Muted glory or glorious failure? Japan’s exit in the round of 16 at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar might suggest that the national team is not progressing. That’s the stage they reached 20 years ago for the first time and have now reached four times in their seven World… Read
So, Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu: Is he a tactical genius or just a lucky, lucky guy? Was Japan’s win over Spain clever or fortunate? Can Japan progress further by beating 2018 runners-up Croatia in the Round of 16? The answer to all these questions is probably yes, no and maybe.… Read
Japan will face Spain in their final Group E match at the FIFA World Cup in Qatar on Friday morning, Japan time, almost certainly needing a victory to advance to the knockout stage of the tournament. A draw will only be good if Costa Rica and Germany draw their final… Read
Japan is a soccer-loving nation, and so sports enthusiasts across the country were excited as the 2022 World Cup opened. Somewhat less joy-inducing, though, was that the Japanese team’s first match would be against perennial powerhouse Germany. Any fears that Germany would steamroll Japan turned out to be misplaced, though, as Japan completed… Read
Nearly 30 years on, Japan has finally buried the “Tragedy of Doha.” That moment in 1993 when Iraq scored a last-minute equalizer against Japan in Doha to hand a World Cup spot to South Korea instead of Japan has haunted Japanese soccer for three decades. Japan’s 2-1 win over Germany… Read
Japan opens its FIFA World Cup campaign against Germany on Wednesday with hopes typically high and expectations typically low. In its final warm-up match, Japan lost 2-1 to World Cup minnow Canada in Dubai. The match did not set the pulses racing. If Germany was hoping to learn something about… Read
The Japanese soccer team's final two games against the United States and Ecuador last month in preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar were supposed to determine who should be part of manager Hajime Moriyasu’s squad. Instead, the results produced more questions than answers. Japan defeated the U.S.… Read