The Prince Takamado Trophy U-18 Premier League will restart on Saturday 27 June and the 7th Sec. of EAST will be held on both Saturday and Sunday.

JFA Academy Fukushima (Shizuoka) aim to win for the first time in the league against Ichiritsu Funabashi High School (Chiba). As JFA Academy Fukushima lost all six games, conceding several goals in each match, they have to focus on their defence. Last year they gathered themselves up from the second round.

So they hope to earn some points by winning. In terms of Ichiritsu Funabashi High School, on the other hand, YAMURA　Ken, who played a main role in the team last year, has recovered from his injury. The attackers have strength in depth, aiming to stay among the leaders.

An exciting match will be expected between the top teams, Omiya Ardija Youth (Saitama) and F.C. Tokyo U-18 (Tokyo). Although Omiya are newcomers to the Premier League, they have won every game so far. ITO Akira, the head coach, commented: “we play focused on winning the championship since we’ve been promoted to this league.” The team is excellent in both attack and defence, forming a united team around the captain Kurokawa. 

F.C. Tokyo U-18, who are also newcomers, succeeded in getting good results - three wins and two draws after losing a game in the 1st Sec. - and staying among the top teams. SATO Kazuki, the head coach, noted: “the players can judge the situation to suit their games.” They will play flexibly to win the match.

Consadole Sapporo U-18 (Hokkaido) will meet Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa (Chiba). Although Sapporo have not shown enough strength in their attack so far, scoring only three goals in six games, they struck goals in both the 5th and 6th Sec. If they overcome their pattern of conceding a goal early on in the game, which tends to put them off their stride, they will have some goal-scoring opportunities. 

Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa have been building up positive momentum with their solid defence, overcoming a tough three consecutive losses. They won the game against Ichiritsu Funabashi 3-2 in the Chiba qualifying round of the Inter-high school championships (the Interscholastic Athletic Meet), and will face the coming match with a positive mindset.

Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka) will play against Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori). Shimizu won the opening match with three goals, but they have scored only once in the five recent games. As they made significant changes to the team this year, they are still taking time to build up their team. Each individual has good skills, and they are expected to improve their combinations, so that they can win the coming match.

Aomori Yamada, on the other hand, lost consecutive games after three victories in a row. KURODA Go, the head coach, noted: “they still play slightly complacently.” They focused on improving their running strength during the break. So we need to keep our eyes on them.

【Pick-up Match of EAST Matchday 7】
Kashiwa Reysol U-18 vs. Kashima Antlers Youth

The previous champions of EAST, Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) will meet the current top team, Kashima Antlers Youth(Ibaraki), in the Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium. Kashiwa have not been able to win any of the five games since their opening match against each opponent’s solid defence, they finally won for the first time in this season against JFA Academy Fukushima with five scores in the previous Sec. Three forwards, including UKITA Kensei, SHIRAKAWA Keishiro, and ITO Tatsuya, have strong power in attack.

Having said that, Kashima are proud of their defence, one of the strongest defensive lines in the league, conceding only two goals in six games. They tend to keep a clean sheet, waiting for their goal-scoring opportunities. We cannot miss the match between these two strong teams.

Date: Kick-off 16:00 on Saturday 27 June 2015
Venue: Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium
Access: Approximately 20-minute walk from East exit of Kashiwa Station (JR Joban Line and Tobu Noda Line),Approximately one-minute walk from the bus stop “Midorigaoka” or “Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium”, which leaves from bay 1 of East exit of Kashiwa Station
Access to the stadium (Japanese version only)

Premier League EAST Matchday 7 Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 June

6/27
11:00　JFA Academy Fukushima vs Ichiritsu Funabashi High School (Tokinosumika Ground Tokinosumika Sports Centre)
16:00　Omiya Ardija Youth vs F.C. Tokyo U-18 (NTT East Japan Shiki Sogo Ground)
16:00　Kashiwa Reysol U-18 vs Kashima Antlers Youth (Hitachi Kashiwa Soccer Stadium)
6/28
11:00　Shimizu S-Pulse Youth vs Aomori Yamada High School (Shimizu National Training Centre/J-STEP)
11:00　Consadole Sapporo U-18 vs Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa (Sapporo Soccer Amusement Park)

A list of registration player changes is here (Japanese version only)