Training Match 1st

U-15 Japan National Team  vs  Kashiwa Reysol U-18
2015-6-7 (Sun.) - 9:45   Playing Time 90min
Hitachi Kashiwa Sogo Ground (Kashiwa/Chiba)

U-15 Japan National Team  6-1 (1st 3-0, 2nd 3-1)  Kashiwa Reysol U-18

Scores
14'  YAMADA Hiroto (U-15 Japan National Team)
23'  TANAHASHI Akito (U-15 Japan National Team)
35'  YAMADA Hiroto (U-15 Japan National Team)
49'  NAKAMURA Keito (U-15 Japan National Team)
62'  FUKUOKA Shimpei (U-15 Japan National Team)
74'  NAKAMURA Keito (U-15 Japan National Team)
77'  Goal against

Line-ups
GK:  TANI Kosei
DF:  KEMMOTSU Takumu, SHIRATO Daiki, SEKO Ayumu, KATSURA Rikuto
MF:  HIRAKAWA Rei, KIDA Hinata, MORITA Koki, TANAHASHI Akito
FW:  YAMADA Hiroto, KUBO Takefusa

2nd Half
GK:  AOKI Kokoro
DF:  KAWAI Tetta, SUGII Hayate, YAMASAKI Taichi, MORITA Koki
MF:  SUGAWARA Yukinari, SUZUKI Toichi, FUKUOKA Shimpei, AWANO Kento
FW:  NAKAMURA Keito, MIYASHIRO Taisei

Substitutes
31'  TANI Kosei → AOKI Kokoro
61'  AOKI Kokoro → ISHII Ryo
61'  MORITA Koki → KIDA Hinata
75'  KIDA Hinata → SHIRATO Daiki

Training Match 2nd

U-15 Japan National Team  vs  Yokohama F-Marinos Youth
2015-6-7 (Sun.) - 16:00   Playing Time 90min
Tokyo Institute of Technology Tamachi Campus (Minato-ku/Tokyo)

U-15 Japan National Team  2-5 (1st 0-2, 2nd 2-3)  Yokohama F-Marinos Youth

Scores
15'  Goal against
22'  Goal against
48'  Goal against
60'  Goal against
64'  Goal against
78'  YAMADA Hiroto (U-15 Japan National Team)
81'  KUBO Takefusa (U-15 Japan National Team)

Line-ups
GK:  AOKI Kokoro
DF:  KAWAI Tetta, SUGII Hayate, YAMASAKI Taichi, AWANO Kento
MF:  SUGAWARA Yukinari, SUZUKI Toichi, FUKUOKA Shimpei, KATSURA Rikuto
FW:  NAKAMURA Keito, MIYASHIRO Taisei

2nd Half
GK:  ISHII Ryo
DF:  KEMMOTSU Takumu, SHIRATO Daiki, SEKO Ayumu, KATSURA Rikuto
MF:  HIRAKAWA Rei, KIDA Hinata, MORITA Koki, TANAHASHI Akito
FW:  YAMADA Hiroto, KUBO Takefusa

Substitutes
31'  AOKI Kokoro → ISHII Ryo
60'  ISHII Ryo → TANI Kosei
60'  KATSURA Rikuto → SUZUKI Toichi
72'  SUZUKI Toichi → FUKUOKA Shimpei
76'  SHIRATO Daiki → SUGAWARA Yukinari

Match report

U-15 Japan National team had two practice matches on Sunday 8 June. The entire line-ups in the first and second half were replaced in both matches.

Japan faced Kashiwa Reysol U-18 in the morning. Japan did not allow goal-scoring opportunities early on by implementing aggressive transitions between offence and defence. With catching their rhythm gradually, YAMADA Hiroto responded to SEKO Ayumu's long ball in the 14th minute and composedly put it into the net on a one-on-one situation to give his side an opener.

In the 23rd minute, after receiving KUBO Takefusa's through ball, TANAHASHI Akito beat the goalkeeper to roll the ball into the net for his side's second goal. In the 35th minute, YAMADA Hiroto headed a corner kick for an additional goal before the first half ended.

Japan continued to score through swift transitions from defence to offence in the second half. NAKAMURA Keito netted a superb long-range shot in the 49th minute, and FUKUOKA Shinpei composedly added one more from an interception in the 62nd minute. In the 74th minute, NAKAMURA Keito again scored for Japan's sixth goal. Japan conceded a goal after that, yet they defeated Kashiwa Reysol U-18 6-1.

Young Japanese squad met Yokohama F-Marinos Youth in the afternoon. Unlike the one in the morning, Japan were outplayed by the opponents with intense pressure from the start of the match. They conceded a goal in the 15th minute and again gave up one more after broken through their side in the 22nd minute. Then, Suzuki fired a close shot.

But Japan struggled to create golden opportunities before entering halftime. Japan, continuously failing to catch their momentum in the second half, gave up a goal again in the 48th minute. Yokohama added fourth and fifth goals of the day with a penalty kick in the 60th and a long-range blast in the 64th minute. Japan showed tenacity even in such a tough situation. 

In the 78th minute, Yamada calmly netted home Kubo's floated pass. And in the 81st minute, Kubo put home a missed clearance by an opposing defender from a goalmouth scramble for the second goal. Japan kept an attacking surge with close shots but failed to score before ending the match for a 2-5 loss.

Players’ Comments

SEKO Ayumu (Cerezo Osaka U-15)
We didn't know how to cope with the opposing quick pressing and weren't able to connect passes. But we were successful in catching our momentum in the late minutes of the Yokohama F-Marinos match. As an individual, I'm happy that I didn’t lose the fight on the ball and one-one-one battles as I was keeping my goal of this trip in mind — "to fight." 

What I need to improve are quality of each play and the fact that I wasn't able to call out details. I'm going to make every effort to capitalise on my strength and work hard on daily practice.

TANI Kosei (Gamba Osaka Junior Youth)
I played only 30 minutes per match today, but I'm happy to be able to keep calling out to my teammates, which has been my weakness. I need to improve quality of play more, so I will come out for tomorrow's training after reflecting what I was able to do and what I wasn't able to do during the two days such as timing of call-out, positioning to create a wider defending range and leadership.

KENMOTSU Takumu (Shimizu S-Pulse Junior Youth)
I've got lots of homework after experiencing the two matches like predicting the possible next play behind our defensive line when an unmarked opponent has the ball, passing accuracy to click on attacks, playing pace, and defence for opposing shots by committing myself. To overcome my weaknesses, I will work on future daily practices with keeping great concentration.

AWANO Kento (Vegalta Sendai Junior Youth)
My goal in this trip was to take something out of the good plays of my teammates at the same position as me and to try out different plays to see what kind of play works well against strong opponents. My performance in one-on-one defence gave me confidence today, but I still need to improve line-controlling at the sides, physical intensity and how to deal with floating balls. I will try hard to look for any small thing to absorb and learn in tomorrow's training.

SUZUKI Toichi (Cerezo Osaka U-15)
I've got things to improve in both matches. The teamwork of creating an upward atmosphere and calling out to each other, but I didn't really have situations where I was able to show my individual strength. My dribbling worked well even against strong opponents. But shooting accuracy, positioning when I play as a side back and switching in defence still need to improve. I will make this trip great by not losing concentration until the end of tomorrow's training.

Schedule

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