South Korea is falling behind again. Japanese soccer has already entered LA Olympic mode, Oiwa coach FC Barcelona training + friendly matches with Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan in July

May 13, 2025

South Korea is falling behind again. Japanese soccer has already entered LA Olympic mode, Oiwa coach FC Barcelona training friendly matches with Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan in July
The men's soccer final match between the Korean national soccer team and Japan at the Hangzhou Asian Games was held at Huanglong Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China on the afternoon of the 7th. Director Ko Oiwa of Japan. Hangzhou (China) = Song Jeong-heon Reporter's songs@sportschosun.com/2023.10.07/



South Korea is falling behind again. Japanese soccer has already entered LA Olympic mode, Oiwa coach FC Barcelona training friendly matches with Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan in July
photo courtesy of the Korea Football Association
Japanese soccer has started in earnest with the goal of participating in the LA Olympics in three years. It is a move compared to Korean soccer, which has not been able to find a head coach for more than a year.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) announced on the 12th that the Japanese U-22 national soccer team will go on an away trip to Uzbekistan on July 25 and 28 to play friendly matches against Saudi Arabia's U-22 team and Uzbekistan's U-22 team, respectively.

Ko Oiwa, the coach of Japan's U-22 national team who led the team to the quarterfinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, said "Finally, "The team will start with the goal of the 2028 LA Olympics." The war against other countries is an opportunity to test our strength. I'll prepare properly so that I can pick the fruit."




According to the Japanese daily 「Sankei Sports」, Oiwa left for Europe on the 8th of last month and trained at five European big league clubs, including Barcelona (Spain), Bournemouth (England), Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany) and Toulouse (France), before returning to Japan on the 11th.

JFA Technical Committee Chairman Masana Kagiyama said in a press briefing after the technical committee meeting in Tokyo that `It was a good opportunity for Oiwa to broaden his horizons and develop himself. The teams he trained were not all in the top ranks, but there is no doubt that this experience will have a positive impact on his chances of participating in the LA Olympics and winning a medal."

Oiwa, a former Japanese national defender, has been leading the Japanese U-23 team for four years since 2021 after serving as head coach of Kashima & Truss. In the final of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games held in 2023, he lost to South Korea led by current Daejeon coach Hwang Sun-hong and finished second, but won the title at the 2024 Asian U-23 Asian Cup.




Japan, which reached the finals of the Paris Olympics as a winning team, surprised the world by reaching the quarterfinals tournament by winning all three games in the group stage. Coach Oiwa failed to challenge the medal by losing 0-3 after playing an attacking football that did not back down in the quarterfinals against Spain, a powerhouse who won the gold medal. South Korea failed to advance to the Olympic finals for the first time in 40 years after losing to Indonesia in the quarterfinals of the Asian Cup after a penalty shootout.

After the competition, the JFA continued to show its trust in coach Oiwa to prepare for the next Olympics. Coach Oiwa plans to set up a new team centered on those born after 2005 who are currently part of the U-20 team in a friendly match in July. At the LA Olympics, the number of teams participating in the finals (based on men's teams) has been reduced from 16 to 12. As a result, the number of tickets allocated to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is expected to be reduced from three to less than two. The chances of going to the Olympic finals are bound to be slimmer. In preparation for this, Japan planned a friendly tournament with Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan, which boast the highest level in Asia among teams under the U-23.

South Korea is falling behind again. Japanese soccer has already entered LA Olympic mode, Oiwa coach FC Barcelona training friendly matches with Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan in July
photo courtesy of the Korea Professional Football Association
In the meantime, the Korea Football Association (KFA) has not been able to find a new head coach for more than a year since Hwang put down his baton after the 2024 Asian U-23 Asian Cup. As a result, the LA Olympic mode has not even been activated yet. In March, the U-23 team, temporarily led by the former KFA leader, drew with Vietnam and lost to China at the Yancheng International Friendship Competition in China, facing fierce criticism from soccer fans. This is an opportunity for the need for an early appointment of a head coach.




The first meeting was held on the 7th, presided over by Hyun Young-min, a former member of the national team who chaired the power reinforcement committee in the fourth executive branch of Chung Mong-gyu in April, and discussed the appointment of the next U-23 national team coach to challenge the 2026 Asian U-23 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia in January next year, the 2026 Nagoya-Aichi Asian Games in Japan in September next year, and the LA Olympics. There is no denying that he is one step behind Japanese soccer.

When South Korea visits the coach, Japan sings 'Olympic Medal' In an interview with Japanese media last month, Japanese national team coach Hajime Moriyasu expressed confidence in advancing to the finals, saying, `Even if the number of Olympic tickets is reduced, it will not be a major obstacle to the growth of Japanese soccer.' He was confident that the increased level of leaders of various ages, from youth to professional levels, was leading the overall growth of Japanese soccer.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.