We woke up at 6 AM and did exercises at a nearby park. After breakfast at the hotel, we had a pre-match practice session starting at 9 AM.
After ball passing, formation, and shooting drills, we played a friendly match against Fulham, who were practicing next to us.
Last year, we had a bitter experience with penalty shootouts, so we practiced penalties, with each player taking one shot. Everyone calmly converted their shots.
vs Fulham 0-0
Starting Players:
Kaede Takahashi, Sora Okita, Tatsuya Kiuchi, Eita Takema, Kaiyo Yanagimachi, Kotaro Arima, Kai Kikuchi
Substitute Players:
Soshi Kofuda, Kanta Kobayashi, Yu Funahashi
Fulham is participating in this tournament for the first time. Their team is primarily composed of young players under 19.
Coach Yanagisawa's comment:
"We approached the match with the intention of controlling the game. We were able to play more calmly than in the previous match. Conversely, we had fewer aggressive attacks. We want to be able to make bold attacks even when playing calmly. Also, careless plays can directly lead to goals conceded, so we must be careful."
After the match, Coach Yanagisawa and player Yanagimachi were interviewed.
After the match, all players and staff did ice treatment in the changing room. A sufficient amount of ice was prepared, and the temperature was quite cold. To recover from fatigue as quickly as possible, they endured the pain rather than the cold, soaking in ice baths.
The Team Managers' Meeting was held at 3 PM. Tom, the tournament secretary general, explained the regulations, Chris, a tournament official, discussed the schedule and match operations, and Anthony, the medical officer, explained the medical system for the tournament.
We presented uniforms to Tony, the tournament chairman, and Tony, the competition director.
The tournament officially started at 6 PM today. Only the Master League matches were held on the first day.
We watched the opening matches and got a feel for the playing style and atmosphere of the venue. After watching, children from JFC, a football club that has its training ground within this facility, came to meet us. Everyone was delighted to take photos with the players and get autographs.
Afterward, we had dinner and returned to the hotel.
Tomorrow is the first day of the tournament. Three preliminary league matches will be played.