Japan to play friendlies against Panama, Mexico in Austria in November
Japan will play Panama in an international friendly on Nov. 13 in Graz, Austria, the Japan Football Association said Thursday. The Samurai Blue are also scheduled to take on Mexico on Nov. 17 in the same city as they face two qualifiers from the North, ...
Japan lacked a finishing touch as it settled for a scoreless draw with Cameroon on Friday in the first match of the year for manager Hajime Moriyasu's Samurai Blue. The game was not only Japan's first during a year disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, but ...
Japan has selected only European-based players for friendly matches in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Postponing Tokyo Games could end Olympic dream for some of Japan's young talents
While organizers are adamant the Tokyo Olympics will proceed as scheduled, postponement of the event due to the coronavirus pandemic could end the Olympic dream for several of Japan's talented crop of men's soccer players. The Olympic men's soccer tournament is contested by under-23 sides ...
Hajime Moriyasu running out of time to right Olympic ship
With just half a year to go until the Summer Olympics, Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu is running out of time and sympathy. Moriyasu, the first coach to take charge of both the Samurai Blue and Olympic squads since Philippe Troussier in 1999, has come ...
Hajime Moriyasu looking for 'tough' players to lead Japan's bid for Olympic gold
As he narrows down his squad for the 2020 Tokyo Games, men's head coach Hajime Moriyasu says he is looking for players with "mental and physical toughness" to help Japan win its first-ever Olympic soccer gold medal. In a recent interview with Kyodo News, the ...
Hwang In-beom scored the only goal as South Korea beat Japan to capture the East Asian Football Federation E-1 Championship on Wednesday. The Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder scored in the 28th minute as the tournament host finished with a perfect 3-0 record. After being outhustled and outplayed ...
Koki Ogawa scored a hat trick in his international debut as Japan thumped Hong Kong 5-0 in the EAFF E-1 Football Championship final round on Saturday. The 22-year-old striker staked his claim for Olympic selection as Japan easily accounted for Hong Kong, which lost 2-0 ...
A lack of ruthlessness in front of the goal proved costly for Japan's Olympic hopefuls on Sunday as they lost 2-0 to Colombia in an under-22 friendly. Headlined by senior national team regulars Takefusa Kubo and Ritsu Doan, Hajime Moriyasu's side created several scoring opportunities ...
Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu named an experienced 23-man squad Wednesday for a "very tough battle" against Kyrgyzstan in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. The Samurai Blue sit atop qualifying Group F with three wins from as many matches but ...
Japan sets tone with two first-half goals in victory over Paraguay
Japan heads into its first game of World Cup qualifying next week on a high after knocking off Paraguay 2-0 Thursday in a friendly. Yuya Osako scored Japan's 23rd-minute opener and Takumi Minamino added the second seven minutes later as the hosts kept Paraguay on ...
Moriyasu relies heavily on overseas players
The Samurai Blue are coming from increasingly far away. Head coach Hajime Moriyasu's squad for Japan's Thursday friendly against Paraguay and next Tuesday's Asian joint qualifier at Myanmar in Yangon features 19 Europe-based players — the largest overseas contingent ever summoned for the side. The number ...
