U-21 Japan Swaps Out All 11 Starters for Asian Games Semifinal — 5ch: ‘Playing It Safe’ (a Dragon Quest battle-command meme for overly cautious tactics)
Managed by Tsuyoshi Otani, the U-21 Japan national team faced U-21 Uzbekistan in the semifinal of the Aichi Asian Games on September 30. With only three days’ rest since their September 26 match against North Korea (a 1-0 win), Otani made the bold call to swap out all 11 starters. Captain Rio Ichihara, vice-captain Yusho Ozeki, and Rei Umeki all began on the bench, while Frankfurt defender Keita Kosugi wore the captain’s armband. On 5ch, many voiced understanding of the rotation given the packed schedule, while others questioned the consistency of the selections (“no different from Moriyasu”), and still others supported resting key players with the final in mind.
[9.30 Asian Games Semifinal: Japan vs. Uzbekistan, Yanmar Stadium]
The U-21 Japan national team, led by manager Tsuyoshi Otani, takes on U-21 Uzbekistan on the 30th in the Asian Games semifinal. Ahead of the match at Yanmar Stadium Nagai, the starting lineup has been announced.
With just three days since the September 26 quarterfinal win over North Korea (1-0), all 11 starters have been changed. Captain and defender Rio Ichihara, and vice-captains midfielder Yusho Ozeki and defender Rei Umeki all start on the bench, with defender Keita Kosugi (Frankfurt) serving as captain.
Wait, seriously? This Uzbekistan side is strong for their age group (´・ω・`)
4AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:30
Furuya, Michiwaki… man, Otani's lost it
5AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:31
So glad to see the Bellmare trio starting together! The first team's trash but go get 'em out there
9AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:34
The real target is Olympic qualifying, so building squad depth matters more right now. Wins and losses here are just a bonus as long as they log minutes — this is the right call.
10AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:34
Can Michiwaki finally hit the target with a shot today?
12AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:35
Why isn't Araki starting in goal…
13AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:38
Having Kosugi and Ishiwatari out there is actually reassuring
15AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:39
At the very least make it to the final — a final against Korea would be great experience
45AnonymousSep 30, 2026 19:03
Re: #15 Did South Korea beat China?
56AnonymousSep 30, 2026 19:12
Re: #15 Looks like they barely beat China. Is China surprisingly strong, or is Korea just weak?
16AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:39
What is this… it's been like this for ages, including under Moriyasu — is this just JFA policy?
17AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:39
Well, it's just the Asian Games after all — even a loss could be a growth opportunity, no big deal. Isn't this about the level this tournament sits at anyway?
18AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:39
Packed schedule, and the final would be against a stacked Korea squad — no point overworking the players
20AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:40
The broadcast starts at 6:30, but what time's kickoff?
21AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:40
They're probably rotating with the final in mind, but if they lose here it's all over — this is a home tournament, a semifinal exit wouldn't be acceptable
28AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:49
Re: #21 It's fine, honestly. Aside from Kosugi, most of the core "LA generation" players (the cohort aimed at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics) are either already overseas (or with the senior squad), or their J-League clubs won't release them — so it's probably good for these players to get a reality check. Anyone who gets fired up about it should hurry up and go overseas.
31AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:53
Re: #21 There's no third-place match? So if they lose, both semifinal losers get bronze?
23AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:42
Victory's in the bag, I'm off to take a bath (a classic 5ch phrase posted before a match — tempting fate)
24AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:44
Re: #23 That's basically jinxing it. Though they might actually make subs early in the first half, especially up front.
25AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:46
Re: #22 Thanks. The ad says it starts at 7, the on-screen ticker says around 7:15 — typical TBS sloppiness.
30AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:51
A tournament where pushing too hard doesn't mean anything
36AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:55
Re: #30 We're losing to them on GDP, so winning this would at least feel good
35AnonymousSep 30, 2026 18:55
Tobias Storm, the 22-year-old Japanese-Danish center back playing for NEC in the Dutch Eredivisie, has added a Japanese flag to his Instagram profile. He's currently with Denmark's U-21 squad, but there's still a chance he could choose the Samurai Blue. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HTcPMHbaoAArmrK.jpg
49AnonymousSep 30, 2026 19:07
It's so sad that Michiwaki has basically become a running joke
54AnonymousSep 30, 2026 19:10
Re: #49 He was good in the North Korea game — the momentum shifted once Michiwaki came on
61AnonymousSep 30, 2026 19:24
⚽ Japan National Team Schedule
On air tonight 📺 !!
Wed 9.30 — 19:30~
Aichi Asian Games Men's Football Semifinal
Japan vs Uzbekistan🇺🇿
📺 TBS
Kirin Cup
10.1 (Thu) 19:10~
Japan vs Ecuador🇪🇨
Yokohama International Stadium
📺 TBS
Kirin Cup
10.5 (Mon) 19:30~
Japan vs Panama🇵🇦 or New Zealand🇳🇿
National Stadium
📺 TV Asahi
Mizuho Bank Challenge
11.14 (Sat) 19:15~
Japan vs Brazil🇧🇷
📺 TV Asahi
Mizuho Bank Challenge
11.17 (Tue) 22:10~
Japan vs Paraguay🇵🇾
📺 Nippon TV
https://dec.2chan.net/up2/src/fu7339257.jpeg
75AnonymousSep 30, 2026 19:41
This guy's no different from Moriyasu either… why do they keep shuffling the lineup so much?
83AnonymousSep 30, 2026 19:44
Re: #75 My guess is this is just JFA policy
122AnonymousSep 30, 2026 19:58
What instructions did Otani even give these guys
134AnonymousSep 30, 2026 20:01
Re: #122 'Take care of your life' (the Dragon Quest command meme for playing overly defensive)
127AnonymousSep 30, 2026 19:59
Losing the individual battles across the board — they're not even being taken seriously
136AnonymousSep 30, 2026 20:02
Re: #127 No way, that's not it — it's obvious if you check X (Twitter). Still, they'll need to clear that hurdle too before it can air.
Background and Key Points of This Topic
This year’s Asian Games is a U-21 category tournament, featuring what’s known in Japan as the “LA generation” — players aimed at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Many of the core players, including captain Rio Ichihara and vice-captain Yusho Ozeki, are tied up with overseas clubs or senior national team duty, making them hard to call up in the first place. Manager Tsuyoshi Otani’s heavy rotation of the starting lineup from match to match appears aimed at building squad depth during this grueling three-days’-rest schedule, while prioritizing preparation for the Olympic qualifiers, which the team considers the real target. The delayed women’s soccer broadcast discussed in the thread is reportedly due to Hulu holding exclusive simulcast rights — meaning the delay may not have been TBS’s decision alone.
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