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| Japanese national soccer team coach Hajime Moriyasu greets U.S. national team coach Mauricio Pochettino. AFP Yonhap News |
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| Mitoma Kaoru tries to cross in the A-match friendly against the U.S. on the 10th. AP Yonhap News |
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| Source=Japan Football Association SNS Capture |
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'In this situation, winning the World Cup is just a dream.'
On the 11th, Japanese sports media 'Sponichi' criticized the Japanese national soccer team for failing to catch both the contents and the results in the two consecutive away friendly matches in the United States. Japan tied 0-0 in the first match of the September A match against Mexico, co-host of the 2026 North-China World Cup finals, and lost 0-2 against the United States on the 10th. He returned from a two-game series with one draw and one loss without scoring a single goal in 180 minutes.
Sponichi said 'Japan ended the tour, which was conducted as a mock training session for next summer's World Cup, with two consecutive games scoreless, one draw and one loss. Japan, which aims to win the World Cup, faced a harsh reality. 'There was a big gap between the ideal and the reality. Japan, which deployed key players in the match against Mexico, completely replaced its starters in the match against the United States, but suffered a bigger loss than expected. He allowed 19 shots, 11 of which were effective shots. Without goalkeeper Keisuke Osako's brilliant defense, he might have given up four or five goals.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Sponich said of the U.S. match in Ohio, USA 'Japan was aggressive from the beginning, but lost its rhythm as the pressure on the front line gradually weakened. The three-back formation, which was improvised due to a series of injuries to the defense, failed to withstand the pressure and gave up a run in the 30th minute of the first half. Switching to an unfamiliar four-back formation in the second half added to the confusion. The U.S. was one step ahead of Asia (level) in ball control, pass, speed of judgment, and ability to use defensive space. The main players overwhelmed Mexico with their performance, but the players lacked experience and skills on that day.
The media focused on two consecutive scoreless games. 'The strikers, who scored 30 goals in 10 final World Cup Asian qualifiers, remained silent for two consecutive games. The result was in stark contrast to South Korea, which switched opponents and recorded 2-0 against the U.S. and 2-2 against Mexico.' Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu has gained the necessary experience to win the World Cup. It was difficult to find a positive side in a complete defeat, when he said, `The problems revealed in the game against a world-class strong team have become valuable assets for individuals and teams.' There is not much time left until the opening of the World Cup. If the situation is similar in the match against Brazil next month, winning the World Cup is just a dream. 'If we fail to take lessons from the disgrace we gained from the match against the host country, even the best ever World Cup advance to the round of 16 will be uncertain,' he added.
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| Photo provided =Kyodo News |
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Moriyasu said, "I feel a heavy responsibility as a coach. The situation of changing the system and the composition of the players has made it difficult for the players"I looked back at the two games in a row. In order to face a world-class team, he stressed that he needs to have a thick player base.
Meanwhile, 'Sponichi' revealed that the Japanese national soccer team had scored no goals for the second consecutive game in three months following two consecutive games against Saudi Arabia (0-0 draw) and Australia (0-1 loss) in March and June. He stressed that if he goes scoreless in a friendly against Paraguay in October, he will be scoreless in three consecutive games for the first time in 26 years since 1999 when Philippe Truscier was led.
Japan will hold a friendly match with South Korea in October after September by changing the order of its opponents. They will play Paraguay on the 10th and Brazil on the 14th in two consecutive games. South Korea, which finished its two straight A matches with one win and one draw in September, will face Brazil on October 10 and Paraguay on October 14.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
