The 14th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy U-18 Premier League WEST will be held on Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September.

Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo), lying in fifth place, will play against Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth (Hiroshima) in eighth place. In the previous Sec., Hiroshima won the game for the first time after four matches.

As the forward YAMANE Towa noted: “we’ll play with a strong spirit so we are never beaten again”, the team are eager for to catch-up. They hope to defend well against Kobe, who are excellent at passing the ball around and scoring goals through their limited opportunities.

Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka), who had been in the lead from the opening match until recently, will not have their defender SYOJI Honoya, who is a possible candidate for the national team in his age group, due to injury.

As the coach OKUMA Yuji pointed out: “the players don’t stay vocal during the game”, they have not shown strong momentum in the third round. After three consecutive losses, the team will meet Oita Trinita U-18 (Oita), who are now in the lead, at home. Not only the result of the match, but also the performances cannot be missed.

The defenders of Kyoto Tachibana High School (Kyoto) will be key in the match against Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka). As OGAWA Reita commented: “the team is improving in preparation for the qualifying round of the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament”, Kyoto Tachibana are getting themselves into gear.

In the previous Sec., they defended tenaciously to prevent Cerezo Osaka’s attack with only one goal, turning the game around. If they can repeat that solid defensive performance in this Sec., the team may have an opportunity to beat Gamba Osaka, who are in the lead and have scored 31 goals so far.

Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) will meet Nagoya Grampus U18 (Aichi) at home. Kyoto conceded five goals against Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) in the previous Sec. after two consecutive victories. Nagoya, on the other hand, conceded multiple goals in three consecutive games, showing the instability in their defence.

As both teams hold one of the top scorers, who are ambitious for goals – the forward MORI Kota (Nagoya) and the forward NUMA Daiki (Kyoto), the defence may decide the game.

[Pick-up Match - WEST Matchday 14]
Riseisha High School vs Higashi Fukuoka High School

Riseisha High School (Osaka) will meet Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) again in the Premier League, as they did in an exciting match in the Interscholastic Athletic Meet (Men’s football section) this summer. They played against each other in the quarterfinal of the Inter-high school championships. As HIRANO Naoki, the coach of Riseisha later noted: “it was very close. We should have won”, they just could not find the back of the net despite pressing the opponent most of the time.

Higashi Fukuoka, on the other hand, counter-attacked and struck a goal in the second half, winning the game 1-0. Then they won the coming matches to become back-to-back champions. It has been approximately one and half months since the game in the summer. We cannot take our eyes off this coming match – Will Riseisha beat the opponent this time at home, or will Higashi Fukuoka claim a victory again?

Date: Saturday 12 September Kick-off at 16:00
Venue: Riseisha Ibaraki Ground
Access: Near the Hankyu bus stop “Higashi-fukui 3 chome”, which runs from “Ibaraki” Station (JR Line) or “Ibaraki-shi” Station (Hankyu) . Approximately two kilometres to the north from “Ibaraki” IC of Meishin Expressway

Direction to venue (Japanese version only)

Premier League WEST Matchday 14

9/12 (Sat.)
15:00　Vissel Kobe U-18  vs  Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Ibukino Mori Sports Field)
16:00　Riseisha High School  vs  Higashi Fukuoka High School (Riseisha ibaraki ground)
18:00　Cerezo Osaka U-18  vs  Oita Trinita U-18 (Cerezo Osaka Maishima Ground)
9/13 (Sun.)
11:00　Kyoto Tachibana High School  vs  Gamba Osaka Youth (Kyoto Yamashiro Sogo Sports park Taiyougaoka Playing Field B)
17:00　Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18  vs  Nagoya Grampus U18 (Kyoto Sanga F.C. Higashi Joyo Ground)

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)