Japan 2-0 USA summary: score, goals, highlights

Japan win in Germany

Next up for the US is Saudi Arabia in Spain on 27 September.

FT: Japan 2-0 USA

And that's it!

Japan deservedly win 2-0 in Germany. 

Mitoma scores for Japan

The US backline stand off Mitoma in the inside left channel and he curls a right-footed effort into the far corner to double Japan's lead.

The US have another friendly to look forward to in four days, when they take on Saudi Arabia in Murcia, Spain. 

Kamada makes a darting run to the near post but can't find the target. His left-footed shot goes wide of Turner's right-hand post. 

Aaronson tries to find an equalise for the US. He goes on a mazy run through the middle but his shot from 20 yards flies wide of the post. 

Doan wins a corner on the right for Japan. Yoshida comes up from the back. Doan's corner is caught by Turner. It remains 1-0 to Japan in Dusseldorf.

DOAN! 

Turner tips the left-footed effort over the bar. 

Turner has been the USA's best player today. Not what Berhalter would have wanted.

Group B at World Cup

The USMNT will play in Group B at the World Cup. On Nov. 21, they will play Wales. They will also face England (Nov. 25) and Iran (Nov. 29).

US make a double change

TURNER saves 

Kamada tests the keeper from the edge of the box with a low effort. Turner gets down well to stop the strike and deny the forward a brace. 

Including June’s 3-0 win against Morocco and scoreless draw against 13th-ranked Uruguay, the USMNT will have faced four different World Cup teams prior to traveling to Qatar in November.

Tyler Adams, Luca de la Torre and Weston McKennie are playing together in midfield for the first time today.

Ito wins a corner for Japan on the right. Kubo's cross goes to the front post and is headed away. 

Luca de la Torre picks up a yellow, the first of the game, for a foul. 

Kubo takes it down wonderfully from the long kickout. The young winger cuts inside and passes into midfield. It will be a big season for him, with the World Cup and at Real Sociedad. 

Ito shoots well but Arsenal netminder Turner saves down to his right. 

The USMNT is 36-9-9 in 54 matches under manager Gregg Berhalter.

Luca de la Torre tries a shot from 20 yards out but Japan defend well and block the Celta midfielder's effort.

The USMNT is 1-1-0 against Japan. The Samurai Blue won the first meeting, a 3-1 victory in March 1993 in Tokyo. The USA won the last meeting, earning a 3-2 result in February 2006 in San Francisco.

Japan changes

OFF Hiroki Sakai
ON Hiroki Ito

OFF Daizen Maeda
ON Shuto Machino

US changes

Gregg Berhalter has made four changes at the break.

If you're only joining us now, Japan lead 1-0 and have been the better side. 

Japan get us underway for the second half!

Aaron Long and Walker Zimmerman partner in defense today for the 10th time.

The USMNT is 7-1-1 when the veteran duo pair together on the back line.

HT: Japan 1-0 USA

Japan lead at the break thanks to Kamada's goal. The USA have a lot to improve on in the second half.

Ito crosses low from the right wing. Long clears it.

There will be TWO minutes added on.

The USA have lost possession 39 times in their defensive third this half. 

US trail in Germany

Berhalter's side have been unable to break down Japan.

And it comes to nothing. As we approach the break in Germany, it remains 1-0 to Japan. Both sides are going to this year's World Cup so these friendly fixtures are a vital part of the preparations. 

Aaronson, playing in a wide position today, has been fouled again and is down once again. The US have a free on the right. 

Aaronson is down for the US. 

He's been brilliant for Leeds this season. They don't want him going off early.

USMNT starting XI cap numbers (including this match)

Weston McKennie (36), Walker Zimmerman (32), Tyler Adams (31), Aaron Long (28), Brenden Aaronson (23), Matt Turner (19), Sergiño Dest (18), Jesús Ferreira (14), Gio Reyna (13), Luca de la Torre (12), Sam Vines (9).

Turner saves Kubo's free-kick.

It's the perfect height for the Arsenal shot-stopper.

The Real Sociedad winger curls it up and over the wall but it's an easy one for the US No.1.

US Stat:

Today’s Starting XI has an average age of 24 years, 143 days and average cap number of 20.

Berhalter will not be happy with his side so far. There will be a lot of questions asked at half-time.

Japan take the lead

The US have been poor and Japan deservedly take the lead. 

Kamada scores for Japan but he's offside!

Once again, the US are poor defensively. 

It's now going to VAR!

Japan play it down the right. Ito finds a pocket of space but his touch lets him down. It's a goalkick for the US.

The small crowd in Dusseldorf does bring me back to Covid-19 football when you could hear the players talking to each other and the coaches giving instructions from the sideline.

Christian Pulisic is not in the team today as he picked up a knock earlier in the week. He could, however, be back for the friendly against Saudi Arabia in four days. 

Kamada commits a foul in the US box and it's a free out. It remains 0-0 in Dusseldorf. Japan have been the better side.

USA XI

Today's USA XI vs Japan.

It hasn't been the strongest start defensively for the USMNT. They will continue to play out from the back but their passing must improve.

TURNER saves!

Zimmerman gives it away and Turner denies Kamada from close range with a fine stop. 0-0

Japan, who are going to this year's World Cup, did not qualify for their first World Cup until the 1998 tournament in France.

The pitch is very bumpy. Some of the players are really struggling with their passing.

Dest flies forward. He crosses from the right for Ferreira, who heads over from close range.

Gio Reyna, 19, is making his first international start in more than a year today. He last played in the 0-0 draw at El Salvador to open 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying in September 2021.

Reyna is wearing the number 21 shirt today, the same number his father Claudio wore a total of 42 times for the USMNT.

Japan play with serious intensity and won 15 of their 18 games to qualify for the World Cup. Real Sociedad winger Kubo gets an early touch. There is a lot of pace in the side and it will be a good test for the US today.

McKennie goes on an early run and wins a free-kick. De la Torre also starts in midfield for Berhalter's side today.

The pitch isn't in great condition today. It's the US fans making the most noise so far. 

Japan have the first shot of the game. Ito cuts in from the right on the counter. His left-footed shot is easily saved by Turner.

And we're underway in Dusseldorf!

It's Japan vs USA!

Aaronson is going to play wide today in the absence of Pulisic.

Ito, Maeda and Kamada will be a big test for the US backline today.

This is only the third meeting between Japan and the US.

And now for the national anthems!

It may be a friendly but this is a huge opportunity for some of these players as they look to stake a claim in their respective squads for the 2022 World Cup.

Here come the teams!

There are reportedly around 10,000 here for today's international friendly between Japan and the USA.

Neutral site venue

The USMNT 's match against Japan in Düsseldorf today is only the 15th neutral site friendly in program history.

USA starting XI

Japan starting XI

Kickoff is just over 10 minutes away!

FIFA world rankings

The USA is ranked 14th in the latest FIFA world ranking. Japan is No. 24. 

Japan's World Cup group

Group E promises to be one of the fascinating groups at this winter's World Cup.

Spain, Germany, Japan and Costa Rica will battle it out to make it into the knockout phase.

Japan will believe they have a chance to make the knockout phase, having qualified for the last 16 of the World Cup in three of the last five occasions.

Moriyasu in charge of Japan

Hajime Moriyasu has been in charge of Japan since 2018. His record with Japan is: 38-10-7.

Dest returns

After missing both the March and June international windows, AC Milan right-back Sergiño Dest makes his first appearance since the 30 January World Cup Qualifying match against Canada.

Japan's full squad

Goalkeepers: Eiji Kawashima (Strasbourg/FRA; 95/0); Shuichi Gonda (Shimizu S-Pulse; 32/0); Daniel Schmidt (Sint-Truidense/BEL; 9/0); Kosei Tani (Shonan Bellmare; 1/0)

Defenders: Hiroki Ito (Stuttgart/GER; 3/0); Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo; 136/4); Yuta Nakayama (Huddersfield Town/ENG; 16/0); Hiroki Sakai (Urawa Red Diamonds; 70/1); Ayumu Seko (Grasshopper Club Zurich/SUI; 0/0); Shogo Taniguchi (Kawasaki Frontale; 12/0); Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal/ENG; 28/1); Miki Yamane (Kawasaki Frontale; 13/2); Maya Yoshida (Schalke/GER; 119/12)

Midfielders: Ritsu Doan (Freiburg/GER; 26/3); Wataru Endo (Stuttgart/GER; 41/2); Genki Haraguchi (1.FC Union Berlin/GER; 73/11); Reo Hatate (Celtic/SCO; 1/0); Junya Ito (Reims/FRA; 36/9); Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; 19/5); Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad/ESP; 18/1); Takumi Minamino (Monaco/MCO; 42/17); Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion/ENG; 7/4); Hidemasa Morita (Sporting CP/POR; 16/2); Gaku Shibasaki (Leganes/ESP; 58/3); Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus; 6/3); Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Düsseldorf/GER; 13/2)

Forwards: Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic/SCO; 15/3); Shuto Machino (Shonan Bellmare; 3/3); Daizen Maeda (Celtic/SCO; 7/1); Ayase Ueda (Cercle Brugge/BEL; 9/0).

World Cup on the horizon

The USMNT begin their 2022 World Cup campaign on 21 November 2022.

Berhalter's men face Wales to kick off the campaign in Qatar. They will then face England and Iran in Group B. 

The USMNT will compete in the strongest overall group in Qatar, with the four nations holding an average rank of 15, according to the August 2022 FIFA World Ranking.

USMNT vs Japan

The USA and Japan senior teams have only ever met twice.

In the first match on 14 March 1993, the Japanese recorded a 3-1 victory in the final match of the three-nation Kirin Cup in Tokyo.

In the second match between the countries, the US won 3-2 on 10 February 2006 at SBC Park in San Francisco.

Pulisic out for friendly

Christian Pulisic picked up a knock in training during the week and has been ruled out of today's friendly with Japan.

USA Substitutes for Japan friendly

Substitutes: 18-Ethan Horvath, 25-Sean Johnson, 7-Paul Arriola, 12-Erik Palmer-Brown, 13-Jordan Morris, 15-Johnny Cardoso, 16-Mark McKenzie, 17-Malik Tillman, 19-Ricardo Pepi, 20-Reggie Cannon, 22-DeAndre Yedlin, 23-Kellyn Acosta, 24-Josh Sargent, 26-Joe Scally

USA XI vs Japan

Today’s USMNT Starting XI vs. Japan: 

1-Matt Turner, 2-Sergiño Dest, 3-Walker Zimmerman (capt.), 4-Tyler Adams, 5-Aaron Long, 6-Sam Vines, 8-Weston McKennie, 9-Jesús Ferreira, 11-Brenden Aaronson, 14-Luca de la Torre, 21-Gio Reyna.

Japan on tour in Germany

Japan are currently on a tour in Germany. We'll have the team news for Japan as soon as it's in.

USA prepare for Japan test

The USA squad took in a morning walk in Cologne this morning. 

The game kicks off at 2.26 pm local time, that's 8.26 am ET and 5.26 am PT.

USA's penultimate game before 2022 World Cup

We're just over an hour away from kickoff as the US men’s national team prepare to play their penultimate game before the 2022 World Cup.

Gregg Berhalter's side are taking on Japan in Dusseldorf, Germany.

We'll have the team news as soon as it's in.

Japan vs USA: welcome!

Hello and welcome to AS USA's live coverage of this match between Japan and the USMNT.