[Reserve]
GK:16 Takahashi Yuto
DF:29 Furuya Soma
MF:7 Kim Seong-bin, 14 Numata Kosei
FW:9 Kubo Seiichiro


Thank you for your passionate support for FC Tokyo U-18 today.
As a result, FC Tokyo U-18 has been promoted to the 2020 Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League.

We appreciate your continued enthusiastic support.

[Next Match]
Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Soccer Premier League EAST 2020

[Match Review]
"The triumphant roar that echoed in Hiroshima. Achieving a perfect victory to return to the Premier League in just one year"

On December 15 (Sunday), the 2nd Round of the 2019 Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Soccer Premier League Playoffs was held in various locations in Hiroshima Prefecture, where 4 winning teams secured promotion to next season's Premier League.

In the 1st Round, FC Tokyo U-18, which defeated Asahikawa Technical High School, faced Montedio Yamagata Youth, who overcame Oita Trinita U-18 after extra time. It was a closely contested match, but it ended with a 1-0 shutout, resolving this tense game. As a result, they secured a place among the four teams that will join the Premier League next season, confirming their return to Premier EAST.

This season, which was relegated to the Prince League Kanto, ultimately won while trailing behind Yokohama F.Marinos Youth and advanced to the Premier promotion match.
Having achieved the goal of returning to the Premier League within a year, the young blue-red army returns to Tokyo with pride.

The kickoff for the 2nd Round is on the 15th at 11 AM.
The Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Hiroshima Stadium, which became the battlefield, was bathed in warm sunlight that felt more like spring than December.
The starting members of FC Tokyo U-18 remain unchanged from the 1st Round, except for replacing the left wing-back from Seong-Min Kim to Aoto Osako. Despite having only one day in between, they will utilize the momentum and experience from their first match in a 3-4-2-1 formation to face the strong team from Tohoku, Montedio Yamagata Youth.

Tadashi NAKAMURA, the coach of FC Tokyo U-18, said, "We understood that Yamagata has weapons not only in their attacking flow but also in set plays and long throws, and we must be cautious of counterattacks as well. Additionally, while their defensive organization is impressive, their goalkeeper is also of a very high level, and shots from set plays established in the first match will be caught by Yamagata. I made the players aware that this is a completely different team from our opponent in the 1st Round," he explained about the preparation with just one day in between.

The match unfolded just like that.
FC Tokyo U-18 was able to advance to a certain extent up the sides, but they were not allowed into the box. They could not break through the resilient defense of Montedio Yamagata Youth, which responded tenaciously, and the first half ended without any goals. The biggest chance came in the 45th minute of the first half, where a wonderful cross from the right by Shingo Morita was met with a fantastic header by Kazunori Miyata, but it was narrowly saved by the opposing goalkeeper, Rui Ito.

However, it was expected to go into halftime at 0-0, drawn into Yamagata's pace. Coach Nakamura told the players at halftime, "Be greedy for loose balls—anything can happen, and until the very end, until we score a goal, we have to go all out. If we do that, we might finally be able to score a point," encouraging them to rise to the challenge.

In a tense and closely contested game, Coach Nakamura made a bold move by sending in the fresh Kashif BANGNAGANDE as a left shadow. This slightly loosened the tight marking by Yamagata, who had been focused on the right shadow, Kobayashi Riku, making it easier to move the ball. Six minutes after Kashif's introduction, the effect was reflected in the results.
In the 17th minute of the second half, Kobayashi received a return pass from Morita on the right, made a solo run, and penetrated into the goal area. The anticipation of a goal that lingered when he first dribbled past two defenders was fulfilled as he struck the ball with his right foot and scored. This was also a moment that reflected Coach Nakamura's strategy of allowing him to try his skills in an advanced position throughout the season, as he believed that Kobayashi's dribbling and finishing ability were valuable assets.

This one point decided the match. In the final stages, we maintained possession of the ball and spent time carefully progressing the game to avoid losing control to the opponent. The experience gained throughout the season, having secured low-scoring matches in the Prince League Kanto, proved valuable.
And time's up.
In contrast to the explosive joy of the moment of the final goal, a feeling of exhaustion after giving it all comes, and happiness gradually wells up. And then a roar. It seemed as if that scene proved the intensity and value of the playoffs.

Coach Nakamura expressed his joy about returning to the Premier League once again.
"It was truly a difficult season. I think the players fought well. When the Prince League Kanto started, I was in a state of wondering, 'Can we really win with this?' From there, we had to endure and endure and endure in our matches. We gradually gained strength, using the cup matches as various experiences, and we were able to achieve our team's biggest goal of winning only in the league matches. As the latter half of the season progressed, we started to score gradually, and I think the team's strength has grown and developed."

Players who improved their skills in J3 and the summer festival have remained unbeaten since the summer break. Their strong performance also helped them advance through the playoffs. The third-year students will graduate now, but the remaining second and first-year students have battles in the Premier League awaiting them.

FC Tokyo U-18 is becoming stronger and will be one of the pillars supporting this club.