On Friday 1 November, the U-17 Japan National Team held their final training session ahead of their third group stage match of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019 against the U-17 Senegal National Team.

The team started the session by going through their warmup routine with conditioning coach OGAI Tomohiro, followed by passing, possession, and shooting drills, before playing a 11 vs 11 scrimmage. The team went over their set plays to conclude the session.

After earning back to back victories over the USA (4-1) and the Netherlands (3-1), Senegal currently leads the group with six points. Japan and Senegal have faced each other at the International Dream Cup last year, where the African side claimed a 2-0 victory. Japanese midfielder NAKANO Keita recalls from their last encounter, “They were very fast and capable of blocking shots from unbelievable range. They didn’t let us do anything.” Ahead of their third and final group stage match, defender SUZUKI Kaito shared his take on the match, “We have been able to showcase great combinations thus far. We hope to continue with the trend and display our style of football.” The defender also mentioned, “The team needs to add more variation to our attacks. We hope to initiate our offence from the defence line and create more chances.”

In order to cope with the unique rhythm and speed of the African teams, Japan has played a training match against Nigeria during their training camp in Brazil. Coach MORIYAMA Yoshiro mentioned, “We hope to make the best of that experience and showcase a positive performance.”

With their spot into the round of 16 at stake, the U-17 Japan National Team will face the U-17 Senegal National Team on Saturday 2 November at Estadio Klever Andrade. The match will kick-off at 20:00 local time (Sunday 3 November at 8:00 Japan time).

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYAMA Yoshiro, Coach
Senegal is capable of taking advantage of our small mistakes and score goals from fast breaks. They have enormous speed and we are expecting to be surprised about 10 times in tomorrow’s match. We don’t know exactly how fast they are until we face them in a real match.

DF #18 SUMI Kohshiro (FC Tokyo U-18)
The fact that I was able to play in the second match means a lot to me. Although I only played for a short period of time, I got to experience how loud it gets on the pitch, as we couldn’t even hear our coach’s voice and had to make our own decisions on the pitch. I hope to play for longer minutes and create chances for our team. I played with KUBO (Takefusa) and HIRAKAWA (Rei) at FC Tokyo and saw how the World Cup has changed them as a player. I will continue to work hard to compete for the starting position and give my very best efforts to help the team win.

MF #14 NAKANO Keita (Kyoto Sanga F.C.U-18)
We have faced Senegal at the International Dream Cup last year. They were very fast and capable of blocking shots from unbelievable range. I personally wasn’t able to do anything against them. We must enter the match with a strong determination to win and play with creativity to break down the opponents. The atmosphere at the World Cup is so much different from a friendly match and it got me so excited. However, I haven’t been able to showcase my strong points yet, so I hope to make runs for my team and combine with my teammates to create opportunities.

MF #16 YAMAUCHI Kakeru (Vissel Kobe U-18)
I haven’t been able to play in neither of the first two matches, so I really want to play. Senegal is capable of initiating fast counterattacks while showcasing persistent efforts in defence. We hope to keep our composure even if we give up the ball possession to our opponents. All the reserve players are striving to win their spot into the starting line-up. If I am given the opportunity to play on the pitch, I will give my best efforts to help the team win. I hope to showcase my techniques and accurate plays to create chances for the team.

Schedule

*JFA Technical Director SEKIZUKA Takashi will attend team from Sat. 26 October to Sun. 3 November.
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

FIFA U-17 World Cup Brazil 2019

Tournament Duration: Sat. 26 October - Sun. 17 November 2019

Group Stage:
Mon. 28 October 2019 8:00 (Japan Time)
vs U-17 Netherlands National Team

Thu. 31 October 2019 8:00 (Japan Time)
vs U-17 USA National Team

Sun. 3 November 2019 8:00 (Japan Time)
vs U-17 Senegal National Team

Tournament Information