Only 5 games left in the 2016 Meiji Yasuda J3 League.

FC Tokyo U-23 wants to accumulate points and improve their ranking.
This week's opponent is Gamba Osaka U-23. As both teams are participating in the same "U-23" league this season, there is a strong determination from Coach Nakamura to win during the pre-game meeting.
Tokyo's GK is surrounded, and the DF line is made up of Yanagi, Yoshimoto, Okazaki, and Ogawa from the right.
Yoshimoto will wear the captain's armband for the first time since the 15th round against Fukushima.
In the midfield, there is a double pivot of Suzuki and Kobayashi. In the second row, Insoo YU is joined by Namae, Hayashi, and Koyama in the front line.
Osaka, on the other hand, will strengthen their defense line with overage player Iwashita and midfielder Abe on the right side to secure key points.
Tokyo's starting lineup average age is 20.82.
In Osaka, while 22-year-old players line up on the pitch, an overage player joins the DF line to tighten the team.
The match started with a slightly chilly and cloudy sky in Osaka.

[First Half]

Both teams want to attack while holding the ball.
Tokyo pushes up the DF line centered around Yoshimoto, while Osaka forms a compact formation centered around Iwashita.
In the midst of that, Osaka takes the lead in the midfield battle and the initial part of the game, but the defensive line centered around Yoshimoto blocks and prevents any chances from being created in their own territory.
Especially noteworthy in this match was Yoshimoto's presence.
Lead the defense line with a loud voice along with the GK, maintain concentration and continue to fend off the opponent's attacks, grasp the rhythm in defense, and take control.
Send a long ball behind the opponent and start pressing from the front line.
In addition, by quickly switching between offense and defense even after losing the ball, we can induce the opponent's mistakes and regain possession of the ball.
18 minutes, shaking left and right with Kobayashi at the center in the opponent's territory.
From Ogawa's big side change, Nama and Yanagi make a move on the right side, but it goes over the goal line and results in a goal kick.
Although we couldn't get to the goal, we launched a strong attack.
In the 20th minute, Insoo YU competed for YANAGI's cross from the right side, but his header missed the target in the center.
22 minutes, Suzuki goes to pick up the ball after Yagi's cross is cleared from the right side.
Yoshimoto picks up the ball with a sliding dive when it falls on his own side.
Tokyo supporters applaud with great enthusiasm for the play.
Tokyo, who has improved their ball-winning and second ball recovery rate in the midfield, is dominating the battle in the midfield.
The biggest chance of the first half came at the 44th minute as both teams created scenes of approaching the goal from counters and set plays.
The opponent gets a FK after Hayashi is fouled just outside the left side of the PA.
Ogawa flew freely to the outside and headed towards Yoshimoto, but the GK was in front. Missed opportunity.
In the additional time, Suzuki made a soft vertical pass to Insoo YU in the center of the midfield, but he was unable to connect with the shot as he headed it into the ground.
The first half ends scoreless.

【Halftime】
Manager Nakamura
"The start of the game was very good."
Maintaining compactness in defense. Let's continue to be strong in the ball contest.
In attack, use both sides of the opponent's field effectively and use power against crosses.
This match must be won. We will definitely win and return home.

【Second Half】
The second half started without any substitutions from both teams.
Gradually push back after being overwhelmed by the momentum of being broken through on the left side by Osaka's speed at the start.
In the 49th minute, Hayashi and in the 50th minute, Insoo YU took shots, and in the 52nd minute.
Okazaki picks up the long pass and dribbles as he competes with the Osaka DF line.
Insoo YU, who entered the support from the right at the PA, shoots but misses the chance as it bounces off the near post.
Tokyo, who raised the tempo of their attack, had Insoo YU carry the ball in the center of the opponent's half for 55 minutes, and then connected it to the ground. Finally, YANAGI, who came up from the right side, unleashed a powerful middle shot from outside the penalty area, but failed to hit the frame.
On the other hand, in the 57th and 60th minutes, Yoshimoto prevented the counter and did not give up a goal.
Tokyo takes control of the game amidst intense offense and defense.
65 minutes, Uchida, who came on for Oyama just before, breaks through the left side.
Ogawa connects precise passes with Uchida, Suzuki, and Hayashi, and Uchida breaks through with a speedy dribble.
Uchida pushed in the first goal after a fierce battle to the goal when crossing from a one-on-one with the opponent's defense.
Uchida scores his first goal in the J-League.
In the 67th minute, Kobayashi steals the ball in the center of the midfield and Hayashi launches a counterattack.
Hayashi dribbled up and took a shot from outside the PA, but was blocked by the GK's good defense.
GK catches the right CK obtained from this and Lin heads it near again.
As the battle continues fiercely between both teams in the attacking and defending phases, Osaka starts to put long balls on both sides.
As they begin to create a starting point in the front line, the Tokyo DF line is also pushed down, leading to development in their own territory.
However, the DF line centered around Yoshimoto continues to push up the line in detail and struggles to respond during difficult times.
Sasaki at 84 minutes and Hirayama at 88 minutes were substituted in an attempt to change the flow, but they continued to be pushed back.
Yoshimoto fights fiercely with a strong press, but concedes a goal in additional time.
After the announcement of an additional 3 minutes of stoppage time, Tokyo received a short counterattack when Uchida, who was dribbling on the left side, had the ball stolen.
Okazaki responds inside the PA when the DF line is pierced by a direct through pass.
The opponent dodged and in the end, the equalizer was also dodged.
Despite Osaka's momentum, they were unable to create a scoring opportunity in the final moments and the game ended in a 1-1 tie without any goals being scored.
Earned 1 point.

Thank you very much for your passionate support for FC Tokyo U-23.
Thank you for your continued warm support.

[Summary of Manager Nakamura's Press Conference]

"Today, fans and supporters came to the goal back and main stand, and we approached the game with gratitude."
In terms of the game, in the first half of the previous match, we were in a state where we couldn't play our own soccer, so in this match, we had a meeting on both offense and defense to take control from the beginning against Gamba Osaka U-23.
We were pushed back a little at the beginning, but in the first half, there were moments of switching and competing for the ball. We were able to create some good opportunities by moving the ball and taking shots, and I think it was a good game for both teams.
In the second half, both teams were eager to score, so the scenes in front of the goal increased.
In the midst of that, we were able to score the first goal, but we couldn't add any more points and in the end we couldn't withstand Gamba's attack.
The players worked very hard compared to the previous match, but unfortunately the result was disappointing.
Both teams had veteran players at center back as they faced each other as "U-23" teams, and there were also youth players included.
I thought that being able to play a game with a team composition similar to ours, rather than as a coach, allowed me to objectively see what the "U-23" team should be like.
Both veteran players were fiercely competing on the ball, aiming for victory while conveying the professionalism to the surrounding players. And I think it was great for the young players to be able to play in such a good ground with supporters like this. "

【Player Comments】
《Uchida》
「Watching from the bench, I was able to observe the position where I could potentially play well.
I thought that if I could activate the attack by receiving the ball and facing forward between the opponents when I played, there were also scenes where it didn't go well on the attacking side.
Immediately after the substitution, we were able to score a goal, but we lost the ball many times and even in the scene where we conceded, it was because I lost the ball and then the play developed. So while we were able to score our first goal, we made mistakes in those areas.
I was able to score, but I can't be happy about it.
Next time, I would like to utilize my strengths such as dribbling while considering the time zone.
(How is your performance after playing for a while?) I have become more conscious of making requests in the areas I want and actively playing my own game, but I want to continue to improve my level so that I can demonstrate it on the field.
(What was the scoring scene?) I wish I could have jumped out in front on the counter and brought it all the way to a shot from my own dribble, but it took a little too long.
It was good to be able to react to the loose ball and score a goal.
(What are your thoughts for the next match?) I want to make use of my own play, including scoring, and create chances. Although we drew in the last match, this time I want to bring a victory.}

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