match Match Schedule & Results

[Reserves]
GK:21, Tsubasa Ishihara
DF:13, Ryu Yamagishi, 28, Takuya Watanabe
MF:25, Daisuke Minami
FW:-

○ Match Report
The players headed to the hot, clear blue skies of Hōten Park (Graspo), where not a trace of yesterday’s cold rain remained, to face Ichiritsu Funabashi High School. This match, the last before the Prince League break, was approached with the mindset of “putting our heart into it and seizing victory with Tokyo-style soccer,” and the players took to the pitch for the 11:00 a.m. kickoff.

Although they created early chances through coordinated plays on the right side and from corner kicks, at the 10th minute, they conceded the opening goal after the opponent swiftly penetrated the penalty area. Ichifuna developed a slow-paced passing game. In response, Tokyo defended compactly and without gaps, even while on the back foot. Within this, they seized opportunities by intercepting Kishi's pass and pushing forward to finish, with Nagasawa entering the area after recovering a cleared ball, pressing toward the goal by exploiting Ichifuna's openings. However, at the 32nd minute, they lost possession and failed to switch to defense promptly, allowing a quick connection that resulted in a shot that pierced through for the second goal conceded. Furthermore, with the center backs slightly spread out and the fullbacks pushing up, Ichifuna increased possession and created many chances, breaking through again at the 42nd minute, 10 minutes later, to score another goal. In the first half, Tokyo was slower to react than Ichifuna and increasingly fell behind, ending the half trailing 0-3.

“We keep getting scored on and looking down repeatedly. Let’s switch gears in the second half. Let’s put our heart into every single play and fight with all our might,” the players united in spirit. Watanabe Ryu replaced Ito, Takahashi came on for Wakasa, and Hasukawa substituted for Tamiya. With Watanabe Ryu at right SH, Takahashi as the attacking midfielder, Hasukawa at left SH, and Nagasawa shifting to defensive midfield, they faced the second half with this formation.

Tokyo, knowing what they needed to do, saw Nagasawa and Watanabe Ryu take consecutive mid-range shots, while Kamoike and Hasukawa on the left side demonstrated excellent coordination, creating multiple scoring opportunities. However, in the 57th minute, they failed to defend a scramble in front of the goal, allowing the opponent to break free and concede a goal. Undeterred, the entire team raised their awareness for scoring and pressed forward, with Kawakami and Takahashi winning the ball and making breakthroughs, and Kishi and Hasukawa taking successive shots, though none found the target. Then, in the 83rd minute, they were caught in a one-on-one situation with goalkeeper Ito and conceded their fifth goal with a lobbed shot. Despite this, they continued to press persistently until the end but finished the match 0-5 without scoring.

What were the things that needed to be done both individually and as a team? What was missing? We want to thoroughly reflect on both our mindset and our play, and face these issues without compromise.

For all 38 members to achieve 'returning to the Premier League.'

Thank you for your warm support of FC Tokyo U-18 today as well.
Thank you for your continued passionate support.