The top-tier league of the U-18 category, the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019, kicked-off on Saturday 6 April.

The first match of the WEST division took place at Yanmar Field Nagai, where Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) and Ehime FC U-18 (Ehime) squared off against each other. Although Nagoya took the initiative of the match in the early minutes, it was Ehime who scored the first goal, as UEOKA Riku (FW #11) responded to a long field delivered by SAKAI Hinata (MF #8) to capture the net in the 13th minute. Following the goal, the newly promoted Ehime side anticipated for their opportunities to counter, as TANIOKA Masashi (DF #6) later reflected, “Although we were facing a tough match, we were able to play with composure after that goal.” In the 50th minute, Ehime’s MIHARA Shuma (DF #5) capitalised on an error made by the Nagoya defence to score the team’s second goal. With their defence keeping a clean sheet, Ehime started off their first Premier League season in seven years with a victory.

The second match held at Yanmar Field Nagai was between Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) and Ozu High School (Kumamoto), where the two sides showcased an equally matched battle that entered the second half scoreless. It was the Kumamoto side who scored the opener, as MORITA Daichi (MF #31) converted the loose ball following a shot taken by HIGUCHI Kenta (MF #8). Just as the match was coming to an end, Gamba captured the equaliser from a corner kick to end the match with a 1-1 draw.

The match between Cerezo Osaka U-18 (OSAKA) and Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) was played at Yanmar Stadium Nagai, where the Fukuoka side took full advantage of their endurance, as KODA Takashi (MF #6) proudly mentioned after the match, “We were able to outrun our opponents and managed to run until the end.” With the Osaka side getting fatigued towards the end, Higashi Fukuoka scored two goals to earn a 2-0 victory in their league opener. Following the match, Coach MORISHIGE Junya stated, “It is very satisfying to earn results against an opponent who we have a bad track record. The fact that we managed to earn three points in the league opener against a tough opponent means a lot for us.”

Day two of the opening game week featured a match between Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) and Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima). As Coach NODA Satoru later reflected, “The first half was one of our best performance of the season,” the Kobe players showcased great ball movements in the midfield to keep Hiroshima pinned back in the defensive end. The opening goal came for Vissel in the 24th minute, when HIGASHIDA Masaki (DF #3) scored off a corner kick. YAMAUCHI Kakeru (MF #7) followed up in the 32nd minute with a powerful shot to double their lead. Despite conceding a goal in the second half, Kobe managed to hold on to their lead to earn three points off the defending champions.

The final match of the opening game week saw Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) facing Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka). It was Fukuoka who scored the opening goal in the fifth minute, but Kyoto rallied back by scoring two goals in the next 10 minutes to claim the lead. Despite seeing the Fukuoka side making the efforts to level the match, Kyoto further extended their lead with NOHAMA Tomoya’s (MF #8) two goals scored in the second half to finish off the match with a score of 4-1.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MF #10 TANABE Kohei (Nagoya Grampus U-18)
Our opponents allowed us to possess the ball but didn’t give us any opportunities to penetrate the penalty area, and we ended up with very few shots taken. It was my job as the team captain to change the team’s mood when things weren’t going in our way, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to do that today. We are asked to take the initiative on the pitch, and that is an aspect I must work on in our future matches. We had big expectations for the league opener, so we’re very disappointed with this result, but the league has just started. We have more matches coming each week, so we will do our best to rack up the points to win the title.

HIRAOKA Kazunori, Head Coach (Ozu High School)
Even though I haven’t given them any coaching yet, their performance was quite impressive. The players did a wonderful job. Each player showcased their colour and created many opportunities. Regardless of who we face, the opening match is always tough, so a draw is not so bad. I was moved seeing our players encouraging each other despite being fatigued towards the end of the match. Our team showed great dedication in today’s match. Our job as coaches is to guide these players’ efforts in the right direction moving forward.

SAWADA Kentaro, Coach (Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth)
Today we showcased exactly what we shouldn’t do when facing Vissel, as the entire team retreated too deep in our own territory. With our opponents moving the ball around with great pace in the first half, we had to be more decisive when approaching the ball. Despite taking control of the match in the second half, we lacked quality in the final third to level the match. That’s definitely something we must work on in our training sessions. I want my players to understand that there will be always winners and losers in the sport of football, so they shouldn’t take this result too seriously nor too lightly.

MF #7 YOSHIMURA Ginga (Avispa Fukuoka U-18)
We tended to let our guards down when scoring the opening goal last season, so that was an aspect we were trying to improve this year. When we conceded the equaliser, we really wanted to avoid giving up the lead, but when we gave up the second goal, everyone started to hang their head down. During halftime, our coach told us that the next goal will be the deciding goal, but we ended up conceding two more goals in the second half. Our inability to convert the chances is another task we must work on. There are many things we manage to do in our training sessions, but we can’t execute in our matches, so we must change our mindsets from our training sessions.

Match results of 1st Sec.

Sat. 6 April 2019
Nagoya Grampus U-18 0-2 (0-1, 0-1) Ehime FC U-18
Gamba Osaka Youth 1-1 (0-0, 1-1) Ozu High School
Cerezo Osaka U-18 0-2 (0-0, 0-2) Higashi Fukuoka High School

Sun. 7 April 2019
Vissel Kobe U-18 2-1 (2-0, 0-1) Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth
Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 4-1 (2-1, 2-0) Avispa Fukuoka U-18
 

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019

League Duration: Sat. 6 April - Sun. 8 December 2019

League Information