On Monday 19 March, TAKAKURA Asako, the coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) revealed their squad selection for the upcoming MS＆AD Cup 2018 and AFC Women's Asian Cup Jordan 2018, at a press conference held at JFA House in Tokyo.

While most players were selected out of the squad played in the Algarve Cup 2018, Coach Takakura named KAWASUMI Nahomi (Seattle Reign FC/USA), who has not been in the squad since March of 2016, when she took part of the final round of the Asian qualifiers for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. The coach explained that she has always been keeping an eye on Kawasumi, and that she values her experience and strong competitiveness. She also mentioned that not only will Kawasumi provide her athleticism to create attacking threats, but she will also provide enthusiasm and mental support for the team during tough matches.

Players currently playing for teams abroad such as UTSUGI Rumi (Seattle Reign FC/USA), KUMAGAI Saki (Olympique Lyonnais/France), YOKOYAMA Kumi (1.FFC Frankfurt/Germany) are given until Tuesday 3 April to join the team, considering the long travel, while Kawasumi, who’s making her first return to the squad in two years will join the team on the evening of Monday 26 March, making herself available for the match against Ghana Women's National Team.

Nadeshiko Japan has played 22 matches since the appointment of Coach Takakura, with match-results of 10 wins, 3 draws, and 9 loses. When asked about the team, Takakura replied that the team has made progress, little by little. But also acknowledged the fact that they have conceded too many goals, and that many of those goals came from their own mistakes. She analyses that the current team lacks the will-power towards winning matches compared to the Nadeshiko teams in the past. Heading into the World Cup qualifiers, she wants her team to take each match one at a time and really devote their heart into those matches. She continued that their first goal is to qualify, and then they will strive to repeat their feat to become back-to-back champions of the World Cup.

Nadeshiko Japan will face Ghana Women's National Team in the MS＆AD Cup on Sunday 1 April at Nagasaki. The team will then travel to Jordan to participate in the AFC Women's Asian Cup, and face Vietnam Women's National Team on Saturday 7 April.

Coach’s Comment

TAKAKURA Asako, Coach of Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team)
It has been a year and 11 months since I have been appointed as coach, and we are finally here to compete for a spot in the FIFA Women’s World Cup held next year. The AFC Women's Asian Cup held in Jordan this April will serve as the qualifier. Up until this point, we have selected and tried out nearly 45 players. We sought for their potential, the possibilities, and their growths over the selections. When I was appointed as coach, I have mentioned about the four essential aspects to become a national team member. Those aspects has always been in the base for my team selection and the players have always challenged themselves in many ways, including playing different positions. But now that we are facing our final goal, we are done experimenting, and I have selected players that are ready to play. I have set the priority to those who can fight on the pitch right now.

We have made numbers of errors in both offence and defence, and while we made mistakes, we have made the adjustments to improve the overall quality of the team. But in crucial moments, especially in defence, we have made errors that led to conceding goals. We will reinforce the team with the importance of keeping a high level of focus during the game, and the will power to win the game. We will prepare ourselves by creating a winning atmosphere heading into the tournament.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

MS&AD Cup 2018

Sun. 1 April 2018 kick-off 13:30
Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) vs. Ghana Women's National Team
Nagasaki/Transcosmos Stadium Nagasaki
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AFC Women's Asian Cup Jordan 2018

Fri. 6 April - Fri. 20 April 2018
For more information