Growing up in blue and red since the academy days, both were selected for the Japan national team last season. Kashif BANGNAGANDE and Taishi Brandon NOZAWA have developed a strong sense of confidence and awareness.
This year, the two who are turning 23 and 22 say in unison, "We are no longer young. We have to take the lead ourselves."
In the first part, I asked the men who are trying to change while absorbing the atmosphere of the Japan national team about what they have gained on the top-level stage in Japan and what they value in their daily lives.
──The two are close friends, but what kind of relationship do they have?
Kashif BANGNAGANDE Probably Taishi doesn't think of me as one year older than him (laughs).
Taishi Brandon NOZAWA No, no, I think so. I know you are older (laughs).
Yoshifumi But since we were promoted to the top team together, I don't have that feeling.
Ambition Indeed, there are times when I use polite language and times when I do not (laughs).
Yoshifumi That place is a mess. The first time we met was at FC Tokyo U-18, right? I think it was when Taishi came from Okinawa as a trainee and we met in the dormitory. We had a bingo tournament, didn't we?
Ambition I don't remember when we properly talked together, but we probably met at that time.
Yoshifumi became friends with nature, didn't he?
Ambition I still talk about soccer, of course, but usually we have really trivial conversations (laughs).
Yoshifumi Yeah, it's really just trivial stuff (laughs).
Although Yoshifumi is one year older, the two are usually on good terms. In March 2023, Yoshifumi was selected for the Japan national team, and in December, Taishi was also selected. Still in their early twenties, these young warriors of the U-23 generation have absorbed everything on the highest stage. While spending their daily lives in Kodaira, they are facing their own level-up while maintaining the high standards they have personally experienced.
──What have you felt the most from your experience with the Japan national team?
Yoshifu My personal standards have risen significantly. I was called up in March, and although I ended up returning due to injury, being able to directly experience the top-level speed and atmosphere firsthand was incredibly valuable. The feeling still remains with me, and a new motivation has been born that I want to return to that stage and perform well there, which I never had before, so it has worked very positively for me.
Ambition I think it's natural to feel that you have to do more when you reach a higher level, and I feel the same way as Yoshifumi-kun. What I really felt through the national team activities is that top-level players all switch on instantly when it comes to the match. Of course, practice is preparing for the match, but the atmosphere is completely different between practice and the game. It's never easy to give 100 percent in a match, but the national team players can do that. They express their image on the pitch with confidence. Seeing that, I really felt it was important to become a player who can 'show' in matches.
── Could you please explain the word "standard" in a bit more detail?
Yoshifu To put it simply, it's everything, but especially speed. Passing speed, running speed, decision-making speed. I thought I had finally gotten used to the speed of the J.League by March when I was selected for the Japan national team, but experiencing the top level made me realize I was still far from it. I was shocked thinking, "This is the level of the Japan national team."
Ambition I felt that preparation is important because I am a goalkeeper. It's about how much accurate information I can gather before touching the ball. How well I can share and communicate that with my teammates. I felt that I need to improve in that area.
──After your experience with the Japan national team, have you noticed any changes in each other?
Taishi We haven't played together in a match since I came back, right?
Kashifu Certainly, I don't know about the match part, but Taishi has always had his own style in both practice and matches. He started participating in official matches in Tokyo from the middle of last season, and I thought he would be able to handle it without any problems. I was extremely happy when he was selected for the Japan national team. Honestly, I was surprised, but I thought he would be chosen given that performance. Taishi has been preparing thoroughly, and that hasn't changed even now.
Ambition Thank you. I don't usually hear this much, so your words made me happy (laughs).
──Since experiencing the Japan national team, what do you value in your daily life in Kodaira?
Yoshifu It's about preparation. Experiencing the Japan national team firsthand, I once again realized the greatness of Yuto NAGATOMO, who has been fighting there all along. Watching Yuto in his daily life, I see that he puts his full effort into the basics like preparation and body care. Seeing that, I thought, "This is the kind of person who can stay in this world." That is something I have come to value greatly myself.
Ambition This is also my ideal image, but I believe that just being a skilled player is not enough; I want to be a player who has a positive impact on the team. Yuto is a perfect example of this, as there is that atmosphere of "if he is on the field". The influence that atmosphere brings to the team is incredibly significant. Of course, I think Yuto has reached this point because he has fought at the forefront for over a decade, and I am not in a hurry to reach that level, but I have started to really demand of myself what I can do to have a positive impact on the team.
Kashifu I really understand that. So it's natural to raise all abilities, but I've started to train with a good kind of "urgency." I definitely feel that I need to do more, and that feeling is undoubtedly strong. For example, in terms of strength, I think I've improved quite a bit compared to before, but when I get selected for the Japan national team or play against the Argentina national team in the Paris Olympic generation, I feel it's still not enough. That's why I give my all in every day's practice. Every day, I make sure that I have no regrets about what I didn't accomplish that day before I go to bed.
The second part is here
Text by Daisuke Suga (El Golasso)
