The U-15 Japan National Team, who have lost back-to-back matches in the COSTA CALIDA U15 SUPERCUP 2023, played their third and final match of the tournament against the U-15 USA National Team on Sunday 30 April.

YOSHIDA Minato (FC Tama Junior Youth) scored the game's first goal in the second minute to give Japan the early advantage. However, the USA quickly turned the situation around, scoring the equaliser off a corner kick in the sixth minute and the go-ahead goal in the 25th.

Despite conceding the lead, Japan continued to show collective defence and quality pass-works, which led to the goal scored by KASAI Mibuki (Shonan Bellmare U-18) in the 29th minute, when the striker fired a powerful shot from the outside the box to level the match before halftime.

Gaining momentum from the equaliser scored in the first half, Japan took the lead in the 53rd minute, when the ball was connected to SATOMI Tafuku (Vissel Kobe U-15), who showcased a superb individual effort to carry the ball inside the box and calmly convert the one-on-one against the goalkeeper.

DOIGUCHI Ritsu (Vissel Kobe U-15) scored with a well-controlled shot from the right side in the 67th minute, followed by a goal scored by HIROOKA Eita (Kashiwa Reysol U-18) in the 78th minute, when the midfielder converted a cleared ball to further extend the Japanese lead.

The game ended with a final score of 5-3, giving Japan their first victory of the competition, despite giving up a goal on a counterattack just before the final whistle.

Five different players scored for Japan in this match, as the USA coach commented after the match, “Japan has a lot of good strikers.”

With this result, Japan finished third in the tournament with a record of one win and two losses. Spain claimed the top spot with three consecutive wins, while England finished as runners-up with one win, one draw, and one loss, while the USA finished fourth with a draw and two losses.

Players’ Comments

MF #8 HIROOKA Eita (Kashiwa Reysol U-18)
We lost both of our previous two matches, so we all entered today's match against the USA determined to win, and I'm glad that it turned out well. We took the lead early on but allowed our opponents to dictate the pace and ended up giving up the lead as well. However, I am glad how our team stayed strong and persevered to win the game. This tournament really reminded us what it takes to compete at the world stage, especially in terms of intensity and quality in front of the goal. I hope to raise my overall level from my daily trainings.

MF #10 YAMAGATA Yuto (Shizuoka Gakuen High School)
First of all, I would like to thank all those who have been involved in organising this tournament. The team has been playing with the theme of “co-exploitation and co-adaptation” during this tour. As a team, we conceded 11 goals in three matches, which left us with a mountain of problems in defence. We did well in offence, scoring 11 goals in three matches, but I myself was not able to take part in the attacks and had few chances created, which was an issue. Especially in the first match against Spain, we were not able to possess the ball and spent a lot of time on the defensive end, which led to a lack of aggression in the attacking end. I want to bring back to Shizuoka Gakuen High School what I have learnt from this trip to Spain and overcome my own problems, so that we can beat Spain and England next time.

MF #19 DOIGUCHI Ritsu (Vissel Kobe U-15)
Today's match against the USA was a crucial one, as it decided who would finish third and who would finish last. We got off to a good start with Yoshida scoring the first goal, but we conceded the lead the moment we let our guard down. We knew we couldn't go on like that, so the whole team stepped it up a gear. The equaliser scored by Kasai really helped us regain our composure to start the second half. The goal scored by Satomi really gave us momentum as well. I am also glad that I was able to get on the scoresheet. Hirooka scored the game's fifth goal in the closing minutes, but we conceded a goal at the end, which I thought was a problem we need to address. We hope to make the most of this experience to get better.

FW #7 YOSHIDA Minato (FC Tama Junior Youth)
We knew before the match that today's opponents, the USA, were strong. However, the Japanese team had yet to win a single game on our tour to Spain, so we were determined to win the match from the day before. I think that mentality helped us score the opening goal and I feel like we could have won the first two matches if we entered the matches like we did today. I will continue to work hard so that I will be selected into the national team again.

COSTA CALIDA U15 SUPERCUP 2023

Wed. 26 April 2023, 18:00 Local time (Thu. 27 April 1:00 Japan time)
vs U-15 Spain National Team
Venue: PINATAR ARENA STADIUM (Spain)

Fri. 28 April 2023, 18:00 Local time (Sat. 29 April 1:00 Japan time)
vs U-15 England National Team
Venue: PINATAR ARENA STADIUM (Spain)

Sun. 30 April 2023, 11:00 Local time (Sun. 30 April 18:00 Japan time)
vs U-15 USA National Team
Venue: PINATAR ARENA STADIUM (Spain)

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