Season entering the final stretch as both leagues resume action at the 16th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League

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21 November 2019

Season entering the final stretch as both leagues resume action at the 16th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League

The 16th Sec. of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019 will take place on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 November.

EAST

Urawa Red Diamonds Youth (Saitama) will face Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School (Chiba). With all five victories coming in a 1-0 game this season, Urawa’s key to success will lie on their ability to keep a clean sheet, as goalkeeper SUZUKI Zion (#25) will lead the defence to earn another shutout victory. Second place Kashiwa Reysol U-18 (Chiba) needs to close down a four point gap in the next three matches, leaving them no choice but to win against ninth place Omiya Ardija U18 (Saitama) this week to stay in contention for the title race.

The match between Shoshi High School (Fukushima) and Jubilo Iwata U-18 (Shizuoka) features an intriguing matchup of two lefties, as Shoshi’s KOIKE Rikuto (#7) and Iwata’s SEITA Naoya (#10) will both utilise their superb techniques to lead their team to victory.

Tenth place Kashima Antlers Youth (Ibaraki) will welcome fifth place Funabashi Municipal High School (Chiba) to their home field, as they seek to escape the relegation zone. With Kashima marking the second fewest goals this season, the key to their survival will lie on their offence led by their top scorer, KURIMATA Shoichi (#11).

The pick-up match of the EAST features a fixture between the league leader Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori) and third place Shimizu S-Pulse Youth (Shizuoka). Despite their early season success, Aomori Yamada has registered just one win during the second half of the season. The team has conceded at least a goal in each of their matches since the 10th sec. and their key to success lies on the shoulders of their defence led by goalkeeper SATO Shibuki (#1). For Shimizu, this match represents a huge opportunity to close down the seven point gap between themselves and Aomori Yamada. The performance of Shimizu’s midfielder AOSHIMA Taichi (#11) may determine the fate of the EAST title race.

WEST

Tenth place Ehime FC U-18 (Ehime) will welcome ninth place Avispa Fukuoka U-18 (Fukuoka) to their home field. Although Ehime’s relegation has already been determined, they will seek to stop the losing streak and finish off the season on a high note. League leader Nagoya Grampus U-18 (Aichi) has recently won the J Youth Cup to claim their second title of the season. They will welcome Vissel Kobe U-18 (Hyogo) to their home in their quest to capture their third title of the season.

The fixture between Higashi Fukuoka High School (Fukuoka) and Ozu High School (Kumamoto) will feature an enticing matchup between the two aces, Higashi Fukuoka’s ARAKI Ryotaro (#10) and Ozu’s NONO Kimito (#10). With both players scoring the most goals for their respective teams, their performance will certainly have a huge impact on this match’s outcome. Third place Kyoto Sanga F.C. U-18 (Kyoto) is currently trailing six points behind Nagoya and earning three points at home against Sanfrecce Hiroshima F.C Youth (Hiroshima) is a must for them to stay in contention for the title race.

The pick-up match of the WEST features the Osaka derby between Cerezo Osaka U-18 (Osaka) and Gamba Osaka Youth (Osaka). While second place Gamba will be fighting for the league lead, Cerezo will be fighting to avoid relegation. With Cerezo losing many close matches this season, they will seek to maintain their focus for the entire 90 minutes to earn their fifth win of the season. On the other hand, Gamba has scored 41 goals in 14 matches this season, second only to Nagoya, who has scored 44 goals in 15 matches. Midfielder MESHINO Soma (#10) will lead the Gamba offence to make a comeback in the final stretch of the season.