NSC Stars Midfielder Kentaro Takada Glad To Be Training in Minnesota After Experiencing Japan’s Largest Earthquake

The NSC Minnesota Stars started their first day of preseason training on Monday. Kentaro Takada ran through both practices smoothly. His touches were good, his passes crisp and his shots were sharp. Not knowing the story behind Takada you might have a hard time believing that just 4 days prior he was in his home county of Japan experiencing the biggest earthquake in his country’s history.

Takada, who is from Hokuto in Hokkaido Prefecture, a separate island and north of the main island of Honshu, was in Tokyo at the time of the quake preparing for his flight back to the U.S. when the quake hit.

“I was in a building and was shopping when I felt the shaking. Everyone ran outside and tried to get to a safe place away from the buildings. It was the most scared I’ve ever been in my life,” said Takada after his second training session on Monday at the National Sports Center. “Everyone was trying to call on the phone or text but no one was able to get through. I just couldn’t think when it was happening and I felt confused.”

Takada explained that the hours following were just as confusing. “After seeing the video of what had happened I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” said Takada. He explained that immediately following the quake, internet connections were down and phone lines were jammed as everyone was trying to check in with family members, friends and loved ones.

The Japanese midfielder, who played for the Rochester Thunder PDL team in 2009 and the Stars in 2010, said he did eventually get in touch with his family and they are all safe and sound.

Takada does have two friends he is very concerned about and who he has not heard from. One is from Akita on the western coast of Japan and the other is from Sendai, a town of 1 million inhabitants that was the hardest hit by the tsunami.

“They are waiting on food, clothing, water, everything. They have lost everything,” said Takada as he explained how sad he is about his country’s misfortune and concerned for his friends and fellow countrymen.

Taka, as his friends and teammates call him, was to have flown out on Saturday. But after the earthquake and tsunamis, the airports shut down. He was finally able to catch a plane out of Tokyo on Sunday and landed in the U.S. that same day. He flew on to Minnesota Sunday evening.

Checking his twitter account, Taka who flew nearly 6,000 miles to get here, was tweeting in Japanese to his friends back home in the early morning hours on Monday, just hours before an 8:00 a.m. practice session for the Stars.

“I couldn’t sleep last night because I had jet lag,” said a weary Takada. “But now I’m so tired after practice. I hope I can sleep tonight.”

“When I’m off the field I’m thinking about Japan, my friends and family,” said Takada. “On the field I can focus on the game. As a soccer player I work as hard as I can everyday. For me, this is what I can give back to the people of Japan.”