Tag: Nadeshiko Japan

Notes: More Details Emerge About Japan’s Proposed New Women’s Professional League

In November, the board of directors of the Japan Football Association (JFA) voted to establish a new professional women’s league.    Specifics about this potential new league were lacking, but late last week, more details surfaced, attributed to “interviews with multiple stakeholders” (wire article in the Hochi Shimbun).  An English version or summary of the report was published by the Kyodo News agency (via the Japan Times).

As announced in November, this new league would be at the top of the women’s pyramid in Japan with the Nadeshiko League, which currently has three divisions (1, 2, and “Challenge”), continuing in some form. (Japan Times) Continue reading “Notes: More Details Emerge About Japan’s Proposed New Women’s Professional League”

Opponent Watch: Japan Calls In 25 Players Ahead of the SheBelieves Cup

Update (15-Feb-2020):  Midfielder Hasegawa Yui (age 23, 42 caps) and Hayashi Honoka (age 21, 1 cap) were withdrawn before the camp started due to unspecified injuries. No replacement players will be called in. (jfa.jp)

Update (25-Feb-2020):  Hasegawa’s injury was quite minor, as she has been named to Japan’s SheBelieves Cup squad. All but three players, defender Seike Kiko, midfielder Hayashi Honoka, and forward Ueki Riko, from this original camp roster have been named to Japan’s SheBelieves Cup squad.  As expected, Kumagai Saki, who plays for Olympique Lyonnais in France has also been named to Japan’s roster for the tournament. (jfa.jp)

Update (01-Mar-2020):  Forward Kobayashi Rikako has been withdrawn due to injury.  Ueki Riko has been recalled as Kobayashi’s replacement. (jfa.jp)

(This article follows Japanese name customs:  Family names are listed first, followed by the given name.)

Ahead of next month’s SheBelieves Cup, Japan has called in 25 domestic-based players for a six-day training camp that runs from Friday, February 14th to Wednesday, February 19th.  As this camp is outside of a FIFA window, team captain Kumagai Saki, who plays for Olympique Lyonnais in France, has not been included, but is expected to be on the roster for the SheBelieves Cup.

Continue reading “Opponent Watch: Japan Calls In 25 Players Ahead of the SheBelieves Cup”

Roster Round-Up: November 2019 International Window

A (belated) round-up of rosters for top national teams who will be playing (or have played) during the November international window, whether in friendlies or Women’s Euro qualifiers.

Roster covered in this article:

  • CONCACAF:  Canada
  • CONMEBOL:  Brazil
  • AFC: Australia, Japan
  • UEFA:  England, Germany, Netherlands, France, Spain, Norway

The rosters for the United States and Sweden are analyzed in separate articles:

For Costa Rica roster analysis, see Opponent Watch: Costa Rica’s Roster and Depth Chart for November 2019 Friendly

Continue reading “Roster Round-Up: November 2019 International Window”

October 2019 International Window – Notable Friendlies Highlights

Not much to read here, just a short collection of highlights videos for notable friendlies played during the October international window.

Videos include France-Iceland, Poland-Brazil, Japan-Canada, and both USA-Korea Republic matches. Continue reading “October 2019 International Window – Notable Friendlies Highlights”

Roster Round-Up: October 2019 International Window

A round-up of rosters for top national teams who will be playing during the October international window, whether in friendlies or Women’s Euro qualifiers.

Roster links and brief write-ups for the following other teams are provided in this article:

CONCACAF:  Canada
CONMEBOL:  Brazil
AFC:  Japan
UEFA:  England, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Spain, Norway

A write-up on the roster for the USWNT’s opponent this international window, Korea Republic, can be found here.  For details on the USWNT’s roster, see USWNT on TV: October 2019 Friendlies vs. Korea Republic.

Continue reading “Roster Round-Up: October 2019 International Window”

Olympics: The United States Takes Gold, Canada Wins Bronze

On Thursday, the United States Women’s National Team claimed its fourth Olympic Gold Medal by besting Japan 2:1 in front of eighty-thousand spectators at Wembley Stadium. Carli Lloyd scored both goals for the USA, the first in the 8th minute, and then the eventual game-winner in the 49th. Japan got one back via the foot of Yuki Ogimi in the 63rd, but was unlucky to not have an earlier chance for the equalizer when an obvious-on-replay handling foul was not called on Tobin Heath in the 27th minute. (Obligatory BigSoccer referee forum thread link.)

In the earlier Bronze Medal match, Canada claimed its first Olympic medal on a stoppage time goal by Diana Matheson against a France team that out-shot Canada 18 to 4, but only 4 of France’s shots were on goal. Continue reading “Olympics: The United States Takes Gold, Canada Wins Bronze”

Olympics: Preview Notes on the USA vs. Japan Gold Medal Match

On Thursday, at Wembley Stadium, the United States Women’s National Team will be seeking its fourth Gold Medal when it takes on reigning World Champions Japan in a rematch of the 2011 Women’s World Cup final. And, as in that 2011 match, the center referee will be Bibiana Steinhaus of Germany. Over 80,000 tickets have been sold for the match, although a sell-out is not expected due to the only remaining tickets being £125 or  $195 in U.S. dollars (WembleyStadium.com).

The Gold Medal match will be shown live on NBC Sports Network, with coverage beginning at 2:00 p.m. EDT. The kick-off is at 2:45 p.m. EDT.

CONTENTS

Olympics: Semifinals – An Epic USA Win Amidst Poor Refereeing. And, Japan Wins, Too.

[Just a short write-up. Highlight videos linked.]

The United States Women’s National Team battled back three times after Canada, via their captain Christine Sinclair, scored three go-ahead goals to send the two squad’s Olympic semifinal match into extra time where Alex Morgan ended her miniature goal-scoring drought and headed home the ‘winner in the waning seconds of added time. Continue reading “Olympics: Semifinals – An Epic USA Win Amidst Poor Refereeing. And, Japan Wins, Too.”

Olympics: Monday’s Semifinals – Schedule (FRA/JPN, USA/CAN)

Here’s Monday’s schedule for the semifinals in the women’s soccer tournament at the London Olympics, with NBC’s “Live Extra” streaming links.

Both matches will be live on NBC Sports Network and NBC’s Olympic Soccer Channel.

12:00 p.m. – Semifinal #1 / France vs. Japan (NBCSN, Soccer)
2:45 p.m. – Semifinal #2 / United States vs. Canada (NBCSN, Soccer)

Also: NBCSN simulcast (August 6).

Olympics: Quarterfinal Matches Round-Up

A slightly belated listing of the quarterfinal results. NBCOlympics.com highlights are available for all four matches. Plus, shot plots for the United States vs. New Zealand match… Continue reading “Olympics: Quarterfinal Matches Round-Up”