SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) took on Mexico in an international friendly on Saturday 6 September (local time) at the Oakland Coliseum in California, USA.

This fixture marked Japan’s first encounter with non-Asian opposition in almost two years, following their match against Tunisia in October 2023. The opportunity to face Mexico in the United States, two of the three host nations for the upcoming World Cup, proved invaluable for Japan. At the pre-match press conference, head coach MORIYASU Hajime commented: “We’ll bring the style of football we've built through the Asian qualifiers into this match.”

True to his words, Japan adopted the familiar 3-4-2-1 formation used in the final round of Asian qualification. SUZUKI Zion (Parma Calcio 1913) returned in goal, making his first appearance since March. In a defence impacted by injuries, ITAKURA Kou (AFC Ajax), WATANABE Tsuyoshi (Feyenoord), and SEKO Ayumu (Le Havre AC) lined up as the three centre-backs. ENDO Wataru (Liverpool FC) and KAMADA Daichi (Crystal Palace), the latter a late call-up, featured in central midfield, while DOAN Ritsu (Eintracht Frankfurt) and MITOMA Kaoru (Brighton & Hove Albion FC) operated as the right and left wing-backs respectively. .....

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📅2025年9月7日
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— サッカー日本代表 🇯🇵 (@jfa_samuraiblue) September 7, 2025

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