The U-16 Japan National Team, who had started their tour in Jordan on Monday 30 July, came back to Japan on Saturday 11 August. The team finished this final training camp prior to the AFC U-16 Championship Malaysia 2018 by winning a championship during the tour.

This championship was hosted by the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF), in which the U-16 Japan National Team was given the opportunity to play against teams from the Arab countries. Although Japan managed to win four consecutive matches, each match presented them with great challenges, and made the players realise that winning in Asia is no easy task. None of the players were satisfied with this result, as many shared their thoughts during the final meeting of the tour and mentioned what they need to improve. None of the staff were bullish either, as they all understood they have to brace themselves in preparation for the AFC U-16 Championship in a month’s time.

During their off day, the players paid a visit to the ancient castle ruins in Jordan. It was the first time for all of the players to visit Jordan, and as they shared the priceless experience together, the team built a sense of unity as a team. In a month, most of these players will reunite to participate in the AFC U-16 Championship. The players are on their own to improve themselves during this month period ahead of the upcoming summer championship.

Coach's Comment

MORIYAMA Yoshiro, Coach (U-16 Japan National Team)
We participated in the international championship in Jordan during our final training camp in preparation for the AFC U-16 Championship Malaysia 2018 next month. The participating countries of this championship featured Yemen and Jordan, who will compete in Group B of the AFC U-16 Championship and has a chance to face Japan in the quarterfinals. We also faced India, who has developed dramatically over the recent years. And then there was Iraq, the Western Asia’s powerhouse. Adding Japan to that mix, the 5th WAFF U-16 Championship 2018 was conducted as FIFA’s official tournament.

I was getting the impression that both Yemen and Jordan showcased great techniques, while utilising their strong physiques to fight tenaciously to win the ball. As for India, they displayed great amount of stamina and overwhelmed Japan with their aggressive pressuring from the first half. During the halftime of the match against India, our team realised that we had to play harder than the opponents in order to display our strengths. In the second half, the players performed with great intensity and managed to turn the match around. As a result, our team won four consecutive matches to take down the title. However, our inability to deal with long balls were exploited throughout the four matches and our lack of accuracy in the final third as well as our incapability to finish up the plays prevented us from stretching our lead, despite taking the initiative in each match.

With a month left ahead of the AFC U-16 Championship, all players must work on their tasks once they return to their own teams, so that we can reunite in Malaysia as a stronger team.

Before the tour, Mr. KATAGIRI, who had gone along with the Japan National Team as a technical staff at the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018, gave us a lecture. He used videos to tell us how a slight mistake in positioning can cost the team at the World Cup. He also shared episodes of the players of the national team, their commitment to leave no regrets, their dedication to football, their professionalism, and how the players are sacrificing their lives to play football. In Jordan, we also had the opportunity to receive a lecture form Mr. OGAI, who had joined the Japan national team as a conditioning coach. He also shared stories of the top team’s players, where he mentioned of a certain player and that he was deeply moved by the commitment and efforts made by this player. He continued by sharing that all the players at the national team has their own routine to maintain their best conditions. He added that they are all professionals in terms of conditioning themselves. Our players listened into these stories very carefully and showed great interest. What’s important from now is what they do after listening to these stories. I’d like to expect positive changes from the players.

I’d like to express my gratitude to the staff of the WAFF, who worked hard to host the championship.

I also would like to thank the club teams, the school teachers, and the guardians of the players, for sending the players without hesitation during the important summer break. Thank you very much.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

WAFF U-16 Championship

Three member associations of the WAFF (West Asian Football Federation), Jordan, Yemen, and Iraq will be joined by India and Japan.