International Youth Soccer in Niigata
vs U-17 Niigata Select Team
Mon. 15 July 2019 15:50 Match duration 90mins (45minsｘ2)
Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata

U-17 Japan National Team 1-0 (0-0, 1-0) U-17 Niigata Select Team

Scores
81' NAKANO Keita (U-17 Japan National Team)

Starting Line-up
GK: NOZAWA Taishi Brandon
DF: SHIMOKAWA Taiyo, SUZUKI Kaito, MURAKAMI Yosuke, HATA Taiga
MF: YOKOKAWA Asahi, SAGARA Ryunosuke, FUJITA Joel Chima, NARUOKA Hikaru, MITO Shunsuke
FW: SUGIURA Rikito

Reserves
GK: HILL Cailen
DF: HANDA Riku
MF: YAMAUCHI Kakeru, TANAKA Satoshi, NAKANO Keita, NAKANO Ryuma
FW: TAKEUCHI Suiju, TOYAMA Shoji

Substitutions
HT NOZAWA Taishi Brandon → HILL Cailen
HT SUZUKI Kaito → HANDA Riku
HT SAGARA Ryunosuke → NAKANO Keita
HT SUGIURA Rikito → TOYAMA Shoji
67' YOKOKAWA Asahi → TANAKA Satoshi
82' SHIMOKAWA Taiyo → TAKEUCHI Suiju
83' MITO Shunsuke → NAKANO Ryuma

Match Report

On Monday 15 July, the U-17 Japan National Team faced the U-17 Niigata Select Team in their third and final match of the 23rd International Youth Soccer in Niigata. Prior to the match, coach MORIYAMA Yoshiro told his players, “let’s try to be detail oriented in each of our plays and utilise your strong points to help the team win the match.”

The match started off with the national team taking control of the ball possession but seemed to struggle with the pitch condition and the aggressive pressure applied by the Niigata side. Conversely the Niigata Select Team created multiple opportunities from their counterattacks to threaten the U-17 Japan National Team, but neither sides managed to capture the goal, as the match entered halftime scoreless.

During halftime, coach Moriyama gave a pep-talk to his players, telling them, “we are not inducing the action. You can do much better than this.” The players responded to the coach’s words, as they showed more aggression in the second half. From the 55th minute mark, the national team created numbers of shooting opportunities, but the opposing goalkeeper displayed a superb effort to deny their chances. After both sides showcased a heated battle, the deadlock was broken by the national team in the 81st minute, when FUJITA Joel Chima intercepted the ball at the midfield and passed the ball to NAKANO Keita, who struck a left footed shot that pierced the right corner of the goal. With momentum on their side, the U-17 Japan National Team added more pressure upfront to extend their lead. In additional time, TAKEUCHI Suiju seemingly captured the goal, but the play was called offsides after being reviewed by the VAR, as the match ended with a final score of 1-0.

As a result, the U-17 Japan National Team finished as the runners-up of the tournament with a record of two wins and a loss. During this camp, the groups for the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019, scheduled to take place in October, has been announced, as Japan will be in the same group as Netherlands, USA, and Senegal. With three months remaining until the World Cup, the U-17 Japan National Team will pick up their pace to strengthen the team.

Coach's Comment

MORIYAMA Yoshiro, Coach (U-17 Japan National Team)
The group drawing for the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2019 took place on Thursday 11 July, and it has been determined that Japan will be in the same group with very strong opponents (Netherlands, USA, Senegal). With three months remaining, we entered the International Youth Soccer in Niigata to prepare the team ahead of the World Cup. It meant a lot for us to face the Concacaf qualifiers champions, Mexico, during this preparation phase. The fact that we manged to showcase a solid performance in defence to contain Mexico from creating major opportunities has given us great confidence, but we suffered a disappointing loss after conceding a goal from a simple mistake and the game winner from a set-play at the end of the match. Despite creating numbers of opportunities, we failed to convert our chances and struggled to maintain our rhythm towards the end of the match. After winning last October’s AFC U-16 Championship, the U-17 Japan National Team has not faced a strong opponent, so this tournament has given us the opportunity to get a reality check to see where we stand in the world level. In the next three months, I hope that the players will indulge themselves in their team activities (Club Youth Football Championship, Inter-High School Championships, etc.) and strive to reach a higher level as a player. I would like to take this time to thank the club teams, schoolteachers, and parents for understanding and allowing these players to join this team. We sincerely appreciate your support.

Schedule

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

The 23rd International Youth Soccer in Niigata

Tournament Dates: Sat. 13 - Mon. 15 July 2019
Tournament Venue: Spo-Island Seiro/Green Stadium Shibata/Denka Big Swan Stadium, Niigata

Tournament Information