One day before their first game in the 2016 Continental Beach Soccer Tournament against Thailand on 23 August in Ordos of Inner Mongolia, China, the Japan Beach Soccer National Team had a practice session.

Similar to the previous day, the team only had a limited time for their practice and spent most of it working on 5-on-5 drills, simulating game situations.

In their training, following the instructions from coach Marcelo MENDES, the team checked their offensive and defensive tactics and set plays. Furthermore, they were able to score plenty of goals from spectacular combination plays. In those occasions, the players praised each other.

And, even when they made mistakes they encouraged each other, “let’s refresh our mind and move on to the next play.” They wrapped up the practice on a high note.

At the opening ceremony, which was held at night on the same day, there were other sports athletes, including that of dragon boat, from around the world. Because it was in the Inner Mongolia, they demonstrated their traditional Mongolian dances wearing native costumes. Japanese players and staff were captivated by their performance. Meanwhile, six players representing Japan marched through the site and received huge applauses from the audience.

Japan will take on Thailand at 14:30 tomorrow.

Players' Comments

FP #3  HARAGUCHI Shotaro (Inter Japan BS)
Our mood has been great for the past two days. During the official practice today, we checked our game at both ends, mainly playing intra-squad games. It will be my first international game since I recovered from my Achilles injury. However, I am fully aware of the responsibility as a member of the Japanese squad, and I will work hard to make positive contributions to the team and to win the upcoming matches.

FP #6  MATSUO Naoya (Aveldage Kumamoto BS)
Today, we mainly checked our tactics, since we have a game tomorrow. We practiced several tactical variations, so we can make the necessary adjustments to compete effectively against different types of teams. Since it is our first game tomorrow, we need to not only win the match but also perform well. We will strive our best to win the championship.

GK #2  KAWAI Yusuke (Sol Mar Praia)
I’m thankful that I have been called up for the national team and participate in this overseas trip. Everything is new to me. It was important for me to listen to the discussions between coach Marcelo and our veteran players in the meeting on the first day. It made me aware of where we are right now and what we are shooting for. It was a valuable time for me. We will play our first game against Thailand, and we need to win taking each match at a time. I personally will need to get in the tournament with the strong mind-set ‘representing Japan.’

Schedule

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