The 17th sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022 will take place on Saturday 8 to Monday 10 October.

EAST

After losing back-to-back matches following the summer break, Kawasaki Frontale U-18 (Kanagawa) won their previous match against Maebashi Ikuei High School (Gunma), thanks to the goal scored by OGAWA Jo (#17) in the 33rd minute. It will be interesting to see if the East leaders can get back on their winning ways when they face Funabashi Municipal High School (Chiba) in an away match. Funabashi Municipal, on the other hand, have been struggling this season with a record of three wins, three draws, and eight losses. Last week, they were able to keep a clean sheet late in the match against Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) but conceded the decisive goal in the 82nd minute to lose the match. With the season nearing the end, they will be seeking to turn things around to avoid getting relegated from the Premier League.

Second placed Yokohama F.Marinos Youth (Kanagawa) will square off against third placed Omiya Ardija U18 (Saitama). Last week, Yokohama FM extended their undefeated streak to five matches after drawing with FC Tokyo U-18 (Tokyo), but with Kawasaki winning their match, they are now three points behind the East leaders. Led by their ace UCHINO Kotaro (#9), who has marked six goals in their recent four matches, the Yokohama side will be seeking to extend their undefeated streak with a win over Omiya. The two sides are separated by six points, so the outcome of this match will not have a direct impact on the ranking but should have major implications on the title race. Having lost their first match against Yokohama FM this season, Omiya will certainly be looking to have their revenge at home this time around.

Fourth placed FC Tokyo will face eighth placed Kashiwa. Currently tied in points with Omiya (26), FC Tokyo are in deep need to accumulate points, especially because the top two teams have one extra match left to play. Despite their struggles between the seventh and 12th sec., during which the team recorded only one win to five losses, the Tokyo side have regained their form as of late, marking two wins and two draws following the summer break. Kashiwa, on the other hand, are only four points ahead of 10th placed JFA Academy Fukushima U-18 (Shizuoka), who are currently on the boarder of the relegation/play-off zone. They would certainly want to add more points to their tally to avoid any chance of getting involved in the survival race.

Elsewhere, AC Fukushima and Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School (Chiba), Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) and Kiryu Daiichi High School (Gunma), Maebashi Ikuei and Yokohama FC Youth (Kanagawa) will face each other this weekend.

WEST

West leaders Sagan Tosu U-18 (Saga) will play an away match against 11th placed Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka). Tosu boast an impressive record of 11 wins, one draw, and two losses, but second placed Jubilo Iwata U-18 (Shizuoka) are only six points behind them. The Tosu side have shown great consistency throughout the season, so their key to success will lie on their ability to showcase their usual performance on the pitch. Shimizu, who are playing in their first season in the West, are another prestigious J.League Youth team that have been competing in the Premier League since 2011, when the current competition format was introduced. They are only four points out to escape the relegation zone, and they can certainly gain momentum if they can win points off the league leaders.

Second placed Iwata will face fourth placed Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) in Fukuoka. Following their three-game losing streak which started in the 11th sec., the Iwata side have bounced back to mark back-to-back wins in their recent matches. Their ace FUNAHASHI Kyota (#20) has scored in three consecutive matches and will certainly play a key role in this match. Higashi Fukuoka, on the other hand, have been deeply effected by the pandemic, as they saw many of their matches getting postponed. However, the Fukuoka side has marked four consecutive wins from the 12th sec. and shown plenty of growth through the summer. The two sides drew 1-1 in their first encounter on Sunday 25 September. It will be interesting to see which side will come up top this time around.

Third placed Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) will play Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth (Hiroshima). Last week, Kobe extended their undefeated streak to eight matches with a 2-0 victory over Higashi Fukuoka. With the team trailing eight points behind the West leaders, this will be a must win match for them to stay in contention for the title. Hiroshima had a horrendous start to the season, as they went winless in the first seven fixtures, but since bounced back to rank seventh in the league. Following last week’s close loss to Tosu, the team is looking to get back on their winning ways to break into the upper half of the West standings.

Elsewhere, Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) and Riseisha High School (Osaka), Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) and Shizuoka Gakuen High School (Shizuoka), Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) and Ozu High School (Kumamoto) are scheduled to face each other.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022

League Duration: Sat. 2 April - Sun. 4 December 2022

League Information