World Cup Preview: Japan

by Blaise Ogutu (25/6/23)

Above: Japan are aiming to make it through to the latter stages of this year’s tournament after disappointments last time out in France. Photo: brfootball.

Following a devastating earthquake and tsunami in 2011, the Japan national team had considered dropping out of that year’s World Cup. Little did they know that the tournament in Germany would be the stuff of dreams. A historic event that would eventually become a source of encouragement.

That was the tournament that cemented Japan’s national team’s place in the lore of the football universe.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Ayaka Yamashita (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Momoko Tanaka (Tokyo Verdy Beleza), Chika Hirao (Albirex Niigata).

Defenders: Risa Shimizu (West Ham United/ENG), Moeka Minami (Roma/ITA), Saki Kumagai (Roma/ITA), Shiori Miyake (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Kiko Seike (Urawa Reds), Miyabi Moriya (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Rion Ishikawa (Urawa Reds), Hana Takahashi (Urawa Reds).

Midfielders: Fuka Nagano (Liverpool/ENG), Hinata Miyazawa (MyNavi Sendai), Hikaru Naomoto (Urawa Reds), Jun Endo (Angel City/USA), Yui Hasegawa (Manchester City/ENG), Hina Sugita (Portland Thorns/USA), Honoka Hayashi (West Ham United/ENG), Aoba Fujino (Tokyo Verdy Beleza).

Forwards: Riko Ueki (Tokyo Verdy Beleza), Mina Tanaka (INAC Kobe Leonessa), Maika Hamano (Hammarby/SWE), Remina Chiba (JEF United).

Head Coach

The 52-year-old Futoshi Ikeda has been in charge since 2021 and also has experience coaching the national women’s/girls U17 and U20 sides. During his playing career, where he was a defender, Ikeda played 53 times for Urawa Reds, who would also be the first side he coached.

World Cup History

It hasn’t always been peak happiness like that night in 2011 in Frankfurt when Saki Kumagai buried the last penalty past Hope Solo to clinch World Cup glory. Like many squads in the game, Japan had to experience growing pains before getting to the final in a World Cup.

The nation made their World Cup debut in 1991 where they lost all three group games without scoring a goal. Their next attempt came the following tournament where they won one game and made it into the knockout stage before losing 4-0 to the USA.

The subsequent editions of the World Cup would see the team improve performances but not go beyond the group stages. That was until the team stepped up in 2011.

In a group consisting of Mexico, England, and New Zealand, Japan would finish second behind England and face the defending champions Germany. By this point, the Europeans were the clear favourites having hoisted the trophy twice and had the home advantage. Japan would cause the biggest upset of the tournament thus far, beating the European champions 1-0 after extra time courtesy of substitute Karina Mariyama.

They followed up that win with a convincing 3-1 victory over Sweden, again putting the world’s footballing eyes on them. The sweetest victory of them all would come in the final as they faced the highly fancied USA. As the Americans had knocked Japan out in 1995 in their first appearance at the knockout stages, Nadeshiko had their work cut out for them.

The US would take the lead twice and twice they were pegged back by the Japanese taking the game into penalty shoot-outs. Shannon Boxx, Carli Lloyd, and Tobin Heath would miss three penalties in a row. The then 21-year-old Kumagai was the coolest head and took the decisive penalty to send the wounded island into delirium.

The team entered its golden period after that within the region winning the Asian Cup in 2014 and 2018. This success hasn’t translated on the world stage in recent years as they lost in the 2015 final against the United States and were knocked out by the Netherlands in the Round of 16 in 2019.

How they qualified

Ikeda’s charges had a relatively uncomplicated route to the 2023 finals. They played in the 2022 Asian Cup and had to make it into the semifinals for automatic qualification. Japan topped Group C with two wins and a draw to set up a quarter-final tie with Thailand, whom they thrashed 7-0. With the qualification in the bag, Japan looked to defend their 2018 title against China in the final but were outdone 4-3 in a penalty shoot-out.

Strengths and Key Players:

A lot of Japanese star power may lie in their midfield. Ikeda has a variety of options, with some having brilliant seasons. Jun Endo and Hina Sugita have been putting in brilliant performances for NWSL sides Angel City and Portland Thorns. Youngster Fuka Nagano has also been a bright spark in Liverpool’s 2023 season despite only arriving in January. Yui Hasegawa has been a fan favourite at Manchester City with eye-catching showings and will be looking to produce the same in Australia/New Zealand.

Development Areas

On paper, Japan has a highly talented squad with the right mix of experience and youth. From back to front. Marshalled by captain and 2011 winner Kumagai, they have all the right tools to cause trouble to any opponent in theory. She was integral to Bayern Munich’s title win in the Frauen Bundesliga. Long away from that giant-killing team, the defender will be looking to captain her team to similar heights achieved in 2011. The question remains whether this crop of players will produce on the big stage as they have done for their respective clubs.

One to watch

Maika Hamano. The highly-rated forward will have the lights shining brightly on her, especially at a young age. The 18-year-old has been in brilliant form at Hammarby with 10 goals in 17 games across domestic competitions. She also helped the U-20 national side finish second at the World Cup in 2022 with four goals and two assists being named the player of the tournament as well as winning the golden boot.

Success would be

Japan is at a crucial stage in its life cycle and they will be hungry to reach the latter stages of the tournament and replicate the heroics of yesteryears. Their appearance in France was a disappointment for a team that had gotten to the final of the previous two editions. They will hope to bag another trophy, which would be the first major win since 2018.

Prediction

Getting to the semi-final at the very least.

Group C Fixtures

22nd July – Zambia, Waikato Stadium, Hamilton.

26th July – Costa Rica, Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin.

31st July – Spain, Sky Stadium, Wellington.

To read the other World Cup nation previews published so far, click on this link: https://impetusfootball.org/international-football/

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