The fierce Inter-high Soccer Tournament was over
and Enoshima was off on summer vacation.
We headed to Yakumo-kun's relative's beach house
at Shirahama Beach in Izu.
The soccer club has been busy making fried noodles
and selling shaved ice with their unique staff.
We met up with Seven and Mai-chan and had a wonderful time.
We got to see a new side of a number of the seniors
and I think it was a good experience.
The Summit Battle! Kamakura vs. Shukyu
Today is the day of the Inter-high Finals.
Yusuke, and other nostalgic friends and senpais at Kamakura High,
play against my brother's rival, Silva,
at Tokyo Shukyu High School for the championship.
I thought we were early,
but the place is packed for the finals.
Yusuke...
We're finally here.
The national title is right before our,
the Kamakura Soccer Club's, eyes.
Sorry, Kamakura, but Shukyu's victory is decided. Yeah!
Yeah!
It's show time for the world class eleven who've gathered
from around the world to train.
Gracias for coming to watch our first championship victory.
Everyone, I hope you cheer us on!
Mai-chan!
Shukyu looks like they're at a festival.
What ridiculous people.
Shukyu Certain Victory!
On top of wealth and foreign students,
they're making a scene at the Inter-high.
But they look like they're having fun.
Don't you think it would be
shameful for us, too, if we lost to a team like that?
But they really are strong.
Don't you have any pride?
It doesn't matter to me who wins.
They're only here to set the stage
for the true king once we meet in the next championship.
Why don't you lose some weight first?
Hayase, do you remember the summer of your first year?
Yes!
You teamed up with Suguru, just a third year middle-schooler,
at the Prince League match.
Yes.
Kunimatsu, Saeki, and Nishijima,
you all played with Suguru during your middle school club years.
Yes.
Don't forget.
You all had the same purpose, had the same dreams,
as you chased after the ball.
Now, Aizawa's rival, Leonardo Silva,
is standing on that field.
To think that you'd be able to play
against the Brazilian Youth League's top soccer player.
Today's opponent has two other players
who could go straight into the pro league, besides Silva.
Of the teams that I have coached,
you are the best developed,
but this will be a tough match.
Don't forget,
most of you have shared experiences with Aizawa,
who was said to stand shoulder to shoulder
with Leonardo Silva.
Show Suguru, watching from above,
what you're made of!
Yeah!
It's getting on my nerves.
What is, Ricky?
Going on about Aizawa this, Aizawa that.
It makes me want to run my fist through them.
Because Japan with Suguru hurt the Argentinean pride?
Leo!
Are you trying to start a fight with a teammate before a match?
Don't forget that we're here on business.
I can't forgive losing to a team
that won't earn us any money even if we beat them.
Don't fall into some boring pitfall from your past.
I know.
You don't need to tell me.
Is Ricky all right?
He tends to get caught up in his own psyche.
He plays better when there's nothing to provoke him.
His psyche, huh?
I believe the soccer gods treat everyone equally.
Which is exactly why the scars
of inferiority that were carved on the soccer field
are so deep.
It's time for the kickoff.
Again. He's staring at me again.
He? You mean Leonardo Silva?
Do you think I've captured the heart
of a world class soccer player?
Silva...
The Kamakura eleven lineup is the same as before.
Gojo Makito
Shimura Kazushi
Three fullback defenders:
Kunimatsu Hiromi
Kimizuka Naoki
Five midfielders.
Ohkoshi Yutaka
Shima Yuki
Saeki Yusuke
Ikushima Takuya
Hayase Atsushi
Sera Ukyo
Below Top is Sera,
and the forward is Takajo, in a One Top formation.
This strange Tomahawk formation,
Takajo Akira
with the key players lined up in the middle,
allows the ace striker, Takajo,
to instantly move straight toward the opponent's goal.
He is the crowning glory of the Tomahawk.
I don't want you to give up hope,
but against the Golden 11,
scoring a goal with the Tomahawk
will be next to impossible.
We don't even need to explain
the lineup to the real fans, right?
It's your average looking middle diamond line up,
but the components are different.
On defense, the pride of Argentina,
named after the highest peak of the Andes, Aconcagua,
the U-17 representative, "Ricky" Ricardo Vernardi!
Below top, the man everybody knows,
the U-17 Brazilian representative,
the embodiment of Ginga, Leonardo Silva.
Forward, the black panther from Cameroon, Patrick Jenpa.
These are the strong ones.
Yay! The Inter-high Soccer Finals kick off!
Let's take our time. Use both sides.
Maki.
Leave him to me and worry
about what's in front of you.
Okay.
Stuck with Silva right away.
He's a worthy opponent.
What a presence.
It's like that time against Suguru-san...
Hey. Suguru's underclassman. Come at me.
Watch out, Saeki-kun.
Yusuke!
What is he thinking going one-on-one
against the treasure of Brazil?
Leo, show him that difference in ability.
Well done, Saeki.
Pretending to get drawn in by provocation,
he sends an easy pass to Hayase in Silva's blind spot.
I see. So he's been trained.
However...
Naive.
Leo has eyes on the back of his head.
Saeki got a pass through,
only to fall into a trap on the right side.
If they can steal the ball this far upfield,
they'll have a chance at the first goal, right away.
Crap!
You're not going anywhere!
Hayase!
There he is. It's Takajo.
The U-19 representative ace striker
had fallen all the way back here.
Takajo-san!
Hey! Leave him to me.
Karaki and Kato, take care of both sides.
Takajo slows down.
Isn't the future Japanese forward being a little too careful?
That's right.
It's still so early.
Wouldn't it have been fine if he'd pushed forward with a dribble?
I wonder.
Araki-san.
Ricardo is an Argentinean U-17 representative.
He's not the type you can score a chance off of by charging recklessly.
That said, just holding on to the ball in the middle of the field
isn't going to score any goals, either.
Obviously, he has some sort of plan...
That might be true.
Look, Kakeru.
Shukyu's moved their defensive midfielders and fullbacks up.
This is the opposite of
what happened in the last Shukyu match.
Right. That time,
they made use of the space that the attacker's impatience created to attack.
The usually offensive Kamakura
is patiently passing around the ball.
If this is their attempt to bring out the Shukyu defense...
If you're not attacking, then we'll have to go to you!
I'll take that!
All right. Pat's going for it.
It's a chance. Move up!
What?
Wait. You're moving up too far.
The ball was spinning.
Don't underestimate Pat's speed.
Kunimatsu looks like he'll get there first.
What a clear!
I mean, what a great pass.
Yusuke!
This is probably what they were going for.
To draw out the opponent during the opening
of the game and force Shukyu's play,
Sera-kun sent an intentionally weak pass.
This might be a trap formation based around
Sera's precision kicking skills.
Crush him!
What speed!
Takajo is running off at rocket speed.
No problem. Ricky will stop him.
What?
Is this a long shot?
Goal! It's in!
All right.
Against world class foreign students, Kama— no,
the Japanese youth representative striker,
Takajo scores a goal!
All right!
1-0. Kamakura scores the first goal.
Amazing.
Kamakura really is amazing.
Against a team with Silva and Ricardo,
scoring the first goal within five minutes...
That was, without a doubt, a goal scored with ability.
From deep on their own side,
they brought the ball all the way up
with dribbles and passes to score.
But that attack was so fast.
It was possible because of
this year's Kamakura players, nicknamed Tomahawk.
The opponent's lapse and the momentary opportunity
to pass the ball to the goal in that instant:
they used both accurate passes and tactical players
aligned vertically in the middle.
That opening was an opportunity created by Kamakura.
Yeah.
Takajo slowing the ball down without attacking
was probably a strategic move.
Probably.
Ricardo may be world class,
but itching to go after the ball
is a characteristic of every defender.
First, they were drawn out and moved upfield of their position,
by what first appeared to be a mis-kick, and then a back pass by Sera appeared.
From there Shukyu's entire team
went into attack mode,
like a wolf pack stalking their prey,
toward Kamakura's goal.
But the ball had a spin on it.
It moved as if it was running away from the forward
because it was a trap kick.
Kicking a ball with that precision and spin
is a strategy that exists only because of Sera-kun's unique ability.
Probably from the moment they gained him as a conductor,
predicting the strong teams they'd meet at Nationals,
they came up with this formation play.
That sounds similar to the concept
of our Booby Trap Formation.
A big chance at a goal
doesn't always happen down in the opponent's territory.
Actually, what it really comes down to
is that momentary lapse in defense
during the shift into an attack.
Certainly, in a hard-to-score situation,
like the World Cup or tense domestic games,
such cases would arise.
It's like avoiding the enemy's key players
and scoring a goal, without letting the opponent even play soccer.
It was a terrifying game.
Kunimatsu's defense instinctively crushed openings.
Yusuke and Sera-kun had game-making ideas and plays.
Takajo-san's shots were stirring and razor sharp.
Ricardo Vernardi's play is so perfect you have to wonder
how Kamakura scored that first point.
Leonardo Silva's dribble penetration and passes were striking,
not to mention Patrick Jenpa's acrobatic shots.
Both teams went back and forth
between onslaught and defense
without reaching a conclusion by the time the game reached halftime.
A passing mark for the first half.
Yes!
Everyone, I'm not worried.
You already know, right?
Our objective isn't the championship of this tournament.
It's your quota.
And the same goes for me, right?
Yes, sir!
Unlike the teams we've played before,
Kamakura is not just a practice team.
Think of them as a real game team and play.
That's all from me.
Yes, sir!
Show me what you can do in the second half.
Make it worth that high payoff.
Yes, sir!
Hey, Kakeru.
What?
About the first point by Kamakura:
I think it was something that Suguru-san said a long time ago.
Something my brother said?
From the sweeper, Kunimatsu, to the defensive midfielder, Saeki,
to the below top, me.
While drawing out our opponent,
we move the ball with almost no dribbling.
And, of course...
He said that you would score.
My brother did...
I hope Kamakura wins.
Yeah.
The Tomahawk, which my brother
dreamed of perfecting with me,
was being played out
with Sera-kun and Takajo-san at the finals.
When the game finally started moving again,
it was 25 minutes into the second half.
The moment suddenly appeared in the game, like an air pocket.
Great job, Yusuke. Good call.
They're one goal ahead,
so avoiding the risk of a counterattack is most important, right?
You think so?
Huh?
Plays that don't create any risk
give the opponent an opportunity, don't you think?
The ball goes to Hayase on the right side
and they restart from here.
Come on, number 9.
Aren't you underestimating the Shukyu midfielders?
See? Look. Here comes Ricky.
Shima makes a good call,
but the pass might be a little short.
He's good.
He takes that momentary opening to intercept.
Now it begins.
There it goes:
an accurate pass straight to where Pat is headed.
Watch out!
Pat's strong.
With his incredible balance,
he keeps the ball against two defenders.
Hey, Pat! Over here.
It's back to Silva.
With a one touch, it's back in the area.
Pat's running for the ball.
Watch out!
Yay! Pat evens the game.
At 30 minutes into the second half,
the game is back to where it started.
Damn it.
Forget about it. We still have five minutes.
If we take it back right away, we win the championship.
Right!
They must have gotten tired of trying
to just protect that one goal lead.
Yes. If you don't attack, then your opponent won't be scared.
That's why the centerback, Ricardo,
was all the way up near the center line.
That's right.
In a moment of panic, Silva attacked.
Still, how they took
an instant like that, and turned it into a comeback point...
I guess that's what it means to be world class.
The game went into loss time with only
one minute left on the clock.
Anyone could sense the tension.
Silva, whether by accident or by animal instinct,
takes possession of the ball in a great position.
Number 9, number 11, mark him!
He's going for a dribble.
What? From way out there?
Silva's dribble penetration.
He's unstoppable. No one can stop him now.
Is he... Is he going to...?
Yay! Comeback goal!
With less than a minute left in loss time,
our Leonardo Silva has scored a miracle goal!
A-Amazing...
The world is big, isn't it?
This is where your brother was fighting.
Y-Yeah...
Silva! Silva! Silva!
It was overwhelming.
Yeah...
There's no analyzing that last goal.
The closer a game is,
the less time that's on the clock,
the greater the expectation for something to happen.
The small opening born from an accident
was tied to a goal through Silva's genius footwork.
Leonardo Silva, capable of performing a play that
stands on a different level from everyone else.
Despite being 17, he is probably already a world class player.
There was less than a minute left in the game,
but Kamakura didn't even think about giving up.
Yusuke received a pass from a surrounded Takajo-san
and, from inside the area, he attempted one last shot!
It was a long, long whistle.
If Kamakura...
If they had Suguru,
what do you think would have happened in this match?
Kota...
I would've liked to see that.
Hey, first year, what's with the sigh?
I'm actually a little depressed.
Kamakura may have lost,
but when I think about
having to beat that team to move on to Nationals...
Even if we make it to Nationals,
Shukyu will be blocking our way.
Right?
Our dream feels so far away.
My, my. Sounds like our dream has shrunk.
Your ultimate goal was to enter the World Cup and win, right?
I'm the opposite.
There isn't much of a difference between
me at my best and Leonardo Silva.
Now I know that I'm about even,
in terms of soccer ability and technique.
If there was a difference, it would be in experience and...
...this pile of fat!
That's the spirit, Araki-kun.
Despite being overconfident, looking forward isn't bad.
Overconfident?
We still have over two months
until the championship qualifiers.
In addition to the training we've been doing,
if we add some additional drills to the menu and improve,
we won't be able to recognize who we used to be
when we butted heads with teams like Yoin or Kamakura.
Really, Coach Iwaki?
Yes. Believe me.
Everyone, make sure you go straight home
and get some rest.
We start practice again tomorrow.
Yes!
I wanted to tell Suguru-san we'd won.
It was a close game.
Next is the championship.
See you on the field!
Yeah!
Next Episode Partly Cloudy
Facing the winter championships,
Enoshima Soccer Club starts training.
Iwaki's new training leaves the members exhausted,
but the reward in their sights fuels them.
However, Araki, who's put on weight again,
is slowing everyone down.
When will they get the reward?
On the other hand, Mai, who still can't mesh with Nadeshiko Japan,
suddenly visits Enoshima High
and makes an intimate approach toward Kakeru.
Next time on Knight in the Area,
episode 29: "Partly Cloudy."