🏏 Tue, 9 Sep 2025 19:30 EDT
USA
vs
Japan
3-4-3 vs 3-4-2-1
Substitutes
Substitutes
Match Preview
- Japan play a friendly in the United States. Manager Moriyasu tests a new 3-4-2-1 formation, with Koki Ogawa as the lone striker and Junya Ito and Yuito Suzuki forming the attack in the second line.
- The much-watched Koki Ogawa is in fine form at Eredivisie side NEC. On the occasion of his first national-team start, he will showcase his trademark link-up play and finishing against the US defence.
- At wing-back are Daizen Maeda and Kota Sano. Maeda contributes at both ends drawing on his experience at Celtic, while Sano will want to bring his fine form at NEC to the national team.
- The US play a 3-4-3 with European-based players such as Pulisic and Balogun as the spearhead of the attack. The left-side duel between AC Milan's Pulisic and Nagatomo in particular is one to watch.
- On the bench are attacking players in Takefusa Kubo, Kaoru Mitoma, Ayase Ueda and Takumi Minamino, with a strong chance of changing the flow of the game through second-half substitutions.
- In the centre of the back three, Ryotaro Araki makes his first national-team start. The key is whether he can show the steady performances he has produced at Kashima Antlers on the international stage too.
- An important match testing how far Moriyasu's new tactics can function, and whether Japan can broaden the range of their setup ahead of the World Cup.