LIFESTYLE: Aiming for the Top Team
Part 2: Kashima Antlers Youth Second-Year Players
Academy players push themselves every day to become key players for the top team.
What kind of football lives do they lead?
And what do they keep in mind in their daily lives?
Part 2 explores the lifestyles of Kashima Antlers Youth second-year players.
Encounters That Shaped Their Present
“Do you know ONE PIECE?”
GK Yasuo Matsumoto was asked this by Coach Hiroaki Iitaka (now FC Ryukyu GK Coach) when he played for Norte Junior Youth. ONE PIECE is one of Japan’s most popular manga series. There was no way a junior high school student at the time wouldn’t know it.
“The main character’s ship has a cook who prepares meals. There’s a ship doctor who treats illnesses. There’s even a shipwright who repairs the ship. It has all kinds of characters with different personalities.”
As Matsumoto listened to this story, he pictured each character. Then the coach continued.
“Let’s think of a football team as one big ship. Each player has a different role to play. It’s not about everyone doing the same thing, but about each person making the most of their own unique strengths.”
Until then, Matsumoto had lacked confidence, thinking, “I’m just tall, and I’m not as good as other goalkeepers.” Hearing those words suddenly cleared his vision.
“I realized that making myself look bigger to opponents and blocking close-range shots were my strengths. I am who I am today thanks to the coach who gave me those words.”
The encounters from their past lives have shaped the present of these players as they strive at Kashima Youth. And Matsumoto is not the only one.
DF Haruto Matsumoto spent his junior high school years at JFA Academy Fukushima and was unsure about what to do after graduation, but someone helped guide him toward his present path.
“Akademy Manager Shuto Suzuki helped me think through my options. I first spoke with Shuto when I was in my third year of junior high school. Even if I had chosen not to go to Kashima Youth, I think he would have continued to support me. Shuto’s presence was one of the reasons I decided I wanted to join Kashima Youth.”
Haruto Matsumoto received so many offers that he could hardly keep track of them, not only from powerhouse high school teams but also from J-League clubs. At the time, his interactions with Suzuki, then a scout, supported him through it all. That support has remained just as important since he moved to Kashima.
“Shuto is like a second father to me. I want to sign a contract with the top team as soon as possible, and I want to keep being selected for the Japan national team. So, of course, I do get anxious. But Shuto tells me, “Don’t rush. Keep working steadily and do your best,” and helps calm my anxiety. Shuto’s presence really means a lot to me.”
Although Haruto Matsumoto suffered an injury over the summer, he was able to focus on rehabilitation because of the support he received from Manager Suzuki. Like Haruto, 16- and 17-year-old high school students are at a sensitive age, and they take one step at a time toward adulthood while listening to the guidance of academy staff.
Supported by Manager Suzuki’s words, Haruto Matsumoto continues his days at Kashima Youth. Even after suffering an injury, he focused on rehabilitation without rushing.
The Training Room That Supports Their Growth
DF Yamato Tamaki spent more than a year—from May of his first year in high school to July of this year—recovering from two cases of spondylolysis, an injury to the medial collateral ligament of his knee, and a stress fracture in his right knee. These four injuries came just as he had been promoted from Kashima Junior Youth and was aiming for the top team.
Even so, he faced his challenges by “prioritizing sleep and taking care of my body through strength training, stretching, and core exercises.” Even when he couldn’t get on the pitch, he “did everything he could to focus on what he needed to do” in the Academy House training room.
The training room, equipped with a full range of training equipment and mats, is another place that supports the growth of Kashima Youth players. Center-backs DF Yuma Misen and DF Ryunosuke Tsuchihashi are each training their bodies with a clear vision of the kind of player they want to become.
“I will never lose in one-on-one defending or in aerial battles where I can use my height,” Misen says with conviction. His goals are three players who excel on the top team: Masahiro Masako, Naoto Ueda, and Ikuya Sekikawa. Although he is 185 centimeters tall, he worries that “I’m tall, but my body doesn’t get very muscular.” He is working hard to transform his physique by “eating more, drinking a little protein before bed, and actively strength training.” He also dreams of one day being selected as the main visual for “Midsummer Passionate Men’s Festival” (a matchday event held on August 26 during the Meiji Yasuda Life J1 League Matchday 25 against Albirex Niigata) and is focused on building strength.
Misen aims to become such a strong player that he will be selected as the main visual for the “Midsummer Passionate Men’s Festival” matchday event held on August 26 during the Meiji Yasuda Life J1 Matchday 25 against Albirex Niigata.
Tsuchihashi, who boasts the greatest height (187 cm) among the second-year players, is also focused on building his physique. “I’m still lean, so I’m trying to build muscle through strength training and make sure I eat well,” he says. A left-footed player from Tsukuba Junior Youth, Tsuchihashi says he “looks up to Hiroki Machida,” who came from the same roots, and aims to become a center-back on the top team who can “defend reliably and also score goals.”
For FW Yuto Tokuda, who had been participating in Kashima Youth training through “skipping ahead” since his third year of junior high school, the training room is an indispensable place. Although he is a striker who uses his 186-centimeter height to his advantage, he accompanied the top team to the Miyazaki camp this spring when he was still a first-year player and realized, “When you practice with professionals, you really feel the difference in strength.”
That is why he now “makes a conscious effort to strength train, especially lately,” and works up a sweat in the training room. Although he has many goals, including winning the Prince League, promotion to the Premier League, and signing a professional contract with the top team, his immediate target is the “U-17 World Cup,” which he says he “absolutely wants to go to.” During the U-17 Japan national team activities leading up to the tournament, he has been able to see the results of his strength training, saying, “I don’t get easily beaten by stronger opponents anymore.” The daily life of Tokuda at Kashima Youth, along with Haruto Matsumoto, is pushing him onto the world stage.
The training room is equipped with a wide range of equipment. Yasuo Matsumoto, who is naturally flexible, uses it not only for strength training but also for stretching.
A Town Where Football Is Part of Daily Life
On the pitch, second-year players can be seen pushing themselves alongside older and younger players. The days spent facing football under the guidance of Manager Atsushi Yanagisawa, Technical Advisor Mitsuo Ogasawara, and Physical Advisor and Head of Coaching Takeshi Satonai are invaluable. “Manager Yanagisawa and TA Ogasawara always fire me up to fight. Winning battles for the ball is also one of the Antlers’ strengths, and I’ve been able to grow a lot in that regard too,” says Brazilian-born MF Victor Yuzo Shimada.
Shimada was born in Brazil and moved to Japan when he was one year old. When he was accepted into Kashima Youth from a local club in Kanagawa Prefecture, his family was overjoyed. Now in his second year in Kashima, his favorite place is a Brazilian restaurant near Kashima Stadium. Because he is bilingual in Portuguese and Japanese thanks to his Japanese-Brazilian mother, he is fully immersed in his daily life, saying, “I like that I can focus on football while also experiencing the Brazilian culture of this town.”
During training, there are occasional moments that surprise only Shimada.
“Manager Yanagisawa and Physical Advisor Satonai sometimes speak Portuguese during practice. They even use Brazilian-style gestures and reactions (laughs).”
It was the first time he had ever seen such a sight since coming to Japan. “I think it shows how deeply Brazilian culture is rooted in this club. I’m happy that I can feel Brazilian culture even within football,” he says. The atmosphere of the Antlers may be somewhat similar to his birthplace.
On the other hand, DF Aito Shiba, who is from Adachi Ward in Tokyo, candidly admits, “There are few places to hang out or go shopping, and since I relied on trains back home, even going to school was difficult.” GK Eita Kishino, who is from Kashiwa City in Chiba Prefecture, also feels the difference in the town’s atmosphere compared to urban areas, saying, “The things that were around me in Kashiwa and Tsukuba are gone.”
Until junior high school, both of them had used the Tsukuba Express to attend the Tsukuba Academy Center. In Kashima City, where there is no railway network like in urban areas, the only means of transportation are bicycles or walking, but Shiba says, “I never ride my bike anywhere farther than school (Kashima Gakuen High School) or Kashima Stadium, so it doesn’t feel that inconvenient anymore,” and has fully adapted to the change in his living environment.
Shiba, who grew up in the city, likes the town of Kashima so much that he says, “Of course I love my hometown, but I really like this town.” This is because “there is an environment where I can focus on football, and I can feel the atmosphere of the community coming together to support Kashima Antlers. That’s something my hometown doesn’t have.” Kishino also describes Kashima as “a town where football is part of daily life,” and is enjoying his life in the town, which was guided by his encounter with the Antlers.
Shiba, who is from Tokyo, lives away from his parents at the Academy House. Now, he completely likes the atmosphere of the town of Kashima.
Kishino, who came from Tsukuba Junior Youth, had frequently participated in Kashima Youth training since his third year of junior high school. Now that he has moved his home after entering high school, he is enjoying life at the Academy House.
The Pride of Fighting for the Antlers
DF Kairo Sato and MF Seima Ogasawara have both built their careers exclusively with the Antlers. “I’ve always been competitive, but growing up at the Antlers made me even more competitive,” says Sato. Ogasawara also says, “What I love is the Antlers’ ability to see things through to the end,” and both players, who started playing football at the Antlers, have an extraordinary competitive drive.
Ogasawara also feels a deep sense of gratitude toward his father, who serves on the Antlers Academy coaching staff, saying, “It’s partly thanks to my father, but I’m happy that the Antlers are so close to home.” Sato, who was born and raised in Kashima City, is aiming for the top while cherishing the good football environment he has, saying, “With such a great football environment, anything can change depending on me.”
“I can’t imagine wearing any other team’s uniform.” (Ogasawara)
For the two, who have played football wearing the deep red uniform since they were young, the Antlers make up most of their lives. “There have been more difficult times than easy ones,” Sato reflects, and while their journey has by no means been smooth sailing, their pride in the emblem has never wavered. Ogasawara also says, “I want to see the top team win a title again. And next year, we want to win the Premier League.” Looking toward glory, he continues to chase the ball with his teammates today.
Born and raised in Kashima City, Sato has always been with the Antlers. He spends his time off relaxing in his tidy room, which smells of his favorite air freshener.
“I want to grow even more and become a goalkeeper who can play on the world stage in the future.” (Yasuo Matsumoto)
“I want to fight for the team and become a player everyone supports.” (Shimada)
“I want to make it to the top team and play at a higher level.” (Haruto Matsumoto)
Uniting their individual dreams, the second-year players of Kashima Youth continue to explore football in this town today, aiming for the professional world that lies beyond the dazzling light of being “Japan’s best.”
Tokuda enjoys the team-owned hammocks in the courtyard. The Academy House is a place of relaxation.
Being able to play barefoot with the ball in the courtyard is another great thing about it. Tamaki (left) and Ogasawara are practicing juggling on the comfortable artificial turf.
Shimada, Misen, and Tsuchihashi (from the front) are glued to top team footage in the Academy House lounge. They push themselves every day to reach their goals.
A group photo taken with improvised poses. It became a one-of-a-kind shot full of each player’s personality.