(High School Soccer Man of the Match)
(9.6 Kanto ROOKIE LEAGUE A League Round 9 Seibudai High School 4-1 Takenan Tokinosu Susono D-Grand)
The final match of the A-League in the 2025 Kanto ROOKIE LEAGUE was a showdown in the same prefecture. Seibudai High School (Saitama) took the lead in the 20th minute of the first half with midfielder Misawa Eima's left corner kick and forward Namiki Ippei's one-touch shot. After that, despite being equalised by Takenan High School (Saitama) forward Watanabe Shuha, the team threw a goal away from each other with two shots from midfielder Maruta Yoto and a smash push from midfielder Inoue Atsuki, who was substituted, and won 4-1. The league finished fifth with 4 wins, 2 draws, and 3 losses.
CB Ito Daiki (1st year, from Mitsubishi Yowa SC Sugamo Junior Youth) revealed, “We were like rivals between Saitama prefectures, and we all took on the challenge with the determination to “never lose.”
Taking advantage of the reflections from the league games so far, instead of forcing yourself to connect from the start, you take the lead by attacking the opponent behind you. In particular, Ito controlled the attack with a vertical pass from his left foot and a diagonal kick. He was originally a left-back batter, and has been trying to become a CB since entering Seibudai. He uses his left foot kick from his weapon, starting with positioning according to the opponent's defense.
Compared to left-back, it's difficult to deal with defensively. However, he says, “I conceded a goal with just one mistake. It's difficult, like covering the SB and covering my partner (CB Kojima Takumi), so it's a challenge, but I think it's a place that's really rewarding.” On this day, Coach Misawa Masato made the most of his speed, making contributions to the team with his actions that also praised him, including moving forward and covering.
“I'm not that big of a physique, so I'm conscious of predicting covering and taking advantage of it when the opponent's touch gets a little bit bigger. I think I'm good at defense, like putting my body in full.” He is about 174cm tall, but he was initially not good at the heading, which he gradually leveled up as he competed with forwards from Funabashi High School (Chiba) and Maebashi Ikuei High School (Gunma) at Kanto ROOKIE LEAGUE. He has become a key player in the final line both offensively and defensively.
Ito, who is improving himself by referring to defender Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool) and defender Paw Torres (Aston Villa), said he is looking forward to the future, saying, “I would like to compete in CB as well, and I want to be able to compete in various positions. I would like to aim for a center back where I can assist with my own weapons and aim for goals in long range.” We strive to contain even bigger forwards than us, and to make a difference on the offensive side. Using his experience with Kanto ROOKIE LEAGUE, he becomes a versatile defender who can be used in the above categories.
(Interview and text by Yoshida Taro)
