Day 5
After the match against VfB Stuttgart on Day 4, we spent a meaningful day watching the national team game, but we didn't return to the hotel until after 1 am. As a soccer player, our true value is tested by how well we can recover in such a tough schedule without making excuses, despite having a bus journey of over 10 hours yesterday.
The match against SV Darmstadt 98 was a struggle against their well-organized build-up. In addition, there were many scenes where we felt a different level of intensity, tenacity, and footwork compared to our daily life in Japan, especially in the attacking and defending in front of the goal. We were blocked in chances that we would normally score, and we were shot at times that we would normally not be shot at, showing the difference in standards and resulting in a 0-3 loss in the first half and a 0-2 loss in the second half.
The wall that was presented to us is high, but this is also a challenge that we were able to see because we came on a trip to Germany. At night, we hold a meeting with only the players for more than two and a half hours, and the team starts with an atmosphere of "not wasting a single second of this trip".
- Day 6 -
Conducted the final match of this expedition.
The opponent is Karlsruher SC, and they have become an opponent on the same level as 1.FSV Mainz 05 and VfB Stuttgart. Before the match, there was a presentation from the coach based on yesterday's player meeting.
The match will be a completely different game, with our team dominating from the beginning. The players are showing strong determination in their movements, making it the best performance of the current tour. There will be intense back-and-forth action, but our players will not back down from the opponent's strength.
The match result was a 0-3 defeat.
However, after the game, there was a sight of players who honestly acknowledged the strength of the opponent and faced their own improvement points seriously. At the beginning of the expedition, the conversation between players was only lively, but on this day, only soccer talk could be heard.
They are the treasure of Tokyo, and I think they have been strongly influenced by the standards that are difficult to experience in Japan on this expedition. They have become a group hungry for victory while realizing the difficulty of winning. If they can face the standards they have gained on this expedition sincerely, not only for the upcoming Emperor's Cup JFA U-18 Soccer Premier League 2024, but also for their future, I think this bitter feeling will have meaning.
Finally, we ate schnitzel, did some sightseeing in the city, and returned to the hotel.
Tomorrow is a travel day. It will be a long day, but I will return safely to Japan.
