REDS TODAY in USA Local news

June 24th. Today, they had a light training in the morning, and in the afternoon, they moved from Portland to Los Angeles, where the third game will be played. After arriving at the airport in Los Angeles, Nishikawa, Yasui, Kaneko and manager Maciej went to the Rose Bowl Stadium for media activities, while the rest of the players and staff headed to their hotel.

It's been a week since our first match on June 17th. It's extremely disappointing to lose in the first round, but no matter how much we laugh or cry, tomorrow is our last Trial in the FCWC.

The many people who came to Seattle to support Urawa Reds, the people who supported Urawa Reds on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, the local police officers who always protect the team with the best security services in Portland, the people at the training camp, the University of Portland staff, and many others sent off Urawa Reds with the words GOOD LUCK!

When Trial final whistle blows at Rose Bowl Stadium tomorrow, I hope that there will be smiles on the faces of everyone watching Urawa Reds.

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

The day after a truly disappointing Trial, practice started this morning an hour later than usual.
The starters from yesterday's Trial focused on recovery, while the substitutes and reserves gradually switched on from warming up, finishing the second half of the training at a fairly high intensity.

Two Trial, two losses. Our chances of making it to the round of 16 have disappeared quickly, but the tournament is not over yet. Our third opponent, Monterrey, will face the Reds in a match to advance to the final round. It will be a heated battle for them, and we at Urawa Reds must end Trial with a great Trial.

There are good times in life, and there are times when it doesn't seem so good. When times are good, anyone can smile and do their best. I think what's really important is how you behave when times aren't good.

Now let's come together once again and get our first victory in the FCWC.

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

The rain that had been falling on the Lumen Field pitch since morning had almost stopped by the time Trial started.

June 21st, the second match of the CWC. For the Reds, who lost the first match, Trial they could not afford to lose, and the opponent was Inter Milan, the runners-up of the Champions League.

Inter dominated the ball from the start of the game. I'm sure everyone except for those who support Urawa Reds thought, "Inter is bound to win."

However, in the 11th minute of the first half, it was Urawa Reds 'Ryoma Watanabe who scored the opening goal.

For the next 67 minutes, Urawa Reds managed to hold off Inter's attacks on multiple occasions and even created two clear-cut chances, but in the 78th minute, Inter's star Lautaro Martinez scored an equalizer, and then in added time, Valentin Carboni scored the winning goal.

It was a very close Trial. Trial were so close to getting the three points (or at least one point). But we fell just short, and that's the harsh reality.

But for now, I would like to applaud the players for giving everything they could on the pitch, and even more.

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

After a short training session in the morning, the team flew from Portland to Seattle in rainy conditions (the plane was quite bumpy).

After arriving in Seattle, Haraguchi, Gustafsson, Watanabe, and coach Maciej headed to Lumen Stadium for media activities, while the remaining players boarded the team bus provided by the tournament organizers to travel to their hotel.

In the morning, it rained for the first time since I came here, and the temperature was low, but when I arrived in Seattle, the weather was cloudy and the temperature was not as low as I expected. The weather forecast says there is a 30% chance of rain for tomorrow's Trial, and the temperature is not likely to rise much.

The second match is likely to be played under significantly different conditions than the first match three days ago. Urawa Reds will be facing Trial they cannot afford to lose against the prestigious Italian club Inter Milan, with at least one point to gain.

Before Trial against River, both coach Maciej Skorza and Marius Hoibraten shared the same message in the locker room: ``Let's not play Trial that we will regret!''

Urawa Reds will be giving it their all on the pitch, and I will be looking forward to watching them with my camera set up behind the goal line.

Let's go!

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

It's been sunny in Portland since this morning, with strong sunshine and dry air, typical West Coast weather.

The team started training at around 10:30 a.m. as usual. Today's training session was short, less than an hour, and consisted of conditioning and tactical review.

After practice, we took a photo of the motorcycle police officers (probably not called motorcycle police in America) who always guard the players' bus and staff vehicles, together with Thiago and Danilo, who happened to be passing by. They usually wear sunglasses and look quite intimidating, but they were smiling happily in the photo.

Two days left until the match against Inter.

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

Yesterday, I returned to Portland with the team two hours after the River Plate match ended.

The next morning, I left the hotel at the usual time and headed to the practice field.
As I look at the slightly cloudy sky, memories of yesterday's Trial come to mind over and over again.

During today's practice, the starters recovered indoors, while the other players went out onto the pitch and completed a full training session.
Of course, everyone wants to play in Trial, so they naturally take their training seriously. Seeing that attitude makes us feel a little more at ease.

And today is Shusaku Nishikawa Shusaku's 39th birthday. Whether good times or bad, Shu-chan has always been guarding the goal of Urawa Reds, saying "ENJOY!" After practice, his good friend Thiago came running over to him and showered him with hugs in congratulations.

Shu-chan, thank you so much for always giving us such a wonderful smile.

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

Well, that was a very close Trial.

The kickoff was at 12 o'clock, and the sun was almost directly overhead. The temperature, which had been cool until just a moment ago, was rising rapidly.

In a normal Trial, all 11 players enter the pitch at the same time, but in this tournament, each player will appear on the pitch one by one, under flashing lights and smoke, as their name is called. (Well, FIFA is coming up with a lot of ideas.)

There are some changes that an old timer like me can't keep up with, but the fact is that with the new generation comes new football.

I'll write about Trial again later, but I think it was a really close Trial.
I don't know if we could have won, but I feel like the Reds could have done more.

It may be a self-serving remark, but the opponent was River Plate, so what? Was it okay to go into Trial with that kind of enthusiasm?
Yes, it was that heavy breathing that may have been the deciding factor in the match.

Well, for now we just need to rest up and then get ready to go tomorrow for our next match against Inter.
Thank you to everyone who came to Seattle to support us. For now, please go to a nice cafe and have a delicious Frappuccino.

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

Today I did some light training in the morning and then took a charter flight to Seattle with the team in the afternoon.
From the hotel to Portland Airport, and from Seattle Airport to Lumen Field, police motorcycles escorted us all the way, and their traffic control was amazing!
Although the roads were quite congested, the buses carrying the athletes and the vehicles carrying staff following behind them moved along smoothly.
I feel like I've become a great person. I now understand how people get confused. (I mean, people, or rather, myself, lol)

After arriving at Lumen Field, we took photos of the media interviews with the three players, Marius, Sekine, and Matsuo, and then we went to the official press conference by manager Maciej the day before Trial.
The director had a very good look on his face as he answered the reporters' questions sincerely, and I began to get the feeling that this might be something big.

And finally, in just 12 hours, our first match against River Plate will take place.
I started taking photos in Buenos Aires in the 1980s, and I visited their home stadium, Monumental Stadium, dozens of times. It was one of the places where I practiced photography and learned what soccer was all about. At that time, professional soccer didn't even exist in Japan.

Nearly 40 years later, River Plate and Urawa Reds faced off in the Club World Cup and I got to photograph the Trial! Life is really interesting, I guess.

Go ahead and do it!

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

The chill from yesterday has eased a bit, and the weather today is quite nice.
Ah, I felt like I'd finally arrived on the West Coast.

When the light is clear and the sky is blue, the mood of the photos you take changes. The photos of the flags with messages written on them today are also really nice.

The training is in a relaxed mode from start to finish.
There are two days left until Trial, so now I just need to get in shape and organize in my mind and heart what I need to do.

This is from yesterday, but I wasn't satisfied with just the training photos, so in the afternoon I walked around the city wearing a Reds uniform. A girl who happened to be in the elevator with me at the hotel suddenly complimented me, saying, "That uniform is cool!" (I was a little disappointed when she wouldn't let go of the uniform while holding it lol)

I took pictures of the uniforms in a few places, like along the river, next to the railroad bridge, and at the entrance to the station, but the one I liked the most was the entrance to Union Station. It looked like an advertisement photo for an apparel brand, and it was really cool.

If time permits, I'd like to take uniform photos in other cities, like LA, Charlotte or Atlanta, and New Jersey, lol.

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

Today's training started at the University of Portland grounds just after 10 o'clock.

Before coming here, I was told that it was extremely hot, but when I actually got here, it would be more accurate to say that the temperatures both yesterday and today were quite cold.
I want to put some hot packs on my toes and waist, but they (probably) don't sell them in Portland, so I'll just have to bear with it.

Before the players' bus arrived, all the staff put up flags with various messages of support written on them at the entrance to the venue. A young American volunteer at the venue asked me what it said, but I replied that it said something like "Go for it!" because it would take until tomorrow to translate it one by one. (Well, it's not wrong.)

Although they have only won the domestic league once in 32 years, they have won the ACL three times, which is why they are now able to participate in this CWC. Such strange (and happy) events have happened many times at this club.

As I looked at the flags that morning in Portland, I was reminded once again that this must be the power of the enormous number of fans and supporters around Urawa Reds.

Three days left until the match against River.

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

I arrived in Portland yesterday afternoon and today I will be taking part in the FIFA Club World Cup.
I flew from Narita to Seattle, then changed to a domestic flight to Portland. The flight took about nine and a half hours, during which time I watched three movies that weren't particularly interesting, read about ten pages of a difficult book, and took a bit of a nap, and before I knew it, we had arrived.

There are four days left until the first match against CA River Plate. The training location is a small soccer stadium on the campus of the University of Portland. (Every time I come to the United States, I am amazed at how well-equipped the university sports facilities are in this country. I think the scale of the budget for sports is different, and also the meaning of sports to universities, students studying there, and people in the local area is probably different.)

The training started at 10am and moved from physical training to ball training, which was very exciting to watch.
Danilo Boza was particularly brilliant. He is not only strong in the header, but also good at kicking the ball at his feet with quick timing, so we may see him react quickly to a loose ball from a corner kick and score a goal at this tournament.

After the training, on the way back in the car, I spoke to physical coach Guri-san (Tatsuru Ishiguri), who told me that when the players first arrived (9 days ago), the 16-hour time difference made their movements significantly slower, but that over the past week the players' condition has improved dramatically.
If there is a certain degree of difference in strength, you definitely want to be in a superior position in terms of physical condition.

(Photo/Text by Atsushi Kondo)

I had the day off yesterday.
The team resumed training refreshed and are now making final preparations for their first match against CA River Plate.

The official media is also stepping up Trial a few more steps, so today will be the last day for me to post my photos and writings. I would like to thank everyone who has been looking forward to my photos and writings, even if only for a short time.

Starting tomorrow, the baton will be handed over to Atsushi Kondo, who will be the official photographer.
I think it will be able to convey a more realistic portrayal of the players heading into Trial to everyone.

Kondo's photos will also be posted on Instagram, so be sure to check it out!!

Day 5 of our US tour.
The rainy season has started in the Kanto region. In Portland, the players are training hard in the heat of over 30 degrees every day.

After today's training, I took comments from Shoya Nakajima for site members.
There is no need for me to talk about him, but he answered my questions seriously while practicing with a wooden sword, which is his hobby (lol).

The site is in a question format, but there are a lot of reverse questions. But, of course, Shoya has his own strong opinions, and I felt like I was able to see his true face.
I hope that his thoughts can be conveyed to the fans and supporters at least a little.
But when I was taking photos of Shoya this year, I thought to myself, "He's smiling again."

At the end of the comment period, I was encouraged to start making puns, but I'll think about it for a bit...

Today we held a social gathering with children attending the Japanese school, their parents, and staff from the Japanese Consulate in Portland.
About 100 people came and we got a lot of energy for Trial. Thank you very much!

After the exchange meeting, while the players were training indoors for 20 minutes, a single word from Tomoya UGAJIN kicked off the soccer game.
I want many people to fall in love with soccer Urawa Reds.
It's impressive that Ugajin's attitude has not changed since his active days.

Check out the official X page for details of the meet-and-greet!

In the afternoon, as part of FIFA's TEAM PHOTOSHOOTS, everyone took photos wearing FCWC uniforms.
Please look forward to the finished product.

Morning training starts today!!
It was a cool morning, but as time went on the temperature and training got hotter!
The addition of a game format adds some excitement.

They are kind players who, while concentrating on their training, smile when their eyes meet through the camera.

In the evening, a press conference was held to announce the signing of new member Hiiro Komori.
Hiyan, best of luck!

Yesterday and today, training began in the afternoon, taking into account fatigue from travel and the effects of jet lag.
Over these two days, the temperature in Portland, USA, where the team's base camp is located, rose to nearly 30 degrees during the day, making it feel quite hot.
Meanwhile, the team is making preparations in a great atmosphere, thanks to the excellent training environment.
There are 10 days left until the first match of the FCWC. Let's prepare as best we can.
*According to Marius, this is Samuel's normal face.

On June 5th, the battle to become number one in the world began.
Of course, we know it won't be easy, but this is the result that everyone associated with Urawa Reds hopes for and desires.
The send-off ceremony after the match against Yokohama FC, the last Trial before the FCWC. The scene I saw on the pitch made me ready.

"Become the best in the world"

I'm sure the players and team staff felt that way even more than I did.
What can I do to make that happen? It may only be 0.01 percent, but there is something I can do to increase that possibility even just a little.

This is a tournament I was able to take part in thanks to the support of so many people. And it is a tournament I still take part in thanks to the support of so many people.

We hope that the people who come to the venue and those who support us in Japan will be able to feel even more enthusiasm for Urawa Reds through the photos and videos that we post.
We will continue to send out messages with this sentiment in mind. Please stay with us until July 13th!

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]