NEWS News

[Morning: Breakfast & Training]

On the second day, we woke up at 7:30 a.m. and had breakfast.
The menu consisted of shredded fried chicken on rice, soup, and dragon fruit. In Thailand, it seems common to pour the soup over the rice before eating.
Some players struggled a bit with the local seasoning, but many showed determination, thinking, "I'll somehow eat this and adapt to the environment!"

After that, we moved to the field at 9 o'clock and trained for about an hour!
Both field players and goalkeepers worked on technical drills. Although there were some difficulties due to the unfamiliar environment, they consistently maintained a positive attitude.

【Special Lesson】

After returning to the lodging, a special lesson (meeting) was held by Daijiro Takakuwa, GK Supervisor.

It began with the discussion that "things can look completely different depending on the perspective and who is looking," and we learned that what is important as a soccer player is not only technique and physical ability but also various aspects such as diet, sleep, and personality.

We were able to hear stories based on extensive experience so far, making it a very stimulating time for the players.
We want to watch over how they will apply this to their future training and private lives.

[Afternoon: Lunch and Training Match]

Lunch was also provided in a lunch box format with quite a substantial meal.
Despite the tough schedule, the players made a solid effort to eat well so as not to lose weight.

From 5 p.m., we held a training match (two 30-minute halves).
However, here came challenges unique to overseas. Various troubles occurred, such as the opposing team not arriving on time, the scheduled pitch being unavailable, and the pitch we intended to use not having lines marked.
Even so, the fact that players took leadership and communicated proactively under these unexpected circumstances is a significant gain from this overseas expedition.

In the match, against opponents who carefully built up their attacks each time, we were able to create good opportunities by actively pressing to win the ball and convert it into goals.
On the pitch, the players communicated actively with each other, resulting in few dangerous situations and finishing the match without conceding any goals.

[Training Match Results]
10-0 (7-0, 3-0)
[Scorers]
Shinta Murakami ×4, Zenji Wada, Ryoma Watanabe ×3, Sora Kuramochi, Shohei Yakishita

[After the Match: Cultural Exchange and Dinner]

After the match, we received a typical Thai fruit called "Lam Yai (Longan)" from the opposing team. It is a specialty product of Lampoon.
The fruit is wrapped in a slightly hard skin, and although the players were initially puzzled by its unique appearance, once they tasted it, it was highly praised as "sweet and juicy!" Some players couldn’t stop eating it, and this challenge with food took a positive turn!

Dinner was planned to be in the large dining hall, but due to a typical Thai squall, we were unable to move and had the meals quickly changed to boxed lunches, which were delivered to the lodging.
Adapting flexibly, the second night also ended safely.

Finally, from the third day, the 'JSE INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL FESTIVAL' will kick off!
On the 4th and 5th days, we will play two preliminary league matches each day, and depending on the results, advancement to the final tournament will be decided.
We appreciate your continued support!

【Player Comments】

Madoka Murakami
“After finishing the second day of the Thailand expedition, we were unable to coordinate our outfits among the players during the meeting.
If someone had spoken up, we could have changed it, so I want to take the initiative to communicate both on and off the pitch.
After listening to the talk by GK Supervisor Takakuwa, I realized that we need to focus more on "how we approach things" rather than "what we do."
Although we won the match 10-0, I want to value every opportunity and work towards achieving the '+1 goal'.
Personally, I scored 4 goals, but I am not satisfied with that result and want to aim for even greater heights.

◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Expedition Departure – Day 1