On Tuesday 23 May, U-20 Japan National Team made their final preparation in Suwon ahead of their second group-stage match of FIFA U-20 World Cup Korea Republic 2017 against Uruguay. With only two days between the group-stage matches, they went over their defensive plays and set-pieces, followed by scrimmage practices to deepen the understanding of their team tactics.

Crowned champions of the 2017 South American Youth Football Championship (U-20 World Cup Qualifiers), Uruguay topped the round-robin competition with five points adrift from second-place Ecuador and booked a place in the U-20 World Cup for the 6th consecutive tournament and 14th time overall.

In the past World Cup competitions, Uruguay were runners-up in 1997 and 2013, and started this year’s tournament with a 1-0 win over Italy with AMARAL’s superb free kick directly finding the net. Observing this match, coach UCHIYAMA Atsushi commented, ‘Uruguay were top-quality team as expected. Against the side with solid defence, it is vital that we string passes swiftly and create our own rhythm.’ Furthermore, bracing himself ahead of the tough contest tomorrow, the Japanese manager added, ‘We need to create an upset’.

Captain SAKAI Daisuke expressed his views of the game, ‘We need to outnumber them whenever we can, and during tough stretches encourage each other. We must have flexibility in our game as well.’ Midfielder HARA Teruki added ‘We are competing against the better side, but having a challenger’s mentality might favour us. If we perform to the best of our abilities and end the game without regrets, then it will be a close contest.’

The following match is scheduled to kick-off at 20:00 on Wednesday 24 at Suwon World Cup Stadium.

Coach's and Players' Comments

UCHIYAMA Atsushi, Coach
Winning the first match is certainly a mental boost, and will allow us to face the second match as challengers. Against the Uruguayan side with solid defence, it is vital that we string passes swiftly and create our own rhythm. There will always be errors, and we should defend tenaciously to create those opportunities and be prepared to exploit them. Every player as well as the entire team must compete with tenacity.

GK #1 KOJIMA Ryosuke  (Waseda University)
Against the opponents who can score from range, it will be important not to allow them to fire shots easily. The risk management will be the key in defence, and coaching the players from behind is a must. I need to prepare myself well including positioning before they attempt a shot at goal.

DF #3 NAKAYAMA Yuta (Kashiwa Reysol)
In the first match, we put ourselves in a difficult situation by conceding a goal early, but I consider coming back to secure a win as a positive. We will try to cope against the Uruguayan side with high individual skills with team effort, but I believe they have enough strength to break through our defence. We cannot leave the opponent unmarked, and also must not lose possession too easily. We will compete hard to seal a place in the knockout phase without depending on the results of the others.

MF #8 MIYOSHI Koji (Kawasaki Frontale)
The Uruguayan players possess superb finishing skills, excellent pace, and the ability to break through the defence. It will be a team effort, and we need to cover each other. When we have possession of the ball, it will become important to find ways to carve open their defence as well. If we execute our combination plays well, then we have a chance to score and win the match. We would like to compete with confidence.

Schedule

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