The members of the Japanese men's soccer team (under 23 years old), which will compete in the final Asian qualifying round for the Paris Olympics, have been announced, including Shindai Hosoya, who has experience playing on the Japan national team, which has no age limit, and the captain of J1 and FC Tokyo. 23 people were selected, including 20-year-old Kuo Matsuki.
The Japanese under-23 team will compete in the final Asian qualifying round, which will begin in Qatar on the 15th of this month, with a chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics.
On the 4th, coach Tsuyoshi Oiwa held a press conference in Tokyo and announced the 23 members who will be participating in the tournament.
Among them, forward Ryotaro Araki, who has scored five goals in the first six games for J1 team FC Tokyo, and Matsuki, a 20-year-old midfielder who serves as the team's captain, were selected.
Also, Kashiwa Reysol forward Hosoya, who participated in this year's Asian Cup with the Japanese national team without any age restrictions, was selected.
In addition, the overseas group will be joined by midfielder Keiji Sato of Bremen in the German First Division, who scored a goal in a warm-up match against Ukraine last month, and midfielder Rihito Yamamoto, who plays for Sint-Truiden in the Belgian First Division. Five people have joined the team, including player Joru Chima Fujita.
Coach Oiwa expressed his enthusiasm at the press conference, saying, ``While understanding the difficulty of winning in Asia, I want to fight through a tough battle with the 23 players I have selected.We will come together as a team and face the tournament with confidence.'' I did.
The domestic group of members announced on the 4th will depart for Qatar one by one from the 6th, and will continue to make adjustments there.