The U-19 Japan women’s national team have been on the fifth day of the America tour.

In the morning, the team was divided into two groups to do some training – one with the players who were on the pitch for yesterday’s match and the other with the players who played only for a short time or stayed on the bench. The former group did some running and stretches in order to recover, while the latter group started with some practice of passing and controlling, followed by a four-on-four mini game.

In the afternoon, the players focused on positioning in a nine-on-nine practice game, using approximately one third of the pitch.

The players watched a video of yesterday’s match, focusing on their achievements, in the evening meeting, so that they could share some good images before the game against Brazil. 

Players' comments

NORIMATSU Ruka (Urawa Reds Ladies)
In the afternoon, we had a short practice match today. I focused on fixing our issues, which we found in the game against the US. As there is still some room for improvement, I’d like to stay focused and try hard in the match against Brazil in order to make our achievements and challenges clear. I don’t know what kind of player I will be playing opposite or what kind of playing style she’ll show in the next game. So I need to analyse the situation swiftly, so that I can react well. I’ll do everything to win the match.

SHIMIZU Risa (Nippon TV Beleza)
We have a one-day break after the match against the US before the one against Brazil.
I’d like to fix some issues we found in the match, including strength near the ball and the accuracy of the set pieces. At the same time I’d like to improve our strengths even more to show what we’ve been practicing. We kept a clean sheet in the match against the US, and I’d also like to focus on defending in the next match as a united team.

KITAGAWA Hikaru (JFA Academy Fukushima)
Tomorrow I’d like to play by focusing on the accuracy of passing into the midfield and checking the opponent’s movement behind me, which were problems in the match against the US. As I haven’t played against Brazil before, I don’t know what kind of football they’ll play. However, I’d like to react well to any playing style.

MIURA Narumi (Nippon TV Menina)
In the morning, we held a practice session in two groups – one for recovery and one for training.
In the afternoon, we had a practice match. I felt my team lacked concentration at the beginning, and the opponent tended to be able to get through, using some set pieces. In the second half, we could contribute to the defence from the front as well as checking our set pieces. I’d like to bear in mind strength near the ball and the accuracy of passing in tomorrow’s match – these were problems we discovered in the match against the US. Personally, I’ll focus on the balance and movement of the defence in the centre as much as possible, so that I can contribute to a Japanese victory.

Schedule

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

2015 U-20 Women’s NTC Invitational
Four coutries of U.S.A., Mexico, Brazil and Japan will play a round-robin.

Future Schedule

 The schedule is subject to change.