The third day of the France expedition has started.
The children have become accustomed to life on site and are spending their time comfortably.
I woke up around 6 o'clock, prepared breakfast, and went to the bakery again this morning!!
Today, we chose one type per pair, and since we also prepared bread sold at French supermarkets, we ate them together. The children really liked the authentic French bread and enjoyed it very much!
After breakfast, I had some free time, so I took a walk nearby.
A townscape rich in nature, houses with large gardens, horses kept at home, and an atmosphere rarely seen in Tokyo. The air was very clear, and I enjoyed a pleasant walk.
After returning from the walk, we visited the local school.
From the moment I arrived, they called out "TOKYO" to me and warmly welcomed me!
At school, we first played soccer together in the schoolyard. From that time, the local children surrounded us, wanting autographs on paper, clothes, and various other items, making the children very popular!!
After playing in the schoolyard, I was invited to the classroom of children in the same 10-year-old class, where I introduced myself and answered the questions they had prepared.
We share many common interests such as favorite soccer players and anime, and sushi, a favorite food, was also very popular in France!
The local children listened intently, making eye contact and reacting while the FC Tokyo school students were speaking, which was very impressive.
Also, at the classroom, FC Tokyo school students taught local children how to fold origami cranes and helmets. Even though communication was difficult, they challenged themselves to convey the instructions through gestures and other means.
After finishing the program in the classroom, we moved to the cafeteria with the local children and had school lunch together.
At this school, everyone moves together to the cafeteria, which is a little away from the school building.
At that time, the older children held hands with the children in the toddler class, and local residents managed traffic to ensure the children could move safely while being well protected.
The local children waved their hands even while eating and invited me to eat together.
Even after finishing eating, the children who went out earlier waited outside, and the kids felt like celebrities again as they were asked for autographs!
After lunch, we returned to the lodging once, and finally, in preparation for the tournament starting tomorrow, we first reviewed the training match footage from Japan to align our team strategy.
After that, they moved to the field for training, and finally played a training match against ONE FC MIAMI, owned by former French national team player Matuidi.
The team couldn't gain momentum at the start of the match and conceded goals early on, making the score 0-2.
Gradually, our bodies started moving better, we got used to the opponent's speed, showcased our own characteristics, and managed to score one goal, but the match ended as it was with a 1-2 loss in the training match.
We will thoroughly review the issues such as how we started the match and apply the lessons learned to tomorrow's main game.
For dinner, I went to Coco's house again and had her make taco rice for me.
It was my first time eating rice since coming to France, and since I had exercised during training, I was very hungry and ate a lot.
For dessert, we had crepes again today, and the children have come to love Coco's home, where delicious meals are made every day.
After returning to the dormitory from Coco's house, I reviewed the day and checked the schedule for tomorrow before going to bed.
The main tournament starts from tomorrow!
The children are motivated to demonstrate the results of the two months of training they undertook before coming to France, as well as today's training match!
