Player comments can be found here

"Tokyo U-23 Tetsu NAGASAWA Manager's Press Conference Summary"

"I always feel it when playing at Ajinomoto Field Nishigaoka, but I am grateful to the fans and supporters for allowing me to run on this field."

Today's game was a hard-fought battle, but our lack of ability to finish in the final moments was a major issue. In terms of the game itself, I believe the difference between the first and second half was in our transitions. Whenever we took possession of the ball and rested, we would end up losing it again and allowing the opponent to launch a wave of attacks resulting in goals. In the second half, we as a team were able to correct our mistakes and approach the game with a different mindset. After taking possession of the ball, I could see the determination on the players' faces and their reactions were quicker. Regardless of our system and how well we match up against the opponent, I believe that having a strong sense of situational awareness and mentality is crucial in any situation and can greatly impact the outcome of the game. In that sense, the second half was a period where we were able to find gaps in the opponent's defense and move the ball forward.

The end of the game turned into a slugfest, but I think it's a matter of "winning or losing". Coach Kenta HASEGAWA has also been saying, "We will never go into defense mode," so we want to continue like this in the future. The average age of the team today is 19 years old. There are still areas where we are inexperienced, but even when players from the youth team are called up, everyone is able to share the image of soccer that Coach HASEGAWA envisions and work together to win the ball.

Finally, today Kataller Toyama's academy graduates Teppei USUI and Yoji SASAKI were working hard. Both of them are part of our Tokyo family, so we would be happy if you could support their future success as well."