Academy Report

From Tuesday, December 12th to Monday, December 18th, for seven days, 14 Tsukuba Junior players (and 3 staff members) traveled to Malaysia to participate in the U-12 SUPERMOKH CUP 2017.

After an evening practice at the Tsukuba Academy Center, they departed from Haneda Airport for Kuala Lumpur late at night.They arrived in Malaysia in the morning and prepared for the afternoon match against the Malaysian national team.Tournament Name: SUPERMOKH CUP 2017
Venue: Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur)
Age Group: U-12, born on or after January 1, 2005
Tournament Format: 9-a-side, 30-minute halves, group stage (round-robin with 4 teams per group) - playoff for ranking

Group A
Kashima, Sporting Lisbon, South Australia Select, Malaysia National Team
Group B
Malaysia Select, HNK Hajduk Split (Croatia), Aspire (Qatar), Hyundai FC

Wednesday, December 13th, Kick-off at 14:30
Venue: MSN-FIELD E, Bukit Jalil
Tsukuba Junior vs Malaysia National Team 1

Starting Lineup: GK: Maya Alex, FW: Takahata, Jinno, Shinbo, Ogura, Kameyama, Yoshida, Masuda, Ouchi
Substitutions: Tanaka (for Takahata), Higuchi (for Yoshida), Green Kaidin (for Shinbo), Ooe (for Kameyama), Oyama (for Masuda). All players participated.

First Half: 1-1, Second Half: 1-1, Total: 2-2
(Goal Scorers: Kameyama (penalty), Ouchi (penalty))

After breakfast, there was a short break, but they immediately began preparing for the match. They had a quick lunch, then left the hotel and headed to the match venue.The facility that served as the match venue is the base for the Malaysian national team's youth categories.
It's a facility where U12 to U18 age groups live together, with an impressive stadium next to it. They live in dormitories while attending the adjacent school.After the pre-match meeting, they headed to the pitch.Today, the sky was a mix of sun and clouds, but it was humid. As it was the day of their arrival, they anticipated a tough start to the match.

Their movements seemed heavy, but the start was not as bad as expected, and it was Tsukuba Junior who first had a chance. They intercepted the ball from the opponent's defensive line and entered the penalty area, where a foul occurred, seemingly a penalty. The referee brought the whistle to his mouth but did not blow it.

Conversely, in the 21st minute of the first half, they conceded a penalty, allowing the opponent to score first. However, they fought tenaciously, and in the 29th minute, just before the end of the first half, they won the ball back, entered the penalty area, and were fouled, earning a penalty kick. They equalized and ended the first half.

In the second half, there were periods where they were pressed, and goalkeeper Maya's excellent shot blocks managed to keep the score to a minimum. However, the opponent broke through on the left side, and they conceded another goal, losing the lead once more.

Nevertheless, they maintained a never-give-up attitude, and through substitutions, they continued to add attacking momentum. As a result, in added time of the second half, they earned another penalty, which Ouchi converted, and the match ended in a draw.After the match, they returned to the hotel and cooled down in the pool to recover from their fatigue.
Afterward, they had dinner and a meeting before going to bed.

Tomorrow's match is against the South Australia Select team.