Coach Yanagisawa and Interpreter Ri Kang-haeng preparing early in the morning, waiting for the players to arrive.
Kawamata and Sato entered the field, chatting.
Warm-up in pairs. They warmed up their bodies with passing drills.
During the pressing practice, which continued from yesterday, Coach Cerezo blew his whistle to stop play and gave detailed instructions. New transfers Takasaki and Hwang Seok-ho listened intently.
During pressing practice, the coach frequently gave instructions.
After that, a mini-game was held. When Coach Cerezo instructed, "Shoot if you see the goal! React quickly!", the players' intensity increased. Sugimoto took many sharp shots.
Sugimoto showed active and sharp movements.
Youth player Machida presses Ito.
Next, the second group also finished their run and joined. Offensive and defensive training was conducted using the entire pitch, resulting in intense battles reminiscent of a real match. Ryuga Suzuki appealed with a high-speed dribble. Also, youth player Tanaka scored a brilliant lob-like mid-range shot and was praised by Coach Cerezo.
Ryuga Suzuki, who showed a high-speed breakthrough. Expectations are high for his performance this season, returning after three years.
Umebachi and youth player Tanaka match up in midfield.
After the offensive and defensive training, running and physical training were conducted, just like yesterday. They worked on exercises like abdominal crunches and push-ups using a ball. Each time a new menu was announced, the players groaned. When all training was over, many players collapsed on the pitch.
During the abdominal training where they raise their legs, Ogasawara, holding the ball, smiles like this. Umebachi is doing crunches.
When the coach announced the end of practice, the players collapsed on the pitch.
Cute supporters came too. Local children formed a human tunnel and high-fived the players, cheering them on with "Go Antlers!"
Prior to the afternoon practice, a soccer clinic was held on the ground by the coaching staff. Coach Ishii acted as the emcee, and Coaches Oiwa, Yanagisawa, and Furukawa instructed elementary school students. At the end, they took a commemorative photo with the players.
In the afternoon practice, endurance running was conducted. Each player was given a target time, and they ran with desperate expressions. Children who participated in the soccer clinic also observed the practice. The goalkeepers, meanwhile, performed separate catching drills.
Under the clear blue sky, a meeting was held in a huddle.
The goalkeepers performed catching drills and other exercises. Practice continued even after the field players left.
Koizumi: "I want to prepare well during this camp, appeal to the coach, and be ready to seize any opportunity that comes my way."
Ito: "I want to be aware that I'm no longer considered a young player and play with the mindset that I am a central figure."
Fruits provided by ad board sponsor Sumifru and the Miyazaki Prefecture Football Youth Team were displayed at the dinner venue.
■Movie report available here (YouTube)
*Player interviews can be viewed in the Members Room on the PC site, or in Smacon (video content viewable only on smartphone versions) of Antlers Mobile.