SPECIAL TALK

Prince League Kanto Champions & Promoted to the Premier League!
Kashima Antlers Youth: Special Roundtable with the Third-Years

Front row, from left: Shoma Nagayama, Shunnosuke Manome, Kensho Ikeda, Kento Iki, Yamato Misawa; back row, from left: Koji Oyama, Koki Shimada, Kyogo Hirayama, Kosei Ogura, Shota Sakamoto

 

Kashima Antlers Youth won the Prince League Kanto and secured promotion to the Premier League.
It would be no exaggeration to say their strength comes from the unity of their ten third-year players.
The third-years who battled through the season look back together on their time with the youth team—from training and matches to life off the pitch!

We owe it all to Sato-san!

――Congratulations on winning the Prince League Kanto and earning promotion to the Premier League!
All　Thank you!
Misawa　Our team set “getting stronger” as its theme this year, and I improved physically, too!
Iki　Yeah, definitely.
Oyama　Mm-hmm.
Manome　I think that’s an area where the whole team improved.
Ikeda　It was tough, though.
Misawa　Man, it was tough. Sato-san’s (physical advisor Takeshi Satouchi) training...
All　Mm-hmm.
Ikeda　Those training sessions...
Manome　We had a different training menu every time, all year long.
Misawa　The monthly 3,000-meter time trial was brutal...
Ikeda　The sprint training every Tuesday was intense, too.
Sakamoto　And the weight training (laughs).
Manome　But that training gave us confidence!
Misawa　We became able to run and run!
Iki　No doubt!
Sakamoto　The second halves stopped feeling so tough.
Manome　Every time we huddled up, we’d say, “We’ve put in the work!”
Iki　Yeah! We said it every time!
Manome　We believed in ourselves, too.
Misawa　Without a doubt, we became better at running in the second half than any other team!
All　Mm-hmm.
Misawa　Our work rate never dropped!
Sakamoto　That’s for sure!
Ikeda　We owe it all to Sato-san!
Iki　Thank you, Sato-san!
Oyama　We’re grateful!

――Goalkeeper coach Junichi Sogahata joined the team this year, too.
Ogura　We were so glad he came!
Nagayama　He really lifted the mood!
Shimada　Just like Ichi-san (goalkeeper coach Tomoya Ichikawa), Soga-san (goalkeeper coach Sogahata) has tons of experience, so he taught us all sorts of things.
Ogura　Moto-san (academy scout Masashi Motoyama) came to our training sessions and matches, too.
Nagayama　It felt strange having someone I’d watched on TV there... But I’m used to it now (laughs).
Misawa　He’s so nice!
Ikeda　He’s a real soccer nut!
Sakamoto　He was always on the ball.
Oyama　Doing keepy-uppies and stuff.
Misawa　He’s an incredible person.
Ikeda　He’s always positive.
Misawa　He says football is something you should enjoy.
Ogura　He never says anything negative.
Oyama　That’s right.
Manome　We’re really glad he came.

It Began in Hiroshima and Ended in Hiroshima

――What kind of season was 2023?
Misawa　It was so much fun.
Ikeda　The Australia trip was a highlight!
Misawa　The interactions between Yuzo-san (Mr. Tashiro) and Soga-san were hilarious!
Shimada　(Laughs)
Ikeda　It was our first trip overseas, so it was fun.
Manome　We didn’t even get to go to Brazil when we were in junior youth.
Ogura　That’s right. Kyogo-san (Hirayama), tell us about it, too!
Hirayama　Yes, it was fun.
Misawa　Kyogo-san, what’s up? Are you nervous?
Hirayama　Hehe (laughs).
Misawa　Glad you seem okay (laughs).

――What was the summer trip to Indonesia like?
Ikeda　Indonesia, huh...
Misawa　That one was something else!
Oyama　What do you mean?
Misawa　It was a trip with a lot of character!
Nagayama　(Laughs)
Ikeda　A lot happened (laughs).
Misawa　It was a trip where a little rain made things stronger!
Manome　It did rain, that’s for sure.
Misawa　That trip was a turning point! It came after we lost in the Club Youth Championship.
Manome　That’s true.
Oyama　We went out into the world...
Manome　Oh! He spoke!
Oyama　(Laughs). It was a really fun trip.
Manome　We even got to hang out with monkeys!
Misawa　Forget that—the Real Madrid and Barcelona games!
Oyama　Their attacking was incredible.
Ikeda　But their defending seemed a little loose... Kento (Iki) knows all about this kind of analysis!
Iki　Me!? Barcelona were great at finding space. We had a hard time winning the ball...
Ikeda　What about Real Madrid?
Iki　Their counterattacks were sharp, and they scored with one chance.
Manome　That was brutal!
Iki　And then the game was over.
Ikeda　Classic Kento!
Misawa　As expected!

――Which match stands out the most?
Manome　The last one against Vegalta, right?!
Ikeda　Yeah, yeah. That last one was amazing.
Oyama　We played a really good match.
Misawa　It may be the obvious answer, but the last match was the best.
Manome　Maybe the first and last matches? The opening game against Vissel in Hiroshima was great, too.
Misawa　It began in Hiroshima and ended in Hiroshima.
Sakamoto　Wow...
Misawa　That’s a great line!
Manome　Our season started in Hiroshima, after all!
Shimada　That was a turning point, too!
Misawa　We took the bus on our first trip to Hiroshima, remember?
Ikeda　In one minibus!
Misawa　It was crammed full of staff, players, and luggage (laughs).
Ikeda　That was in February.
Misawa　The Hiroshima Festival! That’s where the team got its first win!
Ikeda　That’s right!
Nagayama　It was great to win our last match in Hiroshima, too!
Misawa　We scored the opening goal early, too!
Manome　I didn’t really know what was going on, and then the ball just came rolling right in front of me...
Ikeda　It was right at the start of the match.
Manome　That felt good!
Oyama　And the Kyoto match in the Club Youth Championship.
Sakamoto　Oh, yeah!
Manome　That match was crazy, too! Homare Tokuda’s dramatic goal!
Misawa　It gave me chills.
Manome　Kyoto were in first place before that match.
Misawa　They got knocked out, and we advanced to the knockout stage.
Ikeda　That was a great match. Any others?
Ogura　Kyogo-san, what do you think?
Hirayama　I was thinking of the Kyoto match, too.
Ogura　Really? (Laughs)
Hirayama　But the away match against Urawa in the Prince League stands out, too.
Sakamoto　Ooh!
Hirayama　I feel like we changed after that match.
Misawa　Kyogo-san, you came up with a good one!
Ogura　What about the match against Setouchi High School?
Iki　Five minutes in!
Hirayama　That wasn’t a good one.
All　Pfft (laughs).
Hirayama　I started crying when I had to come off injured.
Ikeda　I felt bad for you because you were crying (laughs).
Ogura　But the way you cried...
Hirayama　Everyone keeps imitating the way I cried...
Shimada　(Laughs)!
Misawa　Come on, you were crying “Kyuuiiin”!
Ogura　Oh man, I almost burst out laughing.
Hirayama　Everyone imitated me on the bus ride home, too... You guys were quick to tease me!
Misawa　I couldn’t just let that go!
Iki　Well, we won, so it’s all good! (Laughs)
Hirayama　Yeah, it’s all good because we won (laughs).

The Creator of Doria

――What’s your favorite meal at the academy dorm?
Misawa　Curry!
Manome　Loco moco bowl!
Iki　Chicken wings! Ramen!
Ikeda　Milano-style doria!
Iki　That’s it!!
Misawa　It’s a special-occasion kind of doria!
Sakamoto　Huh?
Misawa　It’s a requested menu item!
Ikeda　The birthday players of the month get to request a dish! I requested it for my birthday last year.
Misawa　The creator of doria!
Ikeda　That’s right! That’s when the doria era began.
Manome　Really?
Ikeda　Last September, Keita Imai (now a first-year at Juntendo University) and I were deciding what to request, and the extra-cheesy Milano-style doria was born!
Oyama　Wow!
Ikeda　After that, everyone started making requests, too.
Iki　That stuff is delicious!
Manome　Kensho, thank you!
Ikeda　Well, you know... it was nothing.
Shimada　(Laughs)

――Who changed the most over the three years of high school?
Iki　Hirayama?
Misawa　That’s right! Kyogo-san!
Ikeda　You were something else in your first year. You’d go, “Guu-chan~.”
Manome　That’s right!
Ikeda　You were always going over to hug Ogu (Ogura).
Misawa　That was wild (laughs).
Hirayama　Come on, now.
Iki　You admit it, right?
Hirayama　Okay, maybe. But I’ve grown up, right?
Sakamoto　Ooh!
Hirayama　It’s Iki’s fault!
Iki　Mine?
Hirayama　You teased me so much that I’d get really mad, and that changed my personality!
Ogura　That’s true!
Iki　You changed for the better!
Hirayama　Yeah, I guess.
Misawa　You also started speaking up more about all sorts of things!
Ogura　Kyogo-san changed the most.
Iki　I’m glad to hear that!
Ogura　Me too!
Shimada　(Laughs)
Ikeda　Naga-san, too!
Manome　Naga-san changed, too!
Nagayama　Me? (Laughs)
Misawa　Naga-san started eating a lot more!
Iki　Now he eats seriously fast!
Misawa　Fastest on the team!
Nagayama　I’m not the fastest (laughs).
Misawa　Come on, it’s an interview—let’s give you some credit!
Iki　Whoever says it first wins!

Bravo, Everyone!

――Please share a message for everyone.
Nagayama　First of all, thank you, everyone! There were only ten of us in our year, but we all got along so well, and I’m glad we achieved our goal together. Let’s stay in touch!
All　(Applause)
Shimada　Thank you for these three years! I came from a public junior high school in Saitama, so there were a lot of things I wasn’t used to, but as we spent time together, we grew closer, and, um...
Misawa　You’re taking a while (laughs).
Shimada　I can’t seem to pull it all together.
Misawa　It’s okay! We know what’s in your heart!
Manome　What does that mean? (Laughs)
Shimada　I’m glad we were able to achieve a big goal in the end!
All　(Applause)
Iki　Thank you for these three years. I’m glad I got to play soccer with these ten guys, and I’m happy we could finish on such a high note!
All　(Applause)
Misawa　Thank you, everyone. And congratulations.
All　(Applause)
Misawa　Hey, listen to more!
All　(Laughs)
Misawa　The ten of us came together by fate in our first year. At first, I wondered how things would turn out, but we pushed each other to improve, and not one of us was left behind. We achieved our goal of promotion to the Premier League, and I’m grateful to everyone. So... bravo, everyone!!!!!
All　(Applause)
Misawa　Okay, next, Oyama!
Oyama　...Thank you.
Misawa　Thank you!
All　(Laughs)
Oyama　I had a lot of fun over these three years, especially with all the time everyone spent teasing me.
All　(Laughs)
Oyama　Thank you!
All　(Applause)
Misawa　All right, Jun (Manome)!
Manome　Thank you. I hope we’ll keep in touch.
Misawa　Next, Kensho!
Manome　Wait!
Misawa　That’s enough already.
Manome　No, no! And thank you so much for helping me establish my character!
Misawa　Next, next!
Manome　And thank you, too, Yamato (Misawa)! The spirit of Tohoku!
Misawa　That’s so sweet of you.
Ikeda　He’s from Yamagata (Misawa), and I’m from Fukushima (Manome).
All　(Applause)
Ikeda　Thank you, everyone.
Ogura　I’m seriously about to cry...
Ikeda　I was the tenth and barely made it onto the youth team. Everyone was so good that, honestly, I was worried, but to me, this is the best group of teammates. More than anything, I’m happy we achieved our goal together! Thank you! That’s all!
All　(Applause)
Sakamoto　Thank you for these three years. Even off the pitch, we always had fun, and I feel like we were always laughing. I came here from Tokushima, but everyone was so kind and welcomed me, and I’m very grateful.
All　(Applause)
Hirayama　First of all... thank you for these three years.
Iki　What?
Misawa　We can’t hear you!
Hirayama　You’ve all supported me for these three years. I’m still injured, but so many people have helped me, and that’s what got me here. These three years have been so full of experiences, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget them. Thank you for everything.
All　(Applause)
Misawa　Kyuuiiin!
Iki　Thank you, Kyogo-san!
Ikeda　Okay, Captain, close us out!
Ogura　Thank you for these three years! See you on the pitch again!
Misawa　Captain, that was cool!
All　(Applause)
All　Thank you for these three years! We hope you’ll continue to support Kashima Youth!