match Match Schedule & Results

[Reserves]
GK:16, Koki ITO, 21, Tsubasa ISHIHARA, 30, Katsuya MATSUSHIMA
DF:12, Aoto TAMIYA, 20, Seiya TAKADA
MF:18, Yoshiki SHIMODAI, 26, Taku WATANABE, 34, Akitoshi HISHIYAMA, 39, Rimu MATSUOKA
FW:23, Satoshi Yamaguchi, 25, Daisuke MINAMI, 27, Rui NISHIMOTO, 35, Naoya IWAMOTO

○Match Digest
The “15th Tokyo Club Youth U-17 Soccer Championship Final Round,” which FC Tokyo advanced to for the first time in three years, was postponed from February 9 due to snowfall, but the venue remained unchanged at AJINOMOTO FIELD NISHIGAOKA. This season’s goals were “returning to the Premier League and winning a national title.” “If we don’t have the strength to be No. 1 in Tokyo, we can’t become the best in Japan. This one match, this tournament. Let’s unite our strength and seize victory!” Everyone united their hearts and fired up. Their opponent, Mitsubishi Yowa SC Youth, is a strong team belonging to the higher-ranked Premier League. The match, fought with each team’s emblem on their chest, kicked off at 2:30 p.m. under the watchful eyes of many spectators.

A unique tension filled the air in this must-win battle for Tokyo’s title, but the players on the pitch from both teams showed no sign of being affected by it, engaging in fierce offense and defense from the start. Tokyo added an accent to their attack with Hasukawa’s assaults down the left side, tenaciously pressing when possession was lost and rigorously contesting every ball, boldly pushing forward to seize control. The match opened up in the 11th minute when Watanabe Ryu, receiving a ball connected to the front line through effective use of side changes, skillfully dribbled past one, two, three opposing defenders from the right side and scored a goal!! Taking the lead and gaining the upper hand, Tokyo calmly proceeded with the game aiming for a second goal, as they had agreed before the match: “Once we get one goal, we go for another. Let’s attack, not defend.” The players checked the field conditions and increased possession by skillfully varying long and short feeds. However, Yowa responded with a deep defensive stance and quick transitions between offense and defense, anticipating the next play and preparing collectively to counter with coordinated possession. They pressed forward relentlessly, seizing every momentary gap to surge toward the goal. Yet, centered around the four players in the back line, Tokyo continued to block and repel attacks with their bodies until the end, and Nagasawa’s defensive efforts from the front line also paid off, allowing Tokyo to maintain control. Then, at the 41st minute, a set-piece opportunity arose. On Nagasawa’s right corner kick, Onishi perfectly met the ball with his head and scored the second goal!! The first half ended with Tokyo leading 2-0.

At halftime, the players encouraged each other, saying, "The next goal is crucial! We must not show any gaps." Then, Coach Sato tightened their focus with, "Yowa won’t just let this go as it is. It may look like we have the initiative, but Yowa’s solid defense is drawing us in and accepting our time. The moments when things seem to be going well are the most dangerous. Don’t create a relaxed atmosphere. The reserves also have fresh, strong members ready. Everyone must be ready to go at any time! Let’s fight the second half with full force!" With their spirits sharpened, the players headed back onto the pitch for the second half.

Determined to reset the match, Yowa launched a fierce attack from the start of the second half, firing consecutive shots and threatening the Tokyo goal. Although it seemed like Tokyo might panic, defensive midfielder Takahashi calmly responded and regained the rhythm. Sasaki, dribbling forward while utilizing his teammates, took a shot, and with Yamagishi as the starting point, they connected smoothly and carried the attack to the finish, showing creative offense. Then, in the 63rd minute, the scorer was Sato, who had been substituted in for Hasukawa four minutes earlier. Receiving a long feed from Onishi from the back line, Sato calmly slotted in the third goal!! However, it was from here that Yowa’s resilience was truly displayed. Despite leading comfortably 3-0, the voices of Yowa’s players shouting “It’s still not over!” echoed across the pitch. Even after conceding, they attacked persistently without losing heart, and in the 74th minute, after a quick restart, they broke through the front line and scored. Yet, at this point, the dedicated defensive efforts of the fullback duo Yamagishi and Aihara shone, and whenever Yowa advanced near the goal, Takuya Watanabe immediately recovered possession and launched counterattacks, shutting down dangerous situations repeatedly. Tokyo made substitutions, bringing on Okuma for Ryuu Watanabe in the 68th minute, Koyama for Yamagishi in the 81st, and Joutaki for Sasaki in the 85th, playing with gritty determination and resilience both offensively and defensively. However, in the 86th minute, after a side change, they were finally pierced through the center and conceded a goal. The players, who had agreed before the match to “work steadily with all-out attack and all-out defense for 90 minutes. If we can outperform the opponent, we can control the pace,” continued to fight tenaciously without yielding to Yowa’s comeback, bringing on Yanagi for Takahashi in the 89th minute. In the final moments, when faced with dangerous free kicks and corner kicks, GK Yamaguchi made fine saves! They held on to win 3-2!!

In the 2014 season, FC Tokyo U-18, who won the Tokyo Metropolitan title, also secured participation in the 2014 Tokyo Tournament Student Division Qualifiers, which serve as the Emperor's Cup preliminary round!! The players exploded with joy after winning the championship, but their words were, "After going up 3-0, a strange sense of security came over us. We thought we understood it in our heads, but we realized that there are no easy matches to win." This match also became an important lesson learned from Mitsubishi Yowa SC Youth, who possess the strength to seize opportunities even in a comeback situation.
This season, the team’s goals are “to return to the Premier League and win a national title.” We want to give our all in daily training, prepare thoroughly for the league opener, and demonstrate what we have built up in each match. Additionally, each player aims to improve individually, and with the soon-to-join new first-year members, we want to seize our goals for this season!!

Thank you very much for your warm support for the players today.
Continued support for FC Tokyo U-18 is greatly appreciated.