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!] 

Starting today, the "JSE INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL FESTIVAL" has finally kicked off.
A total of 9 teams have gathered, and after two days of league matches, a knockout tournament will be held on the third day.
U-15Fukagawa is placed in a group of 5 teams, so they will face a tough schedule of 4 matches over 2 days. 

[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.

During halftime, just as Coach Ota was about to begin the meeting, the players voluntarily formed a circle and began discussing the current issues and how to approach the second half.
When the team was formed at the end of March, they were also seen discussing things, but sometimes it ended with them simply voicing complaints to one another.
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!" 

In the second half, their aggressive defending and careful play began to come together beautifully.
Eight minutes into the second half, following a careful build-up, Kota Yokokawa carried the ball through midfield and played a through ball to Keito Kogure, who had made a run in behind on the right. Although Kogure was caught once, he brilliantly cut back to beat his opponent and delivered a quick cross into the middle! Madoka Murakami received it with an excellent touch and calmly finished to complete the comeback!2-1 gave them the lead.
This goal gave them complete momentum, and in the 15th minute of the second half, Murakami Madoka scored; in the 18th minute of the second half, Wada Zenji scored; and in the 30th minute of the second half, Kota Yokokawa scored in quick succession. In the end, they claimed a convincing 5-1 victory. 

Reflecting on the first match, which did not go well, the players communicated among themselves, made excellent adjustments, and gained a successful experience—an extremely valuable outcome of this expedition.
Everyone ate dinner together in the dining hall, then returned to their accommodation for a brief meeting before going to bed.
The current group-stage standings are extremely close: first place has 4 points, while second, third, and fourth place—includingFC Tokyo U-15Fukagawa—are tied on 3 points.
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)

2nd Match vs BUMBLE BEE AC
W5-1 (1-1,4-0)
[Scorers]
Ryoma Watanabe, Madoka Murakami ×2, Zenji Wada,Kota Yokokawa 

[Player Comment]
Koji Hattori

"The Thailand expedition schedule is progressing, and although there are many differences from Japan in daily life, I think we are able to live while communicating within the team even though we are inexperienced.
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