Pick Up Match

Kashiwa Reysol U-18 4-1（1st 1-0, 2nd 3-1） JFA Academy Fukushima

Looking to end their losing skid, Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) faced JFA Academy Fukushima (Shizuoka) at home on Sunday 14 September.

Leaders Shimizu S-pulse Youth (Shizuoka) already recorded a loss in this week, winning this match was going to put Kashiwa on top of the standings again. Head coach Simotaira Takahiro said to players before the match “We will win and we get on top.” Those words pushed Kashiwa players to attack aggressively early in the match. They moved around the ball and went deep into Academy Fukushima’s end. Nakayama Yuta and Sirakawa Keishiro fired shots from mid-range. Then in the 34th minute, Shirakawa’s thunderous strike finally gave Kashiwa the first goal of the match. The first half finished 1-0.

In the second half, Academy Fukushima, looking for an equaliser, started speeding up their offensive tempo by passing forward more often than in the first half. Although in the 59th minute Kusano Yuki got instantly ejected after he committed a foul to the opposing goalkeeper, they kept their attacks simple and feeding passes behind Kashiwa defenders. Then in the 70th, centre back Uno Yoshikatsu’s long feed reached rushing Taniguchi Shoto, who left-footed the ball into Kashiwa’s goal to tie the match.

On the other hand, that equaliser sparked Kashiwa’s offence. In the 81st, Michael James Den Heijer assisted Ukita Kensei’s go-ahead goal and two minute later Michael James Den Heijer scored for himself after Kashiwa moved around the ball in the box. In the extra time, one more goal was scored for Kashiwa to change the score 4-1.
Kashiwa, once had it tied, showed their true attacking prowess in the last 10 minutes and moved up on top of the standings by acquiring three points.

Comments

Shimotaira Takahiro, Head Coach of Kashiwa Reysol U-18
We had the first losing streak in the last match, and we came out for this match. Before the match we already knew that Shimizu lost, so I said to my players “we have to win this one no matter what.” We could execute our game plan not to let them target their defence. Michael (James Den Heijer) came on during the match and did his work, so it was great. This win gives our team more confidence.

Michael James Den Heijer, Kashiwa Reisol U-18
Before I got onto the field, coach Shimotaira said to me “Get a goal. Make something happen.” I could score just as he wanted. I am proud that we got on top of the standings with this win. When my Japanese gets better, my communication with my teammates on the pitch will get better, too. So I will keep trying to communicate with my teammates and friends.

Nakata Yasuhito, Head Coach of JFA Academy Fukushima
Just after the kick-off, they started moving the ball around, and that stopped our legs. We tried to hang in there, but late in the match, we just ran out of gas mentally and physically. It was a positive sign that we kept defending tenaciously and occasionally got back the ball when we wanted. Ever since from the start of the season, it has always been like we have our back against the wall. Sometimes it works well, and sometimes it doesn’t. Even with those ups and downs, we try to keep moving forward.

Taniguchi Shoto, JFA Academy Fukushima
They were very good at moving the ball, and against such a good team we had to defend with one player missing. We wanted to score by counter-attacks, but after we tied it 1-1, we started to think only about defending until the end. That kept us in our end. We always have to keep trying to attack their goal, not just once in a while. I felt we have to be mentally tougher.

Results of Other Matches

Aomori Yamada High School　1-0（1st 0-0, 2nd 1-0）　Shimizu S-pulse Youth
Ryutsu Keizai Kashiwa High School　0-4（1st 0-3, 2nd 0-1）　Mitsubishi Yowa SC Youth
Kashima Antlers Youth　3-0（1st 1-0, 2nd 2-0）　Ichiritsu Funabashi High School
Consadole Sapporo　2-0（1st 2-0, 2nd 0-0）　Tokyo Verdy Youth

Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) do not stop winning. Against the league leaders Shimizu S-pulse Youth (Shizuoka), Nakata Ryota’s　goal in the extra time gave Aomori Yamada a dramatic win, fourth in a row and moved them up to fourth in the standings. Mitsubishi Yowa SC Youth (Tokyo) cruised past Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School (Chiba) with three goals in the first half. Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) extended their winning streak to three with a 3-0 win over Ichiritsu Funabashi High School (Chiba). Hirakawa Genki’s two goals helped Consadole Sapporo (Hokkaido) beat Tokyo Verdy Youth (Tokyo), while it was the sixth straight loss for struggling Tokyo Verdy.