Pick-up Match
Ozu High School vs Oita Trinita U-18

The 13th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy U-18 Premier League WEST will be held from Saturday 17 to Monday 19 September. 18 September will see a game between Ozu High School (Kumamoto) and Oita Trinita U-18 (Oita) at Ozu Sports Park Stadium.

Oita beat Ozu 3-0 in the postponed game of the 4th Sec. on 13 August. Then one of Ozu's players came back from injury and the team won the game against Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) 3-0 in the 10th Sec. Although they lost to Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth (Hiroshima) 1-0 in the 11th Sec, the players stayed competitive, and continued to build momentum. The coach HIRAOKA Kazunori expressed confidence ahead of the weekend: ‘since the players in every position have improved, the team is becoming what I originally pictured when I assembled it.’

NAKAMURA Tamotsu, the coach of Oita, reviewed their previous match: 'although we managed to steal a win last time, there was not much difference in the performance of both teams. We could have been beaten by the same score.’ He did not show any satisfaction in the result. As the team drew with leaders Hiroshima to grab one point in the previous Sec., they are eager to maintain their momentum in this Sec. The coach commented: ‘the next match after a good performance is vital. We shouldn’t overestimate how much we’ve improved just by the game against Hiroshima. I expect the players to remain down-to-earth.’

Ozu currently sit in eighth place with nine points, while Oita are in tenth place with eight points. This weekend’s game between two teams from Kyushu will be essential if they want to climb up the league.

Coaches' and Player's Comments

HIRAOKA Kazunori, Coach (Ozu High School)
One of the charms of the Premier League is that the players can learn for the future from their achievements or mistakes in these games. Although we just lost to Oita in the postponed 4th Sec. game, I look forward to seeing how the players will overcome their issues from previous matches in this weekend’s game. As both teams had to train in difficult circumstances since the disaster last spring, we’d like show respect by performing well. We’re aiming to earn points to remain in the league.

NAKAMURA Tamotsu (Oita Trinita U-18)
Defend solidly and keep possession after intercepting – these two are the keys to winning a game. As I always tell the players, it’s difficult to perform as we usually would. So I think we need to be thorough about our rules. We cannot lose focus at all in the Premier League. We must stay cautious not only in the first 15 minutes of the first and the second halves, but also before and after drinks breaks. The players are required to stay focused on the details until the final whistle.

NOGAMI Takuya (Oita Trinita U-18)
Our strength is that each of us runs hard to contribute to the team. In the coming game this weekend, I’d like to react to the loose ball after clearing the opponent’s long-distance ball, so that we can take an advantage in the match. It’s vital for the forwards to initiate attacks and aggressively fire shots. Personally, I’d like to take shots, aiming at difficult spaces for the opponent, while controlling the game. Even though we struggle to get positive results in the high level Premier League, I’d like to catch up, bearing the phrase ‘one step at a time’ in mind.

Ozu High School vs Oita Trinita U-18
Date: Sun. 18 September (kick-off 11:00)
Venue: Ozu Sports Park Stadium
Directions: Approx. 10-minute taxi drive from ‘Higo-Ōzu Station (JR Hōhi Main Line)’.

Premier League WEST Matchday 13

9/17
17:00　Higashi Fukuoka High School vs Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School (Higashi Fukuoka High School)
18:00　Vissel Kobe U-18 vs Kyoto Sanga F.C U-18 (Ibukinomori Stadium)
9/18
19:30　Gamba Osaka Youth vs Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Gamba Osaka Ground)
9/19
11:00　Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth vs Nagoya Grampus U18 (Yoshida Soccer Park)

Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka), who are currently sitting in third place, will play a home game against Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School (Hyogo). The team have been building positive momentum with four wins out of five in recent games, and aim to win three consecutive matches for the second time in this season.

Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) have also been performing well since August with three wins and one loss. They will challenge Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo), one of the top teams, to see how strong they really are.

The match between two Osaka teams, Gamba Osaka Youth and Cerezo Osaka U-18, is also drawing a lot of attention. In the 4th Sec., both teams were involved in a game full of shots that ended 4-3.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth (Hiroshima) aim to beat Nagoya Grampus U18 (Aichi) to earn three points and to maintain the top spot.

JFA-TV (Japanese Version Only)

Highlights from Matchday 12

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