My debut came suddenly.

On April 5th, the 15th minute MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE Matchday 9 Kawasaki Frontale, it was his first time being included on the bench this season.
He was sent onto the pitch due to Danilo Boza 's injury.

"I was surprised at first because I never imagined I'd be leaving at that time."

Hayate Ueki recalls it that way.

"But since I was going to play, I stepped onto the pitch with the intention of contributing to the team and giving it my absolute best."
　
Ueki's distinguishing feature is his highly precise left foot.
Furthermore, he has the ability to accurately assess the situation and set the tempo with his left foot. Kaito Yasui, who partners with Ueki in the defensive midfield, once commented on Ueki's play as follows:

"He can make both short passes and long balls, and he's a player who can quickly create rhythm. So, in that sense, I feel it's easy to play with him," he said.

Ueki showed a glimpse of this potential shortly after the start of the second half against Kawasaki. It occurred during a series of events in which Takuro Kaneko found the back of the net, but the goal was disallowed after a VAR review.
From the build-up, the ball went to Takahiro Sekine on the right wing, who then played a quick diagonal pass to Matheus Savio in the center. Ueki received Savio's layoff and played a one-touch pass to the left wing.
This one-touch pass created a smooth flow and gave Yoichi Naganuma who received the pass on the left wing, both "time" and "space." If Ueki had trapped the ball before passing, both of those factors would have been reduced for Naganuma.
Naganuma calmly made a one-on-one play and delivered a cross, and Ueki himself got involved in the scramble in front of the goal and took a shot. From there, the play continued with Kaneko pushing in the loose ball.

"I felt during Trial that it was good that I was able to get involved in the play and finish with a shot."

Ueki recalls it that way.
Unfortunately, Kaneko's goal was disallowed, but he replicated it in the 56th minute.
He was involved in that as well.

As Ado Onaiwu advanced in the center, he timed his run up the left flank perfectly to receive the ball.

"Ado-kun gave me a nice pass, so all I had to do was send a solid cross into the middle. I think that was a really good setup."

The game was initially 2-1 thanks to a goal by Kaneko that came from a cross by Ueki, but the final result was a disappointing 2-3 defeat.
After that, he made a substitute appearance in one Trial and was on the bench for Trial, but he still hadn't achieved the result he wanted most: a victory.

"I haven't won any of Trial I've played in—"

There were days when I would say things like that.

However, in the first match under new manager Tatsuya Tanaka, and the second match against Kawasaki this season, he came on as a substitute and finally tasted victory.

Then, in the subsequent match against JEF United Ichihara Chiba, he made his first start.
He apparently thought this as he climbed the stairs leading to the pitch at Saitama Stadium.

"I thought I might get nervous because I was feeling cheers I'd never experienced before, but surprisingly, that wasn't the case at all, and I think I was able to enjoy the atmosphere and go into Trial with that feeling."

He reflected on the game with words that conveyed a sense of reliability, and with his left foot, he unleashed both short and long passes, setting the rhythm of Trial.
The reason he started may have been related to the condition of other players, such as playing in consecutive games or injuries.
But those are certainly not the main reasons.

When asked about the selection of the team members after the Chiba match, manager Tatsuya Tanaka responded as follows:

"Ultimately, it's about everyday life. Trial is an extraordinary event, and I believe that everything about everyday life is reflected in the extraordinary, so I want to include players who can really showcase their abilities in that setting."

I can't help but feel that Coach Tanaka's answer is in sync with these words that Ueki left behind after the Chiba match.

"There were times when my play was effective, but now that Trial is over, I feel that I still don't receive the ball enough and distribute it effectively. I need to improve the precision and frequency of those actions."

Ueki continued, saying:

"I want to visualize Trial more during practice, and use my experience playing in Trial to improve, so I'll start with practice," he said.

With Samuel Gustafson returning to action in the match against Chiba, the competition for the defensive midfield positions has intensified once again.
However, that doesn't necessarily mean that Hayate Ueki will always be left behind.
The moment when his play brings joy to the fans and supporters is surely not far off.

(Interview/text/Hideki Kosai)