Player comments can be found here

"FC Tokyo U-23 Tetsu Nagasawa Press Conference Summary"

"We are extremely grateful for the passionate support from our fans and supporters, following yesterday's J1 match."

We were ultimately defeated, but I think our team of average 17-year-olds fought well. Some players were playing in a stadium with this kind of atmosphere for the first time, but they were able to focus on the essentials and think about how to make a strong finish and win the game. It's a huge experience for high school students, and if we had won, it would have given us even more confidence, but it wasn't that easy. In the locker room, we talked about using this experience to fuel our training and continue to work hard every day.

The game was good in terms of calmly taking and moving the ball in the midst of pressure from the opponent and the strength of the top players, but the young members struggled with how to switch effectively. During the water break, we made some adjustments and were able to create big chances 2-3 times in the second half, which I want to praise.

However, overall we were pushed back quite a bit, so goalkeeper Nozawa threw himself in and desperately defended, and I think this score is fair. On the other hand, if we couldn't score, we couldn't get any points in this game, so in that sense, I think the opposing goalkeeper who defended our big chances with his body was the reason for their team's victory.

Even though the members change every game, the game is still going well even with a young average age. I think it's a big deal to be able to experience "competitive soccer" at this age. After this, there will be a little break, but I hope to practice well and be ready for the next game."