Football: Mitoma, Doan named in Japan squad for 1st games after Qatar

Japan’s Qatar World Cup star performers Kaoru Mitoma and Ritsu Doan were named in Hajime Moriyasu’s 26-man squad announced Wednesday for their upcoming home friendlies against Uruguay and Colombia.

There were 10 changes from the manager’s World Cup squad with veteran defenders Maya Yoshida, Yuto Nagatomo and Hiroki Sakai as well as attacker Takumi Minamino being the notable absentees, while Celtic duo Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate remain overlooked.

Three young J-League-based defenders, Ryotaro Tsunoda, Kashif Bangnagande and Riku Handa, got their first call-ups alongside LASK attacker Keito ...