The Samurai 7s is always a special tournament, but this year it had a little extra magic—perfect sunshine all weekend, some classic BFC football, and, of course, a plate-winning comeback to remember. Snow one week, summer the next—Japan never fails to keep us on our toes.

Day 1 – The Grind

With a squad of 8  (1 sub—proper Masters football, that), we kicked off against old friends Shane Classic. A tight affair, but a moment of brilliance from Scotti—a bullet header from a Takuma corner saw us take a 1-0 win. Welcome back, mate, good to see you in a BFC shirt again!

Next up, the French Krauts. We started beautifully with Pabs dinking one over the keeper with all the finesse of a man who still believes he has 20-year-old legs. Sadly, we then lost all control and let them turn it around for a 2-3 loss. Frustrating, but that’s football.

We were supposed to play ISFF as our final group match, but they never left Thailand in the end.  Rather than waste a game, we rescheduled to play Bali Bulldogs on Saturday instead, so both teams could enjoy a well-earned lie-in on Sunday.  Probably not our best decision, as we stumbled to a 2-0 loss after a long day in the Yokohama sun.

Day 2 – Fresh Legs, Fresh Goals

Enter Sunday’s reinforcements—Gareth at the back with Nick and Tats in the middle, and crucially, a proper striker, James. Things were looking up.

Thanks to the knockout setup, we got a bye into the semis, where we faced Fine Vintage – an experienced side who had battled hard all weekend—but we had the fresher legs and took full advantage.  Enter James, making his debut in style—one goal wasn’t enough, so he went and bagged five. Takuma wrapped it up for a 6-1 rout. Special mention to Keith, who was absolutely flying on the right, setting up goals for fun.

The Final – The Comeback

Union Pacifico came out flying, going 2-0 up early. But we didn’t panic—this was BFC Tokyo, we stayed disciplined, patient, and trusted our quality. James continued his ridiculous debut with a hat-trick, and just as we were tightening the grip, Tats put the cherry on top with the team goal of the tournament—a team effort that summed up everything we love about the game. 4-2, game over, and the plate was ours!

Shoutouts & Celebrations

      🧤 Teppei – Had glue in his gloves all weekend. Was ready for penalties, but the team handled business before it got to that.
      🔥 Stevie & Gen were absolute rocks at the back on Saturday, setting the foundation for the win.
      🔥 Scotti – Great to see him back on the pitch. Looking forward to seeing more of him soon!
      🔥Takuma – Owned the left wing and terrorized any opponent who got too close.
      🔥 Andrew ran himself into the ground all weekend, full commitment to the cause.
      🔥 Pabs—endless running, clear instructions, and possibly the biggest lungs in the tournament.
      🔥 Keith had his game of the weekend in the semis, creating goals left, right, and center
      🔥 Gareth & Nick stepped in seamlessly on Sunday at the back, cool and collected as ever.
      🔥 Tats – Stepped into midfield and played his game, keeping the balance of play on our side.
      🔥 James – A debut to remember. Proof that BFC Futsal is bringing in top-quality players.

Massive thanks to Footy Japan for organizing another cracking tournament. And of course, it wouldn’t be BFC without a few beers after—sunset, old boys sticking around, and a well-earned toast to another trophy for the club.
Up the BFC!

Photos can found at https://www.facebook.com/FJSamurai7s, As can be inferred from the title pic, this is courtesy of FJ. There are loads and entirely too many of Captain Fantastic…. (Ed.)