NEWS News

[Early Morning: Envisioning the Final Stage]

The morning of the second day of the tournament has arrived.
We woke up at 7:15 a.m. and went for a walk before breakfast. We headed to the main pitch where the final of this tournament will be played.
This venue has five natural-grass pitches, but this one was especially beautiful—a wonderful setting that made the players dream of playing here. They even went up into the stands, building their motivation for today’s match.

[Match 3: vs. ARSAIPA SOCCER KIDS]

Overseas tours rarely go exactly as planned.
Just as we were about to begin warming up around 10:00 a.m., a staff member from another Japanese team suddenly told us, “The match is about to start, so please head over.”
It seems that the match scheduled to be played before ours had been canceled, so the kickoff time was suddenly moved forward. We were understandably surprised, but when we negotiated, saying, "At the very least, we need time to warm up," they were able to make time for us. Both the players and staff are gradually becoming less rattled by this level of trouble.

A crucial match kicked off, with a place in the knockout stage at stake.
Our opponents were a team that defended solidly. We entered the match focused on proactively moving the ball in attack, an area we had identified as a challenge the previous day.

In the 16th minute of the first half, Sotaro Kawasaki collected the opponent's long ball and moved it through defensive midfielders Shohei Yagishita and Sora Kuramochi to Kazuto Mitsuhashi. Keita Orangojo then received a delicate one-touch pass from Mitsuhashi, turned beautifully, beat the opposing defender, and played a superb final ball to the onrushing Ryoma Watanabe! Watanabe calmly won his one-on-one with the goalkeeper to score the opening goal.

Sotaro Kawasaki collected the ball near the halfway line and finished the move in just 10 seconds. It was a superb goal in which the players worked together seamlessly, putting the lessons learned from the previous day into practice.

The defense also battled hard. The opposition combined careful build-up play with long balls, and their forwards were physically imposing. However, center backs Koshi Hattori and Shintaro Senga defended decisively, maintaining a solid defensive performance throughout and giving the opposition no room to operate.
The attacking unit continued to score freely, and the match ended with a 9-0 result.

[For the First Time Since the Team's Formation, Everyone Took the Field!]

In this match, Keisuke Takakoshi, who had been gradually working his way back into the team after an injury, finally made his appearance.
Since the team was formed, someone had always been sidelined through injury, and the full squad had never been together.
Then, on this day—four months after the team began training—every member was finally able to take the field together for the first time. It was a deeply moving moment for the team.

[Match 4: vs. Lamphun Warriors FC]

Trouble awaited us in the final match of the group stage as well.
The match was suddenly changed to one against a different team than the originally scheduled opponent (CHAKKHAM KHANATHON), resulting in a rematch against the team we had faced in a practice match before the tournament.

In the practice match, they had many smaller players and gave the impression of carefully building play from the back. But once we took the pitch, every one of their players was noticeably bigger than the U-15 Fukagawa players. Apparently, only some of their players had taken part in the practice match, while their regular starters had not played.

Kickoff came amid uncertainty over how the match would unfold.
As usual, the team built up play carefully while assessing how the opposition would respond. Then, in a rarity over the past few matches, the opposition pressed aggressively from the front.
However, the players once again showed their composure. Evading the opposition's intense pressing, they retained possession with a little more breathing room and began to take control of the match.

In the 6th minute of the first half, Zenji Wada picked up a loose ball deep in the opposition half and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot from near the penalty area! The ball flew beautifully into the far side netting, giving the team the lead with a superb golazo.
Then, in the 24th minute of the first half, defensive midfielder Chuka Kuramochi, having received a forward pass during the build-up, played a short pass to Kota Yokokawa. The moment Yokokawa looked up, forward Mahiro Murakami made a run in behind. A perfectly weighted long ball found him! He beat his opponent with his first touch, then unleashed a powerful right-footed shot with his second, slotting it into the bottom-right corner of the goal.
Murakami added further goals, including one from a direct free kick, as the team went on to secure a 5-0 clean-sheet victory!
It was a win that gave us momentum heading into the knockout stage!

[On to the Final Tournament!]

With this result, the team finished an impressive second in the group stage and secured a place in tomorrow's final tournament!
After dinner, we held a brief meeting. Although it had been a day marked by troubles both on and off the pitch, we reaffirmed the team's goal of “acting with consideration for others' feelings” and shared a very meaningful time reflecting on what is needed to grow both as footballers and as individuals.

The players and staff will work together as one to achieve a positive result in the final tournament.

[Match Results]
vs. ARSAIPA SOCCER KIDS
9-0 (1-0, 8-0)
[Goalscorers]
Ryoma Watanabe, Mao Murakami ×3, Keito Kogure, Keisuke Takakoshi ×3, Shita Sato

[Match Results]
vs Lamphun Warriors FC
W 5-0 (3-0, 2-0)
[Scorers]
Zenji Wada, Mahiro Murakami ×3, Sora Kuramochi

[Early Morning: On to the Final Tournament]

We have reached the third and final day of the tournament. Today, we will play in the semifinals, followed by either the final or the third-place playoff, depending on the result.
With the first match kicking off at 8:30 a.m., the players woke up at 5:50 a.m. this morning. They are gradually getting used to the food in Thailand, and more players are now able to eat well. At last, they are ready to take the field at a fantastic stadium!

[Semifinal: vs. Mikasa Chonburi FC Soccer School]

Playing in a wonderful stadium, the team got underway with a healthy mix of nerves and excitement, and no major problems.
However, right from the start, we were made to feel the high level of the opposition. It was not only their size, but also the intensity and speed of their pressing, as well as the quality and range of their long balls. We continued to struggle with a pace of play rarely experienced at the U-13 level.

In the 8th minute of the first half, the opponents broke through on the right and fired a shot from the center. Goalkeeper Yuma Odanaka made the initial save, but the defense could not react in time to the loose ball, resulting in a goal conceded.

In the 12th minute of the first half, Hattori Koshi blocked a cross after the opposition broke in from the left, and Furuta Yuki then blocked the ensuing shot from the loose ball. Despite repeatedly putting their bodies on the line in defense, the opposition struck the loose ball first-time, and although Senga Shintaro got a touch, it unfortunately crossed the goal line. We went into halftime trailing 0-2.

At halftime, the players once again actively discussed the match among themselves and shared what they were thinking. Their clear growth over the past few days was evident. Coach Ota brought the team together around a shared approach: “Let’s limit their powerful attack with aggressive pressing from the front and precise control of the defensive line.”

In the second half, the pressing led by center forward Keisuke Takakoshi, making use of his speed, began to take effect, reducing the opponents' opportunities to play the ball freely. Then, in the 30th minute of the second half, Takakoshi drove forward aggressively from the left flank, cut inside, and fired a shot! The goalkeeper denied him, but Shita Sato, who had followed up, turned in the rebound to score the long-awaited goal.

We continued to attack boldly in additional time, but fell just short and suffered a 1-2 defeat.
The players also gathered on their own during lunch for a meeting. The staff did not interfere, instead watching their encouraging display with warmth.

[Third-Place Playoff: vs. Muangthong United]

Although they fell short of reaching the final, they entered the third-place playoff with a strong desire to grow and win on this tour. Their opponents sat deep and defended in numbers. It was a difficult situation, with the fatigue of consecutive matches and the heat leading to uncharacteristic passing errors. Even so, Shintaro Senga, wearing the captain's armband, and Subaru Nakajo, who showed aggressive defending despite his small stature, completely shut down the opposition attack! Full-backs Yuki Furuta and Sotaro Kawasaki also supported the team by tirelessly moving up and down the flanks in both attack and defense, despite their accumulated fatigue. They have truly grown stronger over the past few months.

With the score at 0-0, the match finally came to life in the 11th minute of the second half. Sora Kuramochi collected the opponent's desperate clearance and played it to Zenji Wada on the left flank. Cutting inside with his speed, Wada delivered a cross with his weaker right foot! On the far side, Maoto Murakami guided it into the bottom-left corner with a left-footed half-volley for a superb opening goal that showcased his skill. However, in the 14th minute of the second half, the opponents bundled home a loose ball following a fierce sustained attack to level the score at 1-1. The match was then decided by a penalty shootout.

As both teams continued to convert their penalties, FCG Fukagawa's third kicker was Shintaro Senga. He took a run-up that slightly disrupted the goalkeeper's timing before shooting to the right. Although the opposing goalkeeper got a touch on it, the ball crossed the goal line through sheer determination. After that, every kick was successfully converted through Sotaro Kawasaki, the seventh kicker. Then came the opponent's seventh attempt. Goalkeeper Yuma Odanaka made a superb catch of a slightly weak shot to the left! FCG Fukagawa won the penalty shootout and claimed victory in the third-place playoff.

【After the Tournament and Heading Home】

During the time before the closing ceremony, we were invited by a Japanese soccer school team that had competed in the U-12 category at this tournament to play a practice match. The players' smile-filled play made it a time when we were once again able to appreciate the joy of soccer.

Although many areas for improvement were identified, it was an excellent tournament in which the players themselves came to understand that they must strive for a high level of quality and continue to grow, both on and off the pitch.

Tomorrow, after sightseeing in Bangkok, we will return home on an evening flight. We will continue to provide full support to ensure that the players return safely until the very end!

[Match Results]
Semifinal vs. Mikasa Chonburi FC Soccer School
● 1-2 (0-2, 1-0)
[Scorer]
Shita Sato

[Match Results]
Third-Place Playoff vs Muangthong United
○ 1-1 (0-0, 1-1) (PK 7-6)
[Scorer]
Masatora Murakami

[Player Comments]
Yuma Odanaka
“During this training trip to Thailand, I was able to gain many experiences by living and playing matches in an environment different from my usual one.
In terms of soccer, I identified my own challenges and areas where I still need to improve, so I want to work on them in future training. As a team, too, I feel that communication increased as we played more matches, and many positive aspects emerged.
I also learned many things in terms of daily life. There were times when I went outside leaving the key in my room, or when, despite making mistakes, I could not honestly put my feelings of apology into words, causing concern for everyone on the team. Through these experiences, I learned the importance of considering other people's feelings and acting accordingly.
I will apply what I learned on this tour to my future activities and work hard so that I can continue to grow both as an individual and as a team member.

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◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Tour: Departure–Day 1
◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Tour: Day 2
◇[U-15 Fukagawa] Thailand Tour: Day 3