With less than 10 days left until the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019, the U-20 Japan National Team arrived in Poland on Tuesday 14 May, after traveling 18 hours on airplanes and buses. The team will start their trainings in Poland to prepare for their first match against the U-20 Ecuador National Team, scheduled to kick-off on Thursday 23.

The camp site for the U-20 Japan National Team is hosted at a town called Warka, located approximately 60km south of the country’s capital Warsaw. Located away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the camp site has a facility equipped with training fields, spa, swimming pool, and fitness gym that are fully prepared for the use of the players, making it an ideal camp site for the team preparing for the tournament. There is a quite river running down the team’s hotel, making it suitable for the players to take a walk. Each year ahead of the European football season, many teams utilise the camp site to hold their training camps, and in the past, the venue hosted the Croatia National Team and the Poland National Team ahead of the UEFA EURO.

In the morning of Wednesday 15, the team held a light training session to relieve their stress from the long travel, as well as to adjust to the time difference. Despite the chilly weather, the players were seen conducting the session with great joy, as they went through stretching routines and light jogs. The training session held in the afternoon saw the team getting divided into two groups. While the players who played in the recent training match held on Sunday 13, remained at the hotel to conduct a conditioning session, the remaining eight players plus the two training partners appeared on the training field. Under an even colder weather than the morning, the team went through passing and ball control drills to warmup their body, followed by ball possession drills that allowed the players to get their pace up to game speed. Utilising half of the field, the nine players moved the ball freely, while keeping in mind of the pace of their passes to simulate the actual matches. The training concluded with the team playing a mini-game at the end, as the players actively worked up a sweat in the one-hour session.

On Thursday 16, the team will hold a training session on both the morning and afternoon, followed by a friendly match against the U-20 Colombia National Team on Friday 17.

Players' Comments

GK #21 SUZUKI Zion (Urawa Reds Youth)
I am very honoured to be selected into the U-20 Japan National Team, who will be participating at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland. We have arrived in Poland, and I felt that the environment is very suitable to play football. Ahead of the tournament, I will work hard to earn a spot into the starting line-up, but regardless of what role I am given, I will give my best efforts to support the team. As a team, we will fight each match to achieve our goal of reaching the semi-finals. I have learned and felt so much from the FIFA U-17 World Cup held in India two years ago. This time, the level of competition is even higher, so I will train with a strong sense of commitment and responsibility to represent my country.

DF #2 HIGASHI Shunki (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
With the team entering the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland, I am honoured and feeling the responsibility to represent Japan. We have finally arrived in Poland, and we are getting the vibes that tells us the tournament is near, which makes me very excited. The facility at our camp site is wonderful. We are surrounded with an ideal environment to focus on playing football, so we will do our best to get our conditions up. I personally will strive to help the team win matches with my goals and assists, while the team is aiming to reach the final of the tournament. For now, we will fight as a team to advance through the group stage. Every little bit of support helps us get motivated, and we thank you for all the support.

MF #9 SAITO Koki (Yokohama FC)
I am very thankful for getting selected into the final roster for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland, especially after the bitter memories from the FIFA U-17 World Cup India two years ago. Once we arrived in Poland, we are sensing that the tournament is near, and I am getting very excited. I personally would like to make this tournament a meaningful experience for my football career. In order to do so, I must earn visible results. As a team, we will give our utmost efforts to win each and every match, one step at a time. The entire world will be watching us, so we hope to make the most of this opportunity and leave no regrets.

Training Partner MATSUMOTO Nagi (Cerezo Osaka U-18)
I am here as a training partner, but this opportunity to train with the national team members who will be playing at the FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland and getting to feel the real atmosphere in first-hand is an extraordinary experience for my football career. The climate in Poland is a bit chilly, but it’s suitable for playing football. I will make the most of this opportunity and try to gain as many experiences ahead of the FIFA U-20 World Cup 2021, where our generation may compete at. Also, I am given the opportunity to train at a very high level, so I feel like I have so much to gain.

Schedule

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

FIFA U-20 World Cup Poland 2019

Tournament Dates: Thu. 23 May - Sat. 15 June 2019

Group Stage:
Fri. 24 May 2019 03:30 (Japan time)
vs U-20 Ecuador National Team

Sun. 26 May 2019 22:30 (Japan time)
vs U-20 Mexico National Team

Thu. 30 May 2019 01:00 (Japan time)
vs U-20 Italy National Team

Tournament Information