With close to 50 days left until the 2022 FIFA World Cup kicks off in Qatar, just about the only thing most Japanese soccer observers can agree on is that the Samurai Blue will have the best teamwear of the tournament.

As for how long they’ll be around to show off those origami-inspired uniforms? Well, that’s still very much an open question.

This week’s friendlies against the United States and Ecuador — the final international match window before Japan’s squad is finalized — were supposed to be head coach Hajime Moriyasu’s last opportunity to evaluate the wealth of talent available to him, as well as imbue confidence in fans and supporters ahead of what will be an extremely challenging World Cup group featuring two previous champions.

To what extent those goals were achieved in Dusseldorf is up for debate, especially after Tuesday’s scoreless draw against the South Americans drew groans of frustration from some corners.

“In the middle of a challenging game, the players were able to align with each other in terms of where to start defending, where to win the ball and what to do afterward,” Moriyasu said. “Today’s game showed that we have a lot of strategies, playing styles and options available to us.

“That the team functions well no matter who’s playing is a huge asset ahead of the World Cup.”

Friday’s 2-0 win over the United States, featuring a starting lineup fairly close to what viewers can expect to see in Japan’s Group E opener against Germany on Nov. 23, was nothing if not one-sided, even if two or three more goals should have been added to those scored by Daichi Kamada and Kaoru Mitoma.

The Americans, playing without star forward Cristian Pulisic, were so thoroughly dominated by Japan’s pressing and passing that they failed to register a shot on target, sparking an identity crisis among millions of U.S. fans watching the game over their morning coffees.

The follow-up against the Ecuadorians — featuring a completely changed lineup — presented a challenge of a different sort, with the back line frequently pressed into service against a physical and determined opponent and goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt forced to make a number of key saves, including a dramatic penalty stop late in the match.

The 30-year-old, who plays for Belgium’s Sint-Truiden alongside former Samurai Blue stars Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki, played off suggestions that the No. 1 shirt was his for the taking after established starter Shuichi Gonda was dropped from the squad over the weekend with an injury.

“Gon-chan saved the team when we had lots of difficult games in World Cup qualifying, and there’s a difference between those games and a friendly like this one,” Schmidt said. “Our depth chart will be settled by how I do with my club going forward, so that’s what I’ll focus on.”

As for outfield players, the two games gave a clear indication of who Moriyasu’s first-choice preferences should be in nearly every position.

Defensively, some combination of Takehiro Tomiyasu, Maya Yoshida and Shogo Taniguchi will fit the bill at center back — ideally joined by Ko Itakura if the Borussia Monchengladbach man recovers from his injury by November. At fullback, Miki Yamane on the right and Yuta Nakayama on the left have shown themselves to be good choices behind — and perhaps, at times, even ahead of — veterans Hiroki Sakai and Yuto Nagatomo, respectively.

Central midfield should be all but locked up by Wataru Endo and Hidemasa Morita after their strong performance against the United States, while an attacking midfield trio of Junya Ito, Daichi Kamada and Kaoru Mitoma should inspire fear in opposing defenses.

The question mark remains up front, with none of Japan’s four strikers — Daizen Maeda, Shuto Machino, Kyogo Furuhashi or Ayase Ueda — having much to call home about in these two games.

Though Maeda and Furuhashi in particular have been blessed with frequent scoring chances at Ange Postecoglou’s high-flying Celtic, they were unable to put away the few opportunities they were given against the United States and Ecuador, respectively, producing little evidence that either should get the starting role over longtime forward Yuya Osako — who was left off the squad entirely after recently returning from injury.

“I needed to put away my chance and that’s a huge issue,” Furuhashi said, referring to his 40th-minute shot on Tuesday that went straight to Ecuador goalkeeper Hernan Galindez. “I think now I have to make my appeal by going back to my team, focusing on training and getting results.”

The week’s biggest loser may have been Celtic midfielder Reo Hatate, who did not see any action despite impressing in his Champions League debut and earning his first call-up since March’s final set of qualifiers.

With World Cup squads expanded to 26 players in the wake of the five-substitute rule becoming permanent, the 24-year-old’s reputation as a Swiss army knife may not be enough to get him onto the plane, and he will need to hope that continued good form at his club will earn a surprise call-up, similar to that of talismanic forward Yoshito Okubo before Brazil 2014.

“What I want from the players is for them to become presences that can make their clubs win,” Moriyasu said. “Their activities with their clubs will help the national team become stronger, and I want them to work hard every day.”