wf105: Nadeshiko Friendly 2 and Nadeshiko League 2026 Week 13

[[[[Foreword]]]]
On Tuesday, June 9th, the Nadeshiko played the second friendly match against South Africa in Osaka and were defeated. The defeat was due to goalkeeper’s unconcentrated error and a lack of attackers’ scoring power. Hopefully, they will learn lessons from this.
In the Nadeshiko League, Shizuoka (1) and Nagoya (2) are a little bit apart from others. Shizuoka’s Kumi Yokoyama is now tied for first place in the league’s totally scoring record.
Two impactful news items: Mr. Abe’s appointment as president of Kobe and the announcement of Sawa Tsuge’s childbirth.

[[[ Nadeshiko Friendly Match ]]]
[ Blogger’s Review ]
The Nadeshiko fielded a lineup with 10 players changed, excluding Kiko Seike. Clearly, this was an attempt to field players who did not start in the match on the 6th. As mentioned above, it was a difficult match as South Africa’s only chance throughout the game was a header from a corner kick, which was conceded due to the goalkeeper’s careless handling. However, how to respond in such a situation must have been an excellent test for the staff and players of the Nadeshiko. Due to South Africa’s good defense, they lost 0-1. There were clearly several players in the Nadeshiko who were not in good condition, and one has to wonder what they did for the two days in between. Above all, the second half raised questions about manager Kano’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances and his ability to instill tactics throughout the team. The Brazil World Cup 2027 is less than a year away.

[Match Result]
The Nadeshiko 0-1 South Africa
at J-Green Sakai, Osaka
South Africa’s goal: L. Motlhalo (9′)

[ [ [ Nadeshiko League 2026 Week 13 ] ] ]

[ Blogger’s Preview on June 12th ]
The three matches between Nagoya (2) and Iga (4), Setagaya (8) and Harima (10), and Kamogawa (5) and Ehime (7) are sure to be heated contests as they are separated by only three points. Will Shizuoka (1) and Miyazaki (3) be able to bounce back from last week’s home defeats?

[ Overall Review ]
Shizuoka (1) appears to have made a comeback with a resounding victory. Kumi Yokoyama, who scored one goal, now has 182 career goals in the Nadeshiko League, tying her with the previous record holder, Shinobu Ohno. Nagoya (2), who are maintaining its good form, won a close match against Iga (4), extending their unbeaten run to 10 matches and keeping only 1 point behind Shizuoka. Kamogawa and Yunogo, who won their matches this week, have moved up in the standings to 4th and 6th place respectively.

[ Results of Matches ]
Match1 (6/13): Ichihara 0-2 Yunogo
at ZA Oripli Stadium with attendance of 146.
Yunogo’s goals: R. Shioya (14′, 74′)
Shots: 7:4 (3:1)

Match2 (6/13): Setagaya 2-2 Harima
at Komazawa Olympic Park General Sports Ground Athletics Stadium with attendance of 3,361.
Setagaya’s goals: O.G. (38′), M. Uchiyda (60′)
Harima’s goals: S. Chiba (83′, 90’+2)
Shots: 6:11 (3:1)

Match3 (6/13): Nagoya 2-1 Iga
at Toyohashi Municipal Ball Game Stadium with attendance of 653.
Nagoya’s goals: N. Fuchigami (35′), A. Fujiwara (50′)
Iga’s goal: M. Tsuneda (39′)
Shots: 10:13 (5:8)

Match4 (6/13): Nittaidai 0-5 Shizuoka
at Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium with attendance of 314.
Shizuoka’s goals: R. Miwa (14′, 31′), Y. Aoba (16′), M. Shirai (61′), K. Yokoyama (64′)
Shots: 4:12 (0:7)

Match5 (6/14): Kamogawa 2-1 Ehime
at Watarei Stadium with attendance of 592.
Kamogawa’s goals: R. Eto (5′), Y. Kono (65′)
Ehime’s goal: M. Mori (16′)
Shots: 10:8 (6:5)

Match6 (6/14): Seagulls 2-2 Miyazaki
at Nippatsu Mitsuzawa Stadium with attendance of 690.
Seagulls’ goals: M. Oka (8′, 45’+1)
Miyazaki’s goals: H. Matsuda (10′), A. Komaki (90’+1)
Shots:13:5 (8:3)


[[ News with big impacts ]]
1) Mr. Hiroyuki Abe has been appointed President and Representative Director of INAC Football Club Co., Ltd.
There is no precedent for someone with such a successful playing career becoming the president of a women’s professional football team. Moreover, at 36 years old, he is relatively young for a president. It has been 16 months since he retired from playing. He had served as the club relations officer for Gamba Osaka, so it is presumed that he has strong external relations skills. His resignation after only one year is a bit concerned, but his future endeavors will be closely watched.

2) Sawa Tsuge welcomed her first child in April 2026.
A top-class center-back of her generation, who had secured a regular starting position at Saitama, disappeared from the bench around the end of last year. I was speculating that she might be considering university entrance exams or studying/playing abroad, but it turns out she gave birth. It’s good news, but I was also surprised. I wish her the best of luck in her comeback.