Official 2020 Nadeshiko Japan Thread [R] - なでしこジャパン（英語スレッド）

I'll give you my personal top 5 from 2019 (from top [1] to bottom [5], although I'll admit it's quite anticlimatic to start from goal #1 ):

1) Mana Iwabuchi vs Scotland at the WWC (no matter how many times I rewatch it, the power and accuracy of that shot still strikes me; and it also looked so natural, as if it basically needed no preparation: shot, goal, go );

2) Emi Nakajima vs USA at SheBelieves Cup (the perfect curve of that shot: you can say a player is quality by how much she manages to bend a shot in a similar way );

3) Yuka Momiki vs Brazil at SheBelieves Cup (not only for Yuka Nicole's fine lob, but especially for the brilliant no-look assist by Nakajima );

4) Yui Hasegawa vs Netherlands at the WWC (the goal that was giving a lifeline to us, and a brilliant team-effort: a trademark "beautiful passing game" action leading to Yui's perfectly timed shot );

5) Yuka Momiki vs South Korea at EAFF Championship (you could find it strange that I put a PK in this chart, and not even a flawlessly taken one to boot, since Korean GK was very close to catching it; but what I really appreciated from that goal was Momiki's concentration. Think about that: having to take a PK on a 0-0 score at 88' of the final match of a tournament, in an hostile environment because the opponent team is also the host of the competition and the supporters are obviously less than happy with referee's decision to concede the PK. I liked a lot the way Momiki closed her eyes for some seconds to regain composure and then slotted it in without hesitation. As Champions do. ).

Bonus observations: I was a little surprised to see how often Jun Endo was involved in Nadeshiko Japan's winner actions this year.

 

Wow, are JEF dismantlng their team? Or do they have some very good young player down the pipeline to replace the departing ones?

 

Wow, talk about early talent!

 

Just to revive 2020 thread a little, does anyone else want to try to give a shot at a personal top 5 of 2019 Nadeshiko Japan's goals?

 

It was basically the highest team remained that wasn't involved in any of the other March's friendly tournaments, so it was more or less a given that Spain would have been invited, but it's nice to have a confirmation.

The one vs Spain was probably USWNT's most difficult match at the WWC: I am curious to see how much they will test the new version of the team put together by Andonovsky.

 

Great trasfer if it gives her more playing time in goal than in Urawa.

 

I guess so, but this is no indication that she had enough playing time in Urawa; in youth teams, yes, but in senior team, in the lastest years, she was mostly behind Sakiko Ikeda and Chika Hirao in picking orders (at leat until Hirao transferred to Albirex).

Since the time when she won Golden-Glove at U-17 WWC 2014,I thought that Matsumoto was a promising GK. She surely was still quite rough around the edges back then and she won her trophy more because of that U-17 NT perfect defense(/offense) plan, then because of oustanding saves, but I am anyway happy if she'll manage to progess with her career: she's just 22 by now and I want to see what kind of GK she's going to grow into.

Of course we have other young GKs who are very promising: Tanaka Momoko, Hannah Stambaugh...
But since we actually seldom had overabundance problems in that role for what concerns Senior NT, I want to get as many quality choices as possible in the future.