The new season of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League EAST opened on Saturday 6 April, and five matches took place at AGF Field (Tokyo) over two days.

Two matches were held on the first day as Funabashi Municipal High School (Chiba) faced Jubilo Iwata U-18 (Shizuoka) in the first match. The two teams started off the match rather passively, but it was Jubilo who struck first as BABA Junya (#27) scored the opening goal from a free-kick in the 26th minute. Funabashi Municipal’s equaliser came in the 52nd minute when ISHIDA Yusuke (#16) struck a header from a corner-kick to level the match. The two sides showcased an equally matched battle for a while, but in the additional time of the second half, Iwata’s substituted player NONAKA Yuto (#12) scored the game winning goal, which he later reflected, “I was so thrilled,” to give his side the victory and three points in the opening match.

The second match saw a matchup between Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) and Shoshi High School (Fukushima). With the Fukushima side making their first appearance at the Premier League in eight years, Coach NAKAMURA Koji mentioned, “It was a nerve-racking moment for us, but prior to the match I told my players to just have fun.” The Shoshi players responded to their coach’s words and showcased a spectacular performance in both offence and defence. From their quick transitions, SOMENO Itsuki (#9) captured the opening goal in the first half. The striker carried the momentum into the second half to add two more goals to complete a hattrick to push his side to a 3-0 victory to start off their returning season.

On Sunday 7, the second match day of the first Sec. saw Urawa Red Diamonds Youth (Saitama) square off against Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka) in the first match. Despite taking control of the match in the early minutes, Urawa conceded the opening goal in the 17th minute when Shimizu’s AOSHIMA Taichi (#11) found the back of the net. Aoshima capitalised on an error made by the Urawa defenders in the 81st minute to score another goal to give his side a 2-0 victory. After showing great persistence during the tough stretches to earn the win, Coach HIRAOKA Hiroaki praised his players for their performance, “There are capable of winning tough matches like this.”

In the second match of the day, Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School (Chiba) took on Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori), where the match featured intense battles from the beginning. It was Aomori Yamada who scored the opening goal, as their forward GOTO Kenta (#11) exploited the mistake made by the Ryutsu Keizai defenders to capture the net in the 32nd minute. By adding an insurance goal in the 82nd minute, Aomori Yamada went on to secure a 2-0 victory in their opening match. Aomori’s Coach KURODA Go applauded his players, “We lost all of our starting players from last year except for one player, but the players shook off the anxiety with their superb performance.”

The final fixture of the day featured a match between Omiya Ardija U18 (Saitama), who made their return to the Premier League after two years, and last year’s Premier League EAST Champions Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki). It was the Omiya side who took the initiative of the match with their aggressive plays, as their defender MURAKAMI Yosuke (#3) later reflected, “We were really pumped-up for the match.” With momentum on their side, Omiya captured the opening goal in the closing minutes of the first half, as OSAWA Tomoya (#10) found the net from a set-piece. This goal in the first half turned out to be the deciding goal, as Omiya Ardija caused a major upset by defeating the defending champions in their first match of the Premier League in two years.

Coaches and Players' Comments

SETO Taiji, Coach (Jubilo Iwata U-18)
We managed to execute our game plan in the first half, as we didn’t want to take too much risks to start off the match. As the game progressed, we turned up our tempo in our attacks to change the dynamics of the match. The opening goal came from a fortunate turn of events, as the play was not something we practiced. Compared to the opening match from last year, we had more leeway in terms of our substitutions, and I felt like we were able to make use of our experience from the previous season.

TANNO Yusuke, Coach (Omiya Ardija U18)
We saw many players cramping up, and I imagine that there was a special nervousness surrounding this opening match. Since the number of substitutions was limited, there were very difficult decisions to make from the side line. Kashima is very good at set-plays, so we came prepared for them, and the goal we scored was in a way a result of that preparation work we’ve put in. It is very nice that we won today, but it’s important to keep in mind that this was only one of the 18 matches of the season.

FW #9 SOMENO Itsuki (Shoshi High School)
This is a bit too good to be true. We entered the match with the intention to enjoy the moment. The team managed to play well especially after scoring the first goal. We were granted with a freekick in a very favourable spot for me, and the freekicks are one of my strong points, so I was pretty confident when I took the shot. This year I will work hard and strive to improve myself so that I can excel in my first year at the professional level.

MF #6 FURUYADO Riku (Aomori Yamada High School)
We’ve put in loads of work during the winter, and I feel like this win is a result of our efforts. There was definitely a huge difference in the climate from Aomori, but we don’t want to make that as an excuse. I am pretty confident in my ability to force turnovers, so I am glad I was able to contribute to our team’s goal. This match lifted up my confidence a little.

Match results of 1st Sec.

Sat. 6 April 2019
Funabashi Municipal High School 1-2 (0-1, 1-1) Jubilo Iwata U-18
Kashiwa Reysol U-18 0-3 (0-1, 0-2) Shoshi High School

Sun. 7 April 2019
Urawa Red Diamonds Youth 0-2 (0-1, 0-1) Shimizu S-Pulse Youth
Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School 0-2 (0-1, 0-1) Aomori Yamada High School
Omiya Ardija U18 1-0 (1-0, 0-0) Kashima Antlers Youth
 

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019

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

League Information