The second Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League will take place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 April.

EAST

In the match between Funabashi Municipal High School (Chiba) and Omiya Ardija U18 (Saitama), the key to success for the Funabashi side will be depending on the performance of their fullbacks, HATA Taiga (#2) and UEMATSU Kento (#3). The defending champions, Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) will welcome Urawa Red Diamonds Youth (Saitama) for their home opener. With both sides suffering a shutout loss in their first Sec., the offence will be tested for the two teams.

Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka) will host the match against Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba). While Shimizu showed a superb offensive performance in the first match, including the brace scored by AOSHIMA Taichi (#11), Kashiwa needs to rebuild their shaky defence after conceding three goals in their season opener.

The bench work will play a key role in the match between Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) and Jubilo Iwata U-18 (Shizuoka). While Aomori’s second half substitute, FURUSAWA Yoshitaka (#17) scored the team’s second goal to secure the team victory in their previous match, Iwata’s NONAKA Yuto (#12) came onto the match with just five minutes left and captured the game winning goal. Their bench may once again play a pivotal role in the upcoming match.

The highly anticipated match between Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School (Chiba) and Shoshi High School (Fukushima) will feature a showdown between a former coach and player leading the two teams. As a player, Shoshi’s Coach NAKAMURA Koji played under Coach HONDA Yuichiro of Ryutsu Keizai, when they both belonged to Narashino City High School. The two coaches had collided against each other in the 2011 Premier League season where they shared a win and a loss apiece. Their third clash at the Premier League will certainly be a heated matchup.

WEST

In the WEST division, Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka) will welcome Ozu High School (Kumamoto) to their home. After suffering a come from behind loss in their first match, Fukuoka will seek to bounce back to earn their first win of the season. Coming off a victory in their first Sec., Ehime FC U-18 (Ehime) will face Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka). Led by their defender TANIOKA Masashi (#6), the Ehime side will try to repeat the solid defensive performance to earn back-to-back wins.

A high-level battle in the midfield is anticipated in the fixture between Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima) and Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka). While midfielder DOHI Kodai (#7) will lead the passing football of Hiroshima, opposing midfielder OKUMURA Jin (#10) will orchestrate the sharp attacks of the Osaka side. Following their 2-0 victory over their nemesis, Cerezo Osaka, in the first Sec., Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) will face Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) at home. The high school side will seek to carry their momentum into the next fixture to showcase their aggressive side attacks to earn consecutive victories.

The most anticipated match in the WEST is the card between Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) and Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto). After defeating the defending champions, Hiroshima, at the season opener, Kobe will seek to boost their offensive production through their speedy attackers ODA Yutaro (#9) and USUI Yuki (#13). Following his two-goal performance in the first Sec., Kyoto’s midfielder NOHAMA Tomoya (#8) will lead his side to register back-to-back wins to start the season.

EAST 1st Sec. Highlights

WEST 1st Sec. Highlights

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019

League Duration: Sat. 6 April - Sun. 8 December 2019

League Information