Japan's Rotation Thank You Pochettino Has Been Life-Extended...The U.S., which lost to South Korea, led the U.S. in the first half

Sep 10, 2025

Japan's Rotation Thank You Pochettino Has Been Life-Extended...The U.S., which lost to South Korea, led the U.S. in the first half
Source=The U.S. national soccer team official SNS capture



The Japanese national soccer team finished 0-1 in the first half, allowing the U.S. national team to lead, which was completely defeated by Hong Myung-bo three days ago.

Japan dedicated the first goal to Alejandro Zendejas (America) at 8:30 a.m. on the 10th (Korea time) in a friendly match against the United States at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. Japan, which tied 0-0 without scoring in a friendly match against Mexico on the 7th, has been silent for 135 minutes in this away friendly match with the United States. On the other hand, U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino raised the possibility of extending his life in the match against Japan, which was held on the first anniversary of the U.S. national team's inauguration. Since taking office, Pochettino has lost seven games in 17 games and has only won and lost one game against teams in the top 30 FIFA rankings. The U.S. ranks 15th in FIFA rankings and 17th in Japan, two spots apart.

Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu replaced all 11 starters compared to the match against Mexico. While major players are known to be in poor condition due to jet lag, it is interpreted as a plan to test young players and new players in a large rotation. 39-year-old veteran Yuto Nagatomo was included in the starting lineup and kicked the captain's armband. Koki Ogawa comes out as a one-top, and Junya Ito and Yuito Suzuki support the attack from the second line. Sano Kaishu and Joel Chima Fujita formed the midfield duo. Henry Hiroki Mochizuki and Daizen Maeda served as wingbacks, and three-backs were set up by Sekine Hiroki, Araki Hayato, and Nagatomo. Keisuke Osako defended the goal.




Japan's Rotation Thank You Pochettino Has Been Life-Extended...The U.S., which lost to South Korea, led the U.S. in the first half
Japan's Rotation Thank You Pochettino Has Been Life-Extended...The U.S., which lost to South Korea, led the U.S. in the first half
The U.S. tried to change four seats compared to the match against Korea (0-2 loss). In a 3-4-2-1 formation, Polarin Balogun led the attack, while Alejandro Zendejas and Christian Pulisic took the second line of attack. Alex Freeman, Tyler Adams, Christian Roldan and Maximilian Arsten set up the midfield. Tristan Blackmon, Chris Richards and Tim Lim packed three-backs, and Matt Frith wore goalkeeper gloves.

The U.S. took the jab first. After blocking the ball from the opponent's side in the 7th minute, Pulisic attempted a mid-range shot, but it went over the net.

In Japan, 1m 92cm tall wingback Mochizuki's performance was far outstanding. In the 16th minute, Mochizuki strode to overlap deep into the opponent's camp and crossed into the gate, and Maeda headed it but without power, he fell into the goalkeeper's arms. In the 21st minute, he actively penetrated the door and tried to hit the header in a timely manner, but was blocked by the goalkeeper.




The U.S. didn't stay put either. In the 18th minute, Balogun penetrated the Japanese defense with a Lee Dae-il pass against Pulisic. However, his shot attempt went nowhere.

In the 30th minute, the U.S. scored the long-awaited first goal. Zendejas cut into the net with a sensational non-stop left-footed volley from left Arsten's cross in the middle of the box.

Japan's Ito, who fought back, sharply penetrated the gate in the 35th minute and connected the cross with a shot, but was blocked by the goalkeeper. The first half ended with the U.S. leading 1-0.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.