Day 4 of the England expedition.
Today, the sun is shining and it was a warmer start to the day than yesterday.
It's the fourth day, but thanks to the delicious meals every day, there have been no players with poor physical condition, and we have been progressing smoothly so far.
Today, we participated in a mini festival at the Newcastle United FC Academy training ground with Newcastle U-18 and Huddersfield Town U-20.
When it comes to Newcastle, of course, it is the team that Yoshinori MUTO belongs to, but unfortunately, Muto could not make it to this expedition due to his schedule.
However, it was the first time in Newcastle's history to hold a mini festival, and it was also the first time for a foreign team to enter Newcastle's training ground, so we were very welcomed by the Newcastle officials.
Newcastle's academy facilities, like Sunderland's, were very large in scale and had a wonderful environment with 7 natural grass fields and 1 artificial turf field.
Before the match, there was a conversation between 3rd year students Okada Teppei and Kim Seong-min, who started in the J3 Fujieda match, and coach Nakamura.
"Our teammates are working hard in Japan, so we can't afford to lose. Also, the opponent is an academy team with our senior player Mutoh, so we can't afford to have a shameful match and embarrass Mutoh."
Let's win for sure with the passionate words "Wow, Muto's juniors are amazing!" as we send the players onto the field.
We started off well by putting pressure on the opponent and creating good opportunities, but unfortunately, we conceded goals in the 5th and 8th minutes due to mistakes, making it a difficult situation.
However, we will switch our mindset, apply pressure together as a team, and create opportunities by quickly transitioning to attack after winning the ball.
26 minutes, a good pass was connected on the right side and Riku KOBAYASHI crossed it back, and Kazuyoshi MIYATA firmly put it into the goal for the first point.
However, two minutes later, they conceded a goal after their defense was broken down on the side. They ended the first half with a score of 1-3.
Halftime is 5 minutes.
The number of chances has gradually increased, but the last pass is weak and the shooting accuracy is lacking, so it continues to be difficult to score.
With 8 minutes remaining in the game, we stole the ball in the midfield and launched a quick counterattack. In the end, Riku KOBAYASHI scored, narrowing the gap to one point.
From there, we gained momentum and tried to score an equalizing goal while putting pressure on as a team, but we couldn't take the goal and the game ended 2-3.
Although the score was only one point behind, Tokyo was only able to score 2 points with 7 or 8 shots, while the opposing team scored 3 points with 4 shots.
After the first game ended, the next game is only 13 minutes away. Manager Nakamura said, "It was a disappointing loss, but the next game is already waiting for us. Let's switch our mindset and fight hard."
The second opponent, Huddersfield, is a team with several 20-year-old players, and there is a height difference of about 10cm on average.
Kickoff with 7 starting lineup changes from the first match.
New brilliantly scored the opening goal with a free kick obtained in front of the opponent's goal in the 12th minute. However, three minutes later, they conceded a goal as the ball was quickly brought to their goal from a long pass.
After that, both teams were unable to create any chances, and it seemed like the first half would end like this. However, we conceded a goal from a counterattack in the 29th minute. We go into halftime with a score of 1-2.
At halftime, Coach Nakamura instructed us to "add depth to our attack. The defensive line should challenge and cover well, and each player should show responsible play and aim for a solid victory."
Although the thickness of the attack increases as instructed by Coach Nakamura, the slight misalignment of the passes is noticeable, and it is difficult to bring the ball to the goal.
The tempo gradually increases from the middle of the second half, and we bring the ball up to the point of shooting, but we are unable to hit the target.
Kubo Seiichiro attempted a header shot just before the end, but couldn't score a goal, and the game ended as it was.
Finished the mini festival with 2 consecutive losses.
After that, watched the match between Newcastle and Huddersfield.
The accuracy of connecting chances to goals and the intensity of collisions in the ball's vicinity were of such a high level that it was hard to believe they were from the same generation.
After every match, the three teams gather for a brief ceremony.
I received words of thanks for participating from Joe, the academy manager of Newcastle.
Afterwards, we had a light meal prepared by Newcastle in the clubhouse restroom, and finally, we thanked Academy Manager Joe.
From Captain Kobayashi Riku, he said, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I keenly felt the difference in strength during the match. I will go back to Japan and grow, and I will do my best to win the next match." Then, Joe said, "Thank you for coming all the way here. I watched the match and felt a lot of potential in this really good team with high individual skills. However, I think there are still matches here (in England) rather than after returning to Japan, so please do your best from there. You can do it. I look forward to your future growth. Let's meet together with Muto when you come next time!"
Tomorrow, Sandaza will leave Sunderland and move to Burnley, which will be the next base.
I want to connect various stimuli to growth!
