One day ahead of their second group stage match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019, the U-17 Japan National Team held a training session at Vitoria on Tuesday 29 October.

With the team entering the match with a two-day rest, the players conducted light conditioning drills, while going over their strategies and set-plays for an hour and a half. Following their 3-0 victory over the Netherlands, the team will now face the USA, who has lost to Senegal 1-4 in their first match. Despite the result, coach MORIYAMA Yoshiro remained alerted, “They are a strong team and their performance against Senegal was not their usual performance. With their backs against the wall, they will come out playing their hearts out.” As shown in the Concacaf qualifiers, the team has a strong offence led by their ace Giovanni REYNA, who plays for Borussia Dortmund.

For both sides, this will also be a crucial match for their advancement to the knockout stage, as coach Moriyama mentioned, “We worked extremely hard and showed great concentration in our first match. We must continue to do the same in order to keep winning.”

After supporting his team from the bench in the match against the Netherlands, defender MURAKAMI Yosuke mentioned, “Including the players on the bench, everyone on this team fought under that unique atmosphere. We hope to prepare ourselves in the best way possible ahead of our match against the USA.” Midfielder MITO Shunsuke also shared his aspiration, “Although we managed to win our first match, we saw many rooms for improvements. We hope to better ourselves throughout this tournament and strive to earn three points against the USA.”

With the conclusion of the second matches in Group A and B, Brazil, Angola, and Nigeria have already clinched their spot into the round of 16. With the second matches in Group C and D scheduled to take place on Wednesday 30, the U-17 Japan National Team will face the U-17 USA National Team at 20:00 local time (Thursday 31 8:00 Japan time) at Estadio Klever Andrade.

Players' Comments

GK #1 SUZUKI Zion (Urawa Reds Youth)
The previous match was my first time playing at the World Cup, so I was feeling very nervous at first, but I got used to the atmosphere as the match progressed. Once I got used to my surroundings, I was able to showcase my usual performance and enjoy the match until the final whistle. While our opponent applied aggressive pressure from their frontline, we managed to take control of the ball possession and seek for our opportunities through counterattacks. We showed great flexibility to make the adjustments against our opponent, and that is something we hope to continue in our upcoming matches. Although we managed to earn a shutout victory in our first match, we must not sit on our laurels and prepare ourselves as if we are entering our first match.

DF #4 NAKANO Shinya (Sagan Tosu U-18)
We were able to put in a great preparation session ahead of our next match. We hope to win this match and build a positive momentum towards the knockout stage. I will continue to do the things I managed to do well in our match against the Netherlands and get myself more involved in both offence and defence to help the team win.

MF #19 TAMURA Souki (Kashiwa Reysol U-18)
I was feeling very excited before the first match. Although I was a bit nervous before getting onto the pitch, I entered the match with a strong commitment to help the team win. I really wanted to see if I can showcase my abilities and cope against the strong opponents at the world stage. Every player on this roster must enter the match with a sense of determination. The USA is a very strong team. We must play harder and make quicker decisions than our opponents. I hope to showcase my strong points and get myself involved in our team’s goals.

Schedule

*JFA Technical Director SEKIZUKA Takashi will attend team from Sat. 26 October to Sun. 3 November.
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019

Tournament Duration: Sat. 26 October - Sun. 17 November 2019

Group Stage:
Mon. 28 October 2019 8:00 (Japan Time)
vs U-17 Netherlands National Team

Thu. 31 October 2019 8:00 (Japan Time)
vs U-17 USA National Team

Sun. 3 November 2019 8:00 (Japan Time)
vs U-17 Senegal National Team

Tournament Information