USWNT’s next test: Japan, champions of Asia, with a roster of international stars in the making
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SAN JOSE, Calif. — The last time Japan played the U.S. women’s national team, just over a year ago, the Nadeshiko walked away with a 2-1 victory, their first SheBelieves Cup title, and whatever bragging rights come with handing the Olympic gold medalists their first loss since Emma Hayes took over as manager.
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The U.S. did themselves no favors by committing defensive blunders in the second and 50th minutes; Japan converted both into goals. But the costly errors were not all that helped them win.
Those goals were products of a Japanese side that had played its way into a flow state. Organization as an art form, technical precision, and a sublimely orchestrated midfield have always been at the heart of this team, guiding them to a 2011 World Cup in Germany, a gold medal match of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, the finals of the 2015 World Cup in Canada, and an Asian Cup three weeks ago.
Apart from their continental title, all three of the aforementioned clashes were against the USWNT, who have a strong upper hand in their head-to-head history; out of 42 meetings, Japan have won two to the U.S.’s 31, with nine draws (including the 2011 World Cup final that went to penalties) buffering them.
“We have always engaged in fierce competition with the United States,” said Japan interim head coach Michihisa Kano on Friday afternoon. “Through this rivalry, we believe that both our overall level of play and our standing as the Japanese national team have steadily risen.”
The SheBelieves Cup result has likely stuck with U.S. players as much as it has Hayes, and helps explain why she seized the opportunity to play the highest-ranked Asian team in the world (No. 5, according to FIFA) three times during this international window, starting with a game today at PayPal Park in San Jose.
“This is a fantastic test,” Hayes said in a press conference on April 1. “They’re champions of Asia. They’re easily one of the best teams in the world. They have a group that has developed together. They’ve got more than 17 players playing in the WSL (in England). I think this is, without question, one of the favorites to win the World Cup.”
Japan is one of just five countries with a star stitched above their crest, along with the U.S. (who have four), Norway, Germany, and Spain. Among their World Cup-winning peers, Japan stands out for the cosmopolitan makeup of its roster; a vast majority of Nadeshiko players are at professional clubs outside of Asia, and are increasingly competing at the highest levels.
“Japanese players are known to be organizationally good, technically good, smart, but we were not known for physical abilities, physicality,” Utah Royals forward Mina Tanaka told The Athletic through an interpreter at NWSL Media Day in Los Angeles back in January. “Now so many players are playing in the U.S., England, and other European countries. So, by playing outside Japan, we can improve ourselves physically. And when we come back all together, hopefully our physicality will be strong. We’re not gonna lose (1v1) with other players from other countries.”
Of the 26 Japanese players named to their title-winning Asian Cup squad, 16 play professionally in the Women’s Super League in the UK, three in the NWSL, two in the Frauen-Bundesliga, and one in Spain; the rest play in the Japanese Women’s Empowerment (WE) league.
Midfielders Hinata Miyazawa of Manchester United and Momoko Tanikawa of Bayern Munich reached the Champions League this year (the latter side eliminating the former in the quarterfinals). Goalkeeper Ayaka Yamashita, midfielder Yui Hasegawa, and forward Aoba Fujino of Manchester City are poised to win the WSL this season, guaranteeing them a spot in the Champions League next year.
Matsukubo was an MVP finalist in the NWSL last season, and despite the Royals’ struggle to climb the league table, Tanaka was the top goalscorer of her side’s 2025 campaign.
According to newly-promoted Utah Royals general manager Connor Oniki, Tanaka’s focused determination is contagious and has proven of exponential value since she signed with the team in the summer of their expansion year in 2024.
From the start, Utah wanted to be a possession-oriented team that could play through each third of the pitch cohesively, Oniki said. “As we were doing a lot of our data profiling and modeling, a lot of Japanese players just kind of rose to the top of that.”
The timing initially did not work out when Utah made a move to sign Tanaka; she was focused on the 2023 World Cup. But the club stayed close with Tanaka’s agent, Oniki said, and pursued her more earnestly the following summer.
“She came in not speaking a lot of English, but just from the get-go, setting a standard of: this is the way that we play, this is the way that we’ve trained, this is the level that we need to be at,” Oniki said. “I just think that we saw, throughout the team, that level rise because of her commitment to that.”
The NWSL season kicked off on March 13, during the Asian Cup, and Tanaka did not make her 2026 debut with the Royals until March 25 in a mid-week match against the Washington Spirit. She marked her return with a crucial 84th-minute equalizer, then followed that up three days later by drawing a foul in the penalty box that led to the Royals’ match-winner against the Boston Legacy on March 28. Against the Chicago Stars on April 3, she scored another goal, this time converting a penalty herself.
Tanaka isn’t the only Japanese player who returned to her club in peak form after lifting the Asian Cup in Australia. Matsukubo scored the North Carolina Courage’s lone goal against Bay FC’s three when she was back in market, and added a second to her season tally on April 3 in their 2-2 draw with the Portland Thorns. In Europe, Tanikawa subbed on for Bayern in the 59th minute of their Champions League clash with United on March 25 and provided an assist and a go-ahead goal in the first leg of the quarterfinals.
Matsukubo’s familiarity with many of the USWNT players from their toils in the NWSL has only added to her resolve.
“I’m feeling a bit of bounce in my step right now. A sense of ease has really set in,” she said Friday afternoon following Japan’s training session. “With all the buzz surrounding the national team’s social media and podcasts, and feeling that incredible energy coming from the U.S. side, I’ve realized that, deep down, I really don’t want to lose. I suppose that’s why I’m looking forward to this so much.”
The one person in Japan’s squad who will not be present for their three games against the USWNT, despite having made a significant impact, is Nils Nielsen, now the ex-manager of Nadeshiko. The Danish international was abruptly let go by the Japanese football federation just 12 days after becoming continental champions. Nielsen also managed the side when they beat the USWNT at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup. Kano, former head coach of the U-20 Japan women’s national team, was appointed as his temporary replacement for the upcoming friendlies.
Matsukubo admitted that the national team’s series of major events, from Japan’s continental triumph at the Asian Cup, to Nielsen’s departure, to preparing for a three-part test against a respected rival, hasn’t been easy, bringing “a lot of emotion up and down.”
Kano refrained from going into detail about the administrative change on Friday and reverted attention to the upcoming matches at hand and how he intends to approach them.
“While I cannot disclose specific details here at this moment, as a team, we are, every single one of us, fully prepared … That said, my intention is to select players who will enable us to execute a more attacking style of football.”
It’s possible that Japan’s last-minute coaching change could take some of the bite away from the series of games.
Hayes is effusive in her respect for the team, regardless, calling them “the one team I’ve always been a secret fan of,” and noted that one of the talking points in USWNT camp this week has been adaptability in case Kano employs a different strategy than they last experienced.
Whoever is at the helm of Japan’s national team, these are the facts: Japan is the champion of Asia, they have already qualified for the 2027 World Cup, and a majority of the players on their roster are competing at the highest levels of global women’s football.
Their gaze is fixed on the next big stage, and they are shaping up to be every bit the challenge Hayes is seeking for the U.S. to overcome.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
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