On a rainy Saturday afternoon, the San Jose Earthquakes U-15 Girls’ Academy hosted Japan’s JFA Academy Sakai for an international friendly in addition to a tour of Avaya Stadium. The Quakes battled back from a 2-0 deficit and drew JFA 2-2.
The JFA Academy is a group of young Japanese players who live under the same roof to absorb the philosophies of the Japanese Federation. They eat together, study together and play together Monday through Friday and compete for their respective teams on the weekend. This special match was organized by Quakes Academy coach Jovan Yamagishi, who spoke to us after the match.