[Reserve]
GK:16 Takahashi Yuji
DF:29 Furuya Hayato
MF:7 Kim Seong-min, 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 Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Soccer Premier League.

Thank you for your continued support and warm cheers.

[Next Match]
Emperor's Cup JFA U-18 Football Premier League EAST 2020

[Match Report]
"A thunderous roar of joy echoed through Hiroshima. A triumphant victory secures their return to the Premier League after one year."

On December 15th (Sunday), the 2nd round of the Emperor's Cup JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2019 playoffs were held in various locations in Hiroshima Prefecture, and the 4 winning teams secured promotion to the Premier League for the next season.

FC Tokyo U-18, who defeated Asahikawa Jitsugyo High School in the 1st round, faced off against Montedio Yamagata Youth, who defeated Oita Trinita U-18 in extra time. It was a close match, but it ended with a 1-0 shutout. With this result, they joined the 4 teams who will enter the Premier League next season, securing their return to Premier EAST.

This season, which was relegated to the Prince League Kanto, eventually won the championship while following in the footsteps of Yokohama F.Marinos Youth, and advanced to this Premier Entry Match.
The young blue and red army achieved their goal of returning to the Premier League in just one year and will proudly return to Tokyo.

Kickoff for the 2nd Round will be at 11:00 on the 15th.
The Coca-Cola Bottlers Japan Hiroshima Stadium, which became the battlefield, was bathed in warm sunlight that was hard to believe for December.
The starting lineup for FC Tokyo U-18 has only changed the left wing back from Kim Seong-min to Amano Souto, and they will face Montedio Yamagata Youth, the powerhouse of Tohoku, with the same 3-4-2-1 formation that utilized their momentum and experience from the first round, despite having only one day of rest.

Tadashi NAKAMURA, FC Tokyo U-18 coach, explained about the one-day preparation for the first round match, "Yamagata is not only a team with a good flow in attack, but also has weapons in set plays and long throws. We must be cautious against their counter attacks as well. Their defensive organization and goalkeeper are also of high level, and even the shot from a set play in the first match was caught by the Yamagata team. I made the players aware that they are facing a completely different team from the first round opponent."

The game turned out to be exactly like that.
FC Tokyo U-18 were able to advance to a certain extent towards the high side, but were not allowed to enter the box. They were unable to break through the tenacious defense of Montedio Yamagata Youth and ended the first half with no goals. Even the best chance in the first half, in the 45th minute, was a wonderful cross from Shingo Morita that couldn't have been any better, but Kazumi Miyata's amazing header was just barely saved by the opposing goalkeeper, Ryuichi Ito.

However, it was expected to be a 0-0 draw as we were drawn into Yamagata's pace. Coach Nakamura told the players at halftime, "We have to be greedy for loose balls - we don't know what will happen, so we have to go all out until the very end and score a goal. If we do that, we will probably be able to score one goal," and urged them to rise up.

As the intense and close game continued, Coach Nakamura made a bold move by sending in the fresh Kashif BANGNAGANDE to the left shadow. As a result, the tough marking on the right shadow, Kobayashi Riku, by Yamagata loosened slightly, making it easier to move the ball. Just 6 minutes after BANGNAGANDE's entry, the effect was shown in the result.
In the 17th minute of the second half, Kobayashi, who received a return from Morita on the right, cut in alone and invaded the goal. The feeling of a goal that emerged when he started dribbling past two defenders was not betrayed, and his right foot shot was successful. It was also a scene where the coach Nakamura's strategy of using him in the front line for the entire season paid off, as he had believed in his dribbling and finishing abilities as his weapons.

This one point decided the game. In the end, we held onto the ball and spent time, carefully advancing the game so that the opponent would not take control. Our experience throughout the season of winning low-scoring games in the Prince League Kanto paid off.
And time is up.
After the explosive joy of the final round, there is a feeling of exhaustion from giving it your all, followed by a gradual sense of happiness. And then a roar. It was as if this scene was proving the toughness and value of the playoffs.

Manager Nakamura expressed his joy once again at returning to the Premier League.
"It was a really tough season. I think the players fought well. When the Prince League Kanto started, I was in a state of wondering if we could really win. From there, we had to endure and endure and endure in every game. But we gradually gained strength and were able to achieve our team's biggest goal of winning the league while using the cup games as a learning experience. In the second half, we started scoring more and our team's strength grew and we were able to see growth."

Players who have improved their skills at J3 and summer festivals have been undefeated since returning from summer vacation. Their strength in matches also helped them advance to the playoffs. This is the last year for the third-year students, but the remaining second and first-year students have a battle waiting for them in the Premier League.

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