《Cayman TOGASHI》

(It was a frustrating game)
"I think today's game was all about the start of the first half. We couldn't play the soccer we wanted to do from the start. In the second half, the fresh players came in and turned the switch on, but overall it was a game where the opponent was better."

(There were many scenes where the ball didn't come in the first half)
"I feel that both defense and attack lacked coordination. Unlike the Levain Yokohama game, we showed our bad side. Similar to the Levain Sendai game, we had a similar lack of sharpness and the first half was a very disappointing development."

(In the second half, it felt like we got into gear)
"It was good until we were able to turn the game around, but there may have been some moments where we let our guard down."
Levan has been eliminated with this, but I think it's important for the members who participated in Levan to figure out how to turn this frustration into a positive for the team.

(About my own goal)
"I think it was the result of the substitute player turning on the switch properly. The assist was also from player Hirayama, and it was thanks to the players who have been preparing well on a daily basis that we were able to score."
However, even if I can score a goal, it doesn't mean much if I can't win. I think it's important to play for the team to win, so it's frustrating no matter what.

(The goal was from a pass by player Hiraoka)
"It was my first time playing with player Hiraoka, but his determination led to the goal. That's why we wanted to win."

"Kiichi YAJIMA"

(The match ended in a disappointing result, but personally, did you feel a sense of accomplishment by scoring a goal?)
"It wasn't a league match, but scoring a goal in this uniform was one of my goals, so I'm happy to have achieved that. However, since it didn't lead to a victory, I can't really say anything."

(He was in a good position)
"Being in the right place at the right time is one of my strengths, so if I stop making those moves in that situation, I don't think I'll be able to score. I felt that Hinaida would either float the ball to the far side or aim for the goal when he entered the kicking motion, so I thought there would be a chance if I stayed in that space. I'm glad that it resulted in a goal."

(Although I came on as a substitute, what instructions did you receive from Coach Hasegawa?)
"As we were losing, I was instructed to change the flow of the game and to first score a goal when I entered the pitch."

(Although we were able to turn the tide for a moment and create a good flow)
"I think it was good that we were able to change the flow, but in order to maintain my own evaluation, I need to continue to be a starting point in the front line and not allow any more goals. It was good until the middle, but I want to continue to improve from there."

(It was a big step forward)
"But we couldn't win. We want to turn it into a victory next time. And of course, we want to participate in the J1 league matches. Instead of relying on turnovers, we want to earn our spot in the team and score goals to start off. We want to take one step at a time towards that goal."

"Summary of Tokyo - Kenta HASEGAWA's press conference"

"I am very disappointed that we have been eliminated in the qualifying round. I think the fans and supporters in Tokyo were looking forward to this Levain Cup, so I am very sorry that it has come to an end."

Today's game was very bad in the first half. We couldn't fight and Niigata's players were faster in terms of ball control and second ball reactions, so the ball naturally rolled towards their side. I think it was a very slow first half. In the second half, we were able to turn things around for a moment, but we lost due to a set piece and ran out of energy at the end, which was very disappointing to lose to Niigata.
How will young players continue this experience? With one more game left, we want to show a good performance at home and prepare well to deliver a result that will satisfy the fans and supporters.

"Q&A"
Q=What is your evaluation of player Shinaida, who was spreading the ball while struggling to advance the game as desired?
"I think the first half was completely bad. In the second half, they showed a great play by putting out an attitude towards the goal with their feelings. I think it was a completely different play between the first and second half. Manato SHINADA is a slow starter player, so we always talk about "going full throttle from the beginning" before the game because Niigata always comes in the first half in that way. If we could make more substitutions, I think he would have been replaced in the first half because of his play."

"Summary of Niigata Masakazu Suzuki's Press Conference"

"First of all, even though it's a different tournament, I am happy to win at home.
After the game was turned around, we caught up and surpassed them. We have always had a never-give-up attitude and I think that by continuing to do so, we achieved this result."

"Q: What were the factors that led to the comeback? "The most important thing was not giving up. Each and every one of us had a good mindset of not giving up until the end and aiming for victory for the full 90 minutes. However, we were scored on due to being broken through in certain situations, which is something we need to improve on. If we can prevent being broken through easily and our players on the ball side can learn to cover based on the ball situation, I believe our team can level up even more."