Day 4 of England Expedition.

Today, the sun was shining and it was a warmer start to the day than yesterday.
It's the fourth day, but thanks to the delicious meals every day, there are no players with poor physical condition and we have been doing well so far.

Today, we participated in a mini festival between Newcastle U-18 and Huddersfield Town U-20 at the training ground of Newcastle United FC Academy.

Speaking of Newcastle, of course it is the team that Yoshinori MUTO belongs to, but unfortunately he couldn't make it for this trip due to scheduling conflicts.

However, it was the first time in Newcastle's history to hold a mini festival, and it was also the first time for a foreign team to enter Newcastle's training ground, so we were very welcomed by the Newcastle staff.

Newcastle's academy facilities, like Sunderland's, were very large in scale and had a wonderful environment with 7 natural grass fields and 1 artificial turf field.

Before the match, there was a conversation between coach Nakamura and third-year students Teppei OKA and Seongmin KIM, who started in the J3 Fujieda match.
"Our teammates are working hard in Japan, so we can't afford to lose. Also, the opponent is an academy team with our senior player Muto, so we can't afford to embarrass him with a disgraceful match."

Let's win for sure, so that we can be told "Muto's juniors are amazing"! I sent the players off to the field with these passionate words.

We started off strong by putting pressure on the opponent and creating good opportunities, but unfortunately conceded goals at the 5th and 8th minute due to mistakes, making for a difficult situation.
However, we will switch our mindset and put pressure on together as a team, and create chances by quickly transitioning to attack after winning the ball.

26 minutes, a good pass on the right side, where Riku Kobayashi crossed and Kazuyoshi Miyata firmly put it into the goal for the first point.
However, two minutes later, they were broken through on the side and conceded a goal. They will end the first half with a score of 1-3.
Half time is 5 minutes.
The number of chances has increased little by little, but the last pass is weak and the accuracy of the shot is lacking, making it difficult to score.

At the 8-minute mark remaining in the game, a short counterattack was launched after winning the ball in midfield. In the end, Riku Kobayashi scored, bringing the score within one point.
From there, we gained momentum and aimed for an equalizing goal while putting pressure on everyone, but we were unable to score and the game ended 2-3.

The score was only one point difference, but Tokyo was able to score 3 points with 4 shots, while the opposing team was only able to score 2 points with 7 or 8 shots.

After the first game ended, the next game is only 13 minutes away. Coach Nakamura said, "It was a disappointing loss, but the next game is waiting for us. Let's switch our mindset and fight hard."

Huddersfield, our opponent in the second match, is a team with several 20-year-old players and an average height difference of about 10cm.

Kickoff with 7 starting lineup changes from the first match.
In the 12th minute, Shin scored a brilliant free kick in front of the opponent's goal and took the lead. However, just 3 minutes later, they conceded a goal from a long ball that was quickly brought to their goal.
After that, both teams were unable to create chances, and it seemed like the first half would end with a score of 0-0. However, in the 29th minute, they conceded a goal on a counter attack. The first half ends with a score of 1-2.

At halftime, Coach Nakamura instructed us to "add depth to our attack. The defense line should challenge and cover well, and each player should take responsibility and play well to secure a win."

Although the thickness of the attack increases as instructed by Manager Nakamura, the slight misalignment of passes is noticeable and it is difficult to bring the ball to the goal.
The tempo gradually increases from the middle of the second half, and we are able to bring it to a shot, but we cannot hit the frame.

Kubo Seiichiro heads a shot in the final minutes, but fails to score and the game ends as is.
Finished the mini festival with 2 consecutive losses.

After that, I watched the match between Newcastle and Huddersfield.
The ability to always convert chances into goals and the intensity of the collisions on the ball were at a level that was hard to believe for the same age group.
After every game, the three teams gather for a brief ceremony.
I received a thank you message from Joe, the academy manager of Newcastle, for participating.

Afterwards, we had a light meal prepared by Newcastle in the restroom inside the clubhouse, and finally we gave our thanks to the academy manager, Jean.
Captain Kobayashi Riku says, "Thank you for giving me this opportunity. I was reminded of the difference in strength during the game. I will go back to Japan and grow, and I will do my best to win the next game." Joe says, "Thank you for coming all the way here. I watched the game and felt a lot of potential from this really good team with high individual skills. However, I think there are still games here (in England), so please do your best from there. You can do it. I look forward to your growth. When you come next time, let's meet with Muto!"

Tomorrow, we will leave Sunderland and move to our next base, Burnley.
I hope to continue to grow by receiving various stimuli!