U-21 Japan National Team head coach Teguramori Makoto announced his squad at the press conference at JFA House in Tokyo on 21 August for the upcoming 17th Asian Games starting in mid-September in Inchon, Korea, saying “we will try to win the trophy as anticipating solid football to play in the Olympic Games qualifiers.”

As men’s football starting on 14 September ahead of other competitions, all 29 teams divided into eight groups will have group stage contests. The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout stage. Japan will be placed in the Group D along with Kuwait, Iraq and Nepal.

20 players were selected for the championship squad including MF Oshima Ryota (Kawasaki Frontale), DF Endo Wataru (Shonan Bellmare) and DF Muroya Sei (Meiji University). Teguramori called up one player per club taking into account the J.League season underway.

Teguramori said “I selected players who can prove cohesiveness as a team, tactics, mental flexibility and decision-making. The Asian Games as well as the AFC U-22 Championship’s qualifiers and finals, which work as the Olympic qualifiers, are all held in one place at a time. We will play matches as anticipating how to play in the system.”

The U-21 National team will play the championship, looking to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 although participating teams are allowed to play U-23 players and bring in overage players according to the regulation. Japan’s coach expressed his motivation, adding “if my players can take up the generation two years older and win the physical contests, we can go to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics qualifiers and finals with big confidence.”

Japan lost to Iraq, who is in the same group, at the semi-finals in the AFC U-22 Championship last January and the AFC U-19 Championship two years ago. Japan also faced Kuwait in the U-22 Asian Championship in January and ended up with a scoreless draw. This championship is going to be tough contests again, but Teguramori said this is “a good opportunity to revenge.” “We’ve got to get an initiative and pull away the opposition early on.”commented Teguramori on Kuwait.

The U-21 National Team coach demands his players to set higher goals for the team. “I want the players to remember we’ve already got started for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. This championship is going to be a starter that leads to the future Japan National Team,” said Teguramori.
The Japan team will have a four-day domestic camp starting on 8 September and head for the host country, Korea Republic.

Comment from Teguramori Makoto, U-21 Japan National Team Head Coach

As we won the last championship, we’ll try to win this time too. I’m planning to use 4-3-3 as a basic system, but will play in a flexible way as understanding opposition’s strength and weakness. The result is important, so we will stick to it. Thinking that players get used to playing for the team more every time we play a match, I want this team to get better from the first match and to show the complete team at the final. I believe 4-3-3 (which is likely to be used by Coach Aguirre for the national team) could bring lots of ideas that can be implemented in the U-21 team. So I will listen to Aguirre’s words in the (Japan National Team’s) Sapporo camp and hopefully make use of it in our camp starting on 8th.

JFA-TV

Schedule

17th Asian Games （2014/Incheon）Groups