Latest news with #FagianoOkayama
The Mainichi
23-05-2025
- Sport
- The Mainichi
Football: World Cup-bound Japan call up 7 new faces for last 2 games
CHIBA (Kyodo) -- With a place at next year's World Cup already secured, the Japan Football Association on Friday called up seven newcomers to the Samurai Blue squad for the two remaining Asian qualifying matches. Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma was among the mainstays left out of the 27-man squad to face Australia on June 5 in Perth and Indonesia five days later in Suita, Osaka Prefecture. The seven new faces include 18-year-old Fagiano Okayama midfielder Ryunosuke Sato, Bristol City's Yu Hirakawa and Sparta Rotterdam's Shunsuke Mito. "There are no dead rubbers for the national team," Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu told a press conference in Chiba, near Tokyo. "There are no games we can afford to lose. I chose my players with the determination to win, no matter who plays." The Samurai Blue qualified for their eighth consecutive World Cup with a 2-0 win at home to Bahrain on March 20. The 48-team World Cup in 2026 will be cohosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States. * * * Japan squad: Goalkeepers: Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Kosei Tani (Machida Zelvia), Zion Suzuki (Parma) Defenders: Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Tsuyoshi Watanabe (Gent), Koki Machida (Royale Union Saint-Gilloise), Ayumu Seko (Grasshopper), Hiroki Sekine (Reims), Junnosuke Suzuki (Shonan Bellmare), Kota Takai (Kawasaki Frontale) Midfielders/Forwards: Wataru Endo (Liverpool), Yuki Ohashi (Blackburn), Daichi Kamada (Crystal Palace), Ryoya Morishita (Legia Warsaw), Shuto Machino (Holstein Kiel), Keito Nakamura (Reims), Kaishu Sano (Mainz), Yu Hirakawa (Bristol City), Koki Kumasaka, Mao Hosoya (Kashiwa Reysol), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Yuito Suzuki (Brondby), Joel Chima Fujita (Sint-Truiden), Shunsuke Mito (Sparta), Kodai Sano (NEC Nijmegen), Kota Tawaratsumida (FC Tokyo), Ryunosuke Sato (Fagiano Okayama)
Saba Yemen
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Saba Yemen
Japanese League: Kashiwa Reysol Defeats Fagiano Okayama, Chases Kashima Antlers for the Top Spot
Tokyo – SABA: Kashiwa Reysol defeated visitors Fagiano Okayama 2-0 in their match on Saturday as part of Round 16 of the Japanese Football League. Kashiwa's goals were scored by Mao Hosoya in the 76th minute and Diego Rodríguez in the 90th minute. With this win, Kashiwa Reysol continues to chase league leaders Kashima Antlers, raising their points tally to 30 in second place—just one point behind Kashima Antlers. Meanwhile, Fagiano Okayama remains at 19 points in 14th place. In other matches today, Yokohama FC beat Avispa Fukuoka 1-0, and FC Tokyo claimed a 1-0 victory over Vissel Kobe. Whatsapp Telegram Email Print more of (International)
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Comic-loving German goalkeeper finds peace, and himself, in Japan
Svend Brodersen was fascinated with Japan as a child -- now the German goalkeeper plays in the country and is fondly known as an "otaku", someone obsessed with Japanese pop culture. The Hamburg-born 27-year-old also has a Japanese wife, speaks the language and is thinking of studying at a Japanese university when he retires. "I think everybody has an otaku inside," Brodersen told AFP, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the title of his favourite Japanese comic, "One Punch Man". "Mine is not so big, but it's there. It's definitely there." Brodersen moved to Japan in 2021 and now plays for top-tier J. League side Fagiano Okayama, but he admits that initially he felt like he was "on another planet". "I could not understand anything and it was kind of intimidating," Brodersen said. "But I also thought this will be a huge chance to see who you really are and what kind of football player you want to be." Brodersen, whose Japan obsession started with Pokemon and Godzilla movies, began his career with his hometown club St. Pauli, then in the German second division. The goalkeeper was involved with Germany's under-20 team and, as luck would have it, was part of Germany's squad for the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics in 2021. But he struggled to break through at club level so decided to prioritise life experience. He sought the help of Japan international Ryo Miyaichi, then a team-mate at St. Pauli, and engineered a transfer to J. League club Yokohama FC near Tokyo. At first he used Japanese cartoons and comics to learn the language, but despite his long love of the country, it was a culture shock. "The first night I went out for a walk and I saw all those lights and signs, I felt like I'm on another planet," he said. Brodersen's fondness for Japanese culture helped him adapt and he spent hours reading comics like "Slam Dunk" and "One Piece" to learn the language. He met his wife Kanae and got married in 2023, and the couple's first daughter was born 18 months ago. They speak a mixture of languages at home and Brodersen says his Japanese is now good enough to do interviews with local media. - Better 'keeper, better person - Brodersen spent two seasons with Yokohama before joining Fagiano Okayama last year and helping them reach the J. League first division for the first time. His team have made a good start and are in the top half of the table after six games of the season. Brodersen credits Japan with making him a better player and bringing him a sense of calm. "When I was young my goalkeeping style was very aggressive and shouting a lot," he said. "But after I came to Japan I realised that if I do this, it will definitely not work. "You have to ask, is this really a good way to play? That's maybe the reason why I didn't get to the level I wanted." Brodersen says he does not know where the future will take him but he would like to study Japanese at university. For the time being, he is happy to spend his spare time strolling around Japanese gardens and enjoying his life far from Hamburg. Okayama is a city of about 700,000 people in the west of Japan famous for its 16th-century castle. "Due to this experience in Japan I improved a lot as a person, to not be focused only on myself," said Brodersen. "I'm more busy with things around me and with other people that are attached to my life." amk/pst
