The first day of the tournament has finally arrived.
Last night, a sudden rain fell and thunder echoed. As a result, it was a bit chilly in the morning.
I had a proper breakfast in preparation for the match and moved to the venue after the meeting.
We had a solid meeting on what preparations are necessary to maximize our performance, so we were able to enter the warm-up in a very good atmosphere.
The opponent in the first match is Toronto FC.
It was an important match to see how we could showcase our strengths against a team with many players who have high physical abilities.
At the start, we were caught off guard by the opponent, allowing them to break through and score.
There were several moments where we were pressured by the opponent's speed in their attacks, but we remained calm, moved the ball, and regained our pace.
Without rushing, we continued our style of football, and just before the end of the first half, Nakano's dribbling breakthrough led to a cross that Kajiyama finished into the goal!
We equalized with a goal at a good time and reached halftime.
Active discussions among players and detailed confirmations before the second half.
At the start of the second half, player Ononojyu steals the ball in the front line and makes a through pass to player Jo.
He calmly finishes it, successfully turning the game around!
In the final stages, there were periods where we were pushed back by the opponent, but we communicated with each other as a team and managed to defend without conceding a goal until the end of the match.
We were able to win the first match 2-1.
We were able to secure an important first match, but the players are not showing any signs of satisfaction and are starting to prepare for the next game.
Thank you for your support tomorrow as well.
Today's Match Results
FC Tokyo U-18 vs Toronto FC
First Half 1-1
Second Half 1-0
Total 2-1
＜Scorers＞
Kajiyama, Jo
[Next Match]
Group Stage 2nd Round
Local time 11:30 kickoff
vs Colorado Rapids
◇Day 1 details are here
◇Day 2 details are here
