute and another in the second half.

Meanwhile, Consadole Asahikawa, replacing their goalkeeper with a field player Onishi Naoya for power plays, scored two in the 28th minute. But the score remained the same until the end, and Nagaoka borboleta advanced to the final.

In the other semi-final, Brincar caught the momentum with Yamada Atsuya’s goal in the 5th minute and accelerated to get close to the opposing goal. After finishing the first half 3-1, they added more in the second half to grab the final spot with an 8-2 win.

In the final between Nagaoka borboleta and Brincar, the former took the initiative first. In the 2nd minute, Nomoto Taichi opened the scoring when he in the middle fired a pass from Kaneko Taisei on the left flank. And in the 4th minute, Nomoto again put another pass from Kaneko into the net.

While Brincar centred their offence on Kubo Tojiro and created some opportunities in front of the opposing goal, Nagaoka borboleta did not allow opponents to score with composed defence. In the 7th minute, conversely, Nagaoka borboleta’s goalkeeper Matsuzaki, who rushed to the half-way line, found the back of the net. In the 8th minute, Nomoto netted another for a hat trick to give his side a four-goal lead. Brincar, trying to prove them, scored a goal in the closing minutes of the first half.

In the second half, Brincar started to catch their rhythm and created more goal-scoring opportunities, but Nagaoka borboleta did not allow a goal with goalkeeper Matsuzaki shining with fine saves. In the 22nd minute, Nagaoka borboleta’s Sato Subaru stabbed a blast from the centre to make it a decisive 5-1 score. Brincar with never-say-die spirit sent on Ito Kouki and placed their comeback hope on a power play, but it did not pay off as they were not able to score. The three-day tournament ended with Nagaoka borboleta claiming Japan’s futsal U-15 champions and also with a team from Niigata winning the title for the third consecutive year.

Comments

YAMAZAKI Taichi, Head Coach (Nagaoka JYFC borboleta)
Brincar were a good team, but my players coped with their attacks showing our strengths and what we have done. Doing those at this tense national tournament gives us more confidence, and I hope the players take advantage of their experience here for their future. Esprit Nagaoka FC U-15 in the same region cheered for us and Jumonji Junior High School from the women’s competition also cheered for us in the final. I’m happy that the players from those different teams got together like that. I’m also happy that we were able to become another champions from Niigata prefecture for the third straight year.

NOMOTO Taichi (Nagaoka JYFC borboleta)
The lead got big in the end, but we concentrated on the match until the final whistle. I was really happy at the moment I knew we became the champions. I was able to score three goals in the final. I could do that because my teammates supported me. I appreciated it. We were successful to show our strengths such as passing combinations and unity and take advantage of skills we practiced in indoors training. I will continue to play football after entering high school. I will take advantage of the experience I gained at this futsal tournament and work hard every day to become a pro football player in the future.

SUYAMA Yuuma (Nagaoka JYFC borboleta)
Nagaoka JYFC had two teams for the national competition, but we all worked hard as one for the champions. Cheers from my peers in the stand helped me play a lot. At the moment I knew we became the champions, I couldn’t believe, but I’m glad that we were able to show what we built up as a team at the last tournament. You can give away a goal and lose your momentum by a second of judgement error in futsal. I kept in mind that I need to concentrate and fight the match no matter how much the score widens.

FURUI Shunpei, Head Coach（Brincar FC U-15）
It was good that we got to the finals, but we were unable to perform to the best of our ability. My players looked nervous, and the opening goal we gave up affected us a lot. But there is nothing to be negative about and there are lots of areas where the players grew throughout the tournament. I will be glad if they take advantage of the experience for their next stage, act disciplined and blossom in high school football. I hope the experience at this national tournament will be the asset of the players.

JFA-TV

Semi-Finals Highlights

Final Highlights

The 20th All Japan Youth (U-15) Futsal Championship open on 10 January

Sat. 10 January - Mon. 12 January 2015
Skyhall Toyota (Toyota City/Aichi)

More Information