The Our Futbol Podcast is proud to be collaborating with FUTBO13RA® to bring readers coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games – Women’s Soccer Tournament. You can download the FUTBO13RA® Guide: Paris 2024 PDF here.
Winning, losing or drawing a soccer match is not always tied to having done things well for 90 minutes. There are so many factors that occur before and during a game that influence the result as well.
Now, conquering a tournament like the World Cup is not at all a product of chance. And although destiny might bless you with certain situations that in the end help you achieve a favorable result, winning a championship of this nature can only be a consequence of work, discipline and commitment.
If we pay close attention to these three virtues, then we’ll realize that Japan knew exactly how to blend them perfectly to win the 2011 World Cup in Germany. Although they were not able to take advantage of being the host nation during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Japan is still undoubtedly considered a top team in women’s soccer.
The Nadeshiko squad qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games after beating the People’s Republic of Korea 2-1 on aggregate in the third round of the Asian Football Confederation Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
“I always tell the players to play with confidence in every game, more than anything, I share with them the joy of aspiring to be at the top of the world of soccer, which is the sport we love the most,” head coach Futoshi Ikeda told FIFA.com. “As we have progressed, we have had many technical talks and training for each game with good communication.”
Futoshi Ikeda, who five years ago led his team to lift the U19 Asian Cup, knows perfectly well that his country’s football has built a very solid football legacy (including winning the world title in 2011), but he is also aware that each international tournament is a new challenge and, at the same time, a great opportunity to continue nurturing the achievements of its players.
Ikeda’s strategy relies on the distribution of his players throughout the field to cover the passing lanes and take advantage of the explosiveness of his players to steal the ball and build offensive plays. Japan has a great vision to move the ball until they achieve an effective counter and reach the opposing side with numerical superiority.
Captain: Saki Kumagai
“The joy of working and achieving results together is much better than doing it alone,” Saki Kumagai shared with FIFPRO. “I prioritize the group because it is the best way to get results. At the end of the day, football is a team game.”
The key figure for Japan is none other than Saki Kumagai. The AS Roma defender was proclaimed champion of Serie A in the most recent 2023-2024 season and, before joining the Italian team, was part of the Women’s Bundesliga champion team of the 2022-2023 season: Bayern Munich.
Despite having had a successful time in Germany, Olympique Lyonnais is where Kumagai witnessed the best run of her professional career, winning the French league title on seven consecutive occasions from 2013 to 2019 and five consecutive UEFA Champions League titles (Women’s Champions League) from 2015 to 2019.
A member of the legendary Japanese team that lifted the trophy at the 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Germany, where she was responsible for scoring the decisive penalty against the United States, Kumagai has more than 100 matches for her country and among her achievements is Olympic Silver from 2012 London Games and the Asian Cup Championship in 2018.
Kumagai knows that Paris 2024 may be one of the last times she takes to the field as a professional player, so she will take all her experience to ensure her team can overcome the poor performance they had four years ago in Tokyo.
Player to Watch: Risa Shimizu
Japan is a complete picture that is put together from back to front, which is why another of its greatest figures is Risa Shimizu.
She began her athletic career as a marathon runner as a young girl, but at the age of 12 she arrived at the Tokyo Verdy Beleza club, where she started playing as a forward, then moved over to the midfield until she ended up being a right back.
She was champion of the Nadeshiko League with Beleza on five occasions and, from 2017 until 2022, she remained in the Ideal Eleven of said competition which is now known as the WE League. Since August 2022 she has been part of West Ham United, where her speed has been crucial for her to adapt to the league’s pace, allowing her to create danger alongside her technical abilities to send precise passes into the area and return to perform effective coverage.
She debuted with the Japanese women’s team in October 2017 and since then she has attended two World Cups and is heading to her second Olympic Games.
Together with Kumagai, Shimizu provides security and experience in the back. And both players are not only strong and know how to anticipate their rivals, they also have a fundamental role for the team. Together, they take on the task of observing the best recovery options, whether it be maintaining possession with their full-backs or sending long passes to their forwards.
Those led by Ikeda will seek to match the level they showed against Spain in the group stage match of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup where they beat La Roja, the eventual world champions, in a memorable 4-0 victory.
Coincidentally, fate has once again paired them up against Spain in the group stage, providing them an ideal situation to be tested from the start and be properly motivated to later face off against Brazil and Nigeria.
What time does Japan play at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games?
Japan’s Match Schedule in Group C
Thursday July 25
Spain vs. Japan | 8:00 AM PST | 9:00 AM CDMX | 10:00 AM CST | 11:00 AM EST | Stade de la Beaujoire
Sunday July 28
Brazil vs. Japan | 8:00 AM PST | 9:00 AM CDMX | 10:00 AM CST | 11:00 AM EST | Parc des Princes
Wednesday, July 31
Japan vs. Nigeria | 8:00 AM PST | 9:00 AM CDMX | 10:00 AM CST | 11:00 AM EST | Stade de la Beaujoire
This has been edited from its original version which can be found on the Futbo13ra website here.
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