On the second day of the expedition, two training sessions were held in the morning and afternoon. In the morning, practice took place on a natural grass field. Many children were playing soccer at the facility, and when FC Tokyo starts their practice, they are always surrounded by many spectators (who also record videos). Whether it's the captivating atmosphere of the practice or the attention on player development in Japan, training in a different environment will surely be a good experience for the players.

There are always many spectators at FC Tokyo's practice.

Natural Grass Field Practice

In the afternoon practice, we also reviewed set-piece defense in preparation for tomorrow's match. The serious training, akin to a real match, received high praise from coaches of other clubs, who noted, "FC Tokyo's training is very disciplined and the players are focused."

Focus on training	Confirmation of Set Plays

Now, as I mentioned a bit yesterday, I would like to introduce the "Evergrande Football School" that is currently on an expedition here. This school, created as a youth academy under last year's ACL champions "Guangzhou Evergrande," is a boarding school equipped with 48 fields, a gymnasium, a library, student dormitories, and accommodation facilities. "Evergrande" is the name of a large corporate group in China. They are also partnered with Real Madrid, and I saw many Spanish coaches there. The number of students exceeds 2,500, and it has even been recognized by Guinness. However, not all of these 2,500 students are selected elites; rather, anyone can enter as long as they pay the tuition, which can be likened to a combination of a soccer school and a boarding school (elementary and middle school) in Japan.
Before coming here, I thought it was a soccer elite education institution with nearly 3,000 people, but it seems that is not the case. According to the staff, the school's operations are not solely funded by the students' tuition (which is quite high), and much of it is covered by Evergrande. Additionally, it seems that Evergrande has a strong aspect of social contribution as a corporation, as it creates many jobs in the local area.

The facilities are very clean, and above all, the food (of course, authentic Chinese cuisine!) is very delicious. The climate is also excellent, and the people's responses are very polite, making it a great environment for training. Considering the future of the players, I sometimes think it might be better for them to struggle a bit more. I want to achieve solid results in the tournament starting tomorrow and give back to this environment.

48-sided practice court

The number of students has been certified by the Guinness World Records.