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The story
Japan national team coach Hajime Moriyasu spoke to reporters on the 13th after scouting the Urawa–Okayama match at Saitama Stadium, saying that the squad for the September/October series would “basically be the same members selected for the World Cup.” His reasoning: only two and a half months have passed since the World Cup ended, so dramatic changes in that time seem unlikely. He also said he intends to call up Ko Itakura, who is reportedly leaning toward declining his Asian Cup selection, saying “I’m thinking of calling him up.” In the 5ch Geinou/Sports Breaking News+ thread, while some voiced frustration at the continued reliance on the same faces, others questioned the consistency of the selection criteria and expressed concern over the thin pool of goalkeeper and captain candidates.
Sports Nippon
[ September 13, 2026, 21:07 ]
Japan national team coach Hajime Moriyasu spoke to reporters after scouting the Urawa–Okayama match at Saitama Stadium on the 13th, saying of the September/October activities: “I think it’ll basically be the members we picked for the World Cup. Because it’s only been a few months since the World Cup ended. Over two and a half months — how dramatically can things really change? I want to watch how the J.League season and the openings of the overseas leagues go, and call up whichever players suit the team. Looking at it neutrally, I want to build the team factoring in both who’s best right now and who fits where we’re heading in the future.”
Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here
What people said
Fine by me, Zion (goalkeeper Zion Suzuki) got a rest
I'm honestly sick of Poichi's same old crew (his "itsumen")
he's been doing this for 8 years now
For the Europe-based guys, getting called up for the Asian Cup is nothing but a hassle, right?
Why does this guy keep inconveniencing the players?
But if we don't win here, there's no chance to boost the FIFA ranking, right? And if the ranking doesn't go up, our odds of topping the group stage drop, so we end up losing the first knockout match anyway.
Seriously nasty personality, and yet he's dead soft on himself.
over the guy who made the World Cup squad but hasn't done anything.
He's supposed to be using the international break to help rebuild the team, but he's not thinking about that at all.
yet he calls up others regardless — Moriyasu's logic just doesn't add up.
Is Fagiano Okayama his reference team for the three-back system or something?
No way the overseas players get motivated for a January tournament that isn't even an official international match date.
Their starting spot at their own club matters more to them.
so there's no need to rebuild the team from scratch at this point.
About the only new blood would be bringing in Kota Sano.
◆ Valencia — Ryunosuke Sato 2 ◆
https://kizuna.5ch.io/test/read.cgi/football/1789213285/
Apparently Valencia right now is nothing but bad players, so Sato's probably starting to regret ending up at such a crap club…
Factoring in potential, a surprise call-up for Mitsuiji might not be a bad idea.
No way he gets called up, and no way he plays even if he does.
Ratings are probably going to be brutal.
This mystery guy over here worrying about TV ratings lol
Hayakawa and Osako are getting torn apart even in the J.League.
Osako isn't even playing at all.
Osako played yesterday, did you not know that?
Itakura might not make it to the next cycle age-wise,
and Doan's age is a tough spot too.
The iron man, Kaishu Sano
Maya Yoshida should be fine.
Well, I don't think there's much difference in ability either way.
Background and key points of this discussion
The Asian Cup falls outside FIFA’s official international match dates, so call-ups for Europe-based players are heavily subject to their clubs’ circumstances — regardless of a player’s own wishes, he may be forced to withdraw if his club won’t release him. Itakura’s reported “intention to decline” may be tied to this same kind of situation. Where opinion split in the thread was over whether Moriyasu is right not to shake up the lineup much so soon after the World Cup. Some criticized the continued reliance on the same “usual crew” (itsumen) as unimaginative, while others defended it, arguing that demanding dramatic change just two and a half months after the World Cup is asking too much. There was also concern about the consistency of the selection criteria and the thin pool of goalkeeper and captain candidates.
*This article is compiled as excerpts and a summary from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Breaking News+) thread “[Soccer] Coach Moriyasu: September/October squad “basically the members picked for the World Cup” — plans to call up Itakura, who reportedly intends to decline the Asian Cup, too.”
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