There's always Taishi Brandon Nozawa newly signed at Royal Antwerp...... Though he didn't start the season opener in goal for them.
Keeps seeming more likely as the window rolls on and the rumors quiet down. Suzuki opened the Cup run with a zero save shutout win over Pescara today (2-0).
Don't have to worry about Suzuki and Gio playing together anymore, but remains to be seen if he lasts beyond the transfer window. Played Atalanta to a 1-1 draw today, 2 saves, 0.55 xGoT.
He's the only starting GK in a Top 5 league the country has, maybe even ever had. Let's put it this way, in Qatar they had Schmidt, the starter for St. Truiden (mid-table Belgium), Kawashima No..2/3 at Strasbourg and a J-League lifer in his mid-30s. Suzuki will start in the summer
Kawashima did have some starting stretches at Metz and Strasbourg due to injury crises but you're basically right. Zion is far and away the highest-upside GK talent in Japan's history. The only other Japan-eligible keeper in the top 5 leagues is Werder Bremen's Mio Backhaus, the current starter for Germany U21.
Suzuki with not his best work today in a 1-0 loss to Lecce. 2 saves, 0.32 xGoT, and a couple of awkward semi-failed clearances. I'm very interested to see if Cremaschi will make this rotation after the U-20 World Cup - their young (23/34) starting midfield crew, to my eyes, might be the weakest part of the starting lineup, though I'm basing that on just a couple of matches watched.
Hakariko Ono, Japan's ambassador to Italy, attended Parma v Pisa yesterday to watch Suzuki play. The match ended 1-0 and Suzuki went the full 90 minutes. https://www.forzaparma.it/2026/04/2...ni-lambasciatrice-giapponese-incontra-suzuki/
Likely starter for Japan at World Cup. still can’t believe the best American goalkeeper plays for Japan.
Also, if Taishi Brandon Nozawa switched from Japan to the US some fans might clamor for him to get a shot over Turner and Freese, considering he just finished a solid debut season with Royal Antwerp...