Saturday 17 December saw the curtain-up of the ‘28th Prince Takamado Trophy All Japan Youth (U-15) Football Tournament’, which decides the best U-15 men’s team in the country. Sixteen games in the 1st Round were held at various sites across Ibaraki Prefecture.

Pick-up Match 1

Aomori Yamada Junior High School　0-6（0-3, 0-3）Cerezo Osaka U-15

Aomori Yamada Junior High School (Tohoku 1) met Cerezo Osaka U-15 (Kansai 3) in the first match at K's denki Stadium Mito. C Osaka, who aimed to win two tournaments in a row, displayed their strength against Aomori Yamada, who had succeeded in winning three consecutive All Japan Junior High School Sports Festivals in August. C Osaka used the pitch widely to pass the ball at pace, dominating the opponents’ area, and KONDO Kuraba struck the opener quickly from a free kick in the eighth minute. Three minutes later, the team passed the ball from the centre to the right, and sent a cross to the further side, where left midfielder SHIMOKAWA Taiyo calmly fired a shot to stretch their lead. After 18 minutes, TAKEDA Hidetoshi of Aomori Yamada dribbled up in order to take the team’s first shot. However, CHIKAZAWA Fubuki of C Osaka struck another goal in the 37th minute, building a three-goal lead before halftime.

In the second half, Aomori Yamada made some changes to the team to attack back. Despite their shooting attempt just after the second half started, C Osaka stayed calm. Shimokawa took a long distance shot in the 65th minute, which hit the crossbar. Then Kondo reacted to a loose ball to slot it into the goal, adding more insurance. C Osaka continued to control the game by substituting five players and scored two more goals at the end of the match.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

Pick up Match 2

Fagiano Okayama U-15　4-0（0-0, 4-0）Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-15

The second match at K's denki Stadium Mito sub-ground was between Fagiano Okayama U-15 (Chugoku 3) and Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-15 (Kansai 4). Although Kyoto kept possession from the beginning of the game, Okayama defended solidly to prevent the opponents from creating any goal-scoring opportunities. Okayama performed tenacious defence with individual efforts on the wings and collaboration among the team, and let Kyoto fire only one shot in the first half. The team, on the other hand, stole the ball to counter attack, going close to Kyoto’s goal.

The match changed at the beginning of the second half. After 48 minutes, Okayama put on pressure and succeeded in stealing the ball from Kyoto, who were trying to build-up from the backline. The team earned a free kick in front of the goal through this swift attack, and TANIMOTO Kunpei of Okayama struck a goal from it into the right-hand corner. After replacing players one after another, Kyoto sent more forward passes. However, Okayama stayed focused in their defence. In the 74th minute, TAKASHIMA Shinpei of Okayama, reacted to a forward pass, and scored a goal to stretch their lead. Okayama added two more goals towards the end of the match against Kyoto, who threw everything into attack. The newcomers Okayama booked a place in the 2nd Round.

Match Details (Japanese version only)

The eight games of the 2nd Round will be held on Sunday 18 December to decide quarterfinalists.

Coaches' and Players' Comments

SHIMOKAWA Taiyo (Cerezo Osaka U-15)
We tried to pressurise up front, while our attackers stayed calm in front of the goal, in order to prevent the opponents from finding their rhythm. As we knew the opponents would preform various set pieces, we were cautious about them. Although I had several goal-scoring opportunities, I struck only one goal. I did assist a goal in the second half, but I’d like to lead the team to win with my shots. Since we couldn’t get good results in the summer, we’ve been practicing as a united team, playing practice matches against many teams. I’d like to play hardest, so that we can win the championship.

UEDA Daiki, Coach (Aomori Yamada Junior High School)
We couldn’t display what we had been practicing. We conceded two goals in the first 10 minutes, which affected on our plan. Knowing the opponents’ technique and physicality are better, we faced the match without hesitation. However, we couldn’t pressurise them enough. We were overwhelmed by the atmosphere of this big tournament, and couldn’t continuously perform defence or apply pressure back. Had we played with fighting spirit just like at the beginning of the second half, the result might have been different. As many second graders were on the pitch today, I hope the new team will learn from today’s defeat. It was our challenge to see how well we could perform as a team from the Nippon Junior High School Physical Culture Association against a J club team. We found that we needed to improve more.

TANIMOTO Sotaro (Fagiano Okayama U-15)
We have been thinking about how to play as a united team against a stronger team, Kyoto. At one point, each individual player worked as much as possible, and could not think much about the team. Thanks to the fact that the opponents were stronger than us, we managed to keep our unity. Although we performed a little awkwardly in the first half, we managed to display our style after scoring from a free kick in the second half. Having said that, we haven’t showcased everything we’ve got. I believe we can get through more.

KISHIMOTO Kosuke, Coach (Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-15)
Although we managed to display our style to a certain extent in the first half, we couldn’t move forward in the second half. The players may have felt a little too cautious. As Okayama played steadily, we had to perform beyond their expectation to avoid difficult situations. We could have played more aggressively or boldly in front of the goal. Having said that, I’d like to point out that the players performed really hard. We have started to work on our style since spring, moving the ball around, and achieved something, despite this result. I’d like the players to learn from this result for the future.

28th Prince Takamado Trophy All Japan Youth (U-15) Football Tournament

2016-12-17(Sat.)～2016-12-28(Wed.)
First Round～Quarter-finals：Various Stadiums in Ibaraki Prefecture
Semi-finals～FinalAjinomoto Field Nishigaoka(Tokyo)
Tournament Information
Fixtures and Results (Japanese version only)