The Prince Takamado Trophy Under-18 Premier League EAST will enter their fifth week of the season on 6 May.

Omiya Ardija Youth (Saitama) and Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka) will square off in a “Orange derby.” Omiya earned one point against the league-leading Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) in the previous week. They have been unbeaten with a 1-0-3 record. “If we do things when we have to, result will follow,” their head coach Ito Akira says. It will be intriguing to see how Omiya will play against Shimizu, who come in the game with some momentum as they posted their first twin since their victory on the opening day.

Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School will face Kashiwa Reysol Under-18. Both teams are based in Kashiwa. Ryutsu Keizai seemed to be favored because they had won in both games of last year against the same team and seized their first win of the season against JFA Academy Fukushima (Shizuoka) in their previous match. Meanwhile, Reysol, who have been away from a win for a while, have played hard mainly with players with no Premier League experience. Although they no longer have time to overwhelm their opponents with their passing game, Reysol seek gaining some points with their tenacious defence.

Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori), who took their first loss of the season in their previous game against Funabashi Municipal High (Chiba), will take on Consadole Sapporo Under-18 (Hokkaido) as they wrap up their three consecutive away games. “We weren't running from the beginning. As we'd won consecutive games, we were putting our guards down a little,” Hirosue Riku of Aomori Yamada says. The team hope to retrieve their basement with their running. “If we take consecutive losses, we might fall into a trap, but if we win, we can get some momentum back. The next game will be important,” Hirosue adds.

A game between FC Tokyo Under-18 (Tokyo) and Funabashi Municipal will also be can't-miss match. FC Tokyo have come unbeaten in their last three contests, and their Sato Ryo has particularly been in good shape as he's scored goals in the last three games. As he says “I'm always trying to make shots,” Sato has certainly come through in actual games with what he's worked on in practices. Funabashi Municipal have traditionally been know as a team with solid defence, but they look to be more of an all-around club this year. “They've got skills in their individuals,” says Aomori Yamada coach Kuroda Go. But it doesn't seem that Funabashi will lower their guards. “If we let up even a bit, we will go down in the standings,” Funabashi coach Asaoka Ryuzo says. The team will play with a one-game-at-a-time mentality this week too.

［Match to see in the fifth week of EAST］
Kashima Antlers Youth vs. JFA Academy Fukushima

The league-leading Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) will host JFA Academy Fukushima, who currently sink in the bottom of the standings. Kashima's winning streak was snapped at three with a draw against Omiya in the previous week. They had some time that they had to focus on defending, but showed solid physical plays defensively with the entire squad, and have accumulated points. Academy Fukushima, meanwhile, have failed to cap a win so far. Although they ended up losing against Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa 0-3 last week, but they fought hard until the end as they played a one-goal game until 90th minute. They are expected to deal with a tough game this time, but they will have to reduce number of goals given up and play with fighting spirit until the end so they'd earn some points. 

■Kashima Antlers Youth vs. JFA Academy Fukushima
Date and time:
11 a.m. kickoff, 6 May (Wednesday/holiday)
Venue:
Kashima Soccer Stadium  access
Access:
10 minutes by taxi from Kashima Jingu Station of the JR Kashima Line

Premier League EAST 5th Sec.   Wed. 6 May

10:00   Omiya Ardija Youth  vs.  Shimizu S-pulse Youth（Saitama Stadium 2002 2nd Ground）
11:00   Consadole Sapporo U-18　vs.  Aomori Yamada High School（Sapporo Soccer Amusement Park）
11:00   F.C. Tokyo U-18  vs.  Ichiritsu Funabashi High School（Tokyo Gas Musashinoen Ground）
11:00   Kashima Antlers Youth   vs.   JFA Academy Fukushima（Kashima Soccer Stadium）
11:00   Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa  vs.   Kashiwa Reysol U-18（Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa）