[Ansan (Korea) 7th = Nagata Atsushi]The Japanese national team (15th in the FIFA ranking) will compete against Hong Kong national team (153rd in the same year) in the first match of the East Asia E-1 Championship on the 8th. The team, aiming for a consecutive victory following the 2022 tournament, held official practice and adjusted the game privately. FW Miyashiro Daishiro (25, Kobe), who is still in good form in J1, is on the pitch with the determination to prove his strength by scoring goals as he is ready to join the North and Central American Tournament in 2016.

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FW Miyashiro gives the team momentum with Japan's first goal in the tournament.

The striker, who is expected to play in his first match against Hong Kong, expressed his strong desire to score after finishing his official practice on the day, saying, “My main focus was checking the tactical parts. I think I'll need to make corrections as I go along, but I want to focus on my own results first.”

He scored 11 career-high goals at Kobe, where he joined in 2014, contributing to the league's consecutive championship, and also scored the final round in the Emperor's Cup. The man who continues to produce results with eight goals in 19 games this season, said, “The way I create space and space is improving intuitively.” With this growing confidence in mind, expectations for a goal are high as we enter this tournament.

Miyashiro's former teammates are a good feature. The members this time have players who know each other well, such as forward Yamada, who was born four days apart and competed together in Kawasaki F's youth organization, J2 Tokushima in 2021, and forward Kakita, who also teamed up with a duo for Tosu in 2022. “It's great for me to have someone nearby who's done it before, and I think it can deepen the connection from there. It's a positive factor.” It's encouraging to have a partner who can imagine his movements in the first match, when he will practice the whole pitch just once.

This is the first time I've ever fought with the Japanese flag since the 2019 U-20 World Cup. The first 25-year-old national team member A has faced a great opportunity and “I think I need to get good results in terms of my own unique characteristics.” The man, who is also aiming to compete in next year's World Cup, has declared his first goal with great force.