This might have been posted before, but Choi Ye-Seul has joined Kobe INAC straight from high school. While it has been common among their male counterparts, she is the first female Korean footballer to go to Japan (or abroad at all for that matter) straight from high school. Apparently the person to the right of her is the INAC representative based in Korea. I didn't know that INAC had any presence in Korea. http://news.donga.com/3/05/20161128/81564436/1 Also, how was the KNWT captain Cho So-Hyun for INAC this season? Has she been playing?
Not at all, actually: thank you very much for the news! Well, she was a regular starter for most of the matches. Not sure what her contribution was, since I didn't watch many INAC matches this year, but, since she used to keep being in the 11, I suppose she had the trust of the coach. She scored just two goals, both in Nadeshiko League Cup. INAC was second in the league, this season, but their general results were less then stellar: they never seem like they could actually challenge champions of Nippon TV Beleza, on the contrary for a part of the season they looked also less brilliant than AC Nagano Parceiro Ladies, although they ended being ahead of them in the final rankings by just goal difference. In Nadeshiko League Cup, they were out before semi-finals. They're currently in quarter-finals of Empress' Cup, that will resume soon, after the U-20 WWC break. I am sorry that I couldn't give you any real insight about Cho So-Hyun herself (probably @unepomme or @Sirtel are more suited to give you this kind of info), but at least I guess I gave you a general picture of INAC's season.
Thanks. But why on earth does INAC have a branch manager in Korea? Though it could just be a sports journalist talking out of his arse, which unfortunately is all too common.
This mannequin challenge (we used to call them tableaux vivant) is not bad at all... 【スゴ技コンテスト】関東第5代表 東洋大学のスゴ技です!スゴ技だと思ったらいいね、RTをお願いします!#インカレ #全日本大学女子サッカー #juwfa #スゴ技コンテスト pic.twitter.com/NSgvwonlrM— 全日本大学女子サッカー連盟 (@_juwfa) December 7, 2016
Huge news for Nadeshiko League (or at least they are in my eyes): according to some (unreliable? ) source, recently crowned AFC Player of the Year Caitlin Foord could be playing in Japan next season. No word yet about the team that would have signed her, although some suppose it could be INAC, since they were already insterested to her back in 2011. We had a lot of Australian players in Nadeshiko League in the past (Kellond-Knight, Butt, Polkinghorne...), but I guess no-one as much high-profile as current AFC Player of the Year. And consider that, apparently, Foord is turning down offers from NWSL to play in Nadeshiko League.
Naoki Kusunose has been reappointed U16/U17 coach. Does this mean he will be in charge of both U16/U17 and U19/U20 teams? Good luck to him. The gorgeous kunoichi Tomomi Miyamoto will be the assistant coach
Will, these are exciting news. I hadn't hear much about Miyamoto, since her retirement (how many years ago, by now?), apart maybe some occasional presence in the comment booth for some games. How old should her son be by now? And talking abouth Nadeshiko babies... Any news about Sawa's?
Miyamoto has been on TV as a commentator a lot. She's actually my favourite commentator (actually most of them are usually not good). I'm not sure what she's been doing as a coach though - I know she's been to some random JFA organised sessions for young talents but this could be her proper coaching role. I've never thought her as a coach material but just from her looks and the way she talks so it means nothing. Takakura obviously looks and sounds like she's got the fear factor but I can't picture Miyamoto being tough on her players
On the US threads and media there's full awareness of the crisis of their youth movement. This something leads to very interesting and insightful analysis, like the one in this article, where, for instance USA and Japan's attitude about goal kicks and throw ins is compared: https://hatriksoccer.wordpress.com/2016/12/04/uswnt-u20s/ What do you think, guys? I'd like to hear And G's opinion about the article.
Not sure how much we can conclude based on the 3rd-place match. The US didn't really seem interested in winning it. Over the whole tournament, I liked Pugh, Sanchez, and the keeper Murphy. Other than that.. meh.
Is time flying or what? China has already announced their Algarve Cup squad. Well, they are not in our group, but it will be interesting to see their progress under Bini. The US, Germany, & France have picked up their toys and decided to play elsewhere, but on the other hand Australia is playing for the first time in a very long time. So it should still be worth following. Both Koreas will be in the Cyprus Cup this time around -- that will also be interesting.
It is so much worth following, that I am seriously considering going in Algarve to watch at least one match, since I'll have some short Carnival's holidays between 6th and 8th of March. But to decide if it is the case of doing that, I need to see the schedule of the matches, when it will be out, to watch which match Japan will have in those days and where exactly it will be played.
Nadeshiko's training has finished. Wednesday's training match against the male high school team was 0-12 (loss). The squad looked very strange selection. Initially I thought Takakura called up fringe players but there are core players as well. I remember Yokoyama wasn't included. Is she injured or is she out of Takakura's plan?
Not sure if this had been posted, Junko Kai announced retirement. http://inac-kobe.com/news/?news_id=1991
Hadn't been posted yet, but I suspected this was going to be her last season, since the beginning of it. Clues: - her marriage; - the abysmal level of some of her performances this year; - she had even stopped hosting popular broadcast "Junko's Room" on INAC TV. I am going to miss her prettiness on the pitch and out of it. Not going to miss much her last performances: she clearly had reached the end of the road. The best moment of her career was for sure the three-years stint when INAC won back-to-back titles, but even then she was far from perfect (I seem to remember her causing the PK that had OL win first Mobcast Cup, back when INAC, in my opinion, was very close to being the best club in the world). The fact that, even in that era, she was never even remotely considered for a call in NT is quite telling. It's anyway a player I loved, despite her mistakes, and a person I loved: very upbeat and funny out of the pitch and very media-aware. I wonder if she's going to look for some kind of job in media in her next career.
Nice selection of goals. And G will aprreciate that one of Fukumoto's wonderful saves vs Vegalta was also included. The goal I like best probably is Hina Sugita's vs JEF, both for the shot and for the whole action (including a long drive by Hina Sugita herself). Talking about Yukari Kinga: apparently she's doing quite good in Australia, so far. Aussie W-League is at 6th match-day (with many catch-up matches to play yet, though) and Yukari's team, Canberra United is at third place, two points behind leaders of Melbourne City FC. Yesterday, though, Melbourne City (who are also reigning champions) suffered their first loss of the season (stopping a record-stint that started back in previous season) and it was a home loss by 1-2 to Kinga's team Canberra United! Yukari played the whole match, and she found an old friend in opponent's rankings, Beverly Goebel-Yanez, who also scored Melbourne's lonely goal.
I am not sure I'll ever find the time (or the will ) to watch the U-20 WWC semifinal vs France that I missed live, but just in case someone else is interested, here there is a full version in Chinese (at least until someone will tear it down):
Very very cute indeed!!! I'd want some close-ups! But are they where? In a christian church? I didn't think there were many christian believers in Japan...
It's been a while since my last post here, but wanted to share with you Sawa's visit to San Francisco this summer on a TV program. She would have been entering her second trimester of her pregnancy. Can you tell her belly bump? Also listen to her English. It's quite good and without the typical Japanese accent. Hope the link works. Enjoy.