NEWS News

[Early Morning: Baptism in Thailand? A Breakfast Incident] 

Since today’s kickoff was early in the morning, we woke up at 5:45 a.m. and had breakfast.
Once again, it was a bento-style meal with rice containing plenty of vegetables, soup, and fruit. The players seem to have gotten quite used to Thai food.
While some players struggled a bit with the vegetable-heavy menu, a voice came from afar that was hard to believe... 

 "There’s a twig in my rice...!" 

 When the surprised staff went to check, it turned out to be star anise (a spice). Unfamiliar ingredients and tastes they’ve never experienced before—this first overseas expedition is turning every aspect of daily life into a valuable experience. 

[JSE INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL FESTIVAL Kickoff!] 

本日より、いよいよ「JSE INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL FESTIVAL」が開幕しました。
全9チームが集まり、2日間のリーグ戦を行った後、3日目に決勝トーナメントが行われます。
Ｕ-15深川は5チームのグループに入ったため、2日間で4試合というハードな日程をこなしていきます。 

[First Match: vs TS SOCCER SCHOOL]

Since it was the first match, the players showed signs of nervousness about the unfamiliar environment.
Also, since the opposing team was in a higher grade, I believe they felt pressure from the height and physical differences.
In Japan, matches are often played on artificial turf, but this time, playing on unfamiliar natural grass prevented them from performing as usual, and they were unable to launch aggressive attacks, leading to a tough game.
At the 26th minute of the first half, they conceded a free kick to the opponent from a somewhat distant position on the side. We expected the opponent to connect with a cross ball, but instead, they kicked a shot directly aiming for the goal. The goalkeeper desperately tried to punch it away, but unfortunately, the ball crossed the goal line, and the half ended 0-1.

Here, there was an event that made us feel the team's growth.

ハーフタイム中、太田コーチがミーティングを始めようとしたところ、選手たちが自主的に輪を作り、現状の課題と後半の進め方について話し合いを始めたのです。
3月末のチーム発足当初も話し合う姿は見られましたが、お互いに不満を言い合うだけで終わってしまうこともありました。
However, this time, while still making demands of each other, they constructively discussed "how to make things work." Although it has only been a short time since the team was formed, definite changes and growth were evident, which made me very happy and encouraged. 

In the second half, they were unable to break through the opponent's thorough defense, resulting in a narrow 0-1 loss.
The players themselves keenly felt the importance of addressing technical issues and pursuing the "quality" of each individual play in this match. 

[Match 2: vs BUMBLE BEE AC]

Feeling various shortcomings such as flow, technique, and communication in the first match, the players gathered in one room before the second match and held a meeting by themselves. They exchanged opinions and seemed to discuss "what kind of growth they can achieve in the next match." This time, the staff deliberately did not intervene and decided to leave it to the players and watch over them. 

Kickoff.
Reflecting on the many long balls in the first match, the players seemed to encourage each other with "Let's build up carefully." However, perhaps due to lingering nervousness, technical roughness appeared, and at 2 minutes into the first half, a misplaced pass was intercepted, resulting in a goal against them.  

Although they were caught off guard at the start, the players continued to show a fighting spirit without looking down!
They never stopped boldly trying to win the ball against the opponent’s build-up. 

Then, in the 26th minute of the first half, a corner kick opportunity arose. The ball kicked by player Zenji Wada was initially deflected, but Ryoma Watanabe headed it in to score the equalizer! The first half ended tied at 1-1.
During halftime, positive encouragements were exchanged such as, "We are getting close to scoring, so let's keep it up!" and "Let's not stop our aggressive defense!" 

後半に入ると、積極的な守備と丁寧なプレーが見事に噛み合い始めます。
後半8分、丁寧なビルドアップから横川紘汰選手が中盤を運び、右サイドの裏へ抜け出した小暮慶翔選手へスルーパス。小暮慶翔 選手は一度追いつかれながらも、見事な切り返しで相手を外し、中央へ速いクロス！それを受けた村上眞大空選手が素晴らしいタッチから落ち着いてシュートを決め、見事逆転！2-1と勝ち越します。
このゴールで完全に勢いに乗り、後半15分に村上眞大空選手、後半18分に和田全司選手、後半30分には横川紘汰選手と立て続けにゴールネットを揺らし、終わってみれば5-1の快勝となりました。 

うまくいかなかった1試合目の反省から、選手たち自身でコミュニケーションを取り、見事に修正して「成功体験」を得られたことは、この遠征での非常に大きな収穫です。
夕食は食堂で全員で食べて、宿舎に戻り軽いミーティングを行って就寝となりました。
現在のグループリーグの状況は、1位が勝ち点4、そしてFC東京Ｕ-15深川を含めた2位・3位・4位が勝ち点3で並ぶ大混戦です。
The next day, if we can secure two wins, we have a good chance of advancing to the knockout stage.
We will fight with all our might! 

[Match Result]
1st Match vs TS SOCCER SCHOOL
●0-1 (0-1, 0-0)

2戦目 vs BUMBLE BEE AC
〇5-1(1-1、4-0)
[得点者]
渡辺龍馬、村上眞大空 ×2、和田全司、横川紘汰 

【選手コメント】
服部幸志

「タイ遠征も日程が進み、生活面では日本と違うことが多いですが、不慣れな中でも、チーム内でコミュニケーションをとって生活できていると思います。
Today's matches ended with one win and one loss, and there were moments when we felt stressed because the results were not as we had hoped. Through this expedition, we want to develop the team's competitive strength. Personally, I want to contribute to the team through build-up play and set pieces, and during this summer vacation, I want us to become "the team that grows the most in the world"! "

◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Expedition Departure – Day 1
◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Expedition Day 2