It was our first morning after arriving in Brazil, and unfortunately, it rained this morning, so we couldn't go for a walk. After all the teams gathered in the lobby, we had breakfast.
For the opening ceremony and training, Norte-Tsukuba departed the hotel at 9 AM and Kashima at 10 AM, arriving at the ZICO Center approximately 40 minutes later.
At the opening ceremony, Fernando, the ZICO Center coordinator, delivered an impassioned message about the history of past tournaments, how professional and national team players emerged from this competition, and the mindset required to approach the tournament. Each player and staff member was then given their tournament ID.
After the opening ceremony, each school conducted training on the adjacent artificial turf field. The Norte-Tsukuba team worked up a sweat with running, pass & control drills, ball possession, one-on-one play, and shooting practice. The Kashima team engaged in a 9-on-9 conditioning game with the J-League selection team to review tactics. Despite the long journey, the players showed no signs of fatigue or illness, moving energetically and actively.
The practice match against the J-League selection team was a spontaneous decision made by the coaching staff of both teams on the bus. The practice match consisted of three 15-minute sets and ended in a 3-3 draw.
After training, we returned to the hotel for lunch, and the players rested in their rooms until dinner. Before and after dinner, each team held meetings to confirm what they needed to do individually and as a team for the upcoming matches, review tactics, and define team roles. After dinner, the day's activities concluded.
The tournament finally kicks off tomorrow!
The 16 teams are divided into 4 groups, with the top 2 teams from each group advancing to the quarterfinals.
Group Stage Draw:
Group A: Kashima, Portuguesa, Atlético Mineiro, Vasco da Gama
Group B: Norte, Boavista, Grêmio, Flamengo
Group C: J-League Selection, Cruzeiro, Santos, Botafogo
Group D: Tsukuba, Fluminense, Corinthians, Bangu
[Tomorrow's Schedule (August 28th)]
〇Group Stage Day 1
9:00 AM Kashima vs. Atlético Mineiro
9:00 AM Norte vs. Boavista
12:30 PM Tsukuba vs. Fluminense
