After playing every minute of Japan's run to the last 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, goalkeeper Shuichi Gonda faces a challenging path back to football's biggest stage.
The 34-year-old has set his sights on the next edition of the tournament in North America, but Samurai Blue boss Hajime Moriyasu has made it clear that the gloveman's current club situation with J-League second-division side Shimizu S-Pulse is a barrier to selection.
In Japan's two friendlies since the World Cup, Moriyasu opted for 31-year-old goalkeeper Daniel Schmidt, who has been starting regularly in the Belgian top flight for Sint-Truiden.
"Getting called up from the J2 is tough," Moriyasu said recently when quizzed on player selection.
While there are availability issues due to J2 matches being scheduled during international breaks, the drop-off in the level of competition, at a time when the Samurai Blue squad is overwhelmingly drawn from European leagues, is also a concern.
Relegated from the J-League top flight at the end of the 2022 season last November, Shimizu fired manager Ze Ricardo following a poor start to this year's J2 campaign and have so far shown little sign of challenging for promotion back to the J1.
Gonda, whose club career has included stints with Austria's SV Horn and Portugal's Portimonense, sought a move to Europe after the World Cup, but a transfer did not eventuate.
He remains focused on continuing to deliver the type of goalkeeping performances that helped Japan advance from a tough Group E in Qatar following wins against heavyweights Germany and Spain.
"You have to make big saves as a matter of course at the World Cup. That's what it comes down to at every tournament," Gonda told elementary and junior high school goalkeepers who took part in a recent online event organized by the Japan Football Association.
The veteran shot-stopper certainly had his share of big saves in Qatar. After giving away a penalty that resulted in Germany taking a 1-0 lead in the group-stage opener, he repeatedly denied the four-time champions as Japan came back late for a historic 2-1 win.
After Japan suffered a 1-0 upset against a Costa Rican side who had only one shot on target, Gonda turned in another strong performance as Moriyasu's men booked their ticket to the knockout stage by beating Spain 2-1.
Gonda was unable to prevent Japan's World Cup campaign ending in the last 16 with a penalty shootout loss to Croatia, but the experience convinced him he could make a greater contribution by also stepping up to take penalty kicks in future shootouts.
"It's better to have more options," said Gonda, who has reportedly been practicing spot kicks. "If I say I can't take one, we only have 10 (rather than 11) players available."
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his international career, Gonda says he remains singularly focused on playing for the Samurai Blue at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
"I'm just thinking about improving every day with the next World Cup as my goal," he said.
