Official 2019 Nadeshiko Japan Thread [R] - なでしこジャパン（英語スレッド）

Nanami Kitamura's call probably means that we need more depth for the Full Back position, especially now that Hikari Takagi retired. She was anyway brilliant at U-20 WWC.

Well, some other interesting new names, not all expected for sure: Nittaidai's Risako Oga, Nojima's Arisa Matsubara, Mayu Ikejiri (her scoring record of course give her exposure, despite the fact that's been made in Challenge League + Division 2) and Rikako Kobayashi, who, now that she's healthy, could confirm the brilliance she showed at U-17 WWC 2014.

Not surprised at all to see other U-20 Champions back in the pool: Moeka Minami, Fuka Nagano, Hinata Miyazawa, Riko Ueki and Jun Endo. This last one, in particular, has played U-20 WWC with the confidence of a senior veteran!

Of course, Mizuho Sakaguchi is back too right away, now that she recovered from her longtime injury. We'll have to get used again to referring to the full Sakaguchi Miz. and Sakaguchi Moe. when we are writing here.

Interesting that some players who have played with "A-team" last season were regressed to "Challenge Team" at this round: Rin Sumida (maybe she wasn't wrong in looking for more playing time in Vegalta?) and Rika Masuya.

Other U-20 Champions here, of course: Hannah Stambaugh, Asato Miyagawa, Honoka Hayashi, Saori Takarada.

Arisa Minamino finds a place here, along with Mai Kyokawa, who was in a good position in the seasonal-scorers' rankings too.

The name that surprised me the most was the third GK that was called along with quite predictable Stambaugh and Matsumoto: Chifure AS Elfen Saitama's GK Natsumi Asano. I don't follow Division 2 enough to actually be able to gauge the potential of the GKs playing there.

 

Interesting: she prefers a Division 2 team to proceeding with the overseas adventure?

Maybe she didn't convince in South Korea and the club wanted to waive her? Or maybe it's something tied to the WWC and the chance that she can make the roster (it would be easier to do that and to manage the season in a Japanese team)?

Anyway, I now see Saitama very well positioned for promotion, although it should be a close fight with Cerezo.

Also very interesting. And sheds even more light on Sumida's trasfer. I wonder how much playing time she will manage to get, but Beleza look even more deep and more un-beatable, now that they put their hands on yet another one of the best young talents around.

 

Kumagai, Iwabuchi and Tanaka are of course lock-in for WWC, so Takakura probably didn't called them because she wants to try something different (in Saki's case, it's very possible that OL didn't want to release her, as she did in the past). I'd say Kawasumi should probably be in Takakura's plans as well, as indicated by the fact that she asked to leave Seattle Reign FC to get playing time for the World Cup: this should mean that she probably had a conversation with Takakura and that the coach gave her at the very least a chance, if not actual go-ahead signs.

About Hirao, I am not completely sold on the idea that GK's line-up for WWC is already finalized: Yamashita should be in no matter what, Ikeda will probably make it too. The three calls made by Takakura at this round mean that she is open to the possibility of bringing a different 3rd GK to France. It's also a question of the level of performance that GKs will show in the upcoming season.

Talking about that, I wonder if anything is happening behind the scenes about Yuki Nagasato. Does Takakura's "willingness to go through all of the options she has" could somehow include her?

 

Not sure what Hikaru Naomoto is doing right now, in fact, but I don't think Frauen-Bundesliga has resumed yet after the winter break.

Meanwhile Aussie W-League is fully underway instead:

- Yukari Kinga scored a brace (the first goal being a penalty) in a Melbourne City's 4-0 home win vs Newcastle Jets. City are now tied with Perth Glory at 4th place of the league, but they have played one more game than the rival, so the play-off keeps being out of their hands at the moment.
Highlights: https://www.w-league.com.au/match/m...s-women-w-league-20-01-2019/1022495#!/lineups

- Brisbane Roar lost an home game vs Sydney FC by 1-3, but they anyway remain at 3rd place that at the moment grants them the play-off. Yuki Nagasato played the whole match.
Highlights: https://www.w-league.com.au/match/b...c-women-w-league-19-01-2019/1022494#!/lineups

 

Quite interesting, considering that she's been called by Takakura for the next camp. I wonder if Nojima will manage to do better than 2018 season or if someohow they peaked, as Nagano did some seasons ago.

Well, she scored a lot in lower divisions and she kept scoring some goals in Division 1 also, although not as much as before. She probably deserves a chance in a bigger club like Urawa (I wonder, though, if she's been signed to be a starter or if she will see the bench a lot; I hope the former).
If I remember well, Uemura had scored a lot of goals in one of Nadeshiko Japan's record-wins (not sure at wich level: maybe U-23? I should try to retrieve this piece of info).

On the other hand, I wonder if Nittaidai aren't depleting their team: how are they supposed to stay in Division 1, next season, with all of these players leaving? Or are they even accepting the idea of going back to Division 2?
Not only these three players left, but also Hikari Hirata did (the other "big scorer" of the team, alongside Uemura; she went to Nojima too: some strong connection between the wo teams). And, despite losing all of these names, I don't remember any significant signings from Nittaidai...

 

In fact Borussia Mönchengladbach so far has looked more hopeless than any Frauen-Bundesliga's team has ever been (and, apart from her current injury, I am not sure how much Keiko Kodama could actually benefit from playing there), so it could very well be en exception, but I've got the feeling that in general the quality of German League is slightly declining these days, maybe in favour of other European Leagues (England?).

 

Yuuka Kurosaki did quite well at Kentucky University, but the team wasn't actually so good. This year, she transferred to University of Oklahoma: I've been said that it's a way much better program, so there's hope that Kurosaki can do very well there!

http://www.soonersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=31000&ATCLID=211786819

 

Yuki Nagasato scored a beautiful goal today in a Brisbane Roar's 4-1 win vs Canberra United. Brisbane now leads Aussie W-League's rankings and have secured a place in play-off-granting top 4.
The guy commenting the highlights called Yuki "the Japanese National player": who knows?

Highlights:
https://www.w-league.com.au/match/b...erra-united-women-w-league-25-01-2019/1022497

 

The picture with Sawa and Kawasumi challenging (I guess) Maroszan was priceless!

Since there was the World Cup badge on our jerseys, it has to be pre-2015: an Algarve Cup match? In which year were we wearing those kits with pink borders? Was it probably Algarve Cup final from 2014? It couldn't have been the 2012 final, because I had been in Algarve back then and Sawa wasn't playing, probably because she was injured (in fact I don't have her autograph ), and I don't seem to remember those particular jerseys.
We met Germany in 2013 also, a friendly match in Munich, but I don't think it can be that match either: I was there in that occasion also (along with @#5nadeshikofan ), the Allianz Arena was full of supporters and, in the background of the photo, I seem to see an almost-empty stadium instead (typical Algarve!).

What do you say people? Am I right in identifying that match with the Algarve Cup Germany-Japan final from 2014?