The 13th sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022 will take place on Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 September. After a two-month break, the league will now enter the second half of the season, with even more exciting competitions to come.

EAST

During the league break, the 46th Japan Club Youth (U-18) Football Championship and the Inter High School Sports Festival took place, and it was Maebashi Ikuei High School (Gunma) who were crowned champions in the latter tournament, but their first match of the second half against Funabashi Municipal High School (Chiba) has been postponed.

East leaders Kawasaki Frontale U-18 (Kanagawa) will face Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School (Chiba). With Kawasaki coming off a disappointing loss at the round of 16 in the Club Youth Championship, and with Ryutsu Keizai Kashiwa eliminated at the prefectural qualifiers for the Inter High School Sports Festival, both teams will be seeking to redeem themselves at the Premier League.

The fixture between fifth place FC Tokyo U-18 (Tokyo) and third place Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) is another enticing matchup. Despite their hot start to the season, FC Tokyo slowed down significantly before the break, recording just one win to five losses in their recent six matches. Aomori Yamada also had their skid where they lost five in a row, but has recovered in their recent four matches, where they recorded three wins and a draw to get themselves back in the title race.

Two teams tied with 15 points, Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) and Yokohama FC Youth (Kanagawa), will square off this week. Despite playing one fewer match, Kashiwa are in seventh place and in within striking distance for the title. Yokohama FC have shown their inconsistency during the first half of the Premier League season but will try to ride the momentum from their runners-up finish at the Club Youth Championship.

Elsewhere, Omiya Ardija U18 (Saitama) and JFA Academy Fukushima U-18 (Shizuoka) are scheduled to face each other, while the match between Yokohama F.Marinos Youth (Kanagawa) and Kiryu Daiichi High School (Gunma) has been postponed.

WEST

In the WEST, the derby match between Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka), who won the Club Youth Championship, and Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka) has been postponed.

WEST leaders Sagan Tosu U-18 (Saga) will play third place Shizuoka Gakuen High School (Shizuoka). Despite their successful campaign at the Premier League, Tosu were eliminated at the quarterfinals of the Club Youth Championship and would be seeking to get back on track for the title race when they face an attack-minded Shizuoka Gakuen side, who are just seven points behind.

10th place Ozu High School (Kumamoto), who are currently in line for the play-offs to avoid relegation, will face Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) this week. It will be interesting to see if the Kumamoto side’s quarterfinals finish at the Inter High School Sports Festival can help them regain their form to escape the relegation zone. Kobe on the other hand, are coming off a three game winning streak before the break and will certainly be seeking to resume their streak once the second half starts.

The survival race in the WEST has been very tight, with seven teams separated by just five points from sixth place Riseisha High School (Osaka) to 12th place Gamba Osaka. With that being said, the fixture between 11th place Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) and seventh place Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) will be a crucial match for both sides. With only three points separating the two, a win can bring Nagoya all the way out of the relegation zone.

Elsewhere, Sanfrecce Hiroshima FC Youth (Hiroshima) are scheduled to face Riseisha, while the derby match between Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka) and Jubilo Iwata U-18 (Shizuoka) has been postponed.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022

League Duration: Sat. 2 April - Sun. 4 December 2022

League Information