Fourth day of the England expedition.

Today started with the sun shining and it was warmer than yesterday.
It is the fourth day, and thanks to the delicious meals every day, there are no players with health issues, and everything has been going smoothly so far.

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

When it comes to Newcastle, of course, it is the team that Yoshinori MUTO belongs to, but unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, we were unable to meet with MUTO this time on the expedition.

However, it seems that we were the first to hold a mini festival in the history of Newcastle, and also the first to have an overseas team at Newcastle's training ground, which was very warmly welcomed by the Newcastle officials.

Newcastle's academy facilities, like Sunderland's, were very large in scale, featuring seven natural grass pitches and one artificial turf pitch, providing a wonderful environment.

Before the match, Coach Nakamura spoke about third-year players Teppei OKA and Kim Seong-bin, 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 the academy of our senior player, Muto, so we cannot embarrass him by playing poorly."

Let's definitely win so that we can be told, 'Muto's juniors are amazing!' with these passionate words, we sent the players out onto the field.

We applied solid pressure on the opponent from the start and created good opportunities, but we faced a tough situation after conceding goals due to mistakes in the 5th and 8th minutes.
However, we will switch our mindset, apply pressure together, and create chances by immediately transitioning to attack after regaining possession.

In the 26th minute, a well-connected pass on the right side led to Kazunori Miyata calmly slotting the ball into the goal after a cutback from Riku Kobayashi, scoring the first goal.
However, two minutes later, they were broken down on the side and conceded a goal. They went into halftime with a score of 1-3.
Halftime is 5 minutes.
The number of chances has gradually increased, but the final pass has been weak and the accuracy of the shots has been lacking, resulting in a continued inability to score.

With 8 minutes remaining in the match, we stole the ball in midfield and launched a short counterattack. In the end, Riku Kobayashi scored, making it a one-point difference.
From there, gaining momentum, the team aimed for the equalizing goal while applying pressure, but they couldn't score, and the match ended 2-3.

Although the score was only a one-point difference, we scored 3 goals from 4 shots, while Tokyo managed to take 7 or 8 shots but could only score 2 points.

After the first match ended, with the next match approaching in 13 minutes, Coach Nakamura said, "It was a frustrating defeat, but the next match is already waiting. Let's switch our mindset and fight hard."

The opponent in the second match, Huddersfield, is a team with several players who are 20 years old, and there is a height difference of about 10 cm on average.

Seven starting players were changed from the first match, and the kickoff.
In the 12th minute, Shin brilliantly scored from a free kick earned in front of the opponent's goal, taking the lead. However, just three minutes later, a long ball was quickly brought to the goal, resulting in a conceded goal.
After that, neither team was able to create chances, and it seemed like the first half would end this way, but in the 29th minute, we conceded a goal from a counterattack. We go into halftime with a score of 1-2.

At halftime, Coach Nakamura instructed, "We need to add depth to our attack. The defensive line must ensure proper challenge and cover, and each player should show responsible play as we aim for a solid victory."

Although the attack has become more robust according to Coach Nakamura's instructions, slight discrepancies in passing are noticeable, making it difficult to bring the ball in front of the goal.
The tempo gradually increased from the middle of the second half, and they managed to take shots, but could not hit the target.

In the closing moments, Seichiro Kubo attempted a header shot but could not score, and the match ended as is.
We ended the mini festival with two consecutive losses.

After that, watched the match between Newcastle and Huddersfield.
The ability to convert chances into goals and the intensity of battles for the ball were at a level that seemed unmatched for players of the same age.
After every match, the three teams gather for a simple ceremony.
I received words of thanks for participating from Joe, the academy manager of Newcastle.

After that, we enjoyed the light snacks prepared by Newcastle in the restroom inside the clubhouse, and finally, we expressed our gratitude to the academy manager, Joe.
Captain Riku Kobayashi expressed, "Thank you for giving us this opportunity. I felt the difference in strength during the match. I will return to Japan, grow, and work hard to ensure that I can win the next time we play." In response, Mr. Joe said, "Thank you for coming all the way here. I watched the match, and I truly felt the potential of your team, as all the players have high individual skills. However, I believe there are still matches here (in England), so please do your best from there. You can do it. I look forward to your future growth. When you come again, let's meet with Muto as well!"

Tomorrow, I will leave Sunderland and move to my next base in Burnley.
I want to receive various stimuli and connect them to my growth!