00:00
Welcome to Kevin's English Room Podcast.
I have a question for you, Yau-chan.
Oh, for me? Yeah.
Yeah.
FIFA World Cup.
Now
I'm happy that you finally got interested in it.
Yeah.
I mean, it's huge, right?
It's all over the news.
Everyone's talking about it.
It's all over Twitter.
Yes.
So today's date is
November.
November.
Yeah, it is.
I always get confused with the month.
I suck at the month.
I think November 28th.
Right.
And we first Japan versus Germany.
And then Japan versus Costa Rica.
Lost.
0-1.
Right.
And then the next is versus Spain.
Yes.
Great victory on the Germany.
Yes.
Yeah, that was a miracle win.
Was it a miracle win?
Yeah.
The question I have is like I saw so many commentators saying, oh,
today should be a fucking kyuujitsu.
Yeah.
It's such a miracle and it's such a match.
Yeah.
My question is, was it such a match?
Because I feel like every match they win, they start saying, oh, this was such a
historical moment, I feel like people are going to go back to this moment,
refer to this match saying that this was so good.
Yeah.
I feel like I'm hearing this every time.
Are the commentators over praising the match?
Okay.
That's partially true.
Okay.
Because, you know,
I love, first of all, I love football.
Yes.
No matter how it's popping out or not.
Okay.
But, you know, those TV programs or like commentators, they need,
you know, they want to make it pop in Japan.
Right.
So they want to make it, you know, sounds great or sounds historical.
I see.
Right.
They say kind of make it big.
They're media trained.
Yeah.
So that's partially true because they say, oh, this is a historical goal by somebody
who struggled in last year and, you know, what a crying story.
You know, that's that's what they do, basically.
So that's partially true.
I see.
But
this time win against Germany, that was an unbelievable one.
I mean, really, it's a
03:00
I never personally believed I've never imagined that.
Victory.
Oh, really?
No. Yeah.
What's their FIFA ranking?
Japan? Japan's 20 something, right?
Yeah.
Something around that.
Germany's much higher, much higher than that, I guess.
Because Germany has won the World Cup before.
Yeah.
I mean, OK.
You know, do you know how many times Japan has joined to this World Cup before?
I have no idea.
OK, it's just like three or four times.
Oh, really?
Japan is quite actually new country as in football history.
We're just getting stronger than stronger every year.
But we are still really young and having, you know, still a newcomer, newcomer, quite newcomer.
Like I didn't know that three or four.
Yeah. Yeah.
And
Germany
like
like hundreds of years of football.
Wow. In domestic like leagues.
Right.
And then so many times joining the World Cup, winning the World Cup.
So the reason why Japan wasn't
participating in the World Cup was because they didn't have the skills to.
Right.
I see. Yeah, I see.
Because
that was, I guess,
just when we were born,
it's I guess that's almost same age as JD.
OK, has just born.
OK.
So it's just twenty, twenty five, twenty six years.
It is quite new.
OK. Right.
There were no professional football player in Japan.
I see.
At that time.
I see. And then just start, you know, building a professional football league,
professional football players.
So they invite, for example, German players to Japan and Brazilian players to Japan.
And, you know,
they coach, coaches us and how to build professional things.
I see. And now, like finally,
you know, be able to join the World Cup like this.
I see. Now many people play in the European leagues, including Germany.
So, yeah.
So the fact that Japan is in that World Cup itself, that's already a huge achievement.
Yeah.
It's not actually like to me, to most of like me and you.
Well, yeah.
Joining World Cup. Why not? Right.
Right. I thought everyone could join.
Yeah.
That's the image that I had. Yeah.
But it was just full.
Yeah. Sorry. Four, five.
This I guess.
Fifth time, maybe. Yeah.
06:02
OK. So it's quite like this.
I see. So.
Yeah.
It's a big moment for them. Yeah.
It's a big moment. I see.
Yeah. And the reason why they say this is a historical winning against Germany was
also the place was important because that moment was held in Qatar, Doha.
And I've never heard like Doha no Higeki.
Yeah. So that I heard from the Kaisetsu channel.
OK. OK. Doha no Higeki before.
Same coach that was actually playing.
Yeah. Yeah.
Higeki now became a coach and then won.
Yes, yes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That's kind of a story.
Yeah. Huge story.
I see. Yeah.
So what Doha no Higeki was, you know,
joining the World Cup was, had been the biggest dream for Japanese football.
Football. OK.
And then they were just one step close to that World Cup.
Oh, I see.
And then the kind of the the qualification, like the Yosen,
the final match of Yosen was held in Doha.
OK. And then.
They were just did great match,
and including their coach Moriya-san was playing in the midfield.
Yeah. And then just Kohan additional time.
OK.
They lost. They lost one point and then a finish.
They couldn't join the World Cup.
No, that's why.
And then that's why they all we was that close to the World Cup, the first World Cup.
Oh, I see. And then lost in Doha.
So that's why that's called Doha no Higeki.
Yeah, I see.
Yeah. Now that I understand that, like a like a light history of FIFA.
Yeah, yeah.
I guess I'm I would be more like natto ku.
And it's called more of a historical win.
Yeah. Yeah.
Because when we were like elementary school, maybe you were not in Japan,
but we had a World Cup in Japan.
Yeah. Korea, Japan.
So to me,
joining like to our generations, right.
Joining to the World Cup is kind of.
Yeah, of course. Why not?
Like Japan is. Yeah, of course.
Yeah. Thing. Right.
But it's actually
quite recent thing.
And
yeah,
so I see.
I see. So, yeah.
So we're not.
I mean,
like a historical strong team in this world.
We're just quite,
you know, big enough. Right.
Yeah.
How about the match that's going to go on versus Spain?
What do you think about that?
Any thoughts on the the match there?
09:02
OK.
And they are strong.
OK.
Aren't they like aren't they like one of the top five FIFA rankings?
Yeah.
So strong. Maybe number one.
Yeah, maybe it could be.
I mean, these FIFA ranks are kind of always changing.
Yeah. So.
They're always in the high.
Yeah. The top ranker.
Yeah.
I think much stronger than the German.
OK. Germany.
Huh?
But
any hopes?
Yeah, like, hmm, it's a difficult.
Yeah, but they're really strong, but
they are slight like
holes in Spanish squad.
I mean, they were like
amazingly strong, like six, seven years ago, like five years ago,
including the Iniesta.
You know Iniesta? Yeah, he was.
Yeah, he was in Spain.
Iniesta, Xavi, unbeatable.
Like nobody could win against Spain.
But now like those Iniesta, Xavi, they retired.
OK.
And now it's like a Spain is like rebuilding the team.
I see. And using like the 18 years old new stars.
That's really good.
But but still, you know, right.
They are now kind of rebuilding, renewing the team.
I see.
So it's less experienced.
Yeah.
I see. I mean, still they're really good.
Really good, but not as good as Iniesta, Xavi.
Yeah. Those experienced, super experienced players.
Yeah.
So
I think we had,
I hope we have slight chance.
Right.
But important thing is if we could
make it or not on the chance point.
Right.
Oh, right, right, right, right.
If we like miss some great opportunities, then no.
OK.
You have to make it.
If you have some some opportunities.
Yeah. Right, right.
Yeah.
Any key players that you're
you know, you're you're keeping an eye out for?
In Japan?
Japan or Spain.
OK.
OK.
Well, Japan.
Hmm.
Well, Mitoma-san.
Mitoma-san.
And Kubo-san.
Kubo-san.
Those two.
I'm not sure
Moriatsu, you know, that Kochi will use these two players from the beginning, but
12:01
I think those two would be really key players.
Yeah.
So, yeah, Mitoma-san is playing in England right now.
And he's really good at dribbling.
And yeah,
I think he's going to be one of the greatest players in the world.
Really?
In few, like in five years from now.
Yeah, he's really good.
OK.
He actually really good.
All right. I'll keep an eye out.
Yeah. Mitoma-san.
Mitoma-san.
Mitoma-san. Yeah.
And yeah, so he will be the key.
And
also, Kubo-san.
Kubo-Takep-san?
Yes, yes, yes.
I haven't.
So the only player I know
is Kubo-Takep-san.
OK.
Right. And the, um, and yeah, the leader.
Leader Yoshida-san?
Yeah. Yoshida-Maya.
Yeah.
And, uh, Nagatomo-san.
Yeah.
And Douan.
Douan-san. Yeah.
That's kind of like the one that I knew from the start.
I'm still kind of learning my way.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Like Kubo-Takep-san, like I knew him.
Yes.
I knew that he was very young.
He had this skill inside of him that was very, like, special.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I didn't, I don't think I saw much of his playing during the two games that we did.
Yeah, true.
Right.
Like he just played the first half of the second match.
Right. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
And he was replaced.
Yeah.
Do you think, do you think I could see more of Kubo-san during the Spain match?
I mean, I hope so.
Isn't he in the Spain league?
Yes. Wouldn't he be a good
senryaku to the Japan team?
Yeah.
Because actually he has been playing in Spain since he was like seven or eight.
And he's fluent.
I mean, he's living in Spain and he has been playing in Spain for like more than 10 years, I guess.
So he must understand the flow and everything.
Like the vibe systems and everything,
the tacticals and even he can hear it. Right. Yeah.
He can hear all the strategies from the Spanish coaches.
Out there in the field, right?
Yeah. People yelling.
Yeah. Go, go forward.
Yeah.
He'll be like, OK.
OK, that's OK.
That's all right.
So he can be a spy.
So that would be great.
And he has actually friends in Spanish, you know,
that his team. Oh, really? Yeah.
The one he's been playing for a long time in Spain.
Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
Like, would he be sympathetic or anything like that?
He's not those guy.
OK, he can fight.
I see. Yeah, I see.
Yeah.
So that's kind of, you know, a story for him.
So if he scores against Spain for Japan, yeah, that will be, you know, a dramatic one.
15:04
True. So that's why I, you know,
I'm watching him. I see.
Yeah. Interesting.
4 a.m.
Yes.
4 a.m. tomorrow?
It's like, yeah.
December. The first December.
Yeah.
Are you going to watch it in real time?
Of course.
4 a.m.
Oh, no.
Yeah, that's a difficult thing.
Yeah. Watching the football,
the football here, like six or something, right? Yeah.
Yeah. But if we win the game, that will be historical.
Yeah. I mean, I get how that would be historical.
We beat Germany.
Right. Germany and Spain.
Right.
Yeah. Yeah.
I get it. I get it.
I hope they do a really good job.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
And as Spain is really too strong for Japan,
it kind of simple for Japan.
There's no like strategy.
Like if you face Costa Rica,
I see. It's like you can have several things that you can do with your squad.
Actually, because
we kind of even, the powers, you know, are even.
So you have some choices to be more offensive.
Yeah. Right.
More of the offense.
Yeah. Or like defense, you know.
So, you know, sometimes if you have, you know, three choices,
you, oh, which way should we take and then lost the balance.
I see. And that's what happened.
I see. So in the next game, you know, Spain is too strong.
So we kind of have just one way.
I see. So everyone is looking the same way.
Yeah.
It's all towards this one goal that's very clear.
Yeah.
So that's really important when you are doing football matches.
Make everyone's mind into one.
I see. And, you know, as a team.
I see. So that might be a good cause of miracle.
Yeah. Advantage for Japan.
Hope so. Hope so.
Hope so.
All righty.
Yeah.
Hope so.
All right. Yeah.
Thanks for listening, guys.
All right.
Bye.
Bye.
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