LIFESTYLE ~Aiming for the Top~
No. 4: Kashima Antlers Youth New First-Year Players
Shota Arakaki, Riku Oshima, Shinto Motosuna Udenba, and Minato Yoshida
The academy players strive 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?
In this fourth installment, we explore the lifestyles of four first-year youth players who have newly joined the Kashima Antlers Academy.
Three Years as a Goalkeeper, Growing Through Specialized Training
Far from the Japanese mainland, in the tropical atmosphere of Okinawa Prefecture, Shota Arakaki has been immersed in football since third grade. It was in his first year of junior high school that he discovered his calling as a goalkeeper.
“Our team didn’t have a goalkeeper, and when someone asked, “Who’s going to do it?”, I tried it since I was tall. I enjoyed it, so I decided to keep going (laughs).”
After joining the soccer club at Naha Municipal Oroku Junior High School, one of the prefecture’s most prestigious schools, he switched from forward to goalkeeper. As he repeatedly worked to stop the high-level shots of his seniors, his skills as a goalkeeper began to flourish, and he came to be selected for the Okinawa Prefecture Representative Team. During a tournament in Kyushu with the team, he was approached by an Antlers scout who asked, “Why not come and join a training session?”
Arakaki, originally from Okinawa Prefecture, relaxing in a hammock at the Academy House
The Antlers’ hometown, far from his home, seemed like a different world.
“I was already happy just to be able to play on a grass pitch, but I was surprised to learn that the Antlers Youth mainly train on natural grass pitches. I assumed that high school players would usually train on artificial turf. The Academy House also has a weight room and everything else needed to focus on football.”
Another thing that surprised Arakaki when he participated in an Antlers Youth training session was...
“I’ve always liked Real Madrid, and I watched the 2016 Club World Cup. At that time, there was a goalkeeper who made incredible saves against Real Madrid’s attacks, and I thought, “This goalkeeper is amazing.” I was curious about him, so I looked him up. It was goalkeeper coach Mr. Sogebata. When I came to the training session, he was personally coaching us. I really felt, “What an amazing place I’ve come to.”
His days since coming to Kashima have been stimulating. He is being taught the “basics of goalkeeping” by goalkeeper coach Mr. Sogebata and also by Coach Ichikawa.
“In junior high school, I basically trained with the outfield players and only took the goalkeeper position during game-like drills. So I haven’t had proper goalkeeper training until now, and I’m happy to be able to receive specialized goalkeeper training. Having a dedicated goalkeeper coach is also something special to me. Also, third-year player Kishino and the other goalkeepers are great role models.”
Arakaki (left) growing as a role model under the guidance of goalkeeper coach Mr. Sogebata (center)
While he is confident in his saves and kicking power, which make use of his height, he lists “basic technical skills and communication” as areas for improvement. Believing that overcoming these challenges is the first step toward opening the door to the Emperor’s Cup Premier League, he strives every day with the other goalkeepers.
“Of course, while having the goal of “becoming a professional,” my immediate goal is to win out in the competition among the goalkeepers and play in the Emperor’s Cup Premier League. I want to make the most of that opportunity when I get to play in matches and work hard over the next three years to establish myself as a regular starter.”
The new challenge of a player from the islands has begun.
Feeling a “connection,” he chose the Antlers from among many offers
Motosuna Udenba, originally from Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, also came all the way to Kashima with his future in mind. The tall center-back, affectionately called “Anthony” by his teammates, is starting his new life, saying, “While I can have fun living with my teammates at the Academy House, it’s tough doing things like laundry since my parents aren’t here.”
Living in the dorms away from his parents, Motosuna realizes how much he appreciates them through the difficulties of doing things like laundry
It was sudden when Motosuna, who grew up in the Kansai region, first came into contact with the Antlers. In the summer of his second year of junior high school, he learned from a coach at Furesca Kobe, the team he belonged to, that the Antlers were interested in him, and he participated in a training session in the fall. “The pitch was great, and it was amazing to have the top team’s training ground right next door. The Academy House was also beautiful. The environment was so good that I thought, “I want to play here.” This strengthened his desire to join the Antlers.
Soon after, he was selected for the Japan U-15 National Team, and he received interest from numerous J-League clubs, but Motosuna had his heart set only on the Antlers. “The Antlers were the first to approach me. The Furesca coach also recommended them, and I had talked with my mother about how we were “meant to be.” This solidified his determination to wear the traditional emblem on his chest.
Motosuna training hard on the club house grounds
The Antlers Youth are aiming for a “triple crown”
Minato Yoshida also plays for the Japan age-group national team. He received offers from countless teams, and among them, he chose to play for the Antlers Youth.
“I planned to participate in training sessions and go to the best place. Among them, the Antlers had the best environment to focus on football. Also, when I participated in an Antlers Youth training session, I was playing as a defensive midfielder at the time, and the fact that technical advisor Mr. Ogasawara was there was one of the reasons I wanted to join the Antlers Youth. They praise me when I make a really good play, but they also give me harsh words so that I don’t become complacent, and I like that. I believe that learning from people who have competed in the professional world is the fastest way to become a professional.”
From his hometown of Yamato City, Kanagawa Prefecture, it is possible to attend the youth teams of J1 clubs such as Yokohama FM, Kawasaki F, Shonan, FC Tokyo, and Tokyo V. Even so, he chose to live in the dorms at the Antlers Youth because of his stoic attitude: “I thought that if my local friends were around me, I would probably end up playing with them. So I wanted to change my environment and focus on football.” At FC Tama, where he led the team with that attitude during his junior high school years, he won the Japan Club Youth Championship in the summer. The impression he had of the Kashima Antlers Junior Youth, whom he faced twice during that process, also encouraged his choice.
“What I learned from playing against the Antlers Junior Youth is that you can feel their determination never to lose in a battle for the ball. The supporters are also passionate and fight hard at top team matches. I really love the fighting spirit and passion of the Antlers.”
In the summer of 2023, he faced the Kashima Junior Youth in the semifinals of the Japan Club Youth Championship
Yoshida’s characteristic that “what I value most from childhood is the determination never to lose to my opponents. Mentally, I really don’t want to lose” also matches the club colors of the Antlers. The setbacks he experienced along the way have also become elements that fuel his fighting spirit, and they are now part of who Yoshida is.
“When I was in sixth grade, I failed the tryout for the club I wanted to join, and I almost lost heart. There have been many times when I wanted to quit football. But I think I was able to keep going without quitting because I have always loved football.”
In his first year at the Antlers Youth, the goal he is aiming for is a title that awaits at the harmony of humility and ambition.
“I am not yet a player at the level of being able to move up to the top team. More than that, I want to produce solid results in the youth team first. I want to achieve the triple crown of the Emperor’s Cup Premier League, the IFA League, and the Club Youth Championship that Coach Yanagisawa has set. I also fought for the triple crown at FC Tama last year, but in the end, I was only able to win two, so I want to work hard to win all three this year.”
He continues to strive every day to build a new history for the Antlers Youth.
Having won two titles during his time at FC Tama, Yoshida is ambitiously aiming for titles at the Antlers Youth as well
The eldest son of four brothers who love the Antlers
The one who had been eagerly waiting for Yoshida to join the Antlers Youth was Riku Oshima.
“I wanted Yoshida to come. I had already decided to join the Antlers Youth, and then Yoshida came too, so it’s stimulating. During training, I don’t want to lose if we play against each other. I want to surpass him.”
Oshima is also a player who was selected for the Japan age-group national team along with Motosuna, Yoshida, and Daigo Hirashima. Born and raised in Funabashi City, Chiba Prefecture, he honed his “decision-making and ball-carrying skills” at his local VIVAIO Funabashi, and has now become a rare player who, despite being a defender, “has acquired the ability to carry the ball forward.”
As the eldest son of four brothers who love the Antlers, he is also a figure who leads his younger brothers, so he says, “Initially, I was thinking of going to a team within commuting distance from home.”
Then came an offer from the club he admired. His heart raced.
“The Antlers are special, so I was happy to be approached. I also participated in training sessions at other J-League clubs, but if it was a J-League club, my desire to go to the Antlers was strong. The Antlers Youth has an amazing environment for training, and the Academy House is very beautiful. I was also attracted to that.”
He says he had often heard stories from the VIVAIO Funabashi coaching staff about Kentaro Ichiki, an alumnus who played for the Antlers Youth last year (now a first-year student at Juntendo University). To catch up with and then surpass his senior from the same hometown, Oshima is striving for further growth.
“I can’t lose to my other teammates. My goal is to be registered as a second-choice player for the top team, so for that, I first have to play in the Emperor’s Cup Premier League. Even as a first-year player, I want to play in the Emperor’s Cup Premier League right away and perform well. The Antlers Youth has a different sense of speed, and I have to get used to it, but on top of that, I want to play without holding back so that I can show my own strengths. I also want to acquire new weapons, become a better player, and work hard so that I can become a player supported by the Antlers supporters.”
He takes one step at a time toward his goal.
Oshima was dropped off by his family and moved into the Academy House in March
To live up to the feelings of the people who supported him
On his move-in day, Oshima saw off his mother, who had driven him to Kashima, his three younger brothers, and his grandparents in front of the entrance. “It’s lonely to be away from my family, but I want to perform well and repay them,” he says, renewing his determination. He was also sent off by the coaches of VIVAIO Funabashi, who had supported his growth for many years until junior high school, with the words, “Just be careful not to get injured.”
The four of them—Oshima, Arakaki, Motosuna, and Yoshida—have each left their hometowns and already started their new lives at the Academy House.
Yoshida’s family supported his dorm life, saying, “As long as Minato can enjoy playing, anywhere is fine,” and Motosuna also came to Kashima with the support of his parents, who told him, “Even though you’re away, do your best.”
Arakaki reveals, “Initially, I thought it might be better to stay in Okinawa,” but what encouraged him to join the Antlers Youth were his parents’ words, “Do whatever you want to do.” That is why he looks toward further growth, saying, “Since they sent me off, I want to live up to their feelings too. First, I want to show my performance in matches.”
Family, friends, coaches. To live up to the feelings of the many people who have supported him closely until now, the new talent of the Antlers Academy is fighting again today in this place.
Motosuna, Oshima, Yoshida, and Arakaki (from left) living their new lives at the Academy House