The second day of the American expedition welcomed the first day of the tournament.

The first match of the 2016 Generation adidas Cup Premier Division was against the Mexican powerhouse PUMAS.

Before the match, Coach Tadashi NAKAMURA commented, "The Mexican team is technically skilled and tenacious. Let's not just play the game, but let's compete with all our might. Let's challenge ourselves in terms of ball control and quality."
The current tournament, which will be played in a 35-minute half, kicked off at 12:00 local time. 【First Half】
The game started with a shot from Kobayashi (Miki) after 1 minute. Tokyo, who put intense pressure from the front line, is being targeted for a goal by PUMAS, who have a physical advantage with their strength and driving force.
Especially during set plays, we must be prepared to face the PUMAS with even more intensity and throw ourselves into the action.
Tokyo, which has gradually been pushed back, is now looking for attacking opportunities by utilizing the space on the sides.
14 minutes, Tokyo is unable to put pressure on the ball holder and is taken to the goal, but in the end a powerful volley shot is released just missing the goal.
Tokyo continued to be pushed back, but in the 20th minute, Imamura and Kobayashi (Miki) combined for a shot, and although Hara reacted to the rebound, it was ruled offside.
The game started moving in the 22nd minute, when Kobayashi (Miki) turned forward while being free in the midfield and passed through to Hara, who was free due to the back and forth with the opposing DF line. Hara easily sank the 1-on-1 with the GK and scored the opening goal. It was a valuable goal in the time that was being pushed in.
Tokyo, which has gradually begun to grasp the distance with the opponent, will increase the number of ball retrievals and interceptions in each situation.
In the 28th minute, Kobayashi (Shin), who had repeatedly taken the ball in the midfield, continued to attack and create chances, and each player's characteristics began to emerge.
Tokyo, who regained their rhythm in the middle, will go into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

【Halftime】
Coach Nakamura reminded the team to "always think ahead when playing, focus on both attacking and defending, and be aware of Mexico's clever plays."

【Second Half】
Tokyo, who has grasped the rhythm from the start of the second half, dominates the ball and quickly neutralizes the PUMAS defense with strong pressure and power through quick decision-making and movement.
Tokyo, who does not allow PUMAS to shoot despite several attempts to create chances as the game progresses.
19 minutes, 21 minutes, and GK Takase makes a big save to prevent PUMAS from scoring with a decisive shot.
◈However, in the end, they were pushed back in a fierce battle and lost the equalizing goal from the corner kick they gave away.
In the 26th minute, a free kick was given from the side position and although it was initially blocked, the loose ball was picked up and ultimately led to a reversal.
Tokyo, who had been most threatened by set pieces, conceded goals in succession, but after that, the intensity increased and it became a tight match.
And in the 33rd minute, Arakawa earns a free kick in a position to the left of the goal, and captain Hineda, who was entrusted with the captaincy for this tournament, scores a beautiful free kick that hits the post and ties the game. Despite continuing to aim for a goal until the end, they were unable to score and the second half ended in a 2-2 tie.

In case of a tie, according to the tournament regulations, the winner will be decided by a penalty shootout, with Tokyo being the second to take the penalty kicks.
Tokyo secured the victory with everyone scoring and GK Takase stopping the second and fourth goals from PUMAS. They earned 2 points in the first group stage match.
(※Obtain 1 point at the time of a draw. After that, an additional 1 point is given to the winner of the PK match.)

Coach Tadashi NAKAMURA's post-match comments
"(About the start of the match) I thought it would take some time for the players to get used to the field and the atmosphere. As the players started to look forward in the midfield, our attacking opportunities increased and one of them resulted in a goal."
I think if we had kept the score at 2-0 in the second half, it would have been Tokyo's game, but the opponent also had strength. Our legs stopped and we couldn't hold on, leading to a comeback. It was good that our attacking, including substitutions, led to a goal from a free kick. I think it was also good that everyone confidently scored in the penalty shootout. " Show the world what it means to be F.C.TOKYO and continue to compete seriously on American soil.
The next match will be against COLORADO RAPIDS on the 20th at 12:00. (Kickoff at 26:00 on the 21st Japan time)