The Prince Takamado Trophy U-18 Premier League EAST enters its Matchday 15 on Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September.

Ahead of the other four fixtures, Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa High School take on the same Chiba Prefecture outfit Ichiritsu Funabashi High School. Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa have settled for ninth place in the relegation zone with their back to the wall.

There is a lack of decisiveness in their attack as they scored two or more goals only on the matchday 4 and 5 out of the past 14 matches. Their next opposition are Ichiritsu Funabashi, who have better midfield. Holding up tough stretches and converting counterattack chances are the key to win the match.

Consadole Sapporo U-18 (Hokkaido) face F.C. Tokyo U-18 (Tokyo) at home. As they have added up their share of points in the third stage with the record of one win, one loss and two ties including the tenaciously-fought draw with Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori), the Sapporo players have gained confidence.

"Even if we get behind, we can be competitive against any opponents if we don't get rattled," says Consadole midfielder SUGIYAMA Yuta. The players believe the experience they got in the close contests against Omiya Ardija (Saitama) and Aomori Yamada certainly helps their future performance.

The square-off between JFA Academy Fukushima (Shizuoka) and Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) is the one both teams cannot afford to lose to keep their spot in the Premier League. Although Academy Fukushima went down in the last match, they have maintained themselves in a fair condition, as defeating Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa 3-1 on the matchday 13.

The opponents Kashiwa were off the pace into the third stage but drew with Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa in the last match to gain a long-awaited point. In the upcoming match, they look to restage the matchday 6 where they beat Academy Fukushima 5-0.

Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki), who currently stand in third place, meet sixth-placed Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka). Kashima gave up the top spot with a loss against Omiya Ardija Youth (Saitama) on Matchday 13 but grabbed three points in the last match over Academy Fukushima. Their resilience not to lose straight matches proved their competency as a team.

The opposing team Shimizu boosted themselves up in the last contest, beating unbeaten Omiya 1-0. Shimizu marked their fifth clean sheet to build the momentum for the next fixture. They try to capture the flow of the game in their favour to win the next one with a slender lead.

［Pick-up Match - EAST Matchday 15］
Omiya Ardija Youth vs Aomori Yamada High School

Second-placed Omiya Ardija Youth (Saitama) have a big match against leaders Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori). Omiya finished scoreless in the last match for the first time since the season opener and marked their first loss of the season. The Saitama side yielded the top spot that they had secured since Matchday 11.

The key in this upcoming match for them is their defence on set-plays. They have conceded only eight goals so far, yet of five goals are given up through a corner kicks or a free kick. They may want to review their defence.

Date: Sunday 20 September, Kick-off at 11:00
Venue: NTT East Shiki Sogo Ground
Access: Take Kokusai Kogyo Bus from Tobu Tojo Line "Shiki Station" and get off at "Muneoka Hasuda." Walk for 2 minutes.

Direction to venue (Japanese version only)

Premier League EAST Matchday 15

9/19 (Sat.)
14:00   Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa High School   vs   Ichiritsu Funabashi High School (Ryutsukeizaidai Kashiwa High School)
9/20 (Sun.)
11:00   Omiya Ardija Youth   vs   Aomori Yamada High School (NTT East Japan Shiki Sogo Ground)
11:00   JFA Academy Fukushima   vs   Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Tokinosumika Sports Centre Tokinosumika Ground)
11:00   Kashima Antlers Youth   vs   Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Kashima Stadium)
11:00   Consadole Sapporo U-18   vs   F.C. Tokyo U-18 (Sapporo Soccer Amusement Park)

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)