Japan Names New Starting Line-up for Venezuela Match
Listen to the story
Japan's national football team has announced a new starting line-up for its match against Venezuela.
The coach, Moriyasu, made ten changes compared to the team that played against Uruguay in the last match.
Four players will make their senior international debut for Japan in this game.
The new players are Kokubo, Nakano, Kumasaka, and Saito.
Nakano is from Hiroshima, and the match will be held in his home area. This makes his debut extra special for local fans.
Japan's team is often called "Moriyasu Japan" because of its coach, Hajime Moriyasu.
Coaches often make many changes between matches. This gives new players a chance and lets the coach test different tactics.
The match against Venezuela is a friendly, which means it does not count for official competition points.
Fans and reporters are watching closely to see how the new players perform in their first appearance.
This kind of change is common before big tournaments, when coaches want to see more options for the squad.
Vocabulary6 words
- starting line-up
- the players chosen to begin a match
- senior international debut
- a player's first match for their country's main team
- tactics
- a plan for how a team plays
- friendly
- a match that is only for practice, not a competition
- squad
- a group of players a coach can choose from
- local fans
- supporters who live near the match
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Quiz
Answer key
1. Ten 2. The match is in his home area, Hiroshima 3. A friendly match
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Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Japan's national football team has announced a new _____ for its match against Venezuela.
The coach, Moriyasu, made _____ changes compared to the team that played against Uruguay.
Four players will make their senior international _____ for Japan in this game.
The new players are Kokubo, Nakano, _____, and Saito.
Nakano is from _____, and the match will be held in his home area.
Japan's team is often called "Moriyasu Japan" because of its coach, Hajime _____.
Coaches often make many changes between matches to give new players a _____.
The match against Venezuela is a _____, which does not count for official points.
Fans and reporters are watching closely to see how the new players _____.
This kind of change is common before big _____, when coaches want more options.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think coaches change the starting line-up so often between matches?
- Do you think playing in your home area makes a debut more special? Why?
- What could be the benefits of giving new players a chance in friendly matches?
- Have you ever watched a player's first match for a team? How did you feel?
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