80th To accompany the departure of 18 years old ~ Tokyo Verdy Youth 2025 Winter Galaxy ~
He used his chest trap to push the ball out and there was no time to blink before it went behind the field. Kashima Antlers youth ace Minato Yoshida got into a one-on-one match with Ryusei Yamazaki and took a shot with his left foot.
The final round of the Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Soccer Premier League 2025 EAST was held at AGF Field on the 14th. Tokyo Verdy Youth took the lead with this goal in the 6th minute.
Kashima Youth suddenly gained momentum and created chances in the 9th and 20th minutes, but Yamazaki made a fine save and did not allow an additional point. However, Teruto Takagi scored in the 25th minute, making the score 0-2.
Tokyo V Youth also had a chance. They frequently threatened Kashima Youth’s goal early in the second half, including in the 32nd minute when Kento Imai jumped in to meet Nakayama Shion’s cross. However, they scored an own goal in the 64th minute, and Takagi found the net again in the 70th minute, widening the lead.
In the 73rd minute, manager Motoaki Ogasawara tried to turn the tide of the match for the better by changing the wings by putting Maharo Sugiyama on the wide right and Sojun Harada on the left. Then, in the 82nd minute, Nakayama dribbled inside and fired a shot with his left foot to give Japan a point. In the 90th minute, Kohei Shimoyoshi made a technical shot that mistimed the keeper to narrow the gap (he took a short shot with his right, created a course, and immediately kicked with his left foot), but that was the end of the counterattack. Time was up at 2-4.
Kashima Youth, which boasts outstanding talent in both attack and defense, including center backs Yoshida, Yugo Okawa, and Motosuna Shojin Udenba, won the championship by a landslide with a 10-point difference over second-place Maebashi Ikuei High School. Meanwhile, Tokyo V Youth finished their first season back in the Premier League in 8th place.
Coach Ogasawara looked back on the last game of the season and said:
“The thing I regret the most is not being able to let them win. Watching the game, I feel like there were a lot of things that helped us get to this point. Normally, you would be heartbroken if you score four points, but I was proud that we were able to get back the points.”
For a coach who has watched the training generation for many years, what kind of generation was the 2007 class of Tokyo V Youth?
“There were a lot of guys with strong hearts. There were a lot of troubles because of that, but soccer players absolutely need something like magma at their core. I think this was a group of people who had those characteristics.”
Nakayama, who has served as captain and led the team, says the following.
“It was a game where I could have scored four or five points. I had so many chances to score, but I only got one point. It’s all my fault that we lost. If we don’t get the chances, we won’t be able to compete in the world. It was a game where I felt like we needed to improve our quality for the next stage.
This season, we were promoted from a lower category, but we have been aiming for the championship without thinking about staying. As a result, we were naturally able to stay, but I don’t think we are still a team like this. As long as you play with Verdy on your back, there’s no match you can afford to lose.”
This season, Nakayama scored 16 goals and won the individual title of Premier League EAST top scorer. He not only played at a high level, but also demonstrated excellent leadership and gave the impression that he had an outstanding presence.
“These are not numbers that I’m completely satisfied with. I think there’s still a long way to go, and I humbly accept that. When you become a professional, no matter how well you move, you’ll only be evaluated on numbers such as points and assists. Throughout the year, I felt like I needed to improve my numbers even more.”
Next page
Related reading
