The 15th sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019 EAST took place on Sunday 13 and Monday 14 October, where Urawa Red Diamonds Youth (Saitama) and Omiya Ardija U18 (Saitama) clashed in the Saitama Derby.

Pick-up Match

Urawa Red Diamonds Youth 0-2 (0-2, 0-0) Omiya Ardija U18

With the effect of Typhoon No. 19, the match date was pushed back and both teams were unable to train leading up to the match, as Omiya’s TAKADA Soya (#10) mentioned, “We weren’t in our best condition, but both sides had to play under the same circumstance, so we couldn’t use that as an excuse.”

The match kicked off with Omiya taking the initiative, as Urawa’s coach IKEDA Nobuyasu later reflected, “We were overly worked up about this match, while our opponent managed to showcase their usual performance.” Urawa’s goalkeeper SUZUKI Zion (#25) also mentioned, “We played too passively in the early minutes of the match.”

The opening goal came in the 13th minute, when Omiya’s SHIBAYAMA Masaya (#15) took on the goalkeeper one-on-one and converted the opportunity to give his side the lead. Takada followed in the 38th minute, when he scored a spectacular goal to double the lead for Omiya, as coach TANNO Yusuke later reflected on their game plan, “We managed to distinguish our approach depending on who had control over the match.”

The second half saw Urawa taking control of the match, as they collected the ball to TAMASHIRO Taishi (#4) to construct their attacks. However, the Omiya side showed their determination to defend their lead, as coach Tanno described their approach, “Ideally, we would like to take control of the match for the entire 90 minutes like Manchester City, but there are times you have to commit yourself in defence.” Led by MURAKAMI Yosuke (#3), who was selected into the U-17 Japan National Team’s squad for the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup, Omiya showed great persistency in defence to deflect off the Urawa attacks.

Urawa’s second half substitute, MORI Kaito (#17), created numbers of opportunities to threaten the opposing goal, but Omiya’s goalkeeper KUBO Kenya (#1) made countless saves to keep the clean sheet intact. Despite the final efforts made by Urawa, the match ended with Omiya leading 2-0, as coach Ikeda praised his opponent’s defensive efforts, “Their defensive midfielders worked extremely hard to deny our passes from reaching the final third.” With this victory, Omiya earned crucial points to keep their hopes alive to avoid relegation.

Coaches and Players' Comments

IKEDA Nobuyasu, Coach (Urawa Red Diamonds Youth)
Our opponent had the upper-hand in this match, as they kept exploiting our weaknesses. We started off playing too passively and we were always reacting to our opponents, rather than creating the action. It was evident that some of our players weren’t able to showcase their usual performance, perhaps due to lack of experience. Our opponent entered the match with a firm objective, and that two goals we conceded in the first half determined the outcome of this match.

GK #25 SUZUKI Zion (Urawa Red Diamonds Youth)
It was very regretful the way we conceded the goals. We had to manage our risks more tightly, especially when we had possession of the ball. I personally had to give better instructions to my teammates, and that is the aspect I regret the most. Overall, we had to play more aggressively. It’s really disappointing to lose in a derby match.

TANNO Yusuke, Coach (Omiya Ardija U18)
Ideally, we would like to take control of the match for the entire 90 minutes, but that’s something only Manchester City can do. That is why we changed our approach to a countering style in the second half. Our attacking players worked extremely hard toady, and their hard work has led to this result.

MF #15 SHIBAYAMA Masaya (Omiya Ardija U18)
The second goal came from a play we have been working on in our training sessions, where I hold onto the ball to allow another player to penetrate the space behind the opponent’s defence line. I entered the match with the intention to outrun everybody on the pitch. Before I got injured, I was hesitant to play like this, but after I went through surgery and was side-lined for a while, I am now embracing the joy of playing football and having fun every second on the pitch.

Results of other matches

Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School 1-2 (1-1, 0-1) Kashima Antlers Youth
Funabashi Municipal High School (postponed) Shimizu S-Pulse Youth
Aomori Yamada High School 2-3 (2-1, 0-2) Shoshi High School
Jubilo Iwata U-18 2-1 (0-0, 2-1) Kashiwa Reysol U-18

Due to the effect of the Typhoon, the match between Funabashi Municipal High School (Chiba) and Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka) was postponed, but all other matches took place during the three day weekend. In the match between Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School (Chiba) and Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki), Kashima score the game winner in the final moments of the match to earn the much needed victory. Shoshi High School (Fukushima) came from behind in the second half to win over Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) in a dramatic fashion. Jubilo Iwata U-18 (Shizuoka) also scored the game winner in the closing minutes of the match to claim the victory over Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba).

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019

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

League Information