Tag : Doha

Doha, Qatar (The Hawk): According to representatives of the team, the Samurai Blue will conduct their first practise session on Friday at the Al Sadd SC Training Facilities in Doha. Six J. League players touched down in Doha on Thursday morning. These players included veteran FC Tokyo defender Yuto Nagatomo, forward Shuto Machino of Shonan Bellmare, defenders Shogo Taniguchi and Miki Yamane of Kawasaki Frontale, winger Yuki Soma of Nagoya Grampus, and goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda of Shimizu S-Pulse. When Japan begins their Group E campaign on November 23 against four-time champions Germany, Nagatomo, 36, will play in four World Cups. Machino, who was called up late as an injury substitute, was one of the Japanese domestic league players who travelled to Qatar along with the former Inter Milan and Galatasaray star Nagatomo. Hiroki Sakai, a defender for Urawa Reds, is another J. League player who will be in Doha on Friday. He is anticipated to board the late Thursday flight. The majority of the 26 players on manager Hajime Moriyasu's World Cup roster are located in Europe, thus the Blue Samurai will begin their full practise after Sunday's final round of European league matches, while the players already in the Doha camp will begin their first session on Friday. The team is a blend of youth and experience, with 19 World Cup rookies, 10 of whom were a part of the Moriyasu-coached 2021 Tokyo Olympics team that advanced to the semifinals. Playmakers Daichi Kamada of Eintracht Frankfurt in the German league and Hidemasa Morita of Sporting CP are also members of the Japanese team. Both have excelled in the UEFA Champions League this season and will be looking to continue their success into the World Cup finals, which will be the first one ...