Academy Report

Kashima Youth spent their second day on their Spanish expedition, playing two friendly matches in the morning and afternoon.

The first match, starting at 11:30 AM, was against Toledo's professional reserve team. Toledo currently plays in the Spanish League 2B (equivalent to Japan's J3) and is currently in 4th place.

The team traveled about 80 minutes from Madrid to Ajofrin, a town next to Toledo, where Toledo conducts its training. The match was played on a natural grass pitch. Although the rain from the previous night stopped by kick-off, the game was played in strong winds. Before the match, a souvenir exchange ceremony was held with the mayor of Ajofrin.
Friendly Match vs Toledo 1-4


Starting lineup
Yuya Oki; Ryo Shirai; Koyo Matsuura; Terukazu Shinozaki; Kotaro Arakawa; Ryosuke Imura; Mizaki Kawashima; Takuya Nishimoto; Renato Watanabe; Ryuki Fujieda; Shunto Ishizu
Substitutes
Yuta Nakamura; Ren Kanazawa; Daisuke Otsuka; Kanta Asuma; Ryo Shirai; Aoto Ishikawa; Mizuki YamamotoFrom the start of the match, Kashima Youth's movement was poor, and they conceded goals consecutively from a free kick in the 18th minute and a corner kick in the 21st minute. In the 34th minute, a through pass from the center allowed the opposing player to bypass the goalkeeper, making it 0-3. After that, they created several chances, but none were decisive. Just before halftime, a counter-attack led to a foul on an opposing forward in the penalty area, resulting in a penalty kick, and the first half ended 0-4. In the second half, the team made substitutions. In the 16th minute, Imura had a free shot from Kawashima's final pass, but it was deflected by the post. In the 18th minute, Nakamura headed a corner kick. It seemed to have gone over the goalkeeper into an empty net, but it was cleared by an opposing defender. In the 43rd minute, Kawashima was fouled, earning a free kick. Matsuura scored, ending the first match 1-4.

Comment from Coach Kumagai
"Given it was the first match after a long journey, the players' movement wasn't good in the first half. The second half showed some improvement. I hope we can gradually grow through the matches on this tour, including the afternoon game."

Toledo is located about 70km south of Madrid, and in the Middle Ages, it was a place where Islamic, Jewish, and Christian cultures intersected. It is often called a "city-museum," and its old town, surrounded by the Tagus River, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. After the match, the team visited the stadium in Toledo. A souvenir was presented to Coach Kumagai.

In the afternoon, the team played against Rayo Vallecano at 7:00 PM. Rayo Vallecano is a club based in Madrid, following Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid, and plays in La Liga's first division. Their training ground was an impressive facility with one natural grass pitch for professionals and four artificial turf pitches.Friendly Match vs Rayo Vallecano U19 0-1


Starting lineup
Aoto Ishikawa; Renato Watanabe; Koyo Matsuura; Yuta Nakamura; Takuya Nishimoto; Kanta Asuma; Mizuki Yamamoto; Mizaki Kawashima; Shinya Detsu; Terukazu Shinozaki; Ryosuke Imura
Substitutes
Ryo Shirai; Shunto Ishizu; Daisuke Otsuka; Kotaro Arakawa; Ryuki Fujieda

Kashima Youth changed its lineup from the morning match. There were dangerous moments from Rayo's attacks on both flanks, but no goals were conceded. Conversely, in terms of offense, the team was able to carry the ball forward many times. Unfortunately, they failed to convert numerous corner kick opportunities. Instead, in the 36th minute of the first half, they conceded the opening goal from a splendid volley shot from a loose ball after a corner kick. In the second half, goalkeeper Ishikawa made some fine saves to prevent decisive chances from the opponent's attack, but there were no major offensive opportunities, and the match ended 0-1.

Comment from Coach Kumagai
"The performance was better than in the morning match. We had many chances but couldn't convert them, and conversely, we conceded a goal from a slight lapse. There are areas we need to improve, and I want to take this result seriously to grow little by little. We want to progress in a positive direction with each match."