The ‘U-16 International Dream Cup 2017 JAPAN presented by The Asahi Shimbun’ entered its final day of the tournament on Wednesday 18 June and two matches were held at Yurtec Stadium Sendai in the city of Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture.

In the first match which kicked off at 11:30 a.m. between U-16 USA National Team and U-16 Netherlands National Team, the former opened the scoring with an own goal just one minute into the game. After being a goal behind from a frivolous error, the Netherlands forward Arjen van der Heide put home a deflection of midfielder Manuel Pherai's shot that was once parried by the American goalkeeper to level the scoreline in the 26th minute.

Subsequently, the Netherlands went ahead in the 32nd minute when midfielder Wouter Burger composedly converted a penalty kick earned by forward Crysencio Summerville who was brought down inside the box. The Dutch side extended the lead with USA's own goal in added time of the first half before it ended with Netherlands talking a 3-1 lead. While the USA narrowed the gap to a single goal with forward Giovanni Reyna's goal in the second half, the Netherlands added two more goals to secure a comprehensive 5-2 win and kept their hopes alive for the title.

Official Match Report - U-16 USA National Team vs U-16 Netherlands National Team

With the possibility of Japan, Guinea, or the Netherlands winning the tournament, a highly anticipated final match to determine the champions of the Dream Cup saw U-16 Japan National Team take on U-16 Guinea National Team. With over 6700 spectators cheering from the stands, Japan claimed an amazing come-from-behind championship title with a 5-0 victory after a second-half four-goal rout.

Official Match Report - U-16 Japan National Team vs U-16 Guinea National Team

Final Standings

Champions
U-16 Japan National Team

Runners-up
U-16 Netherlands National Team

Third Place
U-16 Guinea National Team

Fourth Place
U-16 USA National Team

MVP
FW SAITO Koki（U-16 Japan National Team）

Top Scorer
FW SAITO Koki（U-16 Japan National Team）

Asahi Shinbun Special Awards
GK SUZUKI Zion（U-16 Japan National Team), FW Alseny SOUMAH（U-16 Guinea National Team), MF Manuel PHERAI（U-16 Netherlands National Team), FW Ulysses LLANEZ（U-16 USA National Team）

Comments

Alseny CAMARA (Guinea National U-16 Team)
It was good that we came in well-prepared for the tournament. However, I'm disappointed we couldn't win today. We faced three different teams, but what impressed me the most was how we (Guinea) performed in the competition. Everything went well during our stay in Japan, and everyone was nice to us. Cultural exchanges were memorable as well.

Wouter Burger (Netherlands National U-16 Team)
It was a very exciting tournament. Facing the teams outside of Europe was tough, as they possessed different styles of football than us. Japan played exceptionally well today, and it was a wonderful game. Of all the opponents we faced, Guinea was the most impressive. They possessed a distinctive style of football far different than us, and we had to endure tough stretches in the game. It was an excellent tournament to kick-start my career, as I envision myself joining a major football club in the future, and a brilliant way to wrap-up the season as well. We were all looking forward to the cultural exchange programmes held on the previous day and had a wonderful experience writing our names at the "Shodo (Japanese calligraphy)” class. I find it very important to expose ourselves to foreign cultures as well.

Taylor Booth (USA National U-16 Team)
Looking back, I must say it was a wonderful tournament. We couldn’t accomplish what we aspired, but on a pitch in perfect condition, we faced many top-class national teams from all over world and had a wonderful experience. During our stay in Japan, we spent an enjoyable time experiencing foreign food and culture that were different from the United States as well.

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)