On Sunday 11 December, the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022 Final took place at Japan National Stadium, where Kawasaki Frontale U-18 (Kanagawa) and Sagan Tosu U-18 (Saga) clashed for the national title.

The U-18 leagues run by Japan Football Association (JFA) are collectively known as the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football League. The Premier League, which is regarded as the top tier of these leagues, is split into EAST and WEST blocks, with 12 teams playing in each block throughout the year in a round-robin home-and-away format. This year, Kawasaki and Tosu won the EAST and WEST, respectively, and will face off in the final to determine which team is the true champions of the U-18 category.

Due to the pandemic, the final has not been held in the previous two years, but this year, it will be held at Japan National Stadium for the first time. Both teams came into the match with high spirits, as Kawasaki's coach NAGAHASHI Yasuhiro said, “The players were really looking forward to this stage.”

In the closely contested match which saw the two teams go back-and-forth, the deadlock was broken in the 44th minute, when Kawasaki’s GOKITA Kishin (#9) drew a foul inside the Tosu penalty area. MATSUNAGANE Yuto (#3) calmly converted the spot kick to give the EAST champions the lead.

After giving up the first goal, the Tosu players were seen gathering together to reassure one another that they still had plenty of time to recover. Then, in additional time of the first half, FUKUI Taichi (#10) redirected the cross delivered by YAMAMOTO Sota (#2) to setup the shot of MASUZAKI Kosei (#17) that equalised the match before the break.

As NARAHARA Yoshiki (#7) later reflected, “We adjusted how we applied pressure,” Tosu made changes to their strategy which turned out to be effective. In the 61st minute, Narahara exchanged passes with Fukui to break through the left side before assisting the goal of OSATO Koma (#11).

Two minutes later, Fukui forced a turnover in the opposing end, carried the ball into the box, and fired a shot into the net, as the Tosu captain later credited his teammates, “Our forwards did a great job limiting the options for the opposing defenders.”

In an effort to come back from a two goal deficit, Kawasaki made changes to add layers to their offence, and one of their substitutes, OKAZAKI Torataro (#20), scored a goal in the 69th minute to cut the Tosu lead in half.

Kawasaki made a late surge by pressing up their tall defender TAKAI Kota (#4) up top, but led by goalkeeper KURIBAYASI Hayato (#1), the Tosu defence put forth a valiant effort to keep their one goal lead intact, winning the match 3-2 and claiming their first Premier League title in their first final appearance.

After the match, Tosu’s coach TANAKA Tomonori praised his players by saying, “Winning a tournament is also difficult, but the league is a year-round competition, so I think the team that wins there is the strongest.”

Coaches and Players' Comments

NAGAHASHI Yasuhiro, Coach (Kawasaki Frontale U-18)
I went into the match telling the players to leave no regrets. Tosu really showed off their ability to understand the run of play, and they handled game management with excellent maturity. This game also demonstrated how much our players have developed throughout the season, and I want to express my gratitude to all of the third-year players for their dedication over the years.

MF #10 OZEKI Yuto (Kawasaki Frontale U-18)
It was great that we were able to win the EAST title after our upperclassmen brought us to the Premier League. However, simply didn’t have what it takes to win the final. This match also served as a reminder of how superior a player Fukui is compared to myself personally. I regret not being able to score when the team needed me to score the most.

TANAKA Tomonori, Coach (Sagan Tosu U-18)
There was a stretch of two months where we went winless, so this season wasn't all smooth sailing. However, the players and staff didn't give up and kept working hard, which helped us achieve this outcome. We worked particularly hard to improve our ability to win the ball, and I believe that really showed in this game.

MF #10 FUKUI Taichi (Sagan Tosu U-18)
When I scored the goal, I saw a huge opening, so I just kept dribbling into that space. I was determined to score the goal by myself as soon as I won the ball, and I'm glad I was able to do so on such a large stage as this.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022 Final

Date: Sun. 11 December 2022 13:00
Venue: Japan National Stadium (Tokyo)
Fixture: Kawasaki Frontale U-18 (EAST) vs Sagan Tosu U-18 (WEST)

Match Information