The United States Men’s National Team will look to recover from their disappointing loss to South Korea when they host Japan in a friendly at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday 10th September at 12:30am (UK time).
Mauricio Pochettino’s men went down 2-0 against South Korea in New Jersey last week, thanks to first-half goals from Lee Dong-gyeong and LAFC new arrival Son Heung-min. The Argentine has now lost seven of his 17 matches in charge of the Stars and Stripes.
Japan to win (6/5 with SpreadEx)
The USMNT have lost seven of their eight matches under Pochettino against teams ranked inside the Fifa top 30, including that 2-0 loss against South Korea last time out. Nine of their 10 wins have come against teams currently ranked 40th-101st, with the exception of beating 30th-ranked Panama 2-0 in a friendly in his first game in charge.
Time of first goal 11-20 (4/1 with Bet365)
There has been at least one goal scored inside the opening 20 minutes in eight of the USMNT’s last nine matches. Son’s 19th-minute strike for South Korea was the latest, kick-starting another disappointing defeat for Pochettino’s side.
- Fantastic Promotions
- Fun Social Media Content
- New Bookmaker
#AD 18+ 7-day free bet expiry. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply. GambleAware.org
How both teams go into USMNT vs Japan
As mentioned, Pochettino has completely failed to get things going for the United States so far, which is worrying given there’s a World Cup on home soil less than a year away. Serious questions are now being asked as to the team’s and manager’s readiness for that tournament, which has the potential to change the course of soccer in North America.
The US have lost their last two matches overall, as well as their last seven against teams inside the Fifa top 30. What’s more, the loss to South Korea ended a six-game run in which they at least scored in every match, which will further worry Pochettino, given his side have conceded 25 times in 17 games under his management.
Things don’t get any easier, with Japan ranked 17th in the world right now and enjoying a run of just one defeat in their last 15 matches across all competitions. The Samurai Blue drew 0-0 against current Concacaf top dogs Mexico in California last week, following on from a 6-0 thrashing of Indonesia as they secured top spot in their World Cup qualifying group.
For many, Japan are a dark horse to go far at next summer’s tournament, and this will be a real test of the United States’ ability to mix it against the type of nation they will have to beat to build a deep run of their own.
- Read more: The 10 best players in MLS right now
USMNT team news
Tim Weah lasted 62 minutes against South Korea but still doesn’t look fully over his muscle injury, so he may be rested for this match.
The likes of Christian Pulisic, Sergino Dest and Folarin Balogun all returned to action last time out, with the latter likely to start here following an anonymous performance up front from Josh Sargent.
Pochettino is without the likes of Antonee Robinson and Ricardo Pepi as they continue their road to full fitness, while Weston McKennie, Malik Tillman, Brendan Aaronson and Haji Wright also figure among the other notable absentees.
Japan team news
Ko Itakura was forced off during the goalless draw with Mexico after picking up a knock early into the second half, so Hiroki Sekine will likely replace him in the line-up.
US-born goalkeeper Zion Suzuki should pick up his 20th cap for Japan after keeping a clean sheet against El Tri. Premier League stars Wataru Endo, Daichi Kamada and Kaoru Mitoma are all in the squad, as is Celtic’s Daizen Maeda.
USMNT vs Japan head-to-head
This will be just the fourth meeting ever between these two nations. Japan have won two of those clashes, including the most recent one 2-0 in a match played in Düsseldorf in September 2022. The United States’ only win in this fixture came in a friendly way back in February 2006, with Eddie Pope, Clint Dempsey and Taylor Twellman scoring in a 3-2 victory.
| Date | Score | Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 23/09/22 | Japan 2-0 USA | Kirin Challenge Cup |
| 10/02/06 | USA 3-2 Japan | International Friendly |
| 14/03/93 | Japan 3-1 USA | Kirin Challenge Cup |