match Match Schedule & Results

[Reserves]
GK: 21, Kohei YAMAGUCHI
DF: 13, Takuya WATANABE, MF: 32, Yoshiatsu OIJI
FW: 22, Ryo SATO

○ Match Digest
FC Tokyo U-18, having secured a 1-0 victory in the 1st Round of the Premier League qualifying match held the previous day, advanced to the 2nd Round where their opponent was the strong Shimizu Sakuragaoka High School from Shizuoka Prefecture (formerly Shimizu Commercial High School). The match, aiming for Premier League entry for the first time since 2011, kicked off at 1:30 p.m. at Hiroshima Wide-Area Park First Ball Game Stadium. Before the match, Coach Sato addressed the players: "Play in a way that annoys the opponent and fight with all your strength," "It is also necessary to play decisively to avoid conceding goals easily," and "Don’t forget that you carry the hopes of many people as you play." Since this is a short-term knockout tournament and they did not want to break the good momentum, FC Tokyo made no changes to the starting lineup and reserves from the previous day’s 1st Round.

Kickoff with Shimizu Sakuragaoka ball. Against Shimizu, who are stronger than Tokushima Municipal from the 1st Round, the opening saw a back-and-forth battle with neither side yielding. Tokyo had their first chance of the match at 5 minutes. MF Koyama made a diagonal run into the area and passed to FW Watanabe Ryu, who shook off the opposing DF. Watanabe Ryu took a powerful left-footed shot but missed the target. Then at 6 minutes, FW Hasukawa dribbled deep into the opponent’s half, and finally FW Okuma took a mid-range shot, but this also lacked accuracy and failed to hit the net. On the other hand, Shimizu also tried to break down Tokyo’s right side with a speedy dribble at 15 minutes, but DF Okazaki clung tightly to the opponent and defended resolutely with his body.

Gradually, Tokyo increased their ball possession and began to take control of the game. Using the full width of the pitch, they shook the opponent from side to side and created passing lanes for vertical passes. At the 26th minute, the opening goal was scored. Defender Takada passed the ball to midfielder Abe near the penalty area, and with one-touch plays from Abe to Dawhan to Okuma, the ball flowed smoothly inside the area. Finally, Okuma unleashed a direct shot with his favored left foot, sending the ball into the net!!

After taking the lead, Tokyo scored an additional goal in the first half with a similar play to the opening goal. In the 35th minute, inside the opponent's area, a superb combination of passes from Koyama to Okuma to Watanabe Ryu and back to Koyama broke down the opposing defenders, and finally FW Hasukawa calmly slotted the ball in with his right foot to extend the lead to 2-0!! Riding this momentum, Tokyo pressed on, and in the 37th minute, Abe entered the opponent's area and took a right-footed shot, but it was denied by the post. With a two-goal lead, Tokyo calmly maintained possession and controlled the game. They circulated passes and built up their attack until the opponents, frustrated, pressed aggressively, but Tokyo could not add a third goal and ended the first half.

Halftime. Coach Sato spoke to the players, saying, "We have captured a very good flow in the first half, but for the remaining 45 minutes, let's face the game seriously and humbly without showing any gaps." At the start of the second half, FW Sasaki, who scored the winning goal in the 1st Round, was brought onto the pitch in place of Ryu Watanabe.

Just after the start of the second half at the 46th minute, Shimizu Sakuragaoka was awarded a corner kick, but GK Ito calmly caught the cross from this corner. At the 49th minute, MF Takahashi stole the ball from an opponent at a high position and quickly passed it to Hasukawa on the left side, leading to a short counterattack. Hasukawa dribbled in and passed to Sasaki in the center, but the timing was slightly off, preventing them from finishing. At the 56th minute, from Okuma’s skillful hold-up play, Sasaki managed to take a shot, but it was blocked by the opponent’s tenacious defense.

Shimizu Sakuragaoka, who is trailing, gradually increases the pressure of their attacks as time passes. At the 63rd minute, they threaten Tokyo's goal with a free kick, followed by a corner kick at the 65th minute, but Onishi, Takada, Okazaki, and Abe put their bodies on the line to prevent any easy shots.

As the remaining time grew shorter, Tokyo carefully connected passes to avoid losing the ball and used up time. In the 83rd minute, Koyama was fouled and won a free kick in the right area. The kicker, Nagasawa, sent an inswinging ball into the area. On this, Tamotsu ONISHI broke free from the opposing defenders and ran in to meet it with a header, but it went straight to the opposing goalkeeper... Although Tokyo could not score a third goal, they continued to keep possession, used up time, and closed out the match until the final whistle. They secured a 2-0 victory and earned qualification to enter the Premier League next season!!

The players share their joy with the fans and supporters who traveled all the way to Hiroshima. After the match, Coach Sato, his voice choked with emotion, praised the players and said, "The J Youth match is coming up this weekend. Let's switch our mindset and go for the national title!!" There are four days until the next match, and they want to prepare well and achieve the best possible result.

◆Comment from Coach Kazuki Sato
FC Tokyo U-18 was relegated from the Premier League three years ago, and since then, the players have fought every year with the goal of "promotion." I believe that achieving this this year is a wonderful accomplishment both for the team and the players.

(Looking back on the match)
Just like in yesterday’s 1st Round, it was difficult to fully express our abilities, and the game was played under pressure. In that situation, I told the players, "Don’t play half-heartedly; the strength of your desire to be promoted to the Premier League will make the difference. I want you to pour out the feelings you have held onto for the past three years."

(What kind of team is this year’s U-18?)
A tough team that works hard and is fierce in one-on-one battles. Even in the summer club youth tournament, they rarely lose despite being close to defeat. I think they are also a team that doesn’t let opponents win easily. Personally, it feels like the players have brought me to this stage. I want to say thank you. With this result, our motivation to bet on the J Youth Cup and finish the season well is high. While supporting the players’ thoughts and feelings, we want to fight through the remaining two matches. And next year, in a setting with even higher-level teams, we want to play in a way that is true to ourselves and characteristic of FC Tokyo U-18. Thank you very much for your support.

◆Takuma Onishi Player Comment
Since the formation of this year’s team, our goal has been to enter the Premier League, so I am honestly very happy. Leading up to these two matches, there was a tense atmosphere even during practice, but we had nothing to lose. That’s why I thought about fighting with all my might and enjoying it. Personally, I also had the feeling of wanting to play for the team and leave something behind for the juniors. The J Youth Cup is still ongoing, so I don’t really feel like we have accomplished something yet, but I am happy. We have achieved one goal, and now I want to switch my mind and body to aim for the “best in Japan” title, which was also a goal from the start of the season. I will fight with the determination to win the title no matter what.

(To the juniors)
I believe FC Tokyo is a team that belongs in the (top) Premier League, and the real challenge starts from here. I sincerely hope they fight hard and become the best in the league.

◆ Comment from Yudai Hasukawa
Our goal this year was to enter the Premier League, and having achieved that, I now feel a strong sense of relief. As was the case yesterday, how to attack against opponents who defend by pulling back has been our challenge recently. Today, we had longer possession of the ball and played while thinking about how to break through, and we managed to score two goals in the first half. Also, we are a team that is particular about keeping a clean sheet, and today our defenders again prevented any goals against us. I believe the good coordination between offense and defense led to this result. As a third-year student, I feel relieved, but I want the juniors to aim for the championship at an even higher level and to win titles both in the Premier League and the Championship.

(About the goal)
I was able to score thanks to the support from those around me. In particular, I am grateful to Koyama for the good pass he gave me through our coordination. I am also conscious of making vertical breakthroughs, but rather than focusing on that alone and becoming one-dimensional, I have been mindful of widening the play. The coordination with Abe and Koyama has increased, leading to more opportunities for good passes, and I think there are more moments where I receive a wedge pass and can execute detailed plays from there.

This year’s U-18 team is full of unique personalities and strong characters. Throughout the season, we have worked on making the most of everyone’s individual traits. We have gained more depth compared to the start of the season, and I believe that by strengthening our unity, we were able to achieve promotion. We face another tough battle with only four days in between matches, but we will switch our focus toward that and prepare well to head to Osaka with the aim of winning the championship.