Sun. 6 September
U-15 Japan National Team started their final training camp before the upcoming qualifiers in Sugadaira Kogen in Nagano on 6 September.

The squad nicknamed “00 JAPAN” aim to advance out of the AFC U-16 Championship 2016 qualifiers against Hong Kong and Mongolia scheduled to take place in Mongolia from 16 this month, win through the main tournament to be held in India next year and eventually play in the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017. They are going to depart for Mongolia next week. 

The first day had only 11 players of the roster since there were many players who were occupied with an official match including the Prince Takamado Trophy U-15 regional league matches.

Due to the rain, the practice was carried out in a gym and centred on stretching and running without using balls. In the evening, the rest of the 11 players joined the team.

Mon. 7 September
In the morning of the second day, the squad was divided into two groups as one worked on an artificial turf field and the other went through stretching and running in a gym. The group outside did not waste any time and started more practical drills using balls. They went through some of the offensive options to take when opponents stay back defensively, for example in a drill such as 3-on-2 with a goalkeeper and 5-on-4 on a half-sized pitch.  

The afternoon session began with measuring their own pulse with a heart rate monitor just as they did in the Chiba camp last month, simulating the high altitude of Mongolia. 

While there were some players breathing hard, during the following 3-on-2 drill focusing on battles in front of goal, the players were seen complimenting each other’s good plays and the coaching staff closely instructed the players, one by one when necessary, who needed more explanation on tactics. 

The last part of the training was spared for an 8-on-8 on a half-sized pitch, where they all concentrated, threw their body around and battled fiercely for each goal to score. The training finished on a very positive note. 

Later in the evening, SAKUTA Ryutaro arrived a day later than his peers to complete the 23-man roster. In the team meeting, coach MORIYAMA Yoshiro reminded the players of the team concept and individual mindset expected for “00 JAPAN” aiming for the AFC U-16 Championship 2016 qualifiers, while KATAGIRI Hiromi, team’s technical staffer, wrapped up the day with a video session reviewing the plays in the last month’s Chiba camp.

* ”00 JAPAN” is the nickname of the U-15 Japan National Team that consists of members who were born after 2000.

Players' Comments

FW   YAMADA Hiroto (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
While we didn’t have the full squad here yet, even the smaller group of the players all focused on the training, and there was a good atmosphere. I personally had many obvious mistakes, so tomorrow I want to cut down on those without compromising my aggressiveness. 

In this trip, I don’t want to just wait for the ball up front. Rather I want to go down closer to opposing midfielders to get the ball, polish combinations with my teammates and my attacking repertoire, and master plays to take the ball to the finish. In Sugadaira, We can work out in a similar climate to Mongolia, I want to get used to the environment soon and make sure that I will be well prepared. 

DF   NOZUE Satoru (JFA Academy Fukushima U15)
In the last training camp in Chiba, my assignment was to stay composed even with early pressure. As I have worked on it repeatedly, it’s getting better by preparing before receiving the ball and adjusting the direction my body faces. 

In this trip, my assignment is how we check each player when defending side attacks. I want to start with basic things like talking to each other all the time about who’s checking who. In today’s training, I learned how important it is to have more options both offensively and defensively. As I feel the responsibility of being on the U-15 National Team, I want to keep working hard. 

FW   MIKUNI Kenedeiebusu (Aomori Yamada Junior High School)
I am happy to be selected to the team after the absence for a while. In today’s training, I felt I needed to improve the start of the rushing. I also learned many things from my coaching staff and teammates including where to control the ball after receiving and how to move after making a pass. 

In tomorrow’s training, when I post up, not just passing it out after just one touch, I want to get better on keeping the ball for a while and turning around to face forward. Also I want to get myself ready to play defence with all the energy I have for the team and score as many goals as possible.

Schedule

Note: The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.