U-15 Japan National Team  vs.  Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School
2015-6-30 (Tue.) - 10:00    Playing Time: 70min (35min x 2)
J-GREEN Sakai (Sakai, Osaka)

U-15 Japan National Team   0-3 (1st 0-3, 2nd 0-0)   Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School

Scores
2'  Goal against (Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School)
26'   Goal against (Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School)
30'   Goal against (Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School)

1st Half Members
GK: AKADA Yuma
DF:  KAMIYAMA Kyosuke, HOMMA Youhei,TAKESHIMA Kyosuke, OHISHI Shuya
MF:  HOMMA Shion, YACHIDA Teppei,IGARASHI Arata, NIWA Takumi
FW:  ISHII Kaisei, OHGAKI Yuki

2nd Half Members
GK:  ASANO Taro
DF:  ENDO Hikaru, INOUE Miki, KANBE Kosuke, IWAI Ryuji
MF:  YAMAMOTO Rihito, MASUTANI Takara, OHISHI Shuya, NIWA Takumi
FW:  KURIHARA Ibrahim Junior, FUNAKOSHI Hiromu
Note:  NIWA Takumi(Kashiwada FC), OHISHI Shuya (Kashiwada FC), OHGAKI Yuki (Kokoku High School) participate in the camp as training partner.

Substitute
52'  NIWA Takumi → OHGAKI Yuki

The U-15 Japan National Team, who will the Japan-Mekong football exchange programme at J-GREEN Sakai in Osaka from 1 July, will take on the U-15 Cambodia National Team, Vissel Kobe U-15 and U-15 Vietnam National Team, looking for the championship. The Japan squad have fresh faces who had not participated in the overseas trips, domestic training camps and Japan-Central Asia under-15 football exchange tournament that they'd done since their “00 Japan” inauguration in February, while they also have seven players of the under-14 generation.

On the day, to prepare for the Cambodia match, Japan played a 35-minute half training game against Kobe Koryo Gakuen High School. Perhaps because of some jitters, Japan were overwhelmed by the attacks by Kobe Koryo early on. Kobe Koryo found space in the left side and scored from a one-on-one situation. Japan tried to tie as Ishii Kaisei fired a shot but it didn't go in.

Japan gradually got their own rhythm, but still had some issues in passing, and allowed goals on 26th and 30th minutes to Kobe Koryo, who were aggressive both offensively and defensively, before they entered halftime.

Japan coach MORIYAMA Yoshiro circulated a manifesto to his players during halftime, and the team drastically changed from the first half and boldly kept attacking on their opponents in the latter half. The team repeatedly created scoring chances with crosses from IWAI Ryuji while KURIHARA Ibrahim Junior was close to scoring on his shot. Defensively, Japan showed physical shot stops with their own bodies so many times, not allowing Kobe Koryo Gakuen extend their lead. Yet Japan failed to capitalize on their own scoring opportunities and lost 0-3.

U-15 Japan National Team are scheduled to play against the U-15 Cambodia National Team in the morning and against Vissel's under-15 squad in the afternoon on 1 July.

Players' Comments

KANBE Kosuke (Osaka Toin High School)
Although it was a training match, I still feel disappointed that we lost it, and we should have shown more fighting attitudes. Because it will be our first game tomorrow, it's going to be a difficult game, but we hope to prepare so we will raise the accuracies of our passing, shooting and defence that we weren't able to do today. For me, I would like to show my own strengths, such as moving the ball and get up to the front or robbing the ball from my hard working, while I would like to see around and have better judgements, analyzing and predictions, so I can contribute to the team and our victory.

ENDO Hikaru (Mitsubishi Yowa SC Chofu Junior Youth)
I've always set my goal to play for the national team and I'm glad that I've been selected. I'm not good at speaking up loud, but I would like to show that I can compete for the ball physically and kick long balls, which are my strengths, in tomorrow's game. We've gradually been able to have better communication between ourselves and our combinations have become improved, so hopefully we won't give up any goals in those two matches.

KAMIYAMA Kyosuke (Yokohama FC Youth)
I'm pleased to have been selected for the national team, but I know I've got to do my best to show my strengths, which are my heading and offensive participation, in this trip. In today's training match, I was too slow on making predictions, I wasn't able to go hard chasing the ball, and if anything, the team couldn't improve what we needed to during the contest. We would like to make the best challenges against Asia's toughest teams in the matches from tomorrow.

FUNAKOSHI Hiromu (Vissel Kobe U-15)
I think that I could show my strengths in today's training match. But I had some issues regarding my positioning before the opponents' goal and the quality of my passes, and I still have things to work on like the ability to get the ball on my defensive part. We are going to have to play with the entire squad in tomorrow's two games, so we want to unite ourselves and play physically to win both games.

Schedule

Note: The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

Future Schedule

Japan-Mekong U-15 Football Exchange Programme

Wed. 1 July - Fri. 3 July
J-GREEN Sakai (Osaka)
Participating Teams: 
Five U-15 National Teams of Mekong Countries (Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos), U-15 Japan National Team, Vissel Kobe U-15, Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Junior Youth
More information