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- Japan vs. the US Mito (right) tries to break through with dribbling in the second half (photographed by Ko Kenta)
[Columbus (Ohio, USA) = Sato Naru]The Japanese national team (17th in the FIFA ranking) was completely defeated by the US national team (15th in the 15th in the international friendly match, 0-2. Midfielder Mito Kaoru (28), who is his attacking trump card, took the lead as a left midfielder in the 17th minute of the second half, trailing by one point, but he was unable to create a highlight.
Regarding his play, he regretted, saying, “Even though we made it a good offense, we lost 1-1, weren't going bad, and we couldn't get into one-on-one, so the quality was not enough in the end.”
It was painful to see no goals in both games in the US.
“Even in attacking, I think the ball is just spinning, so I think it's the current situation that I haven't been able to get to the shot.”
Unable to take the lead, he gave the opponent some space when he came forward and was hit by the counter.
The core members are in perfect condition for the first time since the final qualifying round in March, and there may have been a shortage of coordination. However, when asked about the difficulty of this, he denied it, saying, “I don't think it's related. We weren't enough.”
It's a mirror game with the same formation of the opponent, 3-4-2-1. On this day, they tried to create a mismatch by changing the line to 4-4-2 from the second half, but they were unable to make the development they wanted.
“If we can't break one thing, we're stuck. The opposite is true. The individuals are going to resolve the issue on the pitch, and we changed it in the second half, but I think we need to change it as a team, and I think there were some bad points,” he recalled.
However, no matter what tactics or game developments, “it's a big problem with how to break it down in the final stages.” He then replied, “I'm not at all at all in my level that I'm above the other person's point, so I have to make a greater difference, but I'm not being able to make a comeback.”
Next month we will be playing two games against strong South American players, including Paraguay and Brazil. “It's essential to get back to the team and get results and improve their condition properly. In October, they'll be a stronger opponent, so if they're chosen, we'll want to take more shots and score more points.”
