Japan Excludes Midfielder Kaoru Mitoma from World Cup Roster Due to Injury

Japan has left injured midfielder Kaoru Mitoma off the 26-man World Cup roster announced by coach Hajime Moriyasu on Friday.

Mitoma suffered a hamstring injury during Brighton’s Premier League match against Leeds on Saturday, putting his World Cup status in serious doubt. This was confirmed with Friday’s announcement of Japan’s roster.

“The medical team assessed that it would be difficult for him to get back to fitness during the tournament,” Moriyasu told reporters on Friday.

Monaco forward Takumi Minamino will also miss the World Cup after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee last December.

Moriyasu did, however, include some players dealing with injury issues, such as Wataru Endo, Ko Itakura, and Takehiro Tomiyasu. Ajax defender Tomiyasu has faced multiple injuries, causing him to miss nearly two years of international play, while Liverpool midfielder Endo has only made eight Premier League appearances this season due to an ankle injury.

Sporting CP defensive midfielder Hidemasa Morita did not make the roster despite making seven appearances in World Cup qualifiers.

Defender Yuto Nagatomo will be making his fifth World Cup appearance.

“I was able to select only 26 players, but I feel sorry that I couldn’t select many other players,” Moriyasu said. “However, I selected these 26 based on their past performances and through conversations with the coaching staff, believing that this is our best squad right now. I think I have chosen the best 26 players in order for Japan to win on the world stage at this moment.”

Mitoma, 28, has scored nine goals in 31 appearances for Japan.

Japan has won five consecutive matches ahead of its final pre-World Cup friendly against Iceland in Tokyo on May 31. Following that, the team will travel to their base camp in Nashville, Tennessee, where they will train at the Nashville SC Training Center.

Japan begins its Group F play against the Netherlands in Arlington, Texas, on June 14, followed by matches against Tunisia in Monterrey, Mexico, on June 20, and Sweden back in Arlington on June 25.

JAPAN WORLD CUP ROSTER

Goalkeepers: Tomoki Hayakawa, Keisuke Osako, Zion Suzuki

Defenders: Ko Itakura, Hiroki Ito, Yuto Nagatomo, Ayumu Seko, Yukinari Sugawara, Junnosuke Suzuki, Shogo Taniguchi, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Tsuyoshi Watanabe

Midfielders: Ritsu Doan, Wataru Endo, Junya Ito, Daichi Kamada, Takefusa Kubo, Keito Nakamura, Kaishu Sano, Ao Tanaka

Forwards: Keisuke Goto, Daizen Maeda, Koki Ogawa, Kento Shiogai, Yuito Suzuki, Ayase Ueda