The final touch of the camp is a victory for Taku SHIMIZU

　Only 2 weeks left until the first match of the Nabisco Cup qualifying league (3/8, vs Yokohama FM @ Yokohama International). Although there will be a practice match against J2 Yamagata next week on 3/2 (Sun), this will be the last match against a J1 team before the season starts. The camp, which has been held in Ishigaki Island and Gotemba, will also end today, and Shimizu has the perfect opponent to confirm the results of the camp. This preseason match is a game that requires results, as it serves as a great barometer to measure the current situation of the team, such as individual player conditioning, tactical understanding, and team balance.

　In the starting lineup for Tokyo, replacing the injured goalkeeper Doi is Ozawa, in defense, Kanazawa, who recently joined the team, on the left, Jean and Mobata in the center, Fujiyama on the right, in midfield, Miyazawa and Asari as defensive midfielders, Ishikawa on the right, Kelly on the left, and in the forward line, Toda and Abe as the two top players. On the bench, in addition to Amaral and Kaji, 17-year-old Kajiyama, who belongs to the U-18 team but has been accompanying the top team since this season, has been included.

　On the other hand, Shimizu has a strong lineup with defensive players like Morioka and Ito, who are at the level of the Japanese national team, and an attacking lineup consisting of midfielders with technique like Hiramatsu and the Japanese national team's Mitsushu, as well as a powerful duo of TUTO from Urawa and An from the South Korean national team as forwards. At 1:00 PM, the kickoff whistle echoed in the chilly mountain stadium with a temperature of 10℃.

Jean's powerful header takes the lead

　Tokyo was the one who fiercely pressed forward as soon as the kickoff started. Toda and Abe, the two top players with speed, pressed aggressively along with Ishikawa and Kelly in the second row. However, in the 2nd minute, a free kick was given to Shimizu, and the ball kicked by Mitsushima came into the goal area with a sharp arc, but GK Ozawa bravely jumped out and punched the ball to prevent a crisis. Ozawa, who showed a sense of tension in the locker room before the game after a long absence from the starting lineup, gained confidence in this play and demonstrated stable play throughout the game. A "Ozawa call" erupted from the stands in response to this outstanding play, dispelling concerns about missing Hoi.

　Shimizu's attack has been creating rhythm by utilizing the outstanding ball retention skills of An and TUTO in the front line, with players like Mitsushima and Hiramatsu joining in from behind to develop the play on the opposite side. In particular, when An drifted to the side and maintained possession of the ball, Tokyo players were often dragged out of position, resulting in dangerous situations where the ball was passed to a free player in the center.

　On the other hand, Tokyo scattered the ball from Kelly and Miyazawa, Ishikawa dribbled from the right, Toda and Abe attacked the space from the left, or Kanazawa attempted to break through from the wall pass with Kelly, but Shimizu's defense line, centered around new foreign player DF Emerson and Moriooka, was solid, and it continued to be a period of time when they couldn't bring the ball to the shooting scene.

　In the 14th minute, we got a free kick on the right side, and Miyazawa aimed it with a powerful left foot, hitting the opponent's defender and resulting in a corner kick. In the 15th minute, Miyazawa kicked this right corner kick again, and Jean, who had escaped one head in the center, scored a powerful header into the goal net to take the lead. With this momentum, Tokyo continued to connect passes directly from Kanazawa to Kelly to Kanazawa to Abe to Toda from the left side in the 27th minute, and finally to Ishikawa on the right. Ishikawa dribbled once and then took a powerful shot, but unfortunately it hit the right post and did not become a goal. In the following 30th minute, Abe broke through the left side and attempted a curved shot with his right foot, but it narrowly went over the bar. Furthermore, in the 36th minute, Fujiyama from the right side joined the attack and put in a cross, and Toda beautifully headed it near the goal, but the ball missed to the left of the goal. The game was evenly matched in terms of chances, but Tokyo led by one point at halftime.

Miyazawa impressed at the last minute! A draw with a super goal showing determination

　In the second half, as expected, Shimizu, who was one point behind, made a move. In the 47th minute, Yasu broke through the left side and put a pinpoint cross in front of the goal. Hiramatsu jumped in and took a diving header shot, but it missed to the right of the goal. They managed to survive a critical situation, but Shimizu's intense attack continued afterwards.

　On the other hand, Tokyo was unable to create decisive scenes, but Toda and Abe repeatedly tried to break through to the front line, putting silent pressure on the Shimizu DF team. In the 53rd minute, Abe rushed forward on a long pass from Ishikawa on the counter. Toda broke free on the loose ball, but the goalkeeper caught it a moment too soon and it was not a goal. In the 9th minute, Amaral replaced Toda, and in the 56th minute, Amaral broke through the right side and sent a cross to the free Abe in the center. Abe calmly shot with his left foot from a one-touch trap, but unfortunately it hit the left goalpost and there was no additional point.

　The tide turned in favor of Shimizu as they missed this decisive chance. In the 57th minute, they easily allowed a goal by Yasu, resulting in a tie. Then, in the 75th minute, they allowed an additional goal by Kitajima and were finally reversed.

　On the other hand, Tokyo also made a move. In the 82nd minute, 17-year-old Kajiyama was substituted for Asari. Kajiyama is currently a second-year high school student belonging to FC Tokyo U-18, but he joined the top team from this season. Although he is a member of the U-17 Japan national team, his abilities were shrouded in mystery, but he demonstrated his strengths in the midfield position. Without being flustered at all, he distributed passes calmly after receiving the ball without being affected by Shizuoka's press. Kajiyama's characteristic is "not losing the ball," and even at this level, it was not a problem for him. Although he only played for 8 minutes, he had "0" pass misses. With Kajiyama's addition, there were also scenes where the opponents were drawn to Kajiyama, allowing his partner Miyazawa to become free.

　The match passed with Tokyo trailing by one point, 1-2, and in the 87th minute, Kanazawa, who had stopped Mito's charge with a brave effort, was sent off with a second yellow card. However, this Kanazawa's (prepared to be sent off) foul led to a good decision that would lead to a make-or-break drama. The game entered injury time, and Tokyo was in a desperate situation, one point behind with 10 players, but here Kajiyama's play earned a free kick from a position about 25m in front of the goal. When Miyazawa aimed directly at it, the ball curved sharply over Shimizu's wall and hit the right post, resulting in a goal! A dramatic equalizer was scored at the last minute. In the end, the game ended in a draw, but it was a fruitful match in terms of confirming individual and team readiness and showing perseverance at the very end.

【Player Comments】《Miyazawa》"(The cradle performance I showed after the goal) was because one of the staff members in the strengthening department had a child. We had promised before the game, so I'm glad we were able to do it. I had confidence in that free kick situation, and it had the trajectory I had imagined. I want to study more and aim for more goals than last year in the future," 《Ishikawa》: "(There was no discomfort in the collaboration with Fujiyama-san, who I teamed up with on the same side for the first time), but personally, I needed to make a little more effort to receive the ball today. There were some moments when the timing didn't match for the whole team, but we all have the same image, so I think it will improve in future practices," 《Kajiyama》"I was a little nervous before the game, but once I got in, it was fine. I was happy with the supporters' cheers, and I was able to play happily."

[Coach's Comment] "The purpose was to assess how well Abe and Kanazawa, who joined the team, would function as a team. Although neither of them is at 100%, they have been fitting in with the team and I am convinced that they are valuable assets. If we only consider today's match, it would have been better to let Toda continue playing as he was, but I made the substitution to improve Amaral's condition. In the end, I think it was good that we were able to bring the match to a draw from that situation, and it was a gain that we obtained a free kick that led to the equalizing goal after Kajiyama, who is 17 years old, came on and improved the rhythm. Also, it was good that we were able to try Ozawa because Doi got injured. I think it gave him confidence to complete the full 90 minutes, and it is also significant that we ended with a draw without losing."