U-17 Japan National Team started their practice on 14 August in Shizuoka in preparation for the 22nd International Youth Tournament of Vaclav Jezek.

On the first day, instead of holding a practice session, the players watched the second game of the U-18 Japan National Team against U-18 Shizuoka Selection Team in the SBS CUP International Youth Soccer 2015. The players of the U-17 Japan National Team were inspired by the performance, as some of the players on the pitch will join the Czech tour with them. 

On the second day, 15 August, the team held two practice sessions – one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. With the heat over 30 C, they did some core training and basic exercises to get them into good physical condition. They held a one-hour-and-a-half session both in the morning and in the afternoon in preparation for the first match of their Czech tour against Ukraine on 18 August.

After the afternoon practice session, the team moved to the airport to leave for the Czech Republic.

Players' Comments

WAKINO Atsushi (Higashi Fukuoka High School)
I am looking forward to this coming Czech tour, as we’ll have opportunities to play against various foreign national teams, whom we can’t usually meet. After travelling, and with several days to go before opening the championship, I’d like to prepare myself well. I’ll always do my best despite the limited training time.

WATANABE Kouta (Tokyo Verdy Youth)
Yesterday, we watched the match of the U-18 Japan National Team, who are one year older than us, in the SBS CUP, and we learned a lot from them. Although the U-18 unfortunately couldn’t win the game, I was inspired by their performance, as some players on the pitch were the same age as me.

I’d like to learn many things, experiencing a lot and getting good results, through playing against strong international teams on the Czech tour. I’m looking forward to seeing how much we can show our style of football. 

Schedule

※Local Time

22th International Youth Tournament of Václav Ježek 2015 Participating Nation

Group Ａ: Czech Republic, Hungary, Japan, Ukraine
Group Ｂ: Slovakia, Slovenia, USA, Russia