Two days ago, Wataru Endo was telling reporters Japan would "achieve something we've never seen before in Japan's soccer history." Today, he's out of the World Cup.
Japan confirmed their captain has withdrawn from the squad after suffering a setback in his recovery from the broken left foot he had surgically repaired back in February. He's spent the past week training alone at the national team camp in Nashville — the same solo grind he was doing for large stretches of the back end of Liverpool's season. That's not a sign of a player closing in on fitness. That's a player falling behind it.
A cruel timeline
The cruelest part is how close it looked like he'd make it. Endo was reintegrated into team training towards the end of the club campaign, played a half against Iceland in a pre-tournament friendly on May 31st, and gave every indication he was on track. Japan's tournament preparations will have been built around him at defensive midfield — the anchor of their press, the one who gives the more attack-minded players license to go.
At 33, this was almost certainly his last World Cup. Japan don't lack for talent, but they lack for a natural replacement at that position — someone who reads the game at Endo's level and commands the same respect in the dressing room. That's a gap you can't simply paper over with a squad reshuffle.
Shuto Machino of Borussia Mönchengladbach comes in as his replacement, though the forward isn't a like-for-like swap — Japan are reorganizing, not replacing. Anyone who had Japan priced attractively as a dark horse before the draw should factor in what losing your captain and defensive spine does to a side's structure under tournament pressure.
"We will do our best with pride and passion," Endo said on Tuesday. He meant it. He just won't be on the pitch for it.
