The 16th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League EAST took place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November at various locations. The league leaders Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) welcomed fourth place Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka) to their home field, where the Aomori side claimed a 4-2 victory to get within a point to claim the league title.

Pick-up Match

Aomori Yamada High School 4-2 (3-1, 1-1) Shimizu S-Pulse Youth

The match kicked off with the home side taking full control of the match, as Shimizu’s coach HIRAOKA Hiroaki later reflected, “It was a total defeat for us. We were overwhelmed by the atmosphere and the opponent from the first half.” Following the opening goal scored by TANAKA Shota (#9) in the 11th minute, Aomori Yamada captured their second goal in the 26th minute, when TAKEDA Hidetoshi (#10) converted a cut-back from GOTO Kenta (#11). A minute later, Takeda dribbled up the field and struck a fine shot from distance that pierced the net, making it 3-0 for the league leaders.

In efforts to change the dynamics of the match, Shimizu utilised two of their substitutes in the 34th minute, which led to a goal scored in additional time, where CHIBA Kanta (#30) struck a header that captured the net. Gaining momentum from the last minute goal, Shimizu showed great aggression to start the second half. In the 50th minute, AOSHIMA Taichi (#11) connected with the cross delivered by TANAKA Yoshihiro (#2) to get within a goal.

However, with Aomori Yamada showcasing a solid performance in defence, Shimizu struggled to find their way to score the equaliser. With time running out, Shimizu made their final efforts to push forward, but ended up conceding a goal in the 83rd minute which sealed the win for Aomori Yamada.

With this win, Aomori Yamada is now just a point away from claiming the league title. Despite the commanding lead, coach KURODA Go remained alerted, “(Second place) Kashiwa Reysol U-18 can rack-up 10 goals in the next two matches.” The coach continued by stating, “We will earn points in our next match. We will remain focused until we claim the title.”

Coaches and Players' Comments

KURODA Go, Coach (Aomori Yamada High School)
We played perfectly to take a 3-0 lead. However, the goal we conceded at the end of the first half was unnecessary, and the goal we conceded at the beginning of the second half was also problematic. The goals were led by individual mistakes, rather than a team error, so I will make sure to address the issues. Despite conceding two goals, it was great to see our team make the adjustments afterwards.

MF #10 TAKEDA Hidetoshi (Aomori Yamada High School)
It was great to see our first two goals coming from counterattacks we have been anticipating for. In the scene where I scored the first goal, the play should have been made by a forward, but I was in a good position to make the run, so I made the decision to push forward. The second goal came after I dribbled past a defender and saw an opening, so I just went for it. The shot went just the way I visualised it.

HIRAOKA Hiroaki, Coach (Shimizu S-Pulse Youth)
We gave up too much freedom to our opponents today. We faced similar problems when facing Funabashi Municipal High School and Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School, but we tend to get overwhelmed by the away atmosphere created by these high school teams. We did well to get within a goal, but we couldn’t crack open the Aomori Yamada defence to score the equaliser.

FW #30 CHIBA Kanta (Shimizu S-Pulse Youth)
We made it tough on ourselves by conceding three goals in the early minutes of the match. I knew their defence were strong facing forward, but they were vulnerable when we penetrate the space behind them, so when the ball was delivered into that space, I was able to make my run and score that goal. I didn’t have much confidence at the beginning of the season, but after scoring some goals, I am now able to play with great confidence. However, I must become a player that can score more goals in tough matches like this.

Results of other matches

Urawa Red Diamonds Youth 1-1 (1-1, 0-0) Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School
Kashiwa Reysol U-18 0-0 (0-0, 0-0) Omiya Ardija U18
Shoshi High School 1-1 (0-0, 1-1) Jubilo Iwata U-18
Kashima Antlers Youth 1-2 (1-2, 0-0) Funabashi Municipal High School

Tow fixtures ended in a 1-1 draw after Urawa Red Diamonds Youth (Saitama) and Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School (Chiba) exchanged a goal apiece in the first half, while Shoshi High School (Fukushima) and Jubilo Iwata U-18 (Shizuoka) scored a goal apiece in the second half. Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) and Omiya Ardija U18 (Saitama) shared a point after a scoreless draw. Funabashi Municipal High School (Chiba) won their match over Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) with the help of the brace scored by their ace Suzuki Yito (#10).

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019

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

League Information