The first sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022 EAST took place on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 April at various locations.

Featured Match

FC Tokyo U-18 4-1 (2-0, 2-1) JFA Academy Fukushima U-18

At Tokyo Gas Musashino Multipurpose Ground, a match between FC Tokyo U-18 (Tokyo), who consist of players registered on their top team’s roster, and JFA Academy Fukushima U-18 (Shizuoka), who are making their return to the Premiership since the 2015 season.

FC Tokyo had been working to implement the football style of their top team, which emphasises the build-ups from the defence line, but after their struggles in the Igyora Cup, the team decided to take a different direction, as team captain HIGASHI Renta (#13) explained, “After talking it out as a team, we decided to keep our plays simple.” Their new approach allowed their opponents to possess the ball longer but decreased the amount of threats created in front of their own goal. With KUMATA Naoki (#9) scoring the opening goal in the 11th minute, the home side took full control of the match, adding another goal in the 15th minute to double their lead.

AC Fukushima on the other hand, struggled to find their rhythm in the first half, as team captain MAKITA Hiroki (#10) later reflected, “Being back in the Premier League after a seven-year absence, there were no players or staff with league experience. We were overwhelmed by the whole situation and could not hold the ball in the attacking third.” After conceding two goals in the first 15 minutes, the team ended with zero shots in the first half. The situation got worse in the second half, as they conceded an own goal in the 50th minute to put themselves in a deeper hole.

However, with their backs against the wall, AC Fukushima started to pick up their pace in offence, as they fired eight shots in the second half. Despite conceding the fourth goal in the 80th minute, the team managed to keep an aggressive attitude to create opportunities upfront, which led to the goal scored in the 86th minute.

“The early goals we scored were incidental,” said FC Tokyo’s coach OKUHARA Takashi after the match. As the coach continued to comment, “The players are currently in their final stages to become professional footballers, so we are focusing on expanding their individuality.”

AC Fukushima’s coach FUNAKOSHI Yuzo shared his take on the match, “We were able to rally back, but it was a bit too late. We had to play like that from the start.”

Coaches and Players' Comments

OKUHARA Takashi, Coach (FC Tokyo U-18)
It was great that we were able to score two goals in the early minutes, but those goals were incidental. However, we did manage to create lots of chances and execute the football style we were aiming for in the first half. With the Premier League finally starting, we are looking forward to seeing how we can cope against opponents who have scouted and analysed us

DF #13 HIGASHI Renta (FC Tokyo U-18)
I personally thought we were a slow starter last season, but we managed to play with good intensity from the start in today’s match. We lost frequently lost possession of the ball in the Igyora Cup played in March, so we discussed as a team and decided to keep our plays simple, which turned out to be effective today.

FUNAKOSHI Yuzo, Coach (JFA Academy Fukushima U-18)
In order to score goals, we must first possess the ball, so we need to be more aggressive to win the ball. With this being our first time playing in the Premier League, our players looked nervous in the early goings, but it was my responsibility as coach to prepare them to kick off in a better condition. However, this was still a great learning experience for us. We will first work towards taking more shots.

MF #10 MAKITA Hiroki (JFA Academy Fukushima U-18)
It has been a while since this team played in the Premier League, and we are thankful to last year’s seniors for giving us the opportunity to play in this league. However, the team looked very nervous at the beginning, and we played too passively in the first half, which is regretful. We were mentally overwhelmed and couldn’t play with the aggressive we showed in the second half. With that being said, there were some aspects we thought we did well in today’s match, so we will try to make the most of this experience and prepare ourselves for our next match.

Results of other matches

Omiya Ardija U18 0-1 (0-0, 0-1) Kawasaki Frontale U-18
Funabashi Municipal High School 0-2 (0-1, 0-1) Aomori Yamada High School
Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School Postponed Kiryu Daiichi High School
Yokohama F.Marinos Youth 3-1 (2-0, 1-1) Yokohama FC Youth
Kashiwa Reysol U-18 Postponed Maebashi Ikuei High School

Premier League debutant Kawasaki Frontale U-18 (Kanagawa) marked their first win after defeating Omiya Ardija U18 (Saitama) 1-0, thanks to the PK converted by KAWAGUCHI Tatsuya (#8). The match between two high school powerhouses, Funabashi Municipal High School (Chiba) and Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori), ended 2-0 with the Aomori side scoring a goal apiece in each half. It was Yokohama F.Marinos Youth (Kanagawa) who claimed the bragging rights in this year’s first Yokohama derby, as they defeated Yokohama FC Youth (Kanagawa) 3-1 at home.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022

League Duration: Sat. 2 April - Sun. 4 December 2022

League Information