[Reserve]
GK:1 Ryuji OHMOTO
DF:5 Shuto OKANIWA
MF:
FW:

○Match Report
【Challenge to the next stage】
The 41st Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) is finally about to start.
Last year's champion Tokyo aims for consecutive victories as they head to AJINOMOTO FIELD NISHIGAOKA from Gunma.
This tournament will be held in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, up to the Quarterfinal Round, and the group stage will have an 80-minute half, which is unconventional.
And with consecutive matches, the overall strength of the team will be tested.
The players who participated in the previous day's FC Tokyo U-23 match have joined, and they will challenge together as one.
The opponent in the first match is FC Machida Zelvia Youth.
Coach Sato said, "The first match is often a difficult game. It is important to balance intensity, calmness, and precision. Set pieces will be the key." He conveyed this to the players and sent them onto the pitch.
The match kicked off at 9:00 in rainy, slippery ground conditions.

[First Half]
The match starts with action.
In the 2nd minute, Terayama takes a direct shot from outside the penalty area after receiving a low cross from Sugiyama on the left side.
This pierces the net and succeeds in taking the lead with the first shot.
Furthermore, additional points are gained from the flow of set plays.
In the 6th minute, Sugiyama was fouled, resulting in a free kick. Yokoyama aimed directly at the goal, but it hit the wall.
After picking up this second ball, Sugiyama broke free, calmly observed the opposing GK who had come out, and lifted the ball for the second goal.
Tokyo wanted to maintain their momentum, but even though they were dominated by the ball by Machida, they deprived them of freedom with a coordinated press led by Yoshida and Imamura.
Then, in the 17th minute, Yokoyama was fouled on the right side, earning a free kick.
When Yokoyama sends this free kick to the center, Yoshida powerfully shakes the net with a jumping direct volley after Imamura heads it back.
Tokyo widened the gap, but they were dominated by Machida, leading to more time spent in their own half during the midfield battles.
Unable to maintain a high DF line against the opponent's offensive, the second ball is evenly contested, and time passes without being able to create a shape for the attack.
Tokyo took a 3-0 lead at halftime, capitalizing on the few chances they had.

【Halftime】
Coach Sato
"Let's make the whole team compact from our side. Let's all work on the little things, like closing the gap just a bit more."

【Second Half】
At halftime, Tokyo brought in Suzuki to replace Imamura, and from the start, Suzuki attacked down the left side.
In the 45th minute, Yoshida sends the ball deep to the left side, and Suzuki makes a vertical run to earn a left corner kick.
In the 54th minute, Hirakawa had the ball on the left side and connected with Suzuki, who made a vertical run, aiming for the goal from a tight angle, but it was right in front of the GK.
As they struggle to score additional points, they gradually begin to lose possession of the ball to Machida.
In the 65th minute, they approached the Tokyo goal from the right side, and in the 68th minute, they threatened from the left side, but the defense responded.
Then, Tokyo scored an additional goal. In the 71st minute, Sugiyama passed to Arakawa on the left side in the center.
Arakawa makes a vertical play and sends it to Yoshida in the center, then Sugiyama takes a direct shot from the post play, and the controlled ball is sucked into the goal.
Tokyo, having extended the lead to 4 points, immediately brought on Hara, Sakaguchi, and Masaru HASEGAWA to close out the match.
However, from here, Machida will counterattack.
After conceding a goal from a penalty in the 80+3 minute, another goal was conceded in the 80+4 minute.
As the ball comes in from the left side to the center, it is targeted with a half-volley, creating a beautiful arc, resulting in the second goal being conceded.
The match ended immediately after the second goal conceded.
Won the first match of the tournament and earned 3 points.

Thank you very much for your warm support for the players today as well.
We appreciate your continued support for FC Tokyo U-18.

【Other Matches】
Kyoto SANGA F.C. U-18 (Points 3) 1 - 0 Matsumoto Yamaga FC U-18 (Points 0)

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For more details, visit http://fctokyo.sportsinfo.jp