After a buffet-style breakfast at 7 AM, we took a stroll around the area starting at 9:30 AM.
A large river flowed near the hotel, with boats constantly ferrying people. A Muay Thai gym was also across the river from the hotel, and training was already underway there in the morning.
Upon returning to the hotel, the team stretched under the guidance of trainer Inaba to prepare their bodies for the afternoon match. Coach Ichikawa also led a meeting to confirm the themes and objectives of this expedition.
We had lunch at 11:30 AM and departed for the match venue at 12:45 PM.
The traffic jam we encountered en route was due to subway construction, which is scheduled for completion in 2022. It took about an hour to arrive through the congestion.
The match was scheduled to kick off at 3 PM at the stadium within King Mongkut's University of Technology. Our opponent was Bangkok United U-17, and the match consisted of two 45-minute halves.
The pitch was natural grass, like weeds, and there was a track and stands around it. For some reason, a boxing ring was set up inside the stadium.
The coach of Bangkok United U-17, Hagen, is from Germany and has been coaching for about two years. Their top team plays in the Thai League 1st division. The U-13 coach is a Japanese person named Hosaka, from Kobe. He was there watching the match. The academy staff at this club are said to be multinational. Incidentally, the head coach of the top team is Brazilian.
The staff in the photo, from right to left, are Mr. Ogura who arranged the match, Mr. Saito from Mainichi Comnet, interpreter Noi, Coach Ichikawa, Coach Hagen, U-13 Coach Hosaka, and the stadium staff.
We were preparing for a 3 PM kickoff, but due to an issue with the opposing team, it was delayed until 3:50 PM.
Starting lineup:
GK Aoki Terakado, FP Sora Okita, Tatsuya Kiuchi, Sosuke Koda, Ayumu Funasaki, Yu Funahashi, Ena Kazema, Kai Ishizu, Hikaru Iizuka, Kaiyo Yanagimachi, Noto Watanabe
Substitutions in the second half: Terakado -> Daisuke Magata, Kazema -> Shotaro Taniguchi, Watanabe -> Rintaro Umetsu
At 3 PM, the temperature was 32 degrees Celsius, and the humidity was 40%.
Match result:
First half 0-1
Second half 3-0
Total 3-1
Goal scorers: Iizuka, Yanagimachi, Ishizu
In the 10th minute of the first half, we lost the ball in midfield and conceded a goal from a counter-attack.
The opponent maintained possession and built up their plays well. When we lost the ball in midfield, we faced dangerous counter-attacks. However, the youth team dominated possession. We went into the second half cautious of counter-attacks from mistakes. The opponent made a full change of their players.
In the 13th minute of the second half, Iizuka broke through the defensive line from Yanagimachi's through pass, scoring the equalizer. Then, in the 18th minute of the second half, Yanagimachi received a pass from Taniguchi, who had won the ball in midfield, dribbled past the goalkeeper, and scored the go-ahead goal.
Furthermore, in the 32nd minute of the second half, Funasaki passed to Yanagimachi, whose cross was headed in by Ishizu, adding another goal.
Unfortunately, individually, the players did not perform exceptionally well, but we managed to end with a victory.
On the way back from the match, there was traffic, but we arrived at 7 PM, showered, and had dinner from 7:30 PM. Lights out was at 9:30 PM.
Tomorrow's match is scheduled against Bangkok Glass U-17 team. It will kick off at 3 PM, still in the heat.