The 3rd International Dream Cup 2017 JAPAN Presented by Asahi Shimbun got underway on Wednesday 14 June at Yurtec Stadium Sendai in Sendai, Miyagi.

The opening match was between Guinea National U-16 Team and USA National U-16 Team. The match, which kicked off in a cool weather with 21 degrees, saw Guinea open the scoring in the 22nd minute when forward Momo Fanye TOURE netted home forward Ousmane CONTE's set-up delivered from the left flank. The African side went further ahead of the USA with midfielder Aboubacar CONTE's goal in the 67th minute.

The USA cut the deficit in added time of the second half when midfielder Azriel Gonzalez tapped in a loose ball from a free kick, but it was not enough to fully come back. Guinea grabbed the 2-1 win in the first match.

See the official records of U-16 Guinea National Team vs U-16 USA National Team.

In the second match of the tournament between Japan National U-16 Team and Netherlands National U-16 Team, Japan went up first but failed to hold the one-goal lead. The Netherlands claimed a 3-1 comeback win in front of 3,000 crowds.

See the official records of U-16 Japan National Team vs U-16 Netherlands National Team.

The tournament will continue to be held at the same site Yurtec Stadium Sendai on the second day on Friday 16 June. The Netherlands face Guinea at 3 p.m. while Japan play against the USA at 6 p.m.

Coaches' and player's Comments

Shaun Tsakiris, Coach (U-16 USA National Team)
When you take part in a tournament, you don't always get the results that you want and end up being disappointed. I'm disappointed at the way we played today as well as the result at the end. We couldn't play well today, and I'm expecting my players to play better next. It was good to get a goal, but there should have been more ways to score. We couldn't create as many chances as I expected, but I like our attitude to keep up the work, which is our team spirit.

Peter van der Veen, Coach (U-16 Netherlands National Team)
The midfield was key today. Japan picked up their pace in the first half as they put intense pressure, but we started to control the game into the second half after the system change. The next match against Guinea will be a different type of game, but I don't see any problem because everyone on this 20-man squad including substitutes is ready to play from the start. We have just arrived here in Japan, but the landscape is good and people are kind. I respect Japanese people and hope to make our stay a great one.

Aboubacar CONTE (U-16 Guinea National Team)
The USA have got good skills and are a good team, but things went well for us to win today. Maybe we could have scored more goals. For the rest of the matches against Japan and the Netherlands, we will look into their tactics by watching their matches.

2017-6-14(Wed.), 16(Fri.) and 18(Sun.)
Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture［All Matches Free of Admission］

Tournament Information
Live Streaming of ALL Matches available on JFA-TV (More information on live streaming)