On Friday 12 October, one day after their training match held in Togane, Chiba, the U-19 Japan National Team arrived at their camp site in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after a 12-hour travel. This camp site was utilised by the U-22 Japan National Team ahead of the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers in 2015 and serves as an ideal camping site ahead of the AFC U-19 Championship to be held at Indonesia.

Following their arrival, the team conducted a training session at a school yard of the local Japanese School near their hotel on Saturday 13 October. Although the session was held for just an hour, the players showed great intensity as the staffs gave out strict orders on the field. The session gave the players an opportunity to experience the unique pitch conditions and climate of South East Asia.

During the evening meeting, the team went over their recent training match against Ryutsu Keizai University. The team shared what they must work on ahead of the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018 and strengthened their commitment for the tournament.

The team will conduct a two-part training session on Sunday 14, followed by a training match against a local club team on Monday 15.

Players’ Comments

GK ＃23 OSAKO Keisuke (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
I am happy to be named in the 23-man roster of the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018. Japan has won the previous tournament, the AFC U-19 Championship Bahrain 2016 and more recently the U-16 Japan National Team has won the AFC U-16 Championship Malaysia 2018, but we all know how tough the competitions can be in Asia and I am sure each match will present us with a great challenge. We hope to unite as a team and showcase what we have worked on since launching the team at the Spain tour in February. The domestic camp held in Togane, Chiba was conducted under a wonderful environment and we were able to spend a very productive time. The climate and pitch conditions in Malaysia and Indonesia are very different from Japan, but we must stay flexible and prepare ourselves so that we can adjust to any circumstances. In this tour, we will focus on each and every match so that we can earn our ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019. I personally will do my best to stay prepared to make myself available at all times and do what’s best for the team.

DF ＃3 KOBAYASHI Yuki (Vissel Kobe U-18)
I am honoured to be selected into the squad for the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018. At the same time, I am feeling the responsibility to represent the country at this age group. I left my team for a while due to an injury I sustained, but while I was going through rehab, I managed to heighten my overall physical strengths and my condition has been improving. Just as we discussed at the meeting today, our training match conducted in Japan left many tasks that must be addressed, so we need to work on those tasks here in Malaysia and improve on our combinations in detail. At this tour our goal is to earn our spot into the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019 and defend our title in Asia. I have experienced playing at the world stage at last year’s FIFA U-17 World Cup India, but I would like to experience it again. From our experience at the AFC U-16 Championship India 2016, we know that the competition in Asia can be very challenging. I personally would like to give my very best to help the team win. While doing so, I hope to gain many experiences and improve myself to become a better player.

MF ＃14 GOKE Yuta (Vissel Kobe)
I am glad to make it into the final squad for the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018. We will do our best to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019. I am told that the current members of the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) and many of those players who are playing abroad has also gone through the AFC U-19 Championship and the FIFA U-20 World Cup to reach where they are now. I will continue to motivate myself to fight through this tournament. We had many supporters cheering on us during the training camp in Japan. Once we arrived in Malaysia, we really noticed the difference in climate. It is very humid here and it may take some time to adjust to this. We will spend this week to get used to the heat and make ourselves ready to fight through the matches under this environment. I personally will give my best at any given position and try to earn good results so that I can contribute to the team’s win. We will achieve our goal before returning home.

FW ＃20 MIYASHIRO Taisei (Kawasaki Frontale U-18)
I am happy to represent my country at the AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018. I have experienced playing at the AFC U-16 Championship India 2016, and it really made me realise that we must change the way approach these matches in Asia compared to those played elsewhere in the world. After the training match conducted in Japan, Mr. NAKATA Koji gave us precious words of advice. Our opponents will be analysing how we play, and they will make many adjustments against us. The matches in Asia will not be a walk in the park. And in that sense, we are prepared for the challenge. The team is surrounded by a positive vibe and we are able to conduct our camps in great environments. Our first goal is to earn our ticket to the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019 and once we achieve that our next goal is to take down the title here.

Schedule

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

AFC U-19 Championship Indonesia 2018

Tournament Dates: Thu. 18 October - Sun. 4 November 2018
1st Group Stage Match vs U-19 Korea DPR
Broadcasted live at CS tv asahi CS ch2
Tournament Information