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The story
On September 24, as Fuji TV aired the friendly match between Japan’s national team and Uruguay, the 5channel “Live Commentary G” board lit up with real-time chatter. Ritsu Doan captained the starting lineup, sparking talk about the captaincy passing from Ko Itakura, debate over why both Kaishu Sano and Kota Sano — who share the surname Sano but aren’t actually related — were picked together, and chants of “Tactics: just play Zion” from fans pushing for Zion Machida, who didn’t make the starting XI. Opinions were also split over regulars like Kaoru Mitoma, Takefusa Kubo, and Junya Ito being left out of the lineup.
Watching on TV: Fuji TV
Watching online: TVer
Source: tver.jp / Original article here
What people said
Starting Lineup
GK 23 Tomoki Hayakawa
DF 4 Ko Itakura
DF 21 Hiroki Ito
DF 3 Ayumu Seko
MF 10 Ritsu Doan (Cap)
MF 13 Keito Nakamura
MF 24 Kaishu Sano
MF 8 Yuito Suzuki
MF 28 Kota Sano
MF 19 Kuryu Matsuki
FW 11 Daizen Maeda
What about Zion?
Feels like the World Cup never happened.
This happens every time. Weird.
It's just a friendly, right?
That's how it is in every country, not just Japan.
Heard he's not in great form, so I guess that's fair enough.
Matsuki should be captain going forward.
He's just got that look about him.
He's 180cm and built, so he looks the part.
But skill-wise he's still got a ways to go.
He's in England's second division, after all.
Honestly, the Eredivisie and the Championship aren't that different in level.
Also, what about Osako?
Hayakawa's the best Japanese GK in the J.League right now.
Osako won't get called up anymore, given his ability and age.
Kokubo's in instead —
he's a starter in Belgium's first division, which ranks above J1.
Turkey
Teams that get wildly overrated but always underwhelm at the World Cup.
Add Mexico to that list too.
Why's it in Miyagi? Is it because the Rakuten Eagles are playing at Es Con Field right now?
North of Tokyo, the only venues that can host it are Kashima or Sapporo Dome.
Honestly they've been weak for a while now — Japan might even be the stronger side.
Kind of depends who the other guy is.
Probably Araújo.
What about Ito?
What about Kubo?
What about Zion?
Give up on Mitoma already.
Ito's not making the next World Cup either.
Kubo just isn't needed, honestly.
And Zion could use a rest.
At this point the only lineups that outclass ours are Spain and France.
All that's left is the manager.
What's wrong with a manager who beats Enrique and Flick?
There are people who worship build-up play, but Japan's got Zion — build-up can just be an afterthought.
Tactics: just play Zion!
Mitoma and Kubo just aren't needed anymore, honestly.
It's a friendly, so trying out different players is a good thing.
Just for the buzz?
Totally just for the buzz.
The younger one especially hasn't even been putting in good performances.
Huh? It's a perfectly fair call.
The younger one is at the level where Dutch TV media actually debated on air "why wasn't he picked for the national team."
It's honestly strange he wasn't picked for the World Cup.
This guy's basically a young Keisuke Honda.
More like a worse version of Honda.
Credit to Southampton's manager for that.
Honestly, the Japanese temperament just suits wing-back.
Japanese players shine in that hard-working, sweat-it-out role.
Spain, where Kubo plays?
England, where Zion plays.
England's probably the top right now.
France next.
Background and Talking Points
This match was a friendly rather than an official fixture, and Japan has already secured its spot at next year’s World Cup. That’s likely why regulars such as Kaoru Mitoma, Takefusa Kubo, and Junya Ito were left out in favor of testing younger and reserve players. The thread’s talk of the “Sano brothers” is a nickname stemming from Kaishu Sano and Kota Sano simply sharing a surname rather than being actually related, and confusion over this point is likely part of why some posters questioned the fairness of the selection. Meanwhile, while Ritsu Doan wore the captain’s armband this time, no clear reason was given in the thread for why Ko Itakura lost the captaincy — it remains speculation at best. The repeated show of support for Zion Machida, who didn’t play, also suggests just how much national team fans currently expect from him.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and summaries of the 5ch (Live Commentary G) thread “[Fuji TV] Japan National Team vs. Uruguay National Team — Kickoff 7 PM.”
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