Not even the most blinkered South Korean fan would deny that Japan presents the United States with the strongest test that Asia has to offer. The Samurai Blue may not have a player like Christian Pulisic who has played regularly at elite clubs, but the roster is full of talents playing at high level, and was the first country other than the hosts to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
Liverpools Wataru Endo told fans when the 2026 ticket had been stamped that it was time to start thinking about lifting the trophy. Fellow Premier Leaguer Daichi Kamada said the same. Thats what we all keep saying, said the Crystal Palace star. Our goal is to win the World Cup.
For a team that has never won a knockout game at a World Cup (South Korea remains the only Asian nation to have done so), it is a bold statement. But then, in 2022 Japan only lost to Croatia on penalties after beating Spain and Germany in the group stage. Against Belgium four years earlier, Japan let a two-goal lead was let slip.
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The technical excellence, the movement, organization and hard work without the ball that defined those teams is still there, but some things have changed. As well as Endo and Kamada, winners of Englands top two competitions last season, Kaoru Mitoma is a Premier League standout as is Takefusa Kubo in Spain. Coach Hajime Moriyasu can, and has, selected an entirely European-based roster.
A couple of decades ago, the Japan FA talked of winning the World Cup by 2050. If nothing else, next year would be a good time to move solidly in that direction. As such, Tuesdays target is victory.
Japan fielded pretty much its strongest possible team in its 0-0 tie with Mexico on Saturday. Given the short turnaround between games, the long travel from the European-based players to Oakland for the first game, and the fact that Moriyasus stated intention of giving his as many players as many minutes as possible, there are likely to be changes in Columbus. Mitoma, Endo, Kubo and other regular starters could start Tuesday on the bench.
Japan has a fairly poor record against teams from the Americas, and to draw with El Tri in California is not a bad result. Still, the four-time Asian champion, which pressed high and put the World Cup co-host under pressure from the start needs to learn how to put those sorts of tight matches to bed.
A go-to goalscorer would help. I want a real striker to emerge, and then we want to make the most of that player, Moriyasu said this summer.
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He has been looking. So early did Japan qualify that the coach essentially took a second-string roster to the final two AFC qualifiers in June. The first was in Australia and while the youngsters the host, they also failed to take their chances and ended up losing to a last-minute sucker punch.
The likes of Ayase Ueda have scored well against Asian opposition but the Feyenoord forward, and others, have to show they can do it against top teams from other confederations. This is Japans misfortune. Qualification was achieved without ever needing to get into top gear (53 scored and 3 conceded in 16 games) making it harder to find when the pressure is really on.
Lots of AFC nations turn to foreign managers, especially when big tournaments are approaching. The reputation of Asian coaching outside the continent is nonexistent, and isnt that great inside either. Moriyasu, then, is an outlier.
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Few thought when he took the job in 2018 that he would still be there seven years later. Criticised by some for being overly conservative and not getting the best out of the team, the softly-spoken boss has, however, built the Samurai Blue into a formidable force. There is a club-like atmosphere, a clear way of playing and a coach who can sometimes experiment on Tuesday, there could be some new names and a change from the usual three-man defense.
The 2026 World Cup will be his biggest test, after a solid tournament in Qatar, a disappointing 2023 Asian Cup and encouraging results and performances since.
As Japans level improves and players go to Europe to work with elite tacticians, there are concerns that the coaching standards back home are not keeping pace. It is a little unfair as, at the moment, it is almost unthinkable for a coach like Moriyasu to be given an opportunity to go and work in Europe.
So the best thing an Asian coach can do is have success at a global level and beat their more illustrious counterparts. The US, and Mauricio Pochettino, certainly fit the bill.