Japan returns to the Copa America after 20 years and begins their second tournament appearance against Group C opponents Chile at the Estadio do Morumbi in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The relative newcomers to South America’s greatest international competition will meet up against a much more experienced outfit in Chile.
Copa América: Japan vs Chile
- Date: Monday, June 17
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: Telemundo
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
La Roja is the two-time defending champions after winning back-to-back titles in 2015 and 2016, and the 2019 Copa will continue their tradition of having appeared in all 17 tournaments since 1975. Reinaldo Ruelda has brought a seasoned lineup into this summer’s contest. Fourteen of the 23 players on Chile’s squad are 28 or older, and even their youngest player, 22-year-old goalkeeper Yerko Urra, is older than most of his counterparts on other teams.
In comparison, Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu has 16 uncapped players on his 23-man list. Of those, 18 players are 22 or younger—11 have yet to hit 21. Takefusa Kubo, 18, is the youngest player competing in the 2019 Copa America. The logic is that Japan will have some of their younger players compete against top-tier talent in the hopes it will put them in a better position for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics (an under-23 competition).
The Samurai Blue have lost only twice in their last 16 games and are currently unbeaten in three matches, but it will be a new test for such an inexperienced squad to make it out of Group C. The team is still seeking its first Copa America victory after drawing once and losing twice in their maiden appearance in 1999. Chile hopes its physicality and wisdom will set them on a path to becoming the first team to win three successive Copa America trophies since Argentina in 1945-47.
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