Maya Hijikata played entire game for Villa vs Tottenham of Maika Hamano (goal and assist) and Toko Koga who both spent 86 minutes on the pitch. Judging from highlights, Toko is in fantastic form - quick, strong, impregnable defensive wall!
Hikaru Kitagawa and Honoka Hayashi (goal) played whole match, Yuka Momiki (player of the match) - 90 minutes for Everton against Westham of Yu Endo (whole match) and Riko Ueki (87 mins).
Hinata Miyazawa played entire game for ManU against London City of Saki Kumagai (whole match as well).
Sorry for the late reply to this topic but I was very sick these days and can't reply well. All the people who know more than me about the current Nadeshiko players, are there only 2 "domestic" players that deserve to be in this national team right now? I am curious in a good way.
There are actually 4 players from the domestic league, but one of them is the 3rd GK, so I assume you were meaning "field players" (who anyway are 3, not just 2: Hana Takahashi from Urawa, Yuzuki Yamamoto from Beleza and Yui Narumiya from INAC). Many complained about Riko Yoshida's absence; other felt like Yoshino Nakashima deserved another chance. @pierre bezukhov listed some players who could have deserved another look. But all of this could have changed things a little, not drastically: having 3 players from WE League in the Senior National Team or having 5-6 of them doesn't change the fact that these days most of Nadeshiko top players are abroad. As it's been pointed out, it's a very different situation compared to what we were used to in the past, even in the recent past: this change was already ongoing at the WWC 2023, but back then we anyway had no more than 9 players out of 23 who were playing abroad (and that already looked like a lot, being more than one third of the team). Maybe it's also because Nadeshiko Japan's style of play impressed so much at that tournament (exiting quite early, but beating the eventual World Champions in the process) that, after the WWC, most of NT's players trasferred to England, USA, Germany, to the point that now, just three years from that, we have an unusual NT almost only made of players from foreign leagues. Of course, it's not only the WWC-aftermath: there are other dynamics, including the fact that probably WE League isn't supported and funded enough to attract/retain players, and this rapidly turns into a vicious circle. But I'd like to leave the talking to some of our members who follow WE League more closely than me and who, especially, better know the finacial and operative dynamics of the league and the role of JFA in it.
It was quite even in the first half. In 2nd half, it was all Regina, although they did mistakes that almost cost them a goal. When I look again at Kamiya's goal, it is quite impressive. The way she stopped her run because the cross was a bit behind her and hit the ball with her head without giving strength to it.
There are not that many players in the WE League who could play for Nadeshiko. This is partly due to anybody good leaving the WE League. Yuzuki Yamamoto is a good example of this, because she has just left Beleza. But of the players still playing in the WE League there are a few that are more than good enough to play for Nadeshiko. Are they good enough to start for Nadeshiko, probably not, but they are certainly good enough to be in a Nadeshiko squad in my opinion. In central midfield I think there are quite a lot of players that could play for Nadehiko. If Nagano and Hayashi are next in line after Hasegawa then some of the central midfielders I am about to name are as good as them in my opinion. I want to stress that I like Hayashi and Nagano But here are a few random players I can think of in no particular order: Funa Yanase (Regina) - She is best used as a number 6 but she has gradually improved her game to be quite a versatile midfielder. The second goal on Sunday that she gave the assist for started with her in Regina's half. She has an incredible work rate and is deceptively fast. She is very good and starting to mature as a player. However, she seems very unpopular with Nadeshiko selectors. It goes back to the junior squads where she was never selected, despite being a regular starter for Regina since she was 18. I have ranted about this on numerous occasions. Haruna Aikawa (INAC) - Forward/winger who unfortunately did her cruciate ligament in December. Over the last 2 seasons she has improved so much and has become a very dangerous player. She is smart, skillful, direct and has a very high work rate. If she had not gotten injured I think she would be in this squad. I would take her over Hijikata and Chiba if she were fit. She is the ideal forward for Nadeshiko. Reina Wakisaka (Cerezo) - Wakisaka is a central midfielder who is a very effective holding midfielder. She has gone off the boil, but I still think in a really good team she would be so good. Her year at INAC was insanely good and her first season at Cerezo she was the best player in the WE League in my opinion. But 2025 was not so good for her. She is still good, but she has lost her work rate. Yuzuho Shiokoshi (Beleza) - Versatile forward/central midfielder/winger/holding midfielder. She drops in and out of games, but she is smart and skillful. If she had a higher work rate she would be shoo-in for selection. There is also Riko Yoshida (INAC), Mei Shimada (Urawa), Miki Itou (Urawa), Yoshino Nakashima.(Regina). I think they will have to go abroad to stand a chance. Miki Itou is seriously underrated. Small, nuggetty players do not get a lot of love anymore. After that there are just a lot of good young players who will probably need to leave the WE League to get selected. Players like Miharu Shinjo (Beleza), Anon Tsuda (Sendai) and Hina Hirakawa (Urawa) spring to mind. Hirakawa more than any other player was being groomed for Nadeshiko. In a way her injury, which is terrible, may end up being a blessing in disguise for her. I wrote way more than I anticipated and I am sure I have forgotten many players.
In Samurai Blue, we've long been wanting high, strong and fast CBs. And now, many of such talents, at least 8, began to appear suddenly. In that sense, Nadeshiko still lacks those. I hope the same movements will begin in Nadeshiko Japan in the near future.
I would throw in Nanami Kitamura's name as well. She can be as good as Kitagawa, and more versatile, in my opinion. It's also a position where the Nadeshiko find themselves at times lacking in terms of depths because of injuries.
The result of my game: bliss 210 1. draw 20 2. draw 3. Beleza 40 4. Cerezo 5. Regina 50 6. draw 7. Manchester City 10 8. Tottenham 30 9. Liverpool 10. Everton 40 11. draw 12. Arsenal 13. Yui Narumiya (INAC), Mami Ueno (Regina), Yuzuho Shokoshi (Beleza) 20, Remina Chiba (Eintracht Frankfurt), Yuka Momiki (Everton) 14. Aoba Fujino (Manchester City) 15. Remina Chiba (Eintracht Frankfurt) une 225 1 Jef 2 Chifure 50 3 Beleza 40 4 Cerezo 5 draw 6 Inac 7 Manchester City 10 8 Tottenham 30 9 Chelsea 20 10 Everton 40 11 Manchester United 30 12 Arsenal 13 Tsuda, Shimada Mei, Tanikawa, Hiwatari, Tago 14 nobody 15 nobody 5 Lohmann 255 1 Jef 2 Chifure 50 3 Beleza 40 4 Ohmiya 40 5 Urawa 6 Inac 7 Manchester City 10 8 Aston Villa 9 Chelsea 20 10 Everton 40 11 Manchester United 30 12 Brighton 13 Tanikawa, Chiba, Seike, Hasegawa 20, Yoshida, 14 Nobody 15 Nobody 5 Miora 275 (late penalty -10) 1 draw 20 2 Chifure 50 3 draw 4 Omiya 40 5 Regina 50 6 Inac 7 too late 8 Tottenham 30 9 Chelsea 20 10 Everton 40 11 Man U 30 12 Arsenal 13 Yoshida (Inac), Iwasaki (Feyenoord), Chinatsu (Hera United), Momiki (Everton), Tago (Cerezo) 14 Yoshida 15 nobody 5
If Ohmiya could stop giving the ball straight back to Beleza every time they get the ball they might actually be in with a chance of beating them. They have such a strong desire to move the ball quickly that they are forgetting that you need to pass it to a team mate. I can not remember seeing a team kick the ball straight to the opposition so many times in one half and I follow Nojima. I still do not know how Muramatsu did not get a yellow card, but I guess she plays for Beleza. Still it is quite an entertaining game, but unless Ohimiya start passing the ball to each other I can see Beleza winning very easily.
Beleza should have scored about 6 goals in this game. They look pretty good at the moment and I think they will beat INAC at the weekend. Having said that though they do play a lot worse against INAC and Urawa. The game itself was fairly entertaining. Ohmiya at least slowed the play down a bit more in the second-half which meant they strung together a few passes resulting in a goal. Other than that their coach Yanai changed the starting strikers at ahlf-time and then just sat on her hands for 30 minutes watching the game slip away. In a way her hands are tied, but she could have brough Sakaguchi and Oshima on much earlier. Munakata - a player I love - who was playing on the right wing was having a shocker, and should have been taken off for Oshima. When you have somebody like Oshima, who is so fast, sitting on the bench you have to give them a chance to make a difference. If Ohmiya can keep most of their squad together and acquire a really good central/holding midfielder they may be a real dark horse next season. I still think Beleza are favoured by the refs.
WE League fan selected best 11 and MVP. GK: Fukuda DF: Aoki, Ichinose, Takanashi, Fujiu MF: Kimura Miki, Shiokoshi, Yanase, Nakashima FW: Ikuta, Kamiya MVP: Ikuta Nanasa
My game for this weekend: Select one from three options (two winners and draw),the number is your possible points. Extra time and PK winner gets half points FA Cup 1 West Ham (60) draw (20) Brighton (20) 2 Chelsea (40) draw (20) Manchester United (40) 3 Liverpool(40) draw (20) Everton (40) 4 London City Lionesses (50) draw (20) Tottenham (30) 5 Cerezo (60) draw (10) Albi (30) 6 Regina (20) draw (20) Jef (60) 7 Nojima (60) draw (20) Mynavi (20) 8 Beleza (40) draw (20) Inac (40) 9 Chifure (50) draw (10) Ohmiya (40) 10 Urawa (10) draw (10) Nagano (80) 11 Bayern (20) draw (20) Wolfsburg (60) 12 Japanese scorers in WE League and the top league of England, Germany and Netherlands (5, 20pts, perfect 5, 200pts, nobody, 100,000pts) 13 at least two goals Japanese scorers (2, 100pts, nobody, 20pts) 14 at least three goals Japanese scorer (1, 300pts, nobody, 5pts)